Walking with a Dog (IX)

After promising the chief of the Wolf Demon Tribe that they would remain in his territory for a while, Sesshomaru and Han stayed a little longer. However, perhaps because everyone knew the chief intended to marry Ayame to Sesshomaru, they treated him with extraordinary warmth and constantly tried to put the two together, while Han... was deliberately kept apart from them by the wolf demons...

"Move." Sesshomaru looked at the row of wolf demons before him and continued walking toward the person they were trying to block from his view. Han waited helplessly behind them, then hurried over to his side when she saw him approach.

This had become their daily routine lately.

"Han, Han!" a young child's voice called.

Before long, an adorable little girl with reddish-brown hair in twin ponytails rushed up to them. White fur wrapped her feet and waist, and a little cape of the same material draped over her shoulders. Her dark green eyes sparkled with life.

Little Ayame threw herself into Han's arms and clung to her affectionately, even sticking her tongue out at the little rabbit on Han's shoulder in a show of defiance. Yunai casually bared her teeth at her, utterly unconcerned by this rival for Han's affection. Han would leave this place eventually anyway, so this little wolf demon could play with her for now. Yunai Rabbit generously decided, yawning on the girl's shoulder before settling down for a nap.

Han stroked the crown of little Ayame's reddish-brown head with practiced ease, and Ayame narrowed her eyes in contentment. Compared with the large dog demon, Han, who was small like her, seemed to be much more to Ayame's liking. Ever since they had gotten to know each other, Ayame had clung to her whenever they went out.

"Where are we going to play today?" Han asked, as she always did. These days, rather than treating Sesshomaru as a potential fiancé, Ayame treated Han as a playmate her own age, with Sesshomaru merely a friend who came along with her.

"Today, I'm taking Han to my secret treasure spot." Little Ayame smiled rather proudly, then turned to Sesshomaru with a solemn expression. "Sesshomaru isn't allowed to come." Her adorable little face was utterly serious.

Han looked at her helplessly, then glanced at the expressionless Sesshomaru. She cleared her throat awkwardly and told him, "Well, then we'll have to say goodbye for now." Seeing the slight displeasure in his eyes, she hurriedly added, "We'll be back as soon as we can."

Sesshomaru nodded without another word. He had no interest in little girls' games anyway. Silently, he watched them gradually disappear from view. As though sensing his gaze, Han suddenly looked back. In that instant, the irritation in his heart vanished completely, leaving only a faint warmth that slowly spread through his cold heart.

Han followed little Ayame for a long stretch, yet Ayame showed no sign of slowing down. Were all members of the Wolf Demon Tribe born with incredible speed? Han wondered idly as she ran, watching the faintly green whirlwinds beneath Ayame's feet. Though she was a little older than Ayame and should, in theory, have been faster, it was actually Ayame who ran ahead, pulling her along.

She had no idea how long they ran. By the time Ayame stopped, Han was already slightly out of breath. Running such a long distance certainly counted as strenuous exercise. Only the wolf tribe could run that far without getting winded.

Come to think of it, Yunai seemed to be quite a runner too. As soon as the two of them had started running, the rabbit had jumped down from Han's shoulder to run-or hop?-along herself. Now she looked perfectly at ease and even raised a paw to greet Han.

Han came back to herself, stroked the rabbit's soft white fur, and straightened up. Ahead lay a steep slope. Through the trees, she could faintly make out a green meadow covered in purple iris blossoms. The flowers swayed gently in the breeze, sending ripples of purple across the field. Flowers that should have bloomed in summer were flourishing brilliantly in the cold of winter, yet on closer inspection, there was nothing discordant about the sight.

"We're almost there, almost there! Can you see it, Han?" Little Ayame's voice was unmistakably excited.

"Yes, I can." Han smiled and nodded.

"Then I'll go down first!" Before little Ayame had even finished speaking, she leaped down onto the meadow below.

Han sucked in a sharp breath and hurriedly looked down, only to find little Ayame smiling and waving at her.

"Honestly..." Han shook her head with a helpless smile and carefully made her way down the steep slope, her feet slipping from time to time.

"Hurry, hurry!" By the time Han finally walked and slid her way to the bottom, Yunai and little Ayame were growing impatient. The little girl eagerly took her hand again and pulled her forward. "It's just ahead! My treasure spot!"

After a short run into the irises, little Ayame finally released Han's hand. Completely relaxed, she leaned backward and fell into the sea of purple flowers, her face peaceful and content.

"Look out!" Han hurriedly caught Ayame and pulled her out of the flowers, holding her tightly in her arms. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?" She quickly let Ayame go and carefully examined the skin that had touched the irises.

Irises were beautiful and had a distinctive fragrance. Though they appeared lovely and harmless, every part of the plant was poisonous.

Han's heart had skipped a beat when she saw Ayame casually lie down among them. Even powerful demons did not necessarily have strong resistance to outside threats, especially poison, much less Ayame, who was only a young wolf demon.

Little Ayame stared blankly at Han for a moment, then suddenly hugged her tightly.

"Han is so kind." She nestled in Han's arms, her voice carrying both sadness and a childish desire for affection.

Han was a little at a loss, unable to understand Ayame's sudden affection. Still, seeing no sign of poisoning, she relaxed and quietly returned the embrace of the small body before her. Though she did not know what had happened, the sadness suddenly radiating from the usually lively Ayame left her unsure what to do. All she could offer was her quiet company.

"I'm fine." Only after a long while did little Ayame let go, reluctantly withdrawing from the warm embrace. She sat back among the flowers, evading Han's reaching hand, then closed her eyes and slowly lay down. Feeling the familiar sweetness of the flowers around her, she grew even more peaceful.

"These irises are special. They have the same name as me," the little girl said earnestly, opening her eyes to look at Han. "Even if they're poisonous, they've never hurt me. They've always protected me instead. It's just like having Mama beside me."

Ayame's mother had given her that name. When she was born, it had been May, with great swathes of irises in bloom.

Her mother had said they should call her Ayame. She would surely be beautiful and strong like the irises, driving away evil and growing up safe and sound.

Though she no longer remembered what her mother looked like, whenever she lay among the irises and their flowers and leaves brushed against her, it felt like her mother's hands soothing her, telling her not to feel discouraged or sad, but to keep that fragrant happiness in her heart, grow up joyfully, and become a formidable wolf demon.

"Han is my friend, so the irises definitely won't hurt Han either." Little Ayame looked up at the slightly older girl before her and waved for her to sit down too.

Without hesitation, Han did as the little girl wished and sat beside her. Then, imitating her, she relaxed and lay back among the irises. Sure enough, she felt no discomfort. She looked at Ayame, and the two of them smiled involuntarily.

"Han, won't you stay? Stay here with me." Little Ayame rolled into her arms and hugged her, suddenly voicing her plea.

"I'm afraid I can't." Han fell silent for a moment, smoothing Ayame's beautiful, silky reddish-brown hair before answering with difficulty. "The Wolf Demon Tribe is your home, Ayame. It isn't mine."

Her home, her home, her home...

Han turned those words over slowly in her heart. Suddenly, she remembered how Kikyo had insisted on leaving to return to her village at the very beginning.

That must have been Kikyo's home. That was why she had to protect it, no matter what, even while she was still injured and in pain.

Little Ayame grew quiet. She said nothing more, simply remaining in Han's arms and quietly enjoying the warmth of their time in the sunlight.

As the sky began to darken, the two rose from the flowers, carrying the scent of irises, with flecks of pollen scattered over their clothes. Seeing each other's disheveled appearance, they could not help laughing. They brushed the pollen off one another, then shared a final smile.

Han glanced back casually and suddenly noticed a faint glimmer in the distance, indistinct beneath the bright sunlight.

"Huh? What's that?" Han asked.

"What?" Little Ayame looked at her in confusion.

"Over there. Can you see it?" Han pointed deeper into the sea of flowers.

The Wolf Demon Tribe possessed more than keen noses. They also had sharp eyes-the eyes with which wolves spotted their prey.

"Yes, I see it!" Ayame sprang up and nodded, looking as though she wanted to run over immediately to investigate. She turned back to Han, her eyes shining.

"All right, let's go take a look together." Han nodded cautiously. Although there probably was no danger, it was better to be careful. She grasped the bow on her back and cautiously led the way.

The deeper they went, the stronger the fragrance of the irises became, until it felt as though she might lose herself entirely in their scent. Han was thinking hazily about this when a gentle pat on her shoulder brought her back to her senses. She looked around warily. The scenery was no different from before, with nothing strange about it at all. Once her mind cleared, the fragrance seemed to gradually fade as well.

Yunai, who had returned to Han's shoulder at some point, affectionately rubbed against her ear and watched her with concern. Only after seeing that she was all right did the rabbit relax again. Han gratefully stroked Yunai's silky fur, and Yunai nuzzled her in return.

"Han, Han, what's wrong?" Ayame asked worriedly from behind her. She had not seen Han's dazed expression just now and thought she had merely been distracted for a moment.

"Something felt strange just now." Seeing that the girl appeared completely unaffected, Han was puzzled. "Didn't you feel anything, Ayame?"

"No, everything feels normal to me. The irises here are growing so well." Little Ayame took a deep breath of the iris-scented air and said cheerfully, "Let's keep going."

"All right." Han nodded, silently raising her guard.

Only after a long while did they stop, gazing at a purple iris swaying gently beside the river. This blossom seemed no different from the others, yet after looking at it for a while, they found it extraordinarily beautiful, without a single flaw.

Perhaps because she herself was a plant spirit, Han felt an indescribable affinity with this iris, though she also understood that they were completely different. Whatever twists of fate this iris had encountered, it seemed not to have endured the passage of long ages, yet it gave off pure demonic energy, just like a demon, when it should never have become one.

Han remained where she was, with little Ayame beside her, both quietly gazing at the beautiful iris.

Han silently listened to the iris's soft whispers, which seemed to recount how it had met the girl beside her.

"Ayame," Han said earnestly to little Ayame beside her, "once all the irises here have withered, take this one with you." That was the flower's wish. It longed so fiercely to remain by Ayame's side because, when its bud had first begun to open, a girl who shared its name had crouched beside it and quietly spoken of her grief over losing her mother, and her sorrow over her father's illness. A sorrowful tear had fallen upon it, giving it a purpose of its own-to stay with this girl forever.

And so, at some point, irises had gradually begun blooming all around it. They all seemed to be passing their strength to it. Perhaps, once it received all their power, the time would come when it could remain with its little girl forever.

Little Ayame looked in puzzlement at Han, who had suddenly spoken. Han smiled without explaining. This was a promise between Ayame and the iris. If fate truly existed, it would surely arrange another meeting, whether between Ayame and the iris, or between Ayame and herself.

"Let's go." Han took the girl's hand and started back. She had promised him she would return as soon as she could.

"Okay." Little Ayame looked back reluctantly at the purple iris. As it swayed gently, she had the fleeting impression that it was watching over her with affection. The little girl smiled and silently told the iris, Goodbye. I'll come again.