Chapter 4

Sesshomaru glanced up from the parchment laid out before him, detailing some rather boring numbers and quotas pertaining to a recent shipment of goods his lands had received. It listed several more or less intriguing supplies and provisions acquired from various suppliers in the south. About a year prior, a rather exotic pool of goods flooded the southern market, and like water trickling down from leaf to leaf, he was still dealing with the impact on the trading rings many moons later.

Regardless of how tedious the work was, he had forced himself to take care of it and then some, to clear up more of his time to warrant more visits to Rin's side. It had been many hours since he had left his ward in Chiharu's care. Night was practically upon the earth, and as the great daiyoukai shuffled papers around for the next ledger, he wondered absently if Rin had been relocated to her room yet. He was confident there had been no change in her condition; if there had been, he knew that he would have been told immediately. The daiyoukai did not like to be kept less than well informed, and his servants knew it.

The Lord found himself thinking about the mark again. It had been less than a week since he had caught Rin as she collapsed, and still no one had spoken out or claimed the attack as their doing. Sesshomaru had a vague feeling that there was something deeper at work, some greater machination turning its gears under the surface. Unfortunately, until he knew more about Rin's condition, his suspicions would remain exactly that.

Which is why it was so damn hard to focus on all the blasted paperwork he'd been assaulted with since talking to his mother. Sesshomaru fought the urge to scoff at the memory.

"Sesshomaru," the Lady of the West acknowledged, inclining her head to him before motioning to the servant behind her to bring her tea to serve. "I hope your little antics were fruitful?"

"Hn."

The servant brought tea, and Lady Kimi delicately folded her kimono sleeve against her arm in order to pour a cup for her son. When she finished, he took the cup extended in his direction, and swallowed evenly around the constriction of his throat at her next question.

"How is Rin? I hope time apart from her suitors has allowed her presence of mind enough to miss one or two of them." Sesshomaru set the cup down slowly, narrowing his eyes fractionally at his mother. She was unfazed, and after a sip of her own, continued in her course of speaking. "Of course, I suppose I wouldn't have to focus so hard on finding a mate for dear Rin if my very own beloved son would consider finding one to claim as his own," she added thoughtfully, even though it was painfully clear what sort of condition she was underhandedly laying out.

Sesshomaru, though, was not one to give in so easily.

"This One is more focused on finding the imbecile that dared challenge the Lord of the Western Lands."

He watched his mother's delicate eyebrows rise fractionally, but her face gave away nothing as to what she was thinking. "Is that so?" She raised the cup to her lips again, but not before he caught the smirk forming on her lips. "I doubt there are many left who could cause a problem for one such as yourself."

The pair of great inus let the silence between them draw on, until Sesshomaru heard Kimi sigh delicately and fold her clawed hands in her lap. Sesshomaru noticed her gaze flit briefly to one of the carvings nearest her; the one depicting Kimi's courtship with the late Inu no Taisho. They looked content, emotions on display for all to see (at least, the Inu no Taisho's were), and their hands looked made to fit in the other's hands.

Ironically, the carving had been commissioned one anniversary before Toga met Izayoi, the human princess and mother of Inuyasha.

"When Chiharu is done seeing to Rin, would you inform her the Lady of the West requires her in the main seating room?"

Then Sesshomaru had left. Kimi's disposition made it clear that he was excused, and she had nothing more to say. The feeling, it seemed, was mutual. Sesshomaru had then found himself in his study, to take care of the matters that had come up in his absence, and potential ones to arise in the next few weeks. The work was tedious (it always was) and though he had labored silently for several hours, he felt as if he'd been as close to finishing as he had been when he entered the room. A servant had come in once to offer him a tray of food, which he had accepted and eaten at the quickest acceptable pace. When night finally fell, he found he could take it no more.

And so, setting aside the absurdly unentertaining ledgers, Sesshomaru made his way to where he knew Rin would be. He sensed the presence of three people in her room; one being Rin herself. When he rounded the corner, he stood before one of the figures who had been in the room, but was now exiting. It was a woman, with a leather guard on her left arm. He recognized the attire as belonging to one of the demons that took care of incoming and outgoing messenger birds. The woman started when she noticed who she almost ran into on her way out, and bowing deeply, immediately greeted him. She rose and sidestepped to allow him unblocked entrance to the room she had just left, bowing once more before excusing herself.

Sesshomaru entered the room, his excellent nose swiftly identifying and sorting each of the smells that reached his nose. He could smell Rin's orange and cinnamon, and was pleased to see that they were finally back in order. He could practically taste the strong herbal tea that had been placed on a tray next to the human girl, but it was overpowered again by that lack of smell that was to be expected, with Rin's room becoming like a temporary extension of the infirmary. The Lord's eyes flitted over to where Rin lay on the futon, her hair fanning the pillows. She had not worn it in that style that had permeated her youth since leaving Edo, and so it lay free and unbound. Her eyes, as they had been the past five days, were still closed.

His focus shifted once again as the rustling sound of a paper rose to his ears. Chiharu stood at the far end of the room, scanning over what Sesshomaru assumed had been the message delivered to her from the messenger bird girl he had encountered on his way into the room. He watched Chiharu out of the corner of his eye as he crossed the space to reach Rin's side, but did not bother the healer until she had finished reading. She had, after all, diverted her attention to his ward all afternoon; Sesshomaru could allow the woman a moment of reprieve to read her message.

When she finished, Chiharu let out a long, contemplative sigh, before joining Sesshomaru in standing near Rin. "My Lord," she acknowledged, kneeling by Rin's side and pouring the herbal tea into a cup. "I am afraid that I have done all I can today. I've completed the stabilization of her condition that seems to have started yesterday, but I've noticed something . . . unusual. Whatever is preventing her from waking, is currently lying dormant. It's almost as if it's - "

"Waiting," Sesshomaru concluded, and Chiharu nodded.

"Exactly, My Lord. But I don't seem to have the skills necessary to wake her. For now, she sleeps normally, only with no sign of waking. Whatever has caused this," Chiharu trailed off, and he could sense her apprehension, "is beyond me."

Sesshomaru let silence lapse over them as he considered the full weight of her words. Chiharu used it to bring the cup to Rin's lips, letting her drink a little, before setting it back down again. "There is no more you can do?"

The healer's face took on a curious look then, as if contemplating something. "I have received a correspondence from my apprentice, Gina. I sent her on a brief journey to replenish our supplies while you were away, and she was expected before nightfall today." Chiharu paused to pull out the message again, eyes glazed lightly, looking at the words written but not really seeing them. "She told me, however, that she'd encountered a curious group of travelers on her way out of the last village on her route, and will be staying an additional night. At first, I had only really paid attention to her acknowledgement that the merchants had many rare herbs amongst their wares, but Rin's condition made me more intrigued about a different, more curious observation she had included in her message."

Briefly, Sesshomaru's mind flashed back to Koga's own words.

"She noticed one of the merchants came into the inn carrying an unconscious woman over his shoulder. Gina mentions talking with them, and learning she was a sort of healer that had been recently accepted into the merchant's company - here," Chiharu stated, pointing to a line near the middle of the page, "Gina writes that even the merchants seemed mystified by her. They refused to tell Gina much, other than that due to an incident on their way to the village she had been wounded, but it had been several hours since and she had yet to stop bleeding."

"The healer could not heal herself?" Sesshomaru murmured, briefly curious. His gaze drifted back to Rin again.

"She apparently had fallen unconscious moments after the injury, and had remained that way. Gina says that she made an agreement to help the woman in exchange for a favor from her upon awakening." Chiharu's finger slipped across the paper and ink, towards one of the last few lines. "The final thing she mentions about this woman is that when she had been tending to the wound the healer's eyes had fluttered open briefly before closing again. She notes" - and here Chiharu's brows furrowed - "that the girl had the most unusual eyes Gina had ever seen, even amongst demons."

Sesshomaru, not one to beat around the bush, couldn't help the slight twinge of impatience he felt as he waited for his best healer to fold the parchment and tuck it away once more.

"I have heard," she started slowly, and again he felt that bristle of impatience, "of a woman who has made a silent name for herself this past year as a mystical healer, flitting through human villages and curing what people thought incurable. Every account carries nothing more for a description of her than that she has the most curious eyes." Chiharu stood then, untucking herself from the seiza she had lapsed into to kneel next to her patient. "If it is within my rights as your honored healer to say so, my Lord, I would ask you to permit Gina's retrieval of this healer. If she is the same as the one of rumor, then I believe she will be able to do far more for Rin than I."

"That will not be necessary," Sesshomaru stated decisively, and her shock was evident in the way her eyes widened at his words.

"But, Lord Sesshomaru, if not even I can wake Rin, then you must consider - "

"This One will retrieve the woman himself," he interjected, before the healer could get much further. Without further ceremony, Sesshomaru turned around and headed towards the entrance. He could hear the healer's footsteps padding hesitantly after him a moment later. "Where is your apprentice? Send word to her that she is to purchase all of the merchant's available goods. Mention nothing of This Sesshomaru's approach."

Chiharu gave him the name of the village just on the border of the southern lands, as well as promises to carry out his orders, before she finally came to a halt. "Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama." He grunted his acknowledgement, before making his way swiftly towards the open space near the walls and the main entrance. On his way, he could make out Jaken's youki soon trailing his own, and when the toad was within earshot, Sesshomaru called out to him.

"This One will return with a healer for Rin," he stated, coming to a stop when he reached a spot large enough to permit the formation of his cloud. "You will see personally to the preparation of a chamber near Rin's for the duration of her stay."

And then he was gone, soaring above his shiro and into the night.


Megumi had never been so relieved to be blind in her life.

She had gone to bed shortly after her conversation with Gina, and the food had made her feel content and warm as she laid down on the futon in her room at the inn. There had been several surprises for her upon waking, however: Daisuke's group of merchants had all been exceedingly kind to her - even Kyo (and for that, she was wary) - and she didn't find out why until they told her Gina had bought all of the wares they had come to sell. Not just some, like Megumi had believed, but all. When Megumi asked the kitsune apprentice what sort of shiro could afford to let their apprentices walk around with that much money, Gina had simply said that her sensei had asked her to purchase everything since she'd be extending her stay here.

That's when Megumi realized her merchant acquaintances were only being so friendly to her because had she not attracted the curiosity of Gina, the walking fund machine (and her shiro, by extension), then the group never could have sold out so efficiently.

The next surprise came when she realized that because Gina had purchased everything off of the merchants hands, there now were no leftovers for her to pick through to see about restoring her energy. That would have been enough to curb her enthusiasm about the girl's survival she had played a role in, if she hadn't discovered that eating did help a little in regaining the physical strength she had lost.

Since that more pleasant surprise, she had been eating. Perhaps more than what was acceptable for a lady, but she could hardly find it within her to care. And besides, the merchants were so elated at their overnight profit that they bought half of what she ate for her.

The surprises didn't end there, though. The girl she had healed had woken up around an hour after Megumi had seen to her, and in perfect condition. It was like she'd never fallen ill. She should have known something was up when Gina wanted to take her on a "walk" to show her around a village Megumi knew Gina had no level of familiarity with. It had started out with a brief, coincidental bumping into the parents of the girl Megumi had saved.

"What an amazing turn of luck, running into you here! We were actually on our way to see the healer that saved our daughter, and now that you're here, we'd be honored to say a few words . . . "

They ended up droning on longer than Megumi was comfortable, thanking her for an ever-growing number of things that digressed in relevance to what she could actually claim credit for. Megumi had been in this situation before; it was fairly common in the villages she had passed through. Human life was fleeting, almost alarmingly so, and what she did stopped fate for at least another day. So many times had she saved a child's life; so many times had she seen a parent collapse in relief and cling to the breathing form of their own flesh and blood. It was a sight that never failed to fill her with subtle pride, but it was usually the moments afterwards that made it fade away rather quickly. And while she sometimes received excessive praise, for whatever reason, this village took excessive to another level.

No sooner had she finally convinced Gina to help her cut away from the overly thankful parents, had she run into the girl's siblings. It went on and on like that; running into people and breaking away from them just barely. Megumi had more flattery than she would ever need, and was relieved for the little mercy that was her combination of sightless eyes and gauze to avoid having to look at all the appreciative faces.

It was Daisuke who saved her; coming over to inform her that lunch had been prepared for her and was waiting in her room. Megumi, all too eager to go somewhere where people weren't watching her, happily reached out her hand to where his voice came from to wrap it around his arm. If Gina felt slighted that Megumi wanted a different escort, she didn't say anything (as she shouldn't; the woman clearly had no idea how out of hand things could get if she was paraded around a grateful village like royalty).

"So," Daisuke started, and Megumi could hear an intriguing undertone in his voice. "Where are you going to go now?"

Megumi tilted her head to the side, pondering. "I might have to retrace my steps," she admitted softly, and without even seeing she was sure Daisuke's eyes were fixed on her, much like many of the villagers' had been this morning. "I may need to reestablish a few ties, if Gina is unwilling to consider my use of some of her purchases."

Beside her, she could hear Daisuke's light groan. "Let me buy back some of them," he insisted. "I told you we could negotiate if you performed admirably, and you've exceeded even that. Really, let me do this for you as a thanks."

A wry smile danced on Megumi's lips, and she let her guide gently pull her around something that must have been on the ground before speaking. "I'm surprised all the food you've been paying for isn't considered my 'thanks.'"

He laughed, but stopped quickly, saying, "Watch your step," before escorting her into the inn. On their way in, Megumi could hear the trademark lively banter of the other three men she had briefly traveled with. Kyo, though laughing wholeheartedly, would pause every now and then to say something about how great it was, really, that that Megumi chick managed to charm the pants off a stranger. Banko was only too happy to agree, and as each conversant seemed to be singing Megumi's praises, Goro joined in too. Megumi listened for a moment, but found she didn't want to focus on more people's compliments. They rounded a corner, and the other three's voices grew muffled once more.

Megumi was getting faintly familiar with her current room; she knew how many paces it was from the entrance to the opposite wall, and from that wall to her bedding. She found her way to the middle of the room, the place where the bedding had been last night, to find a tray of food instead. It smelled delicious, and after standing in the sun surrounded by body heat for so long, it was seriously appreciated.

"We'll be staying an extra night here," Daisuke said to her. He hadn't moved from the entryway, but he hadn't left either. He chuckled softly. "We'll be heading out with Gina, to pull that heavy cart to her shiro before going on our way. You're welcome to use our tab till we leave."

"If you're able to convince Kyo to allow my continued use of his alcohol funds, that is."

Daisuke laughed again, and she could hear him take the first steps out of the room. "After the havoc you wreaked for us, Madarame, I don't think he can deny you anything."

"He certainly owes me one for the lovely gash he gave me," Megumi agreed. "What was it he threw at me, anyway?"

"A rock, conveniently," Daisuke told her, before patting the wall. "Anyways, take care."

She guessed that was his way of saying goodbye.

He left Megumi alone after that, and she basked in the silence as she ate her meal. Careful not to knock anything over, Megumi felt her way around the tray, in search of something to drink. She was pleased to find a cup, filled with a faintly fragrant tea. Megumi picked it up, eased her way out of her kneeling position, and carefully shuffled her way towards one of the walls. She had noticed, when she had explored her room earlier, that there seemed to be a painting on one of the walls. Of what, she wasn't sure, but seeing as it was in a guest room she figured it wasn't all that valuable. She doubted the innkeeper would feel very upset if she ran her fingers over it.

She concentrated on how it felt on the pads of her fingers; how the warm cup felt beneath the cup in her left hand. As her fingers roamed, so did her mind, and the cup grew cold before she realized she had yet to take a sip.

Finally, with a bit of effort, she pulled herself away from the wall and made her way slowly, inwardly counting steps, to where she remembered the tray to be. She sat closer to it than before, so that she would not have to reach far to put the full cup back in its place. Megumi sighed softly, her heart suddenly feeling very heavy, and absentmindedly she reached up to rub the place where her temple had split.

It was then that she noticed she was not alone.

Megumi froze, adrenaline replacing the wave of silence that had washed over her since entering the room. She cursed herself again for getting so careless. There were few that could so easily mask all traces of their presence, and she knew only of one of that caliber that was currently trying to subdue her.

"Have you come to finish this?" Megumi called out, her voice eerily calm and deadly quiet. She waited patiently for the other dragon's move, as she set to subtly focusing her energy to lash out at the opportune time. She let it build within her, whisper softly under her fingertips, but did not release it. As long as it stayed within her it wouldn't deplete her power levels, and she was grateful she had eaten so frequently today, or she would not be able to fight consciously for long.

Now that Megumi had so openly acknowledged she was aware of the other dragon's presence, she apparently made no effort to conceal herself as drastically as she had before. But once the layers went down, Megumi found herself growing more and more confused.

For starters, the other dragon's aura wasn't like her own; it was distinctly youki. It was kept close to where Megumi remembered the door to be, though, and Megumi guessed the dragon didn't want anyone else to notice she was even there.

The next wave of confusion came when she was able to detect the other dragon's scent. It came so subtly, that when she first breathed in its trace, her breath hitched. The next inhale brought more of it; still faint, yes, but unmistakable. Too musky to be the scent of a woman, with gentle notes of pine threaded through it.

She would have recognized it anywhere.

And in the second she did, all of those walls she built around her shook; the power she had been collecting and holding at bay dissipating instantly. She rose so swiftly that she upended the tray and her hand fluttered to cover her mouth. Her voice was muffled, trying to break through the barrier of her fingers, but the word that tumbled out was unmistakable nonetheless.

" . . . Toga?"


Sesshomaru reached the village around noon.

It was a nicely sized one, by human standards, and he saw many people whose garb alone identified them as people passing through. He scanned the faces of the women in this category, but none stood out to him. He made to talk to one of the locals closest to him, but the child scurried hastily away when he approached it. Briefly, Sesshomaru wondered how difficult it would be to find this woman.

He could have been here sooner, if he had not needed to hunt and restore his strength. Flying required more energy than he preferred, and he had been doing an unusually excessive amount of that this week. Instead, he had made quick work of a stag, and had continued the rest of his journey on foot. He knew he did not look haggard, and his hankimono and hakama were completely spotless. He had taken great care to completely hide his youki and scent, and so it must have been his appearance alone that startled the tiny human.

The two swords at his his probably didn't help, though.

The Western Lord made his way deliberately down the middle of the path, pretending not to notice how the people quickly scurried out of his way. His presence silenced the villagers as he passed them, and he could smell the distinct tang of fear and uncertainty rise up in droves in his wake. A village as big as this should really think about acquiring a shrine, or a temple for monks, Sesshomaru thought.

Sesshomaru continued on his way, his gait not exactly hurried but unmistakably purposeful. He was sure that if he did not find the woman, she would make herself known in time. Still, he felt slightly pleased when he recognized Chiharu's apprentice, Gina, on the path in front of him.

When Gina finally turned his way, recognizing her Lord in an instant, she hastily formed a respectful bow, much to the surprise of the villagers she had been loosely surrounded by. "Sesshomaru-sama," she greeted, rising slowly. She fumbled over her next words, clearly curious and wanting to ask why he was here, of all places, but knew she wasn't near close enough to the Lord to risk the inquiry.

Sesshomaru put the awkward kitsune out of her misery. "Where is the healer you spoke of in your correspondence with Chiharu?"

He watched, intrigued, as the girl hesitated. Had she grown fond of the mysterious woman? "Megumi-san is currently at the inn she is staying at, the same as mine. I would be honored to escort your Lordship, if you so wish."

Her name is Megumi, then.

Sesshomaru inclined his head ever so slightly, and followed Gina as she turned and made her way towards her inn. The villagers that he walked by clustered together after he walked past, paying them no heed, but they mistakenly did not wait till he was out of earshot before they began to gossip. Humans.

"Do you think he's after the woman who healed Akane-chan?"

"I certainly hope not; he looks ruthless. I hope no harm comes to her."

"Yes, but have you seen her? She's too kind to invoke the wrath of another."

"I doubt that; you remember when she came here with blood all over her face? He's probably the one who did it."

"He's here to finish her off then?"

"Well, I don't like it. He doesn't seem human."

"If he's not human . . . do you think he can still hear us?"

Sesshomaru internally sneered at the pathetic humans, whispering cowardly words behind his back. Their talk soon faded away from his keen ears, and only a moment after that had they come upon the front of an inn. It wasn't unsightly nor exquisitely appealing; simply clean and welcoming. Having shown Sesshomaru the way, Gina now waited for him to walk past her before taking a new place a few paces behind him. Sesshomaru entered the inn, pausing momentarily to let his eyes adjust from the glaring sun.

"Megumi-san's lodging is this way, Lord Sesshomaru," Gina said politely, and pointed towards a hallway on his right. At the mention of the healer's name, Sesshomaru noted that the heads of four men seated at a table perked up. One face, minutely obscured by the fist propped under his chin, pinched thoughtfully in suspicion. Another, with a noticeably jagged scar running under his jaw, was frozen in a smile that didn't meet the man's hardened eyes. He slowly raised a cup of sake, judging by the smell, to his lips. The Lord's eyes drifted to the only bald man, who was surprisingly scrawny in comparison to the lean man across from him and the burly scarred figure next to him. The frailest of the group didn't bother to hide his surprise, and gawked straight at Sesshomaru. The fourth male had long hair, set back in a low ponytail, and his face didn't betray any of the emotions that his fellows did. He was simply observing, Sesshomaru noticed.

"What business do you have with her?" The suspicious man said then, his brows pinching further together as he did.

It was Gina who talked next, after Sesshomaru had made a point of saying nothing. "These are the merchants that were travelling with her," she informed him, even though he had already suspected as much. "They'll be travelling with me, to deliver the herbs Chiharu requested I purchase from them."

The ponytailed merchant leaned back slightly, tilting his head as if to study the daiyoukai at a better angle. "You'll forgive Banko for his outburst; it appears he's still a bit taken with our temporary companion." As he said this, his eyes glanced for a brief second to the man who had demanded to know Sesshomaru's reason for seeking out the healer. "Clearly, our business with the healer is concluded." Even if the man known as Banko didn't hear the underlying message, Sesshomaru did. He was pleased that this human had recognized his place, and had warned his company against further idiocy.

Sesshomaru turned into the hall gestured at earlier, and Gina followed. She told him, in a quieter voice than he felt necessary, that her room was the farthest one on the left from where he stood. Then she bowed, and left him to approach the healer in private. He suspected, however, that Gina didn't want to be identified as the one who ratted her location out to the Western Lord.

He stalked soundlessly down the hall, idly checking that his youki and scent were still completely hidden, before he came to a stop at the entrance to the room Chiharu's apprentice had indicated. Sesshomaru paused a moment to listen, but after hearing nothing but a soft sort of brushing sound, he decided to step into the room. He did so with inhuman grace, ensuring he made no sound, and waited there for the woman to notice him.

But she didn't.

She was facing the only adorned wall, her fingers brushing over a rather hideous hanging painting while the fingers of her other hand held gently onto a cup. He took in the sight of her long, tumbling black hair, that fell well past her hips and swayed gently as she shifted to feel various parts of the image. In the back of his mind, he privately wondered who ran their hands over a painting rather than looking at it, but the thought slipped away just as quickly as it came.

He focused on the scents in the room then, noting the lingering hints of a meal. The sight of an empty tray of dishes confirmed for him that she had just eaten. There was a slight floral tang, presumably from the tea in the cup she carried, but he noticed that it seemed to be rather full. Then there was her scent; soothing ginger and tantalizing grapefruit. He noticed a moment later the muted twinge of coppery blood, and connected that scent with his recollection of her allegedly injured state some day previous.

His attention was back on her figure when her hand paused suddenly, the grip of her other tightening fractionally over the cup. She pulled away from the wall aggravatingly slowly, and that was when Sesshomaru got his first glimpse at her face.

Or, he would have, had it not been wrapped in gauze from the bridge of her nose to the middle of her forehead. Distantly, he wondered where this wound of hers had been, in order to require the complete wrapping of her eyes. He continued to watch her as she made rather timid steps towards the middle of the room, sitting abnormally close to the tray. She leaned forward, extending her arm with almost visible caution, placing the untouched tea back onto the tray before withdrawing. Her hand drifted up to the left side of her face, hovering over the place hidden by gauze, and she sighed so quietly it was almost inaudible. The sound intrigued him slightly, so unguarded and heavy that it made him wonder if she knew she had been watched for some time now.

He had his answer, of course, when her whole body suddenly froze.

Curious, Sesshomaru waited to see what she would do. Would she take off the gauze to see who had entered her room? Would she rise abruptly, trying to find something to defend herself with? Or would she cower?

She surprised him when she did nothing. "Have you come to finish this?" she finally said, her voice carrying a tone that wasn't deliberately threatening, but made him slightly cautious regardless. She had mistaken him for someone else. He continued to wait, though, and found himself wondering why she continued to do nothing.

That's when he felt it.

She had been collecting something within herself, drawing it to the surface and letting it sit there, idle but ready. It thrummed like youki and reiki, yet it was neither, and Sesshomaru found himself unknowingly intrigued as to what the nature of her power was.

Perhaps she could help Rin after all.

He revealed himself to her then, letting a fraction of his youki flare around him and allowing his scent to drift to where she sat. He found himself amused when her breath hitched, as if she had finally realized he was not the one she thought had come for her. But his amusement morphed into a curious sort of puzzlement, as that force he had felt welling inside her vanished in an instant, and the empty tray was upended in her haste to rise to her feet. He took note of the tea spilling out of the cup and onto the floor, but his golden eyes retrained themselves on the woman as her hand flew to cover her mouth in an unmistakable gesture of surprise.

" . . . Toga?"

Her voice hit him in a way that was almost physical; so much raw emotion was packed into that single word that he felt compelled to take a step back. And he noted that her revelation, however incorrect, had ignited a few emotions of his own: confusion, curiosity, shock. He found himself relieved for the covering obscuring him from her sight, because he would not have appreciated her noticing his surprise.

Mercilessly, he reined in his thoughts, and trained his icy gaze on where he knew her eyes to be. "You are mistaken," he bit out briskly. He could tell by her reaction that she had realized her error too, sinking slightly as if all of her previous energy had left her. He waited for her to slowly lower herself back to the ground, kneeling once more. She breathed in once, slowly, and by the time she had exhaled, her earlier control was back.

It equally fascinated and alarmed him, how quickly this woman had gone from feeling so much to withdrawing into herself once more.

"You'll forgive me," she started, smiling gently in an attempt at pleasantness, even as her voice carried an unmistakable note of disappointment. "You . . . smelled similar to an old friend of mine." Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed critically at her; surely she knew that sort of claim couldn't be possible? He was pulled from further analysis as she tented her fingers and placed them in her lap, lifting her head to face him. "Are you here for Gina? I find it hard that there are many youkai visiting human inns for fun."

Her attempt at humor was lost on him. "I am here for you." He watched her head tilt ever-so-slightly to the side, as if she were studying him. "What is it you wish from me, demon?" Her voice lilted pleasantly, as if she was posing a polite question, but he could hear her buried suspicion. Sesshomaru took a step further into the room, watching as her head inclined fractionally as if watching his footsteps.

"This One requires your skills," he said, and found himself frowning slightly as she sighed and looked absently over her shoulder.

"I see," she remarked, before shaking her head softly and rising to stand. "I am incapable of such activities at this time."

"You healed one of this village," he challenged, remembering the gossip of the humans he passed earlier.

"I should not have," she said, shrugging simply. "I cannot help you."

Sesshomaru bit back the urge to growl. "Look at me, woman."

"I cannot."

He was in front of her then, looming over her figure, but not yet touching her. "You will," he commanded. He was impressed that she did not flinch at his threatening tone or sudden proximity. For a moment, neither moved. Her scent up close was that much more vivid, flooding his nostrils and making it hard to smell much else. Finally, she seemed to give in, her fingers threading into her raven black hair and making quick work of unfastening the gauze. He waited as she unwrapped it, once, twice, and that stale coppery note became more pronounced the closer to being exposed to the air the wound became.

The gauze was pulled away, and she let it fall to the floor between them, keeping her eyes closed. He studied the newly revealed portion of her face, his eyes roaming over the curled lashes fanning over her cheeks and the delicately shaped arch of her night black brows. He studied the wound on her temple, the one he knew didn't stop bleeding for several hours. It struck him as an odd concept once he saw it; the skin had been split and scraped away, yes, and there was a splotch of discoloration around it that signified bruises left from a blunt impact, but the wound was hardly the worst he had seen on a human. He knew, from previous incidents with Rin in the past, that something of this magnitude shouldn't have bled as long as it had.

His attention snapped back to her eyes, as he noticed them shift beneath her lids. "Look at me," he repeated, and her face seemed to briefly twist in exasperation.

"I cannot," she reiterated, slowly, as if he was a child. Sesshomaru glared at her tone, but his aggravation was abandoned when her eyes snapped open, and for a timeless moment Sesshomaru found himself utterly captivated by the sight of the two milky white, slightly opalescent jewels she claimed to be her eyes. The moment ended when she tilted her head back, so that he was looking fully into her eyes.

But they weren't looking at him.

"In case you haven't been informed," she stated, "I am currently blind."


Author's Note:

So, they finally meet . . .

I hope you're enjoying the flow thus far, and I hope I've dropped enough hints and remarks to spike your curiosity. (And if you're wondering were Katsumi when, no worries, she's just chilling. She'll be back).

Anyways, please continue to enjoy the story!