The castle was far from the village. We debated taking Hachi to fly over Mount Huoh to get back there faster, but then decided it was far too risky after our previous dealings with the air spirit Kazumi. She was a force of nature and I was not keen in getting trapped in eternal wandering again. So we walked and battled demons, and Kagome taught the others how to play games using cards.
Several times she had to explain that they were not Karuta cards, whatever those were, and were actually called playing cards. "You should show them how to play Slap Jack." I grinned, watching as she shuffled the deck. She dealt the cards out for her and Miroku to play. "They won't know what hit them."
She shook her head at me with a smile. "Why don't you play next? You can teach them how to."
"Wait, really?" She would let me? My grin broadened excitedly. "Heck yeah! Prepare yourselves, guys! You're gonna be shook!"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes at that. "As if."
This was how the night went. After ten minutes of game play Kagome was currently beating Miroku, and all that was left was for her to choose one out of two cards that he was holding. It was a rather intense, hilarious match. I always thought I was the ridiculous one, but Miroku was going to a whole new level of theatrics.
"No!" He dramatically warned the middle schooler, trying to make her second guess herself. "Be careful, Kagome!"
"Ooh…" She hesitated, hand hovering above the cards. Unbeknownst to her the monk held an eight of hearts and a joker in his hands. She eventually chose the one on the right and peered at it nervously, eyes widening happily when she saw the eight. Kagome quickly threw it down with her eight of spades, cheering. "Yay! I did it; I won! Haha!"
Miroku heaved a sigh, looking distraught as he stared his joker card. "Wrong one…"
"You're good at this, Kagome!" Shippō exclaimed, watching as she waved her hands excitedly in the air. I grinned, clapping my hands as I applauded her. Sango chuckled, shaking her head at the monk and his upset face.
"I can't believe you, Miroku."
"Me next, me next!" I said, scooting closer to Kagome and starting to pick the cards up. "I challenge Sango!"
"Oh, I dunno…" She was uncertain, staring at the cards nervously. "These western karuta cards are something else."
"It's just a game, Sango." Kagome reassured. "Come on, try it! It'll be fun!"
"I guess…" She moved forward, watching as I awkwardly shuffled them. "You're not very good at this, are you?"
"It's been a while, okay?" I defended, concentrating on making sure none of the cards slipped out. "I hadn't played cards since I was Kagome's age and that was when I visited my grandparents. It's been a while."
"Oh, yeah!" Kagome raised a hand to her face. "I keep forgetting you're older than me! You look so young."
I clicked my tongue and flashed a grin, attempting a wink. "Why, thank you. It's the stress."
She snorted at that. From the other side of the campfire, Inuyasha rolled his eyes. The half-demon was laying on his side, head resting against his palm, arm propped up against the ground. "Can't you play a little more quietly!?"
I paused for a moment before dealing out the cards, counting how many I was handing off to Sango and myself. I wanted to make sure it stayed even.
Kagome made a face at the silver-haired teen and scowled. "Oh, quit your whining and join us!"
"Not on your life."
Wow, okay. Shippō frowned at Inuyasha, not understand why he had such an attitude these past few days. "What's he so angry about?"
"He's in a bad mood." Sango explained, carefully picking up her deck. She was about to look at her cards before I told her not to, that it would be cheating, and we were supposed to throw our top card down at the same time. "Okay, hold on. So if there's a card with a… a jack… we smack our hands down on it?"
I nodded. "Yup. He's the one with the curly looking symbol- J. It's a letter where I'm from. Part of my alphabet."
"I see. Okay. Hmm. And the one whose hand gets it first obtains the entire pile of cards?"
"Yup! And since I forgot to take out the jokers we're just gonna leave 'em in there. Okie dokie?"
"I think I get it…"
"This will be interesting." Miroku mused, leaning forward with a grin. He then glanced up, seeing the way Inuyasha was still grimacing in silence. "You realize moping and feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to make tetsusaiga any stronger, right? You were so happy the other day when you found out Irene had the power to break the barrier; why are you so jealous now?"
"I am not jealous!" The half-demon said up, glaring at the monk. "You're wrong again! Just butt out and mind your own business, alright!?"
I looked up at them nervously, wondering if maybe we shouldn't have gone to the mountain after all. Inuyasha was so happy to finally have a way to get past the barrier, but now he won't stop grouching about how I "beat him to the punch" and that "his training was a total waste". He really wanted to be the one to throw Naraku for a loop, but my going to the mountain and obtaining the Magatama fruit really messed with his plans. Lowering my head, I picked up a card and set it on the ground next to Sango's.
"I'm sorry…"
Inuyasha slammed his hand down on the ground and I flinched when he shouted. "The hell are you apologizing for!? I told you stop that, damn it!"
"S-Sorry! I-uh, sor- ah… um." I clamped my mouth shut, cringing. "I-I don't… know what else to say."
"Then don't say anything! I don't need your stupid pity."
"B-But I'm not-"
"I said shut it!"
I stopped talking after that, shoulders slumped over and eyes focused on the cards. I was so distracted I forgot to smack my hand down on the pile when I set down a jack, Sango winning and taking the pile. I mentally berated myself for being such an idiot. I thought I was getting to understand the half-demon better, but we really just had trouble getting along.
"Hey!" Miroku frowned. "You don't have to yell at her, Inuyasha. She just feels bad because you're behaving like this. Be glad that we have a way through the barrier. This was a blessing."
"Hmph." Inuyasha scoffed, turning away. "Behaving like what? I'm not doin' anything different. It's not like I care that she got a new power and I didn't."
"Sure you don't." Shippō dryly commented, making a face. He clearly didn't believe a word Inuyasha said, and neither did anyone else. They all glanced at him unimpressed, the half-demon tensing upon feeling the others' gazes on him. Sango, Miroku, Kagome, and even Shippō were staring at him with reprimanding looks. "Envy is not a good color for you."
He whirled around, standing and raising his fist in the air. "You wanna fight, Shippō!?"
"There's no need for violence!" A voice suddenly exclaimed, nasally and clearly belonging to someone much older. Inuyasha stopped what he was doing, blinking in surprise. "I'll take things from here!"
The half-demon raised a hand up and smacked his neck, catching the flea that fell from his flesh. "Myoga? It's about time you showed back up."
Myoga's face scrunched together in anger. "How about I first inform you about how troubling it was trying to find you!? You kept moving all over the place! It was a nightmare, I'll have you know! I came all this way just to tell you about how to break Naraku's barrier!"
"Didn't you hear?" Inuyasha snapped back. "Irene's already learned how."
The flea demon blinked, taken aback. He glanced back at me. "I… what? Is this true?"
Sango spoke for me. "Yes. We went to Mount Huoh and obtained a Magatama fruit. With that, Kakuju was able to teach Irene how to use the Shikigami to break Naraku's barrier. She hasn't actually attempted to use the power yet, seeing as there weren't any barriers to practice on, but she has the ability."
"But..." The flea was startled. I awkwardly shifted when everyone turned their attention to me again. "That's a sacred mountain near Rindoh Village, guarded by an ancient spirit! However did you do that?"
"I-It, um… wasn't easy. There was a spirit world and everything."
"You'll have to give me all the details later." He said, leaning forward and squinting his eyes. Myoga then moved his attention back to Inuyasha. "I was going to tell you how make tetsusaiga stronger, but I guess it's unnecessary now… I suppose I'll just go back to Totosai. Farewell, Lord Inuyasha-!"
Before the flea could escape Inuyasha caught him in his hand, eyes alight with a fire. The half-demon looked ready to send the flea demon flying across the forest. "Spit it out! Tell me and you can suck as much of Kagome's blood as you want!"
The middle schooler gasped. "I'm not a blood bank, you know!"
"Wait, what? So you… do want to know?" Myoga stared up at him from his spot between Inuyasha's fingers, barely surviving getting crushed. When he spoke again it was with a sense of urgency. "In that case you must go immediately to the cave of the demon bats! It is located near a village on the western shore, protected by an impenetrable barrier. No one is able to destroy them because of this!"
Oh. That's… not very nice. I looked down at my hands, wondering if the power I obtained from the fruit would be strong enough to break it. I wasn't really certain I wanted to find out. Inuyasha made a face and turned his head, muttering under his breath, "I bet Irene can…"
"Stop that!" Myoga stomped one of his feet down on the half-demon's palm. "This is about you, Lord Inuyasha! Not her! Now listen closely; the guarding of the barrier has been passed down from generation to generation. The current guardian demon… must be slain." Everyone remained quiet as he relayed the information, the card game coming to a complete halt. Myoga continued, "In other words… you must kill the demon protecting the barrier… and let tetsusaiga drink its blood."
Oh gods. That sounded disturbing. I have this horrible image in my head, back to when we battled Dokumoryu and they were completely covered in his guts. If Inuyasha's sword tried to drain the incarnation's blood… eugh. I don't want to think about it.
Miroku crossed his arms, focusing on the flea demon's words. "By defeating such a powerful foe the sword will absorb the demon bat's power."
"That would make the sword much stronger." Sango said, stunned. "We already have a way to break the barrier, but if making his sword more powerful would give us an even better chance against Naraku…"
"Yes." Myoga nodded his head, leaping over from Inuyasha's palm to Kagome's shoulder. He crawled up to her neck, readying to bite down and start drinking her own blood. "Exactly. Now then, Kagome- about our little deal?"
She smacked him.
Inuyasha looked absolutely ecstatic as he jumped up, bringing a fist up into the air. The sound of his voice startled Hachi awake. "Alright; what are we waiting for!? I'm in if that's all it takes to make my sword stronger! I'll kill a thousand of them if I have to!" He gripped his sword handle, grinning into the distance.
Did he… Did he really feel that inferior because I had a way to break the barrier and he didn't? I know I have my own self-confidence issues that still needed to be worked on, but… wow. Okay. I don't know how to feel about this. At least he was acting a lot happier now.
Packing up camp took a few minutes, but after having Hachi transform we stuck Kagome's bike and backpacks onto his tail, and we climbed up afterwards. The group spent most of the night sleeping and storing energy, but poor Hachi had to pull an all-nighter in order to get us there by the next morning. The raccoon dog demon was completely exhausted. When we arrived we found ourselves on the shore, walking along a beach.
The air was really fresh here- almost like we were back at the bottom of Mount Huoh again. But up ahead… some villagers were attacking a young woman. Several men wielding spears and hoes, and… oh gods. I grabbed onto Sango's sleeve, watching in horror, several memories rushing through my mind.
It was just like back then… when I first awoke and met the people from Akebi Village. The situation was vastly different, but it looked so similar.
"You promised our village wouldn't be attacked if you gave them your daughter!" One of the men growled, stepping forward and kicking her hard in her side. "Well!? More villagers have been killed!"
"You said it wouldn't happen!"
The woman grit her teeth together to avoid crying out, her brown eyes alight with pain. Several bruises and cuts covered her body, blood dripping from her chin. Her dark hair was completely ripped out of the white ribbon that was used to hold it back, and I felt my body turn cold when one of the men reached over and tangled their fingers into the black strands, harshly yanking her up onto her knees. "Fucking bitch-! Why do they keep attacking!?"
This isn't stopping; why aren't they stopping? No, no, no! Sango and Inuyasha moved towards the villagers, intent on bringing this violent behavior to an end, and once my pillar of support was gone I found myself stumbling towards the beaten woman, tears in my eyes and heart trapped in my throat.
"Are you in league with the demon bats!?"
I had seen this so many times before. In Akebi Village… and in Kasasagi Town.
"She deserves no mercy from us…" The man raised his spear, ready to end her life. "Men! Destroy her! End this wretch's life!"
My knees hit the sand and I slid towards the woman, covering her body with my own recklessly just as there was a flash of red and pink. Sango sent several men falling back, knocking them down with a kick or expert shove, planting her foot in one of the villager's back. Inuyasha, on the hand, managed to split the leader's spear in half- causing him to lose balance and tumble- and the others came to a startled halt. The woman slowly opened her eyes, realizing she wasn't in anymore trouble, and glanced at me.
"Wh… Who are you?" She looked stunned. Though shaking, I managed to pull myself off of her, keeping a hand on her shoulder. "You're not from here…"
"A-Are you okay? How… How injured are-"
"Miss, are you alright!?" Kagome caught up, carrying her medical kit and cutting me off mid-sentence. I hadn't realized it at the moment, but Miroku moved at the exact same time I did and was on the other side of the woman, helping her sit up. "I have some medicine; it will help with your wounds! Where does it hurt?"
Inuyasha glanced back at us, observing the injured woman, before turning his attention to those who had committed the cruel acts towards her. Sango and Inuyasha released the ones they were still pinning down, allowing them to scramble back and/or stand.
"Wh-Who are you!?" The one still on the ground demanded, seeming quite terrified of Inuyasha's unusual appearance. He seemed especially bothered by his amber eyes and dog ears. "What are you doing!?"
"I heard you mention the demon bats." He responded coldly, narrowing his eyes. "How about you show me where their cave is?"
"How the hell should we know!?" The man growled. Miroku glared at him and his companions, utterly appalled by their behavior. The villager pointed at the injured woman. "Ask her where the fucking cave is; she'd know better than any of us!"
The woman glanced away, eyes glaring into the sand beneath her. I looked at her in confusion, wondering why they would say such a thing. Surely she was a nicer person than they were painting her out to be? I don't trust people like them. They're terrible jerks.
"You should be ashamed!" Miroku told them, frowning deeply. "How can you call yourselves men- daring to attack and insult a defenseless woman like this!?"
"How can you call that wench human!? She's a traitor to her kind!"
"What do you mean?" Sango demanded. The leader huffed and turned his nose away from us, disgusted by us protecting the stranger and clearly having acquainted ourselves with a half-demon and several other demons. He seemed most disturbed by Inuyasha. "Explain yourselves!"
"You want to know?" He hissed. "That bitch bedded with one of the bat demons and bore him a child! She's a monster!"
Are they seriously… hating on her because she fell in love with a demon?
I still didn't understand the whole thing with demon and human relationships, and how they can have children together when their biology should be completely different, but that was no reason to abuse her. Shippō and Myoga and Hachi were all demons, but they weren't cruel. Inuyasha was the very result of a human and demon falling love, not that I know that whole story, but… he was still a person. "How…" My eyebrows knit together and everyone looked at me. "How does that make her a monster?"
The woman's eyes widened. "You…"
"If you can't help us," Inuyasha began, breaking the silence that took place, "then shut up and go home! You really wanna fight us to get to her?"
"Damn…" One of the men grunted, glaring at Sango and backing away. The other villagers glanced at Inuyasha, the other demons with him, and then the huge weapon on the demon slayer's back. Deciding that they valued life more than self-serving justice, they reluctantly turned away and went back to their huts to work. "Fucking hell…"
"Half-demon brat showin' up outta nowhere…"
"Foreigner with 'em, too. What's going on? It's been years since we last saw one…"
Ick. I tried not to focus on them, forcing my paranoia and anxiety down to a deep abyss inside my heart, and I tried to get a better look at the woman to assess her injuries. "You're not… dizzy or anything, r-right? No headache?"
Kagome was already opening her medicine kit. "Here, I have some ointments to help with those cuts… it might sting a little, but it'll fight infection. I promise."
"Who… are you people?" The woman asked, watching as we began to fuss over her. She seemed especially confused by me. "You are… not from Japan, are you?"
I shook my head. "No… What's your name?"
It was soon revealed that the young woman went by Shizu. After Kagome tended to the worst of her injuries we made way for the stranger's hut located outside the village where she would reveal what happened. She seemed rather quiet and reserved, though I had a feeling that was mostly because of the way the other villagers treated her. We all sat down in a circle around the fireplace in her hut, Kagome keeping her medicine kit with her in case the woman began to show any serious symptoms that might require emergency treatment.
She sat on her right and I sat on her left. Miroku was between me and Sango, Hachi napped in the corner, and on the other side of the fireplace Inuyasha was sitting between Kagome and Shippō. The woman looked at us, a solemn expression on her face, and she asked, "Why do you want to know the location of the demon bat cave?"
"Why else?" Inuyasha remarked. "I'm gonna destroy them."
Shizu widened her eyes at that, alarmed, and seeing this Miroku quickly rose a hand in the air. "Why don't you hold on a minute, Inuyasha? There are some things we should ask first." He looked at her, the woman appearing slightly grateful that he had paused Inuyasha on his rampage. "They said you gave your child to the demon bats… what exactly did they mean by that? Was she truly a half-demon?"
The woman hesitated before nodding. Shizu began to explain, folding her calloused hands together in her lap. "For generations this land has been a home and hunting ground for the demon bat tribe. They prey on both humans and animals, feeding on their blood. But… Tsukuyomaru was different." Her expression softened, something gentle in those tired brown eyes of hers. "My daughter's father didn't behave like the others. He refused to kill humans and fed only on the blood of animals, and after Shiori was born the other bats stopped attacking our village. I… I assumed he convinced them to do so."
I stared at her, listening to her story with great intrigue and sorrow. I had a bad feeling this story wasn't going to end happily. Shizu met a demon who was kinder than most and, as to be expected, she fell in love with him. The villagers couldn't accept that and treated her poorly, and… what? To appease them she gave away her daughter?
"As a result our village was at peace."
Oh, I did not like that phrasing. Miroku didn't either, narrowing his eyes. "Was at peace? Why past tense?"
Shizu closed her eyes. "Tsukuyomaru… passed away... and then there was no one to stop them. They came out of nowhere and attacked the village, killing several of our people. Soon after, Shiori's grandfather, Taigokumaru, visited me and promised to leave our village alone if… if I gave him my daughter."
"What?" Did she really believe him? If it took the dad to create peace, why on earth did she believe the grandfather would follow through with it? "Why? What does he need her for?"
The woman glanced at me. Though emotional from speaking about her late husband and her daughter, she tried to speak with a steady tone. "He and Tsukuyomaru were guardians of the barrier protecting the bat demon tribe and their cave… it's a duty passed down from each generation. As the daughter of Tsukuyomaru, Shiori had inherited his powers and would be the next guardian."
"Oookay, that is not good." I bit my bottom lip, fiddling with the sleeves of my sweater. "So… she's the new bat demon guardian then?"
"Yes."
Yup, yup. Not good. Oh gods. My eyes flicked over to see how Inuyasha was handling this information and, as suspected, it was not going over well with him. The half-demon looked shaken by this news.
"Why did it have to be your daughter?" Sango inquired, leaning closer with a frown on her face. She understood how bad this was as well. Everyone did. "If her grandfather already had the power… why couldn't he just do it?"
Shizu sighed. "Their power wanes with age. As they grow older it becomes more difficult to create the barrier, but once the guardian passes on his duty… he loses the power."
"So," I tried to wrap my head around this, "it's a bloodline thing? And once the demon has a successor… that's it? They're in retirement?"
"Exactly."
"In other words," Miroku began, eyebrows furrowing, "you're saying your daughter is the only one left to protect the barrier?"
The woman looked away, but her eyes were filled with so many emotions I couldn't tell exactly what she was feeling. She looked almost… ashamed, like she was feeling guilty for forcing this responsibility upon Shiori. I really didn't know much about the life of demons and humans, but I understood enough to realize that half-demons didn't have it easy. Inuyasha seemed to be an exception, but Kagome did say he had a hard life when he was younger. It made me wonder if the only reason he was able to be so carefree now was because of the people he now surrounded himself with.
"Have you ever gone to see her?" I asked quietly, looking at her with sad eyes. Shizu wasn't able to meet my gaze.
"Every time I tried… her grandfather had me leave. It was impossible trying to get near. I had agonized over what I should do, but…" She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, hands shaking. "...in the end I gave my girl to Taigokumaru."
"How the hell could a half-demon child have such powers?" Inuyasha demanded, hands in his sleeves, his arms crossed over his chest. "It doesn't make sense."
Shizu observed him for a moment, taking in his appearance. With his long silver hair and white dog ears, he clearly wasn't a full fledged demon. Though I questioned what a full fledged dog demon was supposed to look like. Actually, didn't Inuyasha have a half-brother or something like that? I think one of them said he was full demon. Ugh, what was his name again? It was a really fancy name, but I can't remember what it was. He was supposedly a really bad person.
"I see you are also half-demon." She said. Shizu was trying very hard to keep emotion out of her voice, but it kept leaking back in. "Then you should know better than anyone else that half-demons are accepted by neither their human or demon brethren. They're considered inferior to them, regardless of who they are and what they've done."
Kagome nodded fervently, lacing her fingers together. I went silent upon hearing that, not knowing until now the sheer depth of the hatred people had for half-demons. I… I knew there were people out in the world that were racist, who hated mixed heritage and those who weren't the same as them, but… they were all people. It wasn't until coming here to Feudal Japan that I was actually able to witness it and see how truly horrible it is.
Seeing and hearing about it first-hand is a lot different from simply reading about it in history books. I had friends back home who were from another country, not to mention my step-mother. I might come from an extremely white bloodline, but that didn't mean I hated people who weren't. Hating someone, abusing them, simply because they were the child of a demon and human… was no different from what went on back in my time.
"That's so stupid."
Shizu blinked and Inuyasha snapped out of his thoughts, everyone looking at me. I made a face, nose scrunching up. It was uncomfortable being looked at and I hated myself and the lack of a filter I had, but I spoke up and had to keep going.
"Half-demons are still people. I mean, sure we tend to murder demons more often than not because they're trying to kill us and all that fun jazz, but not all of them are jerks." I tilted my head, pausing as I tried to think how to phrase my next few words. It was nice being able to think and breathe at the same time. "I-I mean, yeah, they're pretty terrifying sometimes, but… like… I mean… we humans are pretty awful ourselves, you know? All throughout history we abuse and mistreat others. Hating on half-demons is no different from hating on someone that's like, half-white and half-black. It just makes you a jerk."
"Are things different where you're from?" Shizu asked curiously, surprised by my sudden speech. "How are half-demons treated there?"
"Uh…"
Kagome spoke, waving a hand nervously in the air. "I-Irene's from pretty far away; she lives in a land without demons. She's just learning about them, so…"
"I see. I've never heard of such a place, but… " Shizu lowered her head. "That explains a lot about what you said earlier."
I blinked. "What I… said? Like, the speech just now or something else? Because I already forgot half of what I rambled."
She shook head. "Back on the beach when the villagers were… cursing me for marrying a demon- you asked how having a child with him made me a monster. For a while I believed you yourself were with a demon, but… now I see that it's not the case."
"Irene with a demon?" Sango blinked. "That would be a sight."
Kagome brought a finger to her chin, thinking deeply for a moment. "She's never really liked any human guys before… so maybe? If I try to hook her up with Kōga he might get off my back…"
I choked. He was far too childish- I wanted to smack him when he tried to charge Kagura on his own. He and Inuyasha argued like third graders. Granted I could act like one myself when I let my self-deprecation get the best of me, but more often than not I tried to be the logical one. Key word being tried. Making a face, I pleaded with the middle schooler, "Please don't."
She laughed. "I'm only kidding! Besides, you like the mature guys, right?"
"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Inuyasha snapped, eyebrow twitching. He looked deeply annoyed. "We have some serious things to talk about here. This isn't some match-making center, you know."
Shippō nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We have to try and figure out a way to free Shiori from the demon bats."
I held my hands up in defense, feeling personally attacked right now. "I wasn't the one who brought it up! I was just saying half-demons are people, too, okay? I'm sorry."
"It was my fault." Shizu began, looking up. "I misunderstood the situation. Anyway, as I was saying, Shiori had ample power to fulfill her duties. That's why I thought it would be for the best… for her to be with them. Especially if it saved our village." She took a deep breath, rage flickering onto her lovely features. "But Taigokumaru did not keep his promise. They've attacked countless times and now the villagers are demanding vengeance. They're blaming me for it."
"Which is still stupid." I commented, irritated the more I learned about the cruel villagers. "They're stupid!"
Inuyasha scoffed and stood up, staring down at the woman. "Take me to their cave. I want to meet with that one old man, Taigo-whatever it was. Her grandfather. Alright?"
"We'll go with you!" Kagome offered, moving to get up, but Inuyasha stopped her.
"No. I can handle this alone."
"But…" She hesitated.
"I'm the only one who needs to see him." He seemed oddly determined. I don't think he was intending to kill Shiori, especially considering she was a little girl, but… I couldn't tell what he was planning. Did he want to help her? I hoped that was the case. I watched in silence as Shizu and Inuyasha left the hut, leaving the rest of us to wait for them. "Don't follow us."
"...He says that and it makes me want to follow." Miroku sighed. "How unlike him."
"Agreed." Sango said, brushing some hair behind her ear. "Should we just sit here and wait for them? It could take a while."
"I think we should go back to talking about Irene's lack of a love life." Kagome said, grinning mischievously at me. I groaned and fell onto my back, bringing my hands up to my face. "What? It's fun!"
"Is not! Is it so hard to accept that one can be single and happy?"
"Well, no, but it makes life more interesting!"
"You're trying to hook me up with a fifteen year old, Kagome! No!"
"Well, he's a demon… so he's probably over a century, technically."
"He acts like a fifteen year old!"
She opened her mouth to argue, paused, and thought about. "I'm not sure if I should be offended by that or not? What do you guys think?"
Miroku quickly turned his head and started to whistle, while Sango raised her hands. "Don't look at me. But… I don't really think she and Kōga would make a good couple. Not to mention he's so in love with you, Kagome."
"Yeah. And she's not his type." Shippō nodded. "She can't see the jewel shards after all."
"That's true…" Kagome sighed. "...and we've already settled he's not her type either. But then who can I pair her up with? There are so little options and not many are very serious or mature."
"Here's a great idea!" I exclaimed, sarcasm hiding beneath the bubbly exterior I gave off. Sitting up to look at her, I clapped my hands together with a big grin. "How about nobody!? I love nobody! Nobody is great."
She stuck her lips out at me in a pout. "Oh, fine, spoil sport. Why can't you just humor me?"
"Because a small child's life is at stake and I'm not gonna be here forever?" I retorted, not fully understanding what I said until I said it. "S-So… trying to pair me up with someone is… yeah. Not good."
That's right… I was so focused on the idea of finding Maria and going home that… I forgot what that actually meant. Once I go home… that's it. I won't ever see Sango, Miroku, Shippō, Inuyasha, or Kagome again. I won't see Kirara or Kaede again. Kōga, Kagura, Naraku… I won't have to deal with any of them. They'll be out of my life forever.
The middle school girl paused, eyes widening, and everyone in the room grew silent. I think they all forgot about it as well. We were talking and playing games just last night, but that wouldn't last. Eventually we would defeat Naraku, figure out how to send me home, and that was it. Our friendship would be ended there. I would be cut clean from history. And unless I went to Japan after returning to my time… I might not even see Kagome again. She would be so much older than me by that point, probably in her thirties or forties. Would she remember me at all?
Miroku lowered his head, "True. You can't come-and-go like Kagome does with the well. Once you're gone… we won't ever see you again."
"Y-Yeah…"
Why did I allow myself to get so attached to them? This was why I felt so upset earlier at the mountain with everyone- they were always cheering me up, saying we were a team, that we would look out for one another, but… it wouldn't stay that way. I would never get to keep such wonderful friends. I knew I would be leaving them all behind one day to go back to my own time, but I… I never allowed myself to think about what that would mean.
I'm such an idiot.
"Naraku really is evil." Shippō muttered, looking as though he were fighting tears. "He's the one who brought you here."
"Yes." Sango closed her eyes. "It really is… awful."
Kagome folded her hands together in her lap, shifting her position so her legs rested to the side. "I… I never really thought about it, but yeah. That's… a lonely thought."
Frick. If this conversation kept going I was going to cry. I forced a grin and beamed at them, waving a hand in the air. "Aw, come on! I know you guys don't like me that much. It's fine~ besides, it'll just mean Naraku was beaten, right? Look on the bright side! You won't have to deal with him anymore."
"Yes, but…" Kagome hesitated. She saw how I was trying to stay strong. "Irene, do you really want to go home?"
"Hm?" I blinked at that. That was such a silly question, so why did I find myself hesitating? "Well, yeah… but it's up to Maria."
"Your sister?" Miroku asked. "What does she have to do with it?"
"Well, we'll have a choice, right? If we figure out how to get home, we can choose whether or not to go. Unless we can't for some reason." I made a face at that. "Probably how it'll go. But! If there's a choice Maria will make it. She… She deserves to be happy, so…"
"And what about you?" Sango inquired, frowning. "Don't you deserve to be happy as well?"
I'm the one who got us into this mess. If I never pointed out the pentagram that was drawn on the stone… we would still be back home. I was the last person who deserved it. I didn't answer Sango's question properly, knowing she wouldn't like my response. "It… doesn't really matter." I settled on, forcing apathy to wash over me. This was a subject I would have to face and accept, regardless of whether I liked it or not. "Maria comes first."
"I understand that you love your sister," She said, knowing more than anyone here how important family is, "but she loves you, too. What if she wants you to decide?"
"Then I'll ask what she'd choose."
"Irene…"
"Sango." I wasn't having this conversation anymore. My mind was made up. What I wanted was unimportant; I would do whatever she decided. That's all there is to it. "I'm not choosing between you two. Besides, it's not like I contribute a whole lot to the group. It'll be fine. You won't even notice I'm gone."
"I don't think that's true." Miroku looked eerily serious. I had to remind myself that he was the only one here that was actually close to age. He was just a year younger. "Irene, forget what you were told in the past. Whatever it was your father said… it was wrong"
"What my dad said doesn't matter." I found myself becoming defensive. He wasn't the main issue; it was so many other people. "I've gotten over that. It's just… she's been through a lot, okay? So what she wants is all I care about. At least until we've figured everything out."
I have to stay focused. Until the time for the choice comes. After that… I'll think for myself again.
"Irene…" Sango faltered.
Suddenly the beaded door slammed open and Inuyasha marched inside, Shizu right behind him with new bruises and tears in her eyes. It was night time; we had spent several hours in the hut talking. The half-demon huffed and sat down, and Kagome glanced at him nervously.
"Did it not work?" She asked.
Shizu lowered her head and let out a heavy sigh, greatly depressed by everything that's happened to her. I worried at my bottom lip, feeling sorrow for the woman beside me. I really didn't understand why people went out of their way to hurt others- be they demon or human. "I feel like I should give up…" She murmured.
"What?" I recoiled, startled, snapping out my previous thoughts by her horrible words. "Why!?"
"Taigokumaru spoke the truth about Shiori," She lamented, "the villagers didn't accept either of us. She might be better off there with the other bat demons after all…"
Inuyasha scoffed at that, even angrier than usual. "You don't know anything." He growled, causing us all to stare at him in surprise. His rage and bitterness flowed through the air, hitting deep and piercing into the heart. What he went through as a child I could only imagine based on his words. "Demons don't accept half-demons, even if they're related by blood. Humans are no different. We're scorned and hated, and treated like dirt. Taigokumaru doesn't actually care about Shiori; he only keeps her alive for her power."
I remember them saying something about how he never got along well with his older brother, whoever he was. His full demon sibling didn't try to… kill him, did he? Inuyasha must have been so scared growing up. That would explain why he's so defensive and argumentative now… and why he doesn't like to share his feelings. His anger issues are because of his traumatizing childhood.
Shippō looked up at the half-demon, green eyes mixed with concern and confusion. "I'm a proper full-blooded demon, Inuyasha, and I've never had any problems accepting you."
Myoga jumped up into the air several times, waving his little arms to try and catch the silver-haired teen's attention. "That goes for me too, m'lord!"
Inuyasha leaned down, eyebrow twitching, an irritated grin on his face. "That's only because I protect you both."
"Anyway," Miroku spoke up, changing the subject, "our hands are tied if you're unable to break through the barrier, Inuyasha."
"That's precisely the reason we came here, right?" Sango said. The half-demon huffed.
"I know that."
Are we… seriously debating whether or not to kill Shiori? She's a little girl! A half-demon like Inuyasha. She's probably, what? Five years old? You've gotta be kidding. "We're gonna be saving her, right?" I asked anxiously, glancing between everyone in fear of the answer. "I-If we're gonna be saving her and killing Taigokumaru, I could try and break the barrier for you… and Inuyasha could attack the demon?"
The half-demon looked conflicted for a moment before he turned his head and stared at me, amber eyes boring into mine. I tensed, very uncomfortable beneath that gaze, almost scared by what I saw. It wasn't terrifying, really, as it wasn't the eyes of a murderer I saw. It was of a young teenage boy who had been through too much heartbreak and abuse, who wanted to become more powerful yet not wanting to have to kill a small child so similar to him in order to do so.
Without ever responding to my suggestion, the half-demon stood and walked quietly out of the hut. I spread my lips into a thin line, wondering if maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. After a few moments passed Kagome stood up and followed him, and I hunched over and laced my fingers tightly together in my lap.
Shizu still looked so lost as to what to do. I couldn't imagine having a child of a demon, losing the father of the child, and then being forced to give that child away to a group of terrible demons. Knowing that even though it was for the good of the people, those who have mistreated you both, the child would still be unwanted. That you wouldn't be able to see them again.
"We'll get her back." I found myself promising the woman. Shizu raised her head and turned, brown eyes widening. My fingers flickered with a blue light as I reached forward, resting a hand over her own trembling ones. The cool flames danced along her flesh, the woman completely stunned when she saw that the flames didn't burn nor hurt. In fact, they were healing her. "Shiori will be with you again."
I can't stand this. I hate everything about this. Half-demons shouldn't be treated so cruelly.
I don't think Inuyasha would attack her, no- I'm convinced he wouldn't. So I'll stand beside him. For the first time I will try to use the power of the Shikigami to break a barrier. This way Inuyasha can kill Taigokumaru, and Shiori will go back into her mother's arms. Their family will be reunited.
Shizu's lips curled back and she choked, expression softening as her eyes became misty once more. She was so much more beautiful now that her face wasn't covered in cuts and bruises. "Thank you…"
I don't have Maria, not at the moment. But when I do… I will be happy. That is what I deserve. To be reunited with my sister. So, until then, I will do my best to reunite this woman with her precious child and stop Naraku from causing anymore heartbreak.
Shizu surprised me when she leaned forward, resting her forehead on my shoulder and crying silently. I stiffened, having not expected her to behave as such, and cast a quick panicked glance at the others before weaving one of my hands out from the woman's and awkwardly resting them on her back. Miroku leaned close to Sango, whispering with raised eyebrows,
"She really has a way with others, doesn't she? Irene has so many issues with herself, yet somehow always manages to take on the baggage of others…"
"I feel kinda bad now." She responded, bringing a hand up to her chest. "The same thing happened back in Tsuzumi. A few words and then I was clinging to her."
Shippō moved over to the demon slayer, crawling onto her lap. I could hear everything they were saying, but I think Shizu was too focused on venting out her emotions to hear. Against my will I found my heart breaking for the woman, her negative energy almost seeming to flow into me as I held her. "You too? I think someone said somethin' about… uh… what was it? Character?"
"Charisma." Myoga corrected. "I think that was me, actually."
Whatever you call it, it was exhausting. I ran my fingers along Shizu's back slowly, allowing the woman to sob into my shoulder and completely soak my sweater with her tears. How did I always end up in these situations? It would be nice if the others could say something to help instead of whispering about me. I'm glad I could help, if it meant she felt even the littlest bit better… but I had no idea how to comfort people.
That was when I heard the screaming. Shizu stopped and lifted her head, staring out the window with big eyes. Hachi awoke with a start, and Sango and Miroku immediately made their way outside to see what was going on. Sango narrowed her eyes and looked into the distance, frowning deeply. "Those are the demon bats!"
Shizu and I made our way to the doorway, and I stared in horror upon seeing just how many there were. It was an entire swarm- too many to count. It was like the demons Naraku sent to protect Kagura during the new moon all over again, only… bats.
"They're heading towards the village!" Shizu observed. Hachi let out a small squeak and quickly turned his head when he saw someone running at us. Inuyasha was charging at full speed, Kagome right behind him.
"What are you people gawking at!?" The half-demon demanded. "Let's get going!"
Shippō held tightly to Miroku's shoulder, the monk nodding at his words and taking off. Kagome and Sango ran back inside the hut, the middle schooler grabbing her bow and quiver and following after. I looked back-and-forth at everyone, uncertain what I should do. I wasn't strong enough to take on a horde of demons like that; I would be killed instantly! Do I wait for Sango to finish putting her armor on or-?
The demon slayer ran out, fully dressed with hiraikotsu on her back, riding on Kirara. She stopped beside us and grabbed my arm, causing me to yelp when she suddenly pulled me onto the cat demon. "Let's go! Stay away from the demons, Shizu!"
"But-!" Any argument was left forgotten, Sango far ahead from the hut already thanks to Kirara's incredible speed. When we caught up with the others we found them huddled together, back-to-back, surrounded by the demon bats.
"Look!" I pointed at them, keeping an arm wrapped firmly around her waist. "Down there!"
"I see them! Duck!" I did as told and avoided the hiraikotsu as Sango swung it over head, flying near and tossing the boomerang at the many demons. "I'm gonna take shot at them! Hrah!"
I watched as the hiraikotsu sliced through several of the demons' torsos, tearing them right in half. Then, as it rounded up through the area, it shot towards the largest bat demon of them all- who appeared to be carrying someone in the palm of his hand. I had to squint to get out the details, but it looked like a small girl with… lilac-colored hair? Was that Shiori? As the weapon neared it bounced off a blue-ish forcefield, sending the hiraikotsu hurling back at her. She maneuvered Kirara around and caught it with ease.
"I-Is that the barrier?" I asked. It looked so much different compared to Naraku's- his was far more toxic and purple in appearance. "Should I try and break it?"
Sango clicked her tongue against her teeth in distaste when she saw the giant old bat start laughing, and carefully guided Kirara down to the ground where the others were. "Inuyasha! What should we do?"
"How should I know?" He demanded. Miroku frowned and looked up at the demon.
"This is not looking good. And with Shiori around I can't use my Wind Tunnel. Inuyasha, I know you want to have tetsusaiga break the barrier, but our best bet would be to create an opening for Irene to use her Shikigami. It's the perfect chance to test out her new power."
"W-Wait," I blinked, startled, "so I am using it? Like, right now?"
"What's the matter?" The giant demon asked tauntingly. I could only assume that this was Taigokumaru. "Can't you make a move?"
Inuyasha glared at the demon and cursed. "Damn it… yeah. I think we have to. If we can get Shiori out of the demon's grip, we can kill him. But the barrier is in the way."
Frick, okay. Um. Breathe. What was the incantation again? It was the eagle, wasn't it? I believe so.
"Please!" A villager from behind cried, pulling himself out of the rubble of his hut. So many of the buildings have been destroyed already by the bats, and that's not even mentioning the casualty count. It was awful. It was hard to look at it, but I was getting so used to the blood and gore that I didn't vomit in my mouth this time. "You have to think of something! All our lives depend on you!"
Another man crawled forward, struggling to stand. "The bat demons will slay all of us!"
"It's the ones from before!" Kagome exclaimed, turning when she heard them speak. I narrowed my eyes at them, recognizing those specific villagers as the ones that had been attacking Shizu earlier this morning. Inuyasha scowled at them.
"You don't need to ask me for any favors. I was gonna kill him off anyway." The half-demon turned and looked up at Taigokumaru and the girl he was carrying in his hand, conflicted emotions crossing his face. "But first I gotta get Shiori away from him…"
"You can't!" One of the men protested, stepping forward. He was badly wounded, his hand holding his bleeding arm. There was a large gash on his side. "That's insane!"
"Besides," Another argued, "the girl is on the demon's side!"
What? My hand twitched. Sango glanced over, seeing the rapid change of expression and looking down to see the red flames dancing along my fingertips. Are you kidding me right now?
My jaw tightened, a cold blank expression washing over my face as anger boiled inside of me. I turned to look at them, glaring darkly as they dared to insinuate that Shiori was the villain. Inuyasha turned his nose up at their words. "What," He began, voice low in a growl, "you'd have me kill her too?"
"Well, there's not much choice…" A villager began, glancing nervously at his friends. "Right?"
"She is the child of a demon…"
I'm done. I am so done with this. "You're the ones that sent her to them!" The villagers jumped and everyone else looked surprised by my rage. I was fuming, arms alight with hot orange flames. "Are you seriously blaming Shiori right now!? This is all because you freaking abused her and forced her mom to give her up! Her demon of a dad is what spared you for so long from the bats, remember!? But no- you're all a bunch of dumbasses, am I right!? You only see what you want to see! So frick off! We're saving Shiori! You'll be lucky if we even bother to save you at all!"
I huffed and let out several angry noises, marching forward. The group looked a little scared of me, but I didn't really care at the moment. I smacked the half-demon called Inuyasha on the arm, trying to get his attention, and I snapped my fingers and pointed at Taigokumaru. The demon looked amused by our behavior, which only fueled the fire inside me. The only emotion in my voice that you could hear was a stone cold rage.
"Oi. I'mma break that barrier, got it? Then you go in, get Shiori, and kill the demon. Sound like a plan?"
"Uh, y-yeah…" He blinked. "Right."
"Good." Now how the frick did I do that again? Sango readied her hiraikotsu, eyeing the bats above uncertainly, waiting for them to attack. "You ready?"
"Yeah, just hold on a moment." He stepped forward, looking up at the old demon and the girl. "Did you hear that, Shiori!?" Inuyasha called up, raising his voice. "What do you want to do!? You heard what these people said about you; going back to the village might not be a good idea! Do you still want to go back!?"
The girl glanced at him, eyebrows furrowing. She said nothing and I only found the rage bubbling even hotter. Miroku carefully took a few steps away from me, eyeing the hot-white flames nervously. Shippō hid behind his shoulder, green eyes scared.
"If you decide you want to go home," Inuyasha continued, "then I'll help you get there!"
"You'll help her?" Taigokumaru mocked, laughing at the half-demon's words. "You fool, don't tell me you think you can defeat me- the great Taigokumaru!?"
"Oh, shut it you oversized mammal!" I snapped at him, wheezing a little from all the shouting I was doing. I stepped forward, intimidated yet standing my ground. "We don't think - we know we can! You're just a big ugly demon hiding behind a little girl! Come out and fight us, coward!"
"Arrogant mortal!" He declared, opening his mouth wide. A bright ball of light began to form and shot outwards, and the next thing I knew Inuyasha had grabbed Kagome, Miroku took Shippō and ran for it, and Sango cried out for me to run. "Die!"
The flames on my body dispersed in surprise and I scrambled for an escape, but was too slow. Had it not been for Kirara, who flew underneath me and forced me onto her back, I would have been melted alongside the ground, nothing but a pile of bones in the smoldering crater Taigokumaru created. The demon saw us escape his attack and laughed, focusing his attention on Inuyasha and his dog ears.
"I understand now! You are also a half-demon. That undeniable stench is overwhelming!" His scarlet eyes bore into him, the sneer on his face revealing his hatred for Inuyasha's bloodline. "Allying yourself with these pitiful humans… you truly are a disgrace to your demon heritage!"
"Oh, really!?" Inuyasha called up, challenging the old bat demon. "Are you goin' somewhere with this!?"
The demon's grin broadened. "You're recalling your own situation," Taigokumaru observed, laughing at Inuyasha, mocking and taunting him, "that's why you feel such great sympathy for Shiori. You and her are the same. Unwanted by demons, unloved by humans… you live your very life in fear."
Inuyasha pushed himself up into a standing position, scoffing at his words. "As if! She's got nothing to do with it! I just can't stand rotten old bats like you, is all! Acting like you're all high and mighty… when you're just cowering behind a barrier!"
I looked up at Taigokumaru from my spot on Kirara's back, slowly sliding off of her as we neared the ground. If I could break the barrier while he was distracted, Inuyasha or Sango might be able to land a hit on him. I would have to be quick though. How did the incantation go again? It was the eagle Shikigami, I believe.
"Hey, Shiori!" Inuyasha shouted to the child, catching her attention. She really was very young. "Make up your mind, okay!? Do you want to go back to the village or not!?"
She looked down, violet eyes filled with inner turmoil. Shiori then paused, something catching her attention and distracting her. "Mommy…?" Running along the beach was Shizu, the dark-haired woman trying to catch sight of her beloved daughter. Taigokumaru saw this and leaned close, holding the girl up to his face. She tensed, seeing the way his eyes glared coldly at her.
"If you don't stay and protect the barrier with me your precious mother will die." He warned, threatening her to obey. "You understand that… don't you?"
Shiori's grip tightened on the red orb, fear written across her face. My stomach twisted painfully, heart reaching out for the girl.
"Taigokumaru, please, wait!" Shizu ran up to the edge of the beach, looking up at the old bat demon with pleading eyes. "I beg of you to stop! This isn't what your son would have wanted! This village was safe from your attacks while Tsukuyomaru was alive! He protected us- in order to help Shiori and I live happily he prevented any attacks on the village! Please, honor your son's wishes!"
"You want me to honor his wishes?" Taigokumaru mused, the sclera of his eyes glowing a bright red with his hatred. He sneered at the woman. "How ludicrous. Tsukuyomaru may have indeed been my son, but he was fool… and falling in love with mortal only hastened his demise!"
"Wh… What?" Shizu began to turn pale, her brown eyes widening in alarm. "What do you mean by that…?"
The old demon laughed at her reaction, finding the woman pitiful and weak. "Just as you stated, Tsukuyomaru claimed that he would protect the village- and unless I abided by his wishes he would abandon his duty as guardian of the barrier… and leave the tribe! His very heart was stolen by you, a mere human, and that's why…" He paused, allowing the words to sink in, the grin spreading wide across his face.
"Why… what?" The female human hesitated, bringing a hand up to her chest. "Wh-What happened?"
Oh my god. "You… You killed him, didn't you?" I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing. Shizu looked like she was going to throw up, the woman stepping back, currently in shock. Kagome quickly caught her when her legs gave out, stopping her from falling. Inuyasha ground his teeth together and bared his fangs, holding tetsusaiga tightly in his hands. "He… He was your son!"
"Did you seriously murder your own flesh and blood!?" The half-demon was disgusted.
"I did." Taigokumaru confessed, smiling wickedly at us. "I took great pleasure in sending him to the netherworld."
Shiori froze upon hearing that, head snapping up and turning to look at him. The hands that were holding the red orb began to shake, hatred beginning to grow in those sad violet eyes. She looked so confused, but so heartbroken at the same time. Her poor mother was on the verge of fainting.
"Besides," Taigokumaru continued, "I had Shiori… so I had no use for that fool anymore."
He… really did it. He killed his own son. I thought I had seen and/or heard some pretty messed up things since coming here to the Feudal Era, but that was the worst of it. This demon was an insult to most other demons- Taigokumaru was, simply and unmistakably, a monster. My fingers twitched and lighted with a green flame, hotter and brighter than the one I used to remove the poison from Miroku's body before. No, this was not a gentle fire. It was an aggressive one, fueled by anger and disgust.
How could someone do that? He knew Tsukuyomaru loved Shizu and Shiori, that they all cared about each other, and… he killed him exactly for that reason. Taigokumaru murdered his demon son because he found happiness with a human.
"Taigokumaru," Inuyasha growled, amber eyes flashing dangerously, "you don't deserve to live!"
Normally I felt bad for killing the demons that attacked us, knowing that it was mostly out of survival that they tried to eat us, but this… was different. This was cold-blooded. I agreed wholeheartedly with Inuyasha; Taigokumaru needed to die. Flames danced at my feet, a symbol drawn from green fire appearing on the ground.
"Lucky for them," The silver-haired teen continued, seeing the way the flames lit up the darkness, "I'm about to cut your lifespan short! Irene, now!"
Taigokumaru laughed at that. "You realize Shiori can not control the size of the barrier, don't you? You try and attack me… you will destroy the girl as well!"
I wasn't even sure if I knew what I was doing, but I was so mad. So spiteful towards this monster who had torn apart a happy family because of his own bigotry. I despised people like him. He was nothing more than a negative influence, toxic towards those easily affected by heartbreak. A storm cloud standing in the path of others, preventing them from facing the bright day ahead.
"Is that…?" Taigokumaru narrowed his eyes when he saw the flame. "I won't let you!"
Several large balls of light appeared in the air. It appeared he recognized the Shikigami for he appeared intent on stopping it, but that wasn't going to happen. I raised my hands up and laced my fingers together, imaging the bright blue sky and forest trees with their crisp, clear air. It was beautiful, but this demon was in the way.
"O' overflowing blue sky…" I could feel the power surging through me, the wind picking up pace and causing the flames to flicker and dance, rising from the shining pentagram. I brought my arms forward, holding the palms of my hands out towards Taigokumaru as he unleashed his attack. "Remove these storm clouds from my path!"
At that moment there was a beat- and at first I thought it was my heart, but then it became clear it was from the wings of a massive eagle. It flew majestically out of the pentagram, growing in size the higher it rose into the air. The flames around me dispersed and I found myself being tackled from the side, Inuyasha throwing me over his shoulder and pulling me out of the way of Taigokumaru's attack, Kirara jumping to safety.
Finally the eagle was a similar size to the old bat, its cold eyes staring expressionlessly at the demon. It seemed irritated somehow, and expertly avoided the blast sent at it. The village, however, was not spared. All the buildings were completely destroyed and some of the villagers ended up being killed as a result, the survivors greatly wounded and struggling to get back onto their feet to run away. Some couldn't even walk. Mothers grabbed their children, huddling them close together, and the rest of my group quickly got to work trying to evacuate those that could still move.
Then the eagle beat its wings, rose up a few more feet, and proceeded to dive headfirst towards the barrier Shiori and Taigokumaru were sitting in.
"Get out." The girl mumbled, catching the demon's attention. His eyes widened.
"What?"
She turned her head, glaring at her cruel grandfather, violet eyes flashing white. "I will avenge… my father's death. Now get out!"
Taigokumaru let out a yell as he was forcibly expunged from the barrier, which was soon penetrated by the flaming green eagle. "How dare you- a mere half-demon!" The old bat screeched, enraged. Inuyasha landed on the ground and looked up, setting me gently on the ground and watching in surprise as the Shikigami tore through the front with its beak, ripping all the way to the back. The eagle then turned to face the barrier once more and with a single beat of its large wings… the blue force field keeping everything out dispersed.
The little girl didn't bother to scream as she tumbled down towards the earth below. Kagome looked up with wide eyes. "She's falling!"
Shizu quickly pulled herself together, having seen her child in danger, and ran for it. "Shiori!" She held her arms up, intent on catching the girl. "Shiori, I've got you! Hold on!"
Did it work…? The barrier broke? The eagle vanished in several sparks of green lights, my vision more dazed and blurred than ever. I felt so dizzy; I wanted to throw up. Taigokumaru let out a growl, flying high into the air. "Even though my granddaughter is a mere half-demon, I would never allow you humans to have her!"
Kagome chased after Shizu in a desperate attempt to get her to move, seeing the way the old bat demon's mouth began to glow with a white light. Shiori saw this as she continued to fall and cried, "Mommy! Look out!"
The rays of demonic light shot downwards towards them both and, having long-since set me down, Inuyasha wasted no time in rushing forward, leaping into the air and swinging his sword. "Time to say your prayers, old bat! Backlash Wave!"
The half-demon's attack worked very similarly to the Wind Scar. I could make out the waves of demonic energy swirling around the blade, but instead of creating several cracks along the ground it seemed to wrap around Taigokumaru's rays of light, creating a twister of sorts that sent the rays hurtling right back at the caster- attacking Taigokumaru himself. "What!?" The demon screamed, unable to move in time to avoid the blast. "This is impossible!"
"They got him!" Miroku exclaimed. "Inuyasha did it!"
I had never seen that move before. Was Inuyasha always able to use it? Wait, what about Shiori? Is she okay? Where's-oh! Thank goodness; Hachi transformed and caught her. He was carrying her over, shouting at everyone. "Over here, people! There." He set the girl down and she dashed over to Shizu, Shiori still carrying the red crystal orb that was used to make the barrier in the first place.
"Shiori!" Her mother exclaimed, making her way towards her. Tears filled the girl's eyes.
"Mommy!"
Shizu knelt down and wrapped her arms around her little girl, holding her tightly in her arms. Shiori leaned into the embrace, giving in to her pent up emotions and sobbing against her mother's chest. "I'm so sorry, Shiori," The woman apologized, wearing a pained expression, "that must have been so terrible for you!"
"I missed you…" Shiori whimpered, a smile spreading across her face. "I love you."
This whole thing was making me tear up. Jeez. I sniffed, looking away, leaning back against the sand and waiting for my skull to stop throbbing. Hachi walked over and knelt beside me, tilting his head curiously. "Are you okay?"
"...Am I ever okay?"
"I dunno." He answered honestly. "I just met you like two weeks ago."
I snorted at that, only to cringe and start coughing, instantly regretting it. "Ow, ow, okay… oof… I can't breathe. My poor inhaler." I used the rescue so much, including in this moment. Sango glanced over, frowning, and tapped on Miroku's shoulder to obtain his attention before she pointed in my direction. "I wanna nap…"
"Irene!" The demon slayer called out, making her way over with the monk. "Are you alright? That Shikigami was so much larger than the others…"
"I mean," I began with a wheeze, pausing for a moment to think about my answer, and then deciding honesty was the best policy I said, "I can't... really feel my legs… but that's normal, I think. Head… hurts a lot. Um. Yeah. Everything… is good, right?"
Sango knelt down, reaching over and rested a hand against my forehead. "You're burning up again… maybe we shouldn't have pushed you to try out the technique? If I knew it would take this much out of you…" She looked guilty.
I waved a hand weakly in the air. "It's fine~ don't worry… about it. 'Kay? Least we know… how it works now… right? N-Naraku… won't see it coming."
"Yes…" Miroku frowned, concerned by the Shikigami's draining effects towards my body. "Especially since Inuyasha was unable to obtain the power himself. Your ability to break the barrier is all we have now."
"Well!" The half-demon himself spoke up then, hearing the reunion take place and the conversation between us three. "We did all we can here! Good job, everyone." He turned away from the ocean to face us, amber eyes determined. "Let's get going. We still have to make it back to the castle."
From his shoulder a familiar flea demon finally made himself known, hopping up and down in a panic. "What do you mean; what are you saying!? We can't just get going now!"
"Huh?" Inuyasha blinked, looking at the flea in surprise. "What are you still doin' here, Myoga?"
Myoga smacked the half-demon's shoulder several times with the tiniest fan in existence, irritated. "Have you forgotten our reason for coming here!? You need to slay the demon that protects the barrier and have your sword drink its blood! Make up your mind, damn it! Do you want tetsusaiga to become stronger or not!?"
Shizu gasped, whirling around with horrified eyes. She looked so betrayed. "You mean… you came here to kill my daughter!?"
"Yeah, at first." Inuyasha admitted, closing his eyes. He seemed strangely calm about everything. He turned and smiled at Shizu, behaving rather gentle towards her. "Oh, don't worry; I may be half demon, but I'm not evil enough to kill a little girl."
"Especially when she's so sweet and innocent." Miroku added, grinning at the family. Sango giggled at that.
"And a half-demon like him."
I tiredly raised a hand up, feeling oddly left out with the bunch of one-liners. "He's not a jerk all the time, promise."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes at that and grabbed his sword, tapping the handle lightly. His smile broadened, the boy speaking rather cheerfully as he said, "I'll just have to find someone else who can put up an even stronger barrier and can kill them instead!"
Oh wow. Okay. He sounded so happy when he said that- something is definitely wrong. Myoga eyed Inuyasha curiously, stunned by his apparent development. "Lord Inuyasha, you've changed! You weren't like this before-!" The half-demon began to walk away and Myoga yelped, clinging to his silver strands of hair to prevent himself from flying away. "Uwah!"
The calm expression disappeared from Inuyasha's face and he glared at Myoga, marching his way over to where the three of us were. Kagome smiled at him from her spot near Shizu. "What's that supposed to mean!?"
"Uh, well, I, um-"
"It means that you've grown up." Miroku explained. He watched as Sango lifted me up, carrying me in her arms like she normally does. "...Hey, Sango, do you think maybe sometime you could carry me like that? Cradled close to your chest, your strong arms wrapped around my-" He held his hands up, making a face as he expressed his jealousy, but the demon slayer didn't express any sympathy.
"Not a chance." She snapped. "Keep your hands to yourself."
"I feel so loved." I grinned, resting my head against Sango's shoulder. "Thank you."
She smiled at me. Kagome waved at Shizu and Shiori as we started to make our way back to the woman's hut, needing to collect the rest of our things before we left the destroyed village. "Well, we better be heading off now!"
Hachi bowed. "Farewell!"
"See ya!" Inuyasha called, but the group was quickly stopped by little Shiori who pulled away from her mother and ran towards us.
"W-Wait!"
Everyone was confused. Her mother tilted her head, reaching out and resting a hand gently on her back. "Shiori? What's wrong?" The girl held our the red orb, staring at everyone intently.
"Take this." She said. "Smash it into pieces. This blood crow crystal is a precious heirloom passed down to each guardian of the demon bat tribe. This is what gives us the ability to put up a powerful barrier and it stores all the power from each generation of guardians, like my grandfather's… and my father's." Shiori waited for a moment to catch her breath, not used to speaking so much, before continuing. "So I think if you break the crystal… you should be able to strengthen your sword!" The girl tilted her head. "That's what you want, isn't it?"
Inuyasha stared at her, his eyes trailing down to gaze at the blood-red orb. Myoga jumped excitedly from his shoulder. "We couldn't have asked for anything better!" The flea exclaimed. "Smash the thing, Lord Inuyasha! Break it to bits!"
"Yeah…" He said, narrowing his eyes. "Good idea. The sooner we get rid of that evil thing, the better."
The orb began to pulse in Shiori's hands and her eyes widened. A dark energy began to swirl inside before leaking out, the red glass brightening and seeming to give off steam. Sango's eyes widened. "It's giving off a demonic aura!"
Shizu reacted instantly, tearing it from her daughter's hands. "Let go of it!" She said, only to cry out and drop the orb when it began to burn the skin of her palms. The woman stared down, startled by what happened. Shiori looked ready to cry.
"M-Mommy… your hands!"
The red light grew brighter until it expanded from the crystal, wrapping around it protectively.
"The crystal put up a barrier!" Kagome said, raising her hands up nervously. "It's sentient?"
Inuyasha huffed. "I should have known it wouldn't be so easy to break. Huh." He grinned, unsheathing his sword. "This is getting amusing! But not for me!" He swung the blade, aiming straight at the crystal. There was a strong gust of wind as the demonic energy swirled about, deflecting tetsusaiga and sending Inuyasha flying back with a pained cry. Kagome ran forward, resting a hand gently on his shoulder.
"You okay?"
He clicked his tongue. "Yeah, sure. I'm fine." His eyes glanced over to see Shizu hovering over Shiori, holding her closer and shielding her from the barrier. Yellow electricity crackled around the orb for a moment before it began to pulse again. A familiar voice echoed in the air, emanating from the orb.
"I would never let you go that easily, Shiori!" The girl blinked, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. Pink smoke rose up from the crystal, gradually taking shape into something grotesque and rather reminiscent of a certain bat demon. "Simply breaking the crystal could not sever your bond with the demon bat tribe… even though your mother is mortal…"
"Taigokumaru!" Shizu growled. Shiori clung tight to her mother.
"G-Grandfather…!"
The weird beast that Taigokumaru had become swiveled up into the air, maneuvering almost as if he were made out of some kind of sludge, and then he whirled around-diving straight for the girl and her mother. It was oddly reminiscent of the Shikigami when it broke the barrier before. "I'll kill you this time~!"
"Oh, really!?" Inuyasha demanded, leaping up and slicing at the demon. His sword made a loud clang against Taigokumaru's new flesh, almost as if it had hit metal.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, alarmed.
"Look out!" Shippō watched as the half-demon flew back, Taigokumaru swirling in the air until he was heading towards his family once more. "Gah!"
"Shiori…" He hissed. "Join me and all the others in hell!"
The girl flinched and buried her face in her mother's chest, Shizu holding the girl tight. As Taigokumaru neared them a blue glow erupted around the females, shielding them from his attack and wrapping them in a warm light. Taigokumaru's eyes widened, but he was moving too fast to stop and rammed right into the sudden barrier, breaking into several pieces upon impact.
"What!?"
"It's broken!" Miroku said, shocked, and everyone listened to the demon scream. Shiori gasped, as if realizing something, and turned her head to see Inuyasha lunge at Taigokumaru, intersecting the demon and his attack against them. "Look!"
"Let the little girl go free!" Inuyasha demanded, bringing his blade up high and slamming it down hard into the skull of the bat demon, tearing him into two and causing blood to spout everywhere. "Hraaah!"
As Taigokumaru vanished and dissipated into ash, the red orb darkened in color- as if to show it was dying- and then cracked. It split in half and collapsed to the ground, devoid of all power and life.
"Whoa!" Shippō shifted from his position on Miroku's shoulder, trying to get a closer look. "The crystal broke!"
I blinked. "Did… Did he do it?"
The orb soon lost all its color completely, the red seeming to drain into the earth and drift towards the tetsusaiga. Inuyasha set the blade on the ground, resting it in Taigokumaru's blood, allowing it to soak up the remains. "This time," He said, "it's really over." He leaned his head back in surprise when the tetsusaiga began to change color and glow. Inuyasha stood up, holding the weapon high in the air. "My sword… whoa! The blade is turning red!"
Once the tetsusaiga was done transforming it reverted back to its original color and rusted state, and Inuyasha tucked it back in its sheath. I leaned my head back against Sango's shoulder, closing my eyes and trying to will my headache to go away. I suppose now I won't have to use the Shikigami to break any barriers, which… honestly would be pretty nice. I don't understand what the point was of me going to learn how if Inuyasha would just be able to break them with his sword anyway.
Shiori picked up half of the broken crystal, staring at its lifeless state. Inuyasha walked over, staring down at her. "Hey, Shiori?" The girl looked up.
"Thanks for helping…" She said quietly.
"I'm the one who should be thanking you for saving me." Inuyasha corrected. "You weakened the old bat's power."
She shook her head. "That wasn't me. I wasn't the one who did that." Shiori looked down, eyes turning misty. "Someone put his arms around us… Around me and Mommy. He wanted to protect us."
Shizu teared up and wrapped her arms around her daughter, resting her cheek against her daughter's head. "That was Tsukuyomaru." She said quietly. "That was your father, Shiori…"
Her father's spirit rose from the grave to protect them one last time? That was the sweetest, most heart wrenching thing I've ever heard. Kagome stepped up after Shizu spoke, the middle schooler smiling softly at them.
"I'm sure your father would have wanted you to live in freedom as well, Shiori." She glanced at Inuyasha who gave her a look, and Kagome shook her head. "We should probably be going for real this time. Thank you for everything."
"No… thank you." Shizu stood, taking her daughter's hand. "You saved my daughter."
The village was completely destroyed, but at least most of the people were alive. Frick. Well, they were jerks and sort of deserved it. My heart tried to make me feel bad for them, but I resisted. I wouldn't. The sun began to rise as we left the beach, but before we could leave Shizu suddenly called out to us. Hold up, why was she looking at me?
"Wait!" Sango stopped walking, turning and keeping me held firmly in her arms. I could feel some tingling in my toes, so that was a good sign. I might be able to walk again soon. What did Shizu want? I'm so confused. "Irene, was it? I'm… so sorry for before; back in the hut… I don't know what came over me."
"...Hah? Oh, uh…" I had no idea what she was talking about. "It's… okay. I mean, you… you missed your daughter, so…"
"More than anything." She told me, smiling. Shizu was holding Shiori in her arms, the little girl staring at me with curious eyes. "And… I didn't realize until you used that strange bird to attack the barrier, but… you're a priestess, aren't you? The kind that actually communicates with spirits? We haven't seen one of your kind in years."
Miroku turned at that, eyebrows raising. "You know of the Shikigami spirits?"
Shizu shook her head. "Not exactly. I've heard stories… before my mother passed away she would tell me a tale of how a young woman showed up in our village. She came from a far away land, wielding a strange power. She would protect our village and bless our land, using creatures made from fire to do so. But then… she met someone from a different village and moved, leaving us victim to the attacks once more. It was after my mother's death that I met Tsukuyomaru, and… I almost forgot all about the story. But then you appeared."
"Are you serious right now?" Inuyasha asked. "There was another foreigner that could use the power of Shikigami?"
The woman nodded. "Yes. I… I'm not sure why, but I felt you should know this." She hugged Shiori tighter, the girl wrapping her arms around her mother's shoulders. "When that blue flame washed over me before… I felt so many things. It was so warm and gentle, but… somehow sad as well. Irene, I don't… know what you and friends are planning to do with this new power, but I ask you to be careful. You and your friends have done something so wonderful for my family, and… I want you to find happiness as well."
I was stunned silent. How was I supposed to react to that? "I… um. Th-Thank you. W-We'll try our best?"
She smiled. Shizu then turned to Shiori, leaning down and pressing a small kiss to the girl's forehead. "Let's go tend to those cuts now, sweetie."
"Okay, Mommy…" As Shizu began to walk away with Shiori still in her arms, the little girl stared at us and waved with her tiny hand. "Bye! Thank you!"
Once they were gone Hachi turned and looked at everyone, greatly confused. "So Irene isn't the only one who can use the Shikigami? I thought she was the only one… save for, you know, that one old man from the village."
"No, there are others." Sango said, frowning. "But… I am confused. Aside from Irene, there are Kakuju and Anastasia… and now another woman? Surely she must be Kakuju's age by now, if not older! What village do you think she went to?"
"I dunno." Inuyasha said, crossing his arms and placing his hands in his sleeves. "But somethin' ain't sitting right with me. She came from another land and could use the power of the Shikigami… Irene is a foreigner, too. Do you think they're related?"
"Could be." Kagome suggested, thinking about it. "But we have no idea who that woman is. Shizu never mentioned a name."
"I don't think she knew the name." Shippō commented. "She said she nearly forgot the story, right?"
Miroku held onto his staff tightly as he walked up, turning to stare down at me as I rested in Sango's arms. I blinked, shifting awkwardly underneath his gaze. "This is worrisome. I fear the more we learn the less we actually know and understand about Irene's situation. If they are related- how? And where does Maria mix into all of this? Irene was a rebound, was she not?"
"That's…" I nodded hesitantly at that. "Y-Yeah… I was. I have the scar on my leg to prove it."
I wiggled my left toes weakly, finally able to feel the tingle spread up to my knee. I was getting feeling back. Myoga squinted. "If that's the case then maybe we should ask that old man, Kakuju, about it the next time we see him. He seems to know a lot about certain things. But for now we should focus on getting back to the castle; Naraku is waiting for us."
"Right." Inuyasha nodded. Hachi stretched his arms out, whining.
"Already? But I'm starving!"
"We can eat later!" Miroku bopped him upside the head with his staff. "We need to get out of the village first.
"You know," I said, thinking for a moment, "I think Anastasia might be Russian. That's a Russian name, right? She sounds like Maria, but that could just be some crazy demon voodoo."
Kagome just raised her hands up in the air and shrugged at me.
Read and Review! Please? I appreciate the feedback. This was a bit complicated, but I think I figured it out. Haha. Best character is gonna show up soon. Woo! Thoughts?
