Chapter 3
InuYasha hadn't changed much. Except that there was a kind of deep sadness, a loneliness which no one could heal, no one could understand. Except, maybe her…
"Keh, you little brat! You should be more grateful. We could have just left you there to die!" InuYasha retorted. Huh, he's also a lot more bitter and sarcastic, Kiki realized.
"Child, how do you know me?" Kaede asked. This child, had an extremely familiar feel to her. Almost like sister Kikyo, Kaede thought silently.
Kiki paused for a second before quickly, too quickly responding, "Uhhh…I've heard of this village before. Your name is rather well-known, you know. In fact, this entire group is well known for defeating Naraku." She quickly shot a look at InuYasha, then glanced away.
"You? You're waay too young to know anything about Naraku," InuYasha glared. The girl was getting on his nerves, for some strange reason…
"Now now, InuYasha. There's no need to become irritated," Miroku reasoned. "You seem to have a slight accent, although your Japanese is quite fluent…which region of Japan do you come from?"
Ha! Kiki thought triumphantly. There is no way they can suspect me of being Kikyo, or anything related to Kagome now! Of course, I am really desperate. Mother would first kill me for having come here, and then kill me twice over if InuYasha found out about them…especially about mother, and what the family had been going through…yikes…she would kill me a third time if she knew what happened to Kaya! Kiki shivered. "Uhmmm…actually, I do come from a different country…my whole family is from China…" she rattled off.
"Eh, China?! That's really far away! It takes a really long time to travel from here to there by foot!" Sango protested. There is no way…she thought. Children would be unable to make it the whole way.
"Indeed, it takes a very long time to travel that length of distance," agreed Miroku. How intriguing, he thought to himself. "But what is your purpose for traveling here?" Kiki inconspicuously paled, Miroku noted.
"Hah. I was kind of just exploring. And looking for people. But right now I'm looking for my sister Kaya…" trailing off, she glanced speculatively at the group. "You probably wouldn't have heard or met anyone by that name?" she asked, hope glowing in her eyes. "Maybe a little black, winged creature?" I hope if they did, they saw Kaya in her dragon form…but if they didn't, I hope she had her mask on…
"So you wouldn't happen to be also looking for your mother, correct?" Sango murmured. She noticed the surprise and worry in Kiki's eyes.
Miroku, also noticing the flicker of emotion and pressured her. "So I think your mother is actually around here, looking for you. She's not in China, but here."
InuYasha, quickly becoming frustrated and confused by Sango and Miroku's questioning, finally demanded, "Ok, someone please tell me what you guys are talking about, or what you're getting at." Suddenly, Miroku leaves Sango to continue chatting with Kiki and creeps to InuYasha. "Well, InuYasha, you thought Kiki had some things in common with Kikyo, right? Somehow, I get the feeling that her mother might be that woman who called herself Kagome," he whispered. Then suddenly, he pointed at a strange symbol on Kiki's hand. "Look, that symbol was on that woman's hand, too. That can't be a coincidence. So I think, that if this girl has anything to do with Kikyo and the graves, we should get closer to her." "Fool," InuYasha whispered harshly. "There is no way this girl could know anything." Miroku started once more. "How do you know? First of all, she knows Kaede. Second, you thought her blood smelled like Kikyo's. Also, you think she smells exactly like Kikyo. So I think, we need to get closer to her and her family." Grumbling, InuYasha thought to himself how that was actually true. So what if, becoming closer to this group, would lead to an answer about the graves?
"Alright then, Kiki, we'll be helping you look for your sister," Miroku declared. Startled once again, Kiki nodded hurriedly. Somehow, I get the feeling that they're up to something, she thought to herself.