Only Time by Robuyasha

Chapter One: Nothing Ventured

Blood trickled down the hand of Sesshomaru, spattered on the ground in gelatenous pools of blood already spilled. He'd fought for nigh on two hours, and he'd fought fiercely. Now the extent of his spent force was hitting him like a tsunami of fatigue. He leaned against a tree and began wiping the blood on the cloth of his robes.

He'd traveled through these woods with the expectation of a battle. That's why he'd left Jaken and Rin in the last town. What he encountered however was far more than what he was expecting. This was a good thing. Good because it meant that they were protecting something with great determination. Sesshomaru could only imagine that would be one thing, and if it was in fact Naraku's castle, he had to decide if he could surge ahead as drained as he was.

If he waited, likely that more demons would come to block his path. If he rested they'd slay him in his sleep. If he fought, he may or may not be conscious long enough to see Naraku tear him limb from limb.

He settled his thoughts, decided to walk as far as he could and make a decision then. He was exhausted, but he knew he had enough energy to retreat should the need arise.

The woods were dark, though the sun above them was still nearly an hour from setting. So thick were the treetops that they choked most of the sunlight from the air before they reached the ground. The darkness was not unwelcome to a demon, however. Sesshomaru moved with ease swiftly between the moss-covered tree-trunks, eager to make an assessment of his target. The hard-fought battle between himself and the legion of demons had cleared most of the local wildlife from his path. He could smell more demons further into the woods, but curiously he noted that he could not smell Naraku. This realization unsettled him as he continued down his path, but he determined that since he'd come so far, he would not abandon his search so heedlessly.

He slowed as he sensed the nearness of demons just beyond his vision. He kept a respectable speed, but he did so stealthily, as he was still uncertain of his stamina.

He reached a vantage point at the edge of an exceptionally small clearing, and looked across at three stout humanoid demons. He sneered, realizing that there was no conceivable way that Naraku was anywhere nearby. Nevertheless, the demons he'd spent some time battling were undoubtedly that of his nemesis. He cocked his ears to overhear the conversation passing between them.

The largest of the three, in girth not in height, was the current speaker. "...said he'd be here by nightfall. I don't know why he always sends her. She disgusts me."

"Have you ever seen the boy he sends in her stead?" asked the second demon, a head full of wiry black hair blowing stiffly in the soft breeze. "I'd take Kagura over Kohaku any day, Trist."

The third nodded his narrow, bird-like head in agreement.

"Just the same, Prot, I'd prefer he just come down here and get this thing. I hate watching holes all day." He shuffled his feet, looked about nervously. "Especially when none of the golems have come back."

Three nodded again.

"Well, maybe you should go and look for one of 'em," Prot suggested.

"Me!?" Trist huffed. "Kagura told me specifically not to move until Naraku got here. How about Mum? He's brave, right Mum?"

Mum shook his head in vehement disagreement.

Prot nodded emphatically. "That's right. Go on, Mum. We'll watch your back."

Mum narrowed his eyes in anger, but he took a cautious step toward the woods.

Impatient of the immanent period of frightened silence, Sesshomaru decided to remove the suspense. He leapt from his vantage point, sliced skillfully through Mum's throat, and leveled his sword to Prot's throat.

Trist fell to his knees, whining, "No, please, no, whatever you want, just don't kill me!"

Sesshomaru ignored him, asked Prot, "What are you guarding?"

Prot sneered. "Pathetic attempt, dog. Now you d...!" his words were cut off by the blade of his katana. The bloody end was quickly redirected to the face of the sniveling Trist.

"Where is Naraku? What is in there?" Sesshomaru demanded coolly, with a nod at the broad hole the three had been standing around.

Trist was sobbing with his whole body, shaking in his fear. "No, I can't...please don't..." were the only words comprehensible in his blubbering.

"Answer, or your of no use..."

"A witch!" Trist shouted his reply. "Some witch my lord wants. We've been hunting her for..."

"Where is Naraku?" Sesshomaru asked.

"N...not until you lower your sword," Trist dared to demand.

Unfortunately for him, Sesshomaru isn't a negotiator. A light thrust of his sword, and Trist fell in a pool of blood. No noise escaped his lips, save the tang of his death-stroke.

Sesshomaru approached the edge of the hole and peered inside. He saw someone curled up at the bottom. Plain brown clothes and thick matted hair betrayed no clue to their identity, but the demon nose could pick up the scent of the pheromone belonging to female humans. Not that that knowledge helped much, since Sesshomaru didn't exactly converse much with humans, but at least he knew she wasn't a threat. He began to turn and leave, but a bright light at the bottom caught his eye. He looked back down the hole, and was nearly knocked over when a light shot up at him.

Staggering back from the opening, he reached for his second sword, knowing his first, the Tenseiga, was useless against the living.

Before him was the same figure he'd seen in the hole, but now alive with a radiance that shook the dirt and filth from its overall appearance. Indeed this figure appeared as a human girl, possibly late-teens or early twenties, but with the exception of a six-foot span of dragonfly wings. Her hair, no longer matted, was red and shimmering with a light lovingly reminiscent of summer roses. Her face was lovely even to someone who had no love for humans. Such was the case of Sesshomaru, who stared in disbelief at this specter, no longer clutching his sword.

"At last," the fairy spoke in heavenly tones, "you've arrived."

Sesshomaru was unprepared for that statement, but he never showed surprise. He strode forward coolly, and looked back into the hole. Seeing nothing else inside, he turned to leave. "I'm surprised," he said over his shoulder, "that Naraku would waste so many resources just on you."

"They weren't stopping me," replied they fairy, staying close. "They were in place to stop you."

Sesshomaru stopped his footfalls. He considered this for a moment. It made sense that that long stream of demons would be attacking rather than defending. A truth he might have otherwise overlooked, now it changed his entire outlook on current events. "Stop me from what?"

They were on the edge of the woods, inches from leaving the clearing. Though the fairy was fluttering her wings, keeping herself off the ground, she still looked up at Sesshomaru. If she were standing flatfooted, she'd only be up to his belt.

She spoke gently when she replied. "They were meant to stop you from what you will do now."

"I will do nothing but leave here. I already have an objective, and it does not include you, if that's what you're alluding to."

Her wings slowed, stopped when her feet reached the ground. She reached out her hand, took his. "There is something you must see." She led him along the tree line to a darkened area on the far end of the clearing. The sun was almost fully gone now, and the light that filled the clearing was a glowing red-orange. The fairy led Sesshomaru to a small pond of placid silver liquid, which appeared too thick to be water. The pond had formed in the large twist of roots from one of the great trees. She touched the root, and an image began to form in the liquid.

Sesshomaru watched with cool interest. What he saw was discomforting. He watched it for long minutes, grew red, and turned to the fairy, who'd not looked at the scene once, but stood watching him.

"What is you're name?" he asked her.

Her response was even toned, "I am Doux."

Sesshomaru nodded. "You must have a way to prevent this; else you'd not be here."

She nodded.

Looking down at the pool, he saw the image fade. He breathed deeply, realizing that meant he'd already made his decision.

"I will do what needs to be done. Just take me to Naraku."

"Do you think that's all what needs to happen?" she asked. "He does not fight alone. This is a battle that needs to be fought on more than one battlefield."

"Then tell me what I must do."

"Close your eyes," she commanded gently. He obeyed, hesitantly. He felt his body growing warmer, and his limbs began to tingle. He tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't. Angered at the loss of his sight, he tried to surmise what was transpiring with his other senses. There was no untoward sound, just sounds of nature. He could smell a slightly metallic scent, but there were no real indicators of just what was going on around him.

Suddenly, his eyes opened again, and the tingling stopped. He was standing by the wood, but different trees. The clearing was now filled by mature trees.