Kay: Chapter 3 is ready to roll.

Chelsea: What? No introduction?

Kay: Nope. I'm being lazy.

Caitlin: Yeah. Just hush and read the damn thing!

Chelsea: Fine. Fine.

Chapter 3

"So Naraku is a half demon made up of a bunch of demons who is trying to find a way to become a whole demon so that he can become even more powerful?"

Shippou nodded. Since last night's lolly incident, the two had become best friends. Gabriel asked all kinds of questions about the adventures Shippou's group had taken and Shippou told him. When all was told, Gabriel talked about the world he had come from. Leaving the village had put everyone in a better mode. Even Inuyasha, the grumpy hanyou, seemed to relax a bit as they walked. Kagome watched Kate as she looked around. There was so much about this girl that she did not know and something had been troubling her since Kaede said something about her homeland. Was she hiding something from them? No. Kagome knew better than to think that.

"Can we rest?" Shippou said. "My feet are tired."

"Shippou, how can your feet be tired when you are sitting on my head?" Miroku asked the little kitsune as he put him on the ground.

"Well, I don't sense any jewel shards," Kagome said.

"We're almost at the village," Sango said. "Are you sure you and Gabriel are up to this, Katherine?"

"Kate," she quickly corrected as she ran a hand through her now green hair. "Don't worry. I will make sure no harm comes to Gabriel. Even without my help, Gabriel can protect himself when need to. Fairies are mostly peaceful creatures, but will fight when they feel threatened." Her eyes dimmed. "Though, sometimes good creatures die in trying to protect those who they care about."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "That's because they're weaklings from the beginning," he said.

Gabriel glared at him. "Huh," he replied. "I see how much you know about strength. Let's start with you for example. You could be much stronger if you would just use your brain. I've seen children with more brains than you have."

"Who the hell do you think you talkin to, you damn brat with wings?!" growled Inuyasha.

"The one who had better watch his mouth when talking to the pri-..."

Kate lifted her hand. "Enough," she said, sighing. "Gabriel, apologize."

"But he knows nothing of the war we have been through!"

"No one needs a recap of what happened. It is enough that we were there. Now do as I say or remain silent throughout this whole trip."

Gabriel looked at the ground before mumbling a quiet 'sorry' and running off to race Shippou. Kagome turned to Inuyasha, glared, and sat him. Seeing a lake not too far from them, Sango decided that they all needed to cool off and take a break. Without another word, they made a small camp. Promising not to go far, Shippou took Gabriel fishing. Miroku built a fire and went with Sango to see what kind of vegetation they could find to eat. Inuyasha jumped into a tree and closed his eyes. Kate and Kagome sat beside the fire.

"I'm sorry," Kagome said as she glared at the hanyou in the tree. "Inuyasha can be ignorant of what he says. I hope that Gabriel won't be too mad at him."

Kate looked at Kagome. "It's not his fault," she replied as she tried to smile. "He knows nothing about our world or of what has happened there. Gabriel knew better than to speak so harshly, though he is just a child. Psychic children have better control of their temper than most people. My brother rarely shows anger unless he can no longer hold it from others who are too ignorant to know when to stop."

Kagome blinked. "Gabriel is psychic?" Kate nodded. "Can he read minds?" She nodded again. "Has...he read any of our minds?"

"Knowing him, he has, though just to know what kind of dream you had the previous night or nights ago. I have been teaching him how to probe a mind without another knowing, but I usually don't let him do it unless I am sure that the person would not mind. Gabriel loves to read the minds of dragons since they have more knowledge of what has happened all around the lands."

"So...your world holds more..creatures other than fairies?"

"Yes, anything you would think of as imaginary is in my world. Though, we do have demons like Inuyasha, though since we have no humans, they have different types of mixtures between them."

"Bet none of them are accepted."

They were both startled by what Inuyasha had said. Kate looked up at him. "Some are. Some are not. I know how they feel though. Being different...being an outcast."

"What the hell you know about being an outcast?! I bet you have tons of fae surrounding you all the time."

"Just because I may seem weird here doesn't mean I appear normal at home. Even there I'm a freak."

Kagome shook her head. He always had to argue with someone, didn't he. Sango and Miroku returned with Shippou and Gabriel. Seeing that Miroku was soaked, Sango was glaring at him, and the kitsune and Gabriel were laughing, told them all what happened.

Kate knew about Miroku's wondering hand. That very morning, just before they had left, Miroku had asked her to bare his children. Before she could utter a word, young Gabriel came and asked about a billion questions about why Miroku keep asking that question to every female he saw. Every answer he was given, more questions popped up in his little head to ask. In the end, Miroku decided to just leave Kate alone or fear being bombarded with more questions. Everyone found this hilarious after Sango gave him a beating with her boomerang.

Cooking the fish caught and a couple of packs of ramen for everyone, they all sat in silence as they ate. Inuyasha quickly gulped down his food and went back to his spot in the tree. Since a child, Gabriel didn't eat as much as the others and so when he finished he went to explore, promising Kate that he wouldn't go too far. Kate settled down and looked up at the sky.

Sango looked over at her. "Katherine, do all fairies have the same kind of wings that Gabriel has?" she asked.

Kate looked at her, then back at the sky. "Depends on the type of fairy," she said. "Their being makes up their wings."

"Being?" questioned Kagome.

"Gabriel is a psychic fairy thus his wings are made up of a type of energy only his kind is born with. Water fairies, their wings are mostly made with liquid but they can fly with them as well. Earth fairies have strong leaf-like wings. Fire with flammable wings. Ice with ice coated wings. And... the list goes on. So many types of fairies just like there are so many types of humans and demons and animals."

"What kind of fairy are you?"

Kate looked at the fire. "Not too sure. I am a great mystery. My parents were a mixture. My grandmother was a fire fairy. My grandfather is an ice fairy. I have twin brothers Danny and Sandy. Sandy is a mixture of ice and lightening. Danny is a mixture of fire and wind. Chad, my oldest brother, is psychic like Gabriel. Kevin, older than me, is an earth fairy, though Mr. Walters hates it when he returns home covered in dirt from working in his garden." Kate smiled. "I wonder if Danny and Sandy are still arguing..."

Miroku nodded. "You said 'was' with your parents and grandmother and 'is' with your grandfather. Does that mean that your parents and grandmother are dead?"

The smiled went away. "Yes. My parents died at the beginning of the war. They were captured and beheaded. I was only four. When we came to Earth, my grandmother died a year later. I was five. I've lost many people because of the war."

"I'm sorry."

Shippou went over to Kate. "I lost my father to the Thunder Brothers," he said sadly. "Then Kagome came and adopted me."

Kate smiled. "You are very lucky that you have someone who took you in and loves you. My brother and I weren't so lucky." She looked over at Kagome. "I envy you. Such a wonderful little kitsune and such caring friends."

Meanwhile, Gabriel was still exploring when he heard a noise in the bushes near him. Ignoring it, he continued his little adventure. Blood red eyes watched his every move. The frog demon who was attacking the village watched the little boy, thinking how easy this snack was going to be. The villagers had called for many slayers and he had killed them all. This snack would be no trouble at all...or so he thought.

The frog jumped behind the little boy, about to swallow him whole, when Gabriel turned around. "Such a strange creature with very little brains," he said, lifting his hand. "You must be studied more."

Glittery powder flew from his hand onto the frog demon. Instantly, it began to shrink. Squealing, it screamed as Gabriel picked it up. A glass jar appeared in his hand. He put the frog in it, put on the top, and skipped back to the others. Kate frowned at him.

"How far did you go?" she asked. "You almost had me worried."

Gabriel smiled as he gave her the jar. "I think I almost reached the village. Look. I found a frog. I would like to study him to see how he lived this long."

"Let me see the jar."

The jar appeared in Kate's hand. She took off the top and took out the frog. The frog demon tried to bite off her hand, but she put him in a bubble. "Gabriel...how many times have I told you not to shrink things that shouldn't be shrunk?"

Gabriel counted. "Fourteen billion and....twenty-seven times," he answered. "I couldn't help it, Kate. It was trying to eat me. It was huge before I shrunk it. Mean demon. He was thinking that I was an easy little snack after what he had done to all those poor slayers. Kagome ... what are slayers?"

Kagome turned pale. "You mean...this is the frog demon that was killing the demon slayers and people in the village?"

Gabriel looked at the frog. "Um...not sure. He said something about revenge from his mother in the lake."

Sango stood. "LAKE?! Aren't we in front of a lake?" Kagome shouted as Inuyasha drew his sword.

Just then, a gigantic frog demon leaped out of the lake and landed in front of them with a huge thud spraying water and dirt all over them. Kate looked up with one hand on her hip. Demons had no respect for anyone. The frog demon looked down at them.

"Release my son!" it croaked loudly, making Inuyasha cringe.

Kate shook her head. "Your son has been attacking the local village," she said. "Leave this place and I will allow you both to keep your lives."

Angry at the words spoken, the mother demon attacked them. Grabbing Gabriel, Kate jumped back. Kagome looked at Inuyasha. "She has a jewel shard!" Kagome shouted.

"Finally, some real action," Inuyasha said as he ran toward the frog.

The demon spat out fireballs at them. Shippou quickly jumped into Kagome's arms as she ran to Kate and Gabriel. Sango threw her boomerang only for it to be knocked back at her. Kirara, Sango's fire neko, transformed from her little form to her battle form. She bit the frog demon on its leg but its slimy skin was full of poison. Swallowing some of the poison, the fire neko quickly let go, her body weak and full of poison. Kate saw this and went to go help her.

"Kate, look out!" Kagome shouted as a fireball was fired toward her friend.

Kate looked up and stopped. With a step back, she kicked the fireball back at the frog demon, hitting her in the head. This put all the demon's attention on her. Kate's eyes went big when she saw the frog demon attacked her fully with fireballs. No other way of escaping, she jumped into the lake. With a froggy smirk, the demon jumped in after her.

"Princess!!" shouted Gabriel as Inuyasha jumped in after her.

Under water, Inuyasha looked around for Kate and the frog demon. He felt the breath get knocked out of him when the frog demon's powerful back leg kicked him in the back. Inuyasha tried to recover his breath, but was unable to since he was too far from the surface. He felt arms wrap around him to keep him from sinking any further. Lips were pressed to his forehead in a soft kiss. His eyes flew open.

"You can breathe now, Inuyasha," Kate said as she slowly released him.

He looked at her. Green liquid looking wings were coming out of her back. Instead of legs, a long green scaly tail to help her swim through the water. "What the hell are you?" he asked.

Kate sighed angrily. "I'm a fairy!" she said. "A fairy that can use any power. A freak of nature. Look out!"

She pushed him further away just as a tongue came between them. With a glare, she looked at the giant frog demon.

"You are both going to be my lunch!" the demon said as she swam toward them.

"Ha!" Kate said as she swam around the demon. "A fairy for frog food? That is a laugh."

"You are no fairy. You are a freak of nature."

"Hey. Only I get to say that!"

Kate grabbed Inuyasha's arm and pulled him out of the water, into the air, and back on his feet on land. Quickly, she flew back to the water's edge and sat there, her tail slipping back into the water. It stirred the water as she held up her hands. "Whirlpool!" she shouted.

The whirlpool started out small, but grew in a matter of seconds. The female frog demon was stuck in the middle of it. Inuyasha stood with his sword. "Wind Scar!"

Yellow lightening made a carving trail in the ground as it flew to the frog demon, cutting her into pieces. A shard flew up into the air. Gabriel curved his finger and the shard flew to Kagome. Kate took her tail out of the lake and it was smooth once more. Her wings melted back into her back and her tail became legs once more. With a glow of light, she was dressed back into the light green flower kimono she had been wearing.

She went over to Kirara and picked her up. "The poison has entered her blood stream," Kate said as she held Kirara close to her. "I may be able to help her. We need to get somewhere that has shelter."

"The village isn't too far from here," Miroku said. "They should be willing enough to take us in after hearing that we had disposed of the frog demon."

With a nod, they all quickly, but slowly, made their way to the village. Just like Miroku had said, the villagers eagerly gave them room and food for helping them get rid of demon. Kate and Gabriel were given a separate hut so they could be alone with Kirara. For hours, Sango paced outside the hut, worried for her demon companion. When the moon had set and dawn had began to show its face, Gabriel slowly made his way out of the hut. He walked slowly up to the demon slayer.

Gabriel looked up at her with tired looking eyes and a small smile. "Do you want to see her?" he asked. Without an answer, he took her hand and pulled her into the hut.

On a small blanket, Kirara slept peacefully in her small cat form. She awakened when Sango's scent hit her nose. Quickly and quietly, she went to the slayer, jumped onto her shoulder and rubbed her head against her cheek. Sango smiled happily as she whipped away the tears that threatened to escape her eyes. Then she noticed that Kate was no where to be seen.

"Gabriel, where is Katherine?" she asked as she looked at the boy. "She didn't..."

Gabriel shook his head. He went over to another blanket and removed it. Under it was a little girl with long green hair. The girl slowly opened her eyes. "Everything is well with Kirara?" she asked. Gabriel nodded. Slowly she got to her knees, then her feet. "I'm glad."

"Kate...is that you?" Sango asked.

The little girl looked at the ground. "I took the poison into my own body. It was a lot stronger than I thought. I only revert back into my younger ages when I'm really weak." Her voice had changed to a younger higher pitch.

"You're not going to..."

"No. I'll live. Poison from this planet can not kill a fairy. On my planet, we have herbs that can destroy the deadliest poison here. I don't have any so I just took the poison into my own body. I could have grown the herbs, but even with my magic, I might have been too late."

"I don't know how to thank you."

"You don't have to. I was happy to do it." Kate walked past her. "Come. I'm sure Kagome would like to know that Kirara is ok. Shippou, too. I believe they have brought food as well."

Seeing the worried look on Gabriel's face, Sango decided not to say anything. Instead, she picked him up in her arms and carried him to the hut where the others had gathered. When Kate first walked into the hut, Kagome and Miroku asked where Kate was. Noting that the little girl looked familiar, Miroku realized who the little girl was. Sadly, it took Kagome a while to figure it out. As the food was served, Gabriel stared down at his plate.

Kate looked at him. "You need to eat, Gabriel," she said.

Gabriel looked over at her. Though she was now younger, she was still older and a little taller than he was. "You're not eating, princess," he said.

"Gabriel, you need to eat. You know that I can not eat this food now. I'll be fine. No arguing. And don't try to mind read either."

Kagome looked down at her. "Why can't you eat the food?" she asked. "It's just like when we eat while traveling."

Kate looked up at her. "I am using a lot of fairy magic to get rid of the poison," she said. "If I eat human food, I will get ill and I will not be able to heal. I could eat a little, but I will not chance it." Kate stood. 0"I think I'll go out and meditate." She looked down at Gabriel. "If you are going to address me that way, then you better obey me. You know I do not like using that title." With that she went outside.

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

Kagome looked down at him. Why was Kate being so harsh? She needed to eat just like the rest of them. "Gabriel, why do you keep calling Kate 'princess'?" she asked.

"Because she is," he responded. "She is the princess in the Sky Kingdom. She lives in my town Castle in the Sky. Her brother Kevin is mostly in charge since he's the one who is there the most. She's almost never at home."

"So her parents were the king and queen?!" Sango said. "Amazing. She doesn't act like royalty."

"Of course she does," Inuyasha said. "She thinks she's in charge of everything and she acts like a snob. She thinks she knows everything about...everything. I've bet she's never even seen this planet til now."

Gabriel stood up with a glare. "You know nothing about my princess!" he shouted. He looked down at the floor. "I read her mind when she first came to our world. She left our world to protect the whole fairy realm's king and his family. She was only four when her parents were beheaded right in front of her. On Earth, she was beaten every day of her life by the person who was suppose to watch over her. Care for her. Chad, Danny, and Sandy were unable to do anything for her for they were too young to keep Kate." He looked at Inuyasha. "You know how it feels for one to hurt you because of what makes you different. She couldn't hide her green hair or the crystal on Earth. The princess lost her memory just like the prince did after being attacked by the ones who started the war. She couldn't fight back. She didn't have magic. She..just had...to take it all."

Gabriel shivered. Kagome quickly went to him and wrapped her arms around him. "She's a strong fairy," she told him as she sat down with him. "She wants you to be strong as well. Eat something so that you can take care of her, okay?" Gabriel nodded. "Inuyasha, why don't you..."

Inuyasha wasn't there. He was sitting in the tree outside the hut, watching the children in the courtyard. They were whispering about something. Others paid no mind, children were children, but Inuyasha could hear what they were talking about. He didn't like it. They were talking about a little girl sitting in front of the lake. A freak.

Silently, he followed the kids, keeping out of sight. At last, they reached the lake, but stayed behind the bushes. Inuyasha looked from his spot. From there, he could see Kate talking to a...cat? No, it was a demon. No...it was a half demon. The little half demon seemed to be upset about something. Kate patted his head. He was lost. He was trying to find its father. He pointed to the other side of the lake. Seeing how wet Kate was, she must have dived in to save the half demon. Picking up the demon, she stepped out onto the water and slowly made her across.

Inuyasha heard the group gasp. Putting the cat demon on dry land, he thanked her and went on his way. Kate waved to it and made her way back. When she reached the bank, the children decided to make their attack. They ran out of the bushes and circled her. The leader stood in the middle with her. He pushed her, but she didn't do anything back.

"Why didn't you let that hairball drown?" he demanded.

Kate looked at him. "All beings should be given a chance to live," she said. "Besides, he wasn't doing anything to you. You just pushed him in and left him to die. What gives you the right to do things like that? Are you a god? No. So stop trying to decide another's fate without knowing him first."

The leader rolled his eyes. "For a child, you sure try to talk tough. I'm a slayer's son. It's my job to destroy demons like him."

"A slayer's job is to protect the innocent and destroy demons that are killing humans. That cat demon was not doing anything. He was just trying to find his father."

Another boy stepped forward. "My mother said that hanyou are just filthy creatures and should be wiped off the fact of the world," he said.

"Hanyou are not filthy. They have a mixture of human and demon blood. Nothing wrong with that. I've seen all kinds of creatures with all kinds of mixture of blood. No, the only filthy ones I have seen are you. You dirty yourselves with the words you speak. Go home and leave me in peace."

"I bet she is a hanyou herself," the leader said.

"What if I am? Would you actually pick on a little girl? Huh. Some slayer's son you turned out to be."

The leader picked her up and threw her into the lake. When she tried to resurface, he held her down under the water. As the other kids cheered him on, something landed softly behind them.

"Why don't you kids head home?" Inuyasha growled.

The kids screamed and ran back to the town. Slowly, Kate climbed out of the lake. With a quiet 'thank you' she rung out of her hair. Inuyasha sat down on the ground. "Why did you let those kids call you a hanyou?" he asked. "You're not a hanyou."

Kate looked at him. "I know," she said. "You see yourself as they see you. I used to think that way, too. No friends. My brothers were my only family yet they were seen as normal. Before my parents died, they talked about ways to make me seem normal, but they never came up with a solution. Just because you get used to the way someone calls you doesn't mean it's true. You're half demon and half human. That makes you special. Different. Not a freak. Not filthy. It takes someone who is new to the whole thing to show you that it's ok to be different. Kagome doesn't view you that way. She sees you as a friend. So do the others. And so do I."

"Feh," Inuyasha said making Kate giggle. "Come on. We better get back to the town. That little brat is worried about you."

Kate nodded as he stood. Together they walked back to village. It was silent, but the silence was a nice one. Inuyasha thought about what he had learned about Kate. She didn't talk as much as the brat. Hell, she didn't even talk. All she did was look around and studied everything. At night, he could sense that she was still awake as Gabriel slept beside her. She reminded him of...well, him. On the road, people seem to try to stay clear of her even when she looked normal.

Kate also reminded him of Kagome. She was caring and sweet. She helped anyone who was in need. Kate had helped Kagome give first aid to an old man who had been attacked by a demon. She had used her magic to heal the wounds that would have killed him for sure. Even Shippou had taken a liking to her. He asked almost as many questions as Gabriel did.

A strange mixture indeed.

"Kate! Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha was brought out of his thought at the sound of Kagome's voice. Kate giggled as she was tackled by Gabriel, who handed her a steaming clay cup. After smelling it, she happily took it and began to drink. Inuyasha sniffed and frowned.

"What is that?" he asked.

"Sunshine tea," Gabriel said as he held up a strange looking teapot. "It wasn't hard to make. There is a lot of sunshine out."

"It was...very interesting the way he made it," Miroku said as he, Sango, and Shippou joined them. "Can you do the same with moonlight?"

Gabriel nodded. "I love Moonlight tea," he said. "Prince Chad makes it better. He knows which lights make the best tea. Clouds, too."

"Sounds nasty to me," Inuyasha said.

Kate sighed. "It's good," she said. "Though, I think you cooked it a little too long. It's better to collect sunlight at dawn when it's fresh. Remember that. Other than that, it's really good."

Gabriel smiled. "Ok. Thank you."

Kagome smiled at Inuyasha. Inuyasha looked at her. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said as she shook her head.

Inuyasha shook her head. Kagome was a strange girl.

Far away, two others like Gabriel and Kate were tied up in a dark room. Water dripped from the ceiling, hitting one in the head. It brought him out of the deep sleep he had been in. His dull grey eyes looked around until they spotted the person beside him.

"Aquaria? Aquaria? Are you ok?" he asked, waking the blonde girl beside him.

She opened her blue eyes and looked at him wearily. "Mike? Is that you?" she asked. "Where are we? What are we doing here?"

Mike looked around. "That weird woman and that little girl brought us here," he said. "They have Kate's flute and probably are coming after her next since she is the one who knows how to use it." He tried to move his hands but found the bound behind him. "Aquaria, do you think you can cut these ropes? I have a feeling that Kate is near. Maybe I can send a message to her. When I recover my strength, I'll sneak out of here and try to find her."

Aquaria nodded. Her brother always came up with good plans. Staring at the water, a drop stopped before it hit the ground and came toward them. As she used the water drop to free her brother, Mike concentrated on sending a message to Kate using his power over wind. Hopefully, she would answer him.

"Kate, why do you sit all alone here?" Kagome said as she sat on the hill beside Kate.

Kate looked at her. "I'm waiting for a sign or a message. Mike and Aquaria are out there and I plan on finding them," she said. "It is my duty to save them. Mike is the future king and my best friend. I shall save him."

Kagome nodded her head and sat silently beside her. Meanwhile, Gabriel sat in front of the fire as he stirred the tea in the strange looking teapot. It had a removable top, but there was not spout to pour the tea out of. Miroku and Shippou watched as they tried to figure it out. Suddenly, Gabriel's head popped up.

"A message," he said as he looked around.

Shippou stared at him. "A message?" he said as he looked around. "There is no one here."

"A message on the winds. It's from Michelvalo, Prince of Fairyland. He's in danger."

"We know that. What does the message say?"

Gabriel closed his eyes. "It says...that...he is tied up in a dark room with his sister Aquaria. She is trying to free him as he speaks. This...Naraku fellow is after Kate so that he can use the flute. He plans on getting free and finding us as soon as he can. I better send him a message. Kate is too weak to sense the message and probably too weak to send one to him. Maybe I can find a way to figure out where he is as well. Please, I need silence."

Miroku nodded and left Shippou with him. He went over to Kate and Kagome. "It's been a week since you have taken the poison," he said as he stretched. "How many more days til you will be your regular self?"

Kate smiled. "What is the matter, Miroku?" she joked. "Don't like that I'm a little kid? Can't bear your children if I'm a child myself." Kagome and Kate began to laugh. When they finally stopped, they wiped away the tears. "Sorry. Couldn't help myself. I'm so sorry. I should be better in an hour or so. I know already about the message, Miroku. I felt it and I told him my own message. Gabriel will try to have a mind to mind conversation with him. He'll be able to get a bearing of where Mike and his sister is." Kate sighed. "I'm so happy that they are ok."

Kagome took Kate's hand. "We are going to get your friends and flute back, Katherine," she promised.

Kate nodded and looked back up to the stars.

Kay: Yay!

Chelsea: Stop rhyming with your name.

Kay: Never!

Chelsea: Stop shouting!

Kay: Never!

Chelsea: Stop shouting never!

Kay: Never Never Never!

Caitlin: One more never and I'll hide your cookie supply.

Kay: N- say what?! Give me back my cookies!!!

Chelsea: Thank you.

Caitlin: I didn't do that for you. She was getting on my nerves. Any way. Those of you out there reading this, go review this story.

Kay: What's the magic word?

Caitlin: NOW!

Chelsea: That's not the magic word.

Caitlin: It is for me.