Chapter four. A long one. Just for you. I hope you all enjoy it. (I'm changing Queen Serenity's silver millennium time and Feudal Era around to fit my story line, so the Fuedal era came before the Silver Millennium, just so you know and are not confused)

HOWL AT THE MOON

CHAPTER 4: THE FIRE PRIESTESS'S PAST


Inuyasha set Raye down just outside of Kaede's hut and told her Kagome was inside. Raye gathered her composure before she walked inside. She was expecting Kagome to be the in the middle of the hut lying on the ground either past out or in pain. She was not expecting two people lying on the ground in pain. The second figure was wearing long black robes and he had short black hair. A golden staff with rings lay next to him.

"A monk? What happened to them?" she asked kneeling in between them. She checked their pulses and then their foreheads for fevers. Pulses were slow, but luckily no fever.

"Kagome was pierced with a poison arrow and in an attempt to save her, so was Miroku." explained the demon slayer woman. Raye looked both of them over and then assessed the reactions to the poison.

"I need hot water, clean cloths, healing salves, ink and parchment. She's been poisoned by oil meant to weaken the body to make it look like the body has died. Kagome and Miroku are both fighting it. I'm assuming who ever was pissed off intended for you to think they were dead and bury them alive. Tending to the wounds and then putting a little fire prayer on it should take care of the problem. I'm lucky I came when I did, I don't think they would have managed to last much longer." explained Raye.

"How can you be so calm?" asked Inuyasha, who was kneeling on the other side of Kagome holding her hand."They're dying and you're not even rushing to help them. How can Kagome rely on you?" Raye stood up and put her hands on her hips. Her temper rising.

"I do believe I asked you to get the things I need to help them, why are you not on all fours fetching these things? Do you not want them to survive? You kidnap me to help them, now get your ass moving and get what I need." Raye knelt back down and propped both their heads up with something comfortable. Kaede brought her ink and parchment. Raye started writing a few insignias of fire and protection. Sango heated up water and Kaede and Inuayasha came back with cloths and healing salves. With all that Raye waited a bit for the water to heat up. After it was warm enough, she started with Kagome and cleaned her wound as beast she could.

"Kagome, this is going to sting, but it'll burn the infection away." She took the parchments and placed them on her skin and began to start chanting. "Great fire of mars, heal this wound, destroy the evil that plagues this soul and body." She lifted the parchment and the skin was no longer black. She put on the salve and then re-bandaged the wounds.

"Is every alright? Is she OK?" asked Inuyasha. Raye nodded and moved to Miroku.

"She will be fine now. Give her time to rest. Now where is Miroku's wound?" Raye searched him over and then gave Sango a questioning look.

"His hand. It was curse by a demon many decades ago through the males in his family. We all call it the wind tunnel. Its a black hole that sucks everything in its path in. He had sucked in all but one of the arrows into his hand. until recently we thought it was only Naraku's poison that could hurt him, but maybe not...unless this is his as well." Sango looked down at Miroku's face as his eyebrows burrowed in pain. "Can you still help him?"

"Yes, I believe so. It'll be more difficult but I don't see it being a problem."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Maybe in the mean time while I'm trying to heal him, someone could fill me in on what's going on?" She wrote on more parchment.

"It started 50 years ago..." started Inuyasha, who was still looking down at Kagome's face.


"Raye?" asked Kagome, opening her eyes just before sunset. She turned her head and looked at her cousin who was kneeling between she and Miroku. Both were out cold, resting, which was what she was wishing she was doing. It had been a long and tiring time trying to get the poison out of Miroku since his was taken in my the wind tunnel, but after nearly an hour or two she managed to finally expel it from his body. She was watching over them as Kaede and Inuyasha were sitting on the other side of Kagome and Sango and Shippo were on the other side of Miroku. Once in a while other villagers would peak in their heads and bring in food and water.

"Kagome, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Raye said softly. Kagome turned her head to Raye's voice and looked at her.

"I feel much better, thank you. I'm so glad Inuyasha was able to get you." Kagome tried to sit up but Inuyasha caught her just as her elbows gave out from the pain in her shoulder.

"You still need to relax Kagome, you still have a wound from the arrow." Inuyasha said, scooting under her so she could lean back on him but still be propped up as well.

"Nnnnnnnn." Came a groan from Miroku. Everyone turned and looked at him.

"Miroku, are you alright?" asked Sango. Shippo placed both of his paw like hands on Miroku's forehead and looked down at him.

"Raye saved you Miroku. She took out the poison in your body." The little fox demon said to him. Miroku groaned again and the Sango screeched and slapped the monk across the face. Raye gave her a confused look, Sango ignored it and went on to scolding the seemingly out monk.

"Mioku you pig! You? You? You asshole!"

"I am wounded Sango, you should be helping me to heal." His voice held its own little smirk. His eyes still closed. "Oh how I missed those curves.

"MIROKU!" Raye now witnessed to loudest slap she'd ever heard. Even louder than the one she heard Serena give Darien when he finally came clean about him and Amy.

"Serena! I can't believe I forgot about her!" said Raye with a gasp. Kagome looked just as confused as everyone else. "She's my friend and I just left her at your party."

"My party? What party?" asked the wounded girl.

"Your mother invited your family over for a surprise birthday party for you today. I brought my friend Serena with me so I didn't have to deal with grandfather. Inuyasha kidnapped me in the middle of waiting to yell surprise to you."

"I didn't kidnap you! You were needed so I came to get you!" snapped Inuyasha.

"You kidnapped me! You pushed me in that well. If you didn't kidnap me then you sure as hell didn't have my permission at the very least!"

"Inuyasha! You pushed her into the well?" Kagome asked astounded. "And you didn't kill him?" she asked turning to her cousin.

"She was being stupid, looking for you on the floor of the otherside of the well, not actually in the well like I had indicated."

"You didn't indicate she was in the well. You said she was on the other side of the well, so like any other normal person, I assumed on the OTHER SIDE of the well on the floor!"

"Hey I know you." said Miroku, cutting in between Inuasha and Raye's banter. Raye and everyone else looked at him with surprise and confusion. "You're the priestess of mars. The goddess of the fire planet."

"What? How did you know I was her?" Raye asked him, her focus on Miroku, her anger completely forgotten about Inuyasha.

"My grandfather told me stories about you. I heard your prayers when you were helping me before, I just remembered now where I learned the stories. My grandfather didn't say much except that her beauty was exquisite and that she had the temper of demon god. Some stories mixed you with a vengeful goddess, or a demon of darkness. Some feared you, some praised you."

"But how do you know that's me?"

"My father had scrolls past down, you are painted on them."

Raye thought long and hard, she never heard of such stories about her, but they made sense. As Inuyasha had made mention before she was in the feudal era japan, they could have easily worshiped her. Just like people worshiped the moon in the time Darien ruled in his past life...maybe Miroku was talking of her mother. Her real mother. That made even better sense...but it left gaps...

"Do you have these scrolls?" she asked him.

"Yes, they stay in my grandfather's temple. It's a mere two day journey."

"I'd like to see them."

"Of course."

"How do you have magic?" asked Shippo.

"What?"

"Your power of healing, incantations, power of fire. How do you have that?" Raye noted that he was a child and would automatically be the first to be curious. She looked at Kagome, you was watching her back. They all were.

"I'm Sailor Mars."

"You're Sailor Mars?" exclaimed Kagome in shock. Raye nodded.

"You're part of the Sailor Scouts? That is amazing!" Kagome's face was plastered with a big smile. "Tell me all about it." Raye sighed and went into detail about she and her friends, about her home true home being the planet Mars, her alliance to the ruling moon kingdom, Serena being the moon princess, and everything in between.

"The Moon princess?" asked Inuyasha.

"Yes, Serena. She's the moon princess. I'm the princess of mars. Do you I have to spell it out for you?" she asked him.

"Raye, I think he's questioning it because he becomes human when the moon disappears for three days. I think he's intrigued." said Sango.

"Oh, well you can meet her. She must be worried about me."

"I can take you back."

"Thank you." A beeping sounded from Raye's pocket. She pulled out her communicator and set it on the floor. A hologram image of Trista showed up, just a few inches tall. Everyone who was in the room, not including Raye, gave a startled jump back and a gasp. Miroku was able to sit up on his own, he was next to Sango and Shippo, and Kagome was still in Inuyasha's arms next to Kaede.

"Trista! How are you?"

"Raye, I sensed that you and Serena were no longer in our time. You completely disappeared from it. Where are you?" The hologram picture of Trista asked. Everyone went quiet as they listened to Raye and she speak.

"I'm in the feudal era." Raye briefed her about the situation.

"I was hoping this would happen soon."

"What do you mean?"

"You were meant for this time. You and Serena were meant to be in feudal era. Your destiny was meant to lead you here. There is something you and Serena do not know." The hologram looked around. "Where is Serena?"

"She's back in our time."

"I felt her disappear as well." Raye thought for a moment.

"She must have seen Inuyasha and I go down the well and followed. It's the only logical explanation."

"But how? With out the Shikon Jewel..." Inuyasha started asking.

"The moon crystal gave her power to travel to the feudal era. Raye there is much you do not know. About your pasts, about your mother's past, and Queen Serenity's." said Trista.

"Wait, what about Serena?" asked Raye.

"I can go look for her." responded Sango. Miroku stood up after her.

"We'll go look for her. I am strong enough." Sango nodded to him. "She can't be hard to find. She'll be easy to spot, she'll look like an outsider. It's almost dark so we should leave now. Come on Kirara." The demon hunter, Monk, and cat demon left the hut.

"Raye, I must explain to you about the past." said Trista, grabbing Raye's attention again. When she noticed that she had Raye's attention she continued. "Queen Serenity and your Mother, were the oldest living Queen's of the nine planets. They were different. Goddesses if you must. They are the strongest. Feudal era Japan recognized them over the rest of the other planets. This was all before the Silver Millennium was created and you and the princesses came into existence. You're mother was known as the Fire Priestess. The Goddess of Mars, the ruler of the dark. She was not considered evil, she is was still a good goddess. Her power was just recognized with the dark. Queen Serenity was as she always was, the goddess of the moon, ruler of the light. Well one day, a demon came forth. It ravaged villages, killed many people. It was only known as the dark demon. It was a very powerful demon. Villagers prayed to the goddess to destroy the demon. Hearing their prayers, they fought it. Coming down from the heavens, they fought to the best of their abilities, but they were unable to destroy it. You're mother in the end was able to seal it away inside the earth and by the power of Queen Serenity, she put a large lake over it. Things remained silent and good since then, no real battles or danger past the regular demons, or wars that man created. The battle with the dark demon slowly was forgotten, becoming a legend and so your mother and Queen Serenity became a distant story to these people, and the kingdoms on the moon and mars flourished in their own world of existence. The other planets were created and everything changed. Time changed here on earth and the earth kingdom was created and both queens moved on to follow what was changing. You and the other princesses were born, the court was made and new enemies appeared and from there you know. Queen Beryl came and destroyed everything."

"Why didn't you ever tell Serena and I this?"

"Because it was not time yet. I didn't know exactly when the feudal era would pull you back into its time to play your part. There is one more thing. You and Serena were meant to stay here...this is to become your home."

"What?" she asked nearly screamed asking.


I'm sorry that this was so much longer than the other chapters, i really got into this one. I wanted to add more details, to fill in the time of Raye was doing at the same time Serena was running around looking for her and finding Sesshomaru and the others. Well I hope you like this chapter and I hope you continue to read on.