Author's Note: *waves* I'm still alive over on this end of the computer, I've had alot going on like finals, getting a car (WAHOOOOOOO!) and my aunt having heart surgery (She's doing good. Another WAHOOOOOO!) But it's finally here. Thanks to everyone who gave me a reveiw. I've had it done for a while now, but you know me, the slacker I am...but you love me that way ;-)

Distribution: The Wistera Garden- http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/wisteria/index.html
My Webpage- http://www.angelfire.com/anime3/theSilverDragoness
And of course FanFiction.net
If you want it, then take it..just let me know and give me credit ;-)

Once I had a small fire started I opened the bundle my mother gave me, they were the
twin jitte my mother was trained to fight with. "Wow...the Star Swords." I said in awe as I
looked at them. They were gorgeous, they had golden handles with long silver blades that could
extent from sais. They also had tousles on them so as to confuse your enemy.

That was when I seen those soldiers burn the remains of my village, tears began forming
in my eyes. I hid as I seen a few soldiers come look for me. "Youja, she will come to us when
she is ready." A heard a voice ring through my mind, my blue eyes widened as I the 'Youja' as
this voice called them backed out of the cave and disappeared. I cried as I seen a bright orange,
yellow and red glow that was now my old village. I cried until I fell asleep, hearing the screams
of my fellow Clan members that were still alive. "Gods they're being burned alive." I choked
through tears. It was all I could do to repress the urge to run to them and try to save them. "I
have to be strong if I'm going to get revenge." I said to myself. I picked up the twin jitte and
made them go to sais, they would be easier to work with that way. "I promise Talpa will pay." I
said in the direction of the village. Before I could begin practicing I laid the sais down beside the
rock that would serve as my bed. I would have to learn to hunt, fish, and fend for myself now,
but right now, all I wanted was sleep to try and block out the dying screams of my friends. I laid
down and cried myself to sleep.

The sun shined brightly in the cave and woke me up, I wasn't too happy about that until
my stomach growled. I picked up the sais and slowly walked out of the cave, looking for a
prey, I'd seen the hunters in the village do this so I had an idea of what to do. I spotted a rabbit
and slowly stalked it until I stepped on a twig and it snapped, causing the rabbit to run off. I let
out a frustrated sigh, and looked for anything.

I seen a bird and decided to throw the sais at the bird. I heaved them at the same time,
and one hit the bird. I was so happy as the sais flew out of the tree with the bird in the middle of
the blade. I ran over to the bird and sais, as soon as I seen the bird I felt like throwing up. It
then hit me that I had killed a defenseless animal, just like those Youja had killed my Clan. I felt
another onslaught of tears coming.

I then began looking around for berries or fruit that grew on the trees in this forest. My
mother's best friend was the medicine woman, and she had told me of all the edible food in the
forest that she would gather for food and medicine. I seen some red berries and ran to examine
them. They were what the medicine lady used for food, I needed a basket to put these in so
after I ate a few a began gathering twigs and grasses to make a weaved basket.

A few hours later a had a suitable basket, just like my mother had taught me. 'She'd be
so proud of me.' I thought, then was on the verge of tears again. Every time I thought of my
mother or my Clan I would cry. I was a generally strong girl for my age, emotionally and
physically. Of course being the daughter of the Clan priestess and Clan leader, it was to be
expected. 'If they could only see me now, the others would probably laugh at me.' I thought
freely letting the tears flow from my eyes.

'Don't cry.' A soft voice told me. "Mother?" I said looking up from my crying. 'Yes
sweetheart, it's me.' Said the mental voice of my mother. 'Kayura, I will always be in your
heart, soul and mind. I will help you through this difficult time even though you can't see me.'
She told me. "How mother?" I asked, I could imagine her smiling at me. 'All in due time,
Kayura, all in due time.' She said before I could no longer feel her presence in my mind. 'She
said she'd always be with me no matter what, even if I can't, hear, see or feel her.' I thought. I
went to gather more berries for my basket, it wasn't the best basket but it would have to do
until I was older.

"Kayura, with your mother, Byakuen and I watching you, you will survive this ordeal."
Said a man with shoulder length white hair, a golden staff and a large hat covering his face. He
reached down to pet the large white tiger that was standing beside him. "Byakuen, I want you to
watch over my little girl while I go to fight Talpa."

The tiger nodded and ran off the hill the pair was standing on and into the forest, to
befriend the little girl, who was now all alone in the world. 'I hope she understands that I mean
her no harm.' Byakuen thought to himself. 'It would have been nice if I could talk, but ever
since Talpa had turned me into a white tiger.' Byakuen smirked the best he could, he then
looked around and seen Kayura. 'There she is.' He quit running and began walking, hoping he
wouldn't scare the child.

I hummed as I picked the berries and put them in my basket. That was when a very
large white tiger looked at me. My eyes widened in shock. "Please don't eat me Mister Tiger."
I said. To my surprise the tiger just walked over and layed beside my little feet. It looked up at
me with brown eyes. 'Brown eyes, tigers are suppossed to have blue eyes.' I thought. "Mister
Tiger, were you once a human?" I blurted out, without thinking. To my surprise it looked sad
and nodded. "Wow, aren't you going to eat me or anything?" The tiger shook it's head. I smiled
at the tiger. 'His name is Byakuen.' My mother's kind voice rang again. "Byakuen, what a
pretty name." I told it, I know knew it was a boy tiger. He heard my stomach growl because he
ran off and came back a very minutes later with a rabbit in it's mouth.

"Byakuen let's go home." I told the tiger, he followed me to the cave, after I picked up
the basket. I picked up some sticks and carried them with us, it would be the winter season
soon, Byakuen and I needed to stock up on fire wood.

After Byakuen helped me get a fire started I cooked the rabbit, then he went and found
the twin jitte I had left behind, Byakuen was nice enough to take the bird of of it, and clean the
jitte for me. Byakuen let me sleep against him, for some added shelter. I knew being a tiger, he
could sense any trouble, alot faster than I could.