AbhorsenSabriel87: Hey, wow I'm back.
Chibi Jou: Yeah, finally, after like a year.
Sabriel: Hey, shut up squirt! --boots him out-- Anyway, here's chappie five of Western Lord, Meet Western Maiden. I should officially say no more anonymous reviews… but then I'd lose half my reviewers… Kuso! --hits wall-- Ah well, whatever. Polls are saying 1) You'll find out here, now won't ya? 2) You'll find out in the nextchapter, and 3) Not in this lifetime until Naraku's 6 feet under. Here's the chappie.

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Always forgive your enemies and remember their names.

Robert Kennedy

The castle in which Sesshoumaru lived was actually something you would expect to find in Ireland or England; rather elegant but small, made of normal grey stone that somehow gave it an ethereal effect. It was not, as most would expect, of the typical Japanese variety, which would be far too easy to attack in his father's own words. This is a truthful statement, if you have known anything at all about castles, but that at the moment is not the subject. What is important right now is where within this marvelous castle the demon lord resided at the moment.

In all honesty, Sesshoumaru had placed himself within the library, which was quite expansive with writings from humans, demons, angels, and gods alike. Many books lay strewn about all across the various tables as he sat at a desk, puzzling over a certain manuscript; the Book of Celtic Magicks and Lore. For three days, three days after he returned to the castle after finding it, he puzzled over this book, comparing it to everything he could, but nothing got him any closer to deciphering it. The ancient scrawls were enticing and mystical, and they fascinated him to end… about as much as they infuriated him as well… Sighing, he pushed away from the book, leaning back against the chair and rubbing the bridge of his slender nose with his right hand, the left sleeve hanging limply to the side. Is there no end to this madness? He thought darkly, lowering his arm to rest on the desk. There is nothing to compare this script to, nor anything that can even relate to this infernal language! Glowering darkly at the book, he felt an odd sort of disappointment; not in the book, but more in himself for being unable to decipher the intricate lines. Noticing something strange, he leaned forward and examined the pages once more, frowning not in annoyance, but surprise.

As his fingers had left the pages, so had the writing left them, leaving the aged parchment as bare as the day before it'd been scribed upon. No traces of the golden lettering remained upon the sheets, as if there was never anything written there at all. Curious, the demon lord touched his fingers to the page once more, startled to discover that at his mere touch the designs had reprinted themselves, almost as the innocent illusion they never left. "How curious," Sesshoumaru murmured, picking up the tightly bound book and studying it thoughtfully. "What manner of spell would proclaim that I should read when I cannot understand, but it fades when in absence of a living presence?"

"Things are not always as they seem, Lord Sesshoumaru." The statement brought the demon to his feet swiftly, his hand at his sword before the book had landed upon the desk in his haste. In the door of his library stood a man (more accurately a demon), grinning nearly from ear to animalistic ear. The smile reached his eyes, a blackened sapphire, not in warmth but malice and mischief. His skin was tanned by sun and wind, and his frame was easily that of a warrior in its lithe muscular tone. "Hello, Lord of the Western Lands," the man purred, stepping into the room casually, silence in his light step. "Allow me to introduce myself as Caien McDaniel." Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed; how'd he get past the castle's defenses? More importantly, what was a cat hanyou doing in his castle in the first place?

"I do not need an introduction," the demon god said coolly, never tearing his gaze from the humanoid feline. "What I do demand, however, is an explanation. Perhaps then I could be reasoned into not killing you for trespassing." The cat demon chuckled again, but stopped his approach. "Of course, my lord," he answered, the words sliding off his tongue as if by practice of dealing with nobles. "I came to offer you a bargain… and a proposition." Sesshoumaru said nothing during the pause, so the feline named Caien continued. "I heard you are having a bit of a problem with a half-demon, am I correct?" Sesshoumaru merely "hmm"ed in reply, making the cat's grin grow ever wider. "Therein lies the bargain," he addressed calmly. "This is where we are both the same. I am tracking a fugitive from my country, one that has the last of her bloodline and a rare treasure that was stolen by her family many years ago from mine. I need your help in reacquiring this treasure. In exchange, I can deal with your half-demon Inuyasha."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed darkly, angered at the cat's arrogance. Inuyasha would be his to kill and no other's. "Inuyasha is a resilient and irritable problem," Sesshoumaru murmured. "What makes you think that you will be able to destroy him and steal the Tetsusaiga?"

"The same reason I was able to enter your castle, my lord," came the amused reply. "I am simply more skilled than he is. Also, as you may have noticed, I as well am half human. I know his secret of transformation." Sesshoumaru's expression remained blank, but his mind frantically worked out what it'd heard. If this cat knew of Inuyasha's transformation night, he could easily kill him without any threat from the Tetsusaiga. If this feline killed Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru would not be able to receive the Tetsusaiga from his half-brother and wield its power. "I find your bargain to be meaningless and pointless," he finally stated, startling the cat into taking a step back. "I will kill Inuyasha in my own due time by my own means at his full and pathetic strength. As to your proposition, how is it that you would be able to kill a man with an advantage over you when you cannot even kill one of your own kind?"

The look of hate and contempt he received was enough for Sesshoumaru; he didn't have the power to defeat either of them. He just wanted Sesshoumaru to help him without any benefit, then take what he wanted and disappear from whence he came. But the man removed the look and chuckled, bowing deeply. "You speak as a true noble, Lord Sesshoumaru," he stated, his voice brimming with amusement. "I assure you, we shall meet again. In the meantime, however, I request that book upon your desk." For the first time in the conversation, Sesshoumaru averted his eyes to the book, once more sporting blank pages. Flicking his eyes back to Caien, he asked, "And what need do you have for this book?"

"It is a book of my people, also stolen by that wretch's family," he answered, his voice untouched by the rage and scathing disgust in his eyes. "It belongs once more with my family, and since you cannot read it, I will exchange a spell within it for the book itself." Sesshoumaru didn't move. It could be a trick, but what did he need of a book he could not read? Slowly lowering his hand from the Tokejin, he picked up the emerald-leather book as the hanyou walked forward, then placed it in his hand. A spark of static electricity coursed through Sesshoumaru's fingers as he let go, making the appendages tingle as if they'd lost their tips. The cat hanyou gave a feral grin, then diverted his eyes to the book as he flipped open the pages. After only a moment, though, the grin darkened into a scowl.

"What sorcery is this?" he growled darkly, eyes flashing with black lightning in their rage. Sesshoumaru frowned. What was going on? Could he not read it either? Looking from the half-neko's face to the book, he almost smirked in amusement; the pages were blank. "Well now," he mused, "it looks as if you can use this book no more than I."

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Sabriel: Well, that's it for now. -.-U It took me forever just to get this part done… the next chapter should-
Chibi Jou: Emphasis on "should"...
Sabriel: --glares at him-- …Be done in a few days.
Chibi Jou: Or weeks.
Sabriel: SHUT IT, STUPID MIDGIT BRAT! --whaps him with trademark giant rubber mallet--
Chibi Jou: --oro eyes--
Sabriel: --eye twitch-- Review. Now. Please... After review responses and the polls.

Trenity170 - Umm... no relation to Fox McCloud. My friend JT said the same exact thing, actually... Do note this: they can't be related be Nikki is a cat, not a fox. So... yeah. There.

LunarIce / LunarIce3: Thanks for the reviews, however random. --smiles-- They are loved. AND I WANT A SESSHI PLUSHIE TOO!

Memories-of-the-Shadows - Here it is, please enjoy. Sorry for the delay. -.-U Too much school work...

Now, onto the polls:
1) What will this new guy Caien do about his little predicament?
2) How come Sesshoumaru is able to see the letters and Caien can't?
3) When will the Apocolypse be?
That's it, I'm through, and now... I sleep. --falls asleep in chair--