Inu Yasha ran faster since the scent of the old youkai was heavier in his nose now than it was when he first woke up. Upon arriving at Totosai's cave, he found the youkai sleeping with his body resting against Momo's body. He growled lightly, annoyed that the old men was sleeping when he needed to talk to him. "Hey, Totosai!" He yelled, watching with humor as the old youkai awoke with a start then hid behind Momo.
When Totosai peaked out from behind Momo, he breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Inu Yasha you scared me!" He scolded the hanyou as he moved out from behind the bull with great caution since he knew the hanyou to hit him at times.
"I ain't here to hurt you," Inu Yasha said his eyes narrowed & a frown settled upon his lips. "I'm here because I need a favor of you old man."
"A favor? What kind of favor?" Totosai was suspicious of Inu Yasha now since he seemed to be quiet calm despite his annoyed look.
"I don't know if you have heard or not, but Sesshomaru has taken a mate & she was a friend of mine before he even met her. I'm not going to go into much detail about her, but I want to give her a gift of blessing in my own way; so I need you to make a sword for her."
"She is youkai, let her employ someone else. Anyone that is mate of Lord Sesshomaru will not have a sword forged by my skills."
"Totosai, she's a ningen."
The swords smith stared at the hanyou as if his blood had turned & was feeling a bit unsure if he had heard right. -But Sesshomaru shows hatred towards everyone,- he thought as he stared Inu Yasha over. -This has to be a trick.- "Are you sure his mate is indeed a ningen?" He asked, lowering his head slightly; his eyes remained on Inu Yasha.
"Yes Totosai," he answered. "Sesshomaru's mate is a ningen."
"Why would your brother take a ningen as his mate?" Totosai asked as he sat down by the fire he had started before he went to sleep.
"Because she is a strong ningen with a great personality that apparently suits his desires," Inu Yasha answered. "He is lucky to have her, old man."
"If she has Sesshomaru as her mate, then she does not need a sword."
"She'll need one to defend herself should he leave her behind to survey his lands," he spat as something inside him snapped at the thought of something happening to Catriona because Sesshomaru had left her alone at the castle. -And if she chooses to go back to her time to live, instead of staying here, then she can take the sword with her for protection in her time,- he thought.
Totosai stared at Inu Yasha, his mind putting piece after piece together about the hanyou & the woman he was speaking of. "Alright, I will ask no questions."
"Huh?" Inu Yasha's eyes widened as he looked at the old youkai.
"I will make the sword for this woman that you speak of. But I will need payment in return."
"What do you want?"
"I want to know that the sword I forge will be in good hands & not that of a ningen with a tainted heart."
"Her heart is pure, Totosai," Inu Yasha spoke as he sat down beside Totosai. "Just take it before I change my mind," he huffed as he opened his mouth, exposing his fangs to Totosai.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Inu Yasha lay at the front of Totosai's cave, listening to the sounds within of a sword in the process of being made. The space where his fang had been pulled was being halfway filled by a new fang already & the pain from earlier was gone. -It was worth the pain knowing that once this sword is made, she can protect herself if she gets left alone at the castle,- he thought. -I'd hate to see something happen to her because Sesshomaru would leave her behind... If the worse were to happen, I suppose he would let me stay behind with her & protect her...-
He felt a blush rise to his cool cheeks, warming them up, as a vision of Catriona standing behind him with her hands on his shoulders while he held the Tetsusaiga in a fighting stance, flashed through his head. -Why am I blushing?- He asked himself as he rose to his feet.
From within the cave Totosai looked at his rising figure. "Are you going somewhere Inu Yasha?" He asked.
"I'm just going to the river, don't wait up if you decide to sleep," Inu Yasha called back at him as he began walking away from the cave & towards the river that was quite a bit away from Totosai's home. -If I run into trouble, then I'll just take whoever it is down with my Kaze no Kizu,- he thought as he set his pace at a light jog so he could get to the river quicker.
He could easily get to the river in a matter of minutes, but he needed some time to think about what he was doing for Catriona, & to try & figure out what that vision in his mind meant.
Upon reaching the river, he cleared a spot along the bank for him to lay down so he could gaze up at the sky. On his back, with one leg bent with his ankle under the back of his other leg, his arms folded behind his head, Inu Yasha looked up & stared at the brightly shining stars. There were very few clouds in the sky & they were being pushed along by the light breeze that was blowing about at the moment. While he was registering thoughts in his head, his ears were picking up the sounds of the river that was a good eight feet away from him.
-Do I have feelings for Catriona?- He thought as his eyes roamed over the night sky. -She is nice to me & all, but she's mated to my brother, a full blood youkai.- He sighed heavily. -Why would she want anything to do with a hanyou like myself anyway? What protection could I provide for her when I don't even know what I want to do in my life? I don't know if I want to stay a hanyou or try to find someway to become a full blood youkai like my brother.-
When he looked up at the sky again, he saw a shooting star pass through the night & he closed his eyes. -Please, whoever is up there, help me find the path I'm supposed to take in my life,- he begged. -I want to know what I am supposed to do with my life...-
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself staring at a cloud that hung overhead, being pushed slowly by the now slower breeze. -It's so nice out tonight,- he thought. -I wonder if Catriona is looking up at these stars?- It was at that moment that he felt his cheeks warming up again.
-I do like her, don't I?- He thought as he sat up, folding his legs under him as he folded his arms in the sleeves of his fire rat robe, his blush getting worse. -Sesshomaru would never let me near her if he knew how I felt... I'll just have to keep it as secret as I can...-