Okay, let's finish where I left off in the previous chapter. I'll try to get it all in. Enjoy!

I cast my eyes around the now dark forest.

Mukotsu was asleep inside the cave, with the fire slowly dying.

I was still sitting outside, wanting to sleep, but unable to.

I was soaking wet, and the wind was blowing around a lot, making it a little chilly out for me.

And this feeling... of being chased, when I'm sure I'm not, is keeping me from settling down.

The wind blew by, causing the trees to sway, and me to shiver.

Snap! Swish! Crash!

I yelped in shock, and pressed my face against my knees.

My body was now stuck in a constant tremble, and I couldn't stop it.

Was I going to die? Was I going to be saved? Or recaptured? Why wasn't I being moved yet?

I slowly looked up, and spotted a stick on the ground.

It'd fallen out of one of the trees because of the wind.

I heaved a sigh of relief from my aching bosom, not even realizing I'd held my breath.

My head fell back against the stone wall behind me, and I closed my eyes, trying to calm down.

"The power..."

The voice was low, and raspy.

My eyes shot open.

"It's here... the power... it's here..."

I raised my head back up.

A pair of glowing, green eyes was slowly advancing toward me from within the shadows.

"You... you have the power..." the voice came again. "Give it to me... give me the power!"

I was frozen with horror as a human figure emerged from the trees.

It looked familiar in the worst possible way. I dreaded this person... whoever they were.

"If you won't give it to me... I'll kill you..." It said.

The person picked up the stick that'd fallen, and came at me.

I cried out in shock, and jerked to the side, trying to avoid the blow.

Everything spun around, and I couldn't be quite sure why.

I slammed against a tree, and, suddenly, I couldn't breath.

I tried to pull in a breath, to no avail.

My chest was rejecting the air, somehow.

The figure turned to look at me, and my priorities were immediately rearranged.

I was still capable of movement, however difficult it was to do so.

I got up, still trying to breathe as I ran into the forest.

My chest was burning, and aching, screaming for air.

I could do nothing for it. I couldn't even stop to try to do something for it.

My life was in danger right now. And it seemed I would die whether this person caught me or not.

"The power! Give me the power!" My persuer hissed at me from behind.

I felt something pierce my back, and slice across.

I tried to scream in pain, as I fell to the ground. All that came out was a faint wheezing noise.

I hit the ground.

The figure was too fast to stop, and tripped right over my back, causing me further pain.

I laid there, writhing in pain, trying to breathe, and getting nothing.

The creature slowly rose to it's feet.

I couldn't do anything to defend myself, or run.

It picked up the stick once more.

I ceased all movement, knowing I was done.

Nothing I could do would save me now.

My vision began to grow cloudy. I was dying now, wasn't I?

This was... such an awful feeling... it hurts... death is... painful...

All of a sudden, the figure came down on me.

I closed my eyes, preparing for another painful impact.

I heard a thud! noise, and felt nothing.

Foot steps shuffling...

"Mori-hime, are you alive?" came a voice. "If you are, you must take this elixr at once. This poison is lethal to humans and youkai."

I opened my eyes.

Mukotsu was standing over me with a bottle in his hand.

My chest ached as my heart rate picked up with excitement. I was alive.

I brought my hands to my neck, desperately trying to breathe once more.

"Mori-hime?" Mukotsu said.

The clouds cleared.

I see now. That was Mukotsu's poison I was seeing.

My eyes started trying to close. My chest was aching badly. All I could do was lie there, trying to catch my breath.

"You can't even breathe, can you?" Mukotsu asked, his voice becoming faint in my ears.

I wanted to yell at him. Scream at him. Tell him how stupid he was... but, I couldn't. I didn't have the air I required for speech, let alone life.

Right then, I felt something wrap around my wrists, and lift me up.

I was shaken around a bit until I was leaning against something.

My backed burned against whatever it was.

"Calm down. Try to take a breath now." came a voice.

I was thinking of dancing wildly, and holding my breath, but, that might work.

Idiot. What did he think I was doing?

After a moment, I began to feel my breath returning to me.

I sat where I was, simply gasping for air, enjoying the feeling of being able to breathe once more.

"I suppose you don't need the antidote after all." Mukotsu said. "If you couldn't breathe, you probably didn't take in enough for it to be lethal."

His words meant nothing to me. I didn't care about much anything else, as I slipped down into a deep, deep sleep.

That morning, I woke to a breeze over my shoulders, and a stinging on my back.

My yukata was part-way off.

I opened my eyes, and spotted Mukotsu using a mortar and pestle to grind up some roots, and leaves.

"Please, be still. I have been treating your wound all night." Mukotsu said. "The medicine on your back right now is thin like water, and will run off if you move too much."

Medicine? So, he doesn't just make poison?

Another beeze blew over me, stinging my back, and causing me to shiver.

"Urgh! It hurts!" I said.

"Please, bear it." Mukotsu said. "Just until I can get this on it, and cover it up."

"What if I don't?" I asked.

"It will begin to rot, and start you on a slow death." Mukotsu said.

I grimaced, and settled down on the ground.

The only sound I could hear for a while was the light grinding noise between the mortar and pestle.

Much too quiet. And I was terribly bored.

"So..." I said. "Who was that? The man you killed?"

Mukotsu looked at me.

"That was no man." He said. "It was a nasty creature. Created when someone breaks a mirror in scorn. It takes the form of whatever the person was angry at when the mirror was broken."

I turned my face up a bit, and spotted the creature.

It appeared to be wearing my father's armor.

And there was a time... quite some time ago... that I broke a hand mirror he'd gotten for me.

He'd brought back fewer treasures than he'd promised me that time... I wonder... did I go too far?

Mukotsu finally put the pestle down, and came to me with the mortar.

"Just a little bit longer." He said.

Mukotsu began slathering the gash in my back with the contents of the mortar.

I winced in pain.

"Be still." Mukotsu said. "I'll move quickly, but, you must be still."

I struggled to stay still, as he began using swifter movements to cover my wound.

Strange... he was so patient... not quite like the others would've been with me.

It was as though... he'd done this for others before me.

"You were... a medicine man... weren't you?" I asked.

Mukotsu paused, briefly.

He removed his hand for a moment, and brought it back with more of this mysterious substance.

"And a talented one at that." Mukotsu said, quietly. "My village would not have survived as long as it did without me. However, they refused to return my kindness. They thought, since they'd been so 'good' while I treated their wounds, that I was obligated to give them the medicine everytime they asked, whenever they asked for it. They beat me whenever I refused, and there were many times when I refused."

Mukotsu put the mortar aside, and picked up a long ribbon.

"Sit up, and I'll finish dressing your wound." Mukotsu said.

I hesitated. I wasn't too keen on the idea of just lying there, half naked, while he put the medicine on me. Sitting up... I had little choice. Perhaps he'd kill me if I didn't behave.

I was careful to keep my arms around my chest as I sat up.

"So... you created poisons to kill your village... am I right?" I asked.

Mukotsu began quickly wrapping the bandage around my torso.

"Stop now." He said. "I will speak no more of this."

I lowered my head. I was right, wasn't I?

A few minutes later, he'd almost wrapped up my whole upper torso.

"Move your arms." Mukotsu said.

"I don't want to." I said.

"Then I can't cover the whole cut." Mukotsu retorted.

I frowned. With my skin open like it was, it was easy for him to poison me. But, he... this is the one thing I'd been trying to avoid with him.

I sighed, slowly putting my arms out, and closing my eyes.

I felt him begin wrapping again.

After a little bit, I began to think I was wrong about him. Maybe he wasn't that interested in me after all.

But, then... a sudden increase in pressure on my chest threw away all doubts in myself, and I shrieked like never before...

Hime - Princess.

There we go. Just a touch long for my taste, but, my sister keeps begging me to write longer chapters so... there you have it, sis! Please, review! Not you, sis, you can talk to me directly.