Chronicles of Hitaro: A New Youkai Age

by Jack Rhien

Hitaro is a youth who had just turned sixteen. His 16 years of life have been a living hell though. He has a somewhat inhuman attributes (including different colored hair, long nails and fangs, and rare eyes), he has very few friends, abusive guardians,

2. Setting Off

I was having a strange dream. No... not a dream. It was a nightmare. It wasn't an old one though. Since I turned sixteen, I've been plagued by the dream. In the dream, There was a bloody figure standing on the earth. His eyes were completely red. He had long nails that looked like switchblades. He had huge fangs that gleamed brightly in his evil grin. He had silver hair that was stained red. Blood pounded the ground, creating a crimson puddle that grew slowly. He soon began to walk towards several other figures. His fingers twitched as his grin grew wider.

"The rest of you are next," he said.

It was just like before and after I got here, but there was more this time. He rose his claws and slashed at the people. They let out loud screams of pain and fear. The figure laughed with sick delight. He slashed to his heart's content. He continued to laugh with evil in his voice. I wanted it to end. I wanted it to go away. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't. I just wanted to yell out and scream. I just wanted out! Why couldn't I get out of this nightmare from hell!

"Hitaro?" A voice said. "Hitaro! Hitaro!"

My eyes opened and I shot up. I let out a quick gasp as I slowly came back to the real world. I blinked twice and looked around. I was in Kaede's hut, sleeping in a bed. I was breathing heavily. When would that nightmare stop? Why did it seem so real? I shook my head. I had to forget about it. I opened my eyes and looked to the left. I saw Shippo standing there. I gave him a puzzled grunt.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Kagome wanted me to see if you were awake yet," he replied. "You didn't look very comfortable, though. Did you get any sleep?"

I stared at him for a little bit. I groaned and let my body plop back down. When I hit the ground, a loud thump echoed inside. I looked at Shippo and nodded. I wished I didn't get any sleep though. It would have been better than seeing that nightmare again.

"How about you?" I asked.

"Yep! I got plenty of sleep! Although it was kind of late when I went to bed."

"Huh? Why's that?"

"Last night we kinda had a meeting."

"A meeting? For what?"

"It was about you," he said as he crossed his arms.

"Oh really?" I asked as my eyes narrowed. "I have an idea of what you were talking about. It was about the boulder thing, right?"

"Actually, it wasn't really about that."

I gave him a surprised look. They weren't talking about that? What else could they talk about? Was it what about my coming here? Was it about me looking like Inuyasha? Was it about something else?

"What were they talking about?" I asked.

"How did it go again?" Shippo said to himself. "Oh yeah! Now I remember! It was like this!"

I assumed that it was night from what Shippo told me. There was a pot of stew boiling over burning charcoal. Kaede stirred the pot rather slowly as Inuyasha sat in the room with his arms crossed. He looked at the room that I slept in as Kagome exited the room. She let out a quiet sigh as she sat down between Kaede and Inuyasha. Inuyasha turned his head to face Kagome.

"So how's the kid doing?" He asked her.

"Is he okay?" Shippo asked. "It looked like he used a lot of energy trying to lift that boulder out there."

"He's fine," Kagome replied. "He's just resting up. He really needs it too."

"You're right about that," Inuyasha said. "He deserves that for trying to show off."

"Mind you, but you pushed him to do so," Kagome said with a sharp look.

"I did not!" He yelled out. "That kid was just arrogant enough to do that on his own!"

"Yeah," Shippo said. "Like you."

"Cram it, Shippo!"

He whacked Shippo on the head. Shippo yelped as he grabbed his skull. He groaned quietly as he rubbed his head. Inuyasha crossed his arms and let out an annoyed grunt. He shifted his eyes to look at Kagome. She was giving him an irritated look.

"What?"

"You really are impossible sometimes, Inuyasha," Kagome muttered.

Inuyasha growled quietly and looked away. Kaede looked at the two of them and sighed. She muttered something under her breath as she moved the pot to the floor. She looked at Kagome and Inuyasha again. It took her a while to finally interrupt the growing argument.

"I believe that Hitaro has a connection to Inuyasha."

When she said that, that automatically caught everyone's attention. Their angered faces turned to that of curiosity as they turned their heads to face Kaede. She had a serious look on her face.

"Really? So you think that Hitaro is connected to Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

"There is no doubt in my mind," Kaede replied. "There are too many similarities between the two."

"No there isn't," Inuyasha.

"Actually, you're both look really similar," Kagome said.

"And you're both really stubborn," Shippo said.

"And not to mention you're both a pretty arrogant."

"Plus you're both loudmouthed."

As Kagome and Shippo went on, Inuyasha turned his head left and right, trying to keep up with their comments. An irritated look grew on his face. He growled quietly as his hand tightened into a fist. He finally couldn't keep it on anymore. He just had to say something.

"Okay! I get the point!"

"Thank you for agreeing with us," Kaede said.

Inuyasha growled quietly as his head dipped down. Anyone could tell at the moment that he was now in an even worse mood. Everyone gazed at him. As Shippo continued to tell me this story, a question tickled my mind. Exactly what was Inuyasha thinking?

"So Kaede, how do you think Inuyasha is connected with Hitaro?" Kagome asked.

"Well, there are two possibilities," Kaede said. "The first possibility is that Hitaro is a reincarnation of Inuyasha."

"Reincarnation?" Inuyasha said. "Are you saying that I'm going to killed?"

"There is a chance. Although it would be more unlikely than the other possibility."

"You're right about that! I'm too strong to be killed!"

"If you were to be killed, I would have to say your arrogance was the cause of it."

Inuyasha gave her an irritated glare. He crossed his arms as he let out a quiet annoyed grunt. Kagome looked at him briefly. She let out a sigh as she turned her head to face Kaede again. Inuyasha was still looking away.

"So what's the other possibility?" Kagome asked.

"Are you sure that he could be something else besides a reincarnation?" Shippo asked.

"Of course," Kaede said. "He could also be a descendant of Inuyasha... and someone else of course."

When Kaede said that, Kagome and Inuyasha's eyes opened wide and they looked at each other. Both their faces turned a deep crimson red as they shifted their heads and looked in opposite directions. Shippo was constantly moving his eyes, shifting his gaze between Inuyasha and Kagome. He then looked at Kaede.

"So you think Hitaro might be a descendant of Inuyasha and Kagome?"

"It is a possibility," Kaede replied.

"Now hold on!" Kagome said nervously. "Inuyasha and I may be close, but I don't think we would go that far anytime soon!"

"Yeah," Inuyasha said firmly. "That would only happen if we got married. Problem is, she always needs to go back to her home."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha, whose face was still red. Kagome let out a sigh as Inuyasha crossed his arms and looked away again. The room fell silent. For a few minutes, no one uttered a single word. If you ask me, you could have heard someone shout from another country. Once again, Kaede was the one to break the silence.

"There are some... other matters I must speak of."

"What's that?" Shippo asked.

"Apparently, a strange disease has been breaking out in the north. However, this disease is not normal. In fact, it is quite potent. Although it has only just started some days ago, it has already taken over a village. This is mostly because the disease is involved with a youkai. Apparently, it is a necromancer type."

"You mean it can raise the dead?" Kagome asked.

"Yes. That is what the disease correlates with. This disease has the ability to resurrect the dead. When this happens, they carry the disease with them. When they feast on a carcass, that body will become undead as well. Of course, this means we must put an end to it as soon as possible."

"And when you say we, you mean Kagome, Shippo, Sango, Miroku, and myself, right?" Inuyasha asked.

"Correct."

"Great. We're always stuck with the dirty work. Oh well, at least this will give me something to do. I needed something to kill."

"But what about Hitaro?" Shippo asked. "What should he do?"

"Yeah," Kagome began to say. "Should he come with us or should try to go home?"

"I am not certain. After his... demonstration, he might be a valuable asset. He could be helpful on the trip. However, he might just be risking his life if he comes along. Perhaps we should make it his decision."

I listened to Shippo as he finished off his explanation. I stared at him with some surprise. So I was a reincarnation of Inuyasha... well, I assumed. The only person who could have had... relations with Inuyasha was Kagome. Chances of her getting together with Inuyasha like that weren't bloody likely.

I blew upwards, moving some of the hair that was in front of my eyes.

"So you all think I'm his descendant or something?" I asked quietly.

"Yep! There's no doubt about it!"

"Also... you think I'm stubborn and loudmouthed like he is?" I asked coldly.

Shippo flinched. An evil grin grew upon my lips. I placed my hand on my fist and pushed forward, emitting a sickening series of cracks. Shippo backed up as he quivered and whimpered quietly. I rose my arm into the air and prepared to slam him in the head. He shrieked and covered his head with with hands. I stopped right above his hair. I gave him a small tap on the head. A small knock resonated in the room. He let out a puzzled grunt as he opened his eyes and slowly looked up at me. I smirked.

"Maybe that'll teach ya," I said jokingly.

"You mean... you're not actually going to hit me?" Shippo asked.

"Nah. I figure Inuyasha has been doing that a lot. Why should I make it any worse?"

Shippo let out a sigh of relief. I smiled, chuckling lightly. He should have been glad I was more sympathetic than Inuyasha was. I could already tell he didn't let anything go by. My mind went into deep thought. Why was he so defensive? Did he really have some soft spot? I pondered the thought. A lot of people had it. As for me... well, I showed it more than you would think... around my friends anyway. My thoughts were soon interrupted, however, as I felt something tug at my shirt sleeve. My eyes widened as I turned my head and looked down. Shippo wrapped a hand around a small segment of my sleeve.

"Uh... yeah?"

"I forgot to tell you something," Shippo said. "Inuyasha and the others are getting prepared."

"So they're not around?"

Shippo shook his head. I gave him a funny look. I let out a sigh as I leaned against the wall. Great. I was stuck here with no one except for Shippo. It wasn't that I minded being around him. What I did mind was that there was no one that I could really talk to about this whole ordeal. Shippo seemed a bit young to talk to him about important things.

"Um... if you want, I could show you around the village."

"Really? You'd do that?"

"Sure! Since no one else is here I could do that!"

I grinned. This kid wasn't as bad as I thought. He was actually all right. I nodded to him as I slowly began to stand up. I let out a groan. My body felt extremely sore. The pain lingered in my limbs. It felt like they were slowly being pried apart. This was one of those moments that I was glad that people tried to put a pounding on me so many times. It made the pain seem less significant. However, the pain became weaker when a thought came to mind. I wondered how the hell was I even standing after lifting that thing? Was I really that inhuman?

"Wow! You're actually standing!"

The puzzled look that grew on my face disappeared as I turned my head to look at Shippo. He had an interested look that was mixed with an odd smile. I grinned nervously as I moved my arm to scratch the back of my head. As I did so, there was a loud pop. I grunted quietly. My eyes moved to the side, glancing at my elbow. The pain was coming from there. I groaned quietly.

"I can't believe it either," I said with gritted teeth.

I let my arm drop to the side. The pain disappeared and a certain lifelessness took over the arm as it began to feel numb. I moaned as I shook it off. I seriously should not have been standing. I turned my head to face Shippo. I forced him a smile.

"Can we start the tour now?"

"Right!"

I turned around, walking around the corner of the door. Silent groans filled my mouth, wanting and waiting to turn into screams. They wouldn't escape. I've had worse. I knew how to deal with pain. All I had to do was take it easy. It seemed simple enough. Unfortunately, I hadn't counted on one thing...

"Hitaro! Could I have a ride?"

"Wait! Hold on a..."

I couldn't finish. He suddenly jumped right on my shoulder. Right when his feet made contact, I grunted loudly. My body slowly began to sink. When my legs couldn't take it anymore, I completely gave way and collapsed to the floor. A huge thud came from body as dust flew up into the air. I yelped quietly. I slowly turned my head to look at Shippo. I gave him a cold look as I growled quietly.

"Next time, wait for an answer before you do that!" I hissed. "If you don't, I'll be even worse than Inuyasha!"

"Gah! I'm sorry!"

I looked at him and growled quietly. I pushed myself up slowly, groaning loudly. I moved my feet forward when I could so I could stand up straight. I let out a moan of relief. I thought I wouldn't have had to suffer any more pain. Unfortunately those were the breaks... almost literally at times.

"Forget about it," I muttered under my breath. "Let's just get going."

Shippo had an uneasy look on his face. He nodded as he walked forward. I quickly followed him as he began to pick up speed. I was surprised. Shippo was pretty fast for a little guy. I actually had to accelerate my walking pace every now and then just to make sure I didn't lose him. Although I told him to slow down a couple times, he continued to move at his own pace. I knew that he either didn't pay attention or he didn't hear me. Either way, they were ending with the same results.

Although it took me a good deal to follow him, he was quite informative. He told me a rather large amount of information about the village. I wondered where and from whom he learned it from? It was most likely Lady Kaede. She was probably the most intelligent one here. I'd technically say I was more intelligent than most of the others because I have a better grip on technology. Then again, this is their land. I don't exactly know anything about this place.

There was one thing that still bugged me... who was that guy that brought me here? Was he someone from this time? Was he just someone else from my time? If that was the case... why didn't he just come meet me some other time, like when I was fourteen or fifteen? Why did he grab me around this specific time? And... why did he grab me in the first place? Did he really know if I was connected to Inuyasha? Hell, we may have been similar, but there was that chance that it was all just a coincidence. In terms of being an arrogant egotist, he's an even bigger one than I was! I was seriously hoping that this was all a mistake.

"Hitaro? Are you paying attention?"

"Huh? What was that?"

I blinked a couple of times as I lowered my gaze towards Shippo. He crossed his arms as he gave me an irritated look. I just stared at him.

"What are you so upset about?"

"I may be a kid, but that doesn't mean you can zone out on me!"

"Geez, sorry," I replied numbly. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

He growled quietly as he turned back around. Once again, he opened his mouth, saying pieces of information about the village. It was at this point that I got bored with the tour. If you were there, you could tell. My arms were crossed and I had a certain expression on my face. I will admit that something caught my attention. During the tour, Shippo was talking about a certain shrine.

"And this is where we hold the Shikon no Tama!"

"The what?"

"The Shikon no Tama! Boy you're dense."

When he said that, my eyes narrowed. My hand turned into a fist, with a couple of the fingers twitching. Shippo saw this. A panicked look grew on his face. He back up a few steps. I inched forward with that same evil look on my face.

"Could you say that again?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean that!"

"You better not have," I muttered. "Now... what were you saying about this?"

"Um... it's where we hold the jewel. It can give immense power to demons. Even one shard can make it extremely powerful!"

"And how do you know that... about how one shard is so powerful?"

"Um... Kagome shattered the jewel a long time ago. Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango and Miroku, along with my..."

"Sango and Miroku?"

"Oh! They're some friends of ours! Sango's a demon hunter. She's been killing demons for a long time now! But, she's one of the last ones of her village besides her brother. She's been with us for about a year now. As for..."

"She cute?" I asked.

"What!"

"I asked you... if Sango is cute?"

"Well... she is pretty, but she..."

I grinned. I had an instant image of her in my head. Oh boy, how I would have liked to meet her! Shippo had something else planned in mine. He growled quietly. He grabbed a small stone and tossed it at me. It made contact with my head and bounced back onto the ground. I grunted loudly as I grabbed the spot where the stone made contact with my skull. I growled quietly as I slowly turned my head to face Shippo.

"What was that for!"

"You're as bad as Miroku!"

"Him... you were just about to tell me about him."

"He's a lecherous monk that doesn't stop bothering women."

I growled quietly as I felt my hand curl into a fist again. I crossed my arms, and looked away, closing my eyes as I did so. My eyebrow twitched.

"You seem to forget that I'm as violent as Inuyasha too. Oi. Let's just get on with info on the jewel."

"There isn't a lot more I can tell you," Shippo said. "I think Myoga said it was accidentally created by another demon hunter or priestess. It's supposed to be her spirit or something like that."

Shippo stopped to think to himself. As he did however, he realized I was missing. He blinked a couple of times. He turned his head left and right, trying to find out where I disappeared too. When he turned around, he saw me walking towards the shrine. He growled quietly.

"Hey! I wasn't finished yet!"

"Listen Shippo, your tour's interesting and all, but seeing an all powerful jewel in another time zone is a once in a lifetime event. It wouldn't hurt to check it out, right?"

Shippo had a rather disappointed look on his face. He groaned quietly and looked down on the ground as he crossed his arms. Feh. If he wanted to stay put, I didn't really care. The only thing I really cared about was getting out of this place. It was way too old for me. I'd probably go insane after a short amount of time. Than again, this place was pretty new to me (which was kind of ironic, because this was a time that was centuries older than mine), so there could have been some interesting stuff. I knew this as soon as I neared the shrine... I could sense something mysterious beyond the doors.

"All right... let's see what we got here!" I muttered quietly but excitedly.

I placed my hand on the handle built into the door. I pulled it open slowly to the side. Dusted escaped from the trapped room when the fresh air swept inside, carrying it away as if the wind was kidnapping the dust. Light illuminated that dark and dank structure. The only other lighting I could see were some candles. I blinked a couple of times. This really was ancient. I didn't expect this place to look so old. Despite that, it still looked very clean and well kept.

I turned my head left and right, examining the surroundings inside. I was searching for the jewel. I knew it had to be in here somewhere. That was when I saw it. A saw a brief shimmer in the darkness of some shadows. It was a purple light (or something close too it). An wide grin grew on my face. That must have been it... the famed Shikon No Tama. I couldn't believe I was staring at a world famous jewel that would probably be worth a hell of a lot in my time.

My breathing became heavy as my pulse quickened. Never in my life had something this exciting occurred in my life. I've spent so much time sheltered in a run down home that I've never had a chance to even venture around for a purpose in life. I don't even know what's worthwhile in life. It just seems like nothing will work out for. But this... this gave a rush of ecstasy. In fact... I actually wanted to get closer.

My eyes widened as my grin faded away. I felt like I was in a trance. My thoughts were wiped away from my mind; all despair was nonexistent; I didn't have a care in the world. Why did I feel so serene? What was pulling me closer to that small ball of glass? Why did I desire it so much?

"Grab the jewel," a voice said. "You'll feel happy your whole life. You can feel like this forever. Nothing else can make you feel this good."

I shuddered silently with anticipation. Without thinking, I stretched my arm forward. My feet still moved forward as if they had a mind of their own. My fingers were twitching. They were tingling; a pulsating energy being emitted from the jewel danced on my hand. Out of the blue, one thought popped into my mind: grab the jewel. I wanted to grab the jewel and run off with it. The vibration rubbing against my skin and bones... it felt so good.

I wanted more of it. I wanted to feel that energy throughout my whole body. Soon, I would. I was just inches away from it. A small part of me exhorted me to go back. However, I would not listen. Nothing seemed to stop me now. Well... nothing that was a part of me anyway. A hand came out of nowhere and grabbed me by the wrist. I gasped quietly as I suddenly snapped out of my trance. I twisted my head to look at the hand that grabbed me.

The hand looked like a normal sized hand, but it had a firm grip. The sleeve was a bright red and had stitching, sewing up the extra cloth in the bottom. My face went pale. That could not have been who I thought it was. I slowly rose my head, my eyes following the arm. Soon, the hair became visible. It was long hair with a sterling silver color that may have been white. The colors were too similar. Either way, I knew who it was. I rose my head to finally look at the face of the person had stopped me. My face went whiter than my natural hair color. It was Inuyasha... and he looked really ticked.

"What the hell were you doing?" he asked angrily.

I tried to say something, but I was dumbfounded. Where did he come from! I began babbling, trying to say that I was just having a look. For some reason, I just couldn't speak straight. I was looking around everywhere, including at the hand that held onto my wrist. When I saw the hand, I quickly regained my composure. My dumbfounded look was replaced with a cold expression. I pulled my hand back, removing my arm from his grip. I rose my head and gave a cold stare. I growled quietly.

"I was having a look around," I said calmly.

"Yeah... right," Inuyasha replied wryly. "It looks like you were having more than a look around here. If you ask me... you were about to-"

"I wasn't doing anything!" I interjected. "I was just having a look around! That's all! I wanted to get a closer look at the jewel! All right!"

Inuyasha growled quietly. He shot his hand forward and grabbed me by the shirt. He pulled me closer to his face. I grunted loudly as a surprised look grew on my face. Inuyasha glared at me. All though he may have looked threatening there, I didn't let it get to me. I've fought tougher people before. Than again... he was a hanyou... and those were probably a bit harder.

"Listen kid... you may think you're tough just because you get into some fights everyday in the present. But ya know what? This place is completely different. Messing with the unknown is a bad idea, and if you touch that jewel, I guarantee you that something bad will happen to you. I'm pretty sure you don't want to find out what though."

I growled loudly. I never took to kindly to those threats. I pushed Inuyasha away from me. He let go of me and backed up several feet. He continued to glare at me. I was aware that what I just did probably would have made things worse. However, I didn't really care. I looked away from him and began walking towards the door. I wanted to get out of here. Right now, I did not want to be near him. It was obvious that he would riding my back my whole stay here. Even as I tried to pass by Inuyasha, he was still talking to me.

"Hitaro! Don't think that because you're from the present that you're any smarter here! You'll probably just get fried by the next youkai that comes your way!"

"Get off my back!" I shouted. "Do you think I care! I don't give a crap if a youkai comes and bites my head off, sucks out my soul, eats me... or... does... whatever! I don't care! If I die, things will probably be better for all I know!"

I turned around and continued my walk to the outside of the hut. Inuyasha growled loudly. He started after me, stretching out his hand and clasping his hand on my shoulder. He pulled me to the side, spinning me around and pushing me against the wall. I gasped quietly by the surprise of Inuyasha's action.

"Kid, don't give me that self-pity crap. No one will feel sorry for you by wallowing to yourself, especially here. No one knows you. You're an unknown kid who's been traveling for all they care."

I glared at Inuyasha, giving him a cold stare.

"Better a nobody than a reject," I hissed.

Inuyasha gave me a surprised look. I quickly pushed his arm away from me and continued walking down the path out of this place. Inuyasha did not say anything, but he stared at me, dumbfounded by the last thing I said. Soon, his eyes narrowed as he let out a low growl. His lip twitched as he tried to hold in whatever anger he could.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why should I tell you?" I asked him coldly.

I pushed open the doors of the shack. A bright light poured into the room. My eyes began to sting, but I ignored the menial pain. I simply continued to march out of the building and straight to the path that would lead to the well. Inuyasha just stood there, keeping his eyes trained on me like a wolf stalking its prey. He scowled quietly and looked away. Shippo was sitting right outside of the door. When Shippo saw me, his head followed my path. A curious look grew in his eyes. He quickly stood up and began to follow me.

"Hitaro? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I said under a grunt.

"You look angry about something."

"It's nothing, no go away. I need to be alone."

"Did Inuyasha say something?"

"He's always saying something," I replied with gritted teeth.

"What did he say?"

"It's nothing that you need to know."

"Why won't you tell me anything!"

"WHAT PART OF I NEED TO BE ALONE DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!"

Shippo jumped with a yelp as I shouted at him. I was staring at him with agitation. I could feel a vein popping out from my forehead. I let out a quiet growl as I turned around and continued down the dusty road that led towards the forest. Now I knew why Inuyasha hated him! He wouldn't shut up! I wanted to forget what I said about him being all right. He would drive someone insane... namely me!

Anyway, I was walking along the road, passing by the numerous huts and homes. People were staring at me as I passed them by. They all had different looks. Some gave me looks of curiosity, others gave looks of fear, and a few people gave me looks of impression. I didn't care though. It wasn't like I'd be seeing these village idiots again anytime soon. I wanted to get out; I wanted to go home and get on with my crappy life. At least there I'd be used to being bossed around.

After a short while, I was "inside" the forest, walking along the path that rested under the umbrage of the trees. My arms were tightly crossed. My eyes, however, were less constricted to a stationary position. They were wondering around, rolling left and right, scanning the environment around me. Although I didn't show an expression of impression, I was extremely surprised and captivated by everything around me. This place... it seemed so lush and alive. It was nothing like my home. There, everything was about as alive as a cadaver. I would be lucky to find anything this... vivd in my home.

A small grin grew on my face. It felt odd. I actually felt somewhat in tune with everything around me. I felt less tense and worrisome. I had not felt like that for a while. I have to say that the feeling was more than relieving compared to the everyday tension I was forced to endure. Things actually seemed pleasurable. It was almost like I was touching the jewel again. This serenity... why couldn't everyday? Why did it seem so much greater here? I closed my eyes and shook the thoughts out of my head. I groaned quietly. I couldn't listen to these thoughts. I was going home and that was final I told myself. I had to leave.

With those thoughts I quickened the pace. The grass and dirt emitted loud crunches as my steps became faster. However, whenever I wanted to move faster, I found myself slowing down. For some reason, I did not want to let my eyes off of anything around me. It was so new that I couldn't but feel some sort of amazement and awe. It was odd that something so different and pointless could catch my attention so easily. This alone probably would have made me want to stay, but another thought infringed upon my temporarily peaceful mind... Inuyasha. Suddenly the cool thoughts disappeared and were replaced by what he said earlier.

"Kid, don't give me that self-pity crap," the voice echoed. "No one will feel sorry for you by wallowing to yourself, especially here. No one knows you. You're an unknown kid who's been traveling for all they care."

I growled loudly. There was a rustling in the trees, following by rapid chirps and screeches from the birds. That Inuyasha... I didn't care about anything else. If he was around, I was not going to live here anytime soon. The nerve of that pompous idiot! I can't believe he said that about me! He doesn't know what it's like back at home! At least there I had people who actually knew what things were like for me! There were a couple of people who actually didn't fight with me all the time! Also... also... there wasn't much else to think about. That was it. I only had a couple friends back home, and that was the only thing that made it bearable. I groaned quietly. Maybe it wasn't as good as I thought. Still... home was home. I had to live there. Inuyasha was probably right about me. No! He was just flapping his mouth off!

"Wait... why am I thinking about this?" I asked myself. "This is not the place for me. It's too... provincial. There's no way I could live in a place like this."

As soon as I said that, something caught my eye. Off in the distance, past the trees, and smack dab in the middle of a clearing, I saw a wooden frame, built in the shape of a perfect square. My eyes widened. The well was right there; just yards away from me was the "rabbit hole" that would lead me home. I felt my feet begin to twitch. They were trying to pull me along begging for me to run towards the well. My mind thought differently. Although I wanted to run, I almost felt like there was no reason. I felt no emotion upon seeing it... only indifference. I tried to ask myself why that was the case? I was finally going home, getting away from Inuyasha and those crazy villagers that almost killed me. I'd be in a place where people actually knew me... and ignored me... and beat me. I shook the thoughts from my head yet again.

Don't focus on the negative. Just think of the positive things. Go, go go! Run! I'm almost home! I just... need... to... run! NOW!

I finally complied with my legs and feet, who yearned for me to run towards the well. My compliance was gradual though. My feet began to walk forward, as if they were acting on their own, fighting against my resistance. Soon, I broke into a jog, letting my legs loosen up, breaking the resistance that was holding them back. Soon, I began to move my legs on my own, breaking into a sprint. I began to pump my arms to speed myself up. The well grew larger in my eyes as I neared it. I stared at it with anticipation, never blinking for a moment, while a grin began to slowly grow on my face. Getting home was all I could think about as my speed gradually increased. All I wanted to do was go home. I wanted to get away from here. I didn't ask myself any more questions. I was going home! At least... that's what I thought until I actually got to the well.

When I was just several feet away from the well, I jumped up a few feet into the air and landed on the top of a beam of the well's wooden frame. The huge grin that I had while I was running towards the well was still on my face. I chuckled quietly, leaning forward to peer into the darkness of the deep square hole. The shadows made the well look dark, even in the daylight. In fact, it seemed darker than the night sky. Although that would deter most people from entering such a place, that was not factor that affected me.

I took in a deep breath a exhaled loudly. I stared at the hole, waiting for myself to jump into a seemingly bottomless pit. However, I didn't find myself jumping at all. A minute passed, and all I did was stare at the blackness which lied before me. My grin began to disappear, and the happy look on my face began to deteriorate. For some reason, I my thoughts became clear to me; I realized that there was something wrong with me. I wanted to go to a place that I had been wanting to leave. All I my life, I had been trying to escape that hellish life, desiring only to have a sense of freedom. My eyes narrowed as my head sank a bit. When I realized that... I didn't feel like going home anymore. I groaned quietly.

What the hell was I thinking? Why did I want to go back? I had nothing there. Maybe... I'll stay here a little longer. At least... until I sort everything out.

"Hey, kid," a voice said from behind me.

"GAH!"

I was completely surprised by the voice. It made me jump forward a bit... enough for me to have more than half of my feet hanging over the edge of the beam. My body began to lean forward, getting ready to fall down into the well. I was groaning quietly as I swung my arms backwards to regain my balance. My efforts proved futile as my body still fell forward. I gasped loudly as my feet finally gave way, making my body nearly flip forward.

"Not again!"

I thought that I was doomed end to end up back in my own time. I knew that I couldn't really do anything to stop the fall. Fortunately, luck was on my side. Right when I was about fall past the point of no return, a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed me by the back of my shirt. I grunted loudly as I felt a tug and my feet landing on the vertical side of a wooden beam. I was staring at the darkness again. My eyes grew wide with fear, surprise, and (surprisingly) relief. I could feel beads of sweat escaping from the pores of my forehead, sliding down the side of my face, and letting go to simply plummet towards the earth. I was only thinking one thing while I "stood" there: please don't let go, whoever has me.

I felt a strong pull. I gasped loudly as I was pulled up onto the surface of the ground with ease. It felt like a weightlifter did it. I didn't even think that I would find myself being pulled over one of the wooden beams (considering it was a couple feet high and I was in a position for it to be rather difficult to do so). I landed on my feet, but I was still trying comprehend everything that was happening. As soon as I landed on the ground, I lost my balance, staggering backwards and falling over. I grunted when my body made impact with the dirt. There was a quiet thud and a small amount of dust and dirt flew up into the air.

I found my myself staring at a small patch of grass, still dazed by everything that had just just happened. I shook my head a bit, tapping my head a bit with an open hand. I muttered something under my breath and rubbed my eyes. I pulled my hand back and blinked a couple of times. As soon as I did that, I found myself staring at a pair of feet... bare feet... with red pants (a pair affiliated with battle garments). My head slowly began to elevate, revealing more of the person who grabbed me in the nick of time. He wore a red battle kimono, which had were cut at the shoulders. He also had a sword (still sheathed) attached to the left side of his knotted belt. I felt my face grow pale. I knew exactly who it was. I rose my chin just a little bit more to see the face of the person who "saved" me. It was Inuyasha.

Oh crap. What's he doing here!

Inuyasha was staring at me with his usual intense look. His eyes looked cold and his brows were almost furrowed (I mean the "tick me off and I'll beat you" furrowed). I moaned quietly. I prayed that he wasn't going to do anything. Funny thing... he didn't really do anything at all. He just looked at me for a little bit. After what seemed to be like several minutes (I knew it wasn't that long, but when Inuyasha stares at you like the way he did to me, time seems to slow down), he stuck out a hand. My eyes sank, staring at his hand. My eyes soon switched back to Inuyasha, giving him surprised look.

Okay, this has got to be some kind of trick.

"Well?" Inuyasha started. "Do you need a hand or are you just gonna sit there?"

I snapped myself out of my daze. I looked at his hand again, staring at it with my still surprised look. I couldn't believe that he was offering me help. I rose an eyebrow in confusion for a second, but I soon convinced myself that he was being serious. I sighed quietly as I stuck my right hand out and grabbed his. He pulled me up to my feet with one quick tug. I stared at Inuyasha as he helped me up, though. I was curious as to why he showed up when he did.

"Thanks," I said quietly.

"No problem."

"Er... Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh... just out of curiosity, why are you here?"

Inuyasha rose an eyebrow as he continued to stare at me for a bit. He grunted quietly as he crossed his arms. I was beginning to wonder if he came here on his own free will. Then again, this was Inuyasha we were talking about. I knew he hadn't come here by his own.

"Kagome saw you walkin' off after we had that 'talk' in the shrine," he explained. "Kagome got a bit worried, so she asked me if I could look for you and make sure you didn't get into any trouble."

My eyes widened when he told me that. That one word (concerned) was one that I thought I would never hear, at least revolving around me. Out of all honesty, even my friends didn't really have any "concern" for me. Hearing that word said to me was like hearing for the first time ever. I was completely dumbfounded.

"Concerned?" I asked Inuyasha.

"Yeah. By the looks of it, you were having some kind of trouble."

I nodded. It was a bit of an instantaneous one though. I didn't do on my own whim; my body had been responding by itself, almost like my mind was a separate entity from my body. Inuyasha looked at me for a couple of seconds. He let out a quiet "humph" and began to walk off. My eyes and head followed Inuyasha for a bit. My gaze than changed to the well. One question made me want to look at it: why didn't Inuyasha let fall so we'd be out of each other's hair? You'd think he would have been happier had I fallen.

"Hey kid!" Inuyasha called out. "You comin' or not!"

I shook my head, snapping myself out of the deep thought I was in. I turned my head to look at Inuyasha. I blinked a couple of times, trying to comprehend the fact that he asked that question. At first I fumbled with my words, trying to ask him a question of my own.

"I thought you wanted me to leave?" I asked with confusion.

"Yeah, well... with the way you hesitated, it looked like you didn't want to go back. You prefer being an unknown more than a reject like me?"

When he said "me," I flinched. There was something in the way that he said that word that made me uncomfortable. Inuyasha was staring at me with the oddest look as well. It looked like he was glaring at me, but at the same time, I could see a grin. Of course, when he said that, I groaned quietly. Apparently my message came across the wrong way. Inuyasha turned around again and began to walk back towards the village. I wasn't paying any major attention to him, but when I realized that he was leaving, I gasped quietly and quickly made myself go after.

"Inuyasha!" I called.

Inuyasha stopped abruptly and turned his head around to face me. I was slowing down to a stop as I neared him. I looked at him with an indifferent face that looked completely different from the usual cold looks I gave. I was pretty sure that this surprised him, although he didn't really show it. I was staring at him, trying to talk to him about those words.

"What it is, kid?"

"Uh, listen, Inuyasha? About that..."

"Yeah?"

I was staring at him with a twitching mouth. I tried to tell him what I wanted to tell him, but my lips wouldn't move the right way. For some reason, they didn't want what meant to come out. No matter how hard I tried, I fumbled like I was trying to speak another language and was failing miserably. After a while, I just gave up trying to spit out the five words I wanted to tell him. I moaned quietly to myself. I took in a deep breath and sighed as I gave him a wave of dismissal. I'd just tell him later.

"Forget it," I said. "It's nothing important. I'm just gonna come along with ya."

Inuyasha eyed me for a bit. He shrugged his shoulders and muttered something under his breath (most likely whatever). He turned around and began to walk back towards the village. I looked away and let out a quiet sigh. I was glad that he at least calmed down... enough to not kill me anyway. This thought made me turn my head towards the well. I stared at it for several seconds, asking myself one last question before leaving... would it really have been worth it if I went back? Would things be better over there than they could have been here? The only answer was no. Nothing could have been worse than my home life. With that, a grin grew on my face. I chuckled quietly as I gave the well one last glance and turned away, walking away from one of the only chances to go home.

"Inuyasha!" I called out. "Wait up!"

I broke into a quick sprint. Inuyasha turned his head to look at me, still walking at his constant speed. He scoffed quietly as he turned his head away. I looked at Inuyasha with an odd look as I slowed down upon getting next to him. I rose an eyebrow and stared at him. I grunted quietly under my breath and turned my head away. I should have known he'd do that. At least he paid attention to me. I didn't know why, but I didn't mind the attitude he had. It made me feel that someone was at least noticing me. Despite this, we didn't really talk. The only time we talked was when we came across a tree. Apparently, something pretty significant happened there.

While we were walking back to the village, I didn't notice Inuyasha stopping at first. When he stopped, I just kept on walking, I was looking around, simply trying to get a view of all the surroundings. I turned my head to speak to Inuyasha, only to find him no longer next to me. I let out a puzzled grunt, turning my head left and right. I saw him a few yards behind me. A surprised look grew on my face. He was staring at the tree that I mentioned. His face... it looked... more relaxed and mournful. His intense look that he usually had was gone. He actually looked vulnerable right there.

What's up with him?

I turned myself around to fully face Inuyasha and walked towards him. I wasn't sure if he noticed me, because as I got closer, he did not break his gaze. He just stared at the same tree. When I was nearly right next to him, I began to stare at him. The surprised look on my face was still there. I turned my head to look at the tree Inuyasha was staring at. What was so important about that hunk of wood and leaves?

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha grunted quietly and turned his head towards me. Apparently he really wasn't paying attention to me. He simply gave me a surprised look.

"W-what do you want!"

"I was wondering why you... spaced out?" I asked.

Inuyasha rose an eyebrow. I expected him to give me some sort of snap-back, telling me to shut up and mind my own business. I was surprised by his reaction, however. Instead of giving me a comeback, he simply let out a sigh and crossed his arms. His head sank a bit, but he rose his head to look at the tree again. My eyes narrowed with curiosity. I stepped forward a few more steps, turning my head get a look at the tree that Inuyasha was staring at. The tree looked like every other tree... although it looked larger than most other trees that were around it. I scoffed quietly.

"What's so special about this hunk of wood?" I asked.

Inuyasha's lip twitched when I said that. I grunted quietly as a panicked look grew on my face. I took a couple of steps back, thinking that Inuyasha was about to do something. I was shuddering quietly to myself. However, Inuyasha did nothing. He turned his head a little bit to look at me, but other than that, he made no other movements. Inuyasha's expression didn't even change. When I noticed this, I relaxed. My muscles became less tense and I looked less worried.

"A few things happened here," he replied. "Well... something led up to me ending up here, anyway."

"Like what?" I asked.

Inuyasha seemed to be in deep thought again. He looked over at the tree briefly. He then turned his head to look at me. He let his arms drop to his side before he began explaining everything.

"A good while ago... some things happened. I met a priestess name Kikyo. She was a powerful one who was in charge of protecting the Shikon no Tama... that jewel you saw earlier. I'm pretty sure you know that the jewel can give a lot of power to any demon who has it. Now here's the thing that I'm sure you don't know. That jewel also has the power to turn demon's in to human. Well... Kikyo and I... we loved each other... and she offered me the chance to be human."

"So let me guess, you said no?"

"NO!" Inuyasha shouted. "Anyway... I said yeah. She was going to make me human... but something happened. Things went wrong."

"What, she left you alone, or she screwed up?"

"SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH THIS! What happened... was that she was tricked. She was taking care of someone named Onigumo. He wanted Kikyo badly, but he couldn't have her. He ended up giving up his body for demons to feast on so he could be a demon as well. He got his wish. When he did, the first thing he did was pretend to be me and attacked Kikyo. She was still alive, so she went after me. She started shooting at me for what I thought was for no apparent reason. I thought I was betrayed... so I went for the Shikon no Tama to make myself a Youkai. But before I could get away, Kikyo shot me with an arrow... and it pinned me to that tree. She died about a minute later."

I let out what sounded like a mix of a gasp and a grunt. I was surprised. I had no idea that it was that important. I had to say that I almost felt sorry for him. It must have sucked for him. I groaned quietly. I suppose I had to say something.

"Sorry to hear about that," I replied in an indifferent tone. "How long were you pinned to that tree?"

"About fifty years."

I grunted loudly as another surprised look grew on my face. I stared at Inuyasha with disbelief. He did not just say what I thought he said.

"Did you say... fifty... years! But how... you look... kya!"

Inuyasha nodded. I was gasping quietly under my breath. How could he be that old! He looked eighteen! What, did he not age at all or something! I was scratching my head wildly, trying to get everything straightened out.

"Okay, how could you still look... like you do after fifty years! YOu should be an old man by now!"

"That arrow... it put in a deep sleep. It was enchanted, almost freezing me in time... or something like that. Besides, I'm a hanyou. I last longer than humans, remember?"

I eyed Inuyasha incredulously. Despite everything that's happened, I still found that to be a bit impossible in comparison. I didn't even want to ask about it though. I let out a quiet sigh as I shook my head.

"Let's just get going," I said.

I turned around and started to walk off. Inuyasha took a quick glance at the tree with his usual intense look and quickly went after me. I shoved my hands into my pocket and stared straight ahead of the path. I was pretty sure that we were almost out of the forest. At least, I hoped we were almost out.

"Hey... Hitaro."

"What is it?"

"Before we get out of this place, there's one more thing I need to take care of."

I grunted quietly. What else did this guy need to do here! Was one of his parents buried here two? He made something out of another tree here! I groaned quietly as I took my hands out and crossed my arms. I took in a deep breath and sighed, not turning around to look at Inuyasha.

"What do you need to do now?" I asked.

Inuyasha didn't say anything. In fact nothing happened for a couple seconds. As I continued to think about exactly what Inuyasha wanted, I got my answer. Out of nowhere, BAP! I felt a strike on the back of my head. I yelled out in pain as I grabbed my head and fell to the ground. I moaned loudly in pain as Inuyasha took several steps forward so he was standing above me. I opened one of my eyes to look at Inuyasha. A satisfied grin grew on his face as he crossed arms. I growled loudly as flames were being ignited in my eyes.

"What the hell did you do that for!" I asked with gritted teeth.

"That was for the 'stupid tree' and 'reject' comments you made earlier," he replied. "Now were even."

"No were not! I made comments and you made a fist! That is not fair!"

"It seems fair to me," Inuyasha said.

He stretched out hi arm and grabbed my by the back of the collar of my shirt. He pulled me, helping me get back to my feet. I was still grabbing my head, groaning quietly in pain. I was certain that even he didn't know how strong he was. I glared at Inuyasha as he began to walk off. That pick-me-up did not make us even, I could definitely say that.

"Thanks," I muttered, glaring at Inuyasha.

I could hear him chuckled under his breath. I growled quietly as my arms quickly plopped to my side. I shook my head, muttering various curses under my breath. I knew I was practically powerless to do anything, so I decided to let it go. It was gonna be hard, I could tell you that. I would especially be hard with what I did when we got back to the village.

We had finally got out of the forest. Inuyasha and I were walking down the path towards the village. Upon exiting the forest, the village was already in sight. I let out a sigh of relied. I was glad we were finally out of that place. Out of all honesty, after Inuyasha told me the importance of that one tree, the whole place in general felt... depressing, despite being as interesting as it was. I had to get out of there. When we did, I took in a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

"About time we got out of there!" I exclaimed. "Now I can rest!"

"Don't count on it kid. Kagome, Shippo, and I are leaving. There's no way you'd have any time to rest."

I turned my head to look at Inuyasha. He had an eager look on his face. I rose an eyebrow. This guy seemed to have nothing on his mind except for going on adventures and fight. My God... he really did have a lot in common with me. I sighed loudly. I would not be surprised if this guy was my brother... or father at that. Considering that everyone else thought that Inuyasha and I had some sort of connection, I really had no choice but to believe it. Now that we had one thing taken care of, I had to take care of another thing.

"So... you think she'll listen?" I asked Inuyasha.

"Good question," he replied. "She can be pretty stubborn."

I scoffed loudly. She may be stubborn, but she's never met me. I could be as stubborn as a bull if I wanted to. Not once had I been forced to back down. I've had people who tried to beat me down do it. What made Inuyasha think that I couldn't handle her? Was it the fact that he... couldn't? My eyes widened. All of a sudden, I thought I was screwed. I shuddered under my breath.

"Great. Now I don't have any confidence."

"Well, consider this training, kid," Inuyasha said with a sick grin.

I turned my head to face him. I glared at him with a spark of hate. He was really not making things easier, that was for certain. I growled quietly as I turned my head to look straight ahead down the path again. Of course, my eyes wonder a bit. They examined my surroundings, scanning nearly everything that went on. There were mostly farmers around us, doing there normal work, picking foods, chopping grain, and so on. However, there were other things going on as well. Every now and then a group of kids ran by, playing around, laughing like they were having the time of their lives. There were also a couple people walking down the opposite way that Inuyasha and I did. They were talking to each other with sincere smiles on their faces. They were totally serene. It was almost as if not a single trouble was bothering them.. I eyed them as they walked past us. They didn't even pay attention to Inuyasha and I.

How could they be so trouble free? How could they be so relaxed that nothing bothers them? Why... can't I live like that?

"Inuyasha!" someone called out. "Hitaro!"

I grunted quietly. I shook my head, snapping myself out of the daze. I looked straight ahead. Kagome was calling us. She was waiting by a bike, waving a hand in the air to catch our attention. Standing by the bike was Shippo, hopping up and down a bit upon seeing us. Inuyasha chuckled quietly.

"I guess they were ready a lot sooner than I thought. Well kid, it's now or never."

"Right."

Inuyasha and I broke into a brief run, hurrying up to get towards Kagome and Shippo as quickly as possible. I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Upon nearing Kagome and Shippo, I slowed to a walk. Inuyasha stopped right behind me. Kagome was still smiling. I turned my head to look at Shippo. He gave me a small wave. I smiled weakly and gave him a small wave. I turned my head to look at Kagome. I gave her a weak grin.

"Uh... hey."

"Well, I see you decided to stay," Kagome said with what looked like a relieved smile. "Was there something wrong?"

"Er... yeah... I guess you could say that. I figured I'd stay a bit longer."

"Oh?" Kagome muttered with surprise. "Um... this might sound a bit awkward, but were leaving. We need to check something Inuyasha, Shippo and I need to check something out."

"Yeah... I know about that. And that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

The surprise on Kagome's face grew. I wasn't sure if she knew where I was getting at, but she would soon find out for sure.

"W-what is it?"

"Kagome... I... I want to come along."

"What!" Kagome exclaimed.

"You do?" Shippo asked.

I nodded as I crossed my arms. I gave her a stern look, trying to show her I was being serious. Kagome was taken completely by surprise. She chuckled nervously as she began to scratch her head.

"Well... that might be a problem."

"Listen, you saw what I could do!" I replied. "I can hold my own! I do nothing but fight! Everyday, I have to go through the crap a bunch of others have to put me through. Hell, I lifted that boulder! I didn't even know that I could do that! I'm sure I can be some sort of use!"

"Hitaro, fighting people is different from fighting youkais!" Kagome argued. "Those creatures we have to fight are extremely difficult to defeat! Even Inuyasha and I have trouble defeating them with Sango, Shippo, and Miroku.. uh a couple of friend-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Miroku's the perverted monk and Sango's the hot demon slayer. I got the idea. C'mon, Sango's human, and I'm sure she does fine!"

"That's because she trains to fight them! She had experience! She was part of a clan of demon hunters, so she knows what to do! If she was on her own, she'd be able to survive for a good while. You've had no experience at all! If you're smart, you'll know that experience outdoes anything."

I felt one of my eyebrows twitch. Inuyasha was right. It's only been thirty seconds and I could already tell she wasn't going to give in that easily. I was beginning to wonder if I was just going to slow things down for a good while if I even continued to protest with her. Unfortunately, I was not going to give in that easily. It was kinda funny. When I opened my mouth, someone else began to talk.

"Kagome, just let the kid go," Inuyasha said, intervening. "You know he he isn't going to give in that easily. Look at his face! He's pretty stubborn!"

"Yeah, like you," I muttered.

"Shut it!" Inuyasha replied. "I'm trying to help you!"

"Than help me all you want," I replied.

"Snobby brat," Inuyasha muttered. "Now listen Kagome, if he really is connected to me, he will not be quitting any time soon. He'll keep on yappin' until he falls unconscious. You'd have an easier time getting Miroku away from you."

Kagome stared at the both of us, either surprised by the fact that Inuyasha was helping me or by the fact that we were arguing while I was trying to convince Kagome. Kagome rested the side of her face on her left hand. Her eyes sank down, as if in a deep thought. I could tell Inuyasha had a pretty could deal of control sometimes, which was pretty axiomatic here. Kagome sighed quietly as she made direct eye contact with us with a seemingly disappointed expression.

"You're not going to give up, are you?" Kagome asked.

I shook my head. I crossed my arms as a grin grew on my face. Kagome let out another sigh. She motioned for me to come along.

"All right. Just get your stuff and come with us."

"You mean Hitaro's coming with us?" Shippo asked with excitement.

"Yep... I guess."

Shippo seemed to cheer with delight. I could tell that he was happy... I guess because I wasn't as vengeful as Inuyasha. I chuckled quietly as my grin widened. I turned my head to look at Inuyasha. He was staring at Kagome. He then turned his head to face me. He rose an eyebrow, curious as to why I was grinning.

"Thanks," I said.

"Why?" he asked. "I knew you weren't going to give up, so I figured I might as well speed things up."

"Yeah... and like I said, thanks."

Inuyasha scoffed quietly under breath. He began to follow Kagome, who was getting on her bike. Shippo hopped up into the basket that was in the front. When Shippo was finally inside, Kagome lifted her foot and pushed down on the pedals, finally taking off down the path. Inuyasha quickly took off after her. When he caught up to her (within a couple of seconds), he turned his head to look at me.

"Hey, kid!" he called out. "Hurry up or we're leaving you behind!"

"Shut up!" I replied. "I'm comin'!"

Without a second more of hesitation, I broke into a quick sprint, running as fast as I could to catch up to Inuyasha, Kagome, and Inuyasha. I couldn't help but smile at everything that was happening to me right then and there. I was finally free from my old life, free from the hate and pain that followed me all my life. I could finally do what I wanted to and make something out of my life. I could finally be happy. I could finally... start a brand new life.