Healing the Moon
Disclaimer: So, I was sitting in my room the other evening going over bills, and I came to this startling conclusion. I don't own Inuyasha. If I did, I wouldn't be up to my eyeballs in debt.
Chapter Five
Sesshomaru calmly watched the proceedings as Rin and Jaken scuttled about the hidden storage room at Hikari no Midori's behest. It had been no surprise to him that the human child had offered her services to the injured woman, but Jaken's offer of aide had come as somewhat of a surprise.
When questioned en route to the compound, the imp had simply said that before his service to the Daiyoukai, his family had been rescued and protected by the Hikari clan. It had been many generations ago, but youkai memories were long.
"Midori-sama, what is this?" Rin asked suddenly, carrying an ornate box over to the woman.
"Foolish girl," Jaken huffed as he placed a bundle of dried herbs in one of Ah-un's saddle bags. "That is a comb box. It holds decorative combs for high-ranking females."
A soft smile decorated Midori's face. "Yes, Jaken-san, you are correct. These combs have been passed down to the eldest females in my family for many generations." Sadness passed in her jade-colored eyes as she looked at the box. "I wish that I could take them with me."
"Why can't you?" Rin asked, lifting her face slightly to look up at Midori.
"I do not wish to burden Sesshomaru-sama with more items than are needed, Rin-chan. It is by his mercy that I am traveling with you, and I will not cause trouble for him."
Striding forward, Sesshomaru gently took the box from her grasp and then placed it in the small, barely-filled pack that would house her personal belongings. He offered no explanation, even as he straightened and returned his sight to the far wall.
The others didn't question him, knowing that they would receive no response, and continued to sort through the many belongings. Jaken dragged a leather pack that was full of scrolls over to were the pack of personal items were. "My lord, Midori-sama has stated that these scrolls contain healing techniques and recipes, as well as history pertaining to the clan. This Jaken would like to know if it is agreeable to add them to the library?"
"We will take them with us," Sesshomaru stated. He had made the decision last night as he sat thinking on his newest charge; anything that was irreplaceable to the Hikari clan would be taken with them to the Western shiro. The scrolls, however, would not be going in the library where any of his household could stumble across them. They would go into his study, where they would be protected from prying eyes.
Another pack of scrolls was added to the first, and a folded bundle of cloth was put into the pack of personal items. When all was said and done, the group had severely depleted the hidden stash of items. Rin and Jaken took the saddlebags out to place them back on Ah-un, then returned for the irreplaceable items. Once everything was taken out, Sesshomaru allowed his golden eyes to sweep over Midori's form. "Is there anything else that you require from here? Once we leave, we shall not return."
Midori hesitated slightly before going over to a chest against the wall that Sesshomaru hadn't noticed. She opened it gingerly with her uninjured arm and carefully pulled out two items. The first was another bundle of clothing, which she carefully placed in her lap. The second was a katana, though the aura that surrounded it labeled is as more than a mere human weapon. She held both items to her chest as she carefully stood and looked at him. "Now we may leave, Sesshomaru-sama. And you have my thanks for allowing this one to retrieve the treasures of her clan." She walked off without another word.
Glancing into the chest, Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow when he saw that there was another weapon left behind. This one, a wakizashi, carried the same aura - and was of the same design - as the katana. Grabbing the weapon, he calmly walked out of the chamber.
Rin was helping Midori climb onto Ah-un's back while Jaken placed the bundle of cloth into the woman's pack of personal items. The katana was strapped to the woman's back by a length of cloth. Walking over to his pack, Sesshomaru slid the wakizashi into the sash around her waist. At her questioning glance, he turned away and stepped over to the remaining bags. "We leave for the Western shiro, onna. It would be a good idea to have a weapon on hand that you can use with your remaining arm. This Sesshomaru will not always be near to protect you."
"Nor would this woman ask such of her lord," Midori said calmly, though her eyes sparked with indignation. "This woman is more than capable to protect herself, even injured as she is."
Giving a curt nod in response, Sesshomaru gathered his youki beneath himself, Jaken, and the packs. Ah-un raised himself into the air beside him, Rin and Midori on his back. The group then made their way to the Western shiro.
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A/N: This chapter is a little short, mainly because I'm already three days behind in updating, and it seems as if my mind is trying to implode on itself. But I still managed to get this done.
I've noticed as I've been re-reading the other four chapters that Midori is a strong, independant woman. I originally intended her to be such, but she's kinda run away with it. I think she'd be pretty incised about having to rely on Sesshomaru for aide.
Also, I've been thinking about the timeline of Inuyasha. I originally intended the story to take place sometime before the Shichinintai, but after Naraku kidnapped Rin. That isn't really a large time frame, especially considering that the Inu-tachi spent about a month at the Hikari estate. That said, I'm changing the time-line to AFTER the Shichinintai, but before Sesshomaru obtained Bokusaiga. I think that's a better timeline to work with.
In other news: No, Sesshomaru will not suddenly fall in love with Midori. He is tending to her because her clan once served his family, which is why the Hikari estate was located on his lands. I plan on drawing this out for a while, because I want Sesshomaru to slowly begin to respect and care for Midori. I've read far to many fics where Sesshomaru just suddenly "falls in love" with some random female.
Okay, I think my rant is finished. I'll go put away the soap box now. Laters!