Hinata blinked her eyes open as the sunset caressed her pale cheeks. She sat up, yawning and rubbing her eyes in the dim fading light. She looked beside her to see her caretaker, Amaya, sleeping peacefully beside her, mouth open slightly as she snored faintly. Hinata giggled slightly at the sight. She looked out the window, a palm supporting her chin. The guards had already switched shifts as a different pair of soldiers rode alongside the carriage.

Suddenly a shadow flickered in the woods bordering the dirt path along which their procession traveled. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, trying to pinpoint its location. She managed to catch a glint of something in the dim lighting before it disappeared. Hurriedly she turned to Amaya, shaking the redhead awake gently.

"Huh? Wah?" she mumbled, looking around in confusion, "Milady, have we arrived?"

"No," Hinata assured her, shaking her head, "Ama-chan, I saw something strange in the woods just now. I don't know what it was…"

"Probably a deer, milady, there is no need for alarm," she shrugged.

"I'm not sure what it was," Hinata shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself, "but I don't like the feeling I get from these woods."
"I'm afraid I don't understand milady," Amaya shook her head as she leaned across her charge to glance out the window.

"It's almost like this forest is sad. The very wind, as it blows through the trees, cries out for us to leave; warning us."

"The trees, milady? I'm afraid you've been listening to too many of Chie's stories," she chuckled at the wary princess, who continued to scan the surrounding wood with untrusting eyes.

"I'm so sure those were stories Ama-chan," she muttered under her breath as she continued her vigilant watch.

"Go back to sleep milady, I'll let you know when we arrive," she attempted to coax the suspicious girl.

"There it is again!" she cried, pointing at a fast approaching shape in the woods.

"I don't see…" suddenly the woman turned a ghostly white, the light vanishing from her eyes, "Oh, Kami spare us! A demon!" Amaya cried hysterically, "Milady, come away from the window, it is not safe!"

Suddenly there was a chorus of alarmed shouting outside and all at once metal could be heard against metal. Screams of anguish and fright pierced the young woman's mind, ringing relentlessly in her ears. Pounding, aching; desperate pleas for help filled her senses. She couldn't handle it. Make it stop! Make it stop, please! She thought sorrowfully, clutching her head and closing her eyes shut.

Gathering her courage she chanced a look out the window, when she saw it. In the setting sun, the looming shadow of what looked like a giant, horned man with wicked curved fangs was swinging a great sword in sweeping arcs. With each blow of the ghastly weapon a body fell, either cleaved in half, or no longer whole. She fought the urge to wretch as she saw a few of the mangled bodies twitch slightly, their owners eyes shadowed with madness and fear.

She was hit with overwhelming sensations as the smell of blood overpowered her senses. She gripped the frame of the carriage to keep from falling out the window to the ground below.

"Milady," a soldier addressed her, "please, we must take you somewhere safe. We cannot risk you while the demon continues to overpower us."

"I will not leave while those I know are slaughtered!" she protested, making to leave the carriage while reaching for the sword resting on the seat in front of her despite the urge to run coursing through, grating against her will bit by bit.

"Milady, you cannot fight that…thing! Neither I nor anyone here could bear to see you hurt or worse yet killed!" Amaya reminded her fiercely.

"Lady Hinata, we don't have much time!" the guard nearly begged her.

Taking a final glance at the rapidly nearing monster she gave a silent nod of consent before she climbed from the carriage, sword clutched firmly in her shaking hand. She watched the others warily as the guard assisted Amaya in climbing from the transport. More guards ran past her in an attempt to slow the monster before it could reach them. To her horror man after man fell to a powerful strike delivered with an angry bellow from the demon.

"Come, milady," Amaya reached for her hand, dragging her along at a troubled pace after the already retreating guard.

"Amaya, why did this happen? What will we do," she whispered bitterly as another painful cry echoed through the cool autumn air.

"There is nothing we can do but make ourselves as far away from here as we can. We must always protect you first, milady," Amaya answered kindly despite her obviously panicked state.

A sudden tremor shook the ground as they heard the demon let out a fearsome howl. She shivered in terror while she spotted two horses trying madly to free themselves from their bonds at the head of a second carriage. The guard strode up to the frightened animals, his eyes flashing bright silver for a moment before he seized the reins of the frightened creatures.

"Here," he said, handing the leads to the pale-eyed woman, "take them and get as far away from here as possible," he ordered her.

She stared at him in bewilderment. Why are there only two horses?

"Wait, Akio…you don't mean…"

"Hai, milady, my destiny is to keep you safe, and that is all," he told her, smiling kindly and giving a slight bow.

"Please Aki-nii-san," she hugged him sadly, "please be safe."

"It's alright Hina-nee-chan," he returned the embrace, "I'll see you and Neji back home, ne," he smiled good-naturedly at her, despite the worry painfully evident in his eyes.

Why does it feel like your lying? She thought tears watering in her own eyes. She feared for her cousin's safety as another earth-shaking bellow ripped through the air. Hinata bit her lip to fight back the flood of emotion that threatened to overcome her.

Forcing herself, she turned around, only to stop, frozen in her tracks. The demon stood before her, his cruel blade poised for attack. Reacting in time she rolled away as the weapon fell in a mighty swing, cracking the ground where she stood only moments before; kicking up a cloud of dust in its wake. Hinata opened her eyes, breathing heavily as her tormentor turned to face her through the retreating cloud of dirt. When the dust rolled back, what she saw made her blood run cold and her body began to shake violently.

Behind the demon she could make out a bloodied torn form, lying in a pool of crimson blood. She froze as Amaya's fearful, struggling gaze rested on her; pleading and helpless the woman expelled her last breath, her eyes trapped in an empty stare.

Hinata's eyes followed the woman's mournful gaze to the body beside her, almost screaming out as she saw the armless mass of disfigured flesh that use to be Akio. Her breathing became labored and heavy as she looked back to the demon, only to see its sword raised before bringing it down in one powerful motion.

Stormy blue eyes drifted open as a familiar presence greeted him.

"So, you awaken, my lord," a deep voice greeted him.

The blonde youth sat up to scrutinize the being speaking with him. Most would have been surprised at the warrior's appearance, but to him it was a regular occurrence.

Leaning against the tree in his usual lazy manor was a handsome young man, with pitch black hair and piercing blue eyes, covered from head to toe in fiery red armor reminiscent to that of a samurai's. A long black and gold sheath was strapped to his waist as he manipulated the wind to swirl the cherry blossoms around the pair in a fragile curtain around them. The only peculiarity being a bushy red tail protruding from a gap in the armor, that swished the ground impatiently as he fixed his intense blue gaze on his master.

"Hai, Take-san," he acknowledged the kitsune* master, "What news do you bring me?"

"It seems there is a demon heading towards an oncoming caravan. Should I take measures to stop it, my lord?"

"Hai, I will accompany you myself; a Shuten-dōji** no doubt," he answered his subordinate, standing so he could more easily look the disguised kitsune in the eye.

"Hai, my lord," he answered reaching behind him and unhooking a strange blue ball from a pouch strapped to his belt.

He held it gingerly in his hands, its surface swirling with an unearthly iridescence. It looked as if a tiny storm was brewing in the confines of its shape, a spark igniting with its depths.

"We shall leave immediately," he nodded to his superior before the ball expanded to swallow them both.

The young lord lurched suddenly, surrounded by a blinding blue light. He shut his eyes tightly to avoid any permanent damage to his sight. Faintly he could here the kitsune across from him chuckle in amusement. Lord of the fox demons, as he was, he still had the same vulnerabilities and weaknesses as a human. The blonde smirked knowingly at the thoughts running through his companion's mind.

"You find something amusing, Take-san," he commented dangerously.

"This container you choose, my lord. You are already half-kitsune, as your training progresses, yet you continue to hide in your human shell instead of letting free your nobler attributes," he commented, referring to the way the young man was slowly becoming a kitsune, gaining an ears and tail of his own recently, though he kept both features well hidden under carefully practiced henge***.

"It is better not to alarm the humans, they see something they don't know, so they fear it and try to destroy it," he answered simply and truthfully; shrugging a shoulder to prove his point.

"You yourself were human not too long ago," Take-san, or Takeshi, pointed out, "are you saying you share the same foolish qualities?"

"Yes and no. I once thought as they did, though I was less extreme in my fear. Now I understand the whole truth and share the same beliefs as you and the others."

"What an unusual human you are my lord," he chuckled dryly.

"So I have been told…"

Both could feel the energy recede around them. In reality it had only taken them seconds to travel though to them it felt like minutes. The fox caringly tucked away the ball of energy once the light faded from his eyes.

"We have arrived, my lord."

"Hai."

The first thing the warrior noticed was the overpowering stench of burned and decaying flesh. Opening his eyes he was greeted with a sight so grotesque and riddled with such carnage it would have turned away the fiercest of human souls. But then again, he was no longer entirely human. Blood was splattered on the ground, pouring in rivers from the dismantled corpses dotting the dusty path. He looked down nonchalantly at a decapitated head staring accusingly at him from the ground.

"Tsk," the kitsune beside him chided, covering his nose one of its hands, "why do demons always have to leave such a big, stinking mess."

"Quit complaining and let's get this thing a get out; I highly doubt the possibility of any survivors here."

"Impatient today aren't you, my lord," he smirked at his superior's unease.

"I don't like the feeling about this…" he murmured, walking forward past the broken and burning bodies.

"Hai, my lord, I have sensed it as well," the kitsune agreed solemnly, bowing his head remorsefully.

"Come, Take-san," he continued on through the broken battle ground.

Soon a gargantuan shadow came into view, it turned to them, bellowing with rage; eyes ablaze. It sent a shockwave ripping through the earth towards them as it brought its foot down hard. The two trained fighters leaped out of the way with practiced speed and coordination. Using the tree behind him and his own momentum the blonde launched himself at the beast. In one smooth motion he revealed his katana, slicing through the monster's arm as he met its attack. Landing skillfully on the ground behind it he was aware of its screams of rage. No doubt Takeshi had just finished the demon using his own cursed blade. He stood, flicking his blade slightly so the demonic black blood slid from its surface in a single flowing motion, burning the ground as it made contact.

Something caught his attention suddenly as he sheathed his sword with ease. Someone was lying in front of him, however, unlike the others she was not bathed in blood. He sniffed the air around her carefully before determining that she wasn't dead. Her clothes were torn in places while her raven-black hair hid her undoubtedly battered face from view.

"Oi, Take-san; it seems one is still alive," he called to the fox-warrior, who was at this point wiping off his own weapon.

"Really? What is it?" he questioned as he made his way over, peering curiously over the other man's shoulder, "a human female; would you look at that…"

Without a word the blonde bent over, noticing the broken sword lying at her side. She must have tried to meet the demons attack, he observed, who is she? As he gathered her in his arms he could sense Takeshi tense behind him. He turned to face him only to see him bristling and snarling, no longer in human form but that of a rust-red fox. His tail was doubled in size as his eyes fixed on the prone girl.

"Take-san?" he questioned sharply, suddenly alarmed by the strange behavior of the vulpine.

"That girl," it snarled, still poised for attack, "she smells of, no s-she is…a demon!"

Here it is chapter two. I apologize for not commenting in the earlier chapter as I have made some edits to it and had to replace the document. Hopefully it hasn't caused any trouble for my readers; if so I'm very sorry and hope you will enjoy these next few installments. Why does Hinata smell like a demon? Will the young warrior's name ever be revealed? Why was she attacked? What is the cause behind Takeshi's strange reaction when he is a demon himself? All these questions will eventually be answered. See you next time on Quest of the Jinchuurikii! Reviews are encouraged. Ja ne!

*Kitsune—a supernatural fox

**Shuten-dōji—an infamous princess-kidnapping, bloodthirsty oni

***Henge—a form of disguise or shape shifting