Saiya was in awe; Souya was right! There behind her Lord, a little brown head poked out from behind his hakama, large chocolate doe eyes darting around quickly as she took in everything before her. What shocked Saiya the most was that this girl was holding tightly onto the fabric of his leg like a vice and there was no annoyance to his features. How interesting.

"Saiya, take her and get her properly bathed and dressed. My nose can take no more." Even then his words were softly spoken in front of the girl and with a step to his left, Saiya watched as Sesshomaru used his right arm to gently push her away from him and she let out a gasp when his left sleeve billowed to show no left arm was present.

"My lord! You're arm?" Was all Saiya could breathe out when the child took the slow steps to stand before the sea serpent demoness with a quake to her shoulders and trepidation in her eyes.

Sesshomaru shook his head and gripped at the limp sleeve. "That is unimportant at the moment. I require new armor and for her to be properly taken care of, I will be leaving as soon as I am able." With that Sesshomaru proceeded to walk toward his rooms, stopping momentarily to send a quick glance toward Rin; the two sharing something silently and then he disappeared into the massive hallways and the other servants went back to their chores.

Saiya sighed and turned her eyes onto the little human that stood before her, large brown eyes staring at the direction the Lord disappeared to with what looked like sadness in to her features. Slowly offering her hand toward the human child, Saiya smiled softly and laced it behind her back to gently start her walking toward the bath house.

Rin couldn't help but stare at the amount demons that were around her. Her Lord was the first she had seen and now there was an abundance of them! Her small brown eyes caught a glimpse of each face that passed her. The demons, once catching her eyes, offered her a smile and friendly nod of their head in her direction, it baffled the little girl. In her villages the adults always told the children that every demon was a monster that would kill on sight and to never cross their paths. She had grown up hearing horrible stories told by 'survivors' of attacks and the fear of the unknown beings grew to be astronomical.

But these demons, they have offered her nothing but kindness and passive expressions, she was even saved by possibly the most powerful demon in Japan and she held no fear towards him. The only fear she felt toward anyone were the humans that she had lived amongst, the humans that filled her head with lies and the humans that have left her scarred. No, she would never live with another human ever again and a gentle squeeze to her shoulder by the blue haired demoness confirmed it. She hated humans.

"You are mighty quiet, little one. I would love to learn your name." The demoness's voice was low and soft as it tickled her ears, forcing Rin to shoot her head up toward the glittering purple eyes that were stark against tan skin.

She watched as the demoness quietly stared at her, waiting patiently for a response with a soft smile to her red tinted lips. Was Rin ready now? She hadn't spoken a word since her parent's murder and that was over a season ago, would her throat remember how to pass words? Rin's mouth opened and closed softly as she tried to push a word from her throat, swallowing a large lump that appeared from behind her dry tongue.

"R . . . Rin. My name is Rin." Her voice was scratchy and thick, no way for a small child's voice to sound but from the time of it being unused, she sounded like she swallowed fire smoke.

Saiya was pleased to know her name and no doubt her Lord as well. Watching the girl catch a shaky breath and bringing her small hand to rub at her throat, Saiya brushed her fingers through the girl's knotted hair.

"Well Rin, It is nice to meet you and you may call me Saiya." The demoness snaked her arm around the child once more and pulled her to start walking. "Let's go get you cleaned up, hum?" With that the two disappeared into the halls that led to the steaming bath house, both holding jubilant smiles to their features that have been missed.

Sesshomaru walked stiffly amongst the gardens that bloomed to life with every color imaginable. Golden eyes couldn't help but ghost amongst them, each section of flowers holding a specific memory for him from so long ago making him halt in his tracks before the red Amaryllis lilies.

It was as clear as day, like as if the memories were playing out before him of his love tending to the blooms with the care of a sprite; her form moving amongst them melodically as she watered each individual bloom, her wavy hair falling over her shoulders like billowing flames. Blinking his golden eyes quickly, they ghosted up toward the tree that loomed over the section where a branch hung low above the lilies. His spot, he remembered. He would sit there and just watch her all day, ignoring his tutoring and other duties just to be in her presence.

That was how hard she bewitched him with her beauty and kindness.

Just as quickly as the happy memory filled his eyes, it left with a blink and he could now see himself; bloodied and feral with her in his arms, lifeless and limp as he screamed out his pain and anguish. Sesshomaru's heart began to race and his palm began to quiver as the scene before his eyes replayed the darkest of moments in his life. The moment of weakness he despised and the self-loathing he felt by not being strong enough to protect her.

The personal and agonizing nightmare that the Great Lord of the Western Lands fought every day.

Sesshomaru snapped his eyes shut and shook his head, willing the memory to stop torturing him and upon opening his golden orbs, his hammering heart soothed upon seeing only the blooms at his feet. Breathing through his nose and exhaling quickly, he reached down and snapped a lily from the earth and held it gently in his fingers. The petals were stark red against his pale skin and the stalk green with so much life; just in this flower alone it brought her back to him a way that was pleasant.

Holding the lily in his hands, he picked up his footing and proceeded toward his destination, weaving through the gardens silently until he reached a delicate cobble path that lead to the shaded part of the gardens. Sesshomaru halted on a shaky step as the wind blew with him, weaving through his hair and tugging upon his clothes, the thick trees casting a glittering shadow upon the blooms that required little sunlight.

Falling into a light step Sesshomaru slowly walked along the cobble path that led to the back of the gardens where many of the nightly plants nestled in the shade, away from the harsh sun that could cause them damage. It was cooler to dwell in this area as the large and thick trees blocked out most of the sun, only letting a multitude of thin light streams to peak through canopies, dotting the grass with tiny dew drops of light that appeared to be like fallen stars. The demon lord slowed his steps as the leaves were pulled from the branches with the wind, walking with the falling foliage which added more to the gardens ethereal beauty. Taking in a breath of the crisp and clean air, he released it with a sigh as he found his destination.

Sesshomaru paused with a thick air around him before a large tree that was illuminated by a perfect stream of sunlight, no doubt a spot picked by his father to lay rest to the most precious of beings. Golden eyes fell down toward the roots and saw a stone, not too large but not too small where it could be missed, carved from the smoothest of silver marble.

Swallowing a lump in his throat he never noticed was there, the demon lord fell to his knees before the stone and brushed away the leaves that covered the name of the woman who haunted him for two centuries; the one who he grew to love more than he loved himself.

Eavan
the Celt of Éire.

That was all that was written and all that should be written. The carvings were delicate as his eyes ghosted over the words many times, engraving the script into his mind. Golden eyes stared dully at the stone that glittered when a beam of the sun hit it, adding to its beauty but it could never match hers; nothing ever could. With the lily still held gently in his palm, Sesshomaru brought it forward and laid right side up upon the side of the stone, the flower leaning against it as if the bloom was in mourning.

With his arm falling limply to his knee, Sesshomaru stared at the stone for some time, forgetting how much time was spent until a voice wracked through him like a jolt of ice.

"I had a feeling I would find you here, son." The cool voice of his mother graced his ears like a chill, forcing a sigh to break through from the Lord's lips.

Sesshomaru stood stiffly and turned to eye his mother from over his shoulder. "What are you doing here."

His mother smirked at the how the question was spoken as not a question but a command and raised her hand to lie over her heart. "My dear boy, is that how you say hello to your mother? Ungrateful pup." His mother pouted and stared down her son as he stood fiercely over the stone, she guessed was of the human woman who was killed some years ago and waited for him to speak. He offered her no other word.

"I see, you refuse to show your only weakness even to your mother, how insulting and here I was bringing my respects." Her tone slapped salt onto his ancient wound and low snarl erupted from his lips as he turned to walk past her.

"You don't know the meaning of respect." He growled and turned to face her. "You are in the presence of the Western Lord, you better learn to show it soon, mother." He spat the word out but it held no affect as his mother laughed at her son.

"Drop the bravado boy; I was merely insulted that you didn't come visit me upon your return." Mother feigned the pain of her feelings and she continued to hold her hand over her heart, a pout forming upon her lips as her golden eyes stared Sesshomaru down.

"I had more pressing matters to attend to." The words came out clipped and he went to side step his mother but she in turn stepped before him with a look of disappointment to her features.

"I don't think weeping over a stone is concerned as 'pressing matters', pup." She taunted as she walked up to her son and stood in his line of vision. "In actuality you do have more pressing matters and slumping around to the memory of a low life human is not one of them, son." She could see the red seeping into his golden eyes and dropped her smirk, which turned into a pitiful frown but still she pressed on.

"She's been dead and gone for two centuries, Sesshomaru. You must move past this." She spoke quietly. "She was a human, a passing flicker of a life that is always short. She would have died sooner or later compared to you." At the end of her tyrant her words grew softer but the bluntness had struck a chord in Sesshomaru that a low snarl ripped through as he squared up upon his mother, dwarfing her stature with his size.

His mother stared at him impassively as her son continued to snarl and his eyes continued to bleed red, shocking his mother into forcing her own eyes to bleed as well. Soon both mother and son were snarling and tried to dwarf each other with their power until Sesshomaru's snarling ceased and eyes returned to gold. Tenseiga pulsed gently at his side, recalling his fury and calming his racing heart, earning a raised eyebrow from his mother as her eyes ghosted toward the pulsing Tenseiga.

She watched as her son physically calmed and with no sideways glance, Sesshomaru pushed past his mother and disappeared upon the cobble path back toward the castle. Mother crossed her arms and let a proud smile spread across her face toward her retreating pup.

"You were right, Taisho. I just had to see for myself." Silently she turned and stood over the stone that her eyes ghosted over a number of times before she bowed low and offered a small prayer and a soft whisper of "Keep him safe for me." With that Mother stood and clapped her hands twice softly before following the path her son walked and made her way toward the castle.

Rin sighed happily into the large ornate mirror as Saiya finished tying the thin green obi around her small waist. She reveled in the cleanliness of her hair that gave off the scent of clean rain and how smooth her skin felt upon being scrubbed. Rin turned to face Saiya as she continued to adjust the new white and orange checkered kimono, fixing the collar to fit properly and smoothed out whatever imperfection she could find.

"There now, I think you're finished. How do you feel?" Saiya asked as she watched the smile never leave the little girl's face, making the demoness not lose her own as she gathered Rin's hair to the side and secured it with a band.

"Happier." Was all she said before enveloping the demoness into a tight hug that shocked Saiya for a moment but soon she fell into it and hugged the child back.

"Well I am very glad. Come, let's get ready to go find some lunch." With that Saiya stood and began to pick up the bits of fabric that was cut away from the kimono and all the supplies she had strewn about and walked around the large bedroom to place everything back in its place.

Rin watched Saiya as she picked up but soon her eyes were falling around the room, taking in the large gold and red decorated bed, the high ceilings and the large closet that stood regally in the corner. She had never seen a room so beautiful! She continued in her gazing until a small click caught her attention. Turing in a small circle her eyes fell upon a large door, equally the size of a tall tree that was cracked open just a little bit like it were pushed open with a small gust of wind.

Rin turned to see that Saiya was placing the cloth away with her back turned, allowing Rin to hastily tip toe toward the door and push it open further. With the light flowing into the room from the large open windows, she could easily see into the room that appeared to be a large closet but no clothes were inside. Rin looked up toward the ceiling to see cob webs forming and dust floating in the rays of the sun, deeming that this place hasn't been opened in a while.

Holding the sleeve of her new kimono to her nose, Rin continued toward the back of the closet where it was just a tad darker but she could make out the outlines of items that were large and squared. With a heave and small grunt, Rin grabbed an object and pushed it toward a light ray and saw that it was a large canvas. Brown eyes ghosting over the stretched cloth and wood, Rin gulped down a large lump upon seeing the ghastly claw marks that marred the obviously beautiful painting.

Tilting her head to the side she grabbed one more and then another, soon seeing that a majority of the paintings were destroyed by fearsome claw strikes that obscured whatever the image may have been. Seeing that all the paintings she could find were destroyed, she turned to leave the closet until something creaked and fell behind her, scaring the ever living life out of the child and sending her into a heap upon the floor. With Rin scattering to her feet and shuffling back a few steps, she held her chest as she looked to see what had fallen.

Another canvas from what she could see from the wooden beams of the back. Sucking a calming breath into her heart and trying to still its erratic beating, Rin gripped the edge of the large painting and heaved it up to lean against the wall. When the canvas was upright, Rin gripped the side and pushed it into the ray of light and sucked in another breath but this was of pure shock.

This painting wasn't destroyed, it wasn't marred by any means as it was in such pristine condition but that was not what froze Rin in her spot. It was the image that was painted upon the canvas. It was the face of a beautiful woman with deep green eyes that even from the painting; you could see emotion dancing through them. Her hair was long and took up most of the canvas space as it curled and framed her freckled face with its firey hues that was stark against her pale skin. Rin's eyes fell to the woman's lips and saw that they were painted into a smile, not a happy or sad one but a smile that brought a light to her face and gave the painting life.

It was her.

Rin continued to stare at the woman in the painting and felt tears prickle to her eyes. It was the red haired lady from the woods and she was just as beautiful as Rin imagined she would be. She never could catch a glimpse of the woman's face but here she was looking right at her, the woman who saved her countless times and led her to Lord Sesshomaru. It was then Rin burst into tears before the painting and fell to her knees.

Saiya finished putting everything away and turned around with a smile. "Okay Rin, Let's go . . ." Saiya's voice left her upon seeing an empty room and her heart filled with panic. She was just here! She had her back turned for no more than a few moments! "Rin?!" She called and went to run out of the room until a faint sound of crying hit her ears.

"Rin! Where are you!" she called out and spun around the room until her purple eyes fell upon the open door to the closet and her heart sunk. Taking small steps, Saiya gently padded toward the door and opened it wider and saw that all the paintings, which were destroyed by her grieving Lord, pushed into the light but what stopped her heart was the painting that Rin sat before.

Sadness crept up into her heart when she saw Rin sitting before the one painting that hurt her the most to look at. She hadn't laid eyes on it in such a long time but upon seeing the face of her friend, it sent her heart into a frenzy of emotion.

"Rin." She choked out and reached for the little girl. "Let's go, please."

"Who is she?" She asked without a single glance toward the demoness that held a shaking hand toward her.

Saiya shook her head and let the tears fall. "She's no one, please let's go."

"She's someone if you're crying." Rin looked at the demoness with tears of her own and watched as Saiya pulled her hands to her chest and ignored the tears that flowed down her cheeks, making her eyes appear a more vibrant shade of purple.

"Let's go, Rin." Her tone held no room for argument and she turned to leave the large closet until the child's small voice stopped her in her tracks and stopped her heart.

"I've seen her, Saiya. Please tell me who she is." Rin begged the demoness and stood to her feet to stand before the painting that Saiya refused to look at. "Miss Saiya please, she's why I'm here."

Saiya shook her head vigorously and turned to shoot a look toward the child. "There is no way you've seen her, Rin." Saiya breathed out through clenched teeth and upon seeing the recoil of the little girl, she willed herself to calm down. "Rin, she's been dead for centuries. There's no way that you've seen her. It's impossible."

Rin looked back toward the painting and just stared at it with softness to her eyes that shocked even Saiya.

"She saved my life. I've heard her speak and I've heard her sing. She's not from here I know that, her voice held an accent I've never heard before." Rin walked over to Saiya and grasped her hands and held them tight. "Please tell me who she is."

Saiya closed her eyes and pulled Rin to stand before the painting and for the first time in centuries, she gazed upon it with not sadness in her heart but happiness upon seeing her friends face once more. With a deep sigh and her purple eyes moving from the painting to look upon Rin, she began to explain.

"Her name was Eavan and she was dear friend of mine." A smile appeared upon Saiya's face and turned to look at the painting.

"Was she kind?" Rin asked as her eyes never left the painting, wanting to have the image of the red haired lady burned into her mind.

Saiya nodded and let a shaky breath through her lips. "So very kind, she had no ill will in her soul at all. She was the gentlest human I've ever met."

Rin nodded and agreed with the words of the demoness, she was very kind and soon another question appeared in her mind. "Who painted this, if you don't mind me asking? It's beautifully done."

Saiya went rigid but soon relaxed and decided that it wouldn't hurt Rin to know a little something about the Demon Lord. "Lord Sesshomaru did. He was quite the artist in his younger years but not so much these days. When she died he never painted again, he never saw the reason to."

The memory of Sesshomaru returning a few days after her death in his feral and frenzied state was a sight to behold; he destroyed everything that he touched. Walls of the castles were crumbled, claw marks littered shoji screens and soon his fury took its toll upon the room that was once hers. Everything was obliterated by his grief and no one could stop it but to let him continue until he was spent. Saiya watched over him while he howled and wreaked havoc, her heart too pained to offer him solace.

"Who was she to Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asked but upon that question Saiya sucked in a breath before sighing and patted the child's head softly.

"They were very close friends and it would be best not to speak of her in his presence." With that, Saiya grasped the painting and gently turned it around and leaned it upon the back wall of the closet.

"Now." Saiya started as she wiped her face quickly of the tears she had shed. "Let's go find something for lunch. I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru should be leaving soon." Saiya ushered Rin from the closet and gently shut the door and walked away without a glance back.

Rin stood and stared at the door for a moment longer before turning and following the demoness out of the room. Unbeknownst to the two, a green dressed figured followed after them with firey hair billowing around her tall form with her steps. A small smile graced her features as she caught up to Rin and Saiya before falling into step behind them.