InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Into the East ❯ Getting Closer! ( Chapter 27 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Into the East
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Getting Closer!
Posted: 10 January 2013
Characters/Plot originally appearing in the anime/manga Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Everything else © me, so basically everything but Sesshoumaru at this point.

A/N: Um… Merry Christmas?

Here goes…


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Vanessa bit her lip and studied the road ahead. Sesshoumaru was counting on her to lead the way, but she had no idea where they were. She could only hope they hadn’t gone too far north in their Westward journeys and that they were somewhere in France. They hadn’t encountered any towns yet so she hadn’t been able to get a feel for the language to be sure. She had never been more worried about disappointing him than she was the closer they got to the coast. They had come all this way, after all, and now they were about to hit a dead end in the form of the Atlantic Ocean.

“Vanessa, stop,” Sesshoumaru called almost wearily from behind her. She hadn’t noticed that he’d dropped back. Now she turned to look over her shoulder at him to find was rubbing at his forehead, his face uncharacteristically twisted in discomfort.

She turned Peanut and trotted back to him, her earlier worries set aside. The lines in his face smoothed as she approached. “What is it?”

“You must stop all of this… this worrying,” he said, eyes gentle as he looked at her. “Your anxiety is putting me on edge and I cannot focus on our surroundings. I am not concerned, and neither should you be. We will find a way.”

“How did you…? Never mind,” she said with a sigh. “I’m sorry, I can’t help it. You’re counting on me to get us where we’re going and I don’t know if I can do it.” Defeated, Vanessa slumped in her saddle, making Peanut shift uneasily beneath her.

Sesshoumaru nudged Cracker Jack toward her and leaned casually on the pommel of his own saddle. “Vanessa, you are being ridiculous,” he said bluntly. “I never expected you to know exactly where to go. You simply have the advantage of knowing some of the histories and languages of this land. I do not. You have gotten us this far.”

“Its not that hard to point us west,” she muttered glumly.

“No,” Sesshoumaru agreed. “But you have been able to get us food and lodging and horses along the way.

She had done that, hadn’t she? He watched her with the barest smile on his face, and his easy confidence was the ballast she needed to steady her own nerves. It didn’t do either of them any good for her to worry about something she couldn’t control and wear both of them down in the process. She resolved to focus on what she could do to help and not so much on how little she could do…

Sesshoumaru straightened in his saddle then and nudged Cracker Jack forward down the road. Peanut followed automatically, having grown accustomed to the routine after weeks on the road. “Now then,” he said. “In your time, how does one reach this England of yours from this side of the… English Channel, you called it?”

“Well, there’s the tunnel underneath, but that won’t be built for centuries. So that’s out.”

Sesshoumaru made a noise of agreement.

“We could go by boat or fly.”

“I can accommodate both,” Sesshoumaru responded. “How long would it take by boat?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe an hour or so on a high-speed ferry.”

Sesshoumaru nodded. “If that is all, then I should be able to see land across the water. I will watch for it.”

“Sesshoumaru, I don’t know where we are. We could be looking for a needle in a haystack if we’re in the wrong place.”

He shrugged. “We can be strategic in our search. How is this any different from our travels up until now? What is really bothering you?”

“I can say exactly. It’s just… We’re so close, but I feel like we’re still so far away. I don’t want to let you down, and I don’t want to make you stay away longer than you have to.”

“Vanessa, I have told you before: I would not be here if I did not want to see this through to the end. However long it takes.”

Vanessa sighed and turned her eyes forward again. He said that, but she couldn’t help feeling guilty. “OK, how about this. We head north for two or three days, and if we don’t find anything by then, we turn around and try the other direction. It might put us a week or more out of our way, but who knows. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

“That’s the spirit,” Sesshoumaru said with unusual perkiness. Cracker Jack danced beneath him in response to his mood. Vanessa couldn’t help grinning.

“I’ll race you to the next fork in the road!” she cried and kicked Peanut into a canter.

The horse snorted in surprise and kicked beneath her, but she caught on to her suddenly light mood. She rolled her eyes back at Cracker Jack, who, with just a bit of urging from Sesshoumaru was quickly gaining, and kicked it up another notch. Vanessa let her go for a few minutes, but when it was apparent that no fork was going to divide the road, she reigned her in, breathless and laughing, relieved that the game had released much of the tension she’d been feeling. Sesshoumaru hadn’t left her side through the entire “race” and reined in beside her, a small, pleased smile on his face. Everything would be ok, Vanessa decided. However long it took, she would get home, and Sesshoumaru would be by her side every step of the way. With a final grin at him, Vanessa let Peanut cool off and walk at her own pace down the road.

They reached an intersection with a coastal road leading north- and southward later that evening and made camp along the cliffs. With the sheer drop on one side and the open road and fields on the other, Sesshoumaru had deemed it as safe a place as any. He’d even dropped down over the side of the cliff in search of hollowed out niches in the rock face, but no luck this time. At least no one would be sneaking up on them.

“North tomorrow then?” Vanessa asked as she laid out their bedrolls.

Sesshoumaru nodded. If they were lucky, they would be near the narrow stretch across from Dover. If not, they would spend a few more days together in search of the island nation.

“I’ve been to London before,” Vanessa said. “In my time of course. I’m curious to see how it’s different now. Obviously there won’t be any skyscrapers or cars now, and the Underground isn’t even a gleam in the city’s eye, but I wonder if the layout has changed.”

“It will be a new experience for both of us then,” Sesshoumaru said.

Vanessa smiled. The atmosphere was easy between them again. Her worries were set aside for the time being. No otherworldly warnings had shown up in either of their dreams in what seemed like ages now. And for once, they were able to enjoy each other’s company without impending danger to interrupt them. It was peaceful. Why couldn’t the entire journey have been this way? It wouldn’t have followed the pattern of her entire journey in the past, that’s why. She’d enjoy it while she could, hoping it would last.

“Is there anything else I should know about this London?” Sesshoumaru asked. She’d been filling him in on customs as she could recall from history books, and, she was ashamed to admit, from movies. They couldn’t be entirely fiction, could they?

“Just what I’ve said before, keep your differences hidden, and keep a low profile. Other than that, the sooner we can find a ship across the Atlantic, the better.” Vanessa wouldn’t say it, but she was concerned that the power of his presence would draw attention whether they wanted it or not.

With a lighter heart than she’d felt in days, Vanessa curled up next to her companion and fell right to sleep.

Over the next several days, Sesshoumaru took periodic leaps into the sky in search of land across the water. It wasn’t until the third day just as the sun was beginning to set, that he saw a faint silhouette against the afternoon sun. He dropped quickly to bring Vanessa up for a look; if he waited much longer, the glare of the setting sun would hide it.

“Do you see it?” he asked. He could never be sure how keen his human’s eyesight was.

“I… I think so. Should we try to cross now? Or wait until tomorrow?”

Sesshoumaru eyed the sun. If those “high speed” ferries she mentioned could make the crossing in just a couple of hours, and assuming he could match their speed, the sun would be nearly set by the time they made landfall. Could he risk flying at night? He couldn’t guarantee that the towns on the coast would be lit and with just a sliver of moon for light, he could go off course.

In the end he thought it safer to wait until they had more daylight. “Tomorrow,” he said, and descended.

Vanessa was giddy as she set up camp, and he could understand it. For the first time in months, she would be surrounded by people who spoke her language, people who in another time would be able to welcome her without the language barrier that she had struggled with in the past months. True, she had learned Japanese surprisingly well in her short time in his home, but this would be closer to what she knew. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, would be the one at a loss to understand what was said around him, as much as he had been during their travels. At least then, they were both the foreigners. He would be entirely dependent on her translation. He was a bit uneasy about that himself, but if she could do it, then so could he.

Sesshoumaru smiled as he lay down to rest for the night. It was as if Vanessa had gained sudden renewed strength and energy, and he was glad. Whatever had been ailing her so strangely recently seemed to have passed for the time being; she’d had no sudden weakness or other illness since they started north. He kept it in the back of his mind, but he wouldn’t worry until there was something he could do about it. Perhaps she had simply been exhausted. He looked over at her across the fire and watched her sigh and smile in her sleep. She would be fine. He would get her home somehow, and she would be fine.

The next morning, just before dawn, they released the horses in a nearby field, left the saddles and tack on the fence for anyone who would want them and sped off across the water. Sesshoumaru kept to a low altitude, skimming just above the surface in the hope that they wouldn’t stand out against the lightening sky. He kept a sharp lookout for fishermen or anyone else out on the water and, contrary to much of their journey thus far, they did not encounter any trouble. For that he was grateful. He couldn’t have defended them if it had come to a fight without dropping Vanessa and all of their belongings into the water.

They touched down on the rocky shore and, Sesshoumaru looked around with great interest. This was where Vanessa’s ancestors had come from. Would the rest of these people be like her? Or like every other human he had yet come across?

He had spotted a fishing village as he drew nearer to the shore and had brought them to the south of it. Now, as much as he was loathe to spend any more time among unknown humans as was necessary, he thought it might be a good idea to get some food and general directions. On the other hand, the village was small and would likely be more curious about outsiders than he was comfortable with.

“Now who’s worried?” Vanessa said from his elbow, startling him out of his thoughts.

“I was only planning our next course of action,” he replied, indignant at the implication.

“What do you have in mind?”

“There is a small village in that direction,” Sesshoumaru said, nodding toward the north. “We could restock our supplies there and get directions, but we are strangers and the village is small. There may be questions.”

Vanessa hefted her pack and, with a pat on his arm, began walking north along the coast. “If we are where I think we are, we’ll have to follow this coast anyway. And if the village is no good, we just keep going until we find something larger. We should have enough for at least a few days anyway. And there’s always fish if the food runs out,” she said, indicating the sea to her right.

As it happened, they did not stay in the village longer than it took to buy some spare hooks and fishing line. They would come in handy, Vanessa reasoned, and they only cost him a few copper pieces.

As they walked down the wagon track toward London, Sesshoumaru marveled at the differences between this island nation and his own. Where the hillsides at home were lush and green, here they were rocky fields dotted with white flocks of sheep. There were forests, but even those seemed different, darker and perhaps a bit more foreboding. Yet every now and then, as a forest crept toward the road, Sesshoumaru would feel the prickle of something almost familiar against his senses. Once, he stopped and stared into the forest, trying to discern what the presence was.

“What is it?” Vanessa asked, wary curiosity in her voice.

“There is something out there.” Sesshoumaru said, never taking his eyes off the forest. “Something… not human.” It was the first time since their encounter with the dragons so many weeks ago that he had sensed anything but human and ordinary animal life.

“Do you want to check it out?”

He shook his head. With no way to know the territories and customs of the locals, he did not want to put Vanessa in danger only to satisfy his curiosity. “It is not a threat.” At least he didn’t think so. More bridges to cross later.

When they stopped for the night, however, the presence returned, closer than before. Sesshoumaru had the feeling of something watching him. Whatever it was, it stayed out of sight and never made any move to make contact, only lingering out there in the night. He tried to ignore it, but without knowing what it was, how could he know how to defend Vanessa if it did choose to attack? She glanced at him from time to time, but didn’t comment on his agitation.

That second night since landing on Britain’s shores, Sesshoumaru had had enough of the mysterious intruder. “Stay here,” he growled, startling her from her dinner as he stood. He felt more than saw her surprise and concern, and he softened his tone when he said, “I will not be long. Keep a watchful eye.”

Sesshoumaru sped off into the surrounding woods, circling wide to try to keep his approach hidden. He slipped silently from tree to tree, barely moving the branches as he moved. He could feel it getting closer. At the moment, it wasn’t about what he would do when he caught it, only the pursuit; he would consider the rest when the time came.

He was almost upon it.

At any moment, he would be able to put his hands on it, whatever it was. He was so close to his answers… And then it was gone.

Sesshoumaru stopped short and turned in a circle. It was just there, right in front of him, he knew it! What could simply disappear like that? How could he protect against something that could appear and disappear like a thought? He paused again. Was that was it was all about? Not merely curiosity and annoyance, but a truly perceived threat? In a sudden fit of frustration, he lashed out at the trunk of the tree he’d been perched on, scoring deep gashes through the bark and into the white flesh beneath. His snarl turned to a hiss and then a resigned sigh.

He couldn’t take much more of this.

He closed his eyes and tried to bring himself back under control. It was becoming more and more difficult to resist his feelings for her and this obsessive need to protect her. He would be ruined if his peers back home learned of this. And yet, what were they thinking already about his extended absence?

“Is everything all right?” asked a small voice below him. Sesshoumaru froze, barely daring to breathe. He took in his surroundings and noticed for the first time how close he was to their camp, how close that being had been.

“Sesshoumaru? What’s wrong?” He was never sure how much she perceived from their bond and how much she gained from simply reading him. Worry colored her voice now, and he sighed and dropped to the ground beside her.

“Many things,” he admitted, and from the look on her face, he wasn’t sure who was more surprised. She waited patiently for him to continue. “There is something out there. I cannot see it or smell it, but I can feel it. It has done nothing but stay at the edges of my perception, but there is something I do not like about it, and when I got close just now, it simply disappeared. I don’t like it.”

Vanessa thought a moment. “What else can we do besides keep an eye on where it is?”

Sesshoumaru let out a frustrated breath. “Nothing. We can do nothing until it makes some tangible move.”

“Then come get some sleep. We can’t be far now, and I have a feeling you won’t find London restful with all the people around.”

With a shake of his head, he took a step toward the fire at their camp. She made sense, but he would not find sleep easily tonight, not with the knowledge that this creature could come and go without a trace, and not knowing what threat it posed.

“Please, Sesshoumaru? You’ll wear yourself out.”

On impulse, he touched her cheek and stepped past her. “You know I do not require the sleep that a human does. I will do as you ask if I tire,” he conceded when she looked like she would object. That was all he could give her for now.

True to his thoughts, Sesshoumaru didn’t sleep much that night, and what little he got was fitful and light. He still wasn’t sure what to make of that presence. It didn’t come again in the night, be he knew it would be back eventually. Call it a hunch.

Sure enough, as they were breaking camp that third day after landing on Britain’s shores, it returned. He knew enough not to try to pursue it, but he did turn his focus toward it to a greater degree as they walked, trying in vain to figure out what it was.

There was more traffic on the road as they traveled that day; small signs of large city nearby, and by the next, Sesshoumaru began to see signs of a large city. Houses were closer together. Carts packed the road. Humanity pressed in from all sides and put his senses on overdrive. He’d never seen so many people packed into one place, and it only got worse the closer they got to the city. And all the while, that sense of being watched never diminished.



Vanessa stayed close to his side, and all of the others gave them a wide berth, as wide as the crowded streets would allow, as though they sensed the danger in their midst.

“Are you okay?” Vanessa asked when they stopped on the side of the road for a break in the afternoon. The city loomed scant miles away. They would arrive before nightfall.

“There are more humans than I expected,” he said, eyeing each person as they passed them. Vanessa laughed and he looked at her sharply.

“This is the seat of the British Empire. Queen… King… Oh, I have no idea who’s ruling now. Anyway, he… or she… is one of the most powerful people in Europe, in the whole world! This is the center of commerce, government, society… Of course there are people here.”

“But there are so many of them,” he complained

Vanessa laughed again. “Come on. Let’s move on.” Heavy clouds laden with snow, if the chill in the air was any indication, crowded in above the city, making it feel denser and more oppressive as the afternoon wore on.

It seemed mere moments before they were entering the city proper, and Sesshoumaru could only stare. Buildings of wood and stone pressed against each other along the street, sometimes seeming to lean over the pedestrians walking below. Scents assaulted his nose: people, sewage, food, animals, wood smoke... And when the strangeness of it all seemed like it would be too much, too overwhelming, he felt Vanessa lightly take his arm, much in the same manner that many of the other women on the street held onto their escorts. He took a deep breath, ignoring the human stink around him and sought Vanessa’s fresh and familiar scent to ground him. He glanced at her and nodded. She smiled.

“We should probably think about getting some new clothes,” she was saying. “We stand out a little.”

That was an understatement. Even wrapped in their cloaks, it was evident that what they wore was foreign. People passing cast curious glances at them. A child stared openly until his mother tugged him along down the road. “That would probably be wise. I do not know how long it will take to secure passage on a ship, and I would not want to cause more of a scene than we already are on a daily basis.”

“But first, let’s find an inn,” she said eagerly. “I would kill for a hot bath right about now.”

Sesshoumaru cracked a small smile. “Lead on, then. The markings on these signs mean nothing to me,” he said nodding to a wooden sign with what appeared to be a deer wearing a crown hanging above a door, with a smaller sign hanging below that with strange characters in what he assumed were words. As the first small flakes of snow began to drift lazily down, the feeling of that strange presence changed.

"Vanessa, wait a moment." He pulled out of her grasp and stood stock still in the road.
"What is it?"
He held up his hand in response, and turned a slow circle. "I feel the presence from before, but it is much stronger now. It is different."
Sesshoumaru scanned faces as he turned. Dismissing them almost as soon as his eyes settled on them, he'd almost made a full circle when he met the brilliant green eyes of a red-haired woman. She raised her eyebrows at him and continued to hold his gaze unflinchingly as few humans could. He was taken aback. He'd never seen this woman before, and yet the feeling of her presence was familiar in the sea of strangeness that surrounded him.
He began to turn to Vanessa to tell her, but stopped. There was something about this woman. He couldn't look away, didn't want to lose sight of her. Vanessa took his elbow and said something, but his attention was not on her words. The woman held him just a moment more, and then smiled a small, smug smile. As Vanessa's tug on his arm grew more insistent, the red-haired woman's eyes flashed with bright green light, and he had just enough time to think about warning Vanessa before his mind went curiously blank.
With growing unease, Vanessa tried in vain to pull Sesshoumaru's attention away from the stranger. Something was not right with her. She stood several yards away, another island in the mass of people going about their business, just staring at him. She ignored Vanessa completely. Why wouldn't he answer her?
"Sesshoumaru, please. I'm... I'm tired. Let's find some place for the night," she pleaded, trying to appeal to his over protectiveness of her, but he continued to stare fixedly at the woman... Who was now coming closer. "Sesshoumaru, come on. I don't like this," she whispered.
Finally he looked at her and frowned down at her hand on his elbow. Vanessa gasped at the utter lack of recognition in his eyes and let go even as he moved to pull himself free. This was not good.
Sesshoumaru let his pack slide to the ground and turned back to the woman who was only steps away now. Vanessa snatched it up before it could be kicked away or stolen and watched the encounter unfold before her eyes.
The woman stepped right up to Sesshoumaru and peered directly into his hood. He just stood there. They had been so careful, even and especially in the towns and cities to keep his true appearance hidden, to keep a low profile. Even Andrej, who had treated them so well at that first inn, was not permitted to see who he really was, and here he was standing in the middle of the street, letting some strange woman look right into his face.
"My, but you are a pretty one aren't you?" She said in a lilting accent that might have been Irish. Vanessa overcame her sudden shock at hearing her own language spoken again when the woman reached up and took Sesshoumaru's chin, turning his face to see his markings better. Vanessa almost fell over. If she hadn't been certain before, now she knew without a doubt that something was seriously wrong.
"So different," the woman murmured. "Exotic." She nodded as if deciding she liked that, then cried out in delight when she reached further and drew out a handful of his hair, letting the thick, silky stands slide through her fingers.
Vanessa had to get him away. That's all there was to it, and since he clearly wasn’t in his right mind, it fell on her to figure this out.
"Leave him alone," she said, attempting to emulate Sesshoumaru, and proud that her voice came strong and sure, despite how she felt inside.
The woman turned her gaze on her now and gave only a dismissive sniff before continuing her study of Sesshoumaru. Vanessa looked down at herself, trying to see what the other woman saw and was appalled at the state of her clothes. She was dusty and dirty from travel, her clothes were frayed and wearing in places after the abuse she’d put them through the past few months. When was the last time she had washed them? The water had been so cold lately that she could only give herself a quick necessary scrub, and ever since sighting the coast, they hadn't given as much time to washing their clothes as they had before; they hadn't wanted to take the day to wash clothes and set them out to dry, when they could do it all with hot water and a crackling fire once they reached London. Or so she thought.
She must think I'm a servant, Vanessa thought, wondering now how she could use this to her advantage. Before she knew it, Sesshoumaru was walking away with the woman.
"Hey wait! Where are you going?"
Sesshoumaru spared her a glance and then locked eyes with the woman again, cocking his head with just the hint of a frown. "With her," he said, as if that was all the explanation she needed, though he wasn’t quite sure why. Then he turned back and continued on his way.
"Sesshoumaru, you aren't thinking. Listen to me, this isn't you."
The woman stopped and looked back, Sesshoumaru turning add if on cue.
"Get rid of her."
He looked at the woman with genuine puzzlement until she narrowed her eyes. Did they just get brighter for a second or was that a trick of the light?
As she was trying to work out this new piece, Sesshoumaru rounded on her with a snarl and raised claws. He never struck, but at the sudden sound and movement, and bared teeth, Vanessa jumped back. Until that moment, Vanessa had never been truly terrified of him, and now that he had apparently lost control of himself, she couldn't be sure that he would not hurt her.
He wasn’t her Sesshoumaru right now. That puzzled look flashed in his eyes again, and he hesitated, giving her the second she needed to scramble away into to crowded street. If he really wanted to "get rid of her" she knew he would easily track her down. She just hoped that, for now, getting out of the immediate vicinity would be enough to save her and give her the time she needed to save him.
Daring a glance back, she saw he’d returned to that woman’s side and walked beside her, docile as a lamb while she appraised him with admiring eyes. Angry, frightened tears dropped onto her cheeks, but she dashed them away, resettled her packs and set off to find a place where she could collect her thoughts and figure out how to get Sesshoumaru out of this mess.
Vanessa trudged along down the road with no real destination in mind. She should have followed them. She should have found a way and done something. How was she going to find him now? But, while Sesshoumaru hadn’t killed her when he had the chance – like he very well could have, he would be able to hear her or smell her if she was too near. And what if he was sent after her again to finish the job, tie off any loose ends? She could only hope that, like the youkai in Japan, this woman had an over-abundance of confidence, and had already forgotten about her.
What concerned her now was that through all of this, she could feel no change in his emotions. It wasn’t as if the bond was severed by removing the bracelet; she could still feel him in the back of her mind, but it was as if he had gone completely neutral, no feeling at all. Even if he had somehow lost control of his actions, she knew he should be seething mad inside. She should be able to feel that. Was there a range to their bond? No… They had been farther apart than this before, hadn’t they? It didn’t matter. In any case, she could still feel him, but only as empty neutrality, and that had happened the moment he locked eyes with the witch.
She paused. Was that what she was? Was that woman a real witch? Had she really cast a spell on Sesshoumaru with just a look when Naraku had to get into his very blood to do any damage? She resumed walking, sick with worry for Sesshoumaru, sick with worry for herself if he should he be sent after her again, and sicker still for him should he find her and finish the job. He'd been wracked with guilt the last time he thought he'd failed her and had torn himself out of his sickbed to find her. How much worse would it be if he killed her?
She had to find him. That’s all there was to it. But how? Even now, in the middle of the sixteenth century, London was huge. It was an overwhelming task set before her now.

As the gentle flurries turned to biting icy sleet, Vanessa found herself by the river. A quick look around showed her a bridge, and light from the lamps above spilled over the side. There she could take reasonable shelter while she took stock of their belongings. She consolidated what she could into her own backpack in case she would have to leave the other. With some relief, she found the second pouch of coins; she had to assume that the one Sesshoumaru carried was gone now. How could she trust that this witch – she was sure of it now – would leave Sesshoumaru and his belongings alone? Inside the pouch was an assortment of gold, silver and copper coins, but she would have to be very sparing in what she spent if they were to have enough for passage across the Atlantic when this was over. They would make it. Together.

The pouch was tucked safely out of sight in her top where the weight of it would not be a hindrance, and not a moment too soon, as a voice barked out behind her, “Oi! This here’s our bridge. You better leave if you know what’s good for you.”

Vanessa spun around, the knife in her sleeve bumping against her arm and reminding her that she could in fact defend herself.

A boy, no older than twelve, if he was even that, stood at the head of a small group of children ranging in age from barely out of diapers to teens or tweens like he was. There wasn’t one that could be considered an adult among them, but despite their youth, there was an obvious hardness about them – and the various weapons that the boys and a couple of the girls brandished at her only reinforced that image. She didn’t want to fight them. Not children.

“I said –“

“All right. I didn’t mean to intrude.” She bent to gather the few items left on the ground.

“Leave the bags,” the boy ordered.

Are you freaking kidding me?

That did it. He may be a child, but she had had enough today, enough the past week. She was starting to think that coming this way had been a bad idea. The residual stress from Sesshoumaru the past few days had been wearing on her on top of her own, and then losing him today?

No. Not going to happen.

She slid the knife from her sleeve smoothly as she rose again into one of the defensive stances Sesshoumaru had taught her. “Absolutely not. These are my belongings, and I have been through too much today to let a bunch of children bully me. Now, you can let me go on my way with my things or you can fight me for them.”

The kids had taken a step back at the sight of the shining and obviously sharp steel, and she wasn’t sure if it was that or the rabid snarl twisting her mouth that made them look uneasily at one another. Despite her pounding heart, she apparently looked like she knew how to handle it.

They stared at each other for what seemed like ages until a young girl, only a few years older than Rin pushed her way forward. “Oh, for Heaven’s sake, Jack. Leave off.”

“Miss, we don’t mean you any harm. Really, we don’t. Do you… Do you need help?”

Underneath the dirt and grime, Vanessa could see a mess of blonde ringlets and bright blue eyes. Ages of dirt and grime masked everything else in the low light.

Vanessa lowered her blade and straightened with a sigh. “I’m just looking for my friend. He got lost in the city and I don’t know where to start looking for him.”

The girl looked back at her companions and bit her lip. “We’re good at finding things,” she said, turning back to Vanessa. “We could help you find him for… for some food. Have you got any?”

“I don’t, I’m sorry.” They had finished off the last of it on the road from the shore to London running on the assumption that they would restock in the city before sailing. They hadn’t gotten that far. “I can go with you tomorrow and help you get something to eat,” she offered. She didn’t have any great confidence that these kids would find Sesshoumaru, but from the look of them, they could use a meal or three. She had to be very careful with what money was left in case what Sesshoumaru carried was gone, but maybe she could find some odd jobs in the city to do in return for food.

The girl smiled. “Help us with the food and we’ll help you find your man. Make yourself comfortable. It’ll be cold tonight.”

The older boy scowled at her as he herded the rest of the children farther under the bridge to escape the snow and wind, and she elected to tuck herself out of the way to watch them. They were children, but she still didn’t trust them. It was horrible to think it, but they were street kids who would steal from her as soon as look at her, and at least some of them didn’t want her there. She might have stayed at an inn, but she hadn’t looked into getting passage on a ship yet, and couldn’t risk any spending until she had a dollar value in mind.

Vanessa watched the older children passed out what amounted to scraps of food to the younger ones before taking any for themselves. They had blankets squirreled away in the nooks and crannies under the bridge, which Vanessa had thought was nothing more than trash at first glance. How were they even surviving with no one to take care of them?

Eventually the girl who had offered help on behalf of everyone came over and sat down beside Vanessa. “I’m Sarah, by the way. I never introduced everyone properly,” she said.

“Vanessa.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Sarah replied with a cheerful smile. Vanessa couldn’t quite match it with one of her own. She kept thinking about Sesshoumaru, wondering where he was and what was happening to him. She shouldn’t just be sitting there, but what else could she do until morning?

“You know… You look a bit like me mum,” Sarah said, breaking Vanessa out of her thoughts.

“What?”

“Something about your hair and your eyes. You could be her sister.”

“Where is your mother now?” Vanessa asked, though she thought she knew the answer.

“She… passed. Taken by a fever.”“I’m sorry.”

Silence fell over them. “This friend of yours. Can you tell us about him?”

Vanessa cleared her throat. Could these children really help her? “He’ll look strange to you. Unless he’s found other clothes, he’ll be dressed all in white with splashes of red, black armor, and a white fur over one shoulder. His hair is long and white, but he’s young. He has what look like tattoos on his face, and eyes like gold.” She was surprised to find her cheeks wet with tears by the time she was done. Where was he? Not knowing was the worst part.

This young girl, who had nothing else in the world, patted Vanessa’s hand and told her it would all turn out right. There was so much wrong with a world that would leave children on the street, and she knew it wouldn’t get any better, even centuries from now. How could she be so positive?

There were six children living under the bridge, two girls and four boys. The oldest were Jack and Sarah, barely into their teens if they were that – they weren’t quite sure how old they were themselves. The youngest were John and Billy at five and six, and in the middle were Rebecca and Tim, both eight. They were all so young, but there was a hardness about them that she’d never seen in kids at home. They had seen things she could never imagine, lost more in their short lifetimes than many people did in three or four times as long. But despite that, here they were playing and laughing under the watchful eyes of Jack and Sarah.

Jack still didn’t approve of Vanessa being there. He didn’t trust outsiders, let alone adults, and how could she blame him? He was old enough to recognize the unfairness in his world. She tried to stay out of the way, not wanting to intrude on their routine until everyone fell asleep. Unsure how much she could trust them herself, she used one pack for a pillow and the other she hugged tightly to her chest.

Anything of value was in her backpack, which she could take with her easily wherever she went. Blankets and clothes, and other things that could be replaced were in the one that Sesshoumaru had dropped, now her pillow. It smelled like him, and that was a comfort. She’d find him. She had to. No more self-pity, she resolved. It wouldn’t help him, and it wouldn’t help her.

She must have fallen asleep sometime in the night, because she awoke shivering in the crisp clear morning that only comes after a rain or snow. Jack and the boys were gone, leaving Sarah and Rebecca waiting for Vanessa to wake up.

“Were you waiting for me?” she asked groggily. Both girls nodded.

“Jack and the boys are going to look for your friend. I told them everything you told me. And we’re going to get food. Like you promised.”

She had promised, hadn’t she? Food as payment for Sesshoumaru’s life… It hardly seemed fair that she was giving them so little when they were helping her to get back so much.

“All right, I’m up. Just let me freshen up.”

Vanessa poured a little water from one of their skins from her pack, certainly not the river, into her hands and splashed her face and rinsed out her mouth. She tried to brush off the worst of the road dust, which had turned to mud in the rain and sleet yesterday, but she was afraid it was a lost cause. This was as good as it was going to get today.

“Let’s see what we can find,” she said and hefted both packs. “Show me London.”

They started at the market, with stalls and tables set up all over the square, merchants hawking their wares and foods, and any small thing one could think of in sixteenth century London. When the girls started circling around a baker’s stall like a pair of lionesses, clearly with a goal of theft in mind, Vanessa grabbed both their elbows and steered them back the way they came. “Nope, not today.”

“What is this?” Sarah cried indignantly. “You said you was going to help us!”

“I am, but we’re getting our food honestly. I haven’t gotten this far in my travels by stealing. We’ll work for what we get.”

The girls looked dubious, but followed as Vanessa made her way to a main road. She thought it was the one they had traveled on their way into the city. Could she hope that Sesshoumaru was still near?

Vanessa eyed the storefronts lining the street and settled on what she hoped was an inn. The Rose and Dagger if she read the images on the hanging wooden sign correctly. “Come with me,” she urged and entered into the warm, dimly lit room. A fire burned brightly in the hearth, and candles lit each table and hung in sconces on the walls. It was still early so few people were in the common room, but a heavy-set woman bustled about, wiping spotless tables and straightening candles that didn’t need straightening.

“Excuse me,” Vanessa said. The woman snapped her head up in surprise, quickly covering a look of mild disapproval with a smile.

“Yes, deary. What can I do for you?”

“I… That is, we… were hoping you might have some work we could do in exchange for a bit of food. A loaf of bread, anything.”

The woman straightened. “I don’t hold to giving handouts to beggars,” she said firmly.

“No, that’s not what I’m asking. I know we must look a mess, smiling ruefully down at herself. We’ve been traveling for weeks and haven’t had a proper washtub. We’ll clean up if you give us a moment so we look more presentable, but whatever you need doing, we can do it. I’m not a very good cook, but I can clean and serve food. If you’ll just give us a chance.”

“I have maids for all of that,” the innkeeper said firmly.

“Please, I’ve been separated from my traveling companion, and he was holding our money. I can pay you back once I’ve found him. I hope it’ll only be a couple days.”

The woman sighed. “Very well. As it happens, one of my girls off and got married, and left me for the country. Can’t say as I blame her, what with times being as they are in the city. I’ll give you a day to see how you do. You can eat with the rest of my maids and serving girls after midday, and I’ll give you something of what bread is left this evening to take with you.” She looked hard at Sarah and Rebecca. “I’ve seen you two and that pack of boys you run with. See that nothing is missing when you leave. They are your responsibility,” she said turning her stern gaze toward Vanessa. “I’ll take the three of you to the law if I have to.”

“You won’t be disappointed. I promise.”

“Right. Now, what are your names then?”

“I’m Vanessa, and this is Sarah and Rebecca,” she said touching the girls’ shoulders in turn.

“You can call me Mistress Crawley. There’s wash water in the kitchens. You have twenty minutes to clean up then meet me back here. Quickly now.”

“Come on,” Vanessa said, nudging the girls in the direction Mistress Crawley pointed. “When was the last time you girls had a bath?” She asked when she found the tub of water in the corner of the kitchen.

“Um…” Sarah looked at Rebecca. “We went swimming before it got too cold.”

She might have just enough time to scrub the grime from the girls’ hands and faces, and maybe their hair. She herself was spotless by comparison, but she’d give herself a quick scrub, just the same.

“Who’s first?” Vanessa asked. Rebecca looked dubiously at the water. What was it with children and their aversion to baths? “All right. Oldest first. Sarah, you’re up.” Vanessa had her bend over the edge and dunk her hair in the water, where she gave it a thorough scrub with the bar of soap she found nearby. She couldn’t do much about the tangles right now, but at least she could clean it and tie it up in a bun. She thought she might have a few hairpins left in her bag. With her hair done, Vanessa washed Sarah’s face and arms with a soapy cloth, and was taken aback at what she found underneath.

Now she understood why Sarah had said she looked like her mother. Sarah could have been one of her sisters when they were her age. Could they be related somehow? Was it possible that one of her ancestor was this poor girl with nothing to her name but the clothes on her back? Was Vanessa meant to come here and meet this girl? Could she be the reason her own family survived to get to the “New World?” It was too much to think about at the moment with everything else going on. She’d help these kids as much as she could, but right now she had to get them clean. Vanessa left Sarah with a towel to dry her hair and started on Rebecca.

She’d just finished when she heard a disapproving sniff behind her. “Well, your first task will be refilling that basin, won’t it? Get to it now.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Vanessa herded the girls out back to the well and set them to pumping while she carried the buckets inside after first emptying the dirty water from the basin into the yard. It was exhausting, and she was glad beyond belief when the dirty water had been replaced by clean and she could have a break if even just from lugging water.

After hours of scrubbing pots and collecting linens from vacated rooms, scrubbing those linens and wiping down tables after the midday crowd left, Vanessa plopped down on a bench with Rebecca and Sarah, and dug in eagerly to a plate of hot stew and warm bread. It was delicious. She barely noticed Mistress Crowley standing off to the side with her arms folded, just watching them as she chatted quietly with the girls. When they were finished eating, the older woman sent Sarah and Rebecca off to help her own kitchen girls peel potatoes for dinner, but pulled Vanessa aside.

“I’ve been watching you, girl,” she announced without preamble.

Vanessa started. “Did I do something wrong? I’ll try harder. Really, I can do this.”

“Och, no. A bit clumsy perhaps, but that doesn’t concern me. You’re not a maid, nor have you ever been, are you, girl?”

She hesitated. “Well, no. I mean… I do my share of chores back home, but nothing on this scale.”

“And where is home then? Your accent is as strange as your clothes.”

So that’s what this was about. Vanessa considered what to tell her, but her only option was partial truths. “It’s, well… Far to the east on the other side of Europe. As I said before, I’ve been separated from my traveling companion – I guess you could call him my guardian. We came here to buy passage across the ocean to meet up with my family already settling on the continent.” The lie fell surprisingly smoothly from her lips. Peppered with the truth, she’d have almost believed it herself.

“Hmph. The ‘New World.’ A fool’s errand, if you ask me. How is it you plan on finding this friend of yours if you’re here working all day?”

“I have some people looking for him now. I bartered food for their services, but since S- … my friend… was holding our money, I had to find a way to pay them on my own.”

Eyeing her shrewdly, the older woman fired off more questions at her. “And if this man is your guardian, as you say he is, why is he not looking for you? How did he lose you in the first place? Why would he leave you alone in this big city?”

“I’m sure he would be looking if he could, but he doesn’t speak any English. He’s on his own as much as I am, and… and I’m worried about him.”

Mistress Crowley hmph’d again, and considered Vanessa skeptically for a long moment, and then her whole demeanor changed. “Finish making up the beds upstairs and take your girls and go.”

“But-“ Vanessa began, dismayed at not being able to earn even a loaf of bread when left to her own devices, but she was interrupted.

“You three have done enough today to merit a loaf of bread or two.”“Oh!” she cried, hugging the woman on impulse. “Thank you!”

Mistress Crowley chuckled and patted her back. “Come again tomorrow if you still haven’t found your man. I’ll find some work for you. And bring those girls if you like. They aren’t the ragged urchins I thought they would be. A bit of discipline might do them some good. You do have a place to stay, don’t you?”

“I’ll manage. You’ve done more than enough already. Again, thank you.”

Vanessa hurried upstairs to do as she was told, and when she came back down, Sarah and Rebecca were waiting for her, smiling like little fools, each carrying wrapped bundles under their skinny arms.

“Jack has never brought home this much food!” Sarah whispered while Vanessa collected her bag and cloak. “And it was easy!”

Vanessa smiled at her enthusiasm. “If you work hard tomorrow too, maybe Mistress Crowley will think about keeping you on full time or can tell you who needs a couple hard-working girls. She might even know someone who would need help from the boys too. Do you want to come back with me tomorrow?”

Both girls nodded vigorously. “Let’s go back then and get some rest. We’ll want to get here early tomorrow.” She knew she shouldn’t be making promises, when she had no idea whether they would be fulfilled, but she felt she had to get this girl off the street. It could be pure coincidence that they looked so similar, or there could be more at stake. For all she knew, the history she knew of her family happened because she’d been here to point her toward honest work. It was enough to make her brain hurt, all of the what-ifs, and maybes.

She also didn’t hold much hope that the boys had found much. If that woman was a witch or some other supernatural being, what were the chances that she would leave a trail to follow?

Sesshoumaru awoke feeling disoriented. His head ached, he felt mildly nauseated, and he had no idea where he was. His worst nights of drinking had left him feeling better than this. Above him, a heavy velvet canopy hung from the four posts at the corners of his bed. Matching curtains were partially drawn around him, blocking the predawn light and lending an almost claustrophobic feel compared to his futon at home. He sat up and let the thick down blanket fall away. He was still in his travel clothes, though his armor had been removed and propped on a chest in the corner of the room. As he took a careful look around, he tried to remember anything from the previous day. He was operating under the assumption that Vanessa had piled his things neatly by the wardrobe, but that didn’t feel right. There was something…

He sucked in a breath, his eyes widening, as memory slapped him: Vanessa wasn’t there. He didn’t know where she was, because… Because he had chased her off. Why would he have done that? What could have made him even consider… He remembered a flash of green, and the nothingness that followed. Rage filled him, smothering the sudden and growing concern that Vanessa was lost to him, but he fought it off. Rampaging through this city looking for her would only cause them more trouble than making an effort to calm himself and think rationally. He did know one thing with absolute clarity: he had leave.

Now that his fragmented memory was coming back to him, Sesshoumaru wasn’t sure how much time he had lost. He hoped it was only a day or two that he had left Vanessa to fend for herself; he would not tolerate any longer than that. He continued that thought as he put himself together, and left it to muscle memory to secure his armor. They had been doing so well in their travels. Sure, there were a few complications with the dragons, and the bandits, but overall, he was pleased. And now, in mere days, he had lost her, lost himself, and he had no idea where to start looking for her. A wry smile turned his lips. Something about this human caused chaos to focus in on them, no matter where they were. He opened himself and found her, somewhere out there. Apart from an undercurrent of worry, she seemed well enough, and he thought he felt a sudden spark of surprise and eagerness from her.

Sesshoumaru tucked his coin purse in his obi and realized that Vanessa must have the rest when he didn’t see his own pack in the room. He hoped she had it. She would have found the money if she’d taken stock of their supplies so he should start searching the inns for her. He glanced at the window. Should he risk going through the rest of the house or just take this exit and hope no one thought it suspicious that a man would be climbing out of a bedroom window? He secured Tokijin at his hip, oddly grounded by the familiar battle with the spirit of the sword, and had just put his hand on Tenseiga when a shadow crossed over the window. He glanced up again, eyes narrowed, with a snarl forming on his lips.

A scrawny, disheveled boy, barely into his teens stared wide-eyed back at him, and at nearly the same moment, Sesshoumaru heard footsteps outside his door and whirled, unconcerned about putting his back to a mere boy, when the green-eyed witch was the much greater threat. With the door between them now, he could sense something non-human about her that he hadn’t noticed on the street. He’d been caught off guard then with everything else assaulting his senses at the time, but it was very similar to the presence he’d felt on the road.

The door opened and an exquisite woman stepped through. Her auburn hair was a pile of curls on her head, and deep green velvet clung to her subtle curves, accentuating in all the right areas. She was confident, but that self-assured smile fell from her face when she saw him. Apparently, she didn’t expect him to be up and aware. Sesshoumaru snarled and prepared to lunge, claws splayed, but she was ready, if a bit panicked. That green light lit up her eyes again, and Sesshoumaru remembered too late to turn his own gaze away. As all of this own thoughts and concerns faded into the recesses of his mind, he slumped and fell to his knees. All that concerned him now was doing as this woman commanded, and though he didn’t understand her words, he knew that she was displeased.

Vanessa awoke abruptly that morning to strange sensations coming through to her via her bond with Sesshoumaru. After a full day of nothing from him, the sudden burst of rage was so intense she sat up with a gasp. That was what she knew he should be feeling. It energized her to know that he was somehow fighting the witch’s hold on him. She wished she knew what had triggered it so she could produce it again if he needed it. Eventually the rage receded, but it felt strained, like he was struggling to gain control of himself. She was familiar with that too. He settled into what she thought of as “focused calm,” that feeling she got from him when he was processing, working out details, and planning his next move. It wasn’t the eerie neutrality of yesterday, just… focused calm.

The boys had already left before she woke up, and Sarah and Rebecca were watching her warily. She ignored them and felt as though she were sitting on the edge of her seat just reading her connection with Sesshoumaru. Things were changing with him. In just a few moments, he ran the gambit of surprise to realization, back to a flash of rage, and all too quickly, it was just gone.

Vanessa released the breath she’d been holding, and exhaled in a rush. She couldn’t imagine the look on her face, but she felt horrified. To have had that taste of freedom, and then have it snatched away again must have been awful. Sarah and Rebecca were eyeing her warily. “I have to help him,” she breathed. No one should be held against their will, but Sesshoumaru least of all. He was so strong a person, and had been so good to her; he didn’t deserve this.

“Come on,” she said, quickly gathering her things and getting herself ready to see Mistress Crowley. Maybe she had heard of strangers in town and could help her. She hadn’t thought of it yesterday, choosing to limit who she trusted, but the woman had been kind to her and the girls. She had to try.

She took a breath, and was shocked to see Jack stalking toward her. Was it later than she thought it was? What could he be doing back so soon?

He stopped just a few feet away and threw a stick at her feet.

“Hey!” she cried, hopping back to save her toes.

“You didn’t tell us everything,” he accused.

Vanessa glanced down and felt absurdly mixed feelings when she recognized the “stick” as one of Sesshoumaru’s swords. She loosened the blade in its scabbard and touched the edge. When she felt it slide over her skin, she knew it was Tenseiga. How had he gotten it? Even in this state, how had Sesshoumaru allowed it? At the same time… Jack knew where he was.

“Take me to him,” she whispered.

Jack shook his head. “You never told us he was taken by the witch. You said he was lost.”

Vanessa clutched the sword and held it close. “I didn’t know what she was. I have to help him. Please.”

“I’m not going back there. She won’t take me too.”

“Please, Jack. Just point out where he is. You don’t have to do anything more than that.”

He grumbled, but finally relented when Sarah added her support to the argument. He had a soft spot for the girl, Vanessa had come to realize over the past couple days, and she was grateful for that now. “Come on then. Keep up.”

“Why don’t you girls go ahead to the inn and I’ll catch up?” she suggested to the other girls.

“But we want to help you,” Rebecca protested.

“I know, sweetheart, and I appreciate that, but I don’t know how safe it is right now, and I need someone to tell Mistress Crowley that I’ll be late.”

They agreed reluctantly, and she promised to hurry back to them with or without Sesshoumaru. Her hope was “with.”

“Let’s go, Jack,” she said, and he wasn’t kidding when he’d told her to keep up.

He darted from shadow to shadow, over obstacles, nimble as a cat until Vanessa was thoroughly lost and had no choice BUT to keep up. Finally the boy stopped and pointed at a stone wall. “He’s there,” he said. “I’ll… keep watch,” he conceded. “But I won’t go in there if you get yourself in trouble.”

“Thank you.”

Vanessa clambered up the uneven stones of the wall, barely finding handholds at times. At the top, she looked down in surprise. Right there in the garden below was none other than Sesshoumaru. With all the noise she’d been making – though she tried to be quiet – she was shocked he hadn’t intercepted her. She glanced around worriedly, but didn’t see anyone else. He appeared to be alone in the small garden. Why would he be out here in the cold just sitting there?

She had to risk it… “Psst,” she hissed. “Sesshoumaru.” His back was to the wall and to her, but he cocked his head just a bit at the sound of her voice. “Sesshoumaru, come on. We have to get out of here. Please.”

He still showed no recognition, which hurt, but she knew that wasn’t his fault. Vanessa slipped a little on the wall and knew her time was limited. That woman was sure to be back any minute.

“Sesshoumaru, you know me. Just trust me, we have to go.” Her head snapped up at the sound of boot heels inside the house, and with a frustrated cry she pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and dropped it down on him. She’d gotten them from Mistress Crowley the day before and had kept one close to her skin since then, hoping that her scent would be familiar to him and trigger his memory. “I’ll be back for you,” she whispered and dropped down from the wall. She lost her balance as she hit the ground and landed on her rear. As she ran out of the alley, trying not to shed frustrated tears, she didn’t see Sesshoumaru lift the handkerchief  to his nose or tuck that bit of cloth out of sight into his sleeve.

Vanessa ran past Jack and didn’t stop for several blocks before leaning back against a wall and gulping breaths, trying to bring herself under control. This was too much for her. She didn’t know how she could help him if she couldn’t get him to recognize her.

“Miss,” Jack said, patting her shoulder awkwardly. “It’ll turn out right,” he said, though he didn’t sound so sure of it himself.

“I don’t know how to help him.” She felt helpless. She’d found him, but she didn’t know what to do with that knowledge. “I’ll be okay,” she said when Jack only watched her silently. “I’ll just go to the inn and think about this. Thank you, Jack. I really appreciate this. It’s better just knowing where he is.”

The boy eyed her skeptically and walked her to the inn. Where he disappeared to after that, she couldn’t say, but after a brief scolding from Mistress Crowley, she put her focus on her work. It kept her from worrying until she could work out a plan to get him out of that house. She was scrubbing down the tables after lunch when a flash of silvery white hair caught her eye through the front window. She froze and watched Sesshoumaru’s tall form practically glide past the door. She didn’t think beyond snatching her backpack with Tenseiga wrapped in a blanket and strapped to the outside. She just hurried out after him.

The witch woman walked beside him, with her arm tucked in his. Vanessa was disgusted and just a little bit jealous at the sight of her touching him. He was hers. This woman had no right to take him away from her, not after everything they had been through together.

Vanessa followed them from a distance, her anger building the longer she watched them. It was like this woman had him on display for the city to see. His long hair flowed down his back, swaying with him as he walked and fluttering in the breeze. Where was his cloak? Heads and eyes turned as he passed, and neutralized as he was, people still gave him a wide berth, just has they had when they entered the city. He wasn’t some prize to be paraded about, and it only fueled her anger to be watching this.

Sesshoumaru slowed for a moment then shook his head and picked up his pace until he caught up again. The witch looked at him briefly and retook his arm. Vanessa needed to find a way to get them out of this crowd.

Suddenly, like a gift, her opportunity appeared. The pair ahead of her ducked down a side street and when Vanessa peeked around the corner, it was empty. She only had to wait for them to come out of whatever shop they’d entered. The one she thought most likely was some kind of apothecary if the displays in the windows were any indication. She crouched beside the steps leading up to the door and waited. It was almost unbearable as the minutes ticked by, and she had to keep shifting positions to keep her legs from cramping, but finally, finally, she heard a pair of footsteps coming toward the door. She would have to risk Sesshoumaru defending this woman, but she didn’t care anymore. She would give everything she had if he could just be free again.

Sesshoumaru led the way down the stairs. He paused at the bottom and sniffed delicately, cocking his head just a fraction, and Vanessa waited on bated breath, praying he wouldn’t turn and give her away, but he only proceeded a few steps down the street. The witch woman followed a moment later, and when she stepped down to street level, Vanessa leapt at her, a feral scream tearing out of her throat. Later, she would admit it was a cat fight, and they were fighting over a man, but she was fighting for this particular man’s freedom. That made all the difference in her mind.

Vanessa leapt onto the woman’s back, tackling her to the ground and rolling once or twice on the pavement. She wrapped her arm around the other woman’s neck and squeezed. Her brother wouldn’t have done his job if he hadn’t taught her an effective sleeper hold. The woman was stunned and didn’t fight back right away; she was clearly not used physical confrontation. “You can’t have him,” Vanessa hissed.

Despite her lack of oxygen, the witch actually laughed. “That’s where you’re wrong, lass. Aid me, pet!” she called out.

Vanessa whipped her head around, trying not to loosen her hold as she did so, and looked for Sesshoumaru. He stood stock still in the street, and looked like… was he shaking? She let go with one hand and took a fistful of hair and yanked. The witch shrieked in pain.

“Let him go,” Vanessa demanded. “He doesn’t belong to you.”

“I have power,” the other woman snarled. “I take what I please, and no one can stop me. Least of all you!”

The witch got an elbow free and swung it back into Vanessa’s ribs, jarring her and loosening her hold. She squirmed and twisted and finally broke free. Panting, she got to her feet and sneered at her. “You think he wants to stay with you? You’re nothing. He’s been perfectly content with me.”

“You’re lying,” Vanessa growled and lunged. Before she knew what she was doing, she had her hands around the other woman’s throat. She was careful not to look into her eyes. She wasn’t sure, but she thought that was how she’d taken control of Sesshoumaru. At first the witch just clawed at her arms, but then her face twisted and she reached for Vanessa’s own throat. “He is mine now, little girl,” she croaked, and pushed Vanessa back against a wall. “Give up.” Something had to give. One of them would have to let go. Lack of oxygen was starting to get to her now.

But Vanessa remembered this. Sesshoumaru taught her this one. She let go of the other woman’s throat and brought her fists down on her arms to break her hold, and stomped on her foot and shoved while she was off balance, following her down to the ground and rolling with her, both trying to keep the other from getting up. “He’s just… a toy to you,” Vanessa panted. She’d gotten in one good punch, but now struggled to get the witch off of her. “Don’t you even care that he’s a person? He has a life and responsibilities, and people who care about him. He’s good. Doesn’t that mean anything to you? And what happens when you break your ‘toy?’ What then?”

“I get a new one,” the witch sneered, hauling Vanessa to her feet and shoving her back into the wall again. The witch had drawn extra strength from somewhere and sent Vanessa into the wall with more force than before; her head cracked against the bricks, making stars break out across her vision. “But this one isn’t broken… yet. I think I’d like to keep him around a while.” She pinned Vanessa to the wall with a forearm across her neck while she was still shaking off the blow.

“I told you, you can’t have him,” Vanessa snarled, fighting the pain in her head. “He’s mine!” She’d slipped her slender blade from her sleeve and prepared to drive it into the other woman’s side when she suddenly felt something sharp prick her skin, right between her breasts. She looked down and was shocked to find claw-tipped fingers emerging from the witch’s chest.

“Never. Again.” a savage snarl ripped through the air, making Vanessa’s hair stand on end.

Sesshoumaru loomed behind the witch, the sclera of his eyes glowing crimson, his irises brilliant turquoise, and his pupils mere points of black. His fangs looked longer, sharper, and there was nothing remotely “human” about his appearance now. In a word, he was terrifying.

“You will not harm what is mine.” He pulled his hand free with a sick squelching sound and left her to stagger away from Vanessa. She looked down at the hole through her and tried to suck in a few stunned breaths.

“But… How?” she wheezed and fell to the ground where she exhaled her last breath with a sigh and then was still.

Vanessa stared at Sesshoumaru, and when calm didn’t return to him, she bent quickly to cut a strip from the witch’s skirts before returning her blade to its place in her sleeve. She tossed on her backpack and returned to Sesshoumaru, who only stared down at the corpse. They had to get out of there before someone came to check out the commotion. It was a wonder no one had come yet with the shop being right there. She moved quickly to Sesshoumaru’s side and reached for his hand. He couldn’t be wandering the city covered in blood and viscera.

She had to swallow several times to keep the bile rising in her throat at bay. She refused to be sick now. “Let me,” she said softly.

He growled at her, making her flinch, but she took his hand and began wiping away the blood as well as she could with a dry cloth. They needed water to do a better job. When she dared meet his eyes again, they were back to normal, only a ring of crimson around his golden irises, but the look on his face was icy cold.

The moment she gave up cleaning what remained of the blood in the creases of his hand and fingers, Sesshoumaru grabbed her wrist in an iron grip and pulled her along down the street, leaving her stumbling to keep up with him. He didn’t run, but his pace and his long legs were too much for her. “Sesshoumaru, wait. I can’t keep up!”

He growled low to himself and swung her onto his back. With a grunt of impact, she hurried to grab on. He barely glanced around him for observers before taking to the rooftops. Leaping lightly from peak to peak. “Where are you going?” Vanessa tried to ask, but he ignored her.

Finally, he left the rooftops and landed lightly in the garden she’d found him in that morning. “What are we doing here?” she hissed. Wouldn’t the woman have other people around?

“Collecting my things,” he snarled, and let her slide to the ground while he stalked inside. She hurried after him.

He made his way swiftly upstairs and down the hall to a lavish room filled with velvet and cushions. Vanessa could only imagine what the witch had planned for him here. When he went inside, she realized that this was where he had stayed. What had the witch done to him? Did she even want to know? Sesshoumaru paused and turned to look at her with a frown then turned back to the task at hand.

Sesshoumaru took his cloak off a peg in the wall and threw it about his shoulders. He looked almost relieved to be able to draw up the hood. Then he threw the thick fur pelt over his shoulder. Once secure, he reached out, paused, then whirled, eyes scanning the room wildly. “Where is it?” he growled as though to himself.

Almost in a rage, he began tossing cushions and tearing curtains. He tore open the wardrobe and pulled out clothes of velvet, silk and fur, tossing them carelessly to the ground.

“Where is what?” Vanessa asked softly, not sure if this was a lingering effect of the witch’s spell.

He turned the full force of his gaze on her then, crimson swirling into his eyes once more. “Where is my father’s sword?”

“Tenseiga? I… I have it.”

Sesshoumaru advanced on her, and she matched him with three steps back, heart pounding in her chest, once again afraid of him. He’d become unpredictable since they’d been apart, and it scared her that she didn’t know what he’d been through, what he would do now. They hadn’t had a chance to talk. He stopped as he sensed her fear, but his gaze on her was cold. “Give it to me,” he commanded. “Now. Do as I say.”

She was already unwrapping the bundle from her blanket, and stiffened at his tone. This was not her fault. She was tempted to draw the blade, but it would be stupid to match her nonexistent skill against his mastery. There was also the fact that its edge was useless against living flesh.

So she flung it at him.

“Take it,” she spat. Let it hit his thick head.

Naturally, he caught it, and while he stared after her in stunned silence, Vanessa stomped out of the room. Sesshoumaru caught up to her again in the foyer and reached for her hand. “Vanessa, wait.”

“Don’t touch me!” she cried, yanking her hand away, even as he let go as though her skin burned him. She could actually feel how much her words stung him, but she held onto her anger tooth and nail. His behavior was not fair to her, and they both needed to just cool down, recover, and reassess. She knew that. But did he?

She stopped in the doorway and whirled on him, freezing him in his tracks. “I get that the past couple days have been horrible. I can’t even imagine losing all control of myself. You must be angry and need to feel some control over your life again. You wouldn’t have even been in London if it wasn’t for me, but don’t you dare take this out on me. I tried to get you to stop. I tried to get you away! But you were so focused on her that you didn’t even hear a word I said. You don’t get to order me around now.”

Vanessa turned again and started out the door before her supporting anger could escape. She wouldn’t show weakness now. She saved him. Sure he’d struck the killing blow, but she hadn’t been far behind him.

It was late, almost dark by the time they left the house so she didn’t bother going to the inn to collect the girls. Mistress Crowley would have sent them home by now – she hoped, and they didn’t speak a word until Vanessa ducked under the bridge that had been her temporary home.

“What are we doing here?” Sesshoumaru asked finally, very softly, concern evident on his face. He knew, but he didn’t want to believe it.

“Under your own control or not, you spent the last few days in the lap of luxury. I spent them here.”

Sesshoumaru’s eyes widened. “Why?” he breathed. “Why would you not stay at an inn?”

“Because,” she began. “How could I know if that… that witch would leave your things alone or if she would just take anything she wanted. Like your money.” Like you, she thought but didn’t say. “I couldn’t spend what was left without risking one or both of our tickets across the ocean, not until I found you and knew what our situation was.”

Sesshoumaru touched the pouch tucked in his sash. The coins inside clinked with that small movement. Vanessa sighed. “Well, now we know.” She could have stayed at an inn after all. But then she wouldn’t have met Sarah and Jack and the others.

“Come,” Sesshoumaru began then paused, looking at Vanessa uncertainly. “That is, we should find an inn for the night. This is no place to continue weathering the cold.”

“Not yet,” she protested as she stepped deeper into the gloom beneath the bridge. “Sarah? Jack, are you here?”

Like little ghosts, both Sarah and Jack emerged from the shadows followed by the four others huddled behind them.

Vanessa turned to Sesshoumaru. “If we stay at an inn tonight, they are coming with us.”

He looked about to object, but then beckoned her to the edge where it was brighter. “Vanessa, we cannot take them with us.”

“I know that, and I don’t mean to. It’s just… they helped me find you. If not for them, I don’t think I could have done it on my own. These kids really know this city. Just one night, that’s all I’m asking. Hot food, a warm bed, and then we can move on. I want to leave this place as soon as possible, but I want to do something to thank them first.”

Sesshoumaru shook his head with a sigh and glanced over at the children. “Very well. We will have to get two rooms. You stay with the girls and I… I will stay with the boys.”

Vanessa smiled a little. “They’re a handful. You don’t think the language barrier will be an issue?”

“I will manage,” he growled, and Vanessa was sure he would.

Mistress Crowley was more than accommodating when Vanessa brought her lost “guardian” to meet her. At Vanessa’s request, Sesshoumaru had thrown back his hood upon entering the kitchen. The rest of the staff was off for the evening or eating their suppers so it was just the stern innkeeper.

“Mistress Crawley, I’m sorry I ran off so suddenly this afternoon, but I found Sesshoumaru, the man I told you about.”

“Oh my heavens,” she exclaimed when faced with the full effect of Sesshoumaru. His hair covered his pointed ears, but Vanessa had a feeling that they might have been overshadowed by the markings on his skin, the color of his eyes, and the style of his clothes.  

The woman eyed his dual swords and bone armor critically, frowned and the blood on his hand and stood up to his intensity before turning to Vanessa with a nod. “Aye, a right guardian, he is. And for all of his strangeness, handsome at that,” she said with a wink. “It is good you found him, girl,” she said and patted her shoulder before leaving them to go take care of her inn. She hadn’t said anything about the state of her clothes or the blood and bruises, and for that she was grateful.

She set them up in adjoining rooms at the end of a hall with four tubs of hot water for baths and orders to send for more whenever they needed it. Vanessa was thankful for that. She would definitely not be using someone else’s bathwater. Promise of real payment had further improved the innkeeper’s opinion of Sesshoumaru, and if they wanted to bring scrawny children in from the cold, at least they would be clean scrawny children. “And they better behave themselves,” she warned with a pointed look at all three girls.

After much splashing and watery mayhem, everyone was clean and dry for the first time in a good long while. Mistress Crowley had some clothes that the children could borrow while theirs were washed and hung up to dry by the fire. Once dressed, Vanessa rounded them up and took them downstairs to dinner, silently praying that they would remember whatever manners they were taught before their lives on the street.

They sat out of the way at a trestle table along the wall, and Mistress Crawley herself brought their food. She had a warm smile for Sarah and Rebecca, and Vanessa hoped that meant she might look after them once she left.

If the kids ate greedily, she couldn’t blame them. She limited how much of the rich dessert pie they ate, but she still thought they were sure to have bellyaches later. For all of their bluster and bravado, they really were good kids and deserved so much better than what life had thrown at them. It wasn’t fair.

She caught Sesshoumaru watching her as she interacted with them. They still hadn’t really cleared the air from earlier, and that hurt her heart. They needed to talk, but what was there to say? She was only trying to help him – she did help him, and he turned around and treated her like one of his servants, ordering her around. She had to give him some credit though; he did concede enough to get two rooms for everyone tonight rather than one for just the two of them, but that didn’t lessen the hurt.

Upstairs after dinner, Vanessa smiled from the doorway as she watched the boys having a pillow fight on the big four-poster bed in their room. Sesshoumaru had moved a smaller bed near the door to her room, and sat atop it, legs crossed, eyes closed, apparently meditating despite the noise, but she felt him. She also felt a tug on her sleeve. “Miss Vanessa?”

She crouched down to Rebecca’s level. “Yes, little one, what is it?”

Rebecca looked at her shyly now, rocking back on her heels with her hands clasped behind her back. “Would you braid my hair?”

“Of course I will,” she said with a grin. “Good night, boys,” she called over her shoulder and shut the door behind her. She heard a pause in the noise and a muffled “Good night,” on the other side.

“Would you like yours done too, Sarah?”

The girl nodded vigorously, and Vanessa spent the next hour combing out the tangles and braiding the girls’ hair into long plaits down their backs. The girls pranced around the room giggling and pretending they were fine ladies, and when they were all yawning, she suggested they turn in for the night. Since there were only the two girls, Vanessa hadn’t bothered to find a cot and settled herself in the center with their little bodies tucked on either side of her. It was nice, and she would miss them, she realized. She’d known them only days, but these girls had been with her every step of the way. And they reminded her of Rin. She wanted to do more for them. They were good kids, and fate had dealt them a bad hand, but Sesshoumaru was right. They couldn’t take them with them.

Vanessa kissed them both on their foreheads and closed her eyes. Silence had fallen on the other side of the door, and she thought about going to talk to Sesshoumaru, but she couldn’t. Not yet. Vanessa lay with her eyes closed, trying to get to sleep, but her mind was awhirl with activity – mostly revolving around Sesshoumaru. What had happened to him in the days he was gone? They hadn’t had a moment to talk.

To be fair, she hadn’t let them have a moment. He had tried once or twice – or looked like he wanted to talk anyway, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to yet. After barring the boys from the room, she’d never give the okay to open the door again, and the girls were having too much fun pretending to be ladies that they didn’t notice.

She lay awake for what seemed like a long while thinking about him, about why she still felt so hurt by the whole ordeal. He couldn’t help leaving her in the beginning. He was bewitched, and she couldn’t blame him for his reaction afterward, when he’d spent days under the complete control of someone else. Now she realized she wasn’t being fair to him, just has she had accused him of being unfair to her earlier. Too confusing after so much uncertainty the past few days.

Around midnight, as best she could judge, the door dividing the rooms creaked as it was slowly pushed open. The motion stopped, and Vanessa held her breath until it was pushed the rest of the way. Bare feet padded almost noiselessly across the wooden floor to stop just a few feet away. Vanessa might have opened her eyes to greet him, but real or not, the pain of betrayal still stung.

“Vanessa,” Sesshoumaru murmured, but she kept her breathing even, feigning sleep. He must know she wasn’t asleep, and she was sure he knew that she knew he knew, but he only retreated with a resigned sigh. That small sound hurt her almost as much as his behavior earlier, but in an entirely different way. The direction her thoughts were taking her were too frightening. Nothing solid had coalesced in her mind, but her train of thought had only one destination: Sesshoumaru.

Hesitantly, she inched back out from under the covers and followed his retreat into the other room. Sesshoumaru hadn’t closed the door all the way. As she peeked through the opening, she was struck by the sight of him. He lay on his cot, head pillowed on his rolled cloak, bathed in moonlight from the open shutters, and apparently sleeping. He looked peaceful, at ease.

Vanessa was about to back away and retreat to her bed, when Sesshoumaru’s eyes opened. They reflected the moonlight and shone back an eerie light like a wolf or fox’s eyes. He silently lifted the edge of his blanket in open invitation, but said nothing. She could take it or leave it; that was up to her.

Vanessa took a deep breath and slipped into the room.

In the splash of moonlight spilling through the windowpanes, she saw the boys sprawled on the larger bed, limbs overlapping and poking out from under the quilts as if they had wrestled before crashing headfirst into exhausted slumber. She straightened the quilt as much as she could to cover them and turned. Sesshoumaru lay on the smaller bed near the door, his back to the far wall. He waited patiently for her to accept or reject his peace offering.

She accepted.

She lay with her back to him on the small cot, feeling awkward despite all of the time they had spent together. She knew why it had hurt so much, and she was on the verge of admitting it to herself, when he spoke.

“I made you fear me,” he murmured next to her ear. “I felt it the first time, but could make no sense of it, nor could I stop myself. I deeply regret that.” He took a few breaths. “The second, I was being foolish. You had every right to be angry, and you were right. I was angry, and you were the nearest target. I… I apologize. I never wanted to experience your fear of me. I never wanted you to fear me. I cannot take it back, but I can do everything in my power to prevent it in the future.”

“It hurt,” Vanessa whispered, matching his tone so as not to wake the boys lying in an exhausted heap only a few feet away. “I didn’t understand how you could just leave, and then when I finally got you back, it was like you didn’t care what I had gone through to find you.”

“I did care. I do care.” he brushed her hair back off her forehead gently, his claws barely touching her skin. “It shames me to think that you were staying under a bridge when I should have been looking after you. What if something had happened to you? Truly, Vanessa, I am sorry I hurt you, and I am sorry I was not there for you when you needed me.”

She’d never heard him apologize for anything. She’d felt it, felt his remorse at times, but he’d never said the words. It meant a lot to her to hear them. Vanessa rolled over and pressed her forehead to his chest so she wouldn’t have to look him in the eye. “I missed you,” she whispered. “So much.”

Heart pounding, she couldn’t hold it back any longer. Saburo was right all along; she loved this man. She did, but he could never love her in return. She bit the inside of her lip hard to keep the tears from spilling over at this realization. What was she going to do? Sesshoumaru saved her from further thought by slipping his arm around her and holding her tightly to him.

“I know,” he breathed. “I know.”

He was warm, and solid, and real, and she had him back. For as little time as they had left, she had him back.










A/N: And OMG over 15000 words! I tried to break it up, really, but there just wasn’t a good place.

I apologize if you thought I was dead. Not dead, just very, very busy.

I also apologize if parts of this were a bit rough… it’s… *ahem* …been a while.

So I spent the past couple weeks (months) going back through each chapter, refreshing my memory on the flow, remembering a few things I had since forgot, and cringing at the roughness of the early chapters. To all of you who have stuck with me, I really appreciate it. Now I’ve got my little world in my head again and I hope I continue to live up to your standards.

Also, in working on this, I got sidetracked on a little ch 28 tangent and worked out a scene that’s been giving me trouble for literally years. Yay!