Rin sat besides the fire that Jaken had made and watched as the fish she caught cook as she waited for Sesshomaru's return. The green kappa had already fallen asleep besides Ah-Uh, the two headed dragon, who remained awake. A snap of a branch directed her attention to the far side of the camp and saw the daemon lord come into view and movement behind him made her gasp as she saw a beautiful woman in colors of blue and silver, the top piece separate from the bottom and a silver hoop was in her navel. A shawl that was see through but had colors of blue and silver wrapped around her body and. Her hair was damp and braided over her shoulder but Rin could see the wound that hid partially under her hair across her shoulder as if she had been attacked by an animal several times. As the woman lifted her head to look at her, she saw pale blue grey eyes and two small gem sat in each of her lower ears.

"Hello," the woman smiled.

"You look like a princess," Rin smiled back as the woman walked closer.

"Thank you, but I can assure you that I am not," the woman spoke simply before using one of the trees by the fire and sat down slowly, but Rin could see pain in her eyes as she sat.

"You are hurt!" Rin ran over to her and knelt beside her. "Can Rin help you?"

"It is nothing, but you are sweet to be concerned about someone you just met," the woman spoke as she touched her cheek. "I heal quickly."

"Did Lord Sesshomaru save you?"

"You could say that," Nova spoke, hesitating for a moment. "I do believe that your fish is going to burn if you don't pull it from the fire."

"Oh!" The child hurried over to the fire and pulled the skewers off the fire carefully before walking back over to Nova. "Master Jaken fell asleep, do you want his fish?"

"I am unable to eat fish, but thank you for the offer," Nova smiled gently. "If the fish was for him, wouldn't it be nicer to wake him instead of him waking to find it already eaten?"

"That's true," Rin spoke before walking over to the green-blue skinned creature snoring besides the large two-headed beast. "Jaken, wake up. Your fish is ready and Lord Sesshomaru has come back."

"I fell asleep?! Rin, why did you not wake me sooner?!" The creature squawked as he got up, revealing his two foot height.

"Yep, his voice hasn't changed," Nova chuckled quietly as she watched as Sesshomaru sat down close by and saw a slight amused glint in his eye as he looked her way.

"Who is this? Another human? Lord Sesshomaru, have you found my service unsatisfactory?!"

"She is here to care for the needs of the child that you are unable to do. As a human female, she is more knowledgeable in caring for a human child. Your responsibilities have only changed to include her safety and physical well-being."

"What…?"

"It means you got promoted Jaken," Nova smirked, slightly understanding why the Jaken she knew didn't like her very much. It wasn't so much a promotion as a demotion, seeing as he now had to care for two humans instead of just one.

"Oh my Lord Sesshomaru, thank you for acknowledging my skills…"

"Any injuries to either will be on your head Jaken."

"That's a little unfair," Nova frowned as she looked at Sesshomaru. "After all, I am very clumsy. It should be any injury you are unaware about."

"Hn."

"Pretty lady, what is your name?" Rin asked as she sat beside her as she started to eat her fish.

"Nova."

"That's pretty… just like you!"

"Not as pretty as your name, Rin," Nova smiled and found arms around her waist as the child hugged her and she bit her lip to not make a sound as she rubbed against the scratches on her legs. "Finish your food."

"Careful Rin, you don't want to disturb any injuries that Lady Nova may have," Jaken spoke as he ate his fish.

"Oh, Rin is so sorry Lady Nova!" Rin jerked back, making sure not to touch her as she moved and Nova saw her lip quiver as if she was going to cry.

"You meant no harm, Rin, you just need to be a little gentler," Nova smiled as she pulled the girl into a hug carefully. "Now I know that it is starting to get late. Finish your food and get ready to go to sleep."

"Okay Lady Nova," Rin smiled before sitting back and went back to eating her fish. "How long will you stay with us?"

"For as long as Lord Sesshomaru deems it. Now, no more questions for tonight. I will still be here when you wake."

Rin smiled and finished her fish quickly before throwing the remains of the skin and bones into the fire. Nova watched as she walked over to the pile of bags by the two-headed beast and pulled out two white pelts. She laid them out near the beast before disappearing into the trees for a couple minutes before returning and snuggled in between the two pelts, falling asleep quickly. She watched as Jaken scrambled around in his short legs, throwing some wood onto the fire before making a pile nearby and laying down on a brown pelt and was asleep in seconds.

"You refused the food, why?" Sesshomaru spoke after a little while and she frowned as she looked at him.

"I'm allergic to fish. I'm okay near it or if one were to touch my skin but the minute I try to eat one, I cannot breathe and my throat swells up. Not a pretty sight," Nova shrugged.

"This Sesshomaru is going to have to hunt for you then. The child catches her own food, be it fish or wild fruits and vegetables."

"She's resourceful, but why is she in your care?"

"She was an orphan when this Sesshomaru happened upon her. She just followed. She obeys and does not get in the way of my goals."

"She must have seen something good in you," Nova smiled as she looked at the sleeping child and got a threatening growl in return. "I'm serious, Sesshomaru. Children are innocent beings, whether they are human or otherwise. They don't understand the conflicts that adults have to deal with but they are more observant than the most devoted monk. They gain an understanding of their own, but it is the conflict of adults that twist that understanding. If your behaviors, without the interruptions of your beast, are any way similar to that of the man I worked for there is a lot more good in you than I know you'll admit to."

She glanced at him and felt her heart drop as she saw his eyes bleed red. The next thing she knew, she found herself shoved into the truck of a tree, barely able to stop her face from being rammed into the bark but she could not see or hear the campfire nearby. The growl behind her gave away Sesshomaru's position behind her as she heard the zipper of her skirt before the fabric fell around her ankles. She tried to voice her protest when she felt him slap her ass, drawing blood as his claws touched her flesh.

"We are not that weak daemon you know!" He growled, his voice deeper while his red eyes seemed to glow slightly in the dark when she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Obviously not," she hissed back before he brought his hands to her hips and dug his claws into the dip of her hips. He pressed himself against her and she whimpered as she felt his hard length. "You disgust me, beast."

"You are nothing, bitch, but a toy," he snapped before one hand moved her underwear to the side and rammed himself inside of her.

Nova would have screamed out from the instant pain after already being in pain from earlier if not for the fact that all air left her lungs the moment he was fully inside her. His left hand remained on her hip, his claws piercing her skin while his right came up and slid under her bodice to grab her breast over her bra, and she hissed as she felt his claws dig into her skin there but couldn't tell if he had drawn blood as he pulled himself almost all the way out before thrusting into her hard. She dug her fingers into the jagged bark of the tree and clenched her jaw as she tried to keep silent, not wanting to give her tormentor any satisfaction of getting a reaction from her as he had his way with her, but a choked sob escaped her as tears spilt over.

She felt pressure in her lower abdomen build up as his thrusts became more rapid and harsh and soon that pressure exploded as he released inside of her. His hands moved away from her as he pulled out of her and she fell to her knees, letting out a cry of frustration. Her body trembled and her lower body was in so much pain, she could not pinpoint which part of her body hurt more. She could hear him moving behind her, but didn't bother to acknowledge him.

"It would be wise to forget where you came from, woman," his voice was neutral and she knew that the beast was not in control now.

"If your beast wants his toy not to be broken, he needs to take a little more care of it," Nova whispered, doing her best to control her voice as she worked to get her skirt up her weak legs. "I don't even know why it is so interested in me when I am a human and you hate my kind."

"The fact that you are conscious shows my beast's leniency."

"If your beast wants to keep me in a condition where you can get your release, it might want to not be so forceful," she whimpered as she managed to get her skirt over her bleeding hips and whimpered as the fabric pressed against her inner hips.

"Come, there is a spring nearby," Sesshomaru spoke and she glanced at his form in the darkness. She tried to move to stand but her legs refused to cooperate.

"My legs won't move…"

Arms came around her shoulders and under her knees as she was pulled into Sesshomaru's arms and a cry of pain escaped her at the movement. She bit her lip as she gripped his haori, each step causing pain to shoot through her lower half as he carried her. She could hear the sound of a small river getting closer and soon she was placed on the ground by the edge of the small creak.

Grimacing at each movement, she pulled her skirt past her waist and cleaned the blood and other fluids from her lower half. She could feel wounds on both inner hips and four long gashes across her bottom that crossed the scratches he had caused the first time that went from her hips to her spine. Those wounds felt like they were almost healed and she frowned, remembering them to be deeper earlier in the evening.

Once she finished, she fixed her skirt and found herself back in the arms of the daemon who held her captive, leniency at the price of caring for the child. Exhaustion started to take over and she didn't fight the peaceful darkness that waited. The last thing she remembered before the darkness fully claimed her was being laid on a fur near the fire and a fur being pulled over her.