Oh boy! Reviews! I leap with ecstatic happiness and do a sort of lame jig for the amusement of all present. Thanks for all you wonderful reviewers, who I would like to personally thank right now.

Taka Sheoku: glad you could get all sorted out, fanficing is a complicated business (or so we liked to think, it makes us all feel important, haha)

Emerald Jewels: rock on! Texas is the shiznit! I live in good old Dallas, nice and crime ridden and sort of ugly, but how I love her. Lol, thanks for the dedication, I can't wait for you to write something so I can write a review looking something like, "emerald jewels is my homie in the hood! we bff!"

Kairivoosh: No problem man, I love giving reviews especially on wonderful stories like yours. Thanks for the encouragement as I stumble along in my quest for true understanding of fanfiction (its a long journey, lemme tell ya.)

The next morning, Tack awoke to the sound of someone putting out the campfire. Inuyasha glanced over at her, kicking some of the ash around to further smother the dying flames. "You're awake," he said gruffly.

The girl glance around, slightly disoriented, before she saw Courtney curled in a pitiful ball to her right. Suddenly, the previous day's events flooded back to her and she sighed, trying to collect herself. Kagome smiled a cheerful smile, kneeling down besides the redhead. "We're taking you to the village in a few minutes," she informed Tack.

Tack just nodded, rising to her feet by use of the tree trunk. The camp site was virtually spotless now and Courtney was struggling to a standing position, clearly still shaken by the previous day's events. Looking around one last time, she whimpered; it was indeed reality.

With a grunt from Inuyasha, the group was off, working there way around flora and fauna to arrive at the large mountain's bottom. The descent seemed to be taking forever, especially for Courtney, who was running about shoeless since her heels' demise the previous day. As Tack looked back at the blonde, she almost felt a tinge of sympathy; then she remembered those hateful words about her mother, her father, and quickly looked away. Sympathy abated for the time being.

The group reached the foot of the mountain rather fast, perhaps a little too fast for Courtney's taste, and were soon walking along the rice field paths. Tack looked over the edge in awe, wondering about the cultural fascinations she might encounter, while Courtney dismally looked over her broken shoe once more; yes, definitely out of repair. A quaint town appeared ahead and Tack glanced up, smirking at the overall cute quality of the picture. Women bustled about, tending to chores, men worked dedicatedly in the rice fields, children played happily in the roadways. Truly, a utopia away from home.

The first hut on the left attracted Tack's attention as she saw Inuyasha glance over at it, hurriedly walking inside as though bothered by this errand. "Old hag, are you there?" he called rudely.

"Inuyasha? What is it ye be wanting?" came an older, calmer voice.

An old woman, quite short relative to the two new girls, looked up at her guests through shrewd eyes, one covered by an eyepatch, sizing them up. She nodded gruffly, as though answering her own private question, and beckoned them all inside. The hut was small but no doubt met the woman's needs; Tack was charmed while Courtney seemed disgusted. How could anyone live in such overall filth? The answer escaped her.

"I am Kaede," announced the old woman kindly, smiling at the girls.

"My name is Tack Harley," said Tack, looking over at Courtney after a rather lengthy pause. The blonde seemed unwilling to give her own name and so, Tack took matters into her own hands. "This is Vagina."

Kagome and Sango gasped, while Miroku stifled laughter and Inuyasha seemed to fend off a smile. Kaede seemed completely unaffected, only raising one weathered eyebrow, and Courtney gritted her teeth angrily, correcting, "My name is Courtney."

After observing the girls for a moment, Kaede took a sip of tea from her clay mug and addressed the newcomers. "Where are ye from?"

"America," answered Tack boredly, quickly losing interest in this turn of events. If at all possible, she wished to never speak of home again. This world suited her just fine.

Pondering briefly, Kaede said, "If ye mean from Kagome's world, something is certainly amiss. One portal and one portal only exists; how did ye come about this world?"

Her troubled tone didn't escape Tack, who furrowed her brow. "We fell down a well. Is that...bad?"

"Perhaps. But it isn't your fault, child, don't ye worry. The portal must have some reason for inviting you here. Mayhap you have a purpose to fulfill," recounted the old woman wisely.

Upon hearing the bit about a purpose, Tack looked down triumphantly at Courtney, who merely scowled at the whole arrangement. So the frump girl had been right after all. What a sticky predicament. Looking back up at her informant, Tack addressed the old woman with a certain air of respect and politeness; she at least reverred her elders, if no one else.

"Ma'am, how do we find out what that purpose is?"

A silence hung in the air until Kaede said tiredly, "You must seek it."

Courtney suddenly looked up, surprising the room as she accused bitterly, "You know something you're not telling us. I want to go home!"

Kaede saw the vehemence and broken look in Courtney's normally glittering blue eyes, pausing. This girl had a story to tell, more than others would surmise, and was deeply scarred by something in her life. What affected her so much? Who could have made this happy girl so bitter? Waving away the thoughts for the time being, Kaede said softly, "You speak the truth. I know things I cannot tell ye. It is not my place. As for ye wantin' to go home, you could attempt through the well. I know no other means. I'm sorry, child."

Upon hearing these words spoken out loud, Courtney felt hot tears pricking her eyes. Rising quickly from her seat on the ground, the blonde hurried from the hut. Everyone watched her go, most with an air of apathy, though Kagome seemed concerned. Eyes fearful for her new found acquaintance, she asked, "Should we go after her?"

Tack remained silent, looking away when Kagome tried to meet her eyes, and Kaede watched the girl's reaction. Obviously, she and the blonde were not on pleasant terms. After digesting this information, the old woman said, "Let her go. Ye need to give her time."

Again, Tack said nothing, only looking out the one crudely carved window. She was mulling over the previous night's dicussion, the one concerning her semi-humaness. Inuyasha's comment about her being part wolf was not only startling, but somewhat terrifying. All these years, Tack had loved wolves and the mysterious thunder, but now she feared the animal lurking inside of her. What if she couldn't control it? It would not doubt be the end of her.

Turning emotionlessly to Inuyasha and his friends, Tack asked politely for a moment alone with the elder. They agreed, hurriedly exiting the hut, leaving Kaede and Tack alone. Taking a deep breath, the redhead poured out her troubles, recounting the conversation with Inuyasha. Kaede didn't seem alarmed, only curious, as she said, "It seems that wolf blood runs in your veins. Inuyasha never smells falsely. Do ye recall any strange incidents in your childhood, anything to suggest wolf heritage at all?"

Tack shook her head, not remembering a single relative moment. "Well," continued the woman, "perhaps being near the sacred jewel has awaked your demon blood." Tack shook her head slowly.

She remembered hearing of the sacred jewel from Kagome the previous night. After being shattered by Kagome's sacred arrow, it scattered to the four corners of the earth, coming into the hands of demons and humans alike. Everyone wanted more power and needed the jewel to obtain it; these circumstances alone sent the country into chaos. The jewel, from what Kagome said, had immense power. But could it really bring out an entire different part of Tack's life?

A troubled frown on her face, Tack said stiffly, "I don't know how to harness the power I guess I have."

"Ye will learn in time, my child, be patient," said Kaede in a soothing voice.

"Don't tell me to be patient! I have an animal living inside me, waiting to be awakened, and all you can say is be patient!" shouted Tack, rising hastily to her feet. Her eyes blazed intensely and, for a moment, Kaede witnessed the legendary wrath of the wolves.

Never backing down, Kaede said calmly, "Tack, sit down. Power is a wild thing, sometimes not to be harnessed. Control your abilities, but do not tamper with your power. It will consume you if provoked."

Breath coming in angry gasps, Tack sunk slowly back to a kneeling position. Kaede nodded her head resolutely, saying, "To return home, ye must fulfill your purpose. I will tell ye this much: you and your friend," Tack winced at the word, "must come upon your own gifts to complete this task. Courtney must come to understand her spiritual power and you must awaken the wolf."

Blinking, Tack paled a bit. "Awaken it? You want me to purposefully bring it out?"

Nodding gravely, Kaede answered in a cryptic tone. "It is the only way."

For a moment, everything seemed downright funny to Tack; this was so near unbelievable it was ridiculous. And this old woman? Self-important and a terrible liar, that's what she was. Soon enough, someone would jump out, amid bells and whistles, screaming jovially, "We got you!" But not one did and not a bell sounded. Tack clung to a small hope that this was all one big misunderstanding, but it slipped slowly away. She was stuck in pergatory and she hated it.

Snapping herself back into reality, Tack made a quick decision. There was no use griping about this if she couldn't change it so, in light of this fact, she would deal with it properly. Smacking her fist resolutely against her palm, Tack said, "Kaede, I will set out to awaken the wolf if I have to. In fact, I'll got right now."

Tack turned to leave, but Kaede quickly pulled her back by the arm. A stern look in her eyes, the woman commanded, "Sit."

Stunned into submission, Tack did as she was told. Kaede instructed her thoroughly. "Firstly, ye must change your clothes. Men in this world are not accustomed to your dress and will not hesitate to approach you." Tack grimaced, yet the woman continued. "Secondly, ye must have a weapon. In these times, demons and evil humans run rampant. Thirdly, ye must take Courtney with you."

Upon hearing the third condition, Tack let her mouth gape widely as she stared at the woman. Just the thought of journeying through a foreign land with Courtney made the redehead's skin crawl and she shuddered. It was quite the unpleasant thought, all the complaining, the taunting, the childish gossip games. Tack couldn't take a good few months with that kind of behavior. Even she, the constantly picked on tough girl, had not the composure to weather Courtney de la Shanz for more than three hours. Tack began to protest.

"Kaede, with all due respect, Courtney and I..."

"Are not on good terms, aye," Kaede cut in sharply. "But ye came together and will travel together. The fates have planned it so."

Realizing that this was the end of the discussion, Tack hung her arms limply, nodding a stiff nod, before saying calmly, "Clothes and weapons then?"

As though just remembering, Kaede nodded and moved to a corner of the room where a small compartment lay. Inside were folded articles, each more foreign than the next, and the old woman eventually came upon what Tack recognized as a practice gi. The top was white and the bottom green, a perfect combination for the redhead, and Kaede placed the bundle of clothes in Tack's arms.

"These will serve ye well. And this..." the woman reached back into the compartment, withdrawing a perfectly crafted leather sheath. She fingered a protruding hilt carefully, showing the hilt's shape in the window light; it was carved in the figure of a silver dragon, the ripples of its tale perfectly crafted to fit a human grip. The blade itself was simple yet sharp, a deadly weapon to be sure. "This too will serve ye well."

Tack nodded her thanks, bowing slightly as Kaede left to give her privacy. Tack changed into the clothes after trying a few odd ways of wearing them, finally discovering the proper method of Japanese dress. The sword hilt was attatched to a leather strap, which fit perfectly over her shoulder and across her chest, pleasing Tack to no end. From her first day on earth, she'd been fascinated by swords and now she had one to call her own.

After slipping on Kaede's gift of plain, black traveling shoes, Tack stepped outside, leaving her old clothes inside the hut. She gave Kaede a twirl, smiling a bit. "How does it look?"

Kaede smiled smally in return. "Like it was made for ye. I wish you luck on your journey."

Again Tack bowed, answering, "Thank you Kaede. I'll be back as soon as I've finished to tell you all about it and collect my things."

Before the girl could leave, Kaede called, "Send Courtney to me, for I must speak with her. Tell Inuyasha to wait for Courtney and she will meet you at the rice fields."

At this, Tack furrowed her brow, wondering what the woman meant by this. "Inuyasha? We're traveling with Inuyasha?"

To Kaede, this question was almost assinine. "Of course child. I wouldn't send ye two out alone." And with that the old woman disappeared inside her hut. Tack blew a stray red curl from her face and went in search of Courtney, wondering what kind of underhanded methods of persuasion she would be forced to use. No doubt the blonde would explode in a mighty fit and refuse to go, resulting in Tack being forced to persuade her, ahem, "other" ways. This would, however, be frowned upon. Probably not nearly as frowned upon as us traveling with Inuyasha, she though. He is going to be livid.

Tack didn't know how right she was.

Courtney found her foosteps carrying her back up the treacherous mountain, all the way to the well and its mysterious darkness. She peered inside, frightened of what may be living down there, and took a deep breath. If she wanted to get home to her friends, boyfriend, and popularity, she had to make a few sacrifices. With this thought in mind, she threw caution to the winds and hurtled over the well's edge, bracing herself for the blinding light as before. With a squeak, she realized that no guiding light was coming and landed painfully on the hard ground, grunting in pain.

This only furthered her dispair and the girl glanced at the walls, tears forming in her eyes. She pounded the ground bitterly with her fist as she sobbed, a broken heap on the well's floor, wishing she could just thinkg of home and find herself in the garden, talking with her father. He wasn't home much, what with his business meetings and frequent trips, but he always came home on the fifteenth of the month to visit. This day happened to be the fifteenth and, of course, she was missing him.

Tack gritted her teeth to control her anger as she trooped back up the mountain, tripping over a root for the umpteenth time. If that damned cheerleading girl could just keep a reign on her emotions, life would be thirty times less difficult. An distant sound up ahead caught her attention and she caught sight of the well; finally. Another loud sob erupted from the well, echoing around its walls, and Tack groaned. She was crying again.

The redhead leaned over the well's edge, a smidgen curious if Courtney had lost hope by now, and saw the girl's distant form, once elegant but now retched. Yes, she seemed to have lost a great deal of hope. Tack called down to the blonde, trying not to sound completely mocking as she asked, "It didn't work, did it?"

Sobbing a bit louder, Courtney answered, "No," in a blubbery voice.

Rolling her eyes, Tack called, "Look, the old woman wants you to come see her."

At this, Courtney managed to stand by use of the wall's edge and, through mascara stained cheeks, shouted, "I don't want to go see that bitch, tell her to fuck off! I just want to go home!"

Tack let out a heavy sigh. "I don't want to argue with you, princess, just go do what Kaede says. You ain't leavin' anytime soon, as you should have figured out. See? You can't get back through. Might as well do something to pass the time while we're here."

The blonde paused a bit in her crying; the frump girl was right. She obviously wasn't getting back through anytime soon, so she might as well just do as the redhead and the old woman said. Perhaps it would serve as a suitable distraction while she lingered in this miserable world. How anyone survived in these olden times was beyond her. No wonder life expectancies were so low.

With a heavy heart and aching body, Courtney made a slightly more graceful ascent up the well's side and clambered akwardly over, landing in another heap on the grassy forest floor. Tack reluctantly offered her a hand, which Courtney stoutly refused. Whether or not their conversations were somewhat civil now, they weren't by any means friends. Casting an eye over Tack's new clothes, Courtney raised a contemptuous eyebrow.

"What are you wearing?"

Lowering her eyebrows dangerously, Tack began walking towards the village with the blonde at her side. "It's traditional clothing and much better to travel in."

"It looks like a thrift store exploded," Courtney scoffed.

Scowling bitterly, Tack snapped in reply, "And you look like Abercrombie fucked a trash can, then had a child. I win. Go to the village."

With that, the redhead stormed off in the opposite direction, no doubt to find Inuyasha and the others. Courtney was left with a sour expression on her face, making what seemed like her hundreth treck down the stupid mountain that day. What had she done to deserve this torture?

Tack could think of a few things.

On the road to the next village, Inuyasha and the others sat in wait. Kaede had specifically instructed the hanyou to remain in the village until told otherwise and the white haired demon was already fuming. He was anxious to get on the road again and track down the demon Naraku, retrieve jewel shards, and fulfill his dream of becoming a full fledged demon. This dream wouldn't just come true sitting on the side of some road.

Glancing up, he saw Tack approaching, though garbed in an outfit much like Kikyo's, though the bottom was green in place of red. She appeared to be hopping mad, judging by her clenched fists and quickened strides. As she approached, she nodded a curt hello to the group and remained silent. After a moment, Inuyasha asked, "What did the old woman have to say?"

Asking the gods to give her patience, Tack answered calmly, "I have to awaken my inner wolf, the princess has to find her spiritual power, and we have to go on a journey to do this, therefore traveling with you."

A long silence followed, broken by Inuyasha's outraged, "WHAT THE HELL?"

Lowering her eyebrows dangerously, Kagome shouted, "Sit boy!"

Tack watched in a sort of dull satisfaction as the hanyou plowed violently into the ground, his beaded necklace glowing in mirth. Observing his imprint in the earth, the redhead said casually, "Nice trick Kags."

Kagome merely blinked at the nickname, smiling a bit before saying, "Thanks."

As soon as Inuyasha dusted himself off irately and the others gathered around, Tack proceeded to tell of her encounter with Kaede. Several bits and pieces were not included in her story, for obvious reasons, but she elaborated greatly on the truncated version. By the end of her telling, Inuyasha seemed slightly more at ease and looked belligerently up at the sky, silent as the others reflected.

"Wolf, did you say?" asked Miroku, obviously intrigued. "Do you feel like a demon?"

Blinking, Tack mused for a moment before replying, "I don't really know what it feels like to be a demon, so I would have to say no."

Another pregnant pause captured the group as Inuyasha glanced up at the sun warily. "It's almost midday, we gotta get movin," he announced. "If we have to take you two, so be it." Kagome almost smiled, seeing Inuyasha come to terms with everything so quickly, and felt an odd sort of pride welling up within her. Strange, how she could feel pride over something so trivial.

Silmultaneously, the group stood and began dusting themselves off, all the while wondering what kind of outcome this journey would bring. Sango glanced down the road, saying, "There's Courtney," in what she hopped was a cheerful voice. Truth be told, the demon slayer wasn't Courtney's biggest fan at the moment and thanked the gods there were so many people in their group. If the tajiya were forced to interract solely with that biggoted girl, she would indeed crack.

Tack turned and saw Courtney walking slowly down the path, a dazed expression on her face. The expensive pink clothing was gone, replaced by a light blue traveling gi, and a mahogany bow was strapped to her shoulder. If anything, Courtney seemed to be lost in whatever Kaede'd said to her and failed to notice the group at all. Only when she came within reach of them did she blink, glancing around and then saying calmly, "I'm ready to go."

Inuyasha grunted consent, motioning the group onwards with his head, and the travelers were off. Still mulling over Courtney's subdued behavior, Tack only wondered if it would last through the journey. If it didn't, the redhead would most likely lose her temper, thusly resulting in a hot row with the cheerleader, therefore leading into great tension within the group. Not that there wasn't already; Tack could sense everyone's dislike for the blonde and relished in it. Finally the punk beat the cheerleader. And she knew it.

Near sunset, the group came upon a small village and, after a bit of "exterminating" on Sango's part, earned themselves a place to stay in the local inn. The girls gathered together after dinner and wandered towards the back of the inn on the owner's recommendation. He'd told them of hotsprings and not one of the girls was in a position to turn them down; each felt grimier than the next.

After stripping clean of her traveling clothes, Courtney sunk deep within the torchlit waters, smiling to herself as the heat soothed her aching muscles. A full day of traveling nearly did her in and she was only too happy when the town came into view.

Sango sunk down in the water near Kagome, observing her two new traveling companions silently. The redhead held a far away glance, obviously thinking on some important topic, while Courtney was simply relishing in the piping hot spring water. How typical, thought the exterminator. The one who's born hardship reflects while the other lives only for the moment. Each could learn something from the other. Little did Sango know that Courtney, too, had born hardship.

Kagome, hoping to lighten the almost dreary mood, asked cheerfully, "How did you two enjoy your first day traveling with us?"

Restraining herself from shouting terrible words, Tack smiled graciously and said, "Very much."

Beside her, Courtney practiced no restraint whatsoever when she answered, "I'm sore all over. Couldn't we, like, ride horses or something?"

The two original members of the Inu-tachi exchanged glances, wondering exactly how to answer this question, while Tack massaged her temples soothingly with her wrinkling hands. This was not the most delightful piece of conversation. Before the redhead could launch into a chastising speech, Sango cleared up any questions the blonde might have.

"If you know of any place where we could find six horses, I wouldn't mind one myself," said the exterminator almost tightly.

Courtney clamped her mouth tightly shut, looking away from the girl's piercing gaze. Certainly, no one besides Tack ever spoke to her in that irritated tone. The majority of Dameon Highschool reverred her as some sort of beautiful goddess, so why didn't these people?

Though the circumstances were quite funny in Tack's eyes, she restrained her laughter and focused on one nagging thought in the back of her mind. She'd been unable to shake it for quite sometime, a thought no doubt triggered by her time spent with the cheerleading captain, and it continually blinked on and off like a sign. Why did Courtney and her friends pick on Tack? Sure, they were rude to everyone in the school, but why so predominantly Tack Harley? She didn't make that much trouble for anyone and didn't even start fights unless on good ground. Obviously, the cheerleaders had a much better reason for hating her.

Before any ground breaking discoveries could be made, Sango rose from the springs and turned, making her way towards her clothing on the banks. Both Courtney and Tack saw the large, hideous scar on the exterminator's back, taking up its entire center, claws like a mutated spider spreading along her lean muscles. The blonde made to say something about it, but Tack kicked her swiftly underwater, leaving the girl to cry out in pain.

"Ow, bitch!" screamed Courtney, her eyes narrowed in anger.

Tack widened innocent eyes, asking dazedly, "What?"

"You kicked me!" the cheerleader accused righteously.

"It was an accident."

"No it was not a fricking accident!" shouted Courtney, standing by this point, glaring down at the redhead.

Tack rose to meet the challenge, her demeanor cool. "I said it was an accident. Get over it."

With that, Tack Harley rose resolutely from the hot springs and followed Sango's example, dressing swiftly in her green gi as Kagome and Courtney watched. Courtney stared open mouthed and her rival's back, unable to find the words to renew the conflict, and Kagome attempted conversation. "Well, I guess it really was an accident."

Letting out a scream of frustration, Courtney stood up with a vicious splash and waded fiercely through the waters, practically ripping on her red gi before stalking inside. After witnessing this exchange, Kagome let out a heavy sigh; this journey was surely going to be longer than anticipated.

There we go, another chapter, sorry for the delay. I have summer school for five hours a day, then I scurry off to tap class and its all a blur after I work out in the evening and stumble home, saying something resembling, "SMITHERSNOTKAREENYMAPOOFAH." Just like that, too. ;)

Oh, something cool I found by accident. In Wordpad, if you hit "e," release it, then hit "x" and "alt" silmuntaneously, it makes a little musical note character. I thought it was cool...then again, I am a loser. A really stunningly good looking loser. Hah.

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