--Freedom, Part II--

So, what are you going to do now, bitch?" Inuyasha smirked triumphantly, arms crossed arrogantly over his chest. "Now that those stupid beads broke- from overuse, I'll bet- you've lost your only way of controlling me! Ha, man, I felt like this day would never come!!" Kagome clenched her hands, too furious to speak- for the moment.

Instinctively, she yelled "OSUWARI!" at the top of her voice, realizing a half second later that she no longer had that to fall back on. But what surprised her was his reaction- as if the necklace was still subduing him, Inuyasha slammed into the ground, wincing slightly at the pain. Kagome looked at him in astonishment, staring blankly before collapsing into giggles.

As Inuyasha waited until the spell was up, Kagome continued to laugh. "You're that used to being 'sat' when I say that word... so used to it, I guess, that even without the beads, your body just... responds." She shook her head, barely believing what she was saying. "This... is... GREAT." A wide smile covered her face, and the hanyou scowled.

After a few minutes, Inuyasha nodded resignedly. "Fate just hates me, I suppose."