Chapter 5: The Lavender Collar
Having knocked the demon out with a trash can, Kagome was gathering the remains of her homework when her mother called her and Souta to breakfast.
"What were you doing in Miruk's room?" Souta asked as she came out. Apparently he had heard crashing noises and had come to investigate.
"Umm..." Kagome thought quickly. She couldn't go telling her little brother that there was a demon in the house. "I was...uh...cleaning Miruk's room for him."
Souta looked at her, "Why?"
"I lost a bet?"
"What bet?"
"Uhhh...well, I'm famished, let's go get breakfast!" she said happily, pushing her brother along the hallway towards the kitchen.
"But I want to know what the bet was!" Souta protested.
"Then go as Miruk," Kagome replied. Let him have to think on his feet like that.
She thought Miruk might have come in for breakfast, but he apparently was still looking around the storehouse and skipped it.
"I wonder where Miruk is," her mother said as they started cleaning their places, "it's not like him to skip a meal."
Souta spoke up, "Kagome might know, she was in his room earlier."
Her grandfather blinked. "You haven't even gone out on your first date with him and you're already cheating on that Houjou boy?"
"Jii-chan!" Kagome redden. "That's not what he meant!"
"Oh good, I was worried I might have to send him elsewhere if he was going after my granddaughter."
When the dining area was clean, Kagome headed back to Miruk's room to check on the demon; Buyo following. When they reached the door, Buyo paused. Suddenly, his ears flattened, his hair stood up, and he started hissing.
"What's the matter?" Kagome asked the cat, bending down to pet him.
Buyo swiped at her hand, gave another hiss at the door, and then bolted back towards the kitchen.
"Ow!" Kagome put the back of her hand to her mouth; it wasn't bleeding, but cat claws do hurt.
"What's with Buyo?" Kagome looked up and saw her brother, "the only time I've seen him like that is when Tonami brought his dog over two years ago." He looked at his sister, "are you and Miruk hiding a dog in there?"
"Uhh..." Well, she thought, remembering the demon's dog like ears, not exactly. To her brother, "No, no dogs here."
Souta tried to get around her, obviously not believing her. "Lemme see!"
"I told you, there is no dog!" Kagome said, trying to block him.
"Fine, there's no dog, but you're hiding something."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!" With a shove, Souta pushed Kagome into the door, causing it to open. The two of them fell into the room...
...landing directly on top of the demon.
"Would ya stop attacking me!" he yelled, obviously recovered from the trash can attack.
"Get offa me Souta!" Kagome yelled, trying to stand up.
"Uhh..." Souta was staring at the demon's ears.
"You would think he's never seen a demon before..." the demon said.
"Well, he hasn't," Kagome replied, "neither had I until you came along."
"But this village was always being attacked by demons."
Kagome snorted at the comparison of Tokyo to a village.
"Onee-san?" Souta had finally gotten off Kagome and was staring wide-eyed at the demon. "That's a...that's a...?"
Ack! What if he goes and tells jii-chan? Kagome grabbed her brother by the shoulder and bent down to his level. "Don't be scared now...it can't hurt you-"
"Sugoi!"
"Huh?"
"He's so cool!" Kagome now realized that the wide-eyed look on his face was that of amazement rather than fear. "When'd you find him? Is he from the tree? Are we keeping him? Does he have fangs? Are those really dog ears? Can I play with him? What's his name?"
Kagome was used to these rapid fire questions, and when he ran out of breath, she replied just as quickly. "Early this morning, yes, no clue, yes, yes, no, haven't bothered to ask." She looked down at the demon. "What is your name?"
The demon opened his mouth to reply, when Miruk came bursting into the room. "Inuyasha!"
Kagome looked at him, "Yes, we already figured out he's a dog demon."
"That's my name, baka," the demon growled from the floor.
"Oh, well, it suits you."
"Why're you keeping a demon in your room?"
"Because it's the only place we can-"Miruk paused and looked down at Souta. "Ummm...Kagome, I thought the point of hiding the demon was to prevent your family from discovering him?"
"I won't tell jii-chan or mama!" Souta said, "I promissssse!"
"Be sure you don't, otherwise I'll do something to your game system," Kagome threatened.
"I'll be good," Souta said, cowering slightly.
"Very good; now go somewhere else for a moment, I need to talk to Kagome," said Miruk.
Disappointed, Souta slowly moved to the door, but then looked back. "Can I please play with him later?"
"No!" Kagome yelled, slamming the door and locking it. She noticed Miruk and the dem- no, Inuyasha, staring at her. "What?"
"You can be pretty scary when mad," Miruk said.
"You mean this bitch has a nice side?" Inuyasha asked.
Kagome shot him a look at the insult.
"Anyways..." Miruk started rummaging through a pile of scrolls that Kagome had just noticed.
He must have brought those in with him.
I found information of some use, but first," Miruk turned to Inuyasha, "I assume you're getting uncomfortable in that position?"
"Nah, I'm quite comfortable staying in a half crouching position for several hours," the demon answered sarcastically.
Miruk shrugged and opened an ancient, drawstring bag. He pulled out a string of purple prayer beads, spaced with a few claw shaped white beads. He wrapped them between his fingers and looked at Kagome. "When I tell you to, Kagome, yell a subduing word at our friend here.
"Huh? Why me? And what's a subduing word?"
"Any word would do," Miruk jerked his head towards a small scroll on top of the pile, "and according to that, I think anyone can place the beads on the demon, but only a priestess can control him."
"But I'm not a priestess!" Kagome said, exasperated, as she picked up the scroll and started reading it.
I came across the beads Onee-sama was working on before she died. I am sure that if that traitorous creature is ever unsealed, it would be best to have something of Onee-sama's to re-seal him me thinks...
There was a little more, but it was too worn to read. The rest of the scroll's writing seemed a little shakey, as if the writer had gotten older.
...realize that if Inuyasha is released, I might not be around when that time comes, especially with the illusion of a girl that looked like my sister spotted near the tree yesterday. I now write what must be done if that time comes; (there were a lot of words Kagome didn't recognize); chant this and then, ye future priestess, throw the necklace around the creature and utter a word to subdue him.
"Well?" Miruk prompted, when Kagome put the scroll down.
"I don-"
"Alright then," Miruk said, ignoring her. He closed his eyes and started chanting what seemed to be the spoken version of the strange words in the scroll.
"But I didn't agree!" Kagome yelled.
Ignoring her, Miruk threw the necklace over the demon. It settled around his neck and briefly flashed purple.
"Alright Kagome, say a-"Miruk suddenly stopped as the remaining talismans binding Inuyasha fluttered off him. "Uhh..." Miruk looked worried as the demon flexed a hand and smiled evilly at them. "I hoped that wouldn't happen."
Kagome twitched. "You went along with an idea that could end up killing us?!"
"This should be fun," the demon said.
"Kagome! Now!" Miruk yelled as the demon tensed up, preparing to jump.
"Um...uh..." Subduing word...demon...dog demon...dog...
"Osawari!" She yelled, with Inuyasha halfway through his jump.
The necklace glowed purple again, and the demon was suddenly slammed into the floor.
"What tha hell?" Pushing himself off the floor, Inuyasha grabbed the beads and tried to yank them off. "Get these damn things offa me!"
"No can do," said Miruk.
"Why you..." the demon lunged at him.
"Osawari!"
"Shit."
"Osawari!"
"Gah!"
"Osawari!"
"Urk!"
"OSAWARI!!"
"Stop it." The demon managed to squeak out.
"This is fun," said Kagome, grinning.
Author's Note: A few lines and situations were originaly from the early original story