Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I only own the plot and Hikari.
~Stars Of The Moon~
Chapter 19
"W... where am I?"
Everything was black. She couldn't see, hear, or feel anything. There was no light, no sound, no touch. She wasn't sure of anything. "What is this place? Why is it so dark...? Am I dead?"
She tried to remember what might have happened. Nothing really came in mind. The images flowing in her head were all pitch black. "What happened? Why can't I remember..."
There was one thing she was sure of. Her name.
"Hikari..." She tried to open her eyes, but something heavy prevented her from doing so. She gave in and thought once more. "My name... Hikari... Light. So why is it so dark?"
For the first time since she was concious, she felt the heavy feeling moving away from her. Instead, something warm replaced it.
She could finally open her eyes.
The first little glimpse she saw was the color purple. As she blinked, the image began to clear. A bald stranger was looking over her. She frowned ever so slightly. "Who..." She was certain that she's never seen this man before.
He smiled when he saw her eyes finally open. "Ah, you're awake," he said in a gentle voice. He sighed. "We were getting worried."
This made her frowned even more. "We...?" She didn't trust this man. Who was he, what happened, what was he doing, why was he helping her... There were so many questions running in her head.
He was aware that she seemed supicious of him. He sighed, looked behind him, and said, "Alright, don't yell when I do this."
His face was approching hers very slowly. Her eyes grew wide in panic. "What the hell is he doing?" She couldn't even move in to slap him. Her body still wasn't functioning properly.
And all of a sudden, the purple tattoos appeared on his face.
Hikari's eyes grew even wider, this time in shock. She was about to shout something, but he clamped her mouth shut. He growled, "Come on, I told you not to scream!"
She decided to keep quiet, and he let go. She breathed in some air, and whispered the first word she's ever spoken since she woke up. "Renkotsu..."
The bald man smiled again. "Glad to see you're back to your senses." And the tattoos disappeared.
She tried to sit up, but he kept her down. "Don't get up yet. You're still not fully recovered," he said in a warning tone.
"Recovered...?"
Finally, everything came back. What happened the day before, or even two days before hit her like a wave. Her jumping into battle, the pain in her shoulder sucking out the rest of her energy away... all the demons surrounding Jakotsu, her getting closer to the pile of youkai and shreading them one by one... the huge pain on her back... and finally Bankotsu trying to reach for her as everything went black...
"Bankotsu!"
"Where...?" she huffed with big eyes.
"We're at Suikotsu's village," he said. "The hut we're in right now is the place where the orphan children sleep." And he started explaining everything. "After a demon whipped your back, you passed out. We managed to handle off the demons, but we got a few injuries ourselves."
Then, when he pulled up his sleeve to wet the towel in a bol of water, she noticed the scars the demons must have left. They didn't look like fresh wounds, so someone must have taking care of it.
He dipped the towel into the water and continued, "When came here as fast as we could. None of us knew anything about healing, and Suikotsu's doctor form wouldn't come out. Bankotsu, Jakotsu and I arrived here, in disguises of course, and got you to the priestess of the village."
"A priestess?"
"Yes, she lived here, in this hut with the children for a few months now. We explained what happened, and she healed us, and took care of you while we went off on 'walks'."
She narrowed her eyes. "Walks, as in going to the others to give them medicine?"
"Exatly." He pressed the towel onto her forehead. "Apparently, you caught a fever last night because of your wounds."
She shivered at the cool towel's contact. "Ugh, that's cold." She shook it off and tried to sit up again. Renkotsu didn't stop her. When the covers came off, she discovered her whole chest and shoulders wrapped up in bandages. Although her arms were free, she felt like a puppet.
When she tried to move her right arm, pain shot through her shoulder, and she yelped.
Renkotsu gently took her arm back down to her side. "Careful. That part hasn't healed yet."
Hikari sighed. She looked around the small hut and found a few children sleeping. Watching the little kids sleep brought a smile to her face. When she looked outside, she found the sun shining brightly. "Must be around noon," she thought.
She remembered that her first question wasn't even answered in the firt place. Renkotsu mistook it for another question because she couldn't finish it. "Where are the others?"
"Looking around the village, I suppose," he said with a shrug. "Or maybe with Mukotsu, Ginkotsu, and Suikotsu. Those three can't come here."
Her eyes were confused. "I understand Mukotsu because of his condition, and Ginkotsu because of his size... but Suikotsu?"
He whispered to her, "The children regonize both Suikotsu's true form and his doctor form. We don't have enough clothes to diguise him well enough. See, these clothes," he gestured his purple robe, "Are from a monk."
She didn't need to ask how he got those.
"Bankotsu didn't change much. He hid the purple star on his forehead, and took off his armour. Jakotsu let his hair loose, and took some other clothes and accessories. Out of all of us, he was the one nobody could recognize."
A drop of sweat rolled down her head. "I won't even ask. Where do you keep all those clothes?"
Renkotsu shivered in disgust. "Jakotsu keep them hidden."
"Let's... change the subject," she mumbled.
"Say," she said a little louder, "Where's that prietess you were talking about?"
Renkotsu looked outside the door. "She went to gather some herbs with the rest of the children. We took a lot of their supplies, you know."
She looked down. "I feel kinda guilty. I mean, she used all her herbs on us..."
He nodded. "We'll give her a little something in return."
When she stared down at her hands, she started to panic. "My swords!" she suddenly exclaimed. "Where are they?" "They aren't able to hold them! Are they back at the place where we were attacked?"
He somehow knew what she was thinking and said, "Don't worry. Even after you passed out, you clinged onto them like your life depended on it. Look behind you."
She turned her head and foud her swords safe and sound. She sighed in relief. "Thank goodness..."
"I see you're finally awake."
They both turned to the door to see a smiling priestess holding a basket full of herbs. She had short black hair, and looked like she was around her early twenties. There were children surrounding her feet, who they too held tiny bundles of plants.
A smiling child placed her plants down and jumped to Hikari's side. "Are you alright, Lady Hikari?" she asked with worried eyes. "You've asleep for a whole day. Your friends were getting worried."
Hikari blinked in surprise. "You know my name?"
"We told them," said Renkotsu.
"And those demonic blades don't get pass us," the priestess said teasingly. "Who wouldn't recognize the last of the legendary healers? It's a relief your friends arrived in time with you. A few minutes later and you would've caught more than just a fever."
"We took care of you!" another little girl exclaimed. "You're feeling better now, right?"
Hikari smiled warmly. "Of course. It's all thanks to you."
"We did the best we could on your shoulder and back," a boy said shyly. "We're sorry we couldn't make it heal today."
She shook her head. "Oh, no, no. It's fine. Not all wounds can heal in a sinlge day. This isn't your fault."
"Now, children," the priestess hushed. "I need to inspect Lady Hikari's wounds, so I want some of you to go out." She addressed herself to Renkotsu, "I would like you to give us some privacy as well, monk."
He nodded. "Of course. I will return with my other friends."
He stood up, blinked at Hikari, and bowed to the priestess before walking out. That blink was a sign, like saying 'I'll be back' silently.
A few children followed him out, and the only ones left in the hut were Hikari, the priestess, the sleeping children, and a few little girls. As the priestess kneeled down next to her, Hikari said, "So, priestess-"
"Akira, please," she said.
"Okay. Lady Akira, how long do you think it will take for me to recover?" she asked. "I cannot see my own wounds, so I don't know how much longer I will be staying here."
Akira started unwinding the bandages. She smiled. "That's the same thing your lover told me."
Hikari blushed when she realized she was talking about Bankotsu. "L... lover?"
The young woman giggled. "The one with the braid. He was so worried about you, he refused to leave your side just until this morning. When I asked if you were siblings, he said no. So what other relationship would you have with him?"
The L. Healer sighed, and smiled softly. "That sounds so much like him. Always worried about me, even though he knows I'm strong."
Akira turned to one of the girls and said, "Gina, please give me the herbs you gathered."
"Yes, Lady Akira!"
Hikari smiled as the small girl gave her basket to the priestess, and giggled as she bounded away. "They sure are a handful, aren't they?"
The woman laughed. "Only some of the boys. The girls here usually behave very well. The boys just run around, not even bothering to be quiet."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, I know how that is."
When all the bandages were off, Akira's expression was not reassuring. Hikari wondered what bothered her so much. Then again... she remembered that her right shoulder was the one that got damaged.
She whipped her back away from the priestess and saw her narrowed eyes. Clearly she was suspicious of something. Hikari didn't know what to say. Now that she's seen it, it's not like she could hide it.
"Lady Hikari..." Akari said warily. "Did something happen... to your shoulder? Anything you know of?"
The healer sighed. "It's... a very long story... and one I would rather want to forget."
*O*~*O*~*O*
"Brother Bankotsu!"
Bankotsu and Jakotsu turned around to see their 'fellow monk' trailing from behind. He seemed like he was in a rush.
The gay man blinked in confusion. "What do you think got him so worked up? There's nothing interesting in this village."
His leader frowned. "Maybe nothing in the village. But maybe..."
His eyes widened and he dropped all the food he was munching on. Before Renkotsu could even reach them at all, Bankotsu zipped past him, leaving a small dust wind behind him.
The villagers around them stared at the young man run with such speed.
"Ah, youngsters these days," an old man mumbled. "They're in such great form."
A woman whispered to another, "I heard that Lady Hikari, the last of the legendary healers, was severly injured in a battle, and that those men were the ones acompannying her."
"Is that true?" her friend whispered back. "Is Lady Hikari really with Lady Akari?"
"It is," a man in his thirties answered. "I was cut and had to see the priestess. Lady Hikari was lying on the ground. But I couldn't see too well because that braided man was leaning over her so closely..."
"Oh, young love," an old woman said dreamily. "I remember my first love."
Jakotsu snorted as he heard the villagers gossiping. "All going crazy over some little thing. Disgusting." Renkotsu stared his leader leave with surprised eyes, and when Jakotsu reached him, he asked, "So did Hikari wake up?"
The second in command was surprised Jakotsu finally decided to call her by her first name. "Must have been because of what happened in the battlefield..." he thought.
Jakotsu knew what was going through his mind, so he frowned and repeated, "Did she wake up?"
Renkotsu knew it was hard for a gay guy to call Hikari by her name. Embarassing, even. Perhaps he'll accept her more with time. "Yes. I came here to get you as soon as she woke up."
He snorted. "Well that gives Bankotsu something less to worry about. Let's go already," he said as he started walking towards the direction Bankotsu ran off to.
When they arrived, Bankotsu was not inside the hut with Hikari, asking questions of how she was feeling like an idiot. Instead, he was staring at the children play. He was sulking.
"They're not letting you in?" Renkotsu asked.
Bankotsu pouted. "The priestess's taking care of her wounds. Checking them over and over again. Damn it, that's all she's been doing for the past day. Hikari needs fresh air, she needs to go out."
The bald man sighed. "Big Brother, Lady Akira knows better than us. Please, just be patient."
"Easy for you to say," he mumbled, "You've seen her already. You've spoken to her. I haven't even talked to her for a full day."
Inside, Akira was starting to get annoyed from their jabbering. Hikari tried to calm her down. "Please ignore them... Bankotsu's only really worried about me... Just... try to concentrate..."
She cringed as the wet herb touched her scarred back. When Akira rubbed it along her wound, she relaxed. "The problem isn't me, my Lady, it's you," she said. "I can concentrate, but you seem tense."
Hikari sighed. "That's true." She looked out the window and saw Bankotsu's black braid flowing lightly with the wind. She could hear the three men's voices clearly. She smiled. "I've never wanted to become a burden to anyone. But now..."
"Please, Lady Hikari," Akira said in a soothing tone. "Your friends care very much about you. They don't seem to care if you're slowing them down or not. They only want to see you up and working."
She nodded gratefully. "Thank you."
After the priestess finished wrapping up her chest again, and after Hikari's clothes were put back on, she told a child, "Please tell the men who are waiting outside that their friend is coming soon."
"Yes!"
Hikari tried to stand up, and Akari exclaimed, "Oh no! My Lady, please-"
"It's fine," she interrupted. "I may still have a small fever, but I can still stand on my feet. Taking a little fresh air would be nice."
Akari tried to say something everytime she opened her mouth, as if to give her instructions on what she can do outside, but the healer took the words straight out of her mouth. "I won't be out for more than an hour, I won't go any further than a mile, I won't touch anything suspicious, I won't go in the village, I can't play too much with the children, and I shouldn't be jumping or doing anything risky."
The priestess was left without anything to say. She giggled. "That's what I would expect from a legendary healer."
As soon as Hikari was out, Bankotsu grabbed her into a bear hug. He noticed that he was hurting her and lightened his grip. She relaxed. He burried his head in her hair, breathing in her scent once again. Her eyes grew soft. It was times like these Bankotsu would really show his soft side. She smiled, and whispered to his ear, "I'm fine. There isn't any need to worry anymore."
He let her go, placed a hand on her forehead, and stared into her eyes. "You sure you're not going to die now? You'll be fine in a few days? Your fever's gonna go down?"
"You can be sure of that. I won't die from a tiny fever," she said as she shook his hand off.
"It's nice to see you're back on your feet," Renkotsu said.
She winked at him. "It's great to be back on my feet."
"Hey."
They all stared at Jakotsu. He didn't seem to want to meet Hikari's eyes. When all eyes fell on him, he kept shifting his glance nervously everytime. "Just... heal quickly so we can move again."
He had this pain in his gut, and he knew he wouldn't get rid of it if he didn't say anything to her. Was he... sorry for her? Sorry for the trouble he had to put her through? "What the hell? Why should I be sorry because of what happened to her? It was her fault for getting in the way..."
Hikari smiled. She knew what he wanted to say. It was already hard enough for him to talk directly to her. She nodded. "Sure."
"Let's go back the rest of them," the 'monk' suggested. "They aren't very far, and I'm sure they want to see you in person."
Hikari nodded once again. "Lead the way."
*O*~*O*~*O*
~Dream~
Suikotsu grunted as he woke up in some dark place. He growled, "Great. Why am I here again?"
He looked around as if he were searching for something. But a fog was covering the whole place. He couldn't see a thing. "Hurry up and show yourself! I want to know why you brought me here! Do you need me to torture you again so you can finally give up?"
"I'm not here to cause any trouble," a soft yet shaky voice said.
"Spill it already!" Suikotsu snapped.
A man almost identical to him stepped out of the shadows. Though he seemed calm, the mercenary could see slight fear in his eyes. The man had sleek hair and an innocent face. Totally the opposite of Suikotsu.
The mercenary scowled. "What do you want? I've already had a bad day. I hope you're not going to make it worse."
"I know what is happening with Lady Hikari," the doctor said suddenly.
Suikotsu stiffened. "What do you have anything to do with her?" he demanded.
The doctor held his head up high. "Not matter how much I want to forget it, I am you, and you are me. I can see everything through your eyes. I've seen the people die, I've seen and heard everything you do with your brothers. I've seen how sick Lady Hikari was."
Suikotsu scowled even more as the man continued to speak. "She's sick with a fever, and her back is wounded. She won't be able to move a lot. And you feel completly helpless because you can't do anything. You are partly blaming yourself for being so useless."
The mercenary growled. "Don't you talk to me like that!" he yelled in fury. "I'm not as soft as you are! I'm not as weak as you are!"
"But you're still worried," the man cut him off. Even he started yelling. "Lady Hikari is hurt, and yet you can't do anything. After all she's done for you, you can't offer her anything to feel better."
Suikotsu blinked. He didn't let his surprise show. Not only did he figure out what was bothering him so much - as much as he didn't want to admit it - but the doctor somehow gained more confidence. In other cases, he'd try to hide from everything. But not now... Why?
He snorted. "Why would you care about how I think of this? Hikari's strong, she'll heal well enough. And there's priestess in that village who's taking care of her."
"I doesn't matter to me if you care or not. But I want to help Lady Hikari."
He remembered how weak and small Hikari looked when she visited them. Her smile didn't fool any of them. She was sick, it was as clear as day. He hated to see her like that. "And why would that be?" the mercenary retorted.
The doctor froze. For once, he was without words. Apparently, he regained in mouth a few moments later. This time, his gaze avoided his other half's, and his eyes were softer. "I can't afford to watch a kind woman like her suffer from an injury we couldn't save her from."
"So he cares about her," he noticed. "Even if he's never met her in person, he still cares about her. Huh. Maybe because of that night." He remembered the night Hikari spoke to him about his headaches. She cared about him...
He snorted. "So? What do you suggest? It's not like you can heal her completly."
The doctor looked straight back at him, his eyes pleading. "I beg of you, please let me out so I can help her."
Suikotsu froze. "What the hell?" He marched right up to him and looked down on him hard. "Are you fucking kidding me? You'd think I'd let you take over my body just so you can try to help her?"
The doctor blinked a few times before retorting, "It's only going to be until she feels better. And when anyone else is sick! I know what can help her. She won't even need to go to a village if she has a doctor around."
The guy did have a point. If he stayed out for a while to heal Hikari, she wouldn't need to go to a village. Which would save the Band of Seven many troubles. Plus, it's not like the doctor's going to take complete control over the body. The mercenary can easily break out.
He started considering the thought... Even though he was incredibly bothered by it. What would his brothers think? That he'd gotten crazy? Could he sacrifice his body to his saint to help Hikari live? It wasn't like the doctor was going to stay out for long either...
Suikotsu stepped back. "Fine," he growled. "But I want you to be gone from my body as soon as you're finished treating her. You're never going to stay out for more than an hour. You can come out a few times per day, but that's it."
And when he turned around, the other Suikotsu was gone.
~End Dream~
*O*~*O*~*O*
Two days later, at noon...
"Rin, hurry, please!" Jaken squeaked. "We have to go back to Lord Sesshomaru as soon as possible!"
"Just a moment!" Rin called back. She looked back down at the flowers in her hands and smiled. "I think Miss Kagome's going to like these." When she spotted a white flower, she ran to it and obversed it.
Her eyes were wide with wonder. "I wonder what kind this is." She smiled. "It sure is pretty. I think I'll give this one to Kohaku. Or his sister."
Their group was taking a break. Even though they were very close to the village, they decided to take it easy for a while. While some ate, some went on walks. In her case, Rin went to pick flowers.
She looked at the horizon and wondered, "Are some of the kids I met still there?"
Actually, she couldn't say she really 'met' them. The kids of Suikotsu's village just saw her. They only knew her name. But she doubted they'd even remember her.
Another flower caught her eye. Then another, and so on.
Jaken shook his head at the little girl's carefree atittude. Put her in a field of flowers and that'll keep her busy for a good hour or two. She could make tons of crowns out of them. He stared at the little girl decide which one of her flowers should be for Kagome, Sango, or Kohaku. She even wondered if she could give one to Inuyasha or the monk. That was how kind she was.
The little demon sighed. She was totally unaware that a war may be coming soon. She knew that there was trouble, but she would never be prepared... Unless the little girl decided to fight one day.
He snickered in amusement as he imagined Rin holding a huge sword. It wouldn't fit her. It just wouldn't.
What happened ten seconds later happened far too fast.
First, a huge demon appeared from the trees next to Rin. The little girl's eyes went wide. She dropped all the flowers and screamed. Jaken was too slow to get to her.
And then, an unknown being appeared. It cried out "DRAGON FLAMME!" And the demon was burned to a crisp. It jerked once or twice, and it was dead.
Jaken stared in shock. "Rin!" He started running to the girl before that being could lay a finger on her. But he stopped halfway because he saw that the one who saved Rin was a human. A woman.
He hid back into the trees and obversed what happened next.
The woman kneeled down next to Rin and smiled to her. In a gentle voice, she asked, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Rin stared at the woman in shock. The young lady in front of her was beautiful. Was she an angel? Without saying a word, little Rin shook her head.
"Hikari!" a voice snapped from the trees.
The little girl froze. Hikari stood up and waited for Renkotsu, Jakotsu, and Bankotsu to appear from the trees. Bankotsu was scowling. "What do you think you're doing? You know you can't move around too much!"
Hikari rolled her eyes. "And I didn't."
Rin looked up at the people surrounding her. There were... two men. Actually, she wasn't sure of the third one. He... she... looked far too womanly. Somehow, she knew that the only one she could really trust was this 'Hikari' lady. The rest of them... seemed too odd.
The monk looked at her. She froze. After a long moment, he blinked once, and turned to Hikari, "What are we going to do with her?"
The braided man looked at the little girl. "Well, we certainly can't leave her here."
"No!" Rin inwardly exclaimed. "Master Jaken is right behind me! I don't need to be taken care of! Please leave me alone!"
She tried to run away, but her legs didn't move. Hikari knew something was wrong with her. So instead of saying something that may put her through distress, she picked up a few of the flowers on the floor.
"They're beautiful," she said with a smile. She handed some of them over to Rin, and asked, "Were you planning on giving them to someone?" Rin nodded. Hikari seemed to be the only one she could actually manage to communicate with.
Back in the shadows, Jaken was squinting at the group surrounding Rin. Through his bulging eyes, he could see a pack of evil looking people glaring at his little friend. "I have to go help her! Lord Sesshomaru will have my head if any harm is done!"
But he knew very well that he wouldn't stand a chance against any of those people. Their auras were powerful, almost rivaling his master's. "I won't be able to acomplish anything if I'm dead!"
He ran off to the place Inuyasha and the rest of the group was staying at.
And back with Hikari and the other men.
The healer looked at her friends and said, "I'll stay here with her until her friends arrive. You guys can go back, if you want."
Renkotsu kept his surprise hidden. Didn't she know this little girl was with Sesshomaru? If she was aware of each one of the Shichinintai member's deaths, then she must have know that...
"I'm staying here," Bankotsu said firmly. "You're not going to stay here on your own, especially when other demons can pop out of no where."
"What about you t-" she was cut off by a violent cough. It went on and on.
"Hikari," the monk said calmly, even though he was clearly concerned. "We need to go back to the village, you can't stay out any longer."
"I'm fine!" she snapped. But that only brough up another cough.
Rin stared at the kind lady with worried eyes. She was sick. And she put her health in line to save her...
"It's already bad enough we're late beacause you're sick," the 'woman' said. "Let's go back. Besides, I'm getting hungry."
Hikari finally gave in. She looked at Rin. "I'm sorry. I... won't be able to stay here. Can you wait here on your own?"
Bankotsu sighed. "If she waits here, another demon's gonna smell the scent of this burnt one," he said as he gestured the dead youkai, "And they're all gonna come running. She's not safe here."
Rin froze. He did have a point. She couldn't stay in this flower patch any more. It was going to get dangerous. She looked behind her. Jaken was no where to be seen. Where did he go?
She had two options; either go with these strangers to safety, or run away as fast as she could to Sesshomaru. The second option must have been the best, but demons may still appear, and she'll be in danger.
The cross dresser sighed. "What a pain..."
"Maybe one of us can stay here and join the rest later...?" Hikari suggested.
"It's clear nobody wants to leave you right now," Bankotsu said.
"Shall we bring her with us?" Renkotsu asked.
"It's her choice," Hikari said quickly.
Bankotsu ignored her, and bent down next to Rin. "I know we're strange people, but you are going to be safer with us. We can bring you back to your friends later, if you want."
When he put it that way, Rin did feel a little bit better. So unconsiously, she nodded.
*O*~*O*~*O*
"Look at the blood..." Kagome whispered in disbelief as they came across the battlefield.
Miroku jumped off Kirara and obsvered the trees. "Looks like a pretty huge battle happened here."
"And not long ago either," Inuayasha said as he wrinkled his nose. "The blood scent's about two days old."
Though Sesshomaru didn't show it, he was digusted by the amount of blood surrounding them as well.
"What do you think cause the demons to fight like this?" Kohaku asked his sister. "There's enough food around... And it's not like there's any war or anything."
Sango nodded. "This may not have been a battle between demons. But maybe against humans..."
Shippo hid behind Kagome's shoulder. "I don't like this place..."
"Look here!" Miroku called. Everyone ran to his side, while Sesshomaru and Ah-Un kept their distances. The stood in front of an area competly clear of blood. "There must have been something here. Either a precious treasure, or something solid..."
Inuyasha didn't seem concerned about that big patch of green grass. His nose was in the air, sniffing for something. Kagome stared at him as he got onto all fours and started sniffing around.
"What do you think he's doing at a time like this?" Shippo asked.
"Who knows..." the priestess replied.
Suddenly, Inuyasha stopped. He stayed on one spot. A familiar scent flooded his nostrils. "I know this scent from somewhere... But from what? Who? Where did it come from...?" It all came back to him in a second.
His head jolted back up, and his eyes were wide with alarm. "It's Hikari! Hikari's blood!"
Kagome's expression was filled with shock. In fact, everyone's was. "What?" She ran next to him and asked, "Are you sure? Aren't you mixing it up...?"
He shook his head and dropped his nose into the grass again. "No way. This is definetly her scent. Plus... there's the scent of lavender around the patch Miroku found."
"So..." Sango said quietly, "The Band Of Seven fought the demons?"
"And Hikari must have gotten wounded in the process," Kohaku completed.
"Where do you think they went?" Miroku asked.
"The village?" Shippo wondered. "It's the only place where injured people can be treated. They'd want Hikari to live, right?"
Inuyasha stood up. "Then when we get to the village, we'll meet Hikari. And with her, the Band Of Seven."
"Who is this 'Hikari'?" Sesshomaru asked.
His eyes were as cold as usual, only this time, his tone was more demanding. More superior. "Who is she?" he repeated.
Nobody dared to say anything.
Before Sesshomaru could repeat, or force anything out of the group, Jaken ran in on them, screaming, "Rin was kidnapped! She was kidnapped by a pack of savages!"
How will it all turn out in the end? You will find out... in the next chapter ;)
I may start updating less often for a while since it's almost mid-year exams... But please keep reading!
And I'd like to thank you all for your reviews. Even though there's not much for a 19-chapter-story, I still appreciate it! :)
~FoxRain7~