The Tale of Azami

Chapter Ten - Uncovered

So, what do ya'll think so far???? And yes, I did say ya'll. I am from the south, so what do you expect? *cough, cough* Tell me what you think in the comments! Who's ready to have some secrets uncovered?

Sesshomaru's POV

Blood and miasma.

The smell was coming from up river, mingling itself with the fresh water. I wondered where it was coming from. Rin hurried ahead with A-Un trailing behind her. Within seconds though, she came running back with a worried look.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" She exclaimed. I glanced towards her.

"What is it Rin?" I asked flatly. She breathed in deeply.

"It's that girl that hurt you! She's unconscious in the river." She said, pointing to the area she had just run from. My eyes widened slightly.

"Jaken," I snapped.

"Yes?" Jaken asked softly.

"Prepare a fire, we're stopping here for the night." I ordered. Jaken bowed his head before having Rin help him make a fire. I led A-Un away from them and towards where Rin had pointed.

After a few moments, I came upon a rocky part of the river with huge and small rocks jutting out of the water. I scanned the area before finding a limp body caught on the edge of the river. I walked towards it, taking notice of the huge wound on their chest along with their tore clothing. I turned them over, finding Rin to be right. It was the girl who had paralyzed me.

"A-Un." I said. The demon moved towards my side and helped me put the girl on his back. I glanced around once more, wondering how this had happened, before walking towards the light of Jaken and Rin's fire.

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Pain.

It felt like someone had taken a white hot knife and jabbed me in the chest multiple times. Then had tried to wash the wound out with salt water and alcohol.

I blinked my eyes a few times, finding myself propped against a tree. A small fire danced before my eyes where two figures were sitting close to it. My vision was fuzzy, so it was hard to make out their features. It was already light outside, so I guessed they had used it to cook something recently.

"Master Jaken, she's awake." I heard a girl's voice say. They both stood and walked over to me. My vision cleared, making it easy to tell who they were.

"What?" I managed to choke out. What was I doing with Sesshomaru's two companions?

"You must be thirsty." Rin commented. She disappeared for a moment before coming back with a cup of water. I gently took the cup from her and drank some of it before realizing something.

"Where. Is. My. Mask." I said, my voice flat.

"Now listen here girl, Lord Sesshomaru doesn't care for your strange game of hiding your face or-" Jaken began.

"Jaken," A voice snapped. The green demon instantly shut up. I glared at the source of the voice.

"Why am I here?" I demanded, raising my voice. Rin glanced from me to the dog demon then back to me.

"Lord Sesshomaru saved you. We found you close to death in the river." Rin explained softly. I swallowed, surprised that the dog demon didn't answer for himself. For a moment, I couldn't remember what had happened, but it came flowing back to me. Naraku. The Shikon Jewel. Miasma. Blood. And finally, falling.

"Most of your clothing was destroyed by the miasma." Sesshomaru said, breaking my train of thought. I shifted slightly, feeling uncomfortable in the demon's gaze. I remembered what my father had taught me about gratitude and breathed in deeply. Something told me he was an alpha, similar to my father, and if he was an alpha, I did not need to make him angry. Especially in the condition I was in.

"Then I must thank you Sesshomaru for spending the time to save me." I said, lowering my eyes. Sesshomaru didn't say anything and walked a little ways away, towards the edge of the river.

"Might I ask your name?" Rin asked, turning to me.

"It's Azami." I said softly.

"That's a pretty name," She commented. She glanced at Sesshomaru then Jaken who was collecting sticks for the fire. "Can I ask you why you were injured?" She added. I breathed in slowly and leaned my head against the tree.

"I got on the wrong side of the half demon known as Naraku. This was my punishment for betraying him." I stated. Suddenly, Sesshomaru appeared again.

"Rin, go help Jaken," He ordered. Rin nodded before running off. The dog demon crouched down in front of me and searched my face. I felt so naked without my mask. It was hard to understand that someone could see my face.

"I want you to tell me everything," He said softly before adding. "Half demon."

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Sesshomaru's POV

While Jaken and Rin had been bandaging the girl, Azami, I noticed the scent of her blood. The blood of a half demon. It wasn't a strong smell though. As if she barely had any human blood running in her veins.

"If I did that, my father would never let me out of his sight again." Azami stated flatly. Her face was a mixture between defeat and sadness. Maybe it was because she was afraid of her father or that she had failed at keeping what she looked like a secret.

"Do you honestly believe I care about your father's opinion? I want answers." I insisted. She breathed in and out slowly. Her golden eyes kept looking from me to the ground. What was she thinking?

"Well," She rubbed her bare arm. There were similar lines to the ones on her face on her arm. "What part do you want to know?" She asked.

"How did you run into Naraku?" I questioned. She sighed and played with her fingers. She started to tell me about how she made a deal with Naraku but turned against him. She had thought it would be fun to betray a half demon, but she hadn't realized how powerful he was. She continued up to the point where Naraku threw her into the river of miasma and stopped there.

I waited a moment or two, trying to process what she told me. I glanced back at her, noticing that she clenching her fists as if she were in pain. Apparently, the miasma was making it hard for her to heal quickly like she probably did.

"Rin, Jaken," I called. Rin and the green demon ran over to Lord Sesshomaru. "Help Azami onto A-Un." I ordered before turning to walk ahead
"Sesshomaru," I turned back to look at the injured half demon. She was steadying herself on a tree while Rin and Jaken were holding onto her legs so that she didn't fall.

"You do know who I am, don't you?" She asked, her voice shaking.  I didn't answer her, but my eyes did. She lowered her head at my answer before I spun on my heel and walked ahead of them.