Prologue

In the present era, there are many stories written about demons. It's hard to believe that demons were a common sight in the Feudal Era of Japan. It's true that some of these demons were capable of being good, but the majority of them were evil. In fact, there were several different groups who made a living protecting humans from these creatures. The Ninjas of this time were one of the said groups.

There were many different villages hidden amongst the country where hopeful students trained in the art of Ninjutsu under the watchful eyes of Shinobi masters. One such village was centered in between two long rivers. In fact, the village got it's name from these rivers: "The Hidden River Village".

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Chapter One

The Hidden River Village

Akira Yoshikawa sighed as he was forced to listen to his Sensei's ramblings of the same lecture he had heard hundred of times before. After all, he was practically a Shinobi as it was. Why would he be assigned B to A rank missions if he didn't know what he was doing?

Akira was 18 and had dark green eyes. The bangs of his shoulder length brown hair were parted down the center of his forehead. Like his two team mates, his outfit consisted of a Shinobi Shozoku. It was made up of split-toed tabi boots, socks, special trousers with double-ties which fasten at the ankles, knees and waist; a jacket with overlapping lapels which was tucked into the trousers and protective arm-and-hand sleeves. The outfit was made of strong, dark-blue cotton, fitted loosely to allow freedom of movement. Normally a scarf and hood would cover the head, but since they were simply training these garments were allowed to be set aside.

"Chakra is a combined mixture of the energy present in every cell of the human body with spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience. Once mixed, it can be channeled through the circulatory system to any of the 361 chakra points in the body. Through various methods, chakra can then be manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise …"

Akira couldn't help himself from finishing his Sensei's lecture. "… such as walking on water. Right Sensei Kenji?" Kenji was surprised for a moment. It was very unlike Akira to interrupt him.

Kenji appeared to be several years older than his students. By looking at him, one would guess he was in his late 40s. However, he was still in excellent shape. His eyes were an aqua shade of blue and his short white hair was spiked to stand straight on end. Light blue highlights fill the tips of the spikes. A large scar in the shape of a lightning bolt covered his left eye.

"That is correct Akira. But that doesn't excuse your interruption." Akira frowned in response. "But Sensei … we've heard this lecture hundreds of times. It's like you've forgotten that we knew anything about Chakra."

The girl with green eyes standing on Akira's left smiled. Her brown hair was styled so her bangs were slightly spiked over her forehead and two buns were tied up near the back of her head. "Akira, Sensei Kenji reminds us about the basics of Chakra before each session for a reason."

The brown eyed guy standing on Akira's right nodded. His dark red hair was tied up with a small white ribbon. The ends of the hair past the ribbon were slightly spiked. "Yuri's right. If we were to forget the basics during an advanced lesson, we might completely fail at what we were being taught."

"You see Akira? Raiden and Yuri have the idea. Why so impatient today?"

Akira's frown turned into a smile of excitement. His eyes almost seemed to sparkle. "Because! I can't wait to start sparing over water! This is gonna be so awesome!"

Kenji chuckled in response as he slightly waved both of his hands in front of him in hopes of calming him. "Alright, settle down and we'll start."

Akira quickly placed his legs together and saluted his Sensei. "Yes sir!"

Kenji's faced turned serious once his students were paying attention again. "Now then, to maneuver over the surface of the water, you must place your hands together and push your chakra to the soles of your feet. Once you are certain you have a good balance, you are free to give it a try."

The three students turned around at once and faced the river by the clearing. They then clasped their hands together as two blue lines of light began to circle each of them in an X like formation. After a moment or two, the three Ninja made their move and rushed toward the river. The wind blew past them at an incredible speed and within seconds, they found themselves running on water. Kenji appeared pleased as he watched his students perform several different maneuvers all while maintaining their balance. This continued for roughly an hour before Kenji decided to call an end to their session.

"Alright you three! That's it for today!"

Akira almost cried in disappointment. This was one lesson he was really enjoying and it was already over. But regardless, he and his teammates returned to the clearing of the woods.

"Man Sensei … why didn't we learn this sooner? It would have come in handy on some previous missions. Especially against demons that enjoy water."

Yuri nodded in agreement. "Like that serpent we battled the other day. That thing was a pain."

Raiden folded his arms. "It wouldn't have been if it weren't for the fact that it had a shard of the Shikon Jewel."

Akira turned serious for a moment. "No kidding. To this day, I wonder what caused the jewel to shatter. Ever sense that happened, demons have been creating more havoc than normal."

Kenji placed a hand on Akira's shoulder. "That's where we come in." He lowered his hand. "We have a few of the shards already. If we can continue to collect them, we should be able to return the jewel to normal."

"Sensei … I've been thinking."

Raiden laughed. "This oughta be interesting."

Yuri elbowed him playfully. "Hush Raiden."

Akira shook his head slightly. "I've been thinking … is it really safe for our village to have any of the jewel shards? I mean, I know there are plenty of Shinobi here, but there's always a possibility that there could be a demon around that even we couldn't handle. And if that demon ever learned that we had the shards then …"

Kenji's expression changed to the same concern Akira was showing. "I see where you coming from Akira. But at the same time, you have to remember how well protected we keep the shards. I guarantee you that nothing like that would ever happen."

"I hope you're right Sensei."

Raiden smirked. "Man, you're such a mood killer sometimes Akira."

Akira shot him an angry look. "Well excuse me for caring!"

Yuri stood in between her teammates and became defensive. "That's enough you two." She raised a hand in the air. "I know! Why don't we go see that play in the theater?" She pointed toward Akira. "You know, the one about the demon slayer?"

Akira smiled. "Hey, that's a good idea."

Raiden shrugged his shoulders and smirked. "Why not? I've got nothing better to do now."

Yuri clapped her hands together in excitement. "Then it's settled. Let's go!"

Yuri led her teammates through the woods as they headed toward the theater of the Hidden River Village. Not even they could know that a man covered in a white baboon's skin had been watching the entire lesson.

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Elsewhere in a darkened traditional Japanese mansion sat a being with the appearance of a normal human being. However his skin was a deadly pale white, while his eyes appeared to be scarlet in shade. Above his eyes appeared a navy sort of make-up. He was a bit skinnier than one would have expected. His kimono was an array of purples and blues and was worn in a very loose fashion. Sitting before him was a wooden puppet which he used to control the demon in the baboon skin. This being was the demon known as Naraku.

Naraku's face appeared to show no emotion as he spoke. He simply gazed upon the puppet. "It appears I was correct. The shards must be with the Shinobi named Kenji." He raised his head and looked toward the entrance to the room which was being slid open to reveal a woman dressed in a three-layer kimono. She also wore a pair of earrings, each was a string of five light green beads with a feather at the end. She had dark black hair which did not even reach her shoulders. However, she did have an unusual styled bun tied up near the back of her head with a white head band. However, her hairstyle was not her most unusual feature. The irises of her eyes were blood red and her ears were pointed like those of an elf. This was the female incarnation of Naraku: Kagura, the wind sorceress.

The woman's expression clearly showed a mixture of annoyance and hatred for the man before her. For Naraku held her heart and if she ever disobeyed him there was a very real possibility that he would crush it, ending her life in seconds. "Why did you summon for me Naraku?"

"You are to travel to the village hidden by the rivers. The Ninja there have collected several shards of the Shikon Jewel."

"The Shinobi there are said to be skilled in the art of Chakra. Are they not?"

Naraku sounded a tad impatient with his reply. "Is that a problem?" One of Kagura's hands began to tense into a fist. If only the consequences for even considering attacking him weren't as severe as they were, she wouldn't hesitate in the least to do so. He didn't care for her safety. His only concern was completing the collection of the Jewel. "If the reports are correct, my chances of making it to and from that village alive are slim at best."

Naraku's gaze turned to that of a glare. "Are you questioning my judgment? Need I remind you of the consequences?" Kagura's concern showed as her fist began to shake slightly. "No. I know them well."

"If you had let me finish, you would have learned that you have one target to concern yourself with. His name is Kenji, a high ranking Shinobi. The jewel shards are under his protection. If you remove him from the picture, your problems are solved."

Kagura nodded in response. "Understood." Without another word, Kagura closed the panel behind her and stepped outside the mansion. She then reached for a small white leaf kept in her hair and tossed it into the air. It quickly expanded immensely in size as she hopped onto it. Kagura bit her bottom lip in anger as she flew off toward her destination, her thoughts echoing in her mind. "Damn that Naraku. Who the Hell does he think he is?"

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Elsewhere, in a forest near the Hidden River Village, a group of travelers were continuing their journey. In the lead of this group was a young man with long silver hair, a pair of dog like ears and slit amber eyes. His outfit consisted of a white inner kimono, a red hunting jacking with slits at the top of the shoulders to allow freedom of movement and an old fashioned pair of red pants with a red cloth belt tied at the waist. Placed around his neck was a rosary and strapped at his side was a sword which was created from one of his father's fangs. This young man was actually a half-demon named InuYasha.

On InuYasha's right was a 15 year old girl named Kagome. Her dark black hair came down just past her shoulders and the irises of her eyes were colored brown. Her outfit consisted of a green mini skirt, a blouse with a green collar and a red tie/bow, a pair of knee high white socks and a pair of black shoes. Strapped to her back was a large pack filled with various things from her time period including books, food and a first aid kit.　

Next to Kagome was a small boy who appeared to be around the age of 7. However, he was not a normal child. He had reddish-brown hair with a small ponytail, a fluffy fox tail and little fox like feet. His outfit consisted of a fairly standard blue top patterned with white leaves, a vest and a pair of dark blue pants that were tied shut at the bottom.

On InuYasha's left was the human Monk of the group named Miroku. Miroku was 18 with black hair and a small ponytail at the back of his neck. His outfit consisted of a black, long-sleeved kimono which was wrapped by a wide purple cloth. Held in his left hand was a staff.

On Miroku's left was a 16 year old girl with long dark brown hair in a low ponytail. She had dark brown eyes and wore red eye shadow. Her outfit consisted of a pink/purple and white kimono with short sleeves and a green apron over it. Placed over her arms were a pair of leather armguards and she also wore a pair of sandals. Strapped over her left shoulder was a large boomerang. The length of this boomerang roughly equaled out to her height and was known as her Hiraikotsu.

Nestled on Sango's right shoulder was a small white cat demon. Its eyes were pure red while the irises were a straight line of black. On the center of its forehead was a black diamond shape and there were black stripes near the end of its two tails. This cat was named Kirara.

Like most people and demons, InuYasha and his group were diligently searching for the shards of the Shikon Jewel. In fact, most everyone in the group had a horrible past which was either connected to the Jewel or the demon named Naraku. Their major goal was to prevent Naraku from owning the completed jewel. If this were to happen, there would be no end to his destruction.

As the group continued along their path, InuYasha frowned with impatience. His arms were folded and it was clear that he was unhappy to say the least. "Kagome, are you sure we're going the right way? We've been heading in this direction forever!" Kagome shot a glare toward InuYasha. "Yes I'm sure! I'm the one who can sense the presence of the shards … remember?!"

InuYasha smirked and gave a sort of chuckle to her remark. "You could have fooled me. The only thing we've managed to find lately is boredom." Kagome couldn't believe how his rudeness always managed to find a way to anger her. It was even harder to believe that beneath that rough exterior was a kind heart. "Look InuYasha, you're more than welcome to try to find them on your own! It's not like it would be hard for me to go home!"

Shippo jumped up onto Kagome's shoulder and yelled at InuYasha. "Knock if off InuYasha! Some of us don't want Kagome to go home!" InuYasha balled up a fist in anger. "Why you …?!" InuYasha then slammed his fist onto Shippo's head leaving a large bump. "Oww!"

Shippo hollered out in pain, probably a bit more than was necessary. This was Kagome's breaking point. It was bad enough InuYasha had been constantly pressuring her for the past hour, but he had to go and hit Shippo … again. "InuYasha … SIT!" As Kagome screamed this, the rosary around InuYasha's neck emitted a strong glow causing him to crash into the ground, leaving an imprint of his body upon contact.

Miroku raised his hands in a questioning sort of manner and shook his head back and forth. "Why must it always be like this?" Sango smiled. "They wouldn't be themselves if they didn't fight." Miroku gave a strange sort of grin as an idea popped into his head. "That's right." He then reached his free hand down to Sango's behind and patted it. "Something's never change." Sango's face turned beat red. "You dirty Monk!" She then spun around and smacked him across the face.

InuYasha jumped to his feet. "See what you did Kagome. You got the whole group fighting." Kagome placed a hand over her chest in defense. "I got the whole group fighting?! You're the one who's been so impatient all day and decided to hit Shippo."

Miroku decided to stand in between the two in an attempt to break their argument. "Relax you two. We're all just a bit tired from our journey. We have been walking for some time now. I suggest we take a break here." Sango appeared a bit surprised by Miroku's comments. "That's not a bad idea Miroku."

Kagome nodded in agreement. "I am getting hungry and I do have some food we can share." InuYasha sighed. "Well … I suppose I could use a bite. How much longer before we reach the shards?" Kagome raised an eyebrow at him but decided to give an estimation. "I'd say it'd be about twenty minutes or so. Maybe less if Kirara would fly for us."

InuYasha placed a fist into an open hand. "Okay, it's settled. We'll eat first, then we'll move on." With a plan decided, the group found a nice clearing and prepared to share a meal together. They were completely oblivious to the fact that a large white leaf had flown by over head.

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A few moments later, at the Hidden River Village, Sensei Kenji was in the middle of his routine exercise program in the center of his dojo. Beads of sweat dropped down his forehead into a small puddle below him as he lifted his entire body in the air by pushing with one finger. An invisible outline of Chakra covered his entire body as he worked. After finishing his 100th pushup, the sound of a female screaming was heard from outside. Acting quickly, Kenji flipped right side up and rushed out of the building at an incredible speed.

Once outside, he spotted Kagura, a woman he had not come across before. She seemed terrified by something as she ran into him. "What's wrong Miss? What's got you so spooked?" Ever the actresses, she could barely get her words out. "De … De … Demons! Outside the village! They're after the jewel shards!"

Kenji's jaw nearly dropped. "Impossible! They can't possibly know how to reach the village. Stay here Miss. You'll be safe." Kagura gave a half smile. "Thank you so much." Kenji then took off in that same amazing speed toward the theater, where his students were. Kagura could only smile as her one target was nearly out of sight.

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Within mere minutes, Sensei Kenji reached the theater just as Akira and his teammates were stepping out. Akira and Yuri were talking about how cool the play was while Raiden simply listened and nodded from time to time. Their conversation was instantly brought to a stop by Kenji who teleported in front of them. Akira smiled. "Oh, hey Sensei. Did you see the play to?"

Sensei Kenji shook his head. "There's no time for small talk. It's possible that there are demons closing in on the village. We need to go … now." Yuri's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "You've got to be kidding me. No demon has ever actually came close to the village!" Raiden glared. "Until now." Kenji rushed them once again. "Let's go."

Without wasting anytime, Sensei Kenji and his students hurried toward the entrance of the village to meet with the demons.

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Meanwhile, InuYasha and the others had just finished their meal and were about to continue their search for the nearby jewel shards. InuYasha looked toward Kagome as she zipped up her backpack. "You're certain that we're only a few minutes away from the village?" Kagome sighed. "For the last time, I'm positive." InuYasha nodded. "Alright then. We should get go …" Before he could finish his sentence, roughly a dozen shuriken came speeding toward him from all directions. It was such a surprise that he was barely able to avoid them. "What the Hell was that?!"

Sango approached one of the shuriken and examined it without actually touching it. "Those are Shuriken! We're being attacked by a Ninja." InuYasha sniffed the air for a moment. "We're surrounded." Miroku quickly grabbed his staff to prepare to defend himself. "If they have us surrounded, they could be anywhere. Ninja are very skilled at concealing themselves." InuYasha drew his blade which doubled in width. "They picked the wrong day to mess with us!"

Hiding in a nearby tree, Akira (now wearing his headgear) was surprised to find that the demon in the center of this group held a massive sword. His thoughts echoed in his mind as he prepared his next move. "So … he likes to play with large weapons does he. In that case …" Akira noticed a tree behind InuYasha and decided to make his move. He clasped his hands together in the formation of a gun which was pointed upward. A thin line of chakra outlined his body as he vanished from his spot. Seconds later, he reappeared on a tree branch behind InuYasha. He then reached into a pocket and pulled out a black shuriken. If his face could be seen, a smile would have appeared. "Let's see how he likes this."

Akira aimed toward his target who yelled impatiently. "Cowards! Come out and fight!" Akira tossed his shuriken which instantly grew to half the size of Sango's Hiraikotsu. Miroku screamed to get his attention. "InuYasha, behind you!" InuYasha leapt into the air just in time to avoid being sliced by the weapon. "That all you got!" To InuYasha's surprise, the Shuriken acted as a boomerang and circled around at an incredible speed. InuYasha's eyes grew wide with surprise as the Shuriken nearly cut him.

Sango was able to hurl her Hiraikotsu to meet with the Shuriken, thus canceling out Akira's attack. Akira clenched his teeth together in anger. "These demons must be holding the humans captive. We have to save them." At that moment, several kunai were tossed in a circle around InuYasha while a cloud of smoke covered Shippo which caused him to pass out. Kagome screamed with concern. "InuYasha! Shippo!"

Miroku's thoughts echoed as he realized what they must be thinking. "They think we're being held against our will." Miroku tried his best to get their attention. "You've got it all wrong! These demons are our friends!" Kenji was surprised at the Monk's comments. After all, why would a Monk be friends with a pair of demons? Sango tried to back up Miroku. "He's right! Please, just give us a moment to explain!"

Akira thought about it for a moment. It seemed like a strange ploy at first, but there was something about the girl he was certain he could trust. Against his better judgment Akira revealed his position to Sango by teleporting in front of her. Yuri was surprised by this action. "What is he doing?!" Raiden was thinking the same thing. "He's going to get himself killed!"

Sango was startled by the sudden appearance. "Normally, I wouldn't have done this being as it's against the Ninja code. But something's telling me to give you a chance." InuYasha smirked. "Yeah, maybe I don't trust you!" InuYasha prepared to move but was stopped by another round of Shuriken and Kunai. Akira turned his attention briefly toward him. "I wouldn't move if I were you. You're small friend could be taken at any moment. And those shots have all been warnings."

InuYasha growled in anger as Akira turned his attention back toward Sango. "Why are you traveling with these demons? Aren't you being held captive?" Sango shook her head. "No. We're traveling as a group to find shards of the Shikon Jewel." Akira nodded. "That's what we figured. But we couldn't possibly let a demon like him get a hold of them." Sango waved her hands in a negative sort of fashion as she pleaded her case further. "You don't understand. We're trying to prevent a demon named Naraku from collecting any more shards."

Akira raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Naraku?" Sango nodded. "Yes. He already has several of the shards and the jewel is nearing completion. If that happens …" Akira finished her sentence for her. "… he could never be defeated!" Kenji's voice sounded from his hiding place. "How do we know that you all aren't connected to this Naraku?" Miroku looked down toward his left hand, the hand which had been cursed with a Wind Tunnel by Naraku. "Because our pasts have each been affected by a terrible event caused by Naraku."

Akira's entire thoughts on this situation changed with this one remark. Akira turned his attention toward the trees where his Sensei and teammates were hiding. "Sensei, I think they're telling us the truth." Kenji nodded in agreement from his spot and revealed his location to Akira and the group. He was soon followed by Raiden and Yuri.

Akira turned his attention back toward Sango. "I apologize for the misunderstanding." He looked down toward the sleeping Shippo. "And for knocking out you friend." Sango shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I would have done the same thing if I were you. I am a demon slayer."

Akira was surprised to learn this. "You're a demon slayer?" Sango nodded. Sensei Kenji frowned. "I just don't get it. That woman was determined you all were a threat to the village." Kagome questioned his statement. "What woman?"

"She never spoke her name. I do remember what she looked like though."

Kenji took a moment to describe her which seemed to upset InuYasha almost instantly. "Kagura!"

Akira appeared interested. "You know this woman?" Kagome nodded. "She's Naraku's female incarnation."

"He's able to produce different incarnations of himself?!" Akira questioned.

Kagome became concerned. "That's right. And if Kagura is in your village …" Sensei Kenji knew where this was going. "The Jewel Shards!" InuYasha looked toward Kagome. "I guess you were right about them being nearby." Kagome pointed a finger in his face. "I told you!"

Akira looked toward his Sensei. "We have to stop her! Before it's too late!" Kenji nodded. "Let's move."

Just as Kenji and his team were about to teleport, InuYasha stopped them. "You'll never defeat her on your own!" Kenji raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"

"She's a wind sorceress who can control the dead. If she's able to kill enough people, she could use them against you." Sango agreed. "Let us help you."

Kenji thought about it for a moment. He wasn't sure it would be a good idea for him to allow a demon into their village. Akira pushed the idea forward. "Sensei, we don't have much time to think about it. Who knows what's happening in the village right now? If they're offering their help, I say we take it." Kenji nodded. "Agreed. Let's go."

Sango motioned for Kirara to leap off from her shoulder. Once she did, she grew in size. If she were to stand up on her hind legs, she would have been taller than InuYasha. Sango then hopped onto Kirara's back while Kagome handed Shippo to Miroku. He then jumped behind Sango while InuYasha helped Kagome climb up onto his back. The team then rushed toward the Hidden River Village.

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Meanwhile, in the center of the village, Kagura had found the home of Kenji. Because of his reputation, the village had decided that the shards should be under his protection. Little did she know that Kenji's home was actually 2 in 1. Akira's father Hiro was just as powerful as Kenji. Because of this, the two shared the same responsibility.

Hiro Yoshikawa was in his late 30s and had dark green eyes. His short black hair was covered by the head gear that he wore with his dark green Shinobi Shozoku. Due to the fact that his Chakra control was so well mastered, Kagura found herself in a battle she had not expected. While she may have managed to slay a few les experienced Ninja, she could not manage to hit Hiro.

He was able to teleport right before any of her wind blades could reach him. With a single wipe of her fan, she was able to fire off multiple crescent-shaped blades of wind which would easily kill a normal opponent. However, she found that this move was proving useless at the moment as most of the blades were either cancelled out by the throwing of various Ninja tools. It was also made clear by Hiro that if she were to be hit by one of his Shuriken, a fatal poison would flow through her veins with the possibility of ending her life quickly.

As Hiro fought off more of her blades, he could only taunt the sorceress. "Why don't you just give up?! You're only postponing the inevitable!" This statement only angered Kagura. "Stand still and die!" Kagura held her fan close to her as she called out "Dance of the Dragon" and performed a swift slicing motion which created three tornadoes between her and Hiro. As soon as she directed the tornadoes to move toward Hiro, they were suddenly pulled upward by a mysterious vacuum like suction.

Hiro and Kagura were distracted briefly by this sudden interruption and jerked their heads to find Miroku sucking the tornadoes into his Wind Tunnel. Once they had vanished, Miroku covered his Wind Tunnel and InuYasha leaped into the fray. Kagura glared in hatred. "Damn! It's the mutt!" InuYasha returned the same feelings. "You can forget about collecting the jewel shards! They're coming with us!"

Hiro cursed at the intervention by this group, accompanied by demons. "Damn it! How many of you are there!" At that moment, Kenji and his students appeared by Hiro's side. "Relax Hiro. They're on our side." Hiro couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You've got to be kidding!"

Kagura bit her bottom lip as her odds of survival were looking grim. She was going to have to act fast if she were going to take the shards to Naraku. "Damn! That mutt has to ruin everything!" With one last option available to her, she raised her fan and shouted "Dance of the Dead!" The two dozen corpses of the Ninja she had managed to slay slowly started to raise to their feet, moaning like zombies.

Hiro seemed most uneasy at this turn of events. "What the Hell? How are they alive?!" InuYasha glared. "This witch has the ability to animate the dead. They're under her control." Miroku and Sango leaped off from Kirara's back and rushed to help while Kagome attended to Shippo. Kenji turned toward Akira. "You three help the others keep the corpses at bay while Hiro and I take care of the witch." Akira and his teammates nodded. "You got it Sensei."

InuYasha was about to question Kenji's judgment, but before he could even get a word out, Hiro and Kenji teleported from their spots and appeared before Kagura. At that moment, the corpses began their assault on InuYasha and the others. One of the Ninja threw a kunai which Miroku was forced to quickly block with his staff. He then countered by bopping the Ninja over the head.

Several of the corpses were keeping InuYasha busy, while one of them attempted to grab Sango from behind just as she had knocked one to the ground. The corpse was quickly kicked to the side by Akira who was then attacked by two shuriken from behind. Sango had seen the weapons coming and pulled him down with her in attempt to return the save. This left the two in an awkward position on the ground, with Akira literally on top of Sango. Their expressions quickly changed to serious as three corpses prepared to dive over them. The two jumped to their feet and easily repelled their attacks.

Another pair of corpses changed their attention to Kagome who was forced to draw her bow. She took quick aim and fired at one of the corpses who fell to the ground upon being pierced with the arrow. The second corpse managed to reach her before she could pull out another and grabbed a hold of her leg. Kirara attempted to protect her by flying away, but the corpse was slowly pulling Kagome off from her back. "InuYasha!!"

She let out a high pitched wail for help which was quickly answered. InuYasha leapt to her location and removed the corpse with ease. "Thanks." InuYasha smirked. "You have to be more careful." At that moment, two corpses were sent flying behind InuYasha thanks to Raiden and Yuri. Raiden couldn't help but return InuYasha's comment. "You should take your own advice!"

Meanwhile, Hiro and Kenji were being forced to dodge or deflect numerous wind blades once more. They each were doing fairly well at retaliating with their tools, but the blades were starting to become dangerous as she was no longer simply throwing them forward. If they teleported she would spin around causing the blades to fly in all directions. In fact, one or two of them had nearly cut the two in half. This was shown by the cuts in their clothing.

Kenji realized they would have to try something different if they were going to put a stop to this madness. Thinking fast, Kenji clasped his hands together in the formation of a gun and teleported behind Kagura. He reached into a pocket for a weapon just as Kagura spun around and shouted "Dance of the Dragon!" Several massive tornadoes rushed to meet with him and sent him spinning to the ground upon contact.

Hiro screamed in anger at this action. "No! Kenji!" Akira turned to see his Sensei unconscious on the ground. "Sensei!!"

He then pulled out a shuriken and teleported behind Kagura. "You'll pay you witch!" Kagura uttered a laugh. "You're next!" She raised her fan to attack once more only to have it knocked out of her hand by Akira's shuriken. This caused the corpses to collapse to the ground. "The next one will remove your head!" She appeared surprised by the sudden accuracy of Akira. "Damn!" Realizing her chances, Kagura pulled a white leaf from her hair, threw it into the air and hopped onto it as it increased in size.

Akira glared with hatred. "Oh no you don't!" Akira pulled out another Shuriken which increased in size as well. He then tossed it toward Kagura as she started to fly away. However, she had gained enough height to dodge the shuriken which blazed past underneath her leaf. Kagura couldn't help but laugh at the futile attempt, but was more than surprised as the shuriken made a return trip like that of a boomerang. This time, it just barely missed her head.

The shuriken returned to Akira and returned to it's normal size. "Damn you Kagura! I won't forget this!" Akira turned toward Kenji's location. Hiro and his teammates had circled around him as his father checked for life signs. Akira rushed to them. "Father … is he …" Hiro simply bowed his head in sadness. "This can't be true!"

One of InuYasha's hands tightened into a fist. "Damn that Naraku! He has to be behind everything!" A mixture of different emotions overcame Akira. He had no idea what he was going to do now. His Sensei was no longer there for him. Sure the jewel shards were protected, but what was to stop Kagura from returning. Or Naraku from coming in her place? Naraku. The thought of the name was enough to completely tick him off. His hands tightened into fists which shook slightly.

Without a word to anyone, Akira rushed off into the distance. Yuri was concerned for her friend. "Someone should talk to him." Sango approached them. "Please … let me. I know what he's going through." Hiro nodded, appearing to understand. "If I know my son, he's probably in the forest, by the river to the east.

Sango turned to Kirara and hopped on her back after Kagome who was still holding Shippo hopped off. She asked Kirara to fly in the direction that Hiro had pointed out.

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After a few moments, she found the area where Akira was said to have gone. She came to a landing in a clearing and turned to the river which Akira was standing over. His headgear had been removed, his hands were clasped in the gun like formation and his eyes were closed. Sango approached him quietly.

"Akira … I know how you must be feeling. It's horrible to lose someone you care about. Especially to the hands of a demon like Kagura." Akira turned toward Sango, nearly losing control over his Chakra. He noticed tears starting to form in her eyes and realized there was more to what she was trying to tell him. He left his location over the river and picked a spot in the clearing to sit, motioning for Sango to join him.

After she did, there was a moment of silence before either of them spoke. "Kagura hurt you as well … didn't she?" Sango bowed her head. "My town was small, most of us were demon slayers. We never came across a demon we couldn't stop … until Naraku appeared. He tricked us. He …" She placed her hands over her lap as tear drops started to fall. "He took control over my brother Kohaku and forced him to kill everyone in our village … even our father."

Akira was left speechless by Sango's story. He didn't know what to say, but he knew he wanted to comfort her. He placed an arm around her and motioned for her to lay her head on his shoulder. She seemed surprised by this at first, but did so and cried. This caused tears to form in Akira's eyes as the two tried to comfort each other.

It was several moments before either of them were able to speak again. But Sango wanted to know what Akira planned to do. "What will you do now?" Akira bowed his head. "I don't know. I want to protect the jewel shards and the village … but I can't let Naraku and Kagura get away with what they have done."

"Why don't you come with us?"

Akira appeared as if he didn't know how to answer her question at first. "… do you thinking InuYasha and the others would be okay with that? After the misunderstanding my team had …"

Sango shook her head. "I'm sure they'd welcome you. Besides … you're not the only one who was tricked into believing InuYasha was your enemy." Akira turned his attention back toward Sango. "Don't tell me …" She simply nodded in response. Akira thought about her question again. If he was able to take the jewel shards with them, not only could he protect the village, but he could help Sango and the others defeat Naraku and all of his incarnations once and for all. He'd also be able to spend more time with Sango.

"Okay … count me in." Sango seemed pleased to hear this. "Great! Welcome to the group." Akira smiled. "I guess we should get back to InuYasha and the others. They should know about this." Sango nodded. "Let's go."

Akira followed Sango to Kirara's location and the two hopped onto her back. They then flew toward their destination.

************************************

Once they reached InuYasha and the others, they found that the corpses had been removed, including Kenji's and Shippo had awoken. InuYasha seemed impatient as always. "What took you two so long?" Kagome frowned at InuYasha's comment. "InuYasha! Why are you always so rude?!" Shippo nodded. "Yeah … they were probably sharing a moment." InuYasha smirked. "That was more than a moment."

Sango blushed slightly, but quickly brought up their decision. "Akira's decided to join our group." Raiden and Yuri seemed surprised by this turn of events, Yuri more so than Raiden. "Are you sure about this Akira?" Akira nodded in response. "Yes. It seems to be the best way to protect the village from Naraku. In fact …" He turned to his father. "I was thinking … it'd probably be best if we gave the jewel shards to InuYasha."

It was Hiro's turn to appear surprised by one of his son's comments. "Protect the shards from one demon, by giving them to another? How would that help us?" Kagome became defensive. "InuYasha is nothing like Naraku or Kagura. He may have a rough exterior, but he's really a nice guy." Miroku nodded. "Besides … Naraku himself could come for the shards. If you thought Kagura was a handful … then you'd have no chance against him."

Hiro thought about it for a moment and turned toward his son. "Are you certain about this son? Do you really trust in this group that much?" Akira turned toward Sango and nodded before returning his attention to his father. "Yes, I do." Hiro sighed. "Alright … I'll hand the shards over to you then. Be sure to keep them safe." Hiro vanished from his spot for a few moments. When he returned, he held six shards in his hand. He then handed him over to Akira."

InuYasha cheered triumphantly. "Alright! That's more shards than I expected!" Miroku changed the subject to decided their next move. "Well … now that we have the shards we should plan our next destination." Hiro thought for a moment. "There's a village to the north of here. It's possible that there could be a shard there."

InuYasha slammed a fist into an open hand. "Say no more. Let's get going." The group agreed and after saying their farewells, were on the road to their next destination.

(To be continued...)