InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Second Chance ❯ Injections ( Chapter 24 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: Nope, I don’t own it. Sorry. (Sniff)



(I)


The late afternoon sun shone brightly on the city of Tokyo and somewhere in the center of the hustle and bustle of the city life below a large white dog closed his eyes and enjoyed the warm late April wind that surged around him.


‘You’re so lazy,’ Kikyou grunted in disapproval. Sesshoumaru ignored her, choosing instead to settle himself on the landing of the massive stone stairs that lead from the street below to the shrine where he now was. He opened his eyes lazily, his ears pert and alert for any signs of distress. His charge continued her duties, completely unaware of his attentions, and sang to herself as she swept the ancient stairs.


‘I care not for your insults,’ Sesshoumaru growled absentmindedly. He ignored the rest of her rant, choosing instead to focus on deciphering the lyrics to the song Kagome was pleasantly mumbling. It was peaceful, if not odd, to sit on the ancient stairs and watch time fly by. Here, at the top of these stairs remained some semblance of his life 500 years earlier. At the base was where the modern world began and where his charge now stood, dressed in the shrine keeper’s colors of red and white with the cord of her IPod snaking from collar. Her hair was pinned away from her face, the locks free to drape against her back while she swept the dirt and street debris. The past and the present temporarily blurred for the once taiyoukai and Sesshoumaru closed his eyes to block the coming headache.


“I am an arms dealer,” Kagome mumbled to herself as she pushed the dirt into a patch of nearby grass. “Fitting you with weapons in the form of words...” She bopped her head and hummed the rest of the first verse of the song, taking a moment to smile in greeting at an elderly couple as they walked past. She glanced up at the top of the stairs and grinned at Chance, who seemed to dose in his spot in the sunlight.


“To live a dog’s life...” she sighed to herself as she leaned against the broom’s wooden handle. “He doesn’t have any chores, responsibilities, or anything. He simply sits and waits until it’s time to eat again.” She watched as he raised a paw and giggled when he swatted at thin air. Chance gave an annoyed ‘woof’ then growled and settled back down.


“Awwww...” Kagome cooed at his cute (if a bit odd) behavior. “I bet he’s bored. Hmmmm...” Her grin returned full force as she snuck back up the stairs, the broom firmly fisted in her hand as she silently made her way toward the landing. She crouched down in front of the seemingly unaware dog, her right hand splayed on the grainy stone’s surface before she leaped up, landed on her feet in front of Chance with a wooden thud from her sandals and waited until his eyes opened to play her broom ‘guitar’.



“I'm a leading man and the lies I weave are oh-so intricate,” Kagome belted out with a wide grin and her best lead guitarist impression. “Oh-so intricate.

“This ain’t a scene, it’s a -Hey!” Kagome cried out when Chance yawned. “Are you going to sleep on me?!” Chance yawned again and flopped back down with what appeared to be a smirk on his normally impassive face.


“Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!”


Ses shoumaru watched as she flopped down in front of him, her face the perfect picture of offense as she stared at him with wide, sapphire orbs. “I think,” she whispered gently. “I think I’m gonna cry...”


‘Look what you did!’ Kikyou shrieked along his mindscape as Sesshoumaru rose to his feet. ‘If she starts to cry, you’d better-‘ Sesshoumaru glanced up at a sudden purring, more like rumbling coming toward the side of the property. His ears perked again and golden eyes were pinned toward the driveway, where an earthshattering ‘Ka-BOOM!’ sounded from the gravel path. Kagome jerked to her knees, her earlier joking forgotten as she picked up her broom and ran toward the sound.


‘I think I know that sound,’ Kikyou said once Sesshoumaru raced after Kagome. ‘Don’t you? We’ve heard that sound from somewher-‘


“It’s Sango and Miroku!” Kagome called over her shoulder as an old blue truck shuddered and backfired it’s way into the parking lot. Kagome stopped running, dropped the broom and waved, bouncing on her toes and grinning as the truck finally convulsed to a stop. “Sango! Miroku! Hi!”


“Kagome, hi!” Sango called out and jumped from the open passenger door. The pair sprinted toward each other as the truck finally died, leaving Sesshoumaru and Miroku to sit by as the two embraced each other in an oxygen-depleting, bone-crushing hug. The sudden blossoming of shrieks and crying left the two males unsure as to what to do. They exchanged helpless glances at first, then sighs of relief when the crying dissolved into laughter.


“You guys look great!” Kagome chirped as she smoothed Sango’s hair away from her face. “Did you have fun?”


“Are you kidding? It was a blast!” Sango responded with a happy laugh. “There was so much to see, and so much to do and-“


“Though we didn’t get to do all of it,” Miroku commented as he approached the pair. “We spent most of our time in the hotel doing-“

“MIROKU!” Sango shrieked in embarrassment. She looked down when Chance whimpered, the shrillness of her voice like a sharp needle in his brain and he mentally cursed while he waited for the pain to subside. “See what you made me do you per-vert!” She whacked his arm soundly and refused to show any sympathy toward him when he winced and complained about the frog in his arm. Kagome laughed at the pair, unaware of how much she missed them until they were right in front of her. She grabbed them both and hugged them, the newlyweds’ argument fading to the background as they hugged her back.


“We missed you too Kago-Star,” Miroku grinned as he kissed the top of her head. “What have you been up to while we’ve been away?” he asked as he moved them toward the house. “Have you lost that virginity yet? You know, you’re going to be the only twenty-two year old in Japan that still hasn’t had her cherry popped.”


“Oh my God, did you really just say that?!” Sango gaped before the beating began. Kagome stood by and giggled, her fingers absently playing with the tips of Sesshoumaru’s ears, when she saw something flash on Sango’s wrist. She grabbed Sango’s arm mid punch, ignoring Miroku’s thanks and his vows to make her a saint, and gasped at the watch on Sango’s arm. It was beautifully delicate piece of machinery with a thin watchband made of either platinum or silver. The watch’s face was made of a flawless pearl with tiny round opals placed where the numbers would be.


“Wow,” Kagome breathed in appreciation. “This is nice. This must have cost Miroku a fortune.”


“Actually,” Miroku said as he held up his right arm. “I didn’t by hers, or mine.” He waited until she noticed his, then answered her questioning gaze with a helpless shrug.


“That’s what I was trying to tell you,” Sango said. “Kagome the guy you were with, Sesshoumaru, gave us these.” Kagome blinked, then blinked again before her mouth fell open. Her jaw shut with an audible click before she tried again and failed.


“Come on Kagome,” Miroku gently said to his shell shocked cousin. “Let’s get you inside and we’ll tell you all about it.”


Sesshoumaru stood by while they went inside, a thoughtful look in his golden orbs as Kikyou giggled in the background. ‘What is it?’ she asked when he continued to think. ‘Something wrong?’


‘It is the woman, Sango,’ Sesshoumaru pondered to himself. ‘Her scent is...different for some reason.’

‘Really?’ Kikyou replied. ‘I didn’t notice.’


‘You could not smell the changes in life, therefore you would not now,’ Sesshoumaru growled testily. ‘However, a nose as finely tuned as mine can easily spot slight chemical changes.’


‘Do you think she’s pregnant?’ Kikyou asked excitedly. ‘I hope so! Is that it?’


‘No,’ Sesshoumaru shook his snowy head. ‘This is different. This is...I do not know...but I do not like it...’


(II)


Inuyasha thanked the cashier, took the small bag and soda she offered him and walked off across the food court. He was in a great mood this morning, one that left a brilliant smile on his face, a sparkle in his eyes and his aura shining like a morning star. He nodded toward a nearby mall rat, one of the few who were lurking around at this time of day, and approached an elevator near the entrance of the mall.


“Good morning Taishou-san,” the guard standing next to the elevator greeted with a bow. Inuyasha returned the sentiment whole heartedly, then boarded the elevator and pressed the button toward the 11th floor. The mall itself was the first two floors of enormous tower was the mall itself, the first and second floors holding more than 275 shops, and boutiques, along with a food court with almost every cuisine imaginable. The other 14 floors were only accessible with the right keys, which Inuyasha had the master set. The offices above the mall were rented out to other merchants, vendors, and even a dentistry that specialized in pediatric care.


‘Nothing could ruin this day,’ Inuyasha sighed to himself as he took a sip of his soda and glanced out of the elevator’s reinforced glass walls. ‘All of our stocks are up, the research facility is coming up with a new way to treat cancer, the mall’s revenue is the best it’s been in months and I have a sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddle in my little bag here.’ He shook the bag slightly and grinned. His furry ears, hidden well underneath his concealment spell, practically wiggled in glee.


‘Yup,’ he sighed to himself as the elevator slowed to a stop. ‘There isn’t anything that can upset this hanyou today! Nope. I guess I’ll-‘ He stopped, the elevator door’s nearly closing on the ends of his suit jacket, and watched as Aoshi and Shiori paced in the lobby in front of her desk. Their slight panic was plain on their faces and Inuyasha had the sneaking suspicion that he wouldn’t get to enjoy his breakfast for a very long time.


“What’s going on?”


Aoshi and Shiori jumped, startled to hear his voice after wondering about him for so long. “Taishou-sam-san,” Aoshi stumbled over himself as he and Shiori struggled to regain themselves. “Thank goodness you’ve come.”


“We couldn’t stop them sir,” Shiori practically whimpered and sniffed apologetically. “We tried to tell them that they should wait out here for you but-“


Inuyasha sniffed around, then groaned when the scents of two of his least favorite people wafted from underneath his office door. He waved the bagged hand to get them to stop, then threw open his office door and allowed it to slam shut behind him. He glared at the three youkai in front of him, their concealment spells doing little to fool him as the taller of the three glared back at him.


“Shujin, Ginta, Jininji,” Inuyasha greeted as he walked behind his desk and sat his beloved bag into one of his drawers. The soda he left to sit on his polished pine desk, and he growled in warning when Ginta moved to pick it up.


“Inu hanyou,” Shujin muttered in mild disgust. “Always so protective over the little things.”


“Did you come here just to say that, or did you want something important?” Inuyasha snapped back angrily, his good mood already evaporated into the early morning dew.


“Actually,” Jininji meekly began with a friendly smile. “We did want to discuss something with-“


“We met your brother’s new pet,” Ginta interrupted with a frown. “And though we’ve tolerated his past tinkering, this one seems a bit...older than his previous toys.”


“And what does that have to do with me?” Inuyasha asked as he sat down behind his desk. “I gotta tell you, I appreciate you telling me, but I honestly don’t care.”


“We wish to speak to the Western Tai, hanyou,” Shujin replied and was rewarded with a slight growl on Inuyasha’s part. “We demand to know where he is.”

“Ok, first of all,” Inuyasha began and leaned over his desk, his eyes narrowed and shifting from chocolate brown to burnished amber. “You guys don’t have the right to come in here and demand the time of day, no less as to where my brother is. This is western territory and, though I’m only Sesshoumaru’s steward, I’m still the acting ruler and I deserve just a teeny bit of respect. For another, I don’t know where he is. I never know where his is and if I do, I for sure wouldn’t tell you because you DEMAND it of me.”


“Hanyou, you will-“


“I will not!” Inuyasha snarled at the surprised youkai. “You will get out, right now, before I sink your lands into the proverbial ground! And the next time you come to my home, where I do business, and disrespect my staff I will make sure you regret it. You got me?!”


Ginta and Shujin exchanged heated glances with the pissed off hanyou, then mentally shrugged and decided to let this argument go. If Inuyasha hadn’t proven himself in the first hundred years of his rule of the west, he had in the next five centuries to come. Inuyasha showed a surprising knack for finance and when the time of acquiring and fighting over land in the Feudal Era was over, it was Inuyasha who gathered as much information as possible about the human world and used it to catapult the west into a multi-media, worldwide corporation. The hanyou’s instincts were better than anyone could have known and when he offered to help the other lands it was the east who first jumped toward the chance. The other lands quickly followed, and the full youkai lords watched as the hanyou they mocked for centuries helped them obtain the comfort and glory they could only dream of in a time they barely understood.


Inuyasha’s threat to damage their ‘lands’ was real, and if they didn’t respect him they did respect the power he wielded.


“We will quit this conversation,” Ginta calmly replied as he and Shujin walked toward the office door. “But we intend to get answers Inuyasha.”


“Then find the old dog yourself,” Inuyasha growled back. “I am not his messenger boy, nor am I your bloodhound. Remember that.”


Ginta nodded, then he and Shujin disappeared, leaving Jininji and Inuyasha to stare out the window toward the city beyond. “I’m sorry Inuyasha,” Jininji apologized. “It’s my fault they were here.”


“Nah, it’s alright,” Inuyasha brushed off and opened the drawer with his sandwich in it. He opened it and frowned at the lukewarm delectable, promising it a trip through the microwave before closing the drawer again. “They’re a couple of jackasses, and they live to piss me off.”


“They wouldn’t have what they have now if it weren’t for you,” Jininji replied soothingly. “They know it too.”


“Yeah well, they don’t act like it.” Inuyasha gave a deep sigh, a far away look passing over his now mahogany eyes before he returned his gaze to Jininji. “What did they want, anyway?”


Jininji shifted in his seat nervously, knowing that what he had to tell his fellow hanyou friend wouldn’t please him in the least. “We had to rescue the young lord Shippou from his mother a week or so ago. He had a ... friend with him.”


“Sesshoumaru’s ward?”


Jininji nodded. “Uh huh, though we didn’t know it at the time. She gave us quite the talking to about how we allowed Shippou to come to harm at his mother’s hands.” He was surprised when Inuyasha laughed, as if the inu hanyou expected such a reaction from the young woman, but continued on when Inuyasha motioned for him to. “I caught a familiar scent on her, and attempted to gain the others attention, but it wasn’t until later that they were willing to listen to me. Once they found out what, or whom, the scent belonged to they were determined to see Sesshoumaru-sama and ask what his intentions were toward the young woman.”


“He won’t answer them,” Inuyasha replied with a careless shrug. “Shit, he won’t even tell me what he’s doing.”


“So you know where he is?” Jininji asked and was answered with a slight snort.


“Of course I do.” Inuyasha rolled his eyes at Jininji’s surprise. “What, you don’t think I talk to the old dog? He knows everything that goes on in the companies, in the research labs and with the other lords. He is still acting ruler you know.”


“So,” Jininji replied after getting over his initial shock. “Have you seen her?”


“Yeah,” Inuyasha laughed and grabbed his soda. “I’ve seen her. Tell the others though, that if they bother her then Fluffy-sama will be HIGHLY pissed off.”


“I will.” Jininji stood, seeing Inuyasha’s desire to be alone, and walked toward the door. “Inuyasha?”


“Yeah,” Inuyasha said as he looked up from the full in box sitting on the corner of his desk.


Jininji smiled and said, “Your father would be proud of you.”


Inuyasha smirked as if he didn’t care but his appreciation of the statement shone in his eyes. He nodded his thanks and waited until Jininji left before calling Shiori in to salvage what she could of his breakfast and his jovial mood.


(III)


Shippou sat in the small waiting room patiently, his little feet swinging wildly from underneath his chair. He sat there with his head down, his bright red hair pulled back in a low ponytail secured with a hemp rope the same light tan as his dress pants. His black button up shirt contrasted with his pale skin, giving him the lordly image that he so represented. He glanced back at the doctor’s office and grimaced at the closed door. He came with his grandmother to her doctor’s appointment, insisting that it was his ‘lordly duty as her Great Protector’ to make sure she got there and back safely. Mrs Takisai laughed but allowed him to miss this one day of school as long as he promised to behave himself. Now he sat waiting, his emerald green eyes glancing around the waiting room toward a small table stacked high with books.


He approached it and grinned at one of the books. “I remember this one,” he said to himself as he picked it up and flipped through it’s pages. “Kagome told me about it. She said it was her favorite.” He sat down beside the table, on the opposite side of office door and away from the only way of knowing . . .


His only warning . . .


That his life would change . . .again . . .


“So what does this mean?” Mrs. Takisai asked from her seated position on the edge small hospital bed. She looked up at her doctor expectantly, her face the picture of mild confusion as she held up the X-ray. She understood that the image in blue and black was a picture of her chest cavity but she couldn’t understand the various white blotches scattered on the image, nor what they had to do with the excessive amount of coughing she was doing recently. She thought it to be the symptoms of a cold, but the serious and grave look on the younger man’s face gave her reason to worry.


“Your blood tests show that it’s a rare kind of cancer,” the doctor explained. “One that only happens to one in every few hundred thousand people. It spreads quickly, first through your lungs before spreading toward the rest of your body. If we had reached it in it’s earlier stages, then maybe we could have-“


“Wait a second,” Mrs. Takisai interrupted with a wave of her trembling hand. “What are you trying to tell me? Don’t beat around the bush, doctor.”


The man sighed, chocolate brown eyes closing momentarily before they opened, the regret he felt shimmering in his large, expressive orbs. “Takisai-san, there’s nothing we can do. The cancer has spread beyond our control.” He turned away at her gasp, then stepped out of the way when she slid down to the floor and began to pace. “Any treatment at this point would be futile,” the doctor continued to explain. “It wouldn’t do anything more than cause you more pain. We can-“


“How long?”


“Excuse me?” the doctor asked to her whispered question. She looked up, a sense of peace settling over him as her calm, accepting orbs locked his gaze to her own.


“How long do I have left?”


“Four, maybe five months.”


Mrs. Takisai nodded and continued to pace, her slow walking slightly painful once her weak hip began to flare up. She continued to think while her doctor looked on, concern marring his face, and looked up when he cleared his throat. “Ano, tell me,” she said finally. “Will there be pain?”


“Yes.”


“Is there anything you can do for it? Will it affect my daily functions?”


The doctor shook his head. “Medical science isn’t that far advanced. Anything strong enough to take away the pain will more likely than not leave you disorientated and bedridden. My apologies Takisai-san.”


“Don’t be sorry,” Mrs. Takisai assured him with a gentle pat on his shoulder. “I’ve lived a full life, and have seen many great things.” She looked toward the office door, her thoughts suddenly turning away from the peace of her acceptance and wiped a tear from her eyes. “My only worry is my grandson. He’s lost so much already.”


“Will you need help telling him?” the doctor asked. Mrs. Takisai shook her head. “No, I will tell him when the time is right. Until then, arrangements must be made.”


“Of course,” the doctor bowed. “Please, let me know if there’s anything I can do.” He left her when she gave him leave, making sure to close the door behind him. Mrs. Takisai sniffed, then wept bitterly, the unfairness of it all consuming her. ‘It’s not right,’ she growled angrily to the heavens above. ‘Little Shippou has just found someone he can trust, and an environment he feels safe in, and in a few months time it’ll be taken away from him. His mother will get him again and hide him. He will never be safe again...unless...’


Mrs. Takisai’s crying slowed to a stop, her slight sniffling the only sound in the room as she threw herself into her preparations. She nodded to herself, straightened her rumpled appearance and quit the room, the wheels of her mind already spinning towards the solutions necessary to ensure Shippou’s happiness.



(IV)

Sesshoumaru sat between the two women, his eyes at half mast as he enjoyed the petting and gentle ear scratches they treated him to. The two women sat looking at a horror movie, with Sango laughing at Kagome whenever she cringed and hid behind their massive companion.


“You’re such a baby,” Sango giggled when Kagome yelped at a particular scene and hid again. “It’s just a movie.”


“So?” Kagome whimpered against Sesshoumaru’s back. She turned her head to look at the tv again, then quickly turned away and closed her eyes. She pouted at Sango’s laughter and relaxed against Sesshoumaru’s back.


“Kagome...”


“What... 221; Kagome replied to Sango’s sudden whining.


“You’re out of soda.”


“Oh, really?” Kagome grabbed the nearby two liter and frowned thoughtfully at the empty plastic container. “It was full a few minutes ago. I wonder what happened. Oh well.” She hopped up and off of Sesshoumaru’s side, then tugged on her shoes and grabbed her purse.


“Where are you going?” Sango asked while Kagome fumbled inside her purse for her keys.


“Oh, that was my last soda, so I’m going to go get another one. You’ll keep an eye on Chance, right?”


“Of course,” Sango nodded and waved goodbye. “That Kagome, she’s still treating you like a baby, isn’t she?”


‘But you know you like it Sesshoumaru,’ Kikyou teased with a loud and annoying laugh. Sesshoumaru rolled his golden eyes but refused to respond.


“Oh well. At least she has someone to come home to, other than that guy she was with at the wedding.” Sango stood up and walked into the kitchen, taking a moment to tug down her denim shorts before opening the refrigerator and rummaging around for something to drink.


She couldn’t understand it, these sudden thirsts that suddenly overwhelmed her and left her throat parched and her mouth cotton dry. She would feel lightheaded too, as she was currently feeling as she shut the refrigerator door. She grabbed the kitchen counter just as Sesshoumaru padded into the room and he watched the young woman sway unsteadily.

‘There is that scent again,’ he said to himself while Sango struggled to steady herself. ‘It is stronger now. Something is wron-‘ He rushed toward her when she pitched forward, her dark brown eyes rolled fearfully in the back of her head. She was unconscious before she fell on top of the large dog, her head barely swaying above the cold kitchen floor. Sesshoumaru lowered himself slowly then wriggled himself from underneath the woman’s body.


He pressed his cold nose to her cheek, unaware of the whimper of concern that sounded from his throat when she didn’t respond. Sesshoumaru reacted quickly and without thought as he raced up the stairs toward Kagome’s office and her big-button phone. He pressed the emergency number and waited for the operator to answer before giving off a series of sharp barks and growls. The operator continued asking questions and calling for someone to speak to her before shouting out that she would send help as soon as possible.


Sesshoumaru left the phone and waited downstairs, glancing out of the open blinds in search of emergency help before going back to Sango and checking her breathing. He glanced up at the sound of a car door slamming closed, his hope being that it would be Kagome to come toward the walkway. He barked at the two officers and waited for their attention before running back to the kitchen. They climbed the stairs of the back porch to the sunroom soon afterward and were astonished to see the massive pup hovering over Sango’s unmoving body.


Sesshoumaru went through the electronic dog door and stepped outside, his pride momentarily pushed aside as he wagged his tail in greeting of the two men.


“Do you think she’s alright?” one officer asked the other as they both peered through the sunroom’s tall windows.


“I don’t know. How do you think we’ll get in?”


‘The stupidity of some humans,’ Sesshoumaru growled to himself before grasping one of the officer’s pants legs between his teeth and pulling. The officer looked down, then watched as Sesshoumaru walked back into the house through the door. The red light on his collar flicked on when Sesshoumaru stepped through.


“Hey wait a sec. Alright pooch,” the officer said as he kneeled down in front of the door. “You stay right there ok? We’re not going to hurt her.”


‘If I thought that I would not allow you to pass,’ Sesshoumaru replied and watched as the first officer, the smaller of the two, wiggled and fought his way through the door and into the house. He unlocked the door and let his partner inside. Sesshoumaru waited for the first officer to settle beside Sango, the second one leaving to search the rest of the house for any potential threat, then sat down and waited when the first officer called for help.

‘Why exactly do you care, Sesshoumaru?’


‘What?’ Sesshoumaru asked as the officer attempted to revive the woman. ‘Of what are you babbling on about now woman?’


‘You called for help, stayed by her side and kept her from hurting herself when she fell,’ Kikyou remarked in amazement. ‘Why? You shouldn’t even care about what happens to her? So why’d you help her out Sesshoumaru?”


‘I did it-‘ He glanced toward the door and watched as the second officer opened it. Paramedics immediately rushed in with a stretcher and it wasn’t long until Sango was strapped onto it’s soft surface with an oxygen mask held firmly over her nose and mouth. It was just as they were rushing her out of the house that Kagome returned, the bottle of soda in her hands falling to the sidewalk as she ran toward the officers.


“Sir, what happened to my sister?”


“She’s your sister?” the officer asked. Kagome nodded. “Yeah, my sister in law to be exact. What happened? Is she alright?”


“We don’t know,” the first officer admitted. “The emergency call was only of a dog barking. When we came out here we could see her body in the kitche-“


“BODY?!!!!” Kagome cried out suddenly. “You mean she’s-“


“No, no, no,” the second officer immediately responded. “She was unconscious on our arrival and stayed that way.”


“But how did you get in if she didn’t let you in?” Kagome asked. The officers looked down at Sesshoumaru, who was just coming out to stand at Kagome’s side.


“It was your dog ma’am. He stood beside his door long enough for us to take advantage of the electronic lock.”

“You really did that, Chance?” Kagome asked as she kneeled down in front of him. He looked back, the question in her sapphire blue eyes fading away to certainty. She gave him a fierce hug before standing up and approaching the paramedics.


Sesshoumaru allowed her to shuffle him back into the house, her grateful smile warming something within his soul as she got back in her car and followed the ambulance to the hospital.


‘This Sesshoumaru gave his word to protect her,’ Sesshoumaru said as he sat down and returned to what little remained of the movie. ‘And that I will do, even from the sorrow of seeing her friend injured.


‘If need be,’ he said before fully absorbing himself into the movie’s screams and fake blood. ‘I would protect her from myself.’


(End Chapter)


SF: How was everyone’s Christmas? (Grins at the positive responses) Great! I’m gl-


Naraku: My Christmas sucked! I didn’t get a thing I wanted!


Miroku: (muttering) That’s what happens when you’re a self-loving, monkey-banging prick.


Naraku: What was that?!


Miroku: Oh, nothing. Please, go ahead.


Naraku: I wanted to rule the world, and the Shikon no Tama, but all Santa left me was this weird black stuff. (Holds up a handful of coal)


SF: Wow. That’s messed up. I was sure you’d get at least a couple of shovelfuls of the stuff. Lol. Oh well. Anyway, the preview to the next chapter is up-

Silver: Plus a new update on her bio page.


Summary: The month of May soon begins, leaving Sango to adjust to her current situation. When the Sunset Shrine holds its annual Spring Festival, a problem arises on the festival’s most important night. Leave it to Kagome’s knight in shining armor to be around just in time to be of service. Sesshoumaru comes to understand his father’s decisions and his performance leaves Kagome more than a little breathless.


Next chapter- Chapter Twenty-Five: Stepping into the Shoes of My Father