Chapter Two: Nearly as Good

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha. Sorry.

Contains swearing. Read with caution.

Amaya set the keys on the counter with a dull jingle. Kagome had rushed up the stairs to the bathroom the moment Amaya had unlocked the door. InuYasha sat at the table behind her picking pieces of duck tape off his face, muttering about some 'stupid whore'.

"I better not be that stupid whore, dog boy. Or else you're in for an ass whooping."

"What put you in a bad mood?" InuYasha asked between strips of the painful-to-remove tape.

I'm not in a bad mood, InuYasha." Amaya said quietly. She moved to his side and pulled off the strip of tape in one quick motion. InuYasha howled in pain, and Amaya slapped her hand to his mouth to dull the pain. She pulled her hand back after a few minutes and inspected his mouth. "Just like getting your eyebrows waxed." She commented.

She moved to the freezer. "Ice cream?"

"Frozen cream? Any day."

Chuckling Amaya dished him up a bowl of the butterscotch delight and settled down across the table.

Kagome entered the kitchen carrying her bag and clutching her gut. She sat beside Amaya and watched her with pleading eyes. "Advil?" Amaya handed her sister the bottle.

"So, are you coming back with us or not?" Amaya looked over at InuYasha; taking notice his bowl was completely empty.

"Oh, come on. You pig." Amaya shook her head. "I'm coming. Why? No idea."

"Well, can we get going? I promised we'd be back by sundown." He glanced out the window. "We've got about half-an-hour."

"I'm all packed. Amaya, do you need anything?" Kagome held up her bag to indicate that she was finished.

"No." Amaya answered, picking her keys back up off the counter as Kagome placed InuYasha's dish in the dishwasher. She made sure the door was locked as they headed towards the well. Kagome placed a jewel shard on a string around Amaya's slim, elegant neck. It hung perfectly between the breasts that were pushed up and out by the pink push-up bra beneath the yellow tank that stopped about an inch short of Amaya's short shorts, which were a perfect white in color. As Amaya turned to jump into the well, she shifted and her shirt and it raised a little, just enough to reveal the tattoo on the small of her back. The Chinese drawn red dragon seemed to move when she did, almost as if it was alive itself.

InuYasha's arm suddenly intervened with Kagome's view of Amaya's tattoo. They were both standing at the edge of the well, InuYasha's arm around her step-sisters waist. They were both looking at her expectantly.

Kagome clambered up so that she stood on InuYasha's other side, and she felt his arm place itself around her middle. "Ready?" Kagome was glad he had asked Amaya this, and even though she knew her sister would have no second thoughts, it was nice to know she had been given the chance to turn around. InuYasha had shown remarkable improvement around Amaya since he had first met her. He had been cold and distant. Kagome figured it had been because of his childhood, a lifetime of being shunned by both humans and demons alike. But Amaya hadn't shoved him away, and he had slowly come to trust both her and her ways.

And now they stood here, the three of them, both females hugged tight to the muscular body of the half-demon between them.

They jumped. The feeling of being suspended in the air hundreds of feet beyond the ground overtook Amaya and her companions. Blue light surrounded them for what seemed like hours, but was really only minutes. "The effect of jumping across time." InuYasha commented in her ear.

They landed on the hard dirt seconds later. InuYasha leapt up and out of the well, carrying both Amaya and Kagome with him. They landed lightly about 5 feet from the well. Standing in front of them was a tiny, fox demon. Had Amaya been living in the 1800's, she would have swooned.

"Hi! My names Shippou! What's yours?" The kitsune leapt up to InuYasha's shoulder, who shoved him off almost right away. Instead, Shippou settled himself on Amaya's bare shoulder, his tiny claws digging into her creamy skin.

"Amaya." She remembered Kagome's description of the tiny kitsune, smiling slightly.

They followed InuYasha back to the village, Shippou telling Amaya all about how he had come to travel with InuYasha and Kagome. Amaya couldn't resist, so she locked eyes with InuYasha. The half-demon rolled his eyes and smirked at her. Amaya smiled.

It didn't take them long to reach the village, where Amaya met a turned-on Miroku, an angry Sango, a motherly Kaede, and a sweet Kirara. They all told Amaya a little about themselves, and by the time they were done, it was well past nightfall. They returned to the Kaede's hut to sleep, and Sango, for both Amaya's sake and her's, made sure Miroku was on the other side of the tiny wooden house.

That night, Amaya slept in more peace than she had in her whole life.

Amaya awoke the next morning to find Miroku leaning over her, a slight smile on his face. "The lady's awake, InuYasha! We can proceed!"

Amaya sat bolt upright, colliding heads with Shippou. Swearing, she helped Miroku pack up and they left the hut together, Shippou perched happily on her shoulder.

"About time your up, we gotta get going. I smell Sesshoumaru."

Amaya recognized the name of InuYasha's elder brother, whom she had heard no good things about.

"So?" she had to ask.

"So? My dear girl," It was Miroku answering the question, not InuYasha. "He could destroy, maim, or kill every human in the world and would not feel a single, biting, feeling of regret."

Amaya frowned. Now he certainly didn't seem like a very nice guy.

Kagome clambered up onto InuYasha's back, Miroku, Sango and Shippou loaded themselves upon Kirara, and Amaya ran for herself. She noticed after a little while that InuYasha seemed to be following something, and the curiousness of what it was bugging her. Bringing herself up so that she was equal to him, she shouted "Are you looking for him on purpose!"

"Yeah! Naraku's scent has become mixed with his!" Amaya knew who Naraku was, and was not very happy that they were going to him. She rather hoped to see some low scale demons she could get some practice on before she had to go around helping with big- bad ones.

They entered a clearing that was already pretty full. A man with long, dark hair stood in the center. His eyes were a dark brown, almost black. There was a large, red eye in the center of his chest, and plenty of menacing looking things stuck out this back. Amaya figured they were weapons of some sort.

At the other side stood the most handsome man she had ever seen. His hair was long and silver, his eyes the same golden as InuYasha's. Under those amber gems were two single, red strips. One on each side. There was a blue crescent moon on his forehead, slightly blocked by strands of his hair. His kimono was white, but the top had red sakura blossoms showering it. He wore armor that covered his upper body, and a single sword hung by his side. There was another clutched in his only hand. This was Sesshoumaru.

"You never told me he was so good looking." Amaya hissed in Kagome's ear as InuYasha joined the other two demons on the battle field.

"You never asked. I must say, it surprised me. It's usually the first thing you say. "Is he hott?'" Kagome hissed back, smirking slightly.

Amaya bit her lip. "Why are they arguing? Shouldn't they be fighting Naraku?"

Miroku appeared beside them. "Sesshoumaru told InuYasha to leave. But he doesn't want to. Now Sesshoumaru's threatening him."

"Not exactly a brother-to-brother relationships is it?" Asked Sango.

As Amaya turned her gaze back to the battle-field, where InuYasha and Sesshoumaru were now fighting each other, taunting, scratching, biting. Amaya smirked as InuYasha gouged his teeth into Sesshoumaru's arm, as if trying to break it off. Sesshoumaru threw InuYasha back towards the group. Kagome and Sango both leapt out of the way, but Amaya and Miroku caught him, stood him back up, and threw him back. InuYasha drew his sword, nodding his thanks to his friends, and attacked Sesshoumaru, who dodged him easily.

"Your swordsmanship is a lousy as ever, InuYasha. Perhaps you should take lessons from the wench, who is nearly as skilled as I am against Naraku."

InuYasha whirled around to see who Sesshoumaru was speaking of.

Amaya stood in front of Naraku, hands glowing with a green poison identical to the stuff leaking from Sesshoumaru's hands. Kagome stood behind her, bleeding from her navel. Her shirt was ripped and looked as if someone had raked a good set of claws threw it. InuYasha watched as Naraku lunged at Amaya again, who dodged his attack skillfully. Apparently, living in the modern era didn't lessen her skills any.

InuYasha was amazed as he watched Amaya and Naraku swirl around the battle-field, taking swipes at each other, trying to knock each other down. It was obvious that Naraku was impressed with her battle tactics, and InuYasha was convinced that she would be even more lethal with a weapon.

Kagome didn't seem to be very happy. Despite her injury, she was creaming at Amaya from the sidelines. "GO LEFT! NO, NO, GO RIGHT! AMAYA! BEHIND YOU!"

"SHUT UP!" Was Amaya's proper response. There were also several inappropriate ones.

InuYasha turned back to Sesshoumaru, sword raised. "Shut up! My swordsmanship is fine. Brilliant compared to yours."

"I'm surprised you know such a big word as brilliant."

"I also know the word Jackass, definition you, which is pretty large."

InuYasha had to raise his sword to block Sesshoumaru's light whip. But his attack stopped quickly as he turned back towards Amaya and Naraku.

Amaya was being pinned to the ground by a demon neither Inuyasha nor Sesshoumaru recognized. Naraku had turned to the group at the edge, which had been joined by Kouga, and was seemingly trying to get to Shippou. But it quickly became apparent he wasn't after the tiny Kitsune, but Kagome.

Naraku picked her up and tossed her over his should, where she came to a rest, kicking and screaming. Kouga lunged at Naraku, but he seemed to disappear into thin air. Only his voice remained.

"Come, Kenshin. Leave the Bitch. I've got the girl."

The man guarding Amaya took off at a run, his snake like tail swinging out behind him.

Kouga, InuYasha, and Amaya were all hot on his tail, hoping to follow him to Naraku.

Sesshoumaru took one look at the group on the sidelines. They were gathering their stuff and were preparing to follow the group of demons.

Sesshoumaru walked away. He would catch up with Naraku later.

Last chapter for awhile, probably. Sorry, chicka's!

-sl.smith