A/N: Hey ZareEraz here! This is the request fic from the mini contest I had in Chapter 3 of Addiction. devixen85 requested that I take Yuko, Watanuki, Doumeki and Mokona and basically dump them into different demon/yokai anime series. This is part of a larger story that's in the xxxHolic fandom and I decided to also post the chapters in their individual crossover categories for others to read if they don't religiously follow the xxxHolic stories like I do! Enjoy!

Also, Ignore the fact that the black Mokona can't dimension travel and let's just have fun!

Dogs, Demons and Doumekis

"Yuko! Where the hell have you taken us?!" Watanuki screamed as she looked at the disaster around her, throwing the day bag into the air. Doumeki caught it before something could break.

"Not quite sure." The witch hummed, putting her finger to her red lips. She swished around in her green, Chinese –style dress and hummed to herself. "We're going to have to figure that one out later. But while we're here…let's have some fun!~"

Watanuki, Doumeki, Yuko and Mokona had been out on an errand after stopping at the shop for a little bit so Watanuki could make a snack. They were walking along the street looking for a certain shop that had something or other that the teens would need on this particular errand and when Watanuki wasn't looking, Yuko pulled out her magic circle to do something (the damn, woman hardly ever told her anything extraneous). The next thing she knew, Yuko's spell has messed with something in the universe and they fell through a crack in the world-barrier-dimension thing that Yuko mentions every once in a while when Syaoran and Sakura pop up in conversation or if their groups contracts Yuko through the Mokonas (but Watanuki really didn't get it so she didn't pay much attention to Yuko and now she wished she had). And so, down they fell, into a swirling vortex of colors and strange streams of energy until Watanuki blacked out. The next thing the girl knew, she was waking up surrounded by tall grass, staring up at the sky and Doumeki's face (about three inches from hers). She screamed, head butted Doumeki when she sat up unexpectedly and while rubbing her head, she ripped Yuko a new one.

"We're not here to have fun! We were supposed to be doing a job when you messed everything up!" The poor girl screamed, her voice reaching her highest pitched rant to date.

"Watanuki, this is inevitable. We were supposed to come here for whatever reason and now we're going to see it through." Yuko said, her serious voice reigning in the excitable teen just a tiny bit. "But I really wish we would've brought lunch along! I'm hungry!~" Yuko whined, setting Watanuki off again.

"This is not a picnic, Yuko! We're stuck in the middle of nowhere!"

Watanuki was looking around again, panicking at the fact they had fallen through a crack in the universe and had ended up here. Wherever "here" was. Doumeki was also looking around, but he wasn't panicking like the flailing girl was. The four of them were stranded on a grassy hill surrounded by mountains and trees. The boy could see a road just below the hill and a little village down said road in the distance. It looked like one of the rural villages that Japanese painters drew hundreds of years ago, with little wooden huts and makeshift corrals for animals. There weren't any paved roads from what the archer could see and there was hardly anybody anywhere. Doumeki tapped his bow on his shoulder as he observed, glad he restrung it at Yuko's shop and brought it with him because Watanuki was attracting small spirits already.

The archer looked at his girl; realization dawning on him as he noticed (even with Watanuki's wacked out emotions helping his sight) he could see the tiny spirits through his own eye as well as their shared eye. Well, that's weird, he thought, filing that information away until it became relevant. In the meantime, Watanuki was trying to get rid of her little pests.

"Get off ME!" Watanuki yelled, flailing around, waving her arms, trying to get free of the tiny spirits.

"Watanuki, go stand by Doumeki." Yuko sighed, already beginning to dread this adventure if Watanuki wouldn't shut up.

"Yeah! By Doumeki!" Mokona shouted, jumping up and kicking Watanuki in the face, pushing her towards her boyfriend.

"Wha!" Watanuki stumbled and tripped her way back and Doumeki caught her shoulders before she fell and then ended up holding her back as she threatened to turn Mokona into dakdoritang. Which would've been yummy if it weren't made out of Mokona. As she was yelling, Doumeki noticed a strange group of people walking up the road.

"Who's that?" He asked, drawing everyone's attention to the group.

"They are so weird." Watanuki said, fixing her glasses as they all stared, Doumeki's hold on her dropping.

"You're one to talk!~" Yuko teased.

"Shut up!"

As they moved closer, Doumeki could start picking out who went with what in the group. There was a woman in a pink and green kimono with a cat one shoulder and a huge boomerang slung over the other and a man in purple and black monk's clothes with a staff that clanked on every step as he walked. There was also a man in a red kimono and hakama with long silver hair and…dog ears? Okay, not the weirdest thing Doumeki had seen, the little fox creature on his head was weirder than he was. The only normal person in the group was the black haired girl on the bike in the sailor school uniform and even she looked a little funny with her huge yellow backpack slung over her shoulders.

"Hey!" Yuko said as she leaned over dramatically, one hand shading her eyes as she squinted at the group walking along the road. "Maybe we can ask them for help! Hello!" The witch shouted and waved over to the group.

"Yuko! Don't randomly start talking to strangers! What if they're dangerous?!" Watanuki panicked, only slightly rational in her argument.

"Oh come on, Watanuki! It'll be fine!" Yuko brushed off her employee and continued drawing attention to herself. "Hey! Yoohoo! Over here!"

"Yuko!" Watanuki dashed in front of the woman and tried to grab and pin her waving arms down. The see could hear the group talking now, drawing closer to her own companions.

"Oh, shove off Watanuki!" Mokona jumped up and pushed the raven out of the way with its surprisingly strong feet as it spoke. Watanuki stumbled backwards and got ready to fry the rabbit-thing when her clumsiness kicked in and her ankle buckled on the uneven ground.

The girl tipped back, falling down the hill and discovering that it was actually a small cliff. The rocks on the side had collapsed at some point, making the hill and overlook and now waited below the seer to break her neck and crack her skull. Watanuki screamed as she fell, her heart spasming as she relived her terrifying accident with the window at school for the last seconds of her life. She waited for the crash, the shattering of bone and blinding pain before everything went black just like last time. If she was lucky, she'd be crippled for life. And if not, she'd really be dead this time. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact. She vowed to haunt Mokona for the rest of its life if she died.

Only, it never came.

Watanuki didn't see the red blur racing towards her or the hands reaching out, she only felt the strong arms under her back and knees and the absence of the rushing wind as she fell. But she kept her eyes shut, just in case everything was a lie and she was really hallucinating as she died.

"Oi." A gruff voice barked at her. A cross vein popped out on Watanuki's forehead in reaction to her least favorite word to come out of Doumeki's mouth. only it wasn't Doumeki who'd said it. Whoever it was sounded stupider.

"How many times have I told you not to 'oi' me?!" The girl snapped reflexively. Her mismatched eyes shot open in a hot glare, her teeth bared in a hiss.

A pair of surprised amber eyes looked down at her.

"Watanuki, I'm up here." Doumeki called down, leaning over the edge of the hill. He'd nearly had a heart attack when the seer tipped over the mini-cliff and he had been just as helpless this time as the last time she'd fallen. But thankfully the guy with the dog ears had caught her. And then Watanuki did something out of character:

She grabbed the guy's dog ears (one for each hand) and started stroking them between her thumbs and fingers.

"What are you doing?!" The dog guy yelped in surprise.

"They're so cute!" Watanuki smiled, stroking the ears until the guy dumped her in the dirt.

"Get off me!" The silver-haired man snapped. He turned his head over his shoulder toward his companions and singled out the girl in the school uniform. "This one's just as crazy as you are, Kagome!"

"Yes," The monk stepped forward and crouched down next to Watanuki (who was rubbing her sore butt and cursing at the dog-man) with his hand on his chin, studying her. "They are dressed strangely like you as well," he said, taking note of Watanuki's short sleeved shirt and short gray skirt.

"Well, from my point of view, you're the ones that are dress strangely!" Watanuki snapped as the monk walked around to look at her better. She then had to smack him in the face because of the hand that was groping her butt. "Hands off! I have to deal with him," she pointed to Doumeki who was skidding down the hill to join her, "and I won't take any of that shit from you!"

"I like this girl!" The woman with the boomerang smiled devilishly.

"Watanuki! Are you okay?" Yuko called as she walked down the hill and joined the group, the fur ball on her shoulder.

"Yeah! Not thanks to dinner over there!" Watanuki stood up and brushed off her skirt and then snarled at Mokona.

"Mokona was just trying to get you to shut up!" The fur ball announced.

"I'll shut up when I want to shut up!" Watanuki clenched her fists at the creature and snarled again.

"Is that a demon?" The little fox person asked, leaning forward from his perch on the regular girl's shoulder. He must've jumped on her when the dog-man leapt to save Watanuki.

"It doesn't seem evil in any way." The boomerang woman noted.

"Oh, he's evil alright!" Watanuki hissed, folding her arms with a huff. "But as much as I'd like to roast Mokona, it does come in handy sometimes."

"So that thing's called Mokona? What is it?" The regular girl asked.

"Mokona's a mokona, dumb girl!" Mokona crossed its arm now, peeved that everyone didn't know that it was a mokona.

"I am not dumb!" The girl yelled back.

"Don't take it too seriously. Mokona said the same thing to me when we met." Watanuki explained and then she remembered her manners. "I'm Watanuki by the way. Kimihiro Watanuki." She bowed to the group and then to the dog-man. "Thank you for saving me."

"Che." The dog-man replied, having no manners whatsoever.

"His name is Inuyasha, he's a half demon if you hadn't noticed by his ears." The regular girl informed, getting a disgruntled, "Hey!" from the dog-man. "I'm Kagome. Nice to meet you."

"Don't act like this is all normal!" Inuyasha snarled. "We don't know where these people come from or what their purpose is!"

"Oh, we come from some place very far from here and all we want to do is get back. We have a job to finish. My name is Yuko Ichihara, but it's an alias, of course." Yuko walked up elegantly in her Chinese-style dress and flipped her black hair seductively. The monk's eyes bugged out at her appearance, his hand snaking towards her butt and the boomerang lady conked him on the head with her weapon to stop him.

"Ow!"

"That monk trying to grab your behind is Miroku and I'm Sango. And this little girl is Kirara." The boomerang woman re-shouldered her weapon and petted the little two tail cat on her shoulder. The cat was adorable, with black ears and paws, and huge pink eyes. The cat pounced off her shoulder and trotted over to Watanuki and rubbed against the girl's leg. "It seems she likes you." Sango smiled at the seer.

"Twin tailed cats are said to have strange abilities. Does yours?" Yuko asked pointedly, her cranberry eyes narrowing.

"Ah-well…" Sango began when a ball of flame appeared were the cat had been and Kirara transformed into her big appearance, tackling Watanuki to the ground to nuzzle her face with her huge head.

"Gah! What is with this cat?!" The seer yelped, trying to keep herself from getting nicked by Kirara's huge saber tooth teeth.

"Well, I guess that answers that question." Yuko responded. Then a flash of orange-red and blue hopped over to Watanuki as well and the little fox person was sniffing the seer, sitting right on her chest.

"This one smells like the forest and good things to eat. Kirara thinks she smells like cat treats and lilies. What's with her?" The little person pointed at Watanuki's face and sniffed her some more.

"Watanuki has blood that is attracted to spirits," Yuko started, "That's why we have Doumeki follow her around!~ He's a good little boyfriend, isn't he?~" The witch patted the archer on the back and brought him to the forefront.

"So that's why she smells so nice." Inuyasha said, crouching down to a tackled Watanuki and sniffing her.

"Doumeki, right?" The regularly dressed girl asked, walking up to the man. "I'm Kagome Higarshi. Are you an archer too?"

"Hm." Doumeki answered, nodding his head. "You're one too."

"Yep!"

"He does seem to have a pure aura, just like Kagome does." Miroku said, rubbing his swelling head.

"Ah!" Watanuki said from the ground, the fox person just having stolen her glasses to look in them. "Give those back!"

"Shippo, play nice." Kagome said, playfully but firmly at the same time. The glasses got shoved back onto the girl's nose roughly and Shippo hopped back to Kagome's shoulder. Watanuki shoved Kirara off her body and ran over to hid behind Doumeki, using him as a shield.

"How brave." The archer raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"Shut up!" She growled.

"So, you said you were from some place far away," Kagome started, "Where would that be exactly?"

"Japan." Yuko answered.

"But this is Japan." Kagome replied.

"Well, it might be, but our Japan is a little different." Yuko said. "You're not from here either, are you?"

"No, I'm from five hundred years in the future if you can believe that."

"Oh, I can." Watanuki knew that at this point Yuko was going full witch with her odd explanations about how the world worked. "You see, in my line of work I come in contact with many people from different worlds and timelines. Running into someone from five hundred years in a future Japan in a…what time period is this?" Yuko asked.

"The Warring States Era." Kagome answered.

"At least, that's what she calls it. To me it's normal." Inuyasha huffed.

"So this world has its own Warring States Era? How interesting. Continuing on: I myself and very acquainted with time and dimension travel, but these two are not so much." Yuko jerked a thumb back at Watanuki and Doumeki, the former still hiding and the latter folding his arms calmly. "For some reason, we've fallen out of our own dimension and ended up in yours, and even though I don't know what that reason is, I know our meeting was inevitable." The word "inevitable" was mocked by Watanuki in the same breath.

"So you've time traveled back to this era, Kagome?" Watanuki asked, still behind Doumeki's back.

"Yep, I'm helping my friends look for something that I kinda…uh…broke."

"Damn right you did." Inuyasha huffed, plopping back onto the ground.

"Well, if you've lost something and wish for it back, I can grant your wish." Yuko's shop owner's voice popped on and Watanuki knew where this was going. "But for a suitable price."

"How?" Kagome asked. Yuko just smiled mysteriously. "Well, you see…I shattered a very important jewel with mystical properties and there are many piece of it still scattered across the country." The girl reached into the pocket and pulled out a bottle with several purple shining pieces of the jewel. "An evil demon is trying to collect these pieces as well and we're trying to stop him. Can you really help us get the whole jewel?" Yuko bent down from her considerable height to study the bottle and its contents.

"I could, but you wouldn't be able to pay the price for the whole jewel. The compensation is too great for you and your friends to provide." The witch answered after a moment.

"We can come up with money if you need it."

"I don't need money. What I would have to take for your wish to be granted is…" Yuko's hand came up and touched Kagome's chin, getting almost close enough to kiss the girl. "Your ability to time travel." She pointed to Inuyasha, "That sword you so desperately need," next was Shippo, "Your memories of your father," then Sango, "Your little brother's life," then Miroku, "Your love for all women including sweet Sango," and last, Kirara. "And this little demon would be stuck as a kitten for the rest of her days." Yuko let go of the girl and knelt down to pet the cat. Kirara bristled, but let herself be pet all the same.

"All that, plus the bond you share with each other would cover the cost of returning your jewel whole."

"You can't do that!" Inuyasha sprang to his feet, growing and putting his hand on his sword.

"I said I wasn't, you oaf." Yuko replied, twirling her hand around her hair. "I can, however, grant your wish to see at least some of the jewel pieces restored to you." Yuko smiled brightly. "That will cost you...your companionship and protection until we leave and every ingredient you have on you so that Watanuki can make us a delicious meal!"

"Yuko! Don't drag me into this!" Watanuki wailed.

"Guys, let's talk." Kagome dragged Inuyasha over to the rest of the group and they stuck their heads together.

"Should we take up her offer?" Kagome asked. "It seems reasonable."

"We can get some jewel shards this way." Miroku added.

"But we'll be babysitting complete strangers. I don't want any more trouble then we already have. Che." Inuyasha argued.

"He's got a point and we don't know how long they'll be stranded here."

"But the witch-lady is going to provide us with a delicious meal. Food's always good!" Shippo put in.

"They don't seem like bad people. Even the creepy lady is offering us a deal." Sango agreed. Kirara mewed as well.

"Looks like you're out voted Inuyasha." Kagome turned to the half-demon. He just snorted in displeasure. "Just put up with it for a few days and we'll have some more jewel shards. Plus, I'll get to talk to some people who are sort of from my era. I think." The group took another look at the four travelers standing a bit off. Yuko was watching Watanuki and Mokona fight over something trivial and Doumeki was plugging his ears to drown out some of the racket. The group nodded (minus Inuyasha) and they broke off their huddle to return to the other group.

"We accept your terms, if you fulfill yours." Kagome announced to the witch.

"I always do." Yuko smiled. She clapped her hands together cheerfully. "Now! It's getting late! Let's find a nice camp site in this dump and have some dinner!~"

Yuko dumped the day bag back into Watanuki's arms started walking down the dirt road. The sun had started to set while they'd been talking and both groups walked along the road until they found a reasonable campsite to stop at. It was in a grassy field, with a few sparse trees and a stream nearby. Then the girls split off to go find firewood, leaving Watanuki and Yuko with Miroku and Doumeki as Inuyasha hunted around for some meat. By the time the half demon came back, a nice big fire was built, everyone was back and Watanuki was slaving away over a pot, balanced on a spit and frying vegetables on a grill that Yuko had managed to stuff into the supposed "day bag." Also in the day bag: three sleeping bags, enough food for two days and five bottles of alcohol that somehow managed to fit inside the bag and not seem so heavy at the time that Watanuki was carrying it.

"Yuko!" Watanuki growled from her place at the fire. "This was supposed to be a day bag! Not a camping duffle! It's almost as if you knew we were going someplace for and extended stay!"

"Well, I didn't know. I just thought we'd need to be prepared for everything.~" The woman replied, swinging her bottle of sake back and forth in her hand. She's also somehow managed to sneak her precious pipe into this trip and was puffing it like an old shaman lady.

"And alcohol is always included in 'being prepared for everything?'" The girl asked pointedly.

"Yes!~" Mokona and Yuko cheered, tipping back another drink.

"Gah!" Watanuki gave up and went back to cooking with Kagome's and Sango's help, pitching in help or ingredients when the budding young chef requested them. Soon an array of feudal and modern foods was spread out around the camp fire and everyone thanked everyone else for the meal and dug in.

"Iths oo icy!" Inuyasha complained, his tongue hanging out of his mouth and not touching his food after the first bite.

"It is not! I hardly put any spice on anything!" Watanuki hissed back. "Kagome told me you didn't like spice so I didn't use much!"

"Well, it's horrible!" The half demon grumped. Watanuki whacked him on the head with her clean frying pan. "Ow! You bitch!"

"Shut up, you asshole!" The two got right into each other's face, baring fangs, eyes hot. The rest of the group just laughed at their antics.

"What's so funny?!" They hissed in unison, turning to glare at everyone else.

"You're perfect for each other!" Sango laughed.

"They're almost twins!" Shippo giggled.

"But Inuyasha…" Kagome started, a stern expression on her face. The half demon glared at her. "It is rude to complain about such great food. And she did make it sweet just for you…and I've done the same for you before." Kagome held up an angry fist and the dog-man cowered at what he knew was coming next. "SIT!" The half demon pulled back as much as he could, but his necklace lit up and smacked him into the ground. "Learn some manners!"

"Whoa!" Watanuki looked at the Inuyasha sized crater in the ground in awe. "How did you do that?!"

"Beads of subjugation. When I say 'sit' he's thrown into the ground. It comes in handy sometimes for punishment purposes, but it also saves his butt sometimes." Kagome explained eating some more boar meat.

"Kagommmeee…" The demon whined from the crater, the top of his head appearing with his dog ears and bright, murderous eyes.

"Shut up and eat, Inuyasha." Watanuki was still looking down at the crater when she held up her hand towards the other girl. Kagome high fived her and they both shared an evil smile at Inuyasha's expense.

"And they're too much like each other as well." Miroku said, dishing himself up some rice and meat.

"I'd feel sorry for Inuyasha if Watanuki ever got a hold of those beads," Yuko agree, sipping her sake and lounging on her sleeping bag. "Maybe we can find some for Doumeki…what do you think?"

"Yes!" Watanuki smiled.

"No." Doumeki stated. Yuko laughed and asked her servant for seconds, holding out her bowl. Sango, Shippo, Mokona and Doumeki held out their bowls too and Watanuki moodily served everyone. Doumeki and Yuko held out their bowl for thirds and Watanuki angrily served them. Doumeki held out his bowl for fourths and Watanuki smacked him, yelling something about how she hadn't even had firsts. The night deteriorated from there, the group laughing the eating until everything was gone. Inuyasha grumpily ended up eating plain meat from the boar he killed, Watanuki breaking off pieces for him, and everyone was just fine with that. Watanuki cleaned the dishes in the stream with Kagome and they chatted about school things and life in modern day Japan, even if their Japans happened to be different.

"This is kinda nice." Kagome said after a while. "I haven't been able to talk to anyone about normal things in a while."

"It's nice that I can talk to a girl that deals with strange things like I do." Watanuki replied, drying one of her bowls. "Yuko's so strange herself that you can't make heads of tails of her, and Doumeki's a boy so he doesn't get it in the same way. Seeing spirits sucks when you're the only one who can see them."

"I know what you mean. I'm the only one in my group who can sense the Sacred Jewel shards, even if Miroku and Sango can detect malicious auras, being the only one with my type of senses gets tiring after a while." Kagome sighed. "I like to help, but sometimes I just want to stop."

"Me too." Watanuki agreed. "But, I always help anyway. I do what I can so that other people can be happy." She smiled softly, thinking about all her meddling in other people's wishes.

"Yeah, I end up helping anyway too." Kagome smiled at her new friend and they shared a giggle.

"Are you going to take all night?!" Inuyasha shouted at the girls irritably. "Get over here and go to sleep!"

"Shut up!" Watanuki and Kagome yelled back. They laughed again and gathered up the dishes anyway, walking back already closer than they were before.

Everyone settled down for the night, Inuyasha sitting down next to a tree, his sword folded into his arms as he crossed his legs to sleep. Miroku was sleeping on his side near Sango (who was sleeping on a transformed Kirara as a pillow) and Kagome and Shippo were sharing a sleeping bag. A drunk Yuko was bundled up in her sleeping bag with a drunk Mokona and Doumeki was in his sleeping bag as well. Watanuki was just finishing packing up the cooking things before giving Doumeki a goodnight kiss and scrambling into her own sleeping bag. What she didn't know was that Kagome was watching her and wished Inuyasha would give her a goodnight kiss, envying Watanuki for her relationship, even if it was far from perfect as well. The camp quieted down, everyone falling asleep in no time after an exhausting day of walking and dimension hopping.

None of them really wanted to admit it, but they had all grown on each other in just a short time, becoming friends without even really noticing it.

Watanuki woke up in the middle of the night, uncomfortable from the hard ground she had to sleep on and her bladder was full so she really had to pee. She sighed and got out of her sleeping bag, grabbing her glasses before stumbling away as quietly as she could. She left the fire behind and went to find a nice dark spot to pee where no one could see her. She wandered about a soccer field away and decided to go to the bathroom near the little stream that ran by their camp. After she was done with her business, Watanuki splashed some clean water on her face and replaced her glasses on her nose. She sat down on the grass and looked up at the sky. The full moon was so bright and so close, and the stars blanketed the sky like fairy dust.

"Wow! You can all the stars in the sky tonight!" She gasped as she looked up, the starlight sparkling in her eyes (and on her glasses lenses for good measure too). "In Tokyo, all the bright city lights drown out the stars, so you can't see them. This is amazing!"

As she watched the sky, Watanuki didn't notice a pair of eyes looking up at her from the water. The eyes rippled along with the current, gazing as if through a mirror and studied the girl sitting on the bank. Ah, this one looks pretty enough…silky black hair…thin…pale skin…the only thing that's wrong is her eyes…but she'll be perfect once I change a few things…and she smells good too...ink and paper, hair oil, perfume, and…food. Delicious morsel. A voice whispered softly, the sweet tones blending into the wind. Watanuki shivered, feeling a cold finger run up her spine and she curled into herself, her eyes leaving the sky to look into the stream again. Instantly the eyes narrowed in pleasure and the water froze, smoothing out into a shining, mirror-like surface. Watanuki caught her reflection in the water, her soft face and flighty hair reflected back at her. Only those deep black eyes were not hers. She caught their gaze, and was hooked.

The eyes smiled at her, a sinister shine glinting up at her. Watanuki knew she was in trouble, knew that there was a spirit-demon somewhere nearby (the spider legs running up and down her skin told her so), but she couldn't look away, the eyes too compelling to look away.

Come closer. You're so pretty, a voice said in the girl's head. It was soft and calm, soothing, non-threatening. And those were the voices that Watanuki had learned to trust the least…especially if they were disembodied in her head. She wanted to scream for help, the sound trapped in her throat, choking her. She wanted to shout for Doumeki or Yuko or any of those weirdos they'd met today, anyone! But she couldn't speak, she couldn't move. Okay, she could move, her body leaning forward, peering into the mirror-stream, but she didn't want to do that! Her glasses slipped of her nose, clinking on the banks of the stream and the loss blurred Watanuki's vision. See how bright your eyes are? How black your hair is? How pale your skin is? I can make them prettier. Your skin will be paler, smoother, perfect. Your hair will be blacker, shinier, and it will stay in place. Your eyes though…the voice paused, thinking as Watanuki leaned closer, her nose nearly touching the water. Your eyes, however, they will be black from now on and they will be blank and dull. That's how a pretty little doll is supposed to be. Pretty, still and dead. Watanuki's eyes shot wide in fear, trying with all her might to pull away but she couldn't, her nose finally breaking the water. That's when she disappeared, her body being sucked into the stream, falling through a portal and slipping away into the stream, her shrieks lodged in her throat as her feet vanished. After she was gone, the stream started flowing again, hurried and choppy, the night still quietly traveling on as if nothing had happened, as if the girl that sat by the stream no longer existed.

Dawn broke very early in the morning, waking up three non-morning people who were not happy. One was Kagome, who was used to this sort of thing but didn't like it at all. The sunlight hit her eyes and she groaned in irritation and then blinked open her eyes. Shippo turned in her arms and wacked her in the face with his fluffy tail. Now wide awake, Kagome stretched and yawned and poked the fox-demon awake. Shippo was up instantly, yawning cutely and then hopping out to go say hello to Kirara. The next non-morning person to be woken up was Mokona, the little fur ball getting bowled over by an over excited Shippo and hopping up in indignation and chasing the little demon around the camp in vengeance, causing a ruckass of curses, shouts and bouncing off people. Kirara's tail got stepped on, shocking her awake, Doumeki heard the scuffle and jumped up and out of the way before he could get dragged into it and both Sango and Miroku got rolled over as Mokona tackled Shippo into an impromptu wrestling match. Inuyasha got clobbered in the face by two sets of animal feet, causing him to curse the loudest and punch both Mokona and Shippo in the noggin, and they in turn started yelling at him. And that's what woke up the worst non-morning person.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?!" Yuko shouted, bristling in her sleeping bag, lifting her body onto her arms, her hair splitting to reveal one hot eye and giving all who looked at her a death glare to rival the Devil's. Her cranberry eyes flashed crimson with fire and she snarled in a very unlady-like fashion, scaring everyone present (even if they appeared calm and put together on the outside). "It is barely past dawn and you all are being unnecessarily loud and uncouth! Go back to sleep until a less ungodly hour passes or shut up!"

The only bad thing about that was now the witch was wide away and unable to go back to her beauty sleep, even as she rolled over and tried to get comfortable. It was no use and now she was even more irritated. Yuko hardly ever lost her temper, but when she did it was scary and she usually started ordering Watanuki around for no good reason. This time was no different.

"WATANUKI! Get me some tea and start cooking breakfast!" Yuko commanded with venom. As an afterthought she remembered her manners. "Please!" The camp was silent. There was no confirmation of orders or scrambling to do said orders or cursing while fulfilling said orders. All was silent, the whole group still spooked by the witch's fury and she waiting for her little servant to come scurrying to do her bidding. Yuko sat up and looked towards Watanuki's spot, ready to rip the girl a new one for being lazy (which, really, it was the witch who was being lazy) but her sleeping bag was empty. "Watanuki?" Yuko called again. She received no answer.

"Where is she?" Kagome asked, the first one to unfreeze after Yuko's outburst. Doumeki was looking around and couldn't see the girl anywhere. There campsite was in the middle of a field with a few sparse trees so there was nowhere to hide and the mountains were too far away to walk to in just the few hours that the seer had been gone.

"Watanuki!" Doumeki shouted.

"Watanuki!" Yuko shouted, irked that she had to get out of her sleeping bag to look for her employee.

"Watanuki!" Kagome started shouting too, trying to find her friend. Everyone else joined in, (Mokona being especially and insulting with its shouts) and walking around the area, except Inuyasha, who was busy sniffing the seer's sleeping bag. When shouting for a few minutes didn't produce the raven haired girl, worry started infecting the group.

"Do you think she wandered off?" Miroku asked.

"I don't think she'd be careless enough to get lost." Sango added. "She seemed smart enough, even if she's weird." Doumeki nodded in agreement. Watanuki was strange, but she was not stupid.

"She knows it's dangerous for her here, with all the demons around." Kagome joined in the conversation.

"But she attracts demons." Inuyasha huffed, folding his arms irritably. "That's enough reason for something bad to happen."

"Do you think…?" Kagome started. Immediately, the atmosphere changed, the slightly worried tone of irritation transforming into a cold anxiety.

Inuyasha started sniffing the ground, crouching down on all fours and followed the girl's scent; the rest of the group packed up camp and grabbed their things. Sango had changed into her demon slayer's uniform and Yuko somehow rolled out of her sleeping bag, flipped her hair and looked perfect from her head to her toes, not a wrinkle in her clothes, or a smudge of makeup on her face. Both Kagome and Doumeki had their bows at the ready as they followed the dog demon to the stream, the rest of the group coming behind them. Mokona was sitting on Yuko's shoulder and Shippo was hitching a ride with Kirara (still small). Inuyasha followed the alluring scent of the seer (lipstick, incense and delicious food – specifically ramen) a short distance away to a little stream that they'd been using for water and catching small fish. The scent drifted in two directions, and Inuyasha determined that the fainter scent on the rock was where the girl had been sitting and the stronger one (mixed with the scent of soil and grass) was where she'd gone to the bathroom. And that was it. There were only those two scents, the trail going cold.

"Why'd you stop?" Doumeki asked.

"The trail ends here." Inuyasha pointed to the rock by the stream. "She went pee and sat down. That's all I've got." The dog demon plopped down on the ground, crossing his legs and resting his head in his hand.

"So you don't know where she went?" Doumeki asked, his grip on his bow tightening.

"Nope."

"If she went somewhere, then it wasn't by walking." Miroku mused, his hand on his chin as he thought.

"A demon probably got her." Sango added, looking around the ground for signs of struggle and finding none. "It could've been flying and snagged her off the ground."

"Wouldn't she have run?" Shippo asked.

"Only if she'd seen it." The woman replied. Yuko was looking around the stream, trying to riddle out what had happened. There was a coldness that lingered around the spot, and it wasn't from the cool morning.

"Yuko?" Doumeki asked, watching the witch. The group fell silent, watching the otherworldly shop owner with a respect they didn't understand. Something glinted in the archer's eye and he looked down to see what it was. It was smooth and shiny and as the boy reached down to pick it up, his fingers closed in on Watanuki's glasses. Doumeki dusted them off, worry in his eyes and showed them to Yuko when she stood up from her inspection.

"She's been spirited away. There's a sort of magic lingering here." Yuko pointed to the rock and the stream. "A portal has been opened and closed, the pathway vanishing with it." She turned to Kagome's group, a question on her lips. "Have there been any strange disappearances here recently? In the village? Any strange stories or monsters?"

"When we were there yesterday, some of the villagers were asking me to find their lovely daughters who'd disappeared." Miroku replied, his eyes holding a lustful gleam. Sango punched his shoulder, a cross vein popping out on her forehead. "Ow! But-ha, ha, they had no clues to where the girls had gone." He continued sheepishly.

"A few men have disappeared too." Sango added, "But you're not interested in them," she hissed pointedly.

"No, I am not." Miroku replied assertively, nodding his head. He got punched in the arm again.

"The villagers did mention something about an abandoned mansion they thought the missing people might be, but they've never been able to find a way up to it." Kagome piped up. "The forest is so overgrown and wild that any group trying to get up there has been unsuccessful and people keep getting hurt every time they try."

"Sounds like a good place to hide people." Doumeki concluded.

"Yes, it does." Yuko. "Where's the mansion?" Yuko asked forcefully. Kagome and her friends all looked at each other and then back at Yuko. They shrugged. Now it was Yuko's turn to have a cross vein pop out of her head. "We're going back to that village and getting directions!" She grabbed as many people as she could by their collars and forcefully dragged them back to the village, Doumeki trotting along behind her.

Watanuki was somewhere dark, the blackness claustrophobic.

Oh wait, her eyes were closed.

The seer opened her heavy eyelids and looked around her, her vision blurred and watery. She was lying down in a huge room – that much she could tell with her bad eye sight. Where are my glasses? The girl turned her foggy head from side to side, looking as her fingers searched for her spectacles. She couldn't find them and she knew she was going to get a headache, and the spots of color and white in the dim room weren't helping. What are those? Watanuki sat up shakily, and looked around squinting. She was alone, and surrounded by the spots of color that were all around the walls and floor. Watanuki's body felt heavy, sore and achy all over. She could hardly move, but she forced herself closer to the colors and the white that surrounded her. She flipped onto her knees and crawled over, each bone in her body creaking and shrieking for her to stop moving, clanking in protest. It took a long time to crawl to the edge of the room, she was so slow and heavy but she finally made it. Watanuki squinted again, studying the object propped against a sea of other objects and colors. It was a doll. A clay or porcelain doll wrapped in a bright kimono with perfectly placed black hair and blank, black eyes. Watanuki looked behind the first doll and saw another doll and another doll, all in different clothes and sizes, some huge and some small. They're all dolls!

Watanuki reached out to pick up one of the small dolls, her white hand coming up to touch it. Only she couldn't feel the doll's hair nor the doll's body or clothes, she couldn't even bend her fingers now, the stiffness too hard to move. That scared her. The seer looked down, holding up her hand and saw that her fingers were stuck together in a feminine pose, like holding a cup or a fan and they were white as snow, shiny like doll's. Watanuki looked from her fingers to the doll, horror morphing onto her face with every creak and scrape of her neck as she moved.

I'm turning into a doll! She realized, the stiffness in her body, the complete whiteness of her skin finally making sense.

She tried to scream, but her mouth was sealed shut and if she could see herself she'd be appalled by the demure smile plastered on her red, red lips. Only her eyes were still normal: bright, wide, and panicked. Watanuki fell backwards, trying to escape the doll's gazes on her and to escape herself. But she was clumsy, heavy and her legs didn't work right anymore. She fell, clanking to the ground, her screams still trapped in her chest.

"Now, now. Don't tip, dear. We wouldn't want you to crack." A sickly smooth voice said, entering the room. Watanuki's head snapped around with a shriek, her blurry gaze falling on what she assumed was a beautiful woman. The woman drew nearer so Watanuki could see her. She looked like a doll herself, a living breathing work or art. Her skin was as pale as snow, her hair as black as ink and pulled into elaborate twists and buns just like Yuko's would be and she was dressed in the most colorful, elegant and elaborate kimono Watanuki had ever seen. Her eyes were as black as night and they were the same ones she'd seen in the water, the ones that drew her in and kidnapped her. She was holding a hand mirror up to the seer's face, her lips smiling softly and threateningly at the same time (if that was possible). "See? We don't want to you break, you're too pretty for that. But not as pretty as me, of course."

Watanuki looked into the mirror, her eyes skipping over the huge crake in the surface to glue themselves to her face. She was a doll now too, her polite smile revealed and her eyes growing dimmer with each passing moment. She was in a kimono too, she hadn't noticed that until now, dressed in bright reds and blues and gold. Watanuki wanted to cry, but her eyes wouldn't, couldn't. The doll-woman smiled at her.

"You're so pretty and you'll be perfect for my display. It'll be complete now. The other girls I have just don't have the beauty that you do and I'm happy that you're going to stay with me…forever. But if you're lonely, I could always go fetch some of those women I saw with you…that way you wouldn't be without company." The mirror was taken away and Watanuki tried to move, trying to scream obstinacies at the woman if she did anything to any of her friends, but it was even harder now, her limbs freezing up. "Now, now. Let's get you into position. Wouldn't want you to settle into the wrong pose. You need to be sitting." The doll woman put her hands on Watanuki's legs and arms, the girl trying to cry over the fact that she couldn't feel any of it, her skin desensitized by her transformation. She was maneuvered into a kneeling pose, her hands sitting daintily on her lap. "There. Now you're ready to be my sake bearer." The doll-woman ran her pale hand down Watanuki's cheek stroking the girl's hardening skin and smiling with pleasure. She left soon after, her elegant robes dragging behind her, leaving Watanuki alone again, surrounded by the dolls that the seer was beginning to suspect were actual people.

Watanuki wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, but she couldn't even move at this point, her limbs frozen. She wanted her friends, including Inuyasha (even if he was a rude bastard), she wanted to be saved…she even wanted Yuko and the fur ball to come to her rescue if need be. But she really wanted Doumeki right now. She wanted him to pull her out of this mess just like he always did and hold her close afterwards, whispering comforts to her in his strong arms. But, Watanuki wasn't given any of these things. Instead, she was given the silence of the dolls and despair as her body finished hardening into a pale, smooth complexion. Save me…please…save me! Please come for me! Don't leave me here all alone! Watanuki pleaded in her mind, everything was heavy now, even her head as her vision grew dim and then completely dark.

She couldn't even cry as she lost consciousness, her eyes dulling as they stared straight ahead in the gloom.

It had been two days since Watanuki had disappeared and Doumeki was going out of his mind with worry. Of course, he only looked mildly worried, but inside, he was dying without his girlfriend. Right now, he was sitting outside an inn in the village, listlessly looking at Watanuki's day bag by his feet, Mokona, Shippo and Kagome to keep him company. Miroku was going around the town with Yuko (the woman had him in a choke hold half the time to keep his hands away from her butt) and Sango was out with Kirara and Inuyasha, patrolling the area for any signs of demons or Watanuki herself. Doumeki just tapped his bow on his shoulder impatiently and held Watanuki's glasses carefully. Kagome looked at him from the corner of her eyes, worry written all over her face as well.

"We'll find her, Doumeki. Don't you worry." Kagome gave him sympathetic smile.

"She's always in some sort of trouble." Doumeki started, his voice soft and low.

"Yeah she is!" Mokona piped up, jumping around the porch.

"But usually, I'm close enough to get there, to help or ward off spirits for her. But here…" Doumeki looked around this unfamiliar town, this unfamiliar world. "I don't know where I need to go or what I need to do to help her."

"I'm sure that Watanuki's…well, not fine per say…but…" Kagome didn't know how to describe what she was trying to saw.

"She's not stupid, but she is self-sacrificing which is a bitch." Doumeki sighed. "She doesn't know when to stop or what to do when someone else is in trouble or if her friends are threatened."

"Yeah, Kagome's the same way to a point." Shippo commented, licking his lollipop to pass the time. When he wasn't paying attention, Mokona hopped up and crunched off the whole sucker in its mouth.

"Shippo!" The priestess admonished.

"Well, it's true. Several times when you wanted to quit." The fox demon explained. "Inuyahsa had to pull you back."

"Yeah, but I also chose to come back." Kagome huffed.

"And we're glad you did!" Shippo smiled. Then the fox demon noticed his sucker and started fighting with a satisfied Mokona until Kagome gave both of them a new sucker. Doumeki watched the exchange, his face never showing his emotions, but it was nice to be with people like this. They were optimistic where his was pessimistic, the yanked up his gloomy mood without even really trying. Before Doumeki could speak again, Inuyasha and Sango with Kirara came back, the latter swooping in from the sky, and the former leaping off of the roof tops to the ground.

"Find anything?" Kagome asked hopefully.

"Nah. I can't pick up her scent anywhere." Inuyasha sighed, sniffing.

"And if whoever has her is a demon or someone with spiritual power, they've put up a barrier to dissipate their aura and location." Sango added, dismounting her giant cat and brushing off her demons-slayer outfit. Kirara burst into flames and became small, running up Sango and settling on her shoulder. She mewed sadly, missing her new, good smelling friend and sad because she couldn't find her. "We couldn't see anything from the sky except forest, much less a mansion."

That report brought the mood of the whole group down and Sango went inside the inn to order something to eat. Inuyasha plopped down on the inn's porch with everyone else, leaning back and grumbling at their situation. Sango came out with tea and rice balls, passing around the platter to everyone and they all ate in a moody silence. To Doumeki, the rice tasted like sawdust, and he only ate one (which never happened). It just wasn't Watanuki's cooking. Silence ensued, everyone put off from talking by their apparent failure to find one girl. A few minutes, later, Yuko and Miroku walked up, the witch heading straight towards the food to get a snack. She took one bite of her rice ball and her face dropped, depressed lines materializing above her head.

"Oh god, this is awful." She moaned dramatically (but quietly so the cook wouldn't hear her – she knew how emotional chefs get when you insult them after the time Watanuki chased her around the house with a still-hot frying pan). "I want my dear Watanuki's cooking!"

"Well, that's kinda a problem right now." Inuyasha huffed. "Unless you've had more luck than us." Inuyasha nodded to the depressed people around him.

"Actually, we have." Instantly the mood shifted from doom and gloom to hopeful as Miroku spoke.

"Did you find where she is?" Kagome asked excitedly, jumping up with a smile.

"Well, we found the mansion," Yuko said between mouthfuls, "but we don't know if she's there."

"Where is it?" Doumeki asked, standing up and getting ready to move out.

"An old man told us where the mansion is in the mountains when he was young and with Inuyasha's sharp nose we should be able to find it." The monk informed.

"It took us two whole days to get those directions?!" Inuyasha groaned.

"Next time, we're going straight to the old people." Kagome agreed.

"Onward!" Yuko crowed, striking a dramatic pose with her arm out, holding a rice ball. "To food!"

"You really think Watanuki's going to want to cook after this?" Doumeki asked skepticly, his face back it its usual deadpan.

"She's going to have too! My palate is sick of this peasant food!" A chopstick flew out of the inn's door, clocking Yuko on the back of her head.

"You really need to shut your mouth sometimes." Inuyasha insulted, crossing his arms smugly.

"Take your own advice." Kagome shot back.

"Can we go now?" Doumeki asked, already halfway down the street.

"Wait up Doumeki! You don't even know the way!" Yuko shouted, running after him.

"Wait, Yuko! You don't know the way either!" Miroku called, running after the woman's butt. "You were too busy being hungry to listen to the old man!" His hand was outstretched, reaching for the witch's volumtous behind even though he knew he was going to get slapped for it.

"Miroku, get back here!" Sango picked up her Hiraikotsu and dashed after the monk, grabbing his collar before he groped Yuko and then dragged him along behind her. Kirara jumped off Sango's shoulder and transformed back into her large form, roaring in excitement as they went to find her good-smelling friend.

"Shall we go?" Kagome asked, turning to Inuyasha.

"Che. Why not? They're going to be lost without us." He huffed. Shippo hopped onto Kagome's shoulder as she jumped onto Inuyasha's back, the half demon's hands and arm supporting her.

"Yuko! Get on the cat already!" Sango called, letting Miroku go and jumping on Kirara herself. The witch gracefully leapt onto the demon as she flew next to her and settled in behind the demon slayer.

"Oh, Doumeki!~" The shop owner called. "Hop on!" The archer jumped, taking the final seat on the demon cat.

"What about me?" Miroku asked, running alongside the trio and Kirara.

"You can walk." Yuko and Sango said harshly, looking at the man with a death glare.

"Too bad, Miroku!" Inuyasha caught up to everyone and they ran out of the village and into the mountains, happy to finally be able to move.

Everything was dark again as Watanuki drifted along. She didn't know where she was or if she was even still alive. That is…until she dropped out of wherever she was and landed hard on her ass.

"Ow!" Watanuki rubbed her butt and looked around, surprised to find herself able to move normally. She was in between two tall hedges, so tall that they stretched up to the sky, thick mists swirling around the plants. Watanuki looked forward along the path the hedges made and then looked behind her, finding a similar path, only a lot shorter. She stood up and walked down to the wall of leaves and branches and found that it wasn't a dead end, but a turn to the right, like a maze. Is that what this is? A maze? Is this a dream? Watanuki looked behind her, seeing nothing but a long straight path behind her. If there's one thing Yuko taught me, never take the easy way out. Something will eat you or some such shit. But then again…everything's complicated with Yuko. Watanuki shrugged and took the turn. She walked long the hedges, hand brushing the leaves.

The first odd thing that popped up as she twisted and turned through the maze were the mirrors that floated along the hedges. She walked up to one of them and peered inside. Instead of reflecting her face, Watanuki saw memories. Her memories. She watched as she walked to elementary school alone, being followed by a spirit and being tormented by the spirit. She'd tried to tell someone, anyone what was following her, but they didn't believe her. They turned away from the strange child, ignoring her cries for help. But there wasn't any help for her.

Watanuki shivered as she watched her childhood, feeling that deep sense of loneliness she'd felt back then swirling around in her gut. Watanuki left that mirror, the dark fingers of rejection and isolation caressing her shoulders, her back, her face – like a spirit following her again.

The next mirror was much like the first, only the girl was older, and she didn't ask anyone for help. She was cleaning up a classroom after school, wiping the windows alone because nobody wanted to be near the "freak." She was trying not to cry, not to need anyone when the spirit pounced, latching onto her back and trying to possess her, to eat her. Watanuki didn't scream. Screaming brought people and they couldn't see or feel what she was, they'd just think she was being weird again, trying to get attention. Either that, or worse: no one would come at all. Watanuki beat off the mass of negative energy, completely exhausting herself in the process as it finally let go. She smiled triumphantly, but it was a cold, empty joy. She was still alone. The girl walked away from the mirror, her mood plummeting even further.

Watanuki didn't want to look into any other mirrors if all they were going to reflect back at her was her misery, but she tried one more time. But before she did, the girl walked down several mirrors and two turns to see if she could get away from the depressing memories. As she walked, the seer ran into someone else in the maze. It was a girl, a little younger than her with a beautiful face and long black hair. She was dressed like a princess, her elaborate kimono building layers upon layers on her small frame. The girl was beautiful, no doubt, but her eyes were blank as she stared straight ahead. Watanuki was about to speak to the girl, to ask where they were and what they were going here when her mouth was fused shut. She tried to move her lips, but couldn't. It was like they were glued together, preventing her from speaking at all. Then the feeling of dread climbed up her spine and she knew if she spoke to this girl there would be hell to pay. And then Watanuki noticed that there were other women, and men who were wandering in and out of the maze, the mists hiding and reveling people in complete silence. I guess I can't talk to any of them. We're all silent here.

Watanuki turned away from the princess-girl and randomly chose another mirror to investigate, hoping that it was a happier memory. As she looked in the glass, she didn't know if this memory was happy or not. She was arguing with Doumeki as they walked home from school. Watanuki was railing him for something and he just plugged his ears and walked on with her. After the seer ran out of steam, she just stomped along in silence, refusing to look at Doumeki. Suddenly, the boy grabbed her hand and yanked her to his side, saving her from crashing into a pair of movers who were carrying a bunch of boxes into a house. Watanuki was stunned, frozen in Doumeki's arms. Then she snapped at him, a deep blush on her face and broke his grip so she didn't have to touch him anymore. As she dashed for Yuko's shop in embarrassment, Doumeki smiled at her and just leisurely walked along, knowing he'd catch up sooner or later.

The raven smiled at that memory, recalling that it was about that time that she realized that she liked Doumeki. She moved onto the next mirror and the next. Days in Yuko's shop, errands she'd run, afternoon's spent cooking, nightly walks in Doumeki's company and secret kisses they'd shared when no one was looking. Watanuki enjoyed these memories more, even if some were fraught with spirit and misfortune, she had Yuko and she had Doumeki to bail her out. She walked up to another mirror, finding that this one involved Inuyasha and Kagome. Both their groups were sprawled around a campfire, eating and teasing each other like they'd known each other forever instead of just a few short hours. The scene pulled at Watanuki's heart, the joy and happiness she'd felt (even if she was stuck cooking the entire time) was something she craved. She had been deprived of that feeling most of her life and she still craved it, wanted it…wanting to be accepted, to have friends.

"I have to get out." She whispered, the need to be with her friends overpowering any apprehension and doubt that she'd felt. She screamed and shouted, trying to get anyone attention. If she couldn't speak to any of the other people here, then she'd just have to do it by yelling at no one. But it was the same as when she was a child, the other people in the maze ignored her, just walking among their own memories like they were just content to stay here forever.

She couldn't stay here. She needed to get out. Watanuki started running, searching for an exit, pouching on the branches of the hedges that were caging her in. She screamed, her voice rising to the sky, she kicked and clawed, the leaves and branches unyielding. But they shook. They shook with her anger and her desperation.

Her skin cracked.

Outside her mind, the doll-woman was sitting next to the doll Watanuki. She was unhappy. The spell she'd placed on this girl wasn't holding well, it kept cracking, flaking – evident by the crack over the girl's right eye, running up and down like tears.

"Why is it not working?" She hissed, tapping her fingers impatiently. "Is she a priestess? A demon of some sort?" Then the woman had a thought break through her frustration. "Ah…that might work. The woman dug out her cracked mirror, holding to her beautiful face. Her pale fingers came up and touched the surface of the glass. It rippled, and she reached inside the mirror. She drew her hand out a few seconds later, holding a shining, murky, purple jewel shard in her fingertips. It was just one of a the few she had, but it should work. "Suppress her spirit." She intoned, clenching the shard in her fist tightly and then opening her palm, the jewel shining a malevolent black. She pressed the sharp jewel into the girl's cracked eye, watching it fuse into her body. The girl's body seized once, the intrusion shocking her and then lay still, her doll-skin fusing together perfectly.

"Now you are mine." The doll-woman cooed, stroking her new toy's cheek.

Inside the maze, Watanuki collapsed on the ground, her eyes blanking out and turning black like the jewel lodged into her once-bronzed eye.

They were high up in the mountains, following an animal trail that wound through the trees and ever higher into the forest.

"Are we there yet?" Shippo asked, a slightly irritating whine in his voice.

"Shut up, Shippo." Inuyasha snapped, jumping over a fallen log as he carried the fox-demon and Kagome through the forest. Kirara was tiring from carrying her load of three people and they had to stop for breaks every once in a while so she could rest. Miroku was glad for the breaks as well since he was the only human who was forced to run.

"We'll be there soon, Shippo." Kagome assured. "I can sense something up ahead."

"A jewel shard?" Inuyasha asked

"I don't sense anything yet." Miroku stated.

"We must still be outside the barrier. We'll find it soon." Sango added.

"Yes," Yuko started. "We're getting close."

"Hm," was all Doumeki said. A few minutes later, they found the barrier, a huge half sphere of swirling, webbed energy repelling everything outside it. Kirara landed and the ground and everyone dismounted, even Inuyasha let Kagome and Shippo down, everyone turning serious and focusing on the task at hand.

"I cannot interfere any more than I already have. Your wish will be granted here…if you choose to act." Yuko said suddenly, sitting down on a rock to smoke her pipe.

"So the jewel shards are nearby?" Inuyasha asked the witch.

"Yes! It's weak, but I can sense one...two maybe." Kagome affirmed. "I can't tell for sure with the barrier still up.

"Well, well. It's our lucky day!" Inuyasha drew his swords, the katana transforming into a blade resembling a huge fang with a furry cross guard. The blade shimmered into a deep red and Inuyasha rested his sword on his shoulder until they were ready to move.

"That's over kill." Doumeki noted, shouldering his bow and placing Watanuki's bag by Yuko.

"Shut up. The Tessaiga is powerful. Who cares what it looks like?" The half-demon huffed. "Besides, I think its pretty badass."

"Whatever you say." Doumeki mocked. Before Inuyasha could tear his head off, Yuko spoke again.

"Doumeki." The archer turned at his name. Yuko held out Mokona and the fur ball hopped from her hand onto his shoulder in one huge bound. "Take Mokona with you."

"Sure." Doumeki nodded as the creature got comfy on his shoulder.

"And, please bring Watanuki back." Yuko asked sincerely, smiling mysteriously. "I'd hate to have her debt to me go unpaid."

And Doumeki knew that that was just the way Yuko showed that she cared, even if it sounded a little heartless.

"Can we go now?" Inuyasha grumped.

"Yeah." Doumeki nodded again, his bronze eyes blazing. Inuyasha nodded, feeling his own emotions mirroring the other boys, knowing just how the archer was feeling right now. He'd felt that way many times where his friends were in trouble, especially when it came to Kagome. The half demon was even feeling the same emotions directed towards Watanuki, even though they'd only known each other for one day. She was so similar to Kagome and so familiar to his own personality that they'd become the sort of friends where every conversation they had was an argument and every taunt and jibe hid affection. Even that one meal they'd all shared together, Watanuki was accomidating to Inuyasha, cooking things she thought he'd be able to eat (even if they were still too spicy in his opinion). Doumeki looked and Inuyasha and the half demon stared back. They'd reached a sort of understanding, one shared by a mutual need even if they were still strangers.

"Then let's go." Inuyasha swung the Tessaiga off of his shoulder, taking both of his clawed hands and gripping the blade tightly. The red blade flashed, gathering energy for the strike. He didn't even have to use the Wind Scar for this and just charged, jumping high into the air, swinging his sword down onto the barrier, splitting the energy field and watched as it dissipated into nothingness

"I sense four jewel shards!" Kagome shouted. "And they're tainted. We need to hurry."

"I sense and evil aura up ahead." Miroku added.

"Me too." Sango agreed.

"Then let's go!" Inuyasha ran ahead, spurring everyone to follow behind him. As they ran into the forest, Yuko watched them go, blowing a cloud of smoke into the air.

"Good luck." She whispered content just to wait until they came back if that was inevitability's course.

The path was clear now, a road long forgotten leading up to the huge, sprawling mansion they were looking for. The building was shadowed among the trees, dark even in the daylight that filtered in through the branches of the forest. It was darker still by the malicious aura that roamed the grounds and covered the walls. The group reached the mansion and paused for a moment, studying the terrain and checking for guards. Inuyasha just wanted to barge in, but Miroku convinced him to wait for just a moment.

"I don't see anyone…or anything." Kagome said, stating the obvious. To all appearances, the mansion was uninhabited, the only indication of life coming from the demonic aura surrounding the place.

"Then we should go in." Inuyasha grumped.

"Just be careful." Sango warned, taking her Hiraikotsu off her shoulder.

"Don't have to tell me!" The half demon ran forwards again, sword at the ready as everyone ran in behind him.

"Don't tell that to Inuyasha, Sango! Since when is he ever careful?" Miroku sighed, face palming his forehead.

"I wasn't just talking to him!" The demon slayer shot back, she was going to say more when they reached the door of the house.

They burst into the mansion, weapons at the ready, prepared for any and all attacks.

"KAGO-" Inuyasha started yelling and then cut off.

"What?" The priestess snapped in irritation and slight confusion.

"Well, most of the time we're saving you and calling your name is habit. But I remembered that you're right here, so it threw me off." The half-demon replied bluntly.

"You're not always saving me!" Kagome grumbled.

"Yes he is." Miroku, Sango and Shippo chorused. Kirara meowed in agreement, nodding her big head.

"You're the worst!" Kagome hissed at them, reminding Doumeki a lot of his girlfriend.

"So…what do we yell now that it's not 'Kagome?'" Shippo asked innocently.

"Watanuki!" Doumeki yelled, getting fed up with waiting and running into the first room of the mansion, bow at the ready.

"That works." Shippo shrugged.

"Watanuki!" They all shouted as they searched the mansion. They entryway was empty and so was the first room, but they could all sense that something was very wrong, and ominous presence clouding the building.

"Something stinks." Inyasha growled, tightening his grip on Tessaiga's worn handle. The sword clinked in agreement.

"I sense the jewel shards too. They're deeper in." Kagome informed the others, pulling and arrow out of her quiver and notching it in her bow.

"Yes, there's definitely a demon here." Miroku added, sensing a disgusting aura swirling around them. Shippo hid behind Kirara's head, his fox tail poking out from the side. Doumeki's eyes narrowed, concerned that his shared eye with Watanuki wasn't picking up anything from the girl, its blurred sight only showing what was in front of him. Something was very wrong. He stepped into the next room. That's when things got really creepy.

Countless blank eyes stared down at the group, black and soulless as torches flickered to life on their own accord. There were hundreds of dolls sitting or standing on displays surrounding the room, each wearing different kimonos or armor, and in all shapes and sizes. It was as if a great council was watching the group while they walked through.

"This is really creepy. I feel like they're watching me." Kagome stuck close to Inuyasha, watching the dolls herself.

"They're just dolls, Kagome." He said. And right as the words left his mouth, the dolls started to move, scraping their wood and clay limbs as they leapt at the intruders.

" You just had to say it!" Kagome mocked the half demon.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha blocked an attack with his sword and pushed three of the dolls off him. He swung at them, trying to slice the dolls, but they leaped out of the way. Sango was warding off two more and Miroku was dealing with three of his own. Shippo was knocked off Kagome's shoulder by a small doll and started wrestling with it on the floor. Kagome jumped around all the tiny dolls at her feet and swung her bow to hit them away. Doumeki was pushing back a few dolls on his own while Mokona laughed, jumping on top of the dolls and shoving them into other dolls as he bounced around. The rabbit-creature's laugh drew Kagome's attention as she tried to pull out an arrow, but a girl doll was lodged inside her quiver, tangling and lodging itself inside. She turned just in time to see Mokona knocked a doll over and shatter the small girls face. Behind the doll face, there was a human face, slack and blank as its soul floated upwards and through the ceiling as it disappeared.

"Uh oh! I broke it!~" Mokona stopped hopping and looked down at the broken person. "Something's not right about this!"

"Those are real people!" Kagome whispered in horror. She had to tell everyone else."Don't shatter them!" Kagome yelled, blocking a child-sized doll with her bow.

"Why the hell not?" Inuyasha yelled back, fighting with a surprisingly strong samurai doll that reached up to his chest. Their swords clashed again and again, but Inuyasha didn't crack the doll, still listening to Kagome's warning and shoving the doll off him.

"Because they're alive!"

"I can see that!" The half demon replied, used his sword as a shield as three other dolls jumped on him.

"Not like that! There's real souls inside! I can see them!" Kagome shouted back, pushing back another doll. "They're transformed people! Look!" She pointed to Mokona's broken doll and everyone saw the tiny, real, human face behind the doll's mask. There was a moment of silence between the group, all thinking about what that meant.

"This just got a lot harder." Miroku stated.

"I'll say!" Inuyasha snapped.

"We can't shatter them because the souls inside the dolls are still real people. They're not like Kikiyo who uses souls of the already dead to animate her body. These people are trapped!" Kagome went on.

"We get it already!" Inuyasha yelled. Sango shielded herself from a few dolls and Kirara ran past and batted them away, careful not to break the dolls. They bapped into the wall and stopped moving. Sango and Kirara looked at them in confusion.

"Huh?" She said. Miroku saw what had happened and tried the same thing, pushing the dolls on his staff into the wall. They smacked their heads and slumped down.

"What the?" He asked.

"It seems that if we hit a certain part on their heads they stop moving." Doumeki observed, picking up one of the tiny dolls and holding it by the kimono. He felt around the little girl's head and felt an invisible string was coming out of the top of her hair. Doumeki took the doll and carefully squeezed the string when he heard a soft snap. The doll went limp in his hands and he put it down. "There's a string on top of their heads, controlling them like a puppet, if you snap it they stop moving. It doesn't seem to affect their souls."

"Seriously?" Inuyasha pushed his dolls back into the wall, hitting their heads, but they just stood back up and started attacking again. "What the hell?!" The half demon complained. Kagome knocked out a few of her dolls by smacking the back of their heads with her hands.

"Sorry Inuyasha. Looks like you need some sort of spiritual power and you're demon aura doesn't cut it." The girl informed him.

"God dammit!" Inuyasha then pushed his dolls onto Kagome. "Then I'll herd them your way and you get rid of them!"

"Don't push your work on me!" She complained.

"Do you want me to break them? Because I will!" He threatened.

"Fine! Send them this way!" Inuyasha acted as a filter, stopping the dolls and then pushing them to Kagome so she could sever their strings with her fingers or the wall, whatever was faster. It worked for a while until a fresh wave of dolls tottered in overwhelming the group.

"We're not getting anywhere!" Inuyasha grunted, shielding Kagome form some more samurai dolls.

"We can't waste anymore time here! We're so close!" Kagome yelled, blocking another attack of tiny dolls. Suddenly there was a break and Inuyasha scooped up the priestess and jumped into the free space by the door to get a better position.

"Go on ahead!" Sango shouted. "We'll hold them here!"

"Are you sure?" Kagome yelled back. Doumeki took his chance too and ran to the door.

"Will you be alright?" Doumeki asked.

"Yeah! We'll be fine!" Miroku called.

"Just get that demon and save Watanuki for us!" Sango yelled, swatting another handful of the smaller dolls. Miroku pushed one of the bigger dolls back and severed the puppet string.

"Get going!" The monk ordered.

"Right!" Inuyasha nodded, grabbing Kagome's hand and pulling her into the next room. Doumeki and Mokona followed quickly behind. There were very few dolls in this room, most of them already having moved into the room where Sango and Miroku were. The four of them quickly took care of the dolls and ran into the next room. As they traveled through the mansion, the dolls just kept coming, as if from an endless void because there were more the further they went in. It was tiring to have to incapacitate the little people than it was to just kill them, but they knew they couldn't do that. By the time they reached the back rooms of the mansion, they were all tired, worn down by combat. Even Inuyasha was panting, his tendency for brute force completely useless in this situation. Doumeki was very athletic (a fact that his girlfriend despised) and even he was getting battered. Mokona was a ball of energy still and Shippo was too busy hiding behind Kagome's hair, only occasionally using his fox magic or fox fire to guard Kagome when a doll slipped past her.

"Don't these things ever get tired?" Shippo asked, batting a doll with his tail as it jumped to get Kagome.

"I just want to know if they're ever going to run out of back up!" Inuyasha growled, swinging Tessaiga. The dolls jumped back, avoiding the flat of his blade and attacking again.

"I want to know where Watanuki is." Doumeki said calmly, sweeping a groups of miniscule dolls into the wall to pile them up. "We've checked almost every room in the mansion and we still haven't found her."

"Do you think she's been turned into a doll and we just haven't noticed it?" Kagome asked.

"No. All these dolls still hold their own scent and I haven't smelled her ramen scent." Inuyasha said, pushing two dolls towards Doumeki to handle.

"She smells like ramen?" Doumeki asked, severing the doll's puppet strings and sweeping them out of the way.

"Yeah, so?"

"It's just an odd smell for a girl." The boy replied.

"She smells like the forest to me! Remember? And Kirara says she smells like lilies and cat treats." Shippo piped up.

"Yuko did say that her blood was alluring to demons. Maybe she smells like whatever appeals to each individual demons." Doumeki mused.

"Can we discuss this later?!" Inuyasha snapped. "We're kina busy right now!"

"Yeah!~" Mokona agreed. "Onward!~" The little fur ball pointed into the next room.

"Don't give me orders!" The half demon growled, sounding and looking akin to Watanuki when she was in a bad room. Kagome giggled despite herself and Doumeki almost smiled.

"Come on." Doumeki prompted, running into the next room once he and Kagome had dealt with the last of the dolls in this chamber.

They ran into the next room and were surprised that none of the dolls that were displayed in this room were moving. They were the most beautiful dolls out of all the ones they'd see today, sitting on Hinamatsuri platforms, full-sized and dressed in elaborate kimonos and surrounded by ornate furniture. The room was quiet, too quiet and an evil presence pressed down on the small group. Kagome shivered, Shippo ducking behind her hair again, his tail poofed in fear. Inuyasha bristled, smiling in pleasure as he smelled the presence of a strong enemy. He also smelled something else.

"I smell ramen now!" He said to the others. "She's close."

"Watanuki!" Doumeki shouted, trying to get an answer. Silence.

"I sense the jewel shards too. One's on the platform!" Karome pointed up towards the top of the room. On the second highest tier, she could see a tainted jewel shard lodged in the neck of a door, one of the sake bearers for the imperial couple on the top platform. That doll was seated, full sized just like all the others in layers and layers of embroidered fabric and her hair done up in traditional buns. She looked just like any other doll until Kagome looked at her eyes. There was one blue and one bronze.

"Watanuki! She's on the platform!" The priestess shouted. "One of the jewel shards is in her neck! It's black!"

"That means she put up a fight." Inuyasha grinned.

"Huh?" Doumeki asked.

"When demons or people put jewel shards in people's bodies it's to posses and command them and the more tainted the jewel is, the harder it was to posses them." The half demon explained, gripping his sword tightly. His senses were on high alert. It would be too easy just to take the seer back without any resistance. The demon was here somewhere and he was going to be ready for it. "She gave the demon enough trouble to demand the use of a shard to turn her into a doll."

"Watanuk's always trouble." Doumeki commented, half expecting the doll-Watanuki to jump down off the platform and rip him a new one for insulting her. But she didn't and that was the sad part. Doumeki looked up at his girl and resisted the urge to sigh. She'd gotten herself into trouble again, he wasn't surprised but now that he saw what had happened to her, Doumeki was even more worried. She didn't get eaten (thank god) but she was a doll and by extension a puppet, judging on how the demon's other dolls functioned. If she was used as a guard or a decoy, they couldn't do anything to harm her, just like the others, but this time is was more personal. Doumeki's eyes narrowed, trying to see if he could see what Watanuki was seeing through their shared eye, but her eye was blank and all he saw was the room through his crappy vision.

A poisonous laugh floated down from the corners of the room, shocking the foursome out of their thoughts.

"You are absolutely right. The girl did give me considerable trouble." The sweet voice said. "But she was worth every bit of it. Just look how she perfectly finishes my display." As the voice talked, a woman floated down through the ceiling and hovered next to Watanuki, stroking the girl's face with bone white fingers. She was beautiful, more like a goddess than a woman as her robe floated around her. Her jet black hair rivaled Watanuki's and her skin was pale like a dolls. "So…Watanuki's her name? How quaint. Watanuki? Your friends are here to play, they've been looking for you for a long time, precious." The demon smiled softly, her beauty able to stun the most hardened of hearts. Only Inuyasha wasn't impressed, Kagome was to worried about Watanuki, Shippo was too young to get that sort of smile and Doumeki was still looking at Watanuki.

"It's a good thing we left Miroku behind." Inuyasha whispered, knowing that the monk would've been charmed by that smile.

"Um hm." Kagome, Shippo and Doumeki nodded in chorus. Mokona giggled.

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you," The doll-woman hissed. "You see, I've just finished my collection and I can't have you ruining it." The woman held out one of her hands and crooked a finger, beckoning several other human-sized dolls into the room, complete in samurai attire.

"Shit!" Inuyasha swore, as he had to guard again, unable to attack with live people trapped inside the puppets. "Kagome! Where are the other jewel shards? You sensed more than one right?"

"Yeah! They're in the mirror she's holding!" Inuyasha looked up and saw that the demon was holding a hand mirror, the surface cracked.

"It looks like Kana's mirror!" Shippo shouted.

"Kana?" Doumeki asked. He was so confused, but he didn't show it, instead just trying to fight his way to Watanuki.

"We'll tell you later!" Kagome shouted back, yanking out an arrow (and the tiny doll wedged in her quiver in the process) and notched it, aiming for the demon. She shot, the purifying arrow narrowly missing the demon as she dodged. The arrow lodged itself into the ceiling, useless now. However, the pure aura on the arrow did effect the demon, the purifying power dusting her shoulder. The demon yowled in pain, her hands cracking as she was partially purified. In retaliation, the demon summoned more dolls and set them upon the group, her skin cracking as she strained her powers.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha snapped, trying to ward off as many of the dolls as he could. There were too many and Doumeki had to help, dodging swords and fists and pushing the dolls back, aiming to sever their puppet strings. "Don't miss! You just caused more trouble!"

"Well, sorry!" The girl hissed back. "She's fast!"

"Then don't miss again!" The half demon ordered.

"Fine!"

"Quit arguing you two!" Shippo yelled, setting fire to a doll's kimono. The doll wasn't fazed by the attack and the little fox demon yelped as the doll grabbed at him. He scurried off the hid behind Kagome's leg.

"Whee!" Mokona squealed as it jumped around, bouncing off the doll's and distracting them to buy time. Kagome notched another arrow and aimed upwards. She released the arrow and the demon dodged the sacred object again.

"Kagome!" Inuyasa complained. Just then, another shining arrow shot into the arm, Domeki's bow empty of his purifying power. The demon, distracted by Kagome's arrow, didn't have enough time to dodge the arrow fast enough, the spear of energy digging into her shoulder. The demon howled in anguish and ripped the arrow from her shoulder, the energy dissipating before it could do too much damage.

"Damn you! Damn you all to hell!" The demon hissed, summoning more dolls.

"I told you to stop missing!" Inuyasha yelled, cursing like a sailor as he was bombarded by another wave of dolls. He was getting beaten down now, the sheer numbers of the dolls attacking him overwhelming. He swung his sword and his claws, as he jumped and leaped around, trying to act as a decoy so that Kagome could take care of the demon. It sucked that he just couldn't use the Wind Scar to end it, but with some may trapped souls inside the dolls, he couldn't risk killing them too.

"You try hitting her!" Kagome shot back.

"I would but I'm not allowed to kill anyone besides her and I can't do that right this minute!"

"Pay attention!" The doll-demon hissed, miffed that she was being ignored over an argument. "Maybe I just need to get you notice me!" Out of spite, she lifted up her hand and the doll-Watanuki started moving, creaking to her feet. She stepped forward with one foot and then shakily on the other foot, like she was, well…a doll. Several of the other human sized dolls came to life too, stepping down from the huge Hinamatsuri platform and jumping into the fight. Watanuki leapt into the fray as well, against her will, her lips silent and eyes blank. Doumeki nearly screamed in frustration as he ran for his girlfriend before she could tackle Kagome from behind. If the doll-woman was hoping to cause even more trouble than she was right now, she had succeeded. She laughed cruelly as the doll-Watanuki's hands locked with Doumeki's, each pushing against the other and their faces up in each other's business.

"Watanuki!" The archer called, trying to knock some sense into the girl's head. The doll's face didn't move at all, her blank eyes scaring the shit out of the boy. "Watanuki! Listen to me!" The doll's arms were much stronger that Watanuki's real arms and she was winning the wrestling match, pushing Doumeki down into a kneel as he was forced to the floor. But he wasn't giving up that easily and threw her to the side, breaking her stance as she fumbling for her footing. Doumeki was up his feet in a split second and Watanuki's doll face tipped to the side, looking confused or entertained, the archer couldn't tell which. "I know you're in there, Watanuki! Don't let her beat you! You're stronger than that!"

"She can't hear you, little boy." The doll-woman cackled. "There's nothing in her head but the desire to do my bidding."

"You're wrong!"

"I'm not wrong. Even though this collection is by far my favorite, I only picked the most beautiful or the strongest humans to complete it. You'll find that they're much more potent than my other servants." The demon commented off-handedly, pointing to Inuyasha, who was busy fending off one of the ministers that sat on the platform as well as the emperor doll and Kagome was dealing with one of the other sake bearers, loosing arrow after arrow trying to purify the spell on the doll. There were only four dolls from the platform fighting, but it was enough to tip the fight into the doll-woman's favor.

"Watanuki wake up! We're here to get you! So you need to wake up!" Doumeki shouted again as the shell of his girlfriend kicked at him, sweeping him off his feet and back onto the floor. His bow clattered to the floor as she jumped on him, her cold, hard body digging into his gut. They rolled on the floor, each trying to pin down the other, Doumeki still yelling at the seer to try and wake her up. His pleas fell on deaf ears and the doll-demon just laughed at him. That is…she laughed until Inuyasha cracked both of the dolls that he was fighting.

True to his word, he didn't break them or kill them; he just dug his claws into their arms and cracked their skin. But it was enough too piss off the demon and make her lose her concentration on Doumeki's and Watanuki's fight.

"Damn you!" The demon took her eyes off the fight to hiss at Inuyasha and he just smirked right back and started cursing at her. That was her first mistake. It was enough of a distraction for Doumeki to throw the doll-Watanuki off him and pin her onto the floor. He was desperate now in this losing battle, grabbing onto the doll's shoulders and shouting right into her face in a last ditch effort to get Watanuki's attention.

"I promise not to ask for food for a week if you just wake up! Just quit being an ass and wake up! WATANUKI!" Doumeki yelled, a single tear running down his cheek. He couldn't endure the pain of seeing his friend, his classmate, his love like this anymore. She was always so energetic, and this doll in his arms was nothing like that. She wasn't Watanuki when she wasn't yelling at him or grumbling about Yuko or risking her life for her friends like she usually was. She wasn't Watanuki, even though she was right in front of Doumeki and that was breaking his heart. He couldn't fight her like this anymore.

Something of what he said perked the doll's interest (probably the part about not having to cook if the archer had to take a guess) and she stopped fighting him, her head tipping to the side with a creak. She paused for a moment and then head butted Doumeki hard, throwing the boy off her. Doumeki crashed into the wall, holding his head as shooting pain and disorientation clouded his vision. He heard his bow clattering to the ground next to him and opened his eyes to see doll-Watanuki's arm lowering from throwing it at him. She lifted up her hand and flipped him off in true Watanuki style and ran towards the doll-demon. The demon meanwhile, was still focusing on Inuyasha and wasn't paying attention to the doll leaping up to her level. That was her second mistake. When the fact that she was going to get kneed in the back by her newest acquisition distracted her, she left Inuyasha and Kagome alone to incapacitate the last of the display dolls. That was her third mistake. Watanuki's attack was blocked by the demon holding out her mirror and was then thrown into the wall, strings pinning her body. The demon advanced on her, holding up her hand and taking away the struggling doll's ability to move. Watanuki fell limp; the demon's back turned away from enemies.

That was her last mistake.

"Doumeki! Now!" Kagome shouted. Both archers notched another arrow, Kagome's glowing with a bright, purple light and Doumeki's materializing with a golden gleam. They aimed for the demon's mirror and let the arrows fly. They zoomed upwards, purifying the air before slamming into the mirror. The demon screamed, the cracks webbing her face deepening and flaking away all at once. She held up her destroyed hands and growled, clenching her fists and snapping about around to her dolls. She grabbed Watanuki by the neck from where she was strung up and held up the girl's clacking body.

"If I can't have her then no one will!" She howled, throwing the girl down to the floor with all her might.

"No!" Doumeki shouted, dropping his bow and running as fast as he could, panic seizing his heart. He wasn't going to make it before she shattered on the ground. Suddenly, the demon-woman screamed again, Inuyasha having leapt up and slashed her in half with his Tessaiga, a satisfied growl pushing past his fangs his other hand reaching for Watanuki. He had missed. The demon's scream shook the entire mansion and knocked over another one of the life sized dolls, the person tipping over from the bottom platform and becoming a landing pad for Watanuki. Their bodies clashed harshly and Watanuki bounced off the other doll and into Doumeki's arms as he slid under her, the archer's foot shooting out to support the other doll at the same time so it didn't shatter. The heavy clay body of Watanuki knocked the air out of the boy's chest again but he held onto her all the same, cradling her into his torso.

"Got her?!" Kagome shouted. Doumeki tipped his head back and smiled just a little bit. Kagome's face lit up, her heartbeat calming just a little now that her friend wasn't in danger of getting shattered.

"Got her?" She asked Inuyasha next.

"Hell, yeah!" The half demon landed on the floor gracefully and put away his sword with a satisfied smirk, the huge fang condensing into the sheath magically.

The doll-demon screamed in pain one more time as she was torn apart. Mokona's eyes shot open and it smiled. Its huge mouth opened, a tornado forming a vortex as it sucked in the demon, her existence pulled into the creature's gut, her mirror falling to the floor. The glass finally shattered as Mokona shut its mouth and burped its thanks for the meal, leaving the frame of the mirror jagged and broken. The aura vanished as the demon disappeared into Mokona's vortex, the three remaining jewel shards pinging to the floor. Shippo dashed over and scooped them up before anything else could happen to them.

"Thank you for the meal!" Mokona chirped, burping after his snack. Doumeki rolled his eyes.

Just then, something amazing happened. The dolls that were still left on the platform and the ones scattered around the room came to life – in the good way. The clay coverings around their bodies cracked and shattered, leaving the people underneath free of the doll-demon's spell, their bewitched clothes and hair vanishing to leave their real clothes and looks behind. They looked at themselves in awe, smiling and laughing as the free people hugged each other and celebrated their freedom. Once over the initial shock, the freed prisoners thanked Inuyasha's group before running out of the mansion in a rush. Once gone, Kagome noticed that Doumeki was still sitting on the floor, putting Watanuki's glasses on her face.

Kagome ran over to him and knelt by the archer's side. She gasped when she saw that Watanuki was still unconscious, the jewel shard in her neck still shining black. Kagome instantly put her hands up to the girl's neck, sending her pure aura into the jewel to purify it.

"What's wrong?" Inuyasha asked, walking up to the trio.

"She hasn't woken up yet." Kagome replied, purifying the jewel shard.

"She's not the only one." Shippo hopped up and pointed to a few of the doll-people who were still lying around like they were asleep. As they looked, one or two of them woke up slowly and ran out of the mansion screaming when they realized where they were.

"What's wrong with her?" Kagome asked, her brow furrowed as she tried her best to get the jewel shard out of the seer's neck. She figured that once the evil influence of the jewel was gone, the girl would wake up.

"She's probably stuck back there." A voice said behind the group. They all turned to see a middle-aged woman standing in the doorway. "I came to thank you for your assistance in freeing us." She bowed to the group and then had to bow again as Miroku, Sango and Kirara ran in.

"What do you mean by she's suck?" Doumeki asked, holding Watanuki even closer. She was warm again, human, but she was limp in his arms and that worried him even more than being turned into a doll. While she was a doll, he was almost certain that the spell could be broken, but now that she was human again…he wasn't so sure that she was under a spell anymore. This could be permanent.

"I was a doll as well." The lady said, walking into the room and sitting down next to the group. "As a doll, we don't inhabit our bodies. The demon sent us to another place, a kind of dream realm where our minds are kept. That way, she didn't have to worry about us waking up. You're friend is probably still back there." Doumeki turned away from the woman and looked down at Watanuki. It did look like she was sleeping; only that she wasn't waking up. Kagome's purifying power finally

"Give her a little time. I'm sure she'll wake up." The woman stood, thanked them again and then walked out, leaving the group with a broken mirror and an unconscious girl. The next person to walk in was Yuko, carrying Watanuki's bag and still puffing her pipe.

"I see you got her back." The witch noted. "And you have the jewel shards." She nodded to Shippo who was still holding three of the shards.

"All but one." Kagome informed. But just as she was speaking, the jewel shard was completely purified and popped out of Watanuki's neck and into her hands.

"Your wish has been granted." Yuko smiled, satisfied with a job well done. She walked over to the shattered mirror and picked it up, putting it into Watanuki's bag after studying it for a minute. "Our work here is done."

"But Watanuki won't wake up." The priestess argued.

"Watanuki's stubborn, she won't let something like possession stop her. She's dealt with situations like this many times and will have to do it again. Just give her time." Yuko nodded towards the door and Doumeki was the first to move, picking up his girlfriend in his arms, trusting Yuko. He walked over to Inuyasha and surprised him by dumping the girl into his arms.

"Hey! What are you-" The half demon hissed as he held onto the seer. Doumeki turned around and knelt down.

"Put her on my back." He stated, his stone face and voice back. The half demon sniffed in irritation but maneuvered the unconscious girl into a piggy back position. Her arms were draped around the archer's neck and his arms wrapped around her thighs as he shifted her and then stood up.

"Let's go then." Yuko said, leading everyone out of the crumbling mansion and into the forest.

Watanuki was really getting tired of the dreamscape. She didn't have any clue what had happened outside her mind except for that one moment when Doumeki screamed her name really, really loudly and she felt a tug on her body. She only knew now that the oppressive force holding her captive was gone and the hedge maze had disintegrated along with everything else, including the people trapped with her. Sure, there were a few people that hung around for a little while (however long that was) and they just floated around in the space with Watanuki, until they too faded into the white clouds and left her alone. She was drifting alone now, listening to the silence and moving through the clouds of the dreamscape. She was bored. The mirrors were gone so she couldn't even watch her past anymore (even if most of her memories were horrible) and there was nobody to talk to or even just watch. Just a puffy, white horizon that she floated through, bored out of her mind.

"When will this end? I don't want to be here anymore." Watanuki whispered. "Is that doll-woman doing this? Is she taking everyone away so I'm lonely again? Or have the others finally found me? Is Doumeki with them? Would Inuyasha even come to rescue me? Are they going to rescue me at all?" She asked these questions to the emptiness and then shook her head harshly. "Of course they're going to find me! Kagome's a good friend to me now and Yuko wouldn't leave her slave behind. And Doumeki…well, I'd kill that man if he every left me behind!" Watanuki declared. "I'm getting out of here! Just you wait!" She shouted at no one in particular, raising angry fists in the air. Her sudden movements had the girl twisting around and spiraling into the clouds. She kept floating and kept floating as time passed. How much time? She didn't give a fuck. She just wanted it to end.

"Arrrg!" Watanuki kicked out at anything to relieve her boredom, disrupting the clouds with unsatisfied attacks.

Suddenly, a breezed picked up in her dream, swirling the clouds around her. Watanuki listened to the breeze, thankful for something different than the silence. The breeze brushed by her again, bringing with it a voice. An annoying voice, but a familiar one nonetheless. Watanuki listened carefully, the deep tone shifting from a sigh into actual words.

Watanuki…Watanuki…Watanuki…Kimihiro…Kimi….Watanuki…Watanuki…Wake up…Oi…Watanuki…Nuki…Oi…Watanuki…

Watanuki listened to her name being said over and over again and she closed her eyes, feeling a tug on her consciousness and just let it happened to her, the slight breeze becoming a steady roar until it cut off.

"Watanuki. Oi, Watanuki."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to 'oi' me?" She breathed, nuzzling into the warm shoulder that her face rested on. She then realized that she wasn't walking, but that her legs were dangling near someone's knees and that someone was annoying her. She swung her leg out straight and then brought it back in quickly, digging her heel into Doumeki's knees and shin.

"Ow."

"She's awake!" A chipper voice announced.

"Are you sure, Shippo?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah! She kicked Doumeki!"

"She's awake." Inuyasha huffed. Watanuki fully opened her eyes and found herself being carried piggy back by Doumeki through a forest. The rest of her friends were there too, Kagome, Inuyasha, Shippo, Kirara, Sango Miroku, Yuko, Mokona…and that made her happy. They were safe too. But…she was being carried like a child by her boyfriend and while being carried by her boyfriend was great…Watanuki hated being carried like a child.

"Put me down, you bastard!" Watanuki snapped, struggling to get off of the archer's back. She pushed and flailed, trying to steal her legs back when Doumeki tripped, sending them both crashing to the ground. "Ow!"

"Nice going." Doumeki scoffed after he'd landed on Watanuki. She growled at him and pushed him off her. Everyone else just laughed at the pair and kept walking. Doumeki stood up and brushed off his uniform, holding out his hand to his girlfriend. She looked up from rubbing her ass and smacked it away, shakily standing to her feet. "Next time, just let me carry you."

"I'm not a baby! I can walk by myself." Watanuki took one step and almost collapsed again. Doumeki was there to catch her arms, sighing at her foolishness.

"Hands off! I can do it myself." She grumbled.

"Just let me help you." Doumeki insisted, his voice low. Watanuki looked up him and even though his face was the same as ever, his eyes held and odd eagerness to help her. "You've been kidnapped by a demon, transformed into a doll for two days and asleep for three hours after fighting with me in doll form. Just cool your jets and let me carry you. You're legs are shaking." He pointed out nodding towards Watanuki's feet. She looked down and glared at her trembling legs.

"Fine! But I'm still walking! Two days of being a doll sucked and I want to walk!" She stated forcefully. Doumeki rolled his eyes at her, but stepped in close to her, winding one arm around her waist and the other under her armpit, his hand resting on her shoulder.

"I'm glad to see that you're just as grumpy as ever!~" Yuko cooed, smiling brightly.

"I'm glad to see that you're as irritating as ever." Watanuki grumbled, taking a wobbly step down the mountain path. She was leaning heavily on Doumeki despite her insistence to walk on her own and thankfully, the archer didn't say a word and just kept walking with her.

"Ooo! Scary!~" The witch giggled. "You've had quiet the day, Watanuki. We wouldn't judge you if you let Doumeki carry you."

"Not a chance!"

"He's already doing most of the work now." Inuyasha commented, folding his arms and nodding towards the couple.

"S-shut up!" Watanuki shuttered, nearly tripping over her feet again.

"He's got a point." Miroku agreed.

"You shut up too!"

"Watanuki, be nice. They were kind enough to help save you from the demon." Yuko chastised lightly. She knew just how to twist Watanuki's foul mood into a sympathetic guilt. And it worked. Watanuki's head dropped and she mumbled her thanks. Even though it was quiet, Inuyasha's dog ear twitched and caught the whispered words.

"She said thanks." He informed the others.

"That's good enough for me!" Kagome smiled.

"Me too!" Shippo agreed. Sango and Miroku just smiled, knowing that Watanuki was acting just like Inuyasha, stubborn to a fault, but still grateful for the help. If they pushed her too far, she'd just snap right back into her irritated mood, so they didn't say anything. However, Kirara had the opposite in mind as she mewed happily, trotting back to Watanuki and rubbing herself on the girl's leg in thanks for her thanks.

"The demon?" Watanuki asked, wondering what the hell had happened while she was out. She and Doumeki hobbled back into the group as Yuko talked.

"She was a cracked mirror, thrown away and unwanted." Yuko started explaining. "But, she lived on and became a tsukumogami – an object that's given a soul after living for one hundred years. Her resentment for being abandoned and her hatred towards humans was enhanced when the Sacred Jewel shards came into her possession." Yuko deduced, puffing her damn pipe. Watanuki stumbled as they walked down the mountain, her legs still numb from her transformation. Doumeki's arm was around her waist, the other one wrapped around her shoulder. Her feet felt like lead, her head was stuffed with cotton and she still couldn't move her fingers. Great.

"Well, that's sad but kidnapping people is still wrong." Kagome commented.

"And turning them into dolls is worse." Watanuki complained.

"I wish you'd stayed a doll. A lot quieter that way." Inuyasha huffed, folding his arms. Watanuki growled at him, kicked out at his shin and connecting hard. "Ow!" He grabbed his aching leg and Kagome took this moment to add insult to injury.

"Inuyasha: sit" The half demon hit the ground hard, thrown off his balance by Watanuki and he groaned in pain. "Be nice." The priestess chastised.

"Did you have to do that?" He whimpered, picking himself up from the crater he'd bashed into the ground. Kagome just sighed and shook her head. Nobody really felt any pity for him.

"If not for Watanuki, we would've walked right passed those jewel shards." Sango commented.

"We probably would've found them eventually." Inuyasha grumbled, wiping off his kimono.

"Yeah, but this way we found them faster." Miruko argued.

"Yuko granted our wish, that's all that matters." Kagome said cheerfully. "And we got to meet Doumeki and Watanuki!"

"Don't forget Mokona!~" The fur ball piped.

"And of course, Mokona too." The priestess amended.

"You're gonna wish you hadn't met Mokona. The little demon's more trouble than it's worth." Watanuki grumbled.

"Hey!" Mokona jumped off of Yuko's shoulder and glommed onto Watanuki's face. The girl shook her head, trying to get the fur ball off of her so she could breath. "Whoa!~ Whoa!~ Whoooaaa!~" Mokona giggled until it let go and hopped onto Doumeki's head. The group laughed again as Watanuki threatened to baste Mokona for dinner and continued walking down the mountain.

By the time they reached the village at the base of the mountain, Watanuki could walk on her own and only held Doumeki's hand out of closeness and the impeding feeling that she was going to trip. The group walked into the village and into a celebration as the loved ones of the village rejoined their families and the ones taken from other places stayed the night before they left to go back to their homes. The villagers were very accommodating to Watanuki and her friends for saving the missing people, and they spent the night partying, Sango glued to Miroku's side so he didn't propose to any of the beautiful women present, Inuyasha and Kagome resting and eating, Mokona and Shippo playing among the crowd of celebrating villagers, Yuko puffing her pipe on a porch and Doumeki eating to his heart's content. Watanuki on the other hand, was forced to cook food for a few hours so Yuko would shut up and then fell asleep in someone's house on their futon, completely worn out from her adventures. Doumeki joined her later, lying down next to the sleeping seer and taking her glasses off her face so she didn't smush them. He wove his hand into hers and brushed a few stray hairs off her face. She was warm, she was alive and she was grumbling about Yuko in her sleep. She was Watanuki again.

"Welcome back." Doumeki whispered, kissing her lips softly so he didn't wake her up. He spent a little time in silence before Shippo and Kagome wandered in, borrowing a futon to sleep on and burrowing into the blanket. Inuyasha was next, plopping down against the wall with his sword and going to sleep. The owners of the house stumbled in next, completely drunk and passed out next to their guests, not even raising a protest to people sleeping in their home. Sango and Kirara came in next, dragging Miroku in by his collar at an ungodly hour of the morning and Doumeki had to shush them so they didn't wake everyone else up. Last to come in was Yuko, Mokona on her shoulder once again as she sat on the porch and watched the last of the villagers and her charges drift off to sleep.

In the morning, Watanuki was up before everyone else and dug around her bag for stuff to make tea. The rest of the group was woken by the smell of green tea and a warm fire. They spent the morning nursing hangovers and after party aches, apologizing to the villager's whose house they had crashed in and then rested until the sun was high in the sky, laughing and just enjoying the peace of the day. When mid-morning approached, Yuko stood up and stretched while putting her pipe away and hummed happily.

"Looks like our stop will be here soon." Yuko smiled, throwing Watanuki her bag so the girl could carry it now.

"Are you sure?" The seer asked, catching and shouldering the backpack. "We kind of got here by accident because you did something with your magic circle, so how can you be sure we're going back now?"

"I just know." Was the reply.

"I hate you." She stated. Doumeki grabbed his bow and walked out the door, complete trusting Yuko. He grabbed Watanuki by the collar and yanked her outside and onto the road.

"You're leaving now?" Kagome asked, following her four new friends.

"I guess so." Watanuki hissed, letting Doumeki drag her.

"Thank goodness." Inuyasha huffed, jumping out onto the road with Sango and Miroku following behind. Shippo chased the little Kirara out with the group, laughing and playing with the demon kitten.

"I hope you choke!" Watanuki snapped back at the grumpy half demon.

"Hope you have a safe journey." Miroku said.

"Yes, don't get into anymore trouble." Sango added.

"With Watanuki around, there's always trouble!~" Yuko sang.

"Shut up you!" Watanuki yelled at her boss.

"We hope you have safe journeys as well." Doumeki said.

"Yeah, I hope you find the rest of your jewel thing." Watanuki wished.

"Thanks!" Kagome smiled. "I'll miss you Watanuki!"

"Me too. Maybe we'll meet again." Watanuki smiled back.

"Only if fate deems it inevitable." Yuko threw over her shoulder.

"Can't I hope?" Watanuki said pointedly.

"Sure."

"Well, then why did you say tha-" Just as Watanuki was about finish her sentence, she was cut off, a bright light split the ground and the four interlopers fell through another crack in the universe with Watanuki screaming and then closed up again, leaving Inuyasha's group stunned.

"Somehow, I think the universe always has the last word with Watanuki." Miroku commented. They all burst into laughter and kept walking along the road on their journey, the day just getting started.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. :3

Note: Hinamatsuri is the holiday celebrated on March 3rd (Doumeki's birthday), also known as Girl's Day or Doll's Day, and is where the Japanese set up doll displays and pray and celebrate the good health of girls. A full display is set up like stairs with the Emperor and Empress on the top platform, then the three women court ladies/sake bearers (Watanuki's position) next, five male musicians next down, two ministers next and then three helpers/protectors/samurai on the bottom. Other lower platforms can display carriages, equipment and furniture.