Chapter 13 - He cares

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Every time she thought of the wolf lord, Hana felt a bit of sorrow. 

Inhaling the rejuvenating summer air, she looked up at the clear midday sky as she strolled next to Lord Sesshomaru with Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un close behind. Over time, Hana had grown more comfortable with being around Sesshomaru, and she hoped that he felt the same way also.

Well even if father has disowned me as his daughter, at least I have Rin......and Lord Sesshomaru too, I suppose.

Being with Rin had led to Hana developing somewhat maternal instincts - especially when it came to protecting the human girl -, and they had grown much closer since the day she had first met the peculiar human girl in Lady Kaede’s village. And even with his uncaring manner, Lord Sesshomaru had been nothing but nice to Hana - even if he would never admit to something like that. Jaken was often rude to her, but she still enjoyed his company and his humorous ways.

Her mother was dead, her father probably despised her, and she was an only child, yet she still had a “family”. The thought made her happy. Hana smiled, contented.

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The girl had been strangely happy for the past couple days. Considering what had happened to her recently, how could that even be possible? What wolf demon would be so happy after losing their tail? 

Then again, Sesshomaru thought, Hana was - like Rin - a carefree person. He recalled what her answer was one night when he had asked her if she was happy - the same question he'd asked Rin once. 

"As long as I have people to love, I'm happy. I am not so certain about my father anymore, but I have Rin.......... and you. I guess that means I love you, Lord Sesshomaru.” She had said the last part with a laugh and a cheerful smile, and if he was not mistaken, her cheeks had reddened a bit. 

She had said that she loved him, and had said it in such a casual manner too. He supposed that showed that she was being earnest. It was obvious that she did not only love him, but was in love with him also. The fact that a mere kiss could have broken her out of her transfixed state had somewhat proved that. 

When he had done it, he did it with the mindset that it probably wouldn't have worked - that Hana couldn't have had such great feelings towards him. But nonetheless, He had kissed her. And nonetheless, that despicable woman had, in a way, led her own charade to an end by pointing out that the girl seemed to have had a weak spot for him. And although she did not remember their kiss (yet), he did.

What did that say about him? 

Did it say that Sesshomaru, the great dog demon was becoming soft? 

No, it merely said that he had been concerned about the girl’s well-being and would have done whatever it took to save her. Sesshomaru would not outright admit it to anyone, but it was a fact that, after her following him for so long, he had grown to care for the girl and that a part of him would always want to protect her. It was similar to the way he always wanted to protect Rin, but it felt somewhat different when it came to Hana. 

Wherever he had looked at her, Hana was always seen smiling. Seeing her in the state she had been in - bloodthirsty and under someone else's control - had given Sesshomaru a very unsettling feeling. He preferred seeing her as the innocent and happy girl that she was. He supposed that was why he had made all the effort it took to bring her back to her normal self. 

Does that mean that I-   He stopped walking for a brief moment and then continued once again. He scoffed at the idea before he could even manage to finish his thought. 

"Is something wrong, milord?" questioned Jaken, who seemed to have noticed Sesshomaru's pause. While taking a quick glance back at Jaken, he replied,

"Why would you think that something is wrong, Jaken?" 

His tone must have startled the little imp for he soon hurriedly apologized. 

Everyday since first meeting Rin, Sesshomaru's heart had grown less and less cold. Over time, he had learnt what it meant to be compassionate. And now Sesshomaru supposed that he cared very much for not only one but two people (and he supposed he cared for his faithful servant also). 

He did not fully agree with these feelings, but he knew that there was nothing he could do but accept them - or at least try to. 

Of all the women that had appeared to have been greatly infatuated with the dog demon throughout his lifetime, Hana seemed to have been the first to have outright said the words “I love you,” without expecting him to have any mutual feelings, or even acknowledge her feelings – even if she had not quite meant it in such a context. He did not quite “love” her – he did not “love” anyone, for Sesshomaru still somewhat believed that love was but a mere pathetic human affection. He had, however, grown to slightly care about her.   Hana wasn't going anywhere anytime soon; she had made that quite clear to him. He looked at her, and when she noticed this, she looked up at him and smiled. Her smile had a great calming effect on the dog demon and gave him a feeling that he could not quite define. What Sesshomaru didn't realize at the moment was that that feeling was happiness.  Hana's presence somehow managed to make Sesshomaru happy, a feeling he had not quite experienced in a while, if ever before. 

At first, he had merely allowed her to travel with him so as to lessen the chances of Rin being in great danger, but now Sesshomaru couldn’t envision seeing Hana going back to her tribe.

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