Riding with the Sword: An encounter

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha…

Chapter one: an encounter

He was at the forest again.

The day was slowly nearing towards its end and he was expected back at the castle. Nevertheless, it was nearly impossible for him to move a limb and make his way towards the West; not when he was sitting on the log of a fallen tree and admiring the view around him. He loved the forest; it has always been a kind of sanctuary to him, a place where he could let his thoughts roam free without much care. It was located by the northern border of his territory and he liked paying the trees and clearing a visit once in a while as he was returning to, or coming from, his great castle at the heart of the Western Lands. The forest was the best place for him to regain his much desired solitude and long awaited quiet and peace.

He stood up from the log and stretched. Oh well, it was finally time to leave. He sighed and shook his head in a very uncharacteristic manner; it was back to the bloody, tiring chaos for him.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, a sweet, maddening scent invaded the space of his sensitive nose and a soft humming reached his delicately pointed ears. He stood rooted to the spot for a few moments, allowing the scent and the humming to embrace and sooth him before he shook his head in order to clear it and turned towards their source. He had to find out what it was that produced such an intoxicating smell; he has not been that intrigued for a very long time.

The castle and its chaotic life, he decided as he made his way blindly through the trees, could wait a little longer.

She finally got away from the prying eyes of the young captain and managed to slip out of the castle, wearing a simple yukata instead of the formal kimono that was the most dominant component of her wardrobe. Such moments of blissful solitude were precious to her beyond any riches that her father's status as lord of the castle could lavish upon her. She was on her knees on the forest floor, gathering berries for the cook and flowers for her sick mother. The little wooden basket she used for the berries was pressed to her body as she bent down picking an exceptionally pretty flower, humming a tune that recently began its haunt of the chambers of her mind. As she was about to pluck the delicate stem from the fertile ground the sound of soft steps coming towards her direction could be heard and she looked up. The sight that greeted her, she was certain, was going to haunt her for the rest of her life.

Standing before the young girl was the most beautiful, most dangerous man she had ever laid eyes upon.

No, she corrected herself as she stared at him openly, taking in the unearthly features; not man, youkai.

He was tall, exceptionally tall and wore his majestic silver hair in a high ponytail. His eyes were the colour of amber and one jagged violet stripe adorned each of his cheeks. The girl noticed, with great curiosity, that his ears were almost the shape of a leaf, delicately pointed. The youkai wore a heavy armor on his shoulders and a deadly looking sword stuck from his fur pelt that cascaded from his shoulders to the ground.

"Hello" he said in a kind voice and smiled slightly.

The girl's inner organs seemed to shake and melt into a pond.

"Hello" she answered and blushed prettily; the youkai's smile broadened and he knelt down.

"What are you doing all alone in this forest?" he asked and tilted his head to one side.

The girl just stared, her eyes scanning the youkai's face.

"Do not fear me" he said and smiled again "I will not harm you. Tell me, what is that tune you were humming?"

The girl blushed once more and lowered her eyes to the ground.

"It is a nursery rhyme that my mother used to sing to me before I went to sleep at nights" she sighed and lifted her gaze to the youkai's face "now I sing it to her when she is in great pain".

The youkai frowned and nodded.

"She is sick".

The girl sighed again and finally plucked the flower she was holding the whole time from the ground.

"Yes. She is very sick. I came here to gather some flowers to sooth her heart and some berries for our cook so that she would make something delicious with them".

The youkai's eyes swept over her body, taking in her features and attire.

"Tell me, little girl, what is your name?"

The girl frowned and lifted her chin.

"I am not little!" she cried in an outraged tone "I would have you know that most people my age are already experiencing the joys of marriage and parenthood!" She noticed the youkai lifted his eyebrows and smiled.

"I am sixteen" she said grudgingly and he laughed.

"Forgive me" he said when the laughter stopped "of course you are not little, it is just that I am old and to me every human is young".

It was the girl's turn to lift her eyebrows and take in his form in amazement.

"And how old are you?" she asked and tilted her head to one side, mimicking his movement from before.

The youkai shrugged.

"I am seven centuries old".

The girl's mouth dropped open in a very indelicate way.

"What?" she cried and shook her head "but that cannot be! You do not appear a day older than Takemaru-san, my father's captain!"

The youkai smiled again and watched her intently until shivers ran down her spine.

"And how old is Takemaru-san?" he asked playfully.

"He is two and twenty".

The youkai nodded.

"Well, this is only my human form. My demon form is different".

The girl leaned closer to examine his face more carefully, as if to try and find a clue of his true form in the handsome features.

"And what is your true form? What kind of youkai are you?"

"I am an Inu youkai".

The girl gasped and looked at him with great awe.

"Are you?" she cried excitedly "I heard stories about the Great Dog that rules these lands, the Inu no Taisho. Have you met him?"

The youkai appeared highly amused and nodded.

"I have. I take it that you've never seen him before?" when the girl nodded shyly his smile broadened.

"What have you heard about the Inu no Taisho?" he asked, his eyes the colour of molten gold "I am interested to know what humans think of him".

The girl looked away and stared dreamily at the trees around them.

"I have heard that he is kind and honorable; that he would never harm a human".

The youkai's smile froze and his eyes softened.

"Who told you that?" he asked quietly, not looking at her.

The girl was silent for a while before she answered.

"My father did, my lord".

Shaken from his stupor, the youkai smiled again and looked at her.

"How did you know I was a noble man?" he asked and the girl smiled triumphantly.

"It takes one to know one" she said smugly and cocked an eyebrow. The youkai laughed and shook his head.

"You did not tell me your name".

The girl blushed but did not take her eyes of him.

"Izayoi".

The youkai looked at her and his handsome smiled flourished on his lips again.

"Izayoi…" he echoed softly "such a lovely name".

The girl named Izayoi blushed for the umpteenth time that day and the youkai's smile broadened once more, revealing his deadly fangs. Somehow, Izayoi mused, they did not intimidate her.

They were silent for a few moments before the youkai looked up to the sky and inhaled deeply through his nose.

"It is getting late" he said, his gaze fixed on a spot beyond the treetops, "Come. I shall escort you to the gates of your father's castle".

The youkai stood up and offered his clawed hand to Izayoi and she accepted it, noting with a slight tremor that it was warm and callused. Once she was on her feet, he released her hand softly, brushing his thumb over her soft skin.

"Lead the way" he said and gestured with his hand.

As they walked, Izayoi noticed how small she appeared next to him. She only barely reached his armor-clad chest and thus had to practically skip in order to match his long strides. When he noticed her efforts he slowed down in order to match her pace, earning himself a wide smile from the little beauty.

When they reached the gates, Izayoi stopped and bowed.

"Thank you, Youkai-sama, for escorting me to my father's house and not eating me".

The Youkai laughed and shook his head.

"You are welcome, Izayoi-sama." He looked up to the sky again and sighed, "I must leave now". Then he looked down at her and smiled softly.

"Fair night, Izayoi"

The way he said her name sent a wave of delicious shivers down her spine and she smiled.

"Fair night" she answered and turned to the gates.

As Izayoi reached out to knock she suddenly realized that she forgot to ask the kind youkai his name. She turned around but noticed, with great disappointment, that he was gone already.

"Oh well" she sighed and turned to knock on the gates. They were opened by a distressed young man dressed in armor.

"Izayoi-sama, where have you been?" he cried, running his eyes over her form "And why are you dressed in such a fashion?"

Izayoi sighed and hung her head for a moment. When she lifted her eyes to look at the young man, she was already wearing a smile.

"I was out gathering flowers for haha-ue, Takemaru-san" she said sweetly and the young captain gulped "You know how it makes her happy to have fresh flowers in her room every day".

Takemaru nodded and made way for Izayoi to pass.

"Of course" he mumbled when her hand accidently brushed his "I just wish that next time you venture out of the castle, you would tell me and allow me to accompany you".

"Oh, but you are a busy man, captain!" cried Izayoi, making her way to the kitchen "I would not want to trouble you!" And before the young man had a chance to protest, she bowed low before him.

"Thank you for escorting me to the kitchen, Takemaru-san. Have a pleasant evening!" and with that she turned into the corridor that lead to the servants' quarters, leaving Takemaru gaping at her rapidly disappearing form.

The youkai ran through the forest, the stars shining above his head as he made his way towards the castle in the West. Throughout his run only one thought resonated in his mind.

Izayoi…Izayoi… Izayoi…