Hilo. So I fixed the chapter up, but I didn't want to do any drastic changes to it, just because I didn't feel like it. I just made a few changes here and there. Thank you Duct-tape Alchemist for the help. I realize that the dialogue is a bit awkward, but I always write that way when it comes to dialogue, so basically this story, along with my others here, will be more practice for me. I'm just going to move on and try and get the second chapter in. It's been what, seven months? Yeah, this story is going to take a while to get into, so please be patient and I hope you enjoy it.

"Do I scare you? Good. My job is done then."

So this is the city, huh? I thought.

I had never been to this small town before and the thought of coming would have never crossed my mind if it hadn't have been for a rumor I had heard. A young woman had packed all of her belongings and was traveling to another town because some 'evil thing' had brutally murdered her husband and child. She was warning everyone that passed her to not go. She was too distraught to give any specific details so I got curious.

Sooner or later, my curiosity is going to give me more trouble than what it's worth, I thought as I gazed at the streets and the people wandering in it, casually scratching the side of my head.

It was basically another town that profited from rice like so many other places I had been to. There were few houses scattered on the outer parts, and in the center of the town was a small market that sold a variety of necessities and goods. I had planned on asking a few of the people some questions about the evil thing to see if it was real or just some delusion that was made up, or at least get a room to stay for the night, but something else caught my attention. There was a group of people hoarding around something on the side of the dusty road, yelling and raising their fists at it. Some of the people even held a scythe used in the rice fields.

What the hell's going on? I thought. I hurried to get a closer look, but the crowd was too thick. I tried to push my way through, but they pushed back, yelling at me to stay out of their way. I put my medicine box down on the edge of the road and tried to get through the crowd again, but I was knocked off of my feet and I hit my medicine box, making it topple over. I hurried up to make sure that nothing fell out, which, luckily, nothing did.

I looked to see what had hit me and I was a little surprised at what I saw. A boy about 18 was crouching down on the ground, protecting a girl from the people throwing rocks at them. The boy had black hair that was tied at the nape of his neck, tan skin, and dark brown eyes. He wore a light blue cotton wrap tied with a dark brown sash and tan pants. "Leave us alone!" He yelled, his voice was deep and loud, as if it came straight from his chest. He flung his arm which made some of the people back off a bit.

He hurried and pulled the girl up on her feet. She was probably only a year younger than him. She had black hair down to her shoulders, dark hazel eyes and her skin was a lot paler than the boy's. She wore a dirty light blue kimono that was too big for her. She looked at me for a second as she was being pulled along. "Sorry Mr. Medicine-man," she said before she started running along with the boy, grabbing her straw hat along the way. Her voice held a desperate cracked edge to the soft mumble.

The town's people were still throwing rocks at them as they ran across the bridge I had walked over to get in to the city and disappeared in the thick forest. The people yelled, "Get outta here! Stay out! Go die you filthy murderers!" And when the boy and girl were completely out of sight, the crowd dispersed and went along with their business, but there seemed to be this miasma of rage that clung to the air.

"'Murderers?'" I thought aloud. Those two? I don't believe it. They're still only kids!

A woman with a child and her husband were the only ones that stayed. "Oh my, are you alright mister?" The wife asked. She had dark brown hair up in a bun and peach skin. Her eyes were black and she wore a light pink kimono. She had a babe about a year old on her hip that was chewing on the dark brown sleeve of his clothes.

The husband helped me up to my feet by offering his calloused hands. He had short black hair and black eyes to match. His tan skin covered his hardened muscles from work, which I concluded that he was probably a farmer. He wore an olive colored wrap with a dark brown sash tied around his waist and brown pants.

"Yeah, thanks," I said. "I'm alright." I patted the dust off my clothes and inspected my box a little more closely.

"Oh, that's good," she said with a smile. "So, why did you come here? It's obvious that you travel a lot."

"Actually, I heard something as I was traveling towards another town and, well, I was curious," I cautiously said this, analyzing her and her husband's reaction.

Her smile instantly disappeared. She held her baby a little tighter and her husband stepped closer to her with a serious face. They knew something.

"I met a woman on the way and she said that a demon like human was living around here and--"

"That was probably my sister," the wife said. "She finally got enough money to move. That's what everyone is going to do if the murderers aren't killed soon. All they ever do is hide up in the mountains so we can't find them and then kill at night." She held a lot of anger under her despair in her voice.

"I'm sorry, but could you tell me what happened with your sister?" I asked.

The husband stepped in front of his wife and child with narrowed eyes. "That's enough. Leave us alone now." They turned around and were going to leave.

"Wait, where can I find the murderers then?" I asked. I didn't want to use that term, but I had a feeling that if I hadn't they wouldn't be as cooperative, as if I would try and help the kids escape.

They turned around and stared at me. "Why would you want to go there?" The wife asked.

"Are you insane?" The husband asked forcefully. He obviously was not amused with what I was trying to do.

"I wouldn't put it past me if I was," I said. I was getting annoyed because they weren't complying and was just asking useless questions. "Will you tell me where they are now?" I let my irritation leak through that question so they got the hint that I didn't want to waste any more time.

"They live up the mountain," the husband said. "Just follow the path where you came in and when you get to a fork, go left. It's a way up, but sooner or later, you'll find their old broken hovel." I think the only reason he told me was to let me die, because of the distress I had caused to his wife, but I didn't care. What was happening to those two young people were more important, and with the kind of people there in the village, harming them without even realizing what could be happening, it made me a little angry inside at their ignorance.

"Thank you," I said as I turned to pick up my medicine box to leave. I still couldn't fully believe that that those two, that I saw only a few minutes ago, killed with an animalistic intent. And even if I did somehow prove that they were innocent, I didn't think that the people in the town would believe it either. Or at least wouldn't forgive them anyway.

After only a couple of hours of walking it was almost twilight. I either had to camp out or keep going and just hope I found that house. I decided on the latter so I kept going. Unfortunately, because it was getting dark, I didn't see the rope and when I realized it was a tripwire, it was too late. The next thing I knew I was in some sort of net hanging in the air and wooden bells were ringing.

This can't be good, I thought. I struggled, but with the medicine box on my back, I felt like a turtle flipped over. I realized that the more I struggled, the more the bells kept ringing, which would mean that someone had to be coming, right? "Hey!" I yelled. "Is anyone out there?" I paused, listening for anyone coming. "Can someone get me down?"

After about ten or fifteen minutes there were rapid footsteps and a few rocks were kicked around. When it stopped, I got a little worried. There was a low mumble before anyone spoke. "Will you leave us alone if I get you down?" A young man asked. I recognized it as the person who was protecting the girl in the town.

"I actually came to help," I said.

There was a pause, which probably meant that he was considering it. "What makes you think you can help?" He asked in a threatening tone. "Many doctors came to 'help' already… Hell even a few monks came because they thought that she was being possessed by demons! We've had enough of 'help.' Go home. We don't want any of your help."

'She?' The girl did it? I thought. I was even more skeptical that she would have murdered those people, at least without anything abnormal in her. "Have you ever heard of mushi?" I asked.

"'Mushi?'" He repeated. "No, I haven't. What does that have to do with anything?" He was being less threatening than at first. He was also being very considerate, which probably meant that he was still desperate for help, despite his harshness.

"If you let me down and let me take a look at her--just a look to confirm my theory--then, I'll leave and never come back again."

"What happens if you think that your theory may be right?"

"Then I'll explain what mushi are and I'll try and help her as best I can."

"You mean 'cure' her? We've already heard that befo--."

"I don't necessarily mean that. Sometimes, mushi can't be gotten rid of. So maybe a way to suppress what ever has been happening to her, or to make it so she can coexist with whatever is inside of her. I would never promise a 'cure,' even if I was so sure of myself." I waited for a response from the young man. It was a big decision for one so young and it seemed as if the parents were out of the picture. Did they leave too? Or did she...?

"Okay," he mumbled. "I'll let you take a look, but only a look." He was stern with that sentence.

There was some tugging on the rope and then I was being let down slowly. This is good, I thought.

"Oh crap!"

"Wha--?" All of a sudden I was dropped, but it was only three feet from the ground. "Ow," I groaned. I had landed on top of my medicine box which I had heard a very distinctive crack from. "Oh, damn," I mumbled.

Hilo again. I already got two reviews for this chapter, but more reviews always help, hint hint nudge nudge. ^-^

"I like you, when I rule the world, your death will be quick."