InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Problem ❯ Chicken without a Head ( Chapter 13 )

Quote: Words like violence ~ Break the silence ~ Come crashing in ~ Into my little world ~ Painful to me ~ Pierce right through me ~ Can't you understand ~ Oh my little girl ~ Vows are spoken ~ To be broken ~ Feelings are intense ~ Words are trivial ~ Pleasures remain ~ So does the pain ~ Words are meaningless ~ And forgettable ~ All I ever wanted ~ All I ever needed ~ Is here in my arms ~ Words are very unnecessary ~ They can only do harm
Enjoy the silence
- Depeche Mode

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

---

Chapter 13: Chicken without a Head

 

The forest was silent, not even a wind astir. The bare tree branches crowded together overhead like countless, old and dried hands linking together over the ages. Normally I would have found it to be beautiful in that poetic sort of way. Above them, was the sky, dark and bleary but slowly coming to life under the golden touch of the rising sun. That could have been beautiful as well. Far on the opposite side of the sky from where the sun was slowly rising, the moon shone palely as it slowly faded from view, moving with the dark so that it may be the most brilliant object in the sky. That too had its own sense of marvelling beauty to me.

As it were, I noticed none of it.

My brain in a mush, I was busy playing with the sleeves of my jacket, hoping to stall enough time to jump start my brain.

As I saw it, I had two options here. I could either panic, scream for Inuyasha and run for all I was worth, or I could go into shock as I was more apt to do. Both options had their appeal. If I ran I would have a very small chance of reaching Inuyasha alive and have him deal with the situation so that I could calmly allow myself to then fall into shock and not have to worry about anything else. But the chances of me outrunning Sesshoumaru were next to nothing and I was sure the moment I opened my mouth to scream for anything I would be dead before the first syllable was out of my mouth. Okay, so option number one didn't seem to work out all too well in reality. Option number two sounded much better…in theory. It would be bliss to shut down my brain, sink down to the forest floor and not even notice it when Sesshoumaru dove in for the kill. But there in lay the problem. I didn't want to be killed. I wanted to stand a chance if he pounced. So…apparently option number two wasn't really an option either.

What else was left? Temporary loss of hearing? Yeah, maybe I had heard him wrong or something.

“Take me down?” I asked to make sure, my voice surprisingly neutral. “As in kill me?”

Sesshoumaru cast one last glance at his hand, which I'm sure must have been very interesting, before he let it fall to his side. Then, he lifted his eyes and looked at me, his features impassive but even more so than normal as though he wanted to make sure I had no idea what he was thinking. I could easily imagine him trying to keep me in the dark as to how he wanted to make his attack. But the more logical side of my brain reminded me that it wouldn't be worth his time. Whether I knew it was coming or not, he could kill without even misplacing a single lock of his hair faster than I could blink.

Then why hadn't he? Why wasn't he doing it right now?

“Yes,” he said finally, but there was no accompanying reaction of any sort that could help me understand just how close I was to death. No twitching of fingers as though he was prepared to dig into my throat. Not even a rise to his eyebrow. Honestly, he could be so dissenting at times.

Okay, so I'd heard him correctly. I swallowed dryly then cleared my throat as though this would help me wrap my mind around this. “And that's supposed to weaken Inuyasha? Because I'm supposed to be Inuyasha's drive?”

I was stalling, trying to find a way to react to this that would keep me alive.

Sesshoumaru didn't bother replying, he just pinned me with a look that said `we've already gone over this'.

“Right.” I cleared my throat again. Alright, think, think! What am I supposed to do?

Maybe I could run to the well and jump in and go home. It wasn't that far away. There was a 0.02% chance that I could make it.

Oh, who was I kidding? I very well knew I couldn't. And even if, by some miracle, I did, I probably won't even be able to go through the well because I had a Sesshoumaru attached to me. Or, even worse, I would end up taking him with me to the twenty first century, and I would be putting everyone there in danger. Argh! I needed more time to think.

“Um…wait. So is that what Naraku thinks or is that just your opinion?”

Finally, finally, he gave me a reaction. He lifted one eyebrow, giving off the impression that he hadn't been expecting that question. Then, he allowed his eyebrow to fall back into place and answered. “On that note, I agree with him.” It was amazing how his voice remained casual no matter what.

It was a while before I took in what he had actually said, my mind too busy taking in the motion of his eyebrow. It was kind of weird, but with that one move I suddenly remembered that the spell had been on him for over a week now and he had yet to act on it. Not only that, during the length of that time, he has also saved my life twice. He had endured my presence and allowed me quite a leeway. There had been times where I had been rude and presumptuous (to say the least) and yet here I was, still alive. In spite of the curse. In spite of me. I really had no reason to suddenly think that he was going to up and kill me, did I?

Well, except now he had told me.

I cleared my throat again and squared my shoulders. “Are you going to?”

Something was changing about his face and it took me what must have been almost a minute to put a name to it. His eyebrows were slightly drawn up and his eyes just as slightly narrowed. He was confused as though he couldn't understand where I was going with this. Well, if it was any consolation to him, I didn't either.

“I have no plans to comply with the curse,” he said after a minute, tilting his head to the side as though waiting to see what I did next.

I managed to mouth an `oh'. Taking a step back, I leaned against a nearby tree for support, all the while keeping my eyes on Sesshoumaru. Really, there wasn't much else that I could look at just now. I let out a shaky sort of sigh and closed my eyes, trying to think.

One thing I knew for sure was that for the time being I was alive. And, according to him, Sesshoumaru wasn't going to kill me just yet either. That had to be reassuring, right? For a second I wished he hadn't told me the conditions of the spell. I would have slept easier then. At this rate, not only was I not even remotely sleepy anymore, I didn't think I could fall asleep for a long time coming…that is, if I were given the chance to sleep.

At any rate, this changed everything.

All this time, Sesshoumaru was meant to kill me. It was a disorienting thought. I had been so close to death for a whole week. It was like a near death experience that I hadn't even realised had taken place. But now I knew about it and I was freaked out. I could have died without even knowing why. It was like a really horribly cruel reality check. More disorienting was that I was still alive. Sesshoumaru was supposed to kill me; all of my logic told me that he should have. He had tried to kill me without even the existence of a curse (granted that had been a long time ago). It wasn't exactly a foreign idea. But he hadn't and I couldn't even begin to guess as to why.

Although, in all honesty, it's not like this was the first time he had strayed from what I had expected of him.

At the sound of footsteps, my eyes snapped open, immediately taking in Sesshoumaru as he made his way toward me. On its own accord, my body pushed off the comforting solidity of the tree, straightening to face him while my mind watched as though it were a spectator. Sesshoumaru stopped a few feet away.

“And now you are far more afraid of me,” he stated as though it were a fact, his voice deep and piercing in the early morning, rumbling through the air like thunder to raise the hair at the nape of my neck. He still had his head tilted slightly to the side, watching me with his cool gaze as though he were sure that I was someone who would cower before him.

I felt my blood boil, my reason gone to the wind.

“No.” My voice was soft but it was strong, as though it knew more than I did.

As though I could see into his head, I saw the gears pulling and turning in his brain come to a sudden halt. The coolness in his gaze was no longer tangible, instead surprise reigned clear in those golden orbs, both eyebrows drawn back. I squared my shoulder and took a step in his direction.

“I'm not.”

And suddenly I realised that it was true. I could feel it in my gut. There were thousands of reasons to fear him but I had never caved into them before and I wasn't going to do so now. In fact, the threat of getting killed at his hands had always existed, I even took it for granted. But it had been ebbing away little by little so that I hadn't even noticed it.

There was another way to look at this. I could pretend to think that he had told me the conditions of the spell not because he was ready to kill me now, but because he felt I deserved to know. Or that it was simply time to let me in on the secret. It wasn't so improbable as to be deemed impossible.

It didn't have to be a big deal. And really now, after the two years that I've spent in this era and all the things that I've seen, you'd think I would have learnt not to jump to conclusions. Okay, I admit, the temptation to do so was so much stronger when your life was in danger, but if anything, I believed Sesshoumaru to be a rational being. If he had reasons for keeping me alive this long, they weren't going to suddenly flee from his head the minute he told me. There was a moment that I would have believed he had planned to kill me when he'd told me, but it wasn't long. If he had really wanted to kill me, well then, he could have just let me die at the hands of Naraku's youkai, or even the mysterious light of four or five days ago. If he had, then I would already be dead. I had to give credit where it was due.

Hopefully, I wasn't fooling myself here.

I straightened my neck and levelled him with my most earnest gaze, taking in a steadying breath. “I don't think this should make me more scared of you…um…so to speak.”

His previously narrowed eyes widened as he watched me and I could feel myself growing more confident; it no longer looked like he was in control of the situation. For a long time, we simply looked at one another, silently assessing the other and rearranging our thoughts. Well…at least that's what I was doing. I don't really know what he was up to as, I'm sure you know by now, I'm not psychic. Finally, his features fell back to the neutral look that I was so familiar with, with the exception of the small, self-assured smile that quirked his lips. If it was anyone else, I would have said he was thinking, `ha ha! I was right!'

“What?” I asked suspiciously, not at all comfortable with this new turn of events. It was just too many things to process in one go. “What are you smiling about now?”

At my words, the smile on his face grew so that I could see it linking to the gleam in his eyes. He let out a `hn', shocking my body as I felt his breath skim by me; I had NOT realised we were standing that close. I couldn't summon the will to move or look away. “Simply that I was right.” Then, “You are different.”

I shouldn't be reacting to him, I shouldn't be, not when I just found out he's meant to kill me. Or so my brain told. “I-I am?” Then I had to give a good shake to my head to bring it up to speed.

“You are a strange human,” Sesshoumaru said, seemingly unaware of my internal problems (thank heaven). He had his eyes trained on me though and I forced myself to say something relevant. It wasn't so hard as you would think.

“So you've been saying for a while now. Why do you keep saying that?”

Something seemed to be coming to him, like he was just noticing something, judging by the slight raise of his eyebrows. I more felt than saw his hands (both of them) twitch at his sides like when you are about to do something and hold back at the last second. He blinked, his eyes once more taking in my face but almost as if for the first time. Needless to say, it was very uncomfortable at my end, especially since I was already uneasy as it was.

The thought just barely had time to pass through my mind when I was interrupted by Sesshoumaru stepping away from me. He moved so that he was far away enough so that I could easily step past him without coming within an arm's length of him. Then he turned and headed back toward the village.

“Because you are less irrational than I should presume,” he said over one shoulder.

I stood stunned in my place, watching after him as he walked away. Part of my brain was dealing with the shock that I had just been told Sesshoumaru was the named assassin assigned to kill me but apparently he wasn't going for it. Another part was struggling over trying to make sense of what had just happened - or not happened - and Sesshoumaru overall. And whatever remained was idling over the fact that thick grey clouds were starting to pull their mass across the sky. It was either going to rain or snow soon, it noted astutely. Perhaps I should seek shelter.

I sighed at my own wearily indolent brain. It just let me down at times. Then, I ran to catch up with Sesshoumaru, ready to put another affair aside for later inspection.

“Careful there Sesshoumaru,” I said with a small smile once I was caught up, trying to erase what tension that remained in the air between us, “that was almost a compliment.”

I swear I caught him rolling his eyes.

---

 

“Go already,” I said, feeling impatient. “She could be on her way out as we speak!”

“Feh,” Inuyasha sounded, completely unmoved. “Tell me what he did to you and then I'll go.”

I growled for what must have been the hundredth time that morning. “Inuyasha! Stop being such a child. I've already told you that. Now, get going!”

He shook his head, planting his feet more firmly into the ground, a frown permanently etched onto his face. “You seem different and you've been cranky all morning.”

God! If you exist, please do me this one favour and strike him with lightning right here and now!

“Okay,” I growled, throwing a scowl toward the sky for not having my wish granted. “I'm going to say this one more time so listen to me carefully. I'm. Cranky. Because. I. Didn't. Get. To. Sleep,” I ground out. “Now will you go?”

Inuyasha crossed his arms across his chest and pinned me with an annoyed look, clearly not buying it. Really, I hated it when Inuyasha chose these moments to show signs of intelligence.

He looked as though he were about to say something, but luckily Miroku cut in; he could have very well been `sat'. “Inuyasha, perhaps it would be best if you did leave for now.”

I could have hugged him then. Miroku, not Inuyasha.

But I wouldn't. He would probably take advantage of the situation and grab something.

It was maybe a little after ten and for the past half an hour I had been trying to persuade Inuyasha to go to my time and let my mother know what was going on so that she wouldn't worry herself to death since I hadn't turned up for over a month. I had my bag packed and ready to go with him along with a letter of explanation to my mother sitting by the door of Kaede's hut. Unfortunately, Inuyasha wasn't cooperating.

When I got back from the forest with Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha had already been awake and he had been on his way toward us, following our scents. I didn't think Inuyasha would be able to handle the news that I had for him all too well and frankly I was still having difficulty coming to terms with it, so I just told him that Sesshoumaru needed a break from the smell of the town. Clearly, he hadn't bought the story.

Outside, the villagers had awoken quite a while ago but it had been several hours since one had passed by Kaede's. I suspected it had something to do with the youkai lord lounging against its wall.

“Please, Inuyasha,” I tried a new tactic. “My mother is probably very worried right now. And, if I don't hand in my homework soon, I'll fail all my courses and have to take the summer off to catch up.” I could see his frown deepening at my words. “That means three whole months that I have to stay in the f—,” I cut myself off, remembering that Sesshoumaru was on the other side of the hut, perfectly capable of hearing what I was saying. “…that I have to stay at home and not come back here. You don't want to waste all that time, do you?”

Inuyasha was silent, clearly considering this. I was too tired to be patient but clearly it was working a lot better than yelling at him. I guess I just have to keep it up a little longer.

“And,” I said, ready to pull out my trump card, “I'm all out of ramen. I need my mom to give me some more.”

Looking miffed and put out, Inuyasha threw a glance at the yellow backpack, his nose sniffing to see if there really was no ramen left. Then, doing his best to look aloof, Inuyasha bent down and grabbed the bag, threw it over his shoulder, and left the hut. It was called a trump card for a reason.

I would have done a victory dance…but, I just didn't have it in me.

Sighing a great sigh of respite, I practically collapsed down on the hut floor. Not four hours ago, I had been so sure that I would never be able to sleep again. But now, after having had time to adjust a little and dealing with Inuyasha (always a tiring thing on its own) who'd been nagging at me since I got back, I could barely keep my eyelids open. Finally, I gave up the good fight and let them fall shut, figured I wouldn't miss much. The slowly rotting wood that made up the walls would still be there when I opened my eyes.

Sango and Miroku were with me inside the hut. Of course, without them, I don't think I would've gone far in trying to persuade Inuyasha to go. Miroku was always the peace keeper (which was sort of ironic what with him being the way he is). And well Sango, she was always a force to be reckoned with. Thankfully, I hadn't needed her particular services today morning. So she sat by the door, sanding hiraikutsu. As for Kaede, she'd been called to one of the villager's homes. Apparently there was a flu going around. Shippo, as he always did when we were in town, had gone in search of the village kids and had taken Rin with him. Of course, just for diplomacy's sake, I had Rin ask Sesshoumaru's permission. I'm not sure how he took to it, but seeing as how the kids were gone, I'm guessing he didn't make any outward objections. I guess Rin was just better at communicating with him.

Personally, I don't think I could even compare myself to Rin when it came to that department. I mean, after spending day and night with the guy, I had somehow or other deluded myself into thinking that it was because of the curse that I was alive. That Sesshoumaru was forced to not harm me. Not that under normal conditions I would have been wrong, but the way he had been acting and considering I was nearly killed for following that light, I should have at least had a suspicion!

I shook my head, remembering the time that he had in fact told me that he had no problems hurting me. I must be so stupid. He had said it, had said it the night Naraku's demon attacked. He had told me that he should kill me! And there I'd been, thinking I was so clever to know that he was just trying to freak me out when all the while my life had depended on his patience and willingness to put up with me for whatever reason he had inside his head.

With a frown, I tilted my head back, leaning it against the wall. How could I have been so stupid?

“Kagome-chan?” I heard Sango say.

“Hmm?”

I heard a hushed thump as Sango carefully put the giant boomerang to the side and came to sit beside me. I waited until she was beside me then opened my eyes only to find her looking at me with worry clear on her face. From beside the hut window, Miroku stood also turned toward me. Then again, he may have just been checking Sango out.

Sighing, I sat up straight and faced Sango. It wasn't fair that I kept them so worried over me even if that wasn't my intention.

“Kagome-chan,” Sango said again, watching me, “tell me what he did to you. I want to help you.”

I felt so bad and guilty but there was no real reason for it. It's not like I had done anything wrong. But I still didn't want to upset my friends. I looked from Sango to Miroku, then back, trying to come up with a satisfactory answer. The problem was, what with me acting so unusually quiet (what! I've been preoccupied) right after coming back from the forest with Sesshoumaru, my options out were considerably narrowed.

With what must have been my thousandth sigh, I sat up even straighter and fully faced Sango. “He didn't do anything,” I said, actually voicing my main concern. “That's the problem.”

As I said it, I glanced toward where I could imagine Sesshoumaru leaning against the wall, eyes serenely closed as he waited for the day to pass…or whatever. On the one hand, it felt good to say that out loud even if Sesshoumaru could probably hear it. I was never one for secrets (hence why I was willing to rethink telling Sesshoumaru about the well) and if it got it across to Sesshoumaru that I was confused, well…well, it would be just better. Anyway, Sesshoumaru would be a fool to think I was taking all this without a hitch.

But still, deep in my gut, I could feel a steady but familiar tugging, setting off warning bells in my head.

Sango didn't seem to be able to digest this. She cast a glance over her shoulder to Miroku who gave her a shrug, and then she turned back to me, her eyes held widely open. Then she frowned and leaned a little toward me. “You…uh…want him to do…things to you?”

Why did that sound like a double entendre? …a dirty double entendre…

“Uh…no,” I said slowly, looking at her suspiciously. “I meant…” I drifted off, rather distracted by the odd sensation in my stomach as it grew stronger; I felt as though I were on an elevator escalating rapidly and then doing a sharp u-turn. Maybe it was nerves. Maybe I've just had bad meat? I tried to shake it off.

“You meant…” Sango egged on.

“Huh? Oh right, sorry. I meant, well, this is Sesshoumaru we're talking about! I'm surprised I'm even alive!”

Sango pulled back, raising an eyebrow.

I was about to shrug but stopped at a particularly hard tug on my stomach. Okay, no, something was definitely off. I placed a hand on my stomach, giving it a gentle tap. Was it my miko powers? But I could normally tell right off when it was that. Only time when I was ever thrown off was when two or more of my senses went off, or when….

“Kagome-chan?”

“Just a sec,” I said to her, not looking up, “Something's off.”

I rummaged around in my own head, trying to concentrate. It felt like a jewel shard, but it just felt so much stronger than that and sickening…like poison. And these days, we were lucky if we came across just one shard at a time, never mind two.

No…this felt like the whole jewel. But that was just ridiculous. The only way that could be true is…is if—

“Shit!” I jumped to my feet, practically running to the door and out of it, ignoring the surprised cries from Sango and Miroku. Hurriedly I glanced around to spot Sesshoumaru. Why had I been in such a rush to send him away?!

“Kagome-sama!” Miroku said, making his way out of the hut proceeded by Sango.

Again, I didn't mind him having just spotted Sesshoumaru by the far corner of the wall. I rushed toward him, gathering what nerve I had to just confront him. He had his arms crossed before him and his eyes closed but opened them when I got to him. If anything, he seemed bored. I doubted he had sensed anything yet as neither had Miroku. Jaken was nowhere to be seen, but I didn't care.

“Sesshoumaru, please,” I asked, hoping he would just answer, “Has Inuyasha's scent already disappeared?”

For a second he didn't do anything, simply watching me with his bored gaze. Then, slowly, he rose to his feet, allowing his hands to fall to his side, his eyes narrowing speculatively in the same move. I swallowed but held firm.

I opened my mouth, ready to reword my question one way or another when he spoke. “Perhaps a little more than a few minutes ago.”

Crap. Damn. Blast! Ahhh, you pick one, I'm too panicked!

Dashed, I stared at him fretfully.

“Kagome!” Sango had reached me and clamped her hand on my right arm. I turned and faced her, not waiting for her to ask.

“I sense the jewel. Naraku's coming.”

There was a second during which Sango and Miroku just blinked at me in shock. Miroku was the first to snap into action. Within seconds he was running towards the rest of the town, calling over his shoulder, “I'll warn Kaede-sama!”

“Miroku,” I yelled after him, “Tell her to keep Shippo and Rin with her!”

He gave a nod and kept on running.

I turned back to Sango. “I have to go see if I can get Inuyasha.”

Sango gasped, glancing behind me to Sesshoumaru. She took in another breath and gave a stiff nod. “I'll get the weapons ready. We'll meet him outside the town.” And she went back into the hut.

I took a second to ready myself, then turned to face Sesshoumaru. His face was completely blank. I didn't like it. “Look, Sesshoumaru,” I started out, already knowing that he was not about to listen to me.

“I do not sense Naraku.”

Nodding, I tried to answer with patience I just did not have. “I know. I always sense the jewels way before Inuyasha can smell anything. And Naraku basically has the whole jewel. I can feel that coming way before.”

He just stared at me.

I didn't have the time for this. “Look, Sesshoumaru, I need to get Inuyasha—,”

“His presence is not necessary,” he interrupted.

I frowned, trying not to snap. “Maybe you think he's not necessary, but I do! Now come on, we—,”

“No.”

I took in a sharp breath, starting to get seriously angry now. Sure, he was all fine with condemning himself to a curse and keeping me alive, but god forbid you should ask him to go after his half-brother.

“I do not need him.”

“I do,” I bit out, glowering at him.

He gave me a silent, calculating stare, impression creeping back into his eyes and giving them life. I would have taken comfort from that but he chose then to speak. “I have fought against you and I have seen you fight Naraku. You do not.”

Almost as though all the wind had been knocked out of me, I stood motionless for a full minute, trying to take in what he'd said. Then, “Sesshoumaru,” I said more calmly, feeling that I should be the rational one since he wasn't. “I can't risk this town.”

For a second, his eyes flashed and he looked to his side from where I could sense the jewel approaching us; he must have just begun to sense Naraku. “Then you may wish to hurry,” he said and without so much as a glance toward me, began to walk out of the town.

Feeling as though I had just taken a two by four to the head, I gaped after him, totally at a loss as to what to do. I heard a jingling sound and a few minutes later, Miroku came running back up to me, Jaken at his side. With a glance toward Sesshoumaru, Jaken gave out a croak and then ran after him. Miroku, though, stayed, watching as Sesshoumaru got further and further away. Sango came out of the hut, a little surprised to see me still there.

“I thought you were going to go after Inuyasha,” she said, handing me my bow and wicker of arrows.

I turned a dazed look on her just as Sesshoumaru came to a stop sixty feet ahead of me. “H-he won't come.”

Kirara hopped off Sango's shoulder transforming before she hit the ground, growling as she began to sense Naraku as well.

I looked from the cat back to Sango and Miroku both of whom seemed less than shocked. Okay, so maybe it was a little obvious that Sesshoumaru wasn't about to go chasing after Inuyasha.

God, what were we going to do?

“Guys, we need him,” I said, feeling desperate. I could feel Sesshoumaru's youki slowly beginning to rise, a sure sign that he was annoyed, either at being stalled by me or that Naraku was on his way. I was more inclined to think it was the first.

Sango glanced at Miroku and then back at me, a sympathetic yet determined look on her face. “Kagome-chan,” she started out slowly, “you're right. We do need him. But unless he comes back on his own, there's nothing we can do just now.”

Miroku nodded in agreement. “And since I can sense Naraku's miasma now, we don't have the time to do anything either.”

“So what, we just go into battle against Naraku on our own?” I did not want to do that.

Again they glanced at each other, then simultaneously, they turned to look at Sesshoumaru, then back at me.

“We have no other choice,” Sango said, trying to sound confidant.

Okay, she was right. I knew she was. And I knew I was just wasting time. But damn it, what did I have to do to catch a break around here.

Feeling shakier than I would have liked, I started walking, my friends beside. Almost exactly at the same time, Sesshoumaru started walking too, no doubt sensing that I was closer and now he was free to move again. I had to repeatedly remind myself that Naraku was on his way just so that I could keep from stopping just to stall Sesshoumaru. That would be oh so sweet.

Sesshoumaru came to a stop far away from the village, and even better, as far away from the well as possible. At least there was a good chance that it wouldn't get destroyed or anything. The three of us walked until we were standing roughly beside him.

I could feel the Shikon jewel from very close by now and knew that Naraku should be there in about ten minutes or so. To prepare myself, I reached over my back and pulled out an arrow, getting ready to shoot with a second's notice.

“How much longer?” Sango asked Miroku, sounding nervous but not nearly half as much as I felt. Maybe she was just hiding it.

“Soon.”

Sango let out a slow breath, reaching out to put her hands on Kirara's head. She always did that when she needed a little reassurance. So she was covering.

This was our first time facing Naraku without Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru had said that I was Inuyasha's drive. I think it was more like the other way around; it was Inuyasha that gave us strength, always running full force ahead, not giving the opponent a chance. And here we were, about to face off with our worst enemy. Without Inuyasha.

Sure, Sesshoumaru was also with us, but I couldn't see him bothering to keep us safe on the side. He'd probably only be focused on one thing and that would be to take down Naraku.

Wait! Shit! I forgot!

“Sesshoumaru,” I said, sounding cross even though I hadn't really meant to be. Well…it's not like I minded it though. “What are you going to do when you need to move?”

“That is my problem,” he said not even bothering to turn and look at me.

Okay, now I was cross.

“Fine.” If it had been any other time I would have persisted on an answer. But frankly, I was too miffed to care. If he wanted to be all macho and pretend he hadn't a care in the world, who was I to get in his way. He could die for all I care.

Well…that was a lie. I did care, I admitted begrudgingly even though it was only to myself. He had Rin to take care of. And sure he was arrogant and annoying to the point of madness, but I didn't think he deserved to die at Naraku's hands, especially because he was tied down by an underhanded trick. And an underhanded trick that he could have easily rendered himself free of if he'd just killed me.

Urgh! I so wanted to hate him right now, but he wasn't making it easy. Especially since a little voice in the back of my head continued to whisper I was just way too dependent on Inuyasha. After all, I was a girl of the future where women were supposed to be able to stand on their own and not need any men. Of course, they hadn't been considering that I was about to face a hanyou as vile as Hitler…plus ten.

With an angry glare at my own brain, which I knew didn't get around since my brain in itself didn't have eyes (that only got me angrier), I stomped up to Sesshoumaru, scaring Jaken into a high pitched squawk, and stood as near to him as I could allow myself.

This had to be the record breaking morning for my crappiest day ever.

I could feel Sesshoumaru's eyes on me and decided to ignore him, keeping my eyes on Miroku and Sango; I wasn't about to give way to his anger or annoyance. Now, if only my own friends would stop staring at me as though I had grown a third head.

Traitors, I thought glumly.

“Well, well, well,” came Naraku's voice suddenly, effectively bringing all attention onto him just as he touched down on the ground, his red eyes on me and Sesshoumaru. “This I had not expected.”

---

Okay, woot! It's out. Well, if you want to thank anyone, you can thank yourselves for being my drive. And also, thank Advi specially as it was her (or his) review that cheered me up in my moment of despair enough to make me buckle down and finish this chapter. Of course, all you others helped too. But you just might get mad at me when you read the next paragraph.

See…I've just discovered I've made my first big mistake. When I was writing the story in my own head, the Naraku that I conjured up was the one we saw before Mt. Hakurei, you know, with the pelt and everything. Well, I just remembered now that I've mentioned the shichinchitai in this and I don't want to take that back. So now I have to write Naraku after that. And I'm not sure how I can make that fit in with my story. So, I have a question for you that I'm going to need you to answer ASAP. How much would you mind a bit of inconsistency?

Anyway, I'm sorry if this becomes a problem. In my defence, I come up with most of this when I'm least paying attention so…

Anyhow, thank you all. And oh! Thanks to all those who answered my question about the timelines. Love ya'll lots and lots. See ya soon!!