Tatara was not pleased when he woke up early the next morning to see Akiko was still awake. And that the young woman quickly rushed him out the door before he could act like Tobi and be a mother hen when Rin came knocking. He did the job to help distract the child, yet remained close by if something happened. But in the back of his mind, the wolf knew he would be having more words with Akiko later.

The young woman was sighing in relief that she had managed to keep the demon occupied for the time being. The room was crowded once again with Haruna awake and the maid having returned to help. Finally, Akiko managed to figure out her name was Miho. And together they propped up the unconscious lord to change the bandages. She was so thankful to see the bleeding had stopped and it finally seemed that the regeneration had finally begun to slowly kick in. "Judging by his progress it will be another couple of days or so before he's probably conscious," Haruna said.

Noise from the battle came and went as the days carried on. A few soldiers were dragged through the doors forcing Haruna to be called away a few times to tend to them. While gone, Akiko did everything she could to make sure the lord was comfortable in his unconscious state. Taking a damp cloth the young woman would wipe down the exposed skin to keep it clean so the wounds wouldn't become further infected. His hair was in the way the most with its long strands, as it would sometimes get caught in the bandages or stick to the skin when his fever was in full effect. Akiko was becoming so annoyed with it she had half a mind to cut it off... but didn't want to feel the demon's wrath for making such a hasty decision. Instead the reincarnation combed out the tangles before braiding it to the side. Rin would have been proud of her work, and would probably try to decorate the folds with flowers given the chance, but the young woman had to admit that the hair do made him look a bit more feminine.

Miho was rushing around at the healer's heels, barely stopping to rest and Akiko only saw her a handful of times. But as she was gathering up the cloths that needed washing she paused upon seeing the Lord of the West's hair styed in such a way her lips twitched in a smirk. "He may give you a death glare when he finds out what hairstyle you gave him," the demon teased.

"Well it wouldn't be the first time I've received that look," Akiko snickered.

The maid laughed along with her for a moment before saying, "Forgive me if this is too bold to say, but the two of you have a very odd relationship. Not that that's a bad thing... but it's odd."

Leaving on that note Akiko wasn't offended by the comment, looking to the bed before shrugging her shoulders and moving towards the medical table. It was a bit in disarray from Haruna's latest treatment towards the lord before having to rush out the door to help other wounded members of the army. Miho was correct. Their relationship was an odd one. The two of them didn't exactly start off on the right foot and it took months for the two of them to trust and figure out a way to work together properly or even effectively. The situation they were in too contributed to that with Naraku on the rise and the need to secure the North. But the way the way the demon had been acting towards her in the last month... it was still a mystery to her as to why. Though he may have expressed his interest towards her in various ways it honestly didn't make sense as to why she would be the one he wanted by his side. If the North was reclaimed the two of them would have to be apart ruling their own lands. And their interactions definitely went farther than an alliance reason. She wasn't nearly as close to the other lords that were trying to marry her off to their sons or nephews for political reasons. Then again, Sesshomaru was an individual that was very hard to read. Still, it made no sense as to why he wished to gain the North for himself when he never had any interest in it in the first place. Head shaking, the young woman knew she was thinking too hard on the matter and decided it was best to leave it at that, in regards to what Miho had said. Their relationship was an odd one, whatever it was to begin with, but in a sense the reincarnation wouldn't have it any other way. Looking over her work of making sense of the mess that had once been on the table, she nodded in approval before turning back around to check on the demon once more.

Akiko's heart leapt into her throat, nearly tripping over the medical table as she somehow managed to catch herself. Glancing over to make sure that nothing had fallen off the young woman's head snapped back towards the bed. His eyes were open, but only slightly, as he seemed to stare up at the ceiling. Moving forward in a way to not startle him if the demon was still out of it the young woman observed him. His chest was still moving, so that was a positive sign, yet he wasn't looking away from the ceiling.

"Sesshomaru," she whispered. But his name didn't get a reaction from the demon, gaze seeming to be far away and unfocused. Moving closer and bending over so her face was in his view, the young woman reached up to cup a cheek. "Sesshomaru, can you hear me?" Again, no reaction as her thumb lightly brushed against his skin. But he was somewhat conscious and that was a step in the right direction. "You are safe," she spoke calmly. "You're no longer on the field. The pack brought you inside the estate." Another explosion came from outside in the distance, causing her to glance away to look towards the closed windows. "Please don't push yourself too hard and take your time to rest. The front line is being handled. Just please put yourself first and don't rush back if you're not ready."

Slowly, his eyes began to close and Akiko watched before it seemed that the demon was completely at rest again. She started to pull away to leave him alone when something wrapped around her still slightly bent form and jerk her downwards. Akiko landed with an oof, a bit perplexed as to what happened for a moment before looking up and noticing the fact that she was now lying against the unconscious lord. A cheek was pressed to the bandages and the sudden fall had not stirred him in the slightest. Somehow, Sesshomaru had managed to unconsciously reach around and hold her in place. For a moment the young woman was completely still trying to process everything before attempting to shift out from under the arm not wishing to disturbed him. Akiko became slightly worried upon discovering that she was stuck in place. No matter which way the reincarnation moved the demon's grip was firm over the upturned shoulder, elbow pressing into her spine. There was no possible way she was going to get out of this. At least not without help. Eventually her racing heart began to calm down, but there was another issue with this situation coming to mind that made her worried. And it wasn't the fact that someone could pop in and find them in this slightly intimate position.

Nearly an hour passed before the door to the room opened again, drawing the young woman's eyes and watching as Tatara entered, having been resting up. Glancing around in search for her, he froze upon realizing where she had ended up. "Help," she whispered.

"Well, I can honestly say I was not expecting to find you in this position," he noted with a smirk.

"Not helping, Tatara," she grumbled. "Can you please get Haruna and tell her to come back when she's available?"

"You know, many women would love to be in your position right now."

"Yes, well, I need to pee and in another hour my bladder is going to be screaming if I can't get him to let go!"

Chuckling under his breath, the wolf said, "I'll try and find her." She could hear his laughter as he moved away from the room down the hall, Akiko groaning in mild embarrassment. A part of the young woman was wishing that the demon lord wouldn't wake again any time soon until she was out of this situation. Even if it meant he could let go, Akiko didn't want to startle him or make him wonder how they had ended up like this. Not knowing his reaction was worst of all, and didn't want to trip over herself trying to explain. Usually the reincarnation was sure with her words around him and knew how to handle herself, but in this situation she knew she'd be a mess.

Tatara returned a half hour later with Haruna in tow, the healer taking a moment to observe what she was witnessing before trying to stop herself from laughing along with the wolf. "Well now, this is a mess you've gotten yourself into," the healer whispered. "What happened?" After Akiko explained that the lord's eyes had been open for a moment and she went to check on his condition, only after doing so he had managed to grab ahold of her in his sleep and pulled her into this position. And how she was struggling to remove herself. "There may be no way out of this until he wakes if his grip is as strong as it is. And with how much time has passed, and what you have just told me, I suspect he will be gaining conscious in the next day or sooner."

"Look, I really need to go to the bathroom, please help me," Akiko almost begged. "And I really don't think this is how Lord Sesshomaru wants to wake up after being comatose after an injury like this."

"You never know," Haruna teased. "I've become very aware of his latest interest in you. He may actually enjoy this sight."

"Haruna," she warned with a slight glare and flushed cheeks.

The two watching her embarrassment shared a quiet laugh amongst themselves before finally agreeing to help figure out a way to release Akiko. They didn't want to surprise the lord in a way that could possibly cause them harm, or hurt him further trying to pry off the grip. "Maybe if we managed to switch out something with Akiko it would be easier," Tatara wondered.

"A replacement? It could work," Haruna agreed. It was a matter of finding what that item would be. There was armor, roll out mats, pillows, various clothing, and sheets. Even his mokomoko was considered, but it had not been present upon arriving back to the estate, causing the healer to guess that it had receded into this human form given the injury. They preferably wanted something that wouldn't cause the demon discomfort and opted for a mat that was rolled up with ties so to match the width of the young woman's shoulders and long enough to almost pass for a body. The item was gently laid on the demon's chest, Tatara standing on the opposite side of the mattress with his nose ready to push the object into place. Meanwhile, Haruna was standing near the arm with Akiko ready to help with her free limb if need be. "We are going to move slowly so no to startle him in any way." The two nodded in agreement. Reaching forward the healer began to slightly pry off the fingers one-by-one to try and loosen the grip. It wasn't so easy with his muscles flexing every now and then to settle forcing them to pause before continuing again. Once far enough away, Akiko would hold them up with her own fingers feeling the digits curling around them as Haruna worked on the others. Finally when his pointer finger was up they all breathed in relief that the first step was over with. "I am not going to touchthe thumb," the demon spoke lowly. "Next, I will slowly lift the arm and we will follow with the hand together. Slowly shift downwards when I say." Nodding carefully, Haruna gripped gently near the elbow and began. Feeling the movement, Akiko's fingers began lifting with the rest of the hand as instructed. Glancing up her eyes made contact with Haruna, who mouthed, 'Now'. With space finally being there the young woman lifted just enough off his chest so it seemed like she was hovering while moving downward. It was slightly difficult as she went and a few times Sesshomaru shifted causing them all to freeze before he settled once more.

Eventually, Haruna had to support the rest of the lord's fingers because the young woman's arm was becoming bent in an odd angle. The healer then nodded in Tatara's direction allowing the wolf to slowly push the mat under the hand where Akiko's upper body had been. Once the object was resting against the upper arm the healer began to lower the hand back into place. By this point, Akiko's nose was just moving under the elbow, now pressing the back of the head into the mattress pad so not to accidentally brush the demon's skin in the process. The second Sesshomaru's fingers made contact with the mat it latched back on, Haruna managing to snatch away her hand so not to be caught in place. Finally, the reincarnation made it to the ground, sighing in relief as Tatara moved the lower half into position and the elbow rested against it.

"That surprisingly went smoother than I expected," Haruna commented. But Akiko didn't give her an answer to that, quickly standing and making her way towards the bathroom to relieve herself. The two left in the room shared an amused look before the demon turned her attention back to the lord. If he had managed to open his eyes that was a good sign and began to check his vitals.

Returning a few minutes later Tatara was having a hard time hiding how amused he was, the young woman pushing away his face in a playful manner to get him to stop. But their lighthearted nature quickly vanished upon hearing something outside the closed panels on the far wall. It was a bit unfamiliar and seemed to still be at a distance as the two shared a look. Even Haruna had paused in her actions and was carefully watching that area of the wall apprehensively.

Creeping towards the closed doors leading to the balcony, Akiko's brows pinched as she tried to strain her hearing to understand what was going on outside. So badly she wished to glance out to see what as going on, but judging by the fact that none of the maids were screaming downstairs in a panic about an approaching enemy they seemed to be safe for now. There was movement at her side, realizing that Tatara had joined her. "Do you smell anything?"

"Only the incents in this room," he muttered. The corner of her lips twitched in a smirk. "Stay behind the door and open it a crack so I can look out." Nodding, the reincarnation reached out and tugged it slightly open. The sliver of sunlight cut across the dimly lit room and thankfully didn't disturb the lord's slumber as she watched him from their place. Fingers flexing her aura was inching towards the surface enough that would allow her weapon to materialize if something came rushing inside.

Glancing down at the animal, Tatara stood near the crack in the doorway, eyes squinting from the light outside and trying to see what was going on. They were silent for a few moments before Akiko finally dared to ask, "What is it?"

"The stench of Naraku's horde has receded. And our forces are returning." That was the best news she had heard in a while, nearly rounding the corner to see for herself. Even though the front line was so far away and it was impossible to catch sight of it from this distance she longed to find it. But the young woman quickly stopped from exposing herself. "Lord Seiichi and Tobi are at the front leading them towards the gates."

With a loud sigh of relief the weapon was forgotten, as the news seemed to please Haruna as well. "I should get changed to greet Lord Seiichi."

"Knowing the lord he is coming to check on the state of things. But I would not worry about your appearance. He would understand your need to blend in given the situation." He had a point, as she looked to the healer.

"Go," she instructed. "I will be gone probably by the time you return. With all of the troops returning I will need to see to them as well. Make sure no one was poisoned or suffering horrible injuries."

Walking through the halls, Akiko could hear the low murmurs from the entrance hall growing louder the closer she went. Tatara was keeping pace a few inches ahead of her as a scout should something had slipped in and attempted to attack if their guard was dropped. The familiar voices of the pack and the boar demon was a welcome, coming around the bend when the wolf allowed it with the front door closed. Lord Seiichi's head immediately picked up in her direction at her arrive, the two sharing a smile as Akiko crossed the distance. "You are looking well since the last I saw you," he greeted. And the two bowed out of respect.

"You as well, despite being on the front lines," the young woman said.

He looked a little battered, but still in good spirits. There was blood that wasn't his caked onto the armor, and some splashed across his face along with dirt smudges, while the dark hair a mess from his constant movement on the field. "I've never seen you dressed so informal before. It's rather interesting."

"Circumstances called for the fact that I needed to blend in. I can't be bothered with proper kimonos at the moment. I've had my hands full."

"That is understandable and an understatement at the same time. You've been holding down the estate fairly well in the meantime and that is a victory in itself." There was a beat of silence between before he continued, "I won't ask that we take this conversation somewhere private within the household. I don't wish to track mud or blood through the lord's home."

"We can clear the room," Aisu stated. The wolves broke off towards different sections of the household to move maids away that had come looking to see who had arrived, and cleared hallways while standing guard in archways so none overheard anything they weren't supposed to. Only when Tobi gave a nod at her side did they continue. "How is Lord Sesshomaru's condition?"

"Stable. He's still unconscious for the most part."

His brow cocked at that. "For the most part?"

"His eyes opened for a moment, but was unresponsive. I tried talking to him, though I'm not sure if I reached him or not. His eyes eventually closed again and that's that most progress we've had so far."

The boar demon nodded. "What else?"

"The reincarnation ripped open his chest, but it's starting to heal up nicely. Haruna expects he will make a full recovery. It's just a matter of how long that will take."

Lord Seiichi chuckled at that. "Knowing the Lord of the West he will be up faster than any of us would. Even if he were still in pain his pride wouldn't allow him to admit it."

"How right you are..." she muttered. Tobi grinned at her side. "How are your lands fairing? Lady Eri?"

"She is putting up a good fight in my absence. We received word that the moment we came to the Western Line a counter attack was launched towards our estate."

Akiko paled at that. "Is everything all right?"

Lord Seiichi grinned. "My mate forced the demons from our lands in half the time it took us to do the same here." That comment caused relief to fill her and a smile to reach her lips. "She is a force to be reckon with. But I cannot remain her any longer. I will leave a few of my troops in your hands to command should Naraku be so bold as to attack again so soon. We destroyed a number of his forces and it will probably be a few days before he dares to try again. That or he will try and seek out a victory at Lord Kira's estate. He won't be so foolish to go so far south yet to Lady Sanjou."