-Cold Embrace-

I'd better go now before he wakes….

Aya sat crouched in front Sesshomaru who lay against a tree with his eyes closed, she could tell by the steady rise and fall of his chest he was asleep, she turns back to look at Rin who fell asleep next to Jaken, Aya stands turning to leave but a yawn from behind her stops her in her tracks, she turns to see Rin sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Rin moans lightly before falling back into sleep, Aya sighs turning and walking through the woods, she looks up at the sky. It wasn't too late, but it wasn't early either.

Go and get back…wait…what?

She pauses turning back to where she had left her…group.

"Get back," she mutters in confusion, if she could lose them here that'd be perfect but, she sighs.

That human girl, Rin. Her tears…Mio….

Aya shakes her head saying: get it together…she's a human girl…not Mio. She clenches her fist walking through the cold of the woods; it hadn't taken long for Sesshomaru to sleep especially when he believed that Aya had fallen asleep with Rin. Aya didn't know when they'd last slept but judging on their abrupt turn in, long ago. Yet, Sesshomaru never complained, even as Aya led them to extreme exhaustion.

I must speak with him…no…this is the last day….

She closes her eyes smiling, it had been fun she had to admit. Dog Demon's were nearly extinct, she'd never met another male besides her father and brother, not that her brother truly counted.

Damn him…

She looks at the ground with saddened eyes; last she saw Kize before…before things went bad he had traveled with her father to the North.

Kize why? What happened? What…What madness found you there?

Aya could remember her father's reassuring smile when they left, but when they returned she could feel the tense energy pouring from them.

"Ay, what ails father?"

Aya simply smiled down Mio.

"Do not worry about them dear Mio…come…let us…let us go for a walk," Aya whispers remembering her words, she brings a hand to her arm, a walk.

She smirks, walks almost comforted her and now that's what she did 98% of the time.

Aya sighs when she crosses the border into the Northern Lands, a lonely life she lived. One she didn't truly care to share, she looks at the ground again this time paying attention to the detail of the earth, she sighs she could remember her first time in Yurime, bloodied and broken. She didn't even know how she made it there, but after finding her family…that way.

I ran, faster than I'd ever run. I didn't stop I didn't look back, even as….

She puts her hand to her stomach, she lets out a shaky sigh trying to ignore the feeling of being watched, she could smell wolf in the air but she knew they would not bother her. She drops her hand.

How human of me, worrying of the past this way…ha.

She smiles cocking her head; she loved it being in her own mind even if it was a dark place filled with regret and pain. Aya makes it to the mountain; she bends down slightly before jumping onto a high ledge.

Mother, Father, Mio…Aya and Kize…why Kize did you tear that apart…we were…perfect…well you…not so much but…nonetheless…you were loved…. Even still.

Aya grunts pulling herself onto another ledge, she sighs standing to looking around, she could feel a strange aura coming from the top of the mountain, she jumps onto a higher ledge, she groans feeling the pants of her Kimono catch a jagged rock, sharp pangs move up her leg, and blood was spilled, she could smell it. She looks at the edge of the ledge muttering: should have been more careful, she turns to her right seeing a long winding road now, she sighs walking along it until she reaches the top.

A cave sat at the top of the mountain, Aya takes a deep breath putting her hand to her Katana before walking slowly into the mountain, she never thought about it, what she'd be feeling. She assumed that revenge would be the sweetest thing on the planet, but she didn't understand this feeling of dread within.

Kize why?

Aya gasps when she gets to the end of the shallow cave, nothing lay there but a small stone alter, she walks over to it leaning over to get a smell of it, she could smell Kize and….

So this is where you came Father.

Aya grips the edges of the altar now feeling her legs grow weak, the disappointment, back at square one. Aya falls to her knees touching the altar now; she shakes her head looking down.

"You came."

Aya stands to her feet turning to the source of the voice but only red eyes peered back at her in the darkness, she gasps falling against the alter.

"Kize?"

His eyes, those were not the sweet blue eyes of the past. She could feel evil pouring from him and something else, she grunts feeling her eyes grow tired, what was happening.

"K-Kize…" she sputters falling again. He laughs gently before closing his eyes, she could still feel him there, Aya gasps feeling someone grab her hands, they pull her to her feet, and she shudders. These hands were rough and calloused; they pull her into a hug while stroking her hair. Aya fights back tears, it had been so long since someone held her this way, it was like being into the bosom of her mother or wrapped in her father's strong arms but a putrid smell came from this person, this was not her Kize. She clenches her fists.

I will not cry…I will not…not for him…not after what he's done!

Aya grunts pushing the man away, he laughs again before disappearing into the darkness; Aya draws her Katana trying to chase him, but….

Aya laughs to herself, now as she sat against a tree not too far away from Sesshomaru, Rin and Jaken she recounted her early journey, Aya looks up at the starry sky trying to ignore the cold that engulfed her, it felt like it reached her bones.

"What madness found us there?"

She laughs again, she had failed. Why was it so hard to scar the one who had scarred her, to simply lay a scratch on the one who taken her heart out her chest with his very hands, Aya wraps her arms around herself trying to soothe the hurting child within her.

She blinks her eyes slowly; the night had turned deadly cold. Aya lets out a shaky breath and she smiles lightly watching the breath form steam before disappearing, is this what she was left with, hurt and loneliness. Unable to fight, unable to take back what was rightfully hers. Her life. She couldn't sleep now without remembering that night. Aya smiles at the sky, was she just a useless Youkai like she said of the men, she drops her arms to her side drifting into sleep but something cold on her nose awakens her again, snow fell from the sky around her. Aya grimaces while trying to hold her smile as she reaches for the snow, this moment reminded her of a story her mother once told her.

"Yuki-Onna"

A beautiful Demoness who only appeared during snowfalls, her beauty and charm lured many into her cold arms but…she was ruthless in her killing of them, with her blue lips she sucked their lives away.

"Be careful next time little one, wouldn't want to run into Yuki-Onna," her mother had warned, Aya had frowned at her but deep inside she felt fear, her mother bent down in front her saying: pretty little girl such as you…she hates your kind…you threaten her beauty…and her status traveling in the snow that way…you steal her light. This made Aya smile.

Aya moans trying to sit up but part of her wanted the Demoness to come, to steal her useless life away. She wouldn't scream nor fight it, Aya's eyes light up when she sees a tall figure in the distance, she drops her arm smiling.

"Finally."

She closes her eyes; though a strong Demoness she didn't have the courage to face Yuki-Onna.

Let her take me in my sleep.

Aya let's out her last breath before slipping into a deep sleep.

Sesshomaru peers down at Aya with narrowed eyes, what was she doing in this cold. He bends down lifting her into his arms and almost immediately his nose is attacked by a foul stench, he frowns, she had been to that mountain he knew it. She smelled of wolf more than ever now, and something else even fouler. He turns walking with her through the snow; Aya stirs slightly moaning into his chest, Sesshomaru looks down at her again, her eyes were closed and a small smile on her face, fast asleep. In the snow her ivory skin looked even more translucent and her raven locks beautiful, Sesshomaru jumps down from the hill they had once been atop, Aya's eyes slowly open, she sighs when she looks around, Sesshomaru doesn't speak and keeps his eyes ahead, they needed to get back to Rin and Jaken. Rin cried and Jaken tried and failed to console her, suddenly Aya brings her hands to Sesshomaru's cheek turning his face gently toward her own when she finally realizes what was happening. Sesshomaru stops cold, Aya looked on the brink of tears.

You again, you…came….

She closes her eyes and the tears fall, she smiles lightly leaning her forehead against his own, Sesshomaru watches her close her eyes again before laying into his arms and wrapping hers around him. She falls asleep again, Sesshomaru begins to walk again, once he makes it back camp he expects to find Rin still sulking and an annoyed Jaken but they were wrapped up together sleeping, Sesshomaru walks back over to his tree sitting in front of it and placing Aya between his legs, she wraps her arms around his middle still sleeping, he brings his tail around them to keep them warm.

The next morning he awakens to the smell of some sort of animal being cooked, Aya sat up with Rin who held her hands over the fire, Jaken looks relieved to see Sesshomaru awake.

"Good thing you've awaken mi'lord now we can get back to the castle…it is horrid out here." Sesshomaru goes to speak but Aya's moving toward him makes him pause and turn his attention to her, she hands him some meat on a leaf, she cocks her head saying: Rin helped me hunt for it, she smiles saying: our Lord needs to eat. Sesshomaru takes it and she nods walking back over to Rin who spoke of the animal they'd caught.

"And I thought it was disgusting until Lady Ay explained it to me!"

Sesshomaru nods biting into his food, by the taste, a squirrel. Aya looks down at her food saying: Lord Sesshomaru good news, he nods waiting for her to answer, she looks at him saying: I'm going with you to your castle…I've decided that you can stick around me, Sesshomaru frowns and Jaken glares at her saying: you never had a choice, she ignores Jaken saying: Rin needs me…I can't leave her behind…we can go back to do whatever you need to do but I don't want to stop my journey…got that, Sesshomaru eyes her apprehensively, she looks him in the eye.

"Ok," he mutters looking at his food, she stands nodding. Jaken gasps saying: b-but, Sesshomaru shakes his head silencing Jaken, Aya after all was a proud Demoness of noble parentage, she had pride to protect and Sesshomaru could understand that. He could bend a little.

"Oh and about your aggressiveness toward me-"

Now she was pushing it.