An astounded, honored and sleepy ode of gratitude to …
MeiunTenshi
Avelyn Lauren
Esk42
PalePanther
Sweetrosie
Smiley Gurl 87
Hearii-sama
Clouds of the Sky
ffgirlmoonie
Mistress of Demons
Goddess of the Moonlit Sky
Miko no Kaze
Moccha
Punk Rock Miko2
Remenescent
Quebecca
Boylessgirl52941
TouchofPixieDust
SandPaper
Al: No, fish do not have fingers. Having bones that only become fingers due to genetic malfunctions and radioactivity does not qualify at having fingers. That is the rule. The cases where this does not apply are the exceptions. If you argue with me about that I will be forced to mooch off you and you alone for the rest of the year!
Forgive me, we had MCASS this week, I'm too tired to write an ode, but it's there in spirit, and it's the thought that counts!
Disclaimer:
Jenny: Hey! I get to start it this time!
Lawyer #1: …
Jenny: Anyway…I'm here with Lawyer #1 and Lawyer #2, and today we're going to learn a little more about these two. So tell me gentlemen, how did you first get into the business of hounding of that evil person we all know to be Pwalefriend?
Lawyer #1: Well…we never did get along well with HQ…
Lawyer #2: After she single handedly defeated a whole herd of our fellows, they gave the case to us…we thought that it would be our big break, you know…
Lawyer #1: But…it was…in the end…just a way to get rid of us…sniff…
Lawyer #2: You know, what makes it worse…they won't even recognize any progress we make…
Lawyer #1: It's just so hard you know? Sniff…
Lawyer #2 (now bawling): All we want is for Pwale to admit that she doesn't own the character's on a regular basis, is that so selfish a request?
Jenny: You heard it here folks! Now go ahead, enjoy the chapter.
Pwale: I'm going to a co-on! I'm going to a co-on!
Lia & Al: SHUT UP!
The Stamp Of Gold
Memorization
By Pwalefriend
It was finally over. The stress, the yelling, the rushing, the panic and, last but not least, the fire. It hadn't taken that long to stop the fire actually, seeing as how only one half of the mansion seemed burnable, but it took a long time for people to realize that they had stopped the fire. And then there was the fact that no one really wanted to go in quite yet, seeing as how the Entry Way and the Main Door had been in the part of the house that had been damaged in the fire. The fire, though it hadn't been that bad as fires go, hadn't really left anyone feeling to confident in the mansion's stability, if you catch my drift.
No? Well, to put it bluntly, the person who wanted to enter the mansion at that time would have been thought about as suicidal as someone who wanted to go into a never before entered pyramid without a map. And do you know how many traps the Egyptians put into those things!
So no one was going inside that day, which left Kagome, Koga and Sango with the jobs of finding somewhere to stay for the night. It just so happened that day that the train broke down in town, so no one could go for help unless they took the horses. And Kanna's nerves had been so frazzled by the fire and the stampede that she wasn't letting one horse out of her sight, and the Life help anyone who tried to take them from her. Or if Life didn't do the trick, Medical Assistance might have been required.
So it was a long time before the fire was all the way out, the horses were all calmed down, Sango woke up, the accommodations were set and the food for everyone was ready. They were still a working estate, after all. They had to keep on the move, no time for rest. And then after everything was complete, then they realized that Miroku and Inuyasha were missing.
No one was that pleased with Inuyasha though, seeing as how he was the one who had, in his rage, started the whole fire in the first place. And if Miroku wanted to go and disappear with the master, well, no one was going to stop him. They had more important things to worry about.
They had more important things to worry about the next day as well. Such as cleaning. And hunting. And scrounging. And laundry. And had anyone seen Ms. Yamazaki's photograph of her late husband? And Mr. Honda was missing a picture that his daughter had drawn for him. If anyone saw Mrs. Lee's stationary set among the rubble, would they mind giving it to her? It had been pretty expensive and she didn't really want to lose it.
It looked like it was going to be a long day.
When Kagome stepped out of the large tent she had been sleeping the night in, along with about twenty other women, the first sight that met her eyes was the mansion. And a curious sight it was.
Kagome had realized yesterday that half the mansion, for some reason, wasn't burning, but she hadn't realized the full extent of this until now.
The left half of the mansion was black and charred and not very stable looking, though for some reason it wasn't dropping random wooden chunks and things onto people's heads. It looked as if it was being held up by magic. The other half looked as pretty and hard-wood-y as ever (the mansion had been built from some wood. Kagome may have been educated but she couldn't tell you what the kind of wood a piece was without someone telling her first). Why hadn't it burned? It looked just as susceptible to flame as the other half did…had…the other half looked more susceptible to a butterfly right about now.
"Sango?" Kagome asked her friend. "Why didn't the other half burn too?" Sango shrugged.
"Inuyasha paid his old acquaintance Myoga to make that half fire proof a long time ago." Sango explained.
'Fire proof?' Kagome thought. 'How'd he do that?' But that wasn't the issue.
"Why only that half?" Kagome asked.
"That's the half where most of the servants live, and the half with the kitchen." Sango said. "There was more of a fire hazard, and a bigger mortality rate if that half burned down."
"So he wasn't just being cheap?" Kagome asked in exasperation. 'I wouldn't put it past him.' She thought. Sango looked confused though.
"Of course not." Sango said. "Myoga offered to do it for nothing at all, but Inuyasha insisted on paying him for his effort. The only reason that Inuyasha only made half of it fire proof is that it is a lot of hassle for Myoga, and not good for his health. Inuyasha said he'd get the other half done sooner or later, but I guess he never got around to it."
"Miss Sango, have you seen any brooms?" A servant called.
"Yes, I think I saw one over here!" Sango said, hurrying off in search of some brooms with several servants at her heels. Kagome was left alone to her thoughts.
'If that's the way it is…then he can't be all bad.' She thought, staring up at the house. 'Perhaps I've misjudged him…'
"I'll apologize when I next encounter him." Kagome decided. She couldn't exactly say 'when I see him' for she hadn't ever actually seen him before. It was getting to be a nuisance for her. Why wouldn't he let her see him?
"Maybe he's horribly disfigured, and hides his face from everyone because he's so ashamed." Kagome giggled to herself as she swept out the rubble later that day. "Though I can't imagine him ever being ashamed of anyone. He really strikes me as the flamboyant type. But maybe he has the head of a wolf, and with a bright orange snout." Kagome giggled at the image. "Or maybe he's so desperately handsome that everyone who sees his face falls madly in love with him, and he fears affection because when he was young he had a horrible aunt who mistreated him and made him believe that he was worthless. And then Lord Sesshomaru, his long-lost rich brother, came to rescue him." This was even more ridiculous then the other theories and at the images it implied Kagome fell over laughing. When her mirth subsided she put her hand down to push herself up…and slipped.
Kagome looked at what her hand had touched. It was an old black and white photograph with a familiar looking woman smiling happily at the camera.
"What's this?" Kagome wondered, picking it up.
Wait…she knew this woman…where had she seen this face before…
"Oh!" Kagome exclaimed. "It's the lady from the carriage, the strange one that I met in my first visit to the town!"
Turning it over Kagome saw a little inscription on the back.
Kikyo it said.
"Kikyo…" Kagome whispered. "Is that her name?"
A sudden racket drew her attention to the rest of the servants who were crowding around something that was moving.
"What's going on now?" Kagome wondered.
"Kagome!" Shouted Kohaku, running to her. Kagome turned to him, hiding the photograph in the pocket of her apron. She wasn't ready to show anyone her find, for some reason that she couldn't identify. But she couldn't shake the thought that if she did show anyone it would only mean trouble.
"Kohaku," Kagome said. "What is it? What's going on?"
"They found Inuyasha and Miroku in the forest!" Kohaku exclaimed. "Miroku's going to be fine, but Inuyasha's got some bad burns and a lot of broken bones. They're saying that it looks like he jumped from the second story!"
"What!" Kagome gasped, whisking around and trying to peer over everyone else to get a glimpse of her employer. Before they had fought he had been quite a pleasant person to talk to, and Kagome really wanted to get to know him better, even if she was angry with him and his tantrum. "But that's madness! Surely he wouldn't do that!"
"I don't know Kagome…" Kohaku said slowly. "If I was in a burning building, I think that I'd try to get out as quick as possible too."
Kagome, though she was loath to do so, was forced to agree. Now if only she could see Inuyasha!
But no matter how high she stood, Kagome couldn't see him. The only glimpse that she caught of him was as they brought the makeshift stretcher that they were carrying him on into the private tent.
And all she saw was a glimpse of silver and gold.
G
I would like to take this moment to say that Miyazaki rocks. Dianna Wynne-Jones rocks. And Howl's Moving Castle rocks my socks right out of my sock drawer!
Well…it would if I had a sock drawer…or if I even had socks…but socks hate me! I get them and then they run away from me! I don't know why!
Roar!
See, Review Lion wants you all to review as well as you did for this chapter, she was so happy!
So please review!
Wait…do I have…over...200 reviews?
No!
Surely is mean! They're lying to me! I can't have that many reviews…right?
Are they giving me false hope?
Only one way to find out, Review!
Roar!
Yes, I know that didn't make any sense.
Roar!
Huh, oh sorry.
Roar.
Sincerely
Pwalefriend