"Inuyasha, wait up!!" Mizuko shouted at the demon almost a mile ahead of her. He turned to look at her, silver hair gleaming in the sunlight, and ran back to stand next to her.

"Come on, Mizuko. You act like you haven't walked a mile in your life!" he said incredulously. Mizuko scowled. The walk from her apartment to the Slayer Academy happened to be a mile and a half, and she'd walked that every day since she was four. She groaned in discomfort as she undid the ties of her bone-made shoulder plate. Summer weather and black body suits didn't go well together.

"It's not the distance that's the problem. It's hot, and hiking through a forest isn't exactly the norm for me." She protested.

"Huh. Well I guess that makes sense." Inuyasha said.

Mizuko sighed. At least he was more understanding than Seichi. He would've called her a wimp and tugged her down the road. Inuyasha looked at her for a long moment and then glanced up at the sky. They'd been walking for a long while, and the sun was just starting to set. They'd have to stop soon.

"Fine. We'll go a little further and then set up camp." Inuyasha said. He held out his hand to her. "Come on. Unless you want to end up a demon's dinner."

Mizuko shook her head, blushing slightly, and took his hand, allowing him to lead her through the forest. It was strange, the way he treated her. No one had ever been this nice to her before, or at least not like this.

Maybe staying out here with Inuyasha won't be so bad...she thought, smiling happily to herself. She then glanced at their entwined hands, and the blush that colored her pale face darkened. He'd seemed so rough when she first saw him. Yet his grip on her hand was so gentle, almost nonexistent, and warm. He never seemed annoyed by her limitations, or her dependence on him. Instead, he accepted them, and never tried to push her past her weaknesses.

He's a lot kinder than Seichi. That's for sure... she thought affectionately.

Seichi growled quietly under his breath as he examined the remains of a campsite. It was close enough to the site of the Exam that it might've been made by Mizuko's kidnapper. He spotted something near a large oak tree at the back of the campsite. Curious, he made his way over. Remnants of coiled rope were scattered on the ground and nearby, a smooth sky blue shell, with a coiling circle pattern etched in white, hanging on a silver chain.

Seichi carefully picked it up and turned it over in his hand, almost reverently. He recognized it. Mizuko's mother had given it to her before they left a few years ago. Mizuko never let it out of her sight. He gently shoved it into his pant pocket, and ran off into the forest. He wasn't sure where he was going, or where Mizuko had gone for that matter, but he couldn't seem to resist the strange pulling sensation that led him from one area to the next. Like some sort of bizarre internal compass that was locked on Mizuko.

He'd followed it all the way here, so it couldn't be that off. All he cared about was finding Mizuko unharmed. Everything else was of no concern to him.

Mizuko was precious to him, a treasured friend. She was this first person to care for him, cry for him, who didn't see him as just the Taishou's heir and son. There were times when he wondered if she even knew at all. It was hard to tell from her actions. She never seemed scared of him, or treated him with that almost fearful respect that most people did. Her words...her actions, the way she reacted to anything were genuine. She could never mask her emotions, and he liked that about her. She wasn't restricted by anyone's opinion, and always said what she really meant.

He could tell when she was lying...when he'd taken something too far. That's why she could never know....

Their friendship was such a fragile thing. If Mizuko were to learn the truth, he had no doubt; she would turn away from him. And she was happy with things being the way they were. He'd just have to settle with it remaining like this, so he could still be there with her as long as possible...until it had to end.

Seichi sighed and glanced up at the sky; it was getting dark. Normally he would’ve stopped for the night and set up camp, but chances were, Mizuko’s kidnapper wouldn’t. If he bothered with that, then the distance between them would increase drastically.

He grumbled under his breath and continued on his way.

Mizuko stared at the crackling fire in front of her. She shivered slightly as the cold night air blew over her, and she hugged her knees tightly.

A twig snapped behind her, and she turned in time to see Inuyasha re-enter the clearing. His arms were full of firewood.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah…just a little cold.” Mizuko replied with a small smile. Inuyasha looked at her for a long while before removing the top layer of his kimono and draping it over her head. She stared at the soft red fabric, and then up at Inuyasha, realizing he had a second –white-one underneath.

“Are you sure? Won’t you be cold?” She asked.

“Nah. This is nothin’ to me.” Inuyasha said with a smug grin.

Mizuko smiled back. “How much further until we reach that base?” she asked.

“Not too much further. We’re a bit off course, so no one finds us. The last thing we need is an ambush.” Inuyasha said.

Mizuko nodded and pulled the kimono closer. “This is…warm. What’s it made of?” she asked.

“Fire Rat Fur. It’s tougher than any human suit of armor.” Inuyasha replied. Mizuko glanced down at the soft fabric. It didn’t feel like armor.

Inuyasha checked the fish near the fire and then handed one to Mizuko. “Eat up. You must be hungry after the long walk today.” He said.

Mizuko accepted it gratefully and took tiny nibbles before giving into her hunger. Inuyasha looked at her for a second with an amused look on his face before eating his own. She ate three before exhaustion began to take over. She rubbed her eyes sleepily before staring at the fire, trying to stay awake.

Inuyasha saw her efforts and laughed. “Go to sleep, Mizuko. I promise nothing will get to you.” To prove his point, he moved over to sit beside her. “I’ll stay right here so no demons attack you.”

Mizuko smiled and allowed sleep to overtake her. She slumped to one side; her head resting on his shoulder. Inuyasha looked at her in shock for a second, before smiling and putting his arm around her.

Seichi squinted as he stumbled along through the darkness. It had been easy for a while, but now he could barely see his own hand. Something moved in the darkness and Seichi jumped back in time to evade a jagged-looking dagger.

“Nyu-nyu-nyu. You’re nimble, for a pitiful human.”

Seichi readied his halberd and took a defensive position. “Urg…where are you?! Show yourself, you coward!!” he shouted angrily.

Damn…I can’t fight easily in the dark…this won’t be fun…he thought, slightly anxious. He searched around, refusing to face any one way for too long. The demon charged from behind, brandishing its weapon. Seichi heard the monster at the last second and leapt to one side. He rolled across the ground and prepared to counter.

“Think you can fight blind, human?!” the demon taunted.

Seichi tried to follow the sound of the voice, but couldn’t’ seem to locate the source. It was like it was coming from everywhere. For a while, it was quiet, until he heard something move and he turned towards it.

“Too slow!” the demon shouted. Seichi let out a grunt of pain as the weapon pierced his shoulder. He swung out, but the demon easily moved away. Seichi slumped to the ground, clutching his bleeding shoulder, waiting for the creature to reappear.

This is not good. The only time I can see the stupid thing is when it’s about to cut my head off! How am I supposed to get the upper hand…? He thought angrily. Mizuko would’ve figured something out by now. She’s not much of a fighter, but she’s good at creating advantages…

“Ow!”

“Seichi-kun?!” Mizuko shouted as she ran over to aid her friend. Her hair was longer, almost to her waist, and she looked like she’d be in elementary school. Seichi was sitting in front of a dark alley way, rubbing a scrape on his cheek. “What are you doing down there? It’s not safe to be out this late…”

HE looked up at her and scowled. “You mean it’s not safe for you. There isn’t anything that could do anything to me…!” he boasted confidently. Mizuko shook her head.

“Well, it looks like something did for a change…” She said as she poked his scraped cheek, making him wince just slightly. “So what are you doing out here anyway?” she asked.

He glanced back down the alleyway and scowled. “A stupid dog grabbed my backpack and took off down there. Problem is I can’t seem a damn thing.”

“Seichi-kun! How many times do I have to tell you to stop swearing?”

“And how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me ‘kun’?! It sounds weird!!”

Mizuko sighed and reached into her backpack. “Here.” She said as she tossed him a flashlight. “When thing’s are confusing, it helps to shed light on the subject…!”

Seichi’s eyes widened slightly. He hastily reached into his backpack as the demon made another attempt. “DIE!!!” it shouted; its final war cry. Seichi turned swiftly, clicking on the lighter and running it across the monster’s front. The demon let out a cry of pain as the flames slowly consumed the rough, scaly skin. Seichi smirked as he lunged forward, beheading the demon with one stroke. He let out a slow sigh as the decapitated body stumbled about before falling to the ground.

“That took longer than I would’ve liked…” he grumbled, then flinched as a brief spark of pain surged through his arm. He slowly pulled himself up and started walking again. He had to find somewhere to rest.

Seichi stumbled along the road, searching for any suitable place to stop and rest. Though it aggravated him, there was no way he could rescue Mizuko like this. It would only give the demon the advantage.

Then he saw something: a large, run-down building partially hidden behind the trees. It looked like an old Slayer base. He’d heard that there were many such structures scattered throughout the area. This was probably the best place he could find to rest for the night. He smirked slightly and then made his way inside. The interior was dark, and the vegetation had made its way in between stone slabs and metal sheets. Seichi pushed back some overhanging vines and made a grotesque discovery.

Human bones littered the ground, and he could vaguely make out some corpses that hadn’t rotted completely yet.

These people must be the original Slayers stationed here… Seichi thought, trying not to be disturbed by the scene. He had been raised not to bother himself with sympathy.

As he moved further in, he saw more and more demon remains among the human’s. So the base had been attacked, and the humans hadn’t been able to defend themselves.

One thing’s odd, though…there are a lot more human than demon remains. They could’ve easily taken on this many, even as graduates no less… he thought suspiciously. He knelt down and examined some of the bones. Only demon bones showed signs of weaponry damage. The human bones were free of any battle wear. If they hadn’t been killed by demons…then how did they all die?

Slowly he got to his feet and ventured in. From what he could tell, there were not other people around. Solitude…that was something he could tolerate.

He located a rather empty area of ground and mended his shoulder before turning in for the night.

"Come on, Mizuko!!"

Mizuko let out an exaggerated gasp of air as she stumbled over protruding roots to reach Inuyasha. She stood beside him, panting, hunched over with her hands on her knees.

Inuyasha waited for her to regain her breath before commenting.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" he asked skeptically. Mizuko looked up at him and nodded.

"Yeah. I'm alright. Is that the 'base' you were talking about?" she asked, pointing to the structure ahead of them. Inuyasha glanced over in that direction and nodded.

"Yep. That's it." he said, starting back through the forest. "Let's get going. We need to get in, and out, before sunset."

Mizuko looked up at him curiously. "Why before sunset?"

"The base has a weird barrier around it. As soon as the sun goes down, it goes off and demons can get in." Inuyasha said. "That's why we need to go now. Any demons stuck in there would've been killed by the electric waves. You should be able to disable it just long enough for us to get in, so no one can follow us. Simple."

Mizuko nodded in agreement and followed him towards the base.

Inuyasha glanced over in that direction and nodded.

"Yep. That's it." he said, starting back through the forest. "Let's get going. We need to get in, and out, before sunset."

Mizuko looked up at him curiously. "Why before sunset?"

"The base has a weird barrier around it. As soon as the sun goes down, it goes off and demons can get in." Inuyasha said. "That's why we need to go now. Any demons stuck in there would've been killed by the electric waves. You should be able to disable it just long enough for us to get in, so no one can follow us. Simple."

Mizuko nodded in agreement and followed him towards the base. It looked a lot like the old war bases she’d seen in textbooks. The massive steel walls were dull silver and covered in intertwining vines.

It’s…kind of creepy looking… she thought.

Inuyasha stopped just in front of the door. “The barrier is just ahead. You have the pass they give Slayers, right?” he asked.

“Y-Yeah…how do you know about all this stuff?” Mizuko asked curiously.

“Our group lived near the boundary so I used to eavesdrop on the passing Slayers as they went on their missions.”

Mizuko smiled a little before pulling out her security pass. She located a lightly damaged scanner and slid the card through. After a moment, a green light flashed, followed by a loud beep.

“Alright. We have about a minute before it goes back up again.” She said. Inuyasha nodded and led her into the base. The inside was almost identical to the exterior. Vines and other plants had weaved their way through the crumbling foundation and concealed most of the area around them. To Mizuko, it looked more like the interior of an ancient pyramid, rather than a military base.

They made their way through slowly, giving Mizuko a chance to look around. It didn’t take her long to notice the sound of bones crunching beneath her feet. She glanced down and barely prevented herself from screaming.

“Geez, Mizuko. They’re not going to jump up and bite you.” Inuyasha said, rolling his eyes. “There’s nothing scary about a bunch ‘a bones.”

“Easy for you to say!” Mizuko protested fearfully. She stumbled around the remains, clinging to Inuyasha’s sleeve as he led her through the ruins. “How much further do we have to go?”

“I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve ever been in here.” Inuyasha replied calmly. Mizuko’s eyes widened in disbelief, and then she looked around nervously. How were they supposed to find…whatever it was they were after, when they had no idea where they were supposed to go? And how would they get out for that matter? She nearly jumped when a sharp crackle broke through the silence. Her grip on Inuyasha tightened as she fearfully moved closer to him. Inuyasha watched her in confusion for a moment before glancing back they way they’d come down.

“Don’t worry. It was just a surge of power going through the defensive barrier.” He said.

Mizuko looked up at him, unconvinced. Her apartment had been located near the electric wire fence and she knew what a ‘power surge’ sounded like. That was no power surge.

Someone else was in here with them…

Seichi grumbled in irritation as he absently rubbed his burned hand. He hadn’t realized that this base was recently built. It had the standard solar-backup security system.

“And of course, I had to forget my stupid Pass Card.” He grumbled. Without that stupid sheet of plastic, the system wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between him and a demon.

On top of that, the shield acted like a one way mirror. He could see out, but no one could see him. It had been developed so no one could find the base, except those whole already knew, and those who found it at night. OR if you got close enough to see through it, but you would be dead long before then.

Just then he heard a strange ‘slunking’ sound. He glanced up in time to see a large bulbous form slowly move past his current prison. His eyes widened and then he growled quietly.

Not all of the demons were dead…

Mizuko let out a tiny shriek and was practically on Inuyasha by now. “There’s something in here…!!” she exclaimed in a tiny fearful voice.

“Get a hold of yourself, Mizuko. There’s no one in here but us!” Inuyasha protested, looking at her with a bewildered look on his face.

“I’m telling you, there someone else in here!!”

“That’s impossible. You closed the security gate behind us.”

“They could’ve gotten in here before us. You said demons can get in here at night!!”

Inuyasha flinched. He had said that. Damn. It figured he’d set himself up like that.

“Alright. There might be a demon in here, and if there is, I’ll handle it, Ok?” Inuyasha said.

Mizuko nodded instantly. She knew he was more than a match for any demon they encountered. She was just more worried that her bad luck would get in the way. She glanced over, realizing that she was practically attached to his side and instantly jumped back several steps, blushing fiercely. He didn’t seem to have minded-or he hadn’t noticed-and motioned for her to follow him.

They wandered through several long winding passages before entering a large open room.

Inuyasha paused and sniffed the air.

“Heh…There’s a strong demonic aura nearby. It doesn’t seem to be moving, so it’s probably not a normal demon.” He said with a small smirk.

The hairs on the back of Mizuko’s neck stood on end as she glanced over at the other hallways that connected to this room, waiting for something to come out and attack them.

Inuyasha started towards one of the halls and paused, his attention caught by a new scent. Mizuko glanced around as a skittering noise slowly filled the air around them. She glanced around but nothing was there. Inuyasha took a defensive stance, searching for the source of the noise. Then he heard a new sound, then faint rumbling of rocks. His eyes instantly shot to where Mizuko was standing.

“Get out of the way!” he yelled as he grabbed her arm and jumped to the opposite end of the room. The area where she’d been standing suddenly exploded upwards, and a large dark grey spider crawled out of its hiding place. Inuyasha growled as several more joined it.

Huh…only 5, that should be easy enough… Inuyasha thought confidently.

“Mizuko, I want you to stay on the sidelines, ok?” he ordered. Mizuko glanced up at him and nodded. Inuyasha leapt at one of the spiders, his talons poised for an attack.

“Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!!”

Mizuko’s eyes widened as half of the demon’s body fell away. Then she scampered away from a spider that had gotten too close. She glanced back as it struck near her with one of its legs. Mizuko lost her balance and fell to the ground.

“Ow…” she groaned as she tried to pull herself up, and her eyes locked on something in front of her. A recently decapitated demon head.

“AAGGH!!!!!!!!!!”

Seichi’s head shot up as Mizuko’s terrified scream echoed through the base.

She’s here… he thought in amazement. He glared at the electric barricade that kept him from leaving the tiny room. He rammed his shoulder against the shield, barely suppressing a scream of pain as the electricity tore through his body. He tried to force his way through, determined to reach Mizuko in time. The shield bowed a little, and then forced him backwards into the wall.

Damnit. These demons are WAY too strong for Mizuko to handle… he thought angrily.

Inuyasha slashed through another of the demons before grabbing Mizuko’s hand. “Come on!” he said as he yanked her down one of the hallways. She stumbled several times as she fought to keep up with him. They rounded a corner only to run into another group of waiting demons. Inuyasha immediately pulled Mizuko towards him, still holding her hand.

Seichi stared at her through the barrier as they ran into his hallway and then his eyes locked on Inuyasha. That must be the demon that…! He noticed their entwined hands and his face grew warm with rage.

“Damn bastard!! Quit holding Mizuko’s hand!!” he shouted angrily, pounding on the barrier; he ignored the painful shocks he received each time. “Do you hear me?! If you as much as look at her funny, I’ll tear you to shreds!!!”

Inuyasha didn’t’ even glance in Seichi’s direction, and his numerous threats were ignored. He moved Mizuko towards the wall, partially blocking her from Seichi’s view with his body. She nervously glanced up at his grim expression, and then at the demons around them. She was completely at a lost of what to do. Then Inuyasha let out a low growl and he clenched his hands into tight fists.

“The exit is a short distance away from here. Disable the field and get yourself out of here.” He said in a low voice.

“What?! But what about you?!” she protested.

“Look. You’re not strong enough to handle these demons. Just get yourself as far away from here as possible. I’ll catch up with you later.” Inuyasha said. He never took his eyes off the spiders. “When I give the signal, run.” Mizuko let out a small noise of consent as she nodded. He focused all his demonic energy into his hands, which had gained a red glow.

“NOW!!”

Mizuko dove away from him as he turned to the demons blocking her way. “Blades of Blood!!” she let out a tiny scream as he dove away from the blade-shaped red waves of energy. The spider let out a shrill shriek as the blades tore through its body. She dove towards the end of the hallway, narrowly avoiding a spray of blood and chunks of the demons.

With trembling hands she pulled out her Pass and slid it through the slot. She heard a brief beep and then she sprinted out into the forest. After a few minutes she turned back to at the base behind her.

Inuyasha…please be alright…she thought anxiously.

Seichi choked on the kicked up debris as the shield came down.

Damn. Mizuko must’ve disengaged the security system. He thought in annoyance. He covered his mouth with his hand and turned towards the back of the corridor he’d been sitting in, curious now to see if it went any further. He’d let the demons take care of each other. The narrow hall slowly spread out into a large room. Cells with thick glass walls lined each wall, so it was easy to figure that this had once been used to hold specimens that were to be sent back to ‘SNT’ for analysis.

Each one was filled with bones, more proof of the base’s age, but what caught Seichi’s attention was in the center of the room. It was a long sword encased in glass. Interested, Seichi moved closer to examine the weapon. It was fairly old- several centuries no doubt- from the rust and nicks on the blade.

Seichi raised an eyebrow as he looked at the crappy weapon. It was practically falling apart. Why go to all the trouble of protecting it…?

The ceiling crumbled slightly above him and he looked around quickly. The demons’ battle must be getting out of hand in the other hallway. He glanced back at the weapon. For some reason, it didn’t seem right to leave the weapon inside the slowly caving structure. He caught his train of thought and shook his head dismissively.

Why did he care about this stupid sword? It wouldn’t be of any use in a battle. He stared at the weapon for a long while, debating whether or not it was of any use to take the sword.

Finally he sighed and chucked a large horned skull at the glass, which almost immediately shattered. He reached in and pulled it out by the sheath. Sparks flew off the blade for a few seconds before engulfing his hand with painful shocks. Seichi threw the blade to the ground out of instinct, and glared at it.

Now I see why it was in glass…he thought irritably. There was no way he could leave something like this lying around for some demon to pick up.

The nearby wall exploded, and a red-clothed, silver haired, demon fell into a pile of bones. Two large spiders crawled in through the gaping hole. Seichi moved back defensively, and then glanced over at the demon.

He was back on his feet, and getting into an offensive stance. There were large tears in his red cloth kimono, and a bloody gash on the left side of his face. He looked over at Seichi, his eyes locked on his Slayer armor.

“That outfit…are you a friend of Mizuko’s?” he asked.

Seichi scowled, annoyed that the demon was using her name so casually. It figured that demons would have no sense of respect.

“Yeah. I know her very well.” He replied irritably. The demon glanced back in time to dodge a spider’s attack, which reminded Seichi that he was included in this fight now. He jumped away from the other arachnid and turned to see the demon pick up the sword. To Seichi’s annoyance, the weapon didn’t shock him at all.

“Huh. So this is the old man’s sword? Not much of a weapon if you ask me…” he said, examining it with the same perplexed expression Seichi had minutes before.

Seichi readied his halberd to strike, but was intercepted by one of the spiders. The dog demon turned back to look at Seichi. “You distract them a bit, and I’ll deal the final blow.” He said, before channeling energy into the weapon. Seichi grumbled and turned back to the spiders.

“Like I’d ever go along with your plans, demon.” He spat out. Then he charged head-on at the two demons. He sliced through one’s head, and severed half the legs on the other.

“Move back!!” the dog demon warned. Seichi grumbled and turned to snap at him. His eyes locked on the blade and widened immensely. The sword had undergone a complete transformation. It was almost three times longer, and shaped kind of like a fang. A whitish fur concealed the handle. Grumbling, Seichi leapt away from the maimed demons as the dog brought down his sword. Golden sparks tore through the ground, and then through the two demons.

He put up his halberd in a defensive position and deflected the projectile pieces of the spiders. Then he looked back over at the demon. He had already sheathed the sword, and was attaching it to his hakama. Seichi got to his feet, but maintained a defensive stance.

Inuyasha looked over at the man and scowled. “Give it a rest already. I’m not going to fight you.” He grumbled. Seichi’s eyes narrowed, but he became a little less tense. Inuyasha shook his head and walked towards Seichi.

Then he suddenly stopped and looked around, with an anxious look on his face. Seichi froze; a cold shiver running through his body, and his heartbeat escalated rapidly. He’d experienced this sense of dread several times in the past, but only when Mizuko was in danger. Without speaking to the demon, Seichi bolted at full speed out of the base. He knew the demon was behind him, but bluntly ignored him. Getting to Mizuko was all he could think about.

“I can smell Mizuko’s blood. She’s not too far from here!” Inuyasha said. That comment only made Seichi angrier.

“Damnit, this is all your fault! She’s only in danger because you let her go off alone!!” Seichi snapped. “If anything happens to her, I’ll rip your throat out!!” He knew it wasn’t smart to lose his temper like this, but he couldn’t help it. Demons had to be the dumbest creatures on the planet!!

“Like you’re one to talk! If it hadn’t been for me, Mizuko would’ve died back during that battle!” Inuyasha retorted.

“Yeah. She’s so much better off with you.” Seichi said sarcastically. “She’d be safer with a puppy. Not that you much further up.”

“You’re asking for a beating, buddy.” Inuyasha growled.

“As if you could land a hit. You’d have more luck hitting a tree.”

Inuyasha started to protest, but Seichi was too far ahead to hear by then. He leapt over a fallen tree and slid to a halt in a clearing, halberd ready.

“What the hell are you doing? She’s this way!!” Inuyasha shouted. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but if you want to help Mizuko, we may as well work together…FOR NOW.” Inuyasha emphasized the last two words. Seichi smirked. A guaranteed chance to bash the demon’s head in. He could live with that.

“Fine. Only until Mizuko’s safe.” Seichi said.

Inuyasha nodded and then took off into the woods, with Seichi not too far behind.