Author's Note: *This* means italics.
"I don't believe that sleazy monk," spat Sango irritably as she watched Miroku eat some of his rice. "Asking a demon! An assassin demon! He has some nerve. He's lucky he didn't get his head ripped off. Baka." She attacked her own bowl as if it were Miroku's head instead.
Shippo sat on Kagome's knee and played with Myoga. "You have to admit, he must be desperate," he said, while seeing how many times the flea could be squished before he fainted. So far it was up to ten times.
Inu-Yasha sat with his back to the group, silent and thinking. He gripped the Tetsusaiga as if Nekoiya would appear and rip it from his grasp any minute now. He badly wanted the shards to become a full demon, but he also wanted the sword to fight off enemies. What did a full-demon want with a sword that wouldn't work in her hand? That made him think. If -- *when* he became a full demon himself, he wouldn't be able to use the Tetsusaiga either. But was it worth four shards?
Kagome crept up to him, leaving Shippo to lean on Kirara instead. "What'cha thinking about?" she asked softly.
"Should I really do it?" he said, as if to the air.
"It's your choice," said Kagome helplessly. "It's your sword and your jewel. The only stakes here are yours. How badly do you want the jewel? How badly do you want the sword?"
He looked at his claws. "I got along pretty well without it, but it *has* helped. . ." He paused, unwilling to admit that the sword had been damned useful. Shrugging off that thought, he added, "I wonder what she wants with it, anyway. Full demons can't use it."
***********************
"I can't believe that sleazy monk," spat Nekoiya to a shadow in front of her. "Did you hear him? Asking me if I wanted to bear his child. He has some nerve. Asking a demon! As if I would want to be the mother of a halfbreed. Baka. He's lucky I didn't jut take his head off." She sharpened her claws viciously on a stone.
The shadow detached itself from the wall and came closer, revealing a short, toady-looking demon with a tall staff adorned with two heads. "The lord would be pleased if you killed them, but getting the sword would be fine anyway." He looked curiously at her. "How do you plan on holding it? It scorched my lord's own hand, and it was my lrod' own father who created it."
Nekoiya grinned a feral grin and reached into a cloth sling next to her, pulling out a pair of gloves. Jaken stared, fascinated. "What are those, my lady?"
"Special gloves," she replied. "They were created from the Stone Demon's own hide, and make my hands as invincible as his skin. Only Sesshomaru- sama's pride would be hurt, going into battle with protection from his own weapon, right? You know him better than most."
Jaken sighed as he picked up one of the gloves, only to have it snatched from his grasp. "Yes, he would. That, and the Demon Fever has really gotten to him. He's started having hallucinations. Tsume is up all night keeping him quiet."
"Tsume?" Nekoiya sat stiff, her back as straight as the Staff of Heads. "Not. . .not Tsume Hantaa?"
"The very same." The toad looked up. "Do you two know each other?"
Nekoiya hissed between her teeth. "Yes, unfortunately. When did she appear?"
Jaken looked thoughtfully at the ceiling while thinking. "About. . .about a day after you left. My lord was very pleased. Do you two not like each other?"
Nekoiya nearly backhanded the little toad, but remembered that he was Sesshomaru-sama's chief servant (ugh, he could have picked better). "No. Not at all. Tsume was always jealous of me, and instead of trying to outdo me she tried to make me fail. If she's here, then she's up to no good."
"Like you?"
"Shut up!" Now she hit him. "She's going to upstage me. She's going to take the Tetsusaiga to Sesshomaru-sama instead of me!"
********************
Author's Note: Tsume Hantaa means, I think (last time I looked) "Clawed Hunter." And Nekoiya is a combination of Neko and Yasha (Cat Demon for those who don't know Japanese). How do you like the story so far? Please R&R!!!!!!
"I don't believe that sleazy monk," spat Sango irritably as she watched Miroku eat some of his rice. "Asking a demon! An assassin demon! He has some nerve. He's lucky he didn't get his head ripped off. Baka." She attacked her own bowl as if it were Miroku's head instead.
Shippo sat on Kagome's knee and played with Myoga. "You have to admit, he must be desperate," he said, while seeing how many times the flea could be squished before he fainted. So far it was up to ten times.
Inu-Yasha sat with his back to the group, silent and thinking. He gripped the Tetsusaiga as if Nekoiya would appear and rip it from his grasp any minute now. He badly wanted the shards to become a full demon, but he also wanted the sword to fight off enemies. What did a full-demon want with a sword that wouldn't work in her hand? That made him think. If -- *when* he became a full demon himself, he wouldn't be able to use the Tetsusaiga either. But was it worth four shards?
Kagome crept up to him, leaving Shippo to lean on Kirara instead. "What'cha thinking about?" she asked softly.
"Should I really do it?" he said, as if to the air.
"It's your choice," said Kagome helplessly. "It's your sword and your jewel. The only stakes here are yours. How badly do you want the jewel? How badly do you want the sword?"
He looked at his claws. "I got along pretty well without it, but it *has* helped. . ." He paused, unwilling to admit that the sword had been damned useful. Shrugging off that thought, he added, "I wonder what she wants with it, anyway. Full demons can't use it."
***********************
"I can't believe that sleazy monk," spat Nekoiya to a shadow in front of her. "Did you hear him? Asking me if I wanted to bear his child. He has some nerve. Asking a demon! As if I would want to be the mother of a halfbreed. Baka. He's lucky I didn't jut take his head off." She sharpened her claws viciously on a stone.
The shadow detached itself from the wall and came closer, revealing a short, toady-looking demon with a tall staff adorned with two heads. "The lord would be pleased if you killed them, but getting the sword would be fine anyway." He looked curiously at her. "How do you plan on holding it? It scorched my lord's own hand, and it was my lrod' own father who created it."
Nekoiya grinned a feral grin and reached into a cloth sling next to her, pulling out a pair of gloves. Jaken stared, fascinated. "What are those, my lady?"
"Special gloves," she replied. "They were created from the Stone Demon's own hide, and make my hands as invincible as his skin. Only Sesshomaru- sama's pride would be hurt, going into battle with protection from his own weapon, right? You know him better than most."
Jaken sighed as he picked up one of the gloves, only to have it snatched from his grasp. "Yes, he would. That, and the Demon Fever has really gotten to him. He's started having hallucinations. Tsume is up all night keeping him quiet."
"Tsume?" Nekoiya sat stiff, her back as straight as the Staff of Heads. "Not. . .not Tsume Hantaa?"
"The very same." The toad looked up. "Do you two know each other?"
Nekoiya hissed between her teeth. "Yes, unfortunately. When did she appear?"
Jaken looked thoughtfully at the ceiling while thinking. "About. . .about a day after you left. My lord was very pleased. Do you two not like each other?"
Nekoiya nearly backhanded the little toad, but remembered that he was Sesshomaru-sama's chief servant (ugh, he could have picked better). "No. Not at all. Tsume was always jealous of me, and instead of trying to outdo me she tried to make me fail. If she's here, then she's up to no good."
"Like you?"
"Shut up!" Now she hit him. "She's going to upstage me. She's going to take the Tetsusaiga to Sesshomaru-sama instead of me!"
********************
Author's Note: Tsume Hantaa means, I think (last time I looked) "Clawed Hunter." And Nekoiya is a combination of Neko and Yasha (Cat Demon for those who don't know Japanese). How do you like the story so far? Please R&R!!!!!!