Tailz: Hey everybody! Thank you all so much for reviewing last chapter! We love you!

Sanji: :Begins handing out thank you cookies:

THIS IS WHERE THE REVIEW RESPONSES BEGIN—

TrisakAminawn—You are such a sweetheart! Thank you so much for the nice long reviews! There was so much in them that I wanted to respond to….but I've got to do my homework, so I'll just respond to the bit about Sanji. See….

a) He isn't worried about what goes on in the fics because he always knows what's going to happen. He's from my imagination, so he knows it pretty well.

b) Heh…I'll let you explore that 'paradox' by yourself. -

Sanji: Well… it IS kind of weird to have me co-hosting your fics when I'm not technically 'born' yet….

Tailz: Hush, love. Okay… where were we?

c)I'm glad you enjoy the author's notes! They're so much fun….and I'm sorry I'm not adequately responding, but… you know.

Moogle—AAHHH! YOU'RE BACK! :Glomps: And with a great big review! Oh, I missed you so much…. I thought you'd gone and lefted us! -; Sorry about the cliffy, but…that's as much my style as the angstyness. You know that.

Inucrazy—So you're the one who wants to edit the chappies, huh? Well okay—starting with next chapter, you'll find them in your inbox as soon as I'm finished! (Though if you don't check fast enough, I might go ahead and post it incomplete…tee-hee. I trust you, though. Thanks!)

Everyone else: Please don't be offended that I didn't mention you. I love you all! Thanks so much for reviewing!

THIS IS WHERE THE REVIEW RESPONSES END—


"Do you think she's going to be all right?"

"Shippo, would you stop asking that already!"

"Be nice to him, Inuyasha. It's not his fault that Naraku got away."

"No, it's yours! If you and Miroku could've—"

Thwap. Inuyasha's words faded off into a continuous stream of curses hissed between gritted teeth, and footsteps approached. "Kagome-chan," whispered Sango's voice, close and directly above. "Please wake up, Kagome-chan."

As if spell-bound, the young priestess-in-training opened her eyes and sat bolt upright, flinging Shippo, who had been napping on her lap, clear across the room. Instantly the cabin grew quieter. All attention turned toward one person alone.

"Kagome!" wailed Shippo, latching around her middle. "You're okay!" The others looked up in interest and moved a little closer, blinking in surprise. The second that Shippo let go and backed away a quarter of an inch, Sango threw her arms around her friend and they laughed together. Kagome smiled. It's been so long since we've laughed… any of us.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Sango said, finally pulling away.

Kagome shook her mussed hair from her face. "Don't be so serious! It's not all that bad, is it?"

"Not that bad?" Inuyasha's silence had been weird enough, to be sure, and he had decided to make his presence known. "Not that bad? You almost got yourself killed again, you idiot!"

"Idiot? Me? I tried to warn you!" She wrinkled her nose in disdain and mocked, "'You're reading too much into this.' I told you! But nooooooo. Mister High-And-Mighty won't believe anything that he doesn't think of himself! The problem is, he can't realize anything before we're up to our ears in whatever trap Naraku's thought of." Kagome pushed back the covers decidedly and stood up, shaking her legs to wake them up and turning in a semi-circle. She was apparently ignoring—but nonetheless, enjoying—the fact that she had left Inuyasha speechless, trying to come up with a good comeback.

For a moment, everything was peaceful. Kagome's eyes scanned the room, and the triumph of besting Inuyasha faded from her face for a moment.

"Hey, guys…where's Miroku?"

Sango spoke up first. "He's just outside. Praying, last time I checked."

"Should we go find him?" Kagome asked doubtfully.

"Just leave the monk where he is." The irritated half-demon backed up against the wall with a sullen glare at the others. "He can't grope anyone while he's out there, can he?"

"Good point." Sango laughed. "Very true. But he hasn't had his breakfast…" Her face became pensive, and she added slowly, "Hey…houshi hasn't had his breakfast. Why don't I just take it to him?" She gathered a bit of foodstuffs from a nearby mat and, with a wry smile over her shoulder, called Shippo to her and left. The kitsune cast a curious eye over them before scampering out reluctantly.

Outside, a certain demon-slayer's voice rang out, slightly shaky with contained laughter: "Ohhh houuusshhiii-samaaa…."

Silence. Kagome fiddled with her fingers, and Inuyasha stared at the doorway beyond her. Finally, with hesitation evident, Kagome murmured, "So…Inuyasha…."

He looked up. "What?"

Her eyes, rising up to his face, were serious. "What happened…back in the clearing? How did you escape? We were cornered."

Inuyasha dropped his gaze. You have no idea, Kagome.

"What happened?" she repeated.

The reply took an exaggerated amount of time in its coming. "After you were hit with the poison dart…Naraku attacked. His tactics were…creative. But we escaped. That's all you need to know."

"But how?" The hanyou's mouth clamped shut stubbornly, and Kagome felt an extraordinary urge to take him by the shoulders and shake him. "How?" she pestered. "Don't you think I have a right to know?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth, probably to say that he did not think she had a right to know, but the words never left his mouth. At that precise moment, the door of the small cabin swung open with exaggerated force, and the light was blocked out by a proud figure clothed in various skins. Kagome blinked incredulously.

"K-Kouga! What are you doing here?"

"Kagome," said the wolf-demon heartily, crossing the room and gathering one of her hands into his. "You're awake! How are you feeling?"

"Fine, Kouga… but…what are…?"

"What am I doing here, right?"

"Yeah…."

"What, dog-turd didn't tell you?" His face burst into a smirk as Kagome shook her head no. "Heh. Probably still having trouble admitting that I saved his whiny ass back there with Naraku."

"You what?" Inuyasha and Kagome asked together, though the emotions behind their words were considerably different. Kagome cast a curious glance at Inuyasha before asking, slightly sardonically, "Oh, you did? Well, a certain somebody won't tell me anything, so maybe you'd like to share…er…your side of the story?"

"I'd be glad to," Kouga said joyously. "C'mon, let's go somewhere a little more… private," he said, with an exaggerated smirk in Inuyasha's direction. And with that, he lifted Kagome into his arms and strode out the door. Kouga was fast, but he could not run from the cabin fast enough to avoid hearing a furious stream of curses from the direction they were leaving.

"This'll be just fine." Kouga's sprint became a mellow stroll as they approached a rare path lined by the most extraordinary wildflowers. He picked a pretty pink one and handed it to Kagome with a chuckle. "So…what's the last thing you remember?"

"The dart," Kagome said. "Naraku knew I would figure it out. I can't figure out why he let me say so much…" She dazed for a moment, then said hurriedly, "But…when did you get there. Kouga?"

"Well," said the wolf-demon, puffing himself up indignantly, "when I got there, dog-turd had just pulled out that sword of his—"

"Tetsusaiga."

"—right, and he was screaming something—"

"Oh, wait. Let me guess. 'Die, Naraku', wasn't it?"

"Kagome," Kouga said with a raised eyebrow, "I thought you wanted to hear my side of the story."

"Oh, right. Sorry. Continue."

"Anyway, when I got there….ugh, I just wanted to kill him."

"Who, Naraku?"

"No, that stupid mutt!" The indignation was back again in full force. "I don't know what he was thinking, setting you down like that—leaving you unprotected for any of them to attack you!"

"Wait," Kagome stopped him. "Who…what 'them'? Was someone else attacking?"

"Yeah, only every one of your traveling companions." Kouga raised an eyebrow critically. "I forget you missed all of it, Kagome. Actually, I'm glad you did. It wasn't all that pretty."

"What happened?"

"Well… Naraku put every last one of them against Inuyasha, and if it weren't for me, it would've been all over for both of you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he couldn't kill any of them. They would've just kept attacking until they finally got to him. Or, worse, to you."

Kagome was silent for a long moment. Then she asked, "How did you finally escape?"

"Simple," Kouga said. "I knocked the zombie humans and that twit over the head and slashed Naraku in two. The thing is, it was just another stupid puppet…again. Around that time, that big cat demon—"

"Kirara."

"—she ran off right after we destroyed the puppet."

"Kirara's still being controlled?" Kagome gasped. "But…why didn't you chase her?"

"Chase her? We had bigger problems to worry about. We had you to worry about." He paused before adding, "Well, you and the rest of the humans. And the kitsune brat too."

"I'm surprised you two didn't kill each other," Kagome said with a small laugh. Kouga scratched his head.

"Actually… the thought didn't cross my mind. I told dog-turd to shut the hell up and worry about getting his pathetic friends somewhere safe before Naraku came back. He didn't say a thing the whole time."

The images formed by Kouga's words ran through her mind in a tizzy of color. She could see it perfectly: the both of them, crashing through a dark forest side-by-side…the idea that they had teamed up in the last moment to save everyone's life was truly ironic. Bizarre.

Kagome's expression faltered suddenly as she was broken out of her reverie. "Kouga," she gasped, and the wolf-demon stopped walking.

"I know," he said. "I sense it too. And there's blood up ahead. Lots of it." Slowly, he set her down. "Dog-turd's got to have smelled it too. Go back to the cabin and tell the other humans not to bother." With that, he dashed off in the direction they had been headed. Kagome hesitated for a split second, then turned on her heel and ran as fast as she could.

"Why do I have to stay behind?" Inuyasha muttered between clamped teeth, holding the bundle of newly caught fish with a murderous expression. Sango continued about her work of gutting and cleaning their dinner. She carefully set the fish upon the tray in Miroku's lap, and he began seasoning them with the herbs they had just picked while saying a hurried prayer for the fishes' forgiveness.

"Because, Inuyasha. If you'd just Kagome-chan what she'd wanted to know, she wouldn't have had to resort to asking Kouga."

"There, there, my friend," Miroku consoled, stuffing a green plant's squashed leaves down a fish's limp body. "Don't be jealous. We all know where Kagome-sama's heart truly lies." That remark earned him a new lump on the head and Sango an ironic chuckle.

"All right, children, play nice," she said. "We wouldn't want—"

"Sango! Miroku! Inuyasha!" Kagome's shrill voice cut Sango's sentence off cleanly. Inuyasha stopped pounding Miroku's skull in and leapt to his feet with both hands flying to Tetsusaiga. Kagome emerged from the bushes, red-faced and breathless.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha was at her shoulder in a second, all sullenness forgotten. "Is something chasing you?" Where's that stupid wolf, anyway? Did he let something happen to you?

"There's been—another—slaughter—" Kagome panted. "A village—ahead—"

"A slaughter!" Sango pulled Hiriakotsu from its resting place on the ground beside them. "Where's the village, Kagome-chan? Did you get a good look at the murderer?"

"No. J-just sensed it. K-Kouga-kun said there—there was—blood," Kagome mumbled. Her head felt light from all the running. She leaned against Inuyasha's shoulder, and his clawed hands quickly came to her sides to steady her.

"Impossible," Inuyasha said. "If there was blood, I would've smelled it from here."

"We'd better go check it out," Miroku said quietly. "Just to be sure."

The others nodded. It was agreed.

As they neared the end of the wildflower trail, Kagome stopped them with a small hand gesture.

"Here," she said. "This is about where Kouga-kun left me." Inuyasha moved to the front of the group, drawing Tetsusaiga. His face was strained.

"Kouga was right," he muttered. "There is blood up ahead. Lots of it." How could I have missed this scent before? It's dizzying…

"Get ready," Inuyasha said. "Come on, let's move together. Kagome, you and Shippo stay near the back with Miroku."

They nodded again mutely, moving together in unison with practiced precision. Inuyasha slashed away at the branches that were suddenly thick, creating a barricade, and everyone leaned forward to glance over his shoulder.

"Oh…Kami," Sango breathed.


Tailz: Ah! This chapter was so short! Sorrryyyyyyy, guys! Super-sorry… but this was a fast update. And if you hated me for my cliffy last chapter…wow, you must want to kill me now! -

:Tailz is almost impaled by a flying foon:

Tailz: OO Erm… g-guys?

Sanji: TAILZ! GET DOWN! :Dives over and knocks your authoress out of the way:

Tailz: What more do you want! I'M UPDATING! I'M WRITING THIS STUPID FANFICTION! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!

Angry mob: :Pauses in surprise, mouths hanging open:

Tailz: …..

Sanji: ….There, there, Tailzy. I know the algebra sucks, but you can't take it out on our readers! They'll get angry!

Tailz: They're already angry!

Sanji: Well, good point, but… GHAA! WHAT'S THIS!

Tailz: OOH! It's a review from Moogle:Jumps up and down in excitement: HOORAY! Hi, Moogle!

Moogle: :Blinks: I'm…in an author's note.

All: ……

Moogle: Awesome! Hiya, Sanj!

Sanji: :Moves to stand behind Tailz:

Tailz: Coward!

Angry mob: :Recovers from shock: GET HER!

Tailz: EEEP! :Runs:

Moogle: Oh no you don't! :Pulls out the ladle:

Tailz: Hooray! The ladle returns! And it's not after my head!