Disclaimer: No, I don't own Inuyasha or his traveling companions. I don't own Sesshomaru and his entourage either. But you know what? Nekoyasha and her grandchildren are mine.
As always,
"Spoken"
ThoughtsChapter 17: Boil, Boil, Toil and Trouble
When they got back, Kagome, Lotus, and Sango started making lunch. Inuyasha went and hid in a tree (although he wasn't completely hiding because Miroku was meditating beneath it). Shinta and Shippo went out and started fencing with some sticks while Rin sat on the ground making flower chains.
Nekoyasha started looking through some scrolls. She was intently looking for something, and nobody felt that it was right to talk to her. Sesshomaru just happen to be sitting at the table with her enjoying a cup of tea.
Lunch was had and still Nekoyasha searched through her scrolls. The table now became somewhat crowded. Rin and Shippo were coloring, Kagome started studying, Sango and Miroku were doing the dishes and Inuyasha sat outside polishing his sword. Lotus and Shinta noticed that the herb supplies were low and went out to retrieve some more.
"Aha! I knew I had seen it somewhere before!" Nekoyasha exclaimed after several hours of quiet. Everyone looked up at her.
"Sesshomaru, I think we can make you a new arm."
There were several gasps from around the table. All eyes turned to him. He shrugged nonchalantly.
"No," came Inuyasha's voice strongly as he came through the door. "If he gets a new arm, it will improve his chances of killing me."
"It will enable him to protect himself and those he cares about better," she replied back.
"But he doesn't care! Do you really hate me that much that you want him to kill me?"
Nekoyasha sighed. "Of course not, Inuyasha. I don't hate you and I don't hate Sesshomaru either."
"Fine, but when he kills me it will be all your fault!" Inuyasha retorted.
"I still don't see where you get that idea from. He has been most civil here," she said as she went back to looking at the scroll.
Miroku leaned over to Sango and Kagome. "She's right. Plus there was the time when Inuyasha was fully demon and Sesshomaru let him live."
Kagome nodded. "But you two weren't there when we retrieved the Tetsusaiga. Sesshomaru would have killed him... he would have even killed me, if he could have. He even resorted to using a demon that looked like Inuyasha's mother!"
Miroku and Sango shrugged. "But he does have that little girl with him. And he does seem to be at least protective of her. Why would he let her stay around?" Sango asked. No one had an answer to her question.
Meanwhile Nekoyasha went around collecting the supplies she would need. Lotus and Shinta had returned with the needed herbs. She stopped when she saw one of the "ingredients."
Hair of a blood relative – If the healer doing this a relative of the person, then their hair may be used only once. By having a blood relative ensures that the appendage will take.
Damn. How am I going to get Inuyasha's hair. He'll never let it go voluntarily. Hmmm. She absently ran her fingers through her own hair. A few strands attached themselves to her fingers.
Nekoyasha sighed when she saw the hair. "Great, I'm shedding," she mumbled. Then she got an idea. "Inuyasha, come over here."
"Why?" he huffed.
"So I can brush your hair, that's why." He gave her a look. She smiled. "I'm a cat and must groom something. Right now I choose to groom you."
Inuyasha sighed but got up and went and sat in front of her. She picked up the brush and started brushing. After a little while things calmed down and she finished.
"Thank you. I'm done with you." Inuyasha reluctantly got up. It had been quite soothing to have his hair brushed.
Maybe I should have Kagome do that more often, he thought.
Nekoyasha pulled his hair from the brush and sat it on the table. She looked over to Rin. "Your turn, Rin." The little girl gleefully jumped up and sat in front of the cat. So she started brushing the little girl's hair. Again when she was finished, she pulled the hair from the brush and put it on the table. She repeated the process with her own hair. Finally when she was done with that she got up and went over to Sesshomaru and whispered in his ear. He gave her a skeptical look but nodded his head just the same. Again she repeated the process that she had done most of the evening. When she finished, she went back to her side of the table. She straightened all the strands out.
Kagome looked up from her math book. "What is all that for?" she asked.
"Sesshomaru's arm," Nekoyasha replied.
"I thought I said no," Inuyasha growled.
"It won't work without your hair!"
"Good."
"Fine!" Nekoyasha grabbed two strands of the hair off the table. She rolled them in her hand for a moment, and then held them up to Inuyasha. "If you can tell which one is yours, then I won't do it." She secretly hoped that Inuyasha didn't realize that Sesshomaru's hair was ever so slightly softer than his own.
Inuyasha grinned. He felt his own hair first and then touched the two strands. This was harder than he thought. He had never realized how much he and his brother had in common. He turned away defeated from the cat.
"I can't."
She touched his shoulder. "Look, your brother having an arm is not going to be the end of the world."
He turned back to her. "You don't know how he is!"
"I don't think you do either."
They stared at each other for a moment. Nekoyasha continued on.
"He could have attacked my lands at any time. You are upset with him because he left you with us," she spoke softly.
"My brother abandoned me," he said so softly that only three other people in the room could hear it. Nekoyasha looked down for a moment.
Shippo heard what Inuyasha had said. His own father had semi-abandoned him, but that couldn't be changed. The thought depressed him and he found himself crawling into Kagome's lap. She hugged him to her.
Sesshomaru was affected by Inuyasha's words, not that he would ever show it. He needed to think on this. He rose from the table and walked in the direction of the room that seemed to have become his for the stay. Rin saw him go. She silently followed. If he was going to leave, he wouldn't leave without her.
She entered the room and saw him sitting against the wall. She went in and sat near him.
*****
After Sesshomaru had left it was decide that it was a good time for all to retire. Bandages were changed, and everyone got settled for the night. Inuyasha was back in the front room with the rest of his "family."
Nekoyasha started braiding the strands for the arm. She had fifteen strands from each person. All were braided together to form the humerus. Then she separated it into two groups, one consisting of five hairs from each person and one consisting of ten for the radius and ulna. Finally to make the fingers, three strands from each person were braided together. She collected the "arm" and all of the other supplies she needed to attach it and went to Sesshomaru's room to see if he was awake and wanted to continue on.
*****
A/N: I know I said I wouldn't update for a while, but I have been writing bits and pieces here and there. Then today I looked at it and realized that I had just finished chapter 20. So I figured you all would enjoy an update.
I graduate college in ten days!!!! (Dec. 13)
I think it sounded better in my head than it did on paper. Some days it is just really hard to write Sesshomaru. Why did I want to put him in the story again?
Nekoyasha: Ummm… because he comes into play in future stories?
Catleana: ::gives her an evil glare:: How do you know that?
Nekoyasha: Because I live in your head! Along with Crystal Rose and Katrin and…
Catleana: Ok, that's enough. Wait how do you know about them? (realization hits) How did you get out of your box! Those two aren't even on paper… well Katrin is, but that is beside the point.
Nekoyasha: We got bored and decided to have a party.
Catleana: ::groans:: I am going to go study Latin America country and people now.
