~000000000~

A woman locked away.

A misunderstanding.

Blinded by rage.

And then forgotten.

Chapter Three

Usagi's nose twitched when she felt something tickling her nose. It was soft and furry, and she frowned. "Luna, not now." She mumbled and swatted it away.

"Oh this one's nearly impossible to wake up," murmured a bemused feminine voice.

"I thought Kairi was until her," commented another.

Immediately, the voices clicked and Usagi's eyes snapped open. Above her hung multicolored garments and traditional garbs. She was curled up on the comfortable cushions, facing the ornately decorated wall of the caravan.

"Rise and shine," purred the former voice.

"Oh!" She sat up quickly, embarrassed. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About three hours, dear rabbit." Vashe cooed when Usagi stretched out her back and yawned. The silvery haired girl scratched the back of her head, and Vashe couldn't help but admire the silver locks with wisps of gold. "Your hair reminds me so much of an old friend." The fae murmured. She arched a plum colored brow. "Oddly enough, you resemble her." She canted her head, as she leaned in close, nose to nose that Usagi did her best to keep her breathing calm.

"You are going to give her a fright, koibito." Enna said, dragging a pale and slender finger along the cat woman's spine. Vashe purred audibly and arched beneath Enna's touch before crawling away, revealing a long tail that flicked back and forth before it waved out of a sight.

"It takes a lot to frighten me actually." Usagi said with a sheepish grin. Though, she was amazed by the sight.

Enna's curious bi-colored gaze rested on the moon princess. The gray eyed glinted again, even though there was no light to catch on within their comfortable cart. "I see something pure, a light coming from you, Usagi." She grinned, "don't ever let that part of you go." She then turned away, drawing her hand away from Vashe's back. "As much as I'd like to stay and chat, we're in town. Which means supplies and food. Let's go, ladies."

Before Usagi could follow, Vashe pressed her palm to the girl's shoulder."Wait," she said after halting Usagi's progress, "I think you should change into something.. more suitable."

The blond gaped, wondering if suitable could describe the foreign woman's body suit. Vashe chuckled, and then crouched on her haunches. Mischief spread along her desirable features.

~000000000~

It wasn't as bad as Usagi thought. When she stepped out of the cart, she was matched with the times that most would consider to be feudal era Japan. Her kimono was sky blue with white flower patterns along the bottom and red lining along the sleeves. Her hairstyle was kept the same since Vashe was very fond of it. Enna nodded her approval like a proud father, and Usagi couldn't help giggling at the image. A family, however odd and perhaps unorthodox. She wondered who their daughter was, and what she looked like. Then again, she wondered about a lot of things, like where they currently were.

The village was an active market place where merchants hawked their latest wares. She could smell food roasting over a fiery pit, and immediately her mouth watered. Enna had conjured a long list of items from her haori, frowning lightly before she looked to Vashe and Usagi. "Stay close together. I'll handle the shopping while you show her around."

Vashe purred, and slunk over to her lover to provide a kiss on the cheek. "All right, love."

The skin tight body suit left little to the imagination, but the long cloak that paired with it provided some modesty to her sinful curves. She linked her arm around Usagi's and began guiding her through the square. "I can tell that Enna is already fond of you." The cat murmured, eyeing casually some of the trinkets that were for sale. "And frankly, I am too. There is something about you." Being taller than Usagi, Vashe had to slightly glance downward to meet the girl's gaze. "I could almost say that you remind me of home - of real magic and purity, nothing...tainted by man's constant squandering of all things living." She sighed softly, saddened. Usagi felt an immediate need to comfort her new friend, and she gently patted her hand.

The woman purred, "would you like to know what I really am?"

Usagi smiled, "of course, Kuleno- Vashe-san. I'd love to." The couple had been adamant about Usagi referring to them casually. Vashe looked pleased with Usagi's progress.

"I come from the House of Kulenovic, in Hungary." An unfamiliar accent thickened her voice, but didn't make her less appealing. In fact, it added more to the allure. "I am a cait sidhe, a true daoine sidhe and not merely just a simple fae." She smiled warmly, prideful of that matter. Then her countenance softened, "and while I have much to be proud of, I have made many great sacrifices to be with the one I love." She sighed softly, and then purred when they came across a booth of beaded bracelets.

Usagi was still astonished by the amount of information she was just granted. "What is a cait sidhe?" She tried the foreign word carefully and it stumbled almost awkwardly on her tongue. Vashe waved farewell to the merchant and put the beads down. She led them away toward the center, so that they could get a good look on what was on either side of them.

"I am a faerie cat, basically. I take my humanoid form now, but I have the option of taking on my feline body too." Vashe explained simply.

"That's... that's so cool, Vashe." Usagi said. The cait reminded the moon princess of her advisers, but Luna and Artemis were Maurians. Perhaps there was a semblance between the cait sidhe of the faerie and the maurians from the moon. She wouldn't be surprised. They walked some more in companionable silence, discussing a few things that caught their attention here and there. She could sense that burning curiosity within the cat woman, burning to ask more questions, in need of more answers about the mysterious girl who appeared in odd clothes. She didn't seem to buy Usagi's tale the way Enna did, unless they were both humoring her and helping her regardless of whether or not she was telling the truth. She thought back to Pluto's words; to how the time guardian relayed how much she had to be careful. She was partially telling the truth. She did leave home and her family behind on this quest for 'work.'

She had to find Tora and these subtle hints were the only confirmation that she had a good start.

"Can you tell me a little more about your old friend?" Usagi asked, tugging Vashe away from any distractions with more booths.

Cranberry eyes rested on the silvery-haired girl. "Hm," she hummed, "it's quite interesting how much you resemble her and yet you don't. For nearly fifty years, I haven't seen nor spoken with her. I have missed her dearly."

"Fifty years?" Usagi echoed in disbelief.

Vashe grinned, "don't I look good for my age?" She chuckled, "and let's just say that this friend was very, very special." Sadness suddenly swept over Vashe's visage and she sighed softly, "but it's impossible. She told me that she had no relations other than herself in this world. I could only assume that her family were all resting in the underworld."

Fifty years... Shouldn't Pluto have transported her to that time then, instead of now? Usagi was terribly confused and stunned by the news. Why at this point in time?

Your answer will come in due time, Princess Serenity, whispered the ominous voice of none other than Pluto. Usagi shivered unexpectedly, and Vashe proceeded to pull her closer, so that they were hip to hip as they walked. A low purr emanated from the woman beside her, rumbling within her elegant tanned throat.

"We of the fae relish contact, Usagi. And I sense some unease that compels me to offer my reassurance that all is well presently." Vashe murmured. Usagi blushed at the unusual and yet not so unusual custom. Luna and Artemis done the same whenever they sensed Usagi in turmoil. But they didn't take on their humanoid forms to rub against her.

As the crowd parted and they were back to the cart where they'd began, Enna arrived not moments later with a wheelbarrow of supplies. For one that was slender, tall and slight in frame, she had a strength about her in pushing the evidently heavy equipment of items. Usagi immediately assisted without words. The couple smiled gratefully, and they emptied the items into their cart.

Little did they know that they were being watched. A certain merchant, blank eyed but staring at the trio, while a little girl with white hair and a mirror held before her, watched. Black eyes devoid of any emotion regarded the silver-haired girl carefully.

As an incarnation of Naraku, something familiar itched at her senses about the girl who was obviously different if not a hanyou or youkai. She stepped back and seemed to fade into the darkness, needing to report to Naraku himself.

~000000000~

"Inuyasha," whispered a sweet melodious voice. "You promise that you'll come back?" The silver-haired maiden smiled, her heart shaped face peering up at him with so much love and care that it nearly hurt. How could anyone show that much affection toward a hanyou like himself? He couldn't compare to the might of his older brother, or his father's greatness, but here, this girl, this naive but pure-hearted girl would touch his face as if he was the most important thing in the world. His ears twitched, and he kept his teeth gritted as she leaned up to kiss him softly on the mouth.

Resistant at first, Inuyasha fiercely returned the kiss. His clawed hands carefully wound their fingers into her silky tresses, and his thumb graced her delicate jawline so that he could tip her head up a little more to deepen their kiss. Her heartbeat thudded loudly, and the blood rushed in her veins. He could hear everything, including the rustle of her white gown.

"I promise that I'll return." Inuyasha whispered. "My princess."

The war loomed over the horizon, of darkness coming their way. He had to do whatever it took to protect the kingdom, even he, a lowly warrior in love with the princess. He could sense his older brother standing nearby. He had already bid his farewell to his love, and was waiting patiently for Inuyasha to finish his. Inuyasha didn't want to leave, and her hands tightened on his wrists, reluctant to let him go. He still held her face as he drew back, their lips parting for an intake of breath.

The silence weighed between them, nearly desperate as she searched his face for that promise to show, as if hearing those words weren't enough. He kissed her again, fiercely and whispered before completely letting go. "No matter what lives we'll live after today, I will always find you. I will always love you."

He turned away from her tear stricken face. His ears could pick up her muffled sobs as she covered her mouth, watching him go. But she had to be strong, not for him, but for herself and her kingdom.

Inuyasha jolted awake from his perch on the tree. The raw pain carried over from the dream, such that he didn't understand. His heart was heavy with regret. He thought he only felt this way for Kikyo. His clawed hand smoothed over his chest, feeling his heartbeat. He growled low, and reminded himself fiercely that he was still on the quest for the Shikon no Tama. To right everything, which included burying the hateful animated corpse of his former lover. That damned Naraku! His hand fell away from his chest when he heard a rustling of leaves. His claws flexed and he found his new companion, Kairi returning to their campsite. She had been the one to set him free, after a desperate attempt to fend off a gang of hanyou, she had found him in a secluded clearing, pinned to the Tree of Ages. Somehow, she was able to grab the arrow and free him.

His mind had been locked away in that last moment of seeing Kikyo's visible hatred in her eyes until the arrow flew.

"Damn it, Kairi. I could've killed you if I didn't smell your charred ass coming this way." He snapped, though his irritation was short lived when Kairi laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, you were worried." The pyromancer said. "Whatever, pup."

His eye twitched with irritation and he hopped down, landing gracefully on the balls of his feet. Kairi had two good kills for them to feast him. Judging by their semi-cooked state, she had used her abilities. Inuyasha groaned despite being grateful that she'd caught good game.

"Kairi, didn't we discuss using your powers? You cause a flare of magic that can draw youkai to us." Inuyasha grumbled, "like when you found me."

"It isn't my fault! And I made sure to check, and there definitely was no youkai running around." She produced her machete and started skinning one game, while Inuyasha took a hold of the other to use his claws and teeth. Kairi had cooked it enough for him, but she had to cook hers a little more and like a human to enjoy her meal.

"Feh," he muttered as he tore some meat with his teeth to chew on.

"Yeah, just add more to your dog image." Kairi teased and Inuyasha couldn't help smiling.

He was startled to learn that she would help him on his quest for vengeance. Kaede had panicked when Kairi had freed him from his prison, but an explanation eventually led to her careful trust of the hanyou's good intentions. The shard had erupted and scattered into tiny pieces, but the evil force of Naraku still prevailed. The only thing he disliked about the older priestess was the beads she'd placed on his neck that was meant to keep him "in line." The beads connected him to Kairi, who as his traveling companion, can force him to "sit" if he misbehaved in any way. The more time they spent together, dealing with threatening forces, the less often she shouted for him to sit like a dog. They grew closer over that time period, carrying a relationship that only siblings who got along really well would share.

Kairi was no priestess, but she was a magic user. She didn't require the use of scrolls, but she still had to use incantations for some stronger abilities that he rarely got to witness. She was a unique looking woman, distinctly Japanese, but her skin was light caramel, build strong for someone shorter than him, standing at five-four. Her hair was the most unique. He would've thought her a youkai if it weren't for her clean, human scent. Dark strawberry colored hair bore the oddest hairstyle, swept to the right side since the left was cut close to her scalp. Her eyes reminded him of his own, twin golden orbs. The only difference was that hers didn't turn red when the demon took over and she wasn't a demon.

After tearing more into his meat, his irritation flared again. "Why the hell did you go hunting without me, woman? I thought we had a deal to get game together, and not fuck around as the lone ronin."

Kairi casually stripped the rest of the skin to discard to the side and keep for later use. "Because," she said as she cut a sizable chunk to display over the burning fire. "You seemed to need the sleep more than I do, idiot. And don't make me use the magic word for calling me 'woman.' I thought we were passed the sexist banter, you ass." Her tone was relatively calm, but there was an underlying threat in her words.

Inuyasha's teeth gritted and forced himself to calm down, or else he regret saying anything. "No matter how strong you are... you are still human." Despite his gruff irritation, Kairi smirked at his concerned tone.

"Okay, big brother."

"I was imprisoned for fifty years and I'm not that fucking old, wo-" Her opal glare made him reconsider his words, "Kairi." In human years, he was still considered a teenager. If anything, Kairi should be older since she was in her early twenties. But as a demon, he had a couple centuries on the fire-wielding human. She used his trademark "feh" on him, and he rolled his eyes. They continued their meal in companionable silence. Once they were done, they packed the leftovers away fro later.

"Sleep, Kairi. I'll take watch this round and we'll start bright and early." Inuyasha said when Kairi yawned. She nodded and curled up at the base of the tree. Her horse, "Rahn," a pure black breed with intelligent pale crimson eyes nestled beside her with his tail swishing. Inuyasha returned to his perch on the tree. He could feel a shard close by, and he frowned. He'd need to consult with Kairi when she woke. Kaede had given her a special device to track the shards since Kairi wasn't a priestess. It resembled a compass, and would point them in the right direction often, but also in enemy line.

He wondered what threat would await them next, and what moves Naraku would make this time.

Also, that dream was going to haunt him. He could see her face as clear as day, and that promise made his ears twitch. Who would he make such a promise to, if not Kikyo? Who was that woman? And did he and Sesshoumaru just get along in that dream? He heard "brother" instead of "whelp" or "hanyou." He couldn't seem to make up his mind with what was more unusual, the woman he promised to return to or Sesshoumaru's reference to him.

The world was terribly mysterious.

~000000000~