A/N I sincerely hope the incessant tempus switches aren't all that confusing, if so, please tell me. I suck at noticing them in time and sticking to just one. ^^; well, onwards with the story.

A great deal of miles away on a secluded, windy hill Sesshomaru is still scrutinizing the hilt stump that once, just now, was his sword. True he had never liked the thing but it was HIS possession dammit! No one takes what is his and gets away with it.

However. The filthy human had not truly taken it per say. So it would not be within his pride to kill her for it, and even if it were that did not guarantee the return of his blade.

As with anything else regarding swords, Totosai was the only one to go to, and hell would await him should the bastard old man run away from him again.

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When the gang returned to the castle that afternoon, the girl with a bowl of ramen in her stomach, they were strangely enough not met with the same kindness they had been earlier.

Confused they were forced to sit in the courtyard as person after person walked by with distain clearly etched into their faces. Only the woman in question seemed unfazed and unsurprised at the treatment.

After a long, long while the lord of the house came out, followed by three daughters as round faced and pig nosed as their 'honoured' father. He sighed and scratched his pot belly the daughters sniggering behind their sleeves. "Whaddya want, trash?"

Trash? Even InuYasha, normally so boisterous, was dumbfounded to silence.

"Honoured caretaker" the rescued princess bowed low and spoke "I must first apologize for not being of use to you in this life, however is it beneath you to reward these hard workers even in the slightest?"

For this, she earned a snort. "Any use you had to me expired when we learned you have spent the night in company of men. No certainty can be held that you are still innocent. Any effort to marry you off as planned is spill. You are trash to us now, leave with the useless idiots without reward and don't come back!" Spit flew from his mouth as he yelled.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" came the ever so educated, albeit late, response of the half demon. "Please" the former princess raised her hands in defeat "let's not argue over this, I'll do my best to help you in return for what you lost today ne?"

Outvoted by the staring faces of his companions InuYasha could do little but agree to those terms.