A/N: here it is! The first chapter of my first fanfic! Hopefully you guys enjoy it and don't think it's too…unoriginal (is that a word?) or boring. I think the fanfic is probably going to slightly mimic the anime's format of separate adventures in each episode or in this case chapters, whatever the case review please!

Chapter 1: The Drought

When you're walking through the forest, and it seems to be too silent to be natural you can be sure that you are being honoured with the presence of something that you probably aren't accustomed to. They are beings in touch with the essence of life, far more basic and pure than the creatures that walk the earth with humans. The mysterious beings in question are known as mushi to the few who can see them and to the people who can't, they are seen as natural phenomenon or simply not at all. The mushi are small spirit creatures that can inhabit the bodies of humans and animals alike and unleash havoc upon them.

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Kimora wasn't surprised at the sudden silence in the forest. She was used to it. She knew it was a package deal when you were a mushishi who had learnt from Ginko himself about the mysterious and evasive creatures known as the mushi. After he had taught her all that he knew, she had decided to follow in his footsteps and travel, helping people with problems concerning mushi that she met.

A sudden rustle in the nearby trees startled Kimora and she looked up from the forest floor to see a young boy looking back at her with dull grey eyes. She watched as he tentatively walked towards her and as she watched him stumble and stop every few steps as if listening to something she realized the boy couldn't see. She wondered what his eye colour had been because it certainly couldn't have been grey, at least not with his complexion. Kimora finally noticed that the boy had stopped right in front of her and had his face tilted upwards.

"Please, can you help me? I can't see anymore. In fact, the entire village has gone blind. Please?" the little boy asked.

Rather surprised at the request she said, "Well first things first, my name is Kimora. What's yours?" as she spoke, she bent down and balanced on her feet.

"Oh…my name is Daichi," the boy replied shyly, the urgency of his request had given him a boost of courage that was beginning to wear off.

Kimora stood back up and asked the boy, "Do you want a piggy-back ride?" at this, the boy looked upward (or rather tilted his head upwards since he couldn't see) and nodded hopefully. She smiled and scooped the boy up and plopped him on her shoulders.

"Okay. So where is this village of yours Daichi-kun?" Kimora asked her brown-haired companion when she realized that she had no idea where to go (after turning around 5 times and then looking at the sky).

"Wait. Stand still for a second! I need to get my bearings," he paused while Kimora stood stalk still and then he pointed to their right, "That way," he said confidently.

Kimora kept walking, stopping every now and then to listen to Daichi's directions so that she didn't stray off the course he had set her on. When they arrived at the village gates, Kimora was shocked to see that all the villagers had dull grey eyes and weren't doing too well without their eyesight. The lack of it was taking a toll on them and visible signs of scrapes and bruises from falls were apparent on everyone.

Setting Daichi down she spoke, "Daichi-kun, would it be possible for you to tell me a bit more about this mysterious blindness?" she asked tentatively, "Oh and not near the village please," she hastily added. Daichi had a slightly confused look on his face as he nodded and turned around. He began walking in the other direction and Kimora hastily followed.

When Daichi was satisfied with the location he hesitantly fumbled around and found a boulder to sit on. Kimora sat on the boulder across from him and setting down her bag asked him, "When did it all start?"

Daichi replied, "It began last summer, right after the big drought that happened. I remember because our neighbour was the first one to have symptoms. We never suspected it back then only because he was so old vision loss seemed natural. When the kids that used to visit him everyday after school began to loose their vision one by one, the parents got worried and forbade anyone from visiting him again. The children's parent lost their eyesight too and eventually everyone had lost their eyesight," Daichi looked frustrated and gave a sigh before he continued, "It's all my fault. I'm the one who told them to visit him and help him out at home by doing little chores since he couldn't see anymore and then when they became blind, everyone began to blame me," at this point, Daichi looked on the verge of tears.

"Is that the reason why you came to me looking for help?" Kimora asked him gently. Daichi sadly nodded and Kimora continued, "Judging from what I know so far, I think I might be able to help your village."

Daichi's head shot up and he looked (as well as he could without his eyesight) towards her eagerly and asked "What can I do to help?"

Kimora stared at the forest floor thoughtfully. "If this is what I think it is then what we need to do right now is go back to the village. Do you remember how to get back?" Daichi nodded and then got up and started to walk away only to stop after a few steps making Kimora bump into him. "What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"I was just wondering…could I have another ride? It was fun sitting on your shoulders, I felt tall," when Kimora didn't reply Daichi blushed and said, "Well of course you don't have too I just thought it was real-" the rest of his sentence was cut off when Kimora swept the little boy into her arms and set him on her shoulders. "Thank you Kimora-san!" Daichi cried and happily pointed out the directions for Kimora.

When they got to the village, Kimora lifted Daichi off her shoulders and walked into the gates with him. "Would it be okay to speak with your village leader?" she asked tentatively.

"Of course! They're my parents," he replied and pulling on her hand the little brown-haired fellow led her to his home. As she walked into the house, a woman wearing a pretty blue kimono walked towards her.

"Hello, my name is Kimora and I'm a mushishi," Kimora introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Minako and am I right in assuming that you are the one the Daichi believes will cure our blindness?" Minako had a very welcoming voice and gesturing with her hand for Kimora to follow her she turned and walked into one of the rooms.

"Do you have any ideas as to how this problem came about Kimora-san?" Minako asked after they had settled into seats each with a glass of tea in front of them and Daichi off in the yard.

"I think I know what the problem is and part of the answer lies in when the first case occurred. Daichi-kun says that it started after the large drought last summer. Am I correct in assuming that your neighbour did a lot of work out in the fields?" asked Kimora.

"Well, actually, yes as a matter of fact he did," Minako replied a little surprised.

"As you probably know, there is fluid in the eyes, and this fluid is constantly being drained and cleaned. The tiny vessels the fluid is drained into can be clogged very easily. I think that when your neighbour was out working after the drought, there were mushi that were very thirsty that needed fluid to live in and feed out of," at this, Minako looked outraged and Kimora hastily added, "We shouldn't blame the mushi, they are only trying to survive like us," and Minako calmed down as she nodded.

Kimora continued, "Our eye is probably one of the most well protected things that we have. It is constantly being cleaned from our blinking and every single time we blink, a new layer of fluid is spread over our eyes. The mushi probably saw it as a chance for very good living conditions since there are tiny organisms floating around in the fluid and it will never get cold there unless we die so the mushi decided to move homes. The reason you became blind is probably because the mushi have become so great in number that they have disturbed the flow of the fluid and have caused a build-up in fluid. This creates pressure that damages your sensitive optic nerves and damages your eyesight," Kimora was confident about her analysis of the situation and Minako seemed very impressed with the conclusion.

"I only have one more question," Minako said, "If that's how our neighbour lost his vision, then how did all the young ones who went to help him become blind as well?" Kimora smiled, "The mushi in question need fluid to live and there are water molecules in the air, the mushi can easily move through the air to another person's eyes."

Minako's expression went from questioning to shocked and she stood up, "But that means that your vision is in danger! You'll lose your vision if you stay any longer!" Minako was clearly distressed about the thought that their only saviour was in danger of loosing her eye sight.

Kimora laughed and said, "Don't worry about me I'm a mushishi! I wouldn't have entered your village if I wasn't protected against this mysterious mushi. I can cure your village in ten minutes if you get them all gathered at your house," at her words Minako rushed off to get the villagers.

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Kimora laughed, "Thank you Daichi-kun! I really don't think I would have made it to the edge of the forest without getting lost," she laughed again.

"Kimora-oneesan, are you really leaving now?" Kimora nodded and lifted Daichi off her shoulders.

He looked back at her with his bright green eyes and Kimora sighed, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. If anything goes wrong you can contact me at this address," she handed him a slip of paper.

"Thank you for your help oneesan! I think everyone's a lot happier now that they can see again," he said happily.

Kimora smiled and tousled Daichi's already tousled light brown hair, "I'm sure they are. I have to get going now. Make sure everyone stays healthy okay?" after Daichi nodded Kimora swept him up and twirled him around before setting him back onto the ground. "Good-luck and good-bye!" and with that, Kimora turned around and walked away whistling, and Daichi walked back to his village, and back to his newly gained friends.

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A/N: hope you liked it! Let me know what you think through by reviewing anything is appreciated!

Michnelle