Sesshomaru got up once Rin and Jaken were sleeping and he decided it was the right time for his bath. With Soumei's scent lingering on him, using Hifumi's services was out of the question. In the demon village, they knew near nothing about tengus and he was determined to let it stay that way as long as the crows wished for it. He owed them that much.

Hotaru glanced at him and nodded. Taking her case and staff she followed him, leaving A-Un to guard the two.

During the day, she spent a lot of time by the lake, but it looked stunning in the scarce moonlight. Lake's surface was rippling in the warm breeze, reflecting the light like a mirror. But it wasn' the sight that took her breath away. It was the cacophony of nocturnal sounds. The darkness made it easier to focus on the bubbling stream flowing through the lake and whispering trees. Nocturnal animals were rustling in the shrub and canopy, hunting. Disturbing the peace and at the same time adding to it. An owl hooting in the distance. A crying fox searching for her cubs.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I could spend the night just sitting on the bank listening to this. But to do her task, she needed to see better, so she focused her energy into her eyes. Setting fire would only disturb nature.

She turned to Sesshomaru: "Shall I brush your hair first to rid it of twigs and matts?"

"That is not-" he paused, considering his options, because his hair truly was a mess and his fingers were not enough to properly relieve it of all the dirt Soumei had woven into it. But hair brushing was also grooming. A display of utmost trust. Exclusive among packmates, where one exposed their back and neck.

She smiled and shifted her weight, "I know it's uncomfortable. I, too, find it to be rather… exposing," avoiding the word 'intimate', "and I make an exception for Rin and Sango, because I trust them. I give you my word that I will do you no harm, but it's up to you to decide."

His eyes widened. She understood. Trust was earned and given at the same time. They were already a group. Maybe he didn't want a pack, but he had no other way to test her trust. And his own.

"Close your eyes and do not move."

"Hm?" She blinked at him. "Why?"

He stared at her, determination shining in his golden eyes.

Oh… You proposed hair brushing. "I really hope you will not kiss me." She teased and closed her eyes, praying: Do what you will, just please do me no harm.

He scowled at her silly idea. As if he would ever stoop so low as to kiss a human.

Tense and worried, she still let her case and weapon fall to the ground, where she couldn't easily reach them and reined in on her spiritual energy, forcing it to subside.

Sesshomaru's claws brushed against the soft skin on her neck as he gripped the back of her head. He was testing her and so far she passed as she remained absolutely still, her eyes closed.

He brushed his cheek against hers, then the other as well. Each swift touch was accompanied by a low, warning, yet reassuring growl from the back of his throat. This is more than enough for a human. He pulled back as fast he came close.

"Now you can brush the hair of this Sesshomaru."

She opened her eyes and stared at him. It was a grounding experience having Sesshomaru's claws and fangs so close to her fragile neck and face. His rumbling sound made her bones quiver in respect as she couldn't understand its meaning. She was too shocked by the gesture to realise it went both ways. If she was a demon, that is. But she was a human who posed no threat to him, so it never occurred to her.

"What was it?" I didn't think he'd do something like this with… anybody.

"Our way of showing trust." And also familiarity, respect and affection depending on the rank and status, but he would never tell her that.

"..." She didn't know where to look so she crouched to her case to get a brush. "... thank you for trusting me then." She smiled and flipped her case to the side, making it into a make-shift stool. "Please sit, you are too tall for me to reach, while you stand."

Doing as she asked, put her at ease that he wasn't observing her anymore, but she was still nervous, unsure of how to touch him.

Slowly, gently, she started her work on his long thick hair. Taking out twigs and chunks of soil and grass. I'd love to see the fight that got him so dirty. Threading her fingers through the worst tangles, she gradually relaxed. The texture of his hair was rough and strangely soft at the same time. Like a dog's fur.

It was soothing, calming. For both of them.

Sesshomaru didn't mind her touch or her herbal scent, mixed with berries and something fresh.

When she finally started brushing, she was unconsciously humming a melody that was stuck in her head for months. Because of it, she didn't notice a barely hearable rumbling in his chest. A content doggish purr of sorts.

"Your hair is done and clean. Do you plan to wash it properly too, or do you want me to tie it, so it won't get all tangled in the lake again?"

"You can tie it."

His hair, reaching his knees, was way too long to simply clip it up, so she fastened a quick braid and tied it with a red string she always carried in her sleeve.

He got up and examined the braid with a frown, especially the bow she tied at the end.

"Sorry if it is not up to your tastes, but it was the fastest thing I knew how to do with your hair."

Letting go of his hair, he looked at her: "It serves the purpose."

She smiled, flipped the case on its back to put away the hairbrush. When she got up she blinked in surprise. The ruff of fur he wore on his right shoulder was gone and it was not lying on the ground.

"Where is the…" She rolled her hand in the air and pointed at his shoulder with the back of her palm. "...uh… fluff?"

Fluff? He raised an eyebrow. "It is a part of me and responds to my will."

"So is it your… fur?"

"Not quite." Her curiosity piqued his interest and so he decided to amuse her: "I can detach it completely if I need to. It is attached to my fur, but not fully a part of my body." A parasite living off his youki, alive, but under his full control and with no will of its own. She doesn't need to know that particular detail.

Her brows furrowed as she was trying to comprehend it. "Would it bleed if cut or damaged in a fight? Would it hurt you if someone stepped on it?"

"I would feel it, but it wouldn't hurt. However, if a part of it was cut off, or severely damaged it would bleed."

"Hmm… Interesting. It's detachable and retractable, how convenient. And it looks luxurious, a neat display of power and status." She commented, satisfied with his answers.

He took out his swords and she swiftly undid his sash and folded it on her case. She eyed the armour, searching for any clasps and straps, but there were none.

"Grab a hold of it. It is also created by my youki and responds to it." When she took a hold of the shoulder piece and front of the armour, he warned her: "It is heavy." Jaken used to get squashed by the armour, so Sesshomaru usually took it off himself.

"They usually are. But thank you for the warning." Though Hotaru bent under the armour's weight, she didn't say a word of complaint as she set it on the ground next to her case.

He placed his swords across the armour and took off his shoes himself.

"No hidden paws. Admirable." She teased and laughed at his scowl.

For a moment she studied his sashinuki hakama which gathered at his ankles, making the ballooning effect.

Diving her fingers under the hakama's hem at his ankles to undo the knots, she elicited a low growl, which she decided to overlook. Is he ticklish? She bit her lip. No, I am not asking that. I think I can tease him only so much for one night.

When the ankle knots were undone, she moved to the waist knot. "Oh, it's like mine." She noted with a pleased smile, and slipped into her working mode, where she fully focused on the task at hand, not thinking too much about it. Missing the arm, he truly had too many knots holding his clothes in place. After the hakama obi, there was obi holding his kimono. Then knots on the kimono, holding it closed, and then another obi, holding his hadagi (undergarment) in place, which was closed by yet another pair of knots. Each had a slightly different fastening she needed to remember.

"Remember these." He pointed out the knots on hadagi, relieved that he didn't have to talk her through the entire process. "If you sling them correctly, I can tie them myself."

She nodded, studying the two last knots for a moment. She loosened them and took a step back, evaluating her finished work. No fundoshi (loincloth)... thank gods, or that would have been awfully embarrassing. The hadagi covered him to his mid thigh and it was still closed on his hips, but the chest was already opened due to the lack of obi and loosened knots.

Hotaru was on the eye level with the faint silverish scars that were left on his chest from the Tetsusaiga, one over his heart, the other slightly higher. "It's barely visible." She said, amazed by his healing abilities. It tempted her to touch, but she refrained herself from doing so. "Those wounds healed nicely."

"Hn."

That 'Hn' carried so much distaste, she had to look up at him and defend: "Scars do not matter. Survival does."

"They are only a symbol of failure and defeat. Nothing else."

I wonder what you would say if you saw mine… She sighed and gave up. "All right, any other knots?" She asked.

"No." He turned his back to her and she helped him slip the hadagi off his shoulders. "Wash it in the stream."

"Sure…" My lordship. She knelt down to fold all the pieces of his garment, but her eyes were dragged towards his naked back as he walked towards the lake.

His body was covered in neat and sharp magenta stripes that were his demon markings. Display of his pedigree and bloodline. His nobility. In numerous pairs they swirled around his body. Snaking up his legs ending above his hips in the front. Down from his shoulders to his wrists. Up from his waist reaching his chest and pointing at his heart. Two mirroring pairs from the front of his sides, around his waist and down along his spine, ending in neat points on his buttocks. It added a dangerous appeal to his perfectly toned body.

Why do I feel they are off limits? She wondered. Apparently, if they are damaged severely it leaves a scar, so… What is their purpose? A weakness? Hmmm, but if it is a weakness... She blinked in sudden realisation. This was a true display of trust. If the markings were a sort of a weakness, then he allowed her to see them. …he has so many.

"Ichijou-sama, may I ask where are you going?" A young guard stood in his way.

"I don't have to answer your interrogation, Atsushi. Do your duty, but remember, you are guarding our home. Not a prison."

Atsushi shifted his weight and gripped his jo tighter. "I am aware of my duties. The orders are given by the great Sojobo-sama. We are free, but we must protect our secrets. I simply asked where you are going, I did not say you cannot."

Ichjou raised an eyebrow and stared at him condescendingly. "Yet, you let Soumei slip away anytime he wishes."

"I have no memory of such an occurrence, my lord. But he is a member of guards, I cannot completely deny that he could have found a way to slip away without being noticed."

"Someone mentioned me?" Soumei landed next to Atsushi with a wide grin. "Let him go, Atsushi-kun, he is probably seeing that village girl who caught his eye, but is shy to admit it." He said teasingly, but his eyes were dead serious and pinned on his brother. Another girl? How many were there in the past few decades? What happened to them?

Ichijou's eyes narrowed. "That is none of your business."

Soumei tilted his head. "The girl is a human, keep that in mind."

Without answering he took off and dived into the dark, stormy night.

######

Drizzling rain lulled them into sleep in an abandoned old hut hidden deep in the mountains.

Sesshomaru was sitting near the entrance, watching the distant lightning and occasionally glancing at the group huddled together, sharing warmth in the chilly night. Rin and Jaken were covered by Hotaru's haori, curled at A-Un's side.

With the usually restless nights, Hotaru was further from the group; she was shifting and turning, occasionally mumbling incoherently.

"I buried them…" With those words breathed out, she woke up. "Both." Nightmares and what felt to her like fragments of her lost memories were plaguing her dreams.

Sesshomaru looked at her, puzzled. Buried them both? The intense grief, deep sorrow and endless regret in her teary eyes threatened to devour him when she caught his gaze.

"Alone… I buried them… both… myself…" She repeated and tears rolled down her face. No way would she let Sesshomaru see her this vulnerable. It was none of his concern and he despised weakness. She got up and with shaking hands she grabbed her case and threw it over her shoulder. "Sorry… I'll be back by sunrise… Composed." She whispered and plunged into the rain.

The next morning, she returned with her usual, kind smile and a pile of food. She greeted Rin with a kiss on the forehead. No one could have guessed that she had a breakdown last night, no, she was in control. Even if the glimpses of her memories of prior life were slowly starting to drive her to the border of craziness. I am not there yet.

"Rin slept so well!" The girl stretched and hugged Hotaru around the waist.

"Rainy nights are good for proper rest." She glanced at Sesshomaru, begging him with her eyes to not ask anything. "How long until we reach Bokusen-Oh-sama?"

Despite his curiosity, he respected her silent plea. It was below him to care. "Tomorrow we should reach the border of his territory."

A/N: Let me know what you think but remember, reviews are appreciated but never necessary.

S.