A/N: Yes, I am still alive! I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. This was the stupid reason: I just couldn't settle on a name for Akemi. But, well, here she is! And I'll try my best to update this fic as much as i possibly can because I've been thinking about the plot and its finally developed enough :)

FIVE

Unexpected

Edo Period, Somewhere near Tokyo

It was past sunset by the time Akemi reached human habitation. It wasn't much, just a few scattered huts and medium-sized houses, but it was enough to quicken her pace. This was a dangerous time to be travelling alone. Bandits, officers patrolling around - both options were equally terrifying; both could mean… she frowned, resisting the temptation to look at it for the umpteenth time. Not now. I have to get out of here first. Under her cloak, her fingers curled around the pendant, as a thin golden chain ran down her fingers.

"Hey! You there!" an elderly voice called out. She jumped, eyes wide as she quickly scanned the area for a place to run. "Young woman!" the voice called again. Akemi hesitated and turned around slowly. An old woman stood by the doorway of a nearby hut, looking straight at her. "It's not safe for a woman to be traveling alone after sunset." she stepped aside, opening the door. "You're welcome to spend the night here."

Before she knew it, the girl was sitting inside the hut, being served some rice and fish by her hostess. She didn't really know what to say - it had been so long since she'd been in any form of human company, that she felt very awkward and out of place in this little hut. All the same, it was nice to be taken care of. In a matter of seconds, her plate was empty. The old woman chuckled. "My, you eat faster than my three sons combined!"

Later that night, she lay on the matting, wide awake and alert for any signs that her hostess may be awake. All she heard was the latter's steady snores. Relieved, she reached into the folds of her kimono and gently took out the pendant. It seemed even darker in the moonlight, accentuating the white lines and making the pink flower at its center glow. It was beautiful to look at - but that wasn't why she took it in the first place. That was hard to explain. She was drawn to it, somehow; even before she saw it, she could feel its power. She didn't have to think, taking it from that boy was a piece of cake. Like most people around him, he was too immersed in his own world to notice her deft fingers slipping it off…

She smiled and replaced it in her kimono. He would never find her. Not here, of all places… or should she say, of all times? Smirking, she closed her eyes. Tomorrow would be another long journey, and she needed all the rest she could get.

The next morning passed without much incident. Having thanked the old woman, Akemi went on her way and was soon deep in the forest again, feeling a sudden rush of relief. The forest would always be her refuge, hiding her from unwanted eyes. It was the only place she was truly free… despite all the elders telling her it was dangerous. Well, almost all the elders… there was only one exception. "Don't believe what they say, Ishi. The forest is not our enemy." "You're right, Father." she murmured, bowing her head. General Tsukawa never lied.

She went on her way slowly, wondering how different this journey would be if her father was traveling with her. He would have made her train every morning, she thought. Told her stories every night, as if she was still a little kid. Teased her whenever she did something embarrassing. Called her his stubborn little 'ishi', something which irritated her to no end back when he was alive… but now… now she'd do anything to bring him back.

She walked on, so lost in thought that her normally excellent senses didn't pick up the presence of other people in the forest. Luckily for her, they didn't bother keeping their voices down. "Think, Shippo, think!" a male voice whined, sounding positively desperate. "I have to get back! Anyhow! I don't wanna be stuck here forever!" She jumped at the sound and dived behind a thick tree, waiting for them to pass. This kind of thing happened once in a while, and the conversations were usually not very interesting. She listened anyway.

"Gimme a break. I don't know any other way, okay?" another voice, also male, responded. He sounded exasperated. "But-?! Tell me you'll find a way! I need to get back to Tokyo!" the first voice said, half-pleading and half-threatening. Akemi gasped and fell to her knees, her heart pounding fiercely. Tokyo...

"Something was stolen, dammit! And I can't do anything about it from this place!" he continued relentlessly, his voice growing louder with each word, although the girl barely registered the change. She was too busy absorbing the meaning of his words, her hands shaking as she clawed the ground. Tokyo. Stolen…

How could this happen? How did he find this place, this time? Of course, there was still a chance that she was mistaken and that they were talking about something else entirely. The slimmest chance that her ears had heard 'Tokyo', which didn't exist yet, where he might have said 'Kyoto'.

She desperately hoped that was the case.

She dimly heard the other man say something consoling, but that wasn't her main focus now. Getting up shakily, she carefully peeked out from behind the tree… and her heart sank like a stone. She recognised those out-of-place clothes, which belonged in Tokyo, as did the uncannily short hair and even the back of his head. He was walking next to another young man, with red hair and- and a tail? Her legs gave way and she collapsed, staring at the little ants crawling around so peacefully. He was here. With a demon.

Just this morning she thought the village was a bad idea, but it was nothing compared to this. She had jumped out of the frying pan and headfirst into the fire.

A/N: And there we have it! If you enjoyed the story so far, drop a review. Constructive criticism is welcome, but no hate please.