A TALE FROM THE PAST
by Kittymui
CHAPTER XXIV
Inuyasha widened his eyes. "Ehhh? Hontou?"
"Shhh!" she shushed him. It was already late in the evening and the both of them were sitting on the floor in Kagome's slightly illuminated bedroom. Dinner had ended a couple of hours ago, but she decided to tell her younger brother a bit more than what she told the rest back in the dining room.
"What would chichi-ue and haha-ue think about this? And aniue?" Inuyasha asked.
Kagome hesitated for a moment. "I'm only telling you about this," she told him.
"But why?" the hanyou gave her a puzzled look. "You should tell the rest too."
"I don't know," she sighed troubled. "Before I came here, I thought I could tell all of you about him, but now that I've arrived...I can't seem to find the right moment to say it."
"How about tomorrow during dinner?" he suggested.
Kagome smirked in her mind. 'Yeah right...like...Hey I forgot to tell you earlier. I've fallen in love with an assassin while I was back in the forest. I'm planning to spend the rest of my life with him, can I have your blessing?' She shook her head. "Can't do that..." she replied as she eyed the confused Inuyasha. 'Come to think of it, I haven't even told him that Bankotsu is an assassin.'
"Then how about-" Inuyasha wanted to come up with another idea but was cut off by Kagome.
"Don't worry, I will tell the rest eventually. Just not for the time being," she reassured him. "Until then, do you think you can keep this little secret of mine?"
The hanyou brightened up. "No problem!"
Kagome scooted closer to her little brother and embraced him closely. "Want me to tell you another secret?" she whispered.
He nodded in her arms.
"All these years, I've been writing down the things that have happened in my life. At first, I thought I was writing it for myself, but from the moment you were born and when I had to leave the fortress, I've decided to keep the journal for you," she confessed to him. "I want you to know more about me and the things I've experienced in the years that I was not by your side."
"A-aneue," Inuyasha responded hesitatingly. "I-I..."
"I want you to be the first one to read them, my journals," she said. "That's why you'll be the only one knowing where I've put them."
She placed her lips closer to the white fluffy ears on top of his head and whispered the location of her house back in the forest and where she had put the box with her journals.
Shortly after that, Inuyasha pulled away and looked at her with a face filled with determination. "Don't worry aneue. As soon as I've become an adult, I will get rid of Naraku myself. Then you won't have to keep any more journals. You won't have to experience things on your own anymore. We will make new memories together from that moment on!" he said enthusiastically.
Moved by these words, Kagome nodded approvingly with a warm smile on her face. "But Naraku's strong you know? You'll have to become much stronger than him if you want to beat him."
The hanyou stuck up his nose. "Keh! Don't underestimate me! I've already mastered two powerful claw attacks from aniue," he snorted.
"Really?" Kagome raised a brow in surprise. "Well, I won't believe you until you've shown it to me yourself."
"That's mean!" Inuyasha pouted. "You know we can't go outside the fortress because of your safety!"
"You got a point..." Kagome dropped her face until an idea suddenly popped up. "But what if we persuade onii-sama to come along?"
"Aniue?"
She nodded. "Nobody had ever seen me before, so if you or Sesshoumaru onii-sama don't call me by my name, who would know that I'm actually the princess of the West? Besides, if anything should happen, you two together would be more than enough to protect me, right?"
"Hmm...it never hurts to ask..." Inuyasha thought aloud. "But aniue is going outside with chichi-ue tomorrow morning to patrol around the fortress."
"Then we'll ask him when he comes back," Kagome decided.
The hanyou gave her a worried look. "Are you really sure about this aneue? It could be dangerous."
"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry too much about it okay?" she said as she failed to suppress a yawn. "It's already getting late, let's call it a day shall we?"
Inuyasha nodded and walked towards the door as Kagome spread out her futon on the floor.
"Oyasumi aneue. It's good to have you back again," he said, looking over his shoulder to her.
Kagome gave him a warm smile. "It's good to be back."
.-.-. meanwhile .-.-.
"Writing your journal again?"
Bankotsu stopped writing and looked up, only to find Jakotsu standing beside him. The yellowish red hue which radiated from the crisping campfire made his friend seem even more feminine than he already was. 'He could definitely win a man's heart if he let his hair loose instead of tied up.' he thought amused as he suppressed a chuckle. 'Except mine.' he added inwardly, reminding himself of his loyalty towards his raven-haired angel. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep," he replied softly, not wanting to disturb the rest of the group that was soundly sleeping on the grass around them.
"We're reaching our destination soon. You think you'll be able to finish writing it before the mission starts?" his friend asked.
Bankotsu looked down at the paper surface and back to Jakotsu. "I'm almost done. Yesterday, I've finished writing about the things that had happened when I was blind."
"Are you planning to give it to her afterwards?" Jakotsu asked softly. "Do you think she'll read it?"
"I am going to give it to her, but I'm not sure if she would want to read everything," Bankotsu replied. "Part of it will be about the execution of our mission after all, which is what I'm still working on at the moment."
Jakotsu thought for a moment and put a hand on Bankotsu's shoulder as he knelt down to him and whispered. "Don't worry. If she loves you, she'll accept every bit of you and your past."
"Thanks," Bankotsu smiled encouraged.
His friend returned a smile and stood up again. "So...have you thought about a strategy?" he asked casually.
Bankotsu nodded. "Yes I have. I've already got a plan in my mind, but to complete it, I'll be needing some information that can only be gathered at the fortress."
"Do you think we'll have enough time to plan everything once we get there?"
He nodded again. "If we keep this pace, we should arrive at the fortress two days before the birthday of our target. That should be enough," he reasoned. "In the meantime, I'll keep you guys updated of the outlines."
"Will do," Jakotsu nodded and stretched out his arms. "I'm going to hit the hay now. You shouldn't stay up too late Bankotsu, you'll need the rest too."
"I'll keep that in mind," Bankotsu replied and watched his friend settle down against the nearest trunk before turning to his journal again. 'Now where was I...oh right...' he thought as he began to write again. 'On the birthday of the princess of the West, we'll infiltrate the fortress using the crowd...'
.-.-.
The next morning, Sesshoumaru and InuTaisho left the fortress on an early patrol and Kagome and Izayoi ended up talking a walk in the garden together after breakfast.
Except for the kimono that Sesshoumaru gave her as her birthday present, there were no particular garments prepared for her return since they didn't know her size. Fortunately, her posture resembled her mother's so she got to wear one of her kimono's. Today, she was dressed in her mother's fine green kimono with yellow flowers while her mother wore a dark yellow one with white blossoms. On straw sandals, they strode over the with leaves covered stone path that led them through the autumn flavored garden.
Normally with such a thick kimono around her body, Kagome wouldn't have any problems with the chilly breezes that brushed her cheeks from time to time, but combined with the lack of sleep, she just couldn't stop yawning.
"You didn't sleep very well, did you? I heard that the light of your bedroom had stayed lit till very late last night," her mother suddenly said through the crackling leaves below their feet.
"Oh, Inuyasha and I just had a lot to catch up last night," Kagome told her as she dried her teary eyes after another yawn. "It won't happen again, I promise."
Her mother nodded approvingly. "By the way, Inuyasha left quickly after breakfast. Do you know where he might have gone?"
"I'm not sure, he didn't tell me," Kagome replied. "But I think he probably went outside to train or something."
Izayoi chuckled softly. "That Inuyasha, always running off like that and always coming up with the strangest of ideas, just like you," she smiled. "I guess it shouldn't be too surprising that he was the one who came up with the idea to summon you back to celebrate your twentieth birthday."
"Inuyasha?" Kagome was really surprised to hear this. "But why? I only held him once when he was just a baby, I doubt that he would even remember that."
"It's true that we had decided not to tell him about you because of reasons of confidentiality, but not long before his tenth birthday he caught servants talking about you," her mother told her. "I was truly surprised when he and Sesshoumaru suddenly came to ask my permission to summon you back. Apparently, Sesshoumaru had told him all about you."
"S-Sesshoumaru onii-sama did?" Kagome widened her eyes.
Her mother nodded. "I was just as surprised as you are now. After you left, he was the one who had decided not to mention you again, but I guess these ten years had dampened his stubborness. Although he always seemed like the most uncaring one, it is he who is actually affected the most by InuTaisho's decision to send you away."
"That's Sesshoumaru onii-sama for you," Kagome agreed with a chuckle.
"Yes, but he wasn't the only one..." Izayoi added with a sad tone as she stopped walking and turned to her. "Every day since you left, I had prayed for your safety and begged the Gods and your late father's spirit for forgiveness for abandoning you." She cupped her cheeks with both hands and continued as her eyes began to redden. "Every night, I could only fall asleep with InuTaisho's messenger telling me that the barrier around the West was still intact, as it was the only way for me to find out whether you're still alive..."
Kagome leaned into her mother's warm hands. She didn't notice it before but now that her face was so close, she realized that her mother had become much thinner. Her cheekbones and collarbone were more visible than she remembered and there were already some evidence of aging appearing on her once smooth face.
"Mother," she said softly. "Don't blame yourself so much. A long time ago, I didn't give up because I wouldn't want someone else to be burdened with such a heavy fate, but now, I'm really happy that this is my destiny and nobody else's. I don't regret anything and I don't blame anyone for the decisions made, so neither should you blame yourself."
She watched how her mother's grimace turned into a small smile and dried her tears with her sleeve.
"You've grown so much, Kagome," said Izayoi as she caressed her cheeks. "You were just a small girl back then...now look at you..." Her eyes traveled to her feet and back to her face again. "You've become considerate, thoughtful and kind. You've become such a fine young lady and your looks could easily steal a man's heart and soul. Just like I did with your late father."
Kagome blushed. "Mother! Stop that!"
"But I'm only speaking the truth my dear daughter, there's no need to be embarassed," her mother said innocently.
"L-let's keep walking okay? We're out here for a walk after all," Kagome quickly suggested and began to walk again.
She heard her mother chuckle softly behind her back, followed by some quick footsteps and soon they were traveling side by side again throught the garden.
"Aneue!" a voice cried from afar.
Kagome recognized Inuyasha's voice and turned around to her little brother, who jumped from the fortress' walls and landed before her.
"Ah haha-ue, y-you're here too!" the hanyou said surprised.
"Yes Inuyasha, I was taking a walk around the garden with your sister. Is something the matter? You sound pretty exhausted. Where did you come from?" Izayoi demanded.
"N-nothing! I was just on the watch..." Inuyasha stammered and turned to Kagome. "Chichi-ue and aniue has returned from their patrol."
"A-ah!" Kagome responded, immediately knowing what her little brother was hinting about and turned to their mother. "Mother, I'm going with Inuyasha to give them a warm welcome back! We'll continue this walk on another day okay?"
Before she could receive a response from her mother, Kagome was already pulled away by Inuyasha.
"Come on aneue!" the hanyou said as he began to quicken his pace.
"W-wait Inuyasha! I can't run that fast!" Kagome cried as she barely kept up.
"Aniue!" he cried when InuTaisho and Sesshoumaru came in view. He quickly sprinted towards the two demons, completely forgetting that he was still holding Kagome's hand.
"Woah!" Kagome cried when she failed to grasp her little brother's sudden change of speed and began to stumble forward to the floor.
Fortunately, Sesshoumaru saw all this and quickly caught Kagome before she hit the dirt.
"T-thanks, " she smiled when she stood up again with his help.
"Inuyasha," she heard her brother say with a stern voice and looked up at him, only to find him staring at Inuyasha with a terribly displeased expression. She knew he was angry at him for almost letting her fall and quickly placed herself between them. "It's not his fault Sesshoumaru onii-sama! We were just...we couldn't wait to ask you something, that's why we ran...and then I lost my balance, that's all," she told him.
Sesshoumaru raised a brow. "Ask me what?"
"Well...eh..." she hesitated, eyeing their father, who was looking at them from a short distance.
Noticing this, Sesshoumaru turned to InuTaisho. "I can handle this myself father, do not wait for me," he told the demon lord.
"Very well, I shall wait for you in my study then," InuTaisho nodded and turned to leave.
After their father disappeared into the building, Sesshoumaru turned to Kagome again. "What did you want to ask me?" he demanded expectantly.
"Eh...you see..." Kagome began.
.-. one moment later .-.
"No," was the Sesshoumaru's concise answer after hearing their request.
"Aw come on aniue! I just want to show aneue the claw attacks you taught me!" Inuyasha pouted.
"..."
The hanyou put up a defeated expression as he muttered. "I'm sure going to the forest would do aneue good."
This slightly piqued the dog demon and he turned to Kagome. "Do you want to go outside the fortress?"
Kagome nodded. "I want to see what you have taught Inuyasha. There might not be another chance again," she told him sadly.
Sesshoumaru scowled at this. "There will be another chance," he growled, causing her to flinch.
Seeing that, the dog demon froze, realizing how harsh he must have sounded. After a moment of silence, his eyes softened again. "We'll leave the forest as soon as we're done or when I think it's too dangerous to stay any longer, do I make myself clear?"
Both Kagome and Inuyasha widened their eyes and nodded with wide smiles on their face.
.-.-.
In the forest, Kagome and Sesshoumaru walked side by side while the excited Inuyasha walked at a distance in front of them. According to the dog demon, they were heading towards the part of the forest where he and Inuyasha trained together.
"Sesshoumaru onii-sama?"
"Hm?"
"You were the one who told Inuyasha about me, weren't you?"
"..."
Kagome knew she was right when her brother gave no reply and turned her attention back to the road. "I heard you were the one who had decided not to mention me again, but then why did you tell Inuyasha?"
Sesshoumaru took his time to answer. "Inuyasha wanted to know more about you. He had the right to know," he replied with his eyes fixed on the hanyou in front of them.
Her brother was right about this, but Kagome felt that there was more behind this and glanced at him with an expectant expression.
After being stared at for a couple of seconds, Sesshoumaru finally couldn't stand it and turned to her with an annoyed expression. "I hadn't planned to tell him at first, but he wouldn't stop asking."
Satisfied with the answer, Kagome flashed him a victorious grin and looped her arm around his.
Immediately, the dog demon began to shake her off of his arm angrily. Knowing that she had angered her brother, Kagome tightened her grip around his arm and apologized meekly. "I'm sorry onii-sama. I guess I just missed teasing you. I didn't mean to anger you."
Right after she said that, the shaking stopped and their journey continue in a fairly awkward silence.
"So...when did father give you that sword?" she tried to interrupt the quietness as she eyed the weapon that was secured around Sesshoumaru's waist.
"Two years after you left the fortress, when I turned twenty," he replied after a moment, his voice less agitated than before.
"I'm turning twenty soon, do you think father would give me something special too?" she asked hopefully.
Sesshoumaru sighed as he looked down at his sword with a bored expression. "There's nothing special about this sword. It's useless to me."
"But it's a sword right? How come it's useless?" she asked puzzled.
"It cannot kill," her brother replied flatly.
"Ehhh?" she exclaimed, even more bewildered than before. But she fell silent when she suddenly remembered a conversation she had with her mother a long time ago.
FLASHBACK
Not long after InuTaisho had taken her mother as his wife and adopted her as the princess of the West, she recalled asking her mother once about the day they were attacked.
"Mommy?"
Her mother looked up from something that looked like a scroll of paper and smiled at her. "What is it?"
"When those wolves were chasing us, were you afraid?"
"Of course I was!" she replied with a surprised face. She put down the scroll and spread out her arms to her. "Come here."
Kagome walked closer and settled down on her lap.
Her mother's arms enveloped her small body and embraced her tightly. "I was afraid that they'll hurt you, so I quickly threw you out of the bushes and told you to run while I distracted them."
"I ran and ran like you told me to and then I met father who was not yet my father back then."
"You told him to save me didn't you?"
She nodded. "He placed me in one of the guard's arms and quickly dashed into the trees. But then I got really sleepy and when I woke up, we were already inside the fortress."
Her mother smiled at her as she caressed her cheek. "We had run for hours, it was only natural for you to be that tired," she reasoned.
"Did those wolves hurt you?"
"They did," she replied. "For a moment, I was pretty sure that I had died."
Kagome slightly tilted her head in puzzlement. "But you're holding me right now."
Her mother chuckled softly. "That's so true Kagome. However, I have no doubt that it was death that I was experiencing back then. It was cold and quiet and there was nobody around. But suddenly, a warm light surrounded me and took me away from that dark place."
"A light saved mommy?" she raised a brow. "But I thought father did."
"Yes, he did," her mother nodded. "When I asked your father about it, he told me that he had saved me with one of his swords."
She widened her eyes. "Ehh? But swords are bad things right? How did it save mommy's life?"
"He told me that it was a sword that could not harm humans, only the creatures that try to take our souls away," her mother explained.
Kagome's face dropped as more and more question piled up in her simple mind. "But I don't understand mommy..." she sniffed.
"Don't cry Kagome," she hushed her gently. "You will understand it someday."
END FLASHBACK
'This must be the sword mother was talking about back then...' Kagome concluded after snapping out of her thoughts. She turned to Sesshoumaru. "Mother told me once about this sword. She said it was a sword that could only harm those that take our souls away."
He nodded in reply. "Tenseiga, the sword that can bring back a hundred lives with just one swing," he told her.
'A sword that can bring back the dead...' she repeated her brother's words in her head. It was somehow very comforting, but that was until Sesshoumaru suddenly snarled at his sword.
"However, I have no use for such a pathetic sword," she heard him say.
Kagome frowned at this. "Why not? It can save lives, can it not?"
"It isn't that easy. This sword..." he said but paused to rephrase the explanation. "Even if its master desires to bring a person back to life, if the sword does not agree with it, the person will not be brought back."
"Oh..." She dropped her face. For one moment, she had a small fragment of hope growing inside her when she heard about the power of this Tenseiga, but it all crumbled her brother told her about its true character. 'That's right...If Tenseiga really could bring back everyone, Sesshoumaru onii-sama's mother would still be by his side right now...' she thought sadly. 'So...when I...'
"I won't let it happen Kagome," the dog demon suddenly said, as if he could sense what she was worrying about. "I know that there's no guarantee Tenseiga will allow me to bring you back when you..." he stopped before uttering the ill-fated word. "I won't let that time come...even if it does, I'd rather kill myself than having to use the sword on you."
Kagome flashed the dog demon an angry look. "I don't want to hear you saying that," she scowled. "I won't let you!"
This time, Sesshoumaru smirked. "As if you could stop me by then."
"I don't understand! You said you wouldn't let me die and yet you refuse to take the chance to bring me back to life?" she said frustrated.
The smirk on his face dropped immediately as his eyes hardened. "Because I don't want to bear any hope of being able to bring you back to life and then realize that I couldn't...even though I have the power to!" he grunted.
It was then that Kagome began to feel guilty for doubting her brother and she dropped her eyes to the floor out of shame. "G-gomen nasai..." she whispered.
"You're forgiven," said Sesshoumaru. "But I do not ever want to hear you mentioning this again."
She nodded and tightened her grip around his arm.
Because of their argument, they didn't realize that Inuyasha had disappeared out of sight until the hanyou suddenly popped up before them, causing them to halt their steps. "Geez you guys are so slow! No wonder I couldn't find you guys when I looked behind me earlier!" he complained. "Aniue, why don't you carry aneue? We'll be much faster that way."
Kagome dropped her jaw. "What! I can walk perfectly by mys-" Before she could even finish, she was already scooped up by the dog demon. "Hey! I didn't give you permission to carry me!" she cried in protest.
"If we stay outside the fortress for too long, mother and father will get suspicious," her brother reasoned and turned to Inuyasha. "Let's go."
Not giving her a chance to complain any more, Sesshoumaru dashed through the trees with Inuyasha following right behind.
.-.-.
"Sankon Tessou!" Inuyasha cried as he lunged forward to one of the trees with his claws first.
Kagome widened her eyes when the thick trunk splat in several large pieces and clapped her hands. "Sugoi!" she cried amazed at her little brother's claw attack.
"Thanks," the hanyou smiled. "Though it's actually nothing compared to the damage it can inflict when aniue's the one doing it."
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be able to do the same after some more practice," she comforted him as she elbowed Sesshoumaru to say something as well.
"Maybe," the dog demon responded coolly.
Kagome scowled at her brother's so-called helping hand, but quickly turned to Inuyasha again with a smile on her face. "Never mind him. Let's see your other claw attack, shall we?"
"Okay!" Inuyasha nodded.
It shocked her greatly when the hanyou suddenly clenched his clawed hands and sank his nails into his palm until it drew blood. "Inuyasha! What are you-"
"Hijin Kessou!" he cried loudly and sent several large red blades towards a group of trees next to the damaged one.
BWAAAAMM
Kagome shielded her eyes from the dust cloud that emerged after the loud blast and lowered her arm when it began to dissipate again.
"Wow..." she gasped at the sight of the wasted trees before her.
Her attention turned to Inuyasha, who was now approaching her with a wide grin on his face. "Do you believe me now?" he smirked.
"Yeah, I believe you now," she frowned as she suddenly grabbed his bleeding clawed hand, which caused him to wince. "But you really should do something about that Flying Blood something..." she said as she pulled out a small handkerchief and began bandaging his injured palm.
Inuyasha scowled. "It's Flying Claws of Blood," he grunted. "Actually, I've already refined the way to draw blood. I used to dug my claws into my chest before."
"Oh God!" Kagome put up a disgusted face as the idea began to nauseate her.
"Yeah, but aniue told me that my chest wasn't the wisest spot to draw blood in an actual battle so I decided to use my palm instead," the hanyou explained. "Don't worry, I'm half demon so my wounds will heal pretty quickly."
Kagome finished making a knot in the handkerchief and looked up to her little brother again. "Just try not to use that skill too much in the future okay?"
The hanyou nodded obediently as he looked at his bandaged hand. "Thanks, aneue."
They both turned to Sesshoumaru as he walked up to them. "Let's go home," the dog demon decided.
Kagome dropped her face at this. "So soon?"
He frowned. "I agreed to let you come here on the condition that we would leave whenever I say so, do you want me to break my word?"
She grinned mischievously. "Well then I suggest you should carry me back, because I'm not moving an inch."
"Give it up aniue, you can't win from her," Inuyasha chuckled, brushing off the dust from his red attire.
Sesshoumaru let out a deep sigh and reluctantly gathered Kagome up in his arms.
.-.-. later .-.-.
Inuyasha stretched out his arms as they arrived at the gates. "It's great to take a run from time to time, don't you agree aniue?" he asked as he blew away some silver strands from his face.
"Shh."
He raised a brow. "Why are you shushing me?" he asked as he turned to Sesshoumaru.
"She's sleeping," the dog demon replied softly as he looked at the sleeping Kagome in his arms.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey everybody! Pfew, this chapter took me almost forever to get it done...it already 8 pm and I still have to reread it :). Don't worry, I'll get it on before I'm hitting the hay. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, although it's kind of filled with various scenes. By the way, I'm falling behind with reading articles for school so the next chapter will take longer to be updated. However, I promise it'll be long :)!
Please review after reading! Thanks!
Greets,
Kittymui
.-.-.-.
'Italic': thoughts
"...": spoken words
.-.-.-.-.: time gap
-CAPSLOCKED WORDS-: noises
.-.-.-.
Next chapter: Chapter XXV
.-.-.
Why did the Western Lands fall? What caused the reign of InuTaisho to fall into the hands of the horrendous Naraku? Why did the barrier fail? All of this will be unraveled in the next and final chapter of the book called 'A Tale From The Past'.
.-.-.
Vocabulary:
hontou: really?
chichi-ue: father
haha-ue: mother
aniue/onii-sama: (older) brother
aneue: sister
hanyou: half demon
oyasumi: good night
gomen nasai: I'm sorry
arigatou: thank you
sugoi: amazing
Sankon Tessou: a claw attack used by Inuyasha, literally means 'Soul-Shattering
Steel Claws'
Hijin Kessou: mean 'Flying Claws of Blood'
.-.-.-.
REPLIES TO REVIEWS:
BelleDayNight: Glad you're enjoying the story, because I'm having fun writing it :)! While you can't wait to see what's going to happen in future chapters, I can't wait until I can really put them on paper hahaha.
LadyRedEyes: I understand :). Don't worry, if it's really getting a bit too much, I would just take my time to update. It's not like I'm making haste every time to update as frequent as possible. Oh by the way, I didn't make Kagome tell Sesshoumaru about Bankotsu, hope you aren't too disappointed about that.
Horcrux Destroyer Fishi: Hahaha don't worry, I won't. I've been looking forward to writing this story a long time ago so there's no way I'm going to write it half-heartedly.
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Inukamisashi: Hahaha, I'll be posting some story plots in my bio after I've finished with this story, then you'll can help me choose one to turn it into a story (probably a Sess/Kag one, not sure). I do understand a little bit Mandarin, so thanks, I will do my best!
Wake-Robin: Glad you loved it! It's their sibling relationship that makes them so special when they're together don't you think? Making them lovers would somehow spoil it, that's what I think at least.
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gurlhushere13: Thank you! I will!
tidusXyuna637: Thanks! I'm happy to know you loved it! The next chapter won't come as fast as this one though!
TeenAnimeLover: Hahaha, well it's not really incest since they're not blood related. But don't worry, I don't like step-siblings falling in love with each other very much. And it would pretty much spoil the magical moments they had (solely because they're siblings), don't you agree?
waining-moon: Sorry for making you sad. Now I feel kind of guilty...but don't fret! The story will continue after Bankotsu finishes reading the story, it'll get better from that moment on :).
Azn-grl-kagome12: I'll try to! Thanks for reviewing!
SesshomarusGirl15: Wow, I'm so happy you love my story so far! Thanks! I'll try to update as soon as possible!
Mis0ka: It's the fact that they're siblings that makes their moments together so special, don't you agree? But in contrast to this and the previous chapter, the next chapter will be a lot more dramatic, hope you'll like it :).
Cascading Fates: You better do something about that stress of yours soon, because the next chapter's gonna be the one we're all dying to read...:). Movie 4 was in Japanese (fortunately), it's better than English dubbed ones I'm sure :).
Raja crimson hunter: I will.
eyeliner0tears: Thank you :). In the present? Bankotsu's reading the story we're reading right now, so basically we reading it through his eyes :). As for your other question, you'll find out soon enough :).
bakasaru2: Thanks! I'm glad you like it! I'll try to update asap.
xXRaiyneXx: Thank you!
Hauntingsaddness: Oh no, not at all :). It's natural for you to think that way. But it's their sibling relationship that makes the magical moments. It could be that Sesshoumaru has fallen in love with Kagome without even realizing it, but he will only express it in a brotherly way as he know it's impossible between him and Kagome. But maybe it's just love for a beloved sister that he's showing. Who knows? Thanks for reviewing!
doragon no mizu: Thank you very much! It really sucks when you're computer's not doing what it's supposed to do...I know that feeling. You will be disappointed, that I can assure you, but you won't be for long, I promise!
Posted: 15 September 2005
Last Edited: 15 September 2005
Spelling check: YES
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters of it. And I do not own whatever elements of this story that seem familiar and had already been used by other creative individuals before. But... I do own the idea of mixing all of these elements together into a new story!