Kastushika-Thanks for being the first to review! I hope I can meet your expectations with every chapter :) And thanks, I'll need all the luck I can get! Lol
Nyony's Echo-Hey you! Thanks ever so for taking the time to come review *blushes* lol, and even if it would be a spoiler...the answer is both ;) I should take bets on which couple lemonize each other first, huh? *giggle* CU around hun :)
Shanaye-Thanks very much, I wrote this chapter as fast as I could. Hope I didn't make you wait too long :)
-Last Time-
Rin smiled up at her. "I knew you wouldn't hurt him Fuyuko-san."
A small and gentle smile was returned to the girl, "Thank you little one."
"Rin." The low growl made the child jump, realizing that she had upset her Lord. She quickly ran to Sesshomaru's side. "I'm sorry Sesshomaru-sama, I know I disobeyed you." She kept her head bowed, but Sesshomaru ignored her.
His ice cold eyes were pinned on the demoness, who met him stare for stare.
Miroku stepped slightly behind Sango. "Am I the only one here who feels like there's about to be a huge fight that we don't wanna be sticking around for?"
///
Dreams came. Wretched dreams. Nightmares, even, of fire, blood, screaming. Her fathers face grinned at her, the feral grin that she had known so well. "They don't deserve to live, Fuyuko. They are lesser creatures. They need to be eviscerated." His voice, deep, raspy, unnatural, made her cringe. She wanted to cry, but couldn't. Crying was for the weak.
She watched the man who gave her life crush the throat of an innocent young mother. Blood sprayed, and Fuyuko found that it coated her own pristine white kimono. She was tainted. Forever tainted. A tear dripped onto her cheek, and she immediately felt her fathers eyes on her. "Tears, my daughter? Tears are not to be tolerated." He turned on her, claws extended, eyes bleeding red. She backed away, terrified. "No father! No!" She felt her own beast begging to be released. Begging to defend their life. She fought to hold it back. She couldn't kill her father. He was a despicable creature, but she could not kill him.
Her back met with the solid force of a stone wall, and still her father bore down on her. She shrank back, sinking until she was nearly laying on the floor, praying it would swallow her whole. Her father leaned over her, sadism shining bright in his eyes. "I will teach you to stay strong and never cry." His arm went back, and Fuyuko cried out in shock as her beast broke free. She watched with petrified eyes as her hand gripped her fathers throat.
She heard a woman scream. She blinked. Her father was gone, replaced by a silver-haired Hanyou who was growling and clawing at her arm to gain freedom. Her beast howled with rage. Who is this fool to challenge us?!
She raised to her full height, keeping the hanyou held high above her head. We will kill him. We will kill him for trying to hurt us.
Fuyuko cringed at that thought, and pushed against the force of her beast. Her beast ignored her, intent on killing, intent on defense. A womans voice broke into the silence, and her eyes whipped away from the Hanyou's face to see where the voice was coming from. A human woman in the oddest clothing she'd ever laid eyes on was standing a few yards away, screaming for her to let the man go. Who is this female that she defends the whelps life? Is she his mate?
"Please put him down! You'll kill him!" the words came through loud and clear, and Fuyuko struggled to push down her beast once more. She didn't want to kill anyone. She couldn't be like...him.
She felt her beast relent slightly, before she heard a familiar voice cry out. "No!" her eyes darted to find a young human child running towards her. Rin.
As the young girl latched herself onto Fuyuko's legs, she began rambling. A pup? The beast questioned.
A pup. She trusts us. Fuyuko ademnified.
Can't hurt a pup...The beast fought with itself for a moment before relenting entirely, letting Fuyuko take control. She nearly sighed in relief when she blinked to find that her eyes were her own, and her limbs were under control. She dropped the hanyou to the ground and stroked absent fingers through Rins hair. Her beast rumbled with satisfaction. Our pup? The question took Fuyuko off gaurd.
"I knew you wouldn't hurt him, Fuyuko-san." Rins bright smile was contagious, so Fuyuko returned it.
"Thank you little one."
"Rin." The deep voice shocked her into looking up. It belonged to a very tall, very handsome, very angry looking youkai that she knew was none other than Lord Sesshomaru.
She watched as Rin ran towards the demon, apologizing, and answered her beast with surety. No, not our pup.
She met Sesshomaru's eyes and found she couldn't look away.
If she was going to be perfectly honest with herself, Fuyuko would admit that she was terrified. Petrified even.
Here she was, facing a demon who was probably—no, scratch that, definitely—fifteen times stronger than her, he was pissed off, and she was looking him in the eye, blatantly challenging him? Had she lost her mind?
If she was going to continue being perfectly honest with herself, Fuyuko would admit that, yes, in a way, she had.
She was still reeling from the poison that the scorpion demon had injected into her system, she felt like she was going to puke because she could feel all of her insides putting themselves back together, and, quite frankly, she just didn't hold her life in very high regards anymore. Death by Youkai Lord? Why not.
Sesshomaru growled a warning to her, and she finally snapped out of it, averting her gaze and turning her head so that her shoulder and neck were bared to him. Be submissive, be submissive, be submissive, she chanted the mantra silently to herself. A mere moment of silence passed before an annoyed voice broke the moment. "Oi! You!"
Fuyuko blinked and looked towards the voice. The hanyou she had not too recently been holding in a death grip was glaring at her with all the intensity of a tsunami. "Yeah, you! Why don't you fight me like a real demon, instead'a usin' cheap tricks like that?!"
The woman in the strange clothing ran forward and pulled on the hanyous arm. "InuYasha, I don't think you want to..."
"Yes I do want to! She's pissed me off now!" the hanyou shook her off.
Fuyuko blinked. "InuYasha, is it?"
"Yeah, not that it's any of your business!" Fuyuko cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Well, InuYasha-san, I do feel I owe you an apology. I should have been able to control my beast more readily. Please accept my apologies, I do not wish to fight you." She bowed only slightly at the waist, showing only as much respect as she had to.
This took the hanyou off gaurd. "Well...what? You...nuh-uh! We're fighting, and that's that!"
The strange woman rubbed her forhead before solemnly, and almost apologetically, declaring, "SIT!"
Fuyuko jumped slightly when the one named InuYasha disappeared into the ground. What trickery is this? "Um, he accepts your apology, and apologizes himself for being so rude to you." The woman bowed respectfully and Fuyuko nodded to her, and she took this as a sign to continue. "Um, my names Kagome Higurashi. And this is Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara. We are pleased to make your acquaintance Lady...?"
Fuyuko blinked as InuYasha began pulling himself out of the crater he'd been bowled into. "Fuyuko. But I am no Lady, so please do not address me as such."
Kagome nodded hastily, "Naturally, Fuyuko-sama."
Within an instant InuYasha was on his feet. "DON'T TALK TO HER WITH SUCH RESPECT!!!"
Kagome turned a harsh eye on him, "She apologized nicely! You should be grateful she spared your life and is willing to apologize!"
InuYasha opened his mouth to speak but was quickly cut off by Kagome. "SIT! Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, SIIIIIIT!"
Fuyuko took a cautious step away from the angry female, deciding that if the human (who she could now tell was a miko) was able to cause such affliction using only one word, she had best herself be careful not to anger her.
Sesshomaru, on the other hand, was unaffected, and as soon as Kagome paused for breath he walked right over InuYasha, using him as a walking pad with Rin and Jaken following directly behind. "Hn. This Sesshomaru cannot believe you are so weak InuYasha. Beaten by two women in a matter of moments. Disappointing."
Rin stopped and waved to Fuyuko, "Bye Fuyuko-san! Thanks for helping me and Sesshomaru-sama!"
Jaken rounded on her, "Lord Sesshomaru needs no help from anyone, foolish girl! He was the one helping her, not the other way around!"
Rin ignored him entirely, turning to Kagome instead, "Bye Kagome Lady!"
Just as the group was disappearing into the trees, Kagome snapped to, remembering just what she was supposed to be accomplishing. "Wait! Sesshomaru!" she ran forward.
Everyone blinked after her in shock, and only Shippo spoke up, "Are you NUTS 'Gome?! You're chasing after the ice king?!"
Kagome ignored him entirely, instead bravely grabbing onto the sleeve of Sesshomaru's kimono, "Sesshomaru, please, we need your help!"
"NO WE DON'T!" InuYasha shouted as he peeled himself from the ground. She ignored him as well.
"C'mon, Sesshomaru. None of us can kill Naraku alone. You know that, you're not stupid. We need all the help we can get." Kagome explained softly. She winced and quickly pulled back when Sesshomaru glared at the hand she was using to hold onto his sleeve. "Sorry."
"This Sesshomaru sees no use in becoming allies with simple humans."
Kagome huffed, "This particular human knows where Naraku is your lordship. Do you have any clue?"
"Hn."
"I'll take that as a no. C'mon, Sesshomaru. At least be a better guy than your brother, and admit that you need help."
"OI!" InuYasha was affronted, but once again he was ignored.
Sesshomaru tilted his head slightly, as if considering the miko's words, but then continued to walk into the forest as if nothing had been said. Kagome floundered for words, anything to get him to stay. Oh come on Kagome! You promised Kaede! A lightbulb went off in her head suddenly. "Oh, fine. I get it. You're just scared."
Sesshomaru froze in place and turned to face the human. The headlines were in Kagomes head "Teen Girl Found In Bottom Of Well, Body Mutilated By Wild Animal", "School Girl Ripped To Shreds: Wildcat Responsible?"
She gulped, "You're too much of a coward to help us. Yeah, I should've known better than to ask you. We'll be getting Koga's help anyways, so we don't really need..." she jumped when the youkai appeared right in front of her.
"That wolf brained idiot? This Sesshomaru thinks you need more help than you admit. I will travel with you." With that he finished the conversation, and was off sitting on a nearby rock before anyone could say elsewise. Just like Sesshomaru to make it sound like it was his idea...Kagome thought scornfully to herself.
Rin was bouncing up and down in front of her. "Yay! Kagome Lady will get to play with Rin every day now!"
Kagome smiled brightly at the child. "Yes, we'll play alot now. Shippo can play with you too." Rin cheered and went running across the clearing to her kitsune friend.
"I hate to inquire into your personal business..." Fuyuko spoke up, before being interrupted by InuYasha.
"Then don't, woman!"
Everyone ignored him as she continued, "...but did you say you were after Naraku?"
"Yes, we are out to kill him, and rid the world of his evil presence!" Kagome put her hands on her hips, feeling very proud and self-confident after getting Sesshomaru the ice-cube to agree to help them.
"Then I will travel with you as well." A dark look passed over the demoness' face.
"Ah, so you have a quarrel with the bastard as well, fair lady?" Miroku inched closer to her, ignoring Sango's glares that warned of a slow, painful, and bloody death. InuYasha pulled Kagome off to the side and started arguing with her, his arms waving about as he gestured violently. Kagome had to explain to him of Kaede's simple plan while everyone else was otherwise occupied.
"I do have a quarrel with him, but my business is my own..." Fuyuko eyed him up and down curiously before glancing over his shoulder at the fuming Sango. "Monk, your mate is looking upset with you."
"My mate?" Miroku spun around to see Sango flushing with embarressment.
"I'm not his mate!" the demon slayer cried.
Miroku sighed and shrugged to Fuyuko, "Not that I haven't tried."
Hiraikotsu met with the monks head sharply, "Pervert!"
Fuyuko cocked her head to the side, watching the two argue. She looked briefly at the pouting hanyou who had his back turned to the group while mumbling obscenities under his breath, then turned to Kagome, eyeing her unusual uniform once again before asking, "Is there not one in your pack who is normal?"
Kagome blushed and chuckled nervously, "Well..."
"I'm normal!" Shippo was sitting at the demoness' feet, and when she looked down she had to smile. The little kitsune was allowing Rin to thread bright flowers into his hair and tail.
"So I see, little cub."
"Wait until you meet Koga...and Kikyo." Kagome winced. "Things get worse."
Fuyuko smiled softly at the young human, "You need not be ashamed, miko. You have a pack. That is what counts."
Kagome blinked, "Oh...I...you're right, I guess."
"Oi! If we're gonna be travelling with these...people..." InuYasha glared at the back of his brothers head, "We should be going. We apparently have to find Koga and Kikyo now, and who knows how long that will take." He sniffed, crouching on the ground so Kagome could climb on his back.
Everyone prepared to move, even Rin and Shippo climbed on to Ah-Un's back with Jaken (much to the imps dismay, he found it bad enough to babysit one child, two was just a headache waiting to happen). Without question, Fuyuko followed keeping close to InuYasha (whose method of travel she found quite unusual. Did the hanyou so badly wish to fly that he had to jump to get the effect of it?) and keeping an eye on the two headed dragon that carried the precious cargo of the children.
Her beast hadn't shut up about them since they'd left the clearing. It was cub-this and cub-that, keep an eye on the cubs, don't let the cubs fall. She was quite ready to go insane at this rate.
So she kept an eye on the sun, counting the hours until it would set and they would make camp for the night. Maybe when the children had their feet on the ground her beast would choose to shut up.
///
It was high noon, Fuyuko noted. The argument had been going on in front of her for an hour.
Everyone but Kirara, Ah-Un, the children and herself were in on it. "I'm telling you, we should get Kikyo first! It'll be more handy to have two priestesses on hand than a bunch of dumb wolves!"
"You just want her here 'cause you like her better than me! SIT BOY!"
Whump!
Fifty-two. Fuyuko snorted to herself. How many sit's could the hanyou take before giving in to the little miko?
Her eyes were diverted from the fight when Rin brought her a wreath of moss and flowering vines. "I made a crown for you Fuyuko-san!"
"Why thank you Rin." The demoness bowed her head so the child could put the crown on. She blinked and almost laughed when she saw little Shippo a short distance away. Rin had apparently not stopped putting flowers and vines and all manner of vegetation in the kitsunes hair and tail.
He looked as though he was a forest nymph.
Foomp! Fuyuko looked down to find a very passed out Jaken at her feet. Apparently someone had kicked him. She glanced back at the argument. It really was a toss up as to who it was this time though. She sighed and picked the little imp up, dusting him off and resting him in her lap.
"Ooh! I should make a necklace for Jaken-sama!" little Rin was off gathering more vegetation.
Fuyuko muttered an apology to the unconscious imp. He may wake up to find himself completely buried in woodland flowers and vines, and that probably wouldn't please him greatly.
"You ~sit~ are ~sit~ a big ~sit~ JERK! SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT!"
Sixty. Fuyuko blinked. If nothing else, the hanyou was persistent.
She glanced at all the InuYasha shaped craters around the immediate vicinity.
Persistent and foolish.
///
The group had finally started moving again. Kagome had threatened to subdue InuYasha to the molten core of the earth. Everyone had stared at her blankly for a moment before she corrected that it would be the seventh ring of hell she'd subdue him to. And now, though they were going in search of Koga, InuYasha was refusing to expidite the process by carrying Kagome, and in fact insisted that everyone walk. Sesshomaru, just to be contradictory, was riding Ah-Un with Rin and Shippo.
Jaken had shockingly sealed himself to Fuyuko's side after he'd awoken in her lap to find that she'd defended him from Rin's flowery gifts, and was giving his utmost attention to showering her with gratitude by stabbing Miroku's foot with his staff whenever he wandered too close to her.
Kagome was also walking with Fuyuko in what she discovered to be a surprisingly comfortable silence. Somehow Kagome felt at ease with the demoness, though she'd just barely met her.
She glanced at the woman now, wondering how on earth her hair could stay so pristine even as long as it was. The miko envied demons more and more every day for their remarkable good looks. And Kagome had to admit... Fuyuko was pretty. Remarkably so, if Miroku's constant attempts to walk next to her were any measuring stick. The demoness had a porcelain quality to her, with skin that was as pale as the face paint most women wore to make themselves 'beautiful'. Her eyes were piercing, but not in a terrifying way, not like Sesshomaru's. Rather, they were piercing in a "I get what you're feeling, and you can trust me" sort of way.
"Is there something troubling you, Miko?" Fuyuko's soft voice snapped Kagome out of her thoughts.
"No, nothings troubling me. Why?"
Fuyuko glanced over at her. "You are staring. Am I making you uneasy?"
Kagome almost tripped over herself, "Oh! No, no, I didn't mean to stare! Forgive me! It's just...you're so..." she struggled for the right words, not wanting to offend her. "Well, beautiful."
Fuyuko's mouth twitched into a small small. "Thank you, Miko. You are quite attractive as well. Your pack leader is certainly enamoured with you."
Kagome coughed, "Yasha?! Oh no, he just likes me because I look like his dead girlfriend."
Fuyuko raised an eyebrow. "Girl...friend?"
Kagome blinked, then mentally berated herself. They don't call their partners that in this time, stupid!
"Uh...yeah. I mean, his...dead...erm...love. Yeah, dead love. Deceased...female...love...Person." she wanted to bang her head against a tree. So much for impressing the graceful youkai. She probably thinks I'm retarted now...
Fuyuko didn't pay any mind to her young companions blundering, however, and simply began to speak once more. "Tell me, then, about InuYasha's dead lover. Tell me why you think that she is still the one your alpha sees, when you are the one standing before him."
Kagome blinked a few times, unsure of what to say. "Well...it's a bit of a long story."
Fuyuko appraised her with a wry look, "I believe we have time, Miko."
Kagome couldn't help but smile. "I suppose you're right. Well, you see, Kikyo died over fifty years ago, but before she died she..." Kagome glanced at Fuyuko, quite unsure as to how the woman would take the story, "Um, she sealed InuYasha to a tree. Because she thought he was becoming this evil person, when he wasn't. And anyway, it was Naraku that tricked her...but after that...Um...err...I'm...eh...her reincarnation." Kagome paused, and stared in an almost frightened fashion at the demoness, waiting for an adverse reaction.
"I see. So this is how you met, no? InuYasha believed you were his dead beloved?" Fuyuko gently pressed.
Kagome blinked, "Yeah, long story short. That same day he was bound to me by the rosary beads he wears." She smiled sheepishly, "That's the whole...um, S-I-T business."
Fuyuko nodded, "I assumed it was something like that. And now that you are traveling together...Well what makes you believe that InuYasha does not appreciate you for you?"
Kagome bristled, "Well, for starters, he's always comparing us. Always 'Kikyo would never' this, and 'Kikyo would've' that. And I do apparently smell and look just like her. I just don't act like her, which is obviously why he still wants to go find her first, so he can be together with the better half of me." she pouted, and Fuyuko blinked, putting the dots together. Kikyo-Miko-InuYasha's dead lover.
"But she's...dead, did you not say?"
Kagome coughed, "Oh yeah, forgot to mention that...she sort've...got...brought back to life."
This appeased Fuyuko, who took it in stride as if reincarnations and ressurections were every day occurances. Then, Kagome reminded herself, in Sengoku Jedai, they really kind of were. "So this is why InuYasha and this Kikyo woman wish to see Naraku fall. What of yourself, and those others in the group?"
Kagome took a deep breath, "Well, Miroku has a cursed hand, to make that a short story. Sango's little brother, Kohaku, has been made Naraku's slave, and Shippo's family died by his hand. I...well, my story is complicated, and twisted, and kinda not something InuYasha would want me to tell you so soon. Needless to say, I've got the destiny of the world on my shoulders..." Everything that is and ever will be, Kagome thought. Even myself.
Fuyuko nodded her understanding before turning an eye to Ah-Un. "What of Lord Sesshomaru?"
Kagome really stumbled there. "Eh...urr...well, he's Sesshomaru. He likes killing things. And being the strongest, baddest, kick-assest, ice demon there is in existence. All I know is Naraku totally humiliated him and wounded his huge ego, and that's a no-no if you wanna stay on his 'not annoying enough to be killed' list." Kagome almost laughed. When the miko looked back at her companion, she saw that the demoness' eyes were clouded over as if she was sleep walking. She tentatively waved a hand in front of the womans face, "Fuyuko-sama? Hello in there?" But she was entirely ignored as Fuyuko was someplace far away from the forest, and far back in time...
///
...He likes killing things...the words seemed to echo as Fuyuko looked out over the vast mountainous terrain of Northern Japan. She blinked, seeing the land soaked in white, covered in a thick film of white snow as far as her keen eyes could see. This had been her home. This was were she was born. This was were she was raised. The northern lands, the lands of ice, winter, and snow.
And under her feet the snow was a ripe red. She wanted to cry, but the frigid air froze all tears that tried to surface. Perhaps it was best.
She braved a look behind her at the bloodied field, the bodies of innocent human villagers strewn about in pieces, some even still breathing, though barely. They would freeze as soon as the sun set. And she couldn't help them.
If she did...
She looked past the bodies, to the silhouette of the man she was made to call father.
Kami, the blood of these poor people was on her hands just as much as if it had been her that had mutilated them and brought their blood to pour. Every time she watched it all happen, every time she stood by as the defenseless and guileless souls were brought pain and death. It wasn't always humans, no. Sometimes lesser demons. Sometimes imps, or kappas, or dragons. She started to walk across the field of battle now, avoiding bodies and limbs as she stepped.
Slaughter. Murder. Blood. Chaos. She stepped over the body of a young child, no more than seven.
Death.
Her father hated, and it brought death. She came to stand next to the man now. No, she vowed. She'd never become like him. Never in a thousand lifetimes.
///
Fuyuko blinked when Kagome called out her name a third time. "I'm sorry, Miko. What did you say?"
"I was just wondering if you were okay. You spaced out there..."
"Ah yes, I was taken into memory. Forgive me." Fuyuko kept her eyes trained on the way ahead of them.
Kagome took this as a signal that the conversation was over, and so went silent, wondering what she'd said wrong. For another few hours they marched onward, through woods, across clearings, and all in relative silence. It wasn't until the sun was already halfway set that InuYasha had the group stop for camp.
Or, at least, that's what he told himself.
Fact was that everyone else just stopped and started setting up camp while he kept walking. It took him ten minutes to realize he was walking alone.
Once a fire was started, and dinner was cooking, Kagome stood up. "I'm ready for a bath, whose with me?"
Sango stood up, setting Kirara on the ground next to her, "I'm in on that."
"Oh, Rin wants a bath too! Can I Sesshomaru-sama?!" Rin bounced up and down excitedly in front of the demon lord.
"Very well Rin."
"Yay! Fuyuko-san! You should come too!" Rin grabbed onto the demoness' hand and tugged her to follow the group.
"I suppose. I do still smell of scorpion." Fuyuko agreed monotonely.
As the group started walking in the direction of the spring they had passed, Sango shouted back, "Kirara, make sure none of the men follow us...Miroku."
The monk gasped, "You wound me, dearest, fairest Sango! To think that you believe me to be so low as to..."
"Oh save it, monk, they're already gone." InuYasha scoffed.
"Stupid Miroku." Shippo sniffed.
"Coming from the kid who usually bathes with them?" InuYasha thumped the kitsune over the head.
Shippo wailed, "InuYasha, why are you so mean to me?!"
Meanwhile, the women had reached the hotspring, and were already undressing and eagerly running into the refreshing water. Fuyuko was the last to get in, as she was eyeing the gaping hole in her kimono with distain. She had done her best to keep the hole closed all day long, but she would have to mend it soon if she expected the cloth to be of use for much longer. Question was, what would she wear while she mended it? She glanced scornfully at Sango's armor, and then warily at the priestess' unusual attire. Maybe she could convince the monk to loan her his robes for an afternoon...though that may anger the lovely demon slayer who obviously cared for him.
Fuyuko figured she'd have to take her chances.
While the demoness was appraising her clothing, Kagome was looking on with a gaping jaw. She knew that there was no reason to compare humans to demons...but why couldn't her body look like Fuyuko's? And to think that the white haired woman was probably well over two-hundered.
Once everyone was situated comfortably on various rocks around the warm pool, Kagome eyed the surrounding area, and felt her stomach tighten slightly. It was so densely wooded that any sort of creature could sneak up on them and catch them off-gaurd. She glanced at Sango, who was clearly just as worried about it. The two humans glanced at the bank where hiraikotsu lay. It was a long ways, considering.
Rin was completely unconcerned, however, and was bouncing and twirling about in the water with an incredible amount of zeal. Kagome had to wonder how anyone could maintain such energy and happiness when they spent all their time with the unemotional Sesshomaru.
Rin bounded over to Fuyuko and practically leapt into the womans lap. "Fuyuko-san! Play with me! Lets have a water fight!"
The demoness' lips twitched into a very delicate smile that was almost imperceptable. "Alright, little one."
Rin squealed with joy before clambering off her lap and splashing a palm full of water at her. Fuyuko returned the favor, though the wave of water she was able to create was nearly enough to drown the human girl, who deftly dodged the attack and went running to Kagome. "Kagome lady!"
"Yes Rin?" Kagome got a face full of water, and sputtered before laughing and splashing back at the child. Sango even joined in, and soon all of them were giggling and enjoying the peaceful moment animatedly (aside from Fuyuko, who only showed her amusement with soft smiles).
When Rin finally ran out of energy and collapsed onto the rock between Sango and Kagome, there was a moment of silence in which the three humans caught their breath, and Fuyuko relaxed entirely, letting her head rest on the rocky bank behind her.
Then, in an imperceptable flash of movement and a whirl of white hair, Fuyuko was standing, turned away from them, and growling at the forest. Sango and Kagome didn't hesitate in grabbing Rin and rushing to the shore, expecting the worst. Kagome was shocked at how quickly they got dressed, and Sango had hiraikotsu in her hand, ready to defend and fight. "Go back to the camp. I'll be right behind you." Fuyuko growled, slowly edging towards the shore, keeping her eyes constantly on the forest in front of her. Kagome stared at her in shock for a moment, her mind asking a million questions, but she didn't doubt that Fuyuko was completely serious. Even naked and wet, with only her long hair covering her body, she looked dangerous.
Kagome didn't know why, but her first thought was to the womans decency. She reached out and grabbed Fuyuko's white haori, tossing it towards the demoness, who caught it in the air without looking. Fuyuko pulled the cloth over herself deftly, "Thank you Miko. Now go."
Kagome came back to the moment, and she started to move to follow Sango and Rin when a strangely familiar cloud of dust appeared on the rocky outcropping seperating the springs from the land. As the dust started to clear, Kagome gasped. "Koga!"
And in the blink of an eye, Fuyuko was at the wolf demons throat. Koga's shock was apparent, as he didn't even dodge the attack, and fell backwards into a bush. The inu-demoness was coiling to pounce on him while he was still down, her fangs bared, growling threateningly. Kagome was frozen in shock. What am I supposed to do?
///
Dun dun dun! The plot thickens. Or, at least...yeah, whatever. Haha, more reviews please! I appreciate you guys that reviewed last time, you totally made writing that first chapter worth it. And I hope this chapter was worth the wait! *blows kisses* Take care, and keep shipping!!!
-Mistress Twilit
