Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha… real message: PLEASE DON'T SUE ME!
Brucasfanatic: Thanks, Inuyasha's tale is rather grim until the end…
Lelyn Black: Thank you for the review! We all need a happy place…
Kitsune'sangelofflames: I will try to make the chapters longer. Oh, and as to why it is called 'Oleander', you shall see… mischievous grin
Chapter 4: Strange
With Kagome…
Kagome opened her eyes. Naraku's tentacle hadn't made it to her. The Tenseiga had intercepted it. Kagome's eyes widened as she looked to the owner of the sword. Sesshomaru stood looking quite perturbed facing Naraku.
"How dare you put your filth on my lands?" he asked in a voice that had probably been the last thing many beings had heard in their lifetime. 'Why'd he come after me?' Kagome thought, 'He probably hates Naraku because of what happened to Rin… But he could've just let me die and snuck up on Naraku from behind… AGH!' Kagome's thinking was cut short by another tentacle coming at her. Instinctively, she dove to the side. 'Hey! I've got reflexes! Awesome!' She didn't have time to think, Naraku was mostly preoccupied with killing Sesshomaru, and he had spared only one tentacle for Kagome. She was suddenly very angry, though she didn't know why. 'He thinks I'm WEAK! Ok, that's the second time in one day this has happened to me! BAKA! Kagome's eyes started to glow white. This managed to catch the baka-in-question's attention.
"Kuku kuku, I will have to remember to be careful what I do with you after I get those jewel shards." Naraku spoke again, this time though, Kagome didn't shudder. She walked toward him. Sesshomaru was still being attacked by multiple tentacles, and Kagome could tell he was wearing out; there was a barely strained pull on his cold mask. Beating down tentacle after tentacle that was sent his way. Naraku still wasn't worried about Kagome; he leisurely thrust out another tentacle towards Kagome. The tentacle didn't get within five feet of her before it was purified and disintegrated. Naraku looked at her again. "Well, well, I'll have to keep this visit short…" he said with a cruel, sadistic smile. He released black miasma almost completely on to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru's eyes widened but he took advantage of Naraku's head being turned away from him, he slashed through him and the clay puppet in a baboon pelt disintegrated. The black miasma was still there it billowed around them, suffocating the both of them.. Kagome panicked. What was she going to do? Sesshomaru had just saved her life, she couldn't let him die. But she had to do something! Something inside her snapped, a huge burst of white light exploded from the small miko. Black miasma screamed and disappeared in the brightness. Sesshomaru barely withstood the energy. Then everything stopped and the dust settled. Sesshomaru saw a small figure collapse. 'Kagome,' he thought and he sped to pick her up.
As he approached the small miko, he saw that he had fainted. Sesshomaru shook her gently, she didn't wake up. He shook her harder, she still didn't wake up. He could hear her breathing, but it was very shallow. 'She expended her energy, and the little miasma left must've gotten to her mind,' Sesshomaru thought, 'Idiot human.' Nevertheless, he picked her up in his tail and one arm and started off running to the camp where he had put Jaken, Rin, and Ah-un. The Tenseiga couldn't fix this kind of damage, Kagome wasn't physically damaged, but Naraku's miasma had put her in more or less of a coma, Sesshomaru figured. He looked down at the small warm girl in his arm.
"You interest me human," he said very quietly to himself. She was falling deeper into the coma; he needed to get her to the castle quickly. He sped to the camp.
With Inuyasha…
Inuyasha could smell Naraku; his puppet's scent was everywhere, literally everywhere. Inuyasha was in the clearing where there had been a battle, possibly between his brother and Naraku. But only the scent of Naraku's awful miasma covered the area, not a trace of anything else. He growled, frustrated. He would have to find his half-brother, which he really hated doing. He sped back to Sango and Miroku.
With Sango and Miroku…
"Why does Inuyasha have to be so thick-headed?" grumbled Sango as she sat up against Kirara.
"I would imagine that Inuyasha is still very confused about which woman he's in love with." Miroku said, leaning his staff against a tree. "He must choose between his past, old love, or newer reincarnation of her. I can see how it might be confusing…" Sango sighed.
"I just wish Kikyo would be gone already. She's lived her time, so she needs to stop tormenting Kagome."
"Perhaps not, Sango," Miroku said as he looked up at the stars, "Perhaps Kikyo was put on this earth for a reason bigger than we can imagine. For something good to come out of something supposedly wrong." Sango raised her head to look at the stars.
"I hope that's the case Miroku, and please don't ruin the moment." Miroku turned and gave her a genuine smile.
"Why would I want to?"
End of Chapter
Review Please! Okay, I ended that with a little Sango-Miroku romance instead of a cliffie, but please read onward! … Once I get the next chapter up…