Oh, wow, sorry for that! I haven't updated in forever! Well, a lot of things have been going on, the main one being school. Oh! And that thing in the last chapter that had me all depressed! I have to tell you about it!
Sara B, my best friend, called me on Thursday. The first words out of her mouth were "I'm quitting anime." Needless to say, I freaked. I asked why. She then went on to explain. Her dad absolutely loathes anything to do with Japan. I already knew that. However, when she was at her grandma's house, her cousin saw her reading a manga and her cousin then said that she'd tell. Soon, I realized Sara was crying over the phone. Her dad, last time he found out she was sneaking anime behind his back, threw everything that was related to Japan out. She was positive that this would happen again, and she was borrowing some of my stuff. I tried to comfort her, but I didn't know what to say. When we got off the phone, I immediately called another friend of mine -- Sara A. (I know lots of Sara's...) I started crying as I told her about it. Sara B, as I've said, is my best friend. Anime is her life. I just... couldn't take it. Eventually, Sara A calmed me down, and we both just talked about different things. That night, I made a decision -- I would quit anime too so that Sara B wouldn't be alone in her suffering. Earlier on that Sunday, though, I talked to her and found out that her dad never found out -- her cousin had been bluffing! So, now she still continues to sneak anime and manga behind her dad's back, and I can continue to watch and write anime!
Sorry if I bored you. Continue to other things now? Yes, let's.
:Review Responses:
KagomePriestess-15: Thank you! You know, I think you're the only one who actually said something about that...
hermonine: Thank you, and of course you needed to know the plan! ;P yes, that is someone winking and sticking their toungue out at the same time. Don't ask why. I don't even know.
w1cked angel: Ah, but all of that was good luck in disguise! Getting attacked and ending up in Feudal Japan made it so that she could meet Inuyasha, her true love! If that didn't happen, she'd never know what true love is! Shattering the jewel made it so she could stay with him and travel with him. noticeably skips the Kikyou thing Missing school and failing tests, you say? Oh, please! Who needs school? Especially when she'll most likely be staying in the Feudal era with Inuyasha. The Hojou thing? He should take the bloody hint! If he doesn't, I'm sure she'll come up with some way to tell him to go away. And I'd be flattered if two cute guys were fighting over me! ;P
Kitsune-MiMIK: You can't hate Sesshy! And he doesn't hate Kohaku! He hates Naraku, who wascontrolling Kohaku to make him attack Rin. Besides, even if he did hate Kohaku, everyone knows that Rin's in love with him and would keep Sesshy from killing him! And thanks for the compliment!
Mel Leigh: I do? Cool! Glad you think so! And you know, I think you're the ONLY one who's said something about Akana and Leiko and the disclaimers!
SubaruWings: Aye, low indeed. Low indeed.
fluffywuffers: RIKU! 'glomps' Heh... Silver-haired people are great! And did you mean update rather than review? I don't think one can review their own stories... o.O
:End Review Responses:
7 reviews! Alright! Time for... the DISCLAIMER!
:Disclaimer:
Leiko: Own Inuyasha, we do not. Woah, I just realized that this is the first time I got to start the disclaimer... Sweet.
Akana: Only because I'm too nervous!
Leiko: Why? Oh, yeah! I remember now! ... Crap.
Akana: Exactly! Get prepared to start running!
Leiko: You know... I just realized something. We asked Sesshoumaru to be our spell-checker since Microsft Word's down, remember?
Akana: ACK! You're right! 'turns slowly and sees a dark silhoutte of Sesshoumaru glaring at them'
Leiko: We're dead.
Akana: Oh yeah.
:End Disclaimer:
Stupid muse... Why must you make me write such things? Why? And why is it that when you make me write this, I'm the one who gets chased? Oh well... Enjoy!
Chapter 9, Trade?
Ugh... It feels like I haven't eaten in ages! Kagome thought. She thought back to the previous day and realized that she hadn't eaten anything since she was kidnapped! Is he trying to starve me to death? she thought angrily. If only I had my bag... Then I could make a meal real quick... I could make noodles... Hot, steamy, fresh noodles... Her stomach grumbled.
Rin looked at her. "Is Kagome-chan hungry?" she questioned. Kagome nodded. "Rin is hungry, too... Do you like fish?" When Kagome had answered with a yes, Rin walked over to Sesshoumaru. "Is there a river nearby, Lord Sesshoumaru?"
Sesshoumaru slightly sniffed the air, looking for the scent of water. Yes, water does have a scent. What it would smell like, I haven't the faintest idea, though... But that's not the point! The point is that Sesshoumaru was looking for water, which he found. He nodded his head to the right, telling Rin that the water was that way.
Rin came running back to Kagome. "Let's go fishing!" she said cheerily.
Kagome nearly smiled. She'd never met a kid just as hyper as Rin besides Shippou! Her heart ached at the thought of him running around in the fields, and her thoughts went once again to her friends and how she wished to be with them again. She pushed the thoughts aside, not wanting to appear sad in any way. "Alright!" she said. "That sounds good to me!"
Rin grinned. "Hurray!" She immediately started skipping in the direction her lord had told her, humming a tune. Her new friend was very fun and not at all like the grumpy Jaken Rin usually had to put up with!
Kagome got up, dusting herself off before walking after Rin. Yes, fish did sound really good, especially due to the fact that it'd been TWO DAYS since she'd eaten anything. She nearly cursed herself when she remembered that last night she'd spent with everyone.
"No, I don't want anything. I'm not hungry. Besides, I'm sure someone would love to steal my meal!"
A wave of guilt washed over her suddenly. That's right... she thought. We were... still fighting... A sigh nearly escaped her lips, but she held it in. She looked up, seeing the sun peering through the leaves of the trees. The wind swept her hair to the right, brushing it lightly against her cheeks. Stupid skirts! I'm freezing! She shivered, rubbing her arms in an attempt to at least keep them warm. Beside her, Rin had stopped running, and was also shivering a little.
"It's really pretty out here, isn't it?" Kagome asked to get her mind and Rin's off the cold.
"Yeah," Rin whispered. It was as if everything around were sacred and shouldn't be disturbed by petty things such as talking or sound.
Kagome smiled before noticing something. The toad wasn't around for once! Now she was grinning. He was quite annoying, and it was great ot finally not have him grumbling about "stupid humans"!
Kagome and Rin both turned as they heard a twig snap. Kagome almost groaned aloud, and Rin just grinned. "Lord Jaken!" she said. "You're here!"
Jaken sighed deeply, holding onto the reigns of Ah-Un. Why, oh why must he always stay with the two humans? They could protect themselves, couldn't they?
They all continued along through the woods together. Rin hummed peacefully, Jaken kept up his grumbling, and Kagome was lost in thoughts of home and of baths. Ugh! I haven't taken a bath since I left home!
Not very long after, they came to the river they'd been searching for. Rin gasped in awe at the water, shimmering in the sunlight. When she looked in, the fishes' bright colors gleamed and shone. Without a sound, Rin dipped her hands quickly into the water. She attempted to seize a fish that was just swimming under her, but miscalculated the distance and instead nearly fell in. She just continued laughing.
Nothing seems to faze her, Kagome thought. Are all kids like her and Shippou?
Something from across the river caught Kagome's eye at that moment. It seemed a slow motion moment as she looked up and saw, with a gasp... "Sango! Miroku! Shippou!" Her eyes searched for Inuyasha, and she felt her heart drop like a weight when she didn't see him at all.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, jumping from his place behind Sango. He'd been slumping due to his chest pain and had been hidden. Hearing her voice, though, brought him a new strength. A second wind, if you will.
"Inuyasha!" She felt her heart leap back up. Inuyasha had come! He'd actually come for her!
Of course, the moment was ruined, as it always is, by Sesshoumaru's appearance. "So, you've finally come," he said to the Inu-tachi, but mainly to Inuyasha. "Ready to give me Tetsusaiga?"
"As if!" Inuyasha shouted without hesitation. "We're taking Kagome back by force! I'll kill you, Sesshoumaru, if that's what I have to do!" The fury in his words was great, and he was more angry than Kagome had ever seen him.
"A half breed like you could never defeat me. Do you need another demonstration of how weak you truly are?" Sesshoumaru responded coolly. "That could be arranged."
"Keh! You're the one going down!" Inuyasha pulled Tetsusaiga from its sheath. Pain surged through him, the source of it being his chest, but he did his best to ignore it. He got ready to jump over to Sesshoumaru's side of the river, but Miroku got in front of him and stopped him.
"No!" he said forcefully. "There has to be another way to do this. You're still hurt from the last time you two fought!" In a whisper, he continued. "I have a plan, so don't worry! Just trust me and think back to the first time we met."
Inuyasha blinked in confusion, not knowing what the monk was talking about. "But --"
"Trust me!" Miroku repeated.
Inuyasha stared at him a long hard minute. He didn't really trust anyone but himself to protect her completely, but... He had to now. "Fine," he growled. "But what is your --"
He never got to finish. Miroku moved away from him, perhaps to get out of striking range, then opened his wind tunnel.
"That won't work against Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha said in a slight panic. Was he trying to suck up Sesshoumaru? No way! Even he'd know that Sesshoumaru could hold his ground! The only thing he'd accomplish would be sucking up Kagome!
Sesshoumaru nearly smirked. Just how stupid was the monk? He simply grabbed Kagome as she was passing and held her around her waist. He'd known the monk's true plan; get Kagome back over there. He wouldn't fall for it.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin squealed, flying past him.
A mixture of feelings, none good, tumbled about in Sesshoumaru at the moment. One was furocious anger towards the monk. One was worry for the young girl he'd come to think of as a daughter. One was fear for that very same little girl. It was the fear that came strongest, leaving him helpless; a feeling he did not like. Then came the guilt, washing over him in cold waves. He was supposed to protect her! He was supposed to take care of her! He'd gotten Kagome, sure, but what of Rin? What of the human child who always followed him, no matter how dangerous things were? What of the little girl who'd cared for him when no one else would?
Miroku sealed his wind tunnel at the last moment, catching Rin in his arms and nearly toppling over. Not exactly what I'd hoped for... he thought. I think I can make this work, though! He put Rin down and, for a brief moment, he thought he could see... was it relief that he saw on Sesshoumaru's face? The next moment, the expression vanished, and cool indifference replaced it.
"Now, Sesshoumaru!" Miroku called, pretending not to notice the "are you suicidal?" stare Inuyasha was giving him. "You have Kagome, and we have -- " He paused and turned to Rin, who'd backed up several feet. "What's your name?"
She slightly shook her head, not wanting to tell him, terror on her face becase of the man who can suck things up. "S-Sesshoumaru-sama!" she called, looking around Miroku.
Miroku sighed slightly, then looked back at Sesshoumaru. "And we have your girl!" he finished. "What do you say we trade?"
Sesshoumaru nearly laughed. He, bargain with a human? As if! That would never happen. It was bad enough trading with a half breed, but a full human with no demon heritage at all? "And why should I?" he mocked. He'd put Kagome down as soon as the wind had stopped.
Inuyasha, at that moment, chose to intervene. He grabbed Rin by the collar, and she screamed slightly. "Or she gets it!"
"Inuyasha!"
He looked between the three people who'd yelled at him. "What?" he yelled back to Sango, Miroku, and Kagome.
"Don't you dare hurt Rin-chan! If you do, I'll say the word until you break your back and can't ever get up!" Kagome threatened. This statement sparked Sesshoumaru's curiousity slightly, but he pretended not to care. "She has nothing to do with this! I appreciate you trying to get me back, but Rin is just an innocent by-stander!"
"Let me go!" Rin shrieked. "Let me go now, or Sesshoumaru-sama will get you!"
Geez! She's more annoying than Shippou! Inuyasha silently complained, putting her down so she'd stop her screaming. "Then what in hell am I supposed to do?"
"You could let me continue with my plan," Miroku said in an annoyed voice, "instead of trying to harm an innocent girl!" Turning to Sesshoumaru, he continued. "It would be an even trade, wouldn't you say? After all, Kagome wants to return to us," she nodded vigorously at this, "and Rin wants to return to you. What do you say? Do we have a deal?"
Sesshoumaru simply smirked, a symbol that everyone took as a yes. Perhaps this will be interesting...
They each walked out onto the rocks in the middle of the stream. Kagome was standing beside Sesshoumaru, looking incredibly happy. Rin was next to Miroku, anxious to get back to the safety of her lord. Inuyasha was standing with his arms crossed, watching intently, wanting to make sure Sesshoumaru wouldn't try any funny stuff.
"On three," Miroku said. "One, two, three!"
Sesshoumaru reached out and picked Rin up, then put her down on the rock slightly behind him. She hid behind his leg and peered from behind him, watching Kagome as she tried to cross over. Miroku reached out a hand to help her, but, as he did so, something went wrong. Inuyasha shouted a quick, "Look out!", but it was too late. Miroku looked at Sesshoumaru and only then realized that his claws were glowing green -- and coming right at him!
I'm evil... Review please! The next chapter should come up sometime around... Sunday, maybe? My internet was down recently and I had a lot of time to write and work, and so I'm almost done with the next chapter.