A/N: HI!


Oh My Gods! 13


One month. More than four weeks. Nearly thirty days.

They've been together for that long, yet...she could hardly believe it. Two demon gods were living with her--demon gods! Not just demons; no, they were the real thing: gods. Sure, a god to an immortal meant someone who had eight or more teeth on their necklaces, not a worshipped, religious symbol of who knew what. But these demons had powers not limited by mortal boundaries--powers that she hadn't entirely seen or could comprehend in the first place.

Was it wrong to be a little incredulous?

If she told one of her friends the true identity of her fiancé, the prince of an empire in the immortal realm, would they believe her? Of course not. Such beings didn't exist. They weren't real--merely imaginary, supernatural creatures that mortals created to scare children or warn others of certain dangers. However...the proof lived with her...there truly was another dimension, another world inaccessible to humans where godlike people resided.

It took her a while, but she finally realized that the universe was a big, big place...she could only wonder how many other dimensions existed...

Kagome sighed, shaking those random thoughts from her head. She could spend years attempting to discover the hidden secrets of the universe, yet that wouldn't get her a high school diploma. Or help her costume shopping, for the matter...

"I seriously don't know what to wear! And the dance is tomorrow!" Rin was also having a hard time choosing the right costume, and in frustration, she blew her obsidian bangs away from her face. "A witch doesn't suit me, I'm not going to be anything historical, and like heck I'm dressing up as a clown!"

"The guys have it easier--all they need to do is transform into their battle outfits and ta da, they're done." The miko felt a rush of envy pass through her. Here she was trying to pick one costume out of hundreds while her fiancé paraded around their apartment doing anything but cleaning! Did it take an idiot to foresee that he probably had no clue what a vacum even looked like?

Knowing him, he might just be trying to 'vanquish' it like he did our alarm clock, the washing machine--oh, and I can't forget the shower... She had to admit, though, that her hanyou's lack of modern technological knowledge was humourous...

The two brothers both refused to wear a costume as well as their imperial clothing for the dance--they stated that flaunting their royal clothes was more or less taboo. So...they decided to wear their battle clothing--minus the armor--since it was...well...comfortable. It wasn't a bad choice, either, because it was easy to explain--they were dark knights.

Hmph, simpletons.

Rin took a swift look around the teeming costume shop that had especially opened for the season--now a days, American holidays were becoming popular. The store, heavily decorated with spooky items, was amply large with a tremendous digital panel that displayed costume choices for customers to choose from; she was currently standing in front a touch-screen panel, pressing next for each costume she disliked. So far, she had gone through about one-hundred and fourty-seven out of three-hundred and two outfits.

She liked nothing.

Am I this picky? "I didn't think it would be this hard...I never actually celebrated Halloween, but still..." She didn't even know what theme to dress as!

"I know how you feel, though this is my fourth year. But that doesn't mean I always knew what to wear." Kagome stood beside the cinnamon-eyed teen also browsing through costumes on the adjacent panel. Both girls simulatenously sighed when they had yet to come up with something...anything! It had already been an hour...they should've at least known what kind of outfit they were searching for...

"This is getting boring," Rin mumbled, cradling her tired right arm that had been bearing a repetitive job for over an hour, "I want a costume that would...um...I guess would keep Sesshoumaru's eyes on me the whole night. I need to get him back for sleeping shirtless!" And it'll serve as a leash, too. Jeez, why am I always the one dealing with his little fan club AKA headband girl?

Kagome shrugged, but she mentally agreed that her friend's idea of revenge counted for Inuyasha as well. Damn his six-pack... "I have no clue what he'd like. Definitely not something slutty, though..."

"Heck no! I won't go that far just for a creep who deliberately ate my pop tart this morning after I told him not to! And it was my favorite flavor, too!" She adamantly refused to feel naked during the dance merely to entice her...disobediant fiancé! "Hmph, I only want to show him that I'm not a little girl he can toy with...whoah, I practically called him a pedophile..."

"Well, you are a minor...and he's what in human years? Twenty?"

"Around there--he's never revealed his age. Talk about mysterious." Rin suddenly remembered something that had been tugging at the back of her mind for a while now, and she immediately faced her friend. "Hey, Kagome, how are things between you and Inuyasha?"

The question caught her off guard, and the raven-haired miko stiffened. "W-What do you mean?"

"Are you two on speaking terms, yet? Have you...I don't know, made up?" The teen knew, however, that the latter suggestion was not likely. Why? Because the couple still did not sit together at lunch, let alone glance at each other during class. It was as if they were complete strangers to one another.

A month had passed--rumors, although still existing, faded but their relationship continued to be rocky. They must really be taking that argument seriously. On the contrary, when it came to her and Sesshoumaru, they chose to forget the past and the future--ahem, pending divorce--in order to focus on the present. All in all, they hardly argued now a days, though he did manage to piss her off once in a while. Not surprising.

Kagome sighed--she was cornered with no way out. "Not really. We talk a bit, but that's because we sleep on the same bed. Either way, we're polite to each other. This whole past month, I haven't argued with him except for that time when we both wanted to use the shower!"

Rin grinned, recalling that hilarious incident. "Yeah, I remember that! You even threw the Slipper of Death at him! And Sesshoumaru ended the argument by going into the bathroom first!" She really found it amazing that her apathetic fiancé of all people tended to be the pacifier in most altercations, even if he hardly cared whom killed whom.

"I...I don't know what to do anymore. All of this is my fault--me and my big mouth! Rin, you can't fathom the things I said to him...hell, I can't even remember most them! He must hate me..." She looked so torn and full of guilt that her friend had to console her, disregarding the fact that it would be breaking Inuyasha's trust.

"Come on, I doubt he would go so far as to hate you..."

"But I--"

"Kagome, trust me--I know he doesn't hate you. He's just angry, hurt, and confused. Mostly hurt. I think he's...um...being wary of you. You were furious that day, or so I heard, and Inuyasha wants to avoid another outburst. And to add salt to the wound, you both misunderstood each other. How is he supposed to respond to that?"

The miko was surprised at Rin's knowledge on the matter. How did she know so much and just what to say? "Did Inuyasha tell you about our fight?"

"More like vented, but yes. So when I tell you that he doesn't know what to do now that his period of anger is over, believe me." The cinnamon-eyed teen then smiled warmly, making Kagome feel that perhaps there truly was hope for her to mend things with her fiancé. "I told him that time is everything--and I think enough time has passed. You have a chance to talk to him tomorrow at the Halloween dance, don't waste it."

It was at that moment that she realized just how much of a true friend Rin was to her; Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi were practically incapable of giving good advice, or even brighten her mood. Instead, they made things worse, especially in the past month. There wasn't one moment that Yuka didn't bring up Houjo, whom the miko was glad that she hadn't caught sight of for quite a while. Was it wistful thinking to assume that he was on vacation? Maybe he's stranded on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere...

"I was too hard on him--I mean, he's new to all of this and I just...lost it. I swear I didn't mean to...but hearing people ridiculing him made me so angry that when he started being apathetic about it...I couldn't take it anymore. How can he just stand by and listen to people make fun of him...of us?" That was the major thing she couldn't comprehend. Usually she didn't have to deal with these kind of things, therefore, when the situation arrived, handling it became difficult without losing her temper.

Was it wrong for her to feel that way? Was it wrong to want to stand up for her friends and herself instead of being a bystander? Could anyone blame her having been so furious? All people had to do was put themselves in her shoes...what would they have done?

"Because he's used to it, he's used to being mocked and derided at. If you've noticed, Inuyasha isn't a people person--and there's a reason for it. Think about it, he's a hanyou. Even here, half demons may be accepted, but their unique physical features set them apart from others. Kagome, if he bothered to care about rumors or whatnot, he'd never have any time in the world!"

She was right. Absolutely right. Now the raven-haired teen was overcome by a strong sense of...stupidity and close-mindedness. Inuyasha's personality was abrasive--anything evoked his temper. However, it seemed as though he already had a thick wall around him that protected him from insults and other verbal abuse. A wall that he had built most likely when he was still a child.

'You think being a hanyou is a piece of cake? That just because I'm a prince, everything for me is easy? Well, dammit--IT'S FUCKING NOT!! I used to get bea--' Kagome remembered what Inuyasha had shouted when they were bickering...and she felt even more like an idiot for not understanding him. He had practically exclaimed to the world that his life wasn't grand like the stereotypical prince. He had alluded to the same exact thing Rin had just explained to her.

His reclusion had proven to her that he wasn't ready to completely trust her. He trusted Rin, but he just couldn't bring himself to tell his whole life's story to his own fiancée. It was something that had also annoyed her and had addded gasoline to the raging fire igniting her anger. Though, she understood now. She was finally able to view Inuyasha in a new light. The cloak of mystery was still wrapped tightly around him, yet it wasn't her place to pry into his personal life.

When he wants to tell me, when he feels like he can trust me, then I'll be there. That's all I can do for him...all I can do is understand him. It wasn't as if they had known each other for years and he'd just bear his soul to her. Did she truly expect complete trust from Inuyasha of all people? It was impossible to do so...

Ok, so he's not the only one who messed things up. Now...how to patch things up?

"Thanks, Rin, I couldn't have seen what was right before my eyes without you," Kagome said, smiling genuinely for the first time in four weeks. "Hopefully Inuyasha's open to an apology...even if it's a month late..."

"As long as he knows that you won't try to kill him anymore, then everything will be ok, I know it will! Sooo...does this mean you'll be sitting with me, Inuyasha, and Sesshoumaru at lunch now?" Rin desperately wished that her friend would say yes--it wasn't all that bad with them...just that having another girl to talk with during lunch would be nice while the two brothers debated on whether the academy's ramen or teriyaki chicken was better!

The miko laughed, noting the teen's crossed fingers. "Hmm, the other girls will probably throw a fit, but I guess I will."

"YES!" Rin whooped and glomped a shocked Kagome before she cleared her throat, regaining her composure...her sane composure... "Anyway...costume shopping..."

"Oh yeah...costumes...we need them..."

And before they knew it, another hour passed and not one costume grabbed either of the girl's attention. What was it with their pickiness?! It didn't take over two hours to choose a measly costume that they would wear for only one night!

Soon, however...

"I FOUND IT! This is the one! Sesshoumaru will permanently be in a coma for the rest of his life when he sees me in this costume!" Rin exclaimed as if she had at long last discovered the cure for cancer, or some other scientific development...

Her cinnamon eyes sparkled in sheer excitement as her mind began imagining the events of the next day and her fiancé's reaction to her costume. Gods, I should take a picture to blackmail him one day... That was actually a good idea... I am a genius.

Kagome wished she had the same luck Rin had...she was still on page thirty-one out of fifty-eight of costume choices. "Congrats...now if only I can get through the rest of this torture without shooting someone..."

Eh, then she should start locating the nearest gun...


Gods, he hated this place with a passion! It reeked of death from the graveled ground to the crimson skies and the stench threatened to leave him without a nose--what was a dog demon without his nose?! The whole area was an eye sore; nothing but an endless road of volcanic rock attracted his silver eyes...and was there a reason why the sky seemed ready to drip blood? Ugh, again, he hated this place.

But, he was on a mission...

...a mission that neither his father or twin brother knew about.

"Last time I came here, I swore I wouldn't return, but where am I now? In the damn Valley of Sephiroh, AKA Deathland." Meimori chuckled at the irony of his situation, though it was short-lived when he finally arrived at his destination.

His arctic silver eyes stared up at the tall black mountain that stood proudly in his way; it was so tall that its summit was impaling a scarlet cloud. Anyone would have felt intimidated by this mountain...well, anyone but a demon god who had already completed his necklace. Heh, I can't believe someone actually lives here.

"Hmm...let's see if she's home," the immortal whispered to himself as though speaking loudly would upset the enourmous mountain that could easily pass as one of its surrounding volcanoes. He then raised his right clawed hand and watched his appendage glow with sizzling raven energy--in another moment, he laid his hand on a thick wall of ebony rock, making the entire mountain suddenly pulse.

CRAAACK!!

The peak of Mount Sephiroh abruptly crumbled into large shards and crashed all around Meimori, who didn't even flinch as what sounded like an earthquake rumbled the valley. He did, however, sneeze repeatedly... "Achoo! Fucking debris, fucking dirt, fucking--achoo!! FUCKING NOSE! Achoo! FUCK!! ACHOO!!"

"Hmph, that's what you get for trying to blow up my mountain."

The silver-eyed dog demon immediately grabbed a hold of himself and turned to face the person who had spoken to him in a feminine yet suave voice. A dark-haired woman no older than himself stood before him, satisfaction lighting her ruby-red eyes as she also gave him the once over. She even dared to circle him like a predator watching his prey, but he only smirked, knowing that she would not find one flaw in his being. He had to admit, though, that this insolent woman was quite attractive--she wasn't innocent, yet she was strong-willed, independent...and dangerous.

Extremely dangerous.

"I see that you're doing quite well, Meimori. You haven't change a bit, " the beautiful demoness crooned, flicking her intense ruby eyes over the...mess her guest had caused, "yes, you haven't changed a bit. You're still incapable of using a door."

"You'd think mountains didn't have doors. I still can't believe you live in a mountain...are you having financial problems?" He scoffed, crossing his arms defiantly. "Why the hell would you live in Deathland anyway? It's putrid here!"

"I don't actually live in the mountain, imbecile! I live in a small house on Mount Sephiroh!"

"Then hopefully it wasn't located on top of Mount Sephiroh..."

"If it was, you wouldn't be standing right now." Kagura rolled her eyes, wondering why this demon had to be such a moron. Didn't he know that she'd beat the living crap out of him if he destroyed her house?! Idiot... And she hated that damn arrogant smirk on his handsome face. "I know you're not here to destroy my humble aboad, as much as it would entertain you. State your business and leave already."

Meimori tsked, wagging his sharply clawed finger from side to side mockingly. "Now now, is that any way to treat your guest?"

"...I don't have the patience to deal with you right now."

"Well...what if I say that I plan to restore a certain someone to his full power...but I need your help to do it?"

Kagura's demeanor suddenly became bitingly cold, and she narrowed her ruby eyes the color of fiery lava, taking a step towards the smug demon a few feet in front of her. She removed her favorite fan from her side, where it had hung from her black leather belt, and raised its sharp metal tips enough so that they were a hairsbreath away from slicing into Meimori's jugular vein. Heh, he hardly cared that this brazen demoness was threatening his life...

He was immortal, he couldn't die from normal weapons.

However...if the weapon happened to be very, very special...

"I'd say that you are completey and utterly insane, therefore I'd need to slit your throat." She pressed the smooth, cold edge of her deadly fan closer to his warm flesh, promising not death, but pain. "Haven't you learned from your mistakes? don't you remember what happened the last time you aided that bastard?"

"I did learn, Kagura, and I wont make the same mistakes. This time, things will go accordingly." He'd make sure of it--ambition had a way of driving people to sheer madness. Besides, he always got what he wanted...yes, he acknowledged the fact that he was spoiled.

"Why should I even involve myself in your aspirations? You strive for too much, Meimori--a kingdom and a woman that are not yours! Face it, Sesshoumaru beat you. He is the better demon god--"

Her sentence was suddenly interrupted when some invisible force cut off her air supply, constricting her throat so tightly that the wind sorceress fell onto her knees trying desperately to breathe. Black dots spotted her vision, and her quickly-growing-dull ruby eyes darted towards the impassively gazing dog demon prince. Meimori's frigid silver eyes were narrowed slits and he was surprisingly gnarling--her statement about his dearly hated younger cousin seemed to have struck a cord.

"Never, ever spew such absurdities again, my dear Kagura, or I will kill you." Meimori made sure to tighten his invisible hold, reveling in the way she gasped in pain and began choking. However, he soon reasoned that the bitch still had some use, and he finally allowed her to breathe.

The demoness took advantage of the gift of air, coughing and filling her lungs with enough of it. "I wont help you ressurect him just to have another repeat of what happened before! It's been a year and I'm still getting used to this life!"

"It's not like this life is anything new--you've already lived it before." What did he mean by that?

"Even so, you wont get away with betraying your father again. I'm sure he knows what you have instore for the future of the immortal realm," the she spat, though she knew it was futile to ingrain some kind of sense into that dimwitted fool's head. Damn cocky dog demons...

Meimori sighed, becoming increasingly tired of this languid conversation. "Yes, of course; I know that. That's why he's trying to revive the only person who can destroy him. In order to do so, he's using my cousins and their fiancées. I need them, too, but solely with your help. If I can get them to realize their full potentials before my father does, then perhaps...my job will be much easier."

Kagura at long last stood up, having finally regained her breath, and huffed, "If you're so desperate for my help, then what will I receive in return? And keep in mind that last time you offered me something, your plan backfired and I didn't get the man I desired."

"It's not my fault my cousin was mated to my woman--damn him once more. Anyway, I recently heard that your little sister--what was her name, Kanna?--is still sealed in the mirror realm. It would be child's play for me to...well, bring her back." He watched with a smirk once again curving his lips as the stubborn demoness widened her eyes and gasped in shock. Inwardly, he knew he was cruel to use her beloved sibling to attain his goal, but he was on a mission.

He would achieve it by any means possible.

"Do you finally agree, my accomplice?"

It took a second for her to respond, yet, when she did, a smirk matching that of Meimori's also curved her blood red lips, "We'll be needing Kikyou's help. And this time, she'll be willing to join us because she has a score to settle with Inuyasha and Kagome. A score that might just end in bloodshed..."

Meimori finished her sentence, "...and the revival of Naraku."


A/N: WOOT! DARKNESS IS RISING! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE! HIDE IN THE MIRROR REALM WITH KANNA!!! :-D And no, there will be no love between Inu and Kikyou because I just hate that pairing. Kikyou--cool character. But when she gets close to Inu--I'M GONNA RIP YOUR HEAD OFF AND FEED THEM TO THE MAGGOTS IN MY BASEMENT!!! Same goes for Kagura and Sessh! Though, I cant say their relationship in this story is platonic...

Merf, I'm sick! So sick and for the first day of school! Damn. Well...

Miroku and Sango...next chapter. Be ready for the Halloween Dance!