Finally this chapter is done. I thank ChibiChinaDoll for helping me.
Yura of the Demon Hair
It was nighttime as the stars were starting to come out and the dogs started barking in the distance. Mai was in her room wearing a white T-shirt with a v-neckline and in the center of the shirt was a pink rose and wearing black khaki shorts, barefooted.
She was on her bed hugging her Panda plush as she tried to accept from the events in the Feudal Era a few days ago.
"All I know for sure is that really happened. And these ears prove it. It was no fairytale." Mai touched her ears which were soft and fluffy like Inuyasha's, but better.
"Mai! it's time for dinner!" Mai's dad called out.
As a hot pot was on the top of the table, Mai's dad and Mai were eating various items in the pot. It was silent for a while until Mai broke the silence as she noticed her father seemed more quiet than usual as if he was worried about something.
"You don't have to worry dad... I'm here now...I came back from the Feudal Era and I thought about how to get back here to the present cause I know how worried you'd be." Mai said.
"I know...It's just when you disappeared for the past three days... " Mai's dad said.
"You couldn't find me but I didn't leave you behind. I'd never do that...Like mom did." Mai said as she got silent, remembering the pain and anguish her father went through after her mother left.
"I know that you blame yourself for your mother leaving..You shouldn't...She loved you more than life itself."
"But why did she leave if it wasn't me...what was it then?" Mai asked with sorrow in her eyes.
"I wish I could answer that but... it's in the past and we have each other...that's all that matters." Mai's dad said. Mai understood as they went back to finishing their meal.
Some time later, Mai suddenly smelled someone coming. Then she realized who scent it was and groaned internally. 'Please, don't let it be him.' She thought.
Inuyasha appeared before her at the front door. Mai cringed as she looked at him.
"Finally!...there you are!...Do you realize how long it took me to find you?" Inuyasha said with a sneer.
"What are you doing here?" Mai asked, irritated at him for barging into her home.
"Ah… You must be the boy that Mai explained to me about in the Feudal Era," Mai's dad said.
"Whatever...Mai...I need you to come with me." Inuyasha said as he looked at Mai.
"Oh, now you admit you need me? Why? So you can continue to talk down to me and Kagome?" Mai asked, crossing her arms.
"No...that's not it." Inuyasha said.
"Tell me why!" Mai said seriously.
"There's hair that's somehow using the villagers like puppets and tried to cut me into pieces."
"Hair? Yura." Mai asked and then confirmed it.
"Wait...You know who's behind this hair?" Inuyasha asked.
"She's this nasty woman who's obsessed with hair. She wanted my hair." Mai explained as she ran her fingers through her hair tenderly remembering that Yura touched it.
"So...Then we need to stop her before it's too late." Inuyasha said.
"Yeah...Let's get going because it might be after Kagome." Mai said.
"Let's go before it can get to her." Inyasha said as he headed to the door.
"Dad, I have to go. This is important." Mai said as she stood up heading next to Inuyasha.
"Alright Mai...but stay safe." Mai's dad nodded.
Mai and Inuyasha quickly headed to Kagome's house.
"Next time Inuyasha...You know...you should knock before you enter a house instead of breaking and entering like you did at my house," Mai warned as Inuyasha entered the house without a single thought or care of anything.
"Oh I can't wait to-" Kagome voiced out as she was ready to eat her mother's meal that she made for her.
Suddenly Inuyasha slid the door, opened it and saw Kagome in mid eating her food. Then there was an awkward silence as Mai put her hand on her forehead on how things are turning out.
"I-Inuyasha? Mai?" Kagome said, unsure of what was going on.
"Idiot! Who told you could go home?" Inuyasha asked in anger.
"Uh, but uh, where did you…?" Kagome tried to process what was happening.
"Through the well, of course!" Inuyasha said as if that answered the question clearly.
"The well? But the well is…" Kagome started but was interrupted.
"You lie! I made those spirit wards myself! There's no way you could of!" Grandpa said in fury.
"Well I hate to break it to you, old man, but they don't work." Inuyasha said, showing him the talismans.
Mai touched them and it seemed to have no effect on her. "He's right. It's just paper." She said in honesty.
Grandpa started to cry in despair that the talisman didn't work their charm.
"Grandpa." Sota said, trying to understand why his grandpa was crying over some papers in Inuyasha's hand.
"Come on you, we're leaving!" Inuyasha said as he put his hand under her arm.
"No! And you can't make me!" Kagome yelled as Inuyasha tugged on her arm.
"We don't have the time for stubbornness...something bad is going to happen in our time if we do nothing." Mai said.
"Stay right there!" Kagome's mom said as she was in front of Inuyasha.
"Now what?!" Inuyasha asked, being slightly irritated.
"Mom, I…" Kagome said as she started to explain.
"Your ears, are they real?" Kagome mom started to rub Inuyasha's ears.
"Me next, me next!" Sota said in excitement.
"Mom, that's not really cool. Though I did it too, but…" Kagome said as she looked away in embarrassment.
Then Kagome noticed something on Inuyasha's shoulder.
"Inuyasha, do you see that?" Kagome said as she pointed to her shoulder.
"I don't see nothing." Inuyasha said, trying to see what Kagome was looking at.
"A hair on your shoulders. See?" Kagome said as she moved the hair from his shoulder.
The hair started to tighten in her hand.
Kagome gasped as she felt the hair move in her hand. She felt the sting from the hair cutting her skin. "It moved."
"Kagome, your hand." Grandpa said as Kagome's hand started to bleed.
"What is it?" Kagome's mom asked.
"It's here." Kagome said as she looked at the hair. 'Only I can see it.'
Mai suddenly smelled something in the air and realized the scent. "Damn it!"
As Mai, Kagome and Inuyasha ran out of the room.
There was wind passing through the shrine and opened the door of the shed where the Well was.
Dark tendrils of hairs were coming out of the Well as if looking for its prey.
"Hair! Lots and lots of it!" Kagome said.
"The old crone was right. You do have the sight." Inuyasha said.
"You did it! The hair followed you so it came here!" Kagome looked at Inuyasha.
"It was going to happen either way, Kagome. Yura saw us fall in, remember?" Mai
looked at Kagome.
Kagome nodded in agreement. "You're right...We're gonna have to deal with this now."
"Kagome!" Grandpa shouted to Kagome in concern.
"Are you ok?" Sota asked as he and grandpa were getting close to the shed.
"Don't come in!" Kagome said as she, Mai and Inuyasha quickly went inside the shed where the Well lies. Kagome shut the doors to protect her family.
'I've gotta stop it from coming out,' Kagome thought.
Inuyasha was slashing around the air, not even cutting a single hair.
Mai sighed as she concentrated on the scent and not her sight as she dodged the hair.
Kagome gasped. "In front of you!" She yelled, trying to point out where the hair was.
"Where? Here?" Inuyasha said as he was still slashing the air.
Mai's ears sensed something close by so she jumped in the air and caught some of the hair with her nails, careful not to hold the hair with her hand since it cuts flesh.
There was pounding outside the shed as if trying to break through to find out what was going on inside.
Inuyasha slashed the hair but to no avail as there was more and more hair surrounding him. Kagome turned from the door as the hair started to spill out of the Well.
"It regrows even cut. Plus there's so much of it!" Kagome said as Inuyasha and Mai were evading the hair. There was a bundle of hair circling on the ground trying to attack Mai and Inuyasha. Then the hair caught Inuyasha by his left wrist as he tried to break himself free.
Kagome gasped as she saw one hair that stood out from the others. "That's it!"
She saw where that one hair came from for it was only one coming out of the Well.
"That one strand of hair controls it all." Kagome pointed at the one hair strand. She came down the steps as Inuyasha struggled with bundles of hair and Mai sliced it which set him free.
"Here. Do you see it? Cut this one right here!" Kagome said, looking at the hair strand.
"Which one? This one?" Inuyasha asked as he was looking for the hair strand.
"It's no use. Me and Inuyasha can't see it." Mai said as she was looking for it as well.
"I'll have to help." Kagome said as she grabbed the strand. "Like this!"
She then winced as it cut her hand and blood came out sliding down the hair revealing where it was.
"I see it!" Inuyasha smirked as he cut the strand, the hair fell limp and pulled itself back into the Well. "It pulled back in."
Kagome rubbed her hand as the cut stun and looked to the Well.. 'That's not good... Yura's already got my part of the Jewel, so why'd she do this? Unless it's me, Mai and Inuyasha she's after.'
"Let's go right now." Kagome said with determination.
"Huh? But I thought that you didn't wanna go back." Inuyasha said.
"I don't, but I have to." Kagome said.
"What?" Inuyasha asked in shock.
"Both of you wait here. I have to tell everyone outside about this so they don't worry." Mai said as she opened the door, she heard Inuyasha saying something about an item made with hair of the Fire Rat and Grandpa heard it too.
Mai explained to everyone outside what was going on and what had to be done.
"Alright...If it has to be done so be it...Things happen for a reason." Kagome's mom said.
"Wait... Mai stay here for a moment...I'll be right back." Grandpa said as he went to retrieve something from the other shed. "Ah here it is!...it's been so long since I got this from a friend who also works at a shrine."
What he brought out was an ultraviolet blue kimono with beautiful gold designs on the edges of the cuffs of the kimono with a purple grey sash at the waist. He handed Mai the kimono and she was surprised by such a gift.
She put on the kimono as it surprisingly fit her perfectly and the outfit matched the beaded necklace on her neck.
Still she wasn't wearing any shoes, it didn't feel right wearing any. "Are you sure I can have this?" Mai asked in awe as Grandpa smiled and nodded.
"It seemed like the right moment to give it to you since apparently Inuyasha has one to wear as well." Grandpa said. Mai was more determined now that she had an outfit to protect her. She headed to the shed and came down in her new outfit.
"Wow...where did you get that?" Kagome asked in awe of the outfit.
"Your grandfather gave it to me." Mai answered.
'Huh...I guess there were more kimonos made from fire rat hair.' Inuyasha thought. "Well...my kimono will protect her from the hair since they could hurt her."
Mai saw what Kagome had on her head which was Inuyasha's kimono top. "Well Inuyasha, I'm glad you're finally starting to show some kindness." She smirked at him.
"Yeah whatever...It's not like I do this often for others...So Ready?" Inuyasha asked.
"Mm-hmm." Kagome said, holding Inuyasha's kimono top close to her.
"Let's go." Mai said as she, Kagome and Inuyasha went down the well as the colors and space flowed around them. As they made it to the Feudal Era, Kagome noticed that there were hairs in the Well, even though it was nightfall she could see them in the dark.
"Be careful, there's hair inside here too." Kagome said as they carefully got out of the Well and looked around.
"So you're saying what Yura is really after is just us?" Inuyasha said as Kagome was alongside him.
"Well duh. I mean, why else if she already has my piece of the Sacred Jewel?" Kagome said.
"Your piece of the- How did that happen?!" Inuyasha started but then stopped for a moment and was ready to scowl her.
"We don't have time for this now." Mai gave him a look that told him to deal with it later.
"I can see a lot of hair in there. But all we need to worry about is the main one. If we follow it, it will lead us straight to her. I'm sure of it! There!" Kagome pointed the main hair out.
"Got it!" Inuyasha said as they took off as Kagome was on his back.
"You know, I've been thinking. If we had worked together like Kaede suggested, we wouldn't be in this mess." Mai turned her head to Inuyasha specifically as they were running in the main hair's direction.
"I know but some things don't turn out the way they were supposed to." Kagome said.
"So for right now, we should put aside our differences and work together." Mai said as she focused on the task at hand.
"Whatever...let's just get this over with." Inuyasha said as they went across the river to the forest. "A bonfire."
The three of them saw a fire in the center while headless men in armor with arrows on their bodies were circling around it. "Where are their heads?" Kagome asked as she took caution of her surroundings.
"They're guys from the village, or their bodies anyway. Looks like their tops came clean off." Inuyasha examined them.
Mai bent down to them, examining them and caught a scent. 'Yura's stench is all over them.' She thought.
"What's with your claws looking like that?" Inuyasha asked as he looked at Mai's claws.
"I didn't like how pale they looked so I put nail polish on them." Mai said, admiring her nails in the polish she chose.
"Well..it just seems strange to me...that's all." Inuyasha turned away from Mai.
"Thinking of something to try on yours?" Mai asked playfully as she wiggled her fingers at Inuyasha but just when he was going to say something he noticed Kagome bending down picking up something.
"Now what's the matter? I better not hear you say you're scared, or you want to go home." Inuyasha said mockful to Kagome. Kagome turned to him with a bow and carrier full of arrows.
"Actually I thought I'd borrow these." Kagome looked at him. 'If we don't stop her now, even more will die.' She thought as Inuyasha looked at her with a stern look on his face but she was determined to see this through.
Kagome may not like this as much as Mai but this was fate that had put them on this path and they must embrace it, for this may hold the key for their future.
The crescent moon had lit the sky as it loomed over the forest shedding light over the darkness.
"You know you're not gonna hit. Why bother?" Inuyasha said to Kagome who was on his back.
Inuyasha climbed up a tree to get more distance.
"I just need to practice!" Kagome said.
"Practice? Don't you mean 'learn?'" Inuyasha said as he jumped to another tree.
"I'll do it. I really think that I can!" Kagome said with determination.
'Then again, who knows? Maybe she'll do it after all.' Inuyasha thought.
'Huh...I guess he's believing her after all.' Mai thought as they were running towards the main hair.
"They're closer. Lots closer." Kagome said as she saw three hairs shining in the moonlight next to a tree.
Suddenly the tree was cut into pieces just as Inuyasha jumped off without getting hurt in the process. Then more of the hairs started to come towards them.
"They're here!" Kagome shouted as Mai and Inuyasha dodged the hairs without getting tangled in them.
"From the left! From the right!" Kagome said then screamed as the hair was after them.
"There's too many! You need to help!" Kagome said to Inuyasha.
"Me?! I thought that's why you're here! You're really not good for much are ya?!" Inuyasha yelled.
"Well at least she's doing something to warn us from it coming after us." Mai reminded him.
"Left, left! Behind!" Kagome said.
"Give me a break!" Inyasha said as he was evading the hairs as Kagome instructed him to as they slid down to the small valley.
Suddenly a bundle of hairs grabbed Inuyasha's wrist pulling him down further as Kagome was off his back and slid on the ground. Mai went to Kagome's side as she helped her up and they got worried about Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome and Mai said in unison as they looked up and saw Inuyasha tied up by the hair next to a massive ball of black hair.
"A giant hairball? Yura's hiding place!" Kagome said.
Yura came out of hiding as she glided in the air with her hair across the moonlight, then she landed on some hairs in a horizontal line with great balance.
"Oh my, look at the cute doggie. You must be Inuyasha." Yura said in admiration.
"And you must be Yura of the Hair. How'd you know my name?" Inuyasha asked.
"Let's just say a little birdie told me. Everyone's saying half-demon Inuyasha is playing fetch with some reincarnated shrine maiden." Yura said.
"Me? With that half-wit human down there? Nothing doin'!" Inuyasha said as he struggled to get free.
"Oh? You're both half-wits to me, and that girl too. Just look what you've done to the poor Jewel." Yura said, showing them her piece of the Sacred Jewel.
Inuyasha started growling as he saw that shard she had. "That's the Jewel piece she stole from me!" Kagome shouted.
"Who are you calling a half-wit, you pixie cut!" Mai said.
"Once you three here have been wrapped up, I'll go and find the rest for myself." Yura said.
"You, take care of me? When this is over, you're gonna wish you never met me or ever heard my name!" Inuyasha said as he broke one of the bindings, swung at her but she was behind him.
Yura revealed a red comb in her hair as she lifted it up in a fluid motion, more hair came towards the comb and went after Inuyasha.
"Not more of the same!" Inuyasha said as he tried to evade the hairs.
More hairs were produced and went after him, seconds later he got caught in the hairs.
"No, not this again!" Inuyasha said as he was caught once more and was getting tired of these games.
"Such pretty hair, but you really haven't cared for it very well. Look at the split ends." Yura said, looking at his hair.
"Get off of me!" Inuyasha shouted as he broke free and Yura landed onto ground as another set of hairs caught her and sprung her back up. Then Yura's sword slashed Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried as she was concerned for Inuyasha.
Yura giggled in glee as she licked off the blood off her sword. "I'm going to cut you into little pieces." She said, looking at Inuyasha.
"Not if I have any say in it!" Mai declared then the hairs started to attack her but she dodged hair.
"Aw, you can't see the hair yet you keep dodging. How can you tell?" Yura asked.
"Because you and your hair stink, that's why! Little girls wearing heavy perfume, that is so shabby!" Mai said, full of mockery.
"What?!" Yura asked, irked by what Mai said.
"And with the scent of blood combined with it, you stink worse than a skunk!" Mai shouted to her.
"Why you little brat!" Yura shouted. When suddenly an arrow flew by Yura, she turned and saw that it was Kagome who drew out the arrow.
"Get him down right now! Next time I won't miss, I promise!" Kagome shouted as she pointed the arrow at Yura.
"The girl who fell in the Well." Yura said.
"You heard me!" Kagome shouted.
"Oh, I think she wants you back, Inuyasha. What a sweet wittle doggie you must be." Yura said to Inuyasha.
"You know, this little girl act of yours is starting to wear thin." Mai said, starting to get agitated.
"I told ya to hide not draw attention to yourself!" Inuyasha said.
"Of course, her hair's not as pretty as either of yours, but then… waste not, want not." Yura shrugged.
"Not so pretty as theirs, huh? What would you know about it anyway? You live in a world where they don't even have shampoo!" Kagome said as she drew the arrow and the arrow flew at Inuyasha as he had to duck to not get hit by it.
"Would you watch where you're aiming that thing, please?!" Inuyasha shouted to Kagome.
The arrow hit the massive ball of hair and it started to glow in the area where it hit. Then the ball of hair started to break and there were many skulls with only their dark hair starting to spill out.
"Oh no! What have you done!" Yura said in terror.
Inuyasha looked at skulls with hair and realized who they once were.
"Those guys we saw from the village..." he said.
"I'll be putting you in here too once I separate that pretty hair from your head. It's wasted on you anyway. One thing first, that woman over there has to die!" Yura said.
Yura made flames appear out of nowhere from her comb and those flames went after Kagome. The flames had engulfed her as she laid down to the ground.
"Kagome!" Mai shouted as she witnessed her friend being burnt alive.
"There, hot enough for you? You'll feel the heat right down to your bones." Yura said.
Kagome coughed as the flames were around her as she held Inuyasha's kimono top closer to her body. "Help me!"
"I'm coming, Kagome!" Mai called as she tried to get to her but got stopped by a bunch of hairs.
"That's for emptying out my lair." Yura said with conviction.
"Huh?" Inuyasha asked as he was still unsure what was happening as his mind went blank.
"Pity there will be nothing left but ash." Yura said as she admired the flames.
"Come on!" Inuyasha said, struggling to get free.
"Poor thing, I'd almost forgot. Pets are never to be allowed to out-live their masters!" Yura said as she drew out her sword to cut Inuyasha.
"I won't let you, you witch!" Mai yelled as she started to attack Yura.
"Burn in my flames!... Brat!" Yura said as the flames went to Mai but the flame did not harm her. "How are you not burning into ash?" Yura asked, enraged as she avoided Mai's attacks.
"My kimono is made of a fire rat's hair which is flame resistant." Mai said with a smirk.
Inuyasha reached to his chest as he was bleeding a little, he brought his hand out with a fair amount of it. "Blades of Blood!"
Yura was surprised that Inuyasha had a few tricks up his sleeve as he unleashed his attack move as large sharp crescents of hardened blood went towards her.
"Oh no!" Yura cried as she got slashed by the Blood Crescents, she tried to raise her right arm to block the attack but one of them had cut her hand off.
"It's loosening up." Inuyasha said noticing the hair had loosened, however Yura's hand that was cut off was still gripped by the strands of hairs.
"That's no fair!" Yura yelled in fury.
"There! How da like that? Serves ya right!" Inuyasha mocked as he struggled to get out of the hairs.
"I do wish you'd use some restraint when addressing a lady. What were you, grown up in a dog house?" Yura said.
"You, a lady? Don't make me laugh! You steal others' hair just because you have no flowing locks of your own!" Mai said with a smirk on her lips.
"How dare you!...you will pay for that!" Yura screamed.
Suddenly, many of the skulls with their long dark hair started to spill out even more out of the ball.
"Heads up!" Yura called as she had the red comb in her mouth and controlled the hairs with her other hand.
The skulls from the ball started attacking and went after Inuyasha but he smashed the reanimated skulls that were after him. The cut off hand started to move on it's own and pointed at Inuyasha.
Inuyasha was finishing up the last of the reanimated skulls as Yura's decapitated hand got in front of him but he dodged it.
"Stay still. It's much harder to hit when you move." Yura said songfully.
"Yeah, I'll just bet it is!" Inuyasha said he slashed at the hairs to break free and sent another attack on her.
Yura balanced on some hairs, while commanding the hairs with the red comb and a wall of it up to block his attack.
Inuyasha looked at Yura in fury as his attack was evaded.
"Inuyasha! Look out!" Mai warned him as Yura's decapitated hand went towards him and the sword pierced Inuyasha in the back.
He hits the ground with a harsh thud, face first as Yura got closer to inspect him and realized what he was.
Yura's hand was reattached by the hair. "Half demon, half power. I should have known."
Inuyasha groaned as he tried to deal with the pain and lifted his head towards her. "Why you…!"
"Disappointed? I'll bet you were hoping to use this to become all demon." Yura said getting next to Inuyasha.
"The Jewel of Four Souls…" Inuyasha looked up to Yura as she held her sword up.
"Now stay still. If I don't get a clean cut, your blood will stain that pretty silver hair of yours." Yura said, ready to claim her prize.
"Don't you wish!" Inuyasha quickly stood up and punched through Yura's chest and grabbed the pouch.
"Hah, that'll teach you!" Inuyasha said, but then Yura stepped on his hand in fury.
"Why I never. A half-demon I just met sticking his hand into my chest?" Yura asked angrily.
'Wh-Why isn't she dead?' Inuyasha thought, surprised that she was still alive.
"Plus there's the fact you stole my Jewel. Now I have become cross." Yura said.
'Her weak spot. Where is it?' Inuyasha thought, trying to figure out her weakness.
Suddenly, there was a tug on the hair which made Yura aware something was happening near her hair ball. She looked up as Inuyasha looked in the same direction and saw what it was...It was Kagome still covered in Inuyasha's red Kimono climbing up the wall of hair towards the hair ball.
"It's Kagome!" Mai called in surprise and relief seeing that her friend was alive.
Yura turned in that direction and saw that it was Kagome climbing on the hair ball.
"That girl…" Yura said in agitation as she pulled her hair strings with the hair ball starting to shift quickly, wanting Kagome off of the hair ball.
Kagome tried to clung to the hairs as best as she could as she closed her eyes. Inuyasha turned as he saw that Yura's sword was right next to him, so he grabbed it and moved towards Yura.
"You shouldn't of looked away!" Inuyasha said as he cut her in the back but the hairs started to repair her.
Mai kicked Yura's legs to keep her off balance.
"Alright, that does it!" Yura yelled, having enough of this as she turned and went to attack him. Inuyasha got caught in the hairs and was pushed against the dirt wall.
"Heh. When I took your hand, it was like you broke a nail. But now you seem mad for real. What are you hiding that you're so worried about?" Inuyasha asked as Yura was irritated at him.
Kagome pointed up to the rows of dark hairs and saw that there was a one skull that was out of place in the waves of hairs.
"Inuyasha! It's that red skull up there! Concentrate on that!" She called.
"What red skull?" Inuyasha asked.
"I can't see it either!" Mai called.
Yura looked up to Kagome with fury in her eyes as she went after her, with her sword following her.
"Oh no you don't!" Inuyasha yelled as he ripped the hair.
"Stop pulling my hair!" Yura said in fury as she took the hair from the ball to move more vigorously.
Kagome screamed as the hair started moving but she tried to hold on for dear life.
"Kagome!... Hold on!" Mai shouted. Inuyasha got free from the hairs as he looked at Yura with irritation but then the hairs came back to attack him.
Kagome grabbed onto one of the skulls through the eye sockets like a bowling ball.
"You're tangling it up!" Yura yelled as her sword went after Kagome as she gasped.
"Got you!" Yura said in triumph as Kagome screamed as she was falling. Yura used her hairs to catch Kagome and held her up by them.
"What are you? Why don't you bleed?!" Yura asked.
'She's right. Why wasn't my arm cut off? And why wasn't I burned?' Kagome thought.
"Because she's wearing the Robe of the Fire Rat like me!" Mai answered as she clawed through the hair.
"Inuyasha…" Kagome said.
"Even from here you look mortal enough to me. Let's put you to the test." Yura said as she put one strand of the hair around Kagome's neck then started to tighten.
Yura's giggling started to make Mai more angry. "You leave my friend alone, you little rat!"
Mai decided to try Inuyasha's attack as she pierced her arm with her claws, getting them covered in blood.
"Blades of Blood!" Inuyasha and Mai yelled in unison as they tried their attacks together. Many of the large sharp crescent of hardened blood went towards Yura and hit their mark.
The hairs that connected to Yura's fingers started to loosen and the hairs on Kagome started to slip.
"I-Inuyasha… Mai…" Kagome said, starting to faint as hairs started to fall with her dangling on them.
"Don't you faint on me, you stupid girl!" Inuyasha said.
"Don't count on that, you stupid boy!" Mai said to Inuyasha, ready to smack him upside the head as the boy grabbed Kagome. They jumped off the ball of hair that was slowly falling apart and landed in a pile of skulls.
Inuyasha checked on Kagome to make sure she was alright as she awoke and saw him. Then Mai heard the sword whizz by and heading straight for them.
"Inuyasha, Kagome!" Mai shouted as she tried to warn them.
"Inuyasha, look out!" Kagome shouted as he pushed Kagome away as he got stabbed in the right shoulder with Yura's sword.
Yura's sword drew out from him as the hair demon was up on a mountain of skulls, catching her sword in her hand.
Inuyasha turned as he was on the ground of skulls and looked at Yura.
"You again!" Inuyasha growled.
"You forget I'm immortal!" Yura mocked until she sensed something close to the thing that was vital to her and it made her flinch.
"Was that a flinch? I thought immortals didn't show fear." Mai said smugly.
Kagome was hitting the red skull with a sacred arrow, slowly cracking it to get to the inside.
"This here! This red skull! The hairs are connected to her hand!" Kagome explained as she continued bashing the red skull with all of the major hairs in it.
"Stop it! I'll kill you!" Yura screamed as threw her sword at her.
Kagome turned with the arrow in her hand as the sword was just about on her.
"Your mockery won't save you!" Mai yelled as she deflected the sword from Kagome. Kagome turned away from the sword and raised the arrow to the skull, then she pierced the red skull with the arrow.
She broke it which emanated purple rays of light which revealed a glowing item that the arrow pierced and broke it in half. Yura froze in terror as she slowly disintegrated into dust until there was nothing left but her clothes.
Kagome started panting in exhaustion from all that happened.
Mai laid down with a thud as the battle was done. "It's finally over."
Kagome lifted the item in her hand as she raised her brow in confusion..it was a red comb.
"So that's what Yura really was," Inuyasha said.
"Yura was a comb?" Kagome asked.
"Sure. With all that you've seen since you've been here, are you surprised? It's probably got powers because it was once used to comb the hair of the dead. Yura didn't really use it so much as it used her." Inuyasha said.
"Huh...Well what goes around comes around." Mai said.
Inuyasha groaned in pain from the injuries he had.
"Inuyasha! That stab in your chest! It only happened because I have your kimono." Kagome said.
"It's no big deal. What happened to the Sacred Jewel?" Inuyasha said.
It was the pouch on the clothes of Yura that had the Sacred Jewel, Kagome grabbed the pouch as she examined what was inside.
"It's here. I wonder how long it will take to find the rest of it." Kagome said as she looked at the Sacred Jewel shard.
Inuyasha grabbed his kimono and flung it over his shoulder. "Kagome, Mai, let's go."
Kagome gasped in surprise.
"What?" Inuyasha asked in confusion.
"You've never said my name before." Kagome said as she smiled.
"He did say my name once before when he came to get me." Mai said.
"Yeah, what of it?" Inuyasha asked as he turned away from them.
"It's just that I think that you like us more now is all." Kagome said.
Inuyasha scoffed as if to push that idea away like the wind. "Don't get excited. I still think you're pretty useless."
"And I still think you're a jerk." Mai said, annoyed.
"Remind me next time not to save you!" Kagome said as she patted him on the back.
Inuyasha suddenly jerked from it as he went stiff and fell to the ground sideways.
"If it hurts so much, you should have said something!" Kagome said.
"Le-Leave me alone!" Inuyasha whined.
Mai laughed at Inuyasha as she thought that him saying Kagome's name was good progress. As to say it was one step at a time.