Relaxing Ride (Tag: Alidia)

"You worry over nothing.  Lord Sesshomaru can handle them." Jaken informed her.  As if in answer to his claim, the dog demon slid his hand from her grasp.  His flicked his claws and a whip of light sliced each of the insects clean in half.
"Vermin." Sesshomaru muttered.  He found one insect that was not yet dead.  So he promptly crushed it under his boot.

Michiko's eyes were huge as she saw Sesshomaru kicking butt. "Woah!!" she gasped then she remembered Rin. She opened her kimono seeing the young girl. "Are you okay?" she shared a warm smile and then she looked at Sesshomaru. "Both of you?" 

"I'm alright, Big Sister.  I knew Lord Sesshomaru would protect us.  He's never let me down." Rin replied.
"You have to hand it to Lord Sesshomaru.  Dispatching the Saimyosho is a simple matter, even for me." Jaken added.
"Indeed.  Naraku uses them to gain information, so it's best to kill them right away.  They are barely worth my energy." Sesshomaru said as he began to walk again.

Michiko sighed as her, Rin and Sesshomaru began walking again. 'I wish I could see why he's so distant... After all I covered up Rin to keep her safe... And nothing... Not even a thank you...'
She sighed once more as she followed. Then she felt her ears twitching as a thin string like substance had her and lifted her up a tree. She grunted but it was no use. But she knew she didn't want to seem weak with Sesshomaru's help so she tried grabbing her sword but the grip was too much. 

"Lord Sesshomaru, I just noticed Ryukotsusei's daughter has fallen behind.  You don't suppose something has happened." Jaken spoke up after a few minutes.  That got the lord's attention.
"Rin, you stay here.  I need to see to Michiko." Sesshomaru instructed.  The little girl nodded her head in understanding, the two-headed dragon staying with her.  Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Kohaku backtracked to look for her.

Michiko grunted as she tried again grabbing her sword. Then she gasped as she saw the girl with long black hair pulling it to cause her more pain. ' I'm so sorry Rin and I'm sorry Sesshomaru...' Then Michiko gasped in pain as the girl grabbed her heart. "My... My... What a rare prize... A demon heart..." she chuckled evilly. 

"Leave her alone!" Kohaku shouted.  He threw his Kusarigama at the woman threatening Michiko, distracting her.  Jaken released a blast of flame from his staff, burning through the threads that seemed to have held her.  Sesshomaru was able to catch her, even with only one arm.
"No one will harm you if I can help it." Sesshomaru said to her.  He carefully lay her against a tree to rest, then he drew Tokijin and prepared to fight.

The young woman tsked as she held out Michiko's heart. "Boys... If you harm me you'll harm the young girl demon..." She began squeezing Michiko's heart as she did Michiko groaned as she arched her back in pain. "Ahhh..." Michiko's eyes fluttered open as she groaned in pain seeing the guys's shadows ans shapes that fighting for her even Sesshomaru. 'I knew he wasn't all bad...' She lightly chuckled but still was in pain by the heart squeezing. "Oh Sesshomaru... The dear girl demon has a crush on you... Can't have that can we?" She squeezed harder as Michiko began whimpering. 

"You are such a fool." Sesshomaru seethed.  He pointed Tokijin at the woman's stomach.  The mere pressure created by the sword was deadly enough.  The shot went straight through her, knocking her down and making her release Michiko's heart.  Placing Tokijin down, he rushed for her heart.  The dog general's firstborn son had always possessed incredible speed, and he seemed to have done this in the blink of an eye.
"I am giving this back to its rightful owner." he said as he turned back to his new reason to protect.
'Someone to protect.  Yes, Father.  I have someone to protect.' Sesshomaru thought.

Michiko's eyes fluttered open as her heart was in her once more and she began seeing more clearer.  "Mmmm...Sesshomaru is that you?" She slowly raised her hand but it burned with the scars from the stringlike substance. "Ahhh..." she whispered. "That hurt..." 

"Hold on." Sesshomaru told her.  He took the threads in his hand and used his poison claws to melt them.  He had used a mild level of poison, so as not to hurt Michiko.  He felt right away when they melted away.
"That must feel better." he said, as if to joke.

Michiko automatically gave Sesshomaru a hug. "Thank you Sesshomaru..." Then she pulled back noticing what she did and turned red looking down feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry... I'll leave..." She weakly got to her feet and began walking to Rin. The woman's voice echoed. "She has a crush on you Sesshomaru..." 

'Have you someone to protect?' Those were his father's final words to Sesshomaru before he rushed off and died to save his human mate, Izayoi, and their halfbreed child, Inuyasha.  For a long time, he had shown distaste at the idea of using his time to protect someone.  But now...he found that he was protecting several.  Jaken, Rin, Kohaku, and now Michiko.
He walked up to her, talking her hand in an unusual way.  As he brought their hands up, their fingers interlocked.  He looked hard into her eyes...and smiled.
"You are not like Atsuko.  And I will look after you better than Father looked after Mother and Izayoi." Sesshomaru promised.

Michiko's eyes sparkled with delight and kindness. "I'll hold you to that..." she giggled as she held herself in his arms.

Sesshomaru held Michiko to him with his right arm.  Not for the first time, he wished that Inuyasha had not cut off his left one.  But it was enough of an embrace to get his meaning across.
"I know that you will.  I can sense that you will not betray me...like someone else." he said, directly into her ear.  For some reason, his heart felt lighter by accepting that she might feel something for him.

Michiko's eyes locked into his as she took his hand and placed into his. "I think I am falling for you Sesshomaru..." she shyly looked down and began blushing. "Kinda corny huh? How our fathers are foes and I'm here sharing my feelings unware that you feel the same..."

"I would rather give my heart to someone who is honest than someone who was the child of my father's advisor that tried to betray him.  Atsuko did that to me.  I would have never opened my heart to anyone.  Rin started the process of opening my heart, but you...Michiko, you finished it." Sesshomaru told her, tilting her face up so she could look at him while he told her this.

Michiko smiled with kindness and love as she looked at Sesshomaru. "Sesshomaru..." she cooed. "Kiss me?" Unaware to them that 2 people were watching them. And they knew Sesshomaru was incapable o love or they thought he was.

Sesshomaru didn't reply.  Instead, he started to lean in closer to her.  In a matter of minutes, his lips found Michiko's.  His hand let go of her chin and came around to cup the back of her neck.
Jaken was surprised, but at the same time, moved by the scene. Rin made a big smile and started to squeal with excitement.  Kohaku also smiled, but his smile was more nostalgic.

Michiko began kissing back with passion. "Mmmm... Sesshomaru..." she moaned with their kiss as she wrapped her hands around his waist. "My one and only..." Then she felt something not right. She stopped kissing her love and began looking around. 

"You can come out from where you are hiding.  We both know you are there." Sesshomaru said, looking around.  He recognized the scent of the one watching them.

One of the strangers came out and he looked like Sesshomaru. Michiko gasped. "Who's that?" she whispered. Then a young girl came out holding a bow and a group of arrows. 

"Heh.  Your nose is as sharp as ever.  I can't believe what I saw going on between you two, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha said, crossing his arms.
"Inuyasha.  I cannot fathom why you sought me out, little brother.  And I notice you have only your strange priestess in your company.  Where are your other friends?  The fox kit, the monk, and the boy's older sister?" Sesshomaru inquired, giving his half brother a dangerous stare.

'So this is Sesshomaru's half-brother?' Michiko thought. She walked to Sesshomaru's side holding his hand. "Please... We mean no harm..." then Michiko gasped as the girl had her arrow and bow aiming for her beloved. "No!!!" Michiko yelled as she shielded him as the arrow was coming to him. "Ahh... Can't move..." Michiko's body won't move as she got hit and laid on the ground. "Sesshomaru..."   

Sesshomaru knelt beside her.  He removed the arrow quickly, then fixed his brother and the girl with a deadly glare.
"Kagome, what did you shoot her for?!" Inuyasha shouted to her.
"I'm sorry.  I-I thought she was going to attack." Kagome apologized, confused.