The day passed as quickly as it had come. Rin spent most of her time riding A-Un and talking to Nazoki, who had opted to remain a humanoid for the day. Jaken walked behind Sesshomaru in his rightful place, ignoring the girl's conversation.
"Nazoki, what is your favorite flower?" Rin gazed up at the woman smiling softly as she spoke. Peering up at the sky, the vixen placed a finger to her lips.
"I am not sure... Maybe an Amaryllis..." The instant she mentioned the flower, Nazoki seemed to lose herself in thought. The vixen stared at the few passing clouds, falling completely silent. Her smile faded, and Rin curiously studied the change in demeanor. Sesshomaru also noticed the change, yet did not show it.

"What is it?" The child asked after a while. Nazoki snapped her attention to Rin, and shook her head.
"Nothing. Forgive me, my mind tends to wander." A soft smile curled Nazoki's lips, and she immediately masked her emotions. Without a word, the woman shifted. For the remainder of the day, she stayed by Rin's side, yet did not speak again.

When night had fallen, the group stopped at a small clearing by a river. After securing a meal for Rin, and starting a fire Nazoki excused herself. Jaken and Rin sat beside A-Un, studying the captivating dance of the flames the vixen had created.
"Lord Sesshomaru, I think Nazoki is sad..."
All eyes settled on Rin as she spoke. The girl bit into a small fish that had been freshly cooked.
"Rin, the lord doesn't care about that woman's feelings! He has more important things to focus on." A scolding tone crept into Jaken's voice, and Rin peered at him indifferently.
Sesshomaru also glanced at the toad, before moving closer to the fire. He sat down opposite of Rin and Jaken, and stared into the flames.
"What makes you think that, Rin?" Calmly inquiring, the lord gazed at the girl.

"I don't know... I think she's lonely." Rin responded thoughtfully. Jaken started to grumble under his breath, yet was silenced with a stern glare.
"Lonely?" Sesshomaru asked, only to be met with a single nod. Truthfully, he was not exactly concerned with the vixen's emotional state. What hung on his mind was the ring she had spoken of. Power, was what the man spent his days seeking, and exactly what she had claimed the ring would give him. But with the proposition of emotion following the newfound strength, his obvious reaction was hesitation. Then again, one as powerful as him should be able to control such a thing. He wanted to accept her offer.

The moon hung over head, in the form of a crescent similar to that of Sesshomaru's. Rin fell asleep, soon to be followed by Jaken. Things felt like before Nazoki had ever come around. In the back of his mind, Sesshomaru noted that it seemed quieter. Empty, maybe. It was not that the vixen talked very often, only when Rin spoke to her, but the lack of her presence was an obvious change. Not that Sesshomaru cared. Well, not exactly. The lord gracefully rose to his feet, and gazed down at his sleeping companions before starting away.

"You're so persistent; following me all the way over here. But as I stated before, I will not return." Staring at Hideki through the darkness, Nazoki shook her head.
"And what do you intend to do out here? You will surely be killed, if not by a random demon, then by Sesshomaru himself." The man retorted. An undeniable disapproving edge hung in his voice, only furthering Nazoki's annoyance.
"I aim to find a mate. On my own." Her words enticed a gasp from the man's lips. Immediately angered, Hideki shook his head. The two had been whispering, so to avoid drawing unwanted attention to themselves. But now, Hideki loudly growled a response to the Vixen.
"How dare you! You are to marry me! Stop running, and follow your mother's wishes!"

Not offering a response, Nazoki scoffed at the man's words. When she felt he would threaten her again, she shifted. The woman gracefully sped away, only to be followed by the man. Trees loomed overhead, as Nazoki weaved through them. If it had been possible, she would have weaved an illusion, but running prevented her from doing such; she didn't know how large it would have to be, or what to make. The footsteps behind her grew farther. Internally sighing in relief, Nazoki paused to search for the brown fox behind her. The vixen stared into the forest, finding no sign of life. Just as she started to turn away, she was tackled, and bitten around the neck. Though she had been forced onto her back, she struggled against the man. Clawing towards the accosting fox, Nazoki managed to scratch his eye. When he released her to yelp, she jumped to her feet, and clamped her fangs around one of Hideki's legs. A high-pitched shriek of pain pierced the night air. Panicked, Nazoki slipped away into the night; leaving the man to lick his wounds.

Half an hour later, the vixen was following the scent of a hot spring. In order to avoid suspicion she would have to bathe herself; to wash any bits of blood away. To explain the events that had just transpired was not on the top of her priority list. Instead, she would conceal all evidence of a scuffle, and return to the group as if nothing had happened. Shifting, the woman started to untie her yukata as she pushed through the last of the bushes in her way.
To her surprise, as she entered the small clearing, she found a person in the bath.

Lord Sesshomaru was staring straight at her, standing in the middle of the spring. It appeared that he had been facing the opposite direction, but turned to peer at her. The man's toned muscles glimmered in the moonlight as beads of water slid down his skin. Immediately overwhelmed by the sight, and a combination of nervousness and embarrassment, Nazoki could not help but become consumed with red flames. Sesshomaru's mokomoko covered his groin, but the rest of the man was shamelessly on display. His silver hair trailed down into the water, slightly swirling around him. Wide eyed, Nazoki remained frozen in place. She could not tear her eyes away from the man, or force her limbs to move. Streaks identical to those on his face trailed up his wrist, and sides. Both parties stood perfectly still, staring at one another. It was unclear, whether Sesshomaru found the odd predicament embarrassing, or even uncomfortable.

The man could hear her heart beat, which had dramatically spiked. It also sounded as if she was forgetting to breathe. For the first time, he realized that despite her demeanor, she was incredibly shy. But that was not enough to dissuade him from investigating the peculiar scent that surrounded her.

Nazoki found herself unable to control the flame that had engulfed her. The woman's lips parted in an attempt at an apology. With nothing else to do, she bowed. The woman's ears folded back against her head in her usual submissive display, yet her tail started to oddly swish from side to side.
"Ah- Uh... Ex- Cuse me..." The words were met with a splash of water. To her amazement, and awkward dismay, Sesshomaru approached her. Wide eyed, Nazoki straightened herself and gazed up at him.
"You are injured..."

The Lord extended a hand towards her, not minding the flames. Warm water dripped on the woman's loose yukata, snapping her from her trance-like state. Before he could touch her, she stumbled backwards. Apparently the sight of the man was too much to bear, and he noted that nakedness only furthered her discomfort. Nazoki had fallen to the ground, and stared up at the ever calm Sesshomaru. The man noted that this was indeed an odd situation, and a slight sense of embarrassment crept over him; for not noticing, and for disregarding his lack of clothes. Shifting his gaze, Sesshomaru allowed a slight frown to crease his brow. Yes, he was embarrassed. This was not a likeable emotion. His mokomoko tightened around him, working to conceal the man more thoroughly. While he was still thinking about the situation, Nazoki shifted, and started back into the forest.

A/N: Wooo! Naked Sesshy!
*Fangirls out*
Ah. I had to do that. He deserved every bit of description I gave him, if not more. Nazoki! BAKA! Get back there and raeeepppp himmm!
Yeah. Okay. I'm done. Yep. Just had to put that out there. Hopefully I'm not the only one. :D

R&R Makes me happy :) Even if you don't have an account you can still leave a comment, and make me smile :) Like that