Kaya's Story (An InuYasha Fanfic)

Chapter 10: The Village of Half-Demons-Hiroshi Returns

I woke up to footsteps coming towards me from behind. When the footsteps came dangerously near, I peeked over my shoulder passed the tree. A man stepped into the light. His hair was a dark blue-green and his ears looked like the fins of a fish. I turned back around, not wanting to this demon's attention. You remember how I mentioned I'm clumsy, well I slipped and fell from my branch to ground. The demon and I made eye contact for a moment before I took off running. After I realized he wasn't following me, I stopped and looked around. Nothing was familiar, which was good and bad; I was no longer going in circles, but I was lost. At least, I thought I was. I noticed a light shining in the direction I had been running, so I took off towards it only to run into the lights source after a few feet. A barrier shone brightly, even in broad daylight. This barrier didn't feel demonic or spiritual, so coming across it was strange. Instead of just going through, I braced myself and ran my hand across it. Nothing happened for a moment. So, I walked through to find a village hidden in the barrier.

I could smell and feel the presence of humans, demons and half-demons everywhere. I stood there and stared in awe. This place was absolutely serene; no human village could compare. Children played by the river, people walked around doing chores and gathered goods. It was amazing! During my awestruck moment, a couple of people tackled me from behind, tying me up. One of the attackers picked me up and threw me over his shoulder like a rag-doll. I kept kicking his chest, but to no avail. He walked for several feet before throwing me off his shoulder to the ground. I moved to my knees before growling and lunging at the attackers. They both stepped back, and the dark-haired captor smirked before speaking, "What business do you have here, girl?" I growled in response. I figured out the man from the forest was the other captor, who proceeded to slap me across the face and repeat the dark-haired man's question. I growled again, biting the blue-green haired man's leg. He yelped in pain and brought another slap to my face. "Akito, Yasuo! What is going on here?" A voice yelled over the crowd. "We found a trespasser, sir." The dark-haired man answered. "Let me see them, then!" the voice replied. The crowd parted and standing before me was none other than Hiroshi.

Hiroshi stared at me for a long time before speaking again. 'Why do you look so familiar?' he muttered to himself. Realization hit his face a moment after, "Akito, Untie the girl!" "But, sir- "the dark-haired man, Akito, protested. "I'm surprised with you, Akito. You as well, Yasuo. Could you not tell the girl is a half-demon?" Hiroshi asked. Both men avoided eye contact, before I heard Yasuo mumble. "I could tell. She reeked of dog." I growled again, "You better believe it." A moment later, Akito untied the ropes that bound me. I kicked his shin and walked over to Hiroshi. "Return to your business everyone!" Hiroshi yelled, happily. With that the crowd dispersed and Hiroshi looked down at me. "Kaya, it's been a long time." "That is has. How have you been Hiroshi?" I asked, kindly. "I've been well. By what I just witnessed, I can tell you haven't been well." He stated, sounding rather ashamed. "That's all right. I've had worse. Not to mention, Akito and Yasuo hit about as hard as I do." I said smiling. Hiroshi started laughing at this statement, and I did too. When he finally composed himself he spoke. "I have someone I would like to introduce you to, if I can find him that is." Just then a young girl about my age walked passed. She had bright orange-red hair and the ears of a demon. "Chiyoko, have you seen my son anywhere?" Hiroshi asked the girl. The girl shook her head no, then turned to me and glared before walking away. "Well, it seems I'll have to go find him. Kaya, my hut is at the very front of the village. Would you wait there while I go find Ryu?" Hiroshi asked. "Of course. Be safe Hiroshi." I said with a smile. He nodded and began walking towards the river, while I headed to the very beginning of the village. I got a lot of dirty looks on my way to his hut. 'I guess being an outsider anywhere is unwelcome. 'With that thought, I entered Hiroshi's hut only to be attacked once again.