Chapter 2

"A Thin Bloodline"

Inuyasha paced around the Bone Eater's Well with his fists shoved into the oversized sleeves of his kimono. Kagome had gone to her time quite a while ago to take another one of her "tests". Nearly a day had passed since he had last seen her. It wasn't as if he was becoming worried about her. He just wanted her to hurry up and get back so that they could continue their search for the fragments of the Shikon Jewel. If they didn't need her to sense the shards, he wouldn't even waste his time waiting for her. She was such a drag most of the time.

"Inuyasha!" he heard the voice of his annoying companion, Shippo, the kitsune (fox) youkai.

He turned to the little creature and stopped pacing.

"What?" He tried to refrain from speaking further for his voice could clearly be read as irritated. Then Shippo would presume that Inuyasha missed Kagome. The last thing he needed was for a little kitsune youkai to try and read his mind.

The young fox hopped up onto the edge of the well and looked down. "Kagome hasn't come back yet?" he asked.

Inuyasha drove his fist into Shippo's back and he went tumbling over the edge and into the well. With a cry, he clutched onto a vine near the surface.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"That was for asking yet another stupid question, you dumb fox." With that, Inuyasha carried on with his restless pacing around the well.

Shippo whimpered as he attempted to crawl back over onto solid ground. "Why are you always being so rude to me!" he demanded to know.

"Why don't you just shut up and go away? You're such a pain."

Shippo was about to utter yet another word until the Bone Eater's Well began to glow and Kagome crawled over from the other side.

Inuyasha frowned as he looked in her direction. "Kagome, what took you so lo..."

"Osuwari..." she mumbled and Inuyasha went crashing into the ground head first. Nonchalantly, she picked up Shippo and held him close to herself. "Hi, Shippo," she greeted.

He rubbed his head against her cheek. "I missed you, Kagome! Now that you're back, Inuyasha won't get out of line for a while."

"Grr..." Inuyasha stood angrily and curled his fists.

"Come on, Shippo, let's go check on the others," Kagome said, ignoring her fuming cohort and walking away.

Inuyasha watched as he was again left alone. "What a waste of time waiting for her..." he muttered. As he was about to follow her, the scent of something strange caught his attention. He spun around just in time to seize a glimpse of something bright dash behind a tree not too far from the Bone Eater's Well. Immediately, yet quietly, he began to walk towards the area where the culprit was supposedly watching him.

Just in case, he held his hand in the ready to draw his Tetsusaiga. The more steps he took, the least he could sense the odd odor that had caused him to become suspicious, so he began to walk faster in hopes of catching the villain before he escaped. Unfortunately, as he ran, the smell began to dissolve immediately as if into the air. As a final attempt, Inuyasha drew his weapon with a bellow and sliced down the tree where the enemy once stood. He was no longer there.

"Huh..." Taking one last whiff of the air, just to be sure that this new foe was in fact gone, Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga and followed Kagome and Shippo to where Sango, Miroku, and Kirara were.

Kimi's wings took her high into the air a young hanyou came walking in to her direction. She knew that he was a hanyou, for his being was childish, the very way he carried himself was un-youkai-like. Could this be a descendent of the great dog youkai who ruled over the Western Lands? His sword was none other than the Tetsusaiga. She had read about this sword the very same day. It belonged to the great dog youkai. Unless this hanyou was able to steal it from him, which was highly unlikely, he had inherited the sword after his father's death. So, this great youkai had gone so low as to have had an affair with a Human and produce a hanyou child. She doubted the power of the famous dog youkai more and more as she went deeper into the Western Lands.

She had a feeling that she would meet with this hanyou again. This time, however, she would expose herself and dispose of the young being; Of course, not before testing his strength in using Tetsusaiga, so finally her question of whether or not that his blood was the same as the daiyoukai whom had been lingering within her very thoughts for the past half day.

...

A day had passed before Kimi felt the presence of the hanyou yet again. This time she would be careful not to engage his scent as easily as she had done so earlier. She lifted herself into the air and perched on the highest branch of the highest tree she could find in the path of this hanyou and his companions. They were Human, how strange. It was considered an insult for any youkai to associate himself with one of mortal blood. How could he be a descended of the great daiyoukai?

As the company neared her, she hugged her back against the tree and hung her hand above Shoushi-Ken. She would attack quickly, before he could even sense her this time. Just as the hanyou was right beneath her feet, she leaped from the branch she stood on and pushed downward with all of her might, drawing her wings back into her flesh so that they would not hinder her whatsoever. She situated herself to land directly in front of the hanyou. He was stunned, as he did not draw his weapon right away. Kimi took this opportunity to unsheathe Shoushi-Ken and swing it in his direction. Surprisingly enough, his reflexes proved worthy of battle. Shoushi-Ken fell into the dirt. Kimi pulled it out quickly and swung back at the hanyou, who had just enough time to draw out Tetsusaiga as our blades clashed.

"Inuyasha!" a young Human girl with strange clothing shouted.

"Who the hell are you?" the hanyou, Inuyasha, inquired, ignoring the girl.

Kimi pressed forward, driving Inuyasha into the back of a tree, their blades still clinging together, the sound of the metal scraping together bringing a feverish delight to her ear. She felt no need to answer the hanyou's question, as she had expected an answer to her own.

"It's a suwan youkai!" cried another being from behind. It was from the second female companion that this Inuyasha was traveling with. With a side glance Kimi could tell that she was a youkai exterminator, though she did not even need to look at her to decipher that. Only a youkai exterminator would have the knowledge of the suwan youkai clan. "Get back, Inuyasha, she's very dangerous!"

"Ha!" Inuyasha's overconfidence was sickening. However, Kimi felt Tetsusaiga vibrating from our collision. What was he planning? Soon she could see a faint murmur of wind engulf his blade. She backed away just in time to recall the Kaze no Kizu. It was this very attack that was rumored to destroy one hundred oni in one mere sweep. No matter how strong she was at the time, this would surely do her in if she did not make a move quickly. Kimi leaped back as Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga into the air screaming, "Kaze no Kizu!!!!!!"

As soon as he had swung down, Kimi extended her wings and flew as high into the air as she possibly could. Even in flying this high, the powerful blade caught her and brought her down to the ground. She landed face-first and her vision became blank.

Kagome shielded her eyes from Inuyasha's random blow of the Kaze no Kizu. He could have at least told everyone to get back. How reckless of him. She came up behind him and peeked over his shoulder at the foe he had just recently brought down.

"'Very dangerous' Ha! She was just a kid!" he boasted, sheathing his Tetsusaiga.

Kagome glanced at Sango, whose gaze remained on the young suwan youkai. Her brow was furrowed in an odd way signalizing that she was suspicious of this creature. She slowly approached the girl and leaned over her with great care just incase she suddenly revived and struck out at her.

"That's strange," she said. "She's still alive."

Miroku joined Sango's side. "Better we just leave her here. She's not as dangerous as you thought, is she?"

"I don't know..."

Miroku placed his hand onto Sango's arm and pushed her forward talking as they went. "Most-likely, this confrontation has taught her a lesson and she'll know better than to underestimate us again."

"'Us?'" Inuyasha shouted. "What the hell did you do to help? I didn't see you do anything but watch!"

Miroku folded his arm giving himself his traditional wise appearance. "I simply stood by just in case things got out of hand. The girl did not appear to pose any threat to you."

"Yeah right..."

As they were arguing and dragging Sango along, Kagome and Shippo stood a few feet from the suwan youkai. Kirara had followed Sango after giving the young girl one last look. It was obvious that no one trusted that this youkai was gone for good.

Kagome then felt Shippo tug at her sock.

"Let's go, Kagome. If she comes back Inuyasha will definitely take care of her," he said.

"Okay..."

With that, the group made their way out of the woods and out of harms way, for now...