InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Haunted ❯ Plans Are Made, Traps are Laid ( Chapter 11 )

AN: Well, looks like next chapter won out. So, here it is. Enjoy! (So then I'm assuming that I should improve all the chapters and stuff that I want to after the end of the story, then? Suits me well.)

 

THANK YOU RIN SAMA1989! I feel so stupid right now for changing Sango's last name! (Can't believe I did that. Kagura was "Miyagi"! ….So, as "the Miyagi girl" she's gotta kill herself?...) I will correct it! (And Helium is very cute! But I shall restrain myself from stealing him from you.)

 

Thanks for all the complements that you guys have given me! They are greatly appreciated and I've read all of them and felt very happy for doing so! Again, thanks so much!

 

Disclaimer: Inuyasha isn't mine (I'm lacking in originality today.)

 

Haunted

 

Chapter Eleven: Plans Are Made, Traps Are Laid

 

Kagura was running out of time. It had been four out of the six days that she'd been given and she still couldn't find the thrice-cursed Akutagawa girl whom she had to kill. "Where are you?" She asked the air as she rushed through it on her feather.

 

She'd tried searching by air. That hadn't been effective. She tried asking around. Nothing. Kagura was at her wit's end. Much as she hated it, she might have to go to Naraku and ask, just as he wanted her to. But that she would use only as a last resort. The last resort.

 

"That bastard…" She spat under her breath. He'd given her a nigh impossible task. "I don't even know the girl's full name!" She snarled. Scarlet eyes widened in surprise as she noticed a small black speck in the distance. "Too big to be a bird," She murmured and shielded her eyes against the sun. "Then what…?"

 

She flew closer to the thing. As she got in range, she saw that it was a demon. It was creamy white with slit-pupiled red eyes and large fangs. A fire cat, if the flames around its feet were any indication. Kagura watched it for a moment with temporary interest. Demons were actually rather rare, and to see one flying around in broad daylight was surprising.

 

But she didn't have time to sit around a gawk at the strange phenomena. She had to find the girl. The wind witch ground her teeth in frustration and swooped away. One more day, then she'd go to Naraku and ask. But first, she had some last-minute searching to do.

 

_|__|_

(• .•)

--( • )--

(____)

 

"Hey, Kagome!" The raven-haired girl turned in surprise. Kouga waved from the back door of the house. Inuyasha, who was sitting next to her, ground his teeth. "How are you?" Kouga grinned.

 

Kagome smiled back. "Hi, Kouga!" She looked to Inuyasha and got up. "Come on!" She smiled and waited for him to follow. Golden eyes glared at her. "What?" She asked, puzzled.

 

Inuyasha folded his arms over his chest. "I don't want to go anywhere near that disgusting man." He snarled. Kagome backed away slightly at the vehemence of his tone.

 

"What happened to you?" She asked in confusion. "Only a minute ago you were in a pretty good mood." Inuyasha snorted.

 

"Tell him to go away and stop stinking up the house." He floated a few inches off of the ground in a cross-legged position until he was at eye-level with Kagome. "It'll take days for the smell to go away."

 

Kagome's frown deepened as she walked back to the house, still arguing with Inuyasha as he floated beside her. "What is wrong with you? You've never even met Kouga and you already hate him! Try and have an open mind!"

 

Inuyasha's eyes flashed ochre. "I don't need to know him!" he spat. "I can tell from here that he's a disgusting, mangy-"

 

Kagome, now angry, cut him off. "He helped me out and brought me home! And he's nice!" She looked at him incredulously. What on earth was he so upset about?

 

Inuyasha snorted and turned away but stayed floating next to her. They crossed the lawn -which Mrs. Higurashi had trimmed quit nicely- and arrived at the door. "Kagome!" Kouga stepped towards the girl, ignoring Inuyasha, and grabbed her hands.

 

Kagome looked at him in surprise. "Hi." She said uneasily. Inuyasha growled next to her. Carefully, Kagome freed her hands and occupied them by removing her shoes and stepping inside the house, Inuyasha following closely behind her. She turned around and looked at Kouga. "So what brings you here?" She asked with a smile.

 

"You, actually." Kouga said blatantly and made another grab for her hands. This time, Inuyasha intercepted in a vague way. He swerved in between the two and glared at Kouga with bright golden eyes. "…And you are?" Kouga asked with raised eyebrows.

 

"Someone who wants you out." The angry poltergeist growled and pointed to the door. "Now." Kouga looked at him incredulously.

 

"Inuyasha!" Kagome protested. "Don't be rude!" She turned to Kouga. "Don't mind him. He just gets a bit grumpy every now and then." She said hastily and sent the poltergeist a death glare. Golden eyes stared back.

 

Kouga shrugged. "You should train your pets better." He said carelessly to Kagome. Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something back, but Kagome beat him to it.

 

"He's not a pet!" She protested. "He's my friend and he lives here!" She put her hands on her hips mulishly. "And don't call him that!" Kouga shrugged.

 

"Whatever." The black-haired man took a seat at the couch and made himself at home. "So, Kagome." He looked at her over his shoulder casually. "You doing anything right now?" he asked.

 

"Huh?" Kagome asked in surprise. Color flooded from Inuyasha's eyes to the rest of him. "Um, I don't think so…" She said reluctantly.

 

"Come on." Kouga got off the couch and grabbed her hand. Kagome got tugged along to the door in surprise. "Let's go get something to eat."

 

Miroku was suddenly in the doorway. "I'm sure that there's enough food here at the moment if you are hungry, Kouga." He said smoothly. Shippo sat on his shoulder and glared at Kouga fiercely.

 

"A fox demon!" He exclaimed in surprise and let go of Kagome's hand. The raven-haired girl backed away hastily. Behind her, Inuyasha was starting to vent an acrid black smoke. Little bolts of static cackled across his spectral flesh.

 

"A wolf demon!" Shippo retorted and stared balefully at Kouga, who took a step back in surprise. "Don't deny it!" The ginger-haired boy pointed an accusatory finger.

 

"H-how did you…?" He asked in shock. The kitsune looked at him smugly. Behind him, Kagome stared at Kouga.

 

"A wolf demon?" She repeated. "How come everyone's a demon?" She asked. "This is so weird…" She shook her head and sat down at the couch. There was a strange zapping sound and everyone in the room turned around.

 

Inuyasha was still standing in the doorway, looking at Kouga with furious gold eyes. The smoke was curling around the floor, charged with miniature bolts of electricity. "Mangy wolf." He snarled. "Get out!"

 

"You're one to talk, puppy!" Kouga retorted. "But I'm not here for you." He waved a hand in the poltergeist's direction. "Come on, Kagome." He grinned at her. "Let's leave the family pet and go get some food."

 

"If I see you laying one hand on Kagome again, you're dead!" Inuyasha growled and spewed smoke at a faster rate. The smoke detector went off. Kagome, Shippo and Miroku rushed out of the room as it became filled with smoke, leaving the two angry demons behind.

 

"Dead like you?" Kouga smirked. The furious poltergeist -now fully colored- glared daggers at the wolf demon and rushed forward, swiping a clawed hand at Kouga.

 

Kouga didn't even flinch as the hand went through his head. Inuyasha swiped again, a few sparks clinging to his hand. "Ouch!" The sparks zapped the wolf demon. "Insolent puppy!" Kouga cracked his knuckles, "You're going to die a second death!"

 

Sango burst into the room with her mask and fan at the ready. "OUT!" She yelled and brandished her fan at the two like a weapon. "Right now!" Kouga didn't move and stood arrogantly in the middle of the room.

 

"Or what?" He asked intimidatingly. Sango strode over to him and whacked him in the head with the wooden fan. Kouga yelped, inhaled smoke and coughed, stumbling out into the other room. Inuyasha sniggered. Sango turned to him. "OUT!" She repeated. Sango sighed and muttered threats under her breath as she opened the windows and the door and began using the fan. Inuyasha floated through the wall and into the other room without saying anything.

 

"Kouga, really." Kagome said hastily. "I'm not hungry, and I'm actually really, really busy right now!" Kouga dropped her hands and seemed to accept her answer.

 

"Maybe some other time." He grinned tauntingly at Inuyasha. "Well, see ya then, Kags!" Kagome winced at the abbreviation of her name.

 

"I hate it when people call me that." She sighed after the wolf demon closed the door behind him. "'Kags'" She muttered to herself. "Ugh."

 

Miroku glanced at Inuyasha and upon seeing his expression hurried up the stairs, Shippo on his shoulder. "What the hell was that?" Inuyasha asked heatedly. Kagome looked at him in surprise.

 

"That was Kouga." She said, puzzled at his question. "I didn't know that he was a wolf demon." She added. The poltergeist glared at her.

 

"You know what I mean!" He growled, still fully colored. Kagome shook her head at him slowly. "That attitude! Acting so eager-to-please, letting him hold your hands." He snarled. Just to add insult to injury, he added, "Kags."

 

"Don't call me that!" Kagome cried angrily. "My name is 'Kagome'! Ka-go-me!" She enunciated clearly. "Not 'Kags'!" She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Oh, just forget it! I'm so sick of this!" She took a step towards the stairs.

 

"What?" Inuyasha asked, bitterly angry. "So sick of what?" He repeated fiercely, arms folded over his chest as some of the color started to fade from his feet. Kagome stopped and turned to look at him.

 

She waved her arms around in the air. "Of fighting with you about stupid things!" She said in exasperation. "I hate it!"

 

"It's not stupid!" The poltergeist argued strongly. "That mangy wolf is stupid!" Kagome looked at him in surprise. Inuyasha paused and huffed. In the other room, the smoke alarm stopped screeching.

 

"Inuyasha…" The anger was gone, at least momentarily. "Are you jealous?" She asked. Kouga was nothing to be jealous about… He was just a friend.

 

"No!" His face flushed redder. He spluttered for a moment. "No!" he repeated and turned his back to Kagome. She rolled her eyes at him.

 

"No, of course not." She murmured, forgetting about his exceptional hearing. The smoke detector started up again in the other room and Sango swore blackly.

 

"I'm not!" He protested. "Why would I be jealous of that mangy, weak, idiotic wolf?" Kagome shook her head. "I'm not!!!" He repeated and turned around to yell at her. He glared for a moment, then turned away so that he was sitting a cross-legged position with his back to her, three feet up in the air. There was a smashing sound, and the beeping halted abruptly.

 

Sango stormed out of the living room and pulled the mask off her face, glaring daggers at the sulking poltergeist. "Inuyasha," She said, voice clipped. "you need to learn to control your temper, or at least your smoke!"

 

Inuyasha looked at her reproachfully. "I'm not always going to clean up the mess you make!" Sango continued. "So please, please learn to do things without making that smoke." She closed the fan -she was starting to think of it as "her fan"- with a snap and plodded up the stairs.

 

"Hey." Kagome said softly and moved so that she was standing next to the sulking poltergeist. "About that smoke… what does it do?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

 

"It turns on the smoke detectors and smells bad." Inuyasha replied stubbornly, face still averted from the raven-haired girl sitting beside him. "And it makes Sango really angry." He added with a small smirk.

 

Kagome sighed. "You know what I mean." She reprimanded gently. "What's its purpose?" Inuyasha shrugged. "You don't know?" Kagome interpreted.

 

"Nope." He replied resentfully, clearly still brooding. Kagome sighed again and stood up. "Where are you going?" Inuyasha asked gruffly.

 

"For a walk." Kagome replied huffily. She walked out of the entryway and through the living room to the door. She paused, the door half-open and turned around. "Wanna come?" She asked sheepishly.

 

Inuyasha shrugged as the color continued to fade from his body. "Maybe." He replied noncommittally. "If I have to." He glowered at her slightly.

 

"Well I'm not making you." Kagome told him waspishly and opened the door further. "Come if you want." She stepped outside and put on a pair of shoes. Grumbling slightly to himself, Inuyasha floated forwards and followed her out the door.

 

"Fine." The last of the color drained from his face, leaving him with a faded look. The poltergeist drifted three feet or so away from the ground, next to Kagome as she walked.

 

"Wait." Kagome stopped. Inuyasha looked at her curiously, his bad mood dissipating. "You…" She peered closer at his face until hers was only a few inches from his. Inuyasha backed away nervously. "Your face… She looked at his sleeve. "AND you arm!" She frowned.

 

"What?" Inuyasha asked, agitated. "Is something wrong?" He looked closely at his sleeve. "Hey…" He frowned too. "Wasn't this all grey before?" He asked. "Or was that just me?" He dangled the long sleeve in front of his face. It was still grey, but there was just a tiny hint of red in it that one had to peer at closely in order to notice.

 

"Nope." Kagome shook her head. "It was all grey." She peered into his face again and Inuyasha looked away uncomfortably. "Oh, come on!" She said. "I just wanna check!"

 

Grudgingly, the poltergeist turned around. Kagome looked at his face. "Definitely some color there." She told him. "It's in your eyes, too." She avoided looking in them though, remembering that terrible lost and hurt look she'd seen in them last time. Busily, she looked to the top of his head. "And your ears. It's probably in your hair, but that's already white so I can't tell." She babbled, feeling inexplicably nervous. Those eyes…

 

They walked -floated, in Inuyasha's case- in silence as they made their way up the path. "I wonder what it means," Kagome pondered after a while. Inuyasha looked at her in bemusement. "The color thing." She explained.

 

Inuyasha shrugged and stopped abruptly. "What's wrong?" Kagome asked in confusion. Inuyasha glared down the slope towards the house.

 

"Can't go any further." He said, voice clipped. He was a prisoner. He could only go so far from his urn, in any direction. Recalling the night that Kagome went missing and he was unable to do anything, he clenched his fists tightly, and deliberately moved forward.

 

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked worriedly. "Is something wrong?" All she had seen was the play of emotions on his face; anger, helpless self-loathing -which really alarmed her- and then determination. "Stop!" She cried as his face contorted in pain. "You're hurting yourself!" He moved forward again and colors surged across his spectral form. "Inuyasha!" She repeated desperately as he started sinking lower towards the ground, still moving obstinately forward up the hill. Kagome grabbed at his sleeve and looked in horror as the stuff disintegrated at her tough.

 

In a stroke of brilliance, Kagome threw herself down the steep hill, screaming as she went. "AIEEEEEEEE!" Inuyasha turned at once, his haori disintegrating into little flecks in the air as he went.

 

"Kagome!" He surged up into the air and down the hill and back into his territory, a little worse for wear. "KAGOME!" He shouted again and raced down the hill.

 

The raven-haired girl, after gaining so much momentum, was unable to stop and kept rolling, plowing through a small thicket- "Ow!"- and then hit the small rickety fence at the bottom with a crash- "OW!!"

 

"Kagome!" She blinked, dizzy. "Kagome, you idiot!" Oh, it was Inuyasha. Kagome winced, eyes still closed. She ached all over. "Kagome! Say something!" Inuyasha's voice rang out desperately over her head. And to her utmost surprise, a hand grabbed her shoulder desperately. "Kagome!" Another cool, callused hand went to her forehead and to cradle the side of her face.

 

Startled brown eyes snapped open. "Kagome!" Inuyasha pulled his hands back immediately. "You idiot!" He shouted and stood up, eyes flashing. "How on earth could anyone be so clumsy?!" Well, it was Kagome he was talking about… "Don't you ever do that again!"

 

Kagome sat up dizzily and rubbed the back of her head. "I-Inuyasha?" She asked unsteadily and looked up at him from her seat among the shattered fence.

 

"What?" He asked gruffly, golden eyes glinting in the sun.

 

"I'm glad you're okay." Kagome flopped back down to the grass and shattered wood. Inuyasha stared at her, gaze unreadable and sat down next to her, the grass flattening beneath his weight.

 

Kaogme suddenly sat up and poked him in the shoulder. Inuyasha flinched. "Hey!" He protested. "What was that for?" He scooted away slightly.

 

"You're alive." She grinned. "And it's not the half moon…" She poked him again and the half-demon glared at her. "You're alive!" She cheered and laughed. "And you didn't die when you tried to go up the hill!" She was still feeling a bit dizzy…

 

Inuyasha's black brows snapped together. "What?" He asked in a dangerously calm tone. "You mean to tell me…" Kagome gulped and rolled to the side, lying down again. "… that you fell all the way down here on purpose?" His voice rose in volume. "How could you be so stupid?" He waved hands of flesh and blood in the air.

 

"Well, we're both okay now, right?" Kagome asked and shaded her eyes from the sun. "So it was worth it." Inuyasha stared down at her incredulously. There was a long scratch on her cheek down to her chin that had raised a welt, a bruise on her arm and a lot of small scratches and her black hair was tousled. How could she be so cheerful?

 

"You fell down the hill because I wouldn't stop going up?" He asked with a frown, then yelled at her, "That was really stupid!"

 

"You wouldn't listen when I told you to stop!" Kagome protested and sat up. "And you were starting to fall apart!" Her eyes stung and she blinked hard. "I was really scared! I thought that you'd die!" A lone tear fell down her face and sparkled in the afternoon sun before hitting the grass.

 

Inuyasha gulped. "Why are you crying?" He asked gruffly. "There's nothing to cry about! Everybody's fine!" He assured her hurriedly. Kagome sniffed and wiped her eyes.

 

"I was worried about you!" She said vehemently. "I didn't want you to die! And don't you ever do that again, or I'll fall down the hill!" She threatened, waving a finger in his face.

 

Inuyasha grabbed her hand and pulled it away from his face angrily. Suddenly, they both stopped arguing. Kagome stared at his hand, wrapped around hers. He dropped it hastily and brought his eyes up to the blue sky overhead, lying on his back in the grass with his arms cushioning his head.

 

Wordlessly, Kagome dropped beside him and stared up at the clouds. Inuyasha closed his eyes contentedly. He'd forgotten what he'd been missing. The sun on his face, the gentle sigh of the wind, the sharp smell of crushed grass underneath him, all thrilled his senses. He sighed happily and opened his eyes to stare up at the sky again.

 

Kagome looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He looked so happy, so peaceful. She smiled and looked back up at the sky, not noticing that Inuyasha's golden gaze was now on her.

 

He was stunned. Kagome had fallen down the hill for him. Doubtless, it was quite possibly the stupidest thing that she'd ever done, but she'd done it for him. He marveled at her selflessness. She'd put herself in danger, at the mercy of the slope which could've killed her or broken some bones so that he'd stop…killing himself, really.

 

"I was really scared! I thought that you'd die!" Her words echoed in his head. The wind rustled the leaves of the nearby forest and the long green grass waved gently, tickling his ears. Puffy white clouds chased each other across the dusty blue sky and over the glowing sun. A bird chirped sweetly somewhere in the forest.

 

"Thanks." Inuyasha said finally, still staring at the sky as the sun warmed his face. The grass rustled as Kagome turned her head to look at him.

 

"For what?" She asked curiously, staring at him with brown eyes that glittered in the noonday sun and shone on her bluish-black hair. Inuyasha didn't look at her when he replied.

 

"Thanks for caring."

 

(\ /)

(•. •)

(><)

 

Pop!

 

Shippo giggled and stepped on another bubble. There was tons of the bubble wrap in the room that he and Souta had been exploring. The stuff was so entertaining. Shippo sat down on the stuff with a delighted grin.

 

Pop pop pop pop!

 

Souta laughed and grabbed an armful of the bubble wrap. He placed it in a heap on the floor, one sheet on top of the other. He grinned and waved at his kitsune friend. "Hey, Shippo!" The ginger-haired boy turned around, still sitting on the sheet of bubble wrap that he was currently occupied with. Souta took a step back and jumped.

 

Pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop!

 

The two boys laughed and grabbed handfuls of the stuff, placing more sheets on top of each other. They grinned at each other and paced backwards until they were against the wall. "Ready, set, GO!" They ran forward together and hit the bubble wrap with a series of loud popping noises.

 

Miroku stuck his head in the room. "What's going on here?" he asked, frowning. "Oh." The scene was self-explanatory. "Bubble wrap. Have fun." He shut the door. That was going to occupy them for at least a few hours. Just wait until they find the packing foam things…

 

He continued down the hallway, en route to the now smoke-free living room to sit and read. He sat down on the couch and grabbed the newspaper on the couch. After looking at it for a moment, he put it back with a sigh. Yesterday's. He sat idly on the couch with nothing to do. A faint cackling, buzzing noise overhead caused him to look up. Miroku frowned. "What happened to the smoke detector…?"

 

Sango poked her head out of the kitchen and replied shortly. "It wouldn't shut up." Miroku shrugged and got off the couch. He sauntered into the kitchen, where Sango was about to pour herself a bowl of cereal.

 

"Cereal for lunch?" He asked dubiously. Sango put down the box and looked up at him from her seat at the kitchen table with a shrug.

 

"Got a better idea?" She asked. Miroku sighed regretfully and took the box of cereal away from her. He put the milk back in the refrigerator and the cereal back in the cupboard.

 

"Cereal," he said solemnly as he pulled out a frying pan. "Is not a lunch food." He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a few varied ingredients. "I'll make you lunch."

 

"Thanks for offering, but I think I'd rather have the cereal." She eyed the frying pan dubiously. Miroku paused from his preparations to look at her reproachfully.

 

"Do you hate my cooking, Sango?" He asked and turned on the stove. Sango shook her head and put her bowl and spoon back in their places.

 

"Your food is a bit too…. exotic for me." She admitted. Exotic, indeed. He came up with the strangest foods, like lettuce in rice with cheese. While most of the time it wasn't half bad, some of the time it was just a bit too much.

 

"What do you mean?" Miroku continued his preparations. He cracked an egg into the frying pan and it sizzled. He put in some shitake mushrooms -Sango winced- and some sort of green.

 

"Is that broccoli?" She asked hesitantly. Miroku nodded rather enthusiastically and pulled out a cutting board. He placed the head of broccoli on the board and started to cut it. "Don't tell me you're going to put that in with the egg stuff." Sango stared at him as if he was crazy.

 

"If you insist, I will not tell you, but I will do it nonetheless." Miroku answered eloquently and dumped the broccoli in the frying pan with the rest of the food, "It will mix well with the asparagus." He added. Sango gaped at him.

 

"What are you doing?!" She asked as he grabbed the carton of milk. He poured a tiny bit into the pan and put it back into the refrigerator.

 

"Making your lunch." Miroku didn't look up as he stirred the contents of the pan. "Much better than cereal." He added. Sango stared at him incredulously and stepped behind him to look at the pan.

 

"Umm…" She hummed to herself. "It looks… interesting." Miroku stirred it again. To be honest, it didn't look half bad and if she hadn't known about all the strange ingredients in the omelet-thing, she would've tried it without hesitation.

 

"I agree." Miroku said back and turned off the stove. Sango looked at the thing uncertainly. Upon seeing the black-haired young woman's response, Miroku offered, "Would you like me to eat some first and tell you if it's okay?"

 

Sango nodded fervently. Miroku put the pan back on the stove and grabbed two plates. He shoveled some of the interesting omelet onto his plate. Without hesitation, he put some of it in his mouth and chewed slowly. He swallowed and frowned. "It has a very interesting texture. But the broccoli and the asparagus blend well with the mushroom and the cheese. The milk kept it nice and fluffy." He added with satisfaction.

 

Sango looked at him with raised eyebrows. So, there was a method to his madness. "Overall, I'd give it a… say, eight out of ten." Sango nodded and put some of Miroku's concoction on her own plate. "Not the best thing, but pretty good." He concluded.

 

Hesitantly, Sango put some in her mouth and chewed. He was right. Not bad. It tasted a bit strange, granted, but it was… unique. Pretty good, actually. She swallowed and ate some more. "I take it that you agree with me." Miroku smiled as Sango continued eating. "I'm glad that it meets your approval." He added.

 

Sango nodded. "I've never had anything like it." She admitted after swallowing. "How did you know that it would be okay?" She asked curiously. Miroku shrugged and put his now-empty plate in the sink with the frying pan.

 

"I didn't." He said with a shrug. "I was hoping. Most of the time things work out, though." Sango stared at him for a moment, then let it go. She finished eating; aware that Miroku's eyes were on her as she did so.

 

She put her plate in the sink and smiled. "Thank you." Miroku got up out of his seat, the feet of the chair skidding across the wooden floor.

 

"If you wish to properly thank me," Sango glared at him and waited for a trademark-perverted comment. She was surprised when he said, "then you can do the dishes." Sango nodded without hesitation. Miroku, guessing her thoughts, tapped his head and said, "Clean thoughts," before leaving the room.

 

Huh. Sango turned on the water and grabbed the dish soap. Was it just her, or was Miroku actually acting decent for once?

 

_|__|_

(•.•)

--( • )--

(____)

 

There was a crash, the sound of splintering wood. Miroku looked up from the book he was reading and peered out the window at the fence. "KAGOME!" Inuyasha's voice rang distantly across the long distance. Sango dashed out of the kitchen, her hands still covered in soapsuds that she didn't bother to try and wipe off. Miroku stood up abruptly and slammed open the back door. He slid on a pair of shoes and went running, Sango running next to him.

 

"What was that?" Sango asked, breathing easily. Miroku shrugged and kept running. The fence was still about one hundred yards away through the edge of the forest when they heard Inuyasha and Kagome arguing. Both slowed pace, now confident that the black-haired girl was all right.

 

"-so stupid?" Inuyasha voice rang out, enraged. Sango and Miroku peered out at the scene from behind a tree about twenty yards back.

 

"Well, we're both okay now, right?" Kagome was lying on the ground, bits of the broken fence scattered around her. "So it was worth it."

 

"You fell down the hill because I wouldn't stop going up? That was really stupid!" Inuyasha yelled. Sango exchanged glances with Miroku.

 

"You wouldn't listen when I told you to stop! And you were starting to fall apart! I was really scared! I thought that you'd die!" The two eavesdroppers exchanged another glance. Miroku smiled. So as he suspected, there was more to Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship than being friends.

 

"Why are you crying? There's nothing to cry about! Everybody's fine!" Miroku stared at Inuyasha in fascination. He was alive… and whole. But how was that possible? He glanced at Sango, who was wearing a similar expression.

 

"I was worried about you!" Kagome said. "I didn't want you to die! And don't you ever do that again, or I'll fall down the hill!" They watched as Kagome poked one of her fingers in the flesh-and-blood Inuyasha's face.

 

His hand went up and grabbed hers. They stared at each other for a bit, and then Inuyasha let go and they flopped back on the grass. Miroku grinned. It looked like Inuyasha was finally going to tell Kagome how he felt.

 

It was pretty obvious to everyone else that Kagome was close to him, or maybe just obvious to Miroku, since Sango's eyes were wide with surprise. She put a hand over her mouth and looked at Miroku in horror. "I forgot to turn off the water!" She mouthed to him. "And the plug is in the drain!"

 

Miroku laughed silently, and hand over his mouth. Sango tugged his sleeve and dragged him away at a rushed pace. As soon as they cleared the forest, she broke out into a run, still tugging on Miroku's shirt. "I can't believe it!" She exclaimed.

 

"Can't believe that Inuyasha and Kagome like each other?" Miroku asked as they ran. Sango shook her head at him, her long hair floating out behind her.

 

"I can't believe that I left the water on!" Miroku chuckled and kept running.

 

High above them, drifting on a feather, a certain scarlet-eyed wind witch smirked. "Gotcha, Akutagawa." Looks like she didn't need Naraku's help after all. Kagura pulled away upon a strong gust of wind and allowed her malicious grin to widen. She'd kill the girl later that night.

 

(\ /)

(•. •)

(><)

 

Mrs. Higurashi dusted off her hands and inspected her work. She'd put down roughly a third of the bricks around the lawn as a border and pulled out dozens of weeds. "I think that's enough for one day," She decided and looked up at the sky. "What's that?" She peered up at a small shape high in the sky. "A feather…?" She murmured.

 

Sango and Miroku sprinted through the grass and past her to the house. "Is it just me," She addressed them. "Or is there a large white feather in the sky?" They both paused and Miroku shooed Sango towards the house before answering Mrs. Higurashi.

 

"Where?" He asked sharply. The older woman pointed and watched as he shielded his eyes from the bright sun. "Indeed," He murmured softly. "This does not bode well." They passed for a moment, both watching the feather slowly drift on the wind. Miroku bowed to Mrs. Higurashi. "Thank you for pointing it out." He said sincerely.

 

The older woman nodded, confused. "Of course." She smiled. He was a polite one… Miroku rushed back to the house and left Mrs. Higurashi to herself. She stared up at the sky again and her eyes widened in surprise. "What?" The feather -there was no doubt that it was a feather- swerved suddenly and took off in a different direction at a rapid pace. "Hm." She shrugged and picked up her gardening paraphernalia.

 

Miroku on the other hand was much more sure of what was going on. He rushed into the house, tossing his shoes -they were actually Mr. Higurashi's- outside haphazardly and hurried into the kitchen.

 

Sango was scrubbing at the floor with a towel, a stormy expression on her face and large puddle of water around her feet. "I can't believe I did that." She shook her head ruefully as Miroku stepped into the room.

 

"Sango." She looked at him curiously. "Mrs. Higurashi spotted the demon that was here before." She raised her eyebrows and put the towel down.

 

"So what should we do?" She asked. "It's too much of a coincidence that she's been here twice." She frowned.

 

"I agree." Miroku nodded. "I think that all of us should be aware and be careful." He shrugged. "What else can we do?" Sango's eyes lit with an idea. She stood up and called for Kirara. The little cat skittered into the room a moment later and mewed.

 

"I'll go get Hiraikotsu!" She decided eagerly. Her eyes softened slightly. "If everything's still there." Miroku nodded sympathetically. He'd lost both of his parents at a pretty young age. His mother died giving birth to him and his father had a disease that eventually killed him.

 

"Would you like me to go with you?" He asked seriously. Sango looked at him in surprise and then shook her head. Kirara hopped onto her shoulder and the two of them walked out of the room.

 

"No, you tell the others." She said. "With Kirara, I'll be back in no time." She grinned at the fire cat on her shoulder. "She's really fast when she needs to be, and it's only about twenty miles. Easy." Miroku nodded.

 

"Good luck." He told her encouragingly. Sango nodded and bent down to grab a pair of shoes. Clean thoughts… Miroku's eyes strayed to her rear. Clean thoughts… with a great show of effort, he dragged his eyes to the floor.

 

Sango stood up and wiggled her toes in the pair of shoes. "Oops, these are Kagome's." She shrugged. I hope she doesn't mind." She hurried out the back door. "If I'm not back in an hour, then you'd better start worrying." She informed him. Miroku nodded.

 

"I'll go tell Kagome and Inuyasha now." He added, slipping on an anonymous pair of shoes as well and following her to the middle of the lawn. "Have a safe trip." He offered. Sango smiled briefly and Kirara leaped off of her shoulder, transforming as she landed on the grass. Sango jumped onto the demon cats back with ease and waved.

 

"Let's go, Kirara!" She said to her friend. With a soft growl the large demon leaped into the air, small flames cackling into life around her paws. In a few moments, demon and rider were only a black speck high in the air.

 

Miroku sighed and walked back to the fence where Kagome and Inuyasha were when he'd last seen them. It had only been a few minutes; they'd still be there. He walked at a sedate pace -the sandals that he was borrowing were much too large for him- and sighed.

 

"Never a dull moment, is there?" He sighed and trudged on, the long grass that Mrs. Higurashi had yet to trim waved around his feet as he went. He looked up at the sky again. No sign of the feather. He wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing.

 

Leaves crunched under his feet as he walked through the edge of the forest. The temperature dropped a few degrees and it grew darker as he went through it, lost in thought. He stopped by the same tree that he and Sango had hid behind and looked for Kagome and Inuyasha. They were as they had been before, staring up at the sky and talking softly.

 

Regretfully, he sighed and stepped into the clearing. "I'm sorry to disturb your little love-fest-" Inuyasha and Kagome whirled around, both faces tinged pink as they spluttered incoherently. Miroku continued smoothly, eyes twinkling in amusement. "-but there is something that we must discuss."

 

"Yes?" Kagome asked, face still flushed in embarrassment. Miroku sat down on the grass and fiddled with a splinter of wood.

 

"It appears that the demon who landed in the library, or ballroom has returned." Inuyasha smirked slightly and Kagome watched him with wide eyes.

 

"Well, we'll just have to get her to leave then, won't we?" He cracked his knuckles. Miroku looked at him with surprise in his purple eyes.

 

"Surely you don't think that you've broken the spell?" He asked incredulously. It was Inuyasha's turn to look at him in surprise. "If I understand correctly, that spell has lasted for five hundred years and seems quite permanent." He said.

 

"So it was old, and it broke." Inuyasha concluded. Miroku shook his head and plucked at a piece of grass idly. "Well. I'm alive, aren't I?" Inuyasha asked and poked himself in the chest.

 

"Until the spell reactivates." Miroku countered. "Which could be at any moment." Kagome looked at Miroku with a thoughtful frown.

 

"How do you know all this?" The black-haired girl asked curiously. Inuyasha watched the violet-eyed man with interest as he hesitated before replying.

 

"I did a lot of research." He said finally. Kagome nodded and Inuyasha shrugged. The monk was right, he thought bitterly. Any spell by such a powerful priestess as Kikyo was sure to last an eternity or longer. "But," Miroku frowned thoughtfully. "It seems that something is wearing down at the spell." Inuyasha looked up, startled.

 

"What?" He asked and leaned forward intently. "What's wearing at the spell?" Maybe he could find a way to break it… Miroku shrugged and pulled out a piece of grass, twirling it between his fingers as he answered.

 

"I don't know." He admitted. "But it's something recent." He looked up at Inuyasha. "Am I correct in assuming that you've never turned alive before now?" He asked. Inuyasha nodded. "And you slept most of the time?" Inuyasha nodded again. "Then it is something recent, perhaps an old relic brought from the Higurashi shrine that counters the spell." Kagome and Inuyasha listened intently. "Or perhaps even yourself, Inuyasha."

 

"Me?" The demi-demon asked incredulously. "But then the spell would've been failing before." He pointed out. A white triangular ear twitched as Miroku let go of the piece of grass he hand and the leaf collided with it.

 

"But you are not the same person that you were." Miroku replied. "Now, you don't want to be a poltergeist. Before, you didn't care one way or another." Inuyasha inclined his head slightly in agreement. What a horrible half-life…

 

"Well anyway," Kagome changed the subject. "About the demon-woman." She shuddered slightly in remembrance of the horrible feeling that she'd given off. "Are we doing anything about it?"

 

"Ah, yes." Miroku remembered why he had come in the first place. "We are going to be aware of where we are and not put ourselves at risk." He said. Inuyasha sighed wearily. "And Sango is getting her demon exterminating stuff." He added. Inuyasha's ears twitched towards him in interest.

 

"So she's going to fight with the demon?" He asked. Miroku shrugged. The former poltergeist cracked his knuckles again. "I haven't done anything useful lately," He said suggestively. He stood up and looked around the sky. "So where is this demon now?"

 

Miroku looked at him in surprise. "She's gone. She left a while ago." Inuyasha sat down again, looking rather put out. Kagome looked at him in interest. She knew next to nothing about his past.

 

"You fought with demons?" She asked curiously. Inuyasha looked at her with an unreadable expression.

 

"I had to." He explained. "It was me or them." The black-haired girl looked at him in surprise. "Demons don't accept half-demons." He said shortly, clearly not wishing to discuss the subject further.

 

Miroku cleared his throat. "I think it would be best if we all went back inside and told the others about our situation." He said. Kagome nodded and Inuyasha stood up, long red sleeves flapping in the wind.

 

"Well, let's go." The demi-demon said impatiently. Kagome and Miroku stood up and the three of them walked back towards the house.

 

(\ /)

(0.0)

(><)

 

Sango took a deep breath and stepped of the walkway to her old house, the green paint sign still upon it. The door was closed. With trembling fingers she fumbled in her pocket for the keys to the house and opened the door with a creaking sigh. Tentatively, she stuck her head in and almost expected the interior of the house to be as if she'd never left, her brother and father sitting on the couch and watching a movie together.

 

It wasn't that much of a disappointment when the house was empty. She didn't remove her shoes at the door, almost afraid that if she practiced the familiar gesture she wouldn't be able to leave. She walked carefully through the hallway and into the living room for the first time in weeks. Kirara mewed softly against her cheek as she walked around the room and tenderly placed things in their proper places.

 

She sighed heavily and scrubbed fiercely at her eyes before walking reverently up the carpeted stairs that creaked gently. She ran her hand over the familiar, smooth wooden banister -it was starting to collect dusk- and smiled sadly. She couldn't come back; it wasn't the same. The house felt so empty, lonely. A terrible sadness permeated the still atmosphere as Sango walked silently into her old room and gazed at her old stuff.

 

It felt like an eternity since she'd lived happily in the house with her family, a distant fond memory. To be walking through it again was almost too much. Sango dragged her gaze from an old photo and grabbed Hiraikotsu and her exterminating paraphernalia that she'd never really had to use before. She rushed out of the room, part of screaming over the familiarity and staying, the other part finding the house unbearable to be in.

 

Unable to help herself, Sango opened the door to her brother's room and looked in sadly. Blinking back unwanted tears, she gently closed the door, almost afraid to make a sound in the absolute silence of the house, and rushed down the stairs and out the door.

 

Gasping for breath at the edge of the walk as if she'd just run a marathon, Sango closed her eyes and leaned heavily against a tree. The street was silent; no one was out during the day alone unless they had to be since the awful murders had started to take place. The green symbol on the door of her old house marked it as one visited by the killers. She stared at it as if hypnotized, thinking.

 

Turning away slowly, her outfit tied into an old scarf and her giant boomerang resting easily on her shoulder, she said quietly to Kirara, "Let's go." There was a soft mew in response and suddenly she was up in the air, Kirara's larger form beneath her. "Bye…" She called softly to the house, the life, the memories, the family she was leaving behind.

 

Somewhere deep inside her, Sango knew that she'd never come back again.

 

(\ /)

(•. •)

(><)

 

"My my, we certainly have chosen an interesting place to live." Mrs. Higurashi noted as she sat on the couch in the living room. "Demons everywhere." She added by way of explanation. She glanced at Inuyasha and smiled. "Not that it's a bad thing."

 

"Well, now that you understand the situation." Miroku stood up and looked at the old woman. "And I doubt that this demon is anywhere nearly as friendly as Inuyasha or Shippo." The former smirked.

 

"What makes you say that?" Mrs. Higurashi asked. She believed in open-mindedness. Miroku looked at Kagome, who shifted in her seat rather uncomfortably. Inuyasha glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

 

"Kagome sensed an evil surrounding this demon," Miroku explained. "But senses none around Inuyasha or Shippo." Mrs. Higurashi looked at her daughter in surprise.

 

"Kagome?" The older woman asked in confusion. "What do you mean, 'sense'? Are you sure you just weren't uncomfortable around her because she was in the house uninvited?" The raven-haired girl shook her head fervently.

 

"It's this… feeling." She explained with difficulty. "Like, intuition. A first impression, but a lot clearer." She stopped, then suddenly snapped her fingers. "It's like eating food!"

 

The others in the room stared at her incredulously. "I mean, you can smell food before you eat it and know whether or not you like it without tasting it. I can tell what people are like without knowing them." She said. Mrs. Higurashi nodded slowly.

 

"How do you do this?" She was taking it all in stride. Kagome looked at Miroku for reassurance before answering and the violet-eyed man nodded in the affirmative.

 

"Miroku and Grandpa say that I'm a priestess." She shrugged and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, Inuyasha's words echoing in her head. "I don't like priestesses, nothing personal." She sighed slightly and glanced at the half-demon next to her, wondering why he'd said that to her.

 

"Mm." Mrs. Higurashi looked slightly troubled, then shook her head. "You'd best tell Grandpa." Miroku nodded and set off without the other two. Mr. Higurashi had taken a liking to him in a vague way because of his politeness and his background as a semi-monk.

 

Mrs. Higurashi got up and left the room, leaving Kagome alone with Inuyasha. There was a brief pause. "Hey." Inuyasha said finally. Kagome looked at him. "About the thing with the demon…"

 

"Yeah?" Kagome asked and tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear. "What about it?" She turned and looked at him full on in the face. Inuyasha's amber eyes looked troubled.

 

"I'm used to-was used to fighting demons." He said. Kagome nodded as she listened intently. "But I don't know… if the demon decides to attack, and I'm nothing but a little wisp of smoke…" he trailed off bitterly.

 

Kagome patted him on the arm. "Sango has been trained to exterminate demons since she was little." A strange occupation, actually, but in this case a very useful one.

 

"But she's never actually fought before." Inuyasha protested. "It's been ages since anyone's actually fought with a demon, I'd guess. No one knows first hand how to fight with them, how they fight. And that leaves us pretty defenseless." He frowned.

 

"There's Kirara," Kagome suggested, ever the optimist. Inuyasha shook his head wearily and looked at Kagome incredulously.

 

"If that demon decides to attack, then we're pretty much toast." He said bitterly. He'd never felt so helpless, except for the time that Kagome got lost and he couldn't find her. It was frustrating.

 

Kagome patted his arm again, still finding herself pleasantly surprised that she was able to. "I'm sure things will be fine." She smiled confidently. The hanyou looked at her with an unreadable expression.

 

"I hope so." He murmured. Despite her confident appearance, Kagome too was feeling worried. What would they do…?

 

(\ /)

(•. •)

(><)

 

Miroku stood outside and looked up at the sky. It had almost been forty-five minutes since Sango had left. He knew that she said to get worried in an hour, but at the rate at which Kirara had been flying she should've been back after half an hour. But then again, she'd probably want to stay in the house for a bit to say goodbye.

 

The violet-eyed man started pacing in agitation and checked his watch again. Forty-seven minutes. Time crawled by so slowly when you were paying attention to it…

 

He looked up at the sky again and was relieved to see a black speck in the distance. It got bigger as it neared its destination and Miroku sighed. It was Kirara, all right. The cat wheeled around in circles as it lost altitude and landed on the ground. Sango got off her back quietly and avoided Miroku's gaze. She trudged back to the house, the small cat trailing behind her.

 

The purple-eyed man kept his distance in acknowledgement of Sango's feelings. She didn't seem to be very happy at the moment, and for good cause. She opened the sliding glass door and removed her shoes, walking slowly inside with the giant boomerang and her effects in tow. Miroku raised his eyebrows, impressed with the size of the weapon. It looked incredibly heavy.

 

Remembering his own advice, Miroku hurried inside and closed the door firmly after him, not that it would stop any demons… That is, any demons besides Shippo and Kirara.

 

(\ /)

(•. •)

(><)

 

There was an ominous feeling in the air as they waited for night to fall, all of them sure that something was going to happen. Kagome went of in search of Shippo and Souta to make sure that they were aware about the demon situation, Inuyasha trailing behind her and mumbling something about "Safety". Miroku smiled in spite of the tense situation. Inuyasha was certainly devoted.

 

Sango stepped out of her room in her demon-exterminating outfit. Miroku's eyes went wide with surprise. Clean thoughts… Sango hefted Hiraikotsu warningly at him and Miroku averted his gaze slightly. Clean thoughts… Oh, who was he fooling?

 

Sango stared at him with narrowed eyes and brought one arm protectively over her chest where his gaze had been. "Clean thoughts." She reminded him. "Or your head will meet Hiraikotsu." Miroku nodded quickly and looked the other way.

 

Miroku paced for a moment in agitation and then suddenly remembered his one possession of value: the antique staff. It possessed holy powers and was a pretty good weapon in general. He hurried down the hallway and into his room to retrieve the staff.

 

He came back out into the hallway, stuffing ofuda spells and wards in his pockets as he went, the staff in one hand. He sat down on the floor and Sango joined him. "And now we wait." He said with a sigh. He hated waiting…

 

"We wait." Sango agreed. Kirara mewed on her shoulder in agreement.

 

(\ /)

(•. •)

(><)

 

AN: No cliffie! For once… So, tell me whatcha think! Any tweaks necessary? Stupid mistakes? (like the name mix-up and when I made Inuyasha pick up anything even though he can't touch stuff?) OOC? Until next time…

 

Wow, I wrote twenty pages (on Microsoft Word) in two days… No wonder my head is spinning… Ach…