Tami: Votes are ended here. I won't be counting anymore after this. If you
really want to know what the pairings are and simply can't wait for me to
reveal them, go back and count them yourself. (I didn't receive any from
outside e-mails, just through reviews.) I think it'd be more fun if you
found them out as the story progressed. Don't you think?
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Last time:
"Well, nothing seems to have changed really."
"I know. It's like he doesn't even remember it happened." They paused, thinking private thoughts for a few moments.
"Do we want him to get his memories back?" Kagome shrugged.
"I asked myself the same question."
"Come up with an answer?"
"No."
Now:
"I've been hearing rumors of a Shikon shard in the mountains." Miroku said. "At first, I thought they were about Kouga and his pack, but they're not. Some other type of demon has them. I'm not sure how many it has either."
"Oh yeah? And what type of demon is that?" Inuyasha asked, getting the look in his eye that said he was ready for a fight. Miroku shook his head.
"No one knows."
"It's the first lead we've had in awhile. We should check it out." Sango said. Kagome nodded her agreement.
"So, let's go." Inuyasha said standing up.
"It's late afternoon already, Inuyasha. We'd just have to stop again in a few hours. We may as well stay here and get a good nights rest." Kagome suggested.
"We can at least get a few hours worth of travel in. Let's go." He was starting to get a little impatient, but stopped mid argument. "Never mind. We'll stay." he said quickly. The others nodded, but Sesshoumaru was confused. He had expected Inuyasha to put up a fight about it, not just lie down and accept it.
"Why the sudden change of heart?" Sesshoumaru asked. Inuyasha fixed everyone with a glare.
"None of your business." he growled. The others didn't offer any information either.
"It's not like you can hide it." Kagome said.
"I can try." Kagome sighed and shook her head. There would be no convincing him. As it got close to sunset, Inuyasha walked away from the rest of them and jumped up into the Goshinboku tree. The silver bled from his hair to be replaced by black. His gold eyes were replaced by blue (?). He humphed as all of his hanyou strength left him. Sesshoumaru picked up the change in his scent.
"What happened to you?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Nothing." Sesshoumaru jumped up beside him and looked at him with curiosity written all over his face.
"Something happened. You don't smell or look the same." Inuyasha growled.
"It's nothing, okay! No leave me alone!" A flash of hurt crossed Sesshoumaru's face before being buried and replaced by no emotion at all.
"What did I do?" Inuyasha's gaze snapped toward him.
"What do you mean?"
"What did I do to make you hate me?" Inuyasha's eyes softened for a second before hardening into a glare.
"Everything. Just.leave me alone." Sesshoumaru stuck around for a second longer, then jumped down and walked into the forest when Inuyasha made no offer of any information. Inuyasha watched him go, quickly burying a twinge of guilt.
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
Kagome, Sango, and Miroku watched the interaction between the brothers. They were just itching to know more about what had happened between them. It wasn't likely Inuyasha would talk about it, and since Sesshoumaru couldn't remember, it was pointless to ask him. "This is so frustrating." Kagome whispered. She and Sango stiffened, muffling screeches, and spun around to beat Miroku into the ground. With that accomplished, the two girls walked back towards the village. Miroku pried himself up off the ground walked out into the clearing where the well was. He sat against it and stared up at the stars. He thought back to the conversation he had had with Sango.
'What could we be missing?' he asked himself. He didn't come up with an answer. Then again, he hadn't really expected to. Most answers didn't come to him that easily. He'd have to ask around. See if anyone knew anything about a powerful demon. They'd most likely encounter the demon again somewhere down the road. His thoughts flitted to Sango. Her beauty, her grace, her strength, and her great aim. She had never missed hitting him. Although his head would've been very happy if she would every once in awhile. He closed his eyes and smiled.
~_~_~_~_~_~
Sesshoumaru walked through the cool forest. The scent of human blood came to his nose. A brief flash of a young girl passed before his eyes. His brow furrowed in concentration. He tried to bring back up the image. He did, and with a name as well. Rin. Nothing else came to him. He smiled a little. Slowly he was regaining his memories, but at this rate, it would take forever to get them all back. The only one who could probably help him, hated him. And he couldn't remember why either. He lashed out at a tree in frustration. It collapsed under his assault. He felt a little better. A smirk crossed his face as he lashed out at another. He smelled a deer nearby. It awoke the instincts of the hunter inside of him. His eyes tinted red as her followed the scent and attacked the young buck. It tried to escape, but to no avail. Sesshoumaru lost himself in the kill and tore into it. In the middle of it all, he snapped back to reality. He stared down at his blood covered hands.
~^~ Flashback ~^~
A teenaged Sesshoumaru stared down at his blood covered hands. His father was dead. "Father!" he howled into the sky. His mournful cry echoed across the Western Lands, announcing to the demons the old lord had died and his heir was now taking his place. There were very few who mourned the death of Inutaisho. Sesshoumaru wiped the blood from his hands and tore a strip of cloth from his father's kimono. He shoved it in the folds of his kimono for safe keeping. He sniffed and wiped the tears from his face. An underlying scent caught his attention. He could barely smell it over the smell of Inutaisho's blood. He growled low in his throat. He knew that scent. It had plagued him for five years. The conniving woman would pay for this.
~_~_~_~_~
"Where's Father?" Chibi Inuyasha asked. Sesshoumaru froze and winced.
"He's dead." He kept walking. His heart tried to tug him back to his little brother, but right now, Sesshoumaru couldn't stand the scent of him. It reminded him of the events that had taken place over the past few days. It would be many years until he ever turned back to see his brother.
~^~ End Flashback ~^~
Sesshoumaru staggered under his memories. That explained some of it. There were still some holes. Not very many details. But anything was better than nothing. From what little detail he had gotten, he decided it would take a lot to make up with Inuyasha. It wouldn't be easy either. Sesshoumaru steeled himself and made a promise to at least attempt to fix things between him and Inuyasha. There was no reason they should've both grown up without parents. He had no good reason to leave his brother behind. He had a lot of making up to do. He realized his hands were shaking and suddenly couldn't stand the blood on them. He ran to the closest stream and plunged his hands in. The red swirled in the water for a moment before getting washed down the stream. The cold numbed his hands. He looked at the marks on his wrists. He knew they meant something, but he couldn't quite remember what it was. He sighed. 'One step at a time, I suppose.' he thought to himself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Review responses:
Rasberries: It's going to be interesting when he gets his memories back. ^_^
Silver Phoenix: *dressed in hunting outfit with various Weapons of Doom* Where do I sign up?
Em Starcatcher: Yeah, all those votes counted. I don't like Inu/Kik either, but if that's what people want, that's what they get. I saw a fic once with Sess/Kik. *shudder and glomps Sess* HE'S MINE!! That would be a seriously creepy pairing. *grossed out* I'm used to sudden bursts of insanity. I have them myself. Hence the start of this fic.
Silver: He's getting them back gradually. I'm trying to keep it slow, because it effects my plot later. I'm leaving on Saturday for vacation, so I'll be able to update until then.
Lissa: Oh, don't worry, that couple is going to get some major torturing. *evil, sadistic grin*
La Loba: I might just hafta throw that in somewhere.
Soli: I'm not leaving until Saturday, so don't worry, you'll get a few more chappies outta me. And I'll be writing on vacation too. I didn't get any outside reviews, so your count should be right on track with mine. *sheepish grin* Unless I counted wrong, which is entirely possible.
SailorKagome: You usually are the first review I get. ^_^
StarWest45: Slow bake? Pht, more like BURN BABY BURN!!! MWAHAHAHAHA!
Little John of Locksland: You really do like the odd stuff. ^_^ *tallies votes*
Also thanks to:
Tiffany
Lil1121
kagome-gurl
Suki
Inuyashaisallmine
sesshomarulover1
Neko-Vixen
Lady of Jupiter
Yami no Hikari
Katie
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Last time:
"Well, nothing seems to have changed really."
"I know. It's like he doesn't even remember it happened." They paused, thinking private thoughts for a few moments.
"Do we want him to get his memories back?" Kagome shrugged.
"I asked myself the same question."
"Come up with an answer?"
"No."
Now:
"I've been hearing rumors of a Shikon shard in the mountains." Miroku said. "At first, I thought they were about Kouga and his pack, but they're not. Some other type of demon has them. I'm not sure how many it has either."
"Oh yeah? And what type of demon is that?" Inuyasha asked, getting the look in his eye that said he was ready for a fight. Miroku shook his head.
"No one knows."
"It's the first lead we've had in awhile. We should check it out." Sango said. Kagome nodded her agreement.
"So, let's go." Inuyasha said standing up.
"It's late afternoon already, Inuyasha. We'd just have to stop again in a few hours. We may as well stay here and get a good nights rest." Kagome suggested.
"We can at least get a few hours worth of travel in. Let's go." He was starting to get a little impatient, but stopped mid argument. "Never mind. We'll stay." he said quickly. The others nodded, but Sesshoumaru was confused. He had expected Inuyasha to put up a fight about it, not just lie down and accept it.
"Why the sudden change of heart?" Sesshoumaru asked. Inuyasha fixed everyone with a glare.
"None of your business." he growled. The others didn't offer any information either.
"It's not like you can hide it." Kagome said.
"I can try." Kagome sighed and shook her head. There would be no convincing him. As it got close to sunset, Inuyasha walked away from the rest of them and jumped up into the Goshinboku tree. The silver bled from his hair to be replaced by black. His gold eyes were replaced by blue (?). He humphed as all of his hanyou strength left him. Sesshoumaru picked up the change in his scent.
"What happened to you?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Nothing." Sesshoumaru jumped up beside him and looked at him with curiosity written all over his face.
"Something happened. You don't smell or look the same." Inuyasha growled.
"It's nothing, okay! No leave me alone!" A flash of hurt crossed Sesshoumaru's face before being buried and replaced by no emotion at all.
"What did I do?" Inuyasha's gaze snapped toward him.
"What do you mean?"
"What did I do to make you hate me?" Inuyasha's eyes softened for a second before hardening into a glare.
"Everything. Just.leave me alone." Sesshoumaru stuck around for a second longer, then jumped down and walked into the forest when Inuyasha made no offer of any information. Inuyasha watched him go, quickly burying a twinge of guilt.
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
Kagome, Sango, and Miroku watched the interaction between the brothers. They were just itching to know more about what had happened between them. It wasn't likely Inuyasha would talk about it, and since Sesshoumaru couldn't remember, it was pointless to ask him. "This is so frustrating." Kagome whispered. She and Sango stiffened, muffling screeches, and spun around to beat Miroku into the ground. With that accomplished, the two girls walked back towards the village. Miroku pried himself up off the ground walked out into the clearing where the well was. He sat against it and stared up at the stars. He thought back to the conversation he had had with Sango.
'What could we be missing?' he asked himself. He didn't come up with an answer. Then again, he hadn't really expected to. Most answers didn't come to him that easily. He'd have to ask around. See if anyone knew anything about a powerful demon. They'd most likely encounter the demon again somewhere down the road. His thoughts flitted to Sango. Her beauty, her grace, her strength, and her great aim. She had never missed hitting him. Although his head would've been very happy if she would every once in awhile. He closed his eyes and smiled.
~_~_~_~_~_~
Sesshoumaru walked through the cool forest. The scent of human blood came to his nose. A brief flash of a young girl passed before his eyes. His brow furrowed in concentration. He tried to bring back up the image. He did, and with a name as well. Rin. Nothing else came to him. He smiled a little. Slowly he was regaining his memories, but at this rate, it would take forever to get them all back. The only one who could probably help him, hated him. And he couldn't remember why either. He lashed out at a tree in frustration. It collapsed under his assault. He felt a little better. A smirk crossed his face as he lashed out at another. He smelled a deer nearby. It awoke the instincts of the hunter inside of him. His eyes tinted red as her followed the scent and attacked the young buck. It tried to escape, but to no avail. Sesshoumaru lost himself in the kill and tore into it. In the middle of it all, he snapped back to reality. He stared down at his blood covered hands.
~^~ Flashback ~^~
A teenaged Sesshoumaru stared down at his blood covered hands. His father was dead. "Father!" he howled into the sky. His mournful cry echoed across the Western Lands, announcing to the demons the old lord had died and his heir was now taking his place. There were very few who mourned the death of Inutaisho. Sesshoumaru wiped the blood from his hands and tore a strip of cloth from his father's kimono. He shoved it in the folds of his kimono for safe keeping. He sniffed and wiped the tears from his face. An underlying scent caught his attention. He could barely smell it over the smell of Inutaisho's blood. He growled low in his throat. He knew that scent. It had plagued him for five years. The conniving woman would pay for this.
~_~_~_~_~
"Where's Father?" Chibi Inuyasha asked. Sesshoumaru froze and winced.
"He's dead." He kept walking. His heart tried to tug him back to his little brother, but right now, Sesshoumaru couldn't stand the scent of him. It reminded him of the events that had taken place over the past few days. It would be many years until he ever turned back to see his brother.
~^~ End Flashback ~^~
Sesshoumaru staggered under his memories. That explained some of it. There were still some holes. Not very many details. But anything was better than nothing. From what little detail he had gotten, he decided it would take a lot to make up with Inuyasha. It wouldn't be easy either. Sesshoumaru steeled himself and made a promise to at least attempt to fix things between him and Inuyasha. There was no reason they should've both grown up without parents. He had no good reason to leave his brother behind. He had a lot of making up to do. He realized his hands were shaking and suddenly couldn't stand the blood on them. He ran to the closest stream and plunged his hands in. The red swirled in the water for a moment before getting washed down the stream. The cold numbed his hands. He looked at the marks on his wrists. He knew they meant something, but he couldn't quite remember what it was. He sighed. 'One step at a time, I suppose.' he thought to himself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Review responses:
Rasberries: It's going to be interesting when he gets his memories back. ^_^
Silver Phoenix: *dressed in hunting outfit with various Weapons of Doom* Where do I sign up?
Em Starcatcher: Yeah, all those votes counted. I don't like Inu/Kik either, but if that's what people want, that's what they get. I saw a fic once with Sess/Kik. *shudder and glomps Sess* HE'S MINE!! That would be a seriously creepy pairing. *grossed out* I'm used to sudden bursts of insanity. I have them myself. Hence the start of this fic.
Silver: He's getting them back gradually. I'm trying to keep it slow, because it effects my plot later. I'm leaving on Saturday for vacation, so I'll be able to update until then.
Lissa: Oh, don't worry, that couple is going to get some major torturing. *evil, sadistic grin*
La Loba: I might just hafta throw that in somewhere.
Soli: I'm not leaving until Saturday, so don't worry, you'll get a few more chappies outta me. And I'll be writing on vacation too. I didn't get any outside reviews, so your count should be right on track with mine. *sheepish grin* Unless I counted wrong, which is entirely possible.
SailorKagome: You usually are the first review I get. ^_^
StarWest45: Slow bake? Pht, more like BURN BABY BURN!!! MWAHAHAHAHA!
Little John of Locksland: You really do like the odd stuff. ^_^ *tallies votes*
Also thanks to:
Tiffany
Lil1121
kagome-gurl
Suki
Inuyashaisallmine
sesshomarulover1
Neko-Vixen
Lady of Jupiter
Yami no Hikari
Katie