~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Lily* This is getting too good for me to waste the beginning of this chapter with nonsense from my mate. He's currently bound and gagged in the other room anyhow. Now, Disclaimer? I don't own anything associated with any Anime in the history of Japanese animation, so get off my back already! *Ahem* moving on, I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Keiki de Niyati : Children of Fate
Chapter 23- " Enmity: Hate "
By Lily:
"We've been walking for hours, Inuyasha. Where exactly are we going anyway?" Miroku asked from behind the hanyou. Inuyasha looked over his shoulder to glare at the monk.
"There's rumors of a shard in the east. We're heading that way. You got a problem with that monk?" Inuyasha challenged.
"Knock it off, Inuyasha. Miroku has a point. We've been walking for hours, and the kids are starting to get hungry. And I'm all out of Ramen." Kagome said.
Inuyasha stopped walking as he growled to himself, looking around carefully, his nose in the air. As everyone else looked on, he took a few sniffs of the air. After a moment, he looked back at the group.
"There's a village not too far from here. We'll stop there to rest and get something to eat, happy?" Inuyasha asked his mate.
"How did you.....I mean, how can you tell?" Kagome asked curiously.
"I spell humans nearby. A lot of them. And that usually means a village of them." Inuyasha said impatiently as Kagome nodded.
"So that was that faint smell? Humans?" Kagome asked, lifting her own nose into the air and sniffing delicately. The twins looked up at their mother, and with an excited giggle, started immitating her, making soft snorting noises as they sniffed around too. Kagome smiled down at the twins affectionately but didn't say anything to them.
Inuyasha smiled just briefly, before quickly turning away so the others wouldn't notice, and headed off in the direction of the village. Without another word, the rest of the group started following, until finally, a few miles later, they came to a stop in the treeline of the forest just beyond the village.
It was a very small village, even smaller than Kaede's village, with the small cluster of huts that signified the villagers homes clustered in the back. What looked to be a market stood along one side, across from which stood a few small buildings, which from the sounds coming from them, housed the village horses and cows. A few chickens ran back and forth through the dirt road, pecking here and there for whatever food they could find.
Surrounding the quiant village was a large wooden fence, possibly an early stockade model as Kagome thought to herself, and a single bridge over a creek that flowed from the forest, under the bridge, and around the side of the village, just outside the fence, before pooling into a lake in the left corner of the village, inside the wooden wall.
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes as he studied the village below them, deciding whether or not to go down and see about a place to eat and sleep for the night. He knew from his own experiences, to always be wary of all humans, until they knew you meant them no harm. But even then, you still had to be careful.
"Well, what are we waiting for? I'm starving." Sango said, rubbing her stomach as it growled in agreement with her. With a chuckle Kagome and the twins started down with Sango, Inuyasha still pausing behind them at the top of the hill, deep in thought.
"Well, will you stay here or accompany your mate and pups?" Sesshoumaru asked, looking over at the hanyou. Inuyasha said nothing as he started forward, a clawed hand on the hilt of this Tetseiga, just in case.
"Oooh! Look! Look at all the fishies Mama!" Kaiya cried, pointing at a small golden striped fish as it swam under the bridge. With a smile and a nod, Kagome ushered Kaiya into continuing over the bridge, keeping a close eye on Kaori, who seemed a bit nervous as he crept over the wooden bridge.
"Don't worry pup. You're fine." Kouga said, smirking slightly at the little boy, in an effort to easy the child's nerves. Kaori looked up at the wolf curiously, before smiling widely and nodding, and racing off after his sister and Rin, who were already standing infront of one of the villager's carts, their little mouths watering as they looked at all the colorful fruits on the cart.
"Oooh. Mama, look." Kaori called, waving his mother over, who smiled at the child's gleeful smile.
"Yes, I see Kaori." Kagome said, walking up to join her pups, standing just behind the twins.
Inuyasha growled softly as he eyed the villagers watching the travelers in an uneasy tension. Their muttered words did not go unheard by the hanyou, or demons for that matter.
"Inuyasha? What is it?" Kikyo asked curiously, noticing the way the male hanyou and the demons present were all tensed up, and snarling softly to themselves.
"This was a mistake." Ayame growled, narrowing her eyes at a village man as he reached for his rake.
"I agree. Lady Kagome? Lady Sango? Perhaps it would be best for us to leave this place." Kouga said.
Kagome looked over her shoulder confused, not understanding what was going on, and instantly noticed her mate, standing rigidly, his claws flexing at his sides. He was snarling softly as he glared as a small group of village men and women that were whispering as they glared at the group of travelers in disgust.
"What.....what's the matter?" Kagome asked, looking around in confusion, her ears flickering at each new sound.
"Filthy beasts."
Kagome whirled around to stare in confusion as a woman towered over the twins, glaring down at them as they stepped back in fear of the strange woman before them. Before Kagome could react, the woman had a stick in her hand, and rasped the twins' hands with it, glaring down at them as she narrowed her beady eyes at the frightened pups.
In an instant Kagome was at their side, clutching the twins to her sides as she looked at the woman in a mixure of anger and confusion.
"What is the meaning of this! How dare you strike them!" Kagome growled.
She was so angry she didn't notice Ayame and Sango step up next to her, Sango gently pushing Rin backwards away from the commotion until the little girl turned and ran to Kikyo, burying her face in the folds of the Miko's robes.
"These filthy wretches would be yours, I presume? Nasty creatures. Get. Go on! Your kind isn't welcome here!" The woman cried, brandishing her stick infront of the puzzled Kagome.
"My......*kind*.....?" Kagome asked as the woman snarled at the female hanyou, who was still too stunned to move when the stick connected with the side of her own head.
Inuyasha snarled as he lunged at the woman, grabbing her stick and crushing it in his hands as he snarled dangerously as the startled and frightened woman. Kagome winced, bringing her hand to her head, and staring at it in confusion and disbelief when she brought it away from her head to reveal a small trickle of blood in her palm.
"Lady Kagome? Are you alright?" Ayame asked, narrowing her eyes at the women when the smell of blood reached her nose. Kagome nodded soft, still confused, and looked up at the woman in stunned silence as Inuyasha stood before her, snarling at the woman.
"Don't you dare touch her." Inuyasha growled, his fists shaking at his sides.
"Get out of here. And take your disgusting bitch with you." One of the men called, as a few others joined the woman.
"Pathetic humans. We could easily wipe this village clean." Sesshoumaru said, narrowing his eyes at another villager who dared to step forward, extending his pitchfork infront of him, thrusting it at the group.
"Why did you strike the young ones and Lady Kagome? They brought you no harm!" Miroku said, narrowing his eyes as he brought his staff forward.
"Heh! That......that *creature* is no lady! She's a monster. And so are her mongrel children." A man shot back.
Inuyasha's eyes flickered red, his purple ragged stripes starting to appear across his cheeks as he took a step towards the man.
"No. Inuyasha don't. We have done nothing to them. Let's not sink to their level." Kagome said, wincing as she brought her hand to her head again.
"No. They'll pay for hurting you. I'll see every one in the village is dead before I'm done." Inuyasha said, Kouga growling as he stepped up beside the hanyou, growling angrily at the men before them.
"Disgraceful. Demons and half-breeds. Disgusting. You are a menace to this world. Be gone!"
A single stone came sailing through the air, followed by a loud yelp.
Kaiya clung to her mother, tears streaming from her eyes as she tried to hide behind her mother.
Kagome narrowed her eyes at the men, her own eyes no longer blue, but a deep, angry violet.
"How DARE you!" Kagome snarled, her fangs shining off the light of the afternoon sun. "How dare you hurt my daughter, when we have done nothing to you at all!" Kagome growled.
"Not YET." Inuyasha snarled, his youkai side struggling to gain control.
"We should make an example of them. Kill everyone and everything in this pathetic village." Kouga snarled.
"No."
Kagome closed her eyes, struggling to calm her rage, as she shook her head again, wincing when she felt the pain of her action stab at her again.
"But Lady Kagome. They attacked you and your pups for no reason." Ayame protested.
"If we harm them, we'd only be proving them right. We're not monsters." Kagome said, turning around and bending down next to Kaiya.
"Are you alright sweetie?" Kagome asked as the little girl reluctantly nodded. Kagome swept the girl in her arms, turning around to glare at the woman beside the apple cart.
"You would do well to remember this day, woman. Remember the day when you came across Lords Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands, a powerful Miko, two deadly wolf youkai, a monk with incredible power, a demon exterminator, and me. Both a hanyou and a miko. And know that you would be dead right now. All of you." Kagome said in an icy tone, before turning her back and walking away, Kaori's hand in her free hand as she walked back towards the trees.
Ayame and Kouga snarled before turning and following Kagome and the pups, Kikyo frowning at the villagers, before turning and following as well. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the woman, before snorting in disgust himself and ushering Rin along with the others.
Inuyasha paused for a moment, snarling at the villagers, before he closed his eyes, his stripes fading away, before he opened his now golden eyes once more to glare at the woman.
"You have my mate to thank for your lives. Had she not interferred, you'd be dead. Mark my words." Inuyasha spat, before turning and walking away.
**************************************************************************** ***************************************
"Ow." Kaiya cried, closing her eyes as Kagome sighed deeply, looking through the child's white hair.
"It's just a small bump, sweetie. You'll be ok." Kagome said softly.
"Why were they so mean, Mama?" Kaori asked, as Kagome looked at her son sadly, before looking away again.
"I don't know sweetheart." Kagome said softly.
"Humans. There are those like that in these times." Inuyasha snarled.
"Indeed." Sesshoumaru said, nodding his head curtly.
"I don't understand why you didn't let us make them pay, Lady Kagome." Ayame said, frowning in confusion as Kagome sighed again.
"Because it would be wrong. In my time, we have a saying. 'Two wrongs do not make a right.'" Kagome said.
"What's that mean?" Shippou asked, tugging on Kagome's kimono.
"It means that just because someone hurts you, you don't hurt them back." Kagome said.
"But why? They started it." Ayame said confused.
"I agree. And we meant them no harm. We merely wanted food and a place to sleep." Kouga said.
"Lady Kagome is right. It would be wrong to retailate in such a manner. Then we'd only be proving them right." Kikyo said as she leaned comfortably against a tree, her hair down for a change, and draped over her shoulder is a lose braid. Rin sat snoozing silently against her, as Sesshoumaru sat on the opposite side of the child, apparently deep in thought as he stared into the flames of the fire, his brow creased slightly.
"Still.....they had no right....." Ayame said softly, looking over at the twins.
Kaiya and Kaori both moved to lay in their mother's lap, as Kagome rested against a tree herself, her arms around her pups, as she too looked into the fire. Inuyasha sat in the tree directly above his mate and pups, leaning against the bark of the tree, his leg dangling over the side of the branch he was on, his eyes closed, but far from sleeping.
"Inuyasha? Was it.....was it like that for you? Growing up?" Kagome asked softly, raising her head to look into the braches and leaves above her. Her only response was a sour snort.
"You mean from all you know of your mate, you never knew?" Sesshoumaru asked as Kagome shook her head.
"I knew, I mean, I thought I did. I know it's tougher being a hanyou than a normal demon. But apparently, I didn't know *how* difficult it was until today." Kagome said, her ears dropping sadly.
"Forget about it. What do those weakling humans know anyway?!" Inuyasha snarled from his perch.
"You have a point Inuyasha, but not all humans share that opinion of demons and hanyous." Miroku said.
"The monk has a point. And neither do all demons." Ayame said, looking expectantly at Kouga.
"What?" Kouga asked.
With a growl, she whacked him upside the back of his head.
"But there are those baka demons out there too." Ayame added, growling at Kouga.
"Ah, the mutt knows I can't stand him. End of story." Kouga said.
"Keh! Why bother wasting my time with a wimpy wolf such as that bastard anyhow." Inuyasha asked.
"Both of you, knock it off." Kagome said, narrowing her eyes at Kouga, before growling upwards at her mate.
"Lady Kagome is right. We should be getting some sleep anyhow. I shall take the first watch." Sesshoumaru offered.
With a sigh, Sango curled up in her mat, Miroku beside her, the kitsune curled comfortably at Sango's waist, a purring fire-cat in it's normal form resting beside him.
"We'll have to continue our search for the shards in the morning." Miroku said.
"But we still need supplies. I'll go back to the well tomorrow. If you guys will watch the twins that is?" Kagome suggested.
"I'll take you myself Koi. You'll never be able to find the well from here on your own anyhow. The pups will be fine with the others." Inuyasha said.
"Hai. We'll wait for your two to return before we move on, ok?" Sango asked.
"That's a good idea. Now let's all just go to sleep already." Kagome said, closing her eyes.
Inuyasha looked in the direction of the village from which they'd come, a foul look in his eyes as he snarled to himself. With a look down at his mate, he sighed deeply, calming himself down, before falling into a light sleep.
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*Lily* This is getting too good for me to waste the beginning of this chapter with nonsense from my mate. He's currently bound and gagged in the other room anyhow. Now, Disclaimer? I don't own anything associated with any Anime in the history of Japanese animation, so get off my back already! *Ahem* moving on, I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Keiki de Niyati : Children of Fate
Chapter 23- " Enmity: Hate "
By Lily:
"We've been walking for hours, Inuyasha. Where exactly are we going anyway?" Miroku asked from behind the hanyou. Inuyasha looked over his shoulder to glare at the monk.
"There's rumors of a shard in the east. We're heading that way. You got a problem with that monk?" Inuyasha challenged.
"Knock it off, Inuyasha. Miroku has a point. We've been walking for hours, and the kids are starting to get hungry. And I'm all out of Ramen." Kagome said.
Inuyasha stopped walking as he growled to himself, looking around carefully, his nose in the air. As everyone else looked on, he took a few sniffs of the air. After a moment, he looked back at the group.
"There's a village not too far from here. We'll stop there to rest and get something to eat, happy?" Inuyasha asked his mate.
"How did you.....I mean, how can you tell?" Kagome asked curiously.
"I spell humans nearby. A lot of them. And that usually means a village of them." Inuyasha said impatiently as Kagome nodded.
"So that was that faint smell? Humans?" Kagome asked, lifting her own nose into the air and sniffing delicately. The twins looked up at their mother, and with an excited giggle, started immitating her, making soft snorting noises as they sniffed around too. Kagome smiled down at the twins affectionately but didn't say anything to them.
Inuyasha smiled just briefly, before quickly turning away so the others wouldn't notice, and headed off in the direction of the village. Without another word, the rest of the group started following, until finally, a few miles later, they came to a stop in the treeline of the forest just beyond the village.
It was a very small village, even smaller than Kaede's village, with the small cluster of huts that signified the villagers homes clustered in the back. What looked to be a market stood along one side, across from which stood a few small buildings, which from the sounds coming from them, housed the village horses and cows. A few chickens ran back and forth through the dirt road, pecking here and there for whatever food they could find.
Surrounding the quiant village was a large wooden fence, possibly an early stockade model as Kagome thought to herself, and a single bridge over a creek that flowed from the forest, under the bridge, and around the side of the village, just outside the fence, before pooling into a lake in the left corner of the village, inside the wooden wall.
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes as he studied the village below them, deciding whether or not to go down and see about a place to eat and sleep for the night. He knew from his own experiences, to always be wary of all humans, until they knew you meant them no harm. But even then, you still had to be careful.
"Well, what are we waiting for? I'm starving." Sango said, rubbing her stomach as it growled in agreement with her. With a chuckle Kagome and the twins started down with Sango, Inuyasha still pausing behind them at the top of the hill, deep in thought.
"Well, will you stay here or accompany your mate and pups?" Sesshoumaru asked, looking over at the hanyou. Inuyasha said nothing as he started forward, a clawed hand on the hilt of this Tetseiga, just in case.
"Oooh! Look! Look at all the fishies Mama!" Kaiya cried, pointing at a small golden striped fish as it swam under the bridge. With a smile and a nod, Kagome ushered Kaiya into continuing over the bridge, keeping a close eye on Kaori, who seemed a bit nervous as he crept over the wooden bridge.
"Don't worry pup. You're fine." Kouga said, smirking slightly at the little boy, in an effort to easy the child's nerves. Kaori looked up at the wolf curiously, before smiling widely and nodding, and racing off after his sister and Rin, who were already standing infront of one of the villager's carts, their little mouths watering as they looked at all the colorful fruits on the cart.
"Oooh. Mama, look." Kaori called, waving his mother over, who smiled at the child's gleeful smile.
"Yes, I see Kaori." Kagome said, walking up to join her pups, standing just behind the twins.
Inuyasha growled softly as he eyed the villagers watching the travelers in an uneasy tension. Their muttered words did not go unheard by the hanyou, or demons for that matter.
"Inuyasha? What is it?" Kikyo asked curiously, noticing the way the male hanyou and the demons present were all tensed up, and snarling softly to themselves.
"This was a mistake." Ayame growled, narrowing her eyes at a village man as he reached for his rake.
"I agree. Lady Kagome? Lady Sango? Perhaps it would be best for us to leave this place." Kouga said.
Kagome looked over her shoulder confused, not understanding what was going on, and instantly noticed her mate, standing rigidly, his claws flexing at his sides. He was snarling softly as he glared as a small group of village men and women that were whispering as they glared at the group of travelers in disgust.
"What.....what's the matter?" Kagome asked, looking around in confusion, her ears flickering at each new sound.
"Filthy beasts."
Kagome whirled around to stare in confusion as a woman towered over the twins, glaring down at them as they stepped back in fear of the strange woman before them. Before Kagome could react, the woman had a stick in her hand, and rasped the twins' hands with it, glaring down at them as she narrowed her beady eyes at the frightened pups.
In an instant Kagome was at their side, clutching the twins to her sides as she looked at the woman in a mixure of anger and confusion.
"What is the meaning of this! How dare you strike them!" Kagome growled.
She was so angry she didn't notice Ayame and Sango step up next to her, Sango gently pushing Rin backwards away from the commotion until the little girl turned and ran to Kikyo, burying her face in the folds of the Miko's robes.
"These filthy wretches would be yours, I presume? Nasty creatures. Get. Go on! Your kind isn't welcome here!" The woman cried, brandishing her stick infront of the puzzled Kagome.
"My......*kind*.....?" Kagome asked as the woman snarled at the female hanyou, who was still too stunned to move when the stick connected with the side of her own head.
Inuyasha snarled as he lunged at the woman, grabbing her stick and crushing it in his hands as he snarled dangerously as the startled and frightened woman. Kagome winced, bringing her hand to her head, and staring at it in confusion and disbelief when she brought it away from her head to reveal a small trickle of blood in her palm.
"Lady Kagome? Are you alright?" Ayame asked, narrowing her eyes at the women when the smell of blood reached her nose. Kagome nodded soft, still confused, and looked up at the woman in stunned silence as Inuyasha stood before her, snarling at the woman.
"Don't you dare touch her." Inuyasha growled, his fists shaking at his sides.
"Get out of here. And take your disgusting bitch with you." One of the men called, as a few others joined the woman.
"Pathetic humans. We could easily wipe this village clean." Sesshoumaru said, narrowing his eyes at another villager who dared to step forward, extending his pitchfork infront of him, thrusting it at the group.
"Why did you strike the young ones and Lady Kagome? They brought you no harm!" Miroku said, narrowing his eyes as he brought his staff forward.
"Heh! That......that *creature* is no lady! She's a monster. And so are her mongrel children." A man shot back.
Inuyasha's eyes flickered red, his purple ragged stripes starting to appear across his cheeks as he took a step towards the man.
"No. Inuyasha don't. We have done nothing to them. Let's not sink to their level." Kagome said, wincing as she brought her hand to her head again.
"No. They'll pay for hurting you. I'll see every one in the village is dead before I'm done." Inuyasha said, Kouga growling as he stepped up beside the hanyou, growling angrily at the men before them.
"Disgraceful. Demons and half-breeds. Disgusting. You are a menace to this world. Be gone!"
A single stone came sailing through the air, followed by a loud yelp.
Kaiya clung to her mother, tears streaming from her eyes as she tried to hide behind her mother.
Kagome narrowed her eyes at the men, her own eyes no longer blue, but a deep, angry violet.
"How DARE you!" Kagome snarled, her fangs shining off the light of the afternoon sun. "How dare you hurt my daughter, when we have done nothing to you at all!" Kagome growled.
"Not YET." Inuyasha snarled, his youkai side struggling to gain control.
"We should make an example of them. Kill everyone and everything in this pathetic village." Kouga snarled.
"No."
Kagome closed her eyes, struggling to calm her rage, as she shook her head again, wincing when she felt the pain of her action stab at her again.
"But Lady Kagome. They attacked you and your pups for no reason." Ayame protested.
"If we harm them, we'd only be proving them right. We're not monsters." Kagome said, turning around and bending down next to Kaiya.
"Are you alright sweetie?" Kagome asked as the little girl reluctantly nodded. Kagome swept the girl in her arms, turning around to glare at the woman beside the apple cart.
"You would do well to remember this day, woman. Remember the day when you came across Lords Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands, a powerful Miko, two deadly wolf youkai, a monk with incredible power, a demon exterminator, and me. Both a hanyou and a miko. And know that you would be dead right now. All of you." Kagome said in an icy tone, before turning her back and walking away, Kaori's hand in her free hand as she walked back towards the trees.
Ayame and Kouga snarled before turning and following Kagome and the pups, Kikyo frowning at the villagers, before turning and following as well. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the woman, before snorting in disgust himself and ushering Rin along with the others.
Inuyasha paused for a moment, snarling at the villagers, before he closed his eyes, his stripes fading away, before he opened his now golden eyes once more to glare at the woman.
"You have my mate to thank for your lives. Had she not interferred, you'd be dead. Mark my words." Inuyasha spat, before turning and walking away.
**************************************************************************** ***************************************
"Ow." Kaiya cried, closing her eyes as Kagome sighed deeply, looking through the child's white hair.
"It's just a small bump, sweetie. You'll be ok." Kagome said softly.
"Why were they so mean, Mama?" Kaori asked, as Kagome looked at her son sadly, before looking away again.
"I don't know sweetheart." Kagome said softly.
"Humans. There are those like that in these times." Inuyasha snarled.
"Indeed." Sesshoumaru said, nodding his head curtly.
"I don't understand why you didn't let us make them pay, Lady Kagome." Ayame said, frowning in confusion as Kagome sighed again.
"Because it would be wrong. In my time, we have a saying. 'Two wrongs do not make a right.'" Kagome said.
"What's that mean?" Shippou asked, tugging on Kagome's kimono.
"It means that just because someone hurts you, you don't hurt them back." Kagome said.
"But why? They started it." Ayame said confused.
"I agree. And we meant them no harm. We merely wanted food and a place to sleep." Kouga said.
"Lady Kagome is right. It would be wrong to retailate in such a manner. Then we'd only be proving them right." Kikyo said as she leaned comfortably against a tree, her hair down for a change, and draped over her shoulder is a lose braid. Rin sat snoozing silently against her, as Sesshoumaru sat on the opposite side of the child, apparently deep in thought as he stared into the flames of the fire, his brow creased slightly.
"Still.....they had no right....." Ayame said softly, looking over at the twins.
Kaiya and Kaori both moved to lay in their mother's lap, as Kagome rested against a tree herself, her arms around her pups, as she too looked into the fire. Inuyasha sat in the tree directly above his mate and pups, leaning against the bark of the tree, his leg dangling over the side of the branch he was on, his eyes closed, but far from sleeping.
"Inuyasha? Was it.....was it like that for you? Growing up?" Kagome asked softly, raising her head to look into the braches and leaves above her. Her only response was a sour snort.
"You mean from all you know of your mate, you never knew?" Sesshoumaru asked as Kagome shook her head.
"I knew, I mean, I thought I did. I know it's tougher being a hanyou than a normal demon. But apparently, I didn't know *how* difficult it was until today." Kagome said, her ears dropping sadly.
"Forget about it. What do those weakling humans know anyway?!" Inuyasha snarled from his perch.
"You have a point Inuyasha, but not all humans share that opinion of demons and hanyous." Miroku said.
"The monk has a point. And neither do all demons." Ayame said, looking expectantly at Kouga.
"What?" Kouga asked.
With a growl, she whacked him upside the back of his head.
"But there are those baka demons out there too." Ayame added, growling at Kouga.
"Ah, the mutt knows I can't stand him. End of story." Kouga said.
"Keh! Why bother wasting my time with a wimpy wolf such as that bastard anyhow." Inuyasha asked.
"Both of you, knock it off." Kagome said, narrowing her eyes at Kouga, before growling upwards at her mate.
"Lady Kagome is right. We should be getting some sleep anyhow. I shall take the first watch." Sesshoumaru offered.
With a sigh, Sango curled up in her mat, Miroku beside her, the kitsune curled comfortably at Sango's waist, a purring fire-cat in it's normal form resting beside him.
"We'll have to continue our search for the shards in the morning." Miroku said.
"But we still need supplies. I'll go back to the well tomorrow. If you guys will watch the twins that is?" Kagome suggested.
"I'll take you myself Koi. You'll never be able to find the well from here on your own anyhow. The pups will be fine with the others." Inuyasha said.
"Hai. We'll wait for your two to return before we move on, ok?" Sango asked.
"That's a good idea. Now let's all just go to sleep already." Kagome said, closing her eyes.
Inuyasha looked in the direction of the village from which they'd come, a foul look in his eyes as he snarled to himself. With a look down at his mate, he sighed deeply, calming himself down, before falling into a light sleep.
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