Nars: I won't apologize for the cliffhanger I left the last chapter on.

Word Count: 667

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.


Now was not the time for this. No matter how honoured she was, no matter how holy, the Gods were downright cruel to force her to deal with something like this.

The door slid open, revealing her less-than-pleasing half-demon friend, looking no different than usual, except that he now carried her bike and its popped tire in one arm without a care in the world. "Ya forgot this!"

As soon as InuYasha's eyes met with Genos', he was instantly on the offensive, hackles rising. "The fu–? Who the hell is this?!"

"I am Genos, an acquaintance of Kagome's." replied the cyborg placidly.

InuYasha squinted suspiciously, casting side-eyes to her bicycle still in his grasp. "Kagome, this is the bike man?!"

"Bike man?" repeated Genos quizzically.

"Just kill me now." She groaned. "Genos, InuYasha. InuYasha, Genos. Yes, he's the bike-man. And Genos, InuYasha is–"

"Not entirely human." said the cyborg, eyes flickering over InuYasha distrustingly. "My sensors indicate that your friend is less than 50% human. The remainder is unclear to me."

She bit her lip worriedly. "Genos, that's okay, he–"

"Please step back, Kagome." The blond said sternly, stretching an arm out towards InuYasha threateningly. "Should he attempt to harm you, I will take necessary action."

"Hah?! The hell do you mean, if I harm her?! You're the suspicious one here!" snapped InuYasha, withdrawing Tetsusaiga. "Make one move, ya' weirdo and I'll smash ya' to bits."

She really didn't want them to fight. She knew InuYasha's skill and it was fearsome. But Genos was a wildcard, and this could end several different ways–all awful. Kagome glowered. "Not in the house!" She blurted out, wincing immediately. That was the last thing she wanted to say, and yet...

"Understandable."

"Fine by me!"

The two of them marched away from the house, keeping her pointedly trapped in the middle of them both. She sighed, sending a quick prayer to the heavens to get her through this never-ending nightmare.

"What's this guy's damage?!" snarled InuYasha, his sword elongating and enlarging as he grew more irritated.

She glared up at him, silently asking him to finish that thought. He wisely glanced away, knowing he was partially to blame already. She looked at Genos instead, who blinked at her in an unbothered way. "Couldn't you have just left it alone?"

His chest lit up as he straightened his back. "I will eliminate anyone I deem threatening to those around me."

She had quite some faith in InuYasha's abilities to match Genos equally. Kagome crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't destroy anything. Please."

"Ha! Don't worry, Kagome. There's only one thing I'll be destroying and it's that bag of bolts over there." smirked the half-demon, flexing his claws after they were a safe distance away.

Kagome grimaced. "Oh, dear God." It wasn't as though she were completely helpless to this thoughtless battle. The subjugation word was already at the edge of her tongue and she was prepared to use it if needed. "Is fighting really necessary, though?"

"He disrespected me, Kagome." said InuYasha crossly. "I'll beat his ass."

"How crass." remarked Genos, eyes flashing warningly. "I do not cut any corners when exterminating a threat."

He scoffed. "Feh, same here." Tetsusaiga powered up in his hands, not going amiss by Genos who mouthed a couple numbers that Kagome could not determine what were for. She could only assume they were the specs belonging to InuYasha's sword. "I'm gonna grind you into dust, bike-guy."

Genos' arms began to light up. His stance widened, and the look plastered on his face was reminiscent of a certain half-demon standing in front of him.

The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end. He was strong, that much she could feel. Kagome didn't want this to get any further. There was no telling how much damage could be caused, especially since they were so similar.

She screwed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, not intending to let this escalate. "Sit boy!"


Nars: Maybe I'm biased but I feel like Genos would scalp InuYasha but at the same time, he's sort of fragile and prone to y'know, breaking apart...

Review :^)