The vendor handed over the package of tea, having given the miko a heavy discount after Sesshoumaru threatened to dismantle his stall.

She nodded in thanks, giving his disguised form a sideways glance as she moved to the next booth.

"You know, when someone you've just met follows you to another village without an invitation, it makes them a stalker."

He felt it then.

She was wary.

The usually pleasant scent of jasmine had soured, her reiki crackling around the edges of her aura as she put distance between them.

For the first time in his existence, Sesshoumaru found himself pursuing a creature without the intent of slaughter as motivation.