Well, surprise! I updated again without a five-day wait…lol. I'm not sure if there will be an update on Monday night because Mondays are crazy for me, it'll be even crazier because I haven't been to school in a week (my day goes wake up, school, work, get home at 9/10, do homework)…I'll try, though!
Ah, review responses: I've missed doing these ^_^.
Erica: Yeah, I know about that: I actually saw a picture of the kiss (it's buried in the depths of the reviews for Time for a Change, which is a very good fic, btw), and if anybody knows when the second Inuyasha movie's coming out, please: TELL ME! ^_^
Lady Yami: Yes, I love the Bakuryuuha: I think my favorite moment in Inuyasha is when he unleashes the Bakuryuuha on Ryuukotsusei (either that or in the episode where he fights the guy whose trying to make the man-eating tree…for those who don't know, Kagome's in a bath that'll dissolve her into plant food, and Inuyasha rushes down to save her, and he bursts in the door. Anyways, she sees Inuyasha and stands up straight, then throws her arms wide and yells, "Inuyasha!", not realizing that she's completely naked until she sees Inuyasha blushing…lol).
Ikanugo: Yes, I did; lol, you're just a teensy bit late on that one: someone told me about that when I first started my story ^_^.
Omnitoad: Sure, no problem: my Kazaa name is the same as my Fanfiction.net username, i.e. Kaminari.
Sylver-Ajah: I believe I've posted all the translations; if I haven't, please post the words you'd like translated in your next review/email them to me (my e-mail address is Azevedojsh@aol.com).
Inuyasha: Don't worry bout ideas; I had a huge burst of ideas last night when I was going to bed (for once they actually concerned themselves with what's gonna happen next in the story! That's surprising because most of the time I'll get ideas for stuff that's gonna happen a dozen chapters in the future and then be screwed for the time being…lol); it will take longer than two days for Naraku to implement his plan, but I'm solid on what's gonna happen during this time ^_^.
Whew, eighteen reviews…new record for most on a chapter for me ^_^. Yay!
Tasukete kudasai: Please help me!
I don't own Inuyasha; I do, however, own many cups of ramen. Maybe I can lure him in and bop him over the head with a sledge…::looks at viewers:: Uh…heheheh…on with the story!
Chapter Twenty-Four
Approximately ten miles from the pair of Inuyasha and Kagome, there sat a solitary figure atop a rock overlooking a deep valley; silent and morose as he pursued the vast reaches of deep thought, scents drifting in and out as thoughts and—could it be?—emotions ran through his mind. Lord Sesshoumaru sat silently, contemplating where Naraku could possibly be, even as less than a mile away Rin played, searching for food even as Jaken gasped painfully, out of breath from trying to keep up with her.
Rin giggled, lost in the sense of happiness that fills a child like sunlight fills the sky, as she kept running; she ignored the breathless cries of, "Rin! Wait!" as she sped through the forest, leaves slapping her arms, late afternoon sun spilling scarlet on the forest floor. Tiny hands plucked berries from bushes, popping them into their owner's mouth who then felt their sweet, nourishing juices rush out into her mouth.
And still Lord Sesshoumaru sat, Toukijin and Tenseiga at his side, as he stared off into the bright reaches of the day.
Meanwhile, Kagome was digging into her meal with a ferocity only matched by Inuyasha when confronted with ramen; Inuyasha watched, astounded, as flat-edged human teeth tore huge chunks out of the meat and disappeared down her throat as fast as water down a thirsty throat.
'How does she not choke?' Inuyasha thought, sweatdropping slightly as Kagome's feeding frenzy slowed slightly after swallowing a fist-sized chunk of deer. He sighed resignedly and began eating his own portion of deer before Kagome decided that she wanted the whole buck…he also, however, growled in frustration as the first hunk of deer leg he reached for was snatched by the hungry Kagome.
Resisting the urge to yell, "BITCH!" for once in his life, Inuyasha merely grumbled as he grabbed the next available piece more quickly, telling himself not to be angry at Kagome: she was merely hungry…
…as was Jaken by now: chasing after an energetic nine-year-old (a/n: I'm not sure if this is her real age, or if it was even mentioned in the anime…if it was, and she's older/younger, just assume she went through a feudal-age time warp and grew younger/aged ^_^) will do that to you, especially when you haven't eaten in over a day already. Unfortunately for poor Jaken, Rin had stripped the bushes on the path bare already; drops of berry juice, red as blood and far more tasty, littered the pathway and formed a trail leading to Rin, who was now far ahead of the poor, old toad.
Growling in frustration, stomach growling in hunger, he was about to break down into one of his characteristic temper-tantrums and start beating the ground with his staff, crying about how unfair the world was, until he saw Rin stopped in a clearing a little more than a hundred and fifty yards away.
Smiling at the fact he would finally be able to catch up to that damn little girl, he increased his speed, fighting against his sore legs as he used his staff as a cane to prop him up. Hobbling thus, lungs gasping for air all the while, he nonetheless managed to make it to the clearing in record time.
When he arrived, however, he found Rin staring up into a tree, puzzlement written in her eyes as Jaken arrived, unnoticed, beside her. Unnoticed, that is, until he opened his mouth and cried,
"Rin, what are you doing!? I told you to slow down and wait for me, and all of a sudden you're gawking up at some tree for no reason? ::Sigh:: It is a good thing I'm Sesshoumaru-sama's most faithful servant, or else I don't know how I'd put up with you…"
"Jaken-sama?" Rin asked, taking her attention away from the tree for a second as she tilted her head left to look Jaken in the face.
"What is it, Rin?" He grumbled, annoyed, as he prepared to leave the clearing and attempt to simultaneously search for food and keep an eye on Rin (a nigh-impossible task, even for Sesshoumaru…)
"Why is Sesshoumaru-sama standing in that tree over there? Rin thought he was back at the cliff."
"What do you mean, Sesshoumaru-sama's sitting in that tree? I can't see anything!" Jaken said, staring into the same tree.
"Look! There he is!" Rin said, as the leaves on the tree began to vibrate slightly; though no wind was present.
Jaken stared harder, trying to see what Rin saw…and then terror bloomed large in his eyes as the masked youki flowed forward in a suffocating wave and a dark figure leapt from the tree. He grabbed Rin, and screamed at her to run as he whipped around, heads upon his staff dropping their mouths in preparation for the burst of flame that was soon to come.
Not soon enough, however: five lines, slashes from claws, tore into Jaken as if he were no more than paper; the fire shot in a bolt from the mouth of the toppled staff, barely managing to singe the dog-shaped ear on top of the figure's head.
Grinning sadistically, red kimono trailing behind him in the wind, he leapt off towards the little girl who was now running away in stark terror, crying, "JAKEN-SAMA!" as she could hear the monstrosity leaping closer and closer to her with every beat of her heart.
Tears glittered as they fell from her eyes, dripping down onto the ground, and with an impassioned scream of, "SESSHOUMARU-SAMA! TASUKETE KUDASAI!" the hanyou descended upon her, claws tearing through cloth and flesh alike as energy rent the air; blood seeped out of her body in a torrent as her eyes glassed over, and she whispered one, final plea:
"Sesshoumaru-sama…tasu…ke…te…"
Sesshoumaru's head snapped up, jerked out of sullen thought by Rin's scream; hand immediately flew to Toukijin as he took off towards the scream. Wind rushing past his ears, blowing it back in a silver mane, he strained his ears to hear something else, but there was nothing.
But what his ears missed, his nose picked up: as the wind blew in his face, he smelled something else…a coppery, thick smell…a smell tainted with the smell of Jaken, yet perfumed with the scent of Rin…
Blood.
::bows low:: Gomen ne, sorry it's short (yet again!), but it's 1:05 AM right now, and I've gotta wake up at 7 AM…gah, I'll make sure I get more done tomorrow ^_^. Well, please enjoy…jaa, mata ne!