Chapter Three

            Encouraged by my reviews (thanks! ^_^) I've tried to get this story out faster than I did the last one; and, considering it was a two-week lapse between chapters before I updated, it was actually quite easy…hahaha.

            You've read it in pretty much every fan-fiction in this section, so read it here: I don't own Inuyasha; I used to own forty thousand shares of Inuyasha stock, but I traded it for a sandwich (diligent watchers of Futurama will understand this…lol). I also don't own the chant, as I forget what video game I got it from but it sounded fitting for this Kaede's ritual ^_^.

            Inside of Kaede-baasan's hut, amid strange chanting and swirling mists of choking incense, both Kagome and Inuyasha sat, Shippou in Kagome's lap, watching Kaede's strange ritual with a mixture of fascination and, "What the hell is this old hag doing?"

            "Umobwebwe ai bi dao…umobwebwe ai bi dao…," Kaede chanted softly as she delicately drew lines down their face with the kamimizu, the water serving as both a test and to help cool off the fevered skin of the two warriors. "Umobwebwe ai bi dao…umobwebwe ai bi dao…"

            Kagome clasped her hands worriedly in front of her as Kaede's chanting ceased suddenly and she turned around with a grave, sad look on her face.

            "Lady Kagome…," she started. "I'm afraid it is as thee hath suspected: Miroku-sama and Lady Sango have both fallen badly ill with the Sengoku Jidai no Byouki. It shall be some time before they shalt be on their feet again…"

            "That long!?" Shippou cried, looking over at the unconscious warriors. "But we need them!"

            Inuyasha, never managing (or so it seemed) to be ignored in any conversation, stared at Kaede-baasan with an acidic glare and demanded, "Just how long will it be before they're on their feet?"

            Kaede sighed, averted her eyes to the two stricken warriors, and then spoke.

            "It shall be two months, at the very least. Their fevers are extremely high; had Lady Kagome not thought to use ice from her magic 'kuura pakku' (cooler pack; they speak Japanese, so they can't pronounce some words correctly), thy friends would most likely have perished before thine arrival."

            Inuyasha's ears twitched, and he was on his feet faster than any would have thought possible.

            "What do you mean 'two months'!?" Inuyasha roared, snatching Kaede-baasan up by the front of her kimono and pushing her against the wall. "Kagome said a month and a half!!!"

            "Thy friends have fallen badly ill, Lord Inuyasha," she choked out. "Wouldst thou risk their well-being for the hunting of the Shikon no Tama?"

            A deep, throaty growl rose from Inuyasha's throat, and Shippou wisely hid behind Kagome as Inuyasha stalked past Miroku and Sango and plopped himself down against the far wall, muttering, "Stupid weak humans…" (among other, less tasteful things).

            Kaede-baasan cleared her throat and spoke.

            "Lady Kagome, I have herbs and medicines that shall speed the healing along: without them, it would be a matter of several more weeks before thy friends would be able to completely recover. Thee must administer these to them, and if by some miracle of Buddha thee is able to get Inuyasha to help thee…"

            Inuyasha broke into the conversation, and much to everyone's surprise, the anger and rage that had been written all over his face had vanished; it was instead replaced by his immortal, arrogant smirk.

            "Keh, I'm not going to be helping the bouzou and the taijiya. Neither are you Kagome," Inuyasha said, still smirking.

            "Oh, and why is that!?" Kagome spat back acidly at him.

            "Because Kaede's going to take care of them while we go shard hunting."

            Woohoo, another chapter done at an amazing (for me!) pace; and don't worry, I'll have another chapter out fairly soon. My writer's block is officially gone (for now…), so I'll be able to update far more frequently. Jaa!
            PS: If you need any translation of the stuff I put into Japanese/want anything translated into Japanese (I'll do my best; this is my fourth year of taking it at my high school) post it in your reviews ::hint hint::. Thanks!