Taro walked down the desolate road. Sango and Miroku stay back in the village area hoping to find survivors and left Taro on his own. Everything here unsettled him; he didn't think that what he had learned from history about the feudal era actually applied to his situation. The only comfort he found was in the sword that hung from his side. A breeze flew through his hair which he just then realized was at his midback. "What is wrong with my hair?" Taro exclaimed.
"It's adjusting to who you are in this time." He turned and saw it was the girl from yesterday.
"It's you! What do you mean?" Taro said.
She merely giggled, "I'm assuming that your father had long hair too. So you in this time if you were raised here you hair would be this long."
Her hands brushed through his hair which caused chills to run up his spine. "Would you not do that?" Taro asked.
She merely pressed her face to it and replied. "It's just it's so soft."
Taro started continue walking down the road pulling his hair from her grasp, Shini merely followed. "I would love to talk it's just that I have business to take care of." Taro said apologetically.
"I know, you need to find your father and who he was. I just wanted to warn you that that mountain is covered with demons. I thought I could maybe help."
Taro was surprised but he was grateful for the help, "It would help if you also would tell me how thing work in this time." She nodded and they continued walking.
"As you know the demon –human is still going on but the human's have basically lost, I care for the humans because my father was helped by human and raised a good part of his life by one. Right now we are in demon territory." She explained.
Taro nodded as they continued walking. "What is the social ladder here?" he asked.
"Full-blooded demons are at the top, then royals, then half demons, then humans."
"Why help human's if you're at the top?"
"Because humans feel more that demons. Also I find they're friendlier."
Taro and Shini walked and talked till noon where they rested. Taro's eyes moved to the mountain range. "I wonder, if my father even knows I exist." Shini was about to reply when something came out from the bushes, Taro leaped to his feet ready then saw it was the boy was friendly.
"Nice to see you caught up with us." Shini laughed.
"Ha Ha. Very funny." He replied obviously not amused.
"Taro this is Okono, he is the son of a demon slayer he is also going to help." Shini giggled.
"There is absolutely nothing that can dampen your mood is there Shini?" Okono stated. Then Shini nodded her head no. At that Taro couldn't help but laugh.
"We should move on." Taro stated. The other two nodded in unison. The tracked down the road for a couple hours then Taro's head wonders to other places. Taro was brought back as Shini started tugging at his shirt.
"Taro." Okono exclaimed. Taro managed to dodge an attack that came out of the trees. Taro pulled out his sword. The demon was huge in muscle mass but fast at the same time.
"What is a human doing in demon territory?" he growled then threw his head back and laughed.
Taro felt something burn inside him. "I go where I want." Taro yelled. Both Okono's and Shini's eyes turned wide eyed toward him.
"You talk big, but do you fight as good." The demon suddenly was behind him and punched his back causing him to fall forward. "I hope so, for the sake of your girlfriend." Taro saw Shini's face turn red. Taro got to his feet and ran toward the demon.
"Let's find out." Taro's sword sliced into one of the beefy arms which caused the monster yell out in pain.
"You know what human you look like someone I saw in a battle, too bad he didn't die by my hand." The demon yelled. It sprinted at Taro which Taro barely dodged. I need to be invisible, but how? Taro thought to himself. Then as if he read Taro's thoughts Okono ordered Shini to put up a cloud of gas.
"Now the odds are even." Taro listened for the demon's movement then he caught a moving of dirt. That was where Taro struck his sword into after a few moments the cloud lifted and Taro saw that his sword was in contacted with another and then his blade was thrown back. When he looked up and there was a hooded figure in front of the demon.
The demon looked surprised, "There will be no bloodshed." The figure pointed the sword at Taro and faced the demon. "Call the others and wait."
The demon nodded and said, "Good to see you still alive, boss. I'll get the wolves will be glad to see you." He then sped off in the direction of the mountain. Then slowly the figure's face turned to them.
Slowly the figure pulled back the hood and mask and a girl with mocking smile showed itself. "Shini, Okono, what are you doing in this territory?"
Taro saw a blush bloom on Okono's cheeks. Shini merely ran and hugged the girl, "We're off to Battlefield Mountain." Suddenly the smile disappeared on her face.
"Why?" she said grimly, "There's nothing but death and gore there."
"He needs to go there." Shini said while pointing at Taro.
The girl's face turned toward Taro and she slowly lowered the sword. "I remember from two days past, you helped free me from Sesshomaru's dungeon…the eavesdropper."
Taro face burned up once more. "I was just curious, it's in my nature."
She chuckled then continued, "What business do you have there, and why were you fighting one of my men."
"Your man?" Taro stuttered. She nodded.
Then Shini leaned over to Taro and whispered, "She is the leader of a group of demons that run around doing the demon's dirty work, at least until recently."
"I am looking for my father." Taro said. Her eyebrow rose and then fell.
"You obviously don't know very much." She said dryly. "There's nothing there except for corpses."
"Well if it's so dangerous why don't you come with us?" Shini said as sweet as she could.
She sighed and replied, "I have job, to keep the human villages in order. I will no longer fight or kill for the demons but I will perform my job of keep the villagers in order." She started away from them pulling up her hood.
"Your father was sited not far from Battlefield Mountain…alive." Okono stated. Her face turned stern.
"Are you serious?" she asked hopeful, and Okono nodded. "Fine, I'll help you get to Battlefield Mountain."
"One problem I don't know your name." Taro said.
"Cat, call me Cat." She replied.
The group walked down the road in an awkward silence and everyone seemed to notice except for Cat who just kept walking with great determination. Taro was eventually distracted by another shadow in the trees. He squinted his eyes to see the shadow better when he realized he had started wondering from the road. "Taro! Come on!" Cat yelled. They were far down the road and ran to catch up to him and as he ran the figure's eyes followed him down the road.
Slowly the group neared the village, but what was there was nothing. Cat went from hut to hut looking for some form of something living. After checking the last hut Cat came out and growled, "Wolf demons, they're the only ones who pillage villages for fun. Though I never understood why."
A shadow moved to another shadow and then another and then chuckled, "Whiteso, how did you find the Black Cat?"
Taro turned his head to where the voice came from while thinking, That voice! The shadow stepped out of the shadows to reveal the one and only Toshio.
"Toshio? Where in the world have you been for the past few years?" Cat said getting up in his face. "Also how do you know Taro?"
"Cat, I was in another era. The one Taro came from. How have you been, heard you're in a bit of trouble with Sesshomaru." Toshio said walking up to Cat.
"Yes, I found what happened to my father. But your father how is he?" Cat continued.
"Is it just me or are they having a conversation?" Taro asked then Shini and Okono wagged their heads no.
"He was fine last I checked." Toshio replied.
"Toshio, you really should go see your father. He's been worried about you especially you mom. Plus we have to get going anyways." Cat said obviously uncomfortable.
Slowly Toshio turned around to start running then he remarked, "Whiteso, take care of my friend. Got it?" Then he sped off into the distance.
"Better get moving, something's about to happen and it's not going to be good." Cat said staring at Battlefield Mountain.