Chapter One

Naraku stood on the terrace of his eerie castle, surveying the horizon for any trace of his foes. Two weeks had passed since his last encounter with Inuyasha and his companions. He needed a new devious plot to entertain himself and keep the jewel seekers distracted. The sky was blood red, containing golden threads woven into the tapestry that was the sunset. A dark image rose from the dying rays, ominous and menacing, "Can it be?" the evil demon asked himself silently. He placed his hands on the banister of the balcony and stared at the foreign object.

"What is it, Master?" Kagura, the wind sorceress asked from her post by the door. Kanna of the void stood motionless beside her.

Naraku turned to the two maidens, "Kagura, Kanna. Do you know what that mountain is?" he asked them, pointing his index finger to the west, to the black landmass invading the sky.

The wind sorceress stared into the setting sun. Kagura gasped quietly, her red eyes widening in wonderment, "That mountain wasn't there before," she stated as she slowly approached her master.

Kanna lifted her face to meet the mountain, "That is Shiotosai," she said in her monotone voice, the magic mirror cradled between her palms, "the Forbidden Mountain," she finished, her black, emotionless eyes in a constant cold stare.

Naraku chuckled quietly to himself, "I though as much," he added, then turned and exited the room, his dark robe flowing like falling rain.

In a manner of minutes, the three demons, were heading towards the new mountain, "What does Naraku seek in such a foreboding place?" Kagura asked the other incarnation, which was her sister.

Kanna lifted her head, and fires appeared in her devilish mirror, "Five hundred years ago, there lived the three elemental princesses," Kanna began. As she began to speak, a wave washed over the face of the mirror, "Mizurina, the eldest and strongest of the three held the power to manipulate water. She was capable of monsoons, frigid rain, and icy snow. The second sister, Rikuaka, was the gentlest of the three and she possessed the power to control the very earth. Had she not been such a kind spirit, Rikuaka could've caused massive earthquakes, devastating mudslides and volcanic eruptions," Kanna added, her mirror's image changing according to her story, "Finally, the youngest of the three, and perhaps the most deadly, Hiana had the ability to create and control fire. The three sisters lived in peace for a few hundred years, but tension grew between the three as their powers began to grow," Kanna paused as a picture of a burning tree appeared in the mirror, "Hiana wanted the most power, and to gain that, she murdered Princess Rikuaka, and attempted to kill Mizurina as well. When she failed to destroy her greater sister, Hiana was punished severely," the image changed once more as the fire extinguished from the burning tree, "Mizurina sealed her youngest sister in Shiotosai, the forbidden mountain which only appears when the sun makes its last desperate attempt to shine, before she is murdered be the moon and her blood rays cover the sky. It is said she'd sleep for all eternity," Kanna paused as the mirror's image shifted into the mountain Shiotosai, "but along with her imprisonment, a curse was laid upon her: the curse of eternal burning. Whatever comes in contact with her skin will smoulder and burn. Due to this curse, even if she were freed, she would incapable of any physical contact," Kanna finished as a black cloud conquered the face of the mirror before dissipating. As the cloud vanished, the mirror was as empty as the eyes of its owner.

The three villains arrived at the mountain, and floated to the summit. The mountain was not capped, and in truth was an active volcano. Naraku descended until he was inches above the molten rock. He searched through his robes to find a stray jewel shard. His search was successful and he tossed it into the lava, "Come forth, mighty princess!" Naraku screamed, raising his hands above his head.

The lava bubbled beneath the jewel fragment, and a pale, slender hand breached the molten shell. It grabbed the jewel and dragged it under. After a few moments, a pale face with red hair emerged from the molten rock. The maiden wore a black kimono of fire rat with a similar style to that of Inuyasha's. She lifted her head to reveal a pair of burning amber eyes and a set of dark lips. As she slipped her hair back, it caught an updraft and flickered and flailed like the flame's they were named after. The princess's and the demon's eyes locked in an icy stare, "Why have you summoned me?" she asked in a deep voice almost as cold as Kikyo's.

"I require your aid in a certain matter," Naraku replied, his mouth curling into a wicked grin.

The fire princess crossed her arms across the width of her chest and narrowed her golden eyes, "I'm listening," she stated in a dark tone.

Miles away, Inuyasha and the others had taken sanctuary in Kaede's village, unaware of the being hunting them down. Naraku gently took the hand on Hiana, allowing it to burn deeply into his hand. They rose from the crown of the volcano, and descended to the ground. With a nod of his head, Naraku vanished and Hiana was left alone. She smiled to herself at the beauty surrounding her. The trees were exploding with dozens of shades of green. The forest floor was carpeted with a rainbow of flowers. The sky was a bright blue as the sun hid behind the horizon. Hiana danced on the green grass, happy to be alive, and freed from her prison. But her joy diminished as she felt the grass die beneath the soles of her feet, the bitterness and cruelty of her curse. She reached into her robe and pulled out two confinement sutras, and placed them on the bottoms of her feet. She then started walking in the direction of Kaede's village and the scent of the half-demon Inuyasha. She leapt high into the treetops, and spotted a small village that reeked of the hanyou's demon blood. She flew towards it, barely letting her feet touch anything.

Back in the village, the group was enjoying another hand-cooked meal of Kagome's in the fading evening light. They ate in silence, save for the inevitable munching of food. Inuyasha was the first to finish, and he turned to Kagome, "How come you didn't ask me how I liked it?" he asked, his ears twitching as he tilted his head in curiosity.

Kagome put down her bowl and finished chewing her rice. She looked up to the now standing dog demon, "Because, Inuyasha, I am tired of asking an getting NO response!" she hollered, her eyes ablaze.

"Sheesh," the half demon spat, "I was just wondering," he said, crossing his arms his chest, "it wasn't that good anyway," he said in an inaudible whisper.

Kagome's ears burned as she stormed over to Inuyasha, "INUYASHA!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. The hanyou's hair stood on end as he slowly turned his face towards the furious Kagome, "Si…" she began, and the dog demon automatically flinched, and fell to the ground. But, young Kagome did not finish her command. She stood erect, eyes wide, and gazing at the forest in the fading sunlight.

Inuyasha, who'd closed his eyes in preparation for his punishment, now opened them, and stood beside Kagome, "What's wrong, Kagome?" he asked the young girl.

"I sense a jewel shard," she stated, grabbing her bow and quiver.

"Well what're we wasting our time around here for? After it!" Inuyasha declared, a grin growing on his face as he led the group into the forest. He sniffed the air sharply, and exhaled with a grunt, quite annoyed at the scenario.

"What's the matter, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, standing beside his anxious and agitated comrade.

"Damn!" Inuyasha said with a quiet growl, "I can't catch any scent," he yelled, turning to face every direction in an attempt to sniff out the being that possessed the Shikon jewel shard.

"It smells like," Sango began, as she smelled the air around her, "fresh water As if the forest was washed clean," she finished, shifting the Hiraikotsu so it was easier to access if the time arose.

Kagome turned her body in circles, trying to scope out where the jewel was, "Here it comes!" she said, knocking an arrow in the bowstring and aiming it in the direction of the jewel fragment.

A young woman emerged from the trees, her navy blue hair clinging to her shoulders and neck. Her eyes were deep blue, like the ocean before a storm. The woman's skin was pale like freshly fallen snow, and her dress was cerulean, with a short cut and made of fabric that was thin and revealing.

"What a beauty," Miroku exclaimed quietly as he approached the newcomer. He walked confidently towards her, smiling constantly.

"Oh, no! Not again!" Kagome shrieked, disarming her weapon and putting her hand over her face.

"Idiot," Shippo contributed from the safety of Sango's shoulder. Sango stood silently, her eyes flaming at the sight of Miroku flirting with yet another woman.

The persistent monk approached the young woman, "You're by far the most beautiful woman I have ever had the delight of passing upon," Miroku said coolly as he stood before her.

Sango scoffed, "Straight to the compliments. He skipped introductions completely. That's not like him," Sango thought to herself, turning her face towards the greenery and distracting her eyes.

The woman fluttered her long eyelashes. The lids were painted a shimmering gold, and highlighted the color of her eyes, "You know, monk. Flattery will get you nowhere with me," she said, her voice washing over the love-struck monk like a wave breaking on shore. She stepped closer to the anxious Miroku, accenting her movements coyly.

"My fair maiden. You are a beautiful rose in a field of dusty wildflowers. A smell like the open breeze of the sea haunts you presence. A body of fine make, and face and hand hold beauty beyond compare," he concluded as he stepped closer.

"A poet too?" she laughed, "This is quite entertaining," she said sharply, turning a small grin to the beaming Miroku.

"Will you take the honour of bearing my children?" he proposed, taking the woman's pale hands in his.

The smile disappeared from the woman's face, and her eyes burned a deep violet, though it was hard to tell in the setting sun, "How dare you? You presume too much you perverted pig!" she hollered. As her rage built up, shards of ice started to crawl down her arms to her hands. From there, they were transferred on the unsuspecting Miroku. Within moments, the lecherous monk was a solid block of ice.

Inuyasha huffed, then leaned up against a tree. Shippo followed suit, "Serves him right," he said with a giggle. Though Sango and Kagome were glad Miroku received what he deserved, they rushed to his side. Kirara took her larger form and attempted to thaw the monk from his frigid confinement.

The dog demon closed his eyes and cracked the knuckles in his right hand, "Look, Miroku may be the biggest jerk on the entire planet, but…" he said, opening his eyes so each amber facet caught the last ounce of light, "Nobody turns my friends into popsicles and gets away with it!" he bellowed, rushing towards the mysterious woman, claws sharp and ready.

From above, Hiana watched the scene unfold. When the woman came into view, she gasped at the spectacle. The woman who froze the one known as Miroku was her frigid elder sister, Mizurina. Hiana watched as the dog hanyou ran at Mizurina. The enchantress took the form of liquid water, and dissolved into the ground. The half-demon was puzzled, and the water princess appeared behind him.

"Inuyasha!" a young girl in strange green and white clothes yelled from beside her frozen comrade, "Watch out behind you!" Inuyasha turned, but reacted too late, and Mizurina hurled him into a nearby boulder. The girl abandoned the monk, threw her weapons to the ground, and ran toward the half-breed, "Inuyasha!" she yelled, rushing into his arms.

"Stay back, Kagome," Inuyasha said, pushing her to the side, and drawing his giant sword to regain his stance. He grunted in pain and crumbled toward the ground. The girl rushed to his side to stop him from falling, "Really," he said with a grin, "I'm fine," he concluded, standing straight up.

"All right," Kagome said softly with a nod of her head before returning to the rest of the group, who'd now huddled around the imprisoned Miroku, "Be careful, Inuyasha," she whispered, clutching her heart.