Wow! I was able to actually upload these next two chapters! It's too bad - my readers are going to hate having to wait for the third part. The next three chapters (including this one) will be a little short due to it being in parts. X3

Chapter Four:
Dream Catcher Part One

"What's caught your eye, Miroku?" Kagome asked, coming up behind him. Sango came up to his other side and followed his line of sight.

"They're offering quite a lump sum of money to any of the individuals who is able to catch a demoness by the title of 'Dream Catcher'," Miroku said as he took the paper off the wall. "To be honest, the description look much like a tall tale, one told as a bed time story for children."

Kagome reached her hand out and Miroku handed her the paper. "Holy cow, that's a lot of money," Kagome said, her eyes growing large at the sheer number, "That's a lot of zeroes there. Let's see... The Dream Catcher..."

"I see the Dream Catcher has caught yer attention," A man said from the porch of his hut. "Are ye goin' to be catchin' 'er?"

Kagome looked up, "Do you know of this demoness?"

"Aye," the man said with a nod of his head, "come inside, I'll brew some tea."

"Wait, what about Shippou and Inuyasha?" Sango asked.

"I'm sure they'll use their noses," Kagome said with a giggle, causing Sango to laugh and Miroku to chuckle.

The three followed the man into his hut, sitting politely next to each other and allowing the man to brew some tea. "The Dream Catcher was once a woman who told stories to the youngin's," the man began. "She wasn't ugly, nay, but most did not appreciate her presence because of her mannerisms.

"She told many youngin's happy stories, though none of them ever had a happy ending. It taught the youngin's sadness and anger, lies - or so I was told. Eventually, she was cast away from the village and forced to live in a lonely hut on her own out in the forest.

"Some of the villagers were unhappy and set fire to the Forest of the Dream Catcher. And for a long time, no one had seen her. She had traveled far across the land, across the great waters, and fashioned a flute that looked rather strange. They say the flute has ancient carvings on it and looks much like a wee bauble with a wheel on it's end to change it's sound. It was made from the wood of a great oak tree that had been living for hundreds of years on the lands beyond the great waters."

The old man shook his head as he filled small bowls up with tea. They took their tea graciously, bowing in gratitude before taking a drink. "Many believed her to be dead because of the burned forest, but what many did not know was that she had somehow miraculously survived the event, be it by leaving beforehand or other means.

"By the time the woman had come back, she had become completely possessed by her flute. She allowed it to change her appearance into the most beautiful woman known to man. The villagers did not recognize her and allowed her to dwell amongst them.

"Late at night, you could hear her playing. The sound is of the most beautiful whistles - and it is during that time that children, men, and women alike - they all rouse from their slumbers to go and play with the flutist who made such beautiful sounds. All night long they would play, exhausting their bodies. All would return home just before daybreak - all but one. And by the time anyone knows he or she is missing, it is too late. The soul of that person belongs exclusively to the flute." The man refilled Miroku's and Sango's cups before continuing.

"The flute she possesses steals the souls of living creatures. She picks and chooses who she pleases, allowing all of the others to return home safely."

Kagome decided to let her eyes wander. As she studied the man, she noticed his tired appearance and the sluggish way he seemed to do everything. "Have you ever been captured by the demoness?" Kagome asked.

"No, I have not," the man replied without hesitation, not even looking into her eyes as he scooped more tea into his own bowl.

"How do you know so much about her?" Kagome asked.

"The woman use to be my sister," he said, looking her directly in the eyes. "I know not what she has become truly. After all, everything is hearsay. The only truth I know is she plays her flute at night and all who have seen her say she is the most gorgeous creature they'd ever laid eyes on."

"That's not much of a lead," Kagome replied, "do you know where she lives now?"

"She use to live in the forest before it was burned to the ground. She could be disguised as any one of us to be honest."

"The question is," Sango said, "how do you find a person who's trail has gone cold?"

Kagome frowned. There weren't any leads - or so the paper had said. The only lead they got was that she once lived in the forest, and it was burned, she moved. She had to - if it was as badly burned as she was thinking.

"If ye go north," the man said, scratching his chin, "ye will eventually come across a forest. I've been recently - the forest looks as though it has been tarnished and is trying to regrow it's luster. When ye reach the forest, continue on foot. Flying will do ye no good if ye cannot see the trail leading to the burned house."

"Do you keep tabs on your sister?" Kagome asked, a bit hesitant.

"I know not where she dwells," he replied, "be warned. Her flute plays tricks of the mind. When you are at your happiest, she will strike."

The three stood and thanked the man for his information. And right as they were exiting, they ran smack-dab into Inuyasha and Shippou. The group headed out to converse on their findings before they settled for the Dream Catcher. They gathered their much needed supplies and set out north, not really sure what they'd find.

It was gorgeous. Kagome could see all sorts of greenery growing. She had no idea what the old man was talking about - but the forest was billowing with life. There were flowers of every color, greens of every shade, trees as tall as a mountain! She, of course, could see the obvious path that the man was speaking about.

"The old man was right," Shippou said, crinkling his nose, "everything's dead. It's kind of spooky here."

Kagome's mind blanked. "What?" Kagome said, looking at Shippou, "Shippou, can you not see all of these beautiful flowers?" She said, reaching out to pluck one.

Inuyasha reached forward and grabbed her hand immediately. "Don't touch that!" Inuyasha scolded.

"Hey!" Kagome said, "Let go, they're just flowers! And they're such beautiful white roses, too." She said, "The thorns aren't that dangerous. Plus, I see a little spot that I can just pluck it straight from the bush."

"Wench, what are you talking about?" Inuyasha said, "There's nothing but vines full of thorns!"

"No there isn't," Shippou said, "It's a wall."

"What do you guys see?" Kagome asked Sango and Miroku. Sango was bent over a shrub, but to Kagome it looked like a bed of flowers.

"I see small wild flowers," Sango said, reaching towards them but being careful not to touch. "They're rather lovely."

Miroku looked around. "Inuyasha is sort of right - there's nothing but vines here. Shippou's kind of right, too - lots of walls. I do see what Kagome and Sango sees as well, but because of my trained mind, I also see what is right in front of me. Perhaps not at first, but close enough."

"Okay, well," Kagome said, "can everyone at least see the path?"

Everyone nodded. "That's good. That means we have somewhere to go."

Kagome led the way with the others following directly behind. She couldn't help but get the feeling that they were waltzing themselves right into a trap. Although Kagome knew that it was nothing but an illusion that she saw, she couldn't help but to marvel at the beauty of it all.

And as quickly as they had come - Kagome vanished before everyone's eyes.

Alterations Made:

Completely New Chapter
Grammatically Corrected