Chapter Eleven: Dead on Arrival
"How much further is the village?" Ouija whined, her brow wrinkled. "It seems like we've been walking for hours."
"We'll get there when we get there," Inuyasha retorted, still bitter from their earlier argument over the centipede fiasco. "So quit your yapping."
"I'll "quit my yapping" when you keel over."
Inuyasha growled and whirled around, his fist raised. "Why, you!"
Ouija just smirked. "I beat you once; I sure as hell can do it again."
"You wanna go again? Just try it!"
Ouija shook her head, sighing in an almost disappointed way. She stepped around Inuyasha and headed for Kagome and the others, who had continued without a second thought.
"Hey, wait!" Inuyasha called, running after her. He growled when he caught up to her. "You're just gonna walk away!"
"Yep."
"What the hell?" Inuyasha scratched his head. "You are the strangest…"
"Yes. Yes, I am. Thank you." She looked over her shoulder at him with a dazzling smile.
Inuyasha shook his head, closed his eyes and followed along. He wasn't ever going to get used to this weird girl.
Ahead, Kagome and the others had stopped in their tracks. A group of five older men were walking away from the village, their heads held high, packs slung over their shoulders. But these men were from the village victimized by an unknown demon! They were talking to one another with smiles on their faces, laughing and telling jokes. Inuyasha and Ouija came to an abrupt halt, their faces twisted in confusion that sent Ouija's head spinning.
What manner of trickery was this?
As the men were passing Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo, they paid no mind to the travelers as though they were but weeds on the side of the road. Ouija and Inuyasha listened in on their conversation.
"We're all very lucky, if you ask me," one said, waggling his finger at the others.
Another laughed. "Of course we are! If not for the priestess who slew the demon, the entire village would've been devoured in days!"
"She was a beautiful woman, that priestess. A bit strange, though."
Inuyasha froze. Priestess? His ears stood erect, his eyes wide and focused straight ahead.
Ouija looked up at him from an angle and her upper lip quivered as she growled. If things were about to happen the way she thought they were, things were going to get ugly real fast.
The rest of their group looked up as they approached, as dazed as they were. Inuyasha though, didn't seem to be with them. He walked slowly and his feet barely left the ground, his eyes hid beneath his bangs. Kagome immediately took notice.
Ouija, though, interceded before she would allow Inuyasha to say anything that would just dig him a deeper hole. "Seems our job has been done for us."
"What?" Kagome said, staring hard at Inuyasha. Ouija knew he could feel her eyes on him. She glared icicles at him.
"Yeah. The demon was slain already," Ouija said, her voice gruff and cold. "By a priestess."
Kagome's hands instantly pinned at her sides, her hands clenched into fists. She jerked her body upright and froze. If Ouija couldn't hear it for herself, she'd swear she wasn't breathing.
Sango winced a bit. "A priestess, you say?"
Ouija didn't answer. She was staring at Kagome now, who slowly bowed her head, her jaw clenched. Her eyes faded into the shadow of her bangs. And then, she put on a façade that Ouija hoped never to see again. She blinked in surprise as Kagome suddenly smiled, a forced smile that made her look like a statue.
"Well, let's keep going! I'm sure there's more that needs to be done in these areas." She said in a cheerful, borderline hysterical voice. Ouija narrowed her eyes and stepped back. Sango's eyes were pained. Poor Kagome.
Despite Kagome's obvious pain, she led the way into the village, smiling at the villagers who smiled in return, falling for the mask Kagome had put on. Inuyasha never once looked up.
Before they were able to pass through the village completely, Miroku had stopped at a hotel, looking at its structure with scrutinizing eyes. Ouija rolled her eyes, already hearing of his ploy. The man standing at the gate eyed Miroku warily.
"Hmm. It seems a dark cloud resides over your facility."
"Oh," the man cried, instantly playing right into the monk's hands. He clasped his hands together.
"It may require an exorcism to rid these walls of the dark spirits."
"Oh, please monk, perform the exorcism. Save my hotel!" He shook his hands at Miroku, and Ouija nearly laughed. Were people in this time really that gullible? "The priestess has already gone! There will be no one to help me!"
Miroku bowed his head respectfully. "It may necessitate an overnight stay."
"Yes!" the man said, sweeping his arm out. "Your entire group can stay the night free of charge!"
"Thank you." He said and bowed. "Rest assured, the entities will be gone by morning." A stunning smile lit up his face, and the man bowed.
"If you need anything, anything at all, just call!"
"Thank you, kind sir." He turned to his group of friends, the definition of braggadocios.
They walked passed him, shaking their heads and mumbling. Miroku sighed. So unappreciative.
Ouija stood at the doorway, her hand on the sliding door and the other on the frame. She stared out at the grassy fenced in yard, her eyes lingering on the swaying willow.
Inside the room, Kagome, Sango, and Shippo had dressed in white night robes and were lying out their blankets and Kagome's sleeping bag. Ouija's was still rolled up and set against the wall.
"Ouija, it's getting late. Don't you think you should be getting to bed?" Kagome called in a gentle voice.
"Yeah," she murmured, lowering her gaze and turning slowly, glancing at the boys' room next door. Their door was already shut, Miroku's breathing heavy and even. Inuyasha wasn't asleep yet. She imagined he wouldn't be sleeping tonight. News of the past priestess would likely have him up and pacing all hours of the night and spacing out during the day. An unjustified anger welled up inside her. Her fingers twitched – she was simply itching to slice something open. How could he do this? Ouija grew sick at the sight of deep depression in Kagome's eyes, and the piteous looks from the others only made her angrier. Perhaps he'd get smart one day, but by then, he will more than likely be too late, she thought bitterly.
A sigh escaped her lips and she closed the door, her new eyes piercing through darkness without strain. Shippo and Sango had already curled up beneath their blankets, Kirara at the foot of Sango's makeshift bedding. Kagome, too, had lain down for the night, but she stared at the door with solemn eyes.
Ouija growled loudly. "Kagome, will you please get that look off your face!"
Kagome sat up in surprise. "What look?" she asked innocently, clearly confused.
"That oh-woe-is-me look! Every since this afternoon when we heard about the priestess you've had that look in your eye, and it's killing everyone! I mean, honestly, we don't even know if it was Kikyo. And if it was, who the hell cares? Inuyasha?" Ouija swung her arm out angrily, gesturing towards the wall that separated their room from the boys. "He is nothing, Kagome! If he's doing this, again, for the what, hundredth time? Why do you always stick around? You come crawling back to him every damn time! It's pathetic!"
Kagome looked angry now. "Look, Ouija, I know what you're trying to do. But I'm not leaving this place. I've still got to find the shards of the Sacred Jewel. It's my fault it's shattered in the first place."
Ouija couldn't seem to stop the angry word-vomit that was spilling from her mouth, digging herself into a deeper hole by the second. "Bull. Shit." Kagome shrunk back as though she had been struck. "I don't buy into those lies, Kagome. You should know me better. You stay here because of that…that…mutt, and he knows that he's not going to have to make up for hurting you over and over and over. Why do you let him do this to you, Kagome?" Now, Ouija looked hurt. "It's ridiculously pitiful to watch. You're not the same person you used to be. When we were younger, we promised each other never to let a man interfere with our sense of mind. You used to be tough. What happened?"
Kagome was quiet for a moment. "I fell in love, Ouija."
Ouija snorted and laughed bitterly. "Love. There isn't such a thing. Just a fleeting illusion. It never lasts."
Kagome shook her head. "You can't honestly believe that. And you're right; I'm not the person I used to be. But Inuyasha makes me stronger. I know it doesn't look that way right now, but he does."
Ouija shook her head. "He doesn't deserve your kind of patience."
Kagome smiled. "Well, what can I say?"
Ouija smiled back apologetically. "Sorry about that," she murmured. "I kinda lost it there. Diarrhea of the mouth." Kagome scrunched her nose. Ouija chuckled, and then she sighed. "Ever since I've come here, these awful feelings have been showing themselves. Things I wouldn't normally feel, for any reason. Like just now." She looked up at Kagome, her sapphire eyes troubled. "Just thinking about that mongrel hurting you made me so angry, I wanted to…" she cut herself off, closing her eyes tight and shaking her head.
"You wanted to…what?"
"I wanted to kill something." The words burst from Ouija's lips, almost as if she had no control over them. Her eyes snapped open. "These feelings of hate and rage. Pure fury! It's Irukandji. The feelings she harvested from her life in this time have started to leak into me. I feel like I'm losing my mind. I can hear her voice in my head. She tells me to do things. She says that I have to kill to release my true self, to be truly free." She looked at Kagome with eyes as wild as an animal. Kagome was frozen, her lips parted. "I'm worried about what she's making me become. I have to watch my anger. It makes her stronger, frees a little bit more of her. I'm scared that I'll just get so frustrated one day she's going to take over and I won't ever be the same."
"Is that why you keep walking away from your arguments with Inuyasha?"
Ouija smiled a cold smile. "Just as observant as ever, huh, Kagome?"
Kagome sighed. "We'll figure something out, Ouija. I know you're scared that you're becoming a monster. I won't let that happen to you." Ouija nodded. "Let's get some sleep, okay? We're all exhausted."
Ouija sighed and rolled out her blanket, stretched out over it, and pulled her extra cover over her. The fabric was so soft and cool. Almost like silk.
Silk. The word brought a familiar face to mind; amber eyes, and fluttering silver hair. That night, Ouija's mind was plagued with visions of two demons fighting one another with their last breath, until one finally collapsed and fell to the mercy of its foe.
Author's Note: Argh! Another shortie! So, curse me, I deserve it -_-'
