InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ For Richer or Poorer ❯ The Opera ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Kagome, Sesshoumaru, or Kouga…I would be rich if I did and be able to pay all of my college loans off…nice thought, isn't it?

 

 

 

For Richer or Poorer

The Opera

 

 

 

As soon as they reached the house, Kagome went up to her room while Sesshoumaru called Inuyasha to tell him to come to the house later than expected. She paced her room for a good hour, pumping herself up and trying not to hyperventilate before she looked at the clock and almost fainted. “Shit, I only have two hours before it's time to leave.”

 

She high-tailed it into gear by running into the bathroom and filling the tub with hot, sudsy water. She stripped in record time and gave herself adequate time to soak, just as Kagura had instructed. She tried to let the warm water sooth her tense muscles and relax her wound up nerves, but she wasn't very successful. All that kept going through her mind was how many different ways she could screw up. She could not be a convincing enough of a fiancée, she could trip in front of everyone, she could do her make-up totally wrong and end up looking like a clown. Every thought made her sink farther and farther into the tub until she was completely submerged. She came up seconds later, gasping for breath.

 

“Get a grip on yourself, Higurashi,” she ordered herself. “This is no time to wimp out. You're a good detective, damn it, and this is just another case. Don't make a fool of yourself in front of the Royal Asshole.” At that thought, she pulled the plug and dried herself off quickly. Pulling on her old, tattered robe, she padded into her bedroom, and took out all of the lotions Kagura gave her.

 

“Skin soother, shimmer, fragrance, anti-wrinkle, what the hell? I have to use all of these?” she asked, reading all the different labels. She opened each one and smelled the sickly sweet smell of each and tossed them on the bed. “Forget it, I'm not wearing any. There is no plausible reason at all why a woman should have to put all of this on!”

 

She forgot about the lotions as she took out a hair dryer, and began drying her waist length hair. Because of its thickness and of how long it was, it took her a good fifteen minutes to completely dry it. “This is why I just throw it up in a pony tail,” she muttered, shutting off the dryer and plugging in the hair straightener. It took her another twenty minutes to make her hair go the way she wanted it to, and by the time she was done with that, she was exhausted. “I knew I was going to hate this assignment.”

 

Next came the make-up, and to her surprise, she put it on easier than expected. “Hey, I look pretty good,” she exclaimed, looking in the mirror. “That wasn't so hard.” She looked at the clock and saw that she had ten minutes left to get ready. “Dress up time.”

 

She had resisted looking in the clothes box that Kagura had given her until now because she was half afraid of what she'd find. She approached the box warily and gently took off the lid. On top of some tissue paper, she saw a pair of white high heels with straps that were supposed to reach her mid-calves. She looked at the four inch heels and said to herself, “How the hell am I supposed to wear these without falling flat on my ass?” She shook her head and laid the heels on the floor by her feet. Now was the moment of truth. She reached for the tissue paper and took it out of the box, revealing the dress underneath.

 

A gasp. And then, “I'm going to kill Kagura. She expects me to wear this?!”

 

 

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Sesshoumaru waited in the front foyer, restraining himself from tapping his foot on the cold marble floor as he waited for his “fiancée” to come down from her room. She'd already been up there for ten minutes more than she should have been, and if she took any longer, they would be late.

 

“Woman!” he bellowed. “If you don't hurry up, I'm coming up there to get you!”

 

“Keep your pants on,” her voice said from the top of the stairs, but he couldn't catch a glimpse of her. “I'm coming.” He waited a few more moments and sighed in irritation.

 

“Don't tell me you're scared, Detective.”

 

“Yes,” she decided after a moments pause. “Yes, I am.”

 

“Detective…” he said warningly. “I will carry you out of this house if necessary.”

 

“Oh, stuff it, Sesshoumaru. I'm coming right now.” He heard her take a deep breath, and then he heard the tapping of heels on the floor. He glanced at his watch again, which he realized later was a bad idea. He should have kept his eyes on her the whole time, that way he wouldn't have had to fight the urge to drop his jaw, which he found out was a very hard thing to do.. She was muttering curses under her breath the whole time she was slowly making her way down the stairs, but he barely heard her.

 

The dress she was wearing was pure, unblemished white silk, and fit her like a second skin. The front dipped low, showing a lot of skin, and rose up to hook around her neck, and he was willing to bet that her whole back was bare. Instead of having a slit up to her hip on one side, or even both, the whole skirt was made up of slits that stopped just short of being indecent. The pieces of material reached the floor and swirled around her legs to give her a false sense of modesty, but every step she took revealed her long legs that were only made taller by the heels she was wearing.

 

Her midnight hair fell in a black waterfall behind her and made the perfect contrast to the snow-white material of her dress. Her eyes were framed by dark lashes and smoky lids, and her pouty lips were a deep, dark red. Her cheeks had a charming blush on them, which he suspected was caused more from embarrassment than actual blush.

 

“What the hell was Kagura thinking?” she was saying as she stopped in front of him. “I'm sure I'm at least breaking a few laws by going out in public like this. That woman is insane! Don't you agree?”

 

He had to clear his throat once before managing, “Kagura is known for being bold in her styling designs.” Damn, she smelled better than he expected. He had been preparing himself to deal with the overpowering perfumes that most women wore, but she smelled like clean soap, and the smell that he defined uniquely as Kagome. He had ignored her scent up until now, but the way she was looking tonight, he'd doubt if he ever would get it out of his head. She didn't smell like flowers or thunderstorms, but more like a symphony of emotions. Temptation, danger, and temper all sizzled together in a spicy mix while underneath it all was the mild sweetness of innocence. The contrast made his head spin.

 

“Bold?” Kagome was saying. “This is ridiculous!” She huffed in irritation and put her hands on her hips. “I'm going to be clinging to you all night because I just know I'm going to trip in these heels!”

 

“That's how we're supposed to look,” he said, grabbing her hand and leading her to the door. “Clingy. We are going to be married, after all…”

 

“Are you okay?”

 

His eyes met her confused ones and he realized he had been standing there, staring at her. He frowned at his lack of attention and said coldly, “Do not concern yourself with me. Just concentrate on doing your job.”

 

She whistled low. “Touchy. Sorry for being worried.”

 

He ignored her and picked up a velvet case that had been lying on a table close by. “Here,” he said, handing her the box. “You don't fit the part until you put these on.”

 

Kagome opened the box and gasped in surprise and delight. Resting in the silken case was the most gorgeous necklace she had ever seen. Dark sapphire and icy diamonds created a chain to wrap around her neck and met to create a delicate snowflake that rested in between her breasts and sparkled merrily. “This is gorgeous,” she said, close to awed.

 

“Yes, it is,” he said, not looking at the necklace. He reached out and picked up the jewelry, and she moved her hair out of the way so he could put it on her.

 

Just as I suspected, he thought smugly. Completely backless…

 

“Sesshoumaru?” she whispered, and he blinked down at her only to see that his hands were poised to caress the silky skin of her shoulders with the tips of his claws. He practically snatched them away from her and took a few steps back.

 

“Let's go,” he said, furious with his lack of control. “You've already made us late enough as it is.”

 

Her back straightened and her lips tightened in anger, but she didn't comment. If he wanted to act like a jerk tonight, that was his problem. She had more things to worry about…such as how she was going to survive the evening.

 

Sesshoumaru had forgone the limo for this occasion, opting to drive instead, but instead of enjoying the ride, each occupant was tense and silent. Sesshoumaru snuck glances at the woman by his side and each time noticed that the closer they got to the city, the more tightly she squeezed her hands together. He wanted to reach over and place his hand over hers to calm her, but with the way he acted before, it would only look insincere.

 

All too soon, they were pulling in front of the opera house.

 

“You know what you need to do?” he asked as they waited for the valet.

 

She took a deep, cleansing breath and replied cheekily, “Look in love and pretend that I don't hate your guts?”

 

“Precisely,” he said without missing a beat. If she could retort that quickly, she would be fine. He exited the car and tossed his keys to the nervous-looking valet. Walking to the passenger side, he opened the door for Kagome and offered his hand to her. She took it and stepped out of the car, only wobbling slightly on her heels when she stood fully. As they started walking to the entrance, Kagome noticed all the stares they were receiving, and started to feel nervous all over again. She felt a warm arm wrap around her waist and looked up in surprise at Sesshoumaru.

 

“What are you doing?” she asked in a shaky voice, while trying to keep a smile for their audience. She almost lost the smile when he leaned in slowly close to her and intimately whispered with his hot breath brushing her ear, “Just playing the part, darling.” He stayed close to her for an extra beat before slowly straightening and continuing on with his arm firmly around her waist.

 

Okay, Kagome, he's just playing his role and you should be playing yours. There should be no reason why your heart is beating so fast. Get a hold of yourself! But damn, he does look sexy in a tuxedo…

 

His tall, lithe form filled out the black suit well, and with his knee-length hair in a low-ponytail and his face markings surrounding his golden eyes, she was hard-pressed to take her eyes from him.

 

Focus, Higurashi, she hissed to herself as she almost stumbled in her heels. Fortunately, Sesshoumaru's arm tightened around her and the episode only left her plastered to his side, which was exactly what they needed to look convincing.

 

Sesshoumaru could clearly hear all of the whispers that were flying around them, even though he knew the woman at his side was oblivious to them all.

 

That must be his new fiancée…

 

I wonder why we've never heard anything about her before…

 

She looks like a bitch. I'm sure he would be much happier with me…

 

Man, Sesshoumaru sure knows how to pick them. No wonder he kept her a secret. She is hot!

 

I wonder if she's sleeping with him because of his money. If she is, she should know that I'm more than capable to compensate for her time…

 

Sesshoumaru held in an unexpected snarl at that last comment and shot his infamous death glare at the offender. The terrified man gulped and quickly looked away, knowing the TaiYoukai's reputation for violence, and not wanting to lose his life on that night.

 

Kagome walked on, oblivious to the fury of the demon beside her, and instead trying not to gape at the lobby they had just entered. Lush, red carpet covered the floor while the walls gleamed gold, and there were men and women, youkai and human alike, that were all dressed in their finery as they mingled about.

 

“Do try and close your mouth, detective,” Sesshoumaru said dryly. She shot him a dirty look that was gone an instant later as she suddenly felt a chill go through her body. Sesshoumaru felt her shiver and asked, “What's wrong?”

 

She frowned. “I…don't know. Something feels…wrong. I don't know what it is, but it's giving me the willies.”

 

“I have a feeling of what…or should I say who it is,” he said, his eyes focusing on something across the room. He started to lead her to where he was staring.

 

“What are you talking about,” she said, distracted. “Where are you taking me? Wherever it is, it's making the bad feeling get worse.”

 

“I'm taking you to meet my future business partner.”

 

She stared at him wide-eyed. “You mean Naraku?” Her eyes quickly darted to where Sesshoumaru was staring, and saw where the evil aura was coming from. A handsome, dark haired man was standing with a smirk on his face next to a beautiful young woman, and he beckoned Sesshoumaru over with a nod. All Kagome knew was that she didn't want to get any closer to where the bad vibe was coming from, and tensed her body a little more with every step. She could sense that the man was a hanyou…but then where was all of this power coming from?

 

Sesshoumaru could feel her wind tighter and tighter and quickly leaned down and whispered, “Relax. I'm right here.”

 

“That's comforting,” she said sarcastically, but in truth she was glad. She could sense a deep evil coming from Naraku, and for once, she was slightly afraid. She had never felt anything like that before, and with Sesshoumaru right by her side with his arm around her was more comforting that she would have liked to admit. Not that she would ever show it…

 

“Sesshoumaru,” Naraku said in a slightly amused voice. “Allow me to offer you my congratulations on your rather unexpected engagement.”

 

Sesshoumaru nodded his acknowledgement and began to make introductions. “Kagome, this is Naraku Ijin, an associate of mine. Naraku, this is my fiancée, Kagome Higurashi.”

 

The smirk never left his face as Naraku picked up the hand that was lying at Kagome's side and kissed the top of it, lingering longer than was necessary. His eyes, however, had focused sharply when he heard her name. “Higurashi? As in the Higurashi shrine?”

 

She fought not to shudder as she replied politely, “Yes, my family owns the shrine. It's nice to meet you.”

 

“The pleasure is all mine.” Naraku turned to the woman at his side. “Tsubaki, I'm sure you've heard of Sesshoumaru, so there is no need for me to make introductions.”

 

The woman smiled a coy smile. “Who hasn't heard of Japan's most eligible bachelor,” she said while her eyes traveled over every inch of Sesshoumaru. Her eyes hardened slightly when she spared a glance for Kagome. “Or should I say former bachelor?”

 

Tsubaki held out her hand with a smile that Kagome didn't trust, but she didn't need to seem suspicious so early on, so against her better judgment, she took the offered hand. Suddenly Kagome felt a painful jolt and realized what was happening. Tsubaki must have been a miko, and she was sending sparks of her powers through her hands into Kagome. Wrong person to mess with, lady. Two can play this game…

 

Although Tsubaki was a pretty powerful miko, judging from the jolts she was sending, Kagome was stronger, and she effortlessly sent her power through her hand and into Tsubaki's, sending the other woman back a step.

 

“Oh, dear, Tsubaki,” Kagome said in a sickly sweet voice. “You should have told me you were a miko. Sometimes my powers react to another miko's, and I just can't seem to control it. I didn't hurt you, did I? Oh, I just hate it when this happens. I ended up sending the last girl to the hospital. Remember that, Sesshoumaru?” She glanced up at the amused TaiYoukai with an innocent look and snuggled closer to his side. After all, it's only for show…

 

“Of course, koi,” he played along without missing a beat. It seemed the detective hadn't lost her spunk. He had seen what Tsubaki had tried to do, and had grown angry over it, but before he could step in he felt Kagome's power flow out of her. She must have been a stronger miko than he had thought because he could still feel the hair at the back of his neck tingle with electricity. “Are you all right, Tsubaki?”

 

“Of course,” she said with an unconvincing laugh. Her hand hurt like hell! That bitch showed her up, and Tsubaki hated to look like a fool. But there wasn't much she could do about it in an opera house, so she just pouted.

 

“Hn,” Naraku said with that annoying smirk still on his face. “I think it's time we find our seats.” He gestured to someone off in the distance. “I will join you in a few minutes. Tsubaki, if you would be so kind as to show Sesshoumaru and Higurashi-san to our seats…?”

 

“Of course. Please, follow me.”

 

As they were walking out of the lobby, Kagome looked back at Naraku one last time before he was out of sight.

 

“Sesshoumaru?” she asked quietly. He looked down at her and away to show he was listening. “Naraku was talking to a man right now. He has white hair and he's kind of small. Do you know who he is?”

 

“Hakudoushi. He works for Naraku.”

 

“Kind of like his number-one man?”

 

He nodded.

 

“It's weird though.”

 

“What is?”

 

“…I don't know. It's like they are giving off the same exact aura. Like they're a part of each other or something.”

 

 

 

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“Did you need something?”

 

“It seems the Higurashi miko has fallen right into our laps, Hakudoushi. She's Sesshoumaru's new fiancée.”

 

Hakudoushi looked at the demon that spawned him. “You're telling me that we've been staking out the shrine for a whole month with nothing to show for it, and now she just shows up out of thin air?”

 

“It would seem so. And now we shall see if the legend is true.”

 

“Sesshoumaru isn't going to let you near her. You know how inu-youkai are about their mates.”

 

“I'll deal with Sesshoumaru when the time comes. For now, I want you to keep an eye on the miko. And don't be stupid enough to get caught.”

 

Without a word, Hakudoushi left with a small bow, and Naraku headed towards his seating box. Finally, he would be able to claim the object of his obsession, and become the most powerful demon in the entire world. All he had to do was get past Sesshoumaru, and take what he wanted from the TaiYoukai's fiancée.

 

He was looking forward to it.

 

 

 

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During the first half of the opera, Kagome found something very interesting about Sesshoumaru: when he was bored, he tapped his fingers. The only reason she found this interesting little tidbit was that she was bored herself, and began to look at her surroundings. And apparently Sesshoumaru was very bored, because the constant tapping of his claws on his thighs were driving her out of her mind. Finally she could take it no more and grabbed his fingers to make him stop. She made it look like a loving gesture with a small smile, but her eyes were telling him that if he moved his fingers one more time, she would do bodily damage. He smirked at her actions, and shrugged his shoulders like he was sorry, but when she tried to get her hand back, he held on.

 

She tried again, unsuccessfully, to jerk her hand back, but she was lacking in the strength department against him. And when he their joined hands and placed it on his thigh where his hand had been before, she wanted to use her miko powers more than anything to make him let her go. But that would have caused a disturbance and raised eyebrows, so she just sat there with her hand in his on his lap and trying every so often to get her hand back. He didn't let go of her until the curtain went down for intermission.

 

It was during this time that Naraku and Tsubaki took their leave, and Kagome couldn't say she wasn't happy. In fact, as soon as he left, she was able to breathe easier and felt a little more relaxed. That is, until Sesshoumaru wrapped his arm around her waist again as he began talking to some business colleagues.

 

He does it just to piss me off, I know it, she fumed silently as she tried to pay attention to the conversation they were having.

 

One fat, bald man was talking to Sesshoumaru about stocks or something. “And so if you invest into our company, Sesshoumaru-sama, you could double your profits in a few years and…”

 

Blah, blah, blah…jeez, does Sesshoumaru have to put up with this every day? How boring…

 

It seemed that Sesshoumaru thought so too, because he started tapping his claws again, this time on the side of her hip. And that was distracting on a whole other level.

 

“If you gentlemen will excuse me for a few minutes, I need to go powder my nose,” Kagome broke in when there was a lull. Kami, I never thought I'd say that in a million years. She extricated herself from Sesshoumaru's arm and went to find the restroom.

 

“Is it time to go home yet?” she asked her reflection and sighed. Oh well, guess she had to give the bathroom extra points. It was bigger than her apartment back home with full-length mirrors everywhere, gorgeous lights, and soft love seats in the waiting area. All this to go pee? She thought. Maybe being rich wouldn't be so bad.She touched up her make-up in record time, but stayed in the bathroom for a few extra minutes.

 

You can't hide in here forever, a little voice said in the back of her head. Sesshoumaru will come looking for you…he'd probably break down the door just to make sure you didn't bail out on him.

 

She let out a little laugh and stepped out of the restroom into the hallway.

 

“Well, well, well, I haven't seen you here before. What's your name?”

 

Kagome whirled in surprise to see an incredibly handsome demon standing before her. He was leaning casually against the wall staring intently at her with light blue eyes, but when her eyes met his, he stood up straight and headed right toward her.

 

“So?” he asked.

 

She decided the best thing to do would be to just get out of the situation as quickly as possible.

 

“So what?” she asked, putting a bored look on her face, which only made the demon in front of her show a fang in a smile.

 

“So what's your name, sweetheart?”

 

“Well it isn't sweetheart, I can tell you that.”

 

“Are you always this touchy to guys who come on to you?”

 

“Are you always this arrogantly forward with girls you just meet?”

 

“No,” he said, sauntering over to her, causing her to back up against the wall. He put his arm out, trapping one way to escape and leaned closer to her. “I can be much forward than this. How `bout we skip all this tiptoeing and you come home with me tonight and be my woman?”

 

Kagome was speechless. Almost. “Be your what? Listen, buddy, I don't know who you are, and I don't particularly care, so where do you come off propositioning to me like this?”

 

“500 years ago, I wouldn't have even had to proposition. All I'd have to do was claim you,” he said, leaning closer.

 

“I wouldn't come any closer, if I were you,” she said, thinking of a way she could get away from him without causing a huge scene.

 

“Or what? You'll bite?”

 

“No, but I will,” a deep voice came from behind, and Kagome never thought she would be glad to hear Sesshoumaru's voice. “Kouga,” he continued. “Want to tell me why you're trying to hit on my fiancée?”

 

The blue-eyed demon turned to the smirking TaiYoukai with a gulp. “You're fiancée?”

 

“His fiancée,” Kagome said, coming out from behind Kouga and joining Sesshoumaru's side. He immediately put his arm around her waist, and she leaned her head against his shoulder to make the picture complete. Just a couple in love…yup, that's us. It would be nice if he would actually play the jealous boyfriend routine, but that's not his style.

 

Unbeknownst to her, Sesshoumaru was actually pretty pissed off. He had excused himself from his conversation to find out what was taking Kagome so long, only to find her cornered by Kouga. The first rush of rage took him by surprise, but when he heard what Kouga was saying to her, he actually had to fight down a growl.

 

“Are you ready to go?” Sesshoumaru asked her. “I'm bored.”

 

“Fine, I'll go get our coats. It was an…interesting experience meeting you, Kouga.”

 

The wolf put his hand behind his neck with a sheepish look. “Yeah.”

 

“See you around.” Both demons watched her as she walked away.

 

“Kouga,” Sesshoumaru said.

 

Kouga gulped and turned to his boss. “H-Hai?”

 

The TaiYoukai turned and walked away without a backwards glance. “See you first thing Monday morning.”

 

 

 

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“Can we not do this again?” Kagome asked as they pulled into Sesshoumaru's driveway. “I don't think I can handle it.”

 

“You handled yourself well.”

 

She looked at him. “What? Was that, dare I say, a compliment from the Great Sesshoumaru? Stop the car, I think I'm going to faint.”

 

“Not amusing, detective.”

 

“Hn, anyway, tonight was almost a complete disaster.”

 

“And it has the capability of becoming worse,” he said, seeing Inuyasha's car in the driveway.

 

“You really don't like him, huh?” she asked as he gave her a hand out of the car.

 

“Sesshoumaru!” Inuyasha yelled out from the front door, holding Jaken up by the scruff of his neck. “Get in here before I maim your sorry excuse of a butler.”

 

“Not that I blame you,” she finished.

 

Inuyasha whistled when he saw Kagome. “Damn, Higurashi. Who knew you could clean up so well?”

 

“Shut up, baka,” she said, tweaking his ear. “I can still kick your ass.”

 

He walked in a slow circle around her. “Are you armed? I don't see how you could carry anything with that dress on.”

 

“Of course I'm armed, who do you think I am?” she said, pulling a pen out of her purse. He stared at it, as did Sesshoumaru.

 

“You're going to stab them with a pen?”

 

She rolled her eyes. “No, look closely.” She handed it to him and he turned it over in his hands.

 

“What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?”

 

“You see the little knob on the side?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Pull it back.”

 

Inuyasha did and heard the unmistakable cocking sound of a gun. “What the hell is this? I don't smell any gun powder. In fact, it smells just plain horrible.”

 

“This is a .38 Smith & Wesson caliber gun, and I don't use bullets for it. What's inside there is a Youkai repellant, similar to the consistency of rock salt. I have to be at short range to use it, but I would knock you or any other demon out in three seconds flat. I couldn't put my gun on me anywhere, and my skirt would show my knife holster, so I decided to bring this.”

 

“Speaking of your skirt,” Inuyasha said, handing the pen/gun back to her with a sheepish glance. “You should probably change before…”

 

Grope…grope…

 

“…Miroku sees you in it,” he finished.

 

Before Kagome could even turn around to smack the offending person, she heard a muffled growl and Miroku was on the floor with Sesshoumaru standing above him, flexing his claws.

 

“Watch your hands,” he said, while Kagome stared at him wide-eyed.

 

“Kagome,” Inuyasha said, distracting her attention. “I think you need to call your mom.”

 

“Why, what's wrong? Did something happen to the money I sent them? Is everything okay?”

 

Money? Sesshoumaru thought.

 

“Calm down. She's just been calling my cell all day to find out why she can't get a hold of her daughter and why she saw her engagement announcement in the paper instead of in person. I take it you didn't tell her about this assignment.”

 

Kagome put her head in her hands and groaned. “No. I take it she wants to see me?”

 

“And Sesshoumaru. Tomorrow. She didn't sound to happy.”

 

“Great, just what I need. Are you willing to go?” she asked Sesshoumaru. He said nothing. “I'll just take that as a `yes' then.”

 

“Well, I guess we should talk about how your night went then. Living room okay?”

 

“Fine,” Sesshoumaru said, stepping over the still unconscious Miroku.

 

“Can I please get out of this dress first?”

 

Miroku miraculously woke up at that statement. “Be my guest.”

 

“Shut up baka!” She said, kicking him in the head.

 

“Touchy,” Inuyasha said.

 

“I think I need a drink,” she said, and started climbing the stairs. “It's been a long freaking night.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Okay, guys, that's it for now. I know this is a shorter chapter than others, but I just ran out of steam. Anyway, on to reviewer responses, and thank you for them. Forty-one reviews for one chapter must be a record for me! And by the way, all of your responses made my birthday wonderful, so thank you!!!! Oh, and one more thing: Reviewers from a Single Spark, you rock! I was hardly getting any reviews from that site, but this time…(whistles) Thanks!

 

Also, special thanks goes to Tara from A Single Spark. She is the one who gave me all the info on the pen guns and the idea for using a youkai repellent. She even sent me pictures and everything, so all the credit goes to her. She is one awesome lady and very helpful, so all props to her. She is very funny, and I really hope she reviews this story again. This chapter would not be what it is without her so….

 

I AM OFFICIALLY DEDICATING THIS CHAPTER TO TARA

 

Thanks a bunch!!

 

These are going to be in order, and I will say which site they came from when I respond:

 

Dark_moon_drow from A Single Spark: Thank you for the birthday wish and the sympathy. I hope you don't feel too bad about what happened to Kagome in this chapter. I mean, at least she got to show up Tsubaki, right? I hope you review again.

 

Kawaiikitty from FF.Net: Short but sweet. Thank you for the review.

 

( ~ ` - ` ~ ) from FF.Net: Did I get that right? Lol! Very cute. Hope I didn't keep you waiting very long! Thank you.

 

Inu_Fan05 from MM.org: Ah, my ever faithful and one of my favorite reviewers. Your compliments always seem to just brighten my day so thank you.

 

Dooley from FF.net: Yeah, the character relationships are really hard to get down, but I actually think they are easier in AU. That's because you don't have to stay true to their original character and can play around a bit. Thank you for your compliments, and I hope to hear from you again!

 

Lyn from FF.net: Okay, girl, you are becoming one of my favorite reviewers just because your two or three word reviews crack me up. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

 

Karrarii from FF.net: I wrote more from you and I hope you liked it and review again!

 

TyBass3 from FF.net: Thank you for the review very much. I'm trying to make Kagome as spunky as I can without making her come off as too much of a bitch. I have a question though: are you a guy? Because I don't know if any guys read my story. I would like to get to both audiences both girls and guys, so guys who read this, review and tell me what you think. I would like some feedback from the fellas. Thanks.

 

KagomeandInuyasha4ever from FF.net: Wow, so enthusiastic. Thanks a bunch! I didn't want Kagura to be one of Naraku's playthings in this fic, because I just think she's so cool. I'm glad you liked all the details I put in there, I did it just for you. Anyway, thanks for the birthday wish and review again!!!!

 

Demon626 from FF.net: Thanks for the birthday wish, and your review had me cracking up. I hope you feel better from your dance lesson. Thank you for the review and I really hope you review again. And, to quote you: PEACE OUT, LUV YA!

 

Captain-Sharelle from FF.net: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Laters!

 

Kitkatthecandybar from FF.net: Cute name. And thank you very much for the review. I always try to make my story plots original, and I'm glad you noticed.

 

Sweetydream from FF.net: Thank you, thank you, I always love compliments.

 

Jaya from A Single Spark: Thank you, and the fact that you read it while you were supposed to be working is a compliment to me. P.S. I'm VERY glad you didn't forget this fic.

 

Fluffychick15 from FF.net: thank you, but you never did tell me what bbfn means. Help!! Ohhhh, wait, it means bye-bye for now, huh? Duh, I'm such a ditz sometimes...okay, all the time, but that's why everyone loves me!

 

The Violent Tomboy from FF.net: Thank you, and I will try to terrorize Jaken as much as I can, but I can't diss his loyalty to Sessh.

 

Jin Ryu from MM.org: oh, my gosh your review almost made me cry. You gave me the greatest compliment by saying this is one of the greatest fics you've ever read, because I know that there are a lot of really good fics out there by talented authors. I usually think I suck at writing and that I'm no good at all, so it's good to hear someone try to prove me wrong. I'm working really hard at trying not to make Sess and Kag get together so fast because I see that a lot, and I hate it. But, again, thank you SOOOOOOOO much for your awesome review, and I really hope you review again. Thank you.

 

Freak from A Single Spark: thank you for the review, and I'm glad you are reading it. Please review again. Pretty please?

 

Kathleen from A Single Spark: No need to be ashamed of not reviewing, because you reviewed right now. All is forgiven! Thank you for the Happy Birthday! Please review again.

 

Anonymous from FF.net: thank you, I always like brightening peoples days. Also, thank you for the happy birthday!

 

Feathergriffin from A Single Spark: Thank you, I always love the nice reviews, and your was very nice. I hope you keep up with this story and review again.

 

Christine from A Single Spark: thank you for the nice compliments and I'm glad you are liking this story. Review again please?

 

DarkShadow from A Single Spark: Thank you, and don't worry about the review being late. I'm just happy you reviewed. Thank you for the happy birthday and your compliments. I'm so glad you like this story. Please review again.

 

Sessywuver from FF.net: Thank you, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who uses the word WICKED. Hah!

 

Constance from A Single Spark: Thank you for the review and the happy birthday. My day did get better because of all the reviews.

 

Blood-red from A Single Spark: Oh, sympathize with you for the whole review thing. What are your stories. I'll definitely review them if I read them. That goes for anybody who reads my stories. Okay? Thanks for the review.

 

Moonwave from MM.org: Okay, didn't I tell you I was going to write about us? I am talking to you right now on Yahoo messenger, and am laughing so hard. Like I said before, thanks for the review. You are one cool dude!!!!!! P.S. this goes to everyone: My yahoo messenger account is TrickyNick06 and my AOL screenname is Pslms123. If anybody ever wants to just talk to me, feel more than free. Moonwave is proof that I'm not scary. She just IM'd me and we both didn't know who each other was until I said I wrote fanfics. So if you want to hit me up, just say you read my fic, and I would LOVE to talk.

 

Fan of Yours from A Single Spark: aha, thank you thank you, I think I'm blushing. Don't worry, I'll email this to you as soon as I'm done with it, okay? Thanks again!!!

 

RubyRoseOfTheBlackBlood from FF.net: Thanks for your review and the time it took you. Please review again when ever you can.

 

Anonymous from A Single Spark: Just to let all of you know, I NEVER FORGET ABOUT MY FICS. Even if I have writers block, they are always in my mind. I hate it when writers forget about their stories, and I promise you I will never become one of those. Thank you for the review.

 

Arcander from FF.net: I run away from bobby-pins, and the stupid mascara wand freaked me out when I first put on make-up. Thanks for the review, and I hope you review again!!

 

Maru from A Single Spark: aha, corny joke about the soccer kicks, but I'm a sucker for corny jokes. It made me laugh so hard, and thank you so much for your enthusiastic review. I especially loved the end of it. Thanks for the happy birthday, and I always try to make it a point to update as soon as I can. Thank again!

 

Crystal from A Single Spark: Ah, I always care about reviews. And I'll try to update again as soon as I can. Thanks for the review!

 

Kogasangel from A Single Spark: Thanks for the happy birthday, and you know, I never thought of how similar it was to Miss Congeniality. Thanks for pointing that out, I had never noticed. Now that I think of it, it does, huh? Not my intention, but that's the way it turned out. Thank you for your review, and I hope you liked Kouga in this chapter. More to come of him in the next chapter.

 

Bay from A Single Spark: Thanks for the birthday song, and the review!

 

Evableau from A Single Spark: thank you for the reviews. I'm so glad everyone is liking how I made Kagome. I love the whole Sess/kag couple too…well, duh, Mujitsu, otherwise you wouldn't be writing it. Oops, went off track a little there. Oh well!