I was brought our of my thoughts by a sword being dropped on the work table in front of me. "Onna, do you know where the blacksmith is?" came the voice of a male. I lifted my head to deliver my usual glare when I noticed the man that had insulted me was none other than Lord Sesshomaru. His face was hard to mistake. I jumped from my sitting position and bowed immediately. "Lord Sesshomaru, I am the blacksmith. How may I help you today?" I asked quickly. "Rise. I am here for my sword to be fixed. It needs to be sharpened and polished. I will be back to retrieve it tomorrow." he said.

"Of course, my Lord. It will be the first thing I work on." I replied. I was glad my bracelet kept him from smelling my fear, or my blood status. The moment I knew he had gone far enough away that he was out of earshot, I blew out a sigh of relief and got to work. The kiln in the corner roared to life after a little coaxing. Once it was hot enough, I held the blade over the flames to heat it. I had learned long ago that heating the blade made it easier to sharpen without ruining the finish. When I felt the heat moving to the hilt of the blade, I grabbed a smooth stone and sat to sharpen it.

After what seemed like hours of sharpening and reheating the blade, I finally set it to cool in water. While I retrieved the oil and cloth to polish the blade, my senses alerted me that I was being watched. Quickly, I returned to my workspace and polished the sword. It was finally finished, so I put it in a sheathe to keep it safe until Lord Sesshomaru returned.