"You are the oracle."

Lyra stared at Bakuseno with a completely blank expression before quickly shaking her head. "No, no, no. You must be mistaken. I'm not an oracle. I arrived here by mistake. In fact, the first chance I get I'm going back home. And I'm never coming back."

Bakuseno continued to peer at her through his small eyes. "Take a look at what the future will be if you leave and then make your decision."

The tree demon's face suddenly faded away to reveal just a normal bark of the tree. No one would ever know he was even there. Lyra refused to listen to his words and tried not to think anything of it. She had no part in this era and she shouldn't even be there. It was a ridiculous idea that she would be an oracle of all things. Sesshomaru looked at her, seeing the denial in her expression.

'If she is the oracle, others will seek her out. Her life will be in danger. It is best this fact remains hidden.'

"Let's go," Sesshomaru suddenly ordered.

He walked passed Lyra and began to lead the way out of the woods as the others turned to follow him. The last thing he wanted was to have to protect another person, a human. He had no desire in using her to find out the fate of his future, nor did he care. The sooner he handed her over to Kagome, the better it was for him. It was one less thing he would have to worry about.

***

Jaken was constantly searching around for Sesshomaru. It seemed he had wondered off on his own again, leaving the rest of them behind while they were eating. Jaken continued to look for his master, including in the bushes and inside a small hole in the ground, looking down inside it and calling out for him. He grew frustrated and started yelling.

"Have you gone and left me once again?!"

Lyra sighed quietly, ignoring him and drowning out the sound of his annoying voice. She sprawled herself onto the grass staring up at the blue sky. Wisps of white clouds rolled by slowly, some of the leaves on the branches from the trees framing the heavens. The thought of being an oracle bothered her. In fact, it scared her. She refused to believe the fact she could see the future. It was impossible. That was the same as being one of those gypsy fortune tellers who everyone knew were phonies. But what she saw was real. When she saw what could happen to Inuyasha if he lost his sword, the images were extremely vivid. But what if he didn't lose his sword?

An image appeared of a normal Inuyasha, no bloodlust in his eyes and just the simple desire to protect his friends. Lyra suddenly flinched. The image disappeared and she was once more met by the beautiful sky. It had just happened again; two different versions of Inuyasha's future and it was all dependent on his sword.

Rin brought her out of her thoughts as she spoke. "Oh, Lord Sesshomaru. You're finally back!"

"Rin, I hope you have faired well."

She nodded with a smile. "Mhm. A and Un, Lyra and I have been on our very best behaviour. Jaken has become most melancholy though," she reported as she pointed to the imp.

Lyra tilted her head back to see an upside down image of Sesshomaru standing in front of Rin as she continued to lay on the ground. Jaken spotted his master and his mood instantly lifted. He gasped in delight and ran over to him.

"Lord Sesshomaru! What gives, my lord?" he asked as he looked up at him. "Why did you go alone after Inuyasha?"

Lyra didn't know that that was the reason Sesshomaru had gone. Sitting up at that point, she turned and looked in their direction. She didn't know why he didn't want to announce to them, apart from Jaken, where he was going, neither did she care, but she could put two and two together to figure out the reason why he went.

Sesshomaru didn't answer Jaken's question. He simply just stared down at him and that was enough for the imp to cower back slightly with a small bow.

"Master, that was most uncalled for. I hope you can forgive me."

Sesshomaru suddenly turned his attention to Lyra. She didn't realise she had still been staring at him until his eyes made contact with hers. Still, she didn't hide or lower his gaze. Her azure blue ones stayed locked into his molten gold pools. Rin and Jaken glanced between the two of them in confusion.

Sesshomaru wondered if Lyra knew what happened, and if she did, was she judging him for it? Closing her eyes slowly, she sighed and simply lay back down. She knew he would speak to her again at night. He only really spoke properly to her when they were alone or if no one was listening. She would have to wait until then.

***

Night had fallen and they had made camp right where they were. A small fire stayed burning as Rin, Jaken and A-Un slept peacefully. Sesshomaru sat away from the group as usual, his back leaning against a tree as his left knee was lifted up slightly. He stared absentmindedly at the sky through the clearing in the trees. His mind became diverted as Lyra sat next to him but he didn't look at her.

"You should rest," he suggested.

"I can't sleep," she lied. "I'm thinking too much and my mind can't seem to settle."

A few seconds of silence passed before Sesshomaru spoke again. "You wish to know what happened between myself and Inuyasha."

Lyra dramatically shrugged and breathed out a heavy sigh. "Well, now that you've mentioned it, you might as well tell me."

She leaned her elbow on her thigh and rested her cheek in her hand, looking at him as though she was awaiting a bedtime story. He looked at her, thinking what an odd woman she was before turning away again.

"His demon blood was taking control again. I simply stopped it," he explained in the shortest way possible.

"You didn't try to kill him." It wasn't a question.

Sesshomaru once again glanced at her. "No. Eventually, I will. But only when he knows it's happening. In that state, he is not himself."

"I don't think you'll do it anyway," she said confidently as she kept the eye contact.

"Because you believe I have a good heart?"

Sesshomaru recalled the words she had spoken when she was bathing in the hot spring. Lyra's eyes widened as she sat up straight, staring at him in shock. She could have sworn she saw the faintest smirk appear on his lips upon seeing her reaction. Getting up on her knees, she frowned at him deeply.

"Were you spying on me?!" she interrogated angrily with her hands on her hips. "I never would have expected that from you. I never thought that you would be such a pervert."

"Calm yourself," he spoke in a low tone. "I did not see you. I simply stayed close by and listened to make sure you were safe."

Lyra gasped quietly at his revelation. Out of his own will, he had followed behind her that night to be almost like her bodyguard. She deeply appreciated his concern over her even though she didn't ask for it. He could have stayed at the camp and left her open to be attacked, but he didn't. That itself hardened her belief of his good heart.

"Besides," he continued following the short silence, "I do not find your appearance appealing in that way."

Lyra's mouth dropped open in shock. She couldn't believe that he just announced his opinion of her appearance so openly and without any hesitation. She frowned with a small pout before huffing and standing up. Without saying another word, she stormed away before plonking herself down by a tree opposite to where he was stationed, which wasn't actually that far away. She lifted her knees and wrapped her arms around them before muttering angrily to herself. Sesshomaru watched her little tantrum, never taking his eyes off her.

"How rude! No manners whatsoever," she grumbled before staring directly at him. "Yes, I know you can hear me and I don't care."

She huffed and sighed deeply. She didn't know why his opinion mattered so much. But she guessed that no one really likes people to tell them that they're unattractive. It wasn't really a nice thing to hear. Sesshomaru continued to watch her. He found it quite entertaining to see someone react the way that she did. However, he didn't mean for his words to upset her. Standing up, he walked across and sat beside her. Lyra huffed again and turned away from him slightly.

"I did not wish to upset you," he started. "I only meant to say that appearance means very little to me."

Her expression softened at his explanation as she rested her chin on her knees. Contemplating his words, she realised that she did overreact. She closed her eyes and soon felt how tired she actually was. She was fighting the sleep all that time but now it had grasped her.

Sesshomaru had said what he needed to say and didn't expect her to give him a response. Still, after a few minutes of silence passed by, he added something else.

"You are indeed very beautiful."

It was only then he noticed her faint and shallow breathing. Peering closer at her, he saw that she had fallen asleep. It as about time she did. The bags under her eyes were becoming more visible with each passing day. He knew she struggled to sleep at night from the apprehension of being away from home. On top of that, they usually travelled a lot during the day and she refused to ride on A-Un.

The way she slept looked very uncomfortable. He found it strange that she was even able to fall asleep whilst sitting up. Carefully taking hold of her arm, he guided her to the ground so that she could lay down and sleep instead. However, what he had planned did not happen. Lyra shuffled in her sleep and ended up laying her head on his thigh, using it as a pillow. Snuggling against the soft material of his clothing, she smiled contentedly and slept peacefully.

Sesshomaru was taken aback by her subconscious actions but refrained from moving her anymore out of fear of disturbing her. He kept his leg still before resting back against the tree. She slept on her side with her back facing him. Placing his hand on her bare arm again, he was shocked to feel how cold she was. Her arms were always exposed, plus she was asleep quite a distant away from the fire. He took the tail end of his mokomoko and draped it over her arm.

A few hours into the night, Lyra began to stir in her sleep. Images flashed before her eyes of what could be a possible future. She watched herself returning home but back in this time, war raged across the lands. Stronger evil demons prevailed and destroyed everything in their path. She could see Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku and this other woman she had never met before were all lifeless on the ground, blood and fire surrounding them. What pained her the most was seeing Rin and Jaken under the same fate and...Sesshomaru. The image of Sesshomaru's dead body lasted the longest in her eyes before an ominous laughter echoed in her ears. She suddenly saw a pair of red eyes and gasped awake.

Her eyes snapped open as she breathed heavily, heart beating at an unnatural pace before her eyes found Sesshomaru's. He was alive. He was staring down at her as he had been watching her struggle and whimper in her sleep. It was clear that she was having a nightmare and he had called her name a couple of times but to no avail.

Lyra closed her eyes and calmed her breathing before sitting up. She looked back to see that she had been using his leg as a pillow and her cheeks instantly grew pink out of embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered.

"You had a nightmare?" he asked, ignoring her apology.

Lyra noticed it was still dark and sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Yeah... I dreamt of what would happen if I left."

"And? What did you see?"

She gazed at him before lowering her eyes to the ground. "Death. Everyone here was dead. I-Including you... I believe this is what Bakuseno meant when he told me to see the future."

Sesshomaru didn't react in any way, simply gazing at her. "That will not happen," he said to reassure her.

"No, it won't," she agreed before looking up at him. "Because I'm staying here. For good. Or at least until the evil is gone."

He looked at her slightly surprised. All that time she had been wanting to go back home but one nightmare changed her entire decision. Lyra thought she might regret her choice later on but even if she just stayed until whatever evil force was trying to take over was destroyed, then that would be enough. The dream shook her up. She didn't understand why she was there or what she was meant to do with the new found power of hers, but she couldn't risk leaving them. It had been just over a week since she had arrived but a bond had formed between herself and the ones she travelled with.

"You don't need to stay with us," he told her. "I will take you to your cousin. You will be with your family."

She was taken aback by his words but was grateful. A small smile graced her lips as she gave a short nod. Sesshomaru stood making Lyra look up at him.

"Now?"

It was still the middle of the night.

"It will be daybreak when we reach them. Jaken will watch Rin until I return," he told her.

Lyra followed suit and stood as well before looking at the sleeping Rin. She walked over to her, kneeling down before placing a kiss on the little girl's forehead. She knew Rin would probably be upset when she discovered that Lyra was gone but she thought it would be for the best. Plus Kagome would perhaps be able to answer more of the questions Lyra had.

Sesshomaru called A-Un who woke up straight away and went over to him. "You will ride on A-Un."

A-Un crouched in front of Lyra. She was a bit hesitant since she had never rode on him before. Mounting on as if he was a horse, she held the reigns. With a quick warning to hold on tight, A-Un suddenly took flight high up into the air. Lyra's breath became caught in her throat, which stopped her from letting out a scream but she quickly became used to the height. Yet she still clutched onto the reigns for dear life. Sesshomaru flew beside her calmly, looking straight ahead.

She watched him for a short while. His expression was unreadable. She thought that he was probably happy to not have to look after another person but Sesshomaru never saw her as a burden. He never told her but he could have taken her to Kagome at any time. Seeing the way Rin was with her stopped him. Lyra and Rin had bonded so well and it gave the little girl a chance to be with another human. Sesshomaru would never openly admit it but he enjoyed their conversations as well.

The entire journey went by in silence. Lyra simply watched the fields and trees beneath her as the sun began to rise. She had never seen a sunrise so beautiful, the rays lighting up the earth to signal the beginning of a new day. Her attention became diverted as A-Un began to descend and they landed on a field.

Sesshomaru had his back to her as be faced the group of people still sleeping on the ground, their fire now completely extinguished. Inuyasha was the first to pick up on the sudden change in the atmosphere and woke up, instantly jumping onto his feet and placing his hand on the sheath of his sword. His eyes widened as he saw Sesshomaru, not noticing Lyra still sitting on A-Un behind him.

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha seethed. "What are you doing here? Planning on stealing my sword while we're asleep, huh? That's low even for you."

Lyra knew that Sesshomaru's brother deemed his as evil but she didn't know the hate ran so deep. Kagome, Miroku and Sango woke up from the ruckus and commotion before they all startled awake after seeing Sesshomaru. Lyra didn't realise how much they all feared him as they all got into defensive stances. Not one of then had seen her yet.

"Don't be so big headed to think I'm here for you, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru replied coldly causing Lyra to flinch slightly. She had never heard him speak that way. "I'm here for you," he said as he looked directly at Kagome.

Kagome frowned, taking a step back behind Inuyasha. He then unsheathed his sword, the thin blade transforming into a large sword as he pointed it at his older brother.

"Stay away from Kagome!" Inuyasha threatened.

Even Miroku and Sango formed a protective barrier around her, angered frowns masking their faces.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything to her," Sesshomaru said. "I have only come to deliver someone to her."

They all became confused but their expressions turned to surprise as Sesshomaru stepped aside to reveal Lyra sitting on top of A-Un.

"Lyra?!" Kagome gasped in shock.

Lyra waved at her awkwardly before dismounting from A-Un. She then ran passed Sesshomaru to Kagome, instantly grabbing her in a tight hug. Kagome hugged her back, her own mind now filled with questions of her own. After a few seconds, Lyra let go and turned to face Sesshomaru.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru," she spoke softly. "For everything."

He stared at her with his stoic expression and unreadable eyes. "Hm." He was about to turn before Lyra stopped him.

"Will I see you again?"

"Perhaps. If our paths cross."

She gave a single nod in response. "Farewell."

He kept his eyes on hers for a couple of seconds longer before breaking away his gaze and walking towards the trees with A-Un following behind. Lyra continued to watch him until he had completely disappeared. With a quiet sigh, she looked at Kagome and the others who were all staring at her.

"Um, hi..."

Kagome frowned worriedly as she held onto Lyra's hand. "What are you doing here? How did you get here? And why were you with Sesshomaru?"

"It's really a long story," Lyra shrugged casually.

Kagome made her sit down on the grass and the others joined them, watching Lyra intently.

"So, Kagome, are you gonna introduce us?" Inuyasha asked.

"Right. Guys, this is my cousin Lyra. Lyra, this is Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango," she said, pointing them each in turn.

Lyra looked at Miroku. "I thought it was you."

All their attention was now on the monk who was laughing nervously.

"Oh yeah... Now I recall why you look so familiar," he said rubbing the back the of his head.

"Miroku, you know her?" Kagome asked in surprise.

Lyra then spoke again. "When I first arrived, I came across Miroku and he said he would be able to take me to you," she said to Kagome before continuing, "But I ran away the morning after because he was felling me to bear him a child in his sleep and it freaked me out."

Sango frowned angrily at the monk. "I'm really not surprised."

Lyra could feel the tension between Miroku and Sango but chose to ignore it. Lyra then went on to tell them how she had gotten there, starting from the surprise visit and how she fell down the well, finding the village and the monk.

"But why were you with Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked her seriously. "He's really dangerous. He's always after Inuyasha and his sword."

"He's really not as bad as you think," Lyra spoke in Sesshomaru's defense, which surprised them all. "After I ran away from Miroku, I found Sesshomaru, Rin and Jaken but I followed them in silence. I didn't want them to find me. But that night, I was almost attacked by a demon and Sesshomaru saved me."

Inuyasha huffed and crossed his arms. "Unlikely. He's heartless. He probably just wanted to kill it for the sake of killing."

Lyra shook her head. "Even if he did, he still allowed me to travel with them so I wasn't alone. He got me food. Even when I wanted to be alone, he stayed close by so that he could protect me. We had a couple of good conversations as well."