Hello Again , I Never Thought

~ Chapter Six~

Escaping The Path Of My Predessor

By Inuyashas Youkai

Walking away from the path chosen by the one before her, Rei set towards a new direction , and one hopefully kept away from such discovery in her deceit , else of the destructive choice to assist the one who would be the cause for her own destruction , along with Kikyo. Traveling along away from that of the village where little Kaede yet waited for her return with her sister , as well as from which she came where the hanyou , and Kikyo were yet located , and going in a unknown direction towards the scenery unknown to her because when Rei arrived much later, it no longer existed . A walkway filled with small pebbles , and bordered with grasslands carrying with it delicate flowers heading east of the village , Rei followed for sometime .

It seemed in coming to another village days later that had brought her to assist in a demanded request just hours after she past the village known as her second home, as villagers were traveling in need of a miko's care . Once there , Rei found that she had come to help a woman ready to bear her first child , and at the time was having a difficult labor so far , as the miko normally tending to the village had been slain , by a group of wolves , or at least what she had been told. Although for some reason feeling the need to help , with emotions going farther than just in the need to help someone , almost like a pull to do so without the need of the few villagers still carrying the chosen weapons to ensure she did so, it was almost like the new aura being entered in the world , was like someone familar to whom she knew many years in the distant future.

The delivery lasted many hours , lasting close to a full day , but it would have seemed that it wasn't meant for the mother to see the life blessed to her , as she carried it within her womb , and was only gifted to gift the infant little girl a name . As the mother passed on , Rei not only was told in a whisper of her given name , but also leaving the miko with a sought request of her daughter , one that once known would bear the knowledge , as well as shock to whom the infant was , and the plight the knowledge served with also knowing the life that had soon came to the child , when she grew older. The baby was given the name , Rin .. Then came the request by the mother for the miko helping to give her life to raise her as her own .

Oddly enough , the miko Rei accepted the request even though regardless of the hesitation to so at first , but without any living remaining kin to raise her , Rin was just like her in that for now , Rei was one her own to make due with what life granted her, and maybe with the restrictions of why she can't be with the others , or make it back home for the dangers of trying the well once more , it was possible that Rin was her reason , just like she was hers. Therefore by the end of the second day , Rei had decided to remain as a substitute miko , until the time came where either a new miko arrived within the village , or could be trained to take over , or the moment it was too dangerous to stay .

Taking over the hut had been the home where Rin's mother had resided , taking the time , and care to cleaning up , fixing the place to once suitable for raising a child. Rin , luckily had grown accustomed to cows milk , then later goats milk , as the growing rumors of the latest attacks made by wolves were the suspected cause for the cows being slaughtered with nothing but the skeletons bearing proof that they were ever there in the first place in the following months , but whether or not that wolves were the culprit , no evidence to that was ever found. It was during the early summer , Rei had started a garden with the help of some of the villagers that she had gotten to know in the time in residence while treating their injuries , and illnesses , as it was in addition to when the discovery of their taken livestock was first found.

Needless to say that things started to get strange from there, as the latest attacks seemingly gaining in numbers were starting to cause life within the village to go downhill, and just prior to the first snowfall , but towards the end of fall , Rei unfortunately had to make the choice to leave the village , thus offering anyone wishing to leave to safety to join her as well, as the time had vome where even with her miko ability felt inside her , it was too dangerous to stay. Therefore , the miko only taking what she could carry , along with Rin strapped upon her chest , bows with arrows, and a few months worth of food , Rei said goodbye to those wanting to stay , but wishing them well with the little she left them with in her instruction to care for various ailments , then left once again with a unknown road left in front of her.

Traveling along , as to do what they could without Kagome searching with various jewel shards , as Kikyo then joined them in her place . Although it didn't help matters that not only his connections to Kagome on how she was doing , as of late merely stopped altogether, but the cold consuming the groups normal happy banter during their journey almost took a nose dive for it seemed as the one made out of bones, and graveyard soil, nearly sucked the life within the pack. Furthering it hell, the perverted monk had over time seized taking on any natural advances to sooth the curse of his wandering hands upon Sango , since the last time the hanyou forced the slayer to find something more during the heated months as to end the dead bitchs non stop complaining .

Hense the awkward mistake of the monk Miroku accidentaly slapping what he thought was Sango's ass had actually been Kikyo borrowing one of her kimono's , and ended up being covered in graveyard soil . Persish the thought of it occuring , but it was pretty damn funny at the time, only with that now Miroku was so nearly tramatozed over the fact , and recieving a good undeserving beating to take some of Sango's frustration over it all, that the poor monk hadn't had it in him since . Sadly now he missed the previously annoying behavior from the monk , as well as Sango's behavior in punishing him for it , unlike the last time where it wasn't the same for it had more hurt , then merely playing, and well even the Sits became a thing of the past that oddly enough became somthing he craved, with the too cheerful banter of the kit , one that now just tries to be all serious all the time rather than be a child.

' Dammit , Kagome .. I wish you were here , nothing's the same without you .. Be safe , I am coming '

Following after Kikyo , once she had finally appeared out from the cave in reponse to help assist the badly burned male found there. Wiping her brow of the sweat forming from the continuous work on cleaning , medicating , and bandaging his wounds , walking along to return to the village , as her companion had followed. Once coming back within the village's entrance at nightfall .Kikyo , as well as the hanyou Iwere then saying farewell , now that she was escorted back safe to care for a sleepy Kaede , fast asleep next to a half finshed serving of stew, and it was time for Inuyasha to return to his guard within the trees.

Days had past , then months followed , and since the day within the clearing of the cave the hanyou nor anyone had known what had happened to Rei , or seen her thereafter. It was sometime after word was recieved from her with her appologies , stating that while getting lost in finding the cave , Rei had come upon a village nearby traveling in requesting assistance for attacks plaguing their village , and taking their miko , and many lives in the process, many more injured. It was also told that it was felt that she was needed there , as the need was proven in the casualties in result, and as soon as she could get a better handle of the situation , Rei would return .

'Take Care Of yourself wench , try not to get yourself into too much trouble...'

TBC...