Traveling with Miroku is nice, he adds a social component the group has been missing since it first formed and his level headed nature lets him play peacekeeper when Andy's too frustrated to do it. He's also really good at guiding Andy through simpler exercises to help her develop her abilities. Currently, Andy's able to heal minor injuries without much thought. Everything else is a little more difficult but Andy thinks that as time passes things will get easier, especially with Inuyasha and Miroku offering her their insight. Over the past couple of days Miroku has become a staple of the group and someone rather dear to Andy - perhaps not as dear as Kagome or Inuyasha or Shippo but they've only known each other a few days and haven't really had a life changing experience with each other yet. Who knows. Maybe the monk will be Andy's closest friend, sitting just under Kagome in terms of placement. A quick glance at the man in purple shows him walking beside Kagome and offering tidbits of advice. Due to his skill with spiritual energy he's become the person Kagome can go to when she needs assistance if they're too far away from the village to talk to Kaede.
Unfortunately, until the whole ink-demon fiasco Inuyasha hadn't been overly fond of Miroku. Andy wouldn't say they're best friends now but she thinks the little battle over the jewel shard - which hard hardly been bigger than a sliver of fingernail - had brought them closer together as men. Or something. Andy's just happy that she doesn't have to act as the reasonable one anymore. With Miroku around she's free to butt heads with Inuyasha and Kagome as often as her little heart sees fit.
Despite how well the past couple of days have been for them Andy wakes up one more feeling ill to her stomach. She passes the few quiet moments the group takes to pack up their camp contemplating whether or not this is some sort of sixth sense or something more. All night she'd dreamed of voices whispering sweet nothings and promises of soon, soon, so very, very soon in a world full of darkness, there'd been no way to see who was speaking but Andy hadn't felt anything malicious from them so she's hard pressed to believe that the anxiety rolling around in her chest is a result of it. She stays pretty quiet as a result; following along behind Inuyasha and Kagome as they two guide their small group throughout the day. If anyone notices her strange behavior they don't comment on it, for which Andy is thankful. The last thing she wants to do is try and explain her out of the blue feelings of dread to Inuyasha... not until Miroku slows down to walk beside her around midday.
"Are you unwell, Lady Andromeda?" Miroku asks, smiling even when Andy pins him with a look.
She knows that eventually the name will loose it's appeal and Miroku will begin calling her Andy again but she's so used to people using the nickname she picked up as a kid that it's weird for her to hear someone refer to her as Andromeda. Miroku's interest in her name isn't unfounded, he's a bright man and well educated that there's a fair bit of scholarly curiosity driving his interest, but Andy refuses to tell him what her name means. Somehow she doubts that knowing her name means Ruler of Men would dissuade him from calling her by her full name, hell, she thinks it might prompt Inuyasha to use it just to annoy her.
"I'm alright." She tells the man.
"You've been quiet today." Miroku studies her with furrowed brows and continues, "Usually you're far more expressive."
"I just have a weird feeling." Andy says, because lying's no good and if she doesn't tell him something he'll probably go to Kagome or Inuyasha, and they will say something. Several somethings probably.
"Ah, yes, I understand. Travelling can put quite the strain on the mind if one's not used to it. I suspect that perhaps some of your mood could be improved with warm food and soft bedding."
Andy doubts that very much but the pleasant smile on Miroku's face and the fact that he's trying to offer her some sort of help is enough to have her nodding. When Miroku begins talking about finding work and a generous benefactor the young phoenix can't help but feel the dread harden and expand in her chest, turning into something much less benign and far more condemning. It feels like a someone's wrapped a rubber band around her chest a few too many times and left it there to watch the effects the pressure has on her. Andy swallows hard but doesn't say anything as she allows Miroku to guide her closer to Kagome, who smiles and loops her arm through Andy's. They're excited about the prospect of a good meal and a bed to sleep on. Understandable considering the only person who might be used to living this kind of lifestyle is Inuyasha - and isn't that a sad thought? Andy thinks that the next time Inuyasha comes for a visit she'll pass him on to Phoebe. She'd love him. Adopting people is kind of Phoebe's thing: she gathers them to her, cares for them, makes sure they get support systems they need, and even if they don't live with her Phoebe makes sure her people are well cared for. Inuyasha could definitely benefit from some of her aunt's unconditional affection. It might not be love, not right away, but it sure as hell isn't some half-assed attempt at being pleasant with one of her niece's friends either. Phoebe cares about people and Inuyasha needs someone other than his little group of friends to care about him.
Hours pass. Andy contemplates what books she's going to bring back after her next visit home as a way to distract herself, and somehow they end up stumbling upon a mansion. It's not very far off, maybe a mile or two? Miroku's quick to gather them all up to point out the mansion and Kagome's even quicker to suggest seeing if someone would take them all in for the evening. Everyone's pretty exhausted, even Inuyasha, so it doesn't take much convincing on Kagome's part. When they get to the mansion Andy's not all that surprised to learn that their monk friend is a bit of a con-artist, she just hadn't expected him to be as good as he is. Here's what happens; Miroku leads them all to the mansion, claiming to be a wandering monk in desperate need to talk to the owner of the mansion, and when they're presented to a short man with kind eyes Miroku launches into a completely bullshit story about how there are ominous dark clouds handing over the mansion and that the only truly reliable way to dispel the demonic energy is to have a respectable monk such as himself put up Sutras designed to defend the mansion. When the man inquires after Miroku's traveling companions - totally fair considering he's got two demons, a clearly foreign girl, and another girl dressed in extremely scandalous clothes trailing along behind him - he learns that they, supposedly, help Miroky destroy demons that terrorize humans. They're all welcomed into the man's home with a sunny smile and seen off to their rooms before the man and Miroku wander off to put up the sutras.
As they settle down to eat dinner Inuyasha lingers by the door looking contemplative and solemn. It's funny how he seems to pick up on things when no one else does. Andy picks at her food and wonders if he's finally beginning to feel what Andy's feeling or if she's just going crazy. Asking runs the risk of causing problems among the group when there doesn't need to be but not asking only makes her grow more antsy. Eventually she ends up passing her untouched food to Inuyasha who stares at her for a long moment before digging in. At least someone's taking advantage of the meal. Andy sighs, lays back against the floor, and stairs up at the ceiling. She doesn't bother raising her head when Miroku wanders in, doesn't do anything, not even when Inuyasha and Miroku begin arguing about the monk being a shyster, until the mansion shakes on its foundations.
"What's that?" Kagome asks, her fear sparking the thing Andy needs to use her powers.
She latches onto the feeling with an iron grip as she rises to her feet so she can go stand by the worried looking blue-eyed girl.
"Something big is coming." Inuyasha tells them, fingers tightening around his father's sword.
Miroku's eyes narrow as he says, "Let's run."
"Why you! We can't just eat and run!" Inuyasha snaps back at him, clearly offended by Miroku's comment.
The monk doesn't seem all that bothered.
"But it's big," he says, "we're no match for it. Impossible! Stupid! Like committing suicide."
Andy's about to cut in with a rather scathing remark directed at both men when Kagome goes rigid beside her and says, "I sense Sacred Jewel fragments. It's heading this way with enormous speed!"
Upon hearing that there's a jewel fragment both men become ready to lay down their lives in the defense of the mansion. Typical. Andy rolls her eyes at their predictability before following them out into the courtyard where a bunch of the mansions residents are gathered. Before she can get their attention and tell them to evacuate a large demon, larger than anything she's ever seen in her entire life, appears out of nowhere and destroys a look out tower. Or something. Andy doesn't know much about feudal Japan's architectural structures so she can't say for sure what the demon destroyed but everyone's freaking out so she has more important things to worry about.
"Evacuate!" She screams over the chaos, voice somehow carrying, "Make for the nearest village! Now! Go, go, go!"
People scatter. Andy has no idea if they listened to her because Kagome's pulling her off after Inuyasha and Miroku but she hopes that with them leaving the mansion and her group going out to meet the large demon that there will be far fewer human causalities. The demon's huge though, so there's a possibility that no matter what they do to prevent it people are going to die.
Andy glares up at the demon. It's big, bigger than anything they've faced yet but... familiar. Very familiar. Without thought Andy's eyes drift to the shoulder of the demon and realization dawns. Sesshomaru used this same demon the last time he confronted Inuyasha and he's using him again now. Only this time Sesshomaru's intentions are probably far more malicious then they'd been the first time Andy met him and isn't that a pleasant thought? The dread she's been feeling all day makes sense. It's like somehow she'd known this was going to happen. And because of that Andy doesn't hesitate to pull hard on the power simmering beneath her skin so that's it's ready to go when Sesshomaru inevitably decides to try and kill them all. Which happens to be not seconds later when he leaps off of the demon's shoulder and summons some sort of noxious gas that forces Andy's group closer to the mansion. The only one who doesn't manage to scramble away from the poison fast enough is Inuyasha.
"Slow as usual, huh, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru taunts, his eyes wide and full of gentle amusement.
If he weren't obviously out for some form of twisted vengeance Andy would be forced to liken the expression to that of a typical older brother teasing the younger. But this isn't a typical situation and Andy's not going to downplay the animosity between the two.
"Damn you, Sesshomaru! Whaddya want?" Inuyasha manages to wheeze out, the gas clearly affecting his breathing in some way or another.
"Don't ask me stupid questions," Sesshomaru says, "I'm here for the Tetsusaiga."
Andy shifts to put herself between Kagome and Inuyasha as the half-demon draws his father's sword, her power rolls under her skin and Andy holds it close so that she can throw up a barrier the moment it's needed. Tucked behind rocks and shrubbery as they are Andy doubts they'll need it right away but it's always better to be safe than sorry.
"Are they acquaintances?" Miroku whispers to either of them.
Kagome replies with a soft, "That's Inuyasha's older brother."
"Yeah." Andy offers an unpleasant smile, "Full blooded demon with a bone to pick. Inuyasha cut his arm off the last time they fought so I doubt this is going to be a pleasant evening for any of us."
No one gets a chance to reply to Andy's waspish remark as Inuyasha charges forward to attack Sesshomaru, who easily leaps out of the way before the sword even gets a chance to get close to him. It happens several times and each time Inuyasha gets more and more frustrated. Andy sees what Sesshomaru is doing. Why would he put effort into fighting Inuyasha when he can just as easily tire the younger half-demon out and defeat him when he's too exhausted to retaliate in kind. A dick move, sure, but a smart one. Andy gnaws at the inside of her cheek as Inuyasha rushes forward, sword raised high, only to be stopped by Sesshomaru grabbing hold of his sword arm. Beside her, Kagome and Miroku release horror filled gasps.
"Such pitiful swordsmanship, you can't handle that large sword." Sesshomaru says, barely moving as Inuyasha fights against him.
Inuyasha's agonized scream has Andy snarling, pushing forward only to be stopped by Kagome as she tells their monk that Sesshomaru is using the poison in his claws to burn Inuyasha. Andy doesn't care so much that Sesshomaru is using his natural abilities to hurt his opponent, she just cares that he's using his natural abilities to hurt her person. Inuyasha is hers, just like Kagome and Shippo and Miroku are hers. An attack on them can easily be seen as an attack on her. Andy trembles as power fills her, the shadows being driven away by the light that comes when her veins ignite beneath her skin.
"If you don't release the Tetsusaiga," she hears Sesshomaru say, "your arm will rot and fall off."
Inuyasha snarls at him, teeth baring in the universal signal of danger, and uses his other hand to position the sword in such away that when he pushes forward Sesshomaru has to decide between take one back himself or being cut open by the blade. Like any rational person he takes the step back allowing Inuyasha the opportunity to take some control of the situation.
"He's resisting him!" Miroku says, and it's clear he thinks that their half-demon friend is going to cut down the arrogant, cruel brother and win the day.
That's not how tonight is going to pan out. It's never that easy. Sesshomaru didn't come looking for them and instigate a fight just to be defeated - again - by someone which subpar sword wielding skills. Someone's going to die tonight, or end up gravely injured. Andy isn't sure how she knows, she just does, and when Sesshomaru manages to leap up into the air so he can use his whip ability to send the Tetsusaiga flying out of Inuyasha's hands it becomes clear that it's probably going to be one of them that ends up dead. The thought only cements itself in her mind when Sesshomaru lands next to the now rusted looking sword and pick it up. Last time he hadn't been able to even touch it, now he's not only holding it, but the sword has turned into the glorious fanged thing of legend. Andy catches a bit of a smirk on Sesshomaru's face before he spins and sends a wave of brilliant light at Inuyasha. He barely avoids it. His shock and growing fear causing him to lose a bit of his reaction time.
"I shall show you, Inuyasha, the Tetsusaiga's true power." Sesshomaru tells Inuaysha but somehow it feels like he's addressing the lot of them. "Jaken!"
From the shoulder of the beast the little imp calls out, "Yes, my Lord! I shall summon all the mountain demons!"
Fear lances through her as the large demon moves to the side out the mountain, raises his fist in the air, and brings it down as hard as he can against the rocks and the trees. Beneath her feet the earth rumbles, rocks and sediment shifting beneath the surface as the shock wave rolls through the mountain and disperses through the rest of the surrounding area. When the demon pulls his hand away from the wreckage he's caused there's a shimmering blue light that would look rather pretty if it weren't for the hundreds of serpentine demons that spring forth from the mountainside. Their combined energy is oppressive, angry, and full of hate. The ancient thing in Andy's blood responds to the onslaught of demons in a way that's almost staggering for Andy.
"Watch me well, Inuyasha. In one stroke... the power to slay a hundred demons in one stroke." Sesshomaru says it reverently, and then he's swinging the Tetsusaiga in a large arching motion in front of his body. The resulting streams of light and power that come from the legendary sword tear through the air and obliterate the demons in a matter of seconds, and the sound of their agonized wails as they go has Andy trembling. When the light from the attack fades there's nothing left but deep gauges in the mountain that shine with molten rock that gleams like blood in the dull light of the moon.
"Not only the demons," she hears Miroku mutter, "he destroyed the mountain."
Andy tries not to think about whether or not she can go toe-to-toe with that sword. Healing and rebirth might be inevitable for her but she can't heal one of her friends if she's trying to bring herself back from the dead. Dying isn't on her agenda, though, she supposes loosing the Tetsusaiga hadn't been on Inuyasha's and look where they are now. Her eyes drift to the being in white as he turns to address Inuyasha.
"Now that is the true power of the Tetsusaiga, the supreme sword forged from our father's fang!" Sesshomaru's eyes blaze in the dark as he adds on a scathing, "Unfortunately, it does not have the power to choose his owner. Do you realize now that a half-demon like you," the sword is pointed at Inuyasha, "can never master it?"
This is the wrong thing to say because within seconds of it coming out of the demon's mouth Kagome is up and sprinting the distance between their hiding place and where Inuyasha is standing with a cry of his name. Thankfully she only makes it a few feet before Miroku stops her, promising to go in her place and telling the rest of them to stay hidden. While Miroku goes off to put himself between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, Andy's forced to follow after Kagome as she stubbornly goes to do the same. The closer she gets to the impending danger the more wildly her magic sparks and rolls beneath her flesh. Unsurprisingly, the desire to live and have her friends live beside her is a far better motivator than the rage Andy is so used to. Andy takes her place at Inuyasha's left, the side the others left open and exposed, and shoots her half-demon friend a look before turning to stare at Sesshomaru.
"I can't stay quiet any longer," Miroku is saying. "Enough of this silly sibling rivalry."
"Hey!" Inuyasha shouts despite the fact that he has no right to be insulted when Miroku is trying to save his life.
The two quickly fall into loud bickering, their attention falling away from Sesshomaru and they don't stop until the large demon lets out an ominous half-roar and takes a step forward while the imp on it's shoulder shouts, "Lord Sesshomaru, leave this monk to me! No sense in wasting your time with him!"
"That's true," Sesshomaru says after a brief moment of pondering, "I'll just watch."
Then the imp is shouting, "Onward! Smash them!" and the demon's three fingered hand is coming down on them but not fast enough to smash them before Miroku rips off the prayer beads covering his hand and extends his cursed palm out in the direction of the demon.
Those behind Miroku remain untouched by the attack but the trio of demons standing before them are not as lucky. Sesshomaru is smart enough to leap further back and drive the Tetsusaiga into the earth to stop himself from moving but the large demon is quickly sucked into the vortex. First his arm disappears up to his shoulder, the only reason he's not completely dragged in is because his size alone allows him a bit of brute strength that he uses against the force of the wind pulling him into the void in Miroku's palm. Andy's so caught up in watching the demon that she misses the unexpected appearance of insects. Half of the demon's head is consumed before the insects appear in Andy's line of sight, caught up in the wind tunnel's power with no way to escape as they too are sucked into the void. And then Miroku lets out a choked gurgle as he stumbles back, fingers fumbling with the prayer beads. Andy only just manages to catch him, his skin too hot beneath her hands as she presses her fingers against his throat. His pulse flutters rapidly like a bird's.
"Inuyasha... take over." Miroku manages to say, the pain in his tone too obvious to ignore.
"What's wrong, Miroku?"
Beneath them the ground quakes as the large demon falls, now dead, to the ground. Andy glances up just in time to see the insects flying at them. Whatever they are, they're dangerous, Andy suspects they're venomous. Around them a barrier of multi-colored fire flares up and the insects unlucky enough to be caught die with a sizzle. She holds the barrier while Kagome checks Miroku because she's not sure if she can split her attention between healing him and protecting them from the insects.
"I'm going to go get my bow and look for an antidote! Let the barrier down!" Kagome yells at her.
"Are you insane?"
"Let it down!"
Andy snarls but does as Kagome says, the fire splitting just enough to allow Kagome to go sprinting in the direction of the mansion. Beyond the fire Sesshomaru is watching them and Andy knows that if they don't keep his attention of them then he'll go after Kagome to force they're hands. He knows they'd fight him if it meant defending her, it's not like they haven't done it before. So with gritted teeth Andy shoves her barrier out in a wave of power that'll hopefully distract the demons - insects included - long enough for her to pull Miroku off behind the dead body sprawled out on the floor. Inuyasha gets to him first, hauling him up and behind the body.
"What's happening to him?" Inuyasha asks.
"He's been poisoned by the insects." Andy says as she moves to pull Miroku's head and shoulders onto her lap.
"Can you help him?"
"Maybe, but I'll need time. I can't split my attention between fighting and healing. I don't know how!"
Inuyasha nods slowly before digging his claws into his arm. "Work on the monk," he says, "I'll keep 'em distracted."
Then he's gone, rounding the dead body with a shout of "Blades of Bloos!" while Shippo remains with her. Andy trusts the young kit to at least hold off some of the insects long enough for her to tend to Miroku so she places both hands on either side of the monk's face, closes her eyes, and summons the power she needs to heal him. Power seeps into Miroku's body and the force that rises up to meet it feels slimy. Andy's skin feels like it's rolling the longer her power brushes up against the insects poison but she pushes the feeling away in favor or trying to heal her friend. With nothing else to do, with no other way to fix the problem she's presented with in a timely manner, Andy shoves her fire through Miroku's body and burns out the oily substance residing in his body. A cry escapes him as he arches up and away from her in an attempt to get out of her grasp, but Andy's got a good grip on him and he's too weak to really do anything anyway.
"I'm sorry, I know it hurts, please hold on a moment longer." Andy breathes, eyes wide and horrified as she watcher her fire race through Miroku's body, lighting it up like some sort of sick Halloween decoration.
Back when she was younger Andy used to hold her fingers over flashlights to see what it did to her fingers. It's pretty much the same now except Andy's fire is burning out the poison in Miroku's body and she can see the outline of his bones beneath his skin. Andy gags as the last of the poison is burned away. Ripping her hand away from Miroku's body Andy quickly begins checking for signs of life; his breathing is good, his heart is racing but it's steady enough, and his eyes flutter open for a brief moment before they shut. Ok. He's going to be ok. Andy's quick to drag Miroku's body away from the dead demon and over to a pile of rubble not too far away so that she can get him out of immediate danger before she goes to get Shippo.
"Is he going to kill Inuyasha?" the kit asks, eyes wide and glossy with tears.
Andy wishes she could tell him that everything's going to be fine but she has no idea what's happening, how to use her powers in a defensive way, and what the hell is she going t- Andy grunts as warmth consumes her back, crimson flame licking at the air around her as it's parted by her body. Shippo screams, scrambling back towards Miroku where the fire has yet to touch.
"A weak monk, a puny fox-child, and a foolish woman!" a high-pitched voice screams over the roar of fire and blood in her ears, "I, Jaken, can handle you alone!"
Jaken.
Andy's mind supplies an image of the small green imp laughing as he burns her to a crisp. Sadistic little thing, foolish little thing. The primal, ancient in her head finds his attempts at murder more humorous than enraging and Andy finds that amusement bleeding into something dangerous as the fire dies down behind her.
"W-what's this?"
Her sweater - a pretty green thing she'd gotten as a birthday present - is a charred ruin, there are bits and pieces hanging from her body but none of it's really doing anything to keep her decent or protect her from the evening chill that's been setting in all night. Andy frowns as she pats at her shoulder where green thread is feeding a small fire. The skin beneath the ruined sweater is pristine, golden and slightly aglow where the veins in her body are lit up. Turning to the imp, Andy finds him trembling where he stands about five or six feet away from them.
"Nice try," Andy says, only slightly aware of Miroku's groggy moan coming from behind her and Shippo's attempt at bringing him further to awareness, "I'd try something a little more inventive next time. Fire doesn't hurt me."
Advancing on the imp is easy. He's so much smaller than Andy is and his initial shock over her walking away from his attack unscathed causes him to lose some of the time he'd need to get any sort of head start. Andy's got her hand around his staff in seconds. Black leather smacks into the imp's body as Andy punts him across the courtyard, his tiny green body flying father than it ought, and he lands with a painful sounding crunch in a tangle of shrubbery and discarded rock. Turning her attention to Sesshomaru and Inuyasha shows the younger of the two holding off the older with the Tetsusaiga's sheath.
Wood splinters beneath her fingers as Andy's grip tightens around the imp's staff. Too light weight to act as a bludgeon but too study to be discarded in favor of something better... Andy spins the staff in her hand. What to do, what to do. Andy stares at Sesshomaru, watches as he pushes Inuyasha back and sends the Tetsusaiga's sheath flying. Fingertips and foreheads tend to be the most sensitive part of the human body aside from the genitals. If Andy can just get one good swing in at his forehead maybe she can channel enough energy in to knock him on his ass. Then maybe they can get that stupid sword out of his hand.
"One swing... Just one more swing." Sesshomaru's voice carries across the eerily quiet courtyard as he raises the sword over his head.
Andy grits her teeth but before she can take the chance and charge Sesshomaru something metallic smacks into the sword causing it to spark and sizzle and then transform back into the more harmless version Andy's more comfortable seeing in Sesshomaru's possession. Can't kill a hundred demons without the legendary sword. Sesshomaru doesn't seem all that bothered by the forced transformation of his father's sword. Rather, he looks indifferent. Until Kagome's voice pulls everyone's attention to her.
Brave one, the sister-of-our-soul, the voice in her head remarks, she makes a fine ally.
Based on the fact Andy - and by extension the voice - has lived several millennium she doesn't doubt that Kagome makes a great person to have in your corner during a fight. Andy's just not sure she thinks now is a good time for Kagome to go pulling stunts like this when the only two people in their group who know how to fight are an injured monk and a half-demon without a sword. Kagome's arm shakes, her aim wavering, and Andy knows that soon enough Kagome is going to lose whatever advantage she has on Sesshomaru, so she gathers her focus and begins a careful creep across the courtyard to where Inuyasha and Sesshomaru are both too preoccupied to notice her approaching.
"Sesshomaru! The next one is aimed at your heart!" Kagome tells the demon Lord, arrow indeed aimed at the man's chest.
"Kagome!"
"Inuyasha, make your escape! Hurry!"
The boy in red stares at Kagome, a mix of fear and hesitant awe. Clearly anyone who meets Kagome is going to realize at some point she's a totally bad ass but now is neither the time nor the place. Cold wind tickles Andy's exposed back as she slips up beside Inuyasha so she can brush her fingers against his to let him know she's there. His ears twitch in her direction but Inuyasha's smart enough to not draw Sesshomaru's attention by looking at her. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on who you talk to about the whole even later on, Kagome's doing a dam good job at keeping Sesshomaru distracted.
"Sesshomaru, next it's your arm! I'll shoot your left arm off!" Kagome cries out, conviction ringing in her tone.
Wait.
Andy cuts her gaze to his arm. Left arm. The arm that should be gone. The arm currently attached to the hand holding the Tetsusaiga. Taking a closer look Andy realizes that the texture of the skin and the color is off. Sesshomaru's pale naturally, a sort of moon-kissed sort of romanticized pale with just the barest hint of shale that isn't possible for humans to have naturally, the hand holding the sword is a sort of off-grey color that lacks the deadly claws and when Andy takes a deep breath in through her nose she picks up the faintest hint of rot. Andy wasn't aware demons could use other people's arms like some sort of twisted prosthetic but here they are.
"I can see it! A fragment of the Sacred Jewel!" Kagome yells just before she releases her arrow.
Recently acquired enhanced senses are the only reason Andy sees Sesshomaru move to dodge the attack. He takes a step to the right to avoid the arrow before crouching down to get enough build up to launch himself at Kagome. He's quick. But Andy's faster... or maybe he just hadn't been expecting her to appear in front of him. Either way, Andy takes the brief moment of surprise she gains to close her fingers into a fist and deliver as good an uppercut as she's able. Her fist connects with the underside of Sesshomaru's jaw causing the demon's head to snap back. Andy would applaud the few self defense classes she'd allowed her aunt to sign her up for it it weren't for the fact that Inuyasha's hauling her over to where Kagome is standing. Once she's steady on her own feet Inuyasha steps in front of her and Kagome, keeping them separated from Sesshomaru who has recovered from the initial hit and is looking between Andy and Kagome with something like grudging respect. Doesn't mean he won't kill them all but it's nice to know that their ability to successfully attack him is worth something.
"You act pretty swiftly," Sesshomaru growls, "when it comes to that girl."
Andy isn't sure if it's directed at her or Inuyasha.
"Guys, there's a Jewel fragment in his left arm! If I aim right-" Inuyasha interrupts her with a low, "-Enough, Kagome! Sesshomaru's not one to be easily beaten. You go make sure Miroku and Shippo are safe, Andy and I will handle this."
Unsure of how she should feel about the current arrangement but unwilling to comment on it, Andy adjusts her grip on the imp's staff and listens as Kagome gathers her backpack and runs off in search of their friends without taking her eyes off of Sesshomaru.
"The transformation was stopped by a mere mortal's arrow. I guess the Tetsusaiga won't take to me." Sesshomaru remarks.
"I figured it out, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha says as he and Andy slowly begin to drift toward either side of his brother. "Why a demon like you is able to wield the Tetsusaiga. That left arm is a human arm! You are using the Sacred Jewel to connect the arm to yours... If I lop off that arm, you won't be able to touch the Tetsusagia!" Inuysha charges forward with a shout of, "And on top of that I'll be able to get another Sacred Jewel fragment!"
And then the world erupts into chaos.