A/N: We still don't own Inuyasha. Grrrr…

Jade: -Holding a piece of meat to a black eye- I still say she started it.

Khira: -Wiping at her busted lip with a wet towel- Meh…shut up.

Kayla: -Sigh- Would you two shut up? I'm starting chapter two and you're distracting me!

Amanda: Hurry up with that chapter.

Kayla: -Glares at Amanda- Watch it.

Jade and Khira: -Wide eyed- Ooooooo…

Kayla: Oh, come on you two. Grow up! Don't make me push you out the window. -Shakes fist menacingly- And I'll do it too!

Amanda: -Shakes head- No she won't. She can't afford to damage you too badly. She needs you both for future chapters.

Kayla: I'm going to shove my combat boot up your rectum if you don't shut up!

Khira: Touchy, touchy! -Looks at Jade- Wanna go to Krossroads tonight?

- - -

Miroku sighed and took one last longing look at the quickly fading village before once more facing forward on Kirara. Sometimes, at times like this, he almost wished he had just kept searching for Naraku on his own. Then, he wouldn't have to pass up a night at a comfortable lodge, surrounded by beautiful women. Instead, he faced another long night surrounded by his usual companions.

He looked around then, seeing what all of them were doing down on the ground. Inuyasha, true to his dog demon half, was sniffing the trail for Naraku, trying to catch a scent. The dog's long silver hair was tangled and snarled, falling around his red outfit in large clumps. The stubborn demon wouldn't let Kagome touch it unless she forced him too.

Behind him, Kagome, the beautiful priestess, was walking slowly. She glanced around every so often to the fox demon, Shippo, that chatted endlessly on her shoulder. Her green and white school uniform was already spotted with dirt and she had only been back from her time for a day. The fox demon's red hair stood out like a sore thumb against Kagome's own black locks.

Miroku sighed again. It really was a shame that she was so fixated on Inuyasha, but…he shrugged. There was still Sango.

He glanced in front of him to gaze at the demon exterminator's shapely backside. Her tight kimono showed all of her curves to perfection. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and swayed gently above the swell of her hips.

True, she didn't appreciate his charms as she should, but he believed he could bring her around eventually—maybe even right now. His hand inched forward, sliding along Kirara's fur before finally reaching its intended target—Sango's derriere.

She froze for a moment. Miroku smiled, thinking she had enjoyed it. That thought was quickly slain when Sango turned around, cracking her hand across his cheek. The momentum of the blow knocked him from Kirara. He fell to the ground, landing a few feet in front of Inuyasha who was still sniffing at the trail.

Inuyasha jerked up and looked ahead of him. The monk's normally impeccable dark hair was now mussed and falling out of the small ponytail he had at the nape of his neck. Dirt and grass clung to his purple and black robes.

Taking in the red mark on his face, the dog demon disgustedly exclaimed, "Miroku, you idiot! You did it again, didn't you?"

The monk began to defend his "pure" intentions when Kagome, who had run up with Shippo, suddenly froze and said loudly, "You guys, I sense a jewel shard nearby."

That succeeded in distracting Inuyasha. Kagome called to Sango, telling her to land. She did so, ignoring Miroku.

He sighed. Why did women always get mad when he tried to express his admiration of them? He really did admire Sango. As much as he projected his lecherous façade, he would gladly forgo all other women for her. He shrugged off her refusal of his advances. There would be more time to mull over the mystery that was Sango later. It was time to concentrate on Kagome's prediction. He had just picked himself up off the ground when there was a rustling up ahead.

Two women, cat demons by the look of them, stepped into the path. It was hard to tell exactly what they were. One was still in the shadows of the forest and the other's face was downcast, mostly covered in her dark hair.

The one with the downcast face had two pointy lynx ears settled amidst the thick curls of her reddish black hair. Her clothing was crude at best. She wore a fur tunic that loosely clung to her frame and a fur skirt with an uneven hem that hung to her knees. The skirt was split up the back and front for a wider range of movement. She carried no weapons that he could see.

Inuyasha unsheathed the Tetsusaiga, saying, "Kagome, get back."

The demons, which had visibly tensed when Inuyasha drew his sword, looked toward Kagome at this. The demon with black hair and red highlights narrowed her striking jade-green eyes with interest. She had seen the jewel shard around Kagome's neck.

Miroku went on alert, gripping his staff. Sango also tensed, her hand going to Hiraikotsu. Even Shippo was tense.

Something occurred to Miroku then. The demons had truly been surprised to come across them. Could the meeting have been an accident?

Kagome spoke softly. "Inuyasha, she has a jewel shard," she said, pointing to the demon with reddish-black hair.

The demon's jade green eyes glinted menacingly in response. "Don't even think about it," she warned Inuyasha, who had smiled and prepared to charge her. "Girl, how did you know I possessed a jewel shard?" She demanded of Kagome.

"Don't answer, Kagome," Inuyasha instructed her loudly. "It's none of the cat's business. She won't have it that much longer anyway." He once again prepared to charge the demon.

Miroku rolled his eyes. He briefly wondered if Inuyasha would ever stop being so stubborn and admit that his protective instincts toward Kagome stemmed from caring.

Just then, the other demon that had so far been silent, muttered beneath her breath, "He's in for it now."

The first demon's eyes narrowed in fury and she took a menacing step toward Inuyasha. Pulling a shuriken from a hidden sheath, she threw it and yelled, "Shuriken spiral illusion!"

Luckily for Inuyasha, the throwing star was slightly off the mark. Instead of burying itself in his face, it nicked his ear. A small amount of blood ran down the side of his ear before it clotted and scabbed over.

Miroku, after blinking free of the illusion the shuriken had cast, smirked. It wasn't often Inuyasha was taken by surprise. Before he could retaliate, the other demon stepped forward.

The monk studied her in interest. She had waist-length thick black hair with glossy blue highlights crowned with a twin pair of black, panther ears. Her eyes were a haunting yellow-green. She wore a strange kimono, the likes of which he had never seen before. The deep green outer layer fell down to her calves, but was split up both sides to nearly her thighs. The inner kimono was a pure white, also split to allow more movements along her legs. She carried only a staff on her back.

"Jade, you're wasting time," the panther chastised. "We need to move on. We still have a baboon to hunt. Have you forgotten he stole your other jewel shard?"

Miroku and the others froze. Inuyasha's head snapped around to stare at the demon, retaliation forgotten for the moment. Surprise was clearly written on his face.

"Baboon? Did you say you were hunting a baboon?" The dog demon asked incredulously.

The demon's disturbing yellow-green eyes flickered toward his face and narrowed. "Yes, I did. Why? Do you know of him?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Now why would I tell you anything? I'm the one who asked you a question first. Besides, you're probably Naraku's minions and are trying to confuse us into trusting you."

The demon growled. "Naraku. Is that the baboon's name?" Her tone was deadly.

Miroku's eyes widened then. She sounded like she wanted to kill Naraku. Hmm…interesting.

Kagome's decided to trust the demons. She yelled, "Inuyasha, sit!" As he fell to the ground, she stepped forward. "Sorry. He can be rude sometimes. I'm Kagome."

The demon looked at her for a moment before announcing quietly, "I'm Khira."

Miroku stepped forward, ignoring the look Kagome and Sango exchanged. "Hello, ladies. My name is Miroku."

He saw Jade's eyes widened when he introduced himself and she began to sniff him. He took this as a sign of invitation and gave into his flirtatious side. He slid his hand around to touch her backside. The demon stopped sniffing him and growled as she punched him. He flew into a bush ten feet away.

- - -

INTERLUDE

Kayla: -Sigh- I hate typing these things! I swear they take forever!

Amanda: -Sitting on futon with a candy bar and a notebook- I have no sympathy for you. I've been picking up your slack on the writing for the past chapter!

Kayla: Shut up. I was having writer's block. And I finished your chapter so you have no room to talk.

Miroku: -Comes up stairs with a big, innocent grin on his face- Are my two favorite cat demons in residence?

Kayla: Nope…just the two creators of said cat demons. What's shakin?

Miroku: -Sigh- I was hoping I could catch Jade and Khira and see if they wanted to go do something.

Amanda: Sorry, sug. They went to Krossroads. Speaking of which…-looks at clock-…they've been gone for a while. You wanna go over there and check on them for us?

Miroku: -Big smile- It would be my pleasure. -Runs down stairs-

Kayla: NO PERVERTED STUNTS MIROKU!

- - -

Khira raised an eyebrow and smirked, silently admitting that Jade did have spunk. The look on the lecher's face as he had sailed through the air was one of perfect shock. It made Khira wish she could see an instant replay

Kagome gasped when Miroku flew past her and landed in the bush. Her shock immediately gave way to amused giggles. "That'll teach him," she said under her breath.

Sango came up to Jade, smiling from eat to ear as she introduced her self. "I'm Sango. I think we're going to get along great."

Jade dusted her hands off before placing them on her hips. "I'm Jade. I'd appreciate it if you told your pervert to keep his hands off my ass."

Sango looked confused as she asked shrilly, "My pervert?"

Khira cut in before the lynx demon could make the situation any worse. "She didn't mean anything by it. His scent is all over you, though."

Sango laughed nervously. A deep red blush spread across her cheeks. She cast her eyes aside, but both demons saw the feelings she tried to hide.

Inuyasha, silent up until then, chose that moment to exclaim, "Well, Miroku em is a pervert! She can't be that bad if she knows that."

Shippo climbed onto Inuyasha's shoulder and touched the cut in the dog demon's ear. In surprise, he questioned, "Even though she cut your ear?"

Inuyasha growled and smashed a fist down on Shippo's head. "You just had to bring that up, didn't you!"

Khira's mouth fell open. Angrily, she rushed Inuyasha and punched him in the stomach, knocking him over. Afterward, she bent down and picked up the still dazed Shippo.

Jade made a disgusted face at the crooning noises the panther demon made. Khira didn't seem to notice. She rocked the small demon in her arms, suddenly reminded of her own lost son, Aeroes.

Inuyasha picked himself up and yelled, "What'd you do that for!"

Khira hissed at him and drew her stave. If he wanted to press the matter, she wasn't going to hold back. Anyone who picked on a small demon such as the one in her arms deserved to be taught a lesson.

Kagome stepped in between them. "Inuyasha! Sit boy!" She then spoke to the cat demons. "You asked about Naraku. Are you hunting him?"

Both Khira and Jade nodded absently. They were more absorbed with watching Inuyasha fight the sudden affliction that kept him from rising from the ground. They were uncertain, but they thought his face had made an impression in the dirt. Kagome's next words were enough to bring them both back to full attention.

"We are too," the girl admitted. "Why don't you come with us?"

Miroku walked up then, picking leaves and twigs out of his hair and clothing. Acting like nothing had happened, he too extended the invitation. "Certainly. The more enemies Naraku has, the better. It'll give us a better chance of defeating him." Looking speculatively at Jade and then Khira, he added, "You are very strong. If you can knock Inuyasha down and give me a sudden flight into a bush ten feet away, you are obviously valuable allies."

Jade sneered, ready to pummel the monk again. She kept her reaction slightly less confrontational and merely retorted, "Valuable? Does that mean we're expendable as well?"

Before Miroku could respond, Khira cut in. "Jade, stop being defensive for a moment. Naraku is a powerful demon. We're only half demons. I want his head and they'll make it easier for me to accomplish this."

The lynx's eye twitched angrily at being reprimanded. She snorted flippantly, returning, "At least I'm not cooing at a fox demon like some mother hen who lost her chicks recently."

Khira paled, feeling suddenly sick. True, it had been three months since the death of her children, but the wounds of her heart were still fresh.

Kagome, who had been staring like all the others at Khira and Jade in shock, loudly exclaimed, "Half-demons? You guys are half-demons?"

Khira looked around at her, shaking off the intense sadness Jade's offhand comment had evoked. "Yes, of course we are. Didn't the ears give us away?"

Shippo squirmed in Khira's arms. She put him down and he immediately said, "Wow, Inuyasha. You got beat up by female half-demons."

Inuyasha went to punch him again, but Khira growled at him. "Haven't had enough, dog boy?"

Sango laughingly chided him, "Looks like you're going to have to learn to watch that temper."

He scowled. "I don't have to do anything. Besides, I'm not afraid of her!"

Khira smiled, displaying her fangs. "Maybe you should be."

Kagome clenched her fists at her side, yelling, "Inuyasha! Stop picking fights. We need to get going."

Miroku nodded. "The longer we stay here, the colder Naraku's trail gets."

Inuyasha grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Whatever," he said nonchalantly. "Just don't get in my way."

Jade and Khira exchanged exasperated glances, but kept their mouths shut. The dog demon took the lead with Kagome right behind him. Miroku rode Kirara in the back. Sango walked with the two cat demons in the middle.

As they trudged down the path, Sango regarded Khira through veiled eyes. Her protective instincts toward Shippo were strange, to say the least. Clearing her throat, the girl quietly asked Khira why she was hunting Naraku.

The panther's voice was deep and iron hard as she replied, "I have my own reasons."

Sango grimaced, looking down. Softly, she said, "Seems like we all do."

Khira's cat-like nature got the best of her. She gave in to her curiosity. "What's yours?"

Sango quickly explained how Naraku had tricked the demon slayers of her village into going to a castle. While they were gone, the village was massacred. At the castle, Sango's little brother, Kohaku, had been possessed by a demon. He had killed all the slayers and wounded Sango. Naraku then led Sango to believe that Inuyasha had killed the villagers.

Khira tightened her hand on her stave. This girl was so much like Pandora that it was bittersweet being around her. "Listen," Khira commanded quietly. "I know exactly what you're going through."

She explained how the deaths of her children at Naraku's hands had led her to them. The demon glanced at Sango. They shared a moment of grief that swiftly faded into uncomfortable silence.

Khira broke it tactfully. "What about the mutt and Kagome? How did they get involved?"

Sango laughed softly. "Fifty years ago, Inuyasha was involved with the priestess, Kikyou, who was charged with the protection of the Shikon Jewel. Naraku injured Kikyou and led her to believe that it was Inuyasha. Before she died, the priestess pinned Inuyasha to a tree with her sacred arrow. Inuyasha slept there for fifty years until Kagome came through the we…" Sango coughed and sputtered. "Well, uh, until Kagome pulled the arrow out."

Khira looked over her shoulder at the girl. She was hiding something. She let it slide, prompting Sango to explain Kagome's presence.

"Inuyasha mistook Kagome for Kikyou." When Khira gave her a questioning glance, Sango explained, "Kagome is Kikyou's reincarnation. When they first met, Inuyasha was hostile. Kagome knew nothing of Kikyou and was confused.

"Later, a demon stole the Shikon Jewel. Inuyasha and Kagome went after it. This was before Kagome had developed her shooting skills, and her bad aim succeeded in convincing Inuyasha that she wasn't Kikyou—and shattering the jewel.

"Inuyasha wishes to become a full-fledged demon and, as Kagome can sense the jewel shards, she is necessary. Things got even more complicated, though. Someone brought Kikyou back from the dead."

Khira softly exclaimed, "Someone brought her back? And Inuyasha wants to be a full-fledged demon? So, he is only half-demon as well. I thought so, but I wasn't sure."

Sango nodded. "Yes, like you and Jade." She hesitated. "I've always wondered if all half-demons desire to become full demons."

Khira looked away, gathering her thoughts before sighing. "I have always been ruled by my human side and I repressed my demon half. With the death of my children, that changed. But would I want to be a full demon? No, I am content with myself as I am. As for other half-demons, I can't say. Jade seems to be controlled by the demon half in her, but I believe that is only because of her bitterness. She is very young, very independent. Hopefully, she doesn't wish to be a full demon."

There was a silence for a few minutes. Khira finally stirred and asked cautiously, "What about the lecher?"

Sango blinked. "Well, actually, Miroku is a monk." She laughed at Khira's disbelieving look. "Yes, I know it's very hard to believe given his not-so-pure tendencies, but his reasons for hunting Naraku are serious.

"Naraku cursed Miroku's grandfather with a hole in his right hand capable of drawing in anything in its path. Every generation of male since then has been cursed with the Wind Tunnel. If Miroku does not defeat Naraku, the hole will swallow him whole, as it did his father and grandfather before him."

Noting the concern in the young woman's eyes, Khira concluded that Sango had feelings for the monk. They were most likely unconscious on her part or ignored. It was just as well. A lecher like Miroku wouldn't do for Sango. He would probably break her soft heart by letting his gaze—and hands—wander.

Khira blinked and had to fight back a chuckle. Listen to me. Already defending Sango like one of my cubs.

She smiled bitterly. Sango did remind her of Pandora. Still, Miroku and Sango getting involved could be dangerous—and distracting. Nobody could afford distractions when it came to Naraku.

Her mind burned with fury as she silently repeated the name. She was ready to unleash a demonic attack in unleashed rage. Luckily, Jade interrupted her thoughts.

After overhearing the bit about Miroku's Wind Tunnel, the lynx gasped and turned around to point at him. She yelled in triumph, "I KNEW YOU SMELLED FAMILIAR!"

- - -

Kayla: YES! -Stretches happily- Another chapter down…sigh…50 billion more to go.

Amanda: You're so melodramatic sometimes!

Kayla: -Rolls eyes- This coming from the Drama Queen?

Amanda: I resent that. -Glares-

Miroku: -Comes staggering up the stairs with a drunken Jade and Khira on each arm- Ladies, look what I found down at the bar.

Kayla: Oh jeez…just dump them on the floor. I don't want them puking on my bed.

Amanda: HAHAHA! -Falls off of futon laughing-

Miroku: -Scratches head- Is she gonna be okay?

Kayla: -Shrugs- She'll either piss herself or sober up in a few minutes. Wanna come read about you getting your ass kicked?

Miroku: -Puts hand over heart in melodramatic fashion- My dear, Kayla, I'm wounded! You take so much pleasure in my pain.

Kayla: Oh, please! Come read or you'll have to wait until later.

Miroku: -Runs to the computer and sits on Kayla's lap to read-

Kayla: HEY!