Seed II

He wondered, as he moved from one picture to another, which of the three versions of the same woman he preferred. He supposed they were all part of the same person, courage and fear and laughter. His hair forgotten, Sesshoumaru picked up a picture of two children, both blue eyed and dark haired. The little girl held a toddler and both were grinning like maniacs.

Despite the fact that he had never met her as a child, he knew the girl was the miko. He saw there the same innocent life he had once seen in Rin. Thinking back to the numerous nights he had sat with the little girl when he had first brought her home, Sesshoumaru remembered the easy trust she gave him, the way she never seemed to lose her innocence.

It was not the first similarity he'd noted between the two. The first time he had sensed the purity in Rin, he had been uncertain how to proceed. If it hadn't been for Kikyo and her own powers, he would have simply hired another miko to begin her training.

He heard the miko's squeal and almost rushed down to her, when he heard her words. He remembered the boy Jaken had hired, the fake inspection that had been issued, and the seeds planted. She shouldn't have been able to even sense the tiny youkai, especially at such a small stage, though he had admittedly forgotten about said seeds. If they had gotten any bigger or reached their full growth….he was suddenly very glad she was not in the same room with him. He was not quite certain his ears could take the beating.

o.O.o

Word Count: 281