Several more days of travel and no sign of Gulden or Naraku had presented itself. Timmain was even more frustrated than she had been before. Even more so due to the fact that Sesshomaru would not even speak or look at her. She didn't know why but it irritated her more than anything. The more it irritated her, the more upset she got by letting it irritate her. She was starting to feel that she couldn't stand tagging along with this group any longer. But at the same time she didn't want to leave.
On the night, when Timmain finally made up her mind to leave quietly while Rin slept, she felt the power of the Shikon jewel nearby. Her pulse quickened and she felt a surge of excitement at the thought of facing Gulden to exact her revenge as she slipped into the forest leaving the clearing that had been chosen as their campsite. As she silently made her way among the trees she could feel the source of power grow stronger. Then she felt his presence just ahead. She stopped short of emerging into another clearing when she saw Sesshomaru standing in the middle with the moonlight streaming down on him. If she hadn't known he was a demon she would have thought he was an angel, a beautiful, silver haired angel who had come down to protect the children of the world as they slept. But Timmain knew better than that.
"I wouldn't bother," he told her not even looking in Timmain's direction. He was facing in the direction Timmain had been headed in silent concentration.
"Why?" She asked not emerging from the trees yet.
"It's not Naraku or the demon you seek," he said finally turning around.
"Who is it then?" Timmain asked suspiciously, wondering who else could have a Shikon jewel.
"It's Inu Yasha and those humans he travels with," Sesshomaru answered with dislike clearly in his voice.
Timmain hearing that it was his half brother, stepped into the clearing, curious to know more about Inu Yasha.
"Your brother has a jewel too?" Timmain asked stepping closer to Sesshomaru seeing him flinch at her referring to Inu Yasha as his brother.
"Rin," she heard him say under his breath. "The Shikon jewel was shattered. Inu Yasha and those humans have been collecting the pieces. So has Naraku."
"And you?" Timmain asked looking him in the eye.
"I have no need of the jewel," Sesshomaru answered, clearly offended.
Timmain looked away from Sesshomaru, and nodded in the direction of Inu Yasha and the Shikon jewel shards. "Do you think Inu Yasha and his companions know anything about Naraku or Gulden?"
"We're better off without them," Sesshomaru told her.
"Are they looking for Naraku, too? If they are collecting these shards, then they must be looking for him to get the pieces he has," Timmain said trying to understand the situation concerning the Shikon jewel.
"Yes," he said simply.
"Then it would make sense to join..."
"I don't need their help," Sesshomaru spat, cutting Timmain off.
"Then why am I here?" Timmain demanded wondering and hoping, despite her better judgment, that it was more than to just use her ability to sense the Shikon jewel.
"Because I will not allow Naraku to use me as one of his pawns," he said with hatred.
"And how is that?" She asked, wondering if it involved her somehow.
"I believe Naraku lured you away from your land to face me. He couldn't absorb my power in order to defeat Inu Yasha so it seems he wants me out of the way or distracted for some time," Sesshomaru explained.
"So my family was murdered just to keep you busy!" Timmain shouted in anger. It was becoming clear now that Gulden had been used to bring her to this land. Gulden, she began to believe, had been promised the jewel in return for luring her here to face Sesshomaru. And the only way to get her here was to give her a good reason. Revenge on Gulden for killing her family. Timmain stood there with fists clenched in anger trying to calm her self.
"Yes," Sesshomaru answered calmly.
"Tell me everything about this Naraku. If I've been pulled into this I want to know everything," she demanded still trying to restrain her anger.
After Sesshomaru had explained everything to her, Timmain stood still in quiet concentration, taking in all that she had just learned. It intrigued her to know that not only had Sesshomaru been manipulated by Naraku, but the others his brother, Inu Yasha, traveled with were all connected to Naraku too, and now her. The rage that she had been feeling faded away. It was replaced by a grim determination. The fact that she had been manipulated as well no longer upset her. What upset her is that Gulden had thought he could get away with what he did. Timmain would deal with Naraku later. She didn't come here to fight Sesshomaru, if that was Naraku's intention. She would not allow Naraku to distract her from her main concern, which was Gulden, and that's who she would seek out to exact her revenge. And she knew Gulden would come out to face her again. According to the ancient code from Timmain's land that she followed, Naraku was not for her to kill. Naraku was not from her domain that she protected and he had not directly attacked Timmain. It was for Sesshomaru, Inu Yasha and his companions to kill Naraku.
"I'm going to speak to your brother and his companions. I will not be returning," she informed Sesshomaru without looking at him.
"Do you intend to face both Naraku and Gulden alone?" Sesshomaru asked grabbing Timmain's arm before she could enter the forest to leave.
"If I must I will. But I'm only concerned with Gulden right now. I'll leave Naraku to you if he doesn't get in my way," Timmain answered calmly letting a small smile break through as she gently removed his hand from her arm. He seems worried that I'm leaving, she thought to herself. It almost made Timmain happy to see the worry in his eyes but quickly dismissed the feeling. It doesn't matter, she thought. He's only a demon. They have no feelings for others. But the thought was only half hearted.
"Here." She slipped off a silver bracelet that Rin had been admiring during their journey together. "Give this to Rin, to remember me by."
Sesshomaru silently took the bracelet and watched as Timmain left the clearing into the dense forest.