"How dare you hurt Rin's feelings?" snapped a short, green toad demon, his voice frantic with outrage as he leaned forward like he could bite the words into her. "Rin begged Lord Sesshomaru to save you when you were bleeding out." His lip curled, the nasty attitude dripping from every syllable. "You should be grateful that he graced you with his presence. You should be kissing the floor he walks on—if it hadn't been for our Lord, you wouldn't be here at all." He puffed up, almost boasting, as if Sesshomaru's greatness belonged to him too. "He is a great dog demon—the Lord of the Western Lands—successor to his legendary father."
Heavenly-Autumn's gaze slid past the toad and fixed on the figure in the hall: handsome, elegant, and terrifyingly powerful. The dog demon's fair skin looked untouched by heat or hardship; his pointed ears stood sharp and alert.
Golden amber eyes—cold, slit-pupiled—watched everything without giving anything away. His long silver-white hair fell to his waist like a river of moonlight. And the markings… she couldn't stop staring at them. The purple crescent on his forehead, the magenta stripes on his eyelids, the twin magenta lines on each cheek and wrist—it all slammed into her memory like a blade. The monster that had sunk its fangs into her neck had worn the same crescent moon.
The same unmistakable sign. She didn't understand how, but she knew—knew in her bones—that the beast and the lord were connected. Her fingers rose to her throat, brushing the tender spot, and she winced hard as pain sparked through her. They were expecting gratitude. They were expecting her to bow. Instead, she let out a slow, bitter sigh. "What a shame," she murmured, disappointment heavy in her chest. "I really could've been with Nor. What a letdown." She lifted her chin as she said it, bold on purpose, like daring the room to strike her for it.
"Y-You lousy human!" the toad demon sputtered, shaking so violently it looked like a vein might burst right out of his head.
"Jakken." Sesshomaru said the name once—quiet, flat, and absolute. It was barely a word, but it hit the toad demon like a whip. Jakken froze, went pale beneath the green, and trembled like a chihuahua caught in a predator's shadow. "I am so sorry, my lord," he blurted, bowing and apologizing profusely, his earlier arrogance vanishing in an instant.
Heavenly-Autumn slowly pushed herself upright, every movement dragging pain through her aching body, and stared into the flames as if they could burn the thoughts out of her. Her will to live had been thinning ever since Nor passed away—like a thread pulled tighter and tighter until it was ready to snap.
Rin's earlier voice echoed in her mind: "I… I can't believe you've been out of ten nights and days. Are you feeling okay?" Ten nights and days. The number felt unreal, like someone else's story. Her thoughts flicked to her disease, to the medication stuffed in her straw-made backpack—so close, yet suddenly meaningless—and then, like always, they circled back to Norah.
Memories floated up, sharp and sweet and cruel, and her gaze dropped. She gripped her sore arm until her fingers trembled, breathing heavy, trying not to show anything. She didn't want to wear her emotions, didn't want anyone here to see the raw, ugly grief under her skin—but she couldn't stop it from spilling through. Little by little, she was starting to understand: nobody could truly be trusted. And she definitely didn't trust a single person in this here.
"Don't mind Lord Sesshomaru or Master Jakken," Rin chirped, bright and happy—too happy. The smile on her face scraped at Heavenly-Autumn's nerves. "Here, some roasted fish. It's really yummy." Rin added, holding it out with both hands like it was a gift that could fix everything, waiting for Heavenly-Autumn to take it.
Everything about this girl irritated her. The sound of her voice, the sweetness, the way she looked up with that open expression—because it reminded Heavenly-Autumn of Norah. Too much. They had to be around the same age, close enough that the resemblance in spirit hurt worse than any wound. Disgust and grief tangled in her throat. "Compared to Nor, you are stupid," Heavenly-Autumn snapped. She knocked the stick away, sending the fish tumbling to the dirt. Rin blinked, startled—then immediately forced herself into politeness. "How rude of me!" she said, scratching the side of her head like she could laugh it off. "I didn't even ask if you liked it." Her voice stayed gentle, blaming herself. "It's my fault for not asking."
Heavenly-Autumn expected tears. She expected the girl's face to crumple, for guilt to finally show. But when she looked up, Rin was still smiling—small, stubborn, and painfully earnest. The sight made Heavenly-Autumn's stomach twist. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, turning away as if she could bite back the ache that smile stirred up.
The night sank into a tense hush, broken only by the soft crackle of the fire. Heavenly-Autumn didn't sleep. She sat rigid and silent, eyes locked on the flames as if staring hard enough could burn the ache out of her chest. Hours dragged by, each one heavy. Nearby, the little girl slept curled against the scaled warmth of the two-headed dragon demon, her breathing small and steady—too peaceful for a place like this.
At some point, the toad demon shifted and cleared his throat, trying to sound important in the darkness. " Rin may be an annoying girl," Jakken said with a tight, warning edge, "but our Lord Sesshomaru saved her for reasons unexplained." His gaze flicked toward Heavenly-Autumn like a blade. "You will treat her with the most upmost care—otherwise he will take your life."
Heavenly-Autumn didn't even look at him. The fire painted her face in harsh orange and shadow as she answered, voice flat and tired. "Am I suppose to care?" she questioned, then added, cold as ash, "Nothing bothers me." The words hung there, daring the night to contradict her. A moment later, as if her indifference had drained the last of his nerve, Jakken's eyelids drooped. His head bobbed once… twice… and before she could blink, he had dozed off into a shallow, slumped sleep.
Silence returned—thicker now. Heavenly-Autumn's gaze drifted, slow and deliberate, until it found him. Lord Sesshomaru sat apart from the others, still as stone. He looked asleep… or like he was pretending to be. The distinction made her pulse quicken. She swallowed against the soreness in her throat, then shifted with careful, quiet movements, keeping her breathing even. Her eyes tracked the sword resting near him. The weapon looked too perfect for a place this filthy—power sealed into polished steel. She reached out and took it from where it sat, drawing it free with a controlled, soundless pull. The weight settled into her hands like a decision. She raised the blade and brought it up to his neck, the edge hovering at that pale skin.
Golden amber eyes opened. Not startled. Not confused. Just awake—instantly, completely. He looked at her as if she were a slow-moving insect he could crush whenever he wished. His expression didn't change, his voice as calm and cold as the space between stars. "This scheme of yours is beneath me," he said, the words measured. "Should it failed, you will die, foolish human?"
Her fingers tightened, knuckles whitening around the hilt. She could do it. She knew she could. But the moment stretched, and the blade didn't move. Not because she lacked the will to stab—she had plenty of anger for that—but because her mind betrayed her with the memory of another body going still, another life disappearing. The thought made something inside her recoil.
She inhaled sharply, fury boiling under her skin, and her eyes snagged on the violent scratches across his body—marks that didn't belong on someone who looked untouched by the world. Her throat tightened. "I am not afraid of you, and I will not worship you," she repeated, forcing the lie into the air like a shield. Sesshomaru's gaze remained unreadable. Then, without another word, he rose and left the scene as quietly as a shadow slipping off a wall, abandoning her with the sword, the fire, and the pounding of her own heart.