Disclaimer: I don't even own Inuyasha merchandise
AN: Heh, oops. Right after I say "two day updates from now on!" I skip an
update. Not like you guys mind, right? Besides! It was New Years!! Granted, I
even updated on Christmas, but my Christmas happens on the 24th, so
reasonable explanation there. Anyways, I was going to skip this update too to
get my website up and running, but six days is just too long to stall. So,
without further to do, I give you chapter 24! (O.o no long rants this time??)
Icari
Chapter 24
"then there was this huge caterpillar
thing, gods, Kagome nearly keeled over when it exploded on us…" He stopped when
he suddenly smelled a change in Icari's scent. She had gone from passive to
surprised.
"Hold it Inuyasha… Bugs don't just 'blow
up' on us. What the hell did you do?" Inuyasha glanced behind him and shrugged.
"You know those fire things Kagome has?
The ones that were just burning yesterday… Well, I shoved a few down it's
throat then threw a torch in it." Icari started to laugh while patting his
head, nearly falling off the branch while doing so.
"Well, you certainly gave it an
entertaining leave. Poor thing. How many shards this time?"
"Keh, only one. A small one too. I don't
think it would've made a difference if we hadn't found it…" Inuyasha sat there,
wondering if he should comment on how quickly she had sobered up. There was
something on her mind. Finally, after a few seconds, his curiosity got the
better of him. "Hey Icari, what are you thinking about? You're obviously
distracted."
There was a moment's silence, and
Icari's claw stopped running through his hair. In instinct, he leaned back
against her, making himself comfortable. Icari's arms
wrapped themselves around him, and she gave a small laugh.
"Inuyasha, do you remember those days,
when our parents were all busy, and I'd take care of you? I'd take you out for
the day while I did my chores, and every night, we'd sit down like we just did,
and I'd groom you while you told me about everything you did that day?"
Inuyasha tensed as a major déjà vu
caught him off guard. This was exactly what had happened with his mother…
"You might not remember, after all, you
were only one or so. Still, you were so energetic; I remember trying to groom
you while you waved your hands all over the place… Inuyasha?
What's wrong?" She stroked the base of an ear, hoping to get him to relax, but
it didn't work. "Inuyasha?"
"This… this feels so familiar…
Sesshomaru… the first time Kagome ever met Sesshomaru, he sent the Un-mother
against me. You might remember the two of us fighting about it when you first
came. The Un-mother did the same thing too me… she made me remember the past,
just to trick me…"
Icari listened as her brother recounted
the events that day, and she silently made a note to talk with Sesshomaru later
on.
"The day was a lot like this too, or at least the scenery. The day was so perfect, it was
unreal… there was a pond too, and she stood there, just like I remember her…
she looked so real…" He was eyeing the pond, watching their reflection. "But
her face had no reflection."
"Oh Inuyasha…" She hugged him again,
burying her face into his back. "I'm so sorry that happened to you, and I wish
it never did. But I'm real, and it's going to be alright…"
Kagome got out of her sleeping bag then,
and walked closer to the tree Inuyasha and Icari were in. She wanted to be up
there too, to comfort him, but there was no way she could reach the first
branch, never mind get up there.
Kagome had been awake for the last few
minutes, she had heard only from the exploding caterpillar incident. Within a
minute, though, Yasuo was beside her. He looked at her through his purple
locks, and for the first time, she saw the troubled look in his eyes.
"Milady, you wish to join them?"
Surprised, Kagome glanced back up to the
two in the branch, and saw Icari's golden eye, watching her. The demon nodded at her, and she nodded at
Yasuo. A strong arm wrapped around her waist, and before she knew it, there was
a puddle of water at her feet, but she wasn't wet. The water began to rise, and
they were soon halfway towards Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha, I have to go right now."
Without an explanation, Icari dropped down the other side. Only a second after,
Yasuo and Kagome were at the same level as him. Kagome stepped off the platform
of water, still a little bewildered, and stood behind him, steadying herself.
"Hey…" He turned on his branch to face
her as she sat down. "You want to talk?" Yasuo took that as his cue to leave,
and was gone the next second. Kagome didn't really give notice though.
Inuyasha smiled down at her, and moved
closer in, grateful that his mate had sensed that he was in distress, and had
come up here to comfort him. "Keh, what makes you
think that?" Despite his words, he was still smiling, and Kagome poked him
lightly.
"Sounds like you're already feeling
better."
*~*~*~*~*
Icari watched from below, and muffled a
few giggles. Yasuo was behind her, though she was trying to ignore him. Or at
least the wistfulness in his scent…
"That's so cute." The
was a grunt in response, and she smiled at him. "I don't remember you
ever using that platform thin when we were kids. I had to jump from tree top to
tree top for nothing!" Yasuo never looked at her, and she sighed. Right now,
Icari only wanted him as a friend, and it didn't seem like her attempts at
making him back off were working.
"It drains me, though not as much as
actual spells…" He made to walk away, but stumbled on his first step. Icari
caught him and eyed him angrily.
"What the hell did I say about throwing
your magic around?"
*~*~*~*~*
The morning sun
was well over the tree tops as Rin woke up, and she stretched enthusiastically.
Today was another day, and she was finally reunited with the friends she had
met a year ago. The spring air bit at her face a bit, but she loved it. It only
meant that the long, cold winter was gone. Moving as to not wake up Sesshomaru
beside her, (they had slept at the foot of a tree) she moved to start the fire.
Miroku and Sango didn't seem like they were awake yet, and the others were no
where in sight. Shippo, though, was already up and heading to the pond for a
drink.
"Shippo-chan!"
The kitsune turned on his heel and smiled.
"Good morning Rin! Do you need
something?" He bounded over to her with his canister in hand (though it was
easily the same size as him) and jumped on her shoulder. "Ooh, you're a bit
taller now. Hey, what are you doing? Do you need help with the fire?" As usual,
Shippo was asking questions a mile a minute. Rin giggled as he continued to
rattle questions off by her ear.
"Good morning Shippo. Actually, I was
wondering if you would mind filling up my flask while you were down by the
pond." The said flask was pulled off of her thighs as she waited for him to
answer.
"Sure. Just hand it over." Grinning, he
jumped down and held a small palm out. She passed the flask to him and watched
as he looked at the two things. Shrugging, the kitsune held both the canister
and flask by their belts in his mouth, and bounded off to the pond. His round
bottle bounced on his back while Rin's leather flask flew behind him.
"Dear, I wonder how he's going to bring
them back." Shrugging, she turned and went to scrimmage in her small bag for a
flint. When she turned around, Icari was helping an exhausted Yasuo into the
campsite, muttering to him incoherently.
"Icari, Yasuo, what happened?" Icari
glared at the water demon then looked at her before giving a defeated sigh.
"Yasuo here has been throwing his magic
powers around again. I don't know what's wrong with him but he won't listen."
She laid him down not far from the fire and walked down to the pond. "Rin,
watch him for me. I have to get him some water."
"Sure." Icari was soon out of ear shot,
and Rin continued to work on the fire. Yasuo was eyeing the direction Icari had
left. "You really love her, don't you?" The water demon's head jerked her way,
surprised clearly etched in his face.
"It's not that hard to see. You haven't
really said it out loud, but everybody knows. I bet she knows better than
anybody." She sat beside him, finished with the fire. "I don't understand why
she's so bound to the past though. Sounds Like
Inuyasha and Kagome's old problem though, roles reversed."
"What she had with Hiro…
it was love too. A person is allowed to love more than
once, you know. She doesn't believe that she could. And, our friendship is
important to her. She doesn't want things to change."
"But with time comes change. Didn't she
teach Sesshomaru that?" She huffed and sat back. "Hypocrite."
"Shippo!!" a red ball ran past them,
followed by a very wet Icari, who zoomed right past. After that little scene
had raced pasts, everyone else started to wake up.
Rin looked at everyone around her before
deciding she couldn't talk to Yasuo anymore. Though, a plan was starting to
form in her head. She glanced over at Sesshomaru, then Yasuo.
'You helped us, Icari, now it's payback
time…'
*~*~*~*~*
Slightly shorter chapter than usual. I'm getting
distracted and it's getting late. Yep, The last choice
is gone, no one's even thinking about it. Lol. Random Question Answering!!
Where did you get the idea of a sister
who could control the two brothers?
Honestly, I don't know. I think it just kind of worked out with the plot line I
guess. I mean, Sesshomaru wouldn't hurt his little sister, and Inuyasha is
younger so he'd have to listen. Meh. I never saw the question coming ^^;
A) 8 votes
B) 2 votes