"So monk-"I started, but was quickly cut across.
"It's Miroku actually. I would appreciate using names if we are to be partners." He smiled at me and I got the distinct feeling that the word "partners" didn't mean the same thing to him that it meant to me.
"Yeah…err-Miroku, so are you certain that Inuyasha is bound to the tree of ages? Could there be some mistake there?" I stopped walking and turned, expectantly, towards the monk in the dark purple robes, waiting for a response that would give me some hope. He just shook his head and said
"I am one hundred percent certain that the Inuyasha you seek is the very half demon that is bound to the tree of ages. Lady Kikyo did it because he had tried to steal the demon stone." He paused when I looked puzzled, realizing I would have no idea what that was. I had taken an entire day's walk to explain my story to him and he was just starting to comprehend my need to find Inuyasha. "The demon stone is a stone that grants the true desires of the wielder. If it got into the wrong hands, the darkness inside that person's or demon's heart, no matter how good they were, would take over the crystal and turn it evil. No one wants that to happen so…" He trailed off when he realized that I was no longer paying attention; my eyes were set ahead of me but not really seeing. I was only thinking of why Inuyasha could possibly have wanted to steal something like that. There was no way I could believe he did it for evil purposes; Inuyasha didn't have it in him to be bad. Not when I knew him. After about two hours of walking in silence, I could not, would not accept that Inuyasha had stolen the stone for any bad purpose, there had to be a valid reason. I would find out soon enough, we had arrived on the boarder of the village where the tree of ages rested. "Ayami?" my concentration was broken by Miroku's voice, he sounded concerned. "Ayami, we are here, can you please snap out of it so we can ask for directions?"
My eyes snapped to his face and I scowled at him. "You cannot ask for directions yourself? Men…worthless…stupid monk…" I murmured as I stalked off towards a small shop with some village folk in front of it. I raised a hand to them, showing I meant no harm, as they eyed me and my monkey friend walking closer to them. "We were wondering how to get to the tree of ages. Can you point us in the right direction?" They merely stared at us. I sighed when I realized they were going to be of no help to us, and I thanked them and moved on. I turned to Miroku. "We might just have to find it on our own."
"Well, I am assuming it is near the temple because lady Kikyo shot Inuyasha from the top step-" He couldn't finish his thought because a small person jumped out in front of us and begin tugging on my kimono. (I had yet to find a proper outfit for me to wear but the monk insisted on getting me out of my torn old rag of a kimono and into a newer one, which he bribed off of a young woman using methods I would consider very inappropriate.) The child, a young boy, no older than six, began pulling us towards the temple in the distance. When we didn't budge he looked up at us expectantly.
"I know tree of ages. Follow." He didn't speak well for a child that was so old. I didn't complain, and began jogging after his energy filled run, the monk keeping up a leisurely speed at my side. I thought about tripping him, but that wouldn't be a nice thing to do, not in front of the child. It took only about a minute to reach the base of the stairs which led to the temple.
"Thanks kid, but we could have made it to the temple by ourselves." Miroku stated, clearly annoyed that we were not at the tree of ages. The boy cocked his head at the monk and frowned.
"This not tree old man. That tree!" He turned to face the woods adjacent to the temple. Almost further than the eye could see, stood a large and very old looking tree with vines all around it and a small clearing surrounding its base. The boy ran behind me and began pushing on my legs, pushing me towards the woods, towards the tree. "I no go. You, you will go." And then he ceased the pressure on my legs and took off towards the village, not stopping once to look back at us.
"Hmm, strange child." The monk chided. I paid no attention for I was running full speed towards the barely visible tree. It took me less than thirty seconds to reach the base. I bent over my knees, catching my breath. Once I was certain my lungs would hold, I straightened out, the same moment that Miroku appeared beside me. I heard a gasp from him, but I assumed the shock of seeing someone attached to a tree would be immense, even if the person was a half demon. I opened my eyes slowly at first and then, when I could no longer stand the anxiety that was washing over me; I pulled my eyes fully open and stared at the tree of ages. The tree where my best friend had been bound for fifty years while I was turned to stone, I stared blankly at an empty tree. Nothing was left. If Inuyasha had been here, he was not here anymore. Suddenly a great swell of grief washed over me and I slumped to the ground, big tears swelling from my open eyes. As Miroku bent down to wrap his arms around my stiff shoulders, thick globs of rain started to fall from the sky which had been sunny just a few moments earlier. Miroku momentarily withdrew his arms from my shoulder, though I didn't notice, as he tried to connect the two events. After a few minutes of silence, he replaced his arms and leaned into me, whispering into my ear that it would all be alright, and we would find Inuyasha. Miroku swore to me in this quiet moment, in the rain, while I was silently sobbing, that he would reunite me with my long lost best friend. I nodded numbly, not sure if that was ever going to happen, seeming as my nearly 55 year journey had yielded no results so far. I just sat there, staring at the tree of ages where my best friend was supposed to be, wondering where he was now.
A/N: sorry about the first couple chapters where there were really awful grammar mistakes, I tried to make it better in this chapter, probably didn't do much better. Also, the main character's name is Ayami Hiwatari, sorry for the minor confusion in the first chapter where her name suddenly switched to Saori. That was probably the name of a character from another fanfic I was writing at the time. Anyway, enjoy and reviews would be awesome!