The sun was still rising, yet it scorched her backside as Katara turned from it, and wandered into a small food place. She looked at the dinky tables and small wooden chairs with disdain, but then who was she to look down upon a place of people she might kill.

Might.

No, that wasn't it. She couldn't kill. Katara didn't hurt. If anything, she did the opposite. Water was used for healing. Then again, she had hardly used her powers at all, but so far all she has managed to do was harm.

Katara was so busy in thought she didn't notice the tall man she bumped into on the way to the counter.

"Move it pipsqueak or I'll cut your skinny arm off," growled the guy. Katara nodded and scampered off to another man in front who was making drinks. She ordered some strange tea concoction, but realized only too late that in her stress she hadn't remembered her lack of money.

Katara held the mug of tea, and whimpered, "I'm sorry but…it seems I forgot to bring any money."

The bartender guy stopped mid-track, turned slowly, and stared. He moved in closer to Katara's bowed head so when she looked up, she jumped at his closeness.

"You mean to tell me that you ordered this tea…and you can't PAY FOR IT?" he screeched.

Katara meekly nodded, her face enflamed. His hand was on her shoulder and he shook her hard while yelling. Anyone else in the place seemed to be ignoring the scene they were making while he was downright harrassing Katara.

Katara pulled back from his grasp, eyes wide in shock. She rushed to the door and tried to pry it open, but another man's hand clamped down on hers, preventing her only exit.

"Please…let me go," Katara said, attempting to shield her panick. But suddenly, the whole room enclosed on her, as all of the men in the place lunged forward, grabbing her arms and shaking her, pinching her waist. When one of them actually squeezed her breast was when Katara snapped.

Purely on instinct, her wrists twisted and snapped, her boiling tea and all the other drinks in the resturant froze into small ice daggers. Katara brusquely slammed her hands together with such impact, that the iceshards followed her movement, and slammed into each man from all sides of the room. She dug them a little too deep, as her force was intensive. Katara would later named this attack the liquid lacaratio, as it was one of her signiture, and most advanced moves.

Her adrenaline spiking, Katara kicked two more of her attackers hard…in the groin.

Katara huffed and looked around her at the men on the floor which she took out in around 10 seconds total. Talk about girl power she thought grimly. If Sesshomaru wasn't proud of her for this, then she couldn't think of any other way to impress him. Katara spun on her heel and exited with pride. She got about five feet away from the door when another grimy hand encased her shoulder. Someone was persistant.

She turned, ready to face the hoard of men, but instead saw a guy about her own age. A cute guy. Katara groaned. This was so not what she needed right now. As if she wasn't having enough trouble with men harrassing her, demon's intruiging her, and struggling to develop her powers!

"Am I really that bad?" he said, laughing, and pretending to sniff his pits. Katara chuckled in spite of herself.

"No…I uh…I was just a little stressed. This town seems to have an aggressive nature." She admitted shyly.

"It has been said. Lately people have been getting riled up. There is talk of a strange half-demon, obsessed with uniting the scattered shards of The Jewel of Four Souls. The bigger rumor is there might be a piece of it nearby, and he might try to get it."

Katara stood, staring at him, in utter incomprehension.

"Then again," he went on, "Fear may not be the only fuel. People are gluttonous and deceitful. Something like a shard of this sacred jewel is such a valuable object. They probably want it for themselves," he shook his head, disgusted by his fellow townsmen.

Katara still did not speak.

The boy looked at her curiously, his head slightly cocked. "Everything okay?" he asked cautiously.

"Uh yeah. Except…what is this Jewel exactly? And this person, could his name possible be…Naraku?"

Katara and the boy, who called himself Naiko, continued treking through the village, Katara made sure to take in the sights, noticing as she did the peculiar way the villagers moved. Each seemed to move fluidly, with similar gestures: one leg to the right, a bent knee, two arms to pick hay off the ground. Their actions were different, yet their customs were the same. The community was off somehow; with graceful movements and dazed faces they reflected postures of, well, confidence would be the wrong word, but they exuded the feeling of intending to keep in sync, and of doing their job flawlessly. It was unnatural, and Katara was immediately suspicious and unsettled by the area.

And, of course, the fact that this "Jewel of Four Souls" contained immesurable power, power which inspired people like Naraku to kill, lie, and covet, wasn't exactly comforting either. But Naiko did his best to explain the jewel to Katara with patience but enthusiasm. His eyes sparked as he spoke of the ominous half-demon which Katara matched as Naraku. Though he claimed evil and stupid was what this half-demon must be, Katara did not fail to notice the appreciative gleaming in his eyes as he spun her tales of Naraku and the Sacred Jewel.

"And where do you fit into this?" she finally asked, tired but still grateful for the new slew of information she now had about the demon and jewel. She was certain such intelligence could be of use to Sesshomaru, and became eager to share it.

…Sesshomaru!

In all this talking of myths, Katara had failed to notice that Naiko had led her to the outskirts of the town, and she had become sidetracked from her mission: figuring out if these people were demons or not, and therefore whether they deserved to die.

"You could just call me…a wandering soul. I have no place in this village, nor do I intend to have a part in any civilization." He said quietly, "And you, Katara, have no place here either. In fact, I suggest you leave, for I doubt the villagers will be any kinder to you." As he said this, they passed a river; the water momentarily distracted Katara. Slowly, she put Naiko back into focus.

"That may be true. But…" and then it hit her. "You just called me Katara. You weren't supposed to know that."

"What are you talking about? It's your name." he said smoothly, a slight smile playing on his thin lips. His posture spoke of ease, but his eyes tightened in a defensive movement.

"It's my name, but I never told you."

"Sure you did."

"No. I didn't."

"Look," he said, "I'm positive you told me. How else would I know your name?" he reached a hand to her back, guiding her forward, but Katara pulled away. She was no longer simply suspicious, but also growing frightened.

"I think I better head back to town," she said quickly, "I wouln't want to miss my uh… boyfriend when he comes to pick me up."

"Actually, I think your boyfriend is just going to have to wait. I'm not quite finished with you, Katara." Naiko replied, whispering her name with a sensual feel as he strode towards her.

Katara fought her instinct to run away. She sensed that Naiko would be faster, and the only way to deal with him would be here. Right now.

Their eyes locked, each concentrating on the other as though it was a life-or-death staring contest. Katara saw his hand move behind her, but he pulled her forward before she could react. Their faces were merely inches away, and if she didn't pull back soon then Naiko could do practically anything. Katara struggled, but both of his hands gripped her arms, pulled her forward, and slammed her into his front so that their bodies molded together. Resistance was futile.

Katara prepared to go on lockdown, when suddenly she had an idea. The had just passed the water. Katara summoned her strength, calling to her inner water-bending skills, and immediately felt the pressure of power rush through her hands.

The tip of each of her fingers vibrated with control as the water flew to that point. It coiled tightly across each finger like a dozen rings, but did not hurt the slightest. Katara snapped her hands back from Naiko, and the coils unlaced from her fingers, shooting out in thin ropes of water to tie his hands together behind his back, and his ankles together so he nearly fell over. Once it was around him, the water froze into icey handcuffs around his ankles and wrists. His body would be frost bitten in no time. Still, Katara could hardly leave him like that.

She carefully approached him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you. But it seems that's the only way." Katara looked sadly into his eyes, hoping to see remorse, but all she saw now was an empty blackness where his irises should have been.

Gasping, Katara leapt back. At that same moment, Naiko somehow released himself, his hands pulled apart termendously, the ice snapping off as he moved his feet forward. Now free, Katara saw her mistakes: she should have run, and not have assumed her waterbending would be very good. Against his superhuman strength, clearly, it wasn't.

"What are you?" she blubbered, frightened as she desperately tried to regain her bending knowledge.

But Naiko simply shook his head, and advanced forward, as he did so, he threw off his shirt, showing off a splendid 8-pack, and muscular arms. Unfortunatly, once Naiko took off his top, he reached inside its sleeve and pulled out…a dagger?

Oh, jeez.

Clearly fighting off this guy wasn't going to be so easy after all.

WWWWWWWW

Sorry this chapter took so long, I've been procrastinating, but here it is! Review or die!

-Chrissy