I hop to the next tree, watching Sesshomaru, Rin and Jaken on the ground below. When I joined them, I insisted on hoping from tree to tree instead of walking. No one really knows where we are going, we are just following Sesshomaru, waiting to get there. It's strange, all the freedom I have. I no longer need permission to do anything; I just do whatever I want, whenever I want to. It's great to be released from the prison I used to call home. I already know that Rin and I are going to be great friends; she gets it, what it's like to be despised by everyone, to be an embarrassment to your village. Even though she's 8 and I'm 16, literally half my age, it's still nice to have a friend when hatred is all you've ever known. None of them seem to care about my size, or my past. They don't even mention that I originally tried to kill Sesshomaru. They treat me normally. It's like I was never hated at all. It's a new life and I'm already starting to like it.
Night eventually falls and we stop. I decide to sleep in the branches of a tree while everyone else sleeps on the ground. I'm exhausted from everything that's happened in just a few days. I close my eyes and drift off into peaceful sleep. Crunch. My eyes pop open. I hate how lightly I sleep. I look around franticly, thoughts buzzing through my mind; What's going on? Who is it? Are we being attacked? I look down, and see that it's only Sesshomaru and Jaken. I wonder what they were doing, out in the middle of the night. I honestly don't get Sesshomaru sometimes; he's so, I don't know, different. At the same time, though, there's something magical about him, and it fascinates me. I always find myself attracted to him. I don't know why, but I just can't stay away from him. Maybe it's because I can't figure him out, or maybe I just love to look at him. I'm not sure, but I do know that I like him. A lot. Now, I'm wide awake. There's no going back to sleep, not with my mind now fully on, thoughts flowing through like crazy. I climb higher through the branches until I'm at the top of the tree. I spend the rest of the night admiring the glimmering stars, thinking of him.
We continue on to wherever the next day. My eyes stay glued to Sesshomaru the whole time, not letting him out of my sight. I think back to the day I tried to kill him, when I saved him instead. I remember how I thought he'd almost destroy my life. Was I right? So far, he hasn't completely wrecked my life the way I thought. Maybe I was wrong. I'm not sure. But I guess I'll find out. It starts to get cloudy and dark in the evening. I feel droplets of rain on my skin. It eventually turns to a downpour, causing us to take shelter in a cave. Rin and Jaken eventually fall asleep, but Sesshomaru and I stay awake. I start to shiver, feeling goose bumps rising on my skin. I can feel Sesshomaru watching me, but I try not to meet his gaze. He approaches me, and sits down next to me. "You cold?" he asks. "K-k-kind of." I say. He slides closer to me, putting an arm around me. "I've been wondering…how'd you get so powerful?" he asks. "Well…" I tell him everything, my paralysis in my legs, being treated like scum by my village, the way my life changed when Sensei agreed to train me, up until my escape. We spend the rest of the night talking, not sleeping, just talking. By the time the night is over, I'm even more fascinated by him. I don't know why he is the way he is, but I like him even more than when I first met him.