"How the fuck did we get blasted across the region?!"

The group had been traveling for a few days now, and Keiame had decided to voice her utter displeasure with the length of time it had taken to reach Castle Town. She could not understand how they had ended up so far away. Did that large slide have a catapult attached to it or something? If she could, Keiame would be sure to investigate the bizarre castle for such a thing. Transportation like that could be profitable. A loud sigh entered her right ear. Shippo had complained about the distance, too, but he seemed more annoyed by her sudden agreement. Well, she couldn't help that now, could she? Countless demon encounters didn't make much time for rants.

Inuyasha suddenly halted. Keiame, not noticing because she had shut her eyes for a moment, crashed into his unyielding back. She immediately screeched that he should watch where he's walking, though her words should have been directed at herself. The half-demon didn't respond. Keiame blinked in slight surprise, and then moved to stand at his side. She noticed that Inuyasha sported a scowl, equipped with bared fangs. Keiame attempted to question his sudden behavior, but it took a pat to his shoulder from Kagome for him to actually open his mouth. "The closer we get to Castle Town, the stronger the scent of demons becomes," he stated. "It wasn't like that before."

"Demons…?" Keiame echoed. She shifted her gaze to the path in front of them. Ahead, she could see the taller buildings of Castle Town. However, something had changed. "Let's move." At a faster pace, the group walked, nearly jogged, ahead. They came to a stop at the bridge. From what she could see, the area looked pretty banged up. Even the bridge appeared decimated. "Jinora Christ! Did we somehow get transported to New Orleans?" Kagome immediately reprimanded her for such a callous remark. "What? Too soon?" Her fellow schoolgirl rolled her eyes, and then focused on the surrounding area. The group carefully walked across the bridge, hoping the rest of it wouldn't break under the pressure.

Various members of the party commented on the shape of the town as they moved, but Keiame decided to keep her mouth shut for now. Least Kagome would fling eye daggers again. This had been Naraku's doing. They had left this place alone for too long. It had been plain to see that demons had overrun the place. She could only hope that the majority of inhabitants made it out. The schoolgirl shivered a bit. Had there been demons lurking about the place just waiting for a chance to strike? Admittedly, she would rather have them come out and fight than to feel as though she was getting stalked. Subconsciously, her feet moved closer to Sango.

It was at that moment Inuyasha began to growl. It made Keiame pay attention to the road ahead of them. Standing there with such a condescending smirk on her face was Kagura. "You sure kept me waiting. I was just about to fall asleep," she said. Her closed fan tapped against her red lips. The wind witch pissed Keiame off with each time they encountered her. Sure it had only been twice before, but honestly, her tone of voice grated on her nerves.

"Oh my~! We kept her majesty waiting! Pardon our transgressions, my Lady!" Keiame bowed with mock flourish. "We had no idea we were expected by you!" Kagura did not find the sarcasm amusing in the least. "What the hell do you want?" All traces of amusement had left Keiame's voice. Clearly annoyed, Kagura cut right to the chase and stated that she had been waiting to get her soul. "My soul…? How bloody original!"

"Ha! Jokes on you! Keiame doesn't have a soul!" Inuyasha retorted. Behind him, schoolgirl in question lifted her fist and glared at the half-demon. She clicked her tongue before lowering her arm again. This wasn't the time, she told herself. "But even if she did, there's no way I'm letting you get near her!" His declaration caused Keiame's lips to part. She stared at his back in disbelief. Never in a million years had she expected him, of all people, to say those words. That 'some-type-of-way' feeling had come back and caused her insides to dance.

"You stupid dog," Kagura nearly lost her composure. "Did you forget I have a barrier rock? You can't even touch me."

"I can't wait to see the look on your face when your rock becomes a pebble!" Sango said aggressively. She stepped forward, hand gripping the bands on her large weapon. "Your barrier won't stand a chance again our Keiame!" Kagura returned with some comeback, but honestly it fell on deaf ears. The Shikigami user pressed her lips into a thin line, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Inuyasha and Sango—did they realize what they had done? Did she, herself, even realize what they had done? Not the time, she, once again, told herself. Later—she would dwell on it later. Right now, they had to take out Kagura in order to reach her baby's daddy.

Steeling herself, she fell in line like the rest of the group. "You think you can break this barrier?!" Kagura shouted. Two winged skeletal demons appeared. Each took its place on the left and right side of Naraku's incarnation. "Go ahead and try!" With a wave of her hand, the two demons flew towards the group. Inuyasha and Sango moved quickly to intercept. The demon slayer brought her Hiraikotsu down once the winged creature came within range. It smacked into the ground with the full weight of the mighty weapon on its head. Meanwhile, the half-demon made quick work of the second demon by slicing its body right down the middle. "Damn you! I'll just make more!" Kagura lifted her arm, fan open and poised to unleash fury. "Dance of the-"

"I don't think so!" Keiame smashed her knuckles together in front of her chest, attempting to beseech the Shikigami within her and change form. She felt it coursing through her very veins, flowing towards her skin. With sharp eyes, she focused on the enemy. She could see it. A barrier that had been invisible before was now clear as stars in the night sky. "Kagome, you'd better not miss!" The green-clad schoolgirl gritted her teeth and pulled the string of her bow back further. "Blue Sky Calamity!" A seafoam colored silhouette of a bird appeared above her. With a commanding wave of her fists, Keiame sent the bird soaring to its target. It exploded upon impact with the barrier, shattering it like glass.

"Nooo! You destroyed the barrier?!" Kagura screamed, obviously shaken by the feat. Whilst the red-eyed woman was distracted, Kagome let her arrow fly. The sharp end impaled into the wind demon's right shoulder, causing her to release groans of pain. She clutched the wooden part of the arrow and glared at the group. Her hand had been subjected to the flow of blood. "How did you-"

"Well, I haven't just been sitting on my ass!" Keiame interrupted, smirking all the while. To her surprise, though, Kagura gave her own little smirk.

"If that's the case, perhaps it will be useful to keep you alive," she muttered.

"Says the one who's bleeding everywhere!" Kagura merely sent another glare her way. She lifted her arm and plucked a feather from her air. Seconds later, the feather enlarged underneath her. A sudden gust of wind allowed Kagura to fly away. Most likely to attend to her injury. The group watched her go until they couldn't see her white feather in the darkening sky. It took a moment longer for the teens to actually relax. Keiame suddenly jumped and threw her arms up. "Ya-hooo!" Her exclamation caused her comrades to flinch. Inuyasha then rolled his eyes at her antics. "Did you see that?! I broke the barrier like it was nothing!"

"Amazing! You really destroyed the barrier!" Kagome cheered. Keiame nearly bounced over to her fellow time hopper and raised a hand. "Ah!" She realized that she wanted a high-five. Flushing lightly, Kagome smacked her palm against Keiame's.

"Yes! We can win! We can defeat Naraku!" Inuyasha spoke up. He was as excited as the Shikigami user. Miroku put a slight damper on the mood by stating that with Kagura's escape, it wouldn't be long before their enemy found out about Keiame's ability. "So what?" The grin remained on Inuyasha's face. "Since there'll be no more barrier, it'll be easy to get to Naraku!"

"I'm with Inuyasha," Sango agreed with a nod. "Just because he knows that the storm is coming doesn't mean he can stop it!"

"Still, let us hurry to the castle," Miroku suggested. With the group in agreement, they set out to the castle. The large structure did not escape the damage done to the rest of the town. In fact, it looked worse. "It's not safe. We should tread carefully from this point on. We don't want the entire building collapsing." Still feeling good, Keiame complimented his advice with a smile. The monk blinked, as did the rest of his comrades. "Th-Thank you, Keiame. I am, after all, looking out for the safety of those I call friends." The girl maintained her smile… as she kicked through the door. "So much for careful…" Miroku sighed out.

Shaking their heads, the others followed after the jovial Keiame. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they had to find a new path to the top of the tower. Still, it had not put a raincloud over Keiame's head. She enthusiastically searched for another way. However, the minutes had ticked by until an hour had passed. No longer did a smile appear on her face. It had been replaced by a vicious snarl. Her violent mutterings were not a good sign either. After the fifth time coming to the same place, the girl had had enough. "Why do we keep ending up in this forsaken courtyard?! Jinora Christ—I'm going to effin-"

"Please calm yourself," Miroku attempted to soothe the irate schoolgirl. "I'm sure we are getting closer to a solution." Furious eyes threatened to burn the monk alive. "Oh look! A flower in such a desolate place! Let the serene sight calm you down!" He became most grateful that the fiery gaze had been directed to a random pink flower. Keiame stomped down the wooden steps and yanked the single flower from the ground. After staring at it for a moment, she remarked that it was rather pretty. For that, Miroku released a sigh of relief.

Sango examined it closer, furrowing her brow. "Wait a moment…" she mumbled. "I've seen this before." When it came to her, she let out a gasp. "I know! It's a Pyrethrum. The smoke that comes from burning it kills insects."

"What? It's a natural insecticide? That's awesome! At least for one night, I won't have mosquito bites!" Keiame intertwined the stem into her hair. "Great find, Miroku!" The monk thought it would be best not to give a verbal response. He nodded his head and the girl accepted it. No need to make her angry again. Keiame sighed heavily. "I guess we should search again."

No longer high from the victory over Kagura and no longer angry with fruitless searching and random battles, it took a mere few minutes to find another path. The group had to cross a roof to get to the other side of the castle, but they did manage to find the way. However, what little cheer that came about quickly dwindled as a familiar sound entered her ears. Keiame shuddered, realizing what the sound meant. Inuyasha had been the one to state the obvious this time. Saimyosho—the giant mutant bees on steroids she had encountered before were blocking the path. Groaning in displeasure, Keiame peered around the corner to discover, yes, a horde of demonic wasps were flying around.

"There's so many of them!" Sango muttered. Kagome remarked that they should find another way because Naraku would be alerted to their position if they were spotted by the monster bees. "Actually, we might not have to do that." The demon slayer removed the flower from Keiame's hair and ignored the slight protest. "We can use this on them." Inuyasha looked a bit confused as to what a plant was going to do to a bunch of demons and so he voiced his wonder. "The Saimyosho are insects," she stated.

"Bu-But mosquitos were supposed to meet their death by that flower," Keiame sputtered.

"Would you rather face the bees on your own? I know you're afraid of them," Sango teased. Her friend huffed lightly and crossed her arms. "Thought so." The demon slayer moved and set the flower down. Reaching into her supplies, she pulled out a small fan, and then set the petals on fire. Gently she waved her fan, directing the white smoke towards the bees. It was a slow process that allowed chatter to happen in the meantime. Apparently, the smell was effecting the half-demon. He loudly complained about it while Kagome tried her best to comfort him.

"Why aren't you effected, Shippo-chan?" Keiame asked. The little demon shrugged his shoulders and stated that Inuyasha's sense of smell had always been stronger than any other demon they had come across. "It's probably because the power of the canine is strong in this one. Puppy power!" The two shared a snicker as Inuyasha continued to whimper. He did show them an inappropriate hand gesture though.

Finally, the incessant noise of buzzing faded until it became completely silent. Sango stated that the flower had done the job and that they could get moving again. Apparently, the smell stuck with Inuyasha because he moved as though he was walking underwater. "Honestly, dog boy! Do we have to carry you?" Keiame poked his shoulder. It came as a surprise that he actually fell over. If it hadn't been for Sango, his face would have met the floor. The demon slayer pushed him upright as she shook her head. Rolling her eyes, the schoolgirl gestured for Kagome. She squeaked in surprise because Keiame had forced her to turn. She reached inside the yellow bag and rummaged around until she pulled out a handkerchief.

"You could have just asked!" Kagome hissed out.

"Whatever," Keiame replied in a dismissive manner. She then tied the tissue cloth around Inuyasha's head, making sure that a portion covered the half-demon's nose. "There, you big baby! Can we get a move on?" Inuyasha lightly shoved her before nodding his head. Kagome let a slight smile cross her face. That had been nice of Keiame. Now that she knew that the Shikigami user only thought of Inuyasha as a sibling, seeing their interactions was, well, cute.

The six companions traveled on, deeper and deeper into the castle. Then they came across a rustling sound. Inuyasha stated that it was coming from a room behind a closed door. He dismissed Miroku's advice of being careful as he slid open the door. He peered inside for a moment before Keiame pushed him in, not wanting to wait for the report. She ignored his complaints as she took a good look around. There were piles of dead bodies shoved into the corner of the room. So many donned the red armor of the samurai. "Oh!" Kagome covered her mouth mortified by the sight. To their utter astonishment, the pile began to move. One by one, the dead samurai stood. With shaky and slow movement, they seemed to be headed right for the group.

"You wanna fight?" Inuyasha stood protectively in front the group, glaring at the reanimated corpses.

"Wait! Aren't those the samurai that helped us before?" Kagome questioned. Her eyes expanded in shock. "It is them! We can't fight them!" Keiame sent her an incredulous look.

"Hate to break it to you, retard, but those are zombies! I like my brain where it is, thank you!"

"But they helped us! We can't just-"

"They're already dead!"

"Ladies, please!" Miroku succeeded in silencing the argument. "It's true they're dead, but some type of power is causing them to move about." As he spoke, the corpses loomed closer. Ever so slowly. "They're aware of our presence because they can smell our vitality!" Keiame decided not to announce how utterly stupid that sounded. "If we stay here, we will be surrounded! We must split up or-"

"Split up?!" Keiame shrieked. "How you never seen a horror movie?!"

"Again, what the hell is a movie?"

"Not the time, Inuyasha!"

"No arguments! We must go!" Miroku shouted. "We'll meet up at the front of the castle's highest tower!"

Inuyasha volunteered to stay behind, hoping to by the rest some time. Sango and Kagome nodded, though their departure looked pretty reluctant. The monk dashed away as well, but in another direction, leaving only Keiame. The half-demon glanced at her before pulling out his sword. He promised that he would be right behind her after he was done. Grimacing, the schoolgirl left Inuyasha by himself. She ran until her legs ached.

0~0

She stopped, hands pressed against a wall and body in a leaning position. Keiame released shuddering breaths and tightly shut her eyes. She hadn't known how long she ran, but it felt like hours had gone by already. Hopefully, that wasn't the case. Slowly, her breathing evened out and the girl opened her eyes. Swallowing hard, she pushed herself from the wall and turned. Her gaze shifted to and fro, examining the room she had found herself in. Completely new surroundings, it seemed like. She was going to punch Miroku the next time she saw him. How dare he suggest they split up? "I'm going to make him pay if I get one scratch!" Her mental threat did little to calm her rapidly beating heart.

What if something happened to the others?

Keiame did not like the mere thought of harm coming to any of them. Despite the fact that her body had relatively calmed itself, her heart beat like pop music. Get a grip, she told herself. The others were fine. They lived in this world a lot longer than her. They knew the dangers. They knew how to protect themselves. With a nod, Keiame began moving. She knew where to go. But she had to move. She could manage that. One foot in front of the other. That's it. Good job. The girl rubbed at her temple as she continued to walk. Hopefully this would be a short trip.

It was. But her destination had not been reached. Keiame stared wide-eyed at the sight before her. Two samurai were in her way. They hadn't noticed her yet, though. Maybe she could- A glance back told her that was impossible. A samurai had appeared behind her while she had been focused on the two in front. Upon realizing her predicament, the schoolgirl sharply cursed. This, of course, drew their attention. Keiame sucked in a sharp breath. This was all Kagome's fault. If she hadn't put the thought in her head, she wouldn't have thought twice about blasting the familiar, oddly similar, faces of the samurai. "No! I don't want to be eaten!" she screamed. "Don't come near me! I'll Shikigami your ass!" The zombies paid no mind to her hysterics. They advanced on her. "That's it! No more playing around!" Her fist glowed with the power of Shikigami. It would be stupid to try and attack the armor, so she would go for the fleshy parts.

She exhaled through her nose, and then struck. Her fist rammed into the zombie on the left. His cold cheek felt like stone. However, the power behind her punch sent the samurai flying. He didn't groan, merely fell to the floor. Keiame didn't wait to see if he disappeared, though. She was already lashing out at the one on the right. He, too, fell. Her hair was suddenly grabbed from behind. The girl yelled out from the pain. It had felt as though the samurai wanted to rip the hair right from her scalp. But then… The yanking sensation disappeared, leaving only a fading pain. Keiame opened her eyes and hesitantly turned.

Holy…

The samurai had been impaled on a blade. The zombie twitched, and then disappeared in the normal fashion. Once the blue puffs of smoke were gone, she focused completely on the one behind the sword. Long silver hair, fierce and stoic golden eyes, some type of pink markings above the cheeks and a crescent moon symbol on the forehead, not to mention the clothes worn indicated that this was some type of important, elegant, and strong warrior—all these factors contributed to her savior being the hottest and baddest bitch under the sun. Keiame could only stare, mouth wide open—with a bit of drool escaping, she was sure—at the tall goddess in front of her. No homo, but she would straight up do this woman. In the good way. Definitely in the good way.

"Girl!" A permanent squawky voice interrupted thoughts of running her fingers through silver hair. Keiame snapped to attention, blinking rapidly. She really hoped that voice didn't come such a creature. This had to be a demon. No human would could look this good. The schoolgirl rapidly shook her head, and then attempted to locate the voice of whoever had spoken. "Girl, move!" The voice came again. From below. Her eyes met a short, green, big yellow-eyed… frog? It wore a kimono and held a two-headed staff of an old man and young woman. The fuck…? "You're in the way!"

Mutely and almost numb, Keiame took several steps back, further into the room and away from the doorway. Without even a glance in her direction, the silent and clearly deadly warrior practically glided pass her still form. The smaller demon had to double time it in order to keep up with the long legs of the beautiful demon. It took a beat, and a smack to her own cheek, to get Keiame to come to her senses. "Jinora Christ, Keiame!" she scolded herself. "You like the D! The D!" Well, she had never had the D, but she was sure she preferred it. Breathing out heavily, her head turned in the direction that the demonic duo went. She bit her lower lip. Curiosity got the better of her, and so she decided to follow after them. Besides, they seemed to be headed in the same direction.

She stumbled a bit, like a toddler just getting the hang of walking, before righting her balance. As she moved, she berated herself for acting like a silly fangirl in the presence of a badass goddess. But come to think of it, she had acted similar when meeting the leader of the biker gang in her neighborhood, Sango, and a few other women of badassery. Huh. What a weird mind she had… Keiame shrugged her left shoulder in an uncaring fashion. Badass women deserved to be praised, anyway. The schoolgirl headed up the stairs, noting the familiar looking path. It was at the top of the stairs that she spotted a bright pink item. She reached for it, arm stretching to grasp it. "A pinwheel…? And my cell phone! Yay!" she grinned. "Ah wait, it's the pinwheel I dropped… Loki's brother made it for her." So she had dropped it right before meeting the little girl?

A pang of guilt shot through her, but she quickly stifled it. She still believed that the little shit shouldn't have just shoved it in her hand. But now that she was thinking about it, she wondered if the girl had managed to escape this place. It was a fleeting thought that was pushed to the back of her mind. Right now, she had to focus. Continuing on, it wasn't long before Keiame came across the duo again. They didn't seem to notice her presence at all. The imp demon was too busy sputtering excuses, but she did catch the name of the warrior. Sesshomaru—destruction of life. Holy shit. Even her name was badass. Like how did her father know his daughter was going to turn out mega cool?

The elegant demon merely narrowed golden eyes, causing the subordinate to shriek out his apologies while rapidly bowing his head. The sight had been comical, so she couldn't help but giggle. This caused the two demons to look her way. Flushing in slight embarrassment, Keiame stepped forward. "Excuse me… Could it be you're looking for the top of the tower?" They merely stared at her. Still, she felt braver. "I could… show you the way. I've been here before."

"You do?!" the frog asked. He stood to his full height, which wasn't much, and nearly waddled over to her. "Then take me there!" His demand only caused one eyebrow to raise. "I don't know what you're doing here, but you'll get eaten by other demons if you don't!"

"Nice try, little guy, but a few demons can't even touch me," Keiame stated. She placed her left hand on her hip and leaned forward a bit. "I already said I'd show you the way. I have no problem with this. You just worry about yourself." The little demon looked miffed at her implication. In fact, if he had a string of pearls around his neck, he would have clutched them. The schoolgirl paid no mind to his expression, though. She grinned and moved past him. "I'll lead the way. Just follow me." Sesshomaru's gaze remained fixed on her even as she moved around her body. Without a word, she fell into step beside her.

Keiame tried very hard to match her indifferent expression, but she just knew a ridiculous grin was plastered on her face. She couldn't help but notice two swords attached to this woman's side. Oh, she couldn't wait to see her in action. It was going to be epic! Suppressing a squeal, the girl rounded the corner, and then immediately doubled back. "Demons…!" Keiame whispered. Sesshomaru had stopped beside her as well. "They haven't caught on to us yet. We'll take them by surprise." She began to sneak towards the demons, but Sesshomaru swiftly moved ahead, drawing her sword.

With such graceful steps, it was like she was dancing. Even as her blade cut through the demons, Keiame couldn't bring herself to see it as an act of violence. She couldn't help the slight gasp that escaped her lips as Sesshomaru disposed of the last demon. "You are right to be in awe, girl!" The imp's voice brought her back to reality. Keiame looked down at the demon to her right. He wore a smug expression. "No one can compare to the great Sesshomaru-sama!"

"I'm inclined to believe you," Keiame said. "Say… What's your name, anyway?"

"Eh? You want to know my name?"

"Sure—can't just call you frogzilla all the time."

"My name is Jaken. I serve Sesshomaru-sama. I am the most loyal of subjects!" he proudly stated.

"Hm… So Sesshomaru-sama is an aristocrat—definitely gives off the vibe," she murmured, shifting her gaze back to the silver-haired demon. "Oh, my name is Kururugi Keiame, by the way."

"I didn't ask."

"… I'm going to ignore that tone for now, Jaken."

The little demon had the nerve to stick his tongue out before scurrying after Sesshomaru. Huffing lightly, Keiame caught up to the two demons, resisting the urge to kick Jaken like a football. They entered a room and completely stopped. At the far end of the room, a bright pink kimono caught her eye. Then the pale face of a young girl. "Ah! Loki!" A finger was pointed. The young girl began to waddle closer to them. Sesshomaru stepped in front of her, removing her sword. A split second and the girl was down and the blade had been returned. "So proficient!" That's when she noticed something a bit strange. Like the samurai, Loki hadn't just disappeared.

Keiame cautiously stepped forward. A bluish glow suddenly surrounded the body. Keiame's blood ran cold at the sight. The glow lifted and hovered on the girl's body. "Thank you so much!" It spoke. The schoolgirl had to stop herself from collapsing. Would this world never cease tripping her up? Wait… She recognized the voice.

"Loki…?"

"It's Toki!" the voice of the girl seemed a bit ticked off. "But I thank you so much. Because of you, I was able to escape Naraku's spell. I can sleep soundly now…" The otherworldly glow hovered a bit longer before completely vanishing. Jaken felt the need to explain that when a corpse is destroyed, the spirit is released. She didn't see any of the other corpses doing that, but she decided not to dwell on the logic of this crazy place. Tucking her hand into her left pocket, she pulled out the pinwheel. She ignored Jaken's complaining in favor of placing the object in the girl's hands.

"Well, I delivered it in the end, right?" she murmured, standing to her full height. "I suppose it's the least I can do now." Keiame didn't really care for things like religion or anything like that, but she still did a silent prayer for the innocent life lost because of Naraku. Jaken impatiently told her to get a move on. "Pipe down, Jaken! I'm coming! I'm coming!" Then she snickered. "That's something you've probably never heard a female say, am I right?"

"How dare you, you uncouth woman!"

"Yah, yah, just follow me." Her nonchalance made Jaken fume. Keiame could practically hear the steam from his ears. From that point on, the group of three traveled in mostly silence. There were a few demon encounters, in which the schoolgirl discovered Jaken's usefulness. His attack could take out multiple demons. She quite enjoyed ordering the short demon to 'Kill it with fire!' Though he had done so each time she had commanded, he had felt compelled to explain that he only wanted to get rid of the 'troublesome obstacles in his master's way.'

Finally, Keiame stumbled into a room. She was greeted by the sight of her little group. They called her name in unison, each wearing various worried expressions. She didn't realize how happy she would be seeing their faces again until she actually saw them. Swallowing, the schoolgirl moved forward, subconsciously pushing back the stinging sensation in her eyes. "Oh God!" she cried in an overdramatic way. "Zombies were everywhere! I was so worried!" Her gaze shifted to Kagome, who happened to be the closest. "I thought you might have tripped and fallen to your death! Because you're clumsy as hell!"

"You know, you could have stopped at you were worried," came the flat reply. Then Kagome smiled. "I'm glad you're safe, too. So many corpses were gathering. We thought something might have happened."

"And you chose not to come after me because?!"

"That's not important," Inuyasha aggressively snorted. "But if you have to know, we know you wouldn't have took it easy on the—what'd you call them—zombies." Keiame regarded the half-demon in askance, but she did like the sound of his confidence in her. "It's just weird that they went after you, but not the rest of us." The Shikigami user gave a half shrug and explained that she thought splitting up was a stupid idea from the beginning, to which she glared at Miroku for, and said she met up with two others. Kagome echoed her statement, appearing puzzled. With a roll of her eyes, she was about to explain, but then Sesshomaru made her grand entrance. Unperturbed by the shocked faces of her companions, the silver-haired demon sashayed into the room. Like a model, she swaggered until she stood by Keiame's side. Jaken pushed past her legs—rude. "Sesshomaru?!" Inuyasha looked flabbergasted. "What you doing here?!"

Keiame looked back and forth between the two. They shared a strange resemblance. "I showed them the way," she explained slowly, still attempting to locate all the similarities. "You guys know Sesshomaru-sama already?"

"Sesshomaru is Inuyasha's older brother!"

The sound of wheels screeching to a halt entered her mind right before it shut down.

Kagome had answered, completely baffled as to why and how Keiame ended up just traveling with the demon lord as though it were something she did often. Then her friend completely zoned out on her. Even as the others commented how the two brothers didn't get along, she just remained rooted to the spot. Kagome warily refocused on her attention to the current conversation. Per the norm, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru bickered. Well, Inuyasha tried to and Sesshomaru merely said a few vague words before strutting away. Honestly, their sibling rivalry was ridiculous. Miroku, always the voice of reason, spoke up and prevented Inuyasha from going after his brother to finish the verbal spar. He believed that Sesshomaru was going after Naraku, too. "Yes. We can't let him get to Naraku first!" Sango narrowed her eyes.

"That's right! I'll destroy Naraku before he has the chance!" Inuyasha snarled. "Let's go!" It took a second, but the half-demon realized that not all of his comrades had followed him. He turned back, golden eyes settling on Keiame's still form. Since he had stopped, the others halted as well, following his line of sight. Kagome blinked twice, questioning the girl's actions. It was when Sango placed a hand on her shoulder did Keiame finally react.

"Sesshomaru is a GUY?!"

Inuyasha reacted first, hearty laugh exploding from his mouth. His laughter only caused Keiame to blush furiously and cover her face in modification. Shippo was next, muffling his snickers into his hands. Miroku shook his head and sighed. Kagome had the decency to cover her smile as her fellow schoolgirl wailed about feeling betrayed, perfect model, and something about eye shadow. Her very aura seemed disappointed of learning Sesshomaru's gender. "Keiame, some demons have markings to show their status," Sango explained, smile tugging at her lips. "He wasn't wearing makeup. That can't be your only reason for thinking him a woman. Naraku actually wears eye shadow and you know he is male… right?"

"Of course I know Naraku is a guy! That voice of his gave him away… and that sexy neck that you just want to bite…"

"What?"

"What?"

"… Keiame." Sango's eyes narrowed dangerously. She had heard the girl use that term before, sexy, but she didn't really understand what it meant. And she hadn't made out the rest of what she had said either. Keiame shook her head, grumbling to herself. "What was that?"

"I said he didn't talk the entire time we walked together! Look—can we just drop it?!" she seethed. Her fists clenched at her sides. She looked more embarrassed than the time she had almost cried in front of them. Sango lost her dubious look and smiled in a soothing manner. She patted the girl's shoulder twice before directing her towards the path the group had decided to take. "Seriously, Inuyasha, shut the fuck up! Jinora Christ—it's not that funny!" Abruptly the laughter was cut off. Mostly because the demon slayer had elbowed the half-demon in the stomach. He glared, but the mirth was still there.

"Fine, fine—don't bite my head off," Inuyasha muttered. He then snorted, grin coming back full force. "But you've got to be as stupid as you look if you think I'm going to forget about it."

"And you've got to be as dumb as shit if you think I won't punish you for your insolence! I freaking dare you to say something if or when we see Sesshomaru-sama again!"

"Now, now, you two," Kagome cooed. "Save all this hostility for Naraku."

"It's her fault for getting dramatic!" Inuyasha pointed a finger. "I don't see what the big deal is!"

"I was gonna call him Sesshy-chan! We were gonna be best buddies!"

At her admission, Inuyasha cackled insanely while Keiame buried her face in Sango's shoulder. The demon slayer still did not understand Keiame's reasoning for being so upset about Sesshomaru's gender. Then again, most of the time, she couldn't follow her thought process. Shaking her head a bit, Sango patted the girl on the back and told her everything was going to be okay. "Inuyasha, cut it out!" Sango ordered. He managed to get his snickers under control, but the smirk didn't disappear. The demon slayer rolled her eyes. "Now, if everyone is calmed down now. We should go."

"Right," Inuyasha agreed. "Let's go get Naraku!"

The group finally left the room and entered yet another room. What they found was Sesshomaru backed into a corner, fighting back a horde of corpses. There were so many of them that it looked as though he was struggling with the numbers. The demon lord cut them down flawlessly, but he it looked as though he would be stuck doing that for some time. At the sight of him, Keiame wailed and Inuyasha guffawed loudly and pointed. Sango and Kagome had to push both of them into the next room. However, upon entering the next room, the group fell serious.

The demonic aura weighed down on the room, successfully ending their dramatics. A glow appeared in the far end of the room. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be another corpse. The closer it got, the clearer it became. It was Yukimura—the leader of all the samurai. Kagome murmured his name as though she couldn't believe it. "What? Then where's Naraku?!" Inuyasha growled out.

"Son of a bitch! Is this what Mario feels like looking for Princess Peach?" Keiame said, getting agitated. "This better not be a reoccurring thing! 'I'm sorry, your Naraku is in another castle,' my ass!" The body of Yukimura came closer.

"The demonic aura is strong," Miroku stated. "Yukimura's corpse is being used to control the others. Naraku used this spell, knowing we wouldn't want to harm them."

"Tch…! He must not know 'bout me! I foresee no difficulty taking zombies out!" Keiame declared. "Bring it on!" Yukimura was faster than any demon the group had come across before. He moved across the room swiftly, slashing at Inuyasha. The half-demon managed to bring his arm up to take the attack, but it left him bleeding. Kagome screamed out in his name in alarm, but he merely grunted and said he was fine. "Focus, Kagome! He can handle it!" The green-clad schoolgirl reluctantly nodded her head and returned her attention to the enemy in front of them.

Inuyasha retaliated by jumping up and bringing his sword down on the corpse. It had been a direct hit, but Yukimura hadn't appeared too bothered by it. Then again, his lifeless eyes gave nothing away. More than likely, he no longer felt pain. Sango struck next. Her large boomerang collided with Yukimura's body. The impact made him slide back and crash into the far wall. Hiraikotsu went back to its owner, allowing the enemy to stand, only to have an arrow strike him down courtesy of Kagome. "Good job, Kagome!" Sango praised.

This battle was going to be harder than others, Keiame knew. For now, she realized that her comrades would need a bit of help in defending against the sword attacks. Most of them didn't wear armor. If Yukimura could now cut through Inuyasha's kimono, they could be in trouble. From Kakuju, she knew that the power of Shikigami shifted to her will. So she had to think hard about what she wanted it to do. "Here I go!" Keiame spread her arms out. Her power surged, and then shot out of her, appearing as a golden dragon above her. "Protective Light!" The dragon slithered across, seemingly tangling itself amongst her allies.

"You really want to fight?" Miroku ran forward, striking out against the corpse using his staff. Yukimura shrugged off the attack, and then ran at Sango. Luckily, the demon slayer brought up arm. Her hidden weapon flung out, deflecting the blade.

"You haven't won yet!" she exclaimed, slashing at Yukimura's front. It damaged him, causing him to jump back. "How do you like that?"

"Don't underestimate me!" Shippo jumped and released his form of attack. A toy of his grew bigger and slammed into the enemy. "Smashing Top!" The pressure from the almost illusion, gave them a bit of time. "Our attacks aren't doing much damage!"

"I agree," Kagome said. "We have to think of something else!"

"Then we attack together!" Keiame yelled.

By this time, Yukimura had stood up. Once again, he dashed towards the group. This time his attack was aimed at Shippo. Miroku hastily scooped the little demon up and rolled out of the way. "Son of a bitch!" Inuyasha snarled. "Playtime's over! Keiame, get ready!" The girl nodded her head. The half-demon lifted his sword as Keiame slapped her hands together. She pulled her palms apart, revealing a small red sphere in between.

"Fire it up!" she shouted. Her aura howled and twisted as it shot at Inuyasha's Tessaiga. The fang-like sword seemed to hum as it glowed yellow. "Unleash your power!"

"Fight off this!" Inuyasha roared. "Wind Scar!" The almost blinding light from the combo rushed at Yukimura, completely overwhelming the body. The entire castle rumbled and groaned under the force of the attack. Once the shaking stopped, Miroku and Shippo wasted no time in their combination.

"Here it goes, Miroku!" The fox demon pulled several slips of paper from his clothes, and then threw them at the enemy.

"Now's our chance, Shippo!" The monk shut his eyes, focusing his spirit. The paper fluttered around Yukimura imbued with the power of Miroku's spirit energy. The paper exploded, dealing a massive amount of damage to the corpse.

"I'm counting on your help, Sango!" Kagome called out, pulling back her arrow as far as it could go.

"I'll give it my best shot, Kagome!" The demon slayer pulled out a wooden container and emptied its contents into her palm. The green liquid somewhat transformed into a gas as Sango thrust it at Yukimura. Kagome let her arrow flow. The hybrid of gas and liquid mingled with the projectile as it sailed towards the corpse. It struck right at the heart of the enemy. Yukimura finally crumbled before dropping to the destroyed floor. "It's over." The remnants of the body turned to ash as the spirit was released. The bluish glow hovered on the lifeless body until it faded.

"He's gone, now," Keiame muttered, shutting her eyes. She sighed heavily, suddenly feeling a bit drained. Shippo bit out that he had had enough with the heartless Naraku. The schoolgirl couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips. "Yeah, and we're just itching to see you what you plan to do if you come face to face with him."

"Bite me, Keiame!"

"Naraku! Where did you disappear to?" Inuyasha growled. "The damn coward!" The sound of buzzing made his ears twitched. Looking ahead, everyone noticed a single giant mutant bee before it flew out of the hole in the wall. "Damn, they're watching us!" Keiame was about to comment on his statement with a snide remark, but she heard the distinctive voice of Jaken just to her right. He had been talking to Sesshomaru, saying that the Saimyosho seemed to be heading towards Ayame village.

"If Naraku isn't here, there's no use in us hanging around," Sesshomaru gave his opinion on the matter. Keiame felt her eyes go wide and her blood rush to her face. It had been like a chill swept over her entire body, though. The sound of his voice, though void of emotion, had been incredible. Hearing his voice and looking at his face now, it seemed ridiculous that she had believed him to be a woman. She felt like a complete moron. Her gaze studied his expression, all the while mentally beating herself up. It took the narrowing of his eyes to make her sharply cast her line of sight elsewhere. She had been caught staring like a lunatic. He probably thought she was weird. "Let's go, Jaken."

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama!"

The two demons walked away, leaving the group to discuss their parting. Sesshomaru really planned on going after Naraku as well. Keiame really wanted to question his reasoning for it, but chose to keep her mouth shut at the moment. Inuyasha had been giving her amused eyes, probably since the demon lord had appeared again. "Let's just go!" Keiame grumbled, kicking at a piece of wood. "Jaken said Ayame village, so we should go there."

"Are you sure you don't just want to see your best buddy again?" Shippo asked sarcastically. Inuyasha literally giggled. Like a girl. Keiame hissed and made grabby motions towards the little demon. The tyke only stuck out his tongue from the safety of Inuyasha's head. She would get him back for that later… For now, she beckoned Kagome over. Once again, the girl squealed in surprise at Keiame sharply turning her around.

"Seriously, Keiame, just ask!"

The short-haired teen paid no mind and pulled the map from Kagome's backpack. She had taken a look at the map before. It freaked her out somewhat, though, because it had exclamation points at the places where they needed to go. Everyone else either didn't see them or they were pretending not to. Either way, she opted not to bring it to attention. Keiame spread the map out on the ground. Sure enough, an exclamation point indicated Ayame village. However, there was a question mark at one spot—Tsuzumi village. "Let's go back to Tsuzumi!" she exclaimed. Admittedly, she was curious as to what was happening there.

"What? No! That's backtracking!" Inuyasha protested. "I'm not going to let… Sesshy-chan beat us to the punch!" Keiame's eye twitched violently. How dare the little- "There's no reason to go back there."

"Would you believe that I left something back with Densuke-san?" she questioned.

"If it's the Ayakashi Sake then you can forget it!" Kagome and Sango nearly snarled in unison. Their faces had become cherry red, causing Keiame to roll her eyes.

"No, no—nothing like that," she refuted. "Just… Just let's go get it."

0~0

Upon arriving at Tsuzumi village, the group discovered the sounds of drums. Lanterns decorated the village. The smells of food made their mouths water. The sight of the festival had startled them all. Then they remembered that Densuke had been saying something about a festival before. Lucky them that they had come back, after all. All of them were excited about the festivities, though Inuyasha had attempted to hide his glee. They walked throughout the village, seeing the sights, munching on snacks, and just having a good time. After that whole thing with Castle Town, it was pretty much a welcomed experience.

Finally, they made it to the giant drum. Crowds of people had gathered in anticipation. But there seemed to be a bit of a hold up. That's when Kagome noticed Densuke seemingly surrounded. She called him over and asked if there was anything wrong. Keiame ignored most of the conversation in favor of eating her honey glazed dango. It wasn't until her fellow school girl karate chopped her head, and she almost died choking, that she began paying attention again. Apparently, Densuke had wanted them to participate in the best part of the festival since another team had dropped out. "It's more fun than just watching anyway!" Inuyasha said, stepping forward. "Let's do it!"

"I decline," Keiame stated. "I'll cheer the rest of you on."

"What are you—chicken?"

"No, Inuyasha, but someone has to direct your sorry asses! I'm the only one that has sense!"

"You little-"

"Inuyasha! Just go already!" Kagome admonished. "We only need five people anyway!"

"Fine, fine!" The half-demon, ignoring the ladder, jumped right up to the big drum. Pleased, the crowd cheered for the beginning of the competition. Once the signal was given, Inuyasha pounded on the drum like his life depended on it. Most of the crowd covered their ears, clearly in pain, Keiame included. After her ears stopped ringing, she shouted at her comrade in annoyance.

"Jinora Christ, Inuyasha! Are you crazy?! Hit it softer! Softer!" Obviously not liking her advice, Inuyasha raised his middle finger. Still, when the signal was given again, he actually listened and played the drum at a much lighter tone. Keiame sighed out, relieved that her ears didn't start bleeding. Her red-clad companion jumped down, allowing another competitor to take a turn. After judging, the winner was announced. Inuyasha crossed his arms and smirked smugly, reveling in the cheers that followed the announcement. Keiame decided to let him have his moment instead of coming up with a wisecrack.

Densuke continued the competition by announcing the next drummer. Once the opponent was finished, Kagome climbed up the ladder. Keiame stretched her arm up in a wave, cheering her fellow schoolgirl on. Blushing in slight embarrassment, Kagome waved down at the crowd. "I'll do my best!" She sucked in a deep breath, and then let her palms slap against the drum. Keiame grimaced, barely hearing the drum over the other instruments. She held her hands up to her mouth.

"You can do it, Kagome! Put your back into it!" Keiame called up to her. Kagome turned slightly, eyebrows furrowed.

"I can do it—put my back into it?" she asked. Keiame almost rolled her eyes. Her fellow schoolgirl habit of repeating what others say was slightly irritating, but… she could use it in a positive way right now.

"You can do it—put your back into it!"

"I can do it—put my back into it!"

"Put your back into it!"

"Put my back into it!"

Confidence restored, Kagome turned back to the drum, expression fierce. The signal was given and she let the drum have it. This time, her skills were on point with the other instruments "… Do I even want to know?" Sango questioned flatly. Keiame waved her hand and dismissively told her it was a nineties thing. Kagome came over, cheeks tinted pink. "Nice job, Kagome!"

"Yeah—I knew you had it in you! Guess your mother really does like hip-hop," Keiame said, slapping her palms against Kagome's. The schoolgirls giggled amongst themselves as though they shared a secret. While they giggled, Densuke cleared his throat, and then announced the winner as Kagome. The crowd roared in glee as the archer attempted to be modest about her win. The wide grin on her face couldn't be hidden, though. Shippo was up next. His drumming… was terrible. The little demon tried so hard, but his body was just too small to hit the big drum properly. A sympathetic smile made its way onto Keiame's face. "That's right, Shippo, you beat that drum!" she encouraged. The fox tyke hesitantly turned to stare down at her with shy eyes. "Just have fun with it, sweetie! We're all rooting for you!" He nodded his head, taking her reinforcement to heart. This time, he played the drum, still struggling, but clearly having fun.

Shippo hopped down and let a villager take his place. In the end, it had been the villager who had won. Too bad. The little demon didn't appear too upset, though. "Earlier…" he began, drawing Keiame's attention. He jumped onto her shoulder and whispered in her ear. "You called me sweetie… Does that mean you… don't think I'm annoying?" His shy question threw her for a loop. Paying no mind to the next drummer, Keiame focused solely on Shippo. Ah. Before she had told him that she didn't like kids because they were annoying. Had he been unsure about it this whole time? Grinning, she patted his head fondly.

"Oh, Shippo! Of course I don't think you're annoying!" Keiame cooed. "Out of all the kids I've met, you're the cutest!" His eyes lit up as he returned her grin. "But you're not upset that you lost?"

"No way! I had fun, so that's all that mattered!"

"Oh? You're manlier than I thought, Shippo," Keiame said, handing over a stick of dango. The fox demon happily accepted the snack and the compliment. The Shikigami user giggled, and then noticed that one of her comrades had stepped up for a turn. Miroku. She found herself rolling her eyes as she listened to his rendition. It was bland and frail just like him.

"Don't be like that, Keiame!" Kagome scolded. "Miroku's our friend, too! Cheer for him!" Keiame sighed heavily as though she had been asked to do a chore. Still, Miroku had turned around and stared at her with hopeful eyes.

"Miroku. Yay. I believe in you. You can do it." Her voice had been as flat and bored as the monk's drumming. "Drum harder, you fool."

"I'll take it," Miroku shrugged, and then turned back towards the drum. Kagome shook her head. Per her advice, the monk did drum harder. His second try sounded a lot better. Densuke announced him as the winner of the fourth match. "Well, of course!" He had the nerve to run his fingers through his hair in a smug manner. "I knew I would." Keiame opened her mouth to retort, but Kagome slapped her hand over her lips before she could. Miroku climbed down and approached the group, not realizing that he had been saved from acid words. "Good luck, Sango." The demon slayer smiled and nodded.

"Sango! Win this for us!" Inuyasha hollered as she began her climb up the ladder. Midway up, she turned and gave a smirk as well as a two-fingered salute. "Woooo! Go for it, Sango!"

"Someone's fired up…" Keiame remarked drily.

"Well, Inuyasha has always liked competition," Kagome stated, mirroring the other girl's tone. "Especially when he's on the winning team." The two time travelers shared another chuckle. Densuke then announced the final match. Sango began her drumming. "Sango's pretty good…"

"Yeah she is," Keiame agreed. "But she can do better." Cupping her mouth, she shouted to her friend. "I like to move it, move it! We like to move it, move it! They like to move it, move! You like to-"

"Move it…?"

"Yeah! Move your body, Sango!"

Giving an awkward smile and a shrug, the demon slayer focused back on the drum. She nodded her head and furrowed her brow. "I like to move it, move it… I like to move it, move it…! I like to move it, move it!" As she chanted, her voice became louder and her hands beat the drum almost skillfully. "They like to-"

"MOVE IT!" Surprisingly, the crowd had been drawn in by her drumming and finished her little chant in thunderous sync. Egging them on, Keiame jumped up and continued the song, dancing along to the music. Laughing, Kagome joined in with the dance. Pretty soon, the entire crowd was dancing, swaying their hips, shaking their heads, and waving their arms—attempting to copy the time hoppers. By the time it was over, sweat had covered everyone's bodies. They didn't mind, though. Each and every person either grinned or flat out laughed at the antics they had just participated in.

"I think we know who the winner is!" Densuke shouted. The crowd shouted back just as excited. "Our last minute team is the winner!" The villagers burst into joyous cheer as Sango climbed down from the ladder. She was instantly swarmed by her comrades and friends. Inuyasha even gave her a high-five, exclaiming his delight.

"It's because of your cheering, Keiame," Miroku commented.

"Ain't it though!" Keiame grinned widely, not caring that it had been the monk she had received the compliment from. Densuke stated that prizes would be given out to the winners. "Yes! Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimme!" The man dropped the prize into her awaiting hands. Her expression immediately morphed into restrained fury. Beside her, Shippo hopped up and down, asking what the prize was. "It's a goddamned seed! I hate this world and everyone in it!"

"Come on, Keiame!" Sango said. "At least we had fun! Right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we did," she admitted.

"It's been awhile since we've had so much fun," Kagome remarked.

"Everyone once in a while, I guess it's okay," Inuyasha murmured, smile lingering on his face.

"Says the one that was hooting, hollering, and screaming, and shit!"

"Shut up, Keiame."

0~0