A dark, malicious chuckle filled the small space directed at the small mirror held by a girl-child. Her skin was so pale it was like paper and was dressed in a plain kimono just as white as the rest of her. Her black, dead-looking eyes didn't seem focus on anything, but just stared on blankly.

The one who had made the horrible noise sat across from her. Most of his form was concealed from view by a large white baboon pelt, but his mouth was visible, twisted into a smirk that promised pain, under the dead animal's face.

He was focused with utmost concentration on the mirror in the pale girl's hands, and the scene it was soundlessly depicting. A short, violently red-haired girl was sitting cross-legged on the forest floor with a angry and confused look on her face, staring at a break between the trees where a bandana-clad boy had exited hours before. The masked man chortled again before addressing the child.

"Kanna, did you notice that Inuyasha," He spoke the name with particular hate-filled emphasis. "and his friends have taken in two more comrades." The gleeful smile on his face didn't match his malevolent tone when speaking of the shard-hunters. Kanna didn't answer but the baboon covered man didn't seem to mind, idly twisting more than a third of a dark purple, almost black jewel in his hand musingly.

"Well, I should meet them properly, especially this girl." The picture in the mirror had moved to show the red-head pacing from one edge to the other restlessly. Kanna may have been dead for all she reacted. The dark hanyou spent a couple more minutes taking in the scene on the mirror before disappearing. Kanna blinked once slowly and turned to look out the window, the image in her mirror fading, and taking in the miasma clouds blocking the sky; before exiting without a backward glance.

XXXXXXXX

Ranma was confused, annoyed, freaked, confused, agitated, worried, confused, and exasperated, but most of all confused. Why would Ryoga react that way when she called him pig-boy? He'd looked almost disappointed… and what was with the "Before you were a girl" comment. She'd been a girl this whole time hadn't she? Or had she been a boy before like Ryoga said, and he still considered her as such? And what was with this anger that still continued to come up whenever someone called her female?

The red-head huffed irritably and rose from her sitting position so she could pace the space between trees. Maybe it would help her think, she snorted out loud. There probly wasn't anything that could help her think right now.

"Hello girl." Except maybe punching someone in the face, Ranma gritted her teeth and turned slowly to face the speaker. He was male, judging by the voice, but his face and body were covered by a pelt so she couldn't see his features. He was smirking, apparently expecting her to fear him or something, but this only served to fuel Ranma's silent rage.

She wasn't getting a good feeling from this guy; he had a nasty air about him.

"You shouldn't group with certain people; it might make you some enemies. And small women like you really can't have that, can they?" His voice was hinting toward glee as he apparently took the red-head's shaking for fear.

"Oh, I don't suppose so. Since I obviously wouldn't be able to take out scum like you would I?" The hanyou blinked and shifted as the women he'd been addressing, suddenly disappeared. Before fiery pain exploded across his back and the hood fell back in his haste to spot the attacker, revealing long, slick black hair and chilling red eyes, slowly darkening in fury.

The girl was long gone, and he'd make sure not to underestimate her next time. Whatever she was, no normal human could give that many hits in a second with that kind of force. With these morbid and frustrating thoughts, Naraku took to the skies and headed toward his most recent castle to ponder his newest target.

XXXXXXXXX

Ranma ran as fast as she could through the trees. When she'd attacked that demon, she realized what he was now; a blast of dark had come from him that nearly knocked her back. He most definitely did not spell out good, and if they didn't already know, the inu-tachi needed to be warned. Naraku was in the area and right under their noses.

As suddenly as they always came on, one of the memories came onto the red-head forcefully, causing her to miss the next branch and come crashing to the forest floor from twenty feet up, breaking foliage as she went.

The red-head barely noticed this and only let out a small groan with she hit the ground with a thunk! The barrage of images was accompanied with snatches of voices this time and all of the information was overwhelming her.

The fat man looking over his shoulder at her. "Just over this pass and we'll be at Jusenkyo m'boy…"

Rain soaking through the red shirt she wore, accompanied with an odd tingling throughout her body and the cold feeling of dread in her stomach. "Married…?"

A large, leering face above her and the coarse feeling of wet ropes on her bare arms. "You can control the curse if you just tried…"

The face of a purple-haired Chinese girl grinning up at her. "Is sure, medicine will work."

Ranma nearly passed out. It was all definitely too much, but one unexplainable thought went through her mind as she stuttered to her feet.

'What about Akane?'

"So, you're really gonna try it?" Concern, definitely. Bitter smoke, Ryoga's voice, and a bright flash of light, then dark nothing.

The pain in her head dimmed slowly as Ranma panted and leaned heavily against the tree.It wasn't hard to figure out. That had been her last memory before whatever happened to bring her here, and there'd been someone else there to see it.

But what she couldn't figure was how they got taken through time.

'It musta been somethin' in that bag of his.' Ranma mused thinking of Ryoga's large pack he was forever lugging around and straightening slowly. The memories and the pain they brought were gone now, leaving faint reminiscences.

When the red-head was well enough to look up, she was surprised to find the sky lightening under the sun's rays. She'd spent the whole night out here and, typically, immediately following this discovery several voices rang out through the still air shouting her name.

Ranma shook her head once to clear it and headed toward the gang at a run. They were that much closer to home now, she could feel it.

Whooo, two in like… a month I think? That should be a record ^^'. Ah well, thank a bunch too everybody who reviewed. YOU'RE THE REASON FOR THIS CHAP! ty and review *love and cookies*

*edit

There ppl I HAVE FIXED THE defiantly of definitely error xD I'm sorry I'm terrible at spelling… and typing too apparently.