Hyo minna-san!^^ Here is chapter six at long last! Yes…I KNOW it's been a while, but I only got back from Florida on the 31st, and it always takes me a good few days to turn out something that feel good about presenting to you guys as a new chapter. Also, school started…need I say more?

Arigato to all of you who reviewed, and I apologize for badmouthing chapter five; I'm not a very good judge of my own work, and am not always very confident with what I've written. I would like to thank Aubrey2 for your wonderfully supportive feedback. It makes me feel much better knowing that the amount of effort I usually put into my work is appreciated so greatly! ^^

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does so belong to me!

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Oh fine! It really belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise, etc. (that horrid company responsible for the butchering of the series in English is not worthy of being named). Therefore, I am not responsible for his potty mouth…so don't go blaming it on me! Now I hope you're happy that you've just destroyed a poor, overworked, sleep-deprived high-school girl's dream…*sniff*

Now, without further ado, I present chapter six for your reading enjoyment!

Labyrinth

~An Inuyasha fanfiction presented by Jurei~

Chapter 6: Chutes and Ladders

"Good evening, Sango-sama."

The dark-haired woman glared back in response to the contemptuous greeting, brown eyes clearly displaying the loathing she felt for the youkai standing before her. Far from deterring Naraku, however, the reaction merely made him smirk darkly, his own crimson eyes shining with malicious glee.

"Is that any way to treat your host? Come now…I trust the accommodations have not been in lacking in any way. If so, merely alert me and I will deal with the problem directly."

Sango said nothing, though the mocking comment succeeded in making the hatred on her features darker significantly. The dark youkai continued, beginning to pace the area of the room outside of the barrier, thoroughly seeming to enjoy himself.

"However, Sango-chan, I am not here to chat idly. Though it devastates me to have to cut my time in your enjoyable company short, I have other matters to attend to…"

"…Glad at least that you're devastated…" the miko muttered, silently outraged at the insult implied by the diminutive suffix. As a crack, it was weak, though it caused Naraku's grin to widen.

"As you are most likely aware of by now, following your group's apprehension a few days ago, your…ah, companion Higurashi Kagome, has been thrown into the labyrinth-"

A short gasp of breath was the only indication from Sango that the news meant anything to her, though it gave the youkai the satisfaction of knowing that she had probably only guessed at the truth.

"…As I was saying, she has been imprisoned on the charge of betrayal to the imperial forces, and sentenced to life without hope of return in the labyrinth. Your brother, Nanase Kohaku, on the other hand, has been charged with treason in the highest degree, and will be executed one week from tomorrow."

The miko's body drooped minutely, though her face remained devoid of all emotion other than hatred as she spoke directly to Naraku for the first time.

"I can see how informing me of my brother's imminent death might amuse you, but what is it, then, that you intend to accomplish by telling me of my personal guardian's fate?" she asked, her voice grating through gritted teeth in a flat tone. "I am already as good as your prisoner…what more do you want?"

Naraku chuckled darkly, his features sobering slightly. "I'm afraid, Sango-chan, that what you say is too far from the truth to please me. We are presently at a stalemate…you cannot go anywhere due to my barrier, but I cannot touch you due to the protection you cast upon yourself…and half-succeeded in casting on Higurashi before my warriors managed to apprehend you both."

Sango frowned. Naraku was making a mistake it seemed…she had never even touched Kagome magically, though she wished now that she had cast the barrier around then both, regardless of magical repercussions. However, if Naraku believed that Kagome was at least partly protected…it was all the better for them.

"This time, however, I have greater business to discuss. In fact, I have a proposition for you..."

For the first time throughout the entire exchange, the miko's face registered an expression other than loathing: a mixture between shock, interest, irritation, and light amusement. "You believe that anything you might offer me could even tempt me to bargain with you…" the derision was clear in her voice.

Naraku smirked. "I can tell, however, miko, that you are interested in what I have to say, despite your…foolishly hasty reply."

The dark-haired girl flinched, frowning at the returned insult, though she said nothing to deny the dark youkai's comment. Truth be told she was interested…though she wouldn't take anything Naraku said at face value. He was clever, and definitely dangerous; she couldn't trust him as far as she could throw the castle.

"In exchange for the location of the Shikon no Tama, I will make sure that Higurashi makes it out of the labyrinth alive. Yes, it is possible," he added in response to Sango's skeptical look, "and she will receive an official pardon upon her exit, as will Kohaku. The other option is that you give yourself up to me and disable the wards keeping me tied to this island…in exchange for her pardon and your brother's life."

"…Unfortunately for you," Sango replied, "I am unable to tell you where the Shikon no Tama is…and you threw the only person that could tell you into the labyrinth..." her voice dripped with ironic amusement.

Naraku scowled, seemingly doing some quick thinking, though soon his expression returned to its half-smirk moments later. "Then, I suppose, you only really have one proposition to consider," he said, tone nonchalant.

"…And if I refuse?" Sango asked, this time displaying more caution than before, though the irony still echoed lightly in her voice.

The dark youkai smiled openly, and the effect was chilling. "I hardly believe that you need to ask me that, Sango-chan…you're intelligent enough, figure it out. I will escape the island one way or another…whether or not your companions die is up to you. I will return this time tomorrow to hear your decision, seeing as humans usually tend to claim that they need time to make obvious choices."

And with that final remark, Naraku was gone, leaving only a memory of dark-coloured material in his wake.

Sango's expression sobered immediately as soon as she heared his footsteps echoing in the corridor, and the silent tear that ran down her cheek didn't come until she was completely certain that he was long gone. Even then, her despair was expressed in silence, frame shaking with soundless sobs as salt water leaked from her eyes and ran down her cheeks in bitter rivulets to be brushed away by an impatient hand.

What Naraku asked was impossible. She couldn't destroy the wards that held him, even if she wished to. Kikyo, the original White Miko, had fortified them with more white magic than any one being was capable of withstanding…enough to churn the ocean that bordered the island into a permanent hurricane which few vessels dared to brave even in the best of circumstances. The effort had killed her, it was said, and she had been the strongest miko in the history of the island. Sango herself couldn't match Kikyo's power…not by a long shot. The only way would have been to find another miko with enough power to supply the missing half of energy needed, but Naraku had systematically killed everyone who could possibly stand in his way…

A burst of hysterical laughter threatened to bubble through Sango's lips, though she managed to choke it back. The irony that Naraku's clever plans had destroyed the only means he had for reaching the goal he sought so restlessly…

It was no use…the laugh choked through her sobs, harsh as she broke down within the boundaries of the barrier, holding her face in her hands. The Shikon no Tama was gone…or as good as gone, with Kagome lost somewhere within the depths of the labyrinth, and there was no other miko to aid her, even if she did sacrifice her duty in order to save her brother. She was powerless to help Kagome…

The idea dawned on her suddenly, putting an immediate end to the outburst of hysteria and restoring her somewhat to her usual self. Naraku believed that she was capable of dismantling the barrier…there just might be a way to buy Kohaku some time.

The miko wiped her eyes, removing all traces of her tears. There was no time to despair...Naraku had given her one day to think about his offer…though she planned to use the time much more productively.

She had some planning to do.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Are you sure we are going the right way?"

"For the last time yes, wench! We're going the right way…whose leading, you or me?"

Kagome sighed, huffing a breath to blow her bangs out of her eyes. She had trimmed them very frequently outside of the labyrinth, and the added length was beginning to be a pain…just like everything else inside the wretched maze. It seemed to her that they were going in circles…though her travelling companion hardly made asking a simple question an enjoyable task.

"Oi! Hurry up…it'll be years before we get out of here at the pace you're going at!" the comment came echoing back, grating harshly on the girl's ears.

She looked up, noticing that the hanyou had gotten further ahead and was almost leaving her behind completely. Jogging to catch up, she grimaced. He had done it on purpose…and it wasn't the first time, either.

"Keh! You'd think we were on some kind of stroll through the park…" Inuyasha's statement was perfectly audible, though Kagome got the feeling that he was talking to himself. Her expression darkened. The way things were going, she was starting to miss the dead silence and the solitude of being alone amongst gigantic stone walls...

"…Bitch." The frown became an all-out scowl. Walls, it seemed, were better company.

The inu-hanyou had been just as irritable and bad-tempered from the start, somehow managing to continue the barrage of dissatisfaction and insults at regular intervals despite the tiny portions of water that formed their rations. How he did it, Kagome didn't know…it had to be something about his youkai metabolism. Maybe he was part camel-youkai?

The image that resulted from this thought caused a burst of laughter, which the girl soon quieted. It was enough to make Inuyasha suspicious, however.

"What's so funny, wench?" he growled, amber eyes flashing back angrily.

"Nothing…for goodness sake, you would think it was a crime to laugh…" Kagome replied, though the last part was said to herself.

"Maybe it is…" the hanyou murmured.

"What?"

"Keh! Nothing…"

They continued in silence for a while before Kagome broke it by asking:

"What happened between you and 'Kikyo', anyway…"

Inuyasha stopped short, glaring at her in the way she was quickly becoming accustomed to. "Wherever the hell that came from…it's none of your damn business, bitch!" he replied, his tone and expression making it clear that the topic was closed for discussion.

The girl looked down at the floor, watching the small cracks between stones critically. "Huh…blame a girl for wanting to know a bit more about the person she's travelling with…" she muttered.

"Keh!"


She sweatdropped. His hearing was incredible…it was already apparent that she would have to watch what she said around him…with his touchy nature, who knew when he might just leave her in the middle of nowhere due to something he overheard.

"Shit!"

Kagome's head snapped up, and a small wave of frustration washed over her as she noticed that her companion was once again managing to outdistance her without her even noticing. The angry comment that came to her lips, however, was lost as soon as she met his gaze and saw the warning it held. Carefully she made her way to his side, fixing him with a questioning look. He made no comment, but pointed down at the floor with a clawed finger.

The girl followed his indication, and frowned. To their right was the entrance of another corridor, perfectly identical to any other except for images of strange figures carved into the floorstones, just like the ones she had seen upon her first days in the prison when travelling with Inu…

She choked, but swallowed the lump in her throat that rose at the thought of her friend and looked back at Inuyasha quizzically. "What are they?" She asked quietly, her gray eyes meeting his amber ones levelly and without negative emotion for the first time since their fateful first meeting.

He stopped short, mirroring her gaze in a slightly disoriented way for a moment before choking out a reply:

"They were carved by fa…by someone, a long time ago. Some have different meanings, but most of them are warnings. For traps and other nasty stuff," here he seemed to regain his usual demeanor, as his features formed themselves back into his customary scowl. "Though the youkai that did it didn't think to differentiate between "traps" and "other nasty stuff", but rather gave them all the same symbols…" he growled.

Kagome said nothing about the obvious emotion in the hanyou's voice that betrayed the fact that the symbols meant more to him than he let on. She merely nodded, accepting the information, and asked:

"So…how are we going to deal with whatever lies inside that corridor?"

The hanyou keh-d. "How else? By going in there, wench! It's the only way of getting where we want to go, and there's no way around it either."

The girl sighed. He was definitely unchanged, despite his little 'moment of weakness'…one would think that he cultivated the mood on purpose. "All right…let's get going, then…" she said, the enthusiasm in her voice comparable to a solitary drop of water in the desert at high noon – nonexistent.

"Keh! You'd think we were going to die or something from the way you say it…" Inuyasha commented, crouching on the ground and holding his arms back slightly, obviously waiting for something.

As it was, it took Kagome a few moments to realize that he was actually waiting for her to do something. And from his position, it almost seemed like he was…

"…Wait…NO WAY! You cannot be serious…"

The dog-demon glared at her with all of his impatience and bad humor. "Do I look like I'm joking? Hurry up! We'll make it through faster if you ride on my back."

"But…but…"

Inuyasha huffed. "Look, bitch, I haven't got all fucking day…if you want to be an idiot about it when we get out of this damn maze, go ahead, just as long as it's far away from where I am. It's not like I'm going to drop you or something…right now it's not like you have much of a choice."

Kagome eyed him apprehensively for a moment before giving in. "Fine…" she said, climbing onto his back and gripping his shoulders tightly with her slender hands. He stood up immediately, barely giving her time to adjust her balance, before he was off into the passage at a quick pace that was almost enough to make her eyes water.

After the first initial shock of moving so fast, it was almost fun. The air wasn't so stagnant, but rather blew through her hair and ruffled her torn skirt, churned by their passing through. Inuyasha's white hair was also blown back by the speed, tickling her cheek where it made contact, and Kagome was sorely tempted to let go of one of his shoulders and thread it through her fingers. This was probably the only opportunity she would have to feel the inu-hanyou's hair: one of the first things about him that had interested her, other than the dog-ears that poked out of the snowy tresses. At the speed they were going at, however, she would probably lose her balance if she tried…she cursed, casting a glance upwards. Somehow, it seemed like someone up there had taken a particular liking to watching her suffer...

A sudden jolt broke her musings as Inuyasha leapt sideways, kicking off the wall at a ninety-degree angle that caused her to feel gravity very uncomfortably, and landing back in the centre of the passage sharply before repeating the action on the opposite wall. Kagome squinted her eyes against the wind, looking back carefully to see what it was exactly that they had avoided, before swallowing loudly.

Behind them lay two black splotches on the floor…square black splotches, to be exact. Fifty-foot long splotches that looked oddly like if the floor was missing in those areas.

The Runner snapped her head forward, squinting past the moisture in the corners of her eyes to focus on the upcoming black gap that seemed to be rushing towards them…they were definitely bigger up close…

"Hold on!" Inuyasha yelled, lengthening his stride and increasing his speed, as well as the speed at which the gap was approaching…

Kagome's jaw threatened to drop in disbelief. He was heading straight for it…he couldn't be…he wasn't planning to jump the thing, was he?

Three strides later, it was apparent that that was exactly what the hanyou planned to do. Kagome gripped his shoulders more tightly, squeezing her eyes shut tightly and preparing to scream. He was completely insane…there was no way he could make it jumping head on…even if he were to use the same angle technique he had used previously, it was doubtful that they would make it to the other side untouched…

One more stride…

…and they were flying through the air as Inuyasha kicked off hard from the edge of the pit. It was an odd feeling, almost like the laws of physics has ceased to be, and the girl couldn't help opening her eyes a fraction before experiencing a strange dropping sensation in the pit of her stomach and wishing she hadn't.

Below them and to all sides there was nothing but blackness, almost as if the passage had come apart in two pieces. No walls, no floor…maybe a ceiling, though Kagome was unable to tell, due to the passage's immense height, just like all the other parts of the labyrinth she had travelled through so far. It was like facing the yawning black mouth of Hell itself…a void that promised nothing but an eternity of darkness and falling…

Desperately, she noticed that they were slowly losing altitude, and the other side of the gap was nowhere in sight. She pressed her forehead into the hanyou's shoulder, praying desperately. It couldn't end like this…there had to be another side, though whether they would land safely or fall short was becoming a mere matter of chance and luck.

Kagome looked up, peering through her bangs into the darkness ahead, searching for a sign, any sign, of worn stone and the glimmer of torches. With each passing moment, her despair became deeper and deeper. They were flying lower and lower, and it looked like they wouldn't make it…

Then her eyes snapped into sharper focus, noticing a lightening patch in the darkness. She blinked, wanting to trust her eyes more than anything, but doubting all the same. No, she had not been mistaken…now there was a faint flickering yellow light like that let off by torches, sharp where the stones of walls and floor framed it. She almost let out a shout of relief, but managed to make do with a small sigh into Inuyasha's white hair.

However, the quickly enlarging window of light was rivaled by their equally rapid descent through the air and blackness. Kagome fingers gripped the hanyou's bare shoulders tighter, eyes widening as they drew level with the stone floor, but from too far away to land. Their loss of altitude was too rapid; they would fall short by several meters. It was no good…they were going to miss…

Almost like he could hear Kagome's thoughts, Inuyasha growled, the sound reverberating through his chest as a deep rumble as he thrust his body forward through the air towards the worn stone floor.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Kagome watched with a strange sense of detachment as the floor rose out of her vision, leaving her eyes in darkness. They were sinking…still moving forward imperceptibly, but sinking…sinking…they were lost…

Regular motion was restored with a mighty jolt that was not completely mental, as the girl believed at first. She looked up, noticing that they were no longer descending, but were suddenly still. Above her, all she could see was a sliver of light, and one long arm gripping onto the edge of the stone floor where its wall-like surface dropped into the blackness below. The claws were embedded into the stone, scratching deeper with each passing moment as their owner strengthened his deathgrip, bringing his other arm up to it's aid. Inuyasha's body lay parallel to the stone, arms straining as he strove to solidify his precarious hold, turning his head to look back at the girl on his back.

"Hurry up, wench! Start climbing!" he hissed through clenched teeth, his neck craned back as far as he could manage so that he could motivate her further with a glare.

Kagome wasted no time arguing, moving to comply faster than she had done anything else in her life. Using his arms and shoulders like a ladder, she scrambled up his body quickly, hoisting herself over the edge of the stone floor above and pulling herself onto the comfortingly solid stones and panting both with the exertion and the experience she had just come out of.

The hanyou was up mere moments after her, eyes blazing in their usual scowl while his chest heaved with each breath he took. He shot an angry glance in the girl's direction but said nothing, merely sitting himself cross-legged on the floor and proceeding to massage his shoulder roughly.

"What?" Kagome managed to ask.

"…forget it," Inuyasha replied, looking away, though his expression didn't change.

She studied him critically for a moment before shrugging and turning away from him herself. If he wished to be like that…

Both of them got to their feet at the same time, still breathing slightly laboriously, though each made an effort to recover their breath quickly. Instead, they looked ahead at the corridor that remained, gauging the distance. It wasn't too far, and the passage appeared whole from where they stood.

"Lets-" began Kagome, but the hanyou cut her off by beginning to move forward without so much as a word. She scowled in a fair imitation of him. Just because he had decided to get angry at her for some reason known only to him, didn't mean he had to treat her like she wasn't there, she reasoned.

"Fine!" she huffed, stepping into stride with him, crossing her arms over her chest and tossing her head, eyes closed in what could be called the 'keh!' expression. Inuyasha continued to walk onwards, making no comment.

Two steps later, however, both rapidly forgot about being angry with each other as the stone below their feet disappeared, leaving them to plunge down into the deep hole with not so much as a startled cry.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She were moving quickly, almost at the same speed as when Inuyasha had been running at before, flying down what could only be described as a long stone slide. Kagome covered her head with her arms, yelling as the chute twisted and turned in no planned or reasonable pattern or direction. All she knew was that it was completely dark and that she was moving in a downward direction, though the speed and corkscrew-like design of her path did little for her sense of direction.

…Was it her imagination, or was she suddenly going faster?

The cry became more high-pitched as the girl tried to make herself as small as possible, hurtling down the twists and turns at a suicidal speed. The slide had gotten steeper, it seemed, almost like whoever had built it had suddenly decided that it was taking much to long to get to the bottom…wherever that was.

And suddenly, she was no longer on the slide, but hurtling through the air as she flew off the upturned end of the chute. The air around was no longer dark, though the dim light made it easier for the girl to see exactly what lay below.

She closed her eyes, screaming loudly while shaking her head back and forth in denial. This could not be happening to her…she had never pictured he death as being quite this…messy.

"Will you shut up, bitch? You're giving me a fucking headache," came the feral voice in her ear.

Kagome interrupted her screaming to look up into the face of Inuyasha, seemingly flying parallel with her. That is, until it dawned on her that he was holding her, one hand hooked under her knees and the other on the small of her back. Surprise rapidly replaced terror on her features…he looked so calm, like he had the entire situation under control. Which, by the looks of things, he did, she amended, noting how she was no longer free-falling but actually flying in a controlled direction. He had caught her, she realized.

"…I said I wouldn't drop you," the hanyou added, turning his gaze ahead and scanning the floor for a place to land.

This caught her off-guard. For a moment, the dog-boy had sounded almost…no, she had to be imagining things as a direct result of all the panic she had experienced. What would he care if she trusted him or not? They were companions of necessity…not …not friends…

They landed gracefully on an open spot of exposed floorstone. From there, Inuyasha leapt cautiously to the next patch, and the next, and then finally to the elevated platform that formed the end of the passage: tan stone like the rest of the labyrinth, and roughly twenty feet wide.

The hanyou gave the stone a searching glance before letting Kagome down and onto her own two feet. The girl looked about cautiously before heaving a relieved sigh, noting the symbols marking the floor. It looked like they had reached safety…until the next trap or danger they encountered, anyway.

"That bastard Naraku really didn't want to make this too easy, did he?" Inuyasha commented, tossing his white hair over his shoulder nonchalantly.

Kagome nodded in agreement, brushing her own dark bangs out of her eyes before turning to investigate their surroundings further. There was nothing on the platform other than their two selves…no traps, no boxes of unused food rations (wishful thinking on her part)…nothing…

That is, except for a simple wooden ladder, pushed back against the farthest wall and half-hidden in the shadows. The torchlight that illuminated the rest of the passage didn't reach far enough, making the shade in the corners even darker and gloomier by comparison, meaning that the girl was unsure as to if she was seeing something real or imagined.

Inuyasha noticed the direction of her gaze and, striding across to the wooden frame in three steps, tested it for stability. Finding it suitable, he nodded once in approval.

"This should take us up to roughly where we want to go," he stated confidently. He then stepped back and indicated the ladder with a wave. "You go first."

Kagome blinked. "…Wha…why!?" she asked defensively, wondering what exactly awaited her at the top…what could possibly be a force strong enough to urge the hanyou to act gentlemanly all of a sudden?

"Cause that way, I can make sure nothing happens to you, wench!" Inuyasha retorted, hands on his hips in an intimidating manner, "I didn't save your fucking neck just to lose the best lead I have to the Shikon no Tama because the ancient piece-of-shit ladder broke!"

The girl was just about to retort before thinking better of it and, turning to the ladder, gripped the rungs that came easiest to hand firmly. Then, just as she was about to hoist herself up and begin climbing, she suddenly let go and turned quickly to the hanyou with an accusing look.

"Show me your hand," she demanded, her tone one that left no room for argument.

The dog-demon looked taken aback for a moment before complying, expression one of puzzled indifference.

Kagome huffed. "Not that one…the other one!"

This time, Inuyasha was much slower to succumb to her request. "What the hell does it matter to you anyway, bitch?' he asked accusingly.

His scowl immediately changed to a wince of pain when she leapt forward and seized his hand in her own, turning it to reveal a bloodied palm.

The yellow-amber eyes shifted aside uncomfortably, avoiding her demanding gray gaze. "…had to slow myself down…" he mumbled, "…what the hell are you doing!?"

Kagome wasn't listening. Instead, she was tearing a strip of cloth from what remained of her ragged skirt and uncorking the flask of water, pouring some of the precious liquid on the makeshift bandage to dampen it. She then returned the flask to the haversack and turned back to the hanyou, dabbing away the blood and bandaging the wound carefully despite his cries of protest.

"I'm not some weak human! I don't need your help-"

"Oh, stop complaining!" shushed Kagome, tying a final knot and tugging the ends securely, "It'll get infected if you don't bandage it."

"Won't! I'm a youkai! I heal faster than you pathetic humans, bitch!"

The girl was already climbing the ladder, ignoring his tirade. If he wanted to act macho, that was his problem. The truth was, she felt responsible for his injury…he had gotten it by saving her…

Suddenly, his comment came back to her, echoing inside her head faintly:

"…I said I wouldn't drop you…"

For once, she allowed herself to mull over the puzzle that was Inuyasha. There was definitely more to him than the walking anger management problem that he always presented to her…

Whether she would ever get to see the other sides of him was doubtful, and not something that should matter to her.

Nevertheless, she found herself wondering why it really did matter so much to her in the first place.

Below her, Inuyasha began climbing the ladder at a distance, the newly bandaged hand gripping the rungs slightly tighter than was necessary, its owner lost in an internal maze of thoughts deeper than the labyrinth of stone and shadow without.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Well, that's all for this chapter!^^ I hope you all like it…it came out a lot longer than I intended it to be. However, I feel you guys deserve it for being so patient with me. As always, school is a great delayer of updates. Hopefully, nothing was too confusing, though I have a feeling there will be more than one person that goes away from this segment with a large quotation mark hovering above their head. PLEASE review!^^ It's what fuels me to write…and what keeps me alive through the gruelling trial of school (especially Math…how that subject causes me nightmares!)

Once again, those people that absolutely hate Metallica and all related music, or just generally don't care can turn and talk amongst themselves right now.

This chapter was written almost entirely to the Metallica CD "…And Justice for All"…specifically the songs "Blackened", "One", "To Live is to Die", "The Frayed Ends of Sanity", and "Harvester of Sorrow". Mind you, I had the CD on repeat for the last half of the chapter or so…so I guess you could say that ALL the songs made it in one form or another ^^;;;

Also listened to was "No Leaf Clover" and the other overly mentioned "S&M" songs…seeing as my brother decided to be wonderfully awesome and buy me the CD for my birthday…which was the 2nd of September, if anyone cares. (shameless advertising…-_-;;;)


Another CD that figures into this is Queens of the Stone Age's "Songs for the Deaf"…especially "Hanging Tree", "First it Giveth", "Skies are Falling", and "Go With the Flow".

System of a Down figured minorly in here, too (for the most part, when my brother was playing the album while doing homework, and I was half-listening while typing ^^;;;)…mainly "Aerials", "Chop Suey", "Toxicity", "Deer Dance", and "Needles", all from the "Toxicity" album.

Oh, yes! My reply about music last time…I wasn't encouraging you to avoid buying the CD's by any of the artists mentioned…in fact, I own just about all the CDs mentioned, or am in the process of acquiring, anyway. That is the reason why I listed only official websites (except for Lycos, which I only remember using once, to tell you the truth). Also, I encourage you to visit the official sites, seeing as they almost always have something interesting for you to look at, whether it's tour dates, photos, biographies, or original songbook scans. If at all possible, support artists and their music…after all, if they can't live, how can they keep making the songs we love?

Well…that's everything I wanted to mention, I guess…hopefully, the wait for chapter 7 won't be as long, but I can't promise anything.

Next chapter will be "Chapter 7: Voices"…yes, I seem to be getting all my chapter titles from songs…in this case, the Disturbed song by the same name.

Ja ne till next chapter!

Arigato gozaimasu for reading! *bows* (_ _)

~Jurei-chan^6