InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Inuyasha Chronicles ❯ The Journey Starts ( Chapter 2 )

Inuyasha Chronicles

*Author's Note

Chapter 2

The Journey Starts

I own Yumi Nakamura and her pets Mika (meaning New Moon) and Sayomi (meaning Night-Born), the Sacred Crystal, too! ^_^

 

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“Master Inuyasha! Over here! Master Inuyasha!”

“Oh, so your back, Myoga. Where is Totosai?”

“Well, you see, he wasn't at his home, so I left him a note.”

`Damn, that Totosai can be so annoying. Why can't he just stay in one spot for a few hours?'

Inuyasha sat there brooding over the facts about the old man.

“Umm, Inuyasha?”

“What?! I'm trying to think here!” Inuyasha turned and glared at Miroku for disturbing his train of thought.

“Nothing, its just that, well,” Miroku pointed behind him “Koga's at it again.”

`What is he talking about?'

Inuyasha angrily looked behind Miroku and saw Koga holding Kagome's hands in his own. His face instantly turned beet red and he tore towards Koga.

“Get your hands off her, you mangy wolf!”

“Whoa, looks like its time for me to go, see ya, Kagome!” Koga disappeared into a whirlwind.

`Why won't he take the hint?' Kagome thought to herself as she sweat-dropped.

“What was Koga talking about?”

“Inuyasha, you are way too obsessive. You need to chill.”

“Me? What about you, never telling Koga to get lost to his face?”

“That's because I don't want to be rude. Unlike some people I could mention.” Kagome finished with sarcasm.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you don't have even the smallest thought of whether you words might hurt someone's feelings!” Kagome practically yelled the last sentence at Inuyasha, who shrank in fear of Kagome's rage.

Inuyasha just stood there as he watched her storm away.

`Oh boy, he's really done it now.' Sango thought as she decided to follow Kagome to see if she was all right.

`I can't believe that guy! But what I said was true in every way. He just speaks his mind no matter what pain it might cause others.'

“Kagome! Hey, wait up, Kagome!” Sango shouted as she ran towards Kagome. Kagome Stopped next to a log and sat down.

“Kagome, don't let Inuyasha get to you, you know how he is. Always acting before thinking.”

Kagome looked up at Sango and smiled.

“I know, but I just wish that he would try to think before acting sometimes. After a while it all just gets to be too much, ya know?”

“Hmm,” Sango looked toward camp and thought about the multiple times that Miroku had said something without thinking first. Every time ended up in her slapping him as hard as she could. “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Men can be so thoughtless at times.”

“You know what. I think we should both go and give those two a piece of our minds.”

“Yeah, your right. It's time that they know what thin ice their walking on.”

* * * * *

“I can't believe that she just yelled at me and then walked away like that. Totally rude and completely thoughtless.”

“Huh, what's to believe? You just don't get it, do you?”

Inuyasha looked up at Miroku. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Man, you really are dense, aren't you? You don't understand how she feels. You're completely hopeless.”

“Oh, like you're one to talk, you lecherous monk. You can't keep your hands off Sango long enough to open your wind tunnel, and your telling me I'm tactless?”

“He has a point, Miroku; you need to learn some self-control.”

“Shippo, how can you say that? I haven't the slightest idea of what you are talking about.” Miroku smiled as he spoke. Shippo jumped down from the branch he was sleeping on, just to get hit on the head by Inuyasha at touchdown.

“Ow! Th-That hurt, Inuyasha. What did you do that for?” Shippo grabbed his head and sat down.

“Shut up, you deserve it for not minding your own business. You really need to watch your mouth, Shippo. I don't even remember asking your opinion anyway. So shut it!”

“Oh, my head hurts so much!”

“SIT!” The word surged through the air like a knife. Suddenly, Ayame, who had been forgotten about after she had fell asleep sat up sleepily and looked around.

“Ahhhh!” Miroku shouted at the same time as Inuyasha as he felt the impact of Sango's hand on his face and Inuyasha plummeted to the ground.

“SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!--------“ Kagome repeated the word.

“Ah! Ow! Stop! OW! AH! AH! OWWWW!” Sango repeatedly slapped Miroku.

`What is going on? Why are Kagome and Sango so mad?' Ayame thought to herself as she watched the demolition of Inuyasha and Miroku from the spot that she was sitting.

“Hey, Shippo, can I ask you something?” Ayame whispered towards the young demon.

“Sure, no problem, heh heh, anything to get away from this danger zone." Shippo slowly edged away from the others. “What do you need to know?”

“Why are Kagome and Sango so mad at Inuyasha and Miroku?” Ayame looked down at the little demon as he tried to figure it out, but the little kitsune ultimately failed I his thoughts. “Honestly, Ayame-san, I have no idea. They just walked back out of the woods and straight up to Inuyasha and Miroku and started this.” Shippo pointed to the cloud of dust that was growing because Kagome was still saying sit.

“Hmm, well, it seems that the two of them are angry at something that Inuyasha and Miroku did.” Ayame stated her point of view, and Shippo nodded his agreement.

“That sounds about right. But I can't think of any recent things that they might have done. But knowing the two of them, Inuyasha was probably inconsiderate in some way and Miroku was doing something perverted.

“What do you mean, Shippo?” Ayame looked down at the little demon as she spoke.

“Well, Miroku isn't exactly the best-behaved monk in Japan. He is a lecher. He can't resist a pretty girl. And Inuyasha has about as much tact as a rock at the bottom of the ocean.” Shippo closed his eyes and leaned back.

“Hmm.” Ayame sat up and continued to watch.

* * * * *

“I have a report for you, Okami-Chan*. It seems that the one who wields the Fang of Destruction and the one who wields the Wind-Tunnel have a weakness.”

“And that would be..?” the image of the Mistress rippled as a fish swam by.

“The women who they travel with. The two women seem to have control over the two. Apparently, the girls are extremely vulnerable to jealousy.”

“Follow them, and when the time is right, invite them to a special event here in my home. They will not refuse the offer. I shall make sure of it.”

“Yes, my lady, I shall be your will.”

(A/N-Okami-Japanese term for Mistress,-Chan- suffix for familiar [female] person.)

* * * * *

“Ugh, where am I?” Inuyasha opened his eyes and looked around.

“So you woke up, did you?” Kagome's voice sounded angry. Inuyasha looked around again to see where she was, but all he saw was dirt and rocks. Suddenly he realized that he was in a crater in the ground.

“How did I end up down here?” Inuyasha grunted as he crawled his way out of the pit.

“That was a punishment for all the inconsiderate things you've said to me over the time that we've known each other.”

“Just be glad that you're not in my position, Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha looked over at Miroku to find that he was tied up and hanging from a tree branch upside-down, face beet-red.

“Heh heh, this is more painful than it looks, ya know.” The two of them spoke together.

“Hey, wait a minute here. Why did you two do this in the first place anyway?” Miroku spoke out.

“Yeah I don't remember doing anything to you recently.” Inuyasha voiced his agreement angrily.

“That's just it. You, Inuyasha, are completely inconsiderate to my feelings.” The black-haired otome shouted.

“And you, Miroku, are a perverted womanizer, who can't keep his hands to himself.” The demon-slayer slapped the monk again.

“AHHHH! Stop that, Sango!” the lecherous monk shouted.

“I'll stop once you've proven that you can stop womanizing, you pervert.”

“Sango, you may end up waiting a loooong time for that miracle.” Shippo laughed at the comment he made.

“Your probably right Shippo, but I still have reasons to do this.”

“I don't blame you guys. From what Shippo told me, if Koga acted that way, I don't know what I'd do.” Ayame walked slowly over to the others, holding her sides with her arms, coughing. `How did I end up like this, I can't remember anything.'

“But, Ayame, whenever he's near me. Koga does act that way.” Kagome walked over to help the female wolf demon walk.

“Agh, my side is killing me. How I got like this, with my Lotus Blade broken, with these injuries, and no memory of it, I feel helpless about everything.” Ayame brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and sat down under a nearby tree. `This feeling, I've felt it before. I just can't place it. 'Its way to weird for me.' Ayame looked up at the sky, which was slowly turning a beautiful shade of ruby red. `I wonder if Koga will ever stop running from me. Why does he run? Am I not good enough for him? Do I not fill his expectations?'

“Ayame, I'm pretty sure I know what you're thinking, so stop thinking it. You are perfect for Koga, he just doesn't want to admit it. He thinks I love him, but he has no idea.” Kagome looked at the demon girl, smiling.

“Right.” Ayame looked back at Kagome and agreed with a smile in return.

“Okay, everyone, get a lot of rest tonight, we're moving on in the morning.” Inuyasha told them all as the sun sunk below the top of Mt. Fuji in the distance.

* * * * *

`You can't escape this, Ayame. I control you. You can't win!' The demon girl ran from the voice, but she didn't move, however fast she went.

`I will find him. And I will take him. And you can't stop me.' The sounded louder this time. Ayame started to panic. The voice was coming closer, and she was unable to get away.

“Ahhhh!” Ayame sat bolt upright, breathing heavily. “Oh, it must have been a dream. Just a dream.” She looked around her, saw that the sun hadn't come up yet, sighed to herself, and calmed down.

“Uh, what's the matter, Ayame?” Sango yawned sleepily from her spot next to Kagome. The demon slayer rubbed her eyes as Ayame responded.

“Nothing, just a bad dream, that's all.” Ayame smiled.

“Oh, okay, just try to get some sleep, we leave as soon as Inuyasha wakes up and we've eaten.”

“All right. I'll try.” Ayame watched Sango lay back down, before laying back down herself. As she closed her eyes, she thought she felt the presence of another demon close by, but figured it was probably just either Shippo or Kirara.

* * * * *

Asana jumped into a nearby tree, careful to make sure that they could not see her. She watched as two young women, one in a kimono, the other dressed in stranger clothing, walked towards the others. Both were obviously angry, though what about, she didn't know.

The girl wearing the kimono walked up to a man holding a staff and slapped him with such force that the birds flew from the sound of the impact. She watched as the other girl shouted the word “sit”, and a giant cloud of dust burst from the ground at that impact.

“Wow, they sure can take a beating. I might have to figure out a way to travel with them so I don't have to keep spying on them from a distance. That would make my job a lot easier to carry out.”

She sat back and activated her camouflage ability to become invisible.

As the half-demon crawled out of the hole, Asana noticed that a small Kitsune was edging towards the demon girl that she had used her powers on. The girl whispered something in the young demon's ear, and then they began to talk, while looking at the continuing commotion a few feet away. When the two girls seemed to have calmed down, Asana was able to hear what they were saying.

“Alright, everyone, get some rest. We're moving on in the morning.”

`In the morning, huh? I think I can make this work to my advantage. I need to figure out how, though.' Asana thought as she disappeared out of sight.

* * * * *

“Mmmmmm! `Morning, everyone!” Kagome yawned as she got up and stretched.

“Good Morning, Kagome!” Shippo jumped onto Kagome's shoulder and greeted her.

“Good Morning, Kagome.” Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha said.

“Meow!” Kilala trilled happily.

“How did you sleep last night, Ayame?” Kagome asked as she walked over to the wolf demon girl sitting nest to the fire, eating noodles.

“Good enough to be able to walk around. Though I did have some trouble about a dream last night.”

“A dream?” Kagome asked, looking concerned.

“It's nothing to be worried about, Kagome. It was just a bad dream. It happens even to demons once in a while.” Ayame assured the young priestess.

“If you say so, then we should get going if we're to find out about the shard we've been using to practice with you.”

Ayame looked up at Kagome and stared. “What do you mean, Kagome?”

“Ayame, have you noticed that the Sacred Jewel is pink in color?” Sango looked at the demon girl.

“Actually, I have.” Ayame admitted. “I just never really thought about it.”

“Well, the shards we've been using in your training are light blue. We believe this is a new Jewel with abilities similar to the Jewel that we were searching for while also looking for Naraku. Only, now that Naraku is dead, we don't know exactly where this Jewel Shard came from.”

Sango nodded her head in agreement. “See, we found it in the body of a demon that was in the path that we were walking recently, and it could not have been a fake piece of Sacred Crystal, because Kagome sensed a large spiritual presence in it, so we put it in a little glass bottle, specifically the one we were using for the Sacred Jewel.”

Shippo jumped up and landed on Ayame's shoulder and smiled.

“And just for the sake of not confusing the two, we've been referring to the blue one as the Sacred Crystal, instead of Jewel, which goes to the pink one.”

“Oh, I think I get it now. But, then what do you guys think created this Crystal?” Ayame asked with a look of curiosity.

“We don't really have any ideas about that right now, but we think that if we collect enough of the Crystal shards, we will have at least some clue as to its origins.” Miroku told Ayame as he tended to the fire that was cooking the fish that Inuyasha had caught earlier.

“Okay, everyone make sure that your stuff is packed before we eat, because we leave immediately afterwards.”

“Geez, Inuyasha, why do you have to sound so annoyed all the time?”

“I have good reason, Shippo. Whatever happened to Ayame in the woods smelled nothing like an accident. I picked up the scent of spiritual magic in the air when we found her. And a sword as finely built as the one that Ayame possesses doesn't break that easily. That was the work of some demon or other. And I think that whoever did that to her, also dropped the debris on her for the reason to make it look like an accident. No, this was an intended action.”

“But who would want to hurt Ayame, of all people?”

“That's what I want to know, Shippo, that's what I want to know.” Inuyasha replied to the young demon.

“All right everyone, breakfast is ready! Come and get it!” Miroku held up the breakfast sandwiches.

* * * * *

“Oh wow, Miroku that was some really good cooking. I'm impressed.”

Sango stretched as she walked along the dirt path in front of her.

“Ha ha, thanks Sango, I appreciate that.” Miroku thanked her.

Inuyasha stood and grunted “Well, if everyone is ready, I guess we can start off on the trail for today.”

“Ayame and I are ready” Shippo said happily.

“I'm good to go as well.” Miroku replied.

“Sango and I are as ready as we'll ever be.” Kagome said sarcastically.

“Oh ha-ha, very funny. Well, then let's get started.”

Just as Ayame started to walk, she had to kneel down from the pain in her side.

“Ayame! Inuyasha, she can't walk without at least some support.”

Kagome yelled at the thoughtless half-demon.

“All right, hang on.” Inuyasha said as he walked over to a tree.

“Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!” he shouted as he slashed a tree branch with his clawed hands.

“Here, Ayame. Use this to walk with until your wounds heal.” Inuyasha held out the strong pinewood branch he had cleared of twigs.

“Thank you, Inuyasha.” Ayame responded with much gratitude.

“Yeah, whatever.” He grunted his reply.

“Wow Inuyasha that is the nicest thing I've seen you do all day.”

“And just what is that supposed to mean, Miroku?” Inuyasha shouted angrily.

“Nothing, nothing at all. You just seem to be more helpful than usual.”

“That better not be a negative statement for your sake.” Inuyasha growled.

“Come on you guys, we need to get to the next village so we can get Ayame some medical help.”

“Sango's right. We need to think about Ayame's health above all other things at the moment.” Miroku nodded his agreement at Kagome's words.

“Then let's go!” Shippo jumped off Ayame's shoulder and into the basket on Kagome's bike.

“Right, we should hit the next village in the next few days, so we should keep up as brisk a pace as possible.” Kagome spread out a map of the area on the ground.

“Ummm, Kagome, do you really think that map is going to help? Isn't it from your time?” Miroku looked at her in confusion.

“Huh? No, I figured out how to track ourselves on this map by just using some things that I learned in a class in my own time.”

The others just watched as Kagome drew on the map with a marker.

“See in my time, towns are way bigger, but by finding the center point in each of them I can tell how far it is between each village in this time.”

“Oh I see what you mean now. At least, I think I do.” Miroku scratched his head.”

“Just don't worry about it. I'll be the one to read the map anyways.”

“Okay, that makes everything a lot easier.” Shippo jumped onto Kagome's shoulder.

“If we start soon, we should hit the next village in at least two days.

That is if there is nothing to slow us down.”

* * * * *

“If we start soon, we should hit the next village in at least two days.

That is if there is nothing to slow us down.”

Asana hid herself in a nearby tree to listen in on the conversation taking place.

“This is what I've been looking for. A chance to join them in their journey.”

* * * * *

“Hey, there! Do need some help?”

“Sango, did you say something?” Kagome asked.

“No, it was that woman over there.” Sango pointed to a nearby hill.

“Over here! Hi! Can I help you out?” A young looking girl ran down the hill and straight over to them, carrying a basket filled with what looked like medicinal herbs.

“Who are you?” Kagome asked the girl.

“Me? My name is Yumi Nakamura. I live on my own, gathering different herbs that I use for remedies that I sell to people.”

“Perfect, see our demon friend is in pain from a recent injury, can you help her?” Sango asked Yumi, before she noticed Miroku standing in front of the girl.

“You are truly a beautiful young woman. Would you consider bearing my child?” Miroku took her hand in his.

“Miroku you lech-“ Before Sango could finish her sentence, Miroku was on the ground.

“Hentai!” Yumi shouted as she hit Miroku over the head.

“Wow Yumi, I think you and I might get along real well.” Sango giggled.

“Damn, Miroku. Now you have three women for mortal enemies.” Inuyasha laughed.

“That is not funny Inuyasha.” Miroku grumbled.

“I'm sorry, what were you saying?” Yumi turned and asked Sango.

“We were wondering if you could help our demon friend. She was severely injured when a tree fell on top of her.”

“No problem, my home is nearby, I can treat her there.” Yumi gave a small smile.

“Follow me. I'll show you where.”

* * * * *

“Wow Yumi, you live here?” Kagome gasped in surprise. Before the group was a wooded area the size of a small park. A row of trees bearing fruit stood near a good sized pond. One end of the field held a modest log house, from which a pleasant scent floated. Herbs could be seen hanging in the windows. An herb garden stretched around to the back of the house.

“Yep, and all by myself too. Oh, except for my two friends.”

“Well, I'm sure they are just as cute as you, my dear Yumi.” Miroku said as he held her hand in his.

“Hentai!” Yumi shouted loudly.

“Ahhh!” Miroku yelled as he was tackled by two small creatures. “What are they?” he continued to shout.

Yumi giggled. “They are my two friends, Mika and Sayomi. They are my demon pets. Mika, Sayomi, let him go. My point has been made.” Yumi kneeled down and picked up the two creatures.

“Mika here is a demon cat, and Sayomi is a demon fox. As you can see, they are both two-tails.”

“Oh, you mean like my friend, Kilala?” Sango reached up and scratched Kilala, who was sitting on her shoulder, behind the ears.

“Yes, Exactly.” Yumi walked over to Sango and petted Kilala softly.

“Meow!” She trilled happily.

“Can your demons transform?” Kagome asked Yumi.

“Of course! How do you think a girl like me is able to live so far out here without being in danger of being abducted by thugs and have something terrible happen?” Yumi laughed.

“That would explain it.” Sango laughed as well.

“Come inside, and I'll take a look at your demon friend.” Yumi said as she skipped of towards her home.

“Well, it's what we came here for, isn't it?” Inuyasha walked off toward the building.

“Come on, Ayame. Let's get you inside for some help.” Kagome put her arm around Ayame's shoulder to help her walk.

“Right.” Kagome, Ayame, Shippo, Miroku, Sango and Kilala started towards the far side of the field.

* * * * *

“Alright, please sit down. Now where was she injured?” Yumi kneeled down to look at Ayame.

Kagome looked up at Yumi. “Well, during the training we were giving her, we heard a crash in the nearby woods. When we went to look at what had happened, we found her lying underneath a large tree branch. When we finally got her out, it seemed like most of the injuries were on her back.”

“Okay, well, I'll have to look at her back then. Please turn around.”

“Well, my dear Yumi, could I help in any way here?”

“Eep!” Yumi exclaimed as Miroku's hand found its way down her back.

“Pervert!” Yumi punched Miroku in the face.

“Gaaah!” Miroku hit the floor face first.

“Miroku! Keep yourself under control!” Sango hissed.

“Sango, wait, don't, no, Sango! Aaaah!” Miroku hit the floor again, this time with two red marks on his face.

Yumi placed her hand on the back of Ayame's hand. “Ayame, I'm going to put my hand on your back in several places. You tell me where it hurts when you feel pain, okay?”

“Alright. Go ahead.” Ayame took off the wolf fur that she wore on her back and folded it before setting it on the floor next to her.

Yumi placed her hand on Ayame's left shoulder, then her shoulder blade, the left side of her rib cage, and her lower left back without any result. She moved her hand over the right side of Ayame's back and Ayame groaned loudly.

“Aaaaah! Right there. That is where the pain is.” Yumi shifted to get up when she felt something wet hit the left side of her face. One trembling hand went to her cheek, and came off covered in scarlet blood.

“Oh my God! Ayame!” Yumi turned back to Ayame, but she was lying unconscious in a pool of blood, with a deep gash in her back.

“Sayomi, go fetch me the bandages, now!” Yumi screamed. “Mika, bring me the dark wood bowl in the corner!”

Immediately the two demon pets leaped off to bring their owner the things that she had asked for. Sayomi jumped up a few shelves to pick up several rolls of bandages with her tails, while Mika used her teeth to drag a wooden bowl about the size of a standard tire rim. Yumi got up and ran over to a bunch of herbs hanging from the roof and pulled them down, doing the same to several other bunches of herbs around the room.

“Kagome, Sango, I need help getting Ayame in a face-down position. Can you give me a hand?” Yumi turned to the two girls sitting against the far wall.

“Sure, come on Kagome.” Sango stood up, followed by Kagome.

The three of them carefully moved Ayame out of the drying blood and onto another place on the floor.

“Good, now I can prepare the herbal mixtures to place on the bandages and the wound.” Yumi spread out the herbs and picked up the bowl, which wasn't very deep, and looked around for something that seemed to be missing.

“Oh no, I need my grinding stone and the small knife I use for dividing my herbs. Now where did I put them?”

“Umm Yumi, are those the things you're talking about?”

Shippo jumped onto Yumi's shoulder and pointed at the wall next to her.

“Yes, thank you.” Yumi took the knife and stone off the shelf they sat on and placed the stone on the bowl. Kagome, Sango and Shippo watched in awe as Yumi expertly placed herbs on the edges of the bowl and one by one used the knife to chop, strip or dice some herbs, and used the stone to grind the dried herbs together into a sweet-smelling powder.

“Wow, Yumi! How are you able to do that so quickly?”

“My mother and father were famous for their medical abilities. They used to teach me as we would travel from village to village, and they would show me the different herbs, what they were for, and how to use them.”

“Wow. But how did you end up living alone?” Kagome asked.

Yumi looked at Kagome and Sango, who were surprised to see tears forming in her deep amethyst colored eyes.

“When I was eight years old, we were summoned to a local Lord's castle to heal one of his daughters, who had been attacked and almost abused by a group of rogue soldiers. We had spent a few nights at the castle as a gesture of kindness while my parents treated the extensive injuries that the princess had suffered. During the third night of treatment, the group of rogues attacked the castle, intending to finish what they had started. This time they brought even more men. Because there weren't many guards on duty at the time, the men easily got into the castle. I was playing in the courtyard under the supervision of one of the Lord's other daughters when we heard an explosion from the far side of the castle where my parents were treating the princess. I started to run towards that area, but the princess grabbed my arm and said to find a place to hide.”

“Oh my God, Yumi. That's terrible.” Sango placed a hand over her mouth.

“When she turned to head for the smoke, her older brother limped out into the courtyard, severely hurt. He held a damaged katana in his hand, one that belonged to their father. Then a bunch of the thugs came out and shot the prince with arrows while the princess and I watched helplessly. Then they grabbed the princess before she could run, then they… they… they…” As Yumi tried to finish speaking, Kagome and Sango realized what she was going to say, and tried to comfort her.

“Its okay, Yumi. You were just a young girl; there wasn't anything you could have done to help. They would have done the same thing to you.”

“Sango's right, Yumi. Had you come out of hiding, they would have killed you just because you were there.”

“I know; I just wish there was something I could have done. But anyway, after they were finished, they killed her, I could only watch. She looked in my direction for a split-second, and her eyes told me to stay where I was. For a long time I stayed there, crying, listening to the screams and shouts of the servants and residents, until they all stopped. It was night when I finally left my hiding place.”

“What did you do, Yumi? Where did you go?” Kagome crawled over to put a hand on her shoulder.

“I looked through what was left of the castle after the fires had died, looking for my parents. They were alive, but they were dying from their burns. They told me that I should look for a village where many sunflowers grew outside the houses. They had friends there who would take care of me.” Yumi rubbed the bandages with the powder, and then placed them on Ayame's back.

“Aaah, that area hurts, please be careful!” Ayame gasped as she slowly opened her eyes and sat up.

“Ayame! What made you faint like that?” Shippo Jumped into Ayame's arms.

“I probably just lost too much blood, but I still feel kind of dizzy.”

Yumi placed her hand on Ayame's shoulder.

“The herbs I put on the bandages aren't really for demons, but you needed those specific ones, so I had to use them. You'll be feeling this way until your wounds heal, but I apologize for the side effects.”

Ayame turned her head and smiled. “Don't worry about it. I know you had to do it, so I'm not that worried. Thank you, Yumi.”

“No problem, I'm glad to have been able to help.”

* * * * *

“Where is Asana? Her report is three hours over-due.” The Princess paced the courtyard, waiting for her servant to give her next report.

She walked over to the pond where the coy fish swam lazily and only saw her own reflection before the surface began to ripple.

“Finally, her report. Asana, what took you so long to find a place to contact me?”

“Forgive me Mistress. I have been following them to a young girl's house. I have not long before I lose the trail, so I apologize for having to cut my report short, I'm losing them.” The surface of the pond showed her face again. She blinked and then tried to realize what had just happened.

“Huh?”

* * * * *

“Meow!” Kilala trilled happily as she jumped and played with Sayomi and Mika. Ayame was laid back against a tree with Shippo in her arms, both sleeping. Kagome, Sango and Yumi watched the three demon pets run towards the pond, the cats trilling and the fox following silently.

Inuyasha and Miroku were practicing with their respective weapons together near a large group of boulders.

“So Yumi, where did Sayomi and Mika come from?” Sango looked towards the young girl sitting next to her.

“When I had found the village my parents had sent me to, I had collapsed from exhaustion on the outer parts of the village. Some farmers found me and took me to the village healers, who recognized me immediately. They knew who's child I was and healed me.

“When I came to, they said that they would take care of me in my parent's stead. So I learned two different methods of healing. A few years after I started living with them, my adopted parents sent me into the woods to find some special herbal spice, but instead I found the two-tail that would give birth to Sayomi and Mika. She was hurt badly, so I took her back to the village with me. While the adults looked after the twin tail, I got the spices we needed. I took care of the mother until the night when Sayomi and Mika were born. It was a moonless night when they were born. Mika was always afraid of whatever moved, and Sayomi was always getting into trouble, but the three of us always shared an unbreakable bond. Whenever Mika would be hurt by something, Sayomi would never let anyone except me near her. Sayomi has always been very protective of both me and Mika. She has been very helpful whenever I need her.”

“Hey, we might need some help over here!” Miroku shouted from across the field.

* * * * *

“I have to keep up with them or I'll fall behind.” Asana leaped through the trees without stopping to rest. If she lost the trail now, there would be no picking it up again.

“Found them! They're taking her to a healer. As if those wounds I inflicted could be healed by a mortal healer.” Asana laughed at the thought as the young that was new to the group laughed herself as two twin-tail demons tackled the monk.

“Odxudso Vision!” Asana whispered the spell that gave her a farther sight range than normal. She could see that the girl was alone as far as family went. She didn't seem to be of any significant importance, so she pushed any thoughts of the girl from her mind. She turned her attention to the twin-tails that had just hopped off the monk. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, just two demons that lived with the girl. Suddenly she heard a noise behind her, the kind of sound you hear when the wind blows through an empty old house. She looked behind her in alarm, but the demon had already got close enough to hit her across the temple, not hard enough to kill her, just enough to cause her to slowly black out. As her vision faded, she watched the branch she sat on drift away as she fell the thirty or so feet to the ground. Just as she finally lost all vision, she could have sworn she saw a familiar face smirking at her from the branch she had just fallen from. Then all went black.

* * * * *

“Is that all you've got, Miroku? I thought you could fight!” Inuyasha taunted the monk as they trained together.

“Oh, so you want to see what I can do? Then I'll show you!” Miroku jumped into the air and brought his staff down like a spear, and was blocked by Tetsuaiga's scabbard. Miroku brought his staff around his body and swung the metal tip at Inuyasha as he ducked under Inuyasha's scabbard and stuck the end into Inuyasha's side, trying not to be hit by his scabbard.

“Gotcha!” Miroku stated victoriously.

“Crap! How did that happen?” Inuyasha scowled.

“Aaaah! That hurt!” Miroku collapsed as a heavy object landed on his back.

“Hey, Miroku, where did that girl come from?” Inuyasha asked the monk as he got up.

“I have no idea, Inuyasha. But it does look like she's hurt.”

“We should get her to the others for help.” Inuyasha listed the girl up from the ground and turned towards the rest of the group.

“Hey, we might need some help over here!” Miroku shouted as he started walking with Inuyasha.

 

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Well, I finally finished the second chapter. Now to tackle chapter three!

Read and comment! I am always open to positive comments and friendly advice, and thanks to those who have read, plus extra kudos to those who reviewed. ^_^