The Bush and the Ball (Aiko, Ryuu)

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Spring was in full bloom and a little girl's laughter could be heard. A ball bounced across the grass, rolled across the ground, earning momentum with the small slope. The little girl followed after it. She tripped, laying there for a moment before she brought herself up and ran off to follow the pink ball.

On the slope stood Merodi. She watched her daughter from a distance, smiling as the girl followed after the ball. She took in a deep breathe of the early spring day. She sighed, moving her red hair out of her face and keeping a watchful eye of her child.

"Don't go too far Tempa!"

Knowing her daughter, the deer was sure the child wasn't going to listen...

[Aiko]

Standing beside his deer demon mate, the wolf demon had a good vantage point of the little girl charging after her rose-colored toy. With a smile and a chuckle, he wrapped his arm around his mate’s waist, even though his eyes didn’t waver from his daughter’s petite form. The air was pleasant and warm, flavored with the aromas of budding flowers and fresh grass, and it was lulling the wolf demon into a peaceful, contented state. He needed nothing, he wanted nothing. He was content to stand there, strong and proud and the leader of his tribe, as he knew it was his destiny to be. The new father followed the path of the half deer, half wolf demon as she chased her ball. He knew that, if the need arose, he could be by her side in less time than it took his heart to beat, so for the time being, he let his eyes drift away and rest on his mate’s beautiful face.

Koga chuckled again. [brown]“Not much like her mom, is she?”[/brown] he commented.

[Naraku]

In the distance a lone shadow crept throughthe forest. He gave off no smell of a demon nor human. Yet he creap through the forest looking for either his next meal or a new place to hide.
the being move slowly with his long silver hair, and redish eyes. Making sure he made no sounds nor quick movements, he leaps into a tree to get a better layout of the forest.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Merodi smiled at Koga, pausing to look toward Tempa. Each time she looked away the little girl seemed to move farther and farther. She was taking a break from her ball, nibbling on some grass. The girl got herself up, stumbling for a moment before tackling the ball. The deer sighed, smiling back toward Koga.

"If she was, this might have been a little easier."

Tempa turned and looked at her parents. She bounced the ball and it went flying, hitting a tree as it bounced into the forest. She pointed at it, putting her fingers in her mouth before she ran off. Her own way of explaining she would go and retrieve her ball. She followed after it, forcing her way through the shrubs and greenery as she went into the deeper forest.

Tempa ran up to the ball, going up to grab it but she kicked it away while doing so. She paused, trying to grab it again but she stumbled and hit it away again. The ball bounced and rolled under a bush and as she stood up she looked around. The ball was gone. Her ball.

Tempa stood there, putting her fingers in her mouth again as she looked from one tree to another. She seemed to hiccup, removing her hand from her mouth as she started to cry.

[Naraku]

The being moves following the sounds of a bouncing ball as he leaps into a tree seeing a small girl playing with a ball. He leaps into the bush as she seems to be approaching it. He had never seen any of the demons here, as was more looking for away to feast onto some blood. As he wanted on her he slowly watched her trying to catch the ball, that when she fell rolls hitting him His thoughts slightly swaying as he watched her, but he was about to pounce towards her, yet once she started crying his movements froze. He looks at her and his eyes wided but looks down at the ball . He reaches down grabbing the ball and rolls it out towards her.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Tempa cried and sniffled, wiping at her eyes plopped down onto the ground. She blinked, feeling the ball bump against her leg. She removed her hands from her face, staring down at the ball. Slowly she picked it up, inspecting it with her bright blue eyes before she looked toward the bush that was sure to be where it came from. She smiled, holding the ball to her chest as she turned away.

"Tank you bushey." she mumbled out, at the moment she had her thumb in her mouth as she wandered away bouncing the ball again and seemingly trying to be more gentle with it. Still, she found herself moving farther and farther into the forest.

[Naraku]

He watches her leave making a slight smirk when she thank the bush for the return of the ball. Though she seem to be alone moving deeper into the forest. He slowly climbed up to his feet and moves through the shadow leaving her be, feeling that she was no longer the souce of his next meal. He would leave and look for a new victim.

Moving through the trees, a large snake demon was prowling. Slithering through between the trees of the forest, cathing scent of the little Tempa as his tongue slithered out. He slowly begins stalking towards her. In moments the snale moves out blocking her path as he showed itself to her. Its tail knocking the ball from her as it hissed towards her reading itself to strike her, along with its tail already begin grabbing her, ready to constict the girl.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Tempa stared up at the snake, seeming in awe of this creature she hadn't seen before and it's size. Suddenly the ball was hit out of her hands and she instantly began to cry. Normally what happened is when something happened and she cried, someone fixed it. Her mother would fix it or her dad, or any of the members of the wolf pack.

The child felt the snake's tail wrap around her and she paused in her crying. Confused and curious and uknown of the true danger she was in.

[Naraku]

The snake begins to tighten its grip as its head strike down towards the girl. But the being froze and quickly releases her. The snakes head suddenly caught ablaze from a blue flame as it threw Tempa up into the air as it tried to put the fire out my shaking around. Tempa move flying up as a shadow from above came and a being only wearing black leather boots and black leather pants, caught the young mix demon. The being now holding Tempa held his hand down drawing out a staff as he ludges it into the snake demon which killed it. The blue flames still burning its head, as He turns and looks towards the girl he just saved. If not for her sudden cry he would of even thought of looking back, yet now he saved her. He smiles looking down at her as he reaches behind him pulling the ball out from behind him handing it down to her.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Tempa yelped, suddenly being thrown in the air. She flailed her arms, as if she could catch onto an invisible object to hold onto, to stop her from falling. She was suddenly being caught in someone's arms. She stared up at the person, eyes wide with surprise, fear and awe. She didn't look back at the snake, her interest in it was lost. She blinked, her blue eyes leaving the man's face as the ball was held out to her.

A grin spread across her face quickly and she giggled, reaching out and taking the ball from him. "Bushey, bushey!" she cried out, continuing to giggle as she held the ball to herself with one hand and placed her thumb in her mouth.

[Naraku]

His eyebrow raises as he notices she was calling him a bush. He didn't mind though as he smiles. "Well now, and whats your name?" He smiles looking down into her eyes as he leans down sitting her down and he sits down beside her, laying himself back as he watches her with her ball staring at him. He holds out his hand as if for her to give the ball to him.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Tempa continued to suck on her thumb, holding onto her ball. She glanced at his hand and noticing what he wanted she whined and turned her body away. She wasn't going to give up her ball after losing it so many times!

"Tempa! And thish ish my ball!" she said, before taking her thumb from her mouth to have a better more protective grip around the pink ball in her hands.

[Naraku]

"Oh really now? You don't want to play together with it then?" He smiles looking at her as his hand still held out towards her, besides havn't I gave it to you twice already, why would I keep it?"

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Tempa paused as he spoke. She placed her thumb in her mouth again to think. She placed the ball in her lap and with her other hand and showed him two fingers proudly. "Thish many!" She grinned, and did not realize that talking with her thumb in her mouth made it hard to understand her.

Tempa removed her thumb from her mouth as she picked up the ball and shoved it toward him. She might have seemed to put a lot of force into it but it bounced lightly and rolled toward him.

[Naraku]

He smiles as she spoke to him. He watches her as she rolls the ball towards him. He then catches the ball and gently rolls it back towards her. "So little one, where is your parents?" He stop slightly thinking that might be a word she not use too. "Your mommy and daddy...?"