Just Gotta be Patient... (Open)

[KATSUO]

The sun beamed down on the forest below, with the occasional cloud sliding to block it's light. The forest was warm, but became colder when a breeze would slide through. Which came as a great relief to Katsuo. During the hotter days of summer, he was less enthusiastic about running. He almost went into a hibernating like state during the summer, in fact.

Today, though, he quietly sat in a bush, trying to control his excitement as he watched his trap closely, waiting for something to get stuck in it. It took a lot of his concentration to keep his tail from wagging, though. His ears were perked up and turning, trying to catch the sound of potential prey near by. If there was one part of hunting Katsuo felt he could skip, was the waiting.

Despite the fact this was usually more successful, and less painful, than personally chasing the pests, it was boring as hell. The only thing keeping him awake was the anticipation of what might happen while he was asleep. His trap was rather simple, but he wanted to watch it work.

Katsuo had collected webs from an abandoned demon spider's web, and had spent a few of the hotter spring days to braid the webs into a much stronger rope. After a few tests, he found the ropes were stronger than he had expected and he decided to keep them. Now, he was using the fish line like threads to make a practically invisible trap. It was a simple trap, though.

The animal would step into the noose, which would activate it to slam shut on the animal and yank it into the air. Katsuo had spent all day yesterday messing with the trap to perfect it. Now, he wanted to test it on something real! Plus, he was a hungry little half demon.

Katsuo watched closely, having to resist the urge to tap his foot in his impatience. 'C'mon, throw a guy a bone' he thought, glaring at the trap from his hiding place. 'More preferably a rabbit bone' he thought and felt a little drool roll from his mouth. He quickly wiped it away and sighed quietly in irritation. Patience, what a crappy quality to not receive. He felt like the world was moving by slower and he was still at normal speed under these conditions.

His ears perked up when he heard movement and he grinned in excitement as he saw a rabbit enter the very small clearing he had set up his trap. The rabbit leaned in for the carrot Katsuo had stolen from a near by farm, and picked it up. Without a moment's hesitation, the rabbit turned and bolted off with Katsuo's bait. Katsuo's ears folded back and he growled in frustration, cursing the high heavens for his bad luck. His tail rose straight up in the air. Katsuo turned to figure out the rabbit's location, only to find it was already gone.

"Oh c'mon!" he yelled after the rabbit, rolling from the brush and standing up. He looked absolutely enraged, and was only calmed a little by his growling stomach. "Hungry" he whined, tail drooping down.

[SESSHOMARU]

He could smell the hanyou all the way from the clearing he was staying at, sitting down in the shade with his head bowed. His little human ward was sleeping near Ah-Un, and Jaken was mumbling in his sleep about something. They had walked quite a while last night, longer than Sesshomaru had intended for there had been a few disturbances in his land that he needed to check up on. But Rin had got tired (as well as Ah-Un, so he couldn't carry her) causing the Lord to slow his pace, and find a suitable place to rest for a while. But the smell of the little half-demon was beginning to irritate him, the familiar smell of human and demon mixed together in one tiny little entity. His head lifted just a little as his gaze narrowed on Jaken as he stirred, the toad jumping about in realization that they were still sleeping.

Sesshomaru stood up all of a sudden, alerting the toad (who thought that were going to start moving again) and making him head over to Rin. It annoyed him how the demon talked to the little girl, but he never really bothered to stop him because it didn't bother him that much. He picked up a smooth rock, tossing it quite hard at the toad's head to get his attention. "You're testing my patience, Jaken..." he said softly, his eyes narrowing dangerously. The toad laughed nervously before heading off to where he had been sleeping, and Sesshomaru turned around and stalked off through the forest.

His sharp golden eyes narrowed in on the quiet mutterings of the half-demon, obviously trying to catch some food for his stomach was growling. The tiny pattering of hoping alerted the Lord, his eyes trailing to the side to spot a tiny white rabbit settling down and eating a carrot. Sesshomaru was too fast for human eyes too see, shooting over toward the rabbit where he grabbed it quite suddenly and stared into its beady little black eyes. He could hear its loud heart hammering away, but it didn't strike any sympathy into the demon at all. The rabbit's neck was broken just by the way Sesshomaru squeezed his fingers, letting it dangle as he set his arm at his side and stepping out into the open where Katsuo had laid his little trap.

He stared at the trap in disgust, only because it seemed something that a human would make. But Sesshomaru suddenly tossed the dead rabbit in the direction of Katsuo, all the while examining the hanyou with piercingly cold eyes. "You'd do well to catch it on your feet," he said simply. "Creating flimsy traps does a hanyou no good."

[/blockquote]

[MIDORI]

"Hm!" The young hanyou's ears had suddenly began jerking in a continous movement. She was only enjoying a nice little stroll through the forest, searching for something edible that she could nibble on. Her stomach called out to her, growling in a tone of aggrivation. Signalling that it needed to feed on something. But what? That was simple. Anything that her red diamond eyeballs could fix themselves upon. Midori was usually a very picky hanyou when it came down to food but with a limited selection how could she could she be?

"Damnit, I could use a nice little rabbit right now." She whined as she grabbed her flat belly, desperately. "There's never anything here." A sudden movement had caused Midori to soujourn. Her left ear twitched, assuring Midori that she was not alone. She smelled the air the closely, as a slight breeze tickled her nose, revealing the stench of a dog demon and something else. Something she couldn't put her finger on. But she knew that whatever he, she or it might be, was hanyou. Just like her. This puzzled Midori. Through all her travelling and non stop missions, she had failed to come across another one of her kind. Not kistune youkai, but hanyou. Suddenly, a anxious, eager feeling had crept its way into Midori's heart. Being the only person she knew that had harbored only half demonic blood made her feel kinda sorta lonely. People detested her being. Humans and youkai's both ridiculed her for never properly being "finished". But now, here she was wandering a forest for a little snack and she had managed to smell the aroma of a hanyou.

Midori quickly yet quietly, followed the stench. Eager to find who was the person behind it. As she got closer, she heard a voice. A male voice. It sounded cold, chilly and a tad bit intimidating. But this did not strike any kind of fear into Midori as she never feared anything or anyone. Being rather careful not to make any noise, Midori took a few more steps into the forest. Her nose wrinkled and her mouth watered as she smelled the dead body of a rabbit. Its essence called out to her, teasing her stomach with its delicious scent, but she was careful. She did not know what kind of danger she was getting herself into, therefore her stomach had to be put on hold. The thought of that made her sneer. But at that moment, there were much more important matters that took grasp of Midori's focus. Like the hanyou that she had smelled.

She took a few more steps until two figures had came into view. She couldn't quite see what they were but judging by the strong scent of dog youkai mixed with hanyou convinced her that she was in the right spot. Midori did not want to venture any further, aware that if she did then her cover might be blown. So instead she decided to reside where she was at. Observing the figures from afar.

[KATSUO]

Katsuo sighed and rubbed the back of his head as he tried to think of what to do. He supposed he could follow the scent trail and track the rabbit down, but there was a chance something else already caught it by now, though. His ears suddenly perked up as he heard movement and Katsuo quickly turned around.

He quickly pushed aside the thick artic fox's fur to catch the rabbit as it was tossed at him. His eyes gazed up at the person that threw it at him, and Katsuo's ears quickly folded back in submission. His tail slid between his legs and curled around his tail, almost as if he was a scarred dog. The strong scent coming from the youkai, Katsuo immediately recognized the figure before him as a dog demon.

Katsuo tilted his head a little at the words and smiled a little. "Ah... I should've known the trap wouldn't work. I think catching them by hand would be a better idea, anyways..." he replied, his usually loud voice now soft. He never did do good when facing powerful youkais, and it was rare for him to be obnoxious as usual in their presence. He looked down at the dead rabbit in his arms and bowed a little to Sesshomaru. "Thank you for catching the rabbit for me" he replied, standing back up straight with a small smile. He pushed the make shift cloak of fur over his shoulders so it wouldn't droop in his way.

Katsuo looked down at the rabbit and he thought for a moment. He looked back up at Sesshomaru and stated "By the way, my name is Katsuo." He gave a bit of a warm smile as he slid through the bush to collect the demon spider web rope he had made. Katsuo felt a small paranoia, suddenly, that feeling of someone watching him. He sniffed the air, but the smell of the dead rabbit and Sesshomaru's scent took over most of the aromas. He let his ears rise a little to try and listen to the surroundings.

After a moment, he knew Sesshomaru would probably be able to notice the creature watching them with more ease. Katsuo turned to Sesshomaru, and it dawned on him just how much taller Sesshomaru was. He felt small, again. What a crappy thing it was to grow so slow compared to almost everyone else.

[SESSHOMARU]

Sesshomaru could smell the fear upon the little hanyou, as well as the sudden feeling of respect Katsuo ensued. The silver-haired youkai could not read minds, but he could easily feel one's feelings due to the power of his own mind. This was a good weapon, a tool of which he had used on Naraku (and his little brother) many times to infuriate them into blurting out their plans. It was calculating manipulation, and he favored this little ability above all else. He was capable of doing this due to the hours of meditating when ever his tiny "group" stopped to rest, the training of the mind so that he would be able to use more of his natural abilities more in battle instead of concentrating so hard.

Katsuo was the object of his mind's sudden attraction, locking on the boy out of interest. All the half-demons he had met were arrogant and vain, for the blood of the superior human and deadly demon ran through their veins. They believed that they were invincible, and it went to their head as it had done to Naraku. That was just Seshomaru's opinion on the matter though, and this little half-demon before him made his curiosity grow. The silver-haired youkai never bothered with his curiosity - never done anything to satisfy it, because it was an annoyance that often became trouble. There were times, though, where he'd reach the outer limits to satisfy that curiosity and he believed now was one of those times.

This little half-demon respected his superiors like he should, which was something Sesshomaru found valuable in many people. He had been brought up to respect his superiors, to be strong and survive on his own. His curiosity, though, began to grow when the half-demon actually thanked him. "It's disrespectful to the animal to kill him by childish traps..." whispered Sesshomaru, eying the little hanyou with curious gold eyes. In a strange way, the little fox-demon reminded him very much of Rin, and that was never a good thing (well, for him at least).

"I didn't catch it for your gratitude." replied Sesshomaru quite quickly, ready to correct the half-demon if he believed that this Sesshomaru actually cared for him. He caught it because the half-demon's stench had been bothering from camp, and if he got his food he'd be happily set to go on his way. He didn't reply to Katsuo when he told him his name, only because he wasn't interested in learning it. Sesshomaru also found it pathetic that the hanyou let his tail disgracefully hid between his legs. It was the way this boy respected his superiors, as said before, that Sesshomaru would take into consideration. It was always a good sign of a student, a follower, or even a companion. "Sesshomaru." said the youkai finally after a long moment of silence.

The smell of another half-demon reached his ears, and the urge to growl in utter annoyance was too strong to resist. He had smelled Midori when he caught the rabbit, but he had thought it to be Katsuo's companion or something. But since Katsuo seemed to have no idea who it was, Sesshomaru's urge to hurt something was strong. He hated half-demons just as much as he hated humans, probably even a little bit more. He could tolerate one, but two was just too much. It didn't seem to help that this little hanyou seem interested in food as well, and was trying to be sneaky. She obviously had no clue who she was messing with. "I assume the female isn't with you?" he growled, though with his voice it seemed like a smooth, harsh whisper.

[/blockquote]

[MIDORI]

The voice that called out to her existance had a cold yet annoyed tone about it. Like the youkai did not want be bothered by another one of her kind. Hanyou's were never the "favorite" out of anything. So she could comprehend the way the "mutt" had acknowledged her. Weak and incapable. Of course Midori would not let this matter go untouched. She could not stand when others considered her a nuisance instead of a threat. It troubled her, creating a void of aggravation deep inside her fragile little body. She wasn't surprised at the fact that the youkai had noticed her. No, that was not shocking. Demons have a very strong sense of smell. She would have been more surprised if he hadn't noticed her presence at all.

Since the "mutt" was already responsive of her, she decided that revealing herself would be appropriate. She quickly jumped towards a nearby tree, resting on a branch that had poked out above the two strangers. She then leaned against it, nonchatanly with her arms crossed. She examined the two, closely being cautious of them. One of them was kitsune hanyou which astounded her. Midori has not yet encountered another word of her kind and it surprised her to see anothers presence ber her. Ontop of that he was a hanyou, which made her feel less tense. He didn't seem too intimidating. Actually he seemed rather gentle. He did not have his guard up like she did, he was more relaxed, calm even. In his hand was the exact thing she was looking for. Rabbit. Her stomach called for it, making disturbing grubbling sounds, so loud that it made up for the silence. She wanted it, craved it and absolutely had to obtain it.

"No he is not with me." Midori spoke as her eyes roamed onto the silver haired youkai. He was a odd fellow indeed. A moon crescent shaped was imprinted on the middle of his forehead. He had two magnetic lines on each side of his cheek, appearing as if some one scratched him from both sides. He had a strong demonic aura, which sent a slight chill down Midori's spine. His eyes were a golden brown mixture. Looking into them, you could see the icy and emptyness within him. But they also shared his hate, namely for her. This did not really strike Midori as a concern. She was use to this kind of treatment, this kind of abhorrence. So she brushed it off, feeling completely immune to it. "How about you hand over the rabbit and I'll go peacefully." Midori said, addressing Sesshomaru. He was intriguing, well atleast to her. He had a mysterious nature to him, that gave Midori an ugre to want to get acquianted with him. The thought was absurd, especially because the revulsion in his eyes showed his dislike towards her. Another noise from her stomach caused Midori to snap out of her thoughts. She could not ignore her need for food any longer. The deceased rabbit that the kitsune was holding was going to be hers. One way or another she was going to have it. She was sure of it.

(ooc: sorry i took so long, finals this week :/)

[KATSUO]

Katsuo listened to Sesshomaru's soft words and he gazed down at the dead rabbit in his arms. 'Disrespectful...' he questioned in his mind, tilting his head slightly. Katsuo never considered being respectful of an animal he was trying to catch, although, he was going to turn it into food. The thoughts made a bit of sense to him, and he gave a small nod. He eyed the kill quietly, contemplating how he was going to gut it and get to the good part of the muscular rabbit.

Katsuo's ears twitched a little as Sesshomaru informed him the catch wasn't for gratitude. Katsuo looked up at him and looked rather confused. Of course he didn't catch it for Katsuo's gratitude. No one would try to please a half demon, especially one like himself. Katsuo quietly wondered why Sesshomaru had caught the rabbit, though. He glanced down at the rabbit, shifting his grip on it so it wasn't just hanging from his arms. He turned back to the rope and finally knelt down to untie the knot on the noose. Although, he paused when Sesshomaru finally said his name. He stood up straight and looked up at Sesshomaru. "Sesshomaru-sama..." he whispered under his breath to get the name memorized. He gave a small satisfied smile and nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you" he said, turning and giving a bow like his aunt had told him to when meeting superiors.

Katsuo popped back up straight, tail slowly uncurling from around his leg but hung behind him loosely. His ears slowly raised a little more as he felt the paranoia and tried to figure out what was listening in on the two. He gazed up at Sesshomaru and wasn't surprised when he questioned Katsuo about the other visitor there. Katsuo shook his head in response, his ears finally perking up to try and locate the woman near them. The ears twitched at the stomach growl and he turned to the location of the sound. A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat, and his tail quickly rose up as a threat to the observer.

Katsuo's eyes followed Midori up the tree and he paused when he finally noticed this girl's fox ears and tail. He was stunned for a moment, but when she spoke, he quickly snapped out of his daze. He snarled "Go catch your own rabbit instead of stealing from a kid!" His ears flattened as he felt protective over the kill. He hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, and he wasn't about to give up another meal. Even if he was twenty-five, he was still considerably a child judging by his appearance and most demons were much much older than him. This girl obviously had more experience than he did with how well she was hidden.

Katsuo shifted his grip once more and tugged on the his make shift cloak. The artic fox fur slid off of his shoulder and he pulled it to hide the kill from Midori's view. He had regained his cocky nature, although, if a battle started, he'd either run for it, or lose his temper. Either way, he was going to keep his rabbit, whether the other hanyou liked it or not.

[SESSHOMARU]

Sesshomaru had a cold-heart, that everyone knew, but he was also very honorable and he respected the animals that he killed. He taught Rin to bury the animal bones once she finished eating, which he would often do himself if he ever ate anything. Sesshomaru watched as the little hanyou thought this over quietly, a little surprised that he was even actually considering his word. He had never came upon a half-demon so respectful as this little one, and he was pondering in his head what made him this way.

He was probably getting in too deep already, with his little bits of curiosity that continued to grow as Katsuo suddenly bowed in appreciate. It reminded him very much of Rin, and a slight compassion suddenly gnawed at his heart. That was all pushed to the back of his mind when the smell of the other half-demon suddenly jumped up into a branch, which caused Sesshomaru's eyes to narrow dangerously in that way that always meant trouble. Midori was a fine example of the half-demons he despised, and it didn't matter if she was inexperienced and impulsive. The way she believed she could steal this rabbit was of pure arrogance, and he was suddenly reminded of his little half-brother. The way she bluntly spoke to him about the rabbit without addressing Katsuo made his sharp canine teeth ache to hurt someone. "A little hanyou has no right in demanding things of this Sesshomaru." The youkai's voice, though very blank and monotonous, had a threat hidden behind it that was inevitable.

If she seemed so arrogant in her skills, then she was capable of catching her own food instead of disgracing herself in scavenging on those weaker than her. The way Katsuo's attitude changed from respectful to defensive also made him quite curious, for it seemed this little man had no interest in sharing with one of his own. Sesshomaru took a graceful step beside Katsuo suddenly, all the while letting his head tilt and examine Midori from where he stood. Some would say it looked like a snake examining its prey before it attack, and that was exactly what Sesshomaru was doing. He was calculative to a fault, even though he knew he didn't have to be on this little half-demon.

"You disgrace yourself on scavenging off of food that isn't yours to have." said Sesshomaru firmly, his jaw firmly locked. "If you're so desperate for food, go eat the carcass of the boar that was just killed." He could smell the reeking dead animal from where he stood, and if Midori was hungry she could easily go eat that.

[/blockquote]

[MIDORI]

Midori grunted as she crouched down to her knees. She laid her elbow down on her lower thigh and used her palm to rest it against her cheek. She stared at the kitsune fox demon who was trying to veil the prey with an a bizarre cloak. Midori assumed it was a fur coat of some sort. Through his attempts she could still smell the kill as it tormented her noise, making her mouth water at the scent. She was starving and the rabbit would satisfy her stomach if she were to devour it. It would placate her appetite if she had it now. Thats why searching for something else would be pointless. Why look if there was a delectiable prey amongst her. Besides, she was too lazy to seek out something more meaty. She frowned at the kitsune who obviously was not going to give up his kill. A kid, a stubborn, pesty kid who was trying to act as if he would pose as a threat. Midori could see through his facade that he was only putting up a front to strike some form of intimidation. She commensed him on his attempts, but they were futile.

"A kid like you should learn how to share." The hanyou did look fairly young but Midori sensed that he was older then he was letting on. It sorta agitated her that he was acting like something he wasn't. Pretending to be a child to get pitied on, what a coward move. "I can't help but to wonder, are you REALLY a child? How old are you? You seem young but are you truly what your making yourself out to believe?" Midori questioned with a hint of sarcasm escaping her words. She had the feeling like he was a hoax. Even though that did not concern her, it gnawed at her, bothering her, leading her to ask the questions she had asked. Her thoughts were disrupted by the demon youkai who spoke in angry whispers to her about taking food from others. His tone caused Midori to slightly shiver. She could tell that he was a greater demon then the others that she had came across. Just by glancing at his eyes, you could see the disliked he harbored towards here. He didn't have to know her on a personal level to know that she was young and arrogant. Actually, it was quite obvious that Midori had remained in her youth years and had alot more growing to be accomplished. The way her attitude was towards others and the lack of respect was a clear given. It was also the many reasons why she got herself into altercations such as these.

As she witnessed the demon take a step beside the hanyou, she assumed that they had some sort of alliance. The two were now both staring at her. Protective over there precious little kill. Although the youkai did not seem too interested in it, Midori figured he was only trying to shield the kitsune. "I'm not picking on the hanyou." Midori said as she glared at Sesshoumaru. "I'm not interested in him nor you. However, I am interested in what he is concealing." His words which were aiming at her pride, hit there mark, causing her temper to arise. She bit her lip, tightly, attempting not to say anything that might cause a commotion. Usually she would retort a mean sarcastic comment but she wasn't in the mood nor did she have the energy. She wanted food. That was the only way her energy would be regained.

Midori smelled the aroma of the boar but it did not appeal to her like the rabbit. Boars were too fattening in her opinion. She wanted something small, something that would easily fill her up with out the need for her to nap it off. " Why don't you eat the boar, its more fitting for a "growing" boy." She used her fingers to make little quotations on the word growing, obviously mocking the kitsune for his wanna be little kid act. It was rather pathetic to say the least. "Take the boar and I'll take the rabbit." Midori jumped from the tree branch and landed right infront of them. She was short compared to the mutt but seemed much taller next to the kitsune. She looked at Sesshoumaru, eyeing him to see if he would make a move. He wreaked of dog which overpowered Katsuo's sweet kitsune scent. "Hand over the rabbit." She demanded as she extended her hand out.

[KATSUO]

Katsuo's ears twitched when he noticed Sesshomaru step up beside him. He glanced up at the dog demon and couldn't help but feel genuinely surprised. Wasn't he just saying something about not killing the rabbit for his gratitude? Perhaps he was just trying to get a better view of the vixen in the tree. Katsuo gazed back up at her as Sesshomaru spoke, and he caught sniff of the boar and wondered why Midori didn't just go for that thing, instead. It would be much easier than trying to steal from him. He didn't understand why this girl insisted on making this so difficult. Didn't girls like simplicity every now and then?

He growled as he was told to learn to share and he snarled "I know how to share, but I don't share with people like you." He felt as if he was going to start losing his temper, especially at the girls next words. "It's not my fault I grow slower than others. It's genetics!" he snapped, now his pride being insulted. He hated being picked on, and she was lieing through her teeth when she said she wasn't doing it. He took a step back and contemplated what to do about the current pest before him.

His ears flattened against his head as she told him to go eat the boar. He had spent all day waiting for this rabbit and he wasn't going to just give it up and eat something else. Even if he had been the one to kill it, he was still going to fight for it. He felt as if she was mocking him with this whole 'growing boy' bussiness and he growled, again. "I said it's not my fault!" he snapped, beginning to concentrate his energy to his chest. He took another step back as she jumped down, getting irritated by her persistance.

He didn't care about her height, his temper was messing with his judgement and he wasn't in the mood for dealing with this girl. A scavenger could never be picky about their meals, or they'd starve. Katsuo even ate from a human corpse before in order to survive. It was disguisting, but he'd rather deal with the nautious meal, rather than starve to death. It was a harsh and cold reality, but Katsuo had grown stronger from it.

Katsuo looked at the extended hand, almost as if he was disguisted by the fact she was asking for a hand out. She looked perfectly fine to him, minus the fact her stomach kept growling. Katsuo, on the other hand, was skinny as a stick because of the large skips between meals. By the time he'd get to that boar, it'd probably be half gone because of other predators or scavengers looking for a bite. With her speed, she'd probably get to the boar before them. Katsuo was a tad slow compared to most hanyous.

After a moment of what looked like Katsuo was thinking, he let out a small stream of air, revealing he had been holding his breath. But, the air he let out was far from warm, but freezing cold. A layer of frost formed on top of Midori's hand due to the chilled air freezing the moisture of her skin. This was the one power Katsuo could control well enough to feel safe using.

After freezing the liquid around her hand. Katsuo quickly jumped back from Midori, sticking his tongue out like the child he was.

[SESSHOMARU]

A growl ripped through Sesshomaru's throat when the female suddenly jumped down from the branch, all the while letting his eyes narrow dangerously at her arrogance. The way she demanded the rabbit made his long claws suddenly seep with his lethal poison. He, however, clutched his fingers into a fist to where his nails dug into the palm of his hand and burned at his skin. It didn't matter seeing as how it healed a few seconds after, but he wasn't really looking to fight this little female in front of him. It was a waste of his precious time, and he had half a mind of just walking away to let the two fight over it like the filthy animals they truly were. But over the immense anger and animosity he felt toward Midori, he found it quite amusing that Katsuo was actually backing away from her. "You should find your own food, hanyou." snarled Sesshomaru quietly, though his voice made it seem he was only speaking harshly to her. "And you'd do well to catch it on your own, unless you do not have the skill to do so."

However, his humor suddenly disappeared when Katsuo did something to Midori's hand. "Go find the boar..." spoke Sesshomaru softly. "It has more meat than a rabbit, hanyou. You can find both light and heavy meat on it, if you were intelligent enough to go check." He tried calming himself down due to the fact that Midori's arrogance still had a hold of him. But he was the great Lord Sesshomaru, and he never showed any of his annoyance though they can easily tell if he did. He noticed that the female hanyou's hand froze from what ever power Katsuo did, and he couldn't help but smirk just a little at this. It served the girl right for trying to steal something that wasn't her's in the first place.

The silver-haired youkai let his hand unclench so that the palm of his hands could heal over the woulds he inflicted upon himself. He wished that he could shove Midori against a tree and teach her the manners she should have, but he had no motivation to do so. He was very much irritated with her, but he didn't start fights unless he gained something from it. Once again, Sesshomaru suddenly felt like leaving these two to go at it, because he really did need to go back to camp and mediate. He had no interest in two half-demons that argued over a rabbit of which they could both easily catch themselves if they just try. Sesshomaru didn't have to try, but that was because he had been alive along time and he was very powerful.

"You seem arrogant in your skills," muttered Sesshomaru. "But I don't see how you can have pride from absent things." The female was obviously very disrespectful, probably due to inexperience among other things. He was being rude in just judging the half-demon that all were as arrogant as his little brother, but Sesshomaru held bitter hatred toward all half-demon filth. It didn't matter if he would ever come to terms with his brother (though it would never happen), he'd still wish to rip the little mutt's head off and throw it off some where. It didn't seem like he did, but Sesshomaru held powerful grudges that didn't end until he finished what he wanted to do.

But that was beside the point, and the urge to leave grew even more. He suddenly stepped aside to where he wasn't in their way, watching them with curious gold eyes. If he was so interested in Katsuo, he might as well see what the half-demon got. If he had abilities that interested Sesshomaru, then he might take the half-demon under his wing. If it was nothing then he'd let Midori kill him off.

[/blockquote]

[MIDORI]

Midori felt a unusual chill wrap around her hand, which was rather odd due to the fact that it was spring. Flowers were blossoming, the climate was getting warmer and the birds were chirping songs of happiness. So how could her hand possibly be cold with the warmth being scattered around. She looked down at her hand, which was covered with what seem to be icicles, preventing her from moving it. This was an impressive trick, coming from a demon of Katsuo's nature. "I have to admit this is a cute." Midori paused as she lifted her hand to her face, to observe it more closely. It was painfully obvious that the hanyou did not know that Midori possessed the ability to manipulate fire. So his trick was a waste of time in her eyes. She concentrated on her iced out hand, applying her meditation skills on it. She imagined heat related objects, such as a scorching fireplace or flames that were spreading rapidly through a village. These visions helped her feel the balminess of the flames within her, allowing her to get fully intuned with her inner spark. The ice that was wrapped around her hand diminished slowly. Her hand was now engulfed in flames that circled her hand frequently. It was almost as if the flame had sprouted two legs and danced around her fingertips. "Didn't you know? You can't freeze fire."

She looked up at Katsuo who was exposing his pink tongue and directing it at her. She felt rather insulted by his childish manner but decided to ignore his immaturity. She noticed that picking on his slow development angered the hanyou, causing him to become defensive. It made her smirk as he tried to use false bravery to make her shudder. It was cute more then it was threatening. Midori twirled the little flame, playing around her fingers, pondering on what her next move might be. The flame was warm against her plam. Normally the fire would burn her hand since she did not fully master it yet but right now it was soothing to her. "Kids shouldn't play with fire. I don't want to hurt you just hand over the damn rabbit." Midori was a persistant, just like many hanyou's were. When she had her heart set on something, she wouldn't give up until she had it. It was obvious that the kitsune was protective over his kill and his stubborness did not help the matter either. He was just like her in a way. Determined yet seemingly childish. Fighting over a piece of meat that they could easily share. But neither one was willing to do so, making them more similar then what they realized.

Midori's ears flattened and her tail had uncurled as she heard the youkai mutt speak to her in his monotone voice. He commented on her arrogance, which was lurking behind every word she spoke and every move she made. It was her pride that allowed her to become so ignorant, but his word did not phase her because they were insignificant to her and as long as they were then they would not effect her in any way. She knew the silver haired youkai would pose as a possible threat and she was attentive to his apparent dislike for her stench. The very air that she breathed probably aggrivated the mutt but that was not her fault. If he detested her being then she could live with that but if he dared to cross her then she would have to retaliate.

She noticed that the youkai had withdrew his position. It now seemed as if he was observing them, trying to get some sort of feedback on the strengths that either one possessed. No, he was more interested in the bratty kitsune hanyou that stood amongst them. What was so appealing about this child or adult whatever he was? He was just a mere pretender, trying to fit in by acting tough. All she desired was the delicious rabbit that he refused to give up. She did not want any quarrels or anything of the sort. She just wanted the rabbit. Nothing more, nothing less. "Please save yourself the embarrassment. You do want to look like a joke infront of a superior do you now?" She questioned the kitsune, clearly aiming at his dignity. She walked towards Katsuo, showing no signs of engaging in fight, merely only trying to take what she care there for.

[KATSUO]

Katsuo growled quietly as she called his trick 'cute'. How would she like it if he froze her face? Wouldn't that just be adorable? Katsuo's growl merely grew at the thoughts, but faded as he saw the ice melt. That wasn't possible, unless... Katsuo's tail lowered in shock as he saw the fire beginning to dance on this girl's fingers. 'Dammit' he thought, and winced when his stomach growled at him. He listened to her words and scoffed. "You can freeze anything if it's cold enough, lady!" Katsuo declared confidently. Although, he was indeed intimidated by the fire.

Katsuo glanced at Sesshomaru, and noticed how he stepped aside to watch. Figures, no one wants to help the weak link. He looked back at Midori as she used the all too famous 'Kids shouldn't play with fire' line. He remained on the defensive, though, starting to feel like she was going after something more than just his rabbit. He felt like what was left of his pride was at stake, now. "Heh, I shouldn't do a lot of things. Hasn't stopped me, yet" he informed, watching her ears flattening. He showed no fear, and was beaming in confidence, a trait common in hanyous.

His tail swished side to side in amusement, now, but stopped when she spoke, again. He felt his rage being pushed towards his limit and he tried to keep control of himself. "I don't know if it'd be embarassing for me if you beat me. I think it's rather pathetic you'd drop to stealing from someone half your size, especially when said person is at such an obvious disadvantage" he commented, smirking at her. He took a step to the side as if letting her pass, even though it was obviously not her intent. Katsuo ran for the very tree she had hopped out of and jumped up to hang from the branch and swing herself up. He looked over at Sesshomaru, and flashed a grin, before turning a smirk to Midori.

"Catch me if you can, Kitsune-chan" he grinned, and set a pale blue hued hand on the branch. Ice began to spread on the top of the branch, where anyone who'd try to climb the tree could not see it. If you tried to stand on the branch, you'd ultimately end up slipping and falling because of the ice. Katsuo set the rabbit in the hood of his cloak and rolled it up, tucking it tightly so he had a free hand and wouldn't have to worry about dropping it. Katsuo hopped up onto the next branch, and continued climbing, freezing the branches as he did, but making sure he pulled his hand away before the ice would slide to be viewable to those trying to climb the tree.

He reached a branch that placed him nearly out of view and he panted quietly, exhausted from being food deprived, and the fact his hand was eating at the small amount of energy he had. He tried to stop it, but the ice refused to stop, and began to cause the air to freeze up and create a cold mist. Katsuo noticed the mist and looked down below him. The energy from his hand transfered to his chest and Katsuo took a deep breath. He crawled to the edge and blew out, a large mass of the moisture in the air freezing upon the contact. The thick cloud of cold misty air began lowering, until reaching ground level and making it nearly impossible for anyone to see.

Feeling protected by his ice mist below, Katsuo jumped into a neighboring tree and pulled out the rabbit. The air that exited his mouth kept freezing the moisture in the air, leaving frozen leaves and branches and small clouds behind him as he ventured on to try and get away from the fire controlling hanyou, and the youkai who gave him the rabbit.

(Sorry if the reply is kinda... suck-ish XD PM me if you got confused by anything ^^; I'll explain it the best I can.)