Maiden of the Peach

Chapter eleven: The Lord of the Western Lands!

      A man's silhouette strolls from the surrounding forests clearing as my eyes widen with concern as the figure begins to approach closer, listening to his steady footsteps. A handsome, tall, and slender young man reveals himself under the rays of the moon's light. Fair skin is evident with pointed ears and beautiful slanted molten golden irises with slit pupils. Breathtaking gorgeous knee-length silver hair with short bangs. A purple crescent moon marking on his forehead that I could see from beneath his bangs, two magenta stripes on each cheek, and a magenta stripe on each eyelid. Armor which a spiked pauldron that travels up to cover his left shoulder while being attached to the upper section of his cuirass and what to look to be lotus petal faulds. The armor and the long flowing sash hold a distinctive Chinese influence instead of the customary Japanese armor and obi. His kimono is mostly white with a red and white cherry blossom flower crest at the collar and sleeves, showing that he is trustworthy of royal birth. A sashinuki hakama which gathers at his ankles, producing something I call a "ballooning" effect. His footwear consists of black ankle-high boots, also what I figure to be reminiscent of Chinese influence. On his right shoulder, he wears a long white softly looking boa made of fur called a mokomoko-sama.

      'H-He's beautiful!' I couldn't bring myself to tear my eyes away from him as he walked ever closer till he stood before my line of sight, towering me with ease. Not only did his looks took the very breath from my lungs, but the way he carried himself with dignity and pride in each stride. His vibrate topaz gaze held little to no emotion, a cold, seemingly distant look as if he could see right through me while also pinning me down in place.

      "I asked you a question, woman." His voice held a sharpness that no blade could match. Taking notice of his short temper and aggressive look on his face, I tried to think up an answer. Only to find my mind going blank as I try to say anything, anything at all, my lingering gaze shook, and I could feel my blood running cold.

      Breaking free from his predatory on-looking as the winds changed momentarily, blowing against my back while a playful breeze tosses a few stray locks. Blinking as I bring the blanket in closer around my shoulders while trying to make myself as small as possible. The tall stranger sudden change in behavior didn't go unnoticed by me, the way his golden irises widen for only a moment, and his body went rugged before relaxing once again. I notice the slight tilt of his head like he was going to say something, his briefly parted lips closed as his eyes turn to small rustling brush nearby.

      "Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken's voice unpleasantly erupted as he parted the vibrate green flora with Rin beaming from behind me.

      "Welcome back, my Lord!" Her voice held such sincere kindness as she carried back a hefty bundle of small river fish and a couple of shrooms in her grasp.

      "Jaken, explain yourself immediately." The young man, whom I can only assume to be this Sesshoumaru person, speaks with a deep bone-chilling voice that held a threatening edge.

      "Explain? Ah, yes, of course! Explain, w-where should I begin to explain?" The little green imp fumbles not only with his words but with the strange twin-headed staff in its talons, sweat beading down his brow.

      "We found her on the clay shore by the river; I asked Master Jaken if we could help her, Lord Sesshoumaru," Rin speaks up without hesitation as she smiles at him without any hint of fear in her doe brown eyes. "He said it was a good idea, now that I think about was a bit strange." Her smiling face then suddenly twisted into confusion. I notice the gentle workings of her thoughts like something just clicked.

      "Did he now?" Sesshoumaru mumbles as his cold gaze land back on the green imp, dangerously narrowing like icy daggers. "Just what are you trying to imply, Jaken?" His voice rose to threatening levels, and at that moment, I found myself glad that it wasn't me to be the target of that fear-inducing look.

      "N-nothing, my Lord! I-I just thought y-you would be interested at least to know that a Senka Maiden was w-within your borders!" Jaken frets, his panic levels rising by the minute as Rin makes her way around him to the campfire's protective edge.

      "Lady (________), I put your clothes up to dry properly, and I got us something yummy to eat along with some medicinal herbs for your wounds." Her voice is so gentle and kind that I found myself seeing her be a smaller version of Kagome.

      'Kagome, I wonder how you and everyone are doing. I hope that you and the others are okay.' My chest hurts worse than the ache coursing through my body whenever I moved, smiling as I watched her movements with a nearby bundle of sticks that I overlooked till now.

      "Let me get dinner going, then I'll tend to your wounds," Rin added in a while skewering the fish and shrooms on the thin twigs before placing them neatly in a circle by the licking flames to cook. Always being mindful not to put them too close that they caught on fire or burn her fingers in the process.

      I could hear approaching footsteps against the rushing grass as I turn my head to look, noticing Sesshoumaru walking quickly away from the small group to a nearby tree. His eyes never meet mine as I watched him firmly even as he took his place beside the tree's sturdy trunk, sitting below the long entangling branches with his form facing away from us. Looking out only when I heard Jaken's exhausted sigh leave his beak-like mouth, walking with his shoulders slumped over with a deep frown till he took his place by the fire across from Rin and myself. I felt a little sorry for the poor creature as he held the staff closer to his small body, almost like to comfort himself from something that must have happened between the two.

      "I thought he was going to kill me this time for sure," Jaken mumbled from underneath his breath while closing those big yellow buggy eyes of his.

      "You need to be more careful, Master Jaken; otherwise, there won't be next time," Rin comments nonchalantly as if this wasn't the first time something like this has transpired.

      "Don't say that, Rin!" Jaken squawks in a state of panic, his eyes nearly bulging from his skull. "Enough about me, why don't you attend to that woman's wounds or something?" He quickly adds before huffing in defeat, probably feeling tired from a near-death experience.

      "Good idea, Master Jaken!~." Rin sing-song as she got up from her spot with a small bundle of herbs tucked up her sleeves. "Lady (______) may I see your wounds?" She asks while gently withholding them in her grasp firmly, smiling while nodding my head in the confirmation for her as I pulled the blankets apart just enough for her. Being mindful of the lingering imp but noticing that he was indeed staring elsewhere, such as a rather sizeable fat fish cooking by the fire.

      'What am I going to do now?' My thoughts wander as I observed Rin bringing the herds to over my wounds before squeezing them, forcing the juices to drop on each painful cuts, bruises, and burns. 'Am I safe for now? Will I be allowed to leave, or am I stuck here with these strangers?' I glance down at my bracelet, staring down at the little dog charm centerpiece that I now come to know as Shino the Inu no Kami of the Sacred Bracelet. Thinking back further, I began to realize something I didn't even think to mention before now as I looked to the obvious and none visible written charms. 'How am I going to unlock these spells? How did I even unlock the first one?'