Eclipse of the Soul

The Great Lord of the Western Lands snuffled through the fresh malachite grass in front of his nose. The greenery was soft against his magenta striped cheek and the morning sun was warming everything with a pleasant scent of earth and dew. The lean demon Lord was stretched out on the comfortable mossy ground, his chin leaning on the white and red silk of his folded arms. Something disturbed the grass before him causing a tiny motion amidst the stalks. His golden eyes shone intently and the tips of his pointed humanlike ears twitched. He sniffed the air again, this time with his mouth slightly open revealing the white peaks of his fangs.
"I believe I have scented something sweet."
The demon Lord said in a dry tone almost to himself. The breeze blew towards him and sent his long silver white hair drifting purely across his back.
"Yes, very sweet indeed. And wiggly..."
A small giggle could be heard in front of him but the demon did not raise his head from the grass. Instead he all but pounced forward and caught something small and pinkish between two of his claws.
"Ah ha! Here it is! I have captured the creature!"
He proclaimed proudly but still with only the smallest hint of warmth escaping his tone. In front of him a small girl dressed in an orange and yellow checkered Kimono burst into laughter and struggled against his gentle but firm grip on her. She had been sitting before him plucking daisy petals from a stem and wiggling her bare toes in the grass.
Sesshomaru grabbed hold of his human follower Rin by her ankle and stood, hoisting her upside down and holding her out like a trophy salmon. The child erupted into squeals of laughter that forced the ghost of a smile onto the corners of her masters usually stoic lips.
"What say you Jaken? What shall we do with such a wiggly creature?"
He asked mockingly while prodding the wriggling Rin with one finger which only served to make her squeal louder at his tickling. The short round little toad demon Jaken waddled over to his Lord and Master and squinted up at him with algae coated eyes.
"Master Sesshomaru, must you encourage it to make that noise? It is giving me a headache. Surely we should have at least sold her to a slaver by now."
Jaken received a very sound smack to the back of his head that sent him rolling away and into a tree. Lord Sesshomarus eyes narrowed dangerously in his servants direction as he placed Rin back carefully on the ground.
"I will pretend I did not hear that Jaken. For if I had you would certainly be a pile of bone splinters and guts by now."
"Y,y,yes m'Lord!"
The grumpy old toad demon replied with a sideways look at the still madly smiling girl.
"Don't be sad Jaken! Rin will pick flowers for you! Pretty flowers! And lots for Sesshomaru-sama too!"
The brightly grinning seven year old exclaimed and skipped off through the sunlit forest clearing towards a patch of blue and yellow violets. Her lopsided chestnut ponytail bobbed merrily the whole way.
"Master Sesshomaru...."
The little toad demon tugged at his tall Masters sleeve. He received only a cold glare in response and instantly released his hold and wiped his hands nervously on his vest.
"I was only wondering...when will we return to the Western Lands? We have been wandering now for weeks it seems. Surely enough time has passed since the battle that my Lord should be returning to more important duties and finding a proper place for that human thing..."
Jaken stopped his speech when his Lord narrowed his eyes again.
"We will not leave until I command it."
The matter was closed. Whatever Lord Sesshomarus reasons for staying in the wilderness were he was certainly determined to keep them to himself. Jaken walked back over to the place they had tethered the twin headed dragon steed. He began to groom it's scales with a cloth to bring out the golden sheen from the normally dusty green. The regal beast turned one of it's russet bearded heads to regard him and then returned to snapping at flies.
Jaken wondered about the girl Rin again. Was Sesshomaru planning to leave her here with her own kind or would he bring her back with them? That decision could not be the only thing that was staying his Lord. Perhaps there was something unfinished between him and his half brother Inu Yasha that kept the Lord of the West wandering in this forest.
Or perhaps, and this was something that Jaken didn't even want to admit thinking, perhaps their battle with Naraku had affected his Lord worse than any before had. His wounds had healed but had his heart? How many lives could a demon Lord end before it began to affect his mind? Was his softness for Rin a sign of a growing weakness of character? Jaken was slyly considerate.
Just then a foul scent assaulted Sesshomarus keen senses. A dark shape blocked the sunlight from the leaf patterned clearing and the youkai Lord immediately drew his fighting sword Toukijin. Jaken ran leading the nervous and clawing dragon steed with him. He found some cover behind a fallen tree and made the beast lie down behind it to give him even better shelter. They could all sense the approaching danger.
The ominous shapes that writhed above the tree tops whipped up the foliage in a moldy decaying wind. Rin looked up as well and dropped her bouquet of posies. She heard the low warning growl coming from Sesshomaru and immediately began to run towards him for protection. Unfortunately movement was the wrong reaction.
A black mucus coated serpent broke away from it's air born comrades and plummeted towards the bright orange and yellow speck that bounded below in the grass. The creatures soul less eyes glimmered like black coal as it bared it's two foot long fangs that oozed green venom and even greener saliva. Rin screamed and cowered on her knees. Lord Sesshomaru struck with a wave of razor edged power from his sword. He watched cooly when the black scales of the worm youkai faded out into a shadowy form to avoid the blast and then back again as its strike neared completion.
The agile demon Lord was far faster than the snake. He was standing over Rin just as those massive fangs came down. The scrape of bone on metal was heard as the fangs snapped and broke upon his iron bogu chest armor. He slashed at the creature with his dokkasuo at the same instant. He had cut and melted his toxic flower claw through one side of the creatures head and it lashed from side to side spewing venom and yellow bile. Sesshomaru gathered Rin in his arms and jumped neatly over the monster reaching the log that Jaken was squatting behind.
"Keep her safe."
The Lord of the West growled as his eyes bled to crimson. Rin whimpered softly as he released her from his strength. Before the child could cling to him again the powerful demon was off. The first worm was still writhing blindly and he dispatched it cleanly with one strike from his sword splitting it into unrecognizable chunks. Two more shroud worms were anxiously circling the clearing and he vaulted into the air to end their threat as well.
Noone would dare to hurt one of his possessions, his Rin!
"Lunarva..."
Lord Sesshomaru snarled under his breath as he let loose his golden energy flails to slice the unsuspecting youkai. The demoness would pay fnleanleashing her worms upon his party. The twin creatures flew right into his attack not realizing the razor thin threads of power for what they were and immediately fell in thick red slices to the forest floor.
Already Sesshomaru could see the gathering hoard of shroud worms. The sky was black with the vastness of Lunarvas spawn. He flew at once in their direction. Territorial anger fanned the flames of his heart sending a volcanic rush of power through his veins. His demon blood was fully awake and ready to kill.