Miroku Alive and Takashi's Grand Village

KKKEEERRRR-BOOM!

Inuyasha took a few heaving breaths and looked at the place where Takashi was. What he saw shocked him more. Takashi stood there with red and blue essences surrounding him and protecting him from Inuyasha's attack. Takashi smirked.

"Totosai has outdone himself this time," he said.

"How do you know about Totosai?" asked a panting Inuyasha.

They stood there, glaring at each other, with swords raised.

"I know Totosai because he came to our people to be apprenticed. However, he left too soon to know anything about making a sword of real power, except for maybe yours." Takashi said with a raised eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter if we both know Totosai or not I'll still have your head for killing Miroku." growled Inuyasha.

At this point Sango and Kilala had both shaken of the blows from Takashi and stood up ready to back up Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha wait," said Kagome. "Miroku's alive!'

From out of the trees came a slightly dirtied monk with twigs and leaves still in his hair. He was rubbing his head in pain but looked relatively fine.

"Wha? Miroku you're alive!" cried Sango.

"Umm, ya it sure seems that way," said Miroku.

"And to think I was going to kill you over this," said Inuyasha looking at Takashi.

"I think our mistaken on who would kill who," retorted Takashi.

"Oh, ya? I could have taken you down right on that spot if it weren't for Kagome and Miroku coming in!

"Hey, don't blame this on me!" said a slightly enraged Kagome.

"I don't have time for this petty argument," interrupted Takashi. "If you'll excuse me I must be on my way."

Takashi turned to leave when suddenly a flurry of questions, accusations, miscellaneous phrases and challenges were flung at him from all directions.

(Use your imagination!)

"Who are you?"

"What's your name?"

"You broke my Hiraikotsu!"

"Where are you going we're not finished yet!"

"OSAWRI!"

FWUMP!

"I could take you!"(Small squeaky voice)

"Hey why'd you do that for?"

"Behave Inuyasha!"

"How come Miroku isn't smoke and ashes?"

Rubbrubb

SLAP!

"OUCH!"

"Grr, Miroku behave!"

Then Takashi calmly answered all the questions in one fell swoop.

"I'm a traveler, my name is Takashi, I'm sorry I'll fix it, we can't finish it, it never started, no small Kitsune you can't, (Wow powerful prayer beads), he wasn't incinerated because I willed it not to, and now I think I regret it."

They all looked in shock at him. They had all had got caught up in there own affairs that they forgot he was there, but he quickly gathered themselves up and put on straight faces.

"What do you mean you 'willed' it not to?" asked Miroku.

"It means I can control the fire that comes from my blade to either; burn, push, heat and various other uses." replied Takashi.

"How are you going to fix my Hiraikotsu?" asked a confused Sango. "Even though your blade can use fire I'll still need a forge or something."

"That," said Takashi "is something I can do in a hours walk. I know a village near here that can help."

"How?" asked Kagome. "We haven't seen a village in a while or close to here with a forge."

"Kagome is right," agreed Inuyasha. "Even if there was one that we missed I would have smelled them."

"That's because they have an enchantment disguising their town so demons and other things can find them, and I must admit it was a very good one." answered Takashi.

"Then what are we waiting for then?" asked Kagome. "Let's go!"

A short while later they had reached the fringe of the forest. They faced mountains and another forest far off into the distance.

"I don't think we've been here before." said Sango.

"I know," Takashi said. "This place has a spell placed on it to make others avoid here."

"Avoid what?" asked Kagome.

"Takashi!"

Suddenly two kids appeared from no where to hug Takashi's legs. One was a boy the other a girl no older than seven years-old. They looked so alike that they were probably siblings.

"Takashi-kun you came back so soon." said the smaller girl.

"Ya, last time it took you a year!" said the little boy. "Hey, you brought friends!"

The children quickly scrabbled to the others behind Takashi towards Kilala and Shippo.

"Hey," said the little girl looking up at Inuyasha, while other brother went to Miroku and Sango. "Can I ask you a question?"

Inuyasha crouched to down to meet the girl face to face.

"Ya," he said with a sneer. "What do you want?"

The girl looked down to her feet, which were kicking a little rock around. She looked back up with a smile and said.

"Can I...um...touch your ears?" she said hesitantly.

This sent a roar of laughter from the other people around him, except for Takashi; he seemed to always have a blank uncaring expression, except around kids. Inuyasha looking quite flustered over this stood back up and turned his head away.

"You to should get back into the village," spoke Takashi. "How many times have I told you not to be playing near the fringe of the 'curtain'?"

"Lots!" cried the boy with a smile. "Sorry" he said afterwards looking a little ashamed.

"By the way," Takashi said. "This is little Hideo," said Takashi patting the boy on the head. "And this is little Mitsune." he said again, this time patting the little girl.

"Where not that little!" they both pouted.

Then they quickly trotted into the field where the disappeared into thin air. They all looked at Takashi for an explanation, but he had already started to walk to where the Hideo and Mitsune had disappeared. He, too, disappeared and they were both left standing at the fringe of nothingness.

They all looked around at each other in disbelief. Finally Inuyasha gave a shrug and walked into the barrier and suddenly disappeared also. Kagome went next, then Miroku and then Sango who was trailed by Kilala, leaving Shippo the last one to enter. Although he started arguing with himself that if the barrier revealed a bottomless pit that he was too young to die, but he dived in head first after hearing a rustle in the bushes.

What they saw through the barrier was shocking. Large buildings loomed high into the sky, nearby merchants where shouting out to consumers, people where talking to each other on the street, a troop of men and women were walking out of a nearby dojo, and in the center of all this commotion was Takashi between a grinning Hideo and Mitsune.

"Welcome," he said. "To Motoko village."

After everyone had a bath and had finished the small feast, in their honor, they decided to settle down to sleep in a large suite consisting of four mattresses, pillows and blanket stuffed with goose feather down. Kagome was especially thrilled at this since she had not slept on a soft mattress in ages. Inuyasha however was content on sleeping on the ground leaving the bed to a grateful Shippo and Kilala. Takashi, too, decided to 'sleep' on the ground. Takashi crossed his legs and relaxed his body putting his hands on his knees. His head drooped down to touch his chest and drifted into a sleepless dream.