"Are you out of your mind!?"
Hearing Kagome and Naruko shout that made Haruto really question his choice. On his right shoulder was an unconscious, tied up, gagged Yura. Haruto's borrowed gi had been used to tie her up and the hair yokai's socks were the gag. She was surprisingly light, which meant she didn't put much of a resistance. Kagome had taken her wakizashi for good measure and a red skull that had to be the demoness' power source.
"Listen, I'm all up for beating her up yet again if she tries anything funny and makes her regret all she did." He told them tiredly.
"Glad we're on the same page." Naruko said with her claws ready.
"Wait a second, dammit!" he yelled, stepping back with fear in his eyes, "Calm down and breathe!"
"Don't tell me you're one of those pacifists who believe all should be forgiven!" Naruko snapped.
Kagome shook her head, too confused to make anything out of the situation, "What're you even thinking, Haruto? After all she did, you should be the one happier to get rid of her."
"Trust me, I am." He said and hefted the hair kunoichi on his shoulder, "However, being in her care made me think of a few things… Mostly punching her until I got sick of it, but something else."
"And what… is it related to what's been happening lately?" Kagome couldn't be too sure, but after how crazy things were, it was a possibility.
"Listen, worst comes to it, we can make her pay in a fitting way, right? You got that skull and she has no hair to fight with or heal herself."
That gave the girl some pause, having her consider his words, "Well, she needs to answer for a lot…" she was trying to think of whether to go with it or not.
Nodding, he turned to Naruko, "I know you're all up for her death, but if she tries anything weird we can keep her in line."
"Or we crush her life source." Naruko said as she casually took the red cranium from the schoolgirl's hands and did as he said, only to find a red comb inside, "What the Hell? Is this…"
"It's one of those ceremonial combs used to brush the dead's hair." Kagome tilted her head to the side, "Was that her real form all along?"
"Let's take her to lady Kaede and see what she can make out of it." The blond boxer looked up, deep in thought, "What am I even doing with my life?"
"We're asking that!" the two girls screamed, getting him to jump back from the surprise they gave him after breaking his train of thought.
"Hey, to be fair, none of this makes sense!" he retorted. "I was serious asking that. Should we use any demons we beat and make them work for us?"
"Like Naruko?" Kagome asked, intrigued.
The dog girl growled, "They'd prefer death…" and an evil train of thought came to her, along a smirk that crossed her pretty if now sadistic looking face, "Actually, I'm all up for taking her with us now."
"So, where's Lady Kaede?" the schoolgirl asked.
"I found her after we got separated and…" Naruko started, and an expression of shock came to her face.
Minutes later, they found and dug up the old priestess.
"I'm grateful you're all alright." Kaede said as she was held up by Haruto. "I'm also grateful that a certain someone didn't forget where I was buried." She said as she looked towards Naruko. "But I must ask this important question. Why is she wrapped up and more importantly, why is she still alive?" Kaede asked as she pointed towards Yura.
In response, Naruko and Kagome turned towards Haruto, one in a deadpan expression and the other one nervous.
Haruto coughed into his hand before speaking. "Well, I figured rather than simply killing her, you could put her to better use. Like you did Naruko." He said nervously, ignoring said hanyo's growl.
Kaede looked at him for a moment, as if studying him, before she began to hum in thought. With a sigh, she answered him with a question.
"Is she tightly secure?" Haruto nodded. "Do you have her true form?" He gestured towards Kagome, who pulled out the comb. "Ok, let me properly tend to my wound first then I'll see what I can do." She said as she took the comb from Kagome. "You're certainly generous for a near rape victim." Kaede remarked dryly.
Haruto scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "Listen, I'm not comfortable about this, at all. But Yura mentioned she knew of other demons and their tribes."
Intrigued by those words, the one-eyed priestess warily asked, "What would you do with such knowledge?"
"Find out who or what is behind all this madness." He turned to Kaede, "Any clue to what this power inside me is and the jewel inside Kagome could help."
"Do you think someone could be behind it all?" the dark-haired girl asked filled with curiosity all of a sudden.
"How can I be sure what to think?" he sighed deeply and hung his head low, "All I knew before this was that math was the most difficult enemy I'd face. I'm used to punching, not thinking…"
Kaede hummed in deep thought, "The jewel itself is an artifact of great power tainted by many twisted desires, it shouldn't be a wonder if anyone found a way to get it back through Kagome. With her being Kikyo's mirror image and Naruko's awakening, anything could happen."
Naruko snorted. "Whatever, for Yura's sake, she'd better be useful." If she wasn't, the upside would be a new combat dummy to practice with.
Kaede gave them a nod, "This will take a while, in the meantime, you should ponder your next move."
Kaede left the group behind to cast her arm and see what she could do with the hair demon's comb. For the first few hours the group rested under a tree while thinking of where to go from here, paying little mind to the villagers as they went about their daily lives as if nothing happened.
"So where do we go from here?" Kagome asked as she looked over Haruto to make sure he was alright for the third time, ignoring her tingling feeling from being in such close proximity to his shirtless body again.
"Don't look at me, I just set the goal." Haruto said as he held up a newly borrowed gi. He looked towards Naruko for advice.
The dog girl narrowed her eyes at him. "Isn't it obvious, we rip shards out of her." She said with some attitude.
"Okay, but can we get a plan that sounds less barbaric?" Kagome asked with evident annoyance at the hanyo's callous words.
"And a plan that we could all actually agree to?" Haruto asked. It really wasn't a question.
"Look, the fake priestess here... needs to..." Naruko stopped her two cents for a moment, feeling a certain itch between her cleavage. Without a word, she undid her kimono to look at her chest. Subsequently, Kagome was feeling subconsciously jealous again.
In between the sweet valley of her bosom was Myoga the flea demon, humble servant to Naruko being a bit of a pest. "Naruko-sama! The rumors are true, you have been freed! You don't know how happy I am to see you!" He exclaimed as he latched on to her. And began slurping.
In response, Naruko grabbed him with two fingers before flattening him in a cartoonish manner with an expression that spoke of annoyance and uncaring.
"And that is…?" Haruto asked as he put his clothes back on while gesturing to the poor tiny creature.
"Myoga, the flea." Naruko deadpanned.
"I know people tend to point out how smart I'm not, but could you explain?" he asked in the same tone.
"I'm a humble servant of Naruko-sama and informant." The flea said as he stood up, jumping to Haruto's shoulders, "I've also important news for her. In fact it's because of these news that I am here."
"Spit it out." Naruko growled, lying on her side with a hand propping up her head.
"Satsuki is looking for you." Spoke the flea, making the white-haired girl glare with palpable hatred.
Both Haruto and Kagome stepped back at the rage in her eyes, "What does that overgrown bitch want with me!?"
"Who's—" the blond started, but was cut off by the flea.
"She's looking for you two's father's grave."
"My old fart?" the amber-eyed girl gave the flea a confused look, "What does he want that for?"
"Wait, she's your sister?" Kagome asked in shock.
"What's with that bit of their dad being the two's? Isn't that redundant?" Haruto pointed out.
"Well, Satsuki and Naruko-sama come from different mothers. Satsuki was sired from a powerful demon woman, while Naruko-sama's delicious blood is partly because of—" and he was slapped down, flattened.
"I'm leaving." The girl growled as she stormed off.
Both stared, getting the picture, "So if her dad was a demon, then her mother…"
Scratching the back of his head, Haruto felt something odd, "It feels almost familiar… What's with me all of a sudden?" he confusedly stared at his feet.
Not far off, one could see a beauty of a towering if stoic looking woman. Everything Naruko had, she had double. She was a young adult lady with a regal appearance, flowing and silky silver hair that cascaded down her back, and sharp elf-like ears. Her heart-shaped face, thin eyebrows, and piercing amber eyes completed the look. Despite her natural beauty, it seemed she heard of smiles only in books.
Towering over Naruko by two heads made her really stand out. However, what mostly made her stand out was the size of her assets. Easily twice as big as Naruko's yet proportionate to her bombshell body. And they were kept in a white kimono tied close with a yellow sash, and said white piece of clothing seemed to struggle to keep them in. That and her ever cold face made her an alluring ice queen.
With long, milky, shapely legs displayed for everyone to see thanks to the skirt being only short enough to hug the curvature of her sinfully plump behind, she turned to her servant, "Is it true she awakened?"
"Indeed, Satsuki-sama." Said a green imp with a two-headed staff with a man and a woman's faces on them, bowing to her. "Apparently, as the rumors go, she's aided by the reincarnation of that priestess she used to be close to and an odd monk."
Satsuki paused, "I couldn't care less about that human woman coming back to life, but why is this monk so special for you to mention him?"
"Apparently, some demons are drawn into a special power within him. He even uses it to fight with his bare hands and only his fists. They say he's capable of out-punching large demons with ease." The imp saw a look in his mistress' eyes, and bowed to her, "Not that it'd matter before you, Satsuki-sama. He'd be demon shit sooner or later, but the power he has could be looked into and—"
"If I don't care about that Jewel, what makes you think I care about a monk?" The cold woman said with a simple glance that made the imp stand back.
"S-So sorry, my lady! My humblest apologies!" he squeaked out.
"Be sure to get everything ready. Naruko is such a child she couldn't be trusted with knowing her own grave." Was the woman's last order before she disappeared in a blur of speed.
"O-Of course, my lady!" the imp bowed yet again.