Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I do, however, own all four movies, much to my mom's dismay and horror. (evil grin)
AN: Told you I'd be back! Man, I had fun at Cedar Key. Unfortunately, the inspiration faerie didn't hit me nearly as hard as I thought it would. Only one chapter came to me this weekend. You've probably got a wait ahead of you for the next chapter, too, just because I won't have much time this week (I think). Enough of my prattling. On with the story!!!!
Conversations and Planning
Inuyasha sat on the roof of the house, perched just above the window to Kagome's room, staring blankly at the sky. His mind wasn't on the stars, though. He was thinking about the swords, Naraku, and most importantly, Kagome.
There was a soft sound beside him, and Sesshoumaru's scent reached his nose. "You're up awfully late, big brother." he said dryly.
"My mind is too busy to sleep." Sesshoumaru said with a shrug. He settled down next to his brother. "How's Kagome doing?"
Inuyasha cocked his head to the side and listened. "Sleeping." he said finally. "Or doing a really good job at faking it. And quit testing my senses; you could've figured out that for yourself."
Sesshoumaru smirked but ignored the protest. "We've been training her for three weeks." he said. "You think she's ready?"
"As ready as she's gonna get." Inuyasha said with a sigh. "Naraku won't wait much longer."
"Sango said she's seen Kikyou following her at school."
Inuyasha snickered. "So now Kikyou is Naraku's lapdog, is she?" he muttered. "She must be hoping to get rid of Kagome."
"Miroku and Shippou have been keeping an eye on her house." Sesshoumaru continued. "They live in that district anyway. Something's brewing there, too; they've seen Souta at least three times a week there."
Inuyasha nodded, his eyes hard. "Rin told me that she's seen Hakudoshi and Kanna at the shed behind the gym." He started massaging his forehead, growling in frustration. "Somehow all of this is connected, but I'll be hanged if I can figure out how."
"We'll figure it out eventually." Sesshoumaru said simply. 'And if we can't, I'm sure Naraku will tell us when we confront him. Dad knows we can do it. That's why he gave us the swords."
"But why did he give Kagome Tenseiga?" the hanyou wondered. "She's not a Takahashi. She's not even a hanyou, much less a youkai. Tenseiga is a youkai sword."
The youkai shook his head. "I have heard that some swords require a pure soul to wield them. Kagome is as pure as you can get."
"Short of being an angel." Inuyasha agreed with a chuckle. "We'll just have to see how far a miko can take the Tenseiga, won't we?"
"She should take it with her." Sesshoumaru said. "Naraku won't wait much longer. Kagome will need the protection."
OOOOO
Hakudoshi stared at the small room critically. "I have yet to understand how Naraku found this place." he said to Kanna. "It's not on the school blueprints."
"Naraku has his ways." Kanna replied. "His family's been in Tokyo much longer than even the Takahashi family. He knows more than anyone does." She glanced at the sword that sat on a pedestal in the middle of the room. "Do you think this will work?" she asked. "I mean, it makes more sense to use Kikyou. She's more trained."
"But Kagome's stronger." Hakudoshi reminded her. "Besides, Naraku has a thing for Kikyou. He won't willingly harm her."
"But Kikyou wants Inuyasha." Kanna protested.
Hakudoshi laughed. "The Takahashi brothers won't survive this battle. It doesn't matter to Naraku."
"We're gonna have the whole Inu Gang down here fighting us." Kanna said doubtfully. "I hope this place is bigger than it looks."
"It's designed to take people elsewhere should Naraku deem it necessary." Hakudoshi explained. "Your weapon will help with that."
"Do Souta and Mrs. Higurashi know what to do?"
"Oh, yes, everything is prepared. We should get ready. It ends tomorrow."
