Chapter Twenty-Two: Genko and Shakko

"Speaking"

Thinking/Memories

Asterix ( * ) term word, definition at the end of chapter

"Why did he have to take my tooth?" Kasumi complained, rubbing her cheek, where the throb of her gums ached the most.

"He needed a semblance of you. Most Dai Yokai have a weapon forged from their own fangs." Sesshomaru spoke, glittering eyes turning down to the whining kit walking beside him.

"But I'm not a Dai Yokai… I'm barely a yokai…" She said quietly, holding her cheek while her tongue prodded the newly exposed gum.

Sesshomaru stopped, faced his kit and grabbed her wrist. Her eyes moved upwards as he leaned in, and a light pink shaded her cheeks. "You are yokai." He said sternly, gaze never wavering from hers. "Your father is a Dai Yokai. I am one as well. A woman like you should have a weapon like her father and intended mate, do you understand?"

Cheeks growing warmer, she yanked her wrist from his grasp and turned away. It's only been a few days, but she has tried to avoid touching or being touched by Sesshomaru. She couldn't get the embarrassing image of their almost embrace out of her mind. Every time he touched her, his cold fingers electrified her, coursing through her heated flesh and drawing her towards him. It was not a safe feeling. It put all her senses on high alert. Things smelled differently around him, like sweet honeysuckle, or the fresh scent of blossoms on a cool spring day. Smells that did not go with Sesshomaru. When the two of them stood apart long enough, when he slept at night and she laid awake, his usual musk would return, filling her with the calmness it had before.

"I wish you would stop saying that, my lord…" She muttered, unable to look back up at him while she rubbed her arm.

"I believe of the two of us, you are the only one that doesn't want it to be true. If I remember correctly, you were talking a great deal about marriages when I told you I wanted you to be the Lady of the House." Sesshomaru started walking again, annoyed she had taken her hand from his so abruptly. He enjoyed the silk like feel of her skin.

"That's typically what that means, my lord." She said, eventually following behind him. "Saying intended… mates, it makes it seem so intimate. If you really are serious about… me," she had to swallow the word out. "Then I would prefer being called a wife instead."

"A wife and a mate are two different titles in my world. Soon to be your world too." He looked back to see her surprised face, and answered the question on her lips before they could become words. "Wives are used for the same purpose as humans use them for. Political gains, mostly. Demons marry to gain lands, like human lords do. A mate however… It's a more binding term than marriage. You will be mine, completely. And I yours. A demon won't marry after he has taken a mate."

Kasumi frowned, not quite understanding. "And why is that, my lord?" She asked.

"Once a demon has created an heir to their linage with their wife, they seek to bond with someone to create strong offspring's. After they mark each other, the two mates become soul-bonded. Intertwined in a way marriage could never hold."

Kasumi looked down at her feet and started to walk ahead of Sesshomaru, headed towards the waiting Rin. "That seems unfair to the wife."

"And now you understand why I want you to be my mate. I don't need two women." He responded, watching her closely.

"You know… humans aren't all like that." She spoke quietly.

"Hm?" He walked towards her, brow gracefully perked in a way that didn't seem to change his stoic expression.

She bit her lips, and then turned to face him fully, staring him in the eyes and feeling her knees begin to tremble at the golden depths. "Not all humans are like that." She spoke again, louder this time. "Humans… plenty of them marry for love. Many of them marry because of love." She watched his eyes slowly narrow, and caught the slight glimpse of confusion before he blinked and turned away from her.

"Love is an unnecessary emotion." He provided.

"Maybe to you… but for me… for us humans love is something desired. But…" She turned her gaze towards the ground, and her voice grew softer, enough so she hoped he wouldn't hear her. "It's something that I can never have…"

Sesshomaru hesitated a moment, not turning to face her, but not allowing her to be alone after she had uttered something he viewed as nonsense.

"Lord Sesshomaruuuuuu~!" Rin's high pitched voice cut through the tense silence between them. "Onee-saaaaan!" The two looked up at her, watching Rin run towards them with something in her hand. Sesshomaru moved forward, walking past her as Kasumi came forward and knelt down in front of Rin. She smiled inwardly at Rin calling her Onee-san, always wanting a little sister before, and happy to have found one in her outdoorsman master.

"Onee-san, look what I've found." She held onto a small handful of flowers, crimpled at the stems, a white, caved center, and vibrant deep blue petals spewing forth in a bold splash of color. "Aren't they pretty? They're so much of them over there!" she turned and pointed to where Sesshomaru was disappearing off to.

"I recognize those flowers." Kasumi said, standing up and the two of them slowly followed Sesshomaru. "My caretaker always called them butterfly flowers, because the butterfly always landed on them when we had them planted in the garden."

"Really?" Rin exclaimed.

"Mhm, I can't remember the actual name though. The leaves of the flowers can be used to make medicine for the sick. The monks would use it to heal those who were having trouble with their memory. It helped them, for a short time. It was even used on my father for a while too." Until she had gotten those special grapes from Tomosue. The grapes that seemed to level her father. She could never understand why the great fox demon gave her something that would benefit the murderer of his former lover, but he extended a kindness she had never experienced before. A kindness she repaid by hiding behind a stranger when she officially met him. She groaned lowly, pressing the heel of her palm into her forehead, feeling embarrassed at her past behavior.

"Onee-san, what's wrong, does your head hurt?" Rin asked, moving in front of Kasumi and turning, walking backwards and looking up at the fox.

"No… I'm fine, I'm just… remembering my father, that's all." She smiled softly at Rin, but the girl gave her a complicated look she didn't understand.

"Onee-san, what was your father like?" She asked, and Kasumi looked at her, almost too embarrassed to admit she had no idea, and then realized she likely meant the one who raised her.

"Papa? You want to know about papa, huh? Why's that, little rascal, you want to call him papa too?" She teased chasing Rin towards their campsite where Sesshomaru stood by.

"Nooo~!" Rin laughed collapsing onto the ground and giggling while Kasumi attacked her sides, tickling her until the small child was gasping for words through her laughter.

"Then what? What does Rin want to know about our papa? Ask me anything, and your onee-san will answer." She sat up, looking at Rin as she got up herself, the smile still wide on her face.

"Hehehe, what was he like? Was he a mean papa, or was he a good one, like Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin questioned, and Kasumi held back a giggle when she heard the scoff of Sesshomaru at her back.

"Well, he was a good papa. At least I think so. He may have had his moments where he was a mean one, but… but he loved me, even though I wasn't really his child. He took me under his roof, and taught me how to be a sophisticated young lady. I learned all sorts of things because of him. I learned how to read, and write, I know how to run a large household, be a good wife, serve my lords properly, and he even let me choose who I wanted to marry when I was old enough. He put up with a lot of my foolishness too. I should have married right away, maybe he would still be alive, who knows?" She shrugged her shoulders, looking distant now. "He loved mama too. So much. He was hurt by her betrayal." Kasumi scooted close to a tree root, leaning back on it, opening her arm up while Rin scooted into her embrace. "He did a lot of stupid things, like all humans do. Like everyone does. When he let her go, he died a little himself too."

"He sounds like a good man." Rin commented.

"Yeah… he was a good man." Kasumi's voice softened, and her gaze traveled over the distance, and ventured off somewhere far away. Sesshomaru watched her eyes grow distant, noticed the moisture gathering in the green depths. Her sorrow hit him suddenly, nearly staggering him mentally, and he felt this pang of empathy in his chest at seeing her look so frail and broken. Rin was about to speak, attempting to draw out Kasumi of her growing pit.

"Rin, why don't you hunt for food? There are some small animals running around here. You should be able to catch them." He offered, eyes flickering to the girl once before returning to his kit.

"Ah… Right, m'lord." She stood up, hesitating a moment when Kasumi jumped at the sudden voices and movement. With one quick look at her stern lord staring at her onee-san, the child was running off into the wild, leaving them alone.

Silence passed between them. It was neither awkward or serene. It was simply a silence that left the air heavy. He was looking away from her, and Kasumi was rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands fervently, hiding her choked cries behind distorted hiccups.

I'm such an idiot, Kasumi thought. It's been so long since he's died. I should be healed by now… Why can't I… Why can't I stop crying…? The longer she dwelled on her tears the harder they came, until she was full blown sobbing into her knees, her shoulders shuddering with the effort it took her to keep her voice down.

A warm, familiar hand touched the top of her head, ceasing her sobs for a moment as she looked up at the hand. Sesshomaru was kneeling in front of her on one knee, his hand stroking her hair. His face turned away from her, offering her privacy and comfort with the gesture. She swallowed hard and tossed herself onto Sesshomaru, careful of his armor, and she cried into his shoulder, with him gently rubbing her back, soothing her though he didn't know how to.

This is the cost of love. He sighed, petting the kit's ears back. It can only bring hurt and pain. I do not want her to love anyone… He mentally sighed, wondering just what the emotion love truly meant to this girl. He didn't recall ever truly feeling the emotion. Admiration for his father, perhaps. An admiration that was quickly snatched away. He remembered feeling almost betrayed by his father's actions. Embracing a human. Yet… here he was embracing a half-breed. He never thought the day would come.

Her body trembled against his, and no matter how tightly he held her, she couldn't stop. Her sounds were muffled into his shoulder, the cloth becoming damp from her tears. It made the air smell salty, and tart. He had to fight to keep his face from contorting at the smell, and tried to turn his face away from the stink, and caught a humble scent of sweetness.

Immediately enraptured by the smell of his kit, he pressed his nose into her hair realizing that was where the smell was the strongest. Lately her sickeningly sweet smell hasn't left her unless she was asleep. The unfamiliar sweetness didn't appeal to him, but this… this was the humble scent of sweet blossoms, her natural scent.

He relaxed visibly as her aroma filled his nostrils, nearly nuzzling into her hair. He felt her tense up, was ready to step back, but she relaxed into his hold and leaned fully into him.

"It's been so long…" She muttered. "A year..?" Her voice broke, hoarse from crying, but she continued on. "He's been dead for a while… and my caretaker has been gone even longer…" She sniffled, rubbing forehead into the damp spot she left on his clothes. "I can't even visit their graves… I don't even know which one is his… And Kyah's is probably lost somewhere in the rubble…"

"Over a hundred years," Sesshomaru muttered causing his kit to look up at him. "My father has been gone for over a hundred years. His grave was lost, as everyone thought. I never got to visit his grave in those years. He kept in secret. The longer I kept searching for the grave, the more contempt I felt towards him. I tried everything to find it. To find his legendary sword…" He wasn't looking at her, but he could feel her gaze boring into his face as if she could see right through him. Maybe she could. He always felt exposed to her gaze, as if he was transparent. "My anger for him grew so great, that when I finally did find his grave… where his true body laid, I didn't care that it got destroyed… that I was the main reason why it happened. If I had trusted fathers judgement about Inuyasha, father's grave wouldn't have been sent into ruins… and I would not be missing my arm."

"H-how did it all happen…?" She asked, her mind focused on his story now, her sorrow subdued but not forgotten.

"I…" He started, knowing he should probably be ashamed of his misguided anger and hatred for his little brother, yet he did not. He still did not fully approve of him, and new the bastard needed to hurry up and mature, so he could truly be worthy of their fathers legendary weapon. "My father left the sword to Inuyasha…" He began again, telling her of his past grievances against his brother in his attempts to get the Tessaiga. As he spoke, she quietly listened to him, lightly slapping his shoulder when he told her something particularly terrible. But she listened, and he talked until her cheeks were dry, and the moisture in her eyes had dispersed.

When his tale was done, the two sat in a comfortable silence. She was wrapped up in his mokomoko, sitting between his legs with her shoulder pressed into his armor plate.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru." She said, breathing out softly and lightly nuzzling his fluff.

"Mh," was all he managed as he stared down at her, his chest tightening in a sudden burst of new feeling. His heart squeezed at the sight of her relaxed expression, eyes closed and her long lashes brushing against her cheeks. The shadows they casted traveled down towards her lips, a pathway to the savory sweetness of a fruit he hadn't yet partaken in. Intrigued, he leaned in slowly, trying not to jostle her too much. His nose scarcely touched hers, he could feel her cool breath against his lips.

Should he? He questioned himself, briefly considering that this may be a bad idea. Then again, he never did fully enjoy her earlier. He felt a rumbling in his chest now, the tightness expanding and stretching out over his body, leaving him feeling mildly chilled, but heated beneath the surface. What kind of sensation was this? Anticipation? It was a familiar yet different feeling than what he was used to. This new feeling almost terrified him, but excited him more and all that excitement was pining towards her.

His little kit.

His little kit, and the sweet fruit of her lips. Without further hesitation, his mouth pressed into hers, his eyes slightly narrowed as he watched Kasumis green eyes fly open. She pushed her hands against his chest, squeezing her lids shut as she braced herself away from him. When he didn't let up, she moved her hands up towards his face and began to push him away at the chin.

Frustrated he sat back, staring down at her but refusing to let her go. She had her hands over his mouth, her entire face nearly a ripe tomato red, and her eyes fixated on her lap.

"M-My Lord! Y-You shouldn't do such things to me!" She huffed out. Her hands felt cold but her lips were on fire with that warm soft touch of this man's lips on hers.

"And why is that, my little kit?" He questioned, speaking around her hands, purposely letting his fangs gently scratch at her palms and smirking when he felt the shudder go through her.

"B-Because! That… I don't want to!" She exclaimed.

"Mh… not good enough…" He moved, taking her hands from his mouth and leaning in once more.

"Please!" She begged staring up at him with anticipation and a touch of fear.

He raised his eyebrow at her plead, waiting for her to respond further as his lips found her hair.

"Please, my lord…" A soft whimper eased its way past her pouting lips, tempting him further.

"Wrong." He said and before she could protest again he had captured her mouth, drawing her in closer, and holding her hands close to his chest. She was stiff against him, her mouth unmoving but it didn't stop him from pressing his lips to her harder. She tried to protest, and he took the opportunity to nibble on her lips, tasting the fruit he knew would be sweet.

When her lips were plump with attention, he leaned back again, giving her a chance to correct herself.

"Please…" She wasn't looking at him now, her hands pressed to his chest, uncaptured by him now as he stroked her cheek with his fingers. When he said nothing and chose to twirl her sweet blonde hair in his fingers, she turned her gaze towards him slightly, just enough it riled him up enough he wanted to pin her down again. "My lord, don't do this to me too…" She said softly, and he grumbled.

Someone else has taken my fruit? The thought irked him, and the growl that left his chest had Kasumi trembling against him.

"How many times do I have to say it…?" He managed to keep his voice level, hiding the growl that decided to rear its head.

She looked up again in that way that had him wanting to devour her right then and there, but this time, the bit of fear he saw in her earlier had increased. This leveled him out enough he wasn't leaning over her, and through his grumbled haze he could see her tears were starting up again. He reached out to touch her cheek, and she flinched, turning her face away from his.

Frowning he lowered his hand, only for her to take it and hold it to her cheek.

"I-I'm sorry, my lord." She stammered, her shuddering coming from fear this time. "T-Truly, I am. I-it isn't you… I-I promise. I-I just-" She was stammering so hard he had to stop her somehow. He leaned in slowly, letting her watch his movements as he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Kasumi…" He breathed softly into her hair, and that seemed to be all she needed for the tether that held her to snap.

"I-I really want to, my lord-"

"Mh," he grunted at her response and she coughed to correct herself.

"I really want to… Sess… Sesshomaru, bu-but I just can't." She managed to get out, her hands on his chest again as he leaned in further, distracting her by playing with her ears, softly nipping here and there.

"Why can't you?" He questioned, purposely letting the words slide right down her spine.

"W-well… b-because I've never been kissed before…" She said quietly, stunning him enough he abruptly sat back to look at her. "I… yeah… uhm…" She rubbed her head, trying to chase away the feeling of his breath on her skin. "I-I have been forced into a lot of situations with men before. M-men who wanted to steal everything I had… who fondled me and… attempted to do unspeakable things to me… T-Tomosue rescued me… t-the first time I met him, he rescued me from being raped by my supposed fiancé…"

The large huff that came out of Sesshomaru surprised both of them, and he suddenly had her wrapped up tight against his chest, as if he was protecting her from anything and everything, like she needed to be held together.
Pressed into his shoulder again, she smiled a tad at his musk before sitting back, reassured he did not see her differently now knowing she was tainted. "The one thing that was never taken from me was my first kiss… a-at least until…" She trailed off and tears suddenly poured from her eyes. "I-It's just another thing taken from me..." She managed.

"Mh…" He moved closer to her again, leaning in to nuzzle her cheek with his nose. "I promise I will take nothing else from you, my little kit." He said. "You will remain pure for however long you want to be. I will not take it from you, nor will I allow anyone else to steal it." He leaned back, gazing into her eyes until she nodded her acknowledgement. "Good girl." He smiled briefly, leaning into her and pecking her lips.

"M-My lord!" She exclaimed leaning back from him.

"I said I'd never steal anything else from you, but I've already taken those." He said, grabbing her arm and pulling her onto his lap with more force than necessary. "They have my marks all over them." He stated, causing her to flush as he stared at her tender, freshly nipped lips. "For as long as you live, those lips are mine. Now," He took her chin in his hand and brought her face too close to his. "How many times am I going to have to tell you to not call me lord?" He questioned, and then smothered her lips with his own.

This is fine, he thought, stealing another kiss from her. I will teach her that she will be mine only.

"Are you sure you're okay, Onee-san?" Rin asked, giving Kasumi a serious look. She placed the back of her hand on her forehead, holding it there for a few seconds before removing it and standing back. "Well it doesn't feel like you have a fever. But boy, your face sure was red, Onee-san. I thought something bad happened."

Something bad did happen, Kasumi whined in her head, feeling her face burn up all over again.

About two minutes ago
"M-My lord…!" Kasumi pushed against his shoulders, trying desperately to get the surprisingly affectionate inulord off of her. He grumbled into her ear, causing her to shiver and once again have hi reaffirm himself above her. "R-Rin will be back soon..." She tried, gently trying to get him to stop. So far he's managed to nuzzle, kiss, and nip at every bit of exposed skin he could find. She was grateful he didn't go too far, but definitely wasn't showing any signs of stopping.

"S-Sesshomaru… Please, you have to stop sometime."

He shifted, raising his head and leaning over her letting his golden gaze linger on her a little too long before, silken hair gently falling across his shoulder. "No one says I have to." He stated.

Oh great, he responds when I call him by name… this could have been solved so much sooner… Kasumi resisted the urge to groan and slowly slipped out from beneath him.

"I'm saying you need to. Y-You said you weren't going to try anything." She crossed her arms, trying to hold onto some dignity by appearing offended.

"Wrong." He moved in and she held her hands up to his lips when he tried to kiss her. This wasn't the second or third time he declared wrong and decided to invade her personal space.

"You said you wouldn't steal anything else from me." She countered.

"I did. I'm not stealing from you. I'm giving you a gift." He sat back, watching her.

"And what gift includes biting me everywhere?"

"Mh, the kind where every male demon who gets too close to you will know that you are taken, since I have decided to seriously take you as a mate." He pointed to the small bite on her neck, easily hidden beneath her robes. "If anyone is close enough to see that, they are too close." Not to mention it will get her used to my touch… Sesshomaru couldn't help but feel excitement at the thought.

"Doesn't every male demon in the house already know that?" She sighed, pulling the collar of her kimono up enough to hide the mark.

"Hearing it and seeing it are two different things. I don't trust myself not to murder half the house if someone tries to kill you again. If they see those… they may assume we are already bonded. It's for protection."

Kasumi narrowed her eyes at him, inspecting him closely and crossing her arms. "You're just using that as an excuse."

A satisfied smirk crossed his lips and he stepped towards her. "Wrong." He declared and nabbed yet another kiss from her(wether she was wrong or not), just as the sounds of Rin's approach came.

"I promise, Rin. I'm okay, just a little flushed from this heat." She tried reassuring her, silently cursing Sesshomaru who was in the back in the perfect mask of someone who didn't just get caught doing something he probably should have stopped doing a long time ago. She sighed loudly, and then gave Rin a big grin. "Do I need to chase you around to prove I'm not sick?" She asked. "I'm pretty sure I can keep up with you now."

"Noooo," Rin laughed, pushing against her onee-san's leg. "We have to eat so you get stronger."

"I know," Kasumi's smile faltered for a moment. She was still well below her usual weight. She was soft in the right areas now; her bones didn't protrude from her skin like a mummy anymore. But her clothes were still just a few sizes too big for her. Her body was going through its long recovery of near malnutrition. Of course, with Sesshomaru around her 24/7, she couldn't skip out on meals no matter what she tried to do. Even if she feigned being sick, he'd spoon feed her himself. Not that he ever did it before… she imagines he would though.

She moved to the fire pit, sitting down by Rin, and watching as she roasted their meal for the evening. Charred rabbit. Rin had to be quick to catch them, and Kasumi frowned at the thought. Lately, Sesshomaru has been encouraging Rin to go out hunting for small animals. The first few times Rin would come back with nothing, but it didn't take her long to get to catching faster animals, evident by her most recent catch.

He was doing all this, because of Kasumi. He said young animal demons typically have the instinct to run around and pounce, play fight with their siblings and other demons, practice prowling. He told Kasumi to treat Rin like they were the same age, to play with her like an 8-year-old. All this so she could draw out her natural instinct.

In the end, it did kind of work. She's gotten faster than before, her senses were more tuned, but her body was still too weak. Since Sesshomaru can't train her body, he opted a weapon would be good for her for the time being. What she couldn't understand is how she was supposed to use a sword when she can barely keep up with an eight-year-old.

And how exactly is this Tōtōsai person supposed to turn her fang into a weapon? She rubbed her sore gum, surprised to feel that a new fang was growing back already.

"I guess he wasn't lying when he said it'd grow back in a day…" She muttered, poking the small fang with her tongue.

"What? What will grow back?" Rin questioned, turning to face the fox.

"My tooth, see," She opened her mouth wide, letting Rin see the stub fang. "Tōtōsai pulled it out. He said he was going to use it for something he's making for me."

"That's so cool. It's the same tooth that I lost the day Lord Sesshomaru saved me." Rin grinned widely, and Kasumi chuckled.

"It's official, Rin. We were always meant to be sisters." Kasumi said, drawing Rin close to her.

"Yeah, I'm glad to have a sister like you, onee-san." Rin took the food from the fire pit and handed one off to her onee-san.

Kasumi has long grown used to Sesshomaru watching her eat every single bite, but tonight she was acutely aware of his eyes on her. Knowing his gaze was on her made her face flush, and the bite mark on her ache.

"Ah Onee-san, you told me what papa was like. What about Mama?" Rin looked up at her, a large chunk of meat out of her meal.

"Mama?" Kasumi stopped eating and tried to think. "Hm, I say she's a lot like me. What I know about her I've heard from papa and Kyah. Kyah especially had a lot to say about her. They were childhood friends. She said that mama was a woman ahead of her time. I never really knew what that meant but… well, Mama wanted a family. And love." She smiled a little. "You know this is my favorite story papa used to tell me about mama. When he was young, his father let him travel their lands to seek a bride of his choosing. The condition was that he only had a few weeks to find and bring her back to the estate. So he went to a neighboring village, not too far away from the estate. He had been through there a few times, and already had a girl in mind. That would be mama. He courted her for all three weeks, without even getting a hint from her that she'd marry him. She wanted to marry someone for love." She smiled at the thought, remembering the time she also craved love. "Mama had a favorite spot away from the town, a place her and papa went to a lot. And he proposed to her under her favorite tree there. She loved that moment so much she married him. And on their wedding day, his gift to her was a seed from the very fruit that grew on her tree. They planted it in their garden, and planned on watching it blossom together, and would plant a new seed after every decade of their marriage. But then... mama died after only two years. So I took her place watching the tree grow. It's my favorite tree too."

"Where is the tree then?" Rin asked.

"Mh… I think it got destroyed with the rest of the estate… I don't really know. There were a lot of places I couldn't get to." She shrugged, attempting to lighten her feelings about not having the tree she grew up with, the tree that connected her mother and father. "But it's okay… It's at the house, with mama, papa, and Kyah." She smiled reassuringly at Rin, hugging her to her side before the two of them continued to eat their dinner, Sesshomaru standing close by as the two girls enjoyed themselves.

Humans and their love… He watched them as they eventually settled down to sleep, the fire dying down. How foolish must humans be to not realize it brings them only suffering, and weakness? His eyes closed as he thought more. The man was weak after realizing his beloved wife loved someone else, and let her die. In the end, he died knowing he took Kasumi's mother away. He peered open one eye as the girls shuffled around, Kasumi laying down a blanket given to her by Usui, and the two of them laying on their back, to look at the stars.

"Kyah yelled at me all the time when I was younger. I climbed to the top of the tree every day, she would get mad that I would get cuts on my hands and face, even though they would heal quickly. She said it wasn't polite for a lady to do that." Her soft laughter filled his ears, the sound warm and inviting- no doubt filled with the love she had for this woman.

"What was Kyah like…?" Rin asked quietly, sleep in her voice.

"She was a real mother… Scolded me, loved me, taught me, took care of me. All she wanted was to see me get married before she died. I think she knew it was coming soon, too. I should have married that Takami…" She sighed heavily. "I wanted to grant her wish. For her to see me married."

"Do you think her spirit is watching you until you do get married?" Rin yawned, turning onto her side.

The thought crossed Kasumi's mind and her face burned again. Oh, Kamis above, I hope not. She rolled onto her side as well, curling up around Rin and covering her with her tail.

"I wonder if she is?" Kasumi mused.

"Mh… before you go back with Lord Sesshomaru…" Rin yawned again, and his ears perked up slightly in hearing his name. "Lets find a big peach try to climb, just like the one in your home."

"Heh," Kasumi smiled and kissed Rins temple. "Let's do that. Well find a good one. Before I leave, I promise." She saw Rin smile before she drifted off to sleep, and eventually, Kasumi followed after her. With both girls sound asleep, Sesshomaru finally closed his eyes, sitting at the far end of camp, waiting for the two to wake, and morning to come.

Kasumi groaned, following behind Sesshomaru slowly. She stretched her arms above her head, and released a large, long yawn. When she opened her eyes, he was staring at her, expression unreadable.

Her cheeks heated and she tried to not avert her gaze. "Wh-what?" She questioned.

"Don't you typically wake up early? Why is this any different?" He questioned.

She frowned. "The sun isn't even up yet. Why are you so impatient? Waiting to get rid of me so everyone back home can see these stupid marks you put on me?"

A sly, almost mischievous smirk curled his lips, causing her heart to stop at the unfamiliar, yet attractive sight. "Maybe," he concluded and continued forward, the smirk not fading even after she fell into step beside him.

When they emerged from the woods outside of Tōtōsai's forge, Sesshomaru stopped at the threshold of the woods, eyes turning up, scanning the tall mountain and its surroundings, the clank of a hammer against metal resounded throughout the area, erasing all signs of peace in the warm early morning air. Sounds like he's still working… Kasumi guessed, seeing the billow of black smoke merging from the crevice of the mountain. She looked up at Sesshomaru, only to see he was gaze at the sky.

"When the hammer stops, we will go to him." He explained.

"Right…" she spoke dryly, resisting the urge to role her eyes. He couldn't have let me sleep longer? Sighing, she sat down, deciding to enjoy the sight in front of her.

It must have been close to four am now, the typically blackened night sky was brightening up, little by little. The sapphire expanse, with its twinkling stars above her, slowly disappeared as time passed. I wonder what direction we're facing? She questioned, confused at the brightness of the sky. Maybe it's later than I thought? She considered the possibility, as the hint of orange tinged over the tree tops. She sat up straight as the sight, barely seeing the light over the tall trees. She stood to try and see more, straining her neck and watching the suns slow peek.

Sesshomaru was watching her, seeing her excitement at the sight, and decided to give her another gift. He wrapped his arm around her waist, causing her to look at him.

"Please don't tell me you're going to start again," her gaze was suspicious, but he only chuckled softly.

"No, I have another gift for you." He explained, amused by her words.

"I'm telling you, bite marks do not count as gifts." She huffed, trying to give him an annoyed look he saw right through.

"Remember, hold on tight." He said, squeezing her to his chest.

"What? Don't tell me you're going to-" She cut off as he suddenly shot up into the sky in a rush of wind and speed, leaving her breathless and with the need to scream in terror. "Is your gift to me needless fear?!" She asked, breathing hard and clinging to him.

"Mh, you will eventually have to get used to this." He explained, looking straight ahead of him. He stopped several hundred feet away from the cliff and forest, and pointed forward. "There, my gift."

Suspicious, she followed his gaze and gasped at the sight. She could see everything from this height, and for once the sight didn't terrify her. Instead she was awed at the sight of the sun, painting the land and sky with its light, blanketing everything in its warmth, its color. She sighed in her awe, leaning towards his shoulder as she watched. "I love sunrise…" She said slowly. "I could never see it growing up… I tried climbing my tree so I could see over the walls… at the sky." A soft smile lifted her lips. "Could never quite make it. I could only see a small speck of orange over the roof tops."

He was watching her, turning his eyes away only when he began to feel the sun's rays on his skin. An absurd fascination with the sun and that tree, but… from the corner of his eye, he watched the sun color her hair orange, and redden her cheeks, and couldn't help but to think she was cute light this. He hid his smile, and the two stayed in the sky until the sun had risen high enough, and the sound of the hammer stopped. When they went down below, Sesshomaru didn't let up his hold on her waist until she was steady on her feet in front of Tōtōsai's home.

"T-Tōtōsai, were here," she announced herself, cautiously taking a step forward.

"Good! Leave that Sesshomaru out there!" His reply came loudly.

Kasumi looked up at him, slightly confused and now uncertain about going in there.

"Go. He doesn't want me to ruin this for you." He waved her off towards the forge.

"Why would he think something like that…?" She muttered.

"Because, he believes me unworthy of my father's sword. Now go, I'll wait."

She hesitated at his words, finding it odd to realize he was waiting for her, when she typically waited for him. Finally, taking in a slow deep breath she walked into the forge. Heat enveloped her stronger than what the suns rays had given her, and she felt herself begin to sweat. Tōtōsai sat with a relatively small cloth in front of him.

"Good, take a seat." He motioned for her to sit across from him and she did, sliding into seiza all to easily.

"I don't know what that Sesshomaru told you, but I am a master swordsmith. I only make weapons for those I believe deserve it. I won't make weapons for anyone else. It's a limited customer base, but my swords are the best. With that said, yours I made a little differently. As I began to merge your fang into the metal, it sang something to me, that I went and did something I have never done before. I created a weapon, suited for a young girl like you." He lifted the cloth, revealing its hidden treasure.

Kasumi stared blankly, too stunned to speak. "May I hold it?" She asked.

"It's your weapon girly, go ahead and take it." He said.

"A weapon?" She slowly lifted it up, black metal cool to the touch. "It's heavier than I thought it would be." She mused.

"Its light weight enough you should be able to carry it around normally without suspicion."

"It's certainly not very obvious," she joked, chuckling. "And you say my fang told you to make this?"

"Yup, it's grade a metal, light weight, the leaves are thin but sharp. The weapon will be able to channel your fox fire as well, help you learn to control it. With practice, you'll discover more of it's capabilities, but only when they see you're ready."

"Sesshomaru seems the type to be overly cautious… he'll never think I'm ready for something like that." Her fingers sliding over metal guard.

"Not Sesshomaru. them," he emphasized, pointing to the metal fan in her hand. "Genko and Shakko."

"'Shakko*? But its black." She repeated, confused. "But... why that name?"

"Open it," he rolled his eyes and watched her unfurl the fan. On the thin black metal leaves, was several etchings of flames, the entirety of these small markings merging to create the shape of a red flaming fox, running towards the guard. She ran her fingers over the image, amazed at the feeling of the sharp but smooth metal.

"Genko and Shakko... Two names, two colors." She smiled.

"Well I hope you like it, cause you aren't getting another one, now hurry on and get out of here." He waved her off. "I got a lot of things to do today." He turned around and laid on his side, scratching his belly and holding his head up in his hand.

"It's beautiful, Tōtōsai, thank you." She stood up, turned to leave, and looked back. She quickly hurried over to him and kissed the top of his bald head. "I'll take good care of them. I promise. Thank you so much." She bowed to him, before quickly rushing out to greet Sesshomaru, her mighty tessen* in her hand giving her boundless confidence as she threw herself into his arms. With this, I will learn how to help myself. I can't lean on Sesshomaru forever. I will protect myself. I will learn to protect my friends, keep Rin safe if a demon comes and attacks us. She had long forgotten about her deal with Sesshomaru, now only wishing to learn how to fend for herself, to protect Rin who she grew attached to so quickly. And to spend more time with her Lord Sesshomaru.

Genko and Shakko: Each name respectfully describe a black and red fox in that order, both a good omen. This is why Kasumi is confused about the name Shakko before she reveals its secret.

Tessen: Warfan (samurai actually used these too, has its own fighting style and everything too)

Author Note: Howdy ya'll. So, been a while since I've posted. Little over four months. I don't really have much of an excuse or anything, when I posted my last chapter it was near the end of the semester for me, so I had tests to study for and all. After that it was an immediate summer break. At first there were all sorts of things that needed to get done around my home, and any time i tried to sit down and right something would stop me. When I didn't have things to do around the house, I would be so exhausted I could do nothing but veg out on something.

I've finally gotten aa huge break, now that the fall semester has started up and I'm taking a small break from school, I've been able to relax enough where writing this chapter became possible, and I'm no longer feel like im being pushed into a corner. So yeah... Anyway, everyones follows and favorites mean a lot to me, and to the reviewers out there that wanted me to hurry up and post, here it is, in all its glory. I hope you all enjoyed reading it about as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Since its been forever since my last update, I threw in some fan service for you, as a thank you for your patience. I hope you enjoyed the new change in Sesshomaru. Seems to me like he's got a new interest in our little Kit. Wonder how quickly his physical advances will change too. ;)