These thank-yous are a long time coming, but better late than never, ne?
usagipegasus: thanks so much! I didn't get many reviews at first and you really made my day.
Demon-Wolf: YOU DON'T LIKE CLIFFS?! Wait...I don't really either...Anyway, thanks for reading. And...six MOREs in a row really ups my self-esteem^^ (all my school counselors cheer *shudder*) Thanks for all the reviews!!
Emmi-chan: So glad you liked the beginning! Please keep reading!
Waku-chan: *grin* Nothing...much...happened. (I can just see Inu-chan and Kagome killing someone for saying that...) and you reviewed twice! My favorite kind!
kaerra: I have a decent PLOT?? I don't even know what's happening... I'm sorry about not putting sango in, but I promise to add her in another fic. ^^
LilFoxgirl: ^-^ Thanks a bunch! I was made happy when I saw Chaos at Camp was added to. Can't wait for more of You Make Me Retch!
Lady Pyro: I'd already written up to chapter 10 when I got your review, so the paragraph thing still might be there. But after that, I think it's not a problem. If it is, feel free to tell me. *shakes head* it's true, hanyou- tachi are not well treated. An ear rub? Hm. I like that idea... 'o kureru- kun...'
Changing Wyrds
Chapter 7: Loneliness
Miroku was the first to notice how uncomfortable Kagome was the next morning, but he chose not to comment. If she wanted to tell them what was wrong, she would, he decided. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to make her brood so. There were none of the usual spats between herself and Inuyasha, and it dawned on him that Kureru wasn't bating the other hanyou either.
Only Shippou was there to make life interesting, and he did, complaining about everything from the mosquitos to mean Inuyasha. 'Mean Inuyasha' gave him the occasional whap on the side of the head, which only set the kitsune off again.
The day passed quickly but quietly. By the end of it they were not in a swamp, but instead in an open wood. The space between trees was large, enough so that they could camp within a circle of them. Dinner was as silent an affair as the entire day had been, and by this time it could not escape the notice of Shippou and Inuyasha. Still no one said a word on the subject. The evening was tense with forced politeness.
Inuyasha made the mistake of asking Kagome what had happened sometime after dinner.
"Hoi, Kagome..." he started, "did that little dog try to do something to you?" She startled, head jolting up in disbelief.
"You aren't suggesting...? Kureru's just a kid. He'd never do anything like that! How could you even- No, I don't even want to know what goes through your mind sometimes." He bristled.
"Well, excuse me for wanting to look out for you. Sorry I thought you meant it when you said you liked having someone to guard you. Sorry I'm just a stupid hentai like that monk!" Kagome snorted.
"Don't you get all high and mighty on me just because I don't depend on you to keep me safe from anything that might turn up! And there's no reason to be so sensitive," she shot back, sounding meaner than she had intended.
"Well, I'm happy to see that I'm no good as a protector either. Too bad you didn't tell me that before you got me started on a stupid goosechase to find that damn jewel!" She whirled on him.
"Oh, so it was my decision to go rambling over the countryside looking for a rock? Excuse me, but I don't recall ever wanting to become a souless monster." Any remorse she had dissipated. "I didn't ask to be here, to see people die and travel with others who only think of themselves. I wanted to be normal, to get into a good highschool and get a nice boyfriend and have time to hang around with my friends. I didn't want to be here, in the middle of nowhere, arguing about nothing with someone...some creature...that, according to my would-be nice, normal world, doesn't exist." Inuyasha's heart stopped cold. He stared at her, disbelieving and frozen.
Kagome's heart hammered, more than making up the distance for Inuyasha's. She realized with sudden sickness what she had said. Half of her was begging the other half to tell him that she hadn't meant it that way, but the other half was still too angry to obey.
Inuyasha blinked fiercely, and she saw with horror that she had managed to make two hanyou cry in less than a day.
"Fine," he said shortly. He just barely hid the tremble in his voice. "If that's what you want, you find the jewel. With the others, and that Kureru kid. I'll be careful not to bother any of you. If you see me, don't worry. I can't possibly exist." He fled, running soundlessly through trees and brush.
"Inuyasha..." Kagome bit her lip, still for a moment before she burst into tears.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He didn't come back that night.
"Where is that fool?" wondered Miroku in the dark hours of the morning. "We'll be at Hashiaku's domain at midday tomorrow. This is no time to be wandering around...Kagome?"
"Yes?" she managed.
"Do you know where Inuyasha is?"
"I don't know." Shippou cuddled up to her.
"Was that jerk being mean to you again?" he asked protectively. She started to cry. The three men-folk looked rather helplessly at her.
"What did he do?" asked Kureru, wide-eyed. Kagome shook her head vehemently.
"He didn't. I did. I was so mean...and then he thought I meant something else, and...and it's all my fault!" she sobbed. Miroku cleared his throat.
"What happened?" he asked cautiously.
"He was worried...about me. He thought Kureru had done something to me, and I got mad that he would say that, and he got upset. And I know he yells when he's hurt, only I ignored it and I yelled back, and then I said something wrong and he ran off." They gave her a questioning glance. "He thought...I said he was a creature that shouldn't exist." They waited for her to continue, and were surprised to discover that she was finished. She couldn't have just left it like that...? "I know!" she cried. "I wanted to explain, but I was still so angry, and I didn't say it quick enough..." She gave a short snuffle. Kureru stood, looking down at her.
"He'll come back. If it hurt him that bad, he really cares. He won't be able to stay away from you for long."
"You better hope you're right, Kureru. After all, you won't be able to protect them." Kureru's head shot up.
"Hashiaku!" The youkai laughed, moving into their line of sight.
"You didn't think you would ruin my beautiful landscapes with a fight, did you? Guests, especially uninvited ones, should not be so rude." His hand shot forward, gripping the hanyou's neck. "Frightened of me, Kureru? But we've been together for so long... I'm disappointed." Kureru gasped as Hashiaku's claws drew blood from his throat. "Let's see how they fight against you without the hanyou bastard."
"No! Leave them out of it!"
"Can't be done. Please don't feel too bad." He clamped his eyes shut, an aura forming around him. Kureru stared at the others hopelessly. Then he wasn't Kureru any more.
"Well," said Kureru's mouth as he dropped from the youkai's grasp, "this ought to be a nice challenge."
_______________________________________________________
Author's Notes: Was this any good at all? I haven't actually read it yet. -_-;; I AM working on Fleeting Glory part 4. Sorry it's taking me so long; I'm in the middle of a lot of stuff, and I'm not quite sure what's going to happen yet. Well, next time, ne? R&R!!! Onegaiiiiiiiiiiiii!! ::o__o::
usagipegasus: thanks so much! I didn't get many reviews at first and you really made my day.
Demon-Wolf: YOU DON'T LIKE CLIFFS?! Wait...I don't really either...Anyway, thanks for reading. And...six MOREs in a row really ups my self-esteem^^ (all my school counselors cheer *shudder*) Thanks for all the reviews!!
Emmi-chan: So glad you liked the beginning! Please keep reading!
Waku-chan: *grin* Nothing...much...happened. (I can just see Inu-chan and Kagome killing someone for saying that...) and you reviewed twice! My favorite kind!
kaerra: I have a decent PLOT?? I don't even know what's happening... I'm sorry about not putting sango in, but I promise to add her in another fic. ^^
LilFoxgirl: ^-^ Thanks a bunch! I was made happy when I saw Chaos at Camp was added to. Can't wait for more of You Make Me Retch!
Lady Pyro: I'd already written up to chapter 10 when I got your review, so the paragraph thing still might be there. But after that, I think it's not a problem. If it is, feel free to tell me. *shakes head* it's true, hanyou- tachi are not well treated. An ear rub? Hm. I like that idea... 'o kureru- kun...'
Changing Wyrds
Chapter 7: Loneliness
Miroku was the first to notice how uncomfortable Kagome was the next morning, but he chose not to comment. If she wanted to tell them what was wrong, she would, he decided. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to make her brood so. There were none of the usual spats between herself and Inuyasha, and it dawned on him that Kureru wasn't bating the other hanyou either.
Only Shippou was there to make life interesting, and he did, complaining about everything from the mosquitos to mean Inuyasha. 'Mean Inuyasha' gave him the occasional whap on the side of the head, which only set the kitsune off again.
The day passed quickly but quietly. By the end of it they were not in a swamp, but instead in an open wood. The space between trees was large, enough so that they could camp within a circle of them. Dinner was as silent an affair as the entire day had been, and by this time it could not escape the notice of Shippou and Inuyasha. Still no one said a word on the subject. The evening was tense with forced politeness.
Inuyasha made the mistake of asking Kagome what had happened sometime after dinner.
"Hoi, Kagome..." he started, "did that little dog try to do something to you?" She startled, head jolting up in disbelief.
"You aren't suggesting...? Kureru's just a kid. He'd never do anything like that! How could you even- No, I don't even want to know what goes through your mind sometimes." He bristled.
"Well, excuse me for wanting to look out for you. Sorry I thought you meant it when you said you liked having someone to guard you. Sorry I'm just a stupid hentai like that monk!" Kagome snorted.
"Don't you get all high and mighty on me just because I don't depend on you to keep me safe from anything that might turn up! And there's no reason to be so sensitive," she shot back, sounding meaner than she had intended.
"Well, I'm happy to see that I'm no good as a protector either. Too bad you didn't tell me that before you got me started on a stupid goosechase to find that damn jewel!" She whirled on him.
"Oh, so it was my decision to go rambling over the countryside looking for a rock? Excuse me, but I don't recall ever wanting to become a souless monster." Any remorse she had dissipated. "I didn't ask to be here, to see people die and travel with others who only think of themselves. I wanted to be normal, to get into a good highschool and get a nice boyfriend and have time to hang around with my friends. I didn't want to be here, in the middle of nowhere, arguing about nothing with someone...some creature...that, according to my would-be nice, normal world, doesn't exist." Inuyasha's heart stopped cold. He stared at her, disbelieving and frozen.
Kagome's heart hammered, more than making up the distance for Inuyasha's. She realized with sudden sickness what she had said. Half of her was begging the other half to tell him that she hadn't meant it that way, but the other half was still too angry to obey.
Inuyasha blinked fiercely, and she saw with horror that she had managed to make two hanyou cry in less than a day.
"Fine," he said shortly. He just barely hid the tremble in his voice. "If that's what you want, you find the jewel. With the others, and that Kureru kid. I'll be careful not to bother any of you. If you see me, don't worry. I can't possibly exist." He fled, running soundlessly through trees and brush.
"Inuyasha..." Kagome bit her lip, still for a moment before she burst into tears.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He didn't come back that night.
"Where is that fool?" wondered Miroku in the dark hours of the morning. "We'll be at Hashiaku's domain at midday tomorrow. This is no time to be wandering around...Kagome?"
"Yes?" she managed.
"Do you know where Inuyasha is?"
"I don't know." Shippou cuddled up to her.
"Was that jerk being mean to you again?" he asked protectively. She started to cry. The three men-folk looked rather helplessly at her.
"What did he do?" asked Kureru, wide-eyed. Kagome shook her head vehemently.
"He didn't. I did. I was so mean...and then he thought I meant something else, and...and it's all my fault!" she sobbed. Miroku cleared his throat.
"What happened?" he asked cautiously.
"He was worried...about me. He thought Kureru had done something to me, and I got mad that he would say that, and he got upset. And I know he yells when he's hurt, only I ignored it and I yelled back, and then I said something wrong and he ran off." They gave her a questioning glance. "He thought...I said he was a creature that shouldn't exist." They waited for her to continue, and were surprised to discover that she was finished. She couldn't have just left it like that...? "I know!" she cried. "I wanted to explain, but I was still so angry, and I didn't say it quick enough..." She gave a short snuffle. Kureru stood, looking down at her.
"He'll come back. If it hurt him that bad, he really cares. He won't be able to stay away from you for long."
"You better hope you're right, Kureru. After all, you won't be able to protect them." Kureru's head shot up.
"Hashiaku!" The youkai laughed, moving into their line of sight.
"You didn't think you would ruin my beautiful landscapes with a fight, did you? Guests, especially uninvited ones, should not be so rude." His hand shot forward, gripping the hanyou's neck. "Frightened of me, Kureru? But we've been together for so long... I'm disappointed." Kureru gasped as Hashiaku's claws drew blood from his throat. "Let's see how they fight against you without the hanyou bastard."
"No! Leave them out of it!"
"Can't be done. Please don't feel too bad." He clamped his eyes shut, an aura forming around him. Kureru stared at the others hopelessly. Then he wasn't Kureru any more.
"Well," said Kureru's mouth as he dropped from the youkai's grasp, "this ought to be a nice challenge."
_______________________________________________________
Author's Notes: Was this any good at all? I haven't actually read it yet. -_-;; I AM working on Fleeting Glory part 4. Sorry it's taking me so long; I'm in the middle of a lot of stuff, and I'm not quite sure what's going to happen yet. Well, next time, ne? R&R!!! Onegaiiiiiiiiiiiii!! ::o__o::