"Well I'm off, I'll be back in a few days" Kagome said as her and Ryuu prepared to descend into the well and return home. "Now your sure this will work?" Ryuu asked staring into the empty well. "Of course I'm sure" she said before jumping down the well and disappearing from sight. Ryuu made one last glance at Inuyasha and the others and gave a slight smile "See ya in a few days then" he said before jumping into the well.

Watching as Ryuu faded from view the remaining members turned to head back to Kaede's village. After a few seconds the well erupted in the same bright light it did when Ryuu fell through and Ryuu began climbing out breathing heavily "Not cool" he grunted as he pulled himself out of the well.

"What happened?" Miroku asked as the rushed back over to him. "I don't know I jumped in saw one of the soul tablets and then I'm back here" Ryuu said dusting his sleeves off. "A vision maybe" Miroku said placing his hand around his chin "This might be a message for you to begin searching for the next one, the closet one would be Nagimitama village if I'm not mistaken and it lies to the south".

Ryuu let out an annoyed sigh "Well I guess I should head out then. Give Kagome my regards if I don't get back before she does". "Wait" Shippo called after him "Shouldn't we go with you? You could get lost". Ryuu looked towards the sky and a smile was visible on his face "I'll find my way back, don't worry about that" he said before walking away through the woods with his bag slung over his shoulder.

"Hold on" Sango called to him "I'll go with you my village is in that direction and I need to repair my armor". Ryuu looked over to Inuyasha and Miroku and gave them a cocky salute "We'll be back soon don't wait up" he said before continuing towards the forest with Sango next to him. After a while of walking in silence Ryuu stopped and looked over to Sango "So what's the quickest way out of here?" he asked.

Sango looked down to Kiara who was standing at her ankles "How do you feel about flying?" she asked him with a soft smile. Ryuu raised an eyebrow at Kiara's transformation "Impressive" he said walking over to the demon cat. "Hop on we'll be there in no time" Sango told him holding her hand out for him. After helping Ryuu onto Kiara's back Sango gave her the command to fly off taking them high into the open sky.

Looking at the forest below them and then to the mountains in the west Ryuu felt an overwhelming sense of peace wash over him "You know what" he said wishfully "Sometimes I wish I could just fly away, high into the sky free from any restrictions and bound by nothing, but the wind". Sango glanced over her shoulder and saw the entranced look in his eyes then looking to the village ahead of them "I guess that could be pretty peaceful in its own way" she admitted as Kiara slowly descended from the sky.

Landing in the middle of a ruined village Ryuu hopped off the demon cat's back and his eyes were immediately caught by the numerous graves at the eastern wall "This is it huh?" he asked looking towards the destroyed houses and then to the fortified walls that had begun to fall apart. "Yea, this is where it happened" Sango said with a faint trace of fear hidden in her voice. "You gonna be ok?" Ryuu asked placing a hand on her shoulder. Sango nodded before turning her attention to the blacksmith hut in the north east corner of the village "It'll take a while to properly repair my armor; it'll probably be dark by the time I'm done". Ryuu checked his watch and then looked to the sky it was already past noon "Well I guess I'll walk around for a while if you need anything just holler for me" he said before placing his hands in his pockets and walking away.

After a few hours Ryuu checked his watch again it was almost six in the evening and he had traversed the entire village several times, letting out a heavy sigh he looked out to the forest outside the village "I wonder why I feel so at home here" he thought as he slowly laid down on his back. Placing his hands behind his head Ryuu closed his eyes and drifted to sleep under the setting sun.

In the Blacksmith hut Sango wiped the sweat from her forehead before making one last swing with the blacksmith's hammer onto a smooth sword with a triangular tip; hot sparks flew from the blade as the tremor of impact shook it. Using the iron clamps she dipped the blade into a water tub and pulled it out after a few seconds "I hope he likes it" she said to herself before placing the blade back onto the anvil and hammering it once again.

Out in front of the biggest house in the village Ryuu continued to sleep until something wet lightly dripped on his face. Quickly opening his eyes he heard the distant rumble of thunder and jumped to his feet "Does it ever stop storming around here this is the second time in a week". Looking at the storm clouds in the distance he yawned before seeing what looked like a woman on a giant feather fly over them "How odd" he said quietly before turning and heading for the blacksmith hut.

Rounding the corner of one of the houses he stopped when he saw Sango kneeling in front of the grave site fresh flowers had been placed at each of them. A sad feeling overcame him as he silently approached her, but he forced himself to act calm around her "I'm sure every one of them is watching over you" he said kneeling next to her. Sango's eyes were filled with grief and sadness she'd done this many times before, but it never gets easier for her, she merely nodded her head without saying a word.

Ryuu rested his hand over his fist and leaned his forehead against them his way of praying. After a short silence another rumble of thunder echoed from the sky, getting to his feet Ryuu held his hand out to Sango "We should get inside". Slightly turning her head she gently took his hand and he helped her to her feet. Giving her a confident smile he nodded his head towards the big house in the front of the village conveniently was the house Sango and her family lived in.

After finding a small room that didn't have holes in the walls or its ceiling falling apart they set their equipment down and got ready for nightfall. "That should do it" Ryuu said placing a few small logs in a makeshift fire pit, "Let's see if I still got it" he said holding his hand next to the logs and snapping his fingers creating a small spark that managed to start a fire "Damn I'm good" he joked as he set himself in a corner and took his jacket off.

"Here" he said after folding his jacket into a pillow and handing it to Sango. Sango hesitated before reaching for the jacket unsure as to why he's doing so much for her "Thanks" she weakly muttered as she set the jacket on the floor and laid her head on it. Silently yawning Ryuu rubbed his right eye with his thumb and looked over to Kiara who snuggled up next to Sango "See ya in the morning" he said before he leaned his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

After he closed his eyes Ryuu saw a village being razed by dark demons fire's burning everywhere and a single shrine that had seemingly been cut in half. He could hear people screaming as demons attacked them and began feasting on the dead, but out of nowhere a swirling vortex of wind appeared in the center of the chaos and disappeared just as quickly leaving two people behind.

On the right was a man about six feet tall with medium length black hair and a newly forged sword in his hand, on the left was a dark haired woman wearing a red and white striped kimono with the right side hanging under her arm. She held a folding fan in front of her face exposing only her dark red eyes "This should be interesting" she said smugly before holding her fan across her body ready to swing. "Remember I don't want any of the villagers hurt or the deal's off" the man said readying his sword against a couple of demons that closed in on them.

Just as the demons begun their attack against the two mysterious people a roar of thunder shook the house and woke Ryuu from his slumber, he was holding his arm across his body as if he were wielding a sword ready to strike something. Struggling to regain his composure he yawned and silently got to his feet and left the room "I wonder what that dream meant" he thought to himself before a flash of lightning caught his attention. Walking over to the doorway he leaned against it and watched the rain as it fell from the sky.

"Who were those people?" he continued to think about the dream he had "That couldn't have been Sango and me could it? No that was definitely me, but who was that woman?" Shaking the thought from his head he yawned again before walking back to the room him and Sango were using, making one last glance at Sango he felt a slight, warm smile creep across his face "I guess we'll find out won't we" he muttered to himself before sitting back in the corner and closing his eyes once again.

Quickly opening her eyes Sango slowly sat up and looked around the room, the fire had died out and Ryuu was gone. Getting to her feet she gently rubbed her eyes and stepped outside into the bright morning sun "Hey there" Ryuu's voice called from the side. Holding her hand over her eyes she looked to her right and Saw Ryuu and Kiara sitting over a small fire pit with several cooked fish over a small fire "Lunch is ready if your hungry" he called before handing a fish to Kiara.

Surprisingly the ground around them was completely dry and everything else was wet from the rain. Ryuu jumped to his feet and scratched Kiara's left ear before turning his attention to Sango "So did you sleep well?" he asked with a charming smile. "Yeah" she muttered before looking at the sky "Is it past noon already?" she asked seeing how high the sun was. "Yep" Ryuu replied walking over to her with Kiara at his feet "I'm going to go for a little walk I'll be back in a bit" he said patting her on the shoulder and then walking out of the village and into the woods.

Watching Ryuu leave Sango thought back to what happened the previous day his calm attitude, and his cool disposition "He's certainty different from Miroku and Inuyasha" she said to Kiara as she crouched down to pet her. Walking past Kiara, Sango headed back to the blacksmith hut to finish repairing her armor and made another glance over to the destroyed gates of the village where Ryuu left.

In the forest outside the village Ryuu stood at the edge of a cliff staring into the open countryside ahead of him and to a burning village in the south, a voice in his head told him that's where he needed to go "I should get back to Sango" he said swiftly turning around and breaking into a sprint. The first step he took was his last as a bird demon swooped down from the sky and grabbed him with its talons.

"Perfect timing" he grunted through the pain of the demon's talons slowly piercing into his shoulders. Concentrating his mind of the bird demon's left wing he closed his eyes and snapped his fingers causing the demon's wing to catch fire which caused the monster to panic resulting in it releasing Ryuu. Ryuu now cursing himself for not thinking about his course of action was now plummeting to the ground far below him.

Closing his eyes and waiting for the worst, he felt himself land on something soft and heard a female voice yelling at him "Just where did you come from?" Quickly opening his eyes Ryuu looked around he was flying on a giant white feather "What is this?" he muttered before hearing the same woman's voice "Who are you?" Turning his head Ryuu saw the woman from his dream her dark hair, the white and red striped kimono and a folding fan in her hand, her dark red eyes shooting him an angry glare.

Taking a quick breath of relief he straightened and introduced himself "Sorry about the intrusion I am Ryuu Higurashi. I was carried away by a bird demon and managed to free myself from its talons" The woman didn't answer she just looked at a small hill below them and tilted the giant feather down causing it to fly towards the hilltop "Here" she said calmly flying low enough for Ryuu to get off.

"Thanks" he said rubbing his left shoulder which was cut by the bird's talons "What's your name?" Before she could answer a massive shadow covered them looking up at the sky the two saw the bird demon that attacked Ryuu, it wasn't pleased that its meal got away and it wanted revenge. "Oh joy its back" Ryuu said drawing a sword from a sheath that was laced around his shoulder "Pay back time pal" he continued setting himself in a battle ready stance. The bird quickly lunged at the mysterious woman who easily evaded it "Big mistake" she yelled as she opened her fan and swung it at the demon causing a rush of wind that knocked the bird over.

"Die" Ryuu yelled driving the sword into the demon's neck several times. As the demon released its death rattle Ryuu saw something gleaming in its neck and wrapped his hand in a rag from his bag "Is it better to be smart or lucky?" he laughed as he pulled three sacred jewel shards from the bird's neck. Seeing the shards in his hand the mysterious woman flew over to him and jumped off of her feather "Here" Ryuu said handing her one of the shards "Thanks for the help".

"Kagura" she said softly. "Sorry" Ryuu replied a little lost. The woman said again "Kagura, you asked my name. It's Kagura". Ryuu smiled before placing the two shards in his pocket and looking towards the village in the south "Kagura feel like making a deal?" he asked turning to face her.

Giving him a curious look Kagura asked what he was thinking, "Take me to that village down there and help me deal with the demons attacking it and I'll give you the other two shards" he said pointing to the burning village. Quickly thinking it over Kagura agreed to help mainly because she was bored even though she could just take the shards from him. Flying over the burning village Ryuu and Kagura jumped down into the center of a mob of demons.

"Remember not to hurt the people or the deal's off" Ryuu told her as he readied the sword he took from the blacksmith hut back at Sango's home. Covering her face with her fan Kagura gave a smug grunt before swinging it at an attacking demon "Pitiful" she said as blades of air cut through the demon killing it. Looking over her shoulder she was relatively surprised to see Ryuu holding his own against several demons, easily evading their attacks and striking back with his own.

"Burn" he yelled as he swung his sword and a downed demon, the blade wrapped in a bright red wreath of fire as it passed through the demon's body. Quickly dealing with the demons Ryuu took a quick breath before sheathing his new sword and holding his right arm out at the fires that burned across the small village, quietly repeating to himself "Concentrate, concentrate". The fires around the village gathered in front of his arm before wrapping themselves around it and disappearing without a trace.

Breathing heavily Ryuu dropped to a single knee and wiped the sweat from his forehead "I hate my job" he muttered forcing himself back to his feet and then turning to Kagura. "I'm impressed" she said with a slightly demeaning smile "I didn't expect to see something like that". Giving her a cocky smile Ryuu walked over and handed her the two jewel shards just like he promised "Thanks for the help" he said resting his hand on her open palm "I hope we get to work together again in the future".

"Why exactly did you decide to give me these? It's obvious I'm a demon I could use these to increase my strength and possibly kill you" she asked him as he turned away. Barely turning his head she could she the edge of an unconcerned smile "That would be a shame because I kinda like you Kagura" he said before walking towards the shrine that had been cut in half and retrieving the glowing tablet from the ground which disappeared in his hands.

Looking towards the sky he smiled as the warmth of the sun washed over him "Well Kagura our job is done see ya around" he waved as he walked over to the villagers to see who needed help. Donning a smug smile Kagura pulled one of the feathers from her hair band and in a gust of wind it enlarged and she flew into the sky yelling back at Ryuu "I'm looking forward to our next dance".

After a few hours Sango finally landed in the village with Kiara and ran over to Ryuu "What happened?" she asked him her voice sounded angry and worried. Ryuu sighed and looked over to her "Well let's see…" after he finished explaining everything that happened with the exception of Kagura. Sango looked at him and sighed in resignation "Well at least your all right" she said with a soft smile. "Well I have to get going will you all be ok?" he asked one of the villagers. "Yes we'll be fine now thanks for your help" he said before looking over to the destroyed shrine "What did you do with the soul tablet?"

"To be honest I don't know what happened to it. When I picked it up it just disappeared" Ryuu told him before turning around and slowly walking away with Sango and Kiara next to him. "Oh right" Ryuu said surprised "Here I took this from your village before I left" he continued as he handed Sango the sword she forged the previous day. Surprised to see it she shook her head and said "Keep it; I actually made it for you since you didn't have a weapon yet".

Giving her a loving smile he slid the blade back into its sheath and thanked her and placed his arm around her shoulder holding her close to him as they began walking back towards Kaede's village. "You know" Ryuu began as he stopped to look at the open sky once again "This was a fun trip".


A/N. In response to those who asked why I removed the original chapter 7 my answer is "It was boring, cheesy and unimportant". My apologies to those who liked it, but it had to go.