Chapter 5 - Serena Shows Her Skills
Serena's eyes opened when the sunlight hit them. She smiled as she remembered where she was. Serena was with her new friends in the forest in middle of Japan's Sengoku era. She looked at her friends, who were sleeping around the campfire which had long ago burnt out. As Serena sat up, she felt something slip off of her. She grabbed it and held it up. It was Inu-Yasha's red outer cloak. She was puzzled for a moment before she remembered that she had woken up shivering during the night. Inu-Yasha must have put his cloak over me to keep me warm. Serena looked up at the tree branch Inu-Yasha was sleeping on.
"Thank you," she whispered. She got up quietly, grabbed her bag, and snuck away from the others. When she was satisfied that she was alone, she stripped off her dirty clothes and changed into a clean pair of jeans and a light blue tank top. She took off her Grecian sandals and was thankful that she had brought her sneakers and some socks with her. Her feet ached from being in the sandals through the night and she saw several signs of potential blisters. When Serena was all dressed and had brushed her hair, she headed back toward the camp.
The others were starting to stir and Miroku looked at her as she walked out of the trees. Serena saw that Inu-Yasha was stilling dozing.
"And what were you doing in the forest?" he asked, a sly smile on his face. Sango started the fire up again while Kagome got some food out of her bag.
"Changing," she replied, putting her bag on the ground by the fire and sitting down.
"You shouldn't have gone out there alone. The forest can be dangerous," Miroku said.
"Well, I'd rather be naked in front of animals than a pervert," she said, giving him a "don't even think about it" look. Miroku blushed at the word pervert. Kagome and Sango finished cooking the food and passed it around. Serena gulped it down as quickly as possible and watched the others eat.
"Why did you eat it so fast?" Kagome asked between bites. "I thought you liked eggs and toast."
"I do. It's just that I want to tell you about my parents. I don't want your pity, so I want your mouths full," she explained. Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kagome all exchanged a look, but motioned for her to tell them while they continued to stuff their faces.
"My parents died awhile ago…in a car crash. I was six years old. They were killed, along with my two older brothers, when they were hit by a drunk driver. They were coming home from my brothers' soccer meet and…" Serena broke off as her voice started to crack.
"Why weren't you with them?" Sango gently prodded. Serena took a deep breath before continuing.
"The game ended after my bedtime and my parents didn't want me staying up late." Serena looked away from her friends.
"After that, I was declared an orphan. I was shuffled from one foster home to the next. No one ever wanted to keep me. I got tired of it after awhile, so I started running away when I felt that I'd overstayed my welcome. The orphanage got tired of my "flights of fancy" as they called them, so they finally decided to search around to see if I still had any family left. They found my mom's sister and her family, the Higurashi's. They contacted my aunt and she offered me a home. So I came to Japan and met Kagome," she finished. Shippo, Sango, and Miroku looked confused.
"That's it?" Miroku asked.
"Yep. Pretty much," Serena said.
"Wait a second," Kagome said. "You said that you came to Japan."
"Yeah, so?" Serena asked.
"Where did you live before?"
"America. Specifically, Jackson, New Hampshire," Serena answered. "Actually, I was also born there." Shippo, Sango, and Miroku still looked confused.
"Guys? What's wrong?" Kagome asked them.
"What's a car and what's soccer?" Miroku asked.
"What's an orphanage and what's America?" Sango inquired.
"And what's a Jackson, New Hampshire?" Shippo queried. Kagome looked overwhelmed by the number of questions.
"Well, a car is a machine that is used to travel. And soccer is a game that's played by people from my time," Kagome took a deep breath before continuing. "An orphanage is…"
"A place where children without parents live," Serena interrupted, speaking very fast. "America is a country that is created after this time. And Jackson, New Hampshire is a city and state in America."
"Oh," Shippo, Miroku, and Sango said at the same time. Inu-Yasha suddenly jumped down from the tree and landed next to Serena. She jumped about three feet in the air.
"Geez! Give me a heart attack, why don't ya?" Serena yelled. Inu-Yasha just looked serious.
"I smell Naraku," he said. The others, who were picking up their things, turned to look at him.
"Are you sure, Inu-Yasha?" Miroku asked.
"There's no mistaking that scent. It's either him or another hideous incarnation," Inu-Yasha said, looking pissed off.
Just then, a demon came out from the woods and barreled toward the group. It looked revolting to Serena. It had dark brown, scaly skin that hung loosely off its body. It had piercing red eyes and four long, gargantuan arms that it waved around. Inu-Yasha drew the Tetsusaiga and then he paused. The demon had stopped its advance.
"What is it Inu-Yasha?" Sango asked as she held up her Boomerang Bone.
"That's not an incarnation of Naraku. It has a different scent."
"So you mean there is another demon nearby?" Kagome asked anxiously. Inu-Yasha nodded.
While the others had been talking, Serena had taken her sword out of her bag and the scabbard. She now held it in front of her, as her father had taught her, in case the enemy decided to charge.
Inu-Yasha was preparing to strike the demon when the wind suddenly changed. Then another demon appeared from the opposite direction as the first. Everyone but Serena turned to face the new arrival.
"Kagura," Inu-Yasha snarled. "And just what the hell do you want?" Kagura smiled.
"I see your attitude hasn't changed, Inu-Yasha. Let's see if your skills have," she said. Then she attacked using her fan and her "Dance of Blades". Inu-Yasha easily parried with the Tetsusaiga. Then he started to retaliate.
No one but Serena noticed that the other demon still hadn't moved. She stood facing him, realizing that he was the greater threat. The others obviously knew what Kagura could do and she was undoubtedly supposed to be a distraction. Serena didn't fret about Kagura. She figured Inu-Yasha could handle her. Serena was more worried about the unknown threat. The demon that they didn't know.
Naraku watched the battle through Kanna's mirror. He was pleased that everything was going as planned.
"As long as Kagura keeps the others distracted, I can observe how Serena fights." Serena is a warrior's name. It is quite fitting that she has a warrior's mind. While the others turned toward Kagura the moment she appeared, Serena kept her focus on the greater threat. She is a highly intelligent young woman.
"Tell him to attack," Naraku said to one of his poison wasps. The wasp flew off without hesitation. This should be interesting.
Kagura and Inu-Yasha continued to battle. Kagome tried to shoot Kagura with an arrow, but she badly missed her target. Inu-Yasha had yelled at the others to not interfere. Miroku would have already sucked Kagura into his Wind Tunnel, but Naraku's wasps had shown up and were now hovering near Kagura. She continued her onslaught, Inu-Yasha scrambling to protect the others.
And Serena had still not moved. Her attention focused on the mysterious demon, she continued her standoff. Then, realizing the demon's target was most likely her, she started to sidestep away from her friends. When the demon's eyes followed her, Serena knew her assumption was correct. Although she was now separated from her friends by a considerable distance, they were out of any further danger. Come and get me, you son of a bitch. She thought as she stared at the demon.
Suddenly, Inu-Yasha was blown back by Kagura's attack and Serena turned to catch him. They slid back a few feet before Inu-Yasha leaped back toward Kagura. Having been distracted, Serena had turned away from the demon. The demon decided to charge.
Serena looked back toward the demon, only to see him running towards her. Oh, shit! She thought, realizing that she'd made a mistake by turning away from her opponent. Well, might as well make the most of this. She said to herself as she began running toward the demon, her sword now held at her side. The demon saw her running at him and paused, giving Serena the opportunity she needed. She flipped over his head and landed with her back to his. She spun around and jammed her sword through his chest. The demon remained standing for a moment before falling over in a heap. Serena smiled. Another one bites the dust.
Kagura had half-watched Serena and the demon battle while fighting Inu-Yasha. When the demon was impaled, the wasps surrounding her started to leave. She decided it was time for her to go as well.
"As exciting as this has been, Inu-Yasha, I believe it is time for me to go," Kagura said. Then she plucked on of the feathers from her hair and flew up into the air.
"Damn! Get back here you coward!" he yelled after the wind witch. The others gathered around him.
"It's all right, Inu-Yasha. You fought well," they all said.
"Feh…" Then they looked over at Serena, who was standing over the body of the other demon.
"How…" Kagome said. Serena turned to face them and started walking towards them.
"I killed it," she said. Shippo, Miroku, Kagome, and Sango all looked surprised.
"Feh…yeah, right," Inu-Yasha said. Serena glared at him.
"Do you not see my sword sticking out of its back?" she said, pointing at her weapon. The others all looked shocked that she had killed it.
"Well, congratulations!" Miroku said, starting towards Serena. "You defeated it all by yourself. I knew you could do it."
"You'd better keep your hands off me, monk," Serena snapped.
All of a sudden, the demon Serena had impaled rose up, pulled the sword out of his chest, flung it away, and lumbered toward her. She stopped walking and faced it, her feet planted in a fighting position, her arms in front of her. Serena was ready for hand-to-hand combat.
The demon rushed at her and started swinging its four arms. Serena dodged its blows and punched it in the gut. It hunched over in pain as she did a back-flip away from it and stood ready for another charge. The demon recovered and attacked again. This time she jumped onto one of its thrashing arms and delivered a spinning kick to its head. The demon stumbled backward as Serena did another back-flip and landed almost directly in front of it. She backed up, trying to put distance between them. Just as the demon charged again, Inu-Yasha shoved her out of the way. He used the Wind Scar to destroy the demon.
As Serena was pushed, she put out her hands to stop her fall. When she landed, she heard a loud crunch as her left wrist twisted. She cried out in pain. Sango and Kagome rushed to her side. Miroku and Shippo looked concerned and Inu-Yasha just appeared content about his victory over the demon.
"That was really cruel, Inu-Yasha," Kagome scolded him as she examined her cousin's wrist. Inu-Yasha looked over at them with a confused expression.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Serena stood up and faced him, clutching her left wrist with her right hand.
"You shoved me and I think you broke my wrist," Serena said fiercely, ignoring the pain she was in. Inu-Yasha looked at Serena, her face now paler than his hair.
"You weren't getting the job done," he said, pretending not to notice her pain. Serena glared at him.
"Defeating an opponent takes more finesse than just swinging a sword around," she said. Inu-Yasha stared at her.
"Feh…it's just a demon. The only thing they understand is swift violence," Inu-Yasha said. Sango and Kagome quietly urged Serena to let them look at her wrist. She ignored them.
"How would you know, half-breed?" Serena said maliciously. Inu-Yasha's eyes narrowed.
"You don't know anything about demons, you stupid human girl," he said, a low growl in his throat. Miroku stepped between the two.
"Can't you two ever get along?" he asked. They both started to whine.
"But he pushed me!"
"And she started it!"
"Enough!" Miroku shouted. Everyone looked at him, surprised. "Serena, let Kagome and Sango look at your wrist." Serena walked back toward them, grumbling, but obeying.
"And, Inu-Yasha?" Miroku said. Inu-Yasha looked at him. "I think that you should apologize to Serena."
"Why the hell would I do that?" Inu-Yasha asked.
"Because, Serena is traveling with us now. The journey will be much easier if we are all on speaking terms." Miroku walked toward the ladies and Inu-Yasha leapt into the tree.
Naraku put down Kanna's mirror. He had watched the whole battle and was not pleased with the result.
"That lousy half-breed ruined everything. He was not supposed to interfere. Kagura!" he shouted. The wind witch appeared at his door.
"Yes, master?" she said, hating herself for calling Naraku her "master".
"Why did you not keep Inu-Yasha occupied?" he asked in a low tone. She bowed, trying to avoid his rage.
"I am sorry, my lord. I thought that the fight was finished when she impaled the other demon."
"Fine. Leave." he ordered. She nearly ran from the room. Damn him. I will have my freedom someday. Then I will truly fly with the wind. She thought.
Naraku thought for a moment, then formulated a plan.
"I shall have to send another demon to test her. But this time, I will have to make sure that the half-breed cannot interfere." He grinned. Perhaps my newest creation will work. He thought, looking over at the shadows, in which his child hid.
"Come here, Iokji. You have a job to do," Naraku said. The demon lumbered out of the shadows and bowed at his feet.
"Yesss, massster," it hissed. Naraku grinned evilly.