"So she was correct then," Sesshomaru commented as the inuhanyou stopped in front of them.

"Yeah, hey kid, thanks for helping figure that out," Inuyasha smiled and went to touch her head, a move he used to do often with the kitsune child.

The foreigner lifted her arm up to block him and Sesshomaru saw some ash fall from her closed fist. Opening her palm, the ash fell and he saw a barrier appear, throwing Inuyasha back and into a tree. The barrier vanished almost instantly as she caught the falling ash in her other hand but Inuyasha was writhing in silent agony, gasping for air.

"Woman," Sesshomaru growled low as he grabbed her chin gently, forcing her to look up at him and Inuyasha collapsed, panting hard. "It was not his intention to harm you."

Crimson eyes stared up at him, but she did not try to speak or show any signs of being apologetic of her actions. She pushed his hand away as Inuyasha finally sat up and moved to stand behind him. He glanced back at her and saw that she had kept her back to the inuhanyou and pulled her hood back up.

"What... the fuck...?" Inuyasha groaned, wincing as he moved and looked at his arm, the edges of where he had touched her and the barrier, burnt while at the center, he was bleeding. "What was that?"

"She is able to create barriers that have a lightning counteroffensive ability," Sesshomaru spoke. "This one would suggest not to touch her unless given her permission."

"Yeah... alright," he frowned as he got to his feet. "Sorry about that. Habit, I guess, from the kitsune kid of my pack. Anyway, Kagome is up now making tea and breakfast. She's waiting for you two, but I'm needed in the fields so I won't be back until midday."

"Hn," Sesshomaru nodded before the female moved, walking back towards Inuyasha, her movements slow.

"What are you doing...?"

Inuyasha frowned but didn't fight her as she touched his injured arm and lifted it up to examine the wound. Pressing her hand that had held the ashes to the wound, she murmured several words and Sesshomaru saw the inuhanyou wince. She didn't touch him for long and when she pulled her hand away, the ash fell to the ground and left no evidence of a wound.

"Thanks... how'd you...?" Inuyasha spoke but a look from the female's hooded face had him frown. "Never mind. Can't understand your rambling anyhow."

Inuyasha quickly left and Sesshomaru focused fully on the female as she brought a hand to her stomach. He heard her inhale sharply and moved to stand in front of her and saw the pain around her closed eyes. Cupping her cheek, he frowned as she started talking, her voice barely above a whisper but eyes never opened.

Pulling her into his arms, a whimper escaped her. As he summoned his jaki cloud and quickly flew over to the Shikon Miko's hut, from what he was hearing, it sounded like she was repeating a phrase over and over. Entering the hut, he found Kagome, kneeling at the fire where a pot was placed over it.

"Sesshomaru," she got to her feet to greet him and frowned as her cerulean eyes focused on the female in his arms. "Who... is this...?"

"Can you understand her?" He inquired coolly.

"Not whatever she's mumbling. When Inuyasha said you were bringing a blonde haired girl, I thought perhaps she was American but..."

The female stopped speaking and crimson eyes opened to stare at Kagome. She finally spoke once more, but her words suddenly seemed different than before and Kagome's eyes widened.

"My retention of English is not great," Kagome frowned before looking back up at Sesshomaru. "It may not be a great translation but she can speak some English so there is some common ground."

"As long as you can translate. She understands Japanese so you would not be required to translate both ways," Sesshomaru nodded.

The female started talking once more and Kagome frowned but started translating, "She's mentioning some kind of ritual...? Something you have witnessed apparently... um... seals to help with pain are nearly depleted..."

"What do you need?" Sesshomaru asked the female in his arms and crimson lifted to meet molten gold.

"Youkai blood...? Must be given willingly... ash from an active fire..." Kagome frowned, confusion in her eyes.

"That boar was not willing, woman."

"Deception of kindness... left no reluctance for proximity... Wait, you manipulated a boar Youkai...?"

"It was a lesser Youkai with no more intelligence than livestock," Sesshomaru interjected before turning to leave the hut and the female spoke once more quickly.

"Oh... one sec," Kagome went over to a cabinet and searched through it before pulling out a metal pot and the female took it.

"We will return," Sesshomaru spoke before carrying the female out of the hut and took to the skies to find a secluded place she could do what she needed.

Finding a hot spring miles from any living being, he touched down and helped her to her feet. He took the pot from her and set it on the ground before gathering some dry wood as she walked over to the tree line and removed her cloak and placed it on the ground carefully. He got a fire going and looked over at her as she removed her boots and placed them beside her cloak. He watched as she started removing her clothing and placed them on her cloak, leaving her in her strange undergarments. She looked around the clearing beside the steaming water and frowned before facing him, no trace of shame or embarrassment at her state of dress.

She pointed to the pot and asked him something, most likely wondering what Youkai would offer to bleed into a pot when there was no life other than the plants around them.

He unbuckled his armor and pulled it off with practiced ease and placed it beside her cloak before removing his blades and set them down. His eyes didn't leave hers as he removed his pelt and he watched as she finally understood what was happening. Removing his haori, he folded it and placed on top of her clothes before moving to stand before her.

She frowned as she spoke, but he could hear her confusion.

"There is none who rival the strength of a Daiyoukai. As it is this one who found you, you will be cared for as long as you wish to remain part of my pack," he spoke and she stared up at him in shock. "You will not harm this one, take what you require."

Her crimson eyes studied him for a moment despite the pain he could see before finally moving. She grabbed her dagger and moved to stand beside the metal pot. He moved to stand across from her and she grabbed his left arm, positioning it before dragging the blade from his forearm to wrist. She started whispering to herself as if saying a prayer or chant as his blood pooled into the pot and watched it fill quickly from the deep cut. Once she released his wrist, he let his wound heal before stepping back. He quickly washed his arm before moving to sit against a tree to give her the space she needed as she lifted the pot over to the other side of the fire.

Crouching down at the fire, he watched as her eyes searched around the base before putting her arm into the fire, ash flying up to protect her from behind harmed and pulled back to reveal a ember burning almost white. She brought both hands to cup the ember and crumbled it to dusk before sprinkling it into a circle as she walked around the pot. Once he saw the barrier appear around her, he frowned as he saw an immediate difference. Her arms remained at her sides, just barely away from her body, facing away from him. Her head was lifted towards the early morning sky as she continued to mutely speak and the blood lifted from the pot as if being carried by the crimson tendrils of smoke. The blood hovered above her head for only a moment before dropping and coating her body in its color. He watched as patterns formed across her skin and this time he noticed that none of the blood left her skin to touch the ground as more patterns appeared across her arms, legs, and back.

He watched as her hands started to move in small circles, not disturbing the rest of her body. The barrier disappeared as the circle of ash lifted off the ground and gravitated towards her hair. He watched as the metal clasps fell from her hair and her platinum locks slowly unbraided with the help of the ash she seemed to be controlling. Soon her hair was completely loose and not a tangle in sight and the ash fell back to the ground.

She picked up the metal clasps before finally turning to face him, blood like tears falling from her crimson eyes. Strands of hair hair fell into her face, giving her a wild appearance as she placed the clasps on her cloak. Further surpassing him, she revealed a marking over her sternum as she removed the strange undergarments, not even giving him a second glance and dove into the hot spring with practiced talent.

When she came up for air, she was on the other side of the spring, no trace of blood and her piercings were white once more. Removing the rest of his clothing, he stepped into the spring and sat near the fire as she started muttering to herself as she ran her hands through her hair. Her head had turned his way just slightly that she knew he had joined her but made no sound of complaint like most ninngen females would, even Rin had started complaining before he had her stay in Edo the past year.

"You are a strange ninngen," he mused and she snorted in response, turning to look at him over her shoulder, a grin on her face revealing fangs he had not noticed before. "If not for your scent, you easily could be mistaken for a Youkai especially with those eyes of yours, Ryuu Youkai?"

She nodded, her smile fading before a sudden influx of Youkai surrounded the spring and he growled.

"No..."

He looked at the foreigner and saw a smile on her face as she made several chittering sounds and held her palm up as she stood up, the water going around her waist. Chittering sounds responded before a small ball of light flew into her hand. A soft smile graced her face as the light faded, revealing a wood Sprite that was only six inches tall, his large wings like a butterfly.

"You are unable to speak the true languages of Youkai, nor Japanese, but can speak to sprites?" He inquired and she turned to face him, her hair over her chest and the mark on her sternum looked like a serpent-like Ryuu ready to strike.

"Greetings Lord of the Western Lands, I am Baki. Our speech is one easily taught to ninngen as none of the sounds actually use the vocal chords," the Sprite in her hand spoke. "You peak my curiosity, caring for another ninngen."

"She has peaked this one's interest," he spoke and the foreigner spoke to the Sprite.

"Oh...? You sure you want to ask for that, dear ninngen?" The Sprite spoke and she nodded. "What would you have done if we had not occupied these woods?"

She spoke to the Sprite and held out her free hand to the Sprite.

Sesshomaru watched silently as the Sprite sliced across the center of her palm. As she bled, her blood floated into an orb above her palm as a dozen other sprites flew from the tree line to take the blood orb away.

"Blood carries memory so as payment of feasting on hers, fresh from blending with yours to charge her piercing seals, I will help her show you anything you wished to know of Seraphina. As her alpha, she is willing to show you anything."

"Explain the knowledge of Youkai, ability to use Sprite magic, her injuries that require seals to heal," he spoke and the female chuckled and spoke to the Sprite in her palm.

"To know that, it is best to explain her origins, but to show you everything, there must an intimate amount of trust and physical connection," Baki spoke as he flew out of her palm and over to stand on his shoulder.

"She is pack."

"Good. Seraphina, he has given the permission. Should have had this become payment," Baki chuckled as the foreigner, now known as Seraphina waded towards him in the water.

Sesshomaru was tempted to ask what the Sprite meant when Seraphina distracted him by straddling him. Her crimson eyes locked onto his, watching closely as her chest pressed to his and her hands slid from his shoulders up to the back of his head, sliding her fingers into his hair. As he felt her pull his hair, a quiet growl escaped him and he wrapped his arms around her waist as he felt himself growing hard with her bare body pressed against his. She tilted her head to expose her scarred neck and he pressed his face to her neck as he slid his arms up her back, holding her closer as she mirrored him.

"Damn, not even any sex? Alright, don't move, you two," Baki chuckled before he felt a tiny hand press to the crescent moon on his brow. He opened his eyes to see Baki standing on Seraphina's shoulder, his other hand pressed to the side of her temple. "Close your eyes and open your minds to each other."

'Language won't be an issue here,' Sesshomaru heard Seraphina whisper softly in his head.

He went to open his eyes but found himself hovering over a forest. Looking around, there were mountain ranges that were unfamiliar and the structure of buildings built stronger than what resources would have allowed. Hearing the crying of an infant, he looked down to see a pup too small to even roll lying in a brown box, brown fuzz on its head and eyes closed.

'My mother died giving birth to me and alcoholic father abandoned me so I was told. These forests to ninngen eyes were desolate and foggy from Youkai concealment wards. The sprites who shared these woods passed word along to the village hidden here and I was taken in,' she spoke as the image changed to show a young girl with waist length dark brown hair and emerald eyes walking down the street holding the hand of a kitsune female with red hair.

'Your eyes hair were different.'

'Yes. The elders, Odin, Frigg, Thor, Freyja, and Tyr, agreed to let me be raised as if I was a Youkai, learning the culture and traditions of each race that lived inside the wards. The sprites visited me often teaching me their language as I learned others and quickly caught onto using their magic,' she spoke as the images changed slowly, showing her growing and interacting with other adolescents in the village that had its own livestock and fields for harvest.

'Those are names of the kamis Vikings believe in.'

'Considering they were Youkai, the ninngens worshiped them many centuries ago,' she mused. 'It was an amazing place to live. I was ten before they tested me for my strengths and was placed under Frigg's tutorship to become a healer.'

'Why ash?'

'It is the strongest. Sprites live of that which is new and dying and ash is both in their eyes.'

The images changed to her looking only a few years younger than she was now. Beside her was a young Ryuu who looked to be the same age with platinum hair and familiar crimson eyes. Together they were taking care of a wounded Inu.

'They didn't believe in marks of binding like matings, they were very open but with the wards as they were, one would have to die or leave the village permanently before allowing new life to be born. Bjorn was training under Frigg as well so that he could travel to another village under wards who's healer was dying. Everyone knew how well we worked together so when Odin announced that I was finally considered of age, they asked me if I wanted to bring the next life in for when Bjorn left.'

The image changed to Seraphina walking down the street, her belly swollen with the Ryuu at her side

'Instead of sending him away immediately, Odin allowed him to remain to be able to see the birth of the child and Frigg moved to the other village temporarily when their healer died. Word traveled through the separate villages regularly so when one of those who had been banished heard of his leniency, betrayed us and led ninngen passed the wards.'

Fire consumed the village as it changed. Bodies of Youkai dead and blood stained the stone streets. Livestock slaughtered and the fields burned. The pregnant foreigner appeared in the image, running away from several large ninngenwho are gaining on her.

A ninngen appeared in front of her anda punch to her face caused her to stumble back and trip over the body of the Ryuu who had pupped her. The images continued to play as the other ninngen gathered around her, kicking her in her back, stomach, and head. Blood was pooling between her legs as it bled from her ears, nose, eyes, and mouth. Eventually it stopped as the healer who had taught her everything, Frigg, appeared managing to kill the ninngen before a tiger in its true form appeared, knocking her into the fields before the image changed.

'What happened with the healer?' Sesshomaru inquired as the imagesfocused to her being surrounded by sprites.

'When I recovered enough, the sprites helped me bury everyone and I found her dead, but she had taken the tiger with her,' she spoke as large cut over the bottom of her swollen belly was made.

He watched in fascination as the sprites pulled the pup from her womb, having to be careful as it had two point small horns on its head and deadly claws that were covered in scales to its wrists. From the waist down obsidian scales covered the pup and a tail curled around its legs. It was laid on her chest and he watched as the scales slowly disappeared, its chest struggling to breath.

'It had grown in its true from?'

'All Ryuu do if there is at least half Youkai in their blood. Because of that, he had panicked when I was being hurt and damaged my reproductive organs,' she spoke as it had finished transforming, leaving full claws and its horns, revealing that it had been male as it stopped moving. 'They had finished the transformation in an attempt to not have it hurt as bad before focusing on healing me.'

Light surrounded the Ryuu pup before ash remained. Creating the gemmed piercings, ash swirled around each, turning black metal into silver and polished the white gems and putting them into place. Once the visible wounds healed, he frowned as her emerald eyes were removed and the crimson eyes were placed before she was moved to a bed of leaves and a barrier was placed over her.

'I had lost my sight so that is why I now have these eyes. They had put me to sleep for two seasons to allow the seals enough time to properly stabilize my spine but took another season to adjust to Bjorn's eyes. Due to the seals and his eyes, I took on Youkai characteristics like my hair, fangs developing, and eating habits.'

'How long has it been?' He inquired as he watched as time quickly transitioned and starting from the roots, her brown hair started turning to the pale blond it was now.

'Only a year. Using my abilities with ash doesn't mess with the seals themself but does tend to cause me to feel more pain, but after the initial creation of the seals, I have only ever been able to use lesser Youkai as no village wanted to take me in so I remained with the sprites. I don't know how much will change now that you allowed me to take from you.'

'Do you know how you ended up arriving here?'

'I have an idea considering the last memory I have before waking up in that crater,' she spoke quietly as the image shifted to her standing on a high cliff looking at the jagged formation in the ravine below before jumping. 'Not my best day... it was the anniversary of that day...'

'You have endured more than any ninngen would be able to survive without loosing their sanity.'

'Sorry, this is as much as I'm able handle,' he head the sprite's voice and blinked.

Sesshomaru found himself back in the hot spring, looking at her scarred neck. He pulled back as she lift her head and brought a hand to rub her eyes, stray tears having fallen. He focused on the Sprite still on her shoulder, his wings drooped.

"My condolences, dear Seraphina," Baki murmured.

She turned to look down at the Sprite as he leaned against her. She bit into her finger, causing blood to well up and held it out to the Sprite as she spoke to him. The Sprite drank the small amount of blood before jumping up into the air.

"You're most welcome, come back any time," the Sprite spoke before disappearing.