The Servant of the Demon Lord

~Chapter 9~

There were people playing music, lots of food, lots of smiles, lots of laughs. The sun was setting bidding the world a goodnight, but that didn't stop the people of the village from celebrating Hanami. Mayu was laughing while talking to Sango and Miroku while Inuyasha was currently teasing Kagome who looked like she was ready to smack him right before he playfully twirled her and held her close making her turn bright red.

"Man, he's a swooner." Mayu said playfully.

"Uhn. Who knew, huh?" Sango said as she looked over at Miroku who nodded with a smile.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome squealed before laughing and playfully pushing him away as he tried to playfully nibble at her neck. Sango and Miroku laughed at this while Mayu simply smiled. She glanced around, Rin was with Aka while they shared some sweets, Jaken was being tormented by children, A-Un was grazing, then there was Sesshomaru. He was far off from anyone, nearly hidden by the forest's edge as he leaned on a tree, eyes closed, jaw clenched. Mayu frowned at this, then she decided to make sure she was ok.

"I'll be right back." She told Sango who nodded before walking off and over to Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" He opened his eyes looking over at Mayu.

"Are you alright?" She asked in a soft, gentle tone. He looked away from her.

"I'm fine." He muttered. Mayu frowned knowing he was lying, it was obvious how tense he was. She glanced back at the others, then back at him.

"If you need a moment to yourself, I can watch Rin and Jaken, I don't really worry about A-Un." Mayu muttered the last part softly. Sesshomaru stayed silent for a moment, then turned to walk away. Mayu was about to turn as well but his voice stilled her.

"Come." He simply said before walking off. Mayu hesitated but did as told. To Mayu, they were walking blindly, but Sesshomaru knew where he was going. Mayu was a bit nervous, she couldn't see in the dark forest as well as Sesshomaru could so she thought she could faceplant any second. Sesshomaru, sensing her nervousness, glanced back at her before reaching back and taking her arm in his hand gently. Mayu flinched but didn't pull away, she merely took this as an ok to walk beside him which technically it was though he didn't even think anything of it. Finally, after what felt like forever to Mayu, there was a breakaway in the forest letting her finally see properly again. Sesshomaru let her go but kept walking before slowing, then stilling in front of the waterfall that had Mayu frozen in place with its beauty. Sesshomaru glanced back at her making Mayu snap out of it and walk closer until she was beside him once more. He looked away before closing his eyes, letting out a gentle sigh that warmed to cool air around them. They were silent, but Mayu didn't mind too much, it was rather calming as she watched the moon's reflection on the water that danced gently to an unheard melody carried by the gentle blowing of the mountains.

"I'm curious." Sesshomaru finally spoke up in a rather hushed voice. Mayu looked up at him, he still wasn't looking at her.

"When I asked you if you feared me, you mentioned that you felt obligated to do so. Did you not?" With that question, he finally looked down at Mayu. Mayu hesitated for a moment, then nodded her head as a response.

"What makes you obligated?" Mayu stayed silent for a moment once more. Shouldn't he already know? Did he just want to see what she would say? She thought for a moment, then remember when he spoke of Rin being equal to him. Obviously, she wasn't, isn't that reason enough?

"You own me, you can do what you please with me. You are my Lord and I am merely your servant. I believe that's obligating enough?" Mayu spoke with a careful tongue. Sesshomaru seemed to study her inside out making her shiver slightly under his gaze, then he looked away without a word.

'Is he toying with me?' Mayu thought, then Sesshomaru took another step forward making Mayu tense thinking he would fall into the water, but instead, a soft golden ring formed around his foot as it gently rested upon the water. Mayu watched as he took a couple more steps out before turning to her.

"Your people celebrate something different than our people." He spoke up before holding his hand out to Mayu. She stared for a moment before looking at the water.

"I can't-" He took her hand and pulled her making her close her eyes thinking she was going to fall into the water, but she merely stumbled forward, bumping into Sesshomaru. She looked up at him, then down at the water. The golden ring grew bigger allowing her to stand with him.

"Tonight, my people would celebrate Haha no hōyō." He had Mayu come out further from the shore.

"Mother's embrace?" Mayu asked softly unsure as to why he's doing this.

"Yes, for you see, to my people the moon is our mother." He explained before gently guiding her to spin elegantly, then follow in his steps. He was dancing with her. She was dancing with a demon lord.

"And, once a year of this very day, the moon is surrounded perfectly by a ring of stars. Her children dance with her all night long." He turned her once more, now she faced away from him.

"It is also the night where all of us, no matter our ranking, are equal. Man, woman, child, it matters not." This was odd for Mayu, walking- no- dancing on water, let alone with a demon lord was not normal to her or any human for that matter. Yet, here she was, dancing with a demon lord to the melody she seemed to not hear. Did he?

"If your people celebrate such, why did you agree to leave?" She asked, now facing him once more.

"After my father's death, we fell out of our customs. Our people ignore our mother, and now she is upset. That is why my people have fallen as so." He explained, and with those words, their danced stilled to nothing but calm and subtle movements.

"Then, shouldn't you try and bring those customs back?" Mayu asked.

"With tensions the way they are, no. It will only lead to an outburst." He muttered softly before gently turning Mayu once more.

"This is a prime example that even us higher-ups make faulty decisions. My father's desires nearly doomed us, and now while he may rest peacefully, we suffer for it." He spoke softly. Mayu looked up at Sesshomaru, he was looking down at her.

"I do not blame you for being on edge as you are with that weight on your shoulders." She spoke softly. He turned her back once more, interlocking their fingers as he did so.

"A lot of the weight was worry for Rin's well being. When she chose to stay by my side despite being given the chance of living with her own kind, it made me feel obligated to thank her though I cannot. For now, at least." 

"She understands, Sesshomaru." Mayu reassured. After a few moments of silence, he guided her back to shore.

"We will not return tonight, whether we stay in the village or elsewhere, it will be a few more days. I need time to think." He said before letting her hand go as he began to walk back towards the village. Mayu silently nodded her head as she followed beside him.

'I wonder what that was about.'