Chapter 8
As everyone prepared to sleep, Miroku was distracted with other ideas. To him, Shura's generosity was practically an invitation, and he was curious to know weather a romantic frolic was included in the offer. He waited patiently until everyone was asleep, then slowly crept to the door. He had nearly made it past Inuyasha who was dozing in his path, when suddenly the half demons eyes snapped open.
"Uh…I was going to freshen up," Miroku lied. Inuyasha shot him a weary glance. He wasn't fooled.
"Give it up Miroku," he whispered sternly "she's out of your league." Miroku shrugged off Inuyasha's concern and continued onward down the hall to Shura's room. Quietly he knocked. There was no reply so he tried again more insistently, still no answer. Miroku pulled open Shura's bedroom door a crack and peered inside. There was no sign of her. Carefully he opened the door wider and stepped inside. Shura wasn't in the room at all. The sound of splashing coming from outside drew Miroku's attention to another door in the room. The door leading outside was slightly ajar, and through it the monk could see the rippling waters of the lake. Shura must have been outside. Miroku walked over to the door and stepped out into the night. What he saw next made his blood run cold.
Shura was hovering several feet above the lake's surface, her pale uncovered body seemingly consumed in a swirling vortex of water. Horrified, Miroku ran forward ready to attempt a rescue, but he stopped short when the water parted revealing the demon woman held within. Though she was facing away from him, Miroku could see Shura's dog like tail, feet and ears as well as the blood red stripes on her back and shoulders. The monk gasped in surprise when Shura suddenly turned her head and fixed her slitted yellow eyes on him. Shura raised and arm and thrust it towards Miroku. At her command, a powerful jet of water sprang from the vortex's flow and pelted Miroku against the side of the inn, knocking him out cold.
Her spell disrupted, Shura eased her body to the shore as the waters around her gradually calmed and dispersed back to the lake. Breathing deeply, Shura felt her magic begin to work. Slowly the stripes on her body disappeared, and her powerful demon body became lighter and more delicate. Her padded dog feet morphed to resemble those of a human, and her long tail, and claws gradually vanished. Shura growled under her breath when she noticed her demon ears still remained. That monk had not only interrupted her spell and made it incomplete, he had seen her demon self! She would have to work quickly and cast a spell to erase his memory before he awakened. Shura lifted her kimono off the tree branch it was suspended from, tossed it over her shoulders and fascined it tightly as she approached the unconscious monk. Bending down beside him, Shura lifted Miroku into her arms and softly whispered an incantation into his ear. At first his body tensed as he subconsciously tried to resist her spell, but not even his spiritual power was enough to ward off her magic. Miroku shivered, then went limp as his mind finally gave in and his memory of her demon self faded into nothing. Noises from inside made Shura freeze and set her ears forward. The commotion outside had awakened the others in Miroku's group; and his presence had not gone unnoticed.
Gripped with panic, Shura lifted the monk over her shoulder and darted inside. After concealing her ears with a large straw hat, she walked briskly down the hall to her guests' quarters. Pulling open the door and stepping inside, Shura caught the attention of Inuyasha and the others as she dumped Miroku's limp, sopping wet body onto the floor.
"Miroku!" Kagome gasped as her eyes fell on the monk "What happened?" Shura snorted lightly as she tossed a strand of dripping wet hair behind her shoulder. She couldn't stick around and answer questions, not while her human disguise remained incomplete.
"When he wakes up please tell your friend not to intrude on me again," Shura informed them as she turned up her nose in disgust "It's very disrespectful." Inuyasha couldn't resist a smirk as Kagome and Sango tried to wake up their companion.
"Serves him right," he muttered. Inuyasha perked up suddenly as Shura turned on her heels, and strode towards the door. Her scent had changed somehow. Just then Miroku awakened.
"Wha…what happened?" he mumbled, his mind a total blur.
"That's what we'd like to know." Sango replied. Her voice was filled with both annoyance and suspicion. Before the interrogation could continue Kagome noticed Inuyasha was tense and alert and became immediately concerned.
"Inuyasha…what's wrong?"
Inuyasha sniffed more carefully and confirmed his suspicions.
"I knew something wasn't right with her!" Getting to his feet, Inuyasha drew the tetsagia and started for the door.
"What? What are you talking about!" Kagome cried as she raced after him with Sango, Miroku and Shippo in toe.
"Its Shura, she reeks of demon!" Inuyasha replied as he powered up his sword and charged down the hall. "And I'm gonna find out why!" Inuyasha threw open the door to Shura's room just in time to see her dart outside. "Come back here!" Inuyasha demanded as he took up the chase. Though fast on her feet, in her current form Shura could not outrun Inuyasha. She skidded to a stop as the half demon darted in front of her, and Sango held up a position from behind. Outnumbered and surrounded with no means of escape, Shura nervously stood her ground. Being incomplete, her spell was already beginning to wear off. But until the reversal transformation was complete, she was practically defenseless. Holding his blade high, Inuyasha stepped forward threateningly.
"Thought you could hide from us huh! Well take this!" Ducking to the ground Shura managed to avoid a blow from the Tetsusaiga aimed at her head, but her hat wasn't as lucky. As the garment fell away in shreds, Shura's demon ears were revealed to everyone.
Shura rolled away from another strike and quickly got to her feet. With each passing moment she could feel herself gaining back the agility and stamina she needed to avoid Inuyasha's attacks.
"Inuyasha!" Shura cried as the half demon charged at her swinging his sword wildly. "Pleas stop!" Darting from side to side, Shura evaded the Tetsusaiga's blade my mere inches. "I don't want to fight you!" her pleas fell on deaf ears.
"You should have thought of that before you possessed the innkeepers daughter!" Inuyasha jumped effortlessly into the air and swung down hard with his sword. Surrounded on all sides by her foes and the lake, Shura had no other options but to engage in defensive combat. Reaching up, Shura caught Tetsusaiga's blade between her hands and stopped it mid blow. Her strength surprised Inuyasha who, try as he might, couldn't maneuver his sword from Shura's grip. As both fighters struggled for control, Shura's demon form began to return. Her body started to regain strength and muscle, her feet morphed back into paws, her tail grew back down to her ankles, and the red markings gradually appeared on her face. Once the transformation was complete Shura was left with a distinct advantage in strength and started to gain the upper hand in her power struggle with Inuyasha.
Gripping the earth with her padded feet, Shura forced a jolt of power up her body and forced the Tetsusaiga away from her. The thrust sent the sword flying, and Inuyasha staggering backwards several feet. Inuyasha had barely regained his balance when Shura raced forward and shoved him hard in the chest. Her blow sent the half demon sprawling to the ground, the wind knocked completely out of him. Shura had attacked, not to injure, only to stun and allow herself a route to escape. Unfortunately Sango and Miroku didn't see it that way.
Shura jumped up into the air to evade Sango's massive boomerang as it whizzed past her. She was quick to note that the slayer's aim was much better then Inuyasha's; her weapon came dangerously close to making contact. But that wasn't the only threat she faced. When Shura landed Miroku was there to greet her, and he also packed a powerful weapon. As Miroku prepared to unleash his attack, Shura pulled a small sac from a pocket inside her kimono and threw it at the monk's feet. The pouch exploded as it hit the ground releasing its contents of powerful flash powder. Miroku staggered backwards as the particles ignited and blinded him with a sudden brilliant light. Having stopped Miroku's assault, Shura darted past him and headed for an opening into the forest.
"Oh no you don't!" Sango's cry echoed loudly through the night as she pulled on her poison-blocking mask and simultaneously pelted Shura with a pouch full of fine, toxic, granules. Shura froze and covered her face with her sleeves. She had to commend Sango for her effort; the fine powder she used would have killed lesser demons. But for Shura, poison had to come in very large doses and be very potent to do any serious damage; the toxins running through her own body insured that. Even so, the slayers poison did burn the eyes, and make breathing difficult. Shura jumped up and hovered over the poison cloud. Her senses warned of an incoming attack from Inuyasha, and she managed to refocus her vision just in time to see exactly from where. Once again, Shura dodged the half demon's swing, but this time she stopped her opponent from recovering. Just as his blade passed her shoulder, Shura grabbed Inuyasha's sword holding wrist in one hand, and his face with the other. Then she immobilized him with a sharp jab in the stomach with her knee. Inuyasha went limp in her grasp, and Shura lowered them both to the ground after witch she promptly released his face and seized the front of his kimono instead. Keeping a firm grip on his wrist Shura spoke again.
"Please stop this now! I don't want to have to hurt you!" With his free hand Inuyasha countered Shura's grip on his shirtfront with one of his own on her wrist
"Shut up and fight!" he demanded in a rage. Shura curled back her lips and bared her fangs. She hated to resort to aggression, but it was clearly the only option left.
"Very well then, you give me no choice!" Forceing deadly toxins out of her nails, she burned Inuyasha's wrist so badly that he was forced to drop Tetsusaiga. Shura then yanked her other hand free and landed a fierce punch to the half demon's jaw. Careening through the air, Inuyasha finally came to a stop after he crashed head long into Miroku, who had chosen that exact moment to step in and try and fight once again.
Shura cracked her knuckles and looked on sadly as Kagome and Shippo rushed to her fallen companions side. This was why she hated fighting. A sudden rush of wind from behind made Shura perk her ears, but this time she sensed the attack an instant to late. Shura howled in agony as the edge of Sango's boomerang scraped width wise across her back. The weapon tore through cloth as easily as it did air, and Shura winced as she felt a burning pain erupt on the backs of her shoulders. Dizzy with the scent of her own blood, Shura sank to her knees and waited for the slayer to make the killing blow.
"Sango stop!" Kagome's voice sounded out loudly, and out of reflex Shura looked up in the direction it had come from. During the fight, Kagome had made the observation that the others failed to notice; that Shura was only fighting in defense and her main goal was to escape. "I don't think she's a danger to us!" Inuyasha was astonished by his companions remark, he for one didn't think that was a fair assumption, and he had the agony in his wrist to prove it.
"Kagome are you nuts! She's the demon this town hired us to kill…SO KILL HER ALREADY!!"
Sango nodded her understanding and prepared to launch another attack. But before she could strike a familiar saber-fanged wildcat demon stepped in her path. "Kirara!" Sango exclaimed in surprise as her companion snarled out her disapproval. Before the slayer could question her friend's behavior another figure darted onto the scene.
"What do you think you're doing? Stop this at once!" Mia's enraged shouts caught everyone by surprise. Torn from sleep, and looking the part, the innkeeper's anger was amplified as she ran to Shura's side. The three fighters were horrified.
"Mia! Get away from there!" Sango shouted over Kirara's roars "Your daughters been possessed! Its to dangerous!" Mia ignored Sango's order and continued to help Shura as she struggled to get to her feet.
"That's impossible!" the woman commented, her voice more subdued but her tone just as serious. Faced with the circumstances, Sango and the others interpreted Mia's answer as denial rather then fact and the innkeeper's blunt dismissal of the very obvious truth of the situation really pissed Inuyasha off.
"What do you mean impossible!" he cried with angry sarcasm "In case you haven't noticed your daughter's a demon!" Mia looked first at Shura, then back at Inuyasha.
"Yes, so you see, it is impossible. How could Shura be possessed by a demon if she already is a demon?" Inuyasha opened his mouth to reply, but that was as far as he got. Sango, Miroku and Shippo had similar reactions, and Kagome managed a meek answer for the bunch of them.
"You…you mean you knew about this?"
"Yes of course I did, I'm the one who raised her." Mia replied. Though thoroughly exasperated at this point she supposed she owed these people an explanation.
"What's going on out here!" the leader Yama's voice interrupted before Mia had a chance to explain. Panting heavily, Yama appeared from the darkness "I heard noise is everyone alright?" it didn't take him long to survey the scene and Shura's bleeding back told him the outcome. "Oh my lord Shura!" horrified Yama ran over helped Mia support the injured healer. "Child what happened?"
Shura narrowed her eyes. Something about this scene didn't add up. Why was Yama the only one to investigate the commotion? If it was a loud as he suggested, surely others would have come. Then she caught it, the ripe scent of serpent demon, and it was coming from the village leader. The renegade demon must have used her "distraction" of the demon slayer guests as its opportunity to strike; and dear Yama had paid for both their negligence with his life.
"Its alright Yama. Just a misunderstanding." Shura answered. Something about her tone made Mia uneasy. Despite Shura's serene attitude she faintly detected the note of danger in her daughters voice. Shura knew something the others didn't and it was definitely something bad.
"Well as long as everything's been sorted out." Yama said with a smile as he looked over the group. Then he quickly turned his attention back to Shura. "Now then, I suggest we get inside and tend to that wound of yours." Before they could move, Inuyasha stepped forward.
"Woah woah wait a minute! If you knew Shura was a demon this entire time…why did you ask us to come and protect your village from her?" This time it was Shura who answered, but oddly she set her sights on Yama as she spoke.
"Isn't it obvious by now? I'm not the one your after." Everyone's faces fell.
"You mean there's another demon around here somewhere?" Shippo exclaimed. His remark was joined with Inuyasha's annoyed short and mumbling from everyone else. Shura narrowed her eyes. For being hired demon slayers, this group was sure slow on the uptake.
"Yes…and it's a lot closer then you realize" Pulling free from her mother, Shura seized Yama by the throat and lifted him off his feet. The creature may have adorned the skin of their leader, but she was not so easily fooled. Unfortunately, once again her actions were misinterpreted and Shura was forced to release the demon leader to avoid a swing from Inuyasha.
"Hands off! I knew she was the one behind this!" Shura backed away and watched helplessly as Miroku and Mia helped her foe to his feet.
"No wait!" Shura tried to protest, "You don't understand! He's…" no good. Pleading to Inuyasha was just as useless as talking to a rock. He was ready to take another swing at her when suddenly Kagome interrupted with an important discovery.
"Wait… Inuyasha!" she cried having seen the unmistakable flicker of a jewel fragment on Yama's forehead "He has a jewel shard inside him!"
"What!" Inuyasha turned around immediately and set his sights on the leader Yama. His secret revealed the man started to laugh manically as his eyes changed to the golden yellow of a serpent demon. Mia backed away in horror as a large, jet-black snake ripped from the leaders back. The serpent was easily over ten feet long, with the head of a monitor and the eyes of a cat. A row of spikes extended down the length of its long, scaly, form and a crest of frills adorned its head like a crown. Shimmering brightly in the middle of its forehead was a shard of the shecone jewel. The shake demon hissed loudly as it flickered out a blue forked tongue and turned its gaze on the frightened innkeeper.
Inuyasha charged forward ready to strike, but not only did Shura beat him to it, she used a very familiar attack.
"Iron reever soul stealer!" Shura called as she struck out with both hands and sliced the serpent into pieces. The demons head landed several feet away, the jewel shard still flickering on it. But for once neither Inuyasha nor the others took any notice of it. They had become preoccupied interrogating Shura.
"Where did you learn that attack!"? Inuyasha demanded. Shura said nothing, only looked on in confusion. Why would Inuyasha care what attacks she knew.
"I don't see why it concerns you," she replied. Inuyasha looked about ready to explode.
"Of course it concerns me! The only other demon who knew that strike was my father! It's a move strictly passed down through my bloodline!" Inuyasha stepped forward "Now I'll ask again…where did you learn it!" Shura said nothing. In reality she had no explanation to offer, she had known the attack nearly all her life, like an innate instinct. But how could she explain that to Inuyasha without offending him further.
Off in the distance during the drama, the shecone jewel shard embedded in the serpent's forehead flickered brightly. Slowly the beast's head started to stir. Suddenly, with a mighty jolt of energy and speed, the decapitated snakes head lunged from the ground and flew towards the closest being in its path.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried in horror as the demon's head flew at her with open jaws and fangs bared. "Help!" to late, Inuyasha couldn't move fast enough. All he could do was watch helplessly and shout his companions name at the top of his lungs.
Kagome let out a little cry of surprise as she was suddenly shoved roughly to the ground. A silver and white blur had knocked her free of the serpents attack. Then the air was filled with a new sound. This time it was the sickening thud made when fangs sank into flesh, and it was followed shortly by Shura's scream of agony.