Authors note: to users asking me to hire them to make "commission" art of Barefoot. Please just don't. I'm not interested. If you'd read my bio, you'd see that I'm an artist. I'd never pay for someone else to create art.

The only thing I'd be interested in, would be a mutually free collaboration.

Thanks!

Chapter 16 - Sweet

Silence pervaded the hidden cove within the base of the tree for a long time. Rin hovered nearby for awhile. He sensed her concern. Eventually Jaken convinced her to move away to let Sesshomaru rest and recover his strength. Leaving the yokai to succumb, somewhat reluctantly, to a light sleep.

Darkness surrounded him. Pain stole his breath, seared his lungs and scrambled coherent thought. He clawed at what was before him, and he found that he lay on a flat surface. His claws scraped against what seemed like metal. A hoarse sound escaped his throat, ragged sounds as he attempted to draw air into his lungs. Desperate to breathe.

"Sesshomaru. I must speak to you."

The voice was familiar, but he was in no mood to see anyone, when he was so vulnerable. Unable to speak, a grating sound escaped his throat, a low feral growl. Providing the response that he could not form without breath.

The only response was a chuckle. "Is that how you speak to your father?"

Sesshomaru would have gasped, but it came out as a choking sound instead. Father!? Struggling against the invisible bonds which held him, he strained to move.

Above him, the great Inu no Taishō stood with a patient smile on his face. "Do not fear, my son. You are not dead. I am not alive. What you are seeing, is the memory of me… held within the Tenseiga."

Rage burned more painful than his healing lungs. Father. Who had abandoned him. Who had sacrificed his own life for a mortal — turning his back on his son who needed him.

Another growl, this time Sesshomaru's teeth snapped in a harsh warning. "No." He rasped, furiously fighting to free himself to stand.

"You're wounded Sesshomaru - don't move. The Tenseiga will heal you and restore your lost energy. But you must be still."

With a roar, Sesshomaru lashed out, raging against what he saw. In that instant he woke, on his feet, the sensations of being near death still sizzling through his flesh. That dream — again. About Tenseiga. Was it a dream? Or was it a memory? Each time he slept, he saw more. Sesshomaru slowed his breath — there was no need to feel such things. His body had long past healed from those wounds. Such dreams, or memories, could not harm him.

Blinking, he cast his golden gaze around the surroundings. Rin lay on a moss covered rock near his right hand, covered with her thin blanket. Jaken sat at the entrance, as a perfunctory guard, though there was little to guard from on Yakushima. A small fire flickered in the middle of the space, staving off the nighttime chill.

Moving back to the rock he'd been reclining on, he cast a look to Rin, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Silently, he hoped her dreams were pleasant, and the nightmares of her past no longer troubled her mind.

Taking another breath, he leaned back against the old tree. Even if the memories returned, they could not hurt him. If his father was speaking honestly, and Sesshomaru had been transported inside Tenseiga. It would only serve to answer lingering questions. He would take control, if it appeared again. Closing his eyes, he lay back again, ready this time.

Neither his father, or Tenseiga attempted to speak to him again that night.

The next morning, when Sesshomaru opened his eyes, he was surprised to find Rin sitting on a boulder opposite him, waiting for him to awaken. Shafts of bright light slanted into the tree cave from the gaping entrance, highlighting her dark hair.

"Good morning Lord Sesshomaru!" Her smile was effervescent. Master Jaken told me I was not to disturb you, until you woke up, so I've been patiently waiting for you to open your eyes." Taking a moment to breathe, she lifted a cloth for his inspection. His eyes shifted from her face to the offering, it dipped in the middle, with something. Lightly he sniffed the air, it had a lightly sweet scent.

"I found kaki persimmons on a tree nearby! Master Jaken said that you sometimes eat fruit, and that it would help restore your energy." Rin's face was shining with pride. Standing she took a step closer and tilted the cloth up toward him. Inside the cloth, the small orange colored fruits were neatly stacked in the center.

Sesshomaru sat up from his slightly reclined position against the tree, uncertain what to say to such a thoughtful gesture.

Rin's smile faltered. "Do… you not like fruit? I could find you something else you'd like better." Her thoughtfulness meant more than the fruit.

"Jaken is correct." Sesshomaru said, finally.

Reaching out he plucked a persimmon from her outstretched cloth. Though he was not feeling particularly hungry, he didn't want to see the disappointment on Rin's face if he refused. He had always viewed eating as such a human gesture, that he often avoided it, since it was not necessary for his survival. Holding the fruit between his thumb and two fingers, he took a bite. It was mildly sweet, like honey, coating his tongue in its texture.

Sesshomaru was pleasantly surprised, to find that the taste seemed to clear some of the fog from his mind. Perhaps he should consider eating more often. His eyes shifted from the half eaten fruit in his hand, to the girl eagerly waiting for his reaction.

"Thank you, Rin. It's pleasantly sweet."

Her face blossomed like a flower, smile shining. "Oh I'm so glad you like it Lord Sesshomaru!"

By late afternoon, the yokai's energy was restored well enough to travel again. Jaken fussed, attemping to insist that he rest longer, but Sesshomaru was ready to leave the island. The trio flew back over the open ocean and landed on a beach at the very tip of the mainland.

"Will you miss Yakushima," Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asked from her perch atop A-un. Curious, Sesshomaru glanced back at her, the shadows were growing long with evening sunset. He did not answer. "I will." She said resolutely. "It's so beautiful and peaceful on Yakushima. Someday I'll visit again."