Sesshomaru's Euphoria

16

She made sure to put the fire out before standing and quickly making her way to the treeline, her speed was fast as she ran through the forest because of the child's scream, knowing that the tone of it was full of fear for her own life. She dodged trees, jumped over large rocks, her ears turning in the direction of another scream, causing Naomi to detour, thankful that all of her fox traits actually came in when she turned nine. Naomi leaped up, landing on a branch, only to leap off and land on a higher branch, with her swift movements, she traveled higher on the trees, leaping through the air and jumping from tree to tree. She could feel herself becoming faster, her body pumping with adrenaline as Naomi got closer to the child, smelling her fear.

Naomi grabbed the hilt of her blade with her bare hand, pulling it from the sheath as she descended from the air, kicking the large demon to the side as it was about to grab the child. The demon stumbled slightly, his hand rearing back as it tried to regain it's footing, Naomi holding her blade in front of her, looking at the demon and assessing it. It had horns sticking out from the side of his head, shooting straight out at first, then curling with vines hanging from them, tall like a tree. Thick vines were held in one hand, three skulls attached to it, his skin dark and covered in dirt and mud, smelling like he belonged in a swamp, but it looked like mushrooms were growing from it's left arm.

But when she looked at it's face, it didn't really look like one. It looked more like a smooth slab of wood with two holes for eyes, the face cracked in a few places, Naomi's hand tightening around her blade as the demon looked back at her as she stood protectively in front of the child. She narrowed her eyes as the demon growled, which rumbled the earth under their feet, the child letting out a whimper in return.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Naomi asked, looking at the demon

She turned and grabbed the child, leaping out of the way as the demon swung the skulls at them, which hit the grass, creating a crater and rumbling the earth even more. The child's arms wrapped around her neck as Naomi jumped to a thick branch, gently setting her down,

"Stay here" Naomi said softly "I'll protect you"

The child gave her a scared nod, Naomi leaping into the air once more, grasping the hilt of her blade and holding it above her head, slicing part of his horn off and landing on a large rock as the demon growled in pain, blood oozing from it's newly inflicted wound. The horn landed on the floor and instantly disintegrated,

"It's been some time since I've had fox for dinner" he growled

"I'd like to see you try" Naomi replied, baring her fangs in a threatening growl

The demon reached out for her, only to have her slice his hand and jump away from the skulls that were also swung her way, tearing the vines that held them, causing them to fall to the floor. He growled in anger, throwing a fist her way, which only resulted in him hitting the tree the child had been in, a scream emitting from her, and she was Naomi's only concern, causing her to grab the child before the tree fell, setting her on a rock, leaping into the air once more. Naomi firmly grasped the hilt of her blade, holding it above her head,

"Blades of Fire!" Naomi shouted

A gust of blue fire shot out as she sliced at the air, burning some leaves on the trees, the demon letting out a howl in pain as the fire pierced through its body, Naomi watching as it began to disintegrate, falling to it's knees, shaking the earth. The demon disintegrated completely as it fell to the floor, leaving nothing but blood and fire behind, the blue fire moving on its own and shooting back into the tip of her blade. A hum emitted from Naomi as she placed her sword back in it's sheath, no fire left behind, her sleeves falling over her hands as she turned around and walked over to the child, gently grasping her arms and looking her over for any injuries.

"Are you hurt?" Naomi asked softly

"M - my hands" she replied "I hurt them when I fell"

Naomi gently grasped her wrists, seeing that she had scratches on her hands, most likely because she tried to stop her fall,

"These aren't too bad" she informed "do they burn?" earning a small nod "don't worry, I know something that will help take that away" giving her a small smile

But her eyebrows furrowed slightly when the child's scent filled her nose, causing her to look at the child in confusion,

". . . I know you" Naomi said softly, seeing her eyes brighten

"You're the woman Lord Sesshomaru released from the stone!" She said happily "I'm Rin, thank you so much for saving me"

A smile slowly formed on Naomi's lips as she remembered the child, giving her a small nod in return,

"I should be thanking you, Rin" she replied softly "you helped release me. I owe a great debt" gently picking her up "come, let's get those scratches tended to, shall we?"

Naomi walked through the forest, making her way over to the river with Rin in her arms, moving the large bones out of the way. She was curious as to why the child was out here on her own, she would have to remember to ask her when they reached out destination. It was a short walk to the river, Naomi gently sitting Rin down on a rock close to the water, walking over to the bushes and picking out some of the special berries, with their stems and leaves still attached, looking them over as she walked back. Naomi sat on her knees in front of Rin, tearing one of the leaves from it's stem and dipping it the river, gently grasping one of her wrists and cleaning off the dirt.

"What were you thinking?" Naomi asked softly, cleaning off her hand "coming out here on your own? With no form of protection, no less. Your injuries could have been so much worse than this . . ." gesturing to her hands "if I didn't hear you. Rin, you need to be more careful out here"

"I know" Rin said, lowering her head slightly "but I wanted to catch some fish for dinner, Master Jaken wouldn't come with me and he wouldn't let A-Un come with me either"

A small sigh emitted from the demon's nose, shaking her head slightly as she finished cleaning off Rin's hands. Naomi then proceeded to squeeze the juice from the berries into the child's hands, gently rubbing it in with the lead, Rin instantly feeling the burning fading away,

"My mother taught me a few things when I was your age" Naomi said softly, rinsing Rin's hands and repeating the process "some berries can sooth burns like this, help cuts heal, and sometimes relieve pain with the right ones. And as I grew older, she taught me so much more. Does that feel better?"

"It does" Rin said honestly, looking at Naomi in amazement

"Good" she replied with a warm smile "they will be gone in a few hours, since they weren't too bad. Now . ." sitting back, looking at her "I'll weave a basket, and we can catch some fish. How does that sound?"

"I would like that very much" Rin said with a smile