Chapter 1: Engagement

The glade was filled with the sound of rustling leaves and creaking trees. The soft chirping of birds and the fluttering grass added to the melody of nature. The sun shone overhead, the rays of light breaking through the clouds like the fingers of god stretching towards the blue earth. Yet the blue sky drifted on, the white clouds leaving white ink blots on parchment. It was a gorgeous day in the Sengoku Jidai.

Through those woods strode a tall man, adorned with a cape of fur and garbed in a red and white kimono- emblazoned with the red lotus. Behind him trailed a two headed dragon, slowly lumbering it's way through the trees. On it's back resided a small child, lazily strewn about. Seemingly asleep. Next to them, a small imp carrying a staff twice it's height. They moved along at a leisurely stroll, following the tall man with the flowing fur.

It was at that moment that the leader of the pack stopped, his golden eyes narrowing, a clawed hand moving to grasp the handle of a sword on his right hip. It was in that moment that he turned on the ball of his right foot, that white handled sword sliding free of its sheath. It seemed the man was an expert swordsman, as the sword blocked… what, exactly?

It was an incoming strike by a very small figure. If one observes it closely, they might notice the vivid red hair and the purple kimono tucked into a white hakama. But the frame of the would-be assassin seemed small. The hands that held the katana were certainly small- if not a bit… fragile. The resulting clash between blades had caused the child to awaken, and the imp had released a squawk.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

The imp had shouted, and some light had been shone on the identity of the man with a silver mane of hair and golden eyes. Sesshoumaru- the Lord of the Western Lands. The two stayed in place for a moment, and the smaller figure pushed off and away, landing some yards away with the katana held out in front of it. The tip of the blade pitched forward, aiming at Sesshoumaru. Violet eyes peered out from behind red bangs, and on the assassin's cheek, cut deep into flesh, was a cross shaped scar. The unknown swordsman dipped its back foot into the blades of grass and moved. By the time one took a quick breath, they would notice the swordsman was gone. To the left of Sesshoumaru it had appeared, silver blade whistling through the air. It was a skilled strike, aiming for the open left side.

If the target had been anyone but Sesshoumary, the strike may have landed. But he was far too old, and far too skilled to allow such an elementary strike to land. He turned again, his motions fluid with no wasted movement. That deadly sword, inscribed with runic patterns, met the human made steel. Sparks flew upon contact, and Sesshoumaru had but another breath to react. The figure had seemed to have been expecting this, as it pushed off the sword, twisting it's small frame, pushing itself into the air. The spin was elegant. Beautiful, even. The flash of steel caught in the sunlight was something to behold as it moved to behead the daiyoukai.

Alas, it was not meant to me. While this figure was skilled in the sword, Sesshoumaru had all the skill and strength befitting one of his status. He simply ducked down, allowing the sword to fly overhead. But the figure would not be denied! It pressed a waraji into the shoulder of the Lord and pushed off. It's lithe frame lifted airbourne, and once it reached the apex of the jump, it twisted itself into a roll. As it rolled downwards, it aimed to slash the blade downwards! By this point, Sesshoumaru had continued his fluid motion, lightly twisting himself in such a way that the blade passed carelessly by his front. The figure landed in front of him, and Sesshoumaru's face remained impassive. He quickly rotated the blade around, aiming to stab the figure while it was low to the ground. The blade aimed downwards, but no! He was quickly forced to step backwards, as the figure had switched its own grip upon its sword. By placing the spine of the sword against the gauntlet of its right hand and gripping the base of the sword with its left, it unleashed a powerful strike upwards!

"It looks like they're dancing, Master Jaken," the child had awakened, and had commented to the little imp, now apparently named Jaken.

"Why must you say stupid things, Rin?! They're fighting to the death! Not dancing in some kind of play you silly humans enjoy!" Jaken rebuked.

Jaken was only partly wrong. Swordsmanship of this caliber was basically a dance, reacting to the move of your partner, moving your body in rhythm to an unheard macabre song. Sesshoumaru had been slightly caught off guard by the movement of his opponent, and had reacted a hair too late. The upturned, razor sharp edge had cut through the fur that Sesshoumaru kept around his shoulder. The imp and child let out a surprised gasp, but the face of Sesshoumaru did not change. It remained flat and expressionless. As the figure went upwards, having delivered a glancing blow, it pivoted over Sesshoumaru and landed behind him. Sesshoumaru, not going to allow a blow to his unguarded back, turned very quickly on the spot, and slashed his sword, emitting a green burst of energy. The figure had just landed, but with a brief glance over its shoulder, created a gap between them.

"You are bold. For a human to attack me? Preposterous," Sesshoumaru said, a tad of malice dipping into his words. "I will end this foolishness with this next attack." He said, and the distance between the two was gone.

In an instant, Sesshoumaru was upon the assassin. It had sheathed it's sword, reverting to a classic iaido stance. Not like it had time to do anything about it, the speed of Sesshoumaru was something to behold. How quickly he was on the offensive, that sword cutting through the air in precise strikes. The figure was pushing itself to its maximum while backpedaling like this. Then, Sesshoumaru released another vicious strike. This time, the figure counter attacked. There was a brief moment when Sesshoumaru raised for a downward strike that he paused, and the assassin capitalized. The sword came downwards, and the assassin raised its sword to strike the now exposed chest. However, Sesshoumaru was a wily veteran. Hundreds of years of experience had taught the demon lord much about fighting. During this battle, he had been watching the way the body of his assassin moved. Each strike was at the same speed, the same rhythm. So, Sesshoumaru had played chess. He intentionally slowed himself down on the final strike, knowing the assassin would see it. And indeed it did. As the blade moved downward, he then released his speed. The sword had met the assassin's… and then it cut clean through it. He didn't wince as the sword ripped and tore through the flesh of the assassin, cutting it from breastbone to pelvis.

The assassin gasped. The first bit of emotion shown on its face. The force of the attack caused it to hit its knees. The snapped edge of the sword flying off somewhere- discarded forevermore. The figure gasped, and then pushed itself onto its bottom, scooting over to a nearby tree to lean against. It's movements were slow and lethargic. Blood had begun to pool out of it's mouth.

"I, Sesshoumaru, am the winner of this fight." he said dully, slashing his blade to the side, removing the blood from it. He sheathed the blade.

"Well done, Lord Sesshoumaru! My lord is the greatest swordsman in all the land!" the little imp chirped, and the girl, Rin, eagerly agreed.

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes looked down upon her, his liquid gold eyes taking in the sight before him. The figure was breathing hard, the once vibrant violet eyes now dulled.

"What is your name, girl?" Girl? The assassins as a girl?

Between heaving breaths, she coughed a few times, fighting to find the words:

"Kenshin… Himura…"

"And who are you, girl, to attack milord?!" Jaken bellowed.

". . . hired…by a… Lord…" she gasped one final time, and went still.

"Hmph. Ridiculous." Sesshoumaru had clearly written it off, and he turned away and began to depart. But before he could take that first step away from the fallen girl, the fang on his hip pulsed, and then began to shake. Sesshoumaru paused. What do you desire of me, Tenseiga? He asked internally, his right hand closing around the fang and drew it. He turned towards the woman, and Tenseiga pulsed again. Showing him the minions of the underworld who had begun to poke and prod at the body of the fallen samurai. You wish for me to save this human? He wondered, and slashed the fang. It tore through the minions, and the gaping wound on the front of the samurai had closed. The samurai's eyes slid open, and gazed up at the golden ones of Sesshoumaru.

"You…saved me?"

"Do not make me regret it." he said plainly, sheathing the sword and turning away, beginning to walk off.

"I don't know why Milord wasted his effort to save you. But be honored that the great Lord Sesshoumaru deemed you worthy to rescue!" He then turned, waddle-running back towards Sesshoumaru. "... wait for me, Lord Sesshoumaru!"

The little girl looked from between the departing Lord and fallen samurai, looking confused at first before smiling at her.

"You better keep up!" she said happily, turning and running after him.

Kenshin rose to her feet, shakily. The pains of the fight were gone. The wound healed. She swallowed… and then hurried after them. Kenshin Himura chased after the Lord that saved her.