Chapter 2

It was an accident when I stumbled across the sacred ground. I was… dare I say, curious when I felt an ancient, powerful energy that called to the beast in me. It caught me off guard, causing me to nearly slip off the tree branch I had suddenly stopped on. It took a whole five minutes before curiosity got the better of me, and I just had to investigate the source.

It didn't take long for me to find the source of the energy. It was a Shrine with a giant tree standing at its center. But it was the woman dressed in red and white that caught my attention. Power radiated off her in thick waves.

She interested me. Her power wasn't like anything I've ever felt before. It almost felt… dare I say; pure. Considering now-a-day miko were powerless women with no true knowledge or respect for their ancestors.

I studied her as she swept the grounds close to my position. If she knew of my presence she did not acknowledge me; not that I figured she would. Humans are weak creatures, never aware of the dangers around them. Why would I have though this human was any different? Because of her power? Or was it how I felt my beast prowl at the edge of my control now that I could see her?

I felt my eyes widen as realization hit me: She had been sweeping the same area not even 15 feet away since I have arrived. Did she notice me? If she did notice me, when? Yes, I decided she did notice me. How would she react to my youki? Again curiosity got the better of me as I found myself brushing my youki gently along her energy.

The reaction I received and the reaction that I was expecting was very different. Though I'll admit I wasn't entirely sure what I was expecting in all honesty. I knew I wasn't ready for my youki snap as though I'd been stung before being basked in a warm welcoming sensation. A warning and a welcoming; that was not something I normally encounter, especially from a lone miko.

I watched as the human's head snapped up and lock her eyes with mine. They were a shade of blue that shined with a warmth and amusement. She smiled welcomingly.

I left. Her eyes seemed to follow me even as I felt her power begin to fade behind me.

My beast prowled curiously at the edge of my control as I found myself watching the miko once again. She was in a battle against two lower C-class demons. She surprised me by asking them to go about their way, to leave her in peace. She told them she didn't want to kill them. Her voice was sharp and cold, but her eyes danced with emotion.

Of course, they refused. I watched as tears spilled from her eyes as she released her arrow.

That's when I realized that if she ever touched me, she could destroy me. I knew that if I ever was on the other end of those arrows she practiced with, she could have destroy me. I knew all this by watching this one battle.

The arrow had flown true. It hit one of the demons in the chest and instantly he was dust. The arrow pulsed once, the second demon screamed before he too was nothing but ash.

She had cried for her opponents then. I watch as she mourned the lives that she had been forced to take to protect her own.

She was a priestess, yet she shed tears for a demon. It made no sense. She had given them the chance to turn and leave. Her action made no sense. She hadn't wanted to kill them. Again, that made no sense.

Priestess' were supposed to be brutal, killing machine without mercy; without any thought when it came to demons. She however, was the exact opposite. She was a puzzle.

Her tears bothered me for some reason. I did not want to see them anymore. My beast agreed.

I came more often after that battle, dispatching any nearby demons. She began greeting with a gentle brush of her energy as I entered her land.

Then one day, out of the blue, she began talking, telling me of the myths and legends that surround this holy shrine. She spoke often of a half demon and a priestess that led a small group of humans and demons around that worked together in harmony. She spoke of battles that the group fought and won. She also spoke of defeat and lost: Of love and betrayal, of chains and freedom, of family.

At first I ignored her rambles; perhaps it was emotion in her voice, perhaps it was the stories themselves, perhaps it was my own curiosity or that of my beast but I found myself listening to her words. I discovered that slowly, I was beginning to enjoy listening to her and I found that I had grown comfortable in this holy place. I had even taken a spot in Tree of Ages, as she had called it, though I never let her see me.

I was becoming comfortable with this human, this priestess who was supposed to be the mortal enemy of my race. Even when she mediated under the branches of the Tree and her aura lashed out and licked at my very being, I did not leave. Her aura never burnt me but soothed my opposing elements.

I would watch as the very being that was the Tree would bask in and absorb her energy. What the tree didn't absorb, the ground and the other plants would. Even her old cat did as he slept in her lap. I found that even my body began accepting her pure energy and I would find myself drifting into a light, restful doze.

Slowly I began to understand why this place was, how it was so peaceful and full of power. It was her. She was the reason behind the peace and the power that lay within the very earth that surrounded her shrine.

She had finished mediating one late afternoon when she spoke. "I think I'm going to go shopping. Do you want anything?" I didn't answer, I never did but that never seem to bother her. She smiled. "I'll be back in a little while."

She was taking too long. The sky was already black and she still hadn't return. I paced at the top of the shrine steps. Something didn't feel right. The grounds suddenly felt empty, deserted.

"Meow" suddenly broke the silent and I turned to see the old, gray tom standing on the pillar next to me. His body still looked strong though his entire coat had turned a silver grey with age. He meowed again and looked towards town.

For a time, we sat in silence waiting for the priestess to return. Suddenly the old cat was brushing against my leg and he meowed again and looked out towards town. He looked up at me. Despite myself, I picked up the feline. He seemed unafraid and surprisingly comfortable in my presence unlike other creatures from this realm.

"You think I should go to her cat?" He looked up at me and felt her power swimming just under his fur. "Hn. Humans are weak, disgusting creatures." I truly believe that statement. "What if I choose to ignore her absence and go about as if she didn't exist… like I never discovered this place? Or if I choose to kill her… you… everything that makes up this place? Why should I care?"

I stared at the old cat as he purred in my arms. It would have been simple to crush this creature, to burn everything to the ground. However, I couldn't. This place was something I never had before. Peace. Reason.

The cat squirmed and jumped from my arms. He looked over his shoulder with an intelligent gleam in his eye before yawning and walked away, towards the Tree of Ages. No doubt to lay among the roots of the giant tree for his evening nap.

I felt myself straighten some, before I left my sacred shrine. She had become the exception to my rule.

It didn't take me long to discover her energy trail and followed it. It took me even less time to find her.

I felt her fear; her very pain before I physically found her and it infuriated me. I saw her beaten and bloody body and nearly lost my control. How dare they put their disgusting hands on her?

With a swift kick I sent the one sitting on her flying into a dumpster. I heard his skull thud painfully against the steel contraption and I couldn't help but find joy in it. I smirked darkly, thinking of how many ways I could kill the fools you dare hurt her. I smelt her tears then and had to remind myself not to kill them; they were only humans after all. I smirked; there were worst things then death.

As much as I would have preferred a long, drawn out torture, I quickly beat them leaving them bloody, unconscious and a several broken bones.

I turned my attention to the miko then and I felt guilt fill my very soul as my eyes meant her sapphire ones. I felt my beast cry with guilt as I saw her naked form laying there battered and beaten.

With a quick movement, I covered her body with my cloak and gently helped her to sit up. I let her rest against my chest which my beast purred about.

She surprised me, considering what her ordeal she had just gone through. She leaned into my chest, holding onto my shirt as if I was her only lifeline and cried. Her energy wrapped around me begging for comfort. I found myself responding, wrapping my youki around even as my arm slowly began to encircle her.

I let her cry, though I don't know how long we stay like that. Finally, she fell asleep in my arms.

Gently I pick her up bridal style and returned her to the shrine. This would never happen again. I would make sure of it.