As I fell towards the ground my mind was too mixed up to concentrate on healing and my chest burned too much to scream. I was left helplessly hurtling towards the forest below. I screamed silently as my back hit a branch and it cracked beneath me. My ears twitched as I heard voices below.
"Something just hit me!"
"Was it rain?"
"No! It's blood. It hit me too."
"What's… up there?"
I saw several shadows leap away from me when I hit the ground and blacked out as several branches landed around me.
I awoke in a fit of coughs and blinked my eyes open, staring at the starry sky above. "Hey! She's awake!" Called a young boy as he leaned over me. He had brown shoulder length hair and peered down at me with very innocent eyes. I thought he looked familiar but shook it off as I attempted to sit up. The boy held me down. "You're not strong enough yet." He said. "Stay still."
"Have you found out what she is?" Asked a cold voice as I heard another approach me.
With shaky hands I lifted them and laid them on my chest, just realizing someone had bandaged it for me while I slept. Ignoring that I closed my eyes and my hands glowed for a second as sparks rolled across my chest and back where I had hit the trees. The ones around me jumped back in alarm as I finished and I sat up slowly. Another boy came to my side. He had puffy brown hair and was kind of plump. He supported me as he asked, "so, what exactly are you and how did you manage to fall from the sky?"
I looked up at him as my eyes swirled from the painful grey to sad deep blue. "I-I don't remember…" I laid a hand on my head and my eyes widened. "Wait! It was Akumei…"
"What is she babbling about?" asked the cold voice again as its owner moved to my side.
I looked up at him and gasped. It was Tsume from Wolf's Rain! He had the white hair and even had the scar across his chest! I looked around me. The one supporting me was Hige and the one with innocent eyes was Toboe. Leaning against a tree watching was Kiba with his shoulder length black hair and ice blue eyes. "You look human but you smell like wolves." I muttered. "But that's because you are wolves right?"
Hige jumped. "But how would you know?"
One of my large wolf ears twitched and so did my fluffy black and green tail. "Because I am a wolf demon."
Tsume went on guard. "A… demon?" he growled.
I looked up at him with my sad eyes and nodded. "I am a wolf demon though I'm part human as well…" I said softly.
"That explains the strange scent." Kiba said as he slowly approached me.
Tsume stared at him. "You believe her?"
"Why not? We have no reason to doubt it." Kiba muttered.
Toboe came to my side hesitantly but I smiled at him and he calmed down. "I don't think she means any harm you guys." He turned to me. "How did you cut yourself so badly?"
I looked at the ground and responded quietly. "I was taken away from my family and friends by someone, Akumei, because he had made a deal with Naraku to send me away to another world in exchange for lots of money. He went through with it and now I'm here…"
"That doesn't explain how you were hurt." Tsume muttered.
I looked up at him. "Oh, sorry… Right before he sent me away I saw the full moon and changed into my wolf form. My eyes turned silver and I started howling at it and I couldn't stop myself. He tried to hit me but I attacked him. I got him once and tried to again but he pulled out a hidden sword and struck me hard. Then he sent me away. He did unlock my powers so I could heal myself though…"
"If he cared about you why did he send you away?" Hige asked.
I sighed. "He was afraid that if he didn't do it the one who had asked him to would kill him instead."
"Why were you targeted?" Kiba muttered.
I suddenly fell forward into Hige who caught me. "What's wrong?" he asked nervously.
I smiled sleepily. "Healing makes me… tired." With the last word I was out cold in Hige's arms and he stared helplessly at the others. "What do we do?"
"Leave her." Tsume suggested.
Toboe stared at him. "We can't do that! She'll wake up all alone again!"
"That's not our problem." Tsume said as he turned his back on me.
"We can give her a night to rest and finish questioning her in the morning." Kiba said. "And decide what to do tomorrow."
Toboe and Hige agreed happily and finally Tsume did as well and they all curled up in the clearing.
I awoke in the morning to find Hige and Toboe snuggled into either side of me in their wolf forms and rubbed both of their ears with a grin. They blinked and yawned awake again and appeared human once more as they sat up. Kiba and Tsume were already watching me.
"Let's pick up where we left off." Kiba started. "Why were you targeted?"
"Because Naraku hates my brother and my brother just found me and it made him happy. Naraku's goal is to see my brother in as much misery as possible so he decided he had to remove me from his life again." I stopped as a tear rolled down my cheek and my eyes swirled blue once more. "Now I have no idea how to return!" I hated to wake up miserable first thing…
"I don't believe you."
I turned to stare at Tsume. "Why not?" I sniffed.
"Let's see you turn into a wolf."
I nodded and moved slightly away from Hige and Toboe. In a flash I was a wolf again. My fur was black with the neon green spread throughout and the silver locket hung at my neck. My sword hung around my waist and the camera bag around my neck and shoulder. The crescent moon and red streaks remained on my face as I stared at Tsume quietly.
He reached out to finger the locket. "What is this?" I allowed him to remove it and he poked a claw into the lock. It sprang open. "Is this you with your brother?" I nodded. "Then who are the others?"
"That's me with Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha on the one side. They are both my brothers. On the other it is their and my dad and my mother. So I guess they are only half brothers but they didn't treat me like that…" another tear rolled down as I explained it to them by barking.
"Enough proof for you Tsume?" Hige said smugly.
Tsume shrugged as he placed the locket to once more hang around my neck. "I guess."
Hige turned to me. "So, what's your name?"
I cocked my head. "Kira." I barked.
"Kira…" Hige said, trying it out. "Well, I'm Hige and that's Tsume, Kiba and Toboe." He added, pointing to each as his name was said.
"Ok…" I blinked and changed back to normal. "Can I take your picture?" I asked with a slight smile as I held out my camera.
Hige blinked. "What?"
"Just gather together." I said and they all slowly obeyed. I plopped down in the middle of them and held the camera facing us and snapped a picture. "Now without the disguises." They turned into wolves and I took another picture before crawling away. "Thank you very much." I said with a slight bow as I put away the camera again. "Now what were you all doing out here last night?"
"Searching." Kiba replied.
I looked at him. "For paradise?" I whispered and he nodded and I sighed. "Just being with my brothers and friends was paradise to me…"
"Well, goodbye." Said Kiba as he stared walking away.
"But you can't leave me here!" I cried out.
"Yeah Kiba, she's lost in a new place." Toboe said.
"She's a wolf. She can handle it." Kiba replied.
"But she's also part human. You know how bad they are!" Hige argued back.
Kiba turned and regarded me for a second before nodding and turning away. "I guess she could tag along…"
I leapt to my feet happily. "Oh thank you!" I cried as my eyes swirled emerald green again. I flinched away under Tsume's glare as he followed Kiba and I went with Toboe and Hige behind the both of them.
After about an hour the forest suddenly ended and we stopped at the edge to look around. Ahead all that could be seen was a desolate plain of nothing but stretches of desert. Kiba stepped from the cover of the trees and we all slowly followed. I stopped and sniffed the air. "Do you guys smell that?" I asked. They shook their heads. "Well, it'll hit you in a second."
We went on a bit more and suddenly stopped again. "I smell it now." Tsume said.
"What is it?" Toboe asked.
"Gunpowder." Kiba answered.
"Those stupid humans are killing each other again." Tsume muttered.
"Figures." Hige sighed.
"Are we going into it?" I asked.
"Yeah." Kiba nodded and started walking again. Everyone followed and we stopped once more at the top of a hill, staring down at a town blackened by the smoke of fires. Kiba broke into a run and sped towards the town. All of us quickly followed and leapt into the fray. I stood back as the boys took out several soldiers within the first few minutes.
"Aren't you going to help?" Tsume yelled at me as he bit a man in the neck.
I shivered as the blood sprayed. "I can't!" I cried.
"Humph, some wolf you are." Tsume muttered before speeding away again.
"Hey!" I yelled as I followed after him. I slammed to a stop as a soldier jumped in front of me and fired a shot. I dove to my knees and narrowly avoided it. I ran forward and punched him in the stomach before running past.
"You won't survive by doing just that." Tsume said as he killed another man.
"I'll take my chances." I cried as I kicked one myself, knocking him out. "Where did the others go?"
Tsume looked up ahead. "Your slowing me down, they're way ahead of us!" He cried angrily.
"Then start moving faster! I can keep up!" I yelled back.
Taking my advice Tsume sped away and I darted after him. As he went across a street a soldier popped from around a building and stopped in front of me. He aimed his gun and I froze in fear. The shot went off and I screamed but Tsume darted in front of me at the last minute and the bullet pierced his leg. He fell to his knees and I crouched beside him. "You didn't need to do that!" I screamed at him.
"I don't know why I even bothered for you." He muttered as he clutched the wound. With a snarl I leapt forward and hit the soldier in the face, knocking him aside with the force of the blow. I returned quickly to Tsume and offered him a hand. "I don't need any help." He mumbled as he stood on his own.
As he started to fall I caught his arm and placed it around my shoulders. "Come on." I said as I helped him quickly with me. The two of us ran awkwardly through the burning city until we met up with the others. They ran around us and we charged right over and out of the city's walls stopping finally a good distance away.
Tsume collapsed panting onto the ground and everyone gathered around him shooting an occasional accusing glance at me. "What happened?" Kiba asked.
Tsume didn't respond so I did instead. "A soldier fired at me but Tsume jumped in front." I muttered.
"This Tsume?" Hige asked but quieted at the glare he got from Tsume.
I crawled over to Tsume's side and stopped beside him. "I'm really sorry." I started. "Want me to heal it for you?"
Tsume shook his head. "No thanks." He said sarcastically.
I sighed quietly. "Please?" I asked again. "It's my fault you're hurting..." He stared at me but said nothing so I placed my hand on his leg. It and my eyes glowed neon green and the wound slowly healed itself and closed back up. I sat back with a smile. "There we go, all better."
Tsume stared at me and then stood up slowly. "How is it?" Toboe asked.
"It's fully healed." Tsume said in surprise. He turned to me. "Thanks."
I was taken by surprise for a second but then smiled warmly up at him. "No problem! It was my fault to begin with…" Suddenly I grunted and fell forward to my hands and knees and stared at the ground blankly.
"What happened?" Kiba yelled.
"I don't know she just fell over!" Hige cried as I closed my eyes and grabbed my head tightly with both hands.
I began to whimper but stopped as I heard a familiar and soothing voice. Kira? I have been searching for you all day!
I blinked a few times as the others stared. Akumei? I thought, my head pounding.
Yes. Answered the voice in my head. I knew once you were gone I would feel horrible but now that it's done it's almost unbearable! Nothing is worth it anymore… Plus all of your friends have surrounded me. The little one with red eyes is barely being held back.
Why haven't they killed you?
I heard him sigh. You wanted them too?
No, I just expected it.
I told them there was a chance to bring you back.
There is!
Yes, as long as I'm alive and able to find you. Then I can keep transporting you to other worlds until you end up back here. So don't die out there. Where are you now?
How am I supposed to know? It's sometime very far into the earth's future. I'm with a pack of wolves.
Ok, are you ready to switch worlds again? I can't contact you if you're asleep or unconscious though…
So I'm not allowed to sleep?
You can just in very short spurts.
So how long will it take to get back home?
I have no idea. It's a big game of chance. Your brother might kill me before I manage it… or maybe Naraku. I am going against everything he wished for me to do right now. But again, are you ready?
Yes. I thought firmly.
Ok, prepare yourself. That's the last thing I heard Akumei say.
I turned to the wolves, who were still staring at me. "It was Akumei."
"What?" Asked Tsume.
"He's able to speak to you in your mind. He just did to me. He said he's trying to get me back there."
"Why would he help you now?" Kiba questioned.
"She said he didn't really want her to leave in the first place." Toboe replied and I nodded.
"My friends have also surrounded him." I added. I gasped as a light surrounded me. "Goodbye! Thanks for putting up with me!" I said with a smile. "Maybe we will meet again?" in a flash I was gone leaving the wolves to stare at an empty clearing.
"Did that really happen?" Hige asked scratching his head.
Kiba nodded. "Her scent is still strong and she left behind some fur."
"And she definitely healed me just now." Tsume added reluctantly.
Kiba turned away. "She may be returning to her paradise… Let's go find ours." They all slowly trotted away leaving behind the silent wasteland where I had just been.
Akumei fell back against the tree with a satisfied look. Inuyasha glared at him. "What?"
"I found her."
"What?" screamed Inuyasha, springing to his feet. "Where is she then!" The others gathered closer to hear.
"She had made herself at home with a small pack of wolves or so she said." Akumei replied. "I have transported her again. She may end up here but probably not. I will keep transporting her and then finding her again until she ends up back here." Akumei closed his eyes and leaned back against a tree with a sigh.
"What are you doing?" Inuyasha asked.
"Transporting makes me tired so I'll rest while she lands and adjusts to her surroundings. By the time I'm ready again she will be too."
Inuyasha glared at him again before plopping down to wait impatiently. Kagome came to comfort him sympathetically while wishing in her mind that Akumei would hurry. She glanced over at his still form and sighed. I guess he's trying…
