May 6-10 & 13-15 2004

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha... yet. holds up a prayer bead neclace and grins evilly Here doggie, doggie, doggie! Come here....

Claimer: I may not own Inu-Yasha (dammit!) but I do own the mysterious Butterfly and the pretty Kiri as well as Zane and another character that is showing up in this chapter that I can't speak of or else I'll spoil it for the rest of you.

"If you be kind to me then I'll be kind to you.
If you review me, I'll review you.
But if you forget my birthday... I'll still remember yours
because I'm that nice."
- Me

That's all.

Reviews:

Kealihah = I like detail. It annoys me when there's incredible lack of it. And, um, I can't remember what I wrote in my bio. sweatdrops I'm like that. I write something and then I forget what I wrote. That's probably the reason why I work so hard on it. I don't want the chapters to seem fragmented, see. That's a plausable reason, right? Right. And I reviewed A Wish Upon A Star! I like it. Even thought I only read 2 chapters....

/blah/ someone starts a conversation telepathically

blah someone responds telepathically

Warning: Breif imagry of self-inflicted pain and abuse. Leave if you're sensitive. I would leave right now! ;;; I'm an oddball....

Scroll 9: One Way Ticket

A growl bubbled up her throat as she sliced an innocent sapling to ribbons. Where is he? Where could he have gone? she asked over and over above the howl in her mind. She fisted her hand and whacked the side of a tree, her hand gushing red juice. Quickly, she licked it and cut her lip with a claw, catching what spilling blood she could in her cupped hands. Body trembling she lapped up every drop from every crevice and then sucked on her lower lip.

Now her head heart and her lip throbbed. I'm a fucking genious, she thought sarcastically, gripping a tree branch for support. The howl in her mind increased in a shrilly shriek, rattling her insides. She placed her hands over her ears, attempting to temporarily stop the pain and noise. The sound came louder and wind howled in her ears.

Slowly she dropped to her knees in defeat, lying down on the hard ground with tears streaking her cheeks. She tucked herself into a tight ball, her hair covering half her face.

God, I hate you Zane.

/I see that you're as fine as ever/ a voice popped into head, words dripping in sarcasm.

What the fuck do you want, Zane? she growled back telipathically.

/Now, now, Butterfly, you know that isn't a proper thing for a lady to say/ he lectured her teasingly.

You think that what most men can do is innappropriate for women.

/So it is true./

You didn't answer my question, Zane: What the fuck do you want? she asked calmly. There was no way he would make a fool of her.

/I just needed to remind you to bring me the head of your victoms./

I don't NEED reminding.

/Of you do. You're a wench/ he replied dryly.

Touche. And you're a man-whore she shot back dryly.

/Could please stop using those futuristic phrases of yours? I can't ever understand anything you're saying,/ he asked, sounding a little whiny.

/Lalalala... I'm not LISTENING. Lalalala lala lalalala...../ Effortlessly she flicked him out of her mind, sighing as she rolled onto her back.

At least her head-ache was gone.

Silently Kagura slipped into the room, closing the door slowly behind her. Half-way across the room she ran back to the door on tip-toe and checked the halls. She listened intently, heart thrumming loudly in her chest.

Not soul nor shell were nearby.

With a sigh of relief she quietly closed the door and dashed to the wind. Smoothly she plucked the feather out of her hair and let it flutter out the window. Almost instantly it enlargened and she jumped onto it. But the back of her neck felt cold and wet. She turned around and saw Kiri watching her. She smirked bravely, though she felt a little afraid.

"You're not really mute, are you child?" she asked. Kiri shook her head.

With a crack Inu-Yasha whacked Kouga in the jaw, not holding back on any strength. Kagome watched, speechless.

Well, she wasn't the only one.

Kouga looked dazed as he slowly stood up. "Fuck. I think you knocked out my teeth!"

Kagome howled in frustration, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Inu-Yasha! That wasn't necessary!"

"Kouga was--"

She cut him off, yelling shrilly, "Don't blame him, Inu-Yasha!"

"He--"

"Didn't you hear me?!"

"JUST LISTEN A MINUTE!"

Shippou hopped on Kagome's shoulder and she placed her hands on her hips, frowning. "I don't want to hear it."

"HE WAS TRYING TO TOUCH--"

"I TOLD you, Inu-Yasha! I DON'T WANT--"

"--MY WOMAN!"

"--to hear...!"

Both of them said at the same.

Everyone went quiet once again, even the little crickets stopped their fantastical out of sync symphony. Shippou fell off of Kagome's shoulder and her hands flopped to her sides, eyes wide and filled with confusion. "What?" she squeaked.

Inu-Yasha looked away, blushing crimson. "You heard me." He growled and looked at her. "Never mind. Let's just go." He brushed past her, arm caught by Miroku. "You can't run off this time," he whispered. Inu-Yasha shook his arm out of Miroku's grasp, bowing his head so that his hair covered his face.

"What's it to you where I go? You're not my mother."

Before Miroku could reply Shippou let out a yelp of pain. Everyone turned around, trying to find Shippou. "Up there!" Kagome announced. Everyone followed her gaze and saw a woman in a white kimono.

She was comely. Her skin was alabaster white, her hair appearing to be ringlets of a melted gold and copper mix pulled back into a messy bun. She had dark lips, blue eyes with long golden lashes framing them, and had such a cold look to her that winter would have been put to shame.

But that wasn't all that amazed them. She had managed to sit on air like as if it were a chair, dangling Shippou by the scruff of the neck in a bored fashion. Her lips began to form words softly, just below the sigh of a summer night's breeze, then picked up volume in an even smooth tone, "...such fools. Do you not know who I am? My, my, my.... Aren't we dense?"

Sango's blue-violet eyes widened in wonder and fear. "You are elf youkai?"

Kagome glanced at the woman's ears. They were pointed, like an elf's. However, the young woman scrunched her face up in a scowl, souring her flawless complexion. "Such stupid creatures. There is no such thing as an elf youkai. It is disgusting to even think of the two words in the same sentence. I am an elf, a mistress of magic. If it shall please you I will tell you this: Every 50 generations a halfling is born into an elf clan. I happened to be that one. But I can suppress my stupidly wild youkai side." She looked over her shoulder briefly and yawned. "Sorry, darlings. I would love to stay and chat but I have business to finish."

With a flourish of her hand she had curled into a shroud of smoke, smiling insanely as she did so, taking Shippou along with her.

Everyone on the ground was stunned. Then they became alarmed. Kagome clutched Inu-Yasha's arm, hanging on like as if she would lose grip on reality if she loosened her grasp even a little bit. "Oh, God. What can we do?" Tears sprung into her eyes. "Where could she have taken Shippou?" She gasped and gushed on, voice shrill. "Do you think that she's working with Naraku?!"

Sighing, Inu-Yasha gently pressed his hand over her mouth, her hair caught underneath his wrist. Kagome, reflexively, bit down. Inu-Yasha gave a yelp and jerked his hand back, like as if he had been stung. Kagome looked at him with a dazed expression that grew into a caring one. "Oh, crap. Inu-Yasha, I'm so sorry. I used to do that to my cousin whenever he tried to tousle my hair, just so he could back off. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Inu-Yasha murmured, sucking in air through his teeth. "I've had worse."

But Kagome was in that ridiculously over-protective mode and was apologizing over and over and asking whether or not he was okay. Kouga snorted. "I wouldn't bother."

Kagome spun around and glared at him, her face close to his. "Don't tell me what to do. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much."

Grinning Kouga pressed his own lips against hers. Kagome pulled back and slapped him across both cheeks. "Jackass!" she screeched in his ear, attempting to trip him.

Inu-Yasha struck Kouga once more, his miasma crackling with anger and covetousness.

"Stay the hell away from her," he hissed, every word drenched in venom. The air around them trembled, and if you listened intently you could hear it sucking the calamity out of the air.

Something clicked in Kagome's mind. She walked up behind Inu-Yasha, placed a hand on his shoulder so it could help her stay on tip-toe, and blew in his ear. She drew back, relieved to feel his miasma go back to normal.

"Now, if you two are finished fighting we really have to get Shippou." Tears appeared in her eyes. "What could she be doing to him?"

Inu-Yasha restrained himself from reaching out to her. With no warning he thought of the time that they came across the Peach Man.... He bowed his head, hoping his hair covered the crimson blush delicately brushed on his cheeks.

Absently the tip of his golden tail twitched. Quietly Shippou tried to unlatch the door, peeking over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure that no one would sneak up on him from the behind.

Someone bumped into him in the front.

Shippou flew across the floor, skinning the tips of his fingers. Gingerly, he hoisted himself up, restraining himself from sticking his fingers into his mouth and from crying. "Where am I?" he demanded, his voice barely above a squeak. The elf smirked and plucked him from the floor by the scruff of the neck, eyes as cold as ever.

Involuntarily he shivered. Her eyes were like beautifully spun glass, but nothing more. No warmth lay behind them, just a deathly cold. Her touch sent shivers under his skin, and didn't warm in time. She seemed to have noticed his uncomfortableness but Shippou couldn't tell. So far she hadn't made a sound, but her lips were moving.

"...maybe I should just hand you over to Zane, but I'm merciful so I'll deal with you myself," she whispered, grinning insanely. For the first time since he saw her he saw a spark in the glass blue; a spark of something twisted and corrupt.

Shippou found the courage he was looking for and lifted his warm golden eyes to meet her ice glass-blue ones. "What do you want, wench?!"

"My, my, my. I didn't think you had it in you," she said in mock amazement. "But ever since you asked I'll answer." She threw him to the floor and sliced open her wrist, lapping up the crimson paint. Shippou watched in disgust and awe as he saw her drink her own blood with a look of ecstasy flitting across her visage. She licked her lips, now a deeper rosier colour from her little snack.

"I want to make you a deal. I'll make you look like your actual age." She smiled knowingly at his shocked face. "Yes, I do know your age. And yes, I know your name, Shippou. But enough of that. What I'm proposing is that you'll have more of a chance of surviving. You can train with me and in exchange I'll leave all of your little friends alone."

Shippou's tongue had swollen, filling up his mouth. He was suddenly aware that his lips were cracked and the excruciating pain in his fingers. He looked blankly into her eyes, unaware of his movements.

Her lips curled into a malicious smile and patted his head. "Good pup. So predictable. We'll start tomorrow. For the time being you may call me Lady Virisa."

As she exited the room Shippou gazed blankly into space. He started to shake violently and a searing tear rolled down his cheek. I'm sorry, Kagome. And everyone else. Carefully he wiped his face and adjusted his vest. Tightly curled in a ball he bit down on his lower lip to stop the tears, but it didn't help. Silent sobs escaped him, rattling him on the inside and out. He felt like disappearing.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry....

This chapter was more of a transition chapter, but it was important. Then again, it was mainly dialogue. So did it suck or was it so-so? I'm not sure. I'm never sure about anything 'cause you never know what's going to happen so you have to keep a low profile and hope that things will go as smooth as possible. And I'm sorry for what I've done to Shippou, but it'll all fall into place eventually.

Sorry about the delay! I had to retype half of it because my computer refused to save that part. Thanks for waiting!!

PEACE. SMOOCH LOVE YA ALL!

nube = hell