Chapter Six: Welcome to the Group
"Augh!" a yelp came from outside of Kaede's hut. Miroku came running out to see Akio sitting up in a tree, sword in hand and Inuyasha rolling over on the floor, clearly trying to recover from an attack. "Are you alright?" Miroku asked him. Inuyasha nodded his head and Akio giggled as she leaned back in the tree and smiled down at them. "Are you sure Inuyasha, you got some blood right there." She said point to the side of her own neck. Inuyasha quickly grabbed the side of his neck and had a hand full of blood. "No worries, it's nothing vital, promise." She chimed as she jumped down and walked over to them, her hair swaying back and forth behind her. "Ok, you've seen my skills with a sword, what's next?" she asked as she placed the blade on the ground. "How's about archery?" Miroku suggested. "Uh, are you sure? Isn't that kind of Kagome's thing?" Akio asked not wanting to steal the lime-light from her friend. "We just need to see where your skills better lie." He stated as he threw a bow and a quiverful of arrows at her. "So, shall we?" Miroku smirked. "W-wait… I'm practicing with you?" she asked him as she slid the quiver over her shoulder and grasped the bow tightly in her hands. "Yeah, is that a problem?" he asked her as he prepped his wind tunnel to open up. "Wait a minute! You're a cheat! You got that cursed thing going on with your hand, aiming at it is going to be easy because of the wind suction!" Akio stated as she placed her hands on her hips. "I need moving targets and fast ones at that if I'm going to prove anything to you guys." Akio stated again, this time with determination. Inuyasha and Miroku looked at each other and nodded. Inuyasha turned around, went into the hut and returned with Shippo. "He can help you." Inuyasha said with a big grin. An arrow shot past Inuyasha, cutting strands of his hair. "I am not using a child for aiming practice!" she hollered. Inuyasha glared at her slightly. "Shippo's a fox demon; he has this little ability called fox magic. He can make multiple objects that you can use as a target." He stated sternly. "Oh…" Akio said softly and flashed a bashful smile. "Hey mutt-face!" a slightly raspy voice said from a short distance. "Oh no…" Inuyasha said with a roll of the eyes. A strong whirl of wind came past Akio quickly and vanished, showing a man with a long black pony tail, armor and a… furry skirt? "So, where's Kagome." He asked Inuyasha in a slightly seductive voice. "He went back to her own time wolf-cub." Inuyasha growled. "How long before she comes back?" he asked. "In about a week." Miroku stated as he watched two other wolf demons follow tiredly behind the one that had already arrived. "Um…" Akio said softly as she looked to Miroku and point to them. "Who are they?" she asked as she walked just a little closer to Miroku. "The one talking to Inuyasha is Koga; he's in love with Kagome." Miroku stated "and those two are Ginta and Hakkaku." Akio nodded her head in understanding, and then something caught her eye. She saw Koga's tail move on its own slightly. Her eyes lit up and she walked over to them and without saying a word started petting Koga's tail. "Oh! It's so soft!" she squeaked. Koga turned around and looked at her annoyed that was… until Akio looked up at him with her dual-colored eyes. It was like they shimmered as she petted his tail. "Who are you?" he asked trying to sound rough but his voice came off as stunned. "I'm Akio Sagura. It's nice to meet you, Koga." She said cheerfully as she waved her hand at him in a greeting gesture. "Sagura…" Koga's eyes widened at the mention of the name. "You mean, like, Kaoru Sagura?" He asked slightly nervously. "So I've been told." She chuckled. "Why, do you know her?" Akio asked in amazement. "Yeah and let's say I don't ever want to run into her ever again!" he stated upset. Akio looked confused. "Kaoru is Akio's ancestor. Akio comes from the same time as Kagome." Miroku stated. "What can you tell us about Kaoru?" Inuyasha asked Koga intensively. "She an evil saint is what she is!" Koga said freaking out a bit. Akio tilted her head to the side confused. "Kaoru is a priestess that is also home to a very vicious demon in her body, it's been there all her life, its part of her." He told them carefully. "The demons name is Amida, and she is not someone you want to come in contact with." Koga informed them. "Amida; I learned about him in seventh grade! He's supposed to be the god of death, but why would he need to be in a human body?" Akio announced. Koga slowly turned his head to look at her. "Amida is definitely not male, I can promise you that." "But in the history books the demon is portrayed as male." "Yeah, well she aint! Amida is violent and has literally no guilt or regret! She would slash your body to bits and not give a damn that your family watched." Koga said again. Of course I don't, why should I? "Hunh?" Akio turned her head back confused after hearing a woman's voice. I mean, come on! Humans have the nerve to kill my family, burn down my village and use me in a ritual gone wrong and I'm suppose to be forgiving! I don't think so! "Who's there?" Akio's whole body spun around, her eyes wide and confused but her hands shaking. "Akio, you ok?" Inuyasha asked her. "No, I'm not! I keep hearing a woman's voice and she doesn't sound exactly pleased." She spouted. "Just relax…" Miroku said as he walked toward her. Koga walked over to her too and grabbed her by her shoulders. "What does she sound like?" he asked her, his voice shaking slightly. "Like an older woman, her voice is kind of firm but it sounds like venom…" she said in a slight whimper. "Kaoru's near…" he informed them. "What; how?" Inuyasha asked. "That voice she's hearing is Amida. She's somewhere close." He stated. "Miroku; take Akio back inside." Inuyasha commanded. "No! I want to help!" she protested. "You're not strong enough to take on a demon whose job is death, Akio. Go inside; let us take care of this!" Inuyasha growled. Akio went to continue a protest against him but Miroku grabbed her by her arm and escorted her back into the hut. When he entered he motioned Sango to get ready for a battle. Akio sat down in a corner, Shippo on her lap holding on to her tightly.
Hours had passed, Shippo had fallen asleep in Akio's lap and no demon had ever arrived. Everyone entered the hut and just glared at Koga the whole time. "Something is off here…" Koga mumbled. "I don't see why she never showed…" he added, and then narrowed his eyes at Akio. "Unless the demon has been inherited by you." He said to Akio. Akio furrowed her brow. "I'm sorry?" she asked confused. "Maybe Amida is inside of you, passed on through the generations." "Doubt it." Akio stated as she placed Shippo down softly as he slept and stood up. "There is no demon in me." She argued. "How are you so sure?" he asked her. "I think I'd notice if I was completely different all my life. I can remember every outburst of anger I've ever had, I'm pretty sure there's no demon in me!" she argued. Akio took a deep breath knowing damn well she was lying. In reality, she couldn't remember not even a vicious argument she's ever had let alone a fight. But she refused to be told that she had a demon lingering around in her family's blood line. Akio took a deep breath and released a sigh as she looked outside to see it was already dark. "I'm going to bed. Good night you guys…" she said softly as she walked out of the hut. "She doesn't sleep in here with us?" Sango asked confused. "I never noticed that either, that's strange." Miroku added. "She said she likes to sleep under the stars, so she sleeps on the roof." Inuyasha informed them. Miroku and Sango both looked at him as he sat in his usual spot, legs and arms crossed, hugging his sword. "How do you know so much about her Inuyasha?" Koga was the one to ask. "Since she's come back, she spent a lot of time training with me. She wants to prove to me, all of us that she can travel and fight with us, I want to see just what she can do. So we're often up late. When she goes to sleep, everyone else is already knocked out." Inuyasha stated like there was nothing wrong with anything he had said, and there wasn't. But what Miroku and Sango didn't like was how close he was getting to the girl knowing Kagome was in love with him. "You're welcome to stay tonight, Koga." Sango told him as she set herself up for bed. "Thanks." He responded and picked a spot away from Inuyasha with Ginta and Hakkaku. Inuyasha leaned his head against the wall, looking up the ceiling. 'could that be what Kikyo was trying to tell me that night… that Akio has a demon in her body…'
"Huh!" a huff was heard from outside of the hut. Inuyasha's eyes opened slowly to see that the hut was completely empty. "Get back here!" He could hear Akio screaming aggressively outside. Inuyasha quickly got to his feet and hurry outside to see Akio aiming at Koga as he sped around her. Completely focused on the wolf demon, Akio aimed and released her arrows one at a time at Koga, slicing him a few times and even piercing his arm at one point. "Give up!" she snarled with a devilish grin plastered on her lips. "You wish!" Koga growled back at her. Akio's eyes sharpened as she targeted Koga again, this time releasing two arrows at once, pinning him to a tree by the fur he wore on his arms. Akio smirked and walked over to the tree she pinned him to. "Give up?" she questions in a sweet but cocky tone. Koga looked down at her and smirked, then relaxed. "I give." He stated. Akio giggled and jumped up, yanking the arrows out one at a time. Koga landed back on his feet and looked over at Inuyasha. "Well, she's pretty handy with a bow and arrow." Koga said with a laugh. "I can see…" Inuyasha's voice trailed off. "So… Should I start my training with a sickle?" she asked excitedly. "I guess so." Inuyasha smirked. "I'll be helping with your training on this one." Sango announced to Akio. She looked at her slightly confused, but nodded her head in agreement. Sango handed Akio a chained sickle. "Where'd you get this one from?" Akio asked as she looked down at the weapon in her hands. The sickle rested on one end of a rather long chain, which was about 6ft long and at the other end of the chain was a circular spiked weapon piece. "My family was all demon slayers, so we owned a lot of different weapons. I taught my younger brother how to use his sickle, so I would like to see what you do know." Sango smirked lightly as she took out Hiraikotsu. "You ready?" Sango asked her. Akio stood there a moment and thought about it. "Ya know what… I think this is going to be too easy…" Akio stated. "What do you mean it's going to be too easy?" Sango asked. "I don't think trying to avoid and take down a huge boomerang is going to be easy." Miroku stated from behind her. "I think it is, it's huge and it's really easy to see coming…" Akio thought for a moment, and then smiled with a look on her face that just screamed that she had an idea. "I got it!" she said happily and took a long cloth out of her pocket, tying it around her eyes. "I'll do it blindfolded." She smirked. "Now this; is a challenge!" she said with confidence as she grabbed the ends of the weapon and smirked. "Bring it." She challenged as she placed herself in a fighting stance. Sango shook her head with a smirk and flung Hiraikotsu at Akio. Feeling the force of air Akio jumped to the left getting out of the way but forgets that the weapon is a boomerang and took a blow to her back from it. Akio hit the ground and rolled back to her feet. "This is going to be interesting." Inuyasha said as he crossed his arms watching them.
Akio shakily lifted her battered body from the ground, her hands shaking. She was covered in bruises and even a few gashes but Sango appeared to be in just bad of a condition if not possibly worst. There were many rips in her armor uniform, cuts by her neck and cracks in her beloved weapon. The two of them torn and tired took heavy breaths, the battle between the two seemed like a real one, as though they were fighting to the death. "I think that's enough, Sango." Miroku said as he placed his hand softly on her should. Sango lowed Hiraikotsu takes heavy breaths still. "He's right. Your skills are very good when blinded, I could only imagine with your vision." Sango said to Akio as she removed her blindfold. Akio looked slightly hurt once she looked at the damage she had done to Sango's body. She dropped her weapon and ran to the demon slayers aid. "I am so sorry! I hadn't meant to cause real damage to you! Are you ok?" she asked franticly. "How do you expect to fight battles if you care about the damage you cause your foe." Inuyasha growled at Akio's sign of weakness. She glared back at him but didn't respond. "Let's get you inside." Akio said in a soft motherly voice as she walked Sango back into the hut to patch up any wounds. Miroku walked over to Inuyasha. "Why'd you snap at her like that?" he asked him. "She has too much compassion and there is no room for such an emotion in a warrior. She can't feel bad and want to help her wounded enemies every time she does serious damage." Inuyasha growled out slightly. "But isn't it good that she care for her companions?" Koga asked. "She is extremely skilled and nearly ruthless, it's good she has some compassion in her, because if she didn't, she wouldn't have agreed to stop the fight between her and Sango and could have killed her if she had been compassionless… her compassion is something good, shows she has restraint." Koga told him sternly. "I think you should apologize to her, Inuyasha." Miroku added. Inuyasha glared at them and took off away from them.
"Is that better?" Akio asked as she finished applying ointment and dressing Sango's wounds. Sango smiled back at her with a nod as she began to re-dress herself. Akio stripped her clothes off and began to tend to her own wounds. "Do you need help?" Sango asked her. Akio looked over her shoulder at Sango and smiled. "Thanks, but I've got it. I've learned young how to clean and treat any and all wound son myself and on others." She said softly as she went to ointment a bruise on her back. Akio pulled her uniform from her bag and pulled the skirt on and her tank top that she often wore under her dress shirts. Akio then pulled her hair back into a bun and pulled out a sewing kit and began to mend her dress's tears. "Did what Inuyasha bother you?" she asked her as she sat back and Kirara jumped into her lap. Akio shook her head. "He's right… my compassion has gotten me into a lot of trouble before…" She said softly as she reached her hand down her back to scratch a mark that looked as if it had been a fresh scar. "How did you get that scar there?" Sango asked. Akio looked back again with a smile. "That's the kind of trouble my compassion gets me into." Akio sighed and continued to sew her dress. "I, um… tried to defend a kid I knew from a gang of guys. I managed to get her out of the predicament un-scathed, though I can't say the same for myself… the guys beat me pretty bad and told me that that day would be the last I see. They tried to pierce through me with a short blade, good thing for me they weren't exactly smart." Akio laughed and held her dress as arms length from herself and smiled at her handy work once again. "I'm sorry…" Sango said softly. "Its fine, but Inuyasha is right… my compassion doesn't belong in a place like this, I want to survive, and I need to be ruthless, not caring…" Akio sighed as she folded her dress and placed it on her bag and walked out of the hut.
Akio walked along a river bank singing softly to herself in a low tone. She knelt beside the water and looked at her reflection. Her voice rose little by little until she was singing at full volume. "The night cries in your honor! The moon bathes it sweetly as you rest through the horrors. You are stronger than you believe. Hold strong young one, the nightmares will fade away by sun rise. A new day will be brought before you all you have to do is hold strong, hold strong for me…" Akio continued into a hum. She began to feel her whole being lighten up as though she were floating. She started to twirl around smiling to herself complete oblivious to her surroundings. "Akio." A stern voice shocked her and she slipped on the muddy banks causing her to fall on the mud and into the water. Akio looked up and say Inuyasha staring down at her. "H-how long were you standing there?" she asked him embarrassed. Akio's face flushed pink under the mud. "Long enough." He stated as he grabbed her by her arm and pulled her up. Akio kept her eyes to the ground trying to avoid any form of eye contact with him. "We've all decided that you can travel with us…" Inuyasha announced to her. Akio's head flung up and looked at him shocked. "Are you serious?" she asked and he nodded his head. "Um… ok…" Akio smiled. "What weapon am I being granted?" she asked. "Whichever you'd rather though I believe you'd be better off with a sickle." He suggested. "I think so too." She told him, he smile big. "Thank you so much!" she said excitedly completely forgetting her embarrassing moment just a bit ago. "So you can sing?" Inuyasha asked her with a smirk catching her off guard. Akio froze up and looked at him. She nodded her head as her cheeks began to flush into a red. Inuyasha sat down beside the banks himself and smiled. "My mother used to sing like that too. She'd sing me to sleep at night." His voice was extremely soft and it felt like he were a whole other person. "I'd bet her vocals were much better than my own." Akio said cheerfully with a smile as she sat beside him. "She was amazing…" Inuyasha glanced over at her, the expression on his face didn't look like Inuyasha to Akio and it was strange. She never thought that Inuyasha could ever be so humble. "You have a nice voice though…" he then stated as he turned his attention to the moon kissed river. "You think so?" she asked him shocked. "Yeah… what were you singing anyways?" he asked her in the same mellow tone. "Oh… heh… it was a song my mother uses to sing to me when I was younger and couldn't sleep or when I'd have a bad day… it really help me move on in hard times…" Akio smiled at him. Inuyasha leaned over to her. "You really took a bad fall there." He said as he tried to dust the already dried mud off her face. Akio smiled at him and grabbed his hand as he smile began to fade. Inuyasha looked at her confused. "I can get it off myself." She said softly as she turned back to the water and began to wash the dirt off. Akio sat back up trying to dry off her eyes so she could open them again. And when she finally did Inuyasha was gone. Akio sighed and looked back at her reflection in the water. "Well, that's one goal down and for the count." She smiled again. "They've accepted me…" she sighed with relief and stood up slowly. "But where could this guy have gone like that…." She said to herself confused as she began to wonder off back to the village. Inuyasha looked down from the tree he sat in as he watched her walk away. A strange feeling began to overwhelm him deep down and he wasn't sure what it is. "You like her, don't you?" a voice came from the bottom of the tree. Inuyasha looked down and at first saw no one but then Koga walk into view, his arms crossed and a smirk resting on his lips. "What the hell are you talking about?" Inuyasha growled. "I saw the way you looked at her, the way you reached out and touched her face." His smirk widened. "It shows every time you're just a little too close to her. It looks like there is something drawing you to her, hunh?" Koga asked as he looked in the direction Akio had left in. "It's ok to admit to it, I feel it to. It's like something in her that draws me to her, like a magnet… I'm not sure if it's in her eyes or her voice… or if it's just in her blood…" Koga stated. "But she's very alluring…" Koga smiled. "You've no idea what you're talking about. She smells awful and she's not even mildly as attractive as either Kikiyo or Kagome." Inuyasha growled. "She has no pull over me; it's just you Wolf boy." "You are an awful liar Inuyasha, I saw you take that deep inhale earlier when she walked passed you with Sango… She smells like cherry blossoms and peaches." Koga looked up at Inuyasha this time and the normal look that graced Inuyasha's face was back. "And there is no way in hell you believe that she isn't beautiful." Koga went to walk away with the wave of the hand, taking the same path as Akio had taken. Inuyasha looked up at the crescent moon above him and released a sigh. He shut his eyes and allowed himself to drift away.
The week had passed slowly for the group and Akio was nearly ready to go back home and drag Kagome back when she popped out of the well. "Hey you guys!" Kagome said happily but worry clouded her eyes. Inuyasha looked at her and furrowed his brow. "Is something wrong?" He asked her as Sango and Miroku had approached from behind him. "Akio's gone missing. She hasn't been home the whole week, no one knows where she's been and school just assumes she's out sick. Her parents have no idea that she's even missing, just think she's rebelling again or something." Kagome's voice was shaking and she no idea what to do with herself. Miroku and Sango looked at each other and Inuyasha glanced back at them. "Kagome, Akio is-." "Hey Kagome! You're finally back!" Akio called to her from on top of Kirara as she came to a landing. "Took you long enough!" she said cheerfully with a sickle attached to her hip and a sword on her back. Kagome's eyes widened then narrowed with anger. She lifted her hand and with full forced slapped Akio across the face. Akio's head barely budged and instead of looking shocked or sorrowful her eyes narrowed with anger. "How dare you!" Kagome screamed. "I have been worried and in a panic all week because you've been missing! And you've been here!? How did you even get back here, you can't even use the well!" Kagome screamed at Akio in anger. Akio's expression never changed, she just looked at her angrily. "I have my own passage way here and I'm here to help, that's all that matters now." She growled at her and quickly walked closer to her and grabbed her by her shirt pulling her closer. Inuyasha quickly grabbed Akio's wrist tightly but that didn't stop her from tightening her grip on Kagome. "You don't lay your hands on me. I have the choice to destroy you and I don't care to go through with it if you DARE to disrespect me like that, is that understood." Akio growled and her wrist began to bleed from Inuyasha's grasp. She pulled Kagome a little closer, and then threw her backward onto the ground. "I am sorry I made you worry though." She shrugged her shoulders coldly. "But I didn't think it important to leave a note telling anyone I was leaving back to the feudal era. Besides, none of you knew if I was even sent back home, maybe I was sent to another time! Ever think about that!" Akio growled. "Akio calm down!" Miroku shouted. She directed her glare in his direction then back at Kagome. "You people come find me when you're ready to leave." She said coldly and made a mad dash toward the sacred tree. Kagome watched as she left in shock. Inuyasha helped her back to her feet. "Where did she get those weapons from?" Kagome asked, her eyes fixated in the direction Akio sped off in. "She'll be traveling with us from now on… those are the weapons she chose to use… she decided to leave the archery to you no matter how good at it she is." Sango said softly. Kagome's eyes softened and guilt covered her features. "I'll go check on her." Inuyasha said in an angered tone. He was agitated for the way Akio treated Kagome and wanted to give her a piece of his mind till he smelled blood and stopped. Inuyasha looked down at her claws and felt the urge to lick on the blood dripping from it. "No, I'll go…" Kagome said as she grabbed his arm with a sorrowful smile and then walked away to find Akio.
"You are too much like Inuyasha, you know that?" Kagome said with a smile from the bottom on the sacred tree that Akio now sat in. Akio glanced down at her, a bitter look resting in her eyes. Kagome lowered her head. "I'm sorry…" she said softly. "I hadn't meant for you to feel disrespected or anything Akio… it's just that I've been so worried and seeing you here with no issue, cheerful just angered me. When I first came here it took me months to get adjusted and you've done it in such a short time. You came here with combat and weaponry skills, I didn't, I had to learn how to use my bow and arrow along the way." Kagome said as she sat against the tree. "I just wish I hadn't been pulling my hair out for a week worrying about where you were." She said with a smile. "I should have known you were ok." She sighed and lowered her head as she hugged her legs. "How am I like Inuyasha?" Akio blurted out looking down on Kagome from the tree. "He'll normally run off and hide in a tree when he's upset." She laughed. Akio smiled and lay back in the tree again. "I accept you apology…" Akio said softly. "And I'm sorry that I threatened you the way I did." Akio added as she plucked a few leaved from the branches. "I shouldn't have hit you like that." Kagome added. She looked up and Akio looked down at her. They smiled at each other. Suddenly something wet hit Kagome's cheek, when she wiped it off she saw it was a drop of blood. Akio dropped down from the tree holding her still bleeding write. Akio smiled directly in Kagome's face. On the surface her smile seemed cheerful but if you really looked into her eyes you could see the sorrow. "He really does love you, doesn't he?" Akio asked as she tightened her grip on her wound. Kagome looked at her sorrowfully. "He hurt you defending me…" she trailed off, and then began to riffle through her bag. She pulled out some anti-biotic and began to clear the wound from Inuyasha's claws and wrapped it. It was definitely not appropriate to smile while doing such a thing but Kagome couldn't help herself. Inuyasha only her Akio in defense of her and because of that she felt more loved by him that she has felt in the time she's been there. Akio and Kagome walked back to the group in silence. When they arrive Inuyasha looked so angry that Akio thought her might eat her! He glared at her as they arrived. Kagome was beaming with joy. Akio stood behind her, her head down and hair over her shoulders. She looked so sad that Inuyasha's anger began to melt away. When Kagome walked over to him he whispered in her ear. "What's wrong with her?" "Not sure, she's been like that the whole walk back." Kagome said with a shrug. Akio turned her attention away from them and walked over to Sango and Miroku. "Everyone ready?" she asked, her voice mellow. "Yeah." Sango said with a smile. "Welcome to the group." Miroku added behind her as they all headed west.