InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hope for a Better Future ❯ The Enthralled Garden ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha….

Chapter 9: The Enthralled Garden

Sesshoumaru watched Sakura in the shadows as she made her way out of the `Garden of Hot Spring'. (Lame name, but couldn't come up with anymore better ideas :p) When he appeared, he was surprised on how stunning she looked in the kimono, Reisha had chosen for her. He blinked as he followed her down the corridor and into the abandon garden. He was surprised that the garden still looked kept and beautiful. The last person who ever came into this garden was Inuyasha's mother before he had ordered everyone to stay away from it.

He watched Sakura with one of his delicate eyebrows raise when she folded her skirt up and began climbing the tree. He walked up to her then making no noise and looked up. She seemed like she was taken in by the scenery beyond this walls. Smiling inwardly he spoke.

"Do you know you are out of bounds?"

He heard a soft shriek from her as she missed a footing and slipped off the highest branch. Not knowing whatever had possessed him; he caught her swiftly in his arm before she hit the ground. Her stunned face then looked up at him. He remained silent as he set her to her feet gently. She looked a bit wobbly but got hold of herself in a minute. She turned to him slightly annoyed.

"You shouldn't scare the hell out of me like that!" Sakura snapped.

Sesshoumaru raise his eyebrows at her statement. "This garden was closed to everyone for a long time and including you. You shouldn't be here."

"But why?" Sakura asked as she looked around. "It's so beautiful here."

Sesshoumaru remained silent and frowned slightly. That was what she used to think too… he thought.

"Besides, if you said that nobody had been here for a long time, why are all this flowers still blooming?" Sakura asked looking over at the small bushes of roses, and then her eyes came upon a pond with wild lilies on it, a tiny red coloured bridge to walk over to the other side of the garden and she approached it. "What in the other side of the pond?"

"I came here to escort you to the dining hall." Sesshoumaru grabbed her hand preventing her from going any deeper into the garden.

"But…" Sakura began to say but heard the finality tone in his voice and sighed inwardly, besides she was extremely hungry. Who wouldn't be, she had been unconscious for two days.

Sesshoumaru turned away from her then making his way back into the palace with Sakura at his wake but before Sakura entered the palace, she turned back to look at the garden one last time before she followed Sesshoumaru to the dining hall.

When they entered, Rin was already at the table, and she seemed very uncomfortable as she sat down at the table alone with another person who Sakura saw and gave out a soft gasped; quickly sliding behind Sesshoumaru's tall figure.

Sesshoumaru moved his eyes over to Sakura to see her looking down the ground nervously behind his back and frowned as he turned back to the person who smiled sweetly at him.

"Sessy-sama," Xiaran stood up and got over to Sesshoumaru to greet him.

Sakura took a step back then, she didn't know whether to bolt out the room or hold her ground. She looked up to see Xiaran throwing her arms around Sesshoumaru as she glared at her giving her an icy look sending chills down her spine.

Sakura felt like a coward hiding behind Sesshoumaru, and she hated that feeling but she didn't want to cause any more problems.

Xiaran was wondering whether Sakura had told her Sesshoumaru about what had happened. By the look of how she tried to avoid her gaze she figured that she hadn't said a single thing yet.

"What are you doing here?" Sesshoumaru asked indifferently pushing her away from him.

"How can you say that?" Xiaran pouted. "I'm after all…"

Sesshoumaru turned away from her then. "Sakura, take a sit."

"Hai," Sakura answered softly and followed Sesshoumaru. He gestured to a place next to him where she knew very well Xiaran was sitting there before they came. She stopped on the spot.

Sesshoumaru sat down and turned to look at her slightly. "I told you to take a sit."

"I think I would prefer to sit with Rin…" Sakura mumbled making her way around the table and sank down next to Rin.

Sesshoumaru could feel his temper rising, when Sakura disobeyed him. She dared to defy me? He thought furiously though his anger became more to irritation when Xiaran sank down next to him.

"Xiaran you are not welcome here anymore." Sesshoumaru said.

"You can't make me leave." Xiaran said her voice sounding angry this time. "Our relationship was tied by your father! Are you that bold and disrespectful to infringe the bond he had made for us?"

"There was no such bond!" Sesshoumaru said his voice void from all emotions but his blood was boiling. He turned to look at Sakura for a moment to find her looking down at the table silently with a slight frown on her face.

Why didn't she say anything? Sesshoumaru wondered. She knew that Xiaran was the one who attacked her but she didn't say anything. Is she helping her?

Xiaran snorted when she saw Sesshoumaru giving his attention to Sakura again. "I don't understand why, you waste your time with such useless human scum."

Rin gasped as tears appeared in her eyes and looked depressed then. Sakura looked up slightly her eyes were narrowed with anger.

Sesshoumaru turned back towards Xiaran but he remained silent. He wanted to see how long Xiaran was going to pretend nothing had happened.

"Besides, this little girl is useless and the only thing she knew what to do is cry…" Xiaran continued.

Rin sobbed then looked down her hand.

"Look at her pathetic…" but before she could continue the rest of the sentence…

Sakura had leapt up from her seat and moved so swiftly and gracefully taking Sesshoumaru and Xiaran by surprised. She jumped across the table knocking Xiaran back in the chair kneeling on top of her and one of her hands around her neck.

"You take that back!" Sakura cried. "HOW DARE YOU TALK TO RIN LIKE THAT?!"

Xiaran glared up at Sakura, she reached behind her back for her dagger then. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed and he was about to move to pulled Sakura away but, to his surprise Sakura did a few elegant back flips away from Xiaran.

When she saw Xiaran's hand moved to the back. She remembered that Xiaran kept a dagger behind, hidden in the ribbon, for she had seen her taking it out before. Missing Sakura, Xiaran slashed the air.

Sakura landed gracefully on her knees a feet behind Xiaran. She stood up gradually on guard looking attentively at Xiaran who got up rubbing her neck as she did. She turned to Sakura wrathfully for being embarrassed in front of her Sesshoumaru.

"You will pay for that you…" Xiaran said but her sentence was cut short when Sesshoumaru encircled his hand around her neck and lifted her up into the air.

"Sessy-sama?" Xiaran choked dropping the dagger. "Why…?"

"I will not tolerate such trash…" Sesshoumaru said his voice now lowered with anger.

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at the scene before her. She had never heard Sesshoumaru speak with any emotion before, he was actually sounding furious now.

"You dare to return after what you had done?" Sesshoumaru continued tightening his grip.

"That scum actually told you…" Xiaran gasped as she struggled to free herself.

"Your scent was all over the forest Xiaran," Even with Xiaran struggling Sesshoumaru didn't loosened his grip. "Sakura didn't tell me anything."

"So you are taking this whore…" Xiaran said in a strangled voice but could only gasp when Sesshoumaru tightened his grip even more.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin voice rang out then.

Sesshoumaru moved his eyes back to see Rin looking anxiously at them. Not wanting to kill Xiaran in front of Rin, he dropped her.

Xiaran landed on the floor in a hip coughing and choking holding onto her neck. Sakura was still standing on her spot motionlessly as she watched Xiaran with slight grief. She was the cause of all this, even though Xiaran tried to kill her, she couldn't stopped herself to pity her.

"You have you can keep your life today Xiaran," Sesshoumaru said turning his back on her. "But if this happened again, I will not let you go the next time. Now leave the palace, you no longer belong here."

Xiaran snarled as she turned away and fled out the dinning hall.

Sesshoumaru made his way back to his sit, ignoring Sakura as he walked passed her.

Sakura was still standing there until Rin called her.

"Sakura-neechan…"

Sakura turned to Rin to see her looking at her worriedly. She smiled slightly then and took her sit and remained silent. She had regretted for loosing her temper, but she couldn't bear to hear anyone talking about Rin that way.

At that moment, her father's voice echoed in her head. `I thought you judo and kenpo not to hurt someone, but to help them.'

And she did just that, slowly she shut her eyes from the image on how Xiaran ran out of the dining hall. It was all her fault.

Sakura wandered around the palace, after dinner still thinking about what she had just done. Not knowing how long she was walking around aimlessly, she came upon the garden she had found earlier. Tilting head slightly she walked out towards it. She found the place very peaceful and that was what she needed now. Walking towards the pond slowly she walked over the red bridge. She stopped when she was at the other side and gaped slightly to find herself in an enchanted place. She blinked not believing her eyes.

The garden was enclosed with tall roses' hedges climbing all over the walls making the place look wild yet, peaceful. Sakura trees grew in neat rows along the walls with other types of plants giving the whole place a jungle secluded look. Walking up into the garden she looked up the sky to see the moon shinning down brightly at her. She headed to a tree with a low branch arched in a way which was very comfortable to lie on. She hopped up onto it and lay down slowly looking up the star filled sky.

Did I just ruin someone else life? Sakura wondered looking up dazedly.

Sesshoumaru was enraged to find Sakura disappeared after dinner. Reisha had no idea where she had gone, and he was even more furious when her scent led him to the garden where he had told her no one was allowed in there. He walked over the bridge and stopped on the spot when he saw Sakura laying on one of the low branches of a Sakura Tree staring up the sky and her face… looked some what… sad?

"Didn't I tell you that no one is allowed here?" Sesshoumaru finally spoke after a minute of silence passed.

Sakura smiled softly. "I go wherever I want to go…"

"This is my home, you should obey the rules."

"You want me to leave then?" Sakura asked still looking up the sky her voice annulled to all emotions.

Sesshoumaru had never heard her speak that way before could only remained silent.

Slowly, Sakura turned to Sesshoumaru when he didn't reply and slipped off the tree.

"Why?" Sakura asked softly. "This place is so beautiful, why do you want to shut it away from everyone?"

Silence from Sesshoumaru as he watched her intently.

"It's so peaceful here," Sakura whispered as she moved closer to him. Her heart was aching, though she doesn't know why. "Yet, this place brings me sorrow…"

Sesshoumaru blinked as Sakura stood only inches away from him. He inhaled lightly to get a whiff of her exotic scent along with a slight scent of saltiness.

She is suffering from something; I can feel pain from her. He thought as he watched Sakura's heartbreaking face. But what?

"Sesshoumaru-sama, can you make it an exception to let me come back here?" Sakura asked. "I like it here…"

Sakura looked at Sesshoumaru hopefully, she wanted to be here, because this place gave her the peace she wanted, a cocoon to hide away from her life forever. She looked down the ground when Sesshoumaru didn't answer her. Out of a sudden, she felt Sesshoumaru's hand under her chin as he tilt her head back upwards and he bent over to kiss her.

Her eyes widened with surprised as her whole body tensed when she felt Sesshoumaru's warm lips tenderly over hers. She had never kissed anyone before and his move had taken her by surprised. Even though her mind screamed that this was wrong but she couldn't help feeling contented at the same time. Slowly, she relaxed against him and her arms encircled his waist, opening for him as he deepened his kiss.

Sesshoumaru couldn't hold in his feelings anymore, as she stood so close and her scent overwhelming his senses. Impulsively, he leaned down towards her as he hold up her head towards him giving her a kiss he never thought he would give any human or youkai before.

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For laugh

Ray closing Rin's eyes with both hands.

Rin: What is going on?

Ray: Er… nothing (Looking at the couple who couldn't break apart)

Rin: I want to see…

Ray: Ahem…

The couple took no heed to her.

Ray: AHEM! (Repeated again louder this time.)

Sakura: (Gasp and pull away from Sesshoumaru's kiss) Wha… what…?

Ray: Er… you guys can stop now… (Putting her hands down from Rin's eyes)

Sesshoumaru turned to Ray murderously.

Ray: (Grin) You both need a private room?

Sakura: RAY!!!!!!

Sesshoumaru: You know I will love to strip you to pieces one day.

Ray: Oh I can't wait (Rolled her eyes and get on with her work) You know you can't do anything to me until I get my job done.

Sesshoumaru: Until you finish your job then.

Ray: (Sweat drop) Me and my big mouth (Said under her breath)

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There the scene you all have been waiting for, Sakura and Sesshoumaru… and I know I used a lot of Sakura trees in the story… what to do… I can't think of any other trees… and besides Sakura flowers are one of my favourites… especially when in spring the tree looked pink when it's filled with sakura, really beautiful. Now I wonder what would become of Sess and Sak. Next chapter `Hatred for Humans'

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Thank you for your reviews mina!!!!