Disclaimer: Inuyasha, Ranma and Yuu Yuu Hakusho don't belong to me.

Authors Note: I'm posting this story in the hopes that once it's out of my system I'll be able to continue K: TJC.

As of this chapter, this story is on Hiatus while I deal with personal problems in RL.

Kagome - 20

Ranma - 18

Yusuke - 15

Ku-lon, one of the Amazon elders for the past 200 of her 300 years, sat as a silent sentry to her unconscious great-granddaughter whom had emerged from 4 and a half hour surgery a mere half hour ago.

According to the doctors who operated on her, Xian-pu should be coming out from under the anesthetic any moment now.

Ku-lon grimaced, she had been shown up by a male, something which was happening with alarming frequency lately. Of course Genkaku Shippo was no ordinary male, he was just over five hundred years old and a demon, and not just any demon, the Lord of Japan's Eastern lands whose territory included all of Tokyo, thus giving him an uncomfortable amount of power over her.

During her wait, she pondered the words of the Kitsune. She alone among the Matriarch Elders had begun to push for the gradual modernization of the village and the changing of some of the laws, but all the other Elders were too set in their ways. Maybe this incident would open the closed eyes of the council.

If even the demons of old have swallowed their pride and blended so well we were unaware of their presence, it is far past time for our village to become more aware.

Ancient eyes flitted toward Xian-pu.

She sighed, beginning to feel her age. And it was all because Xian-pu had, as usual, leaped without looking, it seemed all her lessons in patience had been in vain.

Now it was too late, they had to be gone within the year and without their prize.

" Great grandmother? " Came the weak voice of her awakening relative.

Ku-Lon's eyes instantly changed from contemplative to severely scolding as her gaze was turned toward the source of the voice.

Xian-pu took one look at the Amazon Elder and knew she had done something very stupid.

Ku-Lon wasted no time in her scolding.

" Idiot child! Have you learned nothing in our time here? Not everything is as it seems, especially when it concerns Saotome Ranma! Now, thanks to your foolish impulsiveness we must leave Japan for good once you are healed. "

Xian-pu was flabbergasted.

" What ...? We are banished? By who? And what about Ranma? "

" We cannot go near him. The demon child you attempted to slay is the youngest sister of eastern Japan's Demon Lord. Not only that, she is a dearly loved cousin of Ranma. "

Her great granddaughter's breath caught in her throat as she realized the magnitude of what she'd nearly done.

" Oh mother-goddess... "

" Not even her divine intervention can salvage your indiscretion Xian-pu. Tell me what led to this unfortunate series of events so I can include your side in my letter to the council. "

" The council great grandmother? "

" To deliver the ultimatum of the demon lord, child. Now, no more stalling! "

" Very well great grandmother ... "

For two months now, her airen had been periodically vanishing from the Nerima district and all attempts of the mercenary girl Nabiki failed to track him. She had been lucky in that she had glanced out the window at the precise time he had darted past it upon the rooftops across the street.

Immediately she followed, knowing that to lose sight of him for even the barest of seconds meant that she would never find out where he was vanishing to.

Stealthily she hopped behind, tightening her chi close to her body just to make sure he wouldn't sense her. Besides, she had to be careful around him now. Her airen had destroyed the Phoenix God Saffron, and the wedding debacle proved nothing of how he felt for the kitchen destroyer Akane, those episodes only proved her husband's innate sense of honour. Xian-pu figured if she was careful, then she could squeeze herself in as either only wife, or second wife to one of the other fiancees.

When he exited the Nerima district she really wasn't that surprised, if he'd been staying within Nerima Nabiki would have sold out his location the second time he'd vanished.

She got a little more puzzled when he hopped past Juuban and Shikaku. Xian-pu was really curious now.

It had been almost half an hour since they's left Nerima and only now was he slowing down. A final leap brought him onto the grounds of a shrine that sent chills up her spine when she looked upon it. But Ranma didn't seem to feel anything was amiss, he wasn't reacting at all. That meant he'd been here often enough to shake the chills off.

It was time to find out what about this shrine was so important to her airen, if it was an obstacle, then it must be killed.

She watched as he reached out with his hand and stroked an old and powerful tree when he passed it before entering the house. The fact he hadn't knocked wasn't lost on her. That her airen was so familiar with this place rang alarm bells in her head.

Xian-pu crept closer to the house. Trying to ignore the now menacing aura of the tree.

With her senses she followed Ranma as he went up the stairs and into the room with another person in it. A graceful leap into the ancient tree by the house allowed her to peek in the window and watch. It took a lot of restraint for her not to barge in there when she laid eyes on the woman and her black haired babe. Her stomach clenched when she saw how much love was between the three of them.

Airen already has a child! Now there are two more obstacles in my path to wed him, but can I really kill an infant?

She hesitated.

Raised in such a small village, where at any given point the furthest hut was but a stone's throw away Xian-pu never really thought that family could live so far apart from another. So she didn't consider the idea that Ranma could be related by blood to this woman and child.

Shame, that one thought would have saved her a lot of pain.

Then a man with hair the colour of fire walked in.

She strained to hear their conversation, but the glass in the window muffled the words into silence and like her cursed form got ready to pounce. One of the perks of being cursed to turn into a cat was that some abilities usually leaked over, thus she knew the moment to strike was near.

They were so happy together, Xian-pu wished she didn't have to slay the child. But she would do what she must to bring Ranma into the tribe.

As the woman laid the baby into the crib, Xian-pu got a good look at the child and sucked in a breath. The baby was possessed! It's tiny fingers were adorned with tiny, yet sharp claws and upon it's head were inhuman ears! This changed everything!

As an Amazon it was her sacred duty to rid the world of any and all demons to preserve the lives of innocents.

Unfortunately that meant she couldn't afford to hesitate now. Her husband would understand when she explained that a demon had inhabited the baby. As for the mother ...

Xian-pu heaved a heavy, silent sigh. The mother had no clue obviously, and it would be callous of her to strike down a grieving mother.

When the adults left the room Xian-pu counted two minutes to make sure they were settled downstairs, braced herself, and leaped.

She ended the retelling of her hunt, knowing that to say more would be to dig herself deeper.

Ku-lon nodded sagely before giving her descendant a sharp rap on the head and proceeded to thoroughly chew out her great granddaughter.