[A/N]
I know that the last chapter was rather short, but hopefully this one will be longer. Mkay?

Chapter Two – Healer

"What is your father's name, Lord Sesshoumaru?" Izayoi asked as she walked behind him, careful to follow exactly where he was leading her. He had been silent for the entire, well, flight, there. This actually didn't surprise her once her still sleep-hazed brain registered that he was a youkai. He had also spent most of the time ignoring her questions as though she was nothing more than an ignorant ninque.

Once again, Sesshoumaru ignored her.

All he wanted to do was to get back to his father, with the healer that he had promised to bring. The wounds that the Lord had sustained had needed the attention of a healer, since they were too deep and too serious to be tended by the hand of the stubborn inu youkai himself. He had collapsed shortly after the battle, having had taken the most grievous of the wounds.

"What is your father's name, milord?" Izayoi asked again, beginning to get impatient with the stubborn, emotionless, wounded, angry, adolescent, inu youkai. "It would be easier if I knew his name."

"Fine!" He snarled at her, turning around and glaring at her through those golden eyes before answering curtly. "His name is Lord Inutaisho."

Her violet eyes widened slightly at that. The real Lord Inutaisho? She thought. I thought he was only kidding, but I guess that he isn't. With that she quickened her pace, not wanting to fall behind.



After a few more minutes of walking, they came to the large clearing that Sesshoumaru had described earlier. There were around ten other demons, all of them having the same length of fur somewhere on their bodies, and the dark coloured streaks on their cheeks. Most of them were injured, but nearly as badly as the one in the centre of the clearing.

His long silvery hair, like that of his son, was pulled into a high ponytail that was pooled besides his head. When she walked into the clearing, it seemed as if everyone's eyes had turned to her. The other demons began whispering as she followed Sesshoumaru to where their leader lay horrendously injured.

Quietly, the adolescent youkai knelt besides the unconscious Lord, lightly touching his cheek. His voice, unlike whenever he had spoken to her, was soft, and seemingly gentle.

"Father, are you awake?" The Lord seemed to stir, opening his eyes slightly. Beneath those lids were orbs of the same brilliant gold as those of the 16-year-old that knelt at his side. He nodded, grimacing in apparent pain. "I brought the healer, from a village. I had to travel far, since no other ninque healer would come to the aid of a demon. She's the only one that would come. Even if it is a female, it's better than nothing."

Izayoi scowled as she looked at the two demons. She was not as weak as he said that she was! She was actually considered a better healer than her father was, since she had received additional healers' training from that miko. When the golden eyes of the Western Lord settled upon her, he gave a small smile, chuckling weakly before grimacing in pain.

"It looks as if you found a stubborn healer." Lord Inutaisho's voice was hoarse, and Izayoi could hear the pain within is trying-to-be-light-and- failing tones. His breathed quickened suddenly, and the young ninque healer surprised Sesshoumaru by pushing him hurriedly out of the way and kneeling next to the wounded lord. The 16-year-old glared at her as he ended up in an ungraceful heap besides her.

Setting her jaw, Izayoi pulled out a small vile of a clear liquid and slipped the contents into one of the bowls of freshwater that were nearby. Blushing slightly as she noticed the golden eyes that were watching her, she held the bowl to Inutaisho's lips and bid him to drink.

"It'll be better than to be awake while I tend these wounds." Her voice was soft and slightly soothing to the stubborn inu youkai. "Don't worry, all it will do is let you fall asleep while I tend these wounds. You won't feel a thing," she smiled at him, "I promise."

Eyeing her wearily, he drank reluctantly from the bowl, allowing her to help him sit up slightly. When she had let him back down, his eyes were already drooping and he was asleep quickly. Smiling slightly, she began to rub other healing herbs into the deep abrasions that had been dealt to him during the fight, or, however it was that he had come by these wounds. It took her a long time, but after a few hours, she had finished binding and cleaning each of the wounds carefully and completely.

Sighing, exhausted, she looked around to find that most of the other inu youkai had already settled down to get some sleep. Simple huts had been erected, including one over her head that she hadn't even noticed. The only one awake was Lord Sesshoumaru and he was sitting next to her, looking his father over. At that moment, the Lord Inutaisho was still in the deep sleep brought on by the herbs and water that she had given him earlier.

"Has anyone tended to your wounds, Lord Sesshoumaru?" She asked quietly, turning her violet eyes on him and looking at the many wounds that yet decorated his chest. He turned gold eyes on her in surprise. He hadn't really even noticed that she was there after a while – she had been silent the entire time that she had been providing the Lord's care.

"No." He answered softly, but looked at her in suspicion as she frowned slightly at him, shaking her head. "Why do you ask?"

"Because Lord Inutaisho is not the only one here that has been wounded." She said, a slightly note of sternness in her soft voice. "And you are also the only one that is still awake besides me. Let me tend your wounds, which will also prevent infection from spreading to the wounds."

He scowled, but did not say a word as he turned, exposing his backside to her. As gently as she could, she cleaned out the wounds with a fresh bowl of water, mixed with a specially healing herb. He hissed softly in pain every time she wiped the wounds, but was silent the rest of the time. Sesshoumaru did the same thing as she treated the wounds on his chest and arms.

"There you go, milord." She said with a small smile as she finished with the last bandage. "Now, I suggest that you rest and try and gather some strength. It'll also help you to heal faster."

He said something softly under his breath as he began to walk out of the hut, but he stopped at the door and turned around. "There is a mat in the corner of the hut. It was set up for you and you may use it to rest. All ninque need there rest, as do you, so I suggest that you use it."

Izayoi scowled slightly after he had left, but moved to the corner where there had indeed been a blanket and a mat set aside for her use. After carefully tucking away her medicinal herbs and vials, not to mention the bandages, she settled into the little mat, and allowed sleep to claim her senses. It had been a long and exhausting night, and she would need the rest to get back to her village in the morning.



[A/N]
How do you people like this so far? I hope you do, even though there are a lot of short chapters. - Don't worry though, they'll get longer after a while. After all, it is summer vacation! TTFN