Wrong Turn Turns Out Right

Wrong Turn Turns Out Right (Ch. 21)

     Everyone is talking when I return. Only when I tune into the conversation do I realize it's about me. I stay outside the sliding door and listen for a moment.

     "Incredible. I never thought anyone but Kikyo could open the locket again!" Miroku says, truly astonished.

     "She didn't just open it, she transformed it completely! If you ask me, that's way better than any tricks Kikyo had." Sango corrects. Even she seems shocked at my achievement. I grab onto the jewel again, grateful to it's ever present warmth.

     "And the fact that she's part demon now shows she must be really pure!" Shippo yells. I take a breath and enter the room while they all stare.

     "Where's InuYasha?" Miroku asks. I supppress a scowl and reply, sweetly,

     "He wanted to sit by the river. Weird huh? So, how long are we going to be staying here anyway?" They shrug.

     "A few days maybe? Hard to tell as of right now, but I don't see us being here longer than a week." I nod and sneak a glance at Sesshomaru. He's leaning against the corner of the room with his eyes closed. If I didn't know him better, I'd say he was asleep. I throw a pillow at him and watch as he catches it easily.

     "Stop acting like you don't know us." I say, teasingly.

     "Hnn." His way of saying he's annoyed with me. Oh well, he'll get over it.

     "Is anyone else hungry? I'm starving." The others nod in agreement and we decide to go without InuYasha. He's taking entirely too long.

     "So, where can we get some grub?" Shippo asks. Miroku smiles.

     "Leave that to me." I roll my eyes and look at Sango, noticing her doing the same. Stupid boy, we'll see what lie he can come up with this time. Sango and I listen just outside of the door, barely able to hear his footsteps lead away. "Ah, kind sir, there you are!"

     "Is everything alright? Have you found the accursed demon yet?" That must be the little old man that's letting us stay here.

     "Yes, I did. Quick little thing. Barely managed to catch him myself. But alas, I have sent him straight into the firey depths of the underworld where he belongs." I can't believe he would stoop to such levels!

     "Oh, thank you so much! I can't help but feel that just giving you place to sleep is nearly enough. If there's anything I can do for you, anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask." That poor old man is falling right into his trap. Sango and I exchange a look of pity for the old man. Sesshomaru looks bored beyond belief, but, then again, when doesn't he?

     "Well, now that you mention it, my friends and I are quite famished..."

     "Yes, of course! I will have the finest meal provided for you!"

     "Thank you sir, you're too kind." What bogus modesty...

     "Not at all! After all, you've saved my life and that of my family!" Miroku returns to the room then, smiling triumphantly. I roll my eyes and put a hand over my growling stomach. Okay, maybe I could use some food. I shake my head at him and look away, ashamed with myself for allowing this to go on. InuYasha walks in then, still looking quite irritated, and sits down next to Shippo.

     "Well, are we gonna be eating sometime today?" He asks, impatiently.

     "I've taken care of that," Miroku says, proudly, upon entering the room. "Dinner will be delivered shortly." InuYasha looks at me then.  

     "Any objections, princess?" He sneers the last word, still angry with me for what I'd said outside. I shake my head, sitting down next to the door.  

     "No. I don't agree with the lying but I'm too hungry to put up much of a fight right now." He huffs and crosses his arms. If he thinks I'm going to make a fuss over every little thing, I hope he's ready for disappointment. A few minutes of silence pass when I hear a faint crash. I look to my right as if I could see through the wall and find the source of the sound. "Did you guys hear that?" Sesshomaru nods while InuYasha shakes his head.  

     "I don't hear anything." He says, disbelief coloring his tone.  

     "Just give it a moment half breed, it has been repeating itself every several minutes." Sesshomaru explains. Just then, a loud shriek echoes off of the forest. Sesshomaru and I stand up instantly, heading to the door.  

      "Okay, I know I heard something." I reach for the door, only to have a hand bat mine away.  

     "I heard it too, stay here, I'm going to check it out." InuYasha shoves his way in front of me. The others stand up and join me at the now blocked doorway.  

     "Oh heck no, I'm going too. I can take care of myself!" InuYasha scoffs and turns around to face me, an amused smile on his face.  

     "Yeah right! You can barely handle a human, how do you expect to deal with a full demon?" I clench my teeth and feel the others' shocked stares on my back. They remember the people I'd hurt at school, both human and demon. I walk up to InuYasha until we're only inches apart. I twist a strand of his hair around one finger while resting my other hand on his bicep.  

     "InuYasha..." I rest the hand that had been playing with his hair on his neck. He's pulse quickens. I pinch the pressure point between his neck and collar bone until his knees buckle, ram my shoulder into his abdomen, and flip him onto his back. "It would really be in your best interest to stop bossing me around and keep your mouth shut when you don't know what you're talking about." I step over him and run down the hallway, hearing the others following behind me. Sesshomaru catches up easily.  

     "Well done, that was quite impressive." I shrug.  

     "Yeah, well, he's really getting on my nerves." Something metallic hits my nose. Blood. "We have to hurry, whoever screamed is hurt." He nods and we pick up the pace a little. We run into an open clearing and I barely dodge being hit with a scorpion tail. "What the heck?! These are only supposed to be on the mainland!" A giant scorpion demon, the size of a small apartment complex, swings it's tail towards us again. Sesshomaru picks me up and jumps out of the way just in time. "Sorry, thank you." He nods his head.  

     "Hnn." Sango and Miroku enter just then and gasp. A girl with black hair is laying on the ground a few feet away, still breathing. Sesshomaru slashes the demon with his poison claws and it screams in pain. I make a bow and arrow and shoot, hitting the demon in the forehead, purifying it to ash. I jump out of the tree and land quietly on my feet just as InuYasha appears.  

     "Don't tell me I missed everything."  

     "Inu...Yasha..." A weak voice calls out. We all turn to face the girl who'd been unconscious on the floor moments ago. When she looks up, everyone gasps as brown eyes meet mine.  

     "Crap."