So I'm sure you are all annoyed by this announcement, but I'll be re-writing most of the previous chapters "to make them better," if you will. Other than that, nothing new. Your story continues!
"How is this edible? It looks like pieces of petrified wood and dirt." Jakotsu sighed holding up the Instant Ramen cup to Yumi. Yumi brought all different types of food for everyone, but everyone was too afraid to try it because it was so different. The foods all looked the same and were wrapped in weird foil sacs. For them, this food was all too complex.
"You have to add hot water before you eat it, Jakotsu. When it's done cooking, it turns into noodles." Yumi felt like she was trying to teach a giant group of overage kindergarteners. She laughed and added in the hot water she was boiling over the camp fire.
"Just set it down for a few minutes and it'll be ready for you to eat." She smiled at him. Besides Bankotsu, it didn't take long for Jakotsu to be one of Yumi's favorites of the Band, and one of her best friends.
Jakotsu put his warm cup of semi-cooked noodles aside and rummaged through the bag of 'foreign foods.'
"Hey, beautiful, got any more of that bubbly stuff?" Bankotsu shouted as he came back from the forest, holding a chest filled with loot.
"Yeah, but ease up on the soda, will you? You chug that stuff down as if it was water!" She laughed but her face stiffened as her eyes trailed down to the chest. "Who'd you have to kill for that?"
"I didn't kill anyone. I found it." He smiled at Yumi reassuringly when he could see that she didn't believe him. "Honest, I did."
"Hey, Bankotsu, what's in it?" It was hard understanding Jakotsu when his cheeks were puffed up from stuffing his mouth with the noodles.
"Dunno. Let's open it up. What do you say, Yumi?" He threw the chest and it landed in front of Yumi's feet. She eyed it for a while until curiosity got the best of her and she used her claws to break the lock and force it open.
It was stuffed with kimonos of numerous types of fabric, satin ribbons, and jewelry. Jakotsu's eyes sparkled in admiration for all the new clothes he'd be receiving.
"I was kind of hoping for money..." Yumi sighed. She felt a tug on her hair and she looked up to see Bankotsu over her, fidgeting with strands of her hair. He looked down at her and smiled, holding up a pin that had a Tiger Lilly on the end.
"Thought I'd give you this, you know, to make you look less manly." He teased.
"Thanks, I think." She sighed letting him put the pin in correctly. She couldn't help but smile at Jakotsu, who squeezed himself in the chest and held up the different garments and tried choosing which to wear. He looked over at her and cocked his head to the side.
"I like the one on the right more than the other, it's different." Replied Yumi. Since Yumi was the first girl he got along with, he constantly asked her for tips and advice.
Jakotsu tossed the kimono over to her and nodded. "Then you wear it. I think it'd suit you perfectly."
"Oh, I'm not a big fan of kimonos, really. Plus, what's the point? Once I transform, I'm stuck wearing feathers, leather, talons and whatnot." Yumi held it up and looked back at Jakotsu in protest, still not convinced.
"It complements the pin perfectly." Yumi watched Bankotsu who was now looking through the bag of food. "At least try it on. You can also use it to cover up. I don't know what your time is like, but girls over there sure expose a lot of skin. Also, your clothes are starting to become tattered."
"Since when did you become so protective over what I wear, Bankotsu? Does my exposed skin bother you?" Yumi chuckled when she saw a light shade of pink creep up on his face.
"I'm not saying that I mind your wardrobe, it's just that you stick out like a sore thumb wearing that around here. If we had to blend into a village for who knows what reason, it wouldn't be hard to find us, now would it?"
"Try it on, try it on!" Jakotsu interrupted before Yumi could come up with another witty remark. "Please. We can match! I've always wanted to match with someone, but I was never able to befriend anyone like me; I always ended up killing them. Of course, you're an exception."
"If I try this on, will you guys stop pestering me about it?" She sighed. They both nodded and sat quietly while Yumi got dressed into the kimono behind a nearby shrub.
When she finally came out, she covered her face to hide the embarrassment and sat down before them. "Ta da! Happy now?" She mumbled behind her hands.
"What is going on here?" A voice from above cooed. They all looked up to see Frida, followed by the other League girls, with the exception of Abi.
"Whoa, Queeny, is that you?" Isabella gawked. Yumi then placed her hands over her face again and groaned.
"Miss Yumi, you look divine!" Frida complimented to try to make Yumi feel better. As for Yumi, she was already starting to walk back into the shrub to change back.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. No time for that, kid. Naraku has orders." Isabella grabbed Yumi before she was out of reach. "And since when did you care about what you wore? Stop being such a sissy, you look fine." Yumi smiled at her sweetly with her face still a little red, which made Isabella blush.
"Thanks, Isabella."
"Yeah, whatever." She turned away and stared up at the sky.
"No, I mean it. I swear, ever since I got my wings, I've been an emotional wreck. I don't get how pregnant ladies do it."
"Your wings?" Almena now decided to speak. She was on her tiptoes to try to see if Yumi already had them out.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I got them about a few nights ago. Was the growing out of your guys' wings painful too? I think I almost passed out; I couldn't take it."
"No, unlike you, we were born with wings since we actually are children of the Elders. Since the late King decided to make a human his child, you didn't get the benefit of already being winged, but of course, I didn't expect you to know that. You are part human after all. I mean, it is complicated for your kind to completely understand these matters." Almena said, sounding a bit too snobby for Yumi and Isabella's likes.
"And you think because of that you're better than me? Human or not, Dovey Dearest, I received the throne and I kept you all from having your souls stuck in little trinkets. Since I received it, it must mean that I have something you don't have, right? I mean you don't see us going, 'of course, Queen Almena,' or 'your wish is our command, Your Majesty,' now do you? So, before you start prancing around thinking that you're better than me, just because I was a human before, let me just remind you that because I am the head of the League, I am wiser than you all in some way, but of course, you already knew that, right? You know, it is complicated for my kind to completely understand someone else's intelligence just by looking at them."
Almena, now offended, rose up into the air and lifted her slender arms up into the sky. She manipulated the wind to her advantage and sent it with a magnificent force. Yumi simply lifted her palm towards the direction of the wind and she let her hand absorb the gust of power.
"How did you-?"
"Courtesy of Hasegawa's Heart, Dovey Dearest. Now, are you done, or do you wish to continue playing these childish games?" Yumi glared at her.
For the first time in her life, Almena felt terrified. She slowly hovered back to the ground with her head bowed down in shame.
Yumi turned around to see the shocked faces of everyone around her, even Frida. Isabella then smiled, gave her the thumbs up sign and mouthed, 'you go, Queeny.'
"Note to self: never, under any circumstances, get on Yumi's bad side." Jakotsu smiled as Bankotsu laughed.
"Anyways, Frida? Naraku's statement?"
"Of course, Miss Yumi. Naraku has a series of quests open to anyone, since you have not returned to the castle yet, I believe. He's been trying to make alliances with demons that might have the same interests as he does. He wants everyone who is able-bodied to convince the evil demons and spirits to confide in Naraku. He also wants large amounts of blood transported to him." At this, Yumi, Almena, and Hitomi cringed. "He'll take any kind, but prefers the human kind, above all. It seems to me that he is working on something that he won't even let his most trusted reincarnations see. He also wants those who can easily manipulate human souls, to possess a village and to lure them to his blood bath."
"That seems more like an open invitation to me, now doesn't it?" Yumi sighed. "Well, might as well get a head start. Either way, the end result is inevitable."
"So you're just going to kill all those innocent people?" Almena spoke out again. Yumi gave her a strange look that made her understand Yumi's true intentions. "Shall I be accompanying you or Isabella?" She then sighed.
"I'll be taking Hitomi, so you can accompany Isabella."
"Whoa! You cannot be serious, Queeny. Almena and I don't exactly get along."
"My mind has already been made up, Isabella." Yumi stared.
"Fine. So Almena, Bankotsu and I will be controlling one village and the rest of you another, am I correct?" Isabella winked over at Bankotsu who just smiled back in pleasure. Yumi just lifted an eyebrow at him.
"What's with the look, Yumi? Do I detect a bit of jealousy?" Isabella called out.
"Jealousy? Why would I be jealous? What is there to be jealous about, anyways?" Yumi spat, trying to hide her irritation.
"Oh, I don't know. You and Bankotsu have been getting pretty close. Oh, well, but I guess since you're not jealous, you don't mind if I have him help me control my village, right?"
"Of course not, Isabella, dear. In fact, I was going to recommend it!" Yumi hissed through her teeth. "Jakotsu! Bankotsu! I need you and the rest of the Band to get Isabella and me a village. Make sure you pick out a corrupted kingdom with thieving peasants. That way, we're all satisfied. You'll just have to pick up Renkotsu. He's at the castle, I believe."
"Yumi? Cleansing a sin-filled kingdom? Playing the role of a god, I see." Bankotsu chuckled but quickly stopped when Yumi, already upset by Isabella, glared at him.
With that, he and Jakotsu left, arguing over who had to have Renkotsu in their squad.
"S-so, is the Heart making you feel ill at all, M-Miss Yumi?" Hitomi asked quietly.
Yumi smiled brightly at her and grabbed onto her hand.
"I'm fine, Hitomi. The Heart is no longer part of me."
"Oh, I'm glad! I was so worried about you!"
"No need." She looked at Almena and Isabella and smiled. "Keep an eye open for the ravens, they'll be sending you information and details, got it?"
"Got it!"
"Inuyasha, ease up on the ramen, will you?" Shippo shrieked as he saw Inuyasha getting ready to prepare yet another bag.
"Get off my case, will you? I'm bigger, so I need more food." He said, paying the kitzune little attention.
"Inuyasha, Shippo is right. Yumi barely gave us enough of these snacks to last us the week." Kagome said joining the two while brushing her hair.
"See, this is what I don't get. Everyone wants me to trust Yumi, yet she didn't have the common courtesy to at least give us half of her load? It all seems kind of sketchy to me." Inuyasha huffed.
"Yumi has more mouths to feed. Plus, eating too much of these is unhealthy." Kagome smiled, trying to convince him.
"By extra mouths, do you mean the Band of Seven, all of Naraku's reincarnations, and Naraku himself? If anything, she should be starving them if she wants to help us out."
"I don't think Naraku would eat Instant Ramen." Kagome giggled as she finished brushing.
"I really hope you know what you're doing, Kagome."
"I do know what I'm doing, I just hate that you can't be as supportive of me and Yumi as the others are." Kagome admitted.
"It's not that I don't want to support you, it's just that this whole situation makes me uneasy. Yumi is too damn unpredictable; I don't trust her. It'd help to know what her motives are."
"Inuyasha, none of us know what her motives are, but if Yumi was truly evil, why would she have brought me back by using her powers?"
"Powers that Naraku helped her unlock!" Inuyasha protested.
"And she is still keeping me alive! Listen, I'm sure if she wanted to, she could end my life again." Kagome tried to hide how uncomfortable talking about her own death was, but she knew she could never fool Inuyasha. "If she were truly evil, she would have killed all of us, and the people she befriended before having control of her powers. And you know that."
Miyoga then rolled between them, still swollen and bloated from sucking out Yumi's poison.
"Master Inuyasha, it seems that Kagome has a point. It seems that the young Queen is indeed up to something. But she's quite a mystery, so it's going to be hard figuring out what."
"You talk like you're going to help us uncover her plan, Miyoga. Isn't that a little too dangerous for you? I figured you'd just be hiding until this whole mess is over with." He rolled the overgrown flea over with his feet back and forth, ignorant to the flea's begging for a stop. "Speaking of which, why are you here?"
"Master Inuyasha, you are too cruel! I merely wish to make sure you're safe!"
Miroku joined the small group and used his staff to poke the old flea. "Really, Miyoga? You being here has nothing to do with the rumors of the disappearance of the two noblemen from the north and west due to demons disguised as attractive women?"
"N-no! Of course not!" Miyoga shouted back, his voice filled with shame.
"Demon women, eh?" Inuyasha sighed, looking at Kagome, who just smiled back at him nervously.
"Hey! That could be anyone!" Shippo yelled, defending Yumi.
"We should probably investigate. What do you say, Inuyasha?" Miroku preached.
It all seemed too suspicious to Sango who then pointed out, "Miroku, you're getting a bit too excited aren't you?"
"Me? Of course not. It could be Yumi after all."
"Of course. I'm sure the chance of it just being attractive women had nothing to influence your decision, right?"
Kagome quickly stepped in and said, "Guys we should probably get started. The sooner we get to the bottom of this, the better."
Frustrated, Yumi tried to calm herself by doing breathing exercises as the former nobleman yelled vulgar things at her. It had already been five days since the band acquired a village, but the barbarianism in the men's characters had made her wish everything was ready for the blood draining. Slowly but surely, more men that were captured joined him and soon, a whole mob had been assembled and were threatening what they'd do to her when they got out. Yumi just rolled her eyes and tried to think of a happier time, however, while off guard, the leader of the bunch reached through the bars where the prisoners were held in, and slammed her against the cold iron and grabbed hold of her delicate neck. As she was gasping for air, he got close to her ear, his breath heavy with anger, and said, "it seems that your words weren't reflecting your leadership capabilities, isn't that right, wench? A woman cannot be in charge of anything; it is blasphemy. Despite your wretchedness, I must admit you are quite attractive. If you give me a kiss, I won't do all those things I said I'd do... or at least not all of them." At that, the men cackled at the dirty joke he spoke. "What do you say girl?" Yumi stopped struggling, looked him in the eyes and gave a slight nod. "There you go; I knew you weren't completely foolish and idiotic." He loosened his grip a bit to allow her to breathe easier and cupped her face with his other hand. They were only inches away from contact when Yumi exhaled a sweet-smelling powder. Almost immediately, the man dropped her and she stoop up, dusted herself off and observed him patiently.
"What in damnation was that? What did you do to me? I demand an answer!" He reached through the bars again in attempt to strike her, but Yumi caught his fist with ease.
"Nothing lethal. Your strength is weakening at rapid pace, and your health is also quickly deteriorating. Breathing will soon become an extraneous task and you'll fall into violent coughing fits." She explained very matter-of-factly with a coy smile plastered on her visage. Her smile grew wider when the man started breathing even heavier and then cough uncontrollably. "You won't die from this immediately, but you will live with this condition for the rest of your pathetic existence. Farewell and thank you for riding Higurashi airlines. Have a magnificent day!" Yumi turned on her heels as the room erupted into chaos and shrieks of men calling her a demon. As she opened the door, she saw Jakotsu waiting patiently at the door.
"How's the crowd?"
"Well, they were being quite rude to me, but now, they are warmed up for the main event. Knock them dead, Jakotsu."
"I plan to." He gave her a quick smile before walking in, closing the door behind him.
Yumi walked quickly away from the area to avoid listening to the screams of the men as they were about to meet their untimely death. She peered at the nearly-filled pool of blood the group built and collected from the previous thieves and was sickened by the fact that she enjoyed he scent.
"I knew it." A familiar voice spoke, clearly amused.
"Oh, darn. What are you going to do? Tell on me?" She smiled, still keeping her back to her hidden friend.
"You know, I think I might have to. No one liked a cheater, Yumi." He chuckled. Bankotsu walked out from the shadows readjusting his armor. Yumi hugged him but quickly backed away after smelling him.
"Are you intoxicated at all?"
"Who, me? No, of course not, that last place we drained happened to have barrels filled with potent sake, and they tried fighting back and a barrel exploded and drenched us. You should have seen the girls' faces. It was quite hysterical. Why does the scent irritate you in anyway?"
"No, it just threw me off a bit since it didn't smell like your usual scent." The truth was that the alcohol's scent did make her a bit woozy. She nonchalantly leaned on the high wall of the pool and she smiled sweetly at Bankotsu, trying to hide the look of disgust on her face.
"You know, you can just tell me," Bankotsu explained while de-robing his upper body. "I can read you like an open book." Yumi immediately looked up to avoid gawking at his perfectly sculpted chest after she felt her cheeks warm up. "What happened there on your neck?" He walked over to Yumi until there was only a small amount of space between them staring the red hand print on Yumi's neck.
With Bankotsu's naked torso mere inches away from her and his warm breath barely grazing her neck, she waited a while to gain some composure and respond. Yumi looked into his eyes to try to keep her mind off the rest of his physical body and explained, "Oh! Just the idiot who controlled this place. He tried to get rough with me, but that's all taken care of." She laughed nervously but stopped as soon as she saw the concerned look in Bankotsu's eyes at the same time as he reached to gently rub the man's marks on her skin. It wasn't too long before Yumi's face turned a darker shade of pink. She broke eye contact with Bankotsu and let her eyes migrate to his lips as she tried desperately to keep her breathing from getting too hard.
"Well I hope he already got what was coming to him. From what your ravens have been telling us, this should be your last group before filling up completely, right?" Yumi, still staring at his lips slowly nodded, amusing Bankotsu. "Well the in that case, after they deliver all that blood, we'll start transporting this batch." Yumi responded with the same nod as before, this time only slower. "Yumi." Bankotsu whispered as if trying to hide his voice from anyone nearby. At this indication, Yumi's eyes shot right back up to his. "What's going on with you? Why are you avoiding all the killing?"
She hesitated, but then remembered that she can't be watched anymore, and that Bankotsu and Jakotsu were the only ones she trusted besides her league. "I've never liked killing anyone. At least not the real me. I don't even like thinking about it, or even watching people do it. Hell, I don't even like blood!"
"But I've seen you- we've all seen you do so. Not only were you willing, but you enjoyed it." He smiled.
Seeing that Bankotsu didn't turn on her in any way relieved her and she smiled back before continuing. "That was Naraku's fault. Before I even knew who he was, he offered me a way of controlling my powers. Hasegawa's Heart. Yeah, it helped me control my powers, but it made me lose control of myself and who I was- am. Finally, Miyoga sucked out the poison the heart was pumping through my body and I gained control again, and now Naraku can't make me do anything."
"That bastard. I don't trust him. Not one bit. His manipulating you doesn't let me do otherwise, either." Bankotsu laced his fingers in Yumi's hair, and used his hand to push her head into his chest for a tight embrace. After finally realizing what was happening, Yumi gave in and nuzzled into the nape of his neck, only causing him to squeeze her tighter.
Bankotsu laughed to himself and finally broke the embrace, only to blush after seeing a sweet smile on Yumi's face. "You know it's funny, I never would have thought that someone would cause me to change so drastically seeing how... unusual my past is," he smiled, letting his hair loose.
"Your past?" Yumi cocked her head to the side and immediately started twirling a strand around her finger.
"Yeah, that whole mercenary thing. Well, I guess for now, I'm still a mercenary, but only if it's for protecting you." Yumi stopped paying attention to his hair for a moment to look at the seriousness of Bankotsu's face. "The truth is, Yumi, I'm kind of over this killing. There's just something about you, kid, that has made me see the wrongness of it all. Maybe it was the knowledge of you hating to kill and how you've been struggling with it lately, and comparing it to how I'd just kill without any hesitation. Regardless of gender, age, and background. Yes, I've known you hated to kill for a while now, it's very obvious. You might want to invest your time in studying with actors, although, I must admit, you put on quite a show when you're putting Inuyasha in his place" he explained, producing a laugh from Yumi. "As I was saying, though, I reflected upon that and realized this whole mess was just not as fun as I first perceived it to be. Plus, it could have been your influence on Jakotsu and me and how you'd scold us whenever we killed travelers for their belongings. To conclude all this, you changed me, and I don't regret that you did. I just never though that a girl- a woman, of all things, would be able to do that, considering the band's past."
Bankotsu nervously laughed but was cut off by a pair of lips crashing against his. He stood there unresponsive as he wondered if it was real, but quickly returned the kiss and held her tightly once more. The moment between the two started to escalate when Yumi bit his lower lip and pulled, tightening her jaw the farther she pulled. Driven insane by that small action, Bankotsu gently kissed the curve of her neck, picked her up, sat her on his hips and pushed her even more into the pool's wall. Yumi stopped for a few seconds before wrapping her legs around his waist. Bankotsu deepened the kiss on more time before stopping completely after realizing what he had done.
He cleared his throat and asked, "so what now, beautiful? What do Jakotsu and I do?"
"I need you guys to only follow my orders."
"Well besides the obvious, of course. We only followed your orders in the first place."
"I don't know what Naraku is planning right now, but I'm sure he'll be planning a way to get rid of me, you and everyone else so I'm begging you, Bankotsu, listen to me and follow my orders no matter what. No matter how insane they might sound. I want to keep you safe so that we can be together. Always." Bankotsu just stared back at Yumi not knowing what to say. Realizing how childish she might have sounded, she started to babble. "Oh, I, uh, mean you and Jakotsu. Not just you and me being together forever, how weird would that be without Jakotsu, ri-"
Bankotsu cut her off with a quick peck on her lips. "It's a deal. I'll forever be at your side, beautiful. Oh, and Jakotsu too," he laughed mocking Yumi.
"Hey handsome, we're done transporting all the- whoa, whoa whoa!" Isabella yelled in shock after returning.
Jakotsu who finished what he was supposed to do was grinning from ear to ear. "Are we interrupting anything important, because we can come back in an hour or two?"
"No, we really can't." Isabella retorted with her arms crossed over her chest. Bankotsu gently let Yumi back on the ground and winked at her, which made her even redder than she'd ever been in her life.
"Hey, Isabella, I'm sorry darling, but we're just too different." Bankotsu scratched his head as he nervously explained himself. Isabella, when she's mad, was almost as bad as Yumi being mad.
"Whatever, I'm over you. Let's just get all this blood transported back so we can get to bed." She still sounded completely irritated, but didn't react as badly as most would have thought. She whistled, and immediately, two gigantic skeletal birds pushed over nearby trees and worked together to carry the manmade pool.
"Well... I just hope she doesn't come after us with those any time soon" Bankotsu joked before grabbing onto Yumi's hand and following the giants.
"It smells like blood here too, but there's no sign of a village or anything! What the hell does this all mean?" Inuyasha leaned on what appeared to be a mossy boulder, but fell into what actually was a disguised cellar.
"This has Naraku written all over it" he growled staring at a slump of dead bodies.
"Inuyasha," yelled Miroku from outside, "look over here!" He walked outside, joining the rest of the gang and his eyes widened with astonishment. What once used to be a lush and thick forest of greenery was now a damaged pie of toppled trees. Each tree was either completely snapped in half or leaning over to one side, exposing the roots that were being pulled up. Finally he caught a whiff of something.
"Something big was here. A demon, or maybe two, and they have something to do with the cellar of dead villagers back there. They probably passed by not too long ago."
"How do you know all this?" Shippo asked wearily. Inuyasha's uneasiness with Yumi had kept not only him, but everyone else up all night.
"Look over there, there's drops of blood on the trees, and the blood is as fresh as those bodies back there. This isn't Naraku's doing though."
"Inuyasha..." Kagome sighed, already knowing who he was going to blame.
"I'm serious, Kagome. Besides the smell of the blood, I smell those bird girls that follow Yumi around. On top of that, I smell the Band. Unless you could think of another group of bird demons who walk around with revived mercenaries, everything points to Yumi."
"Okay, I know this looks bad, but there has to be some other explanation for this. Yumi's not bad. I can feel it! Right guys?" She looked over to Miroku and the Sango when he quickly averted her gaze.
"Uh, Kagome, I know you want Inuyasha to believe that Yumi's not bad, but he does have a point. There's no one else in mind that would do this."
"Sango, not you too..."
Inuyasha was about to calm Kagome down when he saw a fast moving figure in one of the almost toppled tree top.
"If you're here, this must mean that Yumi did do this right?" Inuyasha yelled loudly and took his sword out in case Yumi planned to attack. The figure in response tried to run off but was quickly tackled down by Inuyasha. There was a loud, high-pitched squeal that made Inuyasha cringe for a few seconds, but he still managed to keep the girl down, even when she squirmed around trying to escape. He forced himself up and lifted the girl up by her collar.
"Where is she? Did she do this? What is she plotting?" Inuyasha interrogated. The girl, shaking in fear, started to cry.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome and Sango yelled.
"Oh, what now?" He looked back at the girls and sighed when he saw the angry looks on their faces. He let go and let the girl plop down on the ground and continue her crying. Sango slowly kneeled down in front of her and put her hands on the girl's shoulders.
"You're the one that helped us out when Kirara was injured, right?"
The other girl immediately looked up and sniffled before nodding. Sango reached inside her kimono's sleeve and offered her a piece of cloth to wipe her tears, however she was denied with a timid shake of a head. "No, please take it. I insist." She sent a warm smile to her and the girl accepted it with shaking hands, and wiped her tears. "If I may ask, what is your name? I don't seem to recall any memory of knowing it."
The girl opened her mouth to speak, but was soon cut off by another voice. "Hitomi," spoke the other voice in a powerful yet caring voice. "I should have known you'd have a few complications trying to help them out. You are dismissed and may go back to your realm."
Hitomi quickly got up bowed, "Y-yes, Miss Yumi. Th-thank you." She then turned around and walked up to Sango, "And thank you, demon slayer," and handed her the cloth. "Your act of kindness has touched my heart." She bowed to Sango before turning into a ball of light and disappeared into the bark of a tree. Yumi was about to leave when she was called.
"Yumi! What makes you think I'm going to let you go this easy?" Inuyasha brushed past Kagome and Sango and tightened his grip on his weapon. "And what did you mean by her helping us?"
"Really, dog boy. I'm not in the mood to be bickering with you, so if you don't mind, I am going to take my leave now." She turned once more but was blocked by Inuyasha who leaped from his place to face her.
"You're not going anywhere." He growled loudly, crouched slightly in anticipation and studied her closely.
"You shouldn't stand so close to me right now. My powers haven't completely settled, so I have random surges of power that escape from me- I can't control them. Now, I'm going to say this nicely one more time, I am going to take my leave now." She tried once more but this time, was blocked by the point of Inuyasha's sword. Her eyebrows furrowed as she squinted her eyes. "Move."
"Like hell, that'll happen!" He shouted.
"Inuyasha! Get over here!" Kagome screamed at him.
"Kagome, we do not have time for this right now!"
"I said move!" Yumi yelled and pushed Inuyasha out of the way. He was going to roll over onto her, but was confused when Yumi wasn't on him trying to fight. He looked up and saw the remains of some creature fall at the feet by Miroku.
Yumi lifted up the sleeve of her new kimono and revealed a fresh wound from something that had grazed her skin. "Crap..."
"Yumi, what is it?" Miroku asked cautiously.
"Spirit leeches. They suck the power right out of you and mock it to use it against you. It was just a small one though. Isabella got covered by them a while ago and now her powers are all out of whack. Hitomi and Almena had to use their powers to properly purify it so it wouldn't cause any more harm. These things don't try to feed on them, but that's probably because they know they'll be instantly purified if they try. That's why I had Hitomi keep a close eye on you guys."
"You knew we were coming, eh? So that whole massacre back there- that was you wasn't it?" Inuyasha jumped up but stayed perfectly still when there were strange chirps surrounding them.
"You know, right now is clearly not the time." Yumi sighed and looked everywhere, waiting for more leeches. "Almena says that they're not too common, but when you see one, there's bound to be a colony nearby. They also never stray too far away from their mother."
"That didn't exactly answer my question, Yumi. So did you do it, or not?"
Instantly, a sea of leaches exploded from the damaged forestry and tried to fling themselves on everyone. Inuyasha swung at them, but they just attached themselves on the blade. "What?"
"Put that thing away or they'll suck the power out of Tetsuaiga!" Before they bared their teeth, he clawed them off and tucked it into its sheath.
Yumi tried to clear out her side by poisoning them but froze when the poison didn't even show any sign of escaping her palms. "Oh. No. Oh, no. Oh, no, oh no, oh no!"
"What are you babbling about, Yumi?" Inuyasha demanded as he sliced through even more parasites.
"Get over here. Miroku, put up a barrier around you guys, and don't you dare use your Wind Tunnel! Quickly!" Miroku did as he was told, but she growled at Inuyasha who made not even the slightest attempt to move an inch towards her. "This isn't the time to be throwing a fit, Inuyasha, now get over here!" Inuyasha growled back at her but still didn't budge.
"Inuyasha, do it! Now!" Kagome ordered.
Before he could protest, Yumi tackled him down and put up a barrier, and just in time. The leeches all froze and let out a thick, brown mist from their bodies and waited for either one to let their barrier down. Soon afterwards, the mother leech came climbing over her colony, killing a few and baring her teeth to suck on Yumi's barrier. Fortunately for them, there was a loud buzz of electricity that rang through the air, followed by a deadly growl from the leech.
"Well I'm glad that worked." Yumi sighed nervously, clearly afraid of their current situation.
"You weren't sure the barrier was going to work?" Inuyasha yelled.
"Can you not, right now? If you haven't noticed, I just saved your ass from being poisoned and having your skin eat you own body!"
"Well I would have been fine without your help, you damn traitor!" Inuyasha yelled back.
"Oh, how great it is to have them paired up again..." Miroku sighed in irritation.
"Awe, man! Now we'll never get out of her if those two are fighting!" Shippo whined. "It was bad enough when Inuyasha would complain about Yumi, but now that they're together and arguing, I'm starting to miss just him being a pain!"
"Oh, shut it you little twerp!" Inuyasha growled.
"Inuyasha, I'd hate to interrupt," Miroku spoke up before another argument started, "but I do not think I will be able to keep this barrier up longer."
"That's fine. These things can only use up the power the sucked for a short amount of time. And since they only grazed my skin, they should be about done. Let's just hope they only mimic the poison. As for the queen leech, though, she can store any power the leeches offer to her for about a day. She's the one we need to worry about." Yumi watched closely and smiled when the leeches sopped and shriveled up after taking in the poison they were trying to use to kill them with. However, her smile quickly faded away when the irritated queen roared once more and deliberately killed her offspring. Beams shot from the dead parasites to the queen and she glowed as she absorbed the powers they stole. "Well that's not good."
"What? Why isn't that good?" Kagome laughed nervously.
"Well, kid. Some of those leeches absorbed a portion of Isabella's powers, and she can break any barrier. Demonic or Spiritual. If she breaks our barriers before this poison clears out completely, we'll all be dead in a matter of seconds. Just a small sniff if that stuff is enough to kill a whole village or two."
"A village or two, huh?" Inuyasha growled. "Is that you trying to admit to something, idiot?"
"Shut your mouth." Yumi looked over to Kagome. "You. If the barriers break, you need to shoot an arrow. I don't care where for the first shot, but that should purify the air enough for us to breath and fight from this distance. Got it?"
"Uh, well you see..."
"It has to be right when they fall. Do it too early and your arrow will prematurely break your barrier and you're all goners. Do it too late, and we're all goners. But no pressure, okay?"
"Yumi! You can't do that to me! It's like you're trying to get me to fail!"
"Damn it, Kagome; just shoot the stupid arrow the same moment they break! Simple!" Yumi took a deep breath in to regain her composure and waited once again.
As expected, the queen leech killed every one of her children to take all the power they had. It let out an ominous sounding chirping and a black light that formed into a skeletal hand emerged from under it. Yumi braced herself and held her breath as the hand slashed at both barriers and broke. Luckily, Kagome was concentrating hard- she let go of the string and an arrow zipped past Yumi and laded by the leech. It screeched and backed away in fear of being purified.
"Just one more, Kagome, you're doing fine!" The leech started charging at them at a quick speed; so quick that when Kagome shot her arrow, it quickly dodged it. "Yumi, this is my last arrow and that thing is moving way too fast!"
"Leave that to me! I'll slow it down, just shoot!" Yumi took a few steps forward and lifted her arms forward and apart. The leech gained momentum and was getting nearer and nearer.
"Yumi, don't get yourself killed!" Shippo yelled out. The leech was now less than fifty feet away and showed no sign of stopping.
"Yumi!" Everyone yelled.
At that instant, Yumi let out a blast of electricity that made the monster cry out in agony. Strikes wrapped themselves around the creature's body as it shook from being stunned. When it threatened to get up, Yumi tensed her arms and the strikes intensified. Kagome shot her last arrow and pierced the monster. The power from the arrow and the lighting collided and fought each other until they fused together and caused a huge explosion. The remainder of the trees toppled down from the sonic boom and everyone was blown back into a shrub, covered with leech blood and guts.
"Oh, fantastic! This was a new kimono, too!" Yumi complained. She wiped the sludge out of her eyes and spat out whatever was in her mouth. She got up and turned to help everyone else out. When she reached out for Inuyasha's hand, he slapped it away and jumped up onto his feet. He glared at her and baled up his fists and then got up in her face. "Oh, well if you'll look at the time, I have to go!" Inuyasha grabbed her by her sleeve and threw her down.
"Kagome, don't even waste your breath." He demanded already knowing Kagome was going to interrupt.
Yumi smirked and her expression changed dramatically. "Now, now pup. I know you want me to stay and play, but I've got things to do and many places to go." Her expression changed again as she turned her head to smile at everyone else. "It was good seeing you guys! Anyways, don't worry about that village. They were all murderous scoundrels. Bye!"
Before Inuyasha could pick her up, she disappeared into the ground as if she never were there in the first place.
"Well, well, well" snickered a menacing voice, "if it isn't my favorite toy."
"Naraku." Yumi knelt down onto her knees and bowed.
"You've impressed me, Yumi. I never thought you had it in you." Naraku, who was in the process of building up his body, used one of his extra limbs to wrap around Yumi's neck. "You may stand up now."
"Yes, thank you. I've decided that maybe you aren't as useless as I first thought you were. Why don't you gather us up a few demons? Do whatever it takes to ensure their loyalty to me. And only me. Got that?" He lowered his limb from her neck to her waist and brought her closer to him. "Do not think that because I'm letting you live that you are safe." More and more limbs started to wrap themselves around her, squeezing her as if they were starving and waiting for her to feed them. "Of course, I will need you to prove your gratefulness to me, right now." a tender mass of flesh took hold of her face and brought her even closer to Naraku. Millions of possibilities to what might have happened next ran through her mind, yet all she could muster up to say was:
"You enjoyed the blood we sent?"
"Oh, yes, quite." Naraku let her go and she fell down with a loud thud. "Blood of the wicked. You really did understand what I wanted. Now leave. You scent is sickening me." With a quick bow, Yumi exited, leaving Naraku in darkness. "So it appears that I was right. The heart is no longer within her
"Are you really that dense that you had to call her in to make sure?" A woman's voice came from under his body.
Naraku lifted a few of his limbs and exposed her to the darkness. "Well, it was a good decision to bring you back earlier than I first anticipated, isn't that right? Now go along and don't disappoint me like all the other times I have brought you back, Kikyo."
"So what exactly are we supposed to be doing, Yumi?" Bankotsu yawned while stretching his arms. Always frustrated with Yumi over the fact that she had acted like nothing had happened in the first place. He placed a hand on Yumi's shoulder and made her jump. "Yumi, are you okay?"
"Me? Yes, I'm fine, I'm just zoning out. I did hear you though- we're looking for allies for Naraku now."
"If we're looking for allies, why the hell are we all the way over here?" Isabella, still weak and more irritated than ever groaned and rubbed her temples. "We'd be lucky to get one of those weak demons that think they're hot stuff, but really the only harm they cause is to them."
"That's the whole point, idiot. Why would we make things harder for ourselves?" She heard a snap of twigs and looked around.
"Hey Queeny, I don't care if I'm indebted to you for the rest of your life, but if you call me an idiot again, I will destroy you!"
"Yeah, yeah that's nice, kid." Yumi walked behind a curtain of forestry, ignoring Isabella. "Everyone stay here, I'll be right back."
"Yumi, you can't go alone." Bankotsu protested.
"I can handle myself on my own, stay here." She shot back coldly.
"Ouch. Come on lover boy, she'll be fine." Isabella raised he voice in attempt to annoy Yumi, "It'll give us a nice time to bond."
"Isabella, shush!" Almena demanded.
Yumi pushed through the thick greens, pulling back branches and trying hard not to trip over tangled vines. She finally reached a clearing and heard a snort. She smiled to herself and relaxed.
"Hello, I allow me to introduce myself." Yumi began. A golden ring came zooming through the air and towards Yumi, luckily she was expecting it and lifted her hand and used a claw to slice through it. An angered pig demon jumped into the clearing with Yumi and grunted I disapproval.
"I know who you are girl, don't play dumb with me."
"You don't know who I am, but I do know who you think I am. You think I'm my little sister Kagome, I've already been told the story. Lord Chokyukai, I am Yumi Higurashi, and I'd like to say that although Kagome and I look alike, we are far from being the same. I came to... bargain, if you may."
"Bargain? I'm not interested in whatever junk you have." He turned, clearly irritated and followed his two followers that were beckoning to him.
"Not even if I offer you my sister?" She smiled slyly. As expected, the pig turned around and smiled.
"What's the catch, you lovely girl?"
"Oh no, sir. No catch. Just your loyalty to my clan."
"That's it? You have yourself a deal, you beautiful soul." He grabbed her hand with his two hooves and kissed it before shaking it. "How are you getting her to me?"
"Leave that to me."
The loud boom of explosions finally lured them to a prairie with a decent sized home. Everyone looked around in confusion. No explosion, no fire, no danger at all. Nothing but a home and a quiet prairie.
"Hey guys!" Yumi jumped from the ground, behind them and scared them all. "Whoa, easy, now."
"What the hell are you doing here, Yumi?" Inuyasha growled.
"The question is what the hell are you guys doing here?" Bankotsu walked out from the house with his halberd in hand, dripping with a red liquid. Jakotsu walked out with him, his sword looking the same as Bankotsu's.
"What the hell? Yumi!" Inuyasha yelled before attempting to swing at Bankotsu. Jakotsu stopped Inuyasha short with the extensions of his sword.
"Why can't we all be friends, huh?" Yumi sighed and snapped. Inuyasha's group, with the exception of Yumi was lifted up into the air and trapped in a dome barrier. "I wouldn't try anything funny, Inuyasha, if you go even near the surface of that dome, you'll be zapped."
Inuyasha disobeyed and tried to use his sword to slice the barrier, but as he was told, he was zapped with lightning and he fell to his knees.
"Yumi, what are you doing?" Kagome questioned as Yumi walked up to her.
"Just preventing a fight is all. I just… wanted a hug." Yumi got closer but was pushed away by Kagome's hands.
"Okay, now tell me the truth. What are you doing?" She laughed. While she laughed, Yumi reached into her sleeves and pulled out a gold headband that Chokyukai had given to her and placed it on Kagome's head. Kagome fell to her knees and stared expressionless towards the house.
"Kagome! Yumi, what in hell did you just do to her?" Inuyasha growled loudly.
Yumi turned to face Inuyasha and raised her eyebrow. She opened her mouth to speak, but Chokyukai exited the house and threw a headband at Yumi. She turned to face him and Kagome stood to joining Yumi as they walked towards him, beaming. The got down on their knees at his feet and bowed to him.
"Why keep one twin when you can have both, right?" He snorted and winked at Bankotsu.
"You, damn pervert!" Bankotsu yelled and charged towards Chokyukai.
"Yumi, my dear wife." Chokyukai yawned. Yumi walked towards him and swung her arm. She manipulated the wind and blew him away into a tree. "I am going to enjoy this!" He laughed. "Now darling, please get them out of that bubble. I don't want their dead bodies ruining our home."
"Yes, master." Yumi smiled and snapped. Their bodies fell to the ground with a loud crash. Jakotsu tried to swing at the pig, but missed when Yumi put up a barrier. The sprites that followed Chokyukai around laughed and then held the door open for their masters.
"Come in, my beautiful brides. Let us enjoy a magnificent feast. Of course, you two will be the one preparing it!"
"We will be delighted, master." The girls cooed in unison.
Inuyasha and Bankotsu ran to the door and slammed on it when it shut, trying to break it down. No matter how hard they tried, they just bounced back.
"The door is enchanted, gentlemen." Miroku cleared his throat. The two men stared at the door but then turned and glared at each other.
"I know how to handle this." Inuyasha sighed. He unsheathed his sword and smiled as the blade turned from its normal state into a blood red blade. He was about to swing when he was interrupted by a punch to the head.
"No, you idiot. If you use that, you risk killing Yumi and Kagome." Bankotsu scolded. Inuyasha growled at him, but Bankotsu stood there, clearly unintimidated.
"That barrier will only let beautiful women pass by, you know that, Inuyasha." Miroku interrupted. "Let's see, who can we use?" He looked over at Shippo but he hid behind Kirara, shaking his head.
"No way! I did it last time and look how that turned out! He'll definitely recognize me!"
"I suppose you're right. Sango, my dear?"
"No! And how dare you ask me something like that, monk!" She yelled.
"Oh boy." Jakotsu sighed. "I guess it's up to me then." Jakotsu cracked his neck and walked to the door.
"Actually, Jakotsu, I don't think that will work." Bankotsu laughed nervously, trying to not to offend his most loyal comrade.
"What are you trying to imply Bankotsu? Huh?"
"N-nothing!" He froze as he raked his brain for an explanation. "I mean, he already knows your face, so why would he think you want to marry him?"
"Now that you think about it, I guess you're right." Jakotsu smiled.
"You two are pathetic." Inuyasha sighed.
"We're pathetic?" Bankotsu yelled.
"Hey, we're not the only ones who just got someone kidnaped from their group! And it is our understanding that Kagome has been under his control twice!" Jakotsu defended.
"They have a point Inuyasha." Sango laughed.
"You're not helping. You're part of this group too, Sango."
"Oh, I know what! Jakotsu, go call the girls over." Bankotsu smiled.
"She was kidnapped by that guy?" Isabella cackled, "This is just so priceless!"
"Isabella, right now is clearly not them time." Almena scolded. "We'll bargain with him." She nodded.
The three walked through the door, and as they guessed, they had no troubled walking in. It was only a matter of minutes until they all came running out, slamming the door behind them.
"What happened?" Bankotsu asked, looking over them to see if they had Yumi.
"Well, before he tried to take us as his prisoners he said there's no chance he's letting go of them. They're too powerful for him to let go of." Isabella panted.
"However, he did mention something about bartering." Almena continued.
Hitomi caught her breath and straightened herself out. No hint of coyness in her body or voice. "If we can find him a bride even more beautiful than the twins and more powerful, who is also willing to be his bride without him having to use the ring, he'll… consider it."
"Oh great, they might as well be there forever." Jakotsu groaned.
"Don't worry, we have a plan." Almena smiled.
For about an hour, the birds sat in a circle and constructed a woman out of clouds and dirt to use as a bargaining tool. Jakotsu, Sango and Shippo gave them some suggestions and the girls added them and altered until finally, they were done. Hitomi blew into the woman's face and she fluttered her beautiful storm gray doe-yes and stood up. Miroku tried his best to not react to the attractiveness of the fake woman and turned his back. The woman had long strawberry blonde hair and wore a white kimono. Her dark eyes were complimented with fair colored plump lips. She had an hourglass figure- a round upper and lower body, but a tiny waist. She greeted them with the silkiest voice anyone had ever heard.
"Hubba, hubba!" Isabella said and whistled. "Okay let's test this girl out. But first, her name will be…"
"Chihiro!" Sango chimed in.
"Yes, yes! Chihiro Takenade!" Jakotsu giggled.
"Oh boy…" Inuyasha and Bankotsu sighed, already irritated.
"Chihiro Takenade, the bird princess of the sun!" Shippo suggested.
"Yeah, that sounds great!" Almena laughed.
"Not you too, Shippo!" Inuyasha shot a strange look at him. "Will she be able to fend up against Yumi or Kagome's powers?"
"She's made of cloud and dirt. She can withstand anything."
"Whatever, let's just give her to the pig and let's go!" Bankotsu complained.
The girls knocked on the door and Chokyukai came out with a twin in each arm. Immediately, he let the giggling girls go and they feel face first onto the floor.
"Master Chokyukai, I have been searching for you for many years searching for you, my handsome prince!" Chihiro too his hood and kissed it repeatedly.
"Deal!" Chokyukai yelled, but his sprites yelled in disagreement. "I mean, yes, she is more attractive, but how do I know that she's more powerful? Yumi, dear." Yumi shook herself off and nodded before lifting her arms and sending a hundred lighting strikes at the girl. No matter how hard Yumi tried. The woman just stood there, not fazed by anything that had just happened. "Magnificent, magnificent, Kagome, here are the bows I made you. It is your turn!" Kagome now stepped up and reached for the arrows she was handed and shot at the woman. The arrows just pierced through her painlessly as she yawned. "Incredible! Now, can she do anything though?" He was immediately answered when the girl lifted her arms up and a strange light engulfed the house. When it disappeared, nothing was left but a plot of dead grass.
"I'll take her! What is your name, miss?"
"I am Chihiro Takenade, bird princess of the sun!" She smiled and went into his arms.
Chokukai snapped and the rings around Yumi and Kagome's heads flew off.
"What?"
"What just happened?"
"You two have been replaced by that major babe." Jakotsu laughed.
"Pfft! Her?" Kagome laughed.
"She looks like a cheap floozy."
"I agree." Kagome nodded.
"Are you two jealous?" Sango questioned.
"No, but if we were replaced, I'd at least want her to be somewhat attractive." The girls both said in unison and walked towards their group. Yumi eyed the woman and then looked at Almena and raised one eyebrow. Almena smiled back as he realized Yumi knew Chihiro was a fake. Yumi walked up to the pig and rested her hand on him as a light escaped from him and into her hand.
"What did you just do, girl?" The pig squealed.
"I look your power. I wanted you to be loyal to our side, but seeing as you are powerless, you are of no use to us. She walked back and picked a feather from her necklace, and in a matter of seconds, her group was lifted up by a feather and were going in a different direction. They all heard Yumi snap one more time and Chihiro changed into a pile of sludge.
"What?" The pig yelled again. The sludge screeched at him and then turned into dust. Chokyukai was in so much fear he ran off with his followers in a matter of seconds and was nowhere to be found.
"Well, I guess we'll just let them go." Inuyasha sighed and smiled over at Kagome. She tossed him a bag filled with goodies hugged him tightly.
"Good boy."
"What is this madness? They're attacking again?" Karan yelled as she let out a ball of flame at Hakkudoshi.
"I thought you have learned from before that you cannot defeat us!" The boy yelled.
Dakudoji jumped down from a tree and froze all the Devas in a shadow.
"Glad we got you to settle down." He smiled and nodded to Hakkudoshi.
Hey guys! Sorry for the wait. I thought I'd give you guys an extra-long chapter for two reasons. One, for not updating or revising and two, for bringing back Kikyo even though most of you all hated her. Anyways, I've been revising and writing little by little so that's why it takes a while for me to update, and school doesn't exactly make it go by faster. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed this and stay tuned for the final chapters!