Picking Up the Pieces (One on One between youralternatefantasy and Arc Angel)
 

Naraku called Mera into his room and smiled when she entered the room. She sat down in front of him and bowed to him, "Hello father." She said before looking up at him.

"Hello dear. I have a job for you to do. I want you to find Sesshomaru, seduce him and then kill him. He is causing me more trouble than he is worth." Naraku told her in a calm, commanding voice.

"Of course father. It will be no problem. What should I do with the young girl and the green thing that follow him?" She asked him, wanting to make sure that everything would be taken care of, either by her or by her father or sisters. She considered Kanna her younger sister and Kagura her older sister.

"Kill the green one and as for the girl; you may use these to easre her memories and control her like I do Kohaku if you wish; if not then you may kill her as well." He told her. She gave him a nod before standing up to leave.

"I shall return by the morning, Father. I need to get everything ready and develop a plan to make sure he lets me tag along until he loves me and I kill him." She told him before leaving the room. She then walked down the mountain, out of the miasma barrier. In the forest at the bottom of the mountain was a good friend of hers and she wanted to talk to her.

She knocked on the door of the small hut that her friend lived in. She wanted to let her know that she would be gone for a while and they wouldn't be able to hunt or spar for a while. She also needed to get her weapons and her ferrets were here as well. She left them with her friend whenever her father needed her.

Aysel sat quietly in front of her small fire, lifting a smooth, curved blade to look it over, one of her finger rising to gently run along its dulled edge. Frowning a little at its lack of sharpness, she pursed her lips and gently blew air along the flat edge, it all coming out in such a rush that it began sharpening the sword. She continued to let out a solid stream of breath for several minutes before again examining the blade, this time the edge succeeding in splitting the skin of her finger as she tested it carefully. Happy, she smiled at her reflection in the metal before setting it aside. Such was one of the powers her breath gave her, as a siren of sorts.

She had just grabbed another blade to do the same with when the knock sounded, and a curious gleam lit her eyes. One of two things was happening. Mera was here, or she had some sort of lost visitor.

"Come on in, Mera!" Aysel welcomed her friend, guessing who it was from experience. Not many stopped by her home, and when they did, she could usually tell what kind of person they were just from the sound of them.

Aysel looked to her left to watch her friend's two ferrets stir from their napping positions, seemingly ready to greet her as well. She giggled, then smiled up at the door in anticipation for Mera. She had been off to Naraku's again - the dreadful creature - but Mera was so close to him that Aysel sometimes couldn't help but overlook her association with him. She hadn't been put into much harm by him yet.

Mera heard Aysel's voice and smiled. She opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind her. She sat down across from her long-time friend. Her ferrets, Luna and Reggie, came over and sat on her lap. She petted them both gently. ]

"I'm going to be leaving for a while, Aysel. Father is sending me on a mission and I'm not sure how long it will take to complete." She told her friend. She knew that Aysel might ask what the mission was and she normally always told her childhood friend exactly what the mission was. It helped to clear her head before she started to do any mission for her father. Instead of waiting for Aysel to ask what the mission was, she decided to go ahead and tell her.

"I'm going to seduce someone who has become a problem to father and kill them. I'm not sure how long it will take to achieve this, but hopefully I will be back with in a month or two." She told Aysel, hoping she wouldn't ask who she was supposed to seduce.

Aysel smiled as her friend walked in, watching her ferrets go running over to meet her eagerly. Carefully setting the blades she had been sharpening off to the side one by one, her hands paused along the hilt of one as Mera told her very openly about her mission. A mission from Naraku again? Sighing softly, Aysel's smile would fade as she let her gaze go to her friend. He seemed to send her out an these errands all the time, it was only a matter of time until something happened to her. Not that she couldn't handle herself, but what sort of father did that?

She refrained from pouting, instead trying to keep a straight face. Aysel was about to ask what the mission was, as she usually did, but was surprised to hear it explained before she could manage the question. So that's what it is. Biting her lip, Aysel's gaze left her friend as she shook her head. She was at a loss for words. Naraku was turning her friend into an assassin-- and a double-sided one at that. How horrible would it be to be betrayed by a lover? Aysel couldn't even imagine it. This was all seeming like a dangerous mess to her.

"I don't... I don't even know what to say, Mera." She answered, conflicted, then thoughtfully scratched her cheek. "Who is it that he's sending you after? Why doesn't he go himself, or send Kagura?"

Mera listened to what Aysel asked her. He couldn't send anyone else to do this job because Lord Sesshomaru already knew the rest of the family. She still needed to get her daggers and crossbow from Aysel as well.

"The demon is Lord Sesshomaru and he would love to go himself, but sadly the dog lord knows the rest of the family and would attack them on sight. He has never seen me, so he wont attack me on sight." She explained to Aysel. She stood up and stretched for a minute before smirking.

"It wont be a problem. I don't love anyone other than you and father, Aysel." She told her best friend. "Also I need my daggers and crossbow before I go." She said. She was more than ready to complete this mission.

Once the name of the demon left her friend's mouth, Aysel's fell open in surprise. Lord Sesshomaru, that powerful dog demon, was the target? Aysel's shook her head and stood up, angry with Naraku and frustrated with her friend. Why would she accept this mission?

"Naraku is not your father figure, he's a dirty scoundrel and a lowly coward!" She yelled, not directing her anger towards Mera, but obviously angry with the situation. Looking at her with a pleading gaze, she gently took one of her friend's hands. "Mera, please, don't so this. Lord Sesshomaru is a decent enough man, and very powerful. You're strong, but... This is a suicide mission!" Aysel's begged, losing her cool. It was unlike her to yell and act so rash, but this was the final straw with Naraku. She hadn't liked him before, but this was his new low.

"I can't have you go dying on me, Mera. Naraku is twisting you..." She spoke up again quietly, a bit of a pout now coming to her face as she shivered where she stood. "Naraku will kill you one day..."

Mera knew that Sesshomaru was powerful and that would make it all together more challenging to kill him. It was said that he only loved the human child that traveled with him and no one else. She wasn't surprised that it upset Aysel that she had accepted this mission without a second thought.

"I know Naraku isn't my true father, Aysel, but he has raised me for as long as I can remember. It has always been you and him by my side." She told her friend. "Plus after this mission he told me that I will no longer have to do missions for him. This is my last mission before I will be living on my own." She told her friend.

Naraku had told her that once this mission was over that she could leave his side and live on her own. She couldn't wait for the chance to be able to run around and do what she wanted, when she wanted. "I'm going to take on this mission and I don't know how long I will be gone, but you will not loss me, Aysel. If I feel I can no longer complete the mission then I will run away and I will find a way to let you know." She explained.

"I will need my weapons, Aysel." She said. She knew that this hurt her friend, but this mission was her way to freedom and she was going to take it. After this mission she was planning on finding out who her true father was and who her family was before Naraku. "After this mission I can look for my true family, even if they are dead I can find out more about them." She told Aysel, hoping that she would understand why she had to do this mission.

Aysel remained quiet for a couple of minutes after her friend spoke, thinking, before letting out a sigh. Freedom from Naraku would be a blessing for her friend. Though, knowing what she did of him, Aysel had every doubt of his intentions in actually letting Mera go. Mera wouldn't believe that. Scratching her neck thoughtfully, Aysel made a decision. Bending down to gather her friend's weapons, she would gently hand them to her.

"I can't agree with you killing him, but I can't make you listen to reason... Just, you know, be careful..." She spoke in a regular tone now, even grinning at her friend as she passed over the daggers and crossbow. "I sharpened then up a little." She then added, about the daggers, which now shone.

If Mera was set on trying to earn her freedom, and learn more about her real family, then Aysel was all for that. However, the killing of Lord Sesshomaru in the process still didn't sit well with her, and she had the awful feeling Naraku wouldn't come through on his end of the bargain. It was disgusting how he was dangling freedom like that in front of Mera. Aysel had to do something about him, and quickly. She would need to see his resolve to let Mera go for herself, and to do that, she would have to get close-- it would be dangerous, and her friend couldn't find out about this.

Mera smiled as she took her weapons from Aysel. She was hoping that this mission wouldn't take long, so she could be free soon. "I shall see you soon, I hope." She told her before leaving the hut. Her ferrets were in her small bag. She walked back Naraku's house. She walked into the room where he was and smiled at him before bowing.

"I'm ready father." She told her father and he smirked.

"Good, he is near by. I shall send demons to run after you so that you can appear that you are on the run from me and start to earn his trust." Naraku told her and she gave him a simple nod.

She then left the house and the mountian, that is when the lower class demons started to run after her. She ran making sure that the demons where still following her. She just now had to run into Lord Sesshomaru.

Nodding and allowing herself to grin, Aysel let her friend leave. "Be safe." She spoke quietly as Mera stepped outside, then sighed and rubbed her neck. She had to go too, now. Looking around her small house for a moment, she nodded and gathered some supplies. Aysel had it in her head that she had to go after Naraku now, no matter the danger. The killing of Sesshomaru would only make Naraku's presence that much stronger in the region, as if it weren't poisoned enough.

"But... Who to go to for help?" Frowning a bit, she thought back to the village that wasn't far from her home. Lady Kaede lived there, and she'd been talking of a group that had been slaying rampant demons in the area. What was that man's name-- the leader of the group and Sesshomaru's supposed brother? "Inuyasha." She decided quietly, remembering the name and deciding to go to the village to find him. He would help-- if not for his brother, then to get rid of that pesky Naraku.

Once she had a small bag and her two curved blades at her side, she left her house and set out on foot to find Old Kaede. It didn't take very long for her to come across the elder lady.

"Kaede-sama!" Once Aysel spotted her, she cried out her name and went running up to her, causing a little bit of a scene in the village.

"Aysel, what brings you here?" The woman asked, noticing how the demon girl was panting and seemed on the brim of tears.

"Kaede-sama, is Inuyasha here? I need his help! Naraku is sending my friend Mera on a suicide mission, and I-I have to..." Aysel began to stammer, and Kaede grimly smiled at her.

"Him and his companions are at my home, I was actually just bringing in some tea to make for them. Come join is, I'm sure they'll assist you." Kaede replied warmly.

Sniffing and holding her years in, Aysel nodded and wiped her eyes before helping her bring in the tea.

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The young Rin wandered around the meadow without a care in the world, dancing after a butterfly with both hands full of wildflowers she had picked for Lord Sesshomaru. Jaken stood nearby, complaining and trying to coax her back to the edge of the forest where their lord rested, but she insisted that they stay there. Not even Jaken could resist her childish charm anymore.

After a while, she tripped over some bramble, and fell giggling into the soft grass of the field. "Jaken, Lord Sesshomaru picked a great place to relax! There's flowers all over!" She exclaimed happily, but the demon never replied.

Instead, Jaken stared gaping at the trees, seeing lesser demons running rather quickly in their direction. "Rin, run!" He finally managed, grabbing his staff and running at full speed towards the other edge of the meadow, where Sesshomaru lounged beneath the trees.

Rin stumbled up, and stared at the trees, petrified as the first lesser demon emerged. The poor dear let loose a high-pitched scream.

Sesshomaru had been on the brim of dozing, finally feeling at peace for the time, when a pungent smell began to make him stir. Lesser demons. Opening his eyes slowly, he scanned the area in front of him, looking for Rin. He only saw her once her scream hit his ears. Alert and quick to move to her aid, Sesshomaru was in front of her, one foot before the other when the hoard came into full view. His arms spread before her protectively, ready to fight off the pests. Eyes narrowing in on the figure running at their front, he pursed his lips a little.

"They're chasing someone." He stated plainly, the smallest bit of curiosity rising in him.