{Disclaimer: Guess…}
Chapter Ten: Sneaky Dogs/Full Understanding
Kagome blinked as her pocket alarm went off. She reached under her pillow and shut it off. She stood up and brushed herself off, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She walked out of the room into the one beside her. She shook Sango, who woke up slowly.
"Sango, wake up. We're going to miss Sesshoumaru's morning address." Sango rose out of her stupor and followed Kagome to the central balcony. They looked over the rail and gasped.
Before them stood Sesshoumaru's army.
They covered the field, their numbers overpowering in size. Each demon was dressed in white, seventy with black stripes down the right arm. They stared in amazement before realizing someone was trying to get their attention. Kagome and Sango turned around. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha stood there, watching them. They were dressed as they were for the Demon Tournaments, Inuyasha again sporting the blue strips and crescent on his forehead. Sango and Kagome walked off the balcony and stepped aside, allowing them to pass. Sesshoumaru climbed the rail so he could be seen by all below. Inuyasha stood on the balcony floor behind him. The crowd below them hushed as Sesshoumaru raised his hand and began to speak:
"We are here today to fight a common foe. This foe wants to put us off this land, left to us by our ancestors. They insult us by raiding our villages, harassing our families and destroying our way of life. We must put aside our differences and face this enemy head on. We cannot afford to lose this battle because of petty insults."
He scanned the faces of each warrior. Some were regular beasts, others noble, powerful demons. All were willing to risk their lives for their homes. For him. He turned to face his brother before continuing:
"This is our land. We will not leave quietly." {So I'm not Bill Pullman on 'Independence Day'. If my speech sucks that bad, replace it with his.}
The crowd cheered their loyalty as Sesshoumaru stepped down in front of Inuyasha. They glared at each other for a moment before they found their voices.
"Did you mean that crap about putting aside differences?" Inuyasha asked. Sesshoumaru nodded and stuck out his hand. Inuyasha studied it for a second, then grasped it with his own.
"Fight well, little brother."
"You too."
They turned when they heard a small, choked sob. Sango and Kagome were watching them, tears streaming down their faces. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru walked up to them, embracing them tightly. Sango and Kagome returned the gesture, their faces pressed against each brother's neck. Inuyasha stole a look at Sesshoumaru, his eyebrow raised. Sesshoumaru was confused, but when he followed Inuyasha's gaze to Sango's face, he smiled back. They swept Kagome and Sango's feet out from under them, catching them before they crashed to the ground. Before either girl could berate them for such a sneaky trick, the brothers silenced them with a kiss. The girls quickly forgot what it was they were mad about. When Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha finally pulled up for air, they gave their human a sly wink before leaping off the balcony and to the field below.
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"This is bad, Sango," Kagome said, pacing across the floor. Sesshoumaru sent word to them before the battle, telling them not to leave the castle or step outside the balcony doors. At dawn the enemy washed over the field, demons dressed in red robes like blood. Sesshoumaru's plan worked perfectly, but as the sun rose, the eastern demons turned the tables. Everywhere Sango and Kagome looked, it seemed to be a lot less white spots than red. Kagome counted forty-five black stripes still in battle. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were on opposite sides of the battlefield, each with his own problem to deal with. Sesshoumaru was attacked from behind by a spider monster, and Inuyasha was attacked from the side by a shape shifter. Both were not doing as well as Sango and Kagome wanted. Kagome continued pacing, eyes closed, listening to Sango as she reported what happened to her and Myouga, who was sitting on her pack.
Which is why she didn't see Sakura's scroll in front of her.
Kagome tripped, landing on the cold floor with a soft thud! Sango rushed to her side and helped her to stand. "Kagome, are you alright?"
Kagome nodded, looking around for what tripped her. She spotted the scroll and a curious look appeared on her face. "What's that doing there? I could have sworn it was inside my pack." She walked over to pick it up, and suddenly jerked her hand away.
"What is it, Kagome?" Myouga asked, setting down on her shoulder. Kagome shook her hand.
"Its hot."
Sango touched it and felt nothing. "I didn't feel anything. Maybe its your mind playing tricks on you." Kagome shook her head and reached for the scroll. She picked it up with ease, startling her into thinking that maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. Kagome unrolled it to be sure. The paper suddenly glowed and the characters streamed off it and out the balcony doors. Kagome and Sango followed outside, forgetting Sesshoumaru's warning. The streams crossed the field, disappearing as they caught up with the rising sun. The light was slowly blanketing the field, banishing the darkness as it went.
'Blanketing? Why does that sound so familiar?' Her hand dipped into her pocket and pulled out the scroll's translation. Kagome gasped and dragged Sango back into the room.
"I get it now," she whispered. Sango peeked over her shoulder, reading the paper to see if she could understand too.
"Get what?"
Kagome turned to Sango, a determined look in her eye. "Sango, the scroll wasn't about us. Its about them."
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SF: Just in case you guys are wondering, I'm posting two chapters of this story until further notice because it's finished in its entirety, unlike 'UA'. Push the purple button.