Ya'll are going to hate me after this. *evil cackling*

She was caught doing it again. Collecting useful plants and herbs, Tatsuhana walked along the outskirts of the village and humming to herself. It was such a one-eighty personality switch compared to the depressed individual a few days before. Not long after the snake demon, Shiro, arrived and left, Tatsuhana had packed a bag and disappeared into the forest for two days. Inuyasha was sent to make sure she was still alive, only to return with a black eye. Apparently, Tatsuhana didn't take it with generosity that he was simply looking out for her. He didn't speak of what he saw or Tatsuhana's state of being when he found her. Upon her arrival, her spirits were lifted as if the storm clouds that had shrouded her dissipated. Her night was now day.

"Miss Hana!" Rin came abounding with an armload of dark colored leaves, roots, and flowers. "Do think you'll find a use for these?"

Rin upheld her triumphant harvest for Tatsuhana's inspection. She picked through the shoots and leaves, first collecting all the vibrant flowers she could find and put them in her basket. She added the rest into a bag she carried on her back.

"Do you think she slept with him?" Inuyasha asked crudely.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome was quick to upbraid him. "You do not talk about a lady like that!"

"It's true. Even if she did, which I'm not saying Miss Tatsuhana would, it is really not any of our business how she conducts herself. Her spirits have much improved since her visit to the snake demon's abode. Perhaps he was the correct shoulder she needed to cry on."

"Thank you, Miroku," said Kagome.

The three walked a distance behind Rin and Tatsuhana but watched from afar. Tatsuhana devoted most of her hours collecting plants and roots to experiment with. The egg shell chalk Kagome suggestion worked, however the colors were far too limited for Tatsuhana. She spent a great deal of her time experimenting to find the right shades.

"Yeah, but now she's all goo-goo eyes for some snake," Inuyasha grumbled.

"I'd rather her be goo-goo eyed and humming than sleeping until the afternoon. She's a lot happier since she made a new friend. You shouldn't judge her for it just because you managed to make her so mad she gives you a black eye." Kagome glanced at Inuyasha's profile.

He still sported a pretty shiner. Being true to form, Inuyasha never talked about the circumstances about his injury. He certainly wasn't going to tell everyone how he let a woman leave him with a black eye. It was bad enough being half-demon; he would never be taken seriously by the village if they knew what a woman did to him.

They followed behind Rin and Tatsuhana as the pair meandered into the woods. Tatsuhana paused and then stared at something. What had caught her attention? She steered off the trail with Rin not far away. When the others caught up, they saw an abandoned hut covered in vines and dead leaves. Tatsuhana stared at it. Did she have an idea for a painting? That would be since, however, there was the business of her missing sketchbook. Kagome helped her search for hours, but her sketchbook was nowhere to be found.

That was right around the same time Rin started to more actively hang around Tatsuhana. Unfortunately, Kagome didn't have more evidence than a suspicious feeling to support the little theory in her head. She wouldn't say anything until she had more proof. It made her wonder, though, why Rin would still the sketchbook in the first place.

All returned from their brisk walk. Tatsuhana set up a fire by Kaede's hut and started to boil a pot of water. Instead of herbs or soup, she threw in the various flowers she collected, sorted by color, and let them simmer. Rin helped her bottle them once Tatsuhana thought they were done stewing. In the long process of preparing the flowers to be made into paint, Tatsuhana let them dry first before storing them away. By then, the day was done. She helped make dinner, to the best of her abilities, and kept to herself throughout the meal.

"Miss Hana?" Asked Rin as she got under the covers.

Tatsuhana was busy brushing her long hair. Her hair had wicked tangles towards the bottom and pieces of grass stuck in it. How the grass got there, she couldn't say.

"Yes, Rin?"

"Do you like Shiro the snake demon?"

Tatsuhana turned her head away from Rin to hide the blush creeping into her cheeks.

"I guess, I do. A little. He's actually very nice once you get to know him. We talk a lot about art, so he makes me happy."

"Would you marry him?"

"Rin, ye mustn't talk that way," Kaede chastised her.

"I'm not offended." Tatsuhana returned to her brushing while keeping her back to the two of them. They shouldn't see the heat rising in her face.

Shiro had been nothing but a gentlemen in spite of anyone's misgivings. Tatsuhana had dated a couple of boys when she was younger, in high school, and again during her first and second year of college. At no time during the time she dated those boys did she feel the light fluttering in her stomach. Perhaps it was because Shiro was neither a boy nor a human. He was inhumanly handsome and mature. He knew about art, even though most of it was in the context of tattooing. Apparently, demons did not have the same apprehension towards tattoos as their human counterparts. Most their time together was spent rendering sketches of her potential first tattoo. It would be a painful process, using only traditional techniques, and it was obviously going to be permanent. Tatsuhana wanted to make sure she was going to be happy with the piece for a very long time.

She couldn't understand everyone's reluctance. Considering what had been done to her, Tatsuhana knew that she should be more careful. Yet, she couldn't help herself at the same time. Shiro was different. He was nice.

Well…

He was more than nice. He was quite nearly perfect. If things continued as they did, Tatsuhana could imagine a future with him. As long as the well remained out of commission.

She slid into bed once her face returned to normal. Her eyelids slid closed and she fell asleep to the sound of crickets and cicadas.

Bare feet padded through the waves of grass. Lit by the light of the moon, a woman waded through the field. She carried with her a lacquered box tucked under her arm. Over gravel and rocks, she carried on to some unknown destination. Golden eyes peered out of the woods as if summoned by her strange presence. They followed her as she tread over dirt with her bare feet, uncaring if she hurt herself on sharp pebbles. She seemed unaffected by the rocks and walked slowly on.

Sesshomaru stepped out. He had been waiting for an opportunity to talk to Tatsuhana, but did not want to seek her out just yet. He'd slice through the first person to call him a coward, however, he thought of it as prudence. He didn't know how she would react and she lacked the knowledge in controlling her father's vast power buried in her blood. He followed her first by smell then he followed safely behind, though it didn't seem like it made much of a difference. Tatsuhana walked with a slow gait as if pulled along by an invisible string. Her shoulders were hunched forward and her head bent. Sesshomaru could not smell or sense another demon in the area. His half-brother's stench was all-pervasive throughout the village, but it wasn't strong enough to cloud Sesshomaru's sense of smell. His footsteps went undetected as he followed Tatsuhana to a shallow cave at the edge of the village. He watched her go in.

He went inside wondering what she would need from her. As a demon, he didn't need torch light see her. Her light-colored kimono spilt open to her knees while she sat on the ground. She mechanically opened the box and withdrew a roughly shaped cylinder twice the size of her finger. Sesshomaru stood at the cave entrance, nearly enthralled. She put it to the rock wall and slowly began marking it. He stepped closer for a better look. When he appeared at her back, Tatsuhana was too engrossed in her work to notice him. He stood behind her as she drew something in the rock. It took a short while before he could make out a man in armor. Though the artistic rendering was more in line with human pieces than based on physical appearance, Sesshomaru recognized the man in the portrait and the weapon he wielded.

The naginata of Lord Noburu was aptly named the Storm-Dancer. With it, the dragon lord summoned swells, cast down hail the size of skulls, and drowned entire villages. Tatsuhana had yet to make mention of any father in her life except the human who raised her. Rin assured him that Tatsuhana didn't know much about her past. If that was true, how was she able to draw a picture of him.

He'd seen the others in her sketchbook. Many of the pages were filled with strange images of buildings and stranger looking people. He flipped through those many pages before discovering a pattern. The first several were of this world Tatsuhana was sent to, but after a period something began to change. Her art became more fantastical. It showed glimpses of the world she once knew, of demons and spirits. Mostly symbolic, the appearance of a man and a woman started cropping up in the middle like a transitioning stage. Some of the sketches were smudged by fingerprints, some denoted their age with a date. He watched her sketch other figures into the cave wall.

Slowly, a battle scene came together by her talented hand. To one side, an army of familiar-looking demons. Banners of demon clans rippled in the wind. He even found his father standing behind Lord Noburu. The likeness was stunning, to be honest.

To the other side, another army charged forward. This one was less familiar. The clothes and armor belonged to Chinese demons. Foreign banners announced a conquering army and yet at the head of the charge was a woman. She wasn't even dressed as a man. She wore feminine robes under a set of armor, but that didn't mean she wasn't armed to the teeth. A sword and dagger on her belt and flames licking her feet, the woman upheld a strange sphere that emitted light or energy. The whole rendering was done in whitish chalk; Sesshomaru couldn't tell with any certainty what it was.

"Tatsuhana," he called.

She didn't respond. The only response he got was the gentle scraping of the chalk. Tatsuhana kept sketching as if she didn't hear him.

"Tatsuhana," Sesshomaru said again, this time more firmly.

Still, she didn't even look at him.

"Tatsuhana!" He raised his voice slightly.

Tatsuhana would not be disturbed in her endeavor.

Sesshomaru growled. One step was all it took to be directly at her back. He clamped one hand on her shoulder and forced her to look at him.

Tatsuhana's eyes were blank. He could not find where the pupil and the iris ended as if she was put into a trance. Her lips were parted slightly. Kneeling next to her, Sesshomaru cupped her face between his hands. Her arms fell limp at her sides, but she clutched the chalk tight in her fingers. Her breath was slow, however he took comfort in the fact that it was steady. His claws gently scraped her cheeks yet she still showed no reaction.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

He'd done it before. When they were children growing up in his father's house. His mother was less than pleased when she found out.

Sesshomaru latched his mouth unto hers in the hope of her snapping. He pressed his lips to hers. A peck, at first, to see if she noticed. When her face remained the same, he kissed her harder. His tongue brushed against her bottom lip and teeth.

No reaction.

Sesshomaru let go. He stood back and watched her mechanically return to her drawing. Taking up a seat on the opposite wall, Sesshomaru watched her until the night sky slowly gave way to dawn. The sun was starting to rise when Tatsuhana finally put down her chalk. Her eyes fluttered, closed, and she collapsed. Her body fell to the side as if she had been suddenly knocked out by a blow to the head. Sesshomaru caught her before she could hurt herself on the harsh cave floor. He left behind the box and chalk as he picked her up.

The villagers were still fast asleep by the time he reached the priestess's hut. He slid the door open without alerting those inside. He managed to find the shared bedroll and slipped Tatsuhana back underneath the covers. Sesshomaru was about to leave when he noticed Rin stirring. She turned on her side and saw him there. She about jumped up and call for him. Sesshomaru made a sign with his finger to his mouth then pointed to the exhausted Tatsuhana. Rin clamped her hand over her mouth and nodded. He stalked back out of the hut just as Rin snuggled up to Tatsuhana's back.

The first thing Tatsuhana noticed when she awoke was the horrid cramp in her neck and shoulders. Peeling off the covers, the second thing she noticed was the dirt on her knees and feet. She looked closely and found tiny scraps with dried blood on her feet like she spent the night walking on broken glass. Her knees were bruised blue and green and smudged with dirt. Her hands were much the same way. Instead of blood, her fingers were marked with a copious amount of white chalk atop specks of dirt. She fixed her kimono and stepped outside to look for Kagome.

She was busy with laundry at the river, scrubbing some unknown stain from Inuyasha's red robe. The water dyed red as she plunged it over and over into the river. Tatsuhana tried not to balk at the sight.

"Kagome, are you busy?"

She paused in her washing and placed the robe on a near-by rock. "What is—"

Kagome looked Tatsuhana's appearance. The dirt, the chalk, the mess that was her hair, and the dark circles under her eyes.

"What happened to you?" She asked.

"That's the same question I asked myself when I woke up. I think, I think I went somewhere but I don't remember. I've never sleepwalked before."

"Are you alright?"

"I think so. I'm just wondering where I went," Tatsuhana took a deep breath, "I'm a little worried. I don't remember what I was doing all night while I was sleep walking."

"It's okay. We'll figure it out. Have a seat. I need to finish this first."

Later, Kagome talked Inuyasha into following Tatsuhana's scent from the night before. He was begrudging as always. He started sniffing from Kaede's hut and followed the trail Tatsuhana left with her tiny blood specks. He followed the trail up to a shallow cave. Tatsuhana's brows furrowed as she became very cross with herself.

"Why did I walk all the way out here?" Tatsuhana asked of herself.

The three of them, Inuyasha, who had already ducked inside the cave, Kagome, and Tatsuhana entered. The trail ended at a cave wall.

"I think I see something on the wall," said Inuyasha. He pressed his face close, squinting at the rock.

Kagome approached the wall and looked intently. Unfortunately, her human eyes couldn't make out the image in a dark cave.

"I can almost see it, but it's too dark in here."

"I'll be back." Inuyasha sped out of the cave and returned after almost half an hour with a lantern. He lit it and held it aloft for them to see.

Kagome gasped as the lamplight shined over the battle scene sketched into the rock. Despite the craggy surface, the cave wall depicted two armies approaching each other in white chalk. Tatsuhana stared at the drawing then looked at her hands.

"Did I draw this?" Her murmur echoed despite how quiet she kept her voice.

The intricate details, the historical armor and costuming, the grotesque faces, all in a style Tatsuhana didn't paint or draw in. She remembered going to sleep, but what happened when she slumbered. A familiar-looking box of chalk lay at the feet of general wearing Chinese armor. Tatsuhana walked over and took it, then backed away from the mural as if afraid that the chalk drawing would come to life.

"Hey, look, Inuyasha! This one kind of looks like you!" Kagome pointed out a male figure behind the demon general charging at the front of the lines.

Inuyasha squinted. He shook his head in disbelief.

"Are you coming?"

Tatsuhana tore her eyes away from the mural. Kagome and Inuyasha had already moved to the mouth of the cave. She hadn't realized that she had been staring at the mural until her eyes watered as soon as she saw light pouring into the cave. She blinked and scrunched her eyes almost to a close while making her way out. Inuyasha extinquished the lamp and the three ventured back to the village.

"What were you dreaming about? Maybe that might explain the mural?" Kagome suggested.

Tatsuhana shook her head. "No. I don't think that's it. I don't remember dreaming at all. I think I would remember dreaming about a big battle scene like that. It's weird though."

"What is?" Asked Kagome.

"The two main figures, the ones at the front of the armies. The man and woman. They remind me…of my foster parents for some reason. But that can't be right. My mom and dad…they didn't look anything those people in the mural and they were definitely human, and yet I can't shake this feeling that I'm forgetting something…"

Tatsuhana let her thoughts take her far away from the village. She returned her precious art supplies back home and put them away for safekeeping. She washed the dirt, blood, and chalk off her feet and hands. Returning to Kaede's hut, Tatsuhana spent the rest of the day staring out into nothing, sitting on the veranda out back.

"What do you think, Kaede?" Kagome finished telling the elderly priestess everything that conspired that morning.

Kaede hummed to herself, thinking. It was very uncertain whether or not Tatsuhana herself was a demon. The extraordinary show of power over the elements pointed in one direction, but when she came to, Tatsuhana remembered nothing of the incident. According to both Myoga and Totosai, it would take tremendous will power and spiritual energy to combat, let alone overcome, a curse-mark like Akio's. The storm that Tatsuhana unconsciously summoned, Totosai explained while she was unconscious for almost a week, was the result of highly intensified emotional state. There was little room to doubt that it was Tatsuhana who brought the wind, rain, and hail out of season to that tiny village. The moment she began to doubt herself, that power slipped out of her hands; it disappeared.

Tatsuhana's mysterious drawings and lack of memories also made things difficult. She did not remember where she came from, but somehow knew she was not born in the future. She didn't remember much of anything beyond arriving at that house where the older couple took her in and raised her. Kaede remembered Tatsuhana explaining how for two years she was confused by the modern convienceces of the twenty-first century as if experiencing them for the first time. It was as if she had been raised in a world completely devoid of those things. She had to learn everything about the world before quickly growing out of it.

Her draws were yet another matter. There were landscapes and portraits of the future, but then there were more bizarre things in her sketchbook she seemed to be nervous about showing. Kaede never got a chance to glimpse through it and respected Tatsuhana's privacy. However, considering the mural they discovered in the cave, Kaede wished she had stolen the chance when she had it. Perhaps one of those drawings held a clue to who and what Tatsuhana really was.

"Miss Tatsuhana is a very strange creature. I cannot say one way or another how ye must proceed, except with caution."

"Do you think there is a way to somehow…I don't…restore her memories? What if there's something in her childhood before she was adopted? What if there's something hidden there that can help sort this all out?"

"If I suspect rightly, then I do not know. If Miss Tatsuhana is in fact a demon, I know not how to restore a demon's memory."

"That's too bad," Kagome sighed, "It would help her so much just to remember."

Tatsuhana nestled in a comfortable spot on the hill. In her lap was a blank scroll, one that Miroku gifted her when her sketchbook turned up missing. Next to her was the box of homemade chalk. Her horse, the very same one taken from the brothel, was quite comfortable with her drawing him on the scroll. He got some good grass out of the deal and ate whatever he desired of the wild field. She huffed now and then while her hands worked to render the image. She didn't know what to call him just yet, in case some irate lord comes looking for his stolen horse. Kaze or Sugureta (excellent) were fitting, but she liked the name Anzen-sei, which meant safety.

She drew him partially out of boredom and partially to escape a bombardment of questions. She took Anzen-sei for a walk up to this steep hill where he could graze and Tatsuhana could get away. The veins in her forehead throbbed. Finishing one of the drawing's legs, Tatsuhana wiped the sweat from her brow. High noon, the sun reached its peak of power, beating down on her. She cursed herself for not bringing some water to drink with her.

Putting aside her calk for a moment to stretch her fingers, Tatsuhana noticed a slithering in the grass, edging towards her. Anzen-sei was too busy grazing to be startled by the intruder. The wild grass parted around a silver-white snake with a piece of paper tied to its back by some red string. Tatsuhana smiled, blushing a little. She waited until the snake crawled up beside her and gave her hand a little nudge. Anju was a lesser demon that Shiro took care of. She wasn't anything like him or many of the other demons Tatsuhana had encountered. That did not make her any less dangerous. Though she was small in girth, Anju was longer than Tatsuhana was tall. Anju could strangle a man twice her size. Tatsuhana petted Anju's chin, earning an affectionate tongue flick. Eagerly, Tatsuhana freed Anju of her burden.

She had been carrying two parchments. One a letter from Shiro. The second was a painting like none Tatsuhana had ever seen before. Shiro had painted a woman with flowing robes and her hair dancing in the wind with chrysanthemum petals. Beneath her feet, she trod on the back of a fierce tiger. The tiger reared its ugly head back at the woman riding its back, bulging eyes almost surging out of their sockets. The painted lady showed no signs of fear or panic as would be appropriate. Shiro painted her face with a look of serenity; she was secure in her prowess. All of the colors were rendered so splendidly, Tatsuhana found herself staring at the artistry for what felt like ages.

Anju slithered back into the forest to return to her master and caretaker. Tatsuhana looked at the drawing of her horse and frowned. A piece of art like Shiro's deserved something of equal value. Despite working on Anzen-sei's portrait for almost an hour, Tatsuhana pulled the scroll further ahead to a blank spot untouched by greasy fingerprints or chalk. An image filled her imagination to the point where she would kill herself if she never put it down on paper. Something that only Shiro could appreciate. And so, she began to draw like mad.

It was finally sunset when the light started to fail her and she couldn't draw anymore. Not unless she found a lamp somewhere. Anzen-sei flopped down in the middle of the field, napping. Just as she began packing her things, Tatsuhana heard a set of footprints approaching her. At first, she thought it was Kagome come to check on her. But no. It wasn't Inuyasha either. He tended to have very heavy footsteps wherever he clomped around on his bare feet.

"Um, hi."

Tatsuhana stood face to face with Sesshomaru, the infamous and legendary. He walked with purpose towards her but none of his features told her what kind of mood he was in. He wore the same stoic face. Nothing different, nothing new, she doubted Sesshomaru would ever surprise her.

Sesshomaru glanced around the field. "What are you doing all the out here?"

"I was originally out here sketching Anzen-sei over there," Tatsuhana jutted her thumb towards her horse, "But then I started on a new project. Do you want to see?"

It couldn't have hurt to ask. She knew the answer even as it passed from her lips and into the air. Still, if she was ever going to get some kind of reaction from him, she might as well take any opportunity it came from.

"No."

Oh well. At least it was some reaction.

Tatsuhana shrugged her shoulders at his reply. She packed her things away and taking great care of Shiro's letter and painting.

"I heard from Rin that you have formed a friendship with Shiro."

"Yes, I have. What's it to you?"

"It would be best for your sake if you followed this one's advice and stayed away. You do not know Shiro or his motives."

"I think I can find out on my own, thank you," she scoffed. Tatsuhana fit everything back into the saddle bag and climbed into the saddle. "This one thanks you for the advice, however it isn't necessary."

Anzen-sei started for the village. Tatsuhana heard Sesshomaru say, "Do not say I did not warn you." She turned her head, however he had already vanished as was his custom. Tatsuhana returned in time for dinner, though she made no mention of Shiro's letter or Sesshomaru's cryptic warning.