~ A Feudal Fairytale ~
Oh, yay, it's time for chapter five! Five! Wow! We actually got this far, and guess what y'all, if you haven't guessed it by the chapter titled, INUYASHA FINALLY MAKES AN APPEARANCE - ONE IN WHICH HE TALKS!!! **collective gasp** Okay, standard procedure: We do not own InuYasha or Ranma, blah, blah, doesn't anyone else get tired of this!? We own Serenity and Patience, that is all. And we, for the fifth freakin' time, are totally for Inuyasha and Kagome as a couple. We love it! NO FLAMES!!! Well, I guess we'll start with the chapter. *smiles*
Chapter Five: Inuyasha
Inuyasha stared at the full moon surrounded by a clear sea of stars, his face softening for the moment with thought.
So . . . Kikyo was dead, huh? The thought ran in circles through his mind. He tried to shove aside the part of him that cared, hiding it behind every ounce anger he possessed, but it was no use. The ache wouldn't go away, no matter what he did or what he told himself. He cared - but, of course, not that much and not that the damned bitch deserved it. Feh. It was she that had betrayed him, first attacking him without warning in the woods, then binding him to that tree for fifty years. He should be mad, angry, enraged - and a large part of him was, he hated that bitch for what she had done to him - but another part of him also wouldn't let him forget that she had been the first human since his mother to look at him as anything other than a monster. But, then again, that would always be followed by the memory of her in the woods, her bow drawn and aimed at him, yelling, "Die, Inuyasha!" and the unfamiliar warm feelings only she had ever awoken in him would be erased and be replaced by not just anger, but pure rage.
The pain, anger, sadness, disbelief, and confusion twisted together into a extremely complicated knot he couldn't puzzle out not matter how many times he examined it. It was really starting to grate on his nerves. He was beginning to wonder why he was even bothering with it.
"Even after she dies, the bitch still finds a way to torment me," he muttered.
He resolved not to think about her again. She wasn't worth his time or energy.
I wonder who killed her, he thought against his will a moment later, his eyes unconsciously narrowing into dangerous slits, the urge to laugh as strong as the urge he felt to go out and get revenge on any person who would dare harm her. Feh. I hope she's resting happily in Hell, where she belongs.
Serenity stared at the hanyou, who was resting on lowest branch of the tree. From what Kaede had said, she would have thought he would know she was there. Was he ignoring her? Should she call out to him? She bit her lip at that thought. Oh, lord, she didn't want to do that . . . The memory of his eyes still burned quite clearly in her mind. But, even still, she couldn't stop the feeling that tightened her stomach as she watched him. He looked so . . . sad.
She shook her head, disgusted with herself. While she was standing here, staring like some elementary girl with a stupid crush, who knew what was happening to Patience - and since it didn't seem as if he was going to notice she was there anytime soon, she had no choice but to call to him . . .
Oh, lord, she thought. Don't let him eat me . . .
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!"
The loud, urgent calls reached his sensitive ears breaking him out of his thoughts at the same moment the familiar, yet unfamiliar scent invaded his even more sensitive nostrils: like Kikyo, but . . . not. He recognized it immediately. It was the wench that had freed him. He had forgotten about her.
Why had he brought her here, anyway? Because she smelled like Kikyo?
He couldn't remember, but he already wished like Hell that he hadn't. He glanced contemptuously at the black beaded rosary that now hung around his neck. He had forgotten about the cursed thing, too, until just that moment. It was the only thing standing between him and the sacred jewel. For now, anyway. There was a way around any obstacle, but . . . it was still her fault that old hag priestess had put this damned thing on him in the first place, slowing him down. She had pulled out the arrow, waking him up from his enchanted sleep, which had brought him to the village, and if he hadn't come back, this never would have happened. Damned wench.
He growled low.
"INUYASHA!"
Inuyasha looked down. The girl stood under the branch he was sitting on, glaring up at him, her hands on her hips. He could tell by the way she was favoring one side, though, that she was still in pain, so what in the seven Hells was she doing outside with an injury like that?
He looked away, leaning back against the tree again. It was none of his concern what she did.
Serenity narrowed her eyes, her fear of him forgotten now in not only her concern for her cousin, but her anger, too. He was going to hear her out.
"INUYASHA!" she screamed, loud enough to hurt his ears. "You freakin' insensitive jerk. You can ignore me all you want, but MY COUSIN NEEDS HELP AND YOU ARE GOING TO HELP ME FIND HER!"
Serenity watched him for any sign that he was listening, but as he had his eyes closed, not even facing her, she seriously doubted it. That idiot! she thought, ready to bash his head in. He could at least pretend to be listening to me!!! She frowned darkly. And to think I thought he looked . . .
Oh, who cares!? Patience needs help!
But, how do I get his attention? Serenity bit her lip, her eyes still on the hanyou as she considered her options. None of them seemed good. She had to remember that he could kill her at any time if he wanted, and she would prefer to stay alive to see Patience and the rest of her family again. Think, think, Serenity, think! You aren't that stupid. You can do this! Wait . . . What was it Kaede said? Man! Crap! WHAT WAS THAT WORD!?
Inuyasha knew she was still down there, he could smell her . . . but what was she doing? He opened one eye and spared her a single, passing glance so she wouldn't know he was looking. She hadn't moved at all. She was still staring up at him, her gaze piercing enough to send shivers down even his back.
He couldn't help wondering what she was thinking about and what it meant for him.
He didn't think it was going to be good, whatever it was.
Osuwari! Serenity thought suddenly. That's it!
"Inuyasha," she said, the grin on her face uncharacteristically devilish, "I'm giving you one more chance. Are you going to help me or am I going to have to make you?"
"Why should I bother with you, wench?"
Serenity shrugged. "All right, but remember - I gave you a chance. Inuyasha . . . OSUWARI!"
Inuyasha felt the tug an instant before he found himself laying face-first on the ground. He pulled himself up and rounded on her, his face red from the impact with the dirt. "Damn it, wench, that hurt!" he yelled.
He wanted to attack her, but because of the damned necklace he couldn't. She would just 'sit' him before he got a chance to do anything. He had to content himself with another growl. Gods this was so damned aggravating!
She just shrugged as if none of it had any affect on her, her greenish-gray eyes maddeningly calm as she stared at him. "I warned you," she said. "Don't blame me for your stupidity."
"MY STUPIDITY! MY STUPIDITY! WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?"
"Are you going to help me or not, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha turned away, smirking. "Feh. Give me one good reason why I should."
Serenity sighed. "Fine," she said, "then, at least answer one question for me."
Inuyasha jumped up into the tree in one swift, graceful, fluid movement and resettled himself against the trunk. He tucked his hands behind the back of his head, closed his eyes, and pretended to ignore her. Oh, this is useless! she thought, frustrated to the point where she was almost crying. Serenity considered 'sitting' him again, it had at least gotten his attention - but only for a little while, though. Trying it again would only waste time she didn't have. She had already wasted enough precious time arguing with this idiot. He probably wouldn't answer her no matter what she did.
"Fine, whatever," she mumbled, shaking her head. "You wanna be like that, go ahead. I'll find her myself. I don't care what I have to do. But, Inuyasha?"
As quiet as her voice was, he heard it. "What?" he asked, unconcerned.
"OSUWARI!"
She stalked away - well, she tried to, anway, and was doing a fairly decent job, too, despite her ankle - hearing the satisfying sound of him hitting the ground again behind her.
"DAMNED WENCH!"
"WELL, IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT!" she yelled without looking back.
Inyasha got to his feet and was back in the tree in a flash of red. He followed her rather slow progress, a strange, unreadable expression on his face. He frowned. Feh. Stupid wench. Who did she think she was? She had no right to order him around. He didn't have to do a God damned thing for her - he had already saved her life by bringing her back to the village, which was more than she deserved. What more did she expect from him? He couldn't go running off every time a human got themselves in trouble. They got themselves in it, they could get themselves out.
He huffed indignantly, leaning back against the tree again, forcing his eyes closed.
He had more important things to worry about than some stupid human girl who smelled like the woman that had killed him and didn't even have enough sense to stay off her feet when she was hurt, anyway . . .
He glanced after her again. He couldn't see her; she had disappeared into the forest already. Something like concern sprang up, but it he quickly squashed it into nothingness.
Like he had said, what the wench did was her business.
He had to figure out a way to get this damned rosary off so he could get the Shikon jewel . . . That was what he should be worried about. Not that damned girl.
Inuyasha tried again to pull the necklace off and again his hands were shocked by the power of it.
~ * ~
Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, what did I just do!? Serenity thought. She could feel herself shaking as she walked along the forest's edge. She couldn't see the village anymore. He could have . . . I don't know! Eaten me or something! I can't believe I was yelling at him!
Oh shut up, she yelled at herself, getting sick of hearing herself think. She peered into the forest, it's dark depths even more forbidding now without Patience - well, that and the fact that, like in her dream, it was engulfed by a dark purple light. She was half tempted to go back to village and make Inuyasha come with her somehow just so she wouldn't have to go in there alone. She was surprised to discover that even after how he had treated her, there was still a part of her that . . . trusted him . . . And fighting with him had seemed a little too familiar to her, just as he himself had. What!? Am I crazy!? Hmph. I wouldn't ask him for a thing. Besides . . . I can do this alone . . . I think . . .
Ah, Hell, Serenity, you have to. Patience might be in there!
Serenity bit her lip, hard. She tasted blood not even a moment later. Could she really do this? She didn't want to go back in there . . . It still scared her half to death - even more after listening to Kaede's stories.
But you have to, Serenity! she told herself again.
She sighed in resignation, her teeth sinking even deeper into her bottom lip. It didn't matter if she was scared. She had to find Patience. That came first, before even her own safety. If anything happened to Patience just because she was afraid to go into a stupid forest . . .
That was it. Serenity gritted her teeth, forcing her fear down into the bottom of her stomach where it turned into an hard, uncomfortable knot, and, taking a deep breath to prepare herself, stepped into the cover of the forest. Once again, she felt as if she were being squeezed on all sides by the power of this place.
I can't believe I'm doing this! she cried silently, staring around her fearfully.
Oh, stop being a baby! You can do this . . . It's just a forest, for crying out loud.
Yeah, a really creepy one!
She shook her head. She couldn't do this. She had a job to do.
"Patience!" she called at the top of her lungs. "Patience! Where are you!
a/n: Lalalalalala . . . *sigh* The customary second author's note. Let's get this done and over with, shall we? Patience and Serenity do support Inuyasha and Kagome as a couple, despite this nature of this fic, so NO FLAMES!!! Only evil people leave flames to hurt other peoples, so, unless you want to meet my T-chans, I wouldn't to it to us. *narrows eyes* I mean it, too. But, if the good peoples who read this like the fic, tell us so by clicking that wonderful little button below and giving us a review! I'll give you cookies and candies, promise!
