Far from Naraku's castle, a small ragtag group of people are regrouping after a battle with a large boar demon. Said demon's carcass is rapidly disintegrating to nothing after a girl, in an outfit displaced by time, purified it. She returnes to the group and releases the breath she was holding.
"Thank goodness that's gone!" She says, as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders. "It really reeked!"
"Yes, thank you, Kagome. It'll be easier to rest without that thing looming over us." The only other woman of the group smiled up at her companion gratefully from her spot by the fire. The sun was setting so they had to make camp quickly and what better place to camp than right on the edge of your latest battle field? Kagome smiled at her friend and helped finish setting up bed rolls.
A monk and a tiny fox demon kit made their way to camp from a relatively nearby river with some fish in tow. They set their bounty down and began preping them for dinner. "Where did InuYasha run off too?" The monk asked as he busied himself with the fish.
"Who knows?" Kagome said with a stiffness to her voice as she finished laying out the sleeping arrangements. "How long till those will be ready?" She asked pointedly avoiding the question.
"Not too long, now." The monk smiled holding out a skewered toward the women by the fire, whom took it and set it up to cook.
"Who needs him anyway?" The fox kit said bouncing his way up onto Kagome's shoulder and leaning into the side of her head affectionately. Kagome smiled and leans her head back into him.
"Thanks, Shippo." She says and busy herself with helping set up dinner. When out of the blue there was suddenly someone standing in the middle of their campsite. The atmosphere suddenly thick with apprehension everyone's eyes turned to the new comer.
"Oh, I'm sorry." The girl said once she looked around and could see she was interrupting a camp. "I should have looked before I leaped." She girls eyes seemed to glow turquoise as she looked at everyone here.
"Not to be rude, miss." The monk says standing up from his work. "But who are you?" The girl smiles as if relaxed but her cat like ears stood on high alert.
"How rude of me!" She says looking surprised at herself, "Forgive me, it's been such a long time sense I've had to introduce myself." She takes a few steps back so she can see everyone more easily, "My name is Shiori, it's good to meet you." Her genuine smile seems to have a relaxing effect as the atmosphere eases back to a more comfortable feeling. It takes a moment for them realize something.
"Um, Shiori," Kagome says sounding alarmed, "You're on fire!" Shiori looks down and realises she stepped right into the fire pit.
"Oh my, so much for first impressions." She says completely unworried. "Now my clothes are ruined." She steps out of the fire and while her clothes are indeed burning the skin underneath is unfazed. "Did I ruin the fire too?" She asks looking over at it. No one answers her. They are all too stunned by her behavior.
"Are you a fire spirit?" The taller woman closest to the fire asks. She had gotten a good look at the way the fire simply licked this girl's flesh with no effect.
"No." Shiori says and offers nothing else.
"Where did you come from?" Kagome asks from behind the monk with the Kitsune in her arms. Shiori recognizes that the other members of the group are subconsciously protective of this girl.
"Apparently I was summoned here." She tells them. "By some man who tried to control me. When I came to my senses I poofed right on out of there." She giggled her smile was infectious as soon everyone was smiling too.
"What brought you to our camp?" The man dressed as a monk asked as he wiped the smile from his features.
"A happy accident, I assure you." Shiori told him as she bent down to fiddle with the burnt edges of her clothes. "I just really wanted to get away from that man who thought to control me. I put little thought to the destination." She straightens up as she finishes speaking and the edges of her clothes are no longer burned or frayed. They look as id they had never been burned before.