I do not own InuYasha (though I certainly wished I did) just the characters and the plot and, of course, the idea. Enjoy! :)

to LoveInTheBattleField: hey! Thanks for the review, LITBF-sempai. Happy Mother's Day to you as well! Enjoy this lovely chapter!

Anyway! Onto the chapter! xD

Chapter 20

Kagome, Inuyasha, Kaede, and Sayuri all shared a look the next morning when Sara stumbled into the Mess Hall with circles under her eyes and her hair wild and unruly about her breasts instead of held back by her famous headband like it usually was. Shippo had yet to make his appearance much to their shock. He was usually the first one in with his eyes glued to the door waiting for Sara to make her appearance. It unnerved his two adoptive parents a bit because of it. Did something happen in the hallway when they left to cause this abnormal behavior between the two?

"Good morning, Kioshi-san!" Kaede called out with a cheerful wave only to have Sara walking past her and into the breakfast line. Her arm dropped to her side as tears filed her caramel eyes. She turned to Sayuri who instantly pulled her into a hug and shot her grandparents a worried look. Kagome nodded noticing how unusual her granddaughter's behavior was and how distracted she was at the moment.

"She probably didn't sleep well last night, Kureno-chan," Kagome said with a dismissive smile and elbowed Inuyasha in his side. He shot his mate a dirty look and growled softly before laying a soothing hand on Kaede's shoulder.

"Yeah, considering all that's happened," he shot Kagome another dirty look which she promptly ignored lest she sit him in front of the entire female student body, "I wouldn't be surprised if she collapsed at any moment."

Kagome face-palmed herself while Sayuri grimaced and held the freshman a little bit tighter ready for more oncoming tears. Kaede was oblivious to both when she looked up from Sayuri's collarbone and smiled at him hopefully. "R-really?"

"Hai," both Kagome and Sayuri said simultaneously and her smile widened.

"Oh, okay," she said with a shrug as she pulled away from her senior friend then stopped as what Inuyasha said hit her. "But that would mean we'd have to keep a watchful eye on her! I don't want Kioshi-san to pass out on me!" Her voice rose until she was practically shouting causing those around them to stare at the small freshman with curious and contemplative looks. What was she yelling about, they wondered?

"Shhh!" Sayuri hissed and slapped a hand over the freshman's mouth. She glared at the lower classmen causing them to go back to what they were doing. Sayuri had a "small" reputation to kick asses if people got into her business. Before she could admonish her friend, however, Sara's cry of pain stilled everyone in the Mess Hall.

Sayuri flung Kaede at her grandfather and ran to the breakfast line only to stop in shock at the sight before her. Headmistress Kinomoto had Kioshi Sara by the hair and a dagger fueled with miko reiki at the soft part of her throat. Sara's eyes were on Sayuri's blue ones as she kept herself perfectly still. She knew that even swallowing could kill her at this point.

"Headmistress..." Sayuri whispered at a loss for words and went to help her cousin. Headmistress Kinomoto saw this, however, and dug into Sara's flesh slightly drawing a thin line of blood and a drop to fall onto her shirt collar. Sara wanted to flinsh, she really did, but the threat of her life ending made her freeze. She was even having problems breathing.

"Why are you doing this?" Kagome snarled angrily as her eyes landed on the Headmistress's though she could see her granddaughter. She came forward until she was standing next to her other living granddaughter and put a comforting hand on her shoulder giving it a small squeeze to make Sayuri relax though it seemed to have made it worse instead. Sayuri's tense posture tensed more as she got ready to fling herself at the Headmistress with the speed of a hanyou. After all, she was the daughter of a taiji and a hanyou-priest mix.

"Let. Her. Go!" a voice snarled from behind them and Sayuri felt her blood freeze in her veins. Oh, dear Kami, he's going to kill her!

"Sh-shippo!" Sara cried hoarsely with a small light shining deep within her brown golden speckled eyes as she reached for him. Headmistress saw this and made split second decision. She ran her knife across Sara's throat.

Well, what a way to end a chapter, huh? Don't be too mad at me now. *sweat drops* You'll see if Sara dies or not in the next chapter.