Chapter 9

 It was around midnight when Kikyo awoke, aroused by the presence of a demonic aura. Her dark brown eyes snapped open and she warily looked around her room, before climbing out of bed and grabbing a jacket from her closet. How was it even possible for a demon to be this far into the city? The security around it was hard enough to get through, and there were Slayers constantly stationed around the entrances in case one got too close. So how was it even possible? Seeing that she had no other choice, she grabbed one of her bows and went to the back door. Kaede and Kagome were still fast asleep in their rooms, so she was going to have to deal with this on her own.

Once she got outside, the aura seemed to intensify to the point that she couldn't tell where it was coming from. It felt like it was surrounding her, all the auras from the neighbors and even her sisters, which were pretty powerful despite their inexperience, were completely drowned out by this ominous presence. She heard something rustling in the bushes, and immediately fired an arrow without thinking. Whatever she'd hit hadn't made a sound, and she was beginning to wonder if it had only been the wind, when a shadowy figure appeared for a second before vanishing over the property wall, taking the demonic aura with it. Kikyo immediately took off after it, following it through the dark and empty streets.

‘Damn...it's heading towards headquarters....'

She chased it into one of the alleys, firing another arrow before it could vanish from her sight again; she saw it hit this time, she was sure that the arrow had pierced its body. The creature's form flickered for a few minutes before fading into a trail of smoke. The priestess let out a small sigh, before putting her next arrow back into her quiver and proceeded to walk towards the street. For such a powerful demonic aura, it had been pretty easy to kill. The outline of a face leered at her from within the darkness, before raising its deformed, scythe like arm. Kikyo let out a strangled cry of pain as it tore through her shoulder, easily slicing through skin and muscle. The pain was nearly unbearable, but it only lasted for a few seconds before the priestess lost consciousness and collapsed on the pavement.

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The whole city was a whirl with rumors and nervous glances; a priestess attacked in the middle of the night? It was too horrible to even think about. How could such a thing happen when the city was so well protected by the Slayers. The Taishou bragged about how secure Tokyo was. So how could a demon get inside? Could it happen again?

In his office, the Taishou listened calmly as the council informed him of the details of the attack. They tried to be gentle, as it was well known that despite his hard and often cruel words and laws, the man was not blessed with the strongest of bodies. Too much stress might be enough to make his heart give out in a matter of minutes.

"Is she expected to recover?" he asked calmly after they'd finished their report. There was a brief exchange of glances before one started going through his pile of papers.

"Yes, sir; Ms Higurashi's surgery was a success, and she's expected to be taken out of intensive care later on this afternoon. They've already contacted her family about the attack." He said, reading off said papers.

"Good. I'm relieved to know that the woman wasn't severely injured." The Taishou said, though it was difficult to tell if he really meant those words, or was simply playing the part of a concerned overlord. "And what of my son, Seiichi's whereabouts?"

There was more shuffling of papers. "He was spotted recently going towards one of the Slayer towns near the outskirts of the forest, and the girl Mizuko was with him. Shall we send some men to pick them up?"

"Yes. And when you do, send Mizuko to see me. There's something I'd like to discuss with that girl." He said. The men all nodded, and he then sent them away before going into his private quarters. He went to one of the windows, grabbing a medicine bottle and a glass of water from a nearby table. So many pills, you'd think with his standing they'd be able to find a cure for his annoying condition. ‘The outskirts of the forest...what could that pest possibly want all the way out there...?'

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Kagome ran as fast as she could down the street, occasionally bumping into people as she went. She had never been the most graceful one in the family. "Tsukiko-chan, hurry up!" she shouted back over her shoulder at the dirty blonde struggling behind her. Tsukiko had moved in the Higurashi's after her twin sister's sudden disappearance, since living by herself had proved too much for her sanity. She doubled over for a few seconds before chasing after the priestess in training once again, narrowly missing the same people Kagome hit.

"Kagome-chan, please wait! The hospital isn't going to get up and leave any time soon!" She protested. Her friend let out a sigh as the crossing light turned red, and she stopped at the curb. Tsukiko doubled over, taking in several haggard breaths while leaning against a nearby lamp post. "I know...you're worried....about...Kikyo...but, do we really...have to run three miles?!" she gasped out between deep gulps of air. Kagome realized how much she was overworking her friend, and patted her shoulder in apology.

"Sorry, I just...I have been able to think since we found out about what happened...I just want to be sure that she's going to be okay..."

"The doctors said she'd recover fine..."

"I know, but, I won't believe that until I see if for myself. If Kikyo says she'll be fine, and she looks like she'll be fine, then maybe."

Tsukiko sighed quietly, and then groaned as the light changed to green. Thankfully this time, Kagome was willing to simply walk the last half mile to the hospital.

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"Just try to relax, Ms Higurashi. Your sister and Miss Sui will be coming in a few minutes to see you." Kikyo nodded slightly to the doctor as he left, and then stared out the window. She felt really silly right now. She had all the common hospital accessories, an IV, a heart monitor; she even had an oxygen tank handy. You would've thought that she was on her deathbed or something. She just wasn't one for appearing weak. The doctors had spent the last few minutes trying to get her to remember what had happened to her in the alley, but she'd only been able to give them vague answers. After all, the coward had attacked her from behind.

She let out a small sigh, and then turned her head when she heard the door click open. Sure enough Kagome rushed in, with Tsukiko a few steps behind looking pretty winded. "Sis! How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?" her frantic sister asked. Kikyo let out a small laugh before shaking her head.

"No. I can't feel anything thanks to those drugs they gave me." Kikyo answered bluntly. She saw a frown come onto Kagome's face, and let out a weak laugh. She knew her sister hated hearing stuff like that. "Anyway, I'm glad you're here. There's something I need you to do for me: I want you to go to Kyoto; take the car. Mizuko will have to be heading through there soon, and I want you to go find her. There's a scroll in my bedroom on the top shelf, it's tied with a gold string; you can't miss it. Give that to her..."

"But...how, how do you know Mizuko-chan will be even going there? What's going on sis?" Kagome asked in confusion.

"It's too early to give you all the details. Just do as I ask, Kagome. I would've gone myself, but by the time I've recovered, she'll already be past Kyoto."

"Alright, I'll leave now then. Take it easy till I get back, okay?" Kikyo nodded in agreement, and then Kagome headed out of the room. Kyoto was a two day trip by car, and if what Kikyo said was true, then she'd need all the time she could get.

"I'm coming too." Tsukiko interjected suddenly, following behind Kagome.

"No. Someone needs to stay behind to take care of Kaede. She's only seven; she's way too young to be staying home alone."

"But-"

"No buts. I'll be fine. I'll just give Mizuko the scroll, and I'll be back before you know it. Everything's going to be okay."

"Mizuko said the same thing before the Exam."

"And Mizuko-chan is fine. She's just not home at the moment. You're going to have to trust me on this, Tsukiko-chan."

"Fine..." Tsukiko mumbled under her breath. "Then...could you do me a favor as well?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small jar of what appeared to be pills. "Seiichi-kun left these back at the house. I've seen him taking them at school, so I know they're important. Could you please give them to him for me? And tell Mizuko I said hi and to come home soon?"

"Of course." Kagome said with a grin before taking the pills. "I've gotta hurry back now, I'll see you when I get back." Then she took off running, leaving Tsukiko to walk back on her own. Once she got back to the house, she headed straight to her sister's room and started feeling around on the top shelf. Finally she felt paper and pulled it down to look at it. "Guess this is it." She said, looking at the gold colored string. After a very hasty packing of suitcases, she hurried to the family car and turned on the ignition. With any luck, she might get to Kyoto right as they were leaving.