InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Cross of Blades ❯ Saying Goodbye to the Ragnarok ( Chapter 9 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: No, I don’t own it. I wish I did though. Then again, the fame might go to my head. We don’t want that now do we? Oh, and in this chapter there’s a flag for all the die-hard FF fans. Something about this chapter is off, but I can’t tell you what. Don’t worry about it if you don’t notice. Just thought I’d let you guys know.



I


He just couldn’t understand it...


What was it about her silence and her lack of response so...disheartening...


Surely he didn’t care about the little human woman.


He shook his head at the thought, loose silver hair fluttering about him as he continued to blankly stare at the navigation’s screen.


But what was it about her sorrow, that deeply ingrained shame that made him return to the field where he first found her?


He remembered glancing coldly at the charred, scarred and smoking remains of the field and those that had perished in it. His nose barely wrinkled at the scent of burned flesh as it remained clung to the earth, something that he imagined would scar the planet itself for eons to come. This type of carnage he was jaded against but he did wonder what spell she used to completely obliterate her opponents so efficiently.


Such a spell promised to be useful in the future...


He chuckled at this, the minor bleep of an aircraft passing over them catching his eye only momentarily before returning to his previous thoughts.


He glanced down at the unlucky remains of her foes, some deeper, primitive part of himself briefly shuddering at the display of both power and lost of control. Whatever it was must have either frightened her or pissed her off but either way he preferred to remain wary of her temper from then on.


Was that his reason....a slight...respect....for the human woman....



Whatever his reason he no longer could tell but as he turned to leave them behind he caught sight of her blank, tearstained face in his mind’s eye. He flinched unknowingly and turned back, his voice of reason already screeching it’s disapproval in his ear like a tempestuous mother hen as he unsheathed Shikyo. He held the dark gunblade in front of him, his eyes following the thin trail of gold before closing them when he began to concentrate. He truly, truly hated Junctioning magic but it was sometimes useful, as it would be today.


He removed the Thundaga spell from the blade, the onyx steel shimmering in his mind’s eye only briefly before returning to it’s normal brilliance. He quicky equipped the next spell and, after insuring that the spell had enough power to do a relative amount of good, he opened his eyes and drove the blade over the landscape with one clean sweep. The effect on the land was instantaneous, with the tender blades of grass that were ruthlessly destroyed pushing themselves free of death and standing upright. He waited and watched expectantly as the corpses around him soon followed suit. They viciously shook the soot, ash, charred flesh and burned clothing from their bodies, their bedazzlement reflecting in their eyes as thirty naked men glanced up to the sun above them and shielded their eyes. They soon turned to him, their eyes grateful and expectant as the nearest one bowed to him in reverence. “Are you God?” the man asked, his confusion as obvious as the others while they waited for his answer.


He left the men without a second thought.


He returned to the Garden and the infirmary to inform the others of what he’d done only to walk in on Sango as she looked over Kagome’s various wounds. She straddled a chair backward with the upper part of her uniform crumpled around her waist. Her head rested against the solid wooded back of the chair and her eyes closed. Her back bore one bruise, a nasty purple discoloration that had overthrown the pure creamy skin on the left side of her lower back. He mentally flinched again, the foreign feeling of guilt suddenly washing over him. He turned his head when Sango finally glared up at him, only leaving them with the news that he had....taken care of the situation.


But why....


Why had he cared....


‘And why did her tears affect this Sesshoumaru so...’ Sesshoumaru pondered for the umpteenth time in two days. He focused on the nagivation’s screen, the tiny bleeping dots and lines his only companion. The evacuation of Trabia Garden was event-less with all of the staff, SeeDs and students safely onboard the airship in a matter of hours. The passengers fit rather snugly inside the Passenger Deck but fit none the less. The cut on her face and the bruises littering on Kagome’s skin were healing rather quickly for a human. Sesshoumaru guessed it to be Sango’s doing, knowing that she used many Cure spells and potions when her friend wasn’t paying attention.


“I just don’t understand,” he whispered to himself as he stood from the navigation console and returned to the pilot’s chair. “How did she do it? What human is that powerful? Yes, she has holy blood but I...” He shook his head and frowned.


“I feel as if I’m missing something...”


The sound of gears turning attracted his attention, and Sesshoumaru swivelled his seat around as the elevator platform descended to the lower hallway. He didn’t have to wait long for his unexpected visitor as Kagome’s scent permeated the early morning air.


Sesshoumaru briefly glanced at the windshield, not surprised to find it still dark outside as the elevator finally stopped. She stood there in her pyjamas, a black tanktop and pants with Balamb Garden’s insignia across her breast and bare-footed. Her hair was up in it’s usual ponytail and the thin cut below her right eye was nearly healed.


“Good morning Captain,” she greeted with a small smile while she palmed a styrofoam cup in her hands. Sesshoumaru nodded in affirmation. “I suppose it is a good morning Kagome. What are you doing out of bed?”


“Well, there aren’t any beds on the ship,” she lightly teased as she crossed the bridge to him. He listened as her feet lightly padded against the metallic floor, then glanced over his shoulder and noticed for the first time that without shoes she walked on her toes. Her movement was smooth and graceful, nearly as graceful as himself as the pads of her feet skimmed the cold metal floor like the paws of a dog or cat. “But I couldn’t sleep. I’m restless.”


“Humans need their sleep,” Sesshoumaru reprimanded sternly, though not as coldly as he would have three days before. “And you are human....aren’t you?”


“Yes, I’m human,” Kagome nodded with a smile, then frowned when he returned the nod and swivelled back to the pilot’s console. She walked to his side and set the cup down before leaning against his chair. Sesshoumaru’s eyes flickered to the cup, then to her before grasping the cup in his hands and holding it under his nose.


“Tea,” he said in quiet surprise. “How did you-“


“Oh come on,” Kagome said with a slight brush of her hand. “I’ve lived with you for what, four months? I know you hate coffee and I know you like tea, though why I’ll never know. Coffee works so much better when you’re trying to stay awake.”


“I don’t need help staying awake,” Sesshoumaru quipped with a smirk. “I drink tea to calm my mind. However....thank you all the same.”


“Hey,” Kagome began with a slight blush. “Not a problem. You look after us so someone has to look after you, don’t you think?”


He quirked a dark brow at her reasoning, but shrugged and stood up. “Come here,” he beckoned as he sat down at the navigation’s console. He waited until she situated herself on the arm of the chair before enlarging the screen. “Do you understand this?” he asked as he pointed to the screen. He frowned when Kagome shook her head, wondering to himself why Inuyasha never bothered to teach her about navigation before explaining what they were studying..


“This is a navigation’s screen. Whoever sits here is responsible for the course of the ship. The course can also be set for the auto-pilot, which is active at the moment while I explain this to you. Do you understand so far?”

Kagome nodded earnestly. “Yeah, I think I got it.”


“Alright then.” His eyes narrowed at the screen for a moment, then slid his left index finger down the left side of the screen. The map changed again, this time displaying a green line instead of the yellow one from before. “This is the old course, plotted out by our dear friend in intelligence.”


“Let me guess,” Kagome grumbled as she glanced at the screen. “Hojo.” She groaned and slapped her forehead when Sesshoumaru nodded. “I’m so sorry about that.”


“I believe I’ve told you about how futile it is to apologize for other’s behavior,” Sesshoumaru quipped before tapping a clawed finger against the plexiglass screen. “Again, this is the old course. The Balamb to Trabia course is fine, but the Trabia to Trabia Canyon course is a little...off. Do you see it?”


Kagome followed his finger along the old pathway, her eyes widening in realization much faster than he would have expected. “Hey, he’s got us going over the ocean instead of going straight down the continent!”


“That was rather quick...for a human,” Sesshoumaru added as a quick save. He mentally smirked when her irritation reflected in her scent but continued his explanation. “Instead of setting the auto pilot to go down the continent, as you suggested, he plotted the course as if we were returning to Balamb before the canyon. I wonder what made him do that...”


“Um, that would be me.”


He glanced at her, then turned to her fully at the dark blush on her cheeks. “Well...”


“Um...yeah. He asked me out and I turned him down a couple of days before we left. Eheh. Sorry. Told you it was my fault.”


‘Humans,’ Sesshoumaru thought with a mental roll of his eyes. He returned the screen to it’s original position and size before standing up again. He glanced back to his seat, then glanced at the one to it’s left before moving toward it. Again Kagome followed him, as he expected as he sat down in front of the console and opened the screen. “Sit,” he said as he stood up and motioned toward the seat. Kagome glanced at him curiously, but did as he suggested. “Now type in your ID number.”


“Which one?”


“Garden, SeeD, doesn’t matter. It’s the same thing.”


“Oh,” Kagome muttered as she began typing. “I didn’t know that. I thought it changed or something. OK, what now?”


“This is the gunner’s console,” he told her as a set of joysticks rose out of the desk over her lap. “This station controls the machine guns and missile launchers attached to either side of the ship. Those joysticks help you aim and fire the weapons.”


“Why am I sitting here then?” Kagome wondered. “Shouldn’t Miroku or Sango be here instead?”


“They would be,” Sesshoumaru admitted with a devious glint in his otherwise impassive eyes. “But you are the one that cannot sleep, correct?”


“Oh, so this is busy work is it?” she mumbled with a frown. “Jeez, what fun.”


“Perhaps,” Sesshoumaru made as if to agree. “However, this kind of ‘busy work’ can go on your SeeD resume.”


“For real?” Kagome exclaimed, willing and eager to add whatever she could to her already impressive stats. “How?”


“There are four simulations, all that you have access to from this terminal. Pass the four simulations and the test that come with them and-“


“There’s tests to these things?” Kagome exclaimed in horror. “Oh man! I hate tests!”


“If you are quite finished,” Sesshoumaru quipped impatiently. He waited a moment longer before beginning again. “After the four tests, there’s a final exam. Pass it and you are automatically ranked as a Gunner Class A.”


“What class are you?” Kagome asked as he opened the first simulation screen. “I bet you’re like a triple Z or something.”


He quirked a brow at her, finding her exaggeration somehow...cute. “No. The classes only go from A to F. Here you are,” he said as he stepped away from the screen. “Begin.”


“Alright-y then,” Kagome said before giving her full attention to the screen. Sesshoumaru watched over her shoulder as she performed the various lessons, her ability to adapt and absorb the information flying at her almost astounding. ‘She does not seem to have any trouble,’ he said to himself with a mental shrug. ‘I have better things to do than stand here and watch over her.’ He returned to his seat and watched the night sky, the cup of tea she brought him in his hands as he leaned back in his chair.



Sesshoumaru kept tight vigil over their newly plotted course, his ears twitching slightly at the random ‘oo’s and ‘ah’s of amazement and frustration coming from behind him. He glanced back at her once before checking the new course he set before her arrival and studied it for minor defects.


At 5:30 Kagome gave a deep sigh and stretched, her hands finally leaving the joysticks to rise above her head. “Man, that was intense,” she purred happily. “But it was actually fun.”


“How far are you?” Sesshoumaru asked as he turned around.


“Um...I’ve finished the first simulation test and started on 2-1 of the second sim.”


“I see,” he replied before glancing at his watch. “It is time for you to retire Kagome. You’re still healing.”


“Yeah, I know. Thanks though for helping me find something to do.”


He waved her gratitude aside with a flippant sweep of his claws. “I cannot have you running amuck and disturbing others now can I?”


“Jeez,” Kagome replied with a irritated frown. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were a nice guy.”


“Well then it’s good you know better,” he responded before returning to the pilot’s terminal. “You may leave now.”


“Permission to ask a question Captain?” Kagome asked. She frowned again when Sesshoumaru remained silent before deciding to use it as permission. “Why me? Why would you want me to learn the gunner’s chair? Wouldn’t Sango or Miroku be better suited?”


“Privates Almasy and Saikai would be better at different tasks,” Sesshoumaru replied after a few minutes of silence. “Inuyasha has already been trained in navigation, and the kitsune would be better suited for communications. You are the logical choice. You also seem to have more control.”


“Yeah,” Kagome mumbled sadly, tears brimming in her eyes as she rubbed her left upper forearm. “I don’t think the soldiers I killed the other day would agree to that.”


‘It still bothers her,’ Sesshoumaru realized with a mental sigh. “Did I not tell you that I took care of that?”


“Yeah but-“


“Then don’t worry about it. Go to bed Kagome. We will speak once you’ve had sufficient rest.”

“Er...ok then,” she sighed brokenly. “Goodnight.”


“More like good morning, but goodbye all the same.” Sesshoumaru waited until she left to lean back in his chair, his eyes closing as he mentally went over his conversation with her. ‘It’s almost as if she expected life as a SeeD to be less bloody than what it is,’ he reasoned. ‘She will have to accept the fact that she’s a mercenary, even if she does have a negotiator’s status. She will have to learn that...’ He actually sighed at his train of thought, golden eyes sliding open wearily as he gazed at the early morning sky.


“To be a SeeD, sometimes the blood of others must be shed.”


II


Kagome yawned, wiped the sweat from her brow and glanced at Kikyou’s back as she ran ahead of her, the blaring heat of the sun baking down on them and the cracked desert. Other Garden students were on the plain as well, some dressed in the grayed Trabia uniforms, some in cobalt blue Balamb uniforms while others were dressed in navy blue Galbadia uniforms.


Kagome yawned again before jogging to catch up with Kikyou. “Kik!” she hollered as she closed the distance between them. “What are we out her for at-“ she glanced at her watch and groaned. “10:00 in the morning? And why didn’t you drag Inuyasha out here instead of me?”


“Oh, um...” Kikyou stopped and crouched down in front of a severe crack in the rocky sand. “We’re out here looking for quartz. There were a couple of students that were out here yesterday that found a huge thing of the stuff.”


“Ok,” Kagome nodded as she sat down on the ground beside her and caught her breath. “So why are you looking for quartz?”


“I wanted to make friendship bracelets for us,” Kikyou replied with a grin. “I thought it’d be something to do so we could remember each other.”


“Trust me Kik,” Kagome smiled as Kikyou unlatched a small shovel from her belt loop and shoved it into the crack. “I don’t think we’ll have any trouble remembering each other.”


“Really? I’m glad then,” Kikyou smiled before passing Kagome an extra shovel. “Now enough talking. Start digging.”


Kagome groaned playfully but complied and together they began their mini ‘excavation’. They quit at mid afternoon, having found six dozen golf ball sized opals instead of the quartz Kikyou wanted. Kagome followed behind her once again, this time on their way back as Kikyou studied their findings. “You know Kagome,” Kikyou said as she buffed one against her shorts. “Opals are way more expensive than quartz, and better too! They’re going to make pretty bracelets. Oh, but here.” She passed Kagome half of the opals. “These are yours.”

“Huh?” Kagome glanced down at the pretty stones in her hands. “Why?”


“Because they’re yours. You helped me find them, so you get half of them. It’s only fair.”


“I couldn’t,” Kagome said as she pushed her share back to Kikyou. “It wasn’t my idea to look for anything.”


“But you helped dig,” Kikyou protested. “Here, you should keep them. Sell them if you want to but please take them.”


“I don’t know Kik-”


“Hey!”


They stopped mid argument and turned toward their right. A group of panther youkai dressed in Galbadian uniforms walked toward them and Kagome could tell by the look on their faces that they weren’t friendly. “Come on Kik,” she said as she gently grasped her elbow and began to walk back to their Garden. “I’m getting weird vibes from them.”


“Me too,” Kikyou shivered. “Let’s go.”


“Hey!” one of the Galbadian panthers yelled again. “Humans! We’re talking to you over here!!”


“Just keep going Kik,” Kagome whispered. Kikyou nodded, the funny feeling in the pit of her stomach decreasing as they walked away. The feeling suddenly became worse, and Kikyou gasped when Kagome shoved her behind her and unsheathed her gunblade as one of the panthers landed in front of them. He grinned down at them, his fists at his hips as the other panthers closed in on them from the other sides.


“Didn’t you hear the boss callin’ you?” he growled with a wicked sneer. “Or are you humans just deaf?”


“We don’t have time for this,” Kagome responded instead. “Let us pass!”


“Kagome, I don’t like this,” Kikyou said. She unwrapped the whip tied to her side and stood with her back against Kagome’s. “I don’t think they like us.”


“We heard you Balamb trash had a girl gunblade with you, but we didn’t think it was a human,” the youkai laughed.



“No way,” one of the other youkai jeered. “That chick is a youkai for sure!”

“Do I look like a youkai?” Kagome snapped angrily. “Besides, what do you care? You don’t care anything about us lowly humans anyway!”


“Hey,” Kikyou said suddenly. “What did you say about Balamb Garden?”


“Kik-“


“That the whole Garden’s nothing but a bunch of trash,” another panther, this one a girl with red hair, spoke up. “I don’t see how that Garden ended up with Headmaster Leonheart anyway.”


“Hey, do not talk about our Garden,” Kagome growled. “You don’t know anything about it so shut up!”


“The only thing worse than Balamb Garden,” the first panther laughed. “Is Trabia Garden. As a matter of fact, between the hicks and the dumbasses, I think all of you suck.”


“Well it’s not like Galbadia’s any better,” Kikyou shot back. “Besides, wasn’t it your Garden that was on the Sorceress’ side during the last war?”


“That was because of our headmaster, not us!” the female panther replied. “That wouldn’t have happened if our headmaster were youkai. You humans are weak!”


“Kik, call Inuyasha,” Kaogme said as she passed her comphone to her. She frowned when Kikyou passed it back. “What the-“


“I don’t need it,” she replied sheepishly. “He’s on the way.”


“Huh?”


“See?̶ 1; one of the youkai jeered at her. “That’s another reason why humans are worthless! You can’t even smell the mate mark on her can you?”


“Mate mark?” Kagome glanced over her shoulder at Kikyou and noticed the tiny puncture marks on her neck that hovered just above her open collar. Kikyou returned Kagome’s shock with a sheepish smile and a blush, unaware of her friend’s growing temper as one of the panthers grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around.


“Yeah, it’s this one,” he called out as he sniffed her shoulder. “She’s got dog all over her.”


“Then that’s the one we want,” the first youkai replied before giving Kagome a wicked grin. “Even though we could give this one a spin too.”


“Let go of her!” Kagome cried out when the youkai holding Kikyou moved to throw her over his shoulder. A ball of flames exploded right in front of the youkai’s eyes and he howled in shock and pain, his grip on Kikyou loosening enough for her to drop to the ground. “None of you will touch her!” Kagome snarled viciously, Junsei shining in her hands and her green eyes glittering in bloody promise.


“And if we do?” the first youkai purred as he walked toward her. “What can you do little human? What would you do if we touched-YOW!” he hollered when a single thunderbolt struck him. He stumbled away from Kagome with an angry snarl, one that was quickly answered as Inuyasha and Shippou landed between them.


“Hey Kagome,” Shippou greeted as he scratched his right wrist and the strange scar going down his arm. “What’s going on? You’re pissed off about someth-“


“Take Kikyou back to the Garden,” she mumbled instead. “She shouldn’t be here.”


“But Kagome, Inuyasha! I want to stay!” Kikyou protested and huffed when Inuyasha shook his head. “She’s right Kik,” Inuyasha told her before kissing her forehead. “You go back with Shippou.” He and Kagome watched as Shippou grasped Kikyou by the waist and took to the sky before she could utter another protest. “Heh,” Inuyasha growled as Kagome sheathed her weapon. “Glad you saved some for me.”


“Whatever,” Kagome mumbled absently, her eyes still locked on the lead panther as Kikyou’s mark raced through her mind. ‘He didn’t even tell us,’ she thought as the panthers continued to put down both Trabia and Balamb Gardens. ‘I mean what, did he think we’d get mad or something? He could have told us. He’s such a jerk!’


“You’re just scared...”


Inuyasha and the lead panther stopped arguing long enough to glance at her, then turned to her fully as Shippou returned to her side. “What was that little human?” the panther asked while Kagome cracked her knuckles.


“I said you’re scared,” Kagome repeated loudly, the need to expel her anger binding her common sense. “That’s why you’re doing all this talking and no doing.”


“And what makes you think I’m scared?” he asked with a grin. Shippou and Inuyasha backed away from her warily, the scent of lavender fury pouring from Kagome’s skin in heavy perfumed waves.


“Because,” she grinned devilishly. “You’re scared that this weak human is going to kick your ass.”


“Doubt it,” another panther said from the crowd. “Human bitches can’t fight. All they’re good for is rutting, and they can’t even do that right.”


“Well let’s see if I do this right,” Kagome growled seconds before punching the youkai in his jaw. He stumbled back, his eyes glazing over in pain and anger.


“Why you little-“


Kagome punched him again before he could finish, this time managing to knock him out. “Next?”


)-(


Sesshoumaru strolled down the hallway, his hands in his jeans pockets while he wandered his inner thoughts. ‘I wonder why the evacuation turned out the way it did,’ he said to himself as he walked out of the dorm hallway onto the commons square. ‘Surely Deling brought with him enough soldiers to fully overthrow we six, but he didn’t. It was almost like a scrimmage. But what made him stop?


‘According to Inuyasha, Galbadia soldiers were seconds before breaking down the gate and flooding the Garden, but they didn’t. What stopped-“ He grunted in annoyance when a pair of Trabia students bumped into him. They apologized profusely before running off once again. He ignored their apology for their conversation, then followed the two as they rushed outside.


“I don’t get it,” one of them said. “What’s going on?”


“It’s a full on riot!” the other student chirped excitedly. “One of the other guys in my gym class said that a bunch of Galbadia youkai insulted Trabia and Balamb right? He didn’t know who threw the first punch but he said that now it’s raging out there!”


‘Humans and their exaggerations,’ Sesshoumaru said to himself as he followed them outside. His jaw slackened instantly, though none noticed as the two humans in front of him gasped. Students and SeeD fought in a huge crowd in the center of the field, the smell of blood, sweat and anger suffocating in the expanse and open air.


“This has Inuyasha written all over it,” Sesshoumaru mumbled softly with a shake of his head. He changed into a tiny golden ball and fluttered over the grounds toward Inuyasha’s scent. He found him just as Inuyasha and a cheetah youkai began to spar, the fight ending as quickly as it began when Inuyasha launched a swift kick to the side of the cheetah’s head.


‘Inuyasha,’ Sesshoumaru growled as he activated his link with him. ‘What have you done-‘


‘Before you get started,’ Inuyasha griped as he punched a youkai in the snout and avoided it’s counterattack. ‘I didn’t start this...though I can’t say I’m complainin’.’

‘Then what started this?’ Sesshoumaru demanded after landing on Inuyasha’s ear. He remained there like a golden earring while Inuyasha continued fighting.


‘Believe it or not, Kagome.’


‘How?’ Sesshoumaru wondered in surprise.


‘I don’t know to be honest,’ Inuyasha replied. ‘All I know is that she and Kikyou came out here this morning looking for something. The next thing I know Kikyou starts panickin’ so bad it knocked me out of bed-‘


‘You mated the human?’ Sesshoumaru interrupted. ‘Already?’


‘Well yeah,’ Inuyasha grunted, then punched another Galbadia student in the side and drop kicked him before shoving him to the ground. ‘Why? Don’t give me that ‘She’s human and-‘


‘Have you told Father?’


‘Um...’ Inuyasha stopped fighting long enough to scratch his unoccupied ear. ‘I knew I forgot something.’


‘Hmnh. Figures. Continue.’


‘Oh, yeah. Um...anyway.’ Inuyasha clawed through an unlucky SeeDs uniform as he ran past. ‘Oh! Me and Shippou came out here tryin’ to see what was goin’ on. By the time we got here she and Kik were surrounded by panthers.’


Sesshoumaru frowned, a slight growl escaping the little ball of light as it returned to the air above.


‘Shippou took Kik away and came back in time for Kagome to pass the first lick.’


‘Lick?’ Sesshoumaru repeated in confusion, though his voice remained clear.


‘Lick. You know, punch, kick, hit. Lick. It’s a term. Anyway, if you want someone to blame-‘ he grunted as he ducked his opponent’s forward kick, then grasped him by his ankle and punched him in the thigh. ‘Then go find her. Leave me alone would ya? I’m fighin’ over here.’


Sesshoumaru frowned but did as Inuyasha requested for once. He fluttered above the fighters heads until he found Kagome’s scent, the absence of lavender surprising as he followed it to her. He studied her form as she fought, the loose kickboxer’s stance nearly as surprising as the look in her eyes. She was calm, where most would be obviously angry with a quiet passion and pleasure alight in her bottle green eyes.


He glanced back as another panther youkai came rushing toward her, hoping to use her fight with another SeeD to his advantage. ‘Now that’s just not fair,’ Sesshoumaru quipped with a dark smirk. ‘Someone has forgotten the rules of battle.’


)-(


Kagome ducked, the youkai’s fist flying inches over the top of her ponytail. She quickly flipped away, her heels connecting with the side of her opponent’s head before returning to the ground. The youkai she fought fell soon afterward and Kagome dusted the sand from her hands before turning around. She gasped as another Galbadia student fell at her feet before glancing up at the source.


“Hello captain,” she greeted with a smile. She brushed her bang out of her eyes and waved in thanks before returning to the brawl. “What brings you out here?” she grunted as she rammed her knee into a female SeeD’s side.


“I’ve come out of curiosity,” he answered before shoving his hands back into his pockets. “Why exactly did you start this little-“


“Start?” Kagome interrupted as she shoved the SeeD away from her and turned to glare at him. “I didn’t start this! Who told you I started this?”


“Then who did?” he asked instead of answering her. “And why?”


“Oh, that’s simple. Hey, look out!”


Sesshoumaru turned just as a bear youkai attempted to claw his back. He grasped the youkai by the wrist and flung him forward. Kagome’s fist connected with the bear’s jaw with a loud crack and it crumpled to the ground to lay beside the panther youkai. “Thank you,” Sesshoumaru nodded politely. “You are...helpful, when you want to be of course.”


“But of course,” Kagome laughed before turning back. “Oh, you asked a question. Um..” She took the time to uppercut another youkai, watching with a pleased smile as it shook his head and stumbled away from her. “A bunch of Galbadia jerks decided to start with Kik and I. They tried to grab her and got pissed off when I stopped it.” She frowned then and sidestepped the youkai, shattered his kneecap and waited for him to fall before glaring at the left side of the field.


“They knew about Inuyasha’s mark,” she muttered darkly. “They came especially for her.”


“Really....” ‘So,’ Sesshoumaru thought as Kagome continued on without him. ‘It was a direct attack. She didn’t start the fight after all. I wonder if Inuyasha realizes that.’ He turned at the scent of a youkai, this one a female with the scent of winter and snow.


“You...”


“Yes, me,” she replied with a smirk. “You remember me, don’t you?”


“What do you want?”


“Oh, nothing,” she replied. She causally flipped an ice blue lock over her shoulder and brushed off the side of her uniform. “I heard that brother of yours is mated now. And to a human too.” She shook her head in mock pity and laughed. “What a shame. But then again, he is only a halfbreed.”


“But that doesn’t excuse your attack on a Endo house member,” Sesshoumaru replied cooly, though inside he grimaced at having to admit to Inuyasha’s stupidity.


“I don’t need an excuse,” she shrugged. “I just wanted to do it. Oh well. But why are you out here?”


“Why do you think?” Sesshoumaru responded and extended his claws. She smiled and quickly copied with her own.

“Fine. I wouldn’t mind removing you from the planet anyway.” She rushed forward with the claws of her left hand glowing a piercing blue. She moved to strike but gasped when her neck began to burn. Sesshoumaru tightened his lightening whip around her neck and jerked her forward, careful not to remove her head from her shoulders. He growled in her face, his deep, threatening snarl sending shivers through the panthers around him. She hissed back before a sharp pain began behind her right eye and passed out.


Sesshoumaru dropped her unceremoniously and frowned at the four panthers waiting on him. He gracefully slid into a defense position, his feet shifting to shoulder length apart and his open hands at his left shoulder and right thigh.


He quickly grabbed the first panther by the collar and flipped him, ignoring the youkai as it sailed over his head before chopping the next one in the throat. The youkai fell to his knees in front of him, his hands encircling his neck as his windpipe collapsed. Sesshoumaru pushed him aside and blocked the next panther, this one a rather large one with cinnamon streaks in it’s jet black hair. He waved the next punch aside and flinched when it jabbed him in the stomach.


Sesshoumaru stepped back, sent a knockout blow to the youkai’s head and smirked as the youkai sank into unconsciousness. He dispensed of the remaining two without a problem before returning to Kagome. He found her deep within a fight of her own. She ducked the forward slash of a cougar, then grasped it’s wrist and pressed her back flush against his. Her arm sailed over the youkai’s head when he ducked, but she managed to backhand him a second later. The cougar’s head snapped to the side, allowing Kagome to grasp him in a sleeper hold. She kicked his knees from underneath him and held on until the cougar lay unmoving, but still breathing, at her feet.


Kagome jumped up and stood by Sesshoumaru’s side when a pack of panthers descended on them. She glanced up at him and found him to be as calm as always. On any other day that would have bothered her, but the quiet confidence on his face was actually reassuring. She smiled up at him, knowing that he wouldn’t see it, and faced the pack in front of them when a shrill whistle sounded across the desert.


The panthers and most of the other youkai winced in pain and desperately grasped their ears. Kagome grimaced, the sound abusive to human ears as well while Sesshoumaru stood unaffected. There were sighs of relief when it stopped but not before everyone turned toward the sound. “What’s going on?” she whispered to Sesshoumaru, who could see over the crowd. “Who made that noise?”


“You’ll see in a moment,” she heard him say, and to her it sounded as if there was slight annoyance in his tone. She opened her mouth to ask another question when Headmaster Leonheart’s voice boomed into the crowd from a bullhorn.


“Tell me,” he began, his voice enraged and tight. “That I’m not seeing this. Tell me I don’t see SeeD fighting each other! I’m not seeing this am I?”


“But Headmaster,” one Trabia student began. “It’s not our fault. We-“


“I don’t care who’s fault it is,” Squall interrupted with a growl. “Do you all realize that right above that mountain, right there above that mountain, Deling’s waiting for a chance to kill you! Can you imagine how easy his job would be if he came and saw you fighting each other? He doesn’t care if your youkai or human, Trabia or Galbadia. All he cares about is how fast you’ll die.”


Kagome flinched, an embarrassed blush flushing her cheeks as she relaxed out of her fighter’s stance.


“Why are you helping him?” Squall asked after a moment’s silence. “Don’t you care that he’s practically enslaved Deling City and the entire country of Galbadia? Don’t you care that Timber’s under occupation again? Don’t you care about the hundreds of SeeDs he’s already arrested or killed in the past five months?” The crowd heard him sigh, then fall silent before speaking again.


“I’m going to let this pass,” he said finally. “We’re all going to pretend this never happened and that whatever caused this rift never existed. Is that understood?” Mumbles of ‘Yes Headmaster’ were heard, with Kagome mumbling a quick one of her own. “Good. Now all of you return to your rooms for the rest of the day. That is all.”


Kagome groaned and began to make her way back to the Garden, Sesshoumaru forgotten and ignoring the others in
the crowd. Shippou and Inuyasha caught up with her at the front gate and groaned. “Oh man,” Inuyasha growled. “Did we just get grounded?”


“You need to be grounded,” Shippou retorted as he nursed a cut on his cheek. To his relief it disappeared in seconds, though Kagome wasn’t so lucky when she found blood on her hand. “Are you ok?” he asked as he stopped her. He grabbed her hand and held it to his face, a single digit tracing over her bloody knuckles as Inuyasha pointed toward a nearby fountain. “What happened?” they asked her as they rinsed off the injury.


“I don’t know. I don’t remember doing it,” she replied with a shrug. “It might have been the cougar.”


“That’s great,” Inuyasha crowed as Shippou ripped off the end of his shirt and wrapped it around her hand. “Only you would get hurt and not know how you did it.”


“Shut up Inuyasha,” Shippou snapped. “You’re not helping.”


“When does he?” Kagome muttered and began to walk away.


“Hey,” Inuyasha shouted behind her as she climbed up the Garden stairs. “Where you going?”


“She’s going to the infirmary numbnuts,” Shippou growled and wacked him upside the head. “Where do you think she’s going?”


“Whatever,” Inuyasha mumbled as Shippou ran to follow her. “I’ve got better things to do anyway.”


III


The fight was nearly forgotten three weeks later, with all three Gardens finally coming together under Headmaster Leonheart’s command. Sesshoumaru welcomed the peace and quiet with open arms. The constant squabbling between the students and SeeDs had finally stopped, though all three Gardens were still wary of one another.


Sesshoumaru exited the dormitory wing and stepped out onto the commons circle, his right hand in the pocket of his black dress pants. His teal green shirt was left unbuttoned, the black tank top underneath a perfect background for his silver dog tags. He walked without a destination in mind, allowing himself to mill from wing to wing as he sank deep within his thoughts. He yawned slightly as he entered the quad and the wind ruffled through his bangs and lifted his ponytail from his back. Water lily wafted to him on the breeze and he followed it down the stairs to his right.


Kagome sat on a nearby bench, her back turned to him and her arms folded against the back as she looked down at the fountain below her. She looked up and smiled when Sesshoumaru sat on the other end of the bench. “Good afternoon,” she said politely. “What are you doing out here?”


“Nothing of great importance,” he replied as he nonchalantly glanced at her. He leaned back and closed his eyes, not caring that she would see him so relaxed. “And you?” he asked after a moment. “What are you doing out here?”

“Avoiding the stares of my friends,” Kagome admitted with a sigh. Sesshoumaru said nothing and glanced her over, finding nothing about her to be odd or out of place. Her hair was in the same high ponytail, with a pastel pink ribbon streaming down the ends. Her halter top matched her ribbon, with her usual pair of dark washed hiphuggers and black steel toed boots.

“What is so odd about you...other than your obviously revealing clothing?” he asked with a quirked brow. Kagome scowled in his direction, then sighed and returned to the landscape behind him.


“They say my temper’s getting worse,” she sighed. She fisted her bandaged hand and cradled it in her uninjured one, a slight frown marring her angelic face as turquoise eyes became a deep teal under his watch. “I think they might be right. I can’t...my hand.”


Sesshoumaru inwardly sighed and reached toward her. “Allow me,” he growled impatiently. Kagome hesitated, but allowed him to unwrap her bandages and inspect the knuckles that had yet to heal. He winced in sympathy and glanced at her through narrow eyes. “These do not look right. Why?”


“Um....well....”


“ ;There’s a wall in your room with a hole in it isn’t there?”


Kagome blushed darkly, her cheeks turning a fierce crimson. “How did you-“


“Something’s bothering you,” he said as if he were telling her the time of day. “And you’re venting. It’s something youkai pups do.”


“Well I’m not youkai, and I’m not a ‘pup’ either,” Kagome huffed as he re-wrapped her hand. “But yeah, I guess venting is the right word. Thanks. I was wondering what it was.”


He nodded at her thanks and moved to ask a question when his name was yelled across the grounds. They both looked up as Inuyasha darted into the quad and groaned, both wondering to themselves if the other would cover for them if they disappeared.


“There you are,” Inuyasha shouted as he leapt down the stairs to land in front of them. “I’ve been looking for you for a while. Hey Kago-hime. What ‘cha doin’ here?”


“Nothing and stop calling me that,” Kagome grumbled. She shrugged and mouthed ‘Don’t ask’ when Sesshoumaru gave her a confused glare, then waved as Shippou, Sango, Miroku and Headmaster Leonheart descended the stairs toward them. “Hey you guys! Good afternoon Headmaster. How are you?”


“I’m fine. Please,” he waved his hand as Kagome and Sesshoumaru began to stand. “There’s no need for that. I’ve come to ask Sesshoumaru for a favor.”


“Alright,” Sesshoumaru replied as he returned to his reclined position against the bench. “What is it?”


“Well, we’ve received a few reports from our informant in Deling’s army,” Headmaster Leonheart explained with an aggravated frown. “And he’s saying that Deling plans on arresting the former headmaster, Cid Kramer, and his wife Edena. Since you’re the only active SeeD that’s trained to fly the Ragnarork...”


“You need me to retrieve them,” Sesshoumaru finished and sighed when he nodded. “Alright. I’ll do it.”


“You’ll need someone else to go with you.” Headmaster Leonheart glanced at the small squadron around him. “Any volunteers?”


Everyone glanced from one to the other, neither human, hanyou or kitsune too keen on being alone with Sesshoumaru for an extended period of time. Sesshoumaru finally growled his frustration and stood. “I’ll go by myself,” he said coldly. “I don’t need anyone with me.”


“But you do,” the headmaster disagreed and turned back to the squadron. “I can always make it an order-“


“I’ll go,” Kagome chirped finally. She blushed at the other’s shocked gazes and shrugged. “Like the headmaster said, he can’t go by himself.”


“If you are doing this for me,” Sesshoumaru began with his usual cold indifference. “Then kindly spare –“


“Fine with me,” Headmaster Leonheart interrupted with a snap of his fingers. “This mission will be exceedingly shorter than your last. I would suggest packing for a full week instead of two. The Ragnorork is waiting outside the front gates, so please be quick about getting ready.”


“Yes sir,” Kagome and Sesshoumaru replied before taking their leave. They walked down the hallway together silently, unaware of another’s presence as it followed them. They split up, with Sesshoumaru going to the left and Kagome going to the right. She walked down the hall and into her room, mentally planning everything she would need as she jerked her black duffle bag and train case from underneath her bed. She began to pack quickly and was so absorbed in her work that she didn’t notice Inuyasha enter the room until he grabbed her shoulders and spun her around.


“Hey Inu-pa,” she greeted with a smile. It disappeared at the fury on his face and she frowned. “What’s wrong?”


“What’s the deal with you and Sesshoumaru?” he growled at her, his hands already fisted at his sides. He growled again at her confusion and raised his hands to shake her. “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about! What’s the deal with you and my brother?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Kagome yelled as she slapped his hands away. “You’re nuts! What’s your problem?!”


“You’ve been acting like a bitch these past couple of days,” Inuyasha retorted before lightly shoving her. Kagome stumbled backward, her hip connecting with her nightstand with a wooden thump. “You can’t even say two straight words to me without getting pissed off and now you’re hanging all over Sessho-“


“I’m not HANGING ALL OVER SESSHOUMARU!” Kagome screeched back. She picked up a box of tissues and hurled them at his head, a satisfied smile gracing her features when they bounced off his right ear.


“Yes you are! I can’t believe you!” Inuyasha pushed her again and again she bumped her hip on the nightstand behind her. “Do you think you’re the first girl to have a crush on him?!”


“Huh?” Kagome muttered, her earlier confusion melting into complete befuddlement. “What are you talking about? I don’t have a crush on-“


“Yes you do and I can tell! You’re practically throwing yourself at him and for what? Just so he can fuck you and forget about you? You’re so stupid!”


“Have you lost your MIND?!!!” Kagome hollered back at him. “I don’t even like him that way! He’s just our captain! And as for me volunteering, somebody had to! You heard the headmaster! He couldn’t go by himself!”


“Oh, so you just so happen to decide to go? Yeah right,” Inuyasha scoffed. “I’m not stupid. You want something from him. It’s either his money or his di-“


SLAP!!!


“How dare you,” Kagome growled, her eyes bright green slants as she glared down at him. “You don’t have any room to talk Inuyasha! For the last time, I’m not interested in your brother!!!! How could you even say something like that? You of all people should know me better than that!”


“Well,” Inuyasha coughed and wiped a bit of blood away from his bottom lip. “You’re the bitch keeping secrets.”


“Oh. I see.” Kagome nodded as if she were calming down, her gaze turning to the window and away from Inuyasha’s amber orbs. She watched a bird fly from a sakura branch in what felt like slow motion, unaware of the thin ring of green that began to glow around her irises. “So...it’s just like you and Kikyou right?”


“What about me and Kikyou?” Inuyasha asked. He watched as Kagome zipped her pack and tossed her extra ammo into her train case.

“When were you going to tell us about your mating mark?” Kagome asked as she fastened her holster to her side. She flipped open Junsei’s case and quickly slid the weapon into it’s home before grasping her luggage and walking out the door. “Oh, and Inuyasha?”


“What?” He growled, his pride still stinging at the swollen lip she’d given him.


“I don’t ever want to talk to you again.”


His head jerked up as the door slid closed behind her, his eyes clouded for a few moments before he shrugged. ‘Whatever,’ he said to himself as he left her room. ‘She’s mad now, but she won’t be for long. She’ll come back and everything’ll be the same.’ He grimaced when the side of his face began to burn and wiped away the blood he found there. ‘Hmmm, must be Kagome’s,’ he said to himself as he continued to clean it away. He stalked toward his room to wash his face, forgetting both her and his brother for other, more important things.


IV


Kagome sat in the gunner’s seat, her eyes glued to the screen as tiny beeps and zooms came from the speakers. Sesshoumaru glanced at her once as he walked past her to the navigation’s seat, his usual cup of tea in his hand as he sat down and punched up the main screen. He studied the map and their destination without interest, his attention more on the young lady beside him than the screen itself.


‘She left the Garden in a huff,’ he said to himself as he reprogrammed the destination screen. ‘And her hand was bleeding again. I wonder what happene-‘


“YES!!! Ha-HA!”


Sesshoumaru watched as she jumped from her seat, a gentle laugh escaping her lips as she danced around the gunner’s console. She was wearing a bright green knee length skirt, a pair of ankle length steel toed boots, a white baby tee and a black bomber jacket with a burning Celtic cross on the back/ left breast. Her hair was braided down her back with a green ribbon tied at the ends. Sesshoumaru waited for her to stop for a few minutes, then cleared his throat and waited for her attention.


“Kagome,” he said finally. “What are you doing?”


“I passed!” Kagome chirped happily as she continued to dance. “I passed the Gunner’s Exam!”


“Already?” Sesshoumaru moved and sat down in her chair before pulling up her test results. “Not bad,” he commented as he read over her test and exam results. “No wonder you’ve been so quiet these two days.”


“Well, I had to blow off some steam,” she shrugged. She glanced over his shoulder when he began typing and asked, “So now what do I do now? And what are you doing?”


“I’m sending your results back to Balamb,” he told her as he continued to type. An ‘Email Sent’ message appeared on the screen a few seconds before he switched screens, this one activating a drawer on the console’s left side. “Drop your tags in that drawer.”


“Why?” Kagome asked as she removed the tags and slid the drawer closed. “What’s that?”


“That’s going to put a special mark on your tags. Look.” He held out his own and held still while Kagome grasped the tags. One had his rank, name, weapon name and blood type just like hers but the second one held nothing but an engraved G that was the size of a grain of rice. “That machine stamps the G on your tags. Your gunner’s rank won’t be on there, but it will be on the SeeD Ranking List back at the Gar-“


“What’s that?” Kagome gasped as the radar console’s alarm went off. The regular lights in the room switched to the red flashing emergency lights and the sound of the alarm echoed throughout the ship. Kagome ran behind Sesshoumaru when he went to check it, but he sat down before she could get there and blocked the screen. He grimaced slightly and looked up at her. “Get back to your chair.”


“What?” she stammered as he darted past him toward the pilot’s seat. “What’s going on?”


“We’re being targeted,” he growled back at her. “Now get back to your seat!” He glared back at her as she did as he ordered before turning back to his screen.


“There’s an incoming response,” Kagome told him as three fighter jets the same size as the Ragnarok appeared in front and on either side of them. Sesshoumaru’s radar screen detected another one behind them and a single bleep of an incoming hail. He frowned as he flipped on the screen and the calm voice of President Deling sounded over the P.A. system.


“This is Juromaru Deling, president of Galbadia-“


“Duh,” Kagome grumbled to herself and blushed when Sesshoumaru glared at her. “Sorry.”


“You are in violation of Galbadia airspace. You have three minutes to land or risk being shot down.”


“We are not violating Galbadia airspace,” Sesshoumaru told him as he motioned for Kagome to prepare herself. “As a matter of fact, this is Centra and there are no airspace regulations for the Centra continents. You, however, are in violation of the Galbadia Sorceress Treaty. You have been for a while now but you are aware of that.”


A deep laugh was his answer before another man came over the system. “You have been fairly warned. Two minutes have already commenced.”


“What’ll we do now?” Kagome asked when Sesshoumaru flicked on the mute button to the system. “Are we just gonna land or are we gonna fight?”


“Ten seconds.”


“We’re going to fight of course,” Sesshoumaru replied. “On his count, arm the systems and fire.”


“Are you sure?”


“Nine...”


“Yes, very sure. Now get ready Kagome.”


“Eight...”


Kagome gripped the joysticks, her left pinky finger hovering over the tiny green button on the console’s right screen.


“Seven....”


Sesshoumaru switched off the auto-pilot and grasped the handles that rose out of the console. He eyed the planes on either side of him and glanced at the radar for the one in the back.


“Four...”


“Three...R 21;


“Two...”


“Oh man,” Kagome groaned softly. “I just knew today wasn’t my day.”


“Fire!”


The Ragnarok quickly jerked to the right, smashing itself into the jet on that side before falling into a rapid descent. Gunfire from it’s right and left side sprayed across the open sky, with minute holes being drilled into the left jet’s side. Smoke poured from it’s engines as it began to fall and the pilot’s parachute could be seen a few minutes before it crashed into the ocean.


Sesshoumaru jerked the ship to the left again as Kagome fired, the three remaining jets already hounding them as they flew toward the upper Centra continent. “There’s too many!” Kagome shouted over the sounds of battle. “We can’t keep them off for long! We’ve gotta call for help!”


‘Any help we send for will be at least a full day in coming,’ Sesshoumaru growled as he continued eluding the jets. ‘We’re going to have to think of something else....something more effective.’ He snapped his fingers, resumed evasive maneuvers and switched on the radio.


“Hey, what’s going on-Oh my God, what’s that?!” Kagome exclaimed as an enormous red and black dragon appeared on her right side. “Who’s GF is that?”


“That’s Bahamut,” Sesshoumaru ground out over his shoulder. “And let’s hope he’ll be of some help.”


Kagome nodded in agreement and fired around the massive reptile as it streaked across the sky toward the nearest jet. Sesshoumaru nearly smirked when the pilot screamed in fright when Bahamut landed on the jet and began to shake it. It ripped it apart like a tin can, completely unfazed as the jet exploded between it’s claws. It roared in triumph, it’s great head directed to the clouds above as it sounded off it’s victory. “Yay!” Kagome cheered, her hands leaving the joysticks long enough to clap. “That was so cool! I hope the pilot’s ok though.”


“You would,” Sesshoumaru grumbled and shook his head.


“Hey, tell it to watch-“ Kagome cried out moments before a missile struck the dragon in the side. It roared again, this time in agony as the two remaining jets fired at the GF. It reared back and clawed through the nearest jet’s underbelly. The plane went down, but not before firing off one last missile at the GF. The missile missed by a few meters and struck the Ragnarok in the right side. Fire alarms went off almost instantly, with the shrill alert piercing both their ears as Sesshoumaru checked the damage report.


“The cargo port’s a lost cause,” he shouted over the alarms. “But we still have the hanger and the-“ He grimaced and braced himself on his armrests as another missile struck them, Bahamut no where to be seen as the two jets finally focused on them.


“Crap!” Kagome exclaimed as she scrambled off the floor and back to her chair. “We need seat belts or something! There goes the hallway! The Ragnarok’s not going to take much more of this!” She screamed when an explosion went off on one of the lower decks. “What’ll we do Captain?!”


“We abort mission and abandon ship. Let’s go.” He quickly set the auto pilot and ran from his seat, stopping long enough to grasp Kagome’s wrist and jerk her from hers before stepping onto the elevator platform. They jumped down before the platform could fully stop and began to make their way the catwalk when Kagome stopped.

“Wait!”


“For what?” Sesshoumaru shouted back to her as she veered toward the passenger’s deck. “What are you doing?”


“We’ve got to get our ammo, remember?” she shouted as she disappeared inside. Sesshoumaru mentally sighed and followed her. He held the door open as she grabbed the train case with both their ammunition packs, clips and boxes inside. He remembered her suggesting they share the abnormally large case when they first boarded the ship, his earlier protest at that little bit of precaution now foolish as she ran toward him. The door slammed shut the moment they passed the threshold and the p. a. system announced the self destruct sequence that had been activated during the last explosion.


“We’ve got a problem!” Kagome shouted as she struggled to open the catwalk door. “It’s stuck!”


“It’s not stuck, it’s locked,” Sesshoumaru told her. “Now move aside.” Kagome stepped back and away, her eyes widening when his right hand turned an eerie green. He touched the metal door and waited, ignoring the explosions and alarms as his acid ate through the door to make a hole to the other side. He quickly stepped through it and glanced back as Kagome struggled to crawl through without being burned by the still liquid metal.


He turned back when she yelped and found Kagome sprawled on the floor, the train case beside her as she held her right ankle. She whimpered but jumped up and quickly limped across the catwalk toward him. He inwardly admired her strength, the pain she was going through reflecting in her eyes as she struggled to go faster. “Go ahead!” she growled at him. “I’m coming! Go ahead!”


“I’m sure you are,” Sesshoumaru sighed when yet another explosion went off below them. The hanger below burst into flames and Kagome screamed again when the explosion nearly rocked her off her feet. Sesshoumaru jerked her to his side, slung her over his shoulder and sprinted down the rest of the catwalk to the air room door. He flung a ball of his acid at the door and jumped through it when it melted. The air room controls activated and the emergency exit opened instantly. Sesshoumaru took a second to glance around them before leaping from the inside of the ship.


He transformed in mid air, shifted Kagome to his back and began to run across the wind currents to the continent below them. He could feel Kagome’s shallow breaths in his fur and realized she had passed out, no doubt from the pain as Bahamut returned. The dragon flew beside him like an escort, shielding the giant dog from the other jets as missiles and bullets rained down on them. Bahamut left Sesshoumaru’s side and tore through another jet, this one falling apart but not exploding like the last one. Bullets from the downed plane ripped through Sesshoumaru’s left arm. The taiyoukai roared in outrage and agony, white hot fire appearing in his mind’s eye before all became black and the giant dog fell to the desert below.


(End chapter)


Naraku: I don’t understand. Why aren’t I in this fic?! There’s SO MUCH I COULD DO WITH THIS!!!


Kagome: You’re not in it because SF says so.

Inu-chan: And that’s all you need to know you disgusting bastard.


Miroku: Here here Inuyasha! I don’t believe the stench of baboon will ever come out of the stage curtains.


Naraku: You want to say that to my face pervert!


Miroku: Gladly. (Glances Naraku over) Which one’s your face? The one you’re sitting on or the one you’re pointing at me?


Kagome: (as Naraku and Miroku argue) Oh well. Anyway, this chapter was different too.


Sango: (pushes Naraku over) Yeah. Who would have guessed that a brawl would be so ugly? (To Kagome) I can’t believe you started it!


Kagome: I didn’t start it-


Inu-chan: That’s right! I started it! And I ended it to.


Sesshou: (from somewhere in the fridge) So you say little brother. So you say.


Inu-chan: You can’t say shit! You didn’t even come in till damned near the end!


Sesshou: (pulls out a vanilla pepsi and sits down) This Sesshoumaru does not have to make a fool of himself to assert his power.


Kagome: (before a second argument could break out) Anyway...there’s no weird powers in this one. Just a lot of fighting and bullets flyin-


Shippou: Which was so cool!


Kagome: Shippou! Don’t say things like that! Anyway, the next chapter promises to be interesting right SF?


SF: Yup, that’s right. The summary’s below.


(Sango): My friend...where is she? What happened to her? Is she alright? Is she safe? What about Sesshoumaru? Did he just leave her there? Didn’t he try to help her? Why...why can’t we get her on our comphones? Shippou’s so miserable, though we all feel like hell. Where is she? Why won’t she call home? Why won’t she come home?

What if...she can’t...


Next chapter-Chapter Ten: Down the Rabbit Hole


(Responses)


Lady Banshee 999: Actually, I update whenever I get a chapter finished. I'm trying to finish at least one story this year, instead of not finishing a single one like last year. That sucked big time. Oh well. Yeah, Shippou has a crush on her, but I have plans for him and someone else to be together. Can't say who though, but she's already appeared in the anime. Hey, you remembered the necklace! I think everyone else has forgotten about it. lol. Sure, that'll definitely come up in the other chapters. I'll admit, you're close. You're almost right, but not quite. Don't worry about it, you'll see exactly what she is soon.


Megan Consoer: Sure, I think I can do that. lol. Thanks a lot for the enthusiasm.


Broken Visage: I would, really, but I can't. See, the formatting for this thing isn't acting right. It's gold on two chapters, then after that it's either smushed together or it's missing entire words from the beginning of sentences. I'm working on fixing it, so please grant me some patience. I don't have any as it is.


Lady anhee 999: From now on, a lot of Kagome's life will be a lot more interesting. I don't exactly know if she'd call it interesting, but it will be all the same. She's going to be stuck with Sesshoumaru for a while now, and there's really no telling what he's going to do. I haven't played FFXI yet. What's it like? Any good?

akuma_river : Thank you.


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