The Hermit

Inuyasha and Kaya stopped to rest for the night. It was getting dark and it was going to be a while before they reached the cave where Inuyasha hoped to find a very strong ally.

"What is this friend of yours like?" Kaya asked.

"He's a bit of a hermit." Inuyasha replied through a mouth full of meat. "But I'm sure he will help us out."

"I hope so." She replied simply.

They reached the cave the next day early in the morning and what they were faced with was not a friendly greeting.

They heard a dangerous roar and out of the cave came a huge furry demon. It ran towards them, its fluffy fur flowing in the wind, its white ears bent back angrily. Dark blue eyes glared as its grey and white body slowed and came to a halt and it beared its large sabre teeth. All four of its white paws positioned themselves for the pounce and its two long tails –one grey with white stripes and one white with grey stripes – flicked behind it aggressively, only the white diamond on its forehead wasn't threatening.

"Shushu! It's me you dumb mangy demon!"

The creature stopped growling and looked up at Inuyasha and Kaya properly. For that brief moment he hadn't recognised Inuyasha at all, but once the confusion was cleared he ran up to Inuyasha and pounced on him.

"Shushu! Stop it!" Inuyasha laughed.

"Is this the friend you spoke of?" Kaya asked.

"Yeah, that's him alright!" He turned to Shushu, "You should know my scent by now you dumb beast." He smiled. "Your mum Kilala would have recognised me from miles away!"

Shushu bowed down his grey head with an expression of guilt.

"Being in a cave all the time isn't doing you any good." Inuyasha sighed. "Listen we need your help for something."

Shushu's ears popped up at this and he listened intently as Inuyasha explained.

"You can still fly can't you?" Inuyasha asked finally.

Shushu bent down his head in invitation for Inuyasha to jump onto his back.

"I don't know why you stay in this cave Shushu." Inuyasha continued as he hopped onto Shushus back. "All your other siblings are happily living with human families of their own. Why don't you do what they're doing and find yourself a family?"

Shushu only gave a weezing grunt, the same sound that Kilala would have given in disagreement to something.

"Can you fly Kaya?"

"Yes I think I can, though I have not done it without Kyoufu Oni." Kaya looked wearily at her large red wings. "I can give it a try."

Shushu took off into the air with Inuyasha on his back, white puffs of clouds under his feet. Inuyasha looked down at Kaya who looked nervously at the edge of the cliff.

"Just jump off and the wind should carry you." He yelled out to her.

She closed her eyes and leaped of, her wings spread out wide. Kaya tried remembering how it felt to fly when she was attached to Kyoufu Oni but all she could remember was gliding. His little purple wings were never big enough to actually fly. All Kyoufu Oni could do was glide. She tried her best just to remember the sensation of gliding.

A gust of wind came up under her and carried her a couple feet up but it startled her so much that she began to panic and flap her wings unceremoniously. She then began to plummet down towards the trees below.

"FLAP YOUR WINGS!" Inuyasha yelled. "JUST FLAP THEM!"

As she fell tears flew above her eyes like a stream and her jaw was stretched wide open, her tongue hanging out. Just before she hit the trees a feeling deep down stirred her. It was instinct filling her chest. Kaya closed her eyes and stilled her mind, only listening to the feeling in her stomach and chest.

Her wings seemed to stretch out on their own and started to flap. They gave large strokes pushing down and gradually up again. She didn't even have to think about what she was doing; her wings were beating all on their own. Kayas eyes were still shut tight, tears streaming off her scaly cheeks, and soon enough she had the courage to open them slowly. She looked down at her own shadow wrinkling and speeding along the tops of the trees.

"You did it Kaya!" Yelled Inuyasha, who pulled alongside her on Shushu.

"Yes," She said quietly, still in shock and then yelled excitedly "I did it!"

They continued to fly towards Inuyashas home and it took only a few hours to reach the cottage by flying.

"I don't know how to land!" Kaya panicked and started to circle the meadow trying to figure out how to get herself down.

"Just glide and stop flapping!"

Kaya took a deep breath and did as Inuyasha instructed, she lowered her wings slightly and kept them straight. She remembered how it felt with Kyoufu Oni and did as he had in the past. She kept her eyes closed trying to listen to her intuition when suddenly her intuition started panicking telling her to stop but she couldn't tell why. She opened her eyes just before she went face first into a large bolder.

"HEY KAYA ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Inuyasha jumped off Shushu and ran over to her.

She pulled her head away from the rock but it looked like she copped some brain damage. Kaya stood up and swayed from side to side before collapsing into the grass.

After she recovered they headed to the cottage and had dinner. Tomorrow was going to be the day Kyoufu Oni showed up again, and who knows what he has in store for them.