Yawning and bleary-eyed, Kagome stumbled onto the rough forest path. It was starting to look as though they simply weren't going to be sleeping tonight. Shippo and Inuyasha were the only two who seemed not to mind: the young kitsune bounced along at her heels, humming a tune of his own invention. Momentarily, he stopped and kicked at the ground.
"Hey, Kagome! Is this yours?" he called out, his voice echoing loudly in the night. "It's a really pretty bracelet!"
"Shush, Shippo," the girl admonished somewhat grumpily, "And no, I haven't lost any bracelet."
Put off by her sour mood, Shippo quietly placed the golden chain into his pocket, opting to show it to her at a more convenient time.
At the head of the line, Inuyasha was constantly bounding up ahead and then running back to the others, like a bloodhound on a fox's trail. He was simultaneously hurrying them along and then insisting that they not get too far ahead, lest their prey smell their impending approach. When Sango suggested that perhaps they should have gotten some sleep and then headed out early in the morning rather than tramp along in the woods playing cat and mouse all night, he nearly bit her head off. From then on, the party reached an unspoken mutual consensus that total silence might be the best course of action for the time being.
_________
Kiana was frantic. Cursing and grumbling, she retraced her steps a few yards, stooping over in the darkness to look among the shrubbery. Where the hell was her ankle bracelet?!?! How long had it been missing?
"Shit," she mumbled, yanking her hair with both hands in frustration. That anklet stifled her scent, rendering her practically undetectable to demons and wild animals. Without it, she was essentially broadcasting an invitation for a free half-breed cat demon dinner. Besides the thought of being set upon by a pack of wolves or worse, another idea crowded her mind: what if she'd lost the ankle bracelet near enough to the geisha house for that damned hanyou to pick up on her scent?
"What are the odds of that, though?" she said out loud in an attempt to calm herself. In the distance, a wolf howled, the sound reverberating through the night. After painstakingly and deeply burying her the rag containing her earrings, Kiana nimbly scaled a tree and curled herself around a branch, hoping that she could mentally will herself to not make a smell.
__________
She awoke to the scent of dog, human and kitsune. Moving more quickly than any human could from a dead sleep to total alertness, she stood solidly on the tree branch she'd slept on and weighed her options. If she could smell the dog, then he mostly certainly could smell her, and had probably been on her trail for quite some time. Even if she did manage to elude them for the day, there was no way she'd be able to manage it throughout the night. What rotten timing. She'd just have to stop them now, while there was still time.
Sliding down the tree's trunk, she took off running in the direction of her followers. She wasn't the kind of girl who waited for trouble to find her.
Inuyasha sniffed from where he sat beside the remnants of a campfire. She was heading back this way?
"Get ready!" he yelled.
"What?" Miroku said, getting to his feet and looking towards Inuyasha.
"She's doubling back. I'm guessing her sense of smell is better than I thought. Damn cat."
Suddenly, the cat demon shot out from the brush, a blur of yellow silk and black hair. Coming to a halt, she stood several yards away from Inuyasha's back, her chest heaving, her hair a wild mane around her face.
"Well, I gotta admit, you've got more balls than I thought," the dog demon said, whirling to face her. "Takes guts to come back here in the shape you're in."
"The shape she's in?" Shippo echoed questioningly.
Inuyasha smirked.
"She's only half demon, and she's waning to boot: I can smell it. Tonight she becomes fully human. She's half out of breath already, just from getting here--"
"Shut up!" the cat demon screeched, stomping forward a step.
"Why don't you just give us the shards?" Inuyasha continued smugly, "You're in no condition to fight. You may be quick, but you haven't got the endurance in this state. Save us all a lot of time, why dontcha?"
"Inuyasha... I don't sense any shards!" Kagome called out, a puzzled expression on her face.
The hanyou frowned. If whatever spell she'd been using to cloak herself had worn off, allowing him to sniff her out, then shouldn't Kagome be able to sense the jewel shards? He could see the same shard earrings glittering in her earlobes...
"Doesn't matter, I can see 'em from here," he replied, still glaring at Kiana.
"You're not getting shit from me," she snarled, taking a step backward.
"Gonna run, little kitten?"
"You WISH!" she hollered, her voice breaking slightly with rage. Who did this asshole think he was? He was nothing but a filthy half-breed, just like her. Gathering all of her strength, she threw her head back and let loose a terrible scream.
"Huh?"
"Inuyasha! Get back!" Miroku yelled out, sensing the power collecting around the girl. The monk didn't know what she was up to, but he felt certain that whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.
All of the companions watched in awe as the girl's figure was lost in a bright flash of light and flame. Her scream continued on, deepening dramatically until it was a full-blown roar that shook the nearby trees. When the flash subsided there stood in her place what looked like a fairly large-sized lion with her trademark curly hair billowing out for a mane.
"What the--? B-but you're just a half-breed!" Inuyasha stammered.
The lion managed a cruel smile.
"Just because YOU are so weak as to be unable to transform does not mean that all halflings are so," came the unusually deep reply.
"Hmph. Weak or not, I'm not the one on the wane. How long do you expect you can keep this form up?"
"As long as it takes!"
With another roar, she leapt forward, every bit as quick as before. She lashed out with one mighty paw, claws sinking into Inuyasha's side. Rather than simply taking a swipe and leaving it at that, she sunk them deeper into him, getting a better hold. She waggled him back and forth several times before tossing him down like a ragdoll.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, running toward the fallen warrior. He sat up partially from where he'd fallen, his shirt torn and drenched in blood. Kagome was charging straight for him, totally oblivious to the fact the the lion had turned its furious gaze on her.
"Get back, Kagome!" he hollered. He had to take this fight someplace else. She might be weakening, but this girl was obviously desperate. In this state, she was liable to do anything to win what could easily become a battle to the death.
"Silly girl," Kiana muttered under her breath before padding quickly towards Kagome.
Grunting with pain, Inuyasha jumped to his feet and leapt before the girl, sword drawn.
"What are you planning to do, Dog? Bleed on me?"
"I was thinking more along the lines of cutting you in half, lion bitch!"
"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome cried, grabbing the Tetsuiga, which promptly reverted back to its original impotent state.
"WHAT???" the hanyou growled. He jiggled the sword a few times as though that would make a difference.
"You can't KILL her," Kagome protested. "She hasn't really DONE anything. I mean, the shards ARE her property... she's the only demon we've met that doesn't seem to have some sort of evil scheme."
"What are you, a mind-reader?" Inuyasha spat. "How do you know she doesn't have an evil plan?"
"She hasn't TOLD us anything. Ever notice that ALL of the bad guys we fight lay their plans out for us?"
"She's got a point," Miroku conceded from the sidelines.
"Fuck.. not you too, monk!"
"If anyone cares, I'm still filled with bloodlust and the will to fight," the lion growled.
"Exactly WHY do you want the shards?" Kagome asked from over Inuyasha's shoulder.
For a moment it looked as though she would be unwilling to respond. But then a soft expression crossed the lion's face.
"They were a gift given to me by my Grandmother, not long ago, just before she died."
"There!" Kagome said triumphantly. "You see? You would have killed an innocent girl so you could rob her of the last reminder she has of her grandma!" Walking around the dog demon, Kagome wrapped her arms around the lion's massive neck. Inuyasha's look of bewilderment deepened as the lion began to weep girlishly.
"Wha--?"
"You poor thing!" Kagome wailed, crying sympathetically.
"Hey! I'M the one with a mile-long gash across my torso!"
"Well," Sango said, scratching her head, "I certainly wasn't expecting THIS."
"You said it," Miroku agreed.
"Hey, Kagome! Is this yours?" he called out, his voice echoing loudly in the night. "It's a really pretty bracelet!"
"Shush, Shippo," the girl admonished somewhat grumpily, "And no, I haven't lost any bracelet."
Put off by her sour mood, Shippo quietly placed the golden chain into his pocket, opting to show it to her at a more convenient time.
At the head of the line, Inuyasha was constantly bounding up ahead and then running back to the others, like a bloodhound on a fox's trail. He was simultaneously hurrying them along and then insisting that they not get too far ahead, lest their prey smell their impending approach. When Sango suggested that perhaps they should have gotten some sleep and then headed out early in the morning rather than tramp along in the woods playing cat and mouse all night, he nearly bit her head off. From then on, the party reached an unspoken mutual consensus that total silence might be the best course of action for the time being.
_________
Kiana was frantic. Cursing and grumbling, she retraced her steps a few yards, stooping over in the darkness to look among the shrubbery. Where the hell was her ankle bracelet?!?! How long had it been missing?
"Shit," she mumbled, yanking her hair with both hands in frustration. That anklet stifled her scent, rendering her practically undetectable to demons and wild animals. Without it, she was essentially broadcasting an invitation for a free half-breed cat demon dinner. Besides the thought of being set upon by a pack of wolves or worse, another idea crowded her mind: what if she'd lost the ankle bracelet near enough to the geisha house for that damned hanyou to pick up on her scent?
"What are the odds of that, though?" she said out loud in an attempt to calm herself. In the distance, a wolf howled, the sound reverberating through the night. After painstakingly and deeply burying her the rag containing her earrings, Kiana nimbly scaled a tree and curled herself around a branch, hoping that she could mentally will herself to not make a smell.
__________
She awoke to the scent of dog, human and kitsune. Moving more quickly than any human could from a dead sleep to total alertness, she stood solidly on the tree branch she'd slept on and weighed her options. If she could smell the dog, then he mostly certainly could smell her, and had probably been on her trail for quite some time. Even if she did manage to elude them for the day, there was no way she'd be able to manage it throughout the night. What rotten timing. She'd just have to stop them now, while there was still time.
Sliding down the tree's trunk, she took off running in the direction of her followers. She wasn't the kind of girl who waited for trouble to find her.
Inuyasha sniffed from where he sat beside the remnants of a campfire. She was heading back this way?
"Get ready!" he yelled.
"What?" Miroku said, getting to his feet and looking towards Inuyasha.
"She's doubling back. I'm guessing her sense of smell is better than I thought. Damn cat."
Suddenly, the cat demon shot out from the brush, a blur of yellow silk and black hair. Coming to a halt, she stood several yards away from Inuyasha's back, her chest heaving, her hair a wild mane around her face.
"Well, I gotta admit, you've got more balls than I thought," the dog demon said, whirling to face her. "Takes guts to come back here in the shape you're in."
"The shape she's in?" Shippo echoed questioningly.
Inuyasha smirked.
"She's only half demon, and she's waning to boot: I can smell it. Tonight she becomes fully human. She's half out of breath already, just from getting here--"
"Shut up!" the cat demon screeched, stomping forward a step.
"Why don't you just give us the shards?" Inuyasha continued smugly, "You're in no condition to fight. You may be quick, but you haven't got the endurance in this state. Save us all a lot of time, why dontcha?"
"Inuyasha... I don't sense any shards!" Kagome called out, a puzzled expression on her face.
The hanyou frowned. If whatever spell she'd been using to cloak herself had worn off, allowing him to sniff her out, then shouldn't Kagome be able to sense the jewel shards? He could see the same shard earrings glittering in her earlobes...
"Doesn't matter, I can see 'em from here," he replied, still glaring at Kiana.
"You're not getting shit from me," she snarled, taking a step backward.
"Gonna run, little kitten?"
"You WISH!" she hollered, her voice breaking slightly with rage. Who did this asshole think he was? He was nothing but a filthy half-breed, just like her. Gathering all of her strength, she threw her head back and let loose a terrible scream.
"Huh?"
"Inuyasha! Get back!" Miroku yelled out, sensing the power collecting around the girl. The monk didn't know what she was up to, but he felt certain that whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.
All of the companions watched in awe as the girl's figure was lost in a bright flash of light and flame. Her scream continued on, deepening dramatically until it was a full-blown roar that shook the nearby trees. When the flash subsided there stood in her place what looked like a fairly large-sized lion with her trademark curly hair billowing out for a mane.
"What the--? B-but you're just a half-breed!" Inuyasha stammered.
The lion managed a cruel smile.
"Just because YOU are so weak as to be unable to transform does not mean that all halflings are so," came the unusually deep reply.
"Hmph. Weak or not, I'm not the one on the wane. How long do you expect you can keep this form up?"
"As long as it takes!"
With another roar, she leapt forward, every bit as quick as before. She lashed out with one mighty paw, claws sinking into Inuyasha's side. Rather than simply taking a swipe and leaving it at that, she sunk them deeper into him, getting a better hold. She waggled him back and forth several times before tossing him down like a ragdoll.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, running toward the fallen warrior. He sat up partially from where he'd fallen, his shirt torn and drenched in blood. Kagome was charging straight for him, totally oblivious to the fact the the lion had turned its furious gaze on her.
"Get back, Kagome!" he hollered. He had to take this fight someplace else. She might be weakening, but this girl was obviously desperate. In this state, she was liable to do anything to win what could easily become a battle to the death.
"Silly girl," Kiana muttered under her breath before padding quickly towards Kagome.
Grunting with pain, Inuyasha jumped to his feet and leapt before the girl, sword drawn.
"What are you planning to do, Dog? Bleed on me?"
"I was thinking more along the lines of cutting you in half, lion bitch!"
"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome cried, grabbing the Tetsuiga, which promptly reverted back to its original impotent state.
"WHAT???" the hanyou growled. He jiggled the sword a few times as though that would make a difference.
"You can't KILL her," Kagome protested. "She hasn't really DONE anything. I mean, the shards ARE her property... she's the only demon we've met that doesn't seem to have some sort of evil scheme."
"What are you, a mind-reader?" Inuyasha spat. "How do you know she doesn't have an evil plan?"
"She hasn't TOLD us anything. Ever notice that ALL of the bad guys we fight lay their plans out for us?"
"She's got a point," Miroku conceded from the sidelines.
"Fuck.. not you too, monk!"
"If anyone cares, I'm still filled with bloodlust and the will to fight," the lion growled.
"Exactly WHY do you want the shards?" Kagome asked from over Inuyasha's shoulder.
For a moment it looked as though she would be unwilling to respond. But then a soft expression crossed the lion's face.
"They were a gift given to me by my Grandmother, not long ago, just before she died."
"There!" Kagome said triumphantly. "You see? You would have killed an innocent girl so you could rob her of the last reminder she has of her grandma!" Walking around the dog demon, Kagome wrapped her arms around the lion's massive neck. Inuyasha's look of bewilderment deepened as the lion began to weep girlishly.
"Wha--?"
"You poor thing!" Kagome wailed, crying sympathetically.
"Hey! I'M the one with a mile-long gash across my torso!"
"Well," Sango said, scratching her head, "I certainly wasn't expecting THIS."
"You said it," Miroku agreed.