Inuyasha in the inner-demon within

Girls talk time

Kagome, Chika, and Sango made their way to the hot springs in relative silence. After only about ten minutes of walking, they had arrived at the springs. Chika felt a little self conscious about bathing with the other two girls, but since they seemed oblivious to it, she shook off the feeling and disrobed. She slowly stepped into the spring, enjoying the warmth of the water. Wading in until the water was up to her waist, she dive head first under the water, swimming a ways, and surfacing in the center of the pool.

"See, I told you this would do you a world of good," Kagome said smugly, before she burst out laughing. She and Sango were only about a foot away from her when she surfaced.

"Where did you learn to swim like that?" Sango inquired.

"I took lessons when I was about four- years-old. I love to swim, and besides, it keeps you in excellent shape," Chika replied, a smirk gracing her lips.

"Oh. People here do not know how to swim, and those that do are not very good at it. Kagome has been teaching me for a while. I must say I thoroughly enjoy it." Sango smiled softly, obviously proud of her achievements.

"She is getting really good at it too. Sometimes we just come out here to swim. The privacy is nice, and we don't have to worry about the boys sneaking around. Inuyasha usually keeps Miroku busy, so he won't play 'peeping tom'." Kagome unconsciously scanned the surrounding trees and undergrowth for self-assurance. Chika raised a brow at her, but as the meaning of Kagome's words sank in, she also scanned the surrounding area for the monk, or whoever else might be lurking around.

"Seems that we are indeed alone." Sango stated after a few moments as she had also made a visual sweep of the surrounding forest.

"Good," Kagome exclaimed. She swam at top speed to the edge of the pool, where she had left all the bathing supplies she had brought. She picked out a bar of soap, and a bottle of shampoo. The towels she separated and placed on the shore beside each other. The rest of the items she brought back to the other two girls, and they proceeded to remove the dirt they had acquired that day.

"How long have you been coming here, Kagome?" Chika asked as she lathered her hair.

"Let me see. I was fifteen when I first came here, and now I am almost eighteen. I guess that would make about three years." Kagome had finished with the soap and the shampoo and dive under the surface to rinse herself off.

"Three years and no one has noticed that you are missing?" Chika's shock was evident in her tone.

"Well, that is taken care of by my grandfather," Kagome laughed. "He makes up all these illness to tell the school so that they do not expel me for missing so much time. My family knows the truth, of course."

"I see," Chika nodded slightly as she spoke. "You are lucky to have such an understanding family."

"Yes. I would say that I am very lucky. Of course, it isn't everyday that you end up in Feudal Japan, either."

"I know what you mean," Chika replied, and both girls burst out laughing.

"It must still be a bit of a shock to you," Sango said as she finished rinsing her hair. Chika sank under the surface to rinse her own hair, shook the water out of her eyes and looked at Sango.

"Not really, but I believe that I am adjusting well. Now, who wants to tell me about all the people I've met today?" Chika relaxed in the water and began floating on her back.

"Who do you want to know about?" Kagome was more than eager to talk about everyone else, especially if that included Inuyasha.

"Well, everyone, of course!" Chika laughed. "But, you pick who to tell me about first." She smiled, looking up at the sky, waiting for Kagome to start talking.

"Umm…well, what do you think of Shippo? He's an orphaned kitsune child." Kagome headed closer to the shore, Sango and Chika following suit.
"He's a cute little kid. Even if he is a fox demon." Chika still couldn't quite accept the fact that most of the people she had encountered so far were actually demons.

"Then there is Miroku. As you know, he's a monk," Kagome said, settling into the shallow water.

"I know quite enough about him, the lech." Chika scrunched her face and laughed. She also settled into the shallows, leaning back against a group of rocks that lined the shore. It reminded her somewhat of a hot tub at a modern spa like her family has.

"Well, Sango here is a demon slayer and I happen to be a Miko," Kagome said, pride dripping from every word. "Koga is the prince of the wolf demon tribe. Sesshomaru is the Lord of the western lands and Inuyasha's half brother as well," Kagome continued. "And Inuyasha…is, well, Inuyasha." All three girls laughed at Kagome's explanation of him.

"Oh. So why do they look so different, if they are brothers?" Chika's curiosity was starting to get the better of her.

"Oh, that. Well, you see, they have the same father. He was ruler of the west and a very powerful demon. A dog demon to be exact. Sesshomaru's mother was also a demon and he is the oldest. Inuyasha's mother was human, so he is only half demon. That is why he has those ears, and doesn't have markings, except for when his demon blood takes over. Then he has the stripes, but not the other markings."

"I understand now. So, did Sesshomaru also inherit that cold demeanor as well?" Kagome just shrugged, closing her eyes. Chika also leaned back, and looked up at the sky. 'So many strange new people. I never knew such creatures existed.' She was snapped back to reality by a sudden rustling of leaves. She quickly looked behind her, Kagome and Sango also looking back over their shoulders.

"I sense a demon." Sango whispered so softly that Chika almost didn't catch it. Kagome nodded, reaching for her bow and arrows that were lying within arm’s reach on the bank. Before her hand even touched the bow, the demon emerged from the undergrowth. It looked something like a large green bug. The girls saw that their only course of action was to head deeper into the pool. They began to back up slowly as the creature crept closer to the edge of the water.

"We need to draw its attention elsewhere if we expect to reach our weapons," Sango said.

"I know," replied Kagome.

"Well, there are three of us. We should be able to come up with something." Chika said as they backed a little further away from the shore, their weapons, and their clothes.