Chapter Two

She felt him at her back and did her best to ignore his presence.

He was closer than she had anticipated but that didn't stop her from practicing with her blades. A sword in her right hand and a dagger in the other, she whipped them around skillfully and she thrust one blade into the tree before her. When she tried to pull it free, it stuck. Flushing with embarrassment at her mistake, she yanked on her dagger, felt it give, and turned back around and came face to face with a fully armored chest. "Ah!" Jumping back, she almost dropped both of her weapons but caught them before they hit the ground.

"You are in my way." The smooth, cold voice sliced through the air and made her shiver once again.

Looking upward, Miho was momentarily stunned by the sight. This was no ordinary man. He was much taller than average, with a fare face and powerful presence and build. His unusual choice of clothing made her heart leap unexpectedly within her chest. It was almost like she recognized it, but had no idea why.

Unfortunately for him, Miho wasn't an easy target to prey upon. "Then walk around me, sir." Feeling slightly smug, she got better hold of her weapons and stood her ground, all the while staring just as intently as he was.

The man did not back down. In fact, he took a step closer and her body responded in a most unexpected way yet again. Instead of backing up, she stood still and almost wished for him to touch her, but he was wise enough to see her intentions. The man stopped and eyed her curiously. "Do you intend to die?"

"No." She whispered, hoping that her voice had not betrayed her, but with a look into his eyes, she had. "I intend to maintain my dignity by refusing to submit to a stranger's demands. I was here first, therefore you should walk around."

The golden eyed man cocked an eyebrow and blinked. "A human such as yourself is no match for my superior powers. Back down and I shall allow you to walk away unscathed."

For the first time, she smiled, highly amused. "Human? Look who is talking." She noted sarcastically. "Do you think you can frighten me with a threat like that? I am the one with weapons drawn."

The man was not amused. "I think that if you do not back down, I shall take those weapons and throw them out of your reach." It seemed impossible, but she could have sworn that he grew a few inches taller than her. "Do you wish to test my resolve?"

She drew in a steady breath and flushed slightly as the man noticed the swell of her breasts beneath her cotton, burgundy kimono that had suddenly felt constricting. Smiling in an attempt to divert his attention, she gathered her courage and let her voice carry a word that made the man mad. "Yes." With that, Miho dove sideways and swung her sword around expertly and aimed it in his direction while she crouched low to the ground, ready to pounce.

The man was still, but his eyes had followed her every move. Slowly, he turned on the spot and lifted his right hand toward the level of his eyes. His knuckles cracked threateningly. "You dare turn your blade toward me?" His sinister smirk made the blood within her body boil with unexplainable wanting. "Very well." He lunged for her without the help of his own sword.

"I have been trained since early childhood by my own father on how to wield a sword!" She called as she dodged his oncoming attack by mere inches. She rolled on the ground and popped back up onto one knee. Returning her dagger to its sheath at her hidden ankle, she got better hold on her sword and focused her attention on the man who was watching her curiously.

"I see. And where is your father now?" His voice was smooth and calm. It made her internally weaken.

Miho was not happy to reveal her answer but did so against her better judgment. "My father, along with my mother perished in a raid when I was eight years old. My brothers were with them and both too died." I can't believe I said that to a complete stranger! She internally kicked herself.

The man felt an odd sense that he had heard this story before. "You were eight years old, you say?"

"Yes." She watched him hesitate and took it upon herself to initiate the fight. Sword drawn, she thrust it forward at him.

He saw it coming and whipped out his own sword to counterattack. The two blades contacted and sent a small flash of sparks. Both were surprised by this. "You are strong." He pointed out, but didn't wait long enough for her to respond. Instead, he thrust upward with his blade and leaped off the ground.

His sudden flight made her lose her balance and she tumbled forward to the ground. "Hey!" She caught her fall with her left hand and turned quickly to jab with her right which held her sword. The moment she threw her arm up, her weapon was knocked out of her grip. "Ah!" She looked up from the ground and was met with beautiful amber eyes. Her body reacted again as if she wanted him. "How dare you!" She cried out as she watched her sword drop from the sky and land perfectly upright in the man's left hand. "That was not fair!"

"Life is not fair."

Miho was not pleased. "Give me back my sword!" She tried to get up but his foot contacted her chest and pushed her back to the ground. "This is not the way a gentleman should act with a lady!"

The man smiled from the corner of his mouth and eyed her curiously once again while he dropped her sword. She watched it fall with deep loathing. "I am no gentleman." He stated simply.

Her eyes flashed in rage. "Oh really?" She grabbed for his ankle as his foot was still on her. "Then what would you call yourself? A monster?"

The man took his time in answering as he fixed her with a penetrating stare. Her heart hammered as she noticed that he watching her with a heated gaze. "A monster, I am not."

"Then what are you?" She demanded, uncaring that he was becoming just as angry as she.

"I am a demon." He lifted a strong hand up to his face and pushed his long silvery hair back past his pointed ears.

She saw him for what he was then. The violet streaks on either side of his face trailed back toward his demonic ears. She had first assumed it was war paint, indicating that he was from another land, but the closer she got to look at his face, the more she saw that it was a part of his skin. The crescent moon on his forehead finally caught her attention as it had not before. Had that just appeared? She didn't know, but something about him struck her as familiar. "A demon?" Fear gripped her as she realized her fatal mistake. He could kill her just by ramming a hand through her chest. "Who…who are you?"

The man took his foot off of her chest and crouched down to look her in the face. Miho could not contain her shock at his familiar features. "I am a demon."

"I…I…" Miho's words were gone.

The mysterious demon reached a clawed hand out toward her face and stopped a few inches away from her left cheek. "What is your name, human?" The look in his eyes forced her back into her secret dreams. Searching for something, anything…but what?

Miho's eyes widened and her heart thundered. What is my name? What is it? "Miho…" She hesitated before she finished out of a sudden bout of foreboding. "My birth name is Miho…but my maiko name is…Rin."

Fire blazed in the demons eyes. "What did you say?"

Frightened by the sudden change in his demeanor, Miho didn't hesitate to respond. "My maiko name is Rin…my onee-san had given it to me when I was given to the teahouse. It is my debut name for when I become a geisha."

"Is it possible…?" The male demon whispered, transfixed by what seemed to be his own thoughts as his amber eyes glazed over.

Miho felt vulnerable. She didn't like that feeling one bit. "I should be getting back now…" She drew herself up on her hands and scooted backward to avoid contact with the demon stranger. "I am sorry I have to leave so soon but…I will be beaten badly if I am gone for too long."

The male demon broke free of his concentration and shot a deadly hand out to catch her by the ankle.

Miho squeaked, and then internally kicked herself again for coming off as a helpless woman. "Hey!" She cried as his vice like grip hurt. "Let go!" Miho kicked her other leg out and got him in the nose.

Stunned, the demon released her and Miho made a mad dash back to her home at the teahouse.

Author's Note:I give you all some terms that should help if you do not already know them.

Onee-san: older sister/mentor
Okaa-san: mother/mentor
Maiko: dancing girl, or apprentice geisha

Please note that this is not a traditional geisha story because the women we see as Geisha today traditionaly started in the early 1600s from what I have gathered from my research. To keep you all well informed, Rin is not that far into the future from her previous death date. No more than 50 to 100 years have passed.

Enjoy!