"Inuyasha?"         The dog demon squinched up his face as he felt a finger poke his cheek.         "Inuyasha?"         Poke, poke...poke poke poke.         Feh...who was that? He was trying to sleep.         "Inuyasha!?"         He opened one eye, annoyed--         "Inuyasha!? Shinu na! Don't be dead!!"           "Gyaahaha!"           Inuyasha let out a yelp as the huge, worried green eyes of a kogitsune demon filled his vision, half-covered by a shock of dark chestnut orange hair held back in a sort of makeshift ponytail by a teal ribbon that appeared just a trifle too large for its head. He launched himself backward, hitting a nearby tree.         "Shippou!?" Inuyasha cried, gritting his teeth. "What in the seven hells do you think you're doing? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"         The little fox demon pouted in a very juvenile manner.         "Well, we're even, then..." he said, and Inuyasha narrowed one eye.           "Nani...?"           "He's right..." a new voice said, and Inuyasha turned to see a young man with dark hair pulled back in a short ponytail, dressed in a purplish cloak, carrying a long shakujou ordained with intricate carvings and several golden rings, "what else are we supposed to think when we find you passed out in the middle of the forest, huh?"           Inuyasha furrowed his brow at Miroku, and then touched his hand to his temple.         What had happened? He remembered being startled awake by a strange dream, and then...           ...           What had happened then?         There had been laughter...yes, a strange woman's laughter...the haunted sound of a ghostly song...and then...         He scowled.           He couldn't recall anything after that...           Had he really passed out?                 He got to his feet quickly.         Miroku took a step forward.         "Inuyasha?" he asked, extending one hand as if to steady the demon.         Inuyasha swatted the priest's hand away.         "Feh, nandemo nee yo, Miroku," he insisted snappishly, "I was just...taking a nap."         Miroku narrowed his dark eyes.           "You're a bad liar, Inuyasha."           The demon made a huffing sound and brushed past him. Miroku snapped his arm out, his staff blocking Inuyasha's path.         "Where are you going?" he asked quickly.         "None of your business, Bouzu," he replied, and leapt lightly up into a tree to continue his journey from a higher altitude, where he couldn't be interrupted or pursued.         Miroku cast a concerned glance at Shippou.         "What do you suppose that was all about?" he asked the kogitsune.         Shippou shrugged his tiny shoulders, and his tail twitched, like that of an agitated cat.         "I dunno," he replied, "but he sure was acting weird..."         Miroku rolled his eyes.         "But still rude as ever..." he muttered, then sighed. "Maa, let's get going, then."         And he started walking in the direction Inuyasha had gone.           Shippou trotted after him, and tugged the priest's robe.           "Ano...Miroku...where are we going?"           Miroku grinned over his shoulder.         "Oh, I've got a pretty good idea of where he's headed," he said slyly, and picked up his pace, leaning back to scoop up the little fox demon by the scruff of the neck. "Ikou, Shippou," he urged, "if we hurry, we can probably get there just after he does..."         "Demo," Shippou added, "what about Sango? Shouldn't we go back for her?"         Sango?           The houshi almost paused at the sound of her name, but quickly regrouped.         "Right now, I'm more worried about Inuyasha taking another unexpected nap in the woods," Miroku admitted with a grimace. "I think it's best to follow him for now, and we can go pick up Sango afterwards if things get interesting."         He smiled.         "She was still asleep," he continued gently after a moment, and then winked at the little fox demon, "and you know how grumpy she is if she doesn't get her beauty sleep."         Shippou giggled and nodded in agreement.         "So where do you think he's headed?" the kogitsune asked, struggling to be let down.         "Can't you guess?" Miroku asked, genuinely surprised that Shippou hadn't figured it out on his own.         Shippou blinked blankly as the monk paused briefly in the middle of the path and bent at the knees to place the little fox on the ground. He started forward again.         "You really don't know?" he asked. "Why, to the--"         Miroku stopped short in his stride, and Shippou bumped into the monk's leg.         "N-Nanio?" the little fox demon asked, a little startled, and gazed up at Miroku. "Miroku? Doushita no?"         Miroku hadn't heard the fox demon's queries, his mind was elsewhere, his eyes cast skyward.           What was this? What was this peculiar presence he felt? Like...someone's eyes, boring holes into his very soul, from somewhere beyond what he could see? He squinted.         Omoshiroi...he thought. Odd...why did it feel...familiar somehow? As though he had felt this same presence somewhere before?         What was it?         Or rather, who was it? he supposed was a more appropriate question.         He cast his eyes about their surroundings, as though searching for the evasive and ghostly apparition that seemed to elude direct detection.         Where...?           "Miroku?" Shippou called a little louder. "Oi, Miroku!"           A picture seemed to try and form in the back of his mind, like a flickering candle flame that cast uneven and incomplete shadows darting and capering over the walls of his brain, dancing just outside the grips of identification. What was going on? It was as though something was trying to get inside his head, but was hitting some sort of wall in the process, like trying to push through a hedge that was just a little too dense, and getting stuck somewhere in the middle.         He raised one hand to his forehead.           Huge, perturbed green eyes filled his vision.           "Miroku!!         The monk snapped out of his stupor and shook his head quickly, casting his dark eyes down at Shippou, whose face was clouded in concern as he clung to the monk's shoulder like a tiny monkey.         "Hn?"           Shippou frowned.         "Daijoubu ka?" he asked, narrowing one eye. "You...look like you lost something..."         Miroku blinked, then waved one hand dismissively.         "Iya, iya, nandemo," he insisted. "It's nothing..."           Shippou didn't look like he was convinced.         "Don't worry about it," the priest said lightly with a reassuring grin, patting the kogitsune on the head much like a child, "I just thought I heard something." He gestured with his staff. "Let's get going, Inuyasha's way ahead of us now..."         Shippou trotted after him, but was still quite suspicious that something was on the monk's mind.           No matter, he supposed.         Things always seemed to reveal themselves in due time anyway... *    *    * I've this creeping suspicion That things here are not as they seem And it weighs on me As heavy as stone and a bone-chilling cold...                                               ~Dave Matthews *    *    * Author Notes: I am the Author who says..."Ni!" That is all. O_o *Glossary of Terms* I am assuming we all know the Inuyasha basics, like youkai, hanyou, Shikon no Tama, etcetera, so those will not be translated here. genki: No self-respecting otaku should be a stranger to this word... It has several meanings, but all seem to revolve around the same basic idea... Take your pick, it means "well", as in one's health, "energetic", or "happy", or it can also be used when speaking of good weather... ohayou: Another one we all ought to know by now. "Good morning!" Jii-chan: Familiar term for one's grandfather. ano...: Basically the Japanese equivalent to "Um..." hai: Do I really even have to bother with this one? It means "Yes," for anyone who doesn't know it yet. bentou: Lunch! ^_^ nikuman: Mmm, nikuman... Steamed mean buns. Yummy stuff. ^_^ onigiri: Japanese rice balls, usually filled with meat or a sweet bean paste. yakitori: Skewered chicken grilled in a thick sweet teriyaki sauce. Also quite tasty. ^_^ sake maki: Mmm, my favorite of the four... Smoked salmon sushi rolls. ^ . ^ kogitsune: ^_^ Little fox. Wai, Shippou-chan! ^ . ^ taijiya: Demon exterminator. Just in case some people haven't been paying attention. arigatou: Thanks! "Ittekimasu!": Translates to something along the lines of "I'll be going now!". This is said as someone leaves the house. "Iterasshai!": The proper response to "Ittekimasu!"...means, more or less, "Return to us quickly and safely". There are two other terms in this little quartet, for anyone who doesn't already know them... "Tadaima" is said when returning to the house, and means, literally, "I have just returned,". The response to this is "Okaeri (nasai)!", which translates directly to "welcome home!". The whole exchange does sound rather formal at first, but these terms are used so casually in everyday Japanese that they are said mainly out of habit, and their true archaic meanings have pretty much faded. ^_^ I still think they're really cute! nee: "Hey", or "You know...", more or less. Ojii-chan: A slightly more formal term for grandfather or elderly man, but still quite familiar. shinu na!: Don't die! nani?: What? shakujou: Wai! I want a shakujou! That is the proper term for the staff Miroku carries. ^_^ "Nandemo nee yo,": This would actually read "Nandemo nai yo", but male speech is usually slurred, for lack of a better word, so that the "ai" sound is more of an "ee" sound. Makes it more...macho, or something, and less polite. This verbal slur is usually used only by men, but Kagura talks this way also. ::snort:: Kagura thinks she's so~o~o cool... ^_~ Well...she is...but...that's beside the point. Oh, yah, the translation? "It's nothing." bouzu: Derogatory term for a Buddhist preist, implying that this person is more of a delinquent than a man of the cloth... This usually ruffles Miroku's feathers and he very quickly corrects, "Houshi desu!" (I am a monk!), but I guess he hears it from Inuyasha so much that it doesn't bother him anymore. maa: As far as I know, this word doesn't have a direct translation, but it's sort of like saying, "well," or "so," before continuing with your sentence. ikou: "Let's go." demo: "But..." nanio?: Another way to say "What?" "Doushita no?": "What's the matter?" or "What's wrong?" The phrase translates literally to "What has happened?" omoshiroi: Strange or peculiar. "Oi!": "Hey!" "Daijoubu ka?": "Are you okay?" Literal translation, "Is there good health?" iya: No. This is sort of an interjectory variation of the word "iie", which is the word most beginning Japanese students would know for "no". nandemo: This word by itself also means "Nothing," and can stand alone without other words. "Nandemo nai" is just a different way to say the same thing. So, is okay? I think they've all been relatively self-explanatory, but if it's confusing let me know and I'll see what I can do to make it easier to read. ^_^ Well, in any case, I hope we are enjoying so far. It'll probably be relatively slow-going...my job has been kind of nuts lately, and has kept me from being as dedicated to working on this story as I would like...but I will update it as often as I find humanly possible. ^_^ Please let me know your thoughts, I love to know what people think of my work. ^_^ I won't bite... Er...well, not hard. ^_~                 Love always!                                ~~hikari