Chapter 2- An Unlikely Savior

Katsu stood smoothly from his crouch behind the patch of bushes he'd used as cover after he'd followed the frantic human.

He and his daughter had been making their way towards Sesshomaru's home for the mating rites when he'd felt an unmistakable flare of reiki, and the desperate feel of it had made him pause. Glancing in the direction, he'd sent Maeko ahead with assurance that he'd catch up, and though he'd resented the discouraging look she shot him before obeying, he still found himself drawn to that aura. As he'd approached the spot in which it'd come from however, he slowed to assess the two beings swiftly approaching the area. One, he noted with a wrinkle of his nose, reeked of graveyard soil and wilting flowers, while the other he quickly noted was a half-demon. Underneath the stench of what had to be several days worth of travel with no bathing, Katsu supposed the half-demon would smell almost identical to Lord Sesshomaru. When the pair streaked past his vision, his eyes widened when he realized it was indeed Sesshomaru's infamous half-brother Inuyasha. He had the woman on his back as he used the speed his heritage had blessed him with in order to pursue what Katsu could only assume was the owner of the flared aura that had disappeared. He'd easily bypassed the couple and picked up the trail the half-breed seemed to be following before swiftly catching up to a frantic, swift human. His eyes widened in surprise at how quickly she was moving, given that he could tell she was no demon, but that feeling had swiftly switched calculating as he beheld the fall in front of her now prone figure. While Inuyasha was a significant distance away yet, thrown off no-doubt by the sudden lack of aura, Katsu knew it was only a matter of time before he caught up to the woman. He'd watched her slowly make her way to glance down at the water raging below her and patiently watched as she weighed her options. When she hesitated too long, Katsu sensing Inuyasha nearing their location, he acted without thought, giving her a nudge from the cliff harder than he intended.

The scream that had tore through her throat as she tumbled through the air, and the splash the impact of her body made as she hit the water sounded worse than he'd imagined it would. He had stood and watched as she struggled in the water, ready to aid her should she need it but preferring to stay and handle the half-breed closing in. When she'd struggled out of the water and made her way to the cover of the trees, Katsu had released the breath he hadn't noticed he'd been holding. By the time he'd turned back around, Inuyasha was standing behind him, glaring at him as he held the priestess behind him. He'd flashed a feral grin before asking if he'd intruded upon the half-demon's hunt by tossing the girl in the river. He'd been sure to recall how she had been swept away by the raging water and surely would've drowned by now. Inuyasha had seemed indifferent to the news, but the priestess had been outraged, demanding they find her. Ensuring they continued down the riverbank in the opposite direction from their quarry, he'd waited until they were out of sight before making his way towards the woman who smelled of lilies.

Presently, the miko rested against a large tree, and by her breathing and the clearly exhausted state she was in, Katsu could tell she would be out for a while to come. He weighed his options while he studied her more closely now that he had the opportunity. He could leave now that he knew she was no longer in any immediate danger, but any number of demons or thieves could chance upon her before she awoke, and as he could sense that her stores of reiki were depleted, she would be hard-pressed to fight anyone off.

She let out a soft sigh, and his eyes wandered over her features. Even sufficiently drenched as she was from her unexpected swim, she was still obviously beautiful. Silky, blue-black hair framed her face and flowed to just below her waist, and her body appeared lithe, legs long and stomach flat. Her breasts, which he merely glanced over, of course, looked as though they would be perfect handfuls. She wore traditional miko garbs and although he could see no weapon on her, he knew she must be a weapon herself if she had found a way to enhance her speed with her reiki.

And so Katsu made his decision.

Gingerly, striving to jostle her as little as possible, he picked the beautiful miko up and formed his cloud below him for the travel to Sesshomaru's.

*20 minutes later*

Sesshomaru stood just inside the gates as Katsu's aura grew closer, and the Northern Lord landed gracefully in front of him. His eyes narrowed minutely at the unexpected guest in the older Lord's arms, recognizing his wretched brother's miko. He'd kept tabs on his half-brother often enough to know the miko had grown in both mind and body, and had developed her once meager powers to a point even Sesshomaru had grown to respect her.

"Lord Sesshomaru," Katsu inclined his head, unsure how the other lord would react to an uninvited human, let alone an uninvited miko.

"Lord Katsu," Sesshomaru returned the slight gesture, "Why is it you have my brother's miko?"

"After whatever caused her to end up like this, I'm sure she is no longer your brother's anything."

At that, Sesshomaru merely raised a brow before turning sharply and leaving Katsu to follow in his wake. He would demand an explanation from them both soon enough, whenever the woman decided to wake up. For now, he supposed, she could rest in the infirmary wing with Mura to care for her.

"Your room has been prepared across from Maeko's should you wish to retire for the night," Sesshomaru paused for a moment, gesturing towards Hisoka, the guard closest to them, "the miko may stay in the infirmary until further notice."

Hisoka moved to take the miko from Katsu, and Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed once more when the elder Lord merely shrugged off the guard and continued forward with the miko still clutched in his hold. He'd heard the rumors in the North, so like the ones his father had caused so long ago that Sesshomaru had scoffed in disgust when he heard.

"Do not take too much of an interest in her, Lord Katsu, she will not be staying long," Sesshomaru warned, glancing at him from the corner of his eye.

Katsu stiffened at the tone, at the carefully hidden disgust under the words.

"I'll not deny that I find the woman attractive," he began slowly, with enough bite that Sesshomaru turned his full attention to him, "but do not forget that although I am in your home, I am still a Lord. My interests are my own. You are not above me, boy."

"Hn."

With that, Sesshomaru once more began his way back into the manor, intent on finishing the last of the paperwork Jaken had put on his desk before resting.

The miko would be gone by tomorrow.