The waxing gibbous moon hung in the night sky, the stars shining above the demon Lord of the Western Lands, and an odd female warrior who was in the wrong plane of existence and smelled of earth and sea with a tinge of wolf. The smile that stretched across her face almost seemed child-like as if though she just won a game that Sesshomaru had no idea that he was a part of.

He tried not to balk at the woman in front of him, but it almost proved to be impossible for Sesshomaru. Her appearance made her look feral and wild: her untamed, golden hair flew in every direction in the wind and her unearthly blue eyes were wide with what looked like the thrill of a good hunt. The blood red tunic she wore was cut haphazardly at her shoulders, showing off her toned arms and shoulders, with a silver wolf embroidered on the front. Her dark pants - riddled with small holes near the knees- were rolled up, revealing naked feet in the grassy field. Sesshomaru eyed the same round, wooden disc next to her pack and wondered why she chose to carry such a cumbersome thing.

What really made him want to balk at her though, was the fact that she challenged him to a contest, the very idea making him think of something Rin might do to Jaken when she bored on their travels.

A contest? The Demon Lord thought to himself in disbelief. Sesshomaru had been hunting the source of the tremendous energy for the last couple of days and it led him to the disheveled being in front of him.

If Sesshomaru ever laughed, this would be the moment that he would. Instead, he turned away from the wild looking woman. It did seem after all to be a waste of his time, no matter the amount of power he felt from her; she was just another hot head with too much power and not a worthy opponent like he had previously thought.

Out of the corner of his eye he watched her face drop, along with her hands that were still on her hips. Sesshomaru heard a heavy sigh and the next thing he knew, she was directly in front of him, blocking his path. He tried move again, this time faster but still she persisted and ended up blocking his path of escape at every step and turn he took.

"You're going to just walk away? After you took all this time to track me after over the past couple of days, and then watch me fight that Koga guy, like some peeping pervert and still walk away? With without any answers, no less? I'm a little disappointed in the Killing Perfection I've heard so much about." Sesshomaru's eyes locked with her's again, this time there was no playful, child like glee sparkling in hers. Instead it was replaced with an intensity and a solemness of a hardened warrior. Her complete 180 degrees in her emotions almost threw Sesshomaru off. He continued eyeing her with a level uncertainty he was unaccustomed to.

Just who or what was she? The Great Demon Lord wanted to ask her. Sesshomaru could not deny that this woman made him question his own intuition, and he didn't like it.

"What do you want?" He asked of her, which earned him an almost sarcastic look of of dubiety, followed with another deep sigh and the shaking of her head as if she was repeating herself to a child. Sesshomaru could almost feel the annoyance roll off of her. She attempted to keep her composure with little success.

"I told you - I challenge you to a contest. If you win, I'll give you all the answers you've been seeking about me. Then you can go on continuing to be the strongest demon in the land, or whatever, and I'll leave you well enough alone. If you don't want to do this, then no answers." She finished with a small, knowing smile. Sesshomaru's eye almost twitched out of irritation.

How dare this woman make an ultimatum with him, the Demon Lord of the Western Lands? The worst part being that she was right about what she had said, but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing that.

"If I concede to your contest and if you win, what do you get as a reward?" Sesshomaru asked of Torunn, the grin on her face growing considerably.

"If I win, you will take me to the demon sword smith, Totosai. People around here say you know where he lives and I need to find him."

Not that his face would show it, but Sesshomaru was stunned.

How does she know of that doddering, old fool? He thought to himself, But more importantly why does she seek him? His amber eyes narrowed on her, but Sesshomaru sensed no ill-intent from her, though that still didn't ease his doubts.

"How do you know of Totosai?" He demanded of her.

"Best me and I'll tell you," she retorted with her brow raised in amusement, the playful tone creeping back into her voice. Sesshomaru bared his fangs in annoyance. It wasn't necessarily directed at her, but because he was indeed going to concede to her inane contest, even though he had no idea what it entailed.

No matter, Sesshomaru thought to himself. He would beat her relatively quick, get his answers and be back to his ward and vassal before the sun rose.

"Fine." There was a lengthy pause as Torunn shifted on her feet awkwardly.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" She commented.

"Hn." She rolled her eyes ever so slightly again at his non-verbal reply, a small grin tugging at the corner of her lips.

"In any case, the contest is fairly simple and straight forward: the first to pin the other to the ground, wins," Torunn began to explain to the Demon Lord, "That simple. No killing, no weapons. Just my speed and strength against yours, although you do have a bit of an advantage."

It was true, he had to admit - Sesshomaru had seen her fight, and even if she wasn't using her full strength, he had a bit of an idea on how to combat her. This upper hand and the prize of knowledge was enough for him.

"I will participate in your contest," he said, formally accepting her proposal. Torunn could have almost jump for joy.

"Good," she said, trying to conceal her giddiness, "Again, the rules are simple; no weapons, no tricks and no killing. We will each take 10 paces from each other, and then count down from five - just to keep things mostly even and fair." Sesshomaru was slightly impressed.

Not only did he sense no ill-intent or lies from anything that she was saying, Sesshomaru only sensed a genuine earnestness from her aura. This woman was actually excited to fight him, if only just to see what he was made of - which was definitely different than most beings' reactions. Others knew to cower in fear when faced with his power but she did not. Maybe it was due to ignorance or cockiness, but she did anything but tremble before him.

"Fine woman," he said, agreeing with her terms. Torunn's eyes became hard again.

"Excuse me?" The playful tone once again all but disappeared from her voice, "You've heard my name at least twice now so you should at least call me by it. I mean, I call you by your title, Lord Sesshomaru. I expect the same level of respect." The way she enunciated his title almost made him bare his fangs at her - how dare she show him such little respect and expect him to treat her, this stranger, as equal to him?

"This Sesshomaru is no one's equal and I owe nothing to anyone, respect or otherwise," he replied. She narrowed her eyes at him. If Torunn didn't need his help or have the strongest of urges to put him in his place, she would have walked away from this self-imposed man.

Instead she decided to prey slightly on his ego. She suspected that was his only weakness, if he had any.

"Fine, Pretty Boy," Torunn replied nonchalantly, noticing anger flashing in his eyes. He tried to keep his face inexpressive but he was slowly losing his stoicism, and Torunn reveled in it.

"Don't test my patience, woman," Sesshomaru replied, his tone as sharp as his perfect clawed hand, "The only reason you're still standing is because I want answers."

"The same goes for you, Pretty Boy," Torunn shot back with a small smirk.

A gust of wind rustled the dark tendrils of hair of man wrapped in a white fur pelt. He sat silently, smirking at the moon through an open window as a woman with feathers in her chestnut brown hair approached him in his study. Next to him stood a small girl, her skin and hair pale as the moon outside, her eyes as blank as parchment paper.

"Kagura," the man said, his voice as silky as a spider's web. The woman internally shuddered but otherwise made no outward emotions when he said her name, "Do you feel that? It's been growing for the past few days." The woman raised an eyebrow.

"That weird aura? Yeah, what about it, Naraku?" Even though Kagura did the man's bidding and he held her heart in his hands, she couldn't help but keep the annoyance out of her voice. The man - Naraku - turned to the wind sorceress, his red eyes lit up with a malicious glee.

"I want you to see if you can find the source of it. Take the saimyosho with when you leave," he said, his eyes looking back out the open window, "There are whispers on the wind that say that whoever this being is, is quite powerful and I would like to formally introduce myself."

Kagura visibly shuddered this time, knowing what Naraku really meant when the spider hanyou said that. She always felt a little bad when he choose someone or something to absorb. Naraku had threatened that to her the last time she disobeyed him; it was a fate worse than death in Kagura's opinion.

But rather someone else than her she supposed.

The wind sorceress merely nodded, and stepped out of the room, leaving the girl and Naraku alone. He mulled in thoughts, excited by the prospects of this being being a part of him. He hoped that their powers combined with own, would be enough to get rid of his enemies- namely Inuyasha and now Sesshomaru. Naraku's grin turned sour at the mere thoughts of the two Inu yokais.

Naraku pushed those thoughts out of his mind as he turned to the silent, pale girl who's hands gripped a mirror. "Kanna, show me Kagura. We must keep an eye on your wayward sister and to spot whatever is giving off this delicious aura." Kanna nodded and an image of Kagura riding on her feather and the demon wasps flying all about her, those insects being the link to the mirror. Between the shikon jewels he had collected and once he absorbed the powers of the newcomer, Naraku would destroy all who stood in his way. Nothing would stop him, and at the idea, he grinned at the moon.

"So are we going to to count down together or should I just do it?" Torunn called out to the demon Lord, who stood about ten paces away from her. He stood silently and still as stone.

Jeez, he really isn't much of a talker, Torunn thought to herself. She almost dreaded beating him; she would have to spend however long it would take him to lead her to Totosai in Sesshomaru's silent company. She was used to the comradeship of her fellow Úlfhéðnar, who were as loud and brash as she was. This was going to be a definite change of pace that she wasn't sure she would get used to.

Then Torunn reminded herself that she wouldn't have to get used to it. She doubted the journey would take that long, hopefully three days tops and then she would use her runes that Odin had given her and go back home to Asgard. Easy as honey cake.

She looked up and down the in-human being once more when something struck Torunn as odd; he never moved his left arm when he first appeared and talked to Torunn. She attributed it to the weird clothing his wearing but as Lord Sesshomaru stood stoically across from her, his flowing sleeve fluttered in the night breeze like a flag, and then it hit her.

Lord Sesshomaru didn't have a left arm. Torunn made a face; she didn't feel right fighting someone who was at such a disadvantage, even if she did sense the amount of power emanating from him as she did.

"I don't mean to pry, but I'm not sure if I should fight you with only one arm. It wouldn't be a fair fight. Had I known earlier, I wouldn't have sought you like I have." Sesshomaru's face sparked with anger. Apparently this was a sore subject for the demon, Torunn noted.

"I do not need two arms to defeat you," he spat at her. Torunn, taken aback slightly by his slight rage, threw her hands up in defense.

"Alright jeez. Sorry. Don't get your fluff tied in a knot. If you say you can fight like this, then I believe you, and I suppose that makes us even. I'll count down, okay?" He merely nodded in response, while she grumbled to herself, still slightly miffed. Torunn got into a fighting stance, her claws coming out.

"Five," She began, "Four. Three. Two - "

"One." He finished and within the next second Sesshomaru was right in front of Torunn, who barely dodged a swipe of his own claws at her face. She ducked and rolled out of the way, landing back onto her feet. Again, he was right in front of Torunn, his right arm just clearing her head as she jumped back from him.

Shit, he's fast- way faster than that Koga guy, Torunn thought to herself as she tried to dodge another swipe, and again just barely, as she felt a trickle of blood on her cheek from where his claws made contact. She hadn't really underestimate Sesshomaru but she also didn't quite expect this kind of speed, given the armor he was wearing but he moved as though he was made of air and nothing more. He was the most graceful fighter she had ever met, and she wasn't quite used that. She might have been fast but Torunn wasn't very graceful herself, or at the very least, as graceful as Sesshomaru, so she relied on open opportunities and strength most of the time when she fought an opponent. She was good at finding a weakness or at least a weak point and using it to her advantage. Fighting this demon was like nothing she'd ever encounter before, even if he did only have one arm. Torunn had to admit that she was more than impressed by him; she was in almost awe of his power.

Torunn gritted her teeth, but smiled. This was the challenge she was looking for. It was just too bad that so much relied on her winning this little contest, though. She attacked with a sweep kick that just nicked the heel of his boots but didn't manage to topple the yokai like she had hoped to. She launched herself at the demon, trying to tackling him on to the ground but grabbed nothing but the wind he left behind as he moved out of the way. Torunn somersaulted and got back on to her feet, blocking a swing with her forearms, her heels digging into the ground by the force of his hit.

Torunn continued to dodge and block his attacks left and right when she noticed that they were nearing a patch of trees, and an idea popped into her head. A very foolish and brash idea, but an idea nonetheless.

She turned on her heels and sped up away from him, making Sesshomaru follow her when she stopped mid-stride and waited in a slight crouch. Sesshomaru followed and sped up after her, his hand reaching for her throat when at the very last second, Torunn dodged, but not without grabbing a hold of his giant fluff train with both hands and with all her might swung him into the patch of tree trunks. His body made contact with the trunk of a tree as she disappeared into the forest.

Slightly perturbed, Sesshomaru immediately got up and sniffed the air. After she grabbed onto his mokomoko, he got an even better smell of her so following the odd warrior woman scent was like following bread crumbs on a moon lit path; child's play essentially for the demon Lord. He took off into the direction of the smell of sea salt and wolf, following it into the thicket of trees.

Although it was an obvious path to follow, the scent zigg-zagged every which way between the trees, which slightly stumped Sesshomaru. She couldn't have gotten that far ahead of him, so why was it hard to pinpoint where she was?

Sesshomaru stopped in the middle of the path he was following, taking in his surroundings and was able to find the scent at the source. Smugly and without a moment's thought he pursued it, only to find a wolf pelt hanging on the the branch of a bush. He picked up, turning over the fur in his hand.

It was in that brief moment of curiosity that turned out to be his undoing.

As Sesshomaru felt the soft fur in his hand and sniffed the air again, Torunn swung down from a branch of above him - covered in a smattering of mud, grass and dirt - and landed her knees into his chest, resulting his back hitting on to the ground. When the dust settled, Torunn had successfully pinned the Great Demon Lord of the Western Lands on to the forest floor, straddling him with a wide grin on her face. Torunn's blue eyes twinkled in the impending sunrise, her wild golden hair framing her face as she stared down onto the bewildered Sesshomaru. His amber eyes were wide with shock, even though he would never verbally admit that to her, but there was no mistaking it.

"And with that, I do believe that I win, Lord Sesshomaru." Torunn said rather smugly, "So when do we leave?"

The sun was just beginning to rise when Jaken began to stir. Slowly, he opened his sleep weary eyes, stretching and yawning a great yawn as he did. He made his way onto his feet, stretching out his achy little body. Jaken looked about to see Rin still fast asleep atop A-Un as one head continued to snore as the other one opened one eye at the tiny imp demon.

He grabbed his staff and looked up into the tree above him, expecting to see his Lord sitting silently on the tree's branch but to his dismay, found it empty.

Odd, he pondered sleepily, Lord Sesshomaru said he would have been back before sunrise. Maybe this mysterious being was farther away than he had expected. It's not unlike him to wander off for a day or two.

Despondently, he walked away from the human girl and the dragon and fearing that he was going to be playing the role of babysitter yet again while Lord Sesshomaru was off fighting who knows what. But he puffed out his chest proudly, raising his chin. Even if I had to do that every day for the rest of my life, I would do so for Lord Sesshomaru for it would be my greatest honor to serve him as such.

But just as he was thinking about that, Jaken's eyes caught a figure coming in from the horizon and recognized it to be his Lord. Jaken could have leaped for joy had he also not noticed a second figure not far behind the demon Lord. Jaken wondered who could it be as he felt the immense aura pouring into the area. He grabbed tighter his two headed staff as Rin began to stir awake from atop of A-Un.

"Master Jaken?" She said, sleep still in her voice as she looked in the same direction as the imp, "Is that Lord Sesshomaru? And who's that with him?" Jaken seemed to fluster at her question, wondering the same thing. When he didn't say anything, she climbed onto her feet and waved with both hands to impending figures. "Good morning Lord Sesshomaru! Welcome back!"

"Quiet, foolish girl! Do you want to wake every demon in the area?" Jaken squawked to her as the Demon Lord slowed down, along with his tall, female companion in front of the two wards. Jaken looked the wild looking woman up and down, his already large eyes bugging out of his head in surprise. This is the source of the power? A WOMAN?!

The woman in question smiled broadly at Rin and then looked at Lord Sesshomaru. "You didn't tell me you had a kid!"