Hi, all! I'm back, after two long weeks. Finals = DEATH, DOOM, DESPAIR, DO YOU PERCHANCE HAVE A NEEDLE FULL OF STRYCHNINE? They're over, and they've BEEN over, and my summer lounging has begun.
Unfortunately, it has brought with it a whole NEW kind of laziness. I play some games, watch some TV, think "Oh, the story can wait." Problem. I'll have to force myself, I will.
I always feel like there's something I should mention here, then I forget. OH YES, now I remember.
One of my dear reviewers, Kegger007, was inspired by my work. Kegger churned out a spinoff of the ending bit of last chapter, entitled "Mad World". It is a very, very fine piece of literature, and I'm proud to say you can read it here, at unexpected side effect of me reading this is that I spent the last week revamping my writing style, picking up cues from Kegger. Many thanks, Kegger!
Oh, and one last thing about it. Kegger had no way of knowing...but the ending of that bit and the ending of last chapter don't work out the same way. Not really spoilers, because you'll read what happens in the first two paragraphs of this new chappie.
One last, last thing. People seemed to get upset about the ending of last chapter...some EXTREMELY upset over email and such. To some I sent out apologies and even briefly changed the ending to resolve what was, I realize, a horrible cliffhanger.
Ten seconds after I did this, I checked my email and found someone saying (this is a quote) "Oh, well, you didn't need to do THAT, it was so blatantly obvious that blah blah blah." Well, the blahs aren't part of the quote, but you get the idea.
So now I have people getting upset over unresolved cliffies, and I have other people getting upset over RESOLVED cliffies, and I have OTHER people forcing me to change my entire writing style. Damn everything.So. Anyway. Reviews!!!
Kai19: That damn summer schedule getting you down, eh? Review whenever you have the time.
Kitsy: Then you'll never know what happens next!
CTP Inuyasha Fan: I understand. I wouldn't want to review every chapter of a story as massive as mine! I'm glad you like it...keep reading and reviewing!
Kegger007: First, THANKS FOR THE ADD-ON! Next...Of COURSE the General got away with it. The circumstances as they were, was there any way that he wouldn't have? ... The Seer is odd like that. ... I based Tobias's angst off of the gothy people who hang around near where I live. Partly, anyhow. None of them has had their kingdom destroyed. ... It's going to be fairly dark for the next good bit. Prepare thyself.
Thief of Baghdad: It will. I hate rotten-ending stories. I'll try...
slvrstarlight: I just pile on the cliffies. This one...heh heh...KIND of ends in a cliffy, but nothing too serious. Not like the last two. ... There is clever trickery afoot, that may surpass even Inuyasha! Of course, like you said, Inuyasha's not that hard to fool. ... He might. He might just. He might even win. Who's to say?
lordkagome: Eh heh...calm thyself. It'll all work out eventually.
Sieg1308: Will do. Will at least try...
Rushyuo: Read ahead and see. And I AM updating! Right now this second!
cinnamin girl: ...Of course.
Lunar Inuyasha: Well, not the WORST, I...eh...(reads) Well, whaddaya know. It really IS the worst cliffie. Oh well. ... Self-esteem is not one of his big qualities, you know what I'm saying?
Ryguy5387: You think so? Jeez...what was it about it that made it that good? I need to know these things! ... There's another cliffhanger this chapter...and probably another one after that. But neither of them are anywhere near as serious as the last two.
Mechant Guy: BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
hersheykiss1012: That's all run through in this chapter. Don't worry about it...
BryLiz: He's irrational. People get like that when everything they love goes all to pieces. ... That's discussed in this chapter...I've thought of that, you see. Retroactively, of course. Hindsight is a bastard. ... Who's to say? Read the story. Specifically, the first two paragraphs of this chappie.
Jeanne-chan56: ...I'm not sure I can adequately respond to that much computer-generated emotion, but here goes: --v
Chi Master: Whaddayamean, PARTIALLY interesting? I slave over a hot computer for you people...grumble grumble. ... I'm planning on writing another story, you know. Don't say aloha and farewell just yet.
japanime-01: Yeah. Yeah, probably the worst. I've read up on the rest of it.
Celestra: You think that it's possible to be even more traumatized than she is?? I'd like to see that...actually, come to think of it, I'd do pretty much anything to AVOID seeing that. ... The fact that the General HASN'T killed Tobias does little to change the fact that Tobias thinks he WILL. ... Gratifying or no, I'm not going to get into that. It's just too messy. ... I say to you (to the third person I've said this to) that it'll be resolved in the chapter ahead. Read about it.
Cloud1900: That's not so much MY progression as THEIR progression. Though it could be argued that as fictional characters they reflect my personality, but then we get into the inverse of that and blah blah blah frickin' BLAH. Keep reading, it isn't done yet!
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Chapter 60: Oh, This Just Plain Sucks
The noise yanked everyone from their sleep. Inuyasha was up in an instant, Tetsusaiga at the ready. Miroku and Sango were likewise on their feet, surprised by the incredible noise. All eyes were riveted on Tobias.
Tobias stood, shaking but unhurt. Kagome's yell had startled him so much that his aim was spoiled, the bullet going off harmlessly into the trees. His hand, holding the gun, shook slightly. He looked at the gun in his hand, glaring at it, as if it was responsible for all his pain.
(We interrupt this story for a special news bulletin: For all those who got worked up about the cliffhanger, was this result really that surprising? Do you think I'm going to kill off MY CHARACTER before the fic even ends? Before the dadgum final battle? Give me some credit here! Sheesh!)
Tobias turned slowly to face them. He was breathing very hard, and his eyes were wide. The look on Inuyasha's face changed slowly from shock to wonder. Kagome was trembling in Inuyasha's arms, terrified over what had almost just happened.
But that look in their eyes...Tobias saw it in all of them. He saw the questions, the fear, the panic...His eyes widened imperceptibly. I've seen that look before...too many times...
The General came bursting through the wooden roof of the cottage like it wasn't even there. Before he had even hit the ground, his long sword lashed out and caught Tobias full in the throat. Choking on his own blood, Tobias collapsed to the floor.
His family rushed in from the other room, only to stop in shock.
"Daddy, what happened?" said his three-year old son, Hans, his young face contorted in fear.
"God, Tobias, who is this? What did he do to you?" whispered his wife. She held her crying baby daughter closer to her as the General looked over them all with a disdainful eye.
And from the floor, unable to breathe, vision darkening, Tobias saw it. That same look in their eyes, that he had seen a hundred times before.
Terror. Confusion. Shock.
Every time he saw this look, he prayed that time would be the last.
But it never was.
He closed his eyes, sick at heart, knowing what was to follow. Silent tears coursed from his eyes as the screams of pain and the splashing of blood echoed through the narrow hallway.
After an eternity, the last death rattle finally faded away. The clunk of the General's greaves on the wooden floor alerted Tobias that he was coming closer.
Let him come, thought Tobias. Maybe this will be the time...when he will finally end my pain.
"I have something for you, boy," he said. Kneeling down, he carefully placed a large object on the floor next to Tobias's head. It made a slight squishing sound as it came down. "Let that comfort you in my absence," the General remarked as he walked away. Tobias heard the heavy wooden door open and slam shut, a few snowflakes landing on his face, mingling with his blood.
Almost against his will, Tobias's eyes fluttered open.
The severed head of his wife, who he loved, was staring him in the face. And that same look would be frozen into her unblinking gaze forever...and ever...and ever...
But this is different... thought Tobias, shaking. The General caused that. The General brought everyone I loved so much agony. But this...the General had no part in this. He did nothing...
I caused this.
It's my fault.
I brought them this anguish.
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"I can't stay here..." breathed Tobias. "I can't bring you any more pain." He whirled away from them and grabbed his gun, stowing it in his pocket. He ran forward and snatched up his sword, hurriedly sheathing it. With one last pause and backwards glance, he was gone.
"Tobias!" shouted Inuyasha. There was no response.
"Tobias!" called Kagome. No answer. Inuyasha turned to Kagome.
"What the hell just happened? Was that thing a...what's it called...a gun?" Kagome didn't answer. She stared into the trees, into the darkness where Tobias had disappeared.
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The General lay on his bead, his face slick with cold sweat, his eyes half-open. He grimaced as another shot of pain ran through him. The pulse of light in his wound filled the room with its brilliance.
Was all this truly worth it?? he wondered, dizzy and sick from the agony. Pain, to him, was nothing particularly special; he experienced it every time he and the boy locked swords. For such a warrior as him, pain was a way of life.
But this...every pulse of the light seemed to send white-hot iron filings streaming through every nerve ending in his body. Clenching his teeth and taking deep breaths did nothing to help the pain; indeed, it only intensified the situation, drawing more of his attention to it. Nothing has even happened yet...will this even work?It had all seemed so simple: he needed a new arm, and the witch had been able to help him in that endeavor. The witch seemed to have an answer for everything. She knew latitudes of mental discipline that made him look like a five-year-old boy. She had to; casting mind-bending spells as she did would shatter any lesser mind.
He had seen firsthand what had happened when a careless demon had pilfered her store of spellbooks. The poor creature had tried to make himself invisible so he could steal food from the kitchens.
The General had arrived on the scene just in time to see the magical runes vanish, along with most of the demon's sanity. It howled and gibbered and clutched at its head, wailing about shadowy shapes and dangerous creatures of the abyss. It took three other demons to restrain him enough so that he could be transported.
The witch shook her head disapprovingly as she surveyed the damage. The General stood impassively by, awaiting the verdict. "There's no hope for this one, General," she clucked. "He's seen things he was never meant to see."
The General picked up the babbling demon, dragging him down the corridors into the common room. He hurled the unfortunate creature into the midst of off-duty guards talking or playing games of dice.
"This one has run his course," he said, clipped and efficient. "Your rations are hereby supplemented. You can thank him later." The General turned away from the predatory growls that suddenly filled the room, as all the demons rose as one to devour the hapless creature.
Magic is never easy, thought the General hazily through yet another stab of pain. But this is beyond anything I have ever experienced. His train of thought was scattered to the wind by a fresh burst of agony. Something had better happen...
But that second, something happened.
With a feeling like he was ripping his very arm from its socket, the light burst forth into a shapeless mass extending from his shoulder. The light writhed and twisted, slowly coalescing, and formed itself into a new shape...
The General panted for a few seconds, trying to regain his strength. With one last deep breath, he sat up. The pain was gone. Instinctively, he tried to bring his right arm to his forehead-
-and to his surprise, it did. He felt a cold hand on his brow. Lowering it to his face, he saw his arm – and yet, not his arm. It was not flesh or blood, it was...ice.
Glancing down the length of his new appendage, he saw that his arm had been faithfully recreated, with smooth ice forming every bulge of every muscle and all the contours of his skin. He raised his hand before him again, moving the fingers about like they were some new toy.
Suddenly, the General's arm whipped out and seized a chair. He hurled it against the stone wall, and it smashed into a thousand splinters. The iron-shod tips of its legs clattered to the ground. The General picked up one of the tips in his new hand, trembling very slightly, and crushed it in his palm.
Standing up and sheathing his sword – businesslike, as if he had always been this way – he opened the door to his room and walked down the corridor to the alchemy.
"You were right," he said as he walked in the door. "That worked perfec-" He glanced around. The witch was gone...as was the bag of Shikon shards.
The General simply stood, surveying the room, as if trying to find the witch hiding under some table. His new hand curled into a fist, the ice making horrible scraping noises as it ground against itself.
And with that, the General swept out of the room.
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The group sat in front of the fire, none of them really wanting to get back to sleep. All of them except for Kagome were wondering what the bloody hell just happened. Inuyasha in particular had tried to leap out and track Tobias by his scent; but was dismayed to notice that in his great leaps he touched down so infrequently that his scent was barely there, and certainly not enough to track by. So he had returned to the camp, disappointed, and returned to Kagome.
She sat, held by him and holding him, not really paying attention to the outside world. Gods, why did this all have to happen to them?? It was as if everything bad in her life was gearing up to hit their formerly happy little group, all at once. First, all her friends were going to die; then she got raped by the General, then Tobias nearly killed himself and ran off!
And the worst of it was, she had nobody to blame for the last one but herself. Why, why, why, she asked; cursing herself again and again for that terrible decision; WHY had she gone to Tobias?? She wasn't thinking rationally, that was true, and perhaps in her haste connected "The General" with "Tobias" and thought he would be able to handle it best.
But he was the absolutely worst person to tell! Hadn't he been depressed enough lately by the General's work? Couldn't she see the agony reflected in his eyes every time she glanced towards him? Had she been so blind as to miss the turmoil wracking his body?
Inuyasha obviously never noticed. Inuyasha never noticed anyone's problems except for his own and Kagome's. To Tobias's anguish he turned a blind eye, calling him a coward, mocking his fear. He refused to understand Tobias's problems, retreating behind his veil of gruffness and indifference. Why hadn't she sat him halfway to hell for his cruel remarks?
Why didn't I go to Sango?? The thought struck so fiercely she reared up in her seat, Inuyasha giving a surprised yelp. Sango would have been the best person to talk to. After spending so many years in each others' presence, the two had become like sisters. They shared everything, from laughing stories to personal tragedies.
When Inuyasha ran off to Kikyo, Kagome would fall into Sango's arms and weep, every time fearing he would never return. Sango always managed to find words to calm Kagome down, to at least bring her back to reality. They always managed to talk things out when circumstances were bad. She would have been the perfect person to relate her tragic tale to.
Hell, even Miroku could have at least offered some words of comfort. As perverted and shady as he could be, he was very wise and knew things that most men twice his age would never have thought of.
Why didn't I think about it, even for a second?? She double-damned herself for not considering what to say, or who to say it to; just immediately and blindly to the one person who had the most to lose if he knew.
Inuyasha felt her stir beside him. Goddammit, this had been plaguing him for long enough. He had to know what the General did, and she was going to tell him, no matter what the fuck she wanted to do in the meantime.
"Kagome," he said softly. Kagome blinked and looked up at him. "You gotta tell me, Kagome..." said Inuyasha, keeping his voice carefully soft and calm. "What did he do to you?"
Just as Inuyasha feared, Kagome immediately looked away and fell silent. "Kagome," he said again, with a bit more anger in his voice. "Tell me!" She tried to twist away from him. Dammit, was he going to let his mate keep secrets from him?!
Inuyasha grabbed Kagome suddenly and leaped to his feet. With a bound, he cleared the campsite (leaving behind a very surprised Miroku, Sango, and Shippo) and landed in a nearby clearing. Inuyasha grabbed Kagome fiercely and slammed her down on the ground; not hard enough to hurt, but enough to get her attention. He loomed over her as he held her down.
"Just try and sit me now, mate," he hissed. Kagome, who was about to say the word, pursed her lips and tried to turn away from him.
"Dammit, Kagome! What did that little shit do? Answer me!" roared Inuyasha, shaking her slightly. He bared his teeth. "What did he do to you? Did he hurt you? Threaten you? Touch you? What the fuck did he do?!"
Kagome was about to try and wrench herself away again, but something he said gave her an idea. Threaten you?... "I..." Kagome began, then swallowed a lump in her throat. She never really could lie to Inuyasha, even less so once they became mates, but what choice did she have?
"What??" Inuyasha growled. He pressed his body onto hers, holding her completely immobile and helpless on the ground. Kagome swallowed again, then shuddered. Despite the dire situation they were in...she couldn't help but notice her arousal was growing at the feel of Inuyasha holding her down. Fortunately, Inuyasha seemed too preoccupied to notice.
"He threatened me," Kagome said suddenly. "He threatened me and said that if I didn't tell him where the last shard was, he'd kill me and you and Tobias and everyone." She said this all very fast, as if she was trying to get it over with quickly.
To Kagome's great surprise, Inuyasha's grimace dissolved into a grin.
"Is that it?" he said, almost in a friendly matter. Kagome opened her mouth, quite shocked, but could think of no words that fit the situation. "Kagome, is that why you're getting all upset? That's nothing."
"What do you mean...that's nothing??" Kagome squeaked out.
"I mean he's wanted to kill us all from the day we met him, this doesn't change anything!" Inuyasha was almost laughing with relief. "Besides, we can beat him. We are going to find Tobias, and I'll drag him to the General and force him to fight, if I have to pick up his damn sword and fight for him. Don't worry about that." Kagome managed a weak chuckle.
Inuyasha laughed as he reflexively sniffed the air around him. Suddenly, his grin of relief vanished like it had been wiped off with a damp rag. Kagome was alarmed for a second, but the grin had gone only to be replaced with another grin that...if Kagome hadn't known better, she'd say it was...predatory.
"Kagome..." Inuyasha said, almost...conversationally, "There's something...different about you." He moved against her body, and Kagome felt something pressing against her inner thigh. Is that Tetsusaiga's hilt? she wondered, then realized fully what it was and blushed.
"I can smell it on you, mate," he went on, his voice dropping an octave. "You're wet for me." He nipped at her neck, and Kagome let out a small whimper. She ever so slightly rocked her hips against his, and his hold on her tightened, if that was possible.
"I-Inuyasha!" stuttered Kagome. "You mean – Now, in the middle of-" Inuyasha gently put a finger to her lips, holding her down with his forearm.
"Shh, don't worry about it...Forget the General and forget Tobias and forget everything, they can take care of themselves for half an hour." He ground his hips into hers forcefully, and Kagome moaned aloud, repeating his action.
Inuyasha's claw reached down, and almost noiselessly sliced through every layer of her clothing.
Why am I enjoying this? Shouldn't I be reviled, pushing him away, running away in fear of my own memories?? She struggled to maintain a clear head through Inuyasha's ministrations. So soon after such an experience...how is this possible?
And then the answer was in her head, as clear and concise as if she'd known it since the day she was born. Kagome didn't know how she knew...maybe instinct, something she'd picked up when Inuyasha had marked her as his mate. She'd figured out long ago that there was more to their joining than simple emotions.
The fledgling mental contact they'd experienced from time to time, the near-perfect empathy between the two, Kagome knew that they had become one when they mated – become one in more than one sense. It was more than just sharing love, it was as if their very souls were intertwined.
Inuyasha could not, could not hurt her. Ever. His instincts would simply not allow him to do it. When they made love, nothing bad could ever come from it...it was a healing experience, a chance for them to renew their bonds of love. Right now, mating was the best thing she could do, for her body and mind. He wanted to bring her peace. And so, she let him.
She arched into his grasp, moaning as his tongue flicked over her mark. He growled in response when one of her hands reached up to gently rub his ears. Right now, nothing mattered, nothing was important...except each other.
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Tobias ran through the forest, having abandoned the treetops in favor of the ground, caring about nothing except putting as much ground between them and him as was possible. As he ran, images and memories flickered through his mind.
Tobias was standing on top of a tall hill, his arm around the shoulders of a girl at his side. They were watching the sun set over the simple village where they lived.
What a sight it was. Points of fiery red stabbed out into the sky like flaming spears. Gentle blues and purples colored the sky around them, mellowing the air, setting the scene for the nightfall that was soon to come. An orange glow settled over the entire scene.
For a time, neither of them spoke. They simply stood and savored the sunset, not caring that it was the same one they had seen a hundred times before, basking in its glow. Tobias leaned over and kissed the girl on the cheek.
"I love you," he whispered. She giggled and squirmed in his grasp, turning her head to kiss him back.
"I love you too," she sighed.
"How sickeningly romantic," a third voice observed.
Both of them whirled to see the General standing behind them. "Yes, it is rather nice to look at, but did you have to get so sappy about it?" he went on, walking towards them.
Tobias's eyes darkened with rage. The girl, terrified, tore herself from his grip and fled into the forest below them. He drew his sword with a flash of fire, but the General merely arched a disdainful eyebrow.
"You always try, boy. You always try..." Before Tobias could make a move, the General was upon him, slashing him across the chest, cutting a gash in his armor. Tobias wavered and fell.
The General walked over to a nearby tree. Grasping the slim trunk in one hand, he sliced it from the ground with his sword. A few quick cuts turned the bottom to a fine point. He walked over and, looking into Tobias's furious eyes, drove the point into his chest.
Tobias choked, blood pouring from his mouth. The General surveyed him with an emotionless eye.
"And you always fail." He tapped the trunk lightly with his sword. "I always heard it was good to plant a tree, once in your life. It does have a certain utility to it, I must admit." He turned his head to the forest.
He leaped into the trees; moments later, he returned with the screaming and flailing girl in his grasp. She shrieked anew at the sight of Tobias pinned to the ground, but the General's grip did not falter.
"Do you know who I am?" he said calmly to the girl. Tears running down her cheeks, she nodded. "And do you know what I did to him?" She nodded again, fighting back sobs. He dumped her unceremoniously on the ground and sheathed his sword.
"And do you know..." the General said slowly, punctuating his words with steps toward her, "...what I will do to you?" There was no response; the girl tried to back away from him on her hands and knees.
From one of his pockets, the General produced a small penknife. Fast as lightning, he descended on the girl. She screamed in fear and tried to scramble away, but one hand held her firmly down. The blade descended and cut through every layer of clothing she was wearing.
The General brushed aside the cloth and looked down at her, naked, helpless.
"Quite attractive. The boy certainly can pick girls...but a virgin?" He lifted her into the air with one hand, stowing the penknife with the other. "Doubtful. Girls never can seem to resist the boy. I often wonder why...is it his roguish good looks or the doom that hangs over his head?" The girl squirmed, trying desperately to get away. He began to inspect her body.
Tobias struggled feebly, trying to get up, but it was useless. He was well and truly pinned to the ground. All he could do was watch. That was all he could ever do.
He could never do anything to help.
He could never stop the General.
All he did was bring pain.
"You are a virgin, then?" said the General, sounding slightly surprised. "I would never have guessed...Pity, actually. Your first taste of sex and it is with me. An unluckier girl I have yet to meet." His free hand loosened his belt.
Her shrieks and cries rang out far into the night.
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A sound of whizzing metal, along with a slight splatter, abruptly ended the screams. The girl fell to the ground, her throat cut. The General adjusted his clothing and turned back to Tobias.
"Dead right before she reached the top," he said coolly. "I would hate for her last second alive to be a pleasurable one..." He glanced over the top of the hill. The sun had finished setting, but there were torchlights visible in the village below.
"This is your village, am I correct?" The General did not wait for an answer before continuing. "And you have likely set yourself up as their protector. It is bitterly ironic, no?" He yanked the tree out of the ground and out of Tobias. He lurched up, but another cruel cut from the General silenced his rebellion.
Hefting Tobias's body over his shoulder, the General jumped from the top of the hill. He landed in the center of the village, people gasping in fear at this strange apparition.
He tossed Tobias's limp form on the ground, and glanced at the shocked villagers.
"This is the one who keeps your village safe," he said. "He has failed. Miserably, I might add. Do not try to run, it will only make things that much harder." He drew his sword to the sound of ringing metal...
...and the slaughter commenced.
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He ran even faster than before, tears stinging his eyes, plunging headlong into the dark forest.
As he ran, his sword clanked against his armor. Irrational anger began to swell up in him. It's this thing's fault, he thought furiously, skidding to a halt and unsheathing his sword. It glowed a dull red. If I hadn't found this, none of this would ever have happened! I would be dead with the rest of Alarion, and all those people wouldn't have been hurt! Kagome wouldn't have been hurt... In a fit of rage, he hurled the sword away from him as hard as he could.
Half a second later, he realized what he'd done.
"Oh, shit." He ran in the direction he'd flung his sword, double-damning himself for casting it away. This forest is full of demons, you fucking idiot! I'm hopelessly vulnerable, like this. He ran as fast as he could, which wasn't tremendously fast, being burdened by all his armor and accoutrements. The sword had gone quite far, and he passed several split trees and a crumbled boulder along the way.
Finally, Tobias glimpsed through the thicket the glint of metal. Pushing aside some bushes to see more clearly, he saw his sword. It was standing up, stuck in the ribs of a deer. The deer was dead.
Despite everything, Tobias caught himself feeling sorry for this deer, feeling bad about killing it uselessly. It seemed like something the General would have done. He reached over and tugged at his sword, which was covered in the deer's blood.
To his surprise, the sword wouldn't budge. Tobias leaned over with both hands, yanking on it more forcefully. Nothing. He growled in exasperation and tugged harder still, when he noticed something.
The blood wasn't pooling at the deer's body, it was flowing...up the sword. Tobias was too stunned to do anything as the blood flowed up the length of the blade, over the hilt, and onto Tobias himself.
The sensation gave him the creeping horrors. He tried to yank his hands away, but they were stuck fast to the sword's hilt. Frantically, Tobias tried to run away, but his feet wouldn't budge either. He looked down and saw, to his horror, that blood was flowing up his feet and legs as well.
He could do nothing but struggle vainly against the grip as the blood covered his arms, his stomach, his chest, finally coming up to flow over him entirely...
And a shrill cackle was heard from the nearby trees.
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Oh, dearest me. Mayhap some connection between certain events in this chapter and OTHER certain events in this chapter? Who's to say? REVIEW!!! Oh, and one more thing.
I originally planned for this chapter to be a massive, 20-page, Chapter To End All Chapters. But, I had writers block. So I've broken it up into two chapters – this one and the next one. The bad thing is, you won't get the second half of this chapter for a while. The good thing is, it'll be a short while as I've gotten the first five pages of next chapter already written. Including...DUM dum DUM dum DUM dum DUM...
A duel between Sesshomaru and the General!
(Hears all the fangirls go "YAAAAAAHOOOO!!!!")
And for those of you remembering Fluffy's previous, altogether ignominious defeat? He's not going down so easily this time. He's got a few new tricks up his sleeve that may give pause even to the General. ;-)
Read and review! That's the only way the next chapter will come!