A/N: Well, apparently 11 people have dropped by here and only 1 has reviewed. I'm feeling slightly discouraged here. Maybe I just haven't gotten to the interesting parts yet ... ah, well. I'll upload a few more chapters, and if things don't improve, then I'll just discontinue. Thankies to my one reviewer, even though it had nothin' to do with the story!
In the Boat:
The waves were slowly getting larger and rougher as the sky above darkened. The air was weighted and oppressive. Rachel swallowed uneasily, contemplating the meaning of this change of weather. She had no wish to ride out another storm, but it was looking as if they would have no choice in the matter.
Aari walked over to the side of the boat and leaned on the edge next to her. "Storm coming," he commented. "'Nother big one, by the feel of it."
"Yippee," Rachel moaned dryly. Aari smiled crookedly.
They stood quietly for a few minutes, staring out to sea. "Aari?" Rachel inquired after a while.
"Hmm?"
"Did you mean it when you said we . . . when you said we were in another world?"
He was quiet for a moment, then replied, "Yep. I think we may be in another world. They do exist, you know."
"I know. Kari told me about them."
Kari was the village priestess who had affirmed that Rachel was the reincarnation of Reyna, a powerful priestess and Kari's older sister.
Reyna was also the one who had pinned Aari to a standing stone with an enchanted spear. Aari had been stuck there, hanging just on the edge of death, for fifty years, until Rachel had fallen into the past and freed him.
Rachel thoughtfully fingered the pouch she wore around her neck. The pouch held the shards of the Wanderer's Jewel, or the Hainan. It had been shattered when a raven-demon had attacked the village, and Rachel had attempted to shoot it out of the sky. Now, she and her friends were on a quest to gather all the shards of the Hainan before they were used by evil demons to further their own strength. More often then not, though, they had to battle a demon for one or more shards, including Aari's half-brother, a panther demon called Tarkkaenal. From him, Aari had gained his father's legendary twin scimitars, Carr and Rakk, the Claws. The Claws now swung comfortably on his waist, within easy reach.
She was jerked out of her reverie by Martin shouting, "Aari! Tie up the sails on the mast!"
Before she could blink, the panther hanyou was on top of the swaying mast, tying up the large sail in anticipation of the storm. She looked away – just watching him do that balancing act made her dizzy.
A little while later, the storm hit. The little boat climbed up tall mountains of water, and plunged down the other side of the giant waves, tossed around like a toy. Crouched in their respective cabins, the whole gang was praying that they wouldn't be sunk by this monster of a storm.
Rachel crouched on her bunk and hung on, her hands clenched so tight on the post that her knuckles were white. She bit her lip, terrified. This storm was worse than the last one!
Feudal Japan:
The storm raged overhead for what seemed like hours. Kagome jumped at every loud crack of thunder, and Inuyasha rolled his eyes nearly every time, except for the one time that the thunder crack seemed to come out of their very bones. Everyone jumped then, and Shippo cowered underneath the bed of the room they were huddled in.
When the storm finally let up, everyone sighed in relief. They stepped outside, breathing in the fresh, crisp air of earth renewed by the rain.
Shippo darted around, infected with the new energy that seemed to pervade everything, while the others thanked the villagers for sheltering them.
Once they were into the woods again, Inuyasha inquired, "Well? Now where?"
Kagome hesitated, then suddenly spun and pointed in the direction of the shore. They set off, never guessing at what they would find.
In the Boat:
Rachel wasn't sure how long she crouched in the cabin, only that the ship suddenly shuddered and jerked, creaking in protest. There was a gritty, sliding sound, and then they shuddered to a halt. The storm let up soon afterwards.
She slowly uncurled herself, listening as she heard the boy's cabin door open and Aari's light footsteps padding over the deck. There was a moment of silence, and then Martin moaned, "Oh, nooo . . ," nearly drowned out by Aari's loud swearing.
"What is it?" Saria called, walking outside, Rachel and Tala close behind.
They immediately saw the problem.
The ship was beached, run aground. The tide was low, a full two yards away from the boat. Rachel, looking down the side, saw that the bottom was splintered and broken, half-collapsed in the sand. She groaned. Now how would they get back home?
Aari, finally finished swearing, much to the disappointment of Tala, surveyed the area. "Hey . . . this kinda looks like home!" he exclaimed, startled. Everyone turned to look.
"Yes," Martin agreed. "See, the same sort of trees, and flowers . . . we could have been blown back home!"
Aari shook his head doubtfully. "Wrong direction. It's possible, but not likely."
Rachel sighed. "Well, we might as well scavenge what supplies we can from this wreck and see if anyone near here can build us a boat."
The others agreed, and set to work.
A/N: Well? Love it? Hate it? At least tell me! Please? ((puppy-dog eyes))