Short chapter, but lends some insight, and is a continuation of the flashback from the last chapter. One of the complaints I encountered with my first attempt at posting this story was that my jumping back and forth between past and present was confusing, so from here on I will be leaving a note at the beginning of any chapters that are flashbacks.
Anyway, enjoy.


Chapter Seven

Lenezma sat silently in the tree, her eyes revealing a deep sorrow as she watched over the village, the first hints of the coming sun rise beginning to show in the eastern sky.

She glanced down at the branch, laying a delicate hand on the large garment beside her, protective wear against the weather that looked like a hooded kimono, but the material was strange, something she'd never felt before. She was still surprised Kagome had given such a seemingly valuable item to her, but the human had already proven herself to be quite selfless with a heart as pure as any. She has been very good to us, I can't imagine what things would have been like had she not invited us here.

Her eyes wandered back to the village, watching as the earliest of risers began to emerge from their homes, ready to begin work on the fields before the late summer heat kicked in.

This village seems like such a wholesome place, and the people accepted Kikka and I with hardly a second thought… I can trust them and Inuyasha and Kagome to protect and take care of Kikka for me.

She grabbed the cloak, glancing down at herself, hoping that this would be enough, even though the only other object besides the cloak that she'd brought was a medium sized satchel that could tie onto her sash. However, her eyes did manage to linger painfully on the outfit she wore, a strangely cut, light gray kimono with tiny blue wisps across the fabric, the accompanying navy sash with white petals, and the unusual black sleeves that hugged the contours of her legs from waist to ankles. There were shoes, too - well, sort of - thin and supple like the leggings, but with a hard sole to protect the bottom of her feet. It was beyond weird to be wearing shoes after spending nearly the entire summer running around the Western Plains bare foot, and nearly left them behind, but decided to go ahead and take them, just for precaution.

Jaken had made this for her – on Sesshomaru's orders, she was sure – to make traveling and fighting easier, an outfit that allowed her full movement, unrestricted by a tightly closed kimono. Until today, she had never tried it on before, but it happened to be one of the few things she blindly grabbed during her departure from the Plains. And here she was now, far away from those who had given it to her, using it in her quest to move even further away.

She wiped at the tears that appeared in her eyes, forcing them back, concentrating on strengthening her resolve. She could do this! If she could tear herself away from the Western Plains, a place she called home, then she could do this! Sure, she was about to leave a part of her home here, but her return would not be as uncertain – she would definitely come back for Kikka.

With a firm grip on the cloak and her decision, Lenezma slipped from the tree branch easily, dropping a good forty feet and landing with barely a sound.

She walked towards the tree line calmly, stopping just at the edge before turning back to the village once more, the sun's light now covering the streets and houses with a soft glow. Her heart dropped; "I'll try to come back soon, Kikka… I promise…"

"So you're abandoning her? Just like that?"

Lenezma's eyes turned slowly, watching in cold silence as Inuyasha emerged from the trees with arms crossed, eyes narrowed.

"Some guardian you are."

"This doesn't concern you, Inuyasha."

"You're leaving Kikka in my care, aren't you? I'd say that involves me quite a bit," he growled. "Why are you doing this? Where are you going to go?"

Her eyes dropped slightly, "I… I don't know yet. All I know is that I can't stay here. It's great that demons like you and Shippou have found a home here with the humans, but… it's not something I can ever do again. But Kikka… out there, in the wild, that's no place for a girl like her. She'd be better off in one place, someplace I know I can always find her, someplace where she can be around other humans… that's where her future lies."

"I can't believe you're giving up on her so easily! She needs her sister, that's what she needs!"

"But I can't give her the kind of life she deserves!" Lenezma argued. "I've taken care of her all her life and nothing has ever turned out well! Something has always gone wrong! Besides, I have no idea where I'm going, where I'll end up… Unless I can find a home suitable for a human girl, I can't bring her with me! It's as simple as that!

"Hasn't there ever been a time when you couldn't take Kagome with you? Gone somewhere where a human like her wouldn't survive?"

Inuyasha did not answer – didn't have to, really, for the answer was written all over his face, his memories instantly recovering various instances when a situation was too dangerous for her, even though, no matter how hard he tried to protect her, she'd still try and follow.

"Well that's the way it is for me! Our reasons may be different, but the situation is still the same. I could very well die out there, but I would die knowing that Kikka was safe, not the afternoon snack for some hungry demon! I would know that she was safe and well cared for here and that's more than enough for me. So please… please don't make me question my actions any more than I already have. I've made up my mind and I have to stick with it."

Lenezma sighed as she glanced into the forest, avoiding Inuyasha's amber eyes; "I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but… please take care of her for me. Protect her as if she were your own child…"

Inuyasha watched as she took this moment to take a few more steps, to move away from the village before her sister awoke to find her only family gone. "What am I supposed to tell her?"

"… The truth, I suppose. There's no point in lying to her, just tell her… I went to find myself… to find my place in the world… I think she'll understand."

"And what about Sesshomaru?"

Lenezma stopped, one sapphire turning back to him slowly, a dull, painful light in her eye as she looked back at him. She sighed, "Sesshomaru… will not be a problem, I think…"

Inuyasha watched her a few moments longer, wondering what she meant by that, wondering if she might say anything more… but she simply turned back and continued on her way, slipping into the shadows of the trees.

"Thank you, Inuyasha… for everything…"

-/\-\/-/\-\/-/\-

"Well, well! What do we have here, men?!" the rough voice laughed, his large gut pulsing with each, foul breath.

The small gang of rugged men at his side joined in the laughter, each looking mischievously upon the young woman they surrounded, plenty of foul and perverse thoughts running through their heads as they eyed her supple figure, visible through the opening of the strange, sleeved cloak she wore, a hood draped just over her eyes.

"What's a pretty thing like you doing out here all alone?" the leader grinned wickedly as he came to stand before her, the woman appearing to be frozen with fear. Using the hilt of his jagged sword, the man forced her chin up, forcing her to look up at him, but she kept her eyes shut, the woman, in all actuality, trying to hold her breath and block out this man's unsightly face and nauseating breath. "Ha ha! Are you scared, woman?! Don't worry, we'll start off gentle! Wouldn't want to break you before we've all had a turn, eh?!"

The other men cheered anxiously, hoping for their turns sooner than later – the promise of not breaking her couldn't always be kept.

Finally, she'd had enough.

The man's laugh faltered as the woman revealed her shockingly blue eyes, her pupils thin slits of hatred as she glared back at him.

"What is it, boss?" one of the lackeys called, unable to see what the other could.

Suddenly the man's eyes widened, a faint gasp escaping his lips as his body suddenly jerked. And then he fell, a gaping hole in his chest flowing freely with blood, and just above his corpse was the bloodied hand of the female.

The five other men backed up nervously, their fear scents clouding her powerful nose.

But one reclaimed his brass and braced himself and his weapon, "Why, you bitch!"

With a short charge, the second man also fell, this time with five long gashes all the way across his torso, bleeding profusely, but the man did not die, and his screams of agony echoed all around them.

The others began to scatter, fleeing for their lives, but she would not let them escape, not so that they could assault some other woman, one much more vulnerable and helpless to defend herself. Who knows how many victims may have come before now? She couldn't let that fate befall another.

In less than a minute, all had been cut down to bloody heaps, the fast movements causing her hood to fall back, revealing the head of striped hair and the fuzzy gray ears to the last of them, perhaps the last things they ever saw.

As the blood fest finally came to a close, all six bandits dead on the ground, Lenezma turned slowly towards the three horses that had been tied to a nearby tree, each one neighing and bucking wildly, trying to escape this wild demoness just as their masters had done, but their reins were secured tightly.

Lenezma could see the terror in their eyes, and her heart dropped as a result.

She wiped the blood from her hands as best she could on one of the dead man's tunics, a small flask of water at his side helping with the process.

Very slowly, she approached them with a serene air about her, holding her hands out in a gesture of good will, to show she meant them no harm. The act didn't seem to prove useful, but she went on just the same.

Steering clear of their flying hooves, Lenezma placed a gentle hand on the nearest horse's shoulder, stroking its neck and withers slowly, finally managing to calm it after awhile, the others slowly following suit.

"There, that's not so bad is it? I'm not going to hurt you…" she whispered soothingly, petting its beautiful neck. Her hands then moved for its reins, and, with delicate fingers, managed to cut through the straps that kept it latched on to the animal's face.

The horse backed away hastily, shaking his head roughly, licking his lips, free of the terrible bit. Soon the other two were at its side, also free of their restraints, free to do as they saw fit.

But they had been raised by humans and knew little else. When Lenezma tried to walk away from them, they tried to follow. She tried simple means to scare them off, but they didn't budge.

She stared into their dark eyes, wondering what she could do without scaring them, when she was suddenly struck with grief. These creatures, these obedient beasts that were raised to carry others on their backs… they reminded her of Ah-Un, of the two-headed dragon that had befriended Lenezma, whose eyes had always shown a similar kind of dependence, a sense of loyalty that was hard to break.

"I'm sorry, but you can't come with me. Now go on, you're free…" she encouraged, trying to wave them off, but when they looked at her like she was an idiot, she smiled and sighed.

In a flash, she was gone, the feline vanishing from sight.

The horses danced on their hooves a bit, startled by her sudden disappearance, each glancing around but unable to find her.

After a minute or so of continued searching, the three finally began to wander off into the forest.

From high up in the trees, Lenezma watched them go with a faint smile, the three sticking together as they began their new lives in the wild…

A sense of loneliness overcame her then, and not for the first time.

She was independent, a loner – she was a cat – but still she craved for some sort of companionship, something she could talk to and maybe take her mind off of things, distracting her from everything she'd left behind.

Lenezma began to swoon, her hand grabbing the tree for support while the other massaged her forehead, feeling a terrible headache coming on.

This, too, would not be the first time.

For the past few days, headaches like these had become frequent, popping up out of nowhere and fading at their own discretion. It was annoying, really, especially the ones that spread beyond just her head, strange pains attacking her chest and abdomen, sometimes to the point that she couldn't move.

Lenezma slipped down from the tree before the pains could amplify, causing her to fall instead. As quickly as she could, she sought out a nearby creek, using the cool water to help ease some of the throbbing pains, if only a little. Lenezma found great comfort in pressing her forehead against a cool stone, just grateful that this pain didn't seem to spread, staying confined to her head.

"Ugh… what is wrong with me? Was it something I ate…?"

"Is someone there?"

Lenezma's head popped back up, startled by the soft voice. Her eyes glanced around, unable to find the source. Had she imagined it?

But again came the call, Len able to follow the voice to an oddly shaped tree that stood out by itself. With tentative steps, Lenezma drew closer to the isolated tree, eyeing it suspiciously. Surely it was not the tree that spoke, was it?

But then she saw it, the small, huddled figure just on the other side of the trunk – it was an old woman. A blind woman.

"I can hear you there, you know," she smiled faintly before turning serious: "If you think you can rob me, you're out of luck – I've nothing of value so find some other pockets to pick!"

Len smiled, "I'm no thief."

"Ah, so you do speak," she cackled lightly, staring at the ground with her unseeing eyes.

"Are you lost?"

"Lost? Quite!" she erupted with laughter, as if that had been the funniest thing she'd heard in years. "Ah, I've been lost for years, and have no place to call home but where I lie. What of you?"

Lenezma's smile faded as she considered her predicament; "I suppose I'm a bit like you, lost and with no place to call home…"

"Hmm… that is a shame. You should find a home, dear, a nice man to grow old with and give you plenty of children! This is no life to lead. You don't want to end up like me, I assure you!" the old woman snickered, but Lenezma just sank further into her depression.

"… I had a chance at that life… but… things don't always turn out like we think they will…"

The woman went still for several long moments, guilty that she had caused the young woman grief, unawares that her light hearted comment would cause so much pain. "I am sorry…"

"You did not know…" Len replied softly, accepting the apology. "But enough of that; please tell me, what are you doing way out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Oh, I'm glad you asked," the woman smiled, taking this opportunity to lighten the atmosphere. "You see, I stumbled upon this tree and found this fruit," she replied, holding up a piece that looked like a tall pear, its color a sickly yellow. "I am terribly hungry," the woman went on, "but this fruit is foreign to me… I do not recognize this scent and every piece I find has these strange markings on it,"

Her hands revealed the raised markings on the fruit's skin, indeed a peculiar sight by Lenezma's standards. She did not recognize the fruit any more than the old woman, and the marking was surely odd, especially if found on every piece.

"Could you tell me if it is safe to eat? I'm so hungry, but I'm afraid to risk it…" she faded dejectedly.

Lenezma took one of the pieces from her hand, holding it this way and that, unable to smell any kind of toxin or poison from it, sensing no real danger from it at all.

With little else to lose, and eager to help this poor woman, Lenezma took a bite.

She cringed, the fruit's skin and juices leaving a bitter taste in her mouth as she swallowed, practically waiting for something terrible to happen…

Her eyes widened.

The pains had disappeared. They didn't fade off subtly like usual, no, they simply vanished in an instant, leaving her just as content as before. Did… did this fruit make the pains go away?

"Well?" the woman called tentatively.

"It… it's safe. It's wonderful, actually!" she smiled, her hopes beginning to rise. "Well, it tastes a bit bitter," she added quickly, "but it… I think it works wonders on the body…"

Daring to trust this stranger, the woman bit into the second piece, chewing it slowly, cringing from the bittersweet taste as Lenezma had done before she, too, was overcome with shock. Her hunger and even the stiffness in her joints had vanished. "Ah! You're right! Oh, what a wonderful tree this must be…!"

Lenezma couldn't agree more. With just a single bite, the fruit had cleansed them of their physical ailments.

"Ah, I feel good enough to get walking again!" the old woman smiled, managing to push herself back to a stand, using a simple stick as a walking cane, to guide her way.

Lenezma watched as she took several slow steps, her pity for this woman rising with each tap-tap of the stick.

"Are you sure I cannot guide you to a nearby village? You might be safer around others, and you'd have easy access to this fruit," Lenezma pointed out, hoping to make a strong case for the woman to consider. "And perhaps you could find your home in the process?"

The woman did not move for several long seconds, considering Lenezma's words… "You know… I think that sounds pretty good."

Len smiled. "Thank you."

"No, thank you! And you'll always be welcome to take from the tree if you so desire!"

Lenezma glanced at the tree, its branches full of the strange, yellow fruit, imagining a future where she no longer had to worry about those strange pains, where she could be rid of them within seconds…

They were the first – and only – things to be placed in Lenezma's satchel, three whole, large pieces that had the potential to ward off any pains for weeks.

Well stocked, Lenezma guided the woman to the closest village she could find, one that, while Lenezma hid her demonic features, agreed to take in the old woman. With a simple farewell and the hopes of seeing each other again someday, Lenezma left the old woman and continued on her way, a new ray of light in her eyes.

She now had the means to stop the pains, and the simple interaction she shared with the woman was exactly what she needed to ease some of the loneliness, just enough to take the edge off and leave her satisfied, ready to continue her quest for a place in this world…