A\N: Joyeux Noel!

Well lets see. Last night I was up till two in the morning and this morning (even though I have pretty much the entire school day off) I then had to get up at around eight to go running around Walmart to do some last minute shopping (and all this after getting no sleep two nights ago) so I really have zero energy left. I'm running completely on that strange giddy-hyper whatever-the-hell-you-call-it completely now, which seems to work as I am updating much faster. Anyway, I've completely forgotten what I was going to say (I'm pretty sure there was supposed to be a point to this) so I'm just gonna go onto the reviews. (It'll probably come back to me, but by that time it won't make sense anymore...)

Silverhaired Nemesis - Sorry bout that. I'm sure my updates will get slower soon enough so that you can catch every chapter. Also, yeah I think they do. I mean, Amaya is communicating not just with Kagome, but with Sango and Miroku as well. And don't worry, I imagine I'll give Sango, Miroku and maybe even Sesshomaru their own chapters in the sort-of-near future.

sourapple10000 - Yeah, I actually came up with the idea for her a looooooong time ago (pretty much before this story was written) before I learned about Kagura and Tsubaki (which, in my opinion, Amaya seems to be a sort of cross between the two) but she should become a more complex (if not likeable) in the next chapters. I think she's actually going to be one of the main characters in this story, so expect to see a lot more of her in the future. And I read and reviewed your story btw, but my mind is so fried I don't remember what I put. I hope I remembered to tell you how good it was, because, really, it was.

TheyMadeMeDoIt - Thanx! And have a happy not-quite-New Year! Well I know what you mean (sort of) because I get those emails all the time too (though I never thought it was an error). It's as if they think I don't know that my story has been updated! Hello! I'm the one who updated it! I don't need to be reminded that I did! Yeesh... anyway, I'm glad I didn't suck with the last chapter. I try not to, but sometimes it's just unavoidable. And I also don't mind that you rant. Really, who am I to get upset if someone else starts ranting? Besides, I like rants... they distract from the fact that I am so constantly rambling on all the time!

MustLuvKits101 - You call that a rant? Lol (jj) I'm glad you enjoyed the fic. It's a bit lighter, but it's probably gonna get darker soon enough (I've got some nasty stuff in mind for some of our fav characters). Now after reading yours and TheyMadeMeDoIt's reviews, I'm beginning to wonder if this whole ranting thing is contagious!

Anyway, I am quickly loosing the ability to type coherently, so I'm gonna go now.

Merry-nearly-Christmas everyone!

Age and Darkness

The wood was silent as the bird flapped it's wings, soaring between the ancient trees, her wing-tips barely brushing the bark. All of the creatures that lived in the forest had gone to hide, sensing the evil aura that surrounded the bird and fearing it.

The trees thinned, and the bird moved faster, breaking free of the forest, her sharp eyes turning ahead and perceiving the village a little ways away.

She soared into it, taking in the silence and lack of activity. It was different from the forest. In the forest there had been traces of animals, and she had been able to sense their fear. Here there was nothing. It was like a burial yard.

She flew onward until she came to the hut she sought, landing gracefully on a thin post that sat outside, her claws digging sharply into the wood as she waited for the hut's inhabitant to come out.

It did not take long for the old woman to perceive her and come out of her hut, her single useful eye searching for the cause of her evil aura, the other covered with a black patch.

The woman's face grew grim as her eye finally came to rest on the bird, who stared at her almost as though mocking her.

'Amaya, this is a surprise. What brings ye so far from your own lands in these dark times?'

An odd glint filled the bird's eyes, one that never would have appeared in a real bird, and a small hurricane appeared around her, hiding her from sight for a moment, before disappearing, leaving instead a tall woman, dressed all in black, her deep eyes staring at the old woman in amusement.

'Kaede. It has been a while.' The woman said, pausing to look the other up and down. 'It seems that age had not been a friend of yours.' She commented, a slight smirk spreading across her features.

'Why have ye come here?' Kaede demanded, clearly in no mood to exchange unnecessary words with the sorceress. 'For I know you have not come to banter simple words with an old woman like me. Speak up!' She snapped, for Amaya was one of the few people on the face of the earth who had the ability to irritate Kaede.

'You are not nearly as patient as I remember.' Amaya said slowly, sounding slightly disappointed. 'But you are right, I have no time to trade words like that with you, though if I did, I imagine that simple words would be the only I could use. Any others might send a fragile mind like yours straight into the abyss of insanity.'

She leaned back against the post and glanced around at the village with disinterest and disgust. 'Your village is even duller than the last time I was here -- tell me, what has happened to all your loyal villagers? Have they abandoned you in this time of darkness? Fled for their own lives leaving you to guard and protect what's left of your mangy village?'

Kaede stiffened slightly. 'I sent them to safer places than here. There is no one left but me.'

'Pity.' Amaya said, her face falling slightly. 'I was looking forward to having some fun with them.' The sorceress said, then turned her attention back to Kaede. 'However, that is not why I came here. I am merely here to check up on you. And also, I came because Naraku has someone in his possession who claims to know you -- a girl by the name of... Kagome.'

Amaya paused for a minute to let these words sink in, revelling in the way the old woman's eye lit with fear. She smiled, a wholly evil expression that would strike foreboding into even the bravest hearts. 'So you do know her then?' She asked. 'That is good. I would hate to have had to punish the wench if she had been lying to me.'

Kaede's eyes narrowed. 'What business is she of yours? Why do ye come here to tell me this? What do ye want?'

Amaya raised an eyebrow. 'What makes you think I want anything?' She snorted. 'More importantly, what makes you think you have anything I want?' She shook her head and looked at her long black talon-like nails. 'No, I told you before, I am merely here to check up on you, and see that you are alive. I have business to attend to in Inuyasha forest as well.'

'What are ye doing there?' Kaede asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

'My business is none of your business.' The sorceress said, then looked back at her nails. 'I merely wish to make sure that this... this "bone-gobbling" well of yours is still intact.'

Kaede blinked, and her eyes narrowed further. 'And why would Naraku want to know about that?'

Amaya raised an eyebrow again. 'Naraku? No, you are mistaken, Kaede, Naraku did not send me.' She stood up and slowly began to climb up onto the pole, using a grace and balance that no other human could have possessed to perch upon it, her toes clenching around the edges, the wood digging into the soft, fleshy parts of her feet. 'It was the girl.' She said slowly, smiling at Kaede's shocked expression, before raising her arms, her cloak billowing around her.

The hurricane returned, hiding her from view yet again, forcing Kaede to step back and shield her eyes from view as objects were sent flying through the air.

Transformed back into her falcon form, Amaya spread her wings and, with an angry shriek at Kaede, took off into the sky, soaring up and out of sight before Kaede could even do anything.

The old woman stared after her for a moment, sadness filling her eyes. 'Oh, Amaya. Ye have let Naraku get too close to you and turn your heart to black with his poisons. His evil has twisted all your thoughts and intentions to doing his bidding.'

She sighed and gently shook her head, pausing to look up when a single ray of sun managed to break through the clouds that had hung over the sky since Naraku had claimed the jewel.

Kaede stared at it, then turned her eyes back toward where Amaya had disappeared.

'But perhaps' Her thought continued 'Perhaps he does not have a full grip on you yet. Have ye found a friend in this darkness? One that might be able to shatter the walls of evil and hate surrounding your heart?'

She stood there for a long time, just staring, the wind beginning to pick up violently around her, threatening a storm, and nearly tearing her tie from her hair.

Slowly, reluctantly, the old woman turned and went back into her hut to await whatever would come next.

END

A\N: Well that's all for now, the next chapter should be up soon enough (but don't be afraid to add a little encouragement by reviewing)!

SPECIAL THANX TO: Silverhaired Nemesis, sourapple10000, TheyMadeMeDoIt, and Mustluvkits101. You guys are the reason this chapter is up! GO YOU!