Hi again! I'm back and this time it's a bit longer than the previous story! Hope you like it, but if not please write and tell me why! You can't get better if you don't know what to improve!! Thanks

Again my Beta Hitomi1995 is to thank for her help!!

Oh and just so you know, I (unfortunately) do not own any of the Inuyasha characters!!

The clash of pink power with the blue wrought the nightly skies. The colors swirled together, then apart, clashing or fusing to form a new shade of purple. If you were a bird in the sky you would have been able to follow the flow of colors back to individuals standing facing each other in a small clearing.

But you wouldn't have been able to see the figures if you were not an animal that inhabited the forest.

A powerful shield blocked the clearing and domed over the fighting figures, shielding the outside world from the dangerous level of power being exuded from the figures. It's other perk being that it shielded them from human, demon or Hanyou eyes.

The one figure, to which the blue color could be traced, lifted his sword and sprang from the ground towards the other figure. His elegant movements underlining the deadliness of his attack, his gold eyes focused intently on his opponent, his silver mane of hair flowing out behind him like a visible made form of a breeze. Blue lightning raced from the tip of his sword towards the other figure with deadly speed.

His opponent, a small and delicately formed women, simply stood her ground, her midnight black her blowing away from her due to the force of power rushing at her, her crystal clear blue eyes, specked with flecks of pink, watching her approaching opponent and his attack with an unwavering stare.

Just as it looked as if she would be impaled by the blue lightning, she calmly lifted her hand. A pink shield immediately formed, halting the blue lightning instantly. She then curled her hand inwards as the shield followed suit, curving around the attack, gathering it in. The delicate palm then opened and pushed forward, sending the attack racing back at its creator. A split second later it twined with a beam of pulsating pink energy, growing stronger and more deadly as it sped back.

The man whirled to the side, but couldn't completely dodge the wide scope of the double attack. Blood spattered as it cut up his left side. He fell to the ground and before he could even blink she was there, her hands running soothingly over his body, her body glowing light pink as she poured out healing power to fix that which she had wrought.

"Oh Sesshomaru! I'm sorry! I didn't think about making the power section smaller."

Continuously she ran her hands over his body, and although he would have healed quickly enough by himself, he said nothing and enjoyed the feel of her hands on his skin.

Smiling a little at her worried look, but being careful she did not see it, he finally replied

"That is as it should be Miko! I should have anticipated the enlarged field after a combination of our powers. "

His hand slowly lifted to her face, cupping her cheek and turning her so she was looking him in the eyes. He had never told her, but he loved the sparkle in her eyes when she saw him, when she was happy. Therefore he disliked seeing them clouded with worry for longer than a moment.

"I believe you have progressed sufficiently for our deal to be considered done!"

A shocked and then a panicked look flirted across her face, but she reigned in her emotions like he had taught her. The only sign of her feelings was the slight tremble of voice and hands, that had come up to clutch his hand to her cheek,

"Will you leave me now? ...Will I see you again?"

His calm masked slipped slightly to be replaced by sparkling eyes and a small, very small smile, the only sign he allowed himself to show, and only so she would be reassured.

"You do not expect me to give up the best sparring partner I have ever met, do you?"

He saw the tears that were gathering in her eyes at his statement. His training had helped her gain discipline, but nothing could change the fact that she was human, and a human with a big caring but fragile heart.

Of course she had taken his statement the wrong way. It was not as if he bubbled over with his feelings. He rarely even showed as much as he was showing now to anyone. But considering her past, maybe it was time to let her know that he might, just maybe hold some small amount of affection for her. Enough to ensure that he would come a visit her again.

They had come a long way together after all.

A long way from that rainy afternoon.

He could still remember how she sat hunched over a pile of soaking wet wood, not faring much better herself. Her hands were placed over the pile and she kept repeating one word.

"Burn. Burn damn you burn!"

Tears were mixing with the water dripping from her hair. He knew this as the smell was powerfully invading his senses. What had surprised him was the lack of his idiot half-brother's smell or presence of any of the others.

Seeing her sitting there, looking like a drowned rat, he felt a small stirring in his heart, very faint and something he would have denied ever having felt if asked.

But it nonetheless moved him to approach her.

So lost in her thoughts was she, that she didn't even notice that he was standing behind her.

"Ningun, why are you here?"

Startled she spun to face him. He saw a myriad of emotions cross her oh so expressive face, everything from fear, relief, anger and then all of it settled into deep sadness. Without another thought she threw herself at him.

To say he was shocked would have been pointless, as what he felt surpassed that by a mile. He had never allowed another being to encroach upon his person like this. But the heart wrenching sobs now emitting from the small form attached to his chest, was even paining his stone cold heart.

At a slight loss at what to do, he lifted his hand to push her away and was quiet surprised when he felt his hand lay on her back gently and start to rub it soothingly! What in the name of the seven gates of hell was going on here.

He was most certainly not consciously doing any of this. But he couldn't stop himself.

When he finally realized that he was also giving calming growls from himself, he knew that this was the work of his beast. Why, he didn't know. It was not a thing known for it's gentleness, and thus far had only showed remotely similar behaviour in the presence of Rin, his ward.

The sobbing had settled down and the girl had fallen asleep in his arms, the tears still sliding down her heart shaped face.

He had never before really looked at the female in his arms before. It had seemed a waste. She belonged to his brother and was but an obstacle that had to be overcome in his quest for his brother's sword.

But now with her here in his arms he took the time to study her.

Her hair was long, midnight black and slightly curly. Some of it had been trapped between their bodies and as he lifted his one and only arm to pull it away from her face, he concluded that it was as soft as nothing he had ever felt before. His long claw brushed her cheek on its course of removing her hair so he could look upon her face and the smoothness of her skin reminded him of the rose petals of his mother's garden.

The smell coming off her now warming up body could also rival that of any of his mother's flowers. It was indescribable. A mixture of pure sunshine, freshly rained on earth and some sweet and fruity flower.

He bent his head to the crown of hers, which was the place her smell emitted the strongest. He took a deep breath before pulling away. Gods! One could get addicted to that smell, if not careful.

Her face was heart shaped and delicate at the same time. A certain vulnerability could be seen on her features, and this served to strengthen the tiny tingle in the region of his heart and surprisingly his groin as well.

The long black eyelashes against the white skin and the pouty pink lips were definitely not helping. And as she stirred in her sleep in an attempt to make herself more comfortable, he became painfully aware that she was not the girl he had thought her to be, but a women, with all the womanly charms that came with the title. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, he wrapped his long fury tail around her and waited for her to wake.

Snuggling into the warmth all around her, she tried to keep from waking up completely. She knew that if that happened she would have to face the problems which now even plagued her sleep, but she felt so warm and safe in the arm that held her now, that she had no wish to join the rest of the waking world.

Wait! Arm!

There was only one man or rather demon she knew with just one arm!

Slowly she opened her eyes and looked directly into eyes like the sun. Still a little hazy from sleep, she watched as her arms came up to wrap themselves around the neck that belonged to those eyes.

"Good morning!"

A yawn making her retract one hand to cover her mouth. It was then that she realized just what she had done. She had just given the Taiyoukai of the West a morning hug. More importantly, she realized as the events of the past night came back to her, she was still alive to be able to do it!

What was more as she felt the warm and fluffy tail remove itself from around her, she had slept in his arms! She immediately let go and tried to remove herself from his lap.

To say that a Ningun women once again shocked Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, was beyond understanding. Not only had she thrown herself at him the previous night but also she had hugged him good morning. While it was strange, he had to admit to himself it had been nice to wake up holding a living, breathing and warm body in his arms. It had been a long time since that had happened. It was therefore that he only reluctantly let her go as she tried to remove herself from his person.

"It was about time you woke up, Women." He greeted with icy politeness.

Her slightly confused expression cleared itself and was replaced by anger.

"I have a name you know!" The anger vanished, as she continued in a smaller hurt tone, "even if some people can't remember what it is."

"Very well. What are you doing out here by yourself Kagome?" He was surprised by the amusement he felt when he saw her gaping like a fish at the use of her name.

"I..I..., you said my name!"

She said it like it was an accusation to a high crime that he had committed, instead of the courtesy it was meant as.

Again he had to fight to keep from chuckling!

"Indeed! You are a powerful Miko and therefore a possible ally. It would be careless of this Sesshomaru to alienate an ally."

The mouth closed and her face flushed with embarrassment but also with something else. None had ever considered her powerful.

Sesshomaru decided then and there that he liked or rather could tolerate this Miko. She was a pleasant sort of entertainment. She would live!

"You have yet to answer this Sesshomaru's question! I do not like to repeat myself."

"Please, Sesshomaru. I don't really want to talk about it. Lets just say that your brother has shown me the error of my ways in loving that Hanyou!"

Seeing the distress in her face he decided that it couldn't hurt to drop the subject.

Her flashing emotions and other comments had allowed him to paint himself a picture.

The Hanyou must have betrayed her in some deeply hurtful way, causing her to run. She was not harmed, so it couldn't have happened all that long ago. Knowing the half-breed he was probably already looking for the woman and hadn't found her yet, because of the rain. But the fool had made a very huge mistake and seemed to have, at last, lost the love of the Miko.

She was therefore free game. The Elders had been bothering him again to find a strong mate and she was indeed strong even if she was untrained. In addition he could tolerate her presence, unlike any of the Youkai females back at court. But his wooing of her would take time. She was emotionally scarred, but even then she was and would be strong and a good mother to Rin, while providing him with powerful pups. The positive side just being that his beast seemed to agree.

"Would you like me to help you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Obviously your sense of loyalty will take you back to the half-breed, but if you like I can come and help you train your powers."

"Why would you want to help me Sesshomaru, a lowly Ningun!"

"It will be a deal. Once you are done with this business with Naraku, you will come with me!"

"For what?"

"That is not important. What is important is that you will become stronger. You could show them all what Kagome is really made of."

It sounded tempting as hell. Damn, the man was the devil himself with this temptation. It wouldn't be so bad to travel with Sesshomaru if he was like this though. I mean it couldn't be worse than traveling with Inuyasha. Plus she could finally train. Something she had always wanted to do, but Inuyasha would never stop at one place long enough for to gain anything but the basics, and those only barely.

"Deal, if you come to train me where I am!"

"That is acceptable to this Sesshomaru, as long as the half-breed and the rest of your companions do not find out!"

Mimicking him, she agreed, "That sounds acceptable!"

And that had sealed her fate. Over time he had come to realize that she meant more to him than simply a women to use for breeding and mothering.

She was simply put, a Goddess. One meant to stand on a battlefield, the equal of any man or demon. The Hanyou had been an idiotic fool to have failed to realize that.

But then again his ignorance had benefited Sesshomaru to no end.

They had trained at least 5 times a week, at first far away from their camp, so that the noise of battle would not reach her comrades, but as her powers and her grasp of them increased they started moving slowly closer. Her barriers would become larger and stronger and Sesshomaru would test them by increasing the power of his own attack.

When she started dealing him damage, her healing skills had rapidly improved as she would not let him heal on his own.

It was during one of these episodes that she healed his missing arm as well. What she didn't realize was by this she was winding the string he had on her tighter and tighter around herself, binding her more securely to him.

She had developed other talents as well, other things she could use her power to do. Through all this her power itself had steadily increased. It had reached the point where if she was not shielding it, it fairly crackled the air with its electricity.

To him it was addictive to feel it crackle along his skin. It aroused him far more than anything else to date had.

But he had kept himself in check, waiting for her to come to him.

He was a patient demon.

He could wait.

But he knew he could wait, because he knew she would come to him. He could see it developing in her eyes. Soon very soon, she would be his.

"Little Miko, you should not fret! I will come to see you because you belong to me now!"

With that he was gone like the wind.

Kagome got up with a huff.

"Arrogant bastard!" But the panic had subsided, a small soft smile growing in its place as she made her way back to camp