Note: I suppose this is kinda late, but if you don't know what a Gila Monster is, look them up on google's image search. They're awesome!

Define Normal

Chapter Sixteen - Enter Sesshoumaru

Jessica was the first one to leap out of the enchanted well. She didn't get her newfoud energy from her now half gila monster self, but rather from her excitment that she actually WAS half gila monster demon. Gila monsters aren't exactly the most energetic of creatures, luckily for Jess, she retained her warm blooded-ness. She let Diamond hop out of her grip before she took off her flip flops and started tearing up the terrain around her with her newfound talons. Not once did she lose her footing while she ran around crazily, whooping at random. Because of her long sleeves and pants, Miroku and Sango had absolutly no clue what she was doing. Kilala did sense something different, but rather than flaring up, she just curiously sniffed in Jessica's general direction. Next came Kagome, followed by Inuyasha. Then came Dianna, AJ, Shippou, and finally Kouga (Dianna had run ahead and lept in the well before him). Once Dianna spotted Jessica, her ears twitched playfully, and she ran after her. A game of tag where they were both always it ensued. "She's more like a cat than a poodle," Romeo commented to Diamond. "Dont' worry," said Wednesday, cleaning a paw, "she doesn't act like a cat that much. Cat's are sophisticated, delicate, fierce creatures. Your human so far has only shown the aspects only a poodle could have. Hot-headedness, tempermental explosions, poutiness, and stupidity." "HEY!" yelled Romeo, "I'M NOT POUTY! Hmph!" Diamond restrained his laughter, and pushed Wednesday over with a sweep of his paw. Wednesday was only using one leg for balance, seeing as he was licking the other, so when Diamond swept out his foot, he fell on his face. Wednesday got up with as much grace as he could muster, which wasn't very much. He looked over and saw Kilala laughing at him from her perch on Sango's shoulder, then he shot Diamond a glare of death. "Why did you do that? She's watching me," he hissed. "That's exactly why," Diamond replied calmly, "before you go around making jokes about everyone else, it is good to see how it feels for yourself to be laughed at." Wednesday's only responce was not to respond, continuing once again to wash himself.

"Um... what are they doing," asked Sango, apparently over her angry spell. AJ came over to where Sango and Miroku were standing and said, "Well, you know how Dianna woke up a hanyou of the poodle kind?" At that point, concern showed itself on the man and woman's faces. "Yes?" replied Miroku. "Well... Jessica's now a hanyou too?" "Of what?" asked Sango, "we don't see any ears or anything. Though her hands and fee look kinda dark..." "Gila Monster." answered AJ. "What is a-" began Sango, but Miroku answered her unfinished question. "A Gila Monster is a venemous lizard found in the desert on the other side of the world." "How did you know that?" asked AJ, surprised. "They teach us about all types of venom in our priesthood teachings." At that point, Kagome and Inuyasha came forward, Kagome saying "Inuyasha thinks we should go to Kaede's village to show her our new friends. Maybe she can help. I agree with him." Nods of agreement were exchanged by the group, until AJ asked, "Who's Kaede?" Kagome looked at Inuyasha, who shrugged. "She's Kikyou's younger sister." "Oh," said AJ, "so this little girl can help us?" "Heh, she's not little," said Miroku, "she's quite old, actually." "If we're going anywhere, we need to round up the Baka Squad," said Inuyasha, pointing at where Jessica and Dianna were wrestling. Kouga, who had been standing off the side, but still heard everything, gave a gruff "Hm." and went to wretch the two girls apart. He lifted them both off the ground by their collars, and set them on their feet. The two surprised girls looked at him, then walked over to the rest of the group, Kouga following them to make sure they didn't try to dash off. "Hey," said Jessica immidiatly after reaching the group, "I don't need shoes! The soles of my feet are really tough! Watch!" She leaned on Dianna and used her claws and raked them accross the bottom of one foot. The group flinched. She then stood back normally and smiled. This was the first time Miroku and Sango saw the black talons and markings on her. "You really do look like a gila monster," commented Miroku, "are you venemous?" "YEAH! Come here and I'll bite you-" "It's okay, I believe you," the priest said hastily. Then Dianna turned to Kouga and said "Why did you break us up?" "We're going to some old lady's house," said AJ. Inuyasha did a small, short laugh. "Hey," said Miroku, "it would be wise to learn to respect the elderly." "Then maybe the older men shouldn't be approaching the younger woman," Diamond commented to Jessica, who started laughing. "I really wish you two would talk out loud so we could hear at least half the conversation." said AJ. "No, grasshopper," said Wednesday in a mock tone to AJ, "you must learn to respect the elderly's wishes of privacy. And this Diamond is the most elderly being I know." This earned him an eye-roll from Diamond.

Everyone got ready to go, this consisted mostly of Jessica, Dianna, AJ, and Kagome of putting on their backpacks (Kagome's family had supplied Jess, AJ, and Dianna with theirs). With that, they set off to Kaede's house. This meant they had to go a little into the forest again, but at a different angle then it took to get to Kouga's place.

---After some time walking---

The group had been walking for some time ((heh)), when they sat down to take a small rest. The reason was simple: AJ didn't feel very much like walking. So after a bit of complaining about feet, the group stopped. "Man, AJ, you can't be that tired!" said Jessica, who didn't have any trouble with sore feet anymore. "You forget, I wasn't magically transformed like you were," the girl retorted. "Oh well," said Miroku, "at least we get to enjoy the scenery of the forest." "Yeah, it's not like I haven't 'enjoyed' it lots of times already," Inuyasha complained to himself. "Hey," said Jessica to the dog hanyou, "Why is this forest named after you?" "Well," said Kagome, "it all started a long time ago..."

---After some time listening---

Dianna was bored. Normally, she LOVED a good story. But right now, she just had a lot of energy. She looked at Romeo, and motioned with her head to ask if he wanted to play. He snorted, the dog equivilant to shaking his head "no", so Dianna looked at Jessica and AJ. Jessica was enthralled with the story, asking may questions like "So that woman I saw when I arrived was Kikyou?" and "Who's Naraku?". She poked AJ in the shoulder, and asked her quietly, but she said she didn't feel like it. She should've known. Anyone who was didn't feel like walking probably wouldn't feel like playing. So, in desperant want of a playmate, looked at Kouga. He was actually listening to Kagome and Inuyasha's story with interest. Dianna suddenly realized that she could go play on her own without him tagging along constantly, telling her she was stupid for wanting to play in the first place! She smiled gleefully and quietly whispered to Jessica that "I'll be back in a couple minutes, I just want to go exploring right around camp." Jessica nodded her head absently. Dianna guess she hadn't even heard what she just told her because she was listening to the story, but oh well. Quietly, as to not disturb the story, she crept out of the camp and deeper into the trees.

---Fifteen Minutes Later---

"I'm so lost." Dianna thought to herself for what must've been the 40th time. She was just about to turn around and try going back another way, when she heard voices. Then she smelled food! "This must be the right way, I'll follow my nose," she thought to herself. She followed the murmur of voices and the scent of a campfire and cooking meat untill she spotted a parting between the trees. Then she saw a flash of long, silver hair and thought "Must be Inuyasha," and walked right into the camp. She soon noticed that this camp wasn't her camp. For one thing, Inuyasha wasn't that tall! And he didn't weara long white outfit or..or.. "FLUFFY!" she cried alloud, not able to contain herself. Before she could stop to think what she was doing she ran at the person with the incredibly plush looking fur hung on his shoulder and going down his back. When she was close enough, she lept to tackle him playfully. Unfortunatly, the plan went aray when the man turned around and caught her by the throat in midair. All she could do was do a short, choked off cry of "Meep!" She looked into the apparently angry (but calculating) man's face to discover that his eyes looked strangely familiar. And that he had an iron grip because it felt like her head was about to pop off. He held her in the air for a bit longer, then he simply dropped he too the ground. She landed hard on her bum, and growled because it hurt. Then it hit her, she knew where she had seen those eyes before. She looked up from her spot on the ground and said "Do you know Inuyasha?"

---About fifteen minutes after Dianna had actually left---

Kouga realized that he had slipped off into his own little world or memories when they had started telling the story. He shook his head to get himself out of his dream state, and looked around. Someone was missing. He looked from face to face, then he saw Romeo. That puff ball had nobody next to him. Angrily, Kouga lept up to his feet and said "Where'd she go!" Everyone was startled out of the story, and looked around. "Where's Dianna?" asked AJ. Romeo looked at Diamond and Wednesday, they just shrugged (as best as dogs and cats could shrug). "She asked me to play, but I said no." Romeo said to Diamond, who told Jessica, who in turn told everyone else. Then Jessica remembered. "Oh drat!" she said, "Dianna told me she was going to go exploring right outside camp." "WHAT! And you just let her go!" Kouga yelled. "Well I didn't see you doing anything about it!" the girl retorted. Kouga growled angrily and said "You guys stay here, I'll go get her." "I'm comming too-" began Jessica and AJ, but was cut off by Kouga. "No," he said, "I'm not going to have time to shepard you through this forest. I know it better than you do, so I'm going alone." "He has a point," said Miroku, "you'd probably end up getting lost too." "Yeah," said Shippou, "you should stay with us." Without another word, Kouga set off and ran as fast as he dared after her, using her scent trail to follow her path. "She really didn't know where she was going," he thought to himself angrily, "Why did she go off? Didn't she know she- hmm? I smell another camp? And her. Grr. She's probably just annoying some people. -sniff sniff- Except I don't smell many humans there." With that discovery, he ran even faster.

---At Sesshy's camp---

The look the man got on his face wasn't one you'd compare to a loving smile you think of when you think of family. His was mocking. He said "So he found another one like him?" Then Dianna heard an annoying, whiney voice behind her, and something biffed her over the head. "Were you sent by Inuyasha to spy on us?" came the nasal voice. Dianna's first reaction was the rub her head angrily, he second reaction was to reach behind her and punch whoever just hit her. Her fist connected with something that went "Oof!" in that same voice, so she chanced a look and saw she had just punched out a toad like midgit with a tall, wooden staff. The staff had two faces carved into it, an old man's, and a young woman's. Then she felt a small hand pull her face forward, and then she was looking into the face of a little girl who said "Don't ignore Master Sesshoumaru when he asks you a question!" "Rin, come back," said the man who was apparently Sesshoumaru, "She isn't of any threat to us. She's painfully weak." As the girl trottled to stand by Sesshoumaru, Dianna stood up and said "Hey, I'm not THAT weak!" "Damn, this guy's hot," she thought to herself, though her face didn't give off any of thoughts. At that point, Kouga arrived. Dianna saw Sesshoumaru's attention shift from her to someone behind her. She didn't even need to glance back, she knew who it was because he came to stand right beside her and glare at Sesshoumaru.

---Back at Inuyasha's camp---

"Guys, it's been a long time," said AJ, "We should go after them!" "I'm sure Kouga stopped to lecture her, that's all," said Kagome, "He's very talkative when he's mad at you." Then Romeo (being linked to Dianna's mind) gave Diamond a message, and Diamond told Jessica. "Romeo says that Dianna's with someone called Sesshoumaru? Who's that?" Jessica guessed he wasn't anyone good, if you could tell by the looks everyone got on their faces. "Sesshoumaru, what's he doing here! That bastard!" yelled Inuyasha. "Who cares," said Sango, "we need to get her out of there!" As if that was the cue they were waiting for, everyone started running after where Kouga had gone. Inuyasha was in the lead, sniffing his way to Sesshoumaru's camp.