A/N I am totally stealing Calum the Angel's idea for the title. Thanks completely muffin! Ooh! Spacey just had a thought! This is totally on an unrelated topic to the fanfic, but Calum, Ceech, which is better for Eros to call Desdamona in Endora's Forum, Pet, or Muffin? I doubt anyone but we three will have even the foggiest idea on what I'm talking about. But since it's just us here! We're good to go! So yeah, that was a thought! Maybe both? Eh? Eh? Right, back to the actual reason we're here. On wards and upwards with Sora and Shikara!

P.S. Some really weird crap was happening with these weird ae things appearing. I have no idea where they came from, but I caught a couple on this one too. I think I got rid of them all, but more might appear. So, no idea what they were. Have fun looking for mistakes in this one as well!

With an enraged scream she slashed at the offending tree. The slash from her mother's sword was clean as it hacked the tree in two.

Shikara landed in a crouch.

She was screaming wordlessly in rage she pounded the soft earth.

"Damn you Sora!" she screamed. "Damn you! I've found you Bird Queen! Your days are numbered! I'll make you pay!"

~*~

Sora stared up at the sky thoughtfully. Letter, dark threatening letter holding a promise of spilled blood had been arriving for her since the day she was coronated. Most threatening had been the last four years. A new batch in different handwriting had arrived.

Her advisor Signus had brushed them off as nothing, while her guards all agreed they were a genuine threat. Sora herself had felt there was something different to these letters, an undertone that was more then threatening. An undertone that was certain. Unadulterated hate.

She'd sent out her bird spies, to gather as much on this Dancing Shadow as she could. Whispers, faint and uncertain had reached her ears back in the Bird Court. But nothing concrete. Nothing substantial.

It was as if the Dancing Shadow was smoke, or indeed a shadow. An illusion, a spell, an apparition, an angry ghost. Something! But not, something that one could learn anything about.

Despite protests from her guards, Sora had struck out on this quest, determined to find the Wonder Bird on her own. Despite the death threats, despite the Dancing Shadow.

She looked over her should at the egg, warmly wrapped in blankets and as close as was safe to the fire to keep warm.

She smiled tenderly.

Resolve darkened her eyes.

Dancing Shadow be damned! She was not going to die before she completed this experiment!

~*~

"After a hard day's fight it's always nice to relax in these hot springs," Kagome said slipping out of her clothes.

"But you have to watch out for Miroku," Sango warned her. "He's a lech."

Sora nodded and slipped out of her dress and into the warm water.

"Aren't you taking your crown off?" Sango asked her with a frown.

Sora shook her head and ducked under water, her crown stayed in place, even though her hair billowed out in the water.

"No, I'm keeping it on. Safer that way."

Shrugging Kagome and Sango joined her in the water.

They splashed around, until they heard a rustle in the bushes by their clothes.

"Miroku!" bellowed Sango, lobbing a rock at the bushes in an angry throw.

"Yes?" They turned around slowly to see the monk kneeling in a clump of bushes on the other side of the hot spring from where they'd heard the rustle.

"If you're there," said Kagome slowly. "Who's that?"

"Bet I know!" Inuyasha growled deep in his throat, he drew the Tetsusaiga and leapt into the air.

The tell tale daggers flew at him as the Dancing Shadow burst out of the bushes, her own sword drawn.

"She's a lech too?" wondered Shippou, peering out from beside Miroku.

Inuyasha and the Dancing Shadow clashed.

An arch of blood spurted, from who the girl's couldn't tell.

"Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" screamed Inuyasha.

The Dancing Shadow plummeted into the water, sending up a huge splash. The three bathing girls screamed and retreated back, Miroku looked forward avidly. With dark glares at the monk they ducked down up to the chins and began to envision terrible things that might befall a lecherous monk.

Inuyasha landed in the water, his sword still raised, ready for an attack.

"Where is she?" he demanded looking in the smoky murky water. "Where is she?"

He turned to demanded the girls where she was, but he trailed off, seeming to realize he was one of two people wearing clothes in the water, and they were not among those two.

He blinked a few times, staring at them, Kagome mostly. Even though only her head and upper shoulders were visible it seemed t be enough. More then enough in fact.

"Uh...." he said trailing off, cheeks going red. He didn't look as though he knew what to do next.

A clawed hand shot out of the water and grabbed him by the hair, dragging his head under water.

"Nothing like a little flesh to cloud a man's mind!" grunted the Dancing Shadow shoving him under. She held the struggling Inuyasha's head under water as he flailed and cried to claw her.

"Inuyasha!" protested Sango. She grabbed the Dancing Shadow and jerked her back.

The Dancing Shadow's claws raked across the girl's face.

"Don't interfere demon hunter!" she spat. "Or you'll die like Sora!"

"Duck!" ordered Miroku.

Obeying him the three girls ducked under water as he unleashed his wind tunnel.

The Dancing Shadow was pulled towards him, she drew daggers even as she was sucked back, prepared to slice his hand off.

Seeing the blades glittering Miroku wrapped the beads around his hand hurriedly.

He absolutely couldn't risk a nick, it could very well kill them all. With a sudden jolt he realized that the Dancing Shadow knew nothing about that. She only knew it was pesky. She had no idea what drawing blood would do to him.

"Care for me to cut that hole out of your hand?" she demanded, slashing at him with her daggers.

"No!" he cried, leaping back. "You must understand, my wind tunnel is a curse!"

"Then let me fix it!" Dancing Shadow growled. She turned suddenly in mid air and kicked him in the jaw, sending him flying.

He crashed into a tree and turned, ducking, just as her claws hit the tree where his head had been only moments before. The force of her blow splintering the wood. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the golden glint of the rings of his staff.

"Please listen!" Miroku said, scrambling back. "If my hand is cut, my wind tunnel will grow, and devour me!" She was getting closer, but he was getting closer to his staff. If he could just distract her a moment longer.

With a wicked glint in her eyes she slowly drew a knife and positioned it, holding it by the tip to throw at him.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" She cooed.

A knife embedded itself in the ground between his middle and ring finger.

He gaped at it in horror.

"I missed." That seemed to throw her off for a moment. Her eyes above the swath of cloth that covered her face narrowed. She drew another knife. "Now hold still!"

He jerked his hand back as another knife hit the dirt, right where his palm had been.

"Listen to me!" he insisted. "Not only will I be sucked into my wind tunnel! But you as well. Anything! I saw my father get sucked into his own wind tunnel right in front of my eyes! There's still a huge hole where he stood! It's still twelve feet deep! Even after all these years!"

She hesitated.

"Then I aim for your throat," she decided finally.

"Wait!" Miroku protested, still moving backwards.

The knife, poised to fly hesitated a moment.

"Will you do me the honor of having my child?" he asked desperately, his left hand fishing blinding.

"Miroku!" objected Shippou, jumping up and down. "Now is not the time!"

There!

Before the dancing Shadow was able to eloquently put her refusal, or think of a new way to kill him his hand wrapped around the smooth surface of his staff. He brought it across her face with all the force he could muster.

The wide arch and the power behind the swing, sent her sprawling. He got to his feet and grabbed the staff, just in time. A kick snaked out, a black boot hit the staff in his hands, had it had been holding it, he would have found himself with at least five broken ribs.

He swung again.

She ducked and swung at him, which he blocked. They traded blows for a while until she dove down, going on one knee and drove her hand against his knee.

He cried out in pain and his left leg gave out.

She kicked off his right leg and snapped kicked him in the face, flipping through the air to land several feet away.

Miroku fell forward, his knee and face throbbing. He had passed out before he even hit the ground.

She turned on the hot springs.

She ran at the scared girls, who hadn't left the safety of the water yet. She laughed at their foolishness. Sora even stood in front of the other two. Nothing between Shikara and the bird queen. Nothing between her and her revenge.

She leapt, drawing her mother's sword, and realized a minute too late that Sora's face was afraid, but their was a silent smirk in her eyes.

æYou deserve whatever pain you get!' she told her self in disgust as the hanyou burst out of the water in front of her, swinging at her.

She felt a burning line carve itself along her chest. Five sharp points were driven into her gut. She gasped, eyes going wide as Inuyasha's claws bite as deeply into her flesh as his sword had.

A second swipe of his might sword sent her flying. She crashed into a tree and fell to the ground.

He advanced on her as she tried to hold her wounds closed. She struggled into a sitting position.

He was a mighty opponent. Deadly. Even without that sword he was as dangerous as she. There would be no shame in dying by his hand.

But Shikara wasn't going to die.

Oh no. Not while Sora lived. She would not die until she'd slain Sora and dance on her grave.

"Wings of Death!"

Huge ethereal purple wings appeared, spreading from her back. Translucent and ghostly. Suddenly the feathers began rushing at him, each as sharp as one of her knives and just as deadly.

As he was pushed back, trying to block her attack with his sword, even as they sliced at him, she got to her feet, leaning heavily on the tree she staggered away, one hand wrapped around her abdomen to keep her organs in.

~*~

Inuyasha grunted as he was shoved back into the water by the assassin's attack. The ghostly feathers shredded his fire rat hair protective shirt and left little, paper thin slashes all over his body.

Finally the attack ended and he opened his eyes and peered into the trees where the Dancing Shadow had disappeared.

"Gone again!" he growled darkly, sheathing the Tetsusaiga. "She's getting to be a real nuisance!"

He turned around to see if the girls agreed, and was greeted with a huge rock, right in the face.

He cried out and grabbed his face, falling back into the water.

"What the hell was that for?" he demanded.

"Pervert!" snapped kagome glaring at him, lifting the rock up to hit him again.

"Geez I was just trying to help you!" he snapped.

He climbed out of the hot spring growling. "You save a girl and she hits you with a big rock!"

He stopped only to grab Miroku by the robes and drag him away from the hot spring. The unconscious monk gave no protest.

~*~

"Wow," said kagome pulling on her clothes as fast as she could. "That was scary!"

"Yeah!" agreed Sango. "I guess we can't bathe without posting a guard!"

"Miroku would volunteer," Kagome muttered.

"I was thinking Kirara," Sango answered.

She paused and frowned.

"Where is Kirara anyway? She's usually with the boys while we bathe."

"She was wounded yesterday remember?" asked kagome. "When the Dancing Shadow slashed you and her. At the same...."

She trailed off.

"How is your arm?" she demanded, realizing she hadn't asked about it yet.

"Not bad," Sango answered, showing her the wound. "It wasn't deep. I think the sword bit deeper into Kirara then it did in me."

"How are those scratches?" kagome asked her, peering at her friend's face.

"They don't look bad," Sora pipped up. The Bird Queen had been looking thoughtfully into the woods until now. She exited the water. "They'll sting a while, but as long as her claws aren't poisonous you should be fine. They probably won't even leave scars if you take good care of them."

They slithered into their clothes and hurried back to the village. Quite certain that the Dancing Shadow wouldn't make anymore attacks that day, though unwilling to stay out int eh woods longer then they had to.

~*~

Shikara stumbled blindly, finally leaving the safety of the trees to collapse in a meadow. She tried to crawl, but was too weak.

She rolled onto her back. Her right arm was numb from sword play, her chest bled sluggishly from a wound that hooked from her upper right shoulder to her lower left shoulder. She touched the wound gingerly. He must have created that strange little hook with a figure eight like slash. She let her hand fall limply beside her. Just thankful it had been as high as it was.

Between her throat and her heart, her collar bone deflecting most of the damage.

She couldn't say the same of the wound in her gut. His claws, and fingers even had been driven deep into her flesh and the wounds all bled, as though she'd just received the wound.

All her aches and pains from the day before ached afresh, her back, felt as though she'd been cracked with that huge boomerang again.

That stunt she'd pulled, kicking off the monk and kicking him in the face while flipping. Dangerous and unexpected, but painful. Very, very painful.

Shikara knew she was in trouble when the sky above began to darken unnaturally. She moaned and tried to move, but her muscle's wouldn't obey her. She closed her eyes and surrendered to the darkness.

~*~

~Time Warp back to yesteryear~

~*~

Her hearing better then her father's she'd heard the sounds of a fight before he had. She stiffened in her father's embrace.

"It's your mother isn't it?" he demanded. For the first time she saw fear in Kilem's eyes. He kissed her cheek. "Stay here Shikara!" he whispered and ran out the door.

She reached for him, but he was already gone.

She stood there, holding herself, digging her claws into her arms, bitting her lip. She could hear the sounds of a battle raging.

"It'll be alright," whispered a gentle voice. She turned and stared into her uncle's eyes. "It's alright. No one is stronger then your parents. No one!"

She gave an involuntary cry and looked towards the door.

She tore out of his grip and ran, skidding on the grass, staring into the distance, over the trees.

Huge fiery rocks rained down from the sky.

The students of the dojo gasped from behind her. She turned around and stared at them. Were they strong enough? Could they fight?

Breathlessly she took stock. Bitterly she realized none would stand a chance.

"Go get help!" she ordered her uncle and ran.

He called her name. Her real name.

She ignored him and ploughed into the woods.

Shikara burst through the trees near her home and ran up the hill where she could hear the battle raging.

"Mama!" she screamed. "Daddy!"

Kilem appeared in the doorframe.

"Shikara get back!" he ordered.

"Wind Strike!" she screamed making a clawing motion. A whirl wind spun itself into existence at her command and surged past Kilem into the house. She jerked her hand back. The whirl wind returned, three men caught up in it. At her command the twister rose into the air and then she crushed her fist and it disappeared. The men plummeted hundreds of feet to crash to their deaths before her eyes.

"Looks like the little girl fancies's herself a warrior," leered the man who'd called her æsweet pea' and ælittle one.'

He wasn't in the house.

He came from around the family's private bath house, an ugly smile on his face. Twisted amusement shone in his eyes.

In one hand he carried her mother's bloodstained sword. In the other, he carried her disembodied head.

He tossed it at her.

It rolled towards her and came to rest at her feet.

Shikara backed up in horror, shaking so badly she couldn't stand. She slumped down to the ground crying and trembling, staring at, that, that thing! That thing that had once been apart of her mother.

She looked up as the leering man lifted her mother sword high above his head, the blade glittered, consuming her entire field of vision.

She waited for the blow that would end it all. Surrendering to death.

~*~

~Time Warp Ending~

~*~

Shikara opened her eyes and looked around, frowning. Someone had found her, moved her, removed her clothes, tended to her wounds, masterfully, and had covered her up to keep warm, leaving her alone in a hut.

She sat up, her wounds protesting, but she ignored them.

"You're awake."

She turned sharply, hiding her discomfort.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Not so alone after all it seemed. But how had this woman managed to conceal herself from her? And why did she have no scent?

Shikara sniffed and frowned, realizing with disturbance that this woman did indeed have a smell. The smelled faintly of claw and graveyard dirt.

"I am Kikyo," she declared in her soft voice. "And you are fortunate to be living."

"Did you heal me?" Shikara demanded.

"I did."

She was a priestess, judging by her garments. And there was something faintly reminiscent of someone else Shikara had met.

"That girl with the Bird Queen. Is she your sister?" she asked suspiciously. Her healer or not, she would die if she was?

"No," the priestess replied. She hesitated then asked. "This girl, who else did she travel with?"

"A demon," Shikara said promptly. Her voice turned hard. "A formidable fighter. One who does not need his mighty sword to be a threat."

Suddenly she screamed in rage and brought her hand down on the wooden floor, breaking the boards and numbing her already injured hand.

"Damn that dog-demon I was so close! Unarmed and waiting! Helpless!"

"Inuyasha," Kikyo guessed.

"You know him."

It wasn't a question. It was wasn't a threat, but it was a none too friendly suggestion that this Kikyo start talking before Shikara was forced to kill her, for associating with those who associated with Sora.

"I do," agreed the healer. "But I am not his friend. And I will not rest until he is dead."

Shikara paused to consider her words a moment. The Dancing Shadow nodded and rose to her feet. He ignored the protests of her wounds. The sun was up and birds were cheeping. By her guess this was yet another new day.

"You ,must rest," Kikyo told her firmly rising.

Shikara ignored her and strode to where her clothes were piled. She slipped into them quickly, trying to avoid aggravating her wounds. She looked at her array of weapons, eight daggers, one sword, a cruel hook that would fit in her sleeve and a black velvet rope which could be used to strangle.

She made them all disappear into her clothes and stuffed her feet into her boots. She made sure all the knives, vials of poison and other treasures were where they belonged before she grabbed her scarf and began to wind it around her hair and face.

"You are weak!" Kikyo insisted. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find Sora, and I'm going to kill her," Shikara answered simply. She adjusted her scarf and strapped her sword to her waist.

She turned and caught the priestess's wrist, seconds before she'd made contact. Between her thumb and for finger the healer held a pink shard of a gem.

Narrowing her eyes Shikara crushed the bones of the wrist.

The Priestess dropped the shard to the ground and held her wrist in pain. Glaring at Shikara with hate.

"It is only a shard of the Shikon Jewel to help you," she protested. "To give you strength!"

"I don't need any strength but my own," Shikara told her coldly and knelt to pick up the shard and examine it. She looked the priestess in the eye. "As thanks for tending to my wound, you won't die today."

She pocketed the shard and walked out of the hut.

~*~

"Alright, this is getting monotonous!" Sora screamed, holding her skirts up so she could run faster. She looked over her shoulder as the Wonder Bird pursued her. She ducked behind a tree, leaning hard against it, breathing raggedly.

The Wonder Bird screamed in rage and she felt the strong wind of it's wings buffet her. She grabbed her whip sword and turned around. She could barely see because of the wind, but the sharp talons and beak built for tearing was enough to persuade her that maybe hanging around, for any reason wasn't a wise one.

"Leave me alone bird brain!" she screamed slashing.

The bird screamed at her as her sword whip connected. Sora didn't stay to relish her victory, she ran.

She'd been out for a morning stroll, to work her weary muscles and get enough room to take a few practice beats with her huge wings. They were healing nicely, if she were any judge, but it would be a few days yet before they could support her weight. A few more before she would be able to return home with the egg in tow.

The Wonder Bird gave one last cry and took off again. Sora sighed in relief. The Wonder Bird may have been a powerful sky warrior, but she was not meant to fight her battles so close to earth and it must have exhausted her.

Not to mention the clutch of eggs she had back at her nest, waiting for their mother to keep them warm. Sora hoped they'd hatch soon so the Wonder Bird would stop pestering her.

She had enough troubles, what with that assassin thirsting for her blood.

Sora began to walk back towards the village, thinking.

The Dancing Shadow. There was a puzzle and a half.

Where had she learned Wings of Death? Where on earth had that assassin picked up such a dangerous attack? Wings of Death was an attack taught only by the elite royal guards of the Bird Court. Few could teach it, fewer still could master it. Sora herself couldn't manage much more then a few wimpy feathers, that seemed to hover on indecision on whether or not they actually existed.

If she was lucky, she could cut paper, if not, she'd cut herself!

That the Dancing Shadow could use the move was impressive. That she could use it while wounded was scary. What must that attack be like when she was at full health?

Sora hoped she never had to find out.

~*~

"No, no, no, no!" Rasha snapped throwing her hands in the air and wincing. "Ow!" she moaned pathetically, putting a hand to her wounded back.

She glared at Kouga who refused to behave and do the wedding march properly.

"How many time have I told you?" she demanded. "Start on the left, walk slowly, and smile Kouga this is your wedding day!"

"Uh.... no it isn't!" one of his henchmen replied.

Rasha fixed him with a dragon's stare and growled deep in her throat.

"Alright from the top!" she snapped in annoyance. "Kouga comes u, then Ayame, come to the front, I do the ceremony, then you kiss. It's not hard!"

"Kagome!" wailed Kouga suddenly. He fell to his knees and looked up imploringly at the sky. "Save me!"

Rasha sighed in annoyance and waited as he broke down sobbing.

"It's better he get hysterical now," she explained to Ayame who looked hurt. "Rather then the actual wedding day. Trust me. I've performed ceremonies where the groom breaks down. It's never pretty!"

~*~

~Time Warp back to yesteryear~

~*~

The sword came down. She could actually hear it swishing towards her, the bizarre sound it made as it approached. Very likely the same sword that had killed her mother. Her mother's sword.

"Sweet dreams precious!" crooned the sword's wielder.

Anger sparked in Shikara's eyes.

The sword seemed to slow down. It was like the word had suddenly stopped moving and the sword was all there was. A slow sword that looked like it was trying to fight the air to get to her. She lifted her hands as it arched towards her.

She didn't know who was more surprised.

Him, for being thwarted, or her, for thwarting him.

Without knowing it, she'd risen to one knee and caught the sword between the palms of her hands before the blade could hit her.

She jerked it out of his grasp and swept his legs out from under him. The sword went flying through the air.

She was up and running for it before he'd even hit the ground. She grabbed it's hilt and spun to face him, bringing the sword down in front of her to defend any attacks he might have.

She kicked him in the face, knocking him back, skidding across the ground to hit the wall of the bathhouse.

"No one calls me æprecious' but my parents!" she snarled and slashed.

~*~

~Time Warp Ending~

~*~

The night had been a great friend of her for the last four years. As an assassin that was hardly surprising. Despite the healer's efforts Shikara had been forced to rest. The entire day and now night had fallen and the moon was high.

Dancing Shadow waited patiently, sitting on a thick branch of a tree, her back pressed firmly against the trunk.

She wasn't strong enough to fight that demon again. No. Most definitely not. But that didn't mean she wasn't strong enough for an assassination.

She'd tried to be polite, she'd tried to be reasonable. She'd given them more then enough chances. She had never been more lenient with people who'd gotten in her way before.

She'd had enough.

She dropped from the branches.

She walked through the village, unafraid of being seen. She found him, sitting in a tree as she had been only moments before.

Her clothes had given her camouflage, but his red clothes were like a beacon. She shook her head and leapt.

She grabbed a tree branch with her right hand, her left hand protectively on the hilt of her sword. She flipped around the branch to land on it's top. She jumped to the thick branch where he lay.

She approached him, moving across the branches noiselessly. She drew a dagger from her boot and continued her stealthy approach. Great fighter or not, he was helpless to her now.

She raised the dagger to slit his throat, when suddenly, for the first time, she caught his scent.

As a bird she didn't have a very good sense of smell and she had to be this close to him to actually catch it.

Her eyes narrowed. What was wrong with his scent?

When she realized she gasped and fell back.

His eyes shot open, his hearing much better then any human's.

"You!" he growled, reaching for his sword. She stopped him and backhanded him, then clamped her clawed hand over his mouth, digging her nails in, just to be sure he got her point.

"One word and I kill you and anyone you bring," she told him growling in her own right.

He glared at her with his golden eyes.

"You'd do better to stay away from the Bird Queen. Those who guard her have a nasty tendency to end up dead!" Shikara spat hatefully.

He didn't answer, he didn't even make a move to attack her, or defend himself.

Shikara removed her hand and back up, watching him, waiting for him to do something stupid. When he didn't move, or make a sound she back up even more and then dropped to the ground.

"Wait!" he called, leaning over the edge of the branch. "Where are you going?"

She didn't answer him. Like he actually expected her to respond to that query!

"Why won't you stay and fight?" he demanded jumping down to stand beside her, and reaching for his sword.

"I stayed my hand now stay yours!" she snapped. "Because I won't hesitate again!"

"Why didn't you kill me?" he demanded.

Shikara stared at him a longtime in the darkness before responding.

"I don't kill my own kind," she told him finally. "But get in my way again and I'll forget all feelings of nostalgia and make you regret ever meeting Sora, the Bird Queen!"

With that she leapt away, leaving him to puzzle through what she had said and did.

~*~

"Kagome!" called Inuyasha frantically running towards Kaede's hut. He flung the door of the hut. "Kagome! Miroku! Shippou! Sango!"

"What?" grumbled Kagome rising and glaring at him. "What's the problem Inuyasha some of us are trying to sleep!"

"The Dancing Shadow! She found me when I was sleeping!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

"Are you hurt?" asked Miroku him, throwing back his own covers.

"No, she didn't attack me. Not really anyway," Inuyasha said, looking as puzzled as they felt. "She had the chance to kill me, but she didn't. She said she wouldn't kill her own kind. But that if I kept guarding Sora that she wouldn't be so kind again and that she'd kill me!"

"What could she mean her own kind?'" wondered Sango frowning.

"Doesn't she know Inuyasha's a demon?" wondered Shippou. "Couldn't she smell him?"

"Birds don't have a very good sense of smell," Sora replied quietly. "Chances are that until she got right up close she couldn't be able to smell a thing."

"So she just realized he was a demon?" Kagome asked.

"That seems highly unlikely Kagome," Myouga said, appearing out of no where to hop onto Inuyasha's leg. "The Dancing Shadow goes after humans and demons. It is her trade mark. It is what makes her so unique. That she answers to no one and has loyalties to no one and will in fact kill anyone for a price."

"Myouga," said Inuyasha slowly. "I have to ask. Where the HELL have you been?"

"Why Lord Inuyasha I went to see my mother. She's quite sick you know," Myouga said primly, crossing his arms and looking away.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about your mother," Kagome said sorrowfully.

"Oh don't worry Kagome, my mother died years ago!" Myouga said dismissively.

"Hey wait!" protested Miroku. "I thought you said she was sick!"

"Well she was," Myouga replied. "That's why she died!"

There was a satisfying thwack as Myouga was ground into the floor boards of the hut.

"Ow!" he moaned. "Why are you so cruel?"

"Why are you so annoying?" Inuyasha asked. "One of those questions we'll never have the answers to!"

"What I was trying to say that is the Dancing Shadow can and has killed demons before. But why no one knows!"

"Then what did she mean she won't kill one of her own kind?" Sango wondered. She turned to Sora. "Do you know what she means?"

"No," Sora said softly and slowly. "No I have no idea."

She looked into the distance and seemed to be very far away.

"I have no idea at all!"

~*~

~Time Warp back to yesteryear~

~*~

Shikara ran to the house just as she heard a gurgling yelp get suddenly cut off. She stopped dead, frozen.

"Father!"

She screamed and burst through the door.

Too later, he father lay slumped back, a sword through the chest. The Tengo demon who stood over him slowly turned.

He dragged the sword out of her father's chest and attacked. She dodged away from him, leaping back, jumping over the table, ducking under him, sliding under the table, jumping onto a counter and then leaping over his head.

"Stop dancing and stay put!" he growled.

"Alright!"

There was a satisfying crunch as her sword lashed out like liquid metal and bit deep into his back.

He slid off it's tip, dead.

She wiped it clean on his clothes and looked around.

Everyone else her parents had killed. What was left of the house barely stood, but was awash with blood.

She set the sword on the table and hurried outside. Using her demon strength she quickly dug two graves side by side. She wrapped her parents in bed sheets and lowered them into their graves with all the solemnity and respect she could. Making a crude set of twin crosses out of fire wood and twine. She neatly stacked the bodies of the attackers and hurried back inside the house. She quickly washed all the blood she could from her skin and hair at the kitchen sink, returning to well three times. Then she ran up stairs and to change. She donned her father's black training garb and grabbed one of her mother's scarf's to hide her face and hair. She packed a quick bag of everything she would need for the immediate journey and then returned to the graves of her parents.

She knelt and prayed for this souls. Refusing to cry for them, or for herself. She wouldn't cry. Not until the bitch that had done this to them was dead! And she would have her revenge!

A sound made her look up.

Approaching hesitantly from the village and entire fleet of men, armed to the teeth came into view.

She recognized her uncle at the lead of the group, looking sick and ill.

He knew it was too late to save his brother or his brother's family, but they had come just the same, to kill their attackers before they came for the rest of the village.

Shikara rose to her feet and watched them come.

They stared at one another, they gaping at her and she returning their gazes with her own. Mentally she bid each of them she knew goodbye. Bidding her friends and the life she knew goodbye. Then she turned around and walked away.

As she walked there was a loud ripping sound as two huge snow white wings unfolding form her back. She beat them once and lifted of the ground.

She knew, in her heart of hearts, she would never, ever return. Not even to pay respect to the graves of her parents. Not until she brought the Bird Queen's head!

~*~

~Time Warp Ending~

~*~

Shikara's hand's clenched in fury.

She took a deep breath and got herself under control. She forced herself to look at things clearly. Rationally.

She must be rational.

She'd let her emotions dictate her actions long enough. Now came the time to do away with the Bird Queen once and for all. There would be, no mistakes.

~*~

"Are you sure about this?" Kagome asked Sora.

"Yes," the Bird Queen replied firmly. "Yes. I have to do this. The Dancing Shadow won't wait until she kills me, or until we kill her. So we must lead her into a trap and spring it. Killing her."

"Seems rather harsh," Shippou muttered.

Inuyasha glared at him darkly.

Shippou shrank back.

"Alright, if you really want to do this then we will," Sango decided, already dressed in her demon slayer's garb. "But what makes you so sure she'll come?"

"Come?" asked Sora, she pointed to a tree. "She's already here!"

They turned and gasped, indeed the Dancing Shadow was perched on a branch of a tree nearby, well within hearing distance, well within throwing distance.

She dropped down and drew her sword, pointing it at Sora, as the others moved in front of her.

"You have some debts to me Bird Queen. And I will collect," Shikara said dangerously. "Whether I have to kill an entire village or only you, you will die!"

"Not while I'm around!" Inuyasha snapped, cracking his knuckles.

"Always hiding behind others," Dancing Shadow scoffed. "First behind Muniya, then behind your royal guards and now behind them. When will you fight your own battles?!"

"That's enough talk!" Inuyasha growled. "I've had just about enough of you! You've got some debts of your own that I aim to make you pay for!"

He reached for the Tetsusaiga, but Sora stopped him.

"No," she said firmly. "If she want's my blood so badly, then she can come and take it!"

She spread her wings and took off, leaving them below, buffeting them with the wind stirred up by them.

With a growl and a large rip two equally huge swan wings unfolded from Dancing Shadow's back.

"She has wings?" demanded Shippou, pouting.

"Apparently." Miroku's tone was dry. "How did the queen know that though?"

~*~

Sora looked over her shoulder. Her heart leapt in fear, but she couldn't squash the triumph she felt at having been right. The Dancing Shadow *was* a bird! That explained the Bird Court attacks. But not, where she had learned them.

Sora faltered.

Could she really out fly this little assassin who wanted her blood? The Dancing Shadow was so agile on land, what could she do in the air?

Sora's eyes narrowed.

No way in hell was she going to be beaten in the sky!

She pulled a hard right and circled around the assassin, coming up behind her. Her victory was short lived however when the Dancing Shadow lifted her wings straight up and corkscrewed in mid air, before flaring them.

She'd turned to face Sora, even though that maneuver had costed her some aerial height. Sora narrowed her eyes.

'Alright Miss Dancing Shadow,' she thought grimly. 'Let's see how you dance on the clouds!'

She shot straight up. She could hear the assassin pursue her.

Sora led the Dancing Shadow on a dangerous aerial course that lesser bird would have killed themselves on. The Dancing Shadow was indeed a good flyer, but, her skills were those of someone who had mastered the skills, but did not use them daily. She didn't quite know the nuances of air flight and compensation for wind. How to get as much speed with the least effort. Things that couldn't be taught, things that were different for every bird.

She wove in and out of clouds, Dancing Shadow following close behind at all times, despite her best efforts Sora couldn't shake her. And she was alone up here with her.

Maybe this wasn't the best place to have accepted the challenge.

She realized the Dancing Shadow hadn't left the huge cloud Sora had just flown through. She hesitated. She didn't want to fly if she didn't know where her own personal shadow assassin was, but she wasn't going back into the foggy cloud for love or money!

Her hesitation was awarded with a sharp pain in her left shoulder as a dagger came flying out of the cloud.

As Sora grunted in pain and clutch her shoulder, the Dancing Shadow came barreling out after her, sword raised.

Sora grabbed her whip sword and slashed. It became a whip and hit the sword right out of the Dancing Shadow's hand.

Sora arched and dove after the blade that was falling towards the earth. She plastered her wings along her body, becoming perfectly streamline, reaching out to grab the assassin's weapon.

She snatched it's hilt, but before she could pull out of her dive a hand grabbed her wrist and a heavy weight landed on her back.

With the assassin's extra weight, Sora plummeted even faster.

"You'll kill us both!" she screamed furiously, trying to throw the assassin off.

"As long as your dead, that's a risk I'm willing to take," Dancing Shadow replied calmly.

Sora's eyes slid off the fast approaching ground to the sword in her hands. More precisely to the inscription on the blade.

Several things clicked into place for her at that moment.

"Kilem and Muniya raised you for more then this."

It was a long shot. An educated stab in the dark, but it had the desired effect.

Dancing Shadow kicked off her, flaring her wings. Sora managed to roll in the air, her huge wings slowly her momentum and finally stopping her, far too close to the ground for her comfort.

The Dancing Shadow and a dagger in each hand now, and Sora knew it was time to talk fast, unless she wanted to look and feel like a pincushion.

"How did you know?" Dancing Shadow coldly.

Sora smiled in relief.

"I didn't," she replied cheerfully. "Until now!"

Dancing Shadow threw a dagger at her, which Sora was barely able to deflect in time, with a squeal as it went spinning off and fell aside. As if she had never thrown the dagger, the Dancing Shadow had another in hand.

"You said you wouldn't kill you own kind. But then, you kill demons and humans," Sora said, getting hold of herself. "The only thing that made sense was that you were neither. Or, both. You're a hanyou!"

"Yes."

The calm, it's-okay-that-you-know-because-you're-about-to-die, response really wasn't what Sora had been aiming for, but, oh well! It was a start.

"The daughter of a great bird warrior and a samurai," Sora continued. "Tales of Kilem's greatness reached us even at the Bird Court."

"And you're the one who gave the order to kill him. How special you must feel!" the assassin replied sarcastically.

"I never gave that order!" Sora replied looking away. Her fists tightened around the two swords she held at the painful memory. "Believe me, I never would have given the order to kill Muniya. She was my best friend!"

"And she gave birth to a hanyou, choosing humans over you!" spat the Dancing Shadow.

"That did sting a bit yes," Sora admitted. "But after I cooled down, I realized that I wanted her side of the story. That's why I sent my men out."

"You just said you didn't give the order!" Dancing Shadow cried, lobbing another dagger at her. This one missed Sora's body, but nicked a wing.

"I gave the order for my men to go to the village, to take Muniya and you away. The human was to be left behind," Sora said desperately. "You were her daughter and I would have forgiven you for that! I knew that if I got her away from him, and whatever spell he had on her, she'd come to her senses!"

The Dancing Shadow shot at Sora, grabbing her by the neck so hard that Sora's breath lodged in her throat.

"There were no spells. No deceit. No lies. They loved each other and me!" she grated. "And you destroyed that!"

"No!" Sora protested. "I gave the order to bring you and her yes! But my men never arrived! They were killed en route and their flags, and uniforms were stolen. My men never made it to your doorway. Only my crest. Those butchers were no men of mine!"

"Then who gave the order?" the assassin demanded, tightening her grip.

"When I find out who went behind my back and challenged my authority, you can have them when I finish with them!" Sora told her between clenched teeth, her eyes flashing in anger.

"Why should I believe you? Why should I think that you're not lying just to save yourself?" hissed the assassin. Sora felt a dagger press against her abdomen, just above the navel.

"I'm a scholar. Even among birds," Sora gasped. "I study things. I don't kill them!"

The Dancing Shadow slipped the dagger away and then grabbed the hilt of Muniya's sword. Sora let it go without a fight. She'd given the sword to Muniya, but she knew the great warrior would want her daughter to have it.

"You're name, what's your name?" asked Sora.

"Shikara!"

The Dancing Shadow kicked her back. Sora went tumbling through the air a few times before she got herself steady in the air.

When a distant, but familiar and angry squawk cut through the air, Sora almost laughed. They turned to watch as the Wonder Bird, still angry came barreling towards them.

When she turned back to advise the Dancing Shadow to run, the assassin was already gone.

She frowned, then turned around and fly straight down as she was pursed by the huge bird, who's talons were reaching for her already.

~*~

Shikara plastered her wings along her body and dropped like a stone. Sharp tree branches bit deep into her arms as she crashed into the trees. The branches slowed her fall, as she broke through the branch cover, she flared her wings and slowed her fall even more so that when she landed she folded up into a deep crouch, wings spread beside her.

"Idiot queen."

Shikara watched from the safety of the trees below as the Bird Queen flew on a gradual downward angle, with the Wonder Bird closing fast ,with it's built up momentum. Sora would have to fly pretty fast to work up enough speed not to get into a tangle with the giant bird.

"She should have just folded her wings and plummeted like a sensible person," Shikara said to herself, rising and rolling her shoulders as she retracted her wings into her back. "If she wants to avoid the pain of crashing through trees, she shouldn't make enemies!"

She began to walk away. Shikara fingered the hilt of her mother's sword, thinking.

One Tengo. Out of a dozen or so demons sent to her family's house that day, one had been Tengo. The others were random forest demons. None looked like the sort of men that a flighty little queen child like Sora would have hired.

Shikara once thought that was because they were only hired to be executioners, but that seemed at odds with Sora's personality. Her eyes narrowed. The Bird Queen it seemed was playing games.

No matter. Shikara would play. Better yet she'd win. Four years she'd been waiting for her revenge and she would be damned if she let the Bird Queen live, just because she'd shown real anger and remorse. Maybe, after all these years she was regretting her betrayal. Or more likely. She regretted that she'd angered the Dancing Shadow!

Stay tuned for the next instalment of the Shikon Wars. In which we actually get to see Sora work her wacky mamma jamma magic of spinning flesh from blood and a soul! Yeah!

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