It didn't take more than ten minutes to reach the stream Sesshōmaru mentioned.

When we finally arrived, the demon lord decided to sit down by a tree- leaning his back against it and propping up one leg, draping his arm over it, while letting his other leg rest lazily against the ground. I ended up just standing in place for a moment, staring at him, weary mind once again questioning if this was all just a dream, before snapping out of my daze when Rin started to lead Ah-Un over to some taller bits of grass in the distance. I watched as the dragon began to eat.

This is… real, isn't it?

I was really going to travel with Sesshōmaru, Rin, and Ah-Un from now on. Jaken, too, whenever that bratty imp decided to show up.

Letting out a small yawn, I reached a hand up to ruffle my hair- starting to head in the direction of a tree, before pausing when I noticed my arms were still splattered with dry blood. Scrunching up my nose, I glanced at the stream not even fifteen feet away from us, and let out a tired sigh. There's no way I can go to sleep drenched in dirt and blood. I'd have nightmares for sure.

Although, to be fair, I do get nightmares fairly normally anyway, but… still…

I'd rather not have any that are worse than the usual.

Letting out a small, weary groan, I began to make my way over to the stream- ignoring the pair of golden eyes that were watching me curiously as I did so. Kneeling down, I carefully peeled off the white outer layer of my kimono, leaving me in the red top. I also decided to just tear off the remaining sleeve from where it was ripped near my bicep, finding it a nuisance. Discarding the pieces of fabric beside me, I shoved my blood-stained hands in the water.

Normally, with Kagome's supplies, we could fill up a small bucket or use a wash rag to clean ourselves up with- as that was the more respectable and traditional way of cleaning one's self in this land, as bathing was merely to relax the tired and stressed muscles of the body, but I had neither of those things on my person and I highly doubted Sesshōmaru did, either, judging by the lack of a travel pack on Ah-Un, so shoving my hands in the water was the only way to go.

Near immediately, the river stream began to wash the liquid away.

As it did so, something seemed to well up inside of me.

It wasn't the first time I had to wash myself clean of blood. I had been wounded many times in the past, and had even thrown up blood and vomit together after a particularly rough round of abuse, but this was the only time my heart's ever felt so conflicted about watching the crimson liquid clear away. It felt as though any and all evidence of my death was being washed away with it.

It… felt as though I had never died in the first place.

It's not like I had any of the wounds that caused my death, or any scars left over from them. My body had been completely healed, and that only made this whole situation feel that much more surreal. I know Sesshōmaru brought me back to life. I know that. I know fully well that I died. The conversation I had with the late general, Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha's father, is still fresh in my mind. And yet… it felt like it was all just one very wild dream.

Glancing over my shoulder, I looked at the demon lord- and inhaled sharply when my brown eyes met his golden ones. His gaze was so intense I could feel my face start to burn again, my shoulders tensing ever so slightly to try and steel myself so I wouldn't look away. A part of me wanted to say something, to ask if he really only revived me because he felt like it, and another part of me felt like I should tell him how surprised I was that he actually did so.

I also wondered if I should let him know that I spoke to his late father.

"What is it?" The demon lord asked, his voice startling me even further.

Sesshōmaru's expression was so hard to read, but his eyes…

They had that look in them again. The one that proved that he didn't hate me. The one that meant something I couldn't quite figure out. It wasn't necessarily affection. It wasn't fascination, either- like I was some strange existence to be observed. It was something else. What, though?

Lost in my thoughts, I almost missed the subtle way the corner of his lips tilted downwards. "You're staring at me like you want to say something. Out with it."

"H-Huh?" I blinked. I ended up recoiling, looking away in the end despite my best efforts not to. I tried to distract myself by scrubbing my arms free of blood. "O-Oh. Sorry. I-I just… I… I'm just… processing everything, I guess. That… I died. That… you revived me."

It was something that should have been impossible, but was now my reality.

"It's…" I hesitated, biting my bottom lip and tilting my head. I found myself gazing at my reflection, hardly able to recognize the person I saw staring back at me. "I-I mean, I just… was so convinced that you wouldn't, you know? I knew you were capable of using tenseiga- you did save those samurais' souls after they were cursed to be undead, so clearly you have the power to use it, but…"

My hands slowed in their scrubbing.

A heavy sigh left my lips, my smile falling as a deep cold settled in my heart- one fueled by self-hatred and doubt. "Sesshōmaru, after… we met in that destroyed castle, my friends… told me about everything you did to them. How you considered tenseiga a useless sword. How… you wanted tetsusaiga. They… told me that you tried to steal it and… kill Inuyasha."

I shouldn't be saying all this. I was just going to upset him. His silence was so suffocatingly telling. I could feel his golden stare intensifying, boring into my back as if trying to see into my very soul. A part of me was curious if he actually could. Gods, what am I even doing? I shouldn't be saying all of this, so I don't know why I am.

"But… despite it all, I…" A weak laugh escaping my lips, I tilted my head in the direction of the demon lord, flashing him a closed-eyed smile. "I still wanted to see you again."

This was something almost akin to a confession, a confrontation even, which was something I always tried to avoid. I didn't want to be rejected. I didn't want to be told to go away. I didn't want him to hate me. I didn't want him to confirm that he only saved me because it was the best way to obtain what he wanted. That he didn't actually care about me.

And yet, I couldn't help myself. I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to know what he thought.

I wanted to know why he did what he did.

"I know… I'm a nuisance to you." I began quietly, turning my attention back to the water, unable to bring myself to look at him. "I know I'm a bother. I know you didn't have to save me the first two times, and that you probably wouldn't have if I wasn't in the way of you finding Naraku or trying to break the panther demons' barrier. But when Tōran told me you were coming, I… I was so happy. I would finally be able to thank you for what you did before. But… then my body gave out… and I couldn't, and shortly afterwards the spirits told me that I was going to die soon."

Fighting against the stinging in my eyes, I leaned my head back and took a deep breath, looking up at the early morning sky.

It really was so beautiful. Shimmering colors of red, gold, and pink. Sunlight streaming in through the tree branches, sparkling against the water.

I never would have gotten to see this if not for him.

"We got ambushed by Kōga and his wolves, and they accused me of murdering their comrades. They wanted to behead me. But then Kōga realized it wasn't me, and we discovered Anastasia and Kagura were behind it all. We fought, and Anastasia's mask broke off… and as it turns out- she looked exactly like me."

Prettier, but still me.

"Kagura ended up getting us confused, and brought me to Naraku's castle instead of her. And at his order… she brought me to you. They wanted me to abduct Rin."

My hands slowed down their scrubbing even more, until they reached a complete stop.

"I… I just wanted to protect her. I didn't know she knew you until after we met. Until that moment, I had no idea why Naraku wanted her. But…"

Gods, it hurts.

Why does talking about it hurt so much?

It was taking all I had not to cry.

"A-After what happened with Otoki and her little brother… and to all the village children I failed to protect… I just- I just didn't want to let another child die. Not if I could do something to prevent it. And… after I learned that she was traveling with you, that… I mean, it just made me more determined."

Sesshōmaru saved my life. If I could keep his daughter safe, then I would be content with my death. It was the least I could do for someone I felt such immense gratitude towards.

"But then I actually got to see you again… a-and…"

I was really, seriously, ridiculously happy.

"And that was it." I choked out, biting down hard on my bottom lip. I could feel the tears begin to fall without my consent, the liquid hot on my cheeks. I lowered my head and squeezed my eyes tightly shut, inhaling sharply as I tried to calm down. My hands curled into fists, gripping the fabric of my torn pants tightly. "I had accepted my fate. I wasn't… I wasn't going to ask you to save me. I wasn't going to beg. I didn't want to die, b-but… I… I knew better than to hope."

Swallowing down the lump caught in my throat, I blinked the tears away fiercely and forced myself to raise my head and turn to look at the demon lord, my lips curling back. His gaze was piercing, his face unreadable. I could not decipher his thoughts.

He probably thought me an emotional fool.

"I had… convinced myself. I thought that- I thought that I would be the last person y-you would ever consider using tenseiga on to… to…"

I couldn't finish. My chest became tight and my throat felt horribly constricted. Before I knew it, words started to spill from my lips faster than I could stop them, my thoughts and emotions out there in the open for him to see.

Raw. Vulnerable. Exposed.

To a demon lord as noble and proud as himself, he probably found my human blubbering a nuisance. If he was going to tear me and my heart to shreds, now would be the perfect time.

"But then you did use tenseiga,a-and now my mind's such a mess. It feels like I'm dreaming, even though I know that I'm not. I'm so torn between thanking you and asking why. I know you said it was because you just felt like it, a-and I can understand that to a point… but at the same time it doesn't make any sense to me. I… I'm well aware that I should just… be grateful and leave it at that, but…"

Bringing a hand up, I rubbed at my face, turning my head only slightly to flash him a trembling smile.

"Now I feel so lost. I just… don't understand."

Sesshōmaru remained silent for a long time, simply holding my gaze and staring at me, before he finally looked away.

"...You think too much." He told me. "My decision to bring you back to life is not nearly as complicated as you seem to believe. It was simply a spur-of-the-moment decision."

I sat there, my emotional brain slowly registering his words. A second passed, two. Then I furrowed my brows, realizing something didn't quite add up. "...Was it?"

Maybe I deserved the glare I received for that question. It was as if he was insulted by the implied accusation, by the mere hint of a suggestion that he might care more than he was willing to let on, his golden gaze smoldering amber out of the corner of his vision.

But…

"You… had Rin carry me to safety, Sesshōmaru." I said quietly, heart picking up pace as it began to race in my chest. I was scared- not of his glare, but of the fact that I might be someone that wasn't a mere stranger to him. Of these cursed feelings that were trying to make themselves known, despite how long I've been suppressing them. My heart has never felt more conflicted. "You knew I was a dead woman. I may not be very bright, but I'm… not exactly stupid, either. With your sense of smell, you knew; I was going to die within minutes. There was no point in having Ah-Un carry me away."

Stomach coiling with mild dread, I made myself meet his eyes. My smile was gone.

"Not unless you already planned to revive me. Sesshōmaru, you… don't have to lie to me. I… I won't think of you any less. I know I'm a pathetic human being. You can tell me."

The demon lord just let out a small, "Hmph," and closed his eyes again. "The arrogance of your words astounds me. Do not presume to know me, Irene, or believe that I saved you out of pity. I have no need for such worthless emotions, and care not for those that would dare try to provoke it from me."

…Right.

Of course. "I'm sorry…"

That conversation couldn't have gone worse.

A small, defeated sigh escaped my lips as I moved to face the water once more, my head hanging low. Yet as I reached my hands out to scoop up some of the cold liquid to wash my face, Sesshōmaru suddenly spoke again. "Do not dare to call yourself pathetic either."

"...What?" I whirled my head around, baffled by his words.

He pointedly refused to look at me, continuing to sit still with his eyes closed. His words were blunt and spoken matter-of-factly, but they were not as harsh as one would have expected. "If you were, I would not have wasted my time reviving you."

Oh.

"Now hurry and wash that blood off your face. You look ridiculous."

At that, my cheeks flared red and my eyes went wide. I tried to think up a response, but could only stammer and sputter flustered nonsense before squeaking out a, "Yes, sir!"

Turning back around and deciding to just duck my head beneath the water,resisting the urge to squeal and scream, I scrubbed at my face aggressively. When I couldn't hold my breath any longer I rose back up, letting out a loud gasp as I brushed my bangs back, my teeth chattering.

"C-Cold! S-S-So c-cold! Gah…"

Keep your calm, Irene.

Gods, I must be going insane. I can't believe he actually said that.

I was a human, a sickly human, and yet Sesshōmaru- the demon lord that despised humans- didn't find me pathetic? Good lord, this really must be some sort of fever dream. Sango, Miroku, and Tōran must have gotten to me, because jeez. This can't be real.

I think this has been the most I've ever heard him say, too.

Oh my gods.

It's so silly, but I feel so accomplished right now. I was able to have a real conversation with him. He doesn't think I'm pathetic. He didn't just save me on a whim, either. Granted, I have no idea why he saved me, but you know what? I think I can live with not knowing.

Chances are, I'll find out later.

Aw, man. Inuyasha is not going to believe me when I tell him about this. He's going to totally freak. Actually, how is he doing? I saw him right before things went black, and he looked pretty shaken. I guess he would be, if he saw the state I was in and smelled the amount of blood I had lost. I hope he's okay.

We didn't always get along, but he was a dear friend to me.

Did I really look so scary? So ridiculous, as Sesshōmaru so kindly put it?

Leaning over, palms digging into the grassy earth, I gazed at my reflection in the water once more, my brows furrowed and a frown upon my lips. Round brown eyes gazed back at me, my short dark chocolate hair a wet mess. I brought a hand up to my face, noting that the dark circles beneath my eyes were gone. I looked… healthy, for the first time in my life. The blood was gone, too, seeing as I had washed it off.

I looked better than I had since before ever arriving in the Feudal Era. But… I still wasn't much to look at. Even healthy, I remained as plain and boring-looking as ever.

Letting out another sigh- only to soon shiver, I sneezed. "Ow! Ugh…"

I sniffled and rubbed my arms, feeling a breeze rush by. It was seriously cold.

Looking down at myself, I scrunched up my nose. I was gross all over. "I need a bath…" Lifting my arm up to sniff the remnants of my sleeves, I recoiled with a cringe. "Now that's miasma. Gods, do I reek of Naraku? Gross!"

I don't want to smell anything like that spider bastard.

I shoved my arms back into the water. I scrubbed the remaining blood off fervently with my nails, rubbing my hands up and down the length of my arms to try and get rid of it all. I even stuck my head in the water again, scrubbing at my hair and running my fingers through the short strands. It didn't take more than five minutes to get rid of all the blood and dirt.

Blood, death, and miasma aside- I must have looked like hell. No wonder Sesshōmaru said I looked ridiculous. The man was basically a saint for putting up with me while I was like this and not covering his nose with his sleeve.

Kicking off the annoying shoes I was wearing, I tore off the bottom half of my right pants leg- turning my hakama into a pair of shorts- and then stepped into the stream, shivering and shuddering at the cold as I walked about, trying to clean my legs up. "Aghhhh-! Why are you so cold!?"

It was like ice due to the early morning temperature. It was late summer, and yet it felt almost like fall weather.

"Cold, cold, cold, cold!"

I was splashing around, kicking one leg in the water and then the other. In the background, I could hear Rin giggle at me, the girl greatly amused by my antics. She had finally returned with Ah-Un. "Are you trying to dance, Big Sister?"

"Oh, yeah, totally!" I exclaimed, a stupid grin spreading across my face as I did another kick, turning around to look at her. The freezing liquid had woken me right up. "I call it the Ice Dance! Because it's a dance, and the water's cold as ice! Brrrrr~! Zero out of ten, don't recommend!"

"Pfft!" She laughed at me, clapping her hands together. "Dance, Big Sister! Dance!"

"Aye-aye!" I continued my goofy ritual of cleaning myself.

When I had finished, I decided to completely forgo the shoes and the bloody white top. Shaking my arms and legs free of the water as I stepped out of the stream, I shivered again and crouched down, rubbing my exposed arms and legs to try and warm up. It was at that moment that Ah-Un decided they would wander over, and I looked up with a blink, surprised to find them curling their large body around me and laying on the ground with a loud plop.

"...Nice to see you, too?"

The two-headed dragon let out a muffled noise, their mouths muzzled once more. Huh.

Tentatively leaning against them, I relaxed into their warmth. "Daw~ thank you! You're such a good demon, aren't you? You've been looking after Rin and Sesshōmaru all this time, too, haven't you?" Their yellow eyes glanced at me, blinking slowly. I grinned up at Ah-Un, beaming brightly, and I reached over a hand to pet them gently on the side. "Thank you for taking such good care of them."

Ah-Un blinked slowly at me again, acknowledging my words, before bowing their heads and laying their chins atop their front claws, the dragon deciding to rest. I giggled a little at their actions, finding the demonic dragon to be rather adorable. I moved to curl up against their side, basking in the slight warmth they gave off, hugging my knees to my chest.

"I'm so cold…"

I'm so tired, too. It's just been one crazy thing after another.

"...A lil' nap should be… fine…"

Hmm…

"Big Sister!"

"Gah!" I jumped, startled into a sitting position, my hands flailing in the air. "I'm awake! How long was I out!?"

Rin tilted her head at me. "Just a few minutes. Why?"

"You scared the crap out of me, Rin." I breathed, looking up at her in exasperation, pressing a hand to my chest to try and calm my racing heart. "What happened?"

"Tada~!" She beamed, gesturing to something just a few feet away from us. "I made a campfire for you! Now you'll warm up even faster!'

I let out a sigh of relief, a wave of gratitude washing over me after I had calmed down. "Th-Thank you, Rin."

She grinned proudly at me, and as the heat from the campfire flames radiated from the burning wood and even the kimono pieces I had discarded, the little girl decided to sit down next to me. Rin looked down at my exposed arms and legs, and then back up at me. Sensing her gaze, I faced her- curious as to what she wanted. "Hey, Big Sister? Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah…? Of course you can, Rin."

"R-Really? Then… um…" She frowned deeply, her brows furrowing in concern. I watched her gaze drift to my limbs again. The girl hugged her knees to her chest. "Where… did you get all those scars? What caused them?"

"...Ooooh, yeah. You would be curious about that, huh?" I didn't even think about it. They were all common knowledge among my friends, so it completely failed to cross my mind that she might be bothered by them. I looked down at myself, feeling her press a finger against the two overlapping gashes on my left arm. "Well, those two specifically were from Kohaku."

"Kohaku?"

"Yeah. I told you about how he attacked me several times because of Naraku, right?" I shifted and sat up in a more comfortable position, pointing at each individual scar as I explained how I got them. "This one came from his wakizashi, and this one came from his kusarigama. Now, I have one up here on my bicep that's from Kagura- and the one next to it is an arrow scar I got from some villagers who thought I was a criminal."

I've had some pretty wild experiences during my adventure, now that I'm thinking about it.

Rin was horrified by my words. "Why would they think that!?"

"I mean, it was technically because of Kagura." I squinted at the scar, recalling the horrible memory. That was the first time my body had been put through so much abuse that my ribs broke and I spat up blood. "She claimed to be a "messenger" from the castle and put up wanted posters of me all over town- and all per Naraku and Anastasia's orders. The villagers ganged up on me, the soldiers ended up arresting me, and I had to break myself out and run away. When I was climbing over the rooftops, they shot me with an arrow."

Rin gasped, greatly alarmed, her hands flying up to her mouth. "That's horrible, Big Sister!"

"Ha, yeah." I ruffled my hair as I thought back to the experience. It was all such a blur now. "I think the worst part was when all the villagers and soldiers ganged up on me. I was just asking around to see if anyone's seen my sister, and then they all started shouting about the wanted posters and grabbing me, beating me up. The village headman was this close to beheading me. But then I escaped, found my friends, and saved the headman from Kagura and Anastasia- so… it all worked out in the end. He even helped us out later, in the castle town where I would eventually meet Sesshōmaru."

"I see…" Rin took a moment to process that. Her hand had curled almost protectively around my arm. "I don't think I like the sound of those villagers, Big Sister. They attacked you without listening to anything you had to say. I don't trust that headman person, either. He sounds mean. Even if he did help you, later."

"...Well, he is kind of creepy." I mused, scrunching up my nose. "Ever since we saved him, he's been flirting with me. He's been calling me an "angel" nonstop ever since I forgave him for having his soldiers arrest me, and when we wanted to get into the castle he had the freaking audacity to lie and say I was his fiancée."

I shuddered, disturbed at the memory.

"No, thank you!"

Rin gasped. "He didn't!"

"He did."

"...What's a fiancée?" The abrupt question had me sputtering out a laugh and I cackled, leaning against Ah-Un with a hand covering my mouth to try and muffle the sound. Rin pouted at me. "Don't laugh, Big Sister!"

"S-Sorry, sorry! I just- that was adorable." Her puffing her cheeks out at me was even cuter. Snorting and trying to calm my giggles, I attempted to explain. "A… A fiancée is basically someone that's engaged to be married. He basically said I was going to marry him in the short future. Well, actually, the word he used was "betrothed" but… it means the same thing."

Her brown eyes went wide. "You… aren't going to marry him, are you?"

"What? Ew. No way." I shook my head, waving a hand dismissively. "Why the heck would I do that? He's too old for me, anyway."

"...Too old?"

Aha. Right. Time period.

Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself and faced Rin with a serious look on my face. "Okay. Rin. Do me a favor. In the future, in the far future, where you're older and an adult, if anyone asks to marry you- make sure they're close in age to you, okay? Otherwise, kick 'em between the legs and run away screaming for Sesshōmaru."

She tilted her head at me, very much confused, but not willing to question it. "Okay. But… what if that person is a demon? Won't they be older than me anyway?"

"...Make sure they look like they're close in age to you." Frick. I ruffled my hair again, this time in mild frustration as I tried to think of a good example. Suddenly, it came to me. "Oh! I know; I'm a grown woman, right? Sesshōmaru is a demon, but appearance wise we could be the same age."

"...Ooooh, I get it!"

"Yeah!" I snapped my fingers and pointed at her, beaming. "I knew you would! You're such a smart cookie, Rin."

"Cookie?"

Oh, jeez. "It's… an expression. A saying. Anyway! Any other scars of mine you wanna know about?"

"Um… how about this one?" She looked at my right arm, hugging my left tightly as she sat flush against my side. "Did a demon cause that? It… looks like a beast bit you."

"Back to how I said the headman helped us get inside the castle," I began, holding my forearm up so she could get a better view of the fang marks, "we ended up encountering Naraku in the tower. This was days before I met Sesshōmaru, by the way. Naraku ended up poisoning me and my friends with his miasma, and Inuyasha and Kirara- a cat demon we travel with- were the only ones that could withstand it and still move. To make sure we normal humans didn't die, they carried us all on their backs… but because of all the people that she already had on her, Kirara ended up having to drag me out by my arm."

"Kirara…" Rin tested the name out on her tongue, before lowering her head and hugging my arm tighter. Her head rested on my shoulder. "I really don't like this Naraku person. I know Lord Sesshōmaru doesn't like him either, but the more I hear about him the worse he sounds. He's… the one who had Kagura kidnap us, right?"

"Yeah."

Rin went silent. "...He's also the one who had Kohaku hurt you often, right?"

"...Yeah, he is."

"Is the scar on your shoulder from him?"

My shoulder? Oh! "No, actually. That was the first scar I ever got in this place. After Anastasia summoned me here, I bumped into these villagers that were looking for a demon that had been terrorizing them and abducting their people. They didn't know what the demon looked like, only rumors, and since I'm not… exactly from here and was dressed pretty differently than what they were used to, they thought the demon was me. They hit me with an arrow while I was running away."

Rin frowned deeply, looking rather upset. "You got attacked a lot, huh? It sounds like the villagers in all these towns don't really like you."

"Well, I mean, like I said- I'm not exactly from here." Trade with foreign countries has only just begun. "All the humans in the villages are really scared of demons, and since I don't look like they do… they assume I am one. That or a foreign spy, but, like, I'm pretty sure America hasn't even been founded yet and it's… on the other side of the freaking ocean! So… yeah. That's a thing."

Maybe. I'm not the greatest at geography.

"Even Kaede's village didn't trust me completely at first, but they were used to all the weirdness already because of Kagome, so… I had a bit of break there. They're also a lot more welcoming than other places- at least when it comes to demons." I hope Tōran has settled in okay. "Anyways, the village I wound up at was pretty close to that one, so even after I ran away and got attacked by some scary one-eyed demon, I didn't die. Inuyasha smelled human blood and found me, and carried me to Kaede's for medical attention."

I did a dramatic wave of the hand, gesturing to myself.

"Hence, I lived to yesterday! Until I died. Because Naraku. And was brought back! Because Sesshōmaru. Also, the gash overlapping the arrow scar is from Kagura. She may have a bit of a grudge against me for burning her face, but- hey! She shouldn't have attacked my friends."

Rin stared at me for a moment, then pulled an arm away to grab at one of my shredded pants legs, lifting them up a little above my knees, turning her attention to the slashes and burn that decorated my shins. "Are these from Kohaku and Kagura, too?"

"…Only Kohaku."

"Oh."

Scratching my neck, I looked away and focused my attention on the clouds starting to form in the sky. Talking about all this was trying to make some uncomfortable emotions well up, and I didn't really care for it. "It… was from the first time Naraku tried to have him capture me. But the fancy burn is from Anastasia. Fun fact: it's actually what's letting me speak this language."

"Whoa, really!?" That had her interest, and made the sad look on her face disappear. "How is it doing that?"

"It… connects me to her, in a way." I tried to explain. "The spell rebounded on me when I was summoned here, and it burned into my leg. Luckily, though, I have a super nice Shikigami familiar that saved me- so that's all it did. The pentagram connects me to Anastasia, and… because she speaks this language, I can, too."

At the cost of not being able to speak my original tongue, apparently- at least, not without much difficulty. Which is lame, because I never asked to speak this language in the first place.

"That's amazing!"

I just let out a small laugh. "You think so?"

She ran a finger against the burnt flesh, greatly intrigued by the star shaped pentagram. "Do you have any others? Or is that your last one? You must have fought Kohaku a lot to have so many from him."

"I… y-yeah, kind of. We met a few times."

"I'm… glad you both are okay."

"...Me, too."

A small silence hung over us then, neither knowing what to say after that.

I was a bit surprised she had been so interested in my battle scars, considering they seemed to upset her so much earlier. I guess, even if she is just a kid, anyone who could make a cold-hearted demon soften up enough to let them travel with him is strong enough not to be disturbed by a couple scars. That's not even mentioning what she went through before meeting him.

Rin was a tough little girl.

Leaning back against Ah-Un, I hung my head and stretched my hands out in front of me, staring at the scars covering my forearms. It felt like so long ago that I had obtained them, and yet was only a month or two at most. Maybe even only a few weeks ago. Honestly, it was hard to keep track. "I wouldn't… necessarily call what Kohaku and I did fighting, though, Rin."

"Huh?" She blinked, clearly confused. "What do you mean?"

In the background, through the gaps of my fingers, I could see Sesshōmaru's eyes open partway, glancing at us as we continued to speak. He was clearly listening to each and every word that was being said. "I mean… he was trying to capture me and I was trying to fend him off. He wasn't attempting to kill me, just… prevent me from running away. It's not like they can collect my soul if I'm already dead. One time, I did get through to him and got him to back off- if only a little- but…"

"But… what?"

I didn't answer for a moment, thinking back to the cave where we had fought. Sango had cried so despairingly in my arms, the woman completely heartbroken over not being able to protect me from her brother, and over not being able to free her brother from evil's grasp. I could still vividly remember the way it felt to have his blade slicing through my back.

Glancing down at the little girl beside me, I decided that I should probably keep quiet about this particular scar. "Hey, Rin, did I tell you about the undead wolf that I fought?"

"Undead… wolf?" Her face paled.

"Yeah. It was the first demon I've ever fought. I didn't really know how to use the Shikigami yet and got overwhelmed, so it clawed me pretty bad. But that's when I met my Shikigami familiar!"

"Shikigami familiar?" Rin tilted her head. "You mentioned that before. But what is that?"

I opened my mouth to explain, only to pause, bringing a finger up to my lips as I furrowed my brows and made a face. "It's… um… a spirit directly connected to my soul? One that… stays with me, no matter what? To be specific, his name is Roh- and he's a dog spirit. That's why, when he saved me after Anasatasia's spell tried to kill me after summoning me here, he brought me close to where Inuyasha was staying. Roh sensed his dog demon blood, and felt he was a friend who could help me. Dog spirit, dog demon- kind of similar, right?"

"...Wow!" Rin brought her hands up to her face, eyes growing wide. "That's so cool!"

"Right? Roh is the sweetest." He's such a good boy. "But anyways- Roh appeared and healed my wounds for me, scarring them shut. The demon died shortly after that. Oh, and those villagers I mentioned before? The ones that attacked me thinking I was the demon that had kidnapped their people? We found the real demon hiding deeper in the temple we had fought the undead wolf in, and it was- hilariously, now that I'm thinking back on it, given the whole Naraku situation- a spider! And we rescued all the people it had taken. So. Y'know."

I grinned widely at her, folding my arms over my chest as I held my chin up proudly.

"I got my apology in the end. Hehe. Victory was mine!"

"Oooh!" Rin's giggled and clapped her hands together. "You're amazing, Big Sister!"

I let out a small laugh. I had successfully distracted her from the Kohaku conversation. "I'm glad you think so. I honestly didn't really do much. Everything I can do is solely because the Shikigami let me. My powers are mostly used for healing wounds or team attacks; I can actually summon this really cool blue dragon, and it'll wrap around whatever weapon my friends are using, and it'll strengthen their attacks! It wears me out a frick ton, though."

"A blue dragon?" Rin gasped, pushing herself up onto her knees, looking like she was about to jump onto her feet in her excitement. "Lord Sesshōmaru can summon a blue dragon when he uses his sword! He did so earlier when he was protecting us from the army of demons!"

Army of… demons? What?

I am so lost. "What army?"

"Before Lord Sesshōmaru revived you, we got attacked by this huge army of demons!" She threw her hands up, trying to enunciate how many demons there were by holding her arms out. It was quite precious. "They came out of this big dark cloud in the sky! But he fought them off so valiantly, and made this big blue dragon appear! It destroyed them all!"

"…Seriously?" I did not know he could do that. I blinked, a little dumbfounded by this information. I was also a bit upset. "And I missed it? Aw, that's so lame. I would've loved to have seen that! He always looks so graceful when he fights."

Rin giggled. "Doesn't he? And maybe you will! He might do it again in the future. Oh, but Big Sister, you won't believe how dashing he looked when he caught you! A demon tried to snatch you away, but Lord Sesshōmaru stopped them! And when you fell, he carried you to safety! It was amazing!"

He…

He did what? Carry me?Sesshōmaru?

Did Rin really just say that Sesshōmaru carried me to safety? And then… revived me? Wait, but how did he carry me when he only has one arm? How strong is he?

Oh my gods.

Face starting to burn again, I turned to look at the demon lord that was sitting about ten to fifteen feet away. As if sensing my stare, his golden gaze turned towards me- and I found myself tensing, my face resembling that of a deer caught in headlights.

I ended up having to turn my head away, too embarrassed to hold his stare, and as the implications of Rin's words settled in, a realization came to me.

"H-Hold on. He carried my corpse?"

"…W-Well, yes, but…" Rin stopped her gushing, realizing just how weird it sounded now that I said it aloud. Shaking her head, she refused to let it deter her, and holding her fists up she faced me, determined. "But it was to save you!"

"I mean, I get that- I just don't understand why he would carry my corpse if he hated the smell of my blood so much…" I can't believe I wasn't alive for that. Then again, if I was, I'm not so sure my heart would be able to withstand it. I can barely look him in the eyes as is. "Especially since death probably smells ten times worse. I reeked of Naraku's miasma. Still do, probably."

"I-It was because he was worried!"

"Uh, Rin, sweetie, I don't think-"

"Shush!" I let out a yelp when she grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back into Ah-Un. "Just- stop questioning it and go back to sleep, Big Sister! You're clearly too tired to think properly! Lord Sesshōmaru saved you because he likes you, and that's that! He wasn't going to let those demons eat you before you could be revived! Now go to sleep!"

I raised my brows at her, mildly amused by her insistence of him holding some strange type of affection for me, Rin having an even wilder imagination that I did, but I was even more entertained by her telling me to hurry up and sleep.

Such a goofball, she is.

I adore her.

"Okay, okay." I relented, holding my hands up to try and placate her, a small smile on my face. "I'll sleep. You should, too, though."

"And I will!" Rin huffed, sitting back down next to me. She surprised me by leaning against my side again. "As soon as you do."

"Pfft! You strike a hard bargain, kid."

"I know I do." She said proudly. "I learned from Master Jaken."

I couldn't stop my snort upon hearing that. Shifting in place to get a bit more comfortable, I held an arm up and draped it around the girl's shoulder, holding her to me in a fashion similar to how Maria and Sango would hold me. "I believe it. Nighty-night, Rin."

"Goodnight! …Wait, but Big Sister- it's morning!"

"Yes, but we're going to sleep. That automatically makes it night time for us." I reached over and ruffled her hair, giving her shoulder a small squeeze in a one-armed hug. "Now, good night~! Mwah." I pressed a kiss atop her head, similar to how I would do to Shippō and Kirara. "Sleep tight."

Rin blinked at me, her eyes growing wide, before her face flooded with emotion. The next thing I knew, she had thrown her arms around my waist, burying her face in my chest. I tensed, momentarily startled, before forcing myself to relax, resting a hand atop her head.

"...Rin?"

"Goodnight, Big Sister." She mumbled into my kimono. "Thank you for coming back to life."

My expression softened, understanding dawning on me. "You should thank Sesshōmaru for that."

"...I will." Carefully pulling back, Rin called out, "Thank you for saving Big Sister, M'lord!"

"Go to sleep, Rin."

"Yes, M'lord!"

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing, instead watching as Rin cuddled back up to me. She wore a big smile on her lips as she did so, looking quite content with the way things had turned out. Greatly entertained by her energy and cuteness, I couldn't help but close my eyes and lean my head back, calling out an amused, "Goodnight, Sesshōmaru~! And goodnight to you, too, Ah-Un."

Aside from the two-headed dragon letting out a quiet hum, I did not receive a response.

And honestly? I didn't really mind. I was in a very good mood.

As Rin and I calmed down and the exhaustion kicked back in, the adrenaline finally wearing off, it didn't take long for either of us to fall asleep, Ah-Un's tail curled protectively around our sleeping forms.

All the while, Sesshōmaru diligently sat by the tree keeping guard.

As always, thanks for reading and have a wonderful day/night wherever you are! Let me know what you think in the comments. 💕