She was sitting at his side, doing some mending by lamplight, when the demon next awoke. He didn't make a sound, but when she looked down he was suddenly awake and watching her, his golden eyes stern but inquisitive as they watched her sew.

"Oh, you're awake!" she said and blushed at how silly it was to state the obvious. The demon pushed himself into a sitting position with difficulty and glanced about the room.

"Where is my sword?"

His voice was deep and rich, and he spoke with an arrogant tone that hinted at an aristocratic upbringing. She had expected him to ask where he was or how long he had been asleep, maybe even what had happened to the robbers he'd dispatched of only days earlier, but the question of where his sword was caught her completely off guard.

"It is somewhere safe," she assured him when her mouth could form words again. "You were injured. I found you by the river and brought you here."

"I have no need of assistance from humans," he scoffed and for a moment she simply sat there dumbstruck, having no idea how to respond to a creature as ungrateful as the one seated before her.

"I replaced your clothes. The others were torn and blood stained."

He glanced down at her father's indigo blue hakama and kimono and gave a derisive snort, "They reek of human."

"That's not surprising. They belonged to my father, but since he is dead he no longer has need of them."

His eyes returned to her, regarding her briefly before he reached for what remained of his left arm.

"I bandaged it for you, but I'm afraid the arm was already gone when I found you. How did it happen?"

"Battle," he answered without elaborating, and his hand fell away from the bandage.

"Where is my sword?" he asked again and her brow furrowed.

"Someplace safe. Shall I go and fetch it for you?"

If he noticed the biting sarcasm beneath her words, he didn't acknowledge it. He simply looked at her until she huffed a quiet sigh of defeat and left to retrieve it. The man was already proving to be nothing at all what she'd expected him to be. Perhaps it was her own fault for imagining that he would show some measure of gratitude to her for saving his life, but all the man seemed capable of was haughty derision and contempt.

She retrieved the sword from the shrine and returned with it to the room where he had remained for the last five days. He was seated in the same position as he'd been in when she'd left him. Kneeling next to his futon, she carefully held the sword out to him with both hands.

"I suppose now that you're awake I can properly thank you for saving my brother and I from the bandits."

He took the sword from her and quickly inspected the blade before re-sheathing it and setting it next to him.

"Bandits?"

Her expression faltered. "Yes, the bandits. Don't you remember? You killed them with that demonic green whip of yours."

He glanced down at his claws and flexed them as he responded with a soft "Hm".

"So, you are aware I'm a demon?"

She gave a light shrug of her shoulders, "It wasn't difficult to guess. The markings on your face and arm, for one. The whip that emanated from your claws and sliced a grown man in two only confirmed it."

One corner of his mouth lifted faintly into what could have been a smile.

"I suppose I should ask your name…" she hazarded, determined to finally have some answers now that he was awake and appeared to be in a talking mood.

"Sesshomaru," he replied and his eyes met hers once more.

The Killing Perfection, or something close to it. Based on what she'd seen, it was an apt choice of name. She couldn't imagine a mother giving her own child such a name and wondered if he'd chosen it himself.

"That is a dangerous name," she commented.

He looked at her pointedly as if to say, And I am a dangerous demon. An awkward silence passed between them until she lost her nerve and returned her attention to the mending in her hands.

"Not that you asked, but my name is Rin," she commented and stabbed the needle through the fabric in her hands to make a seam of sharp, neat stitches. "My brother lives here also. His name is Einosuke."

He could have at least feigned polite curiosity and asked her name. He could have thanked her for going through the trouble of dragging him out of the woods and mending his wounds. Instead, his entire demeanor suggested he saw her efforts as little more than an unnecessary inconvenience and it left her pride wounded.

"Would you like something to eat?" she asked, half-convinced that maybe he was in such a temperamental mood because he hadn't eaten the entire time he'd been in her care.

"I do not eat human food," he sniffed, as though the very thought offended him.

"Then what do you eat?"

His eyes narrowed at her in challenge. "Do you truly wish to know the answer to that question?"

With a tired sigh she sat back on her heels and shook her head "no".

"I suppose I don't. It's just as well. It was a long winter and we haven't any food to spare."

She could feel his eyes on her, his gaze penetrating, daring her to look up. Instead, she gathered her mending together and got to her feet.

"It's late. I'll leave you to your rest."

She retreated, offering him a short bow at the door and then closed it behind her. It wasn't until she was a few paces down the hall that she felt as if she could breathe again. His entire presence was oppressive, as though his being filled the entire room until it suffocated her. Was this the power of a great demon? It felt as though the finite amount of spiritual power she possessed was drained, having spent the entire time she was in that room railing against the overwhelming force of his demonic strength. What other reason could there be for her racing heart? Certainly not the strange demon seated in the next room, who even when near death and injured was still the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen.

oOo

Sleep had evaded her, so she'd dressed and gone out before dawn to clean the temple grounds. Her broom quietly scraped overtop the stone path, clearing away the fallen leaves and pine needles that had been buried beneath the winter snow. She'd always found her chores around the temple to be therapeutic, simple mindless tasks that allowed her mind to wander. Normally she would try and meditate or practice her sutras, but lately all her mind seemed able to focus on was the demon sleeping in her parents' old room.

He challenged everything she thought she knew about demons. She'd always imagined demons to be ugly and cruel, grotesque animal-like creatures that roamed the earth in search of spirits to devour. She hadn't ever expected to encounter a demon that was so aristocratic or articulate, or even half as beautiful as him. But she had little trouble believing he could be cruel when he wanted to be, so maybe he wasn't so different from other demons after all.

Her eyes lingered on the fresh graves sitting within view and a small shudder travelled down her spine. It would be years before the earth would be purified again. If he wished it, the demon could dispose of she and Einosuke just as he had those bandits, sliced up into neat portions with lethal precision. And who would be able to stop him? He'd already proven that even with only one arm he was formidable, and now he had his sword as well.

A flicker of movement in the corner of her eye stole her attention away, and that was when she saw him moving unsteadily across the shrine grounds to the temple gate. Where was he possibly headed when his body was still so weak?

"Hey!" she called after him, but he did not acknowledge her. "Wait!"

She dropped her broom and ran after him, determined to stop him before he reached the stairs, but he seemed intent on leaving. She reached him just as he began the long and unsteady trek down the stairs that led to the village.

"Stop! You shouldn't be going down those stairs alone in your condition."

Her words had a prophetic air to them since the moment they were out of her mouth he stumbled and rolled down the steps to the first landing. She gasped and ran after him, her feet flying down the familiar steps she'd climbed all her life. He was already pushing his body upright by the time she reached him and she helped him to his feet with her arms around him and his arm slung over her shoulder.

"Come on," she chided, her tone disapproving, "Let's get you back inside."

"No."

His voice was rough but firm and he held his ground despite her gentle urging towards the gate. He pushed her away and continued his laboured trek down the remaining stairs to the path at the bottom. She followed, staying close at hand in case he should stumble again.

Once they had both reached the bottom of the shrine steps, he paused to catch his breath. "Where to now?" she asked, curious as to what could have possibly driven him to push his body so far.

Ignoring her, he pushed off the tree he'd temporarily leaned his weight against, and headed doggedly in the direction of the river. She followed at a safe distance, ready to jump in and help if he should need it, but he navigated the narrow path on his own, briefly resting his weight against one tree and then the next until he reached the river. It wasn't until he was on the opposite side that he finally gave in to exhaustion and collapsed to his kneees.

She rushed to his side, but he held her off with a wave of his hand and dragged himself into a sitting position, with his back leaning heavily against the nearest cedar tree.

"Are you alright?" she asked and reached for the water bottle at her hip.

He glared up at the faint outline of the roof of their shrine in the distance.

"It will take us forever to get back up to the shrine," she chided, her eyes following his gaze.

His head gave a firm shake, "No."

"But you haven't recovered yet. You can barely stand. I'm not going to just leave you in the woods to fend for yourself."

"Silence," he demanded, sounding irritated, and her mouth snapped shut. He pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly as though he was finally able to breathe for the first time in days.

It took longer than it should have for her to realize the truth that was staring her in the face. Of course, it all made sense now. How he'd been able to kill the bandits so easily, why even day after day he hadn't seemed to heal despite hours of care. She swallowed hard as her eyes lowered from the roof of her family shrine.

"Of course…" she breathed, her eyes going wide. "The shrine…!"

The demon's eyes shifted to hers and he answered her unspoken question with a subtle nod that left her stomach tying itself into knots. Her hand flew to her mouth and she held in a gasp as she realized, horrified, where her good intentions had led her. How thoughtless to have brought a demon into her family's shrine, a place designed to purify evil. No wonder he'd struggled to heal, no wonder he'd lacked any strength at all. With every passing hour she'd been slowly killing him, and all the while thinking she was doing good.

"Please forgive me…" was all she could think to say before her body bent low into a deep bow. There was nothing she could say that would make right what she'd done. No apology in the world could encompass the enormity of what she needed to atone for.

"You did not know," he replied, his tone uncharacteristically patient. She hazarded a glance to find the demon looking at her wearily. He seemed exhausted but relieved to finally be free from the purification powers of the shrine that had slowly been draining the life from his body.

"You must be a very powerful demon," she commented, sizing him up with a quick glance as she straightened. "A lesser demon would have succumbed to the shrine's purification powers days ago."

He offered her a wry smile in reply and closed his eyes to rest. His breaths seemed to have quieted and she watched the slow rise and fall of his chest, reassured by the knowledge that they'd avoided the worst possible outcome, if only just.

"If you wait here, I'll go get some food," she said and scrambled to her feet.

"I told you I do not eat human food," he reminded her without bothering to open his eyes and she knelt next to him once more. She considered what a demon would eat and tried to recount the stories she could remember her father telling her when she was young. When the thought of what she needed to do crossed her mind, she didn't hesitate for a moment. Retrieving a small pruning knife from her pocket she held out her palm to cut a small gash. It wouldn't be much, but maybe enough to sustain him so he could recover more quickly.

Instead, his hand darted out and grabbed hold of her wrist, preventing her from lowing the pruning knife.

"Do you wish to kill me?" he demanded. His eyes were open now and the expression in them was hard as they narrowed at her in frustration. She mutely shook her head.

"Are you not training to become a shrine maiden?"

She nodded. She had lived her entire life in the shrine training to be its next priestess. Her blood was as good as poison to a demon who was already weakened, no thanks to her. His hand released her wrist once he saw she understood and she quickly returned the pruning knife to her pocket. It seemed she wasn't able to do anything right when it came to him. All of her good intentions only seemed to lead her astray.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, too ashamed to even look him in the eye. "I only wanted to help. Please let me do something to make up for it."

The demon closed his eyes and turned his face away, answering only with a tired but firm, "Then leave me be."

Dejected, she slowly rose to her feet and returned to the shrine alone.

oOo

She returned at dusk to check on him. Her feet raced down the narrow path to the river while her heart remained firmly in the back of her throat. She hoped to see him still there, but part of her was certain he'd be gone. What reason did a demon have to linger near the shrine that had very nearly killed him? Surely now that he was free of the shrine's purification, his demonic power would have quickly healed him.

Her feet slowed as she rounded the last set of trees and saw a familiar glimpse of white against the dark cedar bark. Biting her lip to suppress a smile, she made her way down the remaining section of the path and arrived in front of him with her hands on her hips.

"You're still here!" she announced, stating the obvious. His eyes opened and he glanced over at her briefly before closing them and turning away.

"I brought some water and preserved persimmons. I know you said you don't eat human food, but since these aren't strictly human foods, I thought maybe…"

Her voice fell away and she laid the offerings next to him. He didn't make a move to reach for them so she knelt on the ground nearby.

"I was wondering if you've remembered how it was that you were injured?"

"I never forgot," he answered and she nervously picked at a loose thread in the seam of her pants.

"Were you fighting as part of the territory wars?"

He scoffed at the question and slowly combed his claws through the length of white hair that hung over his shoulder. "Trivial human wars do not interest me."

"So then, what happened?"

He had no need to answer her. In fact, he could have ignored her quite easily, as he was prone to do. But for whatever reason he chose to answer.

"I challenged my father for his title. He took my left arm as a reminder of what happens to those who cross him."

Her mouth fell open in shock, "Your father cut off your arm? That's terrible!"

He glanced down at the space where his left arm had been, seemingly indifferent to the loss of his limb, "It happened in the heat of battle. I do not begrudge him for it."

She couldn't imagine being so forgiving had someone in her family cut off her arm in such a shocking manner. "To think a father could do such a thing," she muttered with a shake of her head.

"You do not know my father," he answered with a wry look. "I will adapt."

She nodded and offered him a reassuring smile, "I have no doubt. So why did you challenge your father for his title, anyway? Wouldn't it have been easier to wait until he died to inherit it?"

The demon shrugged, "I grew tired of waiting. It is my destiny to someday defeat him."

She understood a thing or two about destiny. After all, her family had owned the same shrine for eight generations. She had been training from birth to be its next shrine priestess, with no thought given to what other paths may lay ahead.

"I think I understand," she said. "I have trained my whole life to be a shrine priestess. It is my destiny, just as yours is to defeat your father in battle."

He regarded her with a thoughtful look and the hard expression in his eyes softened just a little.

"Is that what you wish?" he asked suddenly, and she started, surprised by the question.

"I guess I never really thought about it. What else could I do?"

He tilted his head inquisitively, "Anything you like."

She felt her cheeks grow hot under his gaze. It was the first time anyone had suggested she do something other than fulfill the destiny that had been laid out for her so many generations ago. She'd never felt particularly well suited to the life of a shrine priestess, but had dutifully gone about her training to please her parents. And now that they were gone, she struggled to find a reason to stay motivated.

"I would like to see the world," she said with a far off look in her eyes. "I've always wondered how people live outside of this small mountain village. And I'd like to see the ocean someday. My father used to tell me stories about it and I've always wondered if it's as beautiful as he described."

"Humans are all the same," he commented with a displeased turn of his mouth.

Her shoulders caved and she looked away with a soft, "Oh. Well, what about yourself? Have you given any thought about what you'll do?"

"When?" he intoned with a lift of his brow.

"When you defeat your father."

He responded with a quiet huff and turned away from her once more. Rising to her feet she dusted the worst of the leaves and pine needles from her knees and made to leave. Though he kept his eyes fixed on the forest beyond she could sense that he was listening intently, following her every move. A part of her hoped that he would ask her to stay a while longer, but he did not.

"Please take care of yourself, Sesshomaru" she said with a short bow, then made the slow retreat up the path from the river to the shrine.

When she returned the next morning, she found the bowl of fruit empty and the demon gone. With a soft sigh, she collected the bowl and water bottle and reconciled herself to the destiny that awaited her at the top of the shrine steps. So much for her next great adventure.