Hello everybody! Already on chapter 7?! Time flies! Sorry it has taken this long- this was a harder one for me. As always, I do not own Inuyasha or Fairy Tail, just my OCs and plot twists. I'm so happy that I got my first review, thank you so much! Please comment and review, but refrain from flaming please. If there are concepts I am not explaining very well, please let me know!
Inuyasha's ears twitch and he looks to his right, startled.
What was THAT?! My hackles are raised?! As if I'll let a roar scare me-!
"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Kagome asks, stopping next to him. The rest of the group pauses as well, looking at him. Inuyasha's face turns a bit red.
"Nothing, I'm fine, idiot!" He snaps, walking faster.
The rest of the group glance at each other and shrug.
"Maybe he's irritated because there haven't been any new shards lately," Sango whispers to Kagome. Kagome nods in agreement.
"Inuyasha is just an idiot!" Shippo declares, comfy in the bike basket.
Inuyasha whips his head around, ready to clobber him- and stops, his nose twitching.
"Kagura?!" The group goes on high alert, readying their weapons.
From the forest Kagura flees on her feather, clearly having been on the wrong side of a fight. Team Inuyasha blinks, surprised at the damage she had taken. Stab wounds, burns and lacerations have ripped her clothes to pieces- she is not in a good state. She notices them, hesitates and veers away from them.
I can't take them right now! She thinks frantically.
"Wait! Kagura!" Inuyasha roars, furious, and starts chasing her.
She grits her teeth and puts on more speed, eventually losing him in the dust. He snarls, and goes back to the group. Miroku's expression is thoughtful when Inuyasha returns.
"Kagura didn't look so good, did she? I wonder with whom she had fought?" Miroku muses aloud, rubbing him chin. Sango purses her lips, considering options.
"I don't know- there aren't many that can inflict serious injuries to her. Inuyasha could, but he was with us. Lady Kikyo is unlikely… Sesshomaru is a possibility-"
"Feh! It wasn't that bastard, I would have smelled him! Besides, he would have killed her outright instead of letting her run off wounded."
"But who else could have done it?" Kagome wonders.
Shippo looks at them all and says slowly,
"You know- there is someone else." Everyone stares at him blankly. He sighs loudly, disappointed with them.
"You know, the person we're supposed to find?"
More blank stares. Shippo gives them a patronizing smile.
"Jade." Blank expressions become animated with surprise- or annoyance, in Inuyasha's case.
"Of course! That makes sense, actually!" Miroku grins, happy in his thoughts of the foreign beauty. Sango nods in agreement.
"Given her skills, I would not be surprised if she beat Kagura." She states confidently. Inuyasha glares off moodily.
"Feh. She isn't that great," He mutters in a surly tone. Kagome gives him a sharp look- Shippo sees his opportunity to needle Inuyasha.
"Sure, she isn't that great- Jade only kicked your butt twice in a row. No big deal since you're such a wimp!" He says with a shrug, holding his hands up as if to say 'oh well'.
Inuyasha lashes out, predictably, and Shippo rides in the hand basket with a large lump on his head as the group moves towards where Kagura had fled from. As they progress further into the woods, they start seeing strange crystals impaled in the ground or trees. Kagome stares around, wide-eyed and Miroku examines them.
"I wonder if we can sell these…" He muses and pockets a few before running to catch up.
Suddenly the woods end and they stare at the mass destruction; trees torn apart, craters pocketing the ground, streams dammed, animals fled or hiding. The crystals are far larger here, as big as a human male and glowing faintly a rich green color. Sango touches one and hisses, pulling her hand back- slight cuts mar her fingers.
"Don't touch them! They slice at the touch!"
Shippo jerks his hand back and Kirara mews, distressed by the scent of Sango's blood and starts to lick the cuts clean.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" A voice howls nearby and the group has to cover their ears, it was so loud!
"Wh-what was that!?" Kagome yells over the noise, terrified.
The others are in no shape to answer, half deaf from the roar and slightly stunned to boot. The sound ends abruptly- Kagome grimaces and tries to stop the ringing in her ears. Then a voice says in a confused tone,
"What the hell?"
Kagome blinks in surprise.
Is that-?
She breaks into a run, Inuyasha yelling behind her furiously. Her feet quickly take her to the new edge of the forest and she spots a familiar figure.
"Jade-chan!" Jade snaps her head around, distracted from the melted tree. She blinks in surprise.
"Oh, hi Kagome! Long time no see!" As the rest of Team Inuyasha rush into the open, prepped for battle, she waves at them too.
"Yo! Long time no see!" They blink and take stock of the situation.
"Um, Jade-san..? Did you happen to see a monster near here? It seems very dangerous!" Sango asks, her eyes flicking back and forth looking for the enemy.
Jade tilts her head at her.
"Monster? What monster?"
"The one that tore up the forest! And roared so loud!" Shippo squeaks, tail fluffed up in panic.
Jade glances around- all she sees is the damage she caused during her rampage. She scratches her head, befuddled.
"You think a monster caused all of this?"
Inuyasha snorts.
"Oh course! We should kill it before it hurts anyone!" He unsheathes Tessaiga.
Jade holds up her hands trying to stall him.
"Wait a sec-"
Miroku pulls out some of the crystals he had pocketed and shows them to Jade.
"Jade-san, have you ever heard of a monster that leaves these in its wake?" She leans back, flustered.
"Well, yeah, they're-"
"So what kind of monster is it?!" Inuyasha growls.
"There's no monster! This was me, dammit!" She finally yells, shutting them up.
Awkward silence falls on the group as they stare at the Dragon Slayer. She sighs and pushes her hair out of her face, exhausted.
"Look, I was just in a fight and this is what the aftermath can look like; Dragon Slayer magic is one of the highest grade destructive magics in existence. It isn't a shocker for a Dragon Slayer to lay waste to entire towns! The crystals you found I made with magic, it was part of one of my attacks, but they'll disperse in an hour or so. The roar? Also me because that Breezy bitch aggravated my injury and I was pissed she managed to get away from me and I'm absurdly hungry! Happy now? You met your 'monster', everybody, congrats!"
She glares at all of them, daring them to say anything. Kagome checks Jade over for the 'injury' she had mentioned and her eyes widen at the stab wound in Jade's gut.
"Jade-chan! What is that from?!" Jade blinks and follows Kagome's pointing finger to her gut. She scratches her head and sighs.
"It's a stab wound."
"From what?!" Kagome demands.
"Sir Floofy." Jade says as if this is the total explanation needed. Kagome is taken aback.
"Who?"
"Sir Floofy." Jade repeats patiently.
"… Um, who is Sir Floofy?" Kagome finally asks. Jade grins at her.
"A damn decent fighter! Gave me the best fight I've had since coming here! He had silver hair like Fluffy Ears but had facial tats instead of cute dog ears. Funny clothes though- big pants, a red and white top thing you guys have, some spiky armor and two swords. Come to think of it-"
She looks at Inuyasha, curious.
"He smelled like you too- certainly didn't act like you though! He kind of acted like some of the knights I used to see in the capital, so I decided to call him 'Sir Floofy'!"
Team Inuyasha collectively sweat drops at this and look to Kagome to coax answers out of Jade.
"Um, Jade? Was his name Sesshomaru?" Kagome asks, terrified of the answer.
Jade furrows her brows and really thinks about it.
"… That kinda sounds like what he said. He was talking in third person too! So weird, but so much fun to fight!"
Inuyasha steps up close to Jade- too close.
"You fought that bastard and thought it was fun?!" He hisses, eyes burning with hate.
Jade blinks at him.
"Well, yeah. I actually had to use some of my stronger moves and he managed to pierce my scales. That part wasn't so fun, especially the poison. We landed mutual hits though; I probably crushed most of his internal organs so it's a fair exchange." She shrugs and smiles when Soren trots up.
"Heya boy, you have fun killing the nasty bugs?" He tosses his head and dances in place, fur chiming.
Team Inuyasha gape at his change in appearance.
"Hey, why does he look like that?" Shippo demands, enraptured.
Jade laughs.
"It was my magic that did that, Shippo. Come to think of it, I probably should undo it." Soren bumps his head against her palm and huffs at her.
"Release."
The magic shatters and Soren's coat goes back to normal. More gaping ensues.
"Can you do that to anyone?" Shippo demands, visions of himself fighting valiantly in glittering armor.
Jade considers Shippo's question, yawning as she replies.
"Yeah, I can but it takes a toll- the most I've ever managed was three people. Support magic is pretty difficult for me, so I usually focus on offense rather than defense." She leans against Soren, clearly exhausted.
Her stomach growls loudly, making Shippo laugh. Inuyasha twitches in irritation.
Even her stomach is loud-!
"Do you have any food for a starving gal?" Jade pleads, making puppy eyes at Kagome.
Kagome nods, relieved to focus on a normal topic.
"Sure! Just let me get a fire going!" Team Inuyasha settle down for the impromptu lunch as Kagome makes instant ramen while Jade tries not to drool.
Jade reverently takes the ramen cup with both hands and inhales: heaven.
"Thanks for the food!" She crows and digs in.
Kagome is taken aback by her enthusiasm but smiles, happy the Dragon Slayer is enjoying her food. The rest of the group chats about what their adventures have been since last seeing Jade. Inuyasha stays to the side, sulking and refusing to interact with Jade at all. After eating Jade cleans up and puts out the fire, saving a few coals in a gourd for later.
"I'm gonna head on back to Gran's. What are you guys gonna do?" Jade asks, looking visibly better from the food.
"We will accompany you to Kaede-sama's village, Jade-san." Miroku answers for the group.
She quirks her eyebrow and shrugs.
"Suit yourselves," Jade mounts up and Shippo watches, looking wistful.
Jade notices.
"You want to hitch a ride, Shippo?"
"Can I, can I, can I?!" He asks excitedly.
Jade laughs and clucks to Soren, who bends his front legs and lowers his head into a bow. Shippo clambers up and hangs on tightly to Soren's horns as he stands back up.
"Hang on, Shippo, Soren doesn't like to go slow," Jade warns him before urging Soren into an easy canter.
Kirara shifts into her larger form and seems to urge Sango and Miroku to get on her back. The instance they do, she takes off to catch up with Soren.
"Kirara?!" Sango shouts, surprised.
Soren eyes Kirara out of one eye, snorts, and runs even faster. Kirara yowls and speeds up to match him. Jade laughs loudly and Shippo whoops at the sheer speed. Behind them, Kagome and Inuyasha travel at a more sedate pace, just keeping the others in sight.
"I don't like her," Inuyasha tells Kagome, glaring at Jade's back.
"Why not?"
"She's suspicious! The wench says she fought Sesshomaru of all people to a draw! And there's those freaky powers of hers- I don't like it." He growls, trying to put his feelings into words.
Kagome looks at him, noting his expression; it almost looks like… envy?
"Why is it such a big deal that her powers are strange? And you've fought Sesshomaru to a draw before." She points out, soothing him.
Inuyasha snorts and seems to relax slightly.
"Yeah, I guess. She's not that big of a deal," He mutters.
Kagome sighs internally.
So he's jealous of Jade-chan's strength..? He seems really threatened by her-
Inuyasha stops suddenly and Kagome collides with him, falling off her bike.
"Ow! Inuyasha!" She yells, furious.
"Stay behind me!" He snaps, drawing Tensaiga. Kagome stops arguing and tenses.
"What-?"
A howl of wind tears through the trees and a whirlwind appears. In moments, a figure races up only to stop a few steps away from Inuyasha and Kagome. A tall man with blue eyes and a black ponytail dressing in armor and furs glare at them. His expression changes to smitten when he sees Kagome.
"My woman!" Kagome sighs.
"Hi Koga…"
His smile changes to a scowl when he looks at Inuyasha, who sneers back.
"Still hanging around with this loser? When are you going to dump him and come with me, Kagome?" He demands arrogantly.
"As if she would be with a mangy wolf like you!" Inuyasha snarls.
"Please, better me than a half-breed puppy!" Koga retorts.
"Why you-!" Inuyasha yells.
"Wanna go, mutt?!" Koga growls, flexing his muscles (totally trying to impress Kagome).
"Oi, why are you two not keeping up?"
Inuyasha and Koga turn to snarl at the newcomer and stop for different reasons. Koga stops because a woman on top of a huge animal he has never seen before is glaring at him. Inuyasha because Kagome grabs his arm and shakes her head frantically.
"Why are you here, Jade-chan?" Kagome calls, secretly relieved the fight is stalled.
Jade glares at them.
"We came back because I couldn't hear you two following and got worried. Sango, Kirara and Miroku are coming back too. Who's this? A friend of yours, Kagome? Inuyasha?" Jade demands, leaning forward on the saddle pommel.
Kagome sighs.
"This is Koga- he's a friend. Sort of. He's after Naraku too." She explains, trying to stay behind Inuyasha as she talks to Jade.
"So why did he call you 'my woman'?" Jade asks, glaring at Koga.
"Feh, he just wants to use her to find jewel shards!" Inuyasha growls, itching to pulverize Koga's face. Jade's expression becomes exasperated.
"So he's a problem- and a friend?" She states, growing more annoyed with this entire situation.
"Heh, at least I love her! Kagome, be my mate!" Koga demands; Kagome hides behind Soren this time. Jade rubs her head, irritation building.
"Koga was it? Stop your shit, you're making Kagome uncomfortable." Inuyasha huffs in agreement.
"Yeah, keep your mangy paws off Kagome!"
"As if, half-breed!" Koga snarls, baring his teeth at Inuyasha.
"… Why do I feel like I'm watching a stupider version of Natsu and Gray with Loki thrown in?" Jade mutters to herself as she watches the two of them bicker with each other.
Shippo pops up from behind Jade's back and sighs when he sees what's going on.
"Those two never get along," He tells Jade, munching on a chip.
Jade quirks an eyebrow at him.
"Really? Can't say I'm shocked- do I get to try one of those?" Shippo grins and lets her eat one.
"Yum! I don't know where Kagome gets her food, but it's delish!" Jade praises.
Kirara, Sango and Miroku ride up as the bickering turns to a brawl.
"My my, they're at it again?" Miroku observes as Inuyasha tries to decapitate Koga, who dodges. Sango sighs and settles down to wait.
Jade sneaks another chip, laughing when Shippo catches her. Kagome gives her an anxious disbelieving look.
"How are you so calm? They're fighting!" Jade shrugs.
"Nothing I haven't seen before to some degree; I told you, my Guild gets into huge mass brawls with each other on a daily basis. So, same old, same old."
"But- did anyone stop the brawls?" Kagome demands, shocked.
Jade starts to shrug, stops and frowns.
"Well… define what you mean by 'stops'." Kagome blinks.
"There's no more fighting!" She snaps, frustrated.
Jade's face goes blank then she nods slowly.
"… There were two people at my Guild who would stop the fights; one was Gramps, the Guild Master. The other was Erza." Kagome latches onto that.
"How did they stop the fights?" She asks eagerly.
Miroku, Sango and Shippo lean in, interested. Jade ruffles her hair, then says,
"Gramps would yell- Erza would wade into the middle of it and subdue the worst offenders. Most of the Guild wouldn't fight Erza or Gramps if they could avoid it. That's basically it." Kagome droops, hope in a better solution to stopping the brawl gone.
Jade looks at her in concern.
"You okay?" Kagome shakes her head.
"No, I'm not! All they do is bicker and fight and they won't stop when I ask them to!" She yells, almost wailing.
Jade tilts her head and thinks hard.
"So… you want them to not fight?" She asks slowly.
Kagome nods, tears glittering in her eyes. Jade rolls her eyes.
"You could have just said so!" She kicks free of the stirrups and starts striding towards the two combatants.
Kagome blinks, confused.
What is she going to do?
As Jade walks closer, she notices a pattern in their movements she could take advantage of.
Ok, how did Erza scare Natsu and Gray into behaving again? I think she just pummeled them into submission over and over again. Anyway, let's try it!
Jade sudden blurs and grabs the backs of both Koga's and Inuyasha's heads.
"Wah!"
"The hell-!"
And smashes their heads together; both try to attack her but Jade simply keeps slamming their heads together until they can barely twitch. Jade then holds both of them close to her face so there is no way they can mishear her.
"No fighting." She tells them and drops them on the ground.
Both groan loudly, clutching their heads. She dusts off her hands and glances at Team Inuyasha. Shippo is laughing on top of Soren, Kirara is indifferent while Sango, Miroku and Kagome are all stunned by Jade's behavior. Jade grins at them.
"Looks like Erza was onto something," She says cheerfully and carries Inuyasha over her shoulder back to Soren, then Koga.
When she reaches Soren, Jade pulls out long braided leather ropes and ties Inuyasha to the saddle. She repeats the procedure with Koga, tying him in front of where she would sit. He snorts at the new weight but stays still. Jade mounts up and looks at the group.
"What? Let's go!" Jade whoops and Soren explodes into a gallop, leaving the others in the dust. Shippo is laughing and poor Inuyasha and Koga can only groan as they race down the road.
Sango shakes her head, smiling a little at the sight of the two rivals tied up like baggage. Kagome is worried by Jade's brutal methods while Miroku daydreams of copping a feel of Jade's backside.
Country: Fiore, World: Earthland
"YASMINE! Come quick!"
Yasmine glances up from her book and sedately marks the page number before closing it and setting it aside. A number of loud crashes and bangs ring out from Ryo's workshop and Yasmine wonders what has gotten Ryo this excited.
Yasmine reaches the workshop door and uses the magic key Ryo had given her to pass the wards. As she opens the door, Yasmine feels Ryo's magic roar past her and continue deeper into the house. Mentally she sighs.
I wonder what will be changed this time…
Yasmine makes certain to close the door and looks for Ryo. The workshop is a massive room with two walls dedicated to Ryo's various powders, chemicals and reference books. One wall has her furnace, glory hole, mechanical torch and annealing oven as well as her glassblowing pipes. The last has a massive workbench the length of the wall and is currently where Ryo is standing, bouncing up and down urgently in front of a massive crystal ball.
"Ryo..?"
"There you are! Hurry up and get me the lacrima on the first wall labeled Jade! I can't hold this damn connection much longer!"
Yasmine doesn't need to be told twice. She blurs and grabs the lacrima, checking the label quickly before bringing it to Ryo. Ryo's face is stiff with concentration as she holds out one trembling hand for the lacrima. Yasmine smacks it into her palm and Ryo immediately draws out some of the magic bound inside and feeding it into the spell she is holding.
Yasmine holds her breathe, waiting, hoping. A moment passes and the crystal ball suddenly shows a whirlwind of different landscapes, barely staying with any one for more than a moment. Some of them Yasmine recognizes from around Earthland- others she remembers from their trips to other worlds. It finally settles to display a world that is mostly water with large continents scattered on its surface. As they watch, it starts to zoom in on one particular region slowly.
Ryo sighs and falls into an armchair, fatigued. Yasmine grabs a water pitcher and cup, fills it and passes the cup to Ryo. She blearily stares at the cup for a moment, not understanding, then accepts it.
"Thanks," Ryo mutters before swigging it.
"Ryo-chan. What was that, exactly?" Yasmine demands, hands on her hips.
Ryo rubs her face and growls,
"A tracking spell, what else?" Yasmine blinks.
"But I thought you tried that already." Ryo rolls her eyes.
"Obviously- but that was me fumbling for a connection solely on my end. It didn't work because Jade-nee isn't even in Earthland." Yasmine jerks back in shock.
"I thought she couldn't jump worlds!" She argues, wide-eyed.
Ryo shrugs, tired.
"I don't know how she did it, but she did manage the deed." Yasmine's mind works furiously, figuring angles and possibilities before a more important question comes to mind.
"But how did you figure out she is in another world?" Yasmine questions, confused.
Ryo smirks.
"Remember that dud of a drowsing pendant I gave Jade-nee, the one that doesn't actually work? She, or something in that world, broke it. It didn't have much of my magic in it, but there was enough of it released for me to start the tracking spell. But it ran out half way, so I needed the lacrima Jade-nee filled with her magic to finish the spell. Good timing, by the way, but could you come quicker next time?!" Ryo snaps, glaring at Yasmine.
Yasmine shrugs, unapologetic, and examines the scene in the crystal more intently. Her eyes widen when she sees the landscape coming into view.
"Ryo."
Ryo blinks, unaccustomed to Yasmine being so serious.
"W-what?" She stammers, wary now.
"I recognize this world." Ryo's eyes widen in surprise and then in happiness.
"Really?! That's great, it will make finding Jade-nee so much easier-!"
"Ryo."
"I wonder what catalyst would be best for this-?" Ryo chatters, not noticing Yasmine's tone.
Yasmine grips Ryo by the arm, stopping her. Ryo blinks and really looks at her.
"You won't need one of your catalysts, Ryo." She tells her gently.
Ryo glares at her, confused.
"Why not?!" Her voice roars, unconsciously amplified with magic.
Yasmine refuses to flinch, meeting her fury calmly.
"That's my home world, Ryo." She tells her softly.