"Battle of Nori Nanba"
Chapter 8


Yoshi and Nori Nanba walk out of the village and into the forest. Following the path that her mother followed to get to the village.

"Nori," her mother says,

"Yes mother," Nori replies.

"Will you tell me something?" Her Mother asks her.

"Of course I will." Nori replies.

"Your father tells me you have fallen in love, is this true?" She asks her.

"I am not sure… I have never been in love before, so I do not know if it is love or what it is." Nori tells her.

"So tell me then Nori how do you feel for him?" She looks at her mother and smiles; she cannot believe she is finally having this conversion with her mother.

"Yes," she says, "I will tell you the best I can, it feels like a giant wave of emotion has washed over my body, the only thing I can think of is him, his soft cool skin on my hand, his long flowing hair, his eyes of..." she stops looking at her mother.

"I know he is a demon, your father told me, and if that is whom you love then I am happy for you Nori." She smiles at her mother,

"Thank you." Nori says.

"So it sounds like you are defiantly in love with this man, what his is name?" Yoshi asks her.

"Lord Sesshomaru…” Nori says, “Mother tell me something?"

"Yes dear..." she replies.

"Why can I feel him… as if he is a part of me I can feel his confusion, his saddens, his anger, and his..." Nori pauses.

"His what Nori?" Yoshi asks her.

"His power, he is so powerful." Nori exclaims.

"Because he is falling in love with you." She turns, looking at her mother,

"How can that be? I never cast a spell on him or what ever I do to men to make men fall in love with me."

Her mother laughs, "You do not have to all you have to do is look in to his eyes and ask him to fall in love with you."

"ASK?" Nori Nanba really confused now.

"Yes dear it is that simple. When I met your father, I could not get him to fall in love with me for anything none of my spells were working on him. I went to my mother your Grandmother and I asked her why they were not working on him. I was falling in love for the first time in my life and the man I was in love with did not or would not love me. She told me ‘Did you ask him to love you?’ I said the same thing you did. ASK? Your Grandmother told me that certain men are not as easily won over by spells, those were the men that ended up being part of a binding..." Nori cut her Mother off.

"But father said those were not safe."

"He is right binding is very dangerous for you, and the man you use it on." Her Mother told her.

"So what did she tell you about asking him, how does that work?" Nori asks her.

"She told me that these men are not as simple-minded as others and they were looking for true love, not just love." She told her.

"You just ask them… that is it… nothing else you just ask," Nori Nanba said. "Well how did you ask father then?"

"When I got back to your father, I went up to him wrapped my arms around him and I asked him to love Me." she said.

"You spoke to him you did not think it while looking into his eyes." Nori asks her.

"Well of course I was looking into his eyes, which is the whole order of our powers." Yoshi said. "Nori, have you ever heard the saying, ‘The doorway to the soul lies within the eyes’."

"Yes, I have what about it." Nori replies.

"If you can look into someone’s eyes and see their soul, it is because they let you. Not because of your powers. This person is reaching out to you they need you and they know it, they just do not know how to tell you." Her Mother says.

"So could you see fathers' soul?" Nori asks her.

"Oh yes, I could see so deep into his soul, I knew what he was feeling every minute of the day." She tells her.

"You could feel his feelings, is that what you are saying?" Nori exclaims.

"Yes dear that is what I am saying." She tells her.

"What of father… could he feel what you were feeling because of that?" Nori says.

"Yes he could, at least that is what he led me to believe." Her Mother tells her.

"What do you mean by that mother?" Nori asks.

"There would be days that I would see your father and he would ask me how I was, because he had the strangest feeling I was upset or had a bad day. On those days he would ask me those questions he was always right I was upset or my day had not gone so well." Yoshi replies.

"He could feel you then, right mother..."

"Yes, he could." She says.

"So you are wondering if Lord Sesshomaru feels you as well." Her Mother asks her.

"Yes I am wondering that. I feel him so strongly like his soul is my soul and the desire I feel for him... it just erupts inside of me and it has no where to go. I so badly want to touch him and hold him in my arms, feel his soft skin next to mine, I want him and I cannot have him and that is ripping me apart from the inside." Nori tells her Mother.

"You feel the same way for Lord Sesshomaru as I do for your father." Her Mother told her.

"I hate it," Nori Nanba says, "I hate it because he cannot be with me."

"Nori my dear, give it time and it will happen. I chased your father for 5 years before I got him. Lord Sesshomaru will come around as well." She tells Nori.

"I do not know about that mother, there are a few things I have not told you about him." Nori says.

Her mother looking puzzled says, "Then please tells me?"

“He hates humans.” She says.

"You are not human.” Her mother says.

"But I am not a Goddess either." Nori Nanba says, "I am a half-breed and he hates half-breeds just as much… if not more."

"How do you know this?” Her mother asks.

"When his brother Inuyasha was at the village that is when I first met Sesshomaru and Kagome and Sango told me all about Sesshomaru they are friends with Inuyasha. Sesshomaru is the one that tried to kill Inuyasha when they brought him to me. He came into the village looking for Inuyasha so he could finish killing him. I guess he thought Inuyasha was so bad that he should not have healed so quickly. When Sesshomaru looked at me he asked if I was the one responsible for his brother's quick recovery he looked very upset at me for saving Inuyasha." Nori told her Mother.

"Well then, he hates his younger brother because he is a half-breed are you sure there is not more behind that hatred?" Her mother says.

"I do not know, but when Sesshomaru's eyes met mine for the first time. I could see so much pain and anger within him. I know he is hurting and I so badly want to take that hurt from him so he will never have to feel it again." Nori says.

"Tell me Nori, when he first looked at you and your eyes met. What was the first thing you seen in his eyes?" Her Mother asks her.

"Hatred, a deep hatred for..." Nori pauses.

"For who dear?"

"For ME..." Nori exclaims.

"Then what did you see?" Her Mother asks.

"I am not sure, but I thought I was looking at his soul it was weird it was like I went right passed looking into his heart and went to his soul." Nori says confused.

"What did you see in his soul Nori?" Her Mother asks.

"A scared child… looking for love and tenderness so frightened and alone reaching out to me to be loved and held." Nori tells her.

"You saw this?" Her mother asked.

"Yes that is what I saw, a frightened child locked inside himself." Nori replies.

Her mother tells her, "He needs you Nori, he was reaching out to you, he has many walls built around this child to stop the pain from getting to the child inside of him, a child that must have been hurt many times as he was growing up. Therefore, he builds the walls around the child inside of him to keep him safe from the hurt and the pain of life and he wears a tough outer shell to keep people away so they can not hurt him any longer and in doing this, he separates himself from the love he really needs and wants deep inside."

"How do I do that mother?" Nori asks her.

"It will take time to do this; you have to win his trust and his heart for him to let you near the inner child." Her Mother tells her.

"I do not care how long it takes me to do this, I want him in my life, and I will do anything to help him stop the pain he feels. I just wish I could see him again." Nori Nanba says.


Meanwhile, deep within the forest, Lord Sesshomaru is sitting watching Rin fish in the near by creek.

"Gees, this water is getting colder everyday," Rin says.

"Well of course you silly girl the seasons are changing and the water will get colder as they change." Jaken says to her.

"I think I have enough fish, I am getting out I am cold," Rin says.

As she is climbing out of the water, she sneezes. Sesshomaru looks at her, she laughs, “Something tickled my nose.” Rin says still giggling.

Sesshomaru goes back to what he was doing. As he can hear Jaken and Rin arguing in the background, his mind starts to drift off. He starts to think of Nori Nanba, he shakes his head, "I have not thought of her in days, why is she back on my mind?" He asks himself. He cannot help but think of her he tries to stop it, but he cannot as his mind drifts to the encounter they had in her room.

“She is so beautiful, her very beautiful soft blue eyes, they are as blue as the waters and so deep and loving. Her skin is so warm and soft...” as he touches his cheek, wishing to feel her hand there once again.

“Her beautiful long golden brown hair with the glistening gold and coppers,” He sees her like she is standing right in front of him, he reaches for her, but to his dismay, she is not there. He gets angry getting up and walks off.

"Where are you going Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin calls after him.

"To be alone, I will be back later," He replies. He walks away hearing Rin sneeze again.

His mind goes back to Nori Nanba, "Why am I thinking of her and why can I feel her as if she is inside of me… in my very soul. Why can I not get her out of my mind I need to find her so she can remove the power she has over me this spell she has cast upon me."

He stops walking touching his cheek once more and says, "I want her… Nonsense!" he says angered, "I need NO ONE!!"


"How far do we have before we get there mother?" Nori asks her.

"Well we will have to find somewhere to sleep tonight it is a day and a half walk from your village. So tonight we will sleep in the forest." Her Mother tells her.

"What!" Nori Nanba exclaims, "Out here, where we could be attacked by animals and demons in the middle of the night?"

Her mother laughs, "We will be safe. There is a cave just ahead we can stay there for the night we will be safe in there." Her Mother tells her.

"Mother! I need a bath I am dirty from the forest and I stink." Her mother still laughing at her, "There is a hot spring very close, you can bathe there. You are spoiled child your father kept you too sheltered in your life."

She smiles at her mother, "I guess I am," as she starts to laugh as well.

As they come upon the cave, the sun is setting. "We got here just in time it looks like, I have wood in the cave so we can build a fire and make us something to eat, and then you can go get your bath, as you so badly say you need." Her Mother says smiling at her.

Nori laughs at her mother, "I will get the fire going, if you want to find us something to eat." Nori Nanba said.

"That sounds good to me." Her mother said.

Nori gets the fire going, when she hears her mother humming her favorite song.

"You use to sing that to me when I was a baby." Nori tells her Mother.

Her mother smiles at her, "Yes I did, I cannot believe you remember that you were so young then..."

"It is my favorite song; I always hum it when I am doing my chores. I never knew where I heard it before… until now when I heard you humming it and then I remembered." Nori stops and a look of shock came over her.

Her mother exclaims, "Nori are you all right?!"

"He is coming for me..."

"Who is?!" Her Mother exclaims.

“Lord Sesshomaru… he is coming for me.” As a tear streams down Nori’s cheek, “He wants to kill me. I can feel his anger at me, he is so angry with me."

"Why would he be angry with you?" Her mother says.

"I do not know? If I had to say why, I would say because he is falling in love with me, as you said and he does not want that." Nori tells her.

Her mother looks shocked to hear this, "Why would he want to kill you."

"That is all he knows mother, he lets nothing get in his way. His quest is to be the most powerful demon alive and I am not part of that. Therefore, he sees me as a distraction. That is something he does not need in his quest for power." Nori says.

Her mother looks at her, "I do not believe he will kill you Nori, he is just confused with what he is feeling right now and soon he will give in to the desire of wanting you in his life."

As Nori Nanba is crying, she tells her mother, "I hope you are right."

Nori Nanba and her mother finish eating and Nori Nanba tells her mother, "I am going to the hot spring for my bath, would you like to join me."

"No, go head without me, I am tried and I want to sleep." Her Mother tells her.

"All right then I will be back soon." Nori tells her.


As she follows the path at the side of the cave, that her mother said to take that takes you to the hot springs, Nori cannot help but think of the talk that her and her mother had while walking to their destination.

Nori finally makes it to the hot spring, "It looks so inviting," she said aloud.

As she undresses and steps into the spring, slowly slipping down into the water "Mmmmm..." she says, “This feels so good on my aching muscles. I have never walked so far in my life and to think tomorrow will be a full day of walking. Well, I had better enjoy this while I can."

As she sits back against a large rock in the spring, closing her eyes and relaxing... unknowing that Lord Sesshomaru is not far away. After awhile of sitting there she starts to feel tired.

"I had better get to cleaning up and getting back to the cave before I fall asleep out here." Nori says aloud she starts washing her hair, while she is doing this Lord Sesshomaru walks out into the clearing where the hot spring is. He stops; he cannot believe she is right in front of him bathing.

Nori Nanba unaware that he is there stands to wash her body. Sesshomaru's heart is racing and his blood hot his mind starts to race with what he sees.

“She is Beautiful, her body is perfect, her hair that sparkles in the moon light, her breast so round and supple. The curve of her waist, as it extends to the length of her legs, and her skin so fair and glistening from where the water has touched it.”

As the moonlight dances on the water around her making her more beautiful then he can remember, “I want her,” he says to himself.

As he moves toward her, making a noise, he startled her. Nori Nanba turns, covering herself, "WHO'S THERE!" she yells, seeing nothing.

Sesshomaru has hid behind a tree just before she could see him, his eyes still on Nori Nanba as his blood runs hot and his heart races, "What am I doing," he says softly, "I cannot believe I am hiding from a woman and these feelings, where are they coming from? NO!" He says, "I will not allow this. I will not fall for this woman."

He closes his eyes, the only thing he can see is Nori Nanba, and he feels the burning desire of wanting her. He looks back out at Nori Nanba in the hot springs she has gone. He steps out from the trees, walking down to the spring, her scent of White tea and Ginger fills the night air, warming his blood and heart. He follows her scent back to the cave.

"Nori!" He hears.

"Yes, mother..."

"We will be leaving at sunrise, so get some sleep." Her Mother tells her.

"I will mother, I just want to go out and enjoy the night, the moon is full, and the sky is filled with stars." Nori says.

"All right then, but do not go too far." Her Mother says.

"Do not worry mother, I will not leave the front of the cave." Nori reassures her.


Nori walks out of the cave, looking up into the night sky. "It is beautiful," she says aloud.

She stands there in silence for a moment. Sesshomaru starts to go to her and she calls out to him, "Sesshomaru."

He stops and looks at her, she is staring at the moon.

"Lord Sesshomaru why do you hate me and your anger for me is so strong." Nori calls out.

"She can feel me, as I can her." He thinks to himself.

As she is still talking, he hears her say, "I do not wish to die and if you come to kill me I will accept it and I will die by your hands and your hands only, but before I die I will tell you one thing. I love you and I only wanted your love in return."

As she whispers, "I just wish you were here so I could tell you."

Sesshomaru could not move from where he was standing he could only look out to her and wish he could hold her he felt like everything he has ever known is fighting with what he wants now and he feels forever lost in this entangled web of feelings.



The Battle Of Nori Nanba Chapter 9