One Step at a Time by perphila

Name Change

She did it again.

Every time he had forgotten her existence she did something to remind him she was alive.

At first he had been surprised to see her by his half brother's side. Of course, he would have been surprised to see anyone there so she was dismissed in his mind.

Then there was his father's tomb. He wasn't even going to bother rethinking that old story. She did what he thought impossible. Didn't die, spoke ill of him and then, didn't die, again.

There were other times they had met over the years. Him trying to kill her, hurt her or ironically save her. She tried the same. Each soon forgotten. He had thought these moments held no real interest in him. Maybe there is no one single moment that could be labeled that way. Somehow, without notice she went from human to girl to miko. A slow progression not unlike some human disease. Now this.

“It was amazing Jaken-sama! I was so scared she had died!”

Rin had been talking about the event nonstop for half a day. Ever since he had retrieved her and his retainer from their camp.

“Lies! It's just like a pathetic human to lie about nothing!”

“Rin is not lying! You just don't remember because you were sleeping.”

Jaken spluttered and began waving the staff of two heads wildly.

“How dare you say I was sleeping in front of Sesshomaru-sama! I was protecting you, weakling!”

Rin nodded solemnly.

“Yes, Jaken-sama. You did a good job too, until you got hit on the head.”

Jaken began to cry.

“That's when Lady Kagome came and saved us. I was a little scared at first because she kind of looked like a demon too until I saw those were just twigs in her hair. Flowers would have been nicer I think. Did you know she said they have lots of pretty short sleeping yukata at her home with animals on them? She said she likes dogs and that's why she had that big white one on her tummy.”

Jaken cried harder.

“Don't cry Jaken-sama. Lady Kagome is alright. She hit the demon with her arrow and he turned into all that dirt stuff. There was so much of it because he was so big. That's why it looked like she had died too. She was just buried under all of it. Do you think we should bring Kagome flowers? Ka-go-me. Ka-go-me. Ka-go-me. What a pretty name! Ka-go-me.”

From Miko to Kagome.