Hato woke up bright and early the next morning. She jumped out of the tree, walked up to Shotu, and woke him. "I'm going to get Shippo. I'll be back soon."
"Ok, we will wait for you. But hurry back." Shotu stood up. Hato gave him a nod then took off into the trees. Shotu's eyes followed her, and then after she disappeared, he started to look for food.
Hato found Inuyasha and Kagome with ease. She watched them talk for a little bit, and then left. She saw Kirara flying high up in the air, with Sango on her back. Hato moved in the direction she saw Sango come from. She sniffed the air, and she new she was close. She jumped over a large rock, and landed right in front of Miroku. He jumped back and tripped, landing on his ass.
"What are you doing here?" Miroku asked.
"I'm here to pick up Shippo." Hato said, "Where is he?"
"Not here."
Hato laughed, "I know he's around here somewhere." as she finished saying that, Shippo came out from behind one of the boulders littering the area. Kounda was behind him.
"It's so nice to see you, Hato." Kounda taunted, "I've been wanting a rematch ever since you disappeared on me."
"I'd rather not. I came to pick up Shippo, not fight anyone." Hato looked at Kounda. "Besides, I have bigger things to worry about."
Miroku looked at Hato, "Like what?" he looked at Hato, puzzled.
"There was someone who destroyed a village, and I'm hunting them down." Hato laughed, "I know you guys might not believe me, but I really am a nice person."
"I believe you, it's just that no one else does." Miroku said.
"Miroku, you can't tell me you actually believe her. She tried to kill Shippo." Kounda yelled.
"I do. She wouldn't have come back to get him if she did try to kill him." Miroku smiled, "It's also because I remember something about cat demons. They are very good-natured, and have often times co-existed with human villages. And very cute." He added with a smile. Shippo ran up to Hato.
"Well, thanks for the confidence Miroku. I won't let you down." Hato smiled, "I'll bring Shippo back in 2 days." Then Hato disappeared before he could answer.
"What are you doing? She just took off with Shippo." Kounda yelled, "Because of you, we may never see that kid again."
"Give her a chance." Miroku mused, "Friends can come from anywhere, but you have to let them come."
Hato had Shippo in her arms. She found Shotu and Kana, and quickly realized that Hiro and Kagari were gone.
"Where did they go?" Hato asked, "They were here when I left, weren't they?"
"Yes, they were here, but they went to go get their possessions. They will be back soon." Shotu smiled, "So you got him I see." He smiled. "How are is Shippo doing?"
"Ask him yourself…" Hato looked down to find Shippo asleep in her arms.
"Isn't that cute? He fell asleep in your arms." Shotu walked up to Hato. "Kana is still sleeping, she had a very restless night."
"The poor girl, she seems to have a lot of nightmares. Ever since our family died, we have all had a hard time, but she's taking it the hardest." Hato looked at Kana's sleeping form. Shotu took Shippo from Hato very gently. Hato then walked up to Kana, and sat beside her. She put her arm around Kana and held her close. Shotu came and sat beside Hato, with Shippo in his arms.
Kagari and Hiro returned a little while later, and found all four of them still asleep.
"Let's let them sleep." Kagari said, setting her small bag down. Hiro nodded. He pointed to Shippo.
"Who is that?" he asked.
"I don't know, but as long as he doesn't wake, we will let him live." Kagari nodded to her dagger, "But if he does wake, we will have to kill him quickly."
"Why? He's such a little guy."
"Fox demons rely on illusionist magic. They will get you to believe things that are not real, and then when you can't tell what reality is, they may kill you." Kagari whispered, "Your right, he looks like a little guy, but he might be tricking us." Kagari gaze shifted to Shippo, when she saw him move. Before he could do anything, Kagari was in front of him. Shippo yelled out in surprise, waking up Hato. Hato looked at Kagari.
"Don't hurt Shippo!"
Kagari looked at Hato, "You know who this is? Ok, good." Kagari dropped her hand. "I thought he might try to hurt you guys, so I had to take action."
"It's ok. This is Shippo." Hato said, as she picked up Shippo. "It's ok," she whispered to Shippo, "These are friends of ours, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier." She looked at Kagari, "This is Shippo. Shippo, I want you to meet Kagari, and Hiro." She looked at Hiro and Kagari.
Kagari walked up to Shippo, "I'm really sorry about attacking you, Shippo." She smiled, and then took something out of her pocket, "I want you to have this." Shippo looked at it. It was a red shuriken. Hato grabbed it out of Kagari's hand.
"Where did you get that?"
"It's a symbol of our town." Hiro answered, "You know as well as we do that very few people have one. Not even powerful demons have one." Hiro looked at Hato. He moved closer, "The man who you saw yesterday, has killed many people, and demons. We think that he may have attacked a family of cat demons near here. That was why we attacked him."
"He may have killed our family then." Hato yelled, waking up Kana and Shotu, "What was his name?"
"We don't know, but we will find him, I promise." Hiro looked at Hato, compassion in his eyes. "We promise, that for all of you, we will find him."
Hato slumped to the ground and started to cry. Hiro moved beside her, and put his arm around her. "It's all right, we are all together now." He held her close, and Kagari looked at Kana and Shippo.
"Are you two all right?" Kagari asked Kana.
"Yea, we're fine." Kana muttered.
"Well, we should get moving then." Shotu said out loud.
"How can you say that?" Hiro burst out, "She's not doing so well. We should wait till she calms down."
"No, it's all right, Hiro. Shotu is right." Hato said getting up, "Being here is what's upsetting me." She went to little hut, and stood by it. "Well, I guess this is the last time I'll get to see this." She walked back a foot or so, turned around, and kicked the little building down. "Let's go." She walked past everyone, reached the edge of the clearing, and turned around, "You guys coming?"
The group continued to walk, until they stumbled across a body of a wolf. It lay there, dead, with flies buzzing around. Hato shooed the flies away, and then looked at the wolf. It suddenly lifted it's head, and looked at her with empty eye sockets. The wolf stood up, and started to growl.
"What is that?" Kagari choked out, trying hard not too scream.
"It's a dead wolf, and it won't last long." Shotu said moving forward. As he did that, the wolf let out a long howl. Shippo jumped up into Hato's arms, and Kana ran to the closest person, Kagari. Kagari picked Kana up, and started to run. Everyone started to run, except Hato.
"Come on, you won't stand a chance." Shotu yelled. Hiro stopped and looked back.
"No, you guys go on. Something isn't right here, and I want to know what it is." Hato looked at them, "I can meet you guys somewhere, but get out of here now!"
"I'll stay with her, you guys go on." Hiro shouted, "You need to protect the kids." He ran up to Hato.
"No, go with them." Hato yelled.
"Too late!" He said with a smile. Kagari and Shotu carried Shippo and Kana into the forest.
"We have to keep any of them from getting past us." Hato yelled, watching as about 10 wolves appeared from the trees, along with three wolf demons. Hiro put his back to Hato's. He also pulled out some salt. The first wolf lunged at Hato. She leapfrogged over the wolf, pushing down hard on the animal's back. It slammed into the ground, and the leg bones were crushed. The other wolves stayed where they were. Hato looked at the wolf, and felt pity for the creature. She walked over to it and crushed its head. The rest of the wolves looked down at the crushed wolf, and they all started growling. They all lunged forward at once.
Hiro threw the salt he had in his hand, and hit three of the wolves. They dropped to the ground, and started rubbing their paws over their faces. One reached Hiro, and it bit him in the leg. He used his staff to hit the wolf on the neck, and the head dropped off. Hato took the first wolf by the front legs, and turned around, using the wolf like a weapon. She hit one wolf, and both the wolves died. She kicked another one, caving in its skull. She grabbed a low hanging branch, tore it off, and hit the last wolf just before it bit her. She killed that one, and then finished off the other three.
"Well done, my friends. Not many people live past the wolves." A woman walked out from behind the wolf demons. "I'm impressed, so I'll let you both live. But remember my name, considering I am letting you live. It's Soulena, and if you ever walk my lands again, you won't be leaving alive." With that she disappeared into the forest again. The demons left the same way they came.
Hato rushed to Hiro's side. "Why did you stay? I could have done it myself."
"I did it because I love you," he said, laughing at the expression Hato had.
"You hardly even know me. How can you say you love me?"
"I know more about you than you think. My village was going to arrange a marriage between me and one of the women from your village." He smiled, "I came to your village to decide who I would like to be with." He looked at Hato, "I'm sorry if you didn't know, but I was told to do that, so I did. They told me a lot about you. I know that your brother and sister spend a lot of time with you, and that your family has lived on that land for generations."
Hato stood up and just looked at him. "How much do you know about me?"
"A lot! But I thought that you knew." Hiro whispered, "If I had known, I wouldn't have done anything."
"Well, what gave you the right to do that?" Hato glared at him, "You could've taken my sister away, against her own free will. How could you have done that?"
"I would have checked if they were ok with it first, and then tried to make adaptations to stay with them. I would have even lived where they did, with their family or anything." Hiro looked Hato in the eye, "I fell in love with you, because you're always so full of energy. And then when I learned more about you, I loved you even more."
"Well, I don't know what to say. I… I think we should go and find the rest of them." Hato rushed into the trees, then stopped, and returned to where Hiro was. "I'll carry you back." She picked him up.
"I need to know, do you love me?"
"I…. I don't know." Hato looked away. "You can't expect me to love you, when I don't know much about you. Or do you?"
"I'm sorry. Should never have asked that." Hiro whispered, "Let's go when you're ready." Hato stood there for a moment, then picked Hiro up, and started back to his village (what was left of it).
They reached the main gate just a little after sundown. "Well, this is it," he sighed, "Home, sweet home." Hato looked around the little place. It was smaller than a normal village, only about 100 feet in diameter. The buildings that were still standing had holes in them. Rubble was everywhere, and Hato could still smell human blood. The scent was everywhere, and Hato tried to find a place where she couldn't smell it, but to no avail. She finally settled for a small little house to hide in.
"This used to be my house."
Hato jumped, and then looked behind her. Hiro was in the doorway, smiling, and looking at her. "Could you pass me the cloth you're sitting on?" Hato picked it up, and handed it to him. She sat down again, her back to him. "I'll leave you to your thoughts," Hiro said quietly. He then limped out of the house.
Hato looked up at the roof, saw the stars through the holes in the roof, and crushed a stone she was holding.