Lucy looked out over the waves as the Island came into view. Since the first time the ambiguous voice spoke to her, it had been almost half a month. The weather was starting to shift from humid and hot to damp and cool. Lucy loved the fall, but it wasn't what she wanted to be dealing with right now. The Island was named Hijiri Island, and there was a Mountain just past the lake it resided in. Lucy had asked about the Mountain, which was named Hakurei.

She had taken in the information that the group had come there to hunt down a renegade half-demon that was collecting the shards of the Shikon no Tama. That had gotten a different explanation that had left Lucy completely stunned. Even now, she fiddled with the small pink jewel that hung from her neck. To know that it had been in the girl, Kagome's, body and was torn from her flesh by a Centipede demon was more than freaky. Then again, Lucy had seen her share of the bizarre since joining Fairy Tail. Even going to Edolas, which was her own world's mirror opposite.

"I suggest you open your senses and check again, woman."

Lucy turned her head enough to meet the cold, disinterested gold gaze of Sesshomaru and stuck her tongue at him. While she got no verbal reaction, she got him to narrow his eyes to show he was not pleased with her childish actions. It didn't matter to her, except that the more she traveled with him. Trained with him. Or was in close proximity to him, Lucy felt a magnetism.

"Well, he is my son."

"Yeah, but unlike you, he is stoic and standoffish."

"Ouch, that hurts, Lucy. Is that your way of saying I am a flirt and he is a eunuch?"

Unable to stop herself at Toga's teasing, Lucy gave a snort-like laugh. Toga was a mix between his two children. He was strong, decisive, and powerful like Sesshomaru but looked like InuYasha and had a huge caring heart. Which at first glance, one couldn't tell with InuYasha's brash behavior. But she had to give it to him when they ended up in another fight with a gang of demons hell-bent on the Shikon no Tama. He saved her in a pinch, and that had led to them actually talking.

Of course, she had baited him a bit by allowing Toga to come and spend some quality time. It was clear that she and InuYasha both had major issues where parents were concerned. But she figured he wasn't too bad. And she had asked Virgo about backing off on slamming InuYasha into the ground only to be shocked when her Spirit pouted a bit. Lucy had the feeling that Virgo liked InuYasha.

"What is funny, woman?"

At the question from Sesshomaru, Lucy looked at him and started to snicker as her mind conjured up the image of him living a pious life as a eunuch monk. The way he shifted back ever so slightly had her body shaking as Lucy tried her best to suppress the laughter by force. It was clear his instincts were top-notch if he could somehow sense what she was thinking. And it didn't help that Toga was laughing along with her in the back of her mind.

Giving a small shake of her head, Lucy turned her eyes back towards Hijiri Island. Deciding it would be prudent to focus on sensing that Spirit. With a deep breath and a slow exhale, Lucy opened her senses and called upon her magic the way she had been practicing with Toga and now Loke. Lucy was proud of the fact that she could call forth more of it to do as she willed. But it tired her out even more for the amount of mental control it took.

Once Lucy was ready, she pushed outwards only to be slammed back with a wall of force. It had her stumbling where she stood in the bow of the small boat. Her lungs felt as if they had seized up like a metal band had been clamped around her ribs. There was no mistaking the force; it was pure and untainted. Lucy had believed when they told her that Hijiri Island had a living Buddha on it. But to feel it was a different matter.

"Miss Lucy?"

Lifting her hand and waving off Miroku, Lucy started over again. This time Lucy was more careful. She didn't push with more than ten percent of her ability. She felt more cautious when her magic brushed up against the barrier, and Lucy smiled when it didn't shove back. Instead, the pure energy seemed to swirl against her magic before following it back to her. It was a cool and ticklish sensation as it swirled all over her body before settling over the Shikon no Tama.

Lucy didn't have to look to know that the jewel was glowing that brilliant silver-lilac color. She could feel the pulsing of the jewel as if it was talking to this pure energy. Then an old voice spoke into Lucy's mind, telling her that she could only bring one of her companions with her. And that she had to choose wisely, whether it was human, half-breed, or demon.

When the energy vanished suddenly, Lucy let her body slowly slump to the bottom of the small boat. There was no mistaking what was not said in that message. It was then that the boat bumped up on the sandy shore of the Island. Lucy didn't even have to try, she felt the power of the key, and it had her body shuddering as if it was being frozen from the inside out.

"I can only take one of you with me," Lucy said when they started to get out of the boat. "If any more than me and one other foot here, it won't be pretty. I don't know who the voice belonged to, but it was not the Spirit. And they didn't seem to care whom I chose."

"Feh, figures. This place gave us trouble while looking for the shards," InuYasha said. "Take my brother, best protection you can get."

Lucy twisted her body at the waist and looked at InuYasha. He was pointedly not looking at her. But Lucy noted that the others, Sesshomaru included, were looking at him in shock. Lucy smiled and stood up on wobbly legs and gave a firm nod of her head.

"Okay, I will take your suggestion, but only if he wants to accompany me," Lucy said. "If not, I will take you."

Lucy pointedly let her gaze connect with Sesshomaru's when she gave her reply. The slight pink tone in the amber depths was enough to let her know she had hit his pride. With a shrug of her shoulders, Lucy checked her belt to ensure her whip was secure, as was the pouch that held her keys. Once she was satisfied, she jumped out of the boat and walked inland and to the west.

He was not amused with the damn woman. She had left him feeling uncomfortable on the boat when laughing, and had insulted him after his brother had offered to let him go. And now, she was fighting with two of her spirits out against lesser Spirits that had somehow found their way to the Island. And the Spirits were not amused with her being there since they were protecting what they were after.

Sesshomaru wished he still had Tenseiga since it would allow him to send them off since they were the souls of the dead. But now, he had only Bakusaiga, which was made of his own power. Giving a low growl, Sesshomaru flicked out his Dokkuso and scattered the offending little Spirits that were trying to crawl up Lucy's body. His eyes darted to see how she was fairing with her Spirits Taurus and Scorpio. It was clear that she felt tired and worried that her skin was slowly turning a pale blue.

Feeling more annoyed, he marched over and scooped Lucy up in one arm and hucked her over the Spirits. Enjoying the indignant squeak she gave as she glared at him. He likened her to a cat and knew she would land on her feet. Later he would deal with her anger, but getting her to that dark glowing key was more important.

When he saw her body twist and land in a low crouch right next to the object they were searching for, Sesshomaru flashed a toothy smile and decided to work off some of his irritation. Turning his back to Lucy, who was already reaching into the dark glow, he began to destroy the Spirits earnestly. He didn't feel they needed to go back to the cycle of life after crawling here. And he was less than pleased they had tried to crawl on the woman.

TBC!

It is November, thus National Novelist Writers Month (NaNoWriMo), and like the previous years, I will be solely focusing on writing nothing but Fairy Tail (FT) stories. And I am doing this because I want to finish them and get the hell out of a fandom that has become toxic. More so with the new insurgent group of fans that promote unhealthy and toxic behaviors and relationships.