Seshomarru walked through the forest noting the change in the air, rain was coming but that wouldn't bother him. He seldom stopped due to weather changes and he was close to camp anyways. He walked through a break in the forest to be met by the sight of the sleeping merged group as he then realized they should have been soaked by now. He looked up to see an almost clear shield covering them protecting them from the rain. His eyes averted to the demoness who was laying on her back on a tree branch playing with a small charm on her neck. *FLASHBACK*
The group ran toward the shriek, bursting through the trees only to find a demon locked in battle with a demoness who was guarding a little girl. "You Fool! You'll pay for taking my food!" The demoness merely smirked, "You want her asshole, you gotta get through me, and that's gonna be a cold day in hell." The demon charged and the demoness ran at it hands ready at her sword. She jumped and pulled out a blade of blue fire and sliced the demon down in one strike. She turned back to the girl walked over and picked her up. "Come on sweetie, lets get you home to momma ok?" The little girl nodded and buried her face into the woman's shoulder. She began to walk away as she called over her shoulder, "If you want to you can follow me I know a village where you can rest, my name is Kiri by the way."
*END FLASHBACK*
Seshomarru hadn't stayed for further introductions but from the way Rin had carried on he could gather she had made quite the impression. He walked over to the tree and looked up, "Kiri." The woman looked down, "So what you cant say two words to me for the past two weeks but now you decide you want to talk?" Seshomarru's eyes squinted, "I do not have patience for your complaints demoness, I wish to discuss something with you." Interested, the woman jumped down and stood before the demon lord. "What is it you wish to discuss then?" He frowned and looked at her, "First why haven't you followed suit and address me as Lord Seshomarru, second why is it that Rin has taken such an affection to you?" "First I do not answer to anyone as lord or lady, second, the next time you take off without saying anything to her stick around in the bushes and see how it affects her, it does more than you think." She jumped back up into the tree and looked to the sky, "It will be daylight soon, you should see, and I mean really see how Rin reacts when she sees your back. You're a father to her, she has no one else she looks to you for comfort and protection." Just as her words were said she let down her shield and the sun began to rise. They watched from their separate posts as the sleeping group, one by one awoke. Seshomarru watched Rin's sleeping form stir slightly before her eyes crept open, as her sights set on Seshomarru, a grin spread across her face, she stood and ran to him. "Lord Seshomarru your back!" She hugged him and he stared down at her. 'How much about this child do I really not know?' He thought, catching the movement as Kiri jumped down from the tree. Rin turned and ran to her Lady Kiri!" Kiri reached down and picked her up shaking her head. "How many times do I have to tell you silly just call me Kiri you don't have to call me Lady." The girl smiled and nodded. Kagome walked to Kiri, "Kiri do you want to go with us to the village? I know you haven't been yet…" "I'll get there on my own im going to go to the springs first." Kagome nodded, "We'll be in the first hut." Kiri smiled, "I still don't know how im supposed to repay you for how kind you've been." Inuyasha stepped forward, "Its ok we all know what its like to be alone you'll stay welcome with us." Seshomarru wondered what his brother had meant by her being alone, who had she lost?
Kiri walked through the woods towards the hot springs, she smiled as she smelled the sweet Sakura blossoms on the wind. She stopped at the edge of the hot spring and shook her head, 'He just doesn't give up does he?' She had smelled Seshomarru's scent on the wind, he had masked it well but not good enough. Oh well if he wanted to be a peeping tom she'd let him. She untied her kimono and let it drop to the ground, she stepped into the water and gasped at the pain as the hot water hit her scar. Seshomarru stared in shock, hed seen scars of all types but never one like hers, it wasn't a scar it was a word. Someone had carved into her back the word 'whore'. Kiri waded to the deep end and leaned against the rocks she sat down and closed her eyes. "He was another dog demon, or that's all he was to me." She opened her eyes and looked to the tree Seshomarru stood in, she beckoned to him to come closer. "I was the proud leader of a dog demon village, I became of age and he came around." She squinted her eyes in disgust. "Nuka…. the most arrogant son of a bitch you'd ever meet. All of the girls in the village would have given anything to be his mate, but no he chose me because I had the power. He tried to put on a show around me, but I saw through him and called him out for what he really is….that was my mistake." Seshomarru jumped down from the tree and walked to the edge of the water. "I had just come back from hunting, I walked through the woods and I could already tell it was to quiet. I ran to the village and when I got there-" She paused trying to steady her voice. "All I could see were bodies…men, women, children, our elders, even-…..even the nursery was silent. I got hit with something hard, all I remember are bits and pieces after that…..he let his tribe do what they wanted with me." She turned her head away in shame. "I remember….when they were done he said that it was my mistake for not taking him as a mate, that now I had forced it to come to this and when he was done I'd bow to him." She looked up at Seshomarru, tears streaming down her face. " He told me he'd make me his mate, but first make me realize what I was…..he carved this into my back and told the others to leave, that was his mistake. I don't know how I did it but I got him off of me and I ran….. I never looked back but…. I know he's still looking for me." She shook her head and stood. "How long?" She looked at him. "What?" "How long have you been running." She smiled weakly, "Two years and they haven't caught me yet." She walked over to her kimono and put it on. She heard his footsteps behind her, "Your scar is…glowing?" She gasped her eyes going wide. She spun around and stared at him in fright, "You have to go now! Please I cant let him see you, if he does he'll hunt you too!" "You think I fear a weak demon?" "DAMNIT ALL PLEASE JUST GO! If not for you then for Rin's safety!" He stood his ground refusing to leave. She looked into his eyes. Pure sadness was etched in her face, she leaned in and whispered only inches away from his face, "Please forgive me." She hit him in his chest with a burst of energy throwing him back into a tree. Kiri ran as fast as she could, 'Maybe if I go fast enough I can get far enough away from Seshomarru before he attacks me.' Her thoughts were cut off as she was violently thrown to the ground. She looked up in a haze at her attacker and gasped, now she remembered how she had gotten him off of her she had grabbed a rock she had been sharpening on the gravel during the rapes and stabbed him in the neck, now a long scar crossed his jugular. Maybe just maybe if she could get her hands free she could hit him there and knock him off. "Call to him." She stared at him, "To who?" "Don't act like you don't know I can smell his scent all over you! Call to him now!" He bent her arm. "AHHH! No! I will not let you hurt him!" He grabbed her throat and started to squeeze. "Then im gonna keep you alive and before I mate you im gonna catch him then im gonna make him watch, before I make you watch me kill him." "NO!" Suddenly she felt a stabbing pain in her neck as he dug his claws into her neck trying to keep her in his grasp as he was thrown off of her. "What-" His words were cut off as a sword slashed through his throat cutting off his head. As Seshomarru turned he saw Kiri curled into a ball shaking on the ground. He walked to her and picked her up, she sobbed into his neck as he carried her back to the springs, he'd let her wash off her attackers scent before anything else. When they reached the hot spring he walked into the hot springs with her clothes and all, after what she had just been through the last thing she needed was someone touching her more than necessary. "Seshomarru." He looked down at the woman cradled in his arms. He waded over to a rock and sat down with her. "I know what my answer will be but… would you mark me….just so I wont have to be afraid." "Your not ready to be mated not yet." She shook her head, "No not mated just marked, I know you don't want me like that." He leaned down and nuzzled her cheek. "That's not what I said. I said your not ready, not that I don't want you." He pulled away and looked at her. She was in shock, she sat up and looked into his eyes. Kiri smiled and leaned into his chest, she felt his arms wrap around her. Seshomarru stared at the girl in his arms in wonder, what had made this day change so much, he never would have followed her if he hadn't felt the need to protect her. If he hadn't followed her, if he hadn't been there to protect her and he had… Seshomarru growled at the thought. It wasn't so much her scent as it was everything about her, usually the inner demon chose a mate by power or scent, but neither from her had drawn him could it be that he had fallen in love with her? He stood with the woman tucked safely in his arms and walked to the village.
"Kiri! What happened to her Seshomarru!" Kagome asked running out of the field and towards the two. Inuyasha reached Seshomarru before Kagome with two leaps, when the two reached him with only a sniff in the air Inuyasha growled. "What is it Inuyasha?" "He came back…" Kagome gasped, "You mean-" "Yea, and this time he got real close." Seshomarru looked at the two, "Where do you buy wood and nails?" They looked at him in shock and Kagome pointed to the main part of the village. "I will leave her in Kiede's care while I work, if anything should happen contact me immediately. Seshomarru walked towards the village leaving the two shocked. "Inuyasha is he-" "Yea he already marked her with his scent, he plans to mate her." "Does she know?" "Yea she's apparently already done the same thing." He smirked, "So the ice princess found himself a mate… wow." Inuyasha looked at Kagome and smiled, "Hey Kagome can we talk?"
"Sure." "Well there's something I've been wanting to tell you."
END HOPE YALL ENJOYED!