An hour had passed since the group of six had made themselves a group of seven. Again they all sat in front of that roaring fire, watching the flames performing their eternal, loyal dance. Kagome, Sango, and the rest of the comrades had convinced Jade that she would rest now, and search tomorrow. It had taken some time to persuade her from traveling alone, weak, and fatigued. She seemed quite independent, not seeing any use in the assistance of others, though she gave in when she had been told that the Miko , Kagome, possessed food. They watched as Jade gorged herself on the packaged food given to her. They gazed as she gulped a full bottle of water within seconds, holding her breath as she consumed the contents of the bottle in one swig. Finally, after Jade had temporarily fulfilled her hunger, she looked up from her now waterless water bottle and empty bags of fried snacks to see six faces watching her, she knew they had questions. "Is there anything you would like to know?" Kagome laughed slightly at Jade's remark, embarrassed at their obvious expressions.

"Uh...well...if you don't mind-" Kagome was cut off by Jade, her voice stern and cold. "I do mind, I will answer what I see fit to. Simply ask your questions and I will judge on whether it surfaces an answer." Kagome's grin disappeared from her face, surprised at Jade's reply. Miroku took it upon himself to speak, not wanting to create negative energy about the group.

"Ah...well, I have a question, Jade. Your appearance gives me a certain recollection to a legend I heard when I was a young boy...perhaps you've heard of it...I believe the myth was given the name, Cursed Sung Beauty." Jade closed her eyes, not wanting to reveal herself totally to these companions just yet, but she was in debt to them, they had rescued her.

"Yes, I have heard of legend, many times. And I am in fact the true subject of the myth." Miroku's expression went to confusion at Jade's remark. Inuyasha cut in, allowing his puzzled thoughts to be spoken.

"What the hell are you talking about!? What myth?!" Jade closed her eyes in shame, taking a moment to collect herself before speaking.

"A legend travels this country. A story of a young woman with honey hair and emerald eyes, tan skin and a curvaceous body. A woman who possesses the strength of fifty men and an enchanted sword and odd instrument. It is predicted that this girl is skilled in combat and has a fierce talent hidden in her voice. It is also said that this girl is able to kill all who cross her, and obtains only two weaknesses. The first, when asleep she is unable to awaken, leaving her totally vulnerable to danger, and the second, being the worst of the two faults, if she is at all injured, if the smallest drop of blood is drawn, or a slight bruise in left upon her flesh, she will be unable to battle for a full day and night, and can only depend on her bewitching voice as her ultimate weapon."

Inuyasha scoffed at Jade's words, "You expect me to believe that?! You must be some fool to think I'd by a shit load like that!" The remainder of the group just shook their head in annoyance as Inuyasha once again voiced his closed mindedness, while Jade just looked on.

"My cares do not lye in your beliefs." Kagome spoke immediately after Jade, wanting to know more. "So you really are the girl in that story?! But how..." Jade sighed, knowing now that she had said too much, she would have to reveal her true identity to these odd band of comrades.

"I have inhabited Japan for fifty years, before then I lived in a large province in a separate country, Texas, the western south of the U.S. I lived there with my uncle, hidden in a large town deep in the country side. From the time I was six, until I was eighteen I was in constant training. I went through hours of intense sessions in building my strength in the physical and mental sense, preparing to avenge the death of my parents. My mother and father had been killed by a sorceress in order to obtain a jeweled pendant which protected my family from any and all curses. One evening the sorceress cleverly disguised herself as my mother, using a spell to cover herself with her physical traits. She entered her and my father's home and awaited the arrival of my father. As soon as he entered his home the sorceress had slain him with his own sword, and retrieved the pendant from him. Just as she had her prize in her grasp my mother arrived home and killed the sorceress, sending her to a slow, painful death, but not before she had thrown the pendant into a secretive void, vowing if she could not possess the jewel, no one would. My mother believed herself safe, as she watched the sorceress bleed what was left of her life, until the she realized that my mother was with child, a baby girl. Her last and final task had been to conduct a curse upon this child and mother."

Jade paused momentarily before continuing; this was obviously a painful subject to speak on. "The curse consisted of the upcoming death to the mother predicting that she would die in giving birth, while the child would grow at the rate of a normal human, her body ignoring the slow, patient rate that it should prosper as at the cause of her being half demon because of her full, InuYoukai father. Her body would develop and advance at the fast pace of a mortal, until she was of proper age, until the second stage of the curse evolved. When she is of eighteen, her appearance will heighten, her eyes will become of emerald, her hair will turn as honey and gold, her skin will bronze with milken sheen and her feminine curves and shapes will attract further growth. She shall be the ultimate site in women. She will forever be given the burden of judgment. Men will flock to her for only her beauty and she shall be seen as a mutant graceful bitch, and if ever battered, abused, or blemished, she shall be left helpless for a full rise and fall of the moon and sun."

As Jade executed the last words of her speech she began to tighten her eyes, squinting in anger. Shippo decided yet another question needed to be asked of their new and unique friend.

"So, this sorceress gave you a curse of beauty? But that doesn't really seem so bad." Jade immediately opened her eyes and set them upon the small, naive fox youkai .

"You would think so, I myself laughed at this explanation when I was just as your age, until the second stage of the curse came upon me. I began to notice that men perceived me as an object, not as an individual. Husbands begged me to join their beds, defying their bonds with their wives, while young men often lept in attempt to advance themselves upon me without my permission or cares in mind. I have had to ward off countless men because they see it so amazingly wonderful to lye with what they believe is a beautiful woman. It is this curse that hides my true identity. Because of this curse I look almost completely human, disregarding my half demon makeup. Because of this curse I aged as a mortal until I was eighteen, and from that year on I look, and will continue to look as a young, human woman. It is because of this curse that Naraku found me so useful to him and his lust."

Sango smiled warmly, preparing to speak just as Jade had finished answering Shippo's own question. "I would like to know more of your family; you say your father was a demon, so your mother must have been human." Jade took in a low, deep breath before once again replying to this band of friends.

"Yes, he was in fact a canine demon. His name was Raphael Santko , and was seen as a respected and honorable man in the eyes of all who knew him, but only because it was not known to anyone, other than what was left of his family and wife, that he was demon. He had traveled to Japan to become a fierce and strong warrior, so that he might serve his own country when war occurred. He trained hard and well to become a hardened, impetuous champion in the world of combat and was looked upon as a hero when he served in the war that brought America to it's victorious feet. After all pain and slaughter had subsided, he and his brother, whom was all he had left of family, settled in the southern west of their new country, which is now known as Texas. My father taught his brother all he knew in the aspects of the sword and fighting style which he had learned while in Japan, not wanting this superb and unique form of combat to only live in this far away country. And so my father and his brother, my uncle, Armand, lived on in peace and secrecy, knowing well if any knew of their true breed they would be hated and shunned. They went on with their lives as normal, tranquil humans, until my father met a muscicianess . Her name was Moira, she was a young, mortal woman with a beautiful, loving singing voice and quick, genius talents in the art of playing the violin. They soon married after revealing themselves to each other. My father spoke of his true heritage and my mother told him of her witch bearing talents in her voice and her purifying violin and bow which had been strung with the mane from a unicorn. For ten, short years they lived as husband and wife, planning to have a child and raise a gifted, powerful family. But a dark stain soon soaked upon their bright plans. The sorceress I spoke of previously, had been a horrible enemy of my father's family, she had gone mad with greed of her want for the sacred heirloom, the jeweled pendant which my father then possessed. This sorceress had slain the majority of my father's family while in attempt to capture the pendant, leaving only my father and uncle left to bare the burden of protecting it.”

"My father and uncle believed the sorceress to be dead since she had not surfaced herself to them for years, but she was only in hibernation, making herself stronger, more gifted in her evil talents. My father, mother and uncle lived on with no knowledge of her concocting plans of theft and murder, until it was too late. In 1937, my mother had died giving birth to me, just as the curse predicted, leaving my uncle as my one and only guardian. He raised me as his own daughter, and explained my fate, and the fate of my parents. I was to avenge their deaths and retrieve the sacred pendant. You see I was often visited by my mother and father, in my dreams. They explained that in Japan, in the Feudal Era, there would live an evil, corrupted man named Naraku. They revealed that he would be in possession of an enchanted stone, and that this stone would grant me the wish of retrieving my family's pendant. I was to destroy this man before he would gain grasp of the jewel, and await a young woman who carried it inside of her. After these dreams occurred these inscriptions appeared on my mother's, soon to be my, violin...messages from my mother and father, sending me their love and support from wherever it is that they now linger. Shortly after I turned eighteen my uncle claimed that I was ready to begin my quest, saying that I had learnt all he knew, giving me my father's sword and mother's instrument. We traveled to a remote, abandoned field where he used a spell to rip open a portal in time, sending me into this era. Unfortunately, setbacks occurred, years went by and soon four decades had passed and I still had no leads on Naraku, until finally he sought me out and captured me, ten years later acquiring the jewel from the young woman I so needed to contact, but never did."

The group listened intently as Jade finished her answer, hoping that no other questions would emerge from these odd individuals. Kagome gasped with glee before stating her mind to Jade.

"That young woman was me! I'm the one you were supposed to meet, I carried the sacred jewel in my body before Naraku stole it." Jade looked up to meet the joyous gaze of the girl, replying to her with a slight grin. "Small world I suppose."

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