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Sesshoumaru must have come close to dozing off, for when he opened his eyes, the sky was already lightening, and the girl was sitting only a few yards away, watching him with a pleased look on her face. He looked at her, but said nothing, and then got up to go wake Jaken.
Jaken was obviously less than pleased that the girl was still there, standing in silence with a small smile on her face as she waited for them to move. Sesshoumaru began to walk, followed by Jaken and the dragon, and still trailed by the girl behind. She followed closer than she had at the beginning of the day before, but not as closely as she had during the night.
"Sesshoumaru-sama--"
"I am aware of that, Jaken."
"Why does it not bother you that the human's still there?"
"And why does it bother you? As you pointed out, you're not the one she's following. If she annoys you so, feel free to chose another path, but don't advise me as to what I should do."
"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama."
The rolling grasses soon ran into a forest as they walked, a forest filled with many things, Sesshoumaru noted. Lower youkai generally preferred areas that they could control, and were reluctant to haunt the hills and grasslands where they could be easily surrounded and killed by humans. The forest was like many other woods--a few things about, but the area was certainly not dark with youki or overrun, and most humans wouldn't have thought twice about going in. Most that went in would probably come out as well.
They walked through the woods for many hours without incidence. There was probably nothing in the woods that would dare to approach him, anyway.
"Look, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken suddenly exclaimed, pointing up ahead.
A large, reptilian looking thing was skulking slightly beside the worn path, almost blending into the foliage. A human would probably fail to notice it until it was too late, but it was not inconspicuous to the sharp senses of another youkai. Sesshoumaru merely continued on. If it attacked him, it was much, much, stupider than it looked. As they approached, Sesshoumaru glanced at the thing, his face expressionless. He guessed that it could probably speak, but he was not about to converse with it. It continued watching them, but shrank back as Sesshoumaru neared; it could clearly sense what lay beneath his surface, and had no intentions of picking a losing battle. Its eyes slid past them and back to the path.
Sesshoumaru noticed this and turned his head just enough so that he could see the girl out of the corner of one eye. "Catch up if you don't want to get eaten."
"But Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken protested. Sesshoumaru ignored him.
The girl instantly obeyed, and was soon only a few feet behind him. An angry noise a few steps ahead made the girl realize that the creature was there, and she jumped behind Sesshoumaru's leg, walking beside it until the thing was long out of sight. He didn't tell her to step back after that, and she didn't. She never walked behind again.
Which clearly infuriated Jaken. So much so that he moved as they walked, putting Sesshoumaru and the dragon between himself and the girl. He was silent until they rested that night, when he began talking and wouldn't shut up. The girl was already asleep, apparently exhausted from the day.
"May I respectfully ask you something, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
Sesshoumaru looked at Jaken, who was speaking directly, but not letting his already known personal feelings about the girl come into it. "You may."
"What do you intend to do with her, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Do with her?"
"For whatever reason, she's not going to stop following you, short of knocking her on the head and leaving her in some village. And if she keeps it up as is, she's going to drop dead, which, for whatever reason, you don't seem to want."
Sesshoumaru considered this. "Then I shall keep her for a while."
"What?! Why?"
"I want to know why she's following me, among curious other things."
"But it's not proper for a youkai lord such as yourself! And think of all that you'll have to do, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken was beginning to get upset.
"I decide what is and is not proper for myself, Jaken."
"But--Sesshoumaru-sama! A useless human?"
Then Jaken began rambling, only finally stopping in order to go to sleep. Sesshoumaru had quietly ignored him for the most part, but actually considered some of Jaken's words while he sat up that night. Sesshoumaru looked at the girl, who slept a few feet away, once again curled up. He hated to admit it, but Jaken was right, at least about a few things. She would definitely have to be watched, as they didn't always travel through the tamest parts of the country. Even youkai who would never dare to quarrel with him, or even Jaken, weren't above taking something from them if they thought they could get it.
And then there was the matter of food. Humans had to eat every day, or at least they should. He wondered how long it had been since she had eaten. Probably at least as long as she had been following him. Now that he considered it, he was amazed at how determined she was to keep up with him, which only added to his curiosity. With his fast pace and her apparent lack of food, she should have tired out long ago. And clothing. He supposed that he would have to get her some new clothes, if for no other reason than to be able to stand her. Sesshoumaru looked at her torn and dirtied rags. The smell of blood was bad enough when she was behind him, but since the afternoon, he was beginning to wonder if she even had a scent of her own besides that of blood. They would probably also have to stop more for rest and sleep, since the girl would need even more of it than Jaken. Which wasn't really that much of a problem, since Sesshoumaru was rarely on a schedule to answer to others, if ever.
She would be a small burden, ever how long he kept her. But all things considered, Sesshoumaru didn't think that her presence would severely hinder him. Plus, the girl annoyed Jaken, which was always fun.