InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Problem ❯ Go for Broke ( Chapter 12 )

Quote: - A father said to his son, "When Abe Lincoln was your age, he was studying books by the light of the fireplace."
The son replied, "When Lincoln was your age, he was President."

- A brook would lose its song if God removed the rocks.

 

Disclaimer: I'll make it simple for you: I. Don't. Own. Inuyasha.

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Chapter 12:Go for Broke

 

It was a little after lunch and we were very close to Kaede's village now. I was sure if we had been walking a hundred feet to the right, we'd be passing right by the bone eater's well. I silently thanked Inuyasha for choosing to go this way. He was leading, me, Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Rin right behind him, all talking and catching up with each other (it turned out that they had left Shippo at Kaede's in their rush to get to me). Behind us was Ah-un, carrying a still unconscious Jaken. I guess having Inuyasha fall on you from fifty feet into the air was a harder blow than I had assumed. Walking at just under sixty feet away, was Sesshoumaru, once more resuming his post as far away from us as possible. I know it was probably stupid of me and I would never in a million years confess it to anyone, but I didn't like it. Crazy as I may seem and definitely am, I liked it better when he was walking beside me because it created a sense of equality. Plus, it's not like I had cooties or anything.

In any case, I didn't have to worry about it too much as much of my attention was occupied with my friends. In fact, I barely even had a thought in my head other than my friends. As was expected, I had missed them a lot and they had missed me quite as much. Clearly, they had been very worried about the whole business with Naraku and I couldn't blame them. But now that they knew I was alive and pretty safe, I could see them starting to relax a bit. Inuyasha was a little less huffy and Sango had stopped searching me for scratches and bruises. Miroku was being lecherous again. Apparently he didn't think it was fair to miss out on a week of me and thought the proper way to make up for it was to go for my ass. Thankfully, Sango's reflexes were no slower than I remembered them to be and she made quick business of him. Inuyasha had to haul his body atop Kirara to be carried the rest of the way.

We arrived at Kaede's remarkably sooner than Sesshoumaru had offhandedly predicted at the spring. It was still an hour till sunset. I would have pointed it out to him, only he was too far away for the deed to seem casual.

Seeing Shippo was probably the highlight of the day. He was so happy and full of life and extra happy to see me alive that he just seemed to go overboard when I introduced him to Rin. Sure, they both were acting a little shy, but I could tell Shippo was more than pleased by his inability to stay still for longer than a millisecond. For her part, I could sense a bit of that warmth I told you about coming from Rin. Still not as much as what I had felt when I had met her, but it was still there. And as the hour went by, I could see her relaxing even more and soon they were cooped up in a corner, plotting things that would make Jaken rethink ever regaining consciousness.

Kaede was warm and gentle, and every bit as relieved to see me alive as anyone else. But, much like everyone else, she remained weary of Sesshoumaru. I know, even I was still somewhat weary of Sesshoumaru, but the guy deserved a little more credit than any of us gave him.

I should probably mention that what with it being almost winter and being so close to the end of the day, there were less people around, so we didn't have to worry about bringing Sesshoumaru into the village. But he seemed no less unhappy. It still felt to me as though he was uncomfortable and now I could assume that it was because he was so close to so many humans at once. If, and I mean if, I ever decided to take him to the future, this would be a problem.

Jaken and Miroku came to at about the same time. It took them a while to realise that they were holding each other, and I have to say, Miroku seemed to be pretty content with his bundle. But once they did realise their situation, it was hard to tell which was more outraged. For the record, lying them down together was Sango's idea. Rin added the wreaths, and I decided to stuff Jaken's shirt for…effect.

By the time dinner rolled by I was so tired that I could hardly keep my eyes open. Keep in mind I hadn't exactly been resting well for the past week and the sleepless nights, coupled with the long days of mindless walking was taking its toll on me. I would have very well just slept right then and there without food. But Kaede, the grandmother figure in my life, sat beside me and basically fed me. I have to say, I liked the attention, especially after my week with Sesshoumaru.

Shippo and Rin were the first ones to fall asleep, choosing a corner in Kaede's hut. I would have gone and helped Kaede as she tucked them in but I was way too groggy with sleep to summon the will. I just leaned back in my place beside the hearth, Sango to my left with Miroku on her other side and Inuyasha to my right. Sesshoumaru, well he wasn't in the hut. He'd chosen to stay outside, probably putting to test the limits of the spell, but really, what with my lack of x-ray vision, I didn't know what he was doing. Jaken was with him. Poor sucker.

Really, I don't know why he is willing to put up with Jaken but not me. Was I that low in his eyes. Not that I had a necessarily low opinion of Jaken, but you have to admit, the frog was pretty damn annoying. And useless. Even in those first few times when Sesshoumaru was set on the Tetsusaiga, Jaken had been pretty useless. He couldn't even deal with Miroku when he'd already been considerably weakened by the saimyousho. Sure, he deserved some credit for taking care of Rin and entertaining her, but he couldn't possibly have been better than me over all. So then, did my being human really matter that much?

Anyway, it probably wasn't even worth my time thinking on this. Still…I wanted to know.

“Kagome-chan?” It was Sango, looking at me with concern as I frowned at my own thoughts. “I know you're concerned about Naraku and Sesshoumaru,” she said, misinterpreting my frown to a point. Without my control, my eyes snapped towards her, trying to keep my uneasiness beneath the surface. “But you should remember that we will always be here to help you.” She didn't have it wrong. The Naraku-Sesshoumaru-me triangle was another worrisome subject very close on my thoughts. I could easily revert to thinking about that.

I looked at her for a moment, watching her brown eyes as they stayed steady on my face. Sango was a strong woman, smart and therefore, guarded. Beneath all that, she was a very loving person. And that is why I considered her to be my best friend. I wanted to be like her. So much had happened to her, she had lost so much. But she wasn't bitter. And she hadn't given up. And she had hope. If there was only one person in the world I could trust, it would be her. So when she said she would always be there to help me, I didn't need to take a minute to believe her. I already knew it. I smiled and nodded in thanks.

“Speaking of Naraku, can you think of what he was up to?” Miroku asked leaning over Sango's shoulder to have a good view of me.

I shrugged knowing that Miroku had thought it out more than that and he probably had more to say.

Sure enough, he then said, “Do you suppose he knows about the spell that bounds you and Sesshoumaru?”

I took in a steadying breath and as casually as I could, said, “I have my doubts about it. But there's a good chance too that he does.”

I felt Inuyasha's eyes on me. It was as disconcerting as when his brother watched me.

“What?” Sango asked, looking a little shaken (not stirred - hehehe, sorry, couldn't resist). “Why would - how could Naraku know about the spell?”

Anxiously, I looked at her as she voiced the very question that had been worrying my thoughts. I could only think of one way that Naraku would know about the spell and that was only if he'd been there when it was cast. And if he'd been the one to cast the spell, well…let's just say things weren't looking up for me.

“Think about it Sango,” Miroku said and I could pick up the ring of worry in his voice. “He would have to have to know about the spell in order to think that Sesshoumaru had killed Kagome-sama. There is no other logical reason he would make such an assumption.”

When Miroku said it, I could feel my chances of thinking otherwise disappearing in his words. Among us, Miroku was the most level headed thinker. There was no sense in arguing with his logic…especially if you secretly agreed with him. I could feel Inuyasha's stare on me sharpen.

“Yes, that's true,” Sango said with a trace of apprehension in her voice. “But then be logical, that would mean that Sesshoumaru had told him about the spell. And they're enemies.” I could tell she was desperately trying to hope for an alternative situation.

“Unless he was the one who cast the spell.” This time it was Inuyasha who spoke, his voice low and calculated so that it made me think that this wasn't the first time the thought had occurred to him.

The silence following his statement was absolute. Then there was the sound of rustling fabric and I looked up see Kaede settling herself down before us four. She reached over the fire burning in the earth and picked up the container with the boiling water and poured a cup of tea for all of us. Then she put the kettle back over the fire and handed us our tea. That done, she sat back with her tea and watched us quietly, meditatively.

I was the first to break the silence simply because I couldn't take it anymore. “There's been a…spectre I guess that's been coming every morning since Sesshoumaru came.” I looked at Sango. “That thing we felt while we were at the river.”

All their eyes were on me and I knew Inuyasha too, at least, knew what I was talking about. “What about it?” Sango asked.

I took a sip from my tea, hoping to sooth my suddenly dry throat. “Well, I asked Sesshoumaru about it. He said that he thought it had cast the spell.”

Once more silence reigned.

“I don't think he would lie.”

At my statement Inuyasha let out a snort and I turned to face him.

“Why did you just snort?” I asked, annoyed.

Inuyasha pinned me with an exasperated look, clearly conveying that I should already know. “Come on, Kagome. You should know better than to believe him.”

I didn't think so. “And why is that?”

Again he snorted. “This wouldn't be the first time he's joined forces with Naraku.”

He was right, it wouldn't be the first time, but I highly doubted it. If he had, why bother saving my life? We all knew Naraku wanted me dead as much as anyone in this era and mine did.

“Oh I don't know Inuyasha,” Miroku was shaking his head. “It just doesn't seem to go by his character.”

“And I suppose you have figured him out?” Inuyasha asked sceptically. Not that anyone could ever figure out Sesshoumaru, but I had to side with Miroku on this one.

Ever the patient one, Miroku opted for patiently explaining it to Inuyasha. I have to say, I envied him. “Look, Inuyasha, your brother—,”

“Half-brother,” Inuyasha interrupted with a grunt. I rolled my eyes because Miroku didn't.

“Well he's not one much for forgiveness as far as I can see, and he does have a rancour of a sort with Naraku. My guess is that Naraku has been plotting against him and…” and here, he's eyes fell back on me.

“…and me,” I finished for him. My fingers were ice cold even though I was holding on to my cup of hot tea.

“And you?” It was Sango, now the bite of fear clear in her voice, her eyes wide.

I didn't have the will to nod.

“But,” I said, forcing my voice to sound stronger than I felt, “the fact remains that Sesshoumaru has pretty much guaranteed that Naraku wasn't the spell caster.” I tried smiling.

“Feh.” I don't think I need to specify who said this.

“Baa-chan,” I said, turning my eyes onto Kaede. “What do you think?”

Kaede took a slow sip from her cup, her eyes studying the fire. Then, without removing her gaze, she said, “Binding spells are hard and complicated, and they require quite a bit of magical energies to work properly. Naraku, as I remember him, would not be up to the task. With the added power of the jewel, I don't know. But I do know this, if the spell entailed ill-will against you, dear, then I doubt we would be having this conversation at all.”

Well now, that just sounded so bleak. Although, at the same time, it gave me hope for my future.

“You know,” I said, hoping to make my case stronger, “Sesshoumaru said that he was going to kill the spell caster so the spell will be lifted.”

I looked around the fire and saw everyone's eyes on me. Miroku even had an eyebrow raised in an uncanny imitation of Sesshoumaru, whereas both Sango and Inuyasha seemed completely confused. I stifled a yawn.

“So you see, I don't think I'm in any actual danger. And probably not any of you either.” This time my smile came out much more stronger than my previous one.

“Well, that's true,” Miroku chimed in optimistically.

“I suppose if he is going to lift the spell without complying with its conditions, then you ought to be safe,” Kaede said with a nod. I felt the weight on my shoulders lift a little; if those two could believe it, then so could I.

“Unless he makes his move after he's done with the guy,” Inuyasha added in nastily. Really, he wasn't making much of an effort to look on the bright side.

I spared him a glare and said, “You know he can probably hear you.”

“Yeah well,” Inuyasha said with a grunt, “he won't be proving me wrong.”

I just rolled my eyes and chose to remain silent.

Miroku put down his cup of tea, almost empty, and let out a deep sigh. “Inuyasha, there's no point starting an argument over this right now.”

“Feh.”

“I think,” Kaede said, cutting in before more could be said, “It would be best if we rest for the night. I am sure Kagome has had a long week and would like to catch up on some sleep.”

I threw her a grateful smile. I really was sleepy even though our conversation had kept me alert.

I think Inuyasha for one would have liked to continue with the conversation. But, once they saw just how tired I was, Sango and Miroku decided to agree with Kaede, out ruling Inuyasha. And that was the end of the conversation…at least for the night.

When I was finished brushing my teeth and had changed into my pyjamas, I came back to see that my bed was already made for me. I snuck under the blanket, Sango beside me and tried to fall asleep as quickly as I could. But an uneasy feeling had permanently settled over me, eating away at me from the inside so that it was at least an hour, despite how tired I was, before I could drift into sleep.

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When I woke up, it was still too dark to be able to see anything and so I had no real idea about what time it was. The fire had burned out and the hut was only just tolerably warm. I turned over in my makeshift bed and tried to fall back asleep.

My eyes were just getting warm and I was drifting very close to actual sleep when I was jolted awake when Sango let out a sneeze in her sleep. I looked at her with almost a glare, wondering who on earth sneezed in their sleep. I mean I've heard of walking or screaming, but sneezing? I let out a sigh and closed my eyes again.

I swear, barely ten minutes after that, there was the sound of a really loud snore, and once more I found myself lying in bed, eyes wide open. Beside me Sango stirred and turned around in bed with frustration. Glancing around the hut, my eyes fell on Inuyasha, but he seemed to be fast asleep. Kind of strange considering he was such a light sleeper. I guess he was just lucky tonight though.

Once more, I snuggled deep into my blanket and tried to fall asleep. And once more, just as I was about to reach my goal, I was interrupted by another loud snore.

Bloody hell.

I pushed off the ground angrily with one arm and fixed a glare at the door. I was sure the snore had come out from behind it. I forget, did Sesshoumaru snore?

I shook my head at the thought, knowing that it was just way too undignified an action for the idea to even seem plausible. That left me with Jaken as the culprit. Come to think of it, I had heard him snore a couple of times while it had been just the four of us.

I waited a few minutes to hear another snore, but when none came, I settled back down into bed, letting it comfort me back into sleep.

Now seriously miffed, I sat up in bed again to the sound of yet another jolting snore. Hell, this was not working out. Beside me, Sango made a move as though to through something at the door but, whether by luck or not, she had nothing handy. Inuyasha had yet to stir and I was beginning to get suspicious as to why this was, but I assumed he'd already assessed that it was Jaken and therefore, not worth his time.

From outside, yet another snore sounded, and I looked at the door, a scowl on my face. Oh, well, I suppose, it was up to me to shut that frog up once and for all.

“Stupid damn lizard, doesn't know what's good for him,” I mumbled furiously under my breath as I made my way out. “I swear, one of these days I'm going to tie him up and post him to the nearest French restaurant. See if he'll snore then!”

Outside, it was still pretty dark but the very furthest rim of the sky was fringed with light blue and I knew I had probably less than three hours of sleep. This didn't put me in a very good mood. I found my victim lounging against the hut wall, his neck twisted in an awkward position that would make anyone snore. I seriously considered kicking him awake or something, but I don't know, mornings make me all gushy and I decided against it. With an almighty sigh, I reached out and straightened his neck only to have it flop back into its original place as soon as my hand was away. I took a step back, analyzing the situation then decided to use his staff to prop his head up.

I stood back to examine my handy work, waiting for a snore. Then, satisfied, I dusted my hands clean and whirled around to go back in the hut and nearly screamed. Standing behind me, eyes practically glowing in the dark, expression utterly unreadable was…why, none other than the one, the only, the lovely Sesshoumaru.

“What the! Son of a gun!” I gasped, hand clutching heart. “Don't do that!”

Completely nonplussed, Sesshoumaru tilted his head slightly to the left, pinning me with one of his stares. “What is it that I am not to do?” he asked calmly.

Having caught my breath and my pulse reasonably calmed, I placed my hands on my hips and whispered, “Don't sneak up to people. You could've given me a heart attack.” Never mind that I would have to be in very bad shape if I were to actually have a heart attack over this.

He just gave me that look that said, `What, you think it's not beneath me to sneak up on people? Clearly, I can do whatever I want without the need to actually sneak up on people.' Er…or something to that effect.

I gave a sigh and decided to give up as this was really going nowhere and with Sesshoumaru it wouldn't in the near future. “Urgh, never mind. You probably don't even know what a heart attack is. Anyway, I'm going back to bed now.”

“I wish to leave the town for a while,” he said, his voice drifting to me before I so much as had a chance to move two steps toward the door.

“What? Why?”

“I do not appreciate the scent of human dwellings.”

“And you need a break or something?” I knew what this meant and I wasn't happy about it.

Slowly, he nodded.

“What? Right this minute?”

He considered this for a minute then said, “Yes.”

“But I - I just…” I pointed hopelessly toward Jaken hoping to convey the effort I went through so I could sleep. He just stared at me, not even blinking. What if he'd positioned Jaken so that he would snore and wake me up? A Jaken alarm clock? “Come on! Can't you at least wait a couple of hours?” I whined.

He lifted an eyebrow as though in questioning of my whining. “No.”

“But sleep! I need it. I'm cranky without it.”

“That hardly concerns me.”

“Urgh!” I glared and then got angrier as he failed to respond to it. “Fine, I don't even know why I bother. It's not like anything I say or how I feel even matters to you.”

“I am glad you already know this.”

“Oooooooooooh!”

Miffed and ticked off, I found myself walking toward Inuyasha's forest, trailing behind the aggravating Sesshoumaru. Honestly, just because he didn't need sleep didn't mean that he could under mind my need for it. I seriously contemplated throwing a rock at his head as he'd done to Jaken. But I decided against it once I came to terms with the fact that that'll probably land me dead, binding spell or not. Damn, he didn't even leave an option for retaliation.

Well, at least for the time being, I can just imagine his pretty hair caked in mud so that it couldn't gleam anymore like it was doing right now. And then, no matter how many showers he takes, the mud stays in his hair and it even spreads to cover his face with all of its markings. Oh, oh, and have him break his leg as well so that he's not half as graceful as he is. And while we're at it, why not rip and scuff up his clothes. Yeah, take off his armour, rip his haori so that he would be topless, chest gleaming in the fading moonlight and then, if time allows, head further south and—

I checked myself before my thoughts could get anymore out of hand, trying my best to beat down an embarrassed blush. Whatever happened to my poor, innocent mind? I blame lack of sleep for this…and Sesshoumaru. If the bastard wasn't so hot…

Oh god, what is wrong with me? Maybe it's a side-effect of the spell. Maybe I should ask Sesshoumaru about it. Hey, Sesshoumaru, you know that spell that's bound you to me, well, do you know if it supposed to make me all horny and hot for you? Yeah, I could see that working out.

Sigh, God! Why have you cursed me with such an imagination?!

At least there are no witnesses to it other than me.

“You are staring at me,” he said, jerking me back to the present.

“I know that,” I said, deciding not to blush in the face of my resentment at being caught…again. “I was trying to drill a whole through the back of your head.”

I could tell he wasn't expecting me to say that as he stopped and actually turned around to look at me. It was a little lighter now than it had been when I first came out of the hut, but I don't know just how much of my face he could make out in the semi-dark. It didn't matter though. I kept on walking until I was beside him and found him studying me.

“You know,” I felt compelled to point out, “you're staring at me.”

This seemed to pass right over him as he failed to show any sort of reaction what so ever. He just continued to stand in the forest not making a move. I wondered if he had fallen asleep standing. Bored, I looked around to determine where we were. I recognized the area in the forest (it was a little ways to the east of the well) and knew that we were far away enough for the smell of the village to be minimal.

“You believe that Naraku placed the curse?” he asked without much warning and after a little jump of surprise, I turned back to him.

He was still watching me with the same expression as before, his eyes reading me far better than I could read him. I was kind of surprised that he had asked me that, but I guess I should have seen it coming.

“I'm pretty sure you heard us talking last night,” I said nonchalantly and started walking again.

“I did.”

“Then you should have also heard that I had my doubts about it.”

“I did,” he confirmed from beside me.

“And I don't suppose you're going to tell me the truth in exchange for keeping me awake at this unholy hour.”

He was silent and I imagined him trying to figure out where I came up with my expressions. Then, in his deliberate voice, he said, “Not in exchange for keeping you awake.”

“And not out of the goodness of your heart either, right?” I asked in a voice a lot bolder than if I would have used if I had fully rested.

“No,” he said and I caught his lips turned in a smirk. “Not for that either.”

I let out a sigh, throwing my hands up in a shrug. “Wha'ya gonna do?”

I snapped a piece of twig from a nearby branch and began to play with it, daydreaming of my cozy bed. Then, frustrated with trying to stay awake with a foggy mind, I came to a sudden stop and waited for Sesshoumaru to do the same.

He stopped and turned to me, one eyebrow raised. You know, his one eyebrow was a better communicator than he was. “How much longer you need to rest your nose?” I did my best not to say `royal nose'. Didn't think it would go over too well.

There was the slightest of creases to his brow as he frowned at me. “You will be informed when we may go back.”

“Oh good, great. For a moment I thought I wouldn't have a say in the matter.” Then, before he had a chance to get really mad at me, I added, “You know, my home is a heck of a lot bigger and more polluted than here. If you can't stand a day of this, you won't last long there either.”

“Are you suggesting that I am incapable of withstanding a bit of discomfort?”

“Who? Me?” I asked with a smile, snapping the tip of my twig off. “Would I ever suggest such a thing?”

Sesshoumaru moved so that he was standing by a tree and leaned against it in his typical manner.

“I'm just saying, you're so curious about my home, things are a lot different there.”

“So I presume.”

You know, in many ways he was annoying, but I guess he had his funny moments too. It didn't look as though he had any plans of moving, so I cast one last wistful glance toward where Kaede's hut was and, with another sigh, slid down to sit on a rock.

“Okay, what now?” I asked, trying to keep from dozing off. I wish I had thought to bring a book or something. The probability of having a stimulating conversation with Sesshoumaru was about equal to having Santa Clause drop by your house mid August, saying he had a hangover and Mrs. Clause has kicked him out.

“You are not so gracious in the mornings,” Sesshoumaru commented casually, his eyes roving over the bare branches of the trees, the glow in his eyes having dimmed what with the growing light.

I spared him a vague smile and said, “Am I ever?” I stifled a yawn but managed to plug my ears. I hated it when that happened.

I was busy trying to unplug my ears when Sesshoumaru next spoke. “I believe you said that you're home is in this very forest.”

Slowly, I allowed my eyes to fall on Sesshoumaru and found him watching me with what could have been his curious look. “Yeah, so?”

Sesshoumaru cast a glance around the trees we were sitting by before he looked back at me as though to say `where?'

I chuckled lightly, guessing how nonsensical it must be to him. “I did tell you it was hidden. Technically speaking, you're sitting in my neighbour's backyard. You just don't know how yet.”

He seemed to be torn between frowning at me and lifting his eyebrow. Again I laughed.

To be honest, I found it kind of fun messing with him then. I was just too sleepy to worry about my doom and let's face it, he was asking for it by dragging me out here at the crack of dawn. “Think of it as a puzzle; for now you only have the pieces. Eventually you'll be able to put it together.”

“Much like the curse,” he said, wiping the smirk right off my face.

Kill joy.

We fell silent again, me miffed for being shut down so sufficiently. It was lighter now so that I could read the hand dials of my watch. It was almost six now and I wondered whether any of my friends were awake yet. I hoped they weren't because I knew they would worry when they saw that both Sesshoumaru and I were gone. I'm sure Inuyasha would be able to eventually track us down and settle the matter, but there was no use worrying them over nothing. Especially after last night.

I pushed off my rock and went to stand in front of Sesshoumaru, dropping my stick as I went. “You better yet?”

His eyes slowly swivelled in their sockets as they moved up to fall on my face and for maybe a millisecond, I was reminded of my own wayward thoughts about the demon before me. I tried not to squirm under his steady gaze.

“It's just that I don't want to worry anyone.”

In his deliberate pace, Sesshoumaru also rose to his feet but I had the distinct feeling that his body was on autopilot and his mind was deeply engaged elsewhere. It didn't matter though, so long as we got back soon. But when he got to his feet, he was towering over me so much that I felt as though I was standing before the belly of the beast. It was a daunting feeling, but at the moment I was more exhilarated than scared. Cautiously, I took a step away from him.

My movement seemed to jostle him back into the moment and I could feel his eyes focusing back on me. “We wait.”

Just when I was about to ask for what, my question was answered. It was the presence. It was here again, almost on cue. There were goose bumps on my skin but I was used to this by now, all I had to do was to wait for it to end. Then I remembered that Sesshoumaru wanted to track it down and kill it so as to lift the spell. When I looked at him, sure enough, there was a look of intense concentration on his face. I wondered to myself how he was planning on tracking it down. It didn't seem to me as though the feeling came from a specific direction or anything. But then maybe it had a scent to it or was making a sound that I couldn't hear with my human ears. Not wanting to feel useless, I closed my eyes and reached out with what control I had over my miko powers. Again, I felt the feeling wash over me, neither friendly nor hostile. Just strange. One thing was for sure, I definitely believed that it played a role in the placement of the spell.

Kaede had said that a lot of power would be needed for the spell to work, so I tried to gauge just how much power seemed to come off our mysterious visitor. Waves of energy rolled off from seemingly every direction, fluctuating in strength. Slowly, I opened my eyes, uncomfortable with what I had felt. When at its strongest, the aura felt far stronger than I ever remember the whole Shikon jewel to be. Suddenly, I was once more aware of the cold and realised that my palms were coated with a sheet of cold sweat.

I closed my eyes again, ignoring the leaden feeling in the pit of my stomach to see whether I could detect any hint of Naraku's miasma in it. But the presence was waning quickly from the air and the more I tried to get a hold of it, the faster it escaped me. I tried concentrating harder, barely keeping in check a growl of frustration.

The presence was already gone but I still didn't want to give up. I wanted to keep searching until I came up with an answer of some sort because it was hard to not have a clue about what's happening to you. I was so wrapt up in my search that I forgot about how tired I really was or that Inuyasha could wake up any minute now only to find my bed empty. But I had no choice for the time being, the presence was already gone, leaving behind an empty feeling within me.

When I finally opened my eyes, it was to find Sesshoumaru staring down at me with a set expression. He was watching my eyes, waiting for something or other and whether he found it or not, I can't say that I know. He seemed to waver in place for a moment, as though he had been about to move or something but had thought better of it. Then, with a noncommittal sound from the back of his throat, he walked past me and back toward Kaede's. I followed on behind him.

It was just starting to dawn on me that maybe Sesshoumaru had suggested for us to leave the village as much to get away from the smells of it as well for a chance to analyze the presence without disturbance. It made sense and I didn't begrudge him all that much for keeping me awake. I could understand that he was equally curious - if curious is the right word - about this. I just wish he could have told me so himself.

“Ne, Sesshoumaru?” I asked, my voice lower than normal, opting to break the silence that had settled over us. “How is Naraku involved in all of this?” I was still unsettled and just wanted some answers.

I was spared a sharp glance for my question, but he otherwise remained silent. But it wasn't the sort of silence that told me he was ignoring me. I could feel that he was trying to find how to answer me. I waited.

“He did not place the curse,” he said finally after a while.

It seemed as though there was more to be said. “But…,” I supplied.

He looked over at me over his shoulder, something reflecting from behind his eyes as he focused on me, but his face remained neutral. Then, with a rare sigh on his lips, he continued. “But, I do suspect he was involved.”

“Why? How?” I asked, desperate for information and all the more anxious than ever before. It did not do to have it confirmed that Naraku was involved. Nothing bode well when Naraku was involved.

Before answering me, Sesshoumaru turned his eyes back on the road and studied it instead of my face. It was both a relief and annoying. “The day before the curse was placed on me, Naraku came to me with a proposition.”

I waited with bated breath, my guts turning with each word that he said, at the same time clinging on to them.

“Obviously, I refused him. The following the day, the curse was placed, its conditions that of Naraku's proposition.”

I hadn't realised I had stopped until Sesshoumaru turned, waiting for me to do something. I just licked my lips, trying to make my next words to come out of my dry throat.

“A-and the c-conditions of the spell,” I choked out in a small voice, “what are they?”

Silence spread through the forest and between us. Whatever birds were in the processing of waking up, made sure they did it far away from us because of the tension that had settled on the air. Sesshoumaru watched me, his face calm, cool, and collected but I could tell by the look in his eyes (ironic that now was one of the rare times I was able to actually read him) that I already knew the answer. But it just didn't make sense. Why would I still be alive? What miracle had persuaded him to let me live this long?

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat, looking actually even a little bored. He lifted a clawed hand and observed it as he recited, “I was to weaken Inuyasha so that he may be easily slain by Naraku. I was to take down his one drive: you.”

XXX

You know, I must have rewritten the last half of this chapter maybe eight times (hence the delay). I'm still not sure if this is the best way to put it, but at this rate, I'll be bald before I hit twenty so I just went with this version. Hope you like it anyway. On a side note of a sort, I'm having this idea for another fanfic and I've been playing with it in my head and have even written some of it down. I just don't know if I should actually start spending time on it as it would inevitably slow down my already pathetic updating rate.

Now, as for some really awesome news. My story, `White vs. Human', has been nominated for best one shot on A Single Spark! I'm so psyched. And so surprised. Especially since I didn't even know A Single Spark existed until Advi told me I was nominated. Isn't this so cool? It so is!

On a totally different note, I had a question. Does the feudal era of Japan actually coincide with the late middle ages in Europe, or is that just a widely held misconception?

And thank you guys, all of you, for reviewing and sympathizing with me over my current laptop troubles. It's so hard to keep a modest head with the reviews you guys send.