The next morning Kaname rose to the cheerful singing of a mockingbird and stretched routinely from shoulder to ankle, doing a few toe raises and walking over to where Nanashi had slept. She was still sitting up against the tree with one eye open but clouded with sleep and hair spilling over her shoulders. Her fists were clenched and blood stains were still prominent on the ground where the nails had pierced the skin and spilt on the forest floor.

Kaname smiled slightly at her young protégé sister, dousing the last smoldering bits of fire and scattering the leftover firewood in a nearby bush. Sighing, Kaname hefted Nanashi on her back and began to run at that same unnatural speed out of the woodlands.

As Nanashi twitched in her sleep, Kaname shook her head. It seemed like so long ago that she had found Nanashi in the streets of Tokyo, malnourished and objectionable to any contact. Her father and mother had been killed by villagers long before and if she had been found, her heritage would have pitted the odds against her and sent her screaming down to hell with the remnants of her pitiful life. All her life she had known nothing but hiding her true self from the outside world and keeping clear of any humans whatsoever in hopes that she might live to be ten. Kaname had begun her wandering days not many years after her ninth birthday and had found Nanashi huddled protectively in an alley way giving off the most powerful energy that Kaname had ever sensed beside her own. She had willingly taken in Nanashi after several weeks of constant companionship in which silence had been maintained but trust had taken root. They had been companions ever since and to this day, Nanashi trusted Kaname much deeper than even she would ever really know.

Kaname's heart saddened as she remembered that to this day, Nanashi still trusted no one but herself and Kaname.

Before Kaname could finish her thoughts she had arrived about a mile from Koorime City and thought it time to wake Nanashi. With a gentle nudge she dropped her friend to the ground and crouched down beside her, looking at the faraway outline of the wealthy city, rich with resources and supplies, especially information.

Nanashi stirred and sat back on her haunches, yawning and whacking Kaname unintentionally in the face.

"Oh, sorry Kan. Just a bit awkward in the morning."

Kaname rolled her eyes and stood, beckoning Nanashi and speeding off in the distance.

"Don't state the obvious."

They halted at the entrance and Nanashi took a deep breath.

"Ready to go? I'm in a bit of a hurry."

Kaname raised her eyebrows.

"Are you?"

Nanashi snarled viciously at her and walked boldly into the city compound.

"Don't play innocent Kaname, too early."

The two girls entered the gates of Koorime city and surveyed their surroundings appraisingly while Nanashi sniffed cautiously around. The early working crowd was up and about, rushing to tend shops or do some shopping of their own, filling the bed and breakfasts while some looked for the most wealthy looking weakling to pick pocket.

Kaname looked around and whispered instructions in Nanashi's ear.

"We need about five thousand yen. Try..."

Nanashi lazily produced the money from her pocket and scratched her head lazily, yawning again in a pitiful way. Kaname didn't even bother asking and turned to Nanashi.

"We should stock up on supplies and then we might even want to spend the night in the inn."

Nanashi tensed at this suggestion and glared up at Kaname.

"No. You know we can't do that."

Kaname's expression softened and she reached out to put an hand on Nanashi's shoulder.

"Nan..."

Nanashi shrugged her hand away and continued forward.

"C'mon," she mumbled, "lets get going with those supplies."

They continued on down the road, going into shops ever so often and gazing longingly at some unaffordable deities in the windows. They spent most of their time in the town's multi-functional store where they were able to buy fruit, vegetables, water, and packets of add-water rice. Kaname bought the practical necessities as Nanashi waited impatiently by the door, ushering her through the register line and out the door where she dragged her to a nearby tavern in hopes that after lunch they could continue on their journey.

Kaname held her coffee mug placidly and looked out the window in a dreamy manner.

"They were interesting, weren't they?"

Nanashi seemed to have been spacing out and snapped out of her doze just soon enough to answer.

"Who?"

Kaname took a sip of her coffee and sighed.

"You know, the four travelers from last night. There was something that struck a bell about them."

Nanashi scowled.

"I still can't believe you just laid down like that. Anyway, I thought they were giving off some pretty unique energy there. Especially that monkey demon. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were the..."

Kaname nodded sagely.

"That traveling party that's out to fight the resurrection of the demon Gumo. I know. But why did you go to fight them if you thought they were giving off such terrible power like that?"

Nanashi blushed and looked down at her cup of water.

"No reason."

Kaname could sense something more but left the matter as their food was brought to their table. The munched in silence but half-way through the meal, Nanashi choked on a bit of her food and looked as though she could've wretched over her shoulder. Kaname narrowed her eyes and looked out the window once more.

"This goes without saying but that energy is really packing some incredible power. Do you want to go..."

But before she was able to finish her sentence, Nanashi had already hurried out the door following the energy that emanated from somewhere in the midst of town.

Kaname rushed after her but was unable to go at the same speed as Nanashi and was forced to arrive on the scene thirty seconds later than her partner. There they found a sight that they would never forget until the end of their days.

Bodies, scores of bodies, strewn about the ground and bleeding freely on the purest bits of ground, tainting everything within miles and casting a terrible aura about the area. The faces of the victims were awful and contorted in surprise and pain, beacons of such terror...

Nanashi looked on with an impassive face but her eyes glittered bitterly with indignation at such blatant slaughter.

"Where's the perpetrator," whispered Nanashi malevolently.

Kaname narrowed her eyes and the sunlight glinted off her normally peaceful brown orbs, now a dangerous simmering orange with battle light.

The streets were now clear of all citizens who had fled in terror at the sound of whatever had killed the surrounding contingency and Nanashi perked up her ears, standing back to back with Kaname.

"Kan, their all around us. On my count, you take the ones to your left, ja? One, two, go!"

The two girls broke apart and charged to their left sides, Nanashi with her sword upraised and Kaname with her hands at the ready and already glittering with power. There was an eerie silence and Nanashi roared deep into the cavernous surroundings, the sounds reverberating around the dust and rubble. There was a movement close to Kaname's right and she tensed, sighing and calling over to Nanashi.

"Forget a stand off, it will do nothing but make us nervous. Lets CALL IT OFF!!"

With her final words she held out her palms and pointed towards the nearest pile of rocks and a jet of golden light issued from both her hands, engulfing the area in the massive light that started the entire ball rolling. Immediately following the break of the stand off, the enemies appeared in scores, coming out of hiding from strategically placed positions behind piles of rubble and surrounding buildings, all of them low- life demons with the common disgustingly shaded skin colors and pointed ears, dipping out from the side of their fat heads and outlining their beady little eyes that held the pictures of so many dieing that none could ever care to imagine.

Nanashi scoffed.

"Only the regular? How pathetic. I figured it would be something more interesting."

She withdrew her sword and licked the blade, staining it with her own blood before daring to take lives of those so foul upon it. She held the hilt in a protective way and sighed, raising it in the natural fighting position.

"Lets go!"

She charged into the nearest clump of demons and began to swing with incredible speed in every direction, scattering demon bodies amongst the human ones laying on the ground. Blood of both species mingled with the enemy, pooling together in ground dips and staining the dirt with its terrible metallic scent of death.

Kaname began to blast every demon that came in her way, also preferring to kick and punch at every available body part. None could get very close to her for the weaker were driven away by the terrific amount of energy she was pouring forth. Her spinning kicks and punches were proof that she had indeed learned her skills from the Tokyo street-fighting circuit although most would find the moves more classic than trash-related.

Once the normal demon population had been annihilated, Nanashi shrugged, walking over to Kaname and wiping off her sword with a discarded scrap of cloth.

"That was strange. I can't imagine what would make demon's act that way, I just don't understand. None of them had any power limiters to speak of and their powers were increased for just run of the mill brawlers."

Kaname nodded and looked about suspiciously, flexing her arms and wiping the blood off her knuckled distractedly.

"Yeah, almost like someone was...making them..."

Nanashi shrugged and both were turning to go when an ominous whistle was heard behind them. Nanashi gasped and fell forward, stumbling into Kaname with gushing wound in her back. Kaname pushed Nanashi behind her and held up her hands as the mastermind behind the operation stepped forth with a triumphant look upon his features.

Standing at least three feet taller than the average demon stood a dark skinned monster, a glass eye looking out upon the destruction he had wrought while the other surveyed the damage to the bodies with sick and twisted pleasure. His long black hair whipped out behind him and stung the wind with separate whipping cracks and around him the electricity seemed to flow without obstruction, unmitigated from the heavens and terrible in every way. His mouth was gnarled and set in a satisfied grin at all the pain that sat before him, all his doing. His fangs shone pearly white in the afternoon sun as Kaname barred her teeth defensively at him.

"Who the hell are you?" she shouted defiantly.

The demon shrugged.

"Nothing to concern your pretty little head over, I understand. My awesome greatness intimidates you."

Kaname found that even the enemy's voice disturbed her. He laughed cockily and eyed his claws with carefree satisfaction.

"So, you were able to defeat the pathetic army were you?"

Kaname growled fiercely at him which simply made him laugh again.

"Oh, you common thieves are so rude. Oh well. You can't save them all. Fortunately, I planned on at least a few distractions or interruptions in my plan."

Kaname felt dread creeping over her heart at these words.

"What plan?" she shouted trying to disguise the terror in her tone.

The demon smiled wolfishly and seemed to be overly happy about something.

"To take back what is rightfully ours, that's which the humans have stolen from us. You there are my sister, how dare you fight against me? Join me, you're a strong one Kaname Ichigari, you can be of use."

She shivered inwardly. What was rightfully theirs?

"Who are you freak?" she yelled again.

He turned his back on her and made as if to leave but spoke condescendingly over his shoulder in a chilling whisper.

"I am Renguto Kagarajiti. Remember that Kaname Ichigari, I have not given up on you yet."

A grunt sounded from the ground and Nanashi gritted her teeth, rising shakily and leaning on her tri-blade and baring her fangs vehemently.

"You'll pay...bastard..."

A trickle of blood flowed slowly from the left corner of her mouth and dappled the ground crimson at her feet leaving her to fall limply to the ground. Kaname glared daggers at the dashing culprit and gripped the base of her switchblade tightly.

"Just who do you think you are," she screamed with a deep growl rising in her throat.

His eyes glittered madly in the waning sunlight as his tongue flickered briefly from between his lips.

"Shango Damaksa, all powerful king of the west. I'm sure we will meet again on your travels my beautiful countess."

Kaname gasped and her furious features wiped blank with a pale shock, the breath caught firm in her lungs. How could he know, a passing lowlife demon, the past of one such as her...? He turned to go yet again but a whistling sound from the east signaled the presence of a familiar party. A chain appeared from behind Kaname and wrapped itself tightly around Shango's elegantly clothes wrist. He grimaced and gingerly placed his finger on the curved link, a green light radiating from his finger pads and burning its way acidically through the metal work. Once it had fallen melted to the ground, Shango smiled sourly.

"Well, if it isn't the infamous Sanzo party. Just the ones I wanted to see. Let me be the first to say that you hardly look capable of your reputation."

Kaname turned around quickly to see the strange foursome from the previous night staring down the so-called "demon king,' with looks of pure indifference. Goku looked genuinely angry at the aforementioned insult.

"Who are you calling hardly capable, jerk?"

Shango rolled his eyes and winked knowingly at Kaname.

"Too many introductions. Countess Arabella, I trust you will pass along the information at hand?"

With that his hands radiated a sickening green fog about the area and several seconds later when the ghastly smoke had dissipated, Shango Damaksa, the demon king of the west, had vanished.

The five witnesses stared blankly at the mound of rubble where the culprit had perched just seconds before. Kaname jerked to life as the figure at her feet twitched and began to rise. The blood seeped through her clothing and down her back pooling at her feet and reflecting the twilight. She spat some more liquid on the ground and began to walk unsteadily through the rubble towards the west. Kaname smiled sadly and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Where ya goin' kid?" she called.

Nanashi didn't turn and bent slightly, trying to move a large rock out of her path. Kaname sighed.

"Fang, you aren't in any condition to go anywhere."

Nanashi peered over her shoulder.

"We need to keep going he's out there waiting for us somewhere. Don't you even care?"

Kaname's eyes flickered briefly.

"You know that I care Nanashi, but more so for your well-being."

Her partner's shoulders quivered in indignation and she spoke in a dead and toneless voice.

"I'm fine. Hiko is the one who needs your concern."

"Fang..."

"I'm going! Do whatever the hell you want Kaname! I don't give a damn!"

Kaname appeared at Nanashi's side and with one quick movement used her fist to render the girl unconscious. The brown-haired girl stooped languidly to scoop the small demon into her arms and began walking solemnly towards the four members of the Sanzo party. She stopped briefly and looked at Hakkai.

"You're the healer, are you not?"

He nodded and maintained his ever-present smile. Kaname's voice was cold as she spoke.

"I will need help. In return I can pay for your inn rooms and dinner. Are you coming or not?"

At the mention of food, Goku grinned.

"Hey, I'm in!"

Sanzo nodded begrudgingly.

"Fine."

Hakkai walked alongside Kaname.

"How did you know about my powers?"

Kaname smiled wryly.

"Oh, I know much about the Sanzo party."