Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any other InuYasha characters, and if characters are out of character please don't haste to tell me.

Italic-reading or thoughts
Bold-emphasis
Bold-Italic- means conversation between Saizu and tetsusagia

A/N: Sorry about the mix up with the soul thing, everything is all figured out now. The plot, characters, and everything. I've been trying to update but you know how school is, they've swamped us with home work so I'll only be able to update every once in awhile.

In Body and Soul

Chapter Two: Bracing

Saizu laid on the floor facing the wall of the hut. Her head covered under the blanket Kagome let her use, as she waited for night to greet the morning sun. She moaned as she turned over on her side, sleep wouldn't come to her. Her head was spinning with so many thoughts it was giving her a headache.

She held her temples then sighed. She knew that sleeping was way out of the question now that she had a headache, and that she couldn't think straight. Leaning up she scanned the room, Kagome slept to the right side of her. She looked very peaceful curled up in her sleeping bag. "I wish I could sleep." she whispered.

She laid back down again. She pulled the blanket back over her head tightly and this time faced the window. As she finally began to close her eye, the morning sun slowly started to fade through the blanket awake all who were asleep. She peeked out through blanket and her face soon meet the heat rays of the sun,yup it was morning.

The muffled sound of foot steps echoed as Saizu pressed her ear to the floor. The voice of the other teen called out to her asking if she was awake, Saizu replied with a simple "Yes" before sitting up straight. She turned in Kagome's direction and she watched as she rolled up her sleeping bag, then once she was done set it off in the corner.

Saizu sat bringing her knees to her chest as the sun took it's rightful place in the peak of the blue sky. "Hey Kagome, did InuYasha sleep outside?" Kagome nodded as Kaede came into the room.

"Yeah he enjoys sleeping and relaxing in trees. I've told him a thousand times that its not safe, but he never listens. He's really stubborn about those kinds of things." Kagome said reassuring her to where InuYasha had gotten to.

Saizu nodded. She didn't even know why she brought up the question, she honestly could careless about InuYasha at this point. The way things went yesterday there's no way she was ever going to show any sort of kindness towards him. She shook her head to rid herself of the thought.

Lady Keade greeted Saizu and Kagome with warm smiles as she hobbled over towards her black stove. Saizu handed the blanket back to Kagome thanking her for letting her use it.

Kagome told her she was welcome and that there was no need to thank her, it was her pleasure to help out. After Saizu gave her the blanket Kagome, the teen started rummaging through a slightly massive yellow backpack, Saizu stared wide eyes at the backpack. It was huge! How could you possible carry something like that? It must weight at least a ton.

Kagome noticing that Saizu was staring at her backpack and she went into a giggle fit.

"Yeah it is pretty big, huh?"

"You must travel here a lot for your backpack to be that big." Saizu said still not over the shock of how big the pack was.

"I do travel a lot. I come here so much that I miss school, and I am now falling way behind in my studies." she said sort of mumbling the last part.

Saizu smiled then laughed slightly. "Then why do you keep coming here? By what you told me, you can obviously travel back and forth through time. So why don't you just stay at home?"

Kagome sighed then looked down. She was getting sick and tired of traveling back and forth, but the only reason why she kept coming back was to find the jewel. Yet that wasn't her reason and she knew it wasn't.

"Umm..Hello earth to Kagome!" Saizu said waving her hands up and down in front of her face.

Kagome instantly snapped back to reality. "Sorry..." she said laughing nervously. "What were we talking about?" Saizu laughed then scooted away from Kagome a little. Oh man this girl is crazy.. "The reason why you come back.." Saizu said repeating herself slowly.

"Right!" she said her preppy personality now showing. "Well see it started not too long ago when I first arrived in the feudal era. On my fifteenth birthday; I was heading to school that morning when my brother said that the cat disappeared down into the mini shrine, so I went down looking for him when this huge demon pulled me down into the well."

"Mistress centipede was her name." Keade added.

Kagome nodded then continued. "She was one of the many seekers of the sacred jewel,but when I arrived here I stumbled upon InuYasha who was stuck to a tree with a arrow." Saizu couldn't help but giggle. "Come on! InuYasha stuck to a tree with an arrow? Come on you've got to be kidding me!"

Both Lady Keade and Kagome shook their heads, after the sudden excitement worn down Kagome started again. "Then I was brought here to Keade's village." Saizu wanted to stop and ask her more about Mistress Centipede but decided against that thought for she had caused Kagome to stop enough as it was. "But Mistress Centipede returned for me destroy everything in her path to get the jewel from me. And at the time I never knew that I had, which caused more chaos because her arrival and my arrival woke up InuYasha from his enchanted sleep. Now after I ran from the village to save it from the demon I noticed that InuYasha was wake and he kept going on about this girl named Kikyou. 'Kikyou this Kikyou that' I mean I didn't know who the girl was!"

Lady Keade cleared her throat as Kagome went on raging about this Kikyou person. Saizu herself had to hold in a giggle, for the look on Kagome's face was pure madness. "As Kagome was saying." Lady Keade said breaking Kagome's train of thought. "Kagome released him from his bound-ment and he saved us from the demon,but the reason why laid upon his wanting of the jewel. So I placed enchanted beads upon him to contain his spirit."

Saizu eyes widen. Like labor control? Images of them forcing InuYasha to work in their fields, and repair the huts came to her mind. She crossed her arm then poked out her lips,It's what the jerk gets for calling me a wench. A look of concern and pure confusion crossed Kagome's face while Lady Keade just shook her head and sighed.

"So now when ever I say 'Sit boy-"but before she could finish a loud crash echoed through the small village causing Saizu to jump. "What was that!" she screamed leaping from her stop and dashing outside.

"Kagome, did ye remember to tell Sai about InuYasha and being a half-demon?" Lady Keade stated cocking an eye brow. Kagome squeaked, she had forgotten all about that little detail. Since last night was the night of the new moon, him being half-demon slipped her mind. "Oops!" Kagome exclaimed her hands shooting straight to her face. A familiar scream filled the air, Kagome and Lady Keade made their way outside to the scene to find a flat half-demon and a flustered teenager.

"What the heck is going on?" Saizu said stomping over to Kagome. "That thing over their has dog ears, white hair, fangs, and cat claws!" Kagome rose her hands up defencely trying to protect herself while also trying to brush off her embarassment. "Now calm down Sai, I forgot to tell you that InuYasha was half-demon." Kagome said reassuring her of what was going on.

"Ye three quickly into my hut. This comotion is bound to stir up trouble a crowd is already gathering." Lady Keade said while also trying to sush the villagers away. InuYasha immediately shot up from his ditch in which he had fallen from the words of subdation. "This is all your fault you old hag! If you hadn't put these stupid beads on me then shit like this wouldn't happen!" he said pointing and waving a clawed finger.

"SIT BOY!" Kagome shouted throwing Saizu and the unexpecting InuYasha off guard. Saizu covered her ears, while the dog demon flew head first into the ground shaking the earth around them.

"And what about that?" Saizu said nearly jumping up and down. "How are you able to do that!"

"It's all the power of the enchanted beads, remember they allow us to keep him under control." Kagome said while pointing to the beads around his neck. Sweat rolled down the side of Saizu's face, this was not cool; she couldn't even begin to think what this was, this was scary.

"That's it I'm out of here." Saizu said running in the other direction of the village. She quickly stop then turned and faced the village again, knowing that Kagome and the others could see her she bowed politly then shouted. "Thanks for everything, but I'm going to find my own way home!"

Lady Keade and Kagome exchanged glances of concern. "Aye, this may not have been the best way for her to find her way home. Ye may want to go after her before she runs into trouble." Lady Keade said softly while tapping Kagome on the shoulder.

"Ha! Let her go! The stupid wench, I hope she gets eatin by a demon!" InuYasha scoffed. "You hear me! Forehead I hope you get eatin!" he said pointing and dancing around. Saizu glared at him, she may have been far away but she wasn't going to let that stop her. Looking around her head snaped in ever direction it could to find what she was looking for.

"Eat this you stupid idoit!" She screamed throwing the biggest rock she could at him. A cry of agony rang through her ears bringing a smile to her face, turning on her hills she continued running then disappeared from sight.

"Oww.." InuYasha whined rubbing his now sore head. "That was a nice shot." Kagome mummbled still in awe about the whole thing. InuYasha face went bare as his eye glued them selves to Kagome's face. "What did you say!" he growled cracking his neck.

She laughed then waved it off. "Oh nothing."

The afternoon drew near as Saizu stop to catch her breath. Looking back to see if anyone followed, she smiled once she found out that none had. I'm not sure that's a good thing or a bad thing, but right now I don't care. I've got to find my own way home, even if it means being eaten. At that thought she shirved, being eaten by a demon didn't sound to good. Plus if one caught her it would probably eat her alive. She clutched her face then shook it. "Now is not the time to be thinking about things like that, your going to make it home Saizu. Even if it does- kill you." she said aloud gulping the last part.

"Okay I am offically spooked." She said glance around the area. What a time for her reading heart abilities to vanish. This so figures my luck, I can't have not one good day. The brunette pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear then ventured on towards her destination, her emeraled green eyes scanned the area not letting up one detail. She was going to take up everything she could it's like that saying goes 'When the going gets tough the tough get going' and in this case she was doing both.

She sighed when she came upon a fork in the path. Right or left? Last time when she regained consciousness Lady Keade said she found her near the sacred tree, but how far away was that from here? Saizu moaned then looked back. Retracing her steps was a good idea, only she didn't know where to start retracing. Her hand swiftly made it's way to her head as she smacked herself, but she winced when a sharp pain sprang for underneith her hand. It seems she had also forgotten that she injured her head. "Great..." she mumbled.

A twig snapped and the bushes begain to rustle. "Is someone there?" Saizu asked getting ready to run in a different direction. Nothing but lows growls could be heard. Assuming that the growls belong to a dog of some sort she relaxed a little; yet that same relaxed feeling was soon something of the past when three skinny brown wolves hopped out from the shrubs.

"Nice wolves, be good wolves and stay." she said ushering them to keep calm while she made an escape. "Good going boys." said a gruff male voice. The wolves whimpered as he patted them on the head.

"Who are you and what do you want?" She asked simply. Amazed at her newly found courage she stood her ground not wanting any thing to take advantage of her movements. The sounds of muffled foot steps approached her from behind. Turning her body around to face this new mysterious person the one behind found his opening and took charge. A jolt of pain rang from her head as she fell to her knees. "Help..me." she whispered before meeting unconsciousness once more.

"I wonder where Sai is, we've looked everywhere in this area and theirs no sign nor trace of her." Kagome said now resting in the grass. They had been looking everywhere in the area of Keade's village, in the forest, by the river, and there was still no sign of her.

"Keh, her whole scent has dissolved. I can't even catch a wiff of her from the air." InuYasha scoffed crossing his arms over his chest. "Besides we don't have time to keep looking for her. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo are going to be back soon; so we should hurry and meet up with them so we can continue our search for the jewel shards."

Kagome just blew him off, there was no way that she was going to leave Sai all by herself in fedual Japan. That's like giving her a death wish. "Look InuYasha we're going to find Sai, we said that we were going to help her get home remember."

"Who's we! Your the one who volunteered us to baby-sit some wench from your time. When you already knew that we had to finish looking for the jewel shards!" he growled starting for the direction of Keade's village.

"But InuYasha she-" Kagome started.

"We'll come back and look for her when Sango, Miroku, and Shippo join up with us. Okay now stop crying and lets go." Kagome nodded, there he went again being helpful in his own way. Hopefully Saizu would be alright until they got back.

"Okay InuYasha."

Saizu moaned as she came too once more. She scratched her head then rubbed the sleep away from her eyes, What happened? I don't remember going to sleep or finding a place to sleep. She looked down and saw that she was lying in a pile of hay, she felt itchy and dry. Plus there was a big throbbing bump on the back of her head. "Ow, that kills. What happened and where am I?" she aloud. Once again she was setting her intensions way to high for not expecting any reply.

"So your finally awake." hissed a male voice. Saizu's head shot up her eyes widen in fear as she waited to see something scary, an evil demon ready for dinner. "Who are you?" she asked her voice trembling from the shock.

"Pff..you can calm down, I'm not going to hurt you." he said. She relaxed a little glad to hear that something wasn't going to eat her. Thank you lord. She looked around this new place and soon found out that she was in some sort of cave. Wolves of different ages growled and yelped in every direction, she looked out the corner of her eyes and she could see two brown wolves watching her. Okay that's way creepy, why are they watching me like that. She jumped when she felt something fuzzy bump up against her leg. A small wolf cub playfully licked her leg trying to get her attention.

The guy growled then pushed the cub away; he gaze shifted from the cub to Saizu. "Why do you smell Kagome? Are you related to her?" he said cocking his eye brows.

"Kagome, you know Kagome?" Saizu screamed standing up. This guy was taller than her;but then most boys were, his hair was pulled tightly back into a pony tail. His clothes look like those of rags, except the black armor plate covering his chest. His feet were bare covered by nothing but skin and his legs held some what leg warmers on them a matching pair were around his arms as well. But Saizu stood amazed at his pointy elf ears, that was until she saw the fangs inside his mouth.

"She is my mate. How do you know her?" he asked leaning closer to her.

"Wha- she's my friend."

"Ummm...this is bad. The Great dog demon something bad is indeed going to happen, I can feel it." a flea demon praied as looked up from a tomb stone. The flea demon shivered as the disturbance hit him fully and knocked him from the grave. "Indeed this is bad, but I've felt this aura before." an elder man said.

Myoga nodded then regained his balance. "Aye Totosai, this maybe the Great dog demon's way fo telling us."

"I have a feeling that the three swords of power are about to awaken." Totosai said throwing his hammer over his shoulder. Myoga's eyes widen. "You don't mean the Great dog demon's swords? Do you?"

"Yes, it's impossible to know for sure. But this means to brace ourselves for the worse."