Landlady: I'm sorry that it took me so long to get this out. I really tried to finish this over the weekend, but I just had too much other stuff to do. Unfortunately, it looks like chapter six is going to be delayed as well. =( On the other hand, I broke a hundred reviews!!!!!!!!!!!!! *glomps reviewers* Thank you all so much!! All of your comments were really encouraging as I struggled through this chapter.
Sesshy: *still looking for a window* Any more of this and I'm going to gag.
LL: *petting Sesshy absently* That's nice sweetie. You know, something just occurred to me…
B0b: You're an idiot?
Sesshy: Keeping me here against my will is illegal?
LL: *whapping B0b* No, I just realized that I haven't seen J0rge in a while. Maybe that's why I had so much trouble writing this, cause my muse was missing!
B0b: But, I'm your muse too.
LL: You're a lazy bum … All right, what did you do with J0rge!! *looms over B0b with scary flames rising behind her*
B0b: *shrinking back* Umm, I think I left, err, I saw him in the junkyard … maybe. *shrieks like a little girl when LL picks him up and hurls him in the direction of the junkyard*
LL: BRING HIM BACK!!!
Disclaimer: Sesshy and the others aren't mine. *pouts*
Chapter 5: The City of Lost Souls
Sesshoumaru opened his eyes with a start. The soft moonlight filtered down to lay a sliver blanket over the surrounding area. A comforting silence, broken only by the lullabies of crickets and rustling of small animals, provided a pillow.
A light breeze puffed through the clearing, making the demon shiver. About to sit up, he realized that one side of him was warm. Looking down, he saw that the baby whom he had resurrected was nestled into his side. He slid a hand under the baby's head to steady her while he sat up. Looking around for something to wrap around her, he realized that the reason he was so cold was that both his uwagi were missing. His shattered armor was sitting off to the side with Kagome's bag and his swords. The girl wasn't in the immediate vicinity, but he could smell her a little way off.
Setting the child down, he started to rise when a sharp tug at his scalp stopped him. He looked down at the baby, who, without his realizing it, had grabbed a fistful of his silver hair and wasn't about to let go. Normally, he would have just removed the child, but Kagome would kill him if he did any harm to her. With a sigh, he picked up the child and strode in the direction of Kagome's scent.
She was sitting by a small pond, stripped to the waist save for an odd piece of cloth across her breasts. In her hands were his over uwagi and a white block of soap, she was scrubbing the blood out of the cloth. Her shirt was hanging from a nearby branch, drying; his under uwagi was on the ground next to her, along with her glaive. She half waved at him as soon as he neared and resumed her work.
Sesshoumaru walked forward and held out the baby, who was still firmly attached to his hair. "Could you help me out here?" he asked mildly. Kagome took one look and doubled over in silent laughter. "I'm glad you find this amusing."
"Sorry," the girl wheezed, flapping her hand helplessly as she tried to stop laughing. "Hold on." She stood up, setting the uwagi and soap down and rinsing off her hands. Coming over to them, she carefully pried the baby's fingers off of his hair. "Damn, this kid's got a death grip."
"I noticed."
Kagome smirked as she freed the demon from the grip of doom and took the baby from him. Looking up, her blue eyes met his golden ones. The demon heard her sharp intake of breath and, this close, he could hear her heart rate speed up.
He could smell her desire.
And then her head dipped down for an instant; when she met his eyes again, she flashed him an overly cheerful smile before backing off to a more appropriate distance to bounce the baby.
"So umm, are you feeling better?" Sesshoumaru looked down at his bare chest at the question, realizing that he felt no pain. From the damage done to his armor, he should have some wounds, but the only indication that he had been injured in his fight with the shadow demon was a scratch across his chest. "That one wouldn't heal all the way," Kagome informed him when he ran his fingers over the wound.
The demon looked up at her. Kagome was watching him through her lashes while she held the child. "You healed me?" he asked. She nodded demurely, and Sesshoumaru inspected his wounds again. Normally, he didn't like to have his wounds healed through magic, he healed just fine on his own in a day or so anyway. But her magic was so thorough that not even a faint scar was left.
"You fell asleep, and I was going to see if I could stop the bleeding, but…" she waved her free hand at his chest, indicating his healed wounds. Sesshoumaru nodded. After Kagome's display earlier with the shadow demon, he wasn't inclined to be too surprised by anything else she managed to pull off.
"Can you watch her for just a little longer?" Kagome's question broke into the demon's thoughts. He looked to her and the baby she was indicating. "I have to finish the laundry." He didn't bother to dignify that with a reply, merely flicking his hair back with his hand. Kagome chuckled, and bent down to grab something from the pile of dirty clothes. "Here," she shoved the baby at him, and he reluctantly took it. Walking around behind him, the girl tugged his silver hair back into a loose horsetail and tied it with the string she had picked up. "There you go." She patted his shoulder and moved away from him again. Sesshoumaru sighed at his fate, but he couldn't really argue with her; it wasn't like he was about to lower himself to washing his clothes.
Looking up, he realized that Kagome was gone. Just as he was about to go find her, she came back, carrying the stuff that they had left. She dumped it by him silently before returning to her task.
Sesshoumaru sat down where he had been standing with a sigh. A comfortable silence descended upon them while he watched the girl, until…
"Hey Sesshoumaru, will you feed the baby? She's hungry."
***
"I don't know Sesshoumaru," Kagome said worriedly, looking back at the village they had just left, "do you think she'll be all right there?"
"She'll be fine," the demon lord assured her, for the fifth time.
"But…"
"You think that you can take care of her better … while hunting shards at the same time?" he asked harshly in order to get his point across.
Kagome winced even as she sighed in defeat, "I suppose you are right. I'm still going to miss her though."
"I won't." The demon lord informed her as he turned away from the village to continue on their journey.
"Jerk," Kagome muttered just loud enough to make sure that the demon heard her. Sesshoumaru was joking of course; at least, she thought he was. Kagome shrugged nonchalantly as she trotted to catch up with him, noticing that he slowed ever so slightly to make it easier. When they were side by side, the girl turned to her youkai companion, "You'd make a terrible father, you know."
He stared at her with an unintelligible expression on his face for a moment before smirking. "It's a family tradition," he said as he looked away and increased his pace.
Kagome stopped suddenly as the full weight of his words sunk in. Following behind his rapidly retreating figure, the girl was left to wonder exactly what kind of family life the demon lord had had.
***
Sesshoumaru watched the girl from the corner of his eye as they walked. Something was wrong with her; normally she had no trouble keeping up with him, but today, she seemed to have trouble just putting one foot in front of the other. She wasn't complaining however, and he didn't think she would appreciate it if he brought the subject up.
When he caught the metallic tinge of blood lingering around her, he was forced to stop. Kagome ran into him before realizing that he had halted.
"Sesshy?" she slurred, rubbing her eyes, "Is it time to stop already?" He didn't reply but tugged at the material of the jacket she had donned when the weather began to get cold. Her shoulder where the shadow demon had hit her was a bloody mess as if she hadn't even bothered to attend to it. The girl looked down at the wound and made a face, "Eww."
Sesshoumaru sighed and pushed her into a sitting position, digging into her bag for something to clean her shoulder with. "What were you thinking?" he hissed.
Kagome frowned. "I cleaned it! But then you passed out, and I got busy," she yawned, "I guess I forgot."
"You are an idiot," Sesshoumaru informed her. His mind raced; she was feverish and about to pass out. Even with his limited knowledge of human physiology, he knew that she would be in danger if her fever weren't brought down soon. Meducnoh wasn't too far away … but did he really want to bring her there?
She slumped forward to rest against him, fast asleep. Shit. He had no choice now; Kagome needed help, soon. He wrapped his arm around her and stood, rising into the air, the sense of urgency increasing when she didn't even stir.
It took him a little less than half an hour to arrive at the city. He landed far enough away that he couldn't be seen by the guards at the front gate and surveyed the city. To anyone but a demon, it would seem that he was looking at an empty field.
Meducnoh, the City of Lost Souls … I hate this place.
***
"Wake up!" The fear in the voice that called out to her struck Kagome as odd. It sounded like Sesshoumaru, but he wasn't the type to betray any emotion, much less fear. "Kagome!"
She opened her eyes to golden ones full of worry, and for one ludicrous moment, the thought that Inu-Yasha was holding her passed though her mind. It was immediately replaced by an influx of images of the hanyou and Kikyo together. She pushed herself away enough to see the crescent moon and red stripes that confirmed that it was indeed Sesshoumaru who had been calling her.
The expression on his face immediately smoothed out to an indifferent one. "We're here."
Kagome struggled to stand, only to find out – to her embarrassment – that she was too weak. The demon lord dragged her up by her uninjured arm. "Try to walk," he told her, "It's not far." The girl gasped, with the demon's hand on her arm, what had appeared to be an empty field now held a huge walled city. She nodded to Sesshoumaru and took her glaive from him to steady herself as they set off on the path that led to the front gate. Now that she knew the city was there, her innate priestess skills showed her the truth through the illusion spell.
"What is this place?" Kagome couldn't help asking.
"Meducnoh."
"The City of Lost Souls," Kagome translated to herself. "It's a demon city."
Sesshoumaru nodded. "Now shut up. It's going to be hard enough to get you in, so just follow my lead." Kagome nodded, her hand tightening around her glaive.
"Greetings wanderer," one of the gate guards called out from the ramparts. "State your business in Meducnoh."
The demon lord's golden eyes narrowed at the guard's insolent tone. "My business is my own; open the gates and let us pass." Kagome looked on in amazement as Sesshoumaru visibly changed from the amiable (well, sorta) companion she'd been traveling with to the cold, arrogant Lord of the Western Lands that she had first met.
Another demon joined the guard on the ramparts. He took one look at Sesshoumaru and began a heated discussion with the guard that Kagome couldn't make out. From her companion's smirk, however, he could probably hear every word. Finally, the new demon knocked the original guard upside the head hard enough to make him stagger and turned to the demon lord.
"Sesshoumaru-sama," he said solemnly, "It is an honor to have you visit our humble town. If you'll please wait a moment, I will open the gate for you." He disappeared at Sesshoumaru's nod, dragging the other guard with him. Sure enough, in a few moments, the massive gate began to open. What looked to be the entire city guard was waiting just inside to greet them. As one, they bowed when the two shard hunters entered the city.
The demon that had greeted Sesshoumaru by name was waiting for them when they entered the city proper. His gaze fell to Kagome and his eyes widened.
"I was not aware that your choice of companion had turned to humans," he said.
The demon lord looked back at Kagome, who was rapidly losing her strength. "She's a rei-youkai," he said brusquely.
"She's bleeding," the other demon replied, watching Kagome as well.
Despite her weariness, Kagome was getting increasingly irritated at the way that the demon was talking about her, as if she wasn't even there. Or worse, as if she was a pet who couldn't understand what they were saying.
"Hey! I'm not deaf you know!" she blurted out before remembering what Sesshoumaru had said earlier. Her mouth snapped shut instantly.
The demon's mouth dropped open before he managed to regain his composure. "Rei-youkai or no, that is no way to talk to the Lord of the Western Lands."
Sesshoumaru chuckled. "It's quite all right, Captain," he told the demon, placing a hand on Kagome's shoulder and leading her away, leaving the captain to wonder what the hell was going on. He wasn't the only one; Kagome was thoroughly confused.
***
She waited until they had secured a room at the inn and until the innkeeper had left them to their own devices. It had been hard to get the woman to leave, but she had finally convinced them that the 'great lord' didn't need anything. Fortunately, she had also avoided letting Sesshoumaru get his claws on her; he probably would have killed her. The demon lord was still a little angry, but Kagome wasn't about to wait any longer.
She turned to Sesshoumaru, hands on hips, to demand an explanation. Well, that was her intention anyway. Instead, the sudden movement landed her halfway to the floor before the demon lord caught her. He frowned at her, "I'll call for a healer." Walking over to the bed, he gently set her down.
Before he could turn away, she caught his arm. "No, it's all right. I think I just over extended myself." The demon nodded reluctantly, and sat down by the bed. Before Kagome could say anything, he began to push her shirt off her shoulder. "W-What are you doing?" she asked, pushing his hands away.
He looked at her as if she was nuts. "Checking your wound."
"Oh." Kagome blushed, lowering her hands, and stripping her shoulder so that he could look at it. The flush refused to leave her cheeks the entire time that the demon lord was cleaning and bandaging her shoulder. He was warm…
Furious, Kagome shook the disturbing thoughts from her mind before they went too far. Desperate, she blurted out her earlier question, "What did you mean by soul demon anyway?"
He sat back once he finished tying her bandage. "Sometimes," he explained, "Demon souls are reincarnated by accident into human bodies. These humans often have powers of a demon. It's rare to find them, but most youkai recognize them as true demons."
Kagome frowned, mulling over what he had said. "So you think I'm one of these rei-youkai?"
"No. But I couldn't very well have told them that you were a priestess. Calling you a soul demon will explain your abilities."
Kagome shrugged and yawned, "Works for me."
Sesshoumaru watched her with an odd expression in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. Finally he rose, "Get some sleep."
Kagome yawned again, but one thing was bothering her. "Sesshoumaru? Why was that captain guy looking at me strangely earlier, when I yelled at him?"
The demon lord chuckled again. "It's nothing. Although, I should have guessed that since you could read our language, you'd be able to speak it too."
***
Kagome woke up several hours later feeling much better then she had before. Half-expecting a sarcastic comment from Sesshoumaru, she was surprised when only silence met her wide yawn. Sitting up, she looked around to be greeted by an empty room.
"Hmm, that's odd," she said to no one in particular as she slid out of the futon, wishing that she had the height difference of a modern bed to help her out. Once she managed to stand, Kagome looked around once more. A flash of purple caught her eye; it was an elegant kimono, complete with an obi, along with a note in Sesshoumaru's precise hand.
She picked up the note, recognizing the odd kanji of the dog-demon language. She didn't get halfway through the message before a bath was mentioned. Grabbing the clothes, she followed the directions to the bathhouse without a second thought.
It wasn't until an hour later that she finished reading the note and found out that Sesshoumaru had gone to meet with the leaders of the city. Figuring he was back by now, she dressed in the clothes that had been left for her: lavender under kimono, the darker purple one and a sea green obi. Twisting a little, she wished that she had mirror.
Halfway to their room, she found the demon lord being accosted by the innkeeper. Stifling a laugh, she went to his rescue before he killed the woman. With a few choice words, she had sent the woman away to bring them something to eat. Sesshoumaru remained silent throughout the exchange.
Kagome turned to him, hands on her hips playfully. "You're welcome Sesshoumaru."
He blinked.
The girl leaned toward him and whispered, "I saved you from the innkeeper from hell, the least you could do is a 'thank you'." When he didn't say anything right away, she sighed exaggeratedly and turned towards their room.
"Thank you."
It was Kagome's turn to blink. In fact, she nearly passed out; it wasn't like she had actually expecting him to thank her. She wouldn't have expected thanks from anyone actually. It was only a joke. She turned back and put a hand to his forehead, "Are you feeling all right?"
He growled and pulled away. Kagome started to laugh, until she saw where he was looking. He was staring at her! Staring in a way that would have been more appropriate had she been with Miroku. Nervous, she waved a hand in front of his face and lightly rapped on his skull. "Hello? Anyone in there?"
Sesshoumaru blinked again and shook his head. With a growl, he pushed past her and entered their room. Wondering what had just happened, Kagome followed wordlessly.
***
The demon lord cursed silently to himself as he heard the girl slide the door shut behind her. When he had asked a maid to bring some clothes for Kagome, he hadn't expected something that was fit for a Lady. And he certainly hadn't expected Kagome to look so beautiful in it. It was as if she had been transformed from the feisty vixen that blew away demons to a lady that belonged in court.
He had been caught off guard, that was all. It wouldn't happen again.
***
Kagome yawned. "I'm stuffed," she announced.
Sesshoumaru looked up from a scroll he was reading. "I wonder why. You keep eating like that and you are going to turn into a pig."
"Hey! I'm not that bad! Have you ever seen your brother eat?" Kagome replied indignantly.
"Half-brother," the demon corrected absently, "And yes, I have been unfortunate enough to witness Inu-Yasha's dining habits." Kagome giggled before another yawn cut her off. "Go to sleep," Sesshoumaru said.
Kagome slipped behind the screen to change into a sleeping kimono. "Are you going to stay up?" she asked as she emerged folding her clothes carefully.
Sesshoumaru glanced up at her for an instant before quickly turning back to his reading. "There's no need."
"But there's only one bed," Kagome reminded him uncertainly. Anger flared through the demon lord's veins at her implication, and a sudden resolve filled his mind. He was going to conquer this strange feeling that plagued him every time he looked at his human companion.
He scowled at her. "And it's big enough for both of us. Don't worry, I won't touch you."
Kagome blushed and climbed into bed, scooting over to the far side. "Ok. Well, umm… good night." She closed her eyes as the demon lord slipped in beside her, staying well on his side of the bed. Willing all thoughts out of his mind, the demon lord forced himself to sleep.
***
The demon lord woke up completely content for the first time in as long as he could remember. Then, he actually realized what position he was in.
Kagome was curled up beside him, her back pressed firmly to his chest. His arms were around her waist and his tail was wrapped around them both. Fortunately, Kagome was still asleep. For a moment, he nearly panicked, until he remembered how he had landed himself in this position.
Immersed in a bad dream, she had woken him with her flailing. When he had touched her she quieted, but the second he had drawn back, she started whimpering again. In order to get some sleep, he had curled up with her. Truthfully – not that he would ever admit it to anyone – he had slept a lot better the rest of the night.
The odd thing was, he felt completely comfortable with his position. There was nothing sexual about it, but rather, it just felt right holding Kagome. Startled at the realization, Sesshoumaru lifted himself up just enough to watch the girl sleep. She didn't stir, confirming that she was just as content as he was.
Lying back down, the demon nuzzled her hair, enjoying the soft scent that was Kagome. She smelled nice, soothing, a combination of lavender and the sharp tinge that he associated with magical power. Reluctantly, the demon lord admitted that he could stay in this moment forever.
Kagome stirred then, snuggling into his warmth, and whispered, "Inu-Yasha…" For just an instant, the only thought that occupied the demon lord's mind was finding his half-brother and ripping him to pieces.
Luckily, he regained his better sense quickly. Pushing away from the girl's grasp with ease, he berated himself for being such a fool. It was obvious that Kagome was still fixated on that hanyou, despite whatever Inu-Yasha had done to her.
Sesshoumaru growled to himself. It didn't matter anyway. After all, the only thing that this girl was good for was getting him the sword.
***
Kagome woke with a start, feeling that something was missing. Without moving, she reached around behind her and patted the bed, looking for whatever was missing. As soon as she'd done so, the girl wondered why she expected that there would be something there.
Yawning, she sat up completely. It wasn't like she could go back to sleep now, especially after that weird dream she'd had about Inu-Yasha. He had left her for Kikyo – again – and then come back to pretend to comfort her while the others had a laugh at her expense. The weird part was, Sesshoumaru had come to her rescue. He had been about mangle Inu-Yasha when she woke up.
Urg, she thought groggily as she forced herself out of bed, no more midnight snacks for me.
"Get dressed," a rather testy demon lord told her from the doorway, "We have a meeting with Kuvick."
Kagome stumbled over to the table where she'd left the kimono from yesterday and then stumbled behind the screen and dressed without a word. Inside, she was wondering what was wrong with Sesshoumaru, but long experience with Inu-Yasha had taught her not to ask. She came out still fumbling with her obi strings.
The demon lord thrust a cup of juice at her and tied her obi while she gulped it. When she tried to grab her glaive, he stopped her, instead handing her a slim stiletto that she hid under her obi.
"Who are we meeting again?" Kagome asked, rubbing the last bit of sleep from her eyes.
"Kuvick," Sesshoumaru replied. The tension in his voice as he said the name did not escape Kagome. "He's the lord here. He wants to see you."
"Joy. Any particular reason why?"
"Rei-youkai are rare. The last one identified was three hundred years ago."
Kagome gulped. "I'm not going to have to do anything, umm, rei-youkaiish, am I?"
Sesshoumaru looked down at her and grinned, baring his fangs. "Hopefully not. But if you do … that's why I gave you the dagger."
***
The difference between Sesshoumaru and this Kuvick became obvious the moment they entered the castle at the center of the city. Where the dog-demon's castle was simple and functional, this one was ornate. Even the guards' weapons looked more ornamental than functional. Kagome was beginning to see why Sesshoumaru obviously wasn't fond of this demon.
Clenching her fists at her sides to keep from twitching, Kagome reviewed everything that Sesshoumaru had told her. Don't say anything unless directly asked a question. Be polite at all times. Don't stare. Don't fidget. Don't look bored. Follow Sesshoumaru's lead. She would have been resentful at all these orders, except that she had a feeling that he life depended on obeying them.
They were led through the castle to the main audience chamber, which was surprisingly devoid of pompous lords. It was however, full of plenty of fawning retainers of Kuvick, who were all extremely interested in Kagome.
Kuvick had been 'delayed', they soon found out from a retainer who seemed extremely fascinated by every bit of Kagome's anatomy. Finally, figuring that she didn't have to put up with sexual harassment, she slapped him away when he tried to caress her butt. Sesshoumaru merely looked at the demon when he started to tell Kagome off, and everyone got the hint after that.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" a husky voice cut into the background conversation, halting it all together. The ranks parted to reveal the speaker, a beautiful female demon. Her kimono was slipping off a creamy shoulder, revealing the curve of a breast. Her hair was blacker than night and she had a blue stripe across each cheek.
Sesshoumaru stiffened beside Kagome. When the girl looked up at him, she read the signs instantly from long practice. The demon lord was not happy to be in this situation. In fact, she would bet that he would do almost anything to get out of it.
A plan flashed through Kagome's mind, and she nearly grinned, though she managed to suppress the urge. With a glare at the demon woman, she slipped an arm around Sesshoumaru's waist and leaned into him. Ignoring his slightly surprised look, she smiled possessively at the woman's spluttering. "Who's your friend, Sesshy-chan?" she asked with almost a purr. She felt the demon lord's arm tighten as he caught on.
"Melira of the Northern Provinces," he answered her, then turned to the now furious demon. "Melira, this is Kagome, the rei-youkai." Seething the woman bowed slightly before turning on one heel and stalking away. With a barely contained smirk, Kagome bowed back at the retreating figure.
At that moment, the herald entered to announce that Kuvick had arrived. Sesshoumaru released Kagome, but not before he whispered in her ear, "You didn't have to do that you know."
"I know," Kagome replied in the same manner, "But it was fun."
***
Kuvick looked her over, asked a few questions to which she answered as Sesshoumaru had instructed her, and poked and prodded. Knowing that she wouldn't get away with slapping the lord of the city, Kagome gritted her teeth and stuck it out. Sesshoumaru made sure that Kuvick didn't feel her up, for which she was grateful.
Finally, Kuvick announced that he would like to see her fight. Sesshoumaru flatly refused, saying that he would not allow her to shed blood in Kuvick's home. The lord laughed loudly at that, but decided that it would be better to let them go rather than press the issue, probably because he feared Sesshoumaru's wrath, which was quickly becoming more tangible.
As soon as they were dismissed, Sesshoumaru grabbed Kagome's wrist and proceeded to drag her out of the castle. She didn't resist. They reached the inn faster than it took to get to the castle.
Once they were in their room, Sesshoumaru turned to the girl with a question that had been bothering him. "Why did you do that? With Melira, I mean."
Kagome grinned as she slipped behind the screen to change into her fighting clothes, which had been cleaned. "You should have seen the look on your face," she explained with a laugh. "Who was she anyway, and ex?"
"She has been trying to get into my bed for some time now." The rueful tone in the demon lord's voice made Kagome laugh harder. Sesshoumaru frowned.
Kagome came out, folding the kimono. When she got to the demon lord, she patted him on the shoulder in sympathy. "Believe me, I know exactly how you feel." Thoughts of Hojo passed through her mind and she grimaced.
"You realize they think we're mates now?"
"What are you worried about? They think I'm a soul-demon, and you said that they would accept me as a real demon. So your precious reputation is fine."
"I said most demons, not all," Sesshoumaru shot back, even as he wondered why they were having such a strange conversation. It wasn't like he really cared what those idiots in the castle thought.
"Do you?"
The demon lord blinked. "Yes."
"Then there's no problem, is there?" Kagome finished proudly.
"If you say so," Sesshoumaru said placating. "Now, let's get out of here before Kuvick comes to the same conclusion and decides that you'd make a good mate for him."
Kagome shuddered at the thought. "Not another one."
Uwagi: the kimono style shirt that is worn by samurai.
Next time on 'Promises':
B0b: *gingerly feeling the bumps on his head* Oww! *turns to Sesshy* I told you it would work.
*LL is cooing over J0rge, completely ignoring Sesshy*
LL: Oh you poor thing! Was it traumatizing? *glomps J0rge* Did those nasty rats try to eat you?
Sesshy: *to B0b* How much do I owe you?
B0b: *counting the bumps on his head* Lesse, one … two … three, thirty thousand. *LL bonks B0b randomly* Make that forty thousand.
Sesshy: What! *grumbles as he shells out the cash*
LL: *still glomping J0rge* B0b! You're grounded! No TV for a year!
B0b: But, but … my soaps!
Review responses:
Silver Foxglove: There will be more on what happened to make Kagome hate Inu soon. Thanks for reviewing!
julie: Thank you!
KristinaSessfan: Thanks so much!
Katzztar: Thank you so much!
ashleekyle: Sess/Kag sap is coming, but you'll have to wait a bit! Thank you for reviewing!
P.t: Sorry about that, but I thought that that wasn't that bad of a cliffhanger. Usually I'm worse. *grin* Thanks!
MoonFairy: Hope this answers your question. Thank you!
Eriol's bear: Thanks for the review, and the mental image. Now why didn't I think of that?
cat: Thank you!
Tamysan: *grin* Thanks much!
Talon DragonFriend: Thank you! Where have you seen shadows before? I just made them up because I needed something strong enough to do Sesshy some damage. Thanks again!
misori-chan: O.O Whoa, you're more hyper than me. Way to go! Thanks for the review!
Little Sister: *grin* Yes, angst is good. Here's another chapter for you. Thanks for reviewing!
NaMI: Thank you!
Cacat-angel: Thank you! I wanted to make Sesshy and Kagome friends first so that their relationship could survive all the hell I'm gonna put it through. *evil grin* Now it's your turn to update YAKUZA. Thanks so much for the review!
holly: Thanks so much!
Amanda: Assuming that Kagome has a four week cycle, she was in 'heat' again, and that's why Sesshy was being grumpy. Thank you!
Ishi: Thank you! I'll try not to mangle Miroku and Inu-kun too much. *evil grin*
CX-chan: Kagome's control over the seal is very limited, so she hasn't had the chance to change it yet. Trust me, when she does, Inu will know it. *grin* And I kind of got the impression that Inu-Yasha could use the sword to protect any human, including Miroku and Sango. Sorry if I didn't explain that very well, hopefully it will become clearer in the next few chapters. Thanks for pointing that out!
Akuryu Skadi: Thank you!
jammincat9: Thanks for reviewing!
Anne-twilight: Thanks for the review!
Vegakitty: *gives dog treats to Sesshy* (Sesshy: Oh! They're the bacon flavored kind!) *clutching her chocolate covered bishounen* Yea, I got a present! And a cheerleader! ^__^; Thanks so much!
verdandi: Thank you! *joins in the general grumbling about schoolwork*
lady love: Thank you! Thank you! Hehe, I'm such a sucker for compliments.
lil debbie: It's not really Sesshy being nice, it's his evil, err, good twin! Hehe, just kidding; I just felt like saying that. Anyway, thanks for the review!
Sailor Silver Moon: They're not actually in Sesshy's domain anymore, but I figured that he's a pretty famous guy among the demon people, so that's how Kouga knows him. I'm not planning on having Kouga meet up with Inu and the others, but it's something to think about. Oh, and you can nitpick all you want, it keeps me on my toes. Thanks for the insightful review!
rEbEcCa: The reunion is coming up soon, I promise! Thank you for reviewing!
Gloria Stone: Thanks so much!
Sierra_Falls: Of course I'll email you! Thank you for reviewing!
tikimoof: Mmm, sugar… *runs off to the pantry to raid the Halloween candy leftovers* I'm trying to keep Sesshy in character as best as possible, but it's really darn hard! As for the rest, you'll just have to wait and see; I'll try not to make you wait too long. Thank you for reviewing!
Quimberly: Thank you for the review!
Mysticnight: o.O You don't like Sesshy? Well, we're just going to have to fix that. *rubs hands together deviously* Thanks for reviewing anyway!
DemonBlade: Thank you!!!