FOREINGER By: OtakuSailorV
Chapter 20: Heather is Kidnapped & Hikari meets a Family Friend
Heather investigated the well carefully. Running her finger over the lip to look at the dust. "Everlasting dust." She holding up her finger & gesturing to the lip that looked at if it hadn't been touched. "Like my room." She added with a smile. Hikari smiled back. "Down amateur. Kagome & me can show you how to get down this well. Kagome's better at it though." Hikari said throwing a leg over. Kagome laughed & threw her leg over. "Alright. Lets go." She said & took hold of Inuyasha's shirt with her arm as she slid in. Miroku held onto Inuyasha & Sango held onto Miroku. Kohaku & Kirara grabbed hold of his sister & slid in after them. Heather watched them descend & disappear. "So that's how it's done." She said & sidled a leg over. "Heather I don't think." Hikari began but her friend had already disappeared down the well. Sesshoumaru smiled at Hikari's angry look. "She's very curious isn't she?" He asked. Hikari nodded. "Sometimes I wonder if her brains been switched with an infants. Then other times she surprises me all together & I think that she's a sage." Hikari closed her eyes & scratched her head in a 'lost cause' sort of way. Sesshoumaru smiled again. Rin jumped up & down. "Shiro & I wanna go. Are you done talking?" Hikari smiled at her. "Alright we're going." Sliding in she grabbed hold of Sesshoumaru & Rin. Jaken was holding onto the tiny girl & was dragged in as well. Myoga was seated on Sesshoumaru's chest & grabbed hod of his hair as gravity increased suddenly & tried to drag him down. Rin giggled as Ah-Un grabbed her with his snout & was pulled down. Saisei pushed his rump down forcefully & sat atop it while Ah-Un was pulled in with a dignified air. Hikari felt the air blow through her hair & felt like she was going home finally when she had just been home. Smiling to herself she waited patiently for the ground to reappear under her feet.
Inuyasha & the others were surprised when Heather jumped out of the well with no Hikari behind her. "Where are they?" He asked poking her in the back of the head as she leaned over the well lip to look down. "They're coming." She said. "Patience is a virtue." He stumbled back at that. "A what?" He asked. "A virtue. Something you should uphold & do." Her eyes slid back to look at the well bottom to see her friend staring up at her. "Heather if you do that one more time, I swear I'll.I'll.ugh!" Hikari said when she saw the amused face on her friend. "Don't hate me." Heather said turning hurt eyes on her friend. Hikari shook her head. "Oh Heather I don't hate you." She stepped forward & put a hand on her friends' shoulder. "I just want to kill you!" She yelled & tightened her grip on Heather's shoulder. Heather grinned at her & was gone. Hikari chased her into a tree & managed to knock her down. "Heather you could have been gone forever! Don't you ever stop to think?!" Heather stopped & hung up side down in mid- air. Putting a finger to her lip she thought it over. "No. I don't takes to long & only makes the situation worse." Hikari gave her an angry look. "That's no good!" She said & pulled her friend down from the air by her hair. "Hey don't mess the hair dude!" Hikari gave it another yank. "Ow, you're a meanie!" Heather whined & clutched her head. Hikari cooled down & released her friend. "Heather, just think before you leap next time." Heather smiled & gave her a thumbs up. "Alrighty then." Hikari shook her head again.
They arrived at the town in less than 5 minutes. Heather was very interested in the people, buildings & just about everything. "You know, Heather's pretty much like a child." Inuyasha said. Heather caught the comment & appeared next to him. "That's not nice to say about me." She said. "I just have my moments." She slid her eyes away from him & disappeared again. "I take that back. She's not a child she's freaky." "That's not nice either." She whispered in his ear & was gone before he could see her. Hikari giggled at him. "Now you see what I have to put up with." "Tickle attack!" Heather appeared out of thin air & crashed into Hikari. Grabbing for her friend's ribs she moved her fingers back & forth as they fell. Hikari giggled along with her friend. Kohaku watched them & remembered his sister doing that to him a lot when they were little. Now times were too serious it seemed to do such things. He looked over at her & spotted her eyes on him. "Kohaku." She said in a whisper. He jittered away. He remembered her saying that usually before she played a trick or was going to tickle him. She lunged out at his ribs while he moved. "Ha!" She said. Kohaku laughed his hardest as he tried to push her away & tickle her back. Achieving his goal she laughed & let him tickle her. Inuyasha cocked an ear. "What's going on?" He asked Kagome & his brother at the same time. "Tickle attack!" Rin cried & jumped at Hikari & Heather. The tiny girl was out numbered two to one when she landed. She giggled as Hikari & Heather made way for her & grabbed her sides. "It's a tickle game." Kagome explained. "You find where the person is most ticklish, like their back or ribs & tickle them there. If you do it right then it makes them laugh because it feels funny." Kagome remembered having her brother & mother play the game with her a long time ago. She could hardly believe the older girls playing this game. Hikari, Heather, Rin, Kohaku, & Sango stopped their game & walked off into the village farther to meet Keade.
Heather cocked her head at the woman that stepped out of the hut. "Hey, sorry we had to leave the party Keade. Hope it didn't put a damper on everyone's fun." Kagome said. "Yeah, we got lost in this time warp thing & had some trouble getting back." Hikari said. Heather looked around her silently. Noticing the forest she turned toward the mountains. Then toward another forest & another. "Wow." She said looking at all the scenery. Keade finally noticed her & walked over. "And who might this be? This be a new friend of yours Kagome?" She asked. Heather smiled at her. "Nice to meet you my name is Heather. I'm Hikari's friend from America.er from a place far away." Keade gave her a quizzical look. "Kagome, where is this America?" Kagome smiled. "It doesn't exist yet in this time. Well.actually it does but no ones discovered it yet & won't for some time. It's on the other side of the ocean." Keade studied Heather a little bit longer. "Be you demon then? Only demons have crossed the ocean." She asked. Heather giggled. "Oh no. I'm a girl. I got here on a plane which is like a giant metal bird that weighs a lot more though & is much bigger." Keade studied her some more. "Welcome to our village." She said finally in a cheerful way. Heather thanked her & went back to studying her surroundings. "Hikari, I think I should relay some stuff to you." She said finally when they were leaving the village. Hikari nodded. "Hold on though. I want to ask Sesshoumaru something." Heather smirked at her. Hikari gave her a sour face & walked back to the white haired man. "Hey Sesshoumaru, did you invite Inuyasha to your castle yet?" He gave her a stunned look, then it gentled. "No, I haven't yet. I was worried that he might not fully trust me yet." Hikari smiled at him. "I'll ask him for you then." He stared at her as she hopped forward. "Hey, Inuyasha." She called & bounded forward. "Sesshoumaru & Rin & the rest of us are going back to his castle. Wanna come? Everyone's invited." She added looking at Miroku, Sango, & Kohaku. Shippo climbed down onto her shoulder. "Sesshoumaru's castle? Hey we could meet Inuyasha's family!" Inuyasha thought it over. "Are you sure my brother wants me to come?" Hikari smiled & faced Kagome with a wink. "Yeah, he wants you to come." Kagome watched to see what Inuyasha would say. "I haven't seen my aunts & uncles for a while.sure, we'll go. Maybe we can spot Naraku's castle on the way." He added. Hikari smiled & danced away back to Sesshoumaru. Giving him a cheerful thumbs up she grabbed a hold of his hand & squeezed. He looked down at her & smiled softly. "Lets go then." Heather broke in on the happy moment. "Hikari, relay?" She asked in a childish tone. Hikari smiled back at her. "Ok." As they walked Heather put one hand to Hikari's forehead & one on her own. Shutting her eyes she passed the info along.
When the transition was finished Heather hoisted Hisui off of Ah-Un & slipped her into the single backpack that she had brought for food. "Hey Hik I'm going to take off & do some sight seeing. Don't mind me though. I brought a two way for us. Miss Hisui will come to you if I need you help." Hikari gave her a stunned look. "Aren't you coming with us?" Heather shook her head. "Nah, I'm not involved in this fight yet so I shouldn't come. Besides, I'll just make you look like a nut, not a good impression on his folks." Heather nodded toward Sesshoumaru. Hikari slapped her on the arm. Heather's wings appeared while she was smiling. "See ya, I'll come if I can. But don't count on it & don't you dare be sad if I don't show!" She called out while rising slowly in the air. The black wings stuck out against the sky & she flapped them in a easterly direction. "She's going to the mountains it seems." Kagome said. Hikari shrugged. "She could be going anywhere, she never stays in one direction when she's not sure where she's going." Sesshoumaru squeezed her hand. "What is she doing?" He asked. "Heather came to see feudal Japan & has her heart set on it. You can bet she'll show up at the castle though. Missing something like that isn't like her. Probably wanted to see the mountains first." Sesshoumaru nodded & led the party onward to the castle.
Heather swooped low over the forest for some time after she had left her friends. With a simple flap she went higher & hung a good ten feet above the trees. Humming she let Hisui settle down on her back for a nap. Staying in the same position above the trees she grabbed her camera in her bag & took a snap shot of the mountains. Smiling she hung the camera at her waist. "Let's see. How many days will it take for them to travel to the castle Hisui?" The tiny dragon mumbled in her sleep. "About a week captain, that's even if they fly." Heather thanked the tiny dragon & flew on, calculating how long it would take her to get to the mountains. "About another day, right Hisui?" The dragon nodded slowly raising her head from her nap. "Affirmative captain." She moaned out. Heather spotted an onsen below her. "Hey, Hiss! Let's stop down there for the night!" The tiny dragon glided off her back & down toward the pool. "Clear for landing." She called & let herself fall headfirst into the water. Heather laughed & dropped down to the ground.
Getting undressed behind a bush, Heather laid her clothes out straight & made them vanish with a snap of her fingers. "What should I wear to bed?" She thought aloud as she slipped into the pool of hot water. Used to steaming hot baths, Heather didn't since as the water touched her skin. It was a very hot spring, unlike any water that could be produced by a machine, & it felt better too. Sighing she sunk slowly into the water until her whole head was covered. When she splashed back up she had a pair of dog ears like Inuyasha's on the top of her head. Her hair was quickly turning into the silvery white of Inuyasha's & her eyes whirled gold of their own accord. With a smile she tugged at the ears & looked at Hisui. "What do you think? Do I look like a good Inuyasha?" The dragon cocked her head to one side. "A good female one." She said & relaxed by splashing her wings in the warm water. "Yeah, I need the voice & attitude." She giggled to herself & sat back against the bank of the hot spring. "Feh. Where's something I can punch?" Heather growled in a voice that sounded somewhat like Inuyasha's. The dragon next to her smiled. "That sounds like him, but.I don't know the words aren't what he would say." Heather nodded. "Yeah, I haven't known him long enough to know what he would say or his attitude very well." She waved her hand around in a circle & the ears disappeared. Her hair shortened back to its usual length & her eyes whirled to a blue-green color. A voice ripped through the trees by her. "I can smell you Inuyasha, you dirty half- breed! Give me Kagome!" Heather felt or rather heard someone coming closer. Putting her hands behind her head she let the ears come back. The white hair started to grow back too, but she let her eyes stay the same. Her freckles didn't melt away either. She could hear someone running at a fast pace & stood up a little in the water, just enough so that her breasts started to show. "Hello? I think." But the person had already rushed into the opening & was looking down at her angrily. She splashed down hurriedly in the water realizing that the voice belonged to man. The man's eyes suddenly widened when he saw her. The ears disappeared in Heather's frantic rush to hide. Her hair returned to its usual color & length. Screaming she splashed water at him. She settled down in the water until only her eyes & top of her head could be seen. "What are you doing?" She asked him. His hair was long & black & held up in a ponytail like hers usually was. At his hip was a sword & a long tail twined around his middle. His body was covered in similar brown fur. Taking notice of the pointy ears Heather narrowed her eyes further when she found that he was a demon. 'I'm not going to fight in the nude!' She thought as she noticed that she had washed her dragon ashore when she had splashed the man. "You're not Inuyasha." He said in growl. He ignored the water that was dripping down his body. His eyes narrowed also as he talked. Heather started to lose oxygen under the water & let her face rise a little. He studied her thoroughly. "Damn right I ain't Inuyasha." Heather said with a glare. Noticing that the girl he had stumbled on was a female human & not a female demon, the man seemed to drop his guard a little. "Tch. Only a human, no wonder I thought that I smelled that dirty half-breed somewhere." He scratched his head & looked around. "Well wouldn't your kids be dirty half-breeds if you married Kagome?" Heather asked sticking a finger out of the water. He glared down at her. "You're a pretty cocky human wench!" He said showing his fangs. Heather bared her too. "Thanks." He gave her a quizzical look through his glare. "Your voice." He began but Heather cut him off. "Bye." She had disappeared in front of his eyes. Rubbing them the man took another look at the hot spring then checked the air for her smell. He couldn't sense a thing. Growling he stomped back into the forest & ran home to the mountains for his pack.
In the air Heather giggled to herself. She had made herself a nice little sleeping out fit out of a big baggy shirt that fell past her knees. The sleeves trailed down past her hands. She giggled again & slid across the sky to a place that was somewhat off course. Slipping into a tree she settled down nice & easy & fell asleep with the tiny dragon on her chest.
Hikari looked up at the stars & played with the phone that Heather had given her. She could see Sesshoumaru watching her through the darkness out of the corner of his eye. "So, what is this family friend like?" She asked flipping the phone around in her hands. He gave her a playful smile. "Let's just say that he created the sheaths for Tenseiga & Tetsusaiga." Hikari thought that over. "So he's a person that works with wood?" Sesshoumaru looked ahead. "I guess you could say that. Hikari gave up & watched as Jaken started to stumble in his steps. Walking ahead of him she grabbed him up in one arm & fell back to put him on Ah-Un's back by Rin & Kohaku. He fell asleep instantly in her arms while she walked backwards. She smiled at him while she laid him down. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen." She said with a giggle. He stirred slightly & swung at her in his sleep. She held down a fit of laughter & rejoined Sesshoumaru at the head of the line. He smiled at her & they both tried to hold down laughter at the tiny toad demon.
Hikari's eyes blinked closed several times before she felt the weight start to drag her body along with it. Her shoulders started to sag & her mouth hung open while she tried to walk. Sesshoumaru noticed her & smiled. Rin had done that several times when she didn't want to tell him that she was tired. He used to get impatient with her when she first started to do it. She would suddenly plop down on the road & fall asleep without a word or start to slip from Ah-Un's back, which was extremely dangerous for the pup of any species. He would always carry her until he felt her weight add to his own tiredness. He watched as her weight dragged her to the ground then walked over & put a hand around her & hoisted her up. She mumbled something about calling Heather before her head sagged forward & she fell against his chest with a sigh. Stopping, he grabbed her legs in his other arm & carried her that way until Inuyasha said that they should stop since everyone was falling asleep. Kirara already had Sango on his back & it looked as if Miroku was about to nod off too. Inuyasha held Kagome in the same way that Sesshoumaru held Hikari. Shippo was asleep in her arms with Myoga on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Looks like we're the only ones awake." He said searching around to see for himself. "So, I don't remember much about dad's castle or our relatives, what are they like?" Sesshoumaru looked back at his brother. "Well." He started but a 'wump' from behind made them both stop. Kirara was bending to nuzzle a sleeping Miroku in the road. "Great." Inuyasha said walking back. "Let's just stay here for tonight." Inuyasha said as he put Kagome softly on the ground. Kagome wouldn't let go of his neck though. She held onto him like he would die if she let go. He tried to gently pry her hands loose but she wouldn't have it. He sighed. "She won't let go." Sesshoumaru gave him a smirk. "I guess you'll have to sleep next to her like that then." Inuyasha gulped & looked down at Kagome with rosy cheeks. Wouldn't Kagome be angry though, even if her had a good excuse like she wouldn't let go of his neck? If she wasn't then Sango & Miroku would definitely say something. Can't forget Shippo. He would say something like that he was worse then Miroku. He sighed & lay down. So what if she got angry & they said things behind his back? At the moment he didn't care. Sesshoumaru watched him with a smile. His brother was hard to finger out sometimes. Still smiling he started to let Hikari down only to see that she was holding on as tight to his neck as Kagome was to Inuyasha's. He groaned & gave in, already knowing that the hold was a death grip. He noticed her smile in her sleep when he kissed her on the forehead. He reached over to Ah-Un & kissed the forehead of the tiny girl that lay there. Secretly he had done this ever since she had told him of her family's fate. He smiled to himself as he lay back down. If only things could only stay this way forever. He thought to himself while his mind drifted off. He would soon be at his home at least, & that would nice to see after so long.
Heather rolled over in her tree to hear a phone ringing. Groaning she picked the cell phone out of her pack. Hisui stirred in the branch above her. Raising the phone to her her ear she turned it on. "Speak." She said. "Heather? Heather are you still asleep?" It was Hikari, she sounded angry but Heather ignored the fact. "No, I've been up for hours." She groaned while sitting up & grabbing her bag from the branch to her left. Lifting the lid she stretched her arm up with the bag by it & pushed her dragon in. "You're a liar." Hikari said with sarcasm. Heather shrugged. "Believe what you want." Grabbing onto the branch she swung down through the trees. "How close to the mountain are you?" Asked Hikari. Heather looked up to see the mountain looming above her. "I'm about 50 feet from the base of it." Carefully flexing her shoulders she let her wings down. "Well be careful. Kagome says there's a demon wolf pack around the mountain." Heather smiled to herself. "Yeah, I figured. Anyway I only want to see what you can see from the top." Hikari sighed on the other end. "Ok. Well I just wanted to make sure that you were alive." Heather giggled. "I wouldn't have answered if I was dead." Hikari giggled despite herself on the other line. "Bye." She laughed as she hung up. Heather pushed the phone deep into the bag & was careful not to wake her dragon that slept like a rock anyway. Her wings flapped several times before she took off.
Keeping about 10 feet away from the top of the trees she watched a road wind along the side of the mountain & decided to fly along it. She shut her eyes & tried to image what would be at the top. Steering herself slowly in circles she went higher & higher until she was near the middle. At first she thought that she would meet the wolf pack at the top. Then the thought crossed her mind that maybe something else lived at the top of the mountain. Thinking it all over she failed to notice the people below her.
The 2 wolf demons stared up at the thing that was flapping over their heads. It had big wings, long legs, & smelled like a human. It was flying in the sun so all they could make out was the black outline. "What is that?" One growled. He had purple-ish white hair with a large tuft of black sticking out at the front. The other shielded his eyes & stared up until water filled them. "I'm not sure, but it's not a Bird of Paradise. They're all dead." He had a large greenish white Mohawk on his head. "Should we capture it & take it to Kouga?" The first asked. The other nodded. "I don't know what it is but it's trespassing, whatever it is. Who knows maybe it's a new enemy that is here to challenge him." The first pulled out a chain with a large square weight on the end. He coiled the rest in his hand as he pulled it back & shot it up at the strange creature.
Heather zoomed lower as she thought. Opening her eyes she righted herself. She thought she heard voices but ignored it. Humming to herself she flapped her wings again. Suddenly a cold, metal chain wrapped around her arm. "Eh?" She said & lifted her arm to look at it. It was wrapped around pretty tight. She thought on the matter until a hard jerk pulled her down. With a small scream she fell to the ground. Going through a tree first she felt the branches rake her skin. She groaned when she hit the ground. Covered in dust she felt silly sitting there & rubbing her head all the while feeling eyes on her. Looking up angrily she saw 2 demons staring into her eyes. She narrowed her eyes at them. "What was that for?" She demanded. They both stared at her dumbfounded. "Are you going to answer me?" She asked. The chain was still wrapped around her arm. "I-it's just a human.but.humans can't fly." The demon with the Mohawk said finally. Heather stood up in a huff. "Yeah, well I can." She said & tried to storm off but her wrist was held tight. Growling she attacked the chain. "Stupid thing." She said angrily & tried to rip it off. The demon tightened the chain. "I guess we should." He said pointing to Heather with an odd look. The other nodded before he was finished. "Yeah." Heather watched as they walked past her. Her wrist dragged behind her but she didn't budge until it pulled her over. "Hey, come on!" She growled & tried to loosen it again. They looked back at her. "Flying will do you no good. We're taking you to Kouga." Heather gave him a funny look. "Who?" She asked. Her feet were dragging in front of her. The demon didn't seem to mind that she was resisting in this way. "He's our leader." The Mohawked one said over his shoulder. "Leader." Heather breathed looking at the ground. Then with a quick twist of her wrist she pulled the chain toward her. The unsuspecting demon fell backward with a gasp. Heather smiled cheerily. Her wrist was free & she was feeling much better. "Gotta mission to fulfill first bud." She said with a wave & took off into the air. They both looked at her shocked for a while, then grabbing up chains again, and they both hurled one at her. One caught around her waist, the other her arm again. She groaned as they held on tight to the ones that were holding her & thrust out 2 more. Both caught her legs & they dragged her back down to the ground.
Heather glared angrily at her captures as she trudged ahead of them. Her hands were bound in front of her, preventing any magic, though they were unaware that she had any. The chains around her waist were still there & every now & then they'd tell her to go faster or push her along. "Stop glaring." The one with purple hair commanded. Heather stuck her tongue out. "Uh-uh!" She said. He glared at her, she glared at them. "I can't wait until you do that with Kouga. He'll kill you for being so insolent." Heather laughed at that. "What's so funny?" They both asked. Heather just kept on laughing her head off. Finally a boot crashed into her back & she fell to the ground. Whirling around she saw another demon wolf with a scar down his face looking down at her. Her gave her a hungry look but she only glared & straightened. Huffing she went on. He walked after them, asking questions of her captures. "So, when did you 2 pick up the cute girl?" He asked. "We found her flying around by the mountain, so we caught her to see what Kouga thought." They explained to him. He watched the girl walk in front of him. "What's up with her hair? That's a funny color for human hair." Heather turned slightly & glared at him. "She won't say what her name is or anything. Just glares. She can talk though." The big demon stared at her again. "Maybe you ain't trying hard enough." He said & grabbed Heather by the shoulder & turned her around in mid step. "What's your name girl?" He asked grabbing the front of her shirt. Heather looked down at his clawed hand on her shirt then up at him with a scowl. "Well? Are you too stupid to remember?" Heather glared harder at him. Her smirked. "Tough girl makes fine pups." Heather's eyes narrowed to the most dangerous level & her leg quickly cam back & caught him between the legs. The demon fell to the ground clutching himself. "Perverted Bastard." Heather said over her shoulder in English. Both demons that held her chains stared at her with wide eyes while she turned & walked away. Her steps never faltered as she went higher & higher. The demons caught up with her & stared at her on either side. She turned her eyes at them with a warning glare before picking up her pace. "What did you say?" The one with the black tuft asked finally. Heather turned toward him a little while she was walking. "I can speak another language." She said but they already had noticed that. "Yeah, but what does that mean?" Heather looked him over. He was interested but she wasn't sure why. "Well, it's not a language that you would know." She said. They stared at her. "Come on, tell us." They said. Heather gave them a smirk. "Let me go first." They both looked at her with wide eyes. "We can't do that." The one with the purple hair said. Heather shrugged. It wasn't long after that that Kouga heard them coming. Even over the roar of the waterfall he could hear someone stamping up the road & his 2 friends voices shouting orders. "Keep moving!" He walked to the entrance & looked out. All he could make out through the water was his friends walking behind a chained person who had just fallen in the dust. The wolves growled & ran out through the side of the waterfall. The demons behind him stopped moving & speaking & watched their leader. He walked out after the wolves into the road. He could see clearly now that the person was a female human with wings coming off her back. Her hair reminded him of something that he couldn't put his finger on. Getting closer he could see that her face was turned toward his friends & not at the ground like he had thought. "Hey, what's going on?" He asked. The girl turned her head toward him. Her eyes, which had been glaring, went wide with recognition. "The guy from the hot spring." She breathed. "The girl from the hot spring?" Kouga asked with the same wide eyes that went confused instead. "What is this all about?" He asked the two demons that were gathering up the chain. "We uh we thought that you might want to see her sir. She was flying around the mountain. We thought she was the enemy." He gave Kouga a look that said he was sorry. "Flying?" Kouga asked looking down at Heather who was still watching him with wide eyes. "Yeah.so?' Heather asked slowly. Rising she shook the dirt from herself & snapped her fingers to change the dirty outfit. He stared at her as she shook her ponytail. "What are you?" He asked raising an eyebrow. Heather smiled. "I am a girl of many mysteries." She said. He stared after her as she walked off still smiling to herself. She headed toward the waterfall until she noticed the wolves following her. A big smile crossed her face. "Cute!!" She screamed in English then bent & started to pet the wolves that walked right up to her & licked her face. The movements of his wolves surprised Kouga. "T-the wolves.Kouga.they've never greeted anyone that was human or our enemy that way before." The youkai with white hair said. "I." Kouga said with an open mouth. "How?" He walked over to the girl & pulled her up by her ponytail. "How are you able to do all these things?" Heather gave him a pained look. "Ow." Was all she said with one eye closed. He shook her by the hair. "Well? How is s mere human able to do these things?" Heather grinned through the pain in her head. "I eat all my veggies." He growled at her but all she did was smile. "You will stay here until you tell me how you got your power." He declared & dropped her. Heather fell to her knees on the ground & watched him go. "Humph." She said & tried to untie her bound hands. The demons came over & grabbed her under the arms. Carefully, they led her to the opening in the cave. Heather sighed & looked at the top of the mountain. Maybe she would reach it later.
Hikari woke slightly to the smell of clean hair. Opening her eyes a tiny bit she saw that her face was mushed in someone's long, silver hair. Her arms were wrapped around what seemed to be the neck of the person. She could feel his breath. It hit her neck & made her tingle all over. Looking around she noticed that the face of who she was holding was hidden beneath the hair. Removing one hand from the neck she lifted the hair & gasped. Sesshoumaru was asleep & lying against her. With a slight panic attack she decided to stay still until he woke up. Rolling over slightly she felt herself bump something. Her head turned to see Rin lying next to her. She started to wonder how they all had gotten that way when Sesshoumaru moved & pulled her closer to him. Tensing for a slight moment she tried to think of how she was going to get back to sleep. It was barely six o' clock when she checked her watch & she was getting more tired every minute. Sighing she let her body relax & went back to sleep with Sesshoumaru & Rin next to her. Kagome woke up several minutes after that. Her eyes took one look at the silver hair & she knew where she was. The tiny ears on his head were relaxed, which was unusual for him. Kagome touched them but they didn't quiver or swivel around. Instead Inuyasha sighed & his body seemed to relax more. Turning her head she saw that Hikari was in the same position that she was only Hikari was asleep. Next to Hikari was Rin, & her head rested on the side of Ah-Un. While Kagome's head rested on the side of Kirara. Sango slept on his back above her with Shippo & Myoga stretched out on his head. Miroku slept on the other side of Kirara with his staff lying against the side of the giant cat. Kagome felt her head swim with lack of sleep when she tried to move. Groaning she lowered herself down to the ground again & fell into a deep sleep. Hikari woke again at around nine to see Sesshoumaru staring avidly into her eyes. "You were mumbling in your sleep again." He informed her when he saw her eyes open. "Really? What about? I forgot the dream already." She yawned. "It was something about you understanding something." He said with a critical look. His eyebrows knitted in thought as he tried to figure out the puzzle again. Rin's arm flipped over Hikari's hip & hit Sesshoumaru's. Hikari turned to see the girl stirring. "I guess I had better call Heather." Hikari said & reached for her phone. The only thing that her fingers touched was dragon hide. She grabbed hold of the tiny dragon that had awoken at her touch. "Saisei?" She asked looking up to see the dragon looking down angrily at Sesshoumaru. "Grrr off grr her." He growled down in an angry tone. "Hey, you're learning how to talk." Hikari said & shuffled to her feet. The dragon hopped onto her arm & climbed up onto her shoulder. "Grrne." He said in the same voice. The tone & word puzzled Hikari. "Well where did the cell phone go?" She asked him poking his head. He rubbed against her finger affectionately. With one swoop of his tiny wings he produced the object. Everyone that was awake & had no idea what the object was gathered round. "What is this mysterious thing?" Sango asked poking at the glowing buttons on the phone. Heather pointed to the different buttons. "This is a cell phone, I'm going to talk to Heather on it." They all stared at her then the thing. "I don't think it will work." Inuyasha said. Hikari smiled. "You'll see." Dialing the number she heard it ring several times before someone in a groggy voice answered. "Speak." Everyone jumped. They could hear the girl plane as day through the tiny speakers on the object. Hikari held it to her ear but the voice rang through. "Heather? Heather are you still asleep?" A groan was heard from the phone. "No, I've been up for hours." Hikari made a face at that. "You're a liar." A chuckle issued from the phone. "Believe what you want." Hikari sighed & shrugged. "How close to the mountain are you?" A brief pause, then the answer came. "Not too far, I'm about 50 feet from the base." Hikari nodded. "Well, I was just checking to make sure you weren't dead." Another laugh. "If I was dead I wouldn't have answered." Hikari started to laugh to. "Well, see ya." Heather said the same & the line was cut. Turning to everyone she bowed. "Ta-da." She said holding up the phone. "Extraordinary. How does it work?" Miroku asked taking a better look at the object. "Well there's these people who control the service & how far you can go with it first of all. Without service it doesn't work at all. So when you want to use it you just press this button, then you can select the preprogrammed name of the person or just dial the number. Then you have to wait until they answer the phone. When they do you listen with this part to your ear & talk back with this part to your mouth." Miroku nodded as he watched her demonstrate the whole thing. "Well, things really are strange in the future." He said scratching his chin. Hikari smiled & stowed the phone in the pack on her back. "Yeah, things get pretty weird." They walked for hours before another question was asked about the future that Hikari & Kagome lived in. "Hikari, I've been wondering. We met your friend Heather from America but what about that boy? The one who had brown hair?" Sango asked holding her boomerang aloft. "Oh you mean Allan? Yeah we still hang. He's in America still though, I haven't seen him since last summer when we all went to the theme park." Hikari smiled at her memories. Sesshoumaru cast a glance at her but she didn't catch it. "We rode on the roller coaster 17 times before we all started to get sick." She was still smiling & Saisei was starting to get annoyed with hearing about the boy. "Swqop." He said in her ear. She put a hand over his mouth. "Sorry, I got carried away." Hikari said to Sango who shook her head. "No, I like to hear stories about yours & Kagome's world." Hikari smiled at her. Kohaku looked sidelong at her. "Uh." He said nervously. Hikari looked over at him. "Yeas Kohaku?" She asked. He scratched his head. "I was wondering, what's a roller coaster?" Kagome smiled at him. "A roller coaster is a big, long, metal set of tracks that wind around in loops & turns. Then they set a cart on the tracks & put people in the cart. When the people are all strapped in & safe they start the ride up. The cart goes around the set of loops, turns, & humps until they reach the beginning again. Then those people get off & more get on & repeat the process, it's a really fun ride." She added. Kohaku nodded & looked ahead, trying to imagine the roller coaster. "Maybe someday we can take you all there." Kagome suggested. Hikari nodded her approval. "Sounds great to me." When they finally seemed to be in the heart of the forest Sesshoumaru stopped. "Bokseno should be around here somewhere." He said. Jaken looked around too. Rin, who at the time was riding on the back of Ah-Un, looked expectantly at the trees. "Rin doesn't see Bokseno yet." Jaken shook his head. A voice that was deep & echoing rang around the forest. "I thought you might come back soon Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha's ears swiveled around on his head. "And I see you brought friends with you, not to mention your brother Inuyasha." Inuyasha looked around confusedly at the sound of his name. "So this guy is a friend of dad's?" He asked. Sesshoumaru nodded. "Bokseno, I have come to check up on what has happened recently in my kingdom." A face whirled into view on the trunk of the tree in front of them. Hikari too a good long look at it, the tree-face looked her over as well. "I see you have developed the same tastes as your father wished you would Sesshoumaru." He looked at the tree with angry eyes for a slight second. "You know as well as I that this is not the first time, Bokseno." The tree seemed to chuckle. "Yes, I remember. This is the same girl isn't it? You found her after so long?" His voice echoed & seemed to come from every tree. Sesshoumaru gave him a slight smile. "Back to business. What has happened since we disappeared?" The tree thought the question over before he answered. "I remember hearing that you had gone missing along with your brother around the same time. I wondered if you were dead but knew deep in my roots that your deaths would not come so easily. After that, Naraku seemed to rest his plans for a while. He didn't attack any villages or move his castle an inch. Then about three days ago the castle moved & the village near the castle was attacked by a hoard of demons. But a priestess who looked badly wounded held off the demons. She fell in battle but was helped by another woman who looked like her in the same outfit. When the fight was over the priestess that had fallen was cared for by the remaining villagers, under the order of the other priestess. I learned only the name of the wounded priestess, her name was Kikyo. The other priestess never spoke her name & Kikyo would not say whom or what the woman was or how she had come to look like her." Bokseno stopped to let the words sink in. Inuyasha & Kagome looked at each other. "It wasn't Kagome because we were still stuck traveling through dimensions." Inuyasha said. Kagome looked at the ground. "Maybe Naraku made a incarnate that was supposed to be Kikyo. Then they fought but being like Kikyo, when the village was attacked they instead fought the demons instead of each other." Bokseno looked at her. "No, this was no demon incarnate that priestess was. She was human like you. Though it was strange, as she never took a single blow from the enemy, she came out of the battle unharmed. However, I know not if they fought each other." Hikari took a deep breath. "Who was the lady that Kikyo was reincarnated from?" They all stopped. "You don't suppose.?" Miroku started but stopped. "The witch that brought back Kikyo is dead. Besides how would they know if the remains were Kikyo's previous incarnation? If time traveled as far between the incarnations as between Kikyo & Kagome then nothing would be left, even if they didn't burn her." Inuyasha said angrily. Kagome put a hand on his shoulder. "It was a silly idea anyhow." Hikari said. "Inuyasha's right, it's not her previous self, it would be harder for all three of the same person to live in the same time period." Kagome nodded. "I always get tired after being close to Kikyo." She put a hand to her head. "I believe they are traveling together through the country. Naraku has sent many forces after them but the nameless priestess always holds them off, Kikyo does nothing but watch." "Maybe she has a bad wound that prevents her from combat." Hikari suggested. "It would appear so." Bokseno said. "What else has happened Bokseno? Besides the appearance of this strange priestess?" Rin looked around on the top of Ah-Un's head. "There was a story of Kagura the wind master staying around the well for several days at one time & staring at it with hard eyes until nightfall, then she would leave but always return the next day. She took a jewel shard as well. And I believe news of your sister is rising again." Sesshoumaru & Inuyasha stared at the tree. "Little Kirei?" They both said then looked at each other. "Yes, I have heard among the demons that she swam across the seas & has learned much about the world while the years passed. She has fulfilled her mission & is returning, she should be at the castle by now." Hikari looked at he two boys that were looking around them as if to see the girl pop up out of nowhere. "Who is Kirei?" She asked slyly to see if she would get an answer or an avoided look. "She's our sister that ran away one day to show us up." Inuyasha said. Kagome & Hikari cocked their heads to one side. "Why?" "We said that she would be weaker than us since she was a girl, then she vowed to swim the ocean & visit far away lands until there was nothing left to see in the world. She obviously has done what she said she would do & she's coming back." Sesshoumaru explained. "Is she half or whole demon?" Kagome asked looking to see which brother would answer. "She's only half demon, & my younger sister." Inuyasha said. "Dad & mom named her that because she was so darn cute when she was born. She reminds me of Rin now." The girl looked around at her name. "Hai? Rin is here." Sesshoumaru turned back to Bokseno. "Thank you. Is that all that has happened?" The tree nodded his old head. "Yes Sesshoumaru, that is all that has happened since you left." The tree's face disappeared in a whirl of bark. "Goodbye Sesshoumaru, fell free to stop back any time." Sesshoumaru nodded & the walked on to the castle. ............................................................................ ............................................................................ ........ Sorry, got to cut it short here. Too big again.
Heather investigated the well carefully. Running her finger over the lip to look at the dust. "Everlasting dust." She holding up her finger & gesturing to the lip that looked at if it hadn't been touched. "Like my room." She added with a smile. Hikari smiled back. "Down amateur. Kagome & me can show you how to get down this well. Kagome's better at it though." Hikari said throwing a leg over. Kagome laughed & threw her leg over. "Alright. Lets go." She said & took hold of Inuyasha's shirt with her arm as she slid in. Miroku held onto Inuyasha & Sango held onto Miroku. Kohaku & Kirara grabbed hold of his sister & slid in after them. Heather watched them descend & disappear. "So that's how it's done." She said & sidled a leg over. "Heather I don't think." Hikari began but her friend had already disappeared down the well. Sesshoumaru smiled at Hikari's angry look. "She's very curious isn't she?" He asked. Hikari nodded. "Sometimes I wonder if her brains been switched with an infants. Then other times she surprises me all together & I think that she's a sage." Hikari closed her eyes & scratched her head in a 'lost cause' sort of way. Sesshoumaru smiled again. Rin jumped up & down. "Shiro & I wanna go. Are you done talking?" Hikari smiled at her. "Alright we're going." Sliding in she grabbed hold of Sesshoumaru & Rin. Jaken was holding onto the tiny girl & was dragged in as well. Myoga was seated on Sesshoumaru's chest & grabbed hod of his hair as gravity increased suddenly & tried to drag him down. Rin giggled as Ah-Un grabbed her with his snout & was pulled down. Saisei pushed his rump down forcefully & sat atop it while Ah-Un was pulled in with a dignified air. Hikari felt the air blow through her hair & felt like she was going home finally when she had just been home. Smiling to herself she waited patiently for the ground to reappear under her feet.
Inuyasha & the others were surprised when Heather jumped out of the well with no Hikari behind her. "Where are they?" He asked poking her in the back of the head as she leaned over the well lip to look down. "They're coming." She said. "Patience is a virtue." He stumbled back at that. "A what?" He asked. "A virtue. Something you should uphold & do." Her eyes slid back to look at the well bottom to see her friend staring up at her. "Heather if you do that one more time, I swear I'll.I'll.ugh!" Hikari said when she saw the amused face on her friend. "Don't hate me." Heather said turning hurt eyes on her friend. Hikari shook her head. "Oh Heather I don't hate you." She stepped forward & put a hand on her friends' shoulder. "I just want to kill you!" She yelled & tightened her grip on Heather's shoulder. Heather grinned at her & was gone. Hikari chased her into a tree & managed to knock her down. "Heather you could have been gone forever! Don't you ever stop to think?!" Heather stopped & hung up side down in mid- air. Putting a finger to her lip she thought it over. "No. I don't takes to long & only makes the situation worse." Hikari gave her an angry look. "That's no good!" She said & pulled her friend down from the air by her hair. "Hey don't mess the hair dude!" Hikari gave it another yank. "Ow, you're a meanie!" Heather whined & clutched her head. Hikari cooled down & released her friend. "Heather, just think before you leap next time." Heather smiled & gave her a thumbs up. "Alrighty then." Hikari shook her head again.
They arrived at the town in less than 5 minutes. Heather was very interested in the people, buildings & just about everything. "You know, Heather's pretty much like a child." Inuyasha said. Heather caught the comment & appeared next to him. "That's not nice to say about me." She said. "I just have my moments." She slid her eyes away from him & disappeared again. "I take that back. She's not a child she's freaky." "That's not nice either." She whispered in his ear & was gone before he could see her. Hikari giggled at him. "Now you see what I have to put up with." "Tickle attack!" Heather appeared out of thin air & crashed into Hikari. Grabbing for her friend's ribs she moved her fingers back & forth as they fell. Hikari giggled along with her friend. Kohaku watched them & remembered his sister doing that to him a lot when they were little. Now times were too serious it seemed to do such things. He looked over at her & spotted her eyes on him. "Kohaku." She said in a whisper. He jittered away. He remembered her saying that usually before she played a trick or was going to tickle him. She lunged out at his ribs while he moved. "Ha!" She said. Kohaku laughed his hardest as he tried to push her away & tickle her back. Achieving his goal she laughed & let him tickle her. Inuyasha cocked an ear. "What's going on?" He asked Kagome & his brother at the same time. "Tickle attack!" Rin cried & jumped at Hikari & Heather. The tiny girl was out numbered two to one when she landed. She giggled as Hikari & Heather made way for her & grabbed her sides. "It's a tickle game." Kagome explained. "You find where the person is most ticklish, like their back or ribs & tickle them there. If you do it right then it makes them laugh because it feels funny." Kagome remembered having her brother & mother play the game with her a long time ago. She could hardly believe the older girls playing this game. Hikari, Heather, Rin, Kohaku, & Sango stopped their game & walked off into the village farther to meet Keade.
Heather cocked her head at the woman that stepped out of the hut. "Hey, sorry we had to leave the party Keade. Hope it didn't put a damper on everyone's fun." Kagome said. "Yeah, we got lost in this time warp thing & had some trouble getting back." Hikari said. Heather looked around her silently. Noticing the forest she turned toward the mountains. Then toward another forest & another. "Wow." She said looking at all the scenery. Keade finally noticed her & walked over. "And who might this be? This be a new friend of yours Kagome?" She asked. Heather smiled at her. "Nice to meet you my name is Heather. I'm Hikari's friend from America.er from a place far away." Keade gave her a quizzical look. "Kagome, where is this America?" Kagome smiled. "It doesn't exist yet in this time. Well.actually it does but no ones discovered it yet & won't for some time. It's on the other side of the ocean." Keade studied Heather a little bit longer. "Be you demon then? Only demons have crossed the ocean." She asked. Heather giggled. "Oh no. I'm a girl. I got here on a plane which is like a giant metal bird that weighs a lot more though & is much bigger." Keade studied her some more. "Welcome to our village." She said finally in a cheerful way. Heather thanked her & went back to studying her surroundings. "Hikari, I think I should relay some stuff to you." She said finally when they were leaving the village. Hikari nodded. "Hold on though. I want to ask Sesshoumaru something." Heather smirked at her. Hikari gave her a sour face & walked back to the white haired man. "Hey Sesshoumaru, did you invite Inuyasha to your castle yet?" He gave her a stunned look, then it gentled. "No, I haven't yet. I was worried that he might not fully trust me yet." Hikari smiled at him. "I'll ask him for you then." He stared at her as she hopped forward. "Hey, Inuyasha." She called & bounded forward. "Sesshoumaru & Rin & the rest of us are going back to his castle. Wanna come? Everyone's invited." She added looking at Miroku, Sango, & Kohaku. Shippo climbed down onto her shoulder. "Sesshoumaru's castle? Hey we could meet Inuyasha's family!" Inuyasha thought it over. "Are you sure my brother wants me to come?" Hikari smiled & faced Kagome with a wink. "Yeah, he wants you to come." Kagome watched to see what Inuyasha would say. "I haven't seen my aunts & uncles for a while.sure, we'll go. Maybe we can spot Naraku's castle on the way." He added. Hikari smiled & danced away back to Sesshoumaru. Giving him a cheerful thumbs up she grabbed a hold of his hand & squeezed. He looked down at her & smiled softly. "Lets go then." Heather broke in on the happy moment. "Hikari, relay?" She asked in a childish tone. Hikari smiled back at her. "Ok." As they walked Heather put one hand to Hikari's forehead & one on her own. Shutting her eyes she passed the info along.
When the transition was finished Heather hoisted Hisui off of Ah-Un & slipped her into the single backpack that she had brought for food. "Hey Hik I'm going to take off & do some sight seeing. Don't mind me though. I brought a two way for us. Miss Hisui will come to you if I need you help." Hikari gave her a stunned look. "Aren't you coming with us?" Heather shook her head. "Nah, I'm not involved in this fight yet so I shouldn't come. Besides, I'll just make you look like a nut, not a good impression on his folks." Heather nodded toward Sesshoumaru. Hikari slapped her on the arm. Heather's wings appeared while she was smiling. "See ya, I'll come if I can. But don't count on it & don't you dare be sad if I don't show!" She called out while rising slowly in the air. The black wings stuck out against the sky & she flapped them in a easterly direction. "She's going to the mountains it seems." Kagome said. Hikari shrugged. "She could be going anywhere, she never stays in one direction when she's not sure where she's going." Sesshoumaru squeezed her hand. "What is she doing?" He asked. "Heather came to see feudal Japan & has her heart set on it. You can bet she'll show up at the castle though. Missing something like that isn't like her. Probably wanted to see the mountains first." Sesshoumaru nodded & led the party onward to the castle.
Heather swooped low over the forest for some time after she had left her friends. With a simple flap she went higher & hung a good ten feet above the trees. Humming she let Hisui settle down on her back for a nap. Staying in the same position above the trees she grabbed her camera in her bag & took a snap shot of the mountains. Smiling she hung the camera at her waist. "Let's see. How many days will it take for them to travel to the castle Hisui?" The tiny dragon mumbled in her sleep. "About a week captain, that's even if they fly." Heather thanked the tiny dragon & flew on, calculating how long it would take her to get to the mountains. "About another day, right Hisui?" The dragon nodded slowly raising her head from her nap. "Affirmative captain." She moaned out. Heather spotted an onsen below her. "Hey, Hiss! Let's stop down there for the night!" The tiny dragon glided off her back & down toward the pool. "Clear for landing." She called & let herself fall headfirst into the water. Heather laughed & dropped down to the ground.
Getting undressed behind a bush, Heather laid her clothes out straight & made them vanish with a snap of her fingers. "What should I wear to bed?" She thought aloud as she slipped into the pool of hot water. Used to steaming hot baths, Heather didn't since as the water touched her skin. It was a very hot spring, unlike any water that could be produced by a machine, & it felt better too. Sighing she sunk slowly into the water until her whole head was covered. When she splashed back up she had a pair of dog ears like Inuyasha's on the top of her head. Her hair was quickly turning into the silvery white of Inuyasha's & her eyes whirled gold of their own accord. With a smile she tugged at the ears & looked at Hisui. "What do you think? Do I look like a good Inuyasha?" The dragon cocked her head to one side. "A good female one." She said & relaxed by splashing her wings in the warm water. "Yeah, I need the voice & attitude." She giggled to herself & sat back against the bank of the hot spring. "Feh. Where's something I can punch?" Heather growled in a voice that sounded somewhat like Inuyasha's. The dragon next to her smiled. "That sounds like him, but.I don't know the words aren't what he would say." Heather nodded. "Yeah, I haven't known him long enough to know what he would say or his attitude very well." She waved her hand around in a circle & the ears disappeared. Her hair shortened back to its usual length & her eyes whirled to a blue-green color. A voice ripped through the trees by her. "I can smell you Inuyasha, you dirty half- breed! Give me Kagome!" Heather felt or rather heard someone coming closer. Putting her hands behind her head she let the ears come back. The white hair started to grow back too, but she let her eyes stay the same. Her freckles didn't melt away either. She could hear someone running at a fast pace & stood up a little in the water, just enough so that her breasts started to show. "Hello? I think." But the person had already rushed into the opening & was looking down at her angrily. She splashed down hurriedly in the water realizing that the voice belonged to man. The man's eyes suddenly widened when he saw her. The ears disappeared in Heather's frantic rush to hide. Her hair returned to its usual color & length. Screaming she splashed water at him. She settled down in the water until only her eyes & top of her head could be seen. "What are you doing?" She asked him. His hair was long & black & held up in a ponytail like hers usually was. At his hip was a sword & a long tail twined around his middle. His body was covered in similar brown fur. Taking notice of the pointy ears Heather narrowed her eyes further when she found that he was a demon. 'I'm not going to fight in the nude!' She thought as she noticed that she had washed her dragon ashore when she had splashed the man. "You're not Inuyasha." He said in growl. He ignored the water that was dripping down his body. His eyes narrowed also as he talked. Heather started to lose oxygen under the water & let her face rise a little. He studied her thoroughly. "Damn right I ain't Inuyasha." Heather said with a glare. Noticing that the girl he had stumbled on was a female human & not a female demon, the man seemed to drop his guard a little. "Tch. Only a human, no wonder I thought that I smelled that dirty half-breed somewhere." He scratched his head & looked around. "Well wouldn't your kids be dirty half-breeds if you married Kagome?" Heather asked sticking a finger out of the water. He glared down at her. "You're a pretty cocky human wench!" He said showing his fangs. Heather bared her too. "Thanks." He gave her a quizzical look through his glare. "Your voice." He began but Heather cut him off. "Bye." She had disappeared in front of his eyes. Rubbing them the man took another look at the hot spring then checked the air for her smell. He couldn't sense a thing. Growling he stomped back into the forest & ran home to the mountains for his pack.
In the air Heather giggled to herself. She had made herself a nice little sleeping out fit out of a big baggy shirt that fell past her knees. The sleeves trailed down past her hands. She giggled again & slid across the sky to a place that was somewhat off course. Slipping into a tree she settled down nice & easy & fell asleep with the tiny dragon on her chest.
Hikari looked up at the stars & played with the phone that Heather had given her. She could see Sesshoumaru watching her through the darkness out of the corner of his eye. "So, what is this family friend like?" She asked flipping the phone around in her hands. He gave her a playful smile. "Let's just say that he created the sheaths for Tenseiga & Tetsusaiga." Hikari thought that over. "So he's a person that works with wood?" Sesshoumaru looked ahead. "I guess you could say that. Hikari gave up & watched as Jaken started to stumble in his steps. Walking ahead of him she grabbed him up in one arm & fell back to put him on Ah-Un's back by Rin & Kohaku. He fell asleep instantly in her arms while she walked backwards. She smiled at him while she laid him down. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen." She said with a giggle. He stirred slightly & swung at her in his sleep. She held down a fit of laughter & rejoined Sesshoumaru at the head of the line. He smiled at her & they both tried to hold down laughter at the tiny toad demon.
Hikari's eyes blinked closed several times before she felt the weight start to drag her body along with it. Her shoulders started to sag & her mouth hung open while she tried to walk. Sesshoumaru noticed her & smiled. Rin had done that several times when she didn't want to tell him that she was tired. He used to get impatient with her when she first started to do it. She would suddenly plop down on the road & fall asleep without a word or start to slip from Ah-Un's back, which was extremely dangerous for the pup of any species. He would always carry her until he felt her weight add to his own tiredness. He watched as her weight dragged her to the ground then walked over & put a hand around her & hoisted her up. She mumbled something about calling Heather before her head sagged forward & she fell against his chest with a sigh. Stopping, he grabbed her legs in his other arm & carried her that way until Inuyasha said that they should stop since everyone was falling asleep. Kirara already had Sango on his back & it looked as if Miroku was about to nod off too. Inuyasha held Kagome in the same way that Sesshoumaru held Hikari. Shippo was asleep in her arms with Myoga on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Looks like we're the only ones awake." He said searching around to see for himself. "So, I don't remember much about dad's castle or our relatives, what are they like?" Sesshoumaru looked back at his brother. "Well." He started but a 'wump' from behind made them both stop. Kirara was bending to nuzzle a sleeping Miroku in the road. "Great." Inuyasha said walking back. "Let's just stay here for tonight." Inuyasha said as he put Kagome softly on the ground. Kagome wouldn't let go of his neck though. She held onto him like he would die if she let go. He tried to gently pry her hands loose but she wouldn't have it. He sighed. "She won't let go." Sesshoumaru gave him a smirk. "I guess you'll have to sleep next to her like that then." Inuyasha gulped & looked down at Kagome with rosy cheeks. Wouldn't Kagome be angry though, even if her had a good excuse like she wouldn't let go of his neck? If she wasn't then Sango & Miroku would definitely say something. Can't forget Shippo. He would say something like that he was worse then Miroku. He sighed & lay down. So what if she got angry & they said things behind his back? At the moment he didn't care. Sesshoumaru watched him with a smile. His brother was hard to finger out sometimes. Still smiling he started to let Hikari down only to see that she was holding on as tight to his neck as Kagome was to Inuyasha's. He groaned & gave in, already knowing that the hold was a death grip. He noticed her smile in her sleep when he kissed her on the forehead. He reached over to Ah-Un & kissed the forehead of the tiny girl that lay there. Secretly he had done this ever since she had told him of her family's fate. He smiled to himself as he lay back down. If only things could only stay this way forever. He thought to himself while his mind drifted off. He would soon be at his home at least, & that would nice to see after so long.
Heather rolled over in her tree to hear a phone ringing. Groaning she picked the cell phone out of her pack. Hisui stirred in the branch above her. Raising the phone to her her ear she turned it on. "Speak." She said. "Heather? Heather are you still asleep?" It was Hikari, she sounded angry but Heather ignored the fact. "No, I've been up for hours." She groaned while sitting up & grabbing her bag from the branch to her left. Lifting the lid she stretched her arm up with the bag by it & pushed her dragon in. "You're a liar." Hikari said with sarcasm. Heather shrugged. "Believe what you want." Grabbing onto the branch she swung down through the trees. "How close to the mountain are you?" Asked Hikari. Heather looked up to see the mountain looming above her. "I'm about 50 feet from the base of it." Carefully flexing her shoulders she let her wings down. "Well be careful. Kagome says there's a demon wolf pack around the mountain." Heather smiled to herself. "Yeah, I figured. Anyway I only want to see what you can see from the top." Hikari sighed on the other end. "Ok. Well I just wanted to make sure that you were alive." Heather giggled. "I wouldn't have answered if I was dead." Hikari giggled despite herself on the other line. "Bye." She laughed as she hung up. Heather pushed the phone deep into the bag & was careful not to wake her dragon that slept like a rock anyway. Her wings flapped several times before she took off.
Keeping about 10 feet away from the top of the trees she watched a road wind along the side of the mountain & decided to fly along it. She shut her eyes & tried to image what would be at the top. Steering herself slowly in circles she went higher & higher until she was near the middle. At first she thought that she would meet the wolf pack at the top. Then the thought crossed her mind that maybe something else lived at the top of the mountain. Thinking it all over she failed to notice the people below her.
The 2 wolf demons stared up at the thing that was flapping over their heads. It had big wings, long legs, & smelled like a human. It was flying in the sun so all they could make out was the black outline. "What is that?" One growled. He had purple-ish white hair with a large tuft of black sticking out at the front. The other shielded his eyes & stared up until water filled them. "I'm not sure, but it's not a Bird of Paradise. They're all dead." He had a large greenish white Mohawk on his head. "Should we capture it & take it to Kouga?" The first asked. The other nodded. "I don't know what it is but it's trespassing, whatever it is. Who knows maybe it's a new enemy that is here to challenge him." The first pulled out a chain with a large square weight on the end. He coiled the rest in his hand as he pulled it back & shot it up at the strange creature.
Heather zoomed lower as she thought. Opening her eyes she righted herself. She thought she heard voices but ignored it. Humming to herself she flapped her wings again. Suddenly a cold, metal chain wrapped around her arm. "Eh?" She said & lifted her arm to look at it. It was wrapped around pretty tight. She thought on the matter until a hard jerk pulled her down. With a small scream she fell to the ground. Going through a tree first she felt the branches rake her skin. She groaned when she hit the ground. Covered in dust she felt silly sitting there & rubbing her head all the while feeling eyes on her. Looking up angrily she saw 2 demons staring into her eyes. She narrowed her eyes at them. "What was that for?" She demanded. They both stared at her dumbfounded. "Are you going to answer me?" She asked. The chain was still wrapped around her arm. "I-it's just a human.but.humans can't fly." The demon with the Mohawk said finally. Heather stood up in a huff. "Yeah, well I can." She said & tried to storm off but her wrist was held tight. Growling she attacked the chain. "Stupid thing." She said angrily & tried to rip it off. The demon tightened the chain. "I guess we should." He said pointing to Heather with an odd look. The other nodded before he was finished. "Yeah." Heather watched as they walked past her. Her wrist dragged behind her but she didn't budge until it pulled her over. "Hey, come on!" She growled & tried to loosen it again. They looked back at her. "Flying will do you no good. We're taking you to Kouga." Heather gave him a funny look. "Who?" She asked. Her feet were dragging in front of her. The demon didn't seem to mind that she was resisting in this way. "He's our leader." The Mohawked one said over his shoulder. "Leader." Heather breathed looking at the ground. Then with a quick twist of her wrist she pulled the chain toward her. The unsuspecting demon fell backward with a gasp. Heather smiled cheerily. Her wrist was free & she was feeling much better. "Gotta mission to fulfill first bud." She said with a wave & took off into the air. They both looked at her shocked for a while, then grabbing up chains again, and they both hurled one at her. One caught around her waist, the other her arm again. She groaned as they held on tight to the ones that were holding her & thrust out 2 more. Both caught her legs & they dragged her back down to the ground.
Heather glared angrily at her captures as she trudged ahead of them. Her hands were bound in front of her, preventing any magic, though they were unaware that she had any. The chains around her waist were still there & every now & then they'd tell her to go faster or push her along. "Stop glaring." The one with purple hair commanded. Heather stuck her tongue out. "Uh-uh!" She said. He glared at her, she glared at them. "I can't wait until you do that with Kouga. He'll kill you for being so insolent." Heather laughed at that. "What's so funny?" They both asked. Heather just kept on laughing her head off. Finally a boot crashed into her back & she fell to the ground. Whirling around she saw another demon wolf with a scar down his face looking down at her. Her gave her a hungry look but she only glared & straightened. Huffing she went on. He walked after them, asking questions of her captures. "So, when did you 2 pick up the cute girl?" He asked. "We found her flying around by the mountain, so we caught her to see what Kouga thought." They explained to him. He watched the girl walk in front of him. "What's up with her hair? That's a funny color for human hair." Heather turned slightly & glared at him. "She won't say what her name is or anything. Just glares. She can talk though." The big demon stared at her again. "Maybe you ain't trying hard enough." He said & grabbed Heather by the shoulder & turned her around in mid step. "What's your name girl?" He asked grabbing the front of her shirt. Heather looked down at his clawed hand on her shirt then up at him with a scowl. "Well? Are you too stupid to remember?" Heather glared harder at him. Her smirked. "Tough girl makes fine pups." Heather's eyes narrowed to the most dangerous level & her leg quickly cam back & caught him between the legs. The demon fell to the ground clutching himself. "Perverted Bastard." Heather said over her shoulder in English. Both demons that held her chains stared at her with wide eyes while she turned & walked away. Her steps never faltered as she went higher & higher. The demons caught up with her & stared at her on either side. She turned her eyes at them with a warning glare before picking up her pace. "What did you say?" The one with the black tuft asked finally. Heather turned toward him a little while she was walking. "I can speak another language." She said but they already had noticed that. "Yeah, but what does that mean?" Heather looked him over. He was interested but she wasn't sure why. "Well, it's not a language that you would know." She said. They stared at her. "Come on, tell us." They said. Heather gave them a smirk. "Let me go first." They both looked at her with wide eyes. "We can't do that." The one with the purple hair said. Heather shrugged. It wasn't long after that that Kouga heard them coming. Even over the roar of the waterfall he could hear someone stamping up the road & his 2 friends voices shouting orders. "Keep moving!" He walked to the entrance & looked out. All he could make out through the water was his friends walking behind a chained person who had just fallen in the dust. The wolves growled & ran out through the side of the waterfall. The demons behind him stopped moving & speaking & watched their leader. He walked out after the wolves into the road. He could see clearly now that the person was a female human with wings coming off her back. Her hair reminded him of something that he couldn't put his finger on. Getting closer he could see that her face was turned toward his friends & not at the ground like he had thought. "Hey, what's going on?" He asked. The girl turned her head toward him. Her eyes, which had been glaring, went wide with recognition. "The guy from the hot spring." She breathed. "The girl from the hot spring?" Kouga asked with the same wide eyes that went confused instead. "What is this all about?" He asked the two demons that were gathering up the chain. "We uh we thought that you might want to see her sir. She was flying around the mountain. We thought she was the enemy." He gave Kouga a look that said he was sorry. "Flying?" Kouga asked looking down at Heather who was still watching him with wide eyes. "Yeah.so?' Heather asked slowly. Rising she shook the dirt from herself & snapped her fingers to change the dirty outfit. He stared at her as she shook her ponytail. "What are you?" He asked raising an eyebrow. Heather smiled. "I am a girl of many mysteries." She said. He stared after her as she walked off still smiling to herself. She headed toward the waterfall until she noticed the wolves following her. A big smile crossed her face. "Cute!!" She screamed in English then bent & started to pet the wolves that walked right up to her & licked her face. The movements of his wolves surprised Kouga. "T-the wolves.Kouga.they've never greeted anyone that was human or our enemy that way before." The youkai with white hair said. "I." Kouga said with an open mouth. "How?" He walked over to the girl & pulled her up by her ponytail. "How are you able to do all these things?" Heather gave him a pained look. "Ow." Was all she said with one eye closed. He shook her by the hair. "Well? How is s mere human able to do these things?" Heather grinned through the pain in her head. "I eat all my veggies." He growled at her but all she did was smile. "You will stay here until you tell me how you got your power." He declared & dropped her. Heather fell to her knees on the ground & watched him go. "Humph." She said & tried to untie her bound hands. The demons came over & grabbed her under the arms. Carefully, they led her to the opening in the cave. Heather sighed & looked at the top of the mountain. Maybe she would reach it later.
Hikari woke slightly to the smell of clean hair. Opening her eyes a tiny bit she saw that her face was mushed in someone's long, silver hair. Her arms were wrapped around what seemed to be the neck of the person. She could feel his breath. It hit her neck & made her tingle all over. Looking around she noticed that the face of who she was holding was hidden beneath the hair. Removing one hand from the neck she lifted the hair & gasped. Sesshoumaru was asleep & lying against her. With a slight panic attack she decided to stay still until he woke up. Rolling over slightly she felt herself bump something. Her head turned to see Rin lying next to her. She started to wonder how they all had gotten that way when Sesshoumaru moved & pulled her closer to him. Tensing for a slight moment she tried to think of how she was going to get back to sleep. It was barely six o' clock when she checked her watch & she was getting more tired every minute. Sighing she let her body relax & went back to sleep with Sesshoumaru & Rin next to her. Kagome woke up several minutes after that. Her eyes took one look at the silver hair & she knew where she was. The tiny ears on his head were relaxed, which was unusual for him. Kagome touched them but they didn't quiver or swivel around. Instead Inuyasha sighed & his body seemed to relax more. Turning her head she saw that Hikari was in the same position that she was only Hikari was asleep. Next to Hikari was Rin, & her head rested on the side of Ah-Un. While Kagome's head rested on the side of Kirara. Sango slept on his back above her with Shippo & Myoga stretched out on his head. Miroku slept on the other side of Kirara with his staff lying against the side of the giant cat. Kagome felt her head swim with lack of sleep when she tried to move. Groaning she lowered herself down to the ground again & fell into a deep sleep. Hikari woke again at around nine to see Sesshoumaru staring avidly into her eyes. "You were mumbling in your sleep again." He informed her when he saw her eyes open. "Really? What about? I forgot the dream already." She yawned. "It was something about you understanding something." He said with a critical look. His eyebrows knitted in thought as he tried to figure out the puzzle again. Rin's arm flipped over Hikari's hip & hit Sesshoumaru's. Hikari turned to see the girl stirring. "I guess I had better call Heather." Hikari said & reached for her phone. The only thing that her fingers touched was dragon hide. She grabbed hold of the tiny dragon that had awoken at her touch. "Saisei?" She asked looking up to see the dragon looking down angrily at Sesshoumaru. "Grrr off grr her." He growled down in an angry tone. "Hey, you're learning how to talk." Hikari said & shuffled to her feet. The dragon hopped onto her arm & climbed up onto her shoulder. "Grrne." He said in the same voice. The tone & word puzzled Hikari. "Well where did the cell phone go?" She asked him poking his head. He rubbed against her finger affectionately. With one swoop of his tiny wings he produced the object. Everyone that was awake & had no idea what the object was gathered round. "What is this mysterious thing?" Sango asked poking at the glowing buttons on the phone. Heather pointed to the different buttons. "This is a cell phone, I'm going to talk to Heather on it." They all stared at her then the thing. "I don't think it will work." Inuyasha said. Hikari smiled. "You'll see." Dialing the number she heard it ring several times before someone in a groggy voice answered. "Speak." Everyone jumped. They could hear the girl plane as day through the tiny speakers on the object. Hikari held it to her ear but the voice rang through. "Heather? Heather are you still asleep?" A groan was heard from the phone. "No, I've been up for hours." Hikari made a face at that. "You're a liar." A chuckle issued from the phone. "Believe what you want." Hikari sighed & shrugged. "How close to the mountain are you?" A brief pause, then the answer came. "Not too far, I'm about 50 feet from the base." Hikari nodded. "Well, I was just checking to make sure you weren't dead." Another laugh. "If I was dead I wouldn't have answered." Hikari started to laugh to. "Well, see ya." Heather said the same & the line was cut. Turning to everyone she bowed. "Ta-da." She said holding up the phone. "Extraordinary. How does it work?" Miroku asked taking a better look at the object. "Well there's these people who control the service & how far you can go with it first of all. Without service it doesn't work at all. So when you want to use it you just press this button, then you can select the preprogrammed name of the person or just dial the number. Then you have to wait until they answer the phone. When they do you listen with this part to your ear & talk back with this part to your mouth." Miroku nodded as he watched her demonstrate the whole thing. "Well, things really are strange in the future." He said scratching his chin. Hikari smiled & stowed the phone in the pack on her back. "Yeah, things get pretty weird." They walked for hours before another question was asked about the future that Hikari & Kagome lived in. "Hikari, I've been wondering. We met your friend Heather from America but what about that boy? The one who had brown hair?" Sango asked holding her boomerang aloft. "Oh you mean Allan? Yeah we still hang. He's in America still though, I haven't seen him since last summer when we all went to the theme park." Hikari smiled at her memories. Sesshoumaru cast a glance at her but she didn't catch it. "We rode on the roller coaster 17 times before we all started to get sick." She was still smiling & Saisei was starting to get annoyed with hearing about the boy. "Swqop." He said in her ear. She put a hand over his mouth. "Sorry, I got carried away." Hikari said to Sango who shook her head. "No, I like to hear stories about yours & Kagome's world." Hikari smiled at her. Kohaku looked sidelong at her. "Uh." He said nervously. Hikari looked over at him. "Yeas Kohaku?" She asked. He scratched his head. "I was wondering, what's a roller coaster?" Kagome smiled at him. "A roller coaster is a big, long, metal set of tracks that wind around in loops & turns. Then they set a cart on the tracks & put people in the cart. When the people are all strapped in & safe they start the ride up. The cart goes around the set of loops, turns, & humps until they reach the beginning again. Then those people get off & more get on & repeat the process, it's a really fun ride." She added. Kohaku nodded & looked ahead, trying to imagine the roller coaster. "Maybe someday we can take you all there." Kagome suggested. Hikari nodded her approval. "Sounds great to me." When they finally seemed to be in the heart of the forest Sesshoumaru stopped. "Bokseno should be around here somewhere." He said. Jaken looked around too. Rin, who at the time was riding on the back of Ah-Un, looked expectantly at the trees. "Rin doesn't see Bokseno yet." Jaken shook his head. A voice that was deep & echoing rang around the forest. "I thought you might come back soon Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha's ears swiveled around on his head. "And I see you brought friends with you, not to mention your brother Inuyasha." Inuyasha looked around confusedly at the sound of his name. "So this guy is a friend of dad's?" He asked. Sesshoumaru nodded. "Bokseno, I have come to check up on what has happened recently in my kingdom." A face whirled into view on the trunk of the tree in front of them. Hikari too a good long look at it, the tree-face looked her over as well. "I see you have developed the same tastes as your father wished you would Sesshoumaru." He looked at the tree with angry eyes for a slight second. "You know as well as I that this is not the first time, Bokseno." The tree seemed to chuckle. "Yes, I remember. This is the same girl isn't it? You found her after so long?" His voice echoed & seemed to come from every tree. Sesshoumaru gave him a slight smile. "Back to business. What has happened since we disappeared?" The tree thought the question over before he answered. "I remember hearing that you had gone missing along with your brother around the same time. I wondered if you were dead but knew deep in my roots that your deaths would not come so easily. After that, Naraku seemed to rest his plans for a while. He didn't attack any villages or move his castle an inch. Then about three days ago the castle moved & the village near the castle was attacked by a hoard of demons. But a priestess who looked badly wounded held off the demons. She fell in battle but was helped by another woman who looked like her in the same outfit. When the fight was over the priestess that had fallen was cared for by the remaining villagers, under the order of the other priestess. I learned only the name of the wounded priestess, her name was Kikyo. The other priestess never spoke her name & Kikyo would not say whom or what the woman was or how she had come to look like her." Bokseno stopped to let the words sink in. Inuyasha & Kagome looked at each other. "It wasn't Kagome because we were still stuck traveling through dimensions." Inuyasha said. Kagome looked at the ground. "Maybe Naraku made a incarnate that was supposed to be Kikyo. Then they fought but being like Kikyo, when the village was attacked they instead fought the demons instead of each other." Bokseno looked at her. "No, this was no demon incarnate that priestess was. She was human like you. Though it was strange, as she never took a single blow from the enemy, she came out of the battle unharmed. However, I know not if they fought each other." Hikari took a deep breath. "Who was the lady that Kikyo was reincarnated from?" They all stopped. "You don't suppose.?" Miroku started but stopped. "The witch that brought back Kikyo is dead. Besides how would they know if the remains were Kikyo's previous incarnation? If time traveled as far between the incarnations as between Kikyo & Kagome then nothing would be left, even if they didn't burn her." Inuyasha said angrily. Kagome put a hand on his shoulder. "It was a silly idea anyhow." Hikari said. "Inuyasha's right, it's not her previous self, it would be harder for all three of the same person to live in the same time period." Kagome nodded. "I always get tired after being close to Kikyo." She put a hand to her head. "I believe they are traveling together through the country. Naraku has sent many forces after them but the nameless priestess always holds them off, Kikyo does nothing but watch." "Maybe she has a bad wound that prevents her from combat." Hikari suggested. "It would appear so." Bokseno said. "What else has happened Bokseno? Besides the appearance of this strange priestess?" Rin looked around on the top of Ah-Un's head. "There was a story of Kagura the wind master staying around the well for several days at one time & staring at it with hard eyes until nightfall, then she would leave but always return the next day. She took a jewel shard as well. And I believe news of your sister is rising again." Sesshoumaru & Inuyasha stared at the tree. "Little Kirei?" They both said then looked at each other. "Yes, I have heard among the demons that she swam across the seas & has learned much about the world while the years passed. She has fulfilled her mission & is returning, she should be at the castle by now." Hikari looked at he two boys that were looking around them as if to see the girl pop up out of nowhere. "Who is Kirei?" She asked slyly to see if she would get an answer or an avoided look. "She's our sister that ran away one day to show us up." Inuyasha said. Kagome & Hikari cocked their heads to one side. "Why?" "We said that she would be weaker than us since she was a girl, then she vowed to swim the ocean & visit far away lands until there was nothing left to see in the world. She obviously has done what she said she would do & she's coming back." Sesshoumaru explained. "Is she half or whole demon?" Kagome asked looking to see which brother would answer. "She's only half demon, & my younger sister." Inuyasha said. "Dad & mom named her that because she was so darn cute when she was born. She reminds me of Rin now." The girl looked around at her name. "Hai? Rin is here." Sesshoumaru turned back to Bokseno. "Thank you. Is that all that has happened?" The tree nodded his old head. "Yes Sesshoumaru, that is all that has happened since you left." The tree's face disappeared in a whirl of bark. "Goodbye Sesshoumaru, fell free to stop back any time." Sesshoumaru nodded & the walked on to the castle. ............................................................................ ............................................................................ ........ Sorry, got to cut it short here. Too big again.