A/N: Thanks to my reviewers. I love to hear from you and devour your input.
As always, my beta was the lovely Fuu43. I don't know what I'd do without you and I can't even explain how happy I am that your internet is working again.
Timeline:
The Slayers takes place two years after Try. Lina is 19.
Inuyasha takes place while Kagome is 17. She is still dividing her life between her present and the past. The group is still after Naraku.
Disclaimer:
I do not own Inuyasha or The Slayers.
The Lesser Kindred
Chapter 7: Unions
Naraku was not happy. Not even torturing Kagura had brightened his mood. . .and a good torture session always lightened his load. Unfortunately for him, there were more pressing matters that he needed to take care of. Making Kagura pay slowly and painfully had just not been possible at the time. His fingers flexed in annoyance at the ripple of news that had been whispered to him. A group was currently asking about Kagura. The same group which he had sent his little watchful bird to follow. A bird that had been an ingenious invention on his part, allowing him to record whatever his bird saw into a basin of water. And what it had recorded did not make him happy. Those infuriating people who had just killed one of his minions. As if he had hundreds of minions to spare!
They had taken down the minion with little effort. That was what had really aggravated him. Naruka prided himself on his creation skills. What should have been a battle ending with the interlopers' deaths was instead a ridiculous farce. His demon was gone, but more importantly, the jewel shard was missing. They had taken his jewel shard. He felt a tightening in his chest that meant his temper was escalating. Taking a calming breath, he waited for the tension to subside before letting his thoughts continue. The fact that they had even recognized the jewel implied that they also had the one from Jextra. They had lucked into obtaining two of his jewel shards. But that was only the beginning of his frustrations.
Inuyasha. It always had to be him and that absurd girl Kagome who got in his way. It just had to be them that found the newcomers first. After all, the whole situation was going just as he wanted. In his opinion Kagome's band of do-gooders should be shrinking, not gaining more members. He was already crossing his fingers that the two groups would kill each other off. That would be nice. All that would be left for him to do then would be to sift through the ashes for the rewards.
Naraku smiled. But where would be the fun in that? He had plans. Big plans. He wanted those who opposed him to see their hopes crushed. For them to realize that everything they had done in the past two years was in vain. He wanted them to tremble before his power. He needed the time to torture and kill them slowly. So very slowly. The thought of Kagome watching her precious Inuyasha die was priceless. Or to have Sango tortured by her little brother, forced to pull the life giving shard out of him to save herself. Naruka shivered in pleasure at the thought. There were just too many ideas to have everything end so neatly.
Turning his attention back to the current problem, he went through the images the bird recorded in the basin of water and paused it at the point of the weakling's death. The blue light. How big of a problem was it? As an individual who prided himself on knowing all parts of the supernatural world, it irked him that he didn't recognize the spell. He had no idea how much it could, if at all, damage his future. These people could be a problem. And Naraku already had enough problems to keep himself busy.
A small knock on his door interrupted his thoughts, and he frowned at the interruption.
"I told you that I was to be left alone Kagura," he spoke. Perhaps since she was so eager to see him he could make some time to torture the disobedient girl.
"I apologize my lord," came her reply. "But general Malachi has returned sir."
"Show him in," he responded, turning away from the image. "I shall punish you for your disobedience later."
She didn't respond, not that he had really expected her to.
A moment later Malachi pushed the door open; shoving Kagura out of the way without looking in her direction. She skittered across the room, but kept quiet. Striding in with fluidity and grace, the man tossed back a long piece of black hair that had fallen over the right side of his face. The eye beneath the loose locks was nearly black. The hair almost immediately fell back into place leaving the other eye, this one pale blue, the only one visible. It was framed with thick dark lashes and topped with an arched brow. With his boyish good looks, and pale skin- he looked like a beautiful young lord or musician. The lute strapped onto his back only furthered the illusion. The only incongruence was found in the long black and red robes with gold trim he wore.
"Excellent news Naraku!" he exclaimed. Naraku's lip curled into a snarl. It was intolerable. No bow. Not even a 'my lord' at the end of his sentence.
"Malachi," Naraku drawled. "I demand you show some proper respect."
Malachi barked out a laugh. "You are not my lord yet." He waggled a finger, "I already told you that the day you can defeat me, is the day that I bow. Until then we are partners."
He flopped down onto a chair opposite of Naraku and arranged his robes more comfortably. Naraku's snarl grew larger. He hated the fact that he needed Malachi. Naraku did not have partners. Partner. Even the word made his skin crawl. He had slaves. He had minions. He had victims. He had enemies. But he did not have partners. Just wait he reminded himself. Just be patient. In a few months his dream would come true. He'd become like Malachi. No, he would be more powerful than Malachi. More powerful than that stupid twerp would ever be. So what if the general did not serve him now? He would be bowing and groveling in only a few months. Naraku knew that. He had worked too hard for fate to turn out any other way. Malachi knew that. The fact that he was helping him said as much.
Malachi, like all monsters, was drawn to power. Naraku watched him pull his instrument into his lap and lazily pluck a few notes. He hummed under his breath and ignored his falling forward hair. He'd come to Naraku a year ago and presented him with a rather straight forward deal. Malachi would help Naruka achieve his ultimate dream, the chance to be a full fledged demon. All that he'd wanted in return was to be second in command when Naraku ascended.
"There are whispers among the upper kindred about you," were his words from a year ago. "About the scum who thinks he can become one of us. About the halfling even lower then the lesser kindred. You know that they laugh at you. That they don't even think you are worth their time. They won't even send assassins to kill you. That's how insignificant you are.'
'But they don't see what I see. They don't hear what I hear. They still believe that the Shikon no Tama is lost forever. The high lords are too lost in their own political struggles to even recognize that a new player has entered the field. You have the potential, but that is nothing without the right allies. The price of my allegiance is nothing compared to the bounty that you will gain. When you are one of us, you might even have enough power to rival Shabranigdu himself."
Naraku came back to the present with a smile. That day was almost here. "Get on with it."
"I have found two others to join us," Malachi said, not bothering to look up.
"Only two," Naraku raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, well," Malachi waved his hand around and the music halted. "I've already explained to you why it would be difficult to get any in the first place. Be happy that there are two. More will come once you have more power. Like flies to honey. We have more than needed to get the shards back. I'll have Inuyasha's pelt in front of your hearth in no time. Oh and we can't forget the scantily dressed Kagome that you so desire now can we."
Naraku growled, but Malachi had already begun playing again.
"Relax," he sighed. "I know your deepest longings; just give into them. She's so innocent, so pure. Oh how fun!"
Malachi's face transformed into one filled with pure excitement. The large slightly off smile looked odd on his pale face. His fingered traveled faster across the instrument in his lap.
"I see that you're enthusiastic," Naraku commented. He'd never been quite sure what to make out of the monster. How much was an act? How much was the true Malachi?
"Of course I am and you should be too."
"When my enemy's corpses are at my feet, then I'll celebrate."
"I'm not saying that the party needs to be now. I'm just saying that everything is going according to plan."
Naraku's attention turned back to the picture he'd been studying.
"I want you to look at this," Naraku motioned to the image. "Do you recognize the spell?"
"Hmmm," Malachi said as he peered at the screen. He'd thankfully moved the lute onto his back. Naraku played the spell back for him. Malachi made a noise when he watched the monster be destroyed. "Where did you get this?"
"Answer the question."
Malachi mashed up his face.
"It's the Rah Tilt."
"And?"
"It's a spell that attacks the astral body. Quite a pain actually. It can easily kill the weak. Can I see more?" asked Malachi.
Naraku changed the screen to an earlier scene. The caster went through the motions before releasing the spell.
"Oh this is not good," he muttered as he stared at the man in white and frowned. His hands twitched as if they wanted his instrument, and his visible brow was furrowed. "Not good at all."
"Do you know him?" Naraku asked intrigued by the reaction. It was one of the few that seemed…real.
"Sort of. Zelgadis Graywards. Seeing him is never a good sign. Can I see the entire event?"
Naraku waved his hand and the scene changed once more. Malachi watched in concentration as Zelgadis and a black haired woman ran off into the woods. The image zoomed in on the two people remaining, a short red head and a blond man with a large sword.
The general tapped his fingers against his lips as he stared at the image, his gaze focused on the red head. "Definitely not good at all."
Malachi sighed and turned his attention back to Naraku. He actually looked stressed.
"I don't even need to watch the rest," he said and then pointed to the screen. "That red head is Lina Inverse. The fact that she's here only creates problems for us."
"And why is that?" Naraku asked trying to remember where he had heard that name before.
The girl didn't look like trouble. She looked like a twelve year old in a costume that had strayed from her parents.
"She's one of the most powerful sorceresses in the world. She destroyed a part of Shabranigdu." Malachi's voice grew more serious, "She killed Hellmaster. She helped in the banishment of Darkstar," He finished the last bit almost in awe.
He remembered where he had heard about her now. Even though the barrier that kept the two worlds had only recently fallen, Naraku had made it his business to learn as much as he could about the world inside. And more importantly the powerful and noteworthy figures that inhabited them. Lina Inverse was a name that he had heard associated with incredible tales. These were stories of actual legend; the ones that were hard to believe were true. Tales that involved insane spells, resurrections, and holy magical artifacts long since lost in the flow of time. In fact, Naraku had dismissed many of them himself. A majority of the locals say that these tales were made up and that Lina Inverse was nothing more than a criminal. Others that he mostly ignored however would swear that they really happened. That they had seen the sky darken with Shabranigdu's return or witnessed Darkstar himself tearing through the sky.
His dark heart sped up imperceptibly. If Lina Inverse was here, everything would be much more interesting.
"Are you sure it's her?" Naraku asked, needing to be certain.
"Oh, it's her alright. Almost all Mazoku know her on sight," Malachi turned back to Naraku. "But why is she here?"
"She and her friends came after Kagura and the Necronomicon."
"Oh really? They came after the book," Malachi laughed. "Tough luck there. Of all the people Prince Phil would send I guess it figures that he would give this mission to his daughter and friends. The stupid man just couldn't let it disappear."
"Do they know what the Necronomicon is?"
"No. Lina has no idea of what the book can do."
"Will they be a problem?" Naraku questioned. As much as he had heard about Lina Inverse, he had no idea what was true and what was false.
"Possibly," Malachi replied, a light note entering his voice again. "Or perhaps we'll just have to work her into our plans. That little bird of yours is still following them, right?"
"Of course."
"We'll just have to keep a close eye on them. It'll be much easier to take on Lina when she is at her weakest," he slowly smiled. "Luckily for us, her weakness comes out once a month. She'd make a much better sacrifice than Inuyasha Perfect for balancing the innocence of the priestess."
Naraku looked at the image of the girl and fought a smile. Malachi was right. One thing that every story about the sorcerer said was that she was powerful. His plans could wait a little while longer. After all, he still needed to get the shard away from the wolf before going after Kagome. In a few months, all of his planning would come to an end. He would triumph. The newcomers were only more ants to crush on the way. With the power that his sacrifices would grant him, nothing would be able vanquish him.
The world would be his. As it should be.
Kagome felt a tingling sensation on the back of her neck. She knew that someone was watching her. Again. She'd felt eyes on her all morning while she'd meditated. The vibe she'd gotten hadn't seemed malicious…simply interested. Or possibly curious. However, every time she would open her eyes and search for the culprit, everyone would be going about the same activities and sparing her little more than a glance. It had been unnerving at first, but now it was annoying the hell out of her. She'd wanted to clear her mind before they talked with Zelgadis and the others. But now Kagome was more frustrated then when she'd first sat down. And those stupid eyes were on her again. Furiously her eyes shot open for the fifth time, her infamous temper now coming out in full swing. Kagome was startled to see Amelia standing in front of her, chewing on her lip and looking like she had an internal debate going on in her mind.
"What do you want?" it came out a little more irritated than Kagome wanted. But it had been a long day, and a headache was beginning to build between her eyes and at her temples.
Amelia flinched back a little. "I'm sorry to disturb you Miss Kagome, but you see. . .oh dear how do I say this. I don't want to be insulting or anything but I just can't watch and say nothing. It would be against my oaths as a Shrine Maiden not to help a fellow priestess in need. And I know we're not friends, but we are both champions of justice and sisters in magic so we should be able to put aside our differences and work on this together."
Kagome blinked at Amelia's ramble and the sudden fiery look in her eyes. She had no idea what the poor girl was talking about. She liked Amelia well enough. The girl was friendly, and seemed to actually like the idea of traveling with Kagome and company. Then again… Champions of justice? Shrine Maidens? Fellow priestesses. . . .
"You're a priestess?" Kagome asked. It had taken awhile for her to process Amelia's stilted words.
"Yep, although technically I'm called a Shrine Maiden. I specialize in white magic."
"White magic? Like what Lina did levitating the fish or was that a different type of magic?" Kagome asked. She hated to sound stupid, but she really was interested. Finding a skilled person in magic was not only rare, but it was even harder to find one willing to share knowledge. Especially since most of the people she did find turned out to be evil and more interested in killing her then helping.
"That was Shaminism."
"Oh," Kagome said as her eyes widened as a realization came to her. "You mean like the other day when you were healing Lina."
Kagome couldn't believe that she had let the incident slip her mind. Then again, a lot had happened in the last 24 hours.
"Yep, healing is just one of the things that I can do," Amelia beamed, obviously glad to share.
"What else can you do?" Kagome was curious.
"Besides healing there's some purification spells, like casting out evil or returning the dead to their graves. Um. . . . White magic is more for defense or healing or other stuff like that. I also know Shamanism and a some black magic which are both used more for offense. But I'm not here to talk about that."
"Okay," Kagome was a little confused. This girl knew how to say lots without actually coming to any sort of a point. "If you're not here to talk, then-"
"I'm here to help!" Amelia exclaimed clapping her hands in a sudden epiphany.
"Help with what?"
"I noticed that you're not doing a very good job with meditating, and that you magic, although really very powerful, is also very wild." Amelia sat down across from her, adjusting her cape as she did so. "So, I'm here to show you how to properly center your magic."
Kagome blinked. "Won't the others be mad at you or something?"
Amelia shrugged. "Like I said we're sisters and this is for a righteous cause!" She clenched their hands together not seeming to care what her friends might say to this arrangement, "I'm surprised that you didn't get this type of training at the temple you studied at."
"Well, I didn't really study at a temple. I'm pretty much self-taught. I'm good at purifying objects and I am able to focus my power into my arrows for purifying demons. Oh, and I can sense evil and demonic presences but I haven't yet figured out yet how to heal. And I can't always control what I do."
"I'm impressed that you could learn that on your own." Amelia said as she crossed her legs. "I don't do much teaching, but I will try my best. That is…if you're interested?"
Kagome bit at the inside of her mouth. Was she interested? Could they be trusted? Inuyasha would eat her alive if he knew that she was even considering it. But she wanted to get better, wanted to get stronger. She wanted to be able to fight along side Inuyasha without him having to worry about her. More than anything she wanted to complete the jewel and defeat Naraku. If that meant trusting Amelia, then she supposed that's what she'd have to do.
"Ready when you are."
"Okay, well then first I want you to close your eyes and listen to my voice." Although Amelia's voice was a little high and squeaky, Kagome did as she was told. "Concentrate on what I am saying and try to block out all of the background noise. Pay no attention to the cute chirping birds or the pretty flowers in the grass. Oh and definitely ignore the cute little kitty that's over there sleeping under the tree. With its cute little paws, and the cute way it yawns."
Kagome closed her eyes so the sight of Amelia drooling was blocked and sighed. Sango would not appreciate Kirara being called a 'little kitty.' Kirara too wouldn't be pleased. Silently she waited for her next order.
"Pay attention to your breathing, not the kitty," Amelia said. Kagome didn't think she'd have that problem…Amelia on the other hand…
Kaede would tell her to begin like this as well… except for the kitty part. It didn't take long for Kagome to be calm and centered on herself. In a few more minutes, Amelia spoke up again.
"That was very good Miss Kagome. Now that you are paying close attention to yourself, you need to extend that focus a little. Try sensing with your magic. Because your magic is unfocused, it tends to whip in and out of your body like uncontrolled gusts of winds. My guess is that in the past you have been relying on intuition and emotion to guide your magic. Like when you purified an object the first time. Since that first time you have been trying to replicate what you did and what you felt without really understanding it. That can only get you so far before you start running into problems. It can create an unconscious block on you magic making it rely on emotion to be released. Emotions are a tricky thing when it comes with interacting with magic. Once we get you magic in a controlled flow then you can access it whether happy or sad. So, anyway let me know when you find these winds."
Kagome smiled as Amelia finshed ranting. The girl was sort-of making sense.
"I found it," she replied back to Amelia. For all the good it would do her.
"Good. Now I want you to expand the focus wider so that it encompasses me as well. Think of your focus like a nummy cupcake. When the cupcake grows, it gets bigger and expands naturally by just adding some heat. And then you add some frosting and it tastes even better. But don't get distracted by the frosting, focus on expanding the cupcake. This way, you can feel what my controlled magic is like and you'll know what we are going to do with yours."
It took a few minutes for Kagome understand why the girl was taking about cupcakes. Once she got the analogy however, it took her even longer to refocus and to figure out how to expand her field. It had always been localized on her; she never had tried to read another person. Sure, in the past she would sense whether they had power, or an evil aura, but that wasn't the same. It was strange for her to slowly let her field expand. The first thing she felt was the grass beneath her. It was an unexpected yet pleasant sensation. The grass was pulsating with energy. This pulse kept prickling at her legs and tickling just a bit. Next she felt the tree behind her; it had the same type of energy as the grass. Amelia's energy felt completely different from the grass and tree. It was almost like gentle waves rolling off and around her. Where her energy mingled with the grass, that area of the grass pulsated more.
"Wow," Kagome muttered more to her self than to anyone else.
"Now that you know what a trained magical aura feels like, a fully frosted cupcake. So lets begin training yours. We have to start with directing how your magic flows. To do this you need to turn you attention back to your own power. One of the most difficult things to do is to accept the power into yourself. That's because your body does not really know what to do with it. It has been unused and allowed free range for so long that learning to control it is difficult. The younger you are the easier it is to learn. But, don't worry because practically no time at all, you'll be ready to try some spells."
Amelia worked with Kagome for another hour until it was time to meet with the others to discuss the future of the two groups. They concentrated on directing the flows of magic into calmer rolling waves. Sometimes Amelia would make some strange comparisons, but overall she seemed to know what she was talking about. Kagome seemed to be catching on to what the strange girl was saying. And the girl really was different. The results weren't instant, but Kagome now felt that she had a place to start with her control. Amelia said that they were going to start with white magic because that was what being a priestess was all about. Especially since Kagome had already been purifying objects and sensing auras.
As they parted for the meeting, Amelia said. "Now you shouldn't be trying to sense many people like you did with me earlier. Not only are you sensing their magic but also their aura. A lot of time you won't like what you find and it can be a painful experience."
Kagome nodded in understanding and together they went to join the others around the fire. A pot of tea boiled over the pit and there were cups in front of everyone. Well almost everyone, it seemed that Inuyasha had declined. No big surprise there. Someone though was trying to make the atmosphere of the meeting as pleasant as possible.
"Jeez," Inuyasha moaned as she sat down next to him. "What took you so long?"
Kagome ignored him as she poured herself some tea.
"This is good," she said absently tasting her tea.
"So," Zelgadis said looking at Kagome and Inuyasha.
"Why the hell should we start?" Inuyasha barked.
"Maybe because you guys get to make the decision," Lina snapped back. Her eye was twitching, and a crack appeared on the side of the mug she held.
"Look," Kagome took another sip of her tea. "There are things that you need to understand about the jewel. And there are things we need to understand about you before we agree to let you use it."
"Understandable," Zelgadis replied.
"How do you plan on using the jewel to turn yourself human?"
Zelgadis took a deep breath as if deciding what to say.
"There are many simple transfiguration spells that are used to turn one thing into another. This body is part of a transfiguration science experiment in combining a human, demon and golem. Changing anything permanently large takes a lot of power. Matter likes to stay in its original state, so it takes a lot of force to rearrange and combine it with foreign substances. That is why this transformation is so difficult to accomplish. I can't simply undo the spell that did this. There is a lot that needs to be changed and fixed. Since the one who did this is dead, he can't undo it and he wouldn't even if he were alive. What ever he did, he needed a lot of power. I'm not sure exactly what the power source was the first time around. Any ideas I have are definitely not concrete. But I understand spell craft and that even the simplest spells can be tweaked and rearranged. Lina and I have discussed what needs to be done, undone and changed to revert me back to human. Now, that the jewel has been found, it has enough power to be able to make the transformation possible again.'
'Lina will perform the spell since I doubt that I will be able to cast and control it on myself. She will use a transfiguration spell that her and I modified, and the jewel to amplify her magic. I will be human and you will get your jewel back safe and sound."
"When did you have time to modify the spell?" Gourry asked, drinking his tea in long swallows.
"The month we were on the boat. Remember?" Lina snorted as he gave her a confused look.
"That sounds very dangerous," Sango replied. "If something goes wrong you could be worse off then you are now or dead."
"It's worth it," he replied.
"And besides," Lina added. "I never fail. Zel will be fine."
"But won't using the jewel like that make it worthless?" Inuyasha butted in.
"No. For example, look at that grape ape thing that attacked us. The creature was using a jewel shard as a catalyst, just in a different fashion that what we will be doing. The jewel isn't useless now. We can all still feel its power. The spell will have no affect on the jewel. And the transformation will not be specifically linked to the jewel itself. I won't have to absorb the jewel into my body. Once the spell is done, then that's it. And we can go our separate ways."
"If we allow you to use it," Kagome said. "You will do so under my guidance. If I become concerned about the jewel or feel that you are misleading us then the deal is off. At the end of the day I need the jewel whole and still containing all of its power. Is that understood?"
"Yes," Zelgadis answered after taking a few minutes to consider what Kagome said. His response was repeated by everyone else in the group. Lina was the only one besides Zelgadis who seemed to be thinking hard about her answer. Kagome would be sure to remember that. Perhaps Lina had a bigger part in this group then Kagome first thought.
Kagome held up her part of the jewel. First negotiation accomplished, time to move onto the next pressing matter.
"This is almost half of the jewel. We believe we know where the rest is, but getting it will be a problem," she said.
"How big of a problem?" Lina asked.
Kagome let out a weak laugh.
"We have been competing with someone else for the jewel-"
"Competing?" Inuyasha scoffed. "That's one way of putting it."
"Fine," Kagome glared at him. "We have been locked in battle with someone for the shards. During these past two months we haven't found any rogue shards. Normally we'd find a monster with one almost every week or two. But now that that has stopped, it's a sign that the ones left will probably be harder to obtain. The two that you have, both belonged to him, Naraku. The one we've been fighting."
"How do you know that?" Amelia asked.
"They are tainted by him. I can practically taste his stench rolling off of them. Plus there is so much evil and black magic caked in them that it can't be from someone else."
"You can tell that by just sensing them?" Zel asked.
"Yeah, I've been gathering them up for two years now. And fighting Naraku for almost as long. I've come to recognize his presence and touch by my senses only."
"That's very impressive," Amelia said tears welling up in her eye looking proud. Kagome wasn't sure why, she practically told Amelia as much earlier while meditating.
"It only works with items, and places that he's been in contact with for a long time. It doesn't work with people, or demons for that matter. Their auras' must block it."
"So, this Naraku has the other half of the jewel?" Lina questioned.
"It seems like it," Sango said. "But we can't even find were Naraku lives, and unfortunately we have to wait around for him to come after us instead of the other way around."
"That sucks," Gourry stated. He filled his mug with more tea.
"Especially since he always can find us," Miroku added.
"So," Kagome said, taking charge. "If we let you use the jewel, you will have to help us out with Naraku. Even if this partnership doesn't happen, you will eventually face him if you continue to hunt for the shards. We would be much stronger together then we would be separated.'
'And lastly," this wasn't a part of what her, Inuyasha, and the others discussed but she decided to add it in on her own accord. "I want Amelia to teach me."
Zelgadis looked at Amelia and raised an eyebrow. "Teach what?"
"White magic," Amelia answered brightly, then included without consulting Kagome, "and some shamanism."
"Those are our conditions. You can use the jewel if you promise to only use it as a catalyst, if you help us defeat Naraku and lastly if you let Amelia teach me magic."
"Sounds reasonable to me," Lina remarked.
Zelgadis frowned and it looked as if Lina could practically hear the gears turning in his head.
"She's right about this Naraku guy. Even if we ditch the deal and take their shards we'd still have to fight him. It makes more sense if we just pair up together from the start," Lina said.
Zelgadis took a few more minutes to contemplate the thought.
"We have a deal," he finally articulated.
Kagome let out a breath that she didn't even realize that she was holding.
"So, we know how you came about one of your shards," Sango asked. "But how did you get the other one?"
Lina and Zelgadis shared another look. One that definitely communicated something… even though Kagome had no idea what. Lina gave him a sharp nodded and then Zelgadis glared harder at her. She nodded again and he sighed. There was something going on power wise between the two of them. Kagome had thought Zelgadis in charge…but he was following Lina's lead.
"It's the reason that we are here," he said as he turned his attention back to Kagome. "You see we've been hired to track down a stolen book. The thief gave the book to a woman named Kara in return for a jewel shard. We tracked the woman here."
Miroku's face lit up at the mention of Kara. "Was that the woman you had mentioned when we met earlier?" he said to Amelia.
"Yes, in fact she is," she answered.
"Kagura," Inuyasha snarled. "The bitch's name is Kagura. She's one of Naraku's stupid incarnations."
"Incarnations?" Lina questioned, noticeably confused.
"Naraku can create minions from himself," Kagome answered. "I'm not really sure how it works, only that they are somehow spawned from him."
Kagome watched Lina as she seemed to turn a shade paler.
"So I take it Naraku is not human?" Gourry asked.
"No, he's a half demon," Miroku responded.
"Wait, what do you mean by half demon? I heard Inuyasha called a half demon before too," Lina inquired.
"Can't you figure it out by yourself," Inuyasha growled. He turned his head and made a disgusted noise.
"Enlighten me," Lina snapped back.
"A half demon is half human half demon. In Inuyasha's case his mother was human while his dad was a demon. While Naraku was born a human, he offered his body to demons while in the throes of death. It was the process that created the creature he is today," Sango explained.
"But Lina," Gourry's face was troubled. "Earlier you said that that wasn't possible."
"It isn't," she said seriously. She eyed Inuyasha warily.
"What the hell do you mean it's not possible!" Inuyasha yelled. "I'm sitting right here!"
"But Mazuko don't mate the way we do," Lina snapped angrily. "What the hell is going on here?"
"What's a Mazuko?" Kagome asked turning to Miroku.
"It's a very old word for demon or monster," he responded.
"Oh."
"I bet Xelloss could explain," Amelia said to Lina. The woman paled slightly again, then turned an angry eye on the black haired girl.
"No!" she shouted back. "Don't you dare say his name and jinx us. The last thing we need is for him to show up!"
"Oh, come one Lina," Amelia smiled. "He's not that bad. He just needs to accept that life is wonderful!"
"Not that bad! My ass he's not that bad. Remember Hellmaster! Or how about Valgav! He would-"
Kagome's attention was turned away from the girls' argument as Gourry shouted. He sounded more exasperated than angry. "Enough of this! I'm ready for lunch. We can continue this conversation while we eat."
The two girls stopped arguing and looked at him.
"I agree," Inuyasha huffed. "I'm starving."
"This is a special occasion, right? You know, us working together?" Lina asked no one in particular.
"Um, I guess," Kagome responded. Lina licked her lips.
"Then it's only fitting that we go into town to get a real meal," she said looking at Amelia.
"Well. . ." Amelia chewed on her lip. "You know we can't afford to eat out as much as you want to."
"I think it's a great idea," Miroku inputted. "We have to make a stop in town anyway and it's not that far away."
"Then it's settled. Let's go Gourry," Lina jumped up, followed by Gourry. They started dissembling camp at a rapid pace. The others got up slower but still excited by the concept of eating in a restaurant. Kagome thought that a nice meal seemed appropriate in celebration, even if they were still on uneasy ground. But they had to start somewhere. Kagome silently prayed that this union would be for all of their benefits. But things never seemed to work out that easy, and she knew that with so many reasons for problems, she would be lucky if this whole situation didn't blow up in her face.
Once camp was put away, they tentatively started towards town. The tense atmosphere being broken by Lina, Gourry and Amelia rambling back and forth about where they were going. Kagome scratched her head; the eyes that she had noticed earlier seemed to be staring at her again. But it wasn't Amelia, considering that she was walking in front of her. Turning around, Kagome scanned the trees in search of the invader. Seeing nothing but twittering birds she decided that she must still be paranoid from earlier.
"Kagome," Inuyasha called back to her. "Why are you just standing there?"
"I thought that someone was watching me . . . oh never mind. Lets go eat." She jogged back up to Inuyasha thinking of lunch. Inuyasha glanced in the direction that she came from.
"I don't see anyone."
"Me neither. Like I said, never mind," she said as her stomach growled.
Inuyasha snorted at her as they continued to follow the group. Neither of them noticed the crookedly smiling figure in the trees watching them leave.
"Hmmm. . .I guess that they really are jinxed."