"First thing you need to know about wound treatment is to keep everything clean," Andromeda says as she carefully begins unwinding the bandages around Sesshomaru's chest, "otherwise you run the risk of causing infections, which can be more dangerous than the actual injury if left untreated."
How she manages to get Sesshomaru to remain grudgingly docile while she takes Rin through the steps of wound care and treatment likely has everything to do with the quiet little girl hovering at her side. Out of character though the behavior may be, Andromeda's not above using it to her advantage. Especially when this might be the only chance she has at tending to Sesshomaru's wounds. Bloody bandages in hand, Andromeda turns to the little girl.
"Normally, boiling bandages in hot water is usually enough to sterilize them, but with this type of adhesive bandage it's best to just get rid of it." With that said sends the wad of blood-speckled-fabric up in a plume of red flame.
The little girl nods slowly and so Andromeda continues by pulling away the gauze strips to reveal Sesshomaru's wound. It certainly looks better than it did the night before, less mangled flesh and more forming scar tissue. Andromeda takes a moment to observe the damage. She's not a doctor. Despite being able to heal damaged bodies she doesn't know what to look for until she's inside someone's body. Normally it wouldn't bother her but with the kid present Andromeda had hoped to be able to share some sort of advanced knowledge. Just in case. But she supposes being able to impart some wisdom on wound care is better than leaving the girl entirely ignorant.
"See how the wound hasn't healed completely?" at the little girl's nod Andromeda continues, "This is something we'd want to keep an eye on because it's at a higher risk of getting infected. So if in the next few hours we see; redness, swelling, puss, extreme heat or pain, we'd want to treat with antibiotic herbs. Seeing as Lord Sesshomaru is a demon, however, his risk of infection is much lower than that of a humans, so if you ever see signs on infection I recommend finding a healer." she and Sesshomaru share a look, "or at the very least attempt to get your hands on ginger or honey. Both can help prevent infection."
While the little girl observes Sesshomaru's wound Andy digs through her first aid kit for more antibiotic ointment and bandages, giving the self-adhering wrap to the kid while she preps a gauze pad.
"Now we're going to treat the wound by applying an antibiotic ointment and wrapping it. I don't care what others might say, leaving a wound exposed to air it out isn't safe. Fresh air doesn't mean clean air. Dirt and other particles can be blown into the wound which can cause more damage than it solves."
As if to prove her point Andromeda presses the gauze pad into place on the demon Lord's chest. The fact that he doesn't try to rip her head off is surprising enough, but the fact that he doesn't even blink when Andromeda insists that the little girl help wrap his wounds is wild. Honestly, Andy kind of expected there to be blood and teeth and violence in the clearing as opposed to silent resentment and shaky tolerance. Lord Sesshomaru being tolerant of a human kid isn't something Andromeda expected from him if she's being frank. With as much as he's mocked Inuyasha for his human mother and insulted Kagome's non-demon-ness... Andromeda purses her lips. She's not upset about him being reasonable towards the little girl, hell, she's glad he's been so good to her over the past few hours. It's just really weird and definitely not what she was expecting. Once the gauze pad is wrapped up Andy pulls away to smile at the little girl.
"There, now we keep an eye out for infection."
Brown eyes bounce between Andromeda and the now wrapped wound as the silver haired demon Lord carefully fixes his clothes. Why he even bothers in beyond Andromeda. Man's practically the poster child of perfection. If Andromeda hadn't been there she would never have believed that Inuyasha managed to nearly but the man sitting before her in two. Aside from his almost healed wound there's nothing out of place on his person. Not even his clothes retain a smidgen of the damage they'd had earlier that morning. Ridiculous. Andromeda would kill to have something like that... even if wearing the same outfit everyday would get monotonous and terribly boring. Not having to do loads of laundry in a river in between spurts of traveling would be wonderful right about now.
Oh well, no use crying about it.
The following minutes proceed as following; Andromeda burns the soiled wrappings to a crisp so that not even the ashes remain, then she washes herself and the little girl up with some water from her own water bottle, the two of them then proceed to eat some Protein bars together, and then Andromeda packs away her things. It doesn't take very long but by the time everything is done the little girl's attention strays from Andromeda and back toward where the village must be. The red head supposes that there's probably family out in the woods somewhere if not a village. Either way, Andromeda can't reasonably keep the girl with her no matter how badly she wishes she could. So when the little girl leaves Andromeda makes sure to send her off with a fair bit of the rations she's got tucked away in her backpack; protein bars and a couple bags of dried fruit is going to be better for the girl than nothing and Andy doesn't feel right sending her off on her own without anything when it's so obvious she's been struggling. Hell, if Andromeda were sure the kid didn't have family she'd just take the kid with her... but that's not a viable option at the moment. Not when the little girl could very well have a family looking for her and certainly not when Andromeda's going to end up being in the thick of the fighting when it comes to Naraku. Taking a child into that sort of conflict just wouldn't be fair. Of course, that situation may be better than the one the kid is in currently if the bruises were any indication. Andromeda has to bite back the sudden rage she feels towards whoever touched the kid because she has no one to lash out at and she doesn't want to scare the girl.
"Alright, you should be good to go." Andromeda tells the kid, kneeling in front of her so she can make sure the food is carefully folded into a bandanna Andy happened to have at the bottom of her pack's front pocket. "Can you get this back to your home alright?"
Little fingers grasp onto the knot Andy ties and the smile the kid gives her is so sweet it's probably going to rot the girl's teeth out.
Andromeda adores this kid.
She doesn't stick around long after that, disappearing back into the forest without so much as a word to Andromeda or Sesshomaru, though, she does turn to smile at both before darting off. Sweet kid. Andy hopes she gets home safe.
Shuffling behind her has Andy whipping around to find Sesshomaru up on his feet, which he totally shouldn't be seeing as his wounds aren't totally healed. Rising, Andromeda throws her bag over her shoulder, crosses her arms over her chest and asks, "Where do you think you're going?"
When he merely blinks at her before turning to make his way in the opposite direction the girl had gone Andromeda silently bemoans the stupidity of men when they're injured - apparently no species or breed is safe - and hurries to fall into step behind him.
"You haven't fully healed yet, you know," he ignores her, "I'm just going to keep pestering you about this until you let me heal you. The whole wound treatment thing wasn't for your benefit and we both know it, I'm not to proud to admit that I wasted supplies on you the second go around, but I'm also not foolish enough to let you just off all willy nilly into the wild when you haven't fully healed."
Gold eyes cut in her direction as Sesshomaru says, "This one does not requires your assistance."
Without thinking Andromeda snaps her hand out to crack against the wounded bit of Sesshomaru's chest, smiling smugly when he whips his head around to snarl at her.
"See?" She asks tauntingly, "Still not healed. At least let me seal the wound up. This way I don't feel back about leaving you alone in the middle of the woods doing who knows what and you get to do whatever it is you do in your spare time without a hole in the middle of your chest. Sounds like a win-win situation to me."
Sesshomaru stares at her for a moment longer, the pain induced rage hidden under a cool mask of indifference, before he turns his attention to the road and keeps on walking. Andromeda shrugs. She has nothing better to do than pester him and if it were really bothering him then he'd do something about it. The way she sees it is since he hasn't done anything to dissuade her from following then she's going to continue following. It's not like she's going to miss her meet up with Inuyasha and the others... ok, well, she could. But it's not like she wouldn't find them again. At the very least Kagome's gotta go back home for exams. Andromeda has no problem sitting in the middle of Kaede's village acting as a pseudo-physician while she waits for the sister-of-her-soul. Besides, this'll create bonding between her and Sesshomaru. Maybe even give her some insight into the icy Lord's thoughts. Decided, Andromeda adjusts the strap of her bag and continues walking alongside the quiet demon Lord.
It's nice. In a strange sort of a way. Sesshomaru isn't being talkative or anything but his presence is quiet, calm, a marked difference from Inuyasha's constant noise and exuberance. Andromeda didn't realize it until now but she's kind of... missed the quiet. As an only child growing up - both before she really became self aware and during her fragmented life before the merging - there had never been another person creating chaos in her life. Aunt Pheobe had always been a relatively calm woman, there had never been any tension in the house, no squabbling or arguments, no loud family functions. Andromeda is a social creature by nature but she's also used to being able to find quiet spaces when they were needed. Since falling through the well and becoming part of the group there hasn't actually been a moment of quiet. With Sesshomaru it's different. His presence is very much there, he's as much a known companion as Inuyasha... but he's quieter. Welcoming in a way that Inuyasha is not for the simple fact that sometimes it's nice to be able to sit in someone's presence and not be surrounded by noise. Andromeda, for as much as she wishes she could thunk Sesshomaru on the head with a news paper, isn't bad company.
Which is, you know, real fucking surprising.
Stepping out of the trees beside Sesshomaru as opposed to one of them sending the other through the trees is surreal. What's even more surreal is how casual Sesshomaru seems about it.
Of course, that could have everything to do with the fact that the more tightly strung of the two is waiting maybe ten feet away with a two headed dragon plucking a flower's petals off and saying, "Testing his sword... Not... Testing his sword... Not... Testing his sword! He was testing his sword?! Lord Sesshomaru! Would you have let me die at the time?! Lord Sesshomaru!"
Amusement spills from between Andromeda's lips as Sesshomaru kicks a rock at the little demon, making contact with the back of his head and spiraling off the back of the two headed dragon with a startled shriek of pain. Attempting to smother her laughter with a hand is futile. So Andromeda allows herself a few moments to chortle as the imp flounders about and hastily demands answers.
"Weren't you looking for this one out of concern?" Sesshomaru asks, tone lighter than Andromeda's ever heard it.
"Er, well, I'm so glad to see you're well, Lord Sesshomaru-" he's cut off by another rock.
It's less funny the second time around but still humorous enough to earn a snort at the imp's expense. Maybe if he weren't such a kiss ass Andy'd have more sympathy for him. As it stands, she isn't all that fond of the little demon that tried to set her on fire. She is, however, absolutely in love with the two headed dragon - who snorts at her as she creeps closer, hand extended so that she can hopefully give it a scratch.
"Oh, aren't you precious?" Andromeda gushes as one of the heads presses against her hand, allowing her to gently rake her nails over the scales of its jaw.
She's stealing the dragon. It's hers now. Andromeda has claimed the dragon.
Just to be obnoxious she turns to say something to Sesshomaru - because she can't just suddenly be nice to him can she? That'd be suspicious as hell - only to find the demon Lord staring off in the direction of the forest. Oddly enough, his posture sets Andromeda on edge. Something is wrong and when she really focuses she can almost make out the scent of too much iron and the cries of terrorized voices. They're faint though, half-formed things that aren't carried on the wind or brought to her through some sort of heightened sense, but rather a sort of awareness. Andromeda doesn't know how she knows, but she knows.
It's coming from the village... she thinks dully.
And who else is in that village?
Setting off at a brisk pace Andromeda doesn't expect Sesshomaru to fall into step beside her, or for a grumbling Jaken to fall into step so quickly. It's surprising, yes, but Andromeda figures that if nothing else Sesshomaru has a soft spot for children. It would explain his tolerance of the little girl and his readiness to follow Andromeda back into the forest when he didn't have to. She's... so appreciative of it. Because there's no fight, no aregument, no need to convince him that going back is the right thing to do. Inuyasha would have gone, of course he would have, but it's different. There's no chance of jewel shards, no chance of a glorious battle, for all they know the damage is done and everyone is slaughtered. Oh, don't get her wrong. Inuyasha is wonderful. He wouldn't have hesitated to save a child or defend a village but... Inuyasha's relationship with humans is tempestuous at best. Convincing him to check on the village after a fight might have ended with no chance of jewel shards simply because it's the right thing to do? Well, it would have taken convincing. Because humans have never truly been kind to Inuyasha and his only positive interactions with them have only really begun since he woke up pinned to that tree. He feels no obligation to help humans... but neither does Sesshomaru.
The two say nothing to each other as they make their way further into the woods, following the main path until they come across a figure slumped in the middle of the packed dirt. It's the same little girl from earlier, barely recognizable under the blood and torn flesh and exposed innards. Andromeda doesn't look away. There's nothing she can do for the girl. She's already dead. As much as she wishes otherwise her power over life and death is limited. If they'd reached her before she'd died then Andromeda would've been able to pull her away from that precipice but...
Beside her, Sesshomaru stares at the body with something akin to distaste shining in his gaze.
"What is that?" Jaken asks from between them, likely having closed the space while Andromeda and Sesshomaru were immobile. "Oh... she's a goner. Must have been attacked by wolves. Bitten to death. Lord Sesshomaru, do you know this human?"
His response is not verbal. Instead it is a sort of quiet contemplation before the silver haired demon reaches for the sword at his hip. Tenseiga. Ignoring Jaken's shrieking, Andromeda watches at the sword pulses at Sesshomaru's side, watches as the blade glows an eerie sort of blue, and knows that everything is going to be alright. Because the sword is a sword of healing, it wants to heal this little girl, wants to rekindle the fire that's been snuffed out so horrifically. And why? Because that is the will of its master. No matter how unknowingly or unaware Sesshomaru may be he wants this little girl to live. Andromeda knows because she can feel it, taste it in the air. And that's why she remains quietly behind him as he brings the glowing sword in an arch across the little girl's broken body.
Near immediately wounds begin sealing up, bones reset, muscles and organs that had been poking out of the ruined body fix themselves, and uncaring of the blood Sesshomaru kneels beside the girl and gently props her up with his good arm. Andromeda tries to ignore the way Jaken gasps and stutters at her side, tries because she's just as taken aback by the action as he is but more relieved than anything to see that Sesshomaru is at least trying. And when the girl takes in a gasping breath Andromeda allows herself to step closer so as to check the girl for any further injuries.
"She's come back to life!" Jaken cries from behind them.
Andromeda allows her power to seep beneath the girl's skin.
"There's no remaining damage from the attack." She meets wide golden eyes, "Everything seems to be in order and functioning as it should."
Sesshomaru says nothing as he allows the little girl to stand up on her own. If it weren't for the blood on her clothes and clinging to her skin Andromeda wouldn't even know she had been so horrifically murdered. She doesn't know whether or not to thank Sesshomaru for what he's done or not but she knows she isn't going to leave the kid alone. Not right this instant anyway. Not until she's certain she's going to be ok. So when Sesshomaru begins walking away from them and the little girl takes off at a trot to catch up with him Andromeda resigns herself to spending more than a few days in the demon's presence. Not that it really changes her plans. She was going to pester him into letting her heal his wounds so how is this any different? Besides, he can't say no can he? She's the only one with any child rearing experience, after all. When she gets close enough to the little girl Andromeda silently offers her hand for the girl to take. Smiling softly when the girl's tiny fingers wrap around her own. For a moment she thinks of Iphigenia but brushes the thought aside. The girls may be similar in how they came to be in Andromeda's care but they are not one person. It would be unfair to compare the two.
When they clear the trees and fine the two headed dragon waiting patiently where he'd been left Andromeda steps closer to Sesshomaru.
"We'll need to find somewhere close to a water source to set up camp." Andromeda tells him.
"Hn."
Surprised as she may be that he didn't go for her throat Andromeda doesn't push further. Instead she goes over to the girl, introduces her to the two headed dragon, and then carefully eases her up into the saddle on his back. Even if they end up walking the girl's been through enough today. If anyone wants to get bitchy with her about putting the kid up there Andromeda is totally prepared to punt kick someone into yesteryear. She would totally punt kick Jaken. Seeing as he's the one most likely to complain she doesn't have anything else to say or feel sorry about. Kind of hard to feel sorry for someone who insults your people and tries to set them on fire with their freaky walking-staff. Andromeda glances down at the little demon as she begins the process of twisting her hair up into a bun at the top of her head. He's rather quiet in Sesshomaru's presence where there aren't any enemies to posture in front of. Bulbous yellow eyes drift away from the silver haired demon and toward Andy, as if sensing her stare. She offers a smile. All teeth. And when he stiffens, turning away to avoid the too vicious curl of her lips, Andromda can't help but feel satisfied. Hopefully Jaken will remember that just because she's currently not fighting with Sesshomaru, doesn't mean she isn't wiling to fight him. Because she's totally willing to fight Jaken.
Not that it would be much of a fight.
Andromeda smiles as she fishes a scrunchie out of her back pocket, the shiny purple satin stretching around her fingers as she goes to secure the fabric around her hair so that it stays out of her face for the remainder of the time they wander about. With her hair situated and nothing else to worry about in terms of her own person Andromeda goes to check on the little girl perched on the dragon. She looks exhausted but otherwise alright. Andromeda fishes her water bottle out of the side pocket of her pack, unscrews the lid, and shifts closer to the little girl.
"Would you like something to drink?" Andromeda asks, offering the bottle to the little girl.
She nods slowly before taking the heavy plastic. Andromeda watches as she takes a few long drags and smiles encouragingly as she takes the water bottle back when she's done.
They continue walking. Sesshomaru at the head of the group so he can lead them to wherever it is they'll be spending the night. With any luck he'll find somewhere suitable within the next few hours so Andromeda can get the little girl washed up before she drops. Dying and coming back isn't an easy task, it's exhausting, but for a child who doesn't have any experience constantly stepping back and forth over the line between life and death? Andy can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for her. So, yeah, she hopes to get the kid cleaned up and fed at a decent time so she doesn't have to worry about forcing the kid to put herself through more physical strain that she needs at the moment. Should she say anything to Sesshomaru? He hasn't tried killing her for any supposes 'insolence' yet so there's a chance he'd be more receptive to her asking how much longer they'll be traveling if it's for the kid but... She's already asked him to find a water source and Andy doesn't know how close that village is to anything substantial. The kid could have gotten the fish from earlier from a lake or a creek for all Andromeda knows. Still, she remains silent. Careful to keep an eye on the girl as they continue on their way.
Eventually - after at least an hour and a half of constant walking and slight deviations - Sesshomaru turns left off of the main road, stepping into the trees without so much as a second thought. Andromeda places a hand on the girl's back to steady her as the dragon turns to follow its master, the change in terrain nothing serious but still noticeable enough that she'd rather not risk the kid accidentally tipping herself out of the saddle while trying to balance out her weight.
Deeper and deeper and deeper into the trees they go. Stopping only when Sesshomaru deems it appropriate.
"There is a water source just north." Sesshomaru tells her and Andromeda nods once before carefully pulling the little girl off the dragon's back.
"Come on sweetheart, we're going to get you cleaned up." She says, to which the little girl nods.
And off they go, carefully stepping through the foliage and over debris. There's no sign of trouble, nothing lurking in the shadows that Andromeda can sense, so when they finally reach the water source Sesshomaru was talking about - which turns out to be a hot springs and Andromeda is seriously thinking about giving the demon Lord a big ole smooch when she gets back - she has no problem setting her bag down next to the water. A quick series of questions tells her that the little girl knows the basics of swimming and that she's not overly attached to her clothes. Which is good because putting her back in the ruined, too-small kimono just isn't happening. If all else fails she can borrow some clothes from Andromeda until they're able to get her something more appropriate. Worst case scenario the shirt is too big. Sighing, Andromeda digs out her toiletry bag and the most comfortable shirt she owns. When everything is laid out and ready she turns to the little girl with a soft smile and an extended hand.
Ruined clothing items are quickly tossed aside, hair carefully pulled out of it's updo, and then Andromeda is helping ease the little girl into the water. The rock formation of the hot spring forms enough of a ledge that she's able to sit comfortably in front of Andromeda. Sort of. The red head ends up having to roll her pants up and sticking her feet in the water in order to reach the little girl properly. When they've both settled themselves it's only a matter of giving the dark eyed girl soft commands and walking her through the process of proper hygiene and body care. The little girl seems especially delighted with the scented soaps and various product, or maybe it's just the attention Andromeda is giving her. Every time she runs her fingers through dark hair the little girl hums or sighs and sinks a bit deeper into the water. Shampoo is rinsed out, conditioner is applied and left to sit, and Andromeda carefully uses some of her more indulgent products to tend to the little girl's nails. She figures that a little pampering after what happened to her today isn't going to hurt.
"My name's Andromeda." She finds herself saying after she's decided the girl's nails have been sufficiently cleaned, "Lean back, honey, we're going to rinse the conditioner out."
Leaning back as commanded but saying nothing, the little girl just stares at her.
"If you don't want to talk I won't push you to," Andromeda eases her fingers through the softened strands of hair, "I just didn't introduce myself earlier I don't think."
Still, she says nothing.
Andromeda isn't upset, nor is she surprised. The kid wasn't much of a talker before and it's unlikely she'll be much more of one after what happened to her. Andromeda doesn't talk to her expecting to get an instant reply. She does it because including the girl, talking to the girl, making her feel like someone cares is better for her than Andromeda remaining silent. So she fills the silence with charming anecdotes and silly remarks about another little girl who ended up in her care years and years and years ago when the world was different. As she speaks Androemda helps the little girl wash the dried blood and dirt off of her body with bits of fabric she tore from the somewhat clean bits of the girl's kimono. They do a good enough job at getting her clean. So when Andromeda helps her out of the water so they can dry her off she's rather satisfied with the progress they've made.
"Now, I'm going to let you borrow something of mine alright? It's going to be a little big for you but I think it'll be more comfortable than your other clothes." Andromeda says once the girl's dried off enough to dress, fingers reaching for the long sleeved t-shirt she'd found in her bag.
"Rin." the word is whispered so softly that it nearly startles Andromeda.
"Is that your name, Rin?" Andromeda asks, and when the girl nods she smiles, "It's very nice to meet you, Rin... now, I think we've lingered here long enough yes? We'll get you fed and then you can get some sleep."
With a hesitant nod Rin lifts her arms over her head enough for Andromeda to slip the shirt over her head. It's several sizes too big, but Andromeda knew that was going to happen. She's six feet tall. Rin can't be much taller than four - and a half - foot? Maybe? Andromeda smiles reassuringly as she begins rolling up the sleeves so Rin doesn't have to fight with them all evening. She's not overly worried about the length of the shirt, which now looks more like a long dress, or the gaping around her neck. Something more fitting will need to be bought soon but for now this works. Quickly, Andromeda gathers her things and slings her bag over her shoulder before offering a hand to Rin, who takes it with a smile. Despite not being overly talkative - or selectively mute, which is totally understandable - Rin's rather good at converting her inner thoughts and the workings of her mind. On their way back to the camp little noises in the darkness cause Rin to press closer to Andromeda's side, shadows in the trees make her eyes go wide, and when Andromeda pushes light from her body to fill the darkness the tension bleeds out of Rin's body even as her little fingers curl tight around Andromeda's. Fear of the dark isn't what has Rin acting this way and Andy swears that nothing and no one is ever going to touch this girl again.
Jaken glares at her from his perch next to the fire as the two of them step into the camp, his little fist clenched so tightly around his weird little staff that Andromeda almost worries he'll break it in two.
He doesn't say anything, though.
Probably knows that the demon Lord leaning against the tree on the opposite side of the camp probably wouldn't take kindly to him harassing the kid. Directly or otherwise. Smart of him to realize there's a threat. Stupid of him to think it comes from the person who values his services.
"Are you hungry, Rin?" Andromeda asks as she sets her bag down against a tree. When Rin nods Andromeda squats down to dig out one of the remaining pack of dried goodies she thought to bring with her and hands it over to Rin.
Dried fruit isn't something she can eat consistently but it'll do for tonight. Tomorrow they'll figure out something more substantial for dinner tomorrow. A trip back home will certainly be in order so that Andromeda can get things for Rin - like a toothbrush, some shoes, treats, and some educational items. Because there's no way in hell Andromeda isn't going to give Rin the opportunity to learn now that they're together. Andromeda's all about female empowerment. After digging a comb out of her bag Andromeda goes to sit down behind Rin so she can work through the tangle of her hair. She'd obviously have to teach Rin to read and write, basic maths would be next, basic sciences, history. Anything and everything Rin wants to learn really, but they'll start with the basics. After that, if Rin wants to learn to speak twelve languages so she can school people in astrophysics Andromeda will do everything in her power to make that happen. Because people think power is power and in a way they're right, but you have to be smart in order to get anywhere in life and Andromeda has never tolerated willful ignorance.
Once she's finished with Rin's hair Andromeda goes to set up her sleeping bag. While she plans on getting some reading done that doesn't mean Rin can't luxuriate in the fruits of the modern Era. Pillowless though the setup may be it's still warm and far better than sleeping on the ground without anything to cushion your body from the twigs and rocks. Besides, Rin looks about ready to drop anyway; eyes drooping, fingers going lax around the bag of fruit, head bobbing. She doesn't even need to state her state of being for Andromeda to gather her up and carefully tuck her into the sleeping bag. Andormeda makes sure Rin is settled in and as comfortable as she can be before going to take a seat at the base of a nearby tree. If she meets Sesshomaru's gaze and offers a professional nod then that's her business. Not like the two of the are going to be fighting each other now.
Civility costs nothing, after all, but it buys you everything.
A/N:
Hello, just a couple of quick notes.
I do know that there's a bit of inconstancy in the way Sesshomaru talks about himself in the third person. Because of high speech and "kono Sesshomaru." I had intended to make this a constant for him (expect in some situations) but when I was writing the earlier chapters that he's in it slipped my mind. So be aware of it, because you can't ignore the inconsistency once you've seen it, but also know that I'm not going back to fix it. From now on, however, it will be a corrected mistake.
Also, if you think Sesshomaru or Andromeda are out of character I can promise you they aren't. Sesshomaru is a collector. He pulled Rin into his pack without having known her long and he did hold some fondness for Sara... to a certain extent. At the base of his being Sesshomaru is a pack animal. Social creature, if you will. I think that he and Andy would've come together very easily when it comes to Rin because one adopts people and so does the other.
RRR.
Thank you!