Chapter Ten

The world was locked away, pushed aside by her mind and all was calm. There were no ghosts to plague her dreams, nor haunted voices to break her blissful silence. Nothing mattered to her as she gazed out into the fading sunset. The clouds were soft and painted gold with blushing pink and dusty violet, and the meadow came alive with a sparkling night. For the first time in many years, she felt calm.

While she gazed into the stars, the beautiful smell of roses filled her senses. There was something in the air that made her feel safe and sound within the solitude of her meadow, but she was well aware that her time there was drawing to a close…so she wept a few final tears that gave her the knowledge that this wonderful place she had found herself was that of a simple dream.

She released only a handful of tears before she scanned the horizon once more, and she paused as a figure emerged from a nearby forest on her right side.

He was tall. A regal figure with flowing silver hair and he walked with the grace of a feline. Everything about him glowed despite there being no moon, and she could see fierceness in his stunning honey eyes.

She smiled at his presence, knowing full well that he had no intention of causing her harm and she whipped her eyes with her kimono sleeve, not wanting him to see her tears.

He stepped closer, not hesitant in the slightest and he stopped only just a few feet away. His eyes were smiling, though his mouth was not. 'I have found you…' he whispered through the flowing wind.

His voice was almost lyrical in her ears as it was carried over by the fragrant breeze. It took her a moment to realize that the scent of roses was not from the beautiful flower because it was not present in her meadow as far as she could see. But it was, however, coming from the body of the man before her. She knew that smell. It made her heart flutter wildly beneath her breast and she was sure that he could hear it across the distance, but she didn't care. He smelled wonderful. 'You have not changed, my Lord…you are still the same, but I am not…' She paused, suddenly feeling lightheaded. 'What have I become? I have felt so trapped within myself, but I don't know what it is I am, or how to break free…'

The man simply watched, regarding her with uncertainty and remained silent until a full moment had passed. 'Only you can know who you are now…Who do you think you are?'

She blinked in surprise. 'I…I do not know…'

The corner of his mouth uplifted slightly. 'You do know. Who am I?'

The answer was in her mind, but she couldn't find a way to release it. Instead of responding, she tore her gaze away from him and marveled at the beauty of which she knew her mind had created.

The stars had come out, slowly one by one, and now the sky was cloaked in a midnight blanket that sparkled brightly with an array of endless lights.

A sudden thought caught her off guard. She smiled and whispered, 'you claimed my body once…that, I remember.' She looked over to the man and continued. 'It was a night like this, and your eyes were burning with a fire I had never known you to have. I knew you were changing…' She recalled being in the company of three demons, but only one had known what her own body was doing and he had attacked with almost no warning.

'Do you resent me for it?' He asked while showing no emotion.

She cast her eyes to the dew covered ground and blushed. 'I do not think so…For some reason, it sort of feels like you had claimed someone else, but I know it's not true.'

'How do you know?'

She looked up and stared once more. 'Because I still bear your mark on my breast.' She saw the disbelief in his eyes. 'It all makes sense now…I have a birth mark in the shape of the crescent moon, which is the mark that is placed upon your forehead.' She released a breathy laugh as if realizing a hidden truth for the first time in her entire life. 'I am yours…' The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them, but the shock did not keep her from talking even more. 'My body, my soul, belongs to you…oh gods!' The world around her began to swirl and she clutched the ground for support as she felt the unmistakable feeling of sharp pain grip her very core. She was dizzy and was certain that the end was coming fast. Instead of succumbing to the darkness, she hung on long enough to find that the man was still there before her, standing not but a few feet away and doing nothing but staring as if he had seen it all before.

For a moment, she became angry at feeling so helpless and the words left her mouth without hesitation. 'WHO AM I?'

The man responded with only a name and sad eyes. 'Rin.'

"What the hell were you thinking?" The voice of an angry female jolted Miho out of her dreams, but she kept her eyes shut tight, afraid of seeing what it could possibly be that was making the woman standing over her so mad. From what the young maiko could tell of the surrounding atmosphere, she was still in the tea house and was also soaked to the bone in the strongest smelling mint tea that had ever been brewed. I must have knocked over the pot when I went down…but why am I still here? Why haven't I been moved? Miho breathed in slowly, hoping to clear her head and attempted to capture more of the conversation that no one else had apparently figured out she was a part of.

The unknown female continued to reprimand the person at Miho's left. It took her a few seconds to discover that the woman speaking was the priestess, Kagome. "She is unconscious on the floor and covered in tea, and you waited until I got here to do something about it? Do you have any idea as to who this woman is? Well, do you?"

A male voice answered. "Don't get mad at me! How was I supposed to know that Jaken scared the hell out of her before she got here? I didn't even know that that little toad was in the area! Do you know what she did before we met her? She kicked my brother in the nose!"

Kagome huffed and growled. "Don't look so happy about it!"

"How can I not be? If I had the chance to kick him in the nose, I would have!"

"Inuyasha, that's enough! Where is he?" A distinct tapping sound drew Miho attention to Kagome and she assumed that she must be moving her foot in impatience. Where was who?

"Jaken?" The male half demon sounded confused.

Again, Kagome huffed. "Sesshomaru!"

The sounds of rustling and another voice entered the mix. "I would have thought you had better control of your human, little brother."

Miho's heart seized, but she remained still. Sesshomaru… The stabbing pain was back but less severe as it had been when she first heard his name. Why do I keep seeing blood? I…remember dreaming of being so tired, but I also remember his voice. No, wait! I apologized! I was apologizing for something, but I did nothing to apologize for…Blood…Miho cringed internally at the thought. So much blood…I was dying. Damn it! Her abdomen clenched and her whole body convulsed, riding out the pain, but she did not fade into unconsciousness afterword.

The whole room fell silent and cold hands touched her sleeved arm and forehead. "Miho? Can you hear me?" Kagome was trying to rouse her, but Miho kept her eyes shut tight. "Rin!" Kagome whispered urgently. "Rin…please?" More silence followed, but Miho refused to respond. "She is burning up!" Feminine hands moved from her forehead to her neck, then moved past her ribs and pushed down into her right side. "No, not there."

Miho suddenly felt silly because her pain was already ebbing away.

Kagome's hands centered on Miho's abdomen and pushed down.

Miho shot her body forward and cried out, but the pain was already gone. Her eyes opened, then widened as she took in her surroundings. Five concerned, yet curious faces were staring back at her, but she only focused on one. "I know you." The heat was gone from her body and she suddenly felt chilled. "You're the reason I keep dreaming!" Miho shouted into the stoned face of the demon she knew to be Sesshomaru.

Everyone around her, including Kagome who had been crouched down in front of her in a caring way, jumped back from her as the young maiko shot to her feet.

Miho took in the figure of the demon dressed in all white. She threw her right arm out in his direction and jabbed a pointed finger into the air in rage. "All day, I have been in pain! My stomach feels as if it is being ripped apart and it is all because of you! Your face haunts my very soul with every dream or nightmare that I have! Why you?" Miho started shaking as her blood boiled and she internally cringed as her soaked tea covered robes dripped down her legs and onto the floor. "Huh? WHY YOU?"

Kagome was the first to break away from her shock and she stepped toward her. "Rin, everything is going to be…"

"STOP!" Miho shouted, causing Kagome to rethink her decision and retreat. "I know who I am! My name is Miho! I do not know who Rin is! Rin is the name I received when I first came here. It is my Maiko name and that is IT!" She focused her attention back on Sesshomaru, who had not moved a muscle. "I know who I am…who are you? What are you to me?"

Sesshomaru glared at her with molten eyes. "Do not speak to me in that tone."

Miho's eyes flared and she took a step toward him, not caring that Sesshomaru's eyes had gone from cold honey gold to fiery red. "Answer me! What are you to me?" By this point, she was in his face, unafraid and downright furious.

No one moved, or even blinked. Kagome and Inuyasha's jaws were practically to the floor at what was unfolding before them. Miroku and Shippo had managed to cower behind the overturned table and their heads were currently peaking out to catch a glimpse of what might happen next.

Tension was building as the moments passed. The silence in the room was deafening and nobody moved.

The two angry figures stood toe to toe and eye to tilted eye. Sesshomaru was quite obviously taller than her, and no doubt stronger than over a thousand men, but he did not intimidate Miho any more than a helpless kitten could.

Sesshomaru finally spoke. "Mind your tone, or I will mind it for you." He snarled.

Miho squared off her shoulders and straightened her spine. For a moment, time stood still and her mind reeled. Her rage was bitter like the metallic taste of blood in the back of her throat and she shook violently with it. Every fiber of her being burned and nothing prevented the actions that followed. For a moment…she saw only red, and she acted.

With no warning to anyone, even to herself, Miho drew her arm back with palm open and facing outward…and threw it forward, ramming it into the face of the demon of her most wonderful and most hated dreams.

In slow motion, the scene played out in an almost comical kind of way…but no one found it amusing.

Sesshomaru's head snapped violently to the side and Miho yanked her hand back as white hot pain enveloped her palm.

The witnesses in the room froze with the rest of the outside world and not even the crickets made a sound.

Author's Note: What do you think? I know I made some grammar mistakes, but I'll edit later! I'm writing something else on top of this story, so bear with me!

OliviaAR