Omg I'm so sorry it took me so long to update! Like what the heck? To be honest, I was a little lost on how I should continue this story. I'm like okay LaVixie, you fell off plot there for a minute, time to get back on course...and then I was like um... where was that again lol? Thankfully this little nugget came to me today, and I'm like YESSSSSS. Okay, now that I am back on task, time to get to writing the next chapters of Silence and Solace. :)

Chapter 5: Fairy Dust

How do you date a guy like Sesshomaru? Was that even the right word for it? As sharp teeth nibbled their way down down the column of my sensitive throat, I couldn't help but shiver.

I personally thought dating was supposed to be romantic. Full of candle light and a fancy restaurant. Those days were light years away though. Men didn't take women out on picnics in this era. Maybe buy them fancy jewelry but that was probably as romantic as it got.

No, men found a woman their parents approved of, wed them, bed them, and put children into them. It was a feminists worst nightmare. I couldn't help but feel like the exception however.

After all, there was no way in hell Sesshomaru's mother would ever approve of me. I was a human woman, and a priestess no less. Rin had told me stories of the candid woman, and I had long since made a mental note never to meet the woman. She sounded positively terrifying.

Perhaps his father would have liked me. He had fallen in love with a human woman after all. He was dead though, so I guess we'll never know.

Warm fingers with deadly claws worked their way up my hakama, bunching the fabric at my thighs, a pleased hum against the crook of my neck had me shivering.

It was doubtful Sesshomaru would ever marry me. Having kids probably made him shudder. He had a hard enough time with Rin as it was, and she was human. God forbid they had a demon temperament mixed in.

My breath caught in my throat as warm hands gripped the naked flesh of my bottom, the feeling foreign and yet somehow, it made white, hot fire burn in my veins. The action felt so…dominating. As if he was claiming me, holding me in the palms of his hands, telling me in no uncertain terms that I was his, that he would take and appreciate every bite.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to melt in a big pile of feminine goo or yell at him for getting so handsy.

Oh he would bed me alright. Probably over and over again till I was nothing more then moaning flesh. There was nothing romantic about him. He wasn't a man who was ever given anything. There was no silver spoon that he had been born with.

It was clear he was a man who worked hard for everything he ever had. His lands, his strength, his intellect. He would not wait for things to be handed to him. He would take them, claim them, and use them as he saw fit.

Knowing all this about his personality, I only wrapped my thighs around his waist tighter, wanting him closer, needing this moment to last. There was something alluring about being desired. About finally, for the first time in years, taking something for myself. Allowing myself to be selfish, to not be scared of the unknown.

Maybe it wasn't that men didn't want me? Maybe, at some point, I stopped wanting myself? The idea of opening my heart or body to a man in this way had terrified me. What if I woke up and he was gone? What if he turned around and decided there was some better woman out there that would catch his eye and he left me?

Those thoughts had held me willingly imprisoned in my own life. I had carved out my own isolation from one bad relationship, deciding that if love could make someone feel that way about themselves, that there was no point in giving it a second chance.

But insecurity and loneliness is a cruel monster, a parasite that grew the longer you dwelled in it. As hot lips found mine once more, I tightened my hold around his neck, practically purring from the attention, my body wiggling in delight.

Loneliness made a woman bitter. It caused her light to dim and curl into a ball of self doubt. Insecurity kept a woman stagnant. It caused you to see only darkness when you should have been seeing rainbows.

I didn't want to be that person anymore. I wanted to be happy again. I wanted to feel things, the good, the bad, and grow from it.

I broke away from his lips with a gasp, taking in hooded golden eyes, how his breathed huffed from wet lips, the flesh making me thirsty for another taste. I needed to stop being the girl who gives. Instead, I need to become the woman who takes.

Fisting my hand into his hair, I crashed my mouth back onto his, loving the way he stepped back, his back pressing against a tree, his hands pulling me closer to him, his lips meeting mine eagerly as I tasted every corner of his mouth.

"Um…milord…?" A noise that sounded like a mixture of an eep and a scream escaped my throat, and with embarrassment, I hid my face into the crook of Sesshomaru's neck, not wanting to face what had to be a mortifying situation.

What the heck was Jaken doing here? And why the hell was he interrupting when it was just getting to the good part?!

Despite what it must have looked like, Sesshomaru did not let me go, seeming completely at ease with keeping his hands on my ass, exposing the whites of my thighs to anyone who was looking.

"Jaken…explain your presence…Now." His growl would make grown men wet themselves. In my case, it only made me smirk, secretly ecstatic that he hadn't pushed me away. Honestly he seemed more pissed about being interrupted than being caught.

My blue eyes peaked at Jaken to take in his frightened expression. The cowering imp took to prostrating himself on the ground, deciding that groveling was the best course of action to save his unworthy miserable hide. And I thought I had insecurity issues?

"This unworthy servant is so sorry to interrupt…but Rin… uh…" at this he trailed off. Growling in irritation, I turned towards him, worry causing me to forget about my mortification at being caught so…scandalously.

"Rin is what?!" I could feel Sesshomaru flinch, his nose automatically turned up to start scenting the wind, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"She um… well she wasn't at camp, and I tried calling for her but she did not answer and I got worried and started looking for her and then I found Lord Sesshomaru and…" his silence was louder than words as he stared at me with his large bulging eyes, his distaste obvious to even a blind person.

I narrowed my eyes at him, fighting the urge to hold my tongue. He didn't seem particularly distasteful when he was staring at me bathing yesterday, the creep.

I tried not to feel too disappointed when Sesshomaru's hands slowly forced my thighs from his waist, allowing me touch the ground, one foot at a time. Without another word, he started walking off, silently following Rin's scent.

Shrugging, I followed after him, not even bothering to check and see if Jaken followed after us. It wasn't that I disliked the toad…he was obviously close to Rin in his own strange way, and obviously cared for the girl. I just wish he wasn't such a judgmental prick is all.

It didn't take too long to find her. Honestly, I heard her voice before I even caught sight of her. She was … laughing. Cocking my head to the side, I could help but feel curious. Sure, Rin had always been a happy child, but it had been a long time since I heard her laugh like that.

Turning my head to Sesshomaru, I took in the way his brows seem to frown with concentration, before slowly walking closer to the direction of her voice.

When Rin finally came into view, at first I thought she was talking to herself. It soon became clear that the sparkling lights around her were actually tiny demons. Tiny…fairies? I felt my breath catch as Artemis pawed at the air towards the tiny winged creatures, eagerly trying to catch the small orbs of light.

It had to be like two in the morning, the night feeling especially dark as the clouds had moved into block the moonlight. I couldn't help but feel at awe as I watched Rin talk to a tiny winged creature that sat securely on her finger, her face visible from the soft glow.

"Are those…fairies?" I whispered, not able to convince myself to interrupt the scene. I don't know why things like this shocked me. Hadn't I learned that the feudal era was full of mystery? So why was I surprised at the possibility that fairies actually existed.

"Indeed. They are quite bothersome creatures. Known for leading women astray to make them their queens." Blinking at him, I turned back towards Rin. She was only a child, or at least, to me she was. But there was no denying her body was slowly teetering towards womanhood. Perhaps the fairies had sensed that, and were preying on her unstable state.

"So…what do we do? Barge in there with a shot gun and demand they unhand our daughter?" I joked, not able to stop myself from snickering. It was every dad's worst nightmare. Men flirting with their baby girls and promising them sweet nothings. I suddenly couldn't help but feel sorry for Rin.

A man would have to be suicidal to try barking up that tree. For a moment Sesshomaru looked confused, no doubt wondering what a shot gun was. I really should stop it with the future lingo, but sometimes I just couldn't resist. Deciding now was not the time to teach him about future weaponry, I instead focused on the task at hand. The fairies seemed harmless enough, I mean, they were no bigger than my hand. So there wasn't really a need to go in there guns blazing right?

Without further thought, I started walking towards Rin and her new pals, leaving Sesshomaru behind to observe the situation.

Quietly taking a seat next to the raven haired teen, I allowed my eyes to fully take in the tiny winged creatures.

The one on her finger was male, his hair silvery white and short, chopped in layers just long enough to frame his heart shaped face. He wore a light blue sleeveless tunic, with white hakama, a dark blue sash in the middle completing the look. With his sharp golden eyes, I couldn't help but feel slightly enamored.

He was …well… cute, not to mention young. He looked just slightly older than Rin, not to mention those see through wings looked so adorable. It took everything inside me not to squeal, knowing that it probably wouldn't be appreciated.

"Who is your friend Rin?" She didn't seemed bothered by my interruption, only raising him higher in the air, allowing me to get a closer look.

"I am Haru, first son of Haruo, the Fae lord of this forest. You must be Kagome. I have heard much about you priestess of the Shikon jewel, destroyer of Naraku." I blinked at his polite tone, his words carrying a silkiness equivalent to a cat demon.

Blushing at his flattery, I shook my head to deny them. Sure, I had been born with the shikon jewel in my body, but I had also been the one to break it into a thousand pieces. My idiocy had caused suffering to so many, giving people like Naraku the power to cause devastation to any they encountered that got in the way of their greed. It wasn't exactly something to be proud of.

"You give me too much credit Haru. That was years ago, and I hadn't exactly done a great job in protecting the jewel, nor did I have that huge of a role in defeating Naraku. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had done most of the work." That last part was nothing more then a whisper.

At this, Haru gave me a sly smile, his wings flickering slightly. "I have also heard tales of your great beauty, as well as your equally great modesty." Okay…I can see what Sesshomaru had meant when he said the little buggers could lead a woman astray. He was like a midget casanova.

Despite knowing this, I didn't get a creepy feeling from him. He felt…honest. It was kind of nice. I almost jumped slightly when Artemis pounced at Rin's hand, his yowl of delight turning remorseful when his prey only flittered to my shoulder, easily taking a seat as Rin grabbed the sneaky predator, holding the protesting feline in her lap.

"Rin is sorry about Artemis. He likes to hunt…flying things." I had to keep myself from giggling, knowing that the feline was quite the avid bird hunter. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that he though our new friend would make a tasty midnight snack.

"Indeed." Haru's voice was dry, clearly unamused by Artemis's attempt on his life.

"So…how did you two meet." I didn't have to hide my pointed look from Rin, knowing she'd read my expression clearly. You were supposed to be in bed missy! Blushing at the look I was giving her, Rin shifted, obviously uncomfortable.

"Rin woke up and her lord and Kagome were gone. Rin was going to look for you but got…distracted." Uh huh, yeah, and I'm really a duck. I sent an unimpressed look to Haru, making it clear I was on to him. No mother would ever be okay with some winged boy flirting with their daughter at this time of night, no matter how cute he might be.

"Uhhh right! I saw her wandering the forest and thought perhaps she was lost and needed assistance." My stare only seemed to make him sweat nervously, before just barely dodging another pounce from Artemis. Screeching, I scruffed the overzealous feline, before pushing him on his back and softly petting his belly.

Instantly, purrs filled the clearing. Artemis apparently had missed the memo about cats not being fond of belly rubs, because he was an absolute looney for them. Rolling my eyes at how easy it was to distract him, I turned back to Haru, noting that this time he was sitting on Rin's lap.

"Remove yourself from her person or die." Sesshomaru's voice seemed to bounce off the trees, his threat a barely restrained growl. Papa bear was out, and he was not a happy camper.

Jolting from his spot, Haru looked towards the direction of the voice, taking in the sight of one pissed off humanoid dog demon. To his credit, he hid his fear from his face well, however, his white glow seemed to change to an almost bluish grey tint. I couldn't help but feel that was a dead give away to how scared he must be feeling.

"L-Lord Sesshomaru! What brings you to this part of the forest!" Gazing uneasily at Sesshomaru, I took in the way he narrowed his eyes at the fairy, most likely irritated at being questioned about such a mundane thing.

"Rin is his ward, Haru. We are currently traveling to the west together." I watched as Haru's face suddenly looked all too pale as he stared at Rin, before once more glancing at the demon lord. I could practically see Sesshomaru's demonic energy fill the clearing, making it clear that he was not happy with the current situation.

"I…see. It is a…pleasure to meet you, great dog demon of the west. Your ward and shikon priestess are positively delightful company. I was just um… looking after them as they looked lost." Had to admit, the kid had game. Don't get me wrong, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that he was the cause of how Rin had become lost, as I knew her first instinct would have been to look for us at the lake, not in the dark forest that surrounded it.

Sesshomaru only flicked the fairy out of his way before stepping in front of us, not in anyway looking amused. Forgetting momentarily to rub Artemis's belly, the cat pounced on the unsuspecting fairy, a muffled yell sounding from the grass before Artemis stepped back, his brown monkey tail wiggling in excitement before pouncing again.

With reflexes I wasn't aware I had, I grabbed the cat before he could stomp the fairy to death, not willing to be responsible for the loss of some Fae lord's son just because my cat was a little…bored.

"Ugh…was that really necessary?" Rin giggled at his words, before kneeling next to the beaten creature. His wings were dented and dirty, silver hair now brown with dirt, and that glow of his was a light red that definitely spoke of irritation.

"Rin is sorry Haru. Are you okay?" Gently, she picked him up, tenderly petting his wings with her thumbs as an apology. Feeling bad for the tiny guy, I put my hands over Rin's, covering her friend, before allowing a healing pulse to flow from my hands into his small form. When I took my hands away, his wings were back to their previous pristine state. Hair was still dirty though. I wasn't a miracle worker after all.

"Thank you Lady Kagome. You are too kind." A growl from Sesshomaru had the fairy slouching, no doubt terrified of the dog demon's wrath.

"Oh don't be so mean Sesshomaru. Have a little heart for the little people." I admonished, knowing it would tick him off but not willing to squish someone who called me kind like some kind of bug.

"He is trying to seduce Rin. Or do you not realize the situation?" Sighing, I stood up before brushing off my clothes.

Turning my attention to the fairy, I glared, letting him know I would not be taken lightly.

"What intentions did you have bringing Rin out here? Or is what Sesshomaru saying the truth. Curious minds need to know." For a moment, Haru was quiet, his eyes flickering between Sesshomaru and I.

"If you think I am trying to seduce her, rest assured, I am a little too young for that...and if you didn't notice, so is she. I simply was sitting here with my colony, when she came over, curious about the lights we were giving off. When I came over to greet her, the wild feline kept trying to attack me, so she let me sit on her finger to keep me out of harms way."

"That's right. Rin was about to look for Kagome and Lord Sesshomaru, but then there were all these lights glowing and Rin wanted to see what it was." Rin sounded apologetic enough, obviously trying to wrap her brain around the seriousness of the conversation we were currently having. Haru, for his part, looked slightly embarrassed, his glow taking on a pinkish tone. I couldn't help but find his color changes intriguing.

Sesshomaru didn't particularly looked appeased, not that I could blame him. To be honest, I wanted to be furious at the fairy too, however, he hadn't exactly acted as if he was trying to steal Rin away. I mean, wouldn't he have brought her back to his super secret fairy lair? We had found them pretty easily. They had barely traveled more than a few minutes from camp.

"Priestess, are you telling me you wish to take this fae's word?"

"There are worse things in life Sesshomaru then becoming some fairy lord's queen. Just saying." What would he say if I told him women in the future wrote romance novels about it. Nah, better keep that one to myself.

"Are you telling this Sesshomaru that you wish to be some fae's queen?" His voice was a deathly whisper that had my toes curling with agitation.

"No you idiot! That is not what I said!" Turning my back to him, I huffed before walking back in the direction we had came, clearly needing some beauty sleep. I wasn't ready to deal with jealous dog demons or flirtatious teenage fairy boys. Wake me when it's over I say!

"Um…was it something you said?" Rin asked, turning to look at her demon lord. Sesshomaru only shook his head before following after me. It wasn't until we were all at camp, that I realized Rin had brought her fairy friend with her.

"Uh… are you like…staying the night or something?" Haru looked particularly calm with his eyes closed at my question, sitting cross legged in Rin's hand, though I did see him sneak a peek at Sesshomaru to see how he would react. The golden eye'd demon seemed content to just sit down and stare at the fire Jaken restarted.

Maybe I shouldn't have called him an idiot. But where the heck did the idea of me becoming a fae queen come from? I just didn't want him killing the poor guy was all. I mean, sure I wasn't happy that Rin had been led off, and we are definitely having another talk about walking off with strangers, but he was only six inches tall!

But if it worried Sesshomaru…maybe I should be more worried. I mean, I didn't know anything about fairies. Other then some folklore.

"Well…I can't just leave two lovely ladies in the jowls of a vicious dog demon. I thought…perhaps you would require some company." At this his golden eyes glittered with humor. It was obvious to everyone that against someone like Sesshomaru, he was nothing more than a mere annoyance, but even I could respect his determination nonetheless.

"Rin, time for bed." Sesshomaru's words were absolute, leaving no room for argument. As the child crawled into our bed of fur, I glared at the fairy, letting him know his "protection" was not needed there. Smiling sheepishly, he flittered to a nearby tree branch, his glow reminding me of a nightlight.

"Even look in her direction and I guarantee you, you won't live to see sunrise." I promised, making sure the fairy knew exactly whose side I was on.

I stayed seated at the fire, waiting for Rin's breaths to even out, my shoulders sagging tiredly when after what had to be a half hour she was off into blissful sleep.

It had been a long day, and an even longer night. I should be joining her but… I didn't want to go to sleep feeling this way. Waking up on unsure footing left a bad taste in my mouth, and with a silent huff of encouragement, I quietly got up before walking over to Sesshomaru, taking in how he didn't even look at me.

Unsure where to look, I finally settled on the stars in the sky, taking in the tiny lights that finally broke free from the dark clouds that hid them from the world.

"I'm sorry…about earlier. I just… I didn't want you to hurt him. I know what he did was wrong, and I'm not endorsing it…I just didn't think it needed to escalate into this huge deal but I know what you mean. You had every right to be angry and I wasn't really helping the situation. And no, I don't want to be a fae queen. I'm happy enough being…" Yours. It was something I didn't dare say out loud. We were .5 seconds into our relationship, and already we were having problems.

It felt ridiculous, but then again, I never seemed to be in a normal relationship. Normal arguments involved arguing over what movie you want to watch or what restaurant you wanted to go to. Not me though. I gotta argue about whether or not I wanna be queen of fairyland.

"This Sesshomaru knows that… I was simply being …unreasonable in my accusation of you. I do not however, approve of the fae being near Rin, but I will allow it with...supervision." I couldn't fight the small smile that tilted my lips up, or the way my fingers gently pet his head, taking care not to ruffle his perfect hair.

"You know, some women like the whole jealousy thing. Me, I just like a guy who believes in my loyalty, and doesn't feel the need to question it. After all, why would I want to be with some fairy boy when their is this hunky dog demon with really nice hair chasing after me." At this Sesshomaru stood up, his amber eyes practically glowing in the darkness.

"I am aware of this ones folly, and will learn to be more…tolerant." It wasn't exactly a promise not to fly off the handle next time, but it was a mature answer nonetheless, and I couldn't help but chuckle at his attempt to reconcile.

"So is this where we kiss and make up?" My joke was answered with hungry lips, his large hands grasping my waist and pulling me towards him, letting me know his appreciation of the white flag I had waved.

Unable to resist, I wrapped my arms around his neck, allowing myself to just relax and enjoy this moment.

"You are tired. Rest." his whisper brushed gently against my lips, claws moving in soothing circles on my back. Without thinking, I relaxed further into his chest, my eyes closing and barely aware as we sat back down, allowing me to curl into his lap and listen to the sound of his heart beat.

It was slow. I counted the seconds between each beat. Five. It was a crazy long time to wait between heart beats, and yet it was nothing more than further proof that he was not human. His heart did not need to work nearly as hard to pump precious blood through his body.

Yet each beat was strong, reassuring. I pressed my ear harder against his chest, tuning out the sounds of the night, no longer taking in the cadence of insect songs or the rustling of the wind. Instead, I just focused on that thumping sound that made me realize his heart was real.

He was letting me have this, something I couldn't even begin to believe nor feel as if I deserved.

Why me? He had tried to explain it. That he found qualities in me that he found desirable. But as I thought about it, why him?

He was the brother of Inuyasha, the man who broke my heart. He had trouble written on him like a flashing billboard. He wasn't sweet, didn't say the right things, and he killed things…what should have been an automatic deal breaker.

But he was sarcastic in a way that made me laugh. He could admit when he was wrong. He raised a human girl that had nothing to do with him, something even human men weren't common to do. He's handsome, and there is a loyalty in him that was hard to ignore. Not to mention, he had a strong moral code, something I couldn't help but find desirable.

He had baggage. That I could tell. He didn't exactly have a warm and fuzzy personality either. But something about him made me feel safe, protected in a way that Inuyasha had never made me feel. Or maybe it was just there was a maturity to him that I was craving.

Either way, for the first time in a long time, I was excited to see where this relationship could go. It was something worth fighting for, which was something I hadn't had in a really, really long time.

"Good night, Sesshomaru." He didn't repeat the sentiment, but as I drifted off to the lull of dreams, his rumbling purr filled me with a sweet contentment. I couldn't wait to see what tomorrow would bring.

Thank you everyone for reading my newest chapter. To be honest, I was like Rin needs a love interest. But I'm like uh... can't just bring in a teenage boy LaVixie. Sesshomaru would kill him. And then I was like, what if he was like Shippo, small, unassuming. And then I watched a amv of sailor moon and saw Helios and Peruru and was like yessssss. And that my friends, is where inspiration comes from lol!

Also, I know not everyone will agree how Kagome handled this situation. You have to remember, she's 20 years old. Where Sesshomaru has no problem killing things that threaten what are his, Kagome's nature doesn't allow that. She wants to understand the situation better, and has only modern day knowledge to base things on. Just because she has lived in the feudal era for 5 years, doesn't mean she is any less a modern day girl.

I hope you liked this chapter, and remember to follow, favorite, AND REVIEW! Help me in my effort to make 60 reviews!