Disclaimer: I have a Sesshy plushie! Does that count? No? Darn... :(
Guys, I have found my muse, and I'm most baffled by it. My muse this time came in the form of beef flavored RAMEN. It's official, I am completely addicted to Inuyasha and everything related to it. I went back and did a little editing to Chapter 10, added a few things that would have come up in four months of living together. This chapter is brought to you by RAMEN!
Silver Rain Drops: Of course, it had to be Naraku! He's just a good villan like that. Yeah, I had an epiphany the other day, and I can't think of a single anime character who has both of their parents alive and around. So why not use that to my advantage! As for reviewing your story, it was the least I could do after all the reviews you've given me. :)
Cold Kikyo: Yes indeedy, what will they do. :)
darkpriestressofhell: Hey, I can't help it if Naraku makes a great bad guy! I'll try to update more frequently, but we'll see.
Raithya: Well babe, you'll just have to see, won'tcha:P Ezekial came from my husband's imagination, and is an excellent marksman. But we don't know what the rifle can do yet! Sesshy knows about Naraku, and I'm trying to keep him (and everyone else) as in character as I can. Keep reading, and I'll do my best to keep you entertained!
Estriel: :scuffs foot bashfully: Aww, shucks. Thankie kindly!
Ezekial of Narchais: Yay! Readers and reviewers, this guy here is my wonderful husband. Everyone say hello! ;) Thanks for reviewing, love.
darkangelprincess24: Thank you, I have some faith in my storytelling ability again! I was beginning to think I was getting too predictable. :)
fullmetal-inugrl8484: No problem, babe! I don't have many reviewers as is, and I love all of my reviewers! hugs Keep reading! And thanks for your suggestions!
YuniX-2: You know, I hadn't thought of that...hmmmm... Yeah, I can see a bit of HP in here, but I'm trying to make it as original as I can. Well, good luck on your FFVII game, and keep reading!
Chapter Thirteen – Allies and Enemies
They had spoken long into the night, about how many people had died and why they were at the school. As it turned out, every single student at The Academy had lost one or both parents to Naraku. If you took the killings out of context, there would have been no connection. They ranged from the Inu-taiyoukai to simple ranchers, from spiritual people to faithful alchemists. Their only connection was that they had children that met the requirements of The Academy, whatever those requirements might be.
Kaede had finally come in to shoo Ezekial, Kallos, and Cali off to their rooms. She stayed behind long enough to let Kagome and Inuyasha know that she and many of the other teachers were on their side. After checking on Kagome on last time, she bid them goodnight and left.
After a bit more talking, the two fell asleep in the same position, Inuyasha leaned back against the wall with Kagome cuddled up on his lap. It was the best sleep they'd ever had.
Thursday morning came with unseasonable warmth, beginning the slow process of melting away the snow and ice from the grounds. After getting the rest of the tubes and needles removed from her skin, Kagome was proclaimed fit to leave the little clinic. They stopped long enough in their room for Kagome to shower and for them both to get changed before heading down to the dojo.
Vash came jogging over as they walked up. "Kagome! How are you feeling?" He caught one of her hands and brought it to his lips, kissing it gently. She blushed at the contact and bowed slightly.
"Feeling much better, thank you. Have I missed much, Master Vash?" Kagome flinched slightly as she straightened, smiling again as Inuyasha tightened his grip on her.
Vash only threw back his head and laughed. "Not at all, my dear. Though I daresay Kenshin would like a word with Inuyasha." He gave a wink to the hanyou, who growled slightly. "At any rate, let's get you inside. There's no need for you to practice until you're feeling up to it, and I doubt Kenshin would mind you watching in on the sword training." Both nodded and followed Vash into the dojo, then paused once inside the door.
Cali was in the center of the mat with her twin scimitars facing down Cloud and his buster sword. Inuyasha grumbled something about missing the fun and gave her a swift kiss on the top of her head before dashing onto the mat, drawing Tetsuaiga as he went. Cali heard him coming and jumped away from Cloud to intercept Inuyasha, laughing as she did. But Ed cut her off, his automail arm transmuted into a blade. He brought it up to block Tetsuaiga, and the two were off into a sparring match of blades and words. Cali laughed again and resumed her fight with Cloud after shouting a greeting to Kagome.
Kagome was startled when Kenshin appeared at her side, but his slight smile calmed her instantly. They watched the sparring pairs in silence for a moment or two before Kenshin spoke.
"Well now, it is good to see you out and about again, that it is." His smile widened at her slight blush. "Come sit down, you still look a bit pale." Kagome nodded and followed him over to the mini-bleachers, taking a seat on the second tier. Kenshin remained standing beside her, his hand on the hilt of his sword. They continued to watch for a good while, Kenshin barking out orders and Kagome occasionally cheering for Caligo or Inuyasha. She kept sneaking glances at the sword master, wondering if he was one of the teachers on their side. The thought had been running through her mind all of last night and this morning, as to who she could trust, and who it would be better to avoid conflict with. Hakudoushi, she was pretty certain, was on Naraku's side, being his son and all. Kaede had only mentioned herself as being their ally, but had hinted at more. She frowned then, mulling over their choices, forgetting that she had been watching Kenshin. She snapped back into reality when he began waving a hand in front of her face.
"Miss Kagome? Miss Kagome, are you alright?" He truly looked worried, and Kagome blushed brightly, shaking her head.
"I'm fine, Master Kenshin. Just thinking about something Madam Kaede told me." She turned back to watch the spars, glancing at Kenshin out of the corner or her eye to gauge his reaction. Kenshin only smiled slightly and also went back to watching the fighting pairs.
They remained in relative silence for the rest of the period. As Kenshin called for the rest of the students to go get cleaned up, Kagome stood and stretched, stifling a yawn. She moved to walk to the door, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She glanced to Kenshin, whose smile had disappeared, along with his generally easy-going attitude. She shivered slightly at the coolness in his violet eyes.
"Kagome, you must be more careful now. Vash, Spike, and I are on your side, but you can never be sure of the rest of the staff. We cannot always protect you. There are forces here that we don't know how to battle." His grip tightened ever so slightly, and Kagome gave another involuntary shiver. "Be safe. And watch out for your sister." Kagome opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but the rest of the students chose that moment to leave the shower room. Kenshin shook his head and let his hand drop as everyone came over to see how Kagome was doing, but his eyes held a hint of worry and, deep down, a bit of fear.
Watch out for my sister, huh? Kagome thought as she smiled and repeatedly told everyone she was fine. If he wanted me to take care of my sister, he would have worded it like that…besides, Kikyo doesn't need my protection. So watch out for Kikyo…be careful of Kikyo…Kikyo is…
Kagome snapped out of her musings as Kouga came in and plastered himself to her side, sending a growl to anyone who got to close, including Inuyasha. Pretty soon, the two were snarling and cracking their knuckles over her head, both refusing to back down. She sighed and took both boys by the arm and started for the door.
"Come on, guys. You two can fight later, but I would like to enjoy the rest of my first day of freedom for a while." She floored them both with a smile, and their growls died down to an occasional rumble. Kagome chuckled and led the way back to the school, all smiles though her mind was in turmoil at this newest bit of information.
Kikyo is…Kikyo is my enemy…
A solitary figure stood at the window of his office, staring down at the school grounds, watching as the students trooped back through the melting snow from their combat training. Training that he had authorized, even prioritized, and his teachers were going to betray him. Going to ruin his plans. Going to turn his army against him. He slammed a fist into the windowsill, cracking it. He remained silent, studying his bloody knuckles as the flesh knit together again. He absently licked the blood away and rested his hands against the sill again.
A woman stood against the wall, tapping a long fan against her chin. Her bright red eyes watched the headmaster calmly, but there was a defiant set to her jaw, and a hard glint to her eyes. She smirked slightly.
"Well well well, Naraku, the girl has escaped death once again. Why are you not happy? I thought you needed her." Kagura pushed off the wall and went to stand next to him by the window, her gaze also lingering on the group of students.
Naraku simply snorted. "Kagura, do not presume you know what I am planning. The girl is getting in the way. Her sister has more power and has already agreed to my terms. This one…" he waved towards the group of students. "…has followers. This one has friends. This one has humans and demons that would fight to help her. Some might even die for her. We need as many students alive as we can get away with." He shook his head and put his hands in his pockets. "This one is too much work, for less potential. It would be better had she died, so I wouldn't have to sully my hands." He grunted and turned back into the room, lifting a hand to snap his fingers. A form stepped out of the shadows and bowed low. Naraku smirked.
"Get the girl named Kagome. Get her alone and kill her."
The creature called Muso returned the smirk, bowed again, and left.