3rd Person POV
"How pitiful." Sighed the irritated demon lord.
Looking at the demon sword he pulled out from it's sheath tied to his side, Sesshomaru glared at it with hate and disappointment at eye-level.
"A sword that cannot cut, huh. Useless." Angrily, his hand shook, clenching tightly at its handle as his yellow eyes reflected off the shine of the perfect unused blade.
"If only..." Stopping himself there, he did not want to think about his younger half-brother again, he did not want to think of the meddling human woman who was in the way of his obtaining what he had searched so long for again, he did not want to think of the arm he'd lost to the one sword he'd always longed to wield again... He still did.
Angry at his losses, he'd been finding it hard to believe that a full fledged demon such as himself could have sustained such wounds to his pride. It's almost like his very name had lost the fear that he'd worked so hard for to gain after all these years. Had he grown weak?
Shaking his head, he closed his eyes and slid the Tenseiga back into its sheath. Turning away from the edge of the cliff where he stood, he'd meant to toss his sword away believing it to be worthless, but again he could not find it in himself to just finally let it go.
He always wondered why he's kept that sword, it's only been unsheathed a few times in the past century alone so it should only be seen as some dead weight, right? No. This was something left by his father, the only demon whose power he feared and for that single reason wished to battle against him one on one. Albeit, once having met that woman, it's where his father met his early demise. It completely shattered Sesshomaru's view of his late father, to have fallen for a mere mortal, and to have died in vain. And for what? For Inuyasha? But why exactly? This was a question that had plagued his mind for several decades after finding out how his father had died to protect a human.
Walking into the darkening forest as the sun sank deeper into the sky, Sesshomaru wandered off to nowhere in particular, just wanting some time alone to himself leaving his dragon under the watch of Jaken.
Everything that has been going on, it's almost like he was placed in under kind of curse. Yes, it all seemed to begin when the arrow sealing his half-brother Inuyasha had been removed. No matter what, Sesshomaru always came back to the same conclusion to precisely what his greatest adversity was: Humans. Both Inuyasha's mother and the priestess who had sealed Inuyasha are long gone he learned so he has nobody to target, except the half-breed himself.
Walking faster through the forest once he thought of this, his eyes began to see red as his growing anger barely kept his true demon form at bay.
Rushing through the seemingly endless darkness of the forest at top speed for a few miles, he finally spotted a campfire in the middle of the dark woods.
Knowing that his brother traveled with his human companions, he rushed there with a thirst of blood and need to battle in order to settle things once and for all. He knew it, he caught the scent of a human there, he smelled some meat roasting in the fire signaling a presence there indeed.
Rushing to the light of the small flames, he thought of how foolish these humans were in practically indicating to the surrounding demons where they were camped, especially pointing out how far away from any villages they could be at instead unknowingly being in his way.
Slowing down short a few trees from the campfire, his claws began to glow a dark green color in it's deadly poison. Sesshomaru was ready to take care of the feud between with his brother once and for all.
Stepping out from behind the tree line, Sesshomaru had rushed right in front of the campfire and for an instant, made eye contact with a single young human woman whom he had never seen before.
"Human, who are-?" Sparks of blue had begun to surrounded him as if the area itself was rejecting him. Caught off guard for how strong he was being repelled, he realized what was happening to him.
"A barrier? Is this your doing?" He asked the young woman who continued to stare at him blankly.
"Answer me." He said using a low, deadly tone.
"Indeed. Say, what reason do you have to attempt an attack on me?" Asked the young woman.
Standing up from a fallen log and walking closer to the light of the campfire, Sesshomaru realized that this human has nothing to so with him, she isn't the woman who travels with Inuyasha. She's a stranger.
"Release this barrier at once or else. I have no business with you. Unfortunately for you, I'm not feeling up to your foolish games human." Sesshomaru threatened.
"In your position, you have no right to make demands out of me. It seems like all you have now are empty threats." She tells him, unwavering, which only angered the demon lord further.
"Is that so?" Sesshomaru challenged. He tried to budge, he struggled to even move to face the young woman as she just stood in place with her arms crossed. Sesshomaru was forcing his body to obey his commands but found the barrier overpowering him the more he tried to fight it.
"Listen, the way this barrier works is-" the woman began to explain but was quickly cut short.
"Silence you." Sesshomaru said in a louder tone than before, still struggling to move while the barrier's hold on him only got stronger.
The woman tried to explain but it seemed that he didn't want to even acknowledge her. Taking a few steps closer to the demon, she took notice of how his eyes flickered to a red color and back to a normal yellow shade as he kept fighting against the hold of her barrier.
"Your body is feeling much more heavier now, isn't it?" The woman asked him.
Realizing that she was right, it was like the more he struggled to escape this situation, the more difficult things became.
"Who are you? What are you?" Sesshomaru dared to ask, stopping himself from struggling any more for the time being as to not wear himself out.
"I'm nobody really. All I am right now is a student currently in the middle of a short break from training. I'm human, what else could I be?" The woman questioned, not understanding why a demon would be asking a question he should know by scent already. Did she really make the barrier this powerful?
"In all of these fleeting centuries, no mere human has been able to keep me at bay like this. Who are you?" Sesshomaru asked again.
The woman didn't know what else to say, she already answered him even if it wasn't what he wanted to hear.
'What does he want to know? Why is he giving off such an aura as this?' Thought the young woman as she rested her hands back down at her sides. Taking into consideration how his emotions were taking over him and his judgement, she concluded that the demon being like this is clouding his perception and hat could explain why he couldn't even tell of her barrier surrounding the area at first if this was true.
Slowly walking towards him, the young woman stopped to stand directly in front of the demon to face him. He didn't know what to say either, how can she simply just stand there as if she was mocking him? Was she not afraid of him?
Suddenly, he revealed his fangs with a loud growl and it make her back off some, but it still wasn't enough.
'She didn't run away?' Thought Sesshomaru in surprise.
Wondering if this woman was really brave or really ignorant of the capabilities of demons, she surprised him the most when she placed a hand on his cheek, staring up at him.
He didn't move. This human was unusually powerful enough to hold back, of all demons, Sesshomaru. This is impossible. It's madness. A barrier created by those weak humans held him in place? Was he growing weak as he thought so?
"Why are you... So sad?" She asked Sesshomaru which made his eyes widen in shock to hear such a ridiculous assumption.
"Foolish mortal! Don't you DARE suggest that you comprehend me! Release me at once, this is the last time I'll ask." Sesshomaru suddenly said in an angry tone which made the woman back off a few steps. Wanting to reach for her neck to finally end this, his body still didn't respond and his hand barely nudged an inch from the side of his hip.
"There is no way that I can understand you, we'd just met not too long ago but... Whatever you say is different to what your eyes are telling me." The woman spoke calmly while inching closer to the demon carefully.
"My eyes? Stop talking such nonsense and-" Sesshomaru stopped talking when the woman had smiled up at him and placed a hand on his chest. He didn't know why she did that and why he paid attention to her smile but here she was in his company acting as if he was an old comrade.
"You, tell me, why are you so strange?" Sesshomaru asked her, not understanding why his anger seemed to wash away some.
"Strange? What a rude thing to say." She shrugged.
"Do you not fear me?" He finally asked.
"Fear?" She questioned tilting her head slightly in confusion.
Both remained quiet except for the gentle crackling of the campfire and the occasional animal noises from the surrounding dark forest.
"I know that you can wield great power, I sense this much, but I also feel that you are filled with an aura of much sadness that I've never seen before. It's almost suffocating. Isn't that how you feel inside?" She asked after backing away from him some.
"Again with that nonsense? I'm not weak as to feel 'Sadness'. I'm filled with rage towards the one who welds the Tetsusaiga." Sesshomaru said, feeling his earlier anger return once he was reminded of it, his breathing increasing with his anger.
"Anger?... It's not anger you're feeling, it's a great sadness from suffering loss. Why are you masking what you feel? Isn't this feeling what led you here to me? That you're lost and need some guidance?"
"Don't patronize me. Nothing led me here. Why do you insist you can speak to me like this?" Sesshomaru asked, his patience with this human diminishing.
"Why is it that whenever I'm right, that I'm just a step closer to understanding you, automatically you get defensive against me and want to fight? Is that what you've always done? Doesn't that make you lonely in the end?" She wondered aloud.
Sesshomaru didn't answer. He was angry at being inside this barrier that prevented his movement, he was angry at how this woman is in charge of the entire situation, he was angry that all she spoke was nonsense... He was angry that everything she was saying was right.
With how everything playing out, Sesshomaru didn't like it at all. Not one bit. He didn't like not being in full control of a situation involving himself. Starting to focus on his power to forcibly break out of the barrier, he wanted out and fast as he'd have enough of this already.
Seeing the eyes of the demon changing color, the woman didn't take long to realize exactly what he was doing. Immediately, she went to a small bag not too far away from where she stood, picked it up from the ground, and quickly rummaged through the contents of the bag to find what she was looking for. In her hand she held an unconnected string of aquamarine colored beads that glowed a faint azure color and the glow strengthened and she focused her spiritual energy through it.
"Sorry, I can't let you do that... You have to stop right now! Even I don't know how this unpracticed barrier will react to such a strong presence." The woman warned Sesshomaru.
"It's not wise to threaten me human." Sesshomaru said coldly.
"That's not it! This barrier works against negative energy, against demonic auras. The more you fight it, the more it fights you. It's a dangerous spell, I was only attempting it because I thought nobody, especially demons, were around. Don't hurt yourself." The woman attempted to explain.
She was right again. The more Sesshomaru wanted to fight, the stronger the burning sensation around his whole body became. He still couldn't move freely, he was still frozen in place where he has been the while time.
"I'm trying to keep the barrier around you stable, but I can't keep this up. If you keep fighting it, the way it works, it builds enough energy off what it's stole from a demon and finally cleanse them. It uses your power against you. I can't stop it once that happens." The young woman said hurriedly.
Admittedly, the power of the barrier was indeed taking a toll on Sesshomaru and he could feel his body become increasingly exhausted as he fought against its increasing power. He considered for a moment that this human woman was telling the truth and finally had closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, Sesshomaru had forced himself to calm down and he opened his eyes to face her seeing her relax some at realizing the demon took her warnings into consideration.
The woman calmed down and let out a sigh of relief and the beads in her hands stopping its glowing.
"That's better. I didn't want you to think that I was trying to hurt you, I-"
"I believe that you have been wasting my time. Who sent you here?" Sesshomaru asked quite vexed at his current state.
"Who sent me? Well of course nobody has. Honestly, I believed myself to be alone on this night. I didn't expect anyone around, much less a demon. This forest here is supposed to be as it usually is, free of most demons by now since it's where demon slayers come to train their children." The woman explained.
"Tell me, why aren't you afraid of me? Of my power? Of my very nature? How peculiar, you are nothing more than a human." Sesshomaru inquired once more.
Looking up to the demon, she didn't know how to answer at first and pondered the question for a few moments. Putting her words together, she stopped pacing and turned back around to stand in front of the curious demon.
"I guess it's because... I believe that one day humans and demons can one day learn to live together. One day, the wall separating on what makes a "Human" and what makes a "Demon" will be overlooked and we can finally understand one another. Not all demons are bad, some refrain from hurting humans and even willingly protect us. That day will arrive sooner or later, do you think so?"
Sesshomaru stared at the woman, he felt her speak each word with confidence. He stared at her seeing how she's is so sure of herself and didn't falter at all.
"You, what makes you think that? Surely you must know that not all demons are as good like you think they are. Haven't you ever been targeted by a demon? Had lost someone dear to you in a demon ambush? Or ever seen complete villages torn apart by demons for sport? You are mislead if you 'Guess' that just any demon will be on your side." Sesshomaru challenged.
"Not everybody shares my point of view but I won't go back on my word either: Demons can be friends." The woman said with a grin.
Sesshomaru had sighed thinking this young woman to be awfully foolish but then took a moment to regard her as the type of person to willingly be foolish in doing what she believes to be right.
"Don't assume that I'm one of those demons who will voluntarily protect such weak humans." Sesshomaru scoffed which made the woman raise an eyebrow.
"Then for what purpose do your powers serve you? Don't you have something or even someone to protect?"
At those words, Sesshomaru looked at the woman standing before him in disbelief. It was those words, those same exact words that he was asked so many years ago. That single question was one that he had almost forgotten about, it all came back to him now: On the very last conversation with his late father, Sesshomaru recalled being asked the same thing if there was somebody he had to protect.
"Someone... To protect?" Sesshomaru asked to nobody in particular.
"For example, many people have become stronger in wanting to protect the person they care most about in the world. To not see who you care about suffer, it's what makes us want to grow stronger. Things of object like money or land, they can't love us back so that's why there are those out there who give their all in protecting that special someone whether it be a sibling or a friend or whoever... It's just someone who brings out the best in the other person." The woman explained.
Sesshomaru listened to her words and images of his late father appeared in his mind the more he listened on.
"Huh... It seems that someone did indeed send you to me." Sesshomaru said in a low voice.
"Wait, I already told you that wasn't the case." The woman tried to correct him.
"No matter. It seems that I slightly understand some more of what I should have been giving thought to all of those years ago." Sesshomaru said more to himself.
"Oh man, you lost me... But it seems that you have calmed down considerably since you first arrived... Look, even the power of the barrier has weakened it's hold on you since you don't hold any ill-intent towards me anymore. The spell's effects should be gradually wearing off of you as well."
To confirm her words, Sesshomaru had indeed felt his strength gradually begin returning to him and was able to move about more freely. He raised his hand high enough at eye level feeling it almost as light as a feather in contrast to how the heavy anti-demonic barrier made him feel before.
"I've only just begun to learn about the different types of barriers and how they are made, I'm not really supposed to use such high-leveled spells yet still only being a student in my master's shrine. But I suppose that everything turned out alright, it canceled out on itself not having much negative energy to work with once you had calmed down." The woman spoke, mumbling more to herself studying how the barrier behaved first hand.
Having become quiet, Sesshomaru looked over to the young woman who was thinking to herself with her head facing down while deep in her own thoughts.
Walking up to the woman, he had surprised her and she looked up at him.
"Oh, is something wrong? Is the spell really still affecting you?" She asked Sesshomaru.
Saying nothing, they both stood in silence and made no movement. All of his senses were still a bit dulled from having been inside that barrier. His sense of smell and hearing along with his ability to move quickly like usual, and who knows what other natural senses, were strained while caught up in her barrier.
Suddenly, Sesshomaru reached out his hand with his claws bared barely making contact with the skin of her neck. She didn't move and neither did he. Glaring a her with his usually fierce eyes, Sesshomaru didn't know the reason why but he still stopped himself from hurting her.
"Don't you move an inch. I'm not a passive demon who would let you get away for the humiliation you've caused me earlier. I have nothing to lose." Sesshomaru said in attempt to intimidate her, to show her his real demon side, the power that she should fear.
"No." The woman said simply, without any hint of hesitation, unblinking.
"Do you mean to mock me?" Said Sesshomaru after a short pause in surprise at her answer.
"That isn't at all my intention. It's just that, you know you don't have anything to gain either in trying to hurt me." She said calmly.
Not knowing what to say, Sesshomaru glared at the woman not knowing if she was really fearless or really ignorant of what a demon truly was.
The woman had placed her hand over his which made Sesshomaru widen his eyes in shock. She was slowly getting much closer to reach an understanding with him and he didn't at all know how to react to that other than automatically opposing it.
"Listen, you aren't going to hurt me. Do you know why? Because somewhere deep inside you, somehow, you understand that to do just that is wrong. Don't you want to stop feeling lonely? You still give away a sad aura, but it's an aura that can be replaced with one of much content if you allow yourself." The young woman while she gently took his hand into both of hers.
"Indeed you are a strange one. In all of my years I've never come across another human such as yourself, and surely I've never come across a demon nor human who had been able to hold me off like you were able to." Sesshomaru admitted.
"I'm still in-training so imagine that, me getting such a compliment by one who looks to be the strongest in all of these lands." She told him with a smile, a bright smile to which Sesshomaru never in a thousand years would believe it was one meant for him.
Pulling his hand away from her grasp, the demon lord had turned himself around currently set to return to Jaken and his two-headed dragon, not anymore having an interest in hunting down his younger half-brother.
"Woman, if your barrier has worn off, go elsewhere to some real shelter with the rest of your people. Who knows what other demons are lurking in this area if I was able to surprise you upon our first contact." Sesshomaru suggested.
"Are you telling me to be careful?" The woman asked sarcastically with a grin, not expecting this from him.
"I do not find it necessary to repeat myself." Sesshomaru stated bluntly.
With a short laugh, the woman nodded.
"You got me... But I don't really have a place to return to or a family to stay with, I just travel." The woman explained.
Sesshomaru still stood facing his back to the woman not wanting to seem interested yet still didn't walk away.
"I'm given a list of spells, other defensive things like barriers, and other things to master in order to complete my training through first-hand experiences with demons on my travels. Only until I've mastered everything I should, I return to my teacher and prove that I am ready to progress my training as a priestess. I started training a while ago... Back when I was the only one who survived an attack on my village by middle to high class demons." The woman revealed.
Turning around halfway to face the woman, he was surprised how she spoke about demons before, not making any sense when they had destroyed her entire village and home.
"Do you not hate demons for what they had done to you?" Sesshomaru asked before he could stop himself.
Looking up to him and taking notice that he was awaiting an answer, she wanted him to know why it seems like she was contradicting herself.
"...For a while I did, but then I realized that I was just living inside a circle of hate. What could I gain from slaying every demon that I come across? I decided that instead of eradicating demons from the face of the Earth and scrub their existence, I decided to save them instead. I know it might sound ridiculous, even my master thought so too when I told her, but it's what I want to do." The young woman said.
Sesshomaru didn't know what to make of the woman at first besides just another simple weak human, and then he thought her nothing more than a pest, but now he didn't know what to think of her.
"Are you positive that you're going to change the world one day as you said you would? To help demons and humans 'Connect' like you say?" Sesshomaru questioned.
"The only obstacle in my way of getting what I want is myself! If I don't believe I can do it, then how can I ask that somebody else put their faith in me?"
Sesshomaru stared at her as those words hit him deep and made things that were previously clouded much more clearer that they ever have been before.
"You're quite the radiant one." Sesshomaru said finally understanding her character.
"That's a very pleasant commendation. I appreciate it, uh...?" Trailing off in her sentence, she realized that not even once has she asked his name.
Taking notice of the the woman's unfinished sentence, he realized what was missing.
"...Sesshomaru." He said simply.
"Eh?" The woman asked.
"My name is Sesshomaru." He reiterated.
Stopping for a second, she suddenly started to laugh and he didn't know what she found so hilarious.
"Is it that my name amuses you?" Sesshomaru asked which made the woman catch her breath and shake her head.
"It's not that but... I thought that you were the one who doesn't 'Find it necessary to repeat' himself?" She said making Sesshomaru aware that she was correct and he turned around to face away from her again in slight annoyance. He realized how observant she was.
"I'm sorry if I had insulted you just now, that wasn't my intention, but the moment was just golden. Couldn't help myself there, Sesshomaru." The woman apologized with a soft smile.
Only answering with a short nod, Sesshomaru still stood there as if waiting for something.
"-. My name, it's -." The young woman revealed.
Turning his head slightly in her direction to acknowledge that he heard her, he tuned back to face forward and began to walk away from the camp.
"Farewell then." Sesshomaru said as his last words to her, leaving with feeling that the emptiness in his being was filled somewhat after having interacted with that bizarre and unique young woman.
Waving her goodbye to the demon lord known as "Sesshomaru", the young priestess in-training had watched until the figure had completely disappeared behind the darkness of the night into the deep forest from whence he came from. Feeling pleased for having helped soothe the demon into a state of calm and understanding, she smiled at the last sight of him had and silently whispered a farewell to him.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Yes dear Sesshomaru might've been OOC but writing him a bit different helped the story flow a bit more.
Had this story in my library since late January of this year, decided to edit and publish it finally, haha.
Again, thanks much fellow Fanfiction community members.