Here's the next one!

This chapter felt SO IFFY to me, so please, for the love of Inuyasha's cute (AF) ears, LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

Aka...PLEASE REVIEW! =)

Chapter 9: Miscalculation

"Three days? Are you fucking serious?"

Kohana sat on the rim of the well, resisting the urge to yawn as she impassively watched Inuyasha rant and flail in her general direction. It was early morning, and all Kohana wanted was to go home, sleep, and then spend some time with her family before launching headfirst into the quest for the Jewel shards. Was that too much to ask?

For a normal, well-balanced human, the answer would be no.

Kohana let out a sigh of exasperation. It was like he didn't even hear her, sometimes. One minute, he was shooting snarky quips at her for comments he heard from hundreds of feet away. The next, he was a deaf, aging dog that barked incessantly at anything that moved. It was equal parts fascinating and annoying.

"Inuyasha, I promise I'll be back in three days. I need new clothes; we both know the priestess get-up isn't my speed. What I mean is…" Kohana held up a hand to prevent Inuyasha from asking what she meant—she needed to be better about using slang around feudal folk. "If I'm going to be useful on this journey, I need to prepare. I need to brush up on training, which means sparring with Nobu and—"

Inuyasha cut her off. "Keh, sparring? That's a joke, right? You wouldn't last two seconds in a fight, even against a human!" he taunted, gesturing to her body in a way that was clearly meant to make a point.

Kohana's teeth ground together loudly but she didn't rise to his bait. An idea occurred to her, a wonderful idea. She didn't speak, just stood up and took a step towards Inuyasha, taking care to make her face open and innocent. Her fingers tangled together as if she was too nervous to stand still.

Nobu had taught her this technique early on in their training; if a tiny, fragile girl is what her opponent expected, then a tiny, fragile girl she would be. By the time they realized their mistake, the battle would already be over.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry…" Kohana said softly, sweetly even.

Inuyasha was shocked enough that he just stared dumbly down at her. She smiled, the slow smile that Kagome gave when she wanted Hojo to kiss her, and inwardly cackled at the confused blush that rose to Inuyasha's cheeks.

Before the half-demon could step away and ask what the hell she was doing, Kohana gripped his shoulders and swung herself around him, the weight of her lower body giving her enough momentum to twist his torso and send him sprawling. As he fell, she reached down and slid Tessaiga from its sheath. For a half-demon who had been living on his own for a hundred years, he was surprisingly easy to disarm.

Maybe he wasn't used to carrying a sword, yet? He had only been carrying Tessaiga for a few hours, so it was entirely possible.

This maneuver ended with Kohana straddling his ribcage, pinning his dominant hand (the right, if Kohana had judged correctly) and holding Tessaiga to his throat. The sword was in its rusty state, but the point was made; she had managed to steal his weapon without him noticing.

Inuyasha's flabbergasted expression was quite possibly the funniest thing Kohana had ever seen, and that counted the time a bird had taken an enormous shit on Nobu's head in the middle of a katana demonstration.

Kohana cackled victoriously before setting Tessaiga down by his head and getting to her feet.

"I'll see you in three days, Inuyasha."

Kohana walked to the well and was about to jump in when Inuyasha's clawed hand curled around her upper arm.

"Yes?" she asked impatiently, waiting for him to start yelling at her again. But oddly enough, he didn't. He just looked at her, his eyes scanning her face as if seeing it for the first time. His grip tightened slightly and his mouth opened as if to speak. But then something darkened in his gaze. It wasn't from anger, but it must have been something significant because without a word Inuyasha shoved his hands into his large sleeves and turned away; a clear dismissal.

Kohana rolled her eyes as slid off of the lip of the well and into the swirling lavender light that would take her home.

Inuyasha had clearly wanted to say something, but it was impossible to try and guess what it had been—for all Kohana knew, she had a clump of dirt on her cheek and he had been debating on whether to inform her of its existence.

As delightfully whimsical as that idea was, Kohana had the nagging feeling it was something more important. But she couldn't allow herself to worry about that. She was going home to not think about Inuyasha, and besides…if he really needed something he would ask. The grumpy half-demon was nothing if not blunt.

In an instant she was in the 21st century well. She managed to land on her feet, which was a definite improvement from last time. A short climb later and she was exiting the well house. The stone bricks that made up the shrine courtyard were swept, which meant that Souta had already done his chore. He tended to do his chores early in the morning during summer vacation so he could spend more time with his friends and playing video games. Kagome was probably inside doing some arts and crafts for the summer camp she volunteered at—she was hoping to be a teacher, someday.

Kohana sighed happily, lifting her arms and spinning in several slow circles, basking in the familiar smell of home.

The first day was lovely. Kohana showered, got to eat a home-cooked meal, and updated the family as to what had happened in the two days she had been gone. After spending most of the afternoon napping and catching up with Kagome, she even found the time to fill a durable feudal-adventure backpack with toiletries, medical supplies, energy bars, spare clothing and a big box of matches. She went to bed that first night feeling incredible and looking forward to two more days of normality.

Of course, those relaxing days never came into pass.

It was all ruined on the morning of the second day. Kohana had agreed to go with Kagome to a movie—she relished the idea of sitting in padded chairs, surrounded by normal humans and wonderful technology. They spent an hour getting ready and had just walked out of the house when Kagome let out a loud squeak.

"Um, Kohana?" she whispered, and Kohana turned to see what she was pointing at. An irritatingly familiar half-demon was crouched by the well-house, sniffing at it curiously.

"Inuyasha!" Kohana seethed as she marched over to where Inuyasha stood. The half-demon blinked at her for a moment and Kohana realized that he was staring at her outfit. She felt her cheeks heat up, and scowled to try and offset the warmth in her skin.

Kohana was wearing one of the only dresses that she felt confident in—a simple blue sundress that, according to Kagome, complimented her eyes and enhanced what little curves she had. She was also wearing her favorite girly shoes, a comfortable but cute pair of wedge heels.

Kagome cleared her throat; the girl had come up to stand next to her, effortlessly beautiful in her red and white patterned dress. Inuyasha turned his attention to Kagome, and Kohana pretended not to see the puzzled comparison his eyes made between the two girls. Swallowing back the sudden bitterness in her throat, Kohana rubbed her face with a hand before making the introductions.

"Asshole, this is Kagome, my sister. Kagome, this is Inuyasha."

Inuyasha snorted disbelievingly. "You two are related? How?"

It was clear that Inuyasha knew it without needing to ask. He must have said it because Kagome was clearly much more developed, more feminine than Kohana was. Just what Kohana needed—more reminders that her body was lacking in feminine charm!

Kagome, bless her heart, put her hands on her hips and glared up at him. "We're related through it's none of your business," she snapped back.

Kohana ran both hands through her hair, suddenly exhausted. She didn't want Inuyasha around; she didn't want any reminder of the feudal adventure she had signed up for! She just wanted a break.

"Why are you here, Inuyasha?" she asked tiredly, and Inuyasha scowled.

"You said that you'd be training! Why are you all dressed up, then? Were you even planning on coming back?" he accused, and Kagome's chest swelled with anger. Before her stubborn friend could speak, Kohana put a hand on her arm and shook her head.

"It's okay, Kagome. He's right, I did tell him I'd be training," she began, but Kagome let out a dismissive snort, cutting in before Kohana could continue.

"I don't care what you told him! Listen up, buddy," Kagome demanded, stepping forward to poke Inuyasha in the chest. "Firstly, my sister isn't related by blood, but she's still family so don't even try to make that an issue. Secondly, if you think that you can march through that stupid well and tell Kohana how to act, think again. You've known her for what, five days? I've been her best friend for ten years. Why should I even trust you with her safety? Why shouldn't I call a renovator right now and have him destroy the well-house? Yeah, yeah, I know, you have to get the Jewel shards and become a full-blooded demon, but ya know what? I don't give a single shit about the jewel, or what you want to do with it. I care about her."

Kagome gestured to Kohana, who was equally tempted to hide her face and grin widely.

She loved Kagome in all her forms, but she would be lying if she said that she didn't get a burst of pride when Kagome tapped into the blunt, brutal side of herself—a side that she blamed entirely on Kohana's influence. This was the Kagome that very few people got to see. Honestly, Inuyasha should be honored that he was witnessing a fiercely indignant Kagome on day one of knowing her. Most people at school didn't even think Kagome knew how to swear, much less how to flay someone alive using nothing but her words.

Inuyasha's face was almost as dumbfounded as it had been the previous morning when Kohana bested him. He backed up a step as Kagome advanced, jabbing her finger into his chest several more times as she continued:

"And lastly; if she chooses to go back to your time, remember that it's out of the goodness of her pretty little heart. So stop treating her like a doormat because so help me, if you do, I will skin you alive and make you into an actual doormat!" Kagome promised darkly.

The half-demon was leaning away from the girl, now, his eyes wide and his face contorted into an odd combination of horror and disbelief.

"Just so we're clear!" Kagome said cheerfully before turning to Kohana, the threatening expression melting away as if it had never even been there. "I'll meet you at the theater, kay? I'll grab the seats and the popcorn."

With that, Kagome flipped her long, glossy black hair over her shoulder and flounced away to the shrine stairs.

Kohana laughed weakly. "Aren't you glad Kikyo's soul chose me? Imagine…in another universe, Kagome could be the one that gets sent through the well," she said lightly, still looking in the direction Kagome had gone. A low growl of distaste rumbled from Inuyasha's chest.

"She talks too much," he complained. Kohana smiled at that, stealing a glance in his direction.

Inuyasha was looking at her. Well, more specifically, her shoes. She crossed her arms defensively, which drew his attention back to her face.

"I can't train all the time, Inuyasha. No one can—everyone needs a break. This is my break. I was planning on training with Nobu when I got back from the movies, but…" Kohana trailed off as a realization popped into her head.

Inuyasha had come to see her train! He wanted to get a better feel for her fighting style! Huh. Observation of the opponent in a neutral setting, and what's more, he planned to do so under the pretense of making sure she actually came back to his era.

Maybe Inuyasha wasn't as single-minded as he appeared.

"What?" the half-demon in question asked impatiently.

Kohana knew that she would never get Inuyasha to admit why he was there. He would find a way to eat his own ears before confessing that he was there to watch her train, and he would eat her ears before he admitted that he wanted to improve his own technique by watching her.

"Nothing," she hurriedly said, tucking her hair behind her ears and glancing at her wristwatch. If she was going to make the movie, she had to leave in a minute or so.

"So…I'll see you when I get back? You can watch me get my ass handed to me by Nobu," she offered.

Inuyasha shrugged noncommittally. "Whatever."

Taking that as a yes, Kohana walked away, ignoring the urge to look back to see if he was watching her leave. He was probably off investigating the rest of the property; there was no reason to assume he'd look at her twice, even if she was wearing her most flattering dress.

She made it down the first couple of steps before she cracked. It wouldn't hurt to take one look, right? Trying to make it casual, she quickly glanced over her shoulder.

Inuyasha staring up at the oval of smooth wood on the Go-Shin-Boku, his long silver hair rippling behind him as a strong breeze blew through the courtyard. His golden eyes were pensively fixed on the tiny groove where Kikyo's arrow had pierced the wood—in this time, a little more than four hundred years had passed since then.

As if he could feel her eyes on him, Inuyasha tilted his head slightly to meet her gaze. Kohana's chest clenched at the mortifying realization that she had been caught looking back at him to see if he was looking at her. Face burning, she quickly turned around, jogging down the stairs in her haste to escape.

Considering that she was in three-inch heels, it was quite the feat.

After the movie, Kagome went off to meet Hojo, which left Kohana to walk home alone. It was noon by the time she reached her street. She was surprised to find Nobu standing at the top of the stairs.

How had he known when to walk out and wait for her? Or had he been standing there for a while?

"Hey!" Kohana greeted, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. He hugged her tightly, nuzzling his nose into her hair in the way he always did when he was on edge. Kohana had long since gotten used to it, but in that moment it struck her as something…odd? Not odd, but something that made her skin prickle as if she were being exposed to something cold. She ignored the feeling, not sure what was wrong with her, and was glad to be distracted when Nobu spoke.

"I see that we have company. I have to assume that he's deaf, because didn't you quite clearly say three days?" he asked, rolling his eyes as Inuyasha's voice rang from across the courtyard.

"I heard that!"

Kohana peered around her uncle, surprised to see Inuyasha leaning against the dojo door, his eyes narrowed as he watched Nobu.

"You stayed?" she was shocked into saying. Inuyasha didn't reply, turning his head away to better inspect his claws. Nobu kept an arm around Kohana as the two of them approached the dojo—their apartment was on the second floor.

Nobu looked Inuyasha in the eye, his eyes narrowing in a way that made Kohana wonder if the two had spoken while she was gone. His next words made it clear that no, they hadn't.

"I trust that you've been keeping my niece safe, Inuyasha."

It wasn't a question. Kohana looked up at Nobu, perplexed at his blatant aggression. Sure, Inuyasha was an ass, but usually Nobu was at least cordial to people he didn't like. This level of disdain was extremely strange, especially after only meeting him once.

Inuyasha stared back at him, hesitantly sniffing in Nobu's direction. Her uncle sucked in a quick breath at the half-demon's movement, and Kohana frowned when she felt Nobu's hand tighten around her shoulder. What in the hell was wrong with him, today?

"Okayyyy, I'm gonna go ahead and interrupt this really weird staring contest," Kohana announced before stepping forward to stand in between them for a long moment before moving towards the dojo.

"And to answer that question; really? Three days off my regular training routine and suddenly I'm a damsel in distress? I'm a teensy bit offended, Uncle," Kohana threw over her shoulder as she unlocked the door. "If you look closely enough, you'll see that my heart is bleeding. It'll soak through my dress soon, so I'm gonna go change."

Clutching a hand dramatically to her chest, Kohana stood aside and used her free hand to firmly push a sputtering Inuyasha into the dojo before following, closing the door behind her.

Inuyasha bristled. "Why am I being dragged along? I ain't scared of that guy!"

Kohana just stared at him, unconvinced. Inuyasha managed to meet her gaze for several long seconds before he glanced away, his ears dipping slightly. Something Kohana was noticing was that his ears were the best signifiers of his feelings—he was surprisingly good at hiding his emotions on his face and in his tone, but his ears seemed to be an instinctual reflection of his mood. Kohana noted that for later study and shook her head as she walked past Inuyasha and up the stairs.

"Look, for some reason having you here is making Nobu nervous. So just…back off, okay? He's super protective, and you're a dangerous half-demon that could kill me if I'm not careful."

Inuyasha paused on the stairwell, his brow furrowing as he eyed her suspiciously.

"You think I'm dangerous? You?"

Kohana couldn't help it; she laughed.

"Shocking right? I actually have common sense! But yeah, if I didn't look like—I mean, if I couldn't sense shards, you would have killed me by now, so…"

Inuyasha's expression didn't change, but something in his stance seemed to shift, ever so slightly. With a casual shrug that felt forced, Kohana slipped into her room to change. The moment the door hid her from view Kohana pressed her back against it, sliding down until she was sitting on the floor.

Why, why was she so bad at this? One minute she was telling Inuyasha to stay and watch her spar, wondering if he liked her dress. The next, she was crushing his attempts to connect with her by implying that he was just waiting to kill her until the shards were collected.

She wondered if the universe had fucked up, somehow, by having Kikyo's soul choose her as its reincarnation. Kagome would have made a much better heroine for this feudal tale; she was brave while still being gentle, and was selfless in ways that Kohana would never be.

Inuyasha's footsteps approached the door, and a weight settled against the lower half. He must be sitting against it in the same way she was. The wild thought that they were mirroring each other made Kohana push away from the wood, furiously pulling off her dress and yanking on her workout gear.

Sparring with Nobu would help take her mind off of this—whatever this was.

It had to.