Author's note: Sorry about the delay guys...me spraining my ankle and a powerful bout of writer's block did not a good writing environment make. Now that I have a better idea of where I'm going, I'll update more frequently.

Given, naturally, that you all REVIEW on this chapter. I know a lot of people are reading, so review! You naughty people you. :-P

In a darkened room deep in the mountains, a lean, muscular man sat back in an overstuffed chair and propped his feet on an intricately carved wooden table. Shadows mingled with the soft smoke filling the air, swirling about him as he lazily puffed on a long pipe. The only light in the room filtered in from a nearby window, spreading cautiously on the floor before him.

His ears twitched at the sound of a knock on the door.

"Come in." His voice was low, just a hair away from menacing. The door quietly slid open, and with only a faint blurring movement before it, the door shut again. The man smiled; if he hadn't known better, he would have sworn he was still alone.

"Well?" he questioned when his visitor made no effort to speak. "I'm certain you didn't come here to stare at me."

The figure in the shadows slowly stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I have some…interesting news."

"Oh?" An elegant eyebrow lifted, and a long, lithe tail lifted to tap gently upon the table. "And what news would that be?"

"Lord Kaijin has been found."

The tapping stopped.

"Kaijin?" The voice was quiet, nearly inaudible. The figure in the shadows shifted uneasily.

"Yes, your Highness. I spotted him in the forest yesterday, in the company of a priestess…and a son of Inu no taisho."

"What?" The word was ground out of the man's throat. Slowly, he lowered his feet to the ground and rose, his feline form towering in the darkness. His eyes gleamed dangerously. "Are you telling me that that boy has teamed up with an heir to the throne of the Western lands?"

The demon swallowed with difficulty as the Lord of the Southern Lands stalked over to him.

"Well, technically…" He took a step back as the tremendous tiger demon came to a stop before him. "…Yes."

In a flash, the Lord's arm darted out and wrapped around the demon's throat, slowly lifting him off the ground.

"You're loyal to me, right, Kage?"

Sputtering, the demon nodded.

"Then I suggest you take care of the matter. Kaijin alone is no threat, but if he gains allies from the West, he can become troublesome." His expression darkened. "It's bad enough that he won the sword. I won't have him win this throne. Is that understood?"

"Yes…Sire…" Kage choked out. His hands clutched feebly at the Lord's muscled arm. When the Lord suddenly released him, he collapsed on the floor in a heap and rubbed his sore throat. He glanced up as the Lord turned his back on him and moved forward, coming to a stop in the faint patch of light. His frame seemed to take on an unearthly glow in the light, the rest of his silhouette turning black as night.

"I want you to take care of the Western heir. Destroy him, lure him away, I don't care. Just get him away from Kaijin." He strode out of the light, back into the shadows surrounding his chair. Easing back into the cushions, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully and stared at the ceiling. "On second thought…bring him to me. A son of Inu no taisho can prove invaluable, if he is properly…managed."

Smiling grimly, the Lord of the Southern Lands turned his gleaming eyes on the shadow demon.

"Make sure he is suitably prepared for his future servitude as well." Smirking, he turned away. "I'm sure you know what to do, Kage."

Eager to depart, the demon swept a deep bow and backed into the shadows. With a faint whispering of the door, he was gone. The Lord smiled to himself and picked up his forgotten pipe. Snapping his fingers, he sent a spark into the narrow opening and leaned back to enjoy the smoke.

"Oh, Kaijin. All these years apart, and this is how you choose to resurface?" He chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "You always were a bother."

As the shadows moved in to mingle greedily with his smoke, he grinned. A subtle gleam flashed on his teeth.

"Be careful, my boy. Those who are too troublesome must always be dealt with." Lifting a hand, he inspected his claws.

"…And I can guarantee that you will not enjoy it."

Kaijin shivered as a sudden chill raced down his spine. Someone was just talking about me…and not in a pleasant way. Uneasy, he glanced over his shoulder as he raced through the forest, but all he could detect was the mildly irritated dog demon behind him and the priestess he carried.

Inuyasha glowered at him. "What's your problem, anyway? You've checked your back about six times since our last break."

Kaijin blinked at him, then shook his head. "It's nothing. Just a…feeling."

"A feeling?" His frown deepened. "What kind of feeling?"

The tiger just smiled weakly at Inuyasha. "Don't worry about it. I'm probably just being paranoid."

Ignoring Inuyasha's unconvinced scowl, Kaijin turned back around. His eyes focused on the distant mountains that had just barely begun to pierce the horizon. A sense of desperation suddenly swept over him. If he could just make it to those mountains, he'd be okay. If he could just make it there…

Shaking his head roughly, he forced down the irrational spurts of panic. For some reason, they'd been plaguing him since this morning. First he'd had those horrible memories, and soon after the never-fading sense that they were being followed had appeared. Despite the warmth of the air and the blazing sun above, a chill wind seemed to be chasing him.

As he shivered for the umpteenth time, a worried frown collected on his face.

I've felt this chill before.

Kaijin stumbled and his eyes went wide as a faint memory struggled to surface. He could see himself, as a child, running frantically as the cold rushed to meet him. The humid air seemed to freeze solid and crash to the ground as his tiny feet ran, and still the shadows came to claim him…

"Kaijin? Are you all right?"

Blinking, the tiger turned to glance at Kagome. At some point, Inuyasha had caught up to him and begun to run alongside him, giving the tiger a strange look all the while. Kaijin smiled for the priestess, shifting to the side to put a little more space between them.

"I'm fine, Lady Kagome. There's no need to worry."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "That does it." Grunting, he dropped to the ground and slid to a stop. Crouching, he left Kagome climb off his back and straightened, stalking over to the confused tiger demon.

"You're hiding something from us, aren't you, Cat Breath?" His scowl deepened as Kaijin just gave him a blank stare. "Guys like you put a lot of faith in their instincts. We're being followed, aren't we?"

Kaijin shifted uncomfortably. "I can't say for sure, but…yes, there's a chance that we're being followed."

Kagome glanced at the forest behind her, but the trees seemed just as friendly as they normally did. She couldn't sense any evil following them. "How can you be sure?"

"I'm not sure." He sighed, lifting a hand to rub at the back of his neck. "I just…feel anxious."

Inuyasha snorted. "Anxious? Give me a break. If it's something that'll get Mr. High-and-Mighty nervous, it might actually be worth fighting." Folding his arms in his sleeves, he glanced around. "What exactly do you think is tailing us?"

"Cold. Cold and shadows." Kaijin's murmur was almost inaudible, but Inuyasha's ears picked it up. The dog demon glanced back at him, slightly unnerved by the haunted look that had suddenly dawned in Kaijin's eyes.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean??"

"Huh?" Kaijin blinked, and the haunted look disappeared, leaving Inuyasha to wonder if he'd really seen it. "Oh, never mind." Suddenly all smiles, Kaijin waved a hand dismissively. "That was just me babbling away. Let's move on, shall we?"

With that, he leapt to a nearby branch and took off. Inuyasha reluctantly crouched to let Kagome onto his back and followed.

After a moment, Kagome tightened her grip on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Something's really bothering him, isn't it?"

"Duh. He's been acting weird all day." Inuyasha frowned. "The thing is, if he thought something was following us, why didn't he just say so? Why keep it to himself?"

Kagome thought for a moment. "Well, he did say that he wasn't sure something was after us." She glanced down at him. "Have you picked up on anything?"

Inuyasha hesitated, then shook his head. "No. Not a scent. I don't know what crawled up Cat Breath's butt, but whatever it is, I sure as hell can't pick up on it." Growling softly, he struggled to keep up with the tiger's increased speed. "He'd better not be keeping anything important from us."

Kagome tightened her hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "I'm sure if it were bad, Kaijin would tell us."

Inuyasha only grunted in reply. Tossing his head to the side, he let out a snort. "It's not like I need to rely on him anyway. I can still sniff out a demon before it gets anywhere near us, dammit."

Kagome smiled. "I never said you couldn't, Inuyasha."

"Hmph." Inuyasha glanced back at the girl, trying to discern if she was mocking him, but all she did was smile at him. Abruptly, Kagome's smile turned playful, and she leaned forward to lock her arms tightly around his neck. Her chin rested on his shoulder, and her eyes sparkled at him.

Swallowing hard, Inuyasha tried not to think about the fact that her scent was absolutely clogging his nose, or that it smelled really good…or that she looked really…cute…when she looked at him like that…or that…if he turned his head just a little bit…he could…

Gah! What the hell am I thinking?? Blushing, Inuyasha looked away and forcefully pounded those ideas out of his head. Clearing his throat, he spoke gruffly.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You're giving me the creeps." His blush grew brighter as her smile only grew.

"You're falling too far behind Kaijin." Eyes gleaming, she sat slightly back and tightened her grip on his waist with her legs. While Inuyasha fought to keep his blush from spreading further, she reached forward and grabbed his forelocks, pulling them gently back towards her.

Inuyasha frowned and glanced back at her. "Hey, what do you think you're—"

"Inuyasha?"

His ears tweaked at the tone of her voice. "Hey, you wouldn't be dumb enough do that while I'm carrying you, would you?"

Her giggle didn't reassure him.

"Inuyasha…"

"K-Kagome, don't—"

"MUSH!"

Inuyasha's face fell into shock as she tugged on his forelocks, shaking them like reins. Laughing, she mimicked cracking a whip.

"Mush, boy! Mush!!"

Inuyasha's eye twitched.

"WILL YOU STOP TREATING ME LIKE A DAMN DOG??" He scowled when she only continued to laugh.

"And what the hell does 'mush' mean, anyway??"

Kage peered out of the shadows as he followed the trio, his form slipping silently along in the darkness. A grim smile settled over his lips. It doesn't take long to cover distance when you move within the shadows. A trip from the mountains can be completed in a matter of minutes.

Easily keeping pace with the traveling group, the demon kept an eye on the boy from the West. A gleam of something akin to pity and regret flashed through his eyes, but it was soon replaced by cold calculation.

"The Lord wants the boy under his control. It may be difficult to drag him to the castle without a sufficient…cause." He stared at the dog demon's shadow as he raced over he ground. It's a pitiful way to go…but it's the surest way to get him to do what we want.

Sighing, the demon fell back to a safe distance and decided to wait for his chance to strike.

As the heat of the day steadily rose, Kaijin's anxiety melted away. He still couldn't quite shake the feeling that they were being followed, but dammit, he wasn't of noble blood for nothing! He was a son of the Lord of the Southern Lands, and if something wanted to mess with him, so be it!

A familiar smirk settling onto his face, he moved to land beside a river. He lifted a hand to wipe at his brow, turning to smile at his companions.

"We can afford to take a break. You two can cool off a bit here."

Kagome slid off Inuyasha's back and stretched her arms over her head. "Sounds good to me." Moving towards the riverbank, she dropped to her knees and began splashing the cool water over her arms and face.

Inuyasha used the opportunity to stretch out his arms, cracking his shoulder as he rotated the limb. Scowling irritably, he stalked over to the water.

"Do we have to keep stopping every ten seconds? At this rate, we'll never get to the Fox Goddess' den!" Standing beside Kagome, he growled down at the grinning doodle on his palm. His scowl fell away as he regarded the doodle more closely. Its cheerful smile had been replaced by a malicious grin, the upturned eyes slanted angrily.

An uneasy feeling filled him as he stared at the doodle. It felt almost as if someone were staring right back at him through the doodle, watching him for any opportunity to strike. As he gazed, he was given the sense of a tremendous force pressing against a barrier, clawing at it, just begging to be released and destroy him…

"Inuyasha?"

His breath became shallow and his face blanched. Did this power, this evil intent…belong to the Fox Goddess?? His hand began to shake. What the hell am I thinking?? I'm going to try to stop that?? I must be crazy!

"Inuyasha, are you alright?" Kagome straightened at the barely disguised terror on his face. "What's the matter??"

"I must be absolutely crazy!" His voice came out harsh and shaky, and his eyes never left the doodle on his palm. His face grew even paler as the doodle began to warm and turn a fiery red. "She'll kill me! I can't go up against her…she'll just tear me to pieces!!"

"Inuyasha, snap out of it!" Kagome placed her hands on both of his shoulders and shook him gently. His vacant eyes wouldn't reach hers, drawn as they were to his palm. Biting her lip, she shook him harder.

"Inuyasha, come on! Snap out of it already!" His eyes slowly came up to meet hers, but they seemed to look straight through her.

"I can't do it," he whispered raggedly. "I'll kill myself before she has the chance!!"

"What?" Kagome gasped as Inuyasha suddenly shoved past her and splashed his way into the river. Kaijin glanced up from his seated position further down the riverbank, wrinkling his forehead in confusion.

"What's gotten into him?" Worried, he rose to his feet and leapt into the water, landing before the panicking dog demon. "Hey, Puppy Face, what's gotten into—"

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!!" His eyes wide and tinged with red, Inuyasha threw a vicious punch at the tiger demon.

CRACK!

Unprepared for the attack, Kaijin went flying backwards and splashed into the water. He sank like a rock.

Chest heaving, Inuyasha sloshed his way into deeper waters. I won't let her destroy me! I won't!

"Inuyasha, stop it! Get back here!!" Terrified, Kagome splashed after him. I've never seen him like this before! Is it the curse, or is he honestly flipping out? She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled again. "Inuyasha, you come back right now, or I swear I'll say the 's' word!!"

That seemed to penetrate his fevered mind. The boy slowly came to a stop, the rushing waters swirling around his chest. Shoulders trembling, he turned back to face Kagome.

"I won't let her get her hands on me!" he declared shakily. "I'm not going out that way!"

"And what? Drowning yourself is acceptable?? You idiot!" Angry now, Kagome sloshed over to him, ignoring the push of the current as the water rose around her. "Use that big melon on your shoulders for once and THINK!"

A familiar scowl began to settle on his face. "I am thinking, dumbass!! It makes more sense to go out like this than to—"

"And since when are you a coward, Inuyasha??" Huffing, she planted her hands on her submerged hips and glowered at him.

He started to reply, but his hand turned a darker shade of red and his eyes became vacant again. Before her eyes, he went from being almost sane to a shivering, sniveling coward afraid of his own shadow. He turned his back on her and worked on submerging himself beneath the rushing waters.

"Inuyasha! NO!!" Kagome cried out as he held himself underwater. Horror coursing through her, she tried to make her way into the deepening waters. Violent splashing erupted slightly downstream as Kaijin finally resurfaced, cradling his jaw.

"Dammit, that hurt! Where'd he get that kind of power??" His grumpy expression fell away as he realized he was looking at one less person than he should. Oh no…don't tell me that idiot is really trying to drown himself! Worry creeping through him, he fought to get to his companion, but strangely enough, he couldn't force his way through the current.

Fear creeping through him, Kaijin tried calling out. "Inuyasha! Get up, you nitwit!! Inuyasha!!!"

Inuyasha sputtered beneath the water, fear dominating every fiber of his being. The moment his head had disappeared beneath the water, a dark laugh had rippled through his head.

Did you really think it would be that easy, puppy? As amusing as watching you drown would be, I'm not even close to finished with you.

Inuyasha gasped as he was suddenly hurled out of the water, only to come to a sudden halt about two inches above the surface. He hovered, face down and spread eagle, blinking at the water. About two seconds later, he began to struggle.

"Lemme down!! Dammit!" He clawed at the surface of the water, but his body simply wouldn't drop. In a small corner of his brain, a voice began to speak to him.

What are you, nuts?? What the hell are you trying to do?

Inuyasha whimpered pathetically, but he ceased abruptly when he received a strangely painful mental slap across the face.

Snap out of it! You didn't go through all the pain in your life just to drown yourself in a goddamn river! And for what?? To get out of a fight??

Inuyasha frowned. The voice made a good point, but…he just couldn't stem the overpowering fear that shot through him. Scowling, he struggled to meet the water…

"Inuyasha."

Ears twitching, he glanced up at Kagome. She smiled weakly, standing on her tiptoes in neck-high water. Struggling to keep her balance, she held up a hand.

"Take my hand, Inuyasha. We can beat her, I know it."

Inuyasha stared at her, a blush slowly crossing his cheeks. "K-Kagome…"

Ignoring the fear still ricocheting off every bone in his body, Inuyasha reached out with his burning hand…

…And clasped Kagome's.

SPLOOSH!!

Sputtering, Inuyasha scrambled for purchase on the slippery river bottom. Finally getting his feet beneath him, he straightened and broke free of the water. He started coughing, turning his head aside.

"Inuyasha? Are you okay now?"

After he regained control of his breathing, Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome, who was watching him concernedly.

"Y-yeah…I'm fine." Tilting his head to the side, he lifted his free hand to scratch at his wet head. All of the fear that had consumed him had vanished, and his cursed hand felt fine. In fact…

Lips tightening, he glanced down at their clasped hands. The curse had been dispelled the moment Kagome grabbed his hand, no doubt about it. His lips twisted in a wry smile. Looks like I was right. I had a hunch it would end up like this. His smile slipping away, he turned away from Kagome.

How am I supposed to tell her? He frowned. It's not like I can just say: "Hey, Kagome, I figured out a way around the Fox Goddess' spell. Care to hold my hand for the rest of this trip?" He snorted. Yeah, right. I'll say that over my dead body!

"Um, Inuyasha?"

Shaking his head, he glanced at her over his shoulder. "W-what?"

"Do you think…we could move into shallower waters? It's getting a little…difficult…to keep my balance." As if to demonstrate her point, her foot slipped and she dipped beneath the water.

"Idiot!" Moving quickly, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her and lifted her out of the water. He glowered down at her. "Why didn't you say so sooner??"

"Hey! You were the one off in La-La Land, not me!"

Gritting his teeth, he started stalking towards the bank. "Well then, why the hell did you come so far out into the water?? You should've stayed back!"

"Excuse me?? I come to help you in the middle of your panic attack, and all you can say is why did I come so far out?? You're…you're…" Her eyes gleamed with anger. "You're so insensitive!! I don't know why I even bother with you!!"

Crossing her arms, she looked away. "Put me down, Inuyasha. I'll get to shore myself."

Inuyasha winced at her frosty tone, but he made no move to set her down. Reluctantly, he glanced down at the girl he carried. Even wet and upset, she somehow managed to look adorable, and she'd taken a risk to go into such deep water with a current like this one…

…Wait a minute. She's adorable?

Kagome held her chin aloft until her neck got sore, but when Inuyasha suddenly came to a dead stop and didn't move, she gave in and glanced at him. His face was slightly contorted, and he looked embarrassed about something.

"Well?" she questioned, her voice frosty. "Are you going to put me down or what?"

He swallowed hard, refusing to look at her. Where the heck did that "adorable" comment come from? I mean, just because…from time to time…she kind of…is…dammit! Abruptly, he became aware of just how natural it felt to hold her in his arms. When the hell had that happened?? It was probably just because he had to carry her sorry ass all over Japan all the time. Anyone would get used to it, right?

"Inuyasha?"

I mean, it's not like I'm really attracted to her or anything. Just because I know she's pretty…or…well, all right, maybe she's more than pretty…

"Inuyasha!"

…And so what if I may need to hold her hand later. It's not like I'll have a choice!

"INUYASHA!"

Blinking, he glanced down at her. Kagome's eyes were narrowed, but that didn't limit the number of daggers that were shooting out of them. Slowly, he remembered just what she was so angry about…and he lowered his gaze.

Kagome fumed. How ungrateful can a guy be?? I swear, this is the LAST TIME I'll lift a finger to help—

"Thanks, Kagome."

Her thoughts halted in their tracks at the gruff words. Startled, she blinked up at him.

"What?"

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. "I said…thanks. If you hadn't come to help me, I might have…" He trailed off, looking determinedly away.

A smile slowly spread across her face, and she folded her arms over her chest. "One of these days, Inuyasha, you should learn to say that the first time."

He glowered at her. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

She giggled. "Well, maybe if you didn't always say the first dumb thing to pop into your head…"

"I do not!"

"Do so!"

"Do not!!"

Kaijin rolled his eyes as the two engaged in one of their normal childish feuds. Frowning, he pawed at the swirling water. As soon as Lady Kagome grabbed hold of Inuyasha, that strange barrier disappeared. I wonder if it was part of the Fox Goddess' trick. Can she even create a barrier? Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he wandered out of the river. I'm not sure she has the power to influence others outside of her curse. But if she didn't create the barrier, who did?

As he set foot on the warm bank, Kaijin stretched lazily. The warm sun on his back was comforting, even when so many things didn't make sense. Smiling, he gazed up at the dripping sun. If he could just find a nice patch of grass to lie in, he could take a nap and forget everything for a little while…

"Lord Kaijin."

The tiger snapped out of his reverie, a hand darting to his sword hilt. He glared into the shadows.

"Who's there??" He scowled when silence met his words. "Well? Show yourself!"

Something moved in the shadows, but the movement was too quick for Kaijin to track. What the heck was that? Growling softly, he moved forward.

Kaijin froze when a pair of ice blue, almond-shaped eyes suddenly gleamed within the shadows, and a blast of cold air swept over him. Shivering, Kaijin's eyes widened.

"No," he whispered. "It can't be."

The eyes widened slightly before disappearing, the creature's presence fading completely. Shivering violently, Kaijin slowly dropped to his knees.

"It's not possible. How can he be here?" His voice fell quiet, his eyes full of old memories pounding at the surface. Shaking his head, he fought to clear his mind and slowly rose to his feet, his hand still on his sword.

Shoulders stiff, he turned back to the still-fighting couple.

"That's enough!"

The two froze at the suddenly regal tone of Kaijin's voice. His face hard as stone, Kaijin strode past them.

"Saddle up, Lady Kagome. We're leaving."

Inuyasha stared at the tiger demon. Since when is he so…commanding? He frowned.

"Hey, who died and made you king??"

Kaijin stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly, he turned tolook over his shoulder atInuyasha, his eyes cold.

"My father and my mother. I even got to watch them die." His eyes narrowed. "Any more questions?"

Inuyasha's mouth fell open briefly, but he shut it quickly. "Oh, like you're the only one who's lost his parents?? Get over yourself!"

"Inuyasha…" Kagome started to admonish, but her voiced lacked heat. It was hard to blame Inuyasha for being angry when he'd lost his parents, too.

Kaijin's eyes narrowed. "You think I didn't know about your loss? Unlike you, I've been well versed on the families of the other noble lines." He snorted. "I knew who you were the moment I smelled you, Lord Inuyasha."

He turned back to face Inuyasha, his expression unreadable. "I know you went through a hard time after your parents died. Hell, it was hard even before they died. I can sympathize." His eyes narrowed. "But I think you're the one who thinks that he's the only one with problems. I've seen things you can only pray you'll never see."

Silence weighed heavily in the air for a moment. Ears twitching, Kaijin shook his head and closed his eyes. He lifted a hand to his eyes and rubbed them wearily.

"I just…don't argue with me over this, ok? It brings up bad memories for us both." When he lowered his hand, his eyes were filled with weariness, but the previous chill was gone. He glanced back at the shadows behind him.

"We need to get out of here. There are some…people out there that we definitely don't want to meet, and they're doing their best to find us." He smiled slightly, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "So…shall we go?"

Inuyasha wanted to snap at him, but the bone-weariness in Kaijin's eyes made his anger shrivel up and skitter away. Feh-ing lightly, he tipped his chin up and away.

"Yeah, sure. We need to hustle, anyway. This curse is getting really annoying."

Kaijin watched him for a moment, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

"How, exactly, are you planning to carry Lady Kagome, Dog Butt?"

Inuyasha scowled at him. "What are you talking about?"

Chuckling softly, Kaijin gestured at the dog demon's arms. "That would be romantic, I'm sure, but Lady Kagome may find it uncomfortable after a while."

Inuyasha glanced down, surprised to find that he was still cradling Kagome against his chest. Cheeks flaming, he set her on her feet and turned his back to her.

"Not a word. Just get on." He was certain he heard a snicker as she climbed onto his back. Dammit, that's the second time this has happened!! Irritated, he leapt into the air, soon followed by Kaijin.

The tiger smirked at him, his good humor mostly restored. "Say, Inuyasha," he whispered in a voice too low for Kagome to pick up. The dog demon glanced irritably at him.

"What?"

Kaijin winked. "You know, if you two had needed some more time aloooooooooooone, you could have told me." He blinked innocently at Inuyasha's growling response. "Well, gee, you don't have to be so angry. I just assumed, since you seem to enjoy holding her so much…"

"One more word from you," Inuyasha ground out, "and I swear I'll gut you."

Kaijin chuckled. "Sir, yes sir. As you wish."

Inuyasha glared at him. "That was six words, dammit."

"Hooray! Dog Boy can count!"

Kaijin laughed outright at the growl and murderous glares Inuyasha sent his way, but his eyes kept slipping to the shadows behind them.

We have to get that curse off Inuyasha now. If we don't…well…

He shivered as another cold chill raced down his spine.

…The Fox Goddess may not have much left to play with.

And for the more American of us, Kage (shadow)is pronounced "kah-geh," not "cage." And FYI- Inu's dad is referred to as Inu no taisho (dog general). He officially has no name.

Note! If you're good at cosplay, you may win a chance to go to Japan to see the premiere of Inuyasha's fourth movie! Go to my website for details.