Ch. 13 – Attack!
"Your plant, the one by the door, let me in."
"You controlled my defense plant?"
"I didn't control him, I asked nicely. He didn't see me as a threat so he opened the door."
(A Few Hours Later)
(At School) [During Lunch
"Oh my! Look who came back!" Anita taunts from across the courtyard. "I can't believe you showed up after running from us last time! We'll scare you again if you think of coming back!"
"Like I'd be scared of someone dressed like that?"
Kagome continues to read her book.
-Suichi! The battle is about to begin again!- Youko comments from the back of Kurama's mind as they walk over to the tree Kagome is sitting under.
-I can tell.-
"May I sit with you Kagome?"
"Sure." Kagome shifts her stuff so Kurama can sit next to her.
"The nerve!" Anita starts talking to the other girls in her club. "We have to do something!"
"Maybe I can make her cry?" A girl with lime green trim on her uniform suggests.
"Go for it Leya! And don't fail else you'll receive punishment!"
The brown-haired girl stalks over to Kagome and Kurama.
"Suichi! I can't believe you'd sit with her!" Leya picks up a handful of mud left over from rain during early morning hours around dawn. She smirks and throws it at Kagome, covering her uniform. "She's dirty, nothing but trash! You can't hang out with her! You have a good reputation! You can't ruin your popularity now!"
"I-"
"Look!" Leya cuts him off. She picks up someone's container of punch and trashes the book Kagome's still reading. "She can't even take care of school material never mind her uniform!"
"…" Kagome slowly gets up. Kurama tries to get her to sit back down but Kagome pushes his hand away. "You may talk trash about me…and you may ruin my uniform…but don't…you ever…ruin one of my books." Kagome slaps her. "And don't try to make Suichi's decisions for him. I don't see a label with your name attached to him. He does not belong to you."
"He certainly doesn't belong to you bitch! You're nothing to him!"
"Enough!" Suichi gets up and pulls Leya away from Kagome.
"See?" The girl smirks. "He defends me! You are nothing!"
"He defends you because you need it. You ruined my book… and you bothered Suichi…I should repay you for upsetting me."
"Oh yeah?! I bet you can't do anything by yourself! You're too small! You're just a weak little-!" Without warning Kagome punches the loud, annoying girl in the face. Leya screams and falls to the ground. "Suichi do something!" She snaps. "The crazy bitch punched me!"
"I tried to warn you. I can't help you with this, not will I try to get involved. Now please leave my girlfriend along, she has a bad temper." He grabs his books, Kagome's books and takes hold of Kagome's hand leading her away from the scene. Leya watches him, stunned, crying and trying to cover the blood on her face with her hands. The other girls are nowhere to be found.
(Afterschool)
"Kagome." Kurama stops at her locker.
"Yes Suichi?" Kagome organized the mini-library in her locker.
"I got a call from work. We're needed right now."
"Umm…Kagome Higurashi?" Leya appears at the end of the hall. "Can I talk to you please?"
"You go, Suichi. I'll meet you there."
"What if we have to leave the office?"
"I'll catch up with you guys later then. I wasn't always around before. I'm sure you'll be fine for a little bit."
"Alright. I'll see you soon." Kurama hugs her and leaves.
"What is it you want?" Kagome talks to the brown-haired girl. "Another fight?"
"No." The girl slowly walks towards Kagome, a white patch covering her nose. "About earlier…"
"What about it?"
"I'm sorry about your uniform…and your book."
"My uniform just needs to be washed. My book, however, has to be replaced. That was one of my favorites…and it took me several book stores to find." Kagome tries to remain calm.
"I offer to replace your book if you will accept me." The girl bows.
"Accept you? For what?"
"As a friend." The girl doesn't look up from the ground.
"Don't worry about my book. You were following Anita's orders. We can be friends if you promise to think for yourself. And please don't do that again." Kagome shuts her locker and grabs her book bag. "What's your name?"
"Leya Takahashi."
"Well Leya, think about what I've said. I'll see you tomorrow morning ok?"
"Yes ma'am."
"No ma'am. Just Kagome." She leaves.
(At Koenma's Office)
"Where's Kagome!?" Koenma questions the team.
"She had something to do after school and said she'd come after."
Kurama answers him. "I'll fill her in when she gets here. Please give us the details."
"There is a problem in Makai that I need you to take care of. There is a demon leading an army of demons trying to take down the barrier between Makai and the human world. Your mission is to defeat him. I he's able to punch a hole in the barrier millions of demons will be able to pass through causing massive chaos."
"Why not ask Shita for help?" Youko speaks for Kurama.
"Shita and the twins have already been sent there."
"Hn. Then they should be able to handle it." Hiei states.
"This is a very powerful demon, you are all needed and you all need to work together."
"So let's go kick some demon ass!" Yusuke shouts.
"Yeah! Let's fight!" Kuwabara pipes up.
"Why isn't Kagome here yet?" Koenma asks.
"She'll get here! We'll be fine on out own! We can take them! We've done countless missions before she joined the team!" Yusuke turns on Koenma.
The toddler sighs. "Fine. I'll send you there now I was hoping to gain some more information on this demon and his army. But I guess we'll just hope that Kagome can get there soon enough."
"Why would Kagome have more information on this demon then you?" Kurama asks.
"Because she has faced him before."
"When?"
"Before she met Youko."
"How do you know that? That was 500 years ago."
"I was there. With my father."
"Lord Koenma!" Boton runs into the room. "Shita and the twins need help now! They're being overwhelmed! There's no more time!" She quickly opens a portal in the room. "Go now!"
"Alright! Time for you to leave! Good luck!" Koenma pushes them through the opened portal before they have time to react.
(On the Other Side of the Portal)
The guys are transported to Makai. They fall out of the portal onto dead grass. They get up and look around to see themselves in a small field. Any plants around them are cut up, dead, burnt, and crushed. The ground is beaten and torn up. Pieces of rocks have been thrown everywhere, shattered and broken pieces from various weapons, shield and armor cover the ground with silver and gray. A foul stench fills the air. Up ahead are ruins from a blockade wall. As they near it the ground is splattered with blood and pieces of rotting flesh, demon corpses, and limbs litter the ground. A scream pierces the air, the guys start running and within minutes they come upon the recent battle scene.
"Shita!" Daihoushi appears and runs across the field. The guys notice that the small army of demons in front of them is frozen in place. "Shita!" Dai holds onto the fallen hell demon. The team runs over.
"What happened!?" Kurama is immediately concerned. Shita is paled, a cut going down her cheek. Her clothes are blood-stained, her horns singed, hair matted and soaked with blood.
"Shit!" Yusuke exclaims. "There's a sword going right through you!"