Disclaimers: I own Nothing
Authors Beginning Note: Oh dear, I think that would be the longest I've ever gone w/o updating. Please forgive me. I can't say I haven't been trying though, but as usuall, life does tend to get in the way, ne? lol…
The Christmas Dolls
Shout it Outs
dgopher: I'm sorry 'bout that, hopefully this chapter is much better.
DramaQueenABZ: I did do a little more narrative, I'm not sure if it's a lot, but, its an improvement, ne?
Chapter 3
The Expectedly Unexpected Intruder
"Do you guys have to be such pigs? Leave some for us!" Sango giggled and Kagome stuck her tongue out at the younger siblings. Each girl carried a stack of junk food. Kagome with pop case under her arm, a few bags of random chocolate candy, and a basket of home made goodies. Sango carried the fresh pizzas, gum, and of course…the ice cream.
"Not a chance."
"Are you girls sure you'll be fine?"
"Yes mom."
"Well okay, I hope you two enjoy yourselves."
"We will, thank you Mrs. Higurashi."
"You know, I really hope nothing happens." Kagome and Sango were spreading everything out. Making sure that the right music was blaring from the boom box, the cooler was cold enough to store ice cream, and that they had enough pillows to guarantee complete and satisfied comfort while sleeping on the floor. Of course, they had stolen Souta's 17" TV for the night so they could watch all of their beloved chic flicks and scary movies.
"Well, we had your grandpa put protection spells all around the dojo, we have our weapons close at hand, and we're wearing our practice clothes, so if anything does come…"
"We'll be able to save the chocolate!"
"Well, you'll save the chocolate, while I go hide and eat it all for myself!" Sango jumped up and took off running.
Seeking justice to that which was unfair, Kagome took chase to save the dear chocolates in distress.
"You know Inuyasha, such profanity mearly serves to fuel the frenzied."
"That damn witch stole my sword! And I intend to get it back!" Miroku slowly walked around Sango so as to find Inuyasha's current location.
"Now Inuyasha, one shouldn't be so rash, I…" He stopped as he stared at Kagome's face.
"Help me wake her up so she can give me back my sword!"
"But that can't be, she looks just like…"
"The Empress Elect, Kikyo, I know, now are you just going to stare at her, or help me?" Miroku looked at his friend as he took his casual pondering stance.
"I suppose, the only way to find out if she really is, we would have to find out if she has it."
"If she's what?"
"Kikyo's reincarnation. If she is, then Naraku probably will be coming after her. After all, the Jewel was passed down from generations down the women's side of the royal family."
"I don't care if she's Kikyo herself, I just want Tetsusaiga back, hey! What are you doing now?" Miroku walked over to the flashing black and white blurs on a small flat screen.
"You know Inuyasha, I do believe it has been quite a while since we've been awoken. It's quite a curious thing. Normally we aren't able to unless we are defending ourselves from Naraku."
"Yah, and we were, last night, if you don't remember-Hey you! Wake up already!" Inuyasha tapped her repetitively on the shoulder. Kagome gently rolled on her side, tipping Inuyasha to the floor.
"Hmm, Kagome…will you turn off the TV, its being noisy." Sango said drowsily.
"Hey you! Wake her up! I want my sword!" Inuyasha jumped and stood on her. Slowly, Sango slipped one eye open, then the next. They grew to considerable proportions, before Inuyasha was forcefully thrown away in Sango's panick.
"Kagome, wake up!"
"What? Not now…I just…"
"Right now!" Sango slapped her cheeks. Kagome sat up.
"What did you do that for…"Inuyasha stood up.
"Pardon me, but will you ladies…" Kagome and Sango, both on impulse punched the poor monk and hurled him to the wall besides the spot Inuyasha had been , who was now worked up in quite a tizzy.
"You! Wench! Where the hell is Tetsusaiga?" He growled at Kagome.
"Sango, what's a Tetsusaiga?"
"I don't know."
"Please, if you'll allow me to explain. Tetsusaiga is the sword of my companion friend here, Inuyasha." Kagome and Sango stared at the tiny little men.
"Sword? Hmm, I don't remember a sword. Oh! I bet you mean that little tooth pick I stepped on! Well, you're not getting it back." Kagome placed her hands on her hips.
"How is it that you're alive? I mean, you're dolls aren't you?" Sango asked, pushing past the little quirrel that could arrize between the two, as she saw that Kagome was going to be stubborn and the other little man doll was in no way going to be gentlemanly.
"Perhaps we could make a bargain."
"What kind of bargain little man?"
"First, I am called Miroku, not little man by no means."
"Well, what's your bargain?"
"Inuyasha's sword in exchange for any information we may have to offer you."
"Done."
"Well now, where to begin?" Miroku sat down on one of the pillows and rubbed his chin in pondering.
"We ain't telling them nothing!"
"Than you aren't getting your toothpick."
"It's a sword, not a toothpick! And it's name is Tetsusuaiga!"
"It looked like a toothpick to me."
"Excuse you, but if you remember right, Tetsusaiga is the reason you're still standing!"
"And if you recall right, you're the one who tried to kill me also, so that toothpick did nothing to save me!"
"Did too!"
"Wench!" Kagome got really huffed up about this and began to try and squish Inuyasha.
"Oh dear…"
"Kagome! Calm down!It's just a toothpick."
"It is not a toothpick!" Inuyasha screemed at her, but jumped out of the way as Kagome's foot came crashing down besides him.
"How well protected is this place?" Miroku said directing his question at Sango. She looked at him curiously.
"Well, Kagome knows archery and I have a weapon I can weild farely well…"
"I meant from demons, like the one who had visited you previously."
"Kagome's grandfather placed ofudas all around this dojo."
"And the house?"
"Hmm. I think so."
"I think it would be wisest if I had a look at them."
"How do I know I can trust you?"
"You have my word as a monk." Sango treid to decipher what laid behind the violet eyed mans eased face, thta seemed to show no real emotion.
I wonder if I can trust him...monk or no... maybe I'll get something out of him...
"Alright. But if you try soemthing fishy, I will not hesitate in exacting a rather painful death."
"I can assure you that I am meerly looking out for the well being of those in the surrounding area. Nothing more…now if you could assist me, it would take me quite some time to get to my required destination…"
Sango held out a hand and Miroku stepped on it and sat, making sure that his staff was secure.
"Kagome, why don't you stay here? Make sure you have all of your arrows and everything ready."
"What are you doing?"
"Just going to look around. This little man wants to look at your grandfathers ofudas he placed."
"Okay." Sango one handedly shouldered her long boomerang, and left outside leaving Kagome to sit and glare at the doll. Kagome examined the strange little man.
He doesn't seem to be all that old...only two or three years my senior...he has a nice face...but what is up with the long black hair...and that tetsijiguy thing...I mean seriously...that creep tried to kill me!...
Slowly the tension began to build up until both of them were nerely dizzy with it.
What is up with this girl...is all she gonna do is stare...what...do I look different or something...well thats just too damn bad for her...grr...she looks almost like Kikyo...but at the same time different...only...Kikyo just cursed me...she didn't actually try to kill me...not liek this wench...who tried to squish me with her damn foot!...
"Well…" Inuyasha snapped, being the first to break.
"Well what?" Kagome asked decently.
"Why are you staring at me?"
"I'm not."
"You are too!"
"Am not!"
"Just like you wont give me my sword."
"What?" Kagome was thrown off by thte sudden conversation change.
"Where's my sword?"
"Your toothpick is somewhere where it won't prick someone's foot." she cooly remarked.
"Which would be?"
"Wouldn't you like to know."
"Damn you wench!"
"My name is not wench! Its Kagome! Now, say it with me. Ka-go-me."
"Feh."
"What kind of word is that?"
"It's my word."
"You really are annoying." Before Inuyasha could make a smart remark, they both shot up, tense. A scream had rung out through the air. Kagome ran over to her quiver and shouldered it, leaving out one arrow ready to knock at any moments notice.
"Hey, what about me?" Inuyasha growled.
"Fine, you can come to." Kagome placed him on her shoulder and ran to the sliding door. It slid open to a slam, and Kagome came face to face with a sight she had wished to avoid.
"Kikyo, its so nice meeting you again." Kagome stepped back from those hungry lustfull eyes. She prepared to shoot an arrow through his head, but her bow was quickly knocked away from her hands and she found her neck at his mercy.
"So tell me Kikyo, are you going to change me into the full demon I wish to be, or am I going to have to kill you first and steal the Shikon jewel?"
"I'm…not…"
"What's that? I can't seem to hear your words. They sound choked out!" He squeezed harder. Her vision speckled, then the fowl man let go with a holler. She slumped to her knees.
"Inuyasha." His name came out like silk spun by a tyranic merchant.
"Cut the crap Naraku."
"As cunning with words as ever. You know that scrape you gave me last night hurt."
Inuyasha lunged at the man and was thrown back with impeccable force.
Kagome looked up at the slumped body of Inuyasha. She looked at where her bow laid. Right at the feet of the man who had threatened her. He took a step back and she heard an audible creak as it began to break.
Come on Kagome…how are you going to get out of this one…She looked over at Inuyasha who was beginning to stand up with a loud grunt. The intruder slowly walked over and toward over him. Kagome crawled to her bow.
"I can't use this…" She whispered. Naraku knocked Inuyasha down cruelly.
"Pity, I had thought you would put up more of a fight. Too bad. It will cost you your life!"
"NO!" Kagome ran at him, and Naraku could do nothing as he felt a long shaft of splinters splice his shoulder. A purple light began to tear and completely disintegrate his whole arm.
"You will die Kikyo!" He slapped Kagome's jaw. A loud unearthly screech pierced the sky, making Naraku look up and seemingly through the walls to another place. He looked back down at Kagome and smiled demurly.
"Until next time." He disappeared in a black haze which quickly disappitated.
"Where…Inuyasha?" She stared in surprise at the now human sized boy before her. Her gaze brushed his perfect face, and then came to the cuts and bruises on his body. His eyes were closed, but he was breathing.
"Oh no." Kagome looked at the deep cut on his chest.
How did this happen...I didn't see him get cut at any point...unless...when that guy had me by the throat…andwhen he dropped me…was it because Inuyasha had tried to help...then this is my fault…
Kagome's eyes slowly welled up with soft tears. She quickly found a blanket and ripped it to shreds, doing a sloppy looking, but well sufficient bandage.
A single tear drop fell onto his cheek and slid off.
"Why are you crying?" He mumbled quetly. He seemed to be in a haze, or in a completely different place all of his own.
He opened his eyes and his mind instantly cleared. He began to sit up, not meeting Kagome's face.
"Are you sure you should sit up? I mean…"
"I'm fine."
"Just in case, maybe you should just lie down and…"
"I said I'm fine!"
"Well, you don't need to be so mean about it!"
"What about you?" He took her face in his hands and studied her bloody lip, swollen cheek, and bruised throat.Kagome's thraot tightened as she looked at his creamy dusk violet eyes.
"You don't look hurt. So why the hell were you crying?" He gruffly pushed her away and looked around the room.
"Because you were hurt, and it was my fault." There was silence.
"It wasn't your fault. No where's Naraku?"
"That man?"
"Who else would I be tlaking about!"
"He just disappeared."
"Damn."
Kagome stood up and examined her broken bow. She shook her head and just letthe piecesfall to the floor.
"I'm going to go check on Sango."
"Not alone."
"Yes alone." She said sternly to the now standing Inuyasha. He looked pale, and much worse for ware for the few scrapes he'd gotten.
"Damn you're stubborn."
"Well if you collapse, don't blame me."
"I ain't going to collapse, now where's my sword."
"Back to the toothpick thing again?"
"Wench, I need Tetsusaiga if Naraku shows up again."
"Tetsusaiga. Who names their toothpicks Tetsusaiga?"
"My father did." Inuyasha said solomly. Kagome felt a pang of guilt.
"I'm sorry, I…"
"Forget it." Kagome took in a deep breath and released it.
"Follow me." Kagome slowly slid the door open and looked out into the yard. Quietly she stepped out and walked to the house, with Inuyasha in tow.
She looks almost exactly like her…the way theywalk...the seeming motion to glide...except...with a differenteir…no…she wouldn't last one day in the Empress Elect's shoes...
Kagome walked with an arrow in each hand, holding them like daggers.
"Kagome!"
"Mom? Grandpa?" Kagome's muscles tensed in worry as her mother and grandfather came running outside.
"Kagome, it's awful…" Her mother fell to the ground weeping.
"What's wrong mom?"
"It's Souta and Kohaku. They're in trouble." Her Grandfather said.
" Sango said to leave, but she's badly hurt, and that young man, and…" Her mom's words began to break up.
"What?" Kagome looked up at her house.
"It's Naraku." Inuyasha growled under his breath. He began to run.
"Mom, go in the dojo. I'll bring Souta and Kohaku back with me. I promise." Kagome ran to the house.
"Inuyasha, how do you expect to fight without your sword?"
"Feh. I can still fight with my hands."