A/N: Hi all! I have returned bearing new chapters and such. Hope you enjoy :)

Rays of sun warmed two freshly dried bodies as they slowly walked to an open field in the midst of the forest. It was not far from the clearing Sesshomaru had left the group in, but Jaken still nagged the girls for straying. Nazoki's defense was "He could easily find us. How else should we pass time?" When the toad lacked a defense of his own, they walked away. It was impossible to not notice the large grin that curled Rin's lips. The expression never seemed to fade.

Once the girls reached the clearing, they set to picking flowers. What seemed to be an infinite amount of blue and yellow stretched from one wall of trees to the other. All the while, the girls sang Rin's song. Though Nazoki had previously been hesitant towards singing such a tune, the child's smile was enough to melt such feelings. Finding a single white carnation, Nazoki tucked it in Rin's hair. The girl giggled in response, and pushed a blue carnation in Nazoki's fiery locks. Both girls' hair was still wet, as Nazoki had opted not to fully combust to dry herself. She simply raised her body heat. Every now and again, the cool sensation that remained after baths was enjoyable.

"Didn't you have a sleeve before?"
The question caught Nazoki off guard, and she gazed at her nearly healed burn. Being Youkai had it's benefits. Healing quickly was one of them, and Rin had not seemed to notice the burns on her sides or arm. If one slept enough, small scrapes and nicks would disappear. Since the injury was a burn, Nazoki's body was quick to repair it.
"Yes, I did. I must have left it at the river." She lied, hoping the girl had not noticed that even then she did not have it. Rin nodded, confirming the idea of her not being the most observant of the bunch.

"Nazoki, you never told me where you are from." Turning to gaze at the woman from her hand full of flowers, Rin smiled. Though it was clear that the vixen grew slightly uneasy, she nodded. Their singing had subsided, leaving the question to hang in the air.
"All right. I will tell you, but only a bit. Some things are not fit to speak... Shall we take our flowers elsewhere? Or would you prefer to sit here? We could make something for the lord as we speak." Hesitantly accepting the girl's request, Nazoki tightened her grip on the flower stems in her hand.

"What about those rocks over there?" Rin pointed to a small rock formation jutting from the flower field. It was just big enough for the girls to sit on. Together, they walked through the tall grass, which appeared to be golden in the sunlight. Reaching the aforementioned spot, Nazoki helped Rin up and sat down beside the girl.
"What would you like to make?"
After taking a short moment to think about it, Rin grinned.
"A wreath. When the Lord returns, we can welcome him with it."
The woman nodded in agreement, and soon a low sigh parted her lips.
"Only you can know this story. And I will tell it as such; a story. There are many details, so it will take multiple nights to finish. Though it will provide a bit of entertainment, know that it is true. I will change some details accordingly, and I ask that you not share it, or refer to the woman as me."
Rin agreed, and soon Nazoki began.

"There was once a princess with the perfect life. He family was considered powerful, and her parents loved one another immensely. They lived in a den fitted with stone to keep the walls from collapsing. All of the other town's people coveted their seemingly perfect lives. They only had one daughter, before times became tedious..." Pausing, Nazoki stared at the wreath she was weaving together. Blue, yellow, red and green seemed to combine as she worked the fragile plants in her hands.

"One night, the father was challenged. Everybody was confident in his abilities, as he had made a habit of fighting all who questioned him. In the past he had fought many opponents. From ogres, to beasts that resembled dragons. But the outcome was unfortunate. The fight was not fair, and the man fell in battle."
Rin stared at Nazoki wide eyed, and the woman ignored the look.
"Of course, the family was grieved. Shortly after, they were ridiculed, and shunned. In an attempt to repair their reputation, the mother arranged a marriage for her daughter. What the girl wanted didn't matter, and she was never asked, or told about the arrangement."

A familiar scent caused Nazoki to fall silent. The woman murmured, "That's enough for today" and Rin agreed. Staring into the forest, Nazoki searched for Sesshomaru. She knew he was near. What she did not know was that he had already spoken to Jaken, and was listening from a tree. The lord had sat across a long limb, and silently watched the pair. A simple gust of wind had betrayed him, but he could easily slip away if the woman decided to search. Rin seemed oblivious, and finished making a flower bracelet. Nazoki had already completed her head wreath.

"Lord Sesshomaru is going to be happy when he gets here." Rin jumped down from the rock and started back through the field. Nazoki followed the girl, yet continued to calmly gaze about the forest. She wondered if Sesshomaru even knew what the word happy meant. It would be impossible for a man dressed in white to blend in with foliage. Or so she thought. As high up as Sesshomaru was, it would be almost impossible for even her to see him. His scent however, was still present due to the fact that he had just been walking. He only heard the latter half of Nazoki's story, and assumed she was using her own past to make story for Rin.

Rin started to sing her song again, and happily urged Nazoki to follow suit. Moments passed, and Sesshomaru's scent left as quickly as it had come. Peering up at Nazoki, a slight frown creased Rin's brow.
"What is it?"
Nazoki glanced down at the girl before offering a smile.
"Nothing." she responded, and soon they were happily singing again.