XXXXXXXX
Itty Bitty Pretty One
XXXXXXXX
It was a quiet rest of the day in the small fishing village. They'd been put up for the night and in the morning, the headman himself came to check on them. Apparently visitors were rare and for an elderly man with two children to pass through was considered unusual enough to warrant a few questions. Grandfather had always been a personable man – able to schmooze with ease when needed and soon any fears the headman might have had were forgotten…until Emi showed up, her hair a mess and clutching a small package to her chest.
"Grandfather, I managed to…" she began excitedly before realizing they weren't alone and quickly cutting herself off, "To, uh, find some mushrooms in the forest."
Narrowing his eyes at the intruder, the headman glanced at the elderly man before gesturing for the girl to sit.
"Well, let's see them then," the headman instructed shrewdly, "It's so rare that mushrooms are found in this area. I hope you wouldn't mind sharing some."
Nodding anxiously, Emi slowly placed the bundle on the ground – hyper aware of his longer than average pointed nails and fangs that she hoped hadn't been noticeable – and unfolded the lightly colored canvas to reveal several fat mushrooms.
"We only have so many," Emi replied quietly with a slight bow as the headman deflated slightly at having been wrong about the contents of the package, "But you may have them as repayment for your kindness."
"You look different than your brother," the headman observed, "Indeed, your coloring is unusual in and of itself. Pray tell. Where do you hail from?"
"You're very observant. My grandson was adopted and my granddaughter is of my own blood," the grandfather chuckled, "My hair was the same color when I was her age. We hail from a small mountain village in the North but it unfortunately was destroyed many moons ago so we've been attempting to find a suitable replacement ever since."
Nodding at the reasonable explanation, the headman couldn't help his growing suspicion that there was something off about the girl. Perhaps he should have someone send for a miko or priest to come visit and give their opinion.
"You are more than welcome to stay for as long as you wish," the headman offered with a slight bow – both regretting it instantly and hoping to get to the bottom of the mysterious girl, "We are always in need of good workers."
"Oh no, we shall continue on," the grandfather insisted with an appreciative smile, "We had a run in with some demons not too long ago and are eager to leave the area."
"Demons?" the headman gasped, "How far?"
"They won't be a bother to you," the grandfather consoled him, "A group of exterminators handled the threat but I sense this region will only bring bad luck to my family. You understand, of course."
Furrowing his brow, the headman chewed the inside of his lip for a moment. Honestly, he didn't understand that logic at all. If the demons were indeed annihilated and a group of exterminators were nearby, why leave? If anything, that would make the region safer would it not? There was something amiss.
"At least spend the night as well," the headman insisted, "You must be tired after such a long journey."
"Yes, let's stay the night," Emi piped up suddenly before blushing furiously when her grandfather sent her a stern glance and arched a single brow.
"No, the farther we get from here the better," the grandfather said slowly, "We'll leave shortly and thank you for your hospitality."
"Very well," the headman sighed as he sent a suspicious glance at Emi and gave her a through once over, "It was our pleasure to house you for the night."
With that the headman took his leave and the grandfather sighed softly in relief before turning towards Emi, "Now you will tell me child exactly where you've been all morning. Mushrooms were a clever diversion but you do not fool me."
"I lost track of time," Emi lied as she stared down at her hands, "I got the mushrooms to make up for it."
"I am old," the grandfather sighed in exasperation, "And after all these years, I know a lie when I hear one. Where were you?"
Shrugging, Emi let out a shuddering sigh as she continued to stare pointedly at her hands, "I don't know. I got lost."
"I do not know why you're lying to me. I hope you can peace with yourself. As punishment for your deception, you will stay by my side the rest of our journey," the grandfather hissed sternly, "You will not scout ahead. You will walk at the same pace as your brother and I. You will not speak unless spoken to. Never will you leave my sight. Understood?"
"Yes grandfather," Emi mumbled miserably, "I understand."
"Good," the grandfather huffed as he nodded once, "Now we must be on our way. That man suspected you and I wouldn't doubt a priest or miko has been summoned. It's best if we put as much distance as we can between us before they arrive."
"Yes grandfather," Emi responded. The medicine she'd hid in a hollow tree near the village where she hoped no one would discover it. Her plan was to leave at night to head back to the village where'd they left that poor boy and deliver it unto them but apparently that might take some time. How unfortunate…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"The grandfather must be taken care of," Naraku opined in a bored tone, "Or we must find another way to get that half-demon to ingest it. Kagura."
"Yo," she replied as she closed her fan and pushed herself off the wall with her usual grace, "What would you have me do about it?"
"Retrieve the vials," he crooned before adding sternly, "Find a way."
XXXXXXXXXXX
The journey towards the mountains was filled with a tense silence. As much as she wanted to help the man who'd saved her family, she didn't like the idea of lying to her grandfather. Not in the slightest. All her efforts would be for naught if she managed to destroy the trust of the few humans who'd ever treated her without suspicion or hatred. Sighing dejectedly, she kicked a nearby rock lazily and swung her arms slightly at her side.
"So," Emi began quietly, "I didn't get lost."
"Is that so?" the grandfather said knowingly, "You ready to tell me the truth then?"
'Part of it' Emi thought miserably before taking a deep breath and beginning, "There was an old woman in a hut nearby who was very kind and…and lonely. I went to visit her."
"In the woods? Alone?" the grandfather snorted incredulously, "You're not one for social interaction. What about this woman was so intriguing?"
"When I scouted ahead I encountered her. She knew I was a half-demon and she still invited me into her home," Emi answered honestly, "I...I…uh…well that never happens so I felt I needed to repay her kindness."
As his face crumpled in sympathy, he placed a withered hand onto her shoulder – halting her slow movements – before pulling her into a tight hug.
"That was very sweet of you," the grandfather sighed as he pet the back of her head, "But why hide that from me?"
"I don't know," Emi sighed shakily, "Just…the man being present threw me off and I didn't want to unveil her secret. She'd stayed hidden for quite some time."
"And why would she need to hide?" the grandfather asked as he pulled back, "Did she tell you that much?"
"Her husband was a half-demon who died," she replied honestly, "I…I pitied her. The villagers cast her out."
"Ah," the grandfather sighed as he nodded, "That is a sad story indeed."
"Yeah, so I visited her," Emi replied as she reached up to awkwardly scratch the back of her neck and took a deep breath before issuing the dirty lie that burned her tongue, "I wanted to visit her tonight as well but then, we weren't staying."
"Perhaps we can visit her another day," the grandfather offered, "But it is too dangerous to travel back. I have a feeling he's summon a miko or priest. He looked at you as if he knew what you are."
Nightfall came all too soon yet Emi couldn't sleep. She felt the guilt at keeping the truth a secret from her family gnawing away at her stomach and the contents therein threatened to spill over as she stared up into the night sky. It was too dangerous to leave them unprotected tonight. There was a demon prowling within the tree line that was keeping its distance for the moment but if she left, she couldn't bear the thought.
As she took a deep breath, her eyes flew opn. That scent. That sickly sweet scent of the old woman was nearby. It couldn't be. Why would she…
A large feather flew overhead in the distance towards the village from whence they had just come. It soared on the wind and when Emi focused on it, she saw a strange woman sitting atop it.
"Wind sorceress," she whispered under her breath, "Like the one they'd warned us about…."
Cocking her head to the side, she watched her fly by with ease and grace until she sat bolt upright when she realized what must be her target. The cure. The cure she'd left behind.
"I've got to stop her," Emi whispered to herself before scanning the tree line for the demon that had been stalking them, "But first, let's take care of you shall we?"
In no time, the threat was neutralized and Emi was off, determined to find a way to protect that cure from the hands of Naraku at all costs.