I rose, turning to face him directly and scrolls left forgotten behind me. The demon laughed, flipping a lock of hair out of his face as pupil less green eyes crinkled at the corners with his smile.

"We both know the answer to that." Something caught his gaze, and in a flash he was in front of me, ignoring Akatsuki standing right next to him with his weapon drawn as he picked up my necklace with a single finger. "'Head Healer of the Western Lands Haruka.' And here I thought that you weren't interested in titles." I shrugged.

"How could I pass up the opportunity? Did she send you?"

"Hm." He didn't move away, and Akatsuki remained poised to attack as he still considered my tag of employment. "I'm sure that our master would have come herself, had she known that you were employed here. Don't you think so, Rei-chan?" My attention didn't waver from the demon before me, muscles tense. His gaze lifted, meeting mine fully. "No doubt she'll be interested to hear that."

"No doubt."

"Hani-sama." Akatsuki spoke up calmly, not even hesitating with his honorific. "Care to introduce us?"

"This is Katsu, an apprentice to Chiharu. You've heard of her. She has a tendency to sneak into places- the more difficult to enter the better- and it seems that this is a trait she's passed onto her second favorite student." Katsu raised an eyebrow, mimicked by Akatsuki.

"Second?" he muttered, before addressing the Western bodyguard. "Our master sent us on her behalf, apologizing for not arriving in person as Chiharu-sama had intended."

"We're going to have to meet with Sesshomaru-sama about this. Haruka-san, will you vouch for him?" I looked up, frowning. He just kept his gaze leveled, and I saw Katsu mimic my expression.

When Akatsuki didn't explain, I raised an eyebrow. "There's no need for me to- Chiharu-sensei likely sent some sort of identification with them to confirm that he's her assistant." But why would my word matter? I silently wondered as my guard turned to Katsu for confirmation. The other healer looked thoughtful, wordlessly taking out a sealed package and handing it to Akatsuki, staring at me in curiosity. I shrugged and turned back to my research.

"Haruka-san, I'm leaving another guard with you for a moment. Try not to get killed!" I nodded, immersing myself in my work as I heard them leave. If there really was a guard left with me, he didn't say anything, and I read in silence for several hours.

... Akatsuki's PoV ...

"The letter looked legitimate to me, Sesshomaru-sama, but I figured that you'd want to see it yourself." Akatsuki leaned against the wall, watching as his lord's eyes flicked over the paper quickly. When the daiyoukai finished he sat there, eyes narrowed as he considered.

"Chiharu's apprentices slipped onto the grounds?" Akatsuki nodded.

"They weren't detected, but I'll find the hole. We wouldn't want the other lords to hear that we have a security flaw." He grinned, and his lord nodded.

"Have them kept under watch in the hospital wing, and inform me when you find how they entered without being detected." Sesshomaru's tone was dismissive, and he cleared his throat slightly.

"Actually, I don't feel comfortable having them too near Haruka-san." The dog demon raised an eyebrow. "When they arrived, they immediately sought out Haruka-san in the library. They seemed to know each other."

"From where?"

"Most likely they were both apprentices. Haruka-san recognized him just from his voice, and they immediately began taunting each other."

"But she hasn't told you directly?" He laughed slightly.

"No, she avoids talking about herself too much if she can help it." His lord nodded slightly, as if remembering this to be true. Akatsuki started to bow and leave, but hesitated. "Sesshomaru-sama... there's something else. It could be nothing." There was silence as the daiyoukai waited for clarification. "I left Haruka-san alone for a moment, and when I came back there was a lingering demonic presence. I recognized it, but I couldn't figure out who it was from- whoever it was, they weren't someone who'd been here recently. I can recognize everyone who is visiting at the moment with the lords by their yoki to an extent, and it didn't come from any of them."

"Was there a smell? What did the hani say?" Sesshomaru demanded, face intent as he leaned forward in an uncharacteristic display of emotion.

"There was a slight smell, but that could have been caused by the yoki, and she refused to tell me. She looked as if she was hiding something and looked excited- afterwards she went off into the library, where she's been for days. She wouldn't even leave to escort her former ... colleague. After not finding anything, she demanded to know what I sensed."

Sesshomaru remained seated, not revealing anything in his expression as he stared down at his desk in thought. "It's too soon for him to be the cause." Akatsuki nodded, knowing that it wasn't a question.

"By a few years. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't make sure." His lord nodded.

"Keep an eye on the hani at all times. Inform me the moment you discover what she's researching." Sesshomaru leaned back in his chair, tone dismissive as his eyes fixed on the door. Akatsuki nodded and left quietly, leaving his lord to his thoughts.

... Haruka, 1st person PoV ...

"Ha!" I threw down my last card, posing triumphantly as Katsu scowled. "What was it you said about the inferior race?" I asked smugly, scooping up the candies piled in between of us.

"Cheating ningen." He muttered as the other demon, Rei, began shuffling the cards.

"Loser youkai."

"Western bitch."

"Weird-eyed bastard."

"As if you can talk, manuke."

"Second favorite."

"Not after you left."

We glared at each other for a moment before he pressed the decks down on the floor, and there was a flurry as we fought for the first pick of the decks. He pushed me out of the way with a smug grin and drew his hand, covertly slipping a few extra cards.

"Has she been just as bad as before?" I asked, laying down a card.

"Our master was heart-broken when you left. She abandoned Jirou and another the week afterwards."

I snorted. "She was ready to kill me anyway, I just made it easier for her."

"You still had several years with us at the least." He rolled his eyes and finished his turn.

"Maybe. Perhaps I was tired of staying in one place."

"You always were one to chase after puzzles. But why the Western Lands?"

"That seems to be the question everyone's concerned with at the moment."

"Hm. It's uncharacteristic for Sesshomaru to take on a human employee. From what I've heard, such a thing hasn't happened since Sesshomaru was a child."

"I saved his ward when his original healer was the cause of her illness."

"Even so, you confessed to not liking to stay in one place." He leaned forward, teeth flashing as he grinned. "Come now, what puzzles have you been focused on? They must be interesting, for you to be so intent on staying here."

I shrugged. "I want to know why Sesshomaru-sama decided to hire me. And if an estate full of youkai can accept a high-ranking ningen adviser tasked with caring for them when they're ill. You've also seen the garden, not to mention the much more interesting encounters I have here."

"The lords, perhaps, but that's not the only reason." His head cocked to the side, eyes narrowing in consideration. "You were arguing with your guard when I arrived."

"And there it is." I laughed slightly as I shuffled the cards again and Katsu retrieved my previous earnings. "You're far from a subtle eavesdropper." He shrugged, smiling lightly.

"I don't need to be subtle, and you wouldn't appreciate that anyway. You wouldn't argue with him unless you were having problems solving your puzzle. Perhaps I could help you, if you told me what was wrong."

I leaned back, considering. Katsu was often more intelligent than I, and was likely more in touch with current events. The worst he could do was tell Akatsuki or Chiharu about my puzzle, which wouldn't do much if I had my answer. "Fine." I slipped my cards under my leg and reached into my pouch, unwrapping the tiny shard hidden inside. The moment I pulled it out his green eyes widened almost comically, flashing forward until he was face to face with the shard.

"Now where did you get that, Haruka-chan?"

"I found it in the middle of a barren field shortly before being attacked by an oni." He whistled, still staring intently at the shard. "It gives off a demonic aura, absorbs light, attempts to coerce you with an aura of power, and I'm fairly certain that it's darkened. There's likely some kind of spirit involved." I twisted it, watching as the light bent into the jewel shard.

"And you honestly don't know what it is?" He raised an eyebrow without looking up.

"I don't see how I could. And if I did you would never have seen it." He nodded, finally looking up to meet my gaze considerately.

"I'm surprised that you haven't heard. But then, you never were one to listen to idle rumor. The shard-hunting group? Sesshomaru's half-brother? Reincarnated priestesses? I figured that those rumors would attract your attention."

"Do tell." I tilted my head to the side, ignoring the slight barb.

"Fifty years ago, a priestess and a half-demon fell in love- Kikyou and Inuyasha. The priestess was the assigned defender of the Shikon no Tama. You've heard of that, yes?"

I rolled my eyes. "Priestess Midoriko, village of demon hunters, souls leaving chests- of course I've heard of it."

"She was the only priestess with the spiritual power to purify it. She decided that she could get rid of it forever if she made a pure wish- namely, for her lover to wish to be turned into a full human so that they could live long and dull lives." I snorted.

"In what way is that a pure wish? She's wanting him to be human for her own sake, so that she won't have to deal with her duty and couldn't accept that she was in love with someone not completely human." He shrugged.

"You humans aren't well known for thinking things through. Anyway, he agreed. But on the day that she agreed to bring him the jewel, he attacked her. She lived long enough to shoot at him and pin him to the Tree of Ages, and then died, her body burned along with the Shikon no Tama. Fifty years later, a girl in odd clothing appears in the Bone Eater's Well, looking exactly like the late priestess and with spiritual powers that she had no training with. She freed Inuyasha, and a demon tore out the Shikon no Tama of her body. It was smashed, she joined up with the half-demon and a small group of warriors, searching for the shards of the Shikon no Tama. Another powerful demon is also currently looking for it, and is a sworn enemy of your lord. Each shard can imbue you with power, or you could control others through it. With all of them together you can make any wish you desire. What you have in your hand is a shard of the Shikon no Tama."

"Huh." I looked at it in interest. "Well that's not nearly as exciting as I thought. I was hoping that it was cursed." He laughed.

"Well, you certainly won't get bored with that around. I'm surprised that you haven't been attacked already, carrying that around." I shrugged, tossing it into the air and catching it. The Shikon no Tama... he sighed suddenly, snatching it out of my hand. "If you're going to keep it, at least hide it better." He tugged the comb out of my hair, holding the shard over the engraved surface. His hand glowed slightly, brow knitted slightly as he focused and then moved his hand closer. The metal pooled around his fingers, opening up into a cranny just big enough for the shard. He set it inside gently, the metal compressing around it, making the jewel seem to be a natural fixture. It glowed a dark purple for a moment- a darker color than before, interesting- before dulling, appearing to be just another jewel.

"I'm fairly certain that you just set me up to be attacked for my comb." He laughed outright, tossing it back to me.

"I'm interested in how you'll handle having a dangerous jewel imbedded in your second most prized object." He grinned, fangs flashing again. "Besides, our master's going to be pissed when she sees that you tampered with her gift." I groaned, putting my hair back up easily. Who knows, maybe I'll be even more entertained by people looking for quick power.

We played in relative silence for another few hours before Katsu finally rose, back popping audibly as he stretched. "Don't worry Neko-chan, I know that you ningen need more sleep."

I remained sitting, reclining back on my hands. "I look forward to winning again tomorrow."

He snorted, gathering his winnings in one hand as he began to leave. "Goodbye, bitch."

"Ijiwaru."

"Kusogaki."

"Kuchikitanai."

"Hetakuso." He made a rude gesture as he left.

... ...

I massaged the bridge of my nose, attempting to concentrate on the papers in front of me as my eye lids threatened to droop.

Colors, sensations, memories- those where what I usually remembered at night. I would work through the day, my thoughts tinted with colors and feelings as I examined everything, but I couldn't remember a single time that I'd dreamed of something that I hadn't heard or seen. But this time... those words still echoed in my head.

"It's always the same. You're always the same. No matter what I do, nothing changes- We meet, we bond, and then..." I swore slightly, fumbling around in my memory for the rest of the sentence. And then... what? Those words were the only substantial thing that I remembered, aside from a pang of dread at the thought. That phrase, though... It may be slightly useless without the full thing, but it was odd that I'd heard it at all.

If I concentrated, I remembered little snippets of my dream- a flash of red hair, laughter, brief glimpses of my own face and a blue moon. Something to do with Akatsuki or Sesshomaru perhaps? But if that were so, why would I hear my lord's voice saying that. I'd wracked my brain all day, and couldn't recall his ever saying something that vague and slightly irritating. I made a frustrated sound, running a hand through my bangs before hearing something rustle pointedly behind me.

"Hani." a cold voice said, and I inwardly shook my head at his timing.

"Milord. Planning another training exercise?" I turned, forgoing the papers as I leaned against the desk. He stood several feet away, not shifting in any way as he shook his head.

"I've been informed that you have been hiding information from your guard." he said bluntly.

I reached back, picking up a sheaf of papers and flipping through them idly. "I heard an interesting rumor and wanted to look into it. You've heard of the Shikon no Tama?" I glanced up, seeing his eyes narrow at the word.

"Yes."

"I heard someone mention something about a cursed jewel recently and hadn't heard anything about the recent events surrounding it." I made a mental note to make sure that the kitchens didn't use blood root in the meal they were planning- some of the eastern advisers were fox demons, and their yoki could react strongly to the herb.

"You were looking in old scrolls."

"I wasn't sure about which cursed jewel it was. There are quite a few around at the moment."

"And the presence in your room that Akatsuki sensed?"

"I was tossing objects around, some of the plants spilling everywhere likely released something similar to yoki. Convincing Akatsuki that he had a security problem was just amusing."

"You remained in the library for several days." His eyes narrowed further, and I looked down, focusing on the papers in my hands.

"I needed an excuse to avoid the other lords." There was a brief pause, during which the only sound was the rustling of papers and the faint sounds of the guards training.

"Lying to me is foolish and unnecessary." He said blankly, voice firm and slightly cool.

"Maybe. I'm more interested in how you knew that I was lying." He didn't reply, and his eyes didn't waver in the slightest when I looked up to meet his gaze. "Don't worry, the only security flaw you have is the one that Katsu came in through. I wasn't contacted by anyone while Akatsuki wasn't present." There was another pause before he nodded.

"You are to inform me if such a meeting occurs." He ordered, and I nodded obediently, returning my attention to the reports.

"Of course."

"You will also fulfill your duties as a hani before throwing yourself into personal research." At this I looked up from the plans for the meals nearly a week from now, confused.

"I've finished going through all of the records from the three lords and their servants, along with approved the ingredients and recipes from the kitchens for the next several days. I made sure to complete my duties early."

"You were told two days ago that later today you were to accompany a hunting party done traditionally by each lord. Judging by your appearance, you have not prepared in the slightest for this event." I froze, papers forgotten in my hands as I met blank golden eyes staring at me levelly.

"When did you inform me of this?" I asked, and he raised an eyebrow.

"A message was given to your assistant, Akilah." I stiffened and felt a quick flash of fury before I got it under control. He watched impassively, not missing anything as he remained near the doorway.

"Really?" I asked, attempting to sound just mildly interested. Judging by his look, I most likely didn't succeed.

"You were not informed of this?" I didn't bother with a verbal response, setting my shoulders back as I carried the stack of papers into my room. I didn't hear him follow, but I didn't doubt that he was.

"How long are we supposed to be gone, when are we leaving, and what are the risks of attack?" I fired off, not looking back as I opened the chest in the corner of my room and placed the papers in their rightful place- it was too risky keeping it out in the open while the other healers were here.

"We leave in two hours, and will be gone for three to six days, perhaps longer. The hunt is fairly unpredictable, it will be difficult to predict the treatments that will be necessary."

Two hours. I could do that, if I worked quickly. "Are there any specific things that are possible? Certain poisons, anything?" He didn't reply, and I shrugged. I would just have to take everything, I suppose. I grabbed two bags full of canisters and as walked past the daiyoukai, I remembered my dream from before. Was it worth asking?

"So." I said, working to sound casual as I dove into the garden, harvesting herbs here and there and placing the appropriate amounts in canisters. I already had many medicines prepared and residing in the store room, but I couldn't be caught unprepared. "I can't be sure, but have we ever met before I worked here?" There was a brief pause as I dug my hands into the soil. Akilah could carry both bags for his little passive-aggressive hissy fit.

"Of course not." He nearly scoffed behind me.

"Huh. Really?" I felt the beginnings of a headache begin before images flashed through my head.

"What are you hinting at ningen?" I didn't miss the purposeful demotion he gave me as I kneaded the bridge of my nose for the second time today.

"Do you recall..." I remembered a sharp, clear image. "a garden?" even to me my tone sounded uncertain. "Red exotic flowers, blossom trees, furs on the ground.." Golden eyes, for once peaceful and... happy? "a little girl and boy sitting amongst the flowers, laughing as they .. as they... " I groaned slightly, rubbing my forehead harder.

I saw flashes- dark brown wood, rough against my fingers. "I wonder what happened here?" And then it caught my eye- a patch not quite like the others. The wood was carved away, an entire section gone- too large for it to be natural. "The tree... something's wrong with the tree. What is that? Why do you..." Horror filled his eyes. "Sesshomaru?" My fingers brushed against the carving, curiosity filling me as he didn't respond, eyes fixed on the wood as he grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

I heard a faint voice, sharp and urgent. "Hani?"

"What is that?" I muttered, repeating the question almost frantically. I know that symbol, what was it? It was the reason... "That symbol..." A hand grasped my shoulder, jerking me upright- when did I double over?- and white filled my eyes. No details, and I mentally cycled through causes for blurry vision.

"Hani." This time the voice was clearer, cutting through the memory harshly. For a moment I was trapped in the memory, details emerging more and more vividly before something struck me in the face and my head jerked back.

... ...

I blinked once, twice, feeling as if I'd been drenched in water as the memory faded as quickly as it had come.

My head pounded as my mind worked sluggishly to tell me what was going on. My head lolled on my shoulder for a moment as I worked through what I was processing. Sesshomaru was in front of me, eyes narrowed and hand gripping my forearm tightly. Something odd was in his eyes, a familiar look that was gone before I could recognize it.

"Milord?" I asked calmly, wincing as my head pulsed fiercely and rotating my jaw as I felt a dull pain begin to grow there. "Is there a problem?" He immediately released me, backing up.

"You're well Hani?" I tilted my head to the side, watching in curiosity as he stared back impassively. Why had he...? I lifted my hand, probing at my jaw as it pulsed again, demanding attention. I frowned as I encountered a rather large bump along my right jaw and cheek, the faint taste of blood still lingering in my mouth. Just when had I fallen on my face?

"In theory. Did you hit me?" He shook his head.

"You became dazed and fell, striking the floor. You've been sleeping fully?"

"Aside from the odd... Yes." I tried to shake off the sluggishness. "I believe that I had an odd dream this morning, but I don't remember it." He stared at me for a long moment silently.

"You will meet the others in the courtyard in an hour." He ordered and I nodded.

"I look forward to it." I turned, returning to the garden.

He didn't respond, and I looked back briefly before sagging against the wall briefly as weakness assailed me. Something had happened... I made an annoyed sound as I struggled to remember something, anything, and coming up with nothing.

... ...

A/N Thank you OCDingshutin (I love your review! Did this meet your expectations? Was there enough weird friendship with Sesshomaru and Haruka? Don't worry, there will be more. ;D) Dontgotaclue88, lexiwolf, Nizuna Fujieda, 88dragon06 (Yep, Sesshomaru wins most of the time, much to Haruka's dismay. And as for the notes... :D) animeloser101, Eva Sirico, and FantaC Luvr for all of your reviews! I really appreciate it! So there's no possible way that you aren't all curious about what's going on with Haruka. Any theories on the future or what's going on? Also, before anyone asks, it has nothing to do with with Haruka being psychic. No weird powers for the Hani~~~ Please send me your theories and opinions! :D