Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the Spring.

Chapter 13: Demon-of-Demons

It wasn't long until the head of the wasp swarm led the rest of the buzzing demons down towards the ground. While the journey itself was short, the amount of distance we had travelled by air was lengthy: it seems this benefactor was not interested in quickly discovering whether the lord had succeeded or not. As the bugs started their descent, Sesshōmaru followed suit, no longer watching their direction as his gaze lowered to the approaching ground. He could probably smell the demon by now – given that I could sense its energy.

It felt strangely familiar…

The forest engulfed us, and once again we were travelling under the green canopy of trees as the dog demon continued to deftly direct the three of us between the moss-covered trunks quickly. With roots and the grassy floor speeding beneath me (though it looked like the ground frequently gave way to a swampy consistency), I took the time to analyze the demonic energy closer. It was almost as if it was shifting, rolling over itself multiple times like the rushing water of a river. Tumbling, churning, flowing. Smoothly. Seamlessly. A never-ending current forcing it along, guided by stones that shape the river's bend. But it also… wasn't like that at all when I looked closer.

It felt like the energy was blended, the endless churning motion of it was simply a way to keep all of the separate parts smoothed into one. Like strings woven together to form cloth – separate, but united.

My head snapped forwards as Sesshomaru leapt from his energy cloud and disappeared through the trees. In his absence, the imp and I plummet the few remaining feet to the ground. To my surprise, the imp didn't land on his face – his lord had probably done this several times over the years, enough for even the green-skinned shrimp to have learned from it. Of course, my feet easily found the grassy ground as I could see Sesshōmaru stand behind a white-cloaked figure through the tree trunks.

"That Sesshōmaru… He failed."

There was no doubt in my mind as I laid eyes on the lumpy pelt of the cloak the demon wore: it wasn't just a single entity, it was multiple combined into one.

A demon-of-demons.

Admittedly, this one had managed to morph its energy into a more cohesive flow than the previous demon-of-demons. A result of being around for much longer, I assume. And that assumption was dangerous. I barely made it out with the most powerful priestess humans could ever produce: and that was a miscreant that had formed only days before. What sort of power did this one have, with what seems to be many years to master that disgusting form?

Said demon-of-demons sensed Sesshōmaru's presence behind him and immediately spun around while leaping away from the powerful lord. The baboon-faced mask was revealed as the miscreant knelt before lord Sesshōmaru just as I stepped out from the trees. The small glittering lake, reflecting the night sky in its calmness, had created the clearing in the forest and with that came a slightly softer earth underfoot. I warily stood behind the dog demon, using Sesshy to draw his attention so I could observe the interaction closely. What was this foul creature's motives? Why would another demon-of-demons plague these lands with its detestable being?

"Oh, Lord Sesshōmaru!" The baboon bowed to the lord as the imp approached Sesshōmaru's side.

"Naraku, you scoundrel!" The imp jutted a finger at the miscreant accusingly, "You tried to kill my lord with that arm!"

"I merely added a little something to retrieve the sacred jewel fragment I loaned him." He spoke to the imp, holding said shard delicately in his fingers as the wasp demons buzzed overhead.

"Quite well prepared, aren't you?" Sesshōmaru's voice was level, with only a slight hint of what I could pick out as anger amongst the contemplative tone.

"Preparation leads to a long life, Lord Sesshōmaru. But with your age, you know this…" His head tilted towards me, the eyeless baboon mask drawing my eyes as I tried to pick out the features of the demon inside, "I do not recall meeting you, demoness."

The last demon-of-demons couldn't speak… did this one retain more of the human host's qualities? It did keep the human-like form, after all… Perhaps this demon-of-demons' human host still retained some knowledge of its former self. Was that even possible? Were all demons-of-demons the same, or was there some sort of variance to them?

…Regardless, it seems that this demon-of-demons wants to collect the jewel that its predecessor had a hand in creating.

"You recall correctly."

"Hmm..." Slipping his hands into the baboon-fur cloak, the shard no longer in the open, he focused his attentions on my presence, "It appears I was misinformed – I wasn't aware that the lord travelled with others."

"So it seems." I gave him a coy smile, "Perhaps you won't live as long as you believe, Naraku. I've heard being misinformed greatly shortens one's life."

Sesshōmaru's patience dwindled and in the blink of an eye he lunged towards Naraku before the demon could respond. The severed baboon cloak fell to the floor, leaving no body behind as the demon-of-demon's energy had retreated just before Sesshōmaru's claws made contact. The imp, foolishly believing the enemy to be defeated, hurried to stomp on the thick fur of the cloak in triumph.

"Haha! That's what you get for daring to-!"

"Tch. He's gone."

At his lord's words, the vassal opened the cloak to reveal that the demon had escaped. With a shocked expression, the imp frantically looked around for a trace of the demon… But Naraku wasn't there, and the wasps that had been waiting patiently had also disappeared, flying into the canopy where the demon-of-demon's energy was now coming from.

I noted that the lord's gaze also centered on the same spot, though he curiously didn't seem all that interested in pursuing the demon. Too proud? Or does he believe that it's not worth his time?

"Jeeze, imp." I sighed, a slanted grin appearing on my face as I questioned how he had managed to travel with his lord even with his astounding lack of abilities, "Are you sure you're one of Lord Sesshōmaru's vassals?"

The small fuming demon opened his pointed mouth, the beginnings of a squawk dying on his tongue as Naraku's voice emanated from all around us.

"Lord Sesshōmaru, mind your anger." It almost sounded like the miscreant was mocking the dog demon – it appears the amalgamation wasn't that smart after all, "When the time comes to kill Inuyasha, I may call on you again…"

With that, his energy quickly sped away from the area, leaving the three of us in his wake.

Annoyance blossomed across Sesshōmaru's features, and without another word he turned on his heel and left the baboon-fur cloak behind. The imp immediately followed suit, but I found myself lingering, unable to pull my gaze from the direction that Naraku travelled.

Based on how fast this baboon was capable of fleeing, it was about as fast as the last. With that speed, I could keep up most times, but seeing as I was more of a ranged attacker it didn't matter too much: all I need is someone to draw the creature's attention. Sesshōmaru would do nicely in that regard – he might even slay the miscreant without my involvement… and as the lord was a proud being, the fact that this 'Naraku' tried to take advantage of him probably doesn't sit well. So, there's no need for me to put myself in the same position as the amalgamation to try and pit the two against each other...

But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

The miscreant kept his human appearance, which means that it would probably take some time to revert back to its true writhing form – which would grant me time spent not keeping track of all its appendages in a fight. The creature also fled from Sesshōmaru, meaning it is at least aware of the limitations of its power – and that if I continued to travel with the dog demon, he'd probably reuse his escape maneuvers. This was fine: it gave me more time to collect information on the abilities of the demon-of-demons before I fought-

Midoriko flashed through my mind: petrified in the previous demon-of-demon's maw.

…No.

I wasn't going to fight this thing because of that. I was going to simply wait until he collected most of the shards and came to me: then I'd take the jewel off of him while Lord Sesshy occupied him and get rid of this lingering stain of my past. Of course, to do so I still needed to be prepared: and in my preparation I would simply observe what I could of his behaviour.

What did I know of the baboon's behaviour so far?

…Not much. He seems to be pretty manipulative – offering a shard's assistance as long as you do his bidding… But enlisting Sesshōmaru in his desires to kill Inuyasha (as he seemed to know what Lord Sesshy was planning to do with that shard)… that's enlisting a more powerful demon to do your dirty work – more powerful that Naraku decided to flee…

What was to be gained from potentially angering a Great Demon when the baboon was only a mere half-demon? Was it personal?

I turned back towards said dog demon – well, where Lord Sesshy would have been standing if he hadn't moved on already. Rolling my eyes, I left the clearing to follow the intense energy of the lord. I didn't hasten my pace as I weaved around the tree trunks, not needing to catch up with the two demons right away (after all, it wasn't like I was missing any fascinating conversations).

My eyes kept a close watch on the swampy grounds beneath the anchored tree trunks, preferring to walk atop the strong roots of the tree than have water seep through my socks. Sesshōmaru's energy wasn't slowing down: those who couldn't keep up were left behind, after all. And while I was impressed at this, a smile stretching over my skin as I found myself amused at the prospect of following the impassive demon for now… He was a Great Demon. This sort of thing was to be expected: he didn't need to be concerned with turning his back to me – I wouldn't be able to scratch him without a lethal wound being inflicted. Even so, the proud demon wasn't entirely unpleasant to travel with. The imp at his side though, was a different story. I could do without the incessant squawking about every little thing – but it was fun to rile him up and tune him out, I'll admit.

Seeing as I was still alive, and that the demon lord could leave me behind at any point and still hadn't – I suppose I had more self-restraint than I originally thought. After all, with how little Lord Sesshy expresses, it was hard to know when to stop teasing at the right moment: just before he'd think I was worth more dead than alive (seeing as how the annoying green thing couldn't shut up, I think that margin was more lenient than he'd like to admit). Well, it was either that or he's simply biding his time until I break the ward I placed on the Tessaiga.

Buuuuut I like to think of it as the former.

Now that I think on it, I should be more careful messing with that priestess when the two brothers duel it out next time. While I could easily kill the half-demon if he interrupted me again, the fact that Sesshōmaru stepped in between us meant that the lord was quite aware of that. Which was dangerous. The desire to kill one's kin was not foreign to me, after all: had anyone other than myself struck down Isamu, I'd have killed them in a heartbeat.

While it was fun to see how far I could push the lord, killing the half-demon would be more like throwing myself into a fire.

…And I suppose killing the half-demon would be like 'cheating', seeing as Tōga wanted the two brothers to get along: using the swords as a means to do so.

Ah, well. If it comes down to it, I'd pick my life over a dead guy's wishes.

Humming to myself, I weaved through the last trees and stepped out of the swampy forest. The imp and his master hadn't gotten far: I could see their figures steadily walking away over the loamy grass-covered hills. The air was humid, and by the look of the clouds that blocked out the sun's light, it was going to rain soon. Picking up my pace slightly, so that I would catch up with them if they didn't speed up as well, I felt a dull pain wash over me.

My hand rested over the hilt of the sword hanging from my left hip. I had dispelled the sealing charms placed on the metal long ago, with the assistance of the very same lord I watched disappear over the rolling hills.

There was no way I'd let this end like last time.


O


"There's no way I'm following you over…" I nodded my head towards the blackened ground, warily watching steam rise from the parts that didn't even look that hot as I shuffled away a little further, "that."

I should've kept my pace the same, by the time I caught up, they'd probably be back from enlisting Tōtōsai's skills to craft a new – better – sword than the one that hung unused from Sesshōmaru's figure. It would be impossible, seeing as what that 'useless' sword could do, but I also couldn't help but wonder what was running through the Great Demon's mind.

Had he given up his desire for the Tessaiga? Or was this sword just supposed to aid him in acquiring it?

It was probably the latter.

…It was definitely the latter: I couldn't see him giving up so easily, especially since I offered to break the charm preventing him from wield his father's magnificent weapon. The one that he didn't think of as useless, that is.

"What's the matter, half-" He cut himself off as he waddled closer, a strange, almost gleeful look in his eyes, "healer? Can't manage to follow us through this minor obstacle? Hmph! As expected from a half-…. From someone like you! You can't measure up to my lord, not to mention a pure-blooded demon!"

He puffed his chest out, smugly looking up at me with an upward curl to his mouth – a rare sight, now that I think of it. My desire to squish him like the annoying bug he is grew.

"Oh? I didn't know you wanted me to follow you so badly – if I had known you felt that way…" I hunched over, stopping the motion of my unfolded fan for a moment as I picked him up by the hat strapped to his head, "I'd have simply used you as a shoe and we'd be finished with this heat already. There's still time, though: we can see if you're good at something other than squawking."

Smiling at the struggling imp swatting at his hat in an attempt to loosen my grip, I continued fanning myself. It didn't help too much, but it felt nice. Luckily, because of the red kimono I wore – crafted from the silk of the Fire Spiders that dwell in similar areas such as the volcanic earth we stood in front of – the heat barely affected the skin it covered.

"Un-unhand me, woman! On second thought, you can stay behind! And I, for one, hope that we don't come back to collect you!"

The imp reached down, attempting to pick up his two-headed staff he had dropped in his surprise… But, seeing as my foot was holding it down, the movement was futile.

"Now that's just rude, imp." I chuckled darkly, "If you know what's good for you – you'd better hope you burn up before you get back instead!" I then reeled back and threw him into the expanse of cracked earth, seeing him land awkwardly and skid across the ground before immediately jumping up and hopped his way back to where the dog demon and I were standing: his squawks of pain easily being heard at this distance.

I guess squawking is all he's good at after all.

"Snow-woman."

"Yes, Lord Sesshy~?" Even though I sent him a mischievous glance that he no doubt knew was there, it seems that he was getting rather used to the nickname: the flicker of annoyance no longer flashed across his face. I pursed my lips, disappointed at the fact I couldn't use it to rile him up any longer… but also strangely satisfied at the same time.

"Wait here."

"What a marvellous idea." I took several more steps back, seeing his head turn to follow the movement as his golden eyes met mine, "I think I'll do that. Don't take too long: I might get bored and wander off!"

That turned his gaze into a half-hearted glare. But before I could make it anything more than that he scoffed, walking into the scorched lands without batting an eye at the heat.

…When had my defiance to his 'commands' become so half-hearted? While I knew it wasn't likely I was going to wander off – Sesshy and his vassal had been strangely entertaining – it seems the dog demon knew that as well, whereas before his eyes would burn with annoyance rather than just simmer idly. Our goals had aligned more since Naraku's appearance less than a week ago.

I shrugged the thought off. Travelling together is the quickest way to get to know someone, after all. While there was still a lot I didn't know about the Great Demon, what I did know wasn't off-putting in the slightest. In fact, I'd say a great deal of our ideals were similar. It was… nice. Travelling the lands once more. I had missed seeing the landscape change: after this is all over, perhaps I won't return to the shrine and continue wandering.

"Insufferable woman!"

…And, like that, my mood soured considerably.

"Tch. What an annoying pest." Loosely folding my arms across my chest, I watched as the imp scurried to collect the two-headed staffs he clings to all the time.

"You-!" He opened his mouth, and a wicked grin spread across my lips as I watched him fume.

"Jaken." Sesshōmaru called out, not faltering in his step, and at the sound of his lord's voice the imp hurried off again.

"Oh, yes! Coming, milord!"

But, not before sending a glare back at me, which I earnestly returned.

As the two demons drifted out of sight, the white-haired one easily scaling the blackened earth while the pest beside him still yelped and hopped from one foot to another, I took another leap from the heat the land gave off. Now that I was far away enough for the heat to leave my skin naturally, I closed my fan and placed it back into my obi. As I ensured it was secure in the fabric, my hand drifted over the drawstrings of the pouch containing the jewel shard. After a second of hesitation, I pulled on them, drawing the pouch into my hand before retrieving the shard from within. Strangely, the dark purple sliver of colour had dissipated – leaving the shard with a soft-pink glow.

Remembering that the jewel would've been in a single piece – and that I would've been able to collect it whole in the fifty years I had lived in the shrine – I scoffed, placing it back in the pouch. As I tucked the pouch back into my obi, leaving the top of the strings peaking out from the fabric once again, I pulled Midoriko's sword from its sheathe.

"…But that only means that if the priestess hadn't shattered the jewel into shards, it wouldn't have found its way back to me." I twirled the blade in my hand idly, watching it cut through the air easily.

What a curse Midoriko was, after all.

The blade was now called Kishikaisei – as Midoriko had long faded from this world, as all humans do. What an insult. Kishikaisei: 'Resuscitation' to wake from death and return to life. The name that was given to it after I had been sealed within its metal, cursed to escape its clutches until it drew me back in again, and again, and again. At least now it could only kill me.

My fingers ran down the length of the sword, the smooth metal gleaming in the pale sunlight.

It had been a while since I released it from the sheath, I mused. It was perfectly balanced, easy to hold with a single hand, and still sharp enough to cut through bone seeing as how the edge held up well. But was it still a good conduit for energy?

Curious, I tentatively poured my demonic energy into it. Seeing as how it didn't try to absorb me again (not that it would, since I removed the spells, but you can never be too careful with a priestess's work), I continued filling the sword with energy. After only a minute, the blade was cold to the touch, and as the temperature was drastically different from its surroundings, a mist rolled off of the blade's sharpened edge. With a satisfied hum, I pierced the ground with the blade's tip, a smile forming as cold air exploded from the area, freezing the ground and covering the nearby plants with a thin coat of ice and snow. Frigid Flash: a move that would normally use up lots of my energy as I poured it into the ground beneath me… seemed to need far less when poured into the blade. And for the amount of snow and ice caused by it, expanding outwards from the sword in a spherical shape, it seemed to increase the range as well as use less energy. A truly magnificent blade, capable of optimizing energy usage…

Perhaps I should use it a little more?

I had never been really interested in swordplay, and while Midoriko was well-versed in combat with one, Sesshōmaru's skills could not be matched by a human. Not with all the time he had to perfect it: even his father didn't wield the Tessaiga so fluently in the brief time that the dog demon had it in his grasp. But Tōga's fighting style aligned itself more with Inuyasha's than Sesshōmaru's graceful, efficient, movements. Of course, the only difference between Tōga and Inuyasha in battle was that Tōga could back up that reckless behaviour with the amount of power he had. At least, that's what I'd witnessed before he died so needlessly… but his eldest son certainly was nearly (if not already) at the same level – and he still had many, many years to surpass the power Tōga had chosen to forego before his time.

But, it wasn't like I needed to master swordsmanship or anything. A little practice would help if things got too close for combat – not that it happens often… but being prepared for anything would help with getting the jewel from Naraku once the only shard he needs to complete it is the one tucked into my obi.

With that, I lifted the sword from the ground, happy to see that the ice remained as the mist being released from the sword drifted down and created a low-lying cloud of white before it settled onto the snow. And so, I spent most of my time practicing a few different swings of the sword, getting a feel for its weight and desired motion in my hand before I noticed a demonic energy other than Sesshōmaru's or the imp's approaching from the volcanic land. The sun had begun setting, and as I watched for the figure along the lands, I realized that the energy was not coming from the ground…

But the sky.

I sheathed my blade as I watched an old demon who carried a long-handled hammer fly overhead on… an ox demon. I had never met the swordsmith before, but I had a funny feeling this was Tōtōsai fleeing from Sesshōmaru's request. Not that I blame him – Sesshy probably didn't give him much of a choice in the matter…. But seeing as Sesshōmaru wasn't giving chase, he had probably left to finish an errand before returning? Did he take that imp with him?

"HALF-BREED!"

…Of course not.

"STOP THAT FOOL!"

At the shrill sound of the demon's voice, the man flying atop the ox looked down, our eyes meeting for a moment before he noticed the imp running frantically after him. With that, the ox sped up and they soon disappeared from sight… which left me with the imp, who was crawling towards me, sucking in as much air as he could as he did so.

"I… said to stop him!"

"And?" I raised a brow at the panting demon, "I don't take orders from you, imp. Besides, what did you want me to do? Shoot him? I'm sure that would make him want to craft a blade for your lord."

"Oooooh this is all your fault!" Seemingly catching his breath, the imp jumped up and started stomping his foot like a petulant child, "Not only did Tōtōsai escape because of you, but this is the first time Lord Sesshōmaru has left me behind! And it's ALL your fault! Your useless blathering has probably put him in a bad mood – why am I the one who he takes it out ooooooon?!"

The end of his furious rant turned into more of a whine as he anxiously crushed his hat between his hands, mumbling to himself as he walked around in circles.

"That sounds like a personal problem." I sat down on the recently thawed ground, watching with mild interest as the little demon seemed to break down.

"OOOOOH I'VE JUST ABOUT HAD IT WITH YOU!"

"No, please, go on." I laid down on the cool grass, still watching him with a raised brow and the slight upward curl tugging at my lips as I propped my head up with my hand, "It's not like you've been saying that since you've met me or anything. I'm sure this time it'll be interesting."

"See! It's that sort of insolence that makes Lord Sesshōmaru annoyed with me! You have no respect for anyone or anything, and once you've broken the charm that you put on the Tessaiga – milord's rightful blade – he'll drop you where you stand, and I'll get back the years of my life your presence has–!" He paused, probably noticing that my head had slipped into the crook of my arm as I feigned sleep, "Ugh! You…! Sleeping? Pah! You're truly not worthy of journeying with milord! A half-breed–!"

My arm shot out as my eyes opened into slits, and I stopped the annoyance by grabbing his protruding mouth and pulling him closer to my face as he yelped.

"Shuuuuut up already. I'm beginning to think your only useful skill is talking people to death. I'm going to take a nap, because it's the only way to make my time with you enjoyable, and your going to wait for your lord at least ten feet away from me. Understand?" With that, I pushed him away and sunk my energy into the ground – forcing up two ice walls from the ground at an angle to shield my figure from the pest's view.

And, as I felt him walking around the wall I had put up in front of him, I created two more ice walls to connect to where the first two met in their angle above me*. Even then, I could hear him grumbling about something, and after hearing a light thunk and a stifled cry of pain… I think he kicked the ice in frustration.

At the thought, I brought a hand up to keep a chuckle from escaping before allowing myself to slowly fall asleep.

It had been a while since I had the chance to indulge in the human behaviour, as Sesshōmaru walked on without end or rest: as a result, we managed to close distances in a far shorter time than I was used to. Demons didn't need a lot to keep going, and I could only assume that Great Demons could maintain their strength with a lot less…

Lord Sesshy's relatively unhurried pace probably came from knowing that he was travelling with lesser demons, but also from the fact he wouldn't dare let anything alter his own pace but himself and only himself.

I gave a light shrug, before falling into a dreamless sleep.


O


Sesshōmaru had returned the next day, when the sun was still low in the sky and the sullen silence indicated that even the birds were still asleep. As soon as I picked up his energy, I emerged from my ice-shelter (which I will now forever call the imp-barrier) and squinted at the pale light that stung my adjusting eyes. The imp, realizing that I came out of the shelter, jumped up to his feet, following my gaze and looking up to the sky.

And it seems that Sesshōmaru didn't return alone.

He was riding atop another flying demon – a two-headed dragon demon which had no wings and seemed more like a beast of burden than anything: not quite as fearsome as previous dragon demons I had faced before. It held blue flames in its claws as it flew, and as it lowered towards the ground the flames started to flicker out. Both heads of the demon were muzzled, the reigns that were attached to them being held loosely in the lord's grasp. It was a beautiful looking creature,

Am I the only demon who doesn't have a flying mount?

"So, Tōtōsai has fled."

The lord seems to have caught the scent of the swordsmith as he flew down, a scowl already settling into his face.

"Ah! Milord, you've returned!", the imp runs over to Sesshōmaru as the dragon lands, hurriedly bowing to the lord, "Please forgive me, Lord Sesshōmaru! The swordsmith slipped through my grasp, as someone wouldn't stop him!" he sent a glare my way before hurriedly continuing, "But he's known to only forge a sword if he takes a liking to the one who commissions him…"

"It seems your vassal is saying he doesn't like you, Lord Sesshy."

"What? I'm doing no such thing! I'm simply saying that-!"

"Hmph. So, he has no intention of forging an appropriate sword for me?"

I stepped up to the two-headed dragon, reaching a hand out slowly – giving it more than enough time to see my approach – and ignored the demon lord's gaze. The demon didn't back away, it's pale yellow eyes watching me closely as I pressed a hand against its scaled skin, running down the green scales before tangling into its soft black hair half-way down its neck. The left head leaned down, watching me as I carefully inspected the head on my right.

"Well, aren't you a beauty?"

Lord Sesshōmaru seemed to have no shortage of demons under his command: dragon demons were one of the strongest out there. Being a Great Demon certainly does have its perks.

The dragon steed snorted at me, shaking its head back and forth – making me retract my hand for fear of annoying the beast – before it raised its head proudly, glancing over to the other head with what I almost would call a smug look. The head leaned down even further, the reigns falling completely loose as the head to my left nudged its muzzled snout into my hand while also shoving its neck against the other head.

I let out a laugh, smoothing my fingers over the warm-to-the-touch scales, "Oh don't worry, you're just as good-looking!"

It retracted its head from my hands with a happy-sounding snort, and turned to look at its other head, satisfaction rolling off of it as it seems to have made it's point.

"Jaken, Inoue." I started at the sound of my family name, tilting my head to look between the two-headed dragon and stare curiously at Sesshōmaru, but finding his gaze turned down to the imp, "We're leaving."

"Ah, right, milord!"

The imp scurried up the side of the dragon, jumping up and scrambling to sit in the saddle behind Sesshōmaru. With another glance up to Sesshōmaru, and seeing how he wasn't dismounting, I turned back to the dragon demon's heads.

"Could I ask that you carry me as well, dragon?"

The four ears of the beast swivelled as the two heads looked at each other before glancing back towards Sesshōmaru. After a moment of Sesshōmaru giving no heed to their stares, the two-headed dragon lowered itself to the ground, allowing me to easily climb into the saddle. Nodding my head as a way to show my gratitude to the dragon, I made my way around the side of the beast and heaved myself onto the back of the creature. The saddle was surprisingly soft, and I watched over my sandals as the dragon stood to its full height the ground fell away as it eased into the air.

Twisting my body towards the front, seeing Sesshōmaru's long white hair sweeping down to the saddle that the imp clutched onto (seemingly fearing for his life), I smirked.

"So, we're onto 'Inoue' now? I'm flattered, Lord Sesshy."

It had only taken fifty years, after all.


*PLEASE NOTE*


*Nozo essentially created an ice-tent. Much like how Toph from ATLA makes her than I thought.


O


-Disclaimer-

I do not own the InuYasha movies, manga, or anime. The only thing I own are my characters and the fanfic!


O Reviews O


UmiNight Angel Neko: I'm glad that you're liking the story! You're right: she is quite similar to Sesshy and Inuyasha, but we'll have to wait and see how that works out for her when dealing with either one of them! Thanks for reading!

roronoacami: Hahaha! Glad to hear your excited about Nozo's journey!

Mm. Midoriko's actions hit her hard. Hopefully with the little bundle of joy called Rin, she can finally move on from her past and onto her future.

Yeessss the romance! It's gonna be a slow burn, but I'm excited to play around with Sesshy's character and imagining what he would do in a romantic situations!

Hope the wait for the chapter hasn't thrown you off too much! (I know I had to go back and reread my notes...)

purple-pygmy-puff16: Glad to hear you enjoyed! Sorry it took so long to get around to the next chapter!

flowermanga: Yup! I'm more excited about Rin coming in though, to be honest! :3

ficklemagic: Well, yes and no. Sesshy kind of protected Inuyasha more than Nozo - she would've killed him/severely injured him: which would make Inuyasha's defeat at Sesshy's hand less rewarding.

Yeah... Let's hope Nozo finds a way to forgive Midoriko for what she's done to her.

Hope you liked this chapter!

ferallahey: Hey, thanks for reviewing! It's very true: they aren't exactly travelling together because they enjoy each other's company yet - they want something from each other, and right now after they get it they'll head their separate ways... But, given time, they might find that they're more loyal than either of them would like to believe.

Haha, I also really like how Nozo's bitterness came out in that chapter! Thanks for reading (sorry the update took so long)!

NerdyMcNerderson: Mm, Kagome is usually very stalwart when it comes to facing those more powerful than her (literally almost everyone early in the show)... But, someone laughing at you is a different matter (especially if they're kind of having a breakdown while they're doing it).

I am also very excited about reuniting her with Kirara!

aaa: Exactly - priestesses in Inuyasha (namely Kagome) just kind of run around meddling with whatever they want (I mean, let's not forget Kagome unsealed a dangerous demon from a tree with little-to-no consequences.

Thank you so much for enjoying Nozo's story! I hope you continue to read how Nozo slowly comes to terms with her past with Midoriko and what the future holds for her!

tushmonkey: Oh my! I'm blushing! Thank you for all your kind words!

I like taking the time to try and make my OCs fit into the storyline and make sense with the overall tone and direction the canon story takes - and I'm incredibly glad that it's meeting your standards!

I knooooow! Inuyasha had this amazing opportunity to reveal much more about the demon lifestyle and culture, but all we get in the show are little snippets we then have to piece together (like, Sesshy doesn't eat 'human' food, so what DOES he eat? uncooked food? A different type of food altogether? Or is it just Sesshy being Sesshy and refusing Rin's offer?). It's a little frustrating at times, as I have to pick and choose what canon stuff to take as fact and what to leave out as it doesn't make sense in my understanding... but I'm glad that you're enjoying what the result is!

Honestly, Nozo's light banter (which is probably a little more serious in her case) gets a lot of inspiration from what I say to my close friends in real life! It really helps when I'm trying to think of dialogue for her - though it admittedly does have a LOT more threats laced into it.

Rin is certainly a little ray of sunshine, and I have no doubt she'll have some sort of thawing effect on Nozo, just like she has on Sesshy: as much as they both try to ignore it.

Thank you for your review, and I hope that this chapter was worth the lengthy wait!

Until next time~! ;3


O


Sooo it's been a while! I've been a bit busy, and I'm now the proud DM of a weekly D&D session with some friends that has taken up a lot of my creative juices as well - but I should be back in the swing of things for the summer. Sorry for the wait!

Anywayyyy...

Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...

The next meeting with Inuyasha is coming up?!

HOW WILL THE REUNION WITH KIRARA GO?

More Jaken and Nozo banter, probably...

How will Nozo react to meeting our favourite orphan, Rin?

Is Nozo warming up to Sesshy...?

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3