Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.
Her eyes opened and she took a breath. Honor calls for no debt ignored; I repaid her by restoring her life. It did not matter that my true intent was merely to test my sword. My brief and unwanted relations with this creature was over.
I stood and sheathed my sword in a smooth motion. Jaken squabbled on even as I paid no heed to his ramblings and turned from them both to continue on my endless quest to both nowhere and everywhere.
A moment's breath passed before hurried, small footsteps graced my senses, too large to be Jaken, yet too small to be considered a threat. Her scent made its way into my nose – the small, dirty creature – in terrible need of a bath, clean clothing, and…
Realization sunk in that stopped my own footsteps in its clarity.
My debt had not yet been fully paid.
Human young must be cared for in certain aspects if they are to survive. If I were to abandon her to the wilds or to the cruelties of her own kind, death would surely find her once more – which was unacceptable. It was my responsibility to see to her safety until she was physically capable of doing so herself – the same privilege she had tried in her own way to grant me.
I was not scholar in the field of human sociology; however, this creature's needs were not completely a mystery. Curiosity had prompted me on more than one occasion to simply observe the daily actions of humans in their villages, and the information I had attained there had not been lost to time. Their necessities were certainly not few and were not confined to the most obvious that kept their frail mortal forms alive. Other enigmatic needs would prove more difficult to fulfill, such as ones that would involve the transfer of emotions through some sort of invisible connection. A perfect example of one such emotion would be "love." This elusive bond is not entirely impossible to form between one of youkai descent and a human creature – and this is not merely an assumption. Father moved this notion from theory to fact quite adequately. It is my belief that rather than the youkai bewitching the human as the creatures in Izayoi's village had so believed, the human had bewitched the youkai. Why else would father have given his long life for one who would lose hers in such a small span of time? He was obviously somehow adversely affected by the "love" the human female emitted. It was the same, or a similar connection, that I now had the duty of attaining.
The mere thought that I must attempt an attachment with one of these vile, filthy creatures filled me with a disgust too intense to describe. But a debt is still a debt, and all debts must be paid in full.
I was too lost in my own ponderings to notice when the creature had walked around me and placed itself in my path. Large, brown-colored eyes set inside of a small round face greeted my sight, and I was vaguely surprised that I could understand her so clearly without her mouth uttering a single word. She wanted to know why I had stopped. She was worried that I would make her stay behind. Jaken's screeching amused her. Her gaze did not indicate that she was hungry, but her stomach spoke to me instead.
She had previously brought human food to me in her feeble attempts at sustaining my life, so I knew that she was aware of how to find adequate nutrition for herself. I would not be required to fulfill this need at least; I merely must allow her the time to do so. I stepped around the small creature who's eyes followed my every movement, and continued my journey forward. Eventually, my ears picked up the soft sounds of her small form continuing to shadow my movements. I lead her to a patch of forest rich with berries and mushrooms that humans are capable of consuming and stood still, waiting. She stopped behind me and remained standing, but did not wander off to forage. I slowly turned and stared at her, and yet again, her eyes spoke volumes. She was asking the permission that I granted with a nod. We repeated this performance twice more before I learned that it was quicker to communicate permission to the creature by seating myself on a nearby boulder or stump when it was time for her to roam or search for food. Jaken was punished for daring to question the reason for my altered behavior and having the audacity to ask if I was tired. His questions infuriated me to no end, even though I was aware that one such as him could never understand.
And at this thought, I was once again startled. Perhaps I was already beginning to establish one of those emotional connections with this human creature. I could only hope that in repaying this debt which is owed, I would not completely lose myself as my father had done.
After all, even youkai have no desire to die.
A/N: I have no idea where I'm going with this, honestly. It may be a one-shot or turn out to have multiple chapters. Thanks for reading.