Disclaimer: Hum…lets do a little math problem shall we? This is a disclaimer, on which equals who owning Inuyasha? If you didn't get that it is not me than get yourself a tutor.
Author note: *Sigh* I'm back in school and the worst part (besides being there) I thought all the homework we were assigned was due the day we got but its due throughout the week, so I have nothing to do during class and I'm not allowed to work on anything non-school related (doesn't mean I don't anyway, Hah stupid teachers think I take notes, I hardly pay attention) All the down time did however get me going on the next chapters of my stories. I only have two chapters fully written for this story that haven't been posted, but for those of you also reading Breaking the Pattern that chapter next chapter has been written so I'll posting that either today or tomorrow. Sorry about the long notes but I won't have any end notes. The next few chapters are mainly focused on Kagome but to keep with the pattern I will keep checking in with Inuyasha and the others, makes for less catch up scenes later on.
When Good Mikos Go Bad
Chapter 13 Assembling the Team
From its place high in the sky the new moon hid from sight leaving Inuyasha human until dawn. The hanyou-gone-human was currently banging his black-haired head against a tree, both figuratively and literally. How the hell could I have thought she would be easy to find that just knowing she was alive meant I could find her? What did I think there would be a sign; 'lost miko from the future this way'? Kami I'm such a baka.
"Inuyasha" Shippou bounced up to sit on the hanyou's now human head, "why are you trying to break your head on that tree?" When Inuyasha failed to respond, continuing to ram his forehead repeatedly into the tree's bark, Shippou took it upon himself to be nice and 'help' his friend with whatever he was doing. Leaping down from his perch the fox-demon cub gave himself some distance before yelling "Fox Magic: Smashing Top!" the toy hit its mark, coming down hard on the human-hanyou's head effectively driving him to the ground.
The kitsune took off at lightening (for youkai) speed still able to catch the shout of "Why you little runt!"
Shippou didn't look back, didn't slow or hesitant as he ran back to camp, to the safety of Sango and her weapon. Hey better chasing me than moping all alone during the New Moon.
(A/N)//: I love Shippou and yet he's a sorely underappreciated character in most fanfiction so this is my tribute to him.
Steam rose up and blurred her vision, some how Kagome had wandered to a hot spring. Her green apprentice robes hung from a tree branch nearby, her bow however was within reach, resting along the bank. What a baka she had been thinking a bath alone could calm her frazzled nerves.
She glanced down at the bottle of pink shards resting above her cleavage, the jewel's history was a bloody one, and so, she assumed, was hers, she almost didn't want to know. Almost; she had to know, if she was to protect the jewel and make it whole again she'd need to know where she had gotten the ones around her neck in the first place.
With that one meeting Kagome's barely stable world had collapsed. They want me to lead a team of miko in search of the tama. "Urg this makes no sense," her fist shot out of the water spraying droplets back at her before it met a nearby rock. The action hadn't eased her frustration as much as she had hoped it would.
"Why would they want me to lead a team?" Kagome was stuck between frustrated anger and nervous worrying, not to mention her new found paranoia, curtsey of that stupid voice in her head, "Its not like I have any memorable experience, and hey I talk to myself and hear little voices in my head, that's gotta be a sign of insanity."
Her self-conscious ramblings were cut short when the voice came back, You're not insane, just Kagome, but if you start talking to trees I might start to worry. The voice chuckled at its own lame joke, Kagome did tend to talk to or yell at inanimate objects, trees included.
"Oh haha very funny, you're so supportive." Just because the voice was in her head didn't mean she couldn't be sarcastic.
"You know, Kagome you really shouldn't talk to yourself people might get the wrong idea." Tari giggled, slipping into the water with a contented sigh.
"Tari! When did you get here? I didn't sense you." Kagome had been so focused on ageing with herself she hadn't even scanned for approaching threats, or in this case, Tari's.
The voice was having similar shortcoming thoughts of guilt; Damn I didn't even notice the girl, I've gotta stop getting' distracted on watch.
"Honestly Kagome are you self conversations so interesting you lose your sense of self-preservation." It was light-hearted, but Kagome had too much weighing on her mind to toss around playful banter.
"I was only thinking out loud," was Kagome's meager excuse not entirely true either.
That knowing smile crept up Tari's lips, "You're worried about leading a team, are you not?" Kagome nodded. "You get to pick your teammates it would not be as difficult if you had someone to talk to." She partically sang the last few words. Her eyes read: HINT HINT!
Getting her point Kagome laughed lightly "IT would have been more subtle if you had put a sign around your neck saying 'Pick me pick me!'"
"It was a thought…" they both burst into laughter at the mental image; Tari with a huge sign around her neck dancing around pointing at it like a made woman. Strange how Tari always carried that infectious good mood with her that never failed to get Kagome to joke around.
A thought occurred to her, if she could have Tari come along why not her other friends, "Hey Tari," said girl stopped laughing and looked up at Kagome's serious tone. "do you think we could take Shiri with us?"
The question caught the miko off guard Shiri wasn't even of the apprentice level, what could she possibly offer to a group in search of the Shikon. "I do not know, maybe."
Answering Tari's unspoken question, "She's the best at deception and trickery, it could come in handy, besides with someone so young to protect the rest of the group would be less likely to fight among themselves." Kagome explained.
Tari nodded her understand with a smile, Kagome felt protective of the child and didn't want to leave her behind. "I'm sure if you explain with that reasoning no one will object to Shiri tagging along." It was decided they had their four woman squad, if you counted Marianne coming with them.
Okay so I have one thing to say: Review!