Sesshomaru wakes, and is in shock/denial/whatever you want to call it. I decided that demons who had been under his father would probably decide to test their luck against his heir to claim his title as the Demon Lord of the West.

OC arrives here, and he doesn't talk. In fact, I don't think he's going to talk for a long time. But he does begin leading Sesshomaru around after him to protect him from the demons who would be after him until he can get him back in his normal mindset.

If you're wondering about the 'blinding' Sesshomaru has soot in his eyes, but he hasn't noticed.

Ashes

When he woke, all he could see was white. A blinding haze blurred all colors into one.

He felt a hand brush against his head forehead, then a splash of water across his face. A few slow blinks, as his body processed since his mind could not, and he could see again. Blue sky peeped through green leaves. And yellow looking green ones around the edge, where the sun shown through them. They blew in the wind, and one fell off to trail out of his line of vision.

But he couldn't feel anything. He couldn't even think.

Not that he wanted to try.

A hand intruded gently into his line of vision, reaching down to brush away the watery soot that was still stuck to Sesshomaru's eyelashes. He didn't blink, but let the oddness of the hand in that scene be quietly absorbed by his absent mind. The hand retreated, and he felt it tap his arm gently. Following it's insistence, Sessohmaru sat up, moving as little as possible. He stared at the soft green in front of him, and the thick tree trunks that interpreted it.

Water was washed through his long hair, and then combed out silently. The wind blew softly then, and he felt his hair blow. The drying was not uncomfortable, so he closed his unfocused eyes, and simply breathed. His thoughts were starting to stir when he opened his eyes again.

The other sitting behind him had been quiet this whole time. Now they barely rested the tips of their fingers on his shoulders in a request to turn around. He shifted to face his caretaker. The man looking back at him was a wolf demon, and Sesshomaru found his eyes focusing and his brain waking up.

A white wolf.

He felt pain in the back of his mind but refused to follow that train of thought far enough to wake up; his father had not been a wolf.

The man seated in front of him judged his reaction and nodded slightly. Taking a cloth, he dipped it gently into the bucket in front of him. Holding it out towards Sesshomaru. Aware that he should take it, the teen did, watching the other calmly for a reaction. The white wolf gently pushed the hand holding the cloth up towards Sesshomaru's face, and the teen took the hint. Closing his eyes, he gently wiped the soot off his face. As an afterthought he wiped down his hands as well, not liking the memory clinging to them. The soot made flames dance before his eyes, and he closed them quickly, turning his head away.

The cloth was teased from his grip, startling him somewhat, then two fingers gently tapped his clenched fingers. Blinking and looking down, he saw the cup full of water that had been set on the ground in front of him. He nodded slightly and picked up the cup, realizing how thirsty he was as he drank it. When he put it down, he nodded his thanks slightly.

The white wolf looked him over before standing up to fill another cupful of water from the spring a few feet behind him. Sitting back down in front of Sesshomaru, he handed over the cup. Sesshomaru drank this one too, and felt his throat loosen.

"Thank you," he said, cooly as he could.

The White Wolf inclined his head, then turned his attention to Seshomaru's singed kimono, reaching over to finger the edge of the sleeve. Sesshomaru looked at it as well and sighed; the fabric was ruined by soot where it hadn't been burned, he would have to get a new one. His chest contracted painfully, but he refused to dwell on it. It would have to be changed, that was it.

The White Wolf nodded and stood slowly, packing the cup into the small bag slung over his shoulder and picking up the bucket. Tucking the bucket under his right arm, he looked back at Sesshomaru.

When the teen continued to stare into space without rising, White reached over and pulled on his sleeve.

Sesshomaru started and looked up. For a second his eyes betrayed him, looking like the lost child he had become. Then he focused on the figure standing before him and the dullness settled back into his eyes. He stood slowly and followed when White lead him away by the sleeve.

After a while, the wolf let go, and yet the child followed him, the only thing that made any sense to him right now. White looked away and sighed softly. Looking ahead into the deeper parts of the wood, he wondered how he could get the kid decently clothed and bathed without compromising his dignity. Glancing back at the blank eyed stare he felt his heart sink; saving him was going to be more difficult than he thought.