Disclaimer: Not mine, but hey, they're not yours either.
A/N: OMG! Where to start?!? With an abject apology, and an announcement that it wasn't my fault! The hardrive on the computer died, so we were without internet for awhile. This is a fairly fluffy chapter, but the action picks up next time, this time for real! And thanks to DCoD (whew! In depth reviews are always welcome, and helpful!) Koori Youkai Hime (little Kage damn near had your name! but I changed from ice demon to shadow) bunny angel (isn't Sesshy sweet when he's being graphic?) AnnechanB (Rin is kind of freaked out about the thought of her and Sesshy...ew) Silenced Dove (some explanation of little Lady of the North here, more later) kelseyrianne (Yuriko can't get past the thought Sesshy has feelings, let alone paternal ones!) Rory4 (Sesshy's just trying to keep his baby girl out of trouble) BlindSeer220 (no, no, Mikadzuki, Kage's mother, was in love with Inu no Taisho!) bluediamond-hime (I try to keep you guys on your toes) Azhriaz (yes, Naraku is just a step behind them, but in the famous words of Malcom Renolds, he won't see this coming!) theevilashleyness (Sesshy's gonna have more kids than he knows what to do with...;-) Rin gurl 101 (thank you!) kuyaga (she is rather cuddly for a baby daiyoukai, ain't she?) Ru-Doragon (description enclosed, per your request) EyeofDlareme (aw, that's sweet!) Rusty'sTechGirl (this is Inuyasha-verse, something bad or sad is always on the horizon) Akura Szuyoki (Sesshy Daddy, Kohaku Yummy) d2shny (yeah, I was thinking of my own siblings when I wrote that, too, and they think it of me) shardz1 (well, forever is such a long time...) and Star Garden (must keep humor or it loses its fun) If I missed you, sorry, and thank you!
"She's so tiny!"
Akai nodded rather distractedly at Keiko's words. She sat between the hanyou girl and Kagome, all three watching as Yuriko sat with the little girl in her lap and tried to work through the tangles of her hair. Already she had washed the child, and fed her a little bit of fish and berries.
"She absolutely refuses to change her kimono," Sango added as she joined the other women, her brother at her heels. "It's coming to pieces, but Yuriko-sama can't get the thing off her.
"Poor little thing," Kohaku muttered softly.
Keiko looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "My dear youkai exterminator, is that sympathy for a youkai I just heard?"
"But…she's just a little girl!" he said. "I mean, look at her!"
"She watched her mother die, and all her friends," Sango reminded them. "She's all alone now."
There was a snort from behind them. Necks craned around, they all caught sight of Inuyasha as he crossed his arms and shook his head.
"She'll be fine. She's a youkai princess, they're falling all over themselves to take care of her!"
"That, and she's adorable," Kagome said.
Akai looked again towards the youkai child. Now that she wasn't plastered against Yuriko's stomach, they could take better stock of her. Her black hair did not move like a normal mortal's. As Yuriko brushed it, it began to float and twist, just like the shadows dancing on the edge of the firelight. Wide, black eyes followed the humans as they moved about their campsites. They were strange eyes, so dark Akai was not sure if they even had pupils. They never seemed to stay on anything for long, constantly moving. Her mouth, however, remained sealed shut. After crying out to Yuriko, she had chosen silence in answer to Sesshoumaru's many questions.
"She's going to be beautiful," Akai corrected Kagome. "Yuriko-sama said her mother was unbelievably beautiful. I think she will be, too."
Kagome, Sango, and Keiko all nodded their agreement. The child had all the features at the ready. Perfect cheek bones in a delicate, oval face as pale as moonlight, wide eyes with long, full lashes, and a small, heart shaped mouth. Her figure was merely that of a child, but Akai did not doubt she would grow to be tall and willowy.
"Why won't she let Yuriko change her kimono?" Inuyasha asked as he moved closer to the seated women. He knelt, almost unconsciously, and put an arm around Kagome's shoulders.
Akai winced at the flash of fearful wonder on the older woman's face. She knew Kagome was thinking of Kikyo, and Yuriko's words. Then she wrapped both arms around Inuyasha's waist, and rested her cheek on his chest.
"She won't say," Sango answered. "She won't say anything."
"Her mother gave her that kimono," Akai whispered. "She's lost everything. Family, friends, safety, everything familiar. That kimono is all she has left."
The group continued to study the child, as though they were all weighing Akai's words. Kage, as Yuriko called her, turned her head suddenly to look their way. Eyes were turned up, down, left, and right as the embarrassed party was caught staring. Only Akai met the little girl's eyes.
Oh, yes. I know you. You're the girl I've seen looking back from my own mirror.
It was Kage who looked away first, dropping her wide, black eyes to the ground. Yuriko spoke to her, but she only shook her head weakly.
"So now she's an orphan," Sango said. "With her mother dead…who is her father?"
"Good question," Inuyasha acknowledged. "Is he dead, too?"
"Either way, she's now the Lady of the North," Akai muttered. "That's a lot to put on those tiny shoulders."
"So I guess she's going with us to the West," Kagome added. "Oy. That's a lot of children all of a sudden dumped on Sesshoumaru! He had enough trouble controlling one!"
Akai gave a little smile. "He didn't have to work hard. I'd do anything he asked."
"Hai…as long as he was there to ask," Kagome said with a sly grin.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"The time you stole Tenseiga," Inuyasha began, "the time you thought you'd try and take on a youkai with your new sword, the time you went for medicine for Jaken and almost got yourself killed…"
"The several times you thought you'd surprise Sesshoumaru by making Ah-Un look pretty," Sango took up with a smothered giggle.
"Hai, well, they like flowers, they didn't mind!"
"The time you thought you'd surprise Sesshoumaru with dinner," Kagome continued, "the time you ran into the minions of hell to make sure he had his sword-"
"Which time?" Inuyasha said with a grin.
Keiko raised her eyebrows appreciatively. "Good lord, you were a lot more fun before we ever met you! And how do you make a two-headed dragon pretty with flowers?"
"That really isn't-"
"By decorating the entire saddle and bridle with different colored flowers," Kagome interrupted, laughing. "That one was classic!"
Akai groaned and shook her head. "I might have gotten a little carried away with that one."
"With what? What are we talking about?"
Miroku appeared, moving to sit on Kagome's other side.
"We are discussing all the things Rin-chan did when Sesshoumaru wasn't looking," Sango said, crouching down behind him. "We were on the very pretty blanket of flowers Ah-Un was wearing."
"I don't know who was more proud," Miroku muttered reminiscently, "Rin-chan or Ah-Un. They certainly thought they were pretty!"
Akai's head fell back in laughter. "The look on Sesshoumaru-sama's face when you all came into the clearing! There he was, trying to intimidate nii-chan-"
"Trying being the keyword," Inuyasha insisted.
"-and there's his war steed in pink and purple flowers! The two of them were preening, and Jaken-sama was yelling…"
She tipped backwards in helpless laughter, landing against Kohaku's legs. Through the tears of mirth gathering in her eyes, she could see his startled expression as he looked down at her. Yet his mouth was twitching with sympathetic laughter as well. He crouched down behind her, trying to push her back up into the proper sitting position. She merely grinned and grabbed his wrists, dragging them over her shoulders until she could lace her fingers through his. He sighed and shook his head.
"And there's Rin-chan," Kagome continued, "wearing the biggest smile that would fit on her little face! And she runs up shouting, 'Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama! See what Rin has done!'"
"I thought Jaken was going to choke on his own tongue!" Sango crowed. "Especially when he saw all of us!"
Keiko, staring at them all with something between horror and hilarity, shook her head. "What did he do?"
A slow grin crept onto Miroku's face. "I believe his exact words were, 'Arigatou, Rin.' He patted her on the head, because she was grinning up at him like some deranged kabuki mask, and went right back into threatening Inuyasha as though there weren't some ningen child swinging on mokomoko-sama."
"Moko…what?"
"Mokomoko-sama," Akai explained. "The white fur."
"Blessed Buddha, the fluff has a name?!?"
"It's not fluff, it's…Sesshoumaru-sama!"
The whole group looked up at the daiyoukai towering over them. He regarded their laughter and mirth with wary eyes, then sent a scathing glare at Kohaku. He shrugged and gave a helpless glance at Akai's hands holding his own captive.
"Rin-"
"Hai, hai," she grumbled, releasing Kohaku reluctantly. "Any word at all about…what was her name, Kagome-sama?"
"Hmm? Oh, you mean Mikadzuki-sama?" Kagome asked, naming Kage's dead mother.
"How do you know that name?" Sesshoumaru demanded of them both.
"Yuriko-sama," they chorused.
"What were you discussing…iie, I don't want to know. The child still does not speak, and it appears she is the only survivor of Naraku's attack."
A small sigh went through the group, then a round of head shaking.
"Ugh, I'm tired," Kagome announced. "We should get some sleep."
Inuyasha rose, and helped her gently to her feet. Again, there was that terrible uncertainty in her eyes, but she held onto his hand as they began towards her blankets. She said something quietly, something Akai could not hear, but it made Inuyasha laugh aloud. Kagome's stance eased, and she leaned against his shoulder.
"Sleep," Keiko agreed. She clamored to her feet on her own, and headed towards her brothers and father, all sitting a discreet distance from Yuriko and the frightened child.
Sango started forward, walking towards her own bedding. Kohaku gave Akai a slow grin, then followed. Miroku hesitated, until Sango looked over her shoulder at him. Then he smiled sadly, shook his head, and hurried after her. She gave him a questioning look as he joined her. He whispered something that turned her bright red, though did not quite earn a slap.
"Rin, you too," Sesshoumaru ordered. He stretched his hand down. She took it without hesitation. He pulled her up, and propelled her gently towards her spot beside Kagome. "Sleep."
She gave him a tired nod, and an equally sleepy wave. Picking her way through the other villagers, she kept her pace slow. Kagome and Inuyasha were talking, and she knew she had no right to hear what they were saying.
Long before she arrived, she saw Kagome smile in the way that struck Yuriko with worry. It was the smile that said she could die blissful just for this moment with him. To her relief, Inuyasha reached out and touched Kagome's hair, a look of tenderness and wonder on his face.
As his lover lay down, he did not move to join the youkai guarding the perimeter. Instead, he settled himself cross-legged beside her. Coming closer, Akai could see he held her hand.
Inuyasha looked up as she approached. The look in his eyes gave Akai no reason to believe Kagome would need her protection that night. She gave Inuyasha a knowing smile, and gathered up her bedding. He grinned back at her and shrugged.
"Rin-chan?" Kagome muttered, opening her eyes. "Where are you going?"
"It's alright. I think I'll sleep somewhere else tonight."
"You don't-"
"Goodnight, Kagome-sama."
Slinging her pack over her shoulder, she smirked and turned away. It was strange how this time she did not try for Yuriko and her children, or try to go to Kohaku. She did not even care that the youkai were watching her carefully. She moved between the sleepers, until she could walk towards Toshiro and Souten, giving a report to Sesshoumaru.
The Lord of the West only gave her a brief glance as she set her pack beside Ah-Un. The dragons gave happy growls, and she patted their heads. Then she dropped down against the nearest tree, and dragged her blanket out. She tucked it around her, and looked up at Toshiro and Souten with interest.
Sesshoumaru turned also to his warriors, and gave them a freezing look.
"Continue."
Souten blinked. Toshiro actually shook his head, as though to wake himself from a strange dream. Another glance from both showed the ningen girl still there.
"Ano… Koryu still hasn't returned," Souten said, managing to tear her gaze from Akai. "I'm also concerned that Naraku could very easily have followed that child. We don't know how she found us, so perhaps we're…being easy to find."
"But she didn't know who we were until Yuriko-sama yelled at her," Akai reminded them. "She was probably just running in this direction, hoping to find the stronghold."
Toshiro looked uncertainly her way, as though not sure he was allowed to speak to her. Souten did not seem to have this problem.
"Why would she come running for the stronghold?"
"Don't you think that's where her mother would have told her to run?" Akai asked. "And Naraku already knows there is a stronghold in the West, even if he doesn't know exactly where it is."
"That…actually makes good sense," Souten admitted. "But Koryu still isn't back yet. That means there may very well be trouble in the East."
Toshiro rolled his eyes slightly. "With Yasuragi, there's always trouble."
Sesshoumaru nodded absently. "He is unpredictable, but Sensou will not allow him to go too far. It would take time for them to leave their home, though. I cannot see them leaving their retainers without their protection. They may be traveling as…encumbered as we are. Return to your posts. We will push hard tomorrow to clear as much ground as we can. I doubt we can make the stronghold, but the closer we are, the less likely that Naraku will attempt an attack."
Souten did not look much comforted, but she nodded. Toshiro looked at her from the corner of his eye, then reached carefully for her arm. She did not see him as she turned and moved quickly towards her position. Her face was cold, but her eyes uncertain.
Akai watched as Souten took up her post, her sword coming into her hand. From his place not far from Yuriko, and Keiko, Shippo also watched her. Then he rose and went to her, asking something softly. She looked his way, and smiled.
This is going from tangled and confusing to just mind-numbing, Akai deemed.
Sesshoumaru waited until Toshiro walked away before coming to stand beside her. He looked down, his eyes unquestioning. He did not seem at all surprised at her sudden appearance.
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama! See what Rin has done!"
A pause. Those amber eyes looking his war steed over, taking in the fluttering pink and violet petals. Then he looked down at her, and laid a gentle hand on her head as he sighed.
"Arigatou, Rin."
She saw it, that look she knew, and no one else did. The smile that was all in his eyes…the smile meant only for a little mortal girl. Laughing, she threw both arms around the white fur cascading down his shoulder, and began to swing.
"Jaken-sama was wrong!" she sang happily. "Jaken-sama was wrong! Sesshoumaru-sama thinks it's pretty!"
"You did well, Rin."
She blinked, coming back to the present. "Nani?"
"You did well. You showed no fear of Toshiro or Souten, and spoke as though you had every right to."
"Didn't I?"
"Hai."
He did not say anything else. He merely sank down beside her, leaning his back against the same tree. His face was almost expectant.
She bit her lip, uncertain. Perhaps this was a test. Perhaps he was waiting to see just how much she had truly grown since he left her.
Or perhaps…he was hoping she had not grown too much.
She raised her eyes slowly to his face as he continued to look straight forward.
"Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Hai."
"Rin is cold."
He did not look at her. He merely raised one arm, pulling mokomoko-sama away from his body.
She smiled a little, and slid under his arm. She curled herself up as small as possible against his side. He tucked the white fur around her, letting his arm stay about her shoulders.
Her eyes felt heavy. So did her head. She let him take all her weight. He was strong enough; he wouldn't mind. He would keep her warm and safe through the night.
"Rin," he said softly.
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
She felt his gaze on the top of her hair. She was not sure if it was his breathing deepening, or hers, as she drifted towards sleep. Yet the muscles under her cheek were tensed, as though he were struggling with something.
Then he sighed, and she knew he looked away.
"Gomen."
A/N: Next chapter, Naraku and Kouga
