Sesshomaru's Euphoria

32

The two demons were walking through the forest once more, on high alert. Naomi's ears would twitch every now and then with every little sound, hearing everything from miles away, being that her hearing was more heightened than Sesshomaru's. Since she was a fox demon, that meant she was more agile, able to skip through smaller things when necessary, and their speed makes up for their size. Her mind wasn't focused on the task at hand, constantly drifting back to Rin, Akio and Shouto, and the dog demon knew that. Noticing her footsteps becoming more hesitant as they approached a beautiful meadow, wild flowers grew everywhere, knowing it was something Rin would enjoy. A small frown formed on her lips, not at the thought of Rin, but figuring out what Tōtōsai had planned for her, especially as a sinister laugh filled her ears.

Her gaze traveled down to her wrist as she moved her sleeve, looking at the blue tigers eye bracelet, removing it and holding it out to Sesshomaru. He looked at her for a moment, taking the bracelet from her hand,

"Don't intervene" Naomi said softly

Sesshomaru looked down at her, watching as she continued to walk forward while he stayed behind. The fox demon couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful flowers, smiling at the sudden thought of Rin, mentally seeing her picking all kinds of flowers to make a crown, then putting it on Jaken's head, knowing he would scream at the top of his lungs as he took it off and threw it on the floor. Naomi shook her head slightly, the image fading from her mind as her smile slipped from her lips, looking around the field as another sinister laugh filled her ears. She would hear the sound of fluttering wings, a scent filling her nose that felt all too familiar to her. Her breath hitched in her throat as she looked around, trying to pinpoint the location of the scent, but not finding anything that would release it.

Naomi felt her breathing pick up, placing a hand on her forehead as a dizzy spell washed over her. She slowly kneeled down in the grass as the sound of fluttering wings flew over her head, fighting to keep her eyes open, but the darkness became too strong.

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A small gasp emitted from Naomi as she opened her eyes, frantically looking around, taking in her surroundings. She was in the forest, large trees surrounding her with the sound of birds chirping and other insects buzzing around, causing her ears to twitch at nature's music. She could hear the sound of the river flowing over the rocks a few yards away from her, shaking her head slightly as she tried to comprehend where she was. Naomi's eyes snapped up at the sound of the familiar laughter that she had once known,

"Did you find those mushrooms, sweet girl?" Hotaru asked

Naomi's eyes made contact with her mother's gentle brown, a soft smile on her lips, her eyebrows furrowing slightly in confusion as she looked down, seeing that she was kneeling in front of edible mushrooms, ones that would be cooked for that nights meal. She tilted her head slightly, almost like a confused pup, reaching out to grab the mushrooms, only to pause midway when she saw her hand. It wasn't covered, and she didn't have her jewelry or her ring. Her eyes trailing up the sleeve of her kimono, seeing that she had been wearing a black one with deep red roses scattered around it, stopping at her lower thigh, Fenikkusu no where in sight. Naomi saw that her skin wasn't as pale as it once was, shaking her head slightly as she tried to understand what was happening. She looked back up at her mother,

"Are you okay, sweet girl?" Hotaru asked, looking down at Naomi

". . . Yes" she replied softly "I'm fine"

"Well, then grab those mushrooms and we'll be on our way" she said with an amused smile

She nodded slightly, looking back down at the mushrooms and picking as much as she could, placing them in the basket that was next to her, holding it against her hip as she stood up, giving her mother a small nod. Hotaru smiled at her daughter, turning and walking away, Naomi hesitantly following behind. She was led back to the village she once called home, watching as the children ran around with smiles on their faces, other adults greeting them as if they had been friends for years. Naomi stopped in her tracks when some children ran in front of her, picking up the basket so it didn't hit them, turning around as her eyes trailer over everything. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she rested the basket against her hip once more, following her mother to the hut she once knew.

"Come on, sweet girl" Hotaru urged "we need to get dinner started"

Naomi followed her mother inside, setting the basket down on one of the newly made tables, watching as her mother began to chop the meat she bought from the market,

". . . Where's my blade?" Naomi asked, looking at her mother

"What blade?" Hotaru asked, confusion laced in her voice

"Fenikkusu" she answered simply "the one you gave me when I was a child"

"Was?" She asked, looking at her "you still are a child. How do you know about that blade?"

"It was a gift for me" she said softly "from Akio. The man you still love"

"Where are you getting all of this?" She asked, turning to her completely

". . I read the letter" she answered

Hotaru let out a soft sigh through her nose, placing the knife down and turning to face her completely, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Naomi stiffened, the touch of her mother feeling so real, the warmth of Hotaru's soft embrace took her back to those memories of her nightmares. Her ears slowly fell limp on top of her head as her own arms began to wrap around her mother's frame, finding herself beginning to relax against the warm embrace. She closed her eyes, resting her head on her shoulder,

"You don't need to worry about him" Hotaru whispered "I promise" gently squeezing her frame "I do, however, have a question" pulling back from the hug, holding Naomi back at arms length ". . . Why couldn't you save me?"