Chapter 14

Sesshomaru knew he was in trouble when Kimi's spell broke and Inuyasha was swept out of the garden by his friends. He felt the entire magic web of the palace and grounds heave and settle back into place, vibrating wildly. Kimi would have to be dead not to notice it.

His human emotions went into full force then, making the idea of hiding seem very appealing. His demon mind screamed at him, telling him that he was Lord Sesshomaru and he did not need to hide from some witch. Shippo had noticed the flux as well and was looking distinctly worried.

"Do you think she'll be mad?" he whispered.

"I know she will be," he answered, fighting the urge to pace. What were they going to do? What would she do if she learned what they knew? He didn't want to think about it.

"Inuyasha!" they heard, and the sudden shout made them both jump. She was calling him, using all of the coercion she had. "Inuyasha! Come here! Inuyasha!"

Kimi rounded the corner and spotted them. "Where is Inuyasha?"

"He's gone," Sesshomaru said, pointing the way they had flown. "They came and took him."

"Who?" she demanded.

"A group of people," Sesshomaru said. "I didn't really see them all that well." That was somewhat the truth, he really hadn't. He didn't have to say that he'd seen them before.

"Why would they take him and not you?" she asked suspiciously.

Sesshomaru snorted, allowing his contempt for her to show. "Inuyasha and I were never close. You couldn't possibly think that we would share friends, could you?"

She glared at him, but she didn't have anything to say. He was right, after all.

"Where is Kagome?"

"They took her, too," Sesshomaru said, shrugging.

"You mean she and Inuyasha knew each other?" she almost wailed. "And I let that girl in here without a second thought?"

Sesshomaru thanked every spirit watching out for him that he felt no coercion to answer either question. If Kimi knew that he knew Inuyasha and Kagome had known each other previously, then he was one dead demon.

Sesshomaru held his breath as she suddenly swept away, no doubt heading to her spell room to try to repair the damage that Inuyasha's escape had made to the web. As soon as she had swept inside the palace, he sank to the ground in relief. Feeling a strange sensation in his hands, he looked at them, trying to figure out what was the matter. They were shaking. He clenched his hands into fists, trying to ignore the fluttery feeling in his stomach as he forced himself to take deep breaths. Why did that woman frighten him so much?

"Want one? It'll help with the shakes. I've gotten them, too." Shippo asked, holding something out to him. He looked and saw the little kitsune held out a bowl full of sakuramochi, sweet rice cakes.

"Where did you get those?" he asked, surprised.

"The kitchen," Shippo told him, smiling. "Where else?"

Sesshomaru smiled and helped himself to one, enjoying the sweet flavor. He would never admit it, but he liked sweet things. When got back to Jaken and Rin, he planned on having something sweet for them, as a thank you for waiting.

Space

Inuyasha covered his bowl, waving away the spell-breaker's offers of third helpings. He was quite full, and he was sure that if he ate anymore, he'd either be sick or explode. They had introduced themselves, and they learned her name of Kioko. Now Kioko was pouring tea for all of them, and asking what had brought them there.

"We came for your help, Lady Kioko," Miroku said. "We heard that you were a spell-breaker."

"That I am," she assured them. "What can I do for you?"

"Could you break the spell on me?" Inuyasha asked, suddenly desperate to be his normal self again.

She looked at him. "There's a spell on you?" She leaned closer, looking at him very carefully, and her eyes widened. "Ah. Kimi's work."

"You know about her?" Sango asked, looking up from her tea.

"Of course I do," Kioko told them. "She's my sister."

Everybody stared at her.

"We grew up in that palace together and learned our mother's magic, but she was more interested in manipulating people with it than in helping them." Kioko shook her head. "I should have been more careful and watched her more closely. She managed to drive me out some years ago, and only a few months ago she managed to take my son from me and bind him to her will. Now he lives only to do her bidding, tracking demons down and kidnapping them."

"Tala?" Inuyasha said, thinking of the wolf youth.

"You've met him, then?" Kioko asked, fixing her gaze on him. "How does he fare?"

"He seemed all right," Inuyasha said. "He looked well, but all he really talked about was his 'mistress.'"

Kioko nodded, sighing sadly.

"Could you break the spells she's put on Inuyasha?" Kagome persisted, suddenly worried.

"Of course, child," Kioko said, regarding Kagome with a wise air. "It will only take me a few moments to mix up a potion, but with this spell, you'll have to do something to make it break, little one."

"Like what?" Inuyasha asked, more eager than ever to be rid of the spell now that a cure was in sight.

"Why, something that a grown-up you would do, rather than a child you," she said, taking ingredients out of a covered basket and checking them. She turned and looked him in the eye. "Are you sure that you want to break it? I'd take good care of you, you know."

Inuyasha wasn't sure what made him do it, but he got up and hugged her. "I'm sure, lady. Having me this way would be like lying to yourself: I'm not a child that needs to be taken care of, and pretending to be would drive me mad and only sadden you. It wouldn't be fair for you, Lady Kioko. I'm certain that the spell needs to be broken."

She smiled, patted his hands, and set about to making the potion. While she chopped, measured, steeped, and stirred, she told him to think of something that his child self would never do but that his adult self would do. He thought about it, wishing that he could think of it, but each new activity he thought of seemed better to his child self. What could he do?

"Have you thought of something?" Kioko asked as she poured the potion into a cup.

His ears drooped. "I can't think of anything!" he cried as Kagome sat down next to him.

"I think I can," Kioko said and leaned down to whisper in his ear. He listened and smiled, nodding when she asked him if that would work.

"Good," she said, handing him the potion. "Drink it down and then do it."

"What'd you think of, Lady Kioko?" Kagome asked as Inuyasha gulped the potion down.

"This," Inuyasha said, jumping up and giving Kagome a kiss on the lips.

Everyone stared at them, Kagome and the little Inuyasha. She had once described him as a cold fish, but it looked like he had warmed up awfully quick. Miroku began counting, trying to keep track of how long the kiss was lasting, and smiled when he reached twenty. Inuyasha ended the kiss and leaned back, smiling, and suddenly, he started growing. Before their eyes he shot up, his hair grew longer, and his clothes regrew themselves to fit him. He looked like his old self.

He looked at Kagome and smiled at the surprised and pleased expression on her face, but then made a very big mistake. He opened his mouth. "How's that for a cold fish, huh, Kagome? Try to keep yourself under control, now."

Kagome's face suddenly looked like storm cloud. "SIT!"

"He had to say it," Miroku said as Inuyasha's face met the floor.

"Oww," Inuyasha complained as the spell let him up. "What'd you do that for, huh? I was just joking with you!"

She glared at him. "SIT!"

"Any chance of your breaking this spell?" Inuyasha pleaded as the spell let him up again.

"I'm afraid I can't, child," Kioko said, trying vainly to hide the amusement in her voice. "It's too strong a spell."

"You've gotta be-" he started saying, but Kagome's "SIT!" interrupted him.

"Kagome!" he shouted, trying to get her to quit.

"You jerk! SIT!" she snapped at him. "You ruined every bit of atmosphere in this place!"

Atmosphere? That thing she wanted between Miroku and Sango? Was that what she was so upset about? He peeked at her from his spot on the floor, seeing her fold her arms across her chest and glare at her feet. He stayed where he was, not wanting her to do it again. He'd liked not being 'sat' every few minutes while at Kimi's, but he liked being around Kagome more. What to do?

"Apologize, you little fool," Kioko whispered to him.

Inuyasha cautiously got up, sat on his haunches, and sidled up to Kagome. "Would it help if I said that I was sorry I was such a jerk?" he asked, half ready to duck and cover just in case she decided to 'sit' him again.

She looked at him, and he dropped to the floor so fast that she was surprised. Anticipating being 'sat,' huh? She smiled, and tweaked one of his ears. "Of course it would," she said, helping him up.

"Well, glad to see you two made up," Sango said, smiling. "Now what do we do?"

"We do the obvious, of course," Kagome said, looking at each of her friends in turn. "We take Kimi down and rescue Tala!"

Kioko stared at her. "Do you truly mean it, child?"

"Of course," Kagome assured her. "We can't let her keep doing this to people! We have to stop her, and we have to rescue Tala."

"I'm willing," Miroku said as Sango nodded.

"Hey, Kagome," Inuyasha said, sounding worried. I wonder if this would work, he thought as she looked at him. "Sit!"

She glared at him, not in the least affected. "Scared?"

"No, just trying to make you see reason!" he countered. "How can we be sure we can defeat her?"

"We owe Lady Kioko," she hissed at him. "If you're not going to be a gentleman and help her, I'll make you be one! We're going to take her down!"

"How?" he asked. "I don't even know where to start! We could end up messing up the whole thing!"

"Oh, we'll think of something," Kioko said. "I know all the ways she works in, don't worry."

"Yeah, but-"

"SIT!"

Everyone sighed. If only Inuyasha would admit that he was just the slightest bit scared.