So I've been working on writing exercises, and I've found them easier to write as fanfiction. Just practice, and I decided to post this one so that some of my friends can reach it. If you've seen any of my other stories you'll know I have a habit of starting something and not finishing it. I cannot promise that this fic will be any different, however I am going to try my best.
As for this story in particular, it's an Inuyasha AU Western Setting. Why? Because I think it's cool, Inuyasha-Wild West is not explored enough. I can't say I'll do it justice, but dammit I'll try. Using my OC? Also selfishness, but I can't help myself. It's just an exercise, so I feel ok using her. Her being paired with Sesshomaru? More selfishness. If any of these facts deter you from my story, I still hope you give it a try. The point of this is to practice and improve as a writer, so all of your criticisms are appreciated. Compliments will just be an extra bonus.
All right, enough of my blabbing. Let the story begin:
The sun beat down mercilessly, her long dark hair holding in the desert heat making her miserable, though she dare not move. The sparse thicket outside her cabin provided the most amount of cover out here; she hoped she was completely out of sight as she stared down the barrel of her gun, though there was absolutely no shade. She felt several beads of sweat roll down her back and neck, but she let not a single muscle twitch and she held her place.
Her cabin stuck out like a giant welcome sign against the bleak red landscape, being the only structure for miles, though it looked completely broken-down and abandoned. That was how she found it, and she decided it was in her best interest to keep it looking empty and in disarray; bandits would not be drawn to rob a house that had no wealth.
This is what she hoped as the watched the lone figure on horseback ride towards her home. He must be a scout, she had noticed the caravans in the distance earlier and when she saw one of them headed in her direction she knew that the caravan had noticed her little cabin in the desert as well. If she was lucky, then whoever it was would see that there was nothing here to steal and report it back to their comrades and be on their way.
Then again, they could see that the house abandoned and come to make it their new hideout just as she had. Swallowing she kept her finger steady on the trigger. If she had to she could kill the scout. His companions would hear the gunshot and come after him, but that would give her just enough time to grab her precious cargo and flee. She did not want to, but if it came down to it she would not hesitate.
When the figure was about several yards away he halted his horse and dismounted. It was a man, she could tell that much now, and the coat he wore over his clothes was a bright red. His wide-brimmed hat cast a shadow over his face, though snow-white hair cascaded down his back almost to his knees. As he glanced around his eyes suddenly glinted in the light, appearing to glow a bright gold.
Her eyes widened as she caught her breath. There was one other she knew to have these physical features, someone she hadn't seen in a very long time. Shaking her head slightly, she ducked lower to the ground trying to not get distracted in memories.
One thing was very obvious though, this man was not human. It had taken her a while to understand the physical appearances of Westerners, but this guy wasn't even close. He had to be some sort of spirit, though she was still unfamiliar with those that dwelled in this land. His boots kicked up dirt as he continued to walk towards her cabin. He was certainly dressed in the clothes of western men, but there was no way he was human.
Wait was he…sniffing? The man had stopped and his head stuck out slightly as his nose twitched.
She felt her stomach drop and gulped again. If this guy was anything like the youkai of her homeland then it wouldn't be long before he discovered her location. Quietly she prayed that he wouldn't discover what she kept in the house, her situation looking a little more bleak than before-
His head suddenly snapped in her direction, gold eyes boring right through the thicket as if it weren't even there. He called out to her in English, and though she only caught a few of the words the message was clear: Her hiding spot had failed, he knew she was there.
Paling visibly, she allowed herself one moment of fear before mustering the most fearsome scowl that she could. She was on her feet in an instant, both hands holding her gun as she pointed it right at his chest.
"Leave," she commanded, using the little English she knew knowing full well her accent was obvious, "Go now or I shoot."
The man looked her over, not seeming intimidated in the slightest, and snorted. He looked away and resumed his sniffing.
Annoyed, her glare deepened. "I say go! Leave now!" When he continued to ignore her temper flared and she switched her aim to his head.
"Oi," the man looked back to her again and responded in Japanese, "wench! Be quiet!"
It had been years since she had heard her native tongue spoken aloud; she had lost count of how many hours she spent longing to hear it once again and be able to converse. She had never dreamed though that when she finally found someone else who could speak it they would address her so rudely.
"Alright then," she snarled, her anger stifling what little joy she had as the familiar words slipped across her tongue effortlessly, "I'll say it like this, go away before I'm forced to blow your head off."
The man glared at her, "I said shut up!"
"No! This is my home, you don't tell me what to do here!"
"I don't care! Look here y-"
The man's eyes widened as the wind suddenly shifted direction, now blowing towards them from the cabin. Nose twitching, his nostrils flared as he took in a scent.
"Bastard," he hissed to himself, before suddenly yelling, "Sesshomaru! I know you're here! Show yourself!"
Her heart stopped. That name, the name of the one person she longed for, more than anything else. Beyond even the language of her home that was one name she had not heard uttered aloud in exactly three years, she had dared not to speak it for fear of being consumed in sorrow. The one person she had tried desperately in vain to push from her mind, knowing if she didn't she would not be able to continue on.
This man. This man knew him, knew her beloved, which could mean only one thing: she had been found. Everything she had worked for the past three years was now ruined. The fact that he was here now calling for Sesshomaru meant that everything she had suffered for was pointless, they knew where she was.
The man took one step towards her cabin. Reacting in fear she pulled the trigger.
While she was never the best shot, after being forced to learn over several years she had grown pretty decent, his skull should have been shattered. But the moment she shot, the man became a blur and her bullet flew off into the distance. In the blink of an eye, clawed hands ripped forward and bent the barrel of her gun upwards at a ninety-degree angle rendering her weapon useless.
"What the hell are you doing?!" The man snarled baring his fangs at her. His hat had blown off in his sudden dash, revealing two snowy dog-ears atop his head. Definitely an inu-youkai.
Before she could respond a wail suddenly erupted from her cabin, and once again turned towards her home. Not knowing what else to do she threw herself in front of him, trying to block his path.
"No! Please! You musn't!"
In a single bound he leaped over her, and before she could even hope to stop him he ripped off the door to her one-room abode. Not a moment later out toddled a small boy, sporting his own snowy locks and gold eyes. A snow-white tail protruded from the base of his spine, pointed ears poked out from the sides of his head, and at the center of his forehead was a blue crescent moon.
"Mama!" The child sobbed running towards her, "Mama, the gun, you-"
He did not get very far as the man snatched the boy up by his shirt collar and held him in the air.
"No! I'm begging you! He's just a boy!" Her voice cracked as she fought to keep from sobbing, "This has nothing to do with him, please don't kill him!"
The man's nose twitched as he sniffed the child. His eyebrows drew together as a look of pure shock came over him.
"This is definitely Sesshomaru's kid," he mumbled to himself, "But he's half…human." Slowly he glanced back over to the woman.
"D-don't," she quaked, "Please, it's not his fault. Take me if you want, but please leave him out of thi-"
"I ain't gonna kill your kid!" the man snapped, as if bothered by the notion. Slowly he lowered the child to the ground again before releasing him. The toddler shot forward and in an instant he was in his mother's arms sobbing into her shoulder.
"Shh, shh," she soothed, holding him close and brushing the back of his head, "It's ok now. You're safe. Mommy's safe. We're both ok." It almost seemed as though she were trying to reassure herself with her own words, she looked visibly shaken.
The man watched the both of them, his eyes darkened with emotion. After a moment, when she collected herself, she looked back up at him.
"…Who are you?" She asked quietly.
"I could ask the same to you," he responded.
"No seriously, who are you? How did you know I was out here?"
"I wasn't looking for you," the man looked annoyed again, "I thought I caught Sesshomaru's scent, but it wasn't him."
"You mean…you're not here to kill or take us back?"
"Take you…what? What the hell are you talking about? I don't even know you!" The man looked baffled, though the relief was clear on her face.
"If you're not here for us then…how do you know S…Sesshomaru?"
"Tch, that cocky bastard," he growled, clearly showing his distaste for the youkai. She held her child closer and glared at him. The man snorted.
"Sesshomaru and I go way back," he explained, "And that ain't a good thing. He's always hated me, hated the fact that I existed, hated that Dad left me his heirloom when he died, and the second he could he kicked me out of Japan and got me stuck out here."
"Wait, your dad…why would Sesshomaru care about…"
"It's his dad too." When she looked startled he pointed at the child in her arms, "His granddad. Apparently I have a nephew."
"…Sesshomaru never mentioned anything about having a brother…"
"Half," the man snorted, "Half-brother." He jerked a thumb towards himself, "Half-demon. That's why he hates me; I doubt he would go out of his way to talk about me." At this he once again glanced at the small boy in her arms, before looking at her with…pity?
"Sesshomaru was always a real jerk," he said quietly, "I knew he'd kill humans without thinking twice, but I never thought that he would…force himself on…" He trailed off, obviously unsure of what to say. She blinked, but the second she caught his meaning she gasped before glaring at him once again.
"Hold it." She said, "If you're implying that he raped me then stop right there. Sesshomaru would never do that to me, it was completely consensual."
"That don't make any sense. Sesshomaru hates humans, there's no way he-"
"It does make sense, he loved me!" She snapped, shifting her son into one arm so she could point a finger at this man, "I don't know how Sesshomaru behaved around his family members, but I do know how he treated me, I couldn't have asked for anyone better."
"And I'm saying that you're wrong! The Sesshomaru I know thinks humans are disgusting, lower than insects. Half-breeds are worse, like hell he'd go and willingly make one!"
"Obviously he did, else my boy wouldn't be here! How dare you go and make accusations about something you know absolutely nothing about!"
"Oh yeah, then where is he now?!"
"He…" She faltered. She glanced down as shadow cast over her face, "…I don't know…I haven't seen him in three years…"
"So he left you then," The man said, as if that proved his point. Her head snapped back up with another glare.
"You're wrong again, he didn't leave me I was the one wh-"
The man's ears twitched, and startled he suddenly looked away in the distance. Confused she glanced over too, not sure what had grabbed his attention. Neither of them had noticed his horse run off after she had shot her gun, but the creature had bolted straight back towards the caravans. This obviously had alerted his companions that something was amiss, as now another was riding towards them.
"Dammit Kagome, I told you not to come," The man hissed, ears flattening in annoyance.
"Inuyasha!" The voice of the incoming rider called out. This time it was a woman, her ebony tresses flying behind her as she rode towards them. She too dressed in western clothing, a green dress with a tiny flower print that buttoned up to the neck and laced at the ankle-length hem, but she herself looked Asian. In just a few minutes she reached them, halting her horse.
"Is everything ok?" She asked, another person who spoke Japanese, "We heard the gunshot and your horse came back without you…"
"Are you stupid?" The man snapped at her, "I told you to stay behind with the others!"
"Oh, and you think that it's ok for you to just ride out alone into danger?!" The woman snapped back at him.
"Because I can handle it." He said crossing his arms, "'Sides there ain't any danger here."
"So then what's the problem with me coming?"
"Ah!...Well you!"
"There isn't then," the woman turned and hopped off of her horse, "Unless you're saying I'm too weak to handle it." She turned, and the look she gave the man promised him a world of hurt if he confirmed it.
"Feh," he said turning away and scowling. He had lost this round. The woman grinned, seeming satisfied with her victory, before turning to look over at the girl with the child.
"Who's this then?" She asked, not rudely at all, "Do you live out here?"
"Ah…" The girl hesitated for a moment, "Yes…we do."
"I see. I hope Inuyasha wasn't too rude. He can be cranky sometimes, but really he's pretty good natured under that rough exterior," She smiled warmly, while the scowling hanyou simply 'feh'd again. "I'm Kagome by the way, what's your name?"
"I'm Kohana," she said, feeling warmed by Kagome's kindness. It had been so long since she'd had a normal conversation with anybody, "This is Futeki." She gestured to the boy in her arms who was shyly burying his face into his mother's shoulder.
"Oh wow, he's adorable," Kagome said. Obviously she must've noticed the boy's tail and knew that he wasn't human but she didn't seem bothered by it, "Is his father nearby?"
"Sesshomaru ain't here, he left her." Inuyasha scoffed.
"I told you," Kohana growled clenching her fist, "He didn't leave me! I was the one who left Japan!"
"Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked, "Inuyasha's brother?"
"Yes," Kohana responded tartly, "Apparently my son has an uncle, or so that oaf over there claims."
"I see," Kagome said, before looking at Inuyasha annoyed, "Inuyasha that means this girl's your family, you should be nicer to her!"
"She ain't my family!" He snapped back, "Her kid might be related to me, but she ain't!"
"Inuyasha," Kagome growled, "Do I need to say 'it'?!" Inuyasha's eyes widened and his back stiffened. He glared a Kagome, before taking a couple of steps to pick up his fallen hat and turned his back on them, clearly done conversing.
"Hmph," Kagome folded her own arms, before looking to Kohana, "So it's just the two of you out here then?"
"Er well. I suppose so, yes." Kohana shuffled awkwardly, not wanting to admit any weakness, "But it's always been just the two of us. I gave birth to him in America, and we've survived pretty well on our own these past two years. We just found this cabin this spring, and it's been pretty good here, nobody bothers us."
"What are you going to do when winter hits?" Kagome asked, "Do you have enough food?"
"Ah…well, I've been trying to grow some things," she didn't gesture to her decaying dehydrated garden, "And the nearest town is only about two day's journey on foot…"
"Don't you have a horse?"
"…It died."
"I see," Kagome said, a look of pure sympathy crossing her features. She glanced around, taking note of the little broken cabin amidst the wide open desert with nothing in sight for miles. She looked back at Kohana. "You should come with us."
"Huh?"
"What?!" Inuyasha suddenly looked back at them.
"It only makes sense," Kagome put her hands on her hips, "She's all alone out here with a two-year old with no supplies for winter and no transportation. She needs to come live in our town."
"No way! We don't need another mouth to feed!"
"Inuyasha she's your family, she'll die out here!"
"I told you, she ain't my family!" He pointed at Futeki, "The kid can come with us, but not her!"
"We're not taking a child away from its mother!"
"Well then her kid'll die too, because we're not taking her with us!"
"Rrrgh, Inuyasha SIT BOY!" There was a yelp as Inuyasha suddenly fell face first into the ground, forming a small crater. Kohana's jaw dropped.
"Wha…How did you do that?!"
"Oh that?" Kagome laughed nervously, "It's just a little something to keep him in line. I come from a family of mikos so it's just a little trick I learned."
"You…wait." Kohana frowned, "Excuse me for asking, by why…Well I never really expected to find anybody else Japanese here, but why is a miko so far away…I mean there aren't any shrines at all…"
"Uh well, it's sort of a long story," Kagome said, "But after all, why are you out here? It has to do with the collapse of the shogunate doesn't it?"
"Ah, er sort of…it…it's a little complicated. And er well, as you can tell my son isn't very welcome in most places, even here…they can tell he's not…" Kohana trailed off. In her eyes her precious little boy couldn't be more perfect, but she had learned a hundred times the hard way that hanyou were not welcome most anywhere, and somehow that fact had followed her even to America.
"…No I understand," Kagome said, eyes flitting towards Inuyasha for a second, "But you see…we live in small mining town up in the mountains. Well, it used to be a mining town anyway. It wasn't very prosperous, so most people ignore it other than those of us who live there. Your son would be welcome there; the townspeople are used to hanyou by now. In fact, they were even kind enough to make Inuyasha the sheriff."
"Wait…Him?!"
"I know it sounds a little ridiculous," Kagome giggled, "But I mean, he's saved the town so many times from thieves and bandits and cougars. They were all skeptical at first, but he's sort of become like a hero to them, it really only made sense to let him be the one to guard the town."
Inuyasha who was now standing scoffed, and grumbled something about 'needy townspeople too weak to save their own skins'.
"So don't you see?" Kagome said, "The town would take you in, they would never turn away the sheriff's nephew."
"Yes but…" Kohana struggled for a moment. Sure Kagome seemed nice, but should she really trust these strangers? What if Inuyasha was lying about being Sesshomaru's brother? She'd been on the run for so long, taught to trust no one, there was no love anywhere for a foreign unmarried mother of a half-demon baby. She and she alone was responsible for caring for the child, any wrong decision on her part would end in his death.
"I…I can't speak English very well, and my son knows none of it…"
"I can teach you what I know," Kagome offered, "Oh and even Sango can help you, she's been helping me out, you'll like her she's Japanese too just like us." In her excitement Kagome had stepped forward and grasped Kohana's hand, "Please come with us."
Kohana struggled for another moment, but her resistance was failing. As she looked at Kagome she saw no trace of malice or deceit, this young woman truly wanted to help her. Futeki turned and glanced at Kagome's hand, and hesitantly he placed his tiny palm atop hers. He giggled slightly and his tail began to wag.
That sealed it for her. It seemed silly to trust the judgment of a two-year old, but if he thought Kagome was ok then she could no longer resist her as well.
"I suppose…winter would be a little harsh out here alone…I guess we could stay with you for a couple of months…." Kohana blushed, not really sure how to accept a stranger's kindness anymore. Kagome smiled warmly, and glanced to Inuyasha.
"Tch, fine. Whatever. Just tell her to get her things and let's get going. We've wasted too much time just standing around yapping," Inuyasha snorted, accepting defeat once again. Kagome shook her head but continued to smile.
"Do you need help packing anything?" She asked Kohana.
"No, we don't have much, it'll only take me a moment," She said.
"Then hurry up, we don't have all day!"
Kagome glared and turned to bicker with Inuyasha once again as Kohana walked towards her cabin. Futeki squirmed in her arms, seeming to have completely forgotten his earlier panic. It seemed he would be content with anything, he had always been happy to follow his mother wherever she went.
She hoped she was making the right decision.
She had been just a young village girl when she had first met him, still filling into her awkward height that sixteen years of age had given her. She remembered the day clearly, she had been out working in the rice fields when she noticed one of the children of the village, Rin, scurry out of the forest shifting about nervously. Abandoning her work in the field Kohana hurried over to see if everything was all right.
Rin was one of the many orphans of the village, left parentless after thieves had plundered her original village. The child had become virtually mute after the incident, only Kohana who was one of the few who actually bothered to look after her that could get a word out, and even then it was usually a simple 'yes' or 'no'.
Naturally it came as a shock when all of a sudden Rin began blabbing about an injured man in the woods. Kohana's joy at the girl's newfound speech had given way to confusion. Man in the woods? What on earth was she talking about? When she suggested that they go get a few more of the villagers to go help this person, Rin had balked and insisted that there wasn't time and she alone should come help.
Against all of her better judgment, for all she knew it could a thief or murderer, she abandoned her job in the field and followed Rin back into the forest. They walked on for what seemed like a long time, but before Kohana's nervousness got the better of her and she turned away for help they passed through several bushes and stopped at the base of a great oak tree. What she saw made her gasp.
While there certainly was an injured something at the base of the tree, he was without a doubt no man. He was…stunning. Kohana had never seen anything like it before, while he had the basic shape of a human, his hair was long and silver with strange markings on his face, and at the tips of his fingers he had claws. He dressed in the clothing and armor of some sort of noble, with a strange furry boa over his right shoulder. When he turned to look at them his eyes were gold.
The only word she could think of to describe this creature was 'beautiful', there was no human on this earth who could ever compare in looks, and so she was certain: this was a youkai. A demon.
She knew why Rin didn't want her to go get help, youkai were trouble, they slaughtered humans and devoured entire villages whole. That one was so close to their own was extremely dangerous, the smart thing to do would be to slay him and purify this area immediately. But as this one stared at the both of them he didn't move an inch, in fact after a few moments he looked the other way as though bored. Strangely, standing here in his presence Kohana didn't feel threatened in the slightest. Intimidated, yes, but not threatened.
Then again the gaping bleeding wound in his chest might have had something to do with it.
Hesitantly the two girls edged forward, but before they could get within five feet of him he ordered them to leave without even glancing in their direction. His voice was like ice, low and dangerous. Kohana shivered, but neither she nor Rin turned away.
"Are…you dying?" She asked quietly. Several long moments passed in silence.
"No." He finally answered, still not looking at them.
Kohana glanced at him again, trying to re-assess the situation. The wound he had looked pretty deep, it would no doubt have killed any human, if what he claimed was true then it was proof that he was definitely something more. He didn't sound as though he were in pain when he spoke, so either he was hiding it or he wasn't much of a talker. He had to be in some sort of discomfort though; otherwise he wouldn't be here lying against the tree.
Either way, he definitely did not seem like the type to accept help easily. The right thing to do at this point would be to return to the village and report his presence and let them take it from there, however…she sighed. She knew if she did that he would be destroyed, and really he wasn't causing anybody any harm out here. He was just trying to find a place to lay low and tend to his wounds, she was certain he would be gone by the time he healed and no one else would be any wiser.
Perhaps then she and Rin should do what they could to help him along. She untied the container secured to her obi, something to hold water fashioned out of bamboo. It was half empty, but she knew of a river nearby to fill it in. She instructed Rin to go gather some food from the forest and to meet her back there.
When the two girls returned they had a meager meal of water and berries and they moved forward to lay it before the youkai.
"Unnecessary," he said causing them to halt mid-crouch, "I don't need your help." Rin cast a worried glance over to Kohana. The older girl hesitated for a moment before half-smirking and continued.
"Don't think of it as help," she responded, "We're just leaving this food here in the forest, whether or not you eat it before something else does is up to you."
His eyes slid in their direction, his expression unreadable. A moment later and he was looking away again, making no move to accept their kindness nor registering their presence any longer. Rin continued to look worried, though Kohana placed a hand on the child's shoulder and urged her to leave. There wasn't much else they could do at the moment other than give this guy the privacy he obviously wanted.
As the two made their way back to the village through the thick underbrush Rin asked Kohana if she would tell anybody else about the injured youkai. She smiled softly before shaking her head. For the time being it would be best if they kept this as a secret between the two of them, no need to involve anyone else. She assured the younger girl though that they would be back tomorrow to check on him and Rin grinned.
Just as they had planned, the next day the two girls slipped away into the forest when they were certain no one would notice. The youkai still lay beneath the oak tree, though surprisingly the food looked as though it had been picked through and half of the water was gone. Whether or not he had actually taken it couldn't be proved; though no animal in their right mind would've gotten this close to eat it.
Kohana and Rin looked to each other and shared a smile. The demon glanced at them for a moment but then looked away as they set out to refill the water and food. When they returned Kohana once again assured him that this 'had nothing to do with helping him' she was just doing as she pleased by leaving food in the middle of the forest.
This continued on for several days and the girls did their best to keep it a secret from the village. Even so, whenever Rin had a moment alone with Kohana she would babble on and on about the strange man in the woods: Why was he there? Where did he come from? How did he get hurt? The questions never ceased, Kohana had never seen Rin so chatty before. It seemed that by her focusing on taking care of someone else she was forgetting her own grief, like a child who had just been tasked with raising a puppy (this thought would later become extremely amusing). In a strange way she was healing.
But just as Rin was improving, the weird thing was it seemed as if the youkai was not. He had claimed that he wasn't dying, but every time they were there his wound never seemed any smaller. Kohana couldn't tell if it was still bleeding or not, it shouldn't be, but there was no way she could get close enough to find out. His condition troubled her, but she really didn't know what to do.
One day as she and Rin headed out into the woods to 'leave food out there for no particular reason' Kohana noticed that it seemed a little noisier than usual; the birds were definitely more active. In fact, the closer they got to the youkai the more birds there seemed to be, and they all appeared to be…crows.
The only time she had ever seen crows before was when something had died, usually the filthy scavengers just showed up to devour the remains of the body. Paling slightly she halted. If the worst had happened, she didn't want Rin to see it. Quickly she came up with the excuse of needing a fresh water container; the one they were using was getting dirty. She urged Rin to hurry back to the village to get it and surprisingly the young girl complied without an argument. Knowing she didn't have much time until the other returned, Kohana took off running fearing the worst.
When she reached the oak tree she was astounded by how many crows there were. They littered the trees, black clouds coating what should have been green leaves. All of their attention seemed turned on the youkai who still lay there wounded, though his eyes were closed and he remained motionless. Was he…dead? The appearance of so many crows suggested that he was, but none of them had touched him yet…
Swallowing, Kohana stepped forward. She had to see if he was gone, before Rin got here…slowly she edged towards the youkai, very aware that she was now closer to him than she had ever been before. He was still unmoving. Pushing her nervousness aside she slowly reached for his neck, hoping to find a pulse.
The second she touched him he leapt forward with a snarl, eyes glowing blood-red as he bared his deadly fangs. Her heart almost stopped as she yelped and fell backwards on her rear, several crows fluttered anxiously. His fearsome look only lasted a moment, once he seemed to notice her his eyes faded to gold and he lay back down, though he continued to regard her with a glare.
"Y..you're alive," she said, gulping as she regained her breath.
"I have already informed you that I'm not dying," he sounded annoyed.
"But…the crows…they're all…."
"Bothersome vermin," he said before closing his eyes, determined to cease conversation. As she gazed at him she frowned. His voice had sounded slightly strained when he spoke, and now as he lay there he looked paler than before. No matter what he told her it was obvious that his health was not improving, even the crows nearby thought he was on death's doorstep. He was too proud to admit weakness.
It would not be long before the birds got brazen enough and attempted to devour him. She didn't know how close any of them would actually get, but if he wasted energy fending them off his body would not focus on healing. Even if it bothered him, she had to do something. She would not stand by and let this be his end. She looked around and when her eyes settled on the largest stick she could find she grabbed it.
Weapon in hand, she turned her attention to the offending birds and began her assault. Yelling, she swung her stick at them, satisfied when several within her reach squawked and fled to another tree. She continued her attack, until she had all the crows in a frenzy trying to escape her weapon. There were too many to chase around the clearing, but whenever any of them came near the oak tree she was at them again scaring them off.
"Stop wasting your time," the youkai said causing her to glance down and see him staring at her again, "There's no point, they'll only return once you leave."
"Don't think I'm doing this for you," she lied, knowing full well that he was aware, "I happen to like this tree; I don't want them to ruin it." At this he gave her another annoyed look but didn't argue. She continued to bat away the crows until eventually she heard movement in the forest. When she saw Rin approaching the clearing she took a moment to leave the tree intercept her before she saw anything.
"What's the matter?" The younger girl asked looking worried, "Is he ok?"
"He's doing fine," Kohana said, not wanting to upset her, "There's just a bunch of birds that's all. They're bothering him, so I'm going to have to stay for a while and chase them off."
"Oh, can I help?"
"No, there's something else I need you to do, something very important." Kohana put her hand on the child's shoulder and looked her in the eye, "If we're both gone someone in the village will notice and send a party to come looking for us. We've got to keep him secret, so I want you to go back and tell them that I've gone to the next village over and I won't be back for the rest of the day, ok?"
"How long will you stay here?"
"I don't know," she said, "For a while at least. I promise I'll return tomorrow before anybody asks you anymore questions. Can you do this for me?" Rin paused for a moment before nodding. Kohana hugged the younger girl and she handed her the new water container she had fetched before heading back to the village.
When Kohana returned to the oak tree, several of the crows had returned and she had to start her frenzy again to scare them off. She stood guard like this for several hours, managing successfully to keep the birds at bay. While this had been going on she hadn't really been paying much attention to the sky. It wasn't until the crows seemed to stop approaching her and slowly vanished into the branches of another tree that she notices something was off, and the distant rumble of thunder seemed to explain why.
Frowning, she glanced again at the wounded youkai who still lay there as if asleep. The rain would do him no good, and for as much cover as the oak tree gave him it still wouldn't keep him dry. Luckily there was an evergreen nearby, and when she approached it several of the lower boughs seemed dry enough to snap them off. She began to push down on them, sometimes using her whole weight to do so, and ignored the splinters that were beginning to fill her hands. When she had enough boughs she dragged them back over to the oak tree and set to make a quick small lean-to that would shelter him from the weather.
"Don't worry," she said, interrupting before he could protest when she noticed him awake again, "It's not for you. I just happen to need a place to stay dry while I protect my tree from the birds." He didn't point out that where she had built her shelter suspiciously covered him completely. She continued her work, and by the time she finished the first few drops were beginning to fall. Quickly she ducked underneath, setting herself several feet away from the youkai not wanting to invade his personal space.
What started as a few drops soon picked up into a full downpour; occasionally lightning ripped through the sky, followed quickly by booming thunder. Kohana hugged her knees close and rested her chin on them. She was thankful she had the shelter built in time, but the rain was causing the temperature to drop and she wished she had brought a blanket. She sighed, wishing that the storm would end soon.
"Your name."
"Huh?" Kohana blinked, thinking she had heard something on the wind. When she glanced back at the youkai he was staring at her with those golden eyes, as if expecting an answer.
"Your name," he repeated, though he didn't sound annoyed, "What is it?"
"Oh, I uh," she stumbled for a moment, slightly caught off guard, "I'm Kohana."
"And the girl?"
"She's Rin."
"Hn," he replied, and offered nothing else.
"…Well?" Kohana urged after a few moments, "I told you my name. This is where you tell me yours." He glanced away as if ignoring her and said nothing. She waited a moment, but eventually decided that he wasn't going to respond. Rolling her eyes, she looked back out towards the rain.
"Sesshomaru."
"…Se..sshomaru?" Kohana blinked and looked back at him. He raised his chin slightly, but refused to repeat himself again.
"That's…an interesting name," She offered, not knowing what else to say. Of course a youkai would be named something threatening.
"Hn."
"You…aren't much of a talker are you?" The blank look he gave was his answer. She sighed and glanced away again, suddenly feeling awkward sitting there. Why had she stayed? The rain had chased the crows off, and now that she had built him a shelter so honestly he didn't need her anymore. Not that he thought he did in the first place, he claimed he was doing fine when it was so obvious that he wasn't…
"Why isn't your wound healing?" She mumbled aloud, and instantly regretted it, "I'm sorry, that's probably personal, I didn't mean to intrude…"
"Miasma," he responded quietly, strangely not sounding offended.
"…You were poisoned? How?" Her curiosity piqued, and she couldn't stop more questions from tumbling out.
"A wretched coward who resorts to deception and falsehoods instead of facing his opponents," his eyes narrowed as he spoke, showing his disgust. Kohana frowned at the vague answer, but it was enough to hint that this youkai had enemies.
"So someone attacked you…are you…going to go after them?"
"Yes. Once I am healed, he will die."
"But your wound-"
"You probably aren't able to see it. The miasma is nearly gone; once it is it should not take me long to heal."
"Uh," she paused to think about that for a moment, "Oh. I see. You were just waiting for the poison to leave your body." He nodded, and slowly she smiled. After that he spoke no more, but she didn't push it. Of what little Kohana knew of this Sesshomaru guy he didn't seem the type to really say much to anyone. The fact that he had shared with her what he did was a mystery to her; perhaps he was just bored and felt there was no danger in telling her the nature of his injury. Either way, she took what little she had learned as a small reward for her efforts and before she knew it she had nodded off.
By the time she awoke little rays of sunlight littered through the branches of her make-shift shelter. Blinking, it took her a moment to notice that she was sprawled out on the ground in a disheveled lump. When she realized where she was she instantly blushed and sat up quickly, hitting her head against the branches causing rain droplets to shower over her. Grumbling her discomfort, she looked behind her but Sesshomaru was not there. Her eyes widened as confusion set in, and she crawled out from beneath her shelter.
When she looked up she saw him. There he stood, silver hair flowing gently in the breeze as he gazed out into the woods, as if he were a king surveying his land. She had never seen anything so regal in her life, but before she allowed herself to become breathless she glanced at his chest and gasped.
"Your wound," she exclaimed, "it's gone!" He was completely clean, not even a drop of blood remained to show any sign of injury. It was almost as if it had never happened. His eyes flitted towards her and he gave the briefest of nods.
"I need to go get Rin," she said as she stood, turning towards the edge of the clearing, "She'll want to know that you're-"
"You should return to your village," he interrupted her, voice completely level, "Do not bring her back to the forest."
"Huh? Wait, she'll want to see you, after all that…" her words died as she turned back to look at him and met only emptiness. He had vanished.
Kohana stood there for a moment, unsure of what had just happened. In the blink of an eye he had disappeared, as if he had never even been there. Slowly she frowned, unsure of why she felt so…saddened by this.
"Goodbye….then," she mumbled dejectedly. Quietly she left the clearing and headed back towards her village.
