InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Because you asked me to ❯ Encounters ( Chapter 3 )

 

Jaken was the first to awaken the next morning and as he looked at his lord was at once, horrified and disgusted by what he saw. There sat Sesshoumaru, his back and head leaning against the strong smooth trunk of the weeping willow tree, his legs stretched out straight in front of him. Straddling his lap was the woman his lord and the human child had come across and brought back to camp yesterday. She was leaning against his chest; her face tucked into Sesshoumaru's snowy neck as one hand was fisted in his haori on the other side of his neck.

 

Sesshoumaru's tail was wrapped three times around the woman and the tip of the long fluffy length was tucked underneath her chin and lying upon her shoulder. Sesshoumaru's arm was at her side, his hand resting on the outside of her thigh, fingers splayed as they lay against the white silk of his under kimono that he had given her to wear. Jaken let loose a rather amusing series of squeaks that was as close to a growl as a toad youkai could ever get. He raised his staff, having half a mind to go over there and knock her out of his master's arms with one swift blow of the enchanted wooden staff of heads.

 

The small green imp lowered the staff to stand it on the grass once again. The way Sesshoumaru's tail was curled around the woman, he doubted the taiyoukai would be very pleased if he beat the woman with his staff while she was in his hold. The only question was why was she in his hold? Jaken's attention was taken away from the slumbering embracing pair when he heard the soft sigh and happy giggle signaling Rin's awakening and watched as the child sat up from where she had been sleeping next to Sesshoumaru's side, her head pillowed on his hip against his stomach, between his body and the woman's.

 

The toad youkai turned his back on the sight. It was disgusting how his lord, a powerful and formidable taiyoukai, was slumbering with not one, but two humans curled up against him in his embrace. If the humans had been youkai, Jaken would've thought Sesshoumaru to be with his blood pack - his mate and pup. But these were humans, and kind though the child was, Jaken still considered her to be unworthy of such attentions from his lord.

 

Often times when left alone in Jaken's care while Sesshoumaru tended to this or that, keeping Rin at the castle, Jaken would treat the child as nothing more than a servant and leave her with one of the maids to clean and scrub down rooms and halls. If the cleaning wasn't done right it was Rin he would chastise and not the servants. So what if Sesshoumaru didn't know of his treatment of the child, she was undeserving of such attentions from Jaken himself and he spared no expense in letting the child know it when they were alone. More than once he had chased Rin out of Sesshoumaru's chambers when he was gone for longer than a day and failed to return at night. Just one whack from his staff of heads made certain that the child listened to his every command.

 

Sesshoumaru was awakened from his slumber when he felt Rin awaken against his side and sit up, her body tucked under his arm as she leaned against him. It was then he realized, as he felt the warmth in his arms and the weight of the woman's body against his, his tail wrapped around her, that he had not moved her off of his lap the night before. So be it, he thought, what's done is done and one cannot undo it.

 

He could tell quite easily that the woman was still sleeping and decided to let her sleep for a bit longer as he looked down at Rin who was, at the moment, smiling happily up at him, her eyes sparkling with carefree happiness. A soft light in his eyes was how he greeted the child, nothing else changing on his stoic face and the tiny girl caught the light in his eyes as quickly as she caught fireflies in the fall nights. Rin yawned as she stretched up and kissed Sesshoumaru's cheek, calling a soft `good morning' to him as she moved away and quietly took a small piece of fish, left over from the meal the night before and munched on it for her breakfast.

 

Moments later as Sesshoumaru had been watching the gentle swaying of the low hanging curtain of the weeping willow's leafy branches, he felt the woman yawn against his neck. The hand that was fisted in his haori tightened and she moved against him slightly, the move unconsciously sensuous and he stilled as he willed himself not to react. It was hard enough not to already, his youkai blood had been speaking to him all through the night and invading his dreams with images of this strange woman with her silver grey eyes, an unusual color for a human. The most interesting part being, that when he had looked into them the day before, they were not clouded like most if not every other blind person's was, but instead they were clear, looking only as if there was a very thin, very clear film over them, covering the entirety of both eyes and not just the pupil and cornea. Also, unlike other blind people, her pupil was a deep strong black that contracted and widened with the presence or lack there of, of light, though it was clear that she saw nothing. When he returned to the castle he would have to talk with the healer and see if she could explain this.

 

The woman moaned softly against him as she yawned again and he felt the feathery brush of her thick fringe of eyelashes against the skin of his neck as her eyes opened. Her hand moved from being tangled and fisted in the folds of his haori to the furry bit of fluff under her chin. Gently she rubbed her fingers back and forth through the bunny soft fur, her fingers disappearing in the length of the fur as she rubbed the short fur covered skin under all the fluff.

 

Sesshoumaru's eyes closed as he began purring, her touch on his tail blissfully sensual and comforting all at once. He heard her gasp softly and press her ear to his chest as she had done the night before.

 

“It's you,” she said in wonder as she kept her ear pressed against his chest as her hand continued to play in his tail, her other hand pressed over his heart as she listened to him purr. “How do you do that?” she asked in breathy wonder as the hand over his heart kneaded the silk and skin underneath it unconsciously.

 

“I am youkai,” Sesshoumaru said his voice rumbling as he continued to purr unable to stop the audible reaction to her ministrations of his tail.

 

“That's so neat,” she said in happy wonder as she giggled softly and grasped his tail in her hand, squeezing it with gentle pressure unconsciously. The effect on him was the same as though she had grasped his member in her hand and he jerked against her as lust shot through him, it certainly didn't help matters that because she wore his clothing his youkai was telling him that the woman was his by scent alone. “I'm sorry,” she said as she released his tail quickly. “I didn't mean to hurt you.”

 

“You have not harmed me,” Sesshoumaru said as he looked down into her soft face.

 

Creamy skin made golden brown from the sun was soft and smooth under his finger tips as he touched her face. His hand did not seem to respond to or even listen to his demands that it stop this madness as it continued to caress her face lightly, feeling her face as she had done to his the night before. His face was stoic and indifferent as he looked upon her; she was beautiful, more beautiful than most human royalty. Soft lines and gentle curves belied the strength he knew she must possess to have survived for so long as she had. She was thin, too thin, but once back in his castle and eating properly she would gain weight and her curves that were already there would fill out to the best of their potential.

 

“Rin,” he called out to the child. Under any other circumstance he would've moved the woman off his lap, but Jaken had already seen so it didn't matter much anymore he guessed.

 

He watched as the small child looked at him, her face lighting up in a brilliant smile and stood up. Rin came to him then, running excitedly as she held a fish in both hands. It was easy to tell which she had been eating from and he took the proffered untouched fish from the child and placed it in the woman's hands as Rin sat next to his side and continued to nibble on her own food.

 

“Thank you very much,” the woman said, keeping her voice low as a blush stole over her features. Never in her whole life could she remember being treated with such kindness and she wasn't sure what to make of it, or how to respond to it.

 

“Eat,” Sesshoumaru said simply and watched as she sat back, her bottom resting on his thighs as she brought the fish to her mouth and began to nibble on it.

 

The taiyoukai's hand stayed on her thigh as he watched her eat the fish carefully. She wasn't used to such food and was taking caution, her pink tongue at time tracing the meat of the fish before biting, making certain that there were no bones that could harm her. Sesshoumaru watched as she ate the fish, his interest in her habits grew more each moment and he removed his hand from its place on her hip. Lifting his hand, he brought it up to the fish she held and began to silently pluck the small sharp bones that he could see protruding from the fish meat as she ate.

 

As he was removing the delicate rib bones from the fish, his concentration on the bones, he felt her tongue brush his finger as she searched for any hazards in her food. The woman's brow furrowed, that didn't feel like fish, it surely didn't taste like it. What was that, she wondered. Sesshoumaru froze as her tongue brushed his finger again and again her brow furrowed.

 

“I am removing the bones as you eat to keep you from harm,” he said simply, indifferently.

 

“Oh,” the woman blushed and before she thought how the words sounded the escaped her. “Well, you taste good.”

 

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened a fraction in surprise at her words and watched as she blushed darkly, obviously not having thought over the words before she spoke them. A soft chuckle came unbidden from him and he cut the reaction off only seconds after it had sounded.

 

“I'm sorry,” she said her blush darkening. “I didn't mean anything untoward, I promise. If I've offended -”

 

“Silence woman, you have not offended this Sesshoumaru,” he said as he cut off her babbling words, his eyes and face as cold as stone though he was laughing mentally.

 

She was innocent. Even with all she must have experience in her life, she was still innocent. In truth she didn't understand how much of the world worked, what was proper and what wasn't. He was surprised that she knew as much as she did, but summed it up to whatever she must have learned from passing travelers. He watched as she stopped eating and held the fish toward him slightly, waiting until he pushed it back to her after removing as many of the bones as he was able.

 

“Thank you,” she said softly and resumed her feeding.

 

“Woman tell me…before we came upon you, when was the last time you ate?” he remembered the intensity of her stomach's growling demands to be fed.

 

“I don't know…I heard the owl's cries five times. I've heard the owl only comes out at night.”

 

“Yes. Five times you say. Five nights,” he said indifferently though inwardly he was fuming. Six days she had gone without food. Six days she had been left to hunger. “You will accompany us this day; you may ride upon Ah-Un if you wish.”

 

“Ah-Un?” she asked as she felt the devoured carcass taken from her hands and heard it tossed aside into the grass.

 

“My dragon,” he said as he lifted her off his lap and stood.

 

Turning around he grasped her hand and helped her to her feet, the sight of his kimono and the smell of his scent wrapped around her still affecting him. He led her slowly over to where Ah-Un rested and waited as the two headed dragon lifted first one, and then both heads to the taiyoukai and the woman standing beside him. Sesshoumaru removed Ah-Un's bridles and set them aside. Turning to the woman he lifted her hands and rested them on Un's (the left head of the dragon) nose.

 

She felt the dragon sniff at her and felt a lick at her hand and giggled. Slowly she moved her hands over him as she felt out his appearance. His hide was rough and leathery, thick, smooth and soft around is eyes and wet around his mouth and nose. She felt the head move and press against her stomach as the beast sniffed at her, a questioning groan coming from the beast as Ah (the right head of the dragon looked up at Sesshoumaru. Why did the woman smell like him, why did she wear his clothing?

 

Sesshoumaru answered the dragon with a growl that told him to leave it be and that the woman was part of the pack now and to be protected. The free head of the beast nodded and Sesshoumaru looked back to see the woman hugging Un's head to her as she scratched the beast's head behind his ears and giggled as she spoke to him softly. So much like his Rin, the inuyoukai thought. Ah joined his twin head in perusal of the woman and was given the same treatment as Un was.

 

“I will return,” he said to the woman since she would be unable to see his departure and most likely become afraid when he would not be there to answer her calls.

 

“Is everything alright?” she asked suddenly stiffening.

 

“Yes. You will be safe with Ah-Un.”

 

With that Sesshoumaru left making certain to step harder upon the ground, cracking twigs here and there to allow her to hear him leave her side. He was unused to traveling with a blind person and knew that certain things would need be done so as not to have her constantly afraid. He looked back once he had moved a good yard or two away, his steps returning to their silent stride. He saw that her face was turned in the direction that he had left but she was unable to locate him as she kept turning her head away so that her ear was focused on him, searching for any sound he made. He felt a mental smile tugging at him; she had taught herself how to hone her hearing. Once he returned with her to the castle and he and another worked with her, her sightlessness would no longer be an issue.

 

He would train her in weapons, he decided. Blind though she was, she needed to learn to defend herself. A bow perhaps, though that could be difficult locating the target. But if her hearing was honed enough…Sesshoumaru shook himself from his thoughts and continued on his way in the direction from which the sounds and smells had come. A few moments later he stopped, standing still as he looked upon the open field that led to a nearby village. He wondered if perhaps she had come from this village, he didn't think she would be able to wander too far. It angered him that anyone would throw a child out especially one so young and especially because they were born blind or otherwise disabled. He had a few warriors in his infantry that were either blind or deaf and those warriors had far greater skill then some of his `perfect born' ones. They had to work harder and focus more, but their value was the same as any others. This only served to reinforce his belief that humans were despicable creatures. Though he had to admit, he had gained Rin and the unnamed woman from them. She would need a name; he couldn't continue to call her `woman' all the time. But what to name her…

 

Sesshoumaru turned and headed back to rejoin his pack and move out. The sight that greeted him brought a deadly growl to the surface. There stood the woman away from the dragon, she was turning this way and that as Jaken swung his staff of heads at her, changing his place each time he did so. He quickened his pace and as he reached them he heard the calm of her heart rate and felt the concentration of her aura. She was focusing.

 

“You've caught three pretty lady,” Rin said happily clapping for the blind woman.

 

He watched as Jaken swung his staff again only to have the woman catch the head of the woman in her hand with a firm `thwack' and hold it in her hand as she panted and he could see beads of sweat upon her brow. She was tiring quickly, too quickly, she was weak from not having eaten and possibly sick from what her diet had been relegated to previously.

 

“That is enough,” Sesshoumaru said as came up to stand next to the woman and caught her in his arm as she began to fall. “You will rest,” he commanded as he guided her to and lifted her upon Ah-Un's saddle. “If you wish to train, I will assist you. If you wish to train with Jaken I will be present, no harm will come to you while in my care…You did well,” he said softly, his voice gentler than it had been before when he noticed the tired fright in her eyes and upon her face. “I will not have you hurt,” he said assuaging her fears and letting her know with words that he was not angry with her. “You will not train until you strengthen and are well fed.”

 

She opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by the wide yawn that split her face. Unbeknownst to the taiyoukai, his eyes had lightened upon her as she yawned and looked at him with blind eyes. She had strength this one, fire too. It would be an enjoyment to explore both. He watched as her brow furrowed and she turned her head, his eyes once again turned cold as he too heard the voices. He turned his attention back to the woman as he saw her slipping as she tried to dismount Ah-Un.

 

Her hands gripped Sesshoumaru's arm as the taiyoukai lifted her off of Ah-Un's back and set her gently on her feet next to him, not relinquishing his hold from around her waist.

 

“I know that voice,” she whispered out as she focused her attention. “That woman's voice…I know it.”

 

“Do you know to whom it belongs?” he asked her softly.

 

A memory of that voice went through her mind. The same voice telling her to leave, telling her she was worthless, the voice of the woman that cast her out of her home and village.

 

“It is my mother's voice,” she said quietly, her voice filled with pain and sadness. “She is the one who cast me out,” her voice no louder than a whisper too soft for any to hear her beside the taiyoukai whose arm she was held in.

 

Sesshoumaru repressed the fierce growl that wished to sound at her answer. He had thought it to be her father who would've cast her out, but to find out it was her mother who had turned her away…his rage grew, though his face betrayed nothing.

 

“Mother,” the woman called out her voice trembling as the voices came nearer to them and Sesshoumaru watched as the woman looked up, her male companion stilling.

 

“Who are you to call me mother?” the woman asked the younger woman held in the youkai's arm.

 

“The voice is yours; you are her, my mother.”

 

“Is my face not your mother's?”

 

“I cannot see your face, I was born blind. And for that you cast me out,” the woman trembled against Sesshoumaru as she fought not to cry and the inuyoukai could smell the salt of the tears she tried to hide.

 

“You cannot be her,” the woman said forcefully. “That girl should be dead. The child you speak of was thrown out on the night the wild dogs attacked. The child would've been torn apart and eaten. You are not her.”

 

“I am h-her,” the woman said and turned her face into Sesshoumaru's armored chest no longer able to hold back her painful tears.

 

Sesshoumaru growled softly as he wrapped his tail around the woman in an attempt to comfort her.

 

“You would cast out your own child for something they had no control over?” Sesshoumaru asked his voice making it clear that he was not asking but demanding an answer. He had to know why the woman would cast out her own child.

 

“A blind child is worth nothing more than a dried up river,” the woman said cruelly before turning away and leaving them.

 

Sesshoumaru watched the as the elder woman and the young man that must have been her grown son left them and made their way out of sight before turning his attention back to the nameless woman in his arm. A soft unheard sigh fell from his slightly parted lips as he looked down upon the woman and he inwardly winced at the strong scent of her tears. His youkai blood upset that the woman who by scent was his was crying, commanded that he fix this, that he comfort her and he felt no desire to argue with it.

 

Sesshoumaru cast a glance at Rin and Jaken and the two moved away to give him privacy with the distraught woman. He lifted her against his chest and leapt into a thick branch high in the oak tree they were standing near. Settling himself on the branch, he sat the woman on his lap, her legs hanging over his to the left side as he held her against him, his arm and tail wrapped around her.

 

“That woman was a fool,” he said to her softly, his voice holding no emotion though he tried to bring her comfort with the words he spoke. “Do not give value to the words spoken by a fool.”

 

“But what if she is right,” the woman asked hesitantly, her voice trembling, her breath hitching on her tears. “I'm blind, what worth can I really have?”

 

No one had ever taken her in. No one had ever shown her any form of kindness until he arrived. No one had ever cared.

 

“More than you know,” she heard him say to her softly.

 

Sesshoumaru held her there in his arm high in the tree. He sat with her, the only sound were the purrs and soft growling that he made for her alone, the sounds soothing and comforting to her. Her face rested against the right side of his neck, the vibrations from his purring helping to soothe her as she was lulled to sleep in his hold. Moments later Sesshoumaru descended from the tree and laid her carefully upon Ah-Un's back, her arms and legs on either side of the great beast, in the position he had put Rin in several times before when she had grown tired and fallen asleep during the journeys they made in the night. He watched her sleep upon Ah-Un's back for a moment before gathering Rin and Jaken and moving out, resuming their trek as they traveled back to the castle in the heart of the Western Lands.