I ended up dreaming of flowing water and brilliant green fields.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised by it. The Shikigami had just warned me my life would end in three days, but before the first one could even come to an end I had died anyway. Thankfully, the soul grass was just as comfortable as I remembered it being- which… honestly wasn't that impressive a feat, considering it was only yesterday when I had last been here.

Yet, at the same time, so much has happened that arriving at Ayame Village felt like it had been weeks ago. I almost didn't want to get up, the inside of my soul purer than ever. The rushing water of the stream where the two judgmental koi rested was so relaxing to the ears.

I felt… peaceful.

As I laid there, I could hear the sound of something large coiling around me, as well as something furry cuddling up against my side. Feeling the dragon's whiskers tickle my face, I scrunched up my nose and blinked, opening my eyes to find the giant blue-and-red fiery being gazing down at me.

A lazy grin crossing my face, I reached up, gently resting my hands on either side of its face. "You said three days, mister. I only lasted one."

The flames felt so cool against my palms, and the scales beneath even more so.

The dragon closed its eyes in acknowledgment of my words. "You are correct, Irene. But there were outside forces interfering with the natural course of your life."

"The miasma for starters." The eagle called as it swooped down, and I turned my head to stare up at it when it landed beside me atop the dragon's long tail. Its wings burned blue-and-green. "What were you thinking, allowing yourself to be captured like that? Of all your reckless endeavors, that was undoubtedly the worst yet."

"Master is alive!" Roh cut in, the dog happily resting his paws and upper half on my stomach. "I thought I would be left behind in the darkness forever! I am Master's familiar, so without Master… and without any descendants from Master to serve, Roh would be forgotten!"

"A dog spirit is only as good as it's master." The eagle sighed, looking quite tired by the spirit's antics as it flashed him a look.

Roh just barked in response, and I lifted my chin up when I felt him nuzzle my neck. "We were not expecting Master to come back to life! Dragon was especially pleased by your revival!"

The eagle nodded its head, tucking its wings to its side. Its green eyes bore into mine. "Your revival was much different compared to our previous master's. Your soul is still that of the living. We were just beginning to wonder how long we would have to wait for our next master, or if we would have one at all, when…"

"We sensed your return." A koi said, poking their head out from the water's depths. Hearing them speak, I pulled my hands away from the dragon and gave Roh a gentle nudge with my hand so I could sit up, crossing my legs and letting the large dog climb into my lap. I glanced behind me to focus on the twin koi, one hand against the grassy ground as I ignored the ethereal ice blue butterflies that were casually floating around us. "Without warning, your soul had returned to your body."

"Our connection had just been severed," The second koi added, looking quite intrigued by this turn of events, if not a bit suspicious, "and yet we were able to safely bond to you once again."

Suddenly, there was the loud sound of hooves pounding against the ground and rushing towards us, and an even louder roar. A fiery red rhinoceros and an equally red bull appeared, scrambling to a stop just before the dragon. I recoiled in surprise, but the rhino looked even more startled than I was. "Master! You're really alive!"

"What happened!?" The bull exclaimed. "Weren't you dead!? You died, didn't you? How are you alive!? You aren't an undead, right?"

"That's what we were getting to." The dragon said, giving them a look. "Patience, friends."

Were… they worried about me?

"Of course we were." The eagle spoke, as if sensing my thoughts. I jolted, turning to look at it with wide eyes. Though the spirit only had a beak instead of a malleable mouth, I could have sworn from the look in its eyes that it was smirking at me. "You are our Master. It is not often spirits such as ourselves are so lucky to serve one as kind as you."

"Kind, but foolish." One of the koi said.

The other koi nodded in agreement. "With a bleeding heart."

"But not naive."

"Just kind."

"Stubborn."

"And reckless."

"Okay!" I held my hands up in the air, making a face. "Okay! I get it. Jeez."

It's hard to believe that those two were worried about me, when they're always being so mean. Even when I summon them, they always give me such disapproving looks- as though it was my fault I was wounded, or my friends' fault they were hurt, when it was the humans and demons that were attacking us to blame. Like, jeez. Could they be anymore judgmental?

Letting out a small huff, I sent the two koi a look before turning to look at the other spirits, lightly running my fingers through Roh's fiery fur. "I'm not really sure what happened either. One second I was helping Rin escape the castle- which… Eagle, Bull, and I think Rhino can attest to, and the next… I'm in the forest. Apparently Sesshōmaru had used his tenseiga to revive me."

"Tenseiga…?" The dragon echoed, voice a low murmur.

"It's a sword. A demon sword. It was… forged by his father's fang." I waved a hand, not really sure how to explain it. "I actually met his dad while I was dead. It was weird. He seemed like a really sweet guy, though. I can see why Inuyasha's mom fell for him."

I would, too, honestly. If he wasn't already dead.

"Anyways, it's basically a sword capable of reviving someone back from the dead. I just… never thought Sesshōmaru would bother using it on me."

Even if I did die in front of him.

Worrying my bottom lip, I lowered my head, falling deep into thought. Roh rolling onto his back in my lap ended up causing me to distractedly rub my hands on his belly, fingers moving through his fur without much thought. "I mean, I know he's Inuyasha's half-brother… but everyone says he despises humans. Humans and half-demons. His brother, Inuyasha, included. He's even tried to kill him a few times."

"The friend!" Roh said, recognizing the name. "Inuyasha was the friend I brought you to, but you ran from…!"

Everyone is just taking jabs at me today. "I didn't run from him, I didn't even know him. I didn't even know he was there, okay? I just walked in a random direction that happened to be the opposite of the one Inuyasha was in. Now, as I was saying-"

"Despite hating humans, which you are, and his half-demon brother, who you are friends with, the one called Sesshōmaru returned you to life?" The dragon summarized, easily putting it all together from what little it had been told. My mouth hung open as I stared, gaping at the spirit, as it took the words right out of my mouth before I could say them. "And that… confuses you?"

"W-Well… yeah!" I felt my cheeks start to burn a bit and I looked down at the dog in my lap, frustrated. I got a bit more aggressive with my ruffling of Roh's fiery fur. "I-It just… doesn't make sense, y'know? We're not friends. We can hardly be called allies. We're definitely not acquaintances. We're… I dunno! It's hard to put a label on it."

"Humans." One of the koi sighed. The other lowered themselves a bit further into the water, unamused. "You worry yourselves needlessly."

"I-It's not needless, thank you! It's a legitimate concern!"

This was supposed to be one of the most cold-hearted demons in all of the Feudal Era.

"How am I supposed to understand why he revived me, if I don't even know what he thinks of me!?"

All the spirits went silent at that, glancing at each other, and Roh rolled off of my lap and onto his front legs, pushing himself up to sit. He tilted his head, tongue lolling partway out of his mouth, before his ears twitched and he barked. "Didn't he revive Master because he likes you? He wants to protect Master! Master is very kind, after all."

"...I don't think being kind has anything to do with it." And as much as I want to argue that I'm not, I find it hard to do so when everyone I've met in this era has told me that I am. I feel sort of inclined to believe it now. "And I highly doubt he likes me. Why would he want to protect me? He… barely tolerates me."

All I know for certain is that he doesn't hate me.

But him reviving me- it's brought forth so many questions that weren't there before. Everything I thought I understood after meeting Rin had been completely tossed out the window. Discarded. He didn't hate me, but he didn't really like me either. I'm just a human.

One that's been oddly convenient to have around at times, but otherwise a mere nuisance.

I've done nothing but cause him trouble, needing his help whilst on the brink of death. I could hardly even look him in the eye to have a conversation, I was so flustered and intimidated by him. He was so beautiful, but also very stoic and quiet, and I was never very good at dealing with those types of people.

Even worse, I could sense the demonic aura radiating from him- so I know he's an incredibly powerful demon. One that could kill me, and would kill me, should he so desire. I didn't want to fear him, but there was a part of me that did.

There was also a part of me that was in awe of him.

But… none of that should matter. I was a human, one that's constantly gotten in his way and needed saving, and I was also friends with his half-brother, Inuyasha. By all means, Sesshōmaru should want nothing to do with me. Miroku even once expressed worry over this. He feared that my opinion of Sesshomaru would soon become corrupted now that the demon lord was aware of my connection to them, as one day it might be possible that rather than protecting me… he might just hurt me instead.

So why…?

I can understand him saving me from the panther demons, as I could break the barrier protecting their master. That part made sense. I was admittedly a little confused as to why he just let me stay in the camp instead of chasing me off, especially after I tucked those flowers in his armor like an idiot that didn't value her own life, but I was happy. I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He probably figured that I was there for a reason, and after I explained said reason he felt justified in allowing me to do as I wished.

I didn't cause him too much trouble at that point in time, so he didn't see any reason to kill me.

But… afterwards, when I had protected Rin and held off Kohaku, getting us to the courtyard in time for him to appear, he ordered Rin to take me with her. I don't remember anything except the conversation I had with his father, and then waking up in the forest with Sesshomaru kneeling down in front of me and-

Oh my gods. I remember now. Sesshōmaru had rested a hand against my face. After I had woken up, I felt his lone hand cupping my cheek. Holy frick. I-I'm so confused.

Was he not just tolerating me?

Did he revive me because he wanted me alive? Why? He didn't care about me, did he? We barely knew each other! The only times we had a conversation were in the destroyed castle- which was mostly just me rambling away in nervousness and trying to give directions to the tower- and yesterday, at the campsite, where I was thanking him for helping me and not attacking my friends. He didn't really talk with me. I was just speaking to him. Both times I was half-dead and extremely dizzy.

I think the first realconversation the two of us have had was after my revival.

Fighting a groan, I brought a hand up to my forehead. "I have never met someone more confusing… there was literally nothing to be gained from reviving me."

"Yes, there is!" Roh exclaimed. "He would get to be with you, Master!"

"Roh speaks the truth." The dragon agreed, bowing its head. "He didn't have anything to gain by saving you… except your life being prolonged. If he revived you without reason, then that reason is simply because he wanted to."

Promptly ignoring Roh's suggestion, I snapped my fingers and pointed at the dragon spirit. "But that doesn't make any sense! When I asked, he said it was just because he "felt" like it. I mean, who does that? Who revives people just because they can? Especially if that person is friends with the half-brother you despise? Heck, he even said that he hated the smell of my blood! But then, according to Rin, when some demons were about to eat my corpse, he not only killed them- but he carried me to safety!"

I let out a noise of frustration, throwing my arms up in the air and then falling onto my back, collapsing on the grassy ground with a huff. I was pouting.

"If he hated the smell of my blood so much, why did he bother carrying me and getting it all over him!? If it wasn't because he viewed me as pathetic, then why did he revive me?"

That's not even mentioning the look he gave me earlier. There was something different about it, compared to all the looks he gave me before. It wasn't annoyance or anger, and it definitely wasn't indifference. It was something almost soft in nature, but still hardened in just the right way that I couldn't figure it out.

Sesshōmaru… who am I to you?

"It's because he wants to protect you, Master!" Roh exclaimed again, moving closer and resting his front paws on my legs. I just turned away, biting my bottom lip. Tears were starting to sting my eyes. "Roh thinks this demon is a friend. A very strange one. But the demon wants to protect Master! He doesn't like the smell of your blood, because he likes you safe! If there is blood, then Master is unsafe! That is why he carried you."

"Demons do enjoy devouring humans." One of the koi said, looking quite irritable. "So why else would he claim to hate the scent of your blood?

"Most demons go wild upon smelling human blood." The other continued, poking their head back out of the water. "By all means, he should enjoy it. So what makes him different?"

"Why did he save you, if not out of desire for your safety?"

He hates the smell of my blood… because he wants me to be safe?

Suddenly, his father's words came to mind. The gratitude that didn't make sense. Bringing my hands up, I rubbed them against my face, so many questions running through my head. "What does that mean, though? What does it mean, to be someone to protect? It doesn't make us friends, does it?" As much as I like him, I'm pretty sure that man only has servants and enemies.

Suddenly, a thought came to me and I made a face.

"Wait. Hold on. No!" It could be, though. I shot up into a sitting position, eyes wide. "Is this, like, a weird demon superiority thing!? I helped him the one time back in the destroyed castle, so did that… put me in his good graces somehow? I'm smaller and weaker than him, so he feels the need to protect me? Is that it?"

His father said I was an exception to the humans and priestesses Sesshōmaru so greatly despised.

"I helped him, so now he's helping me?" That could explain things. "He's just kind of letting me do what I want, too."

Aha! I got it.

Smacking a fist to my palm, I beamed, a weight being lifted from my shoulders. "I helped protect his daughter, so he's keeping me alive now as thanks! That's why he protected me!"

The spirits glanced at each other again, before their attention returned to me.

The dragon leaned down, gently nudging the top of my head with its muzzle. "We believe you are overthinking his intentions, dear one. Why don't you stop fretting over why he revived you, and focus on your journey? I'm certain all will become clear in time."

Yeah, I guess so…

I did tell myself that earlier- that it would be revealed in the future so I shouldn't think about it anymore. If Sesshōmaru said I was overthinking things, and now the spirits are, too… then I suppose it must be true. I need to stop overanalyzing everything. It was starting to wear me out. Although… it was really weird that Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha's father had the exact same opinion as Rin and Roh.

Oh, what did the dad say again? That his eldest son held his emotions close to his chest?

Maybe… Sesshōmaru did like me- at least, just enough to not want me dead. To be compelled to revive me. Strange as it was to imagine, all things considered. I just hope that I don't wind up doing anything to fall out of favor with him.

Because, unfortunately, I apparently turn into quite the fool around him.

…

A small mumble escaping my lips, a warmth tickled my face as I slowly awoke.

When I opened my eyes, I was greeted with the gentle flames of a campfire. I found Rin still nuzzled up to my side, clinging tightly and snoozing away. Letting out a small yawn, I blinked to clear my vision and groggily looked around, finding myself quite well rested despite that taxing conversation within my soul.

Glancing up at the sky, I saw it was late afternoon. We had slept the majority of the day away.

Leaning back against Ah-Un, careful not to wake Rin, I closed my eyes again.

The next time I opened them, Rin was roasting fish by the campfire. She was dressed in an unfamiliar green kimono, yellow stripes decorating the sleeves and torso. The sash around her waist was matching in color.

Hearing me stir, she looked over her shoulder, her eyes brightening when she saw me start to sit up. "Big Sister, you're awake! Are you hungry? I've caught many fish for us to eat!"

She picked one up without waiting for an answer, handing it over to me. Still a bit groggy, feeling more well-rested than I ever have before, I took the stick the roasted fish was on. I stared at it blankly, wondering if yesterday actually happened. I looked up at Rin. "...Th-Thanks. Is… that a new kimono?"

"Yup! Lord Sesshōmaru gave it to me, since my other one was all bloody." She then frowned, practically pouting as she turned back to face the fish. "He wandered off again, though. He even took it with him. Oh, I know!"

Rin turned to smile at me.

"Maybe he went to get you something nice to wear! Your clothes are badly ruined."

"Eh." I wouldn't get my hopes up. Blowing on the fish to cool it down, I took a hesitant bite. "Doubt it."

"But…"

I just shrugged. The silver-haired demon lord brought me back to life of his own volition; as long as he didn't hate me, I was satisfied. I couldn't really ask for anything else. He's already done enough for me. I mean, what more can you ask from someone who supposedly hates the human race? It's one thing to raise a child, but to take care of a woman that was friends with the brother he hates? No way.

Sesshōmaru probably left to clean my blood off of Rin's orange checker-patterned kimono.

"So…" I began, observing the piece of roasted fish I was given. "How long does Sesshōmaru usually disappear for? You were talking like he does that often."

"That's because he does. But, um…" Rin brought a finger to her chin, thinking about it. "A couple hours. Sometimes a few days. He always comes back, though. He usually only leaves for super long periods of time if there's a really dangerous enemy he wants to deal with."

"...That makes sense."

"Yup!" She picked up a stick for herself, blowing on the steaming flesh of the roasted fish. "He usually leaves me with Ah-Un, and sometimes Master Jaken. But Master Jaken usually only gets left behind if Lord Sesshōmaru is dealing with a really scary enemy, or if he just wants some alone time. Otherwise Master Jaken follows him around."

Interesting. I guess even a demon lord like himself can only be around some talkative extroverts for so long. I don't blame him.

All introverts need time to themselves to recharge, and as it turns out Sesshōmaru wasn't any different. Jaken was really annoying in general, but Rin was a talkative and very bubbly child. Add me to the group now, then that's three people he's surrounding himself. I'm an introvert myself, but once you get me talking it's hard to get me to stop, and if I have to deal with strangers then I'm quick to plaster on a smile and use my customer service voice.

Thankfully, the only extroverts in my group of friends are Miroku and Kagome.

Hmm…

Taking a bite of the river fish, I let the flavor rest on my tongue for a moment- savoring it, as this was one meal I came close to never having again. I'm definitely going to miss all the fancy food I would get to eat whenever we were treated to a feast after helping out a village, not to mention all the hot baths. I guess I'm going to have to stick to cold water baths for a while- at least until I find everyone again.

Hopefully, since I'm traveling with Sesshōmaru, that will happen sooner rather than later.

"...Hey, Big Sister?"

"Hm?" I blinked and looked up, swallowing the piece of fish I was chewing. "What's up, Rin?"

The little girl looked deep in thought. "What do you think of Lord Sesshōmaru? You like him, right?"

"Do I like-!?" I almost choked.

Suddenly, the words Sango and Miroku said came to mind. I felt my face heat up considerably and I cleared my throat, directing my attention to the roasted fish I was eating. I tried to ignore the weird comment Tōran had said when we first met, after I told her that she would regret fighting Sesshōmaru.

"I-I mean…"

It's not like I don't like him. He's gorgeous and he saved my life! It's only natural that I would have some affection for him. Sure, it might be a little, um… misplaced… but caring about him and what he thinks of me doesn't necessarily equate to being in love with him. Right? Besides, it's not like he feels the same or ever will feel the same, and even if he did we come from two totally different time periods. It would never work.

Oh gods.

Okay. Fine. I do like him.

I barely know him, but I'm definitely crushing on him. Thankfully, that's all it is. Crushes aren't anything serious- those feelings can be easily squashed. I was a little scared of this being the case when it was first suggested by Miroku, and clearly the worst has happened because he was right about my feelings towards the demon lord, but it's fine.

It'll go away after a while.

And now that I'm thinking about it… I still have to reject Tōran. I don't even know how I'm going to go about that. I still can't believe she stole my first kiss. What on earth did I even do to make her fall for me? I was half-dead during our every interaction! She was trying to use me as a sacrifice! How did she fall for me between kidnapping me to taking care of me after I blacked out?

Gah. My poor brain can't make sense of any of this.

"He's… a decent guy." I settled on, awkwardly taking another bite of the fish. I was unsure of whether she meant as a friend or as something more. As such, I tried to answer as neutrally as I could. "I like what I've seen of him so far. He did save me when we first met, and… literally revived me yesterday. It's hard not to like someone after that." I just don't like the stories I've heard about him. "He also hit Jaken every time he insulted me back when we were in the destroyed castle. That was pretty nice of him."

"Right!?" Rin brightened upon hearing that. "Lord Sesshōmaru is the nicest! You'll never meet a kinder lord! Master Jaken can be very mean sometimes, but Lord Sesshōmaru is always quick to silence him! …Which just shows that he really does like you, Big Sister!"

She really won't get off of that, huh?

Raising my brows, resisting the urge to sigh, I made to take another bite of the fish. "If you say so."

"I do say so! He's really happy you're staying with us!"

Goodness. I pulled the fish away and sent her an exasperated look. "I don't think that's the face someone makes when they're happy, Rin."

"Not smiling doesn't mean he's not happy." She huffed, puffing her cheeks out at me in a pout. "I can tell when he's in a good mood or not. When he's happy, Lord Sesshōmaru's eyes become much more warm, and when he sits he looks much more relaxed."

"...Okay." I'm willing to believe that much.

Rin lifted her head up, brown gaze staring at me stubbornly. "Why don't you think he likes you? He saved you! He's even letting you travel with us!"

She's setting up a good argument. However, "It's not that I think he doesn't like me, I just think that he doesn't hate me. Like, he just… cares enough to not want me dead. You can't tell me that that man has friends. He has enemies and servants and you, his kid."

"I'm not…" Rin started, before pausing, thinking about it. Her eyes went wide, the realization slowly dawning on her face. "Do you… really think that Lord Sesshōmaru views me as his kid?"

"He's raising you, isn't he?" I responded, finishing off my fish. As I spoke, I held a hand over my mouth, not quite done chewing yet. "Just because you're his ward doesn't make you any less his child. But getting him to admit it is an entirely different matter." I swallowed the fish, taking a moment to clear my throat. I found it odd that my chest didn't hurt, even though I haven't used my daily inhalers yet. "I called you his kid when he showed up to rescue us, right? But he didn't deny it. You're his daughter, Rin."

"Lord Sesshōmaru… really…" Her eyes began to water and she brought her hands up to her face, her roasted fish falling onto her lap. "E-Even though I'm a human…?"

I faltered, looking at her in surprise, before my expression softened. When I spoke, my voice was gentle. "He… literally gave you a new kimono because your old one got dirty, Rin. Even if he is your "lord", he's still treating you like you're his daughter. He protects you, he clothes you, and when you said you wanted to eat boar he had Jaken go hunting for it. Thus, you can even say he's feeding you."

And another thing-

"He also asked if "you were good" when he showed up at camp yesterday. Like…?" I held a hand up in the air, making a face. Rin stared at me, brown eyes still wet with unshed tears. "It couldn't be more obvious. That's such a total dad-thing to say. He may not say it aloud, but you're his daughter through-and-through."

Rin sniffled, rubbing at her eyes. "L-Lord Sesshōmaru… really is too kind…"

Yeah…

Maybe he is.

"Hey, Rin?" She looked up at me, and blinked when she saw me hold my arms out. I smiled at her. "Want a hug?"

Her face lit up at that.

The little girl wasted no time in discarding the fish and rushing over to throw herself at me, practically sitting in my lap as she coiled her arms around my shoulders, burying her face in my neck. I laughed at her enthusiasm, holding her close and resting a hand atop her head, patting her hair. "Oof! I got you. Sesshōmaru must not be kind enough if he's not giving you plenty of hugs."

I felt her shoulders shake with a giggle at that. "Th-That's okay. My… My father… before he was killed… he never really hugged me either. He just pat me on the head a lot."

Why would he not-

Wait, hold on. Frick. I almost forgot. Different country, different customs. Sango and Kagome were so comfortable and okay with me hugging them all the time that it completely slipped my mind that the people here aren't as physically affectionate as Americans.

"Hrm. Well, that doesn't really make him a bad dad, does it?" I tried to smoothly recover. "Head pats are great! I love head pats."

She nodded into my shoulder, hugging me tighter. "He… worked really hard for everyone. He… tried really hard to protect me and my brothers, too. But…"

I really should learn to keep my big mouth shut. "...Your dad sounds like he was a lot nicer than mine."

"…Really?"

"Yeah."I rested my chin on her shoulder, talking as casually as I could. "My dad wasn't a very huggy person either- though rather than it just being his "way of doing things" it was mostly due to his lack of emotional capacity."

"Capaci… wha-?"

"Uh… basically, he did not emotions well?" To the point that he made me feel utterly useless for being so emotional. I know it wasn't purposeful, he was just trying to tell me not to let myself get walked on, but the way he phrased and said it still hurt. "Honestly, I think Sesshōmaru is doing a lot better than him in that regard. At least he just glares when he's angry, instead of straight-up shouting and saying a bunch of mean things. Though I'm starting to think Sesshomaru likes to bottle things up, which… isn't a good thing."

Rin pulled away then, looking up at me with concern. "Your dad shouted at you…?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, only when angry. And that mostly happened when I was little. My aunt was much worse." I flashed the girl a grin, trying to ease away some of the tension. We were nearing uncomfortable subject territory again. "You got hit by the villagers, right? My aunt and her daughter used to hit me a lot when I was kid. Thankfully, I don't see them anymore- and I refuse to hear anything about them, either."

Unfortunately, the damage from their abuse still lingered. I've gotten a lot better since coming here and meeting my friends, but there's still a lot to heal from.

Rin leaning back down to hug me again snapped me out of my thoughts, and I tilted my head to look at her- yet only got a faceful of long black hair. I blinked, confused by her actions. "Rin?"

"You… You don't have to go back to your dad or your aunt anymore!" Rin exclaimed, tightening her grip. "You can just stay with me and Lord Sesshōmaru forever, okay, Big Sister? You don't have to go back to any jerks like them!"

"...My dad yelled at me and said some pretty hurtful things, but he never hit me, Rin." I said softly, resting a hand on her head. "He did care. Just… not very obviously. He never knew how to communicate or empathize, but he did do his best to take care of me whenever I got sick."

"So what? He still hurt you!"

…That, I couldn't deny.

I just sat there in silence, letting Rin sit on my lap as she hugged me tight. After a while, I heard her murmur, "Lord Sesshōmaru would never hurt you, Big Sister."

When I said nothing in response to that, she sniffled and pulled away, rubbing at her face before climbing off my lap and standing up. She walked over to grab a fish.

Holding it up, she declared, "I'm still hungry!"

I couldn't help it. I snorted and burst out into a laugh. That had come out of nowhere. "Then eat! Don't starve yourself."

Rin took a big bite out of the fish.

The rest of the day was spent rather relaxedly, the two of us merely chatting and waiting with Ah-Un for for Sesshōmaru to return. I had washed my face at the river stream, and pulled out the toothbrush I had hidden with my rescue inside my kimono. After the girl had finished eating, Rin removed Ah-Un's muzzles so they could eat some of the fresh grass that was nearby. I watched her pick flowers, and after a while joined in to help her, and then together we set them carefully around the campfire.

It was… rather calming.

Also a bit unnerving, as I worried a demon might leap out of the bushes at one point to attack us- but it never happened. Not once. As we played with the flowers, Rin decided to teach me how to make flowers crowns. I wasn't very good at them, but I was now capable of making them nonetheless. Rin set one atop my head while I was fighting with a few stems that didn't want to tie properly.

I felt a little fancy, I'm not going to lie.

Yet even as I did all that, my breathing didn't get worse. My lungs were still intaking and exhaling oxygen properly. Too properly. They didn't wheeze, they didn't stutter. I felt no need or emergency to use my inhaler; my chest didn't hurt in the slightest. It genuinely felt as though my asthma was just… gone. I'm not sure how or why- maybe the tenseiga did more than just heal the wounds that caused my death?

Furrowing my brows, I pressed a hand to my chest.

Walking like this, it… felt so abnormally normal. I had spoken so much to Rin before falling asleep- there should be at least some sign of fatigue. I should be hurting.

But… I'm not.

When tenseiga brought me back to life and healed my wounds, did it… cure me, too?

That was when I remembered something.

Rin said that she had stopped talking after her family died. Now, though, she doesn't stop. She talks as much as she can, because she's scared of the silence. She also said she doesn't remember much after "something bad" happened.

Just that… she woke up, and Sesshōmaru was there.

Rin… did she die? Did he bring her back to life? That would explain so much. She tried to nurse him back to health and, after witnessing her death, this tiny little child who tried so hard to help a demon such as himself, had a change of heart and used tenseiga to save her.

That's why, instead of killing me when we met, he was willing to make a deal instead.

Tenseiga cured Rin of her muteness, and possibly cured me of my lung issues. Holy frick. There has to be some kind of limit to that sword's power. Reviving someone from the dead was one thing, but curing them of their wounds, disability, and even illness? That's a highly dangerous and impossible ability. Life was not something meant to be prolonged beyond a certain point.

It was unnatural.

Rin and I being alive now… it was going against nature itself. I just hoped it wasn't going to come back to bite us. I mean, if I was right about all this then thank the gods I wasn't going to have to worry about taking my medicine anymore, but… at the same time- it was worrying. Having our lives restored, with us at peak health, isn't going to send some grim reaper type of demon after us, right?

"Big Sister!" Rin called, catching my attention as she grabbed Ah-Un by the reins. "I'm going to go feed Ah-Un some nice, juicy grass. Do you want to come with?"

"...Wait, you mean leave the campsite?"

She blinked. "Yes? It's okay if we go a little bit aways from camp. Lord Sesshōmaru can always find us by our scent, or we can just make our way back here later. Maybe we can find something for dinner! Do you like mushrooms, Big Sister? What about berries? Do you like sweet or sour ones? What about bitter berries? Master Jaken likes the bitter ones more than the sour, but I really like the sweet ones."

"I'll eat whatever." I answered honestly, glancing around the area nervously before getting up to go walk with her. At times like these, I wish I had Inuyasha's or even Shippō's sense of smell. "I'm… not that much of a picky eater- at least, not anymore. But I do like mushrooms. And bitter things. I'm not a big sweets person."

"You liked the melon, though!"

"I did. But it was also really refreshing to eat when I was literally dying."

Rin just pouted at me. "I think you just like melons."

"I think you like sweet things."

"Well, that's because I do!"

Ah-Un let out a noise, and Rin stopped to let them chew on some grass again, the girl letting out a small giggle. It felt so odd, having such a leisurely day. Maybe it's because I spent most of my time asleep on Kirara's back, and only really woke up when something was happening, but it felt like my friends and I got attacked nearly every other day. It made standing in the forest without any real means for protection a bit unnerving.

Sure, I can use the Shikigami- and, yes, Ah-Un probably knows how to fight… but…

I'm hardly a fighter. I could barely fend off Kohaku on a good day, nonetheless kill a demon. I might be able to distract the enemies long enough for Rin to take Ah-Un and run away, but outside of that I wouldn't be much help. I wasn't like Jaken, with his Staff of Two Heads, or a powerful demon lord like Sesshōmaru. I wasn't even as physically strong as Sango or Kagome.

To make matters worse, using the Shikigami wears me out pretty quickly. Or, at least, it did while my severe asthma was still a factor. Hmm. I'm not really sure about how it'll affect me now. I have so many questions and so little answers, and double the concerns.

"I wish Sesshōmaru would hurry up and come back…" I sighed, folding my arms over my chest as I leaned against a tree. I suppressed an urge to shiver, a breeze reminding me once more of my missing sleeves and pants legs. "I'd feel safer if he was here…"

"He'll come back soon." Rin promised, seemingly convinced. She cooed at Ah-Un and pat their necks, watching as they munched on the tall grass at their feet. "I'm sure he's worried about you."

"...Hah?"

"You know," She grinned up at me, "because he likes you."

Bah. "Rin, sweetie, I adore you, but he doesn't like me. Not… as much as you think, anyways. He's just tolerating me."

"I dunno." She looked up thoughtfully at that. "I think he tolerates Master Jaken more than he does you."

"...Fair point. But still. I'm not exactly one of his people." He has servants and enemies and a daughter. I don't fit into either of those categories. "I don't think he necessarily considers me an ally or a friend, Rin."

Rin looked frustrated at that, her face twisting as she tried and failed to come up with an argument. After a minute, she huffed and puffed out her cheeks, and then suddenly lit up- her eyes bright with realization. She whirled her head around, beaming at me. "That just makes you special, then!"

Oh my gods. She is trying so hard. It almost hurts to watch. "I… appreciate the thought? But… I sincerely doubt that, Rin."

"I'm telling you, he- oh, whatever!" Rin turned back to Ah-Un. She moved over to rest a hand against the two-headed dragon's side, pointing her free hand at me. "Can you believe her? Big Sister is more stubborn than a bull demon! Lord Sesshōmaru worked really hard to save her, and she still thinks he doesn't like her! Even though he was so worried she wouldn't wake up…"

"...Wait, what?" I stood up a bit straighter at that, attention very much caught. "What do you mean?"

Rin gave me a look. "I'm not so sure I should tell you. It's not like you'd believe me."

Um, wow, okay.

I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me. "Rin…"

"Hmph. He was so happy when he saw you smile, he didn't know what to do with himself. But Big Sister is stubborn, and acting as blind as Master jaken."

"Rin…" My cheeks were starting to burn such a bright red, it felt like my face had accidentally lit itself on fire. "Wh-What are you talking about?"

"You saw him, but you didn't notice a thing!"

This conversation was going to be the cause of my second death, I swear, and I don't know if tenseiga can revive someone more than once. Good lord. Child, why must you say these things? I'm going to lose my mind. "Rin, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't!" She huffed. Rin frowned, nearly glaring at me. "Lord Sesshōmaru was very angry when those demons tried to snatch you away, you know? And when he used his sword on you, he knelt down to make sure you were okay. I've never seen him so worried before! And when you woke up and smiled…" She looked down, fiddling with Ah-Un's strands of black hair. "He was really happy."

Damn it. I think I've lost this argument. "...Well, when you say stuff like that…"

"You… have a really pretty smile, Big Sister."

"...Thank you?" A bit random, but I'll take the compliment.

"I think… Lord Sesshōmaru was worried he wouldn't get to see it again."

For a moment, my brain short-circuited.

When it recovered, I took a step back and blinked, feeling the corners of my lips rise in a flustered yet baffled grin. This was the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I pointed dumbly at myself. "M-My… smile? You think he was worried he wouldn't get to see my smile?"

Rin just nodded, looking up at me quietly before glancing back at Ah-Un. The dragon stopped chewing, turning their heads to observe the tiny human at their side. "After you woke up and smiled at him… he seemed a lot calmer. When you spoke to him, too- his eyes were really warm. That's… how I know he likes you, and why I think he really likes your smile, too."

Okay, so… either Rin is really observant or she's just really wishful and imaginative.

I'm… getting the most wild and ridiculous feeling that it's the first one, though, because her words were reminding me of that odd favor Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha's father had asked of me. I was expecting something dangerous, something that would take quite a lot of effort to do, and yet… instead of fighting a demon or locating a jewel shard or anything of the sort, he just…

He had just told me to smile.

That was it. I didn't understand it at all.

But… if what Rin is saying is actually true, then- nah. It can't be. The real reason why Sesshōmaru revived me; it can't be because I smiled at him all the time, can it? It was just something I did, whether in a good mood or in a nervous panic. It was just an instinctive thing. Like right now, in my awkwardness over this whole embarrassing conversation. It's so hard for me to not smile.

He didn't bring me back to life just to see me smile again… right?

I mean, this is Sesshōmaru we're talking about.

Damn it, this is making my heart flutter. Urgh. Why must he be so confusing?

Puffing out my cheeks, I pressed my palms to either side of my burning red face, worrying my bottom lip as I tried to make sense of this conversation while simultaneously getting my poor racing heart to calm down. "O-Okay. So… say I believe you, Rin. H-How… I don't know- it's not like he'll ever say it. He said he revived me because he hated the smell of my blood! What on earth makes you think he'd ever admit to reviving me for my smile?"

It seems so ridiculous, and made me feel even more ridiculous saying it out loud.

"I never said he'd admit to it." Rin stated, raising a brow at me, putting Ah-Un's muzzle back on with practiced ease. "I'm just saying that that's why he did it."

I gaped at her, and realized very quickly that this girl was far more clever than she let on. Children really were the one type of people you couldn't underestimate. Shippō was also quite observant- far more so than our favorite local half-demon, Inuyasha. Unfortunately, Rin knew Sesshōmaru way better than I did, having been traveling with him longer, which meant she knew how to read him.

I have no choice but to believe her, ludicrous as her words sound.

Groaning and letting out a heavy, defeated sigh, I smacked a hand to my face. "I give up… you win."

"Hehe." Climbing atop of Ah-Un, situating herself on their saddle, she let out a giggle. "I know! Now let's get back to camp! Ah-Un must be thirsty after eating all that grass. Who knows- Lord Sesshōmaru might even return soon!"

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