Thanks to all my reviewers, Lupa Wolfe, Emerald Jewels, Kairivoosh, Taka Sheoku

Here we go!

The next day, Inuyasha led the group along a northward path, one often traveled by commuting merchants. After hours of Courtney's endless whining, Tack's clenching fists and Inuyasha's popping veins, the seven travelers took a much needed rest in the shadows of an oak's branches.

As Courtney proclaimed once again, "It's so hot I could die!" Shippou leaned over towards Miroku and said, "She's been saying that all morning! Why is she so irritating?"

The monk mused over this for a moment, stroking his nonexistent beard in thought, before answering, "I'm not quite sure Shippou. Her attitude does not, however, prevent her from being quite attractive."

The small fox demon allowed himself an exasperated sigh before stretching out on the ground, closing his eyes to take in a moment's rest. As he drank in the sun's muted warmth through the canopy of leaves, he listened to the group's companionable silence. Courtney finally shut her mouth and lay quietly on her stomach, observing a daisy with mild interest as Tack unsheathed her sword.

It was quite the mysterious thing, she thought, carved with dragons and battle scenes along its magnificent silver length. Inuyasha must have seen her staring at the blade for he commented, "That's a nice sword."

Shrugging, Tack replied, "Thanks. I really don't know how to use it, the old woman just gave it to me. I wouldn't know the difference between it and a big kitchen knife."

Raising his eyebrows, Inuyasha asked incredulously, "You mean you don't know anything about weilding it? That's weird, I wonder why the hag gave it to you in the first place."

Rolling over on her back, Tack held it above her to block the sun, observing the rays escaping over the metal's sides. "Me too."

Kagome, who'd been listening to the conversation, interjected, "Why don't you show her how to use it, Inuyasha." When met with a blank stare, she continued. "You've gotten pretty good with the Tetsuiga, maybe you could show Tack how to use her sword."

The dog demon and redheaded girl exchanged glances, shrugging silmultaneously, before Inuyasha said, "Guess it couldn't hurt."

He stood, along with Tack, and unsheathed the Tetsuiga, resting it casually on his shoulder as he walked a few paces down the length of the grassy road side. Turning to face Tack, he called, "Come at me with it!"

The redhead glanced down at the sword in her hands, looking unsurely back at Kagome. The girl offered her a reassuring smile, motioning for her to go on and try. With her hopes and dreams as incentives, Tack took off at a quick run and wondered exactly how to use the blade. Perhaps it she just swung it at Inuyasha, he'd parry it and throw a blow back at her. Deciding upon this course of action, she came within range of her mock opponent and gripped the hilt tightly, throwing all her weight into the swing.

Blade met blade as Inuyasha blocked the thrust easily with the Tetsuiga. Tack found herself virtually overpowered by the strong hanyou and grunted, twisting out of the way as only an athlete could. The dog demon was almost surprised, having expected anything but this motion, and nearly stumbled forward. He caught himself at the last minute and smirked, raising his mighty sword in ready position once more. The two met blades again, the clang echoing through the forest, and Tack raised her eyebrows at her own ability to parry.

The engraved sword held its own mightily against the much larger fang before Tack finally felt her strength waning and she narrowed her eyes, feverishly channeling strength she could only hope was there. With one mighty push, she threw off the Tetsuiga and used her sword like a fire poker, feeling as though she were attempting to spear a rather large hotdog. Inuyasha leapt backwards and used the ground as a push board, rocketing towards Tack with a great speed.

The girl saw the hanyou coming towards her and blinked, suddenly feeling an odd instinct in her gut. The sensation was almost indescribable, but Tack though of it as a great terror rising up within her, screaming with all its might for her to move. She suddenly felt as though part of her mind were pushed slightly aside and replaced by a vicious, clever, snarling beast. Tremors of shock ran through her body and she clapped a hand to her mouth where a pressure grew on her top row of teeth. Another pulsing began at her lower back and nearly caused her to kneel from the pain. It wasn't intense but magnificently dulled, like that inner headache that never goes away.

Tack cried out in surprise, her body having virtually taken on a mind of its own, and she suddenly felt her legs surge with power, moving the rest of her body roughly to the side. Inuyasha flew past her with his speed still carrying him and Tack was left for a mere moment to deal with what could only be called a transformation. Just as the overwhelming pressure seemed to reach its fullest and the redhead didn't think she could take much more, it stopped instantly, subsiding like a forgotten wind. All was deadly silent as her friends watched her warily, overcome by her distinct change in appearance, and Inuyasha seemed alight with surprised disgust.

Turning slowly around, Tack began looking herself frantically over as though searching for abnormalities and, by the lord's grace, did she find some. Where her chewed stubs of nails had once been there lay fiersome, sharpened claws a perfect match for her mouth's new inhabitants. The girl stuck her fingers frantically between her lips, searching for the source of the pain, when her skin was pricked by something sharp; she gasped. Where her normal, human canine teeth had once been, there were terrifying, sharpened fangs. Lastly, Tack reached a hand to touch where her back met her rear end and let out a shriek. She was the proud new owner of a long, bushy tail, trapped within the confines of her practice gi. The tail of a wolf.

Not unlike Courtney's outburst the previous day, Tack felt a mighty scream errupting in her throat and escaping her lips, piercing, bone chilling, blood curdling. Birds fled from the trees as the girl sank to her knees, fright overcoming her eyes. The group rushed over to her, Courtney halting some six freet from the girl, and Kagome began to speak frantically to the redhead.

"Tack? Tack, calm down, it's going to be alright," she said, attempting a soothing tone.

Tack just shook her head, oblivious to all else but her failing sanity. "What's happening to me! I...I...holy shit..."

At this point, when Miroku and Sango began discussing the possible causes in hushed tones, Inuyasha narrowed his eyes with a certain finality. "Now you don't smell human at all."

Time stood still for a moment, the grass refusing to wave, the wind declining to blow, before Tack felt all conciousness leaving her. Her eyes rolled back in her head as the stress of transforming finally caught up with her and, just before she lost touch with reality, Kaede's words echoed through her mind. Power is a wild thing, sometimes not to be harnessed. Control your abilities, but do not tempt your power. It will consume you if provoked.

After Tack fainted, Kirara graciously transformed and, under Sango's watchful eye, carried the girl dubiously on her back. Courtney walked alongside the giant cat, studying her rival with a strangely uncritical eye. Kagome watched the blonde curiously, wondering what she could be thinking. After all Kagome'd seen of her, she was certain the cheerleader would flee in terror after witnessing Tack's transformation. Surprisingly enough, she did the opposite and insisted on protecting her from falling.

Meanwhile, the others discussed the afternoon's occurance on their way to the nearest town.

"I'm sure this has something to do with what Kaede said to Tack, about awakening the wolf. But what does it all mean? She couldn't just become a wolf instanteously, this had to have been in her somewhere," Miroku reasoned.

Sango agreed. "I've never heard of anyone simply becoming a demon."

Inuyasha entered the conversation, leaving his thoughts momentarily. "It happened right when I was charging her. I wonder if it has something to do with that."

There was a brief silence, during which Kagome glanced back at Courtney. "Courtney," she began, "does Tack get in fights at school?"

Eyes never leaving Tack, Courtney responded, "All the time. She always, like, wins by a lot. Everyone's kind of afraid of her."

The others were silent for a moment, as though all thinking how lonely Tack must be. Truly, carving your way out by force left you totally alone, having scared the world away for good; Inuyasha could testify to this. Sango glanced up, observing the setting sun with a concerned glint in her eye. Turning to the others, she said, "We won't reach the next town by nightfall. We'll have to settle down for the night soon."

With a nod, Inuyasha began sniffing around for a virtually untouched area; perhaps there, the group would be safe from the many demons. When a clearing came into view, the hanyou motioned his friends to settle down and make camp, leaping away into the forest to do a quick perimeter safety check of the area. After Kirara deposited the still unconcious Tack on the ground, she padded softly towards Miroku's newly assembled camp fire and quickly set the sticks aflame. Kagome laid out her bedroll and, with Sango's help, moved Tack onto it.

Courtney stared silently into the fire, the dancing flamed reflecting in her placid blue eyes. After studying her for a moment, Kagome asked, "Courtney? Is something wrong?"

The blonde broke her deep thoughts momentarily, looking up at the concerned girl with a weak smile. "No...thank you."

Though Kagome was surprised to get such a courteous answer in response, she merely nodded with a smile of her own, returning to unpacking food from her traveler's bag. Inuyasha returned shortly after and the group at around the campfire, talking about everything and nothing for a good hour. Courtney rarely took part in the conversation, but when she did it was obvious: Courtney had changed in those two days.

At one point during the night, the blonde turned slightly around when she heard a groan. Tack turned a bit, her eyes fluttering open, and she sat up with a tentative hand on her head. Still groggy from her long sleep, she asked hoarsely, "What..."

"We were in the middle of our fight when you just kinda started..." Inuyasha began, not quite sure how to finish his explanation.

Kagome smiled, interjecting, "I think you awoke the wolf like Lady Kaede said you should because you...changed."

The redhead looked down, once more taking in her claws, tail, and the sharpness in her mouth. She held up her hand in front of the moon, watching the light hit her new nails. "Interesting," she breathed, obviously pleased.

Standing up slowly, Tack caught a passing burst of wind in her nostrils, savoring the many aromas before turning amazedly back to her friends. "I can smell everything! Like animals, food from the next town, water, everything!" The girl laughed with happiness, spinning around with her arms outstretched. The others laughed with the redhead, happy to see her up and moving once more.

"Try running," Inuyasha called from across the camp fire.

Tack looked over, puzzled for a moment, before she nodded and took a few loping steps. Unlike when she normally ran, the girl began sprinting and still felt as though she could go faster. Tapping into whatever new power she'd gained, Tack took a deep breath and rocketed forward, passing the trees at an alarming speed. She was but a blur of color whirling through the forest, her eyes the size of dinner plates, and she arrived back at the campsite swiftly, thin chest heaving with the exhiliration.

"Whoah!" she exclaimed, excited beyond anything she'd ever felt. Turning to Kagome and Courtney, forgetting her rivalry with the blonde momentarily, she asked breathlessly, "You know what I'm going to do when I get home?"

The two exchanged glances, shaking their heads. Tack grinned wildly. "Join the track team."

Both girls burst out laughing at the redhead's insinuation, ignoring the questioning stares from their friends. Tack took a seat in the circle, wary of her new chestnut colored tail, and half-smiled in Courtney's direction. "I see someone's in a good mood."

Though the blonde would normally retort with a rude comeback, she shrugged a bit, hugging her knees to her chest. "I guess I finally realized complaining and crying and wishing I was home wouldn't do anything. So, I guess I'll stop being a bitch now." Everyone could hear the joking tone in her last sentence and smiled, Inuyasha snorting slightly.

Nodding a bit, Tack said, "Nice to know. It's only taken you, what, a few years?"

Holding up her hands graciously, the blonde replied, "I deserved that."

"Damn right you did," said Tack, a bit more of a snarl in her voice than intended. Softening her tone, she continued, "But I'm willing to give you a second chance. I've...kind of been a bitch too. Which is half the reason I have no friends. The other half is those rumors you spread, but I could really care less; I don't think I want to be friends with any of the idiots at our school."

"Heh, I don't even like my 'friends.' They're more like cheerleading buddies, I wouldn't spend time with them if I didn't have to," Courtney conceeded.

Tack grinned. "Yeah, right, you love being popular. I can tell by the way you act all innocent and flirty with all the football players."

"Whatever," came Courtney's dismissive reply. "I used to be a loser, but then I got my braces off and lost a bunch of weight. They all treated me like shit before that and only picked me up later because they thought I was pretty. And soon enough I realized how stupid they were and it wasn't hard to surpass them. That's why I'm popular. And its not that great."

By this time, the others had turned away, respecting the privacy they knew the two girls needed, and were involved in a rather length discussion about Naraku. Tack snorted a bit, crossing her arms. "Not that great? I'm sure it would solve every problem I currently have. Friends, safety..." the redhead trailed off.

Courtney smiled a bit, filling in smugly, "A boyfriend?"

In response, Tack only snarled fiercely, a growling sound which rose from deep within her diaphram. It resembled a terrifying ripple of thunder, yet Courtney only lowered her eyelids a bit. "I can tell you're lonely. Even if people at school tried to get close to you, you wouldn't let them." Again, Tack said nothing, only staring deep into the fire. Courtney continued softly, "You think I'm stupid, but I'm not as dumb as you, and probably everyone else, think I am. I have my own morals and trains of thought just like the rest of the world."

The other girl lowered her eyebrows fiercely, biting back, "Morals? I'm sure they're a lot different than your average person's. For instance, I'm sure 'pick one potentially threatening girl at your school, make up rumors about her father's death and ruin her life' isn't okay in a normal person's book. If you're done proving yourself to me, I'm going to sleep. I may have awakened the wolf, but you're far from being a priestess. Take it from someone who can smell the impurity in you."

With that, the redhead laid pointedly backwards, extending her limbs until she was fully stretched out across the earth. Courtney sighed quietly, hugging her knees to her chest as she gazed placidly into the fire. Though she'd come to some conclusions about herself, she was still quite confused; she too had her demons and they were slowly catching up with her. When it came time to become the priestess she rightfully was, no doubt she would have to answer for a few things and stand up for reckoning. And the mere thought of seeing her sins was frightening. Courtney was fully aware of her "impurity."

The rest of the group exchanged glances, Inuyasha grunting a bit as he resettled himself against the tree. "I got first watch."

Everyone nodded, secretly relieved to finally sleep, and they too fell captive to slumber, Sango and Shippo cuddled against Kirara while Kagome settled in her sleeping bag. Courtney found herself virtually alone as her fellow travelers dissolved into sleep and she felt a sort of sadness capture her heart. She'd done Tack so much physical and emotional damage over the years, it would be wrong to ask forgiveness. The cheerleading captain would just have to wait until the punk was ready for some kind of friendship. And that would be quite a while.

Though this thoughts troubled her mind, Courtney felt her eyes closing almost as soon as she hit the soft earth. Tomorrow was another day, after all.

Far across the darkened lands, water cascaded down a mountain side in magnificent splendor, concealing the gaping mouth of a rank smelling cave. Within the murky expanses of the opening, voices could be heard yipping and barking angrily at one another. Yet to the trained ear, one could make out an argument between clan members, possibly caught in a meeting. A wolf tribe meeting.

All with their different colored furs, the wolves pointed accusing fingers and raised their already heated voices violently. Be they human or animal in appearance, every participator had their own opinions and grievances to potray, each as different as the next. Standing wearily before his tribe, Kouga of the wolf demons growled irritatedly to himself. He'd been trying to explain the recent disturbance in the West when, suddenly, one of the elders felt the need to open his snout and disprove the leader's theory. Not long after, the wolved erupted in a fierce argument, taking sides and yanking scruffs.

Narrowing his clear blue eyes dangerously, Kouga let out a growling roar of sorts which reverberated intensely around the cave, bringing all commotion to a quick stand still. The scuffling wolves turned with great speed towards their leader, halting all motion and forgetting their current qualms. No one was ready to face Kouga for a battle at this late hour.

The many human candles which lit the cave cast eerie shadows on Kouga's clean cut face as he barred sharp fangs at his kinsmen, summoning the silence which now captured the tribe. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted..." Several glares were shot in the direction of Hideki, the trouble making elder, who quailed under the many eyes. Kouga continued, satisfied with Hideki's punishment.

"The air's felt differently ever since this afternoon and I know it wasn't just me who felt it. There was a disturbance in the West and it had a strange smell, one I'm sure a lot of you know." Some of the elders nodded their heads wisely, validating their strong leader's assumption. "It smelled like birth, death and transformation all together and I think I know what that scent belongs to. The Kaiku Stone."

The room erupted into shouts once more, some of disagreement and some of amazement. Kouga yelled angrily, "I'm not done yet!"

When the wolved reluctantly quieted, Kouga crossed his strong arms atop his breast plate and growled. "Just let me frickin' finish. The Kaiku stone was created by the elder's 15 years ago, but I don't know why. This is where you come in, Ikasu," the wolf demon concluded, looking pointedly at an aging wolf in the front row.

Nodding his snow white head earnestly, the elder rose with great difficulty to his feet, requiring the assistance of two younger wolves to resettle at Kouga's side. Ikasu blinked his eyes tiredly, yet addressed the cave with pride in his hoarse voice. "The Kaiku Stone was created to aid Kyoujaku, a close friend of our current great leader. Kyoujaku mated with a female but, soon after they were expecting a child, the two were mortally wounded in a battle with the cat demons. Though their tribe members were able to transport them back to their den alive, the leader knew Kyoujaku and his mate would die. As was his friend's last request, the leader collaborated with a powerful human priestess and created what we call the Kaiku Stone. This stone allows one's demon powers to remain dormant until the stone recognizes they are absolutely necessary. The priestess was able to deliver Kyoujaku's child before his mate died from her wounds. Kyoujaku's last dying request was that his pup, a female, be brought up away from her own kind, lest she suffer the fate of her mother and father, dying at a young age in battle. The priestess housed the Kaiku Stone within the pup's body, concealing her demon heritage and powers until her rightful time. The pup was then sent far away to grow up as a human, unknowing of the wolf within her."

A heavy silence followed this explanation before Hideki cocked his grey face to the side in an almost haughty manner. "Why did Kyoujaku not give the pup to the leader? She should grow up as a wolf, live with her own kind. Its disgraceful, being human until some stone sees fit."

Several agreements filled the air, but Ikasu elder shook his head. "A father is solely responsible for the life of its pup and Kyoujaku wanted his daughter to grow up peacefully, away from war and destruction. During that time, the war with the cat demon tribe was expected to last for many, many years, possibly throughout our leader's lifetime. But it was our leader's great ferocity in battle which so handily won us that war."

The wolves grinned from ear to ear, fanged smiles reflecting the pride they held in their great leader; never had the wolf demon tribe been led by a wolf so deserving of his title. Hakkaku, one of Kouga's close friends, asked, "Where did the priestess send the pup? And how the hell did she do it?"

Ikasu replied, "It is said that she meditated for 3 days and nights, without food or water, and contacted the spirit of the long dead priestess Midoriko, the creator of the Shikon jewel. She begged Midoriko to take the child to a place where she could grow unaffected by the Kaiku stone's powers and the priestess agreed. Midoriko coupled her own reincarnation with the wolf pup and, together, the two children were reborn in another time."

The wolves made muffled sounds of understanding, though Ginta, another of Kouga's friends, furrowed his brow in confusion.

"So, Midoriko was dead but the priestess talked with her anyway? And how did she use her power if she was dead?"

As though this question were assinine, Ikasu snorted and responded, "A priestess with powers such as Midoriko's could perform spiritual miracles long after death. In turn, the living priestess contacted Midoriko through deep meditation, as I said before."

While Ginta ignored the old wolf's scathing glare, Hakkaku was still not satisifed. "Old one, you made it sound as though the priestess didn't like the idea of the Kaiku stone."

At this question, Ikasu sighed. "She did not. The priestess could not understand why the pup had to return to its demon life at all and argued that changing its lifestyle so far into its life could have damaging effects. But the great leader was adamant and threatened to take the priestess's village as hunting ground if she did not comply. The priestess still held a grudge, even while making arrangements for the pup. I suspect she sent the pup to a different time because she reckoned, so far from the shikon jewel, it would never make its transformation from human to wolf."

Kouga furrowed his brow, seeming a bit frustrated by this involved story. "So far from the shikon jewel? What does that have to do with anything?"

Nodding his head gravely, Ikasu replied, "Yes. The Kaiku stone was created based on the principle of Arami-tama, or, the bravery in a heart. The sacred jewel shard can be good or evil, depending on the balance of the weilder's spirit and, as such, the jewel is comprised of the four parts of soul: valor, harmony, miracles and love. Using her spiritual powers, the priestess extracted part of the jewel's essence, part of Arami-tama, and used it along with many incantations and spells to create the stone. The priestess most likely believed that, far from the Shikon jewel, the Kaiku stone would not function."

There were several murmers of wonder and speculation, which soon increased in volume. Kouga shouted irritably, "Shut up!"

Once again, the cave was silent as the wolved observed their leader with a mixture of respect and fear. Rolling his eyes and wondering why days like this existed, Kouga addressed Ikasu purposefully. "So why is the Kaiku stone back in this time if Midoriko sent the pup to another time?"

"There could only be one way," Ikasu said. "The pup has returned and the stone has awakened her power."

Several wolved gasped and frowned, some grinning at the prospect of excitement. Surely, this new development with the Kaiku stone would bring some worthwhile action. Kouga, taking everything in stride, asked impatiently, "Great, but what should we do?"

Chatter dissolved instantly as all eyes turned to Ikasu, whose old mind churned sharply inside his greying skull. Looking from the wolves to his leader, the elder replied calmly, "Bring her back to us and let her claim her rightful place in the tribe. As her father was the great leader's second in command, she would be second only to you, Kouga, next to the great leader of course."

Obviously at ease with the idea of retaining his control, Kouga nodded resolutely and addressed the cave with a commanding air. "I leave tomorrow to seek the great leader. I will consult him about important matters and then find Kyoujaku's daughter. Ginta and Hakkaku, your comin' with me." The two wolves in question nodded curtly in consent. "The rest of you, keep out of trouble while I'm gone."

The wolves yipped in both agreement and approval, leaving the cave as a pack to seek food. Kouga turned to Ikasu, who remained sitting stiffly beside him, as the echoes of laughing wolves bounced off the walls. Above the commotion of his retreating kinsmen, Kouga said, "There's still one thing I don't get. How did the pup get back to this time?"

Rising sorely on his old limbs, Ikasu limped towards the cave mouth, saying simply, "We will learn in time," before leaving Kouga to his own devices. The wolf leader groaned, following his pack into the lush green countryside. Looking pleadily towards the starry heavens, Kouga wondered quietly aloud, "Why can't you ever make things easy for me?"

And with this, the leader shook his head and took off on strong legs, a mere blur amongst the trees as he searched for his dinner.

Inuyasha awoke from a light sleep early the next morning, disturbed by the sound of someone's body hitting the ground. Glancing swiftly to the side, the hanyou let his tense muscles relax; it was only Tack.

The girl was obviously at ease with her new demon powers and appeared to be experimenting, taking a fierce running start before leaping high into the air. Inuyasha noticed that, every time she landed, Tack's legs were splayed and resulted in her splattering on the ground. The hanyou rose to his feet, snapping out cricks in his neck before walking leisurely towards his new traveling companion. As he neared, Tack came to another painful end on the earth floor and groaned in irritation before leaping to her feet, ready to try again.

"Hey," Inuyasha said, alerting the girls to his presence.

Tack didn't even cast him a glance as she responded, "Hey, heard you coming a mile away," limbering up for her next high jump.

Before she could otherwise flatten herself, Inuyasha said mildly, "Try to keep your legs straight and bend your knees to take away some of the power from your landing. Or you'll just keep smacking the ground."

Sending a glance in the hanyou's direction, Tack gave a curt nod and proceeded to jump once more. The wind pounded at her skin as she looked out briefly above the tree tops, fangs glittering through her grin, when she felt the decent. A sudden feeling of unctrollable disaster claimed her for a mere moment before her bravery took hold once more and she kept her legs in the correct position, allowing her knees to bend naturally under the weight of gravity. Clouds of dust sprange up from where her feet landed squarely in the ground and Tack smiled a bit, composing herself before turning to Inuyasha.

"Thanks."

Shrugging noncomitally, Inuyasha replied boredly, "No problem."

There was a brief silence, during which the only sound consisted of Shippou's muffled snores, before Inuyasha asked, "So what's up with you and the blonde?"

Tack's face clouded with a contorted look of disgust and she replied shortly, "I think she's a bitch and she'll never change."

Raising his eyebrows in mild surprise, Inuyasha countered, "You looked pretty cozy last night."

This only provoked a barking laugh from Tack. "I gritted my teeth, trust me. She's made my life far too miserable up until now for me to forgive her quite that easily. She says she's turned over a new leaf, but I won't soon forget what she's done to me. I want to watch her suffer."

The hanyou was almost startled by the malice in Tack's voice, though he suddenly pictured Tack walking brokenly down rows of jeering people, bending her head beneath the weight of the cruelties. It looked so much like his own childhood, Inuyasha could suddenly identify with the hatred she felt.

"Whatever," Inuyasha snorted, quickly changing the subject. "I still have somethin' to say. When you transformed yesterday, I smelled somethin' weird. And I wanna know what it is."

Tack cocked her head curiously, asking, "What'd it smell like?"

"I don't know," replied Inuyasha, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "But I didn't like it. You're hiding something."

Holding up her hands, eyes completely unknowing, Tack replied, "No, I'm really not."

Just from the honest confusion in Tack's eyes, Inuyasha could tell she spoke the truth. Something inside her lay dormant until yesterday when it awoke; he didn't know why it felt that way, but it did. Speaking in rudimentary terms, there was some weird shit going on. Antagonizing someone who misunderstood their crimes was pointless, so the hanyou backed down, unsatisfied.

"Yeah, whatever," he said quietly, turning away from the wolf demon.

A quick glance towards the campsite showed Miroku stomping out the embers of the campfire, watching Sango lustfully as she strapped the boomerang bone to her back. Kagome gathered her things, settling them in her bicycle's weary basket, before calling Courtney softly into wakefulness. The whole camp, it seemed was ready to depart for another day of traveling. Looking begrudgingly Tack's way, Inuyasha said gruffly, "Come on."

And with that, the two companions wandered over to join their group before departing on another difficult day's journey.

Done with another chapter. Glorious!

:safety pin: