Yours Truly,
Lady Quinn
Shippo ran to catch up with the others, who were conversing with Sen. 'I don't like Sen...' Shippo thought, 'Why would she want us to think that lady stuck to the tree is a demon?' As Shippo was deep in his own thoughts, he had accidentally wandered away from the group. "Kagome?!? Sango?!?! Anyone?" He looked around, but the street he was in was deserted, except for the many huts that seemed to surround him.
"You don't have to yell little one." replied a shadow behind the nearest hut.
"W-who said that?" The shadow stepped into the morning sun. The figure looked to be about middle-aged woman, with brown hair falling to about the middle of her back. She had clearly not cleaned her brown dress for a while, but her face showed that she was friendly. Her brown eyes bored into Shippo's curious ones.
"My name is Mitsuko. Do not be alarmed, young kitsune." Mitsuko added, "I am not here to harm you."
"What are you here for, then..." Shippo turned and saw Sen walking towards them. She was had the same expressionless face as before, but for a second, the face wavered to show anger.
"Sen, I was just going to show this little one back to the group..." Mitsuko started.
"I shall take him to his friends. Aren't you supposed to be somewhere, Mitsuko?" Sen's eyes narrowed. Shippo looked back at Mitsuko. The friendly, cheery face, was replaced by an exact look alike to Sen's expressionless face. "Come with me, fox." Shippo followed Sen, once again conversed in his own thoughts.
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"Kagome!!!" yelled Shippo, as he bounded into her arms.
"Where were you, Shippo? You had us very worried." Kagome waved a finger at him.
"Getting back to our conversation...." For the first time, Shippo realized that there was an old man in the open area. Sen stood behind him. He was about to Inuyasha's shoulder, and wore an old brown monks suit. Shippo had to stifle a little snigger, as he realized that the man was bald.
"Yes, we would like to know why there is a girl in a tree just outside this village, Elder Tabito." Sango asked.
"I told you. That girl is a demon in disguise!"
"Hush Sen. I believe that question was directed at me. Not you."
"But sir-"
"Sen, why don't you see to the Ming family. Their daughter is sick, and you are the villages priestess."
"Yes Elder Tabito." Sen mumbled as she headed down a street.
"Now where were we? Ah yes... The girl..." Eleder Tabito started.
"Yes, why is she there?" Miroku asked.
"Well, she is a danger to all humanity, and she is also a demon." He replied.
"What makes you think she is a demon?" Inuyasha inquired.
"Well, she defeated an ogre demon that had been terrorizing our village-"
"SO YOU TIED HER UP JUST FOR THAT?!?" Sango yelled, clearly irritated.
"If she had been human, would she have been able to defeat the demon? Besides, we're not taking her down. She already broke one of the branches because she was so heavy." Elder Tabito replied with calmness.
"I am an ordinary human, and I defeat demons all the time!" Sango, Kagome, and Miroku said in unison.
"You all use weapons, this girl did not." He answered. No one answered back.
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Kagome, Sango, ans Shippo were sitting in a hut, which was clearly only used for guests, as it had nothing an ordinary hut would have.
"It sure was nice for Elder Tabito to let us spend the night here..." Kagome said.
"He gives me the creeps... and so does Sen!"
"Shippo! That's not very nice to say!" Sango exclaimed.
"Don't you think so, Sango?" Shippo looked innocently at Sango.
"You two can go to bed. I'm gonna go take a walk..." Kagome walked out the door, and down one of the pathways. The moon shone brightly, lighting her path. 'I wonder if that girl really is a demon...' Before she realized, Kagome was at the tree where the girl still was hanging upside down.
"About time you people brought me something to eat!! I'm starving!! Oh.. It's just some visiter wanting to gawk at someone upside down..."
"Are you really a demon?" Kagome asked.
"If I was, wouldn't I be in my true form or something?"
"Why would that be?"
"This stupid rope is enchanted, so I can't break through using my po-" Akemi stopped mid sentence. 'I can't believe I almost blurted out that I'm a Yakushian!! Must be from lack of food.'
"Using your what?" Kagome asked innocently.
"Go away!! Unless you intend to help me out of this problem, leave me in peace!!"
"So the ropes are enchanted you say?" Kagome walked up to the tree, and was standing next to Akemi as she touched the rope.
"What did you just do?!?" Akemi demanded. She could no longer feel a heaviness that was caused by the ropes magic.
"I-I just touched the rope!" Kagome was quite taken back by Akemi's sudden outburst.
"Look away."
"What?"
"I said look away!" Kagome turned around, and suddenly felt a great surge of heat behind her.
"You can look now," Akemi said, Kagome looked, and saw Akemi now standing straight up on the ground, rubbing her wrists, and burnt rope on the ground.
"What have you done?!?!?!?!" Kagome looked back to the far side of the meadow, and saw Sen, with anger evident on her face.
So! What do you think?!?! Will Sen kill Kagome and Akemi? Will Sen just retie Akemi to the tree, along with Kagome? Will I ever shut up? Find out next time, on The Yakushi Sorceress!!