CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Silence Disturbed

The next few days passed without incident. The hanyou and the miko got some much deserved rest and relaxation as they basked in each other's company. Kagome got some much needed work done for school and Souta taught Inuyasha how to play his fighting game. They spent an entire week in the modern era, which was how much time it took for the wounds on Inuyasha's chest to fully heal. The hanyou vowed to never let anything like that happen again. He spent hours thinking of what could have happened to Kagome while he was unconscious, especially with Naraku running around and making trouble for them. Kagome seemed glad to have him back and insisted on cooking for him constantly.

Kagome was happy to be back in her time and able to go to school a whole week straight. Her classes, however, were a different story. She found herself thinking about other things while she was supposed to be learning. Her friends in the past, the jewel shards, their latest adventures…… Inuyasha. Kagome found herself thinking about the hanyou nonstop. Her friends then made matters worse by asking about him and telling Kagome how cool he was. She found this confusing since they used to tell her how much of a jerk he was and that Kagome should go out instead with Houjou, a classmate of theirs. Now the boy was all but forgotten and the three girls were crazy about the badass Kagome was dating.

Meanwhile back through the well Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara enjoyed some peace and quiet. The monk spent a lot of time meditating and wandering around the village. Sango fixed her hiraikotsu and used up the rest of her time to chase Miroku around and make sure he wasn't up to his usual lecherous ways. Shippou played with his toys and helped Kaede with various chores. And Kirara used up her leisure time running around after Sango and eating her fill of fish from the nearby stream.

It was a quiet week for everyone… until the night came on the Friday before Inuyasha and Kagome were supposed to return. It was a new moon. The night out of the month in which Inuyasha's powers dissipated and left him looking like a human. In Kagome's time Inuyasha ticked restlessly as he watched the sun come down over the horizon. Even in Kagome's time the hanyou felt vulnerable in his human form. He waited for his demon powers to drain as he sat by the window in Kagome's room. Seconds before this happened the door opened and Kagome strolled in.

"Are you worried?" She asked out of concern.

"Hell no. Why, should I be?" He lied. Kagome shook her head from side to side. She knew that he hated to become a human. Although she resented the he thought being a human was bad, she sympathized with his reason as to why he thought so. Many times he was forced to fight in his human form and more often than not had sustained fatal injuries that would have killed him if he were a normal human. Yet even though he knew the dangers of being a human, Inuyasha would always risk his life to save Kagome's… which was usually the cause if his fatal injuries. Kagome knew this and thanked god that this night nothing like that would take place. That this night was in her time and that it was just him and her. She sat down on the bed and watched as his silvery hair faded into a jet black, his fangs and claws shortened to a normal human's length, and his eyes went from their golden shade to a coffee brown much like Kagome's. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's ok. There's nobody to bother us here. And if anyone does I'm sure you'll be more than strong enough to beat them." Kagome chuckled. She imagined someone trying to break into their house and running into her "badass" boyfriend…. Boyfriend. She liked the sound of that. Without hesitation she leaned against his shoulder and curled up into a tiny ball beside him. The hanyou responded by lifting his arm and wrapping it around her. The heat that came off her warm body was comforting and the scent lulled him into a sense of relaxation. After a few minutes Inuyasha closed his eyes and for the first time ever he fell asleep in his human form.

Miroku was starting a little fire in the center of Kaede's hut for dinner when Sango walked in.

"Where's Shippou?" Sango asked. Miroku looked up. "The last time I saw him he was over by the well." Sango nodded and remembered that the little kitsune had spent the last three days sitting by the well peering into the vast hole and waiting for Kagome and Inuyasha to come back. Miroku looked back down at the dying embers of his failed attempt. "You rest Sango, I'll go get him." He made his way to the door. Sango smiled and thanked him. As Miroku walked out the door he called out behind him, "Oh, and be a dear and get that fire started." With that the houshi took off at a run before Sango could refuse.

"Hey! Damn lazy monk!" Sango knew it was pointless to yell but she did it anyway. She then knelt down and tended to the monk's dying flames.

Miroku ran all the way to the well with a sly smile on his face. He skidded to a stop and sure enough there was Shippou sitting by the well playing with a top. The monk took a seat by the tiny kitsune and watched the top twirl on the floor.

"Are they ever coming back?" Shippou's voice crept with sadness. Miroku looked down at him.

"Of course they are. It's just that you know what tonight is. Kagome-sama probably wanted to wait until tomorrow."

Shippou nodded and picked up his top, wrapping it up and tossing it again.

"It's just that… I wish I could go with Kagome too." Miroku padded the young demon on the head.

"Perhaps someday you will. Until then you can't spend every day waiting for them to come back. Especially since Sango's getting the fire ready for dinner. What say we head back to the…" The monk fell silent.

"Miroku?" Shippou looked up at the houshi. His face was full of concentration.

"Shippou, I need you to run to the village and get Sango. Tell her there's a very dangerous demon close by. I'll lead it away from you."

"But..."

"Go now!" With that the monk jumped up into the air. At the same time a dark silhouette flew out from the forest in front of them and met Miroku in mid air. There was a loud clang as their weapons came together and then pushed each other apart. Miroku fell backwards rolled once on the ground and then stood up with his staff at the ready. He didn't dare glance in Shippou's direction lest he give the little demon's position away. Instead he stared down his enemy and sized it up.

This demon stood at about Sango's height. Not very tall with long pink hair coming all the way down to it's waist. A slender waist… a female waist. Upon further inspection Miroku noticed that this particular demon was a woman. She wore a black kimono and held a blade out with her left hand. Her right hand was covered with what looked like an enormous shield, almost the size of her body. That must have been what clashed against his staff. Her eyes glowed white and stared back at the monk.

"Where is the hanyou?" She spoke suddenly. Miroku chanced a glance at the well. A smile played at the corners of his mouth. She wouldn't be finding him anytime soon.

"Where IS he!" she spoke again. Her eyes flared and grew brighter, "I have followed his scent all the way here and I know he is close."

Miroku let his left hand curl around the prayer beads of his right one. "There is no hanyou here. But might I inquire as to who you might be and what you might want with him?"

The demon pointed her blade at the monk. "That is none of your concern. I will slay the bastard that is all you need to know." She looked down and traced what appeared to be an invisible line all the way across the forest and straight to the… well. How could she…? Miroku speculated as to how it was that this demon could still trace Inuyasha's scent if it was a week old. His speculation however, was cut short when he saw a little necklace flare behind the demon as she walked over to the well.

'A shikon shard?'

Instantly Miroku leapt over the demon and landed in front of the well, his face now strict with the traces of his smile gone. "What do you want with Inuyasha?"

The demon scoffed. "So the bastard has a name. Well it doesn't matter, he'll die soon anyway." She let her blade fly and it was stopped by the monk's staff who quickly blocked and then turned sideways, allowing the blade to slash the wind harmlessly. He then brought the blunt edge of his staff and made to strike at the demon's abdomen, but with blinding speed the shield came up and blocked his attack. He stepped back and almost fell backwards over the rim of the well. He didn't want to seem too obvious about protecting the well so he moved sideways and again tried for an attack at the mid-section. This time when the shield stopped him, however, it also forced upwards and connected with his chin. The houshi was sent reeling backwards into a nearby tree which he slid sideways off of and ducked behind as the blade came down at full force. The tree splintered in half and crashed down to one side, revealing the monk behind it. Miroku let a pair of his sacred scrolls fly at the demon and jumped backwards. He knew that it was pointless to hit the shield with the hamafudas, but it was only to buy him time to move back.

"Why do you persist you annoying human? This filthy hanyou's life is not worth your own."

Miroku took up a defensive stance again and steeled his glare. "Who are you?"

"My name is Ying. I am a guardian of one of the many villages this dirty bastard destroyed and I will have my revenge!" Again she struck with her sword, only this time her fury reflected off the blade and made it glow a bright red. As it passed Miroku knew not to even try to block. Instead he dodged to one side and came up almost under the demon. He raised his staff and pushed her back forcefully.

"Ying-sama, I lament your loss, but you are looking for the wrong demon. Inuyasha would not attack any villages. He has been with us. We are on a journey to search and destroy a de…" Miroku didn't get to finish the sentence because the demon's eyes flared white hot and shot a raging line of fire where he was.

"LIES! You are in league with the hanyou! You must die too!"

Miroku quickly leapt backwards and ran sideways, hoping that she wasn't good at hitting a moving target. His quick thinking was rewarded by a series of explosions behind him. He was almost at a spot of cover when a giant white object sailed over his head and caught the demon by surprise.

Sango threw the hiraikotsu over Miroku's head at the source of the lights that seemed to want to eat him alive. The giant boomerang flew straight and true as it crashed into the demon's chest and flung it into the forest. With the demon on the ground the hiraikotsu gracefully turned and returned to its owner. Sango ran over to Miroku who was clearly out of breath.

"Houshi-sama, are you ok?" At this Miroku nodded and stood up straight. He filled Sango in on the situation and then pushed her out of the way as another blast flew right passed their heads.

"So this demon thinks that Inuyasha attacked… Naraku!" Miroku nodded as Sango came to the realization. He had obviously already come to this conclusion. He picked himself up and threw his staff in front of him as the shield came down on him, threatening to smother him into the ground. Sango let her hiraikotsu fly again and this time missed. The demon had noticed the weapon and had jumped upwards in time to see it fly by and then back to the woman who threw it.

"You will also perish!" She yelled and went on a collision course directly towards Sango. The demon exterminator dug her boomerang into the floor and braced for the impact. When the youkai hit with it's shield Sango was pushed back a good 6 meters before she could get a better footing. Miroku ran up from behind and placed a sacred scroll on the demon's back causing her to convulse as shocks ran up and down the length of her body. Sango took this time to retrieve her weapon and fall back to a safer position. This demon was very strong indeed.

"We don't wish to fight you. It appears that you have been deceived. The demon Nara…" Again he was cut short by Ying's fiery glare. Miroku took a few steps backwards and let the floor take the blast for him. He quickly raised his staff and braced for the inevitable attack. Sure enough the youkai flashed in front of him and slashed down at him. Miroku held his own however and even managed to push back a bit before stepping sideways and doing a 180 degree turn while pushing at the sword to end up behind the demon. He then brought his staff around and used the blunt part to hit Ying on the back of the neck, causing her to lose her balance and stumble forward into the ground.

"Please Ying-sama, we do not wish to fight. Inuyasha is our friend, yes, but we know he is not the one that attacked your village. He has been with us…" Miroku was growing tired of trying to talk to this angry demon. He considered taking a page out of Sango's book and just shutting up and fighting for a change. He quickly dodged the pulse of white fire and ran at the demon, hoping to confuse her with a wide open frontal attack.

No such luck.

Ying let her sword drop and raised her shield. She put her right foot forward and then rocketed forward, prepared to ram the houshi into a million pieces.

Miroku was about to yell like a girl and take the hit in the face when hiraikotsu caught Ying by her side and again flung her into the forest. He wiped some sweat off his forehead and thanked god Sango was on his side. The houshi then planted one foot on the ground and jumped high into the air. He brought his staff all the way to the back of his head and then swung forward as he fell towards the recovering demon. "Forgive me, Ying-sama!"

Ying was picking herself up when she heard the man yell something out. She looked up just in time to see a flash of gold. She heard it before she felt it. A loud crack followed by a thud. Her head throbbed as if it had been split open and the contents had all drained out. She could taste copper, it was disgusting. It was the taste of her own blood. The crack she had heard was the impact and the thud that had followed was her own body hitting the floor. She struggled to get up and felt the hilt of her sword. Grasping it she flailed it wildly, not being able to see very well on account of her blurry vision. She stopped a moment, rested her head on her shield, and leveled her eyes on her two adversaries. They were indeed strong… for humans. Ying considered turning into her true form, but decided against it. These vermin were not worthy of laying eyes on her majestic youkai form. She tightened the grip on her sword and lunged forward.

Miroku waited for Ying to come to them before he dodged sideways. Had he moved earlier she could have caught it and compensated by following his movements. As he dodged right and Sango dodged left, he again caught sight of the shard hanging from Ying's neck. It was as dark as night and shimmered with an evil aura. No doubt the evil aura was Ying's thirst for revenge.

As Miroku circled the demon Sango ran her hand down hiraikotsu's edge, looking for a weak point to launch the weapon at. There! In a flash she reached up, cocked back, and flung the giant boomerang over her shoulder. It flew with precision movement straight at the spot between the youkai's feet and her shield. The youkai must have noticed this because she quickly dropped her shield and used it to deflect Sango's attack. The boomerang clanged against the hard barrier and then swirled sideways, looking for its master. Sango ran sideways to make up for the shield throwing her boomerang off course and snatched the heavy weapon out of the air as if it were a feather in the wind. Again she narrowed her eyes and searched for her enemy's vulnerability.

Miroku was feeling the battle fatigue. If this dragged on any longer the demon might win simply because its stamina and endurance were higher than that if a regular human. There had to be a way to stop Ying-sama without hurting her. The monk dodged a fiery white blaze and rolled to one side. He took out his three remaining scrolls and fitted them between his fingers. This had to work.

Sango rounded a tree and jumped out of the way of the demon's sword as it swept past her. She moved her hiraikotsu up and hit the demon on the shoulder. The demon stumbled sideways and then turned slightly to fire a beam of light at Miroku. Sango noticed and brought down her weapon to block, but it was too late. The light hit beside the monk and vanished. Sango saw Miroku roll out of the corner of her eye and then ran forward herself with her boomerang at the ready.

Ying chased the woman through the forest, trying to slice her in half with the sacred blade, and then felt a sharp pain as the woman's weapon; a large boomerang apparently, struck her shoulder. She went off balance a bit but managed to catch a glimpse of the man running to one side. She shot a flare at him and then brought her attention back to the woman, cursing under her breath as she saw the man out of the corner of her eye dodge the attack and run at her.

In all the commotion and fighting nobody noticed another figure as it calmly walked around the battle field sniffing at the air. The figure strolled over to the well and looked down. As it did, a necklace fell out from inside it's white kimono and the shard at it's tip pointed straight down at the well. Turning back one more time to see everyone still fighting the figure then put one foot on the ledge and jumped into the well. There was a dull flicker of light and then it was gone.

In Kagome's time Inuyasha's eyes flashed open.

'What the hell? Why do I have a bad feeling?'