A/N: Peeks head out from behind corner ACK! dodges flying daggers and other sharp, destructive items iM SOWWWYYYY! inches out with a trashcan lid shield
Oh oh oh and go visit it's one of my ollld xangas but imam use it fer updates for my fics might as well use it for something, yes? My personal xanga is and my myspace is . so yah, just. . .erm, yah. But I'll try to update spiritsrose on well updates for info on my fics. The next chapters should go smoothly since I have all the chapters completely mapped out.
Kurama: Kairei what exactly are your intentions in this one? I can't say I like the look you have on at the moment.
Kairei: oo awwww innocent me?
Hiei:. . . will you just get on with it?
Kairei: ooh someone wants some luhvin
Hiei:. . .
Kurama&Kairei:O
LAST CHAPTER
Kagome looked at the prince uncertainly before nodding. She still couldn't believe herself. Why was she bringing four complete strangers to Sengoku Jidai and listening to a conceited boy with a cape anyway?
Without a word and time to reconsider what had already been done, she silently jumped over the well, returning to the place she most certainly did not want to return to. She was a different woman now, and words could not describe her shame of losing her virginity to a stranger. Inuyasha…
Koenma remained at the top of the well, smirking. He closed his eyes, willing his body to return to normal.
Cells shifted, and in the place of the Reikai Prince remained the satisfied form of Naraku. The stage had been set, the vengeful demon pulled the baboon pelt over himself, as the puppet body began to fade.
"And so it begins."
Chapter Five: Puppet On a String
But if you're in the eye of storm
Just think of the lonely dove
The experience of survival is the key
To the gravity of love.
-Enya, Gravity Of Love
The air seemed moist. It was a lovely day, not to hot, not to cold.
Kagome was the first to climb out of the well. It was one of the few times she had ever shown up in the Feudal Era sporting something other than her usual school outfit. Oh, was she thankful of her choice of attire this time. Being the first to climb up a well with a bunch of strange boys and one girl beneath her in a skirt would not have been the best of scenarios.
Does it matter? Seems you're a slut anyway.
Her thought cut through like a knife.
She stood next to the well patiently, though struggling with her thoughts on the inside as her seemingly new companions followed suit, using the vines to pull themselves up and out.
"WHOA!" Kurabara cackled once out in the open. He and Yusuke looked around excitedly, like two boys in a new playground.
Kurama sniffed the air as smile swept across his lips. His senses flared with his old playful excitement. Inside, Youko stomped around, begging to be released as he hollered rather flattering names to his human counter-part.
Kagome watched the new time travelers. Normally she would have been more interested, but her mind seemed to be set on other matters.
"BWAAHH!" Botan, who had been sitting happily on the ledge of the well was so taken aback that her arms and legs were now flailing rapidly in attempt not to fall in.
She failed.
"UHPH!" A familiar masculine- definitely-not-Botan voice sounded from inside the well.
"Erm. . . heh heh. . . hi Hiei. . . nice day isn't it and… .uhm. .. meow. . ." Botan smiled innocently as she looked down at the pile of Hiei she was currently resting on. Yusuke and looked down at the scene below before nudging Kuwabara.
"Hiei scored."
In a flash Hiei had regained his composure, threw Botan off, and had Yusuke by the collar without even the slightest notion to help Botan.
It was only then that something inside the brain of Lady Death finally snapped. Of course, it had only been last night, how could she have forgotten, her being the only sober person associated with the ordeal? She had to keep herself from screaming upon the realization. 'Ohhh.. . what am I going to do? I knew that Kagome girl seemed familiar.'
By the time Botan had pulled herself out of the well, the hanyou that Hiei had tried to molest and Kagome were fully engaged in argument. Seeing that her normal companions had chosen to serve as audience to the fiery display, she decided that now was her chance.
Perhaps it was better that Inuyasha was not traumatized by the Hiei speedo incident, but now, just as Kagome had thought, he was enraged. Although it wasn't quite as bad as she had thought, he obviously did not like the idea of five new people 'getting in the way'.
"AND SO YOU JUST DECIDED TO GO AHEAD AND LISTEN TO SOME RANDOM FREAK!" Inuyasha yelled, after Kagome had explained, rather loudly, the incident with Koenma. She resisted the urge to tell him that he too had listened to him. It didn't make a difference, he didn't remember a thing that happened at the shrine. And from the looks of it, their friends really hadn't been in any danger. Besides, the whole thing was still a bit foggy to her as well, she had only vaguely heard the ordeal, being that she had fully awakened only after he had left.
"INUYASHA. . . .SIT!" She finally cried, clearly not in the mood to argue this any further. This time, it was obviously quality not quantity, as that the crater the poor hanyou found himself in this time was equal to that of the result of a normal 30 "sit"s. She knew it wouldn't be easy to convince Inuyasha, but she also knew that no matter what he tried, the new boys and girl were staying.
"Oooh" Kuwabara and Yusuke cooed in unison as they gawked at Kagome's handiwork.
Kurama's golden eyes twinkled as a smile curled onto his features. He had used a similar charm that he had stolen on one of his insolent bandits, Yomi.
"Hey. . . where did shorty and Botan go?" Kuwabara asked.
Yusuke looked around, "Dammit, this is why I hate big groups."
Meanwhile . . .
"So, Hiei, how exactly did you get over here? I was under the impression that you left."
"Hn. I did, but that Jr. told me where you had gone. What is it that you want Botan? My patience is growing short, stop meowing, I'm fully aware that you're not a cat."
Botan's nerves tensed, smoldering pools of blood red piercing her person. Clearly his misdoing's due to the substance he affectionately called "sweet snow" had not fared well on his temper. Still, she had to do this, no matter how much pain it might mean in the future, she couldn't afford to let this mission go to ruins.
She sighed, deciding that she should hurry this up before he got too angry with her. Furrowing through her jeans pocket, she found took out a picture she had found on the ground of the bar. Thankful she hadn't thrown it away yet, she gave it to Hiei.
"What is this?" He asked, his eyes narrowing at the picture. 'This couldn't be. . .' His mind was foggy about what exactly had happened this morning. . .but could this really girl be the wench he had woken up next to? If so, he had to wonder what Botan knew, and pray it wasn't the truth.
"Hiei. .. well, you see, this is the girl you left the bar with last night. . ." She was careful to keep her thoughts clear, knowing Hiei could easily read into her true intentions.
Hiei visibly twitched at these words. "What on earth would you give me a picture of that for?" He demanded, the picture crumbling in his clenched fist.
The Grim Reaper didn't think of that one. Why would she pull him aside privately to show a picture of the girl to him? It made no sense. Surely he'd see through this act.
"Well, uhm. . . I just thought you'd might want to. . . avoid her?" Nice cover Botan. After all the years working in spirit world was that really the best she could come up with? She always had been a terrible liar. . . yet. . . was he buying it? Clearly the little koorime was not fully himself.
"Hn." He turned and walked away, using his third eye as a guide to the others. Botan inwardly let out a huge sigh of relief before following. The deed was done, and Hiei would never suspect Kagome to be the real mystery girl. . . right?
She shuddered at the thought. She'd be thankful if she'd never have to deal with uncomfortable Hiei affairs for the rest of her career. In fact, maybe she should just quit now.
In the Village
"Are you sure it was okay to just leave your friends?" Kagome asked Yusuke as they entered Kaede's hut.
"Don't worry, Hiei shouldn't have trouble finding us." Kurama assured her. Kagome decided against asking questions about this "Hiei" character.
They found Sango, the demon slayer and Miroku the rogue monk waiting inside the hut.
"Ah, welcome back Kagome-chan." Sango said happily upon seeing Kagome, who peeked her head inside first. .
"Yes, far too long we have lived without the beauty of your presence." Miroku said dramatically, earning a rather annoyed eyeroll from the woman next to him. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama sat quietly on the matted floor while Inuyasha seemed content in sulking in the corner of the hut. The monk gave Sango a dashing smile before asking, "Kagome, do you mind explaining this?".
Kagome blinked, as she had been focused on sending Inuyasha some dirty looks. The question finally registered just in time to make her look like a fool. "Oh. . . Well. . ."
The explanation was not necessarily an easy one, though Kagome was glad the two accepted things of such matter easier then their dog-eared friend. It had been a day of much information to take in, and after a dinner of fried fish, the sleeping arrangements were already being made.
Kagome was in awe at how easily their new companions were able to settle in this new era. Then again, as 'detectives' perhaps they had gone through much more outrageous ordeals.
"That was your best ever Kagome!" Shippo sang, licking what fried fish was left on his stick.
"Urameshi agrees seeing as he had seconds and thirds, that pig." Kuwabara said dryly, curling up on top of one of the new mats Kaede had provided.
Kagome watched her friends, new and old chatter amongst themselves. It sure was different, and it was kind of pleasant to have such a change. Time spent in the Feudal Era was never boring, but it was nice to have something different happen. Still, every time she began to feel pleasant, she was reminded of the horrid reality. Of what she had done. What she would have to do.
"Kagome. . . Come with me." The sound of his voice rescued her from her thoughts. She looked up toward the source and was rather surprised to see Inuyasha towering over her, offering a hand to help her up.
The two exited the hut, Kagome following rather confused.
"Hey, is there something going on with those two?" Yusuke asked wondrously. That would be one of the last things he would expect considering their earlier hostility towards each other.
Sango laughed slightly before nodding, it looked as if the two would once again find a way to be on good terms. Shippo sighed "You'll get used to it.". The fox kit then scampered to cuddle up near Kurama, who was settling himself on his own mat.
"Shippo seems to like you a lot." Sango said, smiling affectionately at the cuteness of Shippo's adoration.
Kurama smiled at the slayer while Shippo curled next to his form. "We don't come from a similar class of fox, but we are still the same species." Sango could sense he was a demon from the moment she saw him, yet she couldn't help but feel something. . . familiar about him. Surely she hadn't met a demon this kind before. She shook the thought off. . . although he was rather good lookin- Sango slapped herself from that one. Exactly what was she thinking?
Miroku felt his eyebrow twitch at the sight of the slayer's cheeks which were reddening considerably. She wasn't looking at him, her cheeks only did that when she was looking at him! So why wasn't she looking at him now? She was supposed to be looking at him!
And so, the admirable monk did what he always did to show. . . was it emotion? Like a ghost, his hand wandered to Sango's backside.
And so, the violated demon slayer did as she always did to show her. . .was it appreciation? "HOUSHI SAMA!" She cried, never being one to say his name, before slamming Hiraikotsu down on his head with an incredible display of speed and power.
Anyone else would most likely be left unconscious, but Sango decided that he had developed a sort of immunity to head injuries. She huffed before scooting away from Miroku in her sleeping bag.
Scooting right next to Kurama.
"YOU seem to be a gentleman, unlike houshi sama." Her voice rang through his ears, speaking his name as if referring to a disease. Trust a demon over him, will she? Miroku sighed in defeat, though his eyes never really left the two.
Yusuke had been watching the scene with great interest. The human gone demon snickered beside the orange topped ningen. "Looks like Kurama's got himself a girl!" He said, almost maniacally to Kuwabara.
In an instant, he could have sworn he saw emerald turn to golden, shotting daggers directly at his person.
The wind had long since stopped, seemingly taking heed to the silence.
Kagome was afraid to breathe, let alone speak. It seemed like an eternity had passed in the time they had arrived here. Still, she watched him from her rock, while his own gaze seemed to remain fixated on the tree in front of him.
Although she had been watching him, her mind must have drifted off because his voice caught her very much off guard. "A-Are you bored?" His tone was more then gentle, pleading almost.
For some reason, with his voice came overcoming tingly sensations to her every being. It wasn't until a few seconds later did she make out his words. "What?" She asked in plain confusion. Inuyasha remained there, as if afraid to turn to look at her.
His muscles visibly tensed, just as they always did in talks such as this. It was clear he would soon say something completely out of his normal character, though scenes like this were so frequent, Kagome never grew bored of them.
"Why else would you bring your friends?" He asked, failing to choose the right words.
It wasn't as if she really considered them to be her friends just yet, but that was neither here nor there. "Inuyasha. . . "
"Do you want to be with me. . . anymore?" He asked, stumbling uneasily on his question. Kagome watched him with a soft gaze, she smiled at the back of flowing silver. He looked so awkward, so afraid of her answer, even his voice was shaking noticeably.
The miko finally sighed, bringing herself to her feet. She stepped lightly toward him, her arms almost instinctively wrapping themselves around him, bringing herself to rest against his back. Immediately, his muscles tightened against her body, only to soften again. She whispered into the soft material of his hakama, "No where else Inuyasha. . . I don't want to be anywhere else. . ."
Finally, he turned, loosening her grip on him only to embrace her with his own arms. He closed his eyes, taking in her scent. No where else. He wanted nothing more then to stay here with her.
"Hn." The exiled koorime murmured, turning away from the rather romantic scene. To mere mortals, hell, even most demons, he had disappeared. In truth, he had simply began to run once more, jumping from tree to tree with incredible speed as he continued the exploration of a unfamiliar world.
The way the two had argued earlier, how was one to know they were so deeply in love? Then again, it didn't take too strong of demonic senses to realize that there were some kind of strong ties connecting the two.
It seemed silly to him really. To think, one as weak as a hanyou even weakened by human emotion. Feh, what a waste. It seemed this point of view had never truly washed off, recent experiences with his companions had proven loving emotion was by no means a weakness. Besides, what had he done just the night before?
At the thought, he instinctively he reached for his sword, the thought striking his anger. In an instant he was kneeling on the ground, several trees falling to the ground heavily behind him.
In a rain of leaves he stood, sheathing his sword once more. He then took off into the night, hoping the memories of the previous night wouldn't be able to keep up.
He wasn't sure why he had saved her. As he looked at her now, she was just another human girl. It was silly really. However, what was done was done. It was probably just because he detested such a thing as rape.
Blood ridden corpses surrounded them, and he felt a bit ashamed he had allowed such slime to run with his group of bandits. He felt no guilt for slaughtering such companions.
The girl stared at him with eyes that held little fear. She was undoubtedly from the village of demon slayers that was only 10 minutes away. The girl seemed to young to be too experienced yet, but old enough to be used to such bloodshed. It was clear that she was a powerful slayer, although it most likely wasn't enough to fend off four lust crazed demonic bandits of this class.
"What's your name?" His tone was just as cold as always, and yet it didn't seem like she was afraid. This alone was remarkable as most found their blood running cold at the sound of his voice.
She didn't reply, merely stood there watching him with unreadable maroon eyes. She couldn't be more then 14.
He grinned a bit at her demure, shaking his long silky mane. "Best be more careful." He said softly before turning and leaving her alone on the sandy trail.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Kurama's eyes snapped open. Why on earth had he had dreamed of that? He had nearly forgotten that day as well as the night that threat had been made.
His eyes widened. Demon slayer.
He turned to the girl sleeping peacefully beside him in a 21st century sleeping bag. Try as he might he couldn't remember the girl's face clearly enough to identify her. He shook the thought off. There were many demon slayers, the chances were far to slim.
Why was he even thinking about this?
He shook his head, smiling a bit at his outrageous line of thought.
He shifted a bit, anxious to regain comfort. . . It seemed as if comfort was found only when he was situated so that he was able to face the sleeping form of the girl next to him.
A/N: Yayii. It's my birthday! Well, actually it was my birthday on Tuesday, but ah well xD.
So, yeah, I really am sorry for the great delay. / I hope to finish at least the writing of this story before this summer ends. I've regained my love for YuYu Hakusho, so I shouldn't have trouble with the whole inspiration thing. I'm still not clear with the couples for this one kag/hiei&kur/san are concrete, and am in the process of writing a few other stories most of which are one shots. And all in the process of actually having a life xD. So yeah, but Im freggin inspired and am determined so expect updates. . . . hopefully. .
Thank you to the people who are still actually reading this. sighs. Really though, thanks. I love you all.
