I am currenty banned from the computer, so I may not post that such, since I have had to resort to writing it by hand (OH! The horror!!! ^^) Chapter 19 is almost finished, but like I said, it may be a while before it is typed and posted. But please don't lose interest in my story! It's not like I'm stopping it or anything... so keep watching!!!

A huge thankyou and hug to the people who have put my fanfic on their story alert! You're one of the reasons I write!!!

Disclaimer (cause I keep forgetting...): I do not own Inuyasha. Happy?

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"Rubi… the hanyou who travells with Sesshomaru, correct? Or should I say used to… and now you keep company with his brother. You really need to start choosing your companions better." A malicious voice seeped out of the baboon pelt.

Rubi's face contorted with rage. For some unknown reason, that insult ran deep, and set fire to her heart.

"Shut up!"

~ Remembering His Name ~

Rubi found that talking about it with Daichia actually had made the pain easier to bear. As she walked with Inuyasha's group through week after week, she found she could forget about her heartache for hours at a time. Nighttime was always the worst, as it gave her time to think. Thinking brought pain. And she needed to avoid pain at all costs, lest her companions think her weak.

Sitting by the crackling sunset-coloured fire that she had lit, Rubi talked with Daichia and Inuyasha. He had been telling the truth- he was nothing at all like his sibling. One obvious difference was that the hanyou actually had the ability to laugh.

Daichia and Inuyasha. Things were going so well for them. Rubi had learned that they were both a few years younger than twenty-one, the fire demoness's own age. The earth demoness was cradled in the inuyoukai's arms, and the two looked at each other with eyes brimming with love and tenderness. Rubi's body and mind longed for the touch of her true love, whomever that may be.

The peaceful silence was shattered by the sound of trees getting ripped apart. Everyone jumped up at once, and Rubi grabbed her staff and held it at the ready. Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsusaiga as it transformed from a rusty old sword into a shiny, lethal fang. Sango grabbed her boomerang, Miroku had his staff, and Daichia held her sword in her hands like her to-be mate.

Inuyasha took one sniff of the air and declared, "It's Naraku again!"

At those three words, Rubi felt faint.

In all the time she spent in her village, the one name the children were taught to fear the most was Naraku. A half-demon born from a human's thoughts of pure evil, the mothers used to tell stories of his deeds. Everyone, including Rubi, knew that he actually existed, but Rubi would never have thought she would encounter him in her life. She had been sorely mistaken.

"Na… Nara… Naraku?"

Inuyasha spared her a glance. "If you're gonna go all freaked out on us, you're going to have to leave."

"No," Rubi said, regaining her composure and lying. "I'm fine." She wouldn't be preceived as weak.

A demon baboon pelt with tenticles sprouting from below burst out of the cover of the trees. Sango flung her weapon at him immediately, and cut off a fair amount of tenticles. The severed limbs crumbled into dust.

"It's a demon puppet, an incarnation!" Daichia yelled, making Rubi feel much better. She had heard of these too, and they were much easier to fight than if Naraku himself was battling them.

The earth demoness leaped at the puppet and slashed with her deadly sword. Rubi slammed her hand to the ground and let a burning wall of fire fly straight it. And Inuyasha screamed,

"Wind Scar!" and rays of bright yellow light shot out of Tetsusaiga, slicing many tenticles off Naraku's demon puppet. The dog demon grinned and turned once again to face the maimed incarnation. But it had it's sights elsewhere.

"Rubi… the hanyou who travells with Sesshomaru, correct? Or should I say used to… and now you keep company with his brother. You really need to start choosing your companions better." A malicious voice seeped out of the baboon pelt.

Rubi's face contorted with rage. For some unknown reason, that insult ran deep, and set fire to her heart.

"Shut up!" she yelled and ran forward with her staff held outwards. The lethal spikes slashed the head off the pelt, and the entire body disintagrated into dust.

"Wow…" Inuyasha trailed off and everyone turned to stare at him, "I… didn't think you had it in you, Rubi."

"Hmmph," Rubi said, and half-smiled, half grimaced at the inuyoukai. "I'm a half demon too, yah know."

Inuyasha stood in the middle of the clearing, sheathed Tetsusaiga and looked thoughtful for a minute. And then he turned to Rubi and fixed her with a questioning gaze.

"You tried to kill yourself. You mope around the camp all day. And now you got really fired up over Naraku's words. What's up with you and Sesshomaru?"

"Inuyasha, I really don't think-" Daichia cut in, but Rubi then cut her off.

"No. You're my travelling companions now, so I guess you all have a right to know. I love Sesshomaru. Hard to believe, yeah," Rubi rolled her eyes darkly as she saw everyone minus Daichia look at her with ashtonished eyes. "But he's not what his cold, cruel mask says he is. Or, at least that's what I thought before…" Rubi gulped. "Before I actually told him."

Inuyasha visibly winced.

"Let's just say it… it didn't go well at all."

Miroku murmuered something inaduible, and Sango whispered,

"I'm sorry."

Inuyasha just shook his head. "It's a wonder you came out alive. How'd you do it?"

Daichia elbowed him disapprovingly. Rubi laughed darkly. "When he went into his big "I'm much too good for you" speech, I just ran."

The kasai youkai waved her hand over a spot on the dirt, and a crimson fire started, licking at the cool evening air. She sat down and hugged her knees to her chest, a gesture that she found she had been sinking into quite a lot lately. As everyone else sat around her in an uncomfortable silence, Rubi let her mind barrier slip and the thoughts came rushing back in. Would she ever see him again? Most likely, with a fifty thousand year life span.

"Rubi?"

Inuyasha's words cut through her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"You travel with us now, and you're my to-be mate's friend. I won't let that bastard get away with this."

Rubi's eyes widened. "Don't get yourself killed! And anyways… there is nothing anybody can do about it. It's my problem, my battle. I'll keep my honour and fight it."

"Hmm…" Inuyasha dipped his head to her.

The group of six were walking silently down a dirt path when an old man stumbled out into their path. His kimono was ripped and torn, and he fell into the first avaliable set of arms, which happened to be Daichia's.

"Uh… thank you, dear travel- demon!" and he pushed the earth demoness away with the little strength he had. But it was clear that he didn't have the strength to flee, and he sat on the dirt path, eyeing Daichia and trembling with fear.

"Don't be scared…" Daichia held out her hand comfortingly, while Rubi bent down and let her face contain a forced smile.

"Feh, we shouldn't be wasting our time with half-wit old men. We have jewel shards to collect!" and Inuyasha bounded a few yards down the path.

Miroku knelt down beside Rubi, and since he was clearly human, the man didn't shy away from him. "Hold on, Inuyasha… this may be important. What happened to put you into a state like this?"

"'Twas a demon," the old man started, "It attacked our village nought but a few days ago. Many cowards like me fled, but some dutiful men still hold the village, and refuse to leave. They fight the demon whenever it comes down from the hills…" and he fainted from lack of energy.

"Sounds like a demon with a shard of the sacred jewel to me!" Sango declared. "Let's check it out!"

Inuyasha walked back, looking doubtful. "If you say so… but I better not be wasting my time!"

"Don't worry, I'm quite sure this is what it sounds like!" Daichia assured him, and led the way to over the hills, where the man pointed.

The village was teeming with people, who looked much like they were building a great wooden wall. They, like the old man, immediately rushed the conclusion of the three half-demons being sent to kill them, but with pafication from both Sango and Miroku, they were finally able to accept the idea of demons helping them, if only as a way to get rid of the terrifying demon.

"So, when does this tiger demon usually come?" Rubi asked the man that looked like he was in charge of the building of the wall.

"'Bout sunset," he replied gruffly.

"Hmm," she said, dipping her head to him. "We'll make sure to be ready by then."

When a fiery red and gold sunset came, a huge tiger demon came with it. As tall as any demon's true form, it's huge striped paws made craters in the soft earth as it lumbered towards the village. The village people immediately started screaming and throwing dull spears.

"No! Stay back and do nothing!" Rubi yelled, one hand held back in a warning gesture.

Sango leaped onto Kirara's back and the pair flew up into the flaming sky. She flung her giant boomerang at the huge cat, and it opened it's mouth. Golden fire burst out, propelling the demon slayer's weapon in the other direction. Sango just managed to get a hold on it as it was flung back at her.

Inuyasha and Daichia attacked next, but the golden fire kept them at bay, and singed their clothes.

"Rubi!" Daichia called, "You're immune to fire's heat, correct? Then you try!"

"Okay, fine by me!" the fire youkai said as she jumped towards the demon with her staff held in front of her body. The fire was breathed at her as well, and burning pain was felt in both her legs.

"I'm not immune to whatever this is!" Rubi yelled as she backflipped back onto the ground. Her legs still hurt slightly, but the demon blood within her gave her new strength. But if I get hit with that fire a few more times, I'll definitly be out of comission.

"Hey!" Miroku said suddenly, "What's that imbedded in it's forehead?"

Rubi looked up, and could see a glint of purple with her demonic eyesight. "A shikon shard!"

Inuyasha grinned. "Huh, so that's where you've been getting all your power! I'll just have to take it from you!"

He leaped into the air, using the Tetsusaiga as a shield from the fire, and landed on the demon's forehead. It tossed and turned it's head, but the hanyou held on tight, and managed to scrape the jewel shard out with his claws. The sparkling crystal shard spiraled out of his grasp and down to earth. Rubi raced to where it was about to land and caught the shard, opening her hand and examining the small piece of the shikon jewel.

This… this jewel is so powerful. Even a shard this small could be used to make me a full-blooded demon. Maybe, just maybe I could-

"I'll be taking that."

Inuyasha had come up behind her and snatched the jewel out of her hand. Rubi shook her head slightly, as if clearing it.

"Yeah… yeah, you take it."

"Hmm. Let's get going then!" Sango started walking out of the village.

The rest of the group followed her lead, with the villagers yells of thanks echoing after them.

- End