Slowly her eyes opened. For a few moments, her blurry gaze attempted to focus on the ceiling. It didn't work. Keiame shut her eyes again. Her mouth released a groan as she sat up. Her limbs felt heavy, but she forced herself to do body checks. Nothing was broken. There were a few tender spots, though. Bruises were beginning to form on her legs. Keiame looked to her left, noticing her comrades were lying down as well. They hadn't regained consciousness yet, it seemed. "Where… is this?" she murmured out loud, taking note of her surroundings. This place looked similar to Kaede's place. But there were lots of places that looked similar in this messed up world, so she didn't think too much of it.

An unfamiliar voice reached her ears. A man's voice. Keiame turned to where the sound came from. An older man had entered, arms crossed but with a kind smile. He introduced himself as Kichibei and informed her that he had found her group right outside the village this morning. Keiame stared suspiciously at the man, wondering if his intentions were pure. However, before she could demand answers, Inuyasha's groan caused her to shift her attention to him. Noticing her stare, the half-demon immediately stood. The others slowly came to as well. "What happened? What's Naraku?" Kagome questioned. Keiame bowed her head as she stood up.

"Obviously not here," she bit out. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides. "We couldn't take him out. We couldn't even touch him."

"Are you saying we can't defeat Naraku?!" Inuyasha huffed, crossing his arms.

"Not as we are, we can't!" Keiame shouted, glaring at him. The others winced at her sudden increase of volume. The schoolgirl sharply turned her head, choosing to glare at the floor. "Not… not as we are…" she repeated. She swallowed, but that did little to stop the feeling of nauseous that threatened to overwhelm her. Sango, worry written on her face, took a cautious step toward her. She called her name, but Keiame only took several steps back. "I have to… I need to be alone right now." The demon slayer had called out to her again, but she had headed towards the door. She ignored Kichibei and left.

She started to run. In an unfamiliar village, she ran without any sense of direction. Like she cared right now. What had happened had been the most humiliating thing she had ever experienced. How could she have been so stupid? She knew how. The answer was simple. Since she had arrived here, she hadn't lost a single battle. She had become arrogant, truly thinking demons weren't as strong as her, especially with her sudden power. However, in the face of the main enemy, she had completely frozen. Toughest fifteen year old girl in Japan…? Ha! Not anymore. Even Kagome had attempted. Keiame had done nothing. "So what if he was effin sexy?! I shouldn't have turned to stone!" she reprimanded herself.

She had clenched her eyes shut, and so she had not seen the last stone step. She tripped, fell, and face planted in the dirt. Keiame wanted to cry. Seriously cry. Ugly faced, snot dripping, dramatic sobbing, body shaking type of cry. Would that be the only way she could get through this? She hated being weak. She hated this place. She just wanted to go home. But the only way to do that is… through her baby's daddy. Hrm… This was totally not fair. "The hell are you doing?" A voice had halted her train of thought. Keiame lifted her face from the dirt. It was the old man. Kakuju.

"Gramps!" she exclaimed. The girl hurriedly stood up and wiped at her face. For some strange reason, she felt mildly embarrassed to be caught by the old man in that position. Sounding a bit annoyed, Kakuju repeated his question. "I… I was wallowing in self-pity. I lost the battle. This power you awakened in me… I couldn't use it against him. None of my friends could hurt him either. He has this stupid barrier, but the source of it seemed to come directly from him, so it's not like we could destroy the source first…" She grabbed and pulled at her short hair. "I'm going crazy about this! I don't know what to do anymore!"

"How about you stop being a little bitch and pick yourself up?" Kakuju suggested. Keiame blinked. Twice. "Yeah, I said it! Is this who you've become since we last spoke? I don't remember training just anyone with the powers you possess."

"I'm pretty sure you can't even remember the last time you took a shi-" Keiame scowled, but before she could finish her sentence, the old man whacked her with his stick. "OW!"

"Listen carefully," he told her. "If you want to go after your opponent again, I can show you the way." The teenager decided to shut her mouth and listen, though she did glare at him for striking her. She furiously rubbed her abused head as she listened. "First, go to Mount Houoh and-"

"I don't have no masterball!"

"-And obtain a fruit from the Magatama tree," Kakuju continued as though he hadn't heard her interruption. He twisted his moustache between his finger and thumb. "You will need it in order to break barriers."

"Break barriers…?" Keiame echoed. Her eyes widen. That was just want they needed. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, though. "How very convenient…"

"Just get the damn fruit," Kakuju ordered. "Or don't and wallow in self-pity for the rest of your life."

"Alright, alright already!" she huffed. "Got to the mountain. Get the fruit. Eat some of it. Bring it back to you."

"… I didn't say eat it. Anyway, I'll tell you the rest once you have the fruit. It will not be easy. This journey will test your courage. And your teamwork."

"I don't get it, but whatever…! As long as I can get my hands on Naraku… both in the bad way and the good way."

"What?"

"What?"

"… Just get the damn fruit," Kakuju repeated.

Keiame nodded her head, and then turned away from the old man. She began her way back to the others. Unfortunately, she got lost several times because she didn't know where the hell she was. She stumbled into strangers' home, looking for her friends. She didn't find them. But she did find something interesting. A blacksmith. She stared at the man for a moment. He looked quite uneasy about it.

Then she grinned, showing her teeth.

0~0

When she finally returned, it was Kagome that exclaimed. Apparently, she had been gone for over an hour and everyone had been worried sick. Keiame shrugged, waving off the statement as if it were a trivial thing. Though, admittedly, she felt some type of a way about their concern. "Listen up! I might've found a way to break Naraku's barrier!" Her words were met with incredulous looks and gasps. "He told me that we must capture the legendary bird pokemon on top of Mount Uh-Oh." Those looks then became baffled. "Wait, that's not it. He said something about fruit…"

"Perhaps the mountain you are referring to is the sacred mountain near this village," Miroku supplied. "It is called Mount Houoh. Monks in training tend to gather there. As it is a sacred place, I wouldn't be surprised to find some type of item that could defeat Naraku."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Keiame ignored the hurt look the monk gave her. She crossed her arms. "All I know is Kakuju said to get the fruit, bring it to him, so that he can show me how to break barriers. That's all that matters. So let's go."

"Right," Inuyasha agreed with a nod of his head. Without another word, the group headed out. They traveled in silence, thoughts filled with their defeat at the hands of Naraku. It had been a pretty humiliating defeat and the loss had weighed heavily on their hearts. But hopefully, this fruit from the Magatama tree proved to be useful. And so they marched, up the mountain, the group of six marched on.

It didn't take very long for Keiame to voice her opinion about the circumstance. "This mountain effin bites! I'm bored as shit!" she nearly screamed out. Those around her sighed in unison, knowing it had been a long time coming. The group had been walking up the mountain for about thirty minutes, after all. "Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored~!" Inuyasha smacked her upside her head and told her to stop complaining. "Ow! Rude! Didn't have to hit me!"

"If you're so bored, then find something to entertain yourself!" Inuyasha said. Keiame opened her mouth. "And no singing either!"

"Well, you're no fun!" Keiame glowered as she crossed her arms. Her eyes took a look around. Then she sighed heavily. "Let's play I Spy," she suggested. Before any could protest, she began. "I spy, with my little eye…" Glancing around, she found something that made her frown. "Something that's retarded, black, and blue." Enthusiastically, Shippo began to name off things that she might have spied. Keiame denied each one, appearing to get angrier and angrier with each no. Finally, Kagome said she didn't know and to stop leaving them all in suspense. "Fine, fine… It's Miroku." The monk instantly froze at being called out.

"Oh… You mean his robes?" Sango questioned.

"No, I mean his face if he continues to try and grab your ass without me or you noticing."

"What?!" The demon slayer rounded on him, looking livid.

"Oh, look, a distraction!" Miroku pointed. His sudden exclamation had successfully turned the attention away from him and to a small residence. However, the structure seemed a bit worn down. Shippo remarked how much of a dump it was. "Monks do no need luxury in order to practice," Miroku explained, secretly happy that his diversion had been worked. Heck, he was ecstatic that they had stumbled across the hut in the first place. He really didn't like the sound of being black and blue after the lovely Sango and fierce Keiame got through with him. "They only need shelter from the elements."

"I guess we could stay here, too… if we need to rest," Shippo stated.

"Why the hell would we need to rest?" Keiame muttered, raising a brow. "After we leave this mountain, we ain't coming ba—huh?" The schoolgirl walked forward, gaze focused on the giant boulder in front of her. Inuyasha rudely asked what she was staring at. "This…" She pointed, ignoring the fact that the half-demon had used such a tone. Walking forward, she almost pressed her palm against the rock. However, she halted. "Something… is familiar about it."

"What could be so familiar about a giant rock?" Inuyasha grumbled. "We're wasting time!" Keiame whirled around, showing her middle finger and promptly told him to bite her. "With that attitude, I just might, you little shit!" Sango stepped to Keiame's side and leaned forward.

"It looks normal," she observed. "But there is a faint wind coming from it—like this is merely blocking another path."

"If it has nothing to do with the fruit, then I don't care!" Inuyasha began walking again. "Let's get this over with already."

"Fine, fine," Keiame muttered with a roll of her eyes. She followed after the half-demon, clasping her hands together behind her back. The others gradually followed them as well. They continued on without much incident. There were a few demon encounters, but they only proved to temporarily release the boredom and tension amongst the group. Finally, they came to an obstacle. Keiame squinted, staring up at the rock formation. They had just exited a small cave to get this far, only to come across a huge Cliffside. "How do you suppose we get up there? Because I'm telling you right now, I'm not climbing."

"Stupid," Inuyasha scoffed. "If we wait for you to climb, we'd be here all night." A sarcastic laugh from the schoolgirl caused the half-demon to snicker. "I'll just jump. Kirara will take a few. Shippo will take someone, too."

"Kirara…?" Keiame peered at the small two-tailed cat demon. "Oh right… Sango said this little kitty could transform." The little demon mewed, and then jumped from Sango's shoulder. Her body then was consumed by flames, causing the schoolgirl to gasp and cover her eyes. The heat of the flames disappeared, so Keiame opened her eyes and stared through her parted fingers. The little cat demon had indeed transformed into a giant cat demon, looking like a saber-toothed tiger in appearance. "Whaa…! Cool! I call dibs!" She took a hesitant step forward. Kirara nodded its massive head, apparently understanding her. "Oh my god! This is the best!" Sango chuckled, and then helped Keiame onto the large feline. She, too, climbed on her demon companion's back.

"I guess that leaves me with Shippo then," Miroku murmured, sounding a bit disappointed. He, however, was ignored by most of his comrades. Keiame, though, grinned cheekily in his direction before purposely wrapping her arms around Sango's waist. The monk's eye twitched at the sight. Shippo jumped up and was enveloped in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared, a giant pink, balloon like thing had taken Shippo's place. Keiame snickered as Kagome climbed on Inuyasha's back.

"Hey, Inuyasha…"

"What?"

"Let's race all the way to the top."

"That's stupid, Keiame. Everyone else will be left behind."

"What? Is that a challenge?" Sango asked. "You think you can so easily beat our Kirara?" Inuyasha turned to his fellow warrior, smirk on his face.

"If you want to take it as a challenge, then go ahead," he said. "I'll say it a-" The large cat demon shot into the air like a bullet. "You cheater!" He raced after the two-tailed demon, almost forgetting to hold on tight to Kagome, who screamed at the sudden jump. Miroku watched them go until they were completely out of sight. He then shifted his attention to the transformed fox demon. He looked about ready to pop. This was going to take a while, Miroku thought before sighing heavily.

Keiame cheered loudly once Kiara finally came to a stop. She threw up her arms in utter glee. That had been the best adrenaline rush she had ever experienced. Hands down. The girl continued to whoop even as Sango slid from her companion's back. "Suck it, Inuyasha," she said with a smile.

"That wasn't fair, and you know it, Sango!" Inuyasha, who had landed only a second later, pointed a finger. "Keiame threw something at me! I almost fell!" Slightly dizzy, Kagome stumbled away from the half-demon, holding her head.

"You still lost," Sango laughed, petting Kirara for a job well done. Keiame finally stopped her cheering and hopped off of the large demon. She stuck her tongue out at Inuyasha. He merely scowled at her since it had been her fault. "Where's Miroku and Shippo?" The red clad half-demon thumbed behind him. Sure enough, at a slow pace, the monk was sitting on top of a floating Shippo. The pink balloon looking then had eyes and a mouth, and seemed to be sweating profusely. With a pop, Shippo transformed back into his small fox form, leaving Miroku to fall down next to his comrades. He caught the small demon, but he appeared annoyed.

"I suggest we do not do this again," he said.

"Hell no!" Inuyasha protested. "I demand a rematch!"

"You can't be serious!" Kagome hissed. "We're not going back down just to come back up again!" The half demon flinched, causing the girl to blink in surprise. "I… I wasn't going to sit you." BAM—he plummeted to the group. Her brown eyes widened in horror. "I didn't mean to! I'm so sorry!"

"Kagome, what the fuck?!"

"It was an accident!"

Before the verbal fight could continue, a massive wind came out of nowhere. Kagome screamed, holding down her skirt. Had it not been for Miroku holding on to him, Shippo would have been blown away. "This is a strange gust!" the monk shouted over the howling wind. Sango commented that her body had grown a bit heavy with the altitude and the wind was not helping either. "This current of air feels hostile!" Then a deep voice, seemingly coming from all around them, spoke.

"Who are you?" it had questioned. A visible mass of air appeared. "You, trespassing fools, are standing on sacred grounds. Leave immediately!" With his booming command, Inuyasha hop up from the ground and moved to stand protectively in front of his comrades.

"Sorry, asshole, but we're not going anywhere without the fruit from the Magana tree!" he shouted. The monk was quick to correct him. "Shut up, Miroku! That's what I said!"

"A Magatama fruit…?" the voice echoed. "Many neophytes comes in search of it. However, they have yet to claim it as they are unworthy. To acquire the fruit, you must have more than just power! Without a pure heart and courage, you will not be taking the fruit!"

"The hell a neophyte?"

"He just called us amateurs," Sango supplied. She gripped the strap around her large weapon and narrowed her eyes. "I know it doesn't know any better, but I'm still licking my wounds from the last battle with Naraku. I'm not going to let you throw salt on these open wounds!"

"That's the spirit, Sango! I'm show you courage!" Inuyasha removed his massive sword from its hilt. "Let's go!" The group lined up, ready for battle. It was Keiame to make the first move. Since this spirit didn't have a physical form, she had opted to stay rooted to the spot and throw ball of light attack the living smokescreen. Shippo was next. He held green fire in the palm of his hand, and then threw it at the ground in front of him. The flames spread from Kagome all the way towards Miroku. However, it didn't burn. If anything, the flames felt as though they could take anything this spirit decided to dish out.

That is when the spirit did attack. Pitch black smoke was sent at high speeds towards the group. Keiame hurriedly shut her eyes and stop her breathing. After a moment or two, she opened her eyes. Inuyasha and Sango cursed. The monk reached out, exclaiming that he couldn't see a thing. They had all been hit, but only they had been affected. Miroku quickly hit the ground with his staff twice and brought his hand up. His body suddenly glowed. "I'm fine now," he stated.

"Inuyasha…!" Kagome went over to Inuyasha, fished in her pocket, and pulled out a vial of eye drops. The half-demon groaned, but did not swat her hand away. The drops were successfully applied, and after blinking away the blurriness, he glared at the enemy. "Here I go!" The schoolgirl focused on the enemy, pulling back her arrow. To Keiame's surprise, the arrow seemed to damage the enemy spirit because its form actually faltered and it… snarled. "Did I get him?"

"Right." Inuyasha ran at the enemy, choosing to attack with his claws. "Iron Weaver Soul Stealer!" The spirit snarled again due to the attack. Keiame couldn't help but snicker as Inuyasha fell back in line.

"I've been meaning to tell you this for a while now, but… that's a ridiculous name for an attack, Inuyasha."

"Kiss my ass, Keiame!" The half-demon wanted to glare at her so badly, but he kept his eyes focused solely on the enemy. The cheeky schoolgirl did, however, have to dodge his swipe and she ran over to give Sango a few eye drops. "Get ready to rock, Shippo!" The small fox demon nodded his head and clenched his teeth. Sango, no longer in the dark, readied her attack.

"Hiraikotsu!" she exclaimed, throwing her massive boomerang. Like the other physical attacks, it went right through it and yet did damage. Sango caught the weapon on its way back to her, and then ran at the enemy. She brought the weapon down, and then jumped back in line.

"So cool~!" Keiame gushed, wiggling in place.

"I'm ready!" Shippo announced. He jumped in air. "Coming your way, Inuyasha! Fox Fire!" The dark green flame was thrown in the hybrid's direction. They swirled around his sword as he ran towards the spirit. The Tetsaiga dealt a lot of damage, at least, according to Miroku who could see it. But no matter the damage, the spirit unleased its own attack. The huge gust of wind had been enough to send them sprawled on the ground.

"Shit…" Keiame struggled to stand. The impact with the ground hurt worse than the actual wind, thank goodness. Using her fellow schoolgirl as support, she stood up straight. She smacked her hands together. "Flame Burning Bright!" Her palm extended upward. "Turn into a sword of wrath!" Despite her command, the light above her formed the shape of a… thing she couldn't recognize. "The fuck is that?! I said sword!" Though it hadn't turned into anything recognizable, the power of the Shikigami hurtled towards the enemy. It hissed, groaned, and it took a bit longer for it to reform again. "Oh yeah! Critical on that bitch!"

The spirit, apparently, didn't like being mocked. It did not wait for the others to attack. It sent another cloud towards the group. Pure white smoke covered them all, making it hard to see. When it dissipated, one member of the group had succumbed to the effects of the white smoke. "Sango…!" Kagome screamed, racing towards the demon slayer. After checking her over, she announced the diagnosis. "It put her to sleep!"

"Damn it!" Inuyasha bared his fangs at the enemy. "Prepare yourself!"

"You can do it, Inuyasha!" Kagome cheered him on. "Make him pay!"

"Oooh, Kagome—I'm impressed!" Keiame complimented. The green-clad schoolgirl couldn't fight the reddening of her cheeks, but the fierce expression hadn't waivered. Shippo tossed large firecrackers at the spirit. Miroku braced himself for the oncoming storm, saying that he could take it. The spirit attacked again, but this time, Inuyasha unleashed the furious power from his blade.

"Wind Scar!" The entire mountain rumbled under the force of the attack. The yellow streaks of light cut into the ground and headed straight for the enemy spirit. Keiame tried to see if it did any damage, really, she did, but the dirt cloud, the quaking of the ground, and the light made it very difficult to do. After a few moments of this, the noise, wind, and shaking stopped. Slowly, the schoolgirl lowered her arms. She gasped. Where the spirit used to be were large crevices in the ground—like a gigantic creature had clawed at the ground.

"Holy black on a Popo, Inuyasha!" Keiame exclaimed, stunned at the damage.

"It could have been worse," he muttered, sheathing his blade. Then another cloud appeared. "Shit! It's not over! I'll take them on as many times as I need to!"

"Wait, Inuyasha!" Miroku stepped to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I don't feel any hostility coming from that one. Also, the wind has completely stopped."

"I attuned all of your hearts," the spirit declared. "You may take a Magatama fruit." The spirit vanished then, giving no other explanation.

"Does this mean we succeeded?" Keiame questioned.

"Does this mean Keiame's heart is pure?"

"Shut up, Shippo!" she retorted. "Of course my heart is pure!"

"Pure ice, maybe."

"Eat a big one, Miroku!"

"Let just get a fruit from the tree already," Kagome sighed heavily, fed up with the banter. "But Sango is still sleeping, so I'll wait here with her."

"I'm sure it's not too far away, this tree, so I'll get it." Keiame walked away from the group, legs moving her to the edge of the cliff. She looked down. They had traveled so far up the mountain. She whistled, impressed by the height. Then she wondered why it hadn't gotten hard to breathe. With an uncaring shrug, she let the thought pass, and then turned her attention to the right. There, a small bush, seemed to be humming. In the shadow of the Cliffside, the fruit glowed a neon green color. "Looks like radiation to me…" Keiame murmured. Still, this seemed to be the fruit that the old man had wanted. Hopefully. He really hadn't given a description of it. This was the only fruit-bearing thing on this mountain, so it must be what she had been searching for. With a yank, a single branch with a dozen fruit had been removed from its home. "That wasn't too bad."

Keiame stood up to her full height again, and then made her way back to the group. It appeared that Sango had still not awakened. "It's no good," Kagome stated. "We don't have any silver bells to wake her. We'll have to buy some wants we get back to the village, so it won't happen again."

"I'll carry her down the mountain," Inuyasha said. "Kagome and Miroku, you ride with Kirara."

"Does that mean I have to take Shippo?" Keiame asked, voice borderline whining.

"Suck it up," Inuyasha told her. The girl immediately pouted. Her poked out lip was ignored, though, due to the half-demon picking up his demon slayer comrade. He carried her over his shoulder like a sack. Kagome told him to be careful. With a scoff and a roll of his eyes, Inuyasha rearranged her so that his arms supported her back and legs. "Happy?" The girl frowned at the sight of her friends in such a position. It was like a groom carrying his bride over the threshold. Kagome shook the nasty thoughts from her head.

"I suppose…" she replied reluctantly.

"Well, now that that's outta the way—let's go, Shippo-chan!" Without warning, Keiame scooped up the fox demon and tossed him into the air, ordering him to transform. He did so immediately because she tossed him away from the cliff. The schoolgirl 'wahoo'd' and launched herself from the edge of the cliff. The others shouted her name, horrified at what she had done. Thought it seemed she had leapt to her death, Keiame actually grabbed on to Shippo's legs and used him like a high speed parachute. Those watching could only stare in disbelief as Shippo's screams faded the farther down they traveled. "SAFE!" she had the nerve to call up to them.

"All in favor of her never being along with Shippo again, say 'aye' please," Kagome instructed, rubbing her temple. She could only imagine the dangerous stunts they would get themselves into.

"Aye," Inuyasha agreed with a grimace.

"Aye," Miroku agreed as well.

0~0

The group finally made it back to the village. They immediately purchased a few silver bells from the local merchant. The sound of the bells were great in waking the demon slayer. After a few moments of explaining, they continued on in search of Kakuju. After walking a bit, they discovered him in the exact same place as Keiame had left him, by a well. "Hm…" He turned towards the group. "Well, well, well… Look who isn't useless after all?" Inuyasha glowered, but Keiame grinned. She flicked her short head and scoffed.

"As if there were any doubt!" she boasted.

"This coming from the only one who cried."

"Shut up, Inuyasha!"

"Now, now," Kagome chided.

"You guys really are something. The Spirit of the Air actually allowed you to have a seed," Kakuju continued.

"You mean fruit," Keiame corrected.

"That's what I said… retard," the old man muttered the last bit before covering it with a cough. The schoolgirl pursed her lips. "Now, give me the fruit from the tree and come close to me. I'm going to make you a woman-" Kagome yelped in surprise. "-of the Shikigami. You will be able to control all forms of its power." Realizing that he hadn't finished his sentence, Kagome sighed in relief. Seriously, was she the only one freaking out about this old man? Light and wind swirled around her fellow schoolgirl. Apparently, she didn't seem to be freaking out, or perhaps she just didn't care. After a few long moments, Kakuju released Keiame. "Now… You should know how to break through barriers. The technique is called Blue Sky Calamity."

"Stupid name." Keiame shook her head.

"I didn't name the techniques, insolent child!"

"Great! Naraku's barrier is all but useless now!" Inuyasha stated, interrupting the retort the schoolgirl had been about to fling. "We'll definitely destroy him next time!"

"It appears as though your enemy is powerful," Kakuju went on. "Be careful in your endeavors." The old man moved past the group, muttering to himself. Something about how someone could dare mock his creativity. Once he was gone, Shippo suggested that the group rest.

"Good idea," Kagome gave a nod. "We need to regain our strength before we continue on." Keiame shrugged. "Good… Let's all take the rest of the day off. Who do you want to pair off with today?" Again, a shrug was given. "… Hm, well, I kinda want to talk to you, so I'll choose you."

"Thank you…?"

"I'm going for a walk," Inuyasha said.

"That sounds nice," Miroku hummed. "I'll go with you."

"Try not to corrupt him," Sango teased.

"Miroku or Inuyasha?" Shippo asked, curious.

"Both," she laughed. The two in question looked offended. Sango continued to giggle as she picked up the little fox demon. "Let's go, Shippo. I think we should help Kichibei prepare a meal for tonight." Shippo grinned and nodded his head. The group broke off into their pairs, leaving Kagome and Keiame alone by the well.

"We should head out, too," Kagome said. She lifted the bow over shoulder. "I want to practice. I won't get better if I don't."

"Ain't that the truth?"

"Rude," she half-heartedly hissed. Keiame merely chuckled at her attempt. "I saw a place I can practice just outside the village. Come on."

The two schoolgirls traveled a bit before Kagome stopped and looked around. Deciding their area was a good spot, she readied her bow and pulled back the string. Keiame found a comfortable spot against a nearby tree to watch her. After a few rounds, of just watching, she steadily came bored. "Let me try!" she said, standing up. Kagome lowered her weapon and gave her a dubious look, wondering if she had ever used a bow and arrow before. "Once the captain of the archery club was sitting to the side and back of me."

"…" Kagome waited for her fellow schoolgirl to continue the explanation, but it didn't come. "That doesn't tell me anything." Keiame only grinned. With a sigh, the long-haired girl handed her weapon of choice over. "Knock yourself out," she told her. "But if you hurt yourself…"

"Please, I'm not a simpleton!" Keiame took the same stance as Kagome had, and then attempted to fire. The string hit her outstretched arm and the arrow fell harmlessly to the ground. "OW! Son of a bitch!" Kagome snorted, almost unable to hold back her giggles. "Hey! It's harder than it looks!"

"Yes, it is," she agreed, taking the weapon away. Keiame hissed and rubbed at her tender arm. "Maybe now you'll realize I'm better than you thought."

"I guess… You can even hit a moving target, so yeah, I guess you are better than I thought. You make it look easy."

"So you'll stop calling me retard then?"

"Just take the compliment, Kagome." Keiame's voice had turned flat, signaling that she would continue to use the term retard when referring to her. The archer of the team sighed heavily. "But anyway, what did you want to talk about?" She yawned loudly, scratching the back of her neck. Kagome stared mutely for a moment, and then dipped her chin. "What is it?"

"Why did you… Why did you hit me when I s—when I used the word on Inuyasha?" she asked. Her eyebrows furrowed as she kept her gaze firmly on the ground. "I keep going over it in my head, and it doesn't make sense to me. You used to think it was funny."

"Yah, it is funny," Keiame answered. Kagome looked up, confusion on her face. "But when you sat him on that bridge—that wasn't funny. At all. I literally had to stop myself from hitting you properly." The puzzlement did not disappear from her features. "Picture this, Kagome. If the roles were reversed, but there wasn't a power word. You did or said something to piss Inuyasha off, would it be okay for him to beat you?"

"That's not the same!"

"The hell it's not! Abuse is still abuse! Just because he can take it, doesn't make it right!" Keiame raised her voice. "I meant what I said, if you sit him again just because you're angry, then I will not hold back!" She moved towards the girl, practically stomping. "I forgave you last time because you don't know any better, but if I see it again, you won't escape me!"

"… I'm sorry…" Kagome mumbled. Her bow dropped from her hand. "I didn't realize that… Eh… But… if you don't mind me asking… why do you feel so strongly about this?"

"… My cousin, I guess," Keiame answered. "His mom… beat him a lot. He had to come live with us. Kururugi Michiru—he's a timid kind of guy with a heart of gold. A target, really. We grew up together. I grew up protecting him. I'm the toughest fifteen year old girl in Japan because of him. Inuyasha… when we got drunk together, reminded me of Michiru. He turned really affectionate, and I guess it awoke my sisterly instincts."

"So… He's like your brother? I have a brother myself, so I guess I know the feeling," Kagome stated. "Wow… We've been traveling together this whole time, I didn't even think to ask about your life back home. It's kinda like we don't know you at all!"

"Of course you know me," Keiame waved off her words. "Just like I know all you guys. We don't need to know each other's background to be friends."

"But it would be nice to understands your friends' actions," Kagome insisted. Her comrade gave an uncaring shrug. "Still, I glad we got to know each other better. I promise I won't ever use the power of subjugation on him when I'm upset."

"Good, now let's get outta here. I need to pick up my weapon."

"Your weapon…?"

"Yup, had it commissioned before we went up that mountain. Should be done by now. You're going to love it."

"Somehow I doubt that."

0~0

I'm about ten seconds away from saying 'To hell with the battle formation!' Not even kidding. Anyway, although this is a parody series, I wanted to convey that the abuse that Kagome shows Inuyasha is not okay. I have never liked it even as a joke. But enough with the heavy stuff. The next chapter, the team will reunite head back to Castle Town and reunite with an old... friend.

I'm seriously using this story in order to attempt writing for the sequel again. I need to practice fighting again.