Inuyasha was walking away from the well through which Kagome had just returned to her own time when he heard someone call out his brother's name behind him. Startled, and worried that Sesshoumaru might be trying to follow Kagome back, he whirled around just in time to see a red beam of energy flashing towards him. It was so close that he barely managed to jump out of its direct path. He was caught by the explosion when it hit the ground where he had been standing, and thrown several meters backwards.

                When he managed to clear his sight and hearing, he looked for the source of the attack--he didn't remember Sesshoumaru having any ranged ones; both sons of their father preferred melee combat. Briefly, he thought he saw a figure flying above the well, but it vanished when he tried to look closer at it. Taking a few steps forward, ready to defend against a frontal assault, he was caught off-guard when he caught an unfamiliar scent--sort of a cross between a human and a cat--behind him. He jumped forward and turned in mid jump, narrowly dodging a red beam of energy that swung like a sword and left a smell like lightning in the air.

                Taking another leap backwards to put distance between himself and the wielder of the beam sword, he took stock of his opponent. She--for it was a woman--was obviously a youkai. The glowing energy sword was givaway enough, but it was also made obvious in the color of her hair (it was a sort of steely gray-blue) and the gold of her eyes. She also looked furious.

                "If you tell me where Ryo-Ohki is, I might kill you quickly," she said, her voice grating with unrestrained anger.

                "I don't know what you're talking about!" screamed Inuyasha. No one threatens him and gets away with it. He charged to the attack, shouting "Soul-Rending Iron Claw!"

                He missed, as she jumped up just as he was about to connect. When he turned around to face his antagonist again, he saw that she was hovering in place, a few feet off the ground. "Hmm... Not bad... A little slow, though..." she taunted as she let loose another blast of ruby energy from her left hand, the energy sword in her right hand held at a careless angle.

                Inuyasha had already jumped above the blast radius when the beam hit the spot where he'd been standing, and was decending to attack her from above--she wouldn't use flight to dodge this time! She looked suprised at the speed with which he had moved. He smiled in victory as he brought his claws down, dodging her attempts to parry with the energy sword, and was shocked when she flickered and vanished just before he hit her. He managed to use the hand extended for attack to go into a one-hand spring when he touched ground, flipping neatly to land upright on all fours. He rolled away from his landing spot clumsily, narrowly dodging another blast of energy. He dodged two more in quick succession, and then a third from a completely different direction caught him in the back--throwing him forward to slide along the ground, leaving a furrow of turned earth in the carpet of leaves behind him.

                Picking himself up quickly, he found the woman-youkai standing in front of him, swinging that beam sword down at him. It hit him twice, leaving scorch marks in the fire rat hair robe, but not harming him through it. He came up swinging, catching his enemy under her chin with his claws and sending her flying up and backwards.

                Before she recovered, he prepared his next attack. Cutting himself on his claws, he allowed his blood to soak them. As the witch gained her balance and stopped herself three-quarters of the way through her arc through the air, he swung is bloodied claws in her direction. As he shouted "Blood Claw!", the blood on the claws left arcs of red in the air which streaked towards his enemy. When they hit, they knocked her out of the air.

                By the time she hit the ground, Inuyasha was already in mid-jump to continue his attack. He was going to come down right on top of her, impaling her on his claws and ending this fight. He was completely shocked, therefore, when she sank into the ground like a ghost, leaving him to land hard on his hands extended like blades and burying them to the elbows in the earth.

                He remained frozen in that position for a moment, stunned that she had dodged his attack in such a way. Then, he remembered that he was still potentially in a dangerous combat, and, yanking his arms out of the ground, assumed a defensive posture.

                Smelling her scent behind him--but not hearing a sound, she must be good at moving silently--he spun around to face her. He blocked two attacks with the sleeve of his robe before managing to get in a swing of his own. He would have connected with her face, except that she flickered and vanished again.

                He smelled her filcker back into existance behind him, but, before he could even turn around to face her, he was surrounded by crackling ruby energy which immobalized him as it forced his body to arch in agony. He let out a beastial scream of pain as the energy actually picked him up a few inches off the ground.

                When it suddenly stopped, he would have collapsed to the ground--too exhausted from pain to move for a moment--if the woman hadn't caught him in a grip that pinned him to her. When his senses returned to him half a second later, he noticed that the energy sword was held with its blade almost touching his throat. Struggling in her grasp he found to be quite useless, as she was at least as strong as he.

                When he finally relaxed, conserving energy until she made a mistake, she spoke, her voice tight with anger. "Now, what have you done with my Ryo-Ohki?" she demanded.

                "What are you talking about, witch?" asked Inuyasha, angry that she was asking him such stupid questions, but in no position to be arguing just yet.

                More of that crackling energy arced across his body, causing him to cry out in pain again. "Don't play dumb with me! You captured my servant! Return her to me, and I'll kill you quickly; if she's been hurt...," at this point, the woman laughed sadistically, "Well, let's just say that it won't be quick."

                "I don't know what your talking about!" he yelled. Then, his ears twitched as he heard something: a whirling sound that was rapindly approaching them from behind. Suddenly, the woman-demon that smelled sort of like a cat cried out as he heard a loud crack! of impact. She was thrown forward, and pushed him in the same direction. Fortuantely for Inuyasha's neck, the beam sword had winked out when the witch cried out, and he managed to slide a couple of meters away from her.

                As he was picking himself up and looking around, he saw three things of importance: first, the youkai with which he was fighting had already recovered and was in the air looking towards the source of whatever it was that had hit her on the head; second, that the source of the impact was catching her giant boomerang; and third, that Miroku was removing the rosary that bound his air void.

                That last was the most important thing. Inuyasha quickly began running as fast as he could on all fours in a path that would separate him from the youkai woman so that Miroku could eliminate her. The cat-youkai in question was looking really pissed off, now, and was aiming one palm at each of the newcomming humans. Energy blasted from those palms at the same instant that Miroku managed to open his air void and aim it at her. The energy was consumed by the vortex of air, and the woman looked shocked as she began to be sucked in as well. She seemed to be able to fight the pull briefly, but was slowly being dragged in.

                Inuyasha was privately glad that the fight was now apparently over; though he would never have admitted it to anyone, he didn't think he could have beaten this youkai on his own. She was just too powerful.

                His relief over the impending end of the fight was short lived, however, as the woman again pulled that teleporting trick to appear outside of the vortex of air, which Miroku quickly shut in shock.

                "I see you have servants of your own," said the woman, as everyone paused to catch their breath. "Well, they will not be much help." She again teleported, this time appearing behind Sango, who she promptly captured in a hold as she began to fly, taking her new captive with her. The beam sword reappeared, held threateningly near the ninja-girl's throat.

                "Sango!" shouted Miroku in dismay. "Let her go!"

                The youkai laughed. "I think not. You won't use that vacuum of yours while it might get her, I think. Return Ryo-Ohki to me, or I kill her. After her, I kill him," she said, pointing at Miroku. "Then, I will keep you alive as long as I can!" Her eyes were blazing with anger. Sango was wisely remaining still.

                Miroku looked at Inuyasha. "What is this ryo-ohki thing she's demanding? Just give it back to her so she'll let Sango go!"

                "Feh. I don't know what she's ranting about," answered Inuyasha, "She just started attacking me as I was heading back to the village. Since I don't have her stupid ryo-ohki, I guess we'll just have to kill her to rescue Sango."

                Miroku looked pleadingly at the flying youkai. "We don't have this 'ryo-ohki' of yours--we don't even know what it is. Please, just let her go. Maybe we can help you find it."

                "Don't lie to me!" yelled the woman. "I know he has her! That woman's daughter on the other side of the well, Kagome, told me that a dog-demon had my servant and was using her as a hostage." She turned to look directly at Inuyasha, ignoring the human for the moment. "Return her to me, Sesshoumaru. Now."

                "Sesshou--"began Sango, sweatdropping.

                "--maru?" finished Miroku, doing the same.

                "Who are you calling 'Sesshoumaru', you stupid witch!?" screamed Inuyasha in fury.

                The strange youkai looked confused now. "You're...not Sesshoumaru?" she asked, truly puzzled. Then her face hardened. "You're lying again! You're a dog-demon, Sesshoumaru's a dog-demon. How many of those can there be near the place where Ryo-Ohki dissapeared?"

                Sango spoke up, gently placing a hand on the arm that held her captive. "That's Inuyasha. He's only half dog-demon. Sesshoumaru is his half-brother."

                The woman decended slowly to the ground, releasing Sango when they got down. Inuyasha looked like he was going to attack her as soon as Sango was out of the way, but Miroku stayed him with an upraised hand. The youkai-woman looked thoughtful. "Kagome's mother mentioned someone named Inuyasha... he was a dog-demon who was helping Kagome..."

                "We're gathering the shards of the Shikon no Tama; I need her to see the blasted things," explained Inuyasha, exasperated and angry.

                If it had been an American cartoon, a light bulb would have lit up over the woman's head. "Wait, the Shikon no Tama is what Kagome said Sesshoumaru was after. He was holding hostages to demand it."

                "Yeah, he's got a little Kitsune named Shippo," said Miroku.

                "...and another small youkai girl," continued Inuyasha, in a thoughtful tone of voice.

                "Ryo-Ohki!" exclaimed Ryoko. "How dare he use my servant as a hostage!? I'll destroy him!" Power was crackling from the woman again.

                Sango had backed away to avoid being blasted, should she decide to vent her obvious anger on the closest people. "Perhaps," she began tentatively, "we could help each other? We seem to have an adversary in common, and both of us have friends held by him. My name is Sango, the monk is Miroku, and the hanyou over there is Inuyasha, whom you have already met." She stepped forward again, hoping that the woman would calm enough to listen.

                Fortunately, the woman seemed to realize that attacking them wouldn't help her. The power stopped crackling about her as she visibly controlled herself. "I am Ryoko," she said. Looking slightly ashamed of herself, she said, "I am sorry for mistaking you for Sesshoumaru. Tell me where he is, and I'll leave you in peace."

                "Feh. We don't know where he is," said Inuyasha. "If we did, we'd take the fight to him ourselves. You're welcome to help us beat him."

                "Come to back to the village with us," offered Miroku, who seemed to be leering at Ryoko. "He's sure to come back there to make his demands again. You can share my accomodations, if you like."

                Sango hit him over the head with her boomerang. "Pervert."

                Ryoko had reluctantly agreed to accompany them to the village, as she had no alternative. She really needed something to let her anger out on, but didn't want to frighten people unnecessarily--she was apparently after a demon who had the whole countryside against him, so she could use that to her advantage if she stayed on their good side. An old priestess name Kaede had greeted her when she arrived, and had offered her a place to sleep while they waited for Sesshoumaru to return to make his demands again.

                Ryoko was chafing at the lack of activity. She wanted to be out there, fighting. Waiting around just wasn't her style. Even as a Space Pirate, she had hated waiting in ambush for targets to come along. That was why she had taken to attacking planets--they didn't move and were always there to be looted. She had gone outside after dinner, and was sitting alone, reveling in her reaquired power. She had forgotten what it felt like to have all three gems. The increase was remarkable; the fight with that Inuyasha would not have been so easy with only the one she'd been using since Tenchi freed her from Yosho's prison in the cave.

                She was hoping that she could sense Ryo-Ohki out there, but the most she could get was a sense that she was alive, and in this world. Other than that, she couldn't locate her...distance and direction were mysteries. She was tired, but filled with her rejuvenated energy. She was to the point where she could either rage in anger or cry. As she was alone, and had learned some mercy from her time with Tenchi, she chose the latter. Quiet tears fell down her face, releasing some of the tension of the day. She couldn't afford to let all her anger convert to tears--she would need it in the upcoming battle--but this small outlet was necessary.

                She was sitting alone along the outside of the hut, just about to determine that her quota of tears was used up, when another presence made himself known. "A beautiful woman shoud never cry alone," said Miroku, sitting down beside her.

                Ryoko smiled, stopping her tears. She couldn't do anything about the tracks they'd left down her face without wiping them, and she wouldn't do that. "I don't seem to be alone, do I?" she responded, looking at the blue-robed monk. She let no trace of sadness remain in her expression.

                "No, but you were. I couldn't leave you that way. A woman like you does not deserve sadness."

                "I'm not sad. I'm a little worried about Ryo-Ohki, and angery at Sesshoumaru, but not sad," she lied.

                Miroku reached out and placed his left hand over her right. "Perhaps I could cheer you up?" he offered. "A little...conversation can do wonders." He scooted a little closer to her, so their shoulders were almost touching.

                "Well, then," said Ryoko, "why don't you tell me about that attack you used on me--that thing in your hand."

                The monk actually looked a little taken aback, perhaps a bit sad. "This is my curse," he said, raising the rosary-bound hand in a fist. "A baleful demon named Naraku cursed my ancestor to have this air void in his hand, and to pass it on to his decendents. Eventually, it consumes us all."

                "So, one day you'll die from it?"

                Miroku nodded, a mournful look on his face. "I have to find Naraku and destroy him. It is the only way to lift the curse. Should I fail, my son will have to continue the quest." He looked hopefully at Ryoko as he slipped his uncursed hand from hers. "It is my duty to continue my family line," he said, slipping the now free hand down to cup her bottom. "Will you bear my child?" He gave her a light squeeze.

                Ryoko looked at him thoughtfully. He was kind of attractive, and she really had given up on ever being with Tenchi. But, she also had learned how much loving someone could mean. Looking at the monk, who still had his hand firmly under her rear, she came to a decision.

A/N: I thought it appropriate to give Ryoko some new power as well as greater with the aquisition of all three gems. I know she never manifested an attack like the crackling energy in any series, but I decided she could do that now. ;p

Sorry it took so long to post this. I got it finished while ff.net was reconstructing, so put it up as soon as the site allowed posting again.