Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. If I did it would never end and Kentamaru would be in it!

Chapter Nine: Enter Mitako

"Just do it."

"I cant!"

"Why not?"

"Baka! It doesnt work that way!"

Kenta scoffed and crossed his arms as he continued pacing needlessly across the small clearing. Canis and their new 'companion' were kneeling by a small fire eating breakfast.

"Keh," he snorted at the girl, upset at having lost the argument. The girl rolled her green-blue eyes but did not look at him.

"I only turn into a hanyou at night." she told him for probably the hundredth time since the sun had risen this morning. "I cannot turn into a hanyou at will, no matter how hard I try and you bossing me around isn't going to change that!" her voice had risen steadily to the point where she was practically yelling now.

"Well then why do you keep your youkai coloring?" Kenta shot at her childishly, staring at her turned back triumphantly.

She shook her head angrily. "I dont know!" she hollered turning around to look at him. "I didnt do this to myself! I didnt ask to be born a hanyou! You just learn to adapt and live with whatever life hits you with!"

Kenta turned his back on her stubbornly. "Whatever..." he muttered bitterly. The girl ran a hand over her face and sighed.

"If I could choose, I'd be a hanyou like you guys one hundred percent of the time." she told him calmly, trying to make amends. "But I'm not and we're going to have to deal with it."

Kenta suppressed a growl. He didnt like the sound of that. We. He didnt like the way she had so easily situated herself in their midst, into their lives after she had so unceremoniously barged in.

Canis, however, had grown remarkably attached to the presumed ex-bandit quicly. He was at her side at the moment, patting her leg sympathetically.

"It's okay Mitako," he told her gently. "Dont mind Kenta. He's always a baka like this."

The girl, Mitako, smiled down at him and touched his head lightly. "Thank you Canis."

Canis beamed at her and hopped to his feet. He took both of her hands and tugged, pulling her up to her feet as well. "We'll just walk during the days!" he announced cheerfully. He turned to Kenta. "See brother? Problem solved." he said with a smile.

Kenta ran a hand over his face and up his bangs. With an exasperated sigh he turned to face them.

"They'll still catch us. We'd just be an open target, asking them to come and kill us." he explained rather rationally.

"Yeah well it beats sitting here and arguing." Mitako said as she tied her hair up into a ponytail. "If I have to be caught I'd rather be caught moving then standing around fighting with a baka like you." she said harshly. Canis looked back and forth between both of the older hanyous,ears drooping. Kenta frowned as he thought about it.

"Listen. Kashiro and the guys move slow during the day. After all the running we did last night we can cover more ground today before we run again tonight."

Kenta glowered at a nearby tree. She made sense. They could still gain ground if they walked. It would be slow going and not a lot of ground but it was still making progress. Even though he would have preferred to run from the mob of angry bandits chasing them it didnt look like he had a choice. Unless...

Colour rose to his cheeks at the thought, despite the scowl on his face. "No way! There is not a chance in hell I'd carry that girl!" he thought angrily.

"Why are you blushing Kenta?" Canis asked loudly, staring at him intently. Mitako was looking at him strangely too, looking rather formidable with those two long needles stuck in her ponytail.

"Yeah..." she agreed, arching a thin eyebrow at him. Kenta shook his head fiercely.

"Keh, what are you talking about?" he scoffed loudly. "What are you waiting for. If we're walking we better go now!" he barked out loudly and stormed out of the clearing. His ear twitched violently when he heard her mutter to Canis.

"He's really weird isnt he?"

"Yup! That's my brother!"

Kenta was frowning deeply as they walked along the forest path. They'd come pretty far the last three hours. Despite his prior misgivings this girl was no slouch. She walked a few feet ahead of him, nodding her head occasionally as Canis talked her ear off. The two of them got along well enough, after barely knowing eachother a day. Less than a day technically.

What did they even know about her anyway? She was a bandit, who decided to repay Kenta for saving her life by 'saving' his. And in the process she betrayed her leader, the fire youkai Kashiro, who now wanted both of them dead at all costs and was apparently chasing them until he killed them both. He needed to know more about this girl. He couldnt trust her until he knew more.

Kenta bent down as he walked, scooping up a stick from the ground. Twirling it in his fingers, he lengthened his stride and easily caught up to the other two, walking behind them.

"Canis," he called to get his brothers attention. Canis and Mitako turned to look at him, neither one having noticed his presence.

"...FETCH!" he said loudly as he hurled the stick as far as he could down the straight path ahead. Canis's eyes widened and in a second he was gone, chasing the stick off into the distance.

"That wasnt very nice," Mitako observes with an amused look on her face nonetheless. Kenta shrugged his shoulders.

"He likes it," he replied evenly as he slipped silently into his brothers place next to her. They walked in silence for a moment as Canis disappeared into the distance, still chasing the stick.

"You are going to tell me everything you know about those bandits of yours." Kenta stated, suddenly very serious.

Mitako looked at him, shocked, clearly not expecting that from him. "Huh?"

"What are you deaf?" Kenta said coldly. "Tell me everything you know about Kashiro and his gang."

Mitako turned her head, looking forward. "What makes you think I know anything?" she challenged defiantly.

Kenta scoffed. "Dont play dumb with me bandit." he said arrogantly. "Tell me everything." he ordered a third time.

"I'm not a bandit." She argued.

"All evidence thus far says that you are." Kenta responded calmly albeit coldly.

"Shut up," she said darkly. "You dont know me."

"Exactly." Kenta said. "Thats why you're going to tell me." he paused for a moment.

"What do you want to know?" Mitako asked softly sighing as she gave up.

"Everything. Their strengths, weaknesses, fighting style, their history. Anything that will help me defeat them."

Mitako glanced over at him. He was staring off, determination smoldering in his eyes. "Defeat them?" she sputtered. "We're on the run. You can't fight them."

Kenta was unfazed. "I can, I will and I'll win." He turned his head to meet her stunned gaze, deadly serious.

"I am not running forever. I will not do it. I'm going south on an errand and when that is done I am turning right around and going home. And if that means going through them...then so be it."

Mitako turned away, looking ahead as Canis appeared in the distance, stick inhand, dashing towards them. "I see... and what do you plan to do with me?" she wondered out loud.

Kenta looked away from her. "I don't even trust you and I refuse to worry about you. What you do means nothing to me,"

Mitako fumed silently, fisting her hands at her sides. "What is it going to take for you to trust me?!" she hollered, stopping and grabbing his sleeve. Kenta halted and looked at her hand, clenched in his sleeve before meeting her bright eyes with his own inhumanly bright eyes as well.

His expression softened a little when he spoke. "I dont know." he admitted honestly, tugging his sleeve from her grasp. He turned to greet Canis, saying to her. "I'll let you know when I do."

Mitako watched as the brother's exchanged high fives. Canis was panting and grinnin gup at his older brother. It was obvious he looked up to him. Why the sweet little kid admired his selfish, arrogant, asshole older brother was a mystery lost on her.

"Oi bitch what the hell are you staring at?" Kenta barked at her, no longer cold and serious but just downright rude. Canis punched him in the leg.

"Dont be rude baka!" he scolded, the younger brother reprimanding the older brother. Kenta ground his fist into Canis's head.

"Buzz off shrimp. I tell YOU what to do, got it?"

Mitako shook her head sadly at the two of them and their rather immature display. Kenta rolled his eyes.

"Well come on!" he barked at her again. "Let's get moving." just as he finished his sentence a droplet of water fell on his nose. His nose twitched and he craned his neck skyward.

"Uh oh..." Canis commented as he too begal to feel the drops. Kenta waved it off.

"A little water never hurt anybody," he said positively. Just as he started walking the skies opened up and it started to downpour. The sound of the millions of heavy drops striking the trees and the ground was deafening. Mitako couldnt help the grin that splayed onher face.

"You were saying?" she teased over the din of the rain, clearly not caring that she was soaked to the bone already. Kenta turned his head toward her.

"We'll walk under the trees!" he yelled back at her as the rain picked up. As he spoke a bolt of lightning chose that exact moment to strike down a nearby tree and crack it down. The immediate and resulting thunderstrike and the crash of the tree smacking into the ground was enough to set Canis into a fit of terror.

Kenta was not pleased. He looked at his companions. Canis, who was cowering between his legs and that girl, who was soaked to the bone and smiling at him as if he deserved all this misfortune.

'What have I got myself into?' he mused with an unhappy shake of his head, water droplets flying everywhere. He bent down and gathered a shaky, whimpering Canis into his arms.

"Come on," he called as he walked by Mitako. "I'll find a place thats safe." he didnt even bother to look at her. She rolled her eyes and could only follow obediently in his footsteps.

"This..." she started incredulously. "Is your safe place?"

Kenta folded his arms and closed his eyes, water still dripping down his face. He sat at the front entrance to a small cave. Canis had fallen asleep in the back corner, Mitako sat near him nursing a small fire that lit and heated the cave.

"If its not good enough I can throw your ass out of it if you want." Kenta retorted threateningly.

Mitako rolled her eyes and said nothing. She could understand his apprehension and distrust to a degree, but seriously. If she was going to kill hm, she'd have done it already. She was about to voice this when he spoke.

"What was on that needle?" his voice was calm and even. His question and tone caught her off guard. She had only ever heard him be rude. She gripped the needles on her forearm.

"The one you stabbed me with?" he specified when she didnt answer right away. Mitako eyed him suspiciously.

"Why does it matter to you?" she said harshly, turning her gaze to the fire. Kenta sighed, which she found unusual.

"Fine," he growled softly. "I was just asking." he added as an after thought.

They sat in awkward silence, listening to the crackle of the fire and the persistant pounding of the rain. Canis would occasionally murmur in his sleep and change positions.

"It's just a mixture of herbs," Mitako announced after a while with a small sigh. "It'll knock out any human or demon. Why do you ask?"

Kenta shrugged and chuckled softly, a little nervously, and rubbed the back of his neck. "It...gave me a rash," he admitted, staring out into the rain. Mitako laughed.

"Really?" she asked incredulously. Kenta nodded his head. "I never knew it did that. I never really followed up on anyone I've ever jabbed with one of these." she said honestly smiling. It was silent again after that.

"Who fights with needles?" Kenta asked suddenly, trying to break the silence.

"Excuse me?" Mitako gasped, taking his words as an insult.

"Seriously," Kenta stated, turning to face her, an amused grin on his face. "It's not much of a weapon if you ask me."

"Well nobody asked you. And it seemed to do the trick with you!" she snapped at him aggravatedly.

"I mean it, seriously. It's all good if you are sneaking up on someone or you're in close range. But that means letting them get close to you and leaves you pretty vulnerable doesnt it?" he explained to her logically. Mitako was surprised. He actually sounded...intelligent. "It's stupid," he added.

"It's not stupid," Mitako defended, drawing a needle and holding it. "You think I let my enemies get anywhere near me?" she asked him, arching a thin eyebrow at him.

"During the day what else have you got to stop them with?" he said, answering her question with one of his own.

"Hmmph," she scoffed delicately as she looked around the cave. She looked back at him suddenly, her bright eyes flashing deviously.

"What are you looking at?" Kenta questioned warily, following her gaze to the front of the cave. He snorted and looked back at her.

"What are you afraid of bugs or something?" he asked with a rude snort as he looked back at the large black beetle that had wandered into their cave in search of heat.

"Just watch." she told him. Kenta rolled his eyes but watched as she took the needle in between her index and middle fingers. She brought her hand to her opposite shoulder and then swung her hand out, flicking her wrist gracefully.

It all happened so fast. Kenta blinked and was unable to follow the path of the needle. He looked at the entrance of the cave.

The needle was sticking through the beetle, had cracked its hardshell all the way through and was stuck in the ground, impaling the poor innocent bug. It was such a small target and she was away from it. Kenta gaped and swallowed hard. Mitako was smirking at him.

"Anything to say about that?" she pestered smugly.

"That's quite the trick," he admonished truthfully, turning to face her once more. "Where did you learn it?"

Mitako hadnt been expecting that from him either and was caught unawares. He was being uncharacteristically polite and friendly. She brushed the bangs from her face nervously.

"I was an apprentice for a seamstress since as far back as I can remember," she told him truthfully. "When I was little I'd get bored with constantly sewing so I just...started throwing the needles instead."

"So the tools of your trade double as your weapons?"

"Something like that yeah," she said as she poked the fire.

"So how did you go from being a seamstress to traveling with a bunch of youkai bandits?" he asked curiously, no hint of malice or distrust in his tone. He was just following the flow of conversation. Mitako frowned.

"You know you ask a lot of questions," she said sulenly, gazing into the flames, hugging her knees to her chest.

"You dont give me a choice,"

"It doesn't matter," she told him.

"Yes it does. It matters a lot," he protested gently. Mitako threw her hands in the air and leaned back against the stone wall, looking at the opposite wall.

"You can guess what happened can't you?" she said bitterly. "My master saw me one night, saw me turn. She threw me out, sent the village headman and hunters after me. They chased me until dawn..." she was silent after this, still staring blankly at the wall.

"Then what..." Kenta prodded gently.

"Kashiro and the boys rescued me." she said meeting his eyes. She stood then, stooping slightly as she made her way to the front of the cave.

"Where are you going?" he demanded suddenly as she stopped in front of him. The rain had not yet abated.

"I-," she started. "I've got to pee." she said lamely, rushing into the rain.

Kenta stared after her into the rain. He had no idea what to make of this girl. Part of him wanted to trust her, wanted to help her and understand her. That was his mother in him. The Kagome in him.

The Inuyasha in him told him he shouldnt trust her, to protect himself and his brother at all costs. This was the other half of him, constantly warring with the other side of him. It was a wonder his parents hadn't killed eachother yet, and that they had held off murdering eachother long enough to have him and his brother.

'What do you think Kentamaru?' a voice in his head asked gently.

Kenta bowed his head and buried his face in his hands. This was al so confusing and new to him.

"What do you think?" the voice demanded again, stronger.

What did he think? What did he think of what? That girl? Whatever her name was.

"I think..." he started realizing. "I think if she'd intended to kill me...she'd have done it a while ago." he thought to himself. "And if she wanted to harm Canis...she'd have done it already."

"What else?" the voice prodded.

"I dont know what else!" Kenta raged in his mind. "What does she want from me?"

"She already told you. You offered her your aid, baka. Listen to your brother more he's more a man than you. You cannot take back your offer to help her."

"And why the hell not?" Kenta demanded.

"Because you...are honorable..." the voice said and then nothing more.

Kenta looked over at Canis. Could a child like him really know whether someone was trustworthy or not? He wanted to believe her, more and more it seemed, but how did he know if what she told him was even true. As he had been talking to her, it had been hard for him to remember that he wasnt supposed to trust her. Was she playing him like a fool?

When she'd asked him what to do, to prove he could trust her, to prove she was telling the truth. His answer had been honest. He honestly didnt know what it would take for him tobelieve her words, what it would take for him to trust her. But he would tell her if and when she did gain his trust.

He looked out into the rain. The forest outside was pitch black, but behind the storm clouds the sun had yet to set. His left ear twitched suddenly, violently. Voices.

He was on his feet in an instant, eyes scouring the darkness. His claws scraped against the wall of the cave as he leaned out through the rain. Then he spotted her, through the trees talking to another youkai. Even through the darkness Kenta recognized the youkai as one of the neko youkai from her old gang.

"I knew it," he breathed viciously. His claws drew sparks as he dragged them down the cave wall, leaving deep scores in the stone. He clenched his fight tightly. "she's betraying us...she played me!" he spat into the open air.

He looked over his shoulder at Canis sleeping peacefully. Kenta chewed his lip, wondering what to do. He couldnt leave Canis here like he was. What if there was more of them? He looked back out into the rain. They were still talking. Good.

Kenta turned and tore off his haori, dousing the flames of the fire in a flourish, darkening the cave. He draped it over Canis who sat up wearily.

"Kenta?" he groaned. "Whats going on?"

"Nothing. Shut up." Kenta hissed. "Stay here, stay alert and stay hidden until I come back for you understand?" he ordered in a rush. Canis woke up in an instant, golden eyes bright and alert. He nodded while gulping fearfully. Kenta shot him a wry smile and pulled his haori over his brothers head.

In the dark of the cave it was impossible to discern his brothers whereabouts by sight alone. It would do. Half naked Kenta bolted into the rain. He took to the trees, reveling in the height and excitement. He hadnt been able to run through the trees in a while.

He paused within earshot of the two, crouching low on a branch so he could better hear their voices.

"Kashiro isn't too pleased with you girly," the neko was saying to her, a twisted smile on his face. He was talking to her like they were old pals.

"He never is," Mitako said back rather acidly, her true colors showing. The youkai took a step toward her.

"He misses you..." the neko croned as he got closer to her.

"Good for him," she retorted stonily.

The neko youkai pounced on her then, pinning her against a tree, slender powerful fingers wrapped around her neck.

"You..." he started darkly. "are such a bitch!" he hissed at her, his voice dark and no longer friendly at all. "I never understood why Kashiro put up with you. No one did." as he said this he slammed her head against the trunk of the tree. Mitako gasped but did not scream.

"I swear," he continued, tightening his grip on her throat. "If Kashiro didnt want to kill you personally, I'd cut you where you stand." he let her go abruptly. Mitako slumped against the tree, breathing heavily, hands massaging her throat.

The neko straightened and cracked his knuckles. "That doesn't mean I can't throw you around a bit until he comes to get you himself." he laughed menacingly, eerie green eyes flashing in the darkness.

Kenta had seen enough. He dropped from the trees and darted at the neko youkai, claws out ready to strike. He leapt into the air above the neko, slashing downward.

"SACROSANCT!"

Mitako cringed and raised her arm in defense as flashes of pink light erupted before her, cutting through her attacker. There was a look of shock and pain on his face before he turned into dust and blew away before her.

She looked up apprhensively into the eyes of her savior, blinking through the rain.

Kenta was standing before her, wearing nothing but his bright red hakama pants and soaked thoroughly. His left hand was out before him,silver rings that had previously adorned his fingers nowhere in sight. Pink light emanated from his claws, casting its light around them and eerie angular shadows on his face. Mitako backed up against the tree in fear.

The energy coming from his hand, she could feel it. Burning her as the behind the clouds the sun dipped below the horizon. Her youki pulsed within her, and burned as she turned into her hanyou self and the energy coming from Kenta connected with her youkai's aura.

"What kind of demon are you?!"

Cliffhanger! MUAHA. Have fun with that one. I have nothing to say.

I am really very curious as to what you guys think of this girl...so if you guys could tell me in a review or PM that would be pretty sweet.

So the question this time is...

Mitako...is she GOOD...or BAD?

Deceptress