Ann sat just outside her room, leaning on the railing around the porch, her head resting on her arms, watching the road out of the village. It was near dark and visibility was starting to become limited, but she didn't move. Ichiro had been gone for a week now. It was uncertain when he'd be back with his warriors, but it wouldn't be soon enough for her. She had wanted to go, but her uncle had pleaded with her to stay.

"You are not quite ready for battle," he had explained, "Your inexperience might cause problems. You want this mission to go well, right?" All Ann could do was nod and wish Ichiro good luck, but now she was anxious. Worst case scenarios kept playing over and over again in her head.

"What if he doesn't come back? Will I still be able to find my reason to fight?"

A faint light caught her attention through the low light of dusk. Through the thick, dark forest marched a group of men. Ann leaned over the railing, trying to get a better view. As they approached the village center, one figure stood out.

"Ichiro," she gasped, rushing to meet him. The villagers gathered around the returning warriors, who looked downtrodden and exhausted.

Uncle Yoshio entered the crowd and approached the warriors. They bowed their heads and Ichiro fell to his knees.

"What happened," asked Yoshio, his gaze darting around the many faces before him.

"We encountered a demon that possessed a shard of the Shikon," Ichiro responded, his voice breaking. "The creature was very powerful. We lost three of our men and barely managed to escape. The demon is still alive." Ichiro's head dipped further in shame.

"We must strategize," Yoshio said. "This demon can not be allowed to roam the land and collect more jewel shards." Ann perked up and stepped forward.

"Uncle?" she bowed. "Can I help? Maybe my priestess powers could help destroy this creature."

"No," her uncle's sharp answer left no room for argument or discussion. Ann was taken aback. Why such an answer? It had to be that he didn't believe in her. She would die easily and then the Soul of the Shikon would be up for grabs. Ann clamped her mouth shut and dipped her head. Confusion welled up inside her. Wasn't this why she was here? She wished she could leave, but everybody would notice. Her uncle continued to speak to the warriors, but she heard very little.

"I don't know what to do," she thought. "I'm supposed to be the Soul of the Shikon, but they won't let me help. I wish I was back in my time. There is so much happening here, but I can't do anything about it. At least I knew my place in that time."

As the crowd started to disperse, Uncle Yoshio made his way back to the main house, but Ichiro still kneeled on the ground. All of his warriors were heading home. Ann approached and asked,

"Ichiro, aren't you going home?"

"No," his usual cheerfulness was gone. "I failed my men and will stay in this spot for three days to pay for their lives."

"You can't do that," Ann exclaimed, concerned for his health. Ichiro turned hard, dark eyes on her, sending chills down her spine and stopping her from saying any more.

"You don't understand what we went through," his words were heavy with emotion. "They were destroyed. There was nothing we could bring home for their families to bury." Tears pricked Ann's eyes at his harshness and the utter defeat that was in his voice. She felt terrible for what he'd experienced and for the families that had lost somebody, but wasn't this what her uncle had been talking about. They had all signed up for this and a death in the service of bringing peace to their people was supposed to be an honor.

"Of course I don't understand," Ann cried in frustration, momentarily lifting the darkness from Ichiro's eyes and replacing it with shock. "I'm not allowed to train to slay demons, even though that's kinda why I'm here. I thought that's what the earlier training with Uncle Yoshio was for, but I guess it wasn't." She waved her hands through the air to accentuate her speech.

"Wait, Ann," Ichiro began, but Ann continued over him.

"No! You wait!" she stabbed her finger at him. "I know it'd be bad if I died, but you can't get mad at me for not understanding. I am not being given the opportunity to understand."

She could feel the hot streaks of tears rolling down her face. The fear and anxiety were welling up. She clenched her hands, her nails pressing sharply into her palms, trying to push the emotions down, but they were too much. Suddenly, she was mad.

"You say I don't understand. Well, I don't think you understand me either," she yelled. "Every time you leave, I am left here with nothing to do but pray you come back. I can't defend you! I can't defend myself! I'm useless!"

With that said, Ann turned and ran. Ichiro was yelling behind her, but she was too upset. She raced straight into the forest that edged the village. It was dark here, the path rising and falling past thick trees. She didn't know how far she'd run when a root caught her foot and sent her sprawling in the dirt. She curled up into a ball and wept, all of her pent up anxiety coming out.

"I'm useless, Grandma," she cried. "They want to protect me, but I'm not worth it." She wrapped her arms around her body and raked her nails down her upper arms, her anxiety crushing her. "Naraku is going to kill me, Grandma. And he will kill them. They have no idea how determined he is." She began to rock, these thoughts swirling endlessly through her mind, until she passed out.

Yoshio moved swiftly through the dark forest, his senses alert. If Ann had strayed past the village borders, he would need to send Ichiro after her quickly. His protective magic could only safeguard her within a certain range.

"It would be good for the boy to chase her down," he thought. "He is being too hard on himself about the loss of our warriors, but I suppose this is his first loss since he began to lead them." Yoshio shook his head, contemplating the needless burden of youth - emotions clouding the hard truths of life.

As he crested a hill, he paused to scan the dense forest. A faint glow caught his eye. Silently, he moved towards the dim light, weaving between trees to remain hidden.

When he was close, he peeked out from behind a tree and gasped. Ann was curled up on the ground, shivering slightly, but unharmed. Leaning over her was a ghost, the source of the faint glow. Yoshio edged closer and the ghost turned to look at him.

"Yoko," he whispered in shock.

"Yoshio," she responded, her sharp eyes narrowing. "I see you haven't been looking after my granddaughter very well."

Yoshio opened his mouth to retort but then shut it, the shock of seeing his dead sister wearing off. He chuckled bitterly.

"After all of these years," he said, "you still know how to make me feel like a little boy." A slight smile touched her stern face, but then slid away.

"Why are you not allowing her to fight?" Yoko chided. "She will never learn to defend herself against Naraku without real experience. Why are you not teaching her properly?"

"Because of what happened to you," he gestured helplessly. "You disappeared with that demon on your heels. There was nothing any of us could do. I wanted to repay you, in some way."

"Repay me by doing what needs to be done," Yoko said firmly. "Ann must find a way to either destroy the Shikon or safeguard it permanently. This path will be thankless and lonely. She will not be able to deviate from it. Her success will be her only consolidation. She needs the tools that you can give her to achieve this goal."

Yoshio nodded reluctantly. He had told Yoko that he wanted to pay her back by protecting Ann, but he had also been selfish, keeping her close. Seeing bits of his sister in her had brought him happiness. He sighed heavily, feeling suddenly very old.

"I will do better, sister," he said softly.

"You have done well, Yoshio. Now you just need to set her free," Yoko said while placing a hand on her brother's shoulder. "I know you have been lonely ever since I left. I'm sorry for that but be glad for the time you've had with her. And please understand she must succeed, or the world will suffer."

Footsteps echoed through the forest, interrupted them.

"Master!" Ichiro called out, his voice urgent.

"Good," thought Yoshio, relief lifting the weight on his heart, "His feelings for her ended up being stronger than his sorrow." He turned to look at Yoko, but she was already gone. His smile faltered and his heart ached, but then Ichiro burst into the clearing.

"Ann!" Ichiro rushed to her side, kneeling and pulling her tightly into his arms. "She's freezing, Master! What should I do?" Yoshio chuckled, bringing a frown to Ichiro's face.

"First, calm down," he said. "She is made of stronger stuff than that. Second, we will take her home. And third, when she is well again, I want you to begin training her to become a demon slayer."

"Really, Master?" Ichiro asked, surprise and hope in his voice. "I thought you intended to shield her within the village?"

"That was wrong of me," Yoshio admitted. "She has a destiny to fulfill and needs to be prepared for it," Ichiro stood, lifting Ann into his arms, clutching her tightly against his chest. He gently touched his forehead to hers.

"Thank you for changing your mind, Master," he said, some of his cheerfulness returning. "She will be so relieved."

Ann awoke lying in her futon. The first light of dawn was visible through her window. Groggily, she pushed her blankets down and sat up.

"How long have I been asleep," she wondered aloud. "Wait a minute. How did I get home?"

She looked around her room, confused. In the time that she'd been there, the room had changed. Little touches like wall scrolls and vases of flowers now decorated the room making it feel lived in, but she didn't notice any of this at that moment. A knock sounded at her door and Ichiro called softly through,

"Ann? Are you awake?" Her heart did a little somersault. Why was he here? He had to be so angry. She had been so insensitive in a moment of loss. Why hadn't she held back, at least until the sting of this horrible event wore off? A choked up feeling filled her throat, but before she could do anything, the door slid open. Ichiro gave her a look of confusion.

"Why didn't you answer?" he asked. A sob broke out of her throat.

"I thought you would be mad at me still," she said brokenly. "I was so harsh when you had just lost your men."

"I'm not mad at you," he said, smiling kindly at her. "May I come in and we can talk." Ann nodded vigorously. Ichiro came in, sliding the door closed behind him, and sat on the floor next to her. He smiled, but he looked a little unsure. Ann reached out and took his hand.

"I'm not mad at you either," she said, squeezing his hand. "I was just so frustrated. And scared."

"I know," he patted her hand. "Master Yoshio is going to fix that. He wants me to start training you to fight demons."

"Really?" Tears streaked down Ann's cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away. "I am so glad. I just want to help."

"Don't worry," Ichiro said, all confidence and smiles now. "Once I'm done with you, no demon will stand a chance." Ann giggled, relief lightening her spirit. She kicked her blankets the rest of the way down and leapt at Ichiro, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

"I'm so excited," she exclaimed. "When can we start?"

"When you are feeling better," he returned her hug, pulling her into his lap and holding her tightly. "You really scared me last night. Please don't run off like that again."

"I promise I won't," Ann said. She leaned back to look into his soft, brown eyes, but then on a whim she leaned forward and kissed him. He returned the kiss, but it was different this time. It was deep and so full of emotion. His hands traced up her spine and rooted themselves in her hair as his tongue gently licked the seam of her lips.

She opened her mouth against his, allowing his tongue to dip into her mouth to taste her. Heat gathered in her lower abdomen, and she moaned, her mind fogging as sensation took over. One of his hands slowly grazed her front as it lowered from her hair and slid inside her kimono, coming into contact with skin. She ran her hands up his back and clung to him, trying to find a place to hold on to, so that she'd stay grounded. His hand gently caressed her skin along her rib cage until he was cupping her breast. With a groan, he broke their kiss and looked down at her, a look of resignation on his face. His hand began to move from her breast, but she quickly caught it and held it in place.

"Don't stop," she whispered, her voice breathless and pleading.

"Ann," he murmured, his eyes dark with desire. "Are you sure? You need to rest."

"I need you," she insisted, her grip tightening on his hand. "Please."

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded, his resolve crumbling. "I can't argue with that," he said, a playful smile touching his lips.

"No, you can't," Ann teased back in a serious tone. He chuckled and touched his forehead to hers, then resumed his caresses. His hand moved confidently now, sliding inside her kimono to cup her breast once more. He gently squeezed, his thumb brushing over her sensitive nipple, sending shivers of pleasure through her body. She arched into his touch, her breath hitching.

Ichiro's lips found hers again, their kiss growing more passionate, more urgent. His hand trailed down her body, exploring, teasing, until it reached the hem of her kimono. He slipped his hand beneath the fabric, fingers tracing patterns on her inner thigh, inching closer to her core. Ann moaned into his mouth, her hips lifting in silent encouragement.

He broke the kiss, looking into her eyes. "I want you," he said, his voice rough with need. "But I want to make sure you're ready."

"I'm ready," she assured him, her voice trembling with anticipation. "I want this, Ichiro. I want you."

With a groan, he captured her lips again, his hand finally between her thighs. His fingers found her wet and ready, and he began to stroke her gently, eliciting gasps and whimpers from her. Ann's hands clung to his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin as she found her release and waves of pleasure coursed through her.

"Ichiro," she moaned, her body trembling. "Please, I need you inside me."

He nodded, his own breath coming in ragged gasps. He shifted, positioning himself at her entrance, and paused, looking into her eyes for confirmation. She nodded, her eyes filled with trust and desire.

Slowly, carefully, he pressed into her, his eyes never leaving hers. She gasped at the initial discomfort, but it quickly gave way to deeper, more intense pleasure as he filled her completely. He stilled for a moment, allowing her to adjust, then began to move in a slow, steady rhythm.

The sensation was overwhelming, each thrust sending jolts of pleasure through her body. Ann's hips moved in time with his, meeting each of his thrusts eagerly. She clung to him, her body arching and trembling, lost in the intensity of their connection.

"Ann," Ichiro murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "You feel so good."

She groaned, her fingers tangling in his hair. "Don't stop, Ichiro. Please, don't stop."

He increased his pace, their bodies moving together in perfect harmony. The pleasure built and built until it was almost unbearable, and then, with a final, deep thrust, they both tumbled over the edge, crying out each other's names as waves of ecstasy washed over them.

For a long moment, they lay there, entwined, their breaths mingling, their hearts pounding in unison. Ichiro gently brushed a strand of hair from Ann's face, his eyes soft and tender.

"I love you," he whispered, his voice filled with awe and wonder. "I want to spend my life with you."

Tears of joy filled Ann's eyes as she looked up at him. "I love you too, Ichiro," she said, her voice breaking with emotion. "I would love to marry you."

He pulled her into a tight embrace, their hearts full and their future bright.