"Dakota, you bloody fool!" Jae yelled at her second-in-command. "Why the heck did you shoot the arrow into his butt?"
"You forget! I have bad aim!" Dakota unsheathed his sword and jumped down from the tree.
"Yeah, but even you should've been able to aim for the ground, baka!" Jae pulled out her fang sword, Tsuinfangu, and climbed out of the tree. The two made quick work of the slavers, arguing the whole time. "Shut yer mouth, you bloody baka!"
"I'm not a baka!" Dakota glared while slicing a slaver in half.
"Are too." Jae dodged a punch and kicked the man that attacked her.
"Are not!"
"Are too!"
"Are not!"
"Are!"
"Not!"
"Are!"
"Not!"
"Not!"
"Are!"
"Hah! You agree with me!" Jae laughed triumphantly. She stabbed another slaver in the heart.
"Dang it! I fell for it again! How?" Dakota kicked his new opponent in the chest, easily breaking their ribs and puncturing their lung.
"Because you never expect it!" Jae laughed and punched a slaver in the head, efficiently breaking his skull. She turned to the last slaver and dropped her carefree attitude. "I thought I warned you never to return." She growled angrily. "Where are the ones you've kidnapped?"
"In the wagon." The slaver had a child's voice. He was quite short and wore a hat that covered his eyes. There was a quaver in his voice and Jae could smell the salt of tears. She reached forward and pulled the slaver's hat off to reveal a child. He burst into tears and fell to the ground. "Please don't kill me! I didn't want to come, but Papa made me!" The boy babbled on in fear. Jae gathered him in her arms and hugged him to her.
"Hush little one. I have no need to kill you, so do not fear." Jae made shushing noises and rocked back and forth. "Dakota, go over to the wagon and set the people in there free."
Jae stood up and watched as Dakota released the slaver's prisoners. She giggled when the children in the wagon all tried to give Dakota a hug. All they managed to do was knock him over. Jae felt the child she was holding tap her on the shoulder and looked at him.
"Why didn't you kill me?" The boy looked at her in confusion.
"Because I don't kill children." Jae explained, wiping away the tearstains on the boy's face. "It doesn't matter if they're human, demon, or hanyou. I won't kill them."
"Why not?" The child asked curiously.
"Because they're children." Jae kissed the boy on the brow. "And because they're innocent."
"Oh." The child was quiet. "What is your name?"
"Jae Beth Gokune." Jae began to slowly walk over to Dakota. "What's yours?"
"Torao." The boy looked at her and smiled shyly. "Saito Torao."
"Tiger is a powerful name for a child." Jae was a bit surprised at the child's name but didn't let it show. "But a good one."
~Line break~
Sesshomaru and the others watched the scene before them. They were awed at the sight of the two demons defeating the slavers but were surprised when they didn't kill the slaver child. They struggled to stifle their laughter when the male was knocked over by the hanyou children.
"Who are those two demons?" Kagome whispered to InuYasha.
"Why the heck would I know?! This is the first time I've ever seen them!" InuYasha whispered/yelled. Sesshomaru gestured for them to be quiet and for once they listened. They continued to watch the two demons as they helped the former prisoners. Kagome shifted her weight and snapped a twig that had been under her. The people in the clearing froze and turned to where the group hid.
"Come out. Now." The girl called Jae pulled out her sword and growled. "Or I'll come in. And trust me. You don't want that."
