Chapter 3: Encounter

"Hey Kagome," Janis said as they walked out of the village.

"Hm?"

"Those weird shards around your neck, why are they glowing?"

Kagome stopped mid-step, "You mean you can see their energy?"

"Is that what that is? It's almost as if I can feel them."

"Well, I guess Kaede was right about your sacred powers, shorty here can sense the jewel shards," InuYasha said, not looking at them as he continued to walk.

"Is that a good thing?" Janis asked carefully.

"Yeah," Kagome blinked, surprised, "It's a really good thing."

"Are the shards important?"

"Very important," the two started to follow InuYasha, "the Shikon Jewel can intensify the power of demons, and even the shards are dangerous in the wrong hands. The jewel shattered into shards-"

"You're the one who broke it," InuYasha scoffed.

"I know that!" Kagome sighed in frustration and looked back to Janis, "as I was saying, it shattered, even a single shard can power up a demon really well, they're constantly trying to get their hands on it. We've been searching for the shards, that's why I'm here."

"Can you go back?"

"Yeah, through the Bone Eaters well, you might have seen it when you came here. It's linked directly to the shrine." Kagome paused for a while, examining the stress and worry that crossed the face of Janis, "we'll get you home, don't worry…"

Janis did her best with a smile. She couldn't believe this, she felt as is she were about to vomit, this was way too much.

They pulled to a stop in front of a market stand, "you guys done shopping?" InuYasha asked the people in front of them.

"Yes, are we leaving?" a man said, turning to the group.

"We have to go to some town," InuYasha said, angry at the fact.

Kagome scowled at InuYasha and his reluctancy, "we have to go to a town, Kinetsuri, is that alright?"

"Uh, sure, that's fine, why the sudden change in plans?" Another asked, this time it was a girl.

Kagome looked to Janis, "she's from my time, we need to get her home, there's someone there that can help us."

"Is she your friend Kagome?" A rather young voice asked.

"We just met," she smiled, "Janis, this is Miroku, Sango, and Shippo," she pointed to each person accordingly, "and Kirara," she motioned to a two-tailed cat perched on the shoulder of the girl named Sango. Janis smiled and bowed her head once in greeting.

Sango smiled, "nice to meet you."

Miroku's eyes lit up, he stepped forward, taking both hands of Janis between both of his, "a pleasure to be acquainted to such a beauty," Janis blinked, "would you kindly considering baring my children?"

"What?!" She squeaked.

THWACK

Miroku dropped her hands and rubbed his head, groaning at InuYasha, "why so hard?"

"She's not interested," InuYasha said, he folded his arms once again.

Sango stood defiantly, hands on her hips, easy to tell she was angry. Shippo shook his head and sighed, "he'll never learn."

"Come on, we're wastin' daylight," InuYasha said, walking off. The group followed.

Very little conversation was struck whilst they walked, Janis said nothing, it wasn't that she was nervous or un-talkative, she was just sort of lost in thought and out of place.

Something made her twitch, she stopped abruptly and looked around, this is so weird, what am I feeling? She thought as the intrusive feeling rose.

"Janis?" Kagome's voice broke her thought, "is something wrong?" Everybody else focused his or her attention on her.

"It's nothing, I think…" she smiled nervously.

InuYasha cocked an eyebrow, "god Shorty, your strange."

"Why do you keep calling me 'Shorty'?" Janis put her hands on her hips and leaned in as she spoke.

"Because you are short! I mean look at you," he waved his hands at her.

"I am not SHORT!" she squealed, so what if she was a little shorter than InuYasha was. Kagome was as well, yet he didn't make fun of her. "You're just freakishly tall!"

InuYasha laughed at her, "you just keep telling yourself that, Shorty."

The feud came to a halt as the feeling came over her again, she froze, it was so uncomfortable.

"What is it now?" InuYasha asked irritably.

"I…" how could she explain it if she didn't even know it herself, "I don't know." It was like the feeling she got earlier, when the demon was close.

Their attention shifted to InuYasha as he let his nose search the scents in the air, "I'm catching the scent of a demon," he said and rested his palm on the hilt of his sword, he unsheathed it.

Janis's jaw dropped at the size of the sharp sword, "what is that?" she asked in awe.

"That's the Tetsusaiga, it's made out of his demon father's fang, he entrusted it to him," Kagome explained.

"Oh sure Kagome, tell Shorty my life story," InuYasha said.

Kagome said something back but Janis zoned it out, the feeling started to build up inside of her. On a whim she instinctively ducked her head low, hearing a swift whoosh above her head. She heard a snarl and hurried over behind the others.

"That!" Janis pointed, "That's what I felt!"

"Good thing too," Miroku said, pivoting into a fighting stance, "your head would have been long gone."

Janis squealed, "That thing is HUGE!"

InuYasha snorted as he swung his sword at the demon. It had the appearance of a deformed human, yet the massive wings of a giant vampire bat. It lurched, dodging the swing.

InuYasha glared and swung again, cutting it in half. He gave a triumphant glance. The two halves rotted quickly into bones, giving off a terrible stench.

Janis looked at the mound cautiously, "does that happen a lot?" she asked.

"All the time," InuYasha returned the Tetsusaiga.

Kagome glared at him, then looked to Janis, "we have some quiet days, more than not," she reassured. InuYasha rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say, Kagome."