Sora: Hey heyyy! Another chappy for my little plot baby!

EXTRA special shout out to Mangascribbler, who was my first reviewer and the most awesomest person on the planet! You guys could join that club too if you review!

The bushes rustled menacingly, Goshinboku whipped around, instantly hearing the rip of her kimono as it tore on the scraggly undergrowth. Damn, she thought, this was the second kimono she had ruined that day. The rustling grew closer and she focused her thoughts back on to the crisis at hand. Crouching slightly, she kept her arrow strung. Her heart thudded in her chest, ramming into her rib-cage and spine.

Thud…

Thud.

Thud

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Her heart wouldn't stop, and if it didn't the demon probably wouldn't even have to kill her itself.

Just as she was taking a nice, calming breath the beast emerged, its scaly head emerging from the brush, its forked tongue flickering out of its mouth as quickly as her gasping breaths. Its lidless eyes stared directly at her, a bright poisonous green that incapacitated her, leaving her immobile. The serpent's long scaly body quickly came into view as more of the beast entered the clearing.

With trembling fingers Goshinboku broke free of the serpent's spell and drew back the bowstring of her weapon. Taking a second to correct her aim, she released, knowing this was her only shot. The arrow flew straight and true, headed directly for one of the serpent's vivid green eyes. However an inch in front of its eye the arrow stopped, as if some sort of barrier had prevented it from hitting the snake.

The arrow fell to ground, broken into tiny, unusable pieces. Goshinboku felt her blood run cold as the serpent advanced. Moving backwards slowly Goshinboku hoped to get away from the monster before it decided to attack. The serpent however, had other plans, moving swiftly she soon found herself nose to nose with the snake. For the first time she noticed the majestic frill around its neck, the dying light lighting it up like a halo.

Before Goshinboku could try to move again, a whispering voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Daughter of Benzaiten, do not be afraid."

The voice had come from the serpent itself, the green eyes boring into her blue ones. Her mind scrambled to place where she had heard the name Benzaiten before. She was….

Benzaiten was the goddess of love, her sacred animals being those of the serpent and dragon. That was all clicking, but,

"What do you mean I am a daughter of Benzaiten? My mother's name is Satomi!"

"No, no," said the serpent,

"I am Rentaro, servant of Benzaiten, and you are her daughter."

Goshinboku blinked in confusion,

"What of my father?"

"He was human," Rentaro said unblinkingly,

"But that is not why I have come, danger approaches, fangs drawn, and venom ready. A mistaken betrayal leads to bloodshed, the hearts of the pure turn black and burn like ice. You must be ready to face the trials ahead."

"What trials? Who has been betrayed? What is going to happe—," Goshinboku burst out, only to find herself cut off by Rentaro,

"Your demon approaches, you will find that he will be a useful friend. But, as of now I do not think that he will welcome my presence," Rentaro looked into Goshinboku's eyes deeply,

"You must learn your powers, or all is lost."

With a nod of his head, the serpent turned and quickly started to slither away. Everything was so perplexing that only one thing made sense in Goshinboku's mind,

"Hey! He isn't mine!" She yelled at the snake's retreating tail, which disappeared into the undergrowth moments later.

Goshinboku jolted up quickly, determined to find her way out of this kami forsaken forest. She hadn't however planned for the low hanging branch that she had crawled her way under when she was trying to flee Rentaro.

With a loud crack, the sickening taste of pain, and the trauma she had just gone through the world turned blue and darkened into the midnight black of unconsciousness.

With a crash Inutaisho hurtled into the clearing, taking in at once Goshinboku's life-less form and the overpowering scent of serpent. He growled manically, at the same time wondering how this human girl had already stolen his heart.

It seemed a little fast to him, even though he had always hoped that true love was out there, that there was someone out there destined to be with you.

But,

When he had seen her eyes, he had been drawn in.

When he had known her spirit, he was intrigued.

When he heard her voice, he was spellbound.

When he felt her touch, he knew desire.

When he saw her helpless, he fell completely and irreversibly in love.

Inutaisho leapt to her side, heaving a sigh of relief as he felt her pulse rushing through her body. He examined her carefully; ascertaining if she had any broken limbs that he would need to be careful of, fortunately all he found was a knot on top of her head. The injury had most likely been the feather that broke the camel's back, causing her to black out, but not enough to cause any serious damage.

Now that he knew she would live and recover fully, he desperately fought the desire to find the serpent that had caused this and rip it apart, scale by scale. He overrode this wish, knowing that Goshinboku needed to be taken back and cared for. Once again a growl ripped through his chest; although, this one was one of anger, not panic.

Inutaisho scooped her up gently and as easily as if he was carrying a rag doll. She was not very tall, five foot three at the most; however she was even the more beautiful because she seemed as if she actually ate. Although certainly very skinny, maybe she should eat more Inutaisho thought worriedly, she was perfect. Not one of the women who thought it was beautiful to have their bones stick out, the joints of their knees protruding rather grotesquely

Inutaisho hugged her shivering body to his own, she did not feel cold, but yet her body trembled violently. At the moment one of her shoes slipped off of her feet and while he bent to retrieve it, one of her feet brushed against his arm. He was startled by how cold they were; he then felt her hands and found that they were just as cold.

He rubbed her hands and feet as they walked, trying to warm them up with the friction he created. Inutaisho was mystified by how most of her could be so warm, and yet her hands and feet didn't get to share any of the heat.

He walked silently through the forest, his feet making no noise and only the soft breathing of the unconscious girl heralded their passage through the woods.

Goshinboku groaned as the pain came rushing back, along with words that did not really make any sense to her.

"Daughter of Benzaiten…you are her daughter… danger approaches, fangs drawn, and venom ready… You must learn your powers, or all is lost… your demon…

your demon…

your demon…"

Goshinboku's eyes snapped open and for the first time she realized that the swaying motion she felt was Inutaisho carrying her. Her stomach lurched from the combination of the swaying and the pain in her head.

"Oh Kami!" She yelped and the yell caused her head to throb painfully. Inutaisho looked at her in concern; maybe he had misjudged how serious her head wound was.

"Set me down, set me down. Set me down!" She cried, panicking as the world and her stomach turned, he did so immediately, laying her down where she writhed slightly. Goshinboku lay prostrate on the ground as the scenery around her changed into different things, Rentaro towered over her, slithering around her. She reached out to touch him, but what she touched was not scales, it was soft and fluffy, and she grabbed it. Goshinboku clutched it as if it was the only thing that could keep her from flying away in the wind on this swiftly tilting planet.

Inutaisho looked down at Goshinboku as he laid her now peaceful form in his lap, while he sat Indian style. He brushed her hair out of her closed eyes. Goshinboku's only response was to clasp his tail even tighter to her chest. Yes, the fluffy object that was always draped over him was indeed his tail; he was a dog demon after all.

Inutaisho knew that he might be able to carry Goshinboku back to Himeji Castle without waking her, but he didn't want to take the chance. He also coveted these few hours of solitude he would have with her, even if she was not awake.

With a swift jump that he hoped would not wake her, he leapt up into the secluded branches of a nearby tree. Up there he settled his back against the trunk, and nestled Goshinboku into his chest. Taking off his haori, Inutaisho spread it across Goshinboku's body like a blanket.

Sitting there as still as a clay pot, he mused over what kind of life they could have. Goshinboku would be the Lady of the Western Lands, the most striking of all women. She would be good with the people, solving their problems and enjoying her job as their guardian and kindly role model. She would age at his pace, seeing as she would then be his mate. And that, he thought, was the most pleasing part. She would his, and no one else's.

With watchful eyes Inutaisho scanned the night, determined not to let anyone or anything near her again.

Goshinboku started up with a jerk for the second time in just twenty-four hours. Luckily this time was not accompanied by excruciating pain, only a dull ache in the top of her head. She took in the surroundings around her and was completely taken aback. Goshinboku was in her room with the only strange change in its décor was the sleeping demon in her chair. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and stared at Inutaisho; he had his haori draped on his lap, and his chest moved slowly up and down, the bags under his eyes indicating that he had not been sleeping for very long.

Goshinboku swung her legs over the side of the bed, the world tilting slightly as she quietly got up. She crept to the window and slid the shoji screen to the side slightly, heaving a sigh of relief as she saw that the sun was just barely rising over the mountain. As she leaned against the window sill a soft voice sounded behind her,

"Are you…alright?"

Goshinboku turned around, looking deep into Inutaisho's golden gaze. What she saw there was frightening; it was familiarity, even affection. He had broken down the barricades she had worked so hard to keep up; it was time to reestablish them again.

"Yes," Goshinboku said in a monotone voice, bowing slightly,

"I think for your care, although I must ask you to exit my chamber, Sir."

Inutaisho looked slightly taken aback and wounded, as if her apathy affected him more than a girl he had just met should. He stood up, smoothing his clothing, as if his hands needed something to do so he wouldn't start wringing them. He too put on an uncaring mask and bowed to her also,

"As you wish."

The Daiyoukai of the Western Lands swiftly swept out of her room, leaving Goshinboku feeling more hollow than usual.

The rest of the day passed quickly. It was mostly taken up by Goshinboku avoiding a few people; her parents, Inutaisho, Ume, the rest of the castle's staff. Okay, okay, avoiding everyone. She sat in what she called her "secret meadow"; really, it was just a small secluded clearing that nobody bothered to visit. But, it was cheery, private, or so she thought, and it was a place where she could always clear her mind.

Her decisions became more certain over the hours she passed there; at first she had wanted to march up to her "parents" and demand more information on her heritage. But this, she felt, was the wrong move. They moment was not right; she would wait, like a cat stalking its prey, for the moment when there would most likely be the most cooperation. And in the meantime Goshinboku would find out all she could about Benzaiten and her supposed "powers" as she could on her own.

Dinner too passed quickly, mostly because of her decision to dine alone. She ate her rice slowly, getting up to shut the shoji screen, as the wind was blowing cruelly through her room. She left her chopsticks beside her bowl, shivering as she made her way to the window. Goshinboku leaned on the sill and gazed at the moon. Turning away from its beauty she shut the shoji behind her and turned back to her food.

She let out a little gasp; her chopsticks were now stuck upright in the rice bowl. A bad omen, she thought to herself. Sticking the chopsticks upright in the rice was part of the funeral rite, and everyone avoided doing so otherwise since it was considered to be bad luck.

Goshinboku scanned the room quickly, at first finding nothing out of the ordinary. As she stood there, stock still, something glinted in the light of the candle she had lit. She walked over to the chair Inutaisho had been sitting in earlier and found a beautiful ring resting there. It was a pure silver band with birds and trees and the wind carved upon its surface. It was not encrusted with diamonds, nor did it glitter as gold does. Instead it shone, with pure beauty and love. She stroked it slightly and put it a small box that rested on a table. Goshinboku knew that she would have to eventually see Inutaisho again, and when she did she would return the ring to him.

Goshinboku wondered whose it was, if he was waiting for the right person to give it to, as a token of his love. (A/N I know they did not use engagement rings back then, but this would just be a present. You know like here have this I love you. Right?) She felt a pang as she realized that no one would do that for her. Goshinboku had worked so hard to push everyone away, not that she had driven away anyone worth while anyway. They were all conceited men, with not a loving, or wise, bone in their body.

She sat on her futon, hugging her knees to her chest, rocking slightly. She remembered the day her sister had come home sobbing, inconsolable. Midoriko had never gotten over Akihiko, her betrothed's, death. He was killed by a rogue demon, and this was when Midoriko decided to become more in tune with her spiritual powers and fight demons with it. Even now she was traveling across Japan, purifying demons and saving lives. Midoriko was powerful and strong, but on the night the Akihiko had been killed she wasn't. She was feeble and broken, and Goshinboku didn't think she had ever fully recovered. Goshinboku didn't ever want to feel broken like Midoriko had, and although she was their parents little hero, Goshinboku didn't think it was worth the price.

Leaving the rest of her supper untouched, Goshinboku crawled under her covers, and hugged herself, wishing that she saw a better alternative to her situation.

The next morning was bright and cheery, hopefully this was a sign that she could successfully pull off her act. She got out of bed and shook her head, happy not to be completely bombarded by Ume. Goshinboku picked out a simple kimono and left her hair mostly all the way down, just pulling a few pieces on both sides to the back. She smiled at herself in the silver mirror, pocketing the ring to give to Inutaisho later.

However her peacefulness did not last past the door to her room. As soon as she stepped out she was attacked by Seiji.

"Kami! You have to come see this! Inutaisho is going to be fighting Keitaro! This is going to big. This is going to be huge!"

Still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she was dragged along by the excited employee. Seiji was young, about Goshinboku's age, but he was highly excitable and easily awed. The only reason he still wasn't looking at Goshinboku with wide was because of the string of pranks she had played on him over the past couple years. They were all in good fun, but most importantly they made Seiji see that she wasn't anything awe-inspiring. Trying to slow Seiji was trying to stop the Titantic, but Goshinboku gave it a try, digging her heels into the ground and distracting him with a question.

"Who is Keitaro?"

"You don't know who Keitaro is?" Seiji replied incredulously.

"No…" She said slowly, "Should I?

"Of course! He is only the leader of the wolf demon tribe!"

Goshinboku looked unimpressed,

"Yes…And there are leaders of the centipede demons, and the bakeneko demons, and the chōchinobake demons, and the kashanbo demons, and—"

"Yes, but this is Keitaro! He defeated the wicked and terrible monkey spirit, Sarugami!"

"Monkey spirit…?" Goshinboku face palmed. Seiji didn't appear to notice as he was still tugging her along.

"Why are they fighting?" Goshinboku asked, thinking that it was probably some man thing, influenced by testosterone and the male kitchen staff. Seiji shrugged in reply,

"Don't rightly know," he said, blinking up at her,

"But they were going at each other pretty hard."

"What? Already?"

"No, no, not fighting, well, not physically. No, right now they are probably still insulting each other," Seiji replied, looking thoughtful,

"Hey, you know if we listen in on their argument we may find out what they are fighting over."

Goshinboku gave him her best snob impression,

"Now Seiji, we are gentlefolk, why on Earth would we spy on people?"

Seiji nudged her,

"Hah! You know you want to."

Goshinboku stuck her tongue out him and together they stealthily crept through the castle, hiding behind a convenient column when they heard Inutaisho and Keitaro's heated voices.

"You mutt! How dare you stand in the way of what I want!" Came a husky voice, even from behind the column Goshinboku could tell that the man was probably smoking, but in an uncouth, possessive way, so not her type. But hey, it never hurts to look right?

"Hah, how dare you attempt to insult me, you filthy, mud-wallowing excuse for a demon! For your impunity I will grant your body a favor and let it be free from your grotesque and quite exasperating head."

Goshinboku figured this was Inutaisho; at least he didn't let his temper completely rage like the other guy did.

"Oh ya, Fancy Pants, you think some big words are going to scare me? No, because you are just a dog; a dirty, ass licking dog with a crown on its head. And for what is mine? I'm going to get it, and I'm gonna have all kinds of fun with it."

With a growl Inutaisho launched into a tirade; okay, scratch the whole "has control over his temper thing."

"You mangy wolf! I will skin you alive and make your fur into a rug, which I will later give to a homeless man! Also, You. Will. Never. Get. What. You. Are. Here. For."

"Oh really? Do you have dibs? Is she yours?"

Goshinboku heard Keitaro's voice turn sly and teasing.

"Keh."

Goshinboku could tell this was just going to be one of those days where she would get a headache from facepalming so much. Really? Keh? And ooh, there was a girl! Goshinboku wondered who it was, hmmmm, it could be…well anyone of the female staff, but she highly doubted that a daiyoukai and wolf demon leader would be fighting over any of them; they were all nearing their fifties. So that left, oh kami, yes that's right; that just left her. Keitaro's voice burst through her, bad? flattering? terrifying? revelation.

"Well, if she isn't yours, then I have the right to pursue her. And dang would I tap that—"

Right at that moment Goshinboku heard a thud, and peeking around the column she saw Inutaisho pressing Keitaro against the wall, his claws inches away from Keitaro's face.

"Whoa, calm down, I was just messing with you, well not completely, she's still mine, but you know I would never treat a lady like that!"

Inutaisho lifted him into the air, and Goshinboku saw Keitaro reach for something behind him, with a small grin on his face. Goshinboku couldn't take any more, she bolted out from behind the column, Seiji didn't follow her.

"Stop! What are you guys doing? Inutaisho, set him down! Keitaro, get your hands away from whatever you are going for!"

Both men looked at her in surprise, taking a minute to let all the information sink in past the adrenaline. Inutaisho set Keitaro back on the ground, and Keitaro hissed at him,

"Whipped."

Inutaisho, to his credit did not respond, bowing to Goshinboku and glaring at Keitaro when he did not do the same. Keitaro apparently had other ideas, he walked straight up to Goshinboku, grasping her hands and holding them,

"Why, never before have I seen a woman as beautiful as you. Why you can outshine all of the dark in the world."

Inutaisho growled at him for the second time in a very, very long day.

Sora: Hahah, half ass edited as usual, please forgive me for my mistakes!

Also I have a special contest revolving around this chapter, in this chapter I had 1) A reference to a book title 2) Quote from a movie and 3) A quote from a book, if you are the first person to find two out of the three (seeing as #3 is rather obscure and could be confused with just regular dialogue *oooh hint!*) AND PM me (hey, I can't read your guys minds) then I will put you into the story. *Batteries not included, you must have reviewed my story at least once before PMing me, and no purchase neccessary!

Inuyasha: Sooner review, the more motivated she will be, and the less likely she will use my ears as motivation for you guys!

Love you all! ^_^ Sora