Musashi Province (Feudal Japan)

In the dead of night, her legs carried her through the foliage of the forest towards the burning embers in the distance. The contents within her hiking bag noisily shuffled against the strain on her back as she pressed forward. Her heartbeat was fast and she couldn't stop the worry and fear from overwhelming her; if this was anything like her dream, then what could she really do to help these people?

This was crazy. The situation was entirely crazy. Nothing would have ever changed her mind to return to this place, nothing except this. The fire in the distance and the dream had been enough to urge her from her bed and towards the tree. She was absolutely crazy for doing this, after everything she was put through in this world, and yet, she felt sympathy for some of the people.

Her hands clenched around the secured straps of her hiking bag, and she pushed herself further past the thick trees of the forest. The beat of her heart pounding erratically within her chest and a familiar sense of terror pulling in her lower abdomen brought renewed fear into her. It felt almost like De Ja Vu, running through these woods, but this time, there wasn't a crazed man behind her.

Just as the trees became less dense before her, her legs carried her towards the exit and she found herself standing before the village enwrapped by hellish flames. Horrifying screams resounded in her ears, and she watched almost helplessly as the people fled through the fields and from their huts.

Nine roguish men on horseback, their forms covered by tattered kimonos and armor, rode through the village with their swords drawn. They were laughing manically at the scene, chasing the villagers while few were fighting against the village men who had their farming tools drawn defensively.

Kagome turned her head each direction, her eyes surveying the damage around her. Smoke filled her nostrils, and she held a hand over her mouth, her blue eyes catching sight of a familiar old priestess a few distances from where she was standing. It was High Priestess Kaede!

The High Priestess must have noticed her as well, her widened old eyes noticing her almost immediately through the smoldering haze. Her bow was held securely in hand, and an arrow notched and prepared, but she was distracted by the sight of the young girl. "Kagome? Ye have returned?"

Hearing the distinct sounds of a horse galloping towards her, Kagome quickly turned her head and in an instant, she managed to narrowingly jump away in time before being trampled. As she pushed herself up on all fours, she suddenly found herself coughing as the smoke entered her lungs. This was terrible and it was playing out the same way as her dream.

Looking back towards the elderly priestess, Kagome watched in horror as a bandit rode up beside the old woman, her arrow missing its target. As Kaede backed away fearfully, he swung his blade, and Kagome's eyes widened as blood filled her sight.

"No!" Kagome cried out, watching helplessly as the old woman fell onto her back, her body trembling from her open wound on her arm. No, this was exactly how it happened before!

As the women and children frantically tried to outrun their pursuers, they were suddenly cornered by two men on horseback, their backs against the burning huts. To Kagome's utter surprise, she saw some of the bandits jump from their steeds and chase after the young girls before grabbing them roughly, bounding their hands with rope before carrying their struggling forms to their horses.

How horrible! How awful! They were kidnapping the women, and only Kami knew what would befall them after all this. Kagome had to do something, anything, but she didn't know what to do. Remembering she had a dagger in her hiking bag, she pulled it off her back and searched the front pockets quickly.

As she rummaged through the pockets, her heart loud within her ears, she finally found it and pulled herself up to her feet, her bag secured on her back once more. Careful of the bandits riding past, their torches held high and their swords drawn, Kagome ran to Lady Kaede's side before falling to her knees.

"Kagome…" Her haggard voice drew out.

Surprised she was still alive, Kagome leaned over her, inspecting the injury on the old woman's arm. Blood seeped from her open wound, and Kagome feared an artery had been struck. "Are you alright? Can you stand?"

With Kagome's help, the old woman managed to sit herself upright, her old hand holding tightly to her wound to stop the bleeding. And despite the chaos happening before them, Kaede couldn't help but stare at Kagome confusedly. "Why have ye returned?"

It was a question which surprised her. Why indeed? Of course, now wasn't the time for asking questions. There were more pressing matters happening this very instant. "We can talk later, right now we have to get out of here!"

As Kagome attempted to help Kaede to her feet, she found it almost futile as the wound pained her too much to stand. This wasn't good; at this rate, they would be attacked. Even if she had a dagger, she had a feeling she couldn't unarm nine bandits on her own.

The fire spread amongst the roofs littered with an abundance of hay, and Kagome watched horrifically as many huts collapsed. She only hoped there were no civilians inside.

Through the smoldering blaze, she made out a small figure of a child standing in the middle of the path, whose dark hair and bright fearful eyes looked upon the scene before her terrifyingly.

"Ume!" Kagome cried out through the screams around her, but the child did not hear her. A rider caught her eye, his horse charging towards the little girl a short distance away, and Kagome instinctively moved, dropping her backpack beside the High Priestess who called out for her to wait.

Her legs rushed her forward, and Kagome watched as the child stood frozen in fear as the rider closed in on her, his sword suddenly drawn. It happened almost in seconds, and with adrenalin coursing through her veins, Kagome managed to grab the child, leaping out of the way just in time as the horse passed. With her arm held out to brace herself onto the ground, she and the child rolled a few times in the dirt before Kagome pushed herself to her knees, the child held tightly against her chest.

Tears stained the child's cheeks, and a cry wailed from her lips. Ume was obviously scared, holding herself against Kagome's chest for safety. "Papa … got hurt…"

Hugging the child close, Kagome couldn't help but turn her glare towards the rider, who at this point, came to a complete stop, pulling on the reins of his horse before glowering at Kagome. "Ume, I need you to run. Alright? Don't look back and just run."

The child shook her head frantically, crying as she clutched herself closer to Kagome's chest. Her shoulders trembled and renewed tears fell upon Kagome's collarbone.

As Kagome searched around the settlement, she saw a few huts not yet consumed by fire, and ushered the child to one furthest away from those in flames. "Go inside there and hide. You'll be safe there."

Although Ume was hesitant, she did as Kagome instructed and fled from the girl's side, careful of avoiding head on collision with the other riders.

As soon as the child was safely inside and away from the chaos, Kagome pulled herself up to her feet and glared at the bandit, approaching her with a rope held tightly in his grasp. It was obvious he intended to take her just as the other women, but Kagome wouldn't let that happen.

As he advanced towards her, Kagome took notice of his appearance; unlike the others, he was more handsome although a little scruffy in the chin area. His long shoulder-length raven hair was messy in appearance, and his dark brown eyes watched her, and Kagome couldn't help but notice his left eye was more faded than his other, telling her he was blind in one eye. A long-ragged scar swept down his upper eyebrow and across his eye in a downwards trail which ended just at his upper cheek. From his appearance alone, especially that of the many scars upon his bare and tanned arms, it was clear to Kagome he had seen many battles in his lifetime.

Gulping nervously, Kagome stepped back, and he approached her ever so intimidatingly. There was a chuckle which resounded from his throat, and Kagome felt her legs become shaky with anticipation. Well, a small dagger was probably not the best weapon of choice against someone like him, but it was better than having nothing. "S-stay away! I'm warning you!"

He seemed to find amusement from her words, arching a dark black eyebrow at her as he closed in upon her, tightening the rope in his grasp. Without a second to spare, however, he lunged at her, and Kagome quickly side stepped away, her dagger held out in front of her. "Little girl, you'd best put away your blade. You're no match against me and my men," He warned.

How very astute of him, she thought. "What do you want from us?"

He blinked at her before a chuckle escaped him. "I'm sure the answer is quite obvious. We have come for the women, of course."

"Why?" Well, it was a stupid question; Kagome was pretty sure she knew the answer as to why they wanted the girls, and the very thought made her sick to her stomach. Were men always such pigs in this time period? "Never mind, don't answer that…"

He moved once more towards her, taking the moment of distraction to catch her off guard. As he grasped her wrist in one hand while narrowingly missing her dagger, he caught her other hand easily enough before knocking the blade out of her grasp. As he held her tightly in his grip, he forced her onto her back, pushing her arms above her head as he laid partly on top of her. "You are a very strange woman, quite appealing to my eyes."

Her breath hitched in her throat as he moved a calloused hand down her sides, barely touching the sides of her breasts. His touch caused her to shudder, and worried he might try something in the middle of this chaos, she kicked her feet at him, bucking her hips against his groin in hopes of throwing him off her, but he remained against her, this time pushing himself up to his knees, however his groin pushed against hers as he smirked down at her.

"You sure are feisty for a woman. Alright, I've decided. I like your spunk. You are a prize worthy of taking. I'll make you mine tonight." He used his free hand to tie the rope around her wrists tightly.

Hearing his words, Kagome felt nauseous to her stomach. "Like hell I will, you creep! Get off me!"

He was accessing her state of dress, her strange kimono which seemed nothing like the other women's; in fact, it was a two piece, her top light blue and sleeveless showing off her succulent porcelain skin, which told him she wasn't one who worked in the fields like the other peasants. Her breasts, though covered by the strange and soft fabric, were displayed before him, plump and ample and were practically begging to be fondled and sucked; they moved and bounced with each movement as she struggled beneath him, and his mouth practically watered at the sight.

The second article of clothing were similar to men's trousers, only fitted much tighter and were no longer in length than her ankles; they were a dark blue in color, and he saw every outline of her buttocks and her thighs. The material, he noted, was much rougher than that of his own, and as he slipped his hands between her thighs to rub against the material, he couldn't help but notice her struggling become more persistent.

Although he was tempted to entertain himself with her gorgeous body; the thought, in itself, aroused him greatly, but he otherwise held himself back. Pushing himself off his feet, he pulled at the rope and drew the woman to him roughly and against his powerful chest. Before he could place her onto his horse and take off, he was caught off guard when he saw something move towards him in his peripheral vision.

He staggered back when a fist effectively punched him square in the jaw, and he fell back against his horse and onto his arse. Looking up angrily, he caught sight of a young man with dark brown hair pulled up in a high topknot, his eyes glaring angrily as he took the woman into his hold securely.

Kagome gasped, her face reddening when she recognized who had jumped in to save her. "K-Kosuke!"

He offered her a brief look, one which was pleased to see her again, but his eyes quickly returned to the bandit who was now regaining his footing. "Stand behind me. I won't let this thief make off with you."

"Mighty words from a farmer," The bandit leered, stalking towards him as he cracked his knuckles. Compared to himself, the boy was a lot smaller in form and less robust as he and his men. Knocking him out would prove quite easy.

However, Kosuke was prepared as he placed himself between kagome and the bandit. He was fed up with all of this. Not once had his people lived peacefully without falling into poverty. Not once had they received protection from their Lord, and above all else, his village was pillaged by bandits, and his own house destroyed in the smoldering blaze.

"Kosuke…" Kagome couldn't help but fear for his safety.

The bandit moved, his sword suddenly drawn as he charged at them, and with quick reflexes, Kosuke managed to move Kagome aside as the bandit lunged. Barely managing to dodge the blade, the sword slicing through his top Kimono, tearing at the brown fabric, Kosuke countered with his fist, but his attempt proved futile when he was pushed roughly to the ground, the bandit standing above him snickering.

A curse left Kosuke's mouth, and he pulled himself to his feet, once more positioning himself between the woman he adored and the ruthless bandit. There was no way he was going to let this beast get away with this; it had to end now.

"Step aside or I'll slice you in half," His words came out as a snarl towards Kosuke.

There was no denying Kosuke was scared, his body clearly shaken with an undeniable fear. Despite the tension within the situation, Kagome couldn't help but fearfully look between the two. Kosuke, from what she knew from the short times she'd spent with him, was a man who did not take up swordsmanship, but preferred to travel and help out in the village. Seeing him like this, protecting her and unarmed worried her.

"Kosuke…"

The bandit wasn't naïve to the situation either; it was clear the farmer was a fool, trying to display a heroic act, however, his fear betrayed in the form of trembling legs. The man was incredibly stupid to think he was any match against him, and he scoffed at Kosuke. Without another word, he lunged forward again, this time calculating the farmer's movements closely.

Kosuke turned his body, his hand prepared to catch the bandits wrist to hopefully disarm him, but the rogue bandit intercepted his move. In one quick motion, the bandit pulled his arm away at the last minute and knocked him under his chin with his elbow, and Kosuke staggered back, his face contorted into a painful expression.

The bandit used this chance to knock Kosuke off his feet entirely before striking his face with his fist. With each swing, blood coated the bandit's knuckles, and a laugh escaped his throat. Killing him would prove too easy, and as the bandit raised his blade to plunge through the farmer's chest, he was unexpectedly attacked from behind.

A painful cry fell from his lips as the sharpness of a small blade pierced his shoulder and fresh blood seeped down his right arm. From his peripheral vision, he saw it was the woman with the long raven hair and white skin. Angered, he turned and grabbed her wrist, and ripped the blade from his shoulder despite the painful sting before tossing it onto the ground. As she fought to pull herself away from his strong hold, he found himself tiring of her persistent struggling.

"Let me go!"

"That's enough. There is no escape now, woman. Now if you don't want to see your friend dead, I suggest you stop your foolish struggling!" He warned, and at this, Kagome stilled, her eyes widened as she looked back at Kosuke's unmoving form on the ground.

A feminine shriek cried out a short distance away, and as Kagome was forced towards the horse by the roguish brute, she caught sight of a familiar face behind her, whose fate was just the same as Kagome and all the other young women of the village. It was Aiko, a girl she had come to know and befriend within the village a month ago. "A-Aiko!"

Two rough looking bandits were on either side of her, their arms encircled around her waist and the other bounding her hands with rope. Aiko was screaming incessantly, but they only found her screaming amusing before one of them threw her over a large black horse before mounting it behind her.

Looking back at the village in flames, Kagome tried to locate Ume and High Priestess Kaede, but she couldn't see anything. Kagome saw nothing but the movement of the horses riding through the village, their prizes claimed as they began ushering their horses out of the settlement.

She was forced atop the horse, her body entirely stilled as she felt the robust man jump on behind her, one arm encircled tightly around her waist. This was actually happening. Although she didn't witness as much bloodshed as she had in her dream, she realized her predicament was a lot direr than she first envisioned it.

Not long after their kidnap, the bandits guided their horses through the woods, down a path not yet familiar to Kagome. They continued riding for what seemed like an hour or more before they arrived upon a traveled path quite far from the village. Kagome didn't recognize the area, and as they urged their horses further, they eventually arrived at a secluded area surrounded by many trees. All the while, the young girls who had been kidnapped, nine in total from what she noticed, had been awfully quiet since, their fear obviously apparent on their pales complexions.

A dilapidated hut came into view through the foliage, and Kagome saw that the hut was almost in shambles, a door left ajar and the other missing from its hinges. The curved roof had holes in it, and the small porch encompassing the outside was still somewhat intact if not growing green mold on its surface in certain places.

As the men leapt from their steeds, grabbing the women somewhat roughly from the horses, the girls, including Kagome, were forced inside. Some of the girls refused to walk and thus were either dragged or thrown over the men's shoulders.

Once within, Kagome realized the shabby hut was actually a small shrine, although very much abandoned by priests. She made out the familiar ornaments which were decorated upon the walls similar to the shrine back in her time, and large, almost golden, statues of Buddhas against the furthest wall.

Kagome and the other girls were pushed onto their knees in the middle of the old temple, the splintered old floor boards rubbing against their ankles and feet, and the bandits stood behind them guarding the exit. Everyone was quaking in fear, huddled together as they assumed the worse would befall them.

There was a sudden hand on Kagome's shoulder, and as she glanced to her right, she saw the bewildered eyes of Aiko staring at her. Her expression told Kagome she was surprised to see her after so long since her disappearance. There was a certain relief within her gaze, a look which read she was thankful to see her again. "Aiko…"

"Kagome," She replied, her voice at a whisper. "You've come back? Where did you go?"

It was obvious there were many questions clouding the young woman's thoughts, and as much as Kagome wanted to explain, she realized now was not the time or place to discuss this. As Kagome put a comforting hand on Aiko's trembling shoulders, she turned her glare towards the person seated at the very back of the room, and Aiko followed her line of vision curiously.

"Hey boss, we caught the girls just like you said we should!" One of the men remarked from behind the crying women.

From across the room, the figure of a very large and robust man, was dressed in samurai attire before them. His red plated armor was made from a series of oblong-shaped pieces of steel, similar to that of the other bandits, with a long green sash knotted at his waist. Chain mail like plates were wrapped around his calves, and as he moved to position himself standing, Kagome and the other girls realized he was well over eight feet tall.

The girls shivered in fright, huddling closer, but Kagome remained firm, her eyes glowering at the troll like man, whom the bandits referred to as their boss. So, he instructed his men to kidnap these women? What exactly was he going to do with these girls, if not harm them brutally?

"Hand over the jewel … right now…" His deathly voice called out, his eyes almost unseeing as he stood there before them, his blade drawn.

Jewel? What jewel? What was this guy talking about? As Kagome looked around the room, she noticed the women didn't seem to understand either, looking among themselves fearfully. As far as Kagome knew, the villagers weren't the type to wear jewelry, and she wondered if it was possible one of them had stolen from the bandits.

"What's he talking about?" Kagome mumbled under her breath, but Aiko only shook her head just as confused.

"I fear we won't get out of this alive…" Aiko murmured.

When the girls refused to answer, one of the bandits, the one who had grabbed Kagome earlier, approached the women with a scowl. "You heard the boss. Hand over the jewel! We've busted our asses snatching you wenches from the village. If you want to return safely, do as he says!"

What? What? This entire kidnap was over a stolen jewel? Who stole it? And was the jewel really worth attacking the village, attacking the High Priestess and burning up the huts?

As Kagome looked at the women around her once more, crying in fear, she felt she had to do something. If she didn't do anything soon, she had a feeling there would be bloodshed. Determined to straighten out this misunderstanding, Kagome pushed herself to her feet, much to Aiko's surprise. "Listen, I think you guys must have the wrong people. We never stole any jewel from you. Can't you see how scared they are?"

The bandit in return arched a brow at the woman. "Pretty brave to speak up," He remarked. "The jewel wasn't stolen from us, girl. The boss says he has sensed the jewel within the village, a jewel which holds extraordinary powers. One of you has it within your possession."

"We don't have a jewel!" Kagome bit back, her bound hands clenched tightly. "I don't know what you are talking about! Some magical jewel? You attacked the village over something like this? Do you know how many people have gotten hurt because of this nonsense?!"

Her temper surprised them, her pointed accusations towards them reprimanding them for their actions. The girl was obviously fearless, perhaps even naïve, but she was certainly very different from the other girls.

The women who were huddled together were surprised by Kagome's outburst, their dark eyes widening with every word that fell from her lips. This girl, the one who had arrived to their village well over a month ago, they remembered treating her terribly, and yet, she was standing in front of them, trying to protect them.

Her hands were suddenly shaking and she felt her legs tremble. Perhaps that was a little too much? The bandits were glaring at her, a couple stepping closer towards her but not enough to reach out and grab her. Her words had angered them, that much she was certain, but she wasn't in the wrong. "Listen, you have the wrong people. Just let us go."

"Yuuta, this girl is not like the rest," One of the bandits remarked.

Yuuta was the very man who was standing in front of Kagome, accusing the women of having the jewel in their possession. Hearing the remark from one of his fellow bandits, he nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Her manner of dress is not like the women, and she dresses in clothes quite similar and yet different from men. She is a very interesting woman..."

Kagome only glowered at his smirk. This was definitely not good. All eyes were upon her, including the boss who had not once left his spot, but his unseeing eyes were upon her. As Kagome accessed him, she realized there was something weird about their leader, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. All she knew was that this entire situation was suspicious.

"Bring her to me…"

Kagome's eyes widened a fraction when the leader pointed his finger at her suddenly. This was definitely not good. What was he going to do to her? When she turned back to look at the bandits and Yuuta in front of her, two bandits reached for her, both anxious to grab onto her. Without much space to move and with her exit blocked at all sides, she was grabbed by two of the men before being dragged towards the boss.

Yuuta looked on as the woman was pulled away from him, accessing the woman before looking back at the other village girls, who were stricken with fear and curiosity.

"Let me go! Get your hands off me!"

"Settle yourself, woman!" One of them remarked, smirking at her futile attempts to pull away.

Forced to stand in front of the towering leader of the bandits, Kagome felt her legs quake somewhat fearfully. He was a lot bigger up close than she first imagined. The two bandits on either side of her held her still before him as the leader accessed her, his unseeing eyes looking her up and down.

"Hey boss, try taking it off with one swing, like a dandelion!" One laughed, pushing Kagome slightly forward in hopes the boss would tear through her clothing to reveal what laid hidden beneath. The bandit almost licked his lips with anticipation.

How disgusting. "No, let go!" She cried.

"Stop squirming, sweetie. We'll treat you real good aft—"

The bandit never got a chance to finish his sentence before a blade struck him down from his shoulder to his thigh, tearing through his flesh in a quick motion. The sight of his blood bursting from his body startled Kagome suddenly, and she fell back onto her butt, desperately trying to back away from the sight of the dead bandit.

"Y-you killed him…" Kagome stuttered out, completely horrified.

At the sight of this, everyone in the room fell into complete silence, especially that of the bandits. The leader stepped across the corpse of the fallen man and towards Kagome, his sword swinging beside him, and at his approach, Kagome and the other bandits backed away warily.

"Give it to me … the jewel, right now," The leader replied.

Once again, he swung his sword, and Kagome had no choice but to run out of its path, her legs following after the retreating bandits who were just as afraid of being killed as her. "What are you doing?!" She cried out, surprised the leader would even inflict harm onto his own men, but the leader wasn't listening.

The women who had been bound by their hands, huddled on the floor with one another, also fled, but this time, they ran from the hut entirely, leaving Kagome and the bandits within against the brute. Although she was left within the hut, she was thankful the girls safely escaped.

Kagome ducked as the sword swung in her direction, narrowingly missing her head and as she struggled to crawl way under his legs, her hands still bound in front of her, Kagome managed to put some distance between them. How bizarre was this entire situation? What was wrong with this lunatic? Sure, they were all lunatics, but going so far as to attack even his own men was a little overkill.

Unexpectedly during her pursuit from the leader, Kagome was grabbed by one of the bandits and he turned her towards the leader roughly, his face contorted with fear. "Boss! Boss! Where are you aiming? She's who you want!"

A twitch developed under her eye, and as she watched the troll man approach them slowly, his feet causing the small shrine to quake with each step, she felt her legs begin to tremble. Annoyed, she whipped her head to glare at the bandit with his hands placed onto her shoulders, who merely looked on wide-eyed as the shadow of their leader closed in on them. "Can't you tell there's something wrong with your boss?" Kagome cried out. This caught the bandit's attention, as well as the others within the room, and Kagome continued. "Now isn't the time for any of this. It's clear he isn't in his right mind!"

At her words, they seemed to hesitate. Their eyes glanced to her and towards there fearless leader. They seemed to notice this as well, and yet they weren't sure what to do, especially now that the table had completely turned on them as well. Their boss never behaved like this, and most certainly never brandished his own sword at them either.

Yuuta, who'd been standing by, watching the boss with as much suspicion as Kagome, seemed to agree with the woman. Something was most assuredly wrong. "Her words are not false," He began, accessing the leader with each movement before moving forward to grab Kagome's bound hands, pulling her roughly towards him and out of the way.

Within seconds after this, the leader swung his sword into the floor, and the bandit who'd been mere inches within range of the blade let out a shriek of surprise before running across the room where the other bandits stood hesitantly. "Give it to me!"

"Let go of me!" Kagome struggled to pull herself out of Yuuta's grasp as he guided them backwards. She noticed that his eyes remained fixed upon the leader, and she was certain her words had affected him and the others. "What are you planning to do?"

"Woman," Yuuta began, but he was cut off when Kagome interrupted him.

"It's Kagome."

His eyes, well his good eye that was, looked upon her curiously, before he nodded in understanding. "Well then Kagome," He began once more before grasping his dagger at his side and cutting the rope bounding her wrists together. "Tell me, do you notice anything strange about him?" He asked.

Blinking at this, Kagome turned to look back at the leader, his unseeing eyes almost locking with hers and Yuuta's. She noticed how his strides towards them were slow, his expression never wavering and his complexion awfully white, almost ghostly like that of a corpse. "Is he sick?"

Yuuta only shook his head. "A month ago, after one of our many pillaging's, we returned and found him lying here unmoving. We thought he had died from an unsuspecting attack, but there were no wounds upon his body," He explained, pulling Kagome once more out of harm's way. "Whatever happened, changed him entirely. I thought perhaps it was sickness which had changed him, or perhaps a heart attack, but I'm beginning to think there's more to this than we first thought."

She listened to Yuuta, her eyes returning back to the leader, his movements unsteady and uncertain. At this very moment, he was ignoring the other bandits who were well on the other side of the room, watching horrifyingly as he continued slashing his sword wildly about. "There's something else that's bothering me…"

Yuuta's eyes glanced to hers for a brief moment. "What is that?"

"There's a putrid smell emanating from this entire hut," Kagome replied.

Yuuta's eyes widened at this. "So, I wasn't the only one who thought so…" He replied. "Although there is no visible wound, there's definitely something rotting in the air." That smell was definitely coming from their leader, he was certain.

The blade crashed down mere inches away from her and Yuuta, and they separated from each other, Kagome fleeing to the other side of the shrine with the other bandits. Looking back towards the exit, she wondered if they should escape, but something stopped her. From her line of sight, she saw that Yuuta had brandished his own sword, prepared to fight against the giant of a man.

"He's crazy! No one can win against the boss!" One of the bandits replied beside her.

"Yuuta is the strongest among us though. Maybe he can get through to the boss…"

Get through to the boss? Were they nuts? There was definitely something wrong with him, and yet, the bandits still held some kind of hope that the boss would return to normal. Well, whatever normal he used to be.

"Kagome!" A familiar voice called from the exit of the shrine, and looking back, Kagome noticed it was Aiko, who was fearfully trying to get her attention. "What are you doing? Hurry, we must flee!"

As Kagome moved towards the entrance of the hut, she peered out, her eyes widening when she realized the other girls were out there waiting for her. "You're all still here?"

Aiko nodded, her large brown eyes looking back towards the leader slowly closing in on Kagome. "He's after you. Quick, we must escape." Her hand grasped Kagome's wrist to pull her with her, but Kagome didn't budge. "Kagome?"

As much as she wanted to escape with them and return to the village, Kagome couldn't help but look back. "Even if we run, I have a feeling he will only follow us and more people will die…"

Aiko seemed to understand. "Then … what can we do? He's a large man…"

Looking back at Aiko, who was standing half way into the shrine, her hand holding onto Kagome's wrist tightly, Kagome only shook her head. "Wait out there, if you can. I'm going to try and stop him."

Hearing this, Aiko only gasped. "But Kagome…"

Kagome removed Aiko's hand from her wrist and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. Watch over the girls. Whatever happens, don't come inside. If you have to, run and don't stop. Do you remember the way back to the village?"

Aiko nodded.

"Good." With that said, Kagome gave Aiko a nudge out of the shrine and as she watched her friend rejoin the other girls, who looked back at the entrance with confusion and fear, Kagome turned back to the situation at hand.

Although he had expected the woman to flee the moment she neared the exit, Yuuta was surprised she did not. Her fearless eyes returned to their leader, and he had a feeling the girl was going to challenge him. "What are you doing?" He questioned her, moving to stand beside Kagome, his sword held out in front of him in defense.

"We have to do something, before this gets out of hand…"

"And what do you propose? Our only option is to kill him." As much as it slightly pained him to do so, he knew he had no other choice, but his boss was a strong leader, capable of snapping two men in half with a single touch.

Ducking out of the way of the approaching blade, Kagome ran to the opposite side of the shrine, the other bandits suddenly following after her like frightened little girls, and she couldn't help but sweat drop. Oh, how the tables had certainly turned. Looking back at the bandits, who were suddenly cowering behind her, Kagome felt her eye twitch. "Listen, now isn't the time for this. So, get your butts in gear or else you might be next! If you're real men, you'll fight to protect the lives of your brothers!"

They blinked at her words, their eyes looking back at their leader before looking amongst the others. "But … he's our boss … we can't fight him!"

"Yeah! Bandits are loyal until death!"

"There's no way we can go up against him…"

Kagome wanted to sigh. "Loyal? Your boss has completely abandoned you!" She replied, before pointing towards the corpse of one of the fallen bandit's a short distance away, his blood puddled around his body. "There's something wrong with your boss! If you don't want to end up like him, then I suggest getting your butts in gear and fight! Do I have to tell you everything?" She questioned, her hands positioned on her hips.

"She … she's right … boss isn't himself!"

"But he is a lot bigger compared to us…"

When she realized she finally had their utmost attention and trust in the entire situation, Kagome looked back towards the leader, who was suddenly closing in on them once more. However, he stopped suddenly, much to her surprise and as he hunched his body down, Kagome realized he was about to throw himself at them. "Watch out!"

Narrowingly missing his attack, everyone scattered in two different directions, the majority of the bandits following after Kagome fearfully, their screams loud and incessant.

The wall shook from the mere force of his weight as he slammed into it, and in sudden alarm, Kagome saw the wall collapse upon the leader, and a large portion of it also falling onto one of the bandits who had failed to escape in time.

"Not good!" Kagome cried out, running past the leader who'd collapsed onto the ground under the rubble. As she knelt down to assist the older man, his head void of any hair and dressed in a baggy light blue kimono top, she cried out to the other bandits. "Hurry, get the wall off him!"

"Sure thing boss!"

"We're on it boss!"

Boss? What? Since when was she their boss? Although she wanted to tell them they were wrong to think so, Kagome kept her mouth shut and tended to the older man writhing in pain. They ran to her side and did as she instructed, lifting the wall together. As Kagome and Yuuta pulled the man from the rubble, noticing he'd hurt his back slightly, she swung his arm around her shoulder and helped him to stand.

"T-thank you for helping me … thank you…" The man replied appreciatively.

"Are you alright? Can you stand?" Kagome asked, and at his nod, she assisted him across the room slowly, the bandits keeping their eyes glued to the collapsed wall where their leader laid beneath.

Was it over? Kagome wondered if he would move out from under the rubble, but there was no movement whatsoever. A few minutes went by slowly, and Kagome couldn't help but feel the hairs on her arms and neck stand on end. Somehow, she had had a feeling it wasn't over, but curiosity got the better of her, and she found her legs carrying her towards the rubble.

"What are you doing?" Yuuta called out, noticing her foolish bravery, but Kagome only ignored his call. When he saw the woman standing before the rubble, the legs of their leader the only part of his body visible, Yuuta approached as well, followed after by the other bandits.

"Boss?" One of them called out softly.

"Is he…"

"What have we done? We..."

Realizing he wasn't going to move any time soon, Kagome knelt down by the fallen leader's side and pushed away at the rocks and support beams which had fallen onto him. As she did, she suddenly noticed something strange beneath his armor securing his chest.

'Dry blood?' Kagome's eyes narrowed suddenly, and as she tugged down his plated armor to get a better look at his wound, she saw a large open gash through his chest, his heart completely torn from his body. She fell back in shock, covering her nose with her hand as the stench hit her.

From her reaction, Yuuta and the other bandits stepped closer and fell back at the sight as well. Their leader, was already dead. How was it possible? How was he even moving in the first place?

"I-impossible…" Yuuta murmured. Well that certainly explained the stench, but more questions surfaced. How did it happen? And how was his body still animated?

To their utter shock, a black feathered head poked itself out from the leader's chest, a long black beak covered in dried blood and entrails looked upon them viciously, with razor sharp small teeth opened as it squawked. Its eyes set the bird apart from other birds, and in place of two, were three large scarlet eyes with slits for its pupils.

The sight brought fear into the bandits' eyes, and Kagome couldn't help but feel slightly sick to her stomach. How disgusting! The bird, for god knows how long, had made itself a nest within the man's chest. Not only that, but it seemed as if it'd been feasting upon his innards.

"A demon!" Yuuta exclaimed, his hand clenched on his sword. So, the demon was the culprit behind all of this?

Kagome swallowed nervously as she eyed the strange bird. A demon? This was her second time seeing a demon of this world, and she was certainly glad demons no longer existed in her time. "I knew something was wrong. That bird made him a puppet."

"So, it seems," Yuuta remarked. "How much you want to bet our boss has been dead for a month now, boys?"

Yet before any of the other bandits could say a word, their eyes, including Kagome's, followed a few rocks which suddenly fell off the pile of rubble covering their deceased leader's body. The rocks collided with the ground near their feet, and there was slight movement from under the rubble, which suddenly alarmed them.

"H-he's still—"Before she could finish her sentence, his body lurched forward from the rubble and his large hand grabbed the woman by her neck, lifting her as he regained his standing. She was dangling in the air by his powerful grip, her hands desperately trying to claw his flesh for release, but his hold was tight and deadly. She couldn't breathe, and she fought for air.

"He's moving!"

"How is it possible?!"

"It's the work of that demon!"

"Yuuta … what do we do?"

Yuuta clenched his teeth, his hands tightening around the hilt of his blade. Although the mere thought of this disgusting demon possessing and making a nest within his leader's chest upset him, Yuuta realized it was the woman the demon was after. Yet, she exclaimed she held no such jewel within her grasp, and Yuuta wasn't sure what to believe. Perhaps it was a demon which had taken claim over his body, and if so, then killing him would exact vengeance upon his murder.

"Yuuta? At this rate, he'll kill her!"

"We have to do something!"

"That person you see before you, is not the boss we once knew. He's a living corpse possessed by a demon!" Yuuta exclaimed suddenly, his voice louder as his anger surfaced. "For his sake, we should rid him of the demon!" Fighting to control his emotions, Yuuta lunged forward and thrust his sword into the giant's abdomen, much the other bandits' surprise.

He staggered backwards, peering down at the blade plunged through his gut, his hold not once slackening around the fragile girl's neck. "Unsightly humans, begone!" He bellowed before backhanding Yuuta aside, causing the bandit to fall back onto his side in slight pain. "I must have … the power … woman … give it to me…"

"W-what … are you t-talking … about?" Kagome desperately tried to ask, clawing at his hands in hopes he would drop her. What power? Why did this situation seem familiar to her?

As she fought for breath, she suddenly found herself remembering something which happened a month ago, the day she finally managed to return home through the Goshinboku Tree. Kagome's eyes widened in revelation, remembering the sight of a terrifying centipede demon chasing her, its elongated body wrapped around her body demanding from her an incredible power.

Flash Back

"I thought I sensed incredible powers … it's you, isn't it? Give me the sacred jewel!"

"Stop it!" She cried, pushing the staff towards the approaching demon.

As the demon opened its arms to grab onto the girl, a sudden gust of wind propelled itself from the staff, and the centipede fell back, its entire body collapsing onto the ground.

Though her eyes were closed when this happened, the young girl couldn't help but open her eyes, gasping when she saw the demon sprawled out on the ground, its three arms ripped from its torso. Had the staff injured it?

It's eyes suddenly shot open, bleeding red as its true form emerged. Kagome fell back at the sight of its sudden transformation. It's once porcelain skin had unexpectedly shed itself before her very eyes, revealing blotchy reddish-purple flesh underneath. Its appearance was more demonic and frightening than before.

It wasn't over yet! She held the staff before her in defense, her legs spread apart as she prepared to leap out of the way if it should jump at her. But it was merely staring at her, its body convulsing as it heaved before her. There was a hungry thirst in its eyes, and Kagome stepped away.

It was going to eat her, she was sure of it. Swallowing her fear, she held the staff tightly before her, aiming it at the beast. "I'm not afraid of you!"

Mistress Centipede moved suddenly and her movements were so fast, its entire body had wrapped itself around Kagome tightly. It was done playing cat and mouse with its victim, and it approached her form, its teeth prepared to sink into her flesh where it sensed the power.

"It's crushing me…" Kagome gritted her teeth, her arms bound at her sides as it's disgusting body tightened around her. She couldn't move. Any tighter and she was sure her bones would break. "L-let … go! Let go of me!"

Without any warning, a sudden burst of blue energy radiated off the girl. The light was so bright and intense, it blinded the demon, burning its flesh with an incredible amount of power.

Releasing its hold on the girl, it slithered away, covering its face with one of its arms agonizingly. "It hurts! It hurts!"

End Flash Back

The Sacred Jewel? Was this the same jewel which the centipede demon demanded from her a month ago? If that was so, then, even during her absence away from this world, the crow demon must have still sensed the jewel, or to be more precise, it still sensed her presence and it had the bandits attack the village because of this! Even as she thought about this, Kagome realized the entire situation was because of her. It was her fault the village suffered from the attack. Yet even so, she was just an ordinary girl.

'I don't know what Sacred Jewel these demons are talking about. I'm just Kagome!'

Yet even as she thought this, she couldn't help but recall how her body tingled that very day and a warm light had shrouded her body and burned the centipede demon. As strange as it was, Kagome couldn't help but find herself torn between what was real and what wasn't. What was going on?

"At this rate, she'll die!" One of the bandits exclaimed worryingly.

"We have to help her!"

"Yeah!"

As he picked himself off the ground, Yuuta lunged once more towards the animated corpse of their deceased leader, managing to slam into him from behind. The other bandits saw Yuuta's plan and followed suit and as the leader struggled to turn his body fast enough to stop them, he felt the full force of their weight against his back, and he staggered forward.

In an unceremonious heap, the giant's body fell upon the floor boards, his grip upon Kagome forgotten as she fell beside him, choking as she fought to regain oxygen into her lungs. His weight upon the floor caused the ceiling to crumble suddenly, and as the bandits looked up, they realized they had to escape from the shrine immediately.

"It's coming down!"

"Hurry, grab the boss!"

"Boss are you alright?!"

It happened all too fast for Kagome's liking. One minute she was being choked and the next she was lying on the floor struggling to breathe and then, she was picked up in the arms of one of the bandits and carried outside. She watched helplessly as the ceiling caved in within the shrine during their escape, dust filling the inside like a fog.

Yuuta was holding her in his arms securely, his eyes glued to the entrance of the shrine hesitantly. Was it over? Was the demon gone from this world?

Everyone's eyes were transfixed horrifyingly upon the dilapidated house, and yet, somehow, the roof remained intact, refusing to collapse the building any further. The women, who were still bound by their hands, looked upon the structure before turning their frightful and curious stares towards the bandits and Kagome who was still held tightly within the arms of Yuuta.

It was fortunate everyone had escaped, and hopefully, the demonic bird had met its end. Looking up at the man holding her in his arms, Kagome blinked at him and when she caught his stare, she offered him a small smile of appreciation.

Noticing her discomfort, he placed her down onto her feet, accessing her for any injuries before approaching his men, whose stares were still directed at the shrine. He placed a hand on either side of his waist and sighed. "Our boss died long before we knew the truth, men. Do not blame yourselves."

Unexpectedly, the bandits burst into tears, surprising Kagome and the other women suddenly. They fell to their knees, tears falling from their eyes as they shouted towards the heavens regretfully, and Yuuta stood before them, his head lowered and silent.

"Kagome…" Aiko was beside Kagome in an instant, her hand upon her arm softly. The brunette was baffled by the entire situation, her eyes suspiciously watching the bandits whose backs were turned to them that very moment. "We should go, before they notice…"

As she said this, Yuuta suddenly turned towards the women, and they frightfully stepped back. "Oh, that's right. I forgot about the rest of you…"

Aiko took her position in front of Kagome, her dark eyes glowering at the tall bandit, but Kagome stepped around her, a gentle hand upon her arm and a smile to reassure her. "Kagome?"

"It's alright. I … don't think they mean us any more harm," Kagome replied, her eyes returning to Yuuta who merely crossed his arms, nodding in agreement.

Approaching the women, Yuuta unsheathed his sword and cut the ropes around each of the women's wrists, freeing them. When he did that, the women flocked around each other, their arms encircled around the other elatedly, but their eyes still revealed fear. "You're free now. Go now and return home."

Hearing this, Kagome was almost flabbergasted. Just go home? That was it? After everything they went through today and this was it? Just go home? Surely, he was joking? As the bandits regained their composure, wiping the tears from their eyes, they began walking away from the shrine, following after Yuuta, and Kagome couldn't help but chase after them before blocking their path.

"Oh no you don't! You guys aren't going anywhere!" Kagome cried out, her arms held out on either side of her to stop them from leaving.

The nine bandits, including Yuuta, merely looked upon the woman curiously before looking at each other worryingly. Yuuta said nothing of course, and merely arched a brow at the girl, noting her bravery was still somewhat foolish and perhaps a bit naïve.

"Do you realize what you've just done? You panicked an entire village, burned it to the ground and kidnapped all these women, including myself!" Kagome reprimanded.

The bandits shrunk back from her loud voice, their heads suddenly dropping as her voice rose further and much louder.

"Although I understand the situation, somewhat, you can't just walk away like nothing happened!" Kagome replied, pointing to the other girls who were huddled together, looking on with wide eyes. "They're frightened and a long way from the village. What do you all have to say for yourselves?"

Put into a difficult position, the men fell to their knees before the woman, much to everyone's surprise, as well as Yuuta's. Their heads were against the cold earth, their eyes wide and pleading to Kagome. "We're sorry boss! We didn't mean for it to go this far!"

"First off, I'm not your boss. You don't even know me, as a matter of fact," She replied somewhat angrily, and they seemed to notice her hardened stare. "However, sorry isn't enough. You shouldn't go around acting like this. Do you realize the kind of danger that put everyone in? Including yourselves?"

Yuuta however, despite his mens' apologetic repentance towards the girl, showed her no such act. "Why should we listen to you? We're bandits. It's what we do to get by. Our boss gave us exact orders, and we never go against such orders. It's the bandit code."

"Even so," Kagome retaliated. "hurting people isn't a good way to get by in life! In case you haven't realized, Karma can be a real bitch, and that crow right in there was your karma. It's time you start changing your way of thinking and take up a more civilized way of living, or else something like this could befall you again. You've already lost one of your friends, do you want to lose another?" She asked.

"Please don't be angry with us boss!"

"We're really sorry!"

"What should we do?"

Kagome couldn't help but sigh. What was she doing? Not only did she decided to return to this world to stop the attack from happening, but she wound up kidnapped and what's more, she decided to challenge the deceased and reanimated corpse of the bandit's leader. And now, here she was reprimanding these men for their unjust actions towards the very village which had mistreated her. She wondered if she was truly crazy.

As the trees separated on the trek back towards the village, Kagome couldn't help but sigh from her place on one of the steeds. Somehow, she had managed to talk the bandits into accompanying them back to High Priestess Kaede's village, and the trek was taking a lot longer to reach, especially considering the women refused to ride side saddle with the other bandits, thus, preferring to walk behind Kagome and the bandits. Of course, it was understandable, after all she went through first thing in the morning, well before sun up, she wouldn't want to be around them either, but it had to be done. The bandits had been insistent on her riding one of their horses, calling her their boss, as much as the title bothered her, but she was too tired to refuse and appreciated the offer.

Two hours drifted by since they departed from the dilapidated shrine, and she was sure after the roof had collapsed, the demon was well dead and rid of. As she turned her crystalline eyes towards the blue sky overhead, she realized it was possibly well past 9 in the morning. She arrived in this world somewhere around 4:50am, and already she was ready to fall into her bed and curl herself under her warm comforter back home.

Yuuta, who was holding the reins to her steed, leading everyone ahead, never said a word since they left. He'd been silent the entire trek, and not once had he tried to do anything to them, which Kagome was grateful for.

Eventually the village came into sight over the hilltops, and Kagome and the women felt instant relief flood them when they saw some of the huts still standing and the fire long since put out. From a distance, they made out the figures of the villagers walking around the settlement, some inspecting their fields.

When they finally neared the village, some of the villagers who were tending to their fields stood frozen at the sight of the bandits approaching, and fearful, they fled into their settlement with terrified cries. Not long after this, a bell rang out within the village and Kagome and the others watched as the village men ran towards the entrance of the village, their tools and axes held out in front of them; they were prepared to defend what was left of their home.

They must have noticed the women, the villagers pointing at their approach, and as Kagome looked on, urging her horse forward, she could not see the High Priestess anywhere. Well, judging by how many people were guarding the entrance, it seemed many had survived the attack, and for that, she was thankful.

"They intend to kill us," One of the bandits cried, walking beside Kagome's horse warily.

"They have every right to. What we did was wrong."

"Boss, do we really have to go through with this? We promise not to do it again…"

Kagome didn't answer them; her attention was primarily focused on the villagers, trying to locate the little girl Ume whom she had come to befriend since her time spent in the village. There was no sight of her, Kosuke, nor that of the old lady Kaede either. However, there was one particular face she recognized within the group ahead, and it was a face which brought nervousness into the pit of her stomach.

Satouru.

He was standing at the entrance of the village, his dark brown eyes glaring at their approach and an ax held tightly within one of his hands. He was donned in a light brown kimono top, his beige trousers loose on him and his hair pulled back in a top knot. His three friends were gathered beside him as well, looking as menacing as always, but Kagome refused to show them any sign of cowardice.

Once they were near the entrance, several feet away from the untrusting gazes of the villagers, Kagome leapt from the horse. Yuuta held out an arm to assist her, but was ignored as the woman walked ahead of them, her fists clenched and her stare hard. The bandits fell behind the woman slowly, their eyes looking ahead worryingly, and the village women who were following after were somewhat hesitant of how the situation would play out.

Kagome took her time approaching, her eyes primarily glued to Satouru's glowering gaze, and when she felt she was close enough, perhaps ten seven feet away, she stopped. "We've returned unscathed," She replied, her nervousness tightening in her abdomen. "Lower your weapons. They are not here to fight or cause injury."

Satouru squinted his eyes at her, eying her up and down suspiciously. He hadn't seen her since the night he tried to take her for himself, and now she had returned and this time, with the bandits behind her. "Who are you to bark orders, wench?" He replied, scowling at her disgustedly.

She felt her eye twitch, but deciding against arguing back, she turned her head to look over her shoulder at the bandits. When she caught their attention, she nodded her head towards the villagers. "Well, don't you have something you have to say?"

Almost immediately they rushed forward, their approach startling the villagers for a moment before they threw themselves onto their knees, their faces pressed into the dirt. The unexpected act confused everyone, the men and women gasping and pointing in surprise.

Kagome took a step forward in front of the bandits. "They've come to repent for their actions."

Yuuta, who was somewhat reluctant to fall onto his knees, simply reclined himself against the dark coated horse, his stare noticing Satouru's glare directed at the woman in front of them. When he saw Kagome give him a displeased look, Yuuta only scoffed, turning his head aside.

"We deserve death!" One of the bandits cried.

"We're sorry!"

Hearing these words, Kagome blinked at the knelt bandits, her eyes widened in surprise. That was not what she meant when she told them to return them to the village and repent. She wanted them to learn from their mistakes, not ask to be killed. "You guys…"

Smirking at this and more than willingly to rid the village of these vermin, Satouru took a step towards them, his ax clenched tightly in his hold. This was exactly the opportunity he'd been awaiting since a month ago, after the stupid bitch escaped. Since her disappearance, he'd been on house arrest, accused of trying to rape her in the woods, and not even the High Priestess had trusted him. This was his chance, he thought, his chance to right his wrongs by defending the village from these heathens. "Seeing as how the women are back where they belong, I will put an end to your insignificance," He replied.

Noticing this, Kagome suddenly placed herself between the bandits and Satouru, causing a sudden murmuring within the crowd. Somehow, she knew he would try something like this.

"Stand aside," He barked, his eyes glowering at her.

"I can't do that," Kagome replied, her gaze just as heated.

His stare hardened. This wench was protecting them! He felt his body tremble, but it wasn't out of fear; it was pure rage. He loathed this woman to the core, and he'd give anything to wipe that distrustful glare off her face. This woman who so dared to defy him was siding with these roguish men, and for whatever purpose, he didn't know. "Why do you protect these bandits who have desecrated our village and kidnapped our women? You pity them? After what they have done?!"

"I do!" Kagome remarked back, her voice much louder which surprised him and everyone around them. Of course, she pitied these men, and she realized they were not entirely at fault for what they had done. All of this was a misunderstanding, kind of. "Although I am uncertain the extent of harm they have caused everyone, I'm sure no life has been lost because of this. Am I right?" No one was hurt, right? Or was she wrong?

Once more there were murmurings in the crowd and to Kagome's surprise, she saw two familiar faces push themselves through the people. Kagome noticed it was Mayoko and Daisuke, the very two people who had taken Kagome in since her first arrival into this world.

"She is right. No one was killed during the attack. We've lost many huts but no harm has befallen any of us," Mayoko replied, her husband nodding beside her, though he looked on curiously at Kagome and the bandits.

Relief instantly flooded Kagome. Thank goodness no one was hurt. She was sure the injuries many sustained were minimal, but other than that, no lives were lost. Turning her stare back to Satouru, who was visibly shaken by Mayoko's words, Kagome went on. "Death is too much of a punishment. They are truly sorry for what they have done. All of this was a misunderstanding."

"What misunderstanding?!" Satouru replied. "They come into our village in the dead of the night, engulf our home in flames and ride off with the women? Do you call that a misunderstanding wench?!"

Refrain from slapping him. Refrain from slapping him. Kagome did her best to keep herself calm and collected, but his arrogant self was making it quite difficult for her to remain composed. Nothing would be gained if she acted immaturely in retaliation. "You intend to harm them, but they have not once cut a man or woman down, nor that of a child," Kagome countered. "You and everyone else do not know the entire story behind why they raided the village. If you will, step aside and allow them to explain, then I'm sure you'll understand."

But to her dissatisfaction, Satouru did not back off and he took a step towards Kagome, his height exceeding her by three inches. "Sounds to me like you are siding with the enemy. It's clear you know nothing of the laws surrounding such a circumstance. Death is the only punishment for their crimes. A simply apology does not suffice all that we have lost!"

"I won't allow you to lay even a finger on them," She replied, holding Satouru's stare.