Ch3. Pained Entrance

"Uh… Sakura? Why is that beast asleep in your lap?" I yelled at her, pointing to the sleeping figure in her lap. "He's not a beast! He's a half-demon. Get your creatures straight, Naruto." I could feel myself about to attack him. He is a beast! He tried to kill me! And for what? A few strands of hair? "Fine then! Then if he isn't a beast, what's with all the blood?"

Sasuke walked forward and, trying to act cool as always, flipped some invisible strands of hair off his face. "I think I can answer that one, Naruto. You see that cloak? The 'half-demon' was wearing it the first time we saw him. When they ran from Kakashi sensei, he must have landed on something that went through his back and stained the cloak with his blood. But the one thing I don't get is why it hasn't healed yet. I've been told that all demons, even half, heal very quickly."

The girl, who for some reason, actually looked kind of hot in her futuristic school uniform, stood face to face with Sasuke. "The answer to that, Mr. Act Cool No Matter If Someone Is About To Die, is that he is in his human form right now, so he can still feel the pain!" Mr. Act Cool No Matter If Someone Is About To Die? Ok, that is something very weird to call him, but still… Oh yea! Someone else actually made fun of you Sasuke!

He turned his head and glared at me. He must have seen me do the fist pump in the air when she said it. "Hmf. Whatever. You three are still criminals, so you must be turned in immediately." "B-but Sasuke, they aren't criminals. They are just misunderstood… Come on! Don't just roll your eyes, we need to help them!"

Oh Sakura… Your pink hair is so beautiful in the fire… Wait! It's on fire! "Sakura, your hair!" "Huh? ... Hey! Get off me, Naruto!" "But your hair was on fire. I just saved you! ... Ow! Did you seriously have to kick me there?" "Yes I did. Now get off!"

"Ow! Would you two please stop stepping on me? My back is already hurt enough." "Huh? Oh Inuyasha, you're awake! Thank goodness. When you passed out, I got a little… worried." Gr… If he thinks he can steal Sakura from me, he's gona get all that hair of his cut off… Wait a second. Is it changing? And where did those ears come from? ... Oh no! Not the claws too!

"Ha. See I told you guys. Half-demons do heal almost instantly." Sasuke was right. The wound on Inuyasha's back was completely gone. It had happened like magic, once the sun rose. "Ah. That feels a lot better… Uh, would you mind giving me my cloak back? …Thank you."

What? Sakura is blushing! Oh, I am so gona get him! "Hey you, psycho kid. Why are you staring at me like that? …Was that a growl? You know, if you want a fight, just say so." "*Sigh* Naruto, just stop acting jealous. You can get Sakura's love another time." A red line of blush crossed my face. "Oh shut up Sasuke! …Sakura, just ignore what Sasuke said."

Her eyes rolled and she whispered something in the demon's ear that made them both laugh. I could feel another growl coming, but Sasuke grabbed the collar of my shirt and threw me to the side. "Ok, well then, if we aren't going to turn you guys in, but help you, we need a plan."

"Oh don't worry. Shippo and I have already figured something out. Sakura said you guys would come and help us." The thorns from the rose bush I had been pushed into were stuck into my arm and I winced as I pulled one of them out.

But the face Sasuke had was priceless, so I just had to laugh. "Oh you think that's funny, huh Naruto? Well let's see how funny you think it is when I jam this Kunai up your thought… Ow! Why you little! You bit my hand!" "Sorry, but that's what you get for messing with the best, Sasuke!"

"*Sigh* Are they always like this, Sakura?" "Yea Shippo. They are." "Oh wow. I feel even sorrier for you than I feel for me having to put up with Inuyasha." The monster glared at the kid and he shrunk in size. "Ok, well what was the plan you and Kagome made, Shippo?"

Sasuke finally stopped his worthless chase to listen, so he would be prepared, and I, like normal, ran head first into the tree. "*Sigh* Loser… Just stop running around and come over here and listen." "Oh so you can attack me again." "So help me, Naruto, if you don't sit down, I will kill you." The glint in his eye told me that for once, he wasn't fooling around with me.

Yikes! He does mean it! …Hm. I think I'll just sit right here by Sakura. "Don't even think about it Naruto. Sit by me, and you're going in that fire." "Ow! … Ok, ok. Fine, Gesh, I'll just sit by… Uh… What's your name again?" "Kagome." Wait a second. Why is my heart beating so fast? Could it be a jutsu she did on me or something? No. It can't be. I didn't see her do any hand signs. But then, what's happening?

"Ok, so here's the plan…"

"I still don't understand why we can fit in this box. It's like the size of an acorn or something." "Inuyasha stop complaining. Sure it's small and cramped, but at least we'll be able to get by the guards." I snickered at the way Inuyasha acted in the small space created by my fox magic. "Guys, be quiet. I think we are coming up to the tower…Ugh! What is that smell? Ah man! Why did Naruto have to put us in his back pocket?"

I rolled my eyes, and trying not to hit the side of the box on his butt, put my highly trained fox ears to the side of the box to listen. "Halt. No one may enter. There are criminals on the loose." "Don't worry. It's quite alright. This is my team… Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura. I'm so glad to see you three back. I got quite worried when you three disappeared last night after the criminals escaped. "Don't worry Kakashi. We're fine and dandy as always."

"You ok, Naruto? You seemed kind of agitated." Uh oh. He must sense our chakra, or whatever the energy level here in this world is called. We started to bounce around as Naruto started to run off again, hopefully towards their room.

"Thank you for walking us to our room, Kakashi Sensei, but we can go by ourselves now." "Wait just a moment Sasuke. I need you to come with me. It's something for that 'rash' on your neck."

Their footsteps leaded off to the corridor, and the door slammed behind them. "Ok guys. Come on out." I reversed the spell and suddenly, we were normal size again, and the mini box was in my hand.

Inuyasha and Kagome were coughing as if they had been choking on something. Inuyasha grabbed Naruto and trust him in the air. "What were you trying to do? Kill us?" "Ugh. Just let go already! I'm sorry!" Wow. According to Sakura, Naruto never said sorry. He just always argued until the other person got tired and gave up, or the other person got tired and beat him until he blacked out.

"Hmf. You better be… What Shippo?" I jumped on his hand and released his grip on Naruto. "Ok, Sakura, now what did that man that attacked you look like? Cause I need to know for the next part of the plan."

She nodded her head. "Well he had…"

"No. No. Get-get away." I mumbled in my sleep, for the nightmares seemed all too real.

"Your such a brat, Inuyasha. You're nothing but a half-breed." "But Sesshomouru, I can keep up just like you can. I'm no weaker than you!" "Get off of me!" That first time, the time my brother first turned on me, raced through my dreams. The painful howl that erupted from my mouth as he punched me, the horrified scream of mother when she saw, the hate in his eyes, knowing that now she hated him, because of me.

Suddenly it all changed. It changed to the time I thought Kagome was gone. The time that I thought my brother had killed her. "When it come to humans, I of course, bear no such weakness." Sesshomouru lifted up his claws, the poisoned claws ,aimed at Kagome, and fired. Her pained yells filled his ears, her lifting up the Tetsusaiga in front of her, and the melted stone behind her, covering what I believed were her ashes. When my brother put his hand back down, the reality that was never real, hit me. "So fragile. Don't you agree little brother?" "Sesshomouru!" "And not just humans, half-breeds too."

Once again, it changed. This time to an unfamiliar time, but an all too real place, the training area that I had spotted within this tower. This time, I laid at his feet, him glaring at me. "You are so weak, little brother. You are just like that worthless little human that you came to love… But I'm afraid, you won't see her or the light of day, again." Instantly, as if on cue, a man with long black hair, the man that matched Sakura's description perfectly, walked out from the shadows. "Right on cue, Orochimaru. Now, brother, let us see how strong you truelly are." The man smiled at my unmoving figure. I willed for myself to move, but it was no use. I was paralyzed. Suddenly his head came at me, his neck growing longer and longer, like a snake, and bit my neck. Even if this was a dream, I could still feel the pain that surged through my body. A small black mark appeared on my neck and my gasps stopped. I no longer breathed.

"No!" My head rose with a start and I banged it against the bed above me. "Inuyasha are you alright? You're sweating like you had a nightmare." A nightmare? Was that all it was? No. It seemed all too real. I could feel my claws moving, to check my neck, and the stop of my breath when I touched the bulging spot in the exact outline I had seen in my nightmare.

Through the silence of the room, you could hear a pin drop, which we did. It came from right outside the door. Our heads turned to stare at the turning doorknob. Now, all our breaths were held still. As the door opened, the man that we had seen earlier, the man with the grey hair and the bandana covering one of his eyes, walked in holding a passed out Sasuke. "Ok, Sasuke, time for you t-. Oh no. Not you three again."