A/N: Chapter five and six were written like one big chapter of about 5400 words. I decided to split it into two chapters. Chapter six will be uploaded soon. I had a good time writing this and hope you all enjoy :)

Chapter Five

"Lord Sesshomaru, please wait for me!" Jaken pleaded. He was panting while his short legs tried to keep up with Sesshomaru's brisk strides across the rough terrain. Sesshomaru ignored his impish servant and continued to walk in the same pace. In the past five years after Naraku had been defeated by the now renowned Sesshomaru he had worked on re-establishing his reign on his father's previous territory. There were plenty of demons, such as Royakan the wolf guard of the forest, who quite happily accepted his authority. They often recalled his father, the much revered Inu no Taisho, and were in awe of Sesshomaru's strength. Others grudgingly accepted Sesshomaru as Lord of the West, fearing his infamous Bakusaiga. And finally there were the fools who tried to oppose him, they paid for their disrespect with their life. He had lived some months in his new home, a modest castle, together with Jaken and occasionally with Rin, but felt he couldn't stay put on one spot for longer than a few weeks after all these years of being on the road. Even after reaching the status of taiyokai, stronger than any other demon known in Japan, he was always looking to improve his skill. And like his father he policed his domain.

'Ever since he left Rin behind he's been in a bad mood... Why doesn't he just take her with him again!' Jaken thought annoyed and sighed.

They had been hiking through the mountains. Sesshomaru seemed to look for something but didn't confide in Jaken what had caught his interest. They were walking down a narrow path, on one side the steep mountain wall and the other a cliff. Jaken still carried his Nintojo, the human head staff, which was quite big for his stature. Suddenly he gave out a yelp. He had gone too near the ledge and the ground under his right foot shifted. His heart pounded: for a split second he had seen himself falling down there and surely Sesshomaru wouldn't have bothered to jump down and save his loyal servant! That's atleast what crossed the mind of Jaken, whether it was true or not. He heard the rocks bounce off against the cliffside. He looked below, there weren't many trees at this point of the mountain. The majority of land was bare rock, grasses and low bushes. He noticed movement at not too far a distance from their position. A group of monks. They were now standing still and turned their heads towards Sesshomaru and Jaken.

Kodama and the other monks had felt the aura of a strong demon nearing for some time now. There he finally was in their vision, walking out of their reach with a small imp following his footsteps.

"It's a powerful demon, shall we pursue?" asked his fellow monk, Masao.

"No, we won't. We can't take the risk to engage into combat with this demon while we have yet to obtain the scroll and find Haruna," Kodama said with his deep voice. His straw hat cast a line of shadow across his eyes which made it easier for him to look at the cliff. The tall demon had long silver hair that fell below his waist and wore a strange type of armor not often seen on demons. There had been rumors of a demon with his appearance, according to these rumors he had claimed the lands in the west. The smaller demon had seen them, but the other didn't so much as cast a glance on his group. He was convinced he knew very well that they were below him though.

"I think he's been onto us for a while, I wonder why."

"He seems to be going in a different direction now, Kodama-sama," replied another monk, named Jinsei. He had known him for most of his life and he was approximately as old as he was, though his beard grayer and his face wrinklier.

"Hmm..." Kodama replied in thought watching the demons disappear out of sight again. He then averted his gaze back to the road in front of him. He could see a thick forest starting a few yards further beneath them, they'd have to travel through that. Luckily for them there was a path in the mountains that seemed to lead through the forest as well. This was the final stage of their journey if the location of the scroll remained unmoved. He hoped to find Haruna there as well. He could sense time was running out and it worried him gravely.

The next day Haruna was inside the infirmary together with Ikeda, organizing his herbs to see which types were nearly depleted from his collection and had to be gathered. The front door to his house was opened, the daylight pooled in. In the morning they had been tending a few of his patients. It was just after noon now and it was already a warm day, not a cloud in the sky.

"This is comfrey root and leaf," he explained pointing at a little bowl with dried gray-green bits of plant in it.

"I know," Haruna replied, "you can make an ointment from it that sooths arthritis and it helps against burns, skin ulcerations and insect bites."

"You know all that?" Ikeda said surprised, pulling up his eyebrows.

"I've been learning about herbs before," she confessed.

"Hmhmm, I noticed some while ago you had an interest in my medicine. Then what is this?" he quickly held up a dried piece of sliced mushroom. She looked at him and giggled.

"O-ho, is this a test?" she teased.

"Let's make a game of it," he replied also smiling, "come on Yuna-san, it's obviously a mushroom, but can you guess which one?"

"That's reishi mushroom, it can be used to cure diseases of the liver and can restore chi-energy, or help against anxiety and stress."

"It is also used against bronchitis and against high blood pressure," he added.

Haruna nodded. She was enjoying spending time with the doctor and learning from him. He offered her the piece of mushroom and she picked it from his fingers, turning it around to inspect both sides and holding it under her nose to smell.

"You can make tea from it or powder it and sprinkle it on top of food or in liquids," Ikeda said.

"Okay, I see... I've heard that before."

She placed the mushroom back where it belonged and picked up a dried flower to observe.

"Was there a doctor who taught you?"

"You could say that, he's a good man anyway," she answered. Ikeda looked at Haruna curiously. She didn't often speak about how she previously lived. Were the barriers finally coming down? He had never pried to deeply into her past out of respect, but actually he had wanted to know more about her for a long time. He had accepted her in his town and heart and appreciated her company, but all of this girl's history had remained a mystery to him and she was an oddity indeed, carrying around such a dangerous sword and being chased down by bandits.

Outside a guard could be seen passing the opened door. A new stranger was walking towards the village entrance. It was a monk, possibly around the age of fifty or sixty. It was hard to tell, he had his straw hat pulled deeply over his eyes. He carried a strange staff, one without the usual rings attached to it. Instead a circle adorned it with a copper eye in the middle. The guard, Gousuke, thought it was a strange thing. He got a weird feeling when he looked at the dark purple gem inside of the eye. Then he remembered... bandits dressed as monks! At first he had approached the monk with his normal attitude, walking over leisurely as if he wasn't on duty, if only his boss saw there'd be trouble! But now he changed his pace, straightening his back and trying to look bigger than he was.

"Please state your business," he flatly told the monk.

Kodama wasn't used to be talked to in such tone of voice with so little regard for his status.

"Good day to you sir, I travel from town to town to offer my services and-"

"-We don't need any blessings or sutra charms, uhm, there's no demon activity here," the guard interrupted him, even startled himself by his own rudeness. The lines around Kodama's mouth corners hardened.

"Then perhaps, if it's not too much asked, I would like to stay here for the night."

"Uhmm- no can do! All our houses are full and we have no proper place for guests to stay," he replied the stranger.

"All your houses are full?" Kodama replied him hardly hiding his disbelief. He looked around the town and noticed the doctor's house. A man sat on the porch with a recently bandaged arm, talking to some acquintances. This town was medium-sized, surely someone could spare some room for one night. Even that big infirmary was totally occupied?

"Yes, so, I'm sorry. Perhaps its best you leave and try a different town before nightfall," Gousuke said curtly. The nearest town was probably four or five hours walking from there and the poor monk was already an old man in this era. But he felt nervous, apart from his age this could still be a bandit in disguise.

"Well then, I've understood enough." The old monk turned around, walking back towards the pole-gate in the west where he came from, leaning on his weird staff and shuffeling as though he had painful joints. Gousuke began to feel sorry.

"Hey, old man!" he exclaimed after a minute. The monk snapped his head towards him and turned around in a second. Gousuke was surprised at his quick reflexes. He had to look well to be able to see his overshadowed eyes, but when he did there was a mad glint in them that gave him shivers.

"Uhm-uh... I just wanted to say," he stuttered, "the next village is south-east from here."

"Thank you, but I'll go this way," Kodama told him coldly.

'Yikes! I must've really stepped on his feelings when I refused him entrance... if he's just an old man he could get attacked by demons in the wilderness.'

He watched the monk while he continued towards the forest.

'Maybe I can ask Yuna-san if she can identify him as one of the bandits?' He walked over to the infirmary where he could hear the happy voices of Haruna and Ikeda.

"Uhh am I interrupting, Ikeda-sama?" he asked as he stepped inside.

"No, no, do come in Gousuke-san," the doctor said a little surprised that a guard was walking into his house. He quickly inspected the guard for any wounds.

"No, I'm fine," Gousuke said realizing what the doctor was looking for, "I just talked to a monk and seeing Yuna-san told the chief that she was attacked by bandits dressed as priests I felt I had to tell her. It was really just one old man and I told him to go away... You can probably still see him when you look outside, leaning on that weird staff of his."

Haruna stiffened noticeably.

"Err- you okay, Yuna-san?" the guard asked her. He and Ikeda watched her strangely.

She walked over to a spot in the house where there was a crevice in the woodwork and kneeled down to its level. She put her eye in front of that hole to take a peak. In the distance she saw someone walking. The man had already crossed about three quarters of the distance to the gate. It was definately a priest, wearing the trademark purple robes of their profession. But then she noticed something familiar... A white band around his right shoulder. She gasped loudly.

"Yuna-san!" doctor Ikeda exclaimed. But she didn't answer him. She was looking at his staff and squinted her eyes trying to make out the details, until she saw something shimmered in the sunlight. That staff!

"No-no-no-no!" she muttered. Gousuke and Ikeda exchanged looks with each other, both getting increasingly worried.

"Yuna-san?" doctor Ikeda tried a little unsure.

"Shit!" she scolded while she half got up, then changed her mind and squatted down once more to look out through the hole. Her heart almost skipped a beat! The monk stood facing the infirmary directly, unmoving like a statue, threatening. His aura could be felt even from over a distance, intimidating her. It made the hairs on her arms stand up. She could feel her heartbeat banging in her chest now.

'How did he find me? I could've been anywhere, for all he knows,' she thought to herself.

To Gousuke and Ikeda it looked like the girl had seen a ghost. All of a sudden her face had turned pale and her eyes had widened in shock. She was just sitting there, now staring into nothingness, as if she had been petrified.

"Yuna-san..." Ikeda said again while shaking her arm. She seemed confused for a split second and then finally looked the man in the eye.

"Was that one of the men who hurt you?" Ikeda asked concerned.

"No-Yes, I mean yes..."

"Let me take a look outside." Gousuke hurried to the door and looked out towards the forest.

"He's not here anymore, walked into the forest I assume. Well excuse me, I go talk to Aratamaru-sama." He disappeared out of sight and they heard his quick footsteps leave the porch.

"He can't see me, Ikeda-sama. I don't want to leave the house for now," Haruna told the doctor. He slowly nodded his head in understanding and agreed.