Note: Some people say my chapters are too long, others that they are too short. What do you think? On one hand, longer chapters are well, longer chapters. However, it would take me longer to update. On the other, shorter ones are easier and updates might be more frequent then they would be otherwise.

For those who read Hikaru no Go… There are just some things you can not resist. Juust to clarify. When bitch is used here-- It's meant as a term rather then an insult. Y'aknow, like how Shippou calls Kagome vixen?

---

There were voices above her. She couldn't tell who they were, except they sounded male. Izayoi closed her eyes tightly. They were strange voices, belonging to strange men. Someone had taken her from where she was safe. Brother had let them take her. Why had he let them take her? He hadn't really been hurt. He'd…he'd only been pretending. He had to be. No one could really hurt her big brother. She pulled her knees up to her chest and yelped as the movement made her stomach hurt. There was something wrapped around her ankles too. But…but the ofuda was still there in her clenched hands, digging slightly into her fingers. She gripped it tightly, trying to gain some comfort from the gift.

"Do you think she's awake?" asked one of the strange men.

"Frankly, I don't care if she never wakes," said another. "I don't even know why we bought her in the first place."

"Thought you would like her," a third voice grumbled.

"Well I don't," said the second. "You should have grabbed the horse, idiot. What are we going to do with a little girl?"

"Ransom," answered the third. "Coming from an entourage like that, we should fetch enough to keep us fed for a month, and still have money for a little…pleasure."

"And be killed as soon as we show our faces," said the first. "That woman… She fought like a youkai!"

Izayoi gasped and winced as it hurt her stomach. Her thoughts made her quickly forget her pain. Taijya-san! These men talked just like the men from the exterminator's stories. Evil, evil men who always got what was coming to them when the hero showed up.

"Anyway," said the first man. "We need to figure out what we're going to do. Thanks to moron-san over there, those guards will be looking for us…and they're not going to be happy."

"They would have looked for us even if I had stolen the horse, so don't 'moron-san' me!" snapped the third.

"Gentleman," said the second. "This isn't helping. Now, might I suggest we go discuss this with the others?" There was the sound of feet moving away. The men continued talking but Izayoi tuned them out. They didn't sound like villains anymore and it was starting to scare her. This was just like a story. They had to talk like villains…otherwise her hero wouldn't come for her and then… A shiver ran through her. If he didn't come, then she didn't know. If the story didn't work out like it was supposed too, then she would never know what would happen next.

It couldn't be that way, though, because she always knew what happened next. Every morning she would get up and wash her face and hands, like a lady should, then eat breakfast. Then was calligraphy and then a Go lesson with silly old master Sai. Even though they were traveling now, a lot of things were still the same. She always knew where they were going and where they were stopping and every night she would sneak out to hear taijya-san's tales. All her life was a story…so this shouldn't be any different. Her hero would arrive.

Izayoi struggled to sit up, trying to ignore the pain in her stomach. Whoever her hero was, she wanted to show him how strong she could be. She would sit up and meet him in the eye as soon as he came to rescue her. Everyone knew ladies had to be rescued…but no one said they couldn't be rescued sitting up. After some effort, she managed to get her legs under her so she could rest back on them. Then set her hands on her lap, smoothing the ofuda underneath them, squared her shoulders, remembered to lift her chin and opened her eyes.

The moonlight dappled through the trees, basking her kidnappers in strange shadows. They were all hunched in a circle, talking. She couldn't hear what they were saying but she didn't really care. It soothed her to see them acting like bad men again. One of the men looked up and stared at her. She met his gaze without flinching. She wasn't scared of him. There was nothing to be scared of. The man nudged his companion.

"Oi, she's awake," he said. The other man looked up at her and shrugged.

"So? She can't run very far with her ankles tied…and anyway, it's not like she has any where to run."

"Don't you think it's strange the way she's looking at us?" said the first man. "It's as if she knows something we don't."

Izayoi nodded. Of course she did. At that moment, the wind came up hard out of no where; blowing her hair in front of her and making the trees rustle violently. Then he appeared, melting out of the darkness of the trees. He looked younger then she expected. The wind blew his silver white hair behind him and ruffled the fur on the strange pelt that hung over his shoulder. For a moment, his glowing yellow eyes rose to meet hers and she gasped, instinctively scooting back until she was up against the solid trunk of a tree. His eyes were cold, merciless…hungry. Finally one of the bandits seemed to notice him.
"Hey! Who are you?!" the man asked, looking up from his sitting position. The boy's hand moved so fast she could barely see it. The bandit's head seemed to pop off from his body. A fine red mist sprayed the moonlit air.

"It's a-" another bandit started, but before he could finish the sentence, the boy's clean hand slashed down the man's chest. The man screamed and fell back. One by one, the men either attacked or tried to run. No matter what they did, the boy was one step ahead of them, sharp claws whirling. Izayoi huddled against the tree, unable to close her eyes. She wanted to run. Run and hide some place dark where he couldn't find her. But if she moved, he would notice her and then… She whimpered. The youkai's head snapped around and once again, cold yellow eyes bored into her. Then he was coming for her, a bloodstained hand raised. Screaming, Izayoi instinctively threw the first thing her fingers clenched around. The ofuda sailed through the short distance between then and smacked the boy right in the middle of the forehead. There was a brilliant flash of white and the youkai flew backwards through the air. He flipped right before he hit the ground and landed in a graceful crouch. The white ofuda turned black and crumpled to dust. Izayoi clutched the tree trunk, wishing she could disappear into the wood. She was starting to think her hero would never show up.

"You-" the boy snarled, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by an eruption of loud laughter. Izayoi blinked, completely startled, and glanced at the woods behind the youkai boy. A man stumbled from the shadows of the trees, clutching his stomach with long clawed hands and laughing so hard he was nearly doubled over. He looked much like the boy, except his white hair was swept up in a high ponytail and furry pelt hung over his shoulders like a cape.

"Chichi-ue…" said the boy with a strange tone in his voice.

"I haven't laughed this hard in centuries," the man said, straightening and wiping at his eyes. "You are the worst fighter I've ever seen."

"I killed all of them, didn't I?" the boy asked softly, turning to look at the older youkai.

"Almost," said the man. Once again, Izayoi found herself under the stare of strange yellow eyes. But this time, instead of being cold, the eyes were curious. Izayoi shyly met his gaze, unsure exactly how to react. He didn't seem dangerous.

"I don't see how that little girl is very important," the boy grumbled. The man grinned, flashing sharp fangs.

"She beat you, didn't she?"

Afterwards, everything went by so fast that the next thing Izayoi knew, she was sitting in the crook of the older youkai's arm staring at the younger who had just slammed his fist through the tree she had been up against. He seemed as startled as she was because for a moment, he did nothing but stare straight ahead. Then he looked up, eyes murderous. Izayoi impulsively clutched her rescuer's clothes, pulling herself closer.

"Why did you save her, Chichi-ue!" the boy snarled. The man laughed and suddenly Izayoi felt his fingers trailing through her hair, and the whisper of claws down her cheek.

"Why? Because after making a fool of you so thoroughly, I think she deserves at least a few more days of life."

He really had saved her. Twice now, in fact. Izayoi twisted her head to look up in his face. He definitely didn't seem the hero type. Everything about him was definitely youkai. From the odd red stripes, two on either cheek, that trailed back and was lost in his hair, to his pointed ears. His reason for saving her hadn't exactly been heroic either. Nevertheless, facts were facts. He had saved her from impending doom on the claws of a terrifying youkai. This was her hero. He was just…a little rough around the edges. Well, she would smooth him out. After a few years of being her hero, he would be the best there ever was.

---

Damn. He was grinning so hard it actually hurt. Another chuckle bubbled up in Inutaisho's throat and he didn't bother to restrain it. Sesshou-chan was positively livid. His hackles were visibly raising and the whites of his eyes began to bleed red as his demon rage fought for control. The youkai lord sighed, good mood abruptly fading. Shifting the girl to one arm, he lazily swung the other one toward his pup. Sesshou-chan jumped back on pure instinct, landing in a defensive crouch. Inutaisho continued his gesture until he'd encompassed the entire clearing, soaked with blood and corpses.

"Look at that, whelp. Look at you. Your face is a mess and your pelt is drenched. Any youkai can slaughter--but only the noblest families are known for their finesse in doing so. Just because you're a runt doesn't mean you can be so sloppy."

Sesshou-chan dropped his head, and the hand he had resting on the ground spasmed and dug into the earth. Slowly, the pup's aggression faded until he was back to his normal, irritable little self again. Then he stood, shaking silver hair back in place over his shoulder. Inutaisho raised an eyebrow as he noted that Sesshou-chan's hair was the only thing not covered in blood.

"Next time I won't get a single drop on me, Chichi-ue."

Although it was tempting to remind the young one about just where his earlier arrogance had gotten him, Inutaisho refrained and simply said:

"Clean yourself up."

"And what of the human?" Sesshou-chan asked, glaring at the little female with blood hunger in his eyes. Inutaisho was about to be a good sport and throw her to him, when she spoke up.

"He won't let you hurt me because he's my hero," she said in a clear, confident voice. For a moment, both youkai were completely taken aback. Then Inutaisho laughed. What a foolish little thing. Still...it would be interesting to see Sesshou-chan's reaction if he indulged her just this once.

"I just might do that," he said, rubbing his chin along the top of her hair and instinctively memorizing her unique scent. Sesshou-chan bared the tip of his fangs in annoyance, then sped away and leapt into the nearest tree. Inutaisho waited until the pup was almost completely out of his senses before dropping the girl to the ground. She landed with a startled squeak. He turned and started for the darkness of the forest. Her scent remained with him, like an invisible cloud. The youkai lord wrinkled his nose. Ugh. He would be smelling like human for days. Sesshou-chan wasn't the only one who had to clean up.

"Where are you going?" the human called out behind him. For some reason her voice stopped him. He turned his head a little so he could look at her from the corner of his eye. She was kneeling on the ground, dirty little fists clenched in her lap.

"Why?"

"You still have to bring me back to my family." She frowned slightly, titling her head. "Big brother will be so worried." For some reason, this statement irritated more then amused him. Still, Inutaisho forced a smile.

"I don't have to do anything, human. You only get one rescue per thousand years and you've just used up yours."

She giggled. The reaction was so unexpected that he turned to look at her fully. The female got to her feet and absently brushed at the dirt on the sleeves of her cotton yakuta.

"I don't think you would do that. You know I won't live that long." She smiled and held a hand out to him. "Can we go now?"

"I'm not taking you anywhere, you silly little bitch," he snapped, turning on his heel.

"But you're my hero…" Again she spoke with absolute certainty. Inutaisho rolled his eyes heavenward. Kami-sama. He should have just fed her to Sesshou-chan when he'd had the chance. Shaking his head, he altered his course and strode right through the corpses. There wasn't a chance a human child would follow him through that-- let alone a female. There was silence behind him, but soon he could hear her bare feet dancing for clean spots on the grass as she tried to catch up with him. She was persistent, he'd give her that. A smirk lifted his face as a thought occurred to him. All he would have to do was frighten her so badly she wouldn't want to follow him. At the edge of the clearing he stopped. There was another squeak as the human bumped into the back of his legs. After a dramatic pause, he whirled on her, teeth bared, claws reaching for her throat. The female's reaction couldn't have been more different.

"Bad!" she snapped, whapping him in the nose. Inutaisho was so taken aback that all he could do was gawk at her. She-- just hit him. He could have sent her head sailing from her shoulders with one swipe-- and she hit him. He didn't know whether to be annoyed by this or completely amused. The female sighed softly and patted his cheek.

"I'm sorry. I know it is going to take a lot of work. But you'll learn to be a proper hero."

Inutaisho straightened and stared down at her. This was getting completely ridiculous. She was damned lucky he considered killing children a waste of time. Well at least there was one place he knew she couldn't follow.

"I'll tell you what, if you can catch me, I'll take you home," he said with a grin. She reached for him but he launched himself into the sky before her fingers could even brush his clothes. Far below, he heard another little sigh. Inutaisho shook his head. What a strange, stubborn little thing.

Shrugging her away, he began to drift through the night. It was silent and still. It didn't take him long to become bored out of his mind. He extended his senses to try and locate his whelp, but Sesshou-chan was nowhere to be found. Damnit. He didn't feel like looking for him. Even if it was just to be entertained.

The human child, though, was still fairly close by and getting slowly closer. The realization made him laugh. She was still following him. Maybe he should let her catch him. It might prove an interesting diversion. He began to descend. It wouldn't take too much time to find her family…and if he got bored he could leave her easily. Drifting down to a gnarled old tree, he landed on a branch then jumped to the ground and settled himself against the trunk. He wouldn't make it too easy for her. If she didn't find him by tomorrow he would go hunt down his son again.

A half-hearted sniff told him she wouldn't be here for a good while yet. The inuyoukai yawned, stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his arms behind his head. He fell into a light doze, rousing on instinct when he heard her light footsteps. Inutaisho smiled to himself and cracked and eyelid, watching her fearless approach. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the little female. Her face and clothes were scratched and dirty and she was so tired she could barely walk straight.

"I caught you," she mumbled, tapping his cheek lightly. Inutaisho let his eye slip close. Dawn wasn't that far away. Still, she'd caught up with him sooner then he'd expected. He wondered if she- His thoughts were completely thrown off track as he felt a warm, unfamiliar weight on his pelt. Opening his eyes confirmed his suspicions. The child was curled up on his pelt, fingers lightly clenching the fur, sound asleep. That little- He never said she could- Where did she have the nerve to-

Suddenly Inutaisho threw back his head and laughed. Holy hell, she was just like him. He subdued himself when he sensed her waking. When she drifted off again, he curled his pelt around her and pulled her closer to the warmth of his body. These next few days could prove to be very entertaining.