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here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!
For the next 15 minutes the others sat patiently on the couch as Tauni paced in front of them and went into detail about her dreams.
Miroku was the first to say anything. "So you think they aren't just dreams, they are visions?"
Tauni nodded.
"But what you saw in your first dream wasn't exactly what happened."
She nodded again. "It was really close, but only until he took me to the cell."
"Do you think that you getting locked in the cell with it closing in on you was more of a symbol for the dark shard taking you over?" Sango interrupted.
"It could have been. Do you think that the second dream was more symbolic too?" The miko asked hoping desperately that was the case.
"It does seem plausible." Miroku said stepping behind her.
"I really hope so, because that girl wasn't me she was… scary." Tauni said grabbing Miroku's hand before it reached its destination.
"I think we should get some rest, because tomorrow it's back to the feudal era to figure this out." Kagome suggested.
"Alright well the guest rooms are on the third floor and there are enough for everyone."
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Kilala and Sada stayed downstairs and crashed in the living room, while Sango, Kagome, Miroku, and Shippo headed to the third floor.
When Tauni started walking to her room she noticed InuYasha had followed her.
"What are you doing?" She asked turning to face him.
"Following you. What's it look like?"
"I can see that! Why are you following me?" Tauni asked almost screaming.
She walked over to her door, InuYasha a step behind.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight. What if Naraku figures out a way to come through to this time? And what if Sesshomaru shows up? And how do I know you won't just run off again."
Tauni turned around and got right in the hanyou's face. "You don't, but you're not coming in my room!"
Before he could react, the young woman slammed the door in his face and locked it.
He just made her so mad sometimes! But she did have to hand it to him; he was just making sure she was safe.
Tauni pulled down the bedspread and got in bed. She normally slept with the windows open, but what if Naraku did find a way here? He was desperate to have her under his control. She got up, shut the French doors that opened onto her balcony and locked them.
The miko climbed back into bed and pulled up the covers. She smiled to herself and whispered.
"Good night Inuyasha."
From the other side of the door she heard a muffled "Yah, Yah. Whatever, good night."
Tauni drifted off to sleep feeling completely safe for the first time since she had been trapped in the feudal era.
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Her feet pounded down the dirt path. Tauni had been running for so long now, that she couldn't remember what she was running from. She just knew she had to get as far away from it as possible.
Her lungs ached and every muscle in her body burned, but she couldn't stop.
Tree branches and underbrush tore at her clothes and exposed skin, leaving bright red scratches on her arms, legs, and face. Tauni lost her footing and crashed to the ground.
Struggling to her feet, the priestess glanced behind her, searching for her pursuer.
Everything around her stood still and her heart raced even faster. She screamed as someone grabbed her shoulders.
"Tauni you're having a nightmare. Wake up!"
Tauni's breath caught in her throat, and she opened her eyes to be face to face with Sango. She blinked a few times and took a few deep breaths to calm herself.
Tauni brushed the sweat soaked hair from her forehead.
"Are you okay?" Sango asked trying to catch the young woman's gaze.
They both jumped as InuYasha burst through the door.
"What happened?" he asked surveying the room.
"It was just another nightmare." Tauni said relaxing.
She recounted the event and attempted to get out of bed. The teenager managed but her right side was stiff and numb.
Not now, please not now.
"Could you ask Jenson to call Lady Kiani please." Tauni asked Sango as she sat down.
Slowly and carefully Tauni moved her arm back and forth.
"You alright?" InuYasha asked wrinkling his nose at her.
"I'm fine!" She snapped back more harshly than she had intended to.
Tauni winced inwardly at his hurt expression.
"Sorry, Just go downstairs and I'll be down in a while."
InuYasha started to protest just as Jenson and Kiani came in.
"Lady Kiani as you requested Miss Tauni. InuYasha, if you will please follow me."
A growl escaped from deep in InuYasha's throat before he followed Jenson out the door.
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Twenty minutes later Kagome and Sango were in the kitchen helping Claira make breakfast.
Shippo, Kilala, and Sada were outside playing, and Miroku, InuYasha, and Jenson were waiting in the living room.
InuYasha had quickly become impatient and was pacing around the room.
"What the hell is taking so long. What's the matter anyway and why did she freak out when I asked her about it?"
"Miss Tauni was in an accident when she was younger."
"What kind of accident?" Miroku asked, picking up the conversation.
Jenson sighed and sat down in a nearby chair.
"When she was about four, her parents took her on a boating trip. One day they docked at a small village in Thailand and planned on going to a wildlife refuge and helping with tigers and clouded leopards.
Tauni was so excited, that she decided she was going to just step off the boat instead of waiting for the gangplank. She had done it many times before so no one thought to stop her. Unfortunately, the boat was rocked backwards by a wave just as she stepped toward the dock and she fell in.
Her father jumped in after her, but her dress had caught on something and before he could tear it loose the boat pitched into the dock and crushed Miss Tauni's right side.
She was in the hospital for months while she healed, and she spent several more in intensive physical therapy to help her regain the use of her right side.
She made progress but still had a slight limp and very limited use of her right arm. That was when one of her doctors suggested an alternative to the physical therapy that Miss Tauni had grown to hate.
So she began her martial arts training and later sword training. She regained complete use of her right side within the next year, but every now and then she has a problem and Lady Kiani, her physical therapist, has to help her work out some stiffness.
Miss Tauni is very sensitive about it because she sees it as a weakness. That's probably why she snapped at you."
Before either of them could react to the story Tauni came bounding down the stairs with a full backpack.
"So are we ready to go?"
"We were planning on eating first." Miroku said.
Then just as if on cue Sango came in. "Breakfast is ready."
"Okay let's eat." InuYasha said.
"Is Shippo outside?" Tauni asked.
Everyone nodded.
"I'll go get him."
With that Tauni walked outside and called everyone in. Sada stopped in front of her and gave her a look before running into the miko's legs, which forced the girl to sit on her back.
Tauni didn't argue and Sada carried her back into the house.
Jenson had hung back in the living room and extended a hand for Tauni when Sada stopped beside him.
She took his hand and he pulled her up.
"Are you alright?" he asked concerned.
"Really I'm fine, I was just a little stiff. That's all."
He rolled his eyes at her.
"I promise." Tauni said, squeezing his hand.
He smiled at her and they both went into the kitchen.
-------
An hour later InuYasha was helping Tauni climb out of the well. The group had barely started the journey when InuYasha spotted a column of smoke rising above the trees.
Tauni hopped onto Sada's back with Shippo and fell in line behind InuYasha and Kagome, and Sango and Miroku on Kilala.
It took almost half a day to reach the source of the smoke. It turned out to be coming from a small village.
Tragically, the village was nothing more than scattered ashes and all of the villagers had been slaughtered by the time they arrived.
The stench of burned flesh stung Tauni's nose and made her gag. She covered your face with her sleeve and willed the contents of her stomach to stay down.
A child's shrill scream came from the other side of the village and Tauni raced toward the sound. She took in the scene before her.
A gigantic demon that looked like a cross between a snake and a komodo dragon held a young girl tightly in its claws. Before Tauni could even draw her sword she was tackled to the ground.
As the young priestess struggled to gain the upper hand on her attacker InuYasha showed up. He made a move to help her but Tauni told him to help the girl.
"Sango, Miroku help Tauni and protect Kagome, I'll take care of the demon." He yelled.
Kagome strung an arrow. "InuYasha catch the girl!"
She let the arrow fly and it struck the demon in the shoulder causing it to drop the child. InuYasha caught her and gave her to Kagome.
As he destroyed the demon with the tetsiega, Tauni was finally able to overcome her assailant.
She pinned him to the ground by his shoulders and saw that he was just a boy. He was wearing a demon slayer's outfit that looked just like...
"KOHAKU!"
Tauni turned her focus to Sango, who stood frozen a few feet away.
The boy, Kohaku, took advantage of her distraction and threw Tauni off of him and disappeared into the surrounding forest.
