Happy 4th of July everyone! YAY! ... I can't believe I'm sitting in my room
doing nothing on the fourth of July... Oh, well!
Review responses:
Songbird21: Oh... Well that's good that you weren't mad! : ) Thanks for pointing out the problem! It's a big help to me when people do that! Thanks for reviewing some of my other stories, too. And just so you know, I won't be continuing the side story of IYMTP... Sorry...
ChibiYugiYasha: Thanks for the review!
Lost Darkness: :) Thanks for the review! Talk to you soon?
NefCanuck: Don't worry, Naraku's party gets crashed. And Naraku gets a booboo in the process... XD ::cracks up laughing:: HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!! I'm okay...
Kristen Sharpe: Yeah... I do tend to go a little fast when writing... Sorry about that. Anyway, you haven't told me what your guess is on the Shikon no Tama. It might be right! Anyway, I think it's revealed in this chapter, so if you were right, tell me, and if not, tell me what your guess was, anyway. Please?
forever dark priestess: Thanks for the review! And don't worry, I understand what you mean. I think you'll like this chappie!
LadyRainStarDragon: Sorry if I kept you waiting too long!
BlackX: That's okay! I don't mind. Much. XD Thanks for the review!
WolfKeeper989: Thank you for the review!
punkkagome: XD Don't worry, I've written whole CHAPTERS when I've been half asleep and they probably weren't the best, either.
BakaBokken: XD Thanks for the amusing review!
Lint Ball of Doom: Yes, I do like your fic that much and you're just going to have to live with that! (That shouldn't be too hard, ne?) Don't worry, I think we all like to mess with Inu a little bit... MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Please update your fic soon!
Dragon Man 180: Don't worry, Naraku gets what's coming to him... MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
MirokuHoushi: ::sweatdrop:: Sorry about that... I thought that motorcycles would be perfect roles for Hachi and Kirara, seeing as they're mainly used for transportation anyway.
remix-69er: YAY! I'm glad you liked that chappie so much! I'm sorry for leaving you hanging so long!
Duragan: You made it up? That's weird, 'cuz my friend does the exact same thing! Freaky... Thanks for the review!
Kagome: Don't worry, I always finish my fics, no matter what! Thanks!
Defefaeth Mechqua: XD Amusing review...
Tippi: Yeah, Shippo is overlooked a lot, but not as much as Kirara!
dragon's kitty: Thanks for review! See you soon, maybe? (oh, and Chopsticks? You are being ignored)
gilbertfan: I made you cry?! Really?! Wow... WHAT?! You're not continuing your fic?!?!?!?! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Why?!
dog-eared hanyou: Don't worry, they'll get Inuyasha back. Do you really think I'm evil enough not to? (Probably)
Happy Youkai: Of course! (See previous review response)
Kitsune Kinu: XD You have a boyfriend like Miroku? I feel sorry for you... Or maybe I should feel sorry for him! XD
Disclaimer: Oo I don't believe this... ::walks off::
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Chapter 7: Turnabout
----------
It took a while for Miroku, Sango, and Kagome to find Naraku's campsite. They kept having to stop in order to find which direction he had gone. Despite the size of his group, they had kept their trail hidden well. And the thick overgrowth wasn't helping, either.
"Hey, Sango. You doing okay?" Kagome inquired.
Sango was crouching on the ground, inspecting the trail once again. "Sure. I wish there was a little more light, though. At this rate, it'll take all day to find Naraku, assuming he's stayed in one spot.
With a sigh, Kagome glanced at the forest ahead. To her confusion, she saw a soft pink glow a little way up ahead.
"Hey, Sango? What's that light over there?"
"Hm?" Sango stood and followed the direction of Kagome's gaze. "I don't see anything."
"Me neither," Miroku commented.
"What? Are you serious?" Kagome looked once again at the pink light and wondered if she was hallucinating.
Sango bent down and studied the ground once again. "Well, whatever you're looking at, it's in the same direction Naraku went."
Sango jumped onto the motorcycle again and they sped off towards the light Kagome had seen. Soon, a small amount of trailers came into view. It wasn't hard to pick out Naraku's, seeing as it was the largest and newest-looking of the bunch. They figured Inuyasha would be in there. As they approached, Sango pulled out a small explosive and threw it at the trailer's wall.
----------
It felt like Naraku had been whipping him for hours, though it had actually only been about thirty minutes. His back and chest felt numb by now, but he still glared at Naraku with all the defiance and determination he had left.
Naraku chuckled. "Do you think your girl will come for you? Fool. Nobody cares for you. You are alone."
Naraku raised the whip once more but never had a chance to bring it down because the wall next to him exploded inwards, creating a gaping hole in the side of the trailer. Sango hit the off-guard Naraku with her boomerang, knocking him unconscious, as hers and Miroku's motorcycles sped through the hole into the large trailer. The unconscious Naraku fell to the floor. Sango and Miroku leapt off their motorcycles and began working on freeing Inuyasha. In the confusion, Inuyasha failed to notice who his rescuers were. He was only happy that his torment was over and that he was getting a second chance at freedom.
Together, Sango and Miroku set Inuyasha on the back of Miroku's motorcycle. Sango quickly gathered the bundle of cloth that was Inuyasha's shirts and hopped back onto her motorcycle. They turned around and zipped out the hole in the trailer wall, barely missing the confused employees that had begun to gather there. A few of the ones that showed vague signs of intelligence pulled their guns out and began shooting at them. Too bad they had already disappeared into the forest.
----------
Miroku and Sango stopped their motorcycles in a secluded area of the forest. It was where Miroku and Sango had made camp while they were searching for Inuyasha. Sango dismounted her motorcycle and gently helped Kagome down. Miroku began to help Inuyasha down from his motorcycle. It was then that Inuyasha realized who his rescuers were. He bit down on Miroku's hand, causing Miroku to let go of him, and then ran off into the forest.
Miroku gaped at the now-bleeding fang-marks in his hand. "He... bit me. Ew..."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome called into the forest. "Great! I'd better go get him," she said with a sigh.
Sango nodded. "I was expecting this to happen. Do you want us to come with you?"
"No, thanks. He probably doesn't know you're trying to help him yet."
"Good point. Be careful."
It wasn't hard to figure out which way Inuyasha had gone. There was a small trail of blood leading through the woods. She eventually found him huddled next to a tree. As she approached, his ears perked up and he looked in her direction. His eyes were full of relief, but also guilt.
'Probably because he thinks he left me behind,' she thought.
She sat down next to him and smiled reassuringly. She could have sworn she saw the corners of his mouth turn up even a fraction of an inch.
"You okay?" she asked.
Inuyasha gave her the usual defiant glare even though she could tell he was in pain.
'Well, at least he's still the same in spirit.'
Then she remembered.
"Inuyasha! You said my name!"
Inuyasha jumped at her sudden outburst.
"Don't you remember? You said my name! How?"
Inuyasha shrugged.
Kagome gaped.
'Did he just... shrug?'
"Inuyasha, you may have a chance of becoming human again." She glanced at the whip-marks. "But first, let's get you fixed up, k? Now listen. Those two bounty hunters that captured you, they feel bad about what they did and want to help us."
Inuyasha gave her a look that said "You're joking, right?"
"Besides," she continued, "Naraku cheated them out of their money and they had to help me rescue you to get back at him."
Inuyasha's disbelieving look faded. Kagome smiled.
"So, shall we head back?"
----------
"She's been gone for quite a while, Miroku. Do you think she's all right?"
Miroku didn't respond. All he did was stand over his motorcycle, grumbling about how Inuyasha had gotten blood all over the seat.
"Miroku! Are you even listening to me?!"
Miroku turned around. "Hm? Did you say something?"
Sango sighed and rubbed her temples.
"What's wrong, Sango?"
That was it! Sango was about to boot Miroku to Kingdom Come when Kagome stepped out of the woods followed by a slightly hesitant Inuyasha.
"Kagome! We were starting to worry about you!"
"We were?"
Sango shot a glare at Miroku. "Well I was, anyway."
Kagome smiled. "See, Inuyasha? They're really not that bad if you get to know them. And if your picture isn't on the front of a reward poster." She giggled. "Now let's get those wounds cleaned up."
Sango led them to a small stream and handed Kagome a couple of hand towels and a first-aid kit, then left. Kagome kneeled down on the bank next to the still shirtless Inuyasha.
'If he were normal, he'd probably have girls paying to date him," she thought. She idly wondered if she would be one of them before taking one of the hand towels and dipping it into the icy stream-water. Pulling it back out, she wrung the extra water out and began scrubbing the dried blood off of Inuyasha's back. The still-fresh scores began bleeding again. Kagome frowned as the towel was stained slightly red. She rinsed it out in the stream and repeated the process. When she finished with his back, she moved to his front side. As she worked on cleaning his chest, she tried desperately to hide the furious blush on her cheeks, not realizing that Inuyasha was doing the same.
'What's with me?!' she thought. 'I didn't have this problem with washing him the first time!'
Once Inuyasha was relatively clean, Kagome dug trough the first-aid kit Sango had given her and pulled out a small bottle of anti-bacterial soap. She applied some to Inuyasha's back and began rubbing it on as gently as she could. Inuyasha flinched as the soap came in contact with his wounds, but allowed Kagome to continue. Kagome quickly rinsed the soap of with the wet towel and then dried him off with the remaining towel. She rubbed a medical salve on his wounds to help them heal. She pulled out a roll of bandages and gently bandaged his back and chest.
"There!" she said, satisfied. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad I took health class."
She picked up his haori and undershirt and helped him back into them. Satisfied, they headed back to camp.
Sango was fixing dinner for them by the time they got back.
"Oh, wow! That smells great, Sango!" Kagome said.
"Thank you," Sango smiled. "I don't usually go to this sort of trouble, but I couldn't serve our guests food from a can."
"I like canned food," Miroku pouted, earning a hit over the head from Sango's boomerang.
----------
"So," Kagome said after dinner. "How long have you been a bounty hunter?"
"Ever since I was little," Sango replied with a grim smile. "My family was killed in a fire when I was six and my brother just four. I made it out alive, but I have a burn scar from the fire on my back. After that, I was taken in by a nice family... of bounty hunters." Sango laughed a little, but sadly.
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, don't worry about it."
"What about you, Miroku?"
"I was raised by some drunk old 'priest,' if you can call him that. I suppose you could say he didn't have the best influence on me."
"And then we met," Sango said. "I was looking at a reward poster and I could tell right away that I couldn't do it alone. Then I noticed someone standing next to me. It was Miroku. He, too, was looking at the poster. Then his eyes met mine, and then..."
"Then what?" Kagome urged.
"He groped me."
"Huh?"
"Well..."
Kagome shrieked. Something was touching her butt. She turned around and smack whatever it was.
"Miroku?!"
Sango stared at the huge, red hand mark on Miroku's face and slowly started applauding her new friend. "Well done, Kagome! You learn quickly!"
"Is that what he did to you when you first met?"
Sango sighed and nodded.
"But I simply could not resist," Miroku said. "You understand, right, Kagome?" He took her hands in his. Sango reached for her boomerang.
"Uh..."
"Kagome... Will you bear my child?"
WHACK! SMACK! WHAM!
Miroku was simultaneously hit over the head with Sango's boomerang, smacked by Kagome, and tackled by Inuyasha who had gone unnoticed up till now.
"Owee..." Miroku fell to the ground unconscious.
Sango sighed and covered him with a rather flimsy blanket. "We better get to bed now," she said.
"Huh? But I've got to get home!"
"Don't worry Kagome. Miroku and I will be happy to give you a ride in the morning."
"Really?!"
"Really." Sango brought out three more blankets. She handed two of them to Kagome. "Here. They're not much, but it's all I have to offer. There's one for Inuyasha, too."
Kagome thanked Sango and gave one of the scrawny blankets to Inuyasha who happily buried himself underneath it. Sango quickly settled in, too. Kagome arranged her backpack as a pillow and lay down as well.
----------
Kagome shivered under the small blanket. It was FREEZING and the blanket was doing little to help her. Her teeth chattered and she clenched her eyes shut while trying to keep warm. Suddenly, she felt another blanket being draped over her.
'Huh?'
She looked up just in time to see Inuyasha lie back down without a blanket.
----------
Review please! I gotta go now! Bye!
Review responses:
Songbird21: Oh... Well that's good that you weren't mad! : ) Thanks for pointing out the problem! It's a big help to me when people do that! Thanks for reviewing some of my other stories, too. And just so you know, I won't be continuing the side story of IYMTP... Sorry...
ChibiYugiYasha: Thanks for the review!
Lost Darkness: :) Thanks for the review! Talk to you soon?
NefCanuck: Don't worry, Naraku's party gets crashed. And Naraku gets a booboo in the process... XD ::cracks up laughing:: HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!! I'm okay...
Kristen Sharpe: Yeah... I do tend to go a little fast when writing... Sorry about that. Anyway, you haven't told me what your guess is on the Shikon no Tama. It might be right! Anyway, I think it's revealed in this chapter, so if you were right, tell me, and if not, tell me what your guess was, anyway. Please?
forever dark priestess: Thanks for the review! And don't worry, I understand what you mean. I think you'll like this chappie!
LadyRainStarDragon: Sorry if I kept you waiting too long!
BlackX: That's okay! I don't mind. Much. XD Thanks for the review!
WolfKeeper989: Thank you for the review!
punkkagome: XD Don't worry, I've written whole CHAPTERS when I've been half asleep and they probably weren't the best, either.
BakaBokken: XD Thanks for the amusing review!
Lint Ball of Doom: Yes, I do like your fic that much and you're just going to have to live with that! (That shouldn't be too hard, ne?) Don't worry, I think we all like to mess with Inu a little bit... MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Please update your fic soon!
Dragon Man 180: Don't worry, Naraku gets what's coming to him... MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
MirokuHoushi: ::sweatdrop:: Sorry about that... I thought that motorcycles would be perfect roles for Hachi and Kirara, seeing as they're mainly used for transportation anyway.
remix-69er: YAY! I'm glad you liked that chappie so much! I'm sorry for leaving you hanging so long!
Duragan: You made it up? That's weird, 'cuz my friend does the exact same thing! Freaky... Thanks for the review!
Kagome: Don't worry, I always finish my fics, no matter what! Thanks!
Defefaeth Mechqua: XD Amusing review...
Tippi: Yeah, Shippo is overlooked a lot, but not as much as Kirara!
dragon's kitty: Thanks for review! See you soon, maybe? (oh, and Chopsticks? You are being ignored)
gilbertfan: I made you cry?! Really?! Wow... WHAT?! You're not continuing your fic?!?!?!?! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Why?!
dog-eared hanyou: Don't worry, they'll get Inuyasha back. Do you really think I'm evil enough not to? (Probably)
Happy Youkai: Of course! (See previous review response)
Kitsune Kinu: XD You have a boyfriend like Miroku? I feel sorry for you... Or maybe I should feel sorry for him! XD
Disclaimer: Oo I don't believe this... ::walks off::
----------
Chapter 7: Turnabout
----------
It took a while for Miroku, Sango, and Kagome to find Naraku's campsite. They kept having to stop in order to find which direction he had gone. Despite the size of his group, they had kept their trail hidden well. And the thick overgrowth wasn't helping, either.
"Hey, Sango. You doing okay?" Kagome inquired.
Sango was crouching on the ground, inspecting the trail once again. "Sure. I wish there was a little more light, though. At this rate, it'll take all day to find Naraku, assuming he's stayed in one spot.
With a sigh, Kagome glanced at the forest ahead. To her confusion, she saw a soft pink glow a little way up ahead.
"Hey, Sango? What's that light over there?"
"Hm?" Sango stood and followed the direction of Kagome's gaze. "I don't see anything."
"Me neither," Miroku commented.
"What? Are you serious?" Kagome looked once again at the pink light and wondered if she was hallucinating.
Sango bent down and studied the ground once again. "Well, whatever you're looking at, it's in the same direction Naraku went."
Sango jumped onto the motorcycle again and they sped off towards the light Kagome had seen. Soon, a small amount of trailers came into view. It wasn't hard to pick out Naraku's, seeing as it was the largest and newest-looking of the bunch. They figured Inuyasha would be in there. As they approached, Sango pulled out a small explosive and threw it at the trailer's wall.
----------
It felt like Naraku had been whipping him for hours, though it had actually only been about thirty minutes. His back and chest felt numb by now, but he still glared at Naraku with all the defiance and determination he had left.
Naraku chuckled. "Do you think your girl will come for you? Fool. Nobody cares for you. You are alone."
Naraku raised the whip once more but never had a chance to bring it down because the wall next to him exploded inwards, creating a gaping hole in the side of the trailer. Sango hit the off-guard Naraku with her boomerang, knocking him unconscious, as hers and Miroku's motorcycles sped through the hole into the large trailer. The unconscious Naraku fell to the floor. Sango and Miroku leapt off their motorcycles and began working on freeing Inuyasha. In the confusion, Inuyasha failed to notice who his rescuers were. He was only happy that his torment was over and that he was getting a second chance at freedom.
Together, Sango and Miroku set Inuyasha on the back of Miroku's motorcycle. Sango quickly gathered the bundle of cloth that was Inuyasha's shirts and hopped back onto her motorcycle. They turned around and zipped out the hole in the trailer wall, barely missing the confused employees that had begun to gather there. A few of the ones that showed vague signs of intelligence pulled their guns out and began shooting at them. Too bad they had already disappeared into the forest.
----------
Miroku and Sango stopped their motorcycles in a secluded area of the forest. It was where Miroku and Sango had made camp while they were searching for Inuyasha. Sango dismounted her motorcycle and gently helped Kagome down. Miroku began to help Inuyasha down from his motorcycle. It was then that Inuyasha realized who his rescuers were. He bit down on Miroku's hand, causing Miroku to let go of him, and then ran off into the forest.
Miroku gaped at the now-bleeding fang-marks in his hand. "He... bit me. Ew..."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome called into the forest. "Great! I'd better go get him," she said with a sigh.
Sango nodded. "I was expecting this to happen. Do you want us to come with you?"
"No, thanks. He probably doesn't know you're trying to help him yet."
"Good point. Be careful."
It wasn't hard to figure out which way Inuyasha had gone. There was a small trail of blood leading through the woods. She eventually found him huddled next to a tree. As she approached, his ears perked up and he looked in her direction. His eyes were full of relief, but also guilt.
'Probably because he thinks he left me behind,' she thought.
She sat down next to him and smiled reassuringly. She could have sworn she saw the corners of his mouth turn up even a fraction of an inch.
"You okay?" she asked.
Inuyasha gave her the usual defiant glare even though she could tell he was in pain.
'Well, at least he's still the same in spirit.'
Then she remembered.
"Inuyasha! You said my name!"
Inuyasha jumped at her sudden outburst.
"Don't you remember? You said my name! How?"
Inuyasha shrugged.
Kagome gaped.
'Did he just... shrug?'
"Inuyasha, you may have a chance of becoming human again." She glanced at the whip-marks. "But first, let's get you fixed up, k? Now listen. Those two bounty hunters that captured you, they feel bad about what they did and want to help us."
Inuyasha gave her a look that said "You're joking, right?"
"Besides," she continued, "Naraku cheated them out of their money and they had to help me rescue you to get back at him."
Inuyasha's disbelieving look faded. Kagome smiled.
"So, shall we head back?"
----------
"She's been gone for quite a while, Miroku. Do you think she's all right?"
Miroku didn't respond. All he did was stand over his motorcycle, grumbling about how Inuyasha had gotten blood all over the seat.
"Miroku! Are you even listening to me?!"
Miroku turned around. "Hm? Did you say something?"
Sango sighed and rubbed her temples.
"What's wrong, Sango?"
That was it! Sango was about to boot Miroku to Kingdom Come when Kagome stepped out of the woods followed by a slightly hesitant Inuyasha.
"Kagome! We were starting to worry about you!"
"We were?"
Sango shot a glare at Miroku. "Well I was, anyway."
Kagome smiled. "See, Inuyasha? They're really not that bad if you get to know them. And if your picture isn't on the front of a reward poster." She giggled. "Now let's get those wounds cleaned up."
Sango led them to a small stream and handed Kagome a couple of hand towels and a first-aid kit, then left. Kagome kneeled down on the bank next to the still shirtless Inuyasha.
'If he were normal, he'd probably have girls paying to date him," she thought. She idly wondered if she would be one of them before taking one of the hand towels and dipping it into the icy stream-water. Pulling it back out, she wrung the extra water out and began scrubbing the dried blood off of Inuyasha's back. The still-fresh scores began bleeding again. Kagome frowned as the towel was stained slightly red. She rinsed it out in the stream and repeated the process. When she finished with his back, she moved to his front side. As she worked on cleaning his chest, she tried desperately to hide the furious blush on her cheeks, not realizing that Inuyasha was doing the same.
'What's with me?!' she thought. 'I didn't have this problem with washing him the first time!'
Once Inuyasha was relatively clean, Kagome dug trough the first-aid kit Sango had given her and pulled out a small bottle of anti-bacterial soap. She applied some to Inuyasha's back and began rubbing it on as gently as she could. Inuyasha flinched as the soap came in contact with his wounds, but allowed Kagome to continue. Kagome quickly rinsed the soap of with the wet towel and then dried him off with the remaining towel. She rubbed a medical salve on his wounds to help them heal. She pulled out a roll of bandages and gently bandaged his back and chest.
"There!" she said, satisfied. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad I took health class."
She picked up his haori and undershirt and helped him back into them. Satisfied, they headed back to camp.
Sango was fixing dinner for them by the time they got back.
"Oh, wow! That smells great, Sango!" Kagome said.
"Thank you," Sango smiled. "I don't usually go to this sort of trouble, but I couldn't serve our guests food from a can."
"I like canned food," Miroku pouted, earning a hit over the head from Sango's boomerang.
----------
"So," Kagome said after dinner. "How long have you been a bounty hunter?"
"Ever since I was little," Sango replied with a grim smile. "My family was killed in a fire when I was six and my brother just four. I made it out alive, but I have a burn scar from the fire on my back. After that, I was taken in by a nice family... of bounty hunters." Sango laughed a little, but sadly.
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, don't worry about it."
"What about you, Miroku?"
"I was raised by some drunk old 'priest,' if you can call him that. I suppose you could say he didn't have the best influence on me."
"And then we met," Sango said. "I was looking at a reward poster and I could tell right away that I couldn't do it alone. Then I noticed someone standing next to me. It was Miroku. He, too, was looking at the poster. Then his eyes met mine, and then..."
"Then what?" Kagome urged.
"He groped me."
"Huh?"
"Well..."
Kagome shrieked. Something was touching her butt. She turned around and smack whatever it was.
"Miroku?!"
Sango stared at the huge, red hand mark on Miroku's face and slowly started applauding her new friend. "Well done, Kagome! You learn quickly!"
"Is that what he did to you when you first met?"
Sango sighed and nodded.
"But I simply could not resist," Miroku said. "You understand, right, Kagome?" He took her hands in his. Sango reached for her boomerang.
"Uh..."
"Kagome... Will you bear my child?"
WHACK! SMACK! WHAM!
Miroku was simultaneously hit over the head with Sango's boomerang, smacked by Kagome, and tackled by Inuyasha who had gone unnoticed up till now.
"Owee..." Miroku fell to the ground unconscious.
Sango sighed and covered him with a rather flimsy blanket. "We better get to bed now," she said.
"Huh? But I've got to get home!"
"Don't worry Kagome. Miroku and I will be happy to give you a ride in the morning."
"Really?!"
"Really." Sango brought out three more blankets. She handed two of them to Kagome. "Here. They're not much, but it's all I have to offer. There's one for Inuyasha, too."
Kagome thanked Sango and gave one of the scrawny blankets to Inuyasha who happily buried himself underneath it. Sango quickly settled in, too. Kagome arranged her backpack as a pillow and lay down as well.
----------
Kagome shivered under the small blanket. It was FREEZING and the blanket was doing little to help her. Her teeth chattered and she clenched her eyes shut while trying to keep warm. Suddenly, she felt another blanket being draped over her.
'Huh?'
She looked up just in time to see Inuyasha lie back down without a blanket.
----------
Review please! I gotta go now! Bye!