* * 20 years later * *
The remainder of the story takes place after episode 33 "Kikyo, captured by Naraku" and before episode 34 "Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga"
Chapter 6
It was a warm afternoon as Inuyasha and his group of five companions continued on their search for jewel fragments. Despite the good traveling weather, the group's stamina was noticeably lower then usual. The latest bout with Naraku had left each of them more shaken then they were willing to admit, and the loss of Kagome's jewel shards to Kikyo only worsened the team's overall morale.
The air was filled with tension as they continued to walk down a seemingly endless dusty road. It was Kagome who finally broke the silence, but only because she noticed someone approaching them from a distance.
"Hey someone's coming," she announced. Inuyasha stuck up his nose but didn't reply. He of course had seen them there ages ago.
"Who is it?" Sango inquired as the figure drew closer.
"Looks like a villager," came Miroku's response, which as it turned out, was quite accurate. The person approaching them had the appearance of a common farmer. He was traveling with a small, horse-drawn wagon. When he saw the travelers, he slowly eased his horse to a stop. After quickly inspecting the group his gaze came to rest on Sango.
"Hey you look familiar. Aren't you one of those demon exterminators?" he asked.
"Yes sir I am. Why do you ask?" The farmer turned and pointed over his shoulder in the direction they were heading.
"I come from a small village down the road a ways. There's a demon running loose there, causin all kinds of trouble. If your interested, I'm sure you'll be paid well to get rid of the little beastie." Inuyasha was not impressed.
"Sorry old man, but we've got other more important things to deal with right now…." he began but was interrupted by a tug on his sleeve. "What?" Inuyasha turned to Kagome in annoyance.
"Inuyasha, I think I'm sensing a jewel shard in that direction."
"Well why didn't you say so!" Inuyasha turned to the farmer "Tell me, how far is your village?" The farmer was surprised by Inuyasha's sudden change in heart, but decided not to question it. As long as the demon problem was taken care of, that's all that mattered.
The group arrived in the aforementioned village hours later. Once there, Sango met with the village leader and explained the reason for their visit. Not surprisingly, the leader welcomed them in with utmost gratitude. He even allowed them a free stay at the local inn until their task was completed.
"So where is this inn?" Inuyasha mumbled impatiently as the leader gave them a tour of the town. He pointed to a large building surrounded by forest and resting in front of a beautiful lake near the far end of the village.
"It's just over there," he answered moments before he realized the reasoning behind the question. "Oh, here I've been rambling on when you must be exhausted! Come this way!" The village ruler approached the inn, his group of guests in toe. Waving his hand happily, he called out to the woman in charge of the facility. At the moment she was busily sweeping off the front porch.
"Mia! Mia! Come quickly, we have guests!" Mia looked up from her work and smiled. Setting her broom down, she journeyed over to meet the group as they approached. "Mia these people have come to take care of our demon problem." The leader announced as he motioned to the group "Do make sure there stay is enjoyable." Mia nodded her understanding and bid her welcome to the new guests.
"Greetings travelers. You all look tired. Please come in and I'll prepare you something to eat."
"That sounds great!" Shippo cheered. Mia laughed at the fox demon's enthusiasm, and led the way into the building. From there she escorted the group to the dining area and gave them directions to the inn's bathing quarters, as well as to their room. As they went inside, Mia noticed a subtle unbalance in Sango's gate.
"Oh…are you injured?" she asked in concern. Sango looked at her in surprise. She had thought she hid her weakness well enough.
"I was a while back," she said quietly. Mia offered her a compassionate smile.
"If you wish, I'll send in my daughter Shura. She's the healer here." Sango was about to decline, but Kagome interrupted before she got the chance.
"That would be great. Thank you."
"Very well. I'll go get her. Until then, please make yourselves at home." With that Mia left the room. A few minutes later, a tall, elegant, fair-skinned woman, with long silver hair and flowing white garments entered the doorway. She wore a medicine pouch over her shoulder.
"My mother told me one of you was injured." The woman said gently. Once again Kagome took the liberty to speak on Sango's behalf.
"Yes over here." The healer approached, taking a moment to glance over the group. It was the first time such a diverse bunch had visited the tavern. Shura glanced over Sango carefully; she could sense the extent of her injury. It was nothing too critical, but in her opinion should still be treated.
"If you would please come this way." Shura motioned to the doorway "I'll tend to your injuries." Sango sighed and followed the healer reluctantly. Kirara growled with distrust, and Inuyasha fidgeted uneasily. His senses told him there was something amiss with Shura. Her scent was different somehow, but he couldn't place it.
Shura led Sango to a room across the hall and shut the door.
"I figured you'd be more comfortable without the gentlemen watching." Shura explained. Sango nodded in agreement. Away from the prying eyes of Inuyasha and Miroku she was a little less anxious. As Shura prepared medicine, Sango began placing her belongings to the side and loosening her garments to expose her wounds. Shura's eyes fell on Sango's large boomerang and her face went a shade paler.
"An interesting weapon." Shura commented quietly as she started to apply the medicine, she was glad Sango couldn't see her expression. Sango couldn't tell from Shura's tone whether her comment was meant as a complement, so she decided to tread cautiously.
"Oh…yes. My father made it for me." Shura finished putting on the ointment and started to gently apply bandages. Her tone remained as steady as her hands.
"Where did he get the demon bones to make it?" Sango looked over at Shura in surprise. The healer's eyes were focused, and there was no hint of emotion in her face. Though Sango's intuition told her there was something more to Shura's question than simple conversation, the healer was showing no signs that would suggest otherwise.
"The people of my village specialized in demon extermination." Sango finally answered. Shura shook her head sadly as she finished tying the last bandage. It broke her heart to hear the profession of demon slaying was still popular.
"I see." Shura's response made Sango suddenly uneasy. Her intuition was right. Shura was definitely bothered by her profession…but why? Normally people didn't act that way.
"You don't approve?" Sango asked, her voice suddenly low and stern. Shura glanced up and fixed emotionless eyes on the exterminator's face.
"Tell me. Out of the hundreds of demons you've killed, how many of them honestly deserved their fate." Sango was baffled.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, how many innocent demons died at the end of your sword? I'm sure not all your victims posed a major threat to someone." Sango clenched her hands into fists but still managed to maintain her composure.
"So what are you saying?" she inquired coldly. "That demon slayers like me shouldn't exist?" Shura shook her head. She hadn't meant to sound so confrontational.
"Not at all. I believe exterminators have their place. I just wish… " She paused unsure if she should continue considering her company. Surprisingly Sango urged her on. She was curious to hear what the healer had to say about her profession. Shura's eyes fell once again on Sango's weapon. "I wish they'd remember where that place is." With that said Shura got to her feet. She was half expecting Sango to be furious with her, but surprisingly she didn't appear to be. On the contrary the demon slayer was intrigued rather then angry. Even so, Shura decided to wrap things up as quickly as possible. "Your wounds have healed well enough on their own," she announced calmly. "The ointment I applied should help reduce the scarring and restore some of your stamina."
Sango rose to her feet and gathered her belongings. Then the pair of them headed back to join the others. Kirara as always, greeted Sango with affection. For Shura though, the cat demon's greeting was quite the opposite.
"Easy now little one, I'm not going to hurt you." Shura tired to sound reassuring as Kirara hissed at her, but it was obvious she would need more than mere words to convince the cat demon that she posed no threat.
Just then her mother arrived with food. Mia could see the angst in her daughter's eyes. Something about the guests had obviously unnerved her quite a bit. It was an unfortunate situation. Because she herself was busy with other guests, Mia had decided to place Shura in charge of this group. Even with her daughter's unease, she couldn't change her plans now. Mia's gaze fell on Sango who looked noticeably less unsteady.
"Feeling better my dear?" she said with a smile. Sango nodded. "That's wonderful. I'm glad to see Shura did a good job." Shura's noted there was emphasis placed on her name and watched her mother carefully. There was something about Mia's tone that she didn't like. Did her mother know something about these guests that she didn't?
"You know I don't think we were properly introduced." Mia mentioned suddenly. "What did you say your names were?" at this point, Kagome was the only one who wasn't stuffing her face full of food. So she took it upon herself to handle introductions for everyone.
"Well my name's Kagome, the guy with the dog ears is Inuyasha, and over there is Miroku, Shippo, Sango and Kirara" Kagome pointed out the individual group members as she said each name out loud.
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you all. As you know my name is Mia, and this is my daughter Shura. She'll be your hostess tonight." Shura felt like she just got kicked in the gut. Granted it was her job to help out in the inn, she wished her mother would give her more warning. Mia saw Shura's annoyance, though it was hidden very well behind a calm facade. "So if you need anything at all," the innkeeper continued cheerfully "just ask Shura and she'll take care of it."
"Anything?" Miroku suddenly perked up only to be jabbed in the ribs by Inuyasha. Not knowing Miroku's motives Mia continued on oblivious.
"Yes anything. Our leader Yama gave implicit instructions that you demon slayers get only the best." Demon slayers! Shura fixed her eyes on Mia as she started to gather up their guest's empty dishes.
"Uh…mother…may I have a word with you?" Shura asked trying to disguise any note of urgency in her voice. Mia looked up from her work.
"No time to talk now dear," she replied in a calm but distinctly insistent manner. "I have a lot of work to do, and so do you." Shura knew all too well what that meant. It was her mothers clever way of implying there was no way she could possibly get out of doing her work. And when Mia used that tone of voice, it left her no room for argument.
"Yes mother." Shura bowed lightly in compliance as Mia left the room. Shura took in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. Demon slayers or not, her human guise had fooled them thus far, and even Inuyasha, for being part demon himself, didn't seem overly suspicious. For the moment, she was safe. Just as long as the spell she cast remained intact, her guests would never know she was really a demon.
"Is there anything else I can get you?" Shura asked politely. Miroku raised his eyebrows. He had a few suggestions to run by the young, attractive hostess.
"Well actually…" Glares from Sango and Kagome made him rethink his answer. "Um…can I have seconds?" Shura forced a slight smile and left to bring more food. No doubt, it was going to be a very long night.