Morning broke over the forest. Birds sang through the wood their joyous songs of summer as they darted through the branches overhead. The sunrise was a glorious gold and there was little clouds to mar the gentle sky above. The first rays of sunlight crept through the willow's leaves and brought warmth to my face. I opened my eyes and squinted in the morning light. The soul stealers were gone…as they always were when daylight came, I didn't mind. Instead I carefully found my way out of the tree. I thought about where to go and decided that the river connecting to the lake would be the most convenient place to get water. Just because this body held no warmth did not mean it did not get dirty. I smiled at my own dark sarcasm. As I neared the river a sound reached my ears. I quickly hid myself in the brush and peered out to the river. There I saw Kagome and the demon slayer…her name had escaped me in my surprise. They were bathing, Kagome in her strange water clothes and the slayer in her undergarments. I then noticed the small fox demon sat on the riverbank watching them with a childish smile. Inu yasha and the monk were obviously not invited. I listened as they spoke of their destination. A wealthy town farther north had sent word of a dangerous demon killing their villagers. They suspected a shard and we're going to help the villagers and claim the jewel. I felt the sting of pain in my shoulder and rubbed it warily. Oh, how I despised that jewel, and yet I worshiped it…No, if it weren't for the jewel, I would have never met Inu yasha. But as I considered all that had happened…maybe that would have been better? I sighed and shook my head. Not at all, I was fooling myself again. My life would lack meaning without him…yet these girls spoke as if their journey were a vacation of sorts.
I sighed once again and hurried myself away from the stream. Already I had started to feel the anger well up inside me and I thought it best to get away. Yet I must not have used enough caution in my retreat, for the little kitsune turned his head in my direction. Thankfully he did not know what he had seen. However it was enough to make him shout them a warning and thus, draw them out of the river. I increased my pace. After last night I did not trust myself to handle a meeting with this clone of myself. I broke into a run and headed south, away from the lake. I would find a pond, or perhaps another stream…still, my thoughts found there way creeping back to that girl. She was my reincarnation, according to my now aged sister. I could not help but despise her. The mere thought of her made my hands tighten on my bow until my knuckles were white with tension. I stormed through the woods. Something had to be done….
…………….
Elsewhere another maiden rested in the branches of an old cherry tree. Its leaves hung down with age and swung gently in the morning breeze. This girl wore a dazzling kimono of white and red; her hair was tied up with clips and feathers. Earrings hung from her pointed ears and her eyes were a dazzling shade of crimson. She looked on dreamily and inspected her precious fan without really seeing it. She went over the same thoughts she always had. Mostly plans to overthrow her master, rants about her emotionless sister's stupidity in her lack of rebellion, and her favorite, what she would do if she acquired her freedom.
A buzzing outside her tree awoke her from her thoughts. She looked irritably up at the wasp that hovered overhead. "Get out of here. I know what I have to do. I can take a break if that is what I wish." The annoying buzzing did not end. She brought her gaze up to the bug and anger burned in burned in her crimson eyes. "Fine, have it your way." With a flick of her fan the wasp fell to the ground in two halves. She smiled despite the annoyance that still hung around her. She sighed a little and sat up on the branch to look towards the sunrise in the distance. Soon she must once again continue her seemingly endless search for Inu yasha and the jewel shards. She knew another wasp would be on her again about not doing her job but the breeze was wonderful and the tree was just too tempting. She put back her head and closed her eyes, letting back in her dreams of sweet freedom.
