Hey look it's not a chapter! Instead you get to read (if you want) a side story starring… well, you'll find that out if you read. Though things that happen in here will come in to play later on, but most of the important information will be in the story also.So I suppose you don't have to read.

Disclaimer: I don't own either Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.

Lost City

Chapter Eight – Side Story

Fire licked at her skin and she curled more into herself, bringing the infants closer to her. She stayed as close to the ground as she could, coughing as smoke filled her lungs. Flames surrounded them at every turn; there was no escape from it. The door was barricaded and couldn't be budged. No, they didn't want them getting out.

They wanted them to burn.

The babies were crying, but even that was drowned out by the yelling and the blazing house. She tried to shield them as much as she could, but nothing could protect them from the flames around them. The wood above them cracked and hissed, the fire eating away at the wooden house. The ceiling would collapse, it was only a manner of minutes.

The man yelled the woman's name, she heard it faintly. She looked up at her husband, her eyes tearing from the smoke. Even as she saw his mouth move and knew he was shouting, she couldn't hear a word. It was only when she saw him gesturing toward her did she understand.

She climbed to her feet clumsily, a babe in each arm. Her husband grabbed her arm, helping her along quickly into the bedroom. There were more flames in the room and she cringed back, but he urged her forward. She complied with reluctance.

He ushered her to the small window, smashing it open with an elbow. He pushed her toward it.

She hesitated only a moment in which she saw the ceiling in the room she had just been in collapse, then wasted no time in crawling out the window. She fell ungracefully to the ground, tumbling somewhat, but didn't care; as long as the babies were alright.

Fire burst through the window and she grew frightened, waiting anxiously in the shadows. The flames burned outside, shooting from the opening and she feared he would not follow. Then he burst through, rolling as he fell to the hard ground. He got up quickly with speed no human should possess and went to his wife.

They began hurrying away, him with one arm around her to move her quickly. She tripped and fell to her knees when he tried to move her faster than her body could allow and both immediately froze as they heard the angered cry.

The villagers had seen them.

They knew they had escaped.

Her eyes widened as she looked to her husband. "Run," he suddenly told her, his voice low.

She watched him, fear clearly written all over her face. "But—"

"I'll be right behind you," he assured her with a small, tight smile. The angry voices grew louder and they turned around to see them coming closer, weapons in their hands.

And at that moment, they both knew he was lying.

He turned her roughly toward him, giving her a quick kiss before pushing her away. "Now run!"

She did the only thing she could. She ran with everything she could away from the angry villagers. Away from her husband. The sounds of fighting and her labored breathing filled her ears and she was blind to everything else around her. The fighting got more distant as she ran… then she couldn't hear them at all…

Until a sudden scream of agony tore through the night.

Her footsteps never faltered as she kept running, clutching her children closer to her, all the while silent tears streamed down her face.

They blurred her vision; she didn't care. She felt numb as she ran, hot tears spilling down her cheeks and dropping to the earth, forgotten. She didn't care where she was running as long as it was away. She could hear them coming, could hear the shouting.

They were coming after her now. No, not only her.

She tripped and landed hard on the ground, letting out a cry that was half-lost in a sob. She struggled to get to her feet, the weight of the children holding her arms down. She kept going. She couldn't stop. Wouldn't let herself stop.

It was then, in a brief moment when her vision was clear, that it caught her eye.

The forest.

Certainly if she went there… it was the one place they would not follow her. They wouldn't dare.

Without hesitation, she changed her direction, running toward the forest that seemed to whisper to her, inviting her into its depths. She was slowing down, her legs unable to take the strain, but it wouldn't stop her from heading toward it. Her footing was faulty, tripping constantly on the edge of her skirt, falling and rolling down the various hills. Yet every time she staggered back to her feet, the thoughts of her children the only thing that kept her moving.

Her heart was beating so fast, but it leapt for joy when she passed the first of the trees. She was safe! There was no way they would set a foot in the forest. They, her and her children, would be safe from them.

Her heart seemed to stop just quickly as it had leapt. Her blood went cold, a feeling of dread filling her as the blood drained from her face.

Yukina.

Where was Yukina?

There was only one infant in her arms now, her son staring blankly up at his mother. Frantically she looked around her, but saw nothing. One of those times she tripped… oh, Goddess.

The tears fell even faster and she began sobbing, unable to help herself. She couldn't leave her child behind. Without much thought, she put her son gently onto the forest floor before she ran back out onto the hilly terrain.

He didn't even make a sound.

Her legs gave way almost immediately from exhaustion, but she crawled until she forced herself back onto her feet, her eyes searching the darkness. She didn't dare call out to her. They were close by, she knew it.

There! Her seeking eyes found Yukina, her red eyes evident even in the dark. She fell to her knees next to her daughter with a quieted sob of relief, picking her up in her arm. Yukina cried as her mother's teardrops fell onto her and she tried to shush her daughter.

She quickly got to her feet and began running, only to fall back onto her knees with a scream.

Something… her back…

A second arrow followed then another and another, imbedding themselves into her back. The shower didn't stop until she fell onto the ground and lay completely still, tears lingering in her sightless eyes.

A villager walked up to the woman, tapping her with his boot. "She's dead," he announced to the rest.

There was a murmur of approve from the others, though the announcer paused when he heard muffled crying. Using his foot he flipped the dead woman over, revealing a crying baby. His face scrunched up with disgust. "What do we do with it?"

An argument began over the fate of the baby. Some wanted to kill it, other said to leave it where it lay. Another, one of the softer men, suggested bringing it back to the village, though he was given scornful looks. They didn't want its dirtied blood walking around in their peaceful village.

Finally, one man, the strongest of them all by far, took up the leader role and said in a deep, rough voice, "bring it to the King. Have him pass judgement on the baby's fate."

There was another murmur, this time of agreement, until the announcer asked, "what about the other one? There was a twin and she had it with her when she left the fire."

The man looked toward the forest, undoubtedly where the woman was heading. Just looking at it gave him shivers.

"Leave it to die."

The wolf circled the infant, grinning toothily. An easy prey for such a hunter, but food was food. The babe didn't even seem to notice the wolf's presence, looking up into the trees' branches with watchful eyes, completely still, completely silent. The wolf moved closer still, teeth barred, and his mouth salivating in anticipation. It wasn't much, but it would be a good meal. He stalked over to it, having no need to pounce on something so weak and defenseless.

A sudden fog rolled in and the wolf paused, his ears pulling back. He sniffed the air for a moment as though it had an odd scent, before dismissing it and looking back at his prey. It was then that a dark silhouette appeared, walking closer and making the predator freeze once again.

A young woman emerged from the fog, appearing as if from no where. A velvet green dress and cloak adorned her, the hood drawn up and shadowing half her face. Only the bottom half of her face was visible, showing lips that were as red as any rose and unmistakably just as soft as any of the petals. They curled into a small smile.

Her steps were slow and graceful, not at all hurried in their stride. The wolf cowered before her, one of his paws taking a step back as she drew closer. She paused only a few inches from the wolf, using one finger to merely tapping the predator gently on the nose. His ears pulled back as he ran from her sulkily, tail between his legs.

Melodious music sounded as she laughed. "Sorry, sweet hunter," she mused with a smile, "but he will not be your next meal."

She pulled her hood back, revealing a pale, beautiful face, too perfect to be real. Her skin was flawless, not a single line or wrinkle to be found. She had hair so dark the night paled in comparison, the locks reaching down to the middle of her back, only the slightest bit wavy. The only unusual thing about her were her eyes. The right eye was brown like freshly turned soil; the other as green as the most lively of leaves.

Her every move was fluid as she knelt in front of the babe, her skirt spreading perfectly around her. The child tilted its head toward her as though examining her, still as silent as ever.

"You, my child, have a great destiny ahead of you." Her voice was smooth and comforting, yet firm, incontrovertible. The infant only stared at her blankly.

She scooped the child up into her arms and walked further into the forest, not stopping until she reached a small hut. Pausing at the door, she looked down at the baby in her arms. She took her thumb and touched it to his chest, writing the sign of the warrior. It flashed a bright green before it bled into his chest, sinking under his skin until it was not longer visible. She then moved her finger to his forehead, this time making the sign of the Goddess lightly on his skin. It, too, flashed a bright green, but it did not vanish like the other.

Without another word she left the child in front of the hut, giving the wood one sharp rap. Then she turned and walked into the woods, disappearing once more into the mysterious fog.

The rickety door to the hut swung open, an old woman appearing from its depth. She looked around the surrounding area before noticing the child with a scowl.

"What do you want?" she asked, but being a babe, he of course did not answer. He continued to just look at her and she noticed a certain intelligence in his gaze. "Well, aren't you a strange one. At least you're not a whinny brat."

For a long time the two just stared at each other, as though one was testing the other. Than the baby closed his eyes, falling asleep. The old woman sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Why do these things always happen to me…?"

Bang. Bang. Bang.

"Get that, boy," the old woman scolded. "You should know that you should help your elders."

After throwing a glare her way (which only made her chuckle), the five-year-old jumped down from his chair, going to the door. The banging came again, annoying the hell out of him, and causing him to throw the door open mid-knock. The man who had been banging stumbled forward a step and threw the young boy a nasty look. He sent an equally nasty one right back. For a young boy, it was eerie how good he was at it.

"The hag's got a boy workin' for her now?" the man declared, mostly to himself. "Damn, what's this world comin' to."

The man composed himself and brushed past the boy as though he didn't exist and sat down on the chair the boy had occupied minutes before. It angered the kid further and he might have done something, but the woman saw the look on his face and shook her head slightly. The boy settled for glaring at the next person coming in instead.

Surprisingly, it was a young boy with cropped red hair that followed. The redhead blinked with surprise when he saw the younger boy, but without a word of acknowledgement went to stand next to the seated man he had come with.

The two talked "business" for a long time, though the boys didn't pay attention. They were too engrossed by their staring contest (or rather, glaring, on the younger one's part), to be concerned with whatever trivial matters they talked about. The adults went on for a long time until the man abruptly smashed his hand against the table and stood up.

"You betta have our money next time, hag," he said between gritted teeth. His gaze then fell on the boy. "I'd hate for something… bad to happen to the boy."

To the man's chagrin, the old woman began laughing, though halfway through, it turned into a coughing fit. When she was under control again she said, "you'd be surprised what that boy can do."

He glanced at the small kid. "He don't look like much."

"And that's exactly why and how he'll get you."

He looked skeptical. "Whatever, you crazy old hag," the man muttered before leaving with the redhead in tow, and just for effects, made sure to slam the door on his way out.

It was a year later that the man returned, only to find the place in shambles.

"If she up and left on us, I swear I'll ring her and the boy's neck when I find 'em," the man muttered under his breath. He pushed the door open, but the inside wasn't in much better condition. He did notice, however, that all the old woman's belongings were still there. "So the old bat finally shriveled up and died. About time." He gestured to the young redhead who'd returned with him. "Search for the money."

The boy complied without a word, beginning to search. There wasn't much to search, really. The entire house was one room, a table and chairs scattered to one side, a bed at another with a pile of rags next to it, probably the boy's bed.

A flash of lightning illuminated the area for a moment and the redhead noticed from the corner of his eye, the other boy watching them. The light was gone almost as soon as it appeared, but now that he noticed him, he could still see his red eyes blazing as he watched them. Then, as if he knew the redhead's gaze was on him, he disappeared. One minute he was there, the next he was gone.

When he heard the man grunt and fall to his knees, the redhead looked to see the young boy behind him, a sword bigger than himself held at the man's throat. The man's reaction, however, wasn't what the boy had hoped. The man only laughed as though his life weren't on the line, maybe because he thought the boy was too young or because he didn't have the guts.

Either way, he informed the boy with a dry chuckle, "you've got spunk kid, but you can't handle somethin' that big, 'specially when you ain't trained with it."

The redhead didn't even turn their way besides for an initial glance, continuing to inspect the room instead. He obviously was not concerned at all about them, man or the boy, as though knowing nothing would happen. Or perhaps not caring if it did.

The young redhead's hand reached out, knocking something over by mistake. It fell to the floor with a loud clang, causing him to glance at the man sheepishly. "Sorry."

The man looked to the dropped shovel, covered in fresh soil. He glanced back at the boy with the sword. "You buried the crone yourself?" He seemed to turn this over in his mind. He muttered to himself, "The kid's got guts. Guts and courage, not 'ffected by death…"

All the while the man continued to grumble to himself, the redhead continued to search the shelves. Moving an old book away, he found a hidden pouch behind it. Giving it a slight shake and hearing the clang of coins, the redhead immediately handed it over to the man. During the exchange the boy took the time to back away, sword still in hand and ready to attack if he had to.

The man continued to eye him with curiosity that the boy didn't like. "There ain't nothin' for you here now, kid. Want to come back with us? I could teach you how to use that thing." He nodded his head toward the sword. "Among other things."

There was a brief silence before the boy nodded curtly. "What, are you a mute?" When the boy did not reply, he just shook his head and turned. "Ah, whatever."

The redhead watched the man walk out of the small house before turning to the younger boy. There was an interested light in the redhead's eyes, nothing hostile about him. At least nothing that the boy could see.

"My name is Kurama. Do you have a name I can call you by?"

There was another silence, but Kurama waited patiently, almost knowing that he'd answer.

And he did. He answered with one word.

"Hiei."

AN:

Here are some answers to the questions asked in reviews. Eek, no I'm not quitting, sorry for the long absence! The journey to the Lost City will be long. I'd say three-fourths of the story will be the journey because of many obstacles, including some "bad guys" that you all know and love. Yes, Kagome will have powers. Cat, I'm gonna need your help with the Latin, I just keep forgetting to e-mail you-.- No reaction from Sango for awhile actually because next chapter won't really follow her. She spent two chapters in the spot light, had to take her out for awhile. Was what Sango saw the Jagan? I don't you, you tell me:P The pairings are… oh, wait, you have to figure it out on your own, though it'll be pretty apparent soon. Especially because of next chapter, hehehe.