Chapter Ten: Pit Stop
"Kagome!" Inuyasha called, becoming more aggravated by the second. "Tell me where the Jewel shard is on its body!"
Kagome's eyes focused hard on the giant centipede, her eyes narrowing. The gentle tugging of her senses pulled her gaze to the head, where she spotted the soft pink glow of the Shikon No Tama. "On the top of the head!" she called back, her hand clenching into a fist over her chest.
Inuyasha jumped high, the centipede as high as two stories, and came down with an angry bellow and the blade of his Tetsusaiga. The fang sliced the colossal insect clean down the middle, a shriek filling the air before the pieces parted and fell to the side. The inside of the centipede steamed lightly, an obnoxious odor rifting through the air. Ouija gagged, her stomach tossing, as she covered her nose and mouth and cringed away.
Kagome walked over and gently plucked at the shard that now jutted from one of the sides of the centipede, gagging herself. At her touch, the Jewel instantly purified.
Inuyasha smirked. "Piece of cake."
Ouija snorted. "It was a giant bug. Ooh."
Inuyasha whirled on her, the vein in his temple throbbing. "I didn't see you doing anything!"
"Didn't have to. You did all the work for me."
Inuyasha bared his teeth and growled. Just as he opened his mouth, Kagome stepped between them. "Alright you guys, don't start."
Ouija turned her back and joined Miroku and Sango on the sidelines. Inuyasha blinked. She was just gonna walk away after shooting her mouth off like that? He exhaled sharply from his nose, the Tetsusaiga transforming, and sheathed his fang.
Kagome took hold of her handlebar on her bike and Shippo jumped up into the basket, settling down comfortably, sighing happily.
"Where are we headed to now, Inuyasha?" he asked, glancing up at the half-demon warily.
"There's been talk of a demon with a Jewel shard terrorizing a village in the West," he said in a rough tone, taking the head of the group.
Kagome followed closely behind him, Ouija at her side, and Sango and Miroku to the rear.
"I'll tell you what, the next village we get to, I'm getting some clothes from this time and some sandals or something. These boots suck for walking, and dressed the way I am I stick out like a beacon. Frankly, I don't want to draw any more unnecessary attention to myself, especially since word will probably spread soon about Irukandji coming back." Ouija grumbled.
Kagome smiled, obscuring the sadness she really felt. She couldn't help but watch her cousin for a few moments, a silent prayer for Ouija in her thoughts. She wondered, how would it feel knowing that an all-powerful demon's soul resided in your body? And to top that, knowing that said demon was trying to engulf your own soul, to gain control over your body and use it to achieve supreme conquest and to kill everything in its wake? Kagome couldn't imagine, but her heart was out for Ouija.
The walk took nearly an hour to reach the next village, the sun now lowering itself over the horizon. Ouija sighed in relief. She found a kiosk and hurried over whilst the others spread out, asking questions about the terrorized village several miles away and finding out every miniscule speck of information they could about the demon that was devouring residents. Ouija, though, had other things on her mind.
The middle-aged man behind the stand eyed her warily as she approached, her eyes scanning over his merchandise. She didn't seem to show any interest in anything whatsoever, as she had planned to do. One thing she had learned in the business of haggling: don't ever show how much you want something, because they're more likely to jack their prices sky-high.
Finally, she found something that was more suited to her style. It was a lovely charcoal kimono with a red undershirt and a black obi, the stitching red. She found that the sleeves and pants were belled, and that one sleeve was white up to the elbow. She loved it.
She nonchalantly lifted her sapphire eyes to the man, who almost seemed startled to meet her gaze.
"How much for the grey kimono?"
He cleared his throat. "You want to buy or trade?"
Ouija's eyes flicked around her, and then down to her own feet. The boots she wore now were pure leather, something rare and very valuable in this time. "Trade." She replied in a clipped voice.
The man eyed her warily. "You don't seem to have anything with ya to trade."
Ouija walked to the side of the kiosk and picked up her right foot, resting it on his chair. She reached down and pulled up her pants leg to the knee and caressed the boot. "Authentic leather," she said, smirking at his suddenly envious eyes. "The highest quality you'll ever find."
The man scratched the stubble on his chin. "Hmm," he murmured. "The boots and that shirt you're wearing. You can change in my tent."
Ouija shook her head and placed her foot back on the ground. "Boots only or I walk."
The man swallowed gently, his eyes flicking from her feet, to his kimono, and back again. "Deal." He suddenly announced, grabbing the kimono and placing it on the edge of his kiosk. "Now, I'll be taking those…different leather shoes of yours."
Ouija huffed and sat down on the chair, crossing her legs and beginning the grueling task of untying her boots from the knee down. She yanked the first off and tossed it onto his stand, now just wearing a dainty purple sock. Then she began on the other and tossed it to him instead.
She stood, grasping the kimono on her way up. "Know where I can find some shoes or something?"
He huffed lightly, reaching for a shelf hidden behind his stand. He pulled out a small pair of shoes, black in color and sturdy. She knew these shoes – they were used by samurais and for training soldiers. They allowed maximum mobility and were light for stealth.
"What do you want for them?"
The man's mouth twitched. "Just take 'em. Won't nobody else touch 'em. They say they're demons shoes."
Ouija smirked. "Gladly." She said and took the shoes from him, setting them atop the folded slate kimono. She turned lightly on her toes and sniffed the air subtly for the scent of one of her own. This morning, when she had awakened, she had found that her senses were growing sharper. Even last night, she could hear Inuyasha and Miroku speaking of the exact thing Kagome had brought up, whereas Sago and Kagome couldn't. She could see clearer, her sense of smell much more acute. She idly wondered if her ears would become pointed.
Soon enough, she picked up the earthy scent of Inuyasha. He smelled of forest – pine and grass. But there was also an underlying stench to his scent. Could it be his mixed human-demon blood? Still, if one didn't focus much on that fact, he actually smelled kind of nice. Outdoorsy.
Kagome's scent intermingled with Inuyasha's. She carried the fragrance of a lovely jasmine-herbal mix, likely due to her body wash and shampoo. No doubt this was one thing that was so alluring about her. Ouija sighed as Kagome's face popped into her mind. Her younger cousin, more of a sister. Three years her junior and three times as beautiful. Ouija had always been so envious of Kagome's natural beauty. She almost couldn't stand to be seen in public with her, just because of the fact that everyone's eyes always seemed to be drawn to Kagome. No matter, though. She supposed she'd matured past the point of envy of another's looks.
Following their trail wasn't easy. The wind picked up the smells and concealed them, sometimes carrying them away completely. Plus, it seemed they were traveling in a senseless pattern, weaving from building to building, across streets and up and down alleyways. By the time Ouija had finally reached them, she was clearly agitated.
"What's got you?" Kagome questioned when she sensed Ouija's approach, turning from the two men they were speaking to.
Ouija bit her jaw. "Following you two all over the frigging place," she replied. "You know you've walked in circle after circle after circle? I mean, goodness. At least find some kind of flow or pattern. I'm just glad I didn't lose your scent, or I'd be wandering around all day!"
Kagome looked surprised. "You followed our scents?"
"Yeah," Ouija replied, holding her new shoes and kimono to her bosom and shifting from foot to foot. "I'm not good at it yet. The smells all blend together."
Kagome smiled gently. It was almost a sad smile. "That's great. You'll get better at it." Could Ouija really be so content with this choice?
Ouija motioned towards Inuyasha with her head. "What're they talking about?"
"They're telling us about the village a few miles over. They've heard that a demon has been devouring people, and that half the village has fallen victim to it."
"Think it's got a jewel shard?"
Kagome shrugged. "Either that, or we've got a big battle ahead of us."
Ouija smiled. "Good. Maybe I'll get a little practice in."
Kagome eyed the bundle in her hands. "You bought something?"
Ouija looked down at it herself. She had almost forgotten it was there. "Pawned it, actually."
"How?" Kagome's eyes raked over her form and her lips parted. She covered her mouth with her hand and blinked. "Ouija, you didn't!"
"Why not?"
"Those shoes were part of your trademark!"
Ouija waved her hand dismissively. "Pssh. I've got like three more pair at home. No big deal, really. And I got the shoes free."
Kagome smiled, touching the amazing soft fabric. "Are you gonna change into it?"
"If I can find a place to change," she said, her eyes flicking behind Kagome to the surrounding buildings. "Everyone's kinda wary of me. They don't seem very friendly."
"Well, we've been to this village before. And normally, they are. But the demon's got them scared out of their minds. They're worried it'll migrate to this village."
"Do they even know what kind of demon it is?"
Kagome shook her head, her eyes troubled. "No. That's the scary part. They say it only comes in the night, when the village is sleeping."
"So we're dealing with a nocturnal demon that snatches innocent people out of their houses at night?"
Kagome nodded, unable to speak. It hadn't been just people – they were family members. Mothers, fathers, children!
Ouija growled in disgust. "How pathetic."
Kagome sighed, glancing over her shoulder at Inuyasha, who nodded to the two men and turned away from them, approaching Kagome. He seemed uneasy as well.
"They say they've tried exorcisms and sutras, the whole nine yards. Nothing's worked."
"Because they're not facing it head on."
Inuyasha's brow furrowed. "They don't even know what kind of demon it is. What are they supposed to do?"
Ouija sighed. "I don't know. But we've got to kill it."
"Hm," Inuyasha murmured in agreement, nodding his head once. "Let's go."
Author's Note: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I'll admit that it's mostly just filler, but it's got some details in it that were crucial for the next part of the story. Adding it to the ending of the previous chapter or to the beginning of the next one made them both simply too long. Be on the lookout for chapter 11! BuhBye!