I only own the character whose view this is told from and her family members. All other standard disclaimers apply. PLEASE REVIEW. This is actually for a class and I need all the constructive criticism I can get before finals on Thursday. And before anyone asks, the whole beliefs thing was actually inspired by the events in the new SW movie, again, not mine!

My voice was quiet as I began my story. "In America, laws were passed lately, regulating how people lived their lives, including religion." Kagome's shocked eyes barely registered. "It is an illegal law by our country's Constitution, but no one dares challenge it, they don't want to be next, to be 'unpatriotic.'" I laughed bitterly. "For an imagined security, people will give up much, especially other people. Since we wouldn't give up our beliefs, my family and I became outlaws. A week ago…" my breath hitched. "A week ago they came for us.

"My father tried to protect us, my mother and I, but he only could hold them a moment before they shot him down, killed him. He lay there like a puppet with its strings cut. I tried to get my mother to leave, to move faster, but a marksman, sniper, got her as we ran. After she dropped beside me, everything just stopped. I felt such rage, grief, my whole family dead in seconds. I must have blacked out, because the next thing I remember is looking down on those who killed my parents, my swords and I were bathed in their blood. I don't know what happened, or how. I buried my parents, took what I could, and ran. We had been preparing to leave, so I took my supplies and left." Tears slipped down my face as I flashback on my parents. "I was preparing to wait for them to find me and die in battle. Please, please, don't make me go back."

Eyes closed, I tried to hold back tears, tired of crying. After a moment, I felt an arm settle around my shoulders. Cracking a full eye, I saw Kagome sitting beside me, not saying a word, just being there. A hand settled on my left shoulder and I glanced over. Sango knelt beside me, looking in my eyes. "I lost my family some years ago, I know your pain. I will not send you back."

"Nor I." Miroku knelt in front of me. Somehow, I honestly felt sheltered between the three of them. Slowly I calmed as I relaxed again, even managing to let Shippo gently take my hand in a comforting manner.

"Ami-chan?" Kagome drew my attention. "Do you know any magic or spells or the like?"

I looked at her oddly a moment, mentally switching gears before shaking my head in the negative.

"When you became upset, an aura of magic flared then gradually subsided as you calmed." Miroku watched my face closely as he said this.

"Sorry, Miroku-kun, I can't help you, I don't know anything about that stuff."

"It's okay, Ami-chan." Sango rose gracefully. "Kaede-baachan will know what's going on."

"Come on, Ami-chan." Kagome was already near the tree line. "I'll stay one more day to help you settle in."

"Arigato."

Inuyasha brought up the tail end of the group as we walked to Kaede's, whoever that is. He kept sniffing behind me until I purposely stepped to one side, forcing him to either follow or stop. He stopped, but I had totally forgotten what Kagome said about Miroku, who was now directly behind me.

A village had just come into view when SOMETHING grabbed my ass. Instinct honed by three years of college with horny football and baseball players instantly kicked in as I stopped short, slamming my elbow back into the gut of the person behind me. As they bent over, I leaned back, catching their chin on my shoulder and looping my arms over their shoulders, hauling them forward, up, and over to land at my feet on their back. My fist was already raised and cocked to fly before I realized this was not college or the boys that had molested me so many times. I stopped with my fist inches from Miroku's nose.

Miroku's stunned eyes stared up at me. Kagome and Sango started laughing after a moment of silence, nearly doubling over as Inuyasha and Shippo merely shook their heads in disgust. Kirara looked from Miroku to me and sneezed as if saying he deserved it before turning to continue on.

My hands were shaking in front of me as I fought to keep my voice of the rage and fear warring within me. "Please, Miroku-kun," my voice strained, "PLEASE, never do that again."

"Child, are ye well?"

An older woman had come up behind a now concerned Kagome and Sango. Guess I had not controlled my voice enough. Rotating my shoulders to ease the sudden tension in them, I shook my head in confusion. I was breathing hard, shaking, but not from exertion. "Will be, just brought up bad memories I think."

"Ami-chan." Sango's voice gave me some grounding, a focus. "This is Kaede-baachan."

I bowed in respect to the older miko. "Kaede-sama."

She seemed to stare into my eyes for a moment, her eyes softening. When her hand touched the skin of my arm she looked shocked, even stunned before she gripped my wrist firmly and drew me behind her as she strode towards the village. "Come, I think we have much to talk of, child."

On the way to Kaede's hut the rest of the group related my story to the elder miko. I was highly subdued, ashamed of my lack of control. When we were comfortable seated inside, her questions began.

"Ami-chan, when Miroku-kun touched you, what came to mind?"

"College." Silence and confused looks from everyone but Kagome. Guess I should go on. "A team of boys there thought they owned the place."

Kagome gave me a suspicious look. "American football?"

I nodded slowly. "And a few baseball players. In any event, several of them seemed to think they were irresistible, could have any girl they wanted. I avoided them, but they eventually came looking. I'm not too pretty, but I was single and female." My chin dropped to my chest, eyes covered by my dark brown hair. "They didn't have many standards. I was relaxing a little, doing a kata on one of the school fields in the early evening when they found me. Told me what they wanted, one tried to grab me. I told them to go to hell and sit on a hot coal until it snowed." The comment earned me a few light chuckles from Kagome and Sango, but Miroku looked almost guilty while Inuyasha had a look of disgust on his face. Can't say I blame him. "As you can guess, they didn't take it kindly. Seven of them with a couple bats among them. I got my licks in, but once I was clipped in the head and lost my balance, it was over. Unarmed, outnumbered, and they each outweighed me by at least seventy-five pounds, so I never had a real chance, not when they hit me from behind. Beat me good. One of them used his pocket knife to cut my back open, a scar to 'remember them.'" Putting my back to them, I pulled the hem of my shirt up slightly, showing the mass of scar tissue. "It goes up to my mid back." Facing them again, I continued. "Sorry I reacted like that, Miroku-sama, but when I felt you, I just felt them." My head dropped back down in shame. "It's no wonder you were disgusted with me, not able to take care of myself."

"There is no shame in losing a fight, not if you truly tried to win, and you did, you have no dishonor." I think we all were staring at Inuyasha when he finished that statement. I mean, even I had figured from the time I had known him he was not the most sensitive person, and their looks confirmed it. Must be really unusual for him to be sensitive or deep from their expressions. Note this for future reference.

Only Kaede seemed to not be overly fazed by his words, still focused on me. "Your aura flared as ye reacted to the houshi."

I gave her a puzzled look. "I know what aura is, but it flaring means…?"

Kagome jumped in. "Emotions cause the natural energy and strength of a person, read aura, to flare or weaken as the situation dictates. Each time you became upset, your aura increased, then it just stopped, like it reached some kind of limit."

"Subdued." Kaede's voice was sure. "Concealed as well."

"Huh?" My, didn't I sound intelligent.

"Just get to the point, Old Woman." Well, at least I sounded far more intelligent than Inuyasha.

Kaede gave him a tolerant, if annoyed, look. "This girl could well be a miko, hanyou, or even youkai and no one would ever know until the spell is removed."

Inuyasha was on his feet, his hand on the sword at his waist, half drawing what looked like a rusty old katanna. "So who are you? A spy for Naraku!"

I rose quickly to one knee as he growled a warning. Leaning away from him, I rested my hand on my sword at my right, ready to pull at any time. "A spy from who? Don't you dare presume to call me a liar, Inuyasha-baka. MY honor means a little something to me."

He snarled and I could barely see him move, he was that fast. I knew I couldn't fight with that, but damned if I wasn't going to try.

"OSWARI!"

Inuyasha crashed to the ground, twitching and cursing. Poor Kaede, she now had an Inuyasha shaped crater in her hut. I wouldn't want to see his imprint all the time.

"I don't think she's lying, Inuyasha." I still didn't get that Kagome girl. She had almost casually made him face vault a foot in the ground, and now she was nonchalantly explaining why. "She doesn't feel deceitful or evil."

"Agreed, she doesn't strike me as the type." Thank you, Sango.

Miroku even chimed in on my behalf, though I didn't know why, not after how I had treated him. "Think, Inuyasha. If she had been trying to infiltrate our band, I don't think she would have tossed me around like a sock of rice. Wouldn't she try for more goodwill?"

"Really, Inuyasha, you need to think before you leap." That Shippo was really a cute kid. Big mouthed and more sarcastic than I was at that age, but cute.

Still grumbling, Inuyasha climbed out of his hole and back to his seat by Kagome. "Fine. She won't go home, what will she do?"

You know, I really hate it when people discuss me like I'm not in the room, it's a major pet peeve of mine. "I am SITTING RIGHT HERE, you could just ASK." His hostile golden eyes locked on mine.

"She could stay and help the village."

I appreciated Kaede's offer, but…it just didn't feel right. "Domo arigato, Kaede-sama, but I don't want to just stay in one place. For a couple days, sure, however, I need to think this out, and explore this new time. I can do both best when on the move." Remembering the discussion I had overheard earlier, something about searching for jewel shards. A search necessitated movement, and usually travel. I turned quietly to face the others. "Could I come with your group?"

Inuyasha almost visibly geared up to deliver a not only no, but HELL no answer before the others headed him off almost all at once, Miroku's comment only beating Sango and Kagome's by about half a second.

"Of course."

"We can always use another fighter."

"Can I bring you anything from the future?"

You know, maybe, just maybe, I could get along here. Smiling in a bit of embarrassment and thankfulness, I carefully reached into my backpack and withdrew the dead CD player and carrier. "Any chance I could get some double A batteries?"

"No problem." Kagome rose to her feet with a grace I wish I had. "Its getting dark though, I have to go or Okaa-san will get worried."

She had almost reached the door before a thought crossed my mind. "Gah, I am such a baka!" Inuyasha opened his mouth and I leveled a finger at him in warning. "Don't say it, Inu-koro." Turning, I dived into my backpack again. "I know it's here!"

"What are you searching for, Ami-san?" Whatever else you said about Miroku, he did have a nice voice, comforting even.

"Just a li- got it!" I yanked my arm back out of the pack, fist clenched around a greenish bundle and two plastic cards between my fingers. "Here, Kagome, take this, I can't use it here."

She stared in awe as I dropped the wad into her hands. "Ami-chan, there must be over three hundred U.S. dollars here, and two credit cards!"

"Use the money for whatever we need, and the cards too. Use the cards first though, they will likely be cut off soon, my family outlawed and all. Should be about two thousand on the blue-ish one and about five on the other." I had never signed the cards, so no problems. Worse comes to worse, they go down as stolen and Kagome can leave all the stuff in this era. "Oh, and some Rod Stewart CDs and Michael Buble would be nice to."

She stared at me, wide eyed. "Are you sure, Ami-chan?"

"More than. I can't use it anymore. Besides, can you imagine some poop archeologist digging around here in the future and finding a five hundred year old visa?"

That drew a chuckle from her as she left the hut. We all filed out after her and saw her to the well. Down she went, the blue flash followed, and she was gone. Miroku was following Sango and Shippo back to the village when I turned, falling into step behind him and catching the suspicious glare Inuyasha was still casting at me. Fine, he wants proof. I can do that.

"Wait." They all turned to look at me, Inuyasha the only exception as he had been staring at me already.

"Domo arigato for helping me, accepting me. My parents raised me to value such honor, and such people." My left hand drew the sword on my right hip, the red grip of the hilt catching the sunset. I calmly wrapped my right hand around the blade, resting the razor edge against my palm. "As such, I swear a blood oath of loyalty." I clenched my hand slightly, feeling the cold steel bite into my hand before drawing my hand back, showing my blood dripping slowly out of the cut. "Your battles are now mine. Your allies, mine. Your fate, mine." As Miroku quickly grabbed a piece of cloth to bandage my hand and Inuyasha walked away mollified, I stooped and wiped m y blood from the gleaming metal onto the grass before resheathing the sword of my father. My path was set.