When morning arrived, Sesshomaru left the group. The lord commanded Nazoki to follow her orders, opting to be discreet about what he had told her to do. It was obvious that his meaning was for her to defend the group if it came to that. She had bowed deeply, and responded in a low tone "Yes, M'lord." Now that he thought about it, she never said his name. She avoided addressing him as Sesshomaru as if the name was toxic. After alerting Rin and Jaken of his leave, the lord continued away.
As per usual, Nazoki secured a meal for Rin. The demons did not eat today, but Rin was just thankful that Nazoki's cooking had brought them together once before. Beyond the forest, rolling hills of green grass could be seen between the thick tree trunks. Though the leaves overhead almost blocked the sky, the occasional peeks of bright blue showed that barely any clouds were passing by. An occasional warm breeze rustled the forest around them; and Nazoki deeply inhaled the fresh air. Once Rin finished eating she sat on a nearby rock; waiting patiently for the lord to return.
Jaken sat on the ground beside A-Un, staring at the sky as Nazoki was. It didn't take long for a cute voice to fill the air with the wisps of a song.
"Nama No Naka,
Mori No Naka,
Kaze No Naka,
Yume No Naka,-"
"Rin, must you repetitively sing that song again?" A hint of annoyance hung in Jaken's voice, and the girls gazed at him. Nazoki raised an eyebrow, contemplating whether she could smack him around, or burn him. Just a little.
"It help the time pass." The girl offered, smiling despite the obvious rude tone. As if nothing had been said to her, Rin continued. The girl still held a jubilant expression, which caused a trace of a smile to tug at the corner of Nazoki's lips.
"Sesshomaru Sama Doko Ni Iru,
Jaken Sama Wo Shita Naete,
Watashi No Hitori De Mashimashou,
Sesshomaru Sama Omodori Wo."
Jaken sighed as the song finished, and laid back in the grass.
"I wonder where Lord Sesshomaru was headed this time..."
"Are you worried?" Rin asked from where she sat on the rock. Only a meter stood between the two subordinates. Nazoki sat on the ground, leaned against the thick trunk of a tree, watching them.
"Of course not!" Jaken declared. "The Lord is more powerful than any demon could ever dream to be!" It was apparent that despite his words, Jaken was indeed nervous. He always got like that when Sesshomaru left. Rin nodded, and a soft smile curled her lips. She understood. "I'm positive Lord Sesshomaru will be safe." She stated, and Jaken nodded in agreement. The young girl started to sing again, and Jaken's anxiousness seemed to grow. Seeing the effect, Nazoki stood up.
"Rin, would you like to bathe with me? I hear a nearby stream. With warm weather such as this, the water should also be warm. We can also wash our clothes, to pass the time."
Peering up at the woman, Rin grinned.
"All right!"
The girls started towards the stream Nazoki had spoken of, and Jaken stood up.
"Wait! If you leave the lord may-"
"He can smell us. And you. Come, you should bathe as well." Nazoki turned to walk away, yet stopped and gazed at Jaken over her shoulder. "But keep your distance; I would loath explaining your untimely demise to the Lord." For a split second, Jaken detected a hint of malice in Nazoki's calm expression. Eerie.
Shortly after starting away, the group came upon the intended river. There was a waterfall, yet the current was lax. Jaken and A-Un moved farther downstream. The toad grumbled under his breath at the thought of that vixen telling him to bathe. Who did she think she was? Privacy was supplied by the dense forest surrounding either side of the water. Clothes were stripped and rinsed clean after scrubbing the fabric with sand and a few choice herbs Nazoki had picked along the way. The girls hung Rin's yukata in a short tree to dry, and Nazoki dried her own with her foxfire. Awe brightened Rin's features, and she stared wide eyed.
"How do you do that? The fabric doesn't burn!" Rin noted, and Nazoki nodded.
"Kitsune weave fireproof threads for their clans. If not, we would need a new outfit everyday!" Chuckling, Nazoki laid her yukata on a large boulder.
"When you are finished, use it to dry, I will dry this again, as well as myself."
Rin nodded, and the two slowly stepped into the warm water.
Once fully immersed, they focused on scrubbing themselves, and idle chitchat. Rin sat closer to the edge of the stream, while Nazoki ventured a bit deeper into the slow current for full immersion. Topics bounced by as quickly as they had come, and the pair shared a few laughs. Soon they were exchanging jokes.
"What is the favored lesson of a witch?" Nazoki asked, while taking a bit of soapweed to Rin's hair.
"Of a witch?" Rin thought for a moment, staring at the forest. Nazoki's fingers gently tickled the girl's scalp, and she closed her eyes.
"Spelling." The vixen revealed, earning a giggle from Rin.
Jaken called to the girls that he was finished, and him and A-Un stopped in the trees. They were still in sight of Nazoki and Rin, but Jaken took care to sit opposite of them. Leaning back into A-Un, he sighed. A snide comment was muttered under his breath, the nature of which being the girl's leisurely spent time. But it was better than just sitting around and doing nothing.
"Do you want to sing the song with me?" Peering at Nazoki, Rin hopefully raised her eyerows. While the woman had no intention of singing a tune dedicated to Sesshomaru's return, she agreed.
"You'll have to teach me the words." Softly smiling, Nazoki knelt down in the water. Immersed up to her shoulders, she waited for Rin's grin to pass, and the lesson to begin.
Soon the girl's soft voice rang out.
"In the mountains,
In the breeze,
In the forest,
In a dream,
Lord Sesshomaru where are you,
Jaken is serving under you too,
I am waiting on my own,
Please return to me waiting all alone."
A/N: Hi all. I'm writing this message to tell you all that lately, some things have been happening. (You're probably like "Things? Things always happen, so what?) Yeah I'd be like that too. But the purpose of telling you this is to also tell you that these things are not good. Due to stress, I have to take a small break. It could be fora single day to a week, I'm not sure, but I NEED to get away from everything right now. I apologize if you're disappointed, but hey, we're all only human. So on that note,I'll give you a smiley face:)