Only a few days had passed since the demon attack, but Han's unusual constitution allowed her wounds to heal far faster than an ordinary person's. Although the clash between spiritual power and demonic power had caused a backlash at the time, she had recovered quickly afterward, with almost no lingering effects. After resting for a while, Han returned to the same daily routine as everyone else.
"Han, are you going out?" Gardenia saw Han sorting her medicine packets, then slinging her bow and arrows over her shoulder to leave.
"Yes. When Sentarō came for treatment yesterday, some of his medicine wasn't ready yet. Now that I've finished preparing it, I'm going to take it to him." Han smiled, then tucked a wakizashi made from demon bone inside her robes. It had been a gift from the demon slayers on their last visit. If the demon attack had changed anything about her, it was that she now checked her weapons carefully before going out.
"You're going to deliver it yourself?" Gardenia frowned. Han had only just recovered.
"Yes, it's all right. I'm just going out to clear my head. Everyone's been so worried about me lately that they won't let me leave." Han was a little troubled, though their concern still made her happy. Besides, she would be going out during the day, and she wouldn't be traveling as far as they had on their last trip to the river. She was only visiting a nearby village. It was perfectly safe.
"All right. Then I'll go with you, little Han." Gardenia still couldn't bear to let Han go out alone.
"It really is fine. I can manage by myself, so don't worry." Han gave Gardenia an affectionate hug. "I'm off, then." Without giving Gardenia a chance to protest, she took her packet of herbs and headed out.
The shrine maidens she met along the way all greeted her warmly. Questions followed her the whole way: "Are your wounds completely healed?" and "Oh, are you going out alone? I could come with you." She answered the former with happy thanks and declined the latter with a smile, until she finally made it out through the gates.
Han was a little overwhelmed by everyone's enthusiasm. Ever since that incident, they had grown even more attentive toward her, though they had already doted plenty on her as the youngest.
"Oh, thank you so much, Lady Shrine Maiden." When Han arrived at Sentarō's home, his mother thanked her so earnestly that she nearly knelt before her. "And I'm sorry for the trouble of making you bring it here yourself."
"It's all right. I hope Sentarō gets well soon. Does the wound still hurt?" Sentarō had slipped while gathering firewood in the mountains, where the rain had made the ground slick, and accidentally cut himself with his hatchet. Han had already dressed his wound yesterday, so he should have been fine, but there hadn't been enough medicine for fresh dressings or enough decoction for him to drink. That was why she had brought more herself today.
"It doesn't hurt anymore, Lady Shrine Maiden." Sentarō lay in bed, his face full of gratitude.
"That's good. I won't disturb you any longer, then." Han nodded in relief and rose to take her leave.
"Wait, Lady Shrine Maiden." Sentarō's mother caught hold of Han and pressed several large white radishes into her arms.
"I can't accept these." Han tried to refuse. This year's harvest had already been poor, and she had heard that the lord of the castle was preparing to send troops to forcibly collect rice. She really couldn't bring herself to accept a gift of thanks from the villagers.
"Please, you must take them." Sentarō's mother all but begged Han to accept.
After refusing several times, Han finally yielded to the old woman's heartfelt insistence and reluctantly accepted them. Really, the woman only wanted to express her gratitude; she wasn't asking for anything more. Refusing would probably only leave them uneasy.
Han thanked her sincerely, gathered the white radishes in her arms, and prepared to leave. Behind her, Sentarō and his mother looked relieved. Han sighed. These villagers were so simple and kind, determined to repay even the smallest bit of help from a shrine maiden, yet they had to endure the castle lord's exploitation and live without knowing whether they could make it through another day.
Perhaps because she was still thinking about Sentarō, his mother, and the worried faces of the other villagers lately, Han paid little attention to the road ahead. Only when a tall shadow fell over her did she notice someone had appeared in front of her. It was the demon who had saved her last time. Han looked up at the cold, aloof demon named Sesshomaru.
"You seem to want a suitable weapon." Though he used the uncertain word "seem," the demon's tone was as assured as ever. Last time, he had noticed the girl's interest in the sword at his waist. It was more than an instinctive sensitivity to power; there had also been a longing for a weapon uniquely her own.
"Yes." Though having to look up at the demon looking down on her put Han at something of a disadvantage, she didn't deny it. She truly wanted a weapon that suited her-her own Spirit Bow.
"Then come." The demon spoke those curt words in his usual cold tone, then turned to lead the way.
"Where are we going?" Han asked in confusion.
"To find a demon who can forge a weapon for you." The demon didn't stop, but he offered an explanation with rare patience.
He had not made this decision merely out of pity or kindness toward a human. Rather, he seemed to have noticed something unusual about the girl's race afterward, and wanted to confirm it, since she herself refused to tell him.
If there was nothing wrong with her, and she really was edible, and could truly strengthen his demonic power... well, he wouldn't simply eat her on a whim, either.
Naturally, the renowned and widely knowledgeable swordsmith Totosai was among those who could help him identify her. Besides, he also happened to want to ask Totosai about the whereabouts of his father's legacy, the demon sword Tessaiga.
"Wait." Han struggled to keep up with the demon. Their heights and strides were far too different.
"Hm?" The demon couldn't help frowning, unsure what else she could possibly be dissatisfied with. He was taking her to a renowned swordsmith who could forge her a blade. Shouldn't she follow him immediately, without hesitation?
"At least... at least let me say goodbye to Master and everyone first." They had only gone a short distance, but she was already a little breathless. Still, the thought of what the demon had offered-a weapon suited to her-made her heart stir.
For an instant, she had wondered whether he harbored ill intentions. But considering the enormous gap in their strength, and how she had nothing he could want, surely he meant her no harm (=v=). Besides, she owed him her life.
In that case, she might as well go with him and treat it as a shrine maiden's journey. She still didn't understand why he was showing her kindness, though. He looked so cold and aloof...
The demon finally stopped.
"Then meet me here tomorrow, at this time," came the demon's cool voice.
Huh? So soon! Han was a little startled, but it wasn't impossible. A day would be enough to make a few preparations.
"All right." As soon as Han spoke, the demon continued walking. "But..."
Before she could finish, the demon's figure gradually faded from sight.
There's no mist or anything else blocking the view. Is that some special ability demons have?
Well, whatever happens, first I have to convince Master and my senior sisters not to worry about me going out to find my own Spirit Bow. Han silently tried to encourage herself, though she had little confidence. She would be following an unfamiliar demon to find a weapon in some unknown place. All she knew was his name, and that wasn't even his true name, so it held no binding power over him. Thinking of it that way, the demon who had explained nothing seemed terribly unreliable, though he himself gave her a surprisingly dependable impression...
With all those thoughts tumbling through her mind, Han reached the gates of Kiyomori Temple before she knew it. It really wasn't a long walk; thinking about strange things along the way made it pass quickly. How should I tell Master and my senior sisters? What a headache...
"What?! You're going out to find your own Spirit Bow?!"
The shrine maidens sat gathered in the tatami room, with Master at the head and Tsubaki, as ever, at his side.
When they heard Han say she wanted to go out and find a Spirit Bow of her own, disbelief filled every face. To them, a Spirit Bow was something one could only encounter by chance, not seek out. Someone who deliberately searched for one might never find it. They could hardly imagine the earnest Han proposing something so rash.
"Yes. Master, please grant me permission." Han knelt before Zhiyá, placed her hands one over the other in front of her, and bowed her forehead to the floor in entreaty.
"Do you have any idea where to look? Or someone to travel with?" Although Zhiyá rarely interfered with the paths his disciples chose, this sudden decision from his youngest disciple still left him a little taken aback.
"Yes, I do..." Han hesitated. Saying she was going to have a demon forge her a weapon seemed a little strange.
"Huh?! You've already found a trusted, close friend outside our circle?" Though they shouldn't have interrupted Master's questions, the shrine maidens were simply too surprised. Besides, Master was always gentle and wouldn't mind such a small matter.
"Not a close friend." Han felt conflicted, unsure how to describe her relationship with that demon. She knew nothing about him but his name, so they probably weren't even friends. "The one who saved my life last time."
"That demon?!" The shrine maidens reacted even more strongly.
After waking up, Han had told everyone what happened after she encountered the Bear Demon. After all, she truly couldn't have dealt with such a powerful demon barehanded. Thus, the shrine maidens all knew that a seemingly decent demon had saved Han, a shrine maiden and therefore his sworn enemy. But that didn't mean he could be trusted!
"Yes!" Now that she had explained, Han felt firmer in her resolve. She didn't know why, but she simply felt that the demon would utterly disdain doing anything underhanded, and she trusted her intuition.
"Ah, very well. If you've made up your mind, then go." Zhiyá smiled faintly and granted Han's request despite the other shrine maidens' bewilderment. Though demons were the shrine maidens' greatest enemies, they could also become their closest friends. He understood that very well. Although he had a feeling that some shameless-emphasis on shameless-demon was about to steal Han away for good, as an open-minded-emphasis on open-minded-Master, he would still agree!
"Yes! Thank you, Master!" Though she had guessed from the start that Master would agree, having him understand so readily still brought Han a sigh of relief.
Seeing that both Han herself and Master, who had the authority to decide, were settled on this journey, the shrine maidens stopped objecting. All they could do now was help Han prepare plenty of talisman paper and arrows!
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