InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Foundations of Neo Genesis ❯ Chapter 13 ( Chapter 13 )

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

Important A/N (All readers, read carefully): Well according to the newest FF.net Rules-o-Doom, I am no longer allowed to post review responses. To this, I have two things I’d like to say.

First, this story is, as one of my editors, KatMorning, best put it, a multi-headed monster. There is just a lot going on because it focuses on one main character, two or three ‘co-star’ characters, and at least three minor characters. Not to mention dozens of ‘walk-on’ characters. Each and every one of these characters has a reason for being there, different personalities and world views. Not to mention the political and social issues that will come up. It would be nothing short of a nightmare to answer every review individually, especially since many questions are repeated.

Second, I want to be completely honest with everyone. When I first thought up this story, it was not intended to be a fanfic. In truth it was an original piece. But I am a coward and, even as I began, the enormity of the story became very apparent. From there it has only gotten larger. At first conception, this story was to be only one book with about 20 chapters. As of right now, it’s looking like three books, with the first having close to 30 or 40 chapters at least. Don’t get me wrong, I still intend to go out for publication (after a LOT of revamping), the fanfic form is sort of a testing grounds if you will. It gives me a chance to write the story without feeling hugely under pressure of it being an original piece while still seeing the holes the overall storyline has. For example, I need to go back and bring in Miroku’s character more, and give a bit more insight to Sango’s behavior. I also need to show more of future Earth in order to give more perspective on the characters in general.

So, this is what I’m going to do. I will continue to post my Q&A, for the benefit of you, my dear readers, and to preserve my own sanity. But should this story be reported and thus removed for this action, I will NOT put it back up. I have more or less outgrown fanfiction as my major writing media and I am looking towards a future career as a writer. I don’t want or need to put up with FF.net’s often strange and contrived rules.

All this said, I still encourage all reviews and questions, good, bad, and repeated, because they help me find my plot holes and refine the story. And if, for whatever reason, you feel I have not made myself clear about something or other, please email me personally using the ‘Contact’ or ‘Email’ feature on my profile. I generally check my email religiously, and I try to reply as soon as possible.

Q: How strong is Inuyasha?
A: Stronger than a regular human, not as strong as he is in the series. This one I have been getting a lot, so I shall try to clarify. In the series, Inuyasha is a supernatural being, not constrained by things like physics and gravity. That’s all well and good, but in a more realistic world it just is not possible. He is super-athletic, but he can’t jump 40 feet straight up, he can’t rip full grown trees up by the roots, and he can’t use his blood as a weapon. He can give an Olympic sprinter a run for their money, carry an adult-sized person a great distance, and he can probably jump between 6 and 8 feet.

Q: Why did the tree branches give him so much trouble?
A: Dragging those tree branches was not a matter of strength, but one of endurance. Even if something isn’t very heavy it can take a lot of energy to move it over a long distance. Not to mention they kept getting caught in the undergrowth and having to be wrestled out.

Q: Is Sango racist against demons?
A: This is one of those things I need to go back and clear up. From the beginning of the story I knew what I wanted Sango to be, but until very recently I did not know much about her past or how she came to be where she is. Part of the past that did develop actually has little to do with Inuyasha and Sango themselves and more to do with their social standings. I’m not going to tip my hand just yet on this one, because it may ruin future events.

Q: Will Sango and Inuyasha start getting along?
A: Soon.

Q: What about the boat mentioned in chapter 8?
A: All I’m going to say is “foreshadowing.”

Q: Where does Kagome keep the cooking pot? Does it fold up?
A: See, this is one of those places I need to go back and fix. It’s just one of those details that I left out.

Q: When are Kagome and Inuyasha going to warm up to each other?
A: As I mentioned above, my intention for this story is to one day be completely original. Yes, Inuyasha and Kagome will eventually get together but it is going to be later rather than sooner.

Q: What about Sango and Miroku?
A: No comment at this time.

The next few days were filled with activity as the groups worked on their different shelters, with varied degrees of success.

The tree houses were fraught with problems. With no nails to hold things together, they had trouble keeping the wood from tumbling to the ground. They eventually tied everything together with some vines and spare rope, but the structures were still shaky at best.

Huts, while less problematic, proved to be more time consuming. The supplies to build them were hard to come by, as no one was willing to wander too far in search of fallen limbs or trees. Kouga’s group had taken to stealing from the others in order to complete their structure, causing numerous fights – many had even become physical. In the end Sango sorted out most of the disputes diplomatically, leaving several groups unhappy with her decisions.

But the most successful structure by far had been Kagome’s design. Even though the shelters were small, they were very stable. Secondly, one shelter could provide a pre-made wall for the next to be built against. In only a few days, they had built four more in addition to the one Inuyasha had taken over.

With all the work they were putting in, however, the rations of soup had become far less filling. To make matters worse, the fruit they had been eating to supplement their diet was becoming harder to find. The trees near the camp had been picked clean as high as anyone could reach and often the branches higher up were not strong enough to support a person’s weight. In frustration, several people tried shaking the trees, with only limited success.

“Try not to worry about it,” Kagome reminded the exhausted group as they ate that night. “The second wave should be here tomorrow or the next day with fresh supplies – clothes, food, and, hopefully, some building supplies as well.”

“And why didn’t we get those in the first place?” Kouga snarled, but the glare and question was directed at Sango.

“Because our primary mission was to find a place for the whole group to stay,” the lieutenant replied firmly. “Extra supplies would have only inhibited our task.”

“Let us not dwell on that which cannot be changed,” Miroku cut in with a tired sigh. Dark circles had formed under his eyes over the last few days. With the gathering stress of the group, more and more people had been seeking his advice. It had left him with little time to rest, and less time to sleep.

“Shut up, priest!” Kouga snapped.

Aodh leapt to his feet. “You can’t talk to him like that!”

“Everyone, please,” Kagome began, but was cut off as the wolf over shouted her.

“Enough!” Sango yelled. A few of the less involved members of the group backed down, but Kouga and Aodh ignored her. Growling in anger, Sango marched over and shoved herself between the demons. “You are accomplishing nothing! What is done is done, and nothing can change it.” She glared at Kouga, “And don’t you have work to do?”

“What are you gonna do? Make me?” the wolf challenged back.

“If I have to,” Sango answered, keeping her gaze steady and her voice unwavering. Kouga gave a sharp bark of laughter, but walked away. Sango turned her anger on Inuyasha, who was talking to Shippou as the fox used his knife to strip the bark from a piece of wood. “You! This is your fault!”

The half-demon turned an annoyed gold eye her way. “What are you yelling about now, wench?”
Sango stormed towards him, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles were turning white. “It’s your fault no one respects my authority!” She jabbed a finger into his chest. Inuyasha gave a soft growl, his ears flicking back. “I suggest you remember your place, or–”

Inuyasha grabbed the hand that was jabbed at his chest, and bent it back as he stood up. The angle was enough to hurt, but not enough to break it. “Let’s get something straight, ‘lieutenant,’ I’m not going to let you fucking push me around just because some jackass millions of miles away says you can. This isn’t Earth, and you don’t have the numbers to back up your ‘authority.’ So you can just go fuck yourself.” He shoved her away.

Sango glared at him while massaging her wrist. Inuyasha glowered back, unflinching.

“Hey, Sango,” Kagome asked kindly. She smiled at Inuyasha and Shippou in her most disarming manner. “Can you help me with something?” She placed her hand on the lieutenant’s shoulder. Sango cast one more glare at the half-demon before following. Kagome led her across camp to where Kirara was helping Xun sit up. The cheetah demon had more color in his face than he had had in several days. His yellow- brown hair was tousled and dirty.

“How’s the leg?” Sango asked as she copied Kagome in sitting down next to the nurse.

“Better,” Xun answered with a nod. “But I could use a bath.”

“I can arrange that.” Sango offered him a smile, then turned to Kagome. “What was it you wanted my help with?”

“Let me see your wrist,” Kagome ordered, but picked up Sango’s injured wrist before she could offer it. Carefully the young scientist probed it, a small frown of concentration on her lips. After several minutes, she let go and fixed her friend with a soft look. “It doesn’t look like he caused any permanent damage, but it may be a bit sore for a while.”

“Humph.” Sango scowled down at her wrist. “That jackass has been nothing but trouble since the beginning. I’m going to show him-”

“Sango, please,” Kagome cut her off. The lieutenant looked up in surprise. “Please, I’m asking as your friend, don’t try to do anything to Inuyasha.”

Sango’s eyes flashed. “Whose side are you on?!”

“I’m not on anyone’s side,” Kagome answered patiently. “I just don’t want to see anyone get hurt. This is the second time you’ve tried to force him into submission, and twice he could have done serious harm to you if he had wanted to.”

“I don’t believe this,” Sango growled. “I always knew you were a pacifist, but to go this far. You know what, screw you. I don’t need your help.” With that, Sango abruptly stood up and stormed off. Kagome sighed.

“It’s okay, Kagome,” Kirara said, giving the other girl’s arm a gentle pat. “I’m sure when she calms down she’ll see you were just trying to help.”

&&&

The morning quickly faded into afternoon, an afternoon filled with a thunder and lightning. The storm had come on fast and strong. The winds shook the trees violently, throwing leaves into the air and shaking them like a mongrel with a bone. Branches creaked under the stress, some trees bending almost eighty degrees without breaking.

The water came down in sheets, turning the soft ground – where the group’s constant moving about had worn away the grassy plants – into thick mud. The sludge oozed its way into the cave, causing everyone to crowd against the back wall. Lightning flashed, throwing everything into sharp contrast for a moment, before the thunder roared and shook the earth.

Beyond the cave entrance, several of the shelters had crumpled before the driving winds, leaving piles of sticks, leaves, and grass to be scattered at random. The two tree houses faired far better – their flexible foundations absorbing the wind’s impact. Inside the cave, the shelters Kagome had designed held up well. The grass curtain flapped in the strong wind, but with all the shelters connected side by side as they were, only the two huts on the ends had any real problems.

With Shippou to his right and Kagome to his left, Inuyasha found his small hut comfortable. The three grass curtains that formed the front of his shelter flapped noisily in the wind, letting in small bursts of cooler air, but keeping out most of the rain, keeping him warm and dry on the whole.

“Inuyasha?” Kagome asked as she stuck her head between the two grass curtains that hung between their shelters. Inuyasha made a mental note to attach those together somehow. “Do you have a minute?”

“Nope, I thought I’d go for a nice jog and have a cup of tea,” he replied flatly.

Kagome rolled her eyes and invited herself in. “Here, I have something for you,” she said, sitting down next to him.“I wanted to show it to you a few days ago – I thought you could make more use of it than I could – but Sango wouldn’t let me. So last night I copied it onto one of my mini-comps for you.” She produced a small comp and pressed it into his hand. Inuyasha raised a skeptical eyebrow and turned it on.

A small hologram popped up, showing a slowly rotating object Inuyasha could not identify. The two wide sides and one of the thin ones were bound with a hard-looking material. The three remaining small sides were bare, showing thin sheets stacked neatly between the harder covering. “What is it?” he asked.

“The hologram is of a book,” Kagome said patently. “They were made from trees and kept information before computers or comps.”
“And I care because...?” Inuyasha drawled.

“The program,” Kagome went on, unabashed, “is a collection of books written between the 19th and 23rd centuries. They detail survival in wilderness situations – traps, weapon making, and what not.”

Inuyasha leveled her with a skeptical look. “Why give it to me?”

Kagome shrugged nonchalantly and looked up at the stone ceiling. “I was taught all the technical stuff in preparation for this trip, but practical stuff I’ve never been very good at.” She paused, biting her lip in thought. “I know... I know your first attempt at hunting didn’t go well and that’s part of why Sango doesn’t like you. But, I think if you had a few more resources you could do better.”

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her, studying her so intensely she squirmed uncomfortably. The corners of his mouth turned down slightly and a growl rose in his throat. Suddenly he shoved the comp back at her with such force that Kagome gasped at the impact. “I bet you think you’re really funny, don’t you bitch?!”

“What?” Kagome asked in confusion, leaning away from him as he cracked his knuckles. “I don’t understand.”

“Go play your upper crust jokes on someone else! Just because I didn’t get your high class education doesn’t make me fucking stupid.”

Kagome was pressed against the cave wall by the time he stopped yelling. His breath was hot against her face and his eyes blazed down at her. “I-I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she squeaked in a small voice.

“Bullshit,” Inuyasha snapped. “Do I look like some high class pansy-ass prince to you?”

“What...?” Kagome shifted away from him carefully. “If you don’t know how to work the comp, I can show you.”

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her even more, leaning close as he studied her face. Kagome swallowed hard and looked away. His hand came up to her chin, gripping her jaw almost painfully, and forced her to look at him. Claw-like nails pricked her skin with every move she made. Inuyasha held her in place for what felt like a small eternity, before suddenly giving her a rough push away. Kagome gingerly rubbed her jaw and watched him carefully.

“I don’t know,” Inuyasha began, stopping Kagome as she tried to slip back into her own shelter, “if you are very naive or very stupid.”

Kagome’s brow furrowed. “I’ll have you know I have a degree from the Harvard-Yale-Princeton University, the Lita Elder College of Science, with a major in biology and a minor in genetic research.”
“Fancy schooling doesn’t make you smart.” Inuyasha glared at her. “Just proves you can remember what you’re told.” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him. “So remember this, bitch. I was raised on the streets, I didn’t get any of your upper crust education, and I don’t need your fucking pity.”

Kagome blinked back at the golden eyes that filled her vision as realization settled in. “You... can’t read, can you?”

“No shit.” Inuyasha pushed her away again. Kagome hit the ground with a soft thump and sat there. She looked at him, her head tilted slightly to one side and her hands clutching the comp a bit too tightly.

“I’m sorry, I- I didn’t mean to imply that you were stupid or anything.”

“Keh.” He turned away to watch the curtains flap in the wind.

“Here.” Kagome scooted closer to him and extended the comp to him again. Inuyasha frowned at her. “Just push this button and it will respond with verbal readouts.” She stood up, brushed herself off, and smiled at him. “If you have any other questions, you know where to find me.” With that, she slipped back between the curtains and disappeared.

&&&

The storm finally blew itself out late that night, leaving everything wet and the air heavy. The morning mist was thicker than usual as the group began to rouse for the day. Miroku made a breakfast of thin soup to go with their fruit, and everyone complained loudly about the meal.

As the last of the food was eaten, Kagome stood up and cleared her throat for attention. She was mostly ignored until Sango gave another of her sharp whistles, followed by Inuyasha threatening to break her jaw if she did that again.

Kagome rolled her eyes at the argument and did her best to talk over them. “As you may remember from your briefing back on Second Moon, we are the first wave of people sent to this planet. Our assignment is to seek out shelter, learn about the local flora and fauna, find a way to provide each person with his or her own space, and learn to provide at least some of our own food.

“While some of these criteria have not been met to their fullest, it does not negate the fact that we are on a schedule. Sometime in the next forty-eight hours, the other half of our group will be landing.” Everyone had fallen quiet at those words and was now listening intently. “Since they will also be bringing the remainder of our supplies, enough to feed the entire group for up to a year, I will need some volunteers to go and greet them, as well as help carry back supplies.”

There was a long silence as everyone looked around at everyone else.

“You mean,” Ricky ventured carefully. “Go back... where we landed? On the plains? With the birds?” A frightened whisper ran through the camp and Kagome cringed.

“Yes, but if you remember, when we landed the noise scared off all the animals,” she ventured.

“Well, I’m not taking that chance,” Kouga snapped. “I saw those birds and I’ll be damned if I go near them again!” Several other people nodded in agreement.

“You’re all a bunch of cowards,” Inuyasha grumbled. He turned away from Sango to glare out at everyone. “I’ll go.”

“I guess I’m in too,” Shippou said with a sigh.

“And I.” Aodh nodded and Inuyasha frowned.

“Well, if you’re going,” Sango crossed her arms and frowned at Inuyasha, “I’ll have to go, too. We can’t afford another one of your screw ups.”

“Great!” Kagome chirped. “That’s four. Who else?” Silence settled over the cave as everyone looked around at everyone else. No one dared to move. Kagome frowned. “Oh, come on, it’s not a lot to ask.”

“Bah,” Inuyasha growled. “You’re wasting your breath. These cowards aren’t going to help you.” He uncrossed his arms and moved into the crowd. “You, you, and you,” He touched Aonghus, Krishna, and a human named Taisto. The three all turned their eyes on him.

“You’re not serious...” Taisto asked slowly, his platinum blond hair falling into his too blue eyes.

“He’s serious.” Krishna said flatly. The panther demon pushed himself to his feet and leveled Inuyasha with a flat look. “I will follow, if you will lead.” Inuyasha squared his shoulders and Sango made an indignant noise. Aonghus looked less convinced, but took a deep breath and nodded.

Taisto looked at the other two, then at Inuyasha, and back. “You’re out of your mind. I’m not going out there!” He gestured wildly towards the forest. “Things will eat us out there!”

“Better to burn out than fade away,” Inuyasha snapped.

“That is just what an igno would say,” Sango huffed.

“Sango!” Kagome gasped.

“Oh, ow,” Inuyasha said flatly, not even bothering to look over his shoulder. “That stung. However shall I get on with my life?” Shippou snorted and Sango rolled her eyes. “As for you.” Inuyasha glared at Taisto. “You’re going if I have to drag you by your genetically altered hair.” He moved towards the younger man, who quickly changed his mind and scrambled to his feet. Inuyasha snorted, and redirected his course past Kagome and out of the cave.

“I’m not sure this will be enough people,” Kagome said, even as she fell into step with him. Sango frowned darkly and muttered something colorful under her breath.

“Then we’ll make two trips.” Inuyasha shrugged. Kagome looked from him then back to Sango, and bit her lip. The other girl frowned and looked away. Shippou jogged a few steps to walk next to Inuyasha with Aodh close behind. Krishna set his jaw and fell into step next to Sango, while Aonghus and Taisto reluctantly brought up the rear.

&&&

The small group found a comfortable patch of forest floor on the edge of the plains. The thick trees provided them with ample shade from the heat of the day, and its yield – cherry-sized yellow fruits that were shockingly sweet – staved off hunger. The ground was soft and covered in thick moss.

Kagome collected samples of everything, until Inuyasha made her sit down before she wandered off and got lost. Sango, for the first time, agreed with him. Taisto kept shifting his gaze uncomfortably between the group and animals moving around on the plains beyond. Krishna did his best to ignore everyone, leaning his back against a tree with his eyes closed. Aonghus fiddled with pieces of grass to keep away boredom. Shippou climbed up one of the trees and kept a watch over the plains, lest anything unfriendly take an interest in them. Inuyasha sat with his back to a tree staring off into the forest, his ears pricked and keen to any sound coming from them. Aodh was carving patterns in the moss and dirt with his finger, a bored expression on his face.

The day passed without event. Lunch was largely made up of the fruit from the tree – Kagome had named it Candy Fruit after an idle comment Shippou made. It was so sweet they could only eat a few before becoming nauseated.

“Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored. Bored!” Taisto grumbled in a low voice.

“If you don’t stop that I am going to rip out your tongue,” Sango growled irritably. Inuyasha snorted.

“We are all bored,” Kagome said patiently. “But there isn’t anything for it. There is no way to tell exactly when they will arrive.”

“No way to tell?” Aodh asked, looking up from the triangle he had drawn.

Inuyasha growled, turning away from the forest to give her an incredulous look. “How long are we going to have to stay out here?”

Kagome blushed and looked away from his intense golden stare. “Well, of course we can go back to camp at night, they shouldn’t come at night, but, umm, a couple of days, at most, I would think, at least.” She spoke very fast. Inuyasha frowned. Kagome bit her lip and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. Sango gave her old friend an abrasive look that went unnoticed.

“Fuck.” Inuyasha groaned as he turned back around. Taisto was still humming his “bored” mantra under his breath, but that was the only sound for several minutes.

The wind shifted and the demons’ raised their heads, looking towards the forest. Inuyasha slowly climbed to his feet; Aodh, Krishna, and Aonghus followed suit. Overhead, Shippou shifted on his perch.

“What is it? What’s going on?” Taisto asked, looking around nervously.

“Something’s coming this way,” Krishna replied in a low voice.

“What?” Kagome whispered, as she, Sango, and Taisto rose to their feet as well. Before anyone could answer, the bushes a few yards away rustled

“Up the tree! Go!” Inuyasha snapped. Aodh obeyed immediately, scrambling up the tree and perching on a branch above Shippou’s. Kagome squeaked when Inuyasha grabbed her by the waist, lifting her up so Shippou could grab her wrists and pull her the rest of the way up. He quickly climbed up after her. Krishna scrambled up a different tree, with Aonghus close behind him. Together they pulled Taisto up as well.

“Hey!” Sango hissed. Shippou reached out a hand for her, but could not reach. Behind her, a dirt-brown snout poked through the bushes. Thick, fleshy pink whiskers twitched as it snorted and snuffed the air. Sango fumbled for her sidearm before she remembered she did not have one anymore. The snout was followed by a large square head, a muscular body, and two oversized front paws – each as large as a small dinner plate and tipped with black curved claws. The creature stood just under three feet high and just as long.

Black pinhead eyes squinted in Sango’s direction. It took a great breath of air, its whiskers twitching again, and let out a booming roar – revealing some fierce-looking teeth.

For a moment nobody moved. Sango stared at the creature, her mouth slightly opened. The creature squinted back blindly and snuffled the air. Shippou stared wide-eyed, his hand still reaching out for Sango. Kagome’s mouth opened and closed as she waffled between fear and fascination, her arms wrapped firmly around the branch the fox demon had helped her climb to.

The creature roared again, and charged. Its oversized front paws and heavy body made it slow and clumsy, but Sango had nowhere to go. She scrambled, trying to reach Shippou’s outstretched hand, as Kagome let out a small scream.

“Dammit!” Inuyasha hissed through his teeth. Hooking his knees on the low branch he was perched on, he dropped over backwards so he was hanging upside down. Sango blinked at him for a split second before he grabbed her wrists and curled up. The young lieutenant was yanked off the ground with a startled scream and a heavy groan. As soon as she was in reach, Shippou, Kagome, and Aodh reached out to help pull her to another branch.

Below them, the creature stumbled to a stop. It snuffled, twitched its thick whiskers, and squinted around. Putting its nose to the ground, its whiskers bent down to feel along the moss and dead leaves. When it raised its head, a long red tongue slid from its mouth and carefully cleaned each of the eight stalks. It put its head down again, working its way towards the tree line.

“What the fuck is it doing now?” Inuyasha whispered, rubbing his stomach muscles and looking cross.

“I... I think it’s blind, or at least very nearly blind,” Kagome answered softly. “It can’t find us. It can smell us, but it can’t find us.”

“What are the odds it can climb?” Shippou asked. To that Kagome could only shrug. The creature had given up its search in favor of the fruits that had fallen during their hasty retreat.

They watched in silence as the creature worked its way over to the tree where Krishna, Aonghus, and Taisto huddled in the branches. It took a great deal of time sniffing around the base of the tree, its strange whiskers probing the ground around its nose. Every so often it would lift its head and lick each fleshy probe with its tongue. Finally it chose a spot, directly under Taisto, and began to dig with its massive front paws.

The human gave a frightened yelp and the creature raised its head. The big nose snuffled and the thick whiskers twitched. “Shhhhh!” Kagome hissed. Taisto clamped a hand over his mouth and nodded, his eyes wide with fear. The creature lowered its head again and began to dig with those oversized front paws.

“What’s it doing?” Inuyasha asked, his voice as low as possible and forced through clenched teeth.

“It’s digging,” Kagome snapped back. Inuyasha gave her an incredulous look and a fierce scowl. Sango bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“Will you all shut up!” Krishna demanded from the other tree. The creature was looking up again. It seemed confused by the sounds above it. They all fell silent again, and the creature turned back to its task. After several long, tense minutes, it stuffed its head into the hole, grunted and growled, and came up with something thick, limp, and dirty.

“What is that?” Shippou frowned in disgust.

“I think it’s a tuber,” Kagome answered.

“A what?” Aodh asked. The creature lay down and began gnawing on one end, holding the other in its big paws.

“It’s a kind of root,” Kagome snapped, obviously at the end of her patience.

“Shit, didn’t the lot of you learn anything in school?” Sango asked drolly. “Oh, wait, that’s right...” Aodh blushed deeply and stuttered, but Inuyasha turned a fierce glare on her. His lips curled back, showing elongated canines, and a deep growl rose in his chest. Even Shippou narrowed his green eyes and snarled.

“Sango!” Kagome gasped.

“Guys,” Aonghus whispered sharply. “We have bigger problems right now!” He pointed towards the bushes. Slinking soundlessly through the undergrowth was the patchwork of black and orange of a bast. Everyone fell silent, and Inuyasha slid his knife out from the waist of his pants. The large cat took no notice of them as it settled into a crouch just beyond the bushes. The other creature was too busy chewing on its prize to realize the change in the situation.

From the trees they could see the cat gather its legs underneath it, the tip of its tail twitching every so often. Carefully it stepped forward, edging out of the cover just a fraction before settling back down. The other was still too interested in its meal – the root had split open to reveal a starchy inside – to notice.

The cat bunched up like a coiled spring, the small round ears on the other creature’s head rotated around, and everything moved. The bast pounced. The other dropped its meal and dodged right, but its heavy body and large feet made it clumsy and predictable. The cat was on top of it in a second. A thick wail broke the air as long fangs pierced flesh. The creature kicked out, lashing at its attacker with heavy paws and sharp claws. The bast dodged neatly without losing its death grip on the creature’s throat.

Slowly, the creature stopped moving and lay still. The bast kept its hold for a long time, seeming to make sure its prey was truly dead. Finally, it released its hold, lifted its head, and nosed the air. Walking around the carcass, it took its prey by the neck and began dragging it back into the forest. It left behind a patch of disrupted earth, bits of fur, a smeared pool of blood, and a discarded tuber.

From their vantage point, the group watched the cat drag the other creature deep into the undergrowth and disappear. Then it was quiet, as if the forest was holding its breath. Slowly the sounds came back as small arboreal creatures began to scurry about, chirping and chattering to each other.

“Is it safe to get down?” Taisto asked in a low voice.

“I’m beginning to get the feeling ‘safe’ is a relative term,” Krishna replied.

“Just like home.” Inuyasha shrugged and launched himself out of the tree. He landed surprisingly softly in a crouch. His nose twitched and his ear flicked. Slowly her drew himself up to his full height and scanned the area. “Yeah, I think it’s gone.” He turned and leapt agilely up into the tree again, grabbed Kagome around the waist, and jumped down. She blushed and thanked him as he set her on the ground. He grunted and shrugged. Shippou and Aodh jumped down as well, and Aonghus and Krishna helped Taisto to the ground.
“What about me?” Sango snapped.

“What about you?” Inuyasha replied with a smile full of false innocence. “You’re a big strong military girl, I’m sure you can get down all on your own.” His smile faded into a frown. “Besides, a fucking uneducated street crawler like me is far too stupid to figure it out for you.”

Sango glared at him and ground her teeth together. With a huff, she carefully began to maneuver herself out of the tree. After precariously moving to the lowest branch, she sat down on it and studied her options. Aodh moved to help her, but Shippou grabbed his shoulder and gave a sharp shake of his head. After a minute or two she pushed herself off the branch and landed in a crouch with a dull thump.

“That was graceful,” Inuyasha snorted.

“Fuck you!” Sango snapped back as she stood up.

&&&

The next few days passed with sluggish regularity. The small group sat in the shade of the candy fruit tree and waited. They had a few uneventful encounters with small creatures, but only Kagome took any real note of them.

“This is fucking nuts,” Inuyasha snapped irritably. “Where the hell are they?” Kagome looked up from her comp where she was making an entry about another new plant she had found. Shippou looked down from his perch with interest.

“They’ll be here.” Sango sighed.

“And just how the fuck do you know that? You’ve been saying that all week and they still aren’t here,” Inuyasha shot back.

“I must say I agree with Inuyasha,” Aodh added, lifting his head as he looked out over the plains. Sango frowned down at him from her place in the tree. She had chosen the same spot everyday, climbing up and down on her own. “Perhaps you have just miscounted the days.”

“No,” Kagome answered, cutting off Sango’s reply. “I haven’t miscounted. I’m sure.”

“And how are you so sure?” Inuyasha pressed with a dark frown. Kagome squirmed and flushed under his gaze.

“She doesn’t have to tell you anything,” Sango snarled down at him. “Just shut your mouth and do as you’re told.”

Inuyasha sprang nimbly from the ground, caught a low branch, and swung up onto Sango’s perch. His nose was only an inch from her own and his voice rolled out in a low growl. “I am not one of your fucking soldiers, bitch!” Sango glared back with an unimpressed expression.

“Please!” Kagome begged from below, “Don’t fight. Inuyasha, the reason I know– ”

“Kagome, shut up!” Sango yelled.

“–they will be here soon, is because our food supplies are almost out.”

“Damn it, Kagome!” Sango snapped into the following silence, “What part of ‘Civilians need not be informed,’ did you not understand?”

Inuyasha turned his glare from Sango to Kagome. “How long?”

“That’s none of–” Sango was cut of when his hand came up to cover her mouth. She yelled and glared, adding scratching and biting when that failed, but Inuyasha never looked away from Kagome.

“How long?” he repeated in a low dangerous voice.

Kagome swallowed hard. “If-if we eat fruit... for breakfast...then... today and tomorrow...”

“Fuck!” Inuyasha yelled, then turned back to Sango. “And just what the fuck were you planning to say when everyone started bitching about being hungry? Suck it up?!” Sango crossed her arms and glared pointedly at him over the hand still clamped over her mouth. Frowning, he withdrew his hand.

“Do you honestly think the World Government would send thousands of people off to their deaths? The Neo Genesis project has been going on for years, and so far there have been no glitches.” Her voice was flat and calm, but every muscle in her body was tense and her jaw was clenched. “But I guess I shouldn’t expect a lower class street crawler to know the first thing about space travel.” Inuyasha’s eyes narrowed and a warning growl rose in his throat. Sango ignored him. “Let me educate you a bit. Try to keep up. You see, moving through space isn’t as simple as walking across a field–” Sango startled when Inuyasha’s fist slammed into the tree not an inch from her ear.

“I don’t make a habit of hitting women,” Inuyasha snarled, his voice so low only she could hear it. “But you are really pushing your luck, bitch.” He dropped out of the tree, landing with surprising grace, before marching over to Kagome. “So what the fuck is your plan, science girl? I hope you don’t expect us all to become vegetarians, ‘cause there is no way in hell that’s happening.”

Kagome offered him a smile. “I’m sure the other team will be here tomorrow with the supplies.”
“And if they’re not?” Shippou asked from the tree. His body was relaxed, but his mouth was turned down in a hard frown.

“They’ll be here,” Sango snapped.

“You said yourself that space travel isn’t so simple,” Krishna cut in calmly as Inuyasha growled. “What if they ran into a star and died?”

“Then they would send another team,” Sango answered crossly. “Mark my words, they will be here.”