o.o wow. I'm amazed at all of the reviews I got. You must've really liked that last chapter! XD
Yeah, I figured there'd be two groups...some would find it hilarious, and others would find it disturbing. It seems that the majority were in group one!
queen of air: well, they're not exactly 'with' each other, Kagome just kissed Shippou because she was trying to prove that she didn't need Inuyasha. And Shippou's just a child, so it's ok. The same thing goes for Inuyasha and Kouga. Well, except for the child thing.
Eleature: Where I'm getting it from? Hm...my head. Yep, that's it. At least I think it is o.O
Allysono123: I have them on a website, I just don't know how to give you guys the link...I would really appreciate your help!
whitetiger-isabella: Yeah, while writing that chapter, I was going to add a part where Shippou tries to hide that tail of his, but in the end I just decided to ignore it. I hope nobody minds.
Sephirat: Yes, Shippou does know. Just about Kagome and Sango, though. Do you think Kagome would lie? Now Inuyasha, on the other hand...
Oscura-Queen: Sorry, but I'm not going to describe that here. If you really want to know, email me. My email sn should be listed in my profile.
Okay, that's enough ranting for today. Here you go, Chapter 16.
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The next day, after Inuyasha had been almost completely covered in bandages, Kagome walked up to him nervously, with her hands behind her back. They were the only two who occupied Kaede's hut at the moment. Inuyasha looked up, not showing any sign of wanting to get away from her. But after the dated, he couldn't help but wonder about Kagome's feelings.
He had gone through hell kissing that damn wolf, and pretending to be his girlfriend, for that matter. Just to get Kagome back. But...would Kagome want him back? She and Kogema had looked pretty passionate towards each other. And, as far as Kagome knew, Inuyasha still loved Ashiyuna. What would he do?
Wait; it was obvious. There was only one thing he could do. He had to tell Kagome the truth. About Ashiyuna and himself. They were one and the same. He would explain about he and Miroku falling into the spring, changing into girls, and pretending to be other people. It was what he should have done in the first place.
"I--" They both said, at the same time, then fell silent. "You first." Kagome said. Inuyasha shook his head. "No, you."
Kagome hesitated, yet gave in. "Inuyasha, I'm not going to lie to you. In return, I want you to tell me the truth too." She said. Inuyasha nodded, and she continued. "Yesterday, I agreed to go on a date with my friend, Hojou. I didn't know why at the time, but now, I realize that it's because I didn't want to think about you and Ashiyuna. So, when I came back, I wanted to prove to you that I was just fine on my own, and that I didn't need you. To do that, I talked a friend of mine into dating me. We were going to let you see us together, but instead of you, we found Ashiyuna, with a date on Kouga." She explained.
Inuyasha had a slightly alarmed look on his face, but not because of that. He was surprised at everything she was telling her. Then, Kagome continued.
"Ashiyuna said that she didn't like you anymore, and that Kouga was much better...and...well...look." She slowly removed her hands from behind her back, and he found that she was holding some sort of square piece of paper. It was a picture. When she showed it to him, he saw Ashiyuna and Kouga, with their lips pressed on the other's. Ashiyuna had her eyes closed, while Kouga's were open, and by his expression he was astounded.
"Wh-wh-what the hell!?" He exclaimed, for two reasons. One, he couldn't understand how his girl form was in that flat box, and two, because it reminded him of the kiss he so deeply despised. He snatched the photo from her hand and angrily took a closer look.
"It's something from my time. That's not really Ashiyuna and Kouga in there, just a copy of them, and how they looked last night." She said in a small voice, looking down.
Inuyasha was relieved, but didn't let that show in his expression. He crumpled the picture up, and ate it.
Kagome didn't pay too much attention to the fact that he ate it, yet said quietly, "Inuyasha...I'm sorry...but I had to tell you. And...if it's all right...I'd like you to resume traveling with us...I want us to be friends again." She finished.
Kagome liked him again? She wasn't mad? If that was the case...then to hell with telling her about being half woman! He could work with this, just fine!
"So, Ashiyuna left me for Kouga?" Inuyasha asked, not sounding angry or sad at all. Kagome looked up, surprised. "You're not upset? At all?" She asked, surprised. Inuyasha hesitated. "Well, a couple days ago, I realized that I never had any special feelings for her in the first place, and I was trying to think of a way for her and I just to be friends, with no hard feelings. I guess I don't really mind at all." He told her.
"You...mean that?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha nodded. "Yes."
Kagome put on a small smile. She felt like her heard would explode with joy. Inuyasha's heart wasn't broken, and he wasn't together with Ashiyuna anymore! Before she continued rejoicing, though, she remembered something. "Didn't you want to talk to me about something too?" She asked.
"No." Inuyasha said, shaking his head. "Not a thing."
---
"So she forgave you?" Miroku asked. "Uh-huh." Inuyasha said, nodding.
The two of them were in a clearing in the forest of Inuyasha near the river. Miroku was leaning against a tree working on his rubix cube, and Inuyasha was sitting down against another tree next to Miroku.
"I still can't believe Kouga didn't kill you." Miroku stated. "Feh. My name's in the title. Of course I didn't die." He murmured, crossing his arms. "Come again?" Miroku asked, looking up from the cube and blinking. "Nothing." He replied, and Miroku turned back to his cube.
"Well, since I'm supposed to be officially breaking up with Ashiyuna right now, I think I'll go have her apologize to Kagome. Later Miroku." He said, and headed towards the river. In less than a minute of running, he arrived.
He began towards the stream, but just as he was about to descend into the water, a mysterious voice asked,
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Inuyasha spun around to find the owner, who was standing about five yards from him, with the greenery of the forest right behind their back.
It was a woman, and man was she beautiful. Her long, light blonde hair sparkled as it flowed through the wind, and her eyes were a dazzling shade of amber. Also, Inuyasha couldn't help but notice how nice her body was as well. She wore a red kimono, that matched perfectly with her eyes.
Before the hanyou had the chance to ask who the hell she was, she spoke again.
"You have indeed been a bit reckless with that curse of yours, but could you at least try to keep it a secret while enemies are about?"
Inuyasha suddenly got tense, took his eyes off of the stranger, and looked around. "Enemies? What are you--" He began, but when he looked back towards the woman, she was gone.
-That was strange...- He thought, blinking. -And what did she mean by...- Then, he gasped. -She couldn't know about that, could she?-
Before he could continue on this thought, however, he heard a rustle in the leaves of the forest. Quickly turning to the source, he saw a demon walk out of the forest and face him. This demon was a wind user, and one he especially hated at that. Kagura.
"A friend of yours warning you not to jump into a river, Inuyasha?" She asked, with a smirk. "But of course you wouldn't want to get wet, now would you? Or...would it by any chance have something to do with this curse I hear of?" She added, her smirk widening.
"Shut up, Kagura!" He called, pulling out his Tetsusaiga. "A curse? If I get wet? You've got to be kidding me!" He said, and charged at her, sword raised. Kagura spread out her fan. "Then perhaps we should test that theory, shouldn't we?" She asked.
At those words, Inuyasha froze. With one mighty sweep of her fan, Kagura cast blades of wind at him, knocking him to the ground. Kagura smirked again. "You shouldn't leave yourself vulnerable in the heat of battle." She told him, and pulled a feather out of her hair.
"What? You're leaving already? Coward!" Inuyasha hollered, jumping to his feet. "I have no reason to stay any longer. Naraku is awaiting my report." She said, and threw the feather to the ground next to her. Instantly, it grew large enough to hold her. She stepped on it, and flew off.
"Damn..." Inuyasha muttered to himself. Then, he remembered what Kagura had said.
'Would it by any chance have something to do with this curse I hear of?'
Kagura wouldn't naturally assume something like that...Did she know? Did Naraku? And what about that girl?
'You have indeed been a bit reckless with that curse of yours, but could you at least try to keep it a secret while enemies are about?'
But how would someone he didn't even know find out about his curse? Perhaps she had seen him transform, or has been following him? Maybe he had been reckless...
---
"Kagura. You have returned. What news do you bring me?" asked Naraku. He was sitting down in the middle of the room, and Kagura sat down in front of him. Meanwhile, Kohaku and Kanna were sitting against the right wall.
"A woman appeared, and warned Inuyasha of my presence." Kagura explained. "That is all I have to report." She finished.
"Have you ever seen this woman before?" Naraku asked. Kagura shook her head. "Very well. Explain to me her appearance." He ordered, so Kagura described to him exactly what she looked like.
"This girl is no threat to me." Naraku stated. "And speaking of girls, what ever happened to that precious human that was under my control, Ashiyuna?" He asked.
"I have kept an eye on her as well, just as you wished." Kagura replied. "Recently she and Inuyasha decided to become just friends, and now she is with Kouga. They have even kissed." She told him.
Naraku was an idiot. Kagura felt this way, because she knew. She found out the day Naraku sent her after Inuyasha and the others, when they went over the sea. She was just about to attack them and steal the jewel shard they found, when Inuyasha pushed Miroku into the spring, and she pulled him is with her. They became women. Curious about this, Kagura secretly followed them. When she returned to Naraku to tell him this piece of information, he held her heart in his hand, and tightened his fist around it. He had been very displeased about Kaguras failure to retrieve the jewel shard.
Fine. If he wanted to be like that, she wouldn't tell him. While he had taken control of Ashiyuna and ordered her to kill Inuyasha, Kagura just watched, laughing at Naraku's stupidity in her mind. To see him smirking that day, so sure that Ashiyuna would kill his nemesis, was amusement in her eyes.
"Does Inuyasha still have feelings for her?" Naraku asked. Kagura shook her head. "No. They decided to be just friends again." She told him.
"I see. No matter, I will still trust her to make quick work of Inuyasha and his friends. With the power of the sacred arrow, nothing will stand in her way." He said, chuckling evilly. "Kagura. Insert this false jewel shard deep in her neck." He ordered.
"Yes, Master Naraku." She said, took the shard, and left the castle. She knew exactly what Naraku was planning. If the jewel shard was put into her body, it would be next to impossible for even Kagome to remove it instantly. With that being so, the only way for them to remove it would be to remove the head, which would undoubtedly kill her. Kagome, Miroku, and Sango would never do such a thing, whether they knew it was Inuyasha or not.
That being the case, whether Ashiyuna manages to kill the others or not, she would die less than a minute after the poison in the false jewel begins to take effect, and it will be too late to save her. Inuyasha would die. Kagura, however, couldn't care less whether he lives or not. All she wanted was freedom from Naraku. If she didn't complete this task for him, he wouldn't
hesitate reabsorbing her into his body, and she would never let such a thing happen. She would obey Naraku...for now. But someday, she would destroy him.
Back in the castle, Naraku cackled evilly. "How will you hand this one, Inuyasha?"