Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Inuyasha or the Yashahime characters and story!

Chapter 6

"It seems like we're back to where we started." Shippo sighed as he poked at the fire.

By the time they had left the cave, it had been nearly noon and the team decided to settle for an early lunch. They had barely begun eating when they were surprised by the appearance of Akitoki Hojo.

"Hojo kun?" Kagome asked in surprise at the figure that approached them.

Hojo smiled sheepishly at the group, "I'm sorry to startle you Kagome samma, your meal smelt so nice and I was drawn here."

Kagome chuckled as she prepared a portion for the man, "Where are you headed, Hojo kun?"

Hojo began to tell them how he was on a mission headed towards Mt. Hakurai to exorcise a yaokai blade that was passed down his family. To his horror, he found that the mountain had disappeared, but thankfully, when passing through Kaeda's village, the elderly miko had redirected him to the Furai Shrine, where a powerful monk resides and would be able to help suppress the yaoki it emits.

" A Yaokai sword?" Shippo asked as he peered curiously at the parcel Hojo was holding in his hands, he turned to Kin'u in excitement, "Kin'u! It's another yaokai sword! Can we see it?"

Kin'u didn't respond to Shippu, she looked at the man before her tesnsely as she clutched onto Sango's kimono. Her eyes shifting from the man to the parcel, trying to decide if she could trust him.

Hojo nodded at Shippo's words and unwrapped the parcel.

The amount of yaoki the yaokai blade emitted immediately alerted everyone in presence. Inuyasha began to demonize, his claws and teeth lengthened and his eyes a bloody red. Sango set the horaigotsu up as a shield, ready to act in case Inuyasha lost control and Miroku immediately held Inuyasha back, stopping him from hurting anyone by accident, "Please put the blade away."

Hojo nodded and quickly rewrapped his parcel.

"Are you alright, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked worriedly as she looked at the hanyao who shook his head, trying to clear the haziness from his brain.

Inuyasha blinked, "what happened?"

Sango released her hold on the hiraigotsu and turned to comfort Kin'u who clung on tighter onto her kimono at the event that had played out.

Kin'u looked at Hojo with curiosity, fear and uncertainty as the parcel Hojo had unwrapped had caused her Uncle Inuyasha to turn into a very scary version of himself.

Her hiding form caught Hojo's attention and he smiled at the little girl kindly, "I don't think I've seen you last time, Kin'u chan, was it?"

Kin'u said nothing as she shifted to hide behind her mother's kimono,her eyes studying him, still trying to decide if he was good or not. Her eyes shifted to her father, who was smiling encouraginly at her. Slowly she nodded her head in an affirmative nod at Hojo's question.

Hojo smiled warmly at the little girl, "nice to meet you Kin'u chan, my name is Akitoki Hojo."

Kin'u finally decided that Hojo was a friend and not foe before giving him a small smile, "nice to meet you Akitoki samma."

Miroku smiled at the exchange, he was worried that he and Sango would have to spend time engraving the concept of not following strangers into Kin'u's mind after the encounter with the Hiraganas. But seeing how Kin'u interacted with a stranger she first met, he guessed that she didn't take to strangers easily. Still, he kept a note in his mind to come back to this topic of stranger danger.

"Here,"Hojo smiled and fished out a red otedama(beanbag), "I had wanted to gift this to my sister's baby when I passed by her village, but it turned out that she had a boy."

Kin'u's eyes lit up and she turned to Sango and Miroku for affirmation before accepting the toy with a smile, "thank you Akitoki samma!"

"Akitoki samma,"Miroku offered,"why don't you travel with us? We're headed in that direction as well."

The team quickly got back on the road, intending to make as much distance as they could.

"Come on, Kin'u." Sango said as she climbed onto Kirara and Hojo followed suit.

"But I want chichue to carry me like he did Shippo!" Kin'u pouted as she looked at Miroku.

As Kin'u was slightly bigger than Shippo, Sango had wanted to discoourage Kin'u, but Miroku chuckled and interrupted her thoughts,"one piggy back ride coming right up," Miroku lifted Kin'u onto his back, "alright, up you go."

"are you sure, hoshi samma?" Sango asked worriedly, afraid that the extra weight would be a hindrance to his running.

"I believe a father-daughter bonding time is long overdue,"Miroku answered, "I never had the time to chat with Kin'u, isn't that right? sweetie?"

Kin'u nodded as she pointed to the far distance, "chichiue! Look it's a shika deer! Look it's heading towards the...wow! chichiue! chichiue! look at the lake the shika deer is drinking from! It's beautiful, why is it so blue? Wait, why is the lake and sky blue?"

Sango and Miroku chuckled at the abundant amount of questions Kin'u was asking.

Kin'u frowned when she heard her parents laughing, "Chichiue? Hahaue?"

"Those are all excellent questions Kin'u." Miroku smiled at their daughter, "we'll have to answer them one by one."

"Chichiue? Hahaue?" Hojo asked from beside Kirara in shock, "she's your daughter?"

"Long story short, Kin'u is Sango chan and Miroku samma's daughter from the future," Kagome replied as she climbed onto Inuyasha's back, "we're trying to send her back home."

Hojo nodded at the response, too shocked to reply.

"Hurry up!" Inuyasha yelled as he sprinted down the road, "you slow pokes are wasting daylight!"

They had traveled a lengthy distance before coming to rest by a rest-stop. Though their journey had barely begun, Hojo had already experienced many misfortunes that he claimed the ken blade had brought him. His sandals had broken, his cup has split and his riceball had rolled down the cliff. By the time his second rice ball managed to be swiped by a raven that passed by, even Inuyasha had to admit that the man had experienced an abnormal amount of misfortunes.

Hojo had been looking down dejectedly when he heard a figure approach him.

"Here, Akitoki samma!" Kin'u smiled as she offered him an omelette, "when I can't use the chopsticks well, chichiue and hahaue used to feed me, then I won't drop any food by accident!" After the initial awkward introduction, Hojo's cheery attitude had helped Kin'u warm up to him.

"Kin'u chan!" Hojo exclaimed with tears in his eyes. Next to Kagome, Kin'u has to be the most adorable angel he's seen. He wishes to raise children to be as thoughtful as Kin'u. The Hojo family would prosper and definitely go on to accomplish greater deeds in the future.

"Because you are an adult and need more food, you can have my share of the rice ball!" Kin'u continued as she handed him her rice ball with a bright smile.

"Thank you Kin'u chan!" Hojo said as he bit into his rice ball only to choke on it.

"Akitoki sama!Shi Bu Yan!(Do not speak while eating)" Kin'u scolded as she jumped out of the bench to face Hojo, "you should eat slowly!"

The team turned to look at Kin'u in surprise before laughing at the serious expression Kin'u had on her face.

Kin'u looked at the group curiously, "did I say something wrong?" she turned to Miroku, "isn't that what chichiue always says when we eat?"

Miroku wiped a tear and responded, "that's a very hard phrase you just said Kin'u."

Kin'u beamed proudly,"I've memorized more than Gyokuto! Hahaue gives us a candy when we do well in our studies."

Miroku looked at Kin'u with a proud smile, feeling pride bubbling up. Before he got to say anything, a loud sound caught the team's attention. They turned to see boulders rolling down the hill, headed towards them. Inuyasha immediately sent a wind scar, crumbling the boulders. But they quickly realized the attacks were far from over as a weird kite flew over them, making bombs rain all over the place. They were only saved when Kagome's arrow had sent the weird looking kite away.

"The ken blade does draw misfortune to the ones that wield it." Kagome frowned as she looked warily at the parcel in Hojo's arms.

"I told you that this yaokai blade is not meant to be wielded by humans,"Inuyasha said, "just give it up, it's putting everyone here in danger."

Hojo shook his head, "if this person wants the ken blade so badly, it means they must have the kon blade. If these two blades are fused back together, terrible things would happen." He sighed as he looked at Kin'u, "I'm sorry for bringing you all into danger, especially you, Kin'u, I will continue on this journey by myself."

"Hojo kun," Kagome spoke up, "don't say that, if this is as dangerous as you said, then you would need all the help available."

Hojo smiled at Kagome's kind words.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but before he could speak up, he heard Shippo yell,"a crow is headed here!"

Everyone turned to see Myoga jichan leap from the crow and land onto Inuyasha's palm, "Inuyasha samma! Inuyasha samma!"

"Myoga ji chan!" Kin'u beamed as she quickly ran to Inuyasha's side.

"Kin'u chan! It's been a while" Myoga beamed at the little girl before turning to Inuyasha, "Inuyasha samma, I bring news from Totosai."

"news?"

"Yes, ever since the collapse of Mt. Hakurei, totosai has been worried about the possible resurface of a sword called the kenkon, he was hoping that Inuyasha samma, you will be able to reseal it. As it is currently being sought after by the leader of ninja demon, Hoshiyomi." Myoga explained.

Inuyasha sighed as he nodded at Myoga's words. There was no asking Hojo to give up the blade now.

"Myoga jichan," Sango asked, "were you able to gain any further information on the pearl maker?"

Myoga's eyes lit up as he leapt into Kin'u palms, "just so happends I did!"

"Keh, your information better be correct this time," Inuyasha scoffed, "you sent us into a bear yaokai's cave last time."

"The pearl maker is a wanderer, making him difficult to track down,"Myoga smiled sheepishly, "but I found out that he had been stayin at the Tianshin shrine for the last month, he's-"

"keh, we got that information from the bear yaokais already." Inuyasha interrupted, "so much for your intel."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed, "do not be so rude!"

By the time Myoga left, it was nearly nightfall and the team decided to settle down for the night.

"Sango,"Inuyasha frowned as he studied the surroundings, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something is wrong, "I think you should take Kin'u on Kirara and head towards the Tianshin shrine first,we'll meet up with you afterwards."

"But-" Sango started. She can feel the impending danger, but she was also worried that this danger would require the effort of all of them to defeat it.

"I agree with Inuyasha,"Miroku nodded as he looked at his sleeping daughter, it felt that whoever attacked them is going to return and he would prefer that Kin'u was safe away before they strike. Though they needed Sango to stay and fight, keeping Kin'u safe was his top priority.

Just as Sango mounted Kirara with Kin'u in her arms, the distinct sound of explosions had Sango rolling to the ground for cover and Kirara shielding her mistress. Everyone began to move out of the way of the attacks. By the time the smoke cleared, everyone realized that the team was separated. Miroku's eyes searched frantically, relaxing when he found Sango standing to the far left of the clearing and that Shippo was hiding with Kin'u by a tree. Kagome and Hojo were however no where to be found.

Inuyasha cursed when he realized that Kagome was gone, but was relieved when he caught her scent heading eastward. He was about to run in that direction when another round of bomb attacks flew at him from the rightside of the woods. Growling, he send a windscar in that direction, revealing four culprits dressed in ninja attire.

"I don't have timefor this! Who are you?" Inuyasha demanded as he looked at the yaokais before him.

"Genbu of the darkness" the tortoise yaokai spoke up

"Byakko of the snow" the tiger yaokai spoke up from where he perched on the tree

"Seiryu of the moon" the dragon yaokai spoke up from the other branch of the tree.

"Suzaku of the flower" the bird yaokai spoke up, "now, let us show you our ninja skills."

With that said, the yaokai ninjas began to circle the Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha who were huddled together.

Sango double checked that Kin'u was still safely hidden in her spot with Shippo before returning her full attention to the demons.

"Inuyasha, go find Kagome samma, we'll hold them off." Miroku said as he gribbed tightly onto his shojuken.

Inuyasha nodded his thanks and began running eastward, only to be stopped by a lightning and the appearance of a figure.

Author's Note:

I realized I misspelled Gyokuto's name so I went back to change it and some details of the story. The changes will have no impact on how the story is progressing so far, so no worries! Thanks for sticking with me in this episode recap! In the next chapter, there will be slight changes to how it originally progressed :)