Kagome gaped. "-That's- Inu-Yasha?" she asked, her voice incredulous. She
hadn't expected the infamous half-demon Kaede had been explaining about to
appear in her room. Nor had she expected him to look so... human. If it
wasn't for the white hair... and the dog ears... he could be perfectly
human.
The petulant, sulky expression on his face certainly didn't make him seem a powerful demon. In fact, paired with the dog ears, he looked kind of cute, in a childish sort of way. His eyes flashed as he got to his feet, and he didn't look so cute anymore, and she remembered the feel of his hand around her throat. "Don't remember me, Kikyo?" he asked angrily, glaring at her. "I suppose you would want to block that memory."
"I told you, my name is Kagome!" she yelled at him, anger making her momentarily forget the danger. "Ka-go-me!" she enunciated, her eyes daring him to get it wrong again.
"Why have you returned, Inu-Yasha?" Kaede asked, as Inu-Yasha opened his mouth to speak again.
He flashed her a dark look. "Who are you? You're being awfully familiar."
"Don't recognize me?" she queried calmly. "I'm Kaede, Kikyo's younger sister."
The hanyou looked startled, and peered at her, recognition dawning. "How'd you get so old? And how'd she stay so young?"
"Fifty years does tend to age a person," Kaede commented dryly. "Have you lost all track of time in your forest? And she is not Kikyo, as she said. At least, not in memory."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome and Inu-Yasha demanded in unison.
Kaede smiled, and Kagome felt a bite of fear in her heart. "There may be something to the theory of reincarnation after all, wouldn't you say, Inu- Yasha?"
Kagome interrupted before Inu-Yasha could comment. "Reincarnation? No way! I'm only Kagome; don't you tell me that I'm some dead woman reborn! I've got to get home to my family before Sota and Ojii-chan freak out!"
Kaede didn't comment on her outburst, but only glanced at her clenched fists. "What do you hold in your hand, girl?"
She started to tell her angrily that she held nothing, but then remembered the flying object she'd caught. She opened her first to reveal a marble, similar to the one the centipede demon had wanted from her. "Another one of these?" she asked in disgust.
The half-demon was staring at the object in her hand, though, and his hand moved to his throat, seeking something. Not finding it, he turned an evil look on Kagome. "Give me back the Shikon no Tama!"
Kagome blinked, and turned her gaze on the marble. "Huh? This is the -real- Shikon no Tama?" she asked.
"Don't let him have it!" Kaede shouted in warning. With a growl, Inu-Yasha sprang forward. Kagome found herself against the wall again, with an angry demon approaching quickly. "Catch!" Kagome automatically lifted her hand, and found a necklace in her hand. She glanced at Kaede, fear apparent in her eyes. "Put it around his neck, and then you may subdue him!"
"What?!?" Kagome protested, but Inu-Yasha was close now. A smirk split his lips. "A few beads, subdue me? You've gone mad, old woman," he scoffed, and drew close, brandishing his claws.
Kagome swallowed. Those claws removed any doubt she might have had that he was human. Human nails just didn't grow like that. Silently praying, she brought the necklace up and jammed it down over his neck.
Which didn't do a bloody thing, of course. "Now what?!?" she shouted desperately at Kaede, as Inu-Yasha kept approaching.
"Subdue him!"
"Oh, that's a lot of help," she muttered. She cast desperately around for anything to help her. "Uh... uh..." She yelled the first thing that came to her mind, closing her eyes as those claws reached out for her. "Osuwari!"
Startled, she opened her eyes as a crashing sound filled the room, and she looked down to see a flabbergasted Inu-Yasha plastered to the floor. "What the-" he demanded as he sat up, and looked at the girl.
Kaede was trying not to laugh. "The beads, Inu-Yasha," she offered as an explanation. "By the way, you can't take them off," she added as the hanyou started pulling on the necklace.
He glared at the two women, and started for the old priestess. "Why, you..."
"Kagome?"
"Osuwari!"
She couldn't help but giggle at the stream of curse words that filled the little hut.
The petulant, sulky expression on his face certainly didn't make him seem a powerful demon. In fact, paired with the dog ears, he looked kind of cute, in a childish sort of way. His eyes flashed as he got to his feet, and he didn't look so cute anymore, and she remembered the feel of his hand around her throat. "Don't remember me, Kikyo?" he asked angrily, glaring at her. "I suppose you would want to block that memory."
"I told you, my name is Kagome!" she yelled at him, anger making her momentarily forget the danger. "Ka-go-me!" she enunciated, her eyes daring him to get it wrong again.
"Why have you returned, Inu-Yasha?" Kaede asked, as Inu-Yasha opened his mouth to speak again.
He flashed her a dark look. "Who are you? You're being awfully familiar."
"Don't recognize me?" she queried calmly. "I'm Kaede, Kikyo's younger sister."
The hanyou looked startled, and peered at her, recognition dawning. "How'd you get so old? And how'd she stay so young?"
"Fifty years does tend to age a person," Kaede commented dryly. "Have you lost all track of time in your forest? And she is not Kikyo, as she said. At least, not in memory."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome and Inu-Yasha demanded in unison.
Kaede smiled, and Kagome felt a bite of fear in her heart. "There may be something to the theory of reincarnation after all, wouldn't you say, Inu- Yasha?"
Kagome interrupted before Inu-Yasha could comment. "Reincarnation? No way! I'm only Kagome; don't you tell me that I'm some dead woman reborn! I've got to get home to my family before Sota and Ojii-chan freak out!"
Kaede didn't comment on her outburst, but only glanced at her clenched fists. "What do you hold in your hand, girl?"
She started to tell her angrily that she held nothing, but then remembered the flying object she'd caught. She opened her first to reveal a marble, similar to the one the centipede demon had wanted from her. "Another one of these?" she asked in disgust.
The half-demon was staring at the object in her hand, though, and his hand moved to his throat, seeking something. Not finding it, he turned an evil look on Kagome. "Give me back the Shikon no Tama!"
Kagome blinked, and turned her gaze on the marble. "Huh? This is the -real- Shikon no Tama?" she asked.
"Don't let him have it!" Kaede shouted in warning. With a growl, Inu-Yasha sprang forward. Kagome found herself against the wall again, with an angry demon approaching quickly. "Catch!" Kagome automatically lifted her hand, and found a necklace in her hand. She glanced at Kaede, fear apparent in her eyes. "Put it around his neck, and then you may subdue him!"
"What?!?" Kagome protested, but Inu-Yasha was close now. A smirk split his lips. "A few beads, subdue me? You've gone mad, old woman," he scoffed, and drew close, brandishing his claws.
Kagome swallowed. Those claws removed any doubt she might have had that he was human. Human nails just didn't grow like that. Silently praying, she brought the necklace up and jammed it down over his neck.
Which didn't do a bloody thing, of course. "Now what?!?" she shouted desperately at Kaede, as Inu-Yasha kept approaching.
"Subdue him!"
"Oh, that's a lot of help," she muttered. She cast desperately around for anything to help her. "Uh... uh..." She yelled the first thing that came to her mind, closing her eyes as those claws reached out for her. "Osuwari!"
Startled, she opened her eyes as a crashing sound filled the room, and she looked down to see a flabbergasted Inu-Yasha plastered to the floor. "What the-" he demanded as he sat up, and looked at the girl.
Kaede was trying not to laugh. "The beads, Inu-Yasha," she offered as an explanation. "By the way, you can't take them off," she added as the hanyou started pulling on the necklace.
He glared at the two women, and started for the old priestess. "Why, you..."
"Kagome?"
"Osuwari!"
She couldn't help but giggle at the stream of curse words that filled the little hut.
