Chapter 7

Normal font like this the 'reality' in the story.

Musicookie's lines of the story are in italics.

Sesshomaru's lines of the story are in bold italics.

Score thus far: Musicookie 30, Sesshomaru 26

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"Good morning, guys!"

Inuyasha and Naraku were arguing. "iPues bien, puedes saltar por un acantilado y explotar en el aire para todos los que me importa!" (Spanish, Well then, you can jump off a cliff and explode midair for all I care!)

"Olora com una cabra i humides han de ser trepitjats pels cavalls enutjat!" (Catalan, You smell like a wet goat and need to be trampled by angry horses!)

Musicookie was staring in confusion. "Anyone care to tell me what they're arguing about?"

Kagome shook her head. "I think it was originally about their favorite flavor of pudding. Inuyasha likes chocolate, and Naraku likes butterscotch. But what they're arguing about now, I have no idea. Sesshomaru started playing with Google Translate while they argued, and ... well, look."

"Vos cheveux ressemble vieux chiffons sales que d'un chat vomi!" (French, Your hair looks like old dirty rags that a cat vomited on!)

"Meglio di un cucciolo che ha bisogno di suo papa la spada per fare qualcosa!!" (Italian, Better than being a puppy who needs his daddy's sword to do anything.)

"Laten we een spelletje spelen. U moet de spin ik gebruik de opgerolde krant te vernietigen je hoofd." (Dutch, Let's play a game. you be the spider and I'll use the rolled-up newspaper to destroy your head.)

"Ich mochte Sie versuchen." (German, I'd like to see you try.)

Musicookie held her hands over her ears. "Language overload! Sesshomaru! Where are you?!"

She spotted Sesshomaru standing in a corner, fiddling with Google Translate.

"Hey, you! Gimme that window!"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "No."

"Oh yeah? Be that way." Musicookie's fingers flew across the trackpad, clicking the X in the corner of the window. Sesshomaru glared at her, so she starting clicking on him. She could tell it was hard for him to stay still. Was Sesshomaru ticklish?

"Desist this behavior."

Musicookie clicked on his nose in reply. She clicked on his hair, his feet, his fluffy thing, She clicked on his stomach and his leg began to twitch.

Her eyes widened. "No way! My dog does that!"

She clicked rapidly and his leg wiggled in a steady rhythm. Everyone was laughing at the sight of the great lord struggling with his twitchy leg.

Something in Sesshomaru snapped. He whipped out Tokijin, slicing the infuriating cursor cleanly in two.

"Dude! You killed it!" Musicookie went to pick up the pieces. "Now what do I do?"

An idea came to her. She spat out the bubble gum she was chewing and used it to stick the two halves of the little arrow together.

"There, fixed!! Sesshomaru, don't do that again or I'll ductape you to a chair and make you poof me cookies. Wait, why does that sound familiar? Oh well. Myoga, let's get started! I ain't getting any younger!"

"Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle. Let's get this show on the road, homies. The genre today is supernatural/friendhip. It's chapter 7 already, so if readers have gotten this far, they should have an idea of how this works. Begin, homies!"

Midoriko knew she only had a short time before the sacred jewel lassoed her inside again. Once a month, the demons inside couldn't stand her and her temper (and heightened powers). They let her walk free in the world of the mortals for around 3-5 days. Why? It was Midoriko's time of the month, if you know what I mean.

Midoriko growled at the sun. It was too bright. A bird chirped cheerfully to her left. She glared at it so hard, it was struck dead instantly. It fell through the branches and landed with a thump on the ground.

Midoriko turned to walk away. Behind her, she heard little sniffles. She looked at the source of the sound.

It was a little girl with a pigtail on one side of ther head. She wore a bright, checkered Kimono. The colors gave Midoriko a headache.

Midoriko sighed. "What is it, little girl?"

Rin held a stick and was poking the dead bird gingerly. "You...you killed Kurenitsukajiriramenshiromenotakugosaimaru."

"...Who?"

"My bird...I was watching over him. He fell out of a nest when he was a baby and I raised him and protected him.

Through the fog of her annoyance at the world in general, she felt bad for the girl and guilty for killing the bird.

Midoriko went to the girl, squatting and patting the girl's back. "I'm sorry, child. Can I give you something to make it up to you?"

With a tear-stained face, Rin looked at the woman. The woman's features were elegant and wise, tinged with annoyance and guilt.

"Otay."

"Okay has a /k/ in it. Please say it correctly, child."

"Okay."

Midoriko took Rin to a nearby stream. "Here, child. Pick out the prettiest pebbles you can find, and I'll show you a surprise."

Rin hopped right in the river, splashing Midoriko with water. Midoriko nearly gave Rin the death stare, but the girl looked happy. It seemed the girl forgot the bird for a moment. Midorko wanted to keep it that way.

Rin selected a few handfuls of pebbles. Most were grey, but some were white and others were flecked with red. Only a few were a brillant amber color, like sunkissed honey, or like a glowing sunset. Like beaten gold glinting in the warmth of an afternoon sun. Come to think of it, the pebbles were similar in brilliance to Lord Sesshomaru's eyes...

You mean they were yellow like a bumblebee's butt? Like yellow slime fungus growing a rotten log? Like old earwax on a q-tip? Like overly sour lemonade that makes people sick? Like the bleached blond hair on a playboy bunny? Like the expelled contents of one's stomach after eating too many bananas? Like uri--

Shut up.

You have to admit you set yourself up for it.

Rin gave the pebbles to Midoriko, still a little wary in the bird-killing woman's presence.

Midoriko cleaned the pebbles in the water, and laid them on a rock to dry.

"Child, come and tell me. Why is a human girl like you out here in a forest full of demons?"

Rin shyly sat near Midoriko. "I am safe. My Lord Sesshomaru keeps me safe, and if anything happens to me, he'll come to save me. He always does."

"So it's just you out here?"

"Master Jaken and Ah-un are my traveling companions too. But I gave them the slip." Rin giggled.

"Do they annoy you?"

Rin nodded. "Jaken's voice grates against my soul like rubbing your eyeballs on a bed of nails. And Ah-Un always looks at me funny, like I'd be a tasty snack."

Midoriko sighed. "I also am plagued by my companions. Mine rage an eternal war with me inside a tiny purple rock. I'm stuck there."

Rin's eyes were wide as she stared at the woman. Great, thought Rin. Of all the people I meet, I meet the crazy ones.

"If you're stuck there, why are you here now?"

"...You're too young possibly know why."

Rin blinked. "Why?"

"Drop it, child."

Rin giggled and stood up, running around with her arms spread wide. "Look! I'm an eagle!"

"An eagle? Why not a sparrow? Or a crane?"

Rin shook her head. "Eagles fly high and proud in the sky, watching their territory. Who wants to be a plain sparrow or a flashy crane? Eagles take care of themselves."

Midoriko felt a bit of fondness for the child. Midoriko remembered her past as a human priestess. She wasn't plain and common, like the other shrine priestesses -- she had been special. And yet she didn't act flashy or famous for having such profound spiritual powers. Midoriko's role was that of an eagle; powerful and elegant, with a duty to protect.

Midoriko gathered the pebbles. Rin stopped running around and came to Midoriko's side. Together, they arranged the pebbles in the sequence they desired.

Midoriko's hand glowed with a soft violet light, and she passed her hand over the line of pebbles. Each pebble transformed into a pearl, with a little hole that went through it.

Midoriko plucked a hair from her scalp, and it glowed. Midoriko threaded it through the pearls to make a long string of beads. Midoriko added an extra burst of spiritual energy, infusing the pearls with a protective charm.

"Here, child." A few drops of sweat rolled down Midoriko's temples. Yesterday had been a particularly fierce fight with the demons in the jewel, and Midoriko's powers still had to recover.

A smile lit Rin's face and she pulled the beads over her head. "Thanks, lady! They're so beautiful."

Midoriko smiled sadly. "You're welcome. I have a lot of experience with making little round stones, so it was easy for me."

Midoriko put her hand to her heart, drawing shaky breaths. Her aura pulsed.

"Already?" she gasped.

"Lady? What's wrong?"

Midoriko patted Rin on the head and said, "I must leave now."

Midoriko walked away and Rin watched with curious eyes. Rin knew it wasn't polite, but she followed the woman, ducking behind a tree when Midoriko stopped.

Midoriko began to glow with a purple light, fading slowly as the jewel beckoned her spirit to return. Midoriko closed her eyes, unresisting against the pull of the jewel.

One thought floated through her mind. The smile of the girl. She had been so pleased with the necklace.

Midoriko's eyes opened. She never had asked the girl's name. And now she would never know. And soon, the face of the girl would fade from her memories as the battle in the jewel rages on. A twinge of regret ran through Midoriko.

But what could she do? Midoriko relaxed and faded away from the mortal world completely.

Rin watched, clutching the pearls around her neck with her small hand.

"Rin! Rin! Where are you! Oh, Lord Sesshomaru will KILL me if anything happenes to you!"

Jaken walked up, so flustered that his green skin was tinged red.

"Rin, there you are. Let's go."

Rin pulled her eyes away from the spot where the mysterious woman vanished, and followed -- the pearls around her neck sparkling in the sun.

There were tears brimming in Kagome's eyes. She ran forward and hugged Rin and Midoriko.

"That was so beautiful!"

Musicookie nodded. "They call you the Ice Prince, Sesshomaru. But I always knew you had a heart in you somewhere, even if it is surrounded by walls of ice."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. "I have no heart. A warrior shouldn't show emotions, they drag one down in battle and cloud judgement. This Sesshomaru only wants the satisfaction of winning against you. Nothing more."

Musicookie smirked. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say."

Myoga called Rin and Midoriko. "Rin?"

Rin shook her head. "Musicookie, why did you make me exhibit disordered articulation? You dare call yourself a Speech-Language Pathology Major? You know full well that /k/ is one of the first consonants that a baby can say. But I am a proud 8 years old."

Musicookie smiled. "Yes, but I wanted to depict you as innocent and childlike, and children sometimes exhibit phoneme errors. So sue me."

"What else was wrong? Hmm...What the heck was up with my bird's name? That was messed up. The only parts I didn't mind was the parts with the bird comparisons and when you gave me the necklace. ...I give you 1 point, Musicookie."

"Ok, ouch."

"As for Sesshomaru, I liked his depiction of me. He gave me spunk, actual intelligence, and a real personality. The only thing I didn't like was how he made me worship and praise him. But what's new? Rin must always kiss the ground Sesshomaru walks on. I give Sesshomaru 3 points."

Sesshomaru was inwardly smiling. You could see it in his eyes.

Midoriko began to speak. "You wrote me in a bad mood, Musicookie, and you made me kill a bird. What was up with all the birds in the story, Musicookie? But you made up for it later. You delved into my history as a priestess, and you wrote a very detailed description me making the necklace. I decide to award you 1 point."

An ice cream cone, with generous scoops of cherry and chocolate ice cream, magically appeared in Midoriko's hands, typed Musicookie. "Thanks, Midoriko. I'll admit -- it was fun writing you. Though I wish you would have given me more points..."

Midoriko licked her ice cream as she continued. "Sesshomaru, you made me sound like a batty old hag with a strange obsession for small, round, purple rocks. But the ending scene was touching. You gave me a soul and showed the readers the emotions churning in my heart. It was very nice, although it was short. I give you 3 points."

Myoga selected the judge for the round. He chose Kikyo, since she was supernatural and had friendships at one point in her life...death... life and death... whatever.

"Musicookie and Sesshomaru wrote humorous and serious in this story. And though it interrupted the flow of the story, I have to say I thought Musicookie's interjection was quite funny. It was an effective way to get Sesshomaru to stop talking about himself. Musicookie's bird similes were artfully executed. Musicookie did an okay job of fulfilling the friendship of the genre, but not so much with the supernatural part. I award you 3 of 5 points. "

"Sesshomaru did well to have Midoriko feel a connection to Rin, and vise versa. The ending scene was a masterpiece, displaying the emotions of both parties, and fulfilling meeting the supernatural and friendship qualifications perfectly. However, you wrote disrespectfully of Midoriko, and you praised yourself. I award you 4 of 5 points.

Sesshomaru pictured a chess board in his mind. He pictured his white bishop take Musicookie's black king. Checkmate, said the Sesshomaru in Sesshomaru's mind. The Musicookie in Sesshomaru's mind exploded into thousands of dog treats, and they rained through the air. With unbridled glee, Sesshomaru made snow angels in the dog treats that littered the ground. Dog treat angels. And then --

"Sesshomaru. Hello?" said Big Daddy. "You won."

Sesshomaru didn't want to lose face, and said, "Yes."

Musicookie typed herself an vanilla ice cream cone. "Man! I lost. I can't believe I only got 5 points and Sesshomaru got 10 points. Zomg. That puts him in the lead."

Sesshomaru looked at her, and said, "Checkmate."

Musicookie shrugged. "I'll make up for it in the next round. Enjoy your victory now, Sessomaru, for it won't last."

"Hmph."

"Yeah, 'hmph' to you too."

Musicookie waved goodbye to the Inuyasha cast and left, making sure to save.

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A/N: Hey guys! Let's see...today's chapter. I love languages. If I could have a superpower, I would have a really hard time choosing between being able to fly or being able to speak all languages.

So what was up with the bird's name, Kurenitsukajiriramenshiromenotakugosaimaru? I was trying to make a point. I think it's funny when people get all japaneesy with their fics, adding all the honorifics and stuff. And more, like youkai, hanyou, oni, miko, tajiya, kitsune, taisho, nani, kami, ne... I think all this is unneeded. Just like how they translated the manga and anime into english, we're writing these fics in the English language, and there are equivalent words. Miko is priestess. Why not write priestess? I don't litter my speech with Spanish. I don't say 'que' when I need to say 'what.' And I bet none of us speak japanese anyway. Why do people do this in their fics? Someone clue me in here.

I think like a speech language pathology major. If someone near me coughs while eating, I'm like, "OMG did you aspirate or penetrate?!" and many other things. One day I said, "Hm. Sounds like ankloglossia..." I even said to my mom, "Say AHHH! I want to see if you have a bifid uvula. They're a sign of a submucous cleft, and those usually go unnoticed." Anyway, Rin exhibited an inconsistent phoneme substitution. To make such a mistake, she might have a mild articulation disorder, or phonological process, or she even might have hearing loss.

Oh! Mandark update! Last chapter, I said Mandark was an anorexic fish. He eats now, though. I think he was just confused about his life. Sitting on a petco shelf, then being scanned over a cash register, put in a bag, taken home, and being put in a new environment with new water.... Yeah, I'd freak out too. But he eats now, so if any of you lost sleep from being worried about him all week, I wanted to let you know -- he's fine. He still twitches his head, but I think that's how he swallows or something.

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Review responses! :

sangoworshiper - Hilarious is what I aim for. Do you mean 7 boxes or seven single sheets? I know I used 3 entire boxes of kleenexes last year because I was sick in November. I've never used the word "pensive" before writing this fic. Who knew I'd use it with Koga of all people? Yay for expanded vocabularies.

Sassybratt - No one died in this chapter either, sorry. I try to rotate my usage of the characters, and I thought "who haven't I used yet?" Rin and Midoriko. So I just put them together and it worked. Has anyone ever written a Rin and Midoriko friendship fic? Or worse... A RinXMidoriko? A Rinriko? A Midorin? Ew. I was curious, but never mind. Who knows what I'll find if I look...

Puppiesareadorable - I have arm warmers like that too, only brick red and black striped. Whaddya make of that? I love the name Slurmit. It's fun to say. Slurmit. I am embarrassed to say I once pretended I had a fluff like Sessy. I got a blanket and rolled it like a burrito over my shoulder, running through the house screaming "I am Lord Sesshomaru!" My brother has always believed that I'm crazy, and I give him no reason to believe otherwise. What I want to know is....how did you get my soul? What powers do you have to obtain souls? Do you draw your magic-soul-taking powers from a possessed cookie? I'll bet you do.

Liesie - Mandark is a character from a cartoon called "Dexter's Laboratory" if you were wondering. I came up with the name in the middle of the night. I fell asleep wondering what we'd name the fish. I woke up later and "Mandark" popped in my head. Weird. And YES! You caught the implication! Kagura carved the cheese statue of Sessy. The whole cave was like her shrine to him. She is a hopeless fangirl. I'm reading your mind now. ...Are you thinking about waffles? No? Bad connection, then.

hitntr - Why are they called Fiddler crabs? Can they fiddle? Mentally I picture a crab with a fiddle, playing bluegrass music. I worked at a pet store once and there were hermit crabs. I don't ever remember them eating. They just hid in their shells. Thanks for the compliments, and you don't have to apologize to me at all! It's not like you're obligated to review or something. But I am glad that you do, so thanks.

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Next chapter preview! I'm actually having trouble with writing it... :

Sesshomaru walked past Miroku and suddenly froze as Miroku raised a trembling hand. A look of terror was on Miroku's face.

"You wouldn't dare." Sesshomaru said in a threatening voice.

"He wouldn't!"

"He'll be killed!"

*gasp*

"Go for it, Miroku!"

"Oh, the tension!"

"Gahh!" screamed Miroku. "I can't stop it!"