"Etienne! You hurt Etienne!" Azusa screamed petulantly. Her own battle aura beginning to surround her as she reached behind her back and pulled out a mallet, three times the size of her own head. Etienne was forever marred now. He was now one of those tragic figures, the Once Cute. And it was all Jacques fault.
The twitching ears on the top of Jacques head nearly stopped her, but she strengthened her resolve. Her cute things did not fight. They were nice and sweet and liked to have tea parties – or else.
But, wait? What was that red fluffy thing laying in the grass nearby? She leant sideways, trying to get a better look around the fuming Jacques. There was a rush of air and a faint boom as Jacques's sword passed through the area where she had been standing. Casually, she turned and threw the mallet with all her strength at Jacques. He dropped, a huge lump on his head, and the mallet rebounded high into the air.
There came a cry from the spectators. "Sesshoumaru, look–"
Crunch! And both brothers were down. Azusa forgot about them as she approached her new target.
"Shippo! Run!" called someone.
The little child with the fluffy beige tail, orange hair with an adorable blue bow in it, and startling blue eyes backed away in horror. Azusa took in the way her hair and clothing were sopping wet and covered in little soap bubbles and nearly died from the cuteness.
She pounced on him. "Rosalie!" But Shippo was not without his resources. He jumped up into the air and with a pop, transformed into an ugly pink balloon with bulging eyes.
"Rosalie?" Azusa looked around, puzzled at the disappearance of her target. "Have you seen, Rosalie?" she asked the floating balloon, but it was fleeing as quickly as possible towards the group of people who had been standing nearby. She walked towards them.
"Stay back, Kagome!" said the monk, and reached for some beads wrapped around his hand.
"No!" The girl in a school's uniform grabbed his hand. "Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru aren't tied down!"
"Then how do you suggest we defeat this thing?" asked the other girl, one hand on a giant piece of wood on her back.
"Do you know where Rosalie is?" Azusa asked, entirely uninterested in who they were talking about. They all stared at her. "She's got such a cute, fluffy tail, and that bow…" Azusa could talk for hours about her pets, but they weren't listening.
Kagome's eyes widened in realization that Azusa hadn't seen how Shippo escaped. "Stay transformed, Shippo!" she yelled, hoping that the kitsune's magic would hold. "We'll find something to distract her." She looked around for something cute, but it was too late. Azusa had already found another target.
"Jolie!" Azusa had plenty of experience with cats, especially kittens. In fact, there was a whole room at her house to hold the particularly cute ones that she had happened across – but she had never seen one with two tails. And those strips! So perfect!
Something got in her way. "Leave Kirara alone," demanded the girl with the big piece of wood in a low tone. Azusa stared at her, her lips forming into a pout. Why was everyone trying to get in between her and her lovelies? She was reaching for her second mallet, when Jolie walked tentatively in front of the annoying girl. The cat meowed, stared intently at the group, and began to grow.
Kagome watched Kirara grow, wisps of power swirling around her. "What's Kirara doing?" she whispered to Miroku. And why wasn't Sango trying to stop her?
Miroku looked serious. "I think she is offering herself as a decoy, though she probably feels safer in her larger form."
Kagome looked doubtfully at the young girl in the pink dress. She didn't look dangerous, but she had taken down both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. "But what if she hurts Kirara?"
"I think the only thing Kirara is in danger of is being hugged to death," said Miroku with a touch of humour. Sure enough, the girl had immediately latched onto the large cat with a death grip, chatting happily about how much fun the two were going to have together. Kirara gave them a long-suffering look, but the girl was unable to do more than discomfort her when she was that size.
"We must take advantage of Kirara's sacrifice," said Sango gravely, speaking for the first time since Kirara's action. She led them out of hearing distance of the girl. "If she is a youkai, there has to be a way to kill her."
"She doesn't feel like a youkai," said Kagome doubtfully. And there was something else she was missing.
"Nor does she dress with one," said Miroku with an appreciative eye.
"That's it," said Kagome, snapping her fingers. "She's wearing modern clothing. What if she came through the well?" The others nodded in agreement.
"We must lead her back there," said Miroku thoughtfully, but it was Sango who came up with their answer.
"Follow me," she said. They headed towards Kaede's hut. The sounds of a babbling Azusa and the plaintive meowing of Kirara echoed across the fields.
*****
A/N: The next chapter's the last. Thanks for reading:) Reviews appreciated.