Chapter three

Night had fallen and Kanna sat far away from the rest of the group and she watched them just as Inuyasha watched her. The entire group sat around the campfire. They had decided due to the unforeseen outcome of the day that they should camp out here for the night.

"I still say we should kill her." Inuyasha grumbled as he lay on the ground; however never taking his eyes off Kanna.

"For the last time, we are not killing her." Kagome said angrily

"But she is one Naraku's little cronies. How long before he comes to get her?" The hanyou demanded "If we got rid of her it would strike a major blow against Naraku."

"A moments ponder Inuyasha." Miroku said softly "If Naraku did wish to retrieve Kanna, why has he not already done so?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something but no words came out, so instead Sango answered. "We know Naraku has no problem with just throwing away those in his service. Perhaps it is due to Kanna's sudden transformation."

Kagome yawned. "Maybe we should all just get some sleep first and talk about this in the morning." She gestured to the already sleeping Shippo, who laid curled up on Kagomes lap. Her own eyes were getting heavy as well.

Everyone nodded and agreed that sleep might do them all some good.

(Kanna's POV)

I had to get away from these people. Something was wrong with me and I needed to return to Naraku so that he could fix me.

However it had proven difficult; that half-breed Inuyasha was always watching me, always looking at me, making sure I never left his sight. It was no secret how much he wanted to kill me. I had heard him clear as day.

This change that had given me these new ears on my head had increased my hearing greatly. The slightest sound of a twig snapping was almost deafening to me. And these smells, oh these smells that entered my nose. Even though I was far from it the smell of smoke from that fire was suffocating to me.

But at last I saw an opportunity to escape. I saw the group preparing to sleep. I watched them curl around the fire as the last of its embers began to die.

And then I saw Inuyasha. Although he continued to stare in my direction I could see, with my new eyes, that his own began to droop. I continued to watch and then I saw them completely close. I waited another few moments and then I began to hear the soft movement of his breath.

I smiled; I think it was the first time I had ever done such a thing. I stood up slowly. I needed to be quiet, for if I alerted my captors then I would lose my possibly only chance to return to my master. Once I was completely standing I took one step forward and then I was overcome by something strange.

My body began to feel very weak and would no longer respond to my commands. And then my legs began to wobble, no longer able to hold my weight they gave out and I fell to the ground after a short struggle to remain upright.

I did not make a sound because the moment I hit the ground I became surrounded by darkness.

The next thing I knew, I was not where I had been but rather in a village. I was surrounded by so many villagers. Men, women, and children; all of them walking past me as if I didn't exist. Maybe I did not exist. Maybe I had died and returned as a ghost. If this was death then it was very strange. I had always assumed that when I died I would simply enter a dark and empty void of oblivion.

I watched all of these villagers in wonder. They all seemed so happy and content in their lives. I watched a group of men talking with each other about how good their crops had done. I saw older women talking with a young pregnant girl, asking her what she was going to name the child. And I stared at some small children running around and playing a game. Everyone so happy and satisfied, and the air itself seemed to have a calm to it.

And then suddenly that calm was ruined with the sound I was so familiar with: screaming.

Every villager turned as did I to see where the source of the screaming had come from. I saw a several people running and staggering, all the time screaming. And then they all took one final step and then their bodies seemed to freeze. And they all fell to the ground dead. When they fell to the ground everyone could see who their attacker was. My eyes widened when I saw; it was me.

Or to be more specific, it was the original me. My face void of all emotion, my eyes black as night, and I carried my mirror.

I watched myself raise the mirror and I saw it glow. I knew what was going to happen, and for some reason I turned to all the villagers who appeared to be frozen in terror and I shouted "RUN."

However, they did not hear me. They could not hear me, because I watched them all fall to the ground almost in unison. My heart was racing, how many times had I done this before, stealing the souls of others? I had felt nothing then, no remorse, pity, or regret. This situation was nothing new to me. But now, I was seeing it through new eyes. And what I saw made me sick to my stomach.

Then I saw the old Kanna turn and face me. She raised the mirror and I felt my heart jump to my throat. The mirror became a vortex much like the kazaana Naraku cursed the monk with and I felt my entire being sucked into it. Then suddenly I was somewhere else.

I was in dark place with no light, but I could still see. I could see so clearly and what I could see was Naraku. It was not the Naraku many knew, it was what he really looked like. A numerous collection of other demons that had been formed into one being. A being that was constantly being changed, moved and sorted. Some pieces staying, others being tossed aside.

And then I saw one of those pieces shift and wither. I saw something move along inside it. It bulged and grew like a sore and then something burst out of it. Some sort of purple ooze seeped out of opening and slimed onto the ground. And in the slime I saw something. It was covered in the purple ooze but I saw it move. I watched as the slime fall of it and when the last of it was gone my hand shot to my mouth in horror. It was me. I was witnessing my birth.

I looked at myself lying on the ground in the fetal position, covered with mucus. Naraku then stood above me with a white kimono and put it on for me, moving me rather roughly but I did nothing. My gaze was blank and empy "Rise, my servant." he told me, and I did once I could move on my own. "You are my first creation, proving my power is greater than any others. You will serve only me; do whatever I command without objection."

"Yes, master." The version of me I'm looking at says, somehow just knowing how to speak and what to say. Naraku designed all his servants that way; some just have more freedom than others in what they say. "How may I serve you?"

Naraku smiled in a way that actually made me feel... bothered, but the other me just sat there. "If the process worked as intended, you should have the power to steal the souls of the living, as well as be completely undetectable except by sight alone. In a moment I want to test your powers to see if this works. If it does, you will be of great use to me, my shade."

And out of the darkness he brought my mirror. He held it out to the other me and I watched myself take it. The moment I saw my hands grasp that mirror a chill ran down my spine.

Then I heard some rustling and out the shadows another pieces of Naraku's many body parts moved. It proved to be a multiple number of tentacles dragging…a struggling young woman. Her screams echoed around.

"Takes this women's soul and prove your worth as my lieutenant." Naraku ordered. His words filled with cold venom.

The other me nodded obediently and then raised the mirror towards the now crying women.

Then I felt something I had never felt. I felt pity for that girl. I did not want to see that girl turned into an empty husk.

I could not stand there and allow this. I ran forward towards myself. I had to stop my former self. I jumped intending on tackling myself. However the moment I made contact with myself everything went black.

My eyes slowly open, and I'm back with Inuyasha's group in the place they fell asleep at, and nothing looks different. Except the sky, since the sun is rising now. And standing above looking down at me was the white haired Hanyou.

"Trying to run off wench?" He asked I noticed his hand was resting eagerly on the hilt of his sword

I was really confused. "What? How did I get back here all of a sudden?"

Inuyasha then too looked confused "Back here? Just where did you go?"

I then realize I'm lying down on the hard ground so I try to get up. For some reason my muscles ache and protest the movement. "I... I don't know. I saw a bunch of weird things and places. A village, Naraku, and somehow myself. Is this some sort of trickery?"

Inuyasha gives me a questioning gaze, but then smirks with what I assume is amusement. "Guess you've never dreamed before."

"What do you mean?" I ask, but he ignores me. I try to stand up, but my legs don't want to cooperate. So I relent and just keep still and relaxed.

The Hanyou chuckled at my pathetic attempt to stand. He then sat down by me; but keeping a good space away.

"Dreams…they are…images in our head; that occur while we sleep." He grumbled.

"Sleep…I was sleeping?" I said confused, I understood the concept of sleeping and had seen several people sleep before. But now I had actually experienced it.

Inuyasha nodded "Yes sleeping, it's what mortals do Kanna, get used to it." He said with a smirk.

"But I saw…I saw myself. Doing things, horrible things?" I said as I felt a sickening feeling return to my stomach.

Inuyasha raised a brow. "You had a nightmare." He said absently.

"A…a nightmare?" The word was unknown to me.

"A nightmare…gods I don't even really know, I guess they are manifests of what we fear, or of-" He paused and looked at me with narrowed eyes "bad things we have done in our life."

I looked away from him. I don't know why but I just couldn't meet his gaze, instead I asked him "Do these…dreams happen every time?"

He nodded "Yeah they do, hope you like it."

Inuyasha the turned his gaze away from me and looked back at the others, all of them were still sleeping soundly. However the monk was moving. His arms were outstretched and his hands were squeezing the air; what could he be doing in his dream, it must have been good one because he had a very big smile on his face.