Author-chan's notes: MOU!!!!! I've been driving myself crazy over this story!!! If I weren't insane already, I'd be driving myself insane!!! I'll need a straitjacket pretty soon! *sigh* And this story used to be so simple. It was supposed to just be used to cure me of my writer's block for "Parties and Bets: Special Edition" and "Overseas". Instead it turns into a full-fledged novel! And I still haven't gotten over my writer's block for my other stories!
A Clean Slate
(Chapter 12: Very Well, Deal!)
Back inside Kimiko and Aki's hut with Kimiko and Yumeko
"I know it isn't much, but it's home," Kimiko said as she ushered Yumeko into the hut.
"It's wonderful," Yumeko said with a smile, "It's much better than back at my home."
"Why do you say that?" Kimiko asked, tilting her head to one side.
'Back home everything is so cold and emotionless,' Yumeko thought to herself, not saying anything out loud, 'Even the people back home are cold and empty. But here everything is bright and cheery. This is a kinder place than home…'
"Yumeko-san?" Kimiko asked when the older girl didn't answer her, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Yumeko said, shaking her head to clear it, "I was just…remembering."
"Oh," Kimiko nodded, "I'll just show you to our spare room."
***
Back in the forest with Kumo, Aki, Masato, Miho, and Inuyasha/Shiro
"How long have they been asleep?" Masato asked, looking at the unconscious forms of Miho and Shiro.
"About a few hours," Kumo answered.
"Maybe we should carry them back to the village," Aki suggested, "It's already dark, and that spider youkai might try to attack us in the cover of darkness."
"We're already far away from the youkai's layer," Masato scoffed, "It's not going to attack us anytime soon."
"Baka!" Aki yelled, hitting Masato over the head, "One mile is not 'far away'! A thousand miles, on the other hand, is!!!"
"Who ya calling a baka, freak?!!!" Masato snarled.
"You!" Aki hissed. The two humans glared at each other. Kumo sighed and turned away from the quarreling mortals. Kneeling close to Miho's slumbering form, the disguised spider youkai gently touched her face.
'Damn you mortal,' Kumo thought to himself, 'With one kiss alone you have me snared in your web. What kind of magic do you posses that causes me to give you my heart so willingly?' Miho gave him no answer to his silent question.
"Uh…" Shiro moaned. The three older boys stopped what they were doing to see the child wake up.
"Where am I?" Inuyasha asked, shaking his head a few times to clear it.
"In the forest," Kumo answered.
"Oh," Shiro yawned, "How long have I been asleep?"
"Long enough," Aki snapped. Inuyasha's eyes went wide.
"A-Aki!" Shiro sputtered, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm supposed to be here! You are not!" Aki glared at the little boy.
"Hey! You would have messed everything up!" Shiro pointed out.
"But we didn't," Masato put in, "As you can see, brat, Miho-san is safe."
"I bet you guys weren't even the ones who saved her," Inuyasha predicted, "Let me guess, Kumo did all the work."
"That's none of your business, brat!" Masato snarled.
"I knew it!" Shiro said in triumph, "Kumo was the one who rescued her!"
"Shut up!"
"Make me!"
"I will!"
"Children!" Aki said, placing himself between Masato and Shiro, "Play nice, or I'll have to punish both of you!"
"Say what?!" both Shiro and Masato shrieked.
"Before you all get into a fight again," Kumo said coolly, "Let's get Miho-san back to the village, ne?"
"What? You afraid of a tiny spider, too?" Masato scoffed.
"No, I'm more worried about Miho-san getting sick with this cold weather," Kumo replied, his voice like steel.
"Ah," Masato nodded.
***
Back in the village with Masato, Kumo, Aki, Miho, and Inuyasha/Shiro
"Home again, home again," Aki murmured to himself, "Come on. Let's take Miho-san to my hut."
"Why does it have to be your hut?" Masato muttered darkly, "Why can't it be my hut?"
"Because mine is closer, and I have a spare room, while you don't," Aki answered smugly.
"Why you!!!" Masato scowled.
"Enough!" Kumo yelled, getting between the two, "The foolishness of you two irritates me."
"Feh! If we're lucky, maybe that spider demon might you, Masato, you baka!" Shiro snarled, also annoyed.
"That might not be a bad idea," Kumo thought to himself, suddenly feeling hungry.
***
Inside the hut with Yumeko and Kimiko
"Do you need anything else, Yumeko-san?" Kimiko asked politely after she had escorted the older girl to the spare room.
"No, I'm fine," Yumeko replied, "Thank you so much for giving me a place to stay."
"Don't worry about it," Kimiko shrugged, "I don't think Onii-san will mind you being here." Then the girl exited the room, leaving Yumeko to herself.
"According to Kimiko-chan," the disguised dream youkai thought to herself, "there's a spider demon lurking around. I wonder what it wants. Most likely it's here for the Tetsusaiga. *smirk* It looks like I'm going to have some fun fighting a spider youkai. No youkai clan is getting the Fang except for the Dream clan! And I thought this trip was going to be boring!"
***
Back to Kumo, Aki, Masato, Miho, and Inuyasha/Shiro
The four males had finally stopped bickering with each other, and had made it to the doorway of Aki's hut without killing each other. Aki was humming another song from the future to himself while he carried Miho. Masato was glowering behind Aki's back while he planned the best way to kill the young magician. Kumo was getting hungrier by the minute, and he couldn't get out of his mind the fact that Shiro's suggestion of eating Masato was extremely tempting. Shiro, in the meantime, was looking up at the sky, trying to remember something.
"Singing in the rain, just singing in the rain!" Aki thought, humming the tune to the musical, "What a glorious feeling! I'm happy again…" (AN: I don't own the musical "Singing in the Rain" either!)
"Burn him and his house down or drown him in the pond?" Masato thought to himself, glaring at Aki's back, "But then again, disemboweling him isn't a bad idea either…"
"Roasted, deep-fried, or should I make him into a soup?" Kumo thought, his mouth watering at all the ideas of cooking Masato, "Raw! That's a great idea! Maybe I can even make him into sushi!"
"The sky's really pretty tonight," Shiro/Inuyasha thought, "But it isn't as pretty as Kagome. Hey, wait a second! Where did that thought come from?! And who is Kagome?"
"You're home, Onii-san!" Kimiko's voice cried, jarring all the boys out of their thoughts. The young girl ran over to the group, and was about to hug Aki, but then she saw Miho's sleeping from in his arms.
"What happened to Miho-san?" Kimiko asked, her voice concerned.
"We rescued her from the spider youkai," Masato said, butting in.
"Kimi-chan," Aki began, "Can you prepare the bed in the spare room? We're going to put Miho-san in there."
"Um, I can't exactly, um, do that, Onii-san," Kimiko said, blushing slightly. Her brother raised an eyebrow.
"And why not?" Aki asked coolly. Kimiko began fiddling with a spare lock of hair nervously.
"Because I already offered that room to a stranger who came to the village a few hours ago," Kimiko admitted.
"WHAT?!!!" Aki and Masato shrieked. Kimiko cringed.
"I guess this means that Miho-san gets to stay at my house now!" Masato said cheerfully.
"No, it means that Miho-san is going to have to share my room," Aki glared at Masato.
"HELL NO!!!!" Masato snarled. Shiro/Inuyasha and Kumo rubbed their temples.
"Why don't we put Miho in my room instead?" Kimiko suggested.
"That works," Aki and Masato murmured.
"Kimiko-chan? Who is out there with you?" a soft voice asked. The boys turned their heads to see Yumeko come out of her room. Masato and Aki's mouths dropped to the floor. Yumeko was stunning! She had her hair up in her usual bun, held together by golden hairpins. Her pale skin glowed in the light of the lamps, giving her an unearthly feel. Her hazel eyes were gentle and her rosebud lips were perfect. Yumeko blushed when she noticed Masato and Aki staring at her.
"Oh, Yumeko-san!" Kimiko chirped when she saw the other girl appear, "Let me introduce you to my older brother, Aki. In his arms is Miho-san, the woman who got kidnapped by the spider youkai. Next to them is Masato-san, another one of the villagers. The little boy behind them is Shiro-chan, and I, er, I don't know you." Kimiko pointed to Kumo.
"I am called Kumo," the spider youkai said with a bow, not taking his eyes off Yumeko.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Yumeko said politely, also bowing, "I am Yumeko."
"We know," Kumo said icily, "Aki's sister just said your name, remember?" Yumeko raised an eyebrow.
"Let's get Miho-san into Kimi-chan's room," Aki said, heading towards the room with Miho in his arms. Kimiko and Masato soon followed. Shiro/Inuyasha shrugged to himself and then walked back outside the hut for some fresh air. Yumeko and Kumo were left alone.
"Now, now, Kumo-san," Yumeko said, using her powers so that he could hear her thoughts, "I know you spider youkai weren't taught the best ethics growing up, but please, did you have to be that rude?" If Kumo had been a normal human, he would have jumped out of his skin. But since that wasn't the case, he simply glared at the dream demon.
"Thou art dream youkai," Kumo thought silently, "This one knows that thou art using thy abilities to probe my mind. I know thou hears me."
"Smart boy," Yumeko chuckled mentally, "What brings you here, spider?"
"This one's mission is of none of thy concern, dreamer," Kumo thought back icily.
"Very well then," Yumeko shrugged, "I have a proposition to make to you."
"What?"
"You keep out of my way, and I'll keep out of yours," Yumeko replied psychically, "Do we have a deal, spider youkai?"
"Very well. But if thou begins to pose as an obstacle, or a threat…" Kumo left his thought hanging, knowing full well Yumeko knew the rest of his sentence.
"And the same goes for you, spider," Yumeko thought, making sure there was steel in her thought-voice.
"Very well, dreamer," Kumo said out loud, using his deep-youkai voice. He stuck out his hand.
"Very well, spider," Yumeko said, grasping his hand. The two youkai shook, sealing the deal. But if you looked closely, both demons' eyes were aflame, as if they were trying to burn the other with their glares.
Author-chan's notes: Tired!!!! This chapter was pure torture to write! I had almost no motivation! Things should be getting better soon. Hopefully everything will weave itself into a grand master plot with an ending before I die of old age!
