Hola! It's that time again, for a new chapter. If you reviewed last time,
thank you so much. Your words mean a lot to me. This chapter. if you like
intense violence, bloodshed, sexual innuendo, and other adult things.
You're better off reading another fic. There's none of that here. Just
another chapter. With chibiness! Read and review, please.
Author's note: Due to some personality problems, the final lines of this chapter have been re-written.
Chapter 2: Witches, powders, and chibiness
"Sango, are you sure this old witch can help us, nyao?" Inuyasha asked, perched on the back of Kagome's bike, which rode alongside Sango, Shippou, and a very quiet Sota.
Sango nodded. "I'm positive. I remember requiring her services many years ago. Our village had been summoned to fend off a large family of giant kitsune demons."
Shippou hopped onto Sango's shoulder and asked, "Were they demons like me?"
Sango shook her head. "No, they were much more ferocious."
Shippou glared. "Hey, I can be tough and ferocious when I want to be!"
Sango and Kagome giggled. "Of course you can, Shippou," said Kagome, pedaling slowly as to not pass Sango.
"In any case," Sango continued, "These demons weren't really all that tough, but they could use their illusions to make themselves appear so. We made them flee the village, easily, but while retreating, one of our rookie members ran off to try and catch one. The demon was the wisest of his tribe. He cast a spell onto the rookie and he was turned instantly into a fox himself."
Kagome gasped. "That's horrible! I mean, the ears are bad enough, nyao, but being turned entirely into another animal? I don't even want to think about that."
Sango nodded in agreement. "Well, around that time, we heard of a woman who performed curing spells, and figured it was the only choice. We brought him here, and with one spell, she turned him back to normal. I figure if she can undo such a powerful spell as that, turning you two back to normal should be no trouble at all."
Sota smiled timidly and turned to his sister. "So, I take it I'm off the hook, so I'll just head back to the village and you can take me home."
Kagome glared back. "Oh, no, you're not out of hot water yet. First, we'll see what happens here."
"There it is!" Shippou said, jumping up and down upon Sango. "I see a small hut up ahead!"
"Ahhh, it's the house. We're here." Sango approached the door and shouted inside, "Hello, is anyone home? We need some assistance."
The curtain on the front door was pushed aside, but instead of the kind, old, witch, a beautiful young girl, probably around 14, with long black hair and brown eyes emerged. "Yes, can I help you?"
Sango blinked. "Huh? Oh, errr. You're not the witch who lives here, are you?"
The girl shook her head and smiled. "Oh, no. I'm her apprentice! My mistress, Kamijo-sama is currently out. Recently, during a storm, a young boy in a nearby village was severely injured. My mistress volunteered to use a healing spell on the boy, but the wounds were far too grave. She needed a special remedy to go with it, and is currently out looking for the ingredients. I don't know how long she'll be gone. It could be hours or it could be weeks."
Kagome gasped. "WEEKS?! But my finals are next week! NYAO! I can't wait that long! I'm going to be like a side show freak at school!" Kagome glanced over the girl again and thought to herself, "Well, at least we left Miroku behind or he'd have tried something perverted by now. She looks like the kind of girl he'd seek out."
Sota sighed. "Looks like I'm still in trouble."
Sango sighed. "Well, our situation is grave indeed, but the life of a boy matters more."
Inuyasha growled and swore under his breath. "God Dammit, this sucks."
The apprentice hesitated for a moment. "Well, maybe." she stopped for a moment to reconsider. "Well, if you're willing to give me a chance, I could try to do the spell."
Kagome's eyes brightened with hope. "Really? You could? Nyao?"
The girl turned her head away shyly. "Well, actually, I'm not very good, but. I can try. I have a book full of spells to try. I could look and attempt one of the spells."
Sango hesitated worryingly. "Are you sure that's safe? Nothing could go wrong?"
The witch apprentice shook her head. "My mistress herself wrote the book. She would not make a mistake. And if we were extra careful, we should be able to get it right."
Inuyasha leaned up against the side of the hut and closed his eyes. "Look, can you do it or can't you? I'm sick of being part cat, and I need that damn cure. If you can't do it, then this is a waste of time."
Kagome glared at Inuyasha with cold, angry eyes. "Don't be so rude, nyao!" She demanded.
"Don't worry," the apprentice stated. "I'm sure I can do it. Come inside and we'll give it a try."
The whole group, somewhat wary, pushed aside the light red cloth that covered the door and gazed at the innards of the hut. Books filled the many shelves around the walls. Bottles lay cluttered on the floor, some filled with odd liquids, others completely empty. Bags of powders lined one particular table on the other side of the room, on a gorgeous rug.
"Oh, how rude of me. I never did introduce myself, did I?" The young apprentice said. "My name's Satsuki Nekoi."
Kagome introduced the whole group. "My name is Kagome, and this brute is Inuyasha. He acts tough, but that's just to hide the fact he's so soft inside. He's harmless."
"I heard that, nyao!"
She ignored the hanyou's objection and continued, pointing to each member of the party. "Oh, and this cute little guy is Shippou, this is my little brother Sota, and you might already know Sango."
Satsuki shook her head as she reached onto a tall shelf in order to grab a book just out of her reach. "Well, no, not personally. This is our first meeting." She leaped up in futile efforts to grab the book, failing due to her short stature. Inuyasha walked over, grabbed it, and handed it to her without a word. "Arigatou," she said in return.
Kagome smirked and whispered, "See? I told you he's soft, he just won't admit it."
"As I was saying, I've heard of you, Sango, from a village of demon exterminators. Supposedly the best the village has to offer."
Sango hung her head. "That's true. or. rather was. but I don't want to talk about it."
Satsuki frowned. "I'm sorry, I won't ask. let me just get on with the spell. Let me look here." She opened the book on a small table and flipped through. I know it's here somewhere. This book is full of ways to reverse spells. Let's see. transformation spells! Here we are! It says if the victim was transformed less than a week ago. this minor spell should work. Let's see, you mix on part."
As Satsuki listed the steps involved for the spell, Sota's patience waned and he began to inspect the shelves around him. A pair of bags in bright red pouches caught his attention and he picked them up. "Huh? What's this?" He opened the pouches and found a thin powder within each. "Feels like sand."
"SOTA, NYAO!" Kagome called him to attention.
"Ahhh!" Sota was startled by the girl's shouts and dropped one bag of powder onto the table, spilling it.
"Sota, are you even paying attention, this is important!" The girl demanded he returned.
"Ummm. err. I." He stared at the dust, poured over the table. "Y-yeah, just a second. Wait, where's the second bag?" The boy panicked and merely shoved all the extra powder into one bag, placing it back on the shelf before sitting down again.
"Hmmm. okay, is everyone ready for me to try?" Satsuki asked, closing her book. The group nodded.
"Whatever the hell gets me back to normal, nyao, is fine by me. The sooner the better." Inuyasha explained.
Satsuki grabbed a small bottle from the shelves and removed a few leaves from herbs in the area and placed it in a bowl and began to crush it with a spoon. "All I have to do. is grind this up." She put the bowl down and walked to the shelf, grabbing a familiar bag of powder.
Sota stood up. "Wait. you can't! Errr. I mean. are you sure you need THAT powder particularly?"
"Sota, what's wrong with you?" Kagome asked, wiggling her ears and wagging her tail angrily.
Satsuki replied, "Yes, I'm quite sure. I need this. It's the main ingredient. Do not worry, this book is never wrong. My mistress would never write it down if she wasn't completely sure it would work flawlessly." She carried the bag back to the bowl and slowly opened it. She poured it carefully in with the crushed herb leaves, and set the bag down. "One last ingredient." Satsuki took a clear bottle of a white fluid and poured it into the bowl, stirring it. "Okay, done! It's all ready to test."
Inuyasha stood up. "Just hand it over already, nyao!"
Kagome still seemed a bit weary, though. "Maybe I'll let Inuyasha go first. I want to make sure it's safe."
"Don't worry," Satsuki reassured her. "It's perfectly safe for ANYONE. In fact, it can be healthy for anyone. What actually happens is that this doesn't cure the ailment, but instead it is an age reversal. It actually restores what your body was a week before. Thus it can be used to heal wounds and small things like this. It can only be used once on a person, and it can't heal major inflictions, but in this case, it should do the trick."
"Sugoi!" Kagome exclaimed. "It sounds like you might be just an apprentice, but you know quite a bit!"
Sango thought for a moment. "Actually. I was wondering, Satsuki." She rolled up her sleeve to show a small scar on her right arm. "The other day, I saw a demon running towards a village and attempted to slay it. However, before I could, it left me this long cut on my arm. It should heal on its own, but it hurts a bit. Could this special drink fix that as well?"
Satsuki nodded. "A small scar like that? As long as it happened within a week's time, sure. Here, let me pour you a glass." Sota sweated in worry as he watched the young apprentice pour two cups of the special solution out of the bowl and handed one to Inuyasha and one to Sango. "Now, let me go find a third cup for Kagome-san."
Inuyasha sniffed the glass curiously. "Smells fine to me. Well, bottoms up." He took a quick swill to taste it, then gulped it down. Sango slowly drank hers as well. For a moment, nothing happened, except Sota's worry grew by the second.
The hair on Inuyasha's head slowly began to lose its color. The deep black slowly faded to a perfect white. His tail shortened and shortened until it vanished entirely. Sango gazed at her arm, watching the scar slowly vanish into nothingness, leaving behind only her fair complexion.
"It worked! HA! No more stupid cat crap!" Inuyasha laughed aloud.
"And my arm is fine once more!" Sango exclaimed.
Sota wiped the sweat from his forehead. His meddling had not affected the potion after all. "That's a relief."
"Eh? What's a relief?" Shippou asked, jumping into Kagome's lap.
"Errr. I. kind of. mixed two potions together. By mistake," he replied meekly.
"You WHAT?!" Kagome screamed.
"Ummm. what was the other powder you mixed in?" Satsuki asked.
"I don't know. I can't find the bag. I think I lost. no, wait, I see it!" Sota pointed to a bright red piece of cloth on the ground. Satsuki picked it up and turned pale white. He turned to Inuyasha and Sango and began to sweat herself.
The two of them began to glow a bright white with a blinding intensity. When the light faded out, only two piles of clothes and weapons could be found on the ground. "I-I-Inuyasha?!" Kagome stated. "Sango?! What happened?! Where'd they go?!"
"I'm right here, you stupid girl!" Came a familiar, but high-pitched voice.
"But where is here?" Kagome asked.
A lump started to move in Inuyasha's clothing until it popped out the neck of his armor. "Right here!"
Kagome's jaw dropped and she, and everyone else, stared blankly for a moment. "Inuyasha. you're. you're. like, fives years old!"
Inuyasha looked down. HE was half in, half out of his clothes, in a very small body. "WHAT?! HOW THE HELL.?!"
Sango popped out of her clothes, in a similar predicament. "AIEEEE! I'm a little girl again!"
Satsuki sighed. "I knew it. The second powder was a far more powerful, and permanent, age reversal powder."
Inuyasha stopped his cursing for a moment and dropped dead silent, as did the rest of the room. His eyes shrank and his heart sank. "Did you say. permanent?"
Satsuki sighed. "Well, normally, yes. But I think we may be in luck. Because of these two powders having different dates and effects, they may just cancel each other out. which, if my notes are correct, means you should only be stuck like this for a day or so."
Kagome sighed in relief. "That's good to know. Still, I guess that means I'm stuck with these ears and this tail, nyao. We're back to square one."
Satsuki added, "And when Inuyasha returns to normal, he'll most likely still be a cat-boy."
"Great. That's just so damn great," Inuyasha cussed. "Now what the hell do we do?"
Kagome thought for a moment then decided, "Let's just head home. There's nothing more we can do here."
Satsuki shook her head. "I just wish I could be more of a help than this. I screwed up badly. I'm so sorry." She bowed out of shame.
Kagome put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We'll live. And besides." Her angry eyes turned to her brother. "It wasn't YOUR fault, Satsuki, that this happened!"
Sota sighed. "I'm dead."
Good-byes said, they all headed out back towards the village in defeat. Sota and Shippou walked alongside Kagome's bike, while Sango rode on the back and Inuyasha was stuck sitting in the front basket.
"Keh. just look at me. This is just pathetic." Inuyasha mumbled to himself.
"Oh, calm down. It isn't so bad, Inuyasha," Kagome stated. She proceeded to pinch one of his cheeks jokingly. "Besides, you're so adorable as a little kid."
Inuyasha smacked away her hand and rubbed his cheek. "I ain't adorable! Sheesh, how could this day possibly get any worse?"
Kagome slammed on the brakes to her bike. "No. I sense a jewel shard!"
Inuyasha stood up. "Where?! Where?! .Wait a second." He sniffed the air. "That's NOT just a jewel shard. He's here. He's coming for us!"
"Inuyasha, how is it that every time we meet, you seem to grow more and more pathetic?" A familiar voice approached the group.
"It's Sesshoumaru!" Shippou exclaimed in fear, backing away from the beast slowly.
"A young child now? Only a fool could end up in such situations as you do. But enough talk. I came here to claim that which is mine. But I was hoping to have a fight for it."
Kagome gasped. "Oh no, look, he has another human arm! And a jewel shard to connect it! With that, he could wield the Tessaiga for real!"
Inuyasha growled. "Age doesn't mean anything!" He held the sheath to the great fang sword closer to him in the basket. "You're gonna have to take it from my cold, dead hands."
"My dear brother, you are in no condition to fight. I have an idea instead, then. I'm feeling more charitable than usual. I will take the Tessaiga now, and if you can find some way to return to your normal self, we shall duel for the sword. The one left alive shall claim the sword. Of course, considering you hardly know how to use it, I will surely win." Sesshoumaru proclaimed his challenge to his brother. "So, hand over the sword for now."
The demon stepped forward to claim what he believed to be his own.
A pink blur barely whizzed by Sesshoumaru's head, causing him to stop. The blur continued into the woods, where it exploded in a burst of energy. Kagome stood in front of the bike, her bow drawn, and her face scowled. "Listen here, you stupid demon! The Tessaiga belongs to Inuyasha! Your father gave it to him and it's going to stay that way! Inuyasha can't even fight right now!"
Inuyasha growled. "Kagome, get out of the way before you get hurt! Sesshoumaru wouldn't hesitate to rips your arms off!"
Kagome shook her head. "NO! This has gone too far! Sesshoumaru, you're taking advantage of your own brother when he isn't capable of fighting back. That's utterly despicable! So, if you make one false move, this next arrow will be between your eyes!"
Sesshoumaru's eyes began to glow a deep crimson. "Human girl, if you do not step aside, and leave things not your business be, you will not live long enough to regret it."
Kagome pulled farther back on her arrow. "I'm warning you, Sesshoumaru."
Sesshoumaru looked to Shippou and Sota, backing away. "Perhaps the Tessaiga can wait. It seems this girl needs to learn a lesson from this. Something she will not forget."
In a second, Sesshoumaru leaped over the bike and Kagome, and landed beside Sota and Shippou, grabbing them both.
"SOTA! SHIPPOU! Sesshoumaru, put them down, NOW!" Kagome demanded aiming her bow once more.
Sango halted Kagome. "Wait, you can't do that! If you fire, you'll hurt everyone!"
Kagome growled but understood she was right.
"You're learning, human," Sesshoumaru said. "But I feel the lesson is not learned. If you wish no harm to come across these two, Inuyasha alone must come to me with the Tessaiga. I'm not a kidnapper, but it seems to be the only way we can fight honorably without interruptions. Remember, if you, girl, show up, your friends are dead." With both Sota and Shippou in hand, Sesshoumaru leaped into the air, over a forest, and vanished.
Kagome fell to her knees and started to cry. "No, they're both gone! He took them both!"
Inuyasha leaped from the bike and stared at the forest. He growled deeply. "Kagome, I don't give a damn how old I am now. We're going to find that brother of mine. and I'm going to rip his head off! Let's go."
To be continued.
Author's note: Due to some personality problems, the final lines of this chapter have been re-written.
Chapter 2: Witches, powders, and chibiness
"Sango, are you sure this old witch can help us, nyao?" Inuyasha asked, perched on the back of Kagome's bike, which rode alongside Sango, Shippou, and a very quiet Sota.
Sango nodded. "I'm positive. I remember requiring her services many years ago. Our village had been summoned to fend off a large family of giant kitsune demons."
Shippou hopped onto Sango's shoulder and asked, "Were they demons like me?"
Sango shook her head. "No, they were much more ferocious."
Shippou glared. "Hey, I can be tough and ferocious when I want to be!"
Sango and Kagome giggled. "Of course you can, Shippou," said Kagome, pedaling slowly as to not pass Sango.
"In any case," Sango continued, "These demons weren't really all that tough, but they could use their illusions to make themselves appear so. We made them flee the village, easily, but while retreating, one of our rookie members ran off to try and catch one. The demon was the wisest of his tribe. He cast a spell onto the rookie and he was turned instantly into a fox himself."
Kagome gasped. "That's horrible! I mean, the ears are bad enough, nyao, but being turned entirely into another animal? I don't even want to think about that."
Sango nodded in agreement. "Well, around that time, we heard of a woman who performed curing spells, and figured it was the only choice. We brought him here, and with one spell, she turned him back to normal. I figure if she can undo such a powerful spell as that, turning you two back to normal should be no trouble at all."
Sota smiled timidly and turned to his sister. "So, I take it I'm off the hook, so I'll just head back to the village and you can take me home."
Kagome glared back. "Oh, no, you're not out of hot water yet. First, we'll see what happens here."
"There it is!" Shippou said, jumping up and down upon Sango. "I see a small hut up ahead!"
"Ahhh, it's the house. We're here." Sango approached the door and shouted inside, "Hello, is anyone home? We need some assistance."
The curtain on the front door was pushed aside, but instead of the kind, old, witch, a beautiful young girl, probably around 14, with long black hair and brown eyes emerged. "Yes, can I help you?"
Sango blinked. "Huh? Oh, errr. You're not the witch who lives here, are you?"
The girl shook her head and smiled. "Oh, no. I'm her apprentice! My mistress, Kamijo-sama is currently out. Recently, during a storm, a young boy in a nearby village was severely injured. My mistress volunteered to use a healing spell on the boy, but the wounds were far too grave. She needed a special remedy to go with it, and is currently out looking for the ingredients. I don't know how long she'll be gone. It could be hours or it could be weeks."
Kagome gasped. "WEEKS?! But my finals are next week! NYAO! I can't wait that long! I'm going to be like a side show freak at school!" Kagome glanced over the girl again and thought to herself, "Well, at least we left Miroku behind or he'd have tried something perverted by now. She looks like the kind of girl he'd seek out."
Sota sighed. "Looks like I'm still in trouble."
Sango sighed. "Well, our situation is grave indeed, but the life of a boy matters more."
Inuyasha growled and swore under his breath. "God Dammit, this sucks."
The apprentice hesitated for a moment. "Well, maybe." she stopped for a moment to reconsider. "Well, if you're willing to give me a chance, I could try to do the spell."
Kagome's eyes brightened with hope. "Really? You could? Nyao?"
The girl turned her head away shyly. "Well, actually, I'm not very good, but. I can try. I have a book full of spells to try. I could look and attempt one of the spells."
Sango hesitated worryingly. "Are you sure that's safe? Nothing could go wrong?"
The witch apprentice shook her head. "My mistress herself wrote the book. She would not make a mistake. And if we were extra careful, we should be able to get it right."
Inuyasha leaned up against the side of the hut and closed his eyes. "Look, can you do it or can't you? I'm sick of being part cat, and I need that damn cure. If you can't do it, then this is a waste of time."
Kagome glared at Inuyasha with cold, angry eyes. "Don't be so rude, nyao!" She demanded.
"Don't worry," the apprentice stated. "I'm sure I can do it. Come inside and we'll give it a try."
The whole group, somewhat wary, pushed aside the light red cloth that covered the door and gazed at the innards of the hut. Books filled the many shelves around the walls. Bottles lay cluttered on the floor, some filled with odd liquids, others completely empty. Bags of powders lined one particular table on the other side of the room, on a gorgeous rug.
"Oh, how rude of me. I never did introduce myself, did I?" The young apprentice said. "My name's Satsuki Nekoi."
Kagome introduced the whole group. "My name is Kagome, and this brute is Inuyasha. He acts tough, but that's just to hide the fact he's so soft inside. He's harmless."
"I heard that, nyao!"
She ignored the hanyou's objection and continued, pointing to each member of the party. "Oh, and this cute little guy is Shippou, this is my little brother Sota, and you might already know Sango."
Satsuki shook her head as she reached onto a tall shelf in order to grab a book just out of her reach. "Well, no, not personally. This is our first meeting." She leaped up in futile efforts to grab the book, failing due to her short stature. Inuyasha walked over, grabbed it, and handed it to her without a word. "Arigatou," she said in return.
Kagome smirked and whispered, "See? I told you he's soft, he just won't admit it."
"As I was saying, I've heard of you, Sango, from a village of demon exterminators. Supposedly the best the village has to offer."
Sango hung her head. "That's true. or. rather was. but I don't want to talk about it."
Satsuki frowned. "I'm sorry, I won't ask. let me just get on with the spell. Let me look here." She opened the book on a small table and flipped through. I know it's here somewhere. This book is full of ways to reverse spells. Let's see. transformation spells! Here we are! It says if the victim was transformed less than a week ago. this minor spell should work. Let's see, you mix on part."
As Satsuki listed the steps involved for the spell, Sota's patience waned and he began to inspect the shelves around him. A pair of bags in bright red pouches caught his attention and he picked them up. "Huh? What's this?" He opened the pouches and found a thin powder within each. "Feels like sand."
"SOTA, NYAO!" Kagome called him to attention.
"Ahhh!" Sota was startled by the girl's shouts and dropped one bag of powder onto the table, spilling it.
"Sota, are you even paying attention, this is important!" The girl demanded he returned.
"Ummm. err. I." He stared at the dust, poured over the table. "Y-yeah, just a second. Wait, where's the second bag?" The boy panicked and merely shoved all the extra powder into one bag, placing it back on the shelf before sitting down again.
"Hmmm. okay, is everyone ready for me to try?" Satsuki asked, closing her book. The group nodded.
"Whatever the hell gets me back to normal, nyao, is fine by me. The sooner the better." Inuyasha explained.
Satsuki grabbed a small bottle from the shelves and removed a few leaves from herbs in the area and placed it in a bowl and began to crush it with a spoon. "All I have to do. is grind this up." She put the bowl down and walked to the shelf, grabbing a familiar bag of powder.
Sota stood up. "Wait. you can't! Errr. I mean. are you sure you need THAT powder particularly?"
"Sota, what's wrong with you?" Kagome asked, wiggling her ears and wagging her tail angrily.
Satsuki replied, "Yes, I'm quite sure. I need this. It's the main ingredient. Do not worry, this book is never wrong. My mistress would never write it down if she wasn't completely sure it would work flawlessly." She carried the bag back to the bowl and slowly opened it. She poured it carefully in with the crushed herb leaves, and set the bag down. "One last ingredient." Satsuki took a clear bottle of a white fluid and poured it into the bowl, stirring it. "Okay, done! It's all ready to test."
Inuyasha stood up. "Just hand it over already, nyao!"
Kagome still seemed a bit weary, though. "Maybe I'll let Inuyasha go first. I want to make sure it's safe."
"Don't worry," Satsuki reassured her. "It's perfectly safe for ANYONE. In fact, it can be healthy for anyone. What actually happens is that this doesn't cure the ailment, but instead it is an age reversal. It actually restores what your body was a week before. Thus it can be used to heal wounds and small things like this. It can only be used once on a person, and it can't heal major inflictions, but in this case, it should do the trick."
"Sugoi!" Kagome exclaimed. "It sounds like you might be just an apprentice, but you know quite a bit!"
Sango thought for a moment. "Actually. I was wondering, Satsuki." She rolled up her sleeve to show a small scar on her right arm. "The other day, I saw a demon running towards a village and attempted to slay it. However, before I could, it left me this long cut on my arm. It should heal on its own, but it hurts a bit. Could this special drink fix that as well?"
Satsuki nodded. "A small scar like that? As long as it happened within a week's time, sure. Here, let me pour you a glass." Sota sweated in worry as he watched the young apprentice pour two cups of the special solution out of the bowl and handed one to Inuyasha and one to Sango. "Now, let me go find a third cup for Kagome-san."
Inuyasha sniffed the glass curiously. "Smells fine to me. Well, bottoms up." He took a quick swill to taste it, then gulped it down. Sango slowly drank hers as well. For a moment, nothing happened, except Sota's worry grew by the second.
The hair on Inuyasha's head slowly began to lose its color. The deep black slowly faded to a perfect white. His tail shortened and shortened until it vanished entirely. Sango gazed at her arm, watching the scar slowly vanish into nothingness, leaving behind only her fair complexion.
"It worked! HA! No more stupid cat crap!" Inuyasha laughed aloud.
"And my arm is fine once more!" Sango exclaimed.
Sota wiped the sweat from his forehead. His meddling had not affected the potion after all. "That's a relief."
"Eh? What's a relief?" Shippou asked, jumping into Kagome's lap.
"Errr. I. kind of. mixed two potions together. By mistake," he replied meekly.
"You WHAT?!" Kagome screamed.
"Ummm. what was the other powder you mixed in?" Satsuki asked.
"I don't know. I can't find the bag. I think I lost. no, wait, I see it!" Sota pointed to a bright red piece of cloth on the ground. Satsuki picked it up and turned pale white. He turned to Inuyasha and Sango and began to sweat herself.
The two of them began to glow a bright white with a blinding intensity. When the light faded out, only two piles of clothes and weapons could be found on the ground. "I-I-Inuyasha?!" Kagome stated. "Sango?! What happened?! Where'd they go?!"
"I'm right here, you stupid girl!" Came a familiar, but high-pitched voice.
"But where is here?" Kagome asked.
A lump started to move in Inuyasha's clothing until it popped out the neck of his armor. "Right here!"
Kagome's jaw dropped and she, and everyone else, stared blankly for a moment. "Inuyasha. you're. you're. like, fives years old!"
Inuyasha looked down. HE was half in, half out of his clothes, in a very small body. "WHAT?! HOW THE HELL.?!"
Sango popped out of her clothes, in a similar predicament. "AIEEEE! I'm a little girl again!"
Satsuki sighed. "I knew it. The second powder was a far more powerful, and permanent, age reversal powder."
Inuyasha stopped his cursing for a moment and dropped dead silent, as did the rest of the room. His eyes shrank and his heart sank. "Did you say. permanent?"
Satsuki sighed. "Well, normally, yes. But I think we may be in luck. Because of these two powders having different dates and effects, they may just cancel each other out. which, if my notes are correct, means you should only be stuck like this for a day or so."
Kagome sighed in relief. "That's good to know. Still, I guess that means I'm stuck with these ears and this tail, nyao. We're back to square one."
Satsuki added, "And when Inuyasha returns to normal, he'll most likely still be a cat-boy."
"Great. That's just so damn great," Inuyasha cussed. "Now what the hell do we do?"
Kagome thought for a moment then decided, "Let's just head home. There's nothing more we can do here."
Satsuki shook her head. "I just wish I could be more of a help than this. I screwed up badly. I'm so sorry." She bowed out of shame.
Kagome put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We'll live. And besides." Her angry eyes turned to her brother. "It wasn't YOUR fault, Satsuki, that this happened!"
Sota sighed. "I'm dead."
Good-byes said, they all headed out back towards the village in defeat. Sota and Shippou walked alongside Kagome's bike, while Sango rode on the back and Inuyasha was stuck sitting in the front basket.
"Keh. just look at me. This is just pathetic." Inuyasha mumbled to himself.
"Oh, calm down. It isn't so bad, Inuyasha," Kagome stated. She proceeded to pinch one of his cheeks jokingly. "Besides, you're so adorable as a little kid."
Inuyasha smacked away her hand and rubbed his cheek. "I ain't adorable! Sheesh, how could this day possibly get any worse?"
Kagome slammed on the brakes to her bike. "No. I sense a jewel shard!"
Inuyasha stood up. "Where?! Where?! .Wait a second." He sniffed the air. "That's NOT just a jewel shard. He's here. He's coming for us!"
"Inuyasha, how is it that every time we meet, you seem to grow more and more pathetic?" A familiar voice approached the group.
"It's Sesshoumaru!" Shippou exclaimed in fear, backing away from the beast slowly.
"A young child now? Only a fool could end up in such situations as you do. But enough talk. I came here to claim that which is mine. But I was hoping to have a fight for it."
Kagome gasped. "Oh no, look, he has another human arm! And a jewel shard to connect it! With that, he could wield the Tessaiga for real!"
Inuyasha growled. "Age doesn't mean anything!" He held the sheath to the great fang sword closer to him in the basket. "You're gonna have to take it from my cold, dead hands."
"My dear brother, you are in no condition to fight. I have an idea instead, then. I'm feeling more charitable than usual. I will take the Tessaiga now, and if you can find some way to return to your normal self, we shall duel for the sword. The one left alive shall claim the sword. Of course, considering you hardly know how to use it, I will surely win." Sesshoumaru proclaimed his challenge to his brother. "So, hand over the sword for now."
The demon stepped forward to claim what he believed to be his own.
A pink blur barely whizzed by Sesshoumaru's head, causing him to stop. The blur continued into the woods, where it exploded in a burst of energy. Kagome stood in front of the bike, her bow drawn, and her face scowled. "Listen here, you stupid demon! The Tessaiga belongs to Inuyasha! Your father gave it to him and it's going to stay that way! Inuyasha can't even fight right now!"
Inuyasha growled. "Kagome, get out of the way before you get hurt! Sesshoumaru wouldn't hesitate to rips your arms off!"
Kagome shook her head. "NO! This has gone too far! Sesshoumaru, you're taking advantage of your own brother when he isn't capable of fighting back. That's utterly despicable! So, if you make one false move, this next arrow will be between your eyes!"
Sesshoumaru's eyes began to glow a deep crimson. "Human girl, if you do not step aside, and leave things not your business be, you will not live long enough to regret it."
Kagome pulled farther back on her arrow. "I'm warning you, Sesshoumaru."
Sesshoumaru looked to Shippou and Sota, backing away. "Perhaps the Tessaiga can wait. It seems this girl needs to learn a lesson from this. Something she will not forget."
In a second, Sesshoumaru leaped over the bike and Kagome, and landed beside Sota and Shippou, grabbing them both.
"SOTA! SHIPPOU! Sesshoumaru, put them down, NOW!" Kagome demanded aiming her bow once more.
Sango halted Kagome. "Wait, you can't do that! If you fire, you'll hurt everyone!"
Kagome growled but understood she was right.
"You're learning, human," Sesshoumaru said. "But I feel the lesson is not learned. If you wish no harm to come across these two, Inuyasha alone must come to me with the Tessaiga. I'm not a kidnapper, but it seems to be the only way we can fight honorably without interruptions. Remember, if you, girl, show up, your friends are dead." With both Sota and Shippou in hand, Sesshoumaru leaped into the air, over a forest, and vanished.
Kagome fell to her knees and started to cry. "No, they're both gone! He took them both!"
Inuyasha leaped from the bike and stared at the forest. He growled deeply. "Kagome, I don't give a damn how old I am now. We're going to find that brother of mine. and I'm going to rip his head off! Let's go."
To be continued.
