Yadda yadda yadda... I don't own Inuyasha, no matter how hard I ask.

With that, on with the mayhem!

Chapter Three: Pillars of flame are a girl's best friend!

Recap:

"Oro?"

            "SON OF A BITCH YOUR ALIVE!?!" Katie yelped, falling from her perch with an ungraceful thump into the ground as the boy glared at her annoyed. "Yeah, I'm alive. Now would you mind GETTING ME DOWN FROM HERE?!" While she sat on the ground, stunned for a moment, fuzzy-ears sniffed then made a face. "You're a damned human…" he growled while trying to move, the arrow in his chest glowing brightly in defiance. Standing up, Katie walked closer, wondering what the heck was in that pocky Kagome gave her after supper, because whatever it was, it was giving her some funky dreams.

*Inuyasha POV*

"~Where am I? I mean the last thing I remember was Kikyo…

KIKYO?!?!

Why can't I move?

Damn it, some arrow is stuck in my chest!

What the HELLS is going on?!?!  ~"

A faint sensation of someone wiggling his ears started to pull him closer to consciousness, and a strange scent……like burning spices, fire and blood.

Human blood.

"Oro…?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~End POV phase~~~~~~~~~~~

"Yeah I'm a damned human, so what in the hell are you supposed to be?!" Katie glared at the boy angrily, ignoring the strange rustling and clicking in the dark bushes behind her back, her attention focused on the guy in front of her. A set of eyes shined hungrily from the shadows, a trail of drool glistening from the moonlight, it crashed through the bushes then, the hunger too much, and the prey too easy to kill. The lower demon came at Katie from behind, as she turned to look over her shoulder to see what looked like a cross between a giant praying mantis and centipede sent her flying to the ground as it crashed into her.

"Food…easy food. Fresh…meat." it wheezed, circling her as she staggered to her feet, clutching her left side.

"LEAVE HER THE FUCK ALONE!" Inuyasha yelled at the demon from his little balcony seat fastened to the tree. He wasn't really concerned about the girl, but she seemed like the type to let him loose if he knew what the hells was going on. She was weird looking to say the least, and her scent was really confusing, one minute human the next... something else.

"~ Holy flying monkeys of death… Fuck! That thing hit me so damned hard… ~" Katie coughed, holding her side as it throbbed angrily. Ribs didn't seem to be broken, but they could have been cracked. "Well..." she spit some blood on the ground, "... I guess I get to show you why people leave me alone, huh, maggot?" Bringing her fist up, she crouched down in a make-shift fighting stance, her eyes seeming to glow as the bug-demon hissed, clicking its mandibles sinisterly. 

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! IDIOT, YOU CAN'T FIGHT A DEMON!" Inuyasha was practically roaring at this point, the arrow glowing white hot in straining to keep him bound. Was this girl insane?! Unless she was some sort of miko, which he highly doubted, she had no chance, even fighting a lower demon like that.  "DAMNIT BITCH, LISTEN TO ME!"

Katie hesitated, swiveling her head in the tree's direction. Taking her distraction, the demon charged in, one mandible aimed to take off her head in one quick slice. Just at the last second, she ducked down, sliding under the moving beast as it screeched angrily at her as she slammed a foot into its soft underbelly, flipping it into the air as she scrambled out of reach.

"IF YOU WOULD LET ME LOOSE, BITCH, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO DIE!!!" Inuyasha screamed as the bug crashed to the ground at the trees roots, practically at his feet, a little voice in his head saying "Damn… she's strong." Taking a defensive stance again, Katie yelped in pain, sliding to the ground clutching her arm where a mandible had sliced it open nearly to the bone. The hunger-crazed demon screeched in satisfaction as she started to slip into unconsciousness, it charged towards her.

"No... I'm not... supposed to die. I finally found him and this is what I get, to be EATEN BY SOME DAMNED GIANT BUG?!?!"

The demon was an arms length away when her hand shot out, a tower of flames enveloping the beast as it squealed in pain and terror, the flames going inside, burning from the inside out, while it's skin burned along with it. The demon dropped to the ground, or at least what was left of it, smoldering as Katie just stood there, a vacant look in her eyes, the flames left the dead demon, surrounding her then disappearing with faint crackles.

"What in the hells did you just do?!" Inuyasha just stared, wondering if his nose was on the fritz, no human could have done that…. Not even Kikyo. He stiffened as she walked towards him, little wisps of flames still dancing in the air around her, she still had that strange look in her eyes, and something else was looking out, someone else. "Inuyasha…" she whispered, his ears flattening at his name. How the hell did she know his name? He'd never seen her or anyone like her before so how…

"LADY?! Get away from the demon, he… By the Gods, he has awoken…" Kaede came through the bushes, some of the villagers behind her giving screams and shouts at the sight of Inuyasha blinking at them with a slightly annoyed look. Unhearing, Katie put her hand on the arrow as it glowed with a strange pink light, and then just shattered. "It's done." She murmured, slumping to the ground unconscious as the hanyou dropped to the ground, flexing his claws, and grinning maliciously at the villagers, who stepped back, raising whatever farming implement they had in defense. "Where's Kikyo?" he growled, as Kaede glared at him. "Kikyo has been dead for the past fifty years. What lies did ye tell her, to let her free ye?!" she shouted, as some of the villagers edged towards Katie's unconscious form.

His eye twitched a bit, but his expression didn't change at the news. "Didn't tell her nothin' hag. After flambéing that demon over there, she just let me loose." He leaped back into the tree branches. "I'm free, and there's no one to stop me!" With a sharp laugh, he disappeared into the dark leaves with a rustle, and was gone. Shaking her head, Kaede hurried to Katie's still form as the villagers poked the bug demons corpse, jumping a bit if it even moved a little. "Hurry now... we must bring her back to the village. I fear Inuyasha is not done with her yet."

~~~~~~~Some quick First Aide and a nap later...~~~~~

*Groan* "Did someone write down that semi's number?"  Katie moaned, opening her eyes, as the room focused into view, shafts of sunlight filtering through the roof lazily, sounds of people and animals coming through the walls softly as they went through their daily tasks. She could barely move, her side felt like someone had used her to break some rocks, while her right arm couldn't move at all. She tried to sit up, but the pain in her side intensified even more if she so much as shifted her weight.  It was then she realized her upper body was wrapped up like a mummy, her arm registered immobile by splints and a sling. She frantically looked up as Kaede moved the curtain aside and walked into the room, carrying a tray and kettle. "What happened?! Where's that bug thing?! AND WHERE IN THE HELL IS MY SHIRT?????" Katie practically screamed grabbing the blanket with her good arm and pulling it up to her chin while the old women chuckled slightly, sitting the tray down near the pallet she was sitting on. "So ye woke up, even after all my medicine, it did not affect you? It matters not, you are healing very quickly. If you were human, you would be dead by now." Katie peeked over her blankets edge, glaring daggers at Kaede. "Can't you get it through your thick head, that I am human you old bat?!" she winced, pain shooting through her side when she tried to sit up indigently, leaning back down as she gasped slightly, the pressure in her side causing her to become short of breath.

Kaede nodded, smoothing the hair on Katie's head maternally. "Ye need to rest now. Just rest."

I'm gonna name the now roasted, toasted, and flambéed bug George!

And the Shikon no Tama has more then one way of showing up!

Stay tuned, and enjoy my Ramen buffet with complementary malted milk balls!

*Watches Inuyasha commence in obliterating the buffet*