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Chapter 8

Thunderstorms

Ororo hadn't slept from the commotion and excitement that the villagers exuded that night. It seemed that the blessed rain caused a lot of happiness among the demons due to its previous prolonged absence. A ghost of a smile graced her lips as she packed her sachet with items that she thought would be needed for her journey to investigate the attacks. The couple had blessed her with salted meats and breads to carry her over for a while and a few trinkets from the monk consisting of blessed water and strips of paper used for exorcisms. She of course scoffed finding possession to only be taken upon by the weak minded and such a piece of paper surely would be of little use. However, with deep thanks she shoved it all in her bag and said her pleasantries for her departure. Ororo prayed over the house and asked the Gods for protection. She placed a bit of magic into the hearth of the home and a barrier disguised in a loving kiss over the babies' heads. Stepping out onto the stony pathway she noticed the ground was still moist and the light of the rising sun could be seen in the far distance. Soft morning pink rays began to break away from the dark blacks and blues of the night sky. She exited the property taking in the fresh scent of morning dew on the wet grass before making her way to the pathway leading to the main road.

A few people were out on the streets already looking at the barrels of water that managed to collect while praying to Kami for more. Ororo shared a few smiles with an older couple walking early through the quiet city while a few men and women were seen sneaking behind stealthy to escape a night of bad choices and awkward moments. A nice breeze blew by rustling her white colored harem pants and billowy white cotton top. Her hair was once again pulled on top of her head in a giant bun with a gold cuff holding it in place. Her sandaled feet tapped silently on the gravel of the street causing the golden ringlets on her ankles to chime.

Her mind was at peace while she made her way up the road towards the hill to the Lord's castle. The botanical trees and bonsai plants glistened from their showers in a healthy glow. Drops of rainwater dripped from corners of buildings. Puddles were seen in various locations holding small rainbow promises within their reflections. Houses and stores were still quiet. Yet, gentle movements could be felt and heard from a few yards in front of her. Seriously guarded men and generals were clearly active that morning as she watched them prepare for various activities or replacing others on watch along the way. They moved about speaking of things in hushed voices intermingling with the curious glances that were apparent and thrown her way. After a while of walking, she was able to see the Lord up ahead of her. Their arrangements were in place by the sight of his presence. He stood tall seemingly being greeted by the morning light as it touched the strands of his silver hair.

He stood before her regal and tall in front of the slowly rising sun that shined brightly announcing his arrival. His clothing was a bit observant for battle with a metal and leather breast plate and pointed spikes on the front. Even at her distance she could see the glow in his yellow eyes which darted in her direction. Ororo looked to see he had a small bag attached to his weapons belt that was slightly behind him out of harm's way. As she got closer, she could see more of the weight he carried on his body. She looked him over noticing he was in full armor again with his weapons at his hip and a large fluffy appendage tossed over his right shoulder.

Sesshomaru watched the woman approach making very little sound with a wistful smile on her face. She looked about examining everything around her with a grin. Her skin held its own shimmery glow dancing with the morning sun across her striking features. Blue orbs hid behind thick lashes blocking some of the rays into her irises. Her hair was once again up on top of her head with her body adorned with gold exotic jewelry, a white cloth of a different style of hakama's, and a white hirori of some kind that wrapped around her. He was slightly amused at her refusal to conform to Japanese standards and wear the yakuta or kimono which was proper of women. But her features were so foreign that it really wouldn't have made much of an impact he'd wager.

"My Lord."

Sesshomaru broke contact to glance over at the approaching figure. "General Kenji" He acknowledged as the young general bowed to him. "Everything is in place as always. I have made the transition of command during your absence. Your city and home will thrive while you are away, again." He spoke with a command of assurance.

The Inu Lord nodded listening to the demon go over details before looking once more down the hill at the woman that had captured the attention of his guards. He noticed many were staring in awe with a few mumbling words he wished his sensitive hearing did not catch. The words of General Kenji were soon categorized as white noise in the background among all the commotion going about concerning the foreign woman approaching with the grace of a feather that danced along the wind. She soon had approached him providing a very dainty nod of the head in greeting and a soft smile. Ororo acknowledged the young General at his side who simply scoffed at her.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

He watched a sigh escape the women's lips before he turned to see his deranged servant run up to him waving his staff. "Don't forget your most humble servant, My Lord!"

Soon as the words left his lips, the demon Lord turned and made his way towards the gate heading in the opposite direction than where Ororo had come. She walked a bit of ways behind him to follow his lead unsure exactly of the destination's coordinates. She listened as the little imp caught up and mumbled a few things before he noticed her presence.

"You came back human!" He threw at her in a threatening manner.

Ororo continued forward choosing not to acknowledge the pest finding him not worth the energy or the risk of a good mood tainted. Clearly his presence was more of a burden than her own to the Lord. The better question she wished to ask was what purpose did the loudmouth ignorant toad possess to be in company with the Inu lord in the first place? Surely in her home he would have been dealt with and probably sentenced to the sands or worse.

Jaken was appalled of her lack of visible reaction to say the least. "My Lord why don't you take her life? This is disgraceful!" he yelled about rushing alongside his master. "Having some creation follow us."

"Jaken."

Both Ororo and the imp looked to the Inu demon that continued forward showing no signs of stopping to address him formally. The imp prepared his staff and his ego for appraisal. He raised his staff higher readying himself to get rid of the human before his plans were shot to hell.

"Be silent."

Jaken's face fell and his short legs stopped causing him to fall behind. Ororo shook her head at the poor fool but continued to follow the Inu demon making note of the path back towards the city. A comfortable silence had settled upon them while they walked through the morning. They moved beyond buildings and guards into the forests on the outer edge following a worn path clearly from patrols and foot traffic. With time the high gates and stone walls began to vanish in the background of the city behind them. Finally, they had come across what looked to be a demonic village. They walked along the path right through the middle of the farmlands of strange un-humanistic looking demons. During her own travels she had gathered demons fed upon a diverse diet and needed a variety of nutritional elements than humans did however they didn't need to eat as much upon maturity. She had found specifically this fact true among demons that bare resemblance to insects and amphibians. She looked about to see them slaving away in the wet rice fields underneath the high sun. She watched them stand to address them in a small bow before attending their duties while others continued to stare in fascination and curiosity at the pair and to what reason did, they owe the honor of the visit.

After a while the trio simply deviated from the path into the forest in which Ororo noticed Sesshomaru was literally cutting a direct path to his destination as if nothing else was in his way. The silence continued to stretch on while Jaken would manage to fill it with some sort of random piece of information or question that would earn him one-word responses or often no response at all. Ororo did have some questions of her own and wasn't too keen about following blindly behind a deadly demon. As they walked, she studied him. She took note of when Jaken mentioned what clearly was his brother's name and some girl named Rin in a negative reference. More importantly how that would earn the imp a sideways glare from the Inu King. Usually, he was very composed and did not express unnecessary action or emotion. Ororo had thought of him to be a silent intellectual of sorts and those you had to always watch because no one knew where their minds would wonder.

She too had to be very watchful of her own actions and behavior. A most dangerous thought crossed her mind directed at the Inu Lord in front of her. Here she was walking in his company with opportune moments to save her future and land from his slaughter if she would strike him down now. She would be insane to think that he would trust her so quickly. That was a fool's prayer. She would bide her time and see where his loyalties lay. She had noticed in their talks his main concern wasn't really the safety of his people, more so protecting the legacy of his father's lands and empire from destruction. He gave very little care to life of any kind which disturbed her greatly causing her to wonder during their adventure if she would see the monster her visions so vividly displayed. This thought had her tighten her fist on her satchel and keep weary eyes on the demon ahead of her. This did put her at odds due to their friendly discussions the previous night. To give her mind a rest, she focused on the sun's heat against her skin and enjoyed the scenery of foliage and old trees around her unknown to her that the demon she followed was having very similar lethal thoughts about her.

They had made their way through a thick forest avoiding establishments for the most part of the day. The day turned into night and soon there was a pattern set before them. She wondered how far away was the village of his brother's dwelling that it required such a lengthy time of travel with very little rest. Despite her abilities, even she would be of little use without proper sleep and nourishment. She was eating through the resources her friends provided beforehand. They passed a few villages in which she was received with either curiosity from the demons and animosity from the humans and then it would switch depending on the woman or the man. They immediately saw her skin tone and thought she was a demon or filled with evil from the devil's palm. She also took note that the farther away they strolled, the more human villages grew clearly in desire of being away from the demons.

The more enlightened cities however were a bit more accommodating and provided her with supplies and food in exchange for her coin and a few stories. Sometimes her demon companions did not make a motion towards the human villages and allowed her to be their designated representative to gather information about strange sightings and bizarre tales that would aid them on their journey. And really, Sesshomaru didn't let her do anything… She just did it. Surprisingly, some human villages accepted the Inu like a king. This she found was due to his actions of getting rid of their foul tormentors both human and demon alike in the past when someone tormented them going by the name of Naraku. A few times they found a hidden demon village that would very well take them in and provide excellent accommodations and service in honor of the Inu demon. She found it odd that the Inu didn't really care if they gave or not.

In one case they arrived to a demon village a little outside of his lands that didn't seem to be prospering so well. She had found their lands were too parched and in desperate need of rainwater as well. She followed him and the loud imp around the farms surveying the land before she made up her mind to help with their crops. That night the elderly shogun provided them a room that was the best they had which wasn't like the others that they had been shown in the past. And dare she say, the Inu demon showed the demonic man respect and was even humble in receiving the offering. She grinned joyfully at his actions knowing the elderly shogun of the village was very pleased and relieved. She was served a hot meal and partook in tea while the men had their sake and conversed in ways that would help the village in their time of distress. The elderly shogun by the end of their stay was truly thankful and overjoyed. She had provided him with a little rain to soak the soil and taught the men and women of ways they could help nurture their crops with very little resources. This was a very common situation in Egypt being that the land was of desert bearings with nothing but the aid of the Nile River to nourish their banks and soil. The shogun announced several times that he would speak highly of them to the villagers and his grandchildren and so forth for years to come.

She smiled walking through the forest with her companions looking at the rough yet sturdy blue yukata the shogun had given her for her help. The rays shined through the canopy of the very tall treetops unlike those she had ever seen. She was intrigued at how the roots here twisted and twined among each other and even stood above ground as if growing legs to walk away. Her thoughts were interrupted at a surge of malicious intent entering her peripheral senses and bombarded the area. Anger and hate combed through the forest and swept towards her spirit in a deadly manner. Her mouth went in a thin line in contemplation before sensing the movement of the foul energy towards them. "They mean to attack us first." She spoke looking to the Inu who had his hand rested above the hilt of his sword already with claws gleaming.

"Hm" Sesshomaru answered lifting one hand in the ready to unleash his poison whip. He could hear metal scrapes and loud footsteps trampling across the forest floor in their direction for quite some distance to the left of them.

"My Lord…" the little imp was cut off as an arrow flew past his face embedding itself in the bark of a tree behind him. The poor imp jumped away in fright waving his staff furiously.

Sesshomaru grew annoyed watching with his excellent vision as more arrows were being prepared to be drawn and shot. He looked to his right to see the woman reach into her bag and pull-out items wrapped in cloth. It looked to be of some angular swords with sharp crescent shaped blades and jeweled hilts. The blades looked to be extra sharp gleaming among the little specs of light. She simply held them up blocking and slicing through arrows flying in their direction but made no move to go on the offensive with her blades. Her movements were fluid and precise with the very gentle motions of her wrist showing the grace and power of clearly a seasoned warrior.

She watched with interest as the Inu lord walked forward to meet his hidden opponents. Sounds of shrieks and fearful cries along with derogatory comments about demons were heard. A spiritual arrow streamed through the air towards the Inu demon who side stepped the attack before rushing through the forest to slay the enemy.

"Wait!" Ororo yelled with awe at his speed. Quickly her blue eyes misted over into white pearls. Jaken looked about watching at how an eerily ominous thick dense fog developed and blanketed the forest floor around him. The fog arose quickly blocking his vision. He ran about in circles realizing that the fog had consumed everything from sight to scent. He could barely make out his fingers in front of his face which put him in a panic. And endless sea of white clouds blanketed the earth's floor.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" He yelled in confusion running about in smaller circles in the mist.

The Inu Lord stopped in his tracks at the sudden dense fog with a slight frown. It moved in without warning or foresight indicating it was of some form of sorcery. Instinct was crowding his mind telling him to escape from the weather predicament, but his senses felt like they were being muffled. Nothing could be seen or felt through the fog causing anger to stir within him. His mind worked the details realizing without hindrance that this was of course the woman's doing.

Ororo moved quickly through the fog towards her aggressors where she saw them retreating and running back towards the direction they had come. Some of the more unfortunate ones ran the opposite direction. Sesshomaru was only a few feet from them and could easily kill them all with one strike. Some were foolish enough to hold up their weapons, yet she knew their sight was futile in her fog. Quickly, she moved up to a few stragglers and began immediately disarming them of their weapons by pulsing them with a slight electric shock that conducted through the static of the air touching onto the metal of their weapons and vice versa. Their weapons fell to the ground in thumps, and they immediately went running before a light yellow arrow blazed through trying desperately to dispel her fog making a somewhat successful attempt.

She could feel the demon Lord catching the energy level and using the sound of the weapons flying and dropping to his advantage which cost some men their lives. His movement towards them was filled with deadly intent. Ororo didn't want an altercation but the two for some reason were drawn to each other like fire and oil. She recognized one of their aggressors to be a priestess. Ororo watched keenly as the priestess throw up a barrier before pulling out an arrow and notching it into her bow aimed in front of her blindly. Ororo quickly moved watching in horror as Sesshomaru pulled out a poisonous acidic whip and began beating on the barrier of the woman without care. It broke in four strokes causing her to unleash her arrow aimed at him. The fog in front of them both dispersed making them visible to the other.

Ororo moved in the center and before both parties could react, she quickly caught the arrow in her hand. A white lightning bolt struck the ground in front of the two catching their attention. Sesshomaru jumped back subconsciously reaching for his weapon on his hilt as the priestess stood in shock seeing her arrow thrown carelessly to the cold ground. The spiritual power of the arrow had fled.

"Enough!" Ororo spoke staring at the young priestess. "What has possessed you?" She asked dispelling her fog quickly from the area to clear it up. The sounds of Jaken could be heard in the background yelling for assistance.

"Witch!" The woman spat at her before pulling out a strip of paper and throwing it at her face. Ororo watched in fascination as it crinkled against her skin and she flicked it away in annoyance. Upon inspection she noticed it was of the same nature of that of Ryo's papers…ofudas he called them.

Ororo tucked her weapons to her side and stared at the young girl who backed away. Ororo scoffed at her paper tricks. "What kind of sorcery is this!" The priestess yelled out confused and afraid.

"You have attacked us!" Ororo spoke crossing her arms across her chest. "I think we deserve to ask the questions. Clearly, we were in passing making no threat to you and your men. However, you saw fit to destroy us…why?" She spoke getting right to the point hoping there wasn't an ignorant response to follow that involved the petty dislike between human and demons.

Sesshomaru moved before anyone could see and held the priestess up in the air by her throat. Ororo gasped at the sudden attack hoping that he wouldn't take the opportunity to annihilate the woman before they had a chance to interrogate her.

"Please, Lord Sesshomaru…" Ororo muttered stepping closer watching his hand tighten around the neck of the priestess that was now dangling above ground and scratching at his hands. The priestess's blunt nails did very little seemingly to only create welts that healed immediately on his flawless creamy white hand and wrist. Her spiritual powers came forward burning him, but his strong will and anger seemed to abort the discomfort of her attack. Ororo noticed also, her powers felt somehow false and corrupted than what spiritual energy felt like normally. Ryo's energy was like a burst of warm light that made you feel safe and protected. This woman's energy felt dark, cold, and heavy on the senses ladled with anger brewing.

Sesshomaru wanted to end her miserable pathetic existence. His claws punctured her flesh bringing tears to her eyes. She would learn today her actions held consequences. Deadly ones.

"Please!" The priestess begged before her eyes rolled slowly in the back of her head from the lack of oxygen. Her hands tried desperately to remove his hold before shaking and tightening on his hand. A gurgling sound was heard, and her mouth gaped wider if possible. Suddenly, her body was dropped heavily to the forest floor to fall on her front. A loud cry escaped her mouth along with a croak. Ororo watched the poor woman dry heave and gag. She rolled slowly onto her side while clutching her chest and throat in agony. Ororo quickly walked by the demon towards the woman analyzing her a bit more but not trying to help her. The woman gazed angrily at her. "Demon!"

"Call me what you like but it doesn't help your predicament." Ororo spoke truthfully with disdain. Being here made her wish so much to be back towards the isolated islands of the countryside where she had landed in the orient. The rural people of the fishing villages were far more hospitable and forward thinking than the people in these lands.

"You…all will…pay…" she heaved trying desperately to catch her breath. "For…what you…have done to us!" The miko yelled out in outrage before holding onto her stomach holding in the contents of her stomach from coming up.

Ororo stood up to her full height looking over the woman. She did possess spiritual powers yet something about the woman was strange. She held a darkness that seemed to be corroding her slowly. Anger and retribution bubbled along the woman's flesh and began to coat her own senses leaving a fowl taste in her mouth. She analyzed the woman a bit more before it donned on her. "You are tainted."

Ororo turned back to Sesshomaru catching his deadly gaze. He was enraged that his instinct had failed him in the fog and at the audacity of the humans. He also wasn't too pleased at the witch woman's interference. Clearly, she was more powerful than he surmised. Time was moving and as the territories were warring, the humans had grown bolder with their attacks and actions. Even the priests and priestesses seemed to be joined with the lot of them. The humans seemed desperate to be the hunters instead of the hunted. How they would regret their choices. "Let's go." He spoke before turning towards the direction from which he came.

"I am not tainted!" The woman yelled frantically coughing a little less now. The strain in her voice was still heard. Her nails dug into the dark dirt in anguish. "How dare you insult me? An honorary miko trained by miko Lady Rika herself." She yelled with rage as if her formal announcement of training would deter the pair into taking her seriously. The woman hesitated before using the last bit of her strength to stand pitifully on shaking legs. "How dare you come and attack us! You raided our farms and killed our livestock!" She yelled collapsing again. Her hands reached towards her neck, and she screamed gazing down at her bloodied hands. Suddenly, the sounds of the men growing brave were heard in the background coming to aid their fallen miko. Ororo knew it was wise not to allow any more trouble for the day; enough blood had been spilt. The aura around her grew deadly with each sound of hooves pounding and men approaching on foot. Anxiety bubbled within her at the idea of a slaughter. She knew when one was necessary, but this was not the case. She turned to the Inu lord who simply flickered his fingers in warning of what was to come.

"Lord Sesshomaru. I believe we have found an example of clues to this darkness." She spoke quickly making sure to keep his attention should he strike out to the unfortunate women. "Here is an example of a human village with farmlands seemingly attacked by demons. Retaliation has ensued on demons which means unnecessary battles have broken out between the two fractions." She spoke walking away quickly from the woman sputtering insults and referring to her Japanese god multiple times. The dark clouds of heavy fog surrounded them once more and hid everything underneath its blanket.

Ororo took note of the Inu's posture as he too followed and walked away. A breath she didn't know she was holding was released at seeing this. Still the deadly intent radiating from the dog demon behind her brought little hairs rising on the back of her neck. As they began walking further and further away the sound of hooves, feet, and metal lessened. In its stead however the louder their impish green colleague became. Ororo took note of the change in shade and forms of dark inky clouds peeking through the forest tree tops. The fog dispersing the further they got away from the angered humans. They walked seemingly avoiding the little obnoxious servant.

"Master Sesshomaru!" The cries of the echoes in the forest set off a few birds.

Ororo made to stop to find the imp however, Sesshomaru had other plans. "Leave him." He spoke yet kept forward unwilling to look for their loud awkward companion that began to let everyone and anything know in the forest who they were and where they were walking. Ororo grew concerned and voiced her reason.

"It will rain soon. Shouldn't we gather the poor fool and find shelter?" She asked. He didn't answer.

Sesshomaru was already irritated at the predicament of the ignorant miko woman and her intent to cause harm to them. The miko woman surely deserved a fate of death for her insolence and false accusations. His golden eyes hardened at this before nodding in acceptance of his future plans and actions. His ears picked up on the beings around him. Nothing but low-class demons and animals scurried about the forest now frantically looking for their prizes or trying to seek shelter. The scent of rain descended from the sky announcing its desire to burst into tears.

The silence they walked in was stifling much like the sky above indicating a storm was passing through. Ororo could feel the air tingle with the surge of electric energy from the darkening cumulonimbus clouds developing overhead. Time ticked by until they reached a mountainous area on their journey. The only sounds of the forest still came from Jaken in the very far distance yelling for directions to their location which was heard and went unanswered. Jaken had the very same demonic senses as the rest, yet it stumped Ororo on his lack of utilization of them. Surely, he could sense them moving. Yet, as they continued to walk out of the forests towards the rocky cliffs, he could be heard in the back still stumbling through the forest.

Darkness crept slowly and rumbled with thunder above their heads. Lightening crackled followed by the loud grumbles of rumbling. Sesshomaru sniffed the air smelling the rain coming in before he realized the woman behind him could possibly control the weather. He turned to her to see if she would do anything yet she simply stood tall and serene with a knowing look This look caused him to frown slightly as his silent question seemed to have been already answered.

"No, Lord Sesshomaru. I can manipulate weather. Mother nature however always has her own plans in which I'm only semi privy to." She spoke with mirth before looking upwards at the tumultuous skies. "Besides, this is needed for your already depleting soil. Now, what are our travel options?" She asked before looking back at him.

Sesshomaru knew well the voyage to his half-brother and his insufferable mate's dwelling. They were walking to them at a snail's pace and it would be another two days journey if they were to walk. However, if they took flight or even ran then they would be there before sundown the next day. Something wet had fallen and landed on his left cheek rolling down his face before his mind was made. He would throw out propriety and they would travel by flight. The quicker they arrived at their destination, the quicker and closer they would be to ending this tiresome mess. But Jaken…he would be fine.

"We fly." Sesshomaru spoke before walking over to her quickly. Ororo warily glanced upon him in shock of his approach and unorthodox answer to her question. Heavy raindrops began slowly settling upon her face and hair, announced formally by a loud boom of thunder and display of pink lightening. The sky had now fallen eerily dark showing none of its previous contentment before. Strong arms picked her up before making a very quick dash upwards along the edge of the cliffs with a eagle's touch. Soon, they were indeed flying upwards making a steady pace through the foothills in a ball of flashing light. Thunder continued to growl and roar in their ears vibrating within them. Tiny drops continued to fall despite the sky looking aggressively down upon them with hopes of drowning them in their sorrows.

Sesshomaru could feel the warmth of her soft skin despite the rains attempt to pelt her for her insolence in leaving so soon. He felt the smoothness of her arm as he held her close to him for safety on her voyage upwards in his hold along the mountains. Her scent was dangerously well within his senses now despite the rain coming down washing away everything. Her body he could feel curved, dipped, and plumped in places he hadn't even imagined existed. Her hair felt dewy, and the texture was reminiscent of his mokomoko that clung to his other side. His eyes narrowed feeling his instincts rise and shake the cage a bit upon experiencing such a gem. An electric charge tingled his ears and danced along her fingertips clearly showing affection to its mistress. After a while her hold slackened and her hand lifted clearly enjoying the spray of water and the dangerous charge. The drops fell more feverishly before they found what appeared to be a well-used cavern in the crux of the mountains. He pushed forward now feeling completely drenched and irritated they had to suffer because of her odd reasoning regarding nature. Finally, his boots landed heavily at the stony entrance. Upon entering the Inu Lord set her down inside non too gently. A crack of lightening sliced the air and a roar erupted that shook the cave from a mighty thunder. The clouds poured their hearts out and the rain began to fall with a force they had not felt when they were flying through it.

Sesshomaru looked at Ororo with a hard glare. She shook her arms and freed her hair of its soggy bun. Water dripped in streams through her long snowy white hair. Her fingers quickly went up and began finger combing through the giant mass that fell in cloud like waves down her back contrasting against the brown of her skin. She walked further into the cave and her fingers began braiding her hair in one single braid. She rubbed the edges of her soft white wispy baby hairs in the front gently before pulling her long braid over her shoulder so that it fell down her front looking like soft snowy rope. Ororo turned to see his look before she spoke with mirth. "You can look at me with distain all you want. I will not interfere." She spoke twisting the front of her shirt in an attempt to rid it of the excess water. Her eyes traveled the length of the cave and walked forward. She frowned at her shirt gripping it tightly again in her palm. She turned around to find the demon standing in front of her with a deadly look.

"What-"

"You…will not interfere again." He growled causing her to simply stand and hold her ground. Thunder rumbled from the storm outside and rolled throughout the cave. Her chin went up arrogantly with annoyance and her eyes hardened into blue diamonds. She twisted her shirt again hearing water drip onto the cave's stony base.

"You would have ruined any chances of information with your quick to kill attitude." She sneered letting go of her shirt and shaking it. The scent of masculine pride and retribution wafted in her senses so powerful she couldn't completely look away from him. Lightning struck in the distance illuminating the cave in a whitish glow. The rain seemed to pour harder outside the entrance.

"You would save the humans." He growled out mockingly having found her weakness. Figures, humans only ever looked out for their own despite the fluke of an existence of his brother's miko. Was she some human loving sorceress? Regardless, she was no different from that miko woman he should have killed. He looked to see she had stepped forward and moved pointing a finger aimed into his chest looking ever so sternly and regal.

"Enough!" She snarled. "I choose to save when the time comes as much as I force my hand." She explained placing both of her hands on her hips looking him directly in the eyes. "That woman had information and played a role in the act that is your unstable land affairs. Should she have died, you would have given those villagers the blessing they needed to go on a rampage killing and then they will tell other villagers and most likely invent new ways to extinguish your people."

Sesshomaru's claws came about in aggravation which didn't go unnoticed by the weather witch. She knew this would go against his pride with her nature being the opposite of what he may be accustomed to. Thinking quickly, she made a move she wouldn't habitually do however given the circumstances she needed knowledge to gain the upper hand in her predicament. And she was only going to get this by means of the demon lord standing with deadly killing intent in front of her. Inhaling deeply, she pulled back her finger and softened her expression.

"I apologize from one ruler to another if my actions may have overlapped your own." Ororo apologized with her head held a bit higher than usual. She knew pride was a hard pill to swallow. She and her family have had centuries trying to swallow it themselves. However, her parents made a notion to not follow in the paths of the few dead kings that nearly costed them everything because of their pride. By the looks of it, Japanese people, even their kings could learn much from this same lesson. "But I do not apologize for diffusing the situation and your false interpretation it as siding with the humans."

Sesshomaru glared at her for quite some time. The light sheen of the rain on his bangs and dampened clothes did little to soften his menacing look. His aura rolled off his body dangerously. The air stifled as he mentally ripped into her. But her words were true. She did not act to side with the humans nor go against him. His hand stiffened despite his body and facial expressions showing no emotion except annoyance. He found the woman to be odd. Her attitude was as changing and forceful as the elements she manipulated. She stood before him as if his equal looking to him for his response of acceptance or rebuttal. Golden eyes searched the deep ocean looking for hints or clues to the puzzle before him. His mind calculated until he settled for a remark. "You have much to learn about these lands and this Sesshomaru if you ever plan on living to see your goals met, witch." He tossed before moving past her without further acknowledgement.

Ororo blinked at this watching the man give her his back to talk to. Choosing to bait him in conversation she turned and followed him deeper into the cave. "I'm sure it's far less than a man and his people that have never traveled beyond their seas." She countered defiantly. She could feel pressure build of his strong power pushing towards the mouth of the cave adding a bit of security.

"Your assumptions are false woman." He spoke before stopping in the darkness. All was obscure until suddenly a torch was lit along the wall. She watched him grab it and began lighting the other torches placed along side of it until the whole room was lit. She watched him toss the torch in the center of the large cave where clearly a fire had once been burning brightly. A steady rising in heat began to warm her skin while the room lit up in a soft glow. The cave had small rugs, covers, pillows, bowls, and little objects of comfort within the room. Clearly, he had been here before.

"Your attitude leads me to think otherwise." She prodded moving along the wall and making her way over to a rug. "Journeying to the other-side of your lands is far from being knowledgeable about much of anything." Ororo taunted. In a fluid uncaring motion, she lifted the fabric of her shirt over her head and wrung it out of the excess water leaving her front bare except for a light cloth that covered her chest.

"Have you no honor!" He growled.

A chuckle was heard causing him to look up. She was now stretching her shirt out near the fire clearly trying to get it to dry. She shook her head and tossed her braid back mockingly. "Do you? Turn around, please." She countered with sass in her voice. She watched him seemingly fight himself for patience before he finally turned. Feeling content, she walked over to her bag that she dropped on the floor earlier. She dug in her satchel to find one of her many oils that soothed her nerves and a pair of extra light pants. She changed quickly putting the rest of her garments to dry while she slipped into a knee-high cotton skirt with gold stitching and leaving her chest still wrapped in cloth. She picked up her vial and moved to sit on a rug. She hummed in response to his silent question of the state of her dress she was in.

Sesshomaru leaned against the wall watching her with a growl stuck in his throat at how much skin was showing to the world. The light from the fire flickered off her skin highlighting and shadowing planes of her body in his eyes. Ororo paid him no attention clearly too excited about her self-pampering endeavor. To his perception it was excitement when really she was pissed and attempting to calm herself. Her slender fingers uncorked the vial with a pop and with care she poured a drop on arm. Her hands immediately went to massage the oil into her skin. The oil she used released a succulent scent and left her skin shimmering in the fire light. It mixed with the scent of rainwater that began sliding down her arm with gravity's help. The smell of honey and lilac mingled with a few other scents. It grew heavy and enhanced her natural scent of something decadent and sweet that he wasn't sure he sampled in his lifetime yet.

"This Sesshomaru has been to many places." He spoke glaring at her in annoyance while she smirked clearly entertained by his words. Her legs shined and she poured a swirl into the palm of her hand before she pulled slightly at the cloth that covered her thighs uncaring if her actions were discreet or not. She set the bottle down and began to rub her hands together leisurely before massaging her thigh and working down towards her knees. His eyes watched the light flicker off the bronze and golden undertone colors of her body. Gentle hands rolled palmed the oil into her hands before gliding it over her skin giving her a glow with a softness to it. Long fingers worked diligently on her legs palming oil and working out the tenderness of her flesh with apparent practice. "Some of your items are from the western trade route near the deserts." He spoke crossing his arms and glaring out at the falling rain.

Ororo looked up at him with a small smile and acknowledgement. Her chest deflating at his attempt to prove her wrong and at from the benefits of aromatherapy. "She looked to her bag and the oil she palmed before looking up at him. Her accent was heavy yet it fell on his ears in sultry tones and rich pitches. "I envy the people that have access to these natural resources." She spoke before palming more oil on her skin. "Well, I stand corrected LORD Sesshomaru." She emphasized his title playfully. "Unless you have excellent scribes and merchants than it seems you do have experience beyond your borders and seem to know your trading resources."

He scoffed at her words with eyes entranced by the many shades of mahogany shimmering like gems. "Your ignorance of this Sesshomaru and his people is astounding for a female emperor who prides herself on education."

"Likewise." She countered smirking as he glared at her. She rubbed her hands together enjoying the soft feel of her skin. Her smirk seemed to broaden at the feel of the Lord's glare upon her.

"Hmm." She hummed choosing to ignore him now with a hidden smile while she continued her task. She slid the cloth down her thigh covering herself again before massaging her hands. Her eyes looked to him seeing how strict and tightly he held himself. Even the soothing sound of rain didn't seem to deflate him. Her eyes looked at the oil bottle to her side and revisited her thoughts on the purpose of this voyage with the Inu King. Clearly, she was making an enemy is a place she didn't need more of. She sighed gently wondering how they keep bouncing back to square one after making headway to another place. But should it be her to always offer peace? He was the one that was so…angering. But if they couldn't meet in the middle then what was the point of all of this.

Taking a final deep breath, she tried a different tactic. "Please come here." She spoke adjusting herself in a way that would put space between her body and his. Her palm patted the space next to her firmly. "Please, I wish to share a calming oil with you from my own culture as well as answer your questions if it helps us both stop clashing like raging fires. I don't want to fight with you. That's why I'm here in the first place." She reasoned.

Sesshomaru eyed her critically with an arched eyebrow using his instincts to pick up any malicious intent from her. His aura reached for her with a warning of what should happen should she do something foolish. Her words were sound…again. His irritation faltered slightly as he rolled over the situation and her intent in his mind with a critical eye to detail.

Ororo sighed in exasperation and moved to sit Indian style before him waiting patiently for him to come to her. "Yes your great Western King, I wish to simply massage a homemade palm oil of that of honey, lavender, and jasmine to relax you. The same one that I just used upon myself. Now, that you know my intentions, you are protected and should not fear the witch." The exasperation emphasized his use of title for her. She watched him narrow his eyes at her. "Come on. You will enjoy this. Besides, not many kings that I have crossed would turn down the gift from an ally queen."

"Ally is strongly putting things." Sesshomaru eyed her a bit longer before walking towards her with predacious eyes daring her to so much as to make one mistake. He towered over her with glowing yellow eyes that shined like suns over her ocean blue gaze that reflected him. Her hand reached up to take his and slightly urged him to take a seat in front of her. He rested his other hand on his sword and bent gradually to seat before her. She smiled gently and placed his hand in the air before her. She took the oil she had rubbed into her own skin and dropped a single drip on top of his hand. With a firm gentle hold, her thumb went to work rubbing the muscles in his hand. He found her to speak truthfully. He gave her his clawed hand in curiosity having scented the scent the minute she opened the cork. She was honorable enough along the voyage that he would allow his inquisitive nature to quell its thirst for knowledge. He watched her fingers work and glide, stretching and massaging between the tough bone of his fingers and the tissue in the palm of his hand. He could feel small knots and watched as she gave diligence and attention towards smoothing them away.

"Despite your cold demeanor, you have experienced great stress. This stress has aged you." She spoke with a concentrated tone. "Despite your silence, your body is yelling." Her fingers smoothed another knot that caused her to frown seeing as it sat on a ruling vessel and had gone unattended to. "You do not rest much." She worked on one stubborn knot along his knuckles. "We have people dedicated to this practice." She pulled and flicked behind her as if pulling string.

She looked up at him as she moved. His eyes were set on her fingers and then her face. She knew he felt relief because she could feel it in the smoothness now in the muscles of his hands. Ororo said a small prayer and rested his hand on his lap. She motioned to his other hand in which she noticed he was a bit more receptive of her gift as he so easily let her have his hand. She touched his hand and almost stopped. For some reason she felt s light tinge of pain touching this hand. She went on her way and massaged it.

"This hand is slightly different. This one suffers from ghost pains." She said entranced by the rough callouses of his hand and the flex of his thumb. She smiled and continued massaging drawing her own conclusions about the nature of his palm that stretched towards his arm hidden under the white silk he wore. Rain continued beating outside and a roll of thunder shook them a bit before quieting down.

He looked at his now oiled skin feeling it tingle throughout the structure of bones inside. He flexed his resting hand in his lap noting how light weight it felt. It was an odd yet pleasant sensation he supposed he rather enjoyed and could see why she indulged in such pleasantries. His eyes flickered to the warm glow of her skin watching it shine in the light. He had heard the whispers of his people and his soldiers regarding her melanin. How they whispered that she was burnt from the sun, possessed by demons, and all kinds of illogical idiotic beliefs. He of course had seen people outside of the borders where his lands met the sea. There were even people that shared the same hue high in the southern mountains and have since isolated themselves. Maybe they came from the same lands, and she would know of them. His eyes closed from her attentions and his body went into a meditative state.

Ororo rubbed another knot enjoying his presence. She too was as equally as fascinated with his skin and structure. The fresh rain mixed with the oil on his hands. He was very solid without the bulk of muscle that was prominent among the men in her culture. The deep callouses on his hands spoke of many battles he endured. Yet, one arm felt more at ease than the other. The aura he carried around was very rigid fluctuating very little even when he was angry or at peace.

"Is this activity common among your people?"

Ororo smiled rubbing his fingers now. "It very much so is. It is given to all ruling figures as a given service from high priestesses only. It is paid for by my people that need it for health benefits and relaxation. It is also shared a simple exchange normally between friends, family, and lovers and is a great sign of respect. If the massage is to be given for the entire body, that is an even greater gift and requires more trust. Such a gift is only given by either lovers or by the priestesses for when the body has suffered a great deal of stress." She told finally running her thumbs over his veins one final time. She placed his hand with the other in his lap and he opened his eyes to look at her. He watched her as her own eyes were closed and her lips moved. She opened her blue eyes and looked at him with a smile. "I prayed for good energy and respite for you." She spoke. She bowed her head and thanked him for his trust.

Sesshomaru nodded choosing to stand and walk away towards the opposite wall where he sat down and closed his eyes again. The scent of oils rested on his nerves and indeed he felt calm. His hand tingled and felt…soft. Distance again would give him time to process and make sense of the duality of their…agreement. Very delicately she placed the cork back into the vial and quickly put it away for safekeeping. She leaned back against the wall and stretched her legs to the side to look at the fire. Her belly filled with warmth despite the twinge of hunger growing deep inside. She dug into her bag to grab a piece of bread and salted meat. She took a bite and stared into the fire; her hunger now subdued. Her eyes would trail towards the demon sitting across the fire from her. Her mind was no longer clear about where to place him. One minute he could be as lethal as an African bee and the next as wise and calm as the little streams that strayed from the Nile.

Never had she met a sovereign so resilient, stubborn, and quiet. She admitted she spent more time along the journey trying to understand the pieces of his mind. Her dreams countered against reality. The image of some wild demon on a rampage was being eclipsed by the diligent calculating one that didn't fit into the monster she thought him to be. He did have his moments she supposed where he was quite brutal and vicious. He frightened her yet intrigued her confusingly so. He was a rarity she supposed. But then the Japanese culture was very reflective on this behavior. But, he did have a coldness that could steep into your bones and chilled one from the inside out. Even on the hottest of days in Egypt she bet he could counter it with one of his icy glares and frosty demeanor.

She replayed the scene with the priestess again in her mind knowing well that had she been in her lands, the priestess would have died the moment she tried to speak. So, she could not pass judgement on the great Inu for his actions. That would make her a hypocrite. He had every right to slit the priestess's throat there on site for she did nothing but throw insults despite Ororo's efforts to help. Such insults would have warranted severe punishment. She would have been beaten or killed. Her unwrapped body would be thrown into the desert to shame her even in the afterlife.

Her eyes trailed again over the fine silk of his clothing and the sharp silver of his armor. She finished her little morsel and sucked her fingers lightly before brushing them on the side of her skirt mindful of the gold design. A great king Sesshomaru was but held no gold or limestone to display his wealth or promise him passage into the afterlife. He traveled with only one companion with nothing else but a small little bag on his waist. His armor and swords were all that he carried leaving her intrigued.

If he died, who would know? Who would prepare his body for the afterlife? Who would take the throne? Did he have children? He must have priestesses or wives to aid him.

Maybe- should he prove to be innocent, and their problems solved, she would gift him a few gold pieces to advocate for him to Ra. Surely, he was lacking in these things to aide him during the afterlife. All the stress she witnessed within him spoke of a very harsh upbringing and constant rigorous activity. From her brief visit in his castle, she could tell he was surrounded by weaklings and those that thought to best him. His halls whispered of a threat and one that lived in the very walls he called home. Maybe it was best he did not have a family. One never wanted their little ones exposed to threats.

Yes, she would do this great service and guide him in protecting his lands. If she was to ever get out of odds with him and even try to move forward, she had to reframe them both. From one sovereign to another, this would help greatly in building an alliance and a western trading partner for metals and silk which she found she enjoyed quite nicely on her skin. Her mind ran away thinking of the possibilities and the great fortune it would bring her country.

"You should rest." A voice spoke breaking her out of her ponderings.

Ororo investigated golden orbs and nodded in acceptance. "As should you great King of the Inu. Do you sleep in armor as much as you live in it?" She pointed to the giant piece of dangerous metal across his chest that reflected the fire light. She stood to retrieve a cloth she had seen and decided to use it as a cover.

He simply looked at her watching her settle against the stone as comfortably as she could laying horizontally closer to the fire. Watching her finally settle he decided to close his eyes and enter a light meditation before he responded. "I shall remove my armor in your presence the day I trust you. Maybe that will be the day I allow you to give me this massage you fondly speak of."

She smiled and closed her eyes giving him her back to look at. "It's a good thing I have priestess capabilities then and can personally bestow the honor to you, great King."

Sesshomaru eyes snapped open at this to look at her. She had given him her smooth back to gaze while her body sunk deeper and deeper into rest. Her words registered and sensually glided over him with its meaning to be taken multiple ways. A yearning he had not known before tingled in his fingers from where her touch intimately energized him. He smirked wondering if she knew what saying such a thing to dog demons would signify. His eyes closed and the slight twitch of his lip from opportunity didn't go unnoticed from a set of ocean gems that became as curious about his touch as he was becoming of hers.