Tohru's Demons
Chapter Thirty-Six: Revelations
Malacoda picked through Lucifer's apothecary, selecting various herbs and medicines, stepping lightly away from those plants that tried to attack him.
"Really, Artemis," he was saying, flicking his hand away from the Venublian Snap Dragon that had had a go for his fingers. "Did you have to take such extreme measures? You know bringing up those memories is just going to complicate matters further, and it's already bad enough as it is. We could have taken the Angel, no problem."
"Get off it," Artemis snarled from his seat at the small wooden table, his head in his hands, and a strong cup of tea steaming in front of him. "It would have obliterated you all in a matter of time, and you know it."
"I know that when she wakes up we're all going to have a lot of explaining to do as to why we erased her memories of your relationship," Malacoda retorted darkly, and gave a sardonic grin. "I'm really rather enjoying immortality, it would be a shame if I died now."
"Oh, would it?" Artemis snorted bitterly. "As opposed to half an hour ago?"
"Well… I'd have to say Death By Giant Axes sounds much more horrible than Death By Divine Light," Malacoda said lightly. Artemis just groaned and flattened his ears against his skull.
"Oh, come on, Art, I'm sure it won't be that bad," Malacoda said bracingly, throwing himself in the seat across from the wolf-demon. "Look at it this way: as Ren's going to be out for several hours yet you'll have plenty of time to think up something by way of explanation, and when she does wake up she'll be too weak to clobber you for a while so you'll at least have a chance to say something."
"Somehow that fails to be reassuring," Artemis deadpanned.
"Well, I doubt she's going to actually kill you," Malacoda huffed. "You do have a life-bond. That's homicidal suicide, right there. Or is it suicidal homicide? But… that's not what you're worried about, is it?" he finished quietly, and Artemis's gaze flicked up for a moment before it fell once more to the contents of his cup. When he didn't respond, Malacoda considered whether or not to continue.
"You know…" he began carefully, watching his companion closely. "Now that she remembers… you could take her back."
Two yellow eyes snapped up and spat fire at him.
"…Or not."
Artemis sighed and shook his head, his anger dissipating. "It wouldn't work… she'll have to leave again eventually when this is all over. In any case, she more than likely despises me, or she will when she regains consciousness, so I see no reason to attempt something like that," he said coldly, eyes hard.
"You don't know that," Malacoda said, swirling the contents of his own cup. "Maybe she doesn't hate you."
"And perhaps you will volunteer for charity," Artemis deadpanned.
"Ha!" Malacoda snorted. "I'll start lactating before that happens."
"Precisely."
It was at that moment that the door to the apothecary slid quietly open, and Malacoda looked up in interest, but Artemis doggedly ignored whoever had just walked into the room. That is, until whoever it was gave him a firm, hard slap across the face. There was a crash as his teacup slipped from his hand and smashed on the floor, but neither he nor his attacker cared to notice.
"Valery…" Artemis murmured, glancing up, and the look in his eyes indicated he'd been expecting something like this. Val regarded him coldly and then calmly seated herself between him and Malacoda.
"Alright, Artemis," she began. "You've got five minutes to start explaining what you were thinking."
"…I take it you're referring to what I did to Tohru?" Artemis said, his voice devoid of emotion, his handsome poker face hardly flinching in face of her chilling wrath.
"Don't you give me that bullshit," Val snapped. "I want to know what the hell is wrong with you that you had to go and do something like that! Didn't we agree that we would never bring those memories back? And who was it that came up with that idea in the first place? You! The only reason we ever did anything to her mind was because of you!"
"I only did what was necessary," Artemis replied flatly, looking away.
"Right, fine, I'll admit the Angel was a little overpowered—"
"A little?" Artemis snorted. "It was barely of cherub rank, and only the Archangels can use the God's Hand without blowing themselves to pieces! Something's happening, and you know it."
"Then why didn't you use the Infernal Arts?" Valery argued. "I'm sure you could handle even a real Archangel with the Arts."
"Why indeed?" Malacoda said with a small shrug and shake of his head, that incessant amused little grin still playing about his mouth. "The Arts would have destroyed a part of your soul, yes, but then we wouldn't have to suffer all this grief. By forcing Ren to awaken as the Pseudo-Angel you've unlocked those memories of her love for you, which when this is all over will only have to be put away again, if they can be at all. Not only that, but because of you she was physically as well as emotionally harmed."
"Yeah, nice job looking out for your own welfare and not hers. I thought you loved her, you ass," Valery said acidly, examining her fingernails and picking out invisible dirt. Artemis didn't respond, and stared determinedly at the floor, feigning indifference. But Malacoda saw his fists shaking beneath the table.
"Of course, in the long run of things, if Artemis' soul was completely devoured by the Infernal Arts, it could have a devastating effect on Ren, seeing as their souls are bound," he said, sitting back in his seat with a casual grace. "Then again it might not, as that soul was never yours to begin with… now was it?"
Artemis shot him a death glare, but Malacoda only shrugged and smiled.
"But we can't know that for sure, so I suppose what you did was the only sensible thing given the circumstances," he said, and drank his coffee. "I suppose I would have done the same thing, now your powers aren't restricted."
"Restricted?" Val echoed questioningly, and then snapped her fingers when she remembered what he was talking about. "Oh yeah, you can change completely, without having to kiss Ren, can't you?"
"Yes," Artemis said with a short nod.
"I don't believe anyone ever explained to me why that was."
"I can explain that one, my dear," Malacoda said pleasantly. "It would have to do with the fact that we did not truly erase Ren's memory. Most of it was stored in Raha's mind, and the rest, particularly the parts pertaining to the love between Ren and Artemis, was stored within Artemis himself. However, in order to hold some else's memory, one needs to sacrifice something first. For Raha, that would have been his shape-shifting ability. Artemis also gave that ability up, including his true demonic form. Of course, as you know, he could change with the proper instigation, namely, the emotions that came with kissing Ren."
"I see," Val murmured. "Well, since you can change at will, that'll help when the next Angel shows up. So what now?"
"Nothing," Artemis replied, as if it didn't matter in the least, but Valery knew better. "She'll hate me after this, so that'll be the end of it."
"So… you're going to let her go, just like that?" Val asked.
"I have once before," Artemis said shortly and pushed himself to his feet. "This… perhaps this way is better…" he murmured, almost to himself. "The last time she was half asleep, she had no idea what was happening when her memory was erased… Now she has a choice."
"But are you sure she won't still choose you?" Malacoda said, and Artemis laughed bitterly.
"If she hates me enough, then I will have no doubt."
"I see. Well, you'll need these," Malacoda said, tossing him a pack of cigarettes. "No doubt it's going to be difficult."
Artemis snorted and lit up with a small, empty grin.
"Difficult?" Val chuckled bitterly. "I doubt that very much, I bet you can make her hate you with as much ease as it takes you to light up one of your precious cancer-sticks."
"Valery," Artemis sighed. "If she wants to stay, then it'll be all the harder to take her memory a second time, perhaps even impossible, because this time she will fight. The shock alone would kill her. But if we don't erase her memory, the Angels surely would kill her if they ever returned if we can't figure out a way to destroy them for good this time."
"If we were going to bring her back, why did we even bother to send her away in the first place?" Valery demanded in exasperation.
"If you remember, the original plan was to never bring her back at all," Malacoda said. "Keeping her and Artemis at a distance was imperative if we were to protect her. But then again, that plan also involved never setting eyes on another Angel again, either."
"We wouldn't have brought her back at all if it wasn't for them," Artemis replied with furious resentment, and Malacoda and Valery understood whom he was talking about at once. "If it weren't for those animals, she would never have been in danger again. It's their fault."
"Artemis…" Val sighed. "You realize how dreadfully unfair that is, right? Those kids have never had anything to do with the Angels before being dragged into another universe, and you and I both know it. And stop glaring at me like that, Artemis Wolfwood Höllekonnen van Hieronymus. My glare is like a Level 17, and yours is only Level 15. I outrank you, so quit it."
Artemis snorted, stowed the medicine Malacoda had gathered in his pocket, and with a soft swish of his coat he turned and his footsteps faded away down the hall and were lost.
Val sighed and moodily nudged the broken teacup with her toe. Though he had no soul, and thus couldn't understand why Val was getting herself so worked up, Malacoda had a fair amount of experience of dealing with emotional women and a pretty rough idea as to what to do. So he patted her shoulder and made her another cup of tea.
Artemis made his silent way through the halls of the castle, passing closed doors and vacated rooms with as much substance as a shadow. However, in the last room at the end of the corridor, sitting in the dark, was Akito Sohma, and in the instant that he passed Artemis' senses slipped through the door and recognized the foul boy at once.
It would have been a nice, quiet evening if Akito had been able to stop trembling. Something about the fight that afternoon had affected him, and deeply. There had been something about that Angel… Something awful he couldn't name, but wished desperately he'd never known.
He'd felt like this, too, when he first found out the nature of his Curse. That he had to die in order for his family to live. Except this… this was different. Seeing the Angel, with her empty face, had finally driven home the fact that he was being hunted, and when they found him he would be as good as dead. It was a strange sensation, knowing someone was actively trying to kill him.
And it was all her fault. Everything that had happened to him was that Honda girl's fault. If she hadn't met Yuki or Kyo or Shigure, or if he'd gotten rid of her when he had the chance, none of it would have happened. Akito was positive of that. Perhaps if she'd just run away at seeing that Cat's true form like she was supposed to…
But no, she had to go and be all noble. And now look where it had gotten them all.
"Little tramp..." he murmured.
But of course, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. Those damned demons had made that perfectly clear. Akito's fists tightened on the chair's arms and his teeth ground in his skull. He wanted to hurt her. He wanted nothing more than rip her bloody lungs out, and his fury only festered with the knowledge that harming Tohru was impossible and would probably get him eviscerated.
But there were other ways of hurting someone without actually touching them, and Akito knew these ways oh so very well.
A quiet chuckle echoed faintly through the room and faded into the dark, and Akito smiled.
When Artemis slipped through the door to the infirmary, only the two demons Inu-Yasha and Koga looked up at his silent entrance. Artemis gave them both a curt nod and went to Tohru's bed, ignoring the Sohmas as one after another noticed he was in the room and regarded him in tense silence.
"Gluttony," he called, taking the various herbs and medicines from his pocket. Shigure let out a yelp and he and Ayame leapt out of the way as a figure rose up from the floor and grinned at Artemis. Kyo looked at the new Sinner in shock, and shivered when he realized his eyes were missing their pupils or irises. They were completely white, like an unpainted marble in the sockets of his skull.
That, fortunately, was the only unpleasant surprise. The rest of him was exactly as Kyo had imagined it would be: grotesquely fat and not in the least pleasant to look at, only made worse by the tight-fitting, full-length body suit.
"You called, Master?" said Gluttony, his voice unusually high-toned.
"Chew this but don't eat it," Artemis ordered, handing him the handful of herbs and roots without a glance.
"If I can't eat this," said Gluttony, regarding the medicine curiously and then looking up at the Sohmas, "Can I eat them?"
"No!" Kyo snapped in appalled outrage, leaping to his feet and glaring at the Sinner, but his unnerving grin only stretched wider across his flabby face.
"No, Gluttony," Artemis said calmly. "Just do as I say."
Then his eyes flicked to Kyo, and the Cat almost felt his gaze s if he'd been struck by a javelin. "And you sit down and shut your mouth."
Kyo glared furiously at Artemis, then brought his chin up and said, "You're not my Master."
"Sit down or I will throw you out of this room," Artemis snarled, his voice dangerously low, and a violent light had come into his eyes.
"Make me!" Kyo snapped back before he even knew what he was doing. In a flash too fast to follow, Artemis was standing directly in front of him, and Kyo jerked back in surprise, bringing his fists up on instinct.
"I will not have you making noise in this room while Tohru is asleep," Artemis growled menacingly. "Now I will not tell you again… sit down."
Kyo faltered for a brief instant, glancing at Tohru, then slowly backed away and sank into a chair, though he shot Artemis the filthiest look he could muster. The demon sneered back in triumph then turned away and began unwrapping one of Tohru's hands while the rest of the Sohmas present all breathed silent sighs of relief.
Gluttony, however, had ignored the argument and was happily chewing up Tohru's medicine, which he spit into an empty cup next to her bed. Artemis took the cup, rose, and walked over to one of the makeshift burners in the back of the room. Opening the cabinets he pulled out a pan, dumped the cup's contents in, turned the burner on and began cooking.
"You two may want these," he called over to Koga and Inu-Yasha, rummaging in one of the drawers and drawing up two white doctors' masks. "This stuff is going to start stinking in a few minutes."
"Um… wh-why do they need to wear masks?" Ritsu asked tentatively, his voice small and anxious, fearing Artemis would tear his guts out if he said anything to upset the already irritated demon. He was nervous enough with all his cousins eyeing him curiously, wondering what on earth had possessed him, of all people, to actually speak up. He was wondering that himself, actually.
"Demonic senses are more refined than a human's, and although that has its benefits, it can sometimes be overwhelming," Artemis explained after a moment, slipping a mask over his mouth and nose, and Ritsu blinked in confusion at the sudden change in tone from violent and angry to calm and courteous in absolutely no time at all. "So while you may feel slightly uncomfortable, but there will be no danger of dizziness or fainting."
"Is it really that bad?" Shigure asked, his nose wrinkling at the thought.
"If you're worried you won't be able to handle it, you can always leave," Artemis said, scathingly hopeful, but Shigure only shrugged and smiled. Almost immediately that smile fell off the face of the planet as a foul stench began to pervade the room, smelling worse than anything he could have imagined.
"Oh-God…" Kagura choked out, her eye streaming as she pressed her hands over her nose and mouth.
"What the hell is in that stuff?" Kyo demanded, following suit.
"Plants that don't grow in your world, but the thing you smell is the bluddroot," Artemis said, removing the pan from the burner and dumping the disgusting stuff back into the cup.
"Forgive me if I'm wrong," Hatori began carefully, "But would it not be more hygienic to crush the plants with a pestle, rather than have someone masticate it?"
"Cooled bluddroot, when mixed with demon saliva and certain plants, develops into one of the strongest organic and medicinal adhesives in the multiverse," Artemis replied, dipping a delicate finger into the cup and scooping out a coin-sized dollop of the brownish-green remedy. Lifting Tohru's un-bandaged hand he smeared the bluddroot into the deep gashes on her palms and gently pinched the skin together. Hatori subconsciously leaned in, fascinated as her wounds actually closed up without even a trace of a scar, as if they had not been there at all.
Artemis repeated the procedure with Tohru's other hand, then finally stood and tossed the entire cup into the trash.
"Why don't you just wash it?" Ayame asked. "That's a waste of a perfectly good mug."
"Now that the stuff's cooled, it'll never come off no matter what I do to it," Artemis said, cleaning up the bloodied bandages. "It dissolves within the body, but outside it's literally indestructible."
His gaze lingered over Tohru, his face inscrutable, but for an instant, Kyo, glancing up, saw something profoundly sad flash into his golden eyes. The next moment it was gone, however, and Artemis turned away. Kyo shook himself and dismissed it as his own imagination, yet unaware that that look of anguish would haunt him for the rest of his life.
"She should wake in a few hours," Artemis said quietly, and without another word or backward glance, turned and walked out of the infirmary.
Tohru felt as if she were in a very deep, dark place, somewhere near the center of the world, as it was very warm. Something unseen was pressing down on her from all sides, so she couldn't really move, but that was alright. She rather liked just peacefully lying here, without a care in the world.
That wasn't exactly the reason, although she feared to admit it, because she knew if she moved this place would all disappear, and when it did something awful would find her. So she stayed where she was, safe, secure, not daring to make a peep.
But the awful something found her anyway. It tugged at the closed doors of her mind, scratching and sniffing around her walls, growling. When she began to feel the dull ache in her palms, she knew she was waking up, and wished like mad that she wasn't. She didn't want to face that monster, and what it would ultimately bring, but it was coming regardless, and she knew that, one way or another, she was going to lose her sanctuary.
Tohru awoke very slowly, feeling as if she were moving through the graveyard mists of Death itself. But after a few minutes of silent struggle she finally managed to open her eyes and stare blearily at the ceiling.
"Oh, hey, she's awake!" cried a voice somewhere off to her right. More voices joined in, but she couldn't understand what they were saying, much less who was speaking. Then, after some tumultuous confusion and then silence, a vaguely familiar face swam in and out of focus above her.
"Tohru-san, can you hear me?" the face asked, sounding concerned.
"…Yah…"
"Good," it said in obvious relief. "Thought we'd lost you there for a moment. Do you know who I am?"
"Cn't see you…" she muttered. "All… fuzzy…"
"Is she losing her eyesight!" demanded an alarmed voice.
"No, Kyo, it looks like she's still a bit sleep-muddled," said another voice.
"Kyo…?" Tohru echoed faintly.
"Yeah, I'm right here," said Kyo, leaning in so she could see him. "It took you long enough to wake up, I thought you were going to sleep forever."
"Wha' time izzit?" she asked, blinking in a vain attempt to get rid of the blurriness.
"Eight-thirty P.M. You slept for about seven hours."
"Wha' 'appened?"
There was a pause, and then, "You don't remember?"
Tohru was quiet for a moment, trying to dredge up what had happened. The memories danced away from her recollection for a while, and then suddenly whipped around and struck her like a lightning bolt.
"Oh…" she murmured. "Yeah… I 'member now. Y'ki?"
"Asleep," said Hatori quietly. "He's fine."
"Good…" she sighed. "Thin' I'll sleep… sommore…"
"Alright, Tohru-san, we'll be here when you wake up."
"Mm…" Tohru replied, and fell back into blissful unconsciousness. She knew she had to face the monster, but not now. It could wait until she was ready.
The next time Tohru awoke, she felt much more alert. Slowly she opened her eyes, but found there was no difference. The room was completely dark. But she couldn't get back to sleep, no matter how much she tried, so she carefully pushed herself up on her elbow, wincing as her entire body protested, and looked around, trying the pierce the veil of night. A soft chiming sounded from the hallway clock, telling her it was four in the morning and that everyone was probably asleep. Shadowy figures were scattered about the room, in chairs or on the extra beds, their breathing that of a dreamer's, like a lazy ocean hugging the shore, slow and peaceful and calm.
"Morning."
Tohru jumped and whipped around, though she immediately regretted it as a lance of pain shot from one end of her skull to the other. Clutching her head and suppressing a groan, she called out, "Who's there?"
"It's just me," huffed a familiar rough voice.
"Sorry, Kyo-kun, did I wake you?" she asked, finding his vague form sitting next to her.
"No, I was awake," he said. "Have a good sleep?"
"Yeah."
"And you're alright now?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she assured him, almost feeling him relax. "I've just got a headache, is all."
"I saw some Advil in the medicine cabinet. Hold on, I'll get you some," Kyo said, rising and making his way around the various sleeping bodies towards the other end of the room, and Tohru had to admire that he didn't bump into a thing the entire way.
Then, the sound of water being poured, and he was back at her bedside, putting a glass into her hand and two pills in the other.
"Thanks," she said gratefully and downed them all.
"It'll take about an hour to kick in, but that should help," Kyo said, sitting down once more and stretching.
"How do you know?"
"I take it a lot when it rains," he replied. "'S'not much, but it helps."
"I thought you only got tired," Tohru mused, propping up her pillows so she could sit up better, and glad it was dark so Kyo couldn't see her wince when pain flared up her arms and across her shoulders. "I didn't know you got headaches, too."
"Sometimes," he said shortly. "It's no big deal."
Tohru smiled and encroached no further on the matter, knowing Kyo hated to admit just how much the rain affected him.
"Is everyone here?" she asked, changing the subject as she looked around.
"Most of 'em," said Kyo. "'Cept Akito… but I guess that's to be expected."
"Has… has Artemis been here?"
"Yeah, he came a little while after we got back and put some stuff on your hands to seal them up."
"Bluddroot?" Tohru said, running her fingers over her still tender palms.
"Hm-mm. But he hasn't come near since. Why?"
"…No reason. Has Yuki woken up yet?"
"For a little while a few hours ago, but he didn't stay awake long," Kyo said. "Hatori thinks he may be up sometime today. Do you think you could eat something?"
Tohru blinked at the abrupt change of subject, shook herself, and said, "Yes, I'd love something."
"Good," he said approvingly. "That stupid Rat wouldn't eat anything. Here, it's not much, but Hatori said it would be better to start with simple foods."
A small loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese were pressed into her hands, and she bit into them appreciatively.
"Thanks," she told him between mouthfuls, and he grunted a "You're welcome" in return, and they both relapsed into a comfortable silence.
"So," Tohru began after she'd finished. "After I can move again, do you still want to practice martial arts with me?"
"Yeah!" exclaimed Kyo, grinning. "Of course!"
"Great," she said, smiling warmly. "We haven't had much time with everything that's been happening."
From there they talked back and forth about what they would do after Tohru could move again, but after a while Tohru became quieter and quieter until finally she fell asleep altogether. Kyo smiled quietly to himself and settled back in his chair, waiting for the sun to rise, but the sandman found him first and before he knew it dawn had passed him by and jumped right into its zenith.
"Kyo, wake up."
Someone was gently shaking his shoulder and Kyo grunted, pulling away from the offender and rolling over.
"Come on, get up, Akito wants us."
"Get lost…" Kyo growled drowsily, refusing to open his eyes, but someone was shaking him again, and finally he cracked a lid and glared blearily in Shigure's direction. The Dog smiled softly and stepped back out of striking range.
"Glad to see you've decided to join the land of the living at last," he said.
"What the hell do you want?" Kyo snapped irritably, trying to remember the remnants of a rather pleasant dream he'd been having, but it was slipping from his brain like sand through a sieve. Looking round the room, he noticed that besides himself and the Dog, plus Tohru and Yuki, no one else was in the room.
"Well, aren't we touchy this morning," Shigure said, grinning as Kyo scowled at him. "I just came to tell you that Akito has requested our presence."
"Yeah, so what?" Kyo spat, rolling over again.
"He wants us all to come to his room," Shigure continued. "Surprisingly, that includes you."
"What!" Kyo cried, jumping to his feet.
"If you would mind keeping your voice down, Tohru and Yuki are still asleep," Shigure reminded him, and Kyo looked in Tohru's direction, making sure he hadn't woken her. But she simply stirred slightly and snuggled deeper into her blankets.
"Why does he want to see me?" Kyo demanded in a hissing whisper. Then suddenly his gaze turned suspicious and he leveled a glare in Shigure's direction. "Shigure, if you're jerking me around, I swear…"
"No, no, no!" Shigure said quickly, waving his hand nervously. "Akito wants us all to attend him, says he has something very important to discuss, and it's important we all hear it, nothing more!"
Kyo's brow knitted, wondering what on earth Akito wanted to talk to him about, and the more he thought abut it, the more it worried him.
"Well, are you coming or not?" Shigure asked, standing in the doorway. Kyo hesitated as something tight and uneasy clenched in his gut, glanced at Tohru one more time, and reluctantly followed Shigure out the door.
It was not long before he found himself standing in the Head Sohma's dimly lit room, trying to get his eyes to adjust as he looked around. The rest of his cousins were already seated on the floor before their Master, rigid and silent.
"Ah, there you are Shigure…" Akito said pleasantly from his chair, his warm smile making Kyo shudder slightly. "And you've brought Kyo. Come sit."
They both bowed and moved to obey, the others watching in quiet anxiety as they settled themselves on the floor and waited for Akito to speak.
The Head Sohma swept his cobalt gaze over his family members at his leisure, reveling in the feeling of dread that had settled over them like a cloud.
"Well, I suppose you're all wondering why I've called you here, so I'll get right to the point," Akito began. "I've given this matter a lot of consideration, and I've decided that it is in our best interest and welfare. Hatori, when this Angel affair is over and we have all returned home, you will erase Honda-san's memory of us and the Zodiac Curse."
To be continued…
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or Inu-Yasha, and thus, sadly, do not make any money off these works. Also, the Sinners were actually of my own design in their earlier creation, but I never really polished them up, so now I'm just gonna kind of copy the Hommunculi from Fullmetal Alchemist, which, of course, I don't own either, except they won't be quite the same. That's the cool thing about Fanfiction, I can rip anything I want and I don't get sued! Woo-hoo!
Hello again, and welcome to my author's notes! It's been quite a while, hasn't it? Thought I'd died, didn't you? Well, I did. But I got better, and now I'm back! Yay!
Anyway, this chapter was actually going to be longer, but you all complained so much about the last chapter being so lengthy, so I decided to just post, even though nothing really happens in this chapter, since you're all a bunch of impatient whiners. No, I'm kidding, I'm kidding! You're all wonderful, and I really appreciate your support, blah, blah, blah…
Anyhow, the stuff about Kyo will be spoiled in the next chapters since I didn't get many negatives (sorry to those of you who don't know!) and since I can't think of anything else that would fit what I want to happen, so yeah… But don't worry, it will be awesome!
Also, I've been reworking the original story with Artemis and the rest, so for the moment you won't find it on fictionpress, but it may show up pretty soon. I'll let you know if it does, to those of you who're interested. Which should be all of you, since Artemis seems to be really popular. As he should be, since he's awesome. And hot. Really hot. Yeah, I'm in love with my own creation. Sad, isn't it? Oh well.
Now right about here I would be answering various reviews, but since the people that run this website are (EXPLETIVES CENSORED) and set up STUPID rules about not answering reviews for some ungodly, inexplicable reason, I am at a loss for what to say. So you should all complain and tell whoever the hell runs this site that they can shove their rules, because that's just not cool. I mean who do they think they are? I have a right to write whatever the crud I want, and if that involves responding to reviewers (which make the sunshine happen I might add) then that's what I'm going to do, dang it!
Okay, I'm done ranting.
In regards to the reviews themselves, THANK YOU SO MUCH! Especially the ones commending me on crossing Inu-Yasha into Fruits Basket. I've read several crossovers trying to do the exact same thing, and I must say most are lacking in everything that might make it a good story. So now I know what I'm going try and do in later chapters will probably succeed, so look forward to lots more crossovers into pretty much anything I can think of.
Aufwiedersehn,
Raha
