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

Chapter 17: The Girl.


Just a head's up - the POV has changed from first person to third person! The story will still be completely told from Nozomi's point of view and feelings and thoughts, but my writing style has just kind of felt cramped by the first person since I've recently branched out into third person POV with my creative writing! Sorry for the change!


The girl had continued to follow, padding relentlessly behind the group of demons – the pace of which had slowed considerably if a child could follow them so easily. The Great Demon Lord seemed complacent in meandering his way to whatever destination he had decided on pursuing, and Nozomi felt that they had hardly travelled in the three days following the demon-wolf encounter.

And it infuriated the demoness to no end.

Both at the slow pace, and at the way that lord Sesshōmaru, for all that she had heard of despising humans, was doing nothing to chase away the unwanted straggler. The girl seemed to have no plans of leaving, beaming happily more often than not when Nozomi's attentions turned to glare back at her small form, and the lord with all the disinterest in the world refused to send her on her way. And if she didn't know any better, it seemed like the Great Demon was pandering to the child: they stopped to 'rest' at night when they never had before, leaving the girl to huddle to the roots of trees and shiver herself into sleep.

Yes, if she didn't know any better, she would have said that the lord was partial enough to the human girl to allow her attempts at following them to meet with limited success instead of merely continuing their journey through the nights and leave her far behind.

But she did know better.

Which is why when she brought up the child to him, at the start of this third day of their newly acquired follower, his ending – and only – remark at her words had surprised her.

"Enough. She may do what she will: as can you."

Nozomi was not blind to the implications of such a statement. It was crafted to put the demoness in her place, perhaps – a warning to defer to the Great Demon, and that she did not hold as much sway as she thought she did. But like many such things, her mind snarled past warnings and potential implicit threats (that she was as much an unwanted follower as a human child) and raised its hackles at the challenge she heard in those words instead. The look that he gave her then, seared into her thoughts even now, hours after he had turned and stalked into the forest when he was finished speaking. Golden eyes that stared into her own – no – through her own, as if he had figured all he had to know about her. That there were no other depths to her character, that she was merely an object that had lost his interest.

He thought her dependant.

That she was some sort of mewling kit stranded in a flooded riverbank and was merely grasping at him to keep herself afloat and help further her goals as she was too weak to do so herself. And how could he see her otherwise – her mind supplied. Had she not struggled with fighting demon-wolves? Had she not flailed with a blade unfamiliar to her grip, and had he not had to arrive and with a glare send her assailants off?

It infuriated her.

He infuriated her.

But the more infuriating fact in this moment for her, she found, was that she agreed with the imp now.

"It's been days."

The screech of complaint brought Nozomi from her thoughts, and as she came back to the present (as it became ever clearer that with the caterwaul of the imp it was impossible to have peace of mind). The forest they had been travelling through for the last few days was old. The roots of the towering trees stretched far and deep, creating ample perches to wait on. Waiting, of course, for the return of the demon lord who had, as usual, simply ordered them to remain behind while he walked off. And, as usual, the prickly imp was sore that he had not been allowed to follow.

"Just how long is that human girl going to follow us?"

The question – which did not need an answer for the imp to continue hearing his own voice – ended up drawing a slight acknowledgement from the demoness, "Who knows? Lord Sesshōmaru refuses to listen to reason." Before Jaken could get into the blithering defence of his lord, she continued, "Perhaps she'll get bored and wander off."

The words were drawled, slow and uncaring as her concentration was brought back to the task at hand. The sleeve of her kimono was folded upwards, the previously damaged skin now only showing a lattice of blue scars across a backdrop of warmer tones. A roadmap to the places the Tessaiga had ripped through the connection of her being and the energy that runs within it. The scars were scattered along the length of her arm, and still stung unpleasantly with the jarring nature that is the Tessaiga's truest calling: to rend life from the living. Though, with that sentiment, she was healing. And would continue to do so, she thought, as she massaged a poultice across the web of criss-crossed lines. It wasn't as strong as she could've made it (seeing as how dog demons have sensitive noses), and she likens that to the reason she hadn't healed fully already (not wanting to dwell on that dissident strand of fear that brushed along her consciousness, it's feather-like touch all too impossible to ignore completely) rather than the might of the weapon Tōga had wielded.

At least the numbness from the Tenseiga had long faded – and perhaps she would consider it less temperamental than its twin, had it not rejected her touch so absolutely.

Nozomi pushed those thoughts away, and instead filled her mind with the soothing sensation of her fingers dancing across her skin. Weaving her healing into her own being, and seeing those lines fade further, though they still clung stubbornly around their edges. She glared at them, wishing to erase the marring of her flesh and avoid another wound that blisters sorely, like the cutting across the flesh above her heart.

"But it's been days-!" The imp cried, apparently thinking that the conversation had not ended.

"Yes, I can count." She snapped back, then simpered, "You act as if we would be moving great distances, had she not been here, imp. It seems to me that lord Sesshōmaru does not have a direction yet; why else would we be dawdling?"

The imp squawked unpleasantly, gesticulating wildly as if he once again found himself in the face of a lowly creature who dared to speak to know of Sesshōmaru's machinations (and a distinct 'lord Sesshōmaru does not dawdle like some – some –!) but Nozomi had had her fill of indulging the imp in his noisemaking. Her attention was drawn by other things.

Namely, the fact that the human child seems to have worked up the nerve to stand blatantly within line of sight, her small frame weaving around the roots of trees to higher ground. Higher ground, which Nozomi had settled herself upon, leaning back against the trunk of the roots that had found themselves being her seat. The moment Jaken noticed her, he quickly harrumphed, sent the demoness and child alike a glare she certainly felt he thought was intimidating in any way, and waddled over to the dragon demon.

The girl continued her path, undeterred by Jaken's glare (besides a slight second of hesitance) and glanced between the two demons. Nozomi eyed her with a sort of idle curiosity: the sort that a cat might offer its prey, when deciding whether to feast or whether to play. The cub had not approached at all in the last days, keeping to herself and peering out from behind the trees to flicker her gaze from Sesshōmaru to herself in equal measure. But here she was: hesitant, perhaps, but not shying away. It wasn't until the girl came to a stop before her that she noted the cub was carrying something behind her back.

"Oh? And what brings this human cub out of hiding?" Nozomi ponders but does not so much as move from her reclined position against the tree. Her icy blue eyes slice at the child, cutting over her form and noting without much precedence that she still wears the rags she had first saw the child in. Not that she had believed the child had a better set to change into, after all, but it did pull a scowl from her.

Not that it deterred the child, as she seemed completely unphased by all of Nozomi's cold reception and instead offered her up a wide smile. The demoness offered up another scowl at it. The cub didn't seem to mind.

"A-ah…"

She made a sound, though it seemed more like a release of air from her lungs, wheezed out of her mouth. It was scratchy with disuse, and it seemed that the girl had made it not to sound any words, but to perhaps draw attention that she already had – for the moment. Or perhaps it was an attempt at vocalization? Nozomi hadn't heard a sound from the girl at all since she had encountered her, besides this breathy wisp of nothing. Could it be that the girl could not speak at all?

It was none of her business, and so she did not ask.

Though the scowl the demoness wore lessened ever so slightly upon the child showing her what she held behind her person. She held them out to the Demon Priestess, small hands holding a bundle of flowers and other plants with the roots mostly intact in only slightly crumpled conditions. It only took Nozomi a moment to recognize just what the assortment consisted of – and with it, the reason the strange little girl offered them to her. They were the very same collection of herbs she had used to make the poultice she had been applying to her wounds in the last few days. She had gone out to collect the ingredients for the mixture when the group had seemed to stop for the day, with Sesshōmaru slipping off into the woods after ordering Jaken (and herself, she assumes) to remain. Perhaps the girl had seen the ice demoness picking them? Perhaps she had seen her make a mixture from them?

…Was this a gift?

A means to show her gratitude?

The girl fidgeted, her feet turning inwards as her toes clutched at the grass sprouting between the roots, and released more sounds that did not seem to be in an effort to create words, "Mh… Ahh…"

Nozomi leaned forward, placing her feet against the uneven ground in order to loom over the cub's small stature. She held out her hand to the child, who beamed at the gesture and carefully placed the bundle into the demoness's hand. Her eyes examined the herbs, taking in with a trained expertise any unusable pieces due to the child's mishandling of them. And so, as the child watched, she discarded only a handful of them, before laying the bundle down in one of the alcoves the roots created.

"Tch. These are rather delicate, you know." She paused, blinking back memories as the words she had heard so long ago slipped into existence, "Not a terrible attempt, at least. However, to avoid damage to them after harvesting, it's good to use something to tie the herbs into a bundle – you won't clench it that tightly if you're not thinking that a loose grip will cost you."

She had repeated the words her Master had told her firmly time and time again, without meaning to. It slipped into existence when the child's eyes had looked upwards at her for approval – or perhaps expecting some sort of refusal? There was some hesitance to the child's features, as if unsure whether to reveal hopeful expectation and hanging between a crushing defeat or a victory. A delicate balance of the both of them were found on her face – the slight flicker of a smile at the edges of the mouth, while also the tensing of the brow shifting the eyebrows down slightly. A look that hung precariously between disappointment and… joy?

Had Nozomi once looked at Master Katashi the same way?

Either way, the troublesome expression shifted as the child nodded at the demoness's unintended words; her brow furrowed in concentration as she listened. However, instead of brightening after the explanation, she remained downcast – not quite the look of a scolded child, but perhaps of one who felt retroactively disappointed at their own actions. A frown tugged at the corners of Nozomi's lips, a mere flicker downwards before her face smoothed over in a neutral arrangement, though her eyes narrowed at the sight of the girl's frown.

"Child-" She paused, narrowed eyes roving over her form and noting once more the girl's torn and dirtied garments, and the words that were to follow died on her tongue, "-…follow me."

Nozomi collected her belongings – the bow delicately perched atop of twisting roots that leans against the tree as she had mirrored mere moments ago and the sword that had been less delicately leaned against the roots themselves and secured them to her person. She didn't carry much that could not snugly fit on her person: several pouches were tucked into the band of fabric tied around her midsection, as well as the sheathed dagger and folding fan that rarely left their designated positions, but everything had a place. The herbs she had been just been given by the child did not.

Perhaps it would be beneficial to acquire some sort of saddlebag or something of the nature to attach to the dragon demon? It did function as a steed, in most regards, and having a place to store things that were useful but not essential (should the demon steed be lost or should the demoness herself wish to leave at a moment's notice) might not be a bad thing. Gathering more herbs and ingredients for more poultices (not only for healing wounds but utilizing Master Katashi's full teachings for the first time in centuries) couldn't hurt – especially since the feeling that their last encounter with the Tessaiga and the group who had formed around it would not be the final one… A cautionary measure, to be sure, but lord Sesshōmaru also happened to be travelling at a slowed pace which gave her a lot more time to make good use of the time provided.

She doubted more time would be allotted in the future, when the Great Demon lord had figured out his path.

Her gaze cut to the sword that hung from her hip. Practicing some swordplay out of earshot of the imp (as she already winced at the useless commentary he would provide, though he would debatably make a better target for practice than anything in the surrounding area) might also be a worthwhile pursuit. While the demoness would never say she had any sort of inclination for fighting with a blade, it had proven its potential usefulness in the demon-wolf encounter. Perhaps it would have been more useful had she learned any sort of ease with the way the metal could cut across the air. But, at least she was travelling a master swordsman – perhaps with a bit of luck, she could see the man in action with one and take a few notes.

Eyes burned into the back of Nozomi's head, and the sensation was enough to clear her thoughts and settle into cool indifference as she glanced back at the human child. There was a question in the brown hues, something that set them alight with a sort of honeyed fire that made the quiet girl seem as young as she potentially was, but the demoness ignored it. The girl was obediently following her into the woods, so there was no need to spark any sort of distraction from the task at hand.

There was a village up ahead, probably only an hour or so excursion into the woods – it was a decent size, compared to what few other settlements the demoness had bore witness to in this century. She had come across it in the time she had wandered, trying to avoid the imp's grating voice and incessant complaints. There were a decent number of usable herbs in the area as well, something that the village priestess or healer probably took advantage of: seeing as how some of the leaves were snapped off with precision instead of careless abandon.

The journey was silent. The girl was skilled at crossing the gnarled forest terrain (she had to be, considering she kept up with the demons' pace during the day before night fell and they stopped for the evening), and Nozomi was somewhat pleased she didn't have to slow her pace much for the child to follow behind diligently. When the river came into view, Nozomi slowed to a stop.

"Girl. We're about to enter a human settlement." There was an underlying threat there, one that was wrinkled with death – should the demoness's true nature be outed – but she continued, "I am not planning to be there long – it is up to you whether or not you leave with me as well."

While she was speaking, Nozomi released her hair from the ribbons that bound them more manageably atop her head. She glanced towards the human child as no wisp of an acknowledgment came, her fingers running through the silken strands and ensuring that her pointed ears were hidden from view.

To her surprise, the girl seemed fearful.

Fearful. Not of the Great Demon lord whose indifferent silence could unsettle the best of demons, not of the icy countenance the demoness herself had graced her with, and not even of the sight of the two-headed dragon demon (who, while powerful in its own right, bowed to the might of lord Sesshōmaru!). And there was nothing to fear about the imp except that infernal staff he wove around at every opportunity.

No, she was fearful of humans.

Nozomi supposed it shouldn't be too much of a surprise – the humans from her own village had gifted her with a swollen face (probably more times than just the once) and her aversion to humans might do well to explain the complete lack of fear that she experienced when interacting with demons that could easily cleave a head from its shoulders with a mere flicker of movement…

But perhaps this could be some middle grounds of sorts.

Fear was close enough to hatred, after all. There would be no attempts to 'change the demoness for the better' whilst spinning all sorts of human drivel as moral or righteous. There would be no deference to help and aid humans with their pitifully insignificant problems. No need to heed a blatantly inferior creature at all. Perhaps this could work, should the girl have the tenacity to refuse to be left behind.

"Come, child." Quivering eyes flickered to clash with ice, "I will not coddle you."

Nozomi turned, not waiting to see a response flit across the girl's face. There would be far worse than a human settlement in the future, should the girl continue to follow. If this is where the human cub drew the line, then that was fine. But the demoness… well, she found herself willing to see just how much this child could handle before the journey loses its wonder and chooses to return to the human lifestyle.

So, when the demoness heard the hastened steps of little feet catching up to her own strides, she hid the ghost of a smirk behind a sideways glance of acknowledgement as the little girl fell in step beside her.


O


Nozomi was no stranger to human settlements, nor was she unfamiliar with the looks that graced her form whenever she appeared in one. The Snow Demoness as a race of demons were commonly thought of as beautiful to humans – some type of distant pining that fully encompassed her pale skin and dark hair. A look of frigid distance interposed with a delicate flower blooming just out of reach – that's the guise the demoness composed herself into as the first humans looked upon her. A gentle smile playing along the corners of her lips, a softening of her features and removal of the downward pull the unamused air that followed her frequently resulted in. It had been a long time, she mused under the layers of deceit she wrapped herself in, since she had felt like the finely honed predator she is.

Here she was, in the center of a human infested town, as unsuspecting as they've ever been to a danger in their midst. Though a few things had changed since her last visit to a town (not including the girl's village – that was little more than a couple of run-down shacks – the settlement she found herself in would probably be much more able to acquiesce to her requests). The first of which was the presence of what looked to be a large campsite just outside of the town – the opposite end from where the demoness and the girl approached the town – which seemed to house all sorts of armoured troops. That is, if the increased amount of battle-worn (or battle-fated) men along the streets had anything to say. It wasn't a bad thing, per se, if all else failed, Nozomi would no doubt be able to talk one of them out of some type of saddlebag. Amicably, or not.

The other, which seemed perhaps more important and unique, was the presence of a jewel shard she sensed within the town.

But the importance of the fact faded quickly for Nozomi. She was already in possession of one of the jewel shards, secretly. When all of them had been scooped up by one group or another, all that matters is that one shard is still hidden. Two shards is the beginning of a pattern: the start of an intention to collect. One that Nozomi has no want or need of.

The work will all be done for her in the end, and either the jewel will forever remain incomplete, or she will be the one to hold the finished sphere. She will ensure no other realities come to existence.

So, sweeping the child down a path, Nozomi wordlessly thanked the villager who granted her directions to her destination with a smile. The girl was sticking as close as she could without clinging to the demoness, her face downturned and her eyes watching her feet as they plodded along. They were an odd pairing, perhaps. But Nozomi paid the thought little mind, as the road eventually led her to the tailor's shop.

The man inside seemed to have heard of their coming, as when Nozomi opened the door and gestured the child in, he stood eagerly at attention before bowing hastily, "Ah! Welcome, welcome! I'm afraid that we might not have much suited here for someone as beautiful as you, but if you require my skills, I am more than willing to offer my craft!"

The demoness couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the man's welcome. He was young, but Nozomi had trouble determining the age of humans and stopped trying to do so long ago. What's more important is that his own clothes seemed well-stitched, as did the rest of the swaths of fabrics arranged in wearable fashions that were strung around the room. While the demoness couldn't exactly tell the prestige of human shops, this seemed at least modest – with the entrance to the building opening into the front room with fabrics and kimonos on display, and she spotted the awning to another room at the back. Where the tailor does his work, presumably?

The look he had given her gave her pause, though. Until she realized the quality of the own kimono she wore and the masterwork it had been – even if it had been created a long time ago. Did he think her rich, then? She could most certainly work with that.

"Ah, hello. I was wondering if you could outfit the child?" A small gesture was made to the child, who had looked up from her feet at the mention of her, "It will need to be fitted and done immediately, so if you would show us to anything that would fit her with slight adjustments*?"

He nodded, gesturing to one of the walls of the room where swaths of fabric hung. Unfortunately, Nozomi was a demon very much out of her understood time and even more so out of the realm of any expertise on fashion or fabrics. So, she turned to Rin, who stared at her with a muted sort of confusion.

"Have a look, child." The demoness jutted her chin towards the display of fabrics the kosodes were folded to appropriately show their patterns, "Pick whichever you'd like."

The girl's eyes widened, mouth opening in what appeared to be a rather shocked expression, "Ah…?"

"I will not repeat myself, child."

The child blinked, slowly, her eyebrows still crested in confusion. But, after a moment of staring into Nozomi's eyes (which were resisting falling into a glower in front of the tailor each passing second), she turned and almost in a daze walked over to the wall of fabrics the tailor had designated appropriate. Nozomi followed close behind.

He had an impressive display, Nozomi assumed, as many colours and patterns filled the wall. Light blues and greens, reds and pinks, yellows, one that even appeared to be a sort of peach colour – some had checkered patterning, others had what seemed to be decorated with imagery of branches and flowers or circles and stripes or other shapes filling out the fabric. Of course, some were a stagnant colour, but Nozomi didn't see how a child would choose a singular colour when so many other patterns existed.

Strangely, however, after glancing at the fabrics that hung on the wall, she had gripped the fabric of a plain red kosode out of the several available. The child then turned back, nervously gazing into the black folds of Nozomi's hakama before darting up to the demoness's eyes. To her, it seemed a question was being asked, though she wasn't entirely sure what it was.

"Do not look to me, child." Nozomi's gaze hardened, narrowing ever-so-slightly that she was almost surprised that the girl dropped her gaze momentarily before meeting her gaze – almost as if she had noticed the change- "You will be wearing it from now on, so it matters not to me what you want."

There was silence for a second, the child contemplating the words, before beaming brightly at the demoness. It confused her, just what had brought about that reaction from the little girl, but like with all things that started to pull at the conflictions buried deep within her – Nozomi brushed it aside. Instead, she smiled pleasantly at the tailor (who had been hovering between the distance of 'not part of the conversation' and 'can definitely overhear the conversation'), which caused him to send a smile back as he approached.

Out of the corner of her eye, Nozomi saw that the girl had released her grip on the red kosode, and tentatively reached out to inspect the other fabrics.

She smiled sweetly at the human man, "Would you please fetch some of your available obi?"

He nods, "Most certainly!", and hurries off to fulfill the demoness's suggestion.

Nozomi turned her attention back towards the girl, watching her eyes flicker between a yellow and orange checkered kosode, and a light blue one with yellow and white accents embedded in the fabric. After another minute of internal debate, the girl released the light blue kosode from her grasp and turned to face the woman with the fabric of the checkered kosode in her hand. She pulled at it feebly, "Th…is?"

Nozomi felt her eyebrows lift, face morphing into surprise as the little girl's voice dragged itself into words. So, the girl could talk after all? She felt a pointed smile tugging at her lips as she wondered just what type of human the girl would reveal herself to be. Perhaps quiet? Reserved, in the way she had been displaying in her silence? Those tentative movements that belonged to a wide-eyed deer in the den of wolves, were they still to be expected? Or perhaps that was merely a symptom of the life she left behind before following the demonic group the girl found herself in?

"Very well, child." Nozomi took the kosode from the wall, unfolding it and sizing it against the girl's body. It was perhaps not the ideal length, as it fell lower than the tattered kosode the girl had on currently, but luckily it seemed like no adjustments had to be made to render it wearable immediately. The tailor chose that moment to return, multiple sashes of different colours hanging from his arm, "Now choose which colour you want, and change while myself and this man settle payment."

The girl nods, quicker this time in responding to her order, glancing for a moment through the colours of sashes before settling on a small (width-wise) green sash to act as the obi for the ensemble. The man nods towards the entrance to the secondary room.

"Feel free to get changed over there, little one!"

The girl seemed to retract a little at being acknowledged by the human, and shrunk behind the demoness's form – careful, however, not to touch the fabric of the demoness's clothes as she did so. Nozomi glanced towards the child and draped the checkered kosode in her arms.

"Hurry up now, child. We haven't got all day."

Sparing the human another hesitant look, the child met Nozomi's eyes one last time before darting off towards the adjacent room, her feet stomping lightly across the floor. Icy blue eyes watched her turn the corner into the next room before turning towards the tailor, "What do I owe you for your services today, sir?" Pulling out the coin purse she had collected off the corpse of a bandit fought… well, not too long ago, now that she thought of it, she peered at its contents.

She had filled it decently, with all the bandits she had come across carrying some amount of coin on their body before they had fallen to her (as Sesshōmaru was in the habit of leaving herself and the imp to clean up intruding humans – at least before the dragon demon showed up. That was a bit of a deterrent against annoyances once they realised a very visible demon was in their midst). The problem now became that she didn't really know how to differentiate the coinage for their worth. She had had little use for it over her centuries, and even the time she had spent freed from the Kishikaisei had resulted in few opportunities for learning such things. So, even when the tailor explained the price of the kosode and sash, she had no choice but to lean into the rich persona that the tailor had associated her with when she had entered the shop.

"I'm afraid to admit that I don't often do this – my servants are well-equipped for purchasing all that I need…" She gives a small frown, creasing her forehead in constructed confusion, before pulling a handful of coinage out of her acquired coin purse and showing it to the man, "You'll have to inform me how much each coin is worth."

To say the man looked stupefied is an understatement. Nozomi could understand such a reaction, she supposed. It probably wasn't an everyday occurrence that the man had a grown woman asking him to explain currency to them – and it's not as if she didn't understand the concept of currency itself (though it was undoubtedly strange that one could receive something for a small piece of metal in return). It was simply this era's currency that needed clarification.

Not that the man knew that, of course.

He didn't deem it necessary to bore her with the explanation of the concept, thankfully, and instead took the request in stride (after snapping out of his bewilderment). Taking the opportunity to sidle up to the demoness and enlighten her to the value of the metal she held in her hand (rather patronizingly, which would have resulted in bloodshed if she had been in a fouler mood).

But, as luck would have it for the human, she felt quite merciful this day.

Ensuring that she handed him the proper amount (with a few extra coins thrown in for good measure), she tucked the coin purse back into her obi by the time the girl returned with her old kosode folded and held against her chest. The colours of the checkered kimono suited her, Nozomi thought, as it seemed to be enough to brighten her disposition if the way her brown eyes glittered warmly as a shy smile slowly spread across her face. The kosode came to just below her knees, and the sleeves extended down to her wrists. In addition to the yellow and orange checkered pattern, it seems that the fabric also had green circles randomly incorporated into the fabric as well.

Nodding approvingly at the change in appearance, as it no longer seemed like a scraggly human child would now be following them (though she was still a weak human child), Nozomi extended a hand to receive the girl's old kosode.

"Now that that's settled, you no longer have any use for that." Hand still extended, waiting for the child to place the clothing in her hand she turned to the tailor, "Would you be able to dispose of it? I'm afraid the child and I have business to attend to elsewhere…"

The tailor responded in the affirmative, but fabric had yet to be placed in Nozomi's palm. With some annoyance in her gaze, she shifted her gaze back to the girl. Her brown eyes were downcast, staring at the kosode she held in her hands with some sort of removed, distant, sadness that kept Nozomi's sharp tongue pressed to the roof of her mouth. The thought of hurrying the child through this… emotional release in the form of relinquishing the only possession she had owned for quite some time (if the way she clutched at the tattered clothing was any indication)… quickly died. Instead, with a patience that would've done her master proud, the demoness waited for the child to finish.

Moments melded into minutes, but Nozomi did not falter in her decision nor did her hand waver from its outstretched position. The tailor shuffled, seemingly uncertain of this development but noting that breaking the girl's thoughts would not be appreciated (and frankly would end in many things in him breaking) and remained silent as well.

The girl's trance was ended in a small sniffle, and her watery eyes met with Nozomi's watchful ones as she allowed the rags to pass from her small hands into the demoness's. Though watery, however, the demoness noted with a sense of some sort of abject pride, that no tears spilled over as the girl's posture straightened.

Wordlessly, Nozomi passed the old kosode off to the tailor before sweeping the child out of the shop (drifting a hand behind the child's back as a means to direct her towards the exit but being very cautious of not actually bridging the physical distance between them.

The demoness decided to return to the clearing: she had no other interests in the village (besides perhaps finding a saddle-bag for the dragon demon, but she doubted the demon would even allow her to place it atop his back, so there wasn't much use for it after all) and led the child out of the town (ignoring the gazes that tracked her movement down the road) and back into the forest.

It wasn't until they were nearing the clearing they had left Jaken and the dragon demon in that the girl spoke up again.

"R…in."

"Hm?" Nozomi glanced back towards the girl with a raised brow, giving a final pull to the ribbon that tied her hair up in its usual fashion.

"M'name… is Rin."

The voice was still scratchy and struggling from disuse, but it felt like a step forward. Perhaps.


*tailor shop: I have no idea what commercialism was like back in the good old Japan days, but since doing some research and determining there was coinage at play (if my limited research is correct) then I'm going to say that in larger towns there would be typically someone designated by professions… while I don't know if the tailors would have anything ready-made like we do today, or if they had to make from scratch (commission-based). Since I have no idea the timeframe that sort of thing would entail, I'm gonna take some creative freedom and just say that there were some things available to wear immediately – one of them being Rin's lovely little kosode.


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


ferallahey: Haha, cracking jokes to hide discomfort is practically my MO! It seems in this chapter Nozo might've warmed up to Rin, a little. The fact that Rin dislikes humans really helped her in that regard - otherwise it would've been more of an uphill battle than it already is! Definitely still has quite a way to go, but that will come in time!

And yes, Nozo has a loooot of issues to deal with - and most of them will be addressed through her story! (Though some of them she will definitely fight tooth and nail to keep from confronting them)

purple-pygmy-puff16: well, an update is better than no update, right?

(I'm so sorry, I've been meaning to write more but its just been too hectic to! :( )

Xenocanaan: hahaaaaaa... Soon enough for you?

In all seriousness, thanks for enjoying! :)

XNightzxDayX: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully you continue to see what Nozomi's path unfolds!

Mariana Lestrange: Oh my! That's very high praise, thank you so much! Sorry it took so long to update (and for the change in POV - hopefully that won't throw you off of this story!)

bloodyfantasy14132110: Hmm... I wonder...


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Uuuuuuugh life - why you so hectic?

Anywayyyy...

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

Rin, Nozo, and Sesshy.

Nozo and Rin get a little closer?

More Jaken and Nozo banter, probably...

The road to Tokijin is paved?

How will Rin's arrival change things between Sesshy and Nozo?!

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