Back in the bedroom, Kagome wrapped bandages and small splints around Inuyasha's torso. The hanyou had fallen into a brooding silence, stubbornly resisting any attempts to engage him in conversation.
"Don't you think maybe we ought to warn the other girls about the... whatever she is?" Kagome asked, a look of concern on her pretty face.
"No way," Sango said, shaking her head, "Even if we proved that she's supernaturally fast and strong, we don't know what she might do once her secret is out."
"Yeah, we don't want her to go crazy and rip everybody to shreds!" Shippo wailed from Kagome's side.
"She can't rip anybody to shreds, idiot!" Inuyasha snarled, unable to hold his tongue any longer. "She's fast, but she's not much stronger than any other woman."
"Are you certain, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked gently, relieved to see that the dog demon was coming out of his funk.
"If she were strong, I'd have more than just a couple of cracked ribs. I've gotten much worse from opponents who just sideswiped me: she came down on me with most of her body weight."
"So... it is just a matter of exceeding her speed..." the monk thought out loud.
"Or catching her off-guard," Sango added.
"Fat chance," the hanyou rose from the bed, wincing slightly with pain, "I'm pretty sure she's got a better sense of smell than a human."
"Did you smell demon blood in her?" Kagome asked.
"No," Inuyasha responded, falling thoughtfully silent again. The issue of her scent was a perplexing one. "You guys stay here. I'm going out," he said gruffly, picking his shirt up from the foot of the bed and heading out the door. Kagome opened her mouth to protest, but closed it with a cautioning look from Miroku.
_______
Outside, Inuyasha paced the location where the brief squirmish had occured less than an hour ago. He could still easily identify the scents of his friends. Even now, he could make out everything from the uneasiness tinging Kagome's usual fragrance, to the potpurri of emotions rising up from the overly perfumed bodies of the geishas. But the mysterious shard girl... it was almost as though she had never been there at all. He came down to his haunches and dug up a handful of dirt. Closing his eyes, he inhaled the soil's scent, letting the dirt sift through his fingers. From behind him, he could hear familiar footsteps closing in.
"Didn't I just tell you to stay inside?" he asked without turning around.
"You don't think I'm going to leave you to sniff around in the dark all by yourself, do you?" Miroku tapped the ground beside Inuyasha with his staff.
"I didn't ask for any help," the hanyou snarled, rising and walking on ahead.
"Kagome isn't around... why don't you tell me what it is that you know? Or think you know?"
Inuyasha sighed.
"I don't know anything," he said slowly, "Except that there's something unnatural about her smell. It reminds me of--" he cut his eyes in Miroku's direction, "--of Kikyo."
"Hmmm," the monk replied after a lengthy pause. "I haven't detected anything about her that would suggest her being undead."
"There's hardly anything about her to detect. That's just the problem."
"We will have to proceed with caution."
"Yeah," the dog demon said, looking up toward the sky. "Yeah, you can say that again."
________
In the room she shared with two other young women, Kiana was fluttering back and forth like a bird anxious to be free of its cage. Hastily, she threw two dresses and an extra pair of shoes into a small satchel. She yanked the jewel shard earrings from her ears, wrapped them in an old rag and tossed them in with the rest of her scant belongings. In their place, she inserted a pair that were identical in appearance. She threw a hooded cloak over herself and crossed the room, bag in hand, to stand at the window. The courtyard below was empty, but she was uncomfortably aware of the scent of dog drifting from nearby. He was looking for her again... it was now or never. She couldn't risk being around to be caught tomorrow night-- it would be too risky by then.
Forcing herself not to look back, she stepped out the window and leapt to the ground below. Her landing was less than perfect, and in her haste, she didn't notice when the gold ankle bracelet she wore popped and fell to the ground. Still refusing to turn and look behind her, she headed out into the village, intending to disappear into the forest before daybreak.
________
The smell of cat demon suddenly and violently flooded Inuyasha's nostrils. It was the girl's scent... only much much stronger and well-defined. He could make out its nuances-- the tinge of apprehension, the remnants of the adrenaline rush left over from their fight.
And she was on the move.
He turned a predatory gaze on Miroku.
"Get the others, monk. We're on the hunt."
"Don't you think maybe we ought to warn the other girls about the... whatever she is?" Kagome asked, a look of concern on her pretty face.
"No way," Sango said, shaking her head, "Even if we proved that she's supernaturally fast and strong, we don't know what she might do once her secret is out."
"Yeah, we don't want her to go crazy and rip everybody to shreds!" Shippo wailed from Kagome's side.
"She can't rip anybody to shreds, idiot!" Inuyasha snarled, unable to hold his tongue any longer. "She's fast, but she's not much stronger than any other woman."
"Are you certain, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked gently, relieved to see that the dog demon was coming out of his funk.
"If she were strong, I'd have more than just a couple of cracked ribs. I've gotten much worse from opponents who just sideswiped me: she came down on me with most of her body weight."
"So... it is just a matter of exceeding her speed..." the monk thought out loud.
"Or catching her off-guard," Sango added.
"Fat chance," the hanyou rose from the bed, wincing slightly with pain, "I'm pretty sure she's got a better sense of smell than a human."
"Did you smell demon blood in her?" Kagome asked.
"No," Inuyasha responded, falling thoughtfully silent again. The issue of her scent was a perplexing one. "You guys stay here. I'm going out," he said gruffly, picking his shirt up from the foot of the bed and heading out the door. Kagome opened her mouth to protest, but closed it with a cautioning look from Miroku.
_______
Outside, Inuyasha paced the location where the brief squirmish had occured less than an hour ago. He could still easily identify the scents of his friends. Even now, he could make out everything from the uneasiness tinging Kagome's usual fragrance, to the potpurri of emotions rising up from the overly perfumed bodies of the geishas. But the mysterious shard girl... it was almost as though she had never been there at all. He came down to his haunches and dug up a handful of dirt. Closing his eyes, he inhaled the soil's scent, letting the dirt sift through his fingers. From behind him, he could hear familiar footsteps closing in.
"Didn't I just tell you to stay inside?" he asked without turning around.
"You don't think I'm going to leave you to sniff around in the dark all by yourself, do you?" Miroku tapped the ground beside Inuyasha with his staff.
"I didn't ask for any help," the hanyou snarled, rising and walking on ahead.
"Kagome isn't around... why don't you tell me what it is that you know? Or think you know?"
Inuyasha sighed.
"I don't know anything," he said slowly, "Except that there's something unnatural about her smell. It reminds me of--" he cut his eyes in Miroku's direction, "--of Kikyo."
"Hmmm," the monk replied after a lengthy pause. "I haven't detected anything about her that would suggest her being undead."
"There's hardly anything about her to detect. That's just the problem."
"We will have to proceed with caution."
"Yeah," the dog demon said, looking up toward the sky. "Yeah, you can say that again."
________
In the room she shared with two other young women, Kiana was fluttering back and forth like a bird anxious to be free of its cage. Hastily, she threw two dresses and an extra pair of shoes into a small satchel. She yanked the jewel shard earrings from her ears, wrapped them in an old rag and tossed them in with the rest of her scant belongings. In their place, she inserted a pair that were identical in appearance. She threw a hooded cloak over herself and crossed the room, bag in hand, to stand at the window. The courtyard below was empty, but she was uncomfortably aware of the scent of dog drifting from nearby. He was looking for her again... it was now or never. She couldn't risk being around to be caught tomorrow night-- it would be too risky by then.
Forcing herself not to look back, she stepped out the window and leapt to the ground below. Her landing was less than perfect, and in her haste, she didn't notice when the gold ankle bracelet she wore popped and fell to the ground. Still refusing to turn and look behind her, she headed out into the village, intending to disappear into the forest before daybreak.
________
The smell of cat demon suddenly and violently flooded Inuyasha's nostrils. It was the girl's scent... only much much stronger and well-defined. He could make out its nuances-- the tinge of apprehension, the remnants of the adrenaline rush left over from their fight.
And she was on the move.
He turned a predatory gaze on Miroku.
"Get the others, monk. We're on the hunt."