Please read my profile for news.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Plain and simple.

Silhouette

Chapter Five : My Feelings That Won't Go Away

CRACK! A clap of thunder rocked the whole house, following a searing bolt of lightning that crossed the skies, scarring the clouds above. They were dark, almost black, promising heavy rains for days to rid themselves of their weighty load.

Sango peered out the door, watching the rains hammer into the dirt, creating slippery roads of mud and silt that no human being would dare travel in. She left the rain to its business and turned back in to her own work, teaching the youngest of her children to read and write. Suzuno was doing well, her handwriting haphazard and all over the paper, but it was leaving scribbleverse and heading into legibleland. The boys were chattering quietly amongst themselves, while Misa polished Hiraikotsu. Aside from the occasional thunder, it was quiet.

In the next room, Kagome lay curled up on the floor, a kimono carefully tucked around her. Her eyes were reddened and a little puffy, her cheeks stained with permanent tear tracks. Frequent sniffles sounded from where she lay, an occasional whimper as she struggled to hold back the sobs that threatened to break free and trouble the whole household.

Sango felt awful for her, and felt even worse when she could think of absolutely nothing that would make Kagome feel better. Even when they traveled together 20 years ago, Kagome's feelings for Inuyasha had been obvious. It had been the reason Sango held out so long, believing until the end that Kagome would return. No one who loved someone that much would abandon him, Sango had thought. But every day that passed, every time Sango saw the desolate hanyou and what Kagome's absence was doing to him, her faith wavered. She stopped believing when Inuyasha did, shortly before she gave birth to Kohaku. She'd always known that people who loved each other could hurt one another. But the day Inuyasha left them forever, Sango realized that Kagome also fell into that group.

But now, she thought, the smile her daughter brought her wavering, she just appears, telling this wild story. It's still the same Kagome-chan, but we've lost faith in her. How can this work? I still feel like this story is just that, a story. How can she expect us to drop everything and help her after what we've been through? How can Inuyasha be expected to believe in her again? The ex-taijiya paused, her hand closing as something else occurred to her.

How am I supposed to help her if I don't even believe her?

.n.

Languid steps paused in their stride, and sensitive senses picked out a flaw in the air around them. His typical blasé expression never wavering, Sesshoumaru lifted golden eyes to the sky, searching the blue canopy above. This scent, the dog-lord thought to himself, seems familiar.

Behind him, the thunderous, steady steps of Ah-Un stopped as well; Jaken's tottering stride accompanied by the occasional knocking of the Nintoujou against the ground signaling he had also stopped. "Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru didn't even spare a reply to the little toad. Rin's small voice became urgent as well. "Sesshoumaru-sama, what's wrong?"

This time the youkai's reply was to rush to his left, Toukijin drawn in a flash of bright steel. He slashed at the trees without hesitation, the upper bodies of the trees slipping off their trunks in crunches and snaps of agony, the branches crashing to the ground. Out of them darted a white shape, flipping magnificently into the air to avoid Sesshoumaru's attack. It spiraled, throwing out its arms to catch Sesshoumaru on his shoulders.

Up close for a mere instant, Sesshoumaru saw the woman's face. She was beautiful, her skin pale like alabaster, framed by snow white hair. Her eyes were dark red, dilated and glossy, like a doll's. The rest of her hair was painstakingly done up in beads every different shade of red he could imagine, and they clinked and clattered as they jostled against each other. In the moment it took for her to push off his shoulders, Sesshoumaru had already reached up, snagging her arm and digging his claws in.

"Uh!" The woman cried out sharply, the sound not what the dog-lord was expecting. Her voice was of a high pitch, but it rang out twice like an echo. The robes she wore were not anything he'd seen before, being long white material simply draped around her and held in place by tucking it in at her waist. He frowned at her, "You…"

The eerie red eyes centered on him and she reached into the drooping parts of her dress, drawing out a small charm. Instantaneously it grew larger in her hand, so quickly that Sesshoumaru hadn't the moment he needed to defend himself. She swung it, hard, and it cracked into the side of his head.

It had the desired effect: he let go, and she darted backwards in the blink of an eye, spinning to face the shocked followers of Sesshoumaru. Jaken's bulgy eyes widened further as he stood there, vulnerable to any attack. Ah-Un began to back away to protect Rin who was sitting on his back, but the little girl grabbed the reins, giving them a sharp tug and urging the beast forward. She reached out towards the little toad standing frozen before their attacker. "Jaken-sama, give me your hand!"

"Not today," said the woman, her voice again echoing strangely, as though she'd spoken the same words twice, but at the same time. She flicked three talisman at the trio, each landing on a body part. The three of them froze instantaneously, and Rin watched in horror as Jaken passed out, slumping forward onto the ground. A loud thump sounded afterward when Ah-Un also fell to the powers of the woman.

My body… she wondered, I can't move… Fighting the paralysis, the little girl strained back, trying to see Sesshoumaru. The dog-lord was on his knees, his eyes open and staring, his body unmoving. He wasn't unconscious as Jaken was, but he was quickly succumbing to whatever spell this white creature had cast on them. Barely, Rin noticed two talisman, one on either of Sesshoumaru's shoulders.

It was then, she realized, recalling the moment the white woman had grabbed Sesshoumaru by the shoulders and then pushed away from him. She put those on him… Sesshoumaru-sama…

Sesshoumaru grunted painfully as he fought the spell, noticing out of the corner of his vision as Rin collapsed on Ah-Un's back. She wasn't dead, none of them were dying. But this form of magic seemed much worse than anything that would bestow death, and he cursed himself when he actually began to feel dread at the thought of what this woman could and might do.

"Unh…" The dog-lord gripped Toukijin tight in his hands, struggling to stand to face the woman. She glided over to him, her eyes emotionless as she pressed another talisman to his chest.

He felts his joints stiffen further, the paralysis stretching from the top of his head down to his feet, and he finally slumped forward, unable to keep his body up any longer. The woman knelt, and began to whisper something.

"Toki no naka no yami wa kokoro o nomeru, yami no naka no maboroshi wa me ga mienai ni naru."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes.

.n.

Kagome opened her eyes. They were blurry, as they always seemed to be the past day or so. Her eyes and cheeks had that dryness to it, the specific kind that only happens when clammy flesh dries by the air, and her bangs were sticking to her skin.

How ironic, she thought abruptly, I couldn't cry for three days, and now I can't stop for even one minute, much less three… She sniffled, turning her face into her pillow and whimpering again. Every time she thought she might have cried enough to collect herself and leave the room, Inuyasha's face would appear in her mind's eye. That dazed, helpless look that spoke volumes about his hurt and his anger, without him needing to say a thing at all. His voice echoed in her ears, using that tone he'd had right before she left him.

"I don't want to see you again. Ever. Go back home, stay here, whatever. Just get away from me."

I've never seen him that way, not even when he would meet with Kikyou. I never ever wanted to see him that way because of something I did. I wanted to take care of him and protect him from that. He deserves it so much. But now, he hates me. Because of something I did…!

"Stop thinking that."

Kagome gasped at the sudden interruption of her thoughts, and then did a double take when she realized the voice hadn't been in her head, but been spoken aloud. She sat up, twisting to look over her shoulder. Sango was kneeling by her bed.

The woman was beautiful, as she'd always been. Somehow, her maturity had brought out an even deeper beauty in her, and she seemed elegant and strangely refined. And, as she had always been, she looked stern. Her hands were folded in her lap, smoothing out faded green fabric as dark eyes centered on her. She didn't look mad, simply very serious. "Sit up, Kagome-chan," she suggested, and the miko did so, her eyes finding her lap immediately.

"Kagome-chan, did you or did you not leave us for twenty years?" Sango asked quietly. The words hit Kagome hard, with them the question: doesn't she believe me? Kagome looked up, her expression injured. But Sango simply raised her eyebrows inquisitively. "Well?"

"NO. I would never have left you guys! I had a job to finish…"

"Is that all?"

Is that all? Kagome wondered, and then shook her head. "Of course not. You, Miroku-sama, Shippou-chan… Inuyasha.. You were my friends. Even if we had gathered the Shikon no kakera and killed Naraku.. I would have come back."

"Then stop acting like you left," Sango said harshly, surprising Kagome. "I'm getting sick of this wishy-washy attitude from you. You say that you didn't leave us and then whenever someone mentions what happened to us, you get all weepy and act like it's your fault. That's not the Kagome-chan I know."

"I can't help it," Kagome replied, her eyes filling again. "I feel it. I see it on your faces, how much you detest me being here now, how much it hurt you that I left. You think I wouldn't be affected by that?"

Sango was undeterred. "What about when I was asked to steal Tessaiga in order to save Kohaku? Or when Shippou was possessed by the Yadori Sanagi? You never cried." The ex-taijiya's eyes narrowed, her mouth turning down in a frown. "The only reason you're half as upset is because it's you. Instead of one of us now, it's you who's being blamed. How dare you act so selfish. You think you have the time to sit here and bawl like a child? I thought you were going to find out what caused this and fix it?"

"I can't do it without Inuyasha…!"

"You mean you don't want to."

Kagome stood up, stamping one foot. "What does semantics matter now!" She began to pace, sobbing and waving her arms about in frantic gestures, another indication of how upset she truly was. "He had the Hourglass! How am I supposed to find out anything if I don't have it? Whether I can't or won't isn't the issue!"

"You are missing the point," Sango said pointedly, her voice edging on exasperation. Kagome looked at the taijiya, her lips trembling and tears running down her face. Sango didn't let up with the severity of her comments; she couldn't. Not until she knew Kagome understood. "Kagome-chan, has it ever occurred to you that maybe the reason we keep bringing up what happened is because you allow us to?"

"What do you mean?" Kagome wondered, looking evermore like a small child being scolded by her mother as she clasped her hands in front of her. Sango sighed, gesturing randomly off to the side to encompass everyone in her explanation.

"We had finally gotten over everything.. decided to let it go when you came back. All you did was kick up the dust again. We treated you like it was your fault because we never resolved it. And even though you've told us again and again, and we can obviously see that you're the same as always… the hurt is still here."

"I know! That's why I keep trying to--"

"Kagome-chan, please." The miko hushed instantly, and Sango continued. "But instead of sticking to your story, you cry, and you plead for forgiveness, and you blame yourself. There should be no guilt if you didn't do anything wrong and yet there is. That's why we're able to talk about it, and blame you. And for some reason you've gotten it into your head that whatever we say is law. The moment anyone even mentions anything that you've missed, you get this weepy, guilty look. And my first thought is 'Why does she look like that if she really did nothing wrong?'"

Kagome's mouth hung open slightly, and a thoughtful expression overcame her as she slowly sat back down, hanging her head. It felt awful, hearing it from Sango, but Kagome knew it was probably right. No, of course it was. She had seen it on all of them: the brief confusion as to why their friend looked the same as she always had when they had grown older, but the confusion was only there for a minute before everything they'd held in for twenty years came out in a torrent of hurt feelings and the want to hurt her back. She'd even seen it in Inuyasha; that brief flash of the way he used to be before something darker than him came spilling out. She swallowed, looking up at her friend. Sango looked at her expectantly. She truly wanted an answer.

"I know it's stupid," she finally said. "I never used to do this when someone would mistake me for Kikyou. When Inuyasha first woke up and treated me like I was the one who'd killed him, I never felt anything but annoyance that I was being punished for something some other woman did. But this time, the person who did the wrong in everyone's mind was me. And I see those looks on your faces and I just feel like I can't walk. Even though I know I didn't do it."

"Why?"

Kagome sniffled, her crying softer and less tremendous than before. She wiped at her eyes, looking at the wall. "Before I met Inuyasha I was just a normal girl. I complained so much, and gave everyone so much trouble about having to come here, but really.. It made me so happy to be with you. It was hard, and it was dangerous, but I wasn't just Kagome Higurashi anymore, I was…" She sagged pitifully, looking infinitely smaller than she was as she searched for the word. "Something special."

"But now," she continued, turning back to Sango, "In this world, I'm just a girl again. The me in your reality hurt all of you, and the way you treat me, it feels like I'm a stranger again. I love him so much… I love all of you, and then to walk down the street and see people I don't recognize, and the only ones I do look at me with contempt… I can't do anything without you guys. Without him. Without Inuyasha, I'm nobody." She looked imploringly at Sango, trying to tell the woman with her eyes, in her manner, what she meant.

"I understand," Sango said, softening into something Kagome recognized from the more youthful Sango she was accustomed to. "You feel like your ordinary life is just that, ordinary. Everything is so typical and so everyday. Everything is the same, until you met them and then every single moment is unpredictable, and it makes you feel like you're more than you are. That you're truly.. special."

"Yes…" Kagome nodded, hanging her head again.

"I understand. Miroku makes me feel the same way."

Kagome looked surprised for a moment and then laughed, looking a bit embarrassed. Sango laughed also, without knowing why except maybe just to laugh, to lessen the weight of the growing dark clouds over them. Kagome looked up at her with a calm, hopeful expression. The tears were gone.

"I have to get him back. I have to make him listen to me."

"Get the Hourglass. You won't need to make him do anything."

"You're right."

.n.

"You're wrong."

Shippou shook his head, flicking back the long strands of wet red hair. He'd pulled it down from his ponytail so that it would dry faster; in his trip back into the forest he'd soaked through from the rain. His shirt and fur-covered vest were hanging precariously on a line over the fire, but he was wearing one of Inuyasha's fur pelts over his bare shoulders to keep warm.

Across the flames was Inuyasha. He was curled up in a narrow corner of the cave near the niche where Tessaiga was kept, looking rather apathetic. There was no emotion on his face and his motions were sluggish and half-hearted as he rubbed the aching, bloody knuckles of his right hand. A little ways above the part of the cavern wall that bore Kagome's scratched-out name was a patch of gummy, drying blood. He closed his eyes and softly repeated what he'd said. "You're wrong."

"Maybe I'm not," the kit said carefully, not wanting to upset the hanyou any further and chance him breaking his other hand or worse. He knew him, knew that this was just the calm before the storm. The first storm had passed, but Inuyasha had more than enough energy, more than enough pain in him to continue this for as long as Kagome was here. It had been the reason Shippou snuck back after taking Kagome home: to try to talk to him. "You saw her. Doesn't that strike you as odd? She looks the same as before, even I'm older than her now."

"It was probably a trick," Inuyasha told him, his voice never rising higher than a whisper. He sounded tired, like today's events and this very conversation exhausted him. His voice also held a tinge of condescending, as though he were reminding the kit of something he should've known but forgotten as he said, "You've never been to her world, Shippou. I have. It's strange. It's loud and dangerous and it stinks. They had weird things there; who knows what they've done in twenty years. Maybe they found a way to stop her from aging."

"Even if they did, do you really think Kagome would want to stop aging at 15? Why not wait until she was an adult?" Shippou took a sip of his tea and then continued his business of making medicine for Inuyasha's hand, lifting the ladle and stirring a pot of near-boiling water. "You're just trying to think of ways to make what you think happened true. You've been doing it for years."

Golden eyes slid underneath their lids to center on the kit, and Shippou knew he was treading on thin ice. Carefully, he amended his last statement. "Don't get upset with me, I'm just saying that you have that tendency." Inuyasha sighed through his nose, the sound aggravated but again, so apathetic that he hardly even moved to say or do anything to the kit. He closed his eyes again, wincing slightly this time as he accidentally jostled the broken fingers of his hand. Even this didn't rouse him, and Shippou felt his heart sink. I knew this would happen. I should've come to warn him or something, to prepare him for this. He's not ready to deal with her yet.

"Inuyasha, just hear me out. What if Kagome's telling the truth?" The hanyou didn't move, but he was listening; his ears were pricked in Shippou's direction. The younger man took a deep breath, taking the lack of response as signal to continue. "What if we all really were deceived by some outside force? You have lots of enemies, you always have. Is it so hard to imagine someone may have tried to break us up?"

Inuyasha didn't reply, didn't move.

"Inuyasha, you know her," Shippou urged, "You know she wouldn't hurt you."

Inuyasha's face hardened, his eyebrows knitting. His eyes slid open, revealing that deep fire that blazed whenever he was angry. "But she did." Shippou cringed inwardly and visibly at the sound of his voice. It was that one, the one he'd heard so often in the past twenty years, the one he'd heard today when Inuyasha and Kagome had seen each other. And he felt the ice underneath his feet begin to crack.

"The bitch said she wouldn't leave me alone anymore. She said she wanted to be with me. I trusted her. And she left me. It's just the sort of thing she would do, tell a story like this. She'll stab us in the back again if you let her get too close." He shook his head, his teeth gritting as he gave his adopted little brother a warning glare. "You can count me the hell out. I won't go near her. Ever. I wont be deceived by that brat of a whore again."

Shippou snapped. Angrily he leapt to his feet, staring down at the silver-haired hanyou, his tail bristling, eyes blazing with an angry inferno that matched Inuyasha's own. "Inuyasha, this is Kagome for God's sake!" Inuyasha looked up at him, mouth slightly open as he looked at Shippou in surprise; it was the first time in twenty years he'd ever exploded on him. The kit wasn't finished though. "How can you say these things about her! There was a time when you never doubted a single word that came out of her mouth! When you loved her!"

Inuyasha looked stricken, and opened his mouth. Shippou wouldn't give him the chance to deny it. "Don't you dare say you didn't love her, don't you dare. I'll hit you, I swear to God." Inuyasha shut his mouth.

After taking a much-needed moment to calm his temper, Shippou knelt again and took up the bowl of green pasty gunk he was working on, settling in front of his old friend. Carefully he pried Inuyasha's left hand off his broken right one, and the hanyou caught his breath, hissing in pain.

Shippou shook his head, the gesture alone showing his wordless disappointment. "You really did a number on yourself, old man," he said softly, moving with care as he gingerly pressed on Inuyasha's knuckles, searching for the breaks. "You haven't gone one on one with that wall in a good six or seven years; even with what you went through today, I would've thought that you'd know better by now."

Shippou gave him a half-glance, and Inuyasha caught a sad amusement in the kit's eyes. He didn't share the joy; he knew what was coming next when Shippou added, "Since I have to set these fingers."

With a sickening crunch, the hanyou's fingers slipped back into their proper place and he cried out in pain. Shippou apologized quietly, spreading some of the medicinal paste onto the raw and bleeding broken skin of his hand, and then bandaging it. He got up, rinsing his hands in a small bucket of cold water before sitting again on the hanyou's bed. Where he sat, Inuyasha flexed his hand, wincing slightly before glancing up at the entrance to his cave; Shippou knew instantly from his expression he was lost in thought.

"I couldn't help it," he said with the same quiet voice he'd used all night. "When I saw her standing there, all I could think of was how she looked exactly the same as she did when she left, and that she smelled so good, and all I wanted to do was hold her. These past twenty years, all I wanted was to see her again, and then suddenly she was there… I felt like I did for her then."

Inuyasha's face changed, and he buried his head in his arms, sheets of silver hair dropping to hide the parts of his face his sleeves didn't cover. His ears folded back in shame. "I'm so stupid. I'm like a dumb dog that still wags its tail and waits for its cruel master who beats it or doesn't feed it. With Kikyou and then with Kagome, and I'm still…"

Shippou looked at him, his eyes wide. "Inuyasha…"

"I just want them to go away," the hanyou sounded like he was crying, the words coming out sharply as if in a sob. "These feelings I have, I just wanted them to disappear. I thought if I hated her enough they would, but it still hurts."

Shippou hung his head. He had always known Inuyasha loved Kagome, back in the days when they all used to travel together. In the months after her disappearance, it seemed even more obvious as the hanyou refused to let go of the idea that she would come back. Even as the months turned into years, right up until the day he ran away from them all, Shippou knew Inuyasha loved Kagome.

But to harbor those feelings for so long, hidden underneath a veil of hatred, and suffer in silence… Well, it was typical Inuyasha. He truly is hanyou. He makes bonds like a youkai but feels them with a human heart. On the other hand, it could just be because it's him… and Kagome.

Shippou lifted his head, swallowing thickly. His face was determined, eyes bearing a vague uncertainty as he tread back onto the thin ice that had broken underneath his feet nottwenty minutesbefore. "Inuyasha."

The hanyou looked up, his expression sullen. For the first time in a long time, Shippou noted that his eyes were neither blank, nor were they sad. It struck him like a physical slap to the face when he recognized hope in his adopted brother's golden depths. Part of him was overwhelmed with happiness to see that lost emotion in the hanyou's face.

The other part, the bigger part, wanted to warn against it, to shield Inuyasha from it. Hope was dangerous, especially to someone like Inuyasha, who had felt hope twice before, and lost it both times. Shippou shook it off, tightening a fist. "Go see her. You can't resolve what you're feeling until you be with her again."

Inuyasha looked down, resting his chin on his forearms. No longer folded back, his ears just drooped lazily as he thought it over. After a long time, he sighed.

"Okay… I'll go see Kagome…"

…To be continued

a/n :

"Toki no naka no yami wa kokoro o nomeru, yami no naka no maboroshi wa me ga mienai ni naru" means "The darkness inside time swallows the mind, the illusion inside the darkness blinds the eye."

Kokoro is the word used for heart, mind or spirit. It means all of them. I couldn't find an actual word that means "blind" as a verb, so what the latter half of the spell literally says is: the illusion inside the darkness makes the eyes sightless. It just sounds cooler as "blinds the eye."

That concludes Tessen-sensei's Japanese lesson for today. ;p The explanation for why she's speaking Japanese when she's obviously not from Japan will come later, so please don't ask (yet.) ;)

And again Tessen does the Happeh Dance of Reviews. Sorry Im so late! Some of these reviews are like 3 months old, are you guys even gonna remember what Im responding to? lol

cartoonfan (:evil laugh: With Inuyasha's history? Never. The boy is far too grudge-holdy to be happy to see Kagome after what happened.)

Defafaeth Mechqua (She just is. She's very close to her parents, and she's grown up with them being saddened everytime Kagome was mentioned. Now that Kagome's returned, Misa feels like she has to stand up for her parents. She's not a nice kitten.)

HMPrune (Hm.. Should I leave them like this:evil teasing voice: )

Valdimarian (She does tend to osuwari him a great deal, doesn't she? I get tired of it after awhile, the constant "OBEY ME!" attitude she has toward him. I understand wanting to keep your man on a leash, but sheesh. And yeah, maybe a LITTLE hintage of Shippou/Kagome. I started a fic awhile back (never finished, unfortunately) that traveled that venue, if Shippou was older and developed a crush on Kagome. But it's not going anywhere, I promise. He loves her like a mommy-sister, and writing anything more would be shudder-worthy.)

JasmineUnicorn (Then it had the effect I wanted. :claps in pride: Am glad you enjoyed it.)

Black Betty (You're welcome! ;) I was hoping it was intense, so yay! Am so glad you liked it.)

inu-osuwari (Thanks!)

Scherezade7 (Wow! Thanks. And yes, it does strike them as odd that Kagome doesn't look any older, but its more of an emotion thing. You know, where your mind is telling you something is wrong, but your heart is hell-bent on getting out the things it never got to say. Especially Inuyasha. He's more emotional than he likes to put on and he takes things very hard. (Sheesh, just look at Kikyou.) Hmm, and Kagome remembering the situation. Well, that's just something… :mumbles to self: Anyway, of course there will be more angst:ebil grin: Thanks again. )

Maffeoel (Yeah, I hope I didn't overdo the angst. I consider myself a connoisseur of angst; I read it, watch it, write it, listen to it. Hopeless romantic, I am. There's still more ahead for the pair before things gets settled, but as you said, the series is rather angsty so I think I should be okay. And the peace offering is a pretty good idea, lol. "Inuyasha, I brought ramen!" "You're still not forgiven, wench." "Sigh" )

Theblackdemoness (Wow. Five times? Im sorry! I can't help but go "yay me" though, for that sorta was the desired effect… Am glad you enjoy the story though! Thanks for reading!)

priestessmykala (Thanks for reading my ebil chappy. ;p )

nabikineum (Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy it. I think I can manage more po'd Inuyasha, too. lol Will be awhile before he gets down off the po'd train.)

Bejipan (Thanks, Beji. ;)

Koneko8844 (Thanks!)

Angel8818 (Am glad you like it! I lubs the fluff too. It's a hard line, fluff. Its either not fluffy enough, or its so sappy it could choke a horse. But there will be some fluff in Sil, am not sure yet just how much. The only thing I am certain of it the angst (mostly because I'm a cruel btch who likes to torture the characters because angst is my specialty. ;)

jgirl79 (Thank you. Am glad it moved you, is always what I go for. I know most of the feelings from experience as well; I have a pig ex-boyfriend who I have to hear about often because he is friends with my brother. :sigh: Things are okay on the family end; we're still working through a lot and trying everything there is to try. Thanks again for asking. ;)

Damian 2.0 (Thanks. I will. ;)

Ryuu no Taiyo (Crying is good for the soul once in awhile. I know I get irritable if I don't let it out once in awhile. Thanks for reviewing.)

CowgirlUSA (Thanks!)

V-girl1 (Thanks. And an Inu/Kag story, huh:ninja lurk: We'll see. )

Sinh (Thanks, am glad you like.)

nabikineum (Im working on Inuki in between sporking him for not being flexible. Bratty little reincarnation that he is. :snarl: ;)

Kasji-Sama (Hi. I will. Im glad. Thank you and thank you. ;)

sesshouismine (Thank you. I try. ;)

;p

.Tessen.