Uncle Yoshio walked Ann back to her home in silence. They were both deep in thought about the Lord Kagewaki. As they approached her home, Ann couldn't help but smile at the sight of Ichiro standing next to the door like an anxious parent waiting for their overdue teen to come home.

"What happened?" he asked. "What did the lord want?"

"He wanted Ann to defeat a demon with a Shikon Jewel," Yoshio responded.

"You didn't agree?" Ichiro exclaimed, looking between the two of them. "She can't handle that alone."

"Of course I did not agree," Yoshio said sternly, waving his hand as if he were swatting a fly. "Even if Ann was prepared for a task like this, there was something off about the lord. I did not trust him."

Ann stood next to the pair listening to their arguments, feeling touched that they cared so much for her. It made her feel precious, but her heart was also heavy. She knew what she needed to do. They hadn't seen what she had seen and she was so afraid to be honest about it. Naraku had spoken in her head. What if he could hear her thoughts? What were his limits? Ann could only guess, but she knew she had to leave. She had to get out of the village before Naraku destroyed everything she loved.

A hand suddenly descended on her shoulder, making her jump. Ichiro drew his hand back from her quickly, like he'd been burned. His brow furrowed.

"Ann?" he again laid his hand on her shoulder, more gently this time. This time she didn't flinch. "What's the matter? You were very far away just now."

"I'm sorry," she averted her eyes, feeling horrible that she had acted that way with her husband. "This situation really bothers me. I don't trust the lord either, but I wonder if I should go to the nearby village to meet this priestess. Maybe she could shed some light on what is really happening."

Ichiro immediately began to shake his head, but Yoshio interrupted.

"That's a thought," he said. "Ichiro could go with you to keep you safe."

"Actually," Ann hesitated for a moment, but then, with a deep sigh, dived in. "I want to go alone."

Ichiro looked both hurt and confused, but didn't say anything. Ann guessed he might be processing the way she was acting.

"Why would you want to go alone?" asked Yoshio, his brow furrowed in confusion. "We wouldn't be able to protect you." Ann bit her bottom lip. She was about to really hurt their feelings, although what she had to say was the truth.

"You can't protect me. Naraku is beyond everybody here. I think that's why Grandma Yoko led him away. She knew she had to protect you and that's what I plan to do."

Yoshio pursed his lips and looked skyward. He definitely wanted to say something, but was holding his tongue. Ichiro on the other hand didn't hold back.

"I do not want you to do this," he said. Ann had never seen him so serious. His soft brown eyes were troubled and he was so tense that he looked ready to come out of his skin. He was trying so hard to be patient though. "If I can not go with you, I do not want you to go at all. I am supposed to be by your side. I am supposed to protect you."

Ann's heart felt only heavier. She was hurting Ichiro and beside that, she wanted this journey to be taken with him. If something happened though, she would feel terrible. He needed to stay in the village. She needed Naraku to put his focus entirely on her, so he'd forget about them.

"I won't be gone long and besides, haven't you already protected me by teaching me to fight?" she reassured him, giving him a winning smile. He needed to believe her. "Uncle Yoshio said that village is only a couple of days away from here. I'll be gone for a couple of weeks at most."

Ichiro suddenly stepped forward and engulfed her in a huge bear hug. He squeezed her tight, his face buried in her neck. She could feel him trembling. Gently she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I am afraid I will never see you again," he whispered. "I fear something bad will happen." For a moment, panic filled Ann. She knew what he meant. In this moment she felt powerless, that she had no other options. There was only one decision in front of her. She suddenly wanted to take the easy way out. Hide away in the village, let others fight her battles and when Naraku comes for her in the end, just give up and die. It would be so easy to just let everybody make the decisions and do the scary stuff, but it was also wrong.

She gave Ichiro one more big squeeze and then let him go. It was one of the hardest things she had ever done.

"Help me pack?" she asked, trying to stay cheerful. All Ichiro could do was nod his head. He already looked lost. Ann gave him a grateful smile, but inside she was dying.

Ann and Ichiro walked in silence through the forest that surrounded the village. The sun was going down making the trees cast long shadows. Ichiro carried Ann's pack and walked in front of her. She watched him solemnly. He hadn't spoken a word to her since they left, he wouldn't even look at her. She wanted so badly to run up and hold him, but knew it was a hollow gesture. It would only alleviate their pain temporarily.

She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to squeeze out the heartache. A few tears rolled down her cheeks, while the pain filled her chest and began to expand outward along her limbs. On top of having to leave Ichiro, she had no idea if she'd ever see him again. Naraku had a plan, which she was going through with for now to keep people safe, but what if he won? She would never see Ichiro again.

Her hands moved to her abdomen. She still wasn't sure if she was pregnant, but her body felt different. She was nauseous, her breast ached and her joints were sore. This was another life that was at stake. If she survived and this child didn't, how could she face Ichiro again? Would he be upset that she had risked the child for his sake? She knew he was selfless, so he probably would be unhappy.

More tears ran down her face. She couldn't win. No matter how she looked at this situation, she couldn't see a way where life could go back to normal afterwards. It was so unfair.

Ichiro suddenly stopped. Ann stopped too and glanced around. She realized they stood next to one of the stone markers that designated the boundary of the village. She reached out and touched the waist-high stone feeling its smoothness. There were no markings on it to let a person know why it was there, but it did have a pretty red hue that swirled across its surface.

Ichiro stepped up next to her and placed his hand on top of hers. He gently squeezed her fingers.

"I do not fully understand why you feel you need to do this," his voice was hoarse. Ann gaze darted to him and found his eyes were red and swollen. She was stunned. She'd never seen him even close to crying before this. He continued, "I think you believe you are protecting us, although I can't imagine why you are suddenly making this rash decision."

His eyes suddenly widened and he hyper focused on her.

"It was the lord," he said. "Who was he? Did you know him?" Ann was startled and went to step away from Ichiro, but he pulled her up against him.

"The lord was Naraku," Ichiro said, his gaze seeking the truth in hers. "You do not have to say. I can tell by the look on your face." Anxiety welled up in Ann.

"Please stop, Ichiro," she begged. "I don't know what he'll do to you. Just let me leave, so he'll follow me."

Ichiro's nostrils flared and he clung to her tighter.

"Absolutely not," he said. "I have no intention of allowing him to hunt you down."

"What choice do I have?" Ann suddenly cried out. "If I stay, he will bring destruction down on everybody. I have to go."

"And sacrifice yourself?" Ichiro growled. "No."

"Yes, Ichiro, because that is my purpose." she was now sobbing hopelessly. The reality of her situation was so heavy. "Remember who I am, Ichiro. I am supposed to protect the Soul of the Shikon and if this is how I must defend it, then this is what I'll do."

"No," Ichiro said, but this time it was said with less force. "No." Slowly he drew her tightly into his arms and buried his head in her hair. A sob broke from him, breaking Ann's heart. Slowly she stroked his back as the tears continued to flow down her own face. She could feel his body's strength emptying and eventually he was on his knees with arms around his waist and his face pressed against her stomach. She slowly ran her fingers through his smooth, black hair trying desperately to soothe him.

Eventually he stilled and finally tilted his face up to her. His eyes were red, but he looked determined again.

"You will survive," he said softly, his soft, brown eyes so serious. "And you will return to this village, back to your family." She couldn't help but smile at his optimism.

"Of course I'll return back to you," she said soothingly. "We still have so much life to live together."

After saying goodbye to Ichiro, Ann took her pack and began walking. She didn't dare stop to make camp. Staying in one spot seemed like a bad idea with trying to stay away from Naraku, although Ann had a feeling he could find her anywhere.

Even when it became so dark that she could barely see, Ann continued on. She had been told the village was a couple of days to the west. She hoped it would be safe once she made it there.

The moon was high when Ann heard a sharp rustling sound in some nearby brush. She immediately threw herself up against a nearby tree, pulled up the hood of her cloak and held her breath, watching for what made the noise. The moon shining through the trees cast strange shadows. They began to play tricks upon her eyes, making her believe there was movement all around her. There were creaks and cracks all around her, making her flinch when they happened close by. In the distance, a wolf howled.

She shivered but continued to remain stationary. A flash of a memory came to her. She'd been practicing stealth with Ichiro. It had been like hide-and-seek. She had been hiding, the tension of him finding her had been high and she had bolted. In an instant he'd had her pinned to the ground.

"You shouldn't have moved," he teased while he held her in place. "I didn't know where you were."

"I got nervous," she mumbled, turning red. "I thought you were closer." Ichiro's face took on a serious cast.

"You are a human, not an animal. Animals do not have common sense and so they bolt when scared. We are different. As long as we stay calm, we can think through a situation."

"I understand," Ann said. She then gave him a mischievous smile and wiggled her hips against his. Ichiro chuckled.

"Good," he said and leaned down to kiss her.

A branch cracking dissolved the memory, bringing Ann back to the present. Something was moving to her right, its dark shape barely visible through the darkness. She pulled her cloak closer around her face trying to block the luminescence of her skin. A second movement caught her attention to her left. This one didn't make any sound and was fluid with their actions. She didn't think they saw her, because they continued past her heading further into the woods. She bit her lip nervously waiting patiently for them to move further away. That was when somebody dropped from the tree she hid next to and landed right in front of her, a hand striking out at her.

Ann reacted without thinking. Her hands flew up and she released a quick burst of purple energy into the person. The energy lit up a young man's face for a moment and then he flew backwards with a yell. Ann didn't wait to see him land. She turned and ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Trees streaked past her as she pumped her arms furiously. A strange sound caught her attention, something similar to helicopter blades. She checked over her shoulder to see a giant boomerang baring down on her. She gasped and dove to the ground as the great weapon whirled mere inches over her. As it passed, she readied herself to take off sprinting again, but was shoved to the ground and pinned.

"You just stay right there," a male voice snapped in her ear.

"Get off of me right this second," Ann was panicking. This male was very strong, and she was pretty sure she felt claws on those fingers that were grasping her. "I'll fight you if I have to."

"What a horrible bluff," the male said. Ann could hear other footsteps approaching. His companions had almost caught up. She struggled frantically, trying to turn over under his weight. If she could face him, she might have a chance.

"Stop moving," he snapped. "Seeing as you're with Naraku, I won't feel bad if I hurt you." Ann froze.

"Wait. What?" she said.

"You're with Naraku and don't lie about it. I can smell him on you," the male stated. Ann was stunned into silence. How can this be? Then her mind went to the mark on her chest.

"Inuyasha! Where are you?" a female's voice called through the darkness.

"I'm here," he called back. Multiple footsteps hurried towards them and came through the brush to where they were. Three of them were humans, two girls and a young man, but they were accompanied by demons, a large creature that reminded her of a saber-toothed cat and a small child with a fox tail. Ann shivered. Ichiro and Uncle Yoshio had only ever had bad things to say about demons.

One of the girls came forward and kneeled next to her and pointed something towards her face. There was a click and suddenly Ann was blinded.

"A flashlight?" she thought. "Why does this girl have a flashlight?"

"I don't know, Inuyasha," the girl said hesitantly. "She doesn't look bad."

"Oh, come on, Kagome," he burst out. "When does any of Naraku's lackies ever look bad. They're wolves in sheep's clothing almost every time."

"I know that," she argued back, "but she doesn't feel like one of them."

"Kagome," the other young man spoke up. "Do you sense the Shikon Jewel?"

"Yes and no," she said. She lowered the flashlight a little and Ann was finally able to see the girl. She was in her teens and looked to be Japanese. She had long, black hair that hung loosely around her shoulders, but what really stood out was what she wore. Ann lifted her head slightly and asked in shock,

"Is that a school uniform?" Kagome looked down at her sailor-style top and green skirt, and then looked at Ann.

"How did you know about my outfit?" she asked. "You're the first one here that hasn't said how I'm dressed strangely."

"I don't belong to this time," Ann explained suddenly feeling more positive about these people. "I was brought here by my grandmother when a demon attacked me. How about you?"

"I fell into a well at my family shrine that was linked to this time period," she responded then she nudged the young man holding Ann down. "Let her up, Inuyasha. I want to talk to her." Inuyasha grumbled, but gently released her. Ann rose to her knees and glanced at him. A gasp escaped her lips and she shifted away from Inuyasha.

"You're a demon too," she exclaimed. Kagome giggled and stepped next to him to wrap her arms around his shoulders.

"He's more bark than bite," she explained as he harrumphed. "Now tell us who you are and why do you feel like the Shikon, but not quite?" Ann chuckled.

"My name is Ann and I protect the Soul of the Shikon." Kagome suddenly released Inuyasha and came forward to take Ann's hands.

"We were coming to look for you," she exclaimed. "I am Kagome, and I am the protector of the Shikon Jewel."