Chapter Three ~ A Friend In Need
Walking through the quiet forest, Kara was beginning to get the feeling that she was being watched. Her nose, still thrown off by the scents of smoke and human blood, wasn't picking up what was watching though. She could hear the underbrush cracking quietly every so often and Kiro was once again growling into the trees. Kita, as usual, was on Kara's shoulder, her eyes scanning the foliage for signs of movement, ready to transform and pounce on whatever was hiding in the trees.
After what seemed like hours of watching and waiting, Kara finally drew the Tetseinga and stepped forward, signaling for Kiro to transform, just in case. Whatever was hiding gave a squeak of fright and leaves crunched as Kiro dove into the trees. He trotted back out a moment later with a very frightened young girl held by the back of her kimono in his teeth. He set the girl down gently at Kara's feet. She was human and couldn't be more than twelve years old. Kara could tell that much just by looking. She didn't need her nose to tell her that. She looked down at the little human, who was now crying hysterically. 'I'm not that frightening, am I?' she thought.
Kara kneeled down to the girls' level, delicately lifting her head to get a better look at her. The girl cringed slightly. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. Did you come from the village that just got attacked? Did anybody else escape with you?"
The young demoness watched as the girls' eyes again filled up with tears. She shook her head. "No. No one else escaped. I just managed to escape with my life. When we heard the demons coming, my mother and I ran to the temple to protect the Shikon no Tama from getting stolen. A demon swooped down and grabbed my mom and tried to get me too, but I had already reached the temple. The demon blew fire after me, but missed and set the temple on fire instead. I grabbed the jewel and ran with it. I managed to get away, so I hid in the forest and that's when you came along and killed them."
Kara just looked at her a minute, stunned that such a little human could say so much, so fast. "So you have the Shikon no Tama?"
"Hai. It's right here," she answered as she pulled a necklace into visibility from under her collar.
The pinkish-purple jewel on the necklace looked like the match of the turquoise jewel in Reiya's sword. For a minute, Kara wondered if there was a connection between the two.
"Was your mother the protector of it?" asked Kara, trying to get as much information as possible.
She braced herself for another long-winded speech as the girl replied.
"Hai milady. The Jewel was passed down to my mother from my grandmother. The demon lord of the western lands entrusted it to her almost a hundred years ago. My grandmother had been in the lords care as a little girl when the Jewel was being reconstructed."
She stopped to breathe. "So now I'm the rightful guardian of the Jewel, but I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm not even done training with my miko powers yet. Can you help me?"
This last question surprised Kara. 'How does she know I have the powers that a priestess does? Was she able to sense them. I can surely sense them in her, but I'm a demon. I'm supposed to sense that kind of stuff. ' Kita nudged her elbow and Kiro let out a slight woof. Kara knew they were nervous about letting the young human travel with them. She gave them a reassuring smile and turned back towards the girl. "Sure. I'll help you. I hope you don't mind a bit of traveling. And I'm sure there will be more youkai coming after that jewel soon, so you couldn't be in better hands. By the way, what's your name? I forgot to ask you earlier. Mine's Kara and those two are my companions Kiro and Kita."
The girl smiled as the two nervous demons timidly edged forward. "My name's Neka."
* * *
"Where are we going Lady Kara?"
The demoness cringed as Neka spoke. She wasn't used to people addressing her as "Lady Kara". We are going to see my brother. He will know what to do about the Jewel. I'm afraid that many problems will arise if word gets out that the sacred Shikon no Tama is in the hands of a twelve year old human girl."
"Who is your brother?"
"He is the demon lord who looked after your grandmother when she was young."
"Really? Wow."
"Please don't be too offended if he doesn't take to you right away. He's not too fond of humans. Your grandmother was a special case."
"Okay. Do you have any other family?"
Kara wondered if the questions would ever stop. "Well, both of my parents are dead and I don't have any full brothers or sisters. So the only family I have right now are two half brothers. And they couldn't be more different. One is the lord of the western lands and the other is a hanyou that I have never met."
"A hanyou? You mean a half demon?"
"Yes Neka"
"What are their names?"
Kara sighed before answering; wondering if taking the girl in had been a mistake. She pushed the thought out of her head. 'Of course it wasn't you fool! If someone else had found her first and taken the Jewel, then we'd all be in deep shit!' She chastised herself silently.
"Kara?"
"What? Oh sorry. Their names are Lord Sesshoumaru and InuYasha."
Walking through the quiet forest, Kara was beginning to get the feeling that she was being watched. Her nose, still thrown off by the scents of smoke and human blood, wasn't picking up what was watching though. She could hear the underbrush cracking quietly every so often and Kiro was once again growling into the trees. Kita, as usual, was on Kara's shoulder, her eyes scanning the foliage for signs of movement, ready to transform and pounce on whatever was hiding in the trees.
After what seemed like hours of watching and waiting, Kara finally drew the Tetseinga and stepped forward, signaling for Kiro to transform, just in case. Whatever was hiding gave a squeak of fright and leaves crunched as Kiro dove into the trees. He trotted back out a moment later with a very frightened young girl held by the back of her kimono in his teeth. He set the girl down gently at Kara's feet. She was human and couldn't be more than twelve years old. Kara could tell that much just by looking. She didn't need her nose to tell her that. She looked down at the little human, who was now crying hysterically. 'I'm not that frightening, am I?' she thought.
Kara kneeled down to the girls' level, delicately lifting her head to get a better look at her. The girl cringed slightly. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. Did you come from the village that just got attacked? Did anybody else escape with you?"
The young demoness watched as the girls' eyes again filled up with tears. She shook her head. "No. No one else escaped. I just managed to escape with my life. When we heard the demons coming, my mother and I ran to the temple to protect the Shikon no Tama from getting stolen. A demon swooped down and grabbed my mom and tried to get me too, but I had already reached the temple. The demon blew fire after me, but missed and set the temple on fire instead. I grabbed the jewel and ran with it. I managed to get away, so I hid in the forest and that's when you came along and killed them."
Kara just looked at her a minute, stunned that such a little human could say so much, so fast. "So you have the Shikon no Tama?"
"Hai. It's right here," she answered as she pulled a necklace into visibility from under her collar.
The pinkish-purple jewel on the necklace looked like the match of the turquoise jewel in Reiya's sword. For a minute, Kara wondered if there was a connection between the two.
"Was your mother the protector of it?" asked Kara, trying to get as much information as possible.
She braced herself for another long-winded speech as the girl replied.
"Hai milady. The Jewel was passed down to my mother from my grandmother. The demon lord of the western lands entrusted it to her almost a hundred years ago. My grandmother had been in the lords care as a little girl when the Jewel was being reconstructed."
She stopped to breathe. "So now I'm the rightful guardian of the Jewel, but I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm not even done training with my miko powers yet. Can you help me?"
This last question surprised Kara. 'How does she know I have the powers that a priestess does? Was she able to sense them. I can surely sense them in her, but I'm a demon. I'm supposed to sense that kind of stuff. ' Kita nudged her elbow and Kiro let out a slight woof. Kara knew they were nervous about letting the young human travel with them. She gave them a reassuring smile and turned back towards the girl. "Sure. I'll help you. I hope you don't mind a bit of traveling. And I'm sure there will be more youkai coming after that jewel soon, so you couldn't be in better hands. By the way, what's your name? I forgot to ask you earlier. Mine's Kara and those two are my companions Kiro and Kita."
The girl smiled as the two nervous demons timidly edged forward. "My name's Neka."
* * *
"Where are we going Lady Kara?"
The demoness cringed as Neka spoke. She wasn't used to people addressing her as "Lady Kara". We are going to see my brother. He will know what to do about the Jewel. I'm afraid that many problems will arise if word gets out that the sacred Shikon no Tama is in the hands of a twelve year old human girl."
"Who is your brother?"
"He is the demon lord who looked after your grandmother when she was young."
"Really? Wow."
"Please don't be too offended if he doesn't take to you right away. He's not too fond of humans. Your grandmother was a special case."
"Okay. Do you have any other family?"
Kara wondered if the questions would ever stop. "Well, both of my parents are dead and I don't have any full brothers or sisters. So the only family I have right now are two half brothers. And they couldn't be more different. One is the lord of the western lands and the other is a hanyou that I have never met."
"A hanyou? You mean a half demon?"
"Yes Neka"
"What are their names?"
Kara sighed before answering; wondering if taking the girl in had been a mistake. She pushed the thought out of her head. 'Of course it wasn't you fool! If someone else had found her first and taken the Jewel, then we'd all be in deep shit!' She chastised herself silently.
"Kara?"
"What? Oh sorry. Their names are Lord Sesshoumaru and InuYasha."