Saeka's Words

Sesshomaru stared at the healing demon as she started toward the group. She raised her hand and gently swung it toward herself. The water leapt off the ground and into her hand. She then dropped it onto the ground, a thick ball of ice. She turned to face Sesshomaru. " Demon, you should know better than to attack me. I saved you from death, which you fight using your healing sword, the Tenseiga. You aren't even fully recovered and you think that you have the strength to defeat me. Under normal circumstances, and had I not had the wisdom to produce a water replica, you would indeed have greater strength and prowess than I." She said proudly. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. " You survived a direct blow from my sword, Tokijjin. With a water replica." He said. Saeka nodded. " Correct. You certainly thought that you had me there. I can tell by the vibrations your heart is sending through the earth."

" What are you?"

" I have told you, I am a dragon demon. If you are wondering whether I have a true form or not, I do. But I hate to use it, so I keep it hidden."

She turned and headed over to her bag. She raised it off the ground and shouldered it. " Now, however, I believe that my true form in necessary in order for me to return home to my cave at Mt. Hakurei. Sesshomaru," she said as she reached into her bag and removed what looked to be a rolled up slip of paper from it. She tossed it to him. " As much as I should be trying to kill you right now for trying to kill me, here. It's how to find me should The Crush reawaken."

She stepped back a ways, bowed to them all and closed her eyes. A gentle wind filled the clearing, blowing her hair around her head in a halo. Her entire body glowed brightly and the dust began to kick up around them. Everyone was forced to cover their eyes and noses to avoid breathing it in. When the dust finally settled, they all looked to see where Saeka was. Before them, stood a large, serpentine dragon with a wolf-like face, emerald eyes and the long white tendrils billowing out from either side of its nose. It had two long sandy-colored horns at the top of its head and a flowing turquoise mane rippling down its scaly white body. It stared at them with a curious look. In a voice sounding faraway, Saeka spoke to them: Farewell, my friends. Though the journey has been long and hard for all of us, I believe that we all have learned something and I have learned that no one can help me the way I believed that Sesshomaru and his friends could. I now know that I have done all I could and all of you have learned to trust each other a little more. Perhaps, we will meet again. But should we part for good, remember my words. Life has many paths, but be sure of the path you take before you set foot on it. For once you have started down, it is almost impossible to go back.

She bent her scaly, strong legs down and shot up into the air, rippling her body to gain momentum as she burst through the trees, into the sky and out of sight.

Rin watched her go with teary eyes. " Thank you, Saeka." She murmured, wiping them absently.

A ways away, Sango looked at Miroku. " Was she really just a demon?" she whispered. Miroku looked at his friend. " I'm not too sure, Sango. But one thing is certain. We somehow helped her with some problem that she was refusing to tell us and she rewarded us with words of wisdom and a warning."

Kagome and InuYasha glanced at each other and cautiously approached Sesshomaru, still gazing up where Saeka had vanished.

" Sesshomaru. Why did you attack her? She saved your life." InuYasha said quietly. Sesshomaru's head lowered. " Because she hoped I would help her." He answered, shocking them both. Sesshomaru gestured to Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un and started off through the path. As he reached the edge of the forest, he turned to InuYasha and fixed him in a cold stare.

" Be careful." He muttered so quietly, they weren't positive he'd said anything. But InuYasha's powerful ears picked it up and he hummed low in his throat as Sesshomaru turned away and disappeared into the darkness.

" You too. Brother." He whispered to himself.

Hours later, the little group was traveling rapidly across the land. Kirara was carrying Sango and Miroku and InuYasha was carrying Shippo and Kagome on his back. Kagome couldn't help but wonder what Saeka's words had meant.

For once you have started down, it's almost impossible to go back. What could that have meant?

" What'cha thinking about, Kagome?" InuYasha asked.

" Huh? Oh, I was just thinking about what happened. I was wondering why Sesshomaru tried to kill Saeka. She saved him." Kagome said.

" I know. I was wondering the same thing. But I suppose it's none of our business and that we should just put it behind us. Saeka's alive still and Sesshomaru's almost recovered from whatever it was he had, so there's nothing to be concerned about. Now, do you sense any sacred jewel fragments?"

Kagome pondered over what he said. InuYasha's words made sense. Both of the demons were still alive and Saeka seemed content now, except for whatever the problem she had was. But why she needed the help of Sesshomaru, Kagome would probably never know. She sighed and faked sensation of a jewel shard.

" North." She said. They all headed in that direction and Kagome stared in the opposite direction, to the distant form of Mt. Hakurei, which for a peaceful mountain looked strangely ominous today. She silently wished Saeka farewell and turned south as the group continued on in their journey.

Rin's hand flashed down and snatched a fish from the water. " Aha! I caught one!" she cried, splashing through the stream onto the bank. She dropped the fish and rang out her kimono. Jaken was standing a few feet off. " Good catch, I suppose." He said crankily. He was still in shock from what had happened to Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru was resting beneath a tree, watching absently. He was still unable to believe that he had been healed by a half-demon with uncanny powers. He could still recall the distant voice of the healer through the foggy darkness he'd wandered in for several days until he woke up. He closed his eyes, but all he saw was the dragon-girl staring back at him. He opened them, and he was surrounded by memories of his sickness. He supposed he should be grateful that someone had decided to help him. Whoever that someone was, Saeka or the demon in disguise had made him realize that he cared about his little brother. InuYasha had stayed by him, which was surprising. Strangely enough, Sesshomaru couldn't get his mind off the past few days. The days he'd been awake, he remembered InuYasha sitting quietly by the fire, his hands in the sleeves of his red kimono. He remembered Rin sitting with him and talking to him like she sometimes did when the three of them were traveling. He recalled the young monk and the slayer playing some sort of hand game that had something to do with rocks and paper. He could recall the girl, Kagome talking with Saeka or that little fox-demon, Shippo. To his surprise, whenever he pulled out those memories, he felt warmer inside than he had in a long time.

He stood up and turned to his companions. " We're going." He said. Rin nodded, gathered up her fish and climbed on Ah-Un's back. " All right. Come on Master Jaken. We're movin' out!" she called. Jaken sighed exasperatedly. " I'm coming." He muttered.

Sesshomaru stared ahead, down the path further where Mt. Hakurei could just barely be seen over the horizon. Saeka had said she lived in a cave at the base of that mountain. Sesshomaru couldn't stop puzzling over that. If Saeka was a demon, wouldn't she be purified? But a thought struck him: what if she was already purified, but had somehow managed to keep hold of her powers? There was a faint possibility and Sesshomaru could sense it. He turned away from another path adjoining this one and headed instead, for Mt. Hakurei. Jaken noticed this. " My Lord, aren't we going the wrong way? Oh Lord Sesshomaru!" He called.

Whack!

" Ouch!"

Saeka sighed as she stirred the concoction in her pot atop the little fire. She added a little alicorn here and there and a pinch of Mite dust to make a cure for a common cold someone had dared to pester her about. She gazed longingly outside at the sunset. How she wished she weren't enslaved to her promise. How she longed to be free from…him. She cursed his name for every second since they'd met. She had hoped that by helping Sesshomaru, he would in turn assist her and help her regain her freedom. She had probed his unconscious thoughts while administering the medicine, as he lay in comatose. He had mentioned something about a demon called Naraku. Maybe, instead she should consult this Naraku person. Perhaps he could be of assistance.

She stared out of her cave again as she set the pot to cool. But then again, Sesshomaru was quite a powerful demon. Not many could shatter one of her labored-over water replicas like that and with a mere sword no less. He was definitely the one she had been searching for: her savior and the one to set her free so she could finally join her mother in the netherworld.

The End?

A/N: The final chapter of The Healer! But for some reason, it won't update on my end, so I can't read my own chapters as I put them in! WAAAAHH!!!!! Oh well. This is the end of book 1. Be on the lookout for book 2, which I'll update right away. It's called, The Second Strike-Saeka's Redemption. DON'T MISS IT!!!!!