Disclaimer: Hello again! Okay, I won't keep you long, but I'd like to say this one thing first… I'm sorry if it may be confusing right now, with all the he's and she's, but I promise, the name of the black-eyed woman will be revealed soon! I promise! Believe me, I'd love to give it out, because honestly, I'm getting confused myself! Anyway, I'll probably give it out within the next three chapters, and then it will get a little crazy, although I'm sure just yet… Anywho, on with the story!

His mind was fuzzy as he awoke from his slumber, but quickly cleared when he realized that he still lay within the confines of his hot spring. As he sat up, he looked around, quickly taking notice that his back felt strange. Reaching a hand back, he felt that his back was a little raw, probably from being against the rock for too long.

Standing up, he walked out of the spring, grabbing a fresh hakama. However, he couldn't seem to find his haori or even his undershirt. His irritation grew when he had looked everywhere, and didn't find it.

'Someone will be receiving a decent punishment for this mistake,' he thought, and went towards the small closet in the back of the room. When he opened it, he let out a growl, again not seeing a single haori. But it stopped as he felt hands on his arms; lifting them and feeling something slip onto his skin. When he felt it on his back and both arms, he turned around and saw a head duck at as they tied the sash. When they had finished with the sash, they moved around behind him, not allowing their face to be seen, and set about leading him out of the springs and into the hallway with their hands upon his back.

When he reached his room, they led him towards a chair and made him sit down. He made no move to protest, for he was in a daze still from their hands upon him. No one had touched him for over seven hundred years, at least, not a woman. He could tell that much, from their style of dress.

He was pulled from his thoughts as he felt something move through his hair. She was brushing his hair, something he had reserved for only himself to do. But again, he made no protest, for he wished to feel her touch again. It felt oddly familiar, and he wished to find out why.

After only a few minutes, he felt that she had gotten about halfway down the length of his hair, and that's when it hit him. He heard the sound of song coming from her, and his questions cleared, forming a single description in his mind. The black-eyed woman!

He jerked his head about, saw as she faltered, and quieted, sitting back into an almost crouch. Although it was difficult with the tightly wrapped kimono she wore. He simply stared at her, not understanding her sudden change in character. Before she acted as if she were the Lord herself. But now she acted like any other servant would, with her head downcast, and not speaking a word.

What was this sudden change in behavior?

As he continued to stare at her, he noticed something. She no longer wore her kimono in the odd fashion she had before. It was more formal, nothing revealing about it, and he noticed that she almost looked like a geisha. Almost, if her previous fashion of dress hadn't slipped into his mind at that moment. It was just one of those things that he couldn't remove from his mind. It stuck there, right at the edge of his conscious left to brood and fester into thoughts that he'd rather be ignoring at this moment then viewing.

Shaking the impure thoughts from his mind, he again focused on the woman behind him, and noticed that she had moved. She now kneeled behind him, showing that crouching for a female was considered improper.

Turning in his chair, he stood up and stepped right in front of her, standing completely still. He could smell her nervousness rise, but it quickly disappeared as she lowered her head until it rested on his bare feet, which she then proceeded to kiss.

This completely shocked him, for it was thought to be degrading to do such a thing. However, he was proven wrong when she rose to her feet although she still kept her face lowered from his sight.

He could hold back his questions no longer, and decided to present them.

"Why?" that was the only way he could think of to ask her. This was the only word, the simplest, yet the most complex in answers it could receive.

"…" silence, that was his answer. His anger rose, and he smelt her fear intensify. Then it struck him; he hadn't given her permission to speak. She had been following the ways of those of the lower class, and to speak to one of higher class, you had to be given permission. With that in mind he gave a heavy sigh, and looked at her.

"You may speak."

He could see her visibly calm and then tense at his words. Her scent also still permeated fear.

"I beg of your sincerest forgiveness milord," she said, and lowered her head into an even deeper bow. He too became tense from her comment, not understanding.

"Why do you beg of my forgiveness when you clearly have done nothing wrong?"

"…"

' sigh , I grow weary of this,' he thought.

"Speak."

"I have acted rudely to milord, and thus I should be punished accordingly."

This completely baffled him. What in the world had she done wrong that she'd go this far as an apology? Also, he was getting rather tired of not seeing her face. Her voice gave him no key as to her emotions, only her eyes could.

"Raise your eyes, there is no need for you to be showing formalities, no one else is within the confines of this room," he told her. However, his words had the opposite effect then he had hoped for.

Instead of raising her head, she dropped to her knees once more and bowed so low that her forehead rested upon the ground. That was all it took to overflow his anger. With a low, deep growl, he roughly grabbed her chin and forced her to her feet, making her gasp and loose her footing. His natural reactions played out before he could conflict with them, and he caught her round the waist, while her hands landed on his chest. (Typical? I think not!)

However, she kept her eyes away from his view, knowing full well why her had forced her up, although she hadn't expected him to so soon. (See, no eye-to-eye, haha!) Everything was silent for a while, until she heard him growl once more.

She could not help but gasp again, but in fear rather then surprise. It was filled with anger like before, but with a comforting, apologetic sort of… Wait, was he…?

Her head shot up, and for first time since they had met again in the hot spring, she looked him in the eyes, and searched. He too searched, although he had more difficulty, for her eyes looked different somehow. He wasn't sure at first, and then it hit him. They were no longer black with a red ring round the pupil, but were instead a deep emerald color, with a bit of gray and little yellow streaks all through them, leading to the pupil, which was the only reminder of their previous black coloring. But how? How had her eyes changed so drastically? And in such a short period of time? Or had his own eyes been playing tricks on him? Had he simply imagined it? Had her eyes actually looked like this after all, and never been black at all? His thoughts swam, confusing him to no end.

With a shake of his head, he truly looked at her and began to notice other changes. Not only were her eyes different, but her hair was as well, it actually wasn't blue/green, but a deep burgundy color. Her face was no longer so pale, but was very much tanned, to a nice light bronze color, accenting her high cheekbones. A little further investigation showed him that her dominant feature had changed as well, from her eyes to her ears. Her ears were no longer human like, but into an almost transparent, leather like wing. It had three main bones that extended from the same point at the base of her ear, and extended outward in different directions, like a fan, and were connected with the transparent like leather between them. They were spread out and still.

After a few more moments, she noticed her proximity to him and backed away, which he allowed. That's when he noticed it. Her eyes had told him nothing, but her ears were now making themselves known. They were pinned back and pointing slightly downward, in acknowledgement that she was a bit nervous. It amused him, and he let out a small chuckle.

He began to laugh when he saw her head whip around and she glared at him, while her ears spread out and fluttered around madly, and then pinned themselves against the sides of her head. (Ok, if you don't understand, just imagine something like a hummingbird's wings, or you could picture a wave like motion. Basically, they move in an up and down wave like motion when she is angry, if you want me to explain further, then review me and I'll do my best to explain it further) He couldn't help himself; he had never seen anything quite as amusing as she. Not even the little feuds between Inu-Yasha and his little Miko mate could compare to this woman before him. He soon let out a very hearty laugh as her ears once again fluttered madly on either side of her head and continued to without relenting.

'Amazing how much one little inconspicuous part of one's body can be such a gateway to one's emotions,' he thought, and then calmed his laughter. She was currently looking to the side in a rather disgruntled manner. She obviously did not find him laughing at her predicament very funny.

Calming his very grin, the Lord straightened his now ruffled clothing and looked at her, although he still found it hard to not laugh again, for her ears were fluttering slightly.

"You know it is rude to laugh at others," he heard her mumble, and frowned at her words. Had he truly upset her that much?

Giving a rather heavy sigh, he placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her frayed nerves. However, he surprised to see her ears pin themselves again her head while her eyes remained the same. And then he noticed it, the soft but very deadly sounding warning growl coming from her chest. He was able to hear it more clearly when she inhaled and made a rather nasty sounding growl, and snapped her fangs together to emphasize it.

Backing away, he looked at her with concern, not understanding why she had suddenly just switched from slightly angry, to royally pissed off. Although she hadn't actually attacked him yet, he could tell quite well from her body language that she greatly wished to. As she made another of her deep growls, he narrowed his eyes as he noticed that she didn't seem to notice him anymore. She was breathing deeply now, her head downcast, and something else was happening. Her hair was slowly gaining its original blue/ green color, and then quickly changing back to burgundy. It was going back and forth, back and forth, until it was changing rapidly. Then he noticed that her ears were changing back and forth as well. It was faint, but he could also see a slight bit of her aura, as it changed back and forth as well, from burgundy to black and back.

However, just as quickly as it had come, the changes in her appearance stopped and she shot her head up and she looked at him with deep emerald eyes. She looked into his eyes, and, when she saw the little shock that had slipped into them, she turned her head down in a shameful manner, not wanting to know what he thought of her now.

His eyes turned from slight shock to concern as she turned away from him, and he walked over to her, once again placing his hand upon her shoulder. She stiffened slightly and he removed it, thinking it not best that she change again.

"Are… Are you alright now?" He asked, his voice calm, but holding no ice to it. Her shoulders sank a bit at his words, and she lowered her head even more.

"Yes…" she said, her voce barely above a whisper. His eyes narrowed more in concern at her rather dejected sounding voice. Then an idea struck him.

"Come," he said, "there is food downstairs. It should help a bit to calm you." With that he walked to the door of his room and opened it, then turned to her. She only stood there, not noticing since she hadn't looked up yet. He gave a sigh and walked over to her, stood to her side and lifted her chin up to show her the open door. She immediately took notice and blushed, seeing him smiling at her from the corner of her eye. Her ears fluttered in annoyance and brushed against his arm. He jerked his arm back and looked at it as a slim line of blood started to form.

The woman beside him gasped and grabbed hold of his arm, looking at the wound. She then looked him in the eye, silently telling him she was sorry. Then she surprised him more than her change had.

When she turned her eyes back to his arm, she lowered her face to it, and he felt her tongue run along the wound. It felt like she was running the softest of fabrics across it.

When she lifted her head, she smiled at him and walked out the door, going towards the dining hall. He snapped out his shocked state and looked at his arm. It was completely healed, and even looked healthier then the rest of his skin did.

When he touched it, he felt that it was as soft as her tongue had felt.

"Amazing…" Was all he could say, and he walked out of his room towards the ding hall as well, the smile still upon his lips.

SO? Do you like her new attitude? I hope so. If you don't understand what the heck is up with her, then I'll tell you. In exchange, I still won't be giving out names just yet! To say the least, she has a duel personality. Kind of like those schizophrenic people. You know, when they're the happiest person on earth one moment, trying to make the world perfect and happy? Then they suddenly try to kill everyone they come across? She's like that, well only a little… Anyway, I'm sorry it took so long to update, I had to get adjusted to school again. I started back on Aug. 11, and I haven't had even the slightest break yet! Anywho, enough of my bickering, R&R y'al! Oh, and I need just 2 reveiws this time! JA!