NOTES: Special thanks to MysticalAngel14 for the first (and, so far, only) review to my fic! This chapter holds a little more of the foundation, but things heat up a little plot-wise. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inu Yasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. So don't sue me. I have no money, k? However, this fic is MINE! ^_^ Thankies!
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The youkai thief hid downwind from the group that camped beside the well. 'Cursed wench' he thought, having heard Inu Yasha's description of the woman with the jewel shards one too many times. 'I shall take those shards if I have to wait all week!' He cursed a slight shift in the wind as he crept along just enough to be directly downwind again. Best not to have the hanyou sniff him out before he had the jewel in his grasp.
Inu Yasha smashed another stone into dust. She had been gone for two days now! "If she's not back by sundown I'm going in to get her!" He threatened to the bored faces around him. Miroku stretched, reaching his hands down behind Sango, who was unfortunate enough to sit within the monk's reach. A moment later he was just beyond her reach, sourly rubbing the hand printed onto his cheek. Shippou sighed. He missed Kagome as well, and wondered how much longer she would stay away.
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"Sayonara!" Kagome ran out the door of her home, and started towards the well. She had planned to stay in her time longer than these two short days, but her family had plans of their own and, well... she just missed her group of friends on the other side of the well. "Besides," she told herself "it's easier to deal with Inu Yasha than with the strange illnesses Grandfather places to my name." She shook her head and chuckled. By the time she had completed the jewel, she'd have taken ill to every disease known to man and beast!
She hopped over the well, and felt herself taken again to the past.
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Shippou and Inu Yasha jumped up in unison. She was back! Inu Yasha stared down at Kagome, daring her to climb up and face his wrath, while Shippou bounded down and greeted her with a hug.
'Finally...' the thief thought. He shifted once again, watching the form of the miko climbing out of the well. His prey had arrived, and he could see where she kept the shards. He could even taste his victory as he ran from his cover and grabbed the miko's strange backpack, quickly running towards the shelter of the trees as the group realized what had just happened.
"The shards!" Kagome yelped, seeing her things taken away. She heard a cry from above her as Inu Yasha leapt towards this new foe. "YOU BASTARD! THOSE BELONG TO ME!" He cut down with his claws, hoping to catch the sly youkai off-guard. The youkai grinned and ran to the right, managing to keep from getting sliced apart. Inu Yasha was quick, too, and immediately went again at the youkai, managing to make him stumble. Taking the opportunity, Inu Yasha positioned himself for a strike that would force the youkai back into the open, sealing off the immediate chance of escape.
The youkai ran just as planned, cocky with his own reputation and the shards he was pulling from the backpack, and he dropped the backpack just beside Kagome as he passed her again, heading to escape to the opposite end of trees. He chanced a glace back at the hanyou, grinning as he saw he would make it away, when he ran straight into someone.
Someone powerful.
Someone who happened to know him. "Nesumi, I see. Perhaps you still posses that which you stole from me." Cold eyes glared down at the youkai, now identified as Nesumi. Nesumi stepped back, trapped between two foes, and fumbled to remember what he had stolen from Sesshoumaru. A painting, that had been what it was. Nesumi hadn't cared what he stole, as long as it had been Sesshoumaru's. The painting had been found on a wall in the room which undoubtedly belonged to Sesshoumaru, and so had been the victim of the theft. Unfortunately for Nesumi, he had sold the painting only a month after having taken it, an excuse that the youkai lord would not accept.
Inu Yasha growled at the scene in front of him. Now he had TWO battles to fight, and neither one of his opponents seemed to be paying him any attention at all! He stalked up behind Nesumi and grabbed the shards, surprised at the lack of resistance the trembling youkai had put up. "Feh." He tossed the shards back to Kagome, who had ran over with her archery set in case she was needed. She took the case and slid it into safekeeping. She had hardly turned away when she heard a gasp of pain, and looked to see one green poisoned claw emerging from the back of the jewel thief. She shuddered at the sight.
Inu Yasha growled as he watched Nesumi's sudden death, knowing that it was his turn now to fight his half-brother. Sesshoumaru pulled his claw from the dead youkai's stomach, surveying his quick work, and cast an indifferent glace at his hanyou sibling. Inu Yasha was on guard, and his hand was on the hilt of Tetsuseiga. "I see you are still unwilling to give me that which you cannot handle." He didn't move otherwise, and he knew that Inu Yasha was waiting for him to draw his own weapon. Sesshoumaru didn't.
Inu Yasha was stricken when Sesshoumaru turned his back to him and started to walk away. Wasn't he going to try to take Tetsuseiga again? As if hearing the unasked question, Sesshoumaru spoke tiredly to the hanyou behind him. "I, Sesshoumaru, merely came to repay this thief." He motioned to the corpse. "I will take that which belongs to me another day. I, Sesshoumaru, tire of your presence now." With that he headed back and around, keeping upwind until he was at a distance, then turning towards the safe haven he had set for Jaken to watch over Rin in. It was nearly time for him to head them home again, for he had business to attend to before he could spare the time of fighting Inu Yasha once more.
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Kagome sighed in relief as Sesshoumaru left them, glad that she wouldn't have to watch Inu Yasha in another battle for the sword. As cheerfully as she could, she said "Well, now that that's over with, we can head out again for the shards!" As an afterthought, to get her hanyou's mind off of his brother, she added "Oh, we need to stay close to the well though. In... three days, I think, I have to go home again for about a week." She grinned playfully at Inu Yasha, until she heard the growl that escaped his throat.
"I-inu Yasha?" She asked, afraid of his scowl and the sound she heard coming from him. He dug his claws into his arm, and clashed his attack at the well in a fit of fury. "NEVER! I'm sick of you always disappearing into that cursed well, wench, and now you won't go back! You can't! So now, you can stay and find the cursed jewel, got it?" His growl dared her to say anything, and in her own rage, she took up that dare. "You... you... OSUWARI!" She watched him fall into the ground again, and ran towards the remains of the well. Maybe it still worked... maybe...
She looked up at the destroyed top of the well as she landed on the remains of the bottom. She knew by the sky above, and Inu Yasha's curses, that she was still in the past. He had done it. She was trapped. She felt a tear creep down her cheek, but she didn't mind it. She just stared at the ground, willing it to open up and send her home again, just one more time. She could hear the shouts above her, noting Miroku and Sango's voices arguing with Inu Yasha, and she could feel Shippou on her lap, hugging onto her, speaking words of comfort that went past her consciousness. She closed her eyes, failing to trap the tears that rushed forth suddenly. As loudly as she could, she screamed the word, and Inu Yasha fell once more, doing his best to ignore the sound of pain she hid behind the command.
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Sesshoumaru could hear the scream, and the undercurrent it held made him curious. 'It wouldn't hurt to take a look back and see what my hanyou half-brother did this time.' He gave into the curiosity without leaving his usual expression. He turned back towards the clearing, making it to the last sheltering shadows of the trees in less than a minute. 'Interesting' he thought, looking at the destroyed well. He hadn't taken the time to find out what was so important about that well, so that they had camped around it for days while the now-dead youkai thief had waited to attack. Now, however, he was more than curious. His brother's wench had gotten out of the well and was proceeding to scream every profanity a woman should never even hear, much less say, at Inu Yasha, who sat down and took it all without so much as looking at her.
"I've HAD IT!" Kagome screamed at him. "You can hunt this stupid jewel on your own!" She shot the case of jewel shards at him and spun about on her heel, running as fast as she could to get away from him. She didn't notice Sesshoumaru sidestep her as he found a safer hiding place, away from her path of travel. She ran, followed first by Shippou, then Inu Yasha, and tailed by the rest of the group as they each had their own idea who to stop. Taking into fact that Kagome was headed straight towards Rin and Jaken's hidden camp, Sesshoumaru leapt forward and ran ahead of them all, stopping just out of Kagome's sight, but being right in her way. She would stop at the sight of him, and he would leave just before Inu Yasha had the chance to spot him. He knew the wench would be occupied with his brother, and most likely she would run to a different direction to get away again.
Kagome never even saw Sesshoumaru, even though she should have. She could see clearly enough ahead of herself, however, she had her mind on the image of the well, slashed apart and ruined. She ran right into Sesshoumaru, who was for once caught by surprise at her folly. Before he could even respond (which he planned to do by sending her flying into the nearest tree) she grabbed at one of his swords, not caring which it was, and turned her back to a, yet again, shocked Sesshoumaru. She held the sword in an aggressive stance, causing all her pursuers to stop dead in their tracks. Shippou whimpered at this side of his sweet Kagome, and Miroku and Sango just shared a look of disbelief.
"What the hell?!" Inu Yasha growled at Kagome, but his face betrayed his confusion. She wouldn't really attack him... would she? He mentally smacked himself for destroying the well. He hadn't thought that in his anger he would let himself lose control like that. His pride, however, was far too stubborn to apologize, especially when Sesshoumaru stood directly behind her. That fool, didn't she know she was in danger just to have him at her back?!
Sesshoumaru refrained from striking her down, mostly in amusement of her bravery to take his sword, and in the joy of seeing his brother gape at her like the fool he was. However, he wouldn't keep completely silent either. That was below him, to let a pathetic human take advantage of him in such a way.
"Girl, do you realize that you just stole my sword? I, Sesshoumaru, shall have to pay you in kind for that." He raised his chin to glance down his nose at her. To his surprise, she didn't even turn around to look at him, though he was pleased to see a shiver run down her spine. He could smell her fear, and her anger. He even caught the scent of her confusion, and knew that even she didn't know why she held his sword against Inu Yasha.
"Kagome..." Inu Yasha took on a lighter tone of voice, controlling his anger. "You aren't safe there. Just come here and let me take care of... my brother." He growled the last words before going back to his soft tone. "We can discuss this after that. Come on, Kagome..." He tried to look pleading to her, but indifferent to his brother, and managed to mix up and send them the wrong looks in their minds.
"Leave me alone, Inu Yasha. Just go away. I'd rather serve Sesshoumaru than help you to get the jewel shards now..." Kagome spat the word 'you', trying to be as hurtful as possible; and succeeding. Inu Yasha looked stunned, then hurt. Sesshoumaru smirked, thinking that he could make use of this. "I, Sesshoumaru, shall keep you to your word, wench." All at once, he grabbed her around the waist and took his sword back from her, replacing the Tenseiga which she had taken from him. He leapt from Inu Yasha's grasp and ran at an angle from his true destination, losing Inu Yasha rather quickly. His brother's wench belonged to him now. And she had already said she would serve him. He didn't let the smile cross his lips, but had he been anyone else it would have shown.
He altered his course towards Rin and Jaken, noticing that Kagome had slumped in his arms. 'Fainted.' He registered in his mind. Somewhere back in the forest, he heard the angry growl of his half-brother, and smirked.
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NOTES: Okay, so now we're off! Tell me what you think, and please check back because this is still only the beginning! Read and review please! Thanks!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inu Yasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. So don't sue me. I have no money, k? However, this fic is MINE! ^_^ Thankies!
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The youkai thief hid downwind from the group that camped beside the well. 'Cursed wench' he thought, having heard Inu Yasha's description of the woman with the jewel shards one too many times. 'I shall take those shards if I have to wait all week!' He cursed a slight shift in the wind as he crept along just enough to be directly downwind again. Best not to have the hanyou sniff him out before he had the jewel in his grasp.
Inu Yasha smashed another stone into dust. She had been gone for two days now! "If she's not back by sundown I'm going in to get her!" He threatened to the bored faces around him. Miroku stretched, reaching his hands down behind Sango, who was unfortunate enough to sit within the monk's reach. A moment later he was just beyond her reach, sourly rubbing the hand printed onto his cheek. Shippou sighed. He missed Kagome as well, and wondered how much longer she would stay away.
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"Sayonara!" Kagome ran out the door of her home, and started towards the well. She had planned to stay in her time longer than these two short days, but her family had plans of their own and, well... she just missed her group of friends on the other side of the well. "Besides," she told herself "it's easier to deal with Inu Yasha than with the strange illnesses Grandfather places to my name." She shook her head and chuckled. By the time she had completed the jewel, she'd have taken ill to every disease known to man and beast!
She hopped over the well, and felt herself taken again to the past.
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Shippou and Inu Yasha jumped up in unison. She was back! Inu Yasha stared down at Kagome, daring her to climb up and face his wrath, while Shippou bounded down and greeted her with a hug.
'Finally...' the thief thought. He shifted once again, watching the form of the miko climbing out of the well. His prey had arrived, and he could see where she kept the shards. He could even taste his victory as he ran from his cover and grabbed the miko's strange backpack, quickly running towards the shelter of the trees as the group realized what had just happened.
"The shards!" Kagome yelped, seeing her things taken away. She heard a cry from above her as Inu Yasha leapt towards this new foe. "YOU BASTARD! THOSE BELONG TO ME!" He cut down with his claws, hoping to catch the sly youkai off-guard. The youkai grinned and ran to the right, managing to keep from getting sliced apart. Inu Yasha was quick, too, and immediately went again at the youkai, managing to make him stumble. Taking the opportunity, Inu Yasha positioned himself for a strike that would force the youkai back into the open, sealing off the immediate chance of escape.
The youkai ran just as planned, cocky with his own reputation and the shards he was pulling from the backpack, and he dropped the backpack just beside Kagome as he passed her again, heading to escape to the opposite end of trees. He chanced a glace back at the hanyou, grinning as he saw he would make it away, when he ran straight into someone.
Someone powerful.
Someone who happened to know him. "Nesumi, I see. Perhaps you still posses that which you stole from me." Cold eyes glared down at the youkai, now identified as Nesumi. Nesumi stepped back, trapped between two foes, and fumbled to remember what he had stolen from Sesshoumaru. A painting, that had been what it was. Nesumi hadn't cared what he stole, as long as it had been Sesshoumaru's. The painting had been found on a wall in the room which undoubtedly belonged to Sesshoumaru, and so had been the victim of the theft. Unfortunately for Nesumi, he had sold the painting only a month after having taken it, an excuse that the youkai lord would not accept.
Inu Yasha growled at the scene in front of him. Now he had TWO battles to fight, and neither one of his opponents seemed to be paying him any attention at all! He stalked up behind Nesumi and grabbed the shards, surprised at the lack of resistance the trembling youkai had put up. "Feh." He tossed the shards back to Kagome, who had ran over with her archery set in case she was needed. She took the case and slid it into safekeeping. She had hardly turned away when she heard a gasp of pain, and looked to see one green poisoned claw emerging from the back of the jewel thief. She shuddered at the sight.
Inu Yasha growled as he watched Nesumi's sudden death, knowing that it was his turn now to fight his half-brother. Sesshoumaru pulled his claw from the dead youkai's stomach, surveying his quick work, and cast an indifferent glace at his hanyou sibling. Inu Yasha was on guard, and his hand was on the hilt of Tetsuseiga. "I see you are still unwilling to give me that which you cannot handle." He didn't move otherwise, and he knew that Inu Yasha was waiting for him to draw his own weapon. Sesshoumaru didn't.
Inu Yasha was stricken when Sesshoumaru turned his back to him and started to walk away. Wasn't he going to try to take Tetsuseiga again? As if hearing the unasked question, Sesshoumaru spoke tiredly to the hanyou behind him. "I, Sesshoumaru, merely came to repay this thief." He motioned to the corpse. "I will take that which belongs to me another day. I, Sesshoumaru, tire of your presence now." With that he headed back and around, keeping upwind until he was at a distance, then turning towards the safe haven he had set for Jaken to watch over Rin in. It was nearly time for him to head them home again, for he had business to attend to before he could spare the time of fighting Inu Yasha once more.
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Kagome sighed in relief as Sesshoumaru left them, glad that she wouldn't have to watch Inu Yasha in another battle for the sword. As cheerfully as she could, she said "Well, now that that's over with, we can head out again for the shards!" As an afterthought, to get her hanyou's mind off of his brother, she added "Oh, we need to stay close to the well though. In... three days, I think, I have to go home again for about a week." She grinned playfully at Inu Yasha, until she heard the growl that escaped his throat.
"I-inu Yasha?" She asked, afraid of his scowl and the sound she heard coming from him. He dug his claws into his arm, and clashed his attack at the well in a fit of fury. "NEVER! I'm sick of you always disappearing into that cursed well, wench, and now you won't go back! You can't! So now, you can stay and find the cursed jewel, got it?" His growl dared her to say anything, and in her own rage, she took up that dare. "You... you... OSUWARI!" She watched him fall into the ground again, and ran towards the remains of the well. Maybe it still worked... maybe...
She looked up at the destroyed top of the well as she landed on the remains of the bottom. She knew by the sky above, and Inu Yasha's curses, that she was still in the past. He had done it. She was trapped. She felt a tear creep down her cheek, but she didn't mind it. She just stared at the ground, willing it to open up and send her home again, just one more time. She could hear the shouts above her, noting Miroku and Sango's voices arguing with Inu Yasha, and she could feel Shippou on her lap, hugging onto her, speaking words of comfort that went past her consciousness. She closed her eyes, failing to trap the tears that rushed forth suddenly. As loudly as she could, she screamed the word, and Inu Yasha fell once more, doing his best to ignore the sound of pain she hid behind the command.
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Sesshoumaru could hear the scream, and the undercurrent it held made him curious. 'It wouldn't hurt to take a look back and see what my hanyou half-brother did this time.' He gave into the curiosity without leaving his usual expression. He turned back towards the clearing, making it to the last sheltering shadows of the trees in less than a minute. 'Interesting' he thought, looking at the destroyed well. He hadn't taken the time to find out what was so important about that well, so that they had camped around it for days while the now-dead youkai thief had waited to attack. Now, however, he was more than curious. His brother's wench had gotten out of the well and was proceeding to scream every profanity a woman should never even hear, much less say, at Inu Yasha, who sat down and took it all without so much as looking at her.
"I've HAD IT!" Kagome screamed at him. "You can hunt this stupid jewel on your own!" She shot the case of jewel shards at him and spun about on her heel, running as fast as she could to get away from him. She didn't notice Sesshoumaru sidestep her as he found a safer hiding place, away from her path of travel. She ran, followed first by Shippou, then Inu Yasha, and tailed by the rest of the group as they each had their own idea who to stop. Taking into fact that Kagome was headed straight towards Rin and Jaken's hidden camp, Sesshoumaru leapt forward and ran ahead of them all, stopping just out of Kagome's sight, but being right in her way. She would stop at the sight of him, and he would leave just before Inu Yasha had the chance to spot him. He knew the wench would be occupied with his brother, and most likely she would run to a different direction to get away again.
Kagome never even saw Sesshoumaru, even though she should have. She could see clearly enough ahead of herself, however, she had her mind on the image of the well, slashed apart and ruined. She ran right into Sesshoumaru, who was for once caught by surprise at her folly. Before he could even respond (which he planned to do by sending her flying into the nearest tree) she grabbed at one of his swords, not caring which it was, and turned her back to a, yet again, shocked Sesshoumaru. She held the sword in an aggressive stance, causing all her pursuers to stop dead in their tracks. Shippou whimpered at this side of his sweet Kagome, and Miroku and Sango just shared a look of disbelief.
"What the hell?!" Inu Yasha growled at Kagome, but his face betrayed his confusion. She wouldn't really attack him... would she? He mentally smacked himself for destroying the well. He hadn't thought that in his anger he would let himself lose control like that. His pride, however, was far too stubborn to apologize, especially when Sesshoumaru stood directly behind her. That fool, didn't she know she was in danger just to have him at her back?!
Sesshoumaru refrained from striking her down, mostly in amusement of her bravery to take his sword, and in the joy of seeing his brother gape at her like the fool he was. However, he wouldn't keep completely silent either. That was below him, to let a pathetic human take advantage of him in such a way.
"Girl, do you realize that you just stole my sword? I, Sesshoumaru, shall have to pay you in kind for that." He raised his chin to glance down his nose at her. To his surprise, she didn't even turn around to look at him, though he was pleased to see a shiver run down her spine. He could smell her fear, and her anger. He even caught the scent of her confusion, and knew that even she didn't know why she held his sword against Inu Yasha.
"Kagome..." Inu Yasha took on a lighter tone of voice, controlling his anger. "You aren't safe there. Just come here and let me take care of... my brother." He growled the last words before going back to his soft tone. "We can discuss this after that. Come on, Kagome..." He tried to look pleading to her, but indifferent to his brother, and managed to mix up and send them the wrong looks in their minds.
"Leave me alone, Inu Yasha. Just go away. I'd rather serve Sesshoumaru than help you to get the jewel shards now..." Kagome spat the word 'you', trying to be as hurtful as possible; and succeeding. Inu Yasha looked stunned, then hurt. Sesshoumaru smirked, thinking that he could make use of this. "I, Sesshoumaru, shall keep you to your word, wench." All at once, he grabbed her around the waist and took his sword back from her, replacing the Tenseiga which she had taken from him. He leapt from Inu Yasha's grasp and ran at an angle from his true destination, losing Inu Yasha rather quickly. His brother's wench belonged to him now. And she had already said she would serve him. He didn't let the smile cross his lips, but had he been anyone else it would have shown.
He altered his course towards Rin and Jaken, noticing that Kagome had slumped in his arms. 'Fainted.' He registered in his mind. Somewhere back in the forest, he heard the angry growl of his half-brother, and smirked.
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NOTES: Okay, so now we're off! Tell me what you think, and please check back because this is still only the beginning! Read and review please! Thanks!