"Where are we stopping next, Moroha?" Towa asked from the back of A-Un. The order of the seats had long been decided. Moroha took the lead, Towa sat behind her, and Setsuna last because her long hair would fly in everyone's faces otherwise.

Moroha looked down at the sights below them as they flew over. The mountains softened and rolled into the sea as they neared the ocean. "I don't know but I've been craving fish lately so we're stopping in a seaside town," she replied.

"I see something below us," Setsuna said, "there are buildings ahead." She pointed to a small town with boats in the water.

As they landed, they quickly realized this was no ordinary town. Instead, it was quite peculiar because no one was walking around. "Oh no," Towa said anxiously, "is everyone dead again?" She covered her eyes, not wanting to stumble across more dead bodies by accident.

Setsuna peaked into a few homes' windows as they walked through, "No, it looks more like they've simply disappeared."

"I don't smell any poison in the air this time," Moroha said, sniffing around and keeping her mask on standby just in case. What was going on?

The town really did appear to be completely abandoned, but only recently. It was as if the people had only gone away within the last few hours. Most of the boats on the shores still had nets in them ready to go out that morning. There were even things out for display to be sold and food still cooking and burning over smoldering fires.

As they reached the other end of town, Setsuna said, "Well I say we leave. No point in wasting any more time here."

"No way!" Towa exclaimed, "We have to find out what happened here! What if something bad is happening to the humans who live here? We can't just leave them behind. They could need our help."

"With you two arguing this means it's up to me," Moroha said, pointing to herself proudly, "and as much as I want to catch up with Sesshomaru, these people probably need help."

Towa said, "See, she gets it."

Moroha added, "And if we help them out they might give us a juicy reward!" Her eyes lit up gold when she thought about getting money.

"Never mind," Towa muttered to herself.

"Maybe I can be of some assistance," a man stepped out of the shadows of the trees and revealed himself to them. He had dark red hair, tan skin, and a sword as one of his earrings.

What is he, a demon? Towa asked, He doesn't really look it, but his hair is a strange color.

Setsuna took the lead and began walking around his body, sniffing him in a circle. "You don't smell or look human, but your scent is strange, as if it's not really your own."

Towa followed, "What's your name?"

"Why do you want to help us?"Moroha asked, walking in step behind Towa. It's weird, she thought, it almost smells like he's not really alive, like he's not his own person. He's not quite a puppet but he's something along those lines. I can't place it.

"You can call me, Riku," he replied, watching them circle him as a group, "and it's not so much I want to help you, it's more that I want to help this town."

Moroha asked, "A demon who likes helping humans? Since when?"

As they finally stopped circling him, Towa said, "Moroha, isn't that what we're already doing?"

"We're part demons," she replied, "that doesn't count. I'm talking a real demon. They almost never help humans."

Setsuna pointed her naginata at Riku and asked, "Why are you so interested in this human town specifically, Riku?" Maybe he eats humans and is hoping to lure us into a trap, she thought, if he eats humans why wouldn't he try to eat half humans like us?

He explained, "It's not so much this town in particular, it's that I left my boat here and it appears the villagers were using it to fish, which I don't personally mind. However, now that they've all been taken by the turtle demon, I can't find it anywhere."

"Everyone here was taken by a turtle demon?" Towa asked.

She turned to Setsuna who quickly said, "Alright! We'll stop here and help these people and get this weirdo his boat back."

Moroha turned back to Riku and asked, "How do you know all this happened?"

"I saw the last of the villagers being put inside the turtle's eggs and carried off by her," he replied, "it happened not long before you three showed up. She left towards the trail leading up into the cave of that mountain." He pointed away from the shore.

When Towa looked hard enough she could see a cave made of rocks about halfway up the mountainside. Still something bothered her. If this guy was a demon, why didn't he take care of the turtle demon himself and get his own boat back? I'm technically new to this world, she thought, maybe I'm overthinking things.

The mission was set. The girls would go up to the cave with A-Un and see what they could do about the turtle demon and free the villagers. Once that was decided, Riku was gone.

"Where did he go?" Towa asked.

"Now I'm really weirded out," Setsuna said, "Maybe we shouldn't do this."

"We already decided that we would," Moroha said, "besides, this area has the best fish dishes ever and I'm not leaving until I get to eat one!" She stuck her tonge out and panted like a dog.

Towa asked, "Are we sure we can trust him?" Something told her that she shouldn't, but she didn't have any proof and she didn't want to be rude or accusatory. He hadn't actually don't anything to them or done anything wrong.

Setsuna said, "If we want to help these people, we should focus on that first and then we'll get to the bottom of his strangness later."

On the back of A-Un they went.

The opening of the cave was simple enough. Massive rocks held open the entrance and they grew progressively smaller inside. As they dismounted A-Un, Towa took out her flashlight camera to look inside the dark cave. Moving carefully, she walked in first.

The light shined bright through the cave, giving them enough to see through the low lighting that Riku wasn't lying. Together they stumbled upon humans inside of egg sacks.

"Whoa," Moroha whispered, "we found everyone in the village alright." Men, women, and children alike were trapped inside fast asleep.

"How can we get them out of these things?" Setsuna asked, walking up to one, "I feel like one wrong move, and we'll hurt them." She touched an egg and goop stuck to her hand. "Ew!" She quickly wiped it off on her demon slayer uniform.

"Shush!" Towa said, "We don't know who's here."

"I'm here!" A large female turtle with a pointed shell marched out of the darkness said, "I see you brought me more meat to turn into eggs!" She opened her mouth and green energy formed inside.

Moroha jumped back and said, "Don't touch that power! That energy will turn you into an egg!" She readied an arrow.

What can I do? Towa thought to herself, I don't want to be dead weight again! She instictively brought out the broken sword she stole from before.

"Scourge of swallows!" Setsuna called, attacking the beast. It merely took a step backwards and began charging up another attack. She immediately launched it at Towa.

Towa jumped up, careful to avoid the roof of the cave, and readied her broken sword. "Towa!" Setsuna called, "What do you think you're doing with that thing?! That sword isn't going to do anything!" She wanted to leap after her, but she was too far away.

Right right above the turtle now, Towa took all the energy she had and forced it into her hands as she came down. Her sword suddenly grew into an energy blade and managed to cut through it's shell. It recoiled and wretched in pain, backing up from the fight.

"Sacred arrow!" Moroha called, hitting the turtle in the head. "Got it!"

"Cyclone burst!" Setsuna shouted, launching a wind attack so strong it dislodged the eggs and set some of the humans free, along with slicing apart the turtle demon, killing her for good.

Towa looked down at her sword. "Do you guys see this?! Check this out! I made my own sword!" She waved it around excitedly. It's almost like a lightsaber like in those old movies, she thought, knowing there was no point in saying that part out loud. It wasn't like they would know what she was talking about.

Moroha ran up to it and gasped. "No way! You made an energy sword! Only demons who possess the power to absorb other demons' energies can make a weapon like that." She turned to Setsuna. "See Setsu, she held onto that old thing for a reason after all."

"Oh don't pretend she knew what she was doing all along," she snarked, "I saw her flaying in midair trying to figure out what to do with it."

So mean, Towa pouted to herself in the darkness, but she's not wrong. I had no idea I could do this. She said, "Hey if I can absorb demon energy, maybe I can save these people just by poking at these gross egg sacks." She stuck the blade in, and it stole the energy of the goopy eggs away enough for the person inside to wake up. Perfect.

This time the people they rescued were very happy the girls came in time to save them. As Moroha predicted, they did give them good rewards once the returned to their homes and reunited with their families.

"See," Moroha said, waving around her money as they walked through the village together, "I knew this stop wasn't a waste of time."

"It feels wrong to take their money," Towa replied, "we didn't set out to rescue them, we just happened to be passing through."

Riku walked up from behind them and said, "I thought you three could save the day."

"Riku," Towa said, "did you find your boat?"

"I did," he replied, gesturing to the river draining out to the sea behind the village. The girls gazed across the land and saw it sitting in the water. "That's the one over there."

Moroha asked, "What kind of boat is that?"

"It's a Chinese junk," Towa said, recognizing the big square sail and wooden structure from old history books in school, "a little one mostly used in rivers from a few hundred years ago. Does that mean you're from the continent, Riku?"

He nodded. "Indeed, I originally am, but I've lived here for several hundred years now."

"Oh," Setsuna said, "you're a foreigner. No wonder you look so weird." His Japanese is perfect though, she thought, deciding to keep that part to herself.

Towa cringed at her sister saying that but even she knew Setsuna was partially right. Changing the subject, she said, "Riku, I guess that means you'll be setting sail in it soon."

"Not exactly," he replied, "like I said, I don't mind the people of this village using it to fish. I was just wondering how it was doing. It is an old vessel after all. It appears to be fine so I don't mind living it here. Now, what about the three of you, what made you decide to stop in this little seaside village?"

Before Towa could answer, Moroha stepped in and said, "Actually we were following Sesshomaru's scent trail he left behind the other day but it's been growing colder and colder, so I thought I'd stop by a seaside town to get some good fish to eat. That's all, nothing special."

He perked up. "You're looking for Sesshomaru? Tell me, you three wouldn't happen to be related to him, would you?"

Setsuna stood behind him and Towa, leveled her naginata, and asked, "Why did you guess that?"

"You two look like dog demons," Riku replied, gesturing to the twins first and then to Moroha, "and you possess the power of the sacred arrow, just as Kagome, the priestess who wished the sacred jewel out of existence, does. You must to related to him somehow. Perhaps you're his daughters and niece."

"We are," Towa said.

"Towa!" Setsuna scolded, "You're way too trusting! You shouldn't give that kind of information away!"

She asked, "Why not? What do you think he's going to do to us?" She added to herself, It's not like he's Zero or Kirinmaru. He's not the one after us.

Riku added, "If you're looking for Sesshomaru, I have an idea on where he could be headed."

"Okay no," Towa said, "that is suspicious. Why would you know that?"

Riku continued, "If you're not looking for him after all I guess we should part ways. I don't see any point in traveling together otherwise. Although his trail is probably growing colder by the moment. What do you say?"

Setsuna said, "It's only growing colder because we keep making nonsensical stops like this one." She glared at Moroha.

"I say we go with him for now," she said, "and if he does anything stupid or crazy we outnumber him 3-1. We can take him in a fight easy." She jokingly put her hands into a claw formation.

Towa narrowed her eyes in disgust and said, "You really said that out loud right to his face?"

"I don't mind," Riku replied calmly, "it's your choice."

Towa hesitated. "I don't know, are we all going to fit on the back of A-Un?"

"Who's A-Un?" A moment later the girls introduced him. "Whoa, a twin-headed dragon demon," he marveled, "and the three of you ride on his back together? You know these beasts are almost impossible to tame. I hear the only way how is if the original master saves their life. Then they feels eternally indebted to them."

Moroha said, "He's originally Sesshomaru's beast of burden, I can't imagine him saving A-Un's life."

Towa thought back to her childhood and said, "He didn't even have a name for a longest time, Mother gave it to him and she said Father had him a long time before they ever met." I guess I never really thought about how A-Un must have come into his life, she thought.

Setsuna said, "It looks like we're going on this adventure with A-Un together, so welcome aboard. I just hope we find Sesshomaru sooner rather than later."

The days turned into weeks, even with Riku showing them the way. Peculiarly enough, it seemed just about every village they passed over had an issue with a demon or a spirit or a God causing problems. The girls often had to work together to get rid of such creatures and tame such beasts and put feuds to rest. It was almost as if Riku was putting them through more training rather than helping them find their father.

"They're getting stronger," Kirinmaru said from his boat home far away. He watched as the girls' power grew through Riku's eyes.

"Strong enough to defeat you?" Zero asked, sitting across from him in the captain's quarters.

"Of course not, they're still only part demons," he said, "but Sesshomaru is still on the move. It seems he's staying out of his own daughters' reach and won't come by to help them even if they really need him. I thought he would have sensed Riku's presence by now after all these weeks and swooped in to help them."

Zero said, "How neglectful of him. Maybe I can help." She stood up.

Kirinmaru asked, "And what exactly do you plan on doing?"

"You'll see through Riku's eyes soon enough," she replied, walking away from him and out of the room.