Hello everyone I'm back. I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. I put up a poll on my website for anyone interesting in voting for their favorite characters. Right now it's only for the characters I created. Link is on my Profile page at the bottom.

I also started drawing some of the characters from this story. If you would like to see I'll send you the link.

Oh yeah, for the person who left the review about showing those in Makai, I will be alluding to them in later chapters.

Anyway, on with the story.

Disclaimer: I'm getting lazy so see the first chapter.

Chapter 7

Recap:

Leiko cried out again as Bahamut's claws dug down to her bones. The demon laughed as he lapped up the blood flowing from the hanyou's chest and arms.

"Perhaps it is time I finish you. Before you get cold, that is," Bahamut laughed in his shrilled voice. "Doggies taste very bad when cold."

Bahamut smirked as he went to take a bite out of Leiko's neck. She closed her eyes, waiting for the end to come. But instead of feeling sharp teeth piercing her skin, she heard flesh being ripped apart by metal, and a gasping sound coming from Bahamut. She cautiously opened her eyes, and was shocked at what laid before her.

Bahamut had been impaled through the stomach by an unseen combatant with a lobster claw like blade. Shock spread across the demon's bird-like face as his grip upon Leiko's shoulders loosened enough for her to break free. She fell and hit the ground hard, nearly passing out from the amount of blood she had lost. On the verge of passing out, she saw Bahamut being raised into the air, still impaled on the strange weapon. Now Leiko could see more of the weapon. It was a type of polearm, the claw like blade attached to a purple staff, shaped like a roman column with a black, flat bottom cone sticking out of the end. But it was the person holding the staff that shocked Leiko the most. A pair of violent purple eyes stared into space as the same hate-filled color surrounded Leiko's savior in a powerful aura, but the color didn't look right, it wasn't her eyes or her aura, because standing in front of Leiko was someone who shouldn't be. Leiko gathered up just enough strength to ask her savior one question.

"Sakura-chan?"

Sakura simply stared at Leiko, holding Bahamut over her head. Leiko attempted to stand, but severe blood loss prevented her. She stared back at what had been her friend only a few moments ago; trying to fathom what was going on. Suddenly the polearm began to glow the same eerie color as Sakura, its light engulfing Bahamut. Sakura whispered three strange words, "Silence Glaive Surprise" and the light enveloped Sakura and the bird-demon attached to the weapon. When the light died out, only Sakura remained, surrounded in a pool of black blood, most likely Bahamut's. Sakura then lowered the blade to her side and began to walk towards Leiko. Leiko attempted to take a defensive position, placing Kigaisaiga in front of her as a shield.

"Fear not. I will do you no harm," came a voice out of Sakura's mouth that wasn't her own. It was an older woman's voice, soft with an undertone of power.

"Who … are … you?" Leiko asked wincing in pain.

"I am Titan," replied the one in possession of Sakura's body.

"And … what have … you … done with … my friend?"

"She is still here. I share this body with her. I have been tied to her soul since the moment she was conceived."

"What!" Leiko gasped in surprise.

"This girl was born in order to hold me prisoner, like her ancestors before her did for thousands of years. However, I have managed to break some of my chains and can act through this child when her life is in danger."

"What did … you do? Why … are you … a prisoner?" Leiko could barely keep conscious now, but she didn't trust the creature in her friend's body.

"I am the Harbinger of Destruction, the Goddess of Death."

Leiko's eyes went wide with fear as Titan smiled wickedly at her. But then Titan's eyed rolled back into her head and the glaive vanished. The purple aura disappeared and Sakura fell to her knees, then onto her stomach. Her uniform was almost none existent and Leiko could now see dozen of scars across Sakura's bare back and legs. At first Leiko thought they were from the battle they had just survived, but when she painfully crawled over to the unconscious girl, she realized that these scars were old - very old.

"What the …?" Leiko passed out before she could finish her question. However, she did manage to catch a glimpse of her brother and father running up to them before all went black.

Sakura awoke to the sound of distant voices, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She sat up slowly, rubbing her aching head. Looking around her, she didn't recognize the room she was in. It looked very old fashion, like a room from a movie of feudal Japan. In the far corner, fast asleep, was Leiko. She let out a sigh of relief, glad to know her friend was safe. Suddenly, Shina burst through the hanging door, dressed in a green kimono worn by peasants of the feudal era and carrying another in her arms. Now Sakura was really confused. Why the hell was Shina wearing that weird outfit?

"Yeah, you're awake!" Shina exclaimed, waking up Leiko in the process.

"Shina, shut up!" Leiko said, sleep still in her voice. "We're trying to sleep."

"You've been asleep for a day now. It's time to get up." Shina threw the kimono she was holding at Sakura. "Here, put this on."

Sakura look at Shina in confusion. "Why?"

"Do you wanna go outside like that?" Shina pointed to Sakura current lack of clothing. All she had was her undergarments and a baggie tank top, along with the bandages that covered most of her arms, legs and back. Quickly, she changed into the kimono. It was pink with a design of Sakura blossoms on the sleeves. Sakura looked over to see if Leiko had a kimono on as well. Leiko wasn't. Instead, she was wearing a loose blue skirt and a baggie red t-shirt. Her arms and legs were also wrapped in bandages.

"Hey Leiko, taking fashion tips from Sakura-chan now?" Shina asked giggling.

"It's only 'cause my legs got cut really bad by that demon," Leiko growled.

"Where are we anyway?" Sakura finally asked her friends.

Shina let out another giggle before saying: "Welcome to feudal Japan!"

Sakura stepped outside to see the past coming to life. They were indeed in a feudal village, just not like the ones you would see in a History class film. This one was a unique village. All different kinds of youkai, hanyous, part demons, and humans were going about their daily duties. Sakura stood in amazement of the harmony in front of her. It was truly amazing.

"Nice, huh?" Shina asked as she stood behind Sakura with Leiko next to her.

"Hai!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Someone's in a good mood," Kanaye said as he, Kazuo, and Ryu approached.

"Ryu? How'd you get here?" Sakura asked when the boys finally reached them. Kanaye was also wearing feudal era clothing the color blue, while Kazuo was wearing a green kimono-like shirt with green balloon pants that tied at his ankles and his sword safely secured in his belt. Ryu, on the other hand, was wearing his usual attire of black jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black jacket with a red hood.

"He insisted on coming. Said something about keeping you out of trouble," Kazuo said, getting a death glare from Ryu.

Sakura giggled at the fire demon's actions, knowing full well he must have been worried about her. She then noticed a bulge in Ryu's jacket that began to move. Suddenly, Chi popped her head out, using her talons to pull herself out of Ryu's jacket by his shirt and flew over to her mistress, cooing all the way.

"Chi! My good girl!" Sakura laughed as Chi began to lick her face with her lizard-like tongue. She then took up her perch on Sakura's shoulder, nuzzling her neck in the process.

"The human child brought her to me when she started acting like she was in pain," Ryu explained. "You were at the Higurashi's when I was finally able to locate you. Chi wouldn't go with any of them so I had to bring her."

Shina and Leiko exchanged a look, not believing Ryu for a second. It was obvious to everyone that Ryu had a thing for Sakura, except maybe Sakura herself.

"Speaking of that, how did we get here?" Sakura asked.

"We brought you here," Kazuo explained. "There's a small well on the grounds of the shrine that connects this time with the present. Mom fell down the well when she was 15. That's how she met Dad, Sango, Miroku and Shippo. Mom and the other parents were worried that whatever attacked you guys would come back, so Dad had me bring you both to this time, with a little help from Ryu."

"And you are now in our care until you recover your strength," came Miroku's voice to the left of the group. Miroku and Sango approached the teenagers, with Shippo close behind. Miroku was wearing the attire of a monk, black and purple robes with a circular topped staff. Sango wore a white and pink stripped kimono with a green overskirt. Shippo was wearing dark blue pants similar to Kazuo's with a light blue kimono shirt and a tan vest, his brown hair hanging loose around his shoulders. He was carrying a letter with an official looking seal in his hand.

"Kazuo, this came from your uncle," Shippo said as he handed the letter to Kazuo. Leiko moved behind her twin in order to read the letter over his shoulder. When Kazuo had finished reading, he rolled the letter back up and sighed.

"Uncle Sess needs a way into the present to talk to Dad. He'll be here tomorrow."

"Looks like we're here for another day," Leiko commented after taking the letter from Kazuo to reread it.

"Well, you kids have fun," Miroku said as he and Sango turned to leave. "I have to take care of some business here."

"No prob Dad," Shina said. "We'll keep our eyes on things, right Kanaye?"

Kanaye nodded in agreement. Kazuo made a suggestion to do some training. Leiko, however, wanted to talk to Sakura in private, so she grabbed Sakura's hand and led her off towards the river that ran not far from the village.

"What's up Leiko-chan?" Sakura asked when they finally reached the river.

"It's about the fight with that Bahamut guy," Leiko sighed, not sure how she was going to talk about it with Sakura. Hell she wasn't even sure herself what happened.

"I was actually wondering what happened," Sakura explained. "I completely blacked out. I almost sure he was gonna kill you."

"You don't remember?" Leiko asked, completely confused.

"Remember what?" Sakura gave Leiko a puzzled look.

"Something took possession of your body and vaporized Bahamut."

Sakura froze and fear spread over her face. It was the voice again. It had to be. Leiko noticed the fear coming off Sakura in waves.

"Sakura-chan, what's wrong?" she asked cautiously.

"It … didn't hurt you … did it Leiko-chan?" Sakura asked, her voice shaking with fear.

"No," Leiko answered quickly. "She said she couldn't."

"She? It's female?"

"Yeah, I guess," Leiko figured that Sakura didn't have a clue about what was trapped inside her. "She said her name was Titan and she's some kind of prisoner inside your soul. You didn't know?"

"No," Sakura whispered. "I mean I knew something was in me, but I didn't know what it was or why."

"You knew? Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because then I have to tell everyone about the other thing."

"Other thing?" Now Leiko was really confused. What the hell was Sakura hiding?

"You have to promise not to tell anyone." Sakura gave Leiko a look of determination.

"Sure, no problem. I won't tell anyone." Leiko gave Sakura the same determined look. "What the hell are you hiding?"

"You know how my Papa was taken to Makai with Touya-kun's Otou-san and Hina-sempai's Okaa-san, right?" Leiko nodded.

"Well, a few days after they were taken, Mama was attacked by the Dark Knights. She would have died, except for the fact that she was pregnant with me and I was somehow able to save her. She was so afraid that the Knights would hurt everyone that she went to live with some distant relatives who had still managed to keep their reiki and didn't tell anyone but Baa-san. Of course her family hated me. They believed I was some kind of Hell Spawn or something."

Sakura stopped, searching for the best way to continue. Leiko put a reassuring hand on Sakura's shoulder. She sighed and sat down on the soft grass of the riverbed. Leiko then followed suite, picking up a stone and skipping it across the river.

"Mama was always so sad, even when she was smiling. She was always telling me about Papa. I could tell she was having such a hard time living without him. I even saw her attempt suicide a few times. But I always managed to stop her." Tears were beginning to form in Sakura's eyes as Leiko sat in shock from her story.

"When I was five, Mama suddenly said we were going to live with Baa-san. I didn't know why, but I didn't mind. I hated her family as much as they hated me. So we boarded a bus to Baa-san's temple. But on the way, the Dark Knights attacked the bus, looking for me. I destroyed the Knights, but not before they killed everyone else on the bus. Without a driver, the bus went off the road and down the mountain. We survived, but Mama got hurt really badly. She fell into a coma." The tears were now visible, running freely down Sakura's face now. She stopped to wipe the tears from her eyes and continued on.

"After the accident, I went back to Mama's family at their temple. That's when they finally put their plan for me into action. I learned that they were part of an ancient and secret organization called the Dragon Hunters. They use yokai with my kind of power to harvest dragons and use them to become more powerful. From the time I was 5 until I was 9, they tortured me, forcing me to summon dragons so they could capture them. I was locked in a cold basement for days at a time, beaten, whipped, and burned among other things. I was taken out of school and forbidden to go outside at all; for fear that I would run away."

"Damn bastards!" Leiko growled in anger. "Wait 'til I get my claws in them!"

"They're already dead."

"What?"

"I…" Sakura stuttered. "I … killed … them."

"You what?"

"I was 9 when it happened. You see I had tried to run away a few times. Each time I was found by someone who wanted to help me. The first one was Ami-oneechan. But when she found me, being near me awoke a hidden power in her. She's the reincarnation of a demon goddess worshipped by my people. The Hunters found us and took both of us back to the temple. The next time I met Rei-oneechan. Then it was Mako-oneechan and Minako-oneechan. The final time I tried, I ran in front of a car, hoping to kill myself. That's when I met Haruka-oneechan, Michiru-oneechan and Setsuna-oneechan. It was Haruka-oneechan's car I jumped in front of. They too were all goddesses. The Hunters got them all. That night they were attempting to steal everyone's power by torturing me. It was the night I almost died. It was also the night I heard 'that voice' for the first time."

You mean Titan?" Leiko interjected, slowly absorbing Sakura's tale.

"Yeah. I didn't know what she was then. All I know is that I heard everyone screaming and then I couldn't hear anything. I thought I was going to die. But then I heard her voice, telling me to take revenge on the Hunters. Then everything went black. I woke up, surrounded and covered in blood, holding a weird weapon and in a completely different part of the temple then where I was tortured. The blade looked like a lobster claw, attached to a purple staff. I got scared and dropped the weapon, but it disappeared once I let go of it. That's when I saw the bodies. And I fainted again. I woke up in the hospital about 2 days later. Baa-san had come down to get me and Ami-oneechan and the others were all there. They told me that everyone in the temple was now dead, except for one boy my age who had hid during the massacre. He kept telling the police that I had killed everyone. The others denied it, saying they hadn't seen who had killed everyone. But I know I did it. I had to have done it. I killed all those people."

Sakura broke down, sobbing uncontrollably into her knees and shaking terribly. Leiko was at a lost. She couldn't think of what to do. Her poor friend was living with such a terrible secret and yet she still managed to act like nothing of the sort had ever happened to her. Suddenly, the black blur everyone had come to know as Ryu passed by her, stopping in front of Sakura. He quickly sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her. She gladly accepted, burying her face in his chest.

"So now you know," Ryu said, looking directly at Leiko.

"You know too?" Leiko asked the fire demon as Sakura crawled into his lap. Ryu simply nodded. After about 10 minutes of crying, Sakura had fallen into a light sleep, still curled up in Ryu's lap.

"How long have you known?" Leiko asked.

"I found out a few weeks after I landing in Ningenkai, which was about 5 years ago. My father and I were attacked by a group of Akira's men and we were separated. I was knocked off a cliff while fighting one of the lackeys and landing in the woods outside Genkai-san's temple. Sakura found me and somehow managed to get me into the temple, where the two of them treated my wounds. Of course it was hard to sleep, since Sakura had nightmares almost every night. After about 2 weeks of it, I used my Jagan to find out what was wrong. I saw everything she went through. It made me sick. I decided that I would protect her. I will not allow anyone to hurt her like that again."

"You really got a thing for her huh?" Leiko asked.

"I guess I do," Ryu answered softly.

"It explains a few things," Leiko mused as she stared at the river flowing in front of them.

"You've seen her scars," Ryu said in a matter of fact voice.

"Yeah."

Suddenly, the peace of the river was shattered by a blood-curdling scream. Sakura's eyes shot open and she jumped up from Ryu's lap. Ryu and Leiko also got up, scanning the area for the source of the scream. But Sakura was way ahead of them both. She had already started running farther down stream. The other two soon followed, neither sure what was going on. When she finally made it to the source of the scream, Sakura was greeted by a small group of men dressed as feudal temple guards surrounding a group of three women. Two of them where maybe a year or two older than Sakura and were protecting the third woman. It was the third woman that caught Sakura's attention the most. She looked identical to Sakura's mother Keiko.

She was about 20 years old with long brown hair hanging loose around her shoulder blades and brown eyes full of fear. She was also pregnant, about 5 months along by the look of her stomach. The two younger women called her Maaya-sama. The men simply smirked at the three women.

"Give it up young ones and we will let you go," said one of the men.

"All we want is that thing," said another, pointing to the Keiko look-alike.

Both young women refused, making the group very angry. Two men even drew their weapons at the girls. When they moved on the girls, Sakura noticed medallions around each man's neck. It was a silver circle with a chained dragon in the center of it. The mark of the Dragon Hunters.

"Leave them alone!" Sakura screamed as she jumped between the three women and the group of men, anger building up within her small frame.

"You want some too little girl?" laughed the tallest and biggest of the men. He pointed his sword at her now.

"Leave them alone and I might let you leave with your limbs still attached to your bodies," Sakura commanded.

The men all laughed at Sakura. None of them believed a kid her size could take them on.

"Big words for such a little girl," mocked the biggest man.

They would be the last words he ever said. Sakura's anger increased and it showed as her yoki flared around her. The men cringed in fear as Sakura broke their leader's arm, took his sword, and stuck it in his gut. He cried out in agony as Sakura twisted the sword still imbedded in his abdomen. She then quickly pulled it out and sliced off his head. The man's blood sprayed onto her face and clothes, making her look almost demonic. Two of the remaining four charged at Sakura. She made quick work of them as well. She stabbed one man through his throat with the leader sword, and then used his sword to split his companion in half through the middle. One of the remaining two foolishly charged her, hoping to get a hit from behind. But she sensed him before he even took a step. She allowed him to come within a sword's reach of her before turning around and stabbing him in the groin. Then she drove the sword up through his body, cutting him in half.

The final guard cowered behind a nearby tree. Sakura picked him up by the throat and pinned him to the tree.

"What do you want with them?" she demanded to the frighten Hunter.

"We were … told to … collect … the creature," he stuttered, pointing at Keiko's look-alike.

"Why?" Sakura demanded again, holding his throat even tighter.

"Because it belongs to us," the guard said, a smirk playing on his lips. The smirk faded, however, when he saw Sakura's reaction to his statement. Her eyes burned with anger and her aura flared again.

"Who says she belongs to you!" Sakura tightened her grip on the man's throat, causing his eyes to bulge in his head. She squeezed so hard that she crushed the man's windpipe, killing him instantly. She quickly dropped the man, finally realizing what she had done. Sakura jumped when the woman called Maaya put a hand on her shoulder, then pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you little one." Maaya nearly cried into Sakura's shoulder. God, even her voice was just like Keiko's. Sakura slowly calmed down, hugging the older woman back. Ryu and Leiko finally arrived, the whole incident taking mere minutes.

"What the hell happened?" Leiko asked one of the young girls.

"Those men tried to take Maaya-sama," she answered, pointing to what was left of the Hunters.

"But she saved us," replied the other girl, pointing to Sakura.

Ryu walked among the corpses of the Hunters, surveying Sakura's handy work.

"Stupid humans," he sneered, kicking the leader's head towards the rest of his body.

Leiko, however, was more concerned with Sakura then the dead men. She looked at her friend, still clinging to the young woman. Leiko could see the regret in Sakura's eyes. She was beating herself up for what she did. The woman, who she assumed was the Maaya-sama the younger girls were speaking of, looked like she was trying to comfort Sakura, stroking her hair and hugging the girl tightly.

"Why were they after you?" Leiko asked Maaya.

"Because I am a yokai with powers they desire," she answered calmly, still holding Sakura.

"Yokai?" Leiko asked in surprise. She had not sensed any yoki coming from the woman. Neither had Ryu, by the look on his face.

"Yes, I am a yokai," Maaya declared. "The same kind as your young friend here."

Sakura's head shot up at this declaration. This woman was one of her kind. She just couldn't believe it. But she was also very happy at the same time. She had finally found another yokai like her.

"I know you must have many questions to ask," Maaya stated to the group of teenagers surrounding her. "But I am afraid we must leave this area before more of these men come. Our village is not far. We shall be safe there."

"Sound like a plan," Leiko said.

"We should get the blood off of Sakura first," Ryu stated in his matter of fact voice. "She'll draw too much attention."

"I can take care of that easily." And with that Maaya broke her hug with Sakura, putting her hands on the sides of Sakura's face. Her hands soon began to glow with a silver light that soon enveloped Sakura as well. When the light died down, the blood covering the Sakura had disappeared completely.

"How did you do that?" Sakura asked as she examined her clothing.

"I will explain everything when we are safely away from here," Maaya said. Slowly, she began walking upstream with Sakura; the two girls following close behind. Ryu and Leiko took up the rear, slightly confused about the series of events that had just occurred. Hopefully everything would be explained when they reached Maaya's village.

Wow this has got to be the longest chapter I've written. I hope you enjoyed. Please review.