Disclaimer: No, I don';t own any money, not even this laptop I'm typing on really, the college gave it to me, but they want it back, stupid jerks. So yes, I DO NOT own Inuyasha...

An: Okay, this is to prove I'm not dead again. Don't worry anybody, I'm not quitting any old fics. I'm just doing this in my on campus boredom time. That means the writing isn't the greatest, but the idea amuses me and keeps my mind warmed up between classes when I have no one to talk to. You might hate it, you might love it, but at least it's something for you to read! I think this is perhaps THE most original idea I've had, it might be so original that NO one else has done it...er, I hope. Anyway, I shall return to WOAWO and I Miss You when I have the time to do it RIGHT...please don't kill me, I felt I had to give you a present for being so good and patient, I hope you like this...I haven't the foggiest idea where it would go as far as plot, but I just HAD to do it. Hope you all can forgive me (this would never be too long as it is, only a few chapters at most, so it'd be done before you know it even at its most complex I think...) Please don't kill me! I want to live!

Mad Season


Fox Bite

"So, what do you think?" Kagome looked between her friends with a cautiously hopeful expression; her fingers absently twirled a small strand of her raven black hair.

Swallowing hurriedly, Shippo lifted wide, excited green eyes when he answered, "It's delicious Kagome!" as if to prove his words true the little kitsune bit into his food again, his fingers coming back coated dark and sticky. He licked his fingers clean hungrily. "It's almost as good as chocolate!"

"Thank you Shippo. I'm glad you like it." The schoolgirl smiled, looking slightly relieved, and patted the youngster's head.

"What did you say it was again?" Sango asked, delicately picking over the bright white bread and taking a quick sniff of the brownish substance inside. The majority of the time Sango didn't have a doubt about the food Kagome brought—much of it was familiar once one got passed the outer wrapping of "pla-stick." But the bright white, fluffy stuff that Kagome called "bread" was unfamiliar to her, and though it was generally odorless and the color of rice, she knew that wasn't what it was made from. The spicy, strong smelling stuff beneath it was unlike anything she'd ever encountered before. Shippo liked it well enough, that was true, but Shippo was a demon and Sango knew hungry demons would eat carrion without hesitation if it was all they could find.

"It's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich." Kagome replied, smiling timidly. Nervously, her eyes glided to where Inuyasha was glaring down at his own sandwich suspiciously.

Sango frowned inwardly, though she didn't let the expression reach her face, and silently pitied Kagome. Inuyasha would never admit to liking the foods she brought them, even if it was only to annoy her, which was what Sango quietly believed was the truth. Of course, the hanyou was dense, unless he was also a great actor and had them all fooled. It was her guess that any second now Inuyasha would push the sandwich away and ask Kagome to make him some Ramen instead. Then the afternoon would progress into a battle between the offended schoolgirl and the stubborn, irritable hanyou.

Praying that she could stall the inevitable, Sango swallowed hard and brought the foreign food to her lips. A sharp, strong taste assaulted her tongue. Carefully, Sango chewed the stuff, sneaking tastes as she tried to decide whether or not she liked the new food. Salty, spicy…and a smooth, sticky texture.

"This is…" Kagome's flash of eager anticipation when she heard Sango's voice and saw her chewing made the demon slayer pause, suddenly frightened of letting her friend down. "…a powerful taste…"

A perplexed look flashed across Kagome's features abruptly and then she opened her lips and formed an "O" shape with them, as if she'd had a revelation. "Sango! I'm so sorry! You got the straight peanut butter! I'm sorry!" hurriedly, she fumbled through the picnic basket, producing a different sandwich that she promptly handed to Sango. "This one has some jelly in it, I'm sorry—" she jabbered on as Sango swallowed her first mouthful and took the new sandwich, examining it. "—you see; my little brother is so picky he'll only take straight peanut butter! So out of habit I guess I just made some of everything…"

Miroku had also bitten into his own sandwich by then, his face was contemplative as he chewed, his violet eyes watched Sango and Kagome's interactions avidly. Finally he too nodded, passing judgment on the new food. "Indeed, Lady Sango is right about these san-witches, as is Shippo. A very powerful, but delicious taste."

"Thank you, Miroku!" she grinned pleasantly and dug into the picnic basket, bringing out another different sandwich, this one was shiny around the edges as something oozed between the bread crusts. "I've always liked peanut butter and honey myself, so I made a few of those too. Here Shippo, try this one, I'd bet you'd love it!"

Unafraid of what she offered him, Shippo bit into the next sandwich and his green eyes sprang wide. "Oooh!"

Kagome giggled at his eager expression—until she noticed Inuyasha's silence, his cranky, arms crossed over his chest, sitting position. And in front of him, lying on the pink with white polka-dot blanket Kagome had brought with her as their impromptu eating place, was the untouched peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Noticing her stare, Inuyasha's golden irises slid slowly over to regard the schoolgirl. A scowl twisted his face and his ears twitched, falling backward. "What are you lookin' at me like that for?"

"Aren't you going to try yours, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, eyebrows lifted hopefully.

"Feh!" he turned slightly, trying to maneuver his back to face her. "You think I'm gonna be nice and lie like everybody else? I'm not gonna eat that—why didn't you just bring Ramen wench?"

Shippo, Sango, Miroku and even Kilala scowled as the inevitable battle of wills descended on the former peace of their group.

"Because there are more foods in the world besides Ramen, Inuyasha!" Kagome huffed, crossing her own arms, mirroring the hanyou's posture. "And anyway, you don't have to eat all of it, just taste it! After all the work I went to it's not asking much!"

"I'm not tasting anything you make unless it's Ramen! You always make it so damned spicy…"

Kagome groaned in exasperation and suddenly Inuyasha's ears drooped a little—too late he sensed what was coming with his usual obnoxiousness. Unwilling to relinquish his opinion, and at the same time reluctant to be punished, the hanyou uttered his monosyllable answer to everything: "Feh!"

"You really should just try it, Inuyasha." Shippo muttered, "I mean, I'm only a little kid, but even I'm not scared to try Kagome's food…"

"What the hell are you talking about, runt?" the hanyou raged abruptly, "I'm not scared!"

"I do believe that Shippo has a point, Inuyasha—" Miroku began, hiding a smirk.

Inuyasha whirled on him, the tips of his white fangs bared. "Shut up!"

"Quit being a baby!" Kagome grumbled; arms still crossed unhappily, throwing the difficult hanyou a nasty glare. "Don't make me say it."

He turned to shout back something that would, undoubtedly, offend her enough to evoke punishment for sure, but stopped as if a light had turned on inside his brain, as if the secret of life had grown clear to him. Mouth hanging open slightly, amber eyes wide and unseeing, he looked as if time had frozen for him, paused his life—and then he blinked, shaking his head a little. A scowl broke over his face, the amber eyes narrowed. Suddenly the sandwiches were forgotten as the group recognized the change in the hanyou and just what it meant.

There was trouble coming.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Sango ventured, being the first to swallow her latest bite full of peanut butter and jelly. "What's wrong?"

"Is it a demon?" Miroku pressed, shifting his position to grab hold of his staff. It jangled as he lifted it to be supported by his shoulder.

"I don't sense any Shards…" Kagome supplied, staring in bafflement as Inuyasha rose up to his feet, his hands on the hilt of his sword.

Shippo dropped his sandwich and sniffed the air, his tail bushing out slightly. "I…" he swallowed fearfully, "I can't smell anything through the sandwiches!" he whimpered, looking to Kagome with something that might've been shame.

"Feh." Inuyasha grunted, finally answered them, his stance had loosened, the tension slipping out of him. "Well I guess it's a good thing I didn't eat any of them, isn't it?" he scoffed.

Kagome frowned, "Inuyasha…"

Sango cut her off, "Well, what was it?"

Inuyasha turned back to face them, shrugging, though atop his head his ears flicked about, listening for danger. "Nothing but a sick fox."

"Hey! I'm not sick!" Shippo leapt onto the hanyou's shoulder and pulled on his hair, only to receive a snarl from Inuyasha and a quick flick from his fist that knocked the kit clean off.

"Not you, runt. I'm talking about an animal, not a youkai." Taking a step back toward picnic basket and Kagome's polka-dotted blanket, he still appeared uneasy, ear twittering, swiveling uncertainly.

"A sick fox?" Miroku quoted, looking around the group with a keen, curious gleam in his eyes. "You've never bothered to sniff out sick animals before, Inuyasha."

"Yeah, well…" the hanyou never finished his intended words before Shippo's quick gasp and wild, frenzied pointing toward the forest and brush just behind them made the group turn, bodies stiffening at the potential for combat. Inuyasha, already on his feet, rushed forward into a position to defend his companions, his face a snarling mask.

The spot they'd chosen for their picnic, and exposure to Kagome's foreign foods, was just beside the road they'd been traveling on for several weeks, casually seeking Jewel Shards. Thick summer foliage lined the road: maples, pines, and birch trees rustling their leaves in the wind. Underbrush filled in the gaps between the larger foliage, ferns, bushes, some alight with blooming flowers, wildflowers and nameless, wiry plants clamored for space and sunshine.

Slipping out of this dense, dark forest, a small animal—a dull, gray-colored fox—stumbled into the small clearing beside the road. The fox turned its head about wildly, as if dizzy, and its hind legs collapsed underneath it. Its ears, two gray triangles atop its head, started to shake, as if convulsing. Its olive green eyes blinked dazedly, struggling to adjust to the change in the light.

Inuyasha's hand on his sword loosened for a moment with uncertainty, but his eyes never left the small, clumsy creature. Behind him Miroku, Sango, and Kagome rose to their feet, varied mixtures of confusion and alarm registering on their faces.

"The poor thing…" Kagome ventured, moving to grab one of the sandwiches, tearing a chunk from one corner and starting to move toward the collapsed, shivering fox. Inuyasha's hand shot out, grasping her arm with a hard, fast grip and firm, angry glare, both of which stopped Kagome right in her tracks.

"What? It's probably starving! And considering that you aren't going to eat yours, Inuyasha..." her indignant words died as soon as she took note of the seriousness of Inuyasha's expression. She tried again, her voice wavering uncertainly despite her protest. "It's just a fox."

"Something about it ain't right. We should get going, put some distance between us and…" The hanyou scowled when Kagome looked unconvinced, "I told you, it's sick."

"But—look at it!" Kagome glanced back at the fox, the gray fur quivering as the animal suffered. Its eyes locked with hers and she saw the nose twitch, surely smelling the little bit of peanut butter sandwich she was holding. She could almost hear the fox's desperate, keening cry in her ears: "Just a little food, just a swallow of water, if only I could…just a swallow, a tiny bite."

The fox shuddered once, tried to lift its head from the ground, and then gave in, its eyes fluttering closed weakly.

"Feh. Fine, whatever wench." Inuyasha's grip left her arm, flying instead to her hand, and Kagome was startled when she felt the rasp of his claws over her palm, scraping out the chunk of peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "But I'll do it, you pack up that stuff and make me some Ramen, dammit." He growled, absently taking a step toward the fox.

"Inuyasha!" Shippo shouted, frantically, rushing forward to lock himself onto Kagome's leg, "Let's just go! It smells wrong."

"I have to agree with Shippo, Inuyasha, Lady Kagome." Miroku inserted, also taking a step forward, his staff jangling.

When Kagome's incredulous, irate stare turned in the direction of the monk; he struggled not to flinch guiltily. "I'm not saying we should keep it as a pet, Miroku! But can't you see it's suffering?"

Sango nodded beside Miroku, laying a hand on his shoulder when he looked as if he might argue. "Kagome's right, a little food wouldn't be bad for it, and I doubt it poses any real threat…" her brow rippled slightly, uncertainty showing through, but she counseled herself with her silently added thought: What harm could a little mortal fox pose to a half-demon like Inuyasha?

"Feh! Let's just—" as the hanyou spoke he idly tossed the clump of peanut butter and jelly sandwich at the sickened fox and half-turned his body to regard the tension pervading the rest of the group. "—get our asses moving before—" he didn't see the sandwich bit fly through the air, didn't see it smack onto the fox's snout, and he didn't catch the sudden wild rolling of the animal's eyes. Its head lifted from its paws, trailing slimy, frothy drool from muzzle to ground. "—Naraku gets anymore of those damned Shards. Enough distractions…"

Miroku and Sango's expressions twisted as he watched them, contorting with shock and horror at his words. For a moment Inuyasha smirked and opened his mouth, about to agree with their horror, yeah, the idea of Naraku getting another Shard kills me too… but Kagome's abrupt gasp at his side made him turn back, irritated. "What—?"

The gray fox stumbled toward them, its teeth bared, slimy drool drizzling from its jaws steadily. Shippo screamed, leaping frantically for Miroku and Sango, green eyes wide and terrified. Kagome stepped backwards, leaving the clumsy, impaired gray fox several feet short of her. Her eyes were glued to the matted gray and dingy fur, the slobbering, frothy saliva trailing from its bared fangs.

Drunkenly, the fox tumbled forward, eyes spinning, teeth still bared threateningly. Its breathing was heavy, fast, and labored, but it was slow moving and clumsy, leaving it an easy target for Inuyasha's claws. Moving between Kagome and the fox, a red and white blur made Kagome's thoughts spin with sudden, terrible panic.

"Inuyasha! No don't touch it!"

The hanyou ignored her. "You mangy fox," he spat, "You looking for a fight—you got it!" he flexed his clawed hands and rushed forward, easily slashing the sick animal's body…but not before its canines sank into the flesh of his wrist, nicking his skin and drawing a faint scratch of blood.

There was a faint yelp from the dying fox as it registered pain, its eyes flicking round in their sockets, and then it was quiet, unmoving. The chest spluttered once, fighting to breathe, and then it stopped altogether. The slick, slimy shine of its drool was still drying in the grass and the weeds.

Snorting in disgust, Inuyasha flicked his hand briefly, wiping it free of slime and blood on one trouser leg, then turned and regarded the silent, grim faces of his companions. "What? How many times do I have to tell you people! You can't be nice to anyone or anything! They'll just try to kill you." He growled, aiming his animosity at Kagome in particular, though once his glare flew to Sango, noticeably annoyed.

"Let's get out of here!" Shippo whimpered from where he was crouched between Miroku and Sango, beside Kilala. "That was just creepy!" The little fire-cat's small rumbling growl answered Shippo with a dark agreement.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome swallowed hard, her eyes darting between the dead fox and the hanyou's irritated scowl. Very slowly her lips and chin began to tremble, and then her eyes started to water with tears…

"What?" he snapped, stomping toward the forgotten picnic basket before the scent of her tears reached him and he stiffened, ears turning backward. "Kagome? Why the hell are you crying!" despite his attempt at anger, the hanyou's voice was fraught with concern, a muscle in his jaw twitched when a few of the schoolgirl's tears slipped out of her large brown eyes.

She couldn't speak, and her silence made Inuyasha growl, his gaze roving over the group as he realized all of them were troubled, all of them were grim. "What!" he shouted, frustrated.

Miroku was frowning, his violet eyes narrowed with something akin to suspicion. "The fox completely ignored the food."

"And it was hardly strong enough to walk…" Sango's nodding was grim; her lips formed a hard, white line.

"Oh no you don't!" Inuyasha yelled, amber gaze burning with anger. "There is no way you're going to make me feel guilty for killing that thing—no way! Let's just get our asses moving and forget any of this ever happened, got that?"

"Inuyasha, you don't understand—" Sango began, looking to Miroku and then, briefly, with a pained expression, to Kagome. "That fox, there was something wrong with it."

"Feh!" the hanyou snarled, "Not anymore! C'mon, quit staring at me and let's go!" he turned, glaring harshly at Kagome, "And you, stop crying! Please!"

With her chin still quivering, Kagome stifled a sob and suddenly moved toward the hanyou, reaching out for his hand determinedly. Inuyasha yanked it away, still glowering. "Inuyasha!" the sobbing schoolgirl shouted, "Let me see it!"

"Is this why you're crying?" he grumbled, rolling his eyes and moving side his sleeve so that she could look and the small, shallow bite wound the fox had left on the hanyou's wrist. "It'll be gone by tomorrow, wench!"

Kagome's fingers on his wrist were weak. Her eyes were glued to the wound and filled with tears, which made the hanyou wince with sympathetic misery. He hated her tears above everything else—short of Naraku—and despised the show of vulnerability and emotion most especially when it had to do with him. Couldn't she see it was nothing serious, nothing she needed to feel bad about? He knew she often harbored guilt for his injuries, blaming herself…

The terrible, quiet calm in her eyes made shudders travel down his back as she slowly lifted her eyes to meet his and said the most ridiculous thing he's heard all day: "We need to get to the well, now."

Blinking in dismay for a second before he scowled, Inuyasha ripped his arm away from her, irritably. "What the hell's gotten into you, wench? First you want to feed some mangy, wild fox, then you cry when I get a scratch, and now you want to go home! There are Shards to find—we need you here!"

"I'm serious, Inuyasha!" she shouted, tears forming in her eyes again. The hanyou winced at her, pulling back slightly and crossing his arms. "I need you to come with me to my time…just to be sure."

"What! Why?" his ears fell backward, his expression twisted with exasperation, "What the hell are you talking about, Kagome!"

"I think I may know what Lady Kagome is trying to say, Inuyasha." His staff jangled as he turned, facing Sango, "Sango, would you agree that the fox was possessed by the Madness?"

Sango glanced from Miroku to Inuyasha, a strange, solemnity growing inside her gaze. Her lips turned downward slightly. "Yes, there were many dogs in my village who succumbed to just such a sickness. When I was hardly more than a girl, our own dog was bitten by a fox such as this with the Madness." She lowered her eyes, unable to meet the stares of the others, Inuyasha's especially. "My father had to kill him."

"I knew we should've left sooner!" Shippo squealed suddenly breaking out into loud, wailing sobs. "I knew it smelled bad!"

"You morons better start making sense real soon…" Inuyasha warned, his eyes darkening.

Kagome pulled on his arm again, tears still streaking down her face. "Inuyasha—that fox had rabies—and it bit you!"

"Ray-bees?" his ears fell back and he frowned skeptically.

"It's a disease, Inuyasha, and it spreads through bites." She bit her lip, her hands squeezing around his arm, "And it's fatal."

The hanyou appeared unconcerned. "Feh! Maybe for you people, but not for me." As if to demonstrate his stark differences, Inuyasha's white ears twitched and swiveled. His fangs glittered just past the flesh of his lips. "Now—let's get moving! Naraku isn't going to wait on us, you know."

Miroku moved faster than any of them expected, placing himself in front of Inuyasha's path, his face a stern mask. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but if it's the Madness," he looked to Kagome and nodded once, "Ray-bees, as Lady Kagome's people call it, then I'm afraid it's not as simple as you think."

"Are you calling me dumb, monk!" Inuyasha snarled, glaring.

"Not at all—"

Inuyasha snorted, interrupting him. "Damn straight. Now, let's stop wasting time and—"

Suddenly Sango was standing in front of him too, her face a mirror of Miroku's sternness. "Inuyasha, you don't understand the seriousness of the Madness. If you're wrong and you become ill…" she gestured toward the bleeding, battered, defeated body of the gray fox, "You'll attack us mindlessly, just like it did." She unconsciously tightened her hold on hiraikotsu where it rested, strapped against her back, "We'd have to kill you—it'd be just as if you'd lost control of your youkai-blood and…"

She stopped speaking when she saw, finally, that her words had had the desired effect. The hanyou's face drained of color and his lips disappeared, pinched tightly into a white line. He seemed speechless, unable to speak as the horrible possibility grew in his mind, looming like a giant.

"In my era, Inuyasha," Kagome began, her voice wavering uncertainly, "We have a cure—but we have to hurry…"

In front of him Miroku and Sango were nodding gravely, each trying to appear as if they were looking him in the eye when, in fact, they weren't. Shippo and Kilala, a short distance away, regarded the scene with a mixture of disbelief and horror—and at his side he could still scent Kagome's tears, threatening. He growled below his breath and unconsciously pulled his wounded wrist higher up, hiding it inside the red folds of his sleeve.

"Fine—whatever." He scowled at Kagome quickly, "Just as long as you stop crying!"


Yes, I hope you all can forgive me! I hope it offered something in the way of entertainment, considering that I said a week for WAOWO and I've been BAD...sorry...college life interjected...I promise though, that I'm not dead! Just busy and all, I did, however, finish my novel. Now I have to edit it...(groans...)