*Now...if you get a little confused with this chapter...blame me! I decided to give Kazu a family...he did seem a little lonely. Oh well...if I say too much...I'll ruin the chapter! Enjoy!*

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and co. but one day I might! (Yeah right...but oh well...I can dream...)

Chapter 23

"I know you're out there! Come out before I burn the tree you hide behind!" Kojika shouted through the trees of the forest.

It had been a thirty minute walk through brush and leaves and now she could finally smell her quarry at it's strongest here...a hidden temple up in the woods near the village for the Owl God. Apparently these people had believed in great wisdom, for just above the shrine was the stone image of a great white owl with it's wings spread wide out over its perch. "I can smell you!

You cannot hide for long you poor excuse for a creature!" There was still no reply.

This being, in which Kojika was after, had been following them for the most of the day. Like a lost soul, it followed and watched, and Kojika found it's presence quite disturbing. This creature had the power to hide it's thoughts from her searching telepathy over its mind. This creature also could not be heard. For some reason, each step was so light it could not crack a dried leaf, and it did not breath...so it's breaths did not echo. It's smell was rather disturbing though...for it blended into the forest they traveled through...only that it had the smell of ashes...like that of the dead humans when they were cremated.

"If you do not come out, I swear I will find you myself and it will not be pleasant!" Kojika continued.

This creature was no idiot. It knew that she was here to destroy it, and so it watched her, looking for a weakness of any sort that could aid it. It could drift as well...merely from wind to wind, and then would appear in another spot, staring at the dragon until she would turn on it, then it was gone once again. Finally though, it saw it fit to appear before the Dragon's eyes.

This creature, this thing of death and that was death, stood recognizable, almost with the same appearance as Kagome, if she ever wished to blend in wearing the peasant kimono. She had her long silky black hair tied behind her neck with a simple paper tie, and her top was a fold over white jacket, that was neatly tucked in a pair of large red floppy bottoms. Her feet were wrapped in the usual white socks that only separated for the toes in two areas (one for the big toe, and one for the rest), and her brown eyes searched Kojika's, as she held her great long bow firmly in her hand.

"Who are you?" she asked, glaring at the dragon.

"I am Kojika, and I guess you must be Kikyo, yes?" she asked, staring at the dead maiden.

"Aye. What have you of me?" she inquired, as Kojika happened to notice the small army of soul stealing dragons come lining up behind her.

"So, Kikyo, we meet at last. You do look like Kagome. I have come to ask you why you follow my group around. Is it that you still have an infatuation with my old student Inuyasha, or is it something else?"

Kikyo cocked her head at this, not like a confused dog, but more like a gentle crane, trying to figure out what was standing before it.

"Why I follow is none of your business. What happened to me and Inuyasha fifty years ago is merely between us. But if you do wish to hide Inuyasha from me, I will kill you."

"Really...is that you're nature miko?" Kojika replied slyly, watching for any change in character on the maiden's face.

But this woman was excellent at keeping a calm appearance. She figured it was because this woman had seen so much in her short life, and then now as she wandered in a dead body, that she was able to seem so lifeless.

"If you stand between me and Inuyasha, it shall be." The miko replied, pulling forth her bow.

"Stop. You are smarter than that Kikyo...to attack me head on with nothing but a mere bow and a little spiritual power within you arrows. You know I am not killed so easily as of that from a miko's attack. I will bounce it back and destroy you for good."

"You are very observant Kojika. Yes...I do not plan on attacking you like I would with mere demons. But if you don't mind, I would like to test you on your ability?"

Kojika nodded, and welcomed her dragon Kazu as he slid from the branch above her and onto her shoulder, patting him warmly.

"Fine. Show me what you've got." Kojika replied.

Kikyo nodded as well, and with a command from her hand, her soul stealers rose up before her...a small army of ten.

"So, you choose to fight me with mere dragons then eh? Then you will loose most definitely. Do you not know, that my nature and blood, is that of the dragon race." With that, Kojika clicked her tongue three times, with one long whistle, and Kazu hissed back, rising up into the sky with a bright red glow. Small red beams shot off of himself, seven all together, and hit the ground, producing seven other dragons along with himself.

The first to fall, was a bright yellow dragon, decorated with green stripes around his body, leaving long green spikes on his back and what looked like a tulips pedals on the end of his fine thin tail. His eyes were bright yellow, almost a shinier quality than Inuyasha's, and it yowled happily as it stretched it's legs and hind legs for flight.

"Welcome forth Taki." Kojika told it, only to receive a happy chirp as it came to brush her face effectionately.

The second to fall looked rather odd, with it's large black puppy dog eyes displaying a cuteness of it, and large oval like fins on either side of it's egg shaped head. It's slender body had not legs, but instead, where the legs went, were left thin little fins, deep blue to go along with the gossamer light blue of it's body. It's tail ended in a fin for good support. It too flew up and rubbed against Kojika.

"Hello Mazi." She replied.

The third had a very slender lavender body, with large exotic like bird wings protruding from it, and a large teardrop shaped head, it's eyes tiny slits like that of a Chinese human. It's tiny ears pricked up in swirls that resembled the wind, and it's tail ended in what look like a pair of birds wings opposite it's reflection.

"And Lika."

The next one was sleek, also with out legs, but had more of a resemblance to that of an electric eel with it's many flapping little hair in one strait line along it's body. It's head resembled that of a horse, with the proud chin, and it's ears tipped in what looked like that of lightning bolts.

"And Niki." She said, petting the little green dragon over the head.

The fifth one after that, had to have been a grass or plant element dragon. It's large green Siamese head was surrounded in large pink flower pedals, along with simple squinty eyes, and a pair of long thin mustaches that hung down around his chops.

He had a long line of what looked like grass growing down his back, and a collection of tiny claws that resembled that of bees legs. His tail, was ended in a small twig with sprouting green leaves.

"Hi, Reni." Kojika acknowledged as the little dragon rose up to nuzzle her face, along with it's brothers and sisters.

The last one, was also the most frightening of the group of tiny dragons. It's muzzle was round, to help shape up the long keen and slender black fangs that hung from it, and its deep black orbs of a pair of eyes searched around, glinting with mischief.

What looked like a tight black pearl necklace clung around it's throat, and sharp little black spikes stuck out in a thin line down his back. His tail was finely tipped, although it had nothing to hang from it like it's others. His velvety gray exterior rippled as he growled, and unlike his brothers and sisters, he snarled at Kojika and staring angrily at Kikyo.

Kojika sighed. "And Moru. Dratted dragon, I am your master. Get over here!"

Moru gave her an infuriated glare, but complied with her orders anyways.

"So these are your dragons." Snickered Kikyo. "They are nothing but silly excuses of morphed bits of nature. They are as stupid as they come."

Kazu came down and landed on his masters shoulder, nuzzling her like the others. "See how they all act like mere pets when they come to welcome you. Nothing but mere beasts!"

Kojika glared at Kikyo in her most defiant way, clicked a message to her dragons. They all nodded, including Moru, who seemed to snicker like Kikyo did, and with a wave of Kojika's hand, they were off towards the fearless Miko.

"Tear them apart." Kikyo told her dragons, sending them off.

The battle of the miniature dragons had begun.

*There you go! A chapter full of dragons...Who do you think will win? Kikyo...or Kojika? You probably already have an idea right. Well...so do I, but I don't think I've finished writing in that category yet. But don't worry, I'll get it written...I'm constantly coming up with new ideas!*