InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ She Who the Prophecy Foretold ❯ The Finished Product ( Chapter 48 )

Chapter 48 - The Finished Product

 

 

Camp was in an uproar. The boys had been jolted awake by a spike of power that burned through their marks. The teardrop on each of their faces stung for several minutes afterward. It was Yoshi who first noticed that they were missing. After a quick search of the area they determined that Isamu and Yuudai were nowhere around. Shippo immediately went to wake Sango and Miroku and the search began in earnest. Miroku stayed behind with Rin, Jaken, and Ah Un while Sango and Kirara accompanied the boys as they followed the scent trail left by their youngest two brothers.

 

“Why would they have left camp?” Hitoshi wondered aloud.

 

“I don't know but there are no other scents here. Just theirs, so they had to have left on their own,” Shinji replied.

 

“I think they went to look for Mama,” Hisoka said softly. “They were really worried last night and they didn't want to come back to camp at all.”

 

“You're probably right, but they should never have gone off alone in the middle of the night. The forest is dangerous in the dark,” Akihiro replied.

 

“They are going to be in so much trouble when father finds out. And Mama is going to be upset too,” Yoshi added. Everyone nodded their agreement as they continued to search for the missing pair.

 

~

 

Kagome had gathered her things from the cave and they were returning to the campsite. The others were sure to be awake by now and would have noticed that Isamu and Yuudai were missing. The two boys in question still slept in her arms as she sat at Sesshoumaru's feet on his youki cloud. Inuyasha followed below in the trees, leaping from branch to branch. It was about forty five minutes before she felt as they began to descend, landing in front of Sango, Kirara, Shippo, and the five eldest pups. Kagome looked them over, seeing the relief in their eyes as they spotted the two children she held.

 

“Oh thank Kami!” Sango breathed out. “We were so worried!”

 

“Did they find you, Mama?” Shippo asked.

 

Hisoka looked the miko over carefully. “Are you okay, Mama?”

 

“No, sweetie, we found them. And yes, Hisoka, honey, I'm fine. We'll tell you all about it as soon as we get back to camp, okay? We've got lots of stuff to share. It was a busy afternoon and morning too. Come on now, let's get back and let the others know everything is alright.” Everyone nodded their agreement and they were on the move once more.

 

~

 

Jaken was pacing and mumbling to himself while they awaited the return of the others. Lord Sesshoumaru surely going to kill him for allowing his two youngest sons to disappear while in his care. Sure, he wasn't the only one watching them but it wouldn't matter. He should have stayed awake the whole night to ensure their safety. He deserved whatever punishment his Lord could devise.

 

Meanwhile Miroku was doing his best to keep Rin busy so that she wouldn't worry as well. He had agreed to take the little girl to the field nearby to pick flowers for her Mama and Lord Sesshoumaru. She wanted to have two big bouquets ready for their return and the poor monk was down on his knees beside her, picking flowers and listening as she told him everything she knew about every single different one. He couldn't wait for everyone to return, although he was rather worried about what Sesshoumaru would do if they returned before the boys were found.

 

Kazue looked up towards the tree line in the distance, her movement attracting the cute little human girl's attention. “Look! There's Mama! And she has Isamu and Yuudai! Yay!!!” Rin leapt to her feet and began jumping up and down in her excitement as her Lord landed his cloud a few yards away. “Mama! Papa! Rin was worried!”

 

Sesshoumaru froze at her words and looked at the energetic child he had come to love as a daughter. He had never heard her say that before. She called him Papa. He didn't know how to respond for a moment, and Kagome glanced up to see the shock in his eyes.

 

`Sesshoumaru! Say something! I know you think of her as yours so why act so surprised?'

 

He shook the momentary confusion from his mind and moved towards the little girl who had just realized what she had said. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. As sure as Rin was that her lord loved her she had always been afraid to let him know she thought of him as her father. And now he wasn't saying anything! She watched him nervously as he stopped in front of her. He knelt before her and allowed a small smile to show on his face. “Rin, you have never called me that before.”

 

“Rin is sorry! It just slipped out!” She looked to be close to tears.

 

He placed his hand on her shoulder before pulling her gently to him. His arm wrapped around the little girl and he lifted her as he stood. “There is nothing for you to apologize for. If you wish to call me Papa you may. I was just surprised. I did not know you felt that way.”

 

She looked up into his bright golden eyes. “Really? Rin can call you Papa? You'll be Rin's daddy?”

 

“Of course. This Sesshoumaru considers you my daughter so it is only natural for you to call me such.”

 

Her eyes were shining brightly with tears once more but this time they were tears of joy as she wrapped her little arms around his neck, buried her face in mokomoko, and squealed her happiness. “Rin is so happy! Rin has a mommy and a daddy!”

 

Sesshoumaru looked over to where Kagome held his two youngest sons, tears leaking from her eyes as well. “Kagome, why do you cry?”

 

“It's just… it's so sweet!” Shippo leapt onto Kagome's shoulder and whispered in her ear. “I don't know Shippo. I suppose you would have to ask him.” Shippo looked up at the taiyoukai still holding Rin, wary of asking his question aloud.

 

Sesshoumaru looked at the kit as waves as nervousness and fear rolled off of him. “What is it you wish to ask me, Shippo?” the demon lord asked gently. The little kitsune met eyes with him for a moment before turning and looking away. “There is nothing for you to be afraid of. Ask your question.”

 

“Well, it's… you see… the thing is… I mean…” Shippo stuttered out before taking a deep breath and getting it out as quickly as possible. “CanIcallyouPapatoo?”

 

Kagome laughed quietly while the kit did a very impressive impression of puppy eyes while awaiting his answer. “Of course you may, Shippo, if you so desire. Since I fully intend to make your mother my mate you would be considered my son soon enough.” Shippo leapt from Kagome to Sesshoumaru while the demon lord watched the miko turn a nice bright shade of red. Looking around at the others, the monk had a very hentai smirk on his face, the slayer's face held a wide smile, his sons as well, and Inuyasha even had a small grin on his face though he was fighting to hide it. “Why do you blush so, Kagome? Surely you were aware of my intentions.”

 

She shot him a glare. “Well yeah, sure. But I wasn't expecting you to just blurt it out like that in front of everyone! Geez! You haven't even asked or anything and yet you say it like it's already been decided.”

 

“Would you reject this Sesshoumaru?” There was nervousness and a touch of insecurity in his voice that made her smirk.

 

“Perhaps. You'll just have to wait and see, won't ya?” She giggled at his expression while the hanyou by her side snorted his own amusement.

 

“Looks like you might have to work a little harder than you thought, eh brother?” he managed to say before the laughter overtook him once more.

 

“Quit picking on Mr. Presumptuous. We need to get back to camp so I can lay these two down. And then we have some talking to do. Inuyasha, can you help me out here?” The hanyou nodded and lifted Isamu into his arms and Kagome shifted Yuudai into a more comfortable position. They started their short walk to camp, everyone else falling into line behind them, Hisoka stopping to pick up a tiny Kazue as he passed.

 

Miroku looked down at his hands which held the two bouquets Rin had thrust at him when she had first seen the returning group. Falling into step beside Sango with Kirara on her shoulder he grinned at the beautiful slayer before holding one fist full of flowers out to her. “Flowers for the pretty lady?” he asked while waggling his eyebrows suggestively at her. She surprised him however when she merely smiled back and accepted the bouquet he had offered. No threats, not smacks, no hitting over the head with a giant demon bone boomerang, nothing. “Sango? Are you alright?”

 

“Sure, Miroku. I'm fine. And thanks for the flowers. They're beautiful.” She fought back the triumphant smirk that was dying to get out at his confused face. “Hurry up monk, or you'll be left behind,” she called back to where he had stopped walking in an attempt to focus on what had just happened. He flirted with her and she didn't shoot him down or get upset. That had never happened before! Her words startled him back to reality and he jogged to catch up to the last living demon slayer who just happened to be the woman he loved.

 

~

 

Ah and Un lifted their heads to watch the procession enter the clearing. They were relieved when they spotted the youngest twins being held by the miko and the hanyou, though they were surprised to see the hanyou voluntarily assisting his brother or associating with his nephews as he had never done so before. It was a few more moments before Jaken noticed their presence. “Oh my Lord! This Jaken is so sorry that the pups managed to sneak away while under my care. It was irresponsible and reckless of me to sleep while I should have been on guard.” The toad said all this while on his knees, his forehead pressed to the ground and his entire body shaking with fear.

 

“Calm yourself Jaken. While this Sesshoumaru is rather disappointed in the less than sufficient supervision you provided it was not entirely your fault. They have been trained in stealth and used it well to escape your watch. If Yoshikazu and Shinji failed to notice I cannot punish you for not noticing as well.” Kagome smiled; proud of the way he was handling the situation. She had been concerned that he would take his frustration out on the little toad demon when it wasn't his fault. Jaken looked up cautiously, absolutely shocked that the taiyoukai had yet to punish him in any way. “Get up Jaken.” Sesshoumaru turned to Kagome then. “There is something I must attend to. I will return as soon as possible. I will leave you to tell them of all that occurred.” She nodded and after he carefully set Rin on her feet and Shippo had moved from his shoulder to hers he leaned in for a soft and gentle chaste kiss. “Protect her with your very life, brother.” Inuyasha merely nodded his agreement.

 

Kagome watched as he walked away for a little while before moving to lay the little boy in her arms down on her bedding, motioning for Inuyasha to do the same. Once the two were settled and covered everyone gathered around the fire and awaited Kagome's tale. She glanced around, seeing the expectant look in everyone's eyes. “I guess you want to know what all happened while we were gone, huh?” She smiled as the boys and Rin nodded rapidly. “Alright, alright! You're gonna break your little necks if you keep that up! Okay, so Sesshoumaru and I left to go find Inuyasha. He had a guess as to where he was hiding out and we were heading there first when I sensed a jewel shard. We went to check it out and found a whole group of snake demons attacking a village. Let me tell ya, they were ugly! Their leader had the shard and he was the only one that actually had legs. The rest were slithering around on tails! Ech!”

 

“Yeah, snake demons can be fairly disgusting and you almost always find them in groups. They live in nests together,” Sango shared.

 

“They even had the whole forked tongue deal. So gross! Anyway, so Sesshoumaru landed and wanted me to stay behind him. He was fighting off the followers while the leader just watched, at least until the women that had been thrown at his feet tried to sneak away. Just thinking about him gives me the heebie-jeebies. When he talked he hissed too, said he wanted the women and me as ssssslavesss.” Kagome hissed out the last word for extra emphasis. “So when the women tried to get away he reached out and snakes extended from his fingers, a lot like the whole Naraku-tentacle thing, and caught them around the wrists and ankles. He was holding them off the ground shaking them to make them scream, so I shot an arrow and cut through one of the snakes holding a village woman. Of course that attracted his attention to me. He came at me and sent the snakes towards me. I shot another arrow but I missed and one of the snakes wrapped around my wrist. Thank Kami Sesshoumaru turned right then. He sliced through all the snakes and fought the one with the shard. I wasn't paying enough attention to my surroundings when I was trying to find the shard so Sesshoumaru could get it. One of the snakes he cut off bit my ankle and refused to let go.” Sango gasped and the boy's eyes all widened.

 

“So then that was the pain we felt?” Akihiro asked.

 

“Yeah. Then your father killed him and got the shard and tried to get the poison out while the villagers thought he was hurting me and were going to attack him. I managed to stop them and then the next thing I know I'm surrounded by nothing.”

 

“You died. We felt it,” Hisoka whimpered.

 

“You what? He let you die? Damn it! He should have been protecting you!”

 

“Calm down, Inuyasha. It wasn't his fault. I should have been watching out for the snakes on the ground. And yes Hisoka, I died. At least that's what your father said. I was in this dark place and then there was this tiny pink light but no matter how fast I ran it never got any closer. Then there was a voice, a woman's voice. She told me that the shards needed to become one with me again, that I should press them to my heart and they would become a part of me and that they could never be removed or stolen from me again. Then she said I had to go back. Next thing I know I'm looking up at Sesshoumaru, thoroughly confused. He was too. He said I was dead, no breathing, no heart beat, the mark cut, everything and then suddenly there was a bright light and I was back. He didn't know what happened to the shard after he grabbed it, thought maybe he dropped it but it was gone. I think…”

 

“That it became one with you?”

 

“Yeah, Miroku. I'm not sure, but it makes sense.”

 

“Perhaps you should test it then. You do have more shards and you should absorb them too then.”

 

“Yeah, you're right.” Kagome pulled the bottle of shards from under her shirt and opened it, pulling one out. She closed her eyes and touched the shard to her heart. The others watched on in awe as it sunk into her skin, disappearing completely. “I guess it works then. The voice said that each piece would make me stronger too.”

 

“That was amazing!” Hitoshi whispered as the others nodded slowly, still in awe of what they had seen.

 

“Well, it did come out of your body. I guess it makes sense to put it back,” Sango thought aloud.

 

“So the jewel shard brought you back, Mama?”

 

“I don't know, Shippo. She said that I was in-between, that it was the only place she could talk to me.”

 

“That explains why the connection to you suddenly returned,” Akihiro mused.

 

“Yep. I'm sorry I scared you guys yesterday. But I'm perfectly fine now. The villagers wanted us to stay the night but it was already almost sunset and we had to find Inuyasha. We didn't get there until after, but he was where Sesshoumaru had guessed and safe. Then last night I had another weird dream. This time it was Inuyasha's mother and she said he would be in danger and that I needed to give him his gift but he needed to bond with me first. She said I have a gift to give to each of the embodiments of the four spirits to protect them and make them stronger and that each would present itself when it was most needed. So in the morning Inuyasha marked me and I marked him too.”

 

“Oh! Can Rin see Inuyasha's mark?”

 

Kagome grinned before pulling up her sleeve and showing the new mark to everyone.

 

“It's beautiful!”

 

“It definitely represents you, doesn't it Inuyasha?” Miroku asked.

 

“Keh, I guess.”

 

“I love it. It is so perfect for him. After I marked him too there was this odd light seeping out of a wooden box that Inuyasha said was his mother's but he couldn't open it. I felt drawn to it, like I couldn't stop myself and when I touched it the box opened on its own. Inside was a red crystal heart and when I touched it, it broke. I held out the bigger piece to Inuyasha and then everything was dark again. Izayoi was there and told us what to do and explained his gift. Inuyasha?”

 

“What?”

 

“Show them!”

 

“Oh, yeah, alright.” Inuyasha stood up and Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were momentarily terrified when his eyes bled red and his markings appeared, until he chuckled at them. “I can transform and access my full demon powers without losing control. I can even use them when I'm human. I'll never be defenseless and weak again.”

 

“That's cool!” Shippo cried out.

 

“That will definitely come in handy. And I expect that you are rather pleased.”

 

“Damn straight, Monk!”

 

~

 

Sesshoumaru had walked directly to the elder miko's hut. She had promised him the necklace would be finished the day before but he hadn't had a chance to retrieve it. As he approached he saw her sweeping the small porch of her hut. “Ah, Lord Sesshoumaru, I was expecting ye to come yesterday.”

 

“This Sesshoumaru had another pressing matter to attend to.”

 

Kaede smiled a bit. “I see. Well, do come in and let me get it for you. It is ready, but I will have to give you some instructions before you can give it to Kagome to use.” She watched as the demon lord entered her hut before following after him. “Please, have a seat.” She moved past him and reached up to a high shelf before turning and holding the completed necklace before him. It looked nearly identical to Inuyasha's but instead the beads being purple they were red, the color matching the patterns on his haori perfectly.

 

She watched as he looked it over slowly. “It will work?”

 

“I am fairly sure it will be powerful enough to subjugate you as Inuyasha's does him, since ye gave of yourself for its construction.” She lowered herself carefully, her joints creaking and popping as she sat. “Have you figured out how to discuss it with Kagome?”

 

He didn't respond right away, looking as if he were deep in thought. “No, I have not. This Sesshoumaru is unsure how she will react.”

 

“I wish I could give ye advice but I have no idea how you would approach her with the subject.”

 

“Hn. What is it you needed to tell this Sesshoumaru? I would like to return to her as soon as possible.”

 

“Oh, yes of course. There is a short incantation that will need to be spoken. I have written it down. Once she reads it aloud then she must be the one to put the necklace on you. It should glow with her power and possibly your own as well. It is then that she must speak the word she has chosen for you. Any word will do but she should try to choose a word that she does not often use or you may end up subjugated accidentally. It should work immediately. If it does not, it is possible that Kagome will need to assist me in some small alterations. Are you sure Lord Sesshoumaru that you wish to give the girl such a power over you?”

 

“This Sesshoumaru is certain. The miko Kagome already possesses a greater power over myself than the beads could ever give her. If this is necessary for the well to allow me passage then I would happily do so.”

 

“I understand. Well then, here is the incantation. I wish ye luck in convincing her.” She held the small scroll and strand of beads out to him. He took both and stored them safely in the sleeve of his haori.

 

“I thank you Lady Kaede. If there is anything you desire in return you have but to ask.”

 

“Oh, no. I could not accept payment. Seeing Kagome happy with her Sakimitama is enough for me.” She watched as his eyebrow rose in question. “Did you think I was unaware?”

 

He thought for a moment before responding. “We both had our suspicions but have had no confirmation.”

 

“She has, Lord Sesshoumaru. And now you have as well. I wish ye luck.” She stood as he did the same and then bowed at the taiyoukai who bowed back out of respect.

 

“Then I thank you once more,” he said before exiting her hut and heading back to the village.

 

~

 

“It was something I had always thought about. She said it was my greatest wish for him. He'll never feel vulnerable again but he doesn't have to give up a part of himself. Then she said we had to go back, that someone needed me.”

 

“That's not all she said, wench!” The hanyou grinned as Kagome blushed. “Mother said that her Sakimitama was getting upset and someone needed her.”

 

Sango joined in the group grin. “Did she now? So then I was right, Kagome?”

 

“Yeah, yeah, you were right, alright? Geez!” Kagome looked around at all the smiling faces. “All of you stop looking at me like that!” She buried her face in her hands as the others chuckled softly. When they had finally silenced she looked up once more. “So I can go on then?” She watched as they nodded before she continued on with her story. “So I got this odd feeling, like when I sense a jewel shard only different and when I closed my eyes I saw those two,” Kagome tipped her head towards the two sleeping pups, “behind a barrier with a miko shooting arrows at them!”

 

“They were being attacked?” Sango asked in a worried tone.

 

“Yeah, we got there right away and confronted her. The barrier had gone up automatically I think, since the boys looked confused.”

 

“We felt that. There was a spike in power and the teardrops burned,” Yoshi added in.

 

“You shoulda seen Kagome. She tore into that miko like I've never seen before. Really looked like a mother protecting her pups,” Inuyasha said, sounding quite proud.

 

“Well, she had no reason to try to purify them! They're only children! And she was quite rude.”

 

“Bitch had the nerve to call Kagome a demon's whore,” Inuyasha growled out.

 

“Oh, Kagome!”

 

“It's okay Sango. I dealt with it. I don't know how I knew I could do it but I took her power to purify. I left her healing powers but she will never again attack any and every demon she comes across.”

 

“You took her power?” Miroku asked, looking rather confused.

 

“Yeah. I just touched her forehead and pulled the power right out of her.”

 

“I have never heard of anyone being capable of doing such. Very impressive, Kagome.”

 

“Well, thanks, I think. At least now we know that they can use the power I gave them defensively. She shot at Inuyasha too and his barrier went up instantly.”

 

“I didn't even do anything. It just happened,” Inuyasha admitted. “Definitely a plus though. For a second I thought I was going to end up nothing but dust. I've had enough fuckin' arrows shot at me to last the rest of my life.”

 

“After that we came back here. They fell asleep almost instantly. Must have been really tired from running all night. Sesshoumaru said they would be punished, but I don't know what he intends to do. I wonder where Sesshoumaru went anyway.”

 

“I believe he may have gone to see Kaede.”

 

Kagome looked at Miroku in confusion. “Why would he go see Kaede?”

 

“Well, when she sent the villager to retrieve him I overheard him…”

 

“Silence would be a very wise idea monk,” Sesshoumaru said calmly from the edge of the clearing, instantly shutting the gossiping monk up tight. “Kagome, I would like to speak with you.” He watched as she smiled and stood up before walking to where he stood and taking hold of his offered arm. They walked away arm in arm.

 

“I wonder what that was about,” Sango said aloud. “What did you hear, Miroku?”

 

“Oh, no. I'm not going to say a thing. I would rather not piss him off!”

 

Inuyasha broke down laughing at the frightened look on the monk's face. “So, afraid of the great Lord Sesshoumaru are ya? I should have known!”

 

~

 

“So what's so secret?”

 

“There is something I wish to discuss with you.”

 

“Oh? Well, out with it then!”

 

The demon lord sighed audibly. He had no idea how to approach the subject or how she would react. Without thinking his arm slipped around her back and pulled her close to him.

 

“Ouch! Armor!” Kagome sucked in a breath as he immediately loosened his hold.

 

He looked her over closely. “Are you injured?”

 

“No, probably just bruised. But no tight holds until you take that stuff off!” She grinned as she watched his hand immediately move to the ties that held the bone armor in place. In just moments the armor was on the ground and Kagome was no longer. She found herself swept into his hold once again. It took a few seconds for her to realize that they were in a tree once more. “Again? Come on!”

 

“This Sesshoumaru desires privacy and your full attention.”

 

“Selfish much?” she giggled before wrapping her arms around his neck. “Alright, you have my attention so what is it?”

 

“The elder miko Kaede believes that the reason Inuyasha can pass through the well is because of the subjugation beads.”

 

“Yeah, and?”

 

“I requested she make another necklace.” He looked into her eyes, trying to evaluate how she was going to respond.

 

“Are you trying to say you want subjugation beads?” She started laughing uncontrollably at the very idea. “Inuyasha…absolute..ly…hates…them. And you…(gasp)…want them? Have you…lost… your mind?”

 

Sesshoumaru glared down at her as she continued to laugh. When she finally began to calm he spoke once again. “This Sesshoumaru wishes to see your home and meet your family. I do not see how that is funny.”

 

She fought to pull herself together so she could reply. “It's not that, really! It's just; you've seen what the beads do to him. Why would you want to give me that kind of power over you?”

 

“Kagome, you already hold much more power over this Sesshoumaru than the beads could ever give you.”

 

“How do you figure that?”

 

He leaned in closer, touching the tip of his nose to her own before whispering, his hot breath rushing across her silky lips. “I would do anything for you, anything you ask, anything that you want. I would willingly serve you on my hands and knees for all of eternity if it were to ensure your happiness.”

 

Her eyes widened as she heard his softly spoken words before pulling his face closer to her own, pressing her lips to his in a slow, passionate kiss. “That has to be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me, but… are you sure?”

 

“This Sesshoumaru is positive. The miko said you would have to read a short incantation before placing the beads around my neck and saying your chosen word. She also said that you had confirmation that I am your Sakimitama. When did this occur and why did you not tell me?”

 

Kagome's cheeks flushed red as she blushed deeply once again. “Izayoi said that we had to return because my Sakimitama was getting upset and someone needed me. I didn't say anything because we ended up going to the boys right away. I didn't really get the chance to tell you. Why did Kaede tell you that?”

 

“She was confirming our suspicions for me. I find it a rather nice thought to know you are definitely meant to be mine,” he said before he smirked and buried his nose in her neck. “You smell wonderful,” he muttered into her hair. When he finally got past the distraction of her scent he looked into her eyes once more. “So will you use the beads the miko made for this Sesshoumaru?”

 

“You know you just pretty much asked me to subjugate you, don't you? Never thought I would live to see the day when someone would beg me to send them slamming into the ground.” Kagome watched as he raised a brow before reaching out and poking said raised eyebrow. “You and the eyebrows! Okay, tell you what, I'll think about it. What word would I use anyway?”

 

“The word does not matter, although the miko suggested choosing a word you do not use often to avoid accidents.”

 

“I'm going to have to think about the word for a while. With Inuyasha's I had a few seconds. Sit wasn't necessarily the best choice. It slips out all the time.”

 

“So then you will put the beads on this Sesshoumaru?”

 

“I guess. I don't see why not. So they're already done” The taiyoukai who held her high above the ground nodded before retrieving the necklace and scroll. “Red, huh? At least you'll match. She did a nice job but I wonder if they'll be strong enough.”

 

“Kaede thought of that. The beads are strung on several strands of my hair which should allow the necklace to draw on my power as well as your own. Kagome?”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“You never did explain where the shard disappeared to.” The next few minutes were filled with Kagome's explanation of what had occurred while she was in-between, followed by a demonstration as she absorbed the remainder of the shards in her possession. Discussion of her death caused him to pull her closer to him once again, but thankfully this time there was nothing but his warm, firm chest for her to be pressed against. Silence filled the air as Kagome thought of what word she would use and what it would be like to be able to force the most powerful demon in all of Japan, maybe even the world, to the ground with one word.

 

 

Author's notes: For everyone that has given me ideas for the word thanks! I have decided what will happen when the word is said but I am still having a really hard time deciding. Good thing I don't need it for a couple of chapters yet, at least for you guys. On my end I'm working on the chapter that needs it.

 

If anyone is curious we on day 24 of the story, while day one is the day Kagome saves Inuyasha from Kikyo, they fight, and she leaves. Almost a whole month has passed in story land! I posted the first 5 chapters on September 24th, so a month and a half in the real world. I actually have a calendar with all the important events marked. I have a map too, with important places plotted, but then you guys don't need to know that yet since they haven't done much traveling.

 

Lady_myth - I'm kinda leaning toward heel. I figure with Kagome's sense of humor she would make it another dog command. Egh! Earwigs are gross and incredibly creepy looking. I think I prefer the ants. A few years ago I opened the backdoor and the entire surface of four steps was nothing but a carpet of ants. It had rained so much the ground around our entire house was a lake and I guess that was their version of higher ground.

 

Chaos_Queen - Don't apologize! I love the questions and guesses. It helps me make sure I'm covering all the bases. Sometimes something I might not have thought was important will get like twenty questions about it so I go back and add it in. Your guesses help me write better so hypothesize away!

 

Thea - Okay, wasps and earwigs are like right on the same ick level for me. Every time I see a bee or a wasp I shriek and suck my head down into my shoulders as much as possible. Dragonflies too. They're the reason. My cousins thought it would be funny when I was little to tell me that dragonflies sew your ears shut. I didn't even remember it, just always did the same little movement. Just recently my mother reminded me and explained the behavior. I'm not afraid of them but I can't help it. Pain in my ass cousin Johnny.

 

KM - Like I said, don't fuck with mom. I figured at least she left her healing powers. Just telling her not to purify without asking questions first would never change a thing. They're all just too set in their ways. Plus she called Kagome a whore. She was lucky to leave with her head still attached. Marking Sesshoumaru, I haven't decided yet.

 

Sunset love - Still leaning towards heel since the response 4 above. It's not going to slam him into the ground like Inuyasha's. I have a plan. Impressive grades, especially with English as a second language. I had never even seen a C until high school and that was only when I missed more than half the days! Always loved to read and I almost always was working ahead until the sinus issue took me out. I couldn't keep my eyes open for any length of time without pain. No fun. Mystery and horror are some of my favorites. Especially like the medical examiner angle rather than just detectives. Never read a romance novel, just the fanfiction! Glad you liked the chapter!

 

Jean - “Captain nemo?” As the subjugation word do ya mean? Definitely original, I'll give you that! Made me smile.

 

Inupriestess - Definitely a funny mental image. Not quite sure how to feel about the idea of inspiring such a dance. Should I be honored or frightened? LOL I like the army ones. Peaked my interest there. I'll have to think about it. Inu will end up happy. Haven't decided fully how yet. The end is still really far away! Glad you're enjoying!

 

Iloveprettysilverhair - More on Sesshoumaru's mom is incoming very soon. Definitely liked an itch to scratch oh so very much. Looking forward with great hope to more in the same style/humor? The ones that are hot and make me laugh at the same time are my favorites. Not too big on the super sad tragedy type stuff.

 

Sweet dark silence - I thought it was great! Sometimes I love those little skits, but it really depends on who writes them. Some I find incredibly boring but yours was good! Maybe you should run on no sleep more often. When I'm tired I always get super silly and laugh at nothing.

 

Lester joe - Pet name is definitely an idea. I just realized she has yet to call him anything but his name really. I haven't slipped a fluffy joke in there yet! As she said in this chapter, she doesn't know how she can do it. It's kind of an instinct thing.

 

Ivystone - Down, eh? Only problem with that is she would be saying it all the time, usually in conjunction with inu's too. I have to be really careful already not to say sit and not do a splat. Can you imagine a sit down. Both brothers hit the ground! I can't kill inu. He's too cute.

 

Cocoke5 - I joke with my mom like that too. As soon as you need help wiping your ass you're gone! She of course never believes me. Damnit! It will definitely be an interesting even when the new moon rolls around again.

 

Kagome-chan - Great saying. Definitely fitting. They do whatever the hell they want and leave me to make sense of it!

 

Ginrei - Definitely a rule the world should abide by. I've had several fights with my sister in law over how her daughter treated mine like a little puppy or a toy and just ordered her around. God forbid I ask her to play nice. Glad you liked the chapter!

 

Lolo - kiss would be cute. Wouldn't be much of a subjugation though. More like a treat.

 

Kawaii kilila - Sesshoumaru's mark was hard to decide on, but then there will be another one when they mate. Inuyasha's just jumped right out onto paper. I actually drew something that doesn't look like my dog drew it with a pencil up her nose! Inu's is more similar to Shippo's, where as Sesshoumaru's and the boys are more basic at the moment. Doesn't mean they'll stay that way. Another vote for heel! Yeah, at least the grade school yearbooks were safe, not that I have any idea where they are, but they must be in a plastic tub rather than a cardboard box. Those high school ones cost 75 dollars! I have another lime written. Now that I checked, it's actually in the next chapter! And it's definitely different then the last two! Kinda spills over into chapter 50 too. Any reason why you asked?

 

Edgy angel - I agree. I've decided what will happen but the actual word choice still eludes me. It's like I know that if I think about it long enough the perfect word will jump out of the sky and smack me in the face.

 

Brainshake - Yeah, I don't know what's up with the giant responses lately. Maybe I'm just getting comfortable with the idea of telling all of you all kinds of stuff. Kinda like therapy, but for free! Sakimitama is a good idea too, but it's kinda long. Five syllables if I counted right. Might be hard to yell out in an emergency. I know I'd get tongue tied!

 

Arryelle - definitely dysfunctional. Course, most of the family doesn't really even count anymore. My whole dad's side acts like I no longer exist. Grandma and grandpa and my husbands family is all we've got to deal with. Of course they are enough! Sometimes I wish I hadn't known my father. He is the main reason I am the way I am and act the way I do. I don't make friends well, usually shy and insecure. And yet somehow people always manage to see the inner bitch no matter how nice I try to be. At least I didn't marry a man just like my dad. I married the opposite. I'm like him instead. He set out to make sure I wasn't like my mother, that I wouldn't be pushed around, that I would be tough, and he sure did a good job but at the price of me hating him. Padded walls doesn't sound too bad sometimes. At least then noise would be muffled when Destiny decided to “whistle” she can't do it so she makes this god awful screechy noise instead and insists its whistling. You're always welcome to share your issues with me. See, I make friends great when I never have to face them! I did meet my husband on AOL! But then I did meet him in person within a few weeks so I guess that isn't quite the same thing. And about the ants, trust me, we're trying to kill the bastards! Never hated ants so much until I moved to florida and met the nice red biting ones!

 

Monk-miko - I had to think for a while about their punishment, but then so did Sesshoumaru. I have a feeling he never would have had cause to punish them before. Kagome's in for a world of interesting changes and powers coming up soon. And more group snuggles too!

 

Ethereal siren - Yep, the perfect kids aren't always so perfect anymore. But then now that they have a mom and Shippo, who we all know is a little trouble-maker, I think that they're more like kids now. Just strict Sesshoumaru would make some very straight laced kids. I always love the fluffy nickname. Just realized a few responses ago that he hasn't gotten a pet name yet! I must rectify the situation ASAP! I'm glad you liked the story and I have no idea how I managed to increase your interest either. I just follow the voices…..

 

Kawaichan - so glad you like the story. I'm still surprised when people say they read it all in one day or something similar. I used to do it too but I never imagined I could hold someone's interest so well. And to have a teacher comment on my good grammar? I feel like you just gave me a gold star!

 

Syoze - Ouch. Water damage isn't any fun. At least most of our books were safely dominating the dining room. We are out of shelf space and yet we keep buying them! I know how expensive those encyclopedia sets can be. Ouch! I love encyclopedias even though most people think they're useless now that it can all be put on one disk, but there's something to be said for actually turning the pages. The damn ants took out a bunch of destiny's old toys too. Some are cleanable but some I have to say bye bye too. So sad.

 

Child of the moon - It's funny you mention a thesaurus. I jus threw one of those away in the ant incident. Would have come in handy too! Hope your birthday was great!

 

 

And I'm done. Now if only I can make myself focus enough to write instead of read. This broadband thing may just be a curse. It's so easy to find stories now! But I'm going to be working on Kagome's time soon now so hopefully the change of scenery will keep me going! `Til next time!