To human ears the forest was still, but to those who knew how to listen it was a raucous cacophony of chitters and rustles. Birds called to their mates, small mammals scurried through bushes, and as dusk fell upon the trees, a far more dangerous part of the animalia began to hunt. It was this last section, that held Sesshomaru's interest. Normally, a great demon such as he would be not have given them a seconds thought, but it was not his own safety he was concerned about.
"Sesshomaru-sama, why does the sun go down at night?"
Looking down into the bright, curious eyes that had interrupted his assessment of the woodland dangers, Sesshomaru considered his answer. "That is the way of things, Rin," he eventually stated.
"Oh," was all she replied. Rin knew better than to ask for a more detailed response.
As they continued their journey through the trees, Rin elapsed back into silence. Though Sesshomaru very much doubted that her questions were at an end. She had become so curious all of a sudden. Where once she had been content to trail along in silence, voicing her questions towards Jaken, she was now boldly seeking Sesshomaru's wisdom as well. Unfortunately her curiosity was not merely verbal, she had taken to wandering off alone in search of who knew what. How old was she anyway? 8? 9? Though never breaking his stoic mask, Sesshomaru sighed internally. By demon standards 9 was little better than infant but a human such as Rin, should know better than to wander off alone.
Sesshomaru went back to listening for potential threats in hopes of avoiding unpleasantness later. He would have to impress upon Rin the importance of remaining with himself or Jaken at all times. Where was Jaken anyway? Looking back, he could see his toad of a retainer lagging behind. It seemed the time had come to stop for the night. With the departure of the sun, the temperature would be dropping shortly.
Several minutes later, having led his small entourage to a relatively secure clearing, Sesshomaru made his wishes known. These wishes were only some in a long line of similar requests and would probably be issued many more times in the future. "Jaken, light a fire, and get something for Rin to eat."
"Yes milord," Jaken replied with the pretense of willing obedience. He had learned long ago that to complain meant torture most unpleasant but his griping remained audible as he stumped off into the trees.
Sesshomaru, for his part, found himself a relatively comfortable tree to sit beside while his companions rested. Being a demon, he did not need as much rest as they, but he conceded to their need for slumber and settled himself beside his tree of choice. Observing silently, as Jaken returned with food and wood, he considered his life such that it was. Who was he? He was Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, feared by all. Where was he now? In the middle of a forest on the edge of his territory. Who was he with? A human girl, a toad demon and a two headed dragon. Inwardly he smirked at the absurdity of such an arrangement. Here he was, powerful beyond all reason and all he had to show for it was a little girl who had made a pet of his dragon and a toad vassal who was more of an embarrassment than anything else. Hardly, the company of his peers.
What did he do with his time? He roamed his lands taking care of business, safeguarding what was his. That, at least was a worthy pursuit, he mused, that was after all his duty as Lord. Did he have family? No, provided you didn't count his mangy half-brother as family, which he didn't. Was he happy with his life? Internally he berated himself for asking such questions. It didn't matter if he was happy or not, but if he was honest with himself, he wasn't. He seemed to be drifting now that his search for Tetssaiga had ended, and Naraku was defeated. What did make him happy anyway? The feel of his claws ripping through the flesh of his enemies, the sound of Rin's laughter. He gave a silent chuckle. Rin, it seemed had happiness to spare. She found joy in everything and reluctant though he was to admit it, he found joy in her.
The demon lord closed his eyes and listed to the crackling of the fire, to Jaken and Rins' quiet conversation (a pointless debate over who caught the biggest fish that afternoon) and finally, to the sounds of the forest.
Later when the embers in the fire glowed, and Rin, Jaken, and even AhUn, the two headed dragon had fallen asleep, Sesshomaru began to think of other things. It had become a sort of game for him, to picture his enemies and pinpoint their weaknesses; calculate exactly how he'd kill them should they meet in battle. At the moment, his list of enemies was relatively short. At the top, was his brother, that insolent half-breed InuYasha. Although he was no longer actively seeking InuYasha, (who would?) it was still enjoyable to imagine how he would kill him should the need arise. Loathe though he was to admit it, InuYasha had become a formidable foe. His skills with Tetssaiga had surpassed what Sesshomaru would have expected of the half-breed although he still swung it was one might swing a block of wood. If it came to a real fight Sesshomaru supposed he would rely on his superior swordsmanship and his ability to raise his brother's ire. Confrontation at any rate, seemed unlikely.
What of his brother's companions though? Like him, he had collected a rag-tag band of followers. First, there was his brother's wench, that reincarnated miko. Her spiritual powers were for the most part still untrained, and her arrows he could dodge. Alone, he figured, she would be relatively easy to overpower. It was InuYasha's devotion to her that presented a problem. It seemed his brother was stirred to new realms of volition when the woman was concerned.
There were others in the group however, the monk for one. Now that he'd lost the Wind Tunnel, his means of defense were limited. True, like the miko, he had holy powers but it was doubtful they'd be enough against a foe such as Sesshomaru. Mentally, Sesshomaru ran over the list of weapons he would be up against. The staff, that, Tokijin or his energy whip could take care of. The monk's spells, they would do little against him. Yes, thought Sesshomaru, he was prepared for the monk.
After the monk there was the kitsune. This particular being had gained Sesshomaru's notice merely by being a demon among so many humans. Silently, Sesshomaru chuckled at the though of himself in battle against the little kit. No, as of yet the fox child was no threat. His illusions were flimsy and his fire was weak. Given time though, he would gain strength. Personally, Sesshomaru thought it best to recognize possible threats before they were allowed to mature. He very much doubted that the kitsune would ever be able to beat him but neither was he one to underestimate his opponents. Many times he had seen great demons fall before adversaries they had, up to that point, taken no notice of. If Sesshomaru wished to be anything, it was not unprepared.
Last in the line of InuYasha's followers was the Taijiya, the demon slayer. Of all the humans in that little group, she was probably the one who possessed the most skill. Between her boomerang and the fire-cat she was indeed formidable. At least against numerous, lesser demons. Yes, that was her weakness, her weapons were only effective from a distance; at close range they would relatively useless against his superior reflexes. She was strong for a human but Sesshomaru possessed no uncertainty as to whether or not he could beat her.
He thought of them all. His brother, the miko, the monk, the kitsune, the taijiya. Truly a pathetic group. Not one out of all of them was fit to live. His brother was a pathetic half-breed. That alone damned him. The miko was… just too strange he supposed. What with her odd garments and disrespectful attitude, constantly sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Clearly the woman needed to be taught her place. The monk was a lecherous fool. He allowed his fondness for woman to impair his judgment thus weakening him. This particular weakness was also one that Sesshomaru had very little tolerance for. As for the kitsune, well, Sesshomaru would allow him some room for error as he was only a child. He merely pitied him the fact that fate had crossed his path with that of InuYasha's.
What of the Taijiya though? What was her crime? From what Sesshomaru had seen and heard she had sought to avenge her fallen kin. Was that such a horrible crime? If Sesshomaru abided by his own code of honor then no it wasn't, but that still didn't mean she was worthy. She was human and thus weak. But was she weak? Compared to him yes, compared to a mindless horde of demons, she could hold her own. That meant she was better than most humans didn't it? Yes, she was strong and that was primarily how Sesshomaru judged people, by their strength.
InuYasha has proven himself strong as well. This thought came unbidden from somewhere deep within Sesshomaru's own mind. No, he would not could not stop hating his brother now. Stop trying to kill him yes, but he'd invested to much of his heart into loathing his brother. To stop hating him now would mean admitting his initial fault in blaming InuYasha for the crimes of their father. That, had been a painful enough realization in its own right. The realization that InuYahsa was merely a living reminder of his father's betrayal.
Opening his eyes, Sesshomaru focused on the surrounding trees, blocking out his unwanted thoughts. For so long he had prided himself on his strength of mind, his force of will, and his heart of stone. It was only recently, while watching InuYasha mature and develop, that he had recognized the presence of his own personal demons. Emotions were weaknesses, that much was clear, but hadn't he seen great deeds achieved despite their presence? Yes, he knew where his weakness now lay, he had not conquered his emotions, he'd merely blocked them out. All of them, his hate, his pain, his fear, even, his love were lurking just beneath the walls of his heart.
He sighed, and this time it was not an internal sigh but a silent exhalation.
Now was not the time for soul searching. Distraction was not an option, it was never an option. He still had duties, he still had obligations, his personal affairs would just have to wait. Closing his eyes once more, he resumed his careful scanning of the area, and satisfied that all was as it should be, he let his mind go blank.
Some hours later, Sesshomaru began to dream. For him to sleep was rare but to dream, well those dreams he did have were few and far between. This one, like all dreams, a combination of that which is well known and that which is surreal. Sesshomaru was standing in a meadow, Rin was picking flowers, and Jaken was no where to be seen. Suddenly Rin began to laugh, looking for the source of her laughter, Sesshomaru saw his brother and his brother's friends standing on the far side of the meadow.
"They're waaiiting Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin sang with her usual boisterous glee.
Ah yes, he'd come here for a reason. Sesshomaru almost smiled as he moved towards the group. He drew Tokijin and readied himself for battle. They came at him then, and their numbers grew until he was fighting against many opponents. He slashed at their suddenly misty bodies but each time he did so their faces moved and he was left with nothing.
Finally, it was just him. Him and the Taijiya. He watched as she circled around him. Graceful, powerful, at last she reached him and the dream shifted. The heat he had felt in battle changed. It rose in its intensity as once again they fought. Fighting this time with mouths, and arms. The world seemed to focus as the heat continued rising. He brought her closer feeling her, tasting her. It was intoxicating, she was so lean, so sensual. The heat continued to throb…
Sesshomaru's eyes snapped open. Breathing slightly faster than normal he rose to his feat and with a slight shake in his step, walked quickly to a nearby stream. Splashing the cold water on his face he waited for the effects of the dream to ware off. As his breathing returned to normal, and the heat dissipated from between his legs, he considered his dream, or maybe nightmare.
It was… mortifying to say the least. He was not some sex starved youth to go fantasizing about every pretty thing he saw. Besides the Taijiya was a human. A human! Slowly, Sesshomaru felt the shock drain away and the humiliation set in. What he'd seen, what he'd felt was just, just wrong. Sticking his whole head in the frigid stream, he tried to rationalize with himself. The Taijiya was a relatively attractive female yes? He'd be lying if he said different. He'd been thinking about her shortly before dozing off right? Right. See, matter of circumstance, nothing more.
Shaking the water from his hair, Sesshomaru looked at the sky. Hmm, just a little after dawn, Rin and Jaken would have to be woken soon. Walking, back to camp, Sesshomaru carefully planned out the events of the day doing everything in his power to forget about his highly embarrassing night time visions.
Several hours later,
Rin walked along next to AhUn. It was good to see the sun again. Inhaling deeply she silently appreciated the miracle that was spring. The flowers were back and she couldn't wait to start making her bouquets and wreathes again. Maybe Lord Sesshomaru would let them stop in a field today. She certainly hoped so. Looking up at her Lord, her eyes once again took in his appearance. The way he walked, the clothes he wore, his long, wet hair. Wait a second, wet hair? Oh well, she thought, maybe Sesshomaru-sama decided to take a bath.