Sesshomaru could tell he was indoors, he didn't need his eyes to know that. He could also tell he was lying on a bed, there were herbs of various kinds near by, and that his own blood was staining the linens wrapped around his left shoulder. His sensitive nose also told him there was a large clump of mint near b

'Curse it all,' the mighty demon thought, 'every time I find Naraku something like this happens.'

He had nearly summoned up the energy to move when he heard something approaching. Not Jaken or Rin, the footfalls were too heavy to be either. Sesshomaru knew he would not be able to put up a prolonged fight, not even a short fight if the approaching creature was strong.

As the door slid open the scent of mint and herbs grew stronger. But more importantly the new arrival was a female human.

He reacted instinctively. Sitting up he snarled, bearing his fangs as his eyes flashed red. The girl jumped back a little, much the same way Rin had when they'd first met, and, like Rin, she still approached, shutting the door behind her back as she did so.

Sesshomaru watched the girl carefully as she walked over to a small black cabinet against the opposite wall. He couldn't smell anything but the herbs, the girl's own scent, and his scent as she busied herself around the small hut.

'My scent…?' he thought. His thoughts were interrupted when the girl addressed him.

"My Lord, you shouldn't be moving around so much. See? You've torn your bandages." The girl's voice carried no fear or arrogance, only simple truth. Sesshomaru's golden eyes narrowed. He could smell his blood more strongly than before, but he would rather die than show weakness or admit that he needed help from a human.

"If my Lord will allow me to re-bandage his wounds…?" the girl's question sounded more like a command in Sesshomaru's ears. The girl approached him and he reflexively bared his teeth and flexed his deadly claws. The human stopped and looked at him with surprisingly intelligent eyes.

"You feel well enough to defend yourself? Very well, I have fresh linens here, and you may treat yourself."

Sesshomaru regarded the girl almost with curiosity. The girl did not turn away from his gaze, she merely met his eyes.

"Where is this?" he asked as he closed his eyes and turned away.

"My home on the western edge of the forest. I found you on the east side at the foot of the mountain. You were unconscious and bleeding. I couldn't just leave you." The girl knelt down next to the bed, setting the new bandages near his side.

"I apologize for touching you. I can see it displeases you," Sesshomaru had to wonder how she could possibly know that, "but I'm afraid it isn't in me to ignore an injured creature; no matter what it might be."

Sesshomaru didn't look at the girl, "You're generosity is wasted. I don't need your help." He kept his next thought to himself, 'Though, now I don't have to waste my energy securing a suitable recovery camp.'

The girl inclined her head to the side, "Oh? Very well then," and she stood, moving away.

Once again Sesshomaru ignored her. Tiring of sitting upright he maneuvered his pelt so that he could lie against it. Conserving the energy he would need to heal himself, Sesshomaru amused himself by listening to the girl move about preparing food.

"You probably won't eat anything I give you," the girl stated as she prepared her dinner, "Oh well, I'll make some for you anyway. After all you've been unconscious for the better part of a day. I brought you here just last evening. It's past noon and well into the afternoon."

'The girl's voice carries a trace of bitterness concerning the food,' Sesshomaru thought, 'I wonder why?' He looked at the girl's back, with the slightest bit of curiosity.

As the girl talked Sesshomaru came to realize that she didn't expect him to answer. She was merely talking for the sake of talking. Closing his eyes he dismissed his curiosity and ignored the human completely.

As the sun was setting the girl addressed him again.

"I have to go to the village for something. I'll be back within the hour," she smiled happily at the stoic demon and walked out; Sesshomaru gave no notice he'd even heard her.

As the human's footsteps faded Sesshomaru opened his eyes. He could hear everything that was going on outside the small hut, the sounds of a forest at dusk. Feeling somewhat recovered the Inu-Youkai looked around for the first time. The house was simple; one room and plainly decorated. There were mats, however, covering the floor, the only patch of earth was beneath the cooking pot. The whole abode was very clean.

The only piece of ornamentation he could see was two crossed sickles over the door. The blades appeared to be made of steel. The weapons looked to be well kept, brand-new even. Sesshomaru wanted to take a closer look, but he knew that getting up was out of the question.

Near the wall opposite him stood a small black cabinet; the girl had approached it when she had arrived earlier but had not opened it. Sesshomaru could smell many herbs and mixtures were contained within. The smells were so familiar to the powerful demon he felt his curiosity peek. A faint glow emanated from his sharp claws and Sesshomaru's whip materialized. With a careful flick the end of the weapon neatly opened the two small doors of the cabinet.

Sesshomaru's eyebrow's raised a fraction. There were medicines of every kind next to various dried herbs and powders sitting on the narrow shelves. The girl was a healer of sorts. He recognized some of the instruments as well, most prominently the long needles and carefully wrapped thread. The various uses of these items were known to Sesshomaru, from the long hours he had spent watching his mother heal his father after a battle. Sitting up he moved his haori off his shoulder to inspect his wound. Due to the few hours he had spent directing his Youki to heal the bleeding had ceased. Peeling off the outer bandages Sesshomaru could see the delicate white thread woven into his flesh. With a dark look he moved to rip the stitches out, when a voice from a memory made him pause.

"If you continue to pull on those then you will take a third longer to heal!" his mother's exhausperated voice echoed through his mind.

Settling back on his pelt he closed his golden-eyes once again. What did it matter? He would be just as well off if he left them in as he would be if he took them out. With familiar smells all around him, Sesshomaru flet his mind begin to drift and he fell into a calm sleep.

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A/N: How's that? I'm trying to use some of the generally accepted and used terms (i.e. haori, Youki) Lemme know if somethin' is spelled wrong.