I do not own Inuyasha & Co.
The Spook and the Shard
A crisp October afternoon in Japan found a half demon, a fox kit and a young girl traveling down a dirt road between villages on their search for shards of the Shikon Jewel. This search had lead to many experiences with various beings they found possessing the shards, which helped the beasts to wreak havoc on innocent humans as well as other demons and spirit beings. However, this story is different from all the rest.
The being in question was once human, and made quite a mark on the humans residing in the area it chose to reside. Near the Prefecture of Edo, a rich couple met tragedy that left the one remaining spouse crazed. This is the demon slayer's story explaining their experience with such a haunt that chilled their spines.
"Inuyasha, is where we're headed near a hot spring?" Kagome swiped the sweat from her brow as her legs pumped the bike fast enough to keep up with Inuyasha.
"I have no idea, and I don't really care." His callous attitude had been showing all day so far, and Kagome was starting to really push it with his patience because of her questioning.
"Kagome, it's worthless to ask him. Let's just see when we get there. It probably won't take long anyways since he seems to get faster each time we ask him something."
"I guess you're right, Shippo. I just thought I'd ask since I'm not sure as to where we're going. Some rumors mislead us before in the past, so of course I'd be curious."
"Yeah, I know. Just don't ask him any more questions or you'll end up falling off your bike from exhaustion and then we'd have to deal with his complaining about having to carry us." Ever since the day Kagome met Shippo, she's felt respect for his intelligence for such a cute little kit.
"You certainly have a point there, Shippo."
"Will you two stop talking about my bad day? Geeze!" Inuyasha shot a glare over his right shoulder at the two behind him for a second and then directed his attention to the road ahead once again.
"Okay, so we're heading out on a rumor over a family and a shard over a Shikon Jewel shard. I definitely feel for them since the jewel only brings misfortune and despair." Kagome reiterated to focus her mind on the matter ahead.
Being demon slayers for the jewel shards has been messy and hard work, and she felt it was her duty after all to collect them since her arrow destroyed the Shikon Jewel.
Later that day, the three demons slayers arrived at the outskirts of the village in question. As soon as the sun went down, a woman's shrill cry of despair hit the ears of anyone within one hundred feet. The three demon slayers stopped, and listened intently. Inuyasha folded his furry ears against his head and his eyes shut tightly out of pain form the high pitch.
Kagome covered her ears along with the kit. "Sounds like a ban'shee."
"A what?" Inuyasha exclaimed, struggling to hear Kagome over the screeching.
"A Ban'shee! As in a spirit in folklore who warns of death! A spirit of an omen!" Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders and raised his arms in question. Kagome just waved the explanation off and looked around to see the homes and cabins dark and motionless.
Kagome set down the kickstand on her bike, set Shippo in the basket and proceeded towards the nearest hut. She knocked on the wood beside the cloth door and asked, "Is anyone home?" Receiving no response, she slipped her head in to see a man shivering in the fetal position on the floor in the middle of his hut.
The hut was a simplistic hut lit by the small fire he had been stoking before the wailing began. Kagome knelt beside him and put her hand on his arched back. "Sir, can you tell me what's going on here?"
The cowering man turned his head to look on her with frightened eyes. "It's her…The woman who lost so much."
"The woman who lost so much?"
"Yes! She calls out in despair to haunt the man who hurt her soul! She warned him about the shard, but he refused to listen to her plight, and here she is, haunting us all…"
Inuyasha and Shippo peeked their heads in soon after the cries died down. The man sat up straight beside the fire and invited them in as guests. Being the unusual visitors they were, the villager figured they'd ventured out due to hearing the rumors that spread about the recent happenings in the small village that drove the traders from nearby Edo away.
"Tell me, what started all this?" The man eyed Inuyasha for a moment as the dance of the fire's light caused his eyes to reflect the light like a dog's would.
"It all started when the head of our village, Sato Hitsugaya found a shard in the nearby forest separating us from Edo. As soon as he retrieved the shard and placed it on a small shelf-altar in his hut, we all noticed a change in him. His greed grew, and he commanded all of us to work our tired bodies hard in order to extend his hut and property into the size of a mansion.
"Whenever we asked him why he was doing this, he said it was to house tourists who would come to see the shard and pay to see it as they stay I his tavern-hotel. None of us approved since Edo's agreement with our village's over it's location states we can not attract attention from Edo in the means of gaining funds from tourists.
"His wife fought him the entire time, and he just beat her over the situation and her decision not to support his idea. One night, she threatened him with the consequences one last time, and he pulled out his sword and slit her throat." The man stopped a moment to allow tears to fall and sniff over her tragic demise.
"We all mourned her death; she was a tender woman, Yoko. He did not deserve such a kind woman."
"She cared for the villagers and their situation, didn't she? She was very close to you all." Kagome began to feel the sorrow he felt over such a tragic end.
Inuyasha silently stood and walked out into the night to look further into the village. There stood the mansion the headman hoodwinked the villagers into building for folks such as them. He peaked his head in through the cloth door and said, "Kagome, Shippo, let's go down there and see what we can do."
Kagome stood and bowed. "Thank you sir for your hospitality. We will do what we can to stop this injustice." The two joined Inuyasha outside and they proceeded to continue towards the mansion that lit the village like a collaboration of lampposts.
Kagome noticed something strange the further they went into the village circumference. A cold chill seemed to fill the area, causing Goosebumps to form on Kagome's arms, and Shippo to shiver uncontrollably with fear. Unfazed, Inuyasha continued to lead them further in.
Kagome began to see streaks of smokey white sail by out of her peripheral vision, which caused her to stop a few times to look closely. "Someone's following us, Inuyasha."
"Yeah, it's her. She's curious about our presence here." Inuyasha reached the step up to the porch of the mansion and waved the other two on. Kagome left her shoes on the dirt beside the stone step and followed Shippo onto the wood.
"What a pleasant surprise! Visitors! I have lodging awaiting you, and let me know if you require food, for I can call upon my servants to provide a feast if you so desire." Inuyasha turned and looked to the man who spoke the greeting.
"So, you're the headman of the village."
"Yes, sir I am." The man was short and covered in high quality silk. His skin was well tendered and his hair was skillfully set into a topknot atop his head.
"Well then, maybe you could help us. We hear you have a jewel shard in your possession."
"Ah, I see you're a man who gets straight to the point. It's right in here," he replied as he directed them to a nearby room as large as a dojo that contained a shrine in the middle dedicated to the jewel itself.
"Sir, do you realize what you have here?" Inuyasha pointed at the shard of malevolent energy glowing purple.
"Yes, I do. It's a shard of the Shikon Jewel, which I found just outside this village in the forest. I tell you this, it will bring me great fortune!" the man exclaimed wildly.
"That is a death warrant you've signed by even housing such a thing. Do you realize how many demons are after this shard? You bring doom upon your village, not great fortune!" Inuyasha fumed.
"Wait, Inuyasha…Don't be so brash. Sir, what he means is that very soon here, demons will sense the energy the shard is emitting and they will attack the village, destroy everything the villagers worked so hard to build, and they will die in the process. Sir, we've seen this before. There is no fortune to be gained from having such an object in one's possession, especially a human who cannot properly protect it."
"What do you know, girl. This village is a poor village and they need a way to survive. This is truly the only way they will have the comforts they deserve!"
Inuyasha snorted, leaned forward and snatched the shard from the shrine. The man hit and kicked Inuyasha as he then handed the shard to Kagome who purified it instantly. "I apologize for his rudeness sir, but this is no place for a Shikon Jewel shard."
The man began to cry out in anger and made to lash out at Kagome only to end up thrown across the room by Inuyasha. "You lay a hand on Kagome, and we will have more than words, you understand me?"
The headmaster shuddered and agreed through his cowardice. However, with the sounds building outside the room, they could tell the mansion was surrounded. "Shit, I was hoping we could avoid this." Inuyasha drew Tetsussaiga and ran out the door into the night.
"What's going on?" the headmaster asked.
"We're surrounded by demons, sir. Inuyasha and I can't guarantee that your mansion will be unscathed. However, we will do what we can to protect you all." Kagome drew her bow and joined Inuyasha in the night.
As they fought off the demons, the mansion was destroyed bit by bit as the demons tried to confiscate the shard. The demons fought Inuyasha, but a few cornered Kagome, and forced her away from her guardian and into the dojo. She managed to vanquish one of the demons when the other knocked the bow from her grip and slapped her against the wall to her right.
Out of her control, the Jewel shard fell onto the floor between them when Shippo leapt in and snatched it. The demon roared and followed the kit out the side door and into the forest. Kagome shouted his name as Inuyasha slashed his last demon.
"What's happened?" Inuyasha darted in panting.
"Shippo, he took off with the shard into the forest to stop a large demon from attacking me."
"I'm on it!" Inuyasha leapt out in the direction Kagome pointed.
The headmaster finally stood slowly and took in the destruction caused by his stupidity and negligence. "So, you see? What calamity the jewel brings? It's not something that grants wishes as the rumors say. It's only destroys lives."
"Yes, I do see. However, nothing will help this village grow, or me from facing my sins." Just then, the presence Kagome felt on her way to the mansion arrived again, and she saw the image of the woman who shrieked her anguish before the battle began.
"Your sins are great, there's no question about that, headmaster. However, not only will you have to live with yourself after what you've done, but you will have to answer to her."
He turned to see his dead wife suspended before him, dressed in shrouds left over from the valuable kimono he'd given to her as her wedding gift. Blood stained her neckline, and her long wraithlike fingers and nails tore at the edges of the sleeves. Tears fell from the headmaster's eyes as she approached him with a face of utter despair and anger. A moment later, she encased him in the folds of her transparent sleeves, and he screamed as he began to fade away with her.
Kagome fell to the floor in shock and shook over the sight she'd just witnessed. Such pain welled up in her heart over the stare his wife shot him, and began to feel for his plight in claiming he had the greatest intentions. "Although, good things never come from greed."
Once Inuyasha and Shippo returned, Kagome said a prayer over the shard, and set it with the rest they'd gathered recently. Once they'd retrieved their belongings, they headed out to set up camp and sleep in the forest just outside the village.
"Man, I was looking forward to having a good meal and a nice warm room to sleep in," Shippo pouted.
"Get over it. We're safe now. That's more important. Now get to sleep, Shippo."
This fic was originally posted on Eternal Destiny for a Halloween contest. It's been a while since I've posted anything lately, but it was fun to apply my new skills I've learned to this Oneshot. Feel free to review, and I will work this month on updating the next two chapters of Avoidance. 'Til then, Ja ne!