Feet First
Chapter 10: A Change of Pace
Tomoyo's thoughts were swift as a hurricane and twice as tremendous, filling her mind to the brim with answers that contradicted each other at every turn. The room appeared to spin for her panic, but the princess stood her ground.
Behind her, she felt her brother's eyes burning into her back. Her own gaze shifted from the Grand Steward, to her mother…and to her father, whom she loved dearly. Like an epiphany—or an old memory, truth be told—she knew what to say.
"It'll sound ridiculous," she murmured, bowing her head. "You would never believe me."
"What is it?" asked her father. "Tomoyo, you must tell us. Speak!"
She glanced over her shoulder at a waiting Tomohito, who barely blinked, then turned back to her elders. "I had a vision. We were in a battlefield filled with demons—Tomohito, Shino, and I." When her brother said nothing to contradict her, she continued. "Tomohito carried a burden on his chest, so great that he fell to his knees. I, on the other hand, shone so brightly that I blinded them…and Shino carried a sword. She single-handedly defeated the demons."
"Was it a katana?"
"…What?"
All heads turned to the Grand Steward, who watched Tomoyo with a new expression she didn't recognize—she assessed it to be genuine curiosity.
Her parents cared little for it. "Shimoto," breathed the Emperor, "you can't possibly believe…!"
"I told you it was ridiculous," Tomoyo hung her head, all too ready to leave. "I just thought it might…"
"Princess," repeated the Grand Steward, ignoring her father, "was it a katana?"
"…" Tomoyo pursed her lips. Something she'd learned from lessons her siblings did not much care for: never to use fillers that might denote uncertainty. "No," she answered, raising her chin. She squinted, pretending to recall its qualities. "It was a…great and powerful sword. I can describe it as no other."
"Tomoyo," the Empress glanced away, eyes downcast. "Is that all…?"
"Yes, mother," replied Tomoyo, with mirrored melancholy. It crushed her to meet the disheartened gazes of her parents and still lie, but if she told them now, without Shino, she might as well have been telling a lie.
Which made her wonder—if she told them the truth, would they believe her? But they might scour the city's shrines searching for a 'portal' if they did happen to trust her word, and she couldn't risk that. Swapping one ridiculous story for another, the lesser of two evils…it sounded less harsh when she thought of it that way. At least this tale would keep them off Shino's trail.
"Very well," the Grand Steward cleared his throat. "I shall look into the matter."
"How?" Tsunehito asked incredulously. "Burdens? Demons, Shimoto?"
"With all due respect, Your Majesty…" To Tomoyo's surprise, Shimoto bowed to her father in a manner she had never before witnessed. It had only ever been the proper angle, the correct tone of voice—but this was reverence. Veneration. Almost…devotion. "You tasked me with the responsibility of finding your daughter. We have no further leads at present—save that she escaped of her own accord, and even then she would not have stepped past the door with the number of guards standing watch around your home. Princess Naru is not so clever, I think. Her disappearance, then, is incredible. Majesty, is an incredible reason so farfetched?"
"I suppose not," the Emperor gave. He exchanged glances with his wife, who shook her head and remained silent. "But how could she survive battle of any sort? Her training was defensive at best. What could this vision possibly mean?"
"Needless conjecture is an option," said the Grand Steward, "or I could begin research. The choice is yours, Your Imperial Majesty. Of course, in any case, I will continue to devote a number of men into monitoring the city for the whereabouts of the princess."
Sighing, the Emperor bade him leave. The Grand Steward may as well have prostrated himself before the members of the Imperial Family for the respect and gratitude he suddenly offered them before his departure.
Tomoyo was still shocked at how easily the Grand Steward, of all people, had accepted her excuse. It was so unlike him that she wondered if he were Shimoto at all. She would have to investigate that when she was able, later. For now, her parents.
"I'm sorry that was all I had to tell you," she inclined her head, closing her eyes. It was better that she couldn't see them. "It was vivid, but vague at the same time…"
"It's all right, dear," said the Empress, reaching for her shoulder. When her father did the same, she felt relieved at once. It drained her to lie, but his acceptance allowed her respite. "Tomohito, will you take your sister to her room? We're all tired."
She'd forgotten him. He said nothing save to bid them goodnight, and led her to her room by the arm. His grip tightened the further they went from their parents, but never to the point of pain. Tomohito opened the door for her. Tomoyo turned to thank him, but he'd followed her inside.
"Okay," he said darkly, and Tomoyo knew it was no joke. His hair was perfectly combed—and he was the only one she knew who primped, of all the various stress relief techniques, whenever his charm wasn't enough to solve a less-than-ideal situation. "Now I want the truth."
"That was the truth," she repeated, crossing her arms. The princess couldn't help her irritation when he took that tone with her. She was, after all, still the eldest, no matter if he had every right to demand information of her.
"What was? Your 'vivid but vague' vision?" he scoffed, glancing away in disbelief. "Of course the details were vague, Tomoyo. It wasn't your dream. It was mine."
Shino's first instinct was to touch him.
Here he was, literally the man of her dreams—or nightmares, really. Those times couldn't compare to the vision that was his real self, even with his injuries. She had almost expected it gone, but at least his right arm remained. As for the rest of him, his face was wrought with small cuts, as though grazed by small blades of varying sizes. It might have been ugly on another, but his facial features remained too elegant for such an adjective.
Her second instinct was to run.
His words had burned themselves into her mind—pray that our paths do not cross again. But what could have happened this time? He seemed so powerful, yet here he was again, lying helpless before her. He could kill her at anytime, but she couldn't leave him like this…
Against her better judgment, Shino unzipped Kagome's extra bag and buried her hands into it, rummaging. More potato chips, a blanket, bread rolls, a water bottle, a handheld gaming console, useless schoolbooks, an empty plastic bag—aha! Extra clothes. Breathing heavily from the effort, Shino forced herself to overlook her body's cold sweat and desire to vomit and pass out.
Hands full with the bottle and a shirt, she crawled toward the demon on her elbows. It took all of her self-control not to reach for the soft-looking white fur she remembered sitting on his shoulder. Instead, she noted that even part of his clothes had been somewhat cut, maybe even burned. What kind of enemy could have done this…?
Realizing she didn't quite want to know, Shino dipped the cloth into her water and dabbed it on his wounds. She could only clean them, and barely even—expecting that she would stay with Kaede or go home, Kagome had, understandably, left her with no saltwater or proper bandages.
She had reached the wound near those two marks on his right cheek when her fingers grazed his skin. The area without blood was so smooth, not crusted as she knew flesh around human wounds ought to be. Like own her skin—when she still possessed strength and regenerative capabilities.
How Shino longed for those days—a week or so ago, to be exact. When the energy rushed through her like a tidal wave, begging to move her limbs and express itself in a show of enviable power. She could almost feel it again, grinding her teeth and lifting her to her knees, clenching her fists and—!
It was back.
No sooner did the thought come to her than the demon awakened, seizing her by the neck with a snarl.
Shino choked in surprise, and the grip loosened until she fell back to her knees, released. Their eyes met—to her relief, his golden eyes instead of the red she'd expected at the sight of her—and she coughed, clutching her throat for life. "Why…" she murmured, lightheaded with shock and her own power, "do we always meet…like this, milord?"
His brows furrowed in apparent annoyance, but he did little more than watch her. "What are you doing?"
"I was just passing by," she swore, raising empty palms as she regained her composure; not that it would keep him away. "And I saw you…wounded. Blood didn't suit you, I thought, so…"
He was quick, she noticed, with the way he glanced at the bloody shirt and the water bottle dropped on the grass next to him. Two fingers reached for his cuts, but he gave no flinch even as he touched the open areas. "Once again," was all he said, "your generosity is wasted."
Shino gathered the cloth and bottle and kept her gaze on them as she stood and walked around him. His eyes watched her with a distinct glare, though it seemed not to be one of abhorrence as much as it was the disdain she received during their first meeting. She approached Kagome's bag on the grass and crouched before it, reaching for the first thing she saw to ease the silence she suddenly hated.
"Chips?" she offered, seeing no harm in extending a foil bag toward him. He didn't stand as he had before, so he must have been in an even more weakened state—or she was less of a threat than a rifle squad. It was insulting, but maybe it would work in her favor again.
Was that a sigh? He turned his head away and murmured, "I don't need your food."
"You're going to get hungry eventually," she insisted, encouraged by his immobility and her strength. She wanted to leap forward and never stop, but his presence kept her there. Though it remained, the ringing had dulled; all the same, she was curious about him. Perhaps helping powerful demons was what gave her strength—so far, he was the only one she had met with great power even without the sacred jewel, with Inuyasha as an exception for being half-demon. It sounded reasonable. There remained the 'why,' but it was the only reason she could think of.
The demon lord glanced at her. Hope spiked in her heart, lifting her spirits at once—he was so handsome that each angle of his face was too much to take in, especially how he gazed upon her, as though he searched her face, knowing each imperfection absent in his—until his look narrowed into a glare. "This food is unnecessary."
"Unnecessary…but maybe…" she smiled sheepishly. "Not unwanted?"
He watched her for a second more, then apparently decided it was best to just ignore her by closing his eyes.
Shino couldn't help her huff. She had schoolmates who disliked her for being a princess, but they were at least cordial in their dislike. No one had treated her this way before!
"Suit yourself!" she muttered, stuffing the chips back into Kagome's bag. At least Hachi or Inuyasha or Shippo or any other creature but this stubborn jerk from this time would appreciate her gifts from the future! Now that the hunch hardly bothered her, she could do what she wished—reunite with the others, even, and help them with her restored power.
Yes. That was better than staying here where she obviously wasn't wanted. She risked her life to help him, knowing his deadly power, and this was his response? Why had she thought he would be relieved to see her as she would…?
No, she wasn't relieved to see him. That pounding in her chest, the rise in adrenaline—it was fear, nothing else. All she'd needed was to aid him, regain her strength, and go on her merry way. She still didn't know what she was, but it was clear that she was meant to have this power. Despite that she would need to help more demons in the future to sustain it, she wouldn't put it to waste by hanging around this one.
Shino got to her feet, bending her knees. Now that her soul's call had received it answer, it was the sky that sang to her. Her toes almost crumpled with excitement at the memory of the wind whipping at her hair, the thrill of learning to control her landings. She brushed away regret as she spared no glance back at the handsome demon lord. "Goodbye," she said with steely resolve, and took off.
Aware that her back was turned, Sesshomaru opened his eyes. They lingered on her until she finally left, that strange woman in male clothes, until rest called to them anew and surrendered to guarded slumber.
Almost five centuries into the future, Tomohito crossed his arms at their eldest sister. Her room was, of course, as neat as a museum display, and just as cold—like her, he thought bitterly—or perhaps it was simply the number of years since he'd last seen the place. It told him nothing of the state of his sister's mind or heart. He couldn't read much from Tomoyo's face, either—who could?—but he supposed the answer to his question of her lies was easy enough to divine.
"You didn't think I'd remember them."
Tomoyo sighed as if she'd only forgotten to unplug the dryer. He almost expected her to shrug. "You were a child then," she said, perfunctorily removing her watch and setting it on the sidetable drawer. "Not even ten years old."
"I just stopped telling you about them," he revealed, gnawing on his cheek. He still wasn't entirely comfortable discussing it, but since she brought it up… "They persisted well into my high school years."
"What?" Now his sister looked taken aback? He wondered about her priorities—or if she'd actually believed what she said to their elders. "And you never told me?"
Tomohito chuckled dryly at her disbelief. "You made fun of me the first few times, remember? Then you met your boyfriend and I got into football, and when you got out of university, we…hmm. We just stopped really talking altogether, didn't we?"
His words gave Tomoyo pause. It was true that they hadn't spoken seriously past necessary conversations since they were younger. Work had her busy, and Tomohito was active in school. "Is that why…you kept sharing mythology with Shino?" she asked. "Opening her mind to things like…demons? Otherworldly creatures?"
"Dumb, I know. I thought she might have the dreams, too, but…it was just me. And now she's gone." His shoulders slumped at the memory of reading all those thick books to his lost sister until he remembered that this one knew…something. Back straightening, he used his height to his advantage and looked down at her. "So. Why bring it up with the Grand Steward? I know you didn't dream it up. I was shining. You carried the burden on your chest. It's always been that way, in every dream…even if…"
Those last two words were his mistake. Tomoyo jumped at the chance for more time—though she was curious, truly. Could this actually be connected to Shino's abilities? Suddenly, her excuse didn't seem like such a blatant lie. "Even if what?"
"Even if it wasn't actually us in the dream."
"What?" snapped Tomoyo. "Then who was it? It's you who's lied all this time, then?"
"Pot, meet kettle," sneered Tomohito, gesturing to them both. "I saw three people, but—only one was a woman. She shone. The other two…one carried the burden, and the other wielded the sword and fought the demons. I swear it. But I just knew…I just knew I was the woman and you and Shino were the men."
Tomoyo couldn't help her wicked smile. "Is there something you want to tell me? The reason, perhaps, for why you've never had a girlfriend since that little fling in high school?"
Tomohito laughed in return. "I don't have a girlfriend anymore because I don't want anyone I care about going through the wringer the way yours did. Not yet."
All too quickly, his older sister's expression reverted to the cold distance they all knew.
"I'm sorry," he groaned at once, rubbing a palm over his eyes. "I didn't mean—I was just responding to—"
"I know," Tomoyo waved dismissively, but her eyes were still downcast. "I teased first."
In truth, whatever reason she had given herself to trust their brother now dissipated. How could she trust him with Shino's secret when he would never understand their plight? He enjoyed himself within this cage, freer than them though she and Shino would never ascend the throne, spirits willing.
"Anyway…" Though shamed at his lapse in judgment, Tomohito smiled and attempted to change the subject. "Why bring it up? Do you really think it meant something?"
"Well, yes," Tomoyo said surely, secure in her lie. She did wonder about such a consistent dream, but her belief in him was all he would receive for now. Shino's disappearance was hers to keep—after all, only she could understand their sister's desire to leave this horrible place. "Shino mentioned fighting, didn't she? It was why I recalled your dream. I'm surprised it never crossed your mind, if you've had them all this time."
"I guess I just haven't thought about them since I entered university," he murmured.
It was a strange feeling, trying to understand those visions again. Tomohito had convinced himself that they were caused by some underlying psychological thing he just couldn't understand, but now…even the Grand Steward believed them? Of course, it could be that he trusted Tomoyo more than the dreams, but maybe they were both right.
The crown prince had always felt uneasy around the Grand Steward; trepidation followed his every trip to the man's office, even now. But if he thought this would actually work, if he was as earnest as he appeared in his quest to find Shino…he would forgo his apprehensions toward the man and help him find his sister.
The moment you stop looking for something is when you find it.
Childhood memories were often fleeting, but that was something Shino remembered being told as a child. And until now, she still thought it was a load of dung.
First of all, it was only common sense: the only reason she stopped looking for her hunch was because she'd already found its source—the rude demon lord. Second, she must have given up on jumping for demons on whom to test her returned strength for hours already and still nothing. Her search yielded only grassland and one human town, where she traded her marvelous modern plastic water bottle for lunch—which, in retrospect, may have been unwise. She hadn't even been hungry.
Mid-afternoon saw Shino sighing in the middle of nowhere. Only insects shared her wanting company; she had remembered all too soon that traveling the past filled with demons was no adventure without friends. Not to mention she had no idea where she was—only that she had gone in a straight line for simplicity's sake—so, like the coward she cursed herself for being, she returned to the clearing where she found the demon lord.
Only, of course, he was no longer there, bathed in the coming light of day. Dusk would loom soon as the sun began its descent.
"Anyway," Shino dispelled her disappointment with a sigh. There were other pressing matters, like how she would return to Kaede's village. Hachi's back was a great napping spot, so paying attention to directions had been the last thing on her mind on her way here.
She clapped her hands to get her thoughts straight. The first thing to do was take in her bearings, of course. She remembered plowing through bushes before collapsing in front of the silver-haired man… but she was surrounded with bushes…
Oh, right. When she leapt from the lord, high in the air, she saw huts close to the horizon past the forest! The sun was rising then, which meant—yes. To her left, now.
Shino took a leisurely pace forward. Sure of the way to that small village and knowing she could probably ask for directions and to stay the night in exchange for doing quick chores that would take humans days, she was in no hurry to return. Eventually she came upon a dirt path where the trees stretched forward and the leaves grew thick, leaving only a small line of light between the ceiling of branches.
It was when she decided to take solace in that light that she heard barking.
Without thinking, Shino started running—forward, to her surprise. Though she knew alerting whatever was barking to her presence was the worst idea, power gave her a certain foolhardiness she couldn't escape. The last barking she remembered was the kind Royakan had conjured against them—out of his mouth, to be exact. And she had battled them well enough on her decreasing strength.
For such a thick forest, no other living thing within made so much as a peep. All she could hear echoing through the dark road were her heavy footsteps and breathing, and the sound of the creatures, coming closer. That meant only one thing—these were predators on the hunt.
When she finally laid her eyes on them, a grim correction came uncalled to her: The moment you stop looking for something is when it's found its prey.
Four wolves surrounded a creature no larger than them. They varied in shades of brown, but a constant around their snouts was a splotched black—or crimson, she could tell by the smell. It came from what her mind finally recognized, with utter horror, as a child draped in faded orange cloth. It, too, was drenched in its own blood.
Shino's stomach lurched, but all she could do was scream.
"Hey! Get away from there!"
The wolves stopped and turned to her, throats gurgling with blood and saliva. Each of them had only two eyes, but they seemed fiercer than Royakan's wolves. Maybe it was because their teeth glinted with blood.
Shino didn't care. She could barely even understand her own screeching. "I said get away! Come at me instead, you filthy wolf demons! You monsters!"
It was a request they eagerly fulfilled. Their newest prey shrieked at them, her voice hoarse from her own cries, but it was nothing close to barking. It would be easy, they agreed with hungry looks exchanged.
Though her mind was in a thousand places at the moment, anywhere but before the mauled child, Shino agreed instinctively—it would be easy to rip them apart.
Sango's gift was strapped to her waist, but she paid it no mind. Only her hands would do: a savage death for savage hunters. Shino met the first wolf head on, grabbing at its ears and digging her fingers into its skull.
The others clawed at her, piling almost like children, only they nipped and tore as fiercely as she. The second, she managed to grab by the body and sever a leg. Managing the same with the third, she tossed them both aside and reared her head at the last. By that time it seemed confused as to whether it should snarl or whimper—Shino relieved it of a choice by taking hold of both ends of its snout and tearing. When it stopped twitching, she dropped it and headed straight for the child.
A little girl. It was a little girl whose stomach and legs the monsters had sunk their fangs into, with a bunch of her hair tied on one end for no reason. She couldn't be even a decade old. She was small, like her hands and face, which was gaunt. Her mouth was open—had she screamed? Shino had heard nothing—and her eyes—she was still alive!
"Wait," begged Shino, slinking an arm beneath her back to lift her. "Wait! Stay with me, little girl. I can take you to the village…"
The girl stared at her, lips twitching for a moment. Her left arm was pressed to Shino's chest; the young woman felt her fingers touch her arm as she smiled, almost. Then the light left her eyes.
"N-No…wait…"
The little girl's cold body was heavier than her heart. Now, at this most crucial moment, her strength chose to fail her. "Please live, please…"
Shino's tears fell to the girl's face. She wanted to wipe them, unworthy of this helpless child she couldn't even save, but her hands were filthy, covered in blood and loose fur. Clutching the child's head, she tried to still her own weeping. She didn't even deserve to cry for her.
What use was it to aid powerful demons for their strength when she couldn't even protect an innocent girl? She might as well have been trapped in the palace for how worthless she was.
Setting down the girl, Shino resolved to at least clean her before finding her a decent resting place—and it was then that her hunch sang.
"What is that?!" asked a familiar whine behind her. It whiffed loudly. The air around dripped with the stench of death, and the demon scoffed in disgust.
Hands balled into bloody fists, Shino turned to find two creatures: the demon lord and his kappa servant. The latter gasped and frowned at her while the only recognition the former granted was a blink.
"It's you! That cross-dresser!" said the kappa—Jaken, she remembered his ridiculous name—rudely pointing his two-headed staff at her as he approached, rounding her and catching sight of the corpses. "Wolves…? Did you kill them and this pathetic human?"
Shino paused for a moment, allowing the kappa's heartless revulsion to sink in, but it bubbled noxiously and brimmed in her chest. No response was appropriate other than to lunge at him. "I should kill you!"
The kappa screeched and held out his staff in defense. Even as she remained on her knees, she seized it and threw it to the bushes before clenching a fist around his tiny wrist. "How dare you call her that! She's a little girl!"
Too shocked at her strength for sympathy, Jaken tugged at his arm. "She's also dead—agh!"
Before Shino could snap his arm like a twig, the demon lord reminded them of his presence. He stepped on his vassal, tearing him from her grasp, and took a step closer to the carnage. "Be silent, Jaken."
Shino acknowledged him—but how could she not? "You," she muttered, keeping his gaze as she rose to her feet. "You're a lord…aren't you? Is there any way…in your power…that you could help this girl? Perhaps give her a proper resting place…"
The demon lord did nothing but shift his eyes from the young woman to the child. It was only a second, but meaningless death had run her patience thin. His nonchalance was infuriating.
"Please!" she begged desperately. "You owe me. You owe me for that day!"
"I owe you nothing," he replied so blankly that she expected him to yawn. "If I was ever in your debt, it was repaid when I spared your life."
Spared her—spared her life? In the wake of a child's murder, the man who had killed dozens of men in one strike seemed much less intimidating. Defiantly holding his gaze, she opened her mouth, prepared with a senseless tirade, when Jaken interfered.
"You insolent girl!" he cried, unable to stand her prolonged eye contact with his master. He had managed to scramble to his feet, staff in hand once more, until—
"Jaken."
The kappa fell silent and withdrew. Shino would have sneered at him if her gaze didn't follow his down to the wolves and the little girl.
"You are a human," said the silver-haired demon, but it was clear to them both that it was a question—or a decision yet to be made.
Shino wanted to argue about the girl instead, but if the kappa's attitude was to be followed, if her previous experience of him remained true, then he was more powerful than any other demon she'd met—so much that she dreaded the thought of his enemy.
"Answer me."
"Yes," she hissed, then looked away in regret. Shino knew she needed to stay calm. She just had to get away from these two and clean the little girl in peace. Give her a decent burial. The faster he let her go, the better. "Or—I don't know. Everyone except my parents says I'm not."
She hadn't yet finished the statement when she felt the thrum of power from his side. It came from the sword he unsheathed, but she understood none of it. Next to her, the demon held out his weapon, eyes boring into the child.
Her attention darted from the girl to the sword. "…Wh-What…are you doing?"
The demon gave no indication of hearing her and raised it. Even the kappa yelped in shock.
"Excuse me," Shino leapt before the girl, arms spread wide. "I won't allow you to desecrate her body, lord or no!"
"Get out of the way."
Her fingers trembled. She clenched them into fists. "Not this time."
He breathed audibly and sheathed his sword so swiftly that she failed to notice him reaching for her wrist. As soon as she put her efforts into prying his claws from her, he let go and gave her a shove.
"No!"
When Shino recovered, he had already swiped his blade at the child.
She rushed for the girl, expecting to attempt to kill the demon in just a moment and die, herself—but she was in one piece…! Her clothes were filthy still, but the rest of her was intact, her cheeks flushed…and her eyes…
Shino knelt before the girl nestled in the lord's right arm and peered into what she'd thought were the most poignant brown eyes. Now they only gave her joy as her tired expression broke into a smile.
"She's alive!" Shino nearly wept, but stilled herself when she recalled the demon.
He stared quietly at the girl, whose gaze shifted between the two of them, before Shino felt her weight transferred to her. It might have been her own imagination as the warmth of the demon lord left her side, but the child was lighter than she remembered, her each breath delighting Shino to no end.
"You're all right now," she said, unable to help but touch the girl's cheek. It was clean of blood—unlike her hand, which she withdrew at once. "Ugh, I'm sorry," she muttered.
The little girl was silent, too, only slipping out of her grasp to stand. With a sweet smile—one tooth missing—she bowed, then took Shino's bloody hand in her own.
Shino peered at their clasped fingers. Why would she do such a thing? Wasn't she afraid of her? Of him? Even of the imp wailing to himself about "reviving the human with the Tenseiga?"
Perhaps being mauled to death gave a child a different perspective. Shino couldn't imagine it, but she was grateful for the girl's acceptance. Crouching down, she squeezed her hand. "Little girl, do you have any family?"
She shook her head.
"Where do you live, then?"
The girl met her gaze briefly before hanging her head.
Shino felt like an idiot. Of course. The only village nearby was where she'd been headed, and this girl was alone. Was she her village's sole survivor? The rest must have been slaughtered…
As though she sensed that Shino had run out of questions, it was the girl's turn to speak—or, at the very least, communicate, as she pointed a free hand toward the demon and tugged at Shino's.
"You want to follow…him? Lord…" She glanced over at Jaken, whose tears were endless. What was he whining about? And what had he called the demon? "…Lord Sesshomaru?"
The girl nodded. Only she noticed the way the demon paused—for but a moment—and walked on. She decided she would follow, and so would 'Shino.'
"No, wait—"
It was too late. For one so quiet, the child was persistent, walking forward and dragging Shino along with her. Next to the older female, Jaken noticed it as well.
"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing?"
"My name is Shino," she reminded him. "And I'm accompanying her."
"What? Why?"
Shino sighed. "I can't leave her in your care, can I? And if I can't convince her not to join you, I may as well accompany her for now. If…" She looked ahead, watching the silver hair and the white fluff keep its steady distance from them. "If Lord Sesshomaru permits it."
The demon said nothing, again, not even turning his gaze or acknowledging the question—but neither did he agree to Jaken's loud protests.
Shino supposed that was a yes.
"What is that?"
A two-headed dragon creature wearing a fancy saddle, of all things, sat near their camp that evening, which brought them near the entrance to another wood. Shino supposed it was a pet, which wasn't quite as surprising to her as she thought it should be. No pet less glorious than a dragon for Lord Sesshomaru, of course.
Lord Sesshomaru. It was a…an odd name, but it wasn't unpleasant.
"I should be asking that of you!" yelped Jaken. "How did you kill those wolves? You're only a human!"
The light of the fire made his green face appear even more stressed, as if their few hours together had already worn him down. Actually, this was likely his normal manner, but his irritation always made him seem like he was overly anxious or excited. Not that his utter lack of a nose wasn't extremely creepy. If she'd seen him as a child, even with all of Tomohito's stories, she would probably have never slept again.
Tearing her gaze from his nose, Shino raised her eyes to the demon sitting some ways from them by himself. "Does he have a name?" she asked.
Jaken seethed at her attempt to ignore him. "Don't bother Lord Sesshomaru as he thinks! He has many things to think about, least of which involves humoring the likes of you!"
"Okay, imp, I'm sorry I said anything," muttered Shino. It was tempting to smack him, but he was still Sesshomaru's vassal. She had no idea if he would take kindly to her doing such a thing, even if he had just stepped on the poor kappa earlier—though whatever pity she had for the small creature was blown to the winds by his utter hatred of humans.
"My name is Jaken, human!"
"Then my name is Shino," she answered with a sigh. She was trying not to fight him at the moment, even if the way he'd callously treated the little girl's death was still fresh in her mind. "How about we agree to call each other by our real names?"
Jaken watched her suspiciously, bulging eyes squinting somehow, before he gave a loud harrumph and turned his back on her.
Well, she'd tried her hardest for the night. Shino faced the girl next to her instead. She looked much better now: only her clothes were still bloody. The rest of her was relatively clean, especially her hair, which Jaken had insisted that she wash, lest she make his master "sick with that smell." Shino was still resisting the urge to superglue his little beak together.
The crumbs of Mrs. Higurashi's bread rolls were scattered all over the child's mouth and ruined kosode. "Tough crowd," said Shino, but the girl's only reply was confusion, not humor. "Never mind. We should get you new clothes soon…"
The girl glanced down at her ripped kosode and seemed pleased with the idea.
Her smile was contagious. "You'd like that? We'll get to it, then. But first—do you have a name?"
The child's mouth opened, then closed.
Shino wondered if she was mute, clamming up as she did whenever prompted for her name, but she had sometimes mouthed and almost sounded like she'd said 'no' to several of her questions earlier. Her name would have to come out some time…or she would have to think of one for her. It had only been a few hours and it was already tiring to call her 'you,' or 'hey.' She wasn't Inuyasha.
"What do you think that creature's name is?" she decided to ask instead. She jerked her head at the two-headed dragon, who watched them with mirrored curiosity. "Maybe…Dragon-Dragon?"
The creature grunted, and the girl almost said nuh-uh.
"Get it?" Shino grinned at her own joke. "Because he has two heads? …Or is it a she?"
What sounded like a groan left the two-headed dragon as he lowered his heads and closed his eyes.
"Okay, male," Shino noted aloud. It wasn't her fault. Everyone was so quiet that she had to make some kind of noise. In camp with the others, only Kagome and Sango were the more quiet ones—and that was when Inuyasha and Miroku weren't doing anything to merit comment or annoyance, which was…half the time. Maybe even less.
Jaken groaned. "I never imagined that a woman could be so noisy!"
Now she had this.
Shino didn't reply. Tonight, she would be the better man…woman…creature. That and the child had leaned her head against her arm. With little surprise, she saw that the girl was asleep. Exhaustion, no doubt. Carefully, Shino laid her head on the blanket Kagome had stored in the backpack. The girl was small enough that it doubled as a pillow, too, or at least something to keep her head off the hard ground. Not that she seemed unaccustomed to it—she didn't even have shoes.
Without anyone to complain about, it wasn't too long before Jaken was snoring. The bridled dragon, to her delight, was a peaceful sleeper. But Shino herself could get no rest—she'd been itching to speak with Sesshomaru from the start, but Jaken would whine whenever she tried, and she didn't like the idea of the imp hearing their conversation, at any rate…provided the demon lord would even respond enough to call it that.
Sesshomaru leaned against a tree closest to camp, the fire stretching his shadow to the sky. Shino thought he might be resting, but his golden eyes were directed on high—to the small slice of silver that was the moon.
She stood before him and swallowed, wondering how to put the words together. It was a stupid thing to fret over, she knew—she always said and did things before giving anything thought, the Grand Steward always said—but it seemed only proper. After all, she didn't know what this was. Were they traveling companions now, the way she was with Kagome, Shippo, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Kirara? He hadn't rejected them like she had come to expect, but he expressed nothing like acknowledgment.
All he did was…walk. Walk to a riverbank, walk to the two-headed dragon, and walk some more until he suddenly stopped and sat where he was now. The action seemed to surprise even Jaken, but it took only one look to stop the imp's queries.
Shino wondered if he walked for the girl. With the dragon he could have done much more than that, especially given his recent recovery—and he hadn't even touched the river, only stopped there and looked again to the heavens. Only she and the little girl used it to wash their hands and clean up properly.
Maybe she would never know. She couldn't speak for him, and it seemed that neither could his loyal servant. Four hours together and Lord Sesshomaru remained an enigma. Why couldn't he be as easy to read as her own friends? Even Inuyasha's initial aggravation toward them was better than this…maybe. Shino couldn't remember a time when they weren't friends anymore.
"If you wish to speak, then do so."
Shino nearly jumped out of her own skin at the sound of his voice, but she managed to minimize her surprise to an outward blink. How long had she stood there looking lost? Clearing her throat, she forced a smile to her lips.
"Yes, I do. I just wanted to thank you," she said, and quickly added, "milord." It felt odd on her tongue, but being addressed otherwise might upset him. "For everything today."
Shino disliked his non-responses, but all that mattered was that he heard the words from her mouth. She would have felt the ingrate otherwise, and more gratitude to him was the last thing she needed in case he was secretly the psychotic killer type who planned to eventually devour them. Then again, if that were the case, she was probably even crazier for having dreamt about him.
"What is she to you?" he asked out of nowhere.
Her mind reeled. What? Who? …Oh, of course. Recovering, she said, "A girl who didn't deserve to die."
Talking to this man was like a guessing game. Actually, worse. She would never know if her answer pleased him or not, for he simply continued to stare at her.
"There's another thing," she ventured to speak when he didn't. "About her clothes. She needs new ones. Her only one has holes in it, and…walking barefoot is one thing, but the rest of the body…she'll get sick."
"Where do you intend to find human clothing?"
"A human village, of course," was her reply. He glanced sharply at her for that, and she raised her hands quickly in surrender. This, she was able to predict well enough. "Er, yes. Far be it from you to, uh, deign to enter a human…habitat, so…I can do it. I can go into the next town we come upon and find her proper clothes."
"Do as you please," he said. Not for a moment did his gaze leave hers, but his was always a blank stare.
"Okay then. Thank you." That was easier than she'd thought. Then again, it wasn't like he was a kidnapper she needed to report to. It just seemed…right. He did bring the child back to life. "Well…good night, Lord Sesshomaru."
Walking away, she didn't need to look back or listen to know he said nothing.
When Shino decided to accompany a resurrected child as she insisted on following a demon lord and his kappa and two-headed dragon, she didn't expect it to be so…boring.
Their last four days had been spent walking in relative silence, with no human villages or towns in sight.
It was no different from how she traveled with Kagome and the others, but they were lively. Walking and finding a place to rest was fun with them. With these four…the only one she could get a rise out of was Jaken, and the only time she could do that was whenever she tried to talk to Sesshomaru or when she prodded the child too much for her name or any other detail about her and proved 'too loud.'
There was only so much the kappa could insult her with besides being a purposeless cross-dresser, wearing ridiculous looking shoes, or the usual 'noisy human,' 'horrid snoring' and 'stupid woman,' but he wasn't the type to give up. Sesshomaru didn't do much to stop his vassal, either, except when Jaken berated Shino and she shot back, resulting in a screeching kappa flailing about in anger. It had only happened twice, actually, and it was pretty funny now that she thought about it, but a Silence or Enough from the lord was all the threat they needed to stop squabbling. For the time being, at least. Jaken was too annoying to resist.
Dragon-Dragon, meanwhile, was nice and obedient. She wasn't sure if he was actually a they, but she would stick with the singular until corrected. He only grazed whenever they stopped to rest and was very friendly, growling in appreciation when both his manes were petted.
Shino's nail was slightly chipped for how hard his scales were, but he also apparently liked it when she'd scratched the ones on his neck by accident. Though she wasn't sure that befriending him had been the best idea—just last night, one of his heads had gotten comfortable on the other while she petted it on her lap. Strength or not, they were quite heavy together. It had taken her a whole five minutes to get rid of the pins and needles.
As for the little girl...Shino didn't even know where to begin with her, which was what scared her, really, given the caliber of their companions. She still barely spoke, only nodding or shaking her head, and didn't really answer anything other than yes or no questions. The only sound she made was laughter, when Shino said something silly on purpose in an attempt to get her name. It was precious, yes, and she always ended up laughing herself, but it wasn't much help in the way of understanding her. Shippo was much easier to deal with than this…
Hmm. People always liked talking about themselves, but she was different. It only made sense that she would have to take a different approach with the girl.
That noon, they had stopped for no particular reason—Sesshomaru liked to wander from camp whenever they did, taking either Jaken or Dragon-Dragon with him, with the kappa telling her to mind her own business whenever she asked where he was going. Today, Jaken was his summoned companion.
Without a demon lord's vassal to find simultaneously annoying and amusing, after finding them some food, Shino sat with the girl and Dragon-Dragon with nothing in particular to do.
Besides wonder what in the world the child was thinking, anyway. Every day since their meeting, she had found some kind of fruit or flower to lay at her feet. If they happened to stop by a lake or pond, there was a makeshift container filled with water. And here she was again. Shino was rummaging through her backpack, looking for a scrunchie to keep her from passing out in the sunny heat to no avail. When she gave up and zipped the bag, the child had already taken her place before her with a solemn expression. Between them was her daily gift.
Today they were pink flowers in full bloom—and some mushrooms. She must have collected the stuff while Shino was off hunting hare and hidden them in her still-ruined kosode until Sesshomaru and Jaken were gone. She always waited until they were alone—with the exception of Dragon-Dragon—like it was supposed to be a secret between them.
Why didn't she give them to Sesshomaru? He was her true savior—Shino had only avenged her. Now she would make sure she wouldn't have to do so again.
"Thank you," she inclined her head at the girl anyway, who beamed happily at her confused gratitude. Sometimes she giggled—which was why Shino was certain she wasn't mute. She had insisted the past two days that she give her the gift of her name instead, but that had failed miserably.
"Hey, so…I was thinking."
She received a curious look.
"I think I've figured out why you haven't told me your name. It's because I haven't told you anything about me."
Shino was pleased, having figured that would get her attention. No girl could resist a juicy secret.
"That's right. Since it's just you, me, and Dragon-Dragon here," she said, pretending not to hear what she was now certain was the dragon's sigh, "I've decided to tell you a secret. But you have to promise that it's just between the three…four…three of us. Okay? And you don't have to tell me anything in return until you're…you know…" It annoyed her to say it, but she didn't exactly have a choice. "Until you're comfortable. I mean, this is a little difficult to talk about and I haven't informed others I've met here…"
Now her eyes were wide, and she was nodding.
"Okay. But first I need you to promise not tell anyone, because it's a secret."
The girl looked at her intently and whispered, "I promise."
It was Shino's turn to be bug-eyed. "You…you just…" She pressed her lips together before she could say spoke. Maybe it was better not to make a big deal out of it like she had the past few days. "I mean... All right, I trust you. Thank you. Now…" she turned to their other companion. "You too, Dragon-Dragon. Promise?"
Shino wasn't sure if it was just her, but the dragon seemed to be shooting her a dirty look with his slit pupils. Still, he nodded and stared intently at the girls before him. She felt a little guilty about calling him such a ridiculous name when he was nothing but kind, but what really mattered was that the girl laughed. She could talk!
Shino knew it. Now she had to keep it up. She and Tomohito had watched that same segment on TV together once—about emerging from traumatic situations. Some forgot their ordeals entirely, as he'd guessed of her, and some lost the ability to or refused to speak. Why did she only realize it now? Baby steps was what the girl needed.
"All right, then…" She leaned closer, beckoning to the child and the dragon heads. "My secret is that I'm from...a distant land, I guess I should say. And where I come from, I'm actually…a princess."
The girl gasped, sitting back with her mouth agape.
Shino nodded gravely, slowly, trying to think, because the truth was that that was the only secret she had. Not exactly enticing, though the girl seemed shocked enough. The dragon just watched and waited. "Also…um…"
She was never more grateful for the arrival of their other companions. Sesshomaru walked past the bushes and stopped before them. Jaken arrived not soon after and noticed that the child and Shino were sitting closely together.
The kappa's eyes narrowed at them. "What are you two plotting?"
"Nothing," Shino smiled, mostly out of relief. The girl giggled. Sesshomaru quirked a brow at them, and Jaken muttered about human girls—"or whatever you are, you awful woman…"
Sesshomaru seemed not to care. Sauntering past them, he only said, "Let's go."
The child jumped to her feet and waved an arm, beckoning. The young woman tried not to sigh as she gathered her flowers and followed. Time to walk…again.
Hand on his stomach, Sesshomaru rested against the trunk of another tree in the middle of a lush forest.
He had stopped for the night once more so that the humans could recuperate—the child in particular. The older one didn't seem to require much sleep, and he was barely certain if she was even human, with her decidedly inhuman ability to kill four wolves with her bare hands. She professed not to know much of her true identity, but her scent told him otherwise. She bore a familiar demonic aura while smelling like a human. Even so, he knew she was no half-demon; otherwise she would have been as repulsive to him as that Inuyasha.
Inuyasha.
Sesshomaru would have blamed this sequence of events on his ingrate of a brother, but he would never accord the half-breed credit for influencing any of his decisions. It was by his own choice that he allowed these humans to follow him. For what reason? asked his own mind; he chose not to dwell on the answer. Despite their ambiguous origins, neither could harm him.
"She spoke to me today."
The demon raised his eyes to the cross-dressing woman who had accompanied him for the past three days. Only she remained awake to stoke the fire she had lit earlier this evening. The child had spoken? That was unexpected.
"And so?"
"Don't you care?" she asked quietly, shifting in her seated position. Her curious, bulky shoes made an unpleasant squeaking sound as her face contorted into a familiar expression. He hadn't seen her so visibly frustrated since the day Tenseiga called him to revive the child—her replies were supplied with a derisive smile whenever Jaken saw fit to insult her. "The human child you brought back to life has decided to follow you around. Don't you want to know anything about her history?"
He knew her question was meant to prod, so he gave no immediately reply. Still, he thought on her words—and recalled the morning of his defeat at the hands of Tessaiga. Shino had come to him by chance, aiding him once more without his prompting, and disappeared before dawn; come midday the child returned to him, body covered in bruises.
The child would not have survived a beating from a demon. Knowing the source of her wounds was no difficult task in spite of her reticence. How would it benefit him to discuss her history?
So he answered the woman, "It's not worth knowing."
"Not worth…?" she frowned. "How can you say that? How else will you know her better?"
Sesshomaru tired quickly of her accusatory manner. He had done nothing to warrant this. "I don't expect that I must explain my every thought to you. And neither, it seems, does the girl."
The woman opened her mouth, clearly meaning to scoff, but appeared to think better of it. "Okay then," was her reply, face schooled into a mask of indifference. Her quick withdrawal was curious, but didn't bother him enough that he would question it. He was quite skilled at calling for silence, so it should have been no surprise to himself.
"Good night, Lord Sesshomaru," she added. With a languid stretch, she laid her head on the grass next to the child's and slept.
Finally, save for insects for which he cared little, the night was silent once more. Naturally, his eyes turned to the stars.
Jaken's eyes narrowed to slits at the woman bent awkwardly next to him. "Shino, will you stop that fiddling? It's very irritating!"
"I'm not fiddling, Jaken. I'm braiding. If you had any hair, I might do the same for you," replied the young woman, not taking her eyes off their youngest companion's head for a second. They were walking—big surprise—when Shino decided she was bored enough to try to braid her hair.
It had come to mind that boring was good, better than being attacked in the company of a helpless child. More time to know the girl better was also good, despite Sesshomaru's words two nights ago. Shino had decided to ignore that. It had taken all of her willpower to sleep instead of kicking his smug face in the…well, face. What did a demon lord know about helping a child open up about herself, anyway?
Sure, she'd made about zero progress since the day before yesterday, but… She couldn't even imagine that Sesshomaru had ever been a child, himself. The demon probably sprouted out of the ground or fell from the heavens, or something—either way, he came out just like that: handsome and elegant and utterly emotionless. Besides a callous disregard of almost everything else, irritation was probably all he knew.
"How dare you—what are you laughing about?"
Shino blinked and realized that Jaken had caught her snickering to herself. "Nothing, Jaken. You know," she said, tapping the girl's shoulder and making her loose strands of flyaway hair bounce with a fluff of her fingers, "you have the nicest hair. It's so easy to comb through, given our sleeping arrangements of late."
The child pressed her palms against her blushing cheeks and gave a half-chuckle until Jaken scoffed in protest.
"Silly woman! Clearly, Lord Sesshomaru is the one with the most beautiful hair!" he exclaimed, eyes sparkling as he gushed. Shino would have been creeped out if she didn't expect something like this. "Look at that sheen! Those long, perfect strands!"
"I meant for a human child," said Shino, giving the kappa a childish eyeroll and missing her friends all of a sudden. "But yes, I agree. Though…" She bit her lower lip and tried not to laugh when the mental image appeared to her. "I don't think Lord Sesshomaru would allow me to braid his hair."
She regretted that as soon as the words escaped her big mouth—Sesshomaru stopped, glancing over his shoulder just to shoot her a glare. If looks could kill, well, they didn't really have to. He could accomplish that just fine.
"Look what you've done!" whimpered Jaken. "Apologize to Lord Sesshomaru for your insolence or face his wrath!"
"I was…just stating a fact," she gulped, unable to look away, but kept her voice steady. "Of course I wouldn't ask to even touch your hair, Lord Sesshomaru." She could almost imagine his red sclera again, but he wouldn't do that in front of the girl…would he? At any rate, she couldn't keep apologizing for everything she did. She had already simpered enough before him. As soon as she started yelping at his every move the way Jaken did, it was likely that he would no longer tolerate her presence.
Sesshomaru was probably the type, too. Why had she ever wanted to see him again? Moments like these made it seem like a miracle she was even still alive.
Shino withheld a relieved sigh as soon as Sesshomaru turned back. "Anyway," she said, clearing her throat and searching her head for any other subject but his random temper, "little girl, I know your name now."
"What? What is it?" asked Jaken. Upon receiving a suprised blink from Shino, he crossed his arms and coughed. "N-Not that I care! It's just tiring referring to this human as girl constantly!"
"Right." Shino released the girl's hair to walk next to her. "It's Kiseki, isn't it?"
The child paused, thinking, then vigorously shook her head.
"Ha! I knew it," Jaken snorted. "You don't know anything!"
"Are you sure?" asked Shino, rounding the child so she could block the kappa's view of her. "I mean, you are a miracle. Your life is a miracle."
The imp shot Shino an incredulous look. "You were just guessing? What a disappointment!"
"I'm not. It only makes sense," she insisted, eyes on the girl. "You're not only those things, you know. You're also miraculously silent, miraculously pretty, miraculously kind, miraculously brave…" She knew she sounded ridiculous and it probably wouldn't work, but she didn't not mean the words. The child was all those things. That obviously wasn't her name, though. If anything, it would at least entertain her. At this point in her stunted progress, Shino just found it fun to see the girl laugh. "Are you sure your name isn't Kiseki?"
The little girl shook her head. Then, finally, just as Shino had lost all hope, she said, "Rin."
Ready to criticize Shino's silly attempts to communicate with the clearly mute girl once more, Jaken found it was his voice which had gone. Dragon-Dragon blinked. Shino's breath caught, and she might have burst into tears of joy if she weren't grinning triumphantly at Sesshomaru, who had paused in his tracks. He glanced back with what almost looked like a pleased expression; or perhaps it was more accurate to call it peaceful. As soon as he caught Shino's gaze, however, he whirled and walked on.
"Wow…" Shino cleared her throat again, following as Rin did. "Wait, I mean…really?"
Rin nodded, smiling the widest she had in days—and that was saying a lot. Despite having gone through what she had, she was the most cheerful out of the five of them. "Is your name really Shino?"
Her voice was a little hoarse, probably from lack of use, but it was as sweet as she imagined and music to Shino's ears. "Hmm? Why wouldn't it be?"
"You know…" Rin trailed off, pleasant all the same.
Shino wondered at the question. Had she looked so untrustworthy that Rin would ask her such a thing? The question of why seemed a futile effort with the girl, so she wouldn't bother. Cutting losses here was just fine. Shrugging, she told her, "Don't worry. It's no secret that my name really is Shino. But that yours is Rin—you know…I think it might be destiny."
"That's not at all what rin could mean!" sighed Jaken, almost resigned to the woman's stubbornness.
Shino ignored him and offered the child her hand. "You want to know why?"
"Mm-hmm!" Rin accepted it, big brown eyes staring at Shino like she had the world to give. It was a nice feeling. The older girl didn't think she would ever like to let her go.
"Well, Rin happens to be my mother's name, too."
Why did I end here? Mostly because nothing that happened afterward was too important. Sesshomaru knows she's just trying to get Rin to talk, so he doesn't care about her mother's name; Rin thinks it's also a magical/interesting/meaningful coincidence; and Jaken insists that it just makes no sense.
Ah, the benefits of being the eldest sibling. You get to walk into a room, about to be interrogated about your lies, and end up getting your crown prince younger brother to spill the beans and help further your technically half-lies. Tomoyo sure is good at keeping secrets!
And. I think this chapter shows just why this story is named thus. ...Okay, actually, maybe not. Shino has made a lot of and will continue to make more thoughtless decisions. -.- But this is the most important decision yet!
Now to your reviews!
Ourfavoritefangirl: Here's the update! And I know what you mean. And sometimes just three !'s and ?'s aren't enough. FF kills even most of my smileys!
Dragonslayer2187: Yes! As you can see, he wasn't quite as receptive as she'd hoped. Yeowch!
cleareyes25: Hope you liked this chapter! More Sesshomaru to come. Hahaha!
Xxser3ndipityxX: Wwwwoooow. I seriously appreciate the reviews per chapter! And thank you, really, for your kind words. They mean a lot, and I'm learning to manage.
I'm both dreading and excited to write the developments! Conflict is difficult to write for me. I think I take the situations to heart a little too much, haha. And yes, the 3rd movie was my favorite, too! I just adore seeing Inuyasha and Sesshomaru working together AND seeing their groups interact. Jaken is hilarious! I don't like turning him into too much of a buttmonkey, but I re-watched some episodes and realized that sounding like he's whining/ish even when he's being genuinely antagonistic is really his thing. It's come to the point that I really laugh just seeing him in a scene. Which might color my writing, I realize...but he is too funny! (I mean from his English VA, which I really like despite a lot of people I know disliking it. When I first heard David Kaye for Sesshomaru years ago...I fell in love. x.x Anyway, I'm rambling.)
The god blood does come into play, yes! Of course, the Imperial Family doesn't necessarily know or even believe in those things anymore.
And yesyesyes! Sorry I'm just saying yes to the things you've said, again. It's just that your points are exactly what I mean! The hunch/feeling/thing is exactly what the summary meant. It was also meant to be a romance hook, but specifically it did mean that. XD As to why...all I can say is hehe and he is mostly clueless about it.
I'm happy you like the clues on Shino! I actually have no idea if they're too much or too little, but things like the sense of Sango, an experienced slayer, and Suijin, a goddess, were unavoidable given their abilities/who they are, so they sort of wrote themselves!
As for your offer, omgx100000000!? I would be honored! I tried drawing Shino when I first started writing Feet First, but I lost the sheet when we renovated and now all I have is a badly lit photo because my scanner is long dead. I'd really love to see your interpretation of her, if you have the time of course!
Thanks so much again for your reviews, alerts, favorites, and patience! I must ask for more of them. Heheheh. Again, I'm not sure when I'll update, but I'll warn you in this space right here if I can't come out with Chapter 11 in the next two weeks. See you soon! :)
NOW. This space is just my personal take on characters currently, so you don't have to read it! I just like putting my ideas here. It also helps so that I remember where I was at character-wise when I'm too lazy to re-read chapters. :D
What about Rin? Why wouldn't she talk for the first few days? I figured she just needed some time to get comfortable with everyone first. I mean, she only giggles and laughs with Sesshomaru when she first helps him and he seems concerned about her bruises. She doesn't actually answer. So I figured she'd be the same with Shino, not to mention she's still trying to figure out herself what Shino is. I also thought it would be nice to make Shino work for Rin's acceptance. Sure, Rin already liked her, knowing she killed the wolves, but she's still a kid. Children don't seem to like being prodded; they like being made to laugh. Plus, more on the specific Rin side: she's a smart kid. Smart, as in she won't fall for Shino's obvious attempts to get her to talk until she's comfortable, but still a kid, so she likes being privy to the grown-up secrets. Which worked? Yay!
As for Shino, when I first planned this part ages ago, I thought she'd befriend everyone fast—after all, you can't have Sesshomaru without Jaken and Rin—but I realized that with Shino, it could never have started that easily. Shino's always been noisy with Eri and Yuka, and enjoys her banter with Inuyasha's group. She feels right at home in their dynamic, where she can fight and make a lot of noise with Inuyasha and Shippo and sometimes pretend to be responsible outside battle (ie. be chill when Kagome and Inuyasha have unresolved sexual tension spats), but obviously Kagome and Sango are the 'moms' of the group while Shino's more of a sister.
Also, Sesshomaru's group has a completely different dynamic. So far, she has fun getting under Jaken's skin when he gets under hers, but she has to walk on eggshells around Sesshomaru because she isn't used to his kind of personality and so fears him, while she feels she has to protect Rin and be mature, which isn't easy for someone with the personality mentioned above. She doesn't know what the others want from her...not to mention only Jaken likes to be noisy at this point! Sesshomaru, poor A-Un (read: Dragon-Dragon, I couldn't help it! Don't worry, he'll be named soon enough) and Rin at that point are all fine with just being quiet. For them, quiet is just fine. For Shino, quiet is boring and she's the normal one who has to fix things and get people talking. Anyway, more on that in the next chapters.
(And man, does she find plain old quiet walking really boring.)
Also, Sesshomaru's a jerk. My take on him in the next bajillion paragraphs below; it seriously meanders, because I ramble! I tried to tread as carefully as I could when writing his very brief perspective, but I admit it was my favorite part. Sesshomaru's a mean, power-hungry demon, but he's not entirely heartless...maybe. That's why he'd rather not think about things if they might indicate that he's actually doing something for someone else's benefit, or going out of his way to do something that won't directly benefit him.
At the same time, I really tried to understand where he's coming from. He has the whole I-don't-have-turbulent-emotions-like-you-humans deal, so I imagine he normally operates on logic and pride (except when it comes to daddy issues). So he doesn't get why Shino's so upset about his lack of interest in Rin's history (especially since he knows it involves abuse, so it stands to reason that the girl wouldn't want to bring that up) and is displeased when she makes a fuss about it. He is also self-absorbed and doesn't interact much with others (in a friendly way), so while he is observant, some things would get past him, I think, like why Shino thinks it's important to know your traveling companions better. Or...he just doesn't care. Haha!
Also, I was reading up on dogs and thinking of Inuyasha (the character). Dogs don't respond well to flailing and yelling and freaking out. Though Inuyasha yells a lot, he came to share this mutual respect with Miroku and Sango because they could hold their own and he can depend on them in battle. While Sesshomaru doesn't need anyone, I don't imagine that making a fuss would impress him much, either. I think what would have roused his curiosity was, like Rin's persistence despite her own weakness later, Shino's attempt to defend him in front of the rifle squad and her subsequent murder of the wolves who mauled Rin. Basically just being able to respond well to being in a sticky situation, I think. He doesn't quite care for humans yet, so I think he'd just shake his head at anything that resembles that tricky tricky human emotion. I don't think he'd care much for lip service until the person matters to him.
Also also! I love how Sesshomaru is so sassy to Inuyasha and Totosai, but watching the episodes before, I noticed that most of the time, he pretty much ignores the rest of Inuyasha's party. Funny how he hates his half-brother but it's Inuyasha who gets him talking the most. Given that, I'm operating on the assumption that Sesshomaru doesn't respond unless he thinks the person warrants his attention for whatever reason in whatever situation, and he only reserves his insults for people who actually matter enough to be insulted. Which is why he mostly ignores Shino the first few days—she's just some woman who started following him around. Sure he's curious about what she is, but not that curious. And he only insults her about her failure at pestering Rin for her name because she's overstepping her boundaries trying to make him do something. And he's figured that she's not going to shut up until he threatens to kill her or insults her...and based on previous experience, she backs off when insulted, so he picked that. I was deciding between the two: death threat or just a thinly-veiled insult. I chose the second because he doesn't know her well enough to threaten to kill her (like Jaken) and she hasn't done too much to irritate him (like Totosai avoiding him).
I don't know if I'm even making sense anymore. Much of that last paragraph is worded wrong and doesn't convey what I'm thinking right, maybe because I'm half-asleep now. XD Basically, while she has done some things that warrant some notice, none of it's really worth his attention yet.