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"What's wrong, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, wise enough to keep her voice down to a whisper.
The demi-demon had stopped suddenly, without any explanation. He made no effort to answer her, simply kneeled down for her to slide to the ground. Once she was down, the dog demon assumed a defensive stance, keeping the girl behind him.
"Who dares to trespass here, in my domain?" asked a voice, frightening in its disconnection, seeming to come from every direction, from everything around them. Inuyasha bristled and Kagome inched closer to him, staying in the protective barrier he surrounded her with.
"Show yourself!" Inuyasha hollered into the empty clearing, the roughness in his voice at full tilt. He began to growl when nothing emerged from the shadows, the aura around them only growing stronger, threatening to choke him with its thickness.
"You are in my domain and shall answer my questions. Who are you?" the voice asked again, the collection displayed in the tone irritating. This thing seemed to think it had them right where it wanted them; well, Inuyasha wasn't about to give it the satisfaction of falling into its trap.
"I'm Inuyasha; and if you know what's good for you, you won't mess with me! Let us pass and leave us alone, got that?" he yelled, his glare jerking around the space, trying to spot the origin of the demon aura.
A knowing chuckle was heard, as if the demon knew everything that was about to happen and there was nothing the two stuck in the middle could do about it. Inuyasha tensed even more, a growl emanating from his throat as Kagome's fingers wrapped themselves in the folds of his hoari he had put back on once they were out of the city, clinging to him for safety.
The dog demon felt the aura quickly gather in one spot and at the same time heard the rustling of the bushes and grass in its direction. A young-looking humanoid demon stepped out from the shadows, an interesting smile on his face. It wasn't evil or gloating; it wasn't even happy or mocking. It was simply there, a representation of the knowing, collected tone of voice they had heard early. Looking at that smile, Inuyasha came to a conclusion; this was a very old youkai. It was smart enough not to be cocky or hotheaded. He should watch him self.
"You have been trespassing in my territory for quite some time now, hanyou. I desire an explanation; if it's a good one, I'll spare you the killing I have been planning."
Inuyasha spotted the points of the ears and the sharpened teeth that the demon displayed as he spoke. Sniffing in the demon's scent, he realized this was not only an old demon, but an old fox demon. He was going to have to be extra careful now; kitsunes were known for their trickery.
"We're just getting as far away from the human village as possible. You're territory just happens to be right in our way. Let us pass and there won't be any trouble," Inuyasha answered, feeling Kagome relax her grip on him and stand behind him. The kitsune cocked his head to look at the girl, wondering at the companionship of a half-demon and a human. But it was no more than a passing thought.
The demon laughed softly at Inuyasha's harsh explanations and demands. Looking back into the hanyou's face, his smile reached his eyes and answered him. "I am Shippou, and these are my lands. There are dangerous demons in these parts, even if they are few and far between. I don't wish for fights to destroy my forests, and I don't yet trust you. I will accompany you until you reach the end of my domain."
"We don't want you trailing along with us," Inuyasha spat out, enraged at the thought of this demon following them around; he'd had enough being monitored in that human place with the men in white coats. What had Kagome called it again? A lab?
"I am afraid that's not an option. If you wish to pass through my forest, I will accompany you; I do not allow strange demons through here, much less a half demon and a human girl," Shippou said, cutting into the demi-demon's thoughts. He watched as Inuyasha's face went from outrage to frustration to a simmering mask, Inuyasha controlling himself enough not to speak during his transition. Kagome watched the two as they conversed, content to let the two demons sort things out between themselves; she really didn't want to get involved in a fight today.
"Fine."
Inuyasha waited for the kitsune to make the first move and watched him amble towards the edge of the clearing before he moved to follow, Kagome close on his heels. They walked slowly through the trees and brush in silence, the dog demon watching the new youkai closely and Kagome lost in her own thoughts. Finally, the kitsune broke the silence.
"Since we will be traveling together for the next couple of days, tell about yourselves. Where are you from and why are you here? What is the girl's name?" he asked, his tone full of simple friendliness but Inuyasha knew he was just trying to size them up. Kagome suddenly came back to reality, responding before the dog demon could even open his mouth.
"I am here you know. You can quit talking about me like I'm not or like I can't speak for myself," she steamed, apparently annoyed at being ignored for the past few hours. Shippou's eyebrows lifted slightly and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"I am sorry, miss. What is your name?" he asked. He played the part of a gentleman from the old times in Europe or America, being very polite and hospitable to his guests of sorts.
"I'm Kagome. Nice to meet you Mr. Shippou," she answered, smiling again and bowing her head slightly in his direction. His smile widened, his eyes closing, as he returned to polite nod. Inuyasha kept quiet, his hands shoved in the sleeves of his hoari, disgusted at the social graces being displayed. They were at least half-enemies at the moment; how could the be so nice to each other?!
"Please, just call me Shippou. So where are you two from? I rarely see a demon and a human together and even more infrequently do I see a hanyou protecting a human that is not yet its mate," he replied, curiosity written all over his foxy face. Inuyasha bristled at the mention of a human mate, but remained quiet. Kagome laughed nervously at the comment but moved on to answer his question.
"We're from Tokyo, or at least I am. I'm not really sure where Inuyasha's from," she said, glancing toward the half demon and giving him a chance to fill them in. He didn't take the opportunity, so she continued. "About six months ago, a scientist named Mochizuki locked me up in his laboratory where he studied demons. He wanted to study my own powers I think. Anyway, I had met Inuyasha a few months before when I was still interning at the lab. Inuyasha had been kept there for about ten years. We just escaped a few days ago and are trying to keep out of site until they quit looking for us."
Shippou's expression had darkened slightly at the mention of the lab, but he listened to rest of Kagome's quick history. When she was done, he gave her an appraising look as if trying to figure out if she was telling the truth or not. Satisfied that she was, he put another question to her. He had to make sure he had heard correctly. There was only one demon lab that he knew of, and it was run by a formidable demon foe; he wasn't sure if he wanted to tangle with him. "You said you two were in a youkai lab in Tokyo?"
Kagome nodded. "Why? Have you heard of it?" she asked. Inuyasha seemed interested in the kitsune's response, tilting his head slightly to look sideways at him and cocking an ear in his direction. Shippou nodded.
"It's the property of a demon, if you can believe that. I'm not sure why he wants to have a facility that studies demons and uses them for experiments; but Naraku has always had a mind of his own, raking in lands from all sides and keeping hundreds of demons at his disposal, even in these times," the fox demon's tone had turned somber and Inuyasha listened intently. Now he knew the name of the faceless demon that had ordered his captivity for all those years. If only he could remember where he had heard it before.
"Naraku?" Kagome's confusion rang clearly in her voice. "You mean Mr. Naraku, the man that owns Onigumo Incorporated? He's in charge of the demon experiments? How...?" the girl's voice trailed off as she lost herself in her bewilderment. This was a man everyone knew; he owned most of Japan's big companies and was one of the most wealthy men in the country. How could no one know this?
"Yes, this is the same person; but he is a demon, not the man you've grown up knowing. He just puts on a good front."
"Naraku," Inuyasha hissed the name, now well on his way down the dark road toward vengeful thoughts. He was going to pay, this Naraku, for what he had done to him. Even if he hadn't been one of those doctors, he had been in charge of them and told them what to do. And he was going to pay.
"Well, it's about time for a lunch break, don't you think?" Shippou asked, desiring to change the conversation. He wasn't one for such dark and serious moods; he preferred brighter talk. Kagome seemed to feel the same, smiling and nodding in agreement. Inuyasha was slower to turn his thoughts toward lighter subjects, but eventually the scowl disappeared from his face and he began to enter the others' small talk with a "feh" here and a "hn" there.
Shippou finally won Inuyasha over when he pulled out some of his own food once they had stopped altogether for the evening. It was some sort of dark candy that was rectangular and had a smooth taste. The dog demon gave in and began thinking that maybe this demon was alright after all. Shippou joined Kagome on the ground near the dying fire as they slept that night; and Inuyasha took his normal position in the tree above them, falling asleep quicker than he had in a long while.
AN: You guys, I am soo sorry! I didn't realize that it had been so long since I had updated, and I have been really busy. I was working and taking an online class and going to church, so I had no time hardly at all. Then I moved back to school and was starting everything back up here, trying to find my bearings and all. But that's no excuse. I should have written. I am really sorry! I will be more on time with my updates now that school has started again and I have a more reliable schedule. I am not thinking about discontinuing this fic, that's for sure! I did add Shippou to the story! Is anyone excited? I know I am :) Next Chapter: Shippou continues to accompany Inuyasha and Kagome through the forest, and they find out more about why they were held captive. What will happen when they reach the end of Shippou's domain? Thanks for all the reviews guys and gals! I love them :) Please review!
Angelic Ice Dragon – Thanks for the review! I do like having input from people; it helps and lets me know that ya'll are enjoying the story enough to think about where its going. I would love to check out your story and give you any help you'd like. Could you e-mail me if you need instructions on uploading or updating a story? That way I could give you the details without having to write them out here in story space. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! Thanks!
Dragon Man 180 – Thank you for reviewing! I know, I just couldn't humiliate Inuyasha so much as to make him fall face first in the dirt every time Kagome said "Sit." But I had to put it in there somewhere! Hope you liked this chapter!
Ristos – I wouldn't mind e-mailing you when I update. Just send me your address :) Thanks for the review!
SilverMyste – I'm so glad that you like it and think its original! That's always great to hear, along with the compliment that I'm keeping everybody in character. Hope that you liked this one! Thanks :)
luckykittykagome – Thank you for the review! Sorry that it took so long to update, but I'll be more regular about it now. If you're wondering about Tetsaiga, there's a note at the bottom of Chapter 8 that explains my mistake there. I don't think its quite detailed, but it smooths out the confusion. I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks again :)
aznchicki – Thank you for reviewing! I am so glad that this is original and interesting. As to your question, it's top secret. ;) That'll be revealed later!
Storm-Maker – Thanks for reviewing! I look forward to your reviews; you always comment and it's great! I hope that you liked this chapter!
To everyone else, thank you for all the reviews! I am so glad that ya'll like it and hope that you loved this chapter! Shippou is here now :) I'm sorry that the cliffhanger lasted so long; it wasn't meant to! This fic is definitely continuing; there will be no talk of discontinuing it! I promise to finish :) I'll be updating as regularly as I can now, more than once every two months I promise! Hopefully once every week or two weeks. Thanks again!