With Honey and Venom
"What hast thou done to me,
Girl, with the dream in thine eyes?
Brightened the sun to me,
Lightened the skies;
Made there be one to me,
One only sun to me Not in the skies.

What hast thou done to me,
Girl, with the dream in thine eyes?
Darkened the sun to me,
Blackened the skies;
Made there be none to me,
Nor star nor sun to me,
Only black skies."

-"Et Melle Et Felle," Anonymous

What prompts people to fall in love? Is there truly such an emotion so vivid as to allow two different people to come together and care for one another so deeply as to be monogamous?

In my experience, there is no such thing; lust is the only factor in any relationship, and it depends solely on the strength of it to determine whether the two are monogamous or not. So far, there has never been a monogamous couple. The man will stray eventually, seeking out other bed-partners.

Love has never existed in any relationship.


VI...And So, It Begins...


"I'mreally sorry, Sesshoumaru-san!" I said, shivering in my wet clothes. Both layers were wet, even my underwear, but I daren't take them off to get dry. We needed to get away, before they found us! "Please...can you forgive me?"

"Silence, woman!" The golden-eyed demon spat back at me, snarling as looked outside the cave we were currently huddled in. "It's your fault that I lost my sword; and it's also your fault that we are now stuck together like this!"

Gah! The bastard! ...but it really was my fault that we stuck like this in the first place...oh, if only I hadn't messed up... I sighed, hugging myself as best I could, to keep warm; I wouldn't be expecting any help from my companion anytime soon. It was really cold now, but it wasn't snowing...what was the temperature? Damn, I sure do hope that I don't get hypothermia, or something...that wouldreally suck. "Well, what're we going to do now, then?"

"We have to get back to Jaken and Rin, first," he said, not looking at me, still. "The Two-Headed Staff should be able to melt this chain."

I looked at him sharply, wondering if he'd ever realize it. "This chain is made of steel, Sesshoumaru-san! You're poison couldn't melt it! I'm pretty sure that Jaken's staff couldn't generate enough heat to melt these without burning our own wrists off."

"Do not assume that you know better than me, woman," he glared at me, his golden eyes turning the air several degrees cooler.

I growled, gritting my teeth. It'd taken me a while to figure it out, but there was no getting past the simple fact that...I really wasn't in my own time. Ever since I came to this place, I'd kept hoping that I would stumble across civilization sooner or later. But it was only a matter of time before I'd realize that I was several centuries in Japan's past... I don't even know how it was possible! Did it have something to do with that well I fell into, back at Sunset Shrine? Even if it did...it wouldn't help my situation now.

Speaking of which, I bet you're wondering how Sesshoumaru and I got our hands chained together, hmm? So do I...but, seriously, it started about two days after that incident in the hot spring...

A drum beats in the darkness...

"I appreciate you letting me ride, Ah-Un," I smiled down at the twin-headed dragon/horse demon thing, giving it a pat on one of it's noses. "Walking was getting really tiring."

"And waiting for you to catch up was getting even more tiring," Jaken spat, yapping his little green beak at me, waving his staff around in the air for emphasis.

"Ah, you're just jealous that you don't get to ride, too, Jaken-chan!" I laughed, hoisting the little guy up by the back of his kimono. He was several feet shorter than me, but he sure didn't let that stop him from trying to make me feel inferior! In fact, if he didn't watch it, I was gonna start liking the little guy. "You can ride on my shoulders, since you're so tiny!"

"Don't call me tiny!" The frog demon snapped, struggling as he dangled several feet up in the air. "And address me properly, wench!"

"Hehehe," I grinned rakishly, winking a big blue eye in front of his face. "Better watch it, Jaken-chan, or I might just step on you, since you're so small, and all."

"Gah! Wench! Unhand me at once!"

Chuckling, I set him back down, but not before giving his pointy hat a flick to knock it askew. He was just so cute and tiny! Yea, I admit it: I have a soft spot for tiny creatures. Being bigger than six feet makes a lot of creatures tiny by comparison, so I had a lot to squeal at for being cute. What can I say? I'm female.

"Kyaa! Rin wants to ride on Onee-chan's shoulders!" Rin squealed at the idea, bouncing up and down with her arms stretched out to me.

"But, Rin, we were about to camp," I said apologetically, ruffling her hair when she pouted oh-so-adorably. "Tomorrow, okay? I'll give you a piggy-back ride tomorrow."

"Yes!" The little girl squealed, hugging my thighs (she couldn't quite reach my waist). "But, Onee-chan, what do you think we should eat tonight? Since your body doesn't like fish, or pig..." She looked thoughtful, propably trying to think of a food that I could eat. Poor thing; the episode when I'd accidentally eaten pork without knowing it had scared her so much. Well, it had scared me, too, since I thought I would die, the pain was that intense. Rin had been so worried that she'd 'killed' me that we lost a day traveling, just so I could recover from my allergic reaction. Oh, if only my mouth itched, or I got hives, instead of having such intense stomach pain! Maybe then I wouldn't have scared the poor thing.

"Oh! I know," I said, smiling as I knelt next to her. Leaning closer, I whispered into her ear, "Why don't we go try and catch some rabbits."

"But...rabbits are cute and fluffy!" Rin protested, looking appalled at the idea.

"Oh, okay then," I said, looking properly apologetic. "Well, what do you suggest?"

"Uhm...we could go look for some edible roots, vegetables, and nuts!" She said, looking excited at the idea.

"Oh, alright," I sighed, not really liking the idea; I wasn't a really big fan of any of the three. I was more of a...bloody rare steak and potato kind of girl. I only ate vegetables and that kinda stuff when necessary. Well, I guess it was necessary now. "Hey, Jaken, we're going to look for stuff to eat for dinner," I called to the little guy, standing up and taking Rin by the hand. "We'll be nearby, so don't worry."

"You better keep her safe, girl, or Sesshoumaru-sama will have my head!" He called, waving his staff around for emphasis again. Cute!

Laughing as Rin and I walked a little ways away, I told him, "Don't worry so much! You'll hurt yourself if you don't relax a little!"

We searched for food for a good thirty minutes, and Rin found more than I could. Obviously, she was better at survival skills than I was. What can I say? I bought a survival guide once and never read it.

However, just as we were about to return to camp, a swift wind, preceded by a malevolent presence, warned us of an approaching guest.

"So, you're the new human Sesshoumaru-sama has been traveling with," came a voice that was cold enough to send shivers down my spine.

I spun around toward the voice, showing Rin behind my back protectively. It was an automatic reaction, but I probably would've done it anyway: I'd come to care for the little girl, like I usually do with little kids. "Stay behind me, Rin-chan," I ordered the girl, who just nodded her head against my lower back while shivering a little.

The woman (demon, maybe?) smirked at my reaction, the neat-looking fan in her hand flipping open to cover her mouth while she spoke. "What an interesting reaction...are you pregnant with Sesshoumaru-sama's pups yet?"

"What!" Howdare that woman? I never...gah! Just because this damn collar inferred as much, that didn't mean I'd sleep with a guy that I didn't care a lot for! "You...you bitch."

"Tut, tut, little human," she said, still standing on her giant feather...boat...thingy. "I'd watch your mouth if I were you...I might just tear it off!"

"What a lovely image." I rolled my eyes, nudging Rin behind me as covertly as I could. Out of the corner of my mouth, I whispered to her, "Go get Jaken or Sesshoumaru. Hurry!" As soon as the brown-eyed girl understood my whispered words, she hurried off, and I covered her escape with my body. Being tall was good for some things, at least.

The red-eyed woman grinned down at me, hopping off of her feather-boat to stand a few yards away from me. She was shorter than me, but she wasway more intimidating. "So, how did you enjoy your little jaunt in this time, wench?"

"This...time?" I blinked confusedly, letting my guard down a moment to puzzle out her words.

Before I could blink a second time, she had sprung forward, knocking me backwards into a tree. I just barely avoided banging my head on the trunk, but only by sheer strength of will. "Ugh...damn...you...bitch!" I snarled, throwing a punch wildly at her.

She just dodged it easily, tittering at my reaction. "Hehe, you have not learned yet, wench? This time is not your own...you are in the past of your time," she laughed, loving my dumbfoundedness.

"How... Time travel isn't possible!" I snapped, feeling denial rage in my mind at the thought.

"Oh, no it isn't. In fact, a particular girl does it all the time...I believe you know her? Kagome Higurashi..."

I didn't know the given name, but Higurashi had been the name of the family living at Sunset Shrine. Could she have been a relative? I don't know...my mind was so confused now...

"Ah, what a poor little human; so lost and alone in a time that is not her own... Come with me, and Master Naraku will help you," she said, a wicked tilt to her lips.

However, the mention of that name sent shivers up my spine, as if a long-buried instinct in my genes warned me; was it possible? Was I in the past, and one of my ancestors had encountered this...Naraku person?

"What do you say, human? Will you come with me to see Master Naraku?"

Gritting my teeth against the shiver of fear the name caused, I turned blazing blue eyes on the red-eyed woman. "Go. To. Hell!"

"Adele-san!"


End Chapter


Post Scriptum Author's Note: First off, I apologize for the shortness, and the cliffhanger. -sweatdrop- I wanted to get a new chapter out pretty soon, since I'll be doing other stuff pretty soon (like going to Sea World with my mom). -shifty eyes- But, yea, I have no clue if rabbits are native to Japan, or not... -sweatdrop- So, just for my sake, pretend that they are, even if they aren't! But, yea, anyway. -coughcough- Yay! Thanks for the reviews again, Melancholie! -smilesmile Reviews are definitely for the writer to get constructive criticism. In your case, you give me really great ideas on what should happen next!
Now, to answer a few of your questions... In the original Japanese version, Rin always refers to herself by her name. If you watch a lot of subtitled animes, you tend to notice that the young female characters that are trying to act cute tend to refer to themselves by name. For some odd reason, it's a way of talking in Japan that is supposed to be "cute," much like crooked teeth (go figure). In the American version, though, Rin uses "I" and talks normally. I'm trying to go for the more Japanese version, though, so I hope this little explanation helps.
Also, I'm wondering why Sesshoumaru left that collar lying around, too. 0o I swear, these characters don't let me in on their secrets until I'm actually writing them down! -gonk- Especially that whole Sesshoumaru flirting thing. o0 I don't even know if he was! ...But, chances are, he was probably just teasing her. Why? Maybe because he feels some sort of connection with her? You know, since they have similarities in their childhoods, almost.
As for the title..."With Honey and Venom" is rather a title of the poem up front, but it also is kind of referred to a proverb in Latin. "Amor et melle et felle est fecundissimus," which translates to "Love is rich with both honey and venom." Meaning, love can be heaven and hell in one, and that the good and bad come as one. I chose this particular title because I didn't intend for Adele and Sesshoumaru's relationship to go smoothly at all.
But, yea, this PS AN is long. o0 About that corpse thing...I think I'll have to find a way to tie it in with the storyline somehow! -laughs nervously- But, as always, I really do appreciate your reviews. They just seem to encourage me to write so much! I look forward to another one of your reviews, as well as reviews from others, of course! For now, ja ne!