InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ For The Last Time ❯ Interlude: Kyra and Obsydian ( Chapter 7 )

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

You know what? I hit 100 reviews on FFnet so I'm going to give ya'll a special treat. How about an interlude that tells of Allyson's (Kyra's) and Stacey's (Obsydian's) past up to this point in the story? Would you like that? Well, here it is. If you don't, please read anyway, it does have bearing on the plot line.

FL

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Allyson, Stacey and the plot line. Oh yeah, and what I'm going to do to Houjo.



Allyson watched as Stacey advanced on Sesshomaru and thought about the first time she met the two. Boy was that a fun day. I'll never forget it, she smirked.

&&&&

The times were simpler. Much simpler. Demons were prevalent and respected, not attacked. Powerful families basked in the attention, unwanted or wanted, the local villagers gave them. Many were commissioned to protect the human establishments and thus started the territories such as the "West" or the "East" and so on. Soon, bounderies were defined and respected, for the most part anyway. There were, of course, the occasional forayes by a stupid band of lower youkai into the more powerful families' lands, but, overall, everything was peaceful.

It was during this time that the Western family met and became allied with a powerful horse clan on the verge of their lands. Each side used the alliance to their advantage. The horses sought the protection of the dogs while the dogs used the horses to defend their outermost borders. This partnership turned out to be very effective and, eventually, the alliance turned into a friendship. Each family enjoyed the company of eachother and every hundred years a gathering of the two was held at the stronghold of the Western Lords and Ladies. It was at these events when the children of the two families were introduced to eachother and future alliances were forged.

It was at one of these gatherings when Sesshomaru and Obsydian met Kyra.

This was Obsydian's first gathering and Sesshomaru's second and Obsydian, who was more at home in her hakama and hoari rather than the formal blue and black kimono she was wearing, stuck to her cousin like a shadow, much to their parents' amusement and Sesshomaru's chagrin.

"Cheer up, Sesshomaru!" his father cried, tears in his eyes and laughter in his voice. "Show your cousin around. Obsydian has never been to a gathering while this is the second one within your memory! You get to be her tour guide for the rest of the day."

"I should just ditch her," the young inu muttered under his breath, golden eyes downcast.

"I heard that," his mother reprimanded. "And no sir you will not ditch your cousin. She is barely a hundred years old while you are pushing three. You are the older and therefore the wiser of the two. You will escort your cousin today. She has never met a horse before therefore there will probably be some commotion. You are suitable to stop any nonsense from happening. Do you hear me?" Her voice was firm; it was not a question, it was a command.

"Hai, Haha-ue," Sesshomaru replied quietly.

He turned to leave with his young cousin following him. The two's ankle high black leather boots glided silently over the lush green grass.

"Itoko," the brunnette whispered quietly, tugging on her cousin's sleeve. "Where are we going?"

"To find a horse," the silver haired inu pup grunted.

"What's a horse?" Obsydian asked.

"It's an animal." He was growing tired of her questions already. Kami, this is going to be a long day.

"Why are we going to meet an animal?"

"We aren't."

"But you said--"

"A horse is also a youkai. We are going to meet a horse youkai."

"Oh."

Quiet. Sesshomaru sighed imperceptibly. She was finally quiet.

"Ano, Itoko." The older inu pup clenched his fists and growled inaudibly. "What does a horse youkai look like?"

"It depends," Sesshomaru ground out.

"On what?"

"Sometimes they look like we do. Sometimes they look like the animal they have inside of them."

"What does the animal inside of them look like?" the young girl asked, curiousity nearly boiling over.

"It has four legs and its height depends on its power. Its color varies from youkai to youkai. It doesn't have paws, it has hooves. It has a long flowing tale and mane. Its eyes are on the side of its long head--"

"Why are its eyes on the side of its head?"

"Because it is a prey animal, not a predator. Its eyes are on the side so it can see attackers from behind."

"Can we eat horses?"

Sesshomaru paused at this, what had given her that idea?

"It is possible," he said slowly. "But it is not permitted."

"Why not?"

"Because the horses are our allies. We do not eat allies," the silver youkai explained, emphasizing the last sentence.

"Oh. Why not?"

"Becuase it is dishonorable."

"Do they taste good?"

"I don't know. I have never tried horse."

"Why not?"

Sesshomaru heaved a very large sigh. "Juumai, we do not eat allies. This rule has been in place long before I was born. If it was made before I was born then why should I have tried horse?"

"I don't know," the girl shrugged. "I just thought that since you don't always obey hakufu and hakubo that you might have tried horse. Besides," she licked her lips, "I'm hungry."

The silver dog whirled on the young brunnette. "No matter what you do, you will not disgrace This Sesshomaru by trying to eat a horse. Do you understand?"

The girl nodded, tears in her large blue eyes. "Hai, itoko."

Sesshomaru sighed again. Great, just great, now she was crying! What was he supposed to do? He sighed...again. Lifting his arms, the young taiyoukai wrapped his young cousin in his strong embrace. Both of their mokomoko fluttered in the slight breeze around them.

Obsydian sniffled and clutched to his haori. "Gomen."

Sesshomaru just nodded and let go of his cousin, turning around. Obsydian, however, had no intentions of letting go of her escort. She clutched to the sleeve of his haori as if for her life and stared with wide eyes at all the unfamiliar people around her. There were so many new scents! She smelled some sort of juicy fruit. There was the hint of meat cooking over an open fire and the sounds of fish being skinned and gutted. Laughter and music filled the air.

"Sesshou-itoko," she looked around her. "When are we going to see a horse? I want to go back to okaa-san." The girl stuck out her lower lip in a slight pout.

"Soon, juumai. First we must find the one chichi-ue wants you to meet." He lifted his nose and sniffed the air, trying to sift out the foal's scent from all the others in the air. There, he just barely caught it.

Picking up his pace, he practically dragged his cousin along behind him as they walked towards their target. Eventually, she came into sight. The young filly was standing with her parents, dressed in a nice pink kimono with bare feet. Her light red hair was pulled back into a ponytail while bangs covered her forehead.

She wasn't much older than Obsydian, but it was apparent in her posture and bearing that she was definitely more confident than the pup. However, her eyes belied what her body language spoke. The filly was scared out of her mind by being near all these dogs, her natural enemy.

"Haha-ue, Chichi-ue," she begged, tugging on her mother's and father's matching chocolate brown clothing. "When can we leave?"

"Not for another three days, sweet heart," her mother said in a soothing voice.

"First you have to meet your future ally. She should be here soon. You also need to meet her parent's and the rest of her family. Ahh, here she comes now," the redhead's father said in a soft tone, a smile on his face as he saw the 'oh-so-regal-Sesshomaru' being shadowed by his young cousin. "Sesshomaru, you finally made it. And who, may I ask, is this lovely young pup?" he asked, kneeling down on one knee and stretching his hand to the girl.

Obsydian whimpered and ducked behind her cousin, who promptly dragged her out from behind him, planting her between himself and the old stallion.

"This is Obsydian. Obsydian, that is your future ally's father," he said.

"Obsyidian, what a lovely name. Why do they call you 'Obsydian' when you have such lovely brown hair?" the foal's father asked.

"Mamma says it's because my fur is a rich black color," Obsydian smiled shyly, running her hand through her soft brown tresses.

The stallion smiled and nodded indulgingly. "I see. Well, Obsydian, I would like you to meet my young filly, Kyra. Kyra, this is your future ally, Obsydian." He stood and gently pushed Kyra to where she was facing the pup.

Kyra wrinkled her nose at the young dog. "Why would I want to become allies with a dog?" she asked. "They eat horses!"

"You are right, Kyra, but only partially. Only some dogs eat horses. The family of inu youkai of the West are the Lords and Ladies of the land we live on. We are allies, friends. They protect us and we help them out," her mother explained. The mare smiled at her child's instincts. She will be a wise companion when she grows up.

The filly looked from her dam to her sire. "But why do I have to be friends with a dog?" she complained.

"And why do I have to be friends with a whiney little horse?" Obsydian whined, turning to look at her cousin. Her large blue eyes pleaded with him.

"It is out of my hands, Obsydian. Shukufu and shukubo requested that you be allied with a powerful member of the family, thus she was chosen because of her heritige. I suggest you thank them that you were not paired with a burden for an ally," Sesshomaru replied.

"Oh. Itoko, who is your ally?" Obsydian asked.

Sesshomaru became silent as his eyes turned hard. "It is not any of your business, pup," he growled.

"But you know who mine is, so who is yours?" the little female persisted. She looked up when Kyra's father laid a quieting hand on her shoulder.

"Now is not the time to speak of such things," he said quietly.

"Why not?" The pup was curious, she wanted to know why Sesshou-itoko didn't have an ally!

The old stallion simply shook his head, his shoulder length black-brown hair swaying with this action. His blue-grey eyes held a sadness in their depths.

Obsydian looked to the mare. Kyra's mother's eyes were downcast, the gray-green orbs containing unshed tears. The little pup wondered what had happened to make the mare and stallion so sad and her cousin so angry. Why won't anyone tell me what happened? She wisely kept quiet, though.

Turning back to the filly, she sized her up as an opponent before she looked at her cousin once more.

"How do I know she won't be a burden simply because her heritage is strong?" she asked, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at the little horse.

"Hey!" Kyra cried indignantly.

"I mean, ever litter has its runt, so what says she won't be it? She doesn't look like much to me," Obsydian sniffed.

Sesshomaru smiled lightly at his cousin's question. It was, he had to admit, a valid one.

"If you feel so strongly about knowing her strength, then I suggest you fight her," he said frankly.

The mare was aghast at such a statement. Her husband, however, agreed whole-heartedly with it.

"It sounds like a fine idea to me. When shall we have this 'duel'?"

The silver pup looked at the sun, judging the time by its position in the sky. "Just after the sun reaches its zenith. It will be held in the training arena inside the stronghold. Be there before one hour before the sun reaches its zenith. Come, Obsydian, we must inform our parents of the impending match." With that, the silver dog turned on his heel and headed back to where their parents were, his young cousin trotting along behind him.

&&&&&&

Obsydian's mother's eye twitched. Just what had her nephew gotten her daughter into? She sighed. Honestly, she should have expected something like this to come from the little dog. He was, after all, a male Taishou and everyone knew how much trouble they just loved getting into.

The poor female looked to her mate, a pleading look on her face. "Is there nothing we can do to stop this 'match'? They are suppossed to be allies, not enemies!!" she wailed.

Her mate smiled fondly back at her. "Yes, that is true. But they need to know from the start who the leader of their little pack will be. If she is anything like her father or her uncle, she will turn out on top," he said with a wink, his hazel eyes sparkling.

His wife rolled her eyes and looked back at the two competitors in the ring. Obsydian circled the filly, keeping both eyes on her at all times. Kyra was standing in the center, the whites of her eyes showing and her body obviously quaking.

The two children were in clothing more fitting for their battle. Both were in hakama and light overshirts. Where Kyra was once barefoot, she wore thick soled boots. Obsydian was now the one without shoes.

The filly's own family stood off to the side, a worried expression on their faces. The mare constantly clasped and unclasped her hands, her nervousness apparent to anyone who wished to see it.

The Inu no Taishou walked up to his younger brother's mate, laying a soothing hand on her shoulder before directing her attention back to the ring. "Look," he said softly. "They are about to begin."

Indeed, they were. Obsydian had stopped circling the filly and was now crouched down in a position fit for stalking prey. Despite her young age, the little female was very connected with her inner youkai. The redheaded horse was still in the center, although she no longer shook as violently as before. She kept two wary eyes on her stalker, her nostrils flared and ears alert. When the pup sprang, the filly was ready.

She quickly whirled around and stood on her hands, freeing her feet to land a mighty kick on the young dog.

Obsydian was thrown to the other side of the ring with a small yelp, but she was on her feet and circling the filly again in a matter of seconds. This time, she did not try to attack the young horse from behind but instead made several false rushes on each side, subsequently throwing Kyra's sense of balance off. Using this to her advantage, Obsydian made another rush at the horse, zig-zagging the entire way there before finally stopping a mere foot from the horse's face. Rearing her arm back, she landed a mighty punch on her opponent's cheek bone, sending her sailing backwards.

Kyra landed with a magnifcent crash into a few quickly vacated seats along the wall. She got up and rushed the dog, and, much to everyone's suprise, breached her defenses before landing a bite on her shoulder.

Obsydian bit down on her lip to stifle the scream until she tasted blood. The little female had planned for this. She grinned as latched her own set of powerful jaws onto her opponent's left shoulder, her poison leaking into the wound with her saliva.

The filly let go and screamed in pain, trying futiley to rid herself of the dog. She eventually did, but not without enduring a fair amount of pain. Fortunately for her, the brunnette's poison capabilities had not yet reached their most powerful point and therefore only numbed her left arm instead of killing her. She clasped her left arm in her right and heaved mightly while watching her opponent.

The little female stood there, licking her lips at the taste of her opponents blood. She had to admit, horses did taste good. Very good, a voice in her head agreed. Let's have some more... The pup agreed as her eyes bled red and she allowed her body to shift.

&&&&&&

Sesshomaru was enjoying the show, not that he would allow anybody to know--purposefully anyway. He knew that it would only take the one kick from the filly for Obsydian to learn her lesson about charging straight on. He was very proud of his cousin and swelled slightly with pride when she allowed the horse to breach her defenses so she could use her poison. He did become concerened, though, when she stood there and licked her lips. The young taiyoukai recalled their conversation from earlier and remembered that the little female had not eaten since. Crap, was the one word that echoed in his mind.

He watched as her eyes turned a dangerous ruby and she shifted her form. Where a slender young girl once stood, now was a ten foot tall, black and white dog. Her front legs where completely white up to the point where the joined with her body. There her fur turned a rich black that covered her entire back, down her sides, over the tops of her thighs and the majority of her head before reaching around to start two strips onto her creamy throat and chest. Her ears where a beautiful black and stood proudly at the top her head. A black hood covered the young dog's forehead and reached a thick stripe to the middle of her muzzle where it faded quickly. The rest of her face was white, as well as part of her neck. Her tail was predominantly black with some white thrown in. Its tip was a snowy white.

Kyra's scent spiked with fear. She quickly revereted to her own form as well. In her place was ten and a half foot tall liver chestnut horse. Her flaxen mane and tale flew in the wind created by the two auras. There were four white stockings reaching to her knees, as well as a white blaze and snip on her face. She favored her left foreleg but still used it as much as possible.

The two opponents sized eachother up. Kyra followed Obsydian's every motion, while the dog circled her opponent, a hungry look in her eyes.

The young dog made a rush at her opponent from behind, barrowly missing a powerful kick from a hind leg. She feinted to the right and snapped at one of the filly's delicate forelegs, causing the horse to neigh and rear slightly before coming back down in an attempt to crush her opponent beneath her hooves. The dog was wiser, however, and moved aside. Obsydian sprinted the short distance to the front of the horse and was now placed in one of the few blind spots the animal had--directly in front of her.

Crouching, the female slowly stalked forward until she was merely a few feet away from her target's nose. Pouncing, she grabbed on to the horse's nose and pulled with all her weight, effectively bulldogging the larger animal. Letting go, Obsydian rose and placed her powerful canine jaws around her prey's throat just as the horse reached around, placing her own teeth on the dog's exposed throat.

Both froze, not moving for nearly five minutes until it became apparent neither would win.

'Truce?' Kyra called in beast.

'Truce,' Obsydian reluctantly agreed, letting go and backing off as the horse stood.

Each relaxed their forms, knowing the 'game' was over. That still did not mean they had to be immediate friends though. As the two opponents retreated to their respective sides, Kyra muttered loud enough for the dog to hear. "Pretty good, for a mutt," she said.

Obsydian sniffed. "Pretty good, for a no-account horse."

Kyra whirled, ready to do battle again in an instant at the slight on her heritage. Her plans were thwarted, though, when her father grabbed her from behind and whisked her back to where her mother was waiting tearfully.

"My baby!" she wailed, hugging her daughter. "My little foal. I thought I had lost you when she transformed!"

"Aw, come on now, sweet heart. Did you really think I would let our little girl be killed in a mach battle?" he tried comforting his mate.

"Make no mistake," rang a cold voice from the other side of the arena. "This was no 'mach' battle. At least, not on Obsydian's part. She took everything as seriously as she was taught. There is nothing fake, even in training. You either live or you die, there is no middle ground," Sesshomaru said, eyeing his cousin.

Obsydian lifted her chin, baring her throat in submission to the words her cousin spoke and in submission to her cousin himself. "Agreed. I fought as if it were my life or her life. If she had been killed, it would not have bothered me. It would have only helped me in the future by not being burdened with a weak 'partner'," she spat the word in distate.

Nothing could have made Sesshomaru more proud of his cousin in that instant.

"See," his uncle poked at his wife. "I told you she would come out on top!"

His mate just harumphed and turned to look her daughter over. "You are alright I suppose? Knowing you've been in rougher scrapes with your cousin and his 'training'."

"Hai, haha-ue, I am fine. My shoulder and chest ache a little, but I guess that is to be expected. Oh," she called over her shoulder to her new ally, "You might want to have one of our healers treat you for the poison before it does any more damage."

Kyra's eyebrow twitched as two healers approached her warily.

&&&&&

As time passed, the two became close allies and closer friends. They were nearly inseperable and Kyra practically became family. She refferred to Obsydian's parents as 'okaa-san' and 'otou-san' and Sesshomaru's parents as 'Uncle' and 'Aunt'.

While the years flew by, the two watched from the sidelines as things at the Western Stronghold began to unravel. First to go was the marraige of Sesshomaru's parents. No one every really knew what happened between the two of them, but rumors of the lord's infidelity with a human woman flew throughout the lands. As the little tails spread, they grew, and by the time they reached the girls' ears there was word that The Inu no Taishou had a child with the woman--she was a princess apparently.

Of course, the two did not believe these vicious rumors of a hanyou child sired by the great Lord of the West.

When the old dog died, it was purported that he died in battle at the hand's of the princess's suitor. The girls knew, though, that he actually died in battle with Ryokoutse, the last enemy he ever fought. He used the last of his power to seal the demon to a mountain cliff for time's length.

When it was announced that Sesshomaru would be heir to his father's vast estate, Obsydian and Kyra felt that it was time to take their leave of the stronghold. They left but stayed on the lands for a short while before eventually moving to the North American continent.

Once there, the girls assumed the new identities of Allyson and Stacey and moved from state to state every few years learning all manner of trades, from kindergarten teacher, which Obsydian was better at, to biochemist, which Kyra was better at, to veterinary medicine. Eventually, the two longed to be back home in their native Japan. The states were great, they just weren't the bustling cities and high class shopping centers that Japan was. So, they packed their medical bags and moved back home, only to find that it too had changed with the times. Not that they hadn't expected this, they just hadn't expected the level of change.

They got over it, though, quickly adapting and setting up their veterinary medicine clinic not too far from the Higurashi Shrine, where, unbeknownst to them, a certain time traveling miko and hanyou spent their time on their brakes.

Obsydian and Kyra saw all manner of clients, from dogs to cats to chameleons. The girls even saw youkai patients. A special writing on the front door of their office, meant for youkai eyes only, alerted their certain clients as to who lay inside.

It was one not-very-busy-day when a call came into their office from a young man asking about an emergency house call to the Higurashi Shrine. Of course, the doctors would never say no to an emergency. So they packed their bags and hopped into Kyra's truck and cranked the music up to its loudest for the short trip there. It had taken some time, but, eventually, they had accostomed their sensitive hearing to the loud noises of passerbye's radios. In time, they picked up on the trend and played their own music to its absolute loudest.

They laughed and chatted the whole way to their destination.

"Hey, Stacey," Allyson called.

"Ya?"

"What do you think is up with this animal that they can't come to our place when they're such a short distance away?"

Obsydian shrugged. "I have no clue. Why?"
Now it was Kyra's turn to shrug. "I just think I keep sensing your cousin's aura. It's wierd, you know? We haven't seen him in around six hundred years and now I keep getting these fleeting feelings of his aura."

"Aww, someone's got a crush!" her partner teased.

"I do not!" the horse said vehemently.

"Do too! Your cheeks are turning red!"

"So! That doesn't mean I have a crush on your cousin! I mean, who could like a guy who turned so cold after his parents broke up and his dad died?"

"Nah, it wasn't just that. He may not have been that cold, but he was cold before you met him. It's still something I don't know why."

They sat silent for a moment before pulling up to the base of the stairs and shutting off the truck and scaling them while singing. "I can't keep my cowboy boots from stomping. I'm talking 'bout white noise, coming from the white boys..."

Kyra turned to Obsydian. "What do you think your high on himself cousin would say if he heard you listening to this kind of music?"

The other girl puckered her face. "I'm not real sure, but I know what his face would say!"

"What?"

"Nothing!" This got a large laugh out of both women. It was then they noticed just exactly who was sitting in front of the house.

Oh crap! they both thought. We're in trouble now!

A young woman stepped up, asking if they could heal Sesshomaru.

"What makes you think that I can do anything to help him? I'm an animal doctor, not a...I only work on animals," Stacey replied.

The young girl placed her hands on her hips. "I know that you're a youkai. I'm not sure what type, but I know you are one."

Allyson stepped forward. "What makes you think that?" she asked, green eyes glinting.

The blue eyed girl allowed her own aura to flare up.

Both women jumped at the spike of miko energy. "What the hell?!" they screamed. "I didn't think that there were any more of your kind around!"

The priestess shook her head. "I don't know how many are left but I know that there is at least me. Now, can you help him?"

It finally clicked in Sesshomaru's head just where he had met these young women before. "Obsydian," he called. "Kyra."

The doctors gulped simultaneously. "Uh...hi, Sesshomaru," Stacey said nervously. She frowned when the wind shifted in her direction. "What's wrong with you? I can tell that you're weaker then the last time I met you. I smell blood all over you, not that that's anything new," she muttered under her breath. "It's your blood, though." Quickly striding towards him, she knelt down on one knee and began to unwrap the bandages. She gasped at the sight before her. "Allyson, come here," she called over her shoulder.

"Sesshomaru, what the hell?! What happened to you? You look like you got hit by Uncle's wind scar! But that's impossible. Uncle's been dead for hundreds of years now! How did this happen?" Allyson exclaimed worriedly, inspecting his wounds.

"Um...how do you two know Sesshomaru?" she asked.

Green, gold and blue turned to her. They had completely forgotten that she was there. Allyson and Stacey looked to each other, shrugged and turned back to her. "He's my cousin," Stacey said nonchalantly.

"And I'm her best friend," Allyson shrugged. "It's been that way since she was a pup and I was a foal."

"You're a youkai too? How many are there nowadays?"

Stacey looked thoughtful. "Not many, mostly the Taiyoukais and the Daiyoukais, not very many lower beasts. I only know of a few left from my family and a handful from Allyson's."

Allyson looked Kagome over. "You don't seem like an ordinary miko, either. You seem...well, I hate to say it, but you seem like a hanyou. Or at least your aura puts off a mixture." She gave a nervous sidelong glance at Sesshomaru. Phew, no beheadings for me today.

The young miko looked a little offended at Allyson's statement. "I'll have you know that until recently my best friend was a hanyou! I am no hanyou. Ever hear of the Shikon no Tama?" The doctors nodded. "Well, apparently I was the protector of it without even knowing it. On my 15th birthday I was dragged through the well over there into Feudal Japan where I met Inuyasha--"

"Wait, Inuyasha? That name sounds familiar..." Stacey mulled it over, she could've sworn she had heard it somewhere before.

"Well, it should. If your Sesshomaru's cousin then--" Kagome was cut off by Sesshomaru.

"Quiet, woman. There is no need for you to tell of matters that do not affect you," he said in a harsh tone.

"Burn!! Wait...Freeze!!" the older women said before receiving a death glare from the Taiyoukai and quickly shutting their mouths.

"But Sesshomaru..." the raven haired priestess began.

"No," he said roughly. Turning to his cousin he asked her. "Are you able to heal This Sesshomaru?"

Stacey made a face and mimicked him. "This Obsydian is perfectly capable of healing you. All you have to do is transform. I need to be able to see the wounds properly. You need to get out of those clothes and into some clean ones. You know," she said, standing back and looking at him thoughtfully. "You don't look any different from the last time I saw you six hundred years ago. What happened to 'I'm going to rule the West and be the greatest...blah blah blah'?"

Sesshomaru sent a frosty glare towards her. "She happened," he said, indicating Kagome. "Roughly five hundred years ago I met her. The first time I tried to kill her because she was trying to stop me from obtaining Father's sword. After that, we had a common enemy. Eventually, she came to me for training. Someone was able to wield father's sword and stole it from me before trying to use it on her. As her sensei, I was charged with protecting her. She had friends that were able to re-acquire the sword and returned it to me. She is from this time and is able to pass through time because of the well. The miko brought me here because she believed you would be able to heal me."

"Oh yeah? What made you think I could heal him?" she asked, turning to Kagome.

"When I took Buyou to the vet, you were the doctor that saw him. I felt your aura from the moment I stepped into your office. I didn't, however, notice your friend's here. She is much better at hiding it then you are," the priestess said wryly.

Allyson laughed as Stacey scowled. "Oh yeah? Well we'll just see who's better at what," she growled, advancing on Kagome.

A word from Sesshomaru stopped her, though. "Obsydian, stop it. Do not shame our family by attacking her. She would barely put up a fight. The girl doesn't even know how to transform yet."

The demoness looked contrite. Turning on her heel, she stomped down the steps to the truck below, returning momentarily with a large black bag and red metal kit. Sesshomaru looked at her apprehensively when she set the stuff down and pulled a needle out of the kit. Trays layered upon trays 'floated' upon each other. Some contained needles, some contained vials with liquids and others with powders. Everything was neatly organized and in place.

The light blond picked up a vial, uncapped the needle, stuck it into the bottle and drew out the bit of liquid that was inside.

"Now," she said with a smile, "transform and this won't hurt a bit."

&&&&&

Inu: sitting in Kaede's hut with Shippo, Miroku, Sango and Kirara Man, I just don't get it. All I did was speak my thoughts, which Kagome is always telling me to do, and I get heeled for it!!

Miroku: sipping a cup of tea My dear Inuyasha, maybe FL was just in one of her 'mood swings'. Perhaps if you go back and apologize she will let you back in the house.

Shippo: I doubt it. FL is nice and all, but once you get thrown out of her house, that's pretty much it for you.

Inu: blanches in fear Come to think of it, why didn't Kikyou get thrown out? I mean, Kagome and FL like her far less than they do me.

Sango: shrugs Who knows, I haven't seen Kikyou around for quite some time. Perhaps she has finally decided to go back to hell where she belongs--without you.

Kaede: Ne, child, I do not think that my undead sister has left this world yet. Kagome would have surely sensed it and told us about it if she had.

Everyone except Inuyasha nods in agreement.

Inu: But what if she didn't? What if she wants me to keep searching for her so she can use it as an excuse to be with Sesshomaru! Why that--jumps up and runs out of hut, jumps down the well and goes into FL's house What the hell was that?!

FL: blinks Heel.

Inu: as he's being dragged out of the room I'll get you for this!!

back at Kaede's

Everyone: 3-2-1...

Inu: as he's being dragged back into the room I can't believe she did it again!!

Shippo: See ya, tune in next time to find out who pushed Kikyou into the hole.

Inu: They did what to Kikyou?!



juumai--female cousin, younger than the speaker

itoko--male cousin, older than the speaker

hakufu--uncle (older than one's parents)

hakubo--aunt (older than one's parents)

shukubo--aunt (younger than one's parents)

shukufu--uncle (younger than one's parents)