Tora-chan: Hey hey everyone! I know I just updated but I wanted to write the next chapter so badly.

Yuki: And that's different from before how?

Tora-chan: I didn't want to wait until I got out of the groove of writing again.

Yuki: Groove?

Tora-chan: Yes groove. You see I want to write and I don't want to wait for writer's block to set in and then not be able to write. It's a common problem for writers.

Yuki: Whatever. Tora-chan does not own Inuyasha.

Tora-chan: Thank you my cuddly wolf!

Yuki: Will you stop that! Start the story already.

Tora-chan: Kay!

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Last time: They got in a fight with a horde of demons, the elemental stones activated and Vitanie fried any demon that got close to her, Hiroshi found out about the ocarina that Makoto gave Vitanie, and Hiroshi, Vitanie, and Mari performed for everyone.

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They reached a quiet like clearing in the woods just off the road just before the sun went down. Sango and Kohaku went and gathered firewood, while Inuyasha and Yuki (who had woken up from his little nap) went to see if they could catch any game. They still had plenty of food from town, but the two canines decided that they needed fresh meat and they were making it a competition between the two. They were trying to decide who the alpha male was in the pack, and it was really starting to annoy Kagome and Vitanie.

Vitanie sat in camp impatiently wanting to help, but Hiroshi had threatened to put her to sleep if she did anything. For that reason alone she sat on a rock grumbling, waiting while everyone else prepared camp around her. While Sango started the fire and Kagome cut vegetables for hot soup she kept an eye on Mari and Shippo who were playing a game of tag around the clearing. Everyone was busy or having fun and that just ticked Vitanie off since she couldn't do anything. So she sat there fuming until she heard a small "mew".

"What?" she said looking around then spotting the little fire cat at her feet. "Oh, hey there Kirara. Not much for you to do while camps being set up is there?" she asked the demon as she bent down to scratch her ears. After about a minute of that Kirara jumped up in Vitanie's lap and lay down with a purr. Vitanie chuckled as she continued to scratch her ears. She didn't look up again until she felt a familiar pulse run through her body and started to feel her demon features return. Just as the transformation ended Inuyasha and Yuki came back to camp with fish but both were soaked.

Kohaku was looking over at Vitanie with a questioning look in his eyes but was distracted with the returning demons.

"What did you decided to go swimming to find the fish or what," Miroku asked with a smile at the two sopping wet canines. Shippo started laughing at them with Mari standing directly behind him trying to hide her smile. Kagome looked over at Vitanie and they both sighed. Kirara jumped up on to Vitanie shoulder as she stood and walked over to the wolf demon.

"Give me those fish and go sit by the fire before you catch a chill. Sheesh, you two are impossible," she told the disgruntled wolf as she snatched the fish from his hands and pushed toward the fire.

"Inuyasha, you too. I'll take care of the fish you caught while you dry off," Kagome insisted as she pushed the half demon over next to the wolf.

They both turned to each other with another sigh when they heard the two growling at each other again. They then turned and got the fish ready to cook next to the fire as the soup warmed and Hiroshi took Shippo and Mari to get fresh water.

When everything was ready they eat with quiet conversation until Kohaku once again looked over at Vitanie.

"Is there something bothering you Kohaku?" she asked not looking up from her bowl.

"No, not really," he stumbled. "I was just curious about why Kirara has been spending so much time around you tonight. I've never known her to take to someone like that."

"You're right," Sango remarked finally realizing that the fire cat was near her. "She usually only stays around me or Kohaku."

Vitanie shrugged, as she looked down at the cat now asleep in her lap. "Maybe it has something to do with me being a type of cat demon."

"Maybe, but it doesn't seem like something we should worry about right now. Let's get a good night sleep so we can get an early start tomorrow," Miroku recommended as his hand started to stray over to Sango's backside.

"That is actually a good idea - - hentaisha," Vitanie commented see where his hand was heading. Miroku pulled back his hand as if burnt causing Inuyasha to snort and Sango to snap a look at him. Seeing the look on his face she realized what he had been about to do and smacked him across the check leaving a red hand mark there once again. She then quickly stood and moved over between Kagome and Vitanie and started a conversation that left every male there cringing in pain.

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Dawn the next morning found the group already on the road, moving swiftly north toward Fujigawa. With so many demons and half demons around they had enough speed in their group to possible take a whole day off their journey. Inuyasha carried Kagome and Shippo, while Kirara carried Sango and Hiroshi. Vitanie offered to carry Kohaku and Mari, while Miroku being incredible fast for a monk carried Vitanie's bag.

Just after midday they were only about a day's journey from the village, that is if you were walking like most people. It was then they decided to hand out bread and cheese but to continue forward. After a few minutes of eating and walking in silence Vitanie stopped the group.

"We should turn off the road here," she mentioned without preamble.

"But the village is just ahead, if we keep going we can make it there by sundown," Sango said as she turned toward the half tiger demon.

"Actually we can cut sometime off the trip if we cut through the forest," Vee stated as she started toward the forests edge. But Inuyasha wasn't going to let her off the hook so easily for he had seen her start to fidget a little as the neared the village.

"Why so desperate to stay out of the village? Afraid of some weak humans, kitty," he taunted. At the last word Vitanie's back went ridged. She had gotten use to most derogatory names when it came to being teased about what she was, but every time someone called her kitty there was something that just wouldn't let her put up with it.

As she turned with such speed that Inuyasha fell back a step, which was a good thing because as Vitanie had drawn Yuki's blade from the sheath on his back as she turned and it was now pointed at Inuyasha's throat. The tip had nicked his skin causing a tiny drop of blood to start down his neck. Her face was a mask of pure rage that Inuyasha backed further away from her. Vitanie just smirked with an evil little glint in her eye until Hiroshi intentionally hit a minor chord sending a ringing sensation through everyone's head.

Vitanie dropped the sword with the note and threw her hands over her ears. Her hearing was so much better then any humans that the sounds made her head feel like a thousand little men were trying to tear her head open. Yuki, Inuyasha, Mari, Shippo, and Kirara felt the same thing and most fell to their knees while the humans of the group just cringed and tried to shake the sound off.

"Hiroshi, why in the world did you do that?" Yuki yelped from where he knelt.

"I'm sorry, my finger slipped," he lied as he went and picked up Yuki's sword and slid it back into the sheath before Yuki could regain his feet. He then went over and pick up Shippo and Mari. Shippo he handed over to Miroku while he kept a hold of Mari. Kirara stumbled over to Sango and would have fallen over if Sango had reacted quickly and picked up the little fire cat. She had transformed back to her little size when Hiroshi had hit the chord.

"Inuyasha I recommend you don't call Vitanie kitty, that is one name that she wont put up with. Now let's get off the road before we draw attention from a traveler and cause any problems. Besides this village hasn't seen any problems with demons since the Tijian village near here was destroyed so they have a constant fear that their peace will end and they'll be attacked. So seeing any demons or half demons would mean them screaming and running in fear or they try to kill us all. Besides that none of them know that Vitanie is a half demon and if they find that out they will most likely turn against Vitanie's mother and brother. If we cut through the woods we can go straight to the temple and bypass the village all together," Hiroshi finished with a sigh.

"Whatever," Inuyasha mumbled as he made a final shake of his head and regained his footing. Vitanie on the other hand was sitting on the ground still holding her ears scowling at Hiroshi. At the look he plucked a few notes out with his free hand and moved past her to the forest. As the last note ended any headache or ringing caused by the minor chord disappeared like it never happened.

"I hate it when you do that you baka farm boy," she muttered crossing her arms where she sat.

Hiroshi turned back toward her with a smile on his face, "I am no more a farm boy then you are a shrine maiden. Now come on I'm sure your mother and brother are going to be thrilled to see you. It has been two years since we've been there." Then he once again turned and walked into the forest.

Vitanie growled and then allowed Yuki help her up. Then, "I never thought I'd see Hiroshi walk into a demon forest ahead of me. Miroku come here," she demanded turning toward the monk. When he was standing in front of him she spun him around and got her untied her staff from her pack and then followed Hiroshi into the forest, with everyone else having no other choice then to follow them.

As soon as they entered the shade of the trees they felt the temperature drop. Since it was still early spring it wasn't too warm yet and the drop actually made it chilly in the forest. Hiroshi and stopped about ten feet inside the forest slightly shaking from the chill but also from fear. He had been in this demon forest one other time and then he had been scared that Vitanie was going to hurt him instead of treat the wounds he had gotten from some bandits. Now he was depending on her to keep him safe.

"If everyone just stays with me and doesn't do anything to harm the forest you will be fine. Now follow me and be careful, Sen doesn't like his forest being messed with," she added at the last second.

"Sen? Who's that?" Kagome asked coming up beside her.

"He's the wood fairy that this forest belongs to. He's also a friends of my mother's, but since I'm the only one he knows in the group there is no guarantee that he wont attack us if he feels the forest is being threatened," Vitanie said with a slight smile. At that moment they all heard flute music drifting on the wind towards them. Vitanie's smile widened as she started to sing along with the melody. Her voice blended in perfectly to the flute as she continued her wordless 'Ah'. Just ahead of them a man just a little taller then Vitanie stepped out of the woods, flute to his lips.

The man had nothing but a brown fur loincloth on. Across his back was a bow with his quiver of arrows at his hip. A small hunting knife was strapped to his leg. His skin was tanned to a rich gold from living in the forest his whole life. His extremely short hair stood straight up much like Yuki's but shorter. He was watching the group with a smile in his rich green eyes. Especially when they fell on Vitanie, which made Yuki growl at the pointy eared wood fairy.

The song ended with Vitanie's voice and the flutes note dieing out on the wind as he stepped closer.

"Sen, it's good to see you again," Vitanie said with a smile. "I hope you don't mind me bringing my friends this way but it's the quickest way back to the temple."

"Vitanie, I told you before you are always welcome in my forest. And as long as your friends don't disturb anything they will also be welcome. I'm just surprised you happened upon the edge of the forest much earlier this morning why didn't you enter then?" Sen's rich tenor voice asked.

Vee laughed as she continued down the path waving her friends to follow. Sen fell into step beside her as they move throw the woods. "My you have a fine watch on your borders. If that's true then you know that we were traveling at such spend that it would have been dangerous to enter the woods at that spend. And we cut time off our journey this way.

Sen nodded to her comment, but was frowning. "That is true, but that means we don't have as much time to visit before we reach the temple."

She saw his expression and realized that Hiroshi's comment about guys being attacked to her back at Kaede's village was true. She could see that Sen, really didn't want her to rush through the forest so that he could spend as much time as possible with her before she left again, because they both knew that she would leave. It wasn't in her nature to stay in one spot, even when locked inside of a barrier she didn't want to stay still, she wanted to travel and her two years of adventure hadn't changed any of that.

"I promise I'll come for a talk tomorrow, Sen. But right now I really want to get home and see my family again." Sen nodded in agreement and motioned them down the trail that lead to the temple as he faded into the forest to wait for her return the next day. With that they continued forward until the reached the border of the forest and temple grounds right as the sun began to sink into the horizon.

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Tora-chan: Yeah another chapter done!

Vitanie: But it took you all day to write it.

Tora-chan: Well excuse me, but I had to shower and go to church, and then eat dinner, and empty the dishwasher, and then my friend called, and then another friend kept texting me. I mean give me a break it's not like I was uninterrupted or anything.

Vitanie: Sheesh, chill will ya. And what's with every one falling head over heel for me?

Tora-chan: It must be that winning personality of yours (shrugs without the slightest clue).

Vitanie: I saw that, come here.

Tora-chan: Eep - - Hiroshi! Oh wait Hiroshi's still on vacation from last chapter. Yuki help me!

Yuki: Why should I?

Tora-chan: Are you still upset about all those cuddly wolf comments? I'm sorry I was only joking please help. Or at least stall her until I can update so my readers know what happened to me.

Vitanie: That baka wolf wont be able to help you so you better update quickly. I assure you all that Tora-chan will update again she just wont be in 100 physical shape. But still please review.

Tora-chan: (writing out will, just in case) Thank you for reading, and pray that Vitanie doesn't kill me. Ah (starts running away with Vitanie following closely behind.)