Disclaimer: I'm better than you dream-crushing,
big fat...meanies, so I'll admit it. Inuyasha is not
mine. However Naeomi and Ejineko do. .... I don't
know if that's something to be proud of or not....



Last Time: Ejineko smiled as he watched the two
demons. 'My work is done here. The spell should
wear off now...'



Chapter Six: Sometimes It's Better to Forget



Naeomi put her hands on Sesshoumaru's shoulders
and pushed him away. "What do you think you're
doing?!" Jumping up, she backed away. "I...I have to
go, Sesshoumaru... I'll see you tomorrow!" With
that, she spun around and ran away.

Confused, Sesshoumaru put a hand to his lips and
looked at it. As he still felt the spell during
the kiss, he had felt her fright. It was a sense
of recognition, he decided. 'And hurt,' he
reminded himself, putting the same hand over his
heart.



Ejineko scowled. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"
he hissed. "This throws everything off."



Naeomi sat at home, breathing heavily and crying.
'I never wanted to remember that... I never wanted
to love again...' she tried to laugh. 'And now look
at me! Practically in Sesshoumaru's lap. He'll
just do the same thing to me that...' she couldn't
even bring herself to think his name.

***Flashback(Naeomi's POV



I watched the scene play out in front of me in
horror. The man I had trusted to take care of me
was planning to kill me! I had been shunned from
my own kind because I planned to spend the rest of
my life with him, a human.

"Are you sure Naeomi won't find out?"

"What, that stupid cunt? No way!"

After the accident that left him immobile, I
planned my revenge. I watched him and the miko who
took care of him, and became extremely jealous
when I saw him become fond of her instead of me.

One morning, when I thought both of them were
there, I knocked over a candle, resulting in a
fire. He was killed, but the miko had been away at
the time. I was cynical of love after that, and
made myself push away all courtiers.

Then, I got wind of the demon Naraku. I heard what
he had done to the miko I tried to kill and her
half-demon lover, and found out the miko had never
really liked Onigumo. For that was the name of the
man I had trusted, and the name of the man who
betrayed me. But now he was Naraku. Once I found
out, I used all of my power to forget what had
happened and to bind my power forever.

Until now.

***End Flashback



"Onigumo..." she hadn't even realized what he was
into until it was too late. "I hate you..."



Sesshoumaru kept his distance from Naeomi, even
though it drove him crazy. The spell still bound
them, so he could feel the hurt and betrayed
feelings pouring from her. 'What's the matter with
her?'

She stayed that way all day, much to the annoyance
of Ejineko. "This is not the way it was supposed
to work out." He sniffed.



Naeomi hid her crimson eyes from the other
students and teachers. 'I remember everything...'
she just wanted to go home and cry again. Not to
mention the burning hatred she had for Onigumo
made her want to scream. 'And the poor miko she
had felt such jealousy for who hadn't deserved it
had probably died because of her. 'I'm so sorry...'

She got herself under control and looked up. She
gasped at who was in front of her. "Sesshoumaru!"
'I ran away so quickly last night, he must...oh,
no...I'm so stupid!'

"Naeomi, I just thought I should talk to you
because of..."

"If you think it's your fault, Sesshoumaru, you're
wrong. It's...It's mine. I just remembered some
unpleasant memories and got scared, that's all."
She took a deep breath. "So, if you don't mind, I
would just like to... I don't want to get any closer
than friends, okay?"

Strangely disappointed, Sesshoumaru nodded.
'Naeomi...like beauty, right? Wait a minute, she
just asked me to back off. I need to respect that,
I guess.'

Naeomi could read the sadness in his eyes as well
as feel it. 'Trust me, Sesshoumaru. It's for your
own good.'



Ejineko snarled. "The spell will never wear off at
this rate! This calls for desperate measures."



Naeomi felt a little guilty as she turned away
from Sesshoumaru, but she felt the end result
would be better for them. 'He'll understand in the
end, and he'll thank me for it.'

Sesshoumaru wanted her to turn back to him and say
she was just kidding, you should have seen the
look on your face, blah, blah, blah, but she
didn't. What had he done wrong? Had it been him at
all? Inuyasha came up and tried to pull his
brother into a game of football, but Sesshoumaru
only stared at the only woman to ever turn him
down in all the years he had been alive.

And it hurt.



The next morning, Naeomi dreaded going to school.
'Why should I? I have Kagome and Inuyasha and-'

"Sesshoumaru..." she whispered. 'Why the hell is
what I said to him bothering me so much?'

'Because you saw the hurt in his eyes...you hurt
him.'

Growling, she jumped out of bed and got dressed as
quickly as possible.



"Sesshoumaru, what's your problem? You've been
like this since yesterday." Inuyasha waved a hand
in Sesshoumaru's face.

"I'm fine. Get out of my way." He pushed Inuyasha
away. He was not looking forward to seeing Naeomi
again.



"Um, hi, Sesshoumaru."

He ignored her. He could feel her anger, but he
wanted her to feel the same way he did.

"Sesshoumaru!" She grabbed his jacket. "Will you
acknowledge me!? Hello!" He kept his face away
from her, and Naeomi felt a familiar feeling,
similar to when she had first suspected Onigumo
was plotting against her. "Sesshoumaru?" she could
hear the panic in her voice and she tried to
conceal it.

'What?' Sesshoumaru felt her panic, and could feel
her heartbeat increasing. "What do you want,
woman?" He relaxed as her grip on him loosened.

"I-uh-" she blushed, willing away everyone's
stares. "I wanted to say hi."

He looked down on her for a second. "Hello."



'Great. That was embarrassing.' Naeomi sighed. 'I
have to remember the promise I made to myself...'

She buried her face into her book as Sesshoumaru
came over. 'Don't speak to him, don't say a word.'

"What is your problem with me?" Sesshoumaru asked
lightly.

"No! No, it's not you, really..." her voice faded.
'D'oh!! That's one promise to myself broken...better
watch my step...'

"Then what?"

"Look, I just...I can't..." she glared at him. "Just
leave me alone!" Naeomi turned to the side and
looked at the book, its lines blurring together.
Not wanting him to see her cry, she dropped the
book and ran out of the room, and Sesshoumaru
watched her turn her back on him for a second
time.

This time, he didn't bother to follow her.

***Flashback



Naeomi watched her brother shake his head. "I
don't believe it. You, and a human..."

"Please, just listen to me, brother, I-" she
pleaded with him.

"I have heard of this human, Naeomi...it would be
wise for you to forget about him. He is a bandit!"

"You're wrong. I don't care what other demons have
said. I believe what I see."



Naeomi walked alone, her face hidden by the hooded
cloak she wore.

"Hey, you!" A man, obviously someone of lesser
status than a peasant, called to her. "You're that
miko that'll take any human, right?" He and the
rest of his little group laughed. "Well, to tell
the truth, I've been looking for a slut like you
for a long time."

Naeomi's vision clouded. 'I-I don't understand...why
can't anyone leave me alone?'

***End Flashback



A/N: So, how is it? If I get some more reviews,
I'll post another chapter.

Twiceonsunday: Oh my gosh! You are so right! I
totally forgot, and hope this answers any
questions you may have. Thank you for bringing
those issues to my attention.