Alright. Another chapter up and running. No eating me if you don't like it,
now, got it? Lol.Alright, on to the chappiness!!! Just want to say one
thing first: If you would have given me a few more reviews, this may have
gotten up faster. Not only do reviews make me feel all warm and cuddly
inside because I know that some people actually like this and therefore I
should update just for them, but it also reminds me to keep striving to get
past my writers block. That, and sometimes with the smallest of comments,
you guys help me out of a tight spot and give me an idea of what to put
next, then that helps me set up for later chapters as well. I would like to
give the credit were credit is due. The idea of the youkai in this chapter
is not mine, but rather the author of 'Throw Caution to the Wind' (You
should check it out if you are a Sesshomaru/Kagome fan, it's a good story,
so far ^_^), cloverX. But I want to warp the attack a little to make it a
little mine. Okay, enough of my rantings. FORWARD HO!!!*Marches on*
DISCLAIMER: Do you think I would be writing fan fictions if I owned Inuyasha? COME ON, FOLKS, IT'S CALLED BRAINS!! I only own Seiryuu, Komo, Kiminari, and Suzaku. So if you take them, you have to write a disclaimer giving me credit for them! MUWHAHA! I LOVE BEING EVIL!!!
".."-Talking
'...'-Thinking
..yada yada..-Actions
~*~-Change of view, scenery, or what group we're following, I'll just use which ever I please to spice it up a bit... I get such writes, being the writer and all, you know? And it also signals the end of my beginning OOC comments, and the end of the chapter.For examples, look below.
~*~
It only occurred to Kagome while she was telling her story that she owed Sesshomaru no explanation, so much Sesshomaru could read from her expression, yet she continued on regardless.
It didn't surprise him that Inuyasha had made such a stupid mistake. It sounded very much like something that a hanyou like him would do, actually. But now he understood why Inuyasha was after the Stone, as Seiryuu had told him a while back with that wench Komo. The only thing that confused him was the voice was back, and telling him things like he should offer to help her. 'After all,' it said, 'you hate Inuyasha, not her'. Had it not been for watching eyes, he would have growled and hit his head to try and get the stupid voice to cease its chatter. The thing that confused him more then that was he felt more like obeying the voice then not.
Kagome sighed when she didn't get a reaction from Sesshomaru throughout the telling. 'I guess shouldn't have expected one...' She thought, looking into the fire.
"Sleep." Kagome jumped slightly at the smooth, calm voice.
"Huh?" She questioned dumbly.
"I said 'sleep'. Tomorrow we travel." With that, Sesshomaru stood and was gone. Kagome looked to the sleeping forms about her. Jaken, the annoying toad, was snoring to her far left. Rin was nearest her right, an adorable sleeping bundle, with Ah and Un on the little girls opposite side. Kagome sighed again, and settled down into a dreamless sleep.
~*~
The pace was quick the next day. Sesshomaru, while walking seemingly slow, glided from one long stride to the next with an ease Kagome found herself wishing she had well into the first hour of the 'walk'. For awhile, Rin was the sweet, active girl Kagome expected her to be. She would sprint ahead for no reason, then trot back to the group with some small beast that had let her approach, some flower, some 'pretty rock' that Kagome truly found somewhat ugly in appearance, but light weight and smooth at least. Kagome's pockets were full of various small items two hours within the starting of their little voyage.
But when the little girl grew tired of walking, and wanted a break, Rin rode on the two headed dragon of Sesshomaru's that seemed oh-so found of her. From experience, Kagome found that while the beast looked scary with its two heads and its muzzles (Kami knows WHY the thing had muzzles, but Kagome didn't exactly want to know anytime soon), that it was gentle and sort of friendly. How ironic.
'Geeze,' Kagome thought, 'I'm getting a better work out now than I do in P.E. back at school!' After about four hours of Sesshomaru's fast-pace exercise program, Kagome took Rin's offers and rode Ah and Un just behind the child. Jaken seemed perturbed by this, but Kagome couldn't have really cared less what the excuse for an escaped French dinner of Frogs Legs thought at that point.
~*~
Rin was beginning to fall asleep on the back of their gracious bearer when Sesshomaru stopped. And boy, was I happy, though I hadn't done as much walking as the taiyoukai, his toady little imp, or poor Ah and Un, who ended up not only lugging Rin around, but me too. The poor thing must have been exhausted. Sesshomaru walked on for about six, maybe seven hours after I had gotten a ride. Needless to say, I could understand completely how Sesshomaru got a kid like Rin to be worn out enough to go to bed without the slightest question. Or at least I hadn't seen her question him yet.
Rin tugged on the bottom of my skirt gently when we had come to the spot pleasing his royal highness.
"Kagome-chan? Will you come with Rin to get fire wood for Sesshomaru-sama?" She asked in one of the sweetest tones I had ever heard, while giving me a look similar to that of Souta's begging looks, or Shippo's. It was then and there I figured out just how hard it was to deny any child that gave you that look.
I knelt down to talk to her. "Hai. I would love to go with you, Rin-chan. Let's go before it gets too dark to see what we're picking up." I offered her my hand with a smile, only to have it grabbed and to be pulled out of the clearing with more strength than I would have thought possible for little Rin.
We walked along for a while, picking up what twigs and dry, carry-able limbs we could. Rin chattered away all the while, but I didn't mind. After traveling with either a silent or a whining hanyou, then a silent demon Lord, I was pleased to be able to listen to the ramblings of a little girl for a bit. What a nice and welcome change it was.
Though half concentrating on what Rin was saying, and half concentrating on my own thoughts, I felt something tug at my senses in the back of my mind, but the feeling was so strange I couldn't really place it. Rin darted off and brought back a branch that looked like good firewood.
"Is this one good, Kagome-chan?" She asked, holding it up for me to see.
"It looks great, Rin-chan! Oh, wait," I turned it over after feeling something slimey. I almost jumped at what I saw and moved my hand away from it. "No, a slug has made this branch his home, see?" I showed her, and she nodded while staring at the slug with interest. "We'll leave it right here, so we don't really disturb him."
I sat the branch down, leaving the slug crawling, or slinking I guess, on his little 'house' before Rin grabbed my hand again, and we started back towards the clearing. We walked slowly back, since it would take us a while to get back anyway, seeing as we had wandered a long ways away from the others.
Again, I could feel something pull at the back of my senses, but again I dismissed it since I had no clue what it could be. When we were half way there, I started to speed up a little bit, now also sensing something following us. Rin hadn't noticed, so I decided not to worry her.
"Hey, Rin-chan, how about a race back?" I asked.
"Alright, Kagome-chan! But Rin will win!" With that, the little girl sprang ahead, and I followed. At least she was fast. She pulled ahead by darting through bushes and under tree limbs that took me a second or two to get past. I could tell that she was back already, so I didn't worry for her anymore.
I was falling to the ground before I felt the pain from being struck, and some substance that I had a feeling I didn't want to know of making my clothes stick to my back. I could feel whatever the stuff was slowly slither down my arm, somewhat like you would expect the contents of an egg to do if you cracked it on your shoulder. Not a pleasant feeling, and whatever this stuff was, it defiantly wasn't an egg..
The next experience I had was also one I would love to soon forget. It was like being lifted into the air by your ribs alone, which in a sense, I was. Whatever had been following us had wrapped its.err.tail around me, and was squeezing so hard, I knew two things: one, if this didn't stop soon, all my ribs would be broken, and two, I probably would suffocate before I had the joy of feeling all my ribs cracked. Gritting my teeth, I opened one eye to see what it was that had me, at least. What I saw both disgusted me, and surprised me.
Ooze dripped in globs from the grayish, slimey form. I think what was the head, for it was hardly any different from the tail wrapped around me, was feet off the ground and facing towards where Rin had disappeared. Whatever it was, it was huge. I couldn't really place what it could be, seeing as how my mind was racing with how to get away, all the things I hadn't been able to do or see, and how it hurt to have the air crushed out of your lungs.
Then there was sweet relief. Everything stopped, the creature stopped its squeezing, my ribs still hurt, but I knew I would live, and I could breathe!! What had held me was still writhing when I hit the ground. All I saw was a flurry of white, then I heard some monstrous sound that must have come from the beast. I looked up to see both who had saved me, and what the HELL had attacked me. I turned over and gasped in shock when I saw something that nearly gave me a heart attack.
What had attacked was none other than a youkai. ((AN: Bet all you guys figured THAT out, eh? Lol)) But what type it was got me. It looked like a giant, cut in half version of the slug that had been on the log Rin had found. I had been face to face with a raging hanyou when his demon blood had taken over. I had been face to face with Naraku and defeated him. I had seen more horrific things than most teenagers my age from my time. I was terrified. Well, that would explain why I felt something strange, but couldn't place it. And standing before the creature, Tokijin drawn, was Sesshomaru, his pallor face staring coldly into what I suppose was the grotesque face of the slug demon. I was too busy enjoying the fact I could breathe again to notice that the tail had slid away from me and was slithering towards Sesshomaru's back. ((AN: Hey, in my fic, even decapitated things can move, sometimes! BEWARE! IF YOU SLICE OFF MY HEAD, I WILL STILL BE HERE TO HAUNT YOU!!!))
The head half charged to lure Sesshomaru's attention, and for the most part it worked. Sesshomaru didn't notice the tail coming from behind until a few seconds before it wreathed around his mid section, also succeeding in pinning Sesshomaru's only arm to his side so that the Tokijin and his claws were useless. I stood up to see a look of pure annoyance cross Sesshomaru's face after a moment, and I could see why. Even from my now standing position, I could see that the tail was squeezing Sesshomaru just as hard, or harder, than it had been squeezing me.
The only thought that crossed my mind from that point on was how I could help or save Sesshomaru, since he had saved me, and since it was the all around right thing to do. At the very corner of the clearing were my bow and arrows, which had been on me when Sesshomaru had found me, or so I was told. I was suddenly thankful I had been a little careless with my stuff in my earlier exhaustion. I ran to them, and notched an arrow, looking for an aiming point. I was so used to aiming at Jewel shards, it took me a second or two to realize I was looking for a little lavender glow. Chiding myself, I aimed for what currently looked to be the head, for it was about to drool its gross slime over Sesshomaru, and fired. Of course, the normal energy wave encompassed the arrow, and the end result was the things head disintegrating and the entire body, including the tail, falling limp to the ground.
Sesshomaru landed nimbly on his feet, looking at the body of the creature with stoic expression. But I could slightly see a tinge of curiosity in his eyes as he looked to me, then turned towards the clearing and walked away without even saying a word. No thanks. No demanding thanks. Just silence. You know, I was ready to kill him over that silence. It would have been nicer to have been with Inuyasha, at this point, at least he would have complained for not being thanked.
~*~
"God damn it, where is she?!" Inuyasha yelled, in the same enraged fashion as he had since the day they lost Kagome, AGAIN!
"Inuyasha, neither Lady Sango nor I know this, and we have told you that since when she disappeared back into the flames."
Inuyasha growled his anger, but he expected no less. When finally Miroku and Sango had let go of the collar of his haori and let him go in search of her, there was nothing left. No ashes, no scorched bones, no smell of burnt flesh, so at least they knew she was alive. But they had no clue where she was. The smell of charred and burning forestry's had wiped out most of the scents of animals, he could faintly make out Kagome's in the spot she had fallen, but from there it ended.
Miroku sighed. "Inuyasha, countless times we have told you that it is not only you that cares about Kagome," Inuyasha stood to defend himself against the accusation, but Miroku held his hand up for silence, " Sango and I do as well. We will have to search for her when it is light out, as we have been, it would do no good to search in the dark when we can't see."
"You can't see, Monk. I can." Inuyasha argued, crossing his arms.
Miroku sighed again, mumbling under his breath, "I wish Lady Kagome were here, even if it were to only use the subduing spell."
~*~
Okay, there it is.Again, the idea of the slug youkai is not mine, it belongs to cloverX. I don't want to take credit for her idea, so I just wanted to say that. But, again, I warped it to fix my story a little.
Kagome: But you cheated! What happens next with me and that baka Sesshomaru?!
Sesshomaru: *Knocks Kagome over*
Kagome: Hey, you cheated!
Sesshomaru: Baka.*Gives a sarcastic look like she should have expected that*
Ashley: 0_0' I think I've let them see Pirates too much.Now I'll go, tear the movie away from their grasp, think of more stuff to do, and look forward to reviews. REVIEWS. You remember what those are, right? R-E-V-I-E- W-S. Spells Reviews, and those are what I am begging of you guys as a Christmas present, okay? PWEASE?! *Begs*
DISCLAIMER: Do you think I would be writing fan fictions if I owned Inuyasha? COME ON, FOLKS, IT'S CALLED BRAINS!! I only own Seiryuu, Komo, Kiminari, and Suzaku. So if you take them, you have to write a disclaimer giving me credit for them! MUWHAHA! I LOVE BEING EVIL!!!
".."-Talking
'...'-Thinking
..yada yada..-Actions
~*~-Change of view, scenery, or what group we're following, I'll just use which ever I please to spice it up a bit... I get such writes, being the writer and all, you know? And it also signals the end of my beginning OOC comments, and the end of the chapter.For examples, look below.
~*~
It only occurred to Kagome while she was telling her story that she owed Sesshomaru no explanation, so much Sesshomaru could read from her expression, yet she continued on regardless.
It didn't surprise him that Inuyasha had made such a stupid mistake. It sounded very much like something that a hanyou like him would do, actually. But now he understood why Inuyasha was after the Stone, as Seiryuu had told him a while back with that wench Komo. The only thing that confused him was the voice was back, and telling him things like he should offer to help her. 'After all,' it said, 'you hate Inuyasha, not her'. Had it not been for watching eyes, he would have growled and hit his head to try and get the stupid voice to cease its chatter. The thing that confused him more then that was he felt more like obeying the voice then not.
Kagome sighed when she didn't get a reaction from Sesshomaru throughout the telling. 'I guess shouldn't have expected one...' She thought, looking into the fire.
"Sleep." Kagome jumped slightly at the smooth, calm voice.
"Huh?" She questioned dumbly.
"I said 'sleep'. Tomorrow we travel." With that, Sesshomaru stood and was gone. Kagome looked to the sleeping forms about her. Jaken, the annoying toad, was snoring to her far left. Rin was nearest her right, an adorable sleeping bundle, with Ah and Un on the little girls opposite side. Kagome sighed again, and settled down into a dreamless sleep.
~*~
The pace was quick the next day. Sesshomaru, while walking seemingly slow, glided from one long stride to the next with an ease Kagome found herself wishing she had well into the first hour of the 'walk'. For awhile, Rin was the sweet, active girl Kagome expected her to be. She would sprint ahead for no reason, then trot back to the group with some small beast that had let her approach, some flower, some 'pretty rock' that Kagome truly found somewhat ugly in appearance, but light weight and smooth at least. Kagome's pockets were full of various small items two hours within the starting of their little voyage.
But when the little girl grew tired of walking, and wanted a break, Rin rode on the two headed dragon of Sesshomaru's that seemed oh-so found of her. From experience, Kagome found that while the beast looked scary with its two heads and its muzzles (Kami knows WHY the thing had muzzles, but Kagome didn't exactly want to know anytime soon), that it was gentle and sort of friendly. How ironic.
'Geeze,' Kagome thought, 'I'm getting a better work out now than I do in P.E. back at school!' After about four hours of Sesshomaru's fast-pace exercise program, Kagome took Rin's offers and rode Ah and Un just behind the child. Jaken seemed perturbed by this, but Kagome couldn't have really cared less what the excuse for an escaped French dinner of Frogs Legs thought at that point.
~*~
Rin was beginning to fall asleep on the back of their gracious bearer when Sesshomaru stopped. And boy, was I happy, though I hadn't done as much walking as the taiyoukai, his toady little imp, or poor Ah and Un, who ended up not only lugging Rin around, but me too. The poor thing must have been exhausted. Sesshomaru walked on for about six, maybe seven hours after I had gotten a ride. Needless to say, I could understand completely how Sesshomaru got a kid like Rin to be worn out enough to go to bed without the slightest question. Or at least I hadn't seen her question him yet.
Rin tugged on the bottom of my skirt gently when we had come to the spot pleasing his royal highness.
"Kagome-chan? Will you come with Rin to get fire wood for Sesshomaru-sama?" She asked in one of the sweetest tones I had ever heard, while giving me a look similar to that of Souta's begging looks, or Shippo's. It was then and there I figured out just how hard it was to deny any child that gave you that look.
I knelt down to talk to her. "Hai. I would love to go with you, Rin-chan. Let's go before it gets too dark to see what we're picking up." I offered her my hand with a smile, only to have it grabbed and to be pulled out of the clearing with more strength than I would have thought possible for little Rin.
We walked along for a while, picking up what twigs and dry, carry-able limbs we could. Rin chattered away all the while, but I didn't mind. After traveling with either a silent or a whining hanyou, then a silent demon Lord, I was pleased to be able to listen to the ramblings of a little girl for a bit. What a nice and welcome change it was.
Though half concentrating on what Rin was saying, and half concentrating on my own thoughts, I felt something tug at my senses in the back of my mind, but the feeling was so strange I couldn't really place it. Rin darted off and brought back a branch that looked like good firewood.
"Is this one good, Kagome-chan?" She asked, holding it up for me to see.
"It looks great, Rin-chan! Oh, wait," I turned it over after feeling something slimey. I almost jumped at what I saw and moved my hand away from it. "No, a slug has made this branch his home, see?" I showed her, and she nodded while staring at the slug with interest. "We'll leave it right here, so we don't really disturb him."
I sat the branch down, leaving the slug crawling, or slinking I guess, on his little 'house' before Rin grabbed my hand again, and we started back towards the clearing. We walked slowly back, since it would take us a while to get back anyway, seeing as we had wandered a long ways away from the others.
Again, I could feel something pull at the back of my senses, but again I dismissed it since I had no clue what it could be. When we were half way there, I started to speed up a little bit, now also sensing something following us. Rin hadn't noticed, so I decided not to worry her.
"Hey, Rin-chan, how about a race back?" I asked.
"Alright, Kagome-chan! But Rin will win!" With that, the little girl sprang ahead, and I followed. At least she was fast. She pulled ahead by darting through bushes and under tree limbs that took me a second or two to get past. I could tell that she was back already, so I didn't worry for her anymore.
I was falling to the ground before I felt the pain from being struck, and some substance that I had a feeling I didn't want to know of making my clothes stick to my back. I could feel whatever the stuff was slowly slither down my arm, somewhat like you would expect the contents of an egg to do if you cracked it on your shoulder. Not a pleasant feeling, and whatever this stuff was, it defiantly wasn't an egg..
The next experience I had was also one I would love to soon forget. It was like being lifted into the air by your ribs alone, which in a sense, I was. Whatever had been following us had wrapped its.err.tail around me, and was squeezing so hard, I knew two things: one, if this didn't stop soon, all my ribs would be broken, and two, I probably would suffocate before I had the joy of feeling all my ribs cracked. Gritting my teeth, I opened one eye to see what it was that had me, at least. What I saw both disgusted me, and surprised me.
Ooze dripped in globs from the grayish, slimey form. I think what was the head, for it was hardly any different from the tail wrapped around me, was feet off the ground and facing towards where Rin had disappeared. Whatever it was, it was huge. I couldn't really place what it could be, seeing as how my mind was racing with how to get away, all the things I hadn't been able to do or see, and how it hurt to have the air crushed out of your lungs.
Then there was sweet relief. Everything stopped, the creature stopped its squeezing, my ribs still hurt, but I knew I would live, and I could breathe!! What had held me was still writhing when I hit the ground. All I saw was a flurry of white, then I heard some monstrous sound that must have come from the beast. I looked up to see both who had saved me, and what the HELL had attacked me. I turned over and gasped in shock when I saw something that nearly gave me a heart attack.
What had attacked was none other than a youkai. ((AN: Bet all you guys figured THAT out, eh? Lol)) But what type it was got me. It looked like a giant, cut in half version of the slug that had been on the log Rin had found. I had been face to face with a raging hanyou when his demon blood had taken over. I had been face to face with Naraku and defeated him. I had seen more horrific things than most teenagers my age from my time. I was terrified. Well, that would explain why I felt something strange, but couldn't place it. And standing before the creature, Tokijin drawn, was Sesshomaru, his pallor face staring coldly into what I suppose was the grotesque face of the slug demon. I was too busy enjoying the fact I could breathe again to notice that the tail had slid away from me and was slithering towards Sesshomaru's back. ((AN: Hey, in my fic, even decapitated things can move, sometimes! BEWARE! IF YOU SLICE OFF MY HEAD, I WILL STILL BE HERE TO HAUNT YOU!!!))
The head half charged to lure Sesshomaru's attention, and for the most part it worked. Sesshomaru didn't notice the tail coming from behind until a few seconds before it wreathed around his mid section, also succeeding in pinning Sesshomaru's only arm to his side so that the Tokijin and his claws were useless. I stood up to see a look of pure annoyance cross Sesshomaru's face after a moment, and I could see why. Even from my now standing position, I could see that the tail was squeezing Sesshomaru just as hard, or harder, than it had been squeezing me.
The only thought that crossed my mind from that point on was how I could help or save Sesshomaru, since he had saved me, and since it was the all around right thing to do. At the very corner of the clearing were my bow and arrows, which had been on me when Sesshomaru had found me, or so I was told. I was suddenly thankful I had been a little careless with my stuff in my earlier exhaustion. I ran to them, and notched an arrow, looking for an aiming point. I was so used to aiming at Jewel shards, it took me a second or two to realize I was looking for a little lavender glow. Chiding myself, I aimed for what currently looked to be the head, for it was about to drool its gross slime over Sesshomaru, and fired. Of course, the normal energy wave encompassed the arrow, and the end result was the things head disintegrating and the entire body, including the tail, falling limp to the ground.
Sesshomaru landed nimbly on his feet, looking at the body of the creature with stoic expression. But I could slightly see a tinge of curiosity in his eyes as he looked to me, then turned towards the clearing and walked away without even saying a word. No thanks. No demanding thanks. Just silence. You know, I was ready to kill him over that silence. It would have been nicer to have been with Inuyasha, at this point, at least he would have complained for not being thanked.
~*~
"God damn it, where is she?!" Inuyasha yelled, in the same enraged fashion as he had since the day they lost Kagome, AGAIN!
"Inuyasha, neither Lady Sango nor I know this, and we have told you that since when she disappeared back into the flames."
Inuyasha growled his anger, but he expected no less. When finally Miroku and Sango had let go of the collar of his haori and let him go in search of her, there was nothing left. No ashes, no scorched bones, no smell of burnt flesh, so at least they knew she was alive. But they had no clue where she was. The smell of charred and burning forestry's had wiped out most of the scents of animals, he could faintly make out Kagome's in the spot she had fallen, but from there it ended.
Miroku sighed. "Inuyasha, countless times we have told you that it is not only you that cares about Kagome," Inuyasha stood to defend himself against the accusation, but Miroku held his hand up for silence, " Sango and I do as well. We will have to search for her when it is light out, as we have been, it would do no good to search in the dark when we can't see."
"You can't see, Monk. I can." Inuyasha argued, crossing his arms.
Miroku sighed again, mumbling under his breath, "I wish Lady Kagome were here, even if it were to only use the subduing spell."
~*~
Okay, there it is.Again, the idea of the slug youkai is not mine, it belongs to cloverX. I don't want to take credit for her idea, so I just wanted to say that. But, again, I warped it to fix my story a little.
Kagome: But you cheated! What happens next with me and that baka Sesshomaru?!
Sesshomaru: *Knocks Kagome over*
Kagome: Hey, you cheated!
Sesshomaru: Baka.*Gives a sarcastic look like she should have expected that*
Ashley: 0_0' I think I've let them see Pirates too much.Now I'll go, tear the movie away from their grasp, think of more stuff to do, and look forward to reviews. REVIEWS. You remember what those are, right? R-E-V-I-E- W-S. Spells Reviews, and those are what I am begging of you guys as a Christmas present, okay? PWEASE?! *Begs*