Chapter 4:

Dust in the Wind

The battle between Sesshomaru and the leader of the snake youkai's didn't last then more than a few minutes. The blond boy laid limp against a tree as the poisons and toxins spread throughout his body. The daiyoukai turned to face Ryoji and slowly approached him. He gently scooped up the boy and carried him off and in hopes of finding a cure or antidote to rid of the poisons and toxins inside his body.

An hour had passed and there was little hope for Ryoji to survive or make it. Sesshomaru stopped when spotting an old hut near by. He slowly began making his way over to the hut. Maybe there might be someone who could help. Suddenly a very old man stepped out from the worn down hut. He eyed the boy at first and then he eyed Sesshomaru.

The old man scratched his chin for a second and stepped over to where Sesshomaru is. "I can help you with that boy if that's what you seek..."

Sesshomaru was silent at first. Then as his eyes looked up towards the sky he spoke. "He is poisoned. Is there a way he can be cured...?"

The old man grinned and laughed. "Of course he can be cured. I have an antidote that'll restore his health in no time."

Sesshomaru slightly nodded his head. He knelt down and gently set the boy down on the ground. He took a few steps away and watched as the old man went inside his hut to fetch the antidote. The old man grinned and chuckled again. That just annoyed Sesshomaru but he quickly shrugged it off as the old man approached him.

"The only way this will work is if you take it in your mouth and transfer it into the boy's mouth" explained the old buzzard. "I will leave the antidote with you then." And with that the old man placed the antidote in Sesshomaru's hand and walked back into his rugged old shack.

Sesshomaru sighed as he stared at the small vile which held the antidote in it. His eyes shifted from the vile to the boy and back. He then looked around to make sure there was no one around to witness or to interfere. The daiyoukai then took in the antidote in his mouth as he knelt beside Ryoji. He gathered the young boy in his arms, cradling him. His face was barely centimeters apart and soon their lips touched. No sign of emotion was shown on Sesshomaru's face as he 'kissed' the blond. And as he kissed the boy, the liquid transfered from Sesshomaru's mouth into Ryoji's. And as soon as the antidote was swallowed, he pulled his face away from the others face. However, he remained holding the boy in his arms, holding him close. He stood up and began continue walking the path he was walking.

It was still night as he continued along his path, carrying the younger male. He only stopped for a few seconds when he saw Ryoji stir a bit. His blue eyes slowly began to open. Soon Sesshomaru was back to walking along his path. He was heading in an opposite direction from where Rin and Jaken was. So where was the daiyoukai heading to?

"How are you feeling...?" asked Sesshomaru.

Ryoji didn't respond at first. He felt guilty for being an inconvenience to Sesshomaru. "I apologize..." He paused a moment before continuing. "I apologize for being an inconvenience to you..."

No response came from Sesshomaru. Instead he stopped by an abandoned hut that rest near a small village. He slowly entered in and placed the blond on the floor. Inside the hut was a small cot where one can sleep. Ryoji got up from the floor and stood on his own two feet.

"You are right..." stated Sesshomaru. "You are an inconvenience to me... I no longer request for your service nor your company..."

Ryoji was beyond crushed and just stood there as he nodded his head. He walked over to the cot and sat down quietly on it. There was silence between them for a while. Neither one of them spoke for the longest time. The younger male hung his head as his hands gripped tightly onto the cot. Sesshomaru just glared over at the boy.

"You are to stay here" ordered the daiyoukai. "You are not to return to me ever. I don't want to see you anymore. Ever. So stay here and keep away. Understood?"

"...Understood..." Ryoji replied.

And with that Sesshomaru took his leave and began heading back to where the inn was. Rin and Jaken would be waiting for him there as he had ordered earlier. Ryoji just sat on the cot and watched as Sesshomaru walked away into the night and until he can no longer see him. Soon the blond had drifted off to sleep for the rest of the night.

By morning Sesshomaru had reached the inn where Jaken and Rin where. Both were awake and waiting outside for Sesshomaru. Neither of the two said a word as they followed Sesshomaru from the inn and into the forest. Though Rin was kinda sad that the new boy won't be traveling with them, she remained quiet.

It was a peaceful morning for Inuyasha and the group. Inuyasha was napping on a tree near by. Shippo was playing around with Kirara while Miroku, Kagome, and Sango watched. Shizuka was still inside the inn, she was sitting quietly while thinking. She sat there wondering if her brother was doing alright wherever he was. Sango walked away from the group and went inside the inn to check on Shizuka.

She sat down beside the younger female and placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder. "I know what its like to worry about your brother." Sango smile and looked off into the distance for just a moment. "Not too long ago, I was just like you. Concerned about how my own brother was doing and if he was in danger or not."

Shizuka nodded her head and smiled a bit. "I guess I'm not use to being separated from Ryoji is all."

"It'll take some time and you'll get use to it" said Sango.

"Sango..." Shizuka had her gaze fixed facing the window.

"Yes, what is it?" Sango asked.

"Will you teach me to be a demon slayer like you?" The young girl turned to face Sango.

The demon slayer was shocked to hear that question not to mention flattered as well. She smiled at Shizuka and nodded her head. "Yes. I'd be glad to teach you."

"Thank you so much" Shizuka said. "This really means a lot to me."

Sango got serious for a moment and stared right into Shizuka's eyes. "Promise me one thing."

Shizuka nodded as she stared into the older female's eyes as well and got serious for the moment of course. "Name it."

"That you will train with all your heart and might" stated Sango.

"I promise you that I will train with all my heart and might, Sango" swore Shizuka.

Sango then stood up and smiled. "Well then, we should start training now while the others are resting a bit."

Shizuka stood up as well and smiled as she nodded her head. "Good idea. We can train in that open field over by that hill."

So both girls left the inn and headed over to the open field by the hill to do some training. There they began training and working diligently. Soon it was late noon, Inuyasha woke from his nap, Kirara and Shippo eventually tired themselves out and decided to take a nap.

Inuyasha jumped down from his tree and walked over to where Kagome and Miroku were. "So what is Sango doing..?"

Kagome smiled at Inuyasha's question. "Isn't it obvious? Sango has her first student."

Inuyasha looked baffled. "Huh?"

Miroku shook his head and chuckled some. "Sango is teaching Shizuka to become a demon slayer."

"They been at it since this morning" chimed in Kagome.

"I see..." said Inuyasha showing little interest.

Ryoji had woken up when it was noon. His back ached a bit from sleeping on the cot. And he wasn't so down as he was from last night. The blond hopped off the cot and sighed some. Where was he to go from here? What was he to do now? He stepped out from the hut and began walking into the main village. Ryoji might as well do something, so he decided to go exploring through the village a bit. Check out the different shops and maybe see if he can stay a couple of nights.

An old woman came over to him and gave the boy a gold and black kimono so he may fit in a bit better. She also gave him a carrying bag to put his old clothes in. "You may keep them. You may also stay at my place for food and shelter."

Ryoji smiled and nodded. "I'm so grateful for all this. It means a lot."

"Not a problem at all, my child." The old lady lead him inside her house and showed him to his room.

There, Ryoji settled in his room and changed out of his school clothes and into his new kimono. It was a female one but the male one would have been a bit too big for the blond. The kimono was black with gold flower decor and trimmings. He neatly put his school clothes into the carrying bag. The elderly was over by the kitchen making a hot meal for her family as well as the new guest. While Ryoji was waiting for dinner, he gazed into his mirror admiring himself in his new kimono. Soon the dinner bell rang and it was time to eat. Ryoji slowly made his way to the table and sat down at the end of the table. The meal was takoyaki with white rice served with green tea. Soon the family joined in by the table. Two boys in their late teens along with the father. There was no other females in the house besides the elderly woman.

They all sat down and quietly began to eat their meals.

Once dinner was complete, the two boys headed outside to do some outdoor work. The father quietly got up and headed back to his quarters. Ryoji stood around a bit longer and decided to help clean up the table and help with the dishes. For some reason it seemed too good to be true to the boy. The family was oddly quiet and there was something ominous in the atmosphere that was unsettling. But once he was done helping, he returned to his room and quietly sat there on his bed as he gazed out the window looking at the night sky. So far it seemed to be peaceful night. Nothing going on at the time being. The two boys had returned inside the house and had went to their rooms for the rest of the night. Soon lights were out in the house hold and everyone had went to sleep. It was too quiet for Ryoji to sleep, no crickets could be heard. Was there really something admist in the house hold? Could this be a set-up from another group of youkai's. This made the blond all the more nervous and even more weary. He sat up in his bed wide awake not being about to sleep.

"Something is not right..." Ryoji whispered to himself. "Somehow I am getting an eerie feeling about this place..."

Bad somewhere in the dark, two pairs of glowing eyes were watching Ryoji in the distance.

TBC...