Strange Discoveries

[kitsunemiko]

Her geta sandals clacked along the concrete walkway, cars zoomed by on her right and you could hear the sound of horns beeping, people talking, and other sounds you would find in the large city of Tokyo. Now you might be wondering why a girl of her age would be wearing geta sandals, well it was quite simple to figure out when you took the rest of her appearance in. She wore the traditional Miko garb indicating she was a priestess from some shrine. Right then she was currently on her way to visit a neighboring shrine called the Hingurashi shrine. Her mother had sent her over to see a young girl named Kagome, apparently earlier that day a young man called Hojo came to the shrine. He was worried about a girl whom was ill all the time and he was wondering if the reason could be demonic. So here she was making the long trek out to the shrine probably for no reason at all. The shrines steps came into view; it would be another long hike up to the top. At the top of the steps a strange feeling swept over her. She took back her thought before; there was something demonic around the area, it looked like she would have an interesting trip after all. Scanning the area she pinpointed where the strange energy was coming from, it looked like an old well house and its doors where open. Hopefully the Hingurashi’s wouldn’t mind if she took a look. Stepping inside the well house she could feel the demonic energy get stronger, what ever it was it was coming from the well. She placed her hands on the old wooden rims, peering down into the darkness. From where she stood she couldn’t see the bottom, it looked like she would have to go in. Making the leap of faith she jumped in. Though to her surprise she didn’t hit the bottom instead she was surrounded by a purplish blue light, it felt like she was floating.

Finally the light faded and she was at the bottom of the well. ’Well know that was certainly a strange experience.’ She looked up only to find there was no roof…that was even stranger. Something told her that she wasn’t at the Hingurashi residence anymore. She leapt out of the well with ease, only to find herself in a clearing surrounded by trees. Now where could she be? The area certainly looked familiar but then again it was different from what she was now use to. Not to mention the air here was so much fresher and cleaner. What was that? Did she actually hear silence, no cars, horns, or other sounds you would find near a city? Well what ever the reason she certainly liked it, maybe she would spend a little time here before trying to jump back into the well. Though first things first she would have to find out where she was.

”Hello, is anyone out here?

[kanrya]

Kanrya growled low in her throat. Damned mikos popping out of wells when she least expected them to. That is mainly the reason she was getting scratched up from hiding behind a bush. She was enjoying the sun's heat and this baka miko had to scare the wits out of her. She sat watching this miko and sctratched her head yawning silently. Come on ya stupid miko...i want my lovely warm spot in the sun back... she whined in her mind. She bristled a bit as she felt this miko sense her presense and growled again like a pup. "Who wants to know ya baka miko?" She huffed and stepped out from the bush with her arms crossed and looking pissed.

[kitsunemiko]

Her calm grey eyes looked over at the obviously annoyed demon. It seemed that she was a mixed breed, probably Kitsune and Wolf or at least that’s what she smelt. Of course the baka comment annoyed her a bit, but she didn’t let it show in her expression. A small smile graced her features as she gave a small nod of recognition. She spoke up answering the girls question using a tone like she was talking about the weather.

“Why obviously me, I don’t see anyone else asking if anyone’s around. Anyways could you please tell me where I am?”

She took in the girls appearance and seeing as the girl already thought her as a baka there was no harm in adding another question.

“Also would you mind telling me what Era it is?”

She calmly waited for an answer, the demon seemed friendly enough to talk to and she sensed no dangerous intentions.

[kanrya]

Kanrya stood there surprised but not showing it. She thought for a second on what Era it was. "It's the Edo era i guess" Kanrya shrugged and her tail twitched slightly still pissed off by this miko. " I guess that we're in Inuyasha's Forest although i have no clue as to where he is..." She looked put off by this comment and then focused her attention on this strange miko. "Who are you miko? You smell like a baka human but something tells me you aren't..." She sniffed the air and growls softly yet again her wolf side taking over her fox side and her eyes dimmed to a light crimson showing her pissy side.

[kitsunemiko]

She raised a delicate eyebrow, ’so this portal leads to the past, it explains why I don’t hear any cars.’ The demon in front of her seemed to grow more aggravated every passing second. It seemed she would be making her exit soon, she really didn’t feel like getting into a fight. The demon asked her a question and she gave her a slightly confused look.

”My name is Yukina; I’m a Miko from another village. You could be just sensing my powers, and I’ve been in contact with demons recently so that might have something to do with that. Other wise I’m just a regular mortal. Now if you’ll excuse me I’ll be going now.”

She turned and began to walking down the hill, the path here seemed worn which meant a village had to be near bye. The crimson in the other girls eyes showed she was unhappy with her presence, but if the girl wished to still talk to her she would fallow. If she did she wouldn’t tolerate the young mix breeds attitude.

[kanrya]

Kanrya easily got in front of this Yukina with her speed and her eyes changed back to the natural color of amber and looked into Yukina's eyes to see if she was really telling the truth. Kanrya's ears twitched and she stretched. "You'll need a protector miko if your traveling around in this day and age...Lots of dangerous demons around." She turned her back on this newcomer and put her hands behind her head in a bored like fashion. "I can be dangerous if i wish to be but i've sworn to protect humans if i ccan help them..." She yawned widely and started down the path towards the villiage.

[kitsunemiko]

The strong gust of wind that the demon made when she passed her caused a few strands of her hair fly into her face. She calmly brushed them behind her ear and paused in her walk down the hill. Looking directly into the now amber eyes of the demon she waited for answer to why she stopped her. To her slight surprise she got an answer and a strange one at that. Just a moment ago the demon looked like she wanted to rip out her throat and now she was announcing herself as her protector. She just couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, hanging out with this demon would prove to be interesting if not problematic. She would eventually need to go back threw the well later that day, but hopefully this demon would prove trustworthy with the information that the well lead to the future. If not she would have to give the demon the slip come later that night. After all if she didn’t return home it would worry her mother and she didn’t want to do that.

”Why thank you, I’ll gladly accept your offer of protection, after all its not everyday you meet a full blood demon that will willingly help a human. Infact you’re the first demon I’ve meet who’s done so. But may I please know the name of my new found protector? I believe I told you mine but I don’t know yours yet and I surely can’t just calling you demon.”

She quickly caught up to walk beside the female demon that obviously knew where she was going. A few new questions popped to mind as she thought about the demons previous comments.

”If you don’t mind me asking, what made a demon such as yourself swear to protect humans?”

[kanrya]

Kanrya snorted in laughter. "Me a full demon? i wish I was..." She looked up into the sky and sighed. "The name is Kanrya...I've never had a last name so now you know my name..." She sighed as the miko caught up to walk beside her. "I don't like to see others picked on...by anybody really...this world is full of strife as it is...i mean you baka humans destroy each other so easily it's amazing how you stay alive." She shrugged and looked straight ahead. "So Yukina, you're from the future hmmm...I hear that the Kagome that travels with this hanyou Inuyasha is also from the future. Do you know each other?" She asked and then watched this miko waiting for an answer. "Do you know if there are demons in the future?" She asked quickly her tail twitching.

As they crested the hill Kanrya looked down on Kaede's village and her eyes narrowed a little remembering the last time that she went into a village. She remembered being chased and ridiculed by the townsfolk. She had to literally hide under a house until it was pitch black out and escape from the village when everyone had fallen asleep.

[kitsunemiko]

Once in a while she would glance over at the demon as she talked, it was turning out that this demon was friendly enough. Certainly a far difference from her first impression, but then again most people are quiet different from there first impression. A calm smile spread across her face as Kanrya stated that she wasn’t a full demon along with her name.

“Kanrya, nice name kinda rolls off the tongue. If I can make a guess here you’re a mixed breed of demon, half fox half wolf right? If that’s right your still a full blood demon, just not a pure blood demon. Now if you were a pure blood demon then you would be only one kind of demon. Personally I always found mixed breeds stronger; they usually get the best attributes from both sides.”

She listened to the girl’s explanation to why she wanted to protect humans and she found a very noble reason. It was rare to find some one of that character even among any kind of species. It was because of this that Kanrya began to earn some of Yukina’s respect, which didn’t happen often.

” With that statement I’ll have to agree, out of all the species here on this earth mine is the most corrupt. But there are a few of kind heart which makes all the difference.”

Once again this demon surprised her, apparently she had already known about the future. This information made Yukina relax a bit, she wouldn’t have to give the slip to this demon after all and if she already knew that hopefully meant she was trustworthy enough. Well it also meant she wouldn’t have to choose her words carefully when discussing where she came from.

” Actually when I found the well I was on my way to meet Kagome for the first time. One of her mortal friends apparently thought it was something demonic keeping her sick all the time. But now I can see she’s not sick but spending all her time here, which I can’t blame her much on.”

She frowned a bit and wondered how to answer her last question. Doubting Kanrya would like the answer she answered with as much truth as she possibly could. There was no use in sugar counting the details.

” There are demons in the future, but not as many as there are here. The humans in my time are mostly unaware they exist. You see the Mikos in my time usually lack any spiritual powers so they’re unable to sense them. Those who are able to usually don’t know what there sensing. I’m one of the very few whom have knowledge of demons and can sense them so my job in the current era is to exterminate the demons who are posing threats to the human kind.. There mostly lower level demons, I’m figuring the higher levels have learned to stay hidden among the humans.”

As they came to the village she looked down at the many huts. She continued forward, she had come to see Kagome anyways so this seemed like a smart place to wait for her. Noticing Kanrya had paused behind her she stopped. There was an uneasy look on the demons face, probably concerning the villagers there.

” I doubt they’ll do anything to you if your with a Miko. Now can you please tell me more about this village and along with how miss Kagome came to discover it. Since I think this falls under apart of one of my jobs”

[kanrya]

Kanrya growled low in her throat. "I still don't trust humans if you understand...not what happened to me last time..." She stayed rooted to the spot as memories came flooding back from her childhood and when she strayed far from the den. Even those memories that she had locked away for good had come back. Those of being trapped in a cage by bandits and waiting for rescue that never came until her father destroyed them to save his mixed breed daugther from fate worse then what she had known locked in the cage."I-I don't know much about this village or this Kagome that travels with the hanyou Inuyasha. I've only heard rumors...and i've pieced them together bit by bit." She kept her spot still and looked at Yukina with haunted eyes. How'd you know that i was half fox and half wolf Miko? No one has ever guessed that about me." Kanrya's ears went back and she growled starting to distrust this miko now.

Kanrya was truly scared out of her wits. Life had never truly been good to her. Neither living with the pack of wolves her father had been apart of or on her own living in the wild. The only peaceful time she truly remembered from her childhood was living with her mother. Which was taken from her by another demon. "I-I can't go down there...I I can't trust humans ever..."

[kitsunemiko]

Patiently she waited for Kanrya to make a movement or speak and when she did you could tell there was pain in her voice. She sympathized with the girl in front of her, once hurt badly enough you’ll stop trusting in anyone. Kanrya went on the defensive as soon as Yukina guessed to exactly what she was. She calmly pointed to Kanrya’s ears and tail, those were the dead give away to what her linage was.

”One would have to be blind to miss those, especially since you use them so much to show your expression. Kitsunes have larger hears then most canine demons, and your tail is that of a wolf’s. Plus I’m a Miko; I’m supposed to tell the differences between the types of demons.”

She chuckled; Kanrya certainly was quick to go on the defensive. Hopefully her completely truthful explanation would put her at ease again. Though that was probably because she was already unsettled by being so close to the village. Yukina offered her a comforting smile, she doubted Kanrya would be pleased if she gave her a comforting squeeze on the shoulder so she just kept it at a smile.

”Well I’m human and you’ve trusted me enough to offer your protection, so your statement wasn’t completely true. But if your so uncomfortable about entering the village I wouldn’t mind waiting here for Kagome. But I’m afraid I can’t stay to much longer, my mother will be worrying about me.

[kanrya]

Kanrya seemed to be impressed by Yukina's knowledge of most demons and smirked. "So your really not a baka are you Yukina?" She grinned conspiratorily at Yukina. "You know we could easily cheat big cities to pay for stuff...if we go search for the fragments of shikon no tama shards..." She winked. "It could be fun..."

Kanrya glared at Yukina and then crossed her arms and looked the other way. "I'm not scared i just don't do villages...I prefer to stay in the woods..." She acted kinda like Inuyasha would and then looked at Yukina in shock. "Your going back already?" She whined and pouted like a pup would. "We could stay the night I heard that they never go to far from the village and i heard that Kaede is a miko also..." She thought hard to make up some reason for Yukina to stay.

[kitsunemiko]

Yukina smiled and nodded in thanks to the complement, she could only guess that this demon didn’t hand out compliments often even if they were back handed. A chuckle escaped her lips as the proposition of cheating villages out of there money came up. That was a very odd thing to bring up to a Miko, though then again maybe it wasn’t. Though she passed the ideas of cheating money out of people she did think about the jewel shards. She must have been talking about the ones she carried in her necklace with her.

” I must decline on cheating anyone out of their money, but I would like to take you up on your offer about the jewel shards. I currently only have two shards which I collected off of some demons in my time. There posing a problem in my era, so getting them in this era should prevent some of the issues currently happening there. Though I would have to think of an excuse to be away from home for long periods of time… My mother has no knowledge of demons actually existing, so telling her there’s a portal to another time is out of the question.”

She spent a few minutes trying to think of a way to get out to the feudal Era more often. But alas she was unable to come up with a valid excuse. It wasn’t long until Kanrya was back to glaring at her, though she didn’t have to wait long for an explanation. Though she didn’t stay in that mood for long, which caused Yukina to burst out with laughter. This girl went through more moods swings then a pregnant woman. The whining was not completely wasted for it gave Yukina the plan she was trying to come up with.

” Well I need to return to my Era mainly because of my Mother, like I said before she has no knowledge of demons and mythical stuff such as this. But if you want you can return to my Era with me under a few conditions. You could stay at my home, and I can tell my mother your one of my friends from my new school. That way the nights I’m spending in the feudal era I can tell her I’m over your house. But the conditions are is that you can’t run off by yourself, two we have to find a way to hide your tail and ears; three you must treat my mother with respect. I don’t take kindly to those whom are disrespect full to her.

There was a dangerous tone to her voice at the end of her conditions showing that she meant that warning. One of Yukina’s traits was that she was extremely protective of her family or at least the small family she had. At her home it was only her and her mother, her father had passed away a few months before she was born and her mother never remarried.

[kanrya]

Kanrya grinned and then grew serious. "I always behaved well for my mother well until she passed away while trying to protect me from another demon. I swear on her soul that I will behave for your mother and respect her as I respected my own." She winked and cast an illusion spell that was apart of her kitsune heritage. Kanrya's fox ears shrank and human ears took their place. Kanrya's tail also shrank into her body and Kanrya looked like just an ordinary human. "Thank the kitsune goddess that its almost a full moon that's when my kitsune powers are the strongest." She grinned again and looked to see if she was missing anything that needed to be changed. "How does it look?" She asked and looked uncertain.

[kitsunemiko]

A smile was soon back upon her face, satisfied with Kanrya’s answer. Now there was no doubt that her and Kanrya would get along fine. She watched on as Kanrya cast her illusions, they were good enough to pass her off as a human. Only another demon or one with spiritual powers would be able to know the difference. She nodded in approval and motioned for Kanrya to fallow her back to the well.

”Ok it’s a bit of a hike back to my house from the Hingurashi Shrine, usually people would take a bus or a car back but I think we’ll walk instead. That way I can show you things you have questions about along with explaining things so you can pull off a modern teenage girl. Oh and to warn you a head of time, there will me a lot of humans and lets say your nose is in for an insult.”

They made it back and Yukina hopped into the well to be transported back to her time. It took a few seconds for Yukina’s nose to get use to the smells and also the darkness of the well house. She climbed up the later and waited for Kanrya to join her before leaving the well house. Once she was there she left the well house and let the cool city air hit her face. Luckily no one was around and she was able to leave the shrine without much questioning. Yukina was sure once they got down to the streets Kanrya would have a lot of questions about all the futuristic devices.