Chapter 3: Unlikely Bodyguard

~Sesshomaru~

Jaken's tear filled eyes were something Sesshomaru had become accustomed to in the many years the imp had served him. This time though was different. Instead of the usual dramatic wails that generally accompanied Jaken's tears, there was silence. Sesshomaru gently laid Rin's body against Ah-un's back. The two headed dragon demon let out a low pitched groan. To the untrained ear it would sound like a typical beast sound, but Sesshomaru could hear the sorrow laced into it. Ah-Un had been very fond of Rin, and vice versa.

Sesshomaru quickly sent them on their way after giving Jaken a few instructions. Sesshomaru could feel his demon's anger boiling below the surface. His own beast inside wanted out. Sesshomaru had never been one to show much emotion, and for most of his life he had even succeeded in shutting out most of them. That had been until he met the little girl in the woods who had tried to nurse him while he had been wounded. From that point on things had changed. Slowly albeit, but nonetheless, he opened himself to emotions he had left with his own childhood.

Sesshomaru took to the sky once more. He could still smell the scent of flowers and salt. It was a fading scent, but still there. The closer he came to the forest, the stronger the scent became. He had smelled a hint of blood that slightly resembled Rin's prior to leaving the castle as well. Now the scent of the blood was what drove him. Rin's daughter had been wounded in the castle. The smell was only faint in the beginning, but now it seemed to blanket the area. It was a thick smell that could only mean a substantial amount of blood had been lost. Sesshomaru's nose did not fail him, but for just this once he wished that it had.

A feeling of dejavu washed over him as he landed. A young woman's body lay before him face down. Sesshomaru's sight quickly adjusted to the darkness of the tree cover. A pool of blood soaked the base of a nearby tree, and a trail of blood painted the scuffs on the ground where the woman had been seemingly dragged to her current position. Sesshomaru had already identified the other scent that was now fading. Yakunan had been the one to send this woman to her demise.

Sesshomaru felt the growl begin deep in his chest. Yakunan spared nothing in his pursuit of power. Maybe this was Sesshomaru's Karma for also having lived such a life. Just deserts was not something Sesshomaru was willing to accept, especially if it meant losing what was precious to him. An image of Rin as a child flashed before his vision, a vision that soon faded to red. Sesshomaru's demonic aura tasted the air around him, the air that was filled with precious memories and wasted life.

The pulse at his side pushed his demonic nature back, bringing his thoughts of maliciously ending Yakunan to a halt. Not all was lost, and tenseiga was there to remind him of that detail he had overlooked in anger. Sesshomaru's father had forged Tenseiga to protect his mortal mistress, and mother of his half demon brother Inuyasha. It could save a hundred lives in one stroke. Its counterpart, also created to protect her, was the tessaiga, a sword that could destroy a hundred enemies in just one strike. The two swords had been forged from their father's fang, and dispersed separately to the sibling in which their father saw fit to wield each sword. Sesshomaru had always seen tenseiga as one last cruel joke dispensed from his late father, but the sword itself had changed his life and was about to aid him once again.

The sword itself was useless without him. It had been his father's way of teaching him compassion. Every time the sword had beckoned him to save a life, it had been because a small part within his own heart had felt that which he could only describe, but never admit to, as pity. The sword continued to pulsate at his side. He drew Tenseiga, catching an image in the reflection of the blade that could shake even the strongest of elite demons. Sesshomaru's anger was apparent.

He let the sword rest in his outstretched hand above the woman's body. Slowly Sesshomaru attempted to veil his emotions, and quell the demon that yearned to break free. He did not want the woman to wake up to a monster, knowing that her last thoughts had been of one. He soon calmed, the sword allowing him a glimpse of two worlds meeting. Small netherworld imps came into view. Sesshomaru could see the chains of the underworld slowly tightening around the woman's body as the imps weaved a prison of eternal slumber.

Sesshomaru's stroke was precise, and the many phantoms that had come to claim their bounty seemed to disintegrate under the flashing stroke of the blade. Sesshomaru's view of the border faded, and this world's plain came back into focus. For a few moments nothing happened. The woman's body lay complacent on the ground, and the familiar sound of a heartbeat did not start. Sesshomaru glanced quickly down at the silent tenseiga. He had done everything right, and the woman should have been released from death's grip. He felt the slight breeze that wafted through the forest underbelly still. In complete silence he honed in to his surroundings. He heard a slight thrum began. The sound grew, but it was not from within the woman, rather it surrounded her. The sound changed into the constant rhythm of a heartbeat, and then it sounded as if it had gained an echo. The sound settled, almost silent, even to Sesshomaru's excellent hearing. It faded into the woman's body. Nothing. Complete silence.

Sesshomaru waited. It was all that he could do. He wasn't sure what had just transpired, but he planned on finding out. That's when he heard the first beat, and then another. The heartbeat from within the woman was growing stronger and stronger. Before too long the rhythm surpassed that of a normal heartbeat. The beats were erratic and hastened as the woman began breathing on her own. He could hear her gasp for air. The sharp intake of breath was followed by a deafening scream. The sound was almost too much for Sesshomaru's sensitive ears. He took a small step away from the girl as her body shook with newfound strength. The once limp woman stiffened, and her arm extended twisting so that she could grab the back of her neck. Sesshomaru watched as a dark energy swirled in the area, seeping past and through her hand. Her body writhed, and more painful groans escaped her body before she seemingly began to claw at the area beneath her hair.

Sesshomaru stepped forward, kneeling down. The girl still hadn't noticed his presence. Her complete attention was on the area that was causing a great discomfort. Sesshomaru's hand gently pulled the curtain of hair to the side, causing the woman's hand to graze his own with her nails. In the center of her now sensitive skin, was something that eerily resembled a scale. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the mark that had been placed on her. The horned Dragon,Yakunan, had no doubt placed the mark. Sesshomaru stared at the mark, wondering what it could possibly mean. He didn't like it, the events leading up to the girl's revival had been strange, and now the mark was present on her. It was no coincidence.

Sesshomaru didn't like being toyed with, and that's exactly what Yakunan was doing. The woman's cries started to calm as the last of the dark energy swirled into the mark. Sesshomaru watched as a bright glimmer flashed across the scale, becoming void leaving nothing but a scale. The woman's body shook as she calmed her breathing. Turning slowly she glanced up at Sesshomaru through disheveled hair. Through her bangs, Sesshomaru could see eyes that caused hesitation within his own being. Her eyes, Rin's eyes, peered back at him and widened in fear. She slowly crawled onto her knees, sitting in an upright position as she stared wearily at the Great Dog Lord.

Sesshomaru could feel her unease, and he could sense her emotions on the verge of plummeting. He made no sudden moves, he didn't even attempt to approach her. He stood quietly looking at the woman before him in the moonlight that peered through the opening of the trees overhead. Her eyes were very similar to Rin's in the dark setting. The longer he observed them in her unblinking bout of terror, the more differences he noticed. Rin's eyes had been a rich vibrant brown, pure in color. This woman's eyes were the same rich brown, but the iris contained specks of green around the pupil. Sesshomaru's senses were on edge, every sense he had was currently heightened knowing that Yakunan wasn't far away. The woman didn't move, and her breathing was almost non-existent, as if her terror had convinced her to try and hide in plain sight.

A part of Sesshomaru's pride wanted to take notice of such a reaction to him. He knew he was truly a sight to be feared, but that wasn't the emotion he wanted to evoke from this woman, he didn't want to put fear into Rin's daughter. She would be the only remnant of Rin that he had left, but also a constant reminder that he, Lord Sesshomaru, had failed. He had promised Rin to protect her daughter, something he hadn't needed to do, but wanted to do because she had asked him. It had been Rin's final wish. Many demon's seen emotions toward humans as weakness, and he too had been in those shoes for a long time. However, Rin had not been an ordinary human. She was probably the first human that hadn't looked upon him in fear, and it slightly saddened Sesshomaru that Rin's daughter looked at him with such terror in that moment.

"What is your name?" Sesshomaru's lips formed the words before his mind could process and stop them. Sesshomaru was not one to try and comfort humans, or anyone for that matter. It wasn't a habit he wanted to form, but a part of him knew that his silence would only scare her more. That part of Sesshomaru was what had made him act so out of character. The girl finally blinked under his stare. Sesshomaru could see the muscles in her face draw in a bit toward her brow. She stayed silent. Sesshomaru felt that he had done his part and his demon nature, the one that still winced at any sort of compassion, begged him to walk away. He started to turn, but saw the tears beginning to form in the woman's eyes.

Her features had hardened slightly, as if she were remembering something. She was no longer looking at Sesshomaru, but rather through him. Her vision soon focused once more, and her fist clenched on her lap.

"Why?" She asked. Sesshomaru could hear the crack in her voice as anguish entered her tone.

"Why do you want to know my name after destroying everything I hold dear?" Her eyes narrowed as her terror was replaced with courage. Sesshomaru did not know how to answer a question that was not his to answer. He had not been the one to destroy anything if it had not been a demon that opposed him. It was not his fault that the human's chose to fight his army as well. He would not ask his men and women to back down from such an insult.

"What name did Rin give you?" Her courage faltered as Sesshomaru uttered her mother's name.

"I…" She trailed off, but soon answered a question with a question.

"Who are you?" Sesshomaru paused as he decided how to answer. It was apparent that Rin had never told her daughter about their past. Surely the girl would have known, probably even worshipped him as Rin had seemed to so many times before. But alas, no. This woman had no clue who he was. His pride begged at such a question. He wanted her to know who he was, so she would know what he was capable of doing, but he settled for simplicity.

"Sesshomaru." He answered.

~Ameki~

"Sesshomaru." The name echoed in her memory. From somewhere she had heard the name uttered. In an awful voice the name rang through her memories again. The imp that her mother had known. He had been the one to say his name. She was almost sure of it. He had addressed him as Lord, meaning this demon was one of the strong ones. She was curious as to how her mother had such alliances with beasts and she had never known. Had her father known? Ameki could feel the puzzled look on her face, and she realized quickly that the Demon before her had not used his own title. Was he trying to mask his identity? No, she felt quite silly for even thinking that. He wouldn't have used his real name at all if that had been the case. She squirmed uncomfortable under Sesshomaru's stare. She knew he was waiting for something. She just wasn't sure what.

She was still completely confused as to what had happened. She remembered her run from the castle, she remembered hiding within the tree, but from what? After that all she could feel was fear as her mind raced to recall the rest. Her frantic nature tried to surface. There were more important matters at hand. There was a demon standing right in front of her, and she couldn't understand why he hadn't killed her yet. What did he want?

"Ameki…" She whispered. She settled with giving her own name. At this point she had decided that giving him what he wanted might better suit her own interests, and he had asked for her name.

"My name is Ameki." She stated again trying to rectify the shakiness her first response had exposed. Her voice was much stronger the second time. Sesshomaru didn't move, or blink, or even seem to breath. He just continued to stare at her as if his eyes were piercing her soul. She quickly felt her discomfort growing. The silence was quenching her fears, leading her imagination to dangerous places. She needed to steer clear of anything that might cause her to falter. She didn't want to appear weak, but she didn't want to appear threatening either, especially since she would be but a small woman compared to a strong demon.

"How do you know my mother?" Ameki could feel her eyes trying to pull themselves to the ground. She felt intimidated by his stare, but she couldn't help but to notice that his eyes didn't seem to express danger, rather something softer. Her question had even caused a certain more human emotion to appear in his eyes, even if it had only been a moment, Ameki noticed it. It troubled him.

"This is a topic for another time. We need to leave." Sesshomaru's voice was a bit demanding. It had made Ameki want to obey, but the fire in her was not out yet.

"Why should I go anywhere with you?" Ameki's tone recovered the anger that kept flashing in and out of perspective in her already unstable line of emotions.

Ameki instantly withdrew her anger as a flash of irritation presented itself in the demon's eyes. Sesshomaru turned as if to walk away and stopped.

"We aren't alone." Ameki froze at his words. As if on queue she started to notice the glimmer of eyes peering out at them from the deep forest, some even took on red hues that chilled Ameki to her bones. The air around them, once filled with the warm scents of the scenery that decorated the forest, was now cold. Ameki could smell smoke, and a small hint of what could only be decay. The eyes didn't appear to get any closer, rather they were watching, stalking. Sesshomaru stood still. Ameki watched as he scanned the forest board surrounding them. Ameki wandered if he knew the demons.

A few twigs snapping in the distance was all it took for Sesshomaru to spring into action. A blur engulfed the position where he had been standing. Ameki lost sight of the Sesshomaru, but instantly heard the forest erupt with sounds of battle. She quickly scurried to her feet, not knowing where safety could be found. The glowing eyes that painted the backdrop before her emerged giving form to their concealed bodies. Many had the appearance of animals, but some of them looked grotesque, like something right out of a disobedient child's bedtime story. Floating heads with exposed horns made of bone, Wispy apparitions that seemed to glitch in and out of focus constantly twisting into a more hideous form than before and then there were many types of brutish demons not so different from the ogre she had previously encountered. The back of Ameki's neck slightly tingled, but she ignored it. She tried to find a clearing for her to escape, but it seemed hopeless as every which way she turned presented her with a new horror. She had heard of demons, but before this day she had never actually seen one. It had all been absolutely absurd for her to process, and the more contact she made with demons the more she felt as if her sanity was slipping.

Ameki turned around, catching a white blur as it raced past multiple demons. The demons fell without further gain in her direction.

"Yum, a Princess…" She turned slightly to peak toward the direction where the hideous hiss of words had come from. Ameki shivered at the sight that approached her. A demon with the likeness of a snake slithered toward her, several more trailing behind him.

Ameki could feel a presence rush by her, the white blur manifesting images only momentarily as he cut down the oncoming serpents. Sesshomaru moved with such speed, and grace that Ameki was momentarily caught in awe of him. He was...protecting her? Sesshomaru's speed nearly knocked Ameki off of her feet as he came to a halt behind her. She spun around and peered around him, their closeness made her uncomfortable, but the sight in front of them terrified her. Demons were closing in fast, and in that moment Sesshomaru seemed to be the only one that wasn't focused on killing her. She decided to play the odds and moved closer to his back, almost touching the fur that wrapped around him and rested on his shoulders.

"Bakusaiga!" She heard the words burst from Sesshomaru as his tall frame lurched forward into a swiping motion. His gleaming sword came into her view as the strike motion came to a rest. The many wails and screams that filled the atmosphere around them caused Ameki to clench her eyes shut. The wind around them picked up, and Ameki felt strong arms snake around her body, pressing her to the hard surface of Sesshomaru's armor. Her feet left the ground. Sesshomaru took to the sky with her in his grasp.

A small squeak escaped her as she opened her eyes and and spotted the trees in her view getting smaller. She didn't dare speak. The Demon she was pinned against didn't look at her, and she only spared a small glance at him in fear that she would irritate him. Instead, she squeezed her eyes shut and simply stayed quiet.

He didn't smell like the other demons she had encountered. She hadn't been that close to them either, but the ogre and imp she had come into contact with had both had a unique odor that followed them. The Imp had smelled oddly similar to pond water, and the ogre had carried a rotten flesh smell. It had probably been from the pelts he had decorated his waist with. Sesshomaru's scent was more wild. Like a forest after a light rain. Ameki would have never imagined such a pleasant scent coming from a demon.

Ameki's feet adjourned the ground once more. She felt the grip around her release causing her to finally open her eyes. Their flight hadn't lasted very long, but Ameki was relieved as she looked around to see that there were no glowing eyes in sight. Ameki turned around to take in her surroundings further. Sesshomaru didn't speak, but gazed out at the orange glow in the distance. His long silver hair swayed in the slight breeze on top of the cliff where they had landed. His bangs parted, pushed to the side by a small gust revealing and image that Ameki had seen her mother paint many times. A purple crescent moon came into view. The dark contrast against his light skin was lit up by the moon's light. Her breath caught as she raked her memory, recalling all of the instances she had seen her mother represent the mark in her work. His eyes seemed to be amplified by the light as well giving them a deep honey shade of Amber that almost seemed to glow. He was beautiful.

Ameki's felt the heat rise to her cheeks as the thought crossed her mind. Sesshomaru's eyes found her as she shifted with discomfort. She had been caught staring at him. It was the first time she had really taken in his smoothly chiseled features that adorned a marble texture. She quickly turned her attention out to the horizon before them, instantly dampening her thoughts revealing more sorrowful ones. She instantly thought of the well being of the others who had been in the castle. Had they made it out alive? What had happened to Yuudai? Her gaze rested on the remains of the far off castle. It had completely collapsed in on itself, and the remnants continued to burn. She could make out a few other burning structures, but the distance was already limiting her view and she was currently squinting to try and bring the tiny constructs into focus.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" She recognized the voice instantly. She looked around on ground level, searching for the imp, but didn't see him. A thud came from beside her, causing her to slightly jump. A large two headed beast was staring at her. She froze in her spot, the slitted yellow eyes didn't seem to show any signs of aggression, but Ameki kept her distance nonetheless. A small form slid down off of the beast and walked up, greeting his lord.

"Jaken." She heard Sesshomaru greet him with a low straightforward tone.

"I've carried out your wishes my lord." Jaken's tone of voice fell compared to the excitement she had previously heard in his voice upon greeting his master. Ameki's curiosity was instantly peaked, but she kept quiet. She was still uneasy about being around demons, but so far these demons had not tried to harm her. Sesshomaru had even gone as far as to protect her, and helped her escape from the horde of demons that had tried to ensnare them. She recalled Jaken had also attempted to protect them from the ogre in the castle.

Ameki's thoughts spiraled from there and she quickly turned back to the horizon and found the castle once more.

"Mother…" She whispered quietly. Jaken cleared his throat.

"You've retrieved the girl my lord, I never doubted you." She didn't turn around as Jaken spoke to Sesshomaru, afraid that the tears that had formed in her eyes would show how weak she felt in that moment. She didn't so much fear the demons anymore. Her mother had some knowledge of who they were, and she had seemed rather comfortable around Jaken. The memory of what happened in the castle armory replayed in her mind. Her mother's frantic eyes had burned itself into her mind, something that would haunt her for a long time, if she lived for very long.

~Sesshomaru~

Sesshomaru could smell the scent of salt returning. The smell of her tears hinted to where Ameki's thoughts had wandered to as Sesshomaru noticed her gaze was outcast toward the place she once called home. This made the events that were about to unfold more surreal to him. He had given Jaken instructions to fall back from the war zone, and travel west to the mountains where he would meet him with the girl. Jaken had taken Rin to a safe location, where he would further await instructions. Sesshomaru knew that Rin deserved a proper burial, in a place that he knew she would approve of.

However, Sesshomaru could not abandon his army. His general's were currently giving the orders and directing the front, but the battle seemed to be going in Yakunan's favor at the moment, and Sesshomaru needed to intervene. He needed to prove that he would not abandon them like so many had felt that he had done before in his past pursuit of the demon Naraku. This whole war had been because of his obsession to hunt down the demon. The lack of leadership he had failed to maintain during those times was ultimately what led to his weakened court and faith in his leadership. Most seen him as a hot headed youngling that inherited his great father's empire simply by being his oldest son. Sesshomaru inwardly sneered at the thought of betrayal that so many had committed against him, and he would hunt down the one responsible for fueling those actions among his ranks.

However, Sesshomaru also knew that he couldn't let his own emotions get in the way. That is why he had instructed Jaken to perform the burial in his absence. Jaken was to take the girl with him, and help her give her mother the burial that Rin deserved. Sesshomaru knew that he needed to keep morale up with his soldiers, and having their leader on the battlefield fighting with them was the best way to accomplish that. In the back of Sesshomaru's mind he could hear the whisper of other reasons. He wanted to keep Yakunan distracted, so that Jaken could flee with Ameki far from this place.

"Accompany Jaken, and he will take you somewhere safe." Ameki turned partially at Sesshomaru's words, hiding her eyes behind bangs, only allowing the side of her face to come into Sesshomaru's view. He could see a tear that had cascaded to her chin as it formed a droplet that barely clung to the surface, ready to fall. She didn't say anything at first. Sesshomaru couldn't read her body language like he had been able to read Rin's.

Where could he possibly take me that would be safe from all of the horrors that happened here?" She finally replied. Jaken was the one to answer her.

"Please girl, your mother would want you far away from this." Jaken surprised Sesshomaru. Usually the imp's speeches reflected nothing of empathy, but Sesshomaru guessed that Jaken's roughly forged fondness of Rin had something to do with the surprisingly sensitive statement he directed at Ameki.

This time Ameki turned toward them. Her bloodied clothing came into view, causing Jaken to gasp.

"My mother, what happened?" Ameki directed her question to Jaken, who now shifted uncomfortably. Sesshomaru needed to leave, but he needed to make sure Ameki left with Jaken and presented no resistance. Having her nearby would only be a distraction for him. He could protect her with distancing himself. His thoughts wavered as his resolve came into perspective. He had thought the same of distancing Rin from himself as well, and yet they had ended up in this situation anyways.

"Jaken will protect you, with his life." Sesshomaru spoke, directing the last of his statement at Jaken. Jaken furthered his uncomfortable stance.

"Her final wishes were to see that you were safe." Jaken said, returning his gaze back to Ameki.

Sesshomaru watched as Ameki's body stiffened. She stood like that for a few passing moments before a quiver shook her lip.

"Where… Where is she?" Ameki's voice sounded as small as she looked in Sesshomaru's eyes. Jaken answered once more. Jaken glanced toward Sesshomaru before answering.

"I hid her so that we can take her somewhere far away from here as well. Somewhere Lord Sesshomaru thought would be more appropriate." Jaken said with a long sigh as he finished. Ameki turned her gaze toward the ground and let out a long shaky sigh as well.

"I'm relieved that her body didn't perish in the castle...but…" Sesshomaru could see that Ameki was having a difficult time holding her tears back.

"I don't understand why you took her from the castle, I don't understand any of this. One day I think I know my mother, and the next demons show up and she doesn't even seem bothered to be in your presence…" Sesshomaru could hear the tone of her voice rising as the words rushed out in a climaxing hysteria.

"And that mark…" She pointed to Sesshomaru's forehead.

"She painted that illustration many times… She made many scroll paintings for me to hang in my bedroom as a child, and that mark, was in all of them." The new tears that had welled in Ameki's eyes spilled to dampen her cheeks once more. Sesshomaru reflected on her words. Rin had painted his mark many times, and it presented him with a warm feeling. A feeling that he was not comfortable with having so close to the battlezone. Ameki continued.

"I'm so confused. She told me so little of her life, and now…" She trailed off for a final time. Her words no longer came as low sobs drowned them out. Jaken stepped forward, sensing Sesshomaru's anxious nature surfacing. The view in the distance had intrigued him, and Jaken had noticed his attention had been diverted from the girl.

"We really need to get going. I will explain everything to you if you would just trust me. We shouldn't keep Lord Sesshomaru waiting, he has other matters to attend to, more pressing ones." Jaken still held the sympathetic tone that did not fit him well, but the urgency he normally carried when addressing Sesshomaru's intentions returned.

Sesshomaru watched in his peripheral as Ameki attempted a jump onto Ah-un's back. In her state that was weakened no doubt by her emotions of mourning she failed. She readied herself again, but this time Sesshomaru decided to assist her. He told himself it was simply to hasten their departure. He grabbed her waist gently and hoisted her up, catching her off guard causing her to slightly jump.

"Uhm, Thank you…" She replied slowly as she settled into the curve of Ah-Un's spine.

When Sesshomaru was sure that nothing had pursued the fleeing Ah-un he turned his attention back to the battlefield. Clearing his mind of all distractions he focused on one thing. Yakunan.