Chapter Twenty-Three

Miho fumed while she bathed.

Sesshomaru had been worried about her elevating body temperature and all but threw her into a passing lake on their way to his home. She had to cling to his fur in protest because she had never actually learned to swim and didn't really wish to learn in that moment while she felt so poorly.

Stupid dog…She snarled inside of her mind while she drenched her hair with several handfuls of fresh water.

The day was bright and sunny but with storm clouds meticulously gathering in the distance. It would no doubt spark a vicious downpour later in the day, but Miho couldn't care less since the rain actually calmed her. Since Rin had gone quiet, she had a chance to clear her thoughts for a while, giving her brain time to register everything that had gone on while she herself had been subjected to the infinite darkness of purgatory. Rin's soul was connected to Miho's body like a parasite. Because of this, both women were likely to die in the unlikely event that Rin does not reach her original body in time.

Death didn't frighten Miho any more than Sesshomaru did. If anything, he pissed her off more often than not and she longed to take him on in a fight; no weapons included. It would be a glorious feeling taking down a full blooded demon that wielded a strength that outmatched all the demons in the world combined with just her bare hands. If she didn't have another soul to worry about, she probably might have done so already. But with Rin attached to her for the time being, Sesshomaru would never even think to fight.

Sighing, Miho pondered her current predicament. At the moment, she didn't feel anything except a cool light breeze and the heat from the waking sun. Any trace of illness had been eradicated with the welcoming chill of lake water and her fever had subsided, but she held a suspicion that it would soon return once they continued their journey. Again, death was not a fear that she possessed…but weakness was. She despised more than anything feeling like she couldn't do the things she used to be able to do because of her new situation. It was unfair, but she kept her opinions about the matter to herself, knowing that there was absolutely nothing that could fix the trap she had been born into. The only solution that made everyone happy was transference, while she herself accepted inevitable death no matter the outcome. Miho wished to live…but not at the expense of someone else. This was not her destiny. This was not the life she had dreamed of after leaving the cage of her previous employment. She would rather die that remain a prisoner inside of her own flesh, which is exactly what she was.

It felt like years to her since she had openly cried. Miho's tears slipped down her pale cheeks but refused to wipe them away. It was her right to do as she wished with her own body and no one could take that from her. Without her will, Rin's friends and family would lose the only connection that they had to her, which did nothing more to Miho than make her weep more. What right did those people have in forcibly keeping them alive? Rin said so herself that she had wanted to die, but it was Miho who had protested. Now it was the other way around almost. Miho didn't want to die, but didn't want to play host to another being and be a prisoner until others decided when the time was right to separate them.

Miho was sitting on a log next to the lake, having just finished cooling off when she shoved her fist through the water. There was no trace of sadness in her features. Instead, she was visibly seething while her tears streamed down her face, showing no signs of letting up. She must have spent a good five minutes ramming her fists into the crystal clear surface of the lake before she dove into it, not caring that she couldn't swim.

Miho relaxed her entire body and felt herself become one with the tide, floating as if suspended in midair. Feeling weightless was the most wonderful feeling in the world and it gave her a chance to clear her mind of her bitter thoughts for a few mute seconds. She was clad in the robes that Rin had chosen to wear beneath her outer kimono. It was almost paper thin and a striking shade of transparent crimson, which was perfect for the weather that day, but practically useless to bathe in. Miho wasn't about to get naked while an overprotective dog demon kept watch over the surrounded area for predators or bandits, but this particular robe did little to conceal her body while it was soaked. So much for modesty.

The water's depth was limited to about eight feet where she ended up and she held her breath while she became suspended. Her now sheer robe floated around her like a delicate fog, painting a picture of a woman who cared very little about what was going on around her in her appearance of serenity. The image of her uncaring form stunned a water demon that had been minding his own business just a few feet away.

The demon was in the form of a human, but his arms and legs had olive shaded fins flecked with a rainbow of water crystals. His neck was flanked by the same external makeup as the rest of him, but his face and chest remained untouched, fare and lightly muscled. If Miho's eyes had been open, she would have drowned from the surprise of him but she continued to sort of float while she remained the object of study.

Water demon stared, overcome with curiosity but he didn't dare move closer. Instead, he situated himself on a boulder covered with algae and waited to see what the woman would do. He knew she wasn't dead because he could see the light of heat permeating the water that surrounded her which was emitted from her. It was amusing to have stumbled onto such a find, or rather, this woman kind of stumbled onto him because he rarely came in contact with humans. He didn't harbor a dislike for them per say, but he avoided them due to his abhorrence to the human war against his kind. Being attacked outside of his kingdom in the lake was normal because he was surrounded by human villages which housed people who detested the sight of not just him, but other demons who happened to get near them.

But this woman he was watching looked nothing like any female human he had ever seen. This woman was striking, and if he had been at the water's surface, she could have been considered breathtaking with her seemingly endless flow of raven hair and near perfect skin. Her lips held the only color on her face, which were a lovely shade of a fresh spring rose. For a moment, he was hypnotized by her as if she were a celestial goddess whom he had no business staring at.

Miho's anger subsided, but not entirely. Instead, a tiny spark remained embedded within her heart while she took in her reality. Alright…I am a host to two souls. My own and Rin's. I do have the ability to end this. I have the right to and no one can stop me…not even that stupid dog demon! But I have a responsibility to myself. I am not the kind of person who can sacrifice myself to eradicate an issue. I am stronger than that. I so much more than what everyone around me sees! I have to fight to save myself…I have to fight to save Rin's life! I have a choice! I can either die or live…I choose to live and I choose to save her! Not because I have too…but because I want too. That is what makes the difference in my situation. I am a human being who can only live one life, supposedly, and if I have the opportunity to protect someone, I need to take that opportunity and do what I must to ensure their survival as well as my own!

Without realizing it, Miho exhaled…and then she began to realize the horrible mistake she had made.

Water demon turned his head to the side when he caught sight of an air bubble that escaped the human female's mouth. He didn't start to worry until he watched her shift from an ethereal goddess suspended in his crystal waters to a struggling human whose eyes popped open and panic ensued in her face. He sat frozen on the spot when her coal black eyes located him. For a moment, he was sure he was looking at an angel. Her beauty was evident, but even more so when he witnessed surprise taking over her face, which was when he figured out that she was unable to swim back up to the surface. Without thinking, he shot up from his seat on the boulder and aimed for her waist. Taking her in his arms, he bolted for the surface and broke free from it, flying in the air like a bird and landed just on the edge of his lake.

Miho had no idea what had just happened. One minute she was panicking because she couldn't swim back up for air, and the next she was gazing at a man sitting on a rock underwater who had managed to get to her in less than a second and drove her to the coastline. Her lungs didn't even have time to protest her stupid mistake, so gasping for air didn't happen after that. She just spit out the water that she had managed to take with her and stared up, open mouthed at the person who had saved her.

Water demon stared right back, and then laughed out loud. "May I ask what you were doing in my lake?"

Miho was astounded. Yet another demon had managed to sneak into her life without her realizing it, but instead of having the urge to run him through with her sword or dagger, both of which she did not have at the moment, she continued to gaze at him stupidly.

He was heartbreakingly attractive. Despite being saturated with lake water, his hair hung long, was grayish blue with a hint of silver and thick. Miho wanted to run her fingers through it to see if it was naturally made of water, but resisted the urge.

Water demon tilted his head to the side while he crouched over her, causing his dripping hair to create a veil that hid her face on either side from the surrounding forest. "You seemed to have been ready to panic under water, so I brought you back up to the surface. I hope that was not a mistake on my part?"

Miho shook her head, but kept her words locked up tight.

Water demon smiled softly, which made Miho's heart throb in a way she had never experience before. "Forgive me. I am being quite rude. My name is Tamotsu."

"Defender…" Was all Miho could say in a whisper.

Tamotsu smiled. "And protector. What is your name, my Lady?"

"It…it's-"

"Miho!" An angry voice snarled from outside of their 'conversation'. Both Miho and Tamotsu looked over and saw a frightening sight looking back.

Sesshomaru, poised for attack with his talon like claws raised and glowing a deadly violet, stood ram rod straight while his eyes fixed on the water demon Tamotsu with a crimson tinted gold glare.

Author's Note: I always liked creating my own characters but with Tamotsu, I'm a little skeptical. What do you guys think? Should I keep him, or no? I have a few ideas that I'm playing around with regarding this water demon, but I can omit him if no one likes him. Either way, this story is going to end with a BANG so to speak.

It is Miho's turn to struggle about her and Rin's situation, so this chapter was Miho's way of ranting and getting everything off of her chest in a kind of opposite way of Rin. Miho is just flat out pissed off and ready to go off the deep end in her own mind, while Rin is exhausted and ready to give up in hers. They both need something or someone to give them a reason to stay grounded. More later!

Until next time, my friends!

OliviaAR