A/N: It looks like from the reviews that I got there will be at least fifteen more chapters. I'm glad what readers I have like this story so much, but I wish I had more reviews. Oh well, don't review if you really don't feel like it. As long as I know somebody is reading this, I'll keep writing it. It's my favorite one to write, so even if I don't know anyone is reading it I may continue.
Chapter Eleven: Raided!
Haruko was in the fringe of the forest, helping Kaede by gathering some herbs that the elderly priestess had asked for. Kaede was getting on in age, and since Kagome and Inuyasha were in Kagome's world and Miroku and Sango were "busy" according to Kohaku (he didn't care to mention what they were busy doing) Kaede had asked a bored Haruko to go gather them. Luckily, the bright girl could already read, and therefore had a list of what herbs she needed. Myoga had come along to help identify the herbs, and Kirara was there for protection.
"Over there Haruko! That green plant is what you're looking for. Holy basil." Myoga pointed out.
"They're all green Grandpa Myoga! Which one?" Haruko asked.
"That one right there." Myoga pointed. "With the serrated leaves."
"This one?" Haruko asked the flea, picking a stalk of the correct herb.
"Indeed." Myoga confirmed.
"Oh look! Flowers!" Haruko exclaimed, spotting a patch of forget-me-nots near a large oak. She decided to pick a few, since Haruko found them very pretty. Suddenly, Kirara began to growl and her fur bristled. "What's wrong Kirara?" Kirara transformed into her larger form, picking up Haruko in her teeth and swiftly jumping aside. Before Haruko could even process what was going on, a bull demon charged through the foliage and rammed its horns into the oak Haruko had been close two not two seconds earlier.
"The Shikon Jewel. It is here, yes?" The bull growled.
Haruko didn't know how to answer that though. She didn't even know what this Shikon Jewel was. What Haruko did know how to do, was run. Haruko turned tail and took off for the village, the bull demon in hot pursuit. Kirara turned around to face the bull demon, holding it off long enough so that Haruko reached Miroku and Sango's hut. "Mommy! Dad!" she shouted. Haruko was quite worried. Miroku had told her many times that he and her mother found most demons easy to defeat, that it had even been Sango's profession before she had met Miroku. But, young and impressionable as Haruko was, she held a fair amount of doubt at these stories. She had never seen either of her parents in action, and demons were never easy creatures to handle. They, were, stronger, faster, smarter, and had more endurance than humans. Depending on the breed, they even had super senses. How were mere humans supposed to defeat such superior beings?
Miroku had felt the demons aura long before Haruko had come running to warn them. Haruko burst through the door, panting from short of breath. "There's a demon is the forest!"
"Thought so." Miroku remarked. "What kind of demon?"
"A bull demon!" Haruko replied. "It wants a Shikon Jewel."
Sango scowled. "I thought this was taking too long to happen."
"What's a Shikon Jewel?" Haruko inquired.
"We'll explain later." Miroku said as he picked up his staff. "Let's go Sango."
"Right." Sango agreed, taking her giant boomerang, Hirakotsu down from where it hung on the wall.
When Sango and Miroku went outside, sure enough the demon stood over a trembling villager, demanding to know the location of the jewel. "Where is the Shikon?" the demon snarled.
Miroku and Sango both knew the Shikon Jewel was safe in Kagome's time, but neither of them suspected that would convince the demon to let the village alone. "Not here." Miroku answered for the villager, confronting the demon. "The Jewel is somewhere where scum like you can't touch it. I suggest you leave, that is unless you desire the grave."
"Ho, ho, ho! You dare threaten me monk?" the demon laughed. "I'll ask once more, where do you store the Shikon?"
"It's not here. Leave now!" Miroku demanded.
"Lies! I'll level this village if that's what it takes to find the Jewel! I'll destroy anyone who tries to deter me! Which at the moment is you, monk." The bull demon charged at Miroku, but he simply side-stepped and dealt the demon a blow with his weapon, creating a gash along the bull's flank. The demon turned to charge again, but before it could mount a second attack, the Hirakotsu split it in two horizontally, killing it instantly.
Sango neatly caught the over-sized boomerang as it returned to her. "Just a small fry. I suspected as much." she smirked.
Haruko was quite shocked. Her mother and father had taken care of the fearsome bull like it was nothing. "Wow! Did you see that Grandpa Myoga! That was amazing."
"I would expect no less from those two. They have battled many demons much stronger than that one." Myoga explained.
"I guess we ought to dispose of the carcass, shouldn't we?" Miroku asked, wishing he still had his wind tunnel. "Looks like we'll be having beef tonight."
"Indeed. This bull alone could feed all four of us for several months." Sango estimated, observing the bull's size.
Kohaku arrived at the scene with his chain-sickle ready, looking slightly disappointed that the beast had already been beaten. "Did I miss the action?"
"Yeah!" Haruko answered him. "You should've seen Mom and Dad! They were incredible!"
"I told you sweetie, our life's work used to be exorcising demons." Miroku reminded her, now having proof that his stories were true. His mood quickly changed from smug to concerned though. "I suppose this demon knew from the rumors that the Shikon Jewel had been recovered. I wouldn't be surprised if raids on the village begin to be a regular happening."
"We'll have to make our wish then." Kohaku deduced, having been told the lore of the Shikon No Tama since his revival.
"It's not that simple bro." Miroku began.
"He's right." Sango added. "How are you supposed to make a selfless wish? A selfless wish is pretty much and oxymoron."
"What are you guys talking about?" Haruko asked, perplexed.
"Let's go to Lady Kaede's and have some tea." Myoga suggested. "This will be difficult to explain to a child."
"Indeed. We should also discuss how to handle the jewel with Kaede. She may know of a loophole that we don't" Sango added.
A/N: Sorry it took me a while to post this chapter, but I procrastinated for a while, and finals week got in the way. Hope you enjoyed it. I think I might start putting review responses in every chapter. What do you guys think?