Welcome, everyone, to a small rambling of odd thoughts. Not quite an insanity, but the product of me studying too long, then picking up a manga to read on a break, while the brain was still in literary analyzation mode. Due to this, I began to find very odd, small comparisons between my manga and the class I was studying for. This is the result.

Not Quite Shining Armor

Shard detector.

Shard detector!

He called me a shard detector!

I can't believe it. You know, I've got things to do. School, mainly. Kami-sama, I'm at least a month behind. And Math! Argh! I'll never catch up. You know, I'm chasing Buyo, minding my own business, and now I'm here, and stuck with him. Look at him, up in his tree as usual. Sure, he's trying to keep an eye on camp, make sure no more of those freaky youkai come to pick a fight. Of course he'd beat them, but still.

Shard detector!

He called me a shard detector!

Fine, maybe in a very wrong way, that's true. I can find them. But still, how rude. Selfish, arrogant, self-centered hanyou jerk. Feh. I can't even...Feh? Did I just think 'feh'? Great, I've been around him so long I'm starting to sound like him. Hopefully I'll never quite catch his ability to swear a blue streak. Mom would just love that, I'm sure.

Shard detector!

He called me a shard detector!

I thought maybe, just maybe, I was worth a little more than that. I know I'm not exactly the greatest warrior in the world. I'm getting better with my bow. I'll improve. I'll show him who's worthless. Idiot. Either way, he still needs his precious shard detector to find the Shikon no Tama for him. Fine, become a whole youkai, see if I care. When you turn into another Sesshomaru, don't come crying to me.

Shard detector!

He called me a shard detector!

Worthless to him otherwise. Only reason he needs me is to be his shard detector. Feh, you'd think he'd be grateful at least. I got him out of Kikyou's spell. If it weren't for me, he'd still be 'dead'. Idiot, idiot, idiot! Argh!

Now what? Oh, he's looking at me again. Why? Why does he do that? To keep an eye on me? Afraid I'm going to wound myself by sitting still and trying...trying very hard...to study? What, can he save me from a papercut? Ignore him. Just ignore him. Let him look. Idiot probably can't read, either. He should learn. Illiterate? He wouldn't survive very long in my world. Time. Whatever. Not without me. He'd get hit by a car or something, eventually. I bet he'd get a kick out of driving- Argh! I've got to stop thinking about Inuyasha. Concentrate, Kagome. Read your book. Study. At least it's not Math, the subject created to torture poor time displaced students.

"The girl returned to the queen, who would not let her go until she had heard that reply which had filled her heart with joy, for now she knew beyond a doubt that the knight was the one to whom she belonged completely, and she knew, too, that he was fully hers. She told the girl to return at once and tell him that she now ordered and urged him to 'do the best' that he could...

'Sir, my lady now orders you to 'do the best' you can.'

'Tell her that it would never displease me to do anything that might please her, for I am intent upon doing whatever she may desire.'"

Oh yeah, sure. Would do anything for his lady love, huh? Right. Supposed to be patient and obedient, do whatever the lady so desires. Unquestioningly. Sure. Knight in shining armor. Never see these people on the road, arguing with each other, do you? Knight in shining armor. He's still up there, arms folded, glaring out at the world. How many times have I seen him smile? Not very many. Always the bad mood. Knight in shining armor. Knight in shining fire-rat kimono. Doesn't exactly work. And whoever heard of a knight who went around and called his lady a shard detector? Jerk. Lady? Me? Feh, I'm not his lady. Stupid, arrogant, self centered jerk. I can at least try to fight, not like some of these 'ladies.' Urp, he saw me looking at him.

Study study study.

"...strength and courage grew because Love aided him, and because he never before hated anything as much as this adversary..."

He's still looking at me. Stop looking at me, Inuyasha. It's distracting. Let me read my book, so I won't fail the next test. Stop it...knock it off. It's distracting!

"What?"

"Feh."

Humph. At least he stopped. I think. Uh...quick look? Yes. He did. Good. Okay. Study. Don't think about Inuyasha and his rude mouth. Think about the nice, normal exploits of...medieval Europeans. Yay, what a change of pace. Maybe I can get Inuyasha to fly me over there and see the real thing. Now there would be an interesting situation. I can see it now, Inuyasha versus dragons. And random, wandering knights. We could try to find the Holy Grail instead of the Shikon no Tama. Wouldn't that be a change? Dreamy, wonderful, heroic knights who protect the ladies they love. Watch them and take care of them, even when they sleep. I'd find myself a real, charming Lancelot, and...well, Inuyasha would probably beat him to a pulp. I've really got to concentrate more...

Study study study!

"We have found it written that between the moon and the earth there is a certain kind of peculiar spirit. If you want to know what they're like- they're partly human and partly celestial. These spirits are known as incubi..."

No way. What is it with me finding half youkai at every turn? Now Merlin is half a demon. Great. Father is an incubus, in this story. Weird. I wonder why Morgan le Fey is always made into such an evil person if Merlin is half demon, and she's wholly human? Probably because she's a 'weak and powerless female' and any power she has must be eeeevil or demonic something. Not that hanyou can't be good or even noble. Sure, they tend to be rude, crass jerks who don't know how to be nice at all, but still. I wonder...

"Hey, Inuyasha?"

Yeah, don't reply, just give me that look.

"Are there any incubi in Japan?"

"Any what?"

Well, that got a response. Ha, I love it when I stump him like that. "It's a kind of youkai," I explained, pointing at my book. Always trying to seem so high and mighty up in that tree. Why does he always sleep up there, anyway?

"Feh. I've never seen one."

Well, that answers that question. Now what? He's looking at me again.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because there's a half incubus in this story I have to read for school."

He gets the weirdest expressions on his face sometimes. This one looks kind of sour.

"Feh."

Turning back to watching the moon again...

Study study study...

...study...

His hair looks so silver in the moonlight.

Idiot.

Study, dammit!

Shit!

Dammit!

Argh!

Why do I have to keep thinking like he talks? This is driving me insane. And he's looking at me again. Maybe I should 'sit' him. Serve him right. But he really hasn't done anything. Feh, he called me a shard detector! That's right. I'm supposed to be mad at Inu-baka. Stop making embarrassed faces and study your book.

Study study study...

He's still looking at me.

"Kagome?"

"What?" He looks a little hurt. Okay, okay, maybe I was a little sharp. Quieter. I never know what to think when he looks at me like that. I can't guess what's going on in that hanyou head of his. "What?"

"What are you reading?"

Blink blink. "A textbook for class. About knights in...uh...samurai...in Europe."

"Why?"

"Because it's literature." Okay, that was obviously not the correct answer, based on that expression. Do I really want to discuss this stuff with him? He probably wouldn't...hm... Now there's a thought... "And because it's about how great samurai there fight."

His ears perked up a little. Literally. It's kinda funny when they do that. They stick out of his hair a bit more, and kind of swivel around a little bit. Maybe if I can get him curious, I can get him to understand why I need to study. And why I need to go take tests on this stuff. So I can actually, you know, pass some of my classes every once and awhile.

"Feh. Samurai? In Europe? I've heard about some of them, running around in metal clothes."

Yeah, try to look disinterested, Inuyasha. I'm onto you. "Well, their armor does seem silly." He turned around and began to ignore me again, resettling himself. "Of course," I added thoughtfully, looking at the page again, "Arthur had some pretty strong magic to get Excalibur."

The ears did that cute perking thing again.

"What's an Excalibur?"

"A magical sword that can cut though anything." Okay, I don't know if that's totally true, but it is a legendary sword and all. It's got to have some powers.

"Feh."

He's got a hand on the Tetsusaiga, I just know it.

"He drew it out of a stone. No one else could pull it out. He's the only one who can use it." You know, in a weird way, that sounds familiar. Almost. Sorta kinda maybe. Not. Well. I pulled the Tetsusaiga out. But Inuyasha uses it.

"Why?"

"It makes him King."

"Feh."

Folds arms, settles in tree... "And then later, they go on the Grail Quest." He's still listening. Just not looking. I can tell. "The Grail has the ability to purify. I'm not though with that part yet."

He's...just sitting there now...maybe I was wrong...maybe he's not listening. I thought maybe...what am I thinking about? Why should such a self-centered, pig headed...

"Do they get the Grail thing?"

Huh?

"The Grail thing? Do they get it?"

"I...in the end... Yes...I think so. I haven't finished that chapter yet."

"And you have to take a 'test' thing on this too?"

Wow, he actually remembered that I have a life outside the Sengoku Jidai. I do believe I've just witnessed a miracle. "Yes..."

"Feh. It'll probably take those stupid samurai years to find their Grail thing."

What am I supposed to say to that? Encouragement? 'Yes, Inuyasha, the stupid knights took years and most didn't come back? Most died in vain?' Great, just great. Ha. They didn't have a grail detector or anything. No one to point out and say, 'go fetch us that Grail!'

Shard detector!

He called me a shard detector!

Ooooh, I should 'sit' him...I'd feel so much better...

"If they had any sense, they would have found someone who knew where to look for the thing in the first place."

...it's okay to be vindictive some- what?

"They probably roamed all over the place like a bunch of stupid humans. Feh."

Scowl. That wasn't the context he called me a shard detector in. Jerk. He did not mean it as if I were the best way to find the Shikon no Tama. How many times have I heard him say, 'I can do it myself?' If he thinks I'm going to stop being mad at him over that, then he's...

"Did I piss you off or something?"

There are times, you know, when I want to rip his head off. Sit just doesn't cover it. "Never mind."

I might as well try to get some rest. More questing tomorrow, after all. Mmm, nice, warm sleeping bag. Comfy...

I think...I think he's watching me sleep.

I wonder if maybe I should have explained the concept of chivalry to him.

Then again...maybe I don't need to.

I usually plan how fics go...this just sorta floated along...o.O; Anyway, the texts Kagome is reading are Chretien de Troyes' 'Lancelot, or, The Knight of the Cart' and Wace's 'Roman de Brut.' (Guess what I just got done reading for class...) Chances are Kagome will not be reading these texts at her grade level.

Speaking of reading texts, I've really got to go read about Gawain now...

So, until next storytime.

~Queen