InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Violation of Honor ❯ Chapter 13 - Two Hearts ( Chapter 13 )

Violation of Honor

By Rinseternalsoul

**Disclaimer: I do this for free. I'm not affiliated with Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha, and only write free fanfiction for my love of twisting her character's to my dark, demented will. May the smut live on.

Chapter 13 - Two Hearts

A/N: Hi folk's! I've just finished this chapter and checked the word count. I do believe this may be the longest chapter that I've ever written. Mostly in part to my announcements of what's coming in the next chapter not working out with my long-winded storytelling. I may have still not managed to cram all that I wanted in here, but I just couldn't fit anymore. So after careful thought, I have decided to split it in two and make it 13 and 14. Enjoy your double post! I look forward to reading your reviews!

Thanks goes to Risa, for being my beta on 'Violation of Honor'. You're the greatest!  

Inuyasha ran until his legs burned from the strain. He pushed himself until a fine sweat broke on the back of his neck, beneath the heavy weight of his thick silver hair. After clearing a fallen tree trunk, massive and decaying, he took a swift glance over his shoulder sighting his companions flying closely behind. The sight startled him and he immediately slowed down.

Kirara was flying low, her big cat tongue hanging limply from her open mouth. Exhaustion was in her eyes and her mistress was none the better. Sango had fallen asleep against Miroku's chest, but the monk looked pretty close to collapse himself. How could he have been such a selfish jerk? His companions could not keep up with the grueling pace that he had set for them.

It struck him then, and his heart swelled with pride and a sense of deep emotion. All three of them were on the edge of passing out, but not once had they complained. That was loyalty.

He didn't deserve such damn fine friends. He was a sorry excuse for a leader. A leader took care of those who depended on him and looked to him for direction. He was always forgetting that. Kagome was usually there to remind him. She would bop on the ears and force him to listen. She would have made him stop and take a break, hours ago.

Gods, he missed her.

It was times like this when he really appreciated everything that Kagome brought to their pack. She was so damned important to them. To him. It ripped him apart that they could never be anything more. They could have been good together as a couple, just as good as it had been with Kikyo. And for that very reason, it could never be. As soon as he began thinking of Kagome as anything more than a very close friend, Kikyo's face came up to haunt him. Without even thinking about it, he would compare them, and that was just not fair to either one of them.

"Hey guys! Let's break for the night," Inuyasha shouted out to his exhausted companions. Miroku nodded his consent and Kirara mewed her heartfelt gratitude. Inuyasha lowered his head for a moment, sending long bangs in need of a trimming, feathering down over his face. Fuck. He really was a jerk sometimes.

Maybe if Kikyo had never come back from the dead things would have been different between him and Kagome. At the time their relationship had been too new. He had only just met the bossy little miko from the future. There wasn't even an opportunity to get to know Kagome before his ex-lover was cruelly resurrected and once more blasting arrows at his ass.

He had been so hurt by her betrayal, so confused that his Kikyo, the woman that he was willing to become human for, had turned against him.

Old voices had begun whispering in his ears. Useless Half-breed! Devil's spawn! Untrustworthy, low down cur! He acted without thinking, striking out at her. He never once considered that it was all just a terrible lie, a plot by Naraku to fuck with their lives and steal the sacred jewel. He did not stop to consider that their love was real. He had always been treated like dirt, so he didn't expect anything better.

He should have trusted their love, but that was history long past. The present was Kagome. A fucked up situation if ever there was one. Was he in love with Kagome? Hell yes! Could he ever forsake the timeless love that he held with Kikyo? Never. It was a barrier of impenetrable proportions.

He had nothing, if he had no honor. He had left the lifestyle of a thief and rouge behind him long ago and even that he owed to Kagome. But on his honor he had sworn eternal love and protection to Kikyo. After discovering that Naraku's trickery was responsible for their breakup, Inuyasha knew that his vow to Kikyo still held true. Had Kikyo been left to rest peacefully, the vow would have gone to the grave with her. As it was, thanks to that whore Urasue, Kikyo was brought back to life and even now still roams Japan. Gods, what a fucking mess.

He still loved Kikyo. He probably always would. She wasn't responsible for what was done to her and knowing that left him torn. How could he turn his back on her completely? He owed her that much.

Kagome was a whole different woman. She was everything exotic and fun and trustworthy. Who would have guessed, that a loser like him, would one day be a revered warrior with a miko from the future by his side? He would love to see the looks on the faces of those bastards that used to love to humiliate the half-breed. Too bad the assholes were two hundred fifty years dead in the ground.

Inuyasha spat the bad taste from his mouth that was always left behind when he thought of his youth, then checked the progress of his companions. Miroku was finishing up with the fire and Sango was putting a pot to boiling for their supper. Kirara was snuggled up cozily - a ball of white fur that snored - by an outcropping of black rock resting solitarily beneath the shade of a huge basswood tree.

The hanyou suddenly shifted, then leapt to the ground off of the branch he had been perched on. "I smell game." Miroku and Sango both perked up at the hope for a fresh cooked meal instead of two-day old rice and a noodle. Inuyasha grinned at his friends, flashing the tips of his pearly white fangs. "I'll be back before you can say 'sit'," he joked before tearing out into the forest.

Hopefully, there would be a nice young deer in the small herd that he sniffed on the wind. Maybe the tender backstrap would help make it up to Kirara for pushing her so damn hard.

He would have to be more careful from now on. Something was calling him back to Kagome's side, but he couldn't let his anxiety over her safety rule his mind. If he were alone, he would run until the flesh on his feet peeled away, but he couldn't risk hurting the others. He just hoped that whatever was going on with Kagome could hold just a little longer. Help was on the way.  

"Stupid rock!" Kagome groaned as she squeezed the tip of her finger tightly. Her fingernail had bent backwards on that pass. She made a quick inspection with her other hand and added, "Hmm, it broke too."

Getting the palm sized stone loose was taking more of an effort than she had realized in the beginning. The problem lay with the mortar on the other side. While the posts were perfect for loosening the crumbly stuff all around it, they were practically useless getting to the opposite side where the mortar coated the whole thing.

Her fingers, while long and slender, were still too big to fit between the cracks. The worst part was that she was down to one post now, because the other one had sacrificed itself to the cause several hours earlier. She was scared to death that this one would break soon too. What would she do then? She had nothing else to use.

She had already considered breaking the chamber pail, but quickly abandoned that idea. First, the jailer would probably notice something like that, and second, she really needed a place to pee. Not to mention the fact that it was pretty gross by now, since no one had changed it in a couple of days. She couldn't imagine pouring 'that' all over the floor.

A heavy sigh escaped Kagome, which gave Sesshomaru an idea of her thoughts. Apparently her plan wasn't going too well. Once, just months ago, he would have smirked at her failure, supreme in the knowledge that it had been doomed right from the start. Now, here in the dungeon, he felt differently. He felt no satisfaction at watching the miko fail. None at all. Instead he wanted to comfort her by holding her close. A strange ache blossomed in his chest, and it had nothing to do with losing their chance for freedom.

Kagome collapsed to her butt in a heap of downtrodden misery. "I suppose it was a stupid idea to begin with," she muttered.

Sesshomaru opened his mouth, ready to cast off his vow of silence. He would tell her 'no', that her idea was not stupid. It had been resourceful and had impressed him. He would throw off his cloak of anonymity, and give in to the urge to offer Kagome this tiny bit of comfort.

"Don't say shit like that, Kagome!" barked Uchuu from his cell. "It was a damned fine idea. Hell, it was better than anything me and 'whitey' over there has come up with. You shouldn't knock yourself. Any plan is better than no plan at all."

Sesshomaru could only close his mouth, and nod toward the monkey, who was now staring directly at him. In his eyes he saw the curiosity swimming there. Uchuu was wondering who he was, and how he knew Kagome. He was also glaring with a look of consternation. Obviously, Uchuu thought that Kagome could have used a kind word from him as well.

And she had almost gotten it.

Sesshomaru blinked and turned his crimson gaze away from the macaque to look at Kagome as she sat in a huddle of grubby cloth. She appeared to be studying her hand, and when she waved it, very slowly, in front of her face, he knew that he was right. Suddenly a smile spread all the way from her full lips to her normally blank eyes that now sparkled with excitement.

"I can see it! My eyes are getting better! Before, there was only darkness, then a separation of blacks. After awhile some of the blacks became deeper shades of gray. I started seeing shadows of things that made me wonder if it might be returning to normal. I mean, I had hoped, but I guess I was really afraid to count my blessings before their offering. Yesterday, I was almost sure that I could make out your form. The grays had become more vivid and the blacks less overwhelming, but now I am positive that I will see again. I can see my hand and arm, moving from side to side! It's not clear, and the colors are still missing, but I can see it! That's better than solid black any day!"

Kagome waved her hand toward his own face as if to punctuate her revelation. Sesshomaru needed no such effort on her part, in fact he had been aware of the improvement of her eyesight for some time now. Hearing her detailed version, however, let him know that his ruse would not last for much longer.

Should he simply tell her his name?

He wanted to, but a part of him was too ashamed. He did not wish to sully her image of his former greatness. To her, Sesshomaru was still the formidable demon lord, and he just couldn't seem to bring out the truth that he was otherwise.

His own sigh of regret parted his lips, but just barely.

His loins burned with an instinctive desire, and his body raged for a feast of blood. His mind was consumed with the miko, while his subconscious waited patiently to resurface and bring pain. Sesshomaru longed for an end to it all. Would such a day ever come? Would he and Kagome ever be free of this accursed place? He was beginning to accept that his dream might never happen.  

Shippo leapt quickly behind the corner of a hut filled of grain and supplies. He was much closer to the building that the witch had visited several times earlier in the day. He suspected that Rin was being held prisoner in there, and meant to get a closer look, but sneaking up in broad daylight was pretty tricky and he had to be mindful not to get caught.

Carefully he peeked around the corner to see who was riding up on horseback. Green eyes, sparkling with myriad shades of the forest, narrowed suspiciously. Soldiers? He counted six, all wearing the insignia of the Nobunaga clan. The leader dismounted, followed by his men. Shippo's brow furrowed when he realized that not just one, but two of them were youkai - the leader as well as the one bringing up the rear.

Youkai in a human army? That was beyond strange.

After their dismount, the hag greeted them at the main house entrance. She did not bode them to come inside, but instead ushered them around back. Shippo ducked low and tried to still his thundering heart. He hoped to hell those guys couldn't smell him through the smoke in the air. Even though his camouflage helped to blend in with the aged wood around him, it could do nothing to hide his scent from a youkai nose.

He waited, listening intently to their footsteps. Once he was sure they could no longer spot him, he took a quick look to make sure all was clear. With a relieved breath, Shippo thanked his lucky stars that they hadn't gotten a whiff of him, and then turned his complete attention toward the odd meeting taking place.

The witch was all smiles, flaunting her blackened teeth. Obviously she was hoping to please these soldiers in some way. When they reached the cookhouse, she took a huge ring of keys loose from her belt and opened a large wooden cabinet leaning against the front wall.

Shippo's frown deepened to a look of confusion when the contents were revealed. Why would she keep a cabinet full of metal bindings and chains?

Hazuki grinned broadly for the handsome youkai soldier. She secretly wondered if he would be willing to trade a little bed time for any of her fine products. He was a delicious morsel, but full of that silly superiority complex that most youkai held. Absently, she scratched the hairy mole just below the curve of her chin, while considering the possibility. She wouldn't mind bending over for a piece of that big youkai dick hanging between those muscular thighs.

"The mistress demands to know when the order will be fulfilled, crone!"

Crone? His insult shook away her meandering imagination, bringing her back to the reality of the business deal. The miserable wretch had better be glad that he worked for her main client, or else she would curse him into the form of a dung-beetle. As it was, she decided to give him a nasty itch of the backside, just for satisfaction sake.

The smile on her face only failed her momentarily, before she sported it once again. She answered positively to the question the youkai had asked; pleased that she had finally found the key ingredient needed to do so. She opened the door to the shed and pushed out one gnarled arm in invitation for the men to enter her workshop.

On the floor, in the cage, Rin sat huddled and hopeful. She had heard the men arrive, and had been about to call for help when Shin had quickly silenced her. She looked at him curiously, as he brought the tip of his tail up to his tiny mouth and shook his head. She wondered why Shin would not welcome the chance to escape, but her answer came when the witch pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Six soldiers followed the hag into the room, crowding it with the stench of dust and sweat, while the clink of armor and swords rang in her ears. She scooted back fearfully as all eyes fell on her alone.

"Mmmm," she's pretty, one of the soldiers whispered. Rin's dark eyes jerked to the voice, then away, when she saw lust and evil thoughts reflected in the man's eyes.

"Maybe we could have a go at her." Another said, while reaching down to adjust his crotch in a lewd manner.

"No!" the witch bit out angrily. "She's a virgin, and she will stay that way!" As if remembering her manners, the witch then cleared her throat and softened her scratchy voice, before adding, "Two days, my lord. On the night of the full moon." Her voice then took on a ghostly smoothness as she spoke of the coming ritual. "The offering will commence and the virgin blood will quicken the binding spell. You may tell your mistress that the shackles and chains will be ready for pick-up at dawn the following day."

"Pff", the youkai leader snorted rather snobbishly, only sparing the beautiful young human girl a brief glance. "You have put her ladyship off for some time now, hag. These shackles are needed for prisoners in an upcoming battle. It is imperative that we have them! Should we return three days hence and you do not, indeed, have them ready, as you have agreed, your life will be forfeit. Understood?"

The old witch's smile died completely and the youkai felt a chill race up his spine. Unwisely he took a step back and bumped into one of his soldiers currently bending down to take a drink from the barrel of water behind them. The human man released a curse when he fell to one knee - the accident causing the water in the cup to splash when it hit the ground

"EEEEkkkk!" The witch suddenly screamed, grabbing her hand as if it were scalded She pulled it up close to her body protectively. "You imbecile!" she shrieked, staggering against the wall. "You will get your damnable chains in three days, as I said you would! Now leave here, before I turn you all into frogs!"

Each soldier looked from the screeching witch to their surrounding comrades, wondering if she could really perform such a feat. Obviously deciding that the best course of action would be to get the hell out of there, they scuffled quickly out of the cookhouse leaving the scowling witch behind.

Shippo watched the soldiers push their way back out of the narrow wooden door, then make their way quickly to the horses. They appeared hell bent on getting away from the place as fast as possible. The youkai leader only stopped for a brief moment, reaching around quickly, to scratch hard at his behind.

The fox shook his head in relief, glad to see them gone. There was a chance, since the witch was human, that he could sneak up and retrieve Rin undetected, but not with another youkai so near. He sent up a prayer of thanks to whatever had sent them along their way.

"Idiot! Bumbling fool!" The witch cursed, as she pressed a handful of healing herbs on her burnt, sizzling skin. She began mumbling angrily to herself as she worked, too softly for Rin to understand.

But she knew.

Rin now knew the old crone's weakness, and she would be happy to use it against her.

A few minutes ago, she had been very afraid of those men. Before they came, she had no idea why she was being used as a sacrifice. She had her answer now, as well as the witch's most treasured secret. Hazuki was afraid of water, because it burned her really bad. That knowledge was a valuable weapon to use against her. Lord Sesshomaru had taught Rin that a great fighter would always seek out the weakness in his opponent. Once found, it could be used against them to secure victory.

Water was a weakness to that evil witch, and Rin aimed to use it against her.

Unknown to Rin, Shippo was one thin wall away from her, his body pressed tightly against the corner post while he listened to the witch muttering beneath her breath. Through the vented openings above, he could smell Rin's soft floral scent clearly and knew beyond a doubt that she was inside. He pressed his ear gently against the wall, closed his eyes, and listened intently. Two hearts beating strong No. Three? Who was the third? A heart that was so small and fast beating that he nearly missed it? Not human, obviously. Animal? Perhaps it was a pet?

Shippo shrugged it off and prepared to make his move. He hoped to use the element of surprise right up to the moment he attacked. He would use the soldiers as a cover, then strike.

A knock on the door obviously surprised Hazuki, making her forget about her misery for the moment. Rin saw the old hag's body stiffen and her head shoot around. Wiry gray hair shifted over stooped shoulders, while dull black eyes narrowed. Hazuki took four steps to the door, reached out and asked, "Soldier boy?"

As soon as the latch opened the door was slammed in with hard strength, hurling the aged, withered crone, backward into a heavy oak table. Her body hit with a force powerful enough to shatter the thick, solid wood, which crashed to the ground in a splintered heap. Rin knew that Hazuki was dead, because no human could have survived the backbreaking impact.

She looked away with a glittering smile and greeted her hero, "Shippo!"

"Rin!" Shippo called out gladly, relieved to see her alive and well. Or was she? "Are you hurt?" She shook her head and he let out a relieved breath. He ran up to the cage where she was locked inside. Oddly enough, he couldn't help feeling a little burst of heat stirring in his adolescent loins. She was a sight to behold. Beautiful, unkempt and... sexy. Yes, most definitely sexy. Miroku would have drooled.

The cage was too short for her to stand, so she sat on the heap of straw with her bare legs crossed behind her, while she held onto the bars with tiny slender hands. Long waves of flowing dark hair billowed about her shoulders, and the adoration in her huge brown eyes was enough to make his penis quicken.

That was the first time that had ever happened from just looking at a girl.

With a rough shake of his auburn covered head, Shippo shoved the romance aside and faced his next task. He had to get Rin out of that cage. As he hurried over to break her free, he thought that maybe one day, they could play a game, one where Rin could get into a cage just like this one, and he would pretend to be the evil captor....

His lusty thoughts were cut off when he ran into a problem. "Shit! It won't budge!" The bars of the cage were ensorcelled with a spell. As soon as he tried to bust them, the dark magic flared and held the bars strong. He was beginning to panic, when Rin pushed a creamy arm through the narrowly spaced bars, pointing to the fallen witch.

"She has the key! It's on her belt!"

Shippo ran to the crushed table and reached down for the hag. Suddenly a bony, wrinkled hand grasped hold of his wrist. His heart skipped a beat and he jumped backward out of her weak grasp. "What the hell?"

Unbelievably the crone began to move, pushing her gnarled body from the wreckage and stumbling to her feet. Her black eyes shone a wicked new light and her face gleamed with triumph instead of death.

"So, youkai, you thought to attack a poor old woman, did you? You thought my frail human body would succumb to death under such a harsh blow, didn't you? Her cackling laugh sounded harsh within the narrow room. She took an ominous step closer and Shippo reacted swiftly, pulling a leaf from his kimono.

"Take that!" he shouted as he ducked to the side, sending one razor-sharp cutting leaf after another hurling toward his intended victim.

A wall of dark light abruptly pulsed to life deflecting his blades and sending every single one crashing to the ground uselessly. Hazuki laughed at the youth's pathetic attempt to slay her. "My body is one with the Dark Gods, silly boy! You can not kill me!"

Rin watched as Shippo growled in frustration, before taking up a battle stance and sending a blast of blue flame hurling toward the witch. He shouted, "Foxfire!', then did it again. The witch reached out and harnessed the searing flames with her bare hands. As she did so, a dark light snaked over her flesh, giving Rin the chills.

Hazuki hurled the fire toward the huge stone oven, where it burst upward, harmlessly, through the chimneystack. "You shall have to do better than that youkai boy," she jeered, before sending a bolt of her own his way.

Shippo was barely able to dodge that javelin of dark magic, before another was sent behind it. The second managed to scorch a wide patch of skin from his left shoulder. Too close.

"The water!" Rin shouted, pointing frantically toward the basin. "She is burned by the water!"

The witch, Hazuki, only had a moment to realize the danger that she was now in. Shippo moved with youkai speed and youkai strength, lifting the shallow wooden barrel of water and tossing it with gusto all over the wicked witch.

The screams that erupted from the devil's whore were unlike anything Shippo had ever heard in his life. He had seen thousands of youkai die and hundreds of humans as well, yet not one had ever made the skin prickling shrieks that bubbled from the melting figure of the witch.

The melting went on until she was nothing more than a puddle of discarded clothing. Suddenly, the eerie silence that followed was broken by the clank of metal as her ring of keys hit the stone floor.

Shippo looked to Rin with surprise. "Wow, Rin, that really showed her! I would have been toast without you."

Rin blushed furiously and looked away, but quickly added her own sentiment. "No, Shippo, it was you who risked your life to save me. You fought brilliantly! Thank you!"

Shippo's chest swelled with pride and he gave her a wide grin. Assured that the witch was definitely dead this time, he picked up the ring of keys and moved to free Rin. With shaky fingers she pointed out the key to her cage, then Shippo held out his hand to help her stand.

"Were you scared, Rin?" Shippo asked worriedly. Rin shook her head and smiled. "A little, but I knew that you would come for me."

Shippo returned her smile, feeling warmth coursing through his body as she stepped close. Surprised, Shippo's eyes grew wide when she leaned up and planted a soft kiss on his lips. She was kissing him! He allowed the new sensation to carry him away and closed his eyes, now in heaven. Unfortunately, she drew back just as fast, turning a stunning shade of berry in her embarrassment.

"I.... I'm sorry, I... uh... only meant to thank you," she stuttered.

"No," Shippo said softly, "Don't be sorry." He reached out, gently drawing her face back up to look at him. He suddenly wanted to see her eyes. "I liked it." He was rewarded with a new, softer flush, and a darkening of the chestnut looking back at him. He wanted to kiss her again, feel her softness one more time, so he leaned forward and returned her kiss.

By the Fates, it warmed his toes and he had to fight not to press harder, ultimately scaring her away.

Rin thought it only too short, when she felt the warm press of him move away. He had smelled so good, like the forest on a fresh summer morning and she didn't want to lose that wonderful cocoon of pleasure. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and found him smiling just a breath away.

Shippo winked down at the pretty young maiden, who was looking at him with steamy eyes full of innocent admiration. Her lips were reddened and moist from their kiss and the kitsune decided that he liked them that way.

"Please spare me the dramatics', and get me out of here, will you?"

Shippo snatched Rin close, and spun around - the male voice completely catching him off guard. "Who's there?" he growled the question.

Rin pushed against the steel band of an arm cutting her breath off. "Shippo, let me go. It's only Shin!"

Realizing that Rin probably couldn't breathe; Shippo quickly let her go and took several steps back, so that he wouldn't be tempted to keep holding her. He couldn't deny that he had enjoyed having her pressed against him like that.

By Shin, Rin obviously meant the tiny dragon latched imploringly onto the tiny bars of its cage.

"Shippo, meet Shin the pixie-dragon. Shin, meet Shippo." Rin introduced the two guys while she found the key to Shin's cage. After locating it and inserting it into the lock, she clapped happily when the door swung open releasing Shin to fly. The tiny dragon flew with a set of colorful dragonfly wings that fluttered faster than her eyes could see. He emerged from the cage and took a turn around her before hovering just outside of Shippo's strike range.

"I suppose that I owe you my thanks, fox," Shin said. "For killing Hazuki, and for getting me out of there." He tossed a glare over his shoulder directed at the cage that he used to call home. He had been its prisoner for many years and he would not miss it at all. He returned a questioning eye to the fox, and then asked, "I don't suppose you could reverse the spell that made me into a dragon?"

Shippo's eyes grew wide with shock. "You mean you were something else?"

"Of course I was something else, you ninny. Why would I have asked that if I weren't?"

Shippo was a little perturbed by the dragon's attitude, but was too curious to pound him before he revealed what he used to be.

"He was human once, like me!" Rin supplied. "Hazuki cursed him and turned him into a small dragon."

"What did she do that for?" Shippo asked.

Shin groaned at having to repeat the story again. "Let's put it this way, fox. She had the hots for me, and I didn't reciprocate the feelings."

Shippo's face twisted into a look of horror. "I can't say that I blame you there." Just thinking of kissing that snaggle-toothed hag made his stomach turn.

Shippo took one last look at Rin, to assure himself that she was okay, then turned toward the door. "Let's get out of here, Rin. This place gives me the creeps."

"Me too, Shippo," Rin replied. "I'm ready."

When the cool breeze from outside hit her, she tilted her head back and breathed it in deep. It was wonderful to be out of the stuffy, sweltering heat of the cookhouse. She had only taken a few steps when she thought of Shin. She stopped and turned finding him hovering in the doorway. "Where will you go Shin?"

With freedom in his grasp, Shin was suddenly feeling a little lost. Where would he go from here? He certainly could not go home. He had no home anymore. "I... I don't know."

Before Shippo could advise against it, Rin held out her arm and motioned to the tiny dragon. "You can travel with us, then, until you know."

When the ex-human, now miniature dragon, made no move to come forward, Shippo dared to hope that he would turn down the girl's offer. They really knew nothing about this 'Shin' character, and besides, he liked traveling alone with Rin.

Just as Rin's smile began to fade from her lovely face, the tiny dragon shot forward, landing gracefully atop her shoulder. Rin giggled happily, and so Shippo held his tongue, and resigned himself to a third party now under his care.

Would the three of them make it to Kouga's wolf camp in time to save Kagome? God's, he hoped so.  

A/N: I hope you liked my little fairytale twists taken from 'The Wizard of Oz' and the tale of 'Hanzel and Gretel'!