div class="chapter preface group" style="border-width: 1px 0px 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.5em 3em; padding: 0.643em 0.643em 0px; float: none; color: #2a2a2a; border-style: solid initial initial initial;" role="complementary"
h3 class="title" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.286em; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0.5375em 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1; background: transparent; text-align: center;"font face="Nimbus Mono L, monospace"span lang="zh-CN"ホタルの海/span/font/h3
/div
div class="userstuff module" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 1088.63px; float: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: #2a2a2a;" role="article"
h3 id="work" class="landmark heading" style="border-width: 0px 0px 0.25em; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-weight: 500; font-style: inherit; font-size: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; height: 0px; clear: both; color: transparent; border-color: initial initial #333333 initial; border-style: initial initial double initial;"Chapter Text/h3
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"span lang="hi-IN"𑁍/spanbr /Unedited/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Behind her white wooden oni mask, Gin let out a deep sigh, perched silently on the roots of a weeping cherry, and back propped against the tree trunk. Her legs elegantly sprawled onto the moist earth and eye periodically glancing over to Sesshomaru's unconscious and prone form. The ghost of a smile painted on her face as she shifted her position. The sleeves of her blue haori dusting across the ground and ruffling several herbs as she plucked a single blade of hokuto mint./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Mischief tugged at her lips as she waved the herb underneath the young daiyokai's nose, tickling it. She giggled as he twitched, inhaling the scent and waking with a startled jerk. Gin stifled her laughter, her wooden oni mask bobbing up and down unceremoniously as she did./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Sesshomaru blinked twice in bemusement before composing himself, sitting up in a manner befitting his noble birth...with the addition of bed head. If Gin noticed she never betrayed the slightest twitch. His eyes fell onto his master's mask then narrowed scrutinizingly at the plucked herb lying ever-so-innocently on the ground./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Where...?" He trailed off before rethinking his question, "did Shishō-sama carry this Sessho—-!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"WHACK!/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"In my presence, you will speak using the first person. Say, 'I' and use, 'me' when referring to yourself. She waved around her katana and wakizashi, dancing wildly as she spelled out her newest instructions./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Sesshomaru's expression was one to memorize./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Frozen and stunned at being smacked. And in disbelief of getting grammar lessons from someone who doesn't even speak aloud. Still, he hid whatever thoughts might've been running through his mind with a perfectly blank face./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"And quickly, he adjusted himself./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Did Shishō-sama carry me down the mountain?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"The white oni nodded. Their posture immediately shifting into that of solemnity./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Do you know why you failed?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"She was blunt and unrestrained with her words. She would not put it delicately nor would she soften the blow for her student. He would learn from the sting of his failures. And from the burn of harshness learn not to mess with fire./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Sesshomaru stiffened./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""This Se—I," he corrected carefully, thinking of the wound that marred his cheek. "underestimated Shishō-sama."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"The masked tilted along with the head of its wearer./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Perhaps, she agreed, twirling her wakizashi elegantly. but I saw something different./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"She raised her blade towards the young daiyokai./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"I saw arrogance and pride. She told him viciously, her blades ripping through the air. I saw dismissal and disrespect. You overestimated yourself because you are a daiyokai and dismissed me under the assumption that I was weaker./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Sesshomaru observed her flourishing blades with wide eyes. Her swords howling like the wind, snapping fiercely as she spoke with them. Had she been truly speaking he wondered if her voice would have been raised, yelling at him with thunder. Instead, he watched her speak silently with her actions, and was in awe of her skill and power./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"My late master once said to me that 'Pride often comes before the fall.' Her blade crackled, As your teacher, I certainly hope to never see that day come where you fall from the height of your arrogance and never stand again./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at the suggestion that he would ever fall. Still, he obediently held his tongue. His master was speaking so he would be silent. Even, if he disagreed./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Hear and remember this, Lord Sesshomaru: every strength can be turned into a weakness and every weakness into strength. I swear that until you learn this I will teach you nothing more./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"With those words, the masked swordsman sheathed his blades and turned away. Leaving Sesshomaru to ponder all that he had learned thus far./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Her words were screamed without the use of sound but would her student still hear them? Gin didn't know and couldn't teach a student who was unwilling to learn./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"This will be your second test, Lord Sesshomaru./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"span lang="hi-IN"𑁍/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"He followed her reticently as they ventured deeper and deeper into the woods. Night was falling and dusk sat on the horizon, brushing the trees with the gentle touch of twilight. Muted colours of orange and blue spilled across the sky like a mix of watercolour paints. In the centre of it all was an orb of fire, glowing orange and dimming as it sank into the shadows./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Neither had spoken since the oni's passionate exclamation. Distantly, the masked warrior wondered if pride was all that kept Sesshomaru from passing her test. Sorrowfully, she realized that he might never let go of his pride. Sesshomaru had an eternity to spend being stubbornly proud. And if she waited for him to learn, then he would remain stubborn until her death. She could wait, but in the end he would outlast her. Still, she hoped that he would release the arrogance that bound him and held him back./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"If not, then there would be nothing more she could teach him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"All around them the stars danced, blinking and flashing as the night swelled. Fireflies lit the forest and the trees whispered a lullaby beneath the ethereal moonlight./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Behind her mask, Gin felt a heavy weight under her eyes. She was tired from the morning's early journey and even more so from climbing up and down the mountain. Her legs ached from being used almost all day without rest. Still, she pushed on despite her weaknesses. That's what made her strong./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Behind her, Sesshomaru stopped and she turned around to inquire why. Instead of asking why, she said nothing and was met with piercing eyes of gold. The eyes were still burning with pride but deep within the embers was a cool acceptance that seemed to douse the flame./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""I have a powerful sense of smell," Sesshomaru said simply, "it is a double edged sword."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Behind her wooden mask, Gin found the strength to smile. Although this was the only confession she would get, for now it was enough. She dipped her head into a nod, sinking to the ground and beckoned Sesshomaru to sit down beside her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Then, she taught him the different stars that reside above./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"He passed./p
/div
h3 class="title" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.286em; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0.5375em 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1; background: transparent; text-align: center;"font face="Nimbus Mono L, monospace"span lang="zh-CN"ホタルの海/span/font/h3
/div
div class="userstuff module" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 1088.63px; float: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: #2a2a2a;" role="article"
h3 id="work" class="landmark heading" style="border-width: 0px 0px 0.25em; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-weight: 500; font-style: inherit; font-size: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; height: 0px; clear: both; color: transparent; border-color: initial initial #333333 initial; border-style: initial initial double initial;"Chapter Text/h3
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"span lang="hi-IN"𑁍/spanbr /Unedited/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Behind her white wooden oni mask, Gin let out a deep sigh, perched silently on the roots of a weeping cherry, and back propped against the tree trunk. Her legs elegantly sprawled onto the moist earth and eye periodically glancing over to Sesshomaru's unconscious and prone form. The ghost of a smile painted on her face as she shifted her position. The sleeves of her blue haori dusting across the ground and ruffling several herbs as she plucked a single blade of hokuto mint./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Mischief tugged at her lips as she waved the herb underneath the young daiyokai's nose, tickling it. She giggled as he twitched, inhaling the scent and waking with a startled jerk. Gin stifled her laughter, her wooden oni mask bobbing up and down unceremoniously as she did./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Sesshomaru blinked twice in bemusement before composing himself, sitting up in a manner befitting his noble birth...with the addition of bed head. If Gin noticed she never betrayed the slightest twitch. His eyes fell onto his master's mask then narrowed scrutinizingly at the plucked herb lying ever-so-innocently on the ground./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Where...?" He trailed off before rethinking his question, "did Shishō-sama carry this Sessho—-!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"WHACK!/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"In my presence, you will speak using the first person. Say, 'I' and use, 'me' when referring to yourself. She waved around her katana and wakizashi, dancing wildly as she spelled out her newest instructions./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Sesshomaru's expression was one to memorize./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Frozen and stunned at being smacked. And in disbelief of getting grammar lessons from someone who doesn't even speak aloud. Still, he hid whatever thoughts might've been running through his mind with a perfectly blank face./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"And quickly, he adjusted himself./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Did Shishō-sama carry me down the mountain?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"The white oni nodded. Their posture immediately shifting into that of solemnity./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Do you know why you failed?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"She was blunt and unrestrained with her words. She would not put it delicately nor would she soften the blow for her student. He would learn from the sting of his failures. And from the burn of harshness learn not to mess with fire./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Sesshomaru stiffened./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""This Se—I," he corrected carefully, thinking of the wound that marred his cheek. "underestimated Shishō-sama."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"The masked tilted along with the head of its wearer./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Perhaps, she agreed, twirling her wakizashi elegantly. but I saw something different./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"She raised her blade towards the young daiyokai./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"I saw arrogance and pride. She told him viciously, her blades ripping through the air. I saw dismissal and disrespect. You overestimated yourself because you are a daiyokai and dismissed me under the assumption that I was weaker./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Sesshomaru observed her flourishing blades with wide eyes. Her swords howling like the wind, snapping fiercely as she spoke with them. Had she been truly speaking he wondered if her voice would have been raised, yelling at him with thunder. Instead, he watched her speak silently with her actions, and was in awe of her skill and power./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"My late master once said to me that 'Pride often comes before the fall.' Her blade crackled, As your teacher, I certainly hope to never see that day come where you fall from the height of your arrogance and never stand again./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at the suggestion that he would ever fall. Still, he obediently held his tongue. His master was speaking so he would be silent. Even, if he disagreed./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Hear and remember this, Lord Sesshomaru: every strength can be turned into a weakness and every weakness into strength. I swear that until you learn this I will teach you nothing more./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"With those words, the masked swordsman sheathed his blades and turned away. Leaving Sesshomaru to ponder all that he had learned thus far./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Her words were screamed without the use of sound but would her student still hear them? Gin didn't know and couldn't teach a student who was unwilling to learn./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"This will be your second test, Lord Sesshomaru./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"span lang="hi-IN"𑁍/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"He followed her reticently as they ventured deeper and deeper into the woods. Night was falling and dusk sat on the horizon, brushing the trees with the gentle touch of twilight. Muted colours of orange and blue spilled across the sky like a mix of watercolour paints. In the centre of it all was an orb of fire, glowing orange and dimming as it sank into the shadows./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Neither had spoken since the oni's passionate exclamation. Distantly, the masked warrior wondered if pride was all that kept Sesshomaru from passing her test. Sorrowfully, she realized that he might never let go of his pride. Sesshomaru had an eternity to spend being stubbornly proud. And if she waited for him to learn, then he would remain stubborn until her death. She could wait, but in the end he would outlast her. Still, she hoped that he would release the arrogance that bound him and held him back./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"If not, then there would be nothing more she could teach him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"All around them the stars danced, blinking and flashing as the night swelled. Fireflies lit the forest and the trees whispered a lullaby beneath the ethereal moonlight./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Behind her mask, Gin felt a heavy weight under her eyes. She was tired from the morning's early journey and even more so from climbing up and down the mountain. Her legs ached from being used almost all day without rest. Still, she pushed on despite her weaknesses. That's what made her strong./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Behind her, Sesshomaru stopped and she turned around to inquire why. Instead of asking why, she said nothing and was met with piercing eyes of gold. The eyes were still burning with pride but deep within the embers was a cool acceptance that seemed to douse the flame./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""I have a powerful sense of smell," Sesshomaru said simply, "it is a double edged sword."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Behind her wooden mask, Gin found the strength to smile. Although this was the only confession she would get, for now it was enough. She dipped her head into a nod, sinking to the ground and beckoned Sesshomaru to sit down beside her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Then, she taught him the different stars that reside above./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"He passed./p
/div