Miyabita

By Kumori Ookami

Scroll Two: Not a Demon?

Kagome slung her huge backpack over her shoulders, unknowingly knocking Miroku over with it. "He had honorable intentions, of course," scoffed Sango when the young miko turned around and apologized. Shippo sweat dropped and smiled, still not understanding what happened, and Inuyasha didn't notice, he was too far ahead.

The group turned to the path, towards the early sun, but stopped when a feminine voice whined, "Oh…leaving already?" They all turned around and jumped when they saw whom the voice belonged to. It was a girl that didn't look much older than Kagome and was a few inches shorter. Her face could be described as a mix of cute and beautiful. She had dark brown hair that would've reached past her knees if it wasn't up in two buns on the top/sides of her head, her bangs loose in her icy blue eyes. She was rather busty for her age appearance, and Miroku stared at her wide-eyed. She made a mental note to teach him why girls don't like being stared at later. A navy-blue dress hung around her, clasped at her left shoulder. The skirt part draped down around her legs, only it had a slip up the right side so it only covered her left leg the way she was standing. Her outfit accentuated her figure. Accessories that looked like ivory wrapped smoothly around her right leg and left wrist. A staff like Miroku's was lightly held in her hand; it was made of pale gray marble and it was thin and had a ring at the top. Nestled in the top was a sapphire…or at least, it looked like one, but Shippo discovered that the gem changed colors under the sunlight. But what caught Kirara's attention was the girl's cat tail, the end draped casually around the middle of her staff.

Kagome was about to ask if the girl was a hanyou when she 'tsk'ed. "No, no, sweetie, don't you know how important introductions are? First impressions and all that." She raised her eyebrows when Inuyasha pulled out Tetsusaiga and held it aggressively towards her. "Well!" she declared indignantly. "If you don't start talkin' then my first impression will be you're an enemy. What d'ya want with us?" Kagome was going to scold him but she was a little curious herself. "My name," the girl started, her tail twitching irritably, "is Karo-kusa Anrui. I go by Kay with my friends but you don't seem the type." Inuyasha relaxed a little at her name but growled. "You didn't answer my question…" Shippo hid behind Kagome's legs. He hated when Inuyasha got mad but sometimes it was the direction of the hanyou's hostility that scared him more. Karo-kusa shrugged, "I was bored. Say," she said absentmindedly, as though she already knew, "aren't you Inuyasha?" "What's it to ya?" "Nothing, just that I've heard of you before." "Well, I've never heard of you before, and--" She interrupted him, "Oh, you haven't? That's too bad. True that I am not a half-and half but I am unique in my own way--oh!"

Inuyasha swung his blade in the form of the Wind Scar attack. Her aura wasn't evil but he was sick of listening to her.

The girl gasped and leapt back. When the effects of the attack faded she was standing with her hand on her hip, but this time she was glaring at him. "I meant that as a good thing." Her tail twitched irritably. "You jump to conclusions and look where it gets you…" she finished with a small sigh.

Inuyasha unleashed all his pent up frustration and 'indecisiveness' from last night's thoughts when he lunged at the offensive cat girl. He swung the Tetsusaiga at her when he was close, but she spun her staff behind her twice before bringing it in front of her and using it to block the sword. Even transformed and with Inuyasha putting all his weight behind it, the blade could only move her staff an inch back, which she corrected by pressing her foot to the bottom of the marble rod. Her quick fluid movements involved only the use of a hand and a foot, without struggling. Her other hand still rested on her hip. Inuyasha barked his earlier question, "What do ya want with us?" Karo-kusa shrugged without wavering in her block, "I already told you, I was bored and needed a little excitement." "Oh, c'mon, there's gotta be something else," he shouted as he tried to push her back.. "If it's the Shikon no Tama you're thinking about," she said calmly, "that's not it." He growled; she wasn't giving him any real answers. At least that threat was lifted, but if it wasn't for the jewel, then what? The only time he could remember someone attacking them and not wanting a shard from it was when Sango thought he had destroyed her village. But if that was the case with Karo-kusa, then why wasn't she more violent or saying such? This was getting too confusing, so he focused on the girl again.

'This girl really is stronger than Inuyasha! She isn't even trying!' thought Kagome as she and the others stared in awe. Inuyasha bared his fangs in aggression and the annoyance that came when he realized the same thing.

Sango called for Kirara and jumped on her back, but the cat/fire demon had only gone a few leaps when she stopped and refused to go any further. "What's wrong Kirara?" The demon exterminator jumped down and decided to run for her attack, but when she swung her Hiraikotsu it bounced off of nothing but air. She dipped to pick it up but lost her balance. Automatically putting her hand out she was shocked to find that she was actually supported by some force, an invisible wall. "There's a barrier!" She yelled back to her friends. 'Kirara must have sensed it…' They all watched the battle, now painfully knowing that they could do nothing about it.

In one quick movement Inuyasha brought the sword around her staff and pulled it from her hands, tossing it far behind him out of her reach. He stabbed at her with his sword but she did a sort of back-handspring and avoided it. She stayed quiet while dodging the little slices through the air by her that his sword made. 'He's really slow.' She did a few tricks that looked like gymnastics around his attacks, which just pissed him off more. 'Her methods are childish…' Miroku was thinking, 'but fluid, and…almost seductive…' He mentally smacked himself for that one but had to smile.

Kay piped up suddenly between dodges. "Hey, don't you have an older half-brother or something?" Inuyasha growled, "The hell does Sesshomaru have to do with this?" She smirked. "I thought so, He's a bit on the feminine side in appearance, isn't he? Wears makeup, fluffy boa, manicured nails…" Inuyasha grinned and almost even laughed. Her sense of humor suddenly made her one of the few people that he fought with but liked instantly. He decided she was alright, as long as she didn't try anything stupid. "Ya know, though," Kay continued, "for such a colorful guy he sure is boring. No expression. You're more fun to fight."

Inuyasha's breath caught quick in his throat. "W-…what? You've fought--" but he blinked and suddenly she was gone. His eyes grew wide and he turned around to the others, shocked, only to find Kay standing on the tip of his sword as he had it over his shoulder (~trust me, he can see her the way he is, just use your imagination and you'll get what I'm trying to say). He blinked and slowly moved the sword up and down. She didn't weigh a thing! He couldn't even feel her bring down the blade at all. And miraculously she held her staff in her hands. She had enough speed to get the staff and be standing on Inuyasha's sword before he even noticed. She examined her weapon, frowned, then jerked up with a death glare towards Inuyasha. She shoved the marble in his face. "This was expensive, you know." "…..Nani?" "Look. You nicked it. A whole piece is off, right there, see?" He squinted his eyes and noticed that, indeed, the blade had chipped a piece of the smooth stone off. His eyes lifted back to hers, almost apologizing. But her eyes were dancing and she laughed. "Don't think a thing of it. It still works, that's all that matters." She smiled, one of those cute grins that take up half the person's face and their eyes squeeze shut. Inuyasha and everyone else sweatdropped.

"But don't think that covers it…" she glared suddenly and growled. 'I didn't know that a cat youkai or whatever would be able to growl…' Inuyasha's thoughts were interrupted, though, when she snarled and lunged at him. She swung her staff at him and it barely missed his head as he ducked. The marble flickered and turned to metal, morphed into a sword before the inu hanyou's eyes, just before it was pressed none too gently to his neck.

This wouldn't be too much of a problem had the girl not just pried Inuyasha's fingers from his sword and tossed the blade far behind her.

Kagome screamed and ran towards him, thinking that she would do whatever possible to get this suddenly blood-lusting cat girl away from her hanyou. Sango had to wrap her arm around the young miko's waist to stop her from hitting the barrier, as hard as she was running, but she still struggled to go to him.

Karo-kusa's newly transformed sword barely slit his neck. The cut would heal very soon with his demon blood, but the threat was not lessened.

Inuyasha bared a fang at the girl, but stopped growling and flicked an ear back at Kagome. She shouted his name before she wrenched herself from Sango's grasp and flung herself at the barrier. She called out to him again and pounded on the force like glass, only it did not shatter like she desperately hoped it would. Her friends behind her reminded her sadly that there was nothing she could do right now, but she glanced at them over her shoulder. The look in her eyes pained them. "She just got rid of his sword! Don't you know what that means? His demon blood could take over any time now!" The others' eyes widened; they had forgotten that important detail.

Kagome turned again to the barrier and yelled at Karo-kusa, "Listen to me, you have to give him his sword back! Without it--" "Yeah RIGHT!" the neko shouted back. "Give the sword back to someone who's trying to kill me?" "EXCUSE me?!?!" Inuyasha barked under her. "Who's trying to kill who? I was defending myself! Get your facts straight, woman!" He realized what happened without the Tetsusaiga in his hands as well, but since there was obviously no convincing this girl he decided to focus on suppressing his youkai blood. 'I can't do this now…I could kill all of them…I can't do that!' he kept thinking, not that that helped.

Karo-kusa looked down at her opponent curiously. "What the hell…?" His scent was changing slightly, still his, but less…human. Briefly fear gripped her heart but she did not back up.

Kagome couldn't helped but be terrified as she watched Inuyasha.

When his eyes closed, they were gold. When they opened they were flooded with blood red.

KO: MWAHAHAHAHAZ!! XDv Is this awesome or what???

Inuyasha: O.O …Dammit…

Kagome: *covering Shippo's ears* Inuyasha! Watch it!

Sango: What are you putting us through?

Karo-kusa: YOU?!?! Need I remind you that I am on the same side of the barrier as him! *points to the inu hanyou*

'Him': Feh. It's just a story.

KO: No, it's my masterpiece! *looks at the computer as it radiates with a heavenly glow*

Miroku: Perhaps I could take Inuyasha's place…*thinking thoughts about how no one else would be able to get through*

Sango: *whacks him on the head with her boomerang*

Miroku: @v@

KO: ^^;;

Sango: *cheerfully* Read and review, please! ^-^

Hello, Sango speaking…Well, we do seem to have a bit of a problem. Karo-kusa took Tetsusaiga away from Inuyasha, therefore getting rid of what she thought, I suppose, was the only threat. If only she knew…I just hope that this barrier can hold up to him! And even Kagome's "Osuwari"s aren't working! Miroku says that the spell used for the barrier was to sort of create another world that is separate from everything else. I find myself in a horribly similar position to the neko, though, when she gets the chance to explain why she attacked Inuyasha in the first place, but sympathy won't help us now! Next time on 'Miyabita': "The Power Within." Kagome, what are you doing?!?