Day in and day out of riding and searching for Hiei were taking a toll on Nanashi. She hated all the riding. Cold nights where she had but no choice to cuddle up close to Ruka for warmth at night. After the first two nights of adjustment, Nanashi found she welcomed Ruka by her side. It became almost comfortable. Ruka was talkative, but kept her hands to herself for the most part. She did try to talk her into other kind of work she could do after they rescued Hiei, but Nanashi would shake her head.

The days riding was uncomfortable with the all day on horseback. Nanashi's knees ached tremendously from it. Yasha's talking and rambling with her about their lives helped. He spoke more freely than Kuram preferred, but he was entertaining about it. Ruka was at least willing to help rub the aches from her bruised inner legs. She likely would have done more if Nanashi had let her. She was quite an attractive woman...

This day, after lunch, she hated remounting her horse. Kurama had to give her a shove up on her mount. She winced as the pain in her knees cut through her.

"We'll find him soon," Kurama told her comfortingly. She heard the words unsaid though. She was in pain, but they could not slow down for her. She nodded, trying not to cry.

Kurama and Ruka rode ahead of them in steely silence. Yasha kept on riding next to her behind them, jabbering about something about the myths about angels and elves. She ignored him, not following what he was saying.

That was when the most soul wretching scream echoed through the woods. The trees seemed to shake at the sound. Yasha and Nanashi pulled their horses to a sudden halt. Both of them stayed stark still, ears straining to hear it again.

Ruka and Kurama surprisingly kept on riding. Nanashi went to call out to them when the scream sounded again. Yasha looked at her, studying her. "You heard it, too? I'm not imagining it?" She nodded, feeling like she could echo her words.

Kurama and Ruka had stopped ahead of them. "You alright? We need to keep moving," Kurama called out to him.

Yashsa shushed him. "We heard screaming." He looked around the woods. "But that's the stuff of legends..."

The scream sound again, rattling in Nanashi's soul. Nanashi, pain in her knees forgotten, flicked the reins on her horse. She rode at a gallop towards the screaming, with Yasha's horse at her heels. She stopped abruptly, hearing the screams coming from the sharp drop towards the ground near a stream about twenty feet below. She could not see anything, but she could hear the baleful moaning. She slipped off the side of her horse and stumbled her way down towards the stream.

"Nanashi, be careful," Yasha called out to her as he slid down the hillside after her.

Nanashi skidded to a halt when she saw the scene unfold before her. Three doxies stood before her, surrounding a huddle form, biting and tearing at its flesh even as it still lived. Her stomach dropped, nauseated at the sight of it.

Yasha came up behind her, swearing under his breath. "Fucking doxies, you've fought them before, right?" She nodded without taking her eyes off the scene. The form moaned again, making Nanashi want to do anything to stop its pain. Kurama had also come sidling down the hillside while Ruka stayed up with the horse. Yasha held his hand out to him. "Doxies. Demon soul makes you a half demon. You need to keep a distance." Kurama looked rueful at that, but stopped where he was. Yasha turned back to Nanashi. "Keep you eyes open," he whispered. "Go for the kill."

She nodded and then ran towards the three doxies. She drew the knife from her hip, knee pain forgotten. She heard Yasha swore after her, but followed after her with her sword drawn. The three doxies had realized now they were there. The bravest doxy turned to on her, claws out. It racked its claws in the air at her, but under shot it. She flicked her knife almost fearlessly across its throat. Clumsily, she cut off its hands and head, worried the other two might be on her. At a glance to her side though, she saw Yasha wielding his own sword, beheading one and slicing through the midsection of the other.

Nanashi turned away from her dead doxy, half crawling, half running towards the form huddled in a bloodied mess at the bass of a tall tree. It laid on its side, head resting on the ground. She could not tell if whoever it was was male or female, young or old, demon or elf or human. Its hair and clothes were once white. Bloodied feathers covered the ground before it. It was weeping, making her start to cry softly to herself.

Hesitantly, she reached her hand out, taking its in hers. Its eyes shot open, head turning up towards hers. Three gashes ran across its dark face. She pulled its hand into her chest, trying to show it she was here to comfort it.

She heard both Yasha and Kurama come up from behind her. She looked behind her just enough to see the two of them. They kept their distance though. Yasha looked shocked and was crying silently while Kurama looked perplexed.

"Help it," she begged desperately.

"Help what?" Kurama asked.

At the same time, Yasha said, "he's beyond helping..." He turned to Kurama, embracing him and laying his head down on his shoulder.

She turned back to it, to him, whoever he was. She pulled him up and over to her. She recoiled when she felt bones and feathers behind his back. He clung to her with the last ounce of his strength. She held him, crying openly with whoever he was. If she had not been so sad, she would have been uncomfortable. He was so cold and so blood soaked.

"Sis... ter," he rattled out. "Live... on."

She frowned at him, not sure what she was he meant. His hand then slid down from her shoulder and seized her foot with bone crushing force. She screamed out in fright and pain. She felt frozen, seeing a semi white coil slither down his neck and to his hand; right towards her ankle.

"No!" Yasha shouted, tearing himself from Kurama. "She's not angelic! She's elvish!"

Nanashi watched, unblinking as the white coil crawl down towards her foot. She closed her eyes, threw he head back, and wailed as it forced its way up her foot. She felt the form clutching her slump heavily against her, in like another world. The pain searing up her leg was forefront in her mind, even as she collapsed part way to her back with the form partly on top of her. She wailed, voice cracking at how painful this was. Worse than the nightlock poison. Yasha was almost upon her when Kurama pulled him back.

The pain strove higher, burning up her torso. The pain in her leg had not lessened a bit. The new pain was just adding to it. Pain even shot down her untouched leg. When the pain hit her upper back, it felt double there while it spread through her shoulders and down her arms. When it hit her head, a bright white flash of light danced behind her eyes. An explosion seemed to sound in her ears and behind her back. She felt her shirt grow tight and tear.

The pain ebbed down slowly, like the rise and fall of a beating tide. She panted beneath, sensing only her chest rising and falling in deep breaths. She felt enough wherewithal ebb back into her. She shoved the now dead form off of her middle, scooting back away from it. She stopped when she felt... something.. a part of her body... scrape against the ground. She craned her neck to look behind her back. Brilliantly white wings hung from her upper back with tattered remains of the back of her shirt in the mixed. She felt a shocking heat simmer under her neck. The coil appeared around her neck, a small serpent hissing up at her. It boldly nuzzled her check affectionately.

'New mistress,' a hiss sounded in her head. 'I will serve you loyally.'

She gasped, not sure how to respond. She turned to look over at Kurama and Yasha standing together before her. She pushed herself onto her hands and feet, feeling the heavy weight of her newfound wings behind her back. Her head rushed, making her swoon. Her arms and legs collapsed beneath her. The last thing she remembered was an image of Yasha stumbling towards her.