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To Fulfill One's Destiny
Chapter 10- Foreboding Silences
And so Maria was on her way to the well and the small battle there . . .
But at the last minute she turned and jogged to the tent.
Quizzically, Sesshomaru followed, only to hear muffled whispers.
"!Mami!"
"Shh, todo es bien, míja, estoy aquí."
"Quiero ir contigo."
After some shuffling, Maria emerged with Rin seated on her right hip. The sleepy girl yawned drowsily, and immediately turned to Sesshomaru, who was standing there beside them.
"Sesshy-sama"
The dog demon gingerly picked the little girl up in response to her outstretched arms. Allowing her to revel in his attention, he closed his eyes momentarily to feel her tiny fingers explore his face and hair. He really had gone too soft because of her, but he knew no solution to the problem and really didn't wish to find one besides.
Opening his eyes, he disentangled himself from his ward and handed her to her adoptive mother, who had turned away in the meantime to let the taiyoukai indulge her daughter without sacrificing his pride.
Rin uttered a small "Arigatou" before resting her head on Maria's shoulder and falling asleep again.
Watching the pair of females move towards the forest and the hot spring hidden there, he allowed his mind to drift of its own accord.
So much time had passed that he had ceased to count it anymore. He carefully watched his ward and her mother from a distance most of the time, and often returned to his palace to check on the state of things.
Maria had gradually limited the visits to her time to a few times a month, sending her schoolwork with and receiving it from Kagome when her friend traveled through the well on her own.
A smile ghosted his lips.
The girl adapted well to her new responsibility. Instincts had taken over where her experience was green, and she acted like an experienced mother at times. He winced almost imperceptibly.
It had done nothing, however, to take the edge off her personality.
Training her also had its consequences, his arm was black and blue for a day after a ill-timed surprise attack. And that was in the beginning stages.
She had unusual strength for a female human, to be sure, but her attitude was as forceful and her temperament was possibly more dangerous.
She was mostly quiet and temperate, but if provoked the right way, she could unleash a controlled fury to rival the seven hells of the underworld. Protective of those she loved and always ready to fight for them, her growing skill engendered rumors of a human with demon strength in the demon world. This had made demons a little more cautious in attacking human villages, since they had no idea what this human looked like or even if it existed.
What would they say if they found Maria to be the reason for the myth?
She was a different kind, to be sure, but she had her perks.
Sometimes, she was friendly and open, unable to hold a small grudge for long and often acting on her childish impulses such as jumping into water fully clothed, racing off to spin in circles with Rin, or weaving crowns of flowers and the like.
She disciplined Rin when she had to (not very often) and engaged in verbal battles with him (almost hourly). She spent the peaceful days teaching Rin from books Kagome's mother had sent- though he was skeptical at first- and spoke to Rin in interchanging languages. Now, the three of them (he included) had become pretty fluent in Japanese, English, and Spanish (though he'd wanted no part of it to begin with.) Rin often practiced by speaking in English to Kagome, Spanish to Maria, and Japanese with everyone else. Sometimes, she spoke in Spanish to Sesshomaru by accident, but it caused him no real irritation.
Why, when he allowed his thoughts to wander, did they settle on her so often?
She is my ward's mother, therefore, she is also my ward in a way.
His thoughts drifted to her physical attributes, and his cheek flushed ever so slightly.
So she is attractive. More the reason to make sure some demon doesn't attack her.
It really wasn't that true. Most of the time, she could take care of herself. He himself had seen her fell many demons on her own in battle, and her constant watchfulness could be attributed to motherhood, as well as her sharp perceptiveness-knowing when Rin needed her, when Kagome was sad and Inuyasha was hiding something, when Sango was hurt by Miroku's lecherousness and said monk was deep in thought about the demon huntress he was secretly in love with.
He wasn't out of her radar either. It often secretly surprised him how she could instantly respond to questions he hadn't asked and know exactly when something was on his mind.
She, however, was as emotional as the others, though she didn't openly express it.
He had seen her walk off on her own, watched her as she secretly wept in the night, her dreams haunted by demons seemingly more frightening than the Lord of the Western Lands. Her rage in battle was completely protective of others, he had the growing suspicion that if she didn't have Rin so dependent on her, she would have allowed herself to be killed a long time ago.
That would not happen of course. Not as long as he remained as bound to the two humans as he was at the moment. No harm would come to either.
That feeling again
He straightened into a state of alertness.
It's been with me all through the night past and this morning. This foreboding sense of danger.
It was then he'd noticed that his acute hearing had not picked up any sound of splashing water or even of rustling trees from the forest named after his brother.
The forest his protectorates had entered into some time ago.
No sound at all.
To Fulfill One's Destiny
Chapter 10- Foreboding Silences
And so Maria was on her way to the well and the small battle there . . .
But at the last minute she turned and jogged to the tent.
Quizzically, Sesshomaru followed, only to hear muffled whispers.
"!Mami!"
"Shh, todo es bien, míja, estoy aquí."
"Quiero ir contigo."
After some shuffling, Maria emerged with Rin seated on her right hip. The sleepy girl yawned drowsily, and immediately turned to Sesshomaru, who was standing there beside them.
"Sesshy-sama"
The dog demon gingerly picked the little girl up in response to her outstretched arms. Allowing her to revel in his attention, he closed his eyes momentarily to feel her tiny fingers explore his face and hair. He really had gone too soft because of her, but he knew no solution to the problem and really didn't wish to find one besides.
Opening his eyes, he disentangled himself from his ward and handed her to her adoptive mother, who had turned away in the meantime to let the taiyoukai indulge her daughter without sacrificing his pride.
Rin uttered a small "Arigatou" before resting her head on Maria's shoulder and falling asleep again.
Watching the pair of females move towards the forest and the hot spring hidden there, he allowed his mind to drift of its own accord.
So much time had passed that he had ceased to count it anymore. He carefully watched his ward and her mother from a distance most of the time, and often returned to his palace to check on the state of things.
Maria had gradually limited the visits to her time to a few times a month, sending her schoolwork with and receiving it from Kagome when her friend traveled through the well on her own.
A smile ghosted his lips.
The girl adapted well to her new responsibility. Instincts had taken over where her experience was green, and she acted like an experienced mother at times. He winced almost imperceptibly.
It had done nothing, however, to take the edge off her personality.
Training her also had its consequences, his arm was black and blue for a day after a ill-timed surprise attack. And that was in the beginning stages.
She had unusual strength for a female human, to be sure, but her attitude was as forceful and her temperament was possibly more dangerous.
She was mostly quiet and temperate, but if provoked the right way, she could unleash a controlled fury to rival the seven hells of the underworld. Protective of those she loved and always ready to fight for them, her growing skill engendered rumors of a human with demon strength in the demon world. This had made demons a little more cautious in attacking human villages, since they had no idea what this human looked like or even if it existed.
What would they say if they found Maria to be the reason for the myth?
She was a different kind, to be sure, but she had her perks.
Sometimes, she was friendly and open, unable to hold a small grudge for long and often acting on her childish impulses such as jumping into water fully clothed, racing off to spin in circles with Rin, or weaving crowns of flowers and the like.
She disciplined Rin when she had to (not very often) and engaged in verbal battles with him (almost hourly). She spent the peaceful days teaching Rin from books Kagome's mother had sent- though he was skeptical at first- and spoke to Rin in interchanging languages. Now, the three of them (he included) had become pretty fluent in Japanese, English, and Spanish (though he'd wanted no part of it to begin with.) Rin often practiced by speaking in English to Kagome, Spanish to Maria, and Japanese with everyone else. Sometimes, she spoke in Spanish to Sesshomaru by accident, but it caused him no real irritation.
Why, when he allowed his thoughts to wander, did they settle on her so often?
She is my ward's mother, therefore, she is also my ward in a way.
His thoughts drifted to her physical attributes, and his cheek flushed ever so slightly.
So she is attractive. More the reason to make sure some demon doesn't attack her.
It really wasn't that true. Most of the time, she could take care of herself. He himself had seen her fell many demons on her own in battle, and her constant watchfulness could be attributed to motherhood, as well as her sharp perceptiveness-knowing when Rin needed her, when Kagome was sad and Inuyasha was hiding something, when Sango was hurt by Miroku's lecherousness and said monk was deep in thought about the demon huntress he was secretly in love with.
He wasn't out of her radar either. It often secretly surprised him how she could instantly respond to questions he hadn't asked and know exactly when something was on his mind.
She, however, was as emotional as the others, though she didn't openly express it.
He had seen her walk off on her own, watched her as she secretly wept in the night, her dreams haunted by demons seemingly more frightening than the Lord of the Western Lands. Her rage in battle was completely protective of others, he had the growing suspicion that if she didn't have Rin so dependent on her, she would have allowed herself to be killed a long time ago.
That would not happen of course. Not as long as he remained as bound to the two humans as he was at the moment. No harm would come to either.
That feeling again
He straightened into a state of alertness.
It's been with me all through the night past and this morning. This foreboding sense of danger.
It was then he'd noticed that his acute hearing had not picked up any sound of splashing water or even of rustling trees from the forest named after his brother.
The forest his protectorates had entered into some time ago.
No sound at all.