Chapter One
What's the matter, pup?
It was long before he became kind that I came across the injured dog demon. Long before he was able to hide all of his emotions behind his frozen mask. He had fallen in a field, alone and impatient with his wounds. They had been caused by a jaguar demon by the smell of it and it was taking too long for the wounds to heal.
"You are the dog Lord's son." I said to him.
His eyes were red but otherwise his face showed no emotion. He was still a boy after all. Young in the terms of demons, his appearance strongly resembled that of an adolescent boy.
"I am willing to assist you if you are in need of healing," I told him cautiously.
"I Sesshomaru am in no need of help of your kind, half-breed."
The cold in his tone shocked me more than his excessively harsh words. I had lived a century longer than he had, I was used to bitterness towards my kind.
"Your father will not be pleased if you return to him in this injured state, I am part water demon, I can heal you in time to be strong in front of the great dog demon." My voice was steady, my offer did not falter under his stare like most full demons have done in the past. "All men hate to be seen in their weakness."
"I am not weak." The young dog demon snorted. Oh. He was so very young still; I could have laughed at his stubborn attitude.
"Indeed. You don't have a single tear on your face, the pain alone would have sent most boys crying but you are different pup."
He sneered at the nickname, "That is no way to treat one such as I."
"It was meant as a compliment, you are very much a man." I laughed at my own sarcasm.
"When my father hears of your impudence he will hunt you down."
"How will he find me, pup?" I smiled at his tense reaction, "will you tell him a half demon insulted him? There are far too many of my kind for him to comb the world through for me."
"I will have my revenge." He snarled ferociously.
My eyes brows pinched together with a frown, "Lets see it then. Do your worst, I'm ready."
I watched as the boy struggled to gain his footing. Along his right leg was a deep gash that trailed to his knee, and he hand some minor scrapes and cuts along his torso as well. It was almost funny to watch the boy fight his wounds to stand. Each attempt was followed with a mouth full of raw dirt.
"That's what I thought." I chuckled and knelt down in sight of the broken pup. "If you promise not to kill me right after I heal you then I promise you will have one chance to kill me should we meet again."
"I could kill you now." He growled deep in his throat.
"Silence pup." I ordered and the boy glared at me through a sealed mouth, upset that he could not disobey, "In your condition exerting your powers would make you die faster."
"I do not need the sympathy of a half demon!"
I laughed, "How about if I make the deal more worth your time?"
He stared at me for a while through angry eyes, suspicious. "How so?"
"I will allow you to attempt to kill me once, each time we cross paths in the future. Does that sound more fair?"
"I only need one chance to kill you."
My eyes glittered at the boy demon, "The Lord Sesshomaru should know better than to be too bull headed. You don't even know the full extent of my abilities other than that I can heal, it may take two times at least to gauge me weak points."
"I do not need to look too deeply to know how weak you are." Sesshomaru glared heavily.
"That may be so, but what if I have the power to heal every wound you give me? Then you'll never win because you'll grow tired always facing me in full health."
It was quite easily I had won the argument with the boy. I wasn't the least bit surprised when he dropped his silver head down in defeat, allowing my hands to stretch forward and heal him.
"I never agreed to your deal, half breed." He said once I was finished.
Smiling at him widely I thumped the top of his head in annoyance, "I've traveled with too many wolf demons to know when you lot give up. You all lower your head and tilt it to the right slightly… must be a mutt thing I guess."
Now I was just trying to get the pup riled up. Test his strengths before he attempted to kill me, but I was surprised when I only received a vicious look.
"I'll be merciless." He told me before turning away, his white kimono still showed the blood from his previous battle wounds that I had healed. "Pray we never meet again." He said over his shoulder before vanishing into the tree line.
"Strange little pup." I laughed and turned on my heel, heading back the way I was heading before I caught his scent.