I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

-Saira-

Chapter One: Attack and the Well

Saira climbed easily to the middle of the large old tree and sat there on the second lowest branch comfortably. This was her favorite spot to think, away from the noise of the awakening village. The forest was quiet with the midmorning sun shining through the slender branches.

Her Aunt Sango had told her the tree was called Goshinboku. The name sounded ancient and important on her lips. Goshinboku The Tree of Ages.

She fingered the scar on its bark directly below her with her left hand. The familiar tingle of old magic rushed through her. She would have thought the feeling was her imagination but Old Kaede, the village priestess and her teacher, told her never to ignore her feelings because she was descended from powerful magic.

The tree had always held some feeling with her. Something large and important had happened here, but neither Sango, Miroku, or Kaede ever talked about it.

It just had a feeling of familiarity and kinship. It was comforting when she felt lonely, but today she was just curious and frustrated that she couldn't figure it out. She supposed she would just have to attempt to ask more questions. If they would ever answer any, she thought bitterly. Whenever the tree or the subject of her real parents came up, the family only brushed her off. She could ask Myike but he was useless and never knew anything of import to her.

She almost felt dizzy touching that ruined bark and let go, swinging down to hang off the ancient tree by her knees. She had always liked to hang upside down, it reminded her of flying. She dreamed of flying a lot, more peaceful than some of her other dreams. She shuddered at thinking of those. Suddenly her thoughts were scattered by the distant sound of crunching leaves.

"Damn," she growled out frustrated. "I thought I'd have more time before they noticed me missing."

She sat up and quickly jumped away and down from her tree brushing her long, smoky black hair away from her face, as she swiftly ran to meet the annoying personage.

The seventeen year old boy looked up suddenly, as though startled that she had heard him coming from so far away. He shouldn't be, she thought, amused. She liked to surprise him by sneaking up on him often enough. His blue-violet eyes caught the light, shining out; an unusual color.

But then she shouldn't think that when her own ruddy golden brown eyes shone far brighter, another token of her parentage.

She had learned from the whispered conversations of her aunt and uncle, in the long night hours when she couldn't sleep, that her mother had been a powerful miko, and her father was . . . well, some type of demon.

It explained a lot. No matter how powerful a miko, she knew she would never have this type of speed and strength without someone like that in her family.

It made her feel different. Not the good kind. The villagers respected her, but stayed their distance. They were afraid of her too bright eyes.

The boy suddenly looked down still kicking up the dirt and leaves of the forest. He had pitch black hair that he had tied back in a small tail as his father. He looked almost exactly like a younger version of the ex-monk. The boy's eyes had been watering. Something was wrong.

"Myike," she asked softly, her anger at another being so near her forest dissipating quickly. "What's going on?"

He looked up again and his eyes seemed to pierce through her. "Its father," he said quietly. "He collapsed this morning. Kaede is asking for your assistance as a healer."

Saira's heart jumped. Miroku was like her father too. Myike's voice jolted her, he had never sounded this melancholy before. He had inherited his father's joking nature and was constantly teasing her; he was her best friend. His disquiet seized her heart

"It'll be okay." she whispered, her hand on his shoulder.

"They don't know what's wrong with him. Go as fast as you can." When he looked back up she had already left. As well more agile than her peers she was also the fastest runner in the village. He really admired her.

Myike started back himself, slowly. He wasn't an overly emotional guy but his father had scared him. One minute he was himself, teasing Myike about his bad luck with the women of the village, who knew all his lines, the next he was half conscious on the floor. Although he hadn't wanted to leave his ailing father, he knew that getting Saira was important. She was getting much better at healing now as well as a miko, even if a clumsy one. She could possibly sense if it was anything unnatural.

He shuddered involuntarily. He had never seen any real magic before or met demons. Nor had he any want to. But according to his parents, demons and magic had seemed to follow them everywhere when they were young. They had been part of a group of demon slayers when they had met and married.

He smirked thinking of his woman-chasing, jovial father fighting off demons. He knew his mother had even been raised to exterminate them. Although they loved (most) of their memories, he knew he could never live that life. All he wanted was to settle down and get married, have kids. He wanted…

But he dismissed that thought quickly enough as he got to the edge of the forest and prepared himself to meet his father again.

Miroku looked at his headstrong adopted daughter in amusement. As soon as she had entered the hut she had taken over.

"More blankets and cold water!" She roared with a take charge attitude that reminded him so much of her father. Her golden eyes flashed as she had burst in moments before. Seeing that Miroku was awake and stable seemed to calm her a bit, but she still looked worried. She had insulted anyone who got in the way, using words he had never heard her speak before.

Inherited his language too, he smiled wryly.

"Saira, calm down. I feel fine now, I'm not sick anymore." He insisted.

"You have a high fever, and I don't want you moving out of that bed for the next week, you hear me!?"

Miroku cowered at the look in her eyes. "Sango save me!" He cried, his eyes twinkling. "Our girl's on another rampage."

Sango rolled her eyes and smacked him playfully with the cool cloth at his side. "You'll do as she says. We don't want one of her tempers!" She pushed his streaked gray black hair away from his forehead and smiled. Kaede had proclaimed it was just a fever and nothing truly serious. He would have to be in bed the next few days though to heal up since he wasn't as young as he used to be.

After the chaos died down, and the women from the village who had come to help saw that everything was under control left the family, Myike having just arrived and Miroku on orders to rest.

"I told you not to work in the fields on that rainy day. This is where it gets you Miroku." The women chided. None were as stern as Saira however. She insisted on doing all the fieldwork with Myike by themselves for the next week. "And I won't take no for an answer, Uncle!" She half shouted.

"How about one protest," asked Myike. "Why was I volunteered for this assignment?" After seeing that his father was fine, he was back to his old self. "I have business with the young ladies." He winked at Miroku.

"Myike," said Sango, before her too-understanding-in-this-situation husband, could interfere. "We can't have Saira working alone and I have to nurse your father." She smiled again. "Besides, you'll get to bond!" she said cheerfully.

"Goody…" Myike muttered into his work shirt. He had already finished his morning chores and now he got to work in the fields. This day is just getting better by the minute, isn't it?

"Why'd you have to mention me, Saira?" He whined for the millionth time. He wanted to see Aiko again. She was new in the village and seemed to like him. Maybe if he used a different tactic…

Saira didn't catch the customary lecherous grin on his face that meant his mind was elsewhere.

"What're you complaining about? It's not like you've done much or even need to." It had only been fifteen minutes and her half of the southerly field was nearly all planted. "Besides we need to 'bond'." she smiled showing her sharper than normal canines. "We never hang out like we used to, not since you've been hanging around the village girls. I kind of miss it, y'know? Myike? MYIKE?!"

Myike was painfully brought out of his fantasy upside the head and into the dirt. "Oooowwww!"

"I don't like it when people aren't listening to me." She said sweetly pulling back her hand.

He grimaced. "You didn't have to hit me that hard. It didn't tickle you know." He said irritably, brushing himself off and rubbing the swollen lump on his head.

"It wasn't supposed to- what's that?!"

"What?" Asked Myike, his dopey look rapidly changing to one of concern.

"That noise . . .oww!" She covered her ears as a roar like thousands of screams could be heard moving towards the village. Myike covered his ears too shouting into the house for his mother.

Sango was already out with Haraikatsu strapped to her back. The roaring only grew louder, accompanied by loud crashes as whole huts were sucked into the earth. The real screams of their neighbors soon joined them.

"IS IT A DEMON?," shouted Myike over the deafening noise. Miroku came out to join them, looking grave. Cutting off Saira's brewing complaint against him being out of bed, he silenced her holding up his left hand. He had brought quite a few of his tricky rosaries.

"YES, IT'S A DEMON! MANY IN FACT! A PACK OF WORMS! I WANT YOU TO GET OUT OF HERE! GO TO THE WOODS!" Miroku had a determined look on his face, and although not in her old uniform, Sango was already in a battle stance as the destruction of cottages and huts marked the path of a 'worm' headed their way.

"BUT I WANT TO HELP!" Saira cried. "I'VE HAD BATTLE TRAINING AND MY POWERS COULD HELP TOO"

This time it was Sango who spoke. "WE KNOW YOU CAN DEFEND YOURSELF BUT IT'S TOO RISKY! YOU'VE NEVER SEEN A REAL BATTLE! KAEDE WILL HELP US IF WE CAN REACH HER! NOW TAKE MYIKE AND HIDE!" Even Saira couldn't argue with her tone of voice and as the rampaging drew closer she grabbed Myike's hand and ran for the forest.

Miroku held up his inornate right hand and smiled wryly motioning to the worms with his other hand. "ITS TOO BAD I DON'T HAVE THE AIR RIP ANYMORE! IT WOULD REALLY TAKE CARE OF THESE COME IN HANDY ABOUT NOW!" Sango just smiled at him, and took aim at the giant gnashing worm that had just surfaced with the boomerang. It would be a long fight, but at least the kids were safe.

Saira was up in Goshinboku again hanging upside down. "Its not fair Myike! Just because you're such a bratty pacifist that you never had any battle training I have to babysit! It could have been my first battle today! Damn it!"

Myike, who sat below against the tree, did not like being called a brat. And he was happy that they were finally away from the racket. His ears were still ringing. "Gee, thanks. Just so you know, this is not a good tactic for making me sympathize with you." He looked down at his hands. "And I'm NOT helpless, all right! Just so you know I've been practicing father's magic with the rosar-"

"Parlor tricks." Saira said simply, swinging to and fro now. "All mikos and monks can do those. They are no match for a full demon." She yawned and wondered how Uncle Miroku and Aunt Sango were doing. She missed the excitement. It had been a good half hour already, maybe the battle was over.

"Yooowwwwchhhh!" Saira fell out of the tree with none of her unnatural grace and landed flat on her butt. She glared at Myike who was laughing his head off. Understanding, she pried off the purple rosary he had attached to her leg. "Lightning beads. Cute."

Two minutes later, Saira was hanging from her tree again and Myike was still tied up in his lightning beads unconscious beneath it. Must have beaten him pretty good, she thought whistling to herself.

Suddenly she tensed and her hair stood on end. Then she heard it. The distant roar. A worm had escaped and it was coming closer. Looks like I'm going to see battle after all.

She hopped off the tree and started shaking Myike, ignoring the little zaps from the remaining energy in the beads. "Myike, GET UP!"

"What?" He muttered almost incoherently. "Ow. Why'd you wake me? I was dreaming about Yuko-- That sound! Are the worms coming?!" He looked petrified and Saira stifled a giggle.

"Yes. But don't worry your head about it you poor baby, we'll find you a widdle place to hide you while I battle with it." She smiled showing her canines again and drew her sword which she just happened to be carrying with her. It made Myike wonder just a little if she had had one of her feelings that this would happen. "Come on!" She called, jolting him out of his thoughts, already on a path deeper into the woods.

They came through the thin trees and undergrowth and found only one cave which Saira flatly refused to let him hide in. She claimed it held evil vibrations, but he figured she just didn't like that the light did not penetrate its depths. She was afraid of dark enclosed spaces. The sounds of the worm still came closer but the look in her eyes told him he would have to find another suitable place to hide. She had her sword out and at her side still but looked bored and restless.

He had to find a way to stop her from battling with that thing. It was too dangerous.

Another five minutes in, and Saira was tired of looking for a place to hide. "Myike, will you give it up? If you're worried don't be; you know I'll save your hide." She smiled mockingly at his back but nearly bumped into him. He had stopped.

She looked over his shoulder to see a wooden well.

It was old and looked fairly beaten up. There were uprooted trees and old scorch marks all around the place which had created a clearing. Myike was still standing at the edge of it. She stepped around and in front of him to get a closer look at the well and felt the enormous wave of energy that must have stopped the boy in his tracks. It nearly overpowered her. It was like the effect of the scar on the Goshinboku amplified ten times all around the clearing. She felt the sense of belonging again.

Magic was here.

Saira vaguely wondered why she hadn't been there before. She'd thought she'd explored every inch of this forest. She was strangely inapprehensive about this place. Where that dark cave had immediately given her a sense of fear, this place relaxed her. "This is a good place to hide." she nodded to Myike, who still stood there in shock over the feelings that had attacked him as he entered.

This was when the worm decided to make his entrance.

The ground shook and it surfaced just as it entered the tiny clearing.

"What took you so long?" Saira taunted. It appeared to be a baby compared with the ones she had seen Sango face as they left. She would take care of it easily. She grinned her carnivore grin and stamped her feet.

It was an ugly bugger, a dark shade of green with yellow spikes rising out of it. Maybe it was venomous? Better if it's a challenge.

She brought her sword in front of her and took a stance as its four rows of teeth circled hungrily and it shrieked at her. Not as loud as its parents but still deafening at such close range.

"Go to the well!" She shouted to Myike, who was still frozen. He didn't move, his eyes glazed over. The worm turned its head towards the unmoving boy. "Run, stupid!" She shouted. The worm seemed to decide Myike looked more appetizing than the yelling thing with the sharp looking stick moving around frantically. It moved its head down quickly to pick him up but not fast enough as Saira dived for him and threw them to the ground. "You IDIOT! Your parents would kill me if I let you get eaten! Why didn't you move!?"

Finally, he seemed to snap out of his trance. "HEY! You let me get eaten? Hah! I wouldn't have… I-I was just about to kill that thing-"

"With what? Your frightening stares of death?" She snorted. "Now go to the well! You can hide in it if you're scared!"

"I'm not scared and I'm not sure about that weeeeeeeelllllllll!" He squeezed out the last part of the sentence as she protectively dragged him away from the man-eating worm that had been poised to bite his head off again. It looked a trifle annoyed too.

Saira dragged him to the center of the clearing and nearly shoved him in. "Don't come out until I tell you to! I'm gonna kill this thing!"

"But we don't know how far down this thing goes." He whined, having grabbed hold of the edge before she threw him down. "Didn't I ever tell you of my fear of heights?"

Saira turned around to look at the cowering Myike who had dragged his shoulders out of the well. "Will you shut up before you get your head bitten off-!?" Myike's eyes widened in fear as the worm's mouth came down on top of them while Saira was yelling. Faster than he thought was possible for himself, he pulled Saira into the well, simultaneously losing his grip on the wall. They both fell, as the monster crunched the wooden top of the well in its teeth just above them.

Myike's heart was in his throat as they fell, no, floated through a purple haze of light and the vision of the worm faded before their eyes.

They both screamed all the way down.