so, i was wondering this morning, if things covered it slime are slimy, and things covered in goo are gooey, are things covered in horns considered horny? what would that make things covered in...well, never mind. so, here's the next chapter. disclaimers and enjoy

Again, not much to say about the next couple of days. We spent most of the day training while the village had a constant patrol around the village. Mazutear didn't reappear, but Naraku's miasma remained in the farms.

After the training, I would spend a little bit of time with Sirka. We even sparred once. She was pretty good, but using one sword in each hand left more openings than you would think.

About five days after we'd starting training, I was putting the wooden swords away when I caught wind of a familiar scent coming from my father's forest.

Sesshomaru. Why's he here? I slipped away from everyone and headed into the forest. I found him in a small clearing.

"Sesshomaru." He looked at me with the coldest eyes I'd ever seen. A small part of me was scared just from his glare.

"What do you want?" He asked, not bothering to turn to fully face me. "I should be asking you that." "Choose your words more carefully, half-breed."

What? He knows I'm only quarter-demon. Not bothering to correct him, I got to the point. "I just don't see any reason why you would be here again."

"You should learn to keep your nose away from where it doesn't belong. Why don't you go back to that pathetic thing you call training."

"What does my training mean to you?" I asked, hoping to put a little sting in the words. But, just like last time, I failed.

He turned to face me. "Watch." He rushed me. I jumped up, but he was in front of me in an instant, his Tokeijin drawn. He swung at my head, and I nearly got the guillotine.

We landed, and he was a few feet away from me. "You're as slow as ever." He turned to walk away.

"Are you trying to prove something?" "You're going to get yourself killed." He answered.

"Wouldn't I be doing you a favor?" I mean nothing to him. Why does he care? He didn't answer. He moved so fast, it was almost like he disappeared.

What was that all about? Did he come here just to tell me that? It doesn't make sense…

Remembering what I was supposed to be doing, I quickly returned to the village. No one seemed to notice I'd left.

I heard Mom call my name, so I returned to the hut. When I got there, Sirka was there, too.

I gave Sirka a quick smile. "What's wrong?" Mom giggled. "Nothing's wrong. Why do you ask?" "Why did you call me here?"

"What," she asked, acting like she'd been hurt by the words. "Too busy to spend some time with your mother? Fine, bye." I sighed. "You know that's not what I meant."

She and Sirka laughed to themselves. "I don't know, Kashi." Sirka piped in. "You sounded pretty preoccupied. Too cool to stay with us."

What's with them? "I'm not trying to sound rude, but is that all you called me here for?"

"Why would you ever think that?" Mom asked. "Guess someone doesn't even remember his own father's birthday." Oh shit. She keeps track of those things. Wait, how'd she find Dad's out? He wouldn't care.

"Dad has a birthday?" I asked. "Well, duh!" They said together. "Everyone has a birthday!" Mom explained. "Okay, how do you know Dad's? I'd find it hard to believe he remembered."

"He didn't." Mom said. "But, his father was The Great Dog Demon. You don't think someone kept track?" "Okay, who?"

"I did!" A voice answered. It sounded like it came from Mom's…shoulder? I looked closer, and Myoga of all people was there.

"Okay, then when is it?" This is getting old. "Tomorrow!" Mom happily shouted. Oh, shit. "Really?"

Mom nodded her head, and Sirka came over to me. "So, what'cha gonna do for him?" Her voice was unusually sweet. "Uh, I don't know." Her sly grin quickly turned into a playful scowl. "You don't know? Aw, that's mean." What the Hell has gotten into them today?!

I never got to come back with something to that. We heard a crash outside, and quickly ran to investigate.

As soon as we were outside, a freaking tree flew at me. I flew back, barely conscious. I looked up to see him.

Naraku!

I struggled to get up as Naraku wrapped a tentacle around Sirka, then Mom. "You bastard!" I yelled as I drew my sword.

He chuckled. "You really think you can beat me?" He sent a tentacle for my heart. I jumped away with a small cut on my side.

I ran at him. "What the Hell do you think you're doing?!" He sent two tentacles at me to bind my hands and feet together.

He chuckled again as he lifted me in the air. "I'll let you live, just so you can deliver a message. I'm taking your mother to restore the Shikon Jewel. I'm also leaving with this girl for Mazutear."

He threw me down. I landed on my back, hearing something dislocate. The girls started screaming as a barrier formed around Naraku, and he started flying away.

"Naraku!" I heard the most hate-filled snarl as Dad jumped at them, Tetsusaiga drawn. Naraku was too high, though, so Dad swung at nothing but air. Then, he was gone.

With two of the most important people in my life. No! Not them! He should've taken me! I should've been strong enough to stop him!

I saw that Dad must have been thinking about the same thing. He was trembling, though I couldn't tell if it was from anger, pain, or a mixture of both. Probably both, though.

I stood up and popped something in my back into place. "Dad, I'm going after them." He turned to me. "I don't care if he kills me, I'm not staying and doing nothing."

"You're not going alone. You're coming with me." "We shall be going with you." I recognized Miroku's voice, and saw him, Sango, and Mantosu approaching us.

Kanume ran to Dad. "Daddy, don't go!" "Kanume, I have to. You're gonna have to stay with the samurai for a while, but I promise we'll all come back." "But, Daddy-" "Come on, Kanume." Dad took her hand and led her to the local samurai's house.

"Inukashi, check this out." I looked at Mantosu curiously. For the first time, I noticed he and his father had matching prayer beads on their right hands.

Mantosu quickly undid his, and a strong wind started pulling at me. I was lifted in the air as I heard Miroku yell something.

The wind disappeared as quickly as it had come, and I landed on the ground. "What the Hell was that?" I asked, amazed.

"Mantosu, I've warned you about your Wind Tunnel. Don't ever misuse it like that again." Miroku seemed really pissed.

"Wind…Tunnel?" "Yes." Miroku answered. "Over sixty years ago, Naraku cursed my grandfather with it. Anything that gets sucked up never comes out." "Sounds more handy than you make it out."

Miroku's eyes darkened. "If we don't kill Naraku, my Wind Tunnel will suck me up, and eventually Mantosu's will do the same to him." Oh, shit. "It happened to both my father and my grandfather. I've seen it happen even to a woman that duplicated it."

"That much more of a reason to kill him then." Although, it's not like we weren't going to fuck his world up anyway.

Dad returned. "Let's go." We headed off in the direction Naraku flew off in.

has anyone else listened to Linkin Park's new album Living Things? if not, let me tell you: OMFG ITS FUKING AMAZING! im getting off track. anyway, review plz! laters