�There is no man upon the earth, no foolish man or wise, No man of high or humble birth but somewhere in the skies Can find a star to lead him on if he will lift his eyes.�

�Please, Inuyasha?�

�No way! We need to find the rest of the jewel shards. There�s no time for you to wander around and keep us waiting!�

�Just two weeks, Inuyasha!�

�That�s two weeks too long of a wait! You ain�t going anywhere--�

Kagome sighed as she watched Inuyasha and Sango bicker back and forth. It was a bit strange, she thought, that for once it was Sango begging to go home, not Kagome herself. However, Inuyasha, being the stubborn dog he was, would not stand for someone to take their leave, especially not for an entire two weeks.

�Inuyasha,� Miroku glared slightly at the hanyou, �I believe it is best for Sango to return home for the time being.�

Inuyasha scoffed huffily. �And why can�t we go with her? We won�t butt in.�

Another glare. �She is not entitled to be accompanied every part of every day,� Miroku argued. �She deserves to make this visit alone.�

Kagome shook her head disapprovingly at Inuyasha�s stubbornness, Shippou copying her actions in her lap.

It had been exactly two years since Sango�s village had been destroyed and both the villagers and her family had been taken away from her, no thanks to Naraku and his demons. Being the anniversary of such misfortune, she wished to visit the homemade gravesites of her loved ones and spend some time alone, hopefully away from trouble for a while so she could think in peace. Two years was a long time, and to add to it, Kohaku went missing after Naraku�s defeat, the jewel shard in his back gone, meaning he was most likely in an entirely weakened state from the lack of living energy; Sango was more sensitive than ever at the moment, and she had not even been fragile in the slightest to begin with.

However, Inuyasha didn�t seem to think of this as a good enough reason to put their shard-hunting on hiatus. He was not always so unreasonable, but now with the jewel re-scattered around Japan, he felt there was no time to waste in recollecting them while they could.

�Sango will cause too much trouble, being all alone like that,� Inuyasha pouted, although he knew he was beginning to lose this fight; the odds were, as usual, against him. �Haven�t you noticed that whenever we split up, there�s always twice as much trouble coming at us?�

Kagome sighed again and stood, being careful to gently set Shippou aside on the log she had been sitting on. �Inuyasha,� she scolded, �this is the one time Sango needs to be alone right now. If trouble comes, we�ll fight it like we always do, but until then, just let Sango go home for a while.�

Inuyasha paused for a moment, trying to think of something to say that would keep Sango with them. �Well�why does she need two weeks anyway? She�s just visiting, not moving in!�

Shippou brought himself slightly into the fight with a small argument. �Come on, Inuyasha, don�t you think Kagome would know best? After all, she�s asked you to go home lots of times, and she knows how important going home is.�

Kagome sent him a small smile, as did Sango, and Inuyasha growled lowly. He glared a bit at the kitsune, but was interrupted when Kagome continued.

�Come on, you know Sango. She works hard and doesn�t complain, and she�s always doing her best to help us when she�s not even obliged to. She deserves a break, ne?� She smiled softly at the tiny tick mark pulsing on Inuyasha�s forehead. �A two-week break is the least we can give her after all she�s done for us.�

The hanyou fidgeted, knowing full well that Kagome was right, before looking away and finally giving in, as much as he really didn�t want to, with that male ego of his. Kagome was seriously getting too used to these constant debates with him; it was getting harder and harder to say no to her, much to his chagrin. �Two weeks. No more, but possibly less, got it, Sango?�

Sango smiled thankfully, eyes shining slightly as she nodded once. She was relieved that he agreed, although she knew that even if he didn�t, she would have left anyway whether he liked it or not. Still, his permission relaxed her, as silly as it sounded. �Hai, I�ll be sure to return.�

Kagome began to grin as well, both for Sango and for the freedom she was going to be able to have for the next two weeks, but the others definitely didn�t need to know about that part just yet. �When are you planning on leaving, Sango?� she asked her friend, smiling.

Sango seemed to think for a second, but she immediately came up with the answer. �Right now, I guess.� She looked up at the sky, studying the current time of day. �If I leave now, Kirara and I can make it to the village right after sundown.�

Miroku nodded once. �I suppose you�d best be off, then, Sango,� he said, an exaggerated amount of disappointment seeping through his voice, which she noticed.

Grabbing her Hiraikotsu and bag of supplies, she looked at him warily. �Come on, Kirara,� she called to the neko youkai cautiously, who immediately mewed and obeyed, leaving Shippou�s side. The mononoke burst into flames as she transformed into her larger form, prepared to accept Sango atop her back.

�I�ll see you guys later,� Sango waved.

�Bye, Sango!� Kagome called out, waving as well, as was Shippou.

�Here, my dear Sango,� Miroku cooed happily, �allow me to help you onto Kirara--�

SLAP!

Miroku backed away, a red handprint embedded in his face. Sango glared at the houshi, her hand still in midair. �Hentai!� she scolded angrily, like usual. Apparently, Miroku, trying to �help� Sango to get onto Kirara, had allowed his hands to slip freely to caress the onna�s backside.

Sango, in a huff, easily jumped onto Kirara and began to ride off, not without a final stiff wave to the others, Miroku not one of them.

�Consider that one for the road!� Miroku called out, a cheesy grin on his face. Sango turned her head and glared before rolling her eyes and turning away.

And together, the four of them � Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, and Shippou � watched the Taijiya and her pet disappear into the afternoon skies, each one of them with a different expression adorned on their face.

�Miroku,� Inuyasha said mockingly, �one day we�re gonna have to tie up those lecherous hands of yours behind your back.�

An evil grin reflected on the houshi�s face. �Ano�� he smirked, �I�m sure I can get around that disability just fine��

Inuyasha growled frustratingly. �You lecher! Can�t you think about anything other than molesting women?�

Miroku sighed, looking up as if thinking about it. He opened his mouth to say something back to the hanyou, but he thought better of it and closed it again. Kagome just had to roll her eyes at Miroku�s obvious hesitation at the question, and she turned away.

�You watch over these two, alright, Shippou?� she sighed exhaustingly. �I�m going to help Kaede with our meals now.�

The kitsune grinned innocently, standing high on his pawed toes and pointing his thumb at himself in a cocky manner not unlike a certain hanyou�s. �You can count on me, Kagome! I�ll keep an eye on these immature bakas, no proble�itai!�

Inuyasha had knocked the young fox on the head with his fist, per usual, and bared his teeth at him. �Who�re you calling immature?�

�Well, I�m not the one getting so easily offended!� Shippou sobbed at the lump on his skull.

�Tch, yeah, whatever!� he scoffed. �You�re the one crying, you little pipsqueak.�

�And you�re the one who--�

Kagome sighed simultaneously with Miroku, who temporarily allowed his perverseness to drift away to watch the ridiculous little banter. Shaking her head and muttering a bored �osuwari�, she turned to walk back towards the familiar hut. She and Kaede had a lot of work to do, making these meals.

Two weeks; she had two weeks.

There were potions to brew and meals to make to prepare for tonight. They had better get started.

Kagome quietly slipped out of her sleeping bag, making sure to cover Shippou with the top of it so as to keep him warm. She reached a hand into her bag for a white sundress to change into; her school uniform was to be kept inside the hut so those with a keen sense of smell � mainly Inuyasha and Shippou � would not suspect her to have left throughout the night.

Stepping into the pretty dress, Kagome brushed it off in habit. The dress was sleeveless, the top of it fitting snugly onto her body, although the skirt flowed around her legs, reaching her knees. She reached into her bag once more, a white see-through scarf in her hand. She tied it into her hair like a ribbon, the ends of the scarf ending at the same length as her hair.

Seeing how she was now done preparing for the night, Kagome tread softly to the sloppily made sh�ji door, looking back once to assure herself that the others were definitely asleep. Convinced well enough that they were, she exited Kaede�s hut and quietly made her way through the village in her bare feet; bringing shoes was a pointless action, as they would make too much noise and cause her escape route to become threatened.

The journey to the edge of the forest was short and uneventful, and Kagome soon found herself stepping cautiously � she didn�t want to step on something and get hurt in the process, although she most likely would, as usual � through the trees to head toward her destination.

About ten minutes and many wounds to the feet later, Kagome arrived at the base of an invisible barrier, the moonlight flooding around her.

The barrier� Kagome thought to herself. If it wasn�t for this barrier, I wouldn�t be able to� Ah, thank Kami-sama for Kaede!

Kagome knew she owed a lot to Kaede for all her help, now that she thought about it. Kaede had used her miko abilities to raise this barrier so that Inuyasha and the others � as well as every other demon who passed by � would never realize a barrier even existed here.

Like other barriers, this one kept the unwanted out � and just about everyone was unwanted, Kagome made sure. However, unlike the usual shield, anyone could walk straight through it, even make camp in this clearing � although who would want to, with the village so close by? � but no one would even be aware that this area existed.

The barrier�s imaginary hallucinations were fake, but they seemed real; everything seemed like substance. However, to those who knew of this barrier and what it truly held in reality (as of now, only Kaede and Kagome were aware of it), this specific large spot was a beautiful home to many�

Kagome shook her head. No, this barrier was not all she had to thank Kaede for. The older miko, from day one, had assisted Kagome greatly with her use of potions.

Every night Inuyasha, Kagome, and the others stayed in the village, Kaede and Kagome would make their meals for them, much like it was done tonight. Unbeknownst to all but both mikos, placed in each bowl of food � save their own � was mixed in a potion that would guarantee a long and sound sleep for each who had eaten the meal.

Kagome smiled, knowing that she had an excuse for why both she and Kaede were not tired, nor were they late risers, every morning. She would tell her friends that Kaede was obviously used to waking so early with such a pattern. As for Kagome, she always slept in her sleeping bag, so she was used to the comfortable settings of her sleep already and was not lazy when it came to the cozy futons� warm hold on her nighttime dreams; she did not sleep in, according to that excuse.

However, the others, she said, were not used to sleeping in a warm environment with an actual place to sleep every night, and whenever they slept at Kaede�s, they grew more exhausted and comfortable, causing their excessive change of a sleeping pattern.

So whenever Kagome and her friends stayed in the village, Kaede made a potion, putting all but herself and Kagome into a deep sleep for the night. However, the night before they all departed, back on their journey, Kaede also made Kagome another potion, this time for herself to take every night.

Kagome was to take one drop of this potion every night; she made sure to bring back an eye dropper from her time in order to drink it proportionally. This single drop of disgustingly flavored potion would, for the next twenty-four hours, suppress Kagome�s�unusual characteristics. If Inuyasha or another of her friends asked her about her taking of the potion, she told them that it was mandatory medicine from her time that she was obligated to take. Such an explanation reassured any na�ve suspicions, Kagome was pleased to say.

Kagome now grinned to herself, perfectly content with the fact that the vile liquid didn�t have to be poured down her throat that night. She absolutely hated the burning taste of the Suppression Potion, but that was not the only reason she was reluctant to take it: when it was time for her to transform every night, she would be put under excruciating pain. Thankfully, she had learned to hide her pain from her friends, although it was even more painful to conceal it.

But no, that pain wouldn�t be so agonizing tonight, although pain would still be involved to a certain degree. Still standing in front of the barrier, Kagome winced, already feeling a twinge of that pain. She looked upwards at the moon, checking the time.

It was almost midnight.

She had to hurry.

Kagome ran softly, not going at her full speed, but going quickly nonetheless. She ran with her eyes facing downwards, and she found herself pausing in her steps before she banged into a large boulder, looking up.

Come on, she thought, staring softly at her surroundings, there isn�t much time left! Oh, Kagome, why aren�t you moving?

But she couldn�t help herself. She gazed, eyes sparkling, around the beautiful area, unable to move away from the view. The sight of this place, her home, was extremely familiar to her, but even after so long, she couldn�t help but soak in the breathtaking view before her. It had been a long while since she had been here, no thanks to Inuyasha's obsession with shard-hunting.

The clearing here was large and spacious, the grass fresh and green with life as it covered every inch of the ground. A few flowers popped up from the grassy terrain, colorful and beautiful with its own remarkable radiance. The boulder Kagome nearly ran into was alone and slightly out of place nearby a luscious tree, but it was closer to the center of the clearing and even closer to the edge of the plateau, near Kagome�s specific destination. It stood to Kagome�s middle and curved like most rocks did; only the top was perfectly straight, enough so for someone to sit atop it.

Kagome was gazing at the rock patiently, but another twinge of sharp pain jolted in both of her legs, and she turned away in her desperate hurry. She turned to the edge of the drop-off (which was just as grassy as the rest of the area) and took a small step into the water before it.

The body of water she was currently making her way through was large, even larger than the clearing itself; it was larger than a lake, but much smaller than an ocean, and it was a plateau at the same time, but Kagome simply called it a lake. The water was clean and a beautiful blue and lavender, and although it was pushing against the cliff, it started out slightly shallow, stopping right underneath Kagome�s chest.

No time to sightsee the area, Kagome, she told herself internally, it�s nearly time!

Kagome swam her way farther from the cliff expertly and gracefully, stopping entirely before another large rock, this time one that was set in the water. It slanted upwards slightly, and just the part of it that was above water was twice the size of the boulder on land.

Here we are� she exhaled, relieved. She made it right on time�

Placing both hands on the part of the rock that was the flattest, Kagome hoisted herself with some difficulty to sit herself on it. Her sundress was soaked, clinging onto her drenched skin. Her hair was wet on the bottom, but as she had not completely submerged herself into the water yet, the top remained dry.

Kagome sighed loudly, climbing even further up the rock to sit on the top as though it were a horse and she the lady sitting upon it sidesaddle, her hands straddling her sides for balance.

She looked up at the moon again. Any second now, she thought impatiently.

Just seconds after she thought it, it happened.

The moonlight gathered around her with silver and pale yellow light, bathing itself around her form. Kagome closed her eyes, facing the moon, as she prepared herself for the transformation.

The lights surrounded her, dancing gracefully around her form.

First, the light wrapped around her hair, allowing it to become wavier, although the length remained the same at mid-back. Crowning her head and replacing the white scarf she was wearing were white pearls, following a curved and dotted line behind her head from ear to ear, which magically kept her hair back.

Small streaks of the light flowed around her face, changing her eyes from a chocolate brown to a stunning blue. A slight gloss trailed Kagome�s lips, accenting the soft, luscious pink it had always been. Other than these, the overall complexion, pale color, and facial features did not change, but because of the minute differences, she seemed brighter and celestial in appearance.

The glowing moonlight snaked its way down her body next. The sundress transformed, almost all of it disappearing, leaving only clothing to cover her chest, although the color became a stunning pearly white, matching the bead-like pearls surrounding her head.

Last, the light completely wrapped around her legs from the waist down. Kagome clenched her eyes as pain shot up through them; it felt as though a hundred needles continuously pierced her skin, the sharp edges cutting harder and faster with every stab, and a fire-like burning sensation engulfed the feeling of her pierced legs with gorging and searing blazes. The pain was nothing compared to the throbbing aches of the Suppression Potion, but still brought tiny beads of sweat to trickle down Kagome�s face, her teeth clenched in agony.

The pain disappeared as suddenly as it began, and she soon relaxed and exhaled heavily, at ease now that the pain was over, although she immediately hunched over to catch her breath; she had subconsciously been holding it within her lungs as her legs transformed.

Those legs were now gone, though, and in their place was a beautiful fin, its scales smooth. It was a remarkable green in color, and silver and white glitter adorned the scales throughout the entire tail.

Following this glitter came more as it fell like snow from the light onto her body. A small bit of white rested in her hair, as well as her cheeks and shoulders.

Once the glitter completely finished falling, strange yet beautiful symbols began to emerge from Kagome�s skin, each of them a soft navy blue. A curved arch adorned each of her cheeks, a smaller star on her forehead. The strange design on each of her arms was thin, yet noticeable, in a henna-like fashion. On Kagome�s flat stomach, there was another arch on each side, although they were longer and less narrow, both of them curving inward toward her navel.

The shimmering lights danced around Kagome�s form, accenting the beauty of the mermaid resting on the rock. Just moments later, the lights gradually disappeared into the familiar moonlight that everyone outside the barrier could see.

It is done.

Kagome smiled.

Sesshoumaru inwardly groaned to himself, but his outward appearance remained emotionless.

He had never had to pass through this area before, but he knew who rested nearby. Jaken had told him many times that this was the area in which Inuyasha was pinned to a tree, and now he and his party returned to the nearby village every once in a while to rest.

Sesshoumaru knew his ungrateful half-brother was resting there right at that very moment, for he could smell the stench of the hanyou, as well as those of his companions. However�

The taiyoukai sniffed slightly and silently, suspiciously looking for another scent in the air.

That wench; Inuyasha�s wench�

He did not know why, but her scent was the closest and most recent in the area. However, it disappeared suddenly at the nearby clearing just paces away from them, which he did not understand.

He inwardly shrugged, not caring. She was not his problem, and it was none of his concern why her scent disappeared. For all he knew, she could have just run back to the village, following the same trail as she took to come here.

All the same, it didn�t matter to him. He was only here for the Tetsusaiga, after all.

The plan was simple, so simple that he was nearly ashamed that it had taken him so long to figure out: he and Rin would travel into the village and find the hut where Inuyasha and his party slept. There, he would have Rin, a human, take the sword before they would leave again with their prize.

It was a dirty trick, he knew, but he was becoming impatient, and he vowed to do whatever it took to take the Tetsusaiga as his own. It would be of no conflict.

Of course there was the fact that Inuyasha was a light sleeper, but with Sesshoumaru�s own grace, the hanyou would never even suspect that he had been here. His own scent could not even wake his half-brother, for, as a taiyoukai, Sesshoumaru had learned to mask his scent easily.

And this plan would take place in a few mere minutes. It would be so much easier, though, if Jaken would shut up long enough for them to sneak their way up to the village.

�--and Inuyasha will, of course, never even suspect a thing! Oh, Lord Sesshoumaru! No doubt you shall win the Tetsusaiga! All the same, my lord, why must you heed the assistance of this mortal girl--� he looked pointedly at Rin, who didn�t seem fazed in the slightest, �--rather than myself? Not that you need my assistance, of course, Lord Sesshoumaru, for you are most definitely capable for stealing the Tetsusaiga by yourself. But then again, my lord, how do you plan to take the Tetsusaiga if you are a demon and incapable of touching the sword? Not that you�re incapable, of course--�

Sesshoumaru held back a groan and fought to not roll his eyes, doing his best to ignore the kappa as usual. His ward, old Jaken, was a walking contradiction: everything he said went against himself and what he said before, and he tended to go on and on�

He paused.

His walking slowed to a halt on the boundary of trees, stopping right before he entered the clearing. What was it that he had just felt? It was like a jolt of power�

�Stop.�

Jaken finally shut up, staring at his master, confused. �What is it, my lord?� Rin stopped pulling the reins on Ah-Uhn, watching with large doe eyes.

Sesshoumaru did not look back at his wards, nor did he answer.

There is a barrier here� he thought, looking ahead of him. It is very well hidden, well enough that I barely sensed it myself. However�this barrier is different� It is pure, and yet�why do I have this feeling that it will not repel me?

He easily decided on his next move. Inuyasha and the Tetsusaiga would have to wait.

He calmly took a step toward the invisible barrier, but something stopped him. An opening big enough for him to walk through seemed to emerge from the air, but Sesshoumaru knew better. This was from the barrier.

He ignored Jaken and Rin�s gasps and prepared to take another step. However, he was again interrupted.

From his side, he felt a sword pulse. He looked down at his belt, but he was surprised � although he did not show it � that the pulse did not come from the Tenseiga, like he expected. This time, it was the Toukijin that vibrated as though it were frightened of what lay ahead on the other side of the barrier walls.

It did not pulse as Tenseiga did from time to time; it jerked and struggled, pulling itself away from the barrier as though it wished to tear apart its sheath in order to escape the purity of the hindrance. It seemed to panic on its own, tugging and struggling to fly away, and its thrashes were so fierce that Sesshoumaru nearly struggled himself to gain control over it once again. He paused for a moment before releasing his sword from its fearful constraint, throwing it at Jaken�s feet. The sword immediately ceased the struggle, although Sesshoumaru sensed a pull from it similar to cowardice, and he could have sworn he heard the wind sighing in relief.

�Do not touch it,� Sesshoumaru warned monotonously. He knew his wards would understand, for they were aware of the fact that the Toukijin was bathed with evil and power that they could not overcome, as he could. But Toukijin�s actions just now�no, it was just a fluke; it was impossible for that demonic sword to weaken, and it was surely just as powerful as it had been before he had taken a step towards that barrier.

�Hai, my lord,� Jaken nodded harshly. �But�aren�t we to go with you?�

Sesshoumaru did not turn to look at any of them; instead he walked into the opening of the barrier, which closed shut once he entered.

�My lord!� Jaken panicked, running to the clearing, hoping to enter the barrier. However, he was disappointed when the barrier neither accepted him nor repelled him. For reasons he did not understand, the clearing remained as it did before, and there was no trace of a barrier.

Sesshoumaru sensed the barrier close, but he did not turn to look at it. He was a bit surprised � and yet, he wasn�t � when he found himself back behind a large amount of trees as though he was back in the forest and not in the clearing.

A splash was heard, and Sesshoumaru�s interest piqued. There was another within this barrier.

He calmly took a few more steps to the edge of the clearing, but he paused next to a tree with a large trunk as his eyes focused on the captivating beauty before him.

It was a girl�no, a mermaid.

His eyes threatened to widen. Never had he heard of a mermaid being spotted. There had been brief and vague sections of his father�s old scrolls and books that spoke of them from within the dust and old kanji scribbles, but Sesshoumaru had read none of the astounding beauty they held.

Never had he seen a more beautiful sight. The mermaid before him was sitting atop a rock in the middle of a lake that Sesshoumaru was sure had not been there before he stepped into the barrier. The splash he heard must have been her tail slapping the water as she rose from it.

Her soft raven hair flowed gracefully down her back in waves, but it did not look wet, which was odd, as she lived in the water. Her skin looked soft and creamy, and Sesshoumaru fought to control himself, as well as his inner youkai, as he watched water droplets slide down the flawless flesh. The blue markings on her skin were more taunting than he thought they should be, and he was content with the fact that those on her face were placed in the same basic pattern as that of his. His sharp eyes saw hers, and he inwardly gasped at the intensity of the blue hues. His eyes traveled downwards as he searched her flawless face, those pink pouting lips of hers unknowingly teasing him.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her, although it was meant for himself, and he scolded himself for viewing her soft, perfect curves as though he were a hentai of some sort. This was unheard of! Never had he been in such a state of mind, and with these horrid thoughts running throughout his head, nonetheless! All the same, he could not get himself to turn away from this mermaid, and he settled for observing the rest of her in captivation.

His gaze traveled down to her tail, a beautiful fin that flapped gently. Its green sparkle rivaled that of her eyes, and he couldn�t understand why he was so fascinated with it. It was just a fin, was it not? He looked away from her tail only to move his golden eyes back up to her entire form.

She was combing her fingers through her silky hair now, although there were no tangles within them. Sesshoumaru fought back an approving growl at the sight. How he wished to move his fingers within her soft tresses himself�

He tore his eyes away from the mermaid. What was it that she was doing to him? He had rarely felt such desires in all his centuries of life, and yet he had merely looked at this beauty and found himself positively attracted to her. Was this a spell a mermaid cast that he had not read about? Could this be why there was such a barrier? But then�why was he able to enter it?

Unable to keep his eyes away for long, Sesshoumaru reluctantly found himself turning to watch her again.

She�s� He mentally shook his head, never looking away from the girl before him. No, I should not give in! I will not give in! This Sesshoumaru refuses to obsess over such a lovely, stunning creature!

His thoughts were drowned out once he saw the mermaid�s smooth pink tongue dart out from behind her lips to run itself over her bottom one. The action was quick and subconsious, yet Sesshoumaru had never witnessed a more arousing sight than this. His lips parted slightly at her movement, and he knew for certain that he could not look away.

And he did not look away, nor did he listen to the nagging in his thoughts to do so; this was his sole moment of weakness. He watched the beautiful creature sit and swim for many hours, and by the time the sun first hinted at rising, he found himself absolutely yearning for the onna more than he thought possible.

This is foolish, his thoughts finally invaded after many hours. She is just a mermaid�another species! She does not even know of my existence, and I do not even know her name. Only a baka would fall for such a trick, and this girl! No, that is enough. This must end now!

Sesshoumaru forced his eyes away. He had to get back to his wards. He knew Rin and Ah-Uhn would not worry, but Jaken was a different story, not to mention that Toukijin remained in his ungrateful care. Hai, he had to get away from this mermaid as soon as possible and return to his party.

He begun to move to turn back to see the mermaid one last time, but he knew that if he did, he would not be able to turn away again.

Thus, he walked away, back through the barrier to his companions.

He would return later that night.

Kagome, again clad in her white sundress and head-scarf, her feet still bare, softly made her way through the forest and back to Kaede�s village. It was already past eight o�clock in the morning, she knew, as she usually transformed back into a human at that time.

Last night was strange� she thought to herself, furrowing her brow in confusion.

As she swam throughout the night, she felt shivers up her spine as though someone was watching her, and she knew someone was, for she sensed it with her miko abilities. As if that wasn�t enough reassurance, she was fully aware of the rustling in the bushes and trees and the silhouette of someone�a demon�

But that was impossible, wasn�t it? How could there be anyone, much less a demon, able to make their way through that barrier? Kaede had said that only those welcome were allowed inside, but demons were dangerous, and Kagome was sure that she or Kaede had not accepted anyone�s entrance otherwise.

Who was welcome to the barrier? Who was watching her? She�d have to ask Kaede about that once she returned.

Kagome sighed as she picked up the pace to the village.

If Kaede had no answers for her, she would find out herself. She would uncover this mystery demon, she vowed.

Tonight�

--TBC--