Complicated Simplicity

Hello, everyone! Now, before you wonder what had happened to the other chapters, I must tell you, I took them down for revision. This chapter has been completely revised, too, and I would suggest that you re-read it because it is different from the original storyline.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha nor Yu Yu Hakusho.

Chapter One

The mission was simple—watch the demon slayer's village for some time, then infiltrate it. Normally, Yoko Kurama wouldn't raid a human village, but this time, he would make an exception. This was the place that supposedly had a particular jewel that he wanted. It was said that the demon who possessed the jewel was slain by these humans, and they took it from the demon's corpse as payment. The jewel itself was priceless, and it was also the key to a cave full of treasure.

A silver tail swayed in concentration as golden eyes peered at the unsuspecting village. From his view in the shadows, he could easily see the common entrance and front of the village. He thought the village to be foolish for its lack of security. Really, who would hunt demons for a living and not take precautions as to protect their home? There wasn't a wall or anything separating it from the surrounding forest. They were either sure that no one stupid enough would dare to step foot in the village, or they were very stupid.

Having memorized the possible escape route and some of the village, Yoko glanced over to his partner, Kuronue, signaling that they should scope out the rest of the village from the outside, for only a fool would go in blind. Quietly, he stood from his resting spot on the tree that he had spent hours on, and he leapt to the next with Kuronue in tow.

A few trees later, he stopped in a tree located on the west of the village, peering from a side view. From there, he could see several huts and what he assumed to be the center of the village. Despite the sun having gone down hours before, there were a few people resting in front of their huts, absorbing the beauty of the night. Whether they were truly at ease or keeping watch for potential threats, Yoko didn't know, but the latter would have been the smarter choice.

With the intent of staying there for a while to get a feel for the sleeping habits of the demon slayers, Yoko sat on the branch that he was standing on. Out of his peripheral, he saw Kuronue do the same in an adjourning tree. Without further distraction, he focused his sight and hearing to the village below.

A slight frown adorned his demonic beauty upon the knowledge that the villagers weren't talking about anything important. He knew full well that he wasn't here for pleasure, but the demon slayers could at least talk about something worth hearing and not just some idle gossip. Then again, whether they kill demons for a living or not, they were just human—the most simpleminded abominations that walked the land. Still, he had to listen to make sure that he didn't miss any important information.

By the time that the three males had started to talk about how good dinner was earlier that day, Yoko had to force himself to stay focused. Really, who talked about something so trivial? He was ready to relocate and scope out another part of the village, but then something that the villagers said caught his attention.

"Sango is really something else."

"She is. You know that last time that she went out, she singlehandedly took care of a village that was overrun with demons? I think that she has even surpassed her father in skill."

"And she is so beautiful. If I were just a few years younger, I would make her mine. You can't go wrong with beauty and strength."

"I kinda wish that other girls had that same fiery spirit that Sango has."

Yoko's silver tail swayed slowly with interest. New information on his opposition was always welcomed, and if the gossip below was accurate, this Sango girl would be his biggest problem. It was sort of sad that the best demon slayer was a female, and he wondered if this village was really as formidable as they were claimed to be. Seriously, if a little girl was the best that they had, then he didn't have to put much effort in obtaining what he had come for.

Upon the realization that he had got distracted from the very informative conversation that was going on below, Yoko dispelled his current thoughts, directing his attention back to the villagers. It took him a moment to realize their conversation had ended, and they were focused on something else.

Following their gaze, his golden eyes landed on a human woman looking to be no older than seventeen years in age. Her pale skin seemed to suck in the moonlight, illuminating the flawless beauty. Her dark hair fell to the middle of her back, and the bottom of it was held together by a hair tie. Her gait was graceful yet powerful. Despite her attractive appearance, however, Yoko found her eyes to be the most enthralling. He had never seen a woman—or anyone for that matter—contain eyes that swirled with the dark intelligence of a warrior, but at the same time, hold the warmth that was capable of love and affection. Usually, people would have one or the other, not both. He hated humans with a passion, but he did have to give credit where it was due, and this woman was indeed an extraordinary person.

"I thought that you didn't like humans?" Kuronue's voice interrupted Yoko's trance-like state.

In response, the silver fox scowled at his friend for suggesting such a ridiculous thing. In defense, he responded, "I don't. Analyzing your probable threats is a key factor in planning a raid. One must know who will give them the most problems should a raid not go as smoothly as planned. As second-in-command, I expect you to know these things."

A mischievous glint passed through the bat demon's visible indigo eye, and a smirk found its way onto his mostly concealed face. He was lucky that his hat gave him some type of coverage because he was sure that Yoko would most definitely read the look on his face for what it was, and he would be madder than it was now. "If you say so."

"We cannot afford any distractions," Yoko dismissed the conversation, turning back to the village below. Golden eyes narrowed slightly when they failed to locate the human girl. How was he supposed to plan a raid when he couldn't find the biggest threat? Then again, the biggest threat was a human female, so she wouldn't be qualified as a threat at all, would she?

With the reasoning that one should never underestimate an opponent, he came up with a new plan. "Watch the village to learn its occupants' schedules and listen for any other important information. I will return shortly." Before Kuronue could respond, Yoko left his resting spot with his demonic speed. The last thing that he needed was to miss this woman's schedule and an opportunity to learn her skills and weaknesses.

Luckily, the demon slayer hadn't got far, and his senses were able to identify her position. He jumped from branch to branch to catch up with the woman. When he did, he faltered in his leap. On her back was an abnormally large boomerang, and he wondered how he could have missed it when he first saw the girl. It was almost bigger than the slayer, and it looked to have a lot of weight, yet she carried it like it was weightless, almost like it was an extension of herself. With that knowledge, he concluded that it was her primary weapon, and if they should ever find themselves facing each other, then he would have to watch out for it, that is, if she could wield it properly—carrying something on your back and actually throwing it where two different things.

Satisfied with the little knowledge that he had received about her primary weapon, Yoko then studied her demeanor and actions, noticing that without being told—and without the boomerang in plain sight—one would never guess that she was a killer. Well, a normal person wouldn't know. From a glance, she seemed like a normal woman, and she even went so far as to wear a two-toned pink kimono with a green skirt covering the bottom half of it. Small things like the subtle flow of muscles underneath her moon-kissed skin and the way that she carried herself indicated that she had some hidden weapons, thus giving her occupation away. If she were smart, she would change the position of the dagger from her thigh to the small of her back to hide the very subtle bump. To be honest, he had never expected a human woman to be a fighter, much less a strong one.

With a raised eyebrow, he watched curiously as the woman left the village. It had become dark long ago, and aside from the small road that led out of the village, the rest of the outside world was forest. This female was either very sure of her abilities or very unwise. There were bandits and demons everywhere waiting for unsuspecting prey—never mind that he just so happened to be both. Then again, that could be her reason for bringing several weapons along. Clearing his mind of the distractions that had come up again, he silently followed her, analyzing her as the time passed.

Judging from her movements, she was quick on her feet when need be, and considering that she was a young female, he also assumed that she was flexible as well. Those were good traits to have when dodging oncoming attacks, but if one didn't have the ability to predict their opponents' moves, then their abilities were futile. For her to be the best of the demon village, though, Yoko presumed that she didn't rush into battle without using her head. An inaudible sigh left his lips—it was pitiful that a human woman contained qualities that he had yet to teach his third-in-command, Yomi. Perhaps the rash demon could learn something from this woman. There was also the option of replacing Yomi with this female. No, he wasn't here for recruitment, and if he was, then he most certainly wouldn't recruit a woman, especially since she was a human. Humans were inferior, and they couldn't keep up with a demon's speed or stamina. Besides, he could think of better ways to put a woman to use other than placing her in his line of work.

Before his mind could conjure up provocative ways to use a woman, Sango switched directions, heading away from the road and into the forest. With a glance at the path that she had taken, Yoko could easily tell that it was worn, meaning that she had travelled it frequently in the past. Depending on how often she came here and if she was consistent with the time, he could steal the jewel from her village without her even being in the vicinity.

The scent of the forest began to change, integrating with one of wild flowers and water. Considering that he was a little ways behind Sango, he couldn't see her face, but from the way that she picked up her pace, he could tell that she was eager to reach whatever was ahead of him. When the trees broke into a clearing, he could see why she was so eager to come.

Before him was a clearing in which a river ran through, and it was surrounded by an abundance of flowers of at least thirty different varieties. The moon smiled down upon the whole scene, creating a silver reflection off of the water's surface that danced upon the adjoining land.

Too mesmerize by the beauty of nature, Yoko almost missed the fact that the slayer had gone rigid and was eyeing her surroundings suspiciously. It was when he felt a subtle flow of demonic energy that he came to and pinpointed the origin of the energy, which was hidden in the forest on the other side of the clearing. A fleeting thought passed through his mind that he should kill the demon, but he thought better of it. If he killed the demon, then he wouldn't be able to see Sango's fighting skills. And if she couldn't defend herself, then her demise was her own fault.

With calculating eyes, Yoko watched as the slayer turned in the general direction of the demon. Considering that it had yet to make an appearance could mean a number of things, and it gave Sango a temporary advantage. The muscles in Sango's right arm became more defined as she removed the strap of the boomerang from her torso.

"Hiraikotsu!" Surprisingly, with one hand, Sango had expertly aimed and threw the boomerang with such force that it obtained immeasurable speeds. Trees collapsed in the weapon's wake, and the green blood of a newly halved demon spurted like a fountain in the distance. With the same speed, the boomerang started to head back to its wielder, and Yoko wondered if she had to strength to capture it. At first he thought that she didn't have the ability to do so because she merely stood there as the boomerang advanced, but then she snatched it right out of the air by a piece of cloth that was tied to one of the ends. The force should have sent her backward; however, she had grounded herself in preparation, so she barely moved an inch.

To say that his assumptions weren't anything compared to what he had just witnessed would be an understatement. Never before had he seen a woman fight her own battles, and the skill and strength that Sango had just displayed was astounding.

Perhaps he shouldn't categorize her as a weak human woman, because she definitely didn't fit the stereotypical criteria. No, she was in a whole new league, and he found himself seeing humans from a whole new perspective—well, at least this one.

The worst part was that Yoko had long since forgotten about his research. He knew immediately that something had changed, and he wondered if his quest for the jewel wouldn't turn out to be his worst decision yet.

Chapter End

Well, did you like the new and improved chapter one? Let me know in a review. Remember, reviews fuel my motivation to write faster. They also tell me that I have to write despite being swamped with college homework. I look forward to seeing your input.