Disclaimer: ::eyebrow twitches as she looks around at the padded room, part two:: I'm not crazy, really. I just luff Inuyasha.
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To Be With You Tomorrow
Part Six :: Illusions
Chapter Twenty-One :: Cured
Inuyasha slammed against the wall with a yelp, his breath ragged and short as he slid to his knees, his remaining strength barely enough to stay conscious, much less hold him up. The wounds he had already sustained from the fake Tsutsuji were slowing him down, and while he was thankful for his instincts which were helping him to move, without his youkai reflexes he was off anyway.
He pushed at the floor with his left arm, eventually working himself back to his feet, and he lifted his face to his attackers. His friends.
Not a single one of them, Sango, Miroku, Shippou or Kagome, had a single scratch. The hanyou refused to touch them. They were fighting him with the intent to kill, yet he could not raise his hand to fight back. At the most he had managed to hold them off for a little while, long enough to catch his breath, but hurt them? He couldn't.
How could he hurt his friends, the only family he'd ever known? To even try to defend himself he would have to go at them with everything.
He was thankful for Kirara as well; the big cat was a good fighter as well, but she was in the same predicament he was. She could do no more than hold them back; hurting any of them would be going against everything that cat was made for.
So he took their attack head on, kicking them off when he could, but they were slowly wearing him down, and his reserves were spread very thin.
There had been moments when Miroku, Sango or Shippou were close to the surface, and the most they ever managed was a flicker of imploring in their eyes. Kagome, the strong girl that she was, had been clinging to her control as long as she could, going through several brief interruptions in her attack on him to also plead with him to run. Run, run, they always wanted him to run away. Inuyasha cursed silently.
*Che, that's fucking nonsense... I can't run away... I can't leave you guys like this...! I can still...*
He collapsed to the floor, face down, the cool of the hard wood against his face. His vision was fading as he helplessly grasped at the wood, trying to push himself back up. *Damn... I've lost too much blood... I.. I can't...*
He noticed Kirara take a place in front of him, shielding him, but the crack of bone against bone and a loud roar alerted him to the fact Kirara had been moved aside, rather painfully. Then he heard Kagome's cold, monotonous voice.
"Hold him."
He felt Miroku's hand dig into his hair and drag him to his knees, and Kagome's blank brown eyes stared through him as she leveled the tip of an arrow at his throat. "Now. Die."
Inuyasha closed his eyes, relaxing. Sango smirked. "Look at him. So pathetic. He can't even raise his fist in one last futile attack. Worthless."
"That's not it."
The four of them blinked, staring down at the human crumpled before them. Inuyasha lifted his head, his breathing shaky and ragged. "It's just that.. I can't fight you. I never could... And I don't care what anyone thinks about me anymore... but I can't kill any of you. I can't fight my friends…!"
The four of them stared at him, and only the tears in Kagome's eyes let him know how close she was, how she had heard.
Uramiko frowned from where she watched. She had not expected him give in so willingly. She had hoped for the same thing Naraku had wished for: that Inuyasha alone would pray to live, and kill his friends with his own hands. She had hoped his dormant youkai blood would awaken for this reason. *I must have overestimated him. So this is what you've chosen... Inuyasha?*
Inuyasha closed his eyes, waiting for the blow that would kill him.
~*~
"Shit shit shit~!!"
Terrace planted her foot down and shoved hard against Sesshoumaru, but the demon lord didn't budge, and he pushed her back, slicing at her with Toukijin. Terrace leapt back as Terith dove in, slicing at Sesshoumaru. The man snorted, almost amused, and disappeared from sight.
"Che~ where the hell did he go?"
"How do you intend to fight what you cannot see?"
Terith looked up in time to block Sesshoumaru's swing, but not the sword's kenatsu, and she was busted up fairly well. Angry and dripping with blood from the dozens of wounds, she kicked at him. Sesshoumaru disappeared again, this time landing behind her and sweeping her legs out from underneath her. Terith went down and rolled back to her knees, swiping across Sesshoumaru's legs. Blood spurted from the wound, and Sesshoumaru eyed it casually, unruffled by it.
Terith smirked, and then sheathed the katana and clasped her hands, muttering incoherent spells. Suddenly the one illusionist facing Sesshoumaru became one plus 9. Ten wheat-haired, red clad woman unsheathed ten katana at once, staring down the white-haired man with a murderous energy.
"What do you think now, you worthless dog?!" they demanded, and Sesshoumaru sighed softly, sheathing Toukijin at his side.
"I think that you have not added anything new to your bag of magician's tricks in the last 50 years... because you tried this very thing when we fought before..." With that, Sesshoumaru cracked his knuckles and then spun in a complete 360 circle, the force from his claws slicing off six heads at once.
The other four Teriths looked surprised as Sesshoumaru slowed, his eyes glinting a very dark gold, "...And I defeated you then." he finished.
Behind him, Terrace prepared to attack, and just as she sprang forward to slice down Sesshoumaru's back, he calmly thrust his hand down on the hilt of Toukijin, the blade coming up in the back. The youkai woman sprang right into it, and the blade crunched even through the bones of her ribs and spine.
The remaining four Teriths cried out their sister's name and swiftly Sesshoumaru drew his blade, forcing Terrace to slide off and fall ungracefully to the ground. Sesshoumaru turned to face her. "Fool. Your power has weakened these last fifty years."
In a flash, she was up and swiping at him, but faster than she could see, the other demon jumped clear and as he came back down he kicked her in the face and Terrace went down again.
Terrace sat up, wiping the blood from her nose and mouth in frustration. The four Teriths lunged for Sesshoumaru, and the lord leapt backwards, swinging Toukijin. It took out three of the Terith's, leaving only the original and Terrace, and they heard the sheer noise of metal being broken.
Terrace stared at the damaged hilt as the disconnected blade of her kodachi went pinwheeling into a nearby tree, burying itself in the bark. Sesshoumaru looked down at her, his eyes taking on a murderous gold sheen over the yellow amber. "Do you want to run? Or may I just end the game here and kill you now?"
And then he disappeared.
Terrace screamed, realizing she didn't know where he was, and she backpedaled, her sandals scraping against the dirt as she attempted to get away, when something --shockingly about the size of a human head-- was suddenly dropped into her lap from behind her.
The bloody wheat-colored hair told her exactly what it was, and she shoved at Terith's severed head with a choked whimper, trying to get it off of her lap.
"She was stronger, but no faster," Sesshoumaru said, sounding enthused, and Terrace screamed.
~*~
The blow he was waiting for never came.
Inuyasha opened his eyes, his wavering vision falling on Kagome. Her bow shook as she tried hard to go through with the deed she had decided was hers. And then it happened.
It flashed across Kagome's face first. She stared at him open-mouthedly, the shock of being told by an enemy that he could not kill you changing to instant recognition, not only of who he was but what she'd done, and her eyes flickered between guilt and horror.
The bowstring relaxed, she dropped the arrow and the bow, and dropped to her knees, yanking Miroku off the hanyou and pushing him aside as the houshi also got ahold of himself, and gathered Inuyasha's shoulders in her arms, his head catching against her shoulder.
"Inuyasha~!!"
There was a loud clatter when Miroku dropped his shakujou, almost dazedly staring at the blood on his hands, none of which was his own. Sango gasped, kneeling next to him also. "Inuyasha, are you..."
"Inuyasha!" Shippou hugged the hanyou's knee, weeping and wailing loud enough to deafen a normal person, and Inuyasha looked up at the others weakly, still leaning into Kagome's embrace. "Minna... you're all..."
He left the sentence trailing in the air when Sango put her arms around his neck also, and he felt Miroku's hand rest gently on his shoulder, almost apologetically. All he heard was Kagome's voice. "I'm sorry... I'm so so sorry..."
After a bit he lifted his good arm, holding her back. "It's okay..." he said softly, "I'm just glad you're back to yourselves..."
For a long moment the five of them sat huddled together, each one of them clinging to Inuyasha and apologizing in their own way, until the female voice from before broke in.
"Che, this happy family bullshit makes me sick."
Kagome turned and Inuyasha lifted his eyes to look at the woman who spoke. His face, ashen from the loss of blood, paled even more at what he saw before him.
Tama, his beloved twin, stood cracking her knuckles, her eyes bright red, a purple stripe on either cheek. She snorted. "I'll put you out of your misery, you worthless human. Prepare yourself."
Inuyasha stared, and Kagome barely formed her name. "Tam.. Tama-chan!"
The hanyou snarled, raking her hand through the air horizontally in a demonstration of anger. "Don't talk to me like you know me!
"H-how... she transformed...!" Sango cried, and Miroku nodded. "As Inuyasha's twin, it would seem she has that ability as well..."
"Tama..." They looked up at Inuyasha, who was standing, struggling to walk. The youkai female snarled when she saw him approach, but Inuyasha was undaunted. "Tama, don't... You can.. break the transformation..." He collapsed then, and Kagome grasped at him.
"Inuyasha~!"
Shippou scampered over, examining the hanyou with a glance, and then sighed. "He's okay, he just fainted," then he looked up at Tama. "But we're in a lot more trouble... Tama's not gonna back down."
As if in response, the youkai simply growled, and then she launched herself at them. Kagome yelped, having to be tugged away by Kirara. Tama swirled to face them again with a roar.
Kagome gasped. *The deterioration of her mind is much faster than Inuyasha's... He had transformed several times before he didn't recognize us... but Tama-chan...!* She yelped again as Tama's claws smashed through the wood of the floor, pieces and splinters flying up. "Yaah!!"
Sango blocked a claw slash with her Hiraikotsu, turning the youkai aside and kicking her off, and Tama rose again, furious. With a growl she rushed Sango and in an instant Miroku was there, pushing Sango out of the way.
On her back on the floor, Miroku on top of her, Sango stared up at him in surprise. "Miroku-sama..."
"Are you okay?" he asked and she nodded. She pushed against his arm to sit up and he winced. There was something warm and wet on his sleeve. Sango pulled her hand away and glanced down at her palm. It was bright red. She stared at him. "Miroku-sama!!"
"I'm alright, it's a small wound..." he assured her, helping her to her feet, and Sango bit her lip. "Don't do things like that! It would be stupid if we beat Naraku and beat your curse only to lose you now!"
Miroku grinned. "Don't worry, Sango, I'll be here with you for a long time yet." She blushed slightly, but her face twitched in aggravation at a familiar feel on her butt.
SLAP!
Kagome, Shippou and Kirara watched, one eyebrow raised each, as Miroku and Sango's conversation continued.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"I can't help myself!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
Kagome turned her mind back to the fight. Tama was still chasing them, her growls and snarls not unlike Inuyasha's when he had done the same thing before. Kagome bit her lip. *What do we do...?? Tama-chan will...*
She gasped suddenly. *Wait a minute, aren't those... Shikon shards....??* She looked closer at Tama. Five shards, one in each leg and one in each hand. The fifth was on her forehead, and it was bright red. Kagome gawped. *Like me and the others, Tama-chan is being controlled~!!!*
Kagome pulled out an arrow and bit her lip. *If I can aim near her head, the aura of my arrow might be able to purify the Shikon shard on her forehead... and it would break the spell!*
She fired, and the arrow shot past. The aura connected however, creating a small lavender cloud around Tama's head. The youkai roared in pain, clawing at the shard, and it fell, hitting the floor with a bounce. Kagome cheered. "I did it!"
Tama stopped, turning towards Kagome. The miko blinked. "Uh... what...??"
Tama's face was a picture of animalistic fury. Her eyes seemed to glow an even brighter red, and she bared her fangs, rushing at Kagome. With the first slash she knocked away the bow, and the second of hesitation Kagome had was enough for her to reach out and grab the miko around the throat.
Kagome cried out. "Tama-chan! Stop, please!!"
Tama growled at her.
Kagome closed her eyes and screamed. "INUYASHA~!!"
~*~
It was dark, which was good. He liked the darkness. When he was asleep, the light bothered him. Ofukuro used to leave a candle lit when he was a child, but he hated that. He would put it out when she left the room.
But he was cold, and it hurt. Everywhere just hurt. His arm was stiff and if he moved, sparks of pain shot through the limb. He felt so weak. Drained of his life's blood, as if he could die any moment, when he suddenly felt a surge of power.
It welled up from his chest, his heartbeat steadying as the power reached out to the pads of his feet, stretching out to his fingertips. And further. His fingernails were growing. There was a tingling all around him as a warm energy surrounded him. His arm seemed to straighten itself out, and the pain subsided. It still hurt, but not agonizingly as it had before.
*Get up. I have to get up now.*
His eyes snapped open and he pushed himself up, examining his hands. He had his claws back. A shock of silver hair fell over his shoulder, and he gawped at it, almost in shock. One dog ear flickered in testing, and then the other.
Inuyasha stared at his hands for a moment before an insane grin found its way onto his face. He was a hanyou again. After an entire week of being human, his youryoku had returned to him. He jumped to his feet and rushed his sister, snatching up Kagome before Tama could land a blow. Kagome stared up at him in surprise. "Inuyasha...!!"
"Are you alright?" he asked, and she nodded, happy tears in her eyes. She threw her arms around his neck, "Inuyasha!! You're a hanyou again!" She held him tighter, and whispered against his cheek, "....My hanyou..."
Inuyasha smiled, hugged her back, and then he set her down alongside Miroku and the others. Then he turned back to his twin.
"I'll handle Tama."
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: YAY~!!! I made Inuyasha a hanyou again!!! And yes, trust me, if you go back and count the days, it had only been a WEEK (as in seven days) since chapter 12. WOW! Oh, and a nice baby cliffie for you. ^-^
Please review~!
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
~Tessen
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To Be With You Tomorrow
Part Six :: Illusions
Chapter Twenty-One :: Cured
Inuyasha slammed against the wall with a yelp, his breath ragged and short as he slid to his knees, his remaining strength barely enough to stay conscious, much less hold him up. The wounds he had already sustained from the fake Tsutsuji were slowing him down, and while he was thankful for his instincts which were helping him to move, without his youkai reflexes he was off anyway.
He pushed at the floor with his left arm, eventually working himself back to his feet, and he lifted his face to his attackers. His friends.
Not a single one of them, Sango, Miroku, Shippou or Kagome, had a single scratch. The hanyou refused to touch them. They were fighting him with the intent to kill, yet he could not raise his hand to fight back. At the most he had managed to hold them off for a little while, long enough to catch his breath, but hurt them? He couldn't.
How could he hurt his friends, the only family he'd ever known? To even try to defend himself he would have to go at them with everything.
He was thankful for Kirara as well; the big cat was a good fighter as well, but she was in the same predicament he was. She could do no more than hold them back; hurting any of them would be going against everything that cat was made for.
So he took their attack head on, kicking them off when he could, but they were slowly wearing him down, and his reserves were spread very thin.
There had been moments when Miroku, Sango or Shippou were close to the surface, and the most they ever managed was a flicker of imploring in their eyes. Kagome, the strong girl that she was, had been clinging to her control as long as she could, going through several brief interruptions in her attack on him to also plead with him to run. Run, run, they always wanted him to run away. Inuyasha cursed silently.
*Che, that's fucking nonsense... I can't run away... I can't leave you guys like this...! I can still...*
He collapsed to the floor, face down, the cool of the hard wood against his face. His vision was fading as he helplessly grasped at the wood, trying to push himself back up. *Damn... I've lost too much blood... I.. I can't...*
He noticed Kirara take a place in front of him, shielding him, but the crack of bone against bone and a loud roar alerted him to the fact Kirara had been moved aside, rather painfully. Then he heard Kagome's cold, monotonous voice.
"Hold him."
He felt Miroku's hand dig into his hair and drag him to his knees, and Kagome's blank brown eyes stared through him as she leveled the tip of an arrow at his throat. "Now. Die."
Inuyasha closed his eyes, relaxing. Sango smirked. "Look at him. So pathetic. He can't even raise his fist in one last futile attack. Worthless."
"That's not it."
The four of them blinked, staring down at the human crumpled before them. Inuyasha lifted his head, his breathing shaky and ragged. "It's just that.. I can't fight you. I never could... And I don't care what anyone thinks about me anymore... but I can't kill any of you. I can't fight my friends…!"
The four of them stared at him, and only the tears in Kagome's eyes let him know how close she was, how she had heard.
Uramiko frowned from where she watched. She had not expected him give in so willingly. She had hoped for the same thing Naraku had wished for: that Inuyasha alone would pray to live, and kill his friends with his own hands. She had hoped his dormant youkai blood would awaken for this reason. *I must have overestimated him. So this is what you've chosen... Inuyasha?*
Inuyasha closed his eyes, waiting for the blow that would kill him.
~*~
"Shit shit shit~!!"
Terrace planted her foot down and shoved hard against Sesshoumaru, but the demon lord didn't budge, and he pushed her back, slicing at her with Toukijin. Terrace leapt back as Terith dove in, slicing at Sesshoumaru. The man snorted, almost amused, and disappeared from sight.
"Che~ where the hell did he go?"
"How do you intend to fight what you cannot see?"
Terith looked up in time to block Sesshoumaru's swing, but not the sword's kenatsu, and she was busted up fairly well. Angry and dripping with blood from the dozens of wounds, she kicked at him. Sesshoumaru disappeared again, this time landing behind her and sweeping her legs out from underneath her. Terith went down and rolled back to her knees, swiping across Sesshoumaru's legs. Blood spurted from the wound, and Sesshoumaru eyed it casually, unruffled by it.
Terith smirked, and then sheathed the katana and clasped her hands, muttering incoherent spells. Suddenly the one illusionist facing Sesshoumaru became one plus 9. Ten wheat-haired, red clad woman unsheathed ten katana at once, staring down the white-haired man with a murderous energy.
"What do you think now, you worthless dog?!" they demanded, and Sesshoumaru sighed softly, sheathing Toukijin at his side.
"I think that you have not added anything new to your bag of magician's tricks in the last 50 years... because you tried this very thing when we fought before..." With that, Sesshoumaru cracked his knuckles and then spun in a complete 360 circle, the force from his claws slicing off six heads at once.
The other four Teriths looked surprised as Sesshoumaru slowed, his eyes glinting a very dark gold, "...And I defeated you then." he finished.
Behind him, Terrace prepared to attack, and just as she sprang forward to slice down Sesshoumaru's back, he calmly thrust his hand down on the hilt of Toukijin, the blade coming up in the back. The youkai woman sprang right into it, and the blade crunched even through the bones of her ribs and spine.
The remaining four Teriths cried out their sister's name and swiftly Sesshoumaru drew his blade, forcing Terrace to slide off and fall ungracefully to the ground. Sesshoumaru turned to face her. "Fool. Your power has weakened these last fifty years."
In a flash, she was up and swiping at him, but faster than she could see, the other demon jumped clear and as he came back down he kicked her in the face and Terrace went down again.
Terrace sat up, wiping the blood from her nose and mouth in frustration. The four Teriths lunged for Sesshoumaru, and the lord leapt backwards, swinging Toukijin. It took out three of the Terith's, leaving only the original and Terrace, and they heard the sheer noise of metal being broken.
Terrace stared at the damaged hilt as the disconnected blade of her kodachi went pinwheeling into a nearby tree, burying itself in the bark. Sesshoumaru looked down at her, his eyes taking on a murderous gold sheen over the yellow amber. "Do you want to run? Or may I just end the game here and kill you now?"
And then he disappeared.
Terrace screamed, realizing she didn't know where he was, and she backpedaled, her sandals scraping against the dirt as she attempted to get away, when something --shockingly about the size of a human head-- was suddenly dropped into her lap from behind her.
The bloody wheat-colored hair told her exactly what it was, and she shoved at Terith's severed head with a choked whimper, trying to get it off of her lap.
"She was stronger, but no faster," Sesshoumaru said, sounding enthused, and Terrace screamed.
~*~
The blow he was waiting for never came.
Inuyasha opened his eyes, his wavering vision falling on Kagome. Her bow shook as she tried hard to go through with the deed she had decided was hers. And then it happened.
It flashed across Kagome's face first. She stared at him open-mouthedly, the shock of being told by an enemy that he could not kill you changing to instant recognition, not only of who he was but what she'd done, and her eyes flickered between guilt and horror.
The bowstring relaxed, she dropped the arrow and the bow, and dropped to her knees, yanking Miroku off the hanyou and pushing him aside as the houshi also got ahold of himself, and gathered Inuyasha's shoulders in her arms, his head catching against her shoulder.
"Inuyasha~!!"
There was a loud clatter when Miroku dropped his shakujou, almost dazedly staring at the blood on his hands, none of which was his own. Sango gasped, kneeling next to him also. "Inuyasha, are you..."
"Inuyasha!" Shippou hugged the hanyou's knee, weeping and wailing loud enough to deafen a normal person, and Inuyasha looked up at the others weakly, still leaning into Kagome's embrace. "Minna... you're all..."
He left the sentence trailing in the air when Sango put her arms around his neck also, and he felt Miroku's hand rest gently on his shoulder, almost apologetically. All he heard was Kagome's voice. "I'm sorry... I'm so so sorry..."
After a bit he lifted his good arm, holding her back. "It's okay..." he said softly, "I'm just glad you're back to yourselves..."
For a long moment the five of them sat huddled together, each one of them clinging to Inuyasha and apologizing in their own way, until the female voice from before broke in.
"Che, this happy family bullshit makes me sick."
Kagome turned and Inuyasha lifted his eyes to look at the woman who spoke. His face, ashen from the loss of blood, paled even more at what he saw before him.
Tama, his beloved twin, stood cracking her knuckles, her eyes bright red, a purple stripe on either cheek. She snorted. "I'll put you out of your misery, you worthless human. Prepare yourself."
Inuyasha stared, and Kagome barely formed her name. "Tam.. Tama-chan!"
The hanyou snarled, raking her hand through the air horizontally in a demonstration of anger. "Don't talk to me like you know me!
"H-how... she transformed...!" Sango cried, and Miroku nodded. "As Inuyasha's twin, it would seem she has that ability as well..."
"Tama..." They looked up at Inuyasha, who was standing, struggling to walk. The youkai female snarled when she saw him approach, but Inuyasha was undaunted. "Tama, don't... You can.. break the transformation..." He collapsed then, and Kagome grasped at him.
"Inuyasha~!"
Shippou scampered over, examining the hanyou with a glance, and then sighed. "He's okay, he just fainted," then he looked up at Tama. "But we're in a lot more trouble... Tama's not gonna back down."
As if in response, the youkai simply growled, and then she launched herself at them. Kagome yelped, having to be tugged away by Kirara. Tama swirled to face them again with a roar.
Kagome gasped. *The deterioration of her mind is much faster than Inuyasha's... He had transformed several times before he didn't recognize us... but Tama-chan...!* She yelped again as Tama's claws smashed through the wood of the floor, pieces and splinters flying up. "Yaah!!"
Sango blocked a claw slash with her Hiraikotsu, turning the youkai aside and kicking her off, and Tama rose again, furious. With a growl she rushed Sango and in an instant Miroku was there, pushing Sango out of the way.
On her back on the floor, Miroku on top of her, Sango stared up at him in surprise. "Miroku-sama..."
"Are you okay?" he asked and she nodded. She pushed against his arm to sit up and he winced. There was something warm and wet on his sleeve. Sango pulled her hand away and glanced down at her palm. It was bright red. She stared at him. "Miroku-sama!!"
"I'm alright, it's a small wound..." he assured her, helping her to her feet, and Sango bit her lip. "Don't do things like that! It would be stupid if we beat Naraku and beat your curse only to lose you now!"
Miroku grinned. "Don't worry, Sango, I'll be here with you for a long time yet." She blushed slightly, but her face twitched in aggravation at a familiar feel on her butt.
SLAP!
Kagome, Shippou and Kirara watched, one eyebrow raised each, as Miroku and Sango's conversation continued.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"I can't help myself!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
Kagome turned her mind back to the fight. Tama was still chasing them, her growls and snarls not unlike Inuyasha's when he had done the same thing before. Kagome bit her lip. *What do we do...?? Tama-chan will...*
She gasped suddenly. *Wait a minute, aren't those... Shikon shards....??* She looked closer at Tama. Five shards, one in each leg and one in each hand. The fifth was on her forehead, and it was bright red. Kagome gawped. *Like me and the others, Tama-chan is being controlled~!!!*
Kagome pulled out an arrow and bit her lip. *If I can aim near her head, the aura of my arrow might be able to purify the Shikon shard on her forehead... and it would break the spell!*
She fired, and the arrow shot past. The aura connected however, creating a small lavender cloud around Tama's head. The youkai roared in pain, clawing at the shard, and it fell, hitting the floor with a bounce. Kagome cheered. "I did it!"
Tama stopped, turning towards Kagome. The miko blinked. "Uh... what...??"
Tama's face was a picture of animalistic fury. Her eyes seemed to glow an even brighter red, and she bared her fangs, rushing at Kagome. With the first slash she knocked away the bow, and the second of hesitation Kagome had was enough for her to reach out and grab the miko around the throat.
Kagome cried out. "Tama-chan! Stop, please!!"
Tama growled at her.
Kagome closed her eyes and screamed. "INUYASHA~!!"
~*~
It was dark, which was good. He liked the darkness. When he was asleep, the light bothered him. Ofukuro used to leave a candle lit when he was a child, but he hated that. He would put it out when she left the room.
But he was cold, and it hurt. Everywhere just hurt. His arm was stiff and if he moved, sparks of pain shot through the limb. He felt so weak. Drained of his life's blood, as if he could die any moment, when he suddenly felt a surge of power.
It welled up from his chest, his heartbeat steadying as the power reached out to the pads of his feet, stretching out to his fingertips. And further. His fingernails were growing. There was a tingling all around him as a warm energy surrounded him. His arm seemed to straighten itself out, and the pain subsided. It still hurt, but not agonizingly as it had before.
*Get up. I have to get up now.*
His eyes snapped open and he pushed himself up, examining his hands. He had his claws back. A shock of silver hair fell over his shoulder, and he gawped at it, almost in shock. One dog ear flickered in testing, and then the other.
Inuyasha stared at his hands for a moment before an insane grin found its way onto his face. He was a hanyou again. After an entire week of being human, his youryoku had returned to him. He jumped to his feet and rushed his sister, snatching up Kagome before Tama could land a blow. Kagome stared up at him in surprise. "Inuyasha...!!"
"Are you alright?" he asked, and she nodded, happy tears in her eyes. She threw her arms around his neck, "Inuyasha!! You're a hanyou again!" She held him tighter, and whispered against his cheek, "....My hanyou..."
Inuyasha smiled, hugged her back, and then he set her down alongside Miroku and the others. Then he turned back to his twin.
"I'll handle Tama."
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: YAY~!!! I made Inuyasha a hanyou again!!! And yes, trust me, if you go back and count the days, it had only been a WEEK (as in seven days) since chapter 12. WOW! Oh, and a nice baby cliffie for you. ^-^
Please review~!
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
~Tessen