Shadows

Disclaimer still applies : Don't own Inuyasha

Chapter 7

He was sprawled, as gracefully as possible, on his stomach, across the highest branch of the tallest tree. It was a bit undignified, but comfortable. He was watching the woman glide effortlessly through the water of the small lake they'd come across shortly after midday. He'd never known a female that could swim before. The demonesses he knew had never attempted such a thing. It hadn't been necessary to learn. It wasn't as if they could drown. He knew very little of human females, only the limited experiences with Inuyasha's mother, but she had been terrified of the water. It seemed most human females shared the same sentiment, but not Arisa. She disappeared under the water, resurfacing on the other side of the lake after a long moment. She turned over and floated on her back, a totally blissful look on her face. He could see everything clearly, even from this distance. Her breasts were completely out of the water, nipples hardening from the change in temperature. Her hair floated around her like a halo of fire, the color matching exactly the small thatch covering her most private of places. He shut his eyes, trying to block out her image. His desire rose like liquid heat that pooled directly in his loins. He growled out loud, frustrated at this new found weakness that had begun surfacing in the last few days. The inability to control his own body's reaction to a mere human. He needed distance to cool down. He rose into the air, and decended slowly to the forest floor, fighting the urge to run as far as he could, as fast as he could. Running would only prove to further acknowledge the weakness. And he was not weak. He straightened his back, striding away at a leisurely pace, trying to distract his thoughts by thinking through all that had happened since she had come nine days ago.


He had listened intently as she told Jakken stories of her time. Tales of huge 'cities' where millions, she had said, of people all coalesced together. Buildings as tall as small mountains, transportation methods that could match his full out running speeds, flying machines that could traverse the world over. Humans, it seemed, had become quite amazing engineers. They had also advanced far in the field of medicine, making lethal diseases no more than temporarily uncomfortable nuisances. Though he had not personally participated in any of the conversations, he had paid rapt attention to their talks, finding his curiosity piqued. Even though he sensed she was not lying, it all still sounded a bit unbelievable. He simply could not conceive of humans as more than ignorant animals, and, occasionally, excellent cannon fodder. Yet, the race of men had grown to dominate the entire 'planet', as she called the embodiment of ground beneath their feet. It did not necassarily bother him, per say, that humans would grow so powerful over the coming centuries. What troubled him the most was the absence of demons. Their very existence was unheard of by her time era. What had happened? How had the great and terrible demons of this day simply vanished? How had their fierce reputations of bloodshed and carnage become nothing more than fables and tales to scare children into obedience? It gave him much to contemplate, and a much needed distraction from his turbulent thoughts of Arisa.


He walked to the spot he'd chosen as a camp for the night, to see that she'd returned ahead of him. Had he been walking for that long? Apparently. She had still been floating in the small lake, last he knew. Now, she was sitting beneath a tree, combing Rin's hair, dressed in the light yukata he'd procured for her, her own hair completely dry. He scanned the sky in search of the sun's position to find it close to setting. The passage of time meant little when you lived so long, but he'd had to pay more attention, for Rin's sake, as of late. He made a mental remembrance to not let his musings become so consumming in the future. He sighed, inwardly, and sank down at the base of a tree on the other side of the campfire Jakken had just ignited. The fumes the Staff of Heads gave off were particularly overwhelming, even with his great strength, so he held his breath until Jakken propped the staff against a tree, and continued cleaning the fish for the humans evening meal.

He watched her, intently, as she removed the last of the tangles from Rin's unruly hair. She proclaimed she was finished, and Rin was only too happy to run off in search of more stones for her growing collection. She placed the bone comb back in the satchel at her side, and simply sat, staring into the now blazing campfire. She'd become quite melancholy as of three days ago, trying, he presumed, to come to terms with the responsibility that had been laid upon her. He knew he'd guessed her thoughts correctly, watching as she pulled a small leather pouch from beneath the neck of her clothing, spilling the contents into her hand. The shard of the Shikon Jewel she'd purified picked up the fading light of the evening sun, glinting brightly in her palm. She turned it over a few times before placing it back in the pouch. She then rose smoothly from the ground, and set off into the surrounding forest. He could hear her footsteps get farther and farther away. It seemed she was going to ignore his earlier command to stay close. Her fiercely independent nature amused, irritated, and confused him. He knew she wasn't ignorant of the danger having a shard of the Shikon no Tama put her in. He'd explained what he knew of its power and ability to attract other, almost certainly harmful demons directly to her. He'd seen the recognition of her situation flare in the depths of her eyes. He knew she understood, yet she continued to wander off, almost as if she were instigating an attack on her person. He growled low in his throat, and set off to retrieve her from her own foolishness.

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The forest was peaceful, offering Arisa a bit of a reprieve from the thoughts and feelings causing her so much confusion. She picked up her pace, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and the main cause of the uncertainty that had been plagueing her almost incessantly. Sesshoumaru. He was an arrogant, egotistical, over-bearing bully. He thought he could order her around like some kind of servant. She knew he was a lord, and he acted the part well, but she was not from this time period, and so did not feel inclined to follow his orders like some mindless idiot. Yet, she knew he only ordered her around because he was concerned for her safety. He hadn't told her to do anything 'servant-like', only to stay close and not stray from him. It was really hard to tell what he was thinking by the look on his face, he always looked mildly bored, but she'd heard his concern once in his voice. She'd strayed away from the campsite last night, just to go for a peaceful walk before trying to sleep. Sessmoumaru had been gone since before sundown. Since he wasn't here to protect her anyway, what would it matter if she took a walk? With that mindset, she'd headed towards the small stream nearby, following it up river as a guide so she wouldn't get lost again. She'd wandered too far into the forest, once, and gotten lost. Once had been quite enough for that kind of experience.

She hadn't heard or felt anything. It had just suddenly appeared in front of her. A man-sized worm with all these tentacle like things sticking out all over. It had reared and come right for her, screaming 'Give me the Shard!!!!' with its wet and gurgly sounding voice. There'd been no way to avoid the attack. The thing had been impossibly fast. A huge mouth full of razor sharp teeth had sank into her shoulder, nearly ripping the arm off, and barreled her to the ground before the pain even registered. She'd blacked out then, and come to a bit later, laying next to the fire in camp. Sesshoumaru had gotten to her too late, having to, once again, use Tenssiega to revive her. He'd been pretty pissed about the whole incident.

'I'm sorry I caused you trouble. I just wanted a walk before bed.' she'd said.

'I have warned you this would be possible. The shards call to demons. Did you not believe, or are you simple-minded?, he'd said, his voice becoming a bit harsher then she'd heard it before.

'Did you just call me stupid?' she'd asked, getting a bit harsh herself.

'Do not disobey again. Tenssiega's abilities are not infallable.'

'Look, I know you've done alot for me, and don't think I don't appreciate everything you've done when I say this, but I will NOT be ordered around by anyone, and I won't be chastised like a child either.' she'd said, intending that to be the end of the conversation, but he was suddenly there, to fast to see. He'd stood above her sitting form, hands at his sides, as he'd said,

'This Sesshoumaru is concerned for you safety. You becoming injured is unacceptable.' There'd been a long moment of silence before he'd added, 'I do not want to see you hurt.' He'd then simply walked off into the forest, disappearing into the night. She'd spent a long time considering his words, and the slight note of concern she'd heard in his voice. It had been the first time she'd heard any emotion out of him, however slight it had been. Even though she'd known him only nine days, it had seemed completely out of character.

She sighed, and, deciding she'd gone far enough, sat on a fallen log. She fingered the shard in the pouch around her neck absently, thinking, again, on the incident that had brought it to her, and on her growing abilities. They'd been walking through a huge meadow three days ago. Rin and her were collecting daisys, making them into one long chain. Jakken had been grumbling about the 'stupidity of humans' and their 'ridiculous antics'. Sessoumaru had been walking at a leisurly pace, his elegant form straight and tall, his beautiful hair swaying with his steps. He'd suddenly stopped, halfway across the field, his gaze off to the left, eyes narrowing. A split second later she'd felt it. She'd dropped the daisy chain, looking in the same direction Sesshoumaru was. The hair on the back of her neck stood straight up, and a chill had chased down her spine. The feeling was malicious and evil, floating on a wave of hatred. It was coming, weakly, from the direction her, Sesshoumaru, and now Jakken were staring. It was getting stronger by the second.

'What the hell is that?' she'd said, not even aware she'd said it out loud. Sesshoumaru had immediatly turned his attention towards her.

'What do you feel?' he'd asked in his usual mono-tone voice. She spoke without diverting her attention from the growing feeling.

'Something horrible. Do you know what it is?' she'd asked.

'A lesser demon with a shard of the Shikon Jewel.' he'd stated. She'd gotten to witness some of his awesome abilities as he defeated the demon. He was amazing. His movements were graceful and precise, quickly relieving the demon of it's head with a long, whip-like light that had come right out of his hand. He'd retrieved the shand and approached her with it, placing it in her hand. She'd watched, amazed, as the putrid, black light bled away, revealing a bright pinkish, purple hue. She'd felt the malice and hatred disappear as well. It only felt quiet and peaceful. She could feel it now, if she concentrated, like a tuning fork that never stopped. Strong enough for her to feel it's presence, but weak enough not to bother her.

She looked towards the sky, seeing the light of day dull towards evening, and decided it was time to return. After the incident with that snake thing last night, it did seem quite foolish to wander, but Arisa just couldn't think straight around Sesshoumaru. Speaking of, he would probably be mad again, but she could care less at this point. She just wanted to go home. Back to her own time. She laughed, softly, thinking how insignificant her old problems seemed, compared to what she was now faced with. 'But, could you really leave? Never to see him again?' she thought. Traitorous thoughts. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she'd fallen for him.......hard. Not necessarily in love. She wasn't that niave, but she was definetly in 'lust', and therein lay most of the confusion. She'd never felt like this about anyone before. She'd been too young for such things before she lost her family, and after, she'd become too self-absorbed to notice anything around her at all. Even around Kagome and her family, the only people she felt close to at all, she was still reserved and a bit withdrawn. These feelings were a completely new experience for her, throwing her wide open, not allowing her to hide. Unfortunately, it was quite apparent Sesshoumaru didn't reciprocate them. She'd heard too many stories from Jakken about his hatred for humans, let alone the fact that he showed no emotion at all. She didn't know what to do. With everything that was happening right now, these feelings were a complication she really didn't need. She rose from the log, intending to return, but didn't even get one step in. Sesshoumaru was standing directly in front of her, looking at her through narrowed eyes. Yeah....he was definetly mad.

"Sorry, I just needed some time alone." The silence stretched out as he continued to stare. He looked a bit calmer then he had a second ago, less angry.

"You have much on your mind." His voice was deep and rich. Was that an invitation to talk?

"Yeah. It's hard sometimes to quiet my thoughts." He looked on her for a moment more before he turned, and started heading back to this night's campsite.

"Come.", he said over his shoulder, "Jakken has prepared food." Well, at least he wasn't mad anymore. She followed, and, after a while, began smelling the wonderful scent of cooking food.

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"Will you not rest?" His voice startled her from her thoughts. She looked at him from across the fire. He lounged against the huge tree at his back, his eyes still closed.

"No. I have too much on my mind." She needed a good distraction. Maybe, since Rin and Jakken were fast asleep, she could talk to him. He was a bit more willing to talk without them around. With that thought in mind, she stood up, stretching the kinks out, and made her way to where he was. She walked over to him, feeling a little bold now, and sank down to the side of him, her back also resting against the tree. He neither moved nor said anything, so she figured he didn't mind. "Aren't you tired too?" she asked.

"I do not sleep." he stated. Her presence so near was intoxicating.

"You don't sleep at all? No wonder why you're cranky all the time." she teased. He said nothing, so she continued. "Why don't you sleep?"

"My body does not require it."

"Could you sleep though, if you wanted to?"

"Yes."

"Then you should definetly sleep every now and again. Otherwise you'll end up looking ten years older then your true age."

"I do not age." he said. He could smell the light honeysuckle that was her unique scent. His extreme self control was all that kept him from grabbing her, and pulling her beneath him.

"What do you mean you don't age. How old are you?" Her voice was like silk through his mind, scattering his thoughts, and making it hard to think. He had to concentrate hard to answer her question.

"Continueing to count beyond 200 years seemed pointless."

She jerked her whole body around to stare at his profile in complete disbelief. Had he just said 200 years!?! She studied him closely. His skin was smooth and flawless, accentuated by the stripes on his cheeks. There was not one hint of facial hair stubble anywhere around his jaw, as if he were too young to grow one yet. Not one mark, mar, or wrinkle of any kind. He projected a vision of youth and vitality. He didn't look anything beyond 18 or 19 years old, but when he opened his eyes, and turned his head to look at her full on, his true age was there, in the depths of his golden eyes. He gazed at her through the weight of countless ages of existence. There was a knowledge and wisdom there that she could never hope to attain in her short human life. How foolish she must look to him. Her burning desire for him suddenly cooled, like a bucket of ice thrown on a roaring fire. She turned away, saddened by her musings.

He'd almost become lost in her eyes, feeling a pull like he'd never felt before. A burning need to claim her as his own. Her turning away helped break through his trance, giving him room to breathe, to think. How could he be so attracted to a HUMAN? Humans were weak and ignorant. They caused naught but suffering. Yet, she was so very different from what he knew of her kind. She was intelligent, quick of wit, and true-hearted, and aside from all that, ecsquisitely beautiful. How had he come to feel so much in such a short amount of time?

"So.....", she said, drawing him away from the direction his mind was going, "are you an infinite being? Or can you die?"

"I can be killed, but I will not expire from extreme age."

"Are other demons like you? How long they can live, I mean."

"To my knowledge, there are only a few species of demons that actually age. Even considering, they will still exist beyond several human life spans."

"So, it's entirely possible for....say..you.. to live another five hundred years, all the way to my time era." He acknowledged with a nod of his head. "Then, where are all of you?" she asked, more to herself than to Sesshoumaru.

"An inquiry I have thought of myself."

She scooted down to lay full upon the ground, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket. She stared into the fire for a long while, not feeling the need to talk anymore, thinking intently on the question she'd posed to herself. After a while, she felt her eyelids grow heavy. Right as sleep swept over her, she said "Good night, Lord Sesshoumaru.", knowing he wouldn't answer, he hadn't thus far. She was shocked when, after only a moment, he said, "Good Eve, Arisa", and she was then dead to the world.


A/N : I've been screwing around with the POV's, and for now I think I'll keep it like this. Does it sound better? Let me know. If so, I'll edit the whole thing.