Three Days
X
After the Miko returned, her camp's spirit seemed to ease. They buried themselves in their usual routine and what was noticeable, what no one seemed eager to mention, or even reference, was one missing Inu-hanyou.
'It would seem that this is not a one-off occurrence.'
He wasn't worried about Ah-Un or the Miko. He was surprised however when she came back and his dragon's muzzle was off. For a moment his perfectly sculpted façade had cracked and he couldn't help the faintest of expressions leave his normally unbothered demeanor. Dragons, regardless of how powerful, do not simply just take to anyone. He thought about their interaction earlier and brushed off the reality of how spoiled Ah-Un could become with each interaction with the Miko. As her comrades surrounded her, he moved away toward Ah-Un and his companions.
The drying droplets of water were noticeable on both his charge and the Miko. The tips of her arrows dripped with water causing the back of her white shirt to become damp. He eyed the twin headed dragon closely as they brought their heads done in a bow. Bringing his right hand up he ran his fingers through Ah-Un's mane and noticed the slight scent of wisteria.
'The Miko did have this unreasonably charming way of becoming allies with the majority of people she came into contact with. Demons being no exception.'
Looking away to the sky he sighed in frustration. It would be a bit longer before he could return home. There was that distasteful spider hanyou that still needed to be defeated and in the immediate moment a conversation still to be had with the priestess. Thinking it over quickly he gave in to the reality that out of all the packs Rin could have run into this one was not the worse.
"Lord Sesshomaru," the voice of the priestess from behind him brought him out of his musings. Turning to face her the determined look in her eyes did not escape him. He stared at her expectantly waiting for her to continue. "I would like to have an audience with you while you ready Ah-Un."
She brought the muzzle out to him with a graceful smile and waited. She felt the tips of his claws for a moment brush the inside of her palm as he retrieved the item from the Miko's hand. She would have to make this quick, it would be so easy for the Daiyoki to just refuse outright if she didn't seem sure of herself.
Walking closer over to the other side of the dragon she smiled as Ah-Un gave her one last lick before allowing their master to place the reigns back on. "I would like to make a proposal. I would like to, temporarily, join packs. Naraku has the majority of jewel shards, as do we, minus the two the Kouga has in his legs. It is my deepest belief that we can only defeat our common enemy by combining all of our power."
She waited a breath before continuing seriously. "I believe that this will help us both in four ways. It will instill fear in Naraku. He has been using Rin as a way to target you, because he is threatened by the power that you possess. You are an honorable lord. I am confident that you would do what ever is best for your people to prosper and now that includes Rin. She would have added protection and build new memories with humans and demons she trusts. Naraku will either have us lured to him or he will come for the remaining shards that we have. Lastly, I am sure that Inuyasha would not mind sparing after less than favorable interactions between the two."
She laughed softly to herself and relaxed by brushing her finger's through the dragon's hair. "Such soft hair demons have. Never a strand out of place." It was mostly a mutter under her breath meant for her own ears, but it didn't escape the full demon's hearing standing in front of her. "If you would like time to consider it, I understand completely."
It was silent for a long time. She continued to brush Ah-Un's mane with her fingers leaving more of her scent all over his pack. In another time he would have cut her down for even insinuating that he would need help as though her were weak. The thing is she did not think him weak. From what she insinuated she felt her pack equal in power to his. Internally he scoffed although not completely offended. He was of logic. It was something he prided himself of. The Miko was also right. He had even come the conclusion that in the end they would all have to be there in order to ensure that Naraku would receive the final blow and the madness of his web would finally end. Her being the Shikon Miko meant that she would have to be there. It would fall on the Miko to rid the world of that nuances of a Jewel. Although, he thought they would simply just meet at the battle field, not join paths until the end.
"We will rejoin you in three days. That should be enough time for Inuyasha to prepare for the arrival." He watched his response cause her to brighten. Her shoulders relaxed and he lifted a brow. 'She thought I would reject the idea given our history, yet she still asked.'
"We look forward to it."
He scoffed to himself at the use of 'we'. He knew the hanyou would abhor the idea and the more he thought about it, the more he conceded that it wouldn't be too difficult to tolerate. After all, he had been traveling with Jaken for centuries now and the Imp was still alive. Gathering the rest of their belongings I allowed Rin to make her goodbyes before placing her on Ah-Un.
She smelled of the Miko and he internally sighed. He would have to discuss with the Miko some changes to her choice of scents. He did not want to be reminded of his half-brother's woman every time he ward's scent touched the air.
He could sense the excitement in his ward at the news. He steeled himself. The child would be talking about the young woman more than usual now. If it got too annoying he could always throw a rock at Jaken.