10

Chapter Ten

Currency

After gaining powers beyond their wildest dreams, Inuyasha and the gang quickly returned to the Inn, where Anju and Kafei waited. Warm baths were set up for each member, and warm beds made ready for a good night's sleep. Yet, as they slept, they could not stop themselves from thinking of what this new adventure had in store for them.

The early morning sun greeted the town's people. After yesterday's horrid weather, today was starting out nicely. The birds were chirping their own little song, and the kids were running around with joyous laughter.

"Can they take any longer?" complained a loud mouthed half breed. Both he and Miroku had been standing near the clock tower plaza for over an hour, waiting for the females to hurry with their shopping, but the wait was proving to be troublesome. Inuyasha didn't know how much longer he could stand it.

Sighing, Miroku watched the peasants as they went about their normal day, not at all worried or aware of the danger that threatened them. Each person was full of mirth, merry smiles upon their glowing faces. Miroku turned his attention back to his friend. "While we're waiting, we might as well explore."

Taking one last glace around, Inuyasha followed behind the monk with annoyance. "They better not take all day!" he grumbled. Throughout the morning, he received strange looks from some of the passers, which only further aggravated him. At one point during their walk, a tall man with a rather large mustache and gelled back brown hair had rudely walked right into him. Neither one would apologize, and they began a childish argument.

After a few twists and turns around the town, they turned up a set of stairs, coming upon the same part of town as the Stock Pot Inn. Near the Inn were a few shops which caught their interest.

"I wonder what that place is?" Miroku questioned as he pointed toward the shop in front of the Inn. Coming upon the store, he read the sign. "Open the chest for something splendid. The thrill of surprise…" Miroku placed a hand to his chin. "It's a treasure chest shop."

"Gee Miroku, what gave you that idea?" Inuyasha pointed toward the building with sarcasm dripping from his lips. "The shop is a chest!"

Seeing this, Miroku was surprised. "Fascinating! Well, let's not stand by all day. Let's see what's inside."

As he opened the door, the two were greeted by loud music and blinding lights. The floor was made of concrete, decorated with patterns of red and green diamonds. The walls were pitch black, except for large green circles; the lights, which led toward a counter a small distance away from them. To their right was a large empty room with black and white checkered floors, which puzzled the monk.

Upon noticing that the room held another occupant, both Miroku and Inuyasha approached the counter. Their eyes fell on a young woman, seemingly in her early twenties. Her hair was blue, cut to where it was long in the front and short in the back. This young woman wore blue eye shadow, which brought out her green eyes and rouse for her lips. Her face was practically covered with expensive makeup. The dress she adorned was pink with short sleeves, rather tight around her the bust.

"Welcome!" A giggle escaped her. Casually, she leaned over the table to inspect the customers, which revealed to Miroku that her dress was a two-piece. The moment she caught sight of the monk, her heart pounded with much ferocity. "Well hello handsome, wanna play?" she asked as she batted her eyes charmingly.

Not sure how to respond, Miroku gave a hesitant laugh, though he could not help but think her pretty. "Actually, we're just looking. But, what is this shop's purpose?" Miroku's eyes fell on the checkered tiles.

Again the woman giggled. "Oh my! This is the treasure chest shop. In here, you pay to play a game where you must get to the treasure chest in that room," she explained, following the monk's gaze. "But be warned there is a time limit and there is only one true path to the chest."

"I see," Miroku muttered. Noticing her hopeful smile, he leaned his arm on the table, all the while giving her his most attractive smile. "And how much would this game cost my dear?"

Again the woman giggled. "For you and your sexy friend," she began, startling the half demon next to him. "five rupees each!"

"Five rupees?" Inuyasha asked. In his mind, he was wondering what a rupee was. Of course, he was a little thrown off by the woman's forwardness. 'What the hell is a rupee?'

Her expression faltered upon realizing the situation between both men. But, being a woman in her line of work, she had a wonderful idea that could solve both of their dilemmas. "Or, we could forget about money!" She tugged upon the monk's robes, earning a questioning stare from the man, and a blink from his friend. "I've been meaning to get a boyfriend for a while now…" she began as she suddenly had Miroku half way over the counter. "Now then sir, if you'll just…" she slowly began inching her way toward him.

Realizing the situation at hand, Miroku gave a cry. "Inuyasha!" Trying his best to hold off the woman, Miroku glanced over his shoulder, only to witness his friend on the other side of the room with his back turned.

Looking back toward his friend, Inuyasha gave the monk a look that said, 'what?' Hey, it wasn't every day you see your friend panicking from the touch of a woman.

Finally getting his attention, Miroku tried even harder to push the girl away, though it was futile; her grip was too strong. "A little help?" he cried, trying his best to escape the young woman's tight grasp. As her lips were nearing his, Miroku suddenly felt his face redden. He had meant for his first kiss to be with Sango, not another. As he was about to succumb to the inevitable, his head was suddenly yanked back.

A familiar voice started near his ear. "Forget? You mean you'll let us play for free?" the half demon asked distrustfully. "How the hell would you make business? You can't just go around giving your customers free games," he began before staring at Miroku. "Besides," he pointed toward the monk. "You don't want this guy. Trust me. He has fooled around way too many times."

Annoyed by his comment, the monk suddenly moved away from the woman, who let go in sheer surprise, and shoved the half demon's hand away. "And just what do you mean by that, Inuyasha? Are you implying that I, Miroku, a holy man, am a player? What does that make you?"

Somewhat shocked by his sudden outburst, Inuyasha merely crossed his arms. "Excuse me? What're you talking about?"

With fisted hands, Miroku got right up in the half breed's face. "You'd rather lay with a dead woman than someone who's right in front of you!"

A sudden gasp caught the ears of both men, who turned to stare at the shocked woman. "Oh? Then what you're saying is…" she began, scrutinizing the man she was just about to kiss. "Oh my, oh my!" Her entire countenance confused the two men as she turned this way and that with her hands placed upon her flushed cheeks. "I never would have guessed…that you two were gay!"

Inuyasha's eyes widened at the word 'gay,' and he was just about to tell the girl off when she suddenly attacked.

Both Miroku and Inuyasha were stuck between a hard place and a squealing obsessed yaoi fan girl. What were the two of them to do in such a situation?

From outside the Treasure Chest Shop, screams of agonizing terror frightened the town's people who were walking past. Even Anju, who was busy sweeping, had to take a second glance before rushing back inside the inn. The children outside the shop had turned with curious stares before continuing their game of chasing a cuccu.

As the day waned on to around eight in the morning, Higurashi strolled along the northern part of town. Most of the time, she was sightseeing. In order to take less time looking, she and Sango decided to part ways. While on her walk, she had managed to get herself lost a couple times, but with the clock towering overhead, she realized she was never truly lost.

As she walked up a set of stairs, she came upon a door to her left with a sign posted to the wall.

The Curiosity Shop Open at 10pm

For a moment, she wondered what kind of shop it was to open in the dead of night. However, she soon pushed those thoughts away as she continued on up the stairs. Once again, she came upon another door beside the curiosity shop.

The Trading Post

When she stepped inside, she was greeted by a surprising sight. Kagome stood on a little wooden bridge leading across a small body of water. To her left was a scarecrow, and to her right was a giant table with a jar seated in the center.

"Welcome!" A male voice rang out.

Kagome walked along the bridge, watching with wonder as a few fish swam by. A second later, she stood before a middle aged man with brown curly hair, a mustache and a goatee. This man was constantly itching his back, which bothered her slightly. Along the walls were an assortment of items; those of which she had never seen before.

"What will you be purchasing?" He asked, giving her a quick once over before frowning. This man wore a red vest with a blue long sleeved shirt underneath.

Noticing the strange look he sent her, Kagome gave a small laugh. "Um, actually, I'm just looking, thanks," she explained.

A thought came to the man, "You must be from out of town, correct?" he asked, catching her off guard. When he received a nod, he continued on. "Then I'm sure I have some great items that will fancy your interest."

"Actually, I'm only looking…thanks."

Unfazed by her response, he decided to explain what each of the items were. "This here is a red potion! This does the trick when you need quick energy!" He moved on to another jar next to it on the shelf. "This is a green potion! This does replenishes your magic if you're running low!" The man pointed below the top shelf. "This is a fairy I caught this morning! If you're ever in danger, this little guy will save you!"

Listening to the man continue rambling on about his merchandise, Kagome found great interest in the fairy. She was amazed to find that it looked just like Link's partner. "Wait? You sell fairies?" Why would anyone want to sell them? Sure they bring up a lot of money, but fairies have feelings too.

"Why? To bring customers of course! Brings in good quality money!" he replied, causing Kagome to frown. It was those kinds of people that Kagome despised.

"How much is it?" she asked as she searched through her skirt pocket. No one deserved to be bottled up and sold for money.

"Fifty rupees!"

Kagome stopped mid-search and gave the man a bewildered stare. "Rupees?" She realized that their form of currency was much different from that of her time and of the feudal era. Where in the world was she going to find rupees? Speaking of which, what was a rupee?

"Yes," he replied, holding out his hand. "Fifty rupees."

"I don't have that kind of money," she explained awkwardly.

The man's face became red and his frown deepened. "What?" he asked. Steam erupted from his ears as well as his flaring nostrils. A twitch had suddenly developed under his eye. "No money, no fairy!"

With that, Kagome found herself literally thrown out of the shop as the door slammed shut behind her. Sighing, she gave the building a glare before continuing on with her exploration. She realized that she would need to find some rupees if she was going to be able to buy anything. But where would one find rupees?

Donned with a new green tunic with long brown sleeves, compliments of Anju, Link left the Inn. Shippo followed him as he strolled to the northern part of town. The night before had been somewhat eventful with the ominous weather and earthquakes; a sign of the end of Termina, as explained by the Great Fairy. Following the path toward the shrine, he came upon giant crevices in the ground. Normal lofty trees were lying on the ground in a heap, and the post box was stuck in a lean.

"Gee! What a mess!" remarked the fox boy from behind. "Did that earthquake do this?"

"Looks like it," Serena began from her place on Link's hat. "Something foul is at work here, but what?"

Shippo pondered. "I don't like this. Why can't things just be normal for once?"

"Huh? What do you mean normal for once?" the fairy asked with a sudden interest. "Does this type of stuff happen to you and your friends often?"

Shippo nodded. Boy would that be a story to tell. "Yeah, but it's a long story. We've been tracking this evil man for a while now. We almost got the jewel complete, but…"

"Now you're here in another world to vanquish evil," she finished with lament. "Your friends sure are taking a while to get supplies…"

Shippo nodded. "They're probably looking around before we leave. Besides, if this is going to be a long journey, then we'll need all we can get."

"What? Traveling to the northern mountains only takes half a day," she explained which surprised Shippo. "We should be able to get the pendant easily. The Great Fairy never mentioned anything about obstacles. So, I'm thinking the elder must have the pendant."

"Are you serious?" Shippo could not believe it. He had been on many adventures with his friends, and it always took weeks on end just to get somewhere. Here this little fairy was saying it'd be half a day. "No way!"

Ignoring the child's skepticism, Serena gave her partner a pat on the head. "Link, I think we'll need to stock up on some potions and arrows before we leave," Serena explained as the boy nodded.

Baffled, the fox child came to stand in front of Link. "Why do you need arrows? Kagome has a ton."

"Well, Link is pretty good with a bow, and his aim isn't bad; actually, I'd say it's more than perfect."

"How old are you Link?" he asked, causing the other boy to arch a brow. "And why don't you say anything?"

Somewhat annoyed by his constant questions, the fairy appeared right in his face. "He's fourteen of course!" Serena explained causing Shippo to gape in surprise. "Yeah, you and your friends keep saying he's a child. All the kids here age differently. Actually, at his age, he's practically a man. And the reason he doesn't talk is his own business." Serena hoped this would end the discussion.

While Shippo trailed his new friend, his eyes turned toward the sky. The weather was sunny, the sky was blue, and the breeze was warm. Nothing seemed out of place, except for a small shadow looming over him. Looking up, Shippo's eyes widened a fraction of their normal size.

"Shippo, what's wrong?"

In response to her question, he pointed toward the sky where a red balloon, carrying a little green person floated. "What's that?"

"Oh, that's Tingle," was her calm reply.

The two watched as the red balloon began descending toward the ground in a slow fashion. The person revealed as Tingle, appeared to be a middle aged man wearing tight green clothes. The man seemed oblivious of their presence, muttering to himself as he examined a piece of parchment which contained the sketch of half a map. He turned in the opposite direction, continuing on his way.

After hightailing it out of the Treasure Shop, both men were found outside heaving sighs of relief. Miroku was worse off than his companion, due to the number of kiss marks on his person. Luckily for Inuyasha, he had escaped with less, though he seemed initially wounded from such an attack. Yes, it was after the young lady had proclaimed them both gay that she flung herself toward Inuyasha, who was unaware of her intentions.

Let's just say, they had barely made it out…

"What the hell was that?" Inuyasha asked.

"That, Inuyasha," Miroku began, speaking in an educated manner. "was one of the few signs that a woman is interested in you."

Fed up with his smartass friend's words, Inuyasha hurriedly tried to fix his clothes, which now sustained rips and hints of wrinkles. "Damn it!"

"Inuyasha!" A female voice called, startling the half demon.

The only word to leave his mouth was a panicked 'shit.' As he watched his female friend run toward them from the town plaza, Inuyasha could not help but glance every which way with anxiousness. When Kagome was within ten feet of them, Inuyasha flung Miroku over his shoulder and once again hightailed it up the steps, away from a now baffled priestess.

"What's wrong with him?" she pondered as the last of the dust cleared away.

Finally escaping danger, Inuyasha gave a huge sigh of relief as he dropped Miroku on the floor. "Damn that was close!"

"What was that about?" His friend asked as he stood upright while straightening his clothes. "You just ran away like a scared puppy."

Annoyed that his friend did not catch the idea, Inuyasha explained. "If Kagome were to see both of us the way we are right now, she'd think we were with other women, and when one female in the group knows, so does the other!"

A look of astonishment came upon Miroku's face, and with that, he hurriedly rubbed away the makeup; his friend did the same. "Good thinking, Inuyasha!"

When the two finally fixed themselves up, they glanced around the room they were in. Inuyasha hadn't paid the least bit of attention to what door he had entered.

A red carpet led to a counter just a few feet away from the boys. Expensive looking plants and flowers gave the room a homey feel, and a fresh scent greeted their noses.

"Welcome!" A cheery voice greeted them from across the room. A woman, with short green hair waved to the two gentlemen. She wore a long sleeved white dress shirt, revealing a little cleavage, but not too much to scare them. Yellow eye shadow brought out her dark eyes, and yellow lipstick with a hint of pigment covered her lips. "Do you have an appointment with the mayor?"

"Oh please tell me this isn't another gay obsessed girl—," Inuyasha began, but Miroku interrupted.

The moment the woman had opened her mouth, Miroku was suddenly in front of her. Already he had her hands in his. "My dear woman, though I may not have an appointment, I gladly wish to."

Blushing from this charming man's boldness, the woman suddenly removed her hands from his grip and pulled out a writing utensil and a sheet of paper. "Your name sir, and the nature of the appointment?"

"My friend and I simply ask a night with yo—Ack!"

Before the monk could finish his sentence, Inuyasha wacked him a good one. "You can't go one day without saying something perverted, can you? Maybe I should have left you with Kagome!"

"Now Inuyasha, must you be so brash?" He rubbed his aching head while the young woman gave a laugh.

"Did you hear?" they heard someone whisper somewhere to their left. Their interest piqued, they turned their attention to find two armored guards standing in a far corner of the room near a giant plant, seemingly discussing some matter of great importance.

"Hear about what?" came a bored reply.

The man closest to them was frightened. His eyes were wide with alarm and every so often his body shook. "These storms are getting worst, and the earthquakes much more fierce. There have been rumors spreading among the town's people about a great terror. I may not have believed it at first, but I'm starting to think that the legend may be true!"

"What are you talking about? You mean that old kid story?" He started laughing at the hilarity of his friend. "Just because there have been frequent storms and earthquakes does not necessarily mean that the end is near."

"How do you know? Don't you remember the events four years ago, how the moon was so close to annihilating the entire town?"

"Of course I remember! I was stationed there, along with a few others to protect the people who stayed behind. The whole time, I swore it was staring at me! But that was just a fluke! Did it fall on us? No! We're still alive, aren't we? Stop being such a skitzo!"

"Is that what you think?" His friend sighed and his shoulders slumped.

The man patted his friend on the shoulder with a happy-go-lucky grin. "You need to relax! I'm sure a night at the bar will fix that worry off ya!"

"Maybe…"

Inuyasha and Miroku shared a glance before making their way to the door. All the while, they could not help but think that the town's people were actually aware that something was not right. Somehow, they were taking charge of saving the land from some unknown force. Their task was to collect the four pendants located in each of the four regions.

As the door opened, both men exited the building, only to come face to face with a suspicious and irked priestess.

The moment Inuyasha saw her angered expression, he jumped. 'Damn!'

With hands placed on either side of her hips, Kagome leered at her silver haired friend, who could do nothing more than shrink away. "Mind telling me what that was all about?"

"N-nothing!" he said with a stutter.

Still not convinced, Kagome gave both men a once over. "Nothing? It looked to me like you were running away!" She couldn't understand what they were up to, nor why they were acting so secretive. Her thoughts soon came to a halt when a familiar brunette appeared around the corner. "Sango!" She waved joyously.

"There you guys are!" The oldest woman of the bunch now stood with her friends, along with Kirara sitting on her shoulder. "It seems the form of money is different here," she explained.

"Yeah, it would seem so. Their currency is measured in rupees," replied the priestess. "Where are we supposed to find rupees?"

While contemplating the matter, the group suddenly noticed a pair of familiar faces behind them. Both Link and Shippo stood side by side, accompanied by Serena.

"Link! Shippo! I was wondering where you'd run off to," Kagome exclaimed. "Sorry, but I think we're out of luck with stocking up."

Baffled, Link pulled out a bag from his pocket and held it out to the group.

"What's this?" Kagome asked taking it in her hands. Opening the bag, Kagome marveled at the small colorful gems inside. "Oh wow!" Her eyes widened a fraction, and her mouth fell agape at the shiny objects.

Serena was the one to appease their curiosity. "Those are rupees. Link already bought some potions for our trip to the mountains. There are enough for each of us," Serena explained.

"Potions?" Kagome asked. She noticed the satchel slung over Link's shoulders. Not only that, but she became aware of the case of arrows strapped to his back, along with his own bow. He was still wearing his shield and sword, though they were much different from the previous night. It was as if he had packed lighter. "Actually, why are you accompanying us?"

"I was wondering the same thing," Sango explained, eying the boy. He seemed too young to be going off on an adventure, especially with the weapons he carried, yet he seemed unafraid. "It's far too dangerous. I wonder why the Great Fairy wanted him to tag along?"

Once again, Serena was annoyed. "First off, Link is not a child. He's actually fourteen, a year younger than a couple of you. The children here all age different, and to most, fourteen is a sign that a boy has become a man. Not only that, but Link is accustomed to traveling on his own. He's done so since he was ten."

"Really? Doesn't your mom worry about you?" Kagome asked, though in response to her question, Link turned his back to them and began walking off toward the northern part of town.

Not sure why he'd decided to ignore her question and snub her, Kagome turned to her friends. "Did I say something wrong?"

Everyone merely shrugged at her question before following the boy…man…whatever.

"I guess it can't be helped, besides, it nice to travel with new people. Perhaps we'll learn more about our new friends. They seem familiar with this land, and I'm sure with their knowledge, they'll prove to be helpful," Miroku mused.

So with that taken care of, the group made their way on a journey to the snowy mountains, in search of a pendant.