I looked down as I flapped my wings once to slow our descent and groaned. It was another village of mostly wooden houses, similar to the place I had just left. They were small though, and spaced further apart. I touched down just on the outskirts and was immediately greeted by a scream.

"Kenyou!"

I turned towards the woman who had shouted and she fled in fear. "Kenyou, kenyou!" She kept repeating.

"What…?" I frowned, adjusting Akumei's arm around my shoulder.

I took a step back as a man appeared, glaring at me, with a sword clutched tightly in his hand. Another appeared behind him, holding a sword as well, and even more after them. Pretty soon an entire mob had gathered before me.

"Hey, I don't want any trouble…" I began, cut off as a knife flew towards me. I knocked it down with my claws. "Hey, did you not hear me?" I shouted angrily.

"Get her!" was the reply. "Kill the kenyou!"

The crowd surged towards me and I backed up a step. I don't want to injure them… They're just normal humans. I held Akumei tighter and then turned to run.

I blindly followed a dirt path, aware that they were pretty close behind me since my wings and Akumei combined were slowing me down. I glanced over my shoulder and immediately slammed into something hard. I grunted and fell backwards onto the ground.

A man stood in front of me, with dark brown hair and glaring red eyes. His hand rested on the hilt of a long sword that hung at his waist. With him was a girl with lighter brown hair pulled into a ponytail and another man who wore a bandana and held a bladed staff.

The first man regarded me without interest and then looked up at the villagers who had chased me. A dagger sunk into the ground beside my head and I scrambled forward, making my way past the man, but he stopped me, catching the back of my shirt. "Let go!" I struggled, but my hands were full clutching Akumei.

"What did she do?" He asked the villagers coldly, completely ignoring my cries.

"She flew down and landed in our village." A man cried out angrily.

"Did she attack anyone?"

"…No." came the delayed response.

The man dropped me in agitation. "If you don't get out of here and stop wasting my time, you will be in trouble." He said.

The villagers eyed him for just a moment and then swiftly retreated. "That was Demon Eyes Kyo!" "We're lucky we got off that easy!" I heard then talking among themselves.

Kyo turned to me now. "What kind of Kenyou are you, not attacking anyone and still looking mostly human?"

"Kenyou…?"

"Don't play dumb!" The girl, Yuya, said in irritation, pulling out a silver gun and pointing it at me.

I took an uncertain step back. "Hey, I'm not doing anything wrong and I'm being serious!" I cried.

"Kenyou." The guy with the bandana, Benitora, explained. "Kind of like a monster."

"I'm not a monster!" I frowned, voice faltering as their gazes all bored into me. "Well… I won't hurt anyone who hasn't threatened me. I didn't even hurt any of them, though they attacked me for no reason!" I added, waving a hand after the retreating villagers.

Hesitantly, Yuya's gun lowered and she instead just watch me cautiously. "Then what are you?"

"I'm a… demon…" All the stares remained on me as they waited for me to explain myself. I sighed and then complied uneasily. "I was sent from my own world and now I'm just trying to return without getting killed. If you let me go on now, I'll leave you alone and never bother you again."

Kyo eyed me for a moment and then started walking. After a moment longer of staring at me, Yuya and Benitora followed.

I watched them until they were out of sight and then plopped down where I stood in the middle of the dirt road. "I hope we get out of here soon." I whispered to Akumei. "I just want to get back home…" I looked up at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching and my eyes gradually widened as it came ever closer.

It was at least seven or eight feet tall with hard, scaly skin. There were long claws on every finger and toe, and a long, thicktail coming from the back. The face was deformed, elongated almost like a lizards, with a bit of shoulder length hair coming down. The tongue flicked out every now and then too. Its narrowed eyes saw me and lit up in delight as it drew a huge sword from its side.

"A kenyou…?" I frowned as I pulled out mine as well. "How could I be mistaken for one of those?" I went towards it so the inevitable fight would not take place near the unconscious Akumei.

It reacted faster than I anticipated. Before I knew what was going on, the thing's tail was wrapped tight around my neck and my feet were lifted clear from the ground. I dropped my sword in surprise and had to claw through the tough skin to get free. It laughed all the while at my helplessness, suddenly shrieking as a sword of spirit energy sliced its tail in two.

It dropped me, spitting curses, as the separated tail lashed around several times before a new one re-grew in its place. I clutched at my throat, rapidly sucking in air, as I scooped my real sword up from the ground and stood ready.

"Foolish human," it chuckled. "You think you can stand up to me?"

A tiny smirk tugged the corner of my mouth. "First of all, I'm not human. I'd have thought even a thing like you would have been able to tell that."

The kenyou snarled as it charged in rage. I leapt into the air, avoiding the clawed hand that sunk into the ground where I had stood. I was aiming for its head, but had to pause to slice off the other hand, which grabbed at me next, using my wings to change position in mid air. Its piercing scream caused me to flinch and, in that split second, the separated tail flung itself from the ground to wind around me. I fell to the ground, struggling fruitlessly, with arms pinned to my sides and legs trapped together.

It chuckled again as its shadow towered over me. "Now you shall pay for your insolence."

"I don't think so." I growled in response, body glowing green now. With a sickening noise, the tail exploded from around me as energy pulsed outwards and the kenyou stumbled backwards in surprise, leaving its stomach wide open.

I snatched up my sword and stabbed forwards without hesitation, blade sinking into and through the softer underbelly of the creature. It stared at me in shock for a moment before the eyes glazed over and it collapsed.

I simply heaved a sigh of relief, wiped the blood from my sword, and sheathed it. I crossed back to Akumei who was slightly off the road and fell back beside him into the soft grass. "This place sucks."

Why is that?

I sat back up with a start as the young voice laughed in my head and then couldn't help joining in as well. A monster attacked me.

Oh! Are you all right?

Yeah, I'm fine.

Ok then, I'm sending you now.

Her voice faded and I crouched by Akumei, half pulling him into my arms as we both began to glow. Suddenly I shivered and looked around uncertainly. I have a bad feeling... I thought uneasily and made a very large andtransparent bubble around myself and Akumei so we'd be prepared for whatever was to come.Just a momentafter, wedisappeared without a trace.


The small cat demon looked around herself at the two men. Hiei was glaring off into nothing and Kyoshi was fingering the small ball of smoke, looking about to pass out from boredom. She sighed almost silently to herself and decided it best to keep quiet. Then she closed her eyes and prepared herself to start searching once again.