Tesse: blows nose I'm sooo sorry for killing Keade, and I'm going to continue writing as long as I get more reviews.

Hero: don't worry once she starts something she'll probably finish with or without reviews.

Tesse: please give me some advice cuz I'm running out of ideas blows nose again

Hero: okay you crybaby on with the story

Tesse: I own nothing! bursts into tears

Inuyasha: Heritage

Chapter Six: A New Journey Begins

Kayori stared at a large stone set in the ground. She gently laid a few fresh picked wild flowers down before it, and then clapped her hands together in prayer. With a few parting words she turned to leave.

The monument stood alone on the hill as a breeze swept the flowers up and into the horizon. 'Keade's spirit can now be free' Kayori thought as she watched the small yellow flowers float away.

She sighed inwardly, and then hoisted a rucksack filled with a few days supply of food, and some bandages over her shoulder. She first intended to track down Shippo and Ryku as quickly as possible. Then she would find Naraku and make him pay for what he did to her home. She clinched her fist in anger. A few stray tears escaped her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. She wasn't used to the pressure that this put on her. She had no idea what she was getting herself in to. She felt like a very small child wishing to be comforted by it's mother.

WITH SHIPPO...

The young kitsune ran between the trees, as three large demon pursuers were hot on his trail.

"DAMMIT he's getting away!" one roared as he slashed a vine hanging in his way. What he didn't realize was that him and his comrades were now following a copy and the real Shippo was now carefully skirting around the three and making his escape.

"Suckers!" he hissed under his breath. It would take them a few good minutes to realize they were chasing a leaf. Of course Shippo didn't want to hang around until that happened. He had to find Kayori and give her the tetsuiaga he had rescued from Naraku.

"Why me?" slid down next to an old tree to rest his tired body. 'At least Kayori's still around, you're not alone...yet' at that thought he wanted to cry but he held it back. Kayori was back in Kagome's era and had no idea that Naraku wanted to use her to track don't the Shikon Jewel, which had disappeared before Kayori was even born. 'Not only that her demon powers are returning even after Inuyasha bound them. That's why I have to get the sword back to her, before she gets hurt,' his thoughts pounded in his head.

But at the memory of Inuyasha and Kagome the young kitsune burst into tears. Inuyasha had always been like a father and Kagome a mother. Now they were Naraku's prisoners. He wondered what Kayori must be feeling right now, never had Kayori been very far from them. She used to follow Inuyasha wherever he went and mimic Kagome's every move. He wiped his tears away trying his best to be strong.

WITH RYKU...

Ryku sat with his back against a tree, his face was slightly tear-stained and his hand ached. There had always been a small scar there, but he never imagined it turning into a hellhole, especially one that would take his life. His whole happy life had been completely thrown away. He had never been without family or friends somewhere near by, and then all of the sudden he and his father were going to die.

He groaned, Naraku had turned his life into a living hell. All he wished for was to have his life back to normal. To go back to chasing girls around (especially Kayori), taking his lessons in becoming a youkai-exterminater, and learning how to create spells, charms, and barriers from his father.

Suddenly he felt an odd aura, it was somewhat a demonic, but mostly a powerful human aura. "Kayori?" he thought aloud, but before he could even make a move to get up and investigate a pretty silver haired girl step out of the bushes before him.

"RYKU! Oh my god what happened?!" Kayori was by his side in a fraction of a second.

"You're not supposed to be here! You should be back in that future era of yours." Kayori gave him a stern look.

"I'm here and that's how it's going to stay. If you want to argue then give it your best shot," she answered calmly. Knowing she was unchallenged, she took off her pack and sat down next to him. She pulled out several bandages and began to wrap the wounds on his arms. Eventually she came across a large wound in his left thigh, it was deeper than the others and it was bleeding the most. She had to bandage it or it would be the worst if had gotten infected. Her cheeks turned a violent shade of red as she pressed a white cloth to his wound, Ryku immediately straightened up.

"Uhhh, Ryku,"

"What is it?"

Uhh, you, uhhh need to ummm, take your pants off," she said nervously, her turned even redder.

Ryku's face became very pale, "No, no that's alright, I'll be just fine," he said but looking like he was in a lot of pain.

"Ryku, it's going to get infected if we don't clean it!"

"I can't take my pants off in front of a woman!" he said staring at her like she was crazy.

"Ryku, take you're damn pants off already!" she said growing frustrated.

Then Ryku gave her a perverted smile, "You want my pants off that bad do you?"

Kayori was very taken aback, and then her face became very stern. SMACK!!! Ryku was left with a large red handprint on his cheek. "Not like that you idiot, here I am trying to be serious, and you get all sick and perverted on me! Now take your damn pants off and get your perverted mind outta the gutter!"

Ryku immediately undid his pants, not wanting to make Kayori any angrier.

10 minutes later, Ryku was all bandaged up, including his leg, and had one of his arms draped over Kayori's shoulder for support.

"Thank-you," he said shyly as they walked slowly through the dense forest path.

"It was nothing, besides you helped me when I got wounded by Kagura, if it weren't for you I might have bleed to death," she said trying to hide her blush praying that Ryku wouldn't notice.

"Are you blushing?" he asked innocently.

"No! Of course not, I just got a little sunburned, that's all," she said turning her head away to hide her pink cheeks.

"Okay, whatever you say," he said smoothly.

"In case you haven't noticed, we're supposed to be looking for Shippo!" she said trying to change the subject.

"Where do you propose we look?" he asked.

"I'll be able to sniff him out, sooner or later." As she said that Shippo walked through the bushes up ahead.

"I think you're getting a little rusty Kayori, or you would have been able to know I was coming sooner than that, or maybe you were just a little preoccupied." He smiled pervertedly, and he was quickly pelted by a rock right between the eyes.

Kayori was bouncing another pebble in her free hand, ready to throw it. Shippo quickly quieted himself, knowing Kayori never missed a target.

Tesse: Chapter 6 and counting

Hero: and were going to give you a small preview of the next chapter...

Tesse: as a special treat, here it is:

Kayori unconsciously shivered under her thin blanket. Ryku noticing this immediately gave her his blanket and quietly sat next to her feeling the warmth radiate off her body. It didn't take long for him to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

But not far away two spying eyes watch from the cover of the of nearby bush, waiting for the right moment to srike.

Tesse: That's all you get, so your going to have to wait and review until then, also I have been really stressed out with school lately so it'll be a few days before I'll be able to update so be patient

Hero: and remember to review