Trouble: (sneaks up to the computer looking around nervously, sighs and starts to type until…) NOOO! I forgot what I was gonna write!

Hero: (begins laughing uncontrollably) Trouble's having writer's block! HAHAHAHA! (shoe flies out of no where knocking hero out)

Trouble: (banging her head against the wall) I got it! (rubs her head and starts to type) I don't own inuyasha.

Heritage

Chapter 20: Jumbled Feeling

Koji's bout with food poisoning they were on their way. He hadn't spoken to Korou at all, 'First he fondles my sister than mocks me by making me eat raw meat!' he thought furiously kicking the ground. At least she wasn't around so he couldn't "accidentally" kiss her again. He looked up suddenly and realized that the group was no longer behind him. He smiled, he knew the way to the village where they were supposed to meet Kayori and Ryku. This at least gave him time to take a detour and have some time to himself.

He walked through the trees when a new scent reached his nostrils. A human.

He looked up ahead at the path before him, but no one was there. He looked up in the trees, nothing. The scent suddenly disappeared. He felt his stomach turn with nervous as he began to feel ill at ease.

His hearing suddenly became more aware as his eyes jumped from one noise to another.

He felt eyes prod his back and he spun around to see who ever it was leap into the boughs of the tree above their heads.

"Who are you?!" Koji demanded from the trees. The leaves stirred and a figure dressed in black shot from the tree and landed behind Koji. Before he had time to react he felt cold steel up against his throat.

"Who are you? Just why are you here? And if you serve Naraku…" Koji felt another blade only inches from his back. "…I'd have to take revenge for my family and friends for what he did to them!" whoever was talking to him, was definitely a girl.

"Naraku? My master?" Koji said somewhat confused and he felt anger run through his veins. "Why would I serve the bastard that tried to kill me?!" he snapped, but he didn't struggle.

The girl didn't say anything, but he could tell that she was rather taken aback.

"What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

"Maybe I'll tell you if you let me go!" Koji snapped.

"That's the oldest trick in the book! Did you actually expect me to believe that you'd tell me! You're probably going to attack me!" she hissed in his ear.

"No, I'm not going to attack you! It's just that blade that's about to plunge into my back!" he snapped. His captor considered it for a moment and took the knife away, then leapt into the tree branches above him. He spun around to see the girl up in the tree. She was dressed in proper ninja grab and a maroon mask over her face. Koji looked up at her curiously, he could only see her electric blue eyes seeing as how her other features were covered.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Sayo of the Northern Ninja Clan," she said staring expectantly at him. "And you?"

Koji for several seconds, tried to think of a fancy way to put his mismatched group of friends.

"Did you forget your own name or something?!" she demanded at his sudden hesitation.

"My name is Koji," he said quickly at his defense.

She huffed, obviously she didn't believe him. "Why are you here?" she asked sitting cross-legged in the tree.

"I came here with some friends," he answered smoothly. "Your turn, what are you doing here? Isn't the Northern Ninja Clan supposed to be, you know, north?"

For this he got a rather large rock thrown in his face. "Never meddle in a woman's private affairs!" Koji rubbed his head, he was never very good with girls, most girls shunned him away. That had also left a few complications when it came to his sister and cousin, who both had the alpha-female attitude, which lead him to think that it might run in the genes.

"Okay next question… Why did you assume that I was with Naraku?" he asked.

Her bright blue eyes stared at him for a long time. "You're a demon!" she hissed. Koji sighed, he was used this kind of treatment.

"Actually, I'm less than half demon. My father was the hanyou and my mother was completely human," he said leaning against a tree. Now why would Naraku want something so pathetic serving under him, not that I'd actually want to serve that bastard anyway!" he snapped bitterly.

Sayo said nothing, obviously thinking this whole thing over thoroughly. "What did he do to you?"

"Kidnapped my parents, me and my sister are trying to find them," he sighed, "I was never able to meet them, Kayori did though."

Sayo remained quiet even more, "My parents and village were slaughtered by him and his servants," she let her head hang down.

"I'm sorry, I can understand why you want to get your revenge. But you're not alone. Lots of people are after him, my friends all lost loved ones to him."

Sayo looked at him oddly from her spot in the trees. She remained silent for what seemed like hours to them both. But the moment was cut short as several ninja stars raced at Koji. He dodged but just barely, he got hit in the left shoulder the other in his right leg. The rest were in the trunk of the tree behind him.

"Eikai! No!" Sayo screamed as another ninja shoot out of the bushes to attack Koji but stopped short of the girls yell, which was a good thing for Koji.

"Damn it Sayo! Are you protecting this pathetic vermin?" the boy named Eikai yelled. Sayo nodded, she leapt down from her place at the tree and landed next to Koji.

"You little…" Koji snapped, taking his hand away from the wound, wincing as it bleed even harder.

Eikai drew a concealed knife, and prepared to throw it at Koji but Sayo stepped in his way.

A rustling in the bushes caught all their attention as Shippo with Taimiko on his back came into the clearing looking worried.

"Koji!" Taimiko yelled happily and leaping off of Shippo's back to greet him. Koji stared at them wide eyed then at the two ninja fighters only to see they weren't there. He didn't have time to think as Shippo and Taimiko came over him acting like his small wounds were serious.

"Where'd they go?" Koji asked baffled.

"Where'd who go?" Shippo asked feeling his forehead, "Did you eat some of Korou's cooking again?"

"I heard that!" Korou said scrabbling out of the bushes closely followed by Somaru gracefully leaping over them.

Koji looked wildly for a sign of Sayo or the boy. He looked up to see a maroon scarf snagged in the boughs above him. The same one she was wearing over her face. He stood up, and yanked down.

"What's that?" Korou asked.

"None of your business!" Koji snapped, if it had been someone else he would have told them in a different manner.

"Don't get your underwear in bunch!" Korou snapped back, "Man, just because I accidentally—"

"YOU PERV!"

"Shut up! Both of you!" Somaru cut in and then turned to leave. "We have to get there soon or Kayori and that pathetic excuse for a houshi's son are going to leave us!" Everyone got up and obeyed. If Somaru hadn't had been there then they would still be back at camp arguing how to eat their dinner.

WITH KAYORI AND RYKU

"Now Ryku! We don't have time!" Kayori yelled waiting for her friend to stop flirting with the village girls.

"Just one more minute!" Ryku said as he casually walked into a bathhouse. Kayori huffed in anger, but was slightly satisfied when she heard several crashes that sounded exactly like Ryku's head.

"HENTAI!"

He came flying out of the bathhouse so fast none of the nearby villagers knew what happened. He slowly lifted himself off the ground and looked up to see the husbands of the bathhouse women clinching their fists.

"Kayori!" he yelled only to see her walking away. She picked up the Hiraikotsu and waved, followed by Kilala. He turned his attention back to the angry men. "Can't we settle this over some tea, or maybe something stronger, like sake?" he said desprately, scrambling away.

Kayori stomped away angrily, not paying much attention to where she was going and ended up bumping into a very well toned chest. She looked up nervously to see Korou staring down at her— he was just as shocked as she was. His eyes moved from her to Ryku's Hiraikotsu and began to feel very nervous.

"Sorry Korou," she said and walked around him to greet her brother and the others.

"Where's Ryku? And what the heck is that thing?" Koji asked indicating to the giant boomerang.

"Ryku's getting acquainted with the village men," she said calmly.

"Don't you mean village women?" Shippo asked.

Kayori shook her head, "He already did that, now he's getting to know their husbands!" she said with a smile. Everyone looked up to see a bunch of men chasing Ryku around the village while yelling impolite words at him.

"Should we help him?"

"He probably deserves it for attacking a bathhouse!"

Everyone pretended not to notice Ryku until they were ready to leave.

Trouble: AHHHHHH! Brain fart! I haven't been able to write anything lately!

Hero: I think what she's trying to say is that she needs inspiration.

Trouble: To bad I don't have a really good muse that's always full of great ideas!

Hero: That would be helpful (oblivious)

Trouble: (sigh) anyway I want to know what you think… Kayori/Ryku or Kayori/Korou! And tell why that's your opinion. Please help me!