Me: Lookie, lookie! I finally updated! Sorry to keep you all waiting for… let's see… nine months! I wonder if you're even still around (glances from side to side). This chapter – even longer than the last! I thought I'd use it for some character interaction time. Hope you like it.

Oh, and CharmedP5, "-kun" is usually used to show closeness with boys, while "-chan" is usually used for girls. "-sama" is just as you said, for someone higher up you respect. The same can also be said about Amidamaru's "-dono", a sort of older form of "-sama" I think. I think.

To "some person", I really wasn't considering a love triangle. I'm not sure how appropriate that would be. If there appear to be any weird hints or whatever though, feel free to interpret them as you like.

Disclaimer: "Shaman King" is property of Hiroyuki Takei, TV Tokyo, Viz, etc.
"InuYasha" is property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise, Yomiuri TV, Viz, etc.

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Chapter 4: Itako no Anna to Taiji-ya no Sango

So here they were again, everyone explaining to the newcomers what exactly was going on around here. The shamans and company sat at one side of Kaede's home, while Inuyasha-tachi was at the other.

"Whoa, I can't believe we've gone back in time!" Horohoro exclaimed.

"This is truly incredible," Ryu added.

Inuyasha's brow twitched. "Kagome, why do you keep bringing other people with you from your time?"

"It's not like I wanted to," she protested. "It just happened."

Something occurred to Miroku when he heard this. "By the way Kagome-sama, why did you come back in the first place? I thought you wanted to go home."

"Oh, right!" Kagome brought her bag around in front of her, digging down in it. "When I got home, I realized that I had a stowaway."

Shippo got up to look in Kagome's bag. "A stowaway?"

Out of her bag, Kagome pulled out a bottle with what looked like a rat inside. "This rat youkai jumped out of my bag when I got home."

"A youkai?" Horohoro's eyes boggled at the unfamiliar creature.

Manta waved his hand with the palm facing downwards. "There's a lot that needs explaining."

"Anyway, Sango-chan, could you take care of it? Make sure it can't get back into the village or anything like that." Kagome held the jar out to her.

"Sure." Sango got up and took the occupied container from Kagome, picking up some of her things before heading outside.

"Why let her take it?" Horohoro asked ignorantly. "From what I've seen, that guy could take care of that thing in one shot." He pointed at Inuyasha.

Kagome replied, "Well, the youkai isn't really bothering anyone, so we don't have to kill it. Sango-chan being a taiji-ya, she can make sure it's out of the way without hurting it."

"A taiji-ya?" Ryu raised an eyebrow.

"A youkai taiji-ya," Kagome clarified.

"Hm." Ren looked up at them. "You're all really a strange group. A houshi, miko, taiji-ya, kitsune, neko-youkai, and a hanyou. How in the world did you all meet?"

"Wha?" Horohoro's eyes widened. "How did you know what all of them were?"

Ren closed his eyes. "It's obvious if you take the time to examine them closely."

Horohoro's eyes narrowed. "Says you."

"I suppose we can tell the rest of you what's happening in this era," Miroku said.

Inuyasha made a face. "Great, not this again."

So the gang prattled on about their situations respectively. A certain itako however had already heard what she needed to know, and wasn't interested in listening to it again. Rather, she managed to tune out the chatter, and focused on something else that was on her mind. Her eyes shifted when Sango returned from her task in the midst of the group's conversation. Anna had heard the taiji-ya's story from before – and she could tell it bothered her at the time. Losing her whole village and family to a youkai like Naraku – then having her dead younger brother turned against her. How despicable…

"Hey, wait a minute," Horohoro spoke up. "This Naraku guy you're talking about reminds me of someone… hm…" The Ainu tilted his head upwards and scratched the back of his head in thought.

Anna completed the thought for him. "I think you mean Hao."

"Hao?" the others exclaimed rather loudly.

"Wait, that's right," Manta said. "We're five-hundred years back in the past, right? That means the Hao from five-hundred years ago is living right now in Patch Village!"

Lyserg, who had been relatively quiet up to this point, just had the need to say something now. His body tensed up as he exclaimed, "Hao's alive?"

Ren had a hand placed under his chin. "But if he's the Hao from the past, then doesn't that mean he doesn't have the Spirit of Fire yet?"

"You're right!" Ryu made a fist. "So maybe we can stop him before he does!"

Manta was apprehensive with this theory. "But how are you going to do that?"

"They aren't." The itako had bluntly stomped on the shamans' plan.

"What do you mean we aren't?" Horohoro frowned at the girl. "If we have a chance to stop Hao before he gets the spirit, he can't cause any harm in the future!"

Horohoro had unwittingly caused Lyserg to bring up the memory of his parents; the good and the bad. Lyserg shrunk back into his seat, sorrow crossing his features.

"Don't be stupid," Anna stated flatly. "Hao's in Patch Village, which is in America. Just how do you expect to get there?"

"Er-" To this, Horohoro couldn't find anything to say in response. 'Darn, she just has to be right about everything, doesn't she?'

"Hn…" Manta glanced at Yoh sitting next to him. "I guess we can't do anything about Hao now then, can we?"

"It can't be helped," Yoh replied with a slight carefree grin. "We'll just have to deal with him back in our time."

"Um, excuse me," Miroku tried to attract the other group's attention, "but who's this Hao person?"

"He's Yoh-kun's older brother," Manta explained. "He's a shaman too."

"Except he doesn't care for humans," Horohoro pointed out.

Ren elaborated by adding, "He wants to destroy all humans and useless shaman to create a Shaman Kingdom."

Kagome's eyes widened. "He wants to what?" After all, she belonged to the same time they did.

Ryu put a hand to his chest. "Do not worry, Kagome!" he said with confidence. "Danna will take care of everything, and we'll be with him all the way!"

"Um… okay…" Kagome thought that Ryu's 'enthusiasm' strangely resembled that of Miroku's.

"Hm…" Speaking of Miroku, the monk was in the midst of thinking. "An older brother who dislikes humans…"

"Useless youkai…" Sango seemed to be pondering along the same lines.

"Sounds like someone familiar." Shippo gazed up at the hanyou. "Don't you think so, Inuyasha?"

The white-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Miroku pat his fist into his other hand's palm. "He sounds like Sesshomaru!"

"Sesshomaru is Inuyasha's older brother," Kagome clarified for the newcomers. "Unlike Inuyasha though, Sesshomaru is a full youkai."

Manta gave a half smile. "It seems we all have sibling problems."

"Except for Ren over here," Ryu smirked. "He looooves his older sister Jun. Personally, I don't blame him."

At this, Ren's face went a nice shade of red. "Shut up!" He raised a threatening fist up at the older shaman.

Horohoro hugged his stomach with one arm as he laughed, while pointing a finger at Ren with the other. "Look at how embarrassed he is! Hahahahaha!"

"Kisama!" Ren stamped his foot against the floor as he prepared to get up and confront the mocking Ainu.

"I'm sure your sister cares a lot about you too, Ren-kun."

Everyone else in the room paused to search for the speaker of this admirable sentence. Their sights found Sango, sitting placidly amongst them.

With a soft smile she added, "She must worry sometimes when you participate in these fights of yours."

Ren miraculously lost the ability to say anything in response. So instead, in a flustered state, he sat back down in his place and folded his arms irritably.

The Ainu shaman grinned before letting out a sigh. "I think Pilika worries about me too. She wants me to win, but also looks out for my safety. And then there are those training programs she comes up with to try and help me. I mean, training's one thing, but the stuff she comes up with," he smirked, "it's about as bad as –"

"As bad as who?" Anna sent him a wicked glare.

"Um – er – n-no one in particular," Horohoro sweated.

Ryu heaved a great breath of air. "All of you have these siblings except me."

"Don't feel so bad, Ryu," Miroku piped up. "I myself am without brothers of sisters."

Shippo leaped unto the monk's shoulder. "Me too!"

"Ah – really?" The eldest shaman's eyes lit up.

"We can be the only-child club!" Shippo laughed, to which Miroku joined in as well.

"Sounds good!" Ryu nodded, the three cheering together oddly. He glanced round at Anna. "Okami, do you want to –"

"No," the itako replied absolutely.

Inuyasha made an annoyed sound in his throat. "Kagome!" He looked at the girl. "What are we going to do now that you're back?"

"Eh?" Kagome blinked. She put her index finger against her face and gazed upwards in thought. "Mm… well I was supposed to go back to get more supplies." She looked back down at the shaman group. "I guess school's out of the question since I can't abandon you all here. Eh – wait, don't you all have school too?" The group shrugged.

"It'll be okay if we miss a bit of school," Yoh replied lightheartedly. "You don't mind, do you, Manta?"

"No, it's okay," Manta said with a slight grin.

Kagome couldn't believe her ears. "What? Don't your parents mind?"

"What about you?" Anna set her cool gaze on Kagome. "You must spend most of your time here rather than at school with all the fighting and searching that you do."

This took Kagome aback. "Um… well yes, that's true…"

"So I'd be more worried about yourself if I were you," Anna continued. "We already know what we're going to do in life. School isn't an absolute necessity for us. You on the other hand probably don't know what you want, and have to get into high school. You realize how stressful that is, don't you?"

"Er… well…" Kagome couldn't find the right words to respond with. Everything the younger girl said to her was true.

Anna concluded with, "Seeing as how much you go back and forth between this double life of yours, I'd be surprised if you even get in to high school."

Lightning bolts struck behind Kagome, the miko becoming ashen-faced. Anna had just voiced her deepest worry about the end result of this escapade she was a part of. 'Noooooo!' Kagome turned away from the others, mulling over the whole situation.

"Hey!" Inuyasha didn't approve if the itako talking about Kagome like that. "You just hear about what we have to go through and you think you understand the whole situation? We all know about how Kagome had to go back for tests, and we let her. She also spends time studying over here. Stop saying things like that to her, she can do it!"

Kagome looked over at the hanyou. "Inuyasha…"

"So you help her study?" Anna questioned.

Inuyasha did a double take. "Er… well no, I don't understand any of the stuff she reads…"

"So instead you just add to the pressure she's under by saying how she'll get good marks even with the things she has to do here."

Inuyasha's mouth was wide, trying to find something to say back to her. The only thing he managed were strangled sort of sounds, until he finally shut his mouth completely.

"Wow, she's good," Shippo muttered to Kirara, the cat youkai mewing in agreement.

Manta smiled weakly at Kagome. "So are you going to go back?"

"I suppose that would be best," Kagome sighed, still recovering from Anna's verbal blows. She turned to Sango. "Sango-chan, if you want to use the onsen while I'm away, go ahead."

Anna's eyebrows rose slightly at the familiar word. "An onsen?"

Her voice startled Kagome somewhat, but she replied, "Yeah. Sango-chan and I usually bathe in them. We have one around here."

The itako seemed to be thinking. "I'll go too."

"What?" Those who were more familiar with Anna's behaviour turned to stare at her.

"I'd like to see it," she said plainly. "I could see how it compares to Funbari's." Everyone exchanged glances with one another.

"Well, if you like you can go," Kagome answered a bit unsure about this. "Is that all right with you, Sango-chan?"

"Yes." Sango looked at Anna. "Is later tonight all right with you?"

"That's fine."

Kagome let out a breath of air. "Okay, I'll be going then." She got up and picked her bag up from the floor. "I'll be back tomorrow morning." With a goodbye to those in the room, she was off.

"So… what now?" Horohoro scanned his eyes across the room at the others.

"We wait for her to come back," Ren muttered evidently.

"I know that!" the blue-haired boy shouted. "I mean what do we do to pass the time!"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Hopefully something quiet."

Deciding it would be better not to stay inside all day, the group went out to do whatever came to mind. Yoh sat on the adjacent steps with Anna and Manta, Shippo decidedly joining them.

"Yoh-kun, are you sure it's okay to be outside?" Manta was still thinking about how fatigued his friend had become from the previous scuffle.

"Mm." Yoh tilted his head gave Manta a reassuring glance. "I feel better now. Plus," he gazed up at the clear blue sky, "it feels good being with nature!" Yoh let his familiar laugh float through the air.

Ren was leaning against Kaede's cabin with folded arms. "Hn. You always have that same attitude wherever you are."

"Same goes for you, doesn't it?" Horohoro eyed Ren from beneath the red tori.

"What did you say?" Ren muttered with a lengthened tone. "Fn. To wait until tomorrow morning for that girl to get back while we do nothing; that's a boring waste of time." He pushed away from the dwelling to gaze at the rooftop. "Oi, you up there!"

Inuyasha's ears twitched. He reacted to Ren's call by giving him a sort of annoyed look. "Ehn?"

"You're a hanyou, right?"

"Keh. Yeah, so?"

Smirking, Ren shot his arm out to extend Houraiken, pointing it at Inuyasha. "Then how about a battle?"

"What?" Manta and Horohoro's eyes boggled.

"Nn?" Yoh brought his own eyes down to see what was going on.

"You two are not fighting here," Anna pointed out.

"That's fine," Ren said with his expression still intact.

"I am not fighting you," Inuyasha retorted lazily before turning over.

"Oh?" The Chinese boy rested Houraiken against his shoulder. "Afraid you'll lose, are you?"

At this, Inuyasha spun around, eyes of fury glaring at Ren. "What did you say? Who's losing? All right!" He leaped off the roof to land beside Ren. "Where do you want this battle?"

"Hn. Follow me," Ren replied haughtily, leading the way for Inuyasha.

Manta watched them leave with trepidation. "Do you really think it's okay to let them fight each other?"

"They won't do anything to hurt each other," Yoh mused. "We fight each other all the time."

"I think that's a different situation, Yoh-kun."

"Mou!" Sango was stamping her way towards them. "I'm tired of hearing those two try to hit on the village women."

The others could see Miroku and Ryu in the background, faint sounds of the phases, "Would you please bear my child?" and "Would you please be my best place?" being uttered.

"It's especially annoying in Houshi-sama's case," Sango said exasperatedly. "He's probably talked to these same women ten times already!"

The shaman group and Shippo just stared at her blankly.

"Er… sorry." Sango suddenly seemed ashamed of her behaviour. "I don't know why I'm telling you these things." She sighed. "I think I'll go for a walk." And with that, the taiji-ya was out of their sights as well.

"Hm…" Shippo leant back on his propped arm. "Things always seem ruffled when Kagome's not around."

"Hn?" Manta blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Eh? Well…" Shippo thought for a moment. "It's like when Kagome's here, situations are more in order. Like she puts Inuyasha in check or is there to talk to Sango about Miroku."

"Hm…" Manta absorbed this information and analyzed it. 'It kind of reminds me of,' he turned to face his other side, 'Yoh-kun.' Manta turned back when he sensed Shippo staring at him. "W-What?"

Shippo tilted his head to the side. "I was wondering… how come you're so much shorter than the rest of your friends?"

"Huh?" the boy in questioned gawked at the kitsune.

"I mean, I know I'm shorter than the others because I'm a young youkai, but," Shippo leaned forward slightly, "what about you?"

"Um…" Manta racked his brain to come up with an answer to this awkward question. "I guess it's because my father is short?"

"So… you come from a long line of shorties?"

The statement ruffled Manta's feathers. "Hey, you don't have to put it that way!"

"Oh, sorry. So is your mother short too?"

"Nn… no. She's actually pretty tall."

"Huh?" Shippo's green orbs widened. "That's weird. So why aren't you tall like her?"

"I don't know. My younger sister is short too, you know."

"Hn…" Shippo slumped back into his seat. "That's strange. Oh?" The young kitsune's eyes brightened.

"Huh?" Manta followed Shippo's gaze to find it resting above his head. The reason Shippo was staring was because Kororo had decided to float over and lay upon Manta's head.

"Hm…" Shippo was pondering again. His face broke into a grin. "Hey, you look like her!"

"What?" Manta couldn't believe that even Shippo thought he looked like a Koropokkuru.

"Oh?" Shippo took another glance at Kororo. The spirit had a sort of giddy expression on her face, and was clinging to Manta's head happily. "Hey. Is she your girlfriend?"

The boy nearly tumbled down the steps. "E-Excuse me?"

"Kororo likes him!" Horohoro laughed from the other end of the stairs. "She thinks he's a Koropokkuru."

"Ah, he's right Manta," Yoh agreed with a grin. "Must be nice having someone who likes you." Yoh tensed when Anna suddenly stood up next to him. He slowly careened his head to face her. "A-Anna, I -"

"I'm going for a walk," she interjected flatly before heading off.

"Anna!" Yoh tried to call her back, but the itako merely continued along her path.

"Oh no…" the boy muttered. "I'm in trouble!"

Horohoro just commented, "I still wouldn't want a girlfriend like her."

Manta sighed in pity for his best friend.

"Hey," Shippo piped up. "You know… there's a girl who I like," the kitsune blushed as he said this.

"Huh?" the three boys stared at Shippo.

"And…" Shippo fiddled with his fingers. "I think she likes me too."

"WHAT?" Horohoro exploded. "No way!" He sank to the ground dramatically. "Even this little guy has a girlfriend," the Ainu sniffed. "I want a girlfriend!"

- -

Sango walked along the riverside, deep in contemplation. It wasn't until her eyes caught sight of someone up ahead that she was brought back to reality. She realized it was one of the newcomers Kagome had brought with her. He was sitting by the back, staring out at the visible scene, his green cloak blanketed around him. When he finally noticed Sango's presence, the boy jerked around to face her.

"I'm sorry!" Sango put up her hands and apologized. "I didn't mean to bother you."

Lyserg's posture and features relaxed. "Mn…" He shook his head. "No, it's all right. You just surprised me, that's all. Please, sit if you like."

Sango accepted his invitation. "You have quite polite manners," she said when she sat down.

"Really?" Lyserg gave a small grin. His eyes shifted back to the river. "I guess it's because of my… parents." Lyserg's expression quickly changed to a grimace. "But they're gone now."

Sango's eyes widened. "You mean they're…"

"Dead," the boy finished bitterly. He could tell Sango was feeling sorry for him, but he couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from. He wasn't exactly sure he wanted her pity, but he did know that she had also lost her family. Maybe that's why he told her, "Hao killed my parents."

The taiji-ya set her gaze upon him. "Hao? You mean that person your friends were talking about earlier?"

"Yes," Lyserg murmured. "I wanted to get revenge for my parents and kill Hao. By any means necessary. However, I ended up betraying my friends by doing so." He tilted his head back to the flowing body of water. "I guess that's why I'm here by myself instead of with them. I don't completely feel like I still fit in."

Sango stared at him. "Don't you think that's silly, though?"

A surprised Lyserg looked up at Sango.

"I mean, thinking you don't belong with your friends just because you betrayed them." Sango gazed down at the stream. "To tell you the truth, I betrayed my friends before as well. I stole Inuyasha's Tessaiga to give it to Naraku; in exchange for my brother. When the whole ordeal was over, I didn't have my brother, but I still had my friends. Even when I told them I shouldn't stay because I might betray them again, they still wanted me in their group." She looked at Lyserg again. "You were friends with them before, weren't you? And they forgave you, accepting you back in to their group because they know who you really are." She smiled at him. "Don't you think that's how friendship is?"

It was like a vacuum was roaming around Lyserg's head, trying to organize all the thoughts he had in there. He seemed to feel a lot lighter, a gentle red hue creeping onto his cheeks. Slowly, his lips curved into a soft smile. "Thank you for your kind words. I think I understand now."

"Good," Sango replied contently.

At that moment, the two heard a mewing sound behind them. Kirara was sprinting up to the pair, landing in Sango's lap.

"Kirara!" Sango cuddled the cat youkai fondly. "Ah, this is Kirara. Do you remember her?" she asked Lyserg.

"Um – yes, I remember." He had been busy watching the feline, so he was slightly startled when Sango spoke to him. Then his surprise increased when Kirara looked at him curiously, tilting her head and twitching her ears. "Um…" Lyserg continued to watch her apprehensively. All of a sudden, Kirara jumped into Lyserg's lap and nuzzlied her face into the back of his hand. "Oh, um… hi there." He cupped his hand over her head, brushing the small youkai's fur back.

"It looks like Kirara likes you," Sango observed with amusement.

"Do you think so?"

Sango nodded. "Mm. Kirara wouldn't approach anyone otherwise."

Lyserg gazed down at the Sango's companion. "Thank you, Kirara," he smiled. Kirara mewed a reply, climbing up onto his shoulder. That was when Morphine appeared, hovering next to her.

Kirara leapt back onto the ground, the spirit following her down so that the two were now eyeing one another with interest. Morphine flew closer, slowly reaching out a hand to touch the black marking on Kirara's forehead. Kirara mewed, and pushed her face into Morphine's body affectionately. Seeing the spirit enjoy that, Kirara motioned for Morphine to climb upon her back. Wistfully thinking about this at first, Morphine climbed aboard. The cat youkai scampered about the grass, a breeze blowing past Morphine, the two of them taking great pleasure in this escapade.

Their two partners meanwhile, exchanged glances with one other and laughed.

- -

Anna was just passing by when she noticed Lyserg and Sango by the riverside. The two of them were watching Kirara giving Morphine a ride, the feline dashing about while a trail of sparkles were left in her path.

Having mulled over it, Yoh decided to go after Anna in an attempt to explain himself and apologize. So when he saw standing there, he said, "A-"

BWAP! Anna smacked him in the face.

"Ow!" Yoh put a hand to his injury. "An-"

"Shh!" Anna hissed harshly.

Confused, Yoh followed her gaze. "Hn? Lyserg and that girl's friend. But why – ah?" Yoh turned back to his fiancée only to see her heading back to Kaede's. "Anna, wait!" He paced to keep up with her, the girl pausing to look at him. "Um…"

"What?"

"I… erm… I'm sorry."

Anna stared at him with that same expression she always had. "For what?"

"For… what I said earlier." He hesitated. "About having someone who likes you?"

Her features unchanged, Anna said, "Why apologize?"

"Eh?" Yoh blinked at her. "Why?"

Anna turned away from him. "I'm going back." With that, she left Yoh behind, still bewildered about what just happened. 'Hn. You don't have to apologize,' Anna closed her eyes, 'because it's not just like. Stupid.'

- -

"Hey!" Horohoro looked up when he saw Ren and Inuyasha coming back. "How was your fight? Who won?"

"Hn." Ren closed his eyes and smirked. "Who do you think?" He glanced back at Inuyasha, the hanyou sending him a dirty look.

"Inuyasha," Miroku voiced with a surprised tone. "You lost?"

"Grr…! So what?" Inuyasha seethed. "I could have won if he was a youkai! Having no youki to use against him… and then he used this giant spirit thing up against me!"

"Ha?" Horohoro stared at Ren. "You used your Super Oversoul on him?"

Ren shrugged haughtily. "He was being stubborn. I had to show him who was strongest."

Inuyasha glared at him. "Excuse me?"

"We're back!" Sango was returning with Lyserg, their respective partners atop their shoulders.

"Lyserg? Where were you?" Horohoro asked when he saw him.

"I was at the riverside with Sango-san," the boy replied simply.

"You were gone for a pretty long time," Shippo noted.

Sango answered, "Mm. I took Lyserg-kun for a ride on Kirara." She tuned to Lyserg. "It was fun, right?"

"Yes," he said with a grin.

Ryu made some sort of strangled voice in his throat. "No, Lyserg!" The others stared at him bemusedly. "I knew this day would come some day, but not so soon! You have discovered…" he pumped his arms dramatically, "the mystique of females!"

There was a unanimous, "HUH?"

"Ryu-san, what -" Lyserg started, but was soon cut off.

"I must take some time to recover!" And with that, Ryu took off in some random direction.

"Hm…" Miroku watched him go with raised eyebrows. "Strange fellow."

"Says the houshi who was trying to pick up women with him earlier," Sango murmured, eyeing Miroku accusingly.

"What were you talking about before we came?" Lyserg wondered.

Horohoro snickered, "About the hanyou who lost to Ren."

"Inuyasha lost?" Sango said with disbelief.

"Would everyone stop talking about that?" Inuyasha shouted.

"Be quiet," came a stout voice. Anna was standing behind him, arms crisscrossed. "You're so noisy. I can see why that other girl has to keep you in check."

"What?" Inuyasha raised a twitching eyebrow at her. One glare from Anna however was enough to put Inuyasha in his place.

"So, what are we eating?" she asked no one in particular.

Miroku took a moment to recall. "I think we still have some supplies Kagome-sama brought. Of course, we also have our own rations."

"All right!" Horohoro punched the air. "Let's eat!"

They all had a meal of whatever was on hand, hoping that Kagome would keep in mind to bring more when she got back. They also made a note to make sure they replenished what they were able to by means of their own. When they were just about finished, Sango took the opportunity to ask Anna if she wished to go to the onsen as of yet. Accepting the offer, Sango picked up a couple of towels before they left Kaede's.

Sango lead the way to the onsen, neither of the girls saying anything to the other the whole way there. Actually, Sango would have liked something to say, but wasn't sure what to talk about. As far as she could tell, the younger girl wasn't exactly the chitchat type. So she simply brought Anna to the onsen, telling her how Kagome and herself would bathe there often. Anna was the first to slip into the natural bath, the comforting waters hugging her body, trails of steam snaking around her face.

"How's the water?" Sango asked as she untied her kimono.

Anna glimpsed around the area briefly before replying, "It's fine. It has a slightly different atmosphere from Funbari's."

Moving into the onsen, Sango started tying her long raven hair up. "What is Funbari anyway?"

"It's the area where Yoh and I reside. We live in an old motel and pay the rent out for it."

The itako's reply caused Sango to falter. "You even live together?"

"Yes," Anna answered as if it were to big deal. "I'm going to rebuild the motel into my own business someday."

"Hn… So that's why you were so interested in comparing onsens then?"

Anna closed her eyes. "It's part of the reason." Lifting her eyelids, she saw Sango raised out of the onsen, just enough to tug the towels closer to the bath. It was at that point when Anna was able to see a jagged mark on her back; a mark that Kagome had seen so many times before.

Sango felt the other girl's gaze on her. She turned her head just enough to look back at Anna. "Did you… see the scar?"

Anna nodded somberly. "From your brother?"

Dismissing the fact that Anna was able to guess so easily, Sango sunk back into the water. "Mm… I still can't believe how quickly I lost everything. My village, my family…" She grimaced. "My father doesn't even know about what happened to Kohaku that day. Sometimes I wish he were here, so that I could tell him what Naraku did to us."

Anna watched Sango, brooding over her past. It was clear to her that the mark on Sango's back wasn't the only scar the she had. So Anna proposed, "Do you want to see him again?"

Sango's gaze darted up to Anna's face. The taiji-ya's own visage was showing signs of shock and confusion. "What?"

Leaning back against the edge of the onsen, Anna blinked slowly. "I can bring him back for you."

"But… how?"

"I'm an itako, remember? I can summon any spirit I choose no matter where they are. That includes your father's. So," she eyed Sango, "do you want me to do it?"

Sango was staring at her wide-eyed, still recovering from the initial shock of what Anna just said she could do for her. Her expression became solemn as she replied, "I'd appreciate it if you would."

"All right then."

- -

Lyserg had left the village behind to think. What about, he wasn't exactly sure of himself. It mostly consisted of a merge of the previous events that happened while he was in the Sengoku Jidai with the others. This process was interrupted however, as he spotted a figure crouching down behind some bushes. He recognized the being as Kagome's monk friend. What he was doing there though, was unknown to Lyserg.

So he approached him. "Excuse me."

Miroku whipped his head around at the sound of another voice. Seeing Lyserg, right away he grabbed at his cloak, yanking the boy down behind the bushes with him. This in turn startled him, but Miroku pressed a finger to his own lips and hissed, "Shhh!"

Bemused, Lyserg searched through the bushes and found what the monk was looking at. Anna and Sango were standing in a clearing together, Anna holding her beads in her right hand. Curious, Lyserg began to observe the scene along with Miroku.

Stretching her arm out, she began to chant, swinging the beads side to side. "One I place for my father. Two I place for my mother. Three I place for my brothers back home. Here I offer my flesh to aid your soul's release. Hear my voice at world's end and arise. Hear the sounds of my prayer beads and draw nigh." The temperature changed as a breeze softly blew by. Anna fell into a trance in order to communicate with the spirit world, hands manipulating her sapphire beads. She held the encirclement out, spirit flames appearing all around her as the three onlookers observed the séance. Gradually, the flames came together into the shape of a person.

The figure became defined as a male emerged from the congregation, wearing a uniform which resembled that of Sango's battle attire. When everything was set, the being opened his eyes, surprised by the sight before him. "Sango…!"

Amazed, Sango breathed, "Father, is it really you?"

The spirit removed the mask around his face. "Yes, but… how?"

It was such an overwhelming experience for Sango. How incredible it was to see and be able to speak to her father once again. To answer his question, she informed him, "Anna-chan brought you back with her itako skills."

"Oh, I see." He turned to the aforementioned girl. "Thank you for letting me see my daughter again."

Anna stood to the side placidly. "It was nothing."

"Father, I have to tell you… about what happened that night at the lord's castle." Sango told her about all the misfortune that had occurred that night; who was responsible, Kohaku, and what she was doing to cope with it now.

"I see. So this Naraku was behind it all?" her father muttered with distaste in his voice.

"Yes." Sango could feel a familiar pressure in her eyes.

"Sango, calm down."

"But –!"

"Sango!" Her father snapped before cooling down himself. He looked at her with steady eyes. "Sango, do you know why you were the best taiji-ya in the village?" Not getting a reply, he continued, "It wasn't just because you were my daughter. It was because you were a strong person, both physically and mentally. This is just one more challenge you have to face."

"But Kohaku –"

"This is why I'm telling you this, Sango," her father said firmly. "You'll be able to get Kohaku back; I believe in you. It also seems you've met some friends who support you completely."

Sango lowered her head. "I do."

"Then don't worry. No matter what happens, Kohaku will be fine," he assured her. "Understand?"

She took a deep breath and let it go before answering, "Yes, Father."

Deciding to leave the two alone for some private time, Anna left the clearing, coming up beside a startled Miroku and Lyserg. She glanced sideways at them. "What are you doing here?"

Miroku was looking anxious. "Uh… um…"

Not bothering to wait for a proper answer, Anna wrapped her familiar beads around the monk's throat, strolling off while he was dragged behind gagging. "Quit spying on her." She paused to glimpse back at Lyserg, who was still in awe at her treatment of Miroku. He started when her gaze set on him. "Lyserg," she addressed him. "If you want – when we get back, I can bring your parents back as well."

Lyserg stared at her, surprised that she suggested this to him. A new layer was added to his impression of the itako. "Thank you." Anna turned back around, continuing her route with a strangled Miroku, Lyserg following behind.

- - Present Japan - - -

"I'm going!" Kagome announced the next morning as she shut the door behind her. "Eh?" When she was out the door, Kagome spotted three girls walking around the area. They all appeared different, but the seemed to be there together nonetheless. There were two young girls, and one older one. One of the younger had short pink hair, while the other had flowing blue tresses. The third was wearing a Chinese dress, her dark green hair pinned up.

The pink-haired girl noticed Kagome standing outside, so she came up to her and said, "Um… excuse me, can you help us?"

"Um, okay. What is it you need?" The young girl's company came to join them.

"We're looking for my brother and his friends," the blue-haired girl stated.

"Your brother? Hm…" Kagome's eyebrows contracted in thought. She was glancing over the girl in front of her, wondering where she's seen someone like her before. "Ah! Are you Horohoro-kun's sister?"

Pilica's eyes widened with surprise. "You know my brother?"

"Yes, we met yesterday." Kagome shifted her focus. "And you must be Ren-kun's older sister."

"Yes. You met Ren as well?"

Kagome nodded. She looked at Tamao. "And you're… um…"

"Oh, I-I'm not related to any of them. I'm Tamamura Tamao; an apprentice under Yoh-sama's family."

"Oh," Kagome blinked. "You call him Yoh-sama? Wow, you must really respect him."

"Y-Yes," Tamao blushed.

"So where are they?" Pilica asked the miko.

"Oh, um… that's a long story…" So Kagome told them all about the others, the well, how they came to be there, and why they were going to be joining them for a while. The girls seemed to accept this explanation; after all, they did believe in the spiritual.

"Wow, so they're really in the Sengoku Jidai?" Pilica voiced with wonder.

"We were worried because our brothers told us they would let us know when they reached Yoh-kun's," Jun explained.

"I just wanted to see everyone," Tamao admitted. "It's nice of Yoh-sama to offer his help."

"Yes," Kagome smiled. "We appreciate it."

"Please tell them we came by," Jun requested politely.

"I will."

With that, the three girls said their goodbyes and left Kagome alone again. The time-traveling girl paused, watching the trio leave while thinking about their families. Before long though, she remembered what she was supposed to be doing, and right away sprinted for the well.

Emerging though the other side, she saw Inuyasha there waiting for her expected return. "Yo."

"Hi, Inuyasha." Kagome swung her legs over the ledge.

They walked together back to the village where the others were waiting for them.

"Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

Sango glanced at Anna, momentarily considering if she should tell Kagome what the itako did for her.

"Ren beat up Inuyasha!" Horohoro suddenly exclaimed.

"I wasn't beaten up!" Inuyasha protested hotly.

Kagome stared at him. "You were beaten up?"

"I said I wasn't!"

"Right," Ren gave him another smirk. "You just lost."

"What was that?"

"Oh, that reminds me," Kagome chirped. "Your sisters came to the shrine wondering where you were."

"Our sisters?" Ren and Horohoro chorused together.

"Yes, and… oh, Tamao-chan," she directed her attention to Yoh.

"Tamao came?" Manta blinked.

"Mm. She wanted to see all of you." Kagome tilted her head thoughtfully. "I told them where you were and that everything was fine. They seemed pretty relieved."

Sango smiled, commenting, "It's always nice to know that your family is all right."

Lyserg nodded. He agreed wholeheartedly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Me: Hm… I'm beginning to wonder if the chapter title really fits anymore. Maybe I should have made it to include Lyserg; but then that would have been a really long title! Well, good enough.

Sorry if anything seemed awkward in the chapter, like… well, I don't know, lots of stuff; but I expect you would know if there was anything wrong. See you… in another nine months! Lol.