InuYasha crossed his arms. "And so… Kitty has to kill those responsible, and then commit suicide… is that it?"
Aaron nodded glumly. "This could be a problem." He noted.
InuYasha sighed. "Honestly, why don't you go to her, and protect her?" InuYasha asked, as if it was obvious. "If you love someone you should protect them."
Aaron gave him an odd look. "Well… it's not really that simple." HE said, rubbing the back of his head. "If I stop her, then she has to kill me, too." He sighed. "The only one who can countermand the tradition is a… dragon… of greater… status… than Khellendros." His gaze slowly shifted to the little dragon girl behind him, and his eyes narrowed.
Tiamet saw his smile. "Oh no!" She said, waving her hands. "I don't do that sort of thing. I'd expect you to do the same thing for me." She crossed her arms, and shrugged. Besides… She's up against that demon hunter and her pet monk. I doubt she stands a chance."
Kagome's eyes bulged. "Miroku and Sango?" She gasped. "She's going after Miroku and Sango?" She demanded.
~~
Miroku herd his staff at the ready, and easily deflected the first two slashes… but she was very fast. Already Kitty was sweeping around with a low round house, while still going after his face with her claws.
Miroku slammed his staff to the ground on her foot, and grabbed her arms. They grappled for a bit, and then the youkai finally managed to twist her around, and drive his knee into her back, hard.
Kitty screamed in pain and fell over, rolling in the sand to avoid the monk's lethal staff.
She got up, and flashed her claws again, growling.
~~
"So… she's going to try to kill Miroku and Sango." InuYasha said. Trying to assimilate all this.
"Yep." Tiamet said. "However, something tells me that their going to win."
Aaron looked very peeved.
"But…" Kagome said. "Isn't Kitty you're girlfriend?" Kagome asked.
Aaron slapped his face. "Kitty is my mate." He said. "However, the duty of a dragoon overlaps everything, even personal feelings." HE did not seem happy about this.
Kagome scowled. "Well that's dumb." She said, and turned to Tiamet. "Isn't there anything you can do?" She asked.
Tiamet grimaced. "My hands are tied." She said. "I can't do anything without Atma's permission."
That name suddenly set InuYasha on edge. "Atma…" He growled. "Good luck getting anything to help us from her."
A look of confusion crossed Tiamet's face, and she looked at Aaron. "But… didn't I lend you to Atma. I thought she was using you right now…" She said.
Aaron's eyes widened in panic and he quickly held a finger to his mouth… but InuYasha had already heard.
"What was that?" HE growled, stalking towards the dragoon. "You're working for her?" There was no question as to who "her" was.
Aaron held up his hands defensively. "Well…" HE said. "Yes… sort of?"
InuYasha glowered at him. "Then why are you helping us?" He demanded.
Aaron thought for a moment, then looked up. "Well… I am not at liberty to divulge said information due to religious circumstances." He said smartly.
InuYasha growled, and pulled out Tetsusaiga.
Tiamet sighed, and shook her head. This was going to take some explaining.
~~
Miroku jumped out of the way again. His eyes focused on the bundle lying on the sand that was Sango. He had to lead this girl away from Sango. IF he could only use his wind tunnel… but he didn't trust it. HE had been cut to badly trying to get Khellendros, even a little use would make the thing considerably worse.
Skillfully, he blocked one blow with his staff, and flashed a foot under the youkai, knocking her off her feet.
The girl gasped as she hit the ground, and Miroku suddenly stood over her. Her raised his staff, and brought the sharp tip down as hard as her could.
~~
Aaron back up nervously against a rock, gingerly attempting to not get killed by the peeved hanyou. "Now listen." HE said. "Things aren't always as they seem…" He began to sweat.
InuYasha leaned down close to his face. "Well, they better seem a lot better, really quick, or else." He threatened.
Aaron opened his mouth in an attempt to speak, but no words came out.
InuYasha scowled at him down Tetsusaiga's long blade.
Behind them, Tiamet leaned down to Kagome, and handed her the quilt back. "Men." She said in an exasperated voice. "What are we going to do with them?" She asked.
Kagome thought for a moment, then uttered a few choice words. These words happened to be: "Sit, Sit, Sit," But that was beside the point.
InuYasha crashed to the ground. Tiamet floated over him. "Listen." She said nonchalantly. "I honestly don't know what Atma did to you to make you hate her so much, but I can guarantee you that it's not what it seems. Everything she does has some sort of sneaky little motive."
"She tried to kill Kagome." He said dangerously, his hand still on Tetsusaiga.
Tiamet stared at him, then laughed. She looked down at him again. "Listen, little hanyou." She hissed. "Atma doesn't 'try' to kill anyone. If she wants someone dead, they die. Quickly. Without question." She shook her head. "If you met with her, and Kagome all of you are still alive, you can be positive that she didn't want you dead. She wants you alive for something or other, so just accept that. She is NOT you're enemy."
InuYasha's eyes narrowed, and he slowly got to his feet. "Well, then why did she attack us?" He demanded.
~~
There was a thud as the staff halted suddenly. Miroku let go of the staff. It remained strait in the air.
Slowly, he kneeled down, and put his hands together in silent prayer. Then, his eyes opened, then widened. The youkai's eyes starred back at him… very much alive.
His eyes traced down to the staff. It was balanced perfectly on an alabaster finger. The finger was attached to a perfectly sculpted hand. The hand led into a baggy, sky blue, silken sleeve. The sleeve led up to a shoulder plate. The plate was jet black, with gold trim. IT was attached to a breastplate. The breastplate covered a person, along with a royal blue shirt and leggings, a skirt of the same black plate mail, and a long, frayed royal purple cape. Attached to that body was a head. And the head looked very familiar. It was feminine, and had a cocky smile on its lips. On the left cheek were tattooed red stripes. Her eyes were fully, jet black, and seemed to radiate a dark aura. Her hair was a deep fiery crimson, and on her forehead and above each of her elven ears, were graceful horns of the purest ivory. Arcing gracefully from her back was a pair of black, scaled wings, and a long dragon tail hung from underneath the cape.
Atma looked strait at him, smiled a toothy smile, and waved with her other hand.
~~
InuYasha growled. "What do you mean you can't tell me?" He demanded.
Tiamet sat primly on a rock. "I can't tell you." She repeated. "Atma would be very cross with me."
InuYasha growled a low, threatening growl.
"However!" Tiamet hurried on, "She never told me that I couldn't tell you how to get to Vadise." She said with a grin.
InuYasha's growl died, and he stood up, walking back over to Kagome. "I'm listening." He said.
Tiamet nodded. "If you'll head strait east, you'll find a glacier." She said.
Kagome's eyes closed. "How can there be a glacier when were in the middle of a mountain range of volcanoes?" She asked, taking deeper refuge in the comfort of the blanket. It was a very nice quilt. It kept her warm, but that was it. She was barely even sweating.
Tiamet gave her a smile, and wiggled her fingers in a mystic way. "Maaaagiiiiic" She said, stretching the word ridiculously.
Kagome nodded. IT made sense. After all, if there was a range of volcanoes in the middle of a normal forest, then why not a glacier?
"Anyhow!" She continued. "You go past that, and then you'll run into a tropical forest hidden deep in a valley. That's where Vadise lives."
InuYasha nodded, half in acknowledgment, and half gratefully.
Aaron scowled and scratched the back of his head. "But what about Kitty and the others?" He asked.
Tiamet smiled at him. "A higher ranking dragon just interfered." She said with satisfaction.
Aaron gasped. "You mean… her?"
Tiamet nodded happily.
Aaron smiled at InuYasha and Kagome. "I told you that Atma wasn't your enemy."
~~
Miroku was in slight shock, but Kitty seemed to be in some state beyond that.
Miroku slowly backed away from the dragon, getting ready to use his wind tunnel one last time.
Atma smiled at him, and the prayer beads on his had suddenly constricted painfully around his arm, cutting off the circulation.
She smiled sweetly at him, then turned to Kitty. "Alright now, little missy!" She commanded, snapping her fingers. "On you're feet now!" The voice seemed harmless, but Miroku could sense the power in it. Kitty had been lying prone on the sand, but suddenly space seemed to twist itself around her, and she fell, landing firmly on her feet.
Atma smiled pleasantly at her. "Good job." She said encouragingly.
Kitty seemed to snap out of her shock, and look back up at Atma. "Please, let me fight." She said. "I must avenge khellendros."
Atma seemed to think for a moment. "Very well." She said, nodding. "Let us assume that you will continue to hunt them down until you kill them. Will you do this?"
Kitty nodded.
Atma smiled pleasantly. "Very well then, let us assume that you will not let her kill you." She said to Miroku. "Is this true as well."
Miroku felt himself forced to nod.
Atma nodded. "Therefore logically, you will be chasing each other forever, then. Is this a logical conclusion?"
Miroku knew it was not, but he felt himself nodding anyway.
Atma nodded. "Therefore, you can just as easily leave each other alone, and the result will be the same, right?"
Miroku thought about it a moment. The way she said it, it made perfect sense, despite the fact that he knew it was wrong. He nodded anyway.
Atma smiled. "Great." She clapped her hands, and smiled. Then we can get on with it!"
Miroku thought for a moment. "Get on with what?" He asked carefully, still wary of the untrustworthy dragon.
She smiled at him. "Khellendros beat up you're little sweetie-pie pretty good, didn't he?" She asked. "Let's go see what we can do about it." She walked off in the general direction of Sango.
Miroku blinked, and turned to Kitty. "Did that make any sense to you?" He asked.
Kitty shrugged. "It did at the time." She said. "I can't even remember what she said now."
Miroku nodded, then tried to remember himself… and found that he couldn't. IT was all gray fuzz, and the feeling that everything had been resolved.
Kitty shrugged. "Oh, well!" She said cheerfully, and stuck out her hand. "Sorry we couldn't have met on better circumstances." She said. "I'm kitty, formerly Khellendros's dragoon."
Miroku nodded slightly now thoroughly confused.
Kitty's eyes narrowed, and she smiled at him. "But to be honest, I hated the arrogant bastard, and I think all the other dragons did too." She laughed. "Atma probably feels grateful you for getting rid of him!"
Miroku blinked, and cocked his head.
Kitty shrugged. "Oh well." She said, and followed Atma. "Let's go see how Sango is doing."
Miroku futilely tried one more time to find out what was happening, and hook his head again. Finally giving up, he turned around and followed the Dragon and the former Dragoon back to his "Sweetie-pie."
**
HEHE! I forgot how fun it was to write for Atma. I think I have now firmly established that she is… not really crazy, but very much beyond human comprehension. And yes, the mind trick she pulled did in fact come from hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, which is owned by Douglas Adams, so don't sue me.
