Hello!

I want to thank you , icegirljenni, sweetestangel21, blackacess and Fay-fay 45 for keeping my mood to continue the story. And I want to thank all those readers, who last time even just viewed the story – because none of my works were looked by this many people.

A little dictionary to this chapter:

Kamakura-period: a period of Japanese history proceeding Muromachi period (which often includes the Era of the Warring States as a 'sub-period')

Ryukyu Kingdom: an independent kingdom in the area of today's Okinawa Islands between 1429 and 1879.

Yuta: female mediums in the Ryukyuan religion.

Enjoy reading!

Hirana08

Protection

During his sleep Sesshomaru's head was filled with twisting thoughts and flashing pictures of memories. Once he could see the desperate Rin: trying to get away from the servant and crying. But then the scene changed and again Lady Mayura was in front of her. The encounter with the sorceress seemed as fragile as an illusion – yet she couldn't have been more realistic. Sesshomaru met countless demons during his journey, but none of them left this kind of impression. She was divine like she would have descended from the heavens in that very moment.

When Sesshomaru opened his eyes, the blue sky greeted him with floating clouds. It was already the middle of the day. He sat up and he caught the glimpse of a snow white peacock feather lying next to him. The emerald green eye shone among the white barbs like the sun in the sky. He felt weak in each his bone – it must be the effect of the poison, he thought. But when he managed to stand up he didn't feel dizzy at all. Indeed, even the wound didn't hurt. As if… it would have never been there. He touched with his hand his shoulder, where the spear hit him. But there was no blood, no wound, not even a scratch. "Weird…" Then he stretched out his arm into the air where the barrier was supposed to be. He was waiting for the same kind of shock he suffered before but this time… nothing happened.

"What's going on?" Sesshomaru gazed the path leading into the forest uncomprehendingly. The last time he looked this way was when his father announced his affection to a human. Back then he was still a child (A/N: in demon years).

Suddenly the peacock eye turned opal-blue and a message appeared written by white letters. It said: Take a look at yourself. The message then disappeared and there was nothing left but a dark blue endless hole. Sesshomaru took the feather and looked into the eye. It fluttered as if a stone was thrown into a calm lake. Then he saw his mirror image. But he didn't recognize it.

He still had the same face with the same features. However, everything else changed. He had brown eyes instead of amber gold. His hair was raven black and it was pulled in a high ponytail that reached his heart. His ears were no longer pointed. He took a look at his hands: his claws disappeared. He tried to call his poisonous whip but didn't appear.

"What happened to me? What am I? Am I a…?"

"Perfection in all your forms…" A strange female voice began to speak behind his back.

Sesshomaru turned around and he discovered immediately the owner of the voice. A beautiful woman was standing behind him. She had wonderful pale skin, emerald green eyes and honey-blonde hair put in a loose bun. She looked like as if she would have come from the mainland. However, her pointed ears and the Egyptian blue sun sign on her forehead implied that she is a demoness.

"You don't recognize me, do you?" she asked with a faint smile. "I should be the one feeling this way, though. You look like a shadow of your old self."

Sesshomaru stared at the demon while he was searching among his memories. Pictures of his past flashed in his mind beginning from yesterday. But not even a similar face appeared. When he was about to give up at his childhood a memory popped into his head. A memory he thought he forgot a long ago…

"What happened, dad?" asked Kosaku, when he noticed his father's silence.

"I was in the middle of telling it."

"No. I meant back then. When you were a pup."

"Why do you ask, Kosaku?"

"You never told a thing about your childhood."

"I believe my childhood is none of your concern."

"But I want to know it, too!" said Tsuyosa.

"Then… tell us just this. Is at least one of us like you as a pup?"

Sesshomaru looked at his sons. True, he didn't tell anyone in his palace about his past. And he thought this also goes for his sons. They should just be pups and study in order to be a great heir of his – like he is a worthy heir to his father. He also found Kosaku's question stupid. Both of them are his sons and they can't be compared to anyone else. Not even to each other and to him as a pup… that would make nonsense. Not just because he lived in a completely different era but also because all those things he saw and lived through as a pup – events that formed his personality every time like the river polishes the surface of the stone that's in its bed. But in the end he still decided to answer: "A little bit both of you."

"Cara… the Princess of the Southern Islands" said Sesshomaru after he woke up from the dream-like memory.

"So you do remember, son of InuTaisho, Sesshomaru" Cara went closer to him and she walked around him twice as if she would look at something very strange. "I'm not a princess already, though. And you are not a demon anymore…"

"Times changed us. Kamakura-period already passed."

"True. However, your transform… it's certainly not the work of time." Cara stopped in front of him and she looked into his eyes. Even though Sesshomaru's eyes weren't already demonic, when they met Cara's emeraldgreen eyes the same magic happened when two great demons met. It was like the invisible collision of two great waves on the stormy seas. "Rumours approached the Ryuykyu Kingdom, too."

"And with your story your father deserved my mother's fake-pity."

"Actually, it's no surprise that my father went to Lady Reina after that. He always wanted to marry off to a certain dog demon to restore the family's lineage. But getting her sorry… that's quiet an accomplishment."

"Why are you here?"

"Can't you tell by looking at? I'm here to help you."

"This Sesshomaru needs no help. Even if it's yours." Sesshomaru turned back and he began to walk in the direction where the march was supposed to go with Rin. Now he had a name, he had his swords – he trusted in his abilities to be the same as before. Nothing more needed him to save Rin.

"But you will need me. He is not just an ordinary demon who kidnapped your little human mate-to-be…" Sesshomaru rushed back and grabbed Cara at her throat and he pushed her to a tree. "Oh, so the rumours are true…"

"What do you know about him?"

"A-a… Put me down. Or else you won't here a word from me… because my dagger will taste your new blood." Sesshomaru looked down and he caught the glimpse of Cara's silverly shining dagger with the crest of the Ryukyu Kingdom. "Don't forget, now you are a human. You may die at any time and anyhow."

Sesshomaru slowly let go of Cara and he tried to calm down himself. It was surprisingly difficult – now that he couldn't control his emotions as much as he could as a demon.

"Now, come with me. This place is not safe."

Cara led Sesshomaru to his tent on the other side of the forest. It seemed to be the small tent of an old merchant on the outside. However, when he walked inside after Cara, its inner turned out to be much bigger. It seemed more like a smaller castle like a ragged tent. Indeed, Sesshomaru even saw two servants – and both of them seemed quiet familiar to him.

"Welcome, back, Cara-sama" the maid bowed in front of them. "Are you in need of something?"

"Mamina, please prepare a room for my friend."

"Understood, Cara-sama."

"I don't need a room."

"He does." Cara gave him a killing look which seemed to be as scary as his used to be. He decided not to go against her – because she seemed to be his best chance to save Rin. And right now he couldn't think of anything else.

Mamina nodded then she disappeared in a hole-like thing on the tent's 'wall'. Sesshomaru and Cara walked through a long corridor then they arrived to a small room. Cara sat down at a tiny table and Sesshomaru did the same.

"So, what do you know about him?"

"Quiet a lot since he was my father's second choice as my husband. His name is Tegai, a very powerful demon from the South. From what I heard he has diverse abilities and that's why he is respected in the neighbourhood. He would be no match for you as a demon, though."

"But does he need a human girl?"

"The most respected yuta of the kingdom had a vision. Maybe Tegai misinterpreted this one – it's quiet easy to misunderstand these visions. Yutas like to speak in rebus."

"What kind of prophecy was that?"

"She told that… the most powerful creature is about to born on this world. He will be the child of a woman who defeated the death three times."

Sesshomaru's face turned a bit paler and he tried not to express his flashing thoughts and his harbouring emotions. That demon didn't misinterpret the vision. It was about Rin without any fail – she already faced the death three times and she defeated it every time.

"We need to get back her."

"I agree with your intention. And not just because we know each other for quiet a long time and I know your heart almost as good as you do."

"I will sneak into their camp and take her away."

"In this form?" Cara pointed at Sesshomaru disapprovingly. "Besides… I doubt he is also in the camp. I think he returned to his castle and he is waiting for the human there. But… there is only one path that leads to the demon port."

"Why would they go to the demon port?"

"Because Tegai's castle is on an island. It's more like a fortress: one way in and out. Once you are in, you can't get out, unless you don't wish to drown in the sea. So, back to the path. We need to attack them there. In the mess you can take her and no one will notice it – since you are already a human and they will think you are on of their henchmen."

"It could work. There is just one problem?"

"We are… outnumbered." Sesshomaru hated himself for telling this. However, he was there: at least a dozen of manipulated soldiers and two half-breed servants. That might be too much for his human body – at least from what he experienced from the fights with his brother.

"Have no fear. I will take care of that…"

"But Lady Cara had only two servants… and I doubt they were good warriors" said Tsuyosa. "They can't fight."

"They can if they want to" corrected Sesshomaru. "But true, this time they didn't help us."

"Then how could you approach at all the march?" asked Kosaku.

"Cara was right, I needed her help. Because she was the only demon on the world who had that kind of ability…"

Author's words

Sorry for updating it with a little delay. To tell you the truth it was a bit uncertain whether I can update the story this week or not. It's because last week my grandmother was taken into hospital and I was so worried about her that I lost my writing ability for three days. So… I would like to dedicate this chapter to her.

icgirljenni: Tegai didn't know back then that Rin could be a "great bait" against his most hated demon… ;-)

This chapter gave me an idea to make a kind of serial about the Taisho family. You know, e.g. a story about Sesshomaru's childhood and such. I really would like to try my fantasy at this field. What do you think about the idea? Would you read them? Well, if I can do it then this month I will publish a story, titled Shattered Hearts. It would have some connection with Another Now, a kind of… little prequel.

I'd love to hear your opinions about the chapter, the story, your ideas… for example on that certain childhood memory of Sesshomaru or on Cara's abilities. So reviews are welcomed as always and usually they give me very good ideas.

See you next time!

Bye,

Hirana08

Next time: Counterattack