Going to give you all a head's up. There is a part with lyrics. I know not everyone likes stuff like that in stories, so I kept it short! I just want to point out I do not own the song "Four Seasons" or the lyrics that go with it. The song is from the third movie and is by Namie Amuro. The lyrics are by Lizz Robinett, who did an awesome English cover. I highly recommend you go and listen!

Now on to the story!

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"I highly doubt you could afford that. Perhaps try browsing our lower quality items," the smug female merchant said. She stared at Kimiko with slight disgust as she smiled. The woman felt that no one who wore such torn clothing and allowed their child to be so filthy, let alone barefoot, could afford the finer clothing she sold.

Kimi gritted her teeth as she tried to hold back her anger. She did not want to cause a scene in front of Rin. They had been traveling for days with Sesshomaru. When she had noticed a village not too far away, she had asked if she could go buy more clothes since the ones she wore were badly torn from the birds of paradise. Although Jaken instantly disagreed, he was shocked when his lord ordered him to give them money.

She decided to ignore the lady as she held the black and cyan kimono against her. It was the same length as her yukata, stopping a few inches from above the knee. The shorter length allowed easier movement, especially during combat. She bit the inside of her cheek as she debated on the kimono's sleeves. They were long and wide as a normal kimono. Kimi preferred sleeveless for easier movement but decided she could still fight in it. Before she made the decision to buy it, she decided to focus on the look of the garment. Overall, it was black with cherry blossoms spreading across it from different angles. The trim and obi were cyan. Though it was made out of silk, it was a higher grade, making it not only smoother but, also more durable. She looked to the merchant and asked for the price. The lady looked at her with skepticism as she replied. Quickly, Kimi dropped the appropriate amount of gold pieces in the woman's hand and walked away happily. She had hoped she could have gotten a weapon, but the kimono took almost all of the money she was given.

"It's very pretty!" Rin smiled as she stared at the new outfit in her mother's hands. "It goes well with the color of your eyes."

She smiled at the small girl, "Thank you." Glancing the child over, her eyes stopped at Rin's feet. "Will you please let me buy you shoes?"

"Rin doesn't like shoes. Jaken insisted on some when he took me to get this kimono," Rin giggled as she spun around showing off her orange kimono. "Rin got this a day before she found you."

Kimi frowned. "I know Lord Sesshomaru speaks in third person, but you shouldn't as well."

Confused, she tilted her head. "Shouldn't Rin do so if her lord does it?"

==OOO==

The group stopped when night started to fall. Sesshomaru had found a spot within a forest and decided they would rest here for tonight. Since they already ate, he ordered them not to leave and left them. After making a small fire, Kimiko decided she wanted to ignore Sesshomaru's order. In the distance, she could hear the faint movement of water. Seeing as though she had yet to change into her new outfit, she decided it was a perfect time to bathe.

"Come on, Rin." Kimiko stood up from the fire. "There is water not far from here. It's a perfect chance to bathe." She walked to Ah-Un and grabbed a big, white cloth from a bag. Then, she grabbed her new clothes from within a different bag.

"Did you not hear Lord Sesshomaru, wench?!" Jaken glared at the woman, "He said to stay here!"

Rolling her eyes, she started walking towards the sound of water. "If I can hear it, then it means the water is not far away. It'll be fine."

As she watched her walk away, Rin stood still as she tried to decide on what to do. Listen to Lord Sesshomaru or listen to the woman she began to consider as a mother figure? Before Kimi was out of sight, Rin ran to her and followed. Within a few minutes, they had made it to a small river. Kimi checked to make sure everything was fine before stripping down and jumping in. "Cold," she shrieked. Rin laughed before she slowly joined. To keep the girl from getting sick, she quickly washed Rin and rushed her out the water to dry off.

After getting dressed, Rin turned to Kimi, "I'm going to go warm up by the fire."

Nodding, "Be careful and run straight there. I will be right behind you in a few."

She watched as Rin ran back to the camp. When she was no longer in sight, Kimi hummed to herself as she began to bathe. The longer she stayed in the water, the more she got used to the temperature. Finding the cold river now relaxing, she took her time in order to soothe her aching muscles. She had walked most of the time today and since they did not take a break since they left the village, her legs were paying the price.

Kimiko did not realize she wasn't alone until it was too late. A serpent's tail darted out from behind her and wrapped around her. She screamed as the serpent yokai wrapped itself around her, slowly crushing her.

"Sssss... How lucky for me," it hissed. The yokai brought it's face to Kimiko's. "A human all alone and vulnerable."

She glared at the serpent. The bottom half of it was like a snake while the top half was that of a human. Its eyes were yellow with slits for pupils. Snakes fused at the scalp imitated hair, though each one moved around on its own. She struggled to get her arms free, but the more she fought, the tighter they would be squeezed into her sides. With no options to fight back, she spat into the beast's face. It hissed viciously and squeezed tighter. Kimiko screamed in pain. However, within an instant, the serpent let her go and she fell to the ground. Slowly looking up in shock, she saw the serpent's body was headless on the ground. Next to it stood her savior who held the head in his claws. Sesshomaru glared down at the naked woman in front of him. "Woman, I told you to stay. You will do well to listen to this Sesshomaru from now on."

Standing to argue with him, she quickly remembered she was bathing when it attacked. With a yelp, she wrapped her arms around her self and jumped into the river. The water felt cold to her once more and she shivered. Looking at the angry Inu, "I-I'm sorry. I heard the water and knew it wasn't too far away. When I checked the area, nothing was here... C-Could you t-turn around s-s-so I can change? I-It's very cold..." With a growl, the demon lord turned around and she quickly jumped out and dried off. After she quickly got dressed, she could hear as he landed behind her from the other side of the river. She turned around and slowly looked up at him.

Golden eyes glared into lavender. The usual emotionless face that he wore was gone. His eyebrows pulled down together, forming wrinkles just above the bridge of his nose. Nostrils flared as his lips were tightly shut. Such a sight was rare for him. Kimiko did not speak, instead, she lowered and tilted her head to bare her neck. She had messed up and angered him greatly. There were no words she could say that would calm him down.

The silence between them was deafening to her. She dared not to move from her submissive stance, scared that doing so would result in only upsetting him more. No longer being able to take the glare she was receiving, Kimiko closed her eyes and gulped. It seemed like an eternity had passed until he finally spoke.

"Your recklessness almost gotten yourself killed again. I smell Rin was here as well. Had she not returned, she would have been in danger as well!" He ignored his mental questions on why he was concerned for the little human girl's safety. Instead, he focused on his anger for the woman that stood in front of him. He would not say it aloud, but a small part of him liked seeing her submit. Unknown to him, however, that small part would rather her submitting in another way. It was an idea that was hidden deep within.

"I know. I made a mistake and it won't happen again. I am sorry. My katana had fallen into a canyon when traveling with Inuyasha. I always had it with me and am not quite used to the fact that I no longer have it. Due to that, I made a decision as though I still have something I can use to protect and fight with."

"Hn. See that such foolishness ends." Sesshomaru walked passed her without a second glance. As he walked towards the camp, he allowed his face to become emotionless once more. Unfortunately for him, the walk back would not be a silent one. His beast, the raw essence of all that was Sesshomaru decided to speak.

You have scared her.

As she should be. This one is someone to be feared.

She is pack. Pack should not fear their alpha!

Sesshomaru growled mentally. She is NOT of this one's pack. This one has agreed to deliver her to the half-breed and that is all that shall be done! The woman will not stay!

We shall see.

Kimiko followed behind Sesshomaru as they walked back to the camp. Neither of them had said another word and she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. She was sure that he was still angry with her and she had no idea what to do. Letting out a deep breath, she shrugged. If he was angry, it was his problem to deal with. Afterall, she had apologized and even submitted. She had done all that she could and it was something she no longer wanted to dwell on.

"You're okay!" Rin tackled her leg and held it tightly once they had emerged from the forest. "We heard you scream! Then Lord Sesshomaru came running back and when you screamed again, he ran to you! I'm so glad you're okay!"

"I told you to listen to Lord Sesshomaru, wench," Jaken exclaimed as he glared. "My lord has better things to do than to have to constantly save a worthl-"

"Jaken," Sesshomaru snapped as he sat down against a tree. Why he yelled at his servant, even he himself did not know. Resting an arm on his knee, he leaned back, closed his eyes and thought about how glad he would be to get rid of this woman.

The fact that Sesshomaru had fussed at Jaken, surprised both Jaken and Kimiko. As Jaken began apologizing to his lord, Kimi just looked at him in shock. Having decided to turn her attention back to the small girl, she hugged Rin back. "I'm sorry to have worried you. I'll make sure to be more careful from now on." As she prepared for them to go to sleep, she dwelled on what the girl had said. He had run to her when he heard her scream. She wondered if he cared for her safety, but she quickly tossed away that notion. He's protecting her because he swore to bring her back to her friends. It had nothing to do with worry for her well being, it was about his honor. The thought of that made her slightly sad, though she did not pay attention to it. He had saved her once more and no matter what, gratitude was owed.

As she laid down with Rin in her arms, she whispered low enough so only he could hear. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru."

She ran her fingers through Rin's hair as they both fell asleep.

It was only a few hours since they had fallen asleep when Kimiko woke up. At first, she was confused as to why she was up. It wasn't until Rin began to kick and cry in her sleep did she understand. The small girl was having a terrible nightmare. Gently, Kimi shook her.

"Rin," she whispered. "Wake up, Rin. You're having a bad dream."

Her amber eyes slowly opened and stared at the woman who laid next to her. "Mama?" Blinking her eyes a few times, she realized it wasn't her mother. The sudden realization along with the memories of the nightmare weighed heavily on the poor girl. Her hands clung to Kimiko's kimono and she wept into her chest.

"Shhh... It's okay. I'm here. Everything will be okay." Kimi's heart broke as she soothed the small girl. Many nights when she was younger had she also woken up from bad dreams and wanted her mother. She had remembered the pain when she would realize that her mother was no longer there to soothe her. As she held Rin, she tried her hardest to wish the girl's pain away.

"They're gonna get me," she muttered in between sobs.

"What? Who?"

"T-The wolves..."

Kimiko sat up, pulled Rin onto her lap, and cradled her. She rocked back and forth as she rubbed her cheek on the girl's forehead. "It was only a bad dream. You're safe. I'm here and so is Sesshomaru." Seeing that Rin continued to cry, an idea popped into Kimi's head. "Rin, do you know what my mom would do when I had a bad dream?"

Rin shook her head as she lifted it to look into Kimi's eyes.

"She would sing to me. As she sang, all my fears would go away and I could sleep again. Do you want me to sing to you?" She smiled as Rin nodded her head. Silently, she prayed that she had a decent enough voice to do this. Never had she sung in front of someone so she knew not if her singing was any good. "Four scenes of love and laughter, I'll be alright being alone." As she repeated it three times, she looked to see is Rin wanted her to stop. Seeing that the girl was actually slowly calming down, she smiled and continued. "I will be okay.

Our meetings, though fleeting, are close to my heart

You're with me, then swiftly, it seems we have to part

Searching longingly throughout all my memories

For just one glimpse of that shadow I have loved

I can taste the sweetness of the past

All of my time spent with you that never seems to last

I'll be alright

Every time I close my eyes and dream

Love is the only thing I see,

I believe

Under the warm shining light of the sun,

Bloom the flowers of spring

When your eyes shimmer beneath the summer moon

You will find me."

She stopped as she heard Rin lightly snoring. Quietly she chuckled as she carefully laid her down on the ground. As she laid down behind Rin, she snuggled with her and went back to sleep.

Golden eyes watched as Rin cried out in her sleep. When the woman woke up and tried to wake the child, Sesshomaru's suspicions were proven correct. He had figured the girl was having nightmares. Such a thing was normal for children, even for yokai. At first, he was going to close his eyes again and let the situation take care of itself, but he was curious as to what Kimiko would do to handle the situation. As she began to sing, he found that even himself began to relax. Realizing this, he snapped out of it and growled silently. He was upset with himself for allowing his guard to slowly go down for a moment. Even more upset at the fact that it was due to something so ridiculous.

She sings nicely. Even does a good job of caring for Rin.

This one does not care for such things.

So you claim, yet even you were affected somewhat by the song.

It would be wise for you to silence yourself!

Oh? Are you trying to intimidate me? Do you realize that we are one? However, I will do as you wish. Though, you can't ignore me forever.

Sesshomaru clenched his fists tightly causing his claws to draw blood from his palms. He gritted his teeth with such pressure that if he were human, his teeth would break. The behavior of his beast was quickly beginning to annoy him. The longer he had that annoying woman in his presence, the more his beast would talk about her. In fact, it seemed to be the only thing he talked about! As he closed his eyes and focused on listening to his surroundings, he decided he would get rid of her quickly.