"What?!" Various people shouted in surprise. Kaede held a look of terror while Inuyasha was just genuinely shocked. The few villagers that had come along shared in the old priestess's sentiment as they all eyed the infant in complete bafflement. Said infant merely hummed.

"There is clearly more to him than meets the eye." She breathed out as if it wasn't a potentially worldwide problem.

"Aye, but the truth of the matter is that he's after the jewel! Ye must not be so careless!" Kaede nearly shouted in her attempt to get Fon to see sense. Fon simply comforted Lichi when he gave a slightly distressed sound.

"It'll be all right." She muttered as she patted his head, her position, once more perched atop the arrow, seemingly forgotten. Inuyasha himself was too dumbfounded to try and make a grab for the jewel still hanging around her neck.

"Why are ye so adamant child?" Kaede asked after a moment as Fon contemplated how to best remove the arrow. Fon gave a slight turn to regard her for a moment before returning to her task

"Hey, the old hag has a point! You don't have a lot of sense do ya kid?" Inyasha stated, failing to muster up his previous attitude in his surprise at her choice. Fon hummed.

"It's because she can't keep up. I have a need to flow with the wind you see."

"The wind? What the hell do you mean by that?!" Inuyasha barked, but obligingly stayed still as Fon studied the arrow. Kaede narrowed her eye.

"It's simple. I go where the wind takes me, and she is not fit for that life style. You're the only option, if she still insists I need backup." With that, Fon jumped off the arrow, hanging with her hands as she planted her feet firmly on some of the vines keeping Inuyasha in place as she got ready to pull. Kaede sighed.

"Somehow, I knew I would need this." She muttered as she reached in her robes, just as Fon pulled out the arrow. The baby tumbled slightly as the arrow dissappeared from her grip, but regained her balance and landed quite quickly as Inuyasha stilled, the feeling of power returning to him. But what would he do? He couldn't attack someone so young! Not only that, she moved at speeds Sesshomaru would be impressed with, how did he expect to swipe the jewel without hurting her?

"Oh?" Fon questioned with something of an amused edge to to her smile, but gave no hint as to what she had noticed. Inuyasha didn't care either as he simply slashed the vines keeping him in place with his claws, going for an intimidating expression as he landed in front of her. The child was unfazed by his most dangerous expression as she actually looked away from him!

"Hey! What are you-" As Inuyasha began demanding answers to her actions, he was taken by surprise as bright flashes of pure energy landed around his neck, confusing him for a moment as he looked at the newly formed necklace.

"If ye insist on Inuyasha, than ye should make use of the beads. All ye must do is utter the word of subjugation should he try anything." Kaede said with a resigned sigh. Inuyasha shared the sentiments, reminded strongly of Kikyo when he saw the girl's stubbornness, and the traces of a suppressed personality. (Inuyasha had grown accustumed to seeing Kikyo's different expressions, so he found he was a able to read some of Fon's)

"I see... I'll keep that in mind. Would tomorrow be a good time to set out?" Fon stated as if she wasn't just essentially told she could do whatever she pleased.

"Whatever, do as you please." Inuyasha huffed as he looked away. He'd steal the jewel while she slept that night. *

-elsewhere-

At the same time as Fon was finalizing her plans, a regal dog demon stood beside a calmly flowing lake in deep contemplation. His long, silver hair swayed with the slight breeze as he stared at the sky in thought.

"Lord Sesshomaru! I caught something to eat mi'lord!" A small, imp-like creature exclaimed excitedly as he waved a few fish in the air. He remained ignored as his Lord continued to stare at the sky. Something was off in this area, was he close?

"-interesting hypothosis. Perhaps the eight of us are more closely linked than initially believed, and something on her end drug us to this area."

Sesshomaru spared a glance at the source of the voice. It was too high pitched to even be an adolescent, yet to mature for a child, thus it caught his attention.

A small procession was floating lazily down the lake, headed by an alligator that was swimming just as lazily as the rest of contents of the current, and yet kept an unnaturally protective eye out as a yellow eye regarded the dog suspiciously.

Followed by the alligator was a green raft that seemed to have a pair of eyes on it's side. More importantly however, was the five babies rested casually on it as they spoke among themselves.

"Possibly. It does seem to run deep." A baby in odd attire (though that could apply to all of them) spoke as he tilted his strange hat.

"It's not like her to be the one to find these kinds of things though, kora." A light haired baby (Sesshomaru vaguely recalled the term being 'blonde') spoke from where he flying along side them. Or, to be more specific, carried by a bird. The dog took a quick note of the odd...thing the bird was carrying in it's beak as the baby held crossed arms.

"I do hope she's alright..." A girl in an outfit vaguely resembling a priestess spoke conecerndedly.

"I'm honestly more concerned for what she encounters." Another girl deadpanned, this one sporting odd goggles and a cloak. Her most noticeable features were a burn on her cheek and red eyes. A green haired infant, whom Sesshomaru assumed to be the one who initially spoke based on what was said and the intellectual look in his eyes, just gave the first girl a flat look that the dog found himself impressed with.

The look itself spoke of boredom and disinterest, with a touch of 'are we really talking about this' and 'let's just get this over with' with a bit of 'are you an idiot' all the while managing to hold an unimpressed atmosphere and not say anything at all. Sesshomaru was able to read it because he'd given his brother that same look a couple of times when the half breed was a child. Though he'd admit that some of the expressions didn't fit, perhaps something he hadn't heard.

"Oh, stop you." The maybe-priestess pouted slightly at his expression.

"...Sempai, can I get on the raft?" The baby in the back, dripping a bit and riding a red octopus, asked in a tone that said he probably knew the answer.

"Quiet Lackey." The hatted one spoke harshly as the blonde one turned around (he was now flying backwards) and gave a glare.

"Be more specific Lackey, Kora!"

Sesshomaru took in the scents they all gave for a moment, all unfamiliar with a deep curse almost completely overtaking their natural scent, before turning to leave. A stunned Jacken gaped at the babies until they had floated far down the stream before realizing Sesshomaru had left and running to catch up.

* Inuyasha is too strongly reminded of Kikyo to have his usual irritated reactions.