19
"Now I know you remind me of somebody," Inuyasha said, tapping his fingers nervously on the back of Kagome's chair.
Kagome had been studying Amon carefully. The way he spoke, the way he moved, even the cool look in his dark eyes seemed so familiar. But it was more than that. His attitude rang bells all over her mind. He was cold and unemotional, with little or no sense of humor. He was distrustful of strangers, always carried a weapon, and traveled with two companions.
"O my god," she squealed. "I know who it is."
All eyes turned to her but she ignored them and looked up at Inuyasha standing over her.
"Betcha can't guess," she teased.
Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, a blank look spreading across his face.
"Just tell me," he said.
"Sesshomaru."
Inuyasha slapped his forehead with his clawed hand.
"O yeah, I didn't even…"
"Think of your own brother," Kagome finished for him.
"Half brother," he corrected her sharply.
"Half brother," Robin said quietly in Amon's ear. He acknowledged her with a glance from the corner of his eye.
Kagome was so proud of herself that her smile went all the way across her face as she turned back to the others.
"You could be his reincarnation or something," she said, leaning closer to Amon. "You're exactly like him."
"He's a jerk," Inuyasha growled, turning his back.
Amon shot a death stare across at Inuyasha, but Kagome paid no attention and continued in a nonchalant tone.
"Inuyasha and Sesshomaru used to fight all the time. They still don't get along very well at all. It's lucky he's stuck in the Feudal Era."
Kagome seemed to freeze for a moment. She'd done it again.
The three hunters leaned forward slightly.
"You keep mentioning the Feudal Era," Karasuma pointed out.
"Well, yeah. I mean, that's when the legend is from, right?" Kagome said as best she could with her tight jaw.
"Are you sure that's all you want to tell us?" Amon pushed a little harder.
Kagome bit her lip. How could she avoid the issue now? She was about to open her mouth again when she felt Inuyasha's hand on her shoulder.
"Maybe," he said. "What have you got to trade?"
20
Amon gave hard glances to Robin and Karasuma, warning them to stay quiet and let him do the talking. But Robin had had enough. They wouldn't get anywhere dancing around like this.
"We think there are more shards here," she spilled out before Amon could stop her.
Amon and Karasuma closed their eyes for a second, taking a moment. Inuyasha and Kagome's eyes brightened.
"Keep talking," Inuyasha said.
Robin glanced at Amon and he glanced back. The walls were down. With Amon's approval, Robin explained their mission.
Kagome nodded. "That's definitely the work of jewel shards."
"And not just the one from the other night," Karasuma said. "Every witch on that list must have one."
"Jackpot," Inuyasha growled eagerly.
Amon shot Karasuma a serious look and she took the hint.
"It's your turn," she said.
Robin could tell that Kagome and Inuyasha were nervous about revealing their secrets. She could hardly hold down her curiosity.
"Well, for starters, there's a good reason I keep talking about the Feudal Era," Kagome began. With some help from Inuyasha, she told the hunters selected parts of her story. She gave them a brief history of the Shikon Jewel and the time travel part. Robin noticed that she left out certain tidbits, like the location of the portal. Amon and Karasuma must have noticed it too because they glanced at each other every so often. But even without the missing pieces, they lapped it all up like thirsty animals. It certainly had been their lucky day.
"But how did the witches get the jewel shards?" Robin asked in conclusion.
"Does it matter?" Inuyasha answered with another question. "The important thing is to get them back and keep them."
All heads turned as the piercing sound of breaking glass shot through the house.
"Where did we leave the shard, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, already on her feet.
"On the desk," he answered.
"You were saying…" Amon prodded dryly.
Inuyasha turned, about to snap but a heavy thud from upstairs stopped him. Kagome moved first and the others followed her, racing up the stairs to her bedroom. Inuyasha threw the door open first and was startled when his feet squelched into the wet carpet.
"Why's the floor wet?" he asked in astonishment.
"Oh, sorry about that," a smooth snake-like voice intoned. The voice belonged to a young woman who sat crouched on the windowsill. The broken glass spread around her shoes and on the floor below gave her a distinctly menacing look despite her pretty face.
"And just who are you?" Inuyasha asked with his hand on his sword.
"I know who you are," Amon said coolly. He stepped in front of Inuyasha and drew his gun. "You're Agatha Takamaime."
"And you're a hunter," Agatha snarled. She threw up her hand and a jet of water shot out, knocking the gun out of Amon's hand. "How lovely that you're here to meet me like this. Now I can take Mune's shard back and avenge his death at the same time."
"She's got two shards stuck in her hand," Kagome warned.
"Very perceptive," Agatha purred. She threw up her hand again but Robin was ready this time. The water struck Robin's fire shield with an angry hiss and exploded in steam. The grey cloud filled the room for only a few seconds but when it cleared, Agatha was gone from the window. The whole group crowded up to the sill, being careful of the jagged glass still stuck in the frame. Agatha was speeding away from the shrine on a watery platform. The sight made Robin think of a magic carpet.
"There she goes," Karasuma pointed out.
"Not for long," Inuyasha said. He had pulled his sword halfway out of its sheath before Kagome grabbed his hand.
"The windscar won't make it that far," she said.
"Do you still think you're strong enough to keep the shards?" Amon asked.
"She took us by surprise," Kagome explained, getting in between Amon and Inuyasha. "Most jewel thieves come at night when it's easier to escape."
"Yeah, that one must be the village idiot," Inuyasha sneered.
"She's the strongest witch on our list," Amon replied. "There's only one idiot here."
"Did you hear that Kagome?" Inuyasha asked in mock disbelief. "This Sesshomaru-wannabe just tried to zing me."
"Why don't you put your sword where your mouth is?" Amon teased.
"I'll put my sword where your mouth is," Inuyasha snarled back.
"Stop it," Kagome yelped. "Inuyasha, go after her quick. Don't lose her." She turned and faced Amon fearlessly. "And you… You've got a car, don't you?"