Kaya's Story (An InuYasha Fanfic)

Chapter 29: The First-Quarter Moon

It had been two days since my conversation with Naraku. I hadn't had any luck since then finding Jewel Shards, but I still had until sundown. I wasn't going to get caught fighting on the night of the first quarter moon, half priestess or not. So, that's what I did most of the day was fight demons who were doing the same thing I was: looking for Shikon Jewel Shards. I did get lucky though, one such demon already had a shard, so that was fun. Unfortunately, while I was fighting this particular demon, I could feel my power draining as the Sun got lower in the sky. Let's just say, I didn't come out of this fight as clean as I wanted to. At least, I killed it before the sun set completely, otherwise, it would have been a lot worse. As it stands, I had cuts, bruises and a couple of bumps, but nothing major. So long as no one comes near me tonight, I'll be fine until morning. I have a bad habit of jinxing myself. "Are you sure you felt one around here Kagome?" I heard InuYasha ask. "Yes, but it seems to be gone now. It's like it vanished." Kagome answered. "It couldn't have just vanished. Especially since this place reeks of demon." InuYasha stated angrily. That's when something occurred to me, no had noticed I was there, even though I had a Jewel Shard in my possession. "What about the other scent that's here?" A voice asked. "She's still here. That doesn't mean I'm going to go look for her." InuYasha stated. He did know I was here, I should have known. I'm not taking any chances, not tonight. The fewer people who know my secret, the better.

I was so hoping, they were going to leave and find somewhere else to camp for the night but no. They decided to settle in a clearing roughly 100 feet from where I was. So, here I was trying to avoid contact but to no avail. "Who are you?" It was the voice from earlier. "The better question is, who are you, kid?" I asked. "Shippo, who are you talking to?" Kagome asked. "He's probably talking to Kaya. Like, I said earlier her scent is still around." InuYasha stated, clearly annoyed. "If you knew I was so close, then why didn't you say something earlier!" I yelled. "So, you're Kaya. The way Kagome described you, I was expecting a demon. Not a weak human." The kid said, casually. I picked him up so our eyes were even, "Insult me again, tiny demon and I will unleash my wrath." That sentence would have been more intimidating if I had my fangs. I put the kid back on the ground and got up to walk over to Kagome and InuYasha, with Shippo on my tail.

When I got to their campsite, Shippo went and sat down with Kagome as I sat opposite InuYasha. "What are you doing out here? How long have you been back?" Kagome asked. "I was looking for Jewel Shards. I've been back a couple of weeks. Have you guys had any luck?" I asked. "Yeah, we found a few and thought we found another one." She said, disappointed. I was confused if she can sense Jewel Shards, why hasn't she asked about mine? "What about you, Kaya?" Her question brought me out of my thoughts. The question felt like she was testing me. Like she knew, but I lied anyway. "Nope, just demons." I felt bad for lying to Kagome almost instantly, but something told me I should. "So, can I ask why you have a demon child with you?" I said, changing the subject. "This is Shippo, he's a fox demon. We helped him avenge his Father." Kagome explained. "Oh, I see," I said, my tone softening. I knew how Shippo felt, losing your family, I mean. At least he has Kagome, and I guess he has InuYasha, too. Maybe I was wrong about InuYasha, but I know what I saw that day. Soon, Kagome and Shippo had fallen asleep leaving InuYasha and me as the only ones awake. "Why are you really out here?" InuYasha asked. "I told you why. I'm looking for Jewel Shards, same as you." I retorted. "Don't give me that crap. I know you're hiding something." He was more perceptive than I thought he was. "I'm not hiding anything and I sure as hell don't have to answer to you, even if I was," I argued. I tried to keep my voice as level and quiet as possible, but man was it hard. "Then why were you hiding?" he questioned. "I'm human, okay. Happy now?" I stated, defensively. "I knew that much. It's just Kagome told me you were human all the time in her world. So, why hide here?" InuYasha inquired, slightly calmer. "It's my night of vulnerability," I whispered. Neither of us said anything after that. Fine by me.