aChapter 4

Disclaimer: Oh, I am but a lowly fanfic writer! I do not own anything Inuyasha.

Author's Note: Javari and her author-didn't-do-any-research-and-made-it-all-up Amazon culture belong to me, and I reserve the right to hunt you down, rip out your internal organs, and toast them over an open fire if you for some bizarre reason feel the urge to rip me off.

The Amazons

Matsunaga and his warriors managed to land their boat on the shores of what they desperately hoped was the land of the warriors. By some ironic twist of fate, a terrible storm had blown up while they were at sea. Taro, who had been checking in on them, managed to hurtle them out of the storm and towards dry land.

There was a short stretch of beach, which quickly turned into forest. Matsunaga surveyed the land for a moment.

"Clear out this section of forest. Use the wood to repair the boat and set up a temporary camp. Eight of you in groups of two will scout out the area, never more than shouting distance from camp. Move out." He followed the men around, lending a hand wherever necessary and sweating it out with the best of them.

Within two days, they had cleared a large section of forest and were ready to stay there for days, even weeks, if necessary. All scouts had found no one else on the land, although they reported sounds of battle, dropped weapons, and recently used campsites.

On several occasions, they found their supplies rummaged through and various items missing; warriors would wake up to find themselves stripped of armor only to find said armor lying in a pile outside of their tent. Weapons went missing and would show up again in the strangest places…in the evening rice, embedded through firewood, or piled in a mound and half covered with sand.

But what was more unsettling that the missing items was the perpetual feeling of many pairs of eyes staring at him. More than once, Matsunaga had the creeping sensation of being watched, and many of the warriors complained of the same feeling, though they neither saw nor smelled another youkai.

As far as they could tell, they were perfectly alone.

This must be the right place, Matsunaga thought. But where are they? The good luck charm Umeko had given him was dangling from a silver chain around his neck. It was a pearl inscribed with the character for "fortune". He touched it gently, thinking of her, and praying to the gods for luck.

The way things are going…we're going to need a lot of that, he reflected.

"Good game, Teolan," Javari called out to one of her teammates, as she headed back to her den. The usual group of Ja'La'Hai players was disbanding after the latest round, laughing and talking about the game they had just played. Over to her left, a small group of players was reenacting a particularly exciting section, while another tried out a new move Teolan had introduced. At the sound of her voice, the other demon stopped and waited for her to catch up.

"And you, my friend! I suppose you're going to play next week, at the Festival of Fire and Light?" Teolan asked, grinning from ear to ear, despite the blood trickling from a cut over her eye. "I know Santyel is playing…" Teolan teased her. Javari felt her face redden, although it would be hard to see beneath the dirt and blood.

"Don't be silly. I would play even if he weren't." she replied, laughing.

"You know he would give you his kill in a moment," Teolan remarked, tickling Javari's legs with her tail and making the other demon laugh. "Why don't you just accept him into your den already?"

Javari shrugged. "I don't know…I'm just not ready yet."

"Pffft…ready? You're of age to take a mate."

"Just barely!" Javari protested. Teolan laughed.

"Go swim; you're a mess. Until we meet on the winding path." she said, and headed off for her own den. A swim did sound nice, Javari thought, changing her course for the river.

On the bank of the river, she stripped off her blood soaked clothes and dove in. The water stung the many cuts that were still healing, but in a few hours, she would be completely healed and ready for battle again…Ahh, I do love being a demon, she thought idly, scrubbing dirt off her arms and legs.

Once every inch of her was clean, from the tips of her pointed ears to her clawed feet, Javari jumped out of the river and walked over to where her clothes and weapons were.

Correction, where they formerly were, Javari thought. She spun around, flinging water droplets and heard cackling laughter. Javari sighed. "Maleel…I know you're there. Give me my clothes back." she said patiently. A fabulously colored bird perched in one of the trees cocked his head at her, and cawed. "You rascal, I see you! Get down here right now!" The bird cackled.

"Or you'll what?" he squawked, fluffing his brilliant feathers. Javari crouched, then sprang up into the tree next to him and tackled him off the branch. They landed in a heap, and then he tried to bite her. She wrapped her arms around his wings and pinned him down, despite his vigorous struggles.

"Where are my clothes, Maleel?" she demanded, shaking the bird as he cackled. Suddenly there was a burst of feathers, and she was no longer holding a bird, but a devilishly handsome boy, who wrapped his arms around her.

"Oh, Javari, I knew you always felt the same way about me!" he laughed, as Javari pushed him off her with considerable more force than was necessary.

"Be serious, Maleel, I want my clothes." she said sternly. He only chuckled and turned into a bird again, and flew up to retrieve her clothes.

"Listen, Javari, they're playing a game tomorrow, and they wanted to know if you wanted to play." he said while she dressed. Frowning, she tied the wrap around her waist.

"I haven't heard of any game," Javari remarked, fastening her knife belt.

"It's…not an official game."

"Ah. Some people settling scores again?" she asked. He nodded. "Have they set the rules yet?"

"It's practically a free-for-all…A two nighter; all weapons allowed run along this strip of land that they're marking tonight. It runs from the coast to the boundary of one of the inner villages." He told her, grinning. "It's going to be great, Vari. You gonna come?"

She returned his smile with a smirk of her own, flashing fangs. "I haven't been on a run in a while. When does it start?"

"Noon, tomorrow, at the Cobra village." Maleel replied.

"Cobra village? Ohhh…don't tell me that Cobra and Serpent are going at it AGAIN." Javari grumbled. "They're named after the same damned animal." He shrugged.

"Something about Serpent stealing Cobra's people," he explained. The demons who were bonded to a village took energy and life from the people there and in return protected and helped them. For one demon to be luring people away from another demon's village was a blatant power play, as well as a considerable insult. Cobra was challenging Serpent to a run, and the winner would take all.

Javari pulled her hair back and tied it up. "Then I'll see you tomorrow at noon. Thanks for telling me."

"Anything for you," he snickered. "But try to keep your clothes on next time." He yelped on the word time as Javari swatted him.

"Fly away, bird, or I'll eat you for dinner." she teased, playfully extending her claws and batting at him. He jumped up, turning into the demon-bird midair, and flew up out of her reach.

"Ha, you old maid, you can't catch me!" he cawed, flapping higher.

"What did you just call me?" she yowled, her tail lashing. "I am not an old maid!" But he was long gone. Javari scowled. Man, you don't mate the second you come of age and you're an old maid already, she thought. She dropped down on all fours and grew her jaguar pelt.

"Pah! I don't need a mate anyway!" she muttered, bounding off in the direction of her den.

She felt her village through the bond that connected her to them. They were doing well, healthy and strong, and there was a ready supply of energy for her to draw on if she needed to. A long time ago, the humans and the demons had fought. When the demons had won, they claimed different villages as part of their territory. Although they thought of the humans as no more than a quick meal, once a demon claimed a village as his/her territory, s/he would fight to the death to defend it against other demons or invading humans.

Over time, the relationship between the demons and the villagers evolved. The demon would form a psychic bond to the village, a bond that enabled it to draw upon the strength and energy of the villagers. It protected the villagers from enemies and helped them in battle, while the grateful villagers provided it with food in the form of sacrificial animals, and worshipped a totem they erected in their guardian's honor. And everybody benefited.

Except, Javari thought, when stupid, greedy snakes like Calas Serpent try to steal a village from someone else. She padded along the jungle, pushing through the lush foliage until she reached her den.

The instant she got there, she knew a stranger had been there. She sniffed the air-the scent of a young male, spicy and strong, lingered. Santyl.

Javari cautiously approached the entrance to her den. He had left her a freshly killed pig. A courting gift. If she had a human mouth, she would have smiled. Everyone was right-he would be a good mate, if she chose to accept him into her den.

Maybe someday, Javari thought, curling up on a pile of leaves. She yawned and closed her eyes…

…only to open them again when she heard the sound of padded feet outside her den, creeping closer and closer. Javari sniffed the air, but she couldn't smell anything besides the foliage and dirt around her. She put her head back down and pretended to be asleep; listening as the intruder snuck in the back entrance of her den and softly came over to where she was sleeping. Small paws touched her ears and her fur, and a sudden weight settled on her side.

Javari rolled over, hissing, and trapped the intruder beneath her. The monkey squealed in terror.

"Damn it, Lia," Javari said, returning to her human form. The monkey skittered away and seconds later, a young woman appeared.

"You were asleep; I didn't want to wake you up!" the demoness protested. Javari snorted.

"Well, you almost gave me a heart attack. I couldn't recognize your scent at all." she replied. Lia held up a handful of leaves.

"Nechua. It hides your scent completely." she handed a few to Javari, who sniffed them.

"They smell good," she commented. Lia smiled and settled down on the heap of leaves, ready to go to sleep.

"Monkey! Out of my bed!" Javari said in mock outrage. She shifted back into jaguar form as Lia became a monkey again, and the two of them curled up in a furry pile and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning dawned bright and clear—perfect for the run. Lia had already left by the time Javari awoke, and had left some fruit for her by way of thanks. The monkey demon had been living on and off with Javari for a while, and her coming and going was about as predictable as the wind, although she was a damn good Ja'La'Hai player.

Javari became human long enough to eat the fruit, and dress herself for the run. A knife strapped to each leg, her sword tied across her back, and her bone knife in the sheath at her waist. She braided her hair back and fastened the tooth necklace around her neck to bring her luck, and then she was ready.

When she arrived at the village where the run was to begin, most of the other players were milling around. A large village, it was evidently very prosperous, judging by the

numerous houses and beautifully constructed totem to Cobra in the center of the village. Most of the villagers had remained inside their huts but a brave few peered out at the crowd of demon warriors. Looking around, Javari saw Tartagal, one of her female ex-teachers, comparing bone knives with Camiri, a demoness who had been a novice trainee the same time as Javari. Santyl was off talking to Cobra and Maleel. When Cobra caught sight of her and waved her over.

"Javari," Santyl said, tipping his head slightly to her, as handsome as ever with his jet black hair and warm caramel skin. She returned the gesture, and ruffled Maleel's hair in a way he hated, then turned her attention back to Cobra.

Bauru Cobra was serpentine even in his human form. His gray-green eyes had snake-like pupils and he was completely bald. She could see the patterns of scales on his shoulders and arms.

"It is an honor to have you with us on this run," he said, hissing slightly on the s's. "It has been some time since we played Ja'La'Hai together."

She grinned at the demon. "Those were good games, my friend. Why did you stop playing?" He scowled.

"Not of my own choice, my feline friend. I have had my hands full dealing with Serpent and his nonsense. I did not have time to play Ja'La'Hai and take care of my village, who decided to war with another, stronger village."

"They must have great faith in their spirit protector, then." Javari replied. Her words brought a smile to his face.

"Thank you," Bauru said softly. "I must go now, for the run is about to begin. I look forward to seeing you on the trail." He turned and headed toward the starting line.

"Did you enjoy my gift?" Santyl asked Javari, obsidian eyes staring into hers. Maleel mumbled something about having to go and left.

"Oh…yes, yes I did. Thank you." she stammered, feeling like an idiot. "Um," there was a pause, while Javari scrambled for words while trying not to stare at Santyl's lips. "You could stay next time, and share the kill."

He smiled, showing fangs. "I'd like that."

Javari returned the smile, suddenly feeling less awkward.

"I'll see you on the run." Santyl said, taking her hand and pressing it to his cheek.

"Until we meet on the winding path," she replied, and watched him walk off. He had the smooth, graceful gait of a warrior and a nice…tail. Javari ignored Maleel, who was smirking at her, and headed over to the large group.

"To the line!" one of the moderators, an ocelot demoness, yelled. The players gathered at the line, pulling out weapons, stretching and warming up their muscles.

The run was a challenge, usually between two demons, but occasionally between two clans of demons. The object of the run was for the two challengers defend their ball from the other players. Each challenger had two friends who fought with him or her. The first one to make it to the end of the run with their ball was the winner.

The course for this run had been carefully marked ahead of time with glowing balls of light. It started at this village, wound its way up through the lush jungle, and finally ended at the coastline.

Though, simple enough in theory, it is amazingly hard in real life. Javari grinned as the moderator called for starting positions. Bauru's companions, Aráxa and Marília, stood directly behind him, as did Calas's companions, Amambai and Jatal. Bauru and his rival, Calas, were in the front of the pack, each holding a ball studded in jewels and gold.

"Warriors at the ready…" the moderator shouted. "Go!"

The pack quickly separated into two groups, the attacking team and the end team. The attacking team would be constantly harrying the two challengers as they made their way down the run, while the end team would be waiting for them at the last leg of the run. Javari was in the attacking team.

She leapt away from the group, and bounded up into the trees, jumping from branch to branch, trying to get ahead of the pack. She could see other demons with the same idea above and around her, while below them Bauru and Calas battled with the rest of the players.

Javari paused on a branch to watch the battle. Aráxa and Marília, a pair of eagle demonesses, were doing an excellent job of keeping many of the attacking team out of Bauru's way; Amambai and Jatal did not fare quite as well. Bauru, whose preferred weapon was a whip, was fending off a pair of monkey demons while keeping Calas on his toes. There was a yelp of pain from one of the monkey demons as she fell out of the pack. Immediately another demon leapt down from the trees to take her place, and the fighters advanced down the path.

The first day was more skirmish fighting than anything else, as both competitors tried to cover as much ground as they could before the heavy fighting started, which would be about halfway through the run. Javari and her teammates took turns harassing the two demons, quick hit-and-run bouts of fighting only meant to tire them for the real battles. As night fell, the attacking demons found a place to rest and regroup, as well as plan for the upcoming fighting the next day. Bauru's and Calas's friends guarded them against further attacks while they slept and roused them when the sun rose on the second day of the run.

The two demons had barely drawn their weapons when the first attacks came. And the run started again, with Bauru and Calas fighting the pack and racing each other at the same time. Javari, who had resumed watching from the trees, kept up with the thick knot of fighters moving rapidly down the trail.

It was then that Calas suddenly broke out from the group and began running. Bauru yelled his outrage but was too engaged in the fight to follow his rival. Aráxa was too busy with Amambai to help him, but Marília was already fighting to open a path for her friend. Calas laughed and sped off, pausing briefly to disarm and stun two demons standing in his way with a quick blow to their necks. It looked like he would have a clear run, at least for a while. Javari gritted her teeth and followed him from the trees. But before she could drop on him, there was a blur of movement and something crashed into Calas, knocking him down.

It was Santyl, in jaguar form. He was huge, even for a demon-jaguar, and Calas circled him warily, knife in one hand, ball in the other. They both feinted once or twice at each other, and then Santyl lunged and scored a long gash on Calas's arm. The snake demon howled in pain, and spat poison at Santyl. The jaguar demon hissed back at him, baring powerful fangs.

Calas did the smart thing and ran. Santyl dashed after him, only to be caught by one of Calas's friends, a river-snake demon named Amambai. Aráxa was lying at the base of a tree, stunned or worse. Calas's other friend, Jatal, was around in the trees somewhere…Javari scanned the area and saw him; he was holding off two demons who clearly wanted to confront Calas.

She jumped, meaning to land in front of Calas…and was tackled, mid-air, by the bird-demon Vilhena. Javari didn't even have time to wonder before she fell, crashing through branches on her way down. She twisted sharply, extending her claws, and managed to catch hold of a large, sturdy branch. Slowly, she pulled herself up. Vilhena was circling around, getting ready for a second pass.

Javari's eyes narrowed. Attacking players didn't fight amongst themselves, only with the challengers and their friends, and Calas was only supposed to have two helpers. Off in the distance, she could see the demons up in the trees fighting with Calas's people.

Vilhena swooped in shrieking, aiming for Javari's eyes with her sharp talons. Javari yanked out the bone knife and waited for her to get close enough…Just as Vilhena's talons gashed her arm, she swung the knife straight into the demon's wing. There was a sickening crack, and a scream from Vilhena, and then the bird-demon was falling down, down to the forest floor.

Where's Calas? Javari thought, looking around for the cheating snake demon. He was far ahead on the trail, unimpeded by anyone. The end team looked greatly reduced, as many of them had gone back to fight with Calas, only to be met by one of his helpers. Bauru, despite all the resistance, was not too far behind…He could still catch up, Javari estimated.

First things first…Calas. Javari examined the gash on her arm briefly. Thankfully, it wasn't her knife arm. She tore some cloth off her skirt and tied it around the wound to hold it while it healed. Crouching, she prepared to spring…when a strong hand clamped down on her shoulder. Javari whipped around, knife at ready, and found that it was Santyl.

"If you go after Calas, I will cover for you," he said, wiping blood off of his chin. There was a cut across his nose and he had various other injuries but otherwise, he looked fine. Seeing her gaze travel over his wounds, he smiled. "Amambai put up quite a fight, but it looks worse than it really is."

There was shouting and the sounds of battle below: Calas had met the end party. Javari looked down.

"Good luck," he whispered, and gently touched his lips to her face. Javari felt that damned blush creeping across her face and smiled.

"You too." she said quietly, and darted off through the trees, all the while keeping an eye on Calas. The end party, fueled by anger at his cheating ways, was putting up a spectacular fight even with Jatal helping him. Javari landed on a branch and watched the fight, readying to spring on Calas.

Something slammed into the back of her head and she cried out in pain. For a moment, she swayed with dizziness and almost lost her balance. Javari growled and closed her eyes, drawing strength from her village. Turning around, she saw one of Calas's people balanced on the branch next to her.

"Impressive, you still kept your balance." the demoness said, twirling the staff in her hand. "It won't save you, though." She whipped the staff around and the ends flew off, to reveal gleaming blades. Javari's answer was to reach back and pull out her sword, and hold it on guard as the demoness approached, still twirling the bladed staff.

A furious roar echoed through the jungle, making both warriors pause. Santyl came flying through the branches, now in jaguar form, to smash into the demoness and knock her off the branch. He went down after her, slashing and fighting with her as they fell.

"Santyl!" Javari cried, jumping down after them. She landed soundly on a branch and crouched, trying to see where they had fallen.

And then realized she was not alone on the branch.

Calas stood at the other hand, covered in blood.

For a long moment, they eyed each other. Then, slowly, Javari stood.

"I won't let you pass." she snarled. He laughed.

"All I have to do is make it a little bit farther—then it'll be over, and I will have won." Calas said coolly. "Get out of my way, cat, I have more friends up here than-"

"They're all busy with their own fights, Calas. If Santyl or one of the others hasn't taken them down yet, Bauru and his group will have caught up by now." Javari cut him off, smirking. "You haven't won yet."

"'Yet' would be the key word there," Calas retorted, but there was fear in his eyes now. "That voice…you're Javari, aren't you?" She nodded, and watched the fear increase tenfold. Then his eyes narrowed. "I've come too far to let some bitch stop me now!"

He grabbed a vine and slid back down to the ground, and took off running. Javari followed him, steadily gaining.

Then she saw the end line, the beach. He was much too close for comfort, but what could she do? He wouldn't actually confront her; she'd have to think of something else. Javari sped up until she was practically on his heels, watching the ball glitter in his filthy grasp.

The ball! If he didn't have that ball when he crossed the line, he wouldn't win. She gathered herself, and leapt…over him. Javari landed in front of him and skidded to a halt. Switching her knife to her off hand, she lunged at him.

He blocked her and brought his own knife down on her arm. It glanced painfully off the bone, and she screamed and leapt away. He sprinted the last distance over the end line, laughing at her, and raised the ball high into the air to show his victory.

Or at least, he raised the hand that used to have the ball into the air. Over to the side, nursing her wound, Javari held the ball.

"You…bitch…" Calas growled. "I am going to kill you!" He suddenly shifted to his other form, a monstrous snake, and came charging after her.

Javari scrambled to her feet and ran. Behind her, she could hear the demon crashing through the bushes. She spotted a good sized tree and climbed up it so fast she was practically flying, and finally rested on a high branch. Her arm was now bleeding from two wounds, and she was beginning to grow faint with blood loss.

The tree shook. Javari glanced down to see the snake winding its way up the tree, eyes glinting with rage. She ripped another strip off her skirt to bandage her newest gash, keeping a wary eye on the snake as it slithered higher and higher. The instant the wound was tied up, she was on her feet and running again, leaping through the branches while Calas relentlessly pursued her.

He almost caught up to her once; he lunged and managed to nip her ankle. She felt the burn of his poison as it entered her system and jumped faster and farther than before, with fear giving her that extra boost.

Javari leaped for the next branch…and went sailing into empty space. Flailing her arms and legs desperately, she looked around and saw that there was a clearing, where there had once been forest. There was nothing to stop her fall, and Javari watched the ground rushing up to meet her.

She landed painfully and rolled. Gasping with exhaustion and pain, she looked up—to see a tall warrior standing over her, staring at her with the strangest look on his face.

And then something hard hit her on the back of the head, and all she knew was darkness.

"Lord Matsunaga…what is that?" the inuyoukai asked, indicating the thing that Matsunaga was carrying in his arms.

"That is what we came all this way for…and it just fell out of the sky in front of us." the general answered. "I want to sail immediately. Has anyone seen Taro?"

"Yes, he came by earlier, and left a minor wind youkai to guide us," another youkai answered.

"Good." Matsunaga said. Raising his voice, he yelled, "Men, we have what we came for. We're going home!" There were cheers from his warriors, as they hurried about, packing up camp and preparing to leave.

Matsunaga looked down at the creature in his arms. She was covered in dirt, sap, and blood, but to his eyes, she could not have been more beautiful. This, he thought, is the female who will save the inuyoukai.

A few hours later, they were sailing for their homeland. Matsunaga had the female locked in one of the carrying cages meant for prisoners. They had cleaned it up and put a mat and blankets in there, to make it a bit nicer, and four warriors kept guard around her at all times.

Not that it looked like she would be trying to escape. She had spent her first waking hours violently sick, much to the disgust of the soldier who had to clean it up, and then fallen asleep. Matsunaga, concerned that she was seriously ill, had the healer take a look at her. He informed the general that she was fighting off battle exhaustion and a powerful poison, but with her healing factors, she should be fine. He prescribed a sedative and recommended that they keep her asleep.

And so she slept, all the way back to Japan. She was plagued by nightmares and often thrashed in her cage, crying and mumbling in a foreign language. It took them a while to figure out how to feed her without letting her totally wake, but once they got the hang of it, the warriors agreed to take turns feeding the "kitten", as they'd affectionately dubbed her.

They lessened the amount of sedative that they gave her, so she was awake enough to eat. She was very groggy, and at first spat out the food, but eventually, hunger took over and she ate heartily. With the presence of a female on board, the atmosphere of the whole ship changed: the men were less rowdy and much calmer. The ones with families back home secretly snuck into the holding room to tell her stories they told their pups, and she seemed soothed by their tales.

She's turning my crew into a bunch of women, Matsunaga despaired, watching the men patch one of the blankets she had torn with her sharp claws.

"Land!" the lookout called, and there was cheering throughout the ship. Matsunaga heaved a sigh of relief, and relaxed against the side of the ship. At last…his dream was about to be realized…

"My lord?" one of his warriors approached him. "My lord…she's escaped."

"WHAT?"

Down in the holding room…

"She must have been getting used to the sedative, Lord Matsunaga. We think it was a combination of that, and Yasashiku here—" the warrior who was explaining jerked his finger towards an ashamed-looking inuyoukai. "forgot to give her the sedative this morning. When we found the cage, the lock was smashed. She overpowered her guards and escaped…to…well, we don't know. We've searched the whole ship and we haven't found her."

Matsunaga bit his tongue to keep from letting loose every swear word he could think of. "The whole ship?"

"Yes, my lord, from end to end. Not a trace."

There was a heavy silence…broken by a loud splash.

"My lord!" another warrior came up. "She jumped into the sea!"

"Damn, cats can't swim!" Matsunaga said angrily. "Send out men to get her." He followed them back up to the deck, where a crowd had gathered watching the water.

"That's her," one of the warriors pointed out to Matsunaga unnecessarily. A great golden cat was swimming steadily towards land, far ahead of the boat following her.

"Where is she going?" someone wondered out loud.

"Does it really matter? The point is that we are supposed to present this warrior to Prince Sesshomaru upon our return, and now we've lost her." Matsunaga snapped. "As soon as we land, I want everyone looking for her. Groups of three—I don't want to underestimate her strength. And don't return until you've found her. I will go explain this….mistake…" he paused to glare at Yasashiku. "to Prince Sesshomaru."

"But my lord general, you can't return like this!" a warrior protested. "It is failure; he will execute you!"

"I staked my life on this mission, and I have failed. I must pay whatever price my prince asks of me for this failure." Matsunaga said quietly. He held up a hand to stop Yasashiku's apologies. "I alone will bear responsibility for this. No one else is to blame."

They all silently watched the cat drag herself up on land and lope off.

Matsunaga idly wondered if the pain in his heart could be any greater—it was the ultimate dishonor: he had failed his mission, his country, and his prince. He could only hope that their other plans had gone well, and that there was still hope for them.

These two sections are pretty choppy. They move from event to event with no transition or much of a concept of time. Smooth it out a bit. Don't slow it down too much, just make it more fluid

"Lord Sesshomaru…things are going, to be blunt, terribly." Sayuri announced, throwing herself into a chair. "I request that you remove me from this assignment before I strangle your army." Sesshomaru glanced up at her from his paperwork.

"Are they really that bad?" he asked. Sayuri snorted.

"The females? No. Your male warriors? So help me, the next condescending remark I hear, I'll castrate that—" He stopped her tirade with a gesture.

"Sayuri, if they're that bad, beat some sense into them. I give you my permission." Her eyes lit up, and an evil smile crossed her face.

"With pleasure." she rose from the chair and headed towards the door. "By the way—have you heard from Matsunaga?" Sesshomaru smiled. "Gods, you have! Has he returned yet? Was he successful?"

The smile faded, to be replaced by a look of worry. "I don't know…all I got was a message saying he had returned, and he needed to speak with me immediately."

Sayuri bit her lip. "That…sounds most foreboding." Sesshomaru nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a familiar clank of armor. The door slid open, and Matsunaga stood there.

"Matsunaga, it's good to see you again." Sesshomaru began, but seeing the grim look on the general's face, he stopped. "What happened?" he asked, sitting back in his chair.

And Matsunaga told him.