Chapter Two:
On The Other Side
Sesshomaru awakens face down in the dirt. He groans slightly as he turns over to see an unfamiliar night sky looming above him. He sits up to evaluate his surroundings and is as shocked as a youkai could be. There are strange objects near him, along with a large dwelling. Luckily, he observes a large tree nearby with a structure built in its branches. It does not seem to have been occupied in years, and there is a ladder leaning at a forty-five degree angle leading to the shelter above. I have no other choice he thinks to himself. Silently stealing to his feet, he makes for the ladder and, climbing carefully with his lone arm, seeks shelter within the tree house. Pushing aside the tarp that acts as a door, he curls up in a corner of the tree house and erects a demonic shield so that no one can see him.From his seat in the corner of the treehouse he can peer out of a small window to study his surroundings. This window faces the large house nearby, and he sees a woman within the dwelling. She somehow has her second floor room lit up as if it were daytime. She has violently red hair that falls thick and long over her shoulders and down her back, very fair skin, and green eyes. Sesshomaru watches this girl as she pours over books and scribbles at her paper in a frenzy. Where the hell am I? he wonders in vain.
Days pass and Sesshomaru cannot make heads or tails of the strange land he has been deposited in. He cannot sense a single demon nearby. There are strange metal carriages that move about without a beast to pull them, people can light their homes without fire (for he saw no smoke), and judging by the sights and smells of the trees and grass, it must be autumn in this queer land. The girl that resides in the home next to the tree lives there alone, and must be a student of some kind, Sesshomaru thinks, because of the books she hauls in and out of her house. A woman of her age should be married off by now. Where is her family? And she's possibly a student. . . Do they formally educate their women in this place? And when he heard her speaking inside her dwelling, he could understand her language. This must be a result of the well. We shall see.
Sesshomaru has no other choice but to watch the inhabitants of this place, and the only specimen he had to examine closely was this red-haired girl. She has a very curvy and voluptuous figure, and was tall for a woman (even by her people's standards, yet she was still short compared to him). Sesshomaru watches her intently and is vaguely intrigued by her. The way she intensely studies and writes pages and pages of notes. One night while watching her study he is so wrapped up with watching her that he doesn't realize that she is now watching him, until he realizes that he is gazing directly into her eyes.
She can see me!
The red head suddenly darts from her room. Sesshomaru tries to think of a logical plan of action. But if I flee, I run the risk of exposing myself to countless other mortals. I will stand firm and face only one mortal. The woman burst from the back door of her home wielding a strange wood and metal short staff that oddly hinged about two-thirds of the way down. The woman was putting strange red pieces into the metal. She then closed the hinge and slid a piece of the contraption, making a loud Click! Click!
She skillfully ran up the ladder without use of her hands. She must have lived here many years to know how to maneuver that swiftly, Sesshomaru thought. The red head pushed back the tarp-door with the end of her staff-like contraption. She placed one side of the staff against her shoulder, and looking down the center, aimed the other end at Sesshomaru's chest.
"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my tree house?"
She is not afraid of me. Now, let's see if she can understand me.
"My name is Sesshomaru," when he spoke, it was in English. It must be the power of the Transient Well. "I have been stranded in this land without ally. Forgive me for seeking refuge in this 'tree house.' It was my only choice. What is that thing you have pointed at me?"
"This 'thing' is a thirty-odd-six shotgun that could blow a barn door out the back of your head. Now, I want some answers. Why were you abandoned here and where do you come from?"
"I was sent here on my own to search for a mortal maiden. I come from the Western Lands. What is a 'shotgun'?"
The woman thought quickly. Western Lands? He's from Japan! How in the hell did he end up in my tree house? "A shotgun is a weapon. How did you get here?"
"Through the Transient Well."
At the word "well" the woman's eyebrows shot up. "What well?"
"The well that lies near this tree."
She gasped, but held her weapon steady, "When did you arrive through the well?"
"Three days ago."
Sesshomaru felt her heart beat rapidly. She whispered to herself, "I'm not going crazy, then." She took a deep breath, "If I lower this, will you attack me?"
"No."
And she knew that he spoke the truth. She lowered the gun, propped it barrel up in the corner, and sat down. "Three days ago I saw a strange glow around the old well. I thought myself overstressed from tests and papers I had to write. I thought I was losing my mind. The feeling only got worse when the tree house began to glow instead of the well. But then I saw you up here, and I knew you'd have answers. So, tell me again, what are you doing here?"
"I was sent by Bokusenou to find a mortal maiden."
"You speak as if you are not mortal."
"I am not," Sesshomaru said.
"I see. What are you?"
"I am a demon."
"Like, a demon from Hell?"
"No. I do not devour souls."
"Sorry, that was a stupid question."
"Where am I?"
"Well, you aren't in the Western Lands anymore."
"That's obvious," Sesshomaru interrupted her.
"Show a little courtesy! You did trespass on my property! You are in Washington State, in America."
"Where is that?"
"I'll have to get a map."
He changed the subject quickly, "I have not sensed other demons around. Why?"
"I do not know. I have never seen a demon before you."
Sesshomaru noticed her choice of words. She said "demon" and not "anything." "So, what else have you seen?"
Her eyebrow shot up again, "You're sharp. I've seen auras. Ghosts. Evil spirits. And I've had a few premonitions."
"You have strong spiritual power to have seen me through my barrier. What is your name?" he asked.
"Oh, I guess I haven't mentioned that yet. My name is Madeline."
"I apologize for intruding on your lands, Madeline. I am Sesshomaru. I am uncertain as to where I should begin my search. I do not know this land."
"And from the look of your clothes, you aren't from this time either."
"It seems I am not. What year is it?"
"2004."
"Interesting."
A heavy silence passed. Sesshomaru spoke, "You are handling this well."
"I know you aren't lying to me and what's the use in panicking? I also know that you won't hurt me."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I can feel it," Madeline stood up and motioned for Sesshomaru to follow her, "Come on."
"What?"
"Come on inside. There's no point in leaving you out here."
"You would bring me into your home?"
"Call me crazy, but yeah. You need help with this search, and it seems that I am the closest thing to an ally that you have," she grabbed the gun, unloaded it, and pushed the tarp back again. Sesshomaru stood and followed her into the house.
He stood dumbstruck in the kitchen, staring at the light fixture. "What is it? How does it work?" Madeline briefly explained electricity as best as she could. "Fascinating," Sesshomaru said in wonder, "And what's this?" He pointed to the stove.
For the next hour Madeline showed him around the house, explaining all the modern conveniences. When he finished asking questions about the house Sesshomaru moved on to other topics. "Is it normal in your era for a woman of your age to live alone and remain unmarried?"
"I am only twenty-five! Oh, but I guess in your era that was considered a spinster. I inherited this house. My parents died two and a half years ago."
Sesshomaru bowed, "Forgive me, I should not have been so rude. I am sorry for your loss."
"It's all right. You couldn't have known."
Madeline and Sesshomaru talked for some time. Sesshomaru explained about the well a little more clearly. Madeline told him more about the twenty-first century. She showed him a map of the world. "Here's Japan, that's where you're from. And here's where we are now."
"The land is so massive! I hope Bokusenou was telling the truth about the well taking me where I needed to be."
"I don't see why not." She continued explaining things to him, such as cars and stores. But most importantly, she stressed the fact that he must not attract attention because of the police. "The fact that you don't have formal identification will cause problems. If they notice you have claws and fangs, you're done for. All kinds of hate, havoc, and discontent will break loose. It's best that the police don't notice you. We'll just play it cool, and they won't get involved."
"I understand. So, how do you plan on helping my search?"
"I know this area. I know the customs. I know where to find people. You don't."
"I see."
Madeline stretched and yawned, "Well, it's been a long day. I'm tired. I'll show you to your room. Tomorrow is Monday, and I'll have class. I'll see what I can do about getting you some modern clothing, and when we can start this search."
"Very well."
