A/N: Kudos to anyone who can tell which "InuYasha" song is referred to in this chapter. It's one of my favs.

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Despite Mother's admonitions to avoid the humans, Sesshomaru was inexorably drawn to their villages. More specifically, the one he visited yesterday. Perhaps today he could introduce himself to that girl and he'd actually have a friend again.

He crept over to the fishing snares where she usually first went and waited. She arrived on schedule, but – much to Sesshomaru's chagrin – she didn't notice him. Several moments, then minutes slipped by until he finally cleared his throat.

"Oh!" The girl was startled by the abrupt noise. "Where'd you come from?"

Sesshomaru scratched his head. Apparently these humans weren't the most perceptive species. "I was sitting here before you showed up." Then he blurted, "I'm Sesshomaru, wanna be friends?"

She quirked an eyebrow; here was this fur-toting, rich kid with the strangest face-paint she'd ever seen asking if they could be friends?! Either he was jerking her chain or he was crazy. She couldn't quite stop gawking at the crescent mark on his forehead. Maybe he was both. Really what sort of name was Sesshomaru?

"Well, ah," she struggled to keep the fish in her basket. "I'm not sure if – Ah! My fish!"

A pair of carp had wriggled out of the basket and were making their way to freedom. Sesshomaru shot a claw after each.

"Here." He suppressed a wince as he snapped the spines with a twitch of talons and returned them to the basket.

"Thanks." The girl smiled; he was nice and still sort of a little kid. "Perfect Killer, hm? Well, I'm no one to pass judgment. Could you imagine being called Akiko? Autumn-child? I think that says something about my parents' creativity. Anyway, here, Perfect Boy, you can help carry lunch." Akiko shoved the basket into Sesshomaru's arms before he even got out an okay.

She set off marching for the woods – obviously expecting Sesshomaru to follow – continuing her monologue. "So now I gotta find some firewood and I always wonder why I have to be the one to do to it and not work in the fields with Sikiko. I'm the oldest, why do I hafta be the errand girl?"

Akiko hoisted a second basket full of bramble on her back, then turned to Sesshomaru. "I'm now going to gather some plants I was told to pick up – not sure why Mom didn't mention 'em yesterday – you gonna come?"

Sesshomaru wasn't sure how much longer he could bear the stench of fish, but he nodded. If it meant she would sing again, he'd tag along. Though, he couldn't help saying, "Why didn't you catch these on your way back?"

Akiko didn't slow her pace. "Because they were the first stop on my way, it's logical. They won't go bad in couple hours an' no one can steal 'em while they're with me, duh!"

Sesshomaru tried breathing through his mouth.

She whirled around to stare at him again. "So where are you from? What's up with your fur-thingy? Was it dark when you put on your make-up this morning?"

The last made Sesshomaru grin wide enough to flash fang. Akiko yelped, "Wow! Are those real?"

Sesshomaru sorted through her questions and answered in order. "I'm from the far Western Territories, my 'fur-thingy' is my own mane, I was born with it just like my face stripes and moon, and yeah, my fangs are real. Where are yours? Don't humans have any?"

"You say that like you aren't."

"I'm not. I'm a dog-demon."

Akiko doubled over with laughter.

"What's so funny?" Sesshomaru demanded.

"A d-dog-demon?" Akiko gasped. "How gullible do I look? That's what the elders told us when we were your age and what the occasional superstitious traveler raves about! There are no such things as yokai."

The mononoke felt offended. "How do you know we don't exist?"

"I've never seen one."

"I'm one!"

"Prove it."

Sesshomaru thought, but only came up with, "My fur-thingy?"

Akiko sniggered. "At that rate everyone in the village could be a demon if they hunted an animal."

"All right, all right. Uh…my facial markings? They don't wash off, you know."

"Nah, if they're birthmarks that doesn't count."

"Okay, you ever see a human with silver hair?"

"Three summers ago, Kurosaki moved in and he had white hair and pink eyes." Akiko grimaced. "He also couldn't do a day's work in the sun without collapsing; I think it ran in his family."

Sesshomaru scuffed dirt under his heel and Akiko started foraging. "Wait, how 'bout my eyes? They're amber and yours are brown!"

She hardly spared a glance. "There were once some visitors with eyes the color of the sky."

Sesshomaru wracked his brain, then he finally remembered what he had noticed first about Akiko. "Your ears! Your ears aren't like mine!" The inu-yokai flexed his pointed ears. "See?"

Akiko walked back over. "Huh, that is weird…but it doesn't make you a demon."

"Why not?"

"You haven't eaten me. All demons eat children from what I heard."

Sesshomaru blinked. Why would he want to eat something that talked back? Besides, cattle and boar tasted better. "I wouldn't eat you."

"See? You're also nice. What demon is nice?"

A few choice words about the so-called temperament of humans came to mind, but Sesshomaru dropped it. He'd figure out a way to prove himself later, and right now implored, "Could you sing like you did yesterday, Akiko?"

Akiko smiled, people were usually telling her to shut up. "For you, yes." She opened her throat and sang about unchanged, forgotten blue skies, overcoming a false scheme, and rusted hearts beating once more.

Sesshomaru sighed. Suddenly, he jolted upright with realization. "I'm sorry, Akiko," he interrupted. "But look, I really am a daiyokai."

"I'm sure you are." Her voice dripped with sarcasm at the interlude. "Go ahead and show me."

Sesshomaru smiled at the opportunity. "Okay, watch." He stood, and let his temporary guise slip away.

"Se-Sesshomaru?" Akiko began to panic. Those strange stripes grew ragged and his eyes were flushing to crimson.

"Hold on," Sesshomaru growled as his storm of yoki enveloped him. "I know this looks weird at first, but…"

A ten-foot puppy emerged from the whirlwind. He pounded his forepaws playfully and wagged his tail in the air, but all Akiko had eyes for were the rows and rows of serrated teeth.

She tried scrabbling to her feet, but stumbled over the next root. She screamed.

For the second time in one year, Sesshomaru saw raw terror. In Akiko was etched the same fright that Kai and all the other demon children wore, and it was all because of him. Everyone of them was terrified when they realized what Sesshomaru was.

The dog-demon felt like his heart would tear in two. He couldn't let it end this way with Akiko, he'd give anything to mend that broken smile. He moved his muzzle forward for a reassuring lick…that was a mistake.

WHACK!

Sesshomaru howled his pain as Akiko prepared to take a second swing with the thorn brush in her hands. He didn't give her a second chance and turned tail, bounding off for home.

Apparently, even the forest wasn't always a refuge.