Sesshomaru glanced back through the mist. The little green kappa demon Jaken was waddling along behind him.

"Jaken, hurry up. Father said that he wished for me to be at this place by sundown. He said that there was someone he wanted me to meet," said Sesshomaru.

"Yes milord!" agreed Jaken, running after Sesshomaru as fast as his tiny green legs could carry him.

Sesshomaru crossed the border between forest and meadow, with Jaken close behind.

"Father. What is it you wished for me to see?" asked Sesshomaru. Inutaisho raised his hand to silence Sesshomaru. He pointed his clawed hand at a human girl lying on the ground, fast asleep. She looked very peaceful, like she was having a very good dream. By her size, Sesshomaru guessed that she was about fifteen. She had unruly black hair that fell over her eyes. She wore a ragged green outfit. (Just like kohaku's) Despite her ragged attire, she looked… beautiful.

"Lovely, isn't she," said Inutaisho quietly with a smile.

"Why is it you wish for me to meet this girl?" asked Sesshomaru.

"Oh, yes. You see, her name is Mizuki. She came upon me just more than a fortnight ago. I thought that she would be in good hands with you, my son," answered Inutaisho. Sesshomaru boiled with anger.

"You expect me to take a human girl with me?" he hissed, outraged. Mizuki grumbled, waking up.

"Good morning Lord Inutaisho. And I'm guessing you are Lord Sesshomaru," said the girl sleepily.

"Good morning, Mizuki. Did you sleep well?" asked Inutaisho.

"Yes, Lord Inutaisho. I dreamt that the sky stopped turning red. I dreamt it so hard, but then at the very end of the dream it turned red again. It was still red when I woke up," she said quietly. Sesshomaru looked at Inutaisho questioningly.

"Mizuki, tell Sesshomaru about the fire demon's curse," said Inutaisho.

"All right, Lord Inutaisho," said the girl.

"Once, a very long time ago, when I was only five years old, my family was killed by fire demons. My mother and my father both burned. I made it out alive, but one of them put a curse on me. Now, the sky turns red whenever someone is feeling upset, especially when they are angry. It's like a million voices are screaming right in my ears. They tell me things I don't want to know. Whenever someone hates me, I know. Stuff like that. But I trained myself to also hear good things. Plus, now I can hear emotions and how people are feeling in more detail. It took a long time to learn how, but I know now. You and Lord Inutaisho are the only ones I can't read, but that is because you are so calm, so your emotion voices are really quiet, quieter than I can hear," said Mizuki.

Sesshomaru nodded. Mizuki was surprised that Sesshomaru had remained his calm self through the entire time she had told the story, but she didn't say so. Sesshomaru might have been offended and angry because it might have sounded like she thought Sesshomaru was weak. Inutaisho had warned her that Sesshomaru was offended easily by that kind of thing, though he tried not to show it.

"Sesshomaru, I want you to take care of Mizuki because I have the empire to take care of. She has no yen, and no family. She is only fourteen years old, and has nowhere to stay. Take her with you," said Inutaisho firmly. Sesshomaru sighed and beckoned to the girl Mizuki. He turned around and started to walk away.

Mizuki smiled. She had known Sesshomaru would let her come with him in the end. She ran and gave Inutaisho a hug, which he did not expect, and then she ran into the woods after Sesshomaru.

''Milord! How could you possibly let a human come with us?" asked Jaken, outraged.

Mizuki plugged her ears as the sky began to turn bright red, the color of fire. Her surroundings became blurred, and the voices started.

He hates you!

He haaatesssss you!

He wishes that the fire demons had gotten yoooouuuu toooooooooooooooooo!

"Stop Jaken! Please!" she begged. Jaken took no notice of her. Her ears hurt from all the noise. Her eyes stung with tears as the fire-colored sky burned at her mind.

Hates you!

Hates you!

HATES YOU!

Sesshomaru saw Mizuki with tears running down her face. In one smooth motion, he grabbed Jaken and hurled him away. As Jaken's screams got quieter and he flew further away, the voices quieted down. Mizuki fell to her knees and wept. She wept hard. She cried herself into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, she found herself lying on the back of a green, scaled demon. The demon had a saddle on. It had to heads, both in muzzles.

"You're awake," said Sesshomaru in a monotone.

"Uh-huh," replied Mizuki. Her head still hurt from the red sky.

"Where is Jaken?" she asked, not knowing that Sesshomaru had hurled him away.

"I hurled him away. When I came across him, he was with his people. I must have hurled him right into kappa demon territory. They insisted that he stay with them for a while, for some reason I could not fathom. They gave me this demon, which has no name, to carry you upon," said Sesshomaru.

"Okay. So how long will Jaken be gone?" asked Mizuki.

"A fortnight, at the very least," answered Sesshomaru in his icy voice. They flew on, Seshomaru flying on his own now, not on the green, two-headed demon.

Then, the wind started blowing. Two huge, red demons appeared.

"Oh no," cried Mizuki, "The fire demons!"