Author's Note-YAAAY! IT'S FINALLY FRIDAY! ^_^; Ahem. This is the next
chapter. We own nothing. Including Inuyasha. So no suing. Well, enjoy the
chapter!
Kisike struggled, but she felt like she was underwater. There was no air. She held her breath for as long as she could (J/N: Which is six min. . .right. . . *rolls eyes*), until she no longer could. Her mind swam when suddenly. . .
***
Gabriel slashed through the thick blackness with Yukitama. Kisike fell out of the darkness, gasping for air. "You okay. . .?" Gabriel asked.
"Y-yeah. . .I think so. . ." Kisike said.
Gabriel nodded, then looked up and glared. "Shisou! How dare you attempt to kill my friends!" he yelled angrily.
A man dressed in black robes stepped out of the shadows. He had short, spiky black hair and black eyes. He was tall, thin, and pale. His face was gaunt. "Boy," He said quietly, "You're missing part of your arm."
"Don't try to change the subject! These aren't just random travelers! These are my friends!"
"Ah, yes, them. They have shards of the Shikon No Tama, or at least their friend does. Something I would not hesitate for anyone to get."
"Well, you'll have to hesitate for me!" Gabriel said.
"I'll kill you if it means getting those shards."
"You can't exactly fight snow with darkness. It doesn't work that way, you know." Gabriel said.
"Gabriel, who is that?" Bridget asked.
"That's Shisou, my old Sensi, and the demon of shadows." Gabriel said.
"Huh." Kisike said. She walked up to Shisou and poked his robes. ".This looks cool. Looks like it came from Hot Topic." She said.
Shisou looked down at Kisike. "You really like it?"
Kisike blinked. "Yeah."
"Kisike, don't get close to him! Please don't!" Gabriel yelled. Kisike blinked and looked over at him.
"Huh?"
Shisou grabbed her wrist. "Then let your dark nature be revealed." He said.
"No. . .'Sike, pull away!" Gabriel yelled.
Shisou released Kisike's wrist. Kisike's hand limply fell to her side. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung slightly open, a shocked expression. She was suddenly surrounded by a black updraft (as if she were powering up).
"What's happening?!" Bridget demanded.
"When Shisou tells a person's dark nature to be revealed. . .it's literal. Kisike is now evil, and she will be on his side and practically under his control." Gabriel said.
The updraft slowed to a gentle breeze, then stopped. Kisike's eyes were blank, then was replaced by an evil gleam. Her clothes turned black. "Kisike," Shisou said, "I want you to take care of these two while I get the Shikon shards. Alright?" he said.
Kisike looked over at Bridget and Gabriel, then smirked. "Yeah. Okay." She said.
"Kisike, please snap out of it!" Gabriel cried.
"What will it take to get her back on our side?" Bridget asked.
"For Shisou to either die or simply take the spell off. Me, my brother, my sisters, and even my parents can't defeat him though because our powers are only elemental. Akio could perhaps defeat him on a lucky day, but he surely can't right now because his powers are weakest after sunset." Gabriel said. At that moment, Kisike ran forward, claws extended, to slash at him.
Gabriel dodged. Bridget grabbed Kisike's hair, trying to get her to stop. Kisike growled and turned, slashing Bridget's arm. "Ow!" Bridget cried, letting go as five red streaks appeared on her arm. She clutched her arm.
"Heh." Kisike said, jumping back and throwing some needles made of ki from her hair at Bridget (she calls it hair needles. . .you'll know what I'm talking about if you saw Ryoko fighting Zero in Tenchi Muyo. . .). Bridget ran behind a tree for a shield. The needles poked out a little from the back of the tree. "Feh." Kisike said. She formed energy sword and ran at the tree and sliced it in half.
Bridget, using her fairy speed, ran out of the way of the falling tree. "'Sike, c'mon! Snap out of it!" she yelled.
"What if I don't want to?" Kisike said, throwing more hair needles. Bridget jumped onto a tree branch.
"Then I guess we have a problem."
Gabriel snuck up behind Kisike and grabbed her wrist. "Bridget, go stop Shisou!" he yelled.
"Ah! Grrr. . ." Kisike growled.
Bridget looked over at him with a look that said, 'Are you crazy?! How am I supposed to stop him by myself?!' She then closed her eyes, shook her head, then opened her eyes again and nodded. "Okay, but be careful." She said. She jumped off the tree branch and started back to the temple.
Kisike extended her claws and cut Gabriel's waist. "Ack!" Gabriel cried, jumping back. Kisike jumped forward and turned, throwing even more hair needles. Gabriel dissolved into snow and dodged them, then reformed off to the side. Bridget stopped to look back at the battle. "Oh no. . ." she said when she saw that Kisike had gotten away. She wanted to go back to help, but she needed to get to the temple to help the others. She didn't know what to do. . .
"What are you doing?! Get going!" Gabriel shouted. Kisike formed her energy sword again and ran forward, slashing at Gabriel. Once again, Gabriel dissolved into snow and reformed on a tree branch. Kisike kept going, then turned to charge at Bridget and slashed at her. Bridget cried out and jumped over the sword. When she landed, she ran behind another tree.
She took off the locket she was wearing and opened it. The locket became a sword, with Japanese and Celtic runes on the hilt. Bridget stared at it. Finally, she said, "Wow. Just like in fanfics."
Kisike threw her hair needles at the tree. This time, they almost went all the way through.
". . .Eep. . ." Bridget squeaked.
". . .Alright. . ." Kisike said, slashing through the tree. Bridget quickly ran out of the way of the tree.
Gabriel jumped down from the tree branch he was standing on and grabbed her wrist. "Kisike, please stop!" he pleaded.
Kisike growled and glared. "Let go!" she ordered, bringing her hand up with another energy sword. Gabriel let go. Bridget started back for the temple.
Kisike turned and threw the sword, aiming for Bridget's back. Bridget turned around and ducked. "Dammit." Kisike said. She ran after Bridget and threw a few hair needles at her. Bridget dodged.
Kisike suddenly stopped and threw a few hair spikes at Bridget's knees, then more at her back. Bridget jumped onto another tree branch. Kisike jumped up and sliced the tree branch with her claws, then slashed Bridget's ankles. Bridget panicked and slashed at Kisike's hand, cutting it slightly.
Kisike growled and dropped back to the ground, clutching her hand. Bridget looked surprised for a moment, not meaning to hurt Kisike. She took a small step forward. "Um. . .sorry?" she said. She started back to the temple.
"You will be." Kisike said, standing up and starting to form a dark, red orb of energy between her hands.
"No, 'Sike! Stop!" Gabriel yelled.
Kisike smirked and held her hands out, the red beam shooting out and hitting Bridget. The blast hit Bridget in the small of her back. Her eyes widened as she cried out and fell forward. She rolled until she came to a stop. 'This. . .this is only supposed to happen in fanfics and stuff. . .' she thought weakly.
Kisike blinked, then ran over to Bridget and shook her shoulders slightly. "OHMYGOD AREYOUALRIGHTWHATHAPPENEDI'MSOSORRY!" she yelled.
"Not. . .really. . ." Bridget said weakly.
"..Huuuuuuuuh?" Kisike asked.
Gabriel blinked and walked over, confused. Kisike suddenly turned and rammed her claws into his stomach. Gabriel doubled over and fell to the ground. The snow began to swirl around him, beginning to heal the wound.
"Don't think so." Kisike said, forming another energy sword in her hand.
Bridget's hand found a spot of earth that was clear of snow and concentrated, summoning up magic to aid her. "No. . .I don't think so. . ." she said as roots sprang up and began to wrap around Kisike's ankles.
"Ah!" Kisike yelled, cutting the roots with her energy sword, growling.
". . .Okay. . .that. . .didn't work. . ." Bridget said.
"Feh." Kisike said, beginning to form another dark, red orb in her hands that would surely kill Bridget this time.
Gabriel grabbed Kisike's ankle. "Kisike, stop. . ."
". . ." Kisike said as she looked down at him. "No thank you. I rather enjoy this." She said. She yanked her ankle away, then grinned and fired the red beam. . .at him. . .
Right then Gabriel healed and rolled out of the way.
"Damn." Kisike growled. She jumped back and threw some more hair needles at him.
*five minutes after the beginning of the fight; In the temple*
Shisou approached the sleeping Inuyasha. He saw the jewel shards in Inuyasha's tightly clenched hand. He glided a few feet closer, then reached down to pry the shards from his hand. At that moment, Inuyasha's eyes snapped open. He smirked and jumped up, surprising the demon of shadows.
"What do you take me for, a fool?" Inuyasha asked. His smirk grew wider. "I think the only fool around here is you. I was able to smell you coming at least an hour ago, despite how much the snow covers up the smell."
"So you're the hanyou. Inuyasha. Son of Inu-Youkai and brother of Sesshoumaru. To be honest, you don't look very tough." Shisou mused. "But then, appearances can be deceiving. . .don't you agree?" he said.
"Huh?" Inuyasha asked.
The shadows suddenly sprang up and bound his arms to his body, tighter than any rope, leaving his hands free. "I'll take those now, thank y-"
"Miroku, Shippou, Akio! Wake up!" Inuyasha yelled.
Miroku, Shippou, and Akio woke up and stood up. "Who is that?!" Miroku questioned.
"That's Shisou, Gabriel's old sensei!" Akio cried.
"Well, hello, Akio. You should leave while you still have the chance." Shisou said.
"Nice try, but these are my friends! They gave me candy!" Akio said. Shippou, Miroku, and Inuyasha sweatdropped.
"Then I suppose you will die with them." Shisou said. Shadows sprang up and wrapped around Akio's throat. Akio grabbed the shadows tightly, trying to pull them away as the shadow solidified to become as tight as rope.
"Let. . .Go. . ." Akio said.
"Inuyasha, grab Akio and pull him out of the way. I'm going to try to suck Shisou into my air void." Miroku said in a low voice to Inuyasha. Inuyasha's sweatdrop fell farther down his head.
"Um, hello, but I'm kind tied up at the moment!" he said, beginning to struggle again.
"Oh yeah." Miroku said. He turned to Shippou. "Then Shippou, you get Akio out of the way." He said.
"Enough of this chit-chat! The Shikon shards will be mine!" Shisou said impatiently. Shadows rose up to wrap around Miroku and Shippou when Miroku pulled his rosary off his hand and whirled around.
"Purge!"
Shadow slowly sucked into his air void, but none of it was going away. Shisou smirked. "Fool. You can't suck shadows into a void. Of course, what more could I expect from a human?" he said.
A flaming arrow pierced the darkness. "How about an elf?" Raylin asked in the doorway.
"Raylin!" Shippou said.
"And Amanda. Of course you can't see me because Miss Elf won't move out of the way." Amanda said behind her.
"Like you can do anything? Elves are far more superior than demons, you know." Raylin said. With that statement, she got a growl from Inuyasha, Amanda, Shippou, and Shisou. Akio probably would have started growling too, but he was too busy suffocating to death right then. Miroku sweatdropped.
"Say WHAT?!" Amanda yelled.
"You heard me. Elves are much better than demons." Raylin repeated, not noticing all the glares-of-death she was getting.
"Oh, yeah right!" Amanda shot back.
"If I was free right now, I'd show you just how superior elves are to demons! By pounding you into the ground!" Inuyasha yelled.
"Why thank you, but I don't need lessons to tell you that elves are better than demons." Raylin said.
"-.- And this is our rescue party. . ." Miroku said.
"Demons are much better than elves! Be stormy!" a voice said behind Raylin. A small rain cloud appeared over Raylin's head. Kouten sat on a little rain cloud behind them, pouting. Raylin's eye twitched.
"NOW IS NOT THE TIME!" she yelled.
"I think it's the perfect time!" Kouten scolded. She suddenly smiled when she looked over Raylin's shoulder to see Shippou. "SHIPPOU!" She squealed on a sudden sugar high that came out of nowhere. She flew past Raylin and over to Shippou, jumping off the cloud and hugging him/squeezing him to death.
"Um. . .Kouten. . .this isn't a very good time. . .we're both kinda going to die hugging each other if you don't let go. . ." Shippou gasped as he began to turn blue.
"Awww! How sweeeet!" Kouten squealed, not really hearing the death part at first. She suddenly blinked, then frowned. "Wait. . .What. . .?" she asked. She let go of swirly-eyed Shippou, letting him fall to the ground in a heap and yelled, "WHO DARES TO HURT MY SHIPPOU?!"
Everybody sweatdropped, and tied up, being hugged, or just plain standing there, fell over. ". . .Baka girl. . ." Shisou muttered.
"Lady Raylin, Lady Amanda, where is Lady Bridget and Lady Kisike?" Miroku asked.
"Uh. . .dunno. . ." Raylin said. "I'll go find them! Be careful, Shippou!" Kouten said cheerfully. She hopped onto her rain cloud and flew out the door.
*back at the battle; present time*
"Be stormy!" A voice yelled. A little rain cloud appeared over Kisike's head and began raining.
"Kouten, get out of here!" Gabriel yelled.
". . ." Kisike said. She spun and threw a lot of hair needles while doing so.
"But I thought you guys needed me. . ." Kouten whined. She looked around to see hair needles coming at her. "Eep!" she cried, hiding in her rain cloud.
Gabriel grabbed Bridget and pulled her behind a tree. Kisike looked up at Kouten. "Stay out of this, brat." she said.
"I'm not a brat." Kouten pouted.
"Kouten, now!" Gabriel ordered.
"Okay, okay. . ." Kouten sighed. "Be happy again." The little rain cloud over Kisike's head disappeared and Kouten flew back to the temple.
"Someone has to keep you people under control. Geez. Five minutes and you're already fighting like dogs." a familiar voice said.
"I heard that!" they heard Inuyasha yell from the temple. Everybody sweatdropped.
Shippou jumped out of the trees and onto Kisike's head. He pulled at her ears . "What's gotten into you? You're not normal!" He said. Kisike - -'d.
Gabriel sighed. "Shippou. . .she's evil right now. Go back and tell the others."
Raylin jumped up behind Shippou. "Yeah. Geez. Bet it's more mind control." she said.
"EVIL?!" Shippou squeaked. He jumped off of Kisike's head and onto Raylin's face. "SAVE ME!"
"ARGH!" Raylin cried. She peeled Shippou off her face and tossed him aside. "Baka ne."
Shippou pouted. "Alright. . .alright. . . geez. . ." he said. He ran back to the temple.
Just then, Inuyasha ran over. "Hey, you two alright?" he asked.
"I think so. . ." Bridget started.
"I guess. . ." Gabriel agreed.
"What happened to Shisou?" Bridget asked.
"Miroku is still trying to suck him into his air void back at his temple." Inuyasha replied.
"You actually think that'll work?" Gabriel asked.
Raylin looked over at Inuyasha. ". . .Speaking of which, shouldn't you be back there, helping? And what happened to those shadows that held you captive?"
"Kouten distracted Shisou long enough for the shadows to loosen long enough for me to get free. And besides, Miroku said he'd be okay." Inuyasha said nonchalantly.
"That doesn't matter. You should be there, in case something happens. If no one else is there, then no one else will know." Gabriel scolded.
Raylin raised an eyebrow. "Besides, you actually believed him. . .well. . .Amanda and the others are there. . ."
"Fine, fine. I'll go help him out." Inuyasha said, leaving.
Raylin - -'d. "Feh...so what were you guys fighting about?" she asked.
Bridget blinked at the sudden calm. "Well this is a definite contrast to what this place was like around five minutes ago. . ." she commented.
Gabriel nodded in agreement.
"Kisike isn't being very nice. . ." A voice said above them. Everybody looked up to see that the little rain demon had returned.
". . .Okay. . .why is Kisike wearing all black? I didn't think there was black here. . ." Raylin asked.
"Kisike called me a brat again. . ." Kouten continued.
". . .That's nice. . ."
"You are a brat." Kisike said.
Kouten pouted. "I am not." She said.
Gabriel ignored them both. "Shisou has Kisike under mind control. And seeing how he's the demon of shadows, it seems only right that she would wear black. Don't you agree?" he explained.
". . .Uhhh. . .sure?" Raylin asked.
"Yes, we're sure." Bridget said.
"Feh. Enough talk." Kisike said, extending her claws and running at Raylin, slashing at her.
"Hey!" Raylin cried, jumping out of the way and behind a tree.
Kisike turned and formed an energy sword. ". . ."
". . .I'm guessing the tree won't do much help, will it. . .?" Raylin said.
Bridget sprang up and ran up from behind. "Not so fast." Bridget said, putting her sword up to Kisike's throat.
Kisike stopped and let her energy sword disappear. ". . ."
"Eh. . ." Raylin started. She jumped back and onto the branch of a different tree that was a little bit further away. Silence then fell over the area. Raylin waited for something to happen. "Uh..." She waited. . .and waited... ". . .Should have brought my camera. . ." she said, - -'ing. She sweatdropped as she looked up to see that Shippou had returned and was sitting on her head.
"Can what?" he asked.
". . .Camera. . .a little box that takes pictures. . ." Raylin said.
Kisike sweatdropped. "Kinda gettin off subject, aren't we?"
"I didn't know that boxes could paint!" Shippou said, ignoring Kisike. "Or draw, for that matter. . ."
". . .Well. . .they can." Raylin replied.
"How does it do that without hands?"
"You learn something new everyday. . .magic. . ." Raylin replied.
"Oooo. . ."
Raylin - -'d. "Yeeeeeeeah."
Akio ran over to them. "Hey guys, what's going on? Shisou is attacking the temple!"
"People are calling me a brat!" Kouten repeated.
". . .Brat." Kisike said.
"See?! Be stormy!"
A rain cloud reappeared over Kisike's head and began raining again. Kisike sighed and - -'d.
"Erm. . ." Shippou started. He hid behind a tree so that Kouten wouldn't see him.
"These mind control battles never really last long, do they?" Raylin asked.
"You noticed that too?" Gabriel asked.
"Not really, but they do have a way of making fanfics go pointlessly on and on. . ." Bridget said.
"It's also mostly used as a last resort. . .and for torturing people." Kisike said with a sidelong glance at Bridget.
"What? It wasn't me who claimed that they could hold their breath for six minutes." Bridget said.
"That was a long time ago...IN OUR FIRST FANFIC...which I now hate/despise/would smite if it were human." Kisike said. "MUST YOU FILE MEMORIES?! MUST YOU?!"
"Don't worry. It was already deleted when my computer went boom." Bridget said.
". . .Well. . .that's nice. . .wait. . .what?"
"It did! Now all you have to do is take it off your account on Fanfiction.net!"
Kisike sweatdropped. "I'll do that. . . Now. . ." Kisike dropped to the ground and kicked the arm that Bridget was holding her sword with.
"Ack!" Bridget dropped her sword and grabbed her arm. "Hey!"
Kisike jumped up and aimed a punch for Bridget's nose. Bridget ducked, dodging the punch. Gabriel jumped in between the two. "Kisike! Stop! You don't have to do this!" he said.
Kisike jumped back a little bit. "I have my orders."
"Yeah, you have them, but you can choose not to listen."
"..I /could/. . ."
"But will you?" Gabriel asked, more to himself than anyone.
"Uhm. . .can I just kill her first?" Kisike asked, pointing to Raylin.
Raylin sweatdropped. "Hey! Why do you want to kill me?!"
"'Cause you're annoying. . .and mean. . .and evil. . .wait. . .my head hurts..." Kisike said, beginning to pout.
Raylin sweatdropped and - -'d.
Silence fell over the area. "Bwahaha! No sound! Wait. . .I'll be quiet now. . ." the Silence said. (J/N: Don't ask. We were drawing a blank here when we wrote this. . .)
Kisike blinked. "Well, that was interesting. . ."
"Wait...if silence is quiet, then wouldn't it be noisy? Cause I mean, that'd make sense, right?" Raylin pondered.
"I've never really heard silence make noise before. . ." Kouten agreed.
"Brat." Kisike said.
"She's being mean. . ." Kouten whimpered.
Kisike grinned.
". . .And that's something to be proud of? Wait. . .never mind. . ." Akio said, seeing Kisike's grin.
". . .Huh?" Raylin asked. "I can assume that we've all stopped fighting now, right?"
". . ." Kisike said.
"I take that as a yes."
"You shouldn't assume, you know." Kisike advised.
"I can make a crack about that, but I don't think I will."
"I agree. Remember, she wants to kill you." Gabriel reminded.
"That's a good point. . ." Raylin said.
Kisike grinned, then turned to stick her tongue out at Raylin and pull her eyelid down. "Neh!"
"Hey! Don't flick me off!" Raylin yelled.
Gabriel sweatdropped. "Can't you two just get along of once?" he asked.
"Um...no?" Kisike replied.
"-.- Didn't think so."
Kisike grinned again and sweatdropped. "Sorry. . ."
Inuyasha, who was tied again in shadow, flew back from the temple and slammed into a tree. He groaned.
". . .Graceful. . ." Kisike commented. She sweatdropped. "I guess he lost."
"Where's Miroku?" Raylin demanded.
"He's still there...help me get free of this, will ya? They're still fighting over there." Inuyasha said.
". . .He looks good in black. Let's leave him here for someone else to find." Kisike suggested.
"I think not." Gabriel said firmly.
Inuyasha twitched. "That's not funny. . ."
"Dernit." Kisike said.
Bridget walked up to Inuyasha and put her hand on the solidified shadow, charging up some ki and projecting some light. The shadow ropes disappeared.
"...Can we go now?" Kisike asked impatiently.
Raylin didn't need convincing. She was already halfway back to the temple.
"All you need to fight shadows is light." Bridget said.
"Yeah, thanks for the tip, but where do we get a lot of light?" Inuyasha asked. Raylin stopped.
"We could set the temple on fire. . ." She suggested.
"And hope they have insurance." Kisike added.
"But think about this." Gabriel said. He started pacing. "You can't have shadow without light, correct?"
". . .Yeah."
"Yep." Raylin agreed.
"So that also means you can't have light without shadow. . ." Gabriel continued.
Kisike scratched her head. "Um. . .I don't know. . ." she said with swirly eyes and sweatdropping.
"So we blow up the moon. That takes care of the light problem." Raylin said.
"No way! If we blow up the moon, I'm human forever! Besides, how do you expect to blow up the moon?!" Inuyasha argued.
". . .Duckies?" Kisike suggested randomly.
"Hey, I watch Dragonball too. Somebody learn really quickly how to do the Kamehameha wave." Raylin said.
"It's impossible. One can't exist without the other." Gabriel continued to muse, ignoring Inuyasha, Kisike, and Raylin.
"Yeah...cause then it's all darkness or something." Kisike said.
"Exactly. But then, when you make light, you're also making more shadows." Gabriel explained.
"Yay! I got something right!" Kisike cheered, smiling.
"Where are you going with this?" Raylin asked.
"What I'm trying to say is that with light comes shadow, and vice versa. So, I'm thinking that you're going to have to think of some other way to defeat Shisou, besides with just light." Gabriel replied.
". . .With darkness. . .?" Kisike suggested.
"On Cardcaptors, the shadow card was defeated with lots of streetlights and the wind card...at least, I think it was. . ." Bridget said.
"-.-; Now we just have to find a wind card." Kisike said.
"Huh?" Gabriel asked, confused.
"And Sakura. . .Cardcaptors ish an anime..."
". . .Never mind, then. But we could just try chasing him out with light, can't we? I mean, he's not shadow itself. At least, I don't think he is. He's got a human form." Bridget said.
"You could try that." Gabriel said.
"If we chase him, he'll only come back." Kisike pointed out.
"We need to chase him somewhere where he can be defeated. Otherwise, he'll just keep hiding in the shadows." Gabriel said.
"How about lured? We could use the Shikon shards. It would probably be easier than chasing him, seeing how we don't have a flashlight or anything." Bridget said.
". . .Mirrors?" Kisike suggested.
"Of course, if you use the Shikon shards, you have to take into account what else you'll lure to yourself." Gabriel said.
"Um. . .I can do it. . .since I'm still. . .kinda evil. . .ish. . .erm. . .yeah." Kisike volunteered.
"Oh yeah, and how can we trust you again? Besides, if you get into a fight, you'll be in trouble. You're still just an amateur at this stuff and you used to be a weak human girl." Inuyasha said.
"I am not. . .how dare you call me weak!" Kisike argued.
". . .Well, it's true!"
"Grrr. . ."
"You're a cat demon. You aren't supposed to growl." Raylin said.
Kisike sighed. "Fine." she said. She started to hiss instead.
"Please, everyone! We kinda have bigger problems to think about right now." Gabriel said. He pointed to the temple.
"But they're picking on me! Can I PLEASE kill her at least?" Kisike whined, pointing to Raylin.
"You two are SUPPOSED to be friends, aren't you?" Gabriel demanded.
"Uh..."
"Well, she says we are, despite all her attempts to kill me." Raylin replied.
"Can we all get along, just long enough for us to figure a few things out?" Gabriel asked.
"That's up to 'Sike. She keeps leading us off the subject."
"It is not! It's Inuyasha's!" Kisike said.
"What?!" Inuyasha demanded.
"Yes. Now be quiet. People like you better that way." Kisike shot back. To Gabriel, she said, "Find out whaaat?"
". . ."
"We have to figure out what to do to Shisou." Gabriel reminded, sweatdropping.
"Didn't we already do that?" Kisike asked.
"Not completely, no. Before, those were just ideas. We need a plan now."
"Do we have to? I mean, just going in there and randomly attacking anything that moves is fun!"
Gabriel - -'d.
"Whaaat?" Kisike asked innocently.
"Randomly attacking anything that moves?"
"Why not?"
"What if one of those THINGS happens to be a friend?"
". . .Poor friend?"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes.
Gabriel shook his head, then threw his hands up. "I give up."
"Don't give up!" Kisike said.
"But. . .but you're impossible."
"Huh?"
"You can't just go and kill everything 'Sike. You have to at least make sure that you kill the RIGHT thing."
"But that's not what Johnny does! I was thinking we could do it Johnny the Homicidal Maniac style."
"Kisike, we're not trying to be homicidal. We're just trying to stop the bad guy." Inuyasha sighed.
"Awww..." Kisike said.
Gabriel's eye began to twitch.
Kisike tilted her head. "What?"
Gabriel shook his head. "Nothing. . ."
"We could wait until morning. That's when his powers will be weakest, right?" Raylin asked.
"Yeah, but I'm guessing he might hide during daylight. Seeing as, like you said, that's when his powers will be weakest."
"Hm. . ."
"Unless. . ."
"Unless what?"
"Kisike is still. . .sorta. . .under his power, right?" Gabriel asked, looking over at Kisike.
"Huh?" Kisike asked.
"I guess. . .why?" Inuyasha asked.
"She may be able to find out from him where he hides during the daylight." Gabriel said.
"IF he hides. Of course, my guess could be wrong." Raylin said.
"What do you mean 'if'. I'm sure he wouldn't stay around during the day. He would have no way to defend himself if trouble should arise."
"Oh. Okay, I guess so. But we still need to get Miroku out! Who knows what's going on in there!"
Inuyasha sweatdropped. "You don't care about the others?"
"Well, I guess. . .we should get them out too, I suppose."
"Considerate, aren't ya?" Shippou asked.
Raylin stuck her tongue out at him.
"As was suggested before, we could use the Shikon shards to lure him away from everyone, then get them all away from here." Gabriel said, trying to get back on the subject.
"It's too risky. What if something goes wrong?" Inuyasha demanded.
"Dooom. . ." Kisike said ominously.
"Yeah, I think Kisike is right. . .for once. . ." Raylin said.
"What do you mean, 'for once'?!" Kisike demanded. She began to growl, then stopped, then sighed, and began to hiss.
". . ."
"What possibly CAN'T go wrong?" Gabriel said.
"He could not get the shards!" Kisike said optimistically.
"And, knowing our luck, he will." Inuyasha said.
"Well aren't YOU optimistic."
"I'm just saying that-"
"No more talking!"
"I-"
"Quiet! Your evil nails-screeching-on-chalkboard voice hurts my eeears!"
Inuyasha's eye began to twitch.
"Gods, help me. . ." Gabriel sighed.
Inuyasha blinked. "Wait. . .what's a chalkboard?"
"Nothin! I ain't tellin'!"
". . ."
"Can we please just get on with it?" Gabriel demanded impatiently.
"Sure! But are we just going to leave the shards somewhere or are we just going to let him chase someone? If he chases someone, who should he chase?" Kisike asked.
"We're not leaving the shards alone, someone could easily take them that way."
"We can have him chase Shippou!" Kisike said cheerfully.
"Are you nuts?!" Shippou cried.
"Someone who can run fast. Shippou is just a little kid and all he can do is turn into a big pink balloon and chew on people's heads." Raylin said.
"-.- . . .I can do fox fire too, you know."
". . .Inuyasha?" Gabriel started.
"Have him chase me? Sure." Inuyasha finished.
"What does everyone else think?"
"I think Amanda would kill us all if she found out." Raylin said.
"I think I'll help her! Wait. . .never mind...my brain hurts. . ." Kisike said.
"But, you have to think about the fact that he CAN run fast and he can also defend himself if he were faced with the challenge." Gabriel pointed out, ignoring Kisike.
"He can do it. I don't want to." Shippou said.
"Yeah. Sure." Bridget agreed, staring over at the forest.
"Someone should go with him. . .IF something should go wrong." Gabriel added.
"Second fastest. . .?" Raylin asked.
Everybody was silent and kept an eye out for crickets (J/N: . . .Don't ask. . .).
"I'll go with him." Bridget finally volunteered.
"Feh. If you can keep up with me." Inuyasha said.
"I may not be the strongest or the most powerful, Inuyasha, but if I'm a fairy demon, then I should be pretty fast. You saw how fast the ordinary fairies were. Nearly as fast as you. If I'm a fairy DEMON, then I should be at least twice as fast." Bridget pointed out.
"Bridget, are you sure you want to do this?" Gabriel asked.
Bridget was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. I'll do it."
"It's your choice."
"I said I'll do it. I'm probably the only one who can keep up with Inuyasha, aside from Kisike." Bridget repeated.
Gabriel looked over at Bridget and Inuyasha. "Just lead him away until you think that we have everyone away."
"Sure. Shouldn't be a problem." Inuyasha said. Bridget nodded in agreement.
"Dooom. . ." Kisike said.
"All there is to do now, is to figure out what we'll do when we have everyone away and he gets back." Gabriel said.
"Doom?"
"No doom." Raylin said.
"Aw. Okay. We can hide out in the woods and play cards!" Kisike said. She thought for a moment. "Or we can kill anything that moves. . ."
"Didn't we already shoot down that idea?"
"Um. . ."
"Yes." Gabriel replied. He turned to Bridget and Inuyasha. "Bridget? Inuyasha? Anytime you're ready." he said.
"Okay." Inuyasha said. He walked up to the temple, Bridget following.
"Meanwhile, we'll be where. . .? I mean, while he's running past. Or will he be too busy chasing them to notice us?" Raylin asked.
"We'll be hiding in the woods playing cards!" Kisike said.
". . ."
"Hey, Shisou! I'm the one with the Shikon shards! If you want them, you have to catch me!" Inuyasha yelled outside the door.
"What?!" Shisou yelled. He walked out of the temple.
"I just hope everything works out okay. . ." Gabriel sighed.
"It will, so long as 'Sike doesn't jinx us all with her habit of saying doom constantly." Raylin said.
"...Doom?" Kisike said innocently.
"You want these?" Inuyasha asked, holding up the pouch of Shikon shards. "Come and get them!" He ran into the forest, Bridget following.
"Grrr...making it difficult, are they?" Shisou said. He ran after them.
Gabriel watched them, then turned back to everyone. "We should also try to find a source of light that's not fire. . ." he said.
"What about your light bulbs? We could lead him into a room and turn on the lights." Raylin suggested.
"We have to make sure that we can have light everywhere in the room, though."
"Did you make any flashlights?"
"Huh?"
"Or not. . ." Raylin said. She sighed. "Anyone know how to do a Solar Flare?"
Gabriel looked around. After a minute of silence, he said, "I'm guessing that's a 'no'."
Raylin turned to Akio. "Can you help? I mean, you ARE the sun demon." she asked.
"Not really. At least, not until sunrise." Akio said.
"Darn. Okay, then."
"Hmmm..." Gabriel said, thinking.
". . .I still say we set the place on fire and hope you guys have insurance. . ."
"What? We're not setting the place on fire." Akio said.
"I'm not getting involved in anything that has to do with fire..." Gabriel said, thinking of the flaming arrows.
"Okay, okay, but I can't really think of anything else." Raylin said.
"Shouldn't we check if the others are alright?" Shippou asked.
"Uh, you're right." Gabriel said.
"I'll go check on them!" Kouten volunteered, flying inside.
"I've got to check and see if Miroku's alright!" Raylin said, following.
"Whyyyyyy?" Kisike asked.
"Can't you just let her go without asking questions?" Gabriel asked.
"What's up with her?" Shippou asked.
Kisike grinned and sweatdropped at Gabriel's question. "What's up with who?" she asked.
"Raylin. Why does she want to check if Miroku is alright?"
"Um. . .she likes him. . .?" Kisike replied.
"She does? Why?"
". . .Honestly I have no idea. . ." They heard screams from Raylin and Kouten inside the temple.
"What the?!" Akio cried.
"Hurry! To the temple!" Gabriel said, running to the temple. Shippou and Kisike followed.
Gabriel opened the door and they saw Raylin and Kouten tied in shadow, along with the others, who were unconscious. "Don't come in! We...kinda...figured...that...out the hard way..." Kouten said sheepishly.
"Shisou must have been prepared for this! Darn it!" Akio cried. Shadows suddenly sprang forth and wrapped around the four.
"Not good. Definitely not good." Gabriel said.
***
"Bridget! Stay away from the road, okay?" Inuyasha said to Bridget.
"Yeah! Don't worry, I will!" Bridget replied.
They ran for ten minutes. Bridget stopped for a second and looked behind her. "I think we lost him, Inuyasha." she said.
Inuyasha grabbed her arm and continued running. "Rule one for running for your life: Don't stop. Rule two: Don't look behind you." he scolded.
"Sorry. . .You can tell that I don't exactly do this often." Bridget said.
"Feh. . .I'm sure you don't." At that moment, Shisou teleported in front of them. Inuyasha and Bridget skidded to a stop. "Rule three. . .know if the person you're running from can teleport. . ." Inuyasha said. He pulled out the Tetsusaiga. It didn't transform. "What. . .?" he asked.
"Why...why didn't it transform like it usually did?" Bridget asked.
"It only transforms when trying to protect humans. . .you're only half human, half demon, so it won't transform." Inuyasha explained.
"Then we're in big trouble."
"Yeah." Inuyasha said as he watched the shadows surround them.
"End of the line, hanyous. I'm sure you're both wondering how you could be so stupid." Shisou said.
Bridget charged up a small ball of ki and threw it at the shadow barrier around them. It made a small hole about the size of her head, then grew back to shadow. She took a step back.
"Your light will not work now. It is all over." Shisou told her.
"Bridget, you still have your sword, right?" Inuyasha whispered to Bridget.
"Yeah. . ." Bridget said, holding up her sword.
"Try to kill him with that." Inuyasha told her.
"Okay. . .I'll try. . ." Bridget said. She ran at Shisou, ready to slash at him, when shadow suddenly wrapped around her wrist.
"Foolish child. You believe that a sword can kill me?" Shisou said as the shadow lifted Bridget around three feet into the air.
"Um. . .past tense, BELIEVED, yeah. . .and my arm feels like it's being pulled from it's socket..." Bridget said. She charged some ki up in her hand, just enough to emit a small bit of light. The shadow became translucent but stayed solid. "Let go!"
"My power has increased since the gain of the two Shikon shards that came into my possession a while ago. You cannot escape." Shisou said.
"Hey! Let her go! I'm the one you're after!" Inuyasha yelled.
"Yes, you are, aren't you? You're the holder of the Shikon shards."
"That's right! So let her go!"
The shadow crept down Bridget's arm and around her throat. "I don't think so. You are both obstacles that I intend to get rid of." Another shadow shot out and wrapped around Inuyasha. "Obstacles that I intend to get rid of. . .right now."
Author's Note- *answering machine comes on* *Bridget's voice* Can't really talk right now! We went to the present to catch up on schoolwork and we're going to be late. So just. . .um. . .review, and we'll sneak onto the internet at school and look, okay? ^ ^; *Raylin's voice in the background* Why do we have to babysit this wolf demon? *Kouga's voice in the background* It's not babysitting! I can get along just fine at this human school. *Bridget's voice* Yeah. . .you can tell that it's gonna be a long day today. So, got to go! And please review at the sound of the beep! Bye! *beeps sounds*
Kisike struggled, but she felt like she was underwater. There was no air. She held her breath for as long as she could (J/N: Which is six min. . .right. . . *rolls eyes*), until she no longer could. Her mind swam when suddenly. . .
***
Gabriel slashed through the thick blackness with Yukitama. Kisike fell out of the darkness, gasping for air. "You okay. . .?" Gabriel asked.
"Y-yeah. . .I think so. . ." Kisike said.
Gabriel nodded, then looked up and glared. "Shisou! How dare you attempt to kill my friends!" he yelled angrily.
A man dressed in black robes stepped out of the shadows. He had short, spiky black hair and black eyes. He was tall, thin, and pale. His face was gaunt. "Boy," He said quietly, "You're missing part of your arm."
"Don't try to change the subject! These aren't just random travelers! These are my friends!"
"Ah, yes, them. They have shards of the Shikon No Tama, or at least their friend does. Something I would not hesitate for anyone to get."
"Well, you'll have to hesitate for me!" Gabriel said.
"I'll kill you if it means getting those shards."
"You can't exactly fight snow with darkness. It doesn't work that way, you know." Gabriel said.
"Gabriel, who is that?" Bridget asked.
"That's Shisou, my old Sensi, and the demon of shadows." Gabriel said.
"Huh." Kisike said. She walked up to Shisou and poked his robes. ".This looks cool. Looks like it came from Hot Topic." She said.
Shisou looked down at Kisike. "You really like it?"
Kisike blinked. "Yeah."
"Kisike, don't get close to him! Please don't!" Gabriel yelled. Kisike blinked and looked over at him.
"Huh?"
Shisou grabbed her wrist. "Then let your dark nature be revealed." He said.
"No. . .'Sike, pull away!" Gabriel yelled.
Shisou released Kisike's wrist. Kisike's hand limply fell to her side. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung slightly open, a shocked expression. She was suddenly surrounded by a black updraft (as if she were powering up).
"What's happening?!" Bridget demanded.
"When Shisou tells a person's dark nature to be revealed. . .it's literal. Kisike is now evil, and she will be on his side and practically under his control." Gabriel said.
The updraft slowed to a gentle breeze, then stopped. Kisike's eyes were blank, then was replaced by an evil gleam. Her clothes turned black. "Kisike," Shisou said, "I want you to take care of these two while I get the Shikon shards. Alright?" he said.
Kisike looked over at Bridget and Gabriel, then smirked. "Yeah. Okay." She said.
"Kisike, please snap out of it!" Gabriel cried.
"What will it take to get her back on our side?" Bridget asked.
"For Shisou to either die or simply take the spell off. Me, my brother, my sisters, and even my parents can't defeat him though because our powers are only elemental. Akio could perhaps defeat him on a lucky day, but he surely can't right now because his powers are weakest after sunset." Gabriel said. At that moment, Kisike ran forward, claws extended, to slash at him.
Gabriel dodged. Bridget grabbed Kisike's hair, trying to get her to stop. Kisike growled and turned, slashing Bridget's arm. "Ow!" Bridget cried, letting go as five red streaks appeared on her arm. She clutched her arm.
"Heh." Kisike said, jumping back and throwing some needles made of ki from her hair at Bridget (she calls it hair needles. . .you'll know what I'm talking about if you saw Ryoko fighting Zero in Tenchi Muyo. . .). Bridget ran behind a tree for a shield. The needles poked out a little from the back of the tree. "Feh." Kisike said. She formed energy sword and ran at the tree and sliced it in half.
Bridget, using her fairy speed, ran out of the way of the falling tree. "'Sike, c'mon! Snap out of it!" she yelled.
"What if I don't want to?" Kisike said, throwing more hair needles. Bridget jumped onto a tree branch.
"Then I guess we have a problem."
Gabriel snuck up behind Kisike and grabbed her wrist. "Bridget, go stop Shisou!" he yelled.
"Ah! Grrr. . ." Kisike growled.
Bridget looked over at him with a look that said, 'Are you crazy?! How am I supposed to stop him by myself?!' She then closed her eyes, shook her head, then opened her eyes again and nodded. "Okay, but be careful." She said. She jumped off the tree branch and started back to the temple.
Kisike extended her claws and cut Gabriel's waist. "Ack!" Gabriel cried, jumping back. Kisike jumped forward and turned, throwing even more hair needles. Gabriel dissolved into snow and dodged them, then reformed off to the side. Bridget stopped to look back at the battle. "Oh no. . ." she said when she saw that Kisike had gotten away. She wanted to go back to help, but she needed to get to the temple to help the others. She didn't know what to do. . .
"What are you doing?! Get going!" Gabriel shouted. Kisike formed her energy sword again and ran forward, slashing at Gabriel. Once again, Gabriel dissolved into snow and reformed on a tree branch. Kisike kept going, then turned to charge at Bridget and slashed at her. Bridget cried out and jumped over the sword. When she landed, she ran behind another tree.
She took off the locket she was wearing and opened it. The locket became a sword, with Japanese and Celtic runes on the hilt. Bridget stared at it. Finally, she said, "Wow. Just like in fanfics."
Kisike threw her hair needles at the tree. This time, they almost went all the way through.
". . .Eep. . ." Bridget squeaked.
". . .Alright. . ." Kisike said, slashing through the tree. Bridget quickly ran out of the way of the tree.
Gabriel jumped down from the tree branch he was standing on and grabbed her wrist. "Kisike, please stop!" he pleaded.
Kisike growled and glared. "Let go!" she ordered, bringing her hand up with another energy sword. Gabriel let go. Bridget started back for the temple.
Kisike turned and threw the sword, aiming for Bridget's back. Bridget turned around and ducked. "Dammit." Kisike said. She ran after Bridget and threw a few hair needles at her. Bridget dodged.
Kisike suddenly stopped and threw a few hair spikes at Bridget's knees, then more at her back. Bridget jumped onto another tree branch. Kisike jumped up and sliced the tree branch with her claws, then slashed Bridget's ankles. Bridget panicked and slashed at Kisike's hand, cutting it slightly.
Kisike growled and dropped back to the ground, clutching her hand. Bridget looked surprised for a moment, not meaning to hurt Kisike. She took a small step forward. "Um. . .sorry?" she said. She started back to the temple.
"You will be." Kisike said, standing up and starting to form a dark, red orb of energy between her hands.
"No, 'Sike! Stop!" Gabriel yelled.
Kisike smirked and held her hands out, the red beam shooting out and hitting Bridget. The blast hit Bridget in the small of her back. Her eyes widened as she cried out and fell forward. She rolled until she came to a stop. 'This. . .this is only supposed to happen in fanfics and stuff. . .' she thought weakly.
Kisike blinked, then ran over to Bridget and shook her shoulders slightly. "OHMYGOD AREYOUALRIGHTWHATHAPPENEDI'MSOSORRY!" she yelled.
"Not. . .really. . ." Bridget said weakly.
"..Huuuuuuuuh?" Kisike asked.
Gabriel blinked and walked over, confused. Kisike suddenly turned and rammed her claws into his stomach. Gabriel doubled over and fell to the ground. The snow began to swirl around him, beginning to heal the wound.
"Don't think so." Kisike said, forming another energy sword in her hand.
Bridget's hand found a spot of earth that was clear of snow and concentrated, summoning up magic to aid her. "No. . .I don't think so. . ." she said as roots sprang up and began to wrap around Kisike's ankles.
"Ah!" Kisike yelled, cutting the roots with her energy sword, growling.
". . .Okay. . .that. . .didn't work. . ." Bridget said.
"Feh." Kisike said, beginning to form another dark, red orb in her hands that would surely kill Bridget this time.
Gabriel grabbed Kisike's ankle. "Kisike, stop. . ."
". . ." Kisike said as she looked down at him. "No thank you. I rather enjoy this." She said. She yanked her ankle away, then grinned and fired the red beam. . .at him. . .
Right then Gabriel healed and rolled out of the way.
"Damn." Kisike growled. She jumped back and threw some more hair needles at him.
*five minutes after the beginning of the fight; In the temple*
Shisou approached the sleeping Inuyasha. He saw the jewel shards in Inuyasha's tightly clenched hand. He glided a few feet closer, then reached down to pry the shards from his hand. At that moment, Inuyasha's eyes snapped open. He smirked and jumped up, surprising the demon of shadows.
"What do you take me for, a fool?" Inuyasha asked. His smirk grew wider. "I think the only fool around here is you. I was able to smell you coming at least an hour ago, despite how much the snow covers up the smell."
"So you're the hanyou. Inuyasha. Son of Inu-Youkai and brother of Sesshoumaru. To be honest, you don't look very tough." Shisou mused. "But then, appearances can be deceiving. . .don't you agree?" he said.
"Huh?" Inuyasha asked.
The shadows suddenly sprang up and bound his arms to his body, tighter than any rope, leaving his hands free. "I'll take those now, thank y-"
"Miroku, Shippou, Akio! Wake up!" Inuyasha yelled.
Miroku, Shippou, and Akio woke up and stood up. "Who is that?!" Miroku questioned.
"That's Shisou, Gabriel's old sensei!" Akio cried.
"Well, hello, Akio. You should leave while you still have the chance." Shisou said.
"Nice try, but these are my friends! They gave me candy!" Akio said. Shippou, Miroku, and Inuyasha sweatdropped.
"Then I suppose you will die with them." Shisou said. Shadows sprang up and wrapped around Akio's throat. Akio grabbed the shadows tightly, trying to pull them away as the shadow solidified to become as tight as rope.
"Let. . .Go. . ." Akio said.
"Inuyasha, grab Akio and pull him out of the way. I'm going to try to suck Shisou into my air void." Miroku said in a low voice to Inuyasha. Inuyasha's sweatdrop fell farther down his head.
"Um, hello, but I'm kind tied up at the moment!" he said, beginning to struggle again.
"Oh yeah." Miroku said. He turned to Shippou. "Then Shippou, you get Akio out of the way." He said.
"Enough of this chit-chat! The Shikon shards will be mine!" Shisou said impatiently. Shadows rose up to wrap around Miroku and Shippou when Miroku pulled his rosary off his hand and whirled around.
"Purge!"
Shadow slowly sucked into his air void, but none of it was going away. Shisou smirked. "Fool. You can't suck shadows into a void. Of course, what more could I expect from a human?" he said.
A flaming arrow pierced the darkness. "How about an elf?" Raylin asked in the doorway.
"Raylin!" Shippou said.
"And Amanda. Of course you can't see me because Miss Elf won't move out of the way." Amanda said behind her.
"Like you can do anything? Elves are far more superior than demons, you know." Raylin said. With that statement, she got a growl from Inuyasha, Amanda, Shippou, and Shisou. Akio probably would have started growling too, but he was too busy suffocating to death right then. Miroku sweatdropped.
"Say WHAT?!" Amanda yelled.
"You heard me. Elves are much better than demons." Raylin repeated, not noticing all the glares-of-death she was getting.
"Oh, yeah right!" Amanda shot back.
"If I was free right now, I'd show you just how superior elves are to demons! By pounding you into the ground!" Inuyasha yelled.
"Why thank you, but I don't need lessons to tell you that elves are better than demons." Raylin said.
"-.- And this is our rescue party. . ." Miroku said.
"Demons are much better than elves! Be stormy!" a voice said behind Raylin. A small rain cloud appeared over Raylin's head. Kouten sat on a little rain cloud behind them, pouting. Raylin's eye twitched.
"NOW IS NOT THE TIME!" she yelled.
"I think it's the perfect time!" Kouten scolded. She suddenly smiled when she looked over Raylin's shoulder to see Shippou. "SHIPPOU!" She squealed on a sudden sugar high that came out of nowhere. She flew past Raylin and over to Shippou, jumping off the cloud and hugging him/squeezing him to death.
"Um. . .Kouten. . .this isn't a very good time. . .we're both kinda going to die hugging each other if you don't let go. . ." Shippou gasped as he began to turn blue.
"Awww! How sweeeet!" Kouten squealed, not really hearing the death part at first. She suddenly blinked, then frowned. "Wait. . .What. . .?" she asked. She let go of swirly-eyed Shippou, letting him fall to the ground in a heap and yelled, "WHO DARES TO HURT MY SHIPPOU?!"
Everybody sweatdropped, and tied up, being hugged, or just plain standing there, fell over. ". . .Baka girl. . ." Shisou muttered.
"Lady Raylin, Lady Amanda, where is Lady Bridget and Lady Kisike?" Miroku asked.
"Uh. . .dunno. . ." Raylin said. "I'll go find them! Be careful, Shippou!" Kouten said cheerfully. She hopped onto her rain cloud and flew out the door.
*back at the battle; present time*
"Be stormy!" A voice yelled. A little rain cloud appeared over Kisike's head and began raining.
"Kouten, get out of here!" Gabriel yelled.
". . ." Kisike said. She spun and threw a lot of hair needles while doing so.
"But I thought you guys needed me. . ." Kouten whined. She looked around to see hair needles coming at her. "Eep!" she cried, hiding in her rain cloud.
Gabriel grabbed Bridget and pulled her behind a tree. Kisike looked up at Kouten. "Stay out of this, brat." she said.
"I'm not a brat." Kouten pouted.
"Kouten, now!" Gabriel ordered.
"Okay, okay. . ." Kouten sighed. "Be happy again." The little rain cloud over Kisike's head disappeared and Kouten flew back to the temple.
"Someone has to keep you people under control. Geez. Five minutes and you're already fighting like dogs." a familiar voice said.
"I heard that!" they heard Inuyasha yell from the temple. Everybody sweatdropped.
Shippou jumped out of the trees and onto Kisike's head. He pulled at her ears . "What's gotten into you? You're not normal!" He said. Kisike - -'d.
Gabriel sighed. "Shippou. . .she's evil right now. Go back and tell the others."
Raylin jumped up behind Shippou. "Yeah. Geez. Bet it's more mind control." she said.
"EVIL?!" Shippou squeaked. He jumped off of Kisike's head and onto Raylin's face. "SAVE ME!"
"ARGH!" Raylin cried. She peeled Shippou off her face and tossed him aside. "Baka ne."
Shippou pouted. "Alright. . .alright. . . geez. . ." he said. He ran back to the temple.
Just then, Inuyasha ran over. "Hey, you two alright?" he asked.
"I think so. . ." Bridget started.
"I guess. . ." Gabriel agreed.
"What happened to Shisou?" Bridget asked.
"Miroku is still trying to suck him into his air void back at his temple." Inuyasha replied.
"You actually think that'll work?" Gabriel asked.
Raylin looked over at Inuyasha. ". . .Speaking of which, shouldn't you be back there, helping? And what happened to those shadows that held you captive?"
"Kouten distracted Shisou long enough for the shadows to loosen long enough for me to get free. And besides, Miroku said he'd be okay." Inuyasha said nonchalantly.
"That doesn't matter. You should be there, in case something happens. If no one else is there, then no one else will know." Gabriel scolded.
Raylin raised an eyebrow. "Besides, you actually believed him. . .well. . .Amanda and the others are there. . ."
"Fine, fine. I'll go help him out." Inuyasha said, leaving.
Raylin - -'d. "Feh...so what were you guys fighting about?" she asked.
Bridget blinked at the sudden calm. "Well this is a definite contrast to what this place was like around five minutes ago. . ." she commented.
Gabriel nodded in agreement.
"Kisike isn't being very nice. . ." A voice said above them. Everybody looked up to see that the little rain demon had returned.
". . .Okay. . .why is Kisike wearing all black? I didn't think there was black here. . ." Raylin asked.
"Kisike called me a brat again. . ." Kouten continued.
". . .That's nice. . ."
"You are a brat." Kisike said.
Kouten pouted. "I am not." She said.
Gabriel ignored them both. "Shisou has Kisike under mind control. And seeing how he's the demon of shadows, it seems only right that she would wear black. Don't you agree?" he explained.
". . .Uhhh. . .sure?" Raylin asked.
"Yes, we're sure." Bridget said.
"Feh. Enough talk." Kisike said, extending her claws and running at Raylin, slashing at her.
"Hey!" Raylin cried, jumping out of the way and behind a tree.
Kisike turned and formed an energy sword. ". . ."
". . .I'm guessing the tree won't do much help, will it. . .?" Raylin said.
Bridget sprang up and ran up from behind. "Not so fast." Bridget said, putting her sword up to Kisike's throat.
Kisike stopped and let her energy sword disappear. ". . ."
"Eh. . ." Raylin started. She jumped back and onto the branch of a different tree that was a little bit further away. Silence then fell over the area. Raylin waited for something to happen. "Uh..." She waited. . .and waited... ". . .Should have brought my camera. . ." she said, - -'ing. She sweatdropped as she looked up to see that Shippou had returned and was sitting on her head.
"Can what?" he asked.
". . .Camera. . .a little box that takes pictures. . ." Raylin said.
Kisike sweatdropped. "Kinda gettin off subject, aren't we?"
"I didn't know that boxes could paint!" Shippou said, ignoring Kisike. "Or draw, for that matter. . ."
". . .Well. . .they can." Raylin replied.
"How does it do that without hands?"
"You learn something new everyday. . .magic. . ." Raylin replied.
"Oooo. . ."
Raylin - -'d. "Yeeeeeeeah."
Akio ran over to them. "Hey guys, what's going on? Shisou is attacking the temple!"
"People are calling me a brat!" Kouten repeated.
". . .Brat." Kisike said.
"See?! Be stormy!"
A rain cloud reappeared over Kisike's head and began raining again. Kisike sighed and - -'d.
"Erm. . ." Shippou started. He hid behind a tree so that Kouten wouldn't see him.
"These mind control battles never really last long, do they?" Raylin asked.
"You noticed that too?" Gabriel asked.
"Not really, but they do have a way of making fanfics go pointlessly on and on. . ." Bridget said.
"It's also mostly used as a last resort. . .and for torturing people." Kisike said with a sidelong glance at Bridget.
"What? It wasn't me who claimed that they could hold their breath for six minutes." Bridget said.
"That was a long time ago...IN OUR FIRST FANFIC...which I now hate/despise/would smite if it were human." Kisike said. "MUST YOU FILE MEMORIES?! MUST YOU?!"
"Don't worry. It was already deleted when my computer went boom." Bridget said.
". . .Well. . .that's nice. . .wait. . .what?"
"It did! Now all you have to do is take it off your account on Fanfiction.net!"
Kisike sweatdropped. "I'll do that. . . Now. . ." Kisike dropped to the ground and kicked the arm that Bridget was holding her sword with.
"Ack!" Bridget dropped her sword and grabbed her arm. "Hey!"
Kisike jumped up and aimed a punch for Bridget's nose. Bridget ducked, dodging the punch. Gabriel jumped in between the two. "Kisike! Stop! You don't have to do this!" he said.
Kisike jumped back a little bit. "I have my orders."
"Yeah, you have them, but you can choose not to listen."
"..I /could/. . ."
"But will you?" Gabriel asked, more to himself than anyone.
"Uhm. . .can I just kill her first?" Kisike asked, pointing to Raylin.
Raylin sweatdropped. "Hey! Why do you want to kill me?!"
"'Cause you're annoying. . .and mean. . .and evil. . .wait. . .my head hurts..." Kisike said, beginning to pout.
Raylin sweatdropped and - -'d.
Silence fell over the area. "Bwahaha! No sound! Wait. . .I'll be quiet now. . ." the Silence said. (J/N: Don't ask. We were drawing a blank here when we wrote this. . .)
Kisike blinked. "Well, that was interesting. . ."
"Wait...if silence is quiet, then wouldn't it be noisy? Cause I mean, that'd make sense, right?" Raylin pondered.
"I've never really heard silence make noise before. . ." Kouten agreed.
"Brat." Kisike said.
"She's being mean. . ." Kouten whimpered.
Kisike grinned.
". . .And that's something to be proud of? Wait. . .never mind. . ." Akio said, seeing Kisike's grin.
". . .Huh?" Raylin asked. "I can assume that we've all stopped fighting now, right?"
". . ." Kisike said.
"I take that as a yes."
"You shouldn't assume, you know." Kisike advised.
"I can make a crack about that, but I don't think I will."
"I agree. Remember, she wants to kill you." Gabriel reminded.
"That's a good point. . ." Raylin said.
Kisike grinned, then turned to stick her tongue out at Raylin and pull her eyelid down. "Neh!"
"Hey! Don't flick me off!" Raylin yelled.
Gabriel sweatdropped. "Can't you two just get along of once?" he asked.
"Um...no?" Kisike replied.
"-.- Didn't think so."
Kisike grinned again and sweatdropped. "Sorry. . ."
Inuyasha, who was tied again in shadow, flew back from the temple and slammed into a tree. He groaned.
". . .Graceful. . ." Kisike commented. She sweatdropped. "I guess he lost."
"Where's Miroku?" Raylin demanded.
"He's still there...help me get free of this, will ya? They're still fighting over there." Inuyasha said.
". . .He looks good in black. Let's leave him here for someone else to find." Kisike suggested.
"I think not." Gabriel said firmly.
Inuyasha twitched. "That's not funny. . ."
"Dernit." Kisike said.
Bridget walked up to Inuyasha and put her hand on the solidified shadow, charging up some ki and projecting some light. The shadow ropes disappeared.
"...Can we go now?" Kisike asked impatiently.
Raylin didn't need convincing. She was already halfway back to the temple.
"All you need to fight shadows is light." Bridget said.
"Yeah, thanks for the tip, but where do we get a lot of light?" Inuyasha asked. Raylin stopped.
"We could set the temple on fire. . ." She suggested.
"And hope they have insurance." Kisike added.
"But think about this." Gabriel said. He started pacing. "You can't have shadow without light, correct?"
". . .Yeah."
"Yep." Raylin agreed.
"So that also means you can't have light without shadow. . ." Gabriel continued.
Kisike scratched her head. "Um. . .I don't know. . ." she said with swirly eyes and sweatdropping.
"So we blow up the moon. That takes care of the light problem." Raylin said.
"No way! If we blow up the moon, I'm human forever! Besides, how do you expect to blow up the moon?!" Inuyasha argued.
". . .Duckies?" Kisike suggested randomly.
"Hey, I watch Dragonball too. Somebody learn really quickly how to do the Kamehameha wave." Raylin said.
"It's impossible. One can't exist without the other." Gabriel continued to muse, ignoring Inuyasha, Kisike, and Raylin.
"Yeah...cause then it's all darkness or something." Kisike said.
"Exactly. But then, when you make light, you're also making more shadows." Gabriel explained.
"Yay! I got something right!" Kisike cheered, smiling.
"Where are you going with this?" Raylin asked.
"What I'm trying to say is that with light comes shadow, and vice versa. So, I'm thinking that you're going to have to think of some other way to defeat Shisou, besides with just light." Gabriel replied.
". . .With darkness. . .?" Kisike suggested.
"On Cardcaptors, the shadow card was defeated with lots of streetlights and the wind card...at least, I think it was. . ." Bridget said.
"-.-; Now we just have to find a wind card." Kisike said.
"Huh?" Gabriel asked, confused.
"And Sakura. . .Cardcaptors ish an anime..."
". . .Never mind, then. But we could just try chasing him out with light, can't we? I mean, he's not shadow itself. At least, I don't think he is. He's got a human form." Bridget said.
"You could try that." Gabriel said.
"If we chase him, he'll only come back." Kisike pointed out.
"We need to chase him somewhere where he can be defeated. Otherwise, he'll just keep hiding in the shadows." Gabriel said.
"How about lured? We could use the Shikon shards. It would probably be easier than chasing him, seeing how we don't have a flashlight or anything." Bridget said.
". . .Mirrors?" Kisike suggested.
"Of course, if you use the Shikon shards, you have to take into account what else you'll lure to yourself." Gabriel said.
"Um. . .I can do it. . .since I'm still. . .kinda evil. . .ish. . .erm. . .yeah." Kisike volunteered.
"Oh yeah, and how can we trust you again? Besides, if you get into a fight, you'll be in trouble. You're still just an amateur at this stuff and you used to be a weak human girl." Inuyasha said.
"I am not. . .how dare you call me weak!" Kisike argued.
". . .Well, it's true!"
"Grrr. . ."
"You're a cat demon. You aren't supposed to growl." Raylin said.
Kisike sighed. "Fine." she said. She started to hiss instead.
"Please, everyone! We kinda have bigger problems to think about right now." Gabriel said. He pointed to the temple.
"But they're picking on me! Can I PLEASE kill her at least?" Kisike whined, pointing to Raylin.
"You two are SUPPOSED to be friends, aren't you?" Gabriel demanded.
"Uh..."
"Well, she says we are, despite all her attempts to kill me." Raylin replied.
"Can we all get along, just long enough for us to figure a few things out?" Gabriel asked.
"That's up to 'Sike. She keeps leading us off the subject."
"It is not! It's Inuyasha's!" Kisike said.
"What?!" Inuyasha demanded.
"Yes. Now be quiet. People like you better that way." Kisike shot back. To Gabriel, she said, "Find out whaaat?"
". . ."
"We have to figure out what to do to Shisou." Gabriel reminded, sweatdropping.
"Didn't we already do that?" Kisike asked.
"Not completely, no. Before, those were just ideas. We need a plan now."
"Do we have to? I mean, just going in there and randomly attacking anything that moves is fun!"
Gabriel - -'d.
"Whaaat?" Kisike asked innocently.
"Randomly attacking anything that moves?"
"Why not?"
"What if one of those THINGS happens to be a friend?"
". . .Poor friend?"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes.
Gabriel shook his head, then threw his hands up. "I give up."
"Don't give up!" Kisike said.
"But. . .but you're impossible."
"Huh?"
"You can't just go and kill everything 'Sike. You have to at least make sure that you kill the RIGHT thing."
"But that's not what Johnny does! I was thinking we could do it Johnny the Homicidal Maniac style."
"Kisike, we're not trying to be homicidal. We're just trying to stop the bad guy." Inuyasha sighed.
"Awww..." Kisike said.
Gabriel's eye began to twitch.
Kisike tilted her head. "What?"
Gabriel shook his head. "Nothing. . ."
"We could wait until morning. That's when his powers will be weakest, right?" Raylin asked.
"Yeah, but I'm guessing he might hide during daylight. Seeing as, like you said, that's when his powers will be weakest."
"Hm. . ."
"Unless. . ."
"Unless what?"
"Kisike is still. . .sorta. . .under his power, right?" Gabriel asked, looking over at Kisike.
"Huh?" Kisike asked.
"I guess. . .why?" Inuyasha asked.
"She may be able to find out from him where he hides during the daylight." Gabriel said.
"IF he hides. Of course, my guess could be wrong." Raylin said.
"What do you mean 'if'. I'm sure he wouldn't stay around during the day. He would have no way to defend himself if trouble should arise."
"Oh. Okay, I guess so. But we still need to get Miroku out! Who knows what's going on in there!"
Inuyasha sweatdropped. "You don't care about the others?"
"Well, I guess. . .we should get them out too, I suppose."
"Considerate, aren't ya?" Shippou asked.
Raylin stuck her tongue out at him.
"As was suggested before, we could use the Shikon shards to lure him away from everyone, then get them all away from here." Gabriel said, trying to get back on the subject.
"It's too risky. What if something goes wrong?" Inuyasha demanded.
"Dooom. . ." Kisike said ominously.
"Yeah, I think Kisike is right. . .for once. . ." Raylin said.
"What do you mean, 'for once'?!" Kisike demanded. She began to growl, then stopped, then sighed, and began to hiss.
". . ."
"What possibly CAN'T go wrong?" Gabriel said.
"He could not get the shards!" Kisike said optimistically.
"And, knowing our luck, he will." Inuyasha said.
"Well aren't YOU optimistic."
"I'm just saying that-"
"No more talking!"
"I-"
"Quiet! Your evil nails-screeching-on-chalkboard voice hurts my eeears!"
Inuyasha's eye began to twitch.
"Gods, help me. . ." Gabriel sighed.
Inuyasha blinked. "Wait. . .what's a chalkboard?"
"Nothin! I ain't tellin'!"
". . ."
"Can we please just get on with it?" Gabriel demanded impatiently.
"Sure! But are we just going to leave the shards somewhere or are we just going to let him chase someone? If he chases someone, who should he chase?" Kisike asked.
"We're not leaving the shards alone, someone could easily take them that way."
"We can have him chase Shippou!" Kisike said cheerfully.
"Are you nuts?!" Shippou cried.
"Someone who can run fast. Shippou is just a little kid and all he can do is turn into a big pink balloon and chew on people's heads." Raylin said.
"-.- . . .I can do fox fire too, you know."
". . .Inuyasha?" Gabriel started.
"Have him chase me? Sure." Inuyasha finished.
"What does everyone else think?"
"I think Amanda would kill us all if she found out." Raylin said.
"I think I'll help her! Wait. . .never mind...my brain hurts. . ." Kisike said.
"But, you have to think about the fact that he CAN run fast and he can also defend himself if he were faced with the challenge." Gabriel pointed out, ignoring Kisike.
"He can do it. I don't want to." Shippou said.
"Yeah. Sure." Bridget agreed, staring over at the forest.
"Someone should go with him. . .IF something should go wrong." Gabriel added.
"Second fastest. . .?" Raylin asked.
Everybody was silent and kept an eye out for crickets (J/N: . . .Don't ask. . .).
"I'll go with him." Bridget finally volunteered.
"Feh. If you can keep up with me." Inuyasha said.
"I may not be the strongest or the most powerful, Inuyasha, but if I'm a fairy demon, then I should be pretty fast. You saw how fast the ordinary fairies were. Nearly as fast as you. If I'm a fairy DEMON, then I should be at least twice as fast." Bridget pointed out.
"Bridget, are you sure you want to do this?" Gabriel asked.
Bridget was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. I'll do it."
"It's your choice."
"I said I'll do it. I'm probably the only one who can keep up with Inuyasha, aside from Kisike." Bridget repeated.
Gabriel looked over at Bridget and Inuyasha. "Just lead him away until you think that we have everyone away."
"Sure. Shouldn't be a problem." Inuyasha said. Bridget nodded in agreement.
"Dooom. . ." Kisike said.
"All there is to do now, is to figure out what we'll do when we have everyone away and he gets back." Gabriel said.
"Doom?"
"No doom." Raylin said.
"Aw. Okay. We can hide out in the woods and play cards!" Kisike said. She thought for a moment. "Or we can kill anything that moves. . ."
"Didn't we already shoot down that idea?"
"Um. . ."
"Yes." Gabriel replied. He turned to Bridget and Inuyasha. "Bridget? Inuyasha? Anytime you're ready." he said.
"Okay." Inuyasha said. He walked up to the temple, Bridget following.
"Meanwhile, we'll be where. . .? I mean, while he's running past. Or will he be too busy chasing them to notice us?" Raylin asked.
"We'll be hiding in the woods playing cards!" Kisike said.
". . ."
"Hey, Shisou! I'm the one with the Shikon shards! If you want them, you have to catch me!" Inuyasha yelled outside the door.
"What?!" Shisou yelled. He walked out of the temple.
"I just hope everything works out okay. . ." Gabriel sighed.
"It will, so long as 'Sike doesn't jinx us all with her habit of saying doom constantly." Raylin said.
"...Doom?" Kisike said innocently.
"You want these?" Inuyasha asked, holding up the pouch of Shikon shards. "Come and get them!" He ran into the forest, Bridget following.
"Grrr...making it difficult, are they?" Shisou said. He ran after them.
Gabriel watched them, then turned back to everyone. "We should also try to find a source of light that's not fire. . ." he said.
"What about your light bulbs? We could lead him into a room and turn on the lights." Raylin suggested.
"We have to make sure that we can have light everywhere in the room, though."
"Did you make any flashlights?"
"Huh?"
"Or not. . ." Raylin said. She sighed. "Anyone know how to do a Solar Flare?"
Gabriel looked around. After a minute of silence, he said, "I'm guessing that's a 'no'."
Raylin turned to Akio. "Can you help? I mean, you ARE the sun demon." she asked.
"Not really. At least, not until sunrise." Akio said.
"Darn. Okay, then."
"Hmmm..." Gabriel said, thinking.
". . .I still say we set the place on fire and hope you guys have insurance. . ."
"What? We're not setting the place on fire." Akio said.
"I'm not getting involved in anything that has to do with fire..." Gabriel said, thinking of the flaming arrows.
"Okay, okay, but I can't really think of anything else." Raylin said.
"Shouldn't we check if the others are alright?" Shippou asked.
"Uh, you're right." Gabriel said.
"I'll go check on them!" Kouten volunteered, flying inside.
"I've got to check and see if Miroku's alright!" Raylin said, following.
"Whyyyyyy?" Kisike asked.
"Can't you just let her go without asking questions?" Gabriel asked.
"What's up with her?" Shippou asked.
Kisike grinned and sweatdropped at Gabriel's question. "What's up with who?" she asked.
"Raylin. Why does she want to check if Miroku is alright?"
"Um. . .she likes him. . .?" Kisike replied.
"She does? Why?"
". . .Honestly I have no idea. . ." They heard screams from Raylin and Kouten inside the temple.
"What the?!" Akio cried.
"Hurry! To the temple!" Gabriel said, running to the temple. Shippou and Kisike followed.
Gabriel opened the door and they saw Raylin and Kouten tied in shadow, along with the others, who were unconscious. "Don't come in! We...kinda...figured...that...out the hard way..." Kouten said sheepishly.
"Shisou must have been prepared for this! Darn it!" Akio cried. Shadows suddenly sprang forth and wrapped around the four.
"Not good. Definitely not good." Gabriel said.
***
"Bridget! Stay away from the road, okay?" Inuyasha said to Bridget.
"Yeah! Don't worry, I will!" Bridget replied.
They ran for ten minutes. Bridget stopped for a second and looked behind her. "I think we lost him, Inuyasha." she said.
Inuyasha grabbed her arm and continued running. "Rule one for running for your life: Don't stop. Rule two: Don't look behind you." he scolded.
"Sorry. . .You can tell that I don't exactly do this often." Bridget said.
"Feh. . .I'm sure you don't." At that moment, Shisou teleported in front of them. Inuyasha and Bridget skidded to a stop. "Rule three. . .know if the person you're running from can teleport. . ." Inuyasha said. He pulled out the Tetsusaiga. It didn't transform. "What. . .?" he asked.
"Why...why didn't it transform like it usually did?" Bridget asked.
"It only transforms when trying to protect humans. . .you're only half human, half demon, so it won't transform." Inuyasha explained.
"Then we're in big trouble."
"Yeah." Inuyasha said as he watched the shadows surround them.
"End of the line, hanyous. I'm sure you're both wondering how you could be so stupid." Shisou said.
Bridget charged up a small ball of ki and threw it at the shadow barrier around them. It made a small hole about the size of her head, then grew back to shadow. She took a step back.
"Your light will not work now. It is all over." Shisou told her.
"Bridget, you still have your sword, right?" Inuyasha whispered to Bridget.
"Yeah. . ." Bridget said, holding up her sword.
"Try to kill him with that." Inuyasha told her.
"Okay. . .I'll try. . ." Bridget said. She ran at Shisou, ready to slash at him, when shadow suddenly wrapped around her wrist.
"Foolish child. You believe that a sword can kill me?" Shisou said as the shadow lifted Bridget around three feet into the air.
"Um. . .past tense, BELIEVED, yeah. . .and my arm feels like it's being pulled from it's socket..." Bridget said. She charged some ki up in her hand, just enough to emit a small bit of light. The shadow became translucent but stayed solid. "Let go!"
"My power has increased since the gain of the two Shikon shards that came into my possession a while ago. You cannot escape." Shisou said.
"Hey! Let her go! I'm the one you're after!" Inuyasha yelled.
"Yes, you are, aren't you? You're the holder of the Shikon shards."
"That's right! So let her go!"
The shadow crept down Bridget's arm and around her throat. "I don't think so. You are both obstacles that I intend to get rid of." Another shadow shot out and wrapped around Inuyasha. "Obstacles that I intend to get rid of. . .right now."
Author's Note- *answering machine comes on* *Bridget's voice* Can't really talk right now! We went to the present to catch up on schoolwork and we're going to be late. So just. . .um. . .review, and we'll sneak onto the internet at school and look, okay? ^ ^; *Raylin's voice in the background* Why do we have to babysit this wolf demon? *Kouga's voice in the background* It's not babysitting! I can get along just fine at this human school. *Bridget's voice* Yeah. . .you can tell that it's gonna be a long day today. So, got to go! And please review at the sound of the beep! Bye! *beeps sounds*