Title 07/10/2011

Chapter 2; Staying for Dinner.

The wars had grown stronger and Lord Sesshomaru's troops successfully gained control over three large villages, destroying them to the ground. The people had ran from the forces and now they were being hunted down by the army, spilt up to find them. Sesshomaru had very little desire to hunt pathetic humans but his men had suffered by their hands. It was time for a little pay back.

While he men hunted, he walked around the forest, thinking over his next move and the war when suddenly he caught a smell in the wind. Blood, faint and familiar.

His own.

He knew he wasn't bleeding so there was only one cause of it. He headed over towards the scent, the smell of blood joined soon by herbs. As he pushed through the trees, in the dusk light and he found the house. The front door was open and the child was out front, laughing and playing with a demon child. The adult wasn't in sight as he stepped out, wondering if it was worth speaking to them. He eventually decided to. They were, after all, under his protection.

He walked over, calmly and slowly. Rin stopped playing as she saw him, looked at him, then ran into the house. He blinked, a little shocked but then she returned with the woman who was wiping her hands. She smiled and jogged over to him. "Greetings. Didn't think we would see you again. It's been years."

Sesshomaru looked at them then turned away. "I was in the area."

"Would you care to come in? I have some soup on the fire if you're hungry."

"I do not eat human food."

"Of course not but I have a demon patient at the moment." She turned to the house, holding her hand to welcome him in.

The house hadn't changed at all, it was exactly as he remembered down to the sheets on the bed. Unconsciously his eyes wandered to the bench where he had been seen to and saw there was a demon laying across it, a board making the bench a bed. It was a racoon-dog, like the child outside but he was covered in sweat and had a large bandage on his arm. Sarah went to the fire where two pots were simmering. One smelt foul and the other divine.

The human took two bowls from the side and spooned some of the soup into bowls. "Rin! Will you bring Tac inside? It's time to eat." Rin and the little child demon came in and, after a look at the larger, dangerous demon, walked to Sarah and took one of the bowls while Rin went to the other pot and poured some into another bowl. As the two children sat on the floor and began to eat while Sarah went to the injured demon and helped him up. "There, how you feeling now?"

"Better but it still hurts."

"The pain will go in time. Try and eat." She passed him the bowl and smiled as he took the first few mouthfuls. Once he was eating, she stood, picked up two more bowls and filled them with soup, one from each. She held out the sweet smelling one to the lord who was still stood by the door, watching everything as it happened. "Here." She said as the food stood before him, a spoon dipped in at the side.

The lord looked at the soup. It did smell good. Slowly he picked it out of her hand and looked at it closer as it moved around in the bowl, steam drifting into the air. He looked back at Sarah who smiled and went to Rin and Tac, sitting behind them and eating herself.

Still unsure of what was going on; the lord turned to the side wall and leant against it, lifted the spoon to his mouth and sipped it slowly. It tasted as good as it smelt and soon he was taking another mouthful.

Across the room, Sarah gave a small smile, her eyes watching him.

When the two children were finished, Sarah sent them to bed, the child to scared to sleep in the recovery room and was allowed to sleep in Sarah's bed. The Racoon dog had fallen asleep from his wounds leaving just Sarah and Sesshomaru. The human was busy sorting herbs while the demon sat by the wall. At last, Sarah sighed and put her work down. "I wanted to thank you for what you did the last time we met."

The powerful demon looked up at her but she had his back to her. He didn't respond.

The human sighed again and turned to face him. "It has made our lives much easier. No one's bothered us since then. Well, no demons anyway." She looked at the work behind her, piles and piles of herbs that needed sorting and bundling. "I… I know it's not my place to ask, but… were you responsible for the three villages destroyed last week?"

Sesshomaru didn't say anything.

"I'll take you silence as a 'yes'." She sighed again. "Do you have any idea how many lives were ruining in those attacks? Mothers, fathers, even children… killed, leaving family that loved and miss them."

"Humans are of little concern to me."

"I had guessed." She stood and looked at him closer. "Well, it's been a long day, I'm going to sleep. If you care to stay the night, you're welcome to a bed in the other room."

The lord looked at her as she went over to Rin's bed and lay down behind her, her arms wrapped around the child. Sesshomaru sat and watched for a moment, listening to the peace and safety in this house. With a deep breath, he leant back on the wall and closed his eyes.

It was the feeling of sunlight that woke him, crossing his skin from a window. His eyes open and looked around the room. The racoon and his child were still asleep. Rin also was still asleep but her mother wasn't in sight. He could smell turning earth and headed out the back door to see her with a hoe in her hands, turning the earth around the herbs and plants. He looked over the gardens; two were clearly herb gardens, one filled with herbs for humans, another for demons while the last garden was filled with vegetables.

Sarah stopped in her work, wiping her brow when she spotted him. "Oh… good morning."

A nod returned the greeting.

"Are you leaving now?"

Again, he nodded.

Sarah sighed as she looked down at the garden. "I suppose that's for the best. I'm still getting people who escaped those attacks, it would be uncomfortable if the person responsible was here." Sesshomaru stared at her. She was trying to make him feel guilty. He turned to leave when she turned to him again. "Before you go… I was hoping you could do one more thing for me."

The demon turned to face her.

She lowered her head and took a deep breath. "I know… for someone like you, time and death are meaningless. But to me…." She sighed again. "You have never felt the fear of your own life passing, but recently… I've… I've had this feeling that something… that something might happen to me, that will take me away from Rin." She looked up at him. "I was hoping, you could… look after her."

The demon looked at her then huffed slightly and turned away. "Why should I care what happens to you?" he turned and walked away from them, vanishing into the forest.

Sarah watched then went back to her chores but then spotted Rin stood by the door. The blank and hopeless look on her face just told her, the child had heard anything. She sighed and walked over. "Rin… I…"

"Are you leaving mommy?"

The adult sighed and knelt down to her, wrapping her arms around and hugging her. "Oh Rin… you… you have to understand… eventually, everything in the world dies. Even demons but especially humans like you and me."

"Are you leaving mommy?"

Sarah sighed to the floor. "I'm here right now."

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