Dan-dhin

1

Sesshomaru led his troupe south into new territory. When he was satisfied that he had put enough distance between them and Misha's previous life, he slowed their pace again leaving Rin and Misha much more free time to spend together. There were few demons in the area and they were at least two days away from a human settlement. Sesshomaru wanted to avoid humans for now. He was sure that Rin had been traumatized, but having Misha with her seemed to appease the child; even make her happy.

Sesshomaru would watch Rin with Misha, mostly from a distance. Jaken was his ears when it came to the women. Most nights Misha would go to sleep with Rin, her arm always wrapped protectively around the child. Jaken would talk with Sesshomaru, filling him on what his wards had done that day. Misha was teaching Rin how to identify plants, songs that she could remember from when she was a child, and even how to write her name. Sesshomaru was pleased with her tutelage.

Misha also told Rin stories about what she called the pantheon of gods. It appeared that Misha's people had some foolish kami; always vexing each other and too involved with humans. Sesshomaru supposed that the kami Artemis, Misha's kami, was sensible enough. From what he gleamed from Jaken's reports, Artemis didn't like human males very much and her punishments on them were harsh. A good kami for a young woman to have.

The moon began to grow again and even the evenings were hot. Sesshomaru noticed that on some nights after Rin fell asleep Misha would go sit by herself and look at the moon. Sometimes it looked like she was talking to herself; praying to her kami in the moon. Sesshomaru had kept his distance from Misha and their encounters were always brief and cursory. Though the woman acted completely subservient, there was something in her eyes that almost unnerved him. Rin had marveled over him when he had first resurrected her as well, but being a child she was quick to accept him as her lord and protector and get over it. Misha was not a child though. He wondered if what he saw in her eyes was fear, or fascination, or both.

The moon was nearly to half when Sesshomaru arrived late one night. Jaken and Rin were asleep beside a snuffed fire; Misha was sitting further up the hill staring up at the moon. She seemed to be sitting by herself more frequently lately, Sesshomaru wondered why. Outwardly she didn't seem stressed, but he had noticed that if he stood too close to her Misha's heart rate would often accelerate. Jaken hadn't noticed a problem with Misha's behavior at all and Rin was the happiest he had ever seen her. If Misha really was alright, then why was she spending more nights talking to the moon? He moved past the campsite and up the hill to where Misha was sitting. He could hear her humming Rin's silly song about him again. "Misha," he commanded her attention.

Misha ceased humming immediately and turned toward the sound of Sesshomaru's voice. "Sesshomaru," she greeted getting to her feet.

Sesshomaru came a little closer, but left enough distance between them that he wouldn't frighten her. He could clearly see her in the wash of moonlight, her large eyes watching him carefully. "How fared Rin today?" he asked, keeping it simple as usual.

Misha smiled at the child's name. "She had a wonderful day. She and Jaken went fishing this afternoon. I guess that's why they're both asleep now. They wore themselves out." Misha's smile broadened at the memory of Rin and Jaken splashing around in the stream.

Sesshomaru took note of the smile and nodded. She hadn't smiled at him since he revived her; he took it as a good sign. The woman would come to accept things in time, it would just take longer for her then it did for Rin. "I think that you have a way of wearing them out, it seems you keep Rin quite busy."

Misha straightened and her smile fell away. "I never went to school, but I can teach her what I know." She dropped her eyes. It was hard to look at Sesshomaru for too long, epically if he were looking at her. Jaken had explained to her that Sesshomaru had used Tenseiga to revive all three of them that followed him now. It was hard to believe that was the act of a demon, harder to believe that he wasn't a god.

She hides her eyes from me… "Jaken tells me she can write her name," Sesshomaru tried to draw Misha into conversation, to force her to talk to him. The sooner she got used to him the better. He knew he could get answers about Rin from her, but he wanted to get her to talk to him about the child.

Misha nodded looking past Sesshomaru to where Rin was sleeping. "Yes, she's done it three times now."

He noticed the woman's large eyes soften some as she looked for Rin in the dim light. She seemed proud of Rin's accomplishment. Sesshomaru didn't care either way for the simplistic scratches the mortals called a language, but Rin should probably learn to read and write if she could. "Is that good?" he asked.

"Very good," Misha assured Sesshomaru. Her eyes had found Rin and fixed on her.

Sesshomaru frowned a little. This was turning into just another Q and A about 'what Rin did today'. The woman wasn't even looking at him when he spoke. He took a couple of quick steps forward meaning to command her attention. "Misha," he started, but the rest died on his lips. Misha had startled when Sesshomaru had moved closer and she was watching him large unnerving eyes. He heard her heart pounding stronger in her chest then it had been a moment ago. Sesshomaru continued walking toward Misha. The closer he got, the more he could sense her apprehension. He fixed his eyes on hers to hold her at complete attention. "You are afraid of me? Is that it?"

Misha felt like the cricket in the spider web. She couldn't move and Sesshomaru was closing in on her. "No, of course not," she tried to stay calm, but the distance between them was shrinking rapidly.

He could smell the chemicals changing in the woman's scent. Misha was beyond nervous, likely on her way to panic, but Sesshomaru kept walking toward her. "You say that you are not afraid, but I can sense otherwise. Demons can smell fear you know."

Misha watched frozen as Sesshomaru came to a halt just over an arms reach in front of her. "I…" but she had no words.

"Why is it that you should be afraid of me? Have I not been most kind to you Misha," It was hard to keep the irritation out of his voice. The truth was it would be harder to protect her if she were afraid of him. Even in life when she could have asked for his help, she had not .The result was her death, an incident that Sesshomaru did not want to see repeated.

"Yes Sesshomaru, most kind," she said as she pulled her eyes away from him and bowed slightly.

The bow was polite, but also convenient for breaking eye contact. "Haven't I given you what you want? You are with Rin now, you are safe. I will not allow any harm to come to either of you. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, of course…"

Sesshomaru cut her off sharply. "Look at me when I'm talking to you Misha."

Misha's snapped her attention back to Sesshomaru immediately. Though his tone of voice had only changed slightly, she knew it was a command. Misha reached up and grabbed at the collar of her warn kimono, nervously. "Yes Sesshomaru."

He had frightened her even further, which annoyed him, but he had her eyes again. "I am not going to hurt you; I will protect your life as it pleases me to do so. There is much that you can do for Rin. That should be reason enough for me to protect you."

Misha blinked at Sesshomaru letting his words sink in. "Protect me… and Rin?" it was hard finding her voice. Sesshomaru was frowning a little. He looked quite cross.

"Yes Misha," Sesshomaru sighed out some frustration. "It is my duty to look after you. It is I that denied you your death."

"You gave me life Sesshomaru! Yet you insist that you-"

"I am not a kami Misha, I am a demon."

Misha shrank a little. "But your so…"

Sesshomaru shook his head. "I am the demon Sesshomaru, Lord of these Western Lands. I do not know your kami, but I can tell you that she certainly was not my mother. I am not a kami, I am not a son of the moon, and I am not going to hurt you. Do you understand me Misha?"

Misha was stunned by the way Sesshomaru addressed all of her concerns at once. Though he was still scowling, the gleam in his eye seemed to soften. It suddenly became clear to her what Sesshomaru wanted. He expected her to look after Rin of course, but that wasn't all. Sesshomaru wanted to conversate with Misha, he wanted to know more then just how many times Rin wrote her name. He had genuine intrest in the child's development and wanted to know just what Misha was teaching her. Sesshomaru didn't want a nanny; he wanted a companion for the child that he could understand. "Yes Sesshomaru," she said with a nod.

The woman seemed to be calming. He had made himself perfectly clear. As he looked at her Sesshomaru thought now might be a good time to ask a few questions, to make her keep talking to him. "Your kami seems to favor females does she not?"

"Yes, Artemis is very protective of her purity. Perhaps Jaken relayed the story of Actaeon to you? I told it to him the other night."

"What story would that be?" He wanted to keep her talking.

"Actaeon came upon Artemis and her nymphs bathing. She was so furious that he had seen her nakedness she turned him into a stag and set his own hounds upon him."

Sesshomaru folded his arms across his chest. "Sounds a bit harsh to me. Tell me, what does this kami expect from her followers?" He supposed it would be good to know ahead of time if she gave sacrifice to her goddess.

Misha smiled a little, her nerves had lost their edge. "Well, nothing really. That is, nothing much different from any miko."

"You remain pure for your goddess?" He could remember Misha's words in the clearing… You mustn't touch me Sesshomaru, the goddess forbids it.

"Well, yes," Misha answered blushing a little. "The followers of Artemis are not to be touched or seen by any man lest they decide to marry."

"And does that rule apply to me as well? What if I must move you out of harms way? Is that acceptable touching?"

Misha realized Sesshomaru was trying to establish their boundaries, but this topic of conversation was slightly embarrassing. "Yes, that's fine. I'll certainly do my best not to get in your way."

Sesshomaru was beginning to see the bigger picture. "I see." It was good to know that he could move her out of the way if he needed to without sending her into a panic. "Aside from that, it is your practice that I have no physical contact with you, is that correct?"

Misha nodded. She could feel her cheeks burning. "Yes. The goddess forbids any man to touch me."

Sesshomaru nodded. "I see." He knew that some of her anxiety had something to do with his proximity, now he understood why. Her beliefs would be easy enough to accommodate. It wasn't as if he ever got that close to her. He could tell this was an uncomfortable subject for Misha. He was sure the worship of her kami made her look even more like a witch to the ignorant humans. He turned away from her and looked up at the moon. "Why is it you worship this kami? What does she do to protect you?"

Misha smiled at Sesshomaru and looked up at the moon herself. "Well, she sent me you didn't she?"

2

Jaken lay back yawning, tucking his hand under his head. He was watching Lord Sesshomaru and Misha standing together on top of the hill looking at the moon. It was a site Jaken was becoming used too as the weeks slipped by. Misha kept Rin very busy during the day, and Jaken too if he had not gone with his master. It was easier for him to let Misha gush over Rin's accomplishments to Lord Sesshomaru. The little ghoul had noticed that his masters evening chats with Misha had progressively become longer, sometimes Jaken would doze off before Lord Sesshomaru would take his leave and disappear into the night.

Mostly they talked about Rin. Misha often repeated the stories to Sesshomaru that she had told to Rin or Jaken. Lord Sesshomaru seemed satisfied with the way Misha was influencing the child. Jaken was quite comfortable himself. Though Lord Sesshomaru now spent most evenings visits with Misha, because the woman was with Rin Jaken got to go with Sesshomaru more and more frequently during the day. Jaken yawned again and let his eyes fall closed. Misha's voice was carried to his ears on a warm breeze. …on the spice route for a long time…Jaken drifted off to sleep.

Misha was in particularly high spirits tonight. She had a good day with Rin, even took her swimming for a while. On the sandy shore Rin practiced writing her name. Rin had wanted to learn how to write Sesshomaru but Misha didn't know how to make the kanji. She could remember most of the alphabet from her native land, though there were some characters from a completely different language in her memory. She wrote 'Sesshomaru' in the sand the best she could. Rin seemed pleased.

Misha started up at the moon, it was almost full. "We traveled on the spice route for a long time. My mama and Iri taught me to write some things. Iri was Japu's wife. They were from the land of Ethiopia. Their skin was even darker then my papas." Misha rubbed at her arms that had progressively taken on a deeper tan under the hot summer sun. Summer was when she had been picked on the most by the fairer Asian children she got stuck in the village with.

Sesshomaru nodded. He found the diversity of humans she talked about almost interesting. Perhaps the reason for the humans in his territory being so small minded was that they had never seen the world as a whole. Misha had seen much as a child, people were people to her. There was no prejudice in her heart. From the corner of his eye he noticed her self-consciously rubbing at her arms. He didn't need to see her in daylight to know that her skin was changing color. Her arm across Rin at night as they slept made the child look very white in comparison. It didn't smell like anything was wrong with her, but where the sun touched her, her skin has become like bronze. Sesshomaru shifted his eyes to Misha. "The sun colors your people doesn't it Misha?"

Misha smiled a little. "You noticed too hmm? Yes, but Rin doesn't seem to mind. She thinks my sun stripes are funny."

"Sun stripes?" Sesshomaru had never heard of such a thing.

The blood rushed to Misha's face. "Well, you see where I stay covered from the sun is lighter then the rest of me…"

He sensed the scent of the woman beside him change slightly. Apparently even asking her to explain something about her body made her nervous. "I see," he said and looked back at the moon. With his eyes off of her she started to calm down. "It is good that Rin see that some people are different. She is a very accepting child."

Misha nodded and let her hands fall to her sides. There was no need to try to rub her tan off anymore. "Yes," Misha sighed smiling a little. "Rin is wonderful."

3

Sesshomaru sent Jaken on a mission. His servant was sent to find a more suitable kimono for Misha. The kimono she wore was old and faded; Jaken had agreed that Misha should be better dressed while traveling in the company of one as great as Lord Sesshomaru. Jaken had still not returned, but Misha was occupying Rin's morning with a hunt for various plants. Sesshomaru saw the golden opportunity for a nap and he took it. He settled himself against the broad trunk of a shady tree and let himself relax. He closed his eyes and let the sounds of the forest around him fill up his senses. He could hear Rin's voice in the distance. He didn't focus on what she was saying, he was feeling far too sleepy now, but she sounded happy. There wasn't even as much as a trace of a scent of another mortal or demon on the wind. The females were perfectly safe. Sesshomaru let out a deep breath and let himself fall asleep.

The sun climbed higher into the sky heating the day. Sesshomaru slept lightly until just past the noon hour when voices roused him from sleep. First he heard Jaken; "You should be most grateful to Lord Sesshomaru for being so concerned about your well being Misha." And then he heard Misha, "Oh yes Jaken san! Sesshomaru is most kind." What is this praise all about now? A little irritated to be waken to such heat Sesshomaru opened his eyes. Jaken was walking in the lead, Rin had stopped to inspect a plant and Misha was watching her. Misha? Sesshomaru noticed the different kimono at once. Misha no longer wore her faded kimono, Jaken had returned with a fine new one. It was white with delicate pink cherry blossoms on the sleeves; her obe was the same pale pink. Misha had also twisted her hair up and held it in place with a large comb. She had gone from looking like the refugee she was to a more proper lady in the course of his nap. Sesshomaru approved of Jaken's choice. Not only the white serve as a symbol of Misha's purity, it would also make it easier to watch her from further away, even in the dark. Even at this distance he could see clearly how the kimono stood out against her tanned skin.

Jaken spotted Sesshomaru a few steps further into the woods. "Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken called out to him and waved. "Now is your chance to thank Lord Sesshomaru Misha," he said commanding Misha's attention away from Rin.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin called getting up. She skirted past Misha toward Jaken. Misha's eyes skipped ahead of Rin to Sesshomaru.

All eyes fell on the groggy demon. He frowned a little knowing that for now, nap time was over. He watched Rin weave between Misha and Jaken and come running to him. She stopped a short distance from his feet. "What a beautiful tree you've found Lord Sesshomaru!"

"Rin!" Jaken chide from behind. "Don't bother Lord Sesshomaru! He doesn't need you pestering him in this heat!"

"I'm not pestering him master Jaken, right Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru flat eyed all three of them. They froze where they were, all at his attention. He looked at Rin first. "Yes Rin, this tree is quite nice." He looked at Misha, then to Jaken, then back to Misha. "You approve of Jaken's choice for you Misha?"

Misha bowed a little. "It is the most beautiful thing that I have ever had."

Rin nodded enthusiastically. "Mmmhmm mmmhmm Misha looks really pretty!"

Sesshomaru looked at Rin. She was so excited to see Sesshomaru during the day she was practically squirming. "Do you know what's special about this tree Rin?"

Rin stared at Lord Sesshomaru with large eager eyes. Lord Sesshomaru was about to reveal a great secret to her. "What is it my lord?"

Sesshomaru fought off the urge to yawn. He hated the peak of the day. "You see Rin, this tree is wide enough so that you can lean against it," he paused and let her tiptoe over. She leaned against the tree, eyes still fixed on Sesshomaru as she settled back against the bark. "This tree is big enough to shade you from even the hottest sun."

"Yes my lord, it is very cool under this tree indeed. You're so smart Lord Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru sighed quietly. "The very best thing about this tree Rin is that it is the perfect place to listen. If you lean against this tree and be still you can hear all the sounds of the forest." It was mostly true, sounds did echo here. Rin nodded and closed her eyes. She let herself relax against the tree. Sesshomaru looked over at Misha. It was curious as to how something as simple as a change of clothes made Misha look so different. The kimono flattered her feminine features and dark skin. He nodded once approvingly and turned to Jaken. "Very good Jaken."

Jaken puffed with pride. "Thank you Lord Sesshomaru."

"Thank you both," Misha said and bowed again.

Sesshomaru let his eyes fall shut. "Hush now, this is the quiet tree remember?"

Jaken scurried to Sesshomaru's side. He sat in the grass by Sesshomaru's knee resting his staff beside him. Misha went around to Rin and sat beside her. Rin shifted her head so that it rest on Misha's shoulder. Sesshomaru listened to them fall asleep in the heat one by one. The wind bore no sign of trouble so Sesshomaru let himself drift back down into a light sleep.

4

When the worst of the heat wave was over, Sesshomaru turned them east. There were few demons, but human settlements peppered the area. They would see one from a distance sometimes, but that was as close as Sesshomaru would allow. Occasionally he detected other humans in the woods with them, but they were easy to avoid. He was leading his troupe down a grassy hill when Rin suddenly spoke up. "Oh no! My flowers!" she moaned from atop Ahun. "I must have dropped them when Ahun hopped over that log." She pointed to where the forest crept out into the hillside. "Back there."

Misha had been walking beside Rin listening intently. She turned back in the direction they had come. "I'll go get it. Go on and catch up to Sesshomaru." Misha patted Ahun on the thigh and took off back toward the woods.

Ahead of the group, Sesshomaru smelled Misha's scent retreating. He looked over his shoulder; Jaken close behind him, Rin riding on Ahun a little further back and Misha running into the woods. Sesshomaru stopped and turned around to face the others as Misha disappeared back into the patch of woods they had just left. "Jaken! What is she doing?" Sesshomaru barked. The demon had managed to steer them around most humans, but this afternoon he had sensed a small band of humans in the forest; four males, probably outlaws. They weren't close enough to be seen, but Sesshomaru could smell them. They smelled of road dirt and old blood. One of them spilled sake as Sesshomaru lifted his nose to sniff the air.

"Young Rin dropped something just over yonder me lord. Misha has gone to fetch it for her." Jaken shot Rin a hard look over his shoulder. "You should be thankful for that woman Rin. Humph! I dare say she babies you too much sometimes."

Rin looked away from Jaken to Lord Sesshomaru. He was looking into the trees where Misha had gone and her master was frowning. "Lord Sesshomaru?" she felt her heart sink a little.

Sesshomaru calculated the distance from Misha's scent to the band of humans. If Misha didn't turn back right now she was going to run right into them, but her scent continued to move further away. "Kuso," he growled under his breath moving forward past Jaken and Rin.

Jaken watched his master, confused. "Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Stay with Rin, Jaken," Sesshomaru ordered. He broke into a run for the trees. Ahead of him Misha would be running into the bandits. A second later, he heard her scream.

Through the trees he could see the white of Misha's kimono, and made straight for it. A man stood at either end of the path and two of them had closed in on Misha. One held her arm and the other had the front of her kimono in his fist as he leaned in toward her. Misha's eyes were clenched tightly shut as she turned her head away from the men holding her. Sesshomaru was to them in a flash. He ran straight through them grabbing Misha around the waist and snatching her away from the men. He moved them further up the trail and set Misha down. "Get behind me," he ordered dropping his hand to Tokijin's hilt.

Misha jumped behind Sesshomaru trying to understand what had just happened. Sesshomaru had just grabbed her away from those bad men…

"A demon!" one of the bandits alarmed.

"We aint got no business with a demon," the one who had been holding Misha's arm argued. He pointed past Sesshomaru to the wide eyed woman peeking over his shoulder. "We gots business wid the woman though. She didn't pay up!"

Sesshomaru glared at the mouthy human. "The woman has no money." He had no reason to banter with the humans, but he supposed slaughtering them in front of Misha might make her more distressed. He could smell the fear coming from her as Misha hid behind him.

The bandit that had been holding Misha by the front of the kimono spoke up. Sesshomaru could smell sake all over him as he exhaled. "We figured we just get her to pay what she owes pushin ass all night long!" he emphasized by gyrating his hips. His commerads howled with laughter and Misha shrunk further behind Sesshomaru.

"Filthy vermin," Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the drunk in disgust. In a flash he had unsheathed Tokijin. Misha was no longer in the way so Sesshomaru let the sword loose.

Misha watched from behind Sesshomaru as lightning flew from his sword. It struck the men that had cornered her just a moment ago, flickered, and then dispersed. The men fell to the ground dead as Sesshomaru sheathed his sword. She looked at the bodies with terrified eyes. Sesshomaru turned toward her; she rolled her eyes up at him.

"Misha, are you alright?" Sesshomaru was careful to sound calm. He was aware that she was fairly terrorized already, he didn't need to add to her anxiety by being harsh with her right now. Her hair had fallen loose and her kimono was pulled out of place. He saw the tears standing out in her frightened eyes.

"Se…Se…"Misha burst into tears and threw herself against Sesshomaru's chest. She clung to his kimono and buried her face against him. He saved me from "those bad men!" she sobbed.

Sesshomaru startled a little, but the woman hadn't noticed. He was sure that when he had moved her a moment ago that it had been acceptable touching, but this… He could feel her hot tears against his neck and her body shake as hitched in a breath and let out a cry. He brought a hand up and patted Misha on the back. It worked to make Rin stop crying if she were particularly upset about something. As far as he was concerned, Misha had a right to be a little upset right now, scared out of her wits would be even better. This would certainly keep Misha from wandering away again. "You are safe Misha. The outlaws are dead."

"I was g-getting R-R-Rin's flowers," Misha tried to speak through her sobs. The reality of it all was crushing. If it weren't for Sesshomaru, Misha would have been raped and left to die. "Bad men!" she bleated.

"The bad men are gone now Misha, you are safe," he assured her. The woman didn't seem to be calming. Once or twice when Rin had been inconsolable, Sesshomaru had held her to quite her. It made Rin know that she was safe, that it was okay-all better now. He wasn't sure it would work the same way with a grown woman. There was all of this 'touching' business of hers as well. He guessed that if he could touch her a minute ago and that was alright, and it was Misha that had made physical contact with him first, that it would be acceptable for him to try to comfort her. He wrapped his arms around Misha and pulled her up against him. "It is alright now Misha, you are safe."

Misha's breath caught in her throat. Sesshomaru was hugging her. She realized suddenly how tightly she gripped handfuls of his kimono. It was if she were clinging to him for dear life, and now he had wrapped her up into his arms. Misha had never held on to any man except her papa. Certainly she felt safe in Sesshomaru's arms, but he was not her papa, nor was he her elderly Asian father that had leaned on her when she took him out for a walk. Sesshomaru was her protector, but would the goddess allow him to hold her like this? She caught her breath and let go of his kimono. She looked up into the demon's eyes. "Sesshomaru…"

Sesshomaru looked down at Misha, immediately realizing holding a grown woman was much different then comforting a crying child. Misha's body was very well developed. Her kimono was askew and Sesshomaru could see the cleavage that was pushing against him. "It is alright now Misha." He let go of her and stepped back trying to shield her from the sight of all the bodies. "Let us return to Rin."

Misha stepped to Sesshomaru's side looking away from the corpses. "Yes, Sesshomaru."

11