---Contest News---

This is the first chapter of the first universe in Mint Kiss Saga. As such there isn't much news is there? Hopefully by the time the second chapter of this universe goes out I will have SOMETHING to talk about…Ah well. Look for the other three parts to this Saga also, Mint Kiss in Sailor Moon, Mint Kiss in Fushigi Yugi and Mint Kiss in The Tribe.

---Chapter One: The Setting! A time for New Faces! Can it be? Truth and Illusions!---

Kagome raised a hand and scanned the horizon ahead for any signs of people coming at them. "This seems like a pretty deserted road, Miroku. Are you sure this is a marchant's road?" Kagome asked, looking a little over her shoulder to see the so-called Monk sidling up to their newest addition.

"I didn't get to ask you this before, Mint, but..." Miroku grasped her hand in his and looked at her in earnest. "Would you bear my children?" he asked.

Mint blinked, covering her ice-blue eyes for a second. "Your children?" she repeated dumbly. Looking over his shoulder her eyes questioned Kagome. "I barely know you…" she began hastily, trying to take her hand back without seeming rude.

"You have a noble spirit, this much I can see! And you are beautiful! Please this is a matter of life or--" he was cut off suddenly by Sango's boomer-rand bonking him on the head. He fell to the ground in a heap.

Sango came over and brushed her boomer-rang off slightly, throwing a disgusted look at Miroku's unconscious form. "Don't take it personally, he says that to everyone he meets." She told Mint briskly, dragging Miroku off.

Surprised, Mint blinked several times, twirling a piece of her choppy brown hair. "That was…surprising." She said, jogging to catch up to Kagome. "He do that to you?"

Kagome nodded several times. "More often then I like," she responded. "I'd put some beads like Inu-Yasha's on him if I thought it would help…" she muttered under her breath.

"feh." Inu-Yasha said, walking beside Kagome. He shot Mint a dark look which she studiously ignored. "That horny monk is nothing new to us."

Kagome sensed the tenseness between the two, but didn't comment on it. Whatever their problem was, it wasn't effecting her yet. "Its getting dark, we should turn in." she finally said.

Sango turned and nodded, changing her course to drag the monk into the nearby forest. Shippo, resting on Kagome's backpack, awoke sleepily and hopped down, yawning loudly. "Can we eat?" he asked, his voice slurred from sleep.

"Of course…I'm sure I can find something for us to make." Mint said warmly, smiling at the young fox-demon. "I just need to gather some thing from the forest…I won't be too long." She told Kagome, jogging off before Kagome could protest.

"Follow her and help her Inu-Yasha," Kagome ordered.

The half-demon looked at her as if she grew three new heads before settling in for a nice nap. Kagome was about to say 'sit' but realized he was already sitting and didn't waste the effort. "Mint! Stay within shouting range!" Kagome called instead. A faint okay reached Kagome's ears.

Frowning, Kagome again glanced at Inu-Yasha, but he seemed to be a asleep. Shippo was too small--not that she'd say that aloud--and Sango had disappeared with Miroku. Kagome frowned deeper, she didn't like Mint out there alone. Giving another quick glance at Inu-Yasha, who twitched in his sleep but didn't rouse, she gently laid her dinner things down before following Mint's path.

---

Mint was intent on making her way through the forest, she didn't know how long the charm to cover her love's scent would last. She didn't know how long she could keep the ruse up that she was a mere stranger to the odd assortment following that miko.

"Mint." The single word sent a shiver down her spine, alerting her to where he was waiting. Hurrying, Mint crossed through the bushes to see him, the whole time fighting the urge to just 'port there. Not even her knew what powers she held, what powers she was afraid of to admit to herself most times.

Bursting through the undergrowth-quite literally-Mint stopped and smiled faintly at the silver-haired youkai lord's back. Maybe she could--the thought was cut short as he swiftly was at her side, his face buried in her brown curls. His arms became tense as he sniffed a bit more. He growled low and shoved her away from him at arm's length.

"HIS scent is on you again!" he accused.

---

Kagome had just about reached where she saw Mint disappear through when a certain growl reached her ears. Frightened, Kagome rushed forward without so much as a thought to her own safety. Eyes wide she saw a youkai gripping Mint by her arms and growled at her.

"Let go of her!" she shouted, angry that this had happened, just as she feared. A swift glance at Mint proved that she was indeed agitated. If Kagome had peered closer she might have seen why.

The youkai didn't bother to look at Kagome, she meant little to him in the larger scope of things. There was nothing special about her. "This is our business human." He stated flatly.

Two things happened at once--Inu-Yasha with the rest of thr group came hurling out of the bushes, surprising everyone which let the black figure dart in and to grab Mint that much easier.

"Youkai!" Inu-Yasha shouted, brandishing the Tetsusaiga above his head to arc down on the youkai's head.

The youkai wasn't paying attention to him, he took the air and was almost frantically searching for Mint. He couldn't get her scent--a honeysuckle strawberry smell--and couldn't see where her kidnapper was. What bothered him the more was the fact he never even heard or smelled her kidnapper before he struck.

Kagome, seeing he was agitated for some reason, shouted 'SIT!' to inu-yasha who was mid-air at the time. He came down with a hard thud, his arms still raised with the sword poised above him. He was up and at the youkai again until Kagome finally screamed so many 'Sit' commands he wasn't able to think let alone get up.

Miroku approached Kagome carefully. "Is there a reason why we do not let Inu-Yasha attack this particular demonspawn?" he asked cautiously, rubbing his head a little.

"Just look at him, he doesn't seem to even notice us let alone want to fight us." Kagome said with a soft voice. She blinked and searched the small area, mentally counting heads. "Where's Mint?"

"That's what I would like to know human," the demon said with deadly calm. "I can no longer smell, see nor hear her. What sort of witchery have you worked?"

"US?! You're the one who was holding her in a death grip just moments before!" Kagome accused, eyes snapping.

"Because I smelled him--" he threw a quick deadly glance at Miroku--"On her. He has no right touching that which is mine."

The four concsious stood in shock. "Yours?" Shippou said blinking rapidly.

"Mine. She has been a while yet." A smirk curved and disappeared on the handsome youkai's mouth. "Did you not notice the mark on the back of her neck? An appropriate place since that is where I kissed her first."

Kagome roused herself from the shock and approached him. "So what happened to her if neither of us wish bodily harm to her?" she asked him, staring up at him defiantly.

"First, a word human girl," the youkai said, noting the prone form of Inu- Yasha. He bowed, taking in the entire assembly. "My name is Mikadzuki...Mint refers to me as Zuki." he introduced, a shadow passing over his face before he continued.

"I have heard of your friend there...Inu-Yasha hai? His older brother was once an ally of mine..." Zuki said, frowning. "I want to know why Mint was taken. For that reason, I will need your help." he held up a hand to stave any words from the group. "Normally I would not wish to incur Sesshoumaru-sempai's disfavor by associating myself with his younger half- breed brother, but..." he trailed off gazing at the sky.

"Mint means alot to me. I care for her deeply and am willing to risk many things to have her back." Zuki finished, his ice-blue eyes filled with emotion.

Kagome nodded and quietly conferred with the group. Turning back she bowed to Zuki in respect. "Its not often we meet a youkai not after us." Kagome said with a wry laugh. "I am Kagome, that is Sango, Miroku and Shippou. We too wish to see Mint back. Don't we Inu-Yasha?" she insisted, nudging the standing dog-demon.

Inu-Yasha averted his gaze. "Yes..." he really didn't want to be face first once more.

Zuki watched Miroku with slitted eyes, feeling angry. If not for him touching Mint he would have sensed the brainless thing that took Mint. "You are not to touch her again, understand? She is not for the likes of you."

Miroku quickly nodded and held his hands up in defense. "I really meant nothing by it...I simply held her hand..." he quickly shut his mouth at the fierce look from Sango.

"Keep your hands on your own woman then," Zuki told him firmly.

"My own wo--" Miroku said confused until Kagome gestured to Sango, who was hanging by him--to keep him out of trouble she stammered blushing a bit.

"Let's get down to business," Kagome finally said, sitting down on the cool grass.

---

Mint, who wasn't as surprised as the others by her kidnapping, didn't fuss or scream or carry on. It wasn't her way. She was carried into the castle with nary a sound from her. Mint knew her destiny well.

"Three gifts will thee have, thrice to beat the mid-born hag. Farseeing, Nearseeing and fargoing..." a voice said out of the darkness. "Is that now how the old lady told you of your 'gifts' girl?" it asked, more a rasp then a real voice.

"Yes. I see the future, I see the past and I can journey with a thought." Mint agreed, settling herself down. It was much easier on one's self to know when you will be taken, you have more time to prepare. "I never understood that second part, about the hag. What is mid-born?"

It laughed, or at least Mint assumed so. The sound resembled a pike being dragged against stones. "If I told you that, then what fun would I have?" it asked, seemingly amused. "You knew your fate eh girl? Knew my servant would fetch thee. Interesting…" it drifted off, leaving Mint alone in the curiously warm room.

Sighing, Mint hoped Zuki hadn't ripped Kagome and her friends apart out of madness. It was nice, to have friends. She supposed she could just 'port away, but she had no idea what means her captor had to ensure she would stay. Or what it would do to get her back. In the end, she realized she couldn't risk leaving only to have it tear her friends apart.

She could however break the charm that bound her scent. With a quick flick of her wrist, the pebble was off the inside of her sleeve and on the floor. With as much force as she could muster she stomped it out, ending the spell to hide her smell. Hopefully Zuki would come with help and no one would die. Leaving wasn't an option, but she couldn't stay either; that meant certain peril.

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End of Chapter one of Mint Kiss in Inu-Yasha

Next chapter: A rescue! A Kiss! The Truth Must be Protected!

Notes/News: I meant for Mikadzuki to be Sesshoumaru, but figured too many Fluffy fans would be at arms to destroy my poor story if it wasn't worthy of him. So I created Mikadzuki

Anybody guess where I get my long titles from? What anime I mean…made in 1995 (Japan) translated in 1996 and is currently being shown on StarzActionEast

No winners as of yet…though to help me along here the first five to EMAIL me what Zuki's full name [Mikadzuki] means, will be mentioned in the next chapter's Winner's section. All other contest options also apply here.

Out of curiousity, does anybody know a good anime fan-artist who is willing to be commissioned to make the pictures of Mint Kiss, Zuki etc? email if you do