"I can't be with you."

Daiyu had said those words without thought, a mistake she came to regret. Sesshoumaru's astonished visage branded in the back of her mind and, try as she might, she couldn't shake the image off. However, she would not deny the feeling of betrayal that began to churn in her soul.

After that emotional statement, Daiyu became fearful of his response, so much so that she fled from him to hide in her room at Inuyasha's house. To her surprise and disappointment, Sesshoumaru did not follow her and she was left alone for the entire night. Not even Kagome dared to enter her room.

When the sun began to rise from the east, signifying a new day, Daiyu finally opened her door. Inuyasha looked up from his bowl of food that he was wolfing down, regarding her with understated concern.

"Did you two have a fight or something?" Inuyasha bluntly asked.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed before smacking him in the back of the head, she then looked to Daiyu with a warm smile. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you." Daiyu's voice was weary, her silver eyes dimming to a dull grey as she shut her bedroom door then walked up to Inuyasha. "Where can I collect my payment? Do you know if Miroku divided up everything yet?"

"Yeah, I think he's going through it today." Inuyasha said before finishing off his breakfast. "Wait, I need to go too."

"Alright."

Daiyu waited as he gulped down his tea and Kagome began cleaning up. Daiyu slipped on her shoes and Inuyasha followed her out the door.

"Ya wanna tell me what's up with you?" Inuyasha asked, "You seemed your usual bitchy self until late last night."

"I don't feel like talking about it." Daiyu bit out, "You're a dog, you wouldn't understand."

Inuyasha huffed, but didn't pester her further as they walked down the dirt path to Miroku and Sango's house. Inuyasha stepped through the door first and Daiyu watched as the hanyou was instantly attacked by familiar twin little girls.

"Doggy! Doggy!" They cheered and Inuyasha picked them up with one girl in each arm.

"Oi, I got a name you know!" He exclaimed and the girls giggled before grabbing a hold of his triangle shaped ears. "Ow!"

"Momoko! Sachiko! How many times do I have to tell you? Not the ears, Ok?" Miroku chided as he looked up from his seat on the floor, having his morning tea with Sango, whom was bouncing a baby on her back. At the sight of Daiyu, Sango gave her a welcoming smile.

"Oh, how are you Daiyu? I heard you got injured last night."

"I am fine now, thanks." Daiyu said, her mood instantly darkening at the thought of how she had gotten off the poison from her eyes and Sango and Miroku noticed she was not her usual energetic self. They looked to Inuyasha but he shrugged, equally confused.

"Well, let's take a closer look at the goods, shall we?" Miroku said cheerfully in attempt to lighten the atmosphere. He led them to the back room and kneeled before a straw mat and lifted it up, revealing a hidden cellar in the wooden floor.

"We got quite a load yesterday, I could hardly fit everything in here, but it's better than leaving it out in the cart." Miroku said as he pulled open the door, revealing an underground room. The three of them walked down the steps and toward three large chests and half a dozen barrels of rice. "I've already sorted it out."

"Thanks, Miroku." Inuyasha said before flipping open one of the chests. "There's enough here to feed the whole village!"

"Looks that way." Miroku said, "Sango and I plan on using some of this to pay for additional rooms to this house."

"I think I might do the same." Inuyasha muttered and Miroku's eyes glinted mischievously.

"Have you and the wifey been getting it on enough to be expecting a new arrival?" Miroku chuckled and Inuyasha's face began to match the hue of his haori and Daiyu smirked.

"You two have been rather loud lately." Daiyu snidely remarked, her smirk deepening and Inuyasha glared at her.

"Ah, shut up, will ya!" Inuyasha seethed, "It's my house! I can do whatever the hell I want!"

Daiyu chuckled, her overall dark mood lightening a bit as she opened her trunk and assessed the goods. There were a couple of women's kimonos, a jar of salt, some combs made of ivory, hairpins and a leather satchel with a significant amount of money inside. She took several coins from the bag and pocketed it in her sleeve before closing the lid.

"You guys can have my rice barrels. I don't typically eat that stuff." Daiyu said as she stood up from her kneeled position. "And some of the kimonos."

"Would you like something else then?" Miroku asked, referring to probably more girlish things that the castle had in stock for the mistresses of the castle, the ones killed by the snake demon.

"That's alright, give them to Sango. She would like them, I'm sure." Daiyu said, "I need clothes that are a bit more suitable for fighting. She can even take that kimono I wore yesterday."

"Are you sure? That's a bit generous." Miroku said and Daiyu gave him a smug look.

"What are you insinuating, perverted monk?" She teased, "Do you think I am incapable of kindness?"

"Uh, no, but-"

"Don't worry." She sighed, then pointed to her trunk, "If it will make you feel better, how about you buy the damn things off of me? I'll give them to you for a quarter of the price."

Miroku debated this for a moment, calculating the amount that Daiyu was offering, and then directed his attention back to her.

"How about an eighth of the price?"

"If it's too much then why didn't you take it for free?" Daiyu exasperated, becoming agitated by the monk's arbitrary thinking. "Jeez!"

The monk gave her some coins and Daiyu pocketed it with the rest of the stash hidden in her kimono.

"I don't have anywhere to keep this stuff, so would you mind keeping it here for a while?" Daiyu then asked the monk and she noticed his eyes widen.

"Is Lady Daiyu not going to live with-"

"Just for a while." Daiyu cut in, not wanting to hear Sesshoumaru's name at the moment, "At least until I settle somewhere."

There was a pause between the three of them as Inuyasha and Miroku glanced at each other, both wondering what was going through her head at the moment. Inuyasha's brows furrowed across his forehead in contemplation while he studied her.

"Ah, yes, that's fine with me." Miroku obliged, "But may I ask if you have anywhere in mind?"

"I plan on looking around the area. There should be somewhere in the forest that will suit me fine."

"Like in a cave?" Inuyasha asked dryly.

"Yeah! Do you know if there's one nearby?" Daiyu asked far too enthusiastically compared to Inuyasha's tone.

"A young woman shouldn't be living by herself in the wilderness!" Miroku exclaimed.

"I'm a demon remember? It's a bit different than having a human woman living on her own."

At her words, Inuyasha's face hardened.

"But what about Sessh-!"

"I can't rely on him!" Daiyu exasperated loudly and the two men were aghast. There was a long silence that followed as Daiyu shifted uncomfortably. The sounds of laughter from Momoko and Sachiko, followed by Sango's voice as she scolded them for the noise, could be heard from the hidden underground room where they stood when Inuyasha suddenly broke the atmosphere with a heavy sigh. He scratched at the back of his head, this habit that Daiyu noticed he had whenever he had to deal with any sort of awkward situation.

"Well, whatever. Let's just get out of this stuffy cellar." He muttered and Daiyu nodded in agreement, her long bangs shadowing over her eyes as she followed Inuyasha and Miroku out.


The old blacksmith by the main road looked like he had trekked over Mount Fuji and back with his oily grey hair and dirt crusted skin. A strong dose of body odor spewed from his pores and Daiyu felt like she was going to vomit from its intensity as she waited outside. He was currently working on a commission paid by her, the sounds of clanking iron and steel piercing her ears to the brink of making her eardrums bleed and she growled loudly.

"How long are you going to dick around in there, old man?"

The clanking continued, "Shit, he's probably gone deaf." she grumbled before resting her head on her palm, her elbow bent into her knee as she sat cross legged on the ground. She was wearing new clothes which included a dark blue sleeveless haori jacket, black obi, black stockings that came up to mid thigh and black leather jika tabi boots.

"Hey, is that a Kunoichi?" Some young boys whispered amongst themselves from across the dirt road. Her clothing was quite revealing for a woman and the villagers gawked at her but she ignored them. She was chewing on a piece of dried venison jerky when the clanking stopped, followed shortly by the hissing of hot metal being dipped into ice water.

"Alright, demon." The old man hollered louder than was necessary and Daiyu flinched but said nothing. She hopped up onto her feet and entered the workshop, her teeth gnawing at the jerky as she assessed the armor he had made for her.

"Pair of forearm and shin guards, correct?" He asked bitterly, he was not pleased in the least for having to work for not only a demon but a woman. Just hours prior, he had demanded double the amount for the work, but Daiyu was much too sharp with him and she managed to drop the price down to a considerable amount. However, both the artisan and the client were equally restless to be rid of the other.

"Here, you have to wear these underneath the arm guards." The blacksmith grumbled before tossing a pair of black arm sleeves and she let the jerky hang from her teeth as she slipped them on and secured it by tying the small strings around her middle fingers. She stretched the skin tight material up to the middle of her upper arms while the old man did the last modifications on the iron armor and then handed them to her. Daiyu strapped in the armor that covered from her wrists, across her lower arms to curve around her elbows, and then snatched the shin guards. As she was securing the plates, the old man plopped down wearily onto the floor and scratched at his flaky beard. Daiyu straightened up and felt the metal against her palms before taking out the jerky from her mouth.

"Not bad." She muttered, tossing several coins onto the floor in front of him, "Go buy some bath salts, you smell like shit."

The old man merely waved his middle finger at her in reply before she stepped out.

With one hand on her hip and the other holding the jerky to her mouth, she gazed at the human village with a scrutinizing glare, wondering what on earth she was going to do now that she had gotten all that she needed. After gathering some of her funds from Miroku, she had bought only the clothes and the armor, feeling that she needed something that provided mobility and some protection whenever the need arose. Following after the need for new attire, came the necessity for shelter and she remembered Inuyasha mentioning a cave somewhere nearby, but he did not go into details. He seemed a bit hesitant to help her in that regard and she wondered why. She couldn't hole up at his place for the rest of her life, that would be too meddlesome for all three of them, she was certain of that.

She wondered vaguely where Sesshoumaru usually slept, but she quickly shook that thought out of her head.

"That damn dog could sleep in a pig's pin for all I care." She grumbled quietly between her clenched teeth and jerky.

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about me would you?" A deep voice came from behind her and alarm bells rung off in her head before she whipped around, her eyes seething at the tall youkai.

"Damn it! Don't sneak up on me like that!" She shouted and he smirked coyly down at her. Villagers were scattering away at his presence, recognizing him instantly as a demon. She wondered why he even bothered with a human form; he stuck out like a white sheep among a black herd. "What do you want?"

Her question seemed to throw him off a bit as he wasn't as quick to respond as he usually did and he studied her a moment.

"Am I not entitled to know what my woman is doing?" He answered, though his demeanor took a sarcastically playful personage. "I see you have new clothes. If you can call it that."

Her habit was to always quip back when being insulted, but she held her tongue and spun on her heel and began stomping towards the forest. She decided to put more of her energy towards finding a place to sleep tonight over a potential fight with the taiyoukai. Much to her bemusement, however, she could hear his light steps following quickly behind her and she bit back a snarl.

"Go somewhere else!" She yelled as she quickened her steps. "I'm in no mood to deal with you!"

She was suddenly slammed against the nearest tree trunk, the bark digging into her back as he suddenly loomed over her. His eyes were glowing, but did not bleed over, as he brought his hand to rest against the wood just above her head, taking on a position of intimidation. Daiyu did not cower but met his intense gaze with a glare, her own eyes glowing with animosity. She quickly felt their auras crackle against each other like invisible tendrils wrestling for dominance.

"Why are you angry?" His tone was stolid. The jerky was long lost and her teeth grinded together; pearly fangs gleaming in the sunlight between full lips, followed by flushed cheeks.

"That's a ridiculous question." She bit out and his white brows furrowed deeply and his face hardened.

"Is this about the same thing as last night?"

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Her eyes were becoming misty once more, but she refused to cry. "'I can't be with you!'"

"That wasn't the sake talking?"

"I hate you!" She exasperated, she tried shoving herself from beneath his hovering, but he was unyielding.

"You're being childish." He stated more calmly, though his aura felt like it was burning against her skin. "You're angry about nothing."

"Oh! Is that how it is? Cheating on me amounts to nothing!"

"What makes you think that I cheated on you?"

She could hardly contain her urge to scream out of frustration.

"You've fucking lost it if you think that sleeping with-!" She brought her hand to her forehead and took a rough inhale, "You know what? I shouldn't have to explain this to you! I'm done!"

"I'm not!"

"Too fucking bad!" She managed to slip away from him this time, or he let her go, she wasn't sure, but she began walking away from him. She heard his footsteps continue to follow her and she attempted to ignore him as she took out another slice of jerky and began eating it slowly, her thoughts running wild.

"What makes you think that I cheated on you?"

Why would he say that? She knew not how old Sesshoumaru was but even a child could comprehend the logic behind her anguish.

Was there a misunderstanding?

Daiyu's thoughts made her halt entirely, her eyes staring down at the ground and his footsteps came closer to her. When he stopped just behind her, she turned around and took the jerky from her mouth before giving him a suspicious glare. His demeanor was that of curiosity, but also irritation as he towered over her. Her height barely reaching his chin and she had to crane her neck to look at him as he raised a brow inquisitively.

"What you said earlier, what did you mean?" Daiyu asked with hesitation in her voice.

"Perhaps if you answered the question, then I may be able to enlighten you." His voice was suddenly cold and she averted her gaze from him to look down at the ground. She took in a deep inhale before letting out her question with a shaky breath.

"What were you doing when I was with Inuyasha and Miroku?"

"Hunting."

Daiyu's brow twitched, she crossed her arms over her chest as her glare sharpened at him.

"Hunting? Really?" Daiyu gnarled, "Then I guess Miroku telling me that you were busy with the village women was a lie?"

"Is that how he phrased it?" Sesshoumaru's visage became that of agitation and Daiyu wondered if she had just inadvertently signed the monk's death warrant. "Inuyasha's woman told me that Rin was becoming ill and needed a certain recipe that only Inuyasha and I know of. Being with him yourself, you should know that I was the only one available."

"I've heard of this Rin person before, who is she?"

"My human ward."

"As in…adopted daughter?"

"Hn."

"Why didn't you tell me about that?" Daiyu growled with frustration, but Sesshoumaru was quiet and she didn't pester him further about Rin, which would direct their conversation off topic. "Alright, then…have you been with any women since I came here?"

She could tell by the expression on his features that he was not pleased about this interrogation.

"Daiyu-"

"I have to know!" She exclaimed, her face becoming flushed and her voice shook with unease. She continued to avert her eyes from him and he sighed.

"I occasionally sleep with an inuyoukai courtesan." Sesshoumaru honestly said, "However, that sort of relationship ended as soon as I collected you in Hokkaido."

Daiyu took a moment to digest this information; she wasn't sure as to how to respond or how to feel.

"Once we are mated and have children…" Daiyu murmured, "Are you still going to see her?"

"Are you concerned that I will not be truly monogamous?" He asked and she nodded slowly. Suddenly, she felt his hand resting on the top of her head, his fingers intertwining and rustling her hair then ran down the back of her neck to slide ever downward until he pressed his palm into the small of her back, pressing her into him. She complied half-heartedly, standing with her arms limp at her sides and her cheek brushed the silk of his haori. "If I didn't want to be monogamous, I wouldn't have chosen a wolf."

Daiyu was not fully convinced, but she did not protest against him as he tilted her head up to his and kissed her with more emotion than she had ever previously felt from him. His hands did not roam over her body but stayed in place, heating her neck and back with his skin and as he deepened the kiss she couldn't help thinking, 'he kisses me as though he loves me.'