Twisted Well

An Inu-Yasha / Sorcerer Hunters fan fiction by Iapetus

Disclaimer:  I don't own either series, so don't sue me.

Author's note:  Sorry for the delay, I've been busy with life recently.  I went on a mission's trip to Kentucky to help remodel houses.  No this wasn't Habitat for Humanity; it was through my church and some other churches from my denomination.  That means that the whole week I didn't have access to a computer, much less the Internet.  Still, I hope you enjoy this short chapter.

Remember to review!  I appreciate reviews, and they help encourage me to write better.

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Chapter 11:  Game of Cards

            They had caught on quickly.  All the hunters were happy, because they could finally play a huge game using the full deck.  [A.N.  Wait a sec, does that mean that before they WEREN'T playing with a full deck? ; P Just kidding.]

            This reminds me of 'Go Fish' and 'Euchre' in some ways.  Kagome, Sango, and Tira's team took the trick on the ground.  In response, Carrot, Miroku, Gateau (the second team), Marron, Inu-Yasha, and Chocolat (the third team) drew a card from a side pile.  Gateau took out a pair of threes and set them down.  He took a card off the center pile, and set it in the center.

            It was the Princess of Tears.  Everyone made a dive to slap the card first, to claim it, but Marron beat them all.  Ok, in some ways it's like Slapjack too…

            "Owww…" groaned Carrot.  Inu-Yasha's claws landing the wrong way had scraped him up again.  Tira groaned, set down her cards, and healed his arm.  At first, the foreigners were shocked at her ability, but due to the incredible amount of injury, they had seen her perform it several times already.  It was amusing that such a game could be so violent.

            "Usually it isn't this bloody.  Sorry for a bad impression," Marron apologized.

            "Man, and this was my favorite set of cards!" Éclair exclaimed.  "Now it has blood all over them…" 

Everyone wiped their hands on their clothes she said that.

            "Inu-Yasha, if you'd just not hold your claws out like you're trying to kill someone…" Kagome started.  It was easy to see that tension was continually mounting between the two men.  The fact that Miroku got along with Carrot so well was another reason of the half-demon's annoyance.  Not only that, but he couldn't stand another man hitting on Kagome.

            "What am I supposed to do?" he argued.  "Cut off my hand?  I can't get rid of my claws, so stop complaining."

            "Yeah, Inu-Yasha's not a cat… he doesn't have retractable claws," Sango laughed.  Kirara purred in her lap.

            "We could always have Shippo take his place," Miroku pointed out.  The fox-demon was currently flying around the game as a balloon.

            "No, his hands are too small," Éclair commented.

            "Hey!" Shippo shouted in protest.

            "Not only that, but he's been looking at all our cards for the past twenty minutes," Marron said calmly.  Everyone looked surprised, while Shippo sweatdropped.  "I didn't say anything because I thought he wasn't going to play."

            Éclair threw down two cards on top of the largest discard-pile.  It was two star cards, and only one person from each team could go for it.  Sango got the pile, and Carrot was bleeding again.

            "You stupid mutt!" he cried out in retaliation.

            "You're a wuss if you can't stand a little scrape, Pervert," Inu-Yasha said, unusually calm as he glared at Carrot.

            "The worst that's ever happened to me was getting my fingers crushed by Gateau about a month ago," Carrot commented darkly, "But at least then I didn't feel like I was going to pass out from loosing so much blood."

            "You just passed out from the pain," Tira rolled her eyes.  Inu-Yasha was now laughing at Carrot.  Marron instinctively pushed him back down as his enraged brother tried to get up.  Miroku halted Inu-Yasha with his staff, and both of them seemed to have daggers in their eyes.

            "Darling, you know you're a magnet for injuries, so why are you so surprised?" questioned Chocolat, trying to break the tense mood.  Carrot scooted slightly back in his spot.

            "With OUR job, you think he'd be used to it by now," Gateau laughed as he looked at both Misu sisters.  Their new friends still didn't know about Carrot's transformation or how they had two S&M Queens in their group.

            Chocolat jumped onto Carrot, hugging him tightly.  "You know Darling, I'd make you feel better," she said seductively.

            "CHOCOLAT, GET OFF!" he shouted.

            "C'mon darling!  Let's make a baby!  Right here if you want!"  She stripped off her clothes, and started rubbing herself against him.  Tira was rolling her eyes.  Kagome was shocked that Chocolat would strip in front of everyone (she hadn't yet before in front of them.  Miroku tried to get a closer look, but Sango hit him on top of his head with her Boomerang Bone.  Inu-Yasha simply muttered "humans," and looked away.

            "Man, and I thought we were going to play Five-Star," Éclair complained.  Everyone sweatdropped, and picked up their hands.  As the dealer, she was waiting to get the next round going.  The needed cards were put into their hands, and the game went on.

            "Drat.  Now Sango's mad at me," sighed Miroku.

            "She seems to usually be mad at you," commented Carrot, "Although I'm proud to say I found someone just like me!"  Both men laughed.  "I never thought there was someone in this world that had a sex drive like mine."

            "You don't.  Remember?  We're not from Spooner." They laughed again.

            "Good point," the arnaju user chuckled.  "Then, I wonder if there is anyone who is like you in your world?"

            "Well, they say like father like son…"

            "That's what everyone says about me and my Dad," complained Carrot.  "Well, what about your dad?  Are you a lot like him?"

            "I'm not too sure.  He died when I was very young."  Miroku clenched his right fist.

            Neither man knew what to say, so there was a short lapse of uncomfortable silence.

            "I don't understand you Carrot," Miroku seemed to chuckle.  "You want to get it on with a girl just as much as I do, and yet the one girl that can't resist you – you resist.  If I had a girl like that, I wouldn't have to worry about having a son so much."

            "If you want kids so much, you should talk to Chocolat.  She's always talking about wanting to have a baby," Carrot exclaimed.  "Anyways, she scares me.

            "Anyways, you're traveling with two girls of your own.  What about them?" he asked.

            "Try to touch Kagome, and you're dead.  So, I'm working on Sango."  Miroku touched his cheek.  "She usually slaps me for it, though."

            "I'm familiar with that," Carrot groaned.  "Anyways, you don't know the half of it-"

            "Put a stupid card down, Monk," Inu-Yasha complained.  While no one had heard his or her conversation, it had slowed down the card play.  Hesitation was frowned upon, and they hadn't responded in about thirty seconds.  Both sheepishly put down their cards, and stopped their conversation.

            "Finally…" Éclair muttered to herself.  How in the world did she get stuck being the dealer?  It was an optional position, made due to the odd amount of people.

            "You need to lighten up," Gateau whispered as he nudged her with his free hand.  "Uptight people aren't any fun!"  He chuckled until he saw her not smiling.

            "What's wrong," he asked, suddenly serious.

            "N-nothing," she responded quickly.

            Kagome laid down a double-challenge maneuver for both Gateau and Chocolat.  She won the trick, and picked up the cards.  Regular game play resumed.

            Gateau went back to his brotherly interrogation. 

"I know you're lying."

"Huh?" she exclaimed, surprised at his matter-of-fact tone.

"I've known you ever since you were born, Éclair.  Not only that, but I'm your older brother.  I'm supposed to know these things."  He smiled a reassuringly smile at her.

Everyone watched in intense concentration as Inu-Yasha and Carrot went at it in a single Sudden Death maneuver.

"I hate being the dealer," she said abruptly.  "We never had a dealer when you and me and mom and dad played together," she stated.  "And then when we played huge games with our friends, I wasn't one then either."

"It's everyone else's back luck that Kagome and Sango are fast learners.  Tira was the best player in the group, and they're cleaning up."

"…was…?" Éclair inquired.

"Well, you're here aren't you?" he smiled again.  Somehow, her older brother's smiles had an incredible effect on her personality.  He could improve her mood instantly.  However, she began to brood again.

"You always said that kind of thing with fighting, and you're still the stronger one," she parried.

"But you killed me.  You won the fight," he countered.

"Yes, but I was so weak, I left myself wide open for you to beat me.  In the end, YOU saved ME.  You were the only one who believed I could be saved, and died because of it.

"You let me win," she finally said, crestfallen.

"Somehow, I can tell that's not what's bothering you."  She looked at him, as though amazed.  "I told you so.  Brotherly intuition never lies."

This time Éclair laughed.  "So, Mr. Know-it-all, why don't YOU tell me what's bugging me?"

"The whole reason I asked was because I didn't know."

"But I thought you said that," she protested.

"Éclair, I may be narcissist, but I'm not so big-headed that I think myself omnipitent.  Either way, I want to hear you say it."  Only cards moving could be heard in the silence that followed.

"I won't stop bugging you until you do," he grinned.

Éclair dealt a new card to everyone.  "Do you think the others hold it against me that I used to work for Zacher?"

Whatever Gateau had been expecting, it hadn't been that.  "Why do you say that?" he asked.

"I… just feel…" she hesitated.  "Just don't worry a-"

"Éclair…"

"I feel left out, OK?" she shuffled all the cards.  Since the play had momentarily stopped, they both ceased talking.

Soon though, the other's small talk started up, and they continued.

"Well, our new companions don't even know that Zacher even existed.  I highly doubt they'd hold you to something when they don't even know what it is."

"I'm not talking about them!" she pointed out.  "I love talking to Kagome and Sango.  They aren't the problem.  I'm talking about the other Hunters."

Gateau's face dawned in realization.  "Oh THEM.  Ok.  Well, that's only natural.  You're new.  Marron, Carrot, Chocolat, and Tira have known each other since they were kids.  Before they even met, they were still had their respective siblings.  Either way, I've known them for years.  You can't just jump into a friendship."

"I know that, but it's still hard.  The only people I feel comfortable talking to and being around is you and Cranberry-sensei.  Everyone else just pushes me to the side."

"They aren't doing that on purpose.  In fact, if the Baka didn't know you were my little sister, he'd be trying to grope you and sleep with you every single chance he'd get.  Luckily, he's not THAT stupid."  Both of them laughed.

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            Maye leaned against the window and looked out.  Despite being nobility, her room wasn't the greatest.  After all, she was taking refuge in a Cathedral, and priests of the Stella church believed in living simply.  Her view made up for it, however.

            The stars are amazing out tonight, she thought.  How many times had she snuck off with her brother Julye and her cousin Chili to admire the stars from the waterfall?  She couldn't remember, but she longed to be back home.  It was their secret spot, full of memories.

            She heard a soft knock at the door, and turned around to see who it was.  Basil had let himself in.

            "Can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked politely.

            "Sure."  She leaned against the frame of the window and crossed her arms.

            "It's about the mission," Basil said at once.  He didn't like doing this, and he knew Maye wouldn't like the idea at all.  He wanted to say it quick, because he was feeling very awkward in her bedroom.

            "I have been talking to some fellow hunters, and we agree that it would be in your best interest to hide the fact that you are the client."  Her eyebrow rose in suspicion, but she let him continue.

            "I know you want to help fight, but they would feel more obligated to protect you if they knew immediately that you were a Lady.  However, if you were to appear as a messenger who happened to be a fighter as well, they'd accept you as an equal."  It was hard to keep his voice in a matter-of-fact tone.

            Maye sighed dejectedly.  I was right… he thought.

            I always have to be someone I'm not, Maye realized.  And now, I'm going to have to do it again.  She put a smile on her face; even though it was obvious it was a fake.

            "I'll be fine.  However, how are you going to explain how I know so much about the Manor?  Not only that, but when I get back EVERYONE will know who I am.  They will not address me as a 'friend,' but as their Lady.  It is kind-of hard to miss the suffix at the end of your name each time it's said."

            She brings up good points, Basil noted.  She'll be a great asset to the mission.  Not only that, but he had meant the part of acceptance from the bottom of his heart.  She needed friends right now more than ever, and the Sorcerer Hunters related easier to common people than nobility.  After all, the sorcerers were the nobility they hunted and killed.

            "Well, that will come when it will come.  Still, they will know your chi as a fighter as soon as they see you.  The Lady Maye Juune is the daughter of the Lady Guacamole.  I know, as they do, that your mother didn't support women being trained as fighters.  It would lead to uncomfortable questions if they found out in the beginning.

            "They will be arriving here late in the morning tomorrow.  Some of the hunters will like to meet with Father Ossowo before leaving, so you'll have time to get acquainted with the others.  Make sure your stuff is ready."

            "I understand." She turned around, and looked back out at the stars.  The conversation was over – it was her way of dismissing him.  Basil left quickly, lost in his own thoughts.

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After Mille and Cranberry had come back, everyone realized they'd have to stop playing their game.  The mission was the most important thing right now, and time was of the essence.

            Still, Miroku wanted to do his part.  So while everyone else bedded down for the night, he began hanging up ofutas around the campsite.

            Marron was first up on guard duty.

            "What are you doing?" he asked curiously.  "I don't recognize the markings on these ofutas."

            The Buddhist monk smiled, and handed the mage one to examine.  "This one repels demons.  When placed correctly, it can create a shield over a small area."

            "But, will your magic work in this world?" he asked.

            "It already is."  Miroku pointed to the ground with his staff.  There were several snake demons struggling against an invisible wall.

            "We have to take precautions while we possess the Shikon no Tama.  The power that is gained from it is tantalizing             to any demon.  Not only that, but we need to get going in the morning, and everyone should be alert."

            Marron nodded in agreement.  "Although, it's often hard to get Brother out of bed."

            Miroku chuckled to himself.  "You know, the first time we heard you two were brothers, I though you were the older one."

            "People usually say that about us."  Marron laughed.  "Brother hates the fact that he's short for a man.  I'm tall like my mother and father.

            "Thank you for keeping your demon friend at bay.  Brother often gets hurt when he's angry and asks rashly."

            "Then why didn't you stop him?  I can tell you love your brother deeply."

            "He needs to learn not to depend on others.  However, I will never forgive someone who hurts my big brother," Marron's eyes grew fierce, and his chi swirled around him.  Miroku stepped back in slight surprise.

            "What about Inu-Yasha?  He scraped Carrot up pretty good," Miroku countered.

            "That was on accident.  I'm talking about someone hurting him on purpose."

            "Oh.

            "Ok, that's the last one."  The monk finished sticking the ofuta to the tree.  "Now we can go to sleep."

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            "Count Pepper," a young boy with a coronary triangle said, kneeling on the ground, "It's time."

            "This is such a nuisance," Black said, annoyed.  "EVERY week.  I grow weary of recharging them.  Oh well, I better get on with it."

            The boy remained on his knees until his Lord had left.  Then, he stood up, and spat in Black's direction.

            "A Pepper should never be in control of the Citrus Valley.  Just you wait, Lord Pepper.  We'll take our own back."  With that, he left in a rush.

            Hanging from the ceiling in an iron cage were five young men.  They all looked extremely upset, but only one of them was pacing.

            "I can't believe we're under that stupid spell.  We have to get out of this cage before Black comes back," said the pacing man.

            "Julye, don't you think that if there was a way out of here, we would have found it already?" said another man, annoyed.  A third person sat next to him, and the two looked exactly alike.  The third person nodded in agreement.

            "Anyways, it's worse for Taco.  Chili's captured, and we don't know if Black will do the same thing he did to her that he did to us," the tallest one commented.

            "Chili…" the man, who was obviously Taco, stood out among the others.  He had black hair with red highlights.  He was also looking out in the direction of the doorway.  Unlike when he addressed Black, he had no triangle on his face.

            "Janus, you have to admit it's funny though," the sad-eyed man looked up to the taller man.

            "I'm sorry, but I can't find anything funny about my cousin being caught," said one of the twins

            "Or not even knowing how our families are faring," said the other.

            "Augustus, Marzo – shut up.  We don't need to be reminded of that now," said Julye, fuming.

            "What were you about to say?" asked Janus, looking at his youngest brother in reprimand.

            Taco laughed.  "I was just thinking about how Chili and Maye have done so well.  They annoy the crap out of Black, because he can't get to the survivors."

            "Not only that, but he can't get to Maye," Julye said with a confident smile.  "I can't believe the extremes he's going to just to try to get her.  That Baka's never going to win if Maye finds out what really happened."

            "He also isn't getting the spell right.  He should be able to access all our memories while we are under the spell.  Yet, it backfired.  We get all of the memories of what we do under the spell," Marzo pointed out.  "You're right, Julye, he is a baka."

            All the men laughed.  However, it was cut short.  Black had just walked into the room.

            "Think I'm an idiot, do you?" he said in an icy voice.  "If you're so strong, why don't you break loose?" a nasty grin appeared on his face.

            "He didn't hear what we said?" whispered Augustus questionly.

            "Thank Saint Mama he has a thick head," whispered his twin back.

            Black had missed that comment as well, still looking evilly at the young noblemen, he walked over to a switch.  His coronary triangle seemed to glow red.

            Grasping the large iron switch with both hands, he pushed it over to the other side.  Red energy seemed to run like fire through the metal, and sent all five men screaming.

            "Not again," Janus moaned, squinting his eyes through the light.  "How many times can we go through this and keep our sanity?"

            "As long as Maye's free, I'll be alright," Julye said with a smile.  Simutaneously, all five of them gripped their heads, and screamed again.  The large blasts of red light on Black's face made him look like the devil himself.

            Their hands fell away, and five coronary triangles were visible from their foreheads.

            "Welcome back."

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Wow, I'll be you'd EVER think I'd get chapter 11 finished.  Sorry for the wait, I've also been having computer problems.  Remember to review, even if you have before!  I don't mind having multiple reviews from just one person.

The part where they were all playing cards was hard to write, and was another reason for me taking so long.  Well, now I'm back in the groove, so it should be fine. :)

C'ya next chapter!

-Iapetus