AN: *turns the sign to* I don't own Inuyasha and sits down to write.
lil-demon-nightmare: You'll see soon enough ^_^
battousai-heart : Don't be too green, I'm going home to live with my parents for 3 months *sigh* Very hard to do after being independent for 6 years, and then having to tell where you're going, when you'll be back and remind your mother "I'm and adult now!!" *laugh* As for the fight music, I tend to write with my own play list, designed for the mood I'm trying to set.I should start adding the songs at the top, so everyone can see ^_^
The Perpetually Hyper One : WOW! Thanks for all that info Hyper. I figured Kenshin was in his late 20's, especially after 10 years of wandering.. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!
shadow() Thank you ^_^
*************************************
I watched the fighters, my heart in my throat, powerless to help. I kept praying to anyone that would listen, that something could be done, some solution could be reached.
Ever notice how whenever you ask for help, you get it, but in the oddest form imaginable. My help came in the form of a tall, white haired, inu youkai, with markings on his cheeks and a crescent moon on his forehead. I jumped at his sudden presence beside me, as he silently and coldly studied the scene before him. Jaken appeared by his leg and squawked in that annoying way, "What! Sess.Sesshoumaru-sama, the filthy hanyou has."
"I am well aware of what I see before me Jaken, go keep an eye on Rin, she should not be here to witness this." He said calmly and the little green toad youkai nodded nervously and ran off.
He didn't even bother looking down at me, "So, it is true," he said calmly, watching the standoff with an unreadable look in his eyes.
"I had heard there was an oni in these parts that fed on youkai, but I never suspected that it had the power to separate the youkai from a hanyou, interesting." He said softly. I frowned, and stomped my foot impatiently.
"Interesting? What the hell can we do to fix it?" I screamed at him and he glanced down at me smoothly, one slender eyebrow rising up into a delicate arch.
"We? You presume that I wish to help the pathetic excuse of a hanyou, after all, I am the one who wishes him dead, so I can reclaim what is rightfully mine." He said too coolly.
"Tetsusaiga isn't yours, when will you get that through your thick skull," I shouted up at him, "Now, whether you like it, he is your brother, and he needs your help." Then a thought occurred to me.
"Tenseiga, can you heal the rift with Tenseiga?"
"Even if I wished to, which I don't and never would, it would not work. Look with your miko eyes, priestess, and see which is normally not seen. Perhaps then you will understand." I started at him then turned my head to the fighters, watching them. Look with my miko eyes, I thought, what did that mean? I started to look back at him for an explanation when I saw it again, that faint line that I saw before, from the corner of my eye. Slowly, I turned my head, and felt my eyes unfocus slightly. Surrounding them, was..was this faint yellow glow, like a bubble. I inhaled slightly.
"They're surrounded by something," I muttered under my breath.
"Hai, the spell that keeps them apart is still strong," came a familiar raspy voice. I spun around to see Kaede riding in on a horse. She grunted slightly as she slid off the saddle, and walked to my side.
"Yes, I felt something was very wrong, and so I came to see. I figured Inuyasha had gotten into some great trouble, but I never imagined it would be this great," she said.
"Kaede-baba, I may be a human, but I can still hear you!" cried Inuyasha rather indignantly and she chuckled to herself, noticing Sesshoumaru. "Oh, you're here too?!"
"I just came to watch my brother's demise, and claim my sword," he said. Kaede glanced at him stubbornly, "You have two swords it seems, how many more does the great Youkai lord need?"
"Kaede-sama," I asked, "Can we break the spell?"
She nodded, "Hai, but it will take a great deal of power, for a spell such as this to last after death, it is very evil indeed." Miroku stepped up, "I will aid as well, Kaede-sama," he offered, and the two of them began chanting softly. I didn't know what to do, so I closed my eyes, pressing my palms together and chanted with them, catching the words after a moment.
I could feel the air around me begin to vibrate fiercely, and a low roar filled my eyes, but I didn't look up, I kept my concentration on Inuyasha, and all the things he was, rash, arrogant, strong, stubborn, rude, wonderful, kind, gentle, all the things he was, whether he wanted me to know or not. The buzz in the air grew even louder and I heard a tortured cry. Shocked I opened my eyes, to see the glow around the two of them growing brighter, and then slowly fainter, as if loosing a battle.
The youkai half was pulling away, trying to resist the pull towards its human half that was calling it. And it was winning. Inuyasha didn't have the strength to try and move. So, without any thought to consequence, I rushed forward between the two, the power of the dying spell bringing up a wind around us that whipped my hair in all directions.
"Youkai!" I called, and it growled at me. I opened my arms, shouting above the sound of the wind, "You want me? Come and get me!"
"Kagome!" I heard behind me, but ignored him. I took a step backwards towards the human Inuyasha who stood behind me.
"Come on, a powerful youkai like yourself shouldn't be afraid of a little woman like me," I taunted, and watched its eyes grow deep red. There I had done it. I pressed my hands together, and began the chanting again, feeling the spell crawl along my skin, still struggling.
'Go away! You've lost, we've won. Go in peace' I thought to the power of the oni, and with one final screech in the wind, the spell surrounding them vanished. Just in time, as the youkai flew towards me.
"Kagome!" I heard and felt strong hands push me roughly out of the way. I landed on my back and saw light explode around me. Inuyasha, the human one, had pushed me out of the way, and took the force of the youkai's attack on himself. They came together in a brilliant flash of light that even Sesshoumaru had to look away from briefly. When the black dots cleared from my eyes, there was one, just one, very tattered and torn looking Inuyasha, a hanyou and whole.
I crawled over to him, ignoring the pain in my arm where I landed, and gathered him up in my arms.
"Inuyasha?" I whispered softly and he opened his eyes to look at me, those beautiful golden eyes. He blinked and suddenly his eyes grew cold, and hard. He pushed me away, and sat up on his own.
"I'm fine, wench," he growled and I felt a pang hit me. He stood up, and noticed Sesshoumaru.
"Don't tell me I have to owe you as well," Inuyasha growled.
"Do not think I came to see you well, whelp," the elder brother hissed, "I will be the only one to see you die by their hands."
Inuyasha pulled Tetsusaiga which flared to life, "Anytime!"
Sesshoumaru regarded him, much like a cat regards a mouse, "You would not be a challenge worthy of my power, in your current state. Do not wish for death so easily hanyou, you will taste it soon enough." With that he turned gracefully and began to walk away.
I watched, confused, and then slowly smiled. I resisted the laugh that tickled my throat and slowly rose to my feet. It would be my own little private joke, because it seemed I was the only one who realized that Sesshoumaru was actually concerned about Inuyasha, as much as he tried to hide it.
Shippou dashed to my side, and helped me to my feet as best he could, and then glared at Inuyasha, "You didn't have to push Kagome so hard, she was trying to help you!"
Inuyasha growled at him, and Shippou squealed and hid behind my legs. "Stupid weak human," he said and turned, crossing his arms. "Did you bother to get the shards?"
I blinked, and glared at him, "No, I was too busy worrying about you!" He snorted, "I was perfectly fine, I knew exactly what to do and how to fix it, if you hadn't interfered, I would have kicked his butt, and taken control of everything on my own."
I stared at him, as the pain radiated in my throat, and tears stung my eyes. All that I had gone through, and that's all he could say. I turned on my heel, towards the cave. Shippou leapt on my shoulder and I gently peeled him off and placed him on the ground, "You stay here Shippou, this is my job. After all, I am the Shard Detector," I said bitterly and walked into the darkness of the cavern, with only the glow of the shards to light my way.
Shippou glared at Inuyasha, and growled, a low growl that shook his tiny frame and then he snarled fiercely, pulling out a leaf and transforming into a replica of Inuyasha. He ran at the real Inuyasha, and before the hanyou could react, pulled back his fist and hit him with all the rage and fury that was pent up in his body. Inuyasha's eyes widened as the fist connected with his chin, and he fell silently to the ground, a stunned look on his face.
Shippou's illusion disappeared with a poof, but he still wasn't done, kicking the downed Inuyasha in the ribs, grunting with each effort as tears spilled from his eyes.
"You, you, you.how could you say that to here? She was trying to help you, like she's always trying to help you, and you went and hurt her again. You're a..you're a..you're a BASTARD!" screamed the little kitsune, still kicking with all his might. Sango, Miroku and Kirara stood there, stunned at the words coming from the young child's mouth. Only Kaede crossed her arms and couldn't resist a chuckle coming from her lips. Miroku and Sango turned and looked at her with amazement, and she coughed politely and wiped the smirk from her face. Miroku was the first one to rush forward and grab him, pulling him away from Inuyasha's body. Shippou snarled and twisted in his grasp, biting Miroku who dropped him in surprise.
"Shippou!" Kaede yelled and that brought him back down from his state of rage, as he stared at Miroku, and realized what he had just done, but turned angry eyes back to Inuyasha.
"I'll never forgive you, Inuyasha. If you've broken her heart again, if you've hurt my okaa-san, and she goes away and never comes back, I'll never forgive you!" He jumped into Kaede's arms and began sobbing into her shoulder, returning to the sad child he normally was.
Inuyasha slowly came to, rubbing his jaw, "What the hell?" he muttered sitting up. Sango and Kirara were seated nearby, and Miroku was polishing his staff.
"Frankly, I have to agree with Shippou's reaction. Inuyasha, I thought you had worked things out with Kagome, finally. And then you go and say such cruel things to her. I wouldn't be surprised if she returned to her world for good, and truthfully, I would not blame her in the least," Sango said reproachfully. Inuyasha continued rubbing his chin, "Where is he by the way?"
"He returned with Kaede, to cool off as Kagome-sama would say, though that might take a while. I have never seen him so angry before, you have hurt him deeply," Miroku said softly.
"Feh," Inuyasha began to make another snide comment, but Kirara growled warningly, and he glanced at her. "Feh," he simply said again, and glanced around.
"Speaking of Kagome," he began, and Sango looked towards the cave, "She's still in there."
Inuyasha was on his feet, "All this time and she hasn't come out, and you two are seated out here with me?!"
Miroku looked bored, "The oni is dead, and there is no sense of danger nearby, do not worry, she also needs her own time to bring her emotions down, alon." he looked up to see the blur that was Inuyasha running into the cavern.
"Ara," he sighed and Sango nodded in agreement, "Rash and irresponsible, I don't understand why Kagome-chan puts up with him."
lil-demon-nightmare: You'll see soon enough ^_^
battousai-heart : Don't be too green, I'm going home to live with my parents for 3 months *sigh* Very hard to do after being independent for 6 years, and then having to tell where you're going, when you'll be back and remind your mother "I'm and adult now!!" *laugh* As for the fight music, I tend to write with my own play list, designed for the mood I'm trying to set.I should start adding the songs at the top, so everyone can see ^_^
The Perpetually Hyper One : WOW! Thanks for all that info Hyper. I figured Kenshin was in his late 20's, especially after 10 years of wandering.. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!
shadow() Thank you ^_^
*************************************
I watched the fighters, my heart in my throat, powerless to help. I kept praying to anyone that would listen, that something could be done, some solution could be reached.
Ever notice how whenever you ask for help, you get it, but in the oddest form imaginable. My help came in the form of a tall, white haired, inu youkai, with markings on his cheeks and a crescent moon on his forehead. I jumped at his sudden presence beside me, as he silently and coldly studied the scene before him. Jaken appeared by his leg and squawked in that annoying way, "What! Sess.Sesshoumaru-sama, the filthy hanyou has."
"I am well aware of what I see before me Jaken, go keep an eye on Rin, she should not be here to witness this." He said calmly and the little green toad youkai nodded nervously and ran off.
He didn't even bother looking down at me, "So, it is true," he said calmly, watching the standoff with an unreadable look in his eyes.
"I had heard there was an oni in these parts that fed on youkai, but I never suspected that it had the power to separate the youkai from a hanyou, interesting." He said softly. I frowned, and stomped my foot impatiently.
"Interesting? What the hell can we do to fix it?" I screamed at him and he glanced down at me smoothly, one slender eyebrow rising up into a delicate arch.
"We? You presume that I wish to help the pathetic excuse of a hanyou, after all, I am the one who wishes him dead, so I can reclaim what is rightfully mine." He said too coolly.
"Tetsusaiga isn't yours, when will you get that through your thick skull," I shouted up at him, "Now, whether you like it, he is your brother, and he needs your help." Then a thought occurred to me.
"Tenseiga, can you heal the rift with Tenseiga?"
"Even if I wished to, which I don't and never would, it would not work. Look with your miko eyes, priestess, and see which is normally not seen. Perhaps then you will understand." I started at him then turned my head to the fighters, watching them. Look with my miko eyes, I thought, what did that mean? I started to look back at him for an explanation when I saw it again, that faint line that I saw before, from the corner of my eye. Slowly, I turned my head, and felt my eyes unfocus slightly. Surrounding them, was..was this faint yellow glow, like a bubble. I inhaled slightly.
"They're surrounded by something," I muttered under my breath.
"Hai, the spell that keeps them apart is still strong," came a familiar raspy voice. I spun around to see Kaede riding in on a horse. She grunted slightly as she slid off the saddle, and walked to my side.
"Yes, I felt something was very wrong, and so I came to see. I figured Inuyasha had gotten into some great trouble, but I never imagined it would be this great," she said.
"Kaede-baba, I may be a human, but I can still hear you!" cried Inuyasha rather indignantly and she chuckled to herself, noticing Sesshoumaru. "Oh, you're here too?!"
"I just came to watch my brother's demise, and claim my sword," he said. Kaede glanced at him stubbornly, "You have two swords it seems, how many more does the great Youkai lord need?"
"Kaede-sama," I asked, "Can we break the spell?"
She nodded, "Hai, but it will take a great deal of power, for a spell such as this to last after death, it is very evil indeed." Miroku stepped up, "I will aid as well, Kaede-sama," he offered, and the two of them began chanting softly. I didn't know what to do, so I closed my eyes, pressing my palms together and chanted with them, catching the words after a moment.
I could feel the air around me begin to vibrate fiercely, and a low roar filled my eyes, but I didn't look up, I kept my concentration on Inuyasha, and all the things he was, rash, arrogant, strong, stubborn, rude, wonderful, kind, gentle, all the things he was, whether he wanted me to know or not. The buzz in the air grew even louder and I heard a tortured cry. Shocked I opened my eyes, to see the glow around the two of them growing brighter, and then slowly fainter, as if loosing a battle.
The youkai half was pulling away, trying to resist the pull towards its human half that was calling it. And it was winning. Inuyasha didn't have the strength to try and move. So, without any thought to consequence, I rushed forward between the two, the power of the dying spell bringing up a wind around us that whipped my hair in all directions.
"Youkai!" I called, and it growled at me. I opened my arms, shouting above the sound of the wind, "You want me? Come and get me!"
"Kagome!" I heard behind me, but ignored him. I took a step backwards towards the human Inuyasha who stood behind me.
"Come on, a powerful youkai like yourself shouldn't be afraid of a little woman like me," I taunted, and watched its eyes grow deep red. There I had done it. I pressed my hands together, and began the chanting again, feeling the spell crawl along my skin, still struggling.
'Go away! You've lost, we've won. Go in peace' I thought to the power of the oni, and with one final screech in the wind, the spell surrounding them vanished. Just in time, as the youkai flew towards me.
"Kagome!" I heard and felt strong hands push me roughly out of the way. I landed on my back and saw light explode around me. Inuyasha, the human one, had pushed me out of the way, and took the force of the youkai's attack on himself. They came together in a brilliant flash of light that even Sesshoumaru had to look away from briefly. When the black dots cleared from my eyes, there was one, just one, very tattered and torn looking Inuyasha, a hanyou and whole.
I crawled over to him, ignoring the pain in my arm where I landed, and gathered him up in my arms.
"Inuyasha?" I whispered softly and he opened his eyes to look at me, those beautiful golden eyes. He blinked and suddenly his eyes grew cold, and hard. He pushed me away, and sat up on his own.
"I'm fine, wench," he growled and I felt a pang hit me. He stood up, and noticed Sesshoumaru.
"Don't tell me I have to owe you as well," Inuyasha growled.
"Do not think I came to see you well, whelp," the elder brother hissed, "I will be the only one to see you die by their hands."
Inuyasha pulled Tetsusaiga which flared to life, "Anytime!"
Sesshoumaru regarded him, much like a cat regards a mouse, "You would not be a challenge worthy of my power, in your current state. Do not wish for death so easily hanyou, you will taste it soon enough." With that he turned gracefully and began to walk away.
I watched, confused, and then slowly smiled. I resisted the laugh that tickled my throat and slowly rose to my feet. It would be my own little private joke, because it seemed I was the only one who realized that Sesshoumaru was actually concerned about Inuyasha, as much as he tried to hide it.
Shippou dashed to my side, and helped me to my feet as best he could, and then glared at Inuyasha, "You didn't have to push Kagome so hard, she was trying to help you!"
Inuyasha growled at him, and Shippou squealed and hid behind my legs. "Stupid weak human," he said and turned, crossing his arms. "Did you bother to get the shards?"
I blinked, and glared at him, "No, I was too busy worrying about you!" He snorted, "I was perfectly fine, I knew exactly what to do and how to fix it, if you hadn't interfered, I would have kicked his butt, and taken control of everything on my own."
I stared at him, as the pain radiated in my throat, and tears stung my eyes. All that I had gone through, and that's all he could say. I turned on my heel, towards the cave. Shippou leapt on my shoulder and I gently peeled him off and placed him on the ground, "You stay here Shippou, this is my job. After all, I am the Shard Detector," I said bitterly and walked into the darkness of the cavern, with only the glow of the shards to light my way.
Shippou glared at Inuyasha, and growled, a low growl that shook his tiny frame and then he snarled fiercely, pulling out a leaf and transforming into a replica of Inuyasha. He ran at the real Inuyasha, and before the hanyou could react, pulled back his fist and hit him with all the rage and fury that was pent up in his body. Inuyasha's eyes widened as the fist connected with his chin, and he fell silently to the ground, a stunned look on his face.
Shippou's illusion disappeared with a poof, but he still wasn't done, kicking the downed Inuyasha in the ribs, grunting with each effort as tears spilled from his eyes.
"You, you, you.how could you say that to here? She was trying to help you, like she's always trying to help you, and you went and hurt her again. You're a..you're a..you're a BASTARD!" screamed the little kitsune, still kicking with all his might. Sango, Miroku and Kirara stood there, stunned at the words coming from the young child's mouth. Only Kaede crossed her arms and couldn't resist a chuckle coming from her lips. Miroku and Sango turned and looked at her with amazement, and she coughed politely and wiped the smirk from her face. Miroku was the first one to rush forward and grab him, pulling him away from Inuyasha's body. Shippou snarled and twisted in his grasp, biting Miroku who dropped him in surprise.
"Shippou!" Kaede yelled and that brought him back down from his state of rage, as he stared at Miroku, and realized what he had just done, but turned angry eyes back to Inuyasha.
"I'll never forgive you, Inuyasha. If you've broken her heart again, if you've hurt my okaa-san, and she goes away and never comes back, I'll never forgive you!" He jumped into Kaede's arms and began sobbing into her shoulder, returning to the sad child he normally was.
Inuyasha slowly came to, rubbing his jaw, "What the hell?" he muttered sitting up. Sango and Kirara were seated nearby, and Miroku was polishing his staff.
"Frankly, I have to agree with Shippou's reaction. Inuyasha, I thought you had worked things out with Kagome, finally. And then you go and say such cruel things to her. I wouldn't be surprised if she returned to her world for good, and truthfully, I would not blame her in the least," Sango said reproachfully. Inuyasha continued rubbing his chin, "Where is he by the way?"
"He returned with Kaede, to cool off as Kagome-sama would say, though that might take a while. I have never seen him so angry before, you have hurt him deeply," Miroku said softly.
"Feh," Inuyasha began to make another snide comment, but Kirara growled warningly, and he glanced at her. "Feh," he simply said again, and glanced around.
"Speaking of Kagome," he began, and Sango looked towards the cave, "She's still in there."
Inuyasha was on his feet, "All this time and she hasn't come out, and you two are seated out here with me?!"
Miroku looked bored, "The oni is dead, and there is no sense of danger nearby, do not worry, she also needs her own time to bring her emotions down, alon." he looked up to see the blur that was Inuyasha running into the cavern.
"Ara," he sighed and Sango nodded in agreement, "Rash and irresponsible, I don't understand why Kagome-chan puts up with him."