Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the chatacters.

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Summary: Sesshomaru is still furious that his half brother cut off his left arm, and has gone in search of a way to restore his missing limb. A rumor of a sorceress that has the ability to do so for him has come to him and he's off to find her. When he does her price to restore the limb angers him further, but because he wishes for the use of two instead of one, Sesshomaru agrees to her terms. A new journey for the demon lord is ahead, and he stands tall ready for whatever comes, or so he thinks.

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Chapter One: The Sorceress Arikami

A full moon high above and clear skies overhead did nothing to ease the tension the great demon felt as he came upon a great temple carved into the side of an ancient mountain. He looked upon the tall lit entrance way with unease. If what he had been searching for was inside, he was about to find out. He'd left his ward and main servant at home for the sake of making his trip quick, yet it had taken him several weeks to make the long journey to find this temple.

This had better be worth the aggrivation. He thought to himself as he pushed on. He decided to leave Ah-un in a grove of trees where he believed the dragon would be safest until he returned for him. "Wait here for me." He ordered the beast, who in turned bowed his heads and laid in the grass obediantly.

Tall statues of winged creatures stared down at him, and he looked upon them in sudden curiousity, stopping to examine them fully. The moon light above cast them in a blue mist, but he could still see their features were human. A woman to his right, one arm raised to the sky, holding a staff topped with a star in a circle, and the other reaching down, almost inviting him inside. She was wrapped in cloth that barely covered her, exposing one breast and leg, as was the statue to his left, although it was a man. Raised above his head was also a staff, but it was topped with a sun, its rays reaching out of a circle around the orb.

"Welcome demon lord, Sesshomaru." A woman's voice drew his attention as she stepped out of the shadows of the entry way smiling at him. "My lady has been expecting you for some time." She stepped aside and swept her arm inside. "Won't you please come in? She's in our main hall."

Sesshomaru eyed her in silence. Where had she come from? He hadn't smelled her or even felt her presence. He couldn't see her face due to the white hooded robe she wore, but something made him feel even more unease than he had upon reaching the road leading here. Yet she stood there, smiling at him, waiting. He took a step forward, taking her invitation with caution.

As they walked he looked upon the paintings of the hall. Winged beings casting rays of light on destored demons as they fell into pits of flames, and men riding horses swords raised in battle with the demons. Men and women kneeling in prayer around a man nailed onto a cross, a crown of roses on his head. Sesshomaru took his eyes from the walls and looked ahead of him as the entry opened into a large room lit by large standing candle holders. The marble floor was decorated with a cross and the ceiling above with clouds and more winged beings, their hands together in prayer and their eyes on the alter before him.

The alter was positioned at the center of a dias with a cross placed on the wall in front of it, a purple cloth drapped around it. Kneeling at the alter was a woman, her back to Sesshomaru. Her long golden hair lay against her back in waves, and as she stood Sesshomaru cautiously reached for Tensaiga.

"That is unnecessary Sesshomaru." Her voice seemed to wipe all of his tension away like a warm wave of heat in the middle of a winter storm, and he stared in wonder as she turned to him, blue eyes like a summer sky smiling at him. "My name is Arikami." She said, taking hold of her white gown so that she could step from the dias and walk towards him. "Please," She reached out as she neared him, and touched his hand. "Lay your swords on the floor?"

He wasn't sure why, but the simple request she made gave him comfort, and he simply untied his swords from his waist and placed them on the floor as she asked. "What is this place?" He asked, looking around at the polished marble pillars and walls.

"This is a house of God, Sesshomaru. The great Creator of us all." She began to walk around him, but he didn't move, only followed her with his eyes. "But you did not come here to worship our lord."

"No." He said simply. "I came here..."

"Because you are in search of someone to restore your arm." She finished for him.

"Yes." When she stopped in front of him again, he looked more closely at her. She was just a child. "Are you the sorceress I seek?" He asked.

She laughed. Her innocence echoed like bells in the hall. "Well I've been called a sorceress before," She wiped a tear from her eye. "But no." She shook her head. "I'm no sorceress," She smiled at him again. "Just a servant of God." She folded her hands in front of her. "I can do what you've come to ask of me, but there is a price."

"What kind of price? I'll pay whatever you wish." He stated.

Again she shook her head. "It is not a price of money, Sesshomaru." Now she looked at him sadly. "My God seess into your heart, and he only wishes that your repayment be that of Love."

"Love?" Sesshomaru stared at her.

Arikami nodded. "Yes, Sesshomaru. Love." She stepped towards him, raising her hand and placing it on his chest. "Your heart is cold, and closed to that of Love. There is no one in your life that has moved you to see the side of light. You are full of hate and vengance towards your younger brother, and it causes my Lord great pain to see this of someone who asks for such a miracle of me." Her hand slid away from his chest, and she stepped back.

"How am I to repay you if I cannot do so?" He asked her.

Arikami closed her eyes. "If I do this for you Sesshomaru, then you will have but a short time to find Love, or the miracle will be taken away." She opened her eyes, and they were no longer just blue, they glowed a soft gold. "And if this gift is given to you, you must not use it in the ways of vengance, or revenge."

Sesshomaru wanted to be angry, he could feel it pushing inside of his chest, but he remained calm, and confused. "How can I?" He asked. "I don't know how to love, and the ways of battle are in my life."

Arikami shook her head, and even though her eyes glowed with power they were sad. "You cannot use this gift in these ways Sesshomaru, that is the key to keeping what you've come in search of." He growled slightly. "There is one other thing." She raised her hands together, palms up, an orb of light forming in them. "If I give this to you, your demonic powers will be sealed away unless your are in mortal danger. You will be allowed to have all of them back long enough to protect yourself in these times, and only in full when your task of repayment is complete, and you find Love."

"And if I can't?" Sesshomaru could not look into her eyes anymore, only into the orb of light in her hands.

"Then you will return to how you are now, and God will forsake you."

So I've come here for nothing... He thought to himself.

"No Sessomaru, you have not come for nothing." Arikami smiled now. "You've come searching for help, but not even you knew what kind. This was not only a task for your arm, it was a task to find help. He will help you, but you must agree to his terms, or you have not only failed in your quest, but you have failed yourself."

Sesshomaru thought about it again, for what felt like hours as they stood there he just thought. Did he come here for help other than to get his arm back really? He wasn't sure. Did he want this type of change? Yes... He suddenly thought to himself. He did want this. He was crippled with the use of only one arm. He couldn't stand this anymore.

"How long will I have for my task?" He asked softly.

He didn't think she could smile any wider, but she did, and it was filled with such joy he could almost feel it within himself. "You will have only five years, but if you seek any vengance or revenge, will loose your arm again."

The woman that had lead Sesshomaru in the temple appeared beside him as if out of thin air. "You will have to disrobe." She reached up and took the side of his kimono, and he helped to pull his shoulder and what remained of his severed arm from the sleeve.

Arikami stepped forward and smiled up at him. "He smiles on you now, Sesshomaru, and he will guide you when you are lost. All you have to do is ask for his help." Sesshomaru felt uneasy again, but not like he had before, it was something else. "Do not be afraid." She whispered.

"This is fear?" Sesshomaru whispered.

Arikami nodded slightly. "Ready?" Sesshomaru nodded.

She grabbed his severed arm, pressing the orb into his skin. It began to burn instantly, and Sesshomaru growled, trying to pull away from the pain, but he couldn't. Though she was small, and unable to throw him, Arikami held fast to him. The light moved up to his shoulder, and he felt the healed flesh of his arm split. He screamed as he felt bone pushing outwards. He had to close his eyes against the pain and bright light as it surrounded the three of them. When he felt the two women let him go, he fell, landing hard on both of his hands and his knees.

He breathed heavily, pain throbbing in his restored limb as it protested to his body weight. He stared down at both of his hands, and realized his whole body was shaking. There was also a moment of shock as he realized his claws were gone, replaced with that of a normal mans nails. Looking up slowly he found Arikami kneeling in front of him, sweat covered her brow, and she looked tired and weak, but she was smiling.

"He is with you Sesshomaru." She said quietly. "He wouldn't have helped you if he wasn't. Remember not to seek vengance or revenge." Her eyes fluttered for a moment, and then closed.

"My lady!" The servant rushed over as Arikami fainted. "She is spent." The woman said taking her carefully into her arms, lifting her as if she were a child. "If you wish, there is a room, down the hall to your right. You may rest until you wish to leave. I will tend to my lady, and check on you if you decide to stay." She left him alone then, but he did not see where she went, just listened until her footsteps faded.

When he found it in himself to stand, he did, looking at his hands in silence for a while. He was tired, and resting did sound like a wise choice. Grabbing Tensaiga and Tokijin, he went down the hall the woman had drawn his attention to. The walls were stone, instead of marble, and he came upon many rooms, but the doors were locked. At the end of the hall however he found an unlocked door. He opened it, and went inside.

It was simply dressed with a bed, a side table, a wardrobe, a desk with a chair, and a standing mirror in a corner. He stared at the mirror for a long moment, and then stepped towards it. When his reflection was visible he stared wide eyed. His long white hair had turned as black as a ravens feathers, and his amber eyes were now dark, almost black. He touched the glass with his restored hand, shock making him unable to move. He was human.

"You will have only five years, but if you seek any vengance or revenge, will loose your arm again." As Arikami's words replayed in his head, Sesshomaru turned away from the mirror.

His heart hammered in his chest, he felt almost paniced. He was human, and if any of his enemies were to discover this, he would be hunted down. I can't go back now... He thought to himself. I will see this through. He undid his kimono, and redressed. I must leave, now. He replaced Tetsusaida and Tokijin at his waist, and left the small room.

As he turned to leave the temple, the servants voice made him stop. "Shall I tell my lady you have taken leave when she awakes?"

He looked over his shoulder. "Yes, and tell her though I am still weary of this gift her lord has allowed her to give me, I will work to repay her. Even though it is not my nature." With that he began to walk away.

"Good luck Lord Sesshomaru."

As he walked out of the temple the early dawn of day met him. Birds chirped, and the soft rays of the raising sun gave him pause. He took a deep breath, breathing in the breeze that brushed aginst his face. He couldn't smell the distant fields, or Ah-un as he'd been able to when he'd arrived.

"Damn..." He said softly. He'd forgotten the beast almost. Now he hoped that his faithful dragon would see it was him when he approched. He growled in annoyance, and started forward again. There was only one way to find out what would happen.

Upon reaching the grove, he found Ah-Un was no where in sight. He called for the dragon softly, and his heads lifted from a patch of tall grass. One tilted curiously, the other scoffed and growled softly. As Sesshomaru approched Ah-Un rose, tension vibrating around his strong body.

"Now, is that any way to great your master?" Sesshomaru glared up at the dragon.

Ah-Un's head looked at one another, and moved forward towards Sesshomaru's outstreched hand. Once sure he was their master, Ah-Un knelt and allowed him to climb onto his back. "Let's go home." Ah-Un rose and took off into the sky. Sesshomaru became lost in thought as they crossed the country side.

Love... He thought to himself. What am I going to do? He growled in aggrivation. He closed his eyes, deciding it wiser to meditate instead of think. He had five years. Maybe he wouldn't fail.

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End of Chapter One:

A/N: Read and Review, there is more to come, I hope you are interested to see what it is. Sesshomaru is on a path of unknown preportions. See you in Chapter Two. Distorter out!