I opened my eyes, startled by sudden movement in the hut. "What are you doing?"

Mai looked directly at me. "Sesshy!" she whispered loudly. "It's a full moon tonight."

I looked at her crooked smile. "Should I know something?"

She shook her head. "I'm going out to the forest. Keeping my mother's tradition alive," she giggled.

I quickly stood up. The forest didn't feel safe when I was out there. "You're not going alone."

"Oh! Sir, you're coming with me?" She clasped her hands together, unaware of her volume.

Jaken grumbled, rolling over.

Mai bit her lip and looked back toward me. "Wait here. I'll be back!" And so, I did. Mai was back in a matter of minutes. She was adjusting a new outfit. "My mother made it for me. It's a festive outfit. She had one similar." She rolled her shoulders.

It was unique, for sure. The kimono had a low neckline, the material a light off-white color, no other present design other than a pure red dragon spread diagonally from her right shoulder to her left hip. The sleeves were long, as usual. The bottom half was interesting; a fluffy white pelt attached to a short skirt; the pelt greatly surpassing the kimono in length. Her feet were now bare as well. Her mother had some imagination if she truly was the one who created this...

"What do you think?" she whispered.

I nodded, not truly wanting to answer for fear of hurting the girl's feelings. I did think the outfit was very intricate and beautiful, compared to her old, shredded clothes.

She giggled quietly. "Come on. I should get the fire started before the sun hits its highest point in the sky."

I followed her out of the hut, watching her twirl and spin as she walked. This is as old as she'll ever act, and no amount of help will change that. Unless, by some miracle, she can find a sorcerer willing to help...

Mai laughed, humming a song.

I followed behind her, keeping my distance. I could keep a good eye on her from there.

"Do you like to dance, Sesshy?" she asked, twirling over towards me.

"I've never danced."

She grasped my hands, swinging them back and forth as she walked backwards. "It's fun!"

I continued walking smoothly, with the exception of Mai moving my arms for me. I didn't know where we were headed, but with Mai's talk of dancing, I was beginning to regret going to watch after her.

"One, two, two, three," she let go of one of my hands, spinning herself around on 'three.' "Two, two," she grasped my hand again, but let it go, spinning again, "three! See? It's easy, too."

"I don't see the point of... dancing..."

She spun herself again, this time, without counting. Once she held my hands again, she looked up, into my eyes. "You need to lighten up. Life isn't all business, you know!" She resumed in swinging my arms back and forth lightly.

"...Should I regret staying here?"

She smiled, her eyes closed. "No, silly! Mai's just insane... You shouldn't regret anything just because of Mai!"

I cocked my head to the side, watching her. Her statement was absolutely incorrect. "You aren't insane." But why was she speaking in third person?

"No... There's something wrong with me. There has to be!" She stopped us from walking, stomping her bare foot on the ground.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with you." Knowing the story behind it, I could tell her honestly that it wasn't insanity.

She smiled. "That's nice of you, you know?"

I shook my head. "It's simply the truth, Mai."

She turned around, still holding one of my hands. She pulled me along.

"Where are you off to?"

"There's a clearing in the forest. We can tell which one it was by the cleared vegetation. The monthly fires killed all the life."

"'We?'"

"My mother and I."

"I thought she passed some time ago."

She nodded. "She did. I've been coming here every month since then, though. For ten years..."

Her mother was killed when she was eight? Incredible. She's survived this long... I'm surprised one of the villagers didn't take her in as one of their own.

"Hm."

We continued walking, my hand still being held captive in hers. Once we came to a large barrier of trees, she turned towards me. "Okay, time to help me out."

"Miss?"

She smiled. "What exactly can you do?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to think of an answer she would want to hear. "I can get you to the clearing." I spoke calmly.

She nodded. "Good! I normally get here on my own, but it'd be interesting to see what you can do! I don't have much knowledge of demons..."

"I can only imagine, considering the villagers' attitudes towards them."

"Hmm... So, anyway. Show me!"

I paused for a moment, thinking how to work everything out. I could carry her on my back, or pick her up in my arms, neither of which really sounded like a comfortable option. Though, I'd already told her I could help her. I don't typically go back on my word.

When I refocused, I realized Mai had already climbed onto my back, her arms locked around my neck. "Hurry! I need to get the fire going before midnight!"

I tried to hide the smile forming on my lips, thinking it was best just to continue on. "Hold on tight."

She nodded, burying her face in my Mokomoko. "Thanks."

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. What was I getting myself into now? I bolted off in a blur, leaping into the air before I could run into the trees.

Mai smiled, lifting her head. But, once she saw how far the ground was, she quickly buried her face once more, whimpering quietly. "I... I-I guess I have a problem with heights," she told me, her words muffled.

I laughed - another first in a long while.

"Please... take us back to the ground..."

I sighed, rather liking the cool breeze so high up. I landed once more, continuing to dart past the trees. I felt Mai's tense grip on me lighten up, but enough to still stay attached to me. We made it to what looked like a clearing in a few minutes, Mai now clinging onto me for dear life.

"You can let go now, Mai."

She stretched her legs to the ground, though I could sense some hesitance. "...Thanks, Sesshy." She let go of me completely, brushing herself off.

I looked around the burned clearing, finding the charred remains of last month's festivities. I could still smell the smoke and feel the joyful energy put into the whole occasion. It was a good feeling, and I'm kind of glad to be here to see it... whatever does take place, that is.

"Oh, good. I don't need that many sticks this time around." She smiled, seeing there was enough left from last time she could salvage.

I backed up from the large pile of wood and sat down on the ground, watching her prepare everything. The forest was still too quiet. The same creepy silence that even I wouldn't want to travel in. It's so strange...

Mai giggled, "There! Fire's going. Now we just sit back and wait until it really gets burning." She walked around the pile of sticks a few times, but stopped beside me on her last round. She sat down, her knees pulled to her chest. "Tonight's a special night..."

I looked at her.

"It's a harvest moon. You know, when the moon turns a deep yellow on its brightest and fullest night in the lunar cycle?"

"I didn't know it had such a name."

She shook her head, resting her chin on her knees. "It doesn't. My mother originally nicknamed it a 'harvest moon' because we first saw one on the first night of the harvest before winter. It was a deep yellow...," she looked at me, "like your eyes..."

"Like it is tonight." I looked up.

"Yep." She sighed, falling over onto me. Her head now resting on my shoulder.

I blinked. "...Uh..."

"What's even stranger is I haven't seen a harvest moon since. And this isn't even the harvesting month." She smiled.

I sighed, realizing Mai wasn't exactly going to sit up on her own any time soon. "How odd."

Mai nodded, closing her eyes. She rested her right hand on the lower part of my right arm, and let out a long held breath.

I closed my eyes as well, waiting for Mai's next move. Though, after waiting a few minutes with no movement, I opened my eyes. My gaze met a roaring bon fire, and a sleeping Mai on my side. "Mai...," I said, gently shaking her.

She groaned quietly, rubbing her cheek against my arm.

"...The fire..."

Her eyes shot open. "Oh... I guess I kind of forgot..." She sat up on her own, humming a bit as she stretched out her limbs. She stood up, turned towards me, and smiled. "The moon's high enough... I haven't come here with anyone else in a long while..."

I closed my eyes again.

"I know you don't dance... but would you... like to learn?" She held out a hand. I assumed it was meant to help me up to my feet.

"Mai," I shook my head.

"Please? Oh, it would mean the world to me to finally have someone else to dance with again..." Her silver eyes seemed to sparkle more now than I've ever seen, and she wasn't even facing the fire.

Fire...

I breathed in the air through my nose, my eyes still closed. Images danced in my mind of Mai and an older woman joyfully dancing around an identical fire. The visions switched; Mai was on her own, now, the fire no longer lit. She was wearing the same festive outfit she is now. Though, Mai was sitting at the base, trying to light the wood. As soon as it was lit, Mai stood up, though still hovering over the large pile of branches. I could see it from her long, flowing hair that the wind was blowing extremely strong.

The night was young, and the fire still had time to burn. The young girl stood over the fire, waiting for it to grow larger. When she could see hints of it smoldering, she backed up. It wasn't enough, though. From then, it grew much wilder, aided by the strong wind.

Mai reached out a hand over the fire. Then, something strange happened. The fire reached back, grasping her hand. Her face showed no pain, no damage being done by the ball of fire traveling up her arm. I could almost hear her childish laugh. She was literally playing with the fire, and it seemed like something she was used to doing. She even tossed the fire from one hand to another with incredible ease.

But, something went incredibly wrong. The fire in her hands grew and spread, heading mainly to her face. It stopped at her eyes, and focused on that area alone. The other fire dissipated quickly. Mai screamed in pain and fell to her knees. She doubled over, trying to rub her eyes free of the fire. Though, the fire on her eyes disappeared, she continued to fight the pain.

The older woman bounced through the trees and over to the clearing. Her face turned from joy to shock in an instant, seeing her daughter on the ground.

My eyes shot open, refocusing on Mai.

"Please?" she begged.

I stood up on my own, not using the friendly hand up. "...Do me a favor first."

She jumped up and down, glad I had accepted her offer to teach me how to dance. "Sure! Whatever you want!"

"I want you to touch the fire."

Mai blinked, the excitement in her eyes missing. "I-I'm sorry...?"

I walked up to her, gently turned her towards the fire and walked us forward. "Just reach out and--"

"No!" she screamed. "I won't, I c-cant!" She wriggled away and stepped back. "Not again..."

I sighed. That was all I needed to know.

But, one thing still puzzled me. This girl is entirely human. There isn't a single drop of demonic blood in her. She isn't a sorceress, nor is she a witch... She had no aura other than that of a human's... So how the hell can this girl control fire?

"It's alright," I told her. She'd become hysterical, now.

"No, n-no! I won't, I... I can't!" She took another step back.

"Mai...," I stepped towards her.

She shook her head quickly. I could see tears streaming down her cheeks, now.

I squinted and growled. I didn't like seeing her like this, but I couldn't think of any way to fix the situation, either. I could always go back to the village and bring help, but no one there even liked the sight of me. Check that option off the list. I could try talking her through it, but I wouldn't know what to say. Check that off as well.

I listened intently to her quiet whimpers, standing there, feeling helpless.

She threw her arms down from her face in another fit and ran towards me. Her arms were curled close to her chest when she hit me, though it wasn't enough to move me in the slightest; I don't think she intended to knock me over. "I'm so sorry," she pleaded, her voice breaking. She slid to the ground and continued to cry.

I moved closer to the ground, closer to her. "It's alright," I sighed. "You've no need to apologize. None whatsoever." I kept my voice quiet.

She threw her arms around my torso. "I... can't...," she sniffed in, "I haven't been able to since..."

I blinked, my body stiff and unmoving. No one had ever really hugged me... I never learned how to react to this kind of thing.

Mai let go of me, bringing her hands to her face to wipe her tears. "Really, I--"

"You apologize for a lot that isn't your fault."

She smiled, laughing quietly.

I smiled, glad to see hers back.

She nodded, "I...I'd feel better if I could teach you to dance, though..."

I sighed. "Is there any way around it?"

"Not really."

I stood up swiftly, holding out a hand to help her to her feet. "Alright," I breathed in, "what do I have to do?"

She laughed, taking my hand. "Okay. It's not that hard, really. Just...," she turned toward the fire, "follow my steps."

She played out an entire dance, similar to one I had seen her dance with her mother. I felt so foreign dancing along side her. She kept commenting on how I just need to let the warmth of the fire flow through me as I danced. I could never get it right, though I didn't see the point of the dance anyway.

Mai sighed, tossing her arms to her sides. "You're too... Ugh, never mind," she laughed. "It's fine, really. I'm just glad you tried."

The dance was quite an odd one, like ones I've seen others do to pray for rain, or ones families did to ward off evil spirits when they couldn't afford sutras or monks to do the job. This one, however, didn't seem to have a purpose other than just to dance.

"The sun should be coming up soon."

Mai nodded. "I know. If you'd like to go back, you can. I'll put out the fire."

I shook my head. "I'll wait for you." There's no way I'm letting her go off on her own when the forest is like this.

She laughed. "Alright." She turned to the fire, and held her hands out like she was going to warm them. "Might as well use what warmth I can while it's here." The air wasn't that cold. But, then again, I can take cold temperatures; maybe she can't? She sat down, her arms still held towards the fire. She was extremely meticulous about how close she got. It wouldn't be so close that she might catch the fire (like I had seen) or too far that the warmth would get picked up in the slight breeze.

I sat down next to her, feeling the warmth from the fire as well. I closed my eyes.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" A voice rang through the trees. "Where are you, Lord Sesshomaru?!"

I sighed loudly.

"That sounds like Jaken," Mai said, looking at me.

"It is." I opened my eyes, looking at her.

"Ah! Lord Sesshomaru! Boy, am I glad found you." He rushed up to us, standing by the side Mai wasn't sitting next to. "What on Earth are you doing all the way out here this late at night?"

"It's my fault," Mai nodded. "I do this every month, and he didn't want me going on my own."

Jaken looked to me this time before saying anything else. He took my serious expression as a caveat. "Alright."

I nodded, closing my eyes once more.

"We should really get back, Sire."

Mai suddenly looked at the green yokai, clenched her fists at her side. Just as suddenly, the fire went out in a puff of smoke, an impossible task, especially considering it would've taken several hours for it to go out on it's own, and there was no one aiding it. It must've been Mai. "Fine. Let's go, then."

I quickly opened my eyes, and looked at the snuffed out fire, then at Mai. She seemed agitated by Jaken's presence.

Jaken was flabbergasted.

"I'll explain later, Jaken," I reassured him.

Mai looked at me, confused. "...You know?"

"About what?" I looked at her, a smile on my face.

"...Oh, you're good." She got to her feet. "We should really go, though."

I nodded in agreement, standing up. "Then we shall." Mai climbed onto my back and I ran off, Jaken calling after me.

"He'll find his way back, right?" Mai asked, her face buried in my Mokomoko once more.

"Of course."