A/N
I thank you all for your kind reviews, my wooooonderful readers! The positive feedback helped me get through this massive writer's block that I was suffering from this week, ugh.
Chapter four is upon us and it's extra spicy, enjoy!
Your reviews are highly appreciated, as always!
Chapter Four
Kikyo said nothing for the longest time as she simply stared at the daiyoukai's back, walking in front of her and Rin.
The three of them were making their way for quite some time now to a different, unknown location to her, stepping down from the clear spot in which she and Rin had sat earlier, now through tall grass, thick low bushes and high trees growing all around them. She took a deep breath, noticing the freshness and moisture in the air, indicating of a possible water-source nearby, then, she lowered her brown eyes to Rin still holding onto her right hand and walking next to her, making the child raise her happy face to the miko in return.
"Our camp is just by the river up ahead." She answered her excitedly, as if reading her mind and trying to ease it altogether.
Kikyo simply nodded at the information, returning her gaze to Sesshomaru's back, who had been completely silent since earlier.
The sun was already beginning to set, stretching the trees' shadows long and casting them all around their path, creating an uneven trail of darkness and light, tinted with a brilliant, orange color.
Surprisingly, she noted there were no signs of any youkai in the area, even though this part of the forest was far enough from the barrier's reach. Kikyo narrowed her eyes, observing his long, silvery hair which now shone bright against the sun's golden rays and his upright walk, shoulders relaxed and even steps as he strode forward with a distinctively powerful and balanced aura that was both menacing and yet steadily restrained at the same time.
'Seems to have made quite the name for himself.' She acknowledged.
But her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by an incredibly irritating piercing cry, heard the moment the daiyoukai reached the end of the path.
"Sesshomaru-sama!" It called panickily, "H-Have you successfully located Rin's whearabo-"
The small demon's stuttering question was abruptly cut by him eventually noticing the priestess, walking a tad behind his master and holding onto the child's hand next to her, making his features cross with absolute, pure terror.
"We're back, Jaken-sama! Oh! What happened to you?" Rin greeted the freshly-beaten up youkai, but his attention was locked on the miko as they both walked right past him, with the woman not even glancing down in his direction, leaving him planted in his place, completely frozen, his mouth agape and sweat profusely running down his forehead.
Coming into a stop in the middle of the wide, grassy area surrounded by trees and divided into two sections by a river stream, Kikyo looked all around, her brown eyes calculating where she was in relation to the mountain, which, from this low spot couldn't even be seen in the distance due to the tall trees growing all around them.
"A-Un! Rin has something tasty for you!" The child announced, letting go of Kikyo's hand and running to a two-headed beast resting next to one of the trees, causing it to gingerly wake from its slumber and straighten up at the sound of her voice. The priestess' gaze followed the child's small figure as she watched her feed the large animal with only the leftover fruits and vegetables from the package she was recently given.
'A herbivore companion... how unexpected.' She mused, turning her gaze back to Sesshomaru, who was standing in his place, slightly ahead of where she did, examining the area to see if there was any new danger lurking around them since he had last left.
"This place is quite secluded." Kikyo remarked suddenly, prompting him to turn his head halfway in her direction, "A spot with a clear view of Mt. Hakurei would be a preferable choice for a camp."
He said nothing as he kept his gaze on her for a few moments, then turned around fully in the priestess' direction.
"I, do not require a clear view of the mountain in order to sense any occurrences." He replied, straight-faced, yet his clear, well-planned emphasis was not left unnoticed by her.
Kikyo eyed him sharply, returning his indifferent look.
"Same here, however, I, would much prefer not to take any unnecessary chances." She countered calmly allowing herself to use a certain emphasis of her own.
The wind which was absent before due to the fullness of the forest now once again picked up through the clearing, the tree tops catching most of it rattling with a loud, yet steady noise, reminding them both that the sun was soon to vanish. Their long hair and garments swayed back and forth to the rhythm of the irregular breeze as they silently kept their eye-contact, their figures lit by the residual soft orange glow of the sky above them. Neither of them said anything as they remained completely motionless in front of each other, maintaining a safe distance while also seemingly completely relaxed, causing the imp demon to allow himself to overcome his fear for a moment, just enough to step a bit closer to them in order to pick up on their conversation.
The daiyoukai narrowed his eyes at her.
"I see, since you are the only one able to slay Naraku, according to yourself?" He asked bluntly, the mockery in his tone of voice couldn't be more evident even through his composed appearance.
'So, he agreed to this arrange simply to try and get more information out of me, after all.' She confirmed, letting out a soft sign and giving him a bored look.
"That is correct." She agreed, raising her head slightly at him, successfully diffusing his attempt.
As soon as he heard her reply, Sesshomaru stepped forward in her direction until he was right in front of the miko, stopping at an arms' length from her, his tall figure towering over her own with neither of them breaking eye-contact from each other, making Jaken cower in fear and anxiously clench onto his wooden staff as a response.
"There is no need to leave this place." He commanded down at her, irritation subtle yet clear in his firm voice, his golden eyes locked with hers. But Kikyo only returned his sharp gaze without saying anything or even showing the slightest of alarm. His youkai aura was truly menacing, she noted, but her own purifying energy was also not to be taken lightly, and she knew that if this daiyoukai in front of her was foolish enough to try and attack her, she will not hesitate to use it against him, especially at this lethal, close proximity.
Rin, who was also listening to their conversation stepped slowly forward as well, standing next to Jaken as they both watched the events before them in silence for a moment, then, she walked over closer to their location and grabbed on the priestess' long sleeve.
"You're not leaving... are you, Kikyo-sama?" The child asked with worry, making the imp demon's frightened expression to switch into pure shock.
Kikyo turned her gaze down at her, lowering herself to Rin's eye-level and resting one arm at her bent knee as the other gently collected the child's small palm.
"I am not." She reassured her.
Staring at the child for a few more moments, Kikyo raised her free hand to Rin's dirty face, cupping it slightly and using her thumb in an attempt to rub the dark spots off, but with little success, as they have probably been occupying the young girl's face for quite some time, now.
"We should get you cleaned up while there's still light out." She suggested, tired of her conversation with Sesshomaru who was still standing beside her, now observing her talk with Rin.
The child's expression turned confused at her words.
"Is there something on Rin's face?" She asked with genuine surprise, making Kikyo's lips form an amused smile.
"A lot of it." The priestess answered, then elegantly rose back up to her feet as she turned her impassive gaze back to the inu daiyoukai, notifying him that their exchange was now over with a composed expression. His golden eyes followed her as the miko silently walked past him, stepping in the direction of the river with Rin shortly behind her, rubbing her own face in an attempt to get the dirt off, but with no luck, either.
"Sesshomaru-sama! We'll be right back!" The child called back to him, making him scoff in pure dissatisfaction and turn his head back forward.
'Such arrogancy.' Kikyo let out a deep breath, closing her eyes as she tried shaking off the irritating feeling her latest exchange with him had left in her.
"Kikyo-sama, there's a beautiful waterfall further down the stream, we should go there!" Rin suggested, running up ahead slightly before the miko, who only nodded in return.
'For tonight, I will have to compromise.' She reluctantly decided.
'Unforeseeable woman.' Sesshomaru watched as both Kikyo and Rin disappeared behind a row of trees as he sat himself against a tree trunk, resting his only arm on his bent knee. He turned his gaze to his vassal hesitantly stepping in his direction, whose yellow eyes were still wide and his expression very telling of the fact that he had yet managed to successfully wrap his mind around what was going on.
"S-Sesshomaru-sama...!" He began, eyeing his master intensely, "That woman...!"
Sesshomaru simply closed his eyes, fully aware of the question his servant was about to inquire.
"The miko will be staying with us, for now." He declared with a low, composed voice, causing Jaken to let out a shriek of terror.
"M-May I ask the reason why, Sesshomaru-sama...?" The imp demon pressed, stepping closer to his master as he fidgeted uncontrollably.
Opening his eyes, he turned his head to stare down at his vassal.
"To assure Rin's safety." He answered, his expression calm, yet the look in his eyes hinting Jaken that there was a hidden meaning behind his words.
"What do you mean, my lord?" Jaken insisted, confused.
Sesshomaru's gaze turned cold, making him flinch.
"It appears my vassal has an unfortunate habit of failing at performing such an easy task." He replied harshly with an eerily serene expression, glaring down at the small creature, making him drop to his knees immediately and apologize relentlessly.
Raising his gaze back in the direction which the miko had walked at, the daiyoukai once again reflected on his recent exchange with her in his mind. He noted to himself how her aura changed when she was interacting with him in comparison to when she was interacting with Rin, making him frown slightly as he analyzed this newfound discovery; while speaking to him, her holy spiritual energy was fierce, compressing and alienating, however, while she spoke to the child, it felt a lot calmer, inviting and protective. Before, he had marked the calm sensation as an automatic purification process designed to lure and dispose of youkai like him, however it now seems he had given the priestess too much credit there.
The sudden realization caused an amused smirk to cross his features as he turned his golden gaze away to stare at the distance.
While the miko successfully managed to keep him guessing regarding her motives, she couldn't conceal everything away from him like she had planned;
'That woman's emotions are easier to read than she thinks.' He concluded silently.
Sitting on the edge of a large, flat faced rock, Kikyo stared down at her sunken feet.
The ends of her red miko attire were soaked as small fish swam all around them, her brown eyes narrowing down at their rapidly-moving silhouettes as her mind once again delved into the endless spiral of her lamenting her condition; this wet sensation was something that she could still feel, along with warmth or cold, wind or sun, however this clay body of hers could not react to it; her skin would not wrinkle after staying submerged for a long while in the water, she could not get too cold or too hot, and she could not suffer from sunburn either. It was as if she was half-existing, her mind and feelings were present, her soul, at least enough of it, was also there, but her own body – the thing missing to complete her being, was absent. Instead, she was bound to this unbalanced, unstable fake shell, made of clay and grave-soil. An imitation of flesh, soft just like it, but lacking any warmth, any blood and any humanity.
A cruel reality, she noted.
"Kikyo-sama?" Rin's soft voice broke her from her dark thoughts, making her raise her brown eyes to the child playing before her in the shallow end of the river as she stepped forward, rolling her kimono up to her knees to keep it from getting wet, "You seemed sad, just now."
The priestess simply smiled softly at the child.
"I appreciate you worrying about me, Rin," She told her, reaching her hand into the pocket of her hakama trousers and pulling out a piece of white cloth, then lowering it into the river and letting it absorb the water in it for a moment, "However, you should worry more about your stained face." Kikyo lifted the cloth and began gently wiping away the dirty spots.
Peeking at Kikyo through the pale fabric, the child kept silent for a few moments.
"Kikyo-sama, are you trying to catch this Naraku person, too?"
The priestess only dipped the cloth in the river once more in silence, then reached for the child's arm, cleaning it as well as her expression turned composed, once again.
"Yes, I am." She answered, focusing her eyes on her current actions.
Rin was quiet as she processed the information for the longest time.
The sun had almost set completely above them, welcoming the chilly evening as the orange glow that illuminated the land and trees before was now reduced to light only the sky and the very tops of the trees, making their environment feel gradually less and less warm. Luckily, the waterfall's high structure not far from them blocked any wind that threatened to worsen the experience, leaving the temperature around them still considerably pleasant.
Finishing cleaning Rin's arms and hands, Kikyo raised her brown eyes back to meet with the child's.
"How long has Sesshomaru been tracking Naraku down, Rin?" She inquired, putting her hands back to rest on her lap.
Rin lifted a hand to her chin, attempting to recall the specific time as her brows joined together in heavy thinking.
"Hmm... a few months, maybe?" She answered.
Kikyo blinked at the information.
'That long?' She wondered.
For someone of Sesshomaru's rank and capabilities, hunting down a half-youkai like Naraku shouldn't be that much of a problem, yet just like her, Inuyasha and every other enemy Naraku currently has, he had already spent this much time on chasing him with no success. Was Naraku simply that good at hiding? Or maybe this was indeed a case of unexpected incompetency on Sesshomaru's part, after all?
She would have continued to ask more of Rin regarding this subject, but something told her it would be better for the daiyoukai himself to shed some light on this perplexing situation.
'For someone so keen on slaying Naraku by himself, his achievements so far are not impressive in the slightest.' She couldn't help but mentally comment.
"Woahh...!" Rin exclaimed with astonishment as her attention was caught by something in the water, making her eyes widen, "There's a huge fish!"
The scaly animal swam by them for a single moment, quickly disappearing into the deeper end of the stream next to them.
"Aww... we could have had such a nice dinner." The child let out a disappointed breath.
Kikyo observed her for a few moments in silence, then lifted her feet from the water, slowly rising to stand on top of the rock she was sitting on.
"Kikyo-sama?" The child voiced her confusion, watching as the miko quietly stepped along the rocky end of the ground, lowering her bow from her shoulder and holding it in her left hand as her right one reached back for a single arrow out of her quiver. Stopping right next to the deep end of the water closer to the waterfall, Kikyo lifted the arrow up to rest on her left pointer finger grabbing the bow, then, she raised both of her arms up, drawing the arrow all the way back with her right hand until its soft feathers brushed against her cheek just below the corner of her right eye. Locking her brown eyes down on her target, she stayed in her position in complete silence for moment.
Then, she released her grip in her right hand, firing it down at the direction of the water and successfully managing to trap one fish with it.
"Wow...!" Rin's eyes widened in amazement as she watched her release three more quick shots, immediately taking advantage of the rest of the shoal scattering into the shallow end as well.
"This should be enough." The miko assured, lowering her weapon down as she made her way back to where the child stood.
'They are late.' Was all the daiyoukai could think about as he remained in his place, sitting against the tree trunk.
Darkness had already fallen and the forest was now lit by only the pale rays of the moonlight above them, shining through the misty clouds. Sesshomaru frowned as he once again turned his gaze in the direction which they had left in. He still could not sense any youkai in the area around them, however, this unchanging fact was beginning to awaken his suspicion, and for that reason he preferred for both the miko and Rin to be back immediately, even if he could sense the child's scent in the air, knowing that she was nearby and safe.
Having enough of waiting, Sesshomaru rose to his feet, slight annoyance crossing his features.
But just as he was about to take off in their direction, he saw both of their figures stepping from between the same row of trees in the distance, with the miko carrying a few freshly-caught fish, all of them skewered on one of her single arrows.
"Sesshomaru-sama!" The child called to him excitedly as she ran in his direction, "Kikyo-sama caught so many big fish! We can all have a proper dinner tonight!"
The daiyoukai glanced down at the child for a moment in silence, then lifted his gaze to Kikyo.
They both said nothing as they stared at each other with unreadable expressions, causing both Rin and Jaken to overcome with confusion as they could only quietly watch their exchange. Lowering his golden gaze from her eyes to her clothes, Sesshomaru noticed the hems of her trousers soaked up to her knees.
"What is it, Sesshomaru?" Kikyo questioned with poise, tilting her head slightly to one side and making Jaken straighten up immediately at her words.
"H-How disrespectful!" He screeched, trying to hide the uncontrollable trembling in his knees, "You shall address Sesshom-"
Kikyo silently turned her head to glare down at the imp demon, making him choke on his words and step back immediately. Then, she faced forward, her brown eyes once again locking with Sesshomaru's golden ones.
"A fire is required in order for these to be cooked." She informed him with a calm voice.
Rin instantly raised her arm in the air.
"That's Rin's specialty!" She announced with enthusiasm as both Sesshomaru and Kikyo watched her quickly beginning to collect any dry leaves and sticks around her, gathering them all into one spot and forming a decently-sized pile. "Jaken-sama!" The child turned to the green creature, who sighed deeply as he followed after her closer to the decided spot, then lowered his staff down until one of the heads was closer to the wood on the ground, making it open-up and release a small flame for a mere second, igniting the dry wildlife and successfully creating a fire source for the night.
"Hm. That will do for now." The priestess said as she stepped closer to them both, causing Jaken to back away instinctively. "However, we will need more wood for later." She added, making Rin nod and continue collecting dry branches.
The daiyoukai kept his silence as he turned back around to sit against the same tree trunk, his eyes following the miko from afar with her every move, studying her elegant motions as she sat herself down at a safe distance from the fire, how she pulled out a small, white cloth from her pocket and placed it on the grassy ground next to her, using it as an improvised divider between the meal and the dirt and the efficient way in which she had seperated the fish each onto its separate stick, already completely cleaned out and ready to be roasted.
'So that is the reason they were taking so long.' Sesshomaru quickly deducted, narrowing his eyes at her. He focused his gaze on Kikyo's face, the intermittent ripples of light from the fire allowing him to see that it was still as unreadable as ever.
She turned her gaze to the imp demon who was standing not so far behind her, watching her every move as well with a frown and great discomfort, making him flinch.
"Are you hungry? There is plenty for everyone." She said calmly, turning her attention back to her actions as she stuck the fish closer to the fire without even waiting for the small creature to answer.
Jaken scoffed loudly at her absurd offer.
"T-This Jaken does not eat measly human food!" He retorted proudly, turning his head away from her.
Sesshomaru let out a small breath at his vassal's words.
"Eat, Jaken." He ordered, making his vassal's yellow eyes widen, "I need you to be at your best performance for the next few days."
"Jaken-sama! It's a waste if you don't!" Rin called out, stepping forward as her arms supported all kinds of dry wood she could find, sitting down next to the priestess and lowering her newly-acquired loot to the ground.
The imp demon processed his master command for a moment, then bitterly muttered something to himself as he reluctantly sat down in a safe distance from the miko, next to Rin.
Sesshomaru silently waited for Kikyo to address him as well, yet she never did. Not that he required food of that kind in the first place, but the fact that she had ignored his presence completely and refrained from offering him anything sparked an immense feeling of displeasure and annoyance within him.
He brushed the unnecessary emotion off as he kept his eyes on her, eventually noticing something rather odd about the occurrence before him, making him lower his head as he continued watching her.
"A-Un! Come sit by the fire too!" The child called to the two-headed dragon, stepping in its direction and pulling it by the leash connected to the muzzles on both of its mouths. Kikyo watched as the animal obediently listened to Rin's commands with no issues, leading it to sit closer to the source of warmth they were all circling. All except Sesshomaru, of course.
It was already late, the fire which was strong and blazing before, was now reduced into warm pile of embers with the food mostly eaten by Rin and Jaken, who was loudly slumbering on the other side of the fire. Although Kikyo decided against offering the daiyoukai the food as to not accidentally offend him, she made sure to leave one cooked fish untouched, in case he did crave it, after all. Youkais of his rank would probably not agree to this kind of simple cuisine, she predicted, and his vassal's first response had only confirmed her theory. However, she figured this was the best solution, for now.
"Kikyo-sama, you should come sit against A-Un, he's a lot more comfortable than he looks." Rin suggested, leaning her back to the animal as it simply lowered both of its two heads, falling back into its usual slumber.
The priestess let out an amused breath, rising to her feet and stepping forward in the child's direction, stopping just before the animal, which opened one set of eyes to study her in silence.
"Is that alright with you?" She asked it, her brown eyes staring down into the large, green orbs, which eventually closed once again as the head lowered himself down to resume its sleep.
Sitting down next to Rin with her back against the large, scaly body of their two-headed companion, Kikyo suddenly felt the child move closer in her direction, placing her small head on her right shoulder. The priestess said nothing as lifted her right arm, wrapping it around her and drawing her small body closer in her direction, the large sleeve of her miko attire almost covering her entire back and using as an unplanned blanket.
"Rin had fun today, Kikyo-sama." The child whispered as she lay her head against Kikyo's chest, causing a wave of warmth to spread through her false body, once again.
'Such a nostalgic feeling...' She noted, staring into the brilliantly glowing stones in front of her, wondering how come such a simple feeling can be this powerful, and how no matter what her body is currently made of, she could still feel this content and full of life, a deceptive achievement in her mind, really, and yet also incredibly addicting and fulfilling – a feeling of love and companionship, of mutual trust and familial attachment.
She had known this child for less than a week, and yet she managed to have such a strong influence on her.
"So did I." Kikyo admitted softly, lowering her gaze down only to realize that Rin was already sound asleep. She lifted her brown eyes back up, focusing them once again on the source of brilliant warmth in front of her.
"Do you not sleep on top of not eating, miko?" Sesshomaru's voice suddenly cut into her moment of relaxation, making her turn her brown eyes to where he sat. She eyed him with a composed expression for a few moments in complete silence.
"You should focus your attention on Mt. Hakurei instead of on me, Sesshomaru." She answered him as silently as she could without waking Rin, still secretly bothered by the fact that only due to the daiyoukai's stubbornness were they currently located so far from her target.
She could see the irritation in his eyes even from where she sat, the bright light from the small fire which separated them reflected in his golden orbs and granted his long-haired features with a golden silhouette, all of it making him seem truly demonic; like a genuine predator, she noted.
"Do not flatter yourself, woman." He denied with a low, collected voice, "I take notice of anyone who steps into my territory."
Kikyo raised an eyebrow at his words.
"If you find me that threatening, then you shouldn't have agreed to this in the first place." She reprimanded him, lowering her head slightly at his direction as they both maintained their eye-contact.
"If I found your existence threatening, I would have eliminated you long ago." Sesshomaru promised, his tone of voice filled with contempt for the priestess.
Kikyo simply let out a small breath, closing her eyes.
"I am aware that you keep me here in order to try and reveal more information out of me." She alerted him, opening her brown eyes back to strike him with a sharp look.
Sesshomaru held her gaze for a few more moments, then turned his golden eyes away to stare at the distance.
"You do not have me figured out so easily as you believe, miko." He said, slowly rising to his feet and turning his back in her direction. Then, he simply lifted himself from the ground, his furry sash which draped all the way down to his feet engulfing his legs as he flew away without sparing another word.
Kikyo narrowed her eyes at his sudden actions. She could not sense anything irregular coming from the mountain's area, therefore she deducted Sesshomaru's sudden escape probably did not have anything to do with it.
Letting out another small breath, Kikyo decided to just ignore it altogether.
'This child is a heavy sleeper.' She remarked, glancing down at the still asleep Rin leaning against her chest. Then again, having these two as her companions made sense for her to be one. Kikyo's brown eyes lifted back as she rested the back of her head against the large animal behind her. Her spiritual energy was steady, for now, and yet she felt so tired... was it this brilliant warmth causing her to be so sleepy? Or maybe the daiyoukai somehow managing to exhaust her mind? Either way, she felt her eyelids get gradually heavier by the moment, and she did not try and fight it anymore.
Flying around as close as he could to the sacred grounds of Mt. Hakurei for a few hours already, Sesshomaru thoroughly scanned its surface in attempt to detect any strange occurrences. However, as much as he tried focusing his mind on his current objective and find out why the entire area not even restricted to the mountain's holy grounds was suddenly lacking any kind of youkai activity – he found himself unable to get his mind off of every new encounter he shared with a certain priestess, causing the freshest one to replay in his head without his consent.
So she knew he was attempting to gather more information regarding what she previously said about him not being able to slay Naraku, so what? That was not the only reason he currently needed her there, and that was what she was actually failing to see, he noted, using that fact to assure himself that the miko was still far from reading him like a book, as she so much believed she had succeeded already.
Landing on a nearby cliff, Sesshomaru stood in his place in silence, the strong, cold wind blowing through his long, silvery hair and in his bangs, making him narrow his eyes down at his target.
There was no real reason for this sudden check-up, he admitted quietly to himself.
But something that he couldn't quite explain made him feel the urge to rise to his feet and pay this suspicious area a visit. Lifting his head up, the daiyoukai focused on the top of the mountain.
What were his senses trying to tell him?
He decided to patrol the area for a few more moments, then turned on his heel and left, returning back to his warm camp.
Concealing his own youkai energy, Sesshomaru's feet came in contact with the grassy ground below him. He wanted to test if the miko was sharp enough to sense his presence even like this, only to find her eyes closed, her chin rested on top of Rin's head as she wrapped both of her arms around the child, the two of them sleeping soundly in a shared embrace.
Sesshomaru blinked down at the sight, focusing his gaze on the miko.
'Is she pretending to be asleep again, same as then?' He couldn't help but wonder, waiting for her brown eyes to flutter open and shoot him with a cold, condescending look. However, the more he studied her tilted head, long, silky hair gently falling across her cheek and all the way to the ground, partially open lips and the steady rise fall of her chest, he realized the priestess was indeed genuinely sleeping, this time.
'The nerve of this woman...' His jaw clenched down at her direction as he kept his silent staring for a few more moments.
The warm embers which were now reduced into a softly glowing pile of pebbles allowed him to make out her gentle features with their consistent light through the darkness, his golden orbs locked on her sleeping face as he stood at a safe distance from where she and Rin rested.
Somehow, wearing this type of serene expression instead of her constant unreadable one, suited her far better in his eyes.
"Sesshomaru-sama...?" Jaken's raspy voice tore him from his thoughts as he turned in his vassal's sleepy direction, unintentionally managing to wake up both Kikyo and Rin with him.
The imp demon rose to his feet as he rubbed his tired eyes with the sleeve of his robes.
"It's morning, soon, huh?" He asked, his yellow eyes returned to their usual large dimensioned as he realized he had been sleeping all night.
Sesshomaru only silently turned his golden gaze back to Kikyo and Rin, the priestess lifting a hand to conceal a small yawn as she realized her accidental slumber making him narrow his golden eyes at her direction.
"Sesshomaru-sama, it's so early..." Rin exclaimed, stretching her hands.
The daiyoukai only turned his gaze back to his vassal.
"We're leaving this area first thing in the morning and heading closer to the mountain." He ordered with a firm voice.