Chapter Eleven: Incidental Errands

T'was a day like any other day. Ishiru shifted on her futon, turning away from the rising sun. She rolled onto her stomach, an arm draped over her head. She heard the door slide open and Hakudoshi walk across the room, then felt a hand on her blanket.

"Pull it off and die." She mumbled, gripping her blanket with a growl. A few months at Naraku's fortress had not changed the fact that she was not in any way, shape or form, a morning person.

"Get up." Was all he said before leaving.

Ishiru groaned and rolled off her futon, jumping up after touching the cold floorboards. She hurried to pull on her haori. The warmth of the summer had left and autumn's chill had begun to set in. Without the sun's heat, it was quite cold.

She finished wrapping up her forearms and calves then set off to find Naraku. He had mentioned something about an errand she was to run. She arrived in his study, only to find a small paper on the top of a stack of scrolls. She walked over and picked up the slip of paper.

OOO

I apologize for my absence, but pressing matters in the southern lands require my attention. What I want you to do is go to the village east of the main human town to the south of here. There is a wolf demon there who has fragments of a very valuable jewel. I want you to acquire these shards and bring them back here.

Do not forget to hide your scent. I don't want them following you back here to re-obtain the shards.

OOO

Ishiru scanned the note and tucked it into her obi, turning on her heel to fetch her weapon before leaving.

OOO

Sesshoumaru, yet again, caught his mind wandering during the patrol of his lands. Curse it all. He was thinking about her again. 'That damn vixen.' Since Ishiru had been gone, he had loosely convinced himself that it her being gone was a good thing.

He slowly drifted down from the sky, setting down beneath the thick forest canopy. He halted his travel entirely, opting to sit and go through yet another mental drill to beat back "those damn emotions."

He heard a sound in the distance, like a soft footfall, then another, a little closer. Sesshoumaru waited, searching for a scent or aura. He found neither. His eyes narrowed. Few knew how to do that, and even fewer possessed the power to be able to hide their scent and aura. The only ones he knew of were himself, Ishiru, as he had taught her to do as much, and… Naraku.

Sesshoumaru suppressed a growl, standing slowly. He waited for the half demon to show himself. As soon as he moved, the steps halted. He tensed as a tendril of pale blue-green youki drifted through the air towards him. He recognized it as an analysis method and snatched the wisp from the air.

He nearly lost his grip on the youki tendril as the masking spell failed for an instant and a soft gasp reached his ears. Before he could move, a flurry of steps faded into the distance. It took him less than an instant to figure out whom the youki belonged to, and whose aura and scent were perceptible for that brief moment.

He gave chase, following where he heard the steps lead, even after the sound faded. He made note of the physical signs of the demoness' travel. The signs ended at a village after turning back around to pass where the encounter took place.

He backed off into the surrounding greenery, waiting for something. . .For anything. . .For her. . .

OOO

Ishiru stopped as she reached the village, panting slightly. Her breath was not due to exhaustion, but nerves. Her analysis spell. . .What it had brought back. But she couldn't face him. Not now, even after months of time. She had avoided thought of him, never choosing how to feel about it. That night, she had been acting in a mask of raw emotion, never really thinking about what she was doing.

Again, she shoved the issue away. Now that she had reinstated her masking spell, she looked, smelled, and her aura was just like any other human. She walked amongst the other buildings, her eyes down, her look quiet. She was invisible amongst the other villagers.

Finding a place amongst the buildings, Ishiru looked about, extending her youki to search out the wolf demon. She found her to be prey, but also uncovered a miko, a child fox demon, a monk, and a fire-cat demon. She came across another aura. Her lip curled slightly in a grimace of disgust as she found the hanyou. She released the spell, heading towards the wolf demon. She was here for something; the hanyou might come later.

She turned past a corner, when a hand caught her wrist. She barely kept her ingrained training from taking effect, and turned, looking surprised as any villager would look. She found the monk, standing there holding her wrist. His expression was serious. Ishiru fought back a wince as she felt the effects of his spiritual powers.

"Sumimasen, Houshi-sama." She said, bowing slightly. "If you please, I must be going." She said, pulling slightly on her wrist.

"I'm sure you do demon." He said. In an instant, he had stuck a hamufuda on her wrist. Ishiru flinched, feeling the burn of the holy paper. She remembered her act, and healed the burn as fast as she could, looking up at the monk, as though he had merely startled her with his actions.

"Gomen nasai Houshi-sama. Watashi wa youkai dewa arimasen." She said bowing again. "Please, let me go." Ishiru put a little fear into her look, hoping to fool him.

"Your act is not working youkai. I can sense your jyaki." He told her. Ishiru dropped the act.

"Good boy. Now let me go." She said, twisting her hand to grab his wrist. She gave his limb a sharp jerk, sending him spinning into the wall of the building next to them. He hit the wall, hard enough to knock him out, but not break the structure.

Ishiru instilled her act again, and called for help, saying that the monk had just collapsed and hit his head on the wall. After she had enough people fussing over him, she disappeared into the background again.

Inuyasha-tachi gone looking for the monk when he did not return from his investigation. He had told them he had sensed a jyaki coming from somewhere other than Kouga, who was with them at the time. They found him... Unconscious and battered in someone's house.

Ishiru had found Kouga just before they went to look for Miroku, and followed, waiting until a good time to take the shards. She did not wait long. He branched away from the group after a they found the monk. Ishiru approached him.

Kouga turned to her before she had a chance to say anything. He grabbed her wrist roughly and pulled her towards him, catching the corresponding limb. Ishiru was a bit surprised, but allowed his actions. She could get out of such a hold, but it would be a little bit more difficult. Ishiru turned her "doe-eyes" up to him, looking as a somewhat frightened, yet charmed village girl might.

Kouga fell for it easily, and released her wrists. He had sensed someone sneaking up on him, and turned to grab them. He had not expected it to be such a beauty to compare to Kagome-sama. Ishiru smirked inwardly. 'Got him.'

She lashed out, faster than Kouga could react. Her claws tore through his lower legs, freeing the shards. Kouga was knocked back on his rear, stunned. It was then that Inuyasha-tachi arrived.

"Oi! Bitch! Quit doing my job!" Inuyasha was the first to speak. Ishiru looked at them over her shoulder. The monk had revived and was with them.

"That's her… The girl I saw before." He murmured to the others. Inuyasha looked from Ishiru to Kouga, and back.

"Well, whoever you are, you reek of Naraku." He growled. "And that means that you die!" He shouted, pulling Tessaiga from its sheath and leaping at her. Ishiru waited. At the last moment she jumped away, Tessaiga slamming into the dirt where she had been. Ishiru stood a ways off.

"I do agree with you that he does reek. But, he saved my life. So I am indebted to him." She said, a trifle bitterly.

"Who the fuck are you?" Inuyasha growled, lifting Tessaiga from the ground and jabbing it in her direction.

"Watashi wa Ishiru desu." She said. "And I am on a tight schedule." Ishiru turned to leave and Inuyasha, for once, took the initiative and swung Tessaiga before she could run.

"Kaze no… KIZU!" He snarled, sending the claws of energy towards the demoness.

Ishiru's eyes widened and she threw her youki up as a shield. The wave barraged into her energies, which held for only a few moments, just long enough to last through the brunt of the attack.

Ishiru was knocked back by the remnants. Not just a little ways. She went through the air, crashing through the forest canopy beyond the village boundary.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome snapped, walking up to the hanyou.

"What?" He snapped back.

"Remember just who was looking for Ishiru?"

"Eh?" Inuyasha's face was blank.

"Last month! Sesshoumaru came and tried to kill you! Remember that?" Inuyasha thought for a moment, then it clicked.

"Oh shit..."