Fear my fluffiness! by Shalis

Encounter

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha!

The view was breathtaking. Mountains were reaching for the sky with their sharp peaks as if determined to stab the passing clouds. A generous stream of river, was crossing the bloomed plains and escaping through the forest . At the feet of the mountains, just waiting for a landslide, a small village was taking shape. Its existence was almost a myth. It was a human village, one seemingly normal, with pretty girls gossiping, young men trying to impress them, and children playing carefree with a ball.

A pale, clawed hand broke the rhythmic dance of running water. Deep in thought, he unconsciously dipped the tips of its fingers, sending ripples through the icy liquid.

He watched over the village from afar with a distant look on his face.

He was for the first time, in his obscene long life, here. It was an unfamiliar feeling… the unknown. He didn't feel this was since he was a pup, taken by his father to see the lands he would once day rule .Yet, he was never taken here. He was warned, actually forbidden, to set foot here but it was absurd , for he, was possibly one of the strongest demons alive and fear was a foreign emotion for him. If any creature had a right to be there, it would be him, because the little valley was in the heart of his territory, almost in the center of the Western Lands.

He did not take well on being restricted by anything .But he was definitely not stupid enough to just walk in the village without having previously assessed the situation. Soon the sun will disappear behind the mountains that surrounded the mysterious human settlement. Under the cover of darkness he will put a good use to his stealth and observe the place. Until then he will meditate. Or so he planned…

"SESSHOMARU-SAMA"A high squeal of delight pierced his elven-like ears and a mass of brown and orange came crashing in front of him ,splashing water over his face, making the silvery bangs of his forehead glue to his crescent moon which proudly adorned his brow ,proving his heritage. He mentally slapped himself for bringing his ward with him. Despite his mild irritation, he was already used to the child's unpredictable bubbly character, and was quite amused watching Jaken suffer at her hands. It was much funnier than throwing stones at him or simply kicking him. But then again he would have nowhere to leave her to. He was a nomad, constantly patrolling his lands and she would always follow.

He quirked a delicate eyebrow at the small human in front of him, letting her know he is listening.

"SESSHOMARU-SAMA! Rin caught a fish! And Master Jaken didn't catch anything!" She said beaming with pride at him and pointing on the bank of the river where laid a fish still struggling for breath, and Jaken was trying to dry the lower part of his pants.

Golden eyes sparkled with a glint of amusement at his servant's light suffering.

"That is very good Rin." He responded to the little girl in a deep cold voice, "Now get out of the river before u fall ill"

The little girl just beamed warmly at him again and complied with the request.

xXx

The sky darkened, and Sesshomaru's party was now by the fire. The demon lord was sitting with his back propped against a tree looking over the object of his mission. He knew that this was no ordinary human village. He heard the legends, it's said that the humans inhabiting the village are having unusual powers, able to subdue demons, formidable in combat and their leader possessed some kind of forgotten magic that rendered him immortal.

His logic was telling him that myths and legends are always overrated, but his instinct was telling him not to underestimate unexplored territory.

Looking back to the fire he observed the little girl trying to put a crown of flowers on the toad's head. He smirked inwardly as the girl chased Jaken, tackled him and forced the flowers on him.

"Insufferable human child!", Jaken squeaked.

The moon's presence in the navy sky was his cue to leave. Standing up from the comfort of his tree, he set his golden orbs on Jaken, kicking him awake, and warning him to keep watch.

"Watch over Rin or your life is forfeit!" threatened Sesshomaru, and the servant immediately groveled and nodded in comprehension.

He set for the village that was not too far away.

Masking his presence before he reached the outskirts of the village, he noticed something odd. There were no means for protection against a possible intruder. Approaching carefully, he leapt in one of the many trees of the forest which were surrounding the village.

Safely from the top of a nearby tree, he could easily oversee everything that was going on.

`Something is off ` He thought, before searching for a clue that would make him understand what exactly was amiss.

Scanning the area thoroughly he noticed that the silence was almost deafening. There were no demons in the whole valley and the scent of humans was so heavy that he could easily distinguish each human by his own smell. His instincts told him that there were no nearby dangers, nothing in particular to be aware of, and the only creatures in the area were a few animals, insects and the slumbering humans. Of course, for him there was no difference between insects and humans and he was pretty annoyed with the one sided hide-and-seek game.

He was not known for having patience, nor fear; so, he decided to just casually take a stroll through the village like he belonged there.

Walking through the human settlement, he couldn't help but notice that the scent was unusually sweet. Human villages usually reeked of sweat, dirt, decay and illness.

'Except for Inuyasha's wench, I haven't smelled a whole village being so clean', He thought, as he inhaled deeply. Finding nothing obviously wrong in the air, he proceeded walking to the fanciest house that caught his eye, assuming that that's where the head of the village lived.

This household was like a mini palace. A tall gate was keeping the intruders at bay and a proud building was reaching for the sky. Surrounded by finely trimmed trees and a garden, the house was in total darkness.

Considering the lack of light as an invitation, Sesshomaru entered through the gate and went for the house.

He jumped on the roof of the house to determine the number of inhabitants.

He could feel it. At the second floor, as if waiting for something. Only one presence and the person was not asleep .Leaping on the balcony, without hesitation, he slid the door open.

There, not far from him, was sitting with her feet under herself, what seemed to be a very unusually beautiful human woman.

" I was wondering when you would come out of your hiding place" The woman said .Flashing him a shy smile, standing up ,and walking to him in a very sensual manner.

A low growl echoed through the room.

"This Sesshomaru does not hide." He said in a menacing tone, attempting to intimidate the impertinent woman with one of his usual trademark icy glares.

He looked at her as she was approaching him .She was almost beautiful for a human. She had fair skin, so white, almost ghostly. Long, silky, white tresses, were coming down in waves till her rear that could rival his own silver mane .Big navy eyes that had an unearthly glow in them , were looking at him from under long white eyelashes .

He felt like she was looking into his soul. Stripping him naked and analyzing him. Thin peachy lips arched in a smile as she noticed the way he was staring at her.

"Wench what are you" He asked in his cold icy demeanor as she was flashing smiles at him and batting pale eyelashes trying to seduce him. Except for the utter disgust and annoyance, Sesshomaru was nothing more but just slightly curious at her appearance, hence the staring, but the wench suddenly had the impression he was interested in her and she was trying to work her womanly magic on him.

"Wench…" he was loosing his little patience with her, but his impassive mask remained in place.

Frustrated a little, she stopped in her tracks.

"Cant you tell inu lord? I am the human princess of this establishment"

"I did not ask you station, human, I asked what you are." He simply stated.

"Oh my, you are the first one not to fall for that line and the bat of eyelashes"

The white haired human padded across the wooden floorboards, as the gently moaned under her weight, and reached for Sesshomaru's face.

Sesshomaru took a step back on the balcony, withdrawing from her touch.

Outside, in the moonlight, the girl's skin radiated a faint glow. The white yukata hugging her slim frame was almost see-through due to the light that her body was emanating.

"Human know your place!" he growled.

The impertinent girl was still trying to touch Sesshomaru, so he grabbed her wrist, and snapped it.

Surprisingly, the she didn't even flinch, calmly retracting the broken hand to her side. The girl's gentle lips broke into a sadistic smile, promising death."So.. you don't like being pet...", she whispered under her breath, making a mental note for herself.

"Are you that ignorant taiyoukai?", the glowing figure said, as she jolted her wrist back in place.

"This Sesshomaru does not like to repeat himself"

"What is your purpose here demon? Did you not know that you are forbidden to set foot here?" she asked in a flat tone. "You are about to pay for the blasphemy you have just committed ", she threatened, glazed with a fake smile.

Sesshomaru's patience was gone already, so he simply grabbed the girl's head, and twisted her neck, not wishing to soil his claws with her blood. Releasing her lifeless body from his grasp, he turned to walk away. Sesshomaru expected to hear her body fall on the floor with a thud.

The dull sound was never heard. The demon lord turned his head to the supposedly dead human, and watched her jerk her head back in place.

`Bitch! Dares defy me yet again by not staying dead` .Narrowing his eyes at her, he waited for her to make her move this time. If he expected any reaction from her, nothing could prepare him for what came next. She massaged the back of her neck a little with both hands, and reentered the room.

"Come; let's have a chat over a cup of tea", she invited.

Sesshomaru was annoyed and a little confused. If he was going to milk some information, he would have to follow the the glowing human in the darkness of the room, and so he did.

She sat herself at a kotatsu, motioning for him to have a seat as well. Snapping her fingers, on the table appeared a red teapot and two small matching cups decorated with petite white petals.

Gracefully she poured tea in both cups, one placing in front of herself and the other across the table where he would be seated.

He sat himself at the table, but didn't touch the cup.

"Are you afraid that I would poison you?" she eyed him curiously.

" You never replied my question. ", he bit back at her, as he was already irritated.

"My, my … so outspoken and straight to the subject" she said teasingly. "I might actually make an exception for you", she said in a playful tone. "You will make a fine entertainment"

A dark chuckle echoed through the room.

Standing up, Sesshomaru put his hand on the hilt of Tokijin and was poised to strike. He was expecting this to be a trap, and he merely followed the lead to allow the wench to show her true form and see her intentions.

"Now, why are you standing up? I was merely going to tell you what you wished to know" A smooth,deep voice came from across the table.Laughter broke the silence.

"What's the matter inu lord? I thought you wanted to know what I am."

"Who are you" He stated the question in an even voice.

"You still didn't figure it out yet? I am someone you will wish you never came across."

Sesshomaru tensed, Tokijin crackling with raw power, waiting to be unleashed.

"I guess it wouldn't be fun sealing your fate without fulfilling your last wishes... I am Tsukuyomi, god of the moon."

He sniffed for any signs of deceit, finding none; Sesshomaru just merely widened his eyes a little at the deity's statement.

For a split second he found him attractive! Sesshomaru felt like killing something to release the anger that was building up slowly.

"What is it pup? Cat got your tongue?" the god started laughing.

Said pup, merely looked at the laughing god with barely contained disgust. Despite his questionable sexuality and bad sense of humor, he was a god after all and Sesshomaru decided it would be wiser not to anger the god further.

Finishing his laughing session, the god asked with a firm voice

"I answered your questions while my question remains without answer".

"What is your purpose here? I know that you were warned not to come here by your elders like all your ancestors before you. What is it that lured you here young lord?"

"I am searching a cure for mortality" he answered holding the god's cold blue gaze with his own fiery amber one.

"You are almost immortal. Why do you seek immortality?"

"It is not for me. I am not foolish enough to look for immortality when I am not far from it myself. I am merely looking for it for my human ward."

The deity decided to crack another bad joke. "When I sensed you and you're pack's approach I assumed that the human present was for later consumption."

Sesshomaru shot him an icy glare, and he seated himself back at the table.

"What is it that keeps you here?", the demon lord asked, trying to make small talk.

The glowing figure across the table flipped her hair over her shoulder with smugness that surpassed Sesshomaru's, sipped on the warm tea, and started her story.

"I was banished by Izanami and Izanagi" she trailed off,  nostalgy playing in her voice.

A/N

A kotatsu is a low, wooden table frame covered by a futon, or heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, often built into the table itself.