Legal: Don't own Inu Yasha yadda, yadda, yadda, or anyone else except Tao and Momiji. Wish I owned them all, though.
Okay, we're going to try this again! ::bows many times:: I am truly sorry about the formatting. I uploaded this chapter just like every other but I had no idea it went screwy. It wasn't until I was reading the review page (keep 'em coming please) and couldn't figure out what everyone was talking about. It was like, 'What's wrong with my paragraphs?' or 'One continuous what?' ::scratches head:: I almost dismissed it as grammatical errors till I opened up the chapter. Then I nearly screamed- which would have been bad since they would have banned me from the computer lab. Very, very bad. So, we're going to try this again. Please tell me if it doesn't work!!!!!
Chapter 16: Diagnosis Trouble
"What are you doing?!" She screamed, moving forward over the bed, ready to slap Taomaru and Sesshomaru both- danger be damned! From the exterminator's point of view she had every right to be angry- Sesshomaru had propped Kagome up in a sitting fashion on the bed so Taomaru could examine the unconscious girl. This would normally not be a problem except for the small point of Kagome's nudity; Sesshomaru or Taomaru had pulled her robe down, exposing her body, and Sesshomaru was cupping her breasts, hiding the nipples from view. The Demon Lord's tail was wrapped around Kagome's waist, the pale whiteness in sharp contrast to the purple fabric already puddling there. Kagome's head was back, her eyes closed, her arms limp; Inu Yasha's mark could easily be seen as shiny pink scare tissue near her neck.
Inu Yasha and Miroku were both aware of Kagome's exposure and were as appalled at Sango. Kouga and Shippo were the only ones who didn't move to stop Taomaru and Sesshomaru; they sat on the bed as if having a friend stripped down to her birthday suit while unconscious were an every day event. Duchess repeatedly tripped Inu Yasha up as he moved forward to stop them and many times the human hanyou met the mattress with his face. Kouga grabbed hold of Sango and Miroku's clothing, holding them back from attacking either youkai.
"Leave them be." Kouga said. "They can't heal her if they can't see the problem."
"How can you-" Miroku sputtered, pointing at the scene.
"Just sit there while they are touching her?!" Sango demanded, pulling at the hand that held her. Kouga sighed and let go of the cloth he held and instead pinned both monk and exterminator on their stomachs by putting a hand on their backs. When Inu Yasha attempted to reach Kagome again, Kouga pinned the hanyou with his legs propped on his back. From Taomaru's point of view, it looked as if the wolf prince were lounging on top of the trio. Inu Yasha snarled, the sound muffled and warbling a little because his throat was no longer designed to produce it. Shippo jumped onto his head, hitting him soundly before hopping off and walking over to Sesshomaru's side.
Seeing Shippo, Rin came back into view after scrambling behind Sesshomaru when Sango became upset. The two children sat beside each other watching the adults with wide, curious eyes. "Sesshomaru-sama," Rin began. "Why are you holding Kagome-onee-chan like that?"
Sesshomaru said nothing, his attention concentrated on Kagome and what he could sense through their mental rapport. Seeing that his nephew would not reply and that everyone under Kouga was getting royally worked up, Taomaru decided an explanation would probably be best.
"Cloth gets in the way- it can hide things a doctor needs to see." The wolf dog told her. "This way I can check Kagome for injuries while Sesshomaru protects her modesty."
Kouga took up the explanation, slightly uncomfortable due to someone's elbow being jammed repeatedly into his thigh. He continued to lie on the three humans though, occasionally tormenting Inu Yasha by pushing his head into the mattress when the human hanyou got too irritating. "Nudity for humans and nudity for youkai is different." The angry bodies stopped fighting and he let up a little so they could sit up and listen. He didn't let them go completely however. "For youkai, nudity and sex aren't directly linked. In a pack it's not an uncommon occurrence to have a communal bath or something. In that close a setting, nudity is not seen as sexual- it's just nudity. I've heard of youkai witches who perform nude and it raises their power, though I don't know why."
Taomaru trailed a careful claw down Kagome's abdomen. He had shifted into his half and half form, looking more like a cloth-wearing wolf walking upright, complete with swiveling ears on top of his head. One furry triangle rotated toward Kouga while the other was aimed at Kagome. "He's actually right. In the dog clan too there are ceremonies that involve nudity. With mates, bonded or not, the comfort of having your cuddle bunny's body against your helps to improve physical and emotional states."
"Cuddle bunny?" Inu Yasha asked, Kouga finally allowing his head up.
"It's a phrase from Kagome's world." Sesshomaru said in a subdued voice. "It means your special someone, your boyfriend or girlfriend."
"Is Kagome-onee-chan your cuddle bunny Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin asked innocently. Everyone stared at her and Sesshomaru's lips twitched into an almost smile.
"Yes," he said quietly, his hands twitching almost imperceptibly on her breasts. "Kagome is my cuddle bunny." Kouga and Inu Yasha both didn't like that, however Taomaru forestalled their arguments.
"Sesshou, I need to look at her back." The youkai had his hands on her hips. He prodded her tummy and the center of her chest with a gentle knuckle. The wolf dog didn't know what he expected to find- a hand poking him back perhaps- but he didn't want to over look the possibility of anything. Taomaru pulled her robe back up to cover her while Sesshomaru removed his hands and working together they turned her around, one of her legs on either side of Sesshomaru's hips. The robe was pulled down again, Kagome's front hidden as she leaned against his chest. She didn't stir at all except to breath.
Taomaru began checking her back. He could see no obvious wounds, no demonstration of harm, but her temperature was still high- not as high as it had been, but still high. He began tapping his claws lightly over her skin, a glowing dance between his green power and hers. He never tapped hard enough to mar her skin but applied enough pressure to make the muscles under her skin react. So absorbed in his task, Taomaru didn't notice that the light he was casting had intensified, or that Sesshomaru had also begun to glow. "Come on Kagome," he murmured to himself absently. "Tell me where it hurts."
"I still don't see why she has to be nude." Miroku grumbled even though his eyes seemed to continuously wander toward the naked girl- it wasn't as if he wanted to (well then again…) but it was just that the scene was right in front of him! He wiggled out from under Kouga and sat out of range, staring determinedly out at the darkness. Kouga let Sango and Inu Yasha up as well; ready to grab them again if they tried to interrupt the examination.
"A woman's body is sacred and not to be displayed." Sango said angrily, still wanting to rip her friend away from the overbearing duo.
Kouga snorted. "Nudity isn't that big a deal. Sexuality can be switched on and off- you just have to learn how. I've seen humans do it and youkai that do it." He paused. "How do Kagome's people handle it?"
"Kagome's people?" Miroku echoed. He blinked, looking at Kagome; she looked perfectly human.
"She's human." Sango said in surprise.
Inu Yasha and all the youkai in the room remained uncomfortably silent, not looking at either human. Even Shippo was not surprised by the question of Kagome's lack of humanity. Sango and Miroku looked at each other and then turned their anger on Inu Yasha.
"You knew?" Miroku asked. "Why didn't you say anything?"
The now human hanyou muttered something under his breath that no one could understand. Kouga pushed his head into the mattress again, waited several seconds, then allowed Inu Yasha up. The hanyou didn't say anything, petting Duchess until Sesshomaru spoke for him.
"He didn't say anything because it was not important." The Demon Lord looked at them all and then looked at Kouga until the wolf youkai took his hand off Inu Yasha. The wolf prince bristled but scooted away a few feet, all the while maintaining eye contact with Sesshomaru. "Do not touch my brother." The pale youkai said, his voice promising immense punishment if disobeyed, a weight to his gaze like a physical force, his glowing form only adding to his presence. Beside Sesshomaru, Shippo inched away from him, Rin in tow. This did not escape Sesshomaru and he tossed his head, making his long silver white hair blanket their retreating forms.
Shippo froze and Rin laughed, tugging lightly on her guardian's hair. Perfectly content and happy, the little girl began braiding the satiny strands, illuminated by the glow she was now covered in. Sesshomaru cranned his neck, looking down at Rin with a soft expression of approval and the little girl noticed that everything about him glowed amber; his skin, his tail, the stripes on his face, even the hair she held.
"Sesshomaru-sama," she said laughing again. "You're so pretty!" He blinked, arching a brow at her with amused eyes.
"Thank you Rin." He said and turned back to Taomaru and Kagome. Everyone else simply stared.
While they waited for Taomaru's findings, Miroku's hand snuck closer to Sango's form. In the semidarkness, the demon exterminator couldn't see where the hand was aiming for and put her own hand in what was hopefully an intercept course. His fingers touched hers and paused briefly before covering her hand lightly. He held her hand tentatively and then squeezed. Sango started, glad of the lack of light and smiled to herself. She squeezed his hand lightly and then pulled away.
While Kagome dealt with the Dog demons and Rin and Shippo had their own adventures, Sango and Miroku had been finding themselves alone with each other more frequently. Little by little, they had been showing affection for each other, always cautious of the other and each worrying about scaring the other off. Little touches like the one just now, just standing near each other, a wayward hand brushing the other's forearm; very almost insignificant wordless touches that still managed to convey feelings of affection and attraction between the two. It also helped that Miroku had rarely made a move to grope Sango- at least until they were camped out in front of Sesshomaru's door. Sango had been waiting for the moment he would relapse and, though annoyed about it, she was glad he had gotten it out of his system. She brushed her fingers against his hand and in the dim light she though she could see a small smile touch the monk's lips.
Kouga did not like having to back down from Sesshomaru, but, for the moment, leaving the Dog Clan brothers alone would be the best option. After the war, after they had won, the wolf prince intended to challenge the claim on Kagome- she was his woman! His! That dog turd Inu Yasha couldn't even treat her right and now that bastard was human. There was no way in all the hells the now human hanyou would be able to protect her! One blow and Inu Yasha would be out of the running. This now led the wolf youkai to the question of Sesshomaru; what feelings did he hold for the young woman? Did he intend to use her to breed a stronger line? Was she simply something to be coveted and conquered? It was a mystery that made Kouga's blood boil in anger. If a challenge was issued and Sesshomaru accepted, Kouga would have a problem on his hands- Sesshomaru may have acquired his title by birthright, but his reputation as merciless in a fight was something he had earned. Of course, Kouga thought, I'm good in a fight too. With the Shikon shards in his legs and arm, there was no body that could defeat him. Reputation or no reputation, Sesshomaru would fall in a battle against Kouga, the wolf youkai was sure of it.
Even sitting quietly, it was the youkai gathered on the bed with their sensitive hearing that heard the strange dragging sound. It was coming up the hall, toward the room they sat in.
"What is that?" Kouga asked and everyone turned to Sesshomaru- this being his castle and all. The Demon Lord frowned and, after pulling her robe up, handed Kagome to Taomaru. Sesshomaru fished Rin and Shippo out of his partially braided hair and set them on the bed as he left it. The wolves that had been lying on the floor got out of his way at lightening speed, dashing around to the other side of the bed while Kouga watched them in surprise. Sesshomaru strode across his den, not bothering to adjust the robe he wore, allowing the tied sash to hold the cloth in place as he moved. The youkai did not wave the lights into being, casting enough light to illuminate half the room as he walked so he did not need them. He did not search for his swords, preparing to use only his claws to deal with the threat. He walked to his shredded door- it was going to be annoying to replace that, he noted- and stepped through the hole. By now, Sang, Miroku and Inu Yasha were on their feet, ready to do battle. Youkai and human were surprised alike when Kagome's bag dragged itself over the broken wood of the door and into the room.
With both eyebrows raised, Sesshomaru followed behind the bag, letting it reach mid room before putting a foot on it to halt its progress. The Demon Lord crossed his arms and looked at Inu Yasha.
"Why is Kagome's bag moving by itself?" He asked his brother, sure that the human would know. For whatever reason, Sesshomaru could no longer pass mental messages to his brother or his uncle, reinforcing the growing suspicion that Kagome was their channel to each other. The human hanyou shrugged, staring at the offending pack.
"It doesn't normally do that." Shippo said from the bed.
"Implying that it sometimes does?" Miroku asked wryly.
The bag under Sesshomaru's foot continued to struggle forward, never ceasing in its efforts. It was as if there was something alive inside the pack and it was trying to make its way to Kagome. Sesshomaru blinked, sure that that was the case- whatever was moving in the bag was trying to reach Kagome. He said as much and Taomaru's eyebrow shot up.
"Sesshou let the bag go and let's see what is so intent on getting to our miko." Kagome was still unresponsive but under her skin, Taomaru sensed movement, a power moving about and making itself comfortable- like it was setting up house. Maybe whatever was trying to get to Kagome was trying to help her exorcise the new presence.
The Demon Lord frowned at the request but complied, keeping pace with it as it dragged itself across the floor; his curiosity was piqued anyway. The usually inanimate object continued its journey until it ran into the bed. Then the thing began to rattle and jerk, something inside struggled to be free. At last there was a sound like glass shattering and then multiple holes appeared in the bag's material as small projectiles pierced it.
Everyone stared and then abruptly, Kouga let out a cry of pain as the Shikon shards in his arm and legs ripped out of his skin. Blood spurted and the youkai made a grab for the pink shards as they joined the shards -their brethren- dancing in the air before Sesshomaru. Gradually, Sesshomaru, Kagome and Taomaru stopped glowing, the only illumination in the room now from the floating shards.
"Pretty." Rin said, starring at the shards. Shippo nodded, open-mouthed.
Sango and Miroku stared, the monk feeling a shifting in his robes as his own shards broke free and joined the others. Kouga rubbed at his wounds even though they had already closed, eyes riveted at the luminescent pieces of the Shikon Jewel. Duchess whined and moved closer to Kagome, Socrates jumping up to stand beside her.
"The Shikon shards." Taomaru breathed, looking from the dancing shards to Kagome's limp form. "She called and they came."
Sesshomaru merely nodded, as bewildered as everyone else but unwilling to show it. It made sense; Kagome had called on his and Taomaru's power for help, but the girl was still obviously suffering from whatever affected her. That power had to have gone somewhere if not to chase the invader out of her body and now the unspoken riddle of just where it had gone was solved. The shards danced in an unfelt wind like silent wind chimes, glinting in their own light.
"But this begs the question, how are they going to help?" Miroku said quietly and the shards in their strange dance sped up. They swirled, chasing each other and first dipped down, then spiraled up. If it hadn't been so bizarre, everyone would have agreed that it was one of the most beautiful sights they had ever seen. The small slivers of the Shikon jewel spun around each other faster, merging together as they moved. More tiny shards appeared as the dance continued, these chunks darker than the others and giving off a menacing aura.
"Naraku's shards." Sango whispered, feeling the familiar evil wash over her skin. She watched the brighter shards, the ones that had first answered Kagome's shout, the healthy pink encouraging the new shards to become the same color.
"Kagome called them," Shippo said in awe. "But Midoriko is helping to purify them."
"Who?" Kouga asked, confused and dismayed. How was he supposed to beat Sesshomaru when the time for challenge came without his Shikon shards? Impulsively, Kouga grabbed three random shards and attempted to insert them under his skin again. The shards burned his hands, making them smoke and finally burst into flame. Normally this wouldn't bother the youkai except the pain was intense- a hundred times more painful than a regular flame. Kouga hissed and let go. The shards immediately joined the others and drifted further out of the wolf youkai's reach and closer to Sesshomaru.
"Midoriko was the miko who created the Shikon Jewel- the latter being a by product of her last fight against hundreds of fused youkai." Taomaru explained. "Her soul and the souls of the youkai she fought against are sealed inside that tiny gem." He paused thoughtfully. "If Midoriko's soul wasn't locked in constant combat, I would have said that Kagome was her reincarnation."
Sango blinked, a question on her lips. She was about to voice it right then but Momiji walked through the hole in the door. The ghost woman was no longer transparent- she was solid and looked very princess like. Momiji strode into the room, frowning and looking determined. The dead woman was not alone however and perhaps that was the cause of her shift in demeanor. In each arm she carried a child, one with midnight dark hair and the other had silver white. The ghost generated her own light as she moved, illuminating her charges. She glanced at the walls of Sesshomaru's den, the question as to why there were no lights written on her frowning face, taking in all the occupants of the bed and the moving Shikon Shards in a glance. She stopped beside Sesshomaru by the bed, cuddling the two children she held. She looked between the Demon Lord and Taomaru as she spoke.
"We have a very big problem." And she laid the two unconscious kids on the bed.
"My God," Sango said.
"By Buddha!" Miroku gasped.
"What the fuck?!" Kouga yelled. They all looked down at the new comers and then at Inu Yasha and then finally at Kagome. Inu Yasha took one look at the two kids and promptly fainted. Everyone else could only stare in silence as they all reached the same observation.
"They look like Kagome-onee-chan and Inu Yasha-sama." Rin said seriously, also looking at the two unconscious teens. "Sesshomaru-sama, is there a Sesshomaru-chan walking around too?" She watched her guardian quizzically as his eye twitched while he straightened his robe and folded his arms.
"Hope not." Taomaru muttered and picked up the tiny version of Inu Yasha. The small body was indeed a slightly battered, miniature version of the hanyou they all knew- fuzzy dog ears and all except for a stripe gracing each cheek and a fluffy tail. Sesshomaru took the child Kagome into his arms, noting that she was also battered in places, her non-youkai body not equipped with the ability to heal the myriad scrapes and cuts in her flesh. Of the two, Kagome-chan, so to speak, was the worse for wear with her clothing torn in several spots. Rin crept closer to the edge of the bed and, without thinking, Sesshomaru picked his ward up, comparing the two children. Rin was what in human years? Five, six? Whatever her age, Rin was bigger in size in comparison to the diminutive Kagome in his arms.
"Princess Momiji, where did they come from?" Miroku asked, his face pale. He had moved closer to Taomaru to examine the smaller Inu Yasha. The monk took the child and Taomaru took Kagome from Sesshomaru, looking the battered little girl over while making tsking noises. Sango took the hanyou child next, cradling the child as Shippo looked him over from his seat on her shoulder.
"Halfway here, actually. They looked like this when I found them."
"He looks so small." Shippo said quietly, gently pushing some hair out of the small Inu Yasha's face. Kouga peered at both the child hanyou and the now rousing teenage hanyou. The kitsune was right; the child looked so small, so helpless, so vulnerable sleeping in the exterminator's arms that it was hard to believe the kid was related to Inu Yasha.
Sesshomaru set Rin down and the little girl moved to the teenage Kagome's side. The Demon Lord wordlessly took his child brother from Sango and held him, absently tracing a finger over Inu Yasha's stripes. Sesshomaru racked his brains for an approximation of the child's age and for the first time came up blank. The child roused, gripping the finger that touched him.
Tired gold eyes opened slowly and blinked up at Sesshomaru. "Oniichan." The child Inu Yasha said, letting go of his elder brother's finger and letting his hand fall back to hang over Sesshomaru's arm. For the first time the Demon Lord noticed Inu Yasha's clothing, the decorative kimono the child wore with his father's emblem on the sleeves. The cloth was soft, a far cry from the scratchy material of the yukata the hanyou would don later in life. Doing the math, Sesshou approximated that the child Inu Yasha was three or four years of age.
"Oniichan, is Kago-chan okay?" The hanyou child asked, his eyes closing. The pale youkai frowned; he was going back to sleep again and Sesshomaru needed answers first.
"Yes," Sesshomaru said quietly, remembering how sensitive Inu Yasha's ears could be at close range. It was something Sesshomaru had dismissed in his youth since his baby brother had been a hanyou; after all, there was no way the hanyou's hearing could have been more sensitive than his youkai brother's. But… Inu Yasha had stripes on his cheek-and a tail if that was what Sesshomaru was feeling against his skin- and distantly, a part of Sesshomaru was not surprised, knowing that it had been after the stripes and tail had disappeared that Sesshomaru had ever paid any attention to his younger brother. Actually, now that the Demon Lord thought about it, that had been around the same time their father had had his fangs made into the two swords, Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga.
Since then, Inu Yasha's stripes appeared only when he turned demon- when he had been in a life and death battle and separated from his sword. The sword sealed in his eye! Sesshomaru's mind clicked, all the pieces falling into place. A tug on his shirt made him pay attention to the child in his arms and temporarily derail his train of thought.
"No, is she okay?" the child Inu Yasha persisted, his hand pulling on Sesshomaru's sleeping robe. Little Inu Yasha was obviously tired but was still waiting for a definitive answer from his big brother.
"She's alright, Inu-chan. A healer is seeing to her." Sesshomaru's eyes flicked to Taomaru on the bed and to the little Kagome cradled in his arms.
"Good," Inu-chan muttered, laying passive in his big brother's arms again. "Sesshou, you have to get her."
"Get who?" The Demon Lord felt a chill down his back that had nothing to do with the cold floor under his feet.
"A lady, a big lady in miko robes. Long dark hair and pale." Inu Yasha's eyes opened widely for a moment, conveying the urgency and alarm the little hanyou felt. "She smells of death and grave dirt." The child's voice squeaked a bit, his wide eyes openly frightened. "She saw us and she, she hurt Kago-chan and I tried to stop her but I couldn't! She kept hurting Kago-chan! We ran away…" Inu-chan lay back against his brother's arms, confident that Sesshomaru would deal with the problem since he was so strong.
"Is he alright?" Momiji asked in alarm, eyeing the child.
"He's asleep." Sesshomaru murmured, looking down at his diminutive brother. Truth be told, Sesshomaru sometimes missed the close relationship he had once had with his younger brother, hanyou or not. It was only after the question of the swords had appeared that their relationship had dwindled- the swords and a possible threat to their lives from inside the castle. Sesshomaru shifted Inu-chan's position, letting the little body rest against his shoulder, just as the Demon Lord had allowed the youngster to do so long ago, and scratched the furry dog ears that sat atop Inu-chan's head.
This suddenly affectionate behavior stunned almost everyone present, most of all the teenage Inu Yasha. Kouga also watched the Demon Lord with interest- what Taomaru had said was true about Sesshomaru and Inu Yasha's strange relationship; the fight over Kagome would not be as easy as he had thought. There was a peaceful silence as everyone studied the new problems presented; the two children and the reforming Shikon Jewel. After a few minutes, Sango, Shippo and Miroku slid off the bed, moving toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Kouga asked, watching Kagome's two dogs follow after them. The pack of wolves in turn following the two dogs and making quite a parade
"The woman…Inu-chan… described is Kikyo. If she's upstairs and causing trouble, she has to be stopped or we won't have to worry about the Dark Army." Sango explained, jogging out the door to go fetch her boomerang.
"If it's Kikyo, I'm coming too." Inu Yasha said, sliding off the bed and looking determined. If it was a fight involving her, he had to be there to help- though he didn't know which side he was truly on. His heart hurt at the thought of having to harm his ladylove, the one who had died to follow him when all thought he was dead. It didn't matter that the dead miko was full of hate toward him, constantly trying to kill the hanyou and his companions. It had to be a misunderstanding! If he could only talk to her, only get her to listen, he knew he'd be able to make her see the error of her ways. He would simply have to keep her from harm until she realized that she was wrong and that meant going with the monk and exterminator to sabotage their efforts.
Taomaru looked at the human boy. "I think it would be best if you stayed here until you're back to normal." The elder youkai said thoughtfully, his eye pure bronze.
Human Inu Yasha shook his head. "Kikyo is my responsibility. I'm going." Sango, Miroku and Shippo looked at each other and then at the human hanyou in concern.
"Inu Yasha, it would be best if you remained with Lady Kagome." Miroku said seriously, tapping his staff on the floor and making it chime.
"We've handled her before." Sango said, slinging her huge weapon on her back. Shippo jumped onto her shoulder.
"Besides," the little kitsune said bluntly. "You'd only try to stop us." And with that, they left the room.
Frowning, Inu Yasha moved forward. There was no way they would leave him behind! He had to follow them, had to make sure he could talk to Kikyo and make her understand. He had a loyalty to the woman, to the shell of his former love and he, by God, would see it through. Inu Yasha slid off the bed and determinedly strode by Sesshomaru. He didn't make it very far before what was left of Sesshomaru's tail wrapped around his brother's feet and pulled him into the air.
"Hey!" human Inu Yasha yelled, kicking uselessly and trying to untie the furry length around his ankles. "Damn it! Let me go! I have to go talk to Kikyo!" It did not escape anyone that he had said 'talk to' instead of 'stop.'
Sesshomaru continued to dangle his brother a few seconds more before flinging the human into the bed again. "Stay there." Was all the youkai said as he continued to scratch behind Inu-chan's ears. The human hanyou rose defiantly and jumped off the mattress. With a sigh that startled the human momentarily, Taomaru decked his nephew and let the human fall to the floor.
"Like this he's less of a bother." Taomaru explained. "Until we get him back to normal, we cannot allow him to leave no matter what the cause." While looking at the unconscious hanyou and battered children, the forming jewel disappeared, shards and all, until the light they cast winked out. It was several seconds before Taomaru and Sesshomaru noticed the absence, absorbed with looking out for their strange new charges. They ignored the ghost woman still standing in the room, assuming that she had left with the others. But Momiji, once great princess of this castle, watched the shards vanish as it had happened. She looked at Kagome, nodded to herself, and disappeared from the room as well.
Notes: Well, what was that all about? Child versions of Kagome and Inu Yasha start appearing, Momiji finally gets more of a personality, a moment of insight into the relationship between Sesshou and Inu Yasha. ::scratches her head:: damn, where is all this going? You'll just have to keep reading to find out. For those that are interested, there will be a bit more behind why Sesshou and Inu went their separate ways and just what's been happening with Kikyo though that'll come in later- and believe me, you won't believe who else shows up!
Um, I'm sorry this chapter was so late. I didn't get a chance to edit Monday or Tuesday so I couldn't post, then when I was going to on Wednesday, FFN was down to commemorate 9/11 (which was thoughtful, I think) so I was going to post Thursday. Thursday rolls around… and FFN is still showing the flag… even though it was supposed to be up and running. ::annoyed:: And then Friday- Sunday I worked so I couldn't post so Now it's Monday and hopefully FFN will be up!