Sesshomaru learns about Gaara's condition
Sesshomaru left his brother with a new traveling companion and didn't even fight his brother for once. Inuyasha looked at Gaara annoyed at his choice of friends and the fact that he called him a baka. It didn't take Sesshomaru long to notice something was very wrong with Gaara in more ways than one.
"Why do you carry a gourd around, Gaara-sama?" asked Rin.
Gaara looked at Sesshomaru when she called him Gaara-sama, which his demonic companion shot him, a look saying "She calls everyone who travels with me Sama. Just ignore it."
"I carry it around so the Sand inside won't be a big pain to travel with."
"Why do you bear the scent of a demon yet you have the demonic aura of a hanyou?" asked Sesshomaru.
"It's because before I was born, my father placed a sand-demon by the name of Shukaku inside me. My mother died giving birth to me and placed a curse on me," answered Gaara without flinching.
"What kind of father would put a demon inside an unborn child?!" said Jaken in disbelief.
"The kind with no sense of morality. He forced this life on me, and by the time I was 6 he sent assassins to kill me. He's sent so many that I've lost track of the number I've killed," replied Gaara.
"Why was I unable to catch the demonic scent before and now?" asked Sesshomaru, very concerned.
"The Sand must be blocking it. This happened earlier when the idiot with the cat-ears and cursed necklace tried to find us by our scent."
They traveled the rest of the way in silence; that is, if you don't count Rin's never ending questions about Gaara's life. That night Sesshomaru kept watch and noticed something very odd about his new traveling partner. He didn't sleep at all. So he asked Gaara why he didn't sleep.
"Shukaku, the demon, eats away at my own personality whenever I sleep. So as a result I don't sleep at all. You get used to it after a while," replied Gaara.
Sesshomaru was still concerned about this boy. Something wouldn't leave him alone.
"You are wondering if my sanity is intact aren't you?"
Sesshomaru nodded. That was part of the reason why he was worried.
"I remain sane a majority of the time; unless Shukaku starts to bother me, then I become unstable. You may want to keep the child away from me if I start behaving oddly. The imp would also be in danger but he is someone I could live without."
Sesshomaru resisted the urge to laugh at the comment directed at Jaken. He still didn't know why he even kept the imp around. The boy still disturbed him, but at least now he knew why this was so. It set his mind at ease that the boy was at least honest about the sand creature inside of him. This also explained why the boy had the tattoo on his forehead that had the kanji "love" on it.
The next day he allowed Rin to pick flowers and sent Gaara and Jaken with her. This turned out to be a smart move considering Kagura showed up out of nowhere to attempt at kidnapping Rin again. She was forced to leave without the child due to Gaara and his sand attacking her without a second thought. When Sesshomaru found out what happened, he was glad that he allowed Gaara to travel with him.