Black

by Wredan

Pre-'Final Act.' Who, or what, is Varian Black? How did he end up in the past, and why? Read if you want answers. Yes, this is a story about an OC. No, the character is not your typical OC. He makes mistakes, has weaknesses, and is in no way perfect. Re-uploaded and edited of mistakes.

Black

Prologue: The Demon, the Woman, and the Tree

Night. Dark clouds hide the moon and the stars. Away from civilization, beneath these forest trees, its pitch black. But that's how I like it. Darkness so deep that most men would feel lost in its depths. But not me.

I feel safe in the dark. Here, in these black woods, I know with certainty that I am not being watched by human eyes. And that is good, for what I do in these woods must never be seen by human eyes. Being seen by man would certainly result in my own destruction.

I come out here to be free. To abandon, if only for a moment, the shape that I am forced to wear every day of my life. On this night, away from man, I do just that. I leave my human form, and revel in the freedom that follows. I run with the speed of the wind, and almost seem to fly when I leap over things blocking my path. Once I've had my fun however, I head off in a new direction.

Soon, I come across a giant tree some eighty or ninety feet tall, its gnarled branches easily as large as a grown man. It's the oldest tree in this forest, and I've been here before. Several times. As I near it, I slow to a stop, and gaze upon its massive trunk. Five men, arms outstretched, would not encircle it. A true giant of the forest. No other trees grow near it, for its leafy branches block the sunlight they would need to survive.

Why I have come here soon reveals itself as the clouds part, and moonlight filters down through the branches. Leaning against the tree as if resting, wearing pure white robes, is a woman of striking beauty. I have never met anyone else like her, and that is why I seek out this place.

"Back again, demon?" she asks, looking up but otherwise not moving from the tree. "Don't you have other things to do?" She seems bored of me, but I knew better.

"No," I answer truthfully."And I've asked you not to call me that."

"Why?" she laughs innocently."It's what you are, isn't it?"

"We've had this argument before," I reply, stepping closer to the tree. But not too close.

"True," the woman admits, after a moments thought."Is there a reason for this particular visit?" she asks, dropping the subject.

"Am I closer to freeing you, you mean?" I ask in way of an answer."No, but I'm making progress. Things would be a lot easier if you told me how this happened."

I had come across this woman and the tree some three months ago. Since then, I have learned only a few things about her. That she was trapped and bound to the tree was obvious-in all this time, she has not moved other than to look at me. Aside from that, I knew next to nothing about her, not even her name.

"I can't," she says, giving me a straight answer for once."The same binding which ties me to the tree prevents me from speaking of how I came to be here. I can tell you nothing."

"Are you sure?" I ask."Anything would help-your name, how long you've been here-"

"My name is a common one," she interrupts."Many people share it. As for how long I've been bound to this tree, I honestly don't know. A hundred years, perhaps. Maybe more."

"That long?" I ask, stunned."Then the one who did this to you must be long dead."

"Perhaps," she replies."Did you mean to seek vengeance on my behalf?" she asks laughingly.

"If it would release you, then yes," I say, to her surprise.

"Unlikely," she states."This spell was meant to bind me forever, even if he were to die. I can't tell you much more than that, it won't let me."

"I see," I say, knowing that this visit was nearing its end."You've given me something to go by, at least."

"Good," she says."Now be gone, demon. We've spoken enough tonight."

"I've asked you not to call me that," I repeat, slightly annoyed.

"Then tell me your name," she says, surprising me. She's never asked for it before, and has twice stopped me from telling her."So I will not upset you anymore."

"It's Black," I tell her."Varian Black."

"My name is Naomi, Varian Black," she states."Last living descendant of Sango, the demonslayer." Pain travels across her face, only for an instant, but I see it.

"You've said too much," I say, knowing the cause."Rest now, Naomi. Rest, knowing that one day, soon, you will be freed."

One: Newfound Enemies of the Past

I return to my home just before sunrise, still pondering this nights revelations. Much of it makes little sense to me, as I resume human shape before I can be noticed. Although small, my rural hometown is full of gossips and nosy neighbors. And the one thing I don't need is for attention to be drawn to me.

My home is a small one. Perched on the outskirts of town, it consists of a living area, bedroom, bathroom, and a kitchen. Nothing extravagant, but a pleasant enough place to live. Outside is a small garage, full of the woodworking tools I use to make my living. To my neighbors, I am but a carpenter, capable, though not quite an expert. My prices are fair however, unlike some, so I receive enough work to support myself.

I am tired from my night in the woods, but I know I won't be able to sleep until I figure some things out. Naomi had given me quite a lot to think about this time. I had some names to follow-up on, and some dates to check...

A hundred years. I could scarcely imagine even living that long, let alone being imprisoned. I had thought that Naomi's incident had happened much more recently, until now. Nevertheless, knowing when she had been trapped would help me out in my quest to free her, as would the fact that her ancestors had been demonslayers.

The name Sango was unfamiliar to me, but demonslayers were something that I did know about. While not demons, my family had been hunted by such groups, if only because we look like them. I suppose that could be true, but, as I have never met a real demon, I'm not sure.

Considering this, I switch shape while standing before a mirror. In place of an average looking man, there now stands a lizard-like beast with blue-black scales and yellow, cobras eyes. Certainly terrifying, but demonic? According to the stories passed down along my family line, no. Demons come in many shapes, some resembling us, but whereas demons are varied in appearance, we are not, save for color. My father had green scales in his true shape, for example.

We call ourselves Saurians, and consider ourselves to be separate from demons, though we share many of their strengths and powers. Or so I've heard. Aside from great strength and speed, I myself can't do much. Alongside humans, Saurians are much stronger. But when compared to demons, I hear, we are only average in strength, and weak when it comes to power.

Changing back, I decide to use the name Naomi had given me as a starting point. Using the internet would speed things greatly, though I despise computers. Monsters and modems don't mix, my father used to joke. I agree, but know that looking things up the old-fashioned way would take forever.

I have a computer, believe it or not. Not a very good one, but it works well enough on the odd occasion that I need it. After an hours worth of hard searching, I find what I'm looking for. And am surprised at what I read. The story is presented as fiction, as talk of real demons tends to label one as a lunatic in today's world, and is very long, for a demonslayer tale. Naomi's Sango isn't even the lead character, nor is the tale solely about demons. It is a complicated story, and a fascinating one.

After several hours of reading, I finish, and am intrigued by the tale. Intrigued, yet also annoyed, for I've found nothing that will help me free Naomi. Sango's descendant she may be, but aside from that, the story seems to have no importance or relevance to her imprisonment.

By mid-afternoon, after following up on the date Naomi said she became trapped, I am frustrated to a degree I've never reached before. I can find nothing that helps me. Nothing! Unable to get anything accomplished on this problem, I take to my garage, and set my frustrations on the work I've ignored for most of the day. I finish in a few short hours, completing several projects before nightfall. Completely exhausted, my head aching from my attempt to get some answers, I fall into bed and sleep.

Morning seems to come too early for me. While no longer tired, I am still irritated and frustrated by my failed attempt to find something, anything that would've helped me free Naomi. Aside from my foul mood, the day passes much as any other would. That is, until a short, almost toad-like man wearing a hood enters my workshop, cradling a broken cane, one end wrapped in cloth.

"Are you the woodworker, Varian Black?" he asks me, hesitating at the door. His shrill voice hurts my ears.

"I am," I answer, setting aside my tools and standing. There's something strange about this man, something that sets me on edge-and it's not just because he's hiding his face under a hood."Is there something I can help you with?"

"I need you to fix this," he claims, holding up the pieces of the cane to show me the damage done. In his haste, the sleeves of his cloak roll back, revealing three-fingered, claw-like hands that are a pale greenish color.

"What the hell are you?!" I demand, backing away from him."Stay back," I say, arming myself with an old baseball bat left behind by the previous owners of my house.

"That's none of your business," the man snaps, quickly covering his hands. Holding up the cane, he says,"I came here to get this fixed, and you're going to fix it." Or else, his tone implies.

"Get lost freak," I tell him, angry now. No matter what this guy is, he's still half my size, I reason to myself. I can take him.

"How dare you," he snaps, advancing."No-one speaks to me like that."

"Come closer and you'll get it," I warn him, brandishing my makeshift weapon."I'm warning you. Back off."

He doesn't. And when he gets close enough, I have no choice but to rap him on the head with the bat. That knocks the little guy off his feet, throwing his hood back at the same time. On the ground before me is a bald, pointy-eared, and green-skinned creature with large eyes and a beak-like mouth. I've never seen anything like him.

"You hit me," he says, feeling the bump I gave him. He seems surprised.

"Get lost or I'll do it again," I say, as the green man picks himself up.

"My Lord will hear of this," he threatens, nevertheless retreating from me."You will pay for this, you foolish human!" Then he flees into the woods, vanishing in seconds.

"That, was strange," I say to myself, setting down my weapon after locking the door. Then I get back to work, though of course I find it hard to concentrate after that weird encounter.

Once again, I finish most of my work before nightfall. Locking up my workshop/garage, I appear to retire for the night. But, under the cover of darkness, I slip out of my home, leaving my human shape at the same time. Blue-black on black, my scales hide me in the gloom, and my speed makes me a moving blur to any that do notice my presence. I am gone before they can even try to follow me.

I need to talk to Naomi about the days events. Maybe she can tell me something, what with her being the descendant of demonslayers. She's bound to have seen all sorts of strange things, I reason, racing towards the great tree. But then I hear the shrill voice of the green man, which stops me in my tracks.

"And then he struck me," he says, as I scale a tree, seeking to stay out of sight."Are you sure he can fix the staff?" I can hear him just fine but can't see him, but that means he can't see me either.

"He will," another voice says."Go back to him tomorrow, Jaken. We need that staff in one piece again." The mans voice is cold, emotionless. Dangerous.

"I know, my Lord," the green man, Jaken replies."Without it, we cannot return through the Tree of Barriers to our own time."

The Tree of Barriers? I wonder, listening intently. What's that? And who are these people?

"When you visited the woodworker Jaken, were you able to discern when and where we are?" The man asks, seemingly unconcerned. I still can't see them, so that means I'm still safe for now.

"In an alternate reality," Jaken replies."A future alternate reality. Other than that, we are still in the same area we were in yesterday, Lord Sesshomaru."

That name almost causes me to fall out of my hiding place. I knew these individuals, as impossible as it seemed. I'd just read about them in the story with Naomi's ancestor in it. Demons. Both of them, which explained why I was feeling so tense-I was sensing their demonic auras, their power.

"Intriguing," Sesshomaru says, as I hear them moving away from me, their voices fading but still audible.

"It is, master, it is," Jaken states."My Lord, I think we are the only demons here." Sesshomaru's reply, if he made one, was lost in the background noises of the forest. They'd gotten out of earshot.

Stunned by this unexpected turn of events, I stay rooted to the spot like a statue for several moments. Naomi and her family's past had come forward to my present. Demons walked the earth, and they wanted me to help them get home. I was in trouble.

And so is Naomi, if the demons find her, I realize suddenly. Naomi's ancestor Sango and the demons Jaken and Sesshomaru had fought against each other from time to time in the story. At others, circumstances had forced them to be allies. A complicated issue, but I felt that if these enemies of the past found Naomi, she'd be killed. With that in mind, I am able to move, and I move like the wind, almost seeming to fly as I race towards the great tree where Naomi is imprisoned.

"Naomi!" I call as I arrive at the tree. Call, then stop dead in my tracks.

Standing directly between myself and Naomi are Jaken and his master, Sesshomaru. While the small one seems stunned at my arrival, Sesshomaru seems to have been waiting for me. As the story had described him, he is tall, looking completely human except for his strange eyes and pointed ears, and has long white hair that nearly reaches the ground. Upon his forehead is a purplish, crescent moon shaped mark, which would have looked odd on anyone else. As for his clothes, I can't tell where the robes end and the armor begins, and the fur thrown over his one shoulder seems almost alive. Like Sesshomaru's hair, it is also white. Two swords hang from the opposite side of him, and right now, the demons only hand rests on one of them, ready to draw it. Lacking an arm doesn't make Sesshomaru any less deadly.

"So," he asks me."Who are you? You were watching me a short while ago, and now you have followed me here. Answer me."

"Someone was watching us?" Jaken asks, more to himself than anyone else."Answer my Lord you...you...what is this creature, my Lord?" he splutters, confused.

"It is you who have followed me," I say, looking past them at Naomi. Silently, she whispers for me to run, but I'll not leave her at the mercy of these two demons."I should be asking who you are, demon."

"How dare you," Jaken screeches angerly."You should be grovelling at my Lords feet for such an insult. You-"

"Shut up, Jaken," Sesshomaru states, causing him to fall silent instantly. Throughout this encounter, he has remained calm and emotionless. Telling his servant to be quiet seems to bore him, as if he's had to tell Jaken that a hundred times."Now, I ask again: Who are you?" Sesshomaru demands, tightening his grip on his sword. Beneath his calm attitude and expression, he is ready to fight if need be, I realize.

"I am Varian Black," I consent, crossing my arms and standing up out of the slightly crouched defensive posture I'd adopted upon meeting the demons."Now-"

"The woodworker!?" Jaken blurts out, breaking his silence."Impossible. You can't be him. I-"

"Silence, Jaken," Sesshomaru warns, ending Jaken's comments."Varian Black, what business do you seek here, at the Tree of Barriers?"

This was the Tree of Barriers? The tree Naomi is bound to? What is going on around here? I wonder, as the demon lets go of his sword. Sesshomaru wanted answers, and knew that dicing me into little pieces wouldn't give them to him.

"I see now," Sesshomaru states, after a glance behind him."You came to see the woman, not the tree. How pathetic. You remind me of my younger brother. He too, loved a human." It is clearly meant to be an insult, from his tone of voice.

"So?" I ask, unconcerned."Your half-demon brother isn't my concern. You are, Lord Sesshomaru. You want me to fix Jaken's Staff of Two Heads so you can go home."

Almost in slow motion, I saw the green whip of magic descend from Sesshomaru's hand. What I failed to see was its strike, which threw me out of the clearing and opened up a burning cut across my chest. Stunned, I looked up to see Sesshomaru standing over me, sword drawn, with a look of barely contained fury on his face.

"How is it," he asks me, making me realize my mistake."That you know the name of Jaken's staff? How is it, that you know my brother is half-demon. How do you know these things, Varian Black? How?!"

"You're in the future, demon," I snarl, holding my wound closed with one hand, allowing it to start healing."Think. I know your story because I read about it. Now let me up. Like it or not, you need me to get you home."

"You have angered me," Sesshomaru states, lowering his weapon."If you cannot fix the Staff of Two Heads, I will kill you."

"Then we have a deal then," I say, standing."I fix that thing, and you let me live. Right?"

"Jaken, let Varian Black see the staff," Sesshomaru says, in way of an answer as he walks away into the forest. Then he is gone.

Two: Through the Tree of Barriers

"Get to work," Jaken says angerly, handing me the two pieces of the staff.

"In a moment," I tell him, as I walk over to Naomi. Jaken is almost powerless compared to his master. I'll not be pushed around by him."Why did you tell me to run?" I ask Naomi.

"I thought they would kill you," she says, looking at my wound."And they almost did."

"This is nothing," I say, putting on a brave front but also telling the truth. Letting go of the cut, I find that it is already healed shut-in a few days it will be just a scar."Do you know who these demons are?" I ask her, more quietly.

"I do," she replies, looking into my eyes."Be careful, Varian. These two can't be trusted. They look after only themselves, and do whatever they want."

"But how did they get here?" I ask, more to myself as I examine the staff. It is cleanly broken-that is good, clean breaks are easier to fix than splintered messes.

"Can you fix it?" Jaken asks, seeing me look over the damage. He is concerned now more than angry.

"I believe so," I say, looking over at him."But I'll need my tools to do it. Tell me, Jaken; How did you and your master get here?"

"That's none of your business," he snaps, his tone implying that their time-travelling had been an accident, one of his doing."Now lets go: the sooner you fix my staff, the sooner we can leave this god-forsaken place."

"Very well," I tell him."Naomi, I'll be back soon. I promise," I say to her as I turn to leave.

"Be careful, Varian," she tells me.

Once back home and in human shape again, I set to work on the Staff of Two Heads. As its name implies, the staffs top is carved to resemble two heads facing away from each other, one a woman and the other an old man. Supposedly, the figures mouths open, and fire shoots out at the command of the weilder.

"You're breaking it!" Jaken shouts as I get to work.

"I am not," I state, laughing inwardly at the horrified expression on his face."Now let me concentrate."

Four hours of hard work sees the staffs top reunited with its base. What seemed to be an easy fix proved much more difficult due to the nature of the object. The staff was made of a strange wood, stronger than oak, and I had trouble repairing it. But repair it I did, finishing just before sunrise.

"Is it fixed?" Jaken asks, cautiously. He'd kept up a monologue while I was working, droning on and on about how he hated this place and time, up to a point that I'd gotten so annoyed by it that I had thrown something at him. Since then he had been quiet.

"I believe so," I say, wiping the sweat from my brow."What kind of wood is this?" I ask him."It's not like anything I've ever worked with before."

"I, I don't know," Jaken admits to me."Master Sesshomaru gave it to me, I never asked what it was made from." Seeming to realize that he was being civil to me, he snaps,"Now give it back."

"And let you use it against me?" I ask, holding the weapon out of his reach."I think not. I'll return it once we're back at the tree."

"You're not as dumb as you look," Jaken grumbles as we set out for the Tree of Barriers again. In response, I rap him one the head with his own weapon.

Jaken remains silent on the way back to the tree, though I catch him giving me evil looks from time to time. He and Sesshomaru plan to kill me once I give back the staff-I can tell. They've done it before, to those who've helped him. I would have to be very careful in dealing with the two demons. Knowing this, I walk slow so I can try to think of a plan of action. Still, we reach the tree before I am ready.

"And you believe this weak demon can free you?" I hear Sesshomaru ask Naomi as we enter the clearing, I shifting shape in the process. I wasn't taking any chances.

"He is not a demon," Naomi replies. Sesshomaru stands a respectable distance from her, as I had done in the past, for safety purposes. The spell binding Naomi is a violent one."Surely you sense it, Lord Sesshomaru: Varian has no demonic aura. I know not what he is, but he's no demon."

"Still, you believe he can free you?" Sesshomaru repeats, curious.

"I believe he can do anything he sets his mind to," she states."Right now, he's set on freeing me. He'll find a way, I know it."

Hearing such praise from Naomi almost makes me forget the dangerous situation I was in. She believed in me. That was all that mattered.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken shouts, snapping me out of my dazed mindset."We're back," he says, hurrying to his masters side.

"The staff, Varian?" he asks, turning from Naomi to face me.

"Repaired," I answer, holding it up. Withholding it, I ask,"Our deal, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"You test my patience, Varian Black." he states."Surely you don't think you can keep it from me?"

"I wouldn't even try," I say."But, if you don't promise my safety, I'll break it."

"I see," he says, blinking in surprise."Very well. You have my word, Varian Black. I will not harm you." Nodding to Jaken, he states,"Get the staff."

"Yes, my Lord," he agrees, coming to fetch it from me. I hand it over, letting Jaken fight my strength for a moment before I release it. He glares at me before retreating.

"Are you ready, Jaken?" Sesshomaru asks, as his servant returns to his side.

"Yes my Lord," He replies at once, setting the staff firmly into the ground. Magic stirs, and the tree begins to glow. Two roots raise up unexpectedly, and form a doorway through which a blinding light pours."It is ready, Lord Sesshomaru."

"How much," Sesshomaru asks me, ignoring Jaken."Do you know about me, Varian Black?" He is curious, and can't leave without satisfying that curiosity.

"A great deal," I say, in response."But not everything, Sesshomaru."

"I see," he states, looking at Naomi."Do you wish to free this woman?" he asks me.

"Yes," I say immediately.

"Then come with us through the tree," Sesshomaru says."Her captor is a dead demon by the name of Vyshdra. Come with me to my time, where Vyshdra is still alive."

"I understand," I say, seeing his point."If I go through and kill this demon Vyshdra in your time, Naomi won't get imprisoned. Change the past, change the present. But why are you telling me this, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Because it is the only way to free her," he states."The spell is near perfect; while I was waiting for you to repair the staff, I took the time to examine it. You have no hope of breaking it, not even I can."

"I see now," I state."This Vyshdra is stronger than you. You plan to use me to rid you of a rival in power."

"Perhaps," Sesshomaru says, venturing toward the portal."It is your choice, Varian Black. Free the woman by changing the past, or spend the rest of your life trying to break an unbreakable spell."

"Naomi?" I ask, seeking her opinion.

"I don't trust him, Varian," she replies, giving Sesshomaru a cold stare. Then, for the first time since we'd met, I saw Naomi struggle against her prison. Struggle, and fail."But I want to be freed. If this is the only way, then I ask you to be careful. Altering the past could be very dangerous Varian, surely you realize that."

"I do," I state."But if it can free you, I must try."

"Come, Varian Black," Sesshomaru tells me, ending anything else I might have wanted to say."We must enter first. Jaken holds the gate open-once he crosses, it will cease to exist." That said, Lord Sesshomaru walked into the light, and vanished.

"Get going, you dumb lizard," Jaken shouts at me, making me realize I'd been standing there like an idiot."I'm not going to wait for you all day."

"I'm going, I'm going," I tell him, stepping in front of the gateway, annoyed. Knowing that this may be the last time I ever see Naomi, that I could die on the other side of the gate, I look at her one last time, then boldly step into the portals blinding light. Emerging on the other side, I lose my balance and fall to one knee. Stepping into the light gave the distinct sensation of falling, which was why I'd lost my balance. Before me, Sesshomaru stands, seeming to mock me as the portal shuts and Jaken appears behind me.

"Get up, Varian," he states."Surely you aren't that weak, to be brought down by a portal."

"I'm not," I tell him, standing. Seeing the forest seemingly unchanged around us, I ask, "Are we in your time, Sesshomaru? Everything looks the same."

"We are," he tells me."Smell the air-it's clean and fresh. In your era, it reeks of humans and their machines, smoke and garbage. We are back."

"Good," I say."So where is this demon Vyshdra?"

"If you intend to fight him without a weapon, you'll be eaten alive," Jaken laughs, walking over to stand by Sesshomaru.

"Eaten alive?" I ask, beginning to wonder just what I'd gotten myself into."What sort of demon is Vyshdra?"

"Giving up, Varian?" Sesshomaru asks, amused.

"No," I reply."I just want to know so as I have some sort of idea of what to expect when I fight him."

"Without a weapon, all you can expect is death," Jaken laughs, until a glare from his lord silences him.

"Vyshdra is a demonic serpent," Sesshomaru tells me."He is strong, fast and very dangerous. Vyshdra is more powerful than me, you were right about that, Varian. I can't imagine you possibly defeating him, but if you wish to try, his lair is about a weeks walk north of here, behind a great waterfall."

"If I do defeat him, and live to tell about it, how do I get back home?" I ask.

"I'm sure you'll think of something," Sesshomaru replies, wandering into the forest, Jaken at his heels. Then they're gone, disappeared between the trees before I can even think of following them.

"Great," I say to myself, leaning against the Tree of Barriers."That's just perfect. I'm weaponless, stuck in the past, and I have to kill a demon snake. And I'm alone," I add, watching the rising sun. Its warming light soon calms me.

Sesshomaru's right, I note, smelling the air. This age is cleaner than my own. Back home, even out in the forest, I'd smell car exhaust, garbage, and humans. It's strange to not have those background scents on the wind anymore. After a while, I take human shape, and use my limited powers to alter my clothes to better suit the era I'm in. Blue jeans and a t-shirt become the loose fitting clothes of a feudal era farmer in an instant.

Turning north, I venture away from the Tree of barriers, and towards my destination. I soon find a trail that more or less leads in the right direction, and I take to it at once, to avoid tearing my clothes on any more thorn bushes. I'd already encountered said bushes several times, and suffered the consequences. While not injured, I now sport more than a few holes in my pants legs.

The trail soon leads me to an actual road, where I stop to consider my next move. The road leads northward, but I need a weapon to fight Vyshdra with. That meant that I would have to interact with the people of this time, something that I did not want to do. Feudal lords, samurai, even villagers armed with farming tools wouldn't hesitate to strike me down if they figured out what I was.

I needed help, but aside from Sesshomaru, who was no doubt far away by now, I knew no-one to seek that help from. Except...Naomi's ancestor, Sango. But I had no clue where she was, and truthfully, I didn't want to try explaining my situation to a demonslayer and her equally dangerous friends, Sesshomaru's half-demon brother being just one of them. Besides, meeting them would seriously mess with the past, whereas I merely wanted to change one event.

Time travel is confusing, I think to myself, shaking my head and giving up on trying to sort things out. Certainly my presence here couldn't mess up the future, could it? Frustrated at the confusion caused by my attempt to reason what to do, I set out along the road, minding my own business and trying not to draw attention to myself. I'm good at that, at least.

I soon find that the road leads to a village bordered by a river on one side. I can see it from a distance, for I stand on a small hill overlooking the town. But even from this distance I can tell that something is wrong. There's too much smoke. The village is on fire! I realize, racing towards it at once. Arriving shortly, I join the frantic villagers combatting the blaze. I don't bother asking questions; I just grab a bucket and race towards the source of the fire-a large building near the center of the village.

It is over quickly. We were unable to save the building, but succeeded in sparing the rest of the village. As people talk about the blaze, I listen, and learn its cause. Someone had left a candle unattended. Now they were homeless.

"Thank you stranger," an older man tells me, handing me a cup of water."You helped spare the rest of our village.

"I saw the smoke," I say after taking a drink."What else was I supposed to do? Walk away?" Like me, the man is covered in soot and ash from the fire.

"Most would," he tells me."What is your name, stranger?"

"I'm Varian," I say to him, as the villagers start cleaning up the buildings remains. Fire, natural disaster, demon attack, these people were used to misfortune, it seemed."Varian Black."

"I am Hiro. I lead this village," he says."It's been a hard year, Varian. Your help today was an unexpected blessing. Without your help, I believe we could have lost a great deal more." Sitting down next to me, Hiro says,"We are in your debt, Varian. We don't have much to repay you with, but I can offer you a meal, and a place to stay for the night." Afternoon was quickly becoming evening.

"Fair enough," I say to him, noticing the time of day."What is to happen to the family that lived in that place?" I ask.

"They are staying with friends," Hiro says."It'll take a while to rebuild their home."

"Perhaps..." I say, sensing an oppertunity to do some good."I'm a woodworker, Hiro. I can help, if you'll put up with me for a few days."

"Days?" he asks, standing to look at the rubble."It'll take at least a week to get started on a new building."

"You haven't seen me at work," I laugh, standing to see the extent of the damages better."I think I can have the basic structure up in about five hours, if you have the right tools for me."

"Are you sure?!" he asks, surprised."It's a large home, Varian."

"Positive," I say."Look, Hiro. See the support beams-they've only been blackened. I can still use those. And all the stonework is still there, so that's that job taken care of." Seeing his expression, I add,"I've worked with wood for almost ten years Hiro. I've learned to waste not, want not. Everything that didn't burn, I can find a use for. I think maybe three days, for the whole job. Less if I have help."

"We can't afford to pay-" Hiro begins.

"You don't have to," I tell him, interrupting. Deciding to be honest, I say,"Hiro, I'm on this road for one reason: to slay a demon to the north of here. Odds are, I won't be needing any money you can offer. Odds are, I might not even be alive come next week. So let me work for you-do one last bit of good before I face death."

"I see," he says, nodding grimly."Come, you can stay with me during your time here."

So, for the next three days, I concentrate solely on building. Hiro and the other villagers are amazed at the speed and skill with which I work. My modern knowledge speeds the process even more; soon, I am working faster than my help can keep up with. So they stand aside, amazed as I put together a house in three days. Finally, on the third evening, it is done, and I celebrate with the villagers late into the night.

Early the next morning, as I prepare to leave Hiro's house for the last time, I find him standing before me, blocking my path. There is a long, cloth-wrapped object propped up beside him, against the door. I sense trouble.

"I guess this is goodbye," I say, wondering what is going on.

"It is," Hiro says, picking up the object."These past three days, I have watched and spoken with you Varian, and I have come to call you friend. But I am not stupid. You're no mere woodworker, Varian Black. You're too strong, and too fast. I would call you demon, but I can sense their foul presence.

"Hiro," I say, but he silences me with a look.

"Don't, Varian," He says."You can be honest with me. Tell me why you're here."

"Very well," I say."What do you know of Vyshdra, the demon snake?"

"Do you mean to kill him?" Hiro asks, answering with a question."It's impossible, Varian. That beast is far to strong. An entire army once ventured up to his lair to slay him, and not a man returned. But the river told their fate-the next day, it ran red with blood."

"I mean to try," I say."Tell me Hiro, do you know the demon called Lord Sesshomaru?"

"That one as well," he states."Now I know you're crazy."

"Then know this," I say, revealing the scar left by the demon."I have faced Sesshomaru, and lived to tell of it. He and I have a sort-of truce now, but Vyshdra I do intend to kill."

"Maybe you aren't as crazy as I thought," Hiro says, unwrapping the object. It is a sword."Take this with you, Varian. I know you have no weapons of your own."

"I can't accept this Hiro," I tell him honestly."I've never wielded a sword. In my hands it would be little more than a club."

"I see," he says, a little disappointed as he puts the weapon back."Then take with you one of the tools you used. I've seen your skill with those, and our blacksmith can easily make them durable enough to take into battle."

"That great hammer I used to drive the new support post, could I have it?" I wonder aloud, making Hiro smile."The two-handed one?"

"It is yours," he laughs, knowing that I'd enjoyed using it."I wish you luck, Varian. And I hope that one day we'll meet again, my friend."

"If I survive, I will return here," I tell him."And I'll tell you all about my battle with the demon."

Three: On the Road Again, Varian Black Slays his First Demon

After collecting my hammer and visiting the blacksmith, I said my farewells to the villagers and set out on the road again. With such a large weapon strapped to my back, it is hard to remain unnoticed, but I try anyways. The hammer is heavy, well over sixteen pounds, but I feel comforted by its weight. It tells me that I am no longer defenseless.

I travel for a day and a half before I reach another village. Here I stop, and offer to work for supplies, which I am starting to run low on. I am turned away by the villagers, but on the way out of town a farmer requests my help in secret.

"This village distrusts anyone who holds a weapon," he tells me."Bandits have robbed them in the past, so don't be angry with them."

"I'm not," I say, following him off the road."What is it you want?" I ask.

"My farm is not far from here," he says in way of an answer."Every night for the past week, something has been raiding my crops. A rather large something, judging from how much it has taken."

"You want me to kill it," I state, knowing the direction this conversation was going.

"Or drive it away," he says."I don't care which. I'll pay you with a place to stay for the night and some supplies-don't look surprised, I overheard you in the village. Will you help me?"

"I'll try," I say to him."Do you have any idea as to what the creature may be?"

"Boar, most likely," he states."But it could be almost anything, which is why I'm asking for help. If its not a wild pig, I'm in trouble, and quite a ways away from any help."

"I see your point," I say, noticing how far we were from the village."How much further is it-" I start to ask, but realize that the man hasn't given me his name. And that he's making me strangely tense.

"Far enough," he replies, and I know I'm in trouble now. I've been sensing his aura, his demonic aura.

I pull my hammer out just as the demon reveals its true shape, that of a four eyed, red skinned beast some eight feet tall, complete with horns. He is weaponless, but solves that problem by wrenching a small tree out of the ground. It is clear that he plans to club me to death.

"You picked the wrong person, demon," I state as he advances.

"That puny hammer doesn't scare me," he hisses."No human is a match for me. I will devour you!" he screams, charging.

"Good thing I'm not human," I say, quickly sidestepping his charge and swinging for his exposed back.

"Not fast enough mortal!" he shouts, blocking my swing and throwing me back with his makeshift club.

"Then I'll have to swing faster," I say, charging at the demon only to have my strike blocked again.

"That almost hit me," He says, surprised as he throws me back."Time to die, human!" he shouts, coming at me once more.

"For the last time," I say, leaping out of the way and shifting shape."I'm not human!" Then I swing my hammer as hard and fast as I possibly can, aiming for the monsters head.

Time seems to stand still as I watch my swing connect, driving the demon, headfirst, to the ground. Stepping back, I look at my hammer, expecting to see the things brains splattered all over it. Instead, I see a large scratch caused by the demons horns. Looking beyond my hammer, I am shocked when the demon raises up onto its hands and knees, shakes its head, then stands, facing me.

"That hurt you...you...? What are you?" the demon asks, staggering a little.

"I'm the one that's going to kill you," I state.

"You can try," the demon tells me, shaking his head again. I've injured him worse than he originally realized."You can try."

Weaponless, the demon comes at me again, fury written on his face. Clearly he intends this make this assault his final attack. He plans to kill me, and quickly, before I can hurt him again.

Hammer raised overhead, I charge at the demon, closing the distance between us in an instant. He doesn't expect this move from me, but reacts with lightning speed, catching my hammer midswing before it can bash him on the head once more.

"That trick again?" he taunts, his demonic face mere inches from my own reptilian snout. "Don't you know anything else?"

"Yeah," I say, thinking quick and seeing a way to win."This!" I cry, releasing my hammer and grabbing the demon by his horns. A sharp and sudden twist breaks the demons neck with a sickening snap.

For a moment, I simply stand there holding the demons limp body by its horns, surprised that I have killed it with my bare hands. The hammer I'd thought would aid me has proved worse than useless; it lies on the ground, its handle shattered by the demons grasp.

"I killed it," I say to myself, dropping the beast. More loudly, I add,"With my bare hands, I have killed a demon." It is a powerful sensation, being victorious in battle. And I think I like it.

Noises from the road interrupt my moment of triumph. Resuming my human form, I turn to see a very familiar figure struggling through the bushes.

"Damn vines! Let go of me. Let go!" Jaken cries, at last managing to free himself from the bushes by hitting them with his staff.

"Jaken?" I ask, surprised."What are you doing here?"

"What do you expect?" he asks, straightening his clothes."Lord Sesshomaru told me to follow you and report back when Vyshdra kills you-I mean, when you kill Vyshdra," he cowers, seeing my venomous look.

"You don't think I can do it, do you?" I ask him, standing aside to show him my slain attacker.

"A demon," Jaken gasps."And not just any demon-I recognize this beast. He was Hayek of the Road, a vicious manslayer. Who killed him?"

I did," I say simply.

"You?!" Jaken chokes, stunned as I head back to the road. Realizing he is being left behind, Jaken cries,"Varian, wait up."

"If you're going to follow me, you need to keep up," I tell him, reaching the road and turning north.

"But, but how did you kill Hayek?!" he asks, nevertheless hurrying to keep pace with me.

"I just did," I reply, keeping my words brief in hopes of silencing the demon.

"But-" Jaken begins to ask, but I interrupt, stopping to let the full force of my words affect him.

"Listen, Jaken," I state, staring him down."I don't like you, Lord Sesshomaru, or the fact that he's using you to keep an eye on me. I prefer to be alone, so shut up!"

"Or what?" Jaken grins evilly, holding up his staff. Flames dance within the mouths of the figures carved on its top."I'll talk as much as I like, Varian Black."

"Fine," I say, my threats backfiring on me. I'd forgotten about Jaken's weapon. I'd forgotten that, while he wasn't Sesshomaru or even Hayek, the demon I'd just killed, Jaken was still dangerous."Just don't expect me to talk back to you," I state, walking away. Soon I hear the demon following me, about four or five paces back.

Jaken bothers me all day and into the night, keeping up an annoying monologue even as we set up a place to rest for the night. I wonder how Lord Sesshomaru puts up with the long winded imp, but say nothing. Even looking at Jaken gives him the chance to say something insulting.

"I don't trust you, Jaken," I finally say, breaking my silence."But I'm too tired to stay awake listening to you."

"You think I'd try to kill you in your sleep?" he asks, offended."As if I would do something that low. I do have some morals, Varian. Not many, but some. Besides, I was sent to keep an eye on you, not kill you."

"Whatever," I say, retiring to the tent given to me by Hiro and the villagers I'd helped. "But just to be perfectly clear, Jaken; I'm a light sleeper. If you do anything, I'll know about it." Then I close the tent flap.

"Paranoid lizard," Jaken mumbles, then I hear him moving away from my tent.

I wake the next morning to the sound of birds chirping. For a moment, I forget when and where I am, and listen to them, enjoying the new day. Then I hear Jaken, and the mornings peace is ruined.

"Get lost, you thieving little buzzards!" he cries, and I know that the birds had been stealing from him. Know, and smile before emerging from my tent.

"Pleasant day, eh, Jaken?" I laugh, watching him swing away at the fleeing birds with his staff.

"Lets go," he says, irritated as I pack up my tent and will it to become coin-sized using my limited powers."Despicable little vermin," he adds, leering up at the birds perched overhead as we leave.

Once more, Jaken complains all day long. The trail is too rough, the weather too hot, my pace too fast, the list goes on and on and on. By the day's end, I can stand him no longer. I have to silence Jaken, or I'll go mad.

"I've heard enough from you, Jaken," I say, facing him. We've stopped for the night, but the little demons mouth hasn't."Be silent, or else."

"Or else, what?" he starts to retort, raising his staff. In the blink of an eye, I've shifted shape, stripped him of his weapon, and pinned him to the ground.

"Or else, I'll kill you," I hiss dangerously, baring my newly transformed and beast-like teeth. Lowering my head until our faces are mere inches apart, I ask slowly,"Do we understand one another?"

"Perfectly," Jaken chokes out, making me realize that my claws were digging into his flesh, that I'd been strangling him with just one hand, my other raised above me, ready to carry out my threat.

"Good," I say, loosening my grip but not releasing him yet."I'm going to let you up now, Jaken. What you do after that is your business, but if you continue to follow me, know this; I will tolerate no more of your insults, nor more of your complaining. I don't see how Lord Sesshomaru puts up with you."

Jaken remains silent the rest of the night, proving that my show of force has put the little imp in his place. Because of this, I feel that I know the demon a little better: only death threats will silence or influence Jaken.

"Ready?" I ask him, after packing my tent the next morning.

Jaken glares at me in response, but says nothing. Instead, he picks up his staff and heads for the road we've been travelling along, forcing me to follow or be left behind. As I take the lead, he glares at me again, then falls into step several paces back.

By mid-morning, Jaken's forced silence has put him in a dour mood. Having him follow me in such a dark state of mind unnerves me a little. But, as this particular demon is more talk than action, I don't worry too much.

"Is Vyshdra's lair much further?" I ask around noon, giving Jaken a chance to speak. Therefore I am surprised when he says nothing, instead merely pointing at a dark mountain ridge in the distance."I think we can be there tomorrow, if we try. What do you think, Jaken?" I ask, giving him another chance to talk.

"I think you'll be eaten by Vyshdra," he retorts."Even my lord, Sesshomaru, is wary of him."

"That's not what I asked you," I say, coming to a stop."You honestly don't think I can do it, don't you?" I ask, seeing his expression."I killed Hayek." I remind him.

"That beast is but an ant compared to Vyshdra," Jaken states."Hayek was weak; he killed humans only because they were no threat to him and it amused him. Even a half-demon could've defeated Hayek."

"Like Sesshomaru's brother?" I ask, curious.

"I'll not speak of that, that's none of your business," Jaken snaps, walking off towards the mountain range down the road."We should reach Vyshdra's lair by noon tomorrow," he adds, answering my original question.

"Good," I reply, following him."Then I can go home soon." Thinking, I add,"If there's a way. I hope I'm not stuck here, in the past."

"You want to go back to that foul place of yours?" Jaken asks, surprised."That human realm, where you have to hide all the time? I wouldn't."

"It's my home," I tell him, forgiving his insults this time."I have family there, and friends even, who would miss me if I was to stay here."

"You're very strange, Varian Black," Jaken states.

After that comment, Jaken remains thoughtful and quiet for the rest of the day, giving me time to think about my coming battle with Vyshdra. I still had no clue as to how to kill a demonsnake, let alone a serpent capable of slaying an entire army, as Hiro had stated. I hoped he was exaggerating. I really did.

Four: Changing the Past

"If you follow this stream, you'll find Vyshdra's lair," Jaken tells me at around noon the next day.

"You aren't coming, Jaken?" I ask, amused. Just being near this area has the little demon terrified and jumping at his own shadow.

"I don't want to be Vyshdra's dessert," he retorts, glancing around nervously."No. I'll wait right here Varian Black. If you're not back by morning, I'll assume Vyshdra ate you."

"I don't plan on being dinner," I tell him, setting out towards the demons lair.

Once I've left Jaken behind, I shift shape, and take to the trees in an effort to be stealthy. No-one ever thinks to look up for danger. I was counting on that to aid me when I faced Vyshdra. From what I've heard about the demonsnake, Vyshdra was most likely so large that he couldn't climb a tree easily, whereas I could race about in the branches like a monkey.

Following the stream, I soon come across a cliff face, over which flows a waterfall at least twenty feet tall. Here the trees end, replaced by rocks and boulders the size of houses. Littering the peaceful scene are bits and pieces of armor and weapons, ruining the beauty of this place. I'd found Vyshdra's lair.

But where is the serpent? I wonder, creeping closer, the roar of the waterfall masking any small noises that I might be making. Soon, I can see the dark opening of a cave behind the falls, a jagged crevice ten feet high and as wide as the waterfall itself. As I draw closer, I catch a foul scent wafting out of the cave, the stench of decay. It is the smell of death, of things that the serpent killed and didn't eat entirely.

But where is he? I wonder again, approaching the cave. Where is the demon? The cave isn't very deep, thirty feet, perhaps, but I don't see anything that even looks like a snake. That is, until what I had mistaken for the caves rear wall begins to move, revealing a cavern behind it, and Vyshdra's emmense size. The serpents mud-colored scales are the size of my head. I mistook them for cracks in the cave wall. Hiro hadn't exaggerated, I realized.

"I ssssmell a deeeemon," comes a monstrous, hissing voice from the depths of the cave, louder and deeper than the roar of the waterfall."Who sssstandssss before my lair? Anssswer me. I know you're there."

"Are you Vyshdra?" I ask loudly, hoping that the snake will say 'no', but knowing that thats exactly who I was speaking to.

"I am," Vyshdra hisses."Sssstate your busssinessss here, or I will eat you."

"I've come to slay you," I state, as Vyshdra's mighty head comes into view. It's the size of a modern car.

"You jessst, demon," Vyshdra laughs, rattling the stones of the streambed."I am Vysssshdra, sssslayer of armiessss. No one man can defeat me. You have made me laugh, demon. Go home while you're still amusssing, before you annoy me and make me eat you."

"I speak the truth," I tell the snake."I've come to kill you, or die trying."

"Then you will die!" the serpent replies, lurching forward with surprising speed.

I dodge Vyshdra's strike, leaping up onto the cliff face as he slithers out of the cave, dislodging rocks and other debris. He is massive, longer than even I thought possible, and his bulk shatters the stones over which he crawls.

"What can you posssibly do to harm me?" he laughs, toppling a boulder the size of a house with a flick of his tail."You don't even have any weaponsss."

"I'll think of something," I say to him, as Vyshdra rears up to look me in the eye, twenty feet off the ground.

"I think you'll make a nice sssnack," Vyshdra states, his forked tongue flicking the air.

Vyshdra's next strike almost catches me, obliterating the ledge I'd been perched on. Instead of a mouthful of Saurian, he has a mouthful of rocks, distracting him. I seize the opportunity and leap onto Vyshdra's head, digging my claws in while I rake at his eyes with my free hand.

"Get Off Me!" Vyshdra roars, flinging me away like an ant. I've wounded him, but my clawmarks are insignificant on such a mighty being, a papercut. There isn't even any blood, so thick is Vyshdra's hide.

"I will kill you," I state, picking myself up as Vyshdra turns to face me, coiling up to strike. He's thrown me into the trees, which has cushioned my fall.

"You're a ssstrange demon," Vyshdra replies."Ssso much attitude, ssso little power. Your aura isss ssso weak that I can't even sssensse it."

"I'm not a demon," I reply, scaling a tree to be eye to eye with the serpent.

"Then what are you?" he asks, coiling around a rock, crushing it into gravel."You are too sssmall to be a dragon, and too weak to be a half-demon."

"You'll see how weak I am!" I cry, launching myself at the demon. I'm aiming for his eyes, but before I get there, Vyshdra's tail swats me away and pins me to the ground.

"I think I'll grind you to a pulp, then eat you," Vyshdra hisses, crushing me with his tail.

Fear for my life sends strength to my limbs, and I'm able to free myself before he can act on his words. By the time he notices my escape, I'm already out of reach, halfway up a tree. Safe, for the moment.

"You're quick," he admits, coiling around a boulder and crushing it in his anger."But you'll not escape me!" Vyshdra adds, lashing out with his monstrous tail, felling my tree and forcing me to the ground.

"If I was going to run away, I wouldn't have even come here," I tell him, taking care to stay outside his extensive reach."I've come to kill you, Vyshdra."

"How?" he asks laughingly as I circle him, looking for a weakness."You've barely managed to scratch me, demon."

"I'll think of something," I tell him, still searching his armored hide for a weak point.

"You bore me with your talk demon," he states."Fight me, already."

"Then why don't you strike, Vyshdra?" I ask, goading the demon as he coils, keeping me in his sight."Afraid you'll miss again? Or do you know that you can't possibly strike fast enough to get me?"

"Dodge this, imbecile!" Vyshdra shouts, rearing back as his throat puffs out like a bullfrogs. Then his jaws gape wide, and a foul stream of black fluid gushes forth like a geyser.

I know better than to let any of the gunk touch me, but the serpents strike is so swift that, despite my reflexes, some of the liquid hits me. I expect pain, like the ooze is some acid fixing to dissolve me, but instead I feel a strange numbness spreading outward from where its landed on me. My left leg and part of my tail refuse to move as quickly as I want them to, slowing me down considerably.

"I've got you now!" Vyshdra shouts, lunging at me, fangs bared.

"Not today!" I scream back, dodging as his jaws shut just inches from me. I'm terrified now-that black mist that Vyshdra got me with has evened the odds. He can catch me-I'm no longer faster than the demon.

"Sssstay ssstill!" Vyshdra hisses angerly as I frantically try to stay ahead of his snapping jaws and lashing tail."And I'll make your death painlessss!"

"I'll not go down without a fight," I yell back, leaping backwards over Vyshdra's head as he lunges at me again.

But its not just Vyshdra's jaws that I have to watch out for. The serpents strike was a ploy to get me in range of his massive body and tail. That tail swipes my legs out from under me, then Vyshdra's bulk crashes down on me. The pressure and pain are worse than anything I've felt before, but in the course of our battle we've neared the river, and its soft muddy bank cushions the blow-somewhat.

"Dead yet, demon?" Vyshdra asks, his head out of my sight. All that I can see is the immense curve of his body, holding me down."Have I ended you, you pathetic insssect?"

With my body pinned and the breath knocked out of me, I reply with the only weapon I have free-my own jaws, sinking my teeth into Vyshdra's armored hide. So thick is the armor that my bite doesn't even draw blood, but Vyshdra knows what I've done. His massive bulk raises from me without warning, and I'm unexpectedly face to face with the demon.

"Sssuch a ssstrong will to live," Vyshdra comments, allowing me to struggle to my feet."You impresss me, demon. Tell me, what exactly isss your goal? What will killing me accomplish?"

"It'll change the future!" I scream, launching myself at the serpents face, claws and jaws bared. I'm aiming for his eyes again-the only weakness that I've spotted on the great beast. And the claws of my left hand almost score a direct hit, raking the sensitive skin just above Vyshdra's eye, and digging in deep enough to draw blood.

But I pay dearly for wounding the demon. With a howl of rage, Vyshdra rears up, taking me with him and flinging me through the air. Before I can even try to affect the landing that must come, I see the cliff face rushing towards me with surprising speed.

I land on my side, a crushing blow against jagged rocks, and slide to the base of the cliff in a shower of dirt and debris. Rising onto my hands and knees, I see a shadow blot out my own, the shadow of the serpent.

"Die!" Vyshdra roars as I look up, just in time to see his gaping jaws coming at me.

Before I quite realize it, I'm in the monster's mouth. In desperation to avoid being eaten, I grip the demons fangs with my hands and feet, holding his mouth open despite the pain of those teeth tearing into me. I have to use all the strength I have just to hold my own-and the snake hasn't even bitten down yet.

"Got you," Vyshdra snarls, his foul breath choking me as I struggle. Then, instead of crushing me, Vyshdra rears back and opens wide, causing me to fall deeper into his mouth. Then the jaws close, and darkness envelopes me.

Vyshdra, slayer of armies, has claimed another victim, but to my horror, I find that I'm still alive as I slide towards the belly of the beast. I've lost, but pure instinct drives me to resist even now. I scratch and claw and bite at Vyshdra's soft throat, inflicting damage even though I know its futile. But then, in the dank, dark serpents gut, I hear the beasts heart, and know that I can do the impossible. I can kill the demonsnake.

No longer trying to escape the demons throat, now I burrow deeper into Vyshdra's body. I'm holding my breath, I'm weak, but still I press on until the pounding of the serpents heart is deafening in my ears. Soon, I can feel it, a massive organ as large as myself. The demons weakness.

Starved for air, bleeding in a dozen different places, I can hardly summon the strength to bring my claws to bear on the demon. But I do, and I can hear Vyshdra's howl of agony all around me, an ear-splitting roar that echoes for miles. I've done the impossible. I've slain Vyshdra, the slayer of armies, and changed my future. I can die in peace.

Or so I thought. After letting out my seemingly last breath, I find that instead of drowning in the demon's blood, I can still breathe. My claws have torn through Vyshdra's heart and out the other side, opening a slit between the serpents scales. And it is out that very slit that I crawl, covered in gore.

For a while I simply lie there, completely spent, next to the great serpents corpse. Soon though, I'm able to rise, and one of the first things I do is crawl to the river to wash the blood and gore from me, and to clean my wounds.

"Impressive," A voice says from behind me, causing me to freeze in place."Had I not witnessed it, I never would have believed it."

"Who are you?" I ask, turning to face the person. What I see is a man wearing the pelt of a white baboon. He's crouched atop a boulder near the treeline, about twenty feet from me. I can't see his face.

"Naraku," the man says, rolling his name so the 'r' sounds almost like an 'l'."And yourself?" he asks.

"Varian Black," I tell him, cautious. I've heard his name somewhere before, but for the life of me I can't remember where. Naraku."What do you want?"

"I see you are unarmed," he says, ignoring my question."If you take one of the demons fangs, now, while its blood still flows, it can be crafted into a formidable weapon."

"And why are you telling me this?" I ask, nevertheless moving to Vyshdra's head to examine the teeth. One in particular draws my attention. It's certainly long and sharp enough to be crafted into a sword or saber."Does it look like I need a weapon?" I ask, gesturing at the corpse before me.

"Unless you intend to let yourself be eaten again, then yes," Naraku replies, as I exhume the fang from the serpent. The demons death throes have loosened it enough to be removed.

"What is it you want, Naraku?" I ask again, holding the tooth by its root. It really does feel like a weapon, I notice. All it lacks is an edge and a proper handle."And why don't you seem to be afraid of me?" I ask, realizing that I'd been speaking with Naraku while not in my human form.

"I fear nothing." he replies, leaping down from the boulder, seeming to fall too fast and too slowly at the same time."And you may be of use to me," Naraku adds, remaining crouched. The position has a certain menace to it, an unnerving quality not unlike a spider poised to strike.

"How so?" I ask, remaining defensive. I still can't place his name, but I know I've heard it before. I know. Naraku.

"Nothing out of your league," he says."Simple tasks. Demonslaying really. Seems like that's something you're good at," Naraku adds, gesturing towards Vyshdra's fallen corpse.

"You want me to kill demons," I state, stabbing Vyshdra's fang into the ground before me and dropping my defensive stance as a show of trust towards this Naraku."I'm listening." Perhaps he knows of a way to get me home to my own time, I reason.

"Not just any demons," he states."Only certain ones. Three to give an exact number."

"And my reward?" I ask, still a bit cautious towards Naraku. Something just isn't normal about him. And I've heard his name before, I know it.

"Whatever the demons possess is yours to keep," he says, seeming to lock eyes with me even though I still can't see his face."Other than that, name your price. I will pay it."

"I'm not from around here Naraku," I tell him."I'm looking for a way home."

"And your home is?" he asks.

"About a weeks walk south of here," I say."And several hundred years from now," I add, expecting Naraku to be surprised at the very least.

"There are many ways to traverse time," he states, catching me off guard."And, though I cannot grant your request, I know of some who can."

"Then we have a deal," I say."I'll kill demons for you Naraku. The three you want. And in return, you'll find a way to send me home."

"We have a deal," Naraku tells me, drawing something like a beehive from his pelt and tossing it to my feet."These will be of use to you," he adds, as several giant-sized hornets emerge from the hive. I can hear more inside. Many more.

"I don't see how," I reply, picking the hive up, expecting the insects to attack. More climb out, but fly off to join the others circling above us.

"They know the demons I seek, and will help you search for them," he says."Command them as you see fit, but remember that, though you control them, I am still their master."

"Very well," I state, understanding that implied threat as I draw my weapon from the ground."Am I right to guess that you know a smith that can make a sword from Vyshdra's fang?" I ask.

"They will lead you to him," Naraku replies, pointing up at the hornets."But it will have to be you who persuades him to craft such a blade."

Five: The Snakes Tooth and the Demonsmith

"You're alive!" Jaken shouts as I round the river bend at around sunset."I don't believe it," he cries, as I hold up my trophy, the serpents fang."How-"

"Did I do it?" I finish for the excited imp."Settle down, Jaken, and I'll tell you."

"And you're in one piece," Jaken states, as we both sit before the small campfire he's built."I thought that you would've died instantly, but here you are, and you're completely unharmed."

"Not quite," I say, showing the demon the marks Vyshdra inflicted upon me; the painful bruising from his bulk, and the deep cuts from the serpents teeth."Vyshdra almost killed me Jaken," I admit to him."But it was worth it."

And so, for the next hour or so I tell of my fight with the serpent, amazing even myself at the cold, hard facts of the matter. It seemed that doing the impossible was something I was getting good at. By the end of the tale, I'm exhausted, so I leave out my encounter with Naraku and the deal we'd reached, thinking it as something unimportant beside such a mighty feat.

"I must inform Lord Sesshomaru of your impressive victory," Jaken tells me early the next morning, as I pack up the camp."I wish you luck on finding a way home, Varian Black." Then he's gone, racing off towards wherever Sesshomaru told him to meet him as fast as his stubby legs will carry him.

I stay put for a while after Jaken's departure. I'm still weak from defeating Vyshdra, and my wounds haven't had time to heal much, but I know I must move soon. With the demons demise, lesser beasts will come, seeking to claim his territory, or avenge his death. Even vile and wicked demons like Vyshdra have allies. And I'll not want to meet them when they arrive. So I draw out the hive given to me by Naraku, and summon up a single hornet out of its seemingly infinite depths. Magic at work, to be sure. Yesterday more hornets had come out than could possibly fit inside the melon-sized hive.

"Lead me to the weaponsmith," I command the bug circling me. At once the hornet flies high into the sky to get its bearings, then heads off in an eastern direction, slowly enough for me to follow it easily. Taking human form, I set out after the hornet.

After an hour, the insect tires and retreats into the hive, sending out another in its place. I repeat my command, and continue to follow the thing east. This new bug remains close to the ground, often flying just a dozen or so feet above my head. I get the impression that this particular hornet has been in this area before, and knows the lay of the land.

Soon, after around five or six of the hornets tire, I find myself being led up the slope of a seemingly active volcano. Naraku's insects don't like it up here-the heat and smoke seems to weaken them. but still they lead me, up over the craters rim and onto a plain of blisteringly hot rocks. Some of the cracks in the ground glow red from the intolerable heat below.

There is a demon up here, I realize, as Naraku's hornet leads me towards a cave near the craters wall. Not a very strong one like Lord Sesshomaru, but strong enough to make me wary. To be able to sense a demonic aura from a distance indicates that the demon in question is no pushover.

Soon, as I near the cave and Naraku's insect departs, I can see a fire inside, and hear the pounding of a blacksmith's hammer. Stepping into the cave, I see the demon; he looks to be nothing more than a frail old man, his hair white with age, but I know better. The hammer he's wielding over the anvil is far too large for such a man to lift if he were human.

As I approach without his notice, I can see what the smith is working on-a sword. At least it seems that I've found the right person, though if i can sneak up on him this easily he can't be much of a demon. But as I think this, the demon notices my presence, and before I quite realize it, the 'frail, old man' has sent me flying out of the cave with his hammer. The blow was painful, but I could tell that I hadn't been seriously hurt.

"I don't take kindly to spying," comes a wizened voice from the cave."Tell me what you want, or be gone with yee."

"I need a weapon forged," I say, approaching the cave again-the smiths hammer has thrown me a good ten feet."I was told you could forge it," I state, as the demon appears at the cave mouth.

"Hmmm. Could be," he says, wandering back inside."Could be...Well, come in then," he cries after a moment, causing me to follow him."M'names Totosai, boy. Now what can I do for yee?"

"I'm Varian Black," I tell him, bringing out the fang."And if you can, I'd like a sword forged from this," I say, handing it to him.

"Hmm. Strong tooth. Make an excellent blade it will," Totosai comments, tapping the fang with a smaller hammer."Demonsnake, from the looks of it...Where'd you get this, boy?"

"I killed Vyshdra," I tell him, causing the demons jaw to hit the floor.

"This is Vyshdra," he states, shocked at the tooth he's holding."Vyshdra the Demonic Serpent? The Slayer of Armies? Vyshdra of the Black Mists? This is his? And he's dead?"

"The same," I say, remembering the numbing black fluid the demon had sprayed at me."Can you forge it, Totosai?" I ask.

"For a price," he immediately states, inspecting the tooth.

"I don't have much-" I begin.

"Don't need money," Totosai interrupts."I'm a demon, boy. I want something with value, something you won't want to give me."

It is then that I recognize this demonsmith. This was Totosai, who had forged one of Lord Sesshomaru's swords, and had forged a weapon for Sesshomaru's half-demon brother. Totosai the eccentric, Totosai the fire-breather, perhaps the greatest demonsmith to have ever lived. His weapons were peerless, and his prices often veered into oddity rather than value. I'd been led to the right demon, that's for sure.

"I've heard you like a good tale or two, Totosai," I bargain."Forge my sword and I'll tell you how I came to possess Vyshdra's fang."

"Not enough," he counters."You've already told me you killed him-how you did so only spices up the facts. Tell me what you plan to do with such a powerful blade, and I might consider forging it."

"I had to kill Vyshdra without it," I say."If I come across another large and hostile demon, I want to be prepared."

"Self-defense, then," Totosai states."A good enough purpose. So, how did you slay old Vyshdra, boy?"

"Will you forge my sword?" I ask, sitting down next to Totosai's anvil.

"Aye, I will," he says, setting down the fang."Now tell me how you got such a thing, and don't leave out any details, that ruins a good tale."

And so, as I had told Jaken, I recounted my battle with Vyshdra to Totosai, taking care to give as much detail as I could-even switching shape so I could act out how I had dodged the dangerous beast, and managed to kill him. Totosai was known for backing out on deals if he felt the price didn't add up to the work, or if he took a dislike towards the person making a request. So I paid Totosai for two full hours, giving him a blow-by-blow account of my fight with the demonsnake, and how I eventually slew Vyshdra.

"An impressive feat," Totosai says, taking up the fang and his hammer."I'll forge yee the Fang of Vyshdra. A powerful blade it will be-in three days."

"Three days?" I ask."Totosai, I want the sword, but three full days to make one blade seems like a long time."

"Have yee ever crafted a demon weapon?" Totosai asks angerly."Takes time, boy, and lots of it. Be lucky you came to me, most would take weeks to do as you ask."

"I apologize, Totosai," I say, remembering Jaken's staff. Repairing it was an exhausting challenge, not something I'd consider doing again. Making a weapon from scratch must be even more difficult."I will return in three days," I add, rising and heading for the entrance."Farewell."

My words were wasted on the demon. After hearing my apology, Totosai had turned to his anvil and begun work on the fang. Eccentric, as the tales told. But also one of the best demonsmiths of all. Convince Totosai to make you a weapon and that weapon is guaranteed to save your life-repeatedly. His work was that good.

So, assured that my weapon was in good hands, I left the hostile, smouldering crater in search of a more comfortable place to spend the next three days. The smell of sulfur and smoke clung to me however, long after I'd left the volcano.

The next three days were uneventful. I set up camp just at the base of the mountain, near a stream, which ran black for a while once I'd washed the ash and smoke from myself and my few supplies. Naraku's insects proved useful in finding things that I needed, leading me to dry wood for my campfire, and edible plants and fruits. In that time, most of the wounds dealt by Vyshdra healed up quite nicely, leaving a few new scars behind, mementos of the battle. And so the days passed, pleasantly and uneventfully.

Morning on the third day finds me at the mouth of Totosai's cave, listening to the demon hammer away on his work. I was waiting for a lull in the beatings, so I could get his attention without being clobbered by the smith's hammer again. That opportunity came twenty-odd minutes later.

"Totosai!" I call into the silence of the cave."Its been three days, Totosai. I've come for my sword. Is it finished yet?"

"Stop yelling, boy, and come in," Totosai says, appearing at the entrance."Do you want the whole forest to hear that I'm forging again?!" he asks in an angry whisper once we're inside. "Got enough trouble with the weapons I already have; don't need more demons wandering in, asking for this and that."

"My apologies, Totosai," I tell him."But is it finished?"

"The Fang?" he asks back."Of course, boy. Just finished it and its sheath last night. This way," he directs, leading us to the back of his cave, which was littered with junk metal and half-made weaponry."Know its back here somewhere," he mutters to himself, sorting through the debris.

"Do you have it or not?" I ask the demonsmith, who was by now waist-deep in weapons and other contraptions.

"Be patient," Totosai commands, looking harder."Its around here somewhere, I'm sure of it. I've misplaced weapons before, but to this day I've never lost one."

"Comforting," I say to myself, helping the demon shift a lance the size of a small tree.

"Here you go, boy," he states, handing over a cloth-wrapped bundle after we've searched for about twenty minutes and made a mess of his cave."The Fang of Vyshdra. Now, begone. I've got quite a lot to clean up in here."

"Thank you," I tell the demon, who is already hard at work arranging the piles of stuff back into seemingly random heaps.

After packing up my camp at the base of the mountain, curiosity compels me to test out my newest acquisition. Picking up the bundle, I slowly unwrap and reveal the finished Fang. The weapon is curved, like a katana, yet not as heavy or thick, and the hilt is textured to look like a snakes head...no, like Vyshdra's head. Despite the elaborate carvings, the blade fits in my hand like a glove. The Fangs sheath continues the serpent design, black with white lines patterned like snake-skin.

Drawing the weapon, I discover that the blade itself is black, highly unusual, even for a demon-forged weapon. Light doesn't seem to shine on the blade, even when facing the sun, and despite its dark coloration, the blade doesn't grow warm in the light. Taking a practice swing, I easily lop the top off a tree some five inches thick across its trunk. The Fang cuts through like the wood wasn't even there.

It is a fine blade, I think as I put it away and head towards a nearby road that I'd found a few days ago. Light yet powerful, and as black as the midnight sky on a moonless night, the Fang of Vyshdra is a welcome and deadly addition to my attire. Though not heavy, its weight at my side is reassuring as I draw out Naraku's hive and call upon the hornets.

"Spread out and search for the demons your master Naraku wants me to slay," I command them. Within moments, the air around me is thick with the monstrous insects, droning up into the sky and dispersing.

Hornets continue to pour out of the hive for almost a minute before it empties completely, and five minutes pass before I can no longer hear their droning buzz. There must have been hundreds of them in there, despite their enormous size and the relatively small size of their nest. Magic of some sort, to be sure.

Putting the hive away and making sure to look completely inconspicuous, I set out away from the mountain, keeping an eye out for the hornets should they return unexpectedly soon. It's not long before I stumble upon a road, the same that I had travelled to reach Vyshdra's lair. After a moments thought, I head north, further away from where I was transported to this time. And further, it seems, from civilization. Soon, the forest I've been travelling through grows thick, and deep, and the branches close in over the road, blocking the sky. Even I feel unwelcome in this place-a new sensation for me.

Sticking to the road, I quicken my pace. I have no intention of being forced to spend the night in these vast woods. Noon soon comes and goes as I follow the road, the trees casting deep shadows as far as even my keen eyes can see. Not much grows on the forest floor, it is so dark. It would've been easy to wander off the path had the road not been well travelled, with deep ruts in it from cart and wagon wheels. Every so often I'd see a bit of debris or refuse cast aside by a careless traveller.

Evening comes early on the forest path, bringing with it the familiar sounds of the coming night. Crickets start to sing before long, and above me somewhere, an owl asks its question to the night sky. I spot him soon enough, perched in the hollow of a tree struck by lightning some ages ago.

Its true night before I sense a change in the forest. Looking up, I can see the sky again. The trees are thinning, which means I'm almost out of the woods. Almost. There's still quite a way to go before I leave this forest completely. And, like it or not, I'm too tired to make it all the way through. So, despite how I feel in these woods, I build a small campfire on the side of the road and set up camp. Once inside my tent, I switch shapes before going to sleep, just to be safe. I'm a lot harder to kill in my true form, I've learned. As a human, I wouldn't have survived any of my encounters in this era. And so, with those thoughts in my head, I slowly fall asleep.

But my rest is short-lived. A commotion in the woods wakes me in the middle of the night. Sword in hand, I rush out of my tent to see whats going on. Out, and into a blanket of fog so thick that I can't see anything more than a dozen feet away. The noises continue in the mists, strange sounds like entire trees being toppled over, and they seem to be getting closer. Scanning the thick clouds around me, I'm ready for almost anything when all of a sudden the noise stops.

The unexpected silence is more eerie than the sounds, and I feel afraid. I sense that I'm being watched by something lurking just beyond what my eyes can see. Something...monsterous. My suspicions are confirmed as a shadow appears before me in the mists, and a voice speaks.

"Naraku, your shape shifting ways do not fool me," the voice thunders."Nor does your attempt to hide your power. Reveal yourself and face death with honor." A disturbance parts the fog, and a spear embeds itself in the ground less than three feet from me.

"I'm not Naraku," I yell back at the shadow."Hear me well, whoever you are; my name is Varian Black an-"

"Lies!" the voice roars, as another spear comes flying at me. This one nearly hits me-only a mad leap on my part kept me safely intact."I told you never to set foot in my forest again Naraku, or I'd kill you."

"I'm not Naraku!" I shout at the figure, only to receive another spear that almost catches me in the face. Had I not ducked fast enough, I'd be a dead man.

"Liar!" the enraged beast bellows."You must be Naraku-you bear his scent, and I'll not let you leave this place alive."

Another spear flies, embedding itself in the tree nearest my tent, then the monster charges out of the mists. And what a monster...Ten feet tall, moss-like skin, dressed in armor, the thing is man-like, except for its size, clawed hands and sharp teeth. A broken horn juts up from above its brow, looking more like a splintered tree stump than an actual horn.

"Prepare to die, Naraku!" the demon roars, pulling a massive spiked club from behind its back.

"I'm not Nar-" I start to say, but am forced to dodge a swing of that mighty club, which ends my trying reason with the beast. Either I defend myself, or he'll crush me. Leaping up into a tree, I call out,"Can I at least know why you are attacking me?!"

"Naraku you cowardly snake!" the beast roars, looking up at me."Come down here and fight me. You stole a Shikon Jewel shard from me, now you'll suffer my wrath, or my name isn't Azar, the forest lord!"

Shikon Jewel. Naraku. Shape changer. It is now, and only now, with Azar supplying the last piece of the puzzle, that I realize just where I'd come across the name Naraku before. Naraku was the vile and treacherous demon who had been the main villain in the demonslayer tale that had ultimately led me to this era. And I was working for him.

Had I time, I would've been very upset with myself over my inability to figure this out sooner, but Azar commanded my full attention at the moment. The forest lord seemed to have an endless amount of projectiles to throw at me as I flee, leaping from tree to tree like a crazed monkey. Spears were embedding themselves in branches that were still quivering from my leaping from them.

"You won't get away this time Naraku!" Azar bellows, hurling a spear not at me, but at the branch ahead of me, causing me to miss and fall to the forest floor.

Rolling to avoid serious injury from the fall, I get to my feet just in time to see Azar's fist flying at my face. Though I can't avoid the blow, instinct has me turn my head, to lessen the impact. The demons punch sends me flying, and I land in a crumpled heap, seeing stars. Forced to fight, I rise shakily to my feet and draw my sword. Shimmering strangely in the forest gloom, the Fang of Vyshdra halts Azar where he stands. That is, until he draws his own weapon.

"Your puny blade will not protect you Naraku," the beast cries."My club will shatter it like glass, and grind you to a pulp!"

"My name is Varian Black, and we'll see who kills who, Azar," I state, readying myself for battle.

"We will see," he grins evilly, then charges, club held high overhead.

I sidestep his first swing, and quickly lash out with my weapon, scoring a deep gash on Azar's armguard. Skidding to a stop and turning to face me, the demon seems shocked when he raises his arm, and the armor falls-split in two by my blade. I am surprised too-Vyshdra's Fang is even sharper than I imagined possible.

In response to this, Azar attacks again, though more cautious, using his club as a shield, thrusting it toward me like a battering ram. I avoid his strike by ducking under the swing, using the flat of my blade to direct the club away from me, spikes screeching against my sword. Rising, I lash out in a stabbing motion with Vyshdra's Fang, catching Azar on his chestplate, which deflects the blow, somewhat.

Retreating away from me, Azar tears at the armor and lets it fall to the ground. Taking a defensive stance, he checks the damage I've dealt to him-a long narrow wound where my weapon had penetrated armor and tore loose as the demon retreated.

Holding my own ground, I look at my sword for any signs of damage after cutting through Azar's armor. The Fang of Vyshdra seems unmarked by battle, though its tip gleams, wet with the demon's blood. It was made for this, I feel. The sword of the snakes tooth had been forged to slay the wicked and bathe in their blood. How I know this, I don't know, but I feel empowered by the knowledge.

"That hurt," Azar states, breaking my thoughts."You strike like a snake Naraku, but I intend to crush you like a bug!"

Bellowing, Azar attacks, this time swinging his club with surprising speed. Unable to dodge or back away fast enough, I raise my sword to block the demons strike and watch, amazed, as the blade tears through Azar's weapon as if it were made of wet paper. Bewildered and suddenly weaponless, Azar drops the remaining portion of his club and steps back, staring at my sword.

"You're not Naraku," he states, eyes wide."That sword...only a blade made by Totosai could be that sharp and strong. And Totosai would never work for Naraku. Who are you stranger?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," I say, relieved."My name is Varian Black, and all I want is to pass through and be on my way."

"Then why do you bear that foul creature's scent?" Azar demands, brandishing a fist."I want an answer, Varian Black."

"I met Naraku," I reply honestly."On my travels. That's why his scent is on me."

"That explains much," Azar states, thinking."Just a short time ago, Vyshdra of the Black Mists vanished. Perhaps Naraku killed him."

"Was Vyshdra a friend of yours?" I ask, fearful of the answer. I might need my sword before this conversation is over, I think.

"No," Azar tells me."That snake was no friend to anyone, human or demon. Vyshdra didn't consider me a threat to him, that's the only reason why he left me and my forests alone."

"Then I can safely tell you that it was I that killed the demonsnake," I say, to Azar's surprise. Holding up my sword, I continue."I took a fang from him, and asked Totosai to forge me a sword.

"I would doubt that," Azar states."Had I not seen and felt that blade of yours. I can sense a bit of that serpent still in the sword-you certainly strike like a snake, Varian." he adds, pressing a hand to the wound I'd dealt him.

"Sorry about that," I say, knowing that the injury must hurt, even to someone of Azar's stature.

"I'll live, Varian," Azar laughs."You gave me a good fight, and a new scar to boast about. Should you become well-known, I can brag that I fought you and lived to tell of it."

"I don't intend to be famous," I say, thinking of the changes that would bring to the future.

"Should've thought about that before killing Vyshdra," Azar states, sitting down on a nearby tree stump."Word will travel fast about the death of that monster, and people will want to know who killed him. Though I wonder..." the demon says, a serious look on his face now. "Did you do it alone, or is this the reason I find Naraku's stench on you?!"

"No," I tell him quickly, hoping to avoid more violence."Azar, you must believe me: I'm not in league with Naraku, or working for him, or whatever it is that you suspect of me. Meeting him was a chance encounter. We met on the road, had a few words and went our separate ways," I state, distorting the truth a bit to prevent more bloodshed.

"I'll trust you, this time," Azar relents, after a moments thought."But if I find that you've lied to me, and that you're working for that foul scum of a demon, I'll track you down and destroy you." Standing, Azar gives me a half bow and adds,"I will leave you now, Varian Black. If you have spoken the truth tonight, you may count me as an ally."

"That was strange," I say to myself after the demon has gone."First he attacks me, then he questions me, and now he's my ally? Things are too weird in this era," I add, heading back to my campsite, thinking that the nights adventures were over. I was wrong.

"I see you met Azar," Naraku states, crouched in a tree above my tent, staring at me and holding my gaze even though his face is still hidden beneath that baboon pelt of his.

Six: The Fang of Vyshdra vs. The Sword of the Fang

"It's late, Naraku," I state, feigning exhaustion."And I'm tired. What do you want?"

"Merely to check on your progress," the demon states, seeming to grin at me."I see you've found a demonsmith. Tell me, did you kill Azar? I can see that the two of you fought," he adds, looking around at the spears still embedded in various places that I had been standing when Azar threw them.

"No," I say, being truthfull."Reason won out this time-I was able to talk him out of fighting me. Now can I get some sleep? I want to be out of this forest by tomorrow afternoon."

"Very well," Naraku states, creeping back into the shadows and vanishing into the fog."The demons I hired you to kill are east of here, and very close by," he adds quietly.

"Varian," I ask myself once I'm certain that Naraku is gone."What have you gotten yourself into? Naraku's even worse than Vyshdra and Sesshomaru. He's evil. And now that I know who he is, I know the 'demons' he wants me to kill-they're the good guys in this feudal fairy tale!"

Silence is the response I get as I contemplate this mess I've landed in. I've accomplished my goals here, but the only way I've come across to get home is to help Naraku and deal even greater changes to the timeline. As I repair my tent and retire for the night, I find myself thinking of that familiar saying,'caught between a rock and a hard place.' I can't remain here in the past, and I can't help Naraku, for obvious reasons. Unable to find the right thing to do, I decide to get some sleep and let my problems wait until morning.

Daylight comes too early for my liking, but I know that staying put for too long would be a mistake. Packing up my supplies, I make up my mind about one thing. Removing the empty hive of Naraku's insects, I throw it as far away as I can, before setting out in the opposite direction that the demon wanted me to go. I will not help him, and I won't meet the good guys of this era-they'll react like Azar, thinking that either I am Naraku, or that I'm working for him. I'll just have to find my own way home, I decide, taking human form as I take to the road.

But today is not my lucky day, it seems. Before I've gone more than half a mile, I hear a great rush of wind from behind me, just seconds before I'm run over by what appears to be a miniature tornado, which continues on its way for a couple hundred feet before turning back and moving toward me. But just as its about to run me over again, the twister stops, and as the dust clears, I find myself face to face with one of the demons I'd been trying to avoid.

This particular demon is human-looking, except for his pointed ears, and dressed in bits and pieces of furs, much like some sort of prehistoric caveman. He's young-looking, around my age perhaps, and has long black hair tied back in a ponytail. His name is Koga, and he's a wolf-demon. From my knowledge of the demonslayer tale, I know that he has possession of two Shikon Jewel shards, which give him his enhanced speed and strength.

"You smell like Naraku," he sniffs, giving me a push."Tell me what you know of him and I'll let you live, human." Koga adds, pushing me down.

"I don't know much," I lie, getting up only to be pushed over again by the demon.

"Tell me!" Koga orders, his temper-and my own-flaring as I once again rise to my feet.

"He's evil and after jewel shards," I growl at the wolf-demon."Thats all I know, so back off!" Good guy or not, I'm not letting Koga push me around.

"Don't tell me what to do, human," Koga snarls, getting in my face.

"I don't want a fight," I say, not backing down."But if you don't get out of my face this instant, things are going to get ugly."

"Are you threatening me?" Koga laughs, pushing me back a step."Watch yourself, human," he states."I'm Koga, leader of the wolf-demon tribe-I can tear you apart without breaking a sweat."

"You watch it, wolf-boy," I hiss, even though I know this is a bad idea."I've defeated greater demons than the likes of you," I tell him, hand on my sword.

"Bah," Koga snorts."You lie, human. If you're really so powerful, prove it."

"Very well," I say, drawing my sword."Just one thing first, Koga."

"What?" he asks, looking confused but still ready to fight.

"I'm not human!" I shout, shifting shape and lunging towards him with my blade.

As expected, Koga side-steps my lunge, displaying his superior speed. But speed isn't everything-I knew he would side-step, putting him in range for a viscious tail strike that sends the demon sprawling. Fighting seems to be getting easier for me, I think, allowing Koga to rise to his feet.

"What are you?!" he demands, seeing me now in my true form.

"I am Varian Black," I say."And I'm like nothing you've ever seen before Koga." coming to my senses, I add,"This fight is pointless, and I don't wish to hurt you, wolf-demon. Naraku was here last night, but I don't know where he's gone to now. Fighting me will only waste your time and allow Naraku to get away."

"You have a point," Koga considers reluctantly."But how do I know you're not Naraku? That monster wears many shapes."

"Naraku has jewel shards," I state, sheathing my sword and returning to human form."He wouldn't part with them without a fight-search me Koga," I say, holding my arms out and away from my body."I have no shards, I'm not Naraku."

"I don't need to," he states, looking back the way he came."If you had jewel shards a... friend of mine would have sensed it. Good bye, lizard boy, I'll waste no more time with you." And, with a rush of wind, my encounter with Koga is over.

Now that I've met Koga, my next course of action is very clear: I need to get rid of Naraku's scent. I'd crossed a stream in my battle with Azar the night before-it made good sense to find it now, before anyone else mistakes me for Naraku. I needed a bath.

Back-tracking, I find the stream without incident, and wash away any lingering trace of Naraku. I take the time to clean the Fang of Vyshdra as well, but the blade requires no attention and the sheath is merely dusty from meeting Koga-another sign that this isn't a normal weapon. Like Azar said, the fang has a presence to it, as if a part of Vyshdra still lives on in the blade.

As I restart my journey, I wonder what my sword is truly capable of. The fang has shown itself to be supernaturally sharp, but a weapon made by Totosai might be more than just a sharp blade. I knew that from the demonslayer tale.

"What about it, sword?" I ask, drawing the blade and examining it as I walk."Do you have any secrets?" The fang is cold in my hands, despite the warm weather and sunny day.

Putting the sword away, I look up just in time to see a group of people heading my way. Five of them, but at this distance I can't tell much about them, until I catch sight of a figure wearing red robes. His hair is silver, and I recognize this group.

"Fate's picking on me," I hiss, running toward the trees as the group notices me. "Why, why, why did I come back this way!" I cry, shifting shape to increase my speed as the group gives chase before I can lose them in the woods. I know all of them, and soon I can identify each person as they quickly close the distance between us.

Not surprisingly, Inu-Yasha is in the lead. With silver hair, dogs ears, and fire-proof red robes, Lord Sesshomaru's half-demon brother is fast, even with Kagome the priestess on his back, her black hair just as long and elegant as the half-demons. Behind them is Miroku, the black-robed monk cursed by Naraku to have an all-consuming hole in his hand, a wind-tunnel capable of swallowing just about anything, and which will eventually devour Miroku himself if Naraku is not destroyed. On Miroku's back is Shippo, a fox-demon child whose tricks and transforming abilities are as much a hinderance as a help. Except for his red hair and fox tail, Shippo appears nearly human.

Racing beside them is a huge demon cat with two tails and saber-like teeth. I forget its name, but riding on the monstrous feline is Sango the demonslayer, ancestor of Naomi, who I'd risked my life to free from Vyshdra's binding. Dressed in demonslayer armor, Sango readies her main weapon-a massive demonbone boomerang capable of cutting through just about anything.

I have to get away from these people. They'll destroy me. Frantic now in my efforts to escape, I use every trick I know just to stay ahead of the group, and still they come, relentlessly closing the gap between us. Hoping to slow them, I race into the deeper parts of the woods, thinking that the brush and stickerbushes that I so easily leap over will entangle and trap them, allowing me to escape. That tactic fails too, however-Inu-Yasha is as nimble as I am, and Sango hauls Miroku up onto the demoncat, which has no trouble racing through the brush.

Unexpectedly, I run out of the forest and almost over the edge of a cliff. Skidding to a stop, I quickly back away from the edge, lucky to be alive-its more than a hundred feet to the jagged rocks waiting at the bottom. Turning, I find myself cornered by a demoncat, a demonslayer, a half-demon, a monk and...

"A high-school student?!" I blurt out, confused as hell by the sight of a modern girl mixed in with these people. Blinking, I look again but its unmistakable-Kagome the 'priestess' is wearing a high school uniform, from my era."What the?...You're supposed to be a priestess," I point out to Kagome, who looks just as bewildered as I am. Evidently the demonslayer tale neglected to mention this little piece of information.

"How do you know that?" Kagome demands, drawing her bow and making me realize that, yet again, I've said too much."Who, what, are you?"

"My name is Varian Black," I say putting my hands up."And if you'll lower your weapons, I'll explain myself," I add, resuming my human shape in hopes of calming them a bit.

"Ok," she says, lowering her bow but not putting it away."Start talking."

"Why did you attack us this morning?!" Sango demands, dismounting from the demoncat and confusing me at the same time.

"Attack you?!" I repeat, stunned."I never attacked you-you started chasing me!"

"You attacked us," Inu-Yasha roars, pointing a finger at me, clearly furious and wanting a fight."This morning you tore up our camp, tried to steal my sword, then went after our jewel shards!"

"I-what?" I cry as the half-demon advances."What are you talking about? I never attacked anyone!"

"He seems confused," Sango states, as Kagome puts a hand on Inu-Yasha's shoulder, holding him back.

"I agree," Miroku adds."Confused, or a very good liar."

"I am not," I tell him, offended."You've got the wrong guy-I didn't attack you and I couldn't lie this well even if my life depended on it."

"How do we know that," Sango points out."Now talk, demon: Why were you after our stuff?"

"This is madness," I say to myself before answering."For the last time, I didn't attack you!" I yell, as Inu-Yasha frees himself from Kagome and advances, drawing his sword. True to the demonslayer tale, the weapon transforms into a monstrous blade, fully capable of cutting through just about anything in its path.

"Whats wrong?" Inu-Yasha taunts."You wanted my Tetsusaiga-come and get it!" he shouts, swinging at me.

"Keep that thing away from me!" I yell, leaping backwards to avoid his attack, and getting further away from the cliffs edge as well. Inu-Yasha's friends have backed away as well, giving us room to fight.

"Why?" he asks, clearly toying with me."This morning you risked being pulled into Miroku's wind-tunnel trying to steal it!"

"I didn't-" I begin, but stop, realizing what has happened here. Naraku. This situation reeks of his scheming. His plot is simple, yet effective-trick your enemies into fighting each other-and Naraku is a master at this sort of treachery."That conniving scum of a demon," I hiss under my breath, furious.

"Inu-Yasha, he's up to something!" Miroku shouts, seeing my expression and mistaking my anger towards Naraku for a willingness to fight. In response, Inu-Yasha lashes out with the Tetsusaiga, its edge grazing my shoulder as I once again leap away. A second slower and I'd be missing an arm.

"I don't want to fight you," I tell the half-demon, trying to keep out of his swords impressive reach. The blade has cut into my shirt, but I've reacted fast enough to avoid being injured by it."Call him off!" I shout at Kagome, hoping to reason with her. Certainly someone from my era would be more rational than the half-demon menacing me, I hope.

"Why did you attack us?" she asks me, causing Inu-Yasha to stop for a moment, though its clear that he wants to fight me.

"I swear, I didn't attack you!" I tell her, causing Inu-Yasha to swing at me again. "Stop trying to cut me in half!" I roar at Inu-Yasha, leaping to one side to avoid his sword, shifting shape in the process.

"He transformed again," Shippo points out, to no-one in particular.

"So I can stay alive!" I yell to the fox demon, dodging another swing from Inu-Yasha.

"Why won't you fight back!?" the half-demon demands angerly, as I keep retreating from his attacks.

"Because I'm innocent, damn it!" I roar at him, trying desperately to think of a way out of this mess, and failing miserably.

"At least he's sticking to his story," Sango states to Miroku."Most liars would've given up by now."

"Thats because I'm not lying!" I shout, overhearing her as I dodge another blow."I never attacked you this morning, Sango!"

"I never told you my name," she says, stunned, making me realize that I really needed to learn to keep my mouth shut."How do you know me, demon?" Sango demands, causing Inu-Yasha to stop swinging away at me, allowing me a chance to answer.

"I can explain," I begin, preparing to tell them the truth, timeline be damned.

"You've been spying on us, haven't you!" Inu-Yasha growls at me, not wanting any part of what would be, by necessity, a lengthy explanation."Waiting for a chance to steal our jewel shards and my Tetsusaiga!" he adds, drawing the wrong conclusions.

"I'm not a spy!" I shout, dodging another attack as Inu-Yasha resumes his assault, trying to intimidate me into telling the truth."And I don't want to fight you Inu-Yasha!"

"You tried to steal our stuff and you know our names without being told them," Kagome points out."What else is left except...you were after my jewel shards-Inu-Yasha, this guy must be working for Naraku!" Kagome shouts, destroying my chances for a peaceful resolution to this mess.

"The truth comes out!" Inu-Yasha declares triumphantly, seeing the horrified expression on my face."Prepare to die!" he roars, swinging his sword at full speed now.

Leaping madly, I avoid Inu-Yasha, infuriating him even more. I have no choice now but to fight back-the half-demon is done trying to interrogate me now that Naraku's name has been mentioned. There won't be any reasoning with him unless, by some miracle, I can defeat Inu-Yasha without killing him or his friends. I can't risk changing the past that severely-it would certainly do irreparable harm to my future.

"I don't want to fight you!" I yell again at the half-demon."But I will defend myself!" I cry, drawing my sword, its dark blade gleaming in the light.

"Be careful, Inu-Yasha!" Sango warns from a safe distance, causing him to approach me more cautiously but not stopping the half-demon."That blade isn't normal!"

"His puny sword doesn't scare me," Inu-Yasha states, nevertheless taking a more defensive stance."My Tetsusiaga will cut it in half!"

"We'll see about that," I hiss, squaring off with the half-demon."Don't you know: my Fang of Vyshdra was forged by the same demon who made your Tetsusiaga!"

"Totosai would never forge a sword for one of Naraku's allies!" Inu-Yasha growls, surprised that I know Totosai but not convinced that I'm telling the truth."You're lying!" he shouts, rushing towards me, sword held high.

In response, I hold my ground, praying that my sword will hold up to the abuse I'm about to put it through. Lunging forwards at the last possible moment, I watch as Vyshdra's Fang and the Tetsusiaga collide, the impact rattling my bones and bringing a shocked look to Inu-Yasha's face. Weapons locked together, I find myself in a pushing match with the half-demon, who starts forcing me towards the cliff. I can't break away-that would allow Inu-Yasha's sword to continue its downward swing, right into my head.

Digging my claws into the dirt and planting my tail to brace myself, I start pushing back against the half-demon, who grunts in surprise as I drive him back a step. I am strong, I realize, but the weight of the Tetsusiaga locked against my own sword is slowly sapping my strength. Pure power won't win this fight for me, I conclude. Inu-Yasha and I seem pretty evenly matched, but I know the half-demons endurance will wear me down. Inu-Yasha has been fighting battles for far longer than myself; his stamina is bound to be incredible compared to mine. I can't outlast him in a fight, that much is certain. Within a few minutes, I feel myself weaken, and Inu-Yasha smiles, sensing that my strength is beginning to fade.

"I may not get you with my sword, but I'm sure a hundred foot drop will work just as well," Inu-Yasha growls, starting to force me back again. I'm not strong enough to hold my ground anymore.

This just might be it for me, I think to myself, struggling in vain against Inu-Yasha. Pushed over a cliff by a half-demon, after defeating a massive demonsnake that killed an entire army. Ironic. Dying this way seems to lack any dignity-tossed over a ledge like a piece of garbage.

Its as I think this that I sense a change in the Fang of Vyshdra. The sword seems lighter all of a sudden, then bizarrely, I feel something like a heartbeat within the weapon. The fang is reacting to a direct contest of strength between myself and an opponant, I realize.

"Do it," I hiss at the blade, as I force myself to rise against Inu-Yasha once more.

In response, the fang pulses again, and I inexplicably find myself standing before the waterfall lair of the great serpent. I'm still fighting Inu-Yasha; part of me can feel that, but it seems that my mind has decided to take a side-trip, back to when I first possessed the Fang of Vyshdra. Looking at the weapon, I discover that I'm holding not the finished sword, but the freshly exhumed tooth of the demonsnake.

"Tell me your name," a familiar voice rasps behind me. Turning, I see Vyshdra's fallen corpse, over which a ghostly image of the serpent coils, fury in his pale eyes."You who defeated the slayer of armies, without a weapon."

"I am Varian Black," I tell the ghost, unsure of whats going on here."What is this?" I ask, looking around as the landscape fades away, leaving just the ghost and myself.

"The effortssss of a massster demonsmith," Vyshdra answers me."You took my Fang and had it crafted into a sword. What right do you have to use my ssstrength!?" Vyshdra demands, as the tooth I'm holding cuts into my flesh. I try to let go, but I can't drop the fang."Ansswer me!" Vyshdra bellows.

"I killed you!" I scream, trying to pry the fang out of my hand. Against my own will, my fingers clench tighter, sinking the tooths edge deeper into my flesh."Make it stop!" I shout in agony, blood dripping freely from my hand.

"Why!?" Vyshdra demands, looming over me as I struggle to drop the tooth, which responds by cutting deeper into my hands."Why did you ssslay me?!"

"In the future you would have cursed someone I care about," I gasp, in too much pain to explain myself better as I fall to my knees.

"Then, you are not a servant of Lord Sesshomaru?" the spirit asks, my pain lessening considerably.

"I'm not," I state, realizing what was happening here, why I was speaking with Vyshdra. I understood now. I was holding a Demonblade. Such a sword could literally have a will of its own, bringing to mind other tales that I had heard, of weapons whose owners had to earn the right to wield them. Totosai had forged me a Demonblade-why the hell hadn't he warned me?! I had to win this swords-Vyshdra's-allegiance, or be killed by it."Sesshomaru told me where to find you, nothing more. I'm no-ones servant."

"Then why do you bow before me?" Vyshdra's ghost hisses, coiling around me. "Are you worthy to wield my power, or will I sssimply enssslave you?" the spirit of the snake demands, my pain returning and increasing dramatically. The fang is beginning to cut into my bones.

"I'm...no-ones...slave!" I roar, forcing myself to stand despite my agony. Fighting with every ounce of willpower that I have left, I grip the fang, and bury it deep into Vyshdra's ghostly hide. In an instant, Vyshdra vanishes, along with my pain and wounds, and the Fang resumes its forged state, becoming a sword once more.

"You are not a great warrior," the blade pulses."Yet. But you will be. Your will is strong. You are my wielder, Varian Black, until the day you are slain. I...consent...that you use my strength and learn my secrets." The weapon pulses again, and I find myself back in my body, locked in combat with Inu-Yasha, who has forced me to within a few feet of the cliffs edge.

"Its over," Inu-Yasha declares, forcing me back another step.

"You're wrong," I hiss, for, with my victory over the spirit of my sword, my strength has returned.

Fighting back against the half-demon, I force us away from the cliffs edge, surprising Inu-Yasha with my renewed power. His feet slip as I gain ground, giving me the opening I need to get out of this power struggle. Snaking my tail forward, I hook one of Inu-Yasha's legs and pull him off his feet, causing him to drop his sword, which resumes its untransformed state. Now is my chance.

Keen to keep my advantage, I leap over the fallen half-demon and grab the Tetsusaiga, which I throw a good dozen feet away, its blade burying itself in a tree trunk. Sensing that Inu-Yasha has gotten to his feet behind me, I spin, and hold him at bay with my sword.

"My Tetsusaiga!" he roars, trying to dodge around me to reclaim his weapon.

"I've won Inu-Yasha," I state, staying between the half-demon and his sword.

"Not yet you haven't!" Kagome shouts. Turning, I see that she's freed the sword from the tree."Inu-Yasha, catch!" she yells, tossing the sword into the air.

Before I can even try to react, the half-demon has run to me, jumped, planted his foot in my face, and used my head as a springboard to launch himself skywards. Driven face-first into the ground, I hear Inu-Yasha land behind me, and know that he's caught the sword. Face aching, I roll almost instinctively, just as the massive blade crashes into the ground where I had just been. I'd have been dead if I hadn't moved.

On my back now, I see Inu-Yasha swing again, and block the strike with Vyshdra's Fang. Arms busy, I kick out, knocking the half-demon away from me and giving myself the few seconds I need to rise to my feet. Quickly, I check over my sword for damage, but the black blade is completely intact.

"He's pretty good," Sango comments, as Inu-Yasha and I square off again. "Innovative, too," she adds, as if commenting on some sort of sporting event instead of a sword fight.

"He's still no match for me," Inu-Yasha claims, overhearing her."I'm just getting warmed up!" he shouts, and I feel something stir the air around us.

He's going to use the Wind-Scar, I realize with horror, a blast of power from the Tetsusaiga capable of destroying all but the most powerful of opponents. And I certainly wasn't powerful enough to withstand that sort of strike. Even Lord Sesshomaru had taken care to avoid that particular attack. As I look around hoping to spot something to shield me from the strike, I discover that Inu-Yasha has managed to get my back to the cliffs edge again, preventing any escape from the coming assault.

"Its time to end this," Inu-Yasha tells me, raising his sword over his head. "Witness the power of my Wind-Scar!" he roars, bringing the Tetsusaiga down and releasing the blast-which races towards me like an earthquake, the ground itself torn asunder by the blow.

With nowhere to run or to hide, I know I'm about to die. Defiant till the end, I strike a defensive pose, my Fang of Vyshdra before me as the Wind-Scar hits with the force of an avalanche. But, before the blast can consume me, my sword pulses violently in my hands, and a black cloud surges outward from the blade, incredibly shielding me from the powerful assault.

I stand as the cloud dissipates, lucky to be alive. To Inu-Yasha's, and my own astonishment, the Fang of Vyshdra has deflected the Tetsusaiga's Wind-Scar, but at a price. There, near the middle of my swords blade, is a scratch at least a half-inch deep. The Wind-Scar has almost cut the Fang of Vyshdra in two.

"My sword," I hiss, looking at Inu-Yasha, who still seems stunned by what has happened."You almost destroyed it!" I roar, but the half-demon has his own problems. The Tetsusaiga bears the same horrible damage, a scratch just as deep as the one marring my blade.

"Damn you," Inu-Yasha growls at me, looking at the mark."Look what you did to my Tetsusaiga!"

"They're evenly matched," Miroku states, stunned, like everyone else, over what has happened. I'd almost forgotten about Inu-Yasha's friends-having near death experiences with the Tetsusiaga had focused my attention fully on its wielder.

"We'll destroy our weapons if we continue to fight," I yell at Inu-Yasha, hoping to bring the half-demon to his senses and stop this madness.

"You're right," he admits, as we both sheath our swords."I'll just have to beat you with my bare hands!" the half-demon yells, launching himself at me unexpectedly.

"Not happening!" I cry, caught off guard but still able to side-step his lunge and use my tail to trip him. Before I can do anything else however, the half-demon has rolled away, rising to his feet in a defensive stance.

"I haven't had this much of a fight in a while," Inu-Yasha states, removing his Tetsusiaga so he can fight without worrying about the damaged blade."Your sword may be a match for the Tetsusiaga," he concedes,"But you're no match for me."

"We'll see about that," I say, laying the Fang of Vyshdra down-like Inu-Yasha, I didn't want to further damage my weapon."Come on," I tell him, flexing my claws, noticing that the half-demon has taloned fingers very similar to my own.

Inu-Yasha decides to respond with actions instead of words, lashing out with a quick volley of punching and clawing. My scaly hide protects me from Inu-Yasha's claws, but the punches still hurt, raining down on my arms, head and torso. Through with being the half-demon's punching bag, I strike back, almost catching him in the face with my claws, and driving Inu-Yasha back. Soon, we're to close to each other to land a solid hit, so we grapple, like two sumo wrestlers, trying to throw one another to the ground.

In such close fighting, my tail gives me added leverage, and I'm able to shove Inu-Yasha back from me. Tiring, Inu-Yasha and I lash out at the same time, locking our claws together in another contest of strength. Seeking to make the half-demon submit, I dig my talons into the backs of his hands, trying to inflict enough pain to make Inu-Yasha stop this fight.

"Give up!" I hiss, face to face with Inu-Yasha.

"Never," he replies, sinking his claws into my hands."You're in league with Naraku-I'll kill you or die trying!" Inu-Yasha roars, blood dripping from our hands.

"Naraku has tricked you, Inu-Yasha," I snarl at the half-demon, whose finally showing signs of exhaustion."I'm not your enemy."

"More lies," he responds, redoubling his efforts and driving me to one knee."Why else would you attack us?!" Inu-Yasha demands.

"Naraku took my shape, idiot!" I roar, struggling to break free from our second contest of strength."Think! He's done this to you before Inu-Yasha. Remember Kikyo!"

"How do you KNOW that?!" the half-demon cries, so stunned that I'm able to break free and retreat, beyond his reach.

Kikyo and Inu-Yasha. That was a story all in itself. Fifty years before this time I was in, Kikyo had been a priestess, a guardian of the Shikon Jewel, also known as the jewel of four souls. That gem had its own tale, predating even Kikyo's. Anyways, Inu-Yasha had fallen for Kikyo. Enter Naraku, who was after the Shikon Jewel, knowing that it had the potential to make him all-powerful. But, rather than fight the skilled priestess and equally dangerous Inu-Yasha, Naraku had tricked them instead, taking their shapes and making the two believe they had betrayed each other. Long story short, Kikyo died after imprisoning Inu-Yasha with her powers, and the jewel was lost for fifty years...

Now, after fifty years had passed, Kagome, under attack from a demon, stumbles across Inu-Yasha, who saves her life, in the process discovering the lost jewel of four souls. After the battle, the jewel was accidentally shattered, its shards scattered across the land. Kagome, Inu-Yasha and their friends are caught in a race with Naraku, collecting the pieces of the jewel, for the shards have power, and if reunited, the Shikon Jewel will be reformed.

"I keep trying to explain," I shout at the half-demon, who's watching me warily. "But you won't let me."

"Let him talk," Kagome states, stopping Inu-Yasha.

"She's right, Inu-Yasha," Miroku says."This creature knows more about us than he should, even if he is a spy."

"My name is Varian," I tell Miroku, half snarling at being called a 'creature'."And, as I've said at least five times now, I'm not a spy, I don't want to fight, and if you'll give me the chance, I can explain myself."

"Stand down, Inu-Yasha," Sango orders.

"But, but, he nearly broke my Tetsusaiga," the half-demon tells them, clearly wanting to finish things between us.

"Self defense," I claim."And you almost cut my Fang of Vyshdra in half." I state angerly, causing Inu-Yasha to come at me, fists clenched."Call him off," I tell Kagome, hoping to finally bring this battle to an end.

"Inu-Yasha," Kagome warns. The half-demon ignores her, and I know from the demonslayer tale that no good will come of this.

"You're gonna pay for what you did to my sword," Inu-Yasha growls, advancing.

"That's it," Kagome states, fed up."Inu-Yasha, Sit Boy."

Trigger words spoken, the enchanted bead necklace around Inu-Yasha's neck goes to work. I look on, amused, as the half-demon is pulled, face first, to the ground by the beads. It's like he's been hit by a giant invisible fly swatter, completely flattened into the dirt. The necklace had come from Kiade, an old priestess who was in fact Kikyo's younger sister. When Kagome freed Inu-Yasha, he was angry and violent. Kiade had used the necklace and put Kagome in control of the half-demon, seeing as they were stuck together searching for the jewel shards.

"That looked painful," Shippo comments, as Inu-Yasha struggles to get up, though his efforts are clearly futile. All he can do is twitch and grumble into the dirt.

"He'll never learn," Kagome says to herself, before returning her attention to me. "Now, I believe you had something to explain?" she asks me, as I collect my weapon and resume human form.

"Start with how you know so much about us," Sango orders, as her demon cat suddenly shrinks to pet-sized, though it still has fangs and two tails. Its cute now, in a demonic sort of way.

"Thats going to be hard to explain," I state, as Inu-Yasha continues to grumble and complain from his face-planted position."For you to understand, I'll have to start with how I came to be here, and why," I say, mentally kissing the timeline goodbye. Look out future, here it comes.

"I'm guessing that that would take a while," Miroku states, as the group relaxes slightly. They, excluding Inu-Yasha, want answers, not bloodshed.

"Not really," I tell him."Its more of a question on when my story actually begins; a lot has happened to me in the past few weeks."

"How do you know about Kikyo?!" Inu-Yasha demands, his voice muffled from being pressed into the dirt but otherwise audible. He's calmed down enough to talk now.

"That is a good question," I tell the disarmed half-demon."But for you to understand that, I need to answer your other questions first."

"Acceptable," Sango says."Tell your tale, Varian Black."

"Very well," I begin."Listening Inu-Yasha? Good. Because, oddly enough, my story begins with your brother, Lord Sesshomaru-" that got the half-demons full attention" and Naomi, who was bound by a demonsnake, and is your descendant, Sango." That got the whole groups attention.

"My descendant?!" Sango demands, confused."I don't even have children yet Varian, how-"

"You will," I interrupt, looking to Kagome now."You understand me, don't you?"

"He is from the future," she realizes, putting things together."Like me. But how did you get here Varian, and how do you know us?"

"It comes down to Lord Sesshomaru and Naomi," I tell them."In the future, I found Naomi in the forests near here. She had been imprisoned, much like you, Inu-Yasha. I was looking for a way to free her, and that led me to the story of her ancestor. You, Sango. Your story. That's how I know you. As for how is got here...Sesshomaru and his imp brought me."

"Sesshomaru. In the future! How!?" Inu-Yasha demands, successfully rising to his feet."Finally," he states, spitting out dirt and dusting off his clothes."Now, answer me," he orders, collecting his sword.

"Careful, Inu-Yasha," Shippo teases."Or Kagome might put you in the dirt again." Inu-Yasha starts to go after the little fox-demon, but a stern look from Kagome halts him in his tracks.

"Play nice," she tells him, to Shippo's relief."That goes for you too, Shippo. No more teasing today, alright?" Combatants effectively separated, the priestess/high school student turns to me again."That answers how you know us, but..."

"Sesshomaru and Jaken wound up in my time on accident," I tell her."There is a tree- the Tree of Barriers- and they passed through it. Jaken's staff controlled the portal to my time- it broke, I fixed it, and Sesshomaru told me how to free Naomi."

"And how was that?" Sango asks, wanting to know more and still kind of stunned about having a descendant.

"To come here and kill the demon that imprisoned her, before it happened," I state, holding up my sword."I have done that. Vyshdra, it seems, was one of Sesshomaru's enemies. So, he gained much from bringing me here, and I gained a powerful weapon. But what I've lost is a way home. How did you get here, Kagome?" I ask, curious."The tale that told me so much about you and you're friends never mentioned that you were a time-traveller."

"Through an enchanted well," she answers."It only lets me and Inu-Yasha cross back and forth though. But...since you are from my time, maybe it would work for you."

Seven: The Past, the Future, and the Fate of the Two Swords

After discussing things down to the point that future violence was unlikely, the state of Inu-Yasha's Tetsusaiga and my own Fang of Vyshdra plotted our next course of action: Totosai. He alone could fix the Tetsusiaga and the Fang after what we had done to them. Scratches and nicks could be handled by any smith, any person with the right tools, for that matter, but the damage done to our blades required Totosai's help. Thus, we all set out for the lair of the demonsmith.

"So tell us, Varian," Miroku asks after we've set up camp for the night,"If you know our story, then you must know how it ends."

"I can't say," I state to his disappointment. I had been expecting and dreading these questions."Hear me out- I don't know how it ends because I'm here now, changing things. When I first read your story, I wasn't in it: I never met you or came here. That's all changed, so now I'm as clueless as the rest of you as to what the future holds."

"Did we get him?" Sango asks quietly. She's been thoughtful for most of the day, and hasn't spoken much until now."Before you changed things, Varian. Did we get Naraku?" Her voice is low, barely audible over the crackle of our campfire.

"After a lot of pain, misery and trouble, yes," I tell her."But you can't be hopeful that that future will come to pass. Everything is up in the air now that I've come here. The future is a blank slate now. Anything can happen."

"So we could lose because of you," Inu-Yasha growls, still angry over our stalemate earlier and looking for an excuse to fight me. The half-demon doesn't like leaving things unfinished, even though its clear, now, that I am on his side.

"Or you could win more quickly," I say, before he can take the argument any further."Knowing weather you win or not doesn't make the fight easier-in fact, it makes it worse. If I were to tell you that you'll win, that might make you so confidant and assured of a victory that you get blindsided and lose."

"It's all talk," Kagome says, agreeing with me."Things haven't really changed for us-we didn't know if we would win before, and we still don't know. Nothings changed except for Varian's presence here."

"Well said," I tell her, thankful for the intervention.

"You must know something that can help us," Miroku states, arms crossed and unconvinced.

"I did-I could have," I answer truthfully."But like I said, that was before I came here. I don't even know when I am in your journey. What was the last thing you guys accomplished before meeting me, anyways?"

"We discovered Naraku's weakness," Sango tells me, her voice cold.

"Some weakness," Inu-Yasha mutters."He can't die unless we find and destroy his heart first."

"I see now," I say, knowing now that I am near the end of their saga. Through dark powers, Naraku had separated his heart from his body, making him nearly invincible. It's guarded by Hakudoshi, a demon formed from part of Naraku himself, for the sole purpose of protecting his weakness."Then the jewel shard you possess is the last one, aside from Koga's and-"

"Kohaku," Sango says."My brother."

"The traitor," Inu-Yasha states callously. We can all tell how much that hurts Sango.

"Inu-Yasha, Sit Boy," Kagome orders, punishing the half-demon, who is smashed into the dirt again.

"You deserved it this time," Shippo tells him, giving Inu-Yasha a mean look.

"Why?!" The half-demon cries, pain clearly evident in his muffled voice."It's true."

"Sit," Kagome states again, driving Inu-Yasha deeper into the ground."Sit-" Thump! "And Sit!" Thump!

"I think it would be in your best interests to shut up," I tell Inu-Yasha, amused. Kagome's repeating of the command seems to increase the force being delivered, and the half-demon is well on his way towards making a man-shaped crater, I notice.

Kohaku's tale is a complicated one. Sango's younger brother, he was a demonslayer-in-training when Naraku tricked and destroyed Sango's entire family. She escaped, barely alive, but believed that Kohaku had perished. Months later, he had reappeared, but vastly changed. Naraku had erased his memories and enslaved him, forcing Sango to battle her brother, the only family she has left. But even that had changed too. Kohaku had freed himself from the demon, but was still pretending to be on his side, searching for a way to kill Naraku.

And its time Sango learned that, I think to myself, seeing her troubled expression. "Sango, come with me," I say, standing and venturing away from camp.

"Where are you going?" Miroku asks, as Sango stands up.

"Relax Miroku," I tell the monk."We aren't going far." And I'm not trying to steal your woman, I add silently, knowing from the story that Miroku was in love with Sango, though both of them had put any hopes of a relationship on hold until Naraku was destroyed for good.

"Where are we going, Varian?" Sango asks, cautious but nevertheless following me away from camp. Soon we are far enough away that none of the others can hear us unless we shouted.

"Nowhere," I tell her, stopping."I just need to tell you something in private, something you can't tell the others. Understood?"

"You know something about my brother, don't you?" she asks, drawing the right conclusions.

"I do," I tell her."But you must promise me that what I tell you won't change anything-Kohaku's life will depend on it."

"Understood." She says,reluctantly.

"I mean it, Sango," I say.

"I know," she snaps angerly, then calms down just as quickly."Just tell me, Varian."

"I've never met Kohaku," I admit."But from what I know of him, he's one of the bravest kids I've ever heard of. Kohaku is free, Sango, but he's still pretending to be under Naraku's control."

"How can that be?" She asks, stunned."Kohaku isn't...I don't understand, Varian."

"It keeps him alive, Sango." I tell her."Pretending to be a mindless puppet also puts Kohaku in a position to strike the demon when he least expects it. He's using Naraku's own tactics against him. And, if things play out the way the original story states, Kohaku will be waiting to help you when you face Naraku for the last time."

"But why can't anyone else know?" Sango asks me, confused."What you've revealed only helps-"

"They'll go easy on Kohaku," I interrupt."You'll fight each other again and again before the final battle. If they know Kohaku has switched sides, they'll go easy on him, and Naraku will know that somethings up. If you tell them Sango, it'll get them and Kohaku killed."

"That's what you were telling us earlier, isn't it," Sango says softly."The future changes every time we change things here in the present."

"The past," I state, correcting her and smiling a little."For me, at least. I'm time-shifted just like Kagome. This may be the present for you, but its the past for me."

"They're all interconnected, aren't they," she states."This past is my present, my future is your past, and your presence here can change it all."

"Just like Kagome," I say."Confusing, isn't it?" I add, as we start heading back to camp.

"Very," Sango admits."Kagome once told me that she tries to think in only one...era at a time. It seems to help, maybe you could do the same."

"I'll give it a try," I say.

"So, what was that about?" Miroku demands as we return to camp.

"We were scouting the trail ahead," I reply cryptically, trying to evade the monks curiosity.

"Liar," Miroku states, arms crossed and not buying it."You were talking about something we shouldn't hear, weren't you?"

"Relax, Miroku," Kagome says."I'm sure that if it was important enough, they'd tell us about it. Right Varian, Sango?" she asks, looking from me to the demonslayer. I want answers later, her eyes seemed to say.

"Nothing important," Sango says, putting the monk at ease, for the moment.

"I suggest we get some sleep," I tell the group."We'll be at Totosai's tomorrow, but only if we get an early start." Hopefully, Azar won't show up, like he did on the first night I spent in these woods. I've had enough life or death struggles for today.

"That's something you haven't explained yet," Inu-Yasha states, after thinking on it for a while."How did you know where Totosai was? He moves almost constantly and-"

"I'm from the future, half-demon," I say, covering up the fact that I, too, had been tricked into working for Naraku."I knew Totosai would be in this area-I still had to search all over to find him though."

That answer is enough for Inu-Yasha, and I'm allowed to retire to my tent for the night. Switching shape out of habit, I listen to the others talking for a bit, before their voices lull me to sleep. Tonight I can sleep deeply, and not worry so much about being unexpected attacks. This band I've joined can certainly protect me while I rest. Despite this, I come awake early the next morning, before the sun has risen, to the sound of someone opening my tent.

"Halt," I rasp, my sword in hand and ready to be drawn."Who's there?" I ask, blinking the sleep from my eyes as the figure backs out of my tent.

"It's me," Kagome finally says."You scared me half to death Varian," she adds as I crawl out of my tent and stand up.

"My apologies Kagome," I say, resuming my human form."I'm not used to people just coming into my tent uninvited."

"You're right," she says."And normally, I'd never do something so impolite, but I have to know: what happened between you and Sango last night? She's still asleep Varian, but she looks like she's had the weight of the world lifted off her shoulders. I've never seen her like that."

"It's nothing," I say, then yawn."The sun hasn't even come up yet Kagome. Lets just forget we spoke and go back to sleep a little longer."

"No," she states."You're changing things, Varian, things that I need to know about. Now what happened last night? What did you tell Sango?"

"Secret," I state, seeing no real way out of this."I can't tell you, and if you bother Sango about it, she won't tell you either. It's not important right yet-"

"It's about her brother, isn't it?" Kagome says, interrupting me.

"I swear, you people are psychic," I hiss, giving up."Fine. I'll tell, but this can't, can't, CAN'T go any further. Got it?!"

"I promise," Kagome tells me."From one time-traveller to another, I promise I won't tell Sango's secret."

"You can't even tell her that you know, understood? Good," I say, sensing her agreement."Sango's brother is tricking Naraku. Kohaku's free, Kagome, and if things progress as they should, he'll plot against Naraku and be there to help you in the final battle."

"But why can't I-Oh. If Inu-Yasha and the others find out, the next time Kohaku shows up, they'll go easy on him, and then-" Kagome stops, and looks at me as if for the first time as she figures out what would happen next.

"Naraku will learn the secret, and Kohaku will die," I finish."Along with Inu-Yasha, all of us potentially. You know how badly things can go if that foul creature learns about something like this."

"He's done it all before," Kagome states, then inexplicably smiles."But you already know that, don't you? You know all of us, perhaps even better than we know ourselves. And all from a story which led you here, and Sango's descendant. Tell me, why did you risk your life to free her?"

"Because it was the right thing to do," I say softly, thinking about it myself. "Naomi was trapped by a demon-from what I know, she did nothing to deserve imprisonment."

"And because you love her," Kagome guesses.

"I promised to free Naomi, not fall for her," I say, trying to avoid the direction this conversation was going.

"But you did, didn't you," she states.

"I did," I admit for the first time, my voice soft."And if I ever make it back to my own time, I'm going to tell her that. She knows me, Kagome, has seen what I become, and she isn't afraid."

"How many demons are there in the future?" Kagome asks me, changing the subject. "I've only seen them here in the past. Well, mostly."

"I'm not a demon," I tell her.

"But you aren't human either, Varian," she says, stating the obvious.

"I'm a Saurian," I state, correcting her."We're...different from demons. I'm not quite sure how, other than the fact that we lack aura's and a few other demonic traits." Looking around, I see that the sun has risen, though everyone else is still asleep."We should wake the others. It's still a bit of a hike to get to where we're going. If we start early, we could be back on our way by tomorrow afternoon."

"And which way would that be?" Kagome asks me.

"You're after Naraku, I'm looking for a way home," I state, starting the process of taking down my tent."We'll be travelling together for a while yet, I believe."

"Inu-Yasha doesn't like you," she warns me, causing me to laugh.

"I figured that out yesterday," I say, folding up my tent."Being chopped at with a sword isn't on my list of 'friendly' gestures. But, I understand him, I think. He won't be violent unless I give him a reason to be-and I don't plan on giving Inu-Yasha reasons to fight me."

"You know us," Kagome says."Even though we only crossed paths the other day. It'll take some getting used to, so don't be surprised"

"If everyone acts like I'm some kind of forture-teller," I finish for her, grinning a little as I put away the tent that Hiro and his village had given me. That already seems like ages ago, I realize."I'm just glad they aren't still trying to kill me."

"Naraku tricked us," Kagome states."But that doesn't explain why he took your shape to do it, Varian," she adds, questioning me.

"I'm clueless as well," I lie."Please don't tell me that you think I'm somehow in league with that demon." Not this again, I plead silently.

"I don't," she says, as the rest of the group begins to stir and wake up."But Inu-Yasha and Miroku, I think they still aren't convinced that you're on our side."

"I can't force them to change their minds," I tell her in a whisper, knowing that Inu-Yasha at least, has very sharp hearing."But hopefully time, and my actions, will help them come to their senses."

With that conversation behind me, the rest of the morning is uneventful as we all wake and ready ourselves for the road. Once again, I'm peppered with questions about the future, questions that I have no real answer to, but Sango and Kagome help turn aside the worst of it, reminding the others that the future isn't set in stone. This in turn angers Inu-Yasha, who then tries to provoke me into fighting him. I ignore the half-demon and refuse to be baited, allowing us to get moving. By mid-afternoon, we've arrived at the foot of Totosai's volcanic home.

"That looks like a long way up," Shippo notes tiredly, looking towards the top of the mountain.

"Well, there's no real reason for all of us to go up there," I say, to the fox demons delight."Seeing as its just my sword and Inu-Yasha's that needs fixing." At Kagome's worried look. I say laughingly,"Don't worry, I'm sure Inu-Yasha and I can behave ourselves. After all, we aren't children, right Inu-Yasha?" I ask the half-demon.

"We're here to get our swords fixed," he agrees with me, after a stern look from Kagome."Not fight. We aren't children," he adds, copying my words as we begin our trek up the mountain, the rest of the group calling 'good luck' and other such encouragements."I still owe you a beating for scratching up my sword," he tells me in an angry whisper.

"I could say the same," I hiss back at him."But we are on the same side Inu-Yasha, and no matter how much we may dislike each other, I don't fight my allies. I would have us call a truce. Like it or not, us fighting each other would weaken us, and with Naraku and other dangerous demons running around, we can't afford to be weakened."

"Decent plan," the half-demon shrugs."It makes sense...But once Naraku's out of the way..."

"We won't have any reason to be allies," I hiss, grinning evilly."You'll have your fight Inu-Yasha. But first, lets get our weapons repaired." The half-demon wasn't alone in wanting to finish things between us. I was curious myself to see which of us was the stronger warrior.

With not much else to say to one another, Inu-Yasha and I make the rest of our climb in near silence. Our fight effectively postponed, I begin to wonder if I can defeat the half-demon. Inu-Yasha is a skilled fighter, despite his attitude and hard-headedness, whereas I have only just begun my sword-swinging days. Could I have won if Kagome hadn't interfered back at the cliff? I wonder, content for now to follow the half-demon, my thoughts turned inwards.

"Totosai!" Inu-Yasha shouts, startling me and making me realize that we've arrived at the demonsmith's cave."Get out here you old fool! I need you to fix my Tetsusaiga!" he yells, drawing his blade. I do the same, to reveal the damages done to my weapon.

"Is that any way to treat the demon you want to fix your sword?" I ask in a whisper as Totosai appears at the mouth of his cave, a massive hammer slung over his seemingly frail shoulders.

Seeing the two of us standing together, weapons damaged and needing repair, Totosai sets his hammer down and sadly shakes his head."You two fought, didn't yee?" he asks, voice full of annoyance.

"A bit of mistaken identity," I explain, as the two of us present the damaged sides of our blades."But we've come to a truce now."

"But not before yee nearly sliced each others swords in two!" he states, taking the weapons from us."You came close to ruining these blades!" he cries, horrified at seeing his work maimed.

"It won't happen again, Master Totosai," I say respectfully."Please, can you repair them for us?" I ask, dreading the answer should the old demon refuse.

"And the two of yee promise not to go swinging away at each other?" the demonsmith asks, the stern look on his face demanding honesty.

"For now," Inu-Yasha mutters, seeming to not care about the fate of our two swords.

"We have our scores to settle," I say quickly, before Totosai can refuse us."But I swear, we won't risk destroying our weapons again."

"I must be going soft," Totosai finally admits, after a few minutes of thinking."But I believe you. I'll fix your swords-but if the two of yee use them against each other again, I'll take your swords and melt them down to make farming tools!" the demonsmith threatens, rendering Inu-Yasha and myself speechless. He would do it, I knew that very well. As did Inu-Yasha.

"When should we return?" I ask Totosai, before he can disappear back into his cave.

"Too soon to tell," he says absentmindedly."I'll have a better idea of the damages and the repairs needed by tomorrow afternoon. Now begone, I've got work to do."

"We'll be here then," Inu-Yasha tells him."And you better have more than just an 'idea' on how long it will take to fix my Tetsusaiga."

Inu-Yasha's parting shot at Totosai falls on deaf ears, for the demonsmith has already tuned him out and began looking over our weapons. Eccentric, indeed, but also a master weaponscrafter. If we got lucky, our swords could be fully repaired tomorrow.

"That old fool had better be quick about fixing my sword," Inu-Yasha growls as we begin our decent down the mountainside.

"You should be more respectful to Totosai," I tell the half-demon, earning a laugh."Laugh if you want, but I respect him. I've had to repair a demon-made weapon myself, and let me tell you, Inu-Yasha, it's not an easy task. Think about it Inu-Yasha. Could you fix your sword? And could you do a good enough job that the weapon is just as strong as it was before it was damaged?" Inu-Yasha doesn't have anything to say to that remark, and I congratulate myself on making the half-demon actually think for a change as we continue our descent from Totosai's cave.

"How did it go?" Kagome asks us upon our return. The others have already set up camp for the night, including a small campfire, and dinner cooking over it.

"Totosai said for us to return at noon to see how long the repairs will take," I tell her, sniffing at the food and almost drooling."That smells really good," I add.

That comment effectively ended most of our conversations until the meal was over. Shippo had fallen asleep against Sango's demoncat, and most of the others were looking tired as well. Sunset had come and gone while we ate, and out here, away from any villages or towns, night had quickly followed.

"Do you think we should keep watch tonight?" Miroku asks us."Surely other demons know that Totosai lives around here, and not all of them may be friendly."

"If you think it would be a good idea," I say."But when I first met Totosai, he implied that he was keeping a low profile and not many people or demons knew where he was."

"Why bother?" Inu-Yasha states, seeming to agree with me."Nothing around these woods is stronger than all of us."

"A full nights rest would be nice,"Kagome admits, settling the matter as I begin setting up my tent.

"Why do you shift shape before you go to sleep?" Miroku asks me, after I've finished setting up my tent and transformed.

"Habit," I tell the monk."Since coming to this era, I've discovered that I'm a lot harder to kill in my natural shape-I've had some incidents happen at night that I wouldn't have survived if I'd been in human form."

"You look almost like a dragon," he comments.

"I'm not." I tell him, retiring to the inside of my tent but leaving the flap open so I can see and speak to him."As I've explained to Kagome, my kind are called Saurians. We share some traits with both demons and dragons, but we lack demonic auras and can't do most of the things that a dragon can do."

"So what can you do?" Sango asks, sitting down outside my tent and joining our conversation.

"Not much," I admit."I can change my form, as you all know," I state laughingly. "Aside from that, I can work a few illusions, like Shippo's fox demon magics. I can change simple items like clothing and stuff to suit my needs. And I seem to heal quite a bit faster than humans do. Other than that, all I have is my strength and speed."

"How did you block the Wind Scar?" Miroku asks me."I've only seen that happen a few times, and never like that."

"Dumb luck," I laugh."I didn't know what I was doing, and I doubt that I could pull that off again. I plan on asking Totosai about it tomorrow. I don't really know what Vyshdra's Fang is capable of."

"It's powerful, that's for certain," Sango tells me."But something seems odd about that weapon of yours. Varian. Its not like any blade I've come across before...except that sword Sesshomaru wields."

"Tokigin," I state, recalling the blades name."It's a Demonblade...like my sword." Seeing their expressions, I quickly add,"There isn't anything to worry about though. I've won my swords allegiance, and its not going to possess me or anything."

"Demonblades are tricky, Varian." Sango replies, wary."Are you sure you have control of that thing?"

"Quite sure," I answer."Remember, I killed the demon it once was. Besides, if I didn't have my swords allegiance, I'm sure it would have let Inu-Yasha kill me back at that cliff."

"True," she admits, retiring for the night, going over and laying down beside her pet demoncat. Everyone else is already asleep, though I've lost track of where Inu-Yasha is...probably up a tree somewhere nearby. Everyone except Miroku, who approaches me just as I am about to close my tent and go to sleep myself.

"What?" I ask him, noticing the look on his face. He's thinking hard about something, and not liking it.

"How much do you really know about us?" he asks me quietly."And about Naraku."

"Only what I've already told you Miroku," I say, starting to close my tent flap.

"Liar," he hisses, stopping me."Sango and Kagome trust you, yet you've only travelled with us for a few days. That isn't normal. You've done something, told them things...haven't you?" he demands, anger and a touch of fear in his voice.

"Miroku," I state, annoyed."I'm-"

"I can tell when something is going on," he interrupts."I don't trust you Varian. And I'll be keeping my eyes on you." he adds, dropping my tent flap and leaving me be.

"Odd," I hiss to myself, before attempting to retire for the night. Miroku's comments, however, keep me awake for a while, the words echoing over and over in my head. 'I don't trust you Varian.' 'Liar.' 'You've done something, told them things...haven't you?'

The next morning comes too soon for my liking, but passes without incident, and by noon, Inu-Yasha and I are trekking up the mountain again to visit Totosai. We make most of the journey in near silence, and I can sense that the half-demon is thinking intently about something, which is a big change from his normal behavior.

"So, how did you kill Vyshdra?" he finally asks me, once we're halfway up the mountain."It took me a while, but I remember that name now. Sesshomaru wouldn't set foot near his territory."

"It wasn't easy," I tell him, and once again, I recount my tale of how I defeated the demonsnake.

"You ripped out his heart from the inside," Inu-Yasha states, clearly impressed.

"Yeah, and that was the most disgusting and terrifying thing I've ever done,"I tell him."I hope I never, ever have to do anything like that again."

After hearing my tale, Inu-Yasha recounts several of his own battle stories as we continue our hike up the mountain. I already know most of them, having read his tale back in my own time, but hearing it from the half-demon himself is fascinating. In return, I tell him of my first demon fight; how I killed Hayek of the Road, and of my draw with Azar, the forest lord. By the time I've finished, only distorting things a little to conceal Naraku's involvement, we've reached Totosai's cave. Mentioning Naraku, and the fact that I'd mistakenly dealt with him, would bring only trouble, I reason.

"Totosai!" Inu-Yasha bellows into the cave."I've come back for my Tetsusaiga. Have you fixed it yet?!" he demands, though I detect a hint of respect in his voice, signifying that maybe my words have had some effect on him after all.

"Back so soon?" Totosai asks, appearing at the entrance, scratching his head and looking confused.

"You told us to come back this afternoon," I state, reminding the eccentric demonsmith and trying to be patiant."To retrieve our repaired swords?" I ask hopefully.

"The Tetsusaiga and Vyshdra's Fang?" he asks, seeming to focus."Of course. Now I remember. Both of them were almost ruined by you two."

"But are they fixed?" Inu-Yasha demands, irritatedly.

"Yes," he states, going back inside and returning with our swords a moment later. "But yee do promise not to use them against one another, right?"

"We promise," I say quickly, before Inu-Yasha has the chance to say something insulting. In return, Totosai hands our weapons back to us."Before we go, though, why did you forge me a Demonblade Totosai and not tell me about it?"

Unexpectedly, the demonsmith smiles."I knew I forgot to tell you something about your sword," he exclaims."It's a Demonblade!"

"I know that now," I say, my patience wearing thin."But why did you forge it?"

"You asked for it," he states simply, seemingly puzzled.

"This isn't going anywhere," Inu-Yasha comments to me quietly."Lets go before the old fool forgets who we are and thinks we're stealing our weapons."

"Perhaps," I say."But let me try again. Totosai," I ask, raising my voice a little. "Why did you forge a Demonblade for me? Why not some other kind of sword?"

"I had to," he says, looking at me oddly and giving a straight answer for once. "Vyshdra was very powerful; only a Demonblade could be crafted from one of his teeth. Yee have won the swords allegiance?"

"Yes," I answer, expecting for him to tell me more.

"Good," Totosai states instead."Now begone. I have a lot of work I need to do."

"What did I tell you," Inu-Yasha says after we've started back down the mountain."Getting that old fool to give you a decent answer-"

"It's like trying to get a brick wall to talk." I interrupt, also frustrated by Totosai. "But at least we got our swords back," I add.

Eight: The End of the Beginning, New Journeys

"So, what are your plans now that your sword is fixed?" Kagome asks me, once Inu-Yasha and I have returned. Miroku and the others are busy packing up the few bits and pieces of our small campsite.

"I don't know," I tell her honestly, heading over and taking down my tent."I want to go home, but I wanna help you guys too. So, I'm at a cross-roads here-stay or go?"

"You should go home," Miroku states."You've said it yourself-you accomplished what you came here to do." It's clear that he's been thinking about this, and wants me gone.

"Maybe Varian can help us though Miroku," Sango says, to his dislike.

"We don't know him, or what he's really doing here," Miroku argues, angering me a little."He hasn't really told us anything about himself-for all we know, he could be lying about everything."

"I'm not a liar and I can prove it," I snap at him."Kagome, ask me something about the modern age, something I wouldn't know about if I was lying about everything," I say, glaring at the monk.

"Ok," she agrees reluctantly, rummaging around in her pack."What's this made of?" she asks me, tossing over a bottle of water.

"Its plastic," I say, even before I catch it and feel the material.

"Satisfied, Miroku?" Sango asks as I hand the bottle back to Kagome.

"That only proves that he is a traveller, nothing more," Miroku states."I don't trust him."

"Miroku," Sango begins but I interrupt.

"Why don't you trust me Miroku?" I demand."What have I done to make you want me gone?"

"You know too much about us," he tells me angerly."And we know nothing about you. And why did Naraku use your shape to attack us? You're hiding things from us, I can almost sense it!"

"He does have a point," Inu-Yasha says, reluctantly agreeing with the monk.

"I don't know," I lie."I've already gone over this with you guys-I don't know why Naraku used my shape to attack you."

"How did Naraku know what you look like, then?" Miroku demands, running his thumb over the prayer beads holding shut the wind-tunnel in his cursed hand. He's ready to fight, not just argue."Answer me!"

"I don't know!" I snarl at the monk.

"That's enough Miroku," Sango tells him angerly."Varian is here to help us. Unless you have proof that he's not, this argument is pointless."

"Why do you and Kagome trust him then?" he asks, not ready to give in and seeing another thing to fight about."Has this creature enthralled you or something?"

I'm not a 'creature'," I growl, before Sango and Kagome can say anything. Grabbing my things, I say,"And I've had enough of this. I'm leaving."

"Varian," Kagome begins.

"No," I tell her, walking away."I tried my best to befriend you guys and I would have helped, but I'm leaving. I wish you luck on your journeys."

"Satisfied, Miroku?" I hear Inu-Yasha state as I walk away.

Angry at myself and at Miroku, I hike until afternoon becomes evening. I hate lying, but they would never understand if I told them the truth. Naraku had tricked me, just as he had tricked countless others in his pursuit of power. And because of that, I've lost my potential way home. Furious, I kick a rock on the side of the road, and watch as it rolls to a stop at the feet of my problems.

"I see you've had a change of heart," Naraku states. He's in his other form this time; a human-looking, yet fearsome demon whose aura radiates pure malice and hatred. "It's so hard to find trustworthy servants these days. Destroy him," he orders.

Just as I'm wondering who he's talking to, I sense something flying at me from behind. Not even looking, I dive to my left, hitting the ground and rolling to my feet in one swift movement. Drawing my sword, I see a young boy whirling a chain with a sickle on its end. Kohaku. Fates picking on me again.

"Is he a demon, Master?" Kohaku asks, his face devoid of emotion.

"He is an enemy," Naraku states simply."Destroy him."

"As you wish," the boy states, facing me and whirling his chain faster.

"I hate this era," I hiss to myself, watching Naraku leave as Kohaku approaches, chain spinning like a helicopter blade. Yet again, I'm in another fight in which killing my opponent isn't an option.

"You look human," Kohaku states, half-heartedly sending the sickle at me, forcing me to duck out of its path."But that weapon you carry is clearly demon-forged."

"And it'll cut your chain like wet paper," I tell him."I don't want to fight you."

"Then you'll die," he says calmly, sending the sickle at me full force.

A mad dodge to my left sends me out of harms way, for now. I have to be careful about this fight. I can't kill this brave kid, and if I try to run, that sickle will rip me apart in the time it takes to blink. Why do I always end up in these situations, I ask myself, as the young demonslayer starts spinning his chain again.

"You're quick," he admits, approvingly."But not quick enough!" he yells, launching the blade at me.

Instead of dodging, I sidestep Kohaku's attack and make a quick grab at the chain, hoping to disarm him. But Kohaku knows how to handle his weapon and twitches the chain just out of reach before starting a new assault; a series of quick throws and sweeping attacks using both the sickle and the chain itself as a weapon.

I dodge most of the strikes, but a whirling sweep with the chain takes my legs out from under me. Rolling, I see the sickle crash into the ground where I had been mere seconds ago. It is then that I see it-one of Naraku's hornets, watching the scene for its master. I know how to end this fight now, I think, rising to my feet.

"Is that all you got!" I shout at the young demonslayer. The hornet is hovering about ten feet behind him, just above his left shoulder."I thought demonslayers could actually kill demons." Shifting shape, I bare my teeth and roar at the kid.

"So, you are a demon," Kohaku states, voice still calm."A weak one though. I can't sense an aura at all from you," he adds, whirling his chain in preparation for another attack.

"You'll see how weak I am!" I roar, drawing my sword and charging at the boy. True to his training, Kohaku doesn't run-instead, he hurls the sickle at me again.

This time, however, I don't even try to dodge. The sickle catches me across the shoulder, glancing off a few scales before its tip finds purchase and digs in, ripping and sinking into my flesh and sending up a horrible spray of blood. Pain lashes me, and as I fall to my knees, I throw my sword in a seemingly last-ditch attempt to kill the boy.

"You missed," Kohaku tells me, ripping the sickle out of my flesh with a tug of the chain.

"No I didn't," I hiss painfully, looking beyond the boy as I press a hand to my wound. It is a bad injury, but nowhere near fatal, and the bleeding has already started to slow. Turning and following my gaze, Kohaku sees the hornet, neatly pinned to a tree by my black blade."Is it dead?" I ask him. That was a one in a million strike; one I wasn't likely to ever pull off again.

"Very," Kohaku answers, confused and cautious.

"Good," I say."We can drop the act now-I'm no evil demon and you're not a mindless puppet."

"What is it you want?" he asks, still ready to kill me."And how do you know I'm not a puppet?"

"For fate to stop picking on me," I hiss to myself as I feel my wound beginning to heal. In a few days it will be just a scar. More loudly, I say,"I don't want anything. But if you think hard, you'll figure out that letting me live will benefit you."

"How?" He asks, wiping my blood off of his weapon as I stand and venture over to my own blade, one hand pressed to my injured shoulder.

"I'm another distraction for your former master," I say, gripping my sword and pulling it loose from the tree trunk. Sheathing the blade, I state,"I'm friends with his enemies. And I know his weakness."

"Not many people know that," Kohaku informs me."But what do you expect me to do? I can't just let you go."

"Say I disarmed you," I tell him, thinking quickly."Say that I yelled out, 'I don't kill children,' and ran off. Naraku knows I'm too fast for you to catch me." Gripping my blade, I unsheathed it partially and add,"We can even act it out-that way, it won't even be a lie." I can tell he's considering it.

"You're smart," Kohaku states."But why should I trust you? How do I know this isn't some trick or trap?"

"I've met your sister," I say, and for once, I see real emotions cross his face. "Named Sango. Has a pet demoncat. Travels with a monk, a priestess, a half-demon and a fox-demon. Is that good enough for you?"

"Still could be a trick," he states, though I can tell he isn't so sure of that now.

"What more can I say to you?" I ask."Isn't it enough that we're even having this conversation?"

"Why do you want Naraku dead?" he asks me.

"He's evil," I state immediatly."And he tricked me into helping him once-I don't like being tricked," I hiss murderously.

"If Naraku finds out I'm-" Kohaku begins.

"He won't," I interrupt, reassuring him."I'll never tell him, and you certainly won't. And there isn't anyone around here still alive to tell him," I add, looking towards the dead hornet.

"Very well then," he states, spinning his weapon up to speed."We'll do this. But it must look real. I've hurt you, and you have to hurt me and run."

"Ok," I agree reluctantly, unsheathing my sword as Kohaku spins his chain even faster.

"I hope you dodge fast," he states, launching the sickle directly at my head.

I duck, and the next few moments play out almost exactly like our earlier confrontation: me dodging and leaping, Kohaku remaining nearly stationary as he flings his weapon at me again and again. He isn't throwing it at full speed though, which tempts me to try my earlier tactic again. As Kohaku swings, I dodge, then lash out with my free hand and successfully grab the chain.

"Got you," I hiss with false rage, and with a powerful yank, I relieve Kohaku of his primary weapon. He seems appropriately shocked, but then grimly draws a short swords from its sheath and charges.

Roaring savagely, I block Kohaku's attack with my Fang of Vyshdra, using the flat of the blade so the boys sword isn't simply cut in two. Batting his weapon to one side, I hook his right foot with my tail and trip him. Pinning his sword arm with my foot, I disarm Kohaku, tossing his sword into the bushes nearby.

"It's over," I growl, and I see real fear cross his face. Gripping the boy by his neck, I pull him up as I lean down, my face inches from his."Tell your master that his days are numbered," I snarl. I'm choking him a bit, and my claws have dug into his skin and drawn blood, but as Kohaku stated, this had to look real.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" he rasps, hardly able to speak from the strength of my grip-he'll have bruises from it, I'm sure.

"I don't kill children," I hiss, releasing him.

Before Kohaku can even get up, I've fled and taken to the trees, racing away as if I were being chased by every demon, beast and monster imaginable. I maintain that frantic pace until I'm sure I've lost any sort of pursuit Kohaku might attempt in this ruse. But, as I slow to a stop and hold my aching shoulder, I realize that I'm not alone.

"I saw the whole thing," Sango states, dropping out of a tree in front of me."I followed you to try and convince you to come back..."

"And now you know," I hiss, as Sango's demoncat jumps down from the tree, shifting into its larger, deadlier form. Both Sango and the cat are furious.

"Now I know," she says."You lied to us about Naraku. For all I know you've lied to us about everything except for my brothers situation. We trusted you. I trusted you."

"If I told the entire truth from the beginning, I would have been killed by one of you, probably Inu-Yasha," I state, holding my arms away from my body, and away from my sword."If you want to kill me now, I won't fight you, Sango."

"Explain why you were dealing with Naraku and everything else," she demands, though my statement seems to have affected her.

"I didn't recognize him at first," I state slowly."Naraku showed up right after I killed Vyshdra...I was half-dead and he said he could use my help, and in return, he'd find me a way back to my own time."

"You accepted," she says, voice cold.

"I was told to kill demons for him. Certain ones," I explain."It was only after I took the deal that I recognized his name, and realized that the 'demons' he wanted me to kill were you and your friends. I was tricked."

"What did you do?" she asks me.

"I decided to try and find my own way home," I state."He must've figured out that I wasn't going to keep my word though. Because the next thing I know, you guys are chasing me and saying I attacked you."

"Thats why Naraku took your shape," Sango says, mainly to herself."To make us fight you whether you wanted to fight or not."

"Destroying his enemies by making them destroy each other," I comment."Naraku is very good at that. You've seen him do it yourself Sango-he tried to get you to kill Inu-Yasha, once upon a time."

"We've all been victims of his schemes," she admits."Why should you be any different? Of course he would trick you, just like he's tricked countless other people."

"So, you believe me?" I ask.

"Enough to let you live," she says."You kept secrets from us, Varian. That was your own doing. And I don't like that. It's too similar to Naraku's plotting."

"I made a mistake," I state."I realize that now. But where does that leave things?"

"You can choose to go your own way," Sango tells me."Or you can come back and tell the truth. Fight against Naraku with us. Help us destroy him once and for all."

"Both are the same to me-I'm going after Naraku," I tell her, resuming my human form."But I bet I'll stand a better chance with a demonslayer and her friends by my side. I'll return with you."

And so, the tale of Varian Black begins...