Her long ears twitched at the slight movement. Whoever it was knew she was here in this strange land. Bringing her homemade spear closer, she tried to pinpoint the direction of the intruder. Ever since arriving here with her mother's clan she felt unease, like a sickness over the land. She soon became separated from the group after a miasma of poisonous gas surrounded them driving her mother back into the purifying waters of the ocean. Sachi turned, jumping high into the trees as her father taught her many years ago. She visible relaxed as a young couple strode along under her spacious hiding place. Lifting her head skyward she silently prayed to find her mother so that she may return home. Using spare pins her brother had crafted for her she pinned her long blonde hair up under her leaf cap. Even in her beloved village she had to hide who she was: the product of a wood elf father and a water sprite mother. Such things were unheard of. Woods elves had children with other wood elves and water sprite kept to their own. These invisible lines where never to be crossed.
Rising from her knees she bit into the apple. Juice dripped down her chin quickly reducing it to a core she grabbed another. Hunger dulled her senses. Walking across a wide open plain for 4 days with little food tired her so. But it was necessary, an evil spirit, a youkai as her mothers mother once told her, had attacked a village and had to bury the bodies as was required by her fathers people. Saying the necessary spells to bless them and their journey, she hung ornaments from the sea in the doorways to protect them until they were safe in the underworld. So engrossed in devouring the apple she didn't notice the child until she giggled. Sachi immediately jumped into the tree. This large tree held a certain amount of power. The little girl pointed up into the trees and called to her mother in the language of Sachi's grandmother. Resting her head on the cool trunk she thought back to her grandmother. The long afternoons by the shore as she would teach her the customs of her homeland. "Now remember Suki," A childhood nickname, she used until her dying breath, two years ago. "Know what these mean incase you ever visit my homeland. This may mean the difference between survival and defeat." "I should have listened to you more closely." "Listened to whom?" Looking up Sachi screamed into the face of a young boy with ears on top of his head. Dropping uncermonisly to the ground she lay stun as he jumped next to her. "Oswowia!" He fell to the ground like he was pushed. Recovering swiftly he flew in the face of another girl with almost no clothes and long dark hair. "Don't scare her! Inuyasha!" "Hi!" A furry bundle popped on her shoulder. She screamed again. Her father always said her inability to attack first would bring about her death, but Sachi would just laugh him off. Now she knew he was right. With her back against the tree, she watched them approach. The white haired boy, two dark-haired girls and another boy with long robes along with the furry boy. "" She said the spell quickly. The tree roots caught them unawares. Several of the branches dipped down and caught them within their branches. "Baka!" Said the silver-haired boy as he broke through the branches. Bending on one knee she asked forgiveness then drew her sword. Her father said it was passed through eldest generation from its conception thousands of years ago. She learned to use it before she could walk. Though she didn't like to because it was meant for destruction. Parrying his attacks she almost laughed, he expected to use brute force to win? Another sound caught her attention. Then it grew louder. The familiar miasma bellowed out of the woods. The group scattered while the black haired woman rushed by she grabbed Sachi's arm and hauled her away. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw a white baboon bouncing through out the treetops. After a while the group stopped running. And introduced themselves. She seethed her sword. "Where did you learn to fight like that…." "Sachi. My name is Sachi. My father taught me." "Your accent is not familiar, Sachi, where are you from?" Mirouku asked, his palm heading towards her bottom, but Sachi heard his thoughts. Grandmother said she had the gift of 'sweeping' being able to just touch the thoughts of others. Smacking him on the head, she screamed "Hands off you leachous monk!" Like snapping out of a dream she relised what she had done. "Oh no! I'm sorry Mirouku. Really I am." Digging into her pouch and taking out a well of ink and a scrape of paper she wrote feriously for a minute before thrusting the paper into the monks hands. "Ugh? Thank you Lady Sachi." "Oh! It is a favour barter for you and your group." "A what?" Inuyasha almost growled. "It is a custom among our people once someone has done something susbational for someone else they are in their debt. This paper signifies that I owe you all a favour." "What people would that be?" Kagome asked sounding genuinely curious. Sachi looked down, deciding whether or not to trust them. Sweeping their minds revealed nothing out of the ordinary. "My people are…. well my mothers people are called the water bearers and my fathers people are call wood markers. I was here with my mother and her clan when this miasma drifted across the shore separating me from her. It has almost been a month since I last saw her." Kagome laid a comfetoring hand on her shoulder. "Wow. It must really be tough." "Damn Naruku."
Sachi travels with the gang for many more months before scooping out the area while the others were asleep. Leaping in the trees she spotted a bunny casually nibbling on a bunch of grass. Landing a few feet from it, it jumped in the air then took off running. Giggling as she chased the bunny the wood seemed to speed by. The rabbit ducked into a hollow rotting log. So he plans to outwit me at the end. Leaping across the log she barely dodged a little girl tormenting a toad. They both screamed as they tried to avoid each other. She awoke to find the toad poking her with a stick. She tried to grab the stick with her hand, but immense pain flooded her. Crying out she clutched the broken limb to her chest. So absorbed in her pain she did not notice another presence. "Rin." The little girl ran up to the white haired guy. "Sesshomaru-sama! Your back! The pretty lady hurt herself." Sachi noticed something different about him; she shivered when he came close. Drunkly she got to her feet, backing away from Sesshomaru she collided with the bark of a tree. Looking around widely she finally looked up. Seeing a clear path to the top of a tree she said a quick pray and leapt. Jumping from tree to tree, jostled her broken arm but she bit her lip to keep the whimpers back. Not trusting herself to stay on track when she looked back she speed up her pace. There! Up ahead, there was the ocean, all she had to do was just touch it to transform. "NOOOO!" She screamed as a furry tail wrapped around her. Trying to loosen the trap around her waist she pushed despestly at his chest. She watched with sickening horror as one pale hand encircled her broken arm, darkness overwhelmed her.
Three months later
Sachi felt the rhythm overwhelm her. At her woodland village she was known as a good dancer. She let her mind go as her feet beat out a primitive rhythm. Hips swaying hands above her head, with her hair swishing behind her back the audiences stopped to watch in collective silence. The whole forest stilled. Birds broke their song to enjoy this magical dance. When the song ended it took a while before her mind come back into her body. When it did, she slowly lowered her hands to her sides and made her way back to Kaede's hut. She had enjoyed herself but the villages looked at her strangely. They did not understand her customs and she barely understood them. She missed her old life, even if she had to hide who she was. It was nice. Safe. Comfortable. Jumping down the sheer cliff face she sat down on the beach to listen to the waves. She sent her thoughts out across the water. "Mother, where are you?" She shock her head. She knew where her mother was at the summer feeding sites. She couldn't let her clan starve. No matter who was left behind. Dropping her clothes behind in the sand as she approached the waters. She let the call envelope her. The song continued. Her body lengthened, drawing her feet together, shortening her arms. Her skin dulled to a steel gray and her eyes pulled to the side of her square head. Diving deep in the water she sang a lonely whale song. She could hear others in the distance but they were actual whales, not water sprites. She dived until her head ached and her insides felt squeezed. Bursting out the surface of the water she cleared 20 feet before falling back down after an hour of this her unused water sprite body, was exhausted. Changing back into her human form she drifted back to shore. With shore muscles she pulled her pants back on and slid her shirt over her wet body. Flipping her heavy mass of hair over her shoulder, she pounced up the cliff to where Kaede's hut was. The group was already asleep, sitting down in an unoccupied corner, she combed out her hair. The blonde streaks diligently catching the light, while the brown and red shimmered. Even by the water sprites her hair was unusual. It seemed to be everything at once. Brown, blonde, red and black. Crimped, wavy and straight. Reaching down to nearly her waist it took nearly two hours to dry. But she promised her grandmother not to cut it. She said it would be apparent in time.