Chapter 2: Finding Answers

Once more, Adina awoke with a start to the sound of yelling.

"I can't believe you sent them out there in such limited numbers!"

"We had found a way into their camp, and we believed we could use it to ambush them."

"So you take only thirty! And then later deserted them the minute you sense danger!"

"I had no idea that they would actually meet a demon! I was going back to gain your assistance in battle. I would never run away!"

"Well it doesn't matter now does it, because they're all dead! And I will not only remove you from leading our defenses, but I will also leave it to you to inform the mothers and wives of your fallen men! And if it is not done with an explanation of why, I will personally come after you with less mercy than the demon did for your men!"

She groaned and covered her ears. If she didn't already have a headache, she did now. 'Wait, I can move.' She looked around, and found that indeed her bindings were removed, but that she was now in someone's house.

"Well at least we caught the demon responsible." The apparent leader said to one of his companions as the other man fled their presence.

"What is all the noise about, for god's sake it's past midnight!" Adina moved to see whom the voice came from, and found it to be an old woman.

"Lady Quala, we are sorry to have awaken you."

"It is not me you should be apologizing to, but the woman and children."

"We are sorry for the noise, but we have caught the demon who killed the men who went out yesterday."

"Really…?" Quala walked to Adina and examined her closely.

"What you caught, is a tired traveler, not a murderer."

"But lady Quala, she is a demon, and she was found near the bodies of our fellow villagers."

"And what evidence did you find besides that? Any blood on her?"

"No, there wasn't, but..."

"Then all you did was trouble a weary passerby."

"But..."

"No buts. Now get back to your families, and get some rest. I will talk to you in the morning." Quala made her way over to Adina.

"I hope you can forgive the villagers for being so brutal, but the demons and them have long possessed a deep hate for one another, and sometimes the villagers forget that there are good demons in this world."

Finding her voice, Adina spoke to what she assumed to be the village priestess.

"I thank you for helping me, but I still do not understand what is going on here."

"As I expected. Well, child, to put it simply, the demons and the villagers constantly fight over the land, power, or just to get ahead of the other. And if either side were to enter the other's homeland, the intruder would most likely be found dead the next day. The worst part of this is that it is the humans whom take most of the hits."

"So that's why they captured me, because they thought I was one of those demons."

"Most likely, that or you were a random demon out to shed blood. One of the most notorious is the fox demon Youko"

"Youko?"

"Youko is the main leader of the thieving tribe. The villagers have a special disliking to him, and would jump to have a chance at his neck."

"I wonder if he was the one really responsible for the killings."

"Probably, he is said to have the power to control plants, and there was definitely signs that something had been planted near where the bodies were found."

Adina thought about this for a moment. This demon, Youko, probably killed those humans, and from what she was hearing from Quala, he probably had many powerful demons at his disposal. One of them could be the one that took Laquia. A troubling look crossed her face. 'This means my best bet would be to visit this band of thieves.'

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

By the look in Quala's eyes, she didn't buy it.

"Well, if it is nothing, maybe you wouldn't mind telling me why you were out in the forest in the first place?"

She pondered this as well. 'This woman has been nothing but kind to me, is there a reason why I shouldn't trust her with at least the edited version.'

"I was looking for someone."

"Someone close to you?"

"The one who raised me. She was kidnapped about 2 weeks ago."

After a short pause, Quala continued. "So, you don't know whom the culprit is?"

"No. It happened at night, and it was pitch black outside. She was collecting herbs, and then someone in black took her. There was no scent left."

"I see. Well that definitely sounds like someone from the demon thieve tribe. Disappearing without a trace, and not without a victim. I'm sure that there are certain demons, whom have put a barrier around her, so you couldn't sense her."

"Yes, I expected something like that. Well, that leaves no other options then."

"You are positive?"

"There is no other choice."

"Well then, I'll tell you how to get there, but be cautioned. Even if you are a demon yourself, you will be welcomed no differently than you were here, maybe even worst."

The next morning, Adina headed into the direction Quala had pointed her in. To confront such a force, the aged priestess saw this as a difficult and dangerous task. To Adina, it was just another vital step in her training.

What made these demons different from the demons she had fought before? Maybe because they attacked in larger numbers rather than the usual demons she fought? No, these demons probably enjoyed killing as if it were a treat. They probably were also masters of their power, trained to use it for manslaughter.

Then there was her. Not finished with training, and never killed in her life. That is what she was afraid of. That was her weakness, while their major advantage. They were in it to kill. She, on so many levels, wouldn't take a life. As she walked through the large forest, deep in her own thoughts, she didn't realize she was being watched. The being watching her left shortly, finding all he needed.

"The intruder Kyuu found, it is another demon."

"Is that so Reico, do mind being a little more informative?"

"Of course sir. It is a kitsune, like yourself."

Youko thought for a moment. "The demon didn't happen to be a female, did it?"

"As a matter a fact, I believe it was. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." "I had a feeling it was her, but what is she trying to accomplish by coming here?"

"Send out some of the men, and tell them specifically not to kill her. Have them bring her back alive."

"Any apparent reason?"

"Nothing that will concern you now."

"Right."

Walking off, Reico went over which men he could send out.

"Ruyi, Kyuu, Sunti, go out to find the intruder, but bring her back alive." The three demons murmured a "yes sir" and left to fulfill their duty.

Adina walked through the forest, more on guard than she was before. She had just entered the demon tribe's territory, and felt they already knew she was coming.

'I know they will come for me sooner or later, but them not here already is making me nervous.'

At the thought, she took a whiff in the air, trying to detect if she were being followed. She didn't know how right she was.

"That her Ruyi?"

"I'm sure it is. And she's a pretty one too."

"Too bad Youko said not to lay a finger on her."

"Yeah, but maybe he'll reward us once this is through."

The three demons perched on a tree that went beyond Adina's senses. As she continued to walk, unaware of her stalkers, they followed silently.

She kept following the path; the one she hoped would lead her to their domain. She had the feeling she was being followed, but every time she looked around, whomever she thought was there was gone. And all the while the she walked, the demons following grew restless.

They began to move in to attack. Adina, hearing the trees shake with sudden movement, dodged out of the way.

Kyuu, the first to start a second attack, trying to strike her with a razor-like wind attack. It brought up dust from the path and the entire area was covered in a cloud of dust.

"Kyuu you idiot!"

The area began to clear and all that was left was the three demons.

"Where the hell did she go?"

"Are you from the demon thief tribe?" Adina's voice sounded through the trees, like a haunting melody.

"Yeah, we are, and our leader wants to invite you over." Ruyi answered trying to sound sure of himself, but inside, he had no idea what to expect from her.

"Listen come out and we won't harm you… much."

"No, you listen. I have no time for your games, and certainly not for a fight."

"Okay, now don't get too cocky here female. You aren't getting out of this without a fight, so spare both of us our valuable time and come out."

"Nice speech, but what makes you so sure that you'll be victorious?"

"Look at the numbers here, three males against one female. Isn't obvious?"

"You accused me earlier of being cocky, but think this over. Unlike you, I have the power to back up any threat I give, but do you?"

The demons were becoming angry at her place of speech.

"Though the leader said not to kill you, we will beat you so bad, you'll wish it."

With that, they began attacking the whole area, trying to find where she hid.

"Just remember you brought the pain I will now give you onto yourselves, so my conscious will not be an issue."

Out of, what seemed to be nowhere, a blinding light that the demons could not classify, came at them, hitting them all in one.

Landing on the ground gracefully, Adina looked at the now unconscious demons. Then, turning slowly, she made her way to where she was surely to be headed, noting that this was probably just the beginning of the fights she would encounter.

Youko looked at the forest, smelling the air for blood. Though there was none, he was sure the fight had been ended, due to the sudden stop of noise.

"Reico, I believe the demons you sent were defeated."

"She killed them?"

"No, they're still alive, but beaten and unconscious." 'Still, why didn't she finish them off'?'

Before finishing the thought, he turned back to his companion.

"Reico, the fact that she beat those demons proves that she is a worthy opponent, go and bring her to camp."

"Yes, sir." With that, he made his way through the forest to retrieve their uninvited guest.

The sun started to fade a bit as the day passed on. It was only a little past noon, yet the day had changed from not a cloud in the sky, to not a sign of the sun.

Adina had not stopped walking since she left the village, besides the run in she had with the three demons. She was only a slightly tired, from the using energy for the attack. She was expecting another demon pretty soon, knowing that their companions were beaten.

Something one of the demons had said startled her. The leader, whom she assumed was Youko, didn't want her dead? He wanted her captured and brought back unscathed? This made her worry.

'What does he want to keep me alive for. It's not like he could use me to join them or something.' Her eyes widened and she found her first thoughts were a little too light.

Shaking her head of the thought, she forced herself to concentrate on the road, though the dread for the future still gnawed at her.

Reico watched her try to clear her head as he read her thoughts. He smiled evilly at her fear. Creeping up on her quietly, he charged in for an attack. Too bad she had been waiting for it.

Sensing him reading her thoughts, she had pretended not to notice, waiting for him to make his first move. She dove out of the way, easily jumping to the top of a tree. If not for the fact that Laquia had taught her how to tell if someone was intruding upon the territories her mind, she would've taken the hit.

'This one is stronger. And he must even be holding back, for I do not believe that Youko would make the same mistake twice.'

"Very clever aren't you? To already figure out that I am more powerful than the last three fools you faced. And what's more interesting is that you already know about our leader, when he knows barley anything about you."

"Yet you seem to know much about me. You're a dark demon aren't you?"

"Yes, you were taught well. To even be taught which types of demons have an advantage over your mind reading power. But unlike the others who tried to bring you back with intensions to hurt you, I don't want to see a speck of your blood. So making this easier on

the both of us, and just jump down here and follow me back to the encampment. It's where you're heading anyway, unless you thoughts have recently changed."

Not really knowing what to think, Adina tried to come up with something to say that might get her more answers.

"I don't think so, you see, I've also learned from my master not to trust those whom side with my enemy."

"As I expected, yet do you really have a good reason to call Youko your enemy?"

"Yes as a matter a fact, I do. But I really see no point in telling you."

"So, you won't come quietly?" Reico paused for a moment, studying her face for a change of reaction. When seeing none he continued. "Then we'll have to get this done the hard way."

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Yours truly,

Adria of the Demon Sisters