Disclaimer: I will never own Inu-Yasha or Ranma.

Last chapter: "I suggest you heed her warning," Fuuko said, vanishing with visible winds surrounding her.

Ch 21: Searching for the Lost

It had been a week since Fuuko and Tsumei had made their appearance. The group seemed to be edgy. Everyone was on his or her guard no matter what. Kagome even refused to take a bath one night, saying she wasn't all that dirty. But now she regretted it.

'What's wrong? I'm being so paranoid over nothing! If I need help, Ranma will be there, and I can always call for Fuuko and Tsumei.' Kagome thought, walking behind the group. But the matter was, could Fuuko and Tsumei be trusted at all? The two sisters helped with bringing Tenchi back into the present. She and Kyouran seemed to endorse them so they had some credibility.

They were on their way to the southern and eastern border where the village of elemental and mythic demons were said to be located.

The weather seemed to worsen everyday. Today, the clouds were a dark gray, and it seemed like it would rain any minute now. The air was cool, nearing what people would consider cold. The atmosphere was heavy and no one seemed to be in a good mood at all.

"It's raining," Miroku said, staring toward the sky. He felt a raindrop fall on his nose. "There's shelter over there." He pointed to a wooden cabin for travelers near the end of the road. The group made their way to the shelter in silence.

The small wooden cabin was only meant to house five people at a time, but there was enough room to fit in a kitsune cub and a small cat demon. In the cabin was some leftover firewood lying near the fireplace in the center.

Settling in, Inu-Yasha volunteered to start a fire with the leftover wood. He seemed to be in deep thought, which was quite unusual for him.

The rain began to pick up. Droplets of water began thundering upon the rooftop, creating soothing rhythmic beats. Everyone seemed to relax a bit, but they were still alert.

"We should start on dinner," Kagome said quietly. She was a little nostalgic to the environment. She tried to motivate herself to stand, but failed.

No one said anything, giving no indication they had heard the statement.

A fire finally started. The orange and red flames danced and crackled in the fireplace. The light illuminated the once dark room. Everyone seemed to draw closer to the warmth, looking for comfort in his or her ravaging thoughts.

Kagome finally motivated herself to make some ramen. The smell of steaming hot noodles filled the room. Everyone was hungry so they dug into the delicious dinner.

"Where do we go first?" Kagome asked as everyone finished off the last of his or her noodles.

"All we know is that the village is on the border of the southern and eastern territory. Maybe we should split into groups and search different areas," Miroku suggested.

"But Tenchi said dragon demons would be able to sense the village," Shippo pointed out.

"Then tomorrow, I'll be in my demon form, and we'll search for it," Kagome said, looking around the room. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"But Tenchi also said that there are powerful demons in the village. How are we going to sneak in?" Ranma questioned.

"You all won't," Kagome replied. "I will. I'm sure they'll let another dragon demon enter the village. I'll also look for the person Tenchi mentioned."

"But we don't know who he is," Inu-Yasha protested.

Kagome was silent, her eyes downcast. She was wondering how she could've forgotten about the most important detail. A small blush formed on her cheeks. She gripped her fists. In a quick motion, Kagome's head snapped up.

"I'll find him no matter what." Her face held an expression of determination; her chocolate brown eyes were sharp.

Inu-yasha and Ranma were about to rebut when Kyouran joined the conversation.

"His name is Fannel," Kyouran spoke while materializing next to Kagome. He sat beside her.

"I've heard of him," came a small voice. Myoga jumped up and down on Kirara's head.

"Where have you been?" Kagome questioned harshly. "It's been months since we last saw you!"

"I was attending matter in the east," Myoga answered. Jumping off Kirara, he hopped onto Inu-Yasha.

"Fannel, in human form has blue hair and a scar across on his face," Kyouran said. He reached into the breast pocket of his kimono. "Here's a scroll. In it, I wrote asking him to give the key to the messenger, who will be Kagome-san."

"What do you mean in his human form?" Shippo asked, raising his gaze to see Kyouran's face.

"He is a pure dragon. He's not a demonic dragon. The ryuu youkai come from the dragons. As their name applies, they are demons that have taken shape and powers of a true dragon. Dragons can take the form of humans if they wish,"Kyouran explained.

Shippo nodded, thinking he comprehended what Kyouran said... but it seemed everyone else truly understood.

"But why does Kagome-sama have to be the only to go?" Miroku questioned Kyouran.

"She is the only one among you that can become a ryuu youkai. Like dragons, ryuu youkai have a great sense of smell, even better than that of the dogs. They can smell you right now too but I assured them that none of you are doing anything suspicious."

Inu-yasha was about to make a remark, but was silenced by Kagome. She gave him the coldest death glare possible. Inu-Yasha growled in annoyance. Why would a wench like her treat him like a mutt? But something was odd. Inu- yasha could smell it. The air around Kagome seemed to shift like a storm approaching.

Ranma felt the change too. He glanced in her direction, worried. This wasn't the true Kagome, and he knew that. Ranma pondered back to his conversation with Sesshoumaru when they were just beginning their search for the Gouka Crystal.

Flash back

Ranma slid down the tree trunk. The sticks he had gathered were still lying in his arms. "Kagome told me bout Kikyo's and Inu-Yasha's meetings too. She cried her eyes out when we just met...but it's really unlike Kagome to want revenge."

"She just got a little help from her youkai self."

"Nani?" Ranma said. His voice was tinted with alarm. 'Kagome's youkai self made her that way? But what would happen when her youkai form takes over her body when she transforms?'

"Kagome's curse influenced her. I'm sure that Kagome's completely unaware of this. But youkais feed off pain, suffering, sorrow, and anger. Kagome felt all that the last time that miko and my half brother met. I believe that she was thinking about their meeting and the youkai in her fed off of her emotions and made itself known."

"But...youkais can't feed off of negative emotions. That's not what Kagome tells me," Ranma said, looking up towards the canopy of tree branches.

"But Kagome's a dragon youkai."

"First of all, what's the difference? Second, does that matter?"

"Yes it does. Dragon demons are rare. Out of all the different kinds of youkai there are, dragon youkais are the most destructive. In battle their instincts take over and they can do things that the strongest demons can't. They can manipulate anything to their will: minds, elements, and others. If that's Kagome's curse, to become a dragon youkai, then, when she's feeling negative emotions, she can kill you without feeling sorry at all," Sesshoumaru said sternly.

Ranma wasn't afraid of Kagome trying to kill him, but the idea that Kagome might want to kill him disturbed him. She was always kind and generous. She seemed to be more of healer than a fighter, but still fought when needed to. Ranma's face blanched. He didn't want to hurt Kagome. He didn't want to hurt one of his few friends.

End of Flash back

'Does that mean she wants to go or her demon form wishes it? It's getting hard to tell the other apart now. I hope she knows what she's doing,' Ranma thought, turning to face Kyouran.

"Can we accompany her?" Ranma asked. He was still worried about her safety.

Kyouran seemed to think the request over, considering his options.

"Very well, but only one of you may go," Kyouran finally answered. He knew the residents of the village would be suspicious either way. If Kagome went alone, there was a chance someone might attack them. Then the people in the village would wonder why the others were there. But if someone came with her, she would be safer. But then the villagers would still be on guard.

"Then which one of us is going?" Miroku questioned, looking around the room. "I can't go with Kagome-sama, because I'm a houshi. They would be highly suspicious if I went."

"I can't either. Being a youkai taijia doesn't help me get into villages where demons reside." Sango spoke up.

"I'll go!" Shippo volunteered. He jumped up, hitting his tiny fist against his chest.

"No," Inu-Yasha said immediately. "You're small and can't fight. If Kagome's attacked, what are you going to do? Run from them?"

"I can fight!" Shippo protested, though he knew he wouldn't be able to defeat any of them with his foxfire.

"What use are your illusions? They're strong in strength and sense. They could smell your illusions before you do anything," Inu-Yasha snorted.

Inu-yasha just said the words that would start an irate argument between the two if Ranma hadn't interfered.

"I'll go. To them, I'm just a human and I can hide my aura." Ranma said, breaking up the argument. Inu-Yasha and Shippo were about to protest but Kyouran silenced them.

"I'll lead you to the general area, just enough so Kagome-san would be able to sense the village. The rest of you should stay here," Kyouran said, getting to his feet. He brushed the dust off his red and white kimono.

"What if they attack? How will we reach them in time?" Sango looked up to Kyouran for an answer.

"She can summon Fuuko and Tsumei. They'll appear right on the spot."

Inu-Yasha and the others looked skeptical. They still didn't trust them. The sisters' first appearance was a rabid battle that divided the Inu-tachi in half. Their explanation was to test Kagome's strength along with the groups'.

"I'm pretty sure they're not going to do anything that serious. Why won't we get a start now?" Kagome reasoned.

"It is already nightfall. Tomorrow at dawn I will meet you in front of this cabin," were Kyouran's last words before he disappeared.

Inu-Yasha snorted and turned around. He laid down on his side with his hand supporting his head. An irritated aura surrounded him. Everyone in the room could feel it and decided to leave him alone.

'What's so great about him? I could do anything he can do and more and yet he's the one going. Kagome trusts him more than me...' Inu-yasha's thoughts were interrupted when Shippo jumped onto his head.

"It pains me to say this, but I need your help. I'm gonna follow Kagome tomorrow," Shippo whispered feverishly so only Inu-yasha's sensitive hearing could pick up.

Inu-yasha's ears twitched signaling he heard. Today had been a really bad day for Inu-Yasha, considering he was actually listening to the annoying kitsune's offer.

"When I follow, just try to make an excuse for me and then find me. I'll meet you near the sakura tree. Then we'll go to the village and watch over Kagome."

Once again, Inu-Yasha's ears twitched. He also nodded his head slightly, letting Shippo know he was in on the scheme. Shippo pressed no further knowing his job was done. Silently he crawled his way back to Kirara.

No one seemed to notice Shippo and Inu-Yasha's conversation. All of them seemed to be immersed in preparation for what was coming tomorrow.

Sango was worried for Kagome's safety. Though she knew Ranma would be with her, her stomach was in knots. She considered Kagome her best friend, and didn't want something horrible to happen to her, or has it already happened? She noticed Kagome's changes, not only in her attitude but her entire aura, from calm and contempt air to a mysterious and chaotic one.

Miroku stared into the fire lifelessly. His mind wandered off to his childhood. A few years after his father's death, something strange happened that might have something to do with the situation right now. But his memory seemed to be blank, and every time he tried to recall what happened, it faded like a dream. After the umpteenth try, he gave up, looking up from the glowing flames to Sango's face.

Sango had a glazed expression on her seemingly lifeless face. But looking deeper into her eyes, Miroku could tell that she was wandering down her own path of memories. That, he must not disturb.

Inu-Yasha, on the other hand, had trouble hiding his expressions. The corners of his mouth twitched in annoyance and his ears seemed to do the same. He kept staring at the wall; he probably memorized every nook and cranny of the wooden walls by now. He rolled his golden eyes, trying to keep himself from falling into a deep sleep. He couldn't turn around and face Kagome.

In moments like these, Kagome would be the optimistic one, cheering everyone up. She would start a conversation just for the sake of noise. But it seemed Kagome was preparing herself for tomorrow's task.

Ranma looked over to Kagome with his sorrowful sapphire eyes. His confused thoughts had haunted him for few minutes now, and it was beginning to annoy him. He wanted to start a conversation to break the never ending silence, but he couldn't think of anything to say.

"Ne, Ranma, when we got back, something really strange happened." Kagome said out of the blue. She remembered the incident with the mushroom demon about two weeks ago.

"What happened?" Ranma said out loud. In his mind, he was thanking Kagome started a conversation.

Everyone now seemed to listen intently at the conversation. Trying to get out of his or her thoughts, they knew this would be the only chance they could escape the dark rabid whirlpool that was settling in their mind.

"When I we got back to our era, a mushroom demon attacked me," Kagome said, giving them the play by play. She didn't really mind having everyone listen to their conversation, but it did annoy her that Inu-yasha was paying attention and yet he still refused to look at her.

"For the final blow, the knife in my hand glowed like my arrows and it did the same thing." Kagome said, finishing the story. Everyone seemed to be interested too. All of them seemed to have the same question also: 'How did she do that?' but it was Kagome who voiced it.

Ranma was pondering the answer to the question. Rifling through everything he knew about auras in his mind, something seemed to click.

"How do you normally use your Purity Arrows?" Ranma asked. If her answer was like what he thought, then the answer he formulated was correct.

"Well," Kagome paused momentarily, thinking on how to reply. "When I notch an arrow, I usually focus on it, giving it some of the energy from my miko powers. I know the energy comes from my soul." Kagome looked expectantly at Ranma.

Ranma's mouth twitched. The glint that was in his eyes seemed to diminish as quickly as it came. He shook his head no.

"Does that really matter? Maybe we can ask Fannel or what's-his-name when we go to the village tomorrow. C'mon, we better get some sleep. Don't want to be tired for tomorrow," Ranma said as he turned to his pack for a blanket.

Kagome only nodded with a small sad smile on her lips. She knew that the dragon named Fannel might have the answer she sought. She gave a small smile when she noticed Ranma was already asleep. She looked around the room and saw everyone get ready for the night.

Slowly, she pulled her sleeping bag out of her pack. She spread it out when Shippo jumped before her.

"Ne, Kagome do you have anymore of those candy things from your time?" Shippo asked, a happy grin on his face.

"I'll leave some out before I go tomorrow," Kagome yawnrd as she crawled into her sleeping bag. Shippo crawled in after her.

By then, Sango and Miroku were asleep. Inu-Yasha huffed quietly and turned around. He was still turning the information over in his head. He was starting to regret that he joined in on Shippo's plan.

The fire that crackled in the fireplace slowly died down. By the time Inu- Yasha finally let his mind at ease, the fire was nothing more than dying embers.

Next Day, Dawn

As scheduled, Kagome and Ranma awoke a few minutes after dawn. They quickly got whatever was needed and left to meet Kyouran, who was already waiting for them outside.

Shippo slowly opened an eyelid to make sure they had already left. Quickly, scanning the area he left to follow their trail.

Kyouran, Kagome, and Ranma were having good time. Kyouran told the other two that it would be morning when they reached their destination. In other words, it would take them an hour to reach there.

"That's a long way!" Kagome said. She was feeling a bit odd since she didn't wake up earlier.

"No, I told you, I'll lead you to the general area. I'll leave you when Kagome can sense the village. That reminds me, Kagome, you should change into your demon form now," Kyouran said, stepping onto a small mound. Kyouran turned around, facing Kagome as she twisted the cap of a clear plastic water bottle. She splashed some of the water onto herself. The next thing they saw was a dark blue and red haired demon.

Kyouran began to walk again, Kagome and Ranma in tow.

Half an hour later Kagome felt something stir in her stomach. An overwhelming power was near, Kagome knew it had to be the village. Even Ranma was able to sense it, though only for a moment.

Kyouran stood in the shade of a large tree, looking at the duo. With a small smile he said, "This is where I leave you." He vanished when the last word was spoken. His voice seemed to echo through the grassy area.

Blinking, Kagome finally came back to reality. She whirled around looking all over the area, trying to sense Kyouran. She also took the time to observe where they were.

They were in a wide grassy plain. The bright blue sky had a few dark gray clouds hanging in the warm air. After the storm yesterday, a fresh layer of morning dew lay on every grass blade and leaf. Before them was a dense forest of oak and other types of trees. The forest looked unwelcomed to the darkness filled between the large tree trunks.

A chill ran down her spine as a gentle breeze blew by, sending a ripple across the grass. The breeze seemed to whisper to Kagome as she stared at the direction where the breeze originated. The forest seemed to be ominous. The whisper said to enter, but the ominous feeling repelled her. Besides, there wasn't a path. She knew it didn't matter; she already knew where the village was hidden.

Kagome shook her head, getting rid of the daze. She beckoned Ranma to her and began making their way into the dark and creepy forest.

Kyouran's View (By now, everyone should know when I say Whoever'sView, I'm saying what they did afterwards not POV)

Kyouran appeared half a mile away from where Kagome and Ranma were. He had felt a presence following them when they had started the journey to the demon village. After a moment of concentration, he deciphered that the presence belonged to the kitsune cub.

"Shippo, why are you following us? I said that only one would accompany Kagome, and that was Ranma." Kyouran stated aloud. His tone wasn't strict but firm. He was already looking at the place where the cub was hiding.

'Can't even hide his youki properly. But I must credit for even doing this much.' Kyouran thought as he felt Shippo release his pathetic attempt to hide his aura. The little fox demon pushed through the thick branches of the bush he was hiding in.

"I'm taking you back before the others notice. They shouldn't be awake now," Kyouran said before Shippo could object. He tugged on the back of Shippo's shirt, before he could run away in the direction where Kagome and Ranma were.

"Let me guess: you got lost," Kyouran said, lifting Shippo so they were eye to eye.

Shippo glared at him and didn't say anything. He wanted to retort, but if Kagome found out, she would be upset with him, and he didn't want his adoptive mother to be upset. It was true; he did get lost and that was why he was all the way here. Shippo crossed his arms and looked away, letting out a defiant humph.

In an instant, Kyouran was standing in front of the cabin from last night. Shippo didn't notice they had already left there and was startled when the scenery changed. Shippo gasped and looked around franticly, trying to determine where he was. When his panicked gaze landed on the cabin, he froze.

Before Shippo could say anything, Kyouran walked inside and placed him back into Kagome's sleeping bag. Then he disappeared again. Shippo looked around seeing if anyone else was awake. He sighed and curled up inside the now cool sleeping bag. He knew it was futile now trying to go after them: Kyouran would find him again. Shippo sighed again and decided to sleep. His last thought before he fell into a blissful sleep was 'Inu-Yasha's going to kill me.'

Kagome's and Ranma's View

They had just entered the forest. The atmosphere was still tense and now, it felt like something was following them. They already knew Shippo had followed for the first part of their journey, but this presence was unfamiliar. They walked a little closer, in a fast pace, hoping to get out of the dark forest.

It was dark and humid. In the forest, it looked like early night and crickets were chirping.

"I wonder if there's such a thing as morning here." Ranma said, looking around, trying to lighten the mood. Kagome gave a small smile and nodded. With a sudden jolt to her body that made her jump, she looked behind her franticly. Ranma turned around and followed her gaze.

"They don't seem like they want to show themselves. When we get out of this forest, they're going to attack so keep your guard up. They might change tactics," Ranma whispered in Kagome's ear as they continued walking. Kagome quickened her pace till she was running, dodging trees as and leaping over obstacles. Ranma followed her, since he had no idea where the village was.

They saw the end of the forest where the bright sunlight shone. Kagome smiled as she ran past the last tree. She was about to cheer for being out in the open again, but something came rushing at her.

Her immediate thoughts were that the thing that had leaped at her was the person that was following them.

Ducking in the nick of time, the figure that leaped towards her sailed above her head. Kagome turned around just in time to see the figure land.

The person was a boy that had extremely pointed ears and brown hair. His eyes were a bright leafy green and his skin was well tanned. He glared and growled at Kagome. He was about to attack again, when something attacked him.

Ranma exited the forest when the demon boy landed. He threw a quick jab at his head before the demon could react.

The demon boy was sent sailing through the air and landed haphazardly on the ground. The boy was about to jump back up and fight when someone stopped him.

A hand lay on his shoulder. The owner of the hand was another demon with indigo hair and a scar across his cheek.

"Stop this, Tsuchi. They are my guests." The blue haired demon said.

"Sensei-"Tsuchi was cut off.

"What's up with this? Attacking us when we got out of that damned forest?" Ranma shouted, walking over to Kagome who was now staring at Tsuchi's sensei.

'Blue hair and a scar on his face... guests...' Kagome thought slowly, trying to process the information. Due to the sudden attack, it left her mind a bit dazed.

"Fannel," she finally said, looking directly into his eyes. The demon nodded.

"This is Tsuchi, my student," he said, shacking his student slightly, as if scolding him. "I've heard Kyouran sent you with a message for me."

"Yes," said Kagome as she pulled out the scroll given to her by Kyouran. "Here."

Fannel quickly scanned the contents and nodded.

"Kagome-dono, maybe you should get new clothes," Fannel suggested looked Kagome over. She was still in her green and white school uniform. "There's a clothes store we can stop by before going to my home."

"Arigatou gozimasu," Kagome thanked. "It's odd fighting in this." She indicated her outfit. Fannel only nodded.

"Come," Fannel beckoned. With a wave of his hand, the mist that surrounded the area parted, showing an incredibly large village, not city.


I thought this was a pretty good chapter. It took me bout 22 days to right this Plz review! It's nearly the end of the school year, and I'm feeling quite happy bout that. But finals are a bitch.