
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/5723146.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Choose_Not_To_Use_Archive_Warnings, Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Major
      Character_Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      F/M, M/M
  Fandom:
      InuYasha_-_A_Feudal_Fairy_Tale, 幽☆遊☆白書_|_YuYu_Hakusho:_Ghost_Files, Yu-
      Gi-Oh!
  Relationship:
      Inuyasha/Original, Seto/Joey, Yusuke/Keiko, Inuyasha/Kagome, Sesshomaru/
      Rin, Miroku/Sango_(InuYasha)
  Character:
      InuYasha, Original_Characters, Higurashi_Kagome
  Additional Tags:
      Angst, Rape/Non-con_Elements, Alternate_Universe, Angst_with_a_Happy
      Ending, Domestic_Violence, Major_Original_Character(s), Minor_Original
      Character(s), Stalking, Mystery, Out_of_Character, Explicit_Sexual
      Content, Oral_Sex, Crossovers_&_Fandom_Fusions, Graphic_Description,
      Sexual_Violence, Blood_and_Violence, Drug-Induced_Sex, Non-Consensual
      Drug_Use, Drug_Withdrawal
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-01-15 Updated: 2016-02-09 Chapters: 22/? Words: 77444
****** Fantasy's Willful Heart ******
by SheilaDivine
Summary
     Finding out if anyone is worthy of her heart…The fight to aid a dog
     demon from accepting the abuse he thinks must come with love…A
     journey that again ignores the boundaries of time. Join Sheila
     Higurashi on her epic, coming of age journey to understand just how
     powerful her heart is before it’s too late for a certain half demon
     to be saved…
     An Inuyasha/Original chara story
     Sheila 'Fantasy' Kimiga Higurashi is a 15 year old girl living with
     her mother when disaster strikes. Dying of illness, Sheila’s mother
     leaves her and makes her promise to live with her half-sister,
     Kagome. It’s not until six months later that adventure comes knocking
     in the form of Vickie, a wolf/dog yokai that actually has a rather
     bizarre request:
     She wants Sheila to fall in love with her brother, Inuyasha, in hopes
     of freeing him from his obligatory-like love with Kagome.
     But can love really be that simple? And, with a very real threat
     hiding among the shadows, Sheila might find herself in need of saving
     while trying to protect the enigmatic half demon…
Notes
     First off, Thank you for reading my work. Second off, I hope you
     really enjoy. Please don't be afraid to review/critic. This story is
     actually over 10 years old and has been waiting for an ending and
     revision. This is the updated version. If you want a post to the
     original work to compare how it's really changed (Or hasn't), just
     ask. :)
***** Chapter Zero: Prologue *****
Chapter Summary
     Tragedy begins our story...
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
 
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                                 Chapter_Zero:
                                        
                                 The  Prologue
 
 
 
         ~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Mercy Medical Hospital, Room 12~ 
 
~Sheila~
 
Sheila stares around the hospital room; mind completely distracted while her
heart clenched tight in her chest hard enough to hurt. She knew that this would
be her last moments with her mother and, as much as she promised herself that
she wouldn't cry- she would be strong!- the tears fell without restraint at the
sight of her once beautiful mother.
 
        Skin that was once a honey olive-brown was now sweaty and pale.
                                        
       Hands that were once steady and strong were now frail and shaky.
                                        
But it was the sight of those once dark, sable-blue eyes that had made her
start to cry. Her mother's brilliant and intelligent eyes were now a deathly
pale, grey-blue that reminded her of a dead sky and was only bright with pain
and the concentration it took to breathe.
“How long before she's -” She pauses, looking at the nurse with pleading dark
eyes that this suffering would not last long.
 
  Her mother has suffered enough pain in this world. Namely of the heartache
                                     kind.
                                        
The nurse looks at the young girl, her swirling blue-brown eyes filled with
sympathy. She could only understand in thought that it must be painful to be
fifteen years old and losing your mother, who seems to be the only person in
the world that's ever loved and taken care of you.
                                        
    And now that person must leave you behind to the call of death itself.
                                        
The nurse had known Sheila and her mother, Belle Fantasia Kimiga, ever since
the fifteen year old was just a little fetus with no gender that they could see
yet or true form to even identify her as a baby and the nurse had been proud to
help the young mother take care of the quickly developing child. Belle was only
seventeen when she had Sheila, but told the nurse with bright, openly sad eyes,
that this was her love child and she was glad to have her.
“I could give her a drug,” The nurse suggests, but knew the answer right away.
“No,” Sheila answers without thought, “she wouldn't want that,” she looks at
the dying figure on the hospital bed with a quivering smile on her already
full, moist lips, “she said that she would never take a drug, and she never
will.”
The nurse nods with respect, thoughtlessly tucking a loose strand of her long
golden-black hair that got free of her ponytail behind her right ear, “I don't
think it will be much longer.”
Sheila nods her head as she walks further into the room, wiping the tears from
her blue-black eyes and softly dimpled cheeks before raising her head up
high in false bravery and taking hold of her mother's shaky hands, “Mother.”
She calls to the sickly woman softly; almost afraid her voice would drive the
fragile soul away sooner.
The pale eyes look over at her and soften with love; a weak smile coming to
slightly crusted, thin lips, “My baby… hand me… some… water… w-will you,”
Sheila's mother asks in a low raspy voice that was slightly labored from trying
to breathe, “feel a little…dry.”
Sheila grabs a Styrofoam cup and fills it with tepid water that sat in a
pitcher on a roll-in table, putting in a straw and holding the cup so that her
mother could drink. After giving Belle some water, she puts the cup on the
table and takes out a white cloth that she has taken to carrying on her visits
to the hospital in order to gently dab at the sweat collecting on her mother's
brow.
“Mother.”
“…Hm?”
“You're alright, mother,” she tries to say with confidence she didn't really
feel, “Everything will be fine,” Sheila smiles weakly, fighting hard with
herself to keep from crying as she looks into her dying mother's eyes, “r-
right?”
Belle sighs with a strained breath. She knew she was going to die and could
only think of one thing to tell her beloved child, “Baby,” she pauses to catch
her breath, asking for another sip of water and coughing a little before
continuing, “My dear Fantasy,” Belle uses her daughter's middle name that also
serves as a nickname, “remember what… I told you… about…y-your father?”
Sheila wrinkles her little nose, “You mean that bastard who didn't even take
care of me? That…that man who left you on the streets after promising to take
care of you,” Sheila questions in a sort of a rage, “that spineless, half-wit
of a man who wouldn't even admit to be the man who fathered me? Yes mother, I
remember him and wish to soon forget.”
“Peace my child,” Belle rasps, knowing how her daughter felt, “he…has a
family…a…a good family,” she looks at her only child pleadingly, “go…go to
them…that,” she pauses yet again for a weak breath, “it's my last…my last
wish…that…that you find…find your sister…live with them,” she reaches out
and squeezes her daughter's hand with slight shaking, “…show…show them…the …the
will…the will of…your heart,” her mother whispers, closing her eyes as she lets
out a final breath; her hand dropping lifeless from her daughter's fingers.
 
                                 She was gone.
                                        
Sheila bites her quivering lower lip as she runs a hand through her dead
mother's midnight black hair, looking like a lost child, “OK mother,” she
whispers, as if her mother could still hear her, “OK,” she cries while
running from the room, her heart and soul sobbing for the only person she ever
knew in life that loved her. The only one who has wiped her tears away, held
her through all the ups and downs and wasn’t afraid to give tough love as well
as tender kisses. But now that one person was gone…
 
                     No one shall take her willful heart.
                                        
No one shall hold her close, only to die or promise her something they couldn’t
                                     give.
                                        
  No one will know the love she had to give…Nor the love she deeply wants to
            receive in return without proving to be truly worth it.
                                        
~I will never let anyone take away the will of my heart, mother~ She mentally
vows; her tears still falling silently as she disappears among the people of
the busy street.
 
 
              And that was her promise to the only love she knew.
                                        
                                        
 Little did Sheila know just how much that promise would be challenged in the
                                    future…
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
***** Chapter One: Waiting *****
Chapter Summary
     Everyone is waiting on something...
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
 
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                                 Chapter_One:
                                        
                                    Waiting
 
 
~Present day Japan, Tokyo, Kuki Junior High, History Class~
 
 
~Sheila~
 
~It isn't just about how strong you are. It's about knowing when to use it. ~
~The time of  the strong is over, my Fantasy. You need to be frail yet
powerful. Submissive yet in the lead~
~You must have a great `Will' to your heart, my Fantasy, my baby. That `Will'
is what makes you who you are…what makes it Fantasy's `Willful' heart alone,
and no one else's to take from you…~
~…You must  share your heart in the magic of love…~
 
Sheila thought of the words that her mother had once told her when she was only
a thirteen-year old brat with an attitude while her mother was a patient
thirty-year old woman who knew and understood the wonders of becoming a
teenager at the time. They had been staying in a little apartment flat in Tokyo
after having lived in Chicago's Chinatown where they had once owned a little
shop and capsule hotel* where they would rent out rooms, sell Chinese, African
and Japanese foods, little antiques, booklets on some history on both Japan and
African-Chinese. She had not understood what her mother was trying to say, but
knew that, like everything the loving woman said, it would someday make sense…
 
             And yet, even now, it still didn't make sense at all!
                                        
No matter how she tried to piece the words together, the teen wasn’t sure just
what her mother meant. Just what ‘will’ did she mean? In the end, Sheila wasn’t
sure. Recalling her mother though, she had loved listening to Belle and could
remember when they had customers who would stay to listen as well in the little
shop-hotel just on the corner by the train that brought people into Chinatown.
She would listen just as intently as the customers when her mother would tell a
little Chinese, African or Japanese folk story that her mother sometimes mixed
with her own imaginings. Sheila would have been sitting on the side counter in
the little cozy shop with both a Japanese and Chinese/African feel to it,
wearing torn blue jean shorts and a red tank top while nibbling on a chocolate
chip cookie. She would kick her legs back and forth; sometimes tapping the
counter she sat on when they lived in Chicago. She'd listen to the romantic
tales her mother would sometimes tell some couples, and dream of a world filled
with spirits, demons and all kinds of monsters in midst of a sweet, heart-
wrenching romance gently caressing every plot until it made her wild with
passion and excitement for the characters.
She reminisces about feeling warm inside when her mother told her favorite one
about the two demons that were in love but couldn't be together because of who
and what they were and also because their family would never have approved;
knowing that her mother had made that one up especially for her.
~Like Romeo and Juliet~ She thought, smiling, ~feudal era style, of course! ~
            They had to sell the shop once her mother started showing signs of
being ill, and, before she knew it or understood why, Belle had rushed Sheila
to Japan; a place that made her stick out like a very sore thumb. In other
words, she hated it, but tried not to complain for her mother’s sake.
~Wait for the promise~ Her mother's voice drawls softly in that Japanese/
French- African accent that she loved inside her mind of memories ~Wait for the
promise of fulfilling the will of your heart. ~
 
                              And so she waited.
                                        
Waited for her heart and soul to heal after the tragic death of her mother six
                                  months ago.
 
 Waited for her mind to finally understand what her mother was trying to tell
                                     her.
 
And now waits, with gritted teeth, for the boy who sits two seats from her to
stop making that distracting farting noise with his stinky armpits! She
couldn't see how the teacher could stand it! If she were his teacher, he'd have
detention for the rest of the year!
Giving up on doing her homework so she wouldn't have to do it later, Sheila
settles for glaring over at the smiling, murky blue eyed idiot that was once
again doing something disgusting to entertain his green eyed fawn of a
girlfriend. It made her sick! There he was, the top player on the school's
hockey team, farting the National Anthem with his armpits! With short blond-
brown hair, and skin wonderfully tanned, Sheila thought he could be doing
something much better with his body than making cat-calls and spitting
spitballs through a straw like they were still in elementary school instead of
Junior High.
“There he goes again,” Sheila hears a male classmate say somewhere behind her,
“the lucky dog!”
“Isn't Toki lucky,” She hears a female classmate coo excitedly to someone to
her right side, “I wish he were my boyfriend!”
Sheila cringes at the idea of a boyfriend who puts straws up his nose and sings
the Barney song in order to make her feel special. If that was the case, than
she was VERY glad that most people thought she was nothing special. Being
fifteen with an even bigger attitude than she had when she was just entering
her teen years, Sheila was a force to be reckoned with, and had no problem
making it known. A girl standing the height of 5'4” with chocolate-honey skin,
Sheila has long, midnight ebony hair that asymmetrically loses its long length
once it reaches her short bangs that barely go over her eyes. Lanky, yet past
the curvy development of most girls in her year, it wasn’t hard for her to get
the wrong attention with cat calls and whistles a plenty in her rebel/emo
outfit of black and silver spandex/leather.
She didn’t really like being cooed at, so the young teen had a bad habit of
ending up in detention the moment one of the boys tried to get her to pay them
any mind. ~Nothing but sex between their ears~ She thought; dully continuing to
watch the giggling and cuddling of the couple a bit to the side of her. She was
sure she wasn’t jealous of such things. A typical teenage romance barely lasted
a full school term from what she’s seen. So Sheila refused to believe that the
sensation in her chest that made her roll her eyes at the sight could possibly
be jealousy.
 
She waited this long to fall in love, and would wait all eternity to understand
                              her mother’s words…
                                        
                         …No matter how lonely it got…
 
“Alright, class,” the male teacher shakes his head; creamy-green eyes lightly
reprimanding the two lovers before he continues, “Today we are talking about
the Feudal Era. Called the Age of the Warrior by some, it was a time of
political unrest with samurai fighting in civil wars being a daily way of life.
But this warring time also holds one of the most peaceful times as well. Called
the Edo Period, it also has been called the time of Isolation; since Japan had
completely closed its doors to outsiders during that time. Since that happened,
the culture had time to blossom, and some the most amazing cultural
advancements happened in that time. Now, what I want you to focus on is the
Isolation Period of that time,” The teacher instructs, “What do you think of
such a time? What comes to mind? How do you think the people felt about such
things happening? Proud? Angry?...”
~…Lonely…~ Sheila thought immediately; imagining a young girl looking at the
shore and wondering if her very fate was waiting to come in…only to discover it
had no entry.
“We should just ask Kagome,” She hears a female student speak up to what Sheila
assumes is her friend, “I heard she did well when it came to talking about the
Feudal Era.”  
Sheila shivers in disgust at the thought of her older half-sister. Even she
proved to be no different from the rest of the girls in school, so the younger
teen made it her business to avoid her whenever possible. 
“Bitch central,” She mutters to herself, “always in heat, always free,” Sheila
growls lowly, picturing the sixteen year old throwing her long black hair
around as if she were a wild beast in rut, “Stick your dick anywhere ya like.
No condoms needed!” She exclaims in a whisper to herself; sighing as she rolled
her dark eyes, “Just my luck that I had to be related to a whoring priestess.”
            Sheila wouldn’t lie to herself. At first, she thought Kagome was a
nice person. She would smile and encourage others. Aid them if they asked her,
and had a strong personality that was admirable.
 
Until she lost her virginity to some boy she claims to be her first true love.
                                        
            Then Kagome became unbearable. On one hand, she was the same.
Smiling and encouraging. On the other hand, she was also more into talking with
the boys, and had even more attitude than usual. Sheila would have tolerated
it, if the other girl didn’t openly throw all her sass right at her. Rather it
be at home when Kagome would make it clear that she was the more loved and
accepted daughter of their father, or at school when she pretended she didn’t
exist, the older girl made one thing very obvious.
 
                    She did NOT like having Sheila around.
                                        
~Hmm…If only I didn’t catch her sneaking that boy in~ She thought remorsefully,
~Then maybe things wouldn’t be so bad between us~
With history being her final class, the bell finally rings after a long lecture
about literature and artwork of the Feudal Era. Sheila quickly gets ready and
leaves, hoping not to get into trouble before making it home. Some of the other
students have gotten wind of her background somehow, and liked to tease her
mercilessly for it. It was mostly the boys; likely angry because she wasn’t
willing to date them at all.
“Hey, bastard child!” A boy called once she got outside; his hand firmly
gripping her shoulder so that she couldn’t get away.
Apparently, escape wasn’t on the menu today. ~At least I got outside of the
school this time~ was all she thought as she drops her bag and turns around
rapidly to pull out of the hold. Her gloved fist with hidden studs connects to
the boy’s jaw; the sickening sound of cracking bones and pain-filled cries
caused her to smile even as she kneed another boy in the stomach and flips a
boy over her shoulder.
“You bitch!” Another boy exclaims; dark eyes angry as he comes over to hit her
for hurting his friends. Sheila waits for the boy to get too close before
ducking and giving his jaw an upper cut; blood dripping off her black studded
glove from hitting him so hard that he began to bleed and fell unconscious,
~Where's that bitch of a sister when I need her? ~She thought before falling
into a pattern of dodging, hitting and kicking at any that tried to take a hit
at her until the teachers came out…
 
 
~Feudal Era Japan, Yoru no Tsume Forest, Hidden Naraku Path~
 
 
~Kagome~ 
 
“BLADES OF BLOOD!!”
“WIND TUNNEL!!”
“HIRAIKOTSU!!”
“FOX FIRE!!”
“HIT THE MARK!!” Kagome shouts, letting go of her taut bowstring and allows the
arrow to fly. She smiles in triumph as the arrow drives straight through the
chest of some unfortunate demon, who screeches terribly and claws at its
bleeding chest before falling backwards off the cliff and into the darkness
below. They were close now and she wasn't gonna let up. She aims another one of
her arrows at an insect demon, letting it fly almost at her before releasing
the arrow. The giant bug fell dead, oozing green poisonous blood close to her
feet as she continued to shoot at demons high and low.
They nearly had all of the jewel shards and didn't want to allow Naraku to get
away after chasing him all this way. But Kagome wasn’t just excited about that.
Inuyasha has admitted his love for the long, black haired, brown eyed Kagome,
so the young girl felt like the great goddess Benzai-Ten herself as she races
over to be at Inuyasha's side where she now belongs. Sango was riding in the
sky on Kirara with Shippo behind her and Miroku has just jumped off Hachi as he
sucks in the not-so-venomous demons while seeming to sail from the evening sky
like a monk god.
 
But it was the snarling wolf/dog demon girl clawing her way through the demons
          as if they were nothing but thin paper that annoyed Kagome.
                                        
A full blood youkai standing 5'7”with long black hair that curves haphazardly
at her feet, fair, mostly tanned skin, livid brown and gold eyes; as well as
having a mid-thick, authoritative body shaping, Vickie didn't fall for Kagome's
charms nor attempts at friendship. She didn't fall for her innocent looks and
sure as hell didn't fall in love with the idea of the young priestess from the
future dating her brother. Kagome has tried everything to make the demon girl
like her. She recalls even offering to teach her how to use her bow and arrows
in hopes of making friends.
But Vickie wasn't having it and now sneers at her while pushing her claws
through the throat of a demon and pulling her arm back with a growling grunt.
She smiles at Kagome before licking her dripping claws and allowing the now
limp creature to fall before her as if to beg her for mercy even in death.
Kagome winces, knowing that it was a warning as well as a promise and makes a
mental note to stay close to Inuyasha.
Although she nearly changed her mind as her half demon lover cuts a giant
flying-snake demon right in half with his sword. Kagome nearly pukes at the
sight of the cut open, wrinkled brain and ripped guts of the demon, already
hating the fact that both Inuyasha and his wild sister were nearly covered head
to toe in blood that wasn't their own. She likes the clean, white haired look
better than the maniac red burning hotly in his eyes as he seems to glide away
from her to fight beside his little sister; growling in a possessed way when
Vickie gets cut by a demon's claws and proceeding to chop the demon into
millions of bloody pieces.
Kagome was definitely going to make him take a bath tonight before she left for
home. While she was deeply in love with Inuyasha, an experience with someone
she loved just as much had her jaded when it came to sex. The teen didn’t see a
problem with going out and having sex with other boys; just so long as she
didn’t really accept a relationship with them.
~Should I tell him I have a test, or say mom needs me? ~ Kagome thought,
knowing the truth was that she had a date with Hojo tonight, but knew damn well
she couldn't tell Inuyasha that and wondered how she was going to keep her
irritating half-sister from finding out. Mentally annoyed at the thought of her
snoopy sister that got her into trouble that night, she shoots several arrows
simultaneously with more vigor than needed, “RAPID FIRE!!”
Several demons in the sky fall like a soft hail, the other demons finally
having enough sense to retreat as both Inuyasha and Vickie came at them
together, almost ready to chase them to the ends of the earth.
 
                                    Almost.
                                        
“Dammit,” Inuyasha growls, pacing a little as if he were a caged animal before
his sister grips hold of him, “he got away again!”
“Calm down, brother,” Vickie soothes, calming herself as well as her brother,
“we'll get him, you'll see.”
Inuyasha went from rigid and ready to kill the world to tired and limp in his
little sister's arms, “I'm tired of this fighting,” he whispers into her ear,
not noticing the jealous look on Kagome's face or the smirk on Vickie's, “I'm
not sure I can keep going like this.”
“You can and you will,” Vickie smiles gently at her brother, “let's go chill in
the hot springs, that way we can take a swim and you may actually beat me.”
Inuyasha glares at her but was also smiling, glade to have his sister bring
back the true kid in him, “You're on,” He accepts the challenge; yet again
missing the satisfied grin on Vickie’s face. Kagome didn’t miss it, and
mentally sighs ~I don’t get why she doesn’t like me~ she thought fretfully,
~I’ve been nice, but, no matter what I do, she just hates me!~
“Kohaku,” Sango screams, pulling Kagome out of her thoughts as she suddenly
jumps off her giant cat and runs to the brown haired teenage boy that Inuyasha
had knocked unconscious earlier to keep from really hurting him, “Kohaku,” she
whispers when she finally reaches her little brother, afraid to touch him
because she had been waiting so long to finally have him back that it seemed
like a dream. Miroku was instantly by his lover's side, gently taking one of
her hands and placing it on Kohaku's cheek; causing Sango to gasp while crying
silent tears of joy. “Kohaku,” was all she says before hugging Miroku so
suddenly he actually fell back on his ass from his squatting position, “It's
really him!”
Miroku nods his head, placing a comforting hand on her back that begin to
wander lower and lower…
SLAP!
“YOU DIRTY MONK!!”
Shippo and little Kirara shake their heads, “If he wasn't such a ladies' man,”
Shippo says, “than maybe he wouldn't get into so much trouble.”
Vickie snorts, “I doubt it. The perverted monk would probably find something
else to grab at.”
Miroku just happens to be looking at Sango's breasts when Vickie said this and
Sango, with a blush, slaps her lover yet again; repeating the insult of calling
him a dirty monk before picking up her little brother and walking away.
Although both his cheeks were stinging and he was sure that he would have hand
marks on them forever, Miroku still smiles at his departing lover.
 
                 He could wait until tonight to get her back.
                                        
                 Kagome could see as much shining in his eyes.
                                        
~If only he wasn’t so in love with Sango~ She thought with a little sigh; not
daring to try and hint at any possibilities to the monk because of the obvious
relationship.
“Are you staying tonight Kagome,” Inuyasha asks his newly `claimed' lover.
Kagome blushes at the fact that they haven’t really had sex yet, and secretly
wonders if he was hoping for it soon. ~Sorry, Inuyasha. Not tonight.~ …
 
~Inuyasha~
 
            Inuyasha frowns, seeing her blush and sensing her hesitation with
confusion, “…Or ya gonna go running back for some stupid test or some shit like
that?” He questions with arms starting to slowly cross. Having confessed his
feelings not even a full two days ago, the dog demon hasn’t had alone time with
Kagome and was desiring her attention, but not sure how to really say it.
Kagome glares at him, “You are so rude, Inuyasha. And no, I can't stay,” she
smiles, her big eyes making her look more innocent than what she really was, “I
have to baby-sit my brother tonight. My mother's finally going out again,” She
answers him; which was hard to be sure of since he didn’t think he’d get a
straight answer from the girl’s mother anyways, “But I'll be back soon.”
“Whatever,” Inuyasha answers dejectedly; allowing his sister to drag him away
from the love of his life.
“I still don't see what you see in her,” Vickie growls. The silver haired half
demon knew she was fighting the urge to hurt Kagome, and he couldn’t understand
why. Ever since the two met, his sister has done nothing but growl, sneer or
throw her nose up at Kagome. He knew she hated humans, but this behavior was a
bit much even for her.
“…Why do you hate her so much, Vickie?” He asks lowly, not in a great mood
after realizing he wouldn’t get to spend any time with Kagome tonight at all.
“She’s no good. Forget not being good enough for you,” Vickie explains
instantly, “She’s controlling. Sure she’s a good person, I guess. But the fact
that you would date a little teenage human girl like her is beyond me. Why are
you with her, Inuyasha,” His sister presses; causing him to tense at what he
knew was coming, “You’re not staying around her because she reminds you of
Kikyo, are you?”
“No,” He answers immediately, “I’m with Kagome because I want to be, Vickie.
I’m telling you I love her,” he replies firmly.
“…Do you really?” Vickie asks him. It makes Inuyasha uncomfortable how she
looks at him. Her eyes trying to dig deep into his soul before she speaks
again, “Are you in love because you are in love? Or are you in love because
she’s always there…A comfortable image by your side that never disappears…Never
falters in staying with you through any danger…Yet, when you need a hug, is she
perceptive enough to know when?” She pressures, “Does Kagome know your favorite
hiding place? Has she ever made you feel like you don’t have to always save
her? That maybe…just maybe…she can save you from the fight too?”
Inuyasha doesn’t answer. He couldn’t find an answer that would satisfy both him
and Vickie. But…~What does that mean then? Is…Is our love real?...Will…Will
Kagome always have me…waiting for her to come back to me?...Even when it turns
out I need her the most at the end of the day?~
 
~Vickie~
 
Vickie watches her suddenly quiet older brother with a frown. She knew what he
was doing. The words that he wouldn’t say, but she was bold enough to think to
herself in full clarity of what was happening.
 
                            Inuyasha was settling.
 
The wolf/dog youkai didn’t think her brother was doing it on purpose. It’s just
that, somewhere along the line, when it came to romance, Inuyasha has given up
and settled for what looked to be perfection. It didn’t help that the people
around him were blind to everything but Kagome’s good points. Forget the abuse
she has given him without an apology. Forget the moments when his emotions were
left in the ditch for her insecure ones.
                                        
  Forget scenarios like this when the human girl leaves for her life as if it
                    wouldn’t have an effect on him at all.
                                        
Walking away for the springs with her brother following in sullen silence,
Vickie’s hands ball into silent fists of fury. Why? Why her precious brother?
Must this self-centered, supposedly kind girl be the real one for him? ~No~ She
thought firmly; shaking her head of such questions, ~I must not doubt my
instincts. I know he can do better, and I know she’s lying about something.~
 
Inuyasha may be blind to her lies, but Vickie wasn't falling for the bullshit.
 
“ You need to date other people,” She suggests suddenly. Vickie couldn’t take
it. She wanted to see her brother with someone else. Wanted to test his happy
meter with other girls. Girls that weren't perfect, but could at least share
the fight with him when things got tough. Maybe not as nice, but strong as well
as tender.
 
                            Loving without whining.
                                        
 After everything he’s been through, Inuyasha deserved someone strong…and not
   able to age so awfully when time starts to take its hold like it does on
                                    humans.
                                        
~Even if it must be a human, I must see it~ Vickie thought, ~I need to see that
he is truly happy with Kagome, and can’t find that happiness elsewhere if he
really tried.~
“When would I have time to date?” He asks; having no idea what his sister was
thinking, “Besides, I just told you that I love Kagome. There’s no need to date
someone else. Now get off my back about my lover and stop picking on her,” The
dog demon answers. Vickie grits her teeth quietly. She wouldn’t talk to him
about it anymore, but that didn’t mean the subject was over. Inuyasha was the
brother that was always there for her. Sesshomaru may be around now, having
decided to travel with them for Rin to have more chances to interact with more
people. But that was it. Once Inuyasha knew of her existence, he made it his
business to take care of her, and they have been together since.
            So Vickie wouldn’t give up. She couldn’t. Her brother was too
important to her, and seeing him happy was her ultimate goal. ~Love shouldn’t
leave you lonely~ the youkai thought, ~Love shouldn’t leave you to be the
constant blame when the lovers don’t know any better…Love shouldn’t have your
little sister comforting you after a battle that has obviously left you so
tired, you’re rethinking your life…~Vickie’s wild heart was set after those
thoughts. She’ll admit to Kagome being nice at times, but the teen didn’t
understand love at all. Her brother needed someone who at least understood the
word and what it deeply entailed.
 
        Which was why Vickie knew her brother could do so much better.
                                        
            And waited for the day when he would realize that too…
                                        
                                        
~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Higurashi Residence~
 
 
~Kagome~
 
Slipping into the house quietly after her date with Hojo, Kagome sighs. She was
exhausted. The fight, plus a movie date that ended with sex at the boy’s house,
was enough to wear the poor girl out. ~Still…It’s not what I wanted…At least
not fully~ She thought while tiredly staring at the floor, ~What if Inuyasha
was actually gonna ask me to do it with him, but I’ve wasted the night with
Hojo?~ Kagome’s mind wanders on the day. Trying to picture the demon’s hands on
her. Touching her…Tasting her…Pleasing her. Sex was part of relationships,
after all. So her expectations weren’t too much, right?
Her first secret crush had sex with her within the week of her confession at
his house. She could still remember the fear and anticipation that she had on
realizing the act would make her his.
            But, despite all that, the relationship didn’t work out. They
stayed together all of a few more months before they decided to go their
separate ways.
~Maybe it’s because we didn’t do anything right from the get go?~ Her mind
further questions; now worried that, if she didn’t convince Inuyasha soon, he’d
get away from her forever.
“Have you finally decided to come home for the night at least, oh dear sister
of mine?” A voice suddenly mocks in the darkness. Kagome curses under her
breath at her rotten luck. It was three in the morning! Why can't her sister be
sleep like normal people?!
“Enjoy fucking Hojo,” Sheila questions as if she were asking about the weather,
the dark teen turning on the light in order to get to the kitchen and pour
herself a cup of milk. Now that the light was on, Kagome could see a small
stack of books sitting beside a chair, and again curses. It’s only been six
months. Her half-sister still had the problem of not sleeping well through the
night, and liked to read until she got tired enough to sleep again.
Watching Sheila go back to the favored chair, the older teen narrows her eyes
before coolly answering, “Enjoy getting into trouble again?”
“I wouldn’t get in trouble if someone didn’t go telling people about my life at
school.”
Kagome blushes; both upset and contrite, “And I was I supposed to know that my
friends would talk about you to someone else?”
“You still shouldn’t have told them anything,” Sheila growls before taking a
quick sip of milk, “It wasn’t your business to tell, ya know.”
“Whatever. Just go to bed like a normal person for once instead of sitting up
all night crying and reading about love like you know anything about it.”
“I know more than you do!” She shout-whispers.
“Oh really? Then why don’t you have a boyfriend?”
“Because I’m waiting for the right guy.” Sheila states with so much confidence
it actually makes Kagome laugh.
The young teen glares at her, “What’s so damn funny?”
“You. Honestly, you are pathetic. How would you know when it will be the right
guy? You’ve had the whole school chase you down and you don’t like any of them.
So who exactly are you waiting on? A ghost,” she snickers, “You don’t interact
with anyone outside of school, so who are you going to meet?”
“I can’t date any of the boys at school,” Sheila argues back, sitting the cup
of milk down before glaring back at Kagome, “You’ve fucked everyone at school.”
“Not everyone, you brat,” she argues back, “And maybe you should try having
sex. It’s a lot more fun than beating the hell out of the boys and getting put
in detention or suspended for it.”
Sheila smiles cynically, “Speak for yourself slut, I love beating the hell out
of boys.”
“Slut?” Kagome shakes her head, “You know what? Why do I waste my time talking
to you anyways? I can’t wait till some boy catches your heart,” Kagome roughly
whispers at her sister in a venomous tone, “that way I can see him break you
after he fucks you,” she purposely comes and stands in front of Sheila; knowing
her sister was fighting the urge to hit her as she hisses in her ear, “Of
course that would mean that he would actually want you and I can tell you right
now,” she looks nastily at her sister before turning and walking slowly up the
stairs so as not to make noise, “No one wants you. Or that stupid ‘willful’
heart of yours. The boys are just hoping to have sex with you, so you might as
well give it up and be glad they want you for that much,” Kagome replies coolly
before disappearing to her room for a much needed rest. She didn’t have to
answer to her bratty half-sister. What the hell did she know? ~You just wait,
sis~ She thought, stripping down so she could slip under her pink covers, ~once
Inuyasha and I become one, I’ll come back here and show you just how in love we
are. Then you’ll know that I know way more about love than you and those stupid
books~
 
~Sheila~
 
            She watches her sister go up the stairs in silence, her heart
aching at her words. Sheila had been given detention, and had only avoided
suspension due to the fact that everyone knew the boys to have attacked her to
be a gang that always caused trouble. It was hard for her to look at her
worrying step mother when she came in, so she played it off with a bright smile
and apologized for being a bother before racing to her room and doing her
homework.
She fell into a guilty, fitful sleep that she woke up from at around midnight.
Already use to the nightly problem of insomnia kicking in, Sheila grabbed a
bunch of romance books and a little laptop she had for music and wandered
downstairs; liking to be in a soft, lazy-boy chair when she went into the
worlds of love and adventure. Although she did jump when she heard the door, it
wasn’t out of surprise. Sheila couldn’t pretend it was out of shock or surprise
anymore at the sound. More like she could almost time her clock after her half-
sister and was amazed at how much time had went by already.
Kagome did this nearly every night ever since she lost her virginity to heaven
knows who and Sheila had secretly taken to waiting up for her. At first it was
to maybe spend time with the other teen, but, ever since that night of getting
Kagome caught coming home late by mistake, the younger teen now occasionally
waited up just for the slim chance that the other teen's mother might be awake
and catch her in the act.
 
                             No such luck tonight.
                                        
Tears daring to fall, Sheila doesn't look as she grabs a book from the dozen on
the floor and opens it to the first page:
 
~…“Beautiful, adorable Miranda. I love you and I think you care for me.”
“Oh, why do you speak?” She tore herself away from him, and her voice was a
wail of anguish.
“Now I cannot stay here.”
“You will not go.” He grasped her wrist and held it cruelly tight. “You shall
not leave me. You shall not, I say. I will not let you.”
 
Sheila shuts the book after reading; trying to figure out just what the words
meant. It was her escape. When she couldn’t fight back. When the world made a
demand she knew she could do nothing against, the young teen girl would read a
page and try to guess what it all meant.
“It means he doesn’t want her to deny his love of her,” She decides out loud;
unable to fight back the tears as they fall quietly from her eyes, “…It also
means that, for a moment, he forgot that he must wait for her to know of her
love for him being strong enough to keep her there with him…And was willing to
force it to stay…” She leans back in the chair; the very first page of Autumn
Lace by Eileen Jackson doing little to comfort her.
 
She will probably be waiting forever to find love to fit the willfulness of her
                                    heart.
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
*A Capsule_hotel is a hotel with a room that is only big enough to sleep in and
is also located near a train station.
 
***** Chapter Two: The Shattered Matching Glass Can't Lie Can It? *****
Chapter Summary
     Vickie decides to take action and ends up in The Present...Can Sheila
     really be right for her brother? And Inuyasha has some problems of
     his own...
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
 
                                 Chapter_Two:
                                        
                The_shattered_Matching_Glass_Can’t_Lie_Can_It?
 
 
 
~Feudal Era Japan, Yoru no Tsume Forest, Small inn, Hot Springs~
 
~Vickie~
 
That was it!
The bitch had to go!
Vickie had spent the week comforting her big brother, who was unsure about the
relationship now that Kagome hasn't returned since that bloody battle they
had and the young wolf/dog youkai was beyond pissed. ~Now he’s blaming himself
because she hasn’t returned~ She sighs while combing out her hair, ~I mean
really?! What the hell is with that girl?~
So distracted was she in thoughts of her second brother while brushing her
long, inky black mane with a rare Saber tooth brush gifted to her by Inuyasha
for one of her birthdays, that she didn’t sense her oldest brother walking like
an elegant cat to the springs.
“Don’t tell me you’re still comforting our brother,” Sesshomaru remarks in an
even tone; unfazed by the sight of water lapping over his sister’s naked form.
“I just don’t get it, Sesshy,” Vickie confides in her brother, shuddering at
the thought of Kagome while staring with troubled eyes at her reflection in the
water, “Inuyasha can have any woman he dares pursue, but he stays with…her.”
“He loves her,” The regal dog demon states.
“Still…It bothers me. I know he can do better.”
“Better?”
“Sesshomaru, she’s a lying priestess that obviously has too much to deal with
in another time,” Vickie growls, finally turning to look at her brother with
upset eyes, “We’ll forget the fact that she’s human.”
“And since when did you share my distaste for humans?”
“It’s not that,” she protests, her hair barely covering the dusky pink of her
upturned nipples as her nude body moves fluidly in the hot springs, “It’s
just…humans live for such a short time…By the time she’s fifty, Inuyasha will
look exactly the same as now! I mean he’s hardly a few years past two hundred,
brother. He has a very long life ahead of him.”
Sesshomaru tilts his head; long, silvery strands falling in perfectly cared for
streams behind him, “There’s magic for that,” he remarks like a man noting a
butterfly landing on a flower and was expecting everyone else to have already
realized that would happen, “What is it about her that really bothers you,
sister? Ever since you met her not even a full half a year ago, you have hated
her.”
“And what of you?”
“I don’t care who my brother loves.”
“Well I do,” Vickie argues; the water splashing around her as she bounces a
little with her anger, “Do you remember when I introduced you to Rin?”
The aristocrat raises a brow at his sister, “What of it?”
“I helped you because she needed a home and you needed to understand the
unconditional love a human can have. Well there are conditions to Inuyasha
being in love with Kagome, and none of them take into consideration the one
fact that he is still in love with Kikyo. He’s just expected to forget her just
because she’s dead. But, as you know, she’s found a spell that allows her to be
alive now. And yet he still pretends it doesn’t bother him at all because he’s
afraid of hurting her,” Vickie shakes her head; frowning, “What about him? What
about how this is killing him inside? What about the fact that he is just going
in fucking circles?”
“Circles?”
“Same bitch, different skin,” The female youkai growls, “Sesshomaru, Kagome is
nothing more than the same woman reincarnated. It’s like he’s still with Kikyo
except she’s younger and more stupid.”
“Vickie,” Sesshomaru sighs, “What can we really do about it? Inuyasha has
already made his decision.”
“No he hasn’t!” Vickie nearly screams, “The decision is being made for him as
far as I’m concerned! Has he been with another girl? Did he choose Kagome out
of a line up? Did he discover his love for her after having loved elsewhere?
And I don’t mean Kikyo,” Vickie crosses her arms; eyes challenging, “Can you
seriously stand here and say that he would still be with Kagome if he had dated
someone else?”
Sesshomaru smiles; perfect, thin lips accepting her challenge, “Then get him to
date someone else.”
“What?” Vickie blinks. She wasn’t expecting that answer from her usually stoic
brother.
“Since you truly believe that you aided me in discovering Rin-“
“That’s because I did!”
“-Whatever. If you are willing to do that, what is stopping you now?”
“The fact that I have been doing that,” Vickie confesses.
“Oh?”
She nods, “Whenever I have time to get away, I have been talking to and meeting
other demons of our time. But…”
“…They aren’t what you’re looking for,” Sesshomaru concludes.
Vickie again nods in agreement, “They don’t have the right kind of heart.”
“Heart?”
“Like Rin fits with you because she is carefree and accepting of who you are,”
Vickie smiles fondly at the thought of Rin, “She maybe half human, but she’s
also half demon. So she has plenty of time to grow up and teach you as she
goes.”
Sesshomaru makes a face that proves he was fighting a blush, “A half cat demon
is going to teach me something?”
“She already has,” Vickie giggles; knowing what the stern face was for. Taking
time to whip her hair into a neat braid after tending to it, she cups some of
the water and wets her face with it to signify the end of her grooming ritual,
“I just hope I can find the same for Inuyasha…”
Sesshomaru shrugs slightly, “Try using a Matching Glass,” he suggests quietly
before growling a little, his long tail seeming to get puffy.
Vickie stares at him a moment before her senses pick up on someone else being
there. Rolling her eyes, she quickly dresses in a matching Fire Rat robe with
the traditional pants of her family before speaking out loudly, “Miroku, if you
don't stop looking at me right now I'm gonna claw those perverted eyes of yours
out of your head and stick them so far up ya ass everyone's gonna think ya
got Rear Vision Syndrome!”
“Ahh,” Miroku shouts in alarm at the threat, the monk falling on his face a few
feet from Vickie, who sweatdrops at his predicament, “Inuyasha's sister! What a
pleasant surprise,” he laughs nervously, jumping to his feet and avoiding
Sesshomaru’s deadly gaze, “Well I better be going now.”
“Yeah, that would be a good idea,” Vickie mutters sarcastically; watching as
the human almost falls on himself trying to scamper away.
“I could kill him,” Sesshomaru offers; a very vague hint of a joke in there
somewhere.
She smiles broadly, “Nah. This gives me an excuse to punish the sick little
pervert, and I know just the way to do it,” Vickie mentally puts talking to
Sango on her list of things to do. She knew a way to tease the poor monk to the
point of making him embarrasses to look at the two of them for a week with her
little plan in mind. Setting thoughts of vengeance aside, the youkai starts
walking away; deciding that she would try using the elusive Matching Glass
known to crack or shatter into two when the person meant to be your other half
is upon you. She would need to make sure that it’s wrapped in something of
Inuyasha’s for it to work, but it gave Vickie hope.
~We shall see once and for all if you are really the only one for my brother,
Kagome Higurashi~…
 
                                        
            ~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Kuki Junior High , Hallway~
 
 
~Sheila~
 
“Go away Yusuke,” Sheila says dully to the taller, peach-skinned boy with
slicked back, black hair and incriminating brown eyes, “You’ve caused me enough
trouble.”
“Ah, come on! I said I was sorry!” Yusuke Urameshi almost whines with his
effort to talk to the temperamental girl pulling out books from her locker, “I
really didn’t think Kuwabara and his gang would actually try to hit you.”
“Well, thanks for not thinking,” Sheila replies in calm upset after closing her
locker and starting to walk down the hallway after bumping into Yusuke’s
shoulder with disdain, “I have to go to detention for a week because of you
guys,” She states loud enough for the listening blond that was following after
Yusuke to hear.
Yusuke Urameshi and Joey Wheeler actually blush at the cool sounding female
walking away from them. She knew that both boys knew of her temper. Sheila has
already beaten both boys in both physical and mental challenges they have
presented to her; assuming that, if they win, they could take her out. Now the
fools considered themselves her friends after all of that. Although she had to
accept some fault. Sheila didn’t want to correct them. She was lonely, tired of
fighting her sister every day, and the reprieve of friends was too tempting for
the tomboy. ~How the hell I keep beating their ass is amazing though~ The young
teen thought. Sheila never got training, yet she hadn’t lost a fight yet, and
it privately scared her at times. She wasn’t expecting to put the poor boys
into the hospital, and her hands cling tightly to her books at the thought of
them. ~ They won’t die…They won’t die…They won’t…die…~
“How `bout we make it up to ya,” Joey says, pulling Sheila out of her mental
mantra by handing her a red little ticket. Stopping in the middle of the
hallway, and careless of the mumbled complaints from students that had to walk
around the three of them, Sheila looks at the ticket with disbelief, “You're
inviting me to Seto's Red Light Club,” she looks at Joey with narrowed eyes,
“what's the catch?”
Joey sweatdrops as he waves his hands in front of him in a sign of peace,
“What?! It ain't like dat! I just thought ya might wanna hang out wit' us is
all!”
Sheila felt a bit flattered. Joey and his illegal boyfriend Seto, along with
Yusuke, Kurama, and Keiko, were really adamant about becoming her friends
despite her fears and wants mixing together to make her anxious about such
terms, ~This could be a trick~ she thought. ~I'll give the ticket to the
bouncer at the door and he'll beat the crap out of me cause it'll be a fake
ticket, and I'm…~ She frowns as a thought occurred to her, “Wait a minute…!
We're all under age! How would we get in?”
Joey smiles, handing Sheila a little green card that has “permission to enter”
in the unmistakable neat cursive of Seto Kaiba, “I ain't wit' `im just for de
sex.”
Sheila blushes. She made it a point not to think about the secret relationship
between the teen boy and the older man. True they were technically only three
to five years apart, but that still made Seto an adult of about eighteen to
twenty years old while Joey was a very illegal sixteen or seventeen at this
time.
Yusuke chuckles, “Yeah, we don’t want to know about you yucky affair, Joey,”
the teen teases before handing Sheila a thin, little black box, “and here's
something from me.”
Sheila looks shocked at receiving a cute little long box with silver Coptic
designs on it. She opens it and gasps in even deeper shock at the golden white
silver set of earrings with a leather choker that had little jewels and spikes
on it, “W-what…?!”
Yusuke blushes, “Don't get any ideas! Keiko helped me, cause I didn't know what
the hell to get you to make it up to ya, and Keiko said she'd beat my ass if I
didn't get something. Hope ya like it.”
She felt them wait tensely for what she would do next. It was rather funny. The
renown bullies of the school holding their breath over an underclassman in
hopes of their gifts being accepted. Sheila could almost hear them relax as she
sits her load on the floor in order to put the ticket in one of her many
pockets and reaches into the box. Pulling out the chocker, she hands the box to
Joey and gives the choker to Yusuke, “You can keep the earrings, but ya gonna
put the choker on me,” she orders, never being the type to ask too many
questions or keep staying in denial of a situation.
 
            For better or worse, these guys were her first friends.
                                        
       She didn’t want to think about what her mother would think of it.
                                        
Yusuke puts on the choker; seeming to admire how it looked on her not-so-long
neck, and how each little gold and silver piece seem to catch the light with
every move she made, “Looks great,” he says with an evil looking grin, “why
don't we ditch today and show the world your new choker?”
Sheila blinks rapidly, “Ditch?”
Joey nods, “Kaiba won't be happy `bout it, but so what! He’s too spoiled
anyway!”
She wasn’t sure how a grown man could be spoiled, but didn’t think it wise to
ask about it. With only a moment’s hesitation, she nods slowly. She didn’t like
worrying her stepmother, but she knew these were the kind of friends that
forced you to live a little if you wanted to be around them. Rather that living
was dangerous or not was yet to be determined in the teen’s mind. ~She’s not
your mother anyways~ She assuages her thoughts with more thoughts, ~She’s
Kagome’s mother. Yeah, she takes care of you, Sheila, but she isn’t your mom.
Get a grip already~, “OK, I don't see why not.” Sheila decides outs loud with a
small smile; looking more confident than she felt.
“Well let's go then,” Joey says; clearly excited about anything that had to do
with leaving school, “my friend Tristan gave me the keys to his new crib, and
said I can come over anytime.”
“Sounds great,” Yusuke agrees; equally exuberant with the hope of escape, “I'll
get Keiko. We can drink beers and watch a movie after we go to the party!”
Sheila shook her head at the excitement of her newly made friends, ~What have I
gotten myself into?!~
 
 
        ~Feudal Era Japan, Inuyasha Forest, A path close to the Well ~
 
 
~Vickie~
 
“Inuyasha.”
“No.”
“Inuyasha-”
“I'm not doing it!”
“But you stink!”
After talking with Sango about the prank she wanted to play on Miroku for
peeping on her, Vickie came back to the campsite to the unpleasant smell and
sight of Inuyasha with his new girlfriend, Kagome.
 
                               Arguing as usual.
 
~So she finally decided to bring herself here~ She thought while leaning
against a tree and watching the two.
“Come on, Inuyasha,” Kagome huffs with hands on what Vickie thought to be
invisible hips cause she sure as hell didn't see any ~At least not enough to be
dating a great demon like my brother~ She thought in private fury while
listening to them, “stop being so stubborn!”
“I don't wanna!”
“Inuyasha!”
“What?”
“Why can't you just do it for me?”
“I will.”
Kagome smiles sweetly. It was enough to almost make Vickie barf. Did her
happiness really relay so heavily on Inuyasha behaving? It was pathetic and
annoying. Sure, she understood. The girl was only sixteen, and she knew that
wasn’t exactly the age of grand maturity. But that was no excuse in the mind of
the mixed breed youkai. It’s been a year now that the two have known each
other, so she figured the human girl would have enough sense to have learned
about Inuyasha and his stubborn streak.
“When I'm ready,” Inuyasha’s voice filters into her thoughts, and Vickie had to
fight back laughter at the way Kagome frowns. It was like a spoiled child.
Which was strange, cause the only one that pampered her even a little was
Inuyasha. ~And he’s not great at it either~She thought; now frowning herself.
She would have to keep that in mind when looking for a potential mate for her
brother.
“Speaking of that,” She mummers to herself; ignoring the two for a moment as
she glances around, “Where is that tick when I need her?”
“You called, my lady?” An eerily squeaky voice calls to Vickie from the
shoulder of a young village boy. She stares, sees that the boy’s eyes were one
whole grey color, and shakes her head. His eyes were a sign of being under a
trance.
“You better make sure that he’s taken right back to his home, Aimi.”
“Of course, master,” the healthy little tick demon bounces up and down on the
little boy’s shoulder; long wisps of green hair falling around her small,
pretty, fair face as she bit into the boy’s neck with her strange mouth parts.
She was a rare Paralysis Tick Demon. Her bite could paralysis and be used for
possessing young humans or those with especially weak minds. Vickie didn’t use
her much, but the strange little demon was immensely useful when she did.
~Now…If only she didn’t look so weird with that odd shaped mouth and those six
leg-like arms sitting a bit too close to her head for it to look even remotely
normal~
The little boy gasps; unheard by the arguing couple as he reaches grubby hands
into the worn sleeves of his kimono to hand Vickie a small, oval shaped glass
that fit right in the palm of his little hand. Taking it, the youkai keeps her
eyes on the boy as he walks away in a slow daze into the dense growth of the
forest until he was gone from sight. Pocketing the valuable Matching Glass into
her long tamoto*, she clears her throat to grab the attention of the two.
Smiling once she sees Kagome become tense, Vickie couldn’t resist messing with
her, “Oh, the lead bitch is finally back from her respite. What took you so
long?”
“Vickie,” Inuyasha growls in warning. As stated, he knew Vickie didn't like
Kagome, but was hoping that, as time went by, she would get use to his
girlfriend. Or maybe even pretend to like her one day.
 
                     That was clearly not going to happen.
                                        
“I ended up doing a lot of tests,” The teen answers, “By the time I would
finish studying and doing homework, I was just too exhausted to get here at
all.”
“Yeah. Sure. Whatever,” Vickie waves her hand in a dismissive manner. She
didn’t care if it was a lie or not, so she didn’t bother with it, “So, what are
you two arguing about now?”
“Inuyasha won't take a bath,” Kagome tries sounding hopeless; pulling off a
frustrated, pouty look with ease, “I was just trying to make him clean himself
up.”
“You might right about my brother being stinky-”
“Hey!”
“-but that doesn't give you the right to force him to do anything.”
“I wasn't forcing him,” Kagome continues to pouts, “I just want him to be
comfortable.”
Vickie laughs a little, “My brother is most comfortable with guts and entrails
hanging off his butt, as far as I know. So, if my brother is happy smelling
like he's some kind of skunk demon, than that's that.”
“You know you're not helping much,” Inuyasha grumbles, glaring at his sister
and Kagome, “I told you I don't need a bath yet.”
“I don't know how you could lie to yourself like that,” Vickie says, now
covering her nose playfully, “phew! Boy! Take a bath!”
“No.”
“Inuyasha,” Vickie narrows her eyes and teasingly leers at him, “you stink so
bad, I bet they can smell you in The Present!”
“That's it!” Inuyasha exclaims; eyes promising pain as he stalks his sister.
Vickie yelps and pushes her brother in play; using it as an excuse tug on one
of his split ends to get some of his hair.
“Ouch, dammit!” Inuyasha protests before swiping his claws at her.
Vickie avoids the attack and runs for the first thing that guaranteed her
escape:
 
                            The Bone Eater's well.
                                        
~Here goes nothing! ~ She thought, taking out a jewel shard that she had stolen
from Kagome, and jumps in. Eyes shut tight as she keeps falling and falling…
 
                            And lands on her butt.
                                        
“Ouch,” she squeals in surprise, pain radiating from her rear. Opening her eyes
and cursing quietly, Vickie gets up to rub her sore ass, “No wonder Kagome
doesn't have an ass. With landings like that, I might not have one now!” She
thought out loud before smiling at the darken walls of the well, “More
importantly, I have the Matching Glass,” she remarks cheerily; careful to pull
out the piece of magic mirror and wrapping the strands of Inuyasha’s hair
around them before then wrapping it in a leaf of a tree to keep it from
touching her by mistake, “Now I’ll be able to find another option for my
brother.”
The youkai then looks up at the mouth of the well she was in; noting there
wasn’t any vine growth or smells that were familiar to her, ~Does that mean…?~
She leaps from the well with ease and looks around. She could see that she was
inside some type of old building; the strange smell of humans and other scents
she knew not of filling her sensitive nose as Vickie slowly realizes that she's
not in the Bone Eater's well in her time. ~Ah, shit. This can't be good…Am I
…?~ Vickie shakes the thought away with a laugh, “No way! I can't be in The
Present! …Or am I?” She looks at the shard she has with her, “I thought to wrap
this up with the mirror, but then remembered that it’s technically Kagome’s and
not something of my brother’s. Did this maybe…bring me to Kagome’s time?” She
ponders out loud. Walking up the stairs inside the dark building, Vickie opens
the door to see the grounds of the Higurashi Shrine. ~Yep. I’m definitely not
home~ she gawks while looking around to discover that the forests she had grown
up in was replaced with big strange buildings and dozens of people wearing odd
clothing that didn't look anything like her own kimono, “Oh no,” Vickie looks
around a little frantically; ignoring the strange stares people gave her that
went pass her on the street as the truth really started to hit her, “I really
am in The Present!” Vickie then suddenly covers her nose, “And I can STILL
smell my stinky brother…Eck!”
Vickie looks at the people around her. Takes note of the streets and how people
got into giant or small creatures that let them open theirs sides before going
off on the black path. ~What in hell are those?~ She thought suspiciously.
After seeing that a lot of people kept pausing to stare at her, Vickie realized
that her more obvious youkai trait, big, somewhat fluffy, black colored ears,
was most likely giving her away. Lying them down against her head, the youkai
was going to race back for the well when a vibrating feeling went off inside
her sleeve. She stops to stare at the concealed Matching Glass, ~A potential
girl lives here in this time?~ She thought; frowning at the idea of meeting
another Kagome, “…But this is the Matching Glass. It was rarely wrong. I’ll
just follow the vibration and see where it takes me. And, if I don’t think
she’s right, I’ll just go back home, get another Mirror Glass taken from the
Matcher, and try again,” Vickie reasons with herself in a low undertone;
Letting the feel of the mirror guide her while avoiding the strange, noisy
black path, ~At least the creatures stay on it. But why the hell would people
purposely sacrifice themselves like that? Humans make no sense~ She sighs;
curbing an irrational need to hit one of the creatures and focuses on the task
at hand, “I haven’t had much luck in my time whenever I did leave out to see
what demons or half demons may qualify. So I can make one hypothesis about it,”
Vickie decides; careful to observe how the humans cross the black path before
trying it herself quickly with success, “No demon in my time is good enough for
my brother, but maybe a demon from this time…” she shakes her head, “But what
are the chances of me running into a demon here?” she sighs, turning a corner
as she says this, “If I could just run into the right person-”
BUMP!
CRASH!
“AH!”
“WHAT THE FUCK?!”
Vickie detangled herself from another person’s body, then leaps to her feet and
into a fighting stance just as a girl does the same thing at the exact same
time. The dark skin girl’s appearance causes the youkai to pause in wonder. ~Is
she even Japanese? …But maybe…?!~ She reaches slowly into her sleeve and gasps
quietly.
 
   Two pieces of glass brushes her fingers, and there was no vibration to be
                                    heard.
                                        
                              Vickie had done it.
                                        
She had found, or bumped into, the potential girl that could change Inuyasha’s
                                 life forever…
                                        
~Sheila~
 
            Sheila was laughing with Joey; joking about someone they saw in the
club they had only visited for about four hours. It was now officially late
into the afternoon, and, with only two glasses worth of drinks in her system,
the fifteen year old was having the time of her life now walking home with her
friends. Seto’s club was amazing. Full of beer, male and female strippers, and
all in a classy, upscale setting meant for the most privileged of society.
Sheila has never seen anything like it. They danced and played around; making
sure not to bother any of Kaiba’s important patrons while having fun.
            Her mind was still wrapping around seeing Joey greet the older man;
their arms holding each other romantically. Their kiss chaste but intensely
tender.
 
                               She was envious.
                                        
            It was like watching a real life book right in front of her. It
never mattered to her that the couple was two males; although Yusuke was making
a great fuss about it.
“But you two were kissing!” He niggles at the blond.  His own brown eyes dazed
from drinking and speech slurred. Unlike Sheila, the older teen had a lot more
than just two glasses to gulp down.
“Yeah, so what?” Joey counters; laughing at Yusuke’s funny face of disgust.
She was going to say they were both being immature and drunk when the collision
happened. Ready to fight, she stares at the pale girl in a red kimono of
traditional style that glances back at her with curious demon-yellow gold and
black eyes.
 “You should watch where you're going,” Sheila growls, glaring at the Japanese
girl before her,~Wait a sec… Why is she wearing a traditional kimono in modern
day Tokyo?!...It’s worn still, but very, very rarely.~ She thought suddenly,
looking at the girl in open wonder. With a strong, mid lanky, yet still mostly
curvy build and the longest hair Sheila has ever seen, she was sure that she
had never seen this girl around here before.
The strange girl smiles with teeth that almost make Sheila think they were
fangs, “Hello there,” she replies calmly; not fazed by Sheila’s glaring, “I’m
sorry about that.” “It’s alright,” Sheila reassures; offering a small smile,
“To be honest, I wasn’t paying attention either.”
The stranger seems pleased with her words; a feeling of being looked over and
tested going through the young teen.
“Nice gloves by the way,” The stranger compliments; looking at the black gloves
that were slightly lumpy with rings hidden underneath their fingerless design.
“Oh, um, thanks,” Sheila flexes her hands a little inside of the gloves, “I’m
sorry,” she apologizes, “I’ve never seen you around here before. My name is
Sheila,” She points at her friends behind her, “And these drunk fools are my
friends. Keiko, Yusuke, and Joey.”
The friends wave at the stranger; too happily drunk to protest against their
introduction.
The stranger laughs, “Pleased to meet you all. My name is Vickie. I’m new
around here, so I’m not surprised that you’ve never seen me around before.”
“Oh,” Sheila exclaims softly, “I see. Well, other than bumping into me, how are
you enjoying the neighborhood?”
“It’s a little loud for me, since I’m used to living in more…rural areas.”
“Really? This part of town is actually pretty quiet compared to others,” Sheila
explains before giggling as one of her friends stumble while standing, “Um, is
it ok if we walk and talk? I need to get my friends home before they pass out
in the street.”
Vickie nods; her large eyes almost puppy-like in their friendliness, “Sure! I
haven’t made any friends in the area yet, so it would be great to talk to
someone for a change.”
Sheila slowly starts to walk, her lips curving into a brighter smile, “I can
show you around if you want. I know you don't really know us, but you can come
and watch a movie with us,” Sheila offers.
Vickie hesitates before walking after the darker teen, “Oh, I don't wanna be a
bother.”
“Don’t worry. It’s fine. To be honest, I don’t have a lot of friends either,”
She grins back at her three friends, “Well, except for these slobs.”
“Hey, dat’s Mr. Slob, thank you,” Joey teases; earning himself a laugh from
Keiko and Vickie.
“I would be happy to hang out with you, Mr. Slob, and your other two friends.”
“Great,” Sheila remarks, “Come on, guys. Being a little drunk is no excuse for
lagging behind!”
“We’re coming, we’re coming,” Yusuke answers; racing after Vickie and Sheila,
and narrowly missed hitting into them as they walk towards the tall apartment
building…
 
 
     ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Kaede’s Village , Kaede’s house~
 
 
~Inuyasha~
 
“Inuyasha, you know I love you, right?”
“Yeah, now that I’ve taken a bath.”
“I’m being serious!”
            Inuyasha looks over at Kagome; wondering if she was upset or just
fussy. The sparse room was warm and cozy after the lukewarm bath. The fire in
the middle of the room was roaring softly behind the couple as Kagome leans her
head on his bare shoulder. He didn’t see a need to put back on his shirt and
robe. Kaede was out watching over a birthing villager and left the two to
themselves for the coming evening. They had the mat-door rolled up and watching
the sun disappear from the sky.
“But you do know I love you, right Inuyasha?”
“Of course I know,” Inuyasha states simply; willing to just enjoy the moment.
They don’t get a lot of time together, so the half demon wanted to take
advantage of the rare peace to relax and cuddle.
 
                He wouldn’t say that was his intention though.
                                        
              It was too embarrassing to say something like that.
                                        
“Then is there anything you want to…do?”
“Do?”
“You know,” the teen girl blushes and glances at the wooden floor, “It’s not
every day we get time alone like this.”
“Yeah…” He mummers, looking back out the open door to see a woman rushing her
child home in the midst of a scenic sunset.
“Then we shouldn’t waste it, right?” Kagome continues on, “I mean…Kaede might
be gone all night…”
“Probably.”
“So shouldn’t we be doing something?”
“Huh?” Inuyasha moves his attention from the door to his girlfriend, “What are
you going on about?”
Kagome’s blush darkens, “Don’t make me say it, Inuyasha!”
“Say what?”
The teen girl gives out an annoyed sound before rolling her eyes and crossing
her arms; moving away from the dog demon in upset, “Oh forget it! Miroku and
Sango are at another person’s house for a private visit. Sesshomaru took Rin,
Kohaku and Shippo with him to where ever he likes disappearing to. And,
finally, we’re all alone. If you can’t figure out what I’m talking about, then
forget it!”
“Why are you angry all of a sudden?” Inuyasha argues; his voice rising a
little, “Why don’t you just tell me what the hell you’re talking about instead
of just getting pissed off about it.”
“I shouldn’t have to explain what I’m talking about,” Kagome replies before
standing up, “Never mind. I’m getting tired anyways,” she huffs before walking
away to a blanket on the floor; her back to him as she lays down.
            Inuyasha suppresses a sigh. He had no idea what he did to break the
peace and wished that Kagome would just tell him what she wanted. He didn’t
spend a lot of time around girls, or anyone for that matter, and had a hard
time understanding what they wanted or needed at times. All he knew was that he
was supposed to be doing something that he wasn’t and it was frustrating. ~I
can’t just ask her what to do…She’ll think I’m stupid~ The hanyo thought as the
sun winked at him before leaving the sky. ~Kagome…Tell me what you want me to
do. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Just…tell me…~  
                                        
 
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
 
***** Chapter Three: The Girlfriend Quiz! *****
Chapter Summary
     Vickie comes up with a very simple way to determine if Sheila is the
     one...
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
 
                                Chapter_Three:
                                        
                             The_Girlfriend_Quiz!
                                        
 
                ~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Tristan’s Apartment~
 
 
~Vickie~
 
She loved action movies. The first movie didn’t really catch her interest, but,
when Sheila slipped in an action movie to play, Vickie was hooked.
 
                 But not hooked enough to forget her mission.
                                        
            It was dark outside, and the youkai knew her time was limited. ~I’d
need to get back to the others by tomorrow. I might get away with waiting till
the afternoon, but that’s the longest I can be gone before Sesshomaru or
Inuyasha gets suspicious~Vickie sighs. With such limited time, how in the world
was she going to test this girl the Matching Glass claims to be a possible
counterpart to her brother?
“No more games or drinks,” She heard Sheila fuss with Yusuke and Tristan; a
young man with odd spiky hair and brown eyes that came in some time ago to join
in the further drinking and watching of movies with the group of teens, “You
guys are falling over on yourselves and you’re sitting down!”
She smiles as the boys try to protest to her mother hen behavior, but it was a
pointless battle. Sheila had already went and got a couple of blankets for them
all to cover up with. ~It’s kinda cute to see her dote on them like that~
Vickie couldn’t help thinking as Sheila covers up the girl that had already
fallen to sleep on the floor. And, from the looks of it, the boys weren’t too
far off from passing out as well.
“Should we turn off the t.v. and let them rest?”
Sheila nods; the dark teen giggling as the three boys cuddle up in a rather
funny little pile in order to fit on the couch, “Yeah. There’s a bedroom down
that small hallway we can go into.” She volunteers; pointing towards the open
archway that must lead to a hallway.
Vickie gestures with a curt nod and pauses a moment; waiting for the dark teen
to finish up with tucking her friends in before continuing onto the average
size, semi-dirty bedroom, “Yuck. This is a guy’s room alright,” she wrinkles
her nose while warily moving a sock from the messed up bed.
Sheila laughs, “Yeah. I figured it wouldn’t be all that clean in here.”
“Is this your first time visiting here too?”
The human girl nods while getting to work on throwing the thick brown cover off
of the bed as well as the sheets, “Yes. This is the first time I went out with
my friends too. I’m still not sure of them, but I’m enjoying their company so
far.”
~She’s got the cleaning habit Kagome has~ Vickie notes quietly; absorbing as
much about the girl as possible. She wasn’t against Sheila having the trait,
but was careful to not look to favoring of her just because a glass broke in
two ~Mistakes are rare, but they happen~The youkai reminds herself before
smiling at the human girl, “So you’re having trust issues?”
“…Ever since my mother died, I’ve had a hard time making friends,” Sheila
answers quietly.
Vickie frowns, “Your mother?”
“Yeah. She died six months ago. I’m still getting use to Japan, actually. We
use to live in Chicago, but, when she got sick, she really wanted to stay here
for some reason.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“It’s ok,” The girl smiles sadly, “As long as I keep my promise to her, I am
comforted to know that she is happy in heaven.”
“Your promise?”
“Just a little promise between mother and daughter,” Sheila replies vaguely,
and Vickie nods in understanding. She just met the teen girl. It was only
natural she wouldn’t be comfortable talking about something so precious with
her.
“But you have friends now,” Vickie reminds her; smiling when Sheila gives her a
sincere little smile of profound happiness.
“Yes, you’re right. I’ll do all I can to protect and honor those friendships.”
“Sounds good. I’m sure they think you make a great friend,” She assures. Vickie
took note of her reactions, and determined that Sheila was adamant and serious
about that statement. There didn’t seem to be a lie or any hint of hesitation
in her words at all.
“I hope so.”
“But what if they are in trouble?”
“Trouble?”
“Like a fight or something.”
Sheila laughs, “I’m the only one that’s ever really fought with any of them and
caused any damage. If they need my help, of course I’ll be there for them, but
Yusuke gets some kind of training, and Joey is pretty tough when he wants to
be. Keiko isn’t a pushover either, so I’d expect her to do quite well in a
fight too.”
“So you can fight,” Vickie continues to question; keeping her voice calm and
relaxed despite her anxious longing to know more.
“Yes, but I can’t really tell you how,” Sheila confesses with a small frown,
“It’s kinda scary but…Even though I’ve never been trained to and don’t tend to
like fighting, I’m actually pretty good at it. I haven’t lost a fight yet
whenever someone challenges me at school.”
“They challenge you? Why?”
Vickie watches as the dark teen ducks her head, “…It’s because I’m a bastard.
My father never married my mother. He just…disappeared…and left us to fend for
ourselves.”
“So you don’t have any brothers or sisters, huh?”
“No. At least not any I really consider family.”
“That must have been lonely for you,” Vickie comments. Having half-brothers
herself, she could understand the feeling to a certain degree. Sesshomaru
wasn’t exactly very cuddly, despite his looks.
“Yeah…It still is sometimes,” Sheila admits; sitting on the side of the bed,
“But I try not to let it bother me too much. My mother warned me about sadness
not curing anything.”
“True. You miss out on a lot if you’re sad,” Vickie remarks before tilting her
head a bit, “You went out with your friends, right? How come you’re not passed
out like them?”
“I didn’t get drunk like them. I only tried a few glasses,” Sheila answers,
“But I’ll admit to feeling loose and a little buzzed.”
“So then you think you mind playing a role play game with me?”
“Huh?” The teen girl stares at Vickie curiously, “A…roleplay game?”
“Yeah,” The youkai replies, “I give you a scenario and you tell me how you
would react to it. It’s kinda a ‘getting-to-know-you’ kinda thing.”
“Oh. I’ve never really played anything like that before, but I like reading a
lot, and it sounds like story telling of some sort.”
“I guess it can seem that way. So, what kind of books do you like?”
Sheila blushes brightly, “Romance and adventure.”
“So you like reading about love?” Vickie asks. It was another Kagome trait, but
she was hopeful that the girl’s reasoning was different.
“Well, I’ve never been in love before, so I guess it fascinates me.”
~Oh crap~ Vickie mentally curses, ~Is it wise to put two people who don’t
really understand love at all together? Maybe this won’t work…But I’ve got to
try. For Inuyasha’s sake.~
“So do you have a boyfriend, Vickie?”
“Yeah, in a way,” The youkai couldn’t help become flushed face at the question,
“We’re not official yet, but we’re in love.”
“Really? Is he good to you?” Sheila asks in a serious tone.
Vickie laughs, “He’s very good to me whenever we meet up. Which starts my first
roleplay question.”
“I’m glad you have a boyfriend that’s good to you. It gives me hope to hear
that guys are still out there that are decent,” the human girl replies; eyes
distant. Vickie could guess that she was imagining being in love and all the
things a typical virgin girl might dream of when it came to such things.
“I’m glad too. It would suck to have to beat him up just cause he wasn’t any
good,” Vickie jokes; happy that Sheila seems to be pulled out of her musing to
laugh at the comment, “So, are you ready for the first question?”
“Sure, why not? I’m an insomniac and I don’t have any of my books with me.
Maybe I can answer these questions until I get sleepy.”
“Ok. And what’s insomniac?”
“It means I have a really hard time sleeping.”
“Oh,” Vickie nods, “I’ll keep that in mind,” she comes over to the full size
bed and sits beside Sheila. “Ok, let’s start.”
“Ok.”
“Now, let’s say you have a boyfriend, but he lives far away from you. Of course
you have to live your own life, but he’s kinda needy and gets really lonely if
you’re gone for long. What would you do?”
“Hmmm…If I was in that kind of situation, I would find ways to be with him ,”
the teen girl lays back on the bed; closing her eyes, “Like…going to his place
after school and doing my homework there. I’d just have to get up early to go
to school in the mornings, and he could always come and visit me too. My
stepmother allows me to have company as long as I warn her, so we could travel
back and forth and spend the whole weekends together.”
“But what if that wasn’t enough?” Vickie pressures, “He really needs to be with
you. You both are trying to make this relationship work, and every second you
can be together counts.”
“Then I guess I could transfer schools and live with him and his parent,”
Sheila suggests after a bit of thinking, “If every second counts, then it
shouldn’t be wasted. I’d be a little shy of a new place but happy to be there
with the love of my life.”
            Vickie nods; mentally smiling at the words ~She’s willing to make
sacrifices if she needs to. Good. While I doubt she’ll have to give up her life
here, it would be great if Inuyasha could be more included. He shouldn’t have
to be hidden from a part of her life. Brother may not say anything, but it
stresses and worries him when Kagome does that~
“Nice answer. Do you wanna try another one?”
“Yes,” Sheila opens her eyes and glances at the youkai, “I like trying to
problem solve like this.”
“Alright, I’ll give you a harder one then,” Vickie continues, “You have a guy
friend come over and your boyfriend throws a fit. He doesn’t want to tell you,
but he’s nervous of you being around other guys. It looks like he might start a
fight with your friend. What would you do?”
Sheila frowns, “I should hope I wouldn’t pick a guy like that.”
“But remember this is a roleplay,” Vickie states patiently, “Let’s just say
that you fell in love with him even though he has a few flaws here and there,
ok?”
“I suppose…,” The teen girl thinks about it before shrugging and smiling a bit,
“I think I would reassure him. Let him know that I love him and he can’t be
replaced. I may have boys as friends, but he would be my one true boyfriend,
you know?”
“Reassure…” Vickie mummers lowly to herself, ~Hmmm…that could work. Inuyasha
always gets upset when he thinks someone else might get Kagome. Like Koga. And
he’s even snapped at Sesshomaru for talking with her a couple of times. Would
simple reassurance be all he needs? A person willing to openly confess love in
front of all?~ 
“Alright, that sounds possible. What about this one. Your lover is in a life or
death fight. He’s not acting normal and nothing you typically do is helping.
What would you do?”
“I would help him fight, and stay by his side until he acts normal again,”
Sheila says with no hesitation, “I would do anything and everything to bring
him back to himself.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
“Even if it’s something you really didn’t want to do?”
“Well, yeah. He’s fighting for his life, right? So that wouldn’t be the time to
start being picky about I do and don’t want to do.”
~A bit rash like Kagome, but still. She is being sincere. At least I know she
won’t run away once she gets close to him.~
“Ok, last one. Your lover confesses to you that he is still dealing with
another love in his life that he isn’t sure of. He knows he loves you, but he
has also been in love with this person for so long, that he doesn’t really know
any other love all that well. Suddenly, she shows up before you and says you
can ask or make one request. You would be jealous of her. She is your rival in
love. What would your request be?”
            The room was silent for a long while; long enough to make the
youkai wonder if the human girl might have went to sleep before she heard a
small, simple answer.
“Teach me,” Sheila whispers; eyes going distant again, “Please…Teach me how to
better love him, so that the will of my heart isn’t wasted. I know you love him
too, and might still love him. Which is why I must ask to please teach me how
you loved him so he won’t feel so lonely for you when you’re not there,” the
human girl blushes; unable to make eye contact with Vickie, “Is…is that a good
answer?”
Vickie smiles broadly; worries seeming to fly out of the window, “Yes, that
answer’s perfect.” She replies; her mind only able to think one thrilling,
exciting and terrifyingly sure thought:
 
                        ~I think I've found the one. ~
                                        
                                        
 
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
***** Chapter Four: He Can Be Kinda Stupid, Huh? *****
Chapter Summary
     Kagome has frustrations, Miroku and Sango try to settle the lovers,
     Sheila has curious thoughts of her own, and Vickie goes on a stubborn
     streak...
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
 
                                 Chapter_Four:
                                        
                         He_Can_Be_Kinda_Stupid,_Huh?
                                        
                                        
 ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Kaede’s Village, Front of Kaede’s House~
 
~Kagome~
 
            The night has been uneventful. It left Kagome with a bad taste in
her mouth as she greets Sango and Miroku with a wave and smile when they
approach from their little hiatus with the late morning sun shining behind
them, “Welcome back,” she remarks in made-up cheer.
“Hey,” Sango greets back, “Hope we didn’t miss anything.”
“Nope,” Kagome sighs, “Not a thing,” she mutters before again forcing a smile,
“Inuyasha isn’t here. I guess he’ll meet up with us or something.”
She watches as they two share a look before nodding at her.
“I’ll go on ahead and see if I can’t run into him,” Miroku informs, “You two
mind gathering some supplies before coming after us?”
“Um, sure,” Kagome smiles genuinely now. She knew Miroku was going to talk to
Inuyasha alone. ~Maybe he can get through to him, or explain what I want from
him.~ She thought with hope.
The cobalt eyed young man nods; giving Kagome a charming smile that once again
has her wondering if it really is all that wrong to flirt with him, ~I could
always lie and say it was a joke~ She reasons until the monk leans over to
plant a chaste, open mouth kiss on Sango’s lips that end with his tongue
teasingly swiping over the slayer’s tongue, ~On second thought, maybe not. He’s
already so lost in Sango.~She sighs a little gloomily, ~And I’m pretty sure
they’re already having sex and everything. Even though Miroku is still a
pervert. They seem so inseparable. Will Inuyasha and I ever be that way?~
            Kagome shakes her head of that thought in time to wave good-bye at
Miroku as he walks out of the village; the soft clinking of his staff rings a
gentle chime in wake. She knew she should have taken him more seriously when
they first met, but she was still a virgin then. Kagome was also getting use to
Inuyasha without realizing that her heart was opening up to him. ~It’s no use.
While I might think of having sex with others, it isn’t enough. I need to know
how Inuyasha feels. I need him to move us on to the next level of this
relationship already… To prove his love for me…~…
 
 
            ~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Kuki Junior High, Detention~
 
 
~Sheila~
 
            Sheila taps her pencil on the desk in pure boredom while staring at
the clock. Wishing she could will time to move faster. Her mind was preoccupied
with her new friends. Especially Vickie. The game they played while the others
were sleeping off their drinks had intrigued her and made her really think of
the work it was to be in a real relationship. ~Would I really be able to handle
a guy that isn’t perfect? I mean no one is perfect, but could I deal with a boy
that would need me like she said? Or any guy for that matter.~
           Her imagination was going wild. Instead of focusing on the sweet
stuff, like walking together hand in hand or having a great time together, the
teen’s mind was now full of all the troubles that had the habit of ruining a
relationship. Lost in her ponderings, she almost didn’t hear the bell signaling
her freedom at last. Shouldering her blue book bag, the young teen walks out of
the building and smiles at seeing a gorgeous red head leaning against the
building.  His brilliant green eyes were hidden due to his eyes being closed,
and his delicate features hid a fierce heart and fighter. With Yusuke leaning
beside him while Keiko talks at him about something Sheila couldn’t hear, the
dark teen dared to approach the enchanting teen.
“Hey guys,” she greets them, “What are you all doing here?”
“Waiting on you,” Yusuke answers; voice a little strained still after all his
drinking yesterday, “Kurama happened to be around and decided to visit.”
“Is everything ok,” Sheila asks instantly. When she first met the handsome
teen, he was searching earnestly for something and seemed really concerned
about not finding it. It was a warm day, and only about a month ago when that
happened.
Kurama opens his eyes, smiling at how breathless it made her to see the
mesmerizing orbs, “Everything is fine. No need to worry. I’m sorry you all
haven’t seen very much of me, I’ve been busy doing some work with my friend.”
“I’m just glad you’re ok, Yoko,” Keiko remarks. Sheila nods in agreement.
Kurama’s nickname made no sense to her, but the dark teen didn’t feel she had
right to ask about it. ~Doesn’t that word mean fox demon? Why would Keiko give
him such a strange nickname?~
The handsome teen smiles good-naturedly, “I heard you’ve made a new friend.”
“You mean Vickie?” Sheila asks before smiling at Kurama’s nod, “Yeah. She left
this morning to go to her own school I guess,” she shrugs, “She left in a real
rush, but said something about being over at Tristan’s house if she could.”
“I see. I was hoping to meet her. Perhaps you don’t mind me tagging along with
you?”
“Not at all,” Sheila answers, “I don’t mind you hanging out with us. Speaking
of which,” she stares around the three and frowns a little, “Where’s Joey?”
“With Seto,” Yusuke shivers and sticks out his tongue, “He’ll meet up with us
at Tristan’s. Hopefully minus the boyfriend by then.”
            She laughs at her friend’s distaste for the same-sex relationship,
“I think it’s kinda cute,” Sheila confesses; walking with her friends towards
the apartment.
“Don’t mind Yusuke,” Keiko playfully rolls her eyes, “He’s part caveman, so new
concepts are hard for him to grasp sometimes.”
“Oh ha ha, you’re not funny,” Yusuke sneers before reaching out and grabbing
hold of the girl’s hips. Sheila watches as Keiko screeches out laughter, and
again wonders about the work of being in a relationship. ~Aren’t they dating? I
wonder how they handle fights or arguments. Yusuke is so different from her…How
do they make it work?~
“Sheila.”
The teen girl pulls herself from her thoughts at the sound of Kurama’s voice,
“Y-yes?”
“Why don’t you tell me more about your new friend?”
“Vickie? Well, there isn’t much I know just yet. I don’t even know where she
lives yet, to be honest.”
She looks over at the boy in time to seen his handsome face crease into lines
of thought.
“Interesting. Well, hopefully, your new friend will feel comfortable enough to
trust you and tell you about herself today.”
“I hope so,” Sheila remarks distractedly. ~That’s right. I don’t know anything
about Vickie. I’ll have to ask her about herself when we meet her at the
apartment. But…~ She glances secretively at Kurama, ~…Why does he want to know
so much about her? He doesn’t really know anything about me, and yet he’s
trying to learn about Vickie. A girl he hasn’t even met yet…Why?...~
 
 
~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Unnamed village path from Kaede’s Village~
 
~Sango~
 
“Alright, Kagome. Out with it.”
“Huh? What do you mean, Sango?”
“You’ve been quiet ever since Miroku left and we’ve gathered supplies,” The
slayer explains, “There is something bothering you, isn’t  there?”
            Sango continues to watch the young priestess frown as they walk the
path from Kaede’s Village. She knew it had to have something to do with
Inuyasha. He was the only one that could ever get Kagome to look so down or
upset.
“It’s just…I’m worried that I might lose Inuyasha.”
“What? How could you think something like that,” Sango inquires calmly, “You
know Inuyasha is crazy about you. He just has a funny way of showing it.”
“But what if he starts listening to his sister?”
“You mean Vickie, the dog and wolf mixed youkai?”
Kagome nods despondently, “I know she doesn’t like me. Not even a little. And
we finally got some time alone, but…,” she blushes, “All he wanted to do was
stare at the sunset.”
“Not offense, but Inuyasha can be dense about stuff like that, Kagome,” Sango
replies, “I’m sure he loves you. No matter what his sister feels about. She
just needs time to get used to it. I think she’s just not use to sharing her
brother with anyone. From what I’ve heard from Vickie herself, Inuyasha
practically raised her while being a kid himself. They just have a strong bond,
and it’s taking time for her to accept not being the most important person in
his life.”
“You think so?”
Sango nods; a soft hum leaving her lips in an affirmative sound as she does so,
“Yes. I believe you’ll be great friends one day, Kagome. You’re a nice person.
You just have to give her time to see that.”
“But…What if she never sees that?”
“Then Inuyasha will have to choose between you and his sister. I hope it
doesn’t come down to that, but she’ll have to learn to respect that you two are
in love and her interference is not ok.”
Kagome beams softly at Sango, “Thank you, Sango. You’re a great friend.”
“Thank you. And you are too,” the slayer smiles back at the priestess, “Why
don’t you try sitting down and talking with Inuyasha about it?”
“I try but…it’s embarrassing. Not to mention that Inuyasha sometimes just
doesn’t get it.”
            Sango contemplates that. She and Kagome have become great friends.
From fighting partners to advice on hair care, there wasn’t anything that the
slayer hasn’t learned to trust her friend with.
 
                             Except her own heart.
                                        
            Rather she is willing to tell the girl or not, Sango could admit to
herself that Kagome was the type that was lead by her heart. ~A troubling thing
when you share your soul with Kikyo~ She thought. ~I don’t doubt that Kagome’s
emotions are sincere, but is Inuyasha really the one for her? While he is a
great guy on some levels, he doesn’t seem all that good for her~
“I know what you mean,” Sango states after a while to Kagome’s words. She made
it her business to not get involved in their love life, but this girl wasn’t
just someone she could pretend didn’t matter.
 
 If Inuyasha hurt her, Sango wasn’t sure what she would end up doing about it.
                                        
~Miroku, my love…Please knock some sense into that half-wit before he lets the
best person to ever come into his life get away~…
 
 
~Feudal Era Japan, Western Musashi Province, Path going towards Akane Village~
 
 
~Miroku~
 
            With only the sounds of nature and his monk senses for company,
Miroku walks the small path leading to another village not far from Kaede’s
when he felt the instinct to stop.
“Inuyasha, I know you’re here.”
“Yeah, so?”
The monk looks up; seeing the dog-eared half demon lounging in a tree, as was
his habit. ~Would have thought he was a monkey demon if it wasn’t for the ears
and all the growling he does~ He thought privately. Still able to remember that
fateful day of first meeting Inuyasha, Miroku wasn’t sorry to have a half demon
for a friend. In retrospect, he didn’t really care back then either, but had a
more rigid idea of how demons were.
 
                      Inuyasha blew that idea to pieces.
                                        
                 The monk could only believe in one thing now.
                                        
  The half-demon before him wasn’t like any demon dwelling in there time now.
                                        
          And, in some ways, that wasn’t a good omen for his friend.
                                        
“Kagome is worried about you.”
“I bet.”
“Did you two fight?”
“No…I don’t think we did,” Inuyasha states slowly. Miroku could hear the
confusion in his voice, and felt sympathy for him.
 
          Humans had a hard enough time figuring their own emotions.
                                        
 Mix some demon in there, along with a reincarnated lover, as well as the past
said lover that is now very much alive, but with no power to her name now, and
                 the monk could confess to not being envious.
                                        
   It wasn’t an easy situation, and he sometimes wondered if Inuyasha wasn’t
                   better off just leaving both women alone.
                                        
            Sure, he understood his lover’s worry of Kagome getting taken
advantage of, but Miroku couldn’t help thinking that, much like an actual dog,
the chances of being the one abused was leaning more towards the demon in this
case. ~He doesn’t even understand his emotions. He should be grateful to be
with a fine girl like Kagome, but even I know that things are not that simple~
“If you don’t think so, then why didn’t you wait for her to wake up so she
could leave with you?”
“…”
“Mind coming down here to talk about it?”
“There’s nothing to talk about, monk,” Inuyasha seems to growl impatiently, “I
got up early, didn’t want to wait, and left. There wasn’t a fight at all.
Kagome was just slow to wake up.”
“And yet usually, if there is one person you would wait for, it’s her.”
“Whatever.”
“Don’t be shy, Inuyasha,” Miroku goads the demon; knowing his pride, “A real
man can stand up and admit his feelings.”
“It’s not about my feelings, idiot. It’s about Kagome’s.”
“Kagome’s?”
“She got mad at me for nothing last night,” Inuyasha finally explains, “We were
alone, and I guess I was supposed to be doing something. But…”
“…You didn’t know what she wanted you to do,” Miroku surmises. Inuyasha becomes
silent, a sign to the monk that he hit the nail on the head, “It’s fine,
Inuyasha. Even on a good day, women are mysterious. Sango pitches a fit that I
don’t understand every now and then, and I’ve learned not to take it
personally.”
“You probably should, considering when she throws a fit it’s typically your
fault.”
“I could say the same of you with Kagome,” Miroku counters, making sure to hold
back his laugh at Inuyasha’s scowling, “Nevertheless, women shall be women.
And, as a consequence, will always hold us in eternal wonder and fear.”
“Still…I’m starting to think that all I do is make her mad these days.”
Miroku again restrains himself. This time the monk wanted to stare at the half-
demon in appreciation. Sometimes it can look like Inuyasha wasn’t paying
attention, but the monk suspected that it wasn’t always the case.
 
 
Being aware of Kagome’s feelings, when he doesn’t seem to comprehend them, was
                      enough to convince the human male.
                                        
“Maybe it’s almost time for that time of the month,” Miroku suggests. He
decided to talk to Sango about these findings while watching Inuyasha make a
face and vow to never go within several feet of the woman once she started to
stink. ~Who is really the victim? I know Kagome is the best one for him…But it
means nothing if Inuyasha can’t see it for himself. Perhaps it’s something that
can only be speculated on. As for better or worse, the two seem so sure of
calling themselves a couple. And, for both of their sakes, I pray that they are
right when they call each other that.~...
 
 
 ~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Honoka Forest, Shitaku Fields of Sesshomaru~
 
 
~Sesshomaru~
 
            There was something going on with his sister. The aristocrat
couldn’t put his finger on it, but, watching the dog/wolf youkai talk to Rin
before hugging him and racing off, he knew something was up. ~Is her secret
boyfriend sick?~ He thought. Of course he knew about the supposedly secret
boyfriend of Vickie. He is Sesshomaru, after all.
There was little that could be hidden from him. He even knew why she wanted to
keep it a secret. ~Inuyasha will not be happy. He still sees that man as an
enemy. Although rather he’s still human at this time is debatable.~He thought;
sensing rather than seeing the young fox demon coming towards him. Of all the
group members, the little fox demon had lost the most in the eyes of
Sesshomaru. No father. No mother. Not even the strength and training of his
father had yet to be passed down to him. ~If he does not get real training
soon, he will be a waste of a demon~
“S-Sesshomaru,” the demon kit hesitantly comes to him. The boy, it seems, still
harbors a natural fear of him, “C-can I ask you something?”
“…What is it, Shippo?” He asks quietly; not looking in his direction as he
continues to sit in his resting spot of one of the many secluded fields he
liked to disappear into. Sesshomaru didn’t need to look at the little demon to
hear him, incidentally, and wasn’t so mentally pressed as to give up his
thoughts of his sister.
            He had known of her existence, but her mother was a famous, rare
Honshu Wolf Demon. ~Better known as the Prophecy Wolf Demon to humans, its
ability to predict disasters and warn people of them has made the creature seem
benign. Ignorance, in this case, is bliss. While they didn’t associate with
humans just like most wolf demons, they had abilities that made it a powerful
foe to any that wanted to try attacking it. Advanced shifting abilities, and
magic known to even bring back the dead under the right circumstance, it makes
sense that sister wouldn’t want to be bothered with humans. There is no
guarantee she could ever bring them back if they die a certain way, and yet she
risks this with her new potential mate. Clearly, there is more to the man than
is being said to have snared such difficult prey as Vickie~   
“I’m worried about Kagome,” the little kit confesses; oblivious to the older
demon’s thoughts, “She doesn’t seem happy with Inuyasha.”
“And?” He asks. It wasn’t that Sesshomaru didn’t care. He just didn’t see the
point of openly caring. Caring wouldn’t stop the two from being together, and
needless caring was like wasting one’s energy on a purposeless game.
                                        
     Amusing, but ultimately, a waste of time he didn’t want to commit to.
                                        
 If Inuyasha didn’t have enough sense to see the relationship wasn’t working,
        Sesshomaru knew it was an aimless mission to save him from it.
                                        
“What can we do?” Shippo asks, “Isn’t there any way to help Inuyasha and Kagome
not hurt each other? They seem destine to be together, but can’t stop fighting
at every turn.”
“…”
“Sesshomaru…?”
“We will have to wait and see. Fetch Kohaku and Rin,” the dog demon orders
calmly, “We’re leaving to join the others before they get too far ahead for us
to meet with them today.”
“R-right,” Shippo nods; seeming to gravitate to a mission. The aristocrat
thought of the kit’s words and gives out a slow, even breath that wanted to
escape as a sigh. ~The fool would most likely rather die than ever part with
his woman. And, if she succumbs to the greed of sensuality…brother might just
get his wish…~
 
 
 ~Feudal Era Japan~ Musashi Province~ Inuyasha Forest~ The Bone Eater’s Well~
                                        
                                        
~Vickie~
 
“Do you mind letting the others know that I’ll be lagging a bit behind, Rin?”
Vickie had purposely asked her to do it. She wanted to make sure that her
message got through in a way where it was sure to sound reassuring and not
worry her brothers. Rin was the kind of girl that could word things so
innocently, they wouldn’t think to worry until later at what she had told them.
“Is this about…him?” Rin questions her. An irrational side of Vickie had her
blushing at the thought of racing off to see her boyfriend again. As he had
asked, she’s been giving him space.
“No. I’m going to see a friend of sorts. I’ll be back by tonight or tomorrow,
if I can help it. I will definitely be back in two days, max,” Vickie lets Rin
know. She knew she couldn’t be gone long. Any longer than the few days, and
Inuyasha would drop everything to find out what she was up to ~I can’t let him
know. At least not yet. If he finds out that I have been looking for another
girlfriend for him, he’ll flip on me, and I could lose his trust~
“OK. I’ll see you then Vickie,” Rin replies sweetly, the young woman’s brown
eyes shining with the only true purity the youkai has been able to find in this
time.
            Those eyes were still on her mind as she stares down into the Bone
Eater’s Well. ~…Her eyes were like that. They weren’t as innocent as Rin’s, but
the shining of hidden innocence and affection so big it can’t hide itself even
when she tries to…Sheila and Rin are almost one in the same…But so is Sheila
and Kagome….Yes…Kagome’s eyes also express a sort of innocence in them…but it’s
very clear that her affections are something you have to dig and look for
hidden underneath the irises of those eyes…Sheila…Which path will you choose?
Will you let your Rin shine through…or shall you lose faith and allow your
insecurities to change you into an even worse Kagome than we already deal
with…?~
“There’s only one way to find out,” Vickie determines; leaping into the well
with purpose.
 
                                 This was it.
                                        
  The demon girl vowed to not go through the well again without the potential
                        life-mate of Inuyasha with her.
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                         *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
               
***** Chapter Five: Earned Friendship Leads To A Better Girl *****
Chapter Summary
     Sheila and Vickie fight for the Will of her Heart...
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
 
                                 Chapter_Five:
                                        
                Earned_Friendship_Leads_To_Being_a_Better_Girl
                                        
                                        
                ~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Tristan’s Apartment~
                                        
                                        
~Sheila~
 
“Where the hell is she? It’s starting ta get dark.”
Joey’s protest fell on deaf ears. Sheila wasn’t going to stop waiting in front
of the apartment of Tristan until her new friend appeared. Meaning that
everyone was outside with her. She didn’t know when it happened, but Kurama’s
words on the way to the apartment starts to make sense to the dark teen now
that she had time to think on it.
 ~He said to take good care of my little group. That…rather I liked it or
not…my friends were relying on me to guide them because I’m the strongest~ The
thought perplexes Sheila. She never had anyone rely on her, and it made her
heart jump around discomfortingly in her chest.
 
                               She was nervous.
                                        
~I’ll never forgive myself if something happened to them because they trust me.
But…I need them~ She realizes; suppressing a gasp of discovery.
 
  It’s only been one day of accepting their friendship, and already she knew
                           their value in her life.
                                        
                      Her heart wouldn’t let her deny it.
                                        
 Their friendship helped cure the loneliness and gave her one thing she didn’t
                            have in her young life.
                                        
“Purpose,” She whispers to herself; taking a peek at Kurama to her right and
little behind to see him smiling at her while leaning against the building,
“They give me purpose, right?”
            The smile on his face broadens before he busies himself with
dusting his pink and gold trimmed school suit. Apparently, she guessed right.
“I think that’s her coming now,” Keiko says hopefully, standing to Sheila’s
right.
“Yeah, that’s her,” Yusuke, whom was on her left, speaks up; his hands settling
into the pockets of his jeans, “She’s wearing that strange kimono again.”
            Sheila smiles. All her nervous feelings became nonexistent once the
strange girl came into sight and was crossing the street to her. ~Maybe I
wasn’t nervous, but wary because someone I’m starting to think of as a friend
didn’t arrive yet~ She observes of herself. It was one trait she developed
after her mother’s death. She felt that, in order to learn of the will of her
heart, she had to first learn about herself. It didn’t help her discover that
will, but it was useful in figuring out her emotions and understanding what was
going on around her. ~Like finding out that I have leader tendencies~ Sheila
thought nebulously. She’d have to figure that out later. For now, there was a
friend to greet.
“Hello again.”
“Hi,” Vickie smiles at the group, “Hope I didn’t have you waiting for long.”
“Nah, it’s only been hours,” Joey instantly complains.
Sheila laughs, “Don’t mind him. He was just hoping to spend the day with Seto
and he couldn’t make it due to some work with the club as well as his company,
Kaiba Corp.”
“Sounds like a busy guy,” the girl answers before tilting her head at the red
head, “And who is he?”
“I’m Kurama,” Kurama introduces himself. He sits up straight and walks over to
them. His smile was charming as usual, “Pleased to meet you. I don’t go to the
same school as these guys, so I’m rarely around.’
“I see,” Vickie answers in a voice that has Sheila frowning a bit, ~Was that
a…growl?~
“Is everything ok, Vickie?”
The girl smiles, “Everything is fine. I just got held up by my brothers.”
“Brothers?”
“Oh right. I haven’t told you about them at all, have I?”
Sheila shakes her head; her mind going back to the thoughts she had earlier of
asking her new friend questions, “No, you haven’t. Other than your name, the
fact that you’re new to the area and don’t go to my school, I actually don’t
know anything about you. But you know quite a bit about me.”
“Well, I did ask in order to find those things out,” Vickie points out; causing
Sheila to blush.
“I know that! That’s why I’m asking now.”
Vickie slowly smiles. It wasn’t pleasant and had Sheila’s spine tingling with
wariness, “Are you hoping to become my friend?”
Sheila nods. Just because she was starting to tense up, didn’t mean she
wouldn’t be true to herself. She wanted Vickie’s friendship. Was already seeing
the other teen as a friend even. So there was no denying her desire for it.
“Ok then. You’ll have to fight me for it.”
Sheila stares at Vickie in shock, “Wha-what?”
“I said you’ll have to fight me for it,” the strange girl softens her smile in
order not to look so menacing, “I want you to show me the will of your heart.”
Sheila’s eyes widen at the use of words; her heart leaping in her chest again,
“Will of my heart?”
“Yes. To have a willful heart, or a heart that lives on purpose, is a great
burden. It challenges the very laws and fabric of life. It bleeds and yearns
constantly to escape a solid definition and demands to lead the way to what
really makes it pound,” Vickie says with strong conviction; her eyes never
leaving Sheila’s, “A heart full of will is considered disobedient by most who
don’t fully understand it as the way to being one’s real self. For most are
willing to disregard it and live as others say they should. But there are a few
who will only live by the will of their heart. So tell me, Sheila, which are
you? Will you fight me to show me the true will of your heart?”
She could barely hear Vickie. So loud was the pounding in her chest. The will
of her heart finally had a meaning. But, upon hearing that, Sheila could feel
it was just the beginning. Like she was looking down a cliff and knew the only
way down was to jump.
~I’m jumping, mother~ She thought; tears forming in her eyes as she smiles at
Vickie, ~Can you see me jumping? Do you see me finally finding the path of my
willful heart?~
“Yes, Vickie,” Sheila answers lowly; vaguely feeling the surprise of her
friends around her, “I’m ready to keep my mother’s promise, and find the Will
of my heart. If that means fighting you to see it, then let’s do it.”
 
~Vickie~
 
            Vickie’s heart leapt in thrilling joy at the words. ~Yes!~ She
thought in private elation, ~I see it! I see what my mother was talking about
to me so long ago.
“Your will is all you need, Victoria. You don’t need food, water, or even love
as much as you need the will to want it in the first place. Trust in your will,
and nothing will ever stop you from having all you want.”
Mother…Her own mother has taught her the same. I see now…This fight will gain
me a new friend…And Inuyasha a stronger, willful heart that shall find its way
to him…No matter the consequences of doing so~
“Sheila, win this fight and I will not only give you my friendship,” Vickie
gets into a fighting stance; hands in a claw position resembling a wolf ready
for battle, “But I will acknowledge you as my sister, and give you a family
name that is sacred to my family. Now, are you ready?”
“Ye-yes.”
“You sure? I won’t go easy on you.”
“Are ya nuts?!” Joey pitches a fit, “Sheila this is crazy. It sounds like a
fight to the death or something.”
“I’ll be ok,” Sheila remarks with a soft smile, “I can’t afford to lose this.
So I won’t.”
“Then stop talking and start fighting,” Vickie growls; body posed for it. She
would try to start slow, but it was difficult. Her wolf mother had taught her
long ago to not ever hold back, so restraint wasn’t her strong suit. ~Don’t
kill the poor human, Vickie. She’s useless to Inuyasha as a corpse, and it’s
hardly a good way to start a friendship.~the youkai thought to herself before
tensing at seeing Sheila take a few breaths and charge.
            She easily avoids the starting strike, but her eyes widen when she
ends up having to avoid another leg attack only seconds after the other ~She’s
fast! Must too fast for a human. But she smells human enough…Just a watery
coconut scent…Maybe there’s more to her than I thought~ Vickie winces as she
avoids another kick, but was unable to get out of the way of the other leg that
kicks out at her while Sheila balanced on her hands to do the double kick,
~Alright then!~
Vickie gives out a blood curdling howl while swiping her long nails at Sheila;
satisfied when the girl’s tight shirt rips in three stripes across her chest.
The girl gasps; gripping her chest a moment before glaring at Vickie. That just
makes her laugh though. She couldn’t resist. The dark teen was a tough one.
“Had enough yet?”
“Never,” Sheila shouts; going back in to try and punch Vickie, but she saw it
coming and trips the poor girl by bending down and tugging her by her ankle
until she dropped. The move didn’t seem to bother Sheila. She just kicks out;
her black gym shoes knocking into Vickie’s shoulder hard before she gets back
up and balls her fists. Vickie snickers; ignoring the slight sting in her
shoulder as she runs at Sheila to once again claw at her chest. But Sheila
moves to the side and tries again for a punch.
            Missing once again when Vickie merely moves out of the way, the
girl cries out in surprise when Vickie punches her in the gut hard enough to
maim a human. Shaking on the fist nearly embedded in her stomach, Sheila
suddenly shoots up; her head hitting into Vickie’s chin just as hard.
Vickie grunts at the contact; removing her fist from Sheila’s stomach in order
to knock her in her back to the ground. Oblivious to the slowly growing crowd
in front of Tristan’s house mixing with Sheila’s friends, Vickie cracks her jaw
back in place before stomping the dark teen into her back, “Is that it? If
that’s the case, I might not make a sister today.”
“Ahhh! Ga-ahhhh!” Sheila cries in pain. The youkai sneers even while on the
inside hoping that the girl gets back up. ~Don’t disappoint me, Sheila. If you
don’t win, we all lose in the end…Including Inuyasha~
 
~Kurama~
 
“Sheila! NO!” Keiko screams; ready to interfere.
“No, Keiko,” Yusuke holds her back; eyes not leaving the fight only ten feet
away from them, “She has to do this.”
“What? Why?”
“Because, if she doesn’t, she’ll never feel like she’s earned the right to the
will of her heart,” Kurama explains.  Watching Vickie fight, along with her
reaction from before, proved enough for him.
 
                               She wasn’t human.
                                        
                       But, then again, neither was he.
                                        
            He was almost tempted to hit Keiko when she stated his other name
for the human girl to hear, but knew it was pointless. ~Sooner or later, it
will be known, no matter what I do about it.~ He thought calmly; watching as
Sheila struggles to her feet. Seeing the girl pant and rub away a bit of blood
from her chin, the male youkai was tempted to think nothing special of her.
 
                              But he knew better.
                                        
No human should be left standing after being hit in the stomach like that, and
Kurama was sure that, somewhere in that body of hers, Sheila couldn’t be human.
~I’ll have to keep an eye on her. She hangs out with Yusuke, but her fighting
style is starting to look dragon~ he thought. He continues to watch as Sheila
takes the majority of the beatings. Vickie was obviously trained, and being a
demon was only a power bonus.
 
                In his mind, Sheila should have been destroyed.
                                        
            But the sweeping curve of her arms as she deflects an attack in
order to hit Vickie in the throat when she comes in with her claws…The way her
legs moved as if swaying as a dragon would before she does a spin kick in
retaliation to a clawed punch to her side. The kick wasn’t successful, but the
quick, almost snake like punch to Vickie’s stomach and face with an undulating
twist of her back hit their marks with no problem. ~She’s fighting on
instinct…She has no training, and already, Sheila is proving too dangerous for
anyone to fight with other than demons. Her strength is growing…She can’t
possibly be human…But then…Who was her mother?...And why is her power only now
coming to the surface?~
            He continues to watch. The crowd was becoming thick and noisy as
the two girls fight with all they have. Vickie using her demon experience and
training to swipe in quickly with deadly accuracy with her claws before backing
up and stalking. Sheila using nothing more than pure instinct while bobbing and
swaying to some Gypsy rhythm that has her head and neck moving in deceptively
slow and graceful curves while her hands snap out with life-threatening strikes
to hit the neck, stomach, or legs.
            Both were deadly in their own right. So it didn’t surprise Kurama
in the least when both end up falling to their knees; eyes glaring at each
other with the intensity of their will. ~It’s almost over. Come on, Sheila. The
only way to earn respect in a wolf pack is to fight and win… There are no
consolation prizes for losers…~
 
~Sheila~
 
            Sheila knew something had to be broke. Her body was sensitive and
sore, and her ears weren’t working right. There was nothing but ringing. She
knew that the crowd must have been loud, but her world was silent. Her eyes
were trained on Vickie; her heart thrumming an anthem that sings through her
whole wrecked being. This is what she’s been waiting for. This moment to
confront the limits of her body.
 
                           And keep fighting anyway.
                                        
            Vickie looked as bad as she felt. Her left eye was shut. Her lip
was swollen. Her stance seems to shiver and get unsteady.
 
                           But she smiles at Sheila.
                                        
She felt it too. Was feeling the same high and rush. In this moment of pain and
determination, Sheila realized that they were one. Forcing herself to her feet,
she glares down at Vickie; a smile gracing her own painfully sore mouth.
Perhaps her jaw really was broken. As well as one of her ribs most likely.
“Do I need to do more?”
“…No, oneesan,” Vickie replies calmly; slowly getting to her feet as well, “I
saw what I needed to see,” she bows her head slightly, “I submit to my new
sister. Welcome to the family.”
“Thank you, Vickie,” Sheila bows back before her world went black…
 
 
 
 
 
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
 
***** Chapter Six: Spying On Brutal Love *****
Chapter Summary
     Kagome takes what she wants...not knowing that someone was
     watching...
     Warning: This chapter contains rape in it, as well as the first hints
     of forced drug use.
                                        
                                        
                                        
                        *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                                 Chapter_Six:
                                        
                             Spying_On_Brutal_Love
                                        
 
 ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Western Edge towards Kai, Goon Chinmoko
                             Forest, Unknown Cave~
                                        
                                        
~Kagome~
 
“Hmm!...Oh!...a-ahh…ahh, Koga!” Kagome moans; her legs wrapping around the wolf
demon’s slim, powerful hips as he thrusts his member insides the folds of her
body. She could feel him invading her senses. Making her body arch while
becoming sticky and wet body. She was so close. ~Just a little more.~ She
thought. Her mind was hazy with lust as her naked body accepts the demon’s
passions.
“Hmmn…Kagome,” Koga groans his ecstasy. With hands braced on the ground on
either side of the her head, Kagome gasps and grips his shoulders in a
painfully tight grip as the speedy demon moves with the ferocity of the winds
that moved around him into a tornado when he decided to run like that.
In and out. In, in further. Far enough into her core that his balls seemed in
danger of following his member inside her. Then all the way out just to slam
back into her sweet spot; doing this several times so fast, it was impossible
to see with the naked eye.
“KOGA!!!” Kagome screams, her body going taut and shaky as she rides out her
second orgasm in the night underneath the wolf demon.
            She's been very tense lately, but was more than happy to let the
awful worries of Inuyasha and his blasted sister go. ~He’s just been quiet all
day, and Vickie has been gone too. That should have been a good thing, except
it seemed to have made Inuyasha more broody. I wish that girl had a collar
sometimes~ She thought waiting in sated boredom as Koga howls his own orgasm a
few moments after her, sperm traveling so hot and fast that it splashes out
around his strong member.
 
 It made Kagome VERY glad that she was secretly taking pregnancy pills for all
                               of this…activity.
                                        
~Thank goodness that mom trusts me to go to the doctor by myself. She would ask
so many questions if she knew I had birth control pills I was taking~ Kagome
frowns a little at the thoughts. Her breathing was still erratic when she
shivers at the feel of him slowly pulling out.  
“Gods, Kagome,” Koga groans; flaccid cock twitching between his legs as the
sizable member settles and he lays to the side of her on the thick fur they
were sharing, “That was great!”
She hums and nods in agreement. Secretly, she was ignoring him. Sitting up
slowly, she shivers again as his sperm slides out of her body. The gentle night
breeze swaying the tree limbs and sending chilling shudders all throughout her
shiny body as it came into the cave wasn’t helping either. Sex with Koga was
good, but she knew that sex with Inuyasha would nearly be enough to wean her
off other men.
 
                           At least she thought so.
                                        
Yet no matter how long she waited or hinted, Inuyasha just wouldn't make a move
on her and Kagome was becoming impatient. ~I know I'm beautiful enough.
Everyone says so all the time~ she thought with an angry flick of her hands
through her sex-matted, “Koga-pulled” hair, ~ and surely I'm tempting enough!
So what's taking him so damn long to fuck me already?!~
“Hey, Kagome,” Koga frowns over at her, the demon able to see that she was
upset, “Are you ok?”
“Yeah,” she smiles at him, “It’s just been a really long day.”
“Inuyasha’s watcher being too much again?”
Kagome giggles. Koga had a habit of calling Vickie the watcher. Although both
of them were wolves, Koga and Vickie seem to rub each other wrong for some
reason, and so the two avoided talking or bothering with each other. ~Maybe
they were dating and things fell apart? I know Koga was dating Ayame, but then
they just…drifted away from each other somehow…~ She frowns; disturbed by the
thought, ~…I hope that doesn’t happen to me and Inuyasha. I have to get through
to him somehow. We need to have sex. And soon, before he gets away.~
“Kagome.”
“Huh?”
“Wow, you really are distracted,” Koga raises a black brow, “You didn’t even
answer the question.”
“I’m sorry, Koga,” Kagome apologizes; blushing at her side-tracked mind. ~I’ll
have to try one more time to talk to Inuyasha. I can’t give up. It’s starting
to affect my attention to anything else…Inuyasha…~
 Unknowingly interrupts her thoughts, Koga slowly sits up and crosses his legs
into a pretzel, “Kagome, We've got to talk.”
“About what,” she asks. Standing up, she walks over to her clothes folded not
too far away from the furs laid out as a bed. Kagome was starting to feel cold,
and knew she would have to get cleaned up before returning to the group.
~Inuyasha would have figured me out by now if I didn’t wash with scented soaps.
His nose is so sensitive…I wonder if he’d even care if he smelled other men on
me…Would he get mad? Would that make him finally take me to bed?~
 “This is our fifth time ‘trying-things-out’ together,” Koga begins, turning a
little red, “I seriously think it's time to end this now.”
Kagome blushes out of irritation ~here we go again~ she thought grimly, trying
to come up with an excuse while appearing to calmly pick up her clothes as well
as her backpack beside them and wanders to the little cave pond only several
feet away to wash herself in. It wasn’t a warm bath, but it would do to get the
scent off of her body.
“I want you to be mine,” Koga says bluntly, watching for a reaction with a
determined look on his handsome, tanned face, “I want you to be my mate.”
Kagome tries to look innocently flustered him before beginning to clean herself
with the heavily scented soap, “You know there is nothing else in the world I
dream of doing, Koga,” she flatters him with her lie, “but you know I can’t
yet.
“Why not?”
“We’re still looking for the Shikon Jewel. They need me, Koga. Plus I was the
one who broke it by mistake.”
“But that was a mistake,” He continues to try and convince her, “And can’t that
other priestess chick do the same thing as you?”
Kagome tenses at the mention of the woman. She knew he meant Kikyo, “I think
she’s still paying the energy debt for wanting to become a full human,” she
explains; hazily recalling what she has heard from Sango about it. Kikyo had
found a spell to make her human again. The catch? She would have to die and
give up a majority of her powers.
            That has been all of three months ago, and Kagome tried her best to
not think about it. ~If I don’t bring it up, Inuyasha won’t bring it up. I’m
tired of her coming along and making him rethink being with me.~She thought in
frustration. Taking a moment to dunk her head in the water a few times to clean
her hair and wash away the very idea of Kikyo.
“But they just need her eyes, don’t they?”
“Inuyasha doesn’t want to be around her anymore,” Kagome replies; determining
that he must feel that way, since he has her to help him instead, “And I don’t
want her to fix my mistakes. I have to make it right, Koga.”
Koga nods in understanding, “OK,” he smiles at her arrogantly, “then I'll have
to help you find them.”
“NO,” Kagome screams abruptly, then blushes as Koga grabs his ears and glares
at her.
“What's gotten into you lately, Kagome,” he questions in annoyed sarcasm,
“you're more abusive than usual.”
“I'm not abusive,” Kagome sighs, “Like I already said, I'm just having a bad
day is all.”
“Yeah,” Koga calms down and agrees with her, “you have been pretty stressed out
for a while now,” he frowns in concern, “maybe I really should be helping you
find those broken pieces of the jewel.”
“No, Koga,” Kagome recovers her `guilty-innocence' once again, “that wouldn't
be good on the pack.”
The alpha wolf demon sighs, “I know you’re right, but I’m worried about you,
Kagome.”
“Don’t worry. I’m alright, really,” Kagome placates the demon, “Now just listen
to me. Inuyasha doesn't have a pack to take care of like you do,” she explains,
“He doesn’t have an understanding of the responsibilities you have…he doesn't
even have a clue on most things, to be honest,” She replies; voice starting to
get a little high with growing excitement.
“I could have told you that,” Koga mutters with arms crossed.
“That aside, I’ll be alright Koga. Inuyasha takes good care of me,” Kagome
continues on; smiling at him as she gets out of the water, dries with a towel
she has packed in her back pack, and dresses into her clothes. Instead of her
school outfit, Kagome was wearing a more skin tight, black skirt and shorter,
belly button revealing, white shirt held to her body in a way that made her
cleavage bigger than they were. At first she put it on in the afternoon in
hopes of Inuyasha seeing it and getting inspired, but he just turned red and
said it looked weird. ~Should have known better than to get dressed up for a
man that loves instant noodles~
Koga grimaces as if in pain, “I don't know, Kagome. I REALLY don't like you
with that dumb mutt. He's too stupid to realize that you belong with a man like
me.”
~Yeah~ Kagome thought ~maybe YOU are the one being stupid all along…Or perhaps
it IS just Inuyasha! I wouldn't be here with you if he would just think fast
enough to-~
“I think I am going to go with you,” Koga says after look hard at her face,
“you look sick, and that mutt wouldn't know how to take care of you even if you
gave him instructions!”
“No Koga,” Kagome becomes firm for only a moment before relaxing, “I'll keep
traveling with Inuyasha,” she insists.
“But he's stupid,” Koga whines.
“Then let him be stupid,” she responds, pleased with the look of lust in the
alpha wolf's eyes as she puts on black platform shoes, “Once the jewel shards
are all one jewel again, I’ll be free to be with you.”
“OK,” He relents, giving her a loving smile, “I trust you.”
Kagome’s stomach clenches painfully with guilt at now knowing she has his
trust, but it was all in vain, “Yeah,” she forces a smile; mad at herself for
getting into this mess, “I gotta go.”
“Later, Kagome!” The wolf demon calls after her; watching her disappear from
his cave.
~Now~ Kagome smiles with renewed determination, her guilt and shame instantly
forgotten at the thought of Inuyasha ~to deal with the love of my
life…Inuyasha…He won’t get away this time. I won’t let him…~
 
 
 ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Western Edge towards Kai, Goon Chinmoko
                            Forest, Unknown Meadow~
 
 
~Inuyasha~
 
“Nervous of me, Abby?”…
“Should I be?” she countered. She poured him a cup of black coffee and
automatically add cream before she handed him the cup, “After all, you're the
one who should be worrying. I seem to make a habit of throwing myself at you.”…
“And if you don't get off my ranch pretty quick, Abigail Shane, you may do it
once too often,” he said flatly…
“I have utter trust in your remarkable self-control, Mr. McLaren”
 
Inuyasha skims through the rest of Diana Palmer's “Snow_Kisses” with a
frustrated growl and sits it to the side with a few other books to go searching
hopelessly in Kagome's travel bag she left with him for answers that never
truly satisfied him. ~Dammit! I wish she would have left her backpack too. What
isn’t she telling me? Why is she so angry with me these days?...Is it because
of…Kikyo?~
He pauses his rummaging as an image of Kikyo ran through his mind. He knew
where she lived. Knew that he was invited to visit anytime he was ready to talk
about things.
 
         Kikyo has said as much before giving him a sweet little kiss…
                                        
               She even watched him walk away to be with Kagome.
                                        
                          That was three months ago…
                                        
                        And he still thought about her.
                                        
~Am I supposed to control my feelings for Kikyo and just “say” I love Kagome
without ever thinking about her?...Or should I leave Kagome and try to at least
make things right with Kikyo?...But do I really love either of them?...Could I
just be responding to them needing me?....Or is it me that needs them?~ His
thoughts plagued him with emotions as restless as the strong breeze rustling
loudly in the moonless night trees. He frowns at the sky. ~That’s right…I’ll be
turning human tonight. Best not to travel too far from the group…~ Inuyasha
thought hazily; the soothing music of crickets, hunting bats or even the
mysterious night birds yet to be named by humans not able to comfort the half
prince in his sorrow.
He continues to stare at the sky, taking in the euphoric feeling of being
smaller than the universe as his emotions wreaking havoc on him. The dog demon
slowly starts to wonder about other things in hopes of escaping the unanswered
ache in his heart. He wonders what the future is like. What new animals were
discovered that was yet to be found in his time...What it’s like for misfits
like him in Kagome’s time…And if his mother was watching him wonder these
things from her heavenly seat beyond his reach. Did she have answers to give
him about all of this? Would she know if he was making the right move or not in
trying to have love in his life at all?
“This is annoying,” he growls, upset with himself for letting something like
this bother him, “it's not like I have to make a decision right now.”
“INUYASHA!”
Inuyasha winces at the pain from the ringing in his ears, “I spoke too soon,”
he mutters, quickly hiding the books back into the traveling bag before
stuffing it into the hole in the tree for later inspection, and freezes as
something falls out of it onto the branch he was on.
He warily picks up the small, square shaped object reads it curiously:
                                        
                            Latex Ultra-Thin Condom
                                        
“What the-”
“INUYASHA!!!”
Inuyasha vows to change his name as he continues to put the bag away and grabs
the little papery square thing before it falls and reveals his location to
Kagome. Leaping to another tree just as she comes into sight, he glares down
angrily at her.
“INU-”
“WHAT!”
Kagome cringes before glaring up at him, “You don't have to yell!”
Inuyasha sweatdrops, “This coming from you.”
“Inuyasha-”
“Wha-”
“Sit boy!”
BAM!!!
Inuyasha pulls his head from the dirt with a vigorous shake, his face turning
red with rage, “What the hell you do that for?!”
“Why didn't you answer me, Inuyasha,” Kagome pouts, standing over him to the
point that he could see up her skirt.
 
                            She had no panties on.
                                        
“Ka-Kagome,” He turns red out of embarrassment; moving quickly to get away from
the sight, “I’m just hearing you call for me now, obviously.”
“I’ve been looking for you. I wanted to talk to you.”
“About what?”
“About us,” He hears Kagome sigh before she continued, “I know you say you love
me, but you haven’t been showing me that you love me at all.”
Inuyasha looks at her in surprise. He thought he was showing her love. They
cuddle. Have private conversations when they had time. They’ve even had chances
to sneak a few kisses without the group noticing or getting too noisy about it,
“I haven’t?”
“No, you haven’t.”
“How do you figure that?”
“Don’t you think I would know if you’re showing me love, Inuyasha?”
“That’s not what I’m saying.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I have been showing you love.”
“No you haven’t.”
“Yes I have.”
“No you have not!”
“Yes I have!”
“That’s it! Inuyasha, sit!”
“THRAWK!!!”
This time Inuyasha jumps up in nearly full blind anger, “Why the fuck you keep
doing that for Kagome?!”
“Cause you are not listening to me!” Kagome harps at him, “I’m trying to
explain how you can show your love to me!”
Inuyasha stares at her, rage forgotten, “What?”
“I wanna tell you how to love me,” the teen girl tells him with a happy little
smile.
“Ok then,” he wipes the dirt from his face before looking at her again, “Tell
me.”
“We need to have sex.”
Inuyasha felt his whole body turn into a giant cherry. He was sure he was
blushing all over after that comment, “Wha-what?!!”
“We need to have sex,” Kagome repeats for him; looking like she would giggle at
his reaction, “You have had sex before, right Inuyasha?”
He glances away from her. Inuyasha didn’t want to lie to her, but he didn’t
want to tell the truth outright. He and Kikyo never got a chance to do
anything, since she wanted to wait to get married.
 
                    A happy ending that Naraku had ruined.
                                        
“You haven’t done it yet, have you?” She inquires.
He slowly shakes his head; still unable to look her directly in the eye. So he
was surprised when he feels her plant a kiss on his cheek.
“That’s ok, Inuyasha. I’ll show you,” Kagome reassures him; her arms already
wrapping around his neck.
Inuyasha tenses, “Wait a minute, you mean now?”
“Well, why not?”
“I...I don’t think I feel like it yet,” He admits. Inuyasha was in love with
Kagome, but didn’t feel like everything was over with Kikyo yet. He needed to
see her happy with someone else before he could start to really let her go.
 
                         He didn’t want to forget her.
                                        
         Not at the risk of her being unhappy because of him doing so.
                                        
“Why don’t you feel like it?” Kagome asks; voice purring in his ear while one
of her hands travels down his body to rub the front of his pants, “I can help
you get it up, if you want me to.”
The action made the half breed tense further. The touch made his body feel
weird and he wasn’t sure he liked the sensation, “No. not right now, Kagome.
Maybe later? I gotta think about it.”
 “… … … Inuyasha.”
“Yeah?”
“Sit.”
BAM!
“Sit.”
BAM!
“Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! SIT! SIT!!”
BAM! THRAWK! BOOM! BAM! CRUSH! THRAWK! BAM!!!
Inuyasha trembles as he tries to stand, then falls back down, “Why…K-Kagome?”
“Because that is what you are doing to me, Inuyasha,” Kagome sneers, “if you
really love me then you would have already had sex with me, but since you
didn't…Sit.”
BAM!
“Kago-”
“Sit boy.”
BAM!
“How does it feel, Inuyasha,” she asks angrily, “you've been denying me all
this time too. I give you the chance to show me love and you tell me you don’t
want to? And you say you love me?” Inuyasha hears her snort. He couldn’t see
her. His body was hurting. ~Why the hell does it hurt so much~ The half breed
thought in a pain-filled fog before the answer hit him, ~Th-that’s right.
Tonight is a new moon…I…I’m…turning~ “Kagome…Please…St-stop…”
“Sit.”
BAM!
Kagome clicks her tongue in disapproval, “looks like, as your future wife, I'm
gonna have to teach you how to show me love.”
“Kagome,” Inuyasha coughs, his usually white hair shifting black as the new
moon fully takes effect, “please…s-stop.”
“Why should I? You've been such a rude and bad boy,” Kagome sighs, “and to
think that I love you. But don't worry,” she smiles while bringing a bright
red, dog shaped plant out of her braless shirt, “This will help you stay
faithful, Inuyasha.”
“Wha…What is that?”
“It’s the Legendary Dog Fruit,” Kagome explains while Inuyasha tries to get to
his feet. The world was spinning and he felt faint. There was blood oozing in a
sluggish trickle from his mouth and his whole body vibrated with agony. He
could hardly see out of his bruised eyes as he shakily leans against a tree to
keep him steady.
“Dog…Fruit…?...Y-you mean…that…cursed fl-flower that…h-has the…a-ability to…m-
make any…one…who eats it…obedient…t-to the giver…?” Inuyasha guesses weakly. He
couldn’t recall where he had heard the myth of the flower, but, then again, he
was having rough time recalling much of anything right now.
“Yep,” Kagome replies cheerily; her voice sounding horrible in his ears,
“that’s the one. It’s actually a kind of magical poppy said to only grow in
holy places for a short time, and has some the ability to be a sedative. But
what makes the Dog Fruit different from just any poppy is that it affects the
person dreams. In this way, it makes it so that you bond with the person who
gave it to you while you sleep. So I guess it does make you kinda obedient
because you become dependent on the person who gives it to you so you can have
restful sleep. It won’t let you otherwise. Married people use to use it all the
time, from what I was told,” she states before Inuyasha feels her push him down
against the tree; his back stinging from the scratch of barky skin while she
straddles his hips.
“I'll show you how to love me properly, Inuyasha,” Kagome pants hotly in his
ear, the feeling uncomfortable for his sore body. “Now,” she presses the
strange plant to his lips, “take this, my love.”
“…”
“Inuyasha?”
“N-no,” Inuyasha replies weakly, “Ple-pleas Kagome. I don’t want to t-take it,”
he rasps out. All he wanted to do was sleep. Everything hurt and rest was all
he had strength for.
“But this plant will bring us together forever,” Kagome hums in his ear,
planting little kisses on his cheeks and forehead with barely contained lust,
“The Dog Fruit, once taken, will let no one come between us,” she starts to
undo the tie of his kimono, smiling menacingly at his look of confusion.
Inuyasha tries to understand what she meant by those words. ~Everything she’s
doing hurts…Why…won’t she…stop?~  He thought as Kagome continues to tug at his
clothes. Instinctively nervous of her actions, the demon starts to struggle.
“No Inuyasha,” she reprimands, “sit”
BAM!
Inuyasha's head nearly goes through the tree, his vision going black for a
moment before he regained some consciousness, “Ka-Kagome…stop.”
“No Inuyasha, I won't,” she says simply, “You said you love me and I’m going to
make sure you stick to your words.”
Inuyasha struggles once again. He didn’t know what Kagome was up to, but she
must have been crazy or possessed. She’s never tried to hurt him like this
before. Why would she start now? What did he do to make her so vengeful against
him?
 
Then he stills as she moves off of him and pulls out her bow and arrow from her
                                  back pack.
                                        
“K-Kagome,” Inuyasha fights to keep conscious and ignore the pain throbbing
throughout his body, “what-what are you doing?”
“I'm sorry Inuyasha,” Kagome frowns at him, “but you're making me do this!”
 
                     She shoots him in his right shoulder.
                                        
                        Pinning him to the split tree.
                                        
“GAHHH!!!”
“Oh don't cry so loudly,” Kagome soothes, roughly pulling his shirt further
apart to gaze longingly at his bare chest, “if only I didn't have to pin you
down to touch you like this,” she sighs sadly, “it would make the sex better.”
“Kagome,” Inuyasha coughs, the trickle of blood pouring from the corner of his
lips starting to stream, “P-please…stop.”
“I tried to tell you Inuyasha,” Kagome talks, pulling down his hakama all the
way to his knees to reveal his limp penis to the cool night air, “I dressed in
sexy clothes,” she speaks in anger; Inuyasha hearing the sound of clothes
rustling, “I cooked you aphrodisiacs, pretended to be interested in your stupid
stories of Kikyo,” he yelps as she straddles him and tugs fiercely at his cock,
“ and I even allow you to use me to find some dumb jewel pieces that may not do
you any good anyway. All because I love you,” She says scornfully, rubbing the
head of his slowly awaking member.
“AHH,” Inuyasha shouts in shock at the sensation warring for his attention
along with the pain.  His mind was trying to race as fast as his labored breath
with just the simple challenge of staying awake, “Kagome…n-no-”
“Don't you tell me no,” Kagome slaps him hard, the handprint branding and
burning his now sensitive human flesh, “don't you dare deny me of at
least one pleasure from you!”
Inuyasha says nothing, gritting his teeth as he fought off the cold touching
his half naked body, the pain from Kagome's rage and the confusion of hurt and
pleasure as she jerks his cock until it hardens. The skin of his mighty staff
turns a transparent pink from the contrasting temperatures of Kagome's hand and
the night air.
“There,” she purrs, a contorting and monstrous sound to Inuyasha's deadening
senses, “it should be hard enough.”
“Kagome,” Inuyasha tries again to reason with the human girl, “please…S-
stop…I-...I love you.”
“Oh I know you do Inuyasha,” Kagome adjusts herself, “and I'm gonna make sure
you honor that too.”
 
  And with that, she plunges onto his hard dick with her wet, clinging pussy.
                                        
“AHHHHHHHHH!!!”
“Oh yes,” Kagome moans, harshly bouncing up and down on Inuyasha's cock and
completely ignoring his screams of surprised pain and pleasure, “that's it.”
Inuyasha groans with eyes shut tight, his penis in pain from the sudden grab
and pinch of her body while his hips jerk slightly to meet each fevered
bounce. He starts to struggle again at a burning sensation near the head of his
dick, but give up as Kagome slaps him once more and yells at him to accept her
love for him. He waits in a sea of pain and confusion as Kagome rocks her hips
even harder, the disgusting sound of flesh smacking flesh making him want to
throw up and die.
 
       Finally, at what felt like forever, Kagome cries out her orgasm.
 
       The wet gush of her juices causing Inuyasha to finally throw up.
 
“Eww,” Kagome squeals, slapping him again, “that's disgusting Inuyasha!”
She gets up, not bothering to untie him or dress him back up, leaving his
swollen, hard penis to die down on its own as she grabs the discarded red
plant, “I'm going back to the campsite,” she says cheerily, forcing the plant
into his mouth; smiling when he reflexively swallows it down at feeling it
invade him, “don't be out too long, dear.”
Inuyasha barely hears her, his eyes staying open long enough to see a strange
flying shadow zip away through the trees above him as he allows the darkness to
take him into its comforting arms…
 
                                        
                                        
                         *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
 
 
***** Chapter Seven: One Too Many Secrets And The Shadow Kid-Man *****
Chapter Summary
     Sheila is told some facts and the 'kid' reports in...
   
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                                Chapter_Seven:
                                        
                  One_too_Many_Secrets_And_The_Shadow_Kid-man
                                        
                                        
~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Tristan’s apartment, Front room~
 
 
 ~Yusuke~
                                        
“So you think Sheila might be a demon?”
“There’s no way a mere human would take those hits and not have passed out
sooner, Yusuke,” Kurama states with confidence that makes Yusuke want to curse
him for his smart ass mouth.
“Great. Just great. And from the looks of it, she doesn’t even know that she
might have demon in her either.”
“Might?”
“I’m still being optimistic,” Urameshi remarks, “If not for my sake, then for
hers.”
“Optimism won’t change the fact that she’s a demon living among humans. You
know that demons are not allowed to be up here with humans.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m up here,” Yusuke points out. He had to defend Sheila. If he
didn’t pitch a fit fast enough, Kurama might get it into his mind to tell
Koenma.
            Being a high school kid was one part of his life, but the biggest
part that took precedence over that is his work as a spirit detective. Keeping
the spirit realm in check was a full time job, and, should Sheila prove to be a
demon instead of a human, Yusuke knew he would have to turn her in. ~Which is
complete bullshit. She hasn’t hurt anyone. She’s only ever used her strength to
defend herself, but I would have to take her away from the only realm she’s
ever been in to live among demons that could do some serious damage to her.~
“You’re still allowed up here because you’re technically human in this
lifetime,” Kurama explains; dully twisting a strand of his vibrant red hair
between his fingers, “You would have suffered the same fate as her if you
didn’t already have a human life here already.”
            Yusuke didn’t argue that fact. Keiko and the others were in
Tristan’s bedroom; tending to the unconscious Sheila and the awake Vickie. It
was just the two of them in the front room, so Urameshi knew it was safe to
talk about their secretive jobs.
~Not that it’ll stay a secret for long. Sheila will have to know what she’s
dealing with. It’s the only thing I can do to save her from it~ 
Helplessness wasn’t a feeling that the spirit detective liked. He wouldn’t give
into it and would just find another way to aid his friend in avoiding a law
that could get her killed.
Kurama’s phone ringing pulls Yusuke from his reverie. That phone only rung when
two people called the handsome man.
 
                                Hiei or Koenma.
                                        
    And, for once, Yusuke was hoping it was the pacifier hater of the two.
                                        
Kurama pulls his silver phone from his pocket and answers it, “This is Kurama.”
Yusuke waits; knowing that the youkai before him would update him once he was
done on the phone.
“…Understood…Meet us at this address. I’m sure Yusuke would want to fully hear
about this,” the red head states before giving the person the address. He hangs
up and glances at Yusuke from his perch on the front room’s only couch, “We
have a possible assault case in a different realm. Well, more like a different
time.”
“Different time? You mean we’re doing time traveling now?” Yusuke replies in
shock. He’s been at this job or about two years now, and hasn’t heard of any
case where the victim was from another time.
“Hiei has been going to this particular time in search of a very valuable
demon,” Kurama smiles and crosses his left leg over his right, “We don’t
normally handle spirits from another time, but this demon has been reported to
be linked to the demon we’re hoping to find.”
“A valuable demon,” the spirit detective muses, “Is it dead in our time?”
“Yes. Something went wrong somewhere in the past and this demon expired long
before its time. But it’s not only the fact that it died we have are confronted
with,” the exotic haired man frowns over at Yusuke with seriousness the teen
knew meant trouble was afoot, “We also suspect that a certain evil demon lord
we can’t be rid of in our time may have used this now dead demon to make his
power impossible to go up against.”
“So basically, we have to find and save this demon from death if we want to
stop an unstoppable demon that exists today?”
“That the jest of it. In any case, Hiei will be here to tell us about it soon.”
“Alright, but don’t think the matter is over with, Kurama.” Urameshi replies
firmly, “I won’t be handing my friend over just for her to die in the spirit
realm.”
“Then you better hope, for your sake, that she’s not really a demon.”
 
~Vickie~
 
            Vickie watches Sheila sleep; the female youkai leaning back in a
chair after Keiko, Joey and Tristan fussed over her and her injuries. ~Can’t
tell these people that I heal faster than any mere human~ She thought in
annoyance. ~Still…I guess it was nice of them to worry about me just as much as
they worry about Sheila.~
She stares at her new sister. True to her word, even if the dark teen proves to
not be the one for her brother, Vickie would always see her as a sister. In her
mind, the girl earned that much.
~Not to mention that her mother spoke to her of the Will of her heart just like
my own. That can’t be a coincidence. But…Sheila doesn’t smell like a demon at
all…Is magic making her appear human? Or is magic giving her demon-like
powers?~ the youkai contemplates when she hears a gasp come from the resting
teen. She looks over to see Sheila’s eyes open wide; the teen sitting up
suddenly and wincing in pain.
“What’s wrong,” Vickie asks; instantly on alert at seeing the dark teen force
herself out of bed despite the obvious pain.
“Some-someone is here,” Sheila gasps out, her bandaged hand reaching for her
clothes in a wooden chair beside the bed. Vickie frowns at hearing this. Her
own senses weren’t picking up on anyone except the people in the apartment
already. ~Let’s see…Joey is in the kitchen with Tristan…Yusuke and Keiko are in
the front room with Kurama and a blued eyed brunet that makes me rethink my
decision to not date humans if I could help it. The slim, muscular male is hot!
No wonder Joey is dating him. If I was a boy, I’d definitely become gay for
him.~
“There’s a human name Seto inside apartment with us, if that’s what you mean,”
she supplies for Sheila; vaguely wondering just how the human girl could feel
him hanging out in the apartment.
            The dark teen shakes her head, further perplexing the youkai,
“No…This person is…not human. I-I’m sure of it,” the young teen finishes
dressing just as a noise from another room makes both her and Vickie jump in
surprise. The little apartment had two rooms. Tristan’s room and a guest room.
~We’re in Tristan’s room…But no one should be in the guest room right now…~
“Should we check it out?” the human teen asks Vickie; her dark eyes wide with
fright and worry. The youkai looks Sheila over. With bandages covering her
healthy sized cleavage all the way down to her stomach, as well as white
wrappings on both her hands and around her neck, the dark teen looked like a
living mummy.
“I’ll go check. You stay here. You’re still recovering from your wounds.”
Sheila shakes her head, “No. I-I can’t stay here and there’s a possible
intruder in the apartment,” she gives Vickie a determined look, “I’m coming
with you.”
Vickie mentally sighs and nods ~Ever the stubborn one~ she thought while
following Sheila out of the room and quietly down the little hall into one of
the guest room; realizing that no one else must have heard the sound since
there wasn’t any sound of the others coming to check as well. Shaking off the
strange fact, Vickie follows Sheila into the room.
 
              And a childlike figure stood beside an open window.
                                        
            Not standing any taller than five feet, the figure wears a black
cloak over black clothes; his white scarf and headband contrasting with the
blue outline of his black, gravity resistant hair. The hair had an odd patch of
white in the front over his bangs that did nothing to hide the large, slightly
oval shaped, crimson eyes looking back at Vickie and Sheila. 
Vickie blinks, “A kid?”
The `kid' smiles, “Not quite,” a very adult sounding voice comes out of the
small body.
Sheila glares at the `kid', “That thing is some kind of strange grown up from
the sound of his voice.”
“A human dares call me a thing? Should you take such great risks with so
fragile an existence?”
~A demon then~ Vickie thought; growling at the trespasser. ~What the hell is he
doing here?~
Sheila stands up straight despite the pain that Vickie was sure she was in,
“Get out.”
“No.” The kid-man remarks coolly.
Sheila raises an eyebrow, “No?”
The `kid' crosses his arms impassively, “No.”
Sheila sighs, beginning to stretch, “Then I have no choice but to make you
leave.”
Vickie gawks at her newly made sister, “M-make him leave?! Oneesan, you can’t
be serious!”
The `kid' laughs as if the very idea of Sheila being able to kick him out was
the funniest thing in the world to him, “I'd like to see that happen.”
The dark teen nods, “Then so be it,” She replies before suddenly racing at the
demon and knocking him out of the open window too fast for Vickie to stop her.
BAM!
The human girl gives the `kid' a spinning kick to the face with only a grunt
and a smile, “It just happened,” she yells out the window before jumping out
after the shocked demon.
“Sheila! Don’t!” the youkai shouts, rushing to peer out the window and sighs in
relief at seeing the dark teen land on a bed on the ground in the apartment’s
little backyard. ~A thick futon. I bet Tristan has it there just in case he
needs to escape out of the window~ She thought before leaping out after her
sister. If the situation wasn’t so serious, Vickie would have asked for a snack
at the sight in front of her.
 
 There she was, her human sister, punching what was most likely a demon in the
     stomach before delivering an upper-cut that was sure to piss him off.
                                        
~If I don’t hurry up and get in the way, he’s going to knock the hell out her~
 
~Hiei~
 
The shock of feeling pain at the contact surprised the powerful demon into a
stupor. ~This human’s hit actually hurts. What the hell…?~ He didn’t get long
to think of it before more pain assaulted his senses; warning him to either
fight back or die trying. Hiei growls; just barely avoiding another hit to the
gut before countering with a sharp kick to the girl’s chest.
The dark teen yelps and grips her chest. That’s when Hiei noticed the bandages,
“Why the hell would you be so stupid as to attack me when it’s clear you can’t
fight?”
“I won’t let you in,” the girl lets go of her sore body; dark eyes glaring into
the dragon demon’s with an intensity that could rival his own fiery attacks, “I
won’t…LET YOU HURT MY FRIENDS!!!” She screams; racing at him. Hiei felt an
insane level of pain originate from the region of his balls. ~she…She kneed me
in the nuts~ He thought with a groan; fighting the tempting urge to fall to the
ground and assume a protective stance around his aching body part.
“Stop! Don’t attack her!” A girl in a red kimono commands; obviously trying to
get to them before the fighting could really escalate. ~Too late for that~ Hiei
thought before promptly appearing in front of the dark girl and punching her
across the face; her body sent flying and landing harshly onto the ground.
“NO!” The pale girl shrieks; now running in the direction the girl fell in,
“Sheila? SHEILA!!!” she howls. Hiei lets his senses pick up on the scent and
aura of the pale girl; frowning at figuring out what was before him, ~A human
and a wolf demon? What the hell is a wolf demon girl doing here in the first
place?~
“You bastard!” the youkai snarls at him while crouching defensively over the
fallen girl, “What if you killed her? What the hell were you thinking?”
Hiei narrows his eyes at the words, “She’s still alive?” He couldn’t believe
it. Humans had some amazing abilities of survival here and there, but he knew
the force he hit her with should have been enough to end her immediately.
“Of course she’s alive!” The wolf demon’s eyes widen before she growls at him;
her body tensing in readiness to fight, “You! You were trying to kill her,
weren’t you?!”
Hiei sighs, “I gave her a chance to stop. If she didn’t value her life enough
to do so, it’s not my problem.”
“Y…you heartless bastard…,” The dark teen surprises him further by slowly
sitting up; shaking as she takes to her legs. ~What?! She’s not even
unconscious? What kind of human is she?! ~
He barely had time for his eyes to widen as the girl revealed to be Sheila
takes off her shoe and runs at him to slap him upside the head with it.
 
              The hit sending him flying across the little yard.
                                        
“Oneesan!” He heard the pale girl gasp before a slew of encouragement erupted
from her lips, “That’s right, sis! Kick his ass!”
~Well, shit, I don’t have to guess whose side she’s on~ Hiei thought derisively
before leaping to his feet and narrowly avoiding another hit by the shoe in the
girl’s hand, “Idiot woman! Get out of my way! I’ll get serious if you keep up
this ridiculous game,” he threatens.
“STAY THE FUCK OUT OF MY FRIEND'S HOUSE!!!,” The dark teen screams at him, Hiei
seeing a flash of…something…coming to the human’s eyes before he found himself
straddled and getting his face beat by a shoe. ~She moves too fast! I can’t see
her coming!~
 
~Vickie~
 
The `kid' grabs Sheila's fists in a panic, coughing up a little blood to
add to the oozing fluid coming out his broken nose, “Wait! Wait! I'm not here
to fight!”
“Ya coulda fooled me,” the teen hisses, fighting to get her fists free, “let me
go so I can beat the hell out of you!”
The `kid' sweatdrops, “Do you think I'm stupid or something?”
“Wait, sister,” Vickie calls, standing inches away from the locked pair, “if
you're not here to fight, than what do you want?”
“Can you get her off me?”
“Not a chance,” Sheila answers for Vickie, pulling away from the `kid' so that
she could kick him in the nuts again and then tries beating his face in one
more time.
“AHHHHHH,” the demon cries out while frantically trying to get the girl off
before she did some damage that’ll end up defacing him, “get this crazy bitch
off me!”
“I'll show you a crazy bitch!”
Sheila slaps the `kid' upside the head, once again going for her shoe.
“He’s here to report to me.” Kurama confesses. Vickie wasn’t sure when he got
out to the yard, but did note his calm demeanor in face of the fight in front
of him. ~Was he watching the whole thing? Why the hell didn’t he help
us?!...Wait…What does he mean? Report to him?~
“A demon named Inuyasha is in trouble,” Hiei says in a rush as Sheila pulls her
hand back to strike him again…
 
    And Vickie catches her arm just inches from landing another harsh blow.
                                        
“Wait a minute Sheila,” Vickie now glares at the `kid', “How do you know a
demon name Inuyasha, Shorty?”
“My name isn’t shorty!”
“Get to the point,” Vickie growls, upset for her brother.
The `kid' looks away with a serious expression, “I can't say much…except that
he's been badly…damaged.”
The dark teen winces at the grip on her still sore arm before frowning,
“Damaged? How damaged?”
“I don’t report you.”
“And I will break your ass with my shoe if you don't tell us,” Sheila remarks
curtly, once again reaching for her shoe.
“Stop it, Sheila,” Kurama commands lowly, “Hiei is my friend.”
“Hiei?” Vickie questions.
“Hiei is a friend of ours,” Yusuke shouts out the window before jumping out of
it, “It’s ok to talk around them. What happened to this demon?”
“Alright,” Hiei sighs, pushing Sheila off and standing up while keeping his
watchful eyes on the darker skinned girl, “He was beaten and assaulted. He
might have been poisoned as well, but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of the plant
used before.”
“B-beaten?” Vickie pales, her heart plummeting to her feet, “Assaulted? 
Assaulted how?”
“He was raped,” Hiei states simply, “His attacker used some kind of strange
magic and sexually assaulted him before leaving.”
“No…” Vickie whispers; body shaking in hurt and fury, “Who…who would do that to
Inuyasha?!”
“So, you know the demon?” Kurama asks her; brilliant green eyes intent on her.
“Of course I know him! He’s my brother.” Vickie glares over at him, “Why? Why
do you know so much about my brother? What do you people want with him?” She
growls; her hurt and sadness becoming anger, “Answer me, dammit!”
“V-Vickie…” Sheila mummers softly; the dark teen looking at everyone like she
was in a dream. ~That’s right. I didn’t get a chance to tell her that I’m a
demon yet.~ The youkai thought while watching the girl slowly get up and back
away from everyone, “Sheila-”
“Stay away from me! All of you!”
She flinches; chest tight at the fear and betrayal shining brightly in Sheila’s
eyes, “Oneesan, please-”
“No,” the teen girl shouts, “Demons? A strange man-kid reporting rape to Yusuke
and Kurama? I thought you guys were my friends and you’re just now telling me
this crazy shit!”
“Sheila,” Yusuke began earnestly before a shake of Kurama’s head makes him
become quiet.
“We are spirit detectives. Inuyasha is being investigated in hopes of finding
an elusive demon that may change the fabric of this world’s existence if we
don’t find it,” he explains; causing Vickie’s chest to constrict. ~Spirit
detectives? Investigating brother? What the hell kind of nut jobs are these
future people!~
“I should have known it was too good to be true,” Sheila quakes with what
Vickie perceives to be rage and hurt, “You’re only my friend because you think
I’m some demon? Some m-mythical creature you hunt after!”
            Yusuke flinches; his brown eyes full of hurt, “No. That’s not true.
At least not for me, it isn’t.”
“Liar!” Sheila shouts; glaring at them all, “You freaks stay away from me! All
of you! I never want to see you guys again or I’ll call the police and tell
them you’re some kind of teen cult going around hunting people!”
Kurama tenses, “Now, Sheila, please. Try to be reasonable.”
“Fuck you!” The dark teen yells; fists tight enough to make her brown skin a
lighter color as she starts to walk away from them, “I’m leaving. I’ll just
tell my stepmother to homeschool me or something.”
“NO!” Vickie yowls out; running to hug Sheila from behind, “Please, Oneesan.
Don’t leave me like this. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth of what I was
from the start, but I can’t help my brother alone. Please…,” tears blind her
sight as she looks into the teen’s angry eyes, “Help me.”
 
 
 ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Western Edge towards Kai, Goon Chinmoko
                            Forest, Unknown Meadow~
 
 
~Inuyasha~
 
            Having crawled slowly into some underbrush, the half breed shivers
and sneezes; heedless of the cold in the haze of pain. His penis throbbed
unhappily; the tip still sore from the forceful and sudden usage. His body was
wet with his blood; enough to scare him into thinking he might not make it to
sunrise. ~…Kagome…~ Tears start to fall; trailing and mixing with the crimson
liquid that stained his chin, “I’m sorry, Kagome…I’ll…I’ll do better,” he talks
to himself. Inuyasha has awaken from his blackout about an hour later; feeling
cold, hungry, and guilty. ~If I knew what she wanted long before this…m-maybe
this wouldn’t have happened~He hugs himself and lays on his side; mind lost in
the self-blame and doubts of ever understanding what it took to have a normal
relationship. ~Mother…Kikyo…Kagome…I’m sorry~…
 
???
 
           He watches quietly; grinning in sinister satisfaction at the
agonized whimpering of the half-breed not too far away from his hiding
place,~That’s right, Inuyasha. Fall into despair. For your pain is the first
sign of my grand entrance… And the Secret’s lofty presence…~
 
 
~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Tristan’s Apartment, Front room~
 
 
~Sheila~
 
Sheila looks at everyone in the front room with a level stare. People she
trusted only seconds ago looked like strangers in her dark eyes.
“We are the spirit detectives,” Kurama explains, “Hiei, Yusuke, and myself are
just a few that take on the job for our boss. It was not even a full month ago
that we were giving a rather peculiar assignment.”
“Why are you telling me?” She asks; glaring at the red head, “What importance
does your story have for me?”
“And what does my brother have to do with this.” Vickie demands more than asks,
and Sheila wished she could move her anger enough to comfort the person whom
gave her the honor of sister.
 
                          But it was a faulty honor.
                                        
   Considering she didn’t even have the decency to tell her she was a demon.
                                        
~I can’t believe I’m actually starting to believe this crap~ She thought in
upset, ~Any fool knows demons aren’t real. But these idiots seem so sure of it.
Yet…how does one explain the little man standing to the side of Kurama? Demon
or not, something is clearly wrong with these people~
“We were told to check the Feudal Era for a rare demon said to have the power
to stop a rather powerful demon in the present,” Hiei commences explaining,
“But that the demon of today had already killed the helpful demon long ago.”
“But there were patterns,” Yusuke picks up where Hiei left off, “Patterns left
by the helpful demon of that time. Clues that lead to us believing the demon
would show up here in Japan. Although I wasn’t informed of there being a check
on the medieval Japan, I was nonetheless told to keep watch for the helpful
demon’s appearance.”
“And I’m guessing you fools think this demon is me?”
“Strength to take on a high ranking demon,” Kurama remarks; idly starting to
count the oddities with his fingers, “Senses that allowed you to feel him
coming long before he showed up, and the unconscious ability to use the dragon
style of fighting,” the red head looks at Sheila seriously, “There is a very
strong chance that you might be a demon.”
“Will you listen to yourself? What proof do you have that there are demons?”
“What proof do you have that there are not demons?”
            She tenses; body tired and sore from all the fighting. Unable to
walk away from Vickie’s wail of help for her ailing brother, Sheila found
herself sitting in Tristan’s front room listening to this nonsense. ~I should
be at home accepting my lose. Yusuke isn’t my friend, and the only one that’s
most likely being honest to me right now is Joey~ She thought; glancing over at
the teen sitting beside his boyfriend, ~But I bet he has something I don’t
wanna hear too~
“So this demon left clues that lead you to investigate my brother?” Vickie
asks; the look on her face telling all what she thought of any of it. She had a
hurt brother out there somewhere in the Feudal Era, and she wouldn’t rest until
she brought his tormentor to justice as well as aid him in his recovery. At
least that’s what Sheila saw burning in those eyes.
“Yes,” Kurama states before breaking out in rhyme:
 
                           In a time clear as snow,
                        There were two lovers long ago,
                       Whom could not reach each other.
                                        
                       One side was marked by the diva,
                          The other held by Inuyasha,
                       But they would not have another.
                                        
                                        
Sheila gasps; eyes widening at the sound of the poem, “That’s…”
Vickie stares over at her, “What’s wrong?”
“That’s sounds like the first part of my favorite story that mother would tell
me,” She whispers lowly.
“Are you sure?” Kurama asks. She opens her mouth to answer, but then shuts it
quick. Sheila knew she couldn’t trust them now; no matter how much that hurt,
“What will happen if I am sure?”
Yusuke frowns, “If you are sure, then…We’d have to take you to the Spirit
Realm.”
“Then the answer is no.”
Hiei snickers, “Well, at least she’s not completely stupid, Kurama.”
Vickie growls; suddenly standing up and going in front of Sheila, “You are not
taking my sister.”
“Vickie…” Sheila stares at her, “Why are you protecting me?”
The youkai rolls her eyes and glances behind her at Sheila, “Isn’t it obvious?”
“But…”
“Look, I’m sorry I lied to you, but I was afraid that you wouldn’t believe me.
Or that I’d get close to you, only to discover I’ve made a mistake,” the girl
confesses; demon eyes giving Sheila the feeling of solemn hope radiating from
them, “I meant what I said though. As far as I’m concerned, you are my
Oneesan.”
“And I’m still your friend, Sheila,” Joey proclaims, “No matter what those guys
say, I’m right behind you too.”
“If Joey is right behind you, then I won’t allow anymore this interview,” Seto
speaks up for the first time; even Kurama an even glare, “Just like his domain
has laws, so do ours. And, unless he has valid proof of you being a demon, he
can’t just take you to a demon’s realm.”
“You don’t think anything I said could be proof?” The male youkai questions.
“Strange, all I hear are speculations and pretty poems,” Kaiba replies with a
small, jeering smile, “Evidence must be more concrete than that for you to take
her anywhere.”
“Joey…Mr. Kaiba…” Sheila whispers; ready to cry at their devotion to her.
Kaiba blushes slightly, “Just call me Kaiba or Seto. Mr. is going a bit far.”
“I’m proof enough that she can’t possibly be human,” Hiei states; looking dully
at them all, “Or have you forgotten that she’s the one who put these scars on
an s-rank demon.”
Vickie blinks at him, “Um…I’m going to guess that means something.”
“It means that he’s too strong to have his nose broken and blood coming from
his mouth by anyone who’s just a mere human.”
“Guys, we’re not here to terrorize her,” Yusuke replies; upset showing in his
brown orbs, “Remember, if we believe her to be the demon, then she’s the helper
demon. We shouldn’t treat her this way, and Koenma said nothing of forcing her
to the Spirit Realm. Besides, she’s just heard that her new brother has been
raped!”
            Keiko nods and slowly walks over to Sheila, “I know you’re upset
with us. There are so many secrets we weren’t allowed to tell you. But now you
know those secrets, and you maybe humanity’s only hope,” she smiles
reassuringly, “Kurama and Hiei aren’t trying to pick on you. It’s just that the
situation is so dire, they are willing to do anything now to make you go along
with them.”
“Dire?”
“You might not see it yet, ‘human,’ but the Spirit Realm is in danger of a new
world order,” Hiei explains, “A force yet to be named or even seen seems to
have surfaced overnight to take over Makai. If nothing is done, he will remove
the barrier designed to keep the two worlds apart.”
“Sheila,” Yusuke carefully walks around Vickie; the girl growling in response
as he kneels on one knee in front of her, “What he says is true. If we don’t
figure out the clues that were left behind by the good demon…Everything we know
may change for the worse.”
“Yusuke…How…How do I know I can trust you?” Sheila replies quietly; staring
into his eyes with fear of betrayal. Even for that little second. That little
minute. The very breath she breathed at realizing that she must leave them
alone for her sake was lonely, “You’ve already hidden so much from me. I can
understand why…but…that doesn’t stop me from feeling hurt.”
“I’m sorry,” Yusuke takes one of her bandaged hand, “No more secrets, Sheila. I
promise.”
“R-really?”
“Have you known me to break my word?”
            Sheila thought about it. While it was true that the teen tricked
her in some ways, she couldn’t see him lying to her after all of this, “If this
turns out to be another con in order to make me do what you want instead of
just asking me, I won’t forgive you.”
Yusuke smiles; his relief warming her heart, “So if I ask you on a date, does
that count?”
She blushes while Keiko promptly punches him.
“Not cool, Yusuke,” his girlfriend grumbles.
Yusuke rubs his head, “It was a joke!”
Sheila smiles before seeing the look of distress and panic on her ‘sister’s’
face, “What’s wrong, Vickie?”
“I have to go to my brother,” She says; fear for him obvious for Sheila to see,
“his attacker could still be attacking him as we speak!”
“That maybe so,” Kurama acknowledges her fears, “but your brother wouldn't want
you putting yourself in danger in order to save him either.”
“But-”
“Get a hold of yourself, Vick,” Sheila tries using a nickname to soothe her,
“it's been hours since Hiei came with that report. Your brother may actually be
OK right now. The last thing that anyone needs is for both of you to be in
danger.”
The youkai looks torn. Sheila could see that the nickname has an effect, but
the worry for her brother was overwhelming, ~Our brother~ She reminds herself,
~Even if this could be another trap, I…I don’t want to back out on this.~
“Our brother will be ok.”
“Sheila…,” Vickie smiles a little, “Thank you,” she then frowns, ‘But…”
“But what?”
“I can’t help feeling like It's my fault.”
Sheila blinks at her, “What?”
“It's all my fault,” Vickie sniffles, ready to burst into tears, “I-I should
have been with him!”
“Vickie…”
“If I was with him then none of this would have happened!”
“Don't start that Vickie.”
“But…”
Sheila shakes her head with a gentle smile, “You didn't know it was going to
happen and it still could have happened rather you were around or not,” she
gets up; Yusuke moving out of the way so that she could hug her friend close,
“it's not your fault. You could never be blamed for something like this.”
The wolf/dog youkai cries. With her clinging to her, Sheila felt that it took a
lot of trust for the girl to hang onto her. Needing comfort from her.
                                        
                           Opening her heart to her.
                                        
“This is so strange,” Sheila remarks; rubbing Vickie’s back, “I feel so close
to you, and yet I don’t know anything about you. Aren’t I crazy, little
sister?”
She could feel the demon girl hold her tighter, and knew her new rush of tears
wasn’t just for the ailing brother alone.
Sheila lets Vickie cry for a while, thinking of ways to cheer her up.
“Vickie.”
“Hm?”
“Can you tell me a little about yourself?”
Vickie moves her head from Sheila's shoulder to look intently at her, “What do
you mean?”
“Well, you know,” Sheila smiles; not paying the others any mind, “happy
memories with your brother, some history about your family and friends.
Something,” she says with a soft laugh, “Tell me something about…our family.”
“Sheila…,” Vickie grins happily, “I'll tell you everything about me and where I
come from,” she stands up straight and wipes the tears away from her eyes, “I’m
will tell you about my home in Feudal Era Japan, and the brothers who await me
there.”
 
 
 
                                        
                                        
                        *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
 
***** Chapter Eight:Facts Before Fictions: Vickie Talks of her Demon Family And
She Says A Disturbing Name *****
Chapter Summary
     Vickie tells Sheila about her family, and mentions a name...
 
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                                Chapter_Eight:
                                        
    Facts_Before_Fictions:_Vickie_Talks_of_her_Demon_Family_And_She_Says_A
                                Disturbing_Name
                                        
                                        
          ~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Tristan’s Apartment, Guest Room~
 
 
~Vickie~
 
 She waits as Sheila talks privately with Kurama. She didn’t like the guy much,
and so went to the guest room for the time being. ~The asshole keeps smiling at
me. Weirdo.~ Vickie thought. She was beginning to suspect that the strange
demon had his own agenda in all of this, but couldn’t figure out what. ~I guess
everyone has a motive to be looking at me and sis strangely,~ she rationalizes,
~From what I’m understanding of all their talk, the present world is in danger
of becoming one with its Spirit Realm because of a hidden, supreme demon. If
that happens, then it’ll be just like my time. Demons will be able to kill and
terrorize humans once again, and most of the humans would be powerless to stop
it. If they don’t do something quick, the present day that they know and love
will be gone forever.~
Vickie didn’t fully understand the problem. She was use to her wild, demon
infested timeframe, and, being a demon herself, wasn’t all too crazy about a
plan that would lock them up in some foreign dimension she’s never heard of.
But she’s also seen just how destructive demons were on the lives of humans.
Women, children, and the old were favorite prey for them to pick with. ~If they
didn’t create a system by this time, demons might have been able to eventually
wipe out the human race…Which means Sheila might not have been born or even got
a chance to exist~
“Meaning there would have been no one for Inuyasha except maybe Kagome…And
there’s always the chance that she could have died too,” the youkai mutters to
herself; knowing all too well how many humans were fortunate to make it out
alive once a demon decided they were prey, “And, by now, there isn’t enough
purifying powers among the humans in this time to keep them all from being
overwhelmed.”
“Purifying powers?” Sheila’s voice wafts in as the dark teen opens the wooden
thing they called a door. ~It’s like a mini version of the gates one would see
for mansions or palaces instead of a plain door mat~ Vickie thought before
smiling at her inquisitive friend.
“Yes. Some humans, known as priests, priestesses, or even monks, have the
spiritual power to fight off demons. They usually do it for a fee or tithe, and
some even travel around for the purpose of exorcising demons.”
“That must be a dangerous timeframe for you then,” Sheila states quietly; worry
etched across her face.
“It’s true. While the human’s I mentioned won’t hesitate to kill a demon, most
demons will fight each other, and tend to have a ‘every-demon-for-themselves’
kind of attitude,” Vickie acknowledges, “Life it tough, and death is a daily
reality. If it wasn’t for my brother, I don’t know where I would be right now…”
“I’m really sorry about your brother,” Sheila comes into the room; shutting the
door behind her before talking again, “I hope he’s alright. Kurama was just
talking to me about trying to confront him about it in the morning.”
Vickie sneers at the very sound of the other youkai’s name, “Confront him? Why
confront him?”
“From the way he explained it to me, some victims don’t want to acknowledge
that they’re victims,” the human girl frowns at Vickie, “They might even blame
themselves for the attack because they feel like they instigated it somehow.
Male victims are the most likely to do this..,” Sheila shivers after saying
those words. ~She must be imagining what kind of pain he must be in after
being…raped~ What a strange thought that was for Vickie. Inuyasha wasn’t
exactly a weakling, so trying to picture someone actually raping him was hard
for her.
“Why don’t you tell me your story now? I can’t bear to think of your brother
out there after all of that. I’m sure he’s ok, but…”
“…But until I go check on him, it’s hard to stay optimistic, right?” Vickie
guessed; knowing the answering silence from her friend meant she was just as
worried. It gave the female youkai great hope. ~This isn’t just sympathy. I can
feel it. She’s feeling it as if he is her brother too. Sheila is resisting it,
but I know she wants to race out of here and help him just as badly as I
do…Even though she doesn’t know him at all.~ Vickie smiles at her new sister,
“Alright. I’ll tell you all about me and what I know of my brothers”
 
~Sheila~
 
            She’d been seconds from arguing with Kurama. Sheila couldn’t stand
it! Even if it wasn’t Vickie’s brother, no one deserved to be out there alone
after all of that. ~Yes, I told Vickie to calm down, but that doesn’t mean I
don’t want any action done~
“We need to wait for instructions, Sheila,” Kurama had explained to her, “If we
change too many things that happens to Inuyasha, we may risk changing a part of
history that is necessary for us to save this time.”
“So we’re sitting here and doing nothing?!” She nearly shouted at him; wanting
to smack him for his rational words.
“As you told Vickie, it wouldn’t be wise to go racing into unknown danger,” the
red head had frowned and his eyes actually looked to be sad for a moment,
“Please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t like what has happened, and, if Vickie
desires it, I shall gladly give my life to battle the asshole that did this.”
“Kurama…,” She had whispered his name in surprise. Sheila didn’t know much
about the man claiming to be a spirit detective, and hadn’t seen him show much
emotion. His sadness looked so genuine to her, she couldn’t argue with it no
matter how she tried to in her mind.
            So she gave up trying to force him into action and decided to check
on Vickie.
Coming in on the youkai talking about purifying powers under her breath had
made Sheila curious. ~Priestesses…Like Kagome…~ She had thought privately; now
wishing for her sister more than ever.
“Ok,” Vickie says before taking a breath; her voice pulling Sheila from her
thoughts,
“I'm the youngest out of three youkai. Well, daiyoukai, to be honest.”
“Youkai and daiyoukai?”
“a youkai is a demon and a daiyoukai is a great demon,” Vickie explains, “They
both are words used for demons, except great demons are more like lords of my
time. They can control other demons and tend to be more powerful than regular
demons. In any case, there are three of us left to spread our father’s great
legacy.”
“Your father?” Sheila asks, “Does that mean that your father is dead?”
Vickie nods, “Yes. My father fought to the death for the safety of my little
brother and his mother. I…my little brother and I have never met him. Or at
least I haven’t met him enough to recall much about him.”
“Oh, ok,” Sheila tilts her head some, “Was your father a good man?”
“I’m not sure good would be the word one would use to describe my father. He
was a great and intelligent man, but he was still a demon,” Vickie shrugs,
“While I think he was great and very powerful, humans might not have the same
ideas of him.”
“No, I guess not. Are there no good demons in your time?”
“Let’s just say that they are rare.”
“I see…,” Sheila thinks about what she’s heard so far before prompting Vickie
to continue, “So there are three of you?”
“Yes. We all have different mothers. The oldest is Sesshomaru. I don’t know too
much about him because we weren’t that close growing up, but I do know that
he’s a full blood, pure dog daiyoukai. He can be a bit moody acting, but,
despite all his words about not caring what happens to us, Sesshomaru has
always been there when we need him the most. His mother’s name is Kiyomi. She’s
basically like him, but more playful and understanding.”
“How old is Sesshomaru?”
 “Hmmm…A bit over two hundred and…sixty I think.”
Sheila’s eyes go wide, “H-he’s two hundred and what?!”
Vickie laughs, “He’s still very young actually. Not even considered to be in
his twenties in human terms when it comes to age. Maybe somewhere between
seventeen and nineteen I think.”
            Sheila tries to wrap her mind around that ~Two hundred years
old…Very few humans make it to a hundred…but he’s two hundred years old and is
still considered so young!~
Not knowing of her friend’s thoughts, Vickie continues on with her story, “At
first he was angry at my little brother for inheriting the amazing sword of our
father, Tetsusaiga.”
“Tet…susaiga?”
“It's one of the swords made from one of our father's fangs, and has the power
to kill a hundred demons in one blow!” The youkai explains, “It’s very
powerful, and Sesshomaru wanted to have it. He felt father should have left it
to him instead of Inuyasha.”
“So the sword was an inheritance?”
“Sort of. It’s a fickle sword. It’s made in a way where Sesshomaru can’t use it
with his own hands, so he pretty much has to use magic of some kind to hold
it.”
“Magic? Like magic gloves or something?”
Vickie laughs, “Yeah, if he can find anymore. They are very hard to make, and
his last pair got ruined by Inuyasha when they first fought over the sword. If
it wasn’t for the gloves, my brother would only have one arm to his name.”
Sheila flinches; trying to imagine the kind of battle two demons with weapons
could have, “Sounds brutal.”
“It was, trust me,” Vickie shivers, “Inuyasha’s…friend...and I could do nothing
but watch as they almost killed each other. It took a long time for our eldest
brother to stop trying to hurt the youngest of us.”
Sheila frowns a little. She heard the hesitation in the youkai’s voice at
saying the word ‘friend’ and couldn’t understand why. ~Maybe it’s someone she
doesn’t see as much of a friend~ She determines before replying a serious fact
to her new sister, “I've never really seen a sword before.”
“Really?”
“Really. Even though there are a lot of artifacts at my house, I don’t get to
see the weapons that are put up and cared for.”
“Then you’ll have to be taught on how to use them,” Vickie smiles, “That’s
fine. Inuyasha and I can teach you how to use them if you want. My youngest
brother sucked at first, but is pretty good with using his sword now.”
“O-ok,” Sheila answers warily; not sure she was ready to hold a sword and learn
to use it for the sole purpose of hurting someone with it.
“Don’t worry about it for now,” Vickie states; as if sensing Sheila’s
discomfort, “Anyways, Sesshomaru was jealous and angry because he inherited the
Tenseiga, another sword made by one of our father's fangs, but it has the power
to heal over a hundred people in one blow instead”
“But that’s amazing too!” Sheila exclaims; wishing she had such a sword when
her mother was dying. ~I might have been able to save her, if I had something
like that…Then she would still be here with me…And we would be living together
now…~ “Um…is there any way of finding the swords in the present time?”
Vickie blinks before smiling, “You know…That’s a good question. I haven’t spent
enough time in your timeframe to really know, but it’s possible.”
“Maybe once we learn where your brothers were located at when with the swords
we can find them in here in the present,” Sheila thought out loud before
smiling back at Vickie, “But I still don’t get why Sesshomaru would be upset
with his inheritance. It sounds like an amazing sword to me.”
“It is an amazing sword. But my big bro is one of the first of our generation
of dog demon warlords. So a healing sword isn’t very useful for him.”
“Oh. Well, that explains the anger and jealousy,” Sheila mummers softly, “So,
he got over his jealousy, right?”
“Hmmm….in some ways, yes. My brothers are very proud people. He might not admit
it, but it hurt him to know that father gave what he perceives as the better
sword to Inuyasha. He’s been doing a lot of soul searching to understand it,
and, in turn, has been able to work through his emotions about it. I don’t know
if he’s fully over the jealousy, but he’s better than he was about it.”
 “So in the end, they still care for each other?”
“Yeah…,” Vickie looks down, “When our father died, we were all devastated. Even
I was angry with my youngest brother for a little while about his death.”
“Was…was your youngest brother responsible for your father’s death?” Sheila
questions slowly; afraid of the answer. To hear that siblings were willing to
fight to the death wasn’t new. Arguing with Kagome on a daily basis has made
her think she wouldn’t miss the girl if she never came home. But…to purposely
harm one’s own parent…It was a heinous crime to her.
“I'm not at that part yet,” Vickie remarks, perking up, “Sesshomaru is really
an aristocratic assassin and he takes his title very seriously. Since he and my
youngest brother have the same enemy, they've finally put some of their
differences aside and joined forces. Now they travel together but still fight
about those crazy swords of theirs every once in a while,” the youkai laughs a
little; the sound causing Sheila to laugh as well.
“That sounds like something stupid that a bunch of demon boys would fight over,
I guess.”
“Yes! They always make me laugh when they're fighting about that silly sword!
It really funny to me because Sesshomaru now has two great swords called
Tokijin and Bakusaiga!”
“Tokijin and Bakusaiga,” Sheila repeats the words before a question that makes
her start blushing ripples to the surface of her mind, “Um…What about dating?
Does your older brother…date?”
“No and yet he's so handsome! He's amazingly pale and tall. And he has these
beautiful markings on his face that neither me nor my other brother have. His
hair is long and silver white and he has a big fluffy tail that he actually has
to hold up off the ground! He wears armor that includes a spiked pauldron that
covers his left shoulder and is attached to the upper part of his cuirass and-”
“Wait a minute,” Sheila stops Vickie, “What exactly is a pauldron and a
cuirass?”
“A pauldron is part of plat armor that evolved from spaulders-another form of
armor plates-in the 15th century and a cuirass is just the term used to mean
the whole body armor.”
“Oh,” Sheila feels a bit stupid for not remembering that from history class, “I
see. My mother use to talk about that when she use to tell me some of her most
famous stories she made up.”
“Stories?”
She nods, “Yes. Mom use to own a capsule hotel and would tell stories to the
customers that stayed with us.”
“Oh, you mean an inn?”
“Yes, it was a kind of inn.”
 “Hmmm, You’ll have to show me one someday.”
“Sure. I still have some pictures My mother and I took of the hotel a long time
ago.”
“Great! But anyways, his armor and sash are mostly of `Mainland' influence.”
Sheila wrinkles her nose in confusion, “Why in the world would he have a
Chinese sash and armor?”
“Beats me. That’s just the way of my brother. He also wears a white kimono with
a red honeycomb and flower crest at the collar, sleeves and shoulder,” Vickie
looks proud, “That's our family's crest. He wears Sashinuki Hakama gathered up
at the ankles and some weird flat, ankle high boots of the `Mainland' that me
and my other brother don't really concern ourselves with.”
“Sounds like a lot of clothes.”
“It is! He's the strongest out of all three of us, but mostly keeps to himself
and Rin.”
“Rin?”
“A young girl that he has raised since she was a little kid,” Vickie giggles,
“I think she's just about old enough now to start really dating Sesshomaru.”
“Tall, pale and handsome. A warrior who defends her honor…,” Sheila sighs;
already picturing the enchanting demon in her head, “I wouldn't mind meeting
him. Rin is lucky.”
“I suppose she is. Now, enough of him,” Vickie chirps, “of course there's me!”
Sheila laughs, “Of course. Tell me about you now, Vickie.”
Vickie sits up spritely; obviously happy to tell about herself, “I'm a full
blood demon, but I am half Akita Inu Daiyokai and half okuri-ookami.”
Sheila nods in understanding, “You're half dog youkai and half wolf youkai.”
“Right,” Vickie beams, “my mother is a lot like Sesshomaru's mom. She is
playful and elegant and is the leader of a pack of well-known demon wolves
called the Wolf Winds Pack.”
“Hmmm, I've never heard of them.”
Vickie sweatdrops, “Thanks a lot Sheila.”
“Oh I'm sorry! Please,” She tries to be polite despite not knowing a thing
about this so-called remarkable pack, “tell me more about your history.”
“Well I don't know how Sesshomaru's mom met our dad, but my mother tricked him
into marriage!”
“What?!”
Vickie laughs, “It's the funniest trick I've yet heard. He was trying to take
over her territory when she told him that she could tell him where the Great
Jewel of Wolf Valley was, but if he could find it himself then the whole
territory would be his without a fight!”
“Demons have use of jewels?”
“Certain jewels in our time have immense powers,” the youkai explains, “demons
will do almost anything to get the magical ones.”
“Oh, ok.”
“So my father went several weeks looking everywhere for the Great Jewel,
wanting so badly to just take my mother's lands and also its many treasures! My
mother's strong and fighting her can be hell for any man!”
“I see,” Sheila smiles, “he wanted to avoid any serious damage.”
“Yeah,” Vickie grins as she continues the story, “Finally, after months of
searching, the great dog demon gave in and asked my mom where the Great Jewel
of Wolf Valley was,” Vickie barely holds in a giggle, “Do you know what she
said?”
“What?”
“She said “My name is Kagura Hoseki Himino. I am the Great Jewel of Wolf Valley
and you have to marry me for not knowing my famous name to be mine,” The youkai
snickers, “Poor dad fell for it.”
“Oh my god,” Sheila shakes her head, chuckling, “That is a terrible trick to
play.”
“Maybe so, but that is the way of demons sometimes. He eventually learned to
love her though, so it’s not too bad.”
“That’s good. At least it ended happily for them. But what about you? And
you've got to tell me more about your dad and your little brother.”
“Alright. I'm the only daughter that my dad had before he died. My full name is
Victoriana Miko Inu no Taishou Himino. Since I haven't known my father since I
was a baby, my little brother and I are very close,” Vickie sighs, looking
dazed with memories, “Once we heard about each other, Inuyasha and I joined
forces after his mother died. We raised each other, and kept each other safe.”
“What happened to your own mother?”
“She’s still around, but, being a wolf youkai, she wanted me to learn to
survive on my own as well as with her training. So I spent a load of my time
with my brother whenever I could.”
“You both sound like you are very close.”
Sheila sees a tender smile cross Vickie’s lips, “Yes, we are….But…”
She frowns at hearing the contradicting word, “What's wrong Vickie?”
“…I don't know anything about my father, so I guess you can say that my brother
is the one that acted like a father to me. Even though he’s younger than me,”
she stares down at her fingers, “he found me and my mother when I was only six
years-old, and vowed to always take care of me. If it wasn't for him, I don’t
know if I would be the strong person I am today.”
“So your life is really your brother's life,” Sheila wonders out loud, “I was
raised as an only child by my mother, so I never knew any kind of love from a
brother or sister.”
“It's the best kind of love to ever come second to that of a parent’s love,”
Vickie tells her with strong conviction, “I've been with my brother ever since,
so my history is really his history.”
“Hmmm…But didn’t you also say that he’s the reason for your father’s death?”
Vickie narrows her eyes, “You don't forget about nothing do you?”
Sheila blushes, “Is that a bad thing?”
“No,” Vickie sighs with a smile, “I guess not. You see, my younger brother's
story is the most romantic and most tragic out of all three of us. Even his
name is an irony of what he truly is.”
“His name?” The dark teen asks; not knowing how a name could be a contradiction
of who you are.
“My brother is none other than the great hanyo of Feudal Era Japan: Inuyasha
Inu no Taishou,” Vickie says with the utmost pride, “Only around two hundred
years old, Inuyasha was once a notorious half-demon trying to steal the Shikon
no Tama in order to become a full demon. Just barely surviving his own birth,
our father's last words were to name him Inuyasha as he fought to the death in
the burning home of Lady Izayoi, Inuyasha's noble human mother.”
Sheila almost holds her breath ~I see now. His father sacrificed his life to
keep him alive~ She thought; not quite able to hide her enchantment as she
encourages Vickie to continue with a question, “What happened to Lady Izayoi
and Inuyasha?”
“Lady Izayoi and Inuyasha were able to escape to a village where they could be
safe. But Inuyasha's tragedies are just at their beginning.”
“What do you mean?” Sheila asks; hoping she didn’t sound too impatient this
time. It was hard for her to contain herself when she felt a good story was
about to be told. So far, Vickie’s family was proving to be full of the very
things her own mother told her so long ago, and it made the teen feel like she
was somehow being pulled back in time to when her mother was alive.
 
  Telling her stories of tragic demons and love that fights hard for a happy
                                    ending.
                                        
“Well, with Inuyasha being a half demon, the humans in the village would have
nothing to do with him.”
“Nothing?!”
“Nope. The kids wouldn't even play with him.”
Sheila frowns, “Poor Inuyasha.”
“Yeah. Lady Izayoi would cry every night for her child. You see, she really did
love Inuyasha's father and they had met when he saved her from danger.”
“Wow,” Sheila whispers the word softly; as if a young child again, “Do you know
if he loved her back? I know he risked his life for Inuyasha, but did he do it
for her too?”
The youkai nods, “He gave his life to save her and Inuyasha. He even brought
Lady Izayoi back to life with the sword Tenseiga, so he must have loved her.”
“True. Who would bring back someone they didn’t love or care about?”
“Right. Unfortunately, Lady Izayoi was just human, and it didn’t take her long
to die. This left Inuyasha as an orphan, since demons age so much slower than
humans.”
“What about demons? Wouldn’t they help him?”
“Demons wouldn't help him or have anything to do with him because he was only a
half demon. Humans hated and feared him. Inuyasha soon learned to depend on
only himself and started to trust no one. Well, no one except me, that is.”
“I’m glad he at least had you.”
“Yes, and I’m glad to have had him. In time, Inuyasha grew up and fell in love
with a powerful human priestess name Kikyo,” Vickie explains, “I was wary of
her at first, but they turned out to be a good couple. She had succeeded in
making him believe that there was something better in life than hunting down
the Shikon Jewel and trying to become a full demon. Lady Kikyo was the guardian
of the jewel and, with time, both she and Inuyasha had come to love each other
greatly. But then Kikyo was still a woman who only desired to be an average
woman. With such a soft heart hidden under the fierce priestess she had to be,
trouble didn’t take long to appear.”
“What do you mean?”
“She found a badly burned man. His name was Onigumo. He was a wicked human that
gave up his body in order to fuse with demons so that he would heal from his
awful injuries. After that happened, he became a half demon that calls itself
Naraku. The poor guy had some serious problems though.”
“Problems?”
“It just…seemed like he didn’t understand love without betrayal. It’s like all
he knew was the darkness that lies in a person’s heart.”
“You sound a bit too understanding of this wicked human.”
Vickie looks at Sheila seriously, “Is anyone truly just wicked? Can anyone
really be defined by just one word?”
“No….You’re right. No one can be fully defined by just one word,” She admits;
thinking of her own newly made friends. Sheila couldn’t take advantage of the
fact that there were words to describe people.
 
                           Words only told so much.
                                        
“I’m glad you understand. Either way, he likes corrupting the Shikon no Tama in
order to control people with the dark emotions within,” Vickie continues to
explain.
“Can I ask a question?”
“Yes?”
“What is the Shikon no Tama? I think they have a museum that has it now.”
“It’s basically a jewel of wishes. It can grant any wish and gives power to any
who possess it.”
“Oh, ok. I see now why everyone would want it.”
“Right. And, in my time, it has been shattered into dozens of pieces. We’re
still collecting the pieces and putting it back together.”
“What do you all plan to do with the pieces?”
“Inuyasha acts like he still wants to use it to become a full demon, but I’m
not fooled. He most likely wants to find a way to hide it or throw it away
forever. That jewel has done a lot of damage to his life as it is.”
“It has?”
“In order to get the jewel corrupted, Naraku played a nasty trick on Kikyo and
Inuyasha,” the youkai frowns, “He disguised himself as both of them; resulting
in Kikyo’s death and Inuyasha being put under a spell-sleep for over fifty
years.”
“Spell-sleep and murder,” she shakes her head, “It’s hard to believe it all.”
 “It's true,” Vickie says firmly, “Naraku tricked them into hating each other
so he could tarnish the jewel and use it for himself. Only…”
“What?”
“…I get the feeling that the Shikon no Tama is just one of the many parts that
must be found to fully be rid of it.”
“One of many parts…?...Wait,” a thought interrupted Sheila’s musing,
“Vickie…What happened to you while he slept for fifty years? You two were
always together as you said, so…were you ok?”
“I still had mother and Kaede.”
“Kaede?”
“Kikyo’s little sister. She was just a kid, but was really a help with my
grief.”
“Vickie…”
“…I would visit my brother every day when he was sealed to that tree,” the
youkai says, silent tears welling in her eyes, “I remember calling to him all
day and all night and kept wondering why he wouldn't answer me. After twenty
years went by I gave up on calling him as I started to believe that my brother
was dead.”
“Oh Vickie,” Sheila hugs her, “I'm sorry.” She says truthfully. Death was a
story Sheila would always hate to hear.
“It's OK. It's not like it was your fault,” Vickie wipes away the tears before
they could fall, “it's just hard for me to accept that I could do nothing for
the brother that had always did so much for me.”
“I understand,” Sheila pulls back into her own world, “I still blame myself for
my mother's death. She was so young and beautiful…she didn't deserve to die.”
“What happened to your mother?”
“That’s the problem. They never could diagnose the disease that was killing
her,” She smiles weakly down at her hands now folded in her lap, “I…I keep
feeling like it was my fault, somehow.”
“But that can’t be,” Vickie states with confidence, “You wouldn’t purposely
harm your mother.”
“No…not purposely…But…I still feel…that was my fault.”
“…I’m sorry, Sheila.”
“It’s ok,” she forces herself to look over at the other girl, “So, what
happened after fifty years?”
“A girl, who turned out to be a reincarnation of Lady Kikyo, suddenly appeared
and freed Inuyasha from the seal!”
“So he really was just asleep,” she remarks with relief.
“I was soo happy to see my brother awake again,” Vickie smiles fondly, “We
celebrated for days. I think it was the only time I liked his friend at all.
But…things got bad again, and pretty fast.”
“Oh no.”
“The…friend…was given the responsibility of watching over the jewel because she
is the reincarnation of Kikyo. But she didn’t take it seriously, and decided to
try and go back home to her time without listening to the fact that demons and
humans alike were after the jewel.”
“That was kinda stupid,” Sheila mutters before tensing, “Wait…she’s from a
different time?”
“Yes,” Vickie answers, “Thanks to that mistake, a witch of sorts used her to
bring back Kikyo from the dead in order to find the jewels. Luckily, Kikyo
couldn’t be controlled, but had some serious emotional issues to get through.
She and Inuyasha are friends now, and she’s become a fully living human after
doing a dark spell that gave her a another priestess’s soul in return for most
of her powers. She’s an average woman now.”
“Is…Is the girl from my time?” Sheila asks. She heard Vickie talk of Kikyo, but
was suspicious of hearing about a young girl that has traveled time.
“Yes she is.”
“…What is her name?”
“She calls herself Kagome Higurashi.”
 
 
                        *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
 
***** Chapter Nine: Confirmation From The Honest Brother And The Two Great
Promises *****
Chapter Summary
     Sheila talks with Sota, and makes a few promises...
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                                 Chapter_Nine:
                                        
          Confirmation_From_The_Honest_Brother_And_Two_Great_Promises
                                        
                                        
                ~Present day Japan, Tokyo, Higurashi Residence~
                                        
                                        
~Vickie~
 
            One moment, Sheila was listening attentively; as if the history she
heard was her very own being finally told to her. But then the dark teen was
racing out the room the next moment; surprising everyone as she ran from
Tristan’s apartment before anyone could stop her. Afraid that Kurama and Hiei
would interpret her running away as escape, Vickie chased after the two when
she saw them go after her sister; all three barely able to keep up as Sheila
raced to a strange residence. ~Is this…a shrine?~ The youkai thought; her back
prickling in a funny way as she looks around her ~Wait…This shrine…! It’s the
one near the well I climbed out of to get here!~She thought; now anxious to get
to her sister for a whole different reason.
            If the shrine was her home, and Kagome came through this way from
the well each time she returned , wasn’t there a chance that she knew the young
priestess as well? With that disturbing thought in mind, Vickie continued to
chase; finally making it to the two that watch as Sheila opens the door to the
house and, with a glare that promised pain if they weren’t quiet, slips in. ~I
guess that means we can come in~ She thought; following the two demons into the
house.
            Vickie looks around the home with interest. She’s never seen a
modern day house before, and thought it looked strange. There were…things in
the kitchen she didn’t know or understand what they were for, and she almost
went to touch the microwave to see what it would do when she saw the two male
youkai trailing after Sheila up the stairs. Vowing to confront this odd
creature later, the female youkai chases after them; taking the stairs two at a
time in order to keep up.
They went past a couple of doors that Vickie could only guess lead to bedrooms
or bathrooms before finally stopping in front of one.
“Wait here,” Was all Sheila told them before slowly opening the door and
slipping inside. Vickie peeks in to see an upraised futon, a green carpet piece
on the floor and more weird stuff surrounding a slightly big, square thing in
the little room. ~What the hell are those things?~
“Sota,” she heard the dark teen whisper; seeing her lightly shake someone
sleeping on the strange futon, “Sota, wake up!”
            The figure in the high lifted bed shifts and groans before slowly
sitting up and looking blurry eyed at Sheila. The covers had fallen back to
reveal nothing more than a young boy with pale skin, sleepy brown eyes and
short black hair wearing a soft aqua-green pajama set.
“S-sister?” Sota speaks up tiredly, “What’s up? It’s really late, isn’t it?”
“I’m sorry to wake you, little brother,” Sheila coos gently at him; tugging the
small human into her arms slowly since she was still most likely in pain, “But
I need to ask you something really important.”
“Huh?” Sota glances at her; frowning at seeing the bandages, “Have you been
fighting again, Sheila? Are you ok? You look really hurt.”
            Vickie’s heart tightens at the sight of Sheila smiling at what she
now knows to be her little brother, “I’ll be fine, otouto. More importantly, I
really need you to answer me very honestly, ok?”
The young boy’s sleepy eyes slowly turn serious; a determination to aid his
older sister shining in his eyes as he nods, “Ok, sis. What do you wanna know?”
“Just tell me one thing,” Sheila looks seriously at him, “Tell me where Kagome
has been going all this time.”
~I knew it~ Vickie thought; a wary chill going down her spine, ~She does know
Kagome! The question is…how do they know her…?~
 
~Sheila~
 
            Sheila watches as an array of emotions pass over her half-brother’s
face. Sota was usually very honest unless asked to lie, and she could tell that
he was fighting the urge to obey one sister while wanting to talk to the other.
Kagome most likely told him not to tell anyone, so she knew this wouldn’t be
easy.
            Once Vickie had said that Kagome Higurashi was the one that was
visiting their time, everything started to finally make some kind of sense in
her mind. Her A-grade, if a bit mean and hormonal, older sister had something
going on, and Sheila was determined to find out. ~No more secrets~ She thought,
~I won’t stop until there are no more secrets left for my friends and family to
hide behind.~
“Wha-what exactly are you asking me, sister?” Sota asks; his voice a bit shaky.
“Dear little brother,” she croons; running a hand through his hair as she
cuddles him close, “I know that Kagome has been going to the Feudal Era.”
“You mean she told you?”
“No…Someone else that knows her did.”
“Was it Inuyasha?”
Sheila head almost snaps up at the name, “So she does know Inuyasha?”
Sota nods, “It’s true. He’s even visited a couple of times, but not by much,”
he says with a pout.
“Don’t worry, Sota. I’ll ask him to visit more if I see him,” Sheila promises;
meaning it with all her heart. Of all the people in the house, Sota truly did
act like a sibling to her. They even fought over pointless things, and that
made her heart feel so wanted and loved. She wasn’t sure how Kagome’s mother or
Grandpa felt about her, and so didn’t really know how to feel. ~Plus they are
not part of me. Sota is a part of me. Sharing some of my blood and life. He’s
the reason I haven’t ran away already, cause I know he would be sad.~
“Y-you will?” Sota asks; his hopeful expression enough to make her smile and
nod at her darling brother.
“Yes. I’ll go and tell him myself.”
“I’m afraid you can’t do that.”
Sota squeaks and hugs closer to Sheila as a Kurama comes in, “Wh-who is that?”
“Don’t worry about it, Sota,” She growls; glaring at the red head, “He doesn’t
matter.”
            It surprised her how Kurama flinched. ~…As if my words
actually…hurt him?...Does…Does he care what I think of him after all, but isn’t
showing it for some reason?~ She thought. Now she remembers how upset he was
about the rape, and realized he must be hiding his true emotions. Not that the
knowledge made her feel any better about him or Hiei. ~There’s only one way to
get him to let me go…~
“I’ll come with you to the Makai if you allow me to check on Inuyasha.”
 
~Kurama~
 
“Sheila no!” He heard Vickie wail out as soon as the words left the dark teen’s
lips. Her distrust hurt. He didn’t understand why it did, but the lack of trust
on Sheila’s end left his heart feeling like there was a hole in it. ~This must
be some kind of magic empathy that she’s using without knowing it. Rather she
knows it or not, Sheila is very powerful, and could become very dangerous.~
“And if I still say no?” Kurama challenges. He had to gauge how serious she
was. How much she could possibly be pushed or swayed to do something.
“Then I’ll kill myself.”
Kurama’s heart stops for a moment; his green eyes widening as he stares into
the serious, dark orbs of the teen girl cradling her brother, “You would do
that? Even at the risk of what it might do to the world?”
“What’s the point of saving the world if I can’t even help the ones closest to
me?” She challenges back; her glare once again making him flinch, “You may not
know loyalty or friendship. Or you may not even care for another’s life unless
told to do so, but I’m not you,” She gently settles her brother back in his bed
before glaring back at him, “Vickie needs our help. Her brother has been raped
and you don’t even give a damn! I’m supposed to save a world that doesn’t care
about the suffering others have to go through to save them? If that’s the case,
then I’d rather die and the world can follow me to hell!”
“Sister…,” Sota whines softly; eyes sad and afraid, “Please don’t say things
like that. Please don’t do that!” He crawls out of bed to hug her from behind,
“You’re the only one that believes I can get over my fears. You don’t just
simply say I’ll just get scared or vent your frustrations on me like Kagome. I
love her still and know she loves me, but her lack of faith in me hurts
sometimes. Please, sis! I love you both, no matter what and I don’t want to
lose you or her. So please…don’t.”
“This is all so very touching,” Kurama hears Hiei says with all the care of a
sleepy drawling cat, “Unfortunately for you, we can’t let you die. Even though
I would gladly watch you destroy yourself.”
“Why? Because life has so little value for you that the only time you feel
alive is when someone else is dead?” Sheila tests the shorter demon, “You don’t
know the love and sacrifice of family? You’d give nothing to save one of your
own if you discovered them hurt or raped? Are you really that heartless?”
            Kurama quickly interferes once Hiei becomes quiet; secretly knowing
that the little demon would do the exact same thing Sheila was doing if he
thought it would save his family or loved ones, “So you really intend to kill
yourself? Despite what your brother has just told you?”
“My brother will someday understand that, when you care about someone, you have
to be ready to give it all up,” Sheila remarks calmly; turning away from Kurama
to smile softly down at her brother, “To do anything less doesn’t show just how
much you love them, ok?”
            The young boy slowly nods; tears dripping down his face as he
slowly releases his sister. The fox youkai stands silent at her convictions.
~She’s willing to die right here and now for someone she hasn’t even met. I
understand her growing bond with Vickie, but she has no bond to this Inuyasha,
and yet …?~
“Fine. I’ll let you go to check on him,” Kurama gives in; privately relieved at
the smile that shows on Sota’s wet face, “But only if you keep your promise to
come to Makai afterwards.”
“I will go to the Makai after Inuyasha visits my brother,” Sheila corrects, “I
have to keep the first promise before I do yours.”
“Fine,” Kurama accepts before turning and leaving the room.
 
                        He’d have to call Koenma soon.
                                        
 At this rate, who’s to say history won’t repeat itself and the helpful demon
                          won’t just kill destroyed?
                                        
~I’m here for you, Sheila…Even though you don’t think so, I’m here for you.
Just give me the chance to prove it…~
                                        
                                        
 
                        *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
 
***** Chapter Ten: Journey To The Feudal Era And The Misadventure *****
Chapter Summary
     Inuyasha deals with his pain and Sheila ventures to the Feudal Era
     for the first time with friends...
 
                          *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                                 Chapter_Ten:
                                        
                Journey_To_The_Feudal_Era_And_The_Misadventure!
                                        
                                        
 ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Western Edge towards Kai, Goon Chinmoko
                         Forest, Inuyasha’s Campsite~
 
 
~Inuyasha~
 
 
“What's wrong Inuyasha? You don't look so good.”
Inuyasha glares as best he could at the little fox demon, “I'm fine, Shippo.
There's nothing to worry about.” He lies with ease. The night had been a rough
affair for him with very little sleep and a lot of shivering. Even after his
hair went white again and the demon half of him took effect, he still couldn’t
stop shaking slightly. ~It was all a dream~ He tries to convince himself
despite the ache in his lower extremities, ~It was all just a really bad dream.
There’s no way that Kagome could…rape me…I-I wanted it…I’m just…having a bad
day…~
“Hey, does anybody know where Kagome is,” Sango asks Miroku and Shippo, “I've
looked around the campsite but I can't find her.”
“She may be at the hot springs,” Miroku answers, “you know Kagome loves to take
baths.”
“Then we should wait on her to come back before we leave,” Sango looks around
with a frown, “I'd hate to leave her in this creepy place.”
“Why don't you go look for her, Inuyasha,” Shippo suggests to the half demon
prince.
“I don't feel like it,” Inuyasha growls. He wasn’t ready to face Kagome. Not
yet. Not when he was still in so much pain his body felt like it was going to
come apart.
“But what about Kagome,” Shippo whines, “you can't be so mean as to leave her
here!”
“It's her own fault for leaving in the first place,” He tries to growl;
although his voice seems to raspy to do it right, “She probably just went home
or something.”
“We can’t risk that, Inuyasha,” Miroku states calmly, “Besides, why would she
go all the way through this area alone just to go home? She would have waited
for us to get up and take her home safely.”
“Whatever,” Inuyasha continues to growl, “Where ever she is, it’s her own fault
for being there instead of here!”
“We are not leaving without her, Inuyasha,” Sango says firmly.
“Fine. Whatever,” Inuyasha grumbles before turning around and walking away with
a slight limp he hopes none of the others notice.
“Hey! Where you going Inuyasha,” Shippo asks.
“I'm going ahead, you guys wait on Kagome if ya want.”
“You're always so mean! Always making decisions on your own and never thinking
of Kagome,” Shippo shouts after him, “fine! Go then! We don't need you!”
“Fine with me,” Inuyasha calls back with a wave of his hand, continuing to walk
away. He could still hear Sango asking the others if he was Ok as he takes to
the trees with a grunt of pain and a dizzying sensation that nearly makes him
miss the branches a few times. He couldn’t be sure, but Inuyasha felt hotter
than normal and only desired to sleep and never get up again.
 
          He barely even has the strength to stand without quivering.
                                        
Inuyasha had thought that, once he turned back into a half demon again,
everything would be fine. But the fever was vicious and the shakes refuse to
let go of its grip on his body.
 
     He didn't even want to think about how hard it was to pee or how sore
                          everything was…down there.
                                        
Inuyasha tries not to worry about the abuse he was dealt at the hands of his
own lover. Tries not to question rather she truly loved him or not because of
last night.
 
 Doubly afraid to let go of the guilt and shame of somehow knowing and feeling
                         that it really was his fault.
                                        
The hanyo forces his ailing body to leap over a cliff before walking a short
distance and allowing his body to succumb to the need to rest; the shivering
getting worse as he breaks out into a cold sweat that tries leaking into his
eyes. Laying down in a thicket beside a meadow, Inuyasha felt tears falling
down his cheeks quietly.  ~Kagome loves me…Kagome loves me…~ He thought over
and over again; hoping what his thoughts and feelings were saying to him were
true as he slowly falls unconscious…
 
~Kagome~
 
            She felt a bit sick as she dunks her head into the water; taking a
quick morning wash to help deal with her guilty feelings. Last night, even with
all its downs, was spectacular. Inuyasha had been exactly what she needed. He
had a length and thickness that hit all the spots she wanted and felt perfect
inside her. ~I knew we would fit perfectly together, but…~ It still wasn’t
enough. The fact that she had to make Inuyasha love her made her both sad and
guilty. ~When he said no, I lost it. It made me so mad that he didn’t feel like
showing me love, I just…couldn’t stop…~ The young teen sighs dejectedly while
coming out of the chilly water to quickly dry with a towel and get dress. This
time, it was her school uniform as usual instead of something new and sexy.
“Inuyasha…Don’t you love me at all?”
“Kagome? Kagome?!” She hears Sango calling for her. Putting her thoughts of
Inuyasha to the side to worry about later, Kagome rushes on her socks and shoes
before leaving the secluded spot to be viewed by her friends.
 “I’m over here!”
            She smiles at seeing Sango, Miroku and Shippo looks of happiness
and relief at seeing that she was ok, ~Good. He didn’t tell them yet. Maybe he
does love me after all since he didn’t tell anyone about it~
“There you are,” Sango remarks with a smile, “I figured you were taking a
bath.”
“Sorry about that, guys,” Kagome apologizes, “I couldn’t help getting on a
quick one before we went on our way,” she laughs, then frowns as she realized
something rather bothersome, “Hey, where’s Inuyasha?”
“He got impatient,” Miroku states; causing Kagome to feel slightly irritated.
Clearly, nothing has changed since last night for Inuyasha at all. ~So much for
thinking he would suddenly turn into less of a jerk~
“Yeah, he went ahead of us even though we told him to wait,” Shippo answers as
well.
“I’m sure if we get going now, we’ll catch up with him,” Sango surmises;
getting a nod of agreement from Kagome.
“You’re right. We’ll talk more about Inuyasha later. Let’s go before we lose
him completely.”
 
 
~Modern Day Japan, Tokyo, Higurashi Residence, Bone Eater’s Well~ 
 
 
~Sota~
 
            Sota stares at Sheila as she went through her inventory one more
time; the overwhelming amount of stuff she was taking with her making him a
little dizzy with trying to keep up. Assuring his mother that everything was ok
once she came towards his room after swearing she heard a wail when everyone
raced off from the house, the little human boy was glad to not have to think
about what his only parent would do if she knew that he told the newest family
member about the Bone Eater’s Well.
            It was supposed to stay a secret, but he couldn’t understand why
they didn’t want to tell Sheila about it. ~Isn’t it a family secret, and she’s
part of the family?~ He thought; not able to quite get what it all meant.
“Ok. I think that’s enough stuff to get us through about a month of visiting
the Feudal Era based on what Kurama has told us about the economy in that
timeframe.”
            The teen that his sister introduced to him as Yusuke nods before
smiling at Joey, “Ya think you can live without Seto that long?”
“He can’t leave the business alone just yet, but he plans to meet up with us if
it takes too long,” The one called Joey assures; although Sota could see that
the teen would miss the older man waiting outside of the residence a lot for
some strange reason.
“Back then, Japan was basically using Chinese currency that they imported, and
starting using a kind of credit back then that was really popular,” Sheila
remarks; merely copying what she already heard from Kurama. Sota wasn’t
worried. His sister was really cleaver, and had a lot of her allowance that
came from her inheritance turned into Chinese currency just in case she might
need to use it. But, with all the clothes, food, and camping supplies that
leaves everyone having to wear at least two bags that hook to their belts as
well as large traveling packs, the young boy figured they were plenty prepared
for anything.
 “OK,” his sister smiles at everyone, “I think everyone is set now.”
“Sheila!”
Sota glances up to see a lanky boy with dark brown hair and dark eyes wander in
with four suitcases that could be rolled around if need be.
“Hey, Tristan,” Sheila greets, “I was wondering when you or Seto would come in
here.”
“Seto had to get going because of some emergency call and told me to tell Joey
he’ll catch up within a week,” the teen informs.
“Wh-what’s those suitcases from?” Sota asks; curious about everything they were
taking with them.
“These are from Kaiba,” Tristan answers, “Apparently, it’s more money just in
case our things get stolen or something. He says that Joey should have the
voiced passcode to open them, since they are made of some kind of material that
is nearly impossible to destroy no matter what you use.”
“Hmmm,” The one called Vickie hums in appreciation, “That was smart of him.”
“Yeah, they even come with trackers in case someone gets lucky in taking them.”
Sheila nods, “I’m really grateful to him. I wish he would have stayed long
enough for me to thank him,” she mummers before looking over the group of
people surrounding her, “OK, let me check to see who's coming with me. Joey?”
“Yeah.”
“Yusuke?”
“Yep.”
“Keiko?”
“Definitely.”
“Serenity?”
“Yes.”
“Kelson?”
“hmm-hm.”
Sheila sweatdrops, “I'll take that as a yes,” she looks over at Kurama and
Hiei, “And they are willing to meet up with us in about a week or two if it
takes us too long to run into Inuyasha,” she then turns away from them to smile
at her friends “Alright! We're ready to go!”
“Please be careful, sis,” Sota frets, “I’ve only seen Kagome and Inuyasha come
through here.”
“Don’t worry, little brother,” Vickie winks at the human boy, “I’ve got enough
magically shards of the Shikon no Tama for us all to get through. For some
strange reason, it allowed me to come through.”
Sota blushes at the teen’s words. He didn’t know why the girl kept calling him
brother, but was told by Sheila that she somehow earned the right to. He didn’t
get girls. They talked in such strange ways.
 “OK Vickie,” Sheila moves so that Vickie was front of her beside the well,
“show us the way.”
Vickie nods with a grin, “All we have to do is jump in.”
“Good-bye everyone. Be safe ok?”
“Don’t worry, little brother,” Sheila’s comforting arms warp around him; making
Sota sink into her enveloping heat, “Once we find Inuyasha and make sure he’s
ok. We’ll let you visit him and let him visit you. Then I’ll have to go on
another trip.”
“Will I ever see you again after your other trip?” He asks; voice muffled
against her shirt.
“I hope so, Sota,” Sheila answers truthfully, “I’m really not sure what will
happen to me on my second trip. Take care of mom, grandpa and Kagome for me
when I’m gone, ok?”
“O-ok,” Sota nods; trying not to cry.
“We’ve gotta go,” Vickie calls lowly; as if reluctant to part them before she
hands a girl name Keiko some shiny little shards and leaps into the well.
“Bye Sota,” Sheila calls; parting with him in order to take one of the shards
and jump into the well with the other following behind her.
“…G-good-bye, sis,” Sota replies; a silent tear of farewell making a subtle
trail down his cheek in the soft, early morning light filtering into the little
building…
 
~Sheila~
                                        
Sheila had to force herself to let go of her little brother; quickly rubbing
her own hidden tears away before jumping into the well into the unknown. In
truth, the dark teen had shut her eyes when she jumped. Even with how
convincing everyone had sounded about the Feudal Era, she still had doubts, and
thought she would most likely hit her face at the bottom of the well with all
her friends landing on her.
 
                             But nothing happened.
                                        
            Sheila shyly opens her eyes and gaps in wonder. Colors like a
warped tornado-rainbow flow around her as she softly free falls through the
space-like magic. ~What-…What's happening?~ She thought wondrously; looking
around her with a sense of calm that bothers her a little ~I feel like Alice
going down the rabbit hole or something! This isn’t some kind of dream, is
it?~The teen continues to wonder. Just when Sheila gets use to the feeling and
starts to think she might actually enjoy this mode of travel, the colors
surrounding her are gone and she's left staring blankly at the floor of the
well a few inches under her. She sweatdrops, “Oh no.”
BAM!
            Sheila falls down on her face as the magic wears off, “Ouch,” she
mumbles into the ground, slowly getting up and rubbing her sore face, “Ok…Maybe
I don’t like traveling like that after all,” she groans before climbing slowly
up and grabbing hold of the edge of the well to pull herself out. She freezes,
looking the different scenery before her. Blinking stupidly, she ducks her head
down, then peeks over the rim of the well only to do this again a few more
times before she just stares at the green grass and a giant tree in some kind
of wild meadow.
“This can't be real,” she says out loud, then moves out of the way as her
friends come screaming out of nowhere and fall at the bottom of the well.
“Ow,” Keiko groans, rubbing her head, “I think I broke something.”
“Speak for yourself,” Yusuke glares at Keiko on his back, “I know you broke
something!”
Keiko blushes, “Oops.”
“Hmmm,” Vickie frowns, checking her rear, “I forgot about that landing
problem.”
“Well I ain't sure to forget,” Joey complains, everyone laughing at his ground-
imprinted face, “Just look at my beautiful face!”
“I think it's an improvement,” Yusuke teases.
Joey makes a fist at Yusuke, “Why I outta-”
“Oh my,” Serenity says, her hair falling about her gentle, pale face as Kelson
helps her to her feet, “is everyone OK?”
Kelson glares at Vickie, “I've had better days.”
Vickie blushes, “Give me a break! I've only done this time traveling thing
twice already!”
“Does that mean that this is it?” Sheila asks quietly, climbing fully out of
the well to sit on the edge of it to look around at the wild and untamed growth
that made her feel mysteriously nostalgic.
Vickie leaps out of the well in pure excitement, “This is it,” she raises her
hands and twirls, “do you like it?”
“It is beautiful,” Keiko admits once she climbs out; her eyes looking the same
as Sheila was feeling.
“So this is the Feudal Era,” Kelson states; already starting to wander a little
bit while glancing up at the tree tops with a smirk, “Cool!”
Vickie bows, “Why thank you.”
Sheila tilts her head at Vickie; a thought that’s been messing with her since
earlier coming back to her, “Vickie…you’re a demon, right?”
“Then show me.”
“Huh?” Vickie blinks. She looked as if she wasn’t sure that she heard Sheila
right. Everyone pauses in their exploring to watch the two. She ignores them,
her attention rapt on Vickie, “You heard me. If you're a demon, you'll have
something that humans may not have.”
“Are you sure?”
She bobs her head in a nod, her eyes focusing intently on the youkai. Vickie’s
eyes glitter as she allows her slightly large, black, puppy ears to stick up
and smiles wickedly to reveal sharp fangs that Sheila had thought were just
rough overbites before. Shifting around a bit, the pale teen lets a long, silky
wolf tail find its way out of a hidden hole in her pants to sway at her side.
Joey and Serenity scream, hugging each other and looking wide eyed at their new
teammate while Yusuke laughs at their fear of the dog/wolf youkai. Sheila comes
towards Vickie, reaching up and lightly touching the ears on top of her head
in open fascination, “They're real.”
Vickie blushes at the attention, “I tried to tell you.”
She smiles at her friend-sister, removing her hands from the fleshy, cotton
soft appendages, “So everything you told me is-”
Rustle. Rustle.
Kelson and everyone else jump in alarm, “What the hell was that?”
Serenity quivers with new fright, “Vickie.”
“Yes?”
“Are all demons in this era friendly?”
“No. Most of them actually eat humans,” the female youkai replies; ear
twitching to pick up any other sounds.
“Ahh,” Joey whines, “I'm too handsome to die!”
“Oh shut up Joey!” Keiko argues, “You’re not the only one that can die here!”
“Hush Keiko, everyone,” Sheila demands, staring at some moving bushes,
“whatever it is, it's coming from those bushes.”
            The little group get closer together as the bushes become even more
uneasy, a strange, smoky creature with a body and eyes like floating, spaced
out atoms comes out into the open.
“What the fuck is that thing?” Kelson demands; hands balling into fists as he
backs away from the slowly approaching creature.
“I-I don't know,” Vickie admits, “I've never seen a demon like that.”
“We're gonna die,” Joey cries, gripping hold of Yusuke, who whacks him upside
the head with a frown.
Sheila nods with a determined look; seeing no way to avoid the inevitable,
“Then we'll just have to fight it. Hey,” she calls out to the demon, “ugly! Get
the fuck out of here now or else!”
“HHHmmmmm,” the demon groans like an old pipe being scraped another, older
pipe, “I sseee fooood.”
“Are you slow or hard of hearing,” Sheila tries again, “I said BACK OFF!!!”
“I don't think he's listening,” Yusuke says through gritted teeth, backing up
along with the others.
“No shit,” Sheila mutters as the demon comes closer, its eyes rolling loosely
around the air, “Vickie, can’t you do something?”
“Right,” Vickie growls, attacking the demon with her claws and becoming wide
eyed as she goes straight through it, “What the fuck?!?!”
Kelson frowns before shouting to Vickie, “The thing is made of gas and water,
that attack of yours is clearly not going to help.”
“And I don't have my sword with me,” Vickie cries out, “I left it with
Inuyasha!”
Joey panics, “OK, now we really are gonna die!”
“Yeah right,” Yusuke snickers; aiming his finger like a gun at the demon,
“Spirit Gun!”
A blast of energy zips from his fingers to hit the thing.
“Wow, Yusuke!” Serenity exclaims before Sheila could, “What the heck was that?”
“One of my many attacks. I’m not a spirit detective for nothing!”
“Don’t celebrate yet,” Joey squeaks, “Ugly is coming back together!”
Sheila narrows her eyes at the thing inching towards them, “Hitting it won’t
work,” She remarks; watching as the demon groans and simply glops back
together, “We need some kind of fire…Yusuke, give me a cracker from your bag!”
Yusuke blinks before quickly digging through his bag and giving her a pack of
Saltine Crackers, “That's all I got. I didn’t think we’d need many of them.”
“Not this kind of cracker, you idiot,” Sheila throws the crackers at spirit
detective’s shoulder while Vickie tries over and over to hit the approaching
monster, “I meant the firecrackers! What the fuck was I gonna do with Saltine
crackers?!?”
“I thought ya had to eat in order to kick some ass or something,” Yusuke
answers with a fluster of movement, hurrying to hand Sheila the firecrackers
and blushes at her glare, “Now what?”
“Light them, dumb ass! I have an idea!” She tells him quickly; the tomboy in
her burgeoning up in the face of danger.
            Kelson and Keiko help Yusuke get the firecrackers lighted, giving a
few to Sheila.
“Hey ugly,” she yells at the demon, Vickie just barely getting out of the
thing's striking distance as Sheila comes running, “I want you to meet
some very close friends of mine,” she throws a firecracker at the demon,
“things that hurt!”
The demon shrieks in pain as a firecracker explodes on its body, causing it to
distort and shake horridly, “You'lllll paaaayy foooorrr thissss!!!”
“Oh really,” She taunts while handing a few to Vickie, “and do you want your
payment in red firecrackers or blue firecrackers? Either color will look great
on your dead body!”
The thing appears to quiver with laughter, “Yooooouuuu cannnnooot killllll
mmmeeeee.”
“That's what you think,” both Sheila and Vickie yell together, throwing
firecrackers that blow up and evaporate the monster's body. The creature starts
to retreat and she isn't letting up an inch. The fight had gotten to her head.
Even with her body giving dull sparks of pain to remind her that she’s still
injured from two fights before, Sheila didn’t want to let it escape…
 
~Vickie~
 
“Come back and fight you nasty excuse for a demon.”
“Leeavvveee mmmmeeeee alllloooonnnnneeee!!!”
“Not a chance, demon!”
“Sheila,” Vickie calls after the rapidly disappearing girl and demon, “Sheila!”
“It's too late,” Kelson answers, “she can't hear you now.”
“Oh Sheila,” Serenity says hopelessly.
“Will she be OK,” Keiko asks Vickie in concern for her dominate friend. Vickie
had been just as reticent to let the demon escape. Demons that got away had a
habit of coming back. But, once she ran out of firecrackers, the female youkai
was going to get a reload from Yusuke when the demon and Sheila took off.
“I don't know,” Vickie admits with a smile, “but if she has the nerve to chase
a hungry demon that's several times stronger than her with firecrackers all
over the whole of Japan, I'm sure she'll be fine.”
The group laughs, giving her the confidence that she could keep them calm. ~I
may sound confident, but I’m actually very worried. If she runs out of
firecrackers or runs into a demon that’s immune to them, sis could get really
hurt…Or even killed…But…Inuyasha~
“So what do we do now,” Joey asks.
“…Let's find my brother and his friends,” Vickie suggests, taking over for
Sheila, “we can get them to help us find her faster.”
“But…Couldn’t we just follow the demon?” Yusuke asks.
“And risk running into a demon that could get lucky and hurt everyone? Not a
chance,” Vickie shakes her head, “If we find my brother and his friends, we’ll
have more people that are actually fighters to aid us.”
            Everyone nods quietly, their worry palpable to the youkai as she
uses her senses to follow the faint scent of her siblings as fast as she could
with her human entourage, ~Sheila…Please survive…I’ll never forgive myself if
something happened to you…~
 
~Sheila~
 
“Come back here you chicken!”
The demon evaporates while giving Sheila the middle finger, then screams as she
throws a firecracker that burns off his misty hand before vanishing. She stops
running with a breathless huff, panting as she looks around her and realizes
that she doesn't know where she is.
“Oh shit,” she curses out loud, glancing futilely at the wild greens and browns
of the trees and forest for anything familiar, “I'm lost!”
            Mentally berating herself for letting the chase take over her
common sense, Sheila tries to find a way out and sighs with a little relief at
seeing a small but well-trodden path in the middle of the dense green growth,
“Well,” she talks out loud to herself for comfort, “its gotta lead somewhere.”
Fighting her way to the path from the tangled undergrowth, she takes a moment
to get out a Hershey with Almonds to eat before starting a journey through a
time that her mind knew shouldn't be in existence anymore, but Sheila couldn’t
deny what she was seeing.
 
                    She really is lost in Feudal Era Japan.
                                        
~Can this get any weirder?~ She thought, taking a little bite of her candy as
she looks at the darkening clouds and sky ~And of course it would start to
rain.~ she sighs; stopping to pull out her black rain jacket and hat from her
travel pack just as it starts to drizzle. Continuing on with amazement at the
sights the ancient forest provides, Sheila still tries to grasp the fact that
everything Vickie has told her is real.
“The demons,” she talks to the rain, “…The story of her family…The life of
Inuyasha and her brother…All of it is…real…”
            A flash of lightening and crack of thunder pull her away from her
musings. ~This is no good! I need to find shelter for now and look for the
others when the rain stops~
She thought, walking the path a bit faster while looking around for good
shelter to hide in. The rain starts to escalate; mud and water easily getting
into her boot-shoes as she searches with growing anxiety. After walking for
what felt like hours but was really only minutes, Sheila's face brightens at
glimpsing a cave a small distance from the path through the falling rain,
“Finally,” she puffs out in a little breath, running into the dry cave.
            Sheila takes off her travel soaked gear with a happy sigh and
stretch; looking curiously around her temporary shelter for anything
useful. While it was pitch black in the very back of it, the cave was study and
had dozens of tree roots, sticks and twigs strewn around like discarded straw.
~Maybe someone else had to use it for temporary shelter?~
“I’m glad I thought to put matches on the list for everyone to carry,” she
cheers herself on before digging into the water-proof traveling pack for the
hidden matches and lighter put up carefully inside. Once found, she sat them to
the side of her pack and sits the extra bags beside it to start cleaning the
stone floor of the cave in order to prepare a safe fire. ~I left the suitcases
with Vickie and the others…I hope they’re doing ok…~ She uses the soothing
thought of her friends to keep her company as she sets up the sticks on the
clean portion of the floor. Getting the matches, Sheila lights a small fire
and exhales noisily with contentment at its warm, glowing presence,  “That’s
better.”
“I'll say! It's hard to get good light in here. Although I’m rather fond of the
dark.”
            Sheila jumps to her feet in surprise at hearing another voice in
the cave. Easing closer to the fire, the dark teen feel a slow, alarming buzz
riddle through her body while glancing around the cave's shadows, “W-who are
you,” she yells, “Show yourself!”
“If that's what you want.”
She stares wearily as a young man comes into the firelight. Standing
about 6'4”, he has strange eyes with the irises a full black and the pupils an
electric dark blue. Wearing nothing at all, his body is covered by tiny pin-
needles the color of black with blue tips that are adequate enough to keep her
from seeing too much of his person. Even his hair stands in big, individual,
sharp, spike-like needles moving with just a hint of a rise and fall; as if his
very brain is breathing through them. He looks to be in his late teens or early
twenties.
“You…you can’t be human…Who are you?,” Sheila asks again, albeit more firmly,
“What do you want?”
            The stranger smiles, his thin lips painted a natural black, “I
should be asking you that,” his crosses his arms, the slight movement revealing
the smooth, lanky muscles hiding underneath the needles, “I've never had anyone
come into my home and burn my bed with so much bravery and sass.”
“Oh,” She smiles apologetically; still feeling wary along with the
embarrassment, “I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was living here. I was just
trying to get out of the rain.”
The owner of the cave raises a needled covered brow at her, “I see.”
“I didn’t mean to intrude,” Sheila quickly packs away the matches and lighter,
“I’m really sorry. I’ll go look for shelter elsewhere and leave you alone.”
“Hmmm, interesting,” the guy drawls in a purring accent, “now whatever made you
think that I would allow you to leave?”
            Her blood suddenly runs cold, the fight or flight response winning
over her senses as she runs out of the cave and into the rain. She screams at a
sharp pain in her back, reaching and pulling out a long needle, “What the-?”
“Don't make me kill you,” that voice purrs again, “I'd rather keep you as a
pet.”
Sheila turns around and glares at him in defiance, “Fuck you!”
The strange man laughs a silky laugh that sets Sheila's nerve on end, “Do you
know who and what I am?”
“Should I care?”
“I am Nails, the great Porcupine demon of the Eastern Lands,” Nails answers
proudly, baring his pearl white fangs in a ruthless smile, “and I desire to
have you as my bed slave.”
She wrinkles her nose in disgust, ~As if!~ “Um, Nails was it? Hate to break it
to ya, Nails, but I have no interest in you whatsoever. As far as I'm concerned
you can die and go straight to hell with all that wishful thinking you’re
having.”
“You're spunky,” he licks his lips as he suddenly appears before her and grips
her left wrist in a tight, cruel embrace, “I love that in a woman.”
Sheila screams in surprise, “No,” she shouts, struggling in his hold, “No!
Dammit, let me go!”
“OK,” Nails pushes her to the ground with a wicked chuckle, pinning her
with pine-like needles that come out of his outstretched hand, “but we must
begin to train you to accept me.”
“You bastard,” She gasps in shock when he climbs over her, wiggling angrily
away from the hands wandering her body, “Stop!”
“No, my pet,” he smiles evilly at her, “it's rare that something as beautiful
as you just happens upon my humble home.”
“I'm not a thing,” Sheila howls in anger, tugging her hand free and punching
him in the face so she could free herself and run. Nails rubs his cheek
in astonishment, then smiles.
“You won't get away from me, my pet.” He yells with a laugh into the rain;
seeming to vanish as he goes after her.
            Sheila runs with all her strength, moving quickly through a daze of
trees and green things that seem to grab at her. She makes it to an open field
before she falls over with a cry at the pain shooting up her legs. Sheila
stares at her legs in horror.
 
  Needles as thick as her fingers run from her ankle all the way up her thigh
                   through her black spandex/leather pants.
 
“Now, now my pet,” Nails comes through the forest and towards her with a
cynical brightness in his eyes, “I'll have to punish you for what you've done.”
She cries; pain skittering through her body as she closes her eyes to accept
her fate.
“Hey! Leave the girl alone,” another male voice growls harshly.
            Sheila opens her eyes to see Nails looking over the field. Risking
a peek as well, the dark teen stares at a strange male demon with a large sword
in his hands. Like Vickie, the demon has puppy ears on top of his head, except
they were white with the insides being a light pink she could see easily from
the five to ten foot distance from them. Guessing that he stands a bit over six
feet, she saw that the male demon wore a strange bead and fang necklace, long
white-lavender hair that nearly go past his knees in a smooth curve, a red
kimono and hakama and, just like Vickie, absolutely no shoes were in sight. ~C-
could he maybe be…?!...~
The porcupine demon laughs incredulously, “And what are you gonna do if I don’t
leave my new pet alone?”
“That’s easy. I’m gonna cut you to pieces!,” the puppy-eared demon shouts,
coming at Nails with amazing speed.
Nails laughs once again; pulling at a needle on his body that immediately gets
as big as a sword, “You should have minded your own business, kid!”
            Sheila winces as their swords clash into each other with such great
force; the collision making a thundering light that brightens the fields from
their weapons.
Nails fights the blow off with a labored grunt, “Stronger than you look.”
“Yeah, well I'm not done showing you just how strong I am,” the demon's sword
starts to glow, “Get a load of this! Wind Scar!”
She watches the interaction for a bit before her brain gives her the brilliant
idea to escape. Pulling the needles out of her legs, Sheila just barely
rolls away as the power from the attack wrecks the fields, her eyes glued to
the figures dancing in a deadly contest of survival from her new hiding place
among some bushes.
“Nice little trick, kid,” Nails growls, barely getting out of range of the dog
eared demon’s attack, “but I have my own tricks! Needle Spray!”
“Look out,” Sheila cries as several giant needles go straight at the one who
dared get involved in her mess. The demon easily bounds out of the way,
flinching when some lucky needles graze his arms and cheek; tearing at the
fabric of his red kimono.
“Dammit,” he growls, “I've had it with you. Ultimate Backlash Wave!”
Nails looks at the energy wave coming towards him with a surprised look and an
anguished howl, “No! I just wanted a sex slave! I just wanted a sex
sllllllaaaavvvvveeeeee!”
 
             Nails disappears into dust as the attack engulfs him.
                                        
            Sheila glances nervously at the remaining demon, wondering for a
moment if he only saved her so that he could have a sex slave instead as she
gets up and goes limping over to him. Standing at least three feet away, she
pauses and takes a careful look at him. His skin is pale and broken out with
goose bumps lathered in sick-sweat and the still pouring rain. His breathing is
heavy and irregular.
His eyes, dull and unfocused, remind her of the most important person in the
world to her…
 
                          Her mother before she died.
                                        
“Um, excuse me,” Sheila speaks lightly, then loudly once she could see he
didn't hear her, “Hey! Are you ok?”
The demon snaps out of his trance to glare untrustingly at her, “What do you
want?”
~What do I want? You only saved my life! ~She thought with a warm cherry blush
~He must not be used to saving people cause he would know what I want!~
“I just wanted to say thank you,” she replies lowly; frowning over at him as he
starts to shake, “Um, not to get in your business,” she remarks warily;
secretly worried about the odd demon, “but are you OK? You really don't look so
goo-”
            Sheila stops short with a scream as he falls to the ground in front
of her with a thump. Hesitantly and with a wince of pain, she bends down to
push at him; hoping he would respond…
                                        
                             But he wasn't moving…
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                          *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
 
***** Chapter Eleven: A Heart That Can Feel Despite Oneself *****
Chapter Summary
     Inuyasha passes out, Sheila takes care of him and Kagome meets the
     friends from the Present...
 
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                                Chapter_Eleven:
                                        
                     A_Heart_That_Can_Feel_Despite_Oneself
                                        
 
  ~Feudal Era, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown location~
 
 
~Sheila~
 
“Hey,” Sheila falls further to her knees in the wet mud; reaching the demon’s
shoulders and turning him from his face down position onto his back so he
wouldn't drown, “please don't be dead,” she whispers softly to him, tears
starting to mix with the rain streaming down her cheeks, “I-I couldn't live
with myself if you die because of me.” She waits hopefully for a moment, then
panics when he doesn't respond, “Wake up! Wake Up!” Sheila cries out; the pain
of her own injured legs, back, and bruised wrist forgotten at the thought of
someone dying because of her again. ~Am I a caller of death? Is…Is Kagome
right? Will anyone that cares about me just die or not exist anyways? ~ She
thought; her hidden insecurities trying to surface…
 
                              But then he moves.
                                        
            The demon groans weakly, his body going into spasms for a moment
before he went still again.
Sheila smiles with renewed hope, “You're not in the best condition, but you're
still alive. But… what to do?” She looks around for anything that will help,
and looks in the direction of the cave she ran from, “Well…you did kill the
asshole that lives there,” she mummers out loud, recalling that the cave isn't
too far away from them and gets up on unsteady legs to start clearing a small
path. Sheila had a plan in mind, and was determined that it would work despite
her pain…
 
 
~Feudal Era, Kai Province, Arata Village, Taiyo no dansu Inn~
 
 
~Kagome~
 
            Kagome silently watches the group of teens that somehow caught up
to them in mere hours by horses Vickie claims to have borrowed from Kaede. Once
they left the Musashi Province behind, the young girl started to worry about
not running into the dog demon by now, and asks if they could stop at an inn.
~I don’t think I would have stopped if I knew Vickie was trailing behind us~
She thought warily, trying her best not to be disturbed by Vickie's smiling
face whenever she looks at her or happens to catch the youkai’s eye every now
and then. She's been smiling like that since her arrival with the strangers and
it was starting to get downright creepy and annoying to Kagome.
            The mentioned something about needing to look for a friend they
lost touch with at some point in their journey, but she privately didn’t care
about finding some missing person. She was hoping to talk to Inuyasha. The
present dwelling girl didn’t want to admit it, but, the longer she was apart
from her dog eared lover, the more guilty and lonely she felt. Kagome was
hoping that maybe spending time with the dog demon by doing something fun and
carefree would ease the tension in her body from raping him last night. ~But
we’ve been looking for him all day and it’s nearing afternoon now with no signs
of him. I hope he’s alright~She thought; distracting herself by watching Rin
brush Sango’s hair. Sesshomaru, Rin and Kohaku also rejoined up with them once
they entered Kai province; the full blooded dog youkai having decided to wander
ahead when they were in Musashi. ~Not like he informed us of anything. Just as
usual, he just comes and goes when he pleases. Must Inuyasha share the same
trait?~
 “Impatient...Left,” Kagome repeats the words she’s heard from her friends
earlier to herself with a frown. At this rate, she’d never be able to make-up
and placate her lover. ~Stupid Inuyasha. You just had to run off~ She thought;
exasperated by the prospect of having to find him.
“He didn't want to wait, so he went ahead of us,” Miroku explains; mistaking
the frown on the girl’s face for concern. He must have overheard her mumbles,
“Stupid bonehead,” Shippo says in disapproval before returning happily to
slurping at the juice that Kagome bought him from the Present.
Kagome nods in understanding with a sigh, “I wish he wouldn’t do that. Inuyasha
could get hurt out there.”
“He might be better off,” Kagome hears Vickie reply to their talking; causing
the girl to blush and look away in upset.
“Vickie, please,” Sango defends Kagome, “Can’t you see that she’s worried?”
Vickie just grunts; a clear sign to all of what she thought of the whole
matter. Still not sure how to get the stubborn girl to like her even a little,
Kagome takes a chance to peek at Vickie and the oddly familiar group of people
that she has confidently announced would now be traveling with them, “I’m
sorry,” She tries to converse, “I don’t think I introduced myself at all. I’m
Kagome.”
“We know who you are,” Keiko states with a smile, “I’m Keiko. I go to your
school in the Present.”
Kagome pales, “Y-you do?”
“Ya,” Joey opens his mouth, “We all do.”
“I’m Keiko,” the girl with big, brown eyes and matching, short, silken brown
hair talks to Kagome again, “I’m not in any of your classes, but I’ve seen you
around the halls with your friends.”
Kagome felt a little faint. If even one of them mentioned seeing her with the
boys at school, Sango and Miroku could get suspicious and start questioning her
actions in the Present. ~Stay calm, Kagome~ She reasons with herself, ~It’s not
like you flirt with the boys out in the open at school. They shouldn’t know
anything~ She forces a bright smile at Keiko, “Oh really? Well, it’s nice to
finally meet you, Keiko.”
“I’m Joey,” Joey speaks up; chest in the air with pride, “The coolest one of
the da group!”
“Yeah right!” Yusuke laughs, “More like the big mouth of the group!”
The dirty blond haired boy glares over at Yusuke with upset, hazel eyes, “Hey!
What did you just say?!”
“Calm down you two,” Keiko giggles, “You both are big mouths, so neither one of
you can talk about the other.”
Now both boys turn their eyes towards the pretty girl, “That’s just mean!” They
complain; miffed by her comment. The rest of the group just laughs while Kagome
blushes at thinking Joey looked rather cute, “N-nice to meet you both.”
“Huh?” Yusuke looks over at Kagome before his own cheeks go pink, “Right! I
didn’t even introduce myself!” He scratches the back of his head as a sign of
his embarrassment, “The name is Yusuke. Yusuke Urameshi. I go the same school
as you as well.”
Kagome looks over the tanned, black haired, brown eyed boy and fights a further
blush ~Wow, he’s kinda cute too!~ “I’m sorry I’ve never notice you guys in
school.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Joey laughs, “We’re never really there anyways!”
“That’s not something to be proud of,” Keiko points out, soft brown eyes
looking at Joey in disapproval.
Kelson snickers; blue-green mixed eyes glittering in laughter as he introduces
himself, “I’m Kelson. I’m not from your school or country. I’m just here
because my only cousin called me up to help her out.”
“Your only cousin lives in Japan?” Kagome asks; genuinely interested. She still
liked making new friends, and, of course, the 5’8’’ Irish boy is handsome as
well. All the more reason to befriend him in her mind.
“Yes. She was born in Japan. We’re related through marriage, so we’re more
cousin-in-laws, to be honest,” he replies calmly; his mid-length hair almost
falling into his eyes.
“Really? I can’t wait to meet her,” Kagome says with honest excitement.
“Hi,” A girl with long, auburn hair and somewhat dull colored, olive-brown eyes
chimes in, “My name is Serenity. I’m Joey’s little sister.”
“Nice to meet you, Serenity,” Kagome greets with a bright smile.
“And I’m Tristan Taylor,” A boy with brown eyes and hair arranged in a way
where it spikes in the front says his name boastfully, “And I’m the most
handsome of the group!”
“Now that, my friend, is a lie,” Keiko teases; laughing at Tristan’s pouty
face.
“You all seem like great friends,” Miroku notes with a smile of his own.
“Yeah, you bet,” Serenity nods enthusiastically, “We came here to help Vickie
with-.”
“A situation,” Vickie quickly interrupts; giving the girl a look. Kagome
mentally cocks her head to the side, ~She doesn’t want us to know why they are
here?...~
“I have a question,” Sango intercedes curiously, “How did you all get here?”
“I gave them a jewel shard,” Vickie states calmly; the smile on her face
getting bigger at seeing Kagome instantly get upset.
“I knew it! You took some of the jewel shards, didn’t you?!”
“I don’t deny it,” Vickie hums; her wolf tail flowing around her in a slow wag.
“But what if you lost those?!” Kagome shouts. She was at a lost to how to
control Vickie, or get her to mind at all. Inuyasha, yes. He was stubborn, but
obedient when need be. Vickie….Yeah….The teen privately wondered if it was
wrong to want to drug the girl to make her mind sometimes.
“Then I guess someone had better start remembering my birthday so I don’t feel
like stealing them,” Vickie replies with a smile still. Obviously, she didn’t
give a damn about Kagome throwing a fit.
“Please don’t start fighting you two,” Sango sighs out. Kagome knew the slayer
didn’t understand the tension between them, and mentally hopes that Vickie
never felt a need to confide in her at all.
“Come play with me Shippo,” Rin calls to Shippo, running out of the
inn's tatami room with Kohaku right behind her. Shippo puts down his juice and
goes after them with a happy cheer. They were probably trying to avoid their
arguing and love-spats. Heavens knows Shippo has told Kagome dozens of times
that he wished they would stop fighting.
“Everything is fine, Kagome,” Miroku replies with patience shining in his
indigo eyes, “Vickie is with us all the time. It’s not like she would be
careless enough to lose the shards, right?”
“Exactly,” Vickie agrees with the monk while sneering at Kagome.
Kagome grits her teeth, but, after a few breaths, decides to just leave Vickie
alone. Even she knew a fight with the girl wouldn’t help things, “I just wish
you would have told me something.”
“You’re not my mother, Kagome,” Vickie snorts, “I don’t answer to you or anyone
else. We may work together, but that doesn’t make you the boss.”
Kagome blushes. ~Why you…!~ She thought angrily.
“Please stop,” Serenity pleads; watching the two warily, “We need to stick
together and not fight right now. Both our friends are missing and could be in
trouble.’
Kagome sobers at that. ~Inuyasha…~ She frowns at the idea that Inuyasha could
have been hurt enough to be in grave danger, “She’s right. We need to come up
with a plan.”
“I think we should eat and then search,” Kelson suggests, “We won’t be able to
search for long if we don’t have some kind of real breakfast.”
Everyone nods in agreement and settles down.
“I’ll go see if the inn keeper has any food already cooked,” Vickie grumbles;
still openly unpleased as she walks out of the large room.
Kagome sighs to herself as she watches the youkai leave ~We are no closer to
being friends~ She thought in worry, ~How am I supposed to convince Inuyasha
that he needs me if his sister insists on being a bitch?~ Mind full of anxiety,
her thoughts brought back the fact that Inuyasha left not too long after
their…talk…in the forest ~It can’t be rape~ She denies, ~Inuyasha and I are
dating. Sex is expected. Inuyasha has to learn that~The teen girl reasons with
herself; feeling a little better and free of her guilt as she goes over to her
two friends, “Sango, Miroku,” Kagome sits between the lovers on Shippo's futon,
“did Inuyasha seem ok when he left?”
“No,” Sango answers with a frown at the thought of their dog demon friend while
putting her hair into a fast ponytail. Kagome knew she hated it being lose
cause it would get in her way, but thought it looked nice down.
“I second Sango on this one,” Miroku states, “Inuyasha was acting pretty
strange when he left.”
“Yeah,” Sango continues, “he seemed to be in pain or something. His breathing
was a little labored sounding and he was walking kinda…strange…”
Kagome blushes guiltily, “You think he'll be ok on his own?”
“I don't know Kagome,” Sango replies in open concern, “he really had me
worried.”
“Yeah…But it's Inuyasha,” Miroku reassures both his mate and Kagome, “I'm sure
he’s just fine, where ever he is.”…
 
~Vickie~
 
            The female youkai goes down the hall slowly. Vickie was angry, and
wanted so badly to lash out at Kagome. ~Does she know that he was raped? Does
she even care?~ She frowns and pauses; not even noticing Rin and the two boys
race out of the inn for some fun, ~And then talk to me like I’m some kind of
kid! What nerve! I’m older than her by at least a hundred years!~She balls her
hands into fists as she slowly begins walking to the kitchen to ask about
food.~Inuyasha…Sheila…Please be ok…~
 
 
~Feudal Era, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown Cave ~  
~Sheila~
 
Sheila falls back on her ass with a huff; her whole body feeling like a painful
nerve, “Damn you're heavy! Dragging you from the forest all the way here must
have been the most I've ever worked out in my life,” she talks to the
unconscious demon while getting up and preparing another fire. The first fire
most likely went out when Nails chased her away before she could feed it
anymore sticks. She tried not to think about it while talking to him. Sheila
felt she had to talk to him. It didn’t feel right not to. ~…And I’ll be lonely
if I don’t~
“Lucky for you, my matches are still here,” Sheila says, rummaging through her
pack to get the matches; glad to be lighting a fire in complete safety this
time. She takes her time building a makeshift spit over the flames before
unpacking a big traveling bowl and pouring bottled water inside to heat over
the fire. After a while she stares shyly over at the demon. The demon’s clothes
were soaked from the rainstorm, and Sheila knew what had to come next. Busying
herself with pulling out one of her black robes and her sleeping bag out of air
tight storage sacks from her traveling pack, the young girl warily speaks to
the unconscious boy, “I-I'll have to undress you…W-wouldn't want you to catch a
cold or something,” she speaks quietly with a blush. This wasn’t like tucking
her friends in after a drink or even getting a glimpse of a naked boy’s chest
on accident when she has to go pass the boy’s locker room in school. Sheila
would be purposely undressing a man for the first time and she was mentally
terrified, “I can't believe I'm really gonna do this!” She nervously complains
out loud before inching over to him and fiddling with the ties of his kimono
clumsily.
 After successfully getting off both of his shirts a few curses later, the teen
towels him off with the now warm water to clean the dirt and sweat from his
body before sitting him up against a large, dead piece of tree root inside the
cave near the burning heat of the fire.
“I..I need you sitting up so I can get the robe on you after I clean you up
some more, ok?” Sheila talks to him; a rare showing of her more embarrassed,
compassionate side instead of her usual tomboy side coming to light as she
continues to clean him. She rubs the washrag from her pack over his chest; her
eyes glued to her own movements as she feels the taut contours of his body.
Over his pecks…down his slightly obvious abs…All the way pass the belly button
to the very top of his wet pants…
 Blushing brightly at noticing a man for more than just something to punch in
the face or fantasize about from her romance novels, Sheila stops herself from
going any further when a hand grips her suddenly. Just barely holding in a
scream, the young girl tenses as she hears the demon cough,
“Do-don’t,” He begs; trying to move her hand away from the vicinity of his
pants weakly with what sounds like a whine in his voice, “…P…please…”
Sheila is stuck speechless before nodding slowly. Then, realizing that the
demon’s eyes were still shut, answers him verbally, “Ok,” she says softly;
nearly cooing, “But your clothes are wet. Will you…take them off for me once I
get the robe on you?” She questions, “It’s long enough to keep you covered, and
you can wash…your other half…yourself, if you want to.”
The demon nods feebly; hands shaking as he aids her in slowly putting on a
long, dark, kimono-like robe. She watches for a little while as he tries to
pull his pants down, but his hands kept trembling and the demon’s coughing
wasn’t helping matters either. Quietly, she scoots back over to him; her hands
coming over his slowly, “Please,” Sheila says the words softly, “Let me…help
you. I won’t look or anything,” she promises; waiting for him to give consent.
For some strange reason, the minutes felt like hours as the demon deliberated.
Sheila almost thought that he fell unconscious again when he finally spoke up,
“…OK,” the demon concedes; tension radiating through his sick body.
Nodding and turning red in the face, Sheila pulls off his pants carefully
without looking. Placing the towel in the water and squeezing out the dirty,
excess, she hands him the rag so he could wipe himself clean. There were a lot
more passes of the towel back and forth between them. Sheila wetting and
squeezing it out and the demon taking and cleaning the areas he wasn’t
comfortable with her seeing.
It wasn’t long before he must have felt clean or had had enough of cleaning
himself. He hands her the towel; his body still very feverish as he tries to
settle on the ground.
“Um…I have a sleeping bag,” She tells him, “You might feel more comfortable in
it.”
“I’m fine,” the demon growls; tense and shivering.
Sheila frowns, “No you’re not! You’re sick.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Yes it is,” She says firmly, “You wouldn’t have passed out if you didn’t help
me. Now stop being an ass and get in the sleeping bag so you can get better
already!”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No!”
“Yes!”
“Leave me alone!” He shouts out before falling into a fit of coughing.
Sheila reaches out to touch his shoulder, but pauses when he tenses and
flinches away, “Please,” she says softly; reaching for him again and touching
over his head in a motherly fashion, “You helped me. Let me help you.”
“…” The demon silently gets up; his body full of shivers and unnerving shakes
as he goes for the sleeping bag. He then stops short, goes completely rigid and
runs for the mouth of the cave instead; the sounds of his vomiting loud to the
teenage girl.
            Sheila immediately goes to his side in order to rub his back while
she waits for him to be done. She wouldn’t leave him alone.
 
 She wouldn’t watch another person die and not do everything in her power stop
                                      it…
                                        
~Inuyasha~
                                        
                          He wanted to push her away.
                                        
                   Wanted to hide himself in a hole and die.
                                        
              He didn’t care if he never survived this sickness.
                                        
  Could care less about the fact that his body kept telling him to go back to
                                    Kagome.
                                        
                          He just wanted it to…stop.
                                        
Pain. That’s all he could feel. Like his whole existence had only been for the
experiencing of this pain that enveloped his entire body and some space beyond
it he couldn’t name.
“I’m here,” the strange girl mummers as she rubs his back while he pukes his
guts out, “Don’t worry. I won’t leave you alone. You’ll make it. I promise.”
Why? Why did she even care? Didn’t she know he was a jerk? A man who couldn’t
satisfy his own girlfriend and couldn’t even keep the original love of his life
alive? If anything, she should be trying to kill him in order to save the
female race from anymore of his mistakes.
            But all he feels is the soft touch on his back guiding him back to
the sleeping bag. His sick-addled mind picked up on the fact that she was
rattling around in her giant pack for a while. Then the noises stop only for
her to lightly press something to his lips. Inuyasha opens his mouth without
thought; the sick making him become compliant. Whatever she put in his mouth
was a thick liquid that tasted tart with a false cherry flavor made to hide the
hideous substance underneath.
“That was medicine,” He hears her voice explain; refusing to open his eyes and
face the real world, “It’ll help you rest and feel better.”
He grunts as a way to let her know he could hear her. Maybe she’ll just leave
now. Letting him die in peace. But no. True to her word, the brown skinned teen
stayed with him; talking in a soft cadence that had the effect of lulling him
to sleep without him even knowing it did…
 
~Sheila~
 
Sheila smiles privately; proud of her work on imitating her mother’s soft,
lulling voice that use to put her to sleep when she wasn’t feeling well. His
even breathing was enchanting. The deep inhale, slight pause as if his lungs
wanted to fully extract everything the air had for them, and then the sudden
rush of air that flows from him as he sets the essence free had her seeing,
just with that action, how different even breathing was when a man did it as
opposed to a woman.
~I should get ready for bed myself instead of watching him sleep like I’m some
lovesick girl or my whoring sister~ She thought with a blush at her own
indecency. Sheila couldn’t understand how one demon that wanted to keep her as
a slave could disgust her while the other that saved her life could have her
heart fluttering in her chest like a bird just moments after the fact.
            Assured by the sounds of him sleeping soundly that he wouldn’t be a
peeping tom, Sheila inches out of her own clothes with a quiet cry of pain at
the feel of the wet fabric pulling away from her injuries, and sighs in relief
when it’s over. Inspecting her clothes, she frowns at the little holes and
tears in them, “Well, so much for wearing those again. It’ll take forever to
patch all these holes,” she fusses to herself. Trying not to focus on the blood
caked to them, she sits her clothes to the side of the fire; figuring they
might be useful for something else in this time of Japan’s history.
            Washing quickly and trying not to cry outright at the pain she felt
when she stretched or wiped the washcloth over her legs, Sheila’s cheeks go
pink as another indecent thought comes over her while she dresses quickly in an
ankle-length blue gown and pulls out another sleeping bag. ~We shared the same
washcloth…So…It’s like his body was touching…mine…~ Feeling instantly guilty by
the warmth this brought between her thighs, Sheila curls up into her sleeping
bag and goes promptly to sleep; reminding herself that she didn’t want to
indulge in anything that didn’t include her heart as well…
 
 
 
 
 
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
 
***** Chapter 12: Injuries shared Can Mess With The Effectiveness of Dog Fruit
*****
Chapter Summary
     Inuyasha has a dream, Sheila aids him through it, Vickie goes
     backwards to find her brother, and a stranger watches from afar...
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                                Chapter_Twelve:
                                        
         Injuries_shared_Can_Mess_With_The_Effectiveness_of_Dog_Fruit
                                        
                                        
~Feudal Era, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown Cave~
                                        
                                        
~Inuyasha~
 
“Inuyasha…I…I love you.”
His heart almost came out of his chest. It became tight, and then bursts with
sparkling clarity. Finally, the truth was spoken. It wasn’t just sitting
between them like an oni in a room full of humans that pretended to not notice
the creature among them. It was out in the open and the dog demon didn’t
realize just how much he wanted that until he heard the words.
“Kagome…I love you,” he says back, smiling and opening his arms to hug the teen
girl to his chest…
            But then his hands were over his head. Bound tight and painful as
the love of his life bounced on his cock like it was an unfeeling trampoline,
“Ka-Kagome…Why?”
“Cause you don’t love me Inuyasha,” The long haired girl accuses in a horrid
moan, “You didn’t show me love at all. Are you still thinking of Kikyo? Is that
it?! Does that mean your words of love were a lie?”
“No, Kagome! I’m not lying! I love you!”
“Then how much do you love me? Give me your body. Your all. Submit yourself to
me now, Inuyasha!”
“Kagome, it hurts! Kagome, stop! Kagome!....Ka-Kagome…!!!”
 
“Kagome!!!” Inuyasha screams; sweat pouring over his face as he shakes his head
left to right rapidly.
“Hey,” a voice calls to him in his sleep. It wasn’t Kagome…Who was that? What
did they want? Was it the sound of death coming to relieve him of this pain?
No…Death never placed such nasty things like spoonsful of medicine towards your
open lips for you to mindlessly swallow….Death didn’t rub a damp cloth over
your face; the cooling rag seeming to hold the secrets of paradise as it wipes
away his heat and pain.
“Shhhh,” the voice croons, because he was crying into its warm chest, “It’s ok.
It was just a bad dream. Everything is alright. You just calm down and rest,”
the voice, he identifies it as female, seems to cover his entire body in its
quiet vibrations as arms gently wrap around his shoulders. Inuyasha was being
rocked while the medicine slowly takes over again. His consciousness leaving
him and going into blissful darkness instead of another dream…
 
~Sheila~
 
            Sheila was already up after having slept for about four or more
hours before the dull ache of her injuries woke her. Cursing herself for not
thinking to bring some kind of ointment or alcohol to aid in cleaning and
healing the painful pinprick injuries across her back and calves, her body
became still and tight at hearing the demon scream what sounded like her half-
sister’s name ~Maybe this really is Inuyasha? How common is my sister’s name in
the Feudal Era?~ She thought while going over to him.
            Seeing that he was sweating and shaking wildly, Sheila got clean
water from her pack and used it with the washcloth to clean off the sweat after
giving him some more medicine. She then rocked him back to sleep; her own body
addicted to the feel of someone so warm pressed up against it. The fifteen year
old hasn’t let anyone this close to her since the death of her mother except
Sota. It felt nice, and Sheila wasn’t sure what she was going to do once it
ended. Of course she was taking meds herself for pain and to prevent catching
his deadly pneumonia. ~It’s way too sever to be just a regular cold. All I can
do is make sure he eats, stays rested, and give him medicine around the clock…I
hope he doesn’t die…~She thought; knowing that, while it was a typical disease,
one could die from it very easily. ~There you go again, Sheila, being the
harbinger of Death. Geez, give it a rest~ The teen firmly thinks before smiling
at the now still and sleeping puppy eared demon cuddling with her in the
confines of the sleeping bag. Perhaps she wouldn’t rush to do chores or bother
her injured body. Sleep was important too, after all…
 
                                  ~*~*~*~*~*~
                                        
            Her eyes open to a world that was dark; the cloudy overhang taking
over everything around her to the point where nothing could really be seen.
Warily, she gets up ~Wh-where is the cave?...Where am I?~ She thought; looking
in a complete circle around her until she finally sees a light in the distance.
Squinting her eyes to see better, Sheila approaches the light, and gasps at
seeing the dog-eared demon crying in the small circle of light.
“I love you, Inuyasha. I love you, Inuyasha. I love you-“ A voice from nowhere
invades the darkness; millions of images of her sister flashing through the
darkness.
“Stop, Kagome,” He wails; holding his head, “It hurts! Why does it hurt?! I…I
love you, already! Stop it! Please!!!”
Sheila runs to him; wrapping her arms around him, “It’s ok,” she soothes, “It’s
just a dream. It’s all just a really bad dream,” she comforts him; holding him
tightly to her chest as the images start to blur away to leave nothing but a
very dark meadow with red flowers blazing brightly in the nothingness. ~What in
the world are those?...Poppies? Why are there nothing but poppies here?~
“Ka…Kagome…I…love…you….” The dog demon mummers, hugging Sheila in a tight
embrace like her very chest held the foundation of life. She blushes at the
feel of his warmth against her body.
“But I’m not Kagome.”
“Then…Who…?”
“I’m Sheila. Don’t worry about it,” she tries to keep him calm, “You’re just
dreaming. It’s all going to be ok…I just…don’t know what I’m doing in here…”
“Sheila…She…”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“…Don’t…Don’t leave me…Please…”
She nods, hugging him as close as she could while nuzzling the top of his head;
his puppy ears impossibly soft as they brush her cheeks, “It’s ok…I’m here….I’m
not going anywhere…Just rest…It’s going to be ok…”
 
 
~Feudal Era, Kai Province, Arata Village, Taiyo no dansu Inn~
 
 
~Kagome~
 
“I’m going back to Kaede’s.”
            Kagome and the others look up at Vickie’s statement. After eating a
hearty brunch, the group went about looking where ever they could within a few
miles of the inn. They yelled, tried tracking, and had even asked others if
they had seen a dog eared man or dark skinned girl.
 
                        But they kept coming up empty.
                                        
No matter where they searched, no one has seemed to have heard of or seen
either of the companions. ~Inuyasha…Where are you?...~ She thought.
“Kaede’s?” Keiko questions.
“Kaede is a priestess in the Musashi Province,” Vickie explains, “Sometimes my
brother goes back to her for healing or information.”
“But we just came from there,” Kagome hears Miroku state before the monk
frowns, “What reason would he have to go back there?”
“He might have been hurt,” Vickie replies; causing Kagome to glance away from
them all. Was she really that rough? All she did was bind him, tell him to sit
a few times, and show him how to love her. Surly she couldn’t be blamed for his
bloody appearance afterwards? ~He was being stubborn~ She reasons with herself,
~If he wasn’t so stupid and knew what I wanted, he could have avoided all of
that. I would have been happy to open my legs for him without a fight~ the teen
imagines such lovemaking. Picturing Inuyasha coming to her in the night.
Envisioning him tugging on her because he wanted to make love to her so badly.
She would resist at first but then relent; letting his wild, demanding heat
fill her with such love and passion as to wipe out the existence of others that
have been before him. ~I’ll teach you to love me, Inuyasha. You say you love
me, and I’ll make sure you follow your word.~
“I hope he didn’t get hurt,” Sango interjects; making Kagome focus on the
conversation, “He was acting pretty strange when we last saw him.”
“And when was this?” Vickie asks.
“Earlier this morning,” Shippo answers; sitting back on a futon, “He was being
impatient and crabby. But he did seem a little unsteady on his feet,” Kagome
hears the confusion in his voice, “Kinda wobbly.”
“Yes,” Miroku agrees, “As you may have already heard us telling Kagome before,
Inuyasha did appear ill.”
Kagome glances over at Vickie to catch her nodding at the monk’s words.
“Then it’s settled. I’m going back to Kaede’s to see if he went there.”
“Ok, we’ll go with you,” Serenity replies.
“No,” Vickie shakes her head, “You might get hurt by demons if you come with
me.”
“Then I’ll go,” Yusuke pipes up, “I’m not human, at least not fully. I can keep
up, and I want to use this as a chance to show you I’m still a friend despite
my mission.”
“Mission?” Kagome questions; hoping to get an answer. When it concerned Vickie,
she’s learned long ago not to hold her breath. The female youkai has taken to
only giving her straight answers when she thought it would be humiliating, or
at least that’s how it seemed to Kagome.
“He has a mission to take my friend away,” Vickie remarks; the answer too vague
for the teen’s liking, “That’s all you really need to know about it.”
“Please don’t be hostile,” Miroku placates the girl, “We’ll keep an eye on your
friends till you get back.”
The dog/wolf demon nods; leaving the inn without another word.
“Why is she always so mean to Kagome?,” Shippo asks; frowning as his green eyes
follow after Vickie.
“I don’t know, Shippo,” Kagome answers with a sigh, “For whatever reason, she
has taken to thinking of me as her enemy.”
“Well, you do date her most treasured brother,” Miroku reminds her, “She’s very
protective and defensive of Inuyasha.”
“Yes,” Sango agrees, “The two are very close. May be closer than Kohaku and
me...And we all know that…I would do anything for my brother…”
“I wish I had a sibling,” Shippo softly whines. Kagome smiles when Serenity
gets up to come over from the other side of the room to coo at the fox demon.
“I know I’m not your real sibling, but you can call me sis if you want,” the
girl remarks, “I would love to have a little brother like you.”
“What makes you think I’m the little brother? I could be older than you, you
know,” Shippo complains; only seeming to earn soft laughter at his words.
“Well, alright. I’ll call you big brother then, ok?” Serenity smiles
“But I’m your big brother,” Joey frets.
“Looks like he took your place,” Keiko teases; causing everyone to laugh except
Kagome. She frowns while looking at the side wall, ~Is there no way to earn my
right to be by Inuyasha’s side? He says he loves me, and we’ve even made
love…But nothing has changed at all…~
 
~Vickie~
 
~Someone raped my brother, and someone is gonna pay! I won’t rest until I find
him and force him to tell me what happened!~ The youkai thought; her mind still
in a flurry. Somewhere out there, her brother was injured in a way he shouldn’t
be. While he had dated a few times, she knew her brother was a virgin,
~Inuyasha didn’t even fully understand the meaning of “getting tail” yet, and
someone does this to him! I’ll never forgive them! That person will pay as soon
as I figure out who it is!!!~ It was enough to make her scream until there was
no breath left for her lungs to hold. Until her throat gave up on her and
simply became soundless.
 
 Until the nasty deed was washed away from her brother’s flesh to the nearest
      crap area... Far away from the cleanliness that was his virginity.
                                        
            She ran the moment her toes touched the dirt outside of the inn;
intent on making it to Kaede’s before night fell. She heard Yusuke following
her and was glad that he could keep up. The youkai was in no mood to slow down
and show anyone any kind of courtesy. ~And, to make matters worse, Sheila is
gone too!...She might just be…dead already~ She thought morbidly; her heart
heavy with sorrow she made sure didn’t show on her face, ~I brought her here in
hopes of helping my brother, and might have ended up getting Oneesan killed!
She didn’t even get a proper naming ceremony yet…I didn’t get to honor her
before her death..~ Tears fought to dance to the surface of her eyes;
temporarily blurring her vision before she shakes them away and tries to
comfort herself, ~No! I won’t believe it! I can’t! She can’t be dead. She won’t
be dead!....Please, Oneesan…don’t be dead. Inuyasha needs you…I need you, big
sister…~
 
???
 
            He watches dully as the energy of the one he was looking for
radiates from the cave. ~Not strong enough~ He thought; careless of the stink
of the wet, damp earth that dared assault his nostrils, ~Her power is still too
weak and random…She needs more time to grow the Will of her Heart…Then, and
only then, will she be mine for the taking…~
 
 
 
 
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
 
 
 
***** Chapter Thirteen: I know you…Sorta *****
Chapter Summary
     Inuyasha becomes fully conscious and proves to be a handful, Vickie
     comes up with an idea and that stranger is still watching...
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                               Chapter_Thirteen:
                                        
                               I_know_you…Sorta
                                        
                                        
      ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown Cave~
                                        
                                        
~Inuyasha~
                                        
            He swims in and out of conscious; dreams that nearly destroy him
seeming to freeze and pause for the soft crooning of a dark haired, dark
skinned girl. Inuyasha can’t fully recall eating, drinking, or taking medicine.
His life has been one delirious second after the next.
 
                                 Until today.
                                        
            Today, with the sun dappling into the cave, Inuyasha opens his eyes
with clarity to what was happening around him. He was in a soft, warm wrapping
he knew to be a sleeping bag due to Kagome’s teachings of them. The smells were
both disgusting and delectable. The odd smell of seasonings he knew to be the
ramen he loved and the stink of what he guessed was medicine intermingled
weirdly in the air. His ears flick at the sound of humming and boiling water.
 
  Humming he couldn’t identify to belong to Kagome, Sango, Miroku, or Shippo.
                                        
            Growling, he shifts around to see a girl tying some string around a
thick branch with dozens of little sticks together; the white bandages on her
hands contrasting sharply with her dark skin, “Who the hell are you?” He asks
gruffly; watching as she smiles at her makeshift broom.
“Oh, you’re awake. And it sounds like you’re feeling better too.”
“You didn’t answer the question,” he says firmly, “Who the hell are you?”
“No need to get grouchy. I’m Sheila,” The girl introduces herself with a smile
and a light twinkle in her sable-black eyes, “Sheila Fantasy Kimiga Higurashi.
You saved me about a week ago and fainted. I dragged you here and nursed you
back to health as best I could. You’ve woken up a few times here and there, but
only stayed conscious long enough to eat, drink, take meds, or go to the
bathroom.”
            Inuyasha grunts in reply. Seeing that she wasn’t a threat, he
slowly sits up; frowning at seeing he was in a black robe of some sort and not
his usual clothes, “Where the hell are my clothes?”
“You got sick, so I washed them and put them away for when you were feeling
better,” Sheila answers; getting up slowly and walking a little stiffly to her
travel pack to rummage in it. He sniffs the air again; taking in the undertones
of blood hidden by the food and medicine. ~She’s injured just about everywhere
on her body. I can smell the blood that still stains her bandages. Her wounds
must be deep…How the hell did she take care of me by herself?~ The hanyo
thought; a little suspicious of the girl.
“You’re Inuyasha, right?”
“How do you know that?”
“That’s what I thought,” the dark skinned girl smiles while coming over to him;
the strong smell of medicine making him wrinkle his nose, “You screamed out my
sister’s name in your sleep.”
“Sister?”
“Yes,” Sheila pours a dark red liquid onto a spoon from a bottle, “Kagome
Higurashi is my sister.”
“Hmph,” Inuyasha snorts, “You liar. Kagome has told me nothing of having a
sister.”
“Well, I’m her half-sister, and she doesn’t like me very much,” the girl sighs,
“We share the same father. She’d rather pretend I didn’t exist most days.”
            The eerie feeling of deja-vu washes over him at hearing the words.
~Sesshomaru was the same way at first. Hell, he still is sometimes.~
“You need to take this.”
“What’s that horrible stuff?”
“It’s medicine. It’s what helps with your sickness.”
“I ain’t taking it.”
Sheila frowns, “Why not?”
“Cause I don’t want to.”
“Oh, don’t be a baby about it. You most likely have pneumonia, and this helps
your body combat it. Even if you are feeling better, you should still take it
for a little while longer. Just in case.”
“My answer is no.”
“I don’t understand why you’re being so difficult,” the girl frets; brows
knitting in worry and confusion, “You would just take it when I gave it to you
before.”
“Obviously, I wasn’t in my right mind.”
“Maybe not, but I did promise to help you. Won’t you let me at least give you
this spoonful to ensure you’re ok?”
~Help me?…~ Inuyasha thought hard; frowning as the memories slowly come back to
him, ~That’s right…I saved her from a porcupine demon…Then I woke up here…She’s
even…slept beside me whenever I…dreamed…~
“I’ll take some first, if you’re worried about it being poison,” She states;
unaware of his thoughts.
“That isn’t gonna change the fact that I don’t wanna take it,” Inuyasha fusses
before ending it in a slight coughing spell, ~Dammit! She’s right. Even though
I feel better, my body is still sore and tired. I’m still not well enough yet
to really do anything.~
“See? You’re still pretty sick. I know you don’t want to take it, but it really
helps speed up healing,” she says patiently; spoon still balanced between her
fingers. Glaring at her with open distrust, Inuyasha finally opens his mouth;
accepting the horrid substance with a quick swallow and groan.
“That crap is horrible.”
“This crap is making you feel better sooner,” She replies; getting up and going
back to her pack to rummage again. She sure was a noisy creature.
“Oh no,” she sighs; causing him to tense.
“Now what?”
“My provisions are getting low,” the girl answers, sighing again as she fishes
out a bottle of water, “I only bought about a week or so worth of supplies with
me, so we’re running out of food and stuff, but…,” she warily glances at the
mouth of the cave; as if something would suddenly go ‘boo’ and she wasn’t the
type to enjoy such surprises.
“Don’t tell me you’re scared to go outside.”
The girl calling herself Kagome’s sister blushes, “The last time I went
somewhere, I almost became a demon’s whore. Of course I’d be a little nervous.”
“How pathetic,” Inuyasha growls while pulling himself out of the sleeping bag
warily. Not feeling too sore, he stretches with a grunt of appreciation for the
much needed tug on his muscles, “You can’t go running around calling yourself
Kagome’s sister and then be afraid of demons.”
“Why not?” She asks quietly; causing him to glance over at her curiously, “Am I
expected to be like my sister just because we’re related? If she’s not afraid,
then fine. Great for her. But she’s not me,” she sighs before going back to
looking in the traveling pack, “Besides…Other than your sister, and perhaps
Yusuke, I’ve never really took on a demon before…It was terrifying…And painful.
I can still hardly walk after that encounter with Nails. Plus I’m scared of
leaving you alone after how sick you’ve been. If something happens to me, and
I’m not here to give you medicine…” The girl becomes silent, leaving the
sentence unfinished. It wasn’t a thought he wanted to linger on either, and so
he moved on to the more pressing thought hidden underneath it in his mind, “You
know my sister?”
“Yeah. She’s the one that brought me here,” Sheila answers, “We’ve sorta
accepted each other as siblings, so I thought to come with her to…see the rest
of the family,” she said quietly. It felt like there was more to that
statement, but Inuyasha couldn’t place it. ~She knows my sister, claims to be
Kagome’s half-sister, and is helping me with my injuries…Just who the hell is
this girl already claiming to know me? What was my sis thinking bringing this
girl here?~ He thought. He didn’t want to face his other thoughts. The thoughts
that wondered what would have become of him if she wasn’t here. ~Without her, I
wouldn’t be alive right now…Kagome would…~ Thoughts of Kagome brought the night
rushing to him in vivid, sickening clarity. ~Why, Kagome?....What did I do
wrong?...I wish I understood more about love and girls.~
“Are you ok?”
            Inuyasha blinks, coming out of his thought-trance at hearing her
question, “What?”
“You were spacing out. Are you ok?” She asks again after explaining, dark eyes
shining with worry. He grunts, turning his back to her. He couldn’t take her
worry. There was too much on his mind for that.
“I’m fine. Just wait here.”
“You’re going somewhere?”
“Well, we have to eat, don’t we?” He questions roughly before walking out into
the warming sun; purposely not giving her time to say anything else as he takes
off. ~Kagome…I’m not ready to join back with the others yet. I’m no good to
them in this condition anyhow. I’ll just find food and return here until the
girl sleeps. Then I’ll go check on Kagome~ He reasons; soaring through the
trees gracefully with a troubled mind and dull aches in places that had nothing
to do with Nails’s attack…
 
~Yusuke~
 
            They made it to Kaede’s within a day’s journey, but ended up
staying a week before finding any clues as to Inuyasha’s whereabouts. While
Vickie could smell him out, it took time to separate the older smells of him
coming in and out of the village with the fresher, more elusive smells of him
stalking among the trees. ~Cleaver fucker wasn’t on the ground and that made it
impossible to smell him there~ He thought, trailing behind the female youkai
through Inuyasha Forest. Despite its deceptively short distance from Kaede’s
Village, the spirit detective learned quickly that the forest was a maze of
hidden caves, strange treasures, and quite a few demons. ~I’m surprised I
haven’t passed out with how many times I’ve had to use my Spirit Gun or aid
Vickie in knocking over some green or red colored asshole that was intent on
eating me or stealing her. Even humans have tried to mess with us! The Feudal
Era is fucking nuts!~
“I can sense him now,” Vickie says with triumph, “We’re almost there.”
“Good. I bet the others are worried out of their skulls about us and the
missing two.”
“I’m worried too,” she admits, “Inuyasha has never stayed away from the group
this long before, and Sheila has never been to the Feudal Era. But I’ve picked
up on her scent a few times, so maybe she’s ok?”
“Of course she is,” Yusuke states without hesitation, “Sheila is tougher than
she knows. I’m sure she’s doing fine,” he reassures. As a human and demon
hybrid himself, Urameshi had senses as well, and was glad to feel them going
off at the impression of a stronger male signature that shared some elements of
the youkai with him. He knew Vickie was blaming herself for everything, and has
witnessed her break down in the elderly woman’s arms that everyone called Kaede
each night that they hadn’t found hair nor hide of either of their two friends.
He was hopeful that they would finally catch a break and the poor girl wouldn’t
be left crying again tonight while he pretended to sleep in the soft furs on
the floor of the gassho style house.
            The sound of an angry squeal pulls him from his reverie, the pair
ducking down into a bush just as a large boar got tossed only a few feet from
where they were standing, “The hell?!” He whispers in shock when the poor
creature’s body twitches and runs with nerves. It was already dead, but the
body was taking a while to get the memo. It was a large beast. Easily standing
well over four feet tall as well as nine inches long, and looking to be at
least seven hundred pounds, the now dead male stares at Yusuke with unseeing,
beady black eyes; his mouth frothing with spit and blood underneath the
incredible tusks it had. There was blood across its flank, the dislocated hind
legs going in the wrong direction as its ripped open side bled with enough
force to warn the Spirit Detective that the main artery had been torn asunder,
“Shit, that’s gross,” he groans; face contorting in disgust as the dead, broken
animal ran in place for a bit and gives out broken, distressing snorts before
slowly going still.
            Not even seconds after that a young man in a black, flowing robe
that looked suspiciously like a bathrobe appears. Standing a bit taller than
Yusuke as far as he could tell from his hiding place, the male was lanky, his
muscular structure hidden well by the long robe as he squats down to inspect
his kill. Being barefoot, the male had skin much like his own tanned fair skin,
but had long silvery hair and white dog ears on top of his head, “…Is that…?”
He questions Vickie beside him, whom only nods with eyes hooked on the figure
before them. ~So that’s the victim, Inuyasha.~ He thought; watching as the
hanyo seems to approve the meat before picking it up and  wandering towards the
village, ~What in hell is he doing?~
“We should follow him from a distance,” Vickie suggests, “My brother must be
really sick…He can usually sense when people are so close by,” she notes
quietly; Yusuke able to see the worry written on her face.
“Then let’s follow him and figure out just what the hell has him so out of it.
He might still be in pain from the attack we heard of only a week ago,” He
answers; inching along at a safe distance with Vickie.
            After a while, Inuyasha puts down the still whole carcass before
silently stalking into the village. He watches with Vickie as the dog eared
demon glances around before stealing a few of the crops and zipping back into
the forest; lugging the kill on his shoulder before racing off again, “The
villagers are gonna shit bricks when they find that crop gone,” Yusuke mummers;
fighting the urge to snicker.
“Come on,” Vickie urges, seeming to not care what the villagers did about it,
“We don’t want to lose him now!”
Nodding, he races after her; careful to stay out of sight as they go deep into
the forest. The hanyo stopped at a cave hidden well in the thick underbrush,
“I’m back!” he yells; dropping the boar and crops to the side of the cave.
            Yusuke’s eyes widen as Sheila comes limping into view from inside
the cave, “Sheila!” He whispers; heart in elation at seeing her alive. While he
had never lost hope that she really was ok, words couldn’t describe the joy at
seeing the proof of his hopes before him. Vickie shushes him; although her own
eyes were reflecting the same feelings he felt.
“Welcome back. Oh!” Sheila exclaims at the sight of the kill and vegetables,
“It’s a good thing I took a few cooking classes here and there. I shouldn’t
have any problems making us a good breakfast with this.”
“Great. Cause I’m starving,” Inuyasha answer gruffly; walking past the girl to
go into the cave. Yusuke saw a hint of a frown as Sheila followed after.
Getting up, he frowns when Vickie grips his arm before he could go any further,
“Why the hell are you stopping me? We found them!”
“Shhh!” Vickie implores, “Let’s leave them alone.”
“What?!”
“Hear me out. You need Sheila to bond with Inuyasha in order to find out if
she’s really the helpful demon, and I have my own reasons of wanting the same
thing. If we interfere, they might not get the chance to bond like this without
all of us in the way, and then no one will really know the truth of what she is
or possibly what she can do.”…
 
~Vickie~
 
            Vickie waits in tense silence as Yusuke thought over her words.
It’s been a hard week. No matter how hard she had tried, finding Inuyasha had
been difficult. Even the most fresh of his scents were faint. ~Brother…you
haven’t been moving around much, have you? My usually active little brother has
been staying still in a cave. He must be sick or really hurt…But Sheila is with
him~ She reminds herself; heart feeling warm at the thought that both of them
were at least together. She could see that it wasn’t going too well though, ~My
brother is showing his ass as typical, and I bet from that frown on Sheila’s
face that, if we go in there and reveal ourselves, oneesan will have nothing to
do with otouto. As much as I want to go in there and hug them both to death,
they need more time to learn about each other without the risk of Kagome
warping it, or the others getting in the way.~
           Finally, the young man nods; causing Vickie to smile brightly,
“Alright. I don’t know if this is a good idea, but I’ll keep quiet about seeing
them to the others.”
“Thank you,” she hugs him; laughing softly at his blush from the contact,
“Let’s get going. We need to go have breakfast ourselves before we regroup with
the others.”
“Again? But we already had breakfast,” Yusuke replies; the sound of his voice
enough proof for her that he was following behind her as she begins to leave
the forest.
“Yeah, but I’m hungry again!” She confesses; laughing as he shakes his head.
~Oneesan…please see through otouto’s stupid mask and get closer soon. I still
haven’t had time to talk to Sesshomaru about a naming ceremony! Not to mention
I still have vengeance I need to enact on a peeping monk~she thought, her mind
settled enough to recall the sneaky prank she had in store for Miroku…
 
 
???
 
            He watches the excited pair leave the forest before eying the cave
again. ~Would this foolish dog really be the one to open the treasures of her
heart for me to plunder?~ he thought; Patiently sitting on his perch in a tree
very distant from the cave…
 
 
 
 
 
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
 
***** Chapter Fourteen: A Time For Trust Is Crucial For Survival *****
Chapter Summary
     A testy stranger brings trouble for an already troubled pair...
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                               Chapter_Fourteen:
                                        
                   A_Time_For_Trust_Is_Crucial_For_Survival
                                        
                                        
  ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Somewhere outside The
                                 Unknown Cave~
                                        
                                        
~???~
 
            The second week of their stay in the cave wasn’t very eventful to
watch. The dog eared demon was rude, condescending, and seemed to gripe at
every little thing the girl said to him. The dark skinned girl in turn tried
reasoning with him; only to become quiet when the words stung too much or she
became tired of trying to assure him that she was safe to trust or be around.
Administering medicine was a challenge that became a fight easily. The only
time the two seemed to not be at each other’s necks in one way or other was
during meals, ~This fool cannot possibly be the one to open her heart for me to
grab at her Will~ He thought with a tinge of annoyance at wasting the precious
couple of days watching the insanity, and felt fully justified in wanting to
teach the idiot a lesson.
“Looks like it’s time to test this rather futile union. If he isn’t the one, at
least I get the joy of watching him die.” …
 
~Sheila~
 
                               Once upon a time
                          We swore not to say goodbye
                   Something got a hold of us and we changed
                         Then you sat alone and pried
                          And I sat at home and cried
                   How'd our fairytale just end up this way
                                    We went
                                Round for round
                           Till we knocked love out
                          We were laying in the ring
                              Not making a sound
                     And if that's a metaphor of you and I
                       Why is it so hard to say goodbye?
                                        
            Sheila listens to her mp3 player as she comes out of the nearby
river she was able to find. With water bottles being so low, it was imperative
to get use to leaving the cave for the short walk to the flowing, cool water.
That, and it was the only way to get a break. ~Inuyasha is awful. I don’t see
what anyone would see in him~ She thought; sighing as she dries off quickly in
order to dress in some black undergarments, a long sleeve, blue shirt that came
to her hips and some comfortable jeans. The second week brought a contrast to
the man that made her wish he would just stay sick. The first week he was
quiet, pliant and willing to trust her touch to lead him while he healed. But
now, just barely three days into the second week, he became a monster. ~He
rarely has a nice thing to say, he’s always so suspicious of every move I make
and he talks to me like I’m some imbecile he has to tolerate!~ she fumes. Her
own body was still healing. Any sudden moves or bending and her legs and back
would give off sharp pangs of agony. Sheila didn’t even wanna think about the
growing bruise on her wrist that the demon had left from gripping her or her
very tender ribs from earning her place among the family.
~Not that Inuyasha cares…As far as he is concerned, I’m just lying.~ A strong
desire to just cut her losses and leave hits her, but then she sighs guiltily
for even thinking it, ~He doesn’t know that I know about the rape…And he still
sweats and ends up needing me to come into his dreams at night to comfort
him~Dream Inuyasha and his waking counterpart were like day and night to the
teen. His dream half talked softly at Sheila, thanked her for coming to him
each night and held her tight with a gentleness that has her heart melting.
~But he’s a whole other person when he wakes up…He’s so mean to me, it takes
everything to ignore it and continue helping him…I know he really needs my
help, but…~
            She shakes her head; determined not to give up until they got back
with Vickie, ~I may not like him, but he’s still my sister’s brother. I’ve just
gotta find a way to make this work~ She thought, packing up her towels and
toiletries in a small duffle bag before walking slowly back to the cave. ~…Do I
risk talking to him about it? Maybe it’ll help somehow…?~ The young girl muses;
doubt filling her heart when she felt something grab hold of her arm and toss
her through the air. Screaming until she landed with hard impact against the
ground, Sheila winces in renewed pain at her battered body being abused when
she glances up and sees what looked like a man in an old, long kimono. The
problem? He had no eyes.
“Wha-..What are you?” She demands, scooting away as fast as she can as the
creature approaches, “You look human, but you don’t have anything in your eye
sockets! G-go away! Leave me alone!” Sheila screams again as the eye-less man
grips hold of her bruised wrist; bringing her close enough to see the inside of
his eye sockets. Blood vessels and muscles pulse and move in ways that make her
feel sick, the teen struggling before she smacks him and falls on her ass when
it lets her go. Panting, she runs for it; heart already slamming hard into her
chest as she tries to race away. Sheila only got a few feet away before a hand
got hold of her from behind; her hand frantically trying to get the creature to
let go of her neck before he crushed her spine.
“Put her down! Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!” Inuyasha shouts; seeming to come out
of nowhere as he takes off the hand holding the back of her neck. Sheila falls
to the ground with a grunt before pulling the hand off her neck with a shiver
of disgust. Throwing the dismembered hand away without looking too closely so
as not to see the dark blood dripping from it, she turns around to stare in
horror as seeing the creature merely grow the missing appendage back within
seconds ~It regenerated!~
The human-like attacker strikes at Inuyasha; barely missing him as he hacks off
an arm…Only to grow it back again amongst the blood and flesh that fell to the
ground.
“What the hell is that thing?” She asks; forcing herself to her feet and moving
to the side as the dog eared demon goes past with it chasing after him.
“Dammit! It’s a hitogata. And the fucker can regenerate!” He growls; still
clawing at it with little success. Sheila frowns; trying to look for any
changes or weak points that would aid in fighting. ~It’s no good. Inuyasha is
tearing it apart and it’s still standing! There must be some kind of way to
stop it…It’s missing its eyes… Maybe there’s a clue there?~
She thought; wincing as Inuyasha takes out his sword and chopped off the
thing’s legs. Staring hard as it grows the limbs back, the teen girl notices
that it’s inner sockets went blue when it was growing its body back and red
when it finally decides to attack; the creature throwing an energy orb that
chases the hanyo in order to get him in his arm.
            Without thinking, she attacks; racing into the fight to put her
hand through its chest. She screams and tugs her hand away as its body tried to
regenerate around her hand. Cursing under her breath, she ducks as it tries to
punch her and runs away as Inuyasha growls and waves his sword to take off the
offending arm.
“Stay the hell out of the way!” He shouts at her.
“But his eye socket changed color,” she argues, “It must mean something,
right?”
“It means stay the hell back, stupid! I can’t protect you if you get in the
way!”
“But I wanna help!”
“You aren’t any help! You’re just making things worse!” He yells back before
yowling in pain as the hitogata succeeds in raking its long nails through his
side.
            Sheila gasps and frowns; fighting an insane need to slap Inuyasha
even while being afraid for his life. ~Ignore him for now. Think, Sheila.
Think! It has a weakness…You just gotta find it before it kills Inuyasha…~
 
~Inuyasha~
 
            The pain in his side and arm were easy to ignore as the dog demon
focused on keeping out of reach of the hitogata ~Figures this shit would happen
while I’m still sick. And now I’ve got to find some way to keep this damn thing
from hurting that dumb girl~He thought; irate from her efforts to help. If he
couldn’t chop the damn thing down, what made her think that she, with such an
injured body, could do it? Amateur! It was enough to make him yell at her
again, ~She is right about one thing though. I need to figure out how the hell
to kill this thing before it wears me out. Maybe a wind scar might work~ He
decides; readying himself for the attack. Seeing the fissure between the aura
winds as they leap at each other, he strikes; hoping the attack worked on the
blue and red kimono wearing clay doll. ~What I wouldn’t give to have Kagome
here right now~ He thought vaguely; mentally hating himself for feeling like he
needed her just to fight a mere doll.
            The smoke from his attack cleared only to give him the sick view of
the pieces of meat putting itself back together again; the eyeless creature
seeming to stare holes into him as it attacks with another one of those strange
red orbs, “Not again!” He hisses; just barely knocking away the attack and
panting softly as the hitogata moved out of the way of its own blast. ~Dammit!
I’m still too tired for this~
“Inuyasha! Listen to me! Please!” She shouts at him; still too close to the
fighting for his liking. ~She’s got balls, I’ll give her that much. May be she
is Kagome’s sister after all~
“What the hell do you want? Can’t you see I’m busy?!”
“Listen! It’s afraid of getting hit by the orbs too!”
“Your point?” He yells; once again avoiding an energy sphere.
“They must have something to do with destroying it, right? Why would it run
away otherwise?”
“Is that all you wanna tell me?! Will you stop distracting me?!”
“Inuyasha shut the fuck up and listen!” She growls; dark eyes heated as she
talks, “Just try knocking the orbs back into it, dammit! Unless you want to die
fighting a doll. I’m sure that’ll be great to tell other demons!”
He blushes in embarrassment, ~Smartass cheeky bitch~
“Just try it!”
“Alright! Alright!” He shouts; gritting his teeth as he focuses on not getting
hit by the barrage of physical attacks the clay doll delivers. After a few
kicks and punches that don’t land, the eye sockets go red; the only warning
Inuyasha gets before an orb comes flying his way.
“Here goes nothing!” He grunts out. Taking aim and waiting, he hits the single
orb with all his might; giving the hitogata a sneering smile as the ball of
energy speeds right into its glowing sockets, “Take that!”
With a strange hiss the doll disintegrates into harmless dirt and bones; the
stench enough to make him nearly pass out as his powerful sword falls back into
a battered weapon he puts in its sheath. He tenses; shock vibrating in his
being as hands wrap around his person.
“You did it! I’m so glad you’re alive!” Sheila looks up at him; her blue-black
eyes concerned at the blood that oozes from his torn open side, “We better get
inside so I can bandage that.”
“Why? You my nurse now?!” He growls; his body still very tense. Inuyasha was
afraid. That night with Kagome made him not want to take chances again. What if
he made a mistake and the pain he deserves for it is worse than he already
received? The very subconscious thought of it made him push her away from
himself quickly, and feel guilty when she stumbles at the sudden move…
            The girl sighs, not giving him eye contact as she starts to walk to
the cave, “If we don’t learn to work together or trust each other, we won’t
live long enough to heal and see Vickie again.”
“You mean you won’t live long enough to see Vickie again. That thing was after
you,” Inuyasha points out with a huff, “I don’t need your protection. Remember
that!”
            He tenses again as she pauses at the mouth of the cave; turning to
him with tears shining in her eyes. After all the abuse and cruelty he’d caused
her, it was rare that she openly cried about it from what he could recall.
“Yes, Inuyasha. I need you. Please try to deal with it. Just until we get back
with Vickie and the others. Then, we can ignore each other and never have a
word pass between us ever again.”
 
~Sheila~
 
            She didn’t wait for his answer. The triumph and hope she felt when
he listened to her and gave the attack a shot had left her quickly. It hurt to
know he didn’t trust her. It pained her body to know that he found her useless.
And, as she turns her mp3 player back on to replay Mariah Carey’s “Hate U”
after it got turned off from all the jostling of the fighting, it hurt her
heart to know that every effort to make peace was merely in vain…
 
                           I can't wait to hate you
                            Make you pain like I do
                           Still can't shake you off
                         I can't wait to break through
                            These emotional changes
                         Seems like such a lost cause
                             I can't wait face you
                             Break you down so low
                          There's no place left to go
                           I can't wait to hate you
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
 
                                        
***** Chapter Fifteen: The Stand-Still Breaks In Face Of The Dog Heart Poppy
*****
Chapter Summary
     Sheila and Inuyasha come to a stand-still and the consequences could
     be dire, Kagome and the others are still looking while Kaede deals
     with a rather peculiar problem with missing crops...
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                               Chapter_Fifteen:
                                        
             The_Stand-Still_Breaks_In_Face_Of_The_Dog_Heart_Poppy
                                        
                                        
~Feudal Era, Kai Province, Arata Village, Taiyo no dansu Inn~
                                        
                                        
~Kagome~
                                        
                                             
            Kagome falls onto the futon with a pant; tired from all the work
they’ve been doing from early to late morning. The inn keeper was willing to
let them stay free of charge as long as they were willing to patrol for demons,
and it was a lot of work to dissuade the nuisances to stay away from village
crops and children. ~It’s been a full two weeks since we Inuyasha went
missing…~ She thought. After a short time, the group of over eight members had
decided to band together while their companions were lost to them; taking time
to learn about each other as well as supporting one another during their demon
watch shifts. ~Sesshomaru even makes time to talk with Serenity and her
brother, Joey. But, no matter which of us go searching, we still haven’t found
neither Inuyasha nor the extra teammate.~
            She groans ~And I haven’t had much time to study or visit Koga and
Hojo.~ Feeling hopeless and lonely, she sits up slowly as the others come
pouring in for lunch; the amiable chatter enough to get on her nerves. ~And
Vickie is just laughing it up with Miroku and Yusuke. Shouldn’t she be more
upset about the fact that her brother isn’t here?~ Kagome thought; suspiciously
watching as the youkai waves her claws around in some imitation of an attack
while speaking with Yusuke.
“Say, Vickie…Might I ask you something?” She asks; unable to hold her peace any
longer.
Vickie glances over at her dully, “What ya want?”
“I was wondering…You and Inuyasha have really sensitive noses, right?”
“Yeah, and?”
“Well…It’s kinda strange that you haven’t picked up on his scent when you went
to Kaede’s a few weeks ago.”
“And it’s kinda strange how you can call me strange when you don’t even belong
here,” the girl growls in retaliation, “Unless you wanna prove me wrong?”
“P-prove you wrong?”
“Yeah,” The youkai nods, “Take off the bow and arrow and fight me!”
“Vickie,” Sesshomaru’s voice was clip and sharp; the sexy, deep sound giving
off a warning that even Kagome understood.
 
               There wasn’t going to be any fighting among them.
                                        
      Not when they all were important for the search and demon watching.
                                        
            The teen was privately glad when Vickie just growls and goes to a
futon. While she would do anything to get the other girl’s friendship,
fisticuffs was not her strong suit. ~Hmmm…Maybe I can do this another way~
“Hey, Vickie.”
“Now what do you want?”
“Are you willing to teach me to fight?”
Vickie raises a brow at her, “Teach you? I’ll be amazed if you can make a
proper fist, better off, throw a punch.”
“That’s not very nice, Vickie,” Serenity gently butts in, “We have to work
together. Please try to get along.”
“Fine,” The youkai growls before glaring over at Kagome; making her feel very
small, “You wanna train, then I’ll train ya. Just don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”
“Great!” She replies with more excitement than she really felt, “And can I ask
one more question?”
“…What?” Vickie finally grumbles out; starting to cross her arms. ~I better ask
quickly. She’s getting irritated.~
“You haven’t smelled anything new of Inuyasha at all? Not even a little bit?”
“No,” The youkai says instantly; leering at her, “Do you think I’d be here
talking to you if I knew where my brother was?”
“I-I suppose not,” Kagome answers; laughing nervously. She glances at everyone,
saw Sesshomaru give Vickie a quiet, inspecting stare that has her curious, but
says nothing. ~Is she really telling me the truth? I bet even Sesshomaru
doesn’t believe her words. It’s just a matter of time before she’ll have to
tell us whatever it is she isn’t saying…Then I can work on getting me and
Inuyasha back on track once he returns…~
 
 
      ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown Cave~
                                        
                                        
~Inuyasha~
 
            Inuyasha watches with marginally fatigued eyes as the teen cooks.
It has been at least four days since the odd demon attack, and, other than
small annoyances here and there, no more serious attacks occurred. But a more
pressing dilemma has appeared that’s left the hanyo crankier than ever.
 
           The teen girl has stopped talking to him after that day.
                                        
Worse still, she has also taken to sleeping in her own sleeping bag instead of
                                   with him.
                                        
            The nightmares were enough to make him give up sleep. This meant
that he was highly irritable and senselessly angry. ~Shouldn’t she be talking
to me? Doesn’t she need MY protection? Idiot.~ He mentally growls; knowing by
now it was no use.
 
                     Words just didn’t reach her anymore.
                                        
            Once or twice, the thought of going back to the group had come to
his mind, but, the moment he thought of Kagome, he found he couldn’t. The
nightmares were making him paranoid, and he was nearly afraid to pee for fear
someone would see his penis out in the open. His avoidance measures weren’t
giving him any relief though, and he secretly wished to just curl up in a ball
and get inside Sheila’s sleeping bag with her. ~Even the sound of her voice
would be great right about now~ He thought; eyes never leaving the mute girl…
 
~Sheila~
 
            She felt his eyes on her as she stirred the stew of pheasant, wild
and cultivated vegetables she didn’t dare ask where he got them from, and a
broth she has made from the boar meat. It was heavy, full of flavor and filled
the cave with appetizing smells. She still had lots of the boar parts jarred;
having enough sense to ask him to find jarring material where ever he could so
she could practice storing and preserving it.
            Sheila has been keeping her distance. Other than aiding him in
healing his now fully healed wounds from that fight four days ago and asking
him to hunt once she feared food may get low, the teen kept her silence.
Especially when he was about ready to chew her head off over nothing. She
didn’t want to trust him; couldn’t imagine just why it hurt her enough to stay
quiet no matter what he said.
 
  They were at a nasty stand-still, and Sheila was afraid it would soon erupt
                           into something bad soon.
                                        
            She knew he was having a hard time sleeping. Could hear him get up
in the night, panting and groaning; mumbling her half-sister’s name in a cross
between fear and prayer. ~She’s definitely done something to him. I just don’t
know what~ She had concluded a few days ago after he had jumped from the
sleeping bag yelling for Kagome to stop. It made her secretly worry, as all his
behavior pointed to a harrowing possibility. ~May be she was the one who raped
him…But…why?~
“You done dazing into the food as if it’s some kind of mirror?” Inuyasha starts
to gripe; an indicator that he was ready for the meal as well as bored enough
to bother her.
            Sheila bites back an apology. It would just lead to him fussing
more. Getting a bowl and putting some of the finished stew in as well as a few
Onigiri in case he desired it on another little bowl. Taking them to him, she
quietly sits them in front of him before going to her pack to grab a bottle of
water.
“Your Onigiri looks weird,” he taunts; making her wonder if he wasn’t trying to
bait her into an argument, “looks more oval than circle to me. Can’t ya even
roll a straight circle?”
Biting her lip again, she ignores him. Making herself a bowl, she eats in
sullen silence. ~I won’t be lured into an argument. I won’t be made to feel bad
for wanting protection as well as wanted to give it. And I can’t wait to heal
so I can go back safely to Vickie and the others~ Sheila thought wistfully;
starting to miss her friends deeply. While she wanted to open up to Inuyasha,
she didn’t feel she could, and so kept her peace.
“You really are some kind of idiot aren’t you?”
“No I’m not,” She finally states after taking a few bites, “I’m just tired of
fighting with you. Everything you have to say is mean and horrible. You haven’t
had a nice damn thing to say since you got better. No thank you or anything
else has fallen from your lips. Not even once!”
“I don’t recall asking for your help,” Inuyasha replies coolly; the satisfied
sneer on his face finally pushing her to the edge.
“Get out.”
He blinks at her in surprise, “What?”
“I said get out. I would rather risk dying of another demon attack than to
stand one more moment in your presence. If I die, then fine. At least I’ll die
with some peace!”
            The silence that greeted her words was enough to hurt her heart as
he sits the food to the side.
“Fine. Die. See if I care,” Were the last words she hears from his lips before
he walks out of the cave; leaving her to do the one thing she’s been fighting
to not do every second of their encounters.
 
                                     Cry.
                                        
                            She could finally cry.
                                        
            Thick tears mix with her stew as she quietly eats; her heart tight
in her chest for reasons she didn’t fully understand…
 
 
             ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Kaede’s Village~
                                        
~Kaede~
 
“More of the crops have gone missing, Priestess Kaede,” A male villager
informs; a man she recognized to be one of the main crop watchers. She could
see the worry in his brown-grey eyes and nods; hoping her silent confidence
assures him.
“Everything will be alright. Why don’t ye go to your wife and check on her.
She’s pregnant with her third child, yes?”
            He gave her a smile and curt nod; his hair tied up in a neat
topknot that exposed his young and powerful features, “Yes. Buddha has been
most gracious to us. Our two boys are strong and fit. She’s hoping for a little
girl this time.”
“Either way, I’m sure ye both will be feeling very blessed when the little one
comes.”
“Yes, you’re right. I best check on her now,” he replies; bowing to Kaede,
“Thank you, Priestess Kaede,” the young man further speaks before getting up,
turning, and walking out of her house.
            Kaede sighs; her mind full of troubles. First, Inuyasha and a
mysterious young time traveler she has been told about from Yusuke and Vickie
are missing, and now the village’s crops were being stolen by heavens only knew
what. ~At least no women or children have gone missing. But, if they steal a
very large portion of crops, the village could end up going hungry~ She
worries. So far, only a few crops have ever been taken at a time, and it wasn’t
a significant amount to warrant full concern. It was Vickie’s words that messed
with her the most. The female youkai had told her about Inuyasha’s rape, and
the wise-woman in turn had warned her that physical pain would be the least of
their worries. She has dealt with such victims; the number of young women and
men coming to her due to rape were unsettling but not unusual in this time of
tension among the feuding lords of their lands. ~The physical pains tend to
heal much faster and more efficiently than the ones affecting the mind after
such events.~ She recalls saying, ~There are few that live normal lives after
that. Some have even gone on to admit wishing their attacker had killed them
and not left such scars behind for them to bear as their legacy~
“Inuyasha, ye hold onto yourself,” she remarks out loud; hoping that the belief
of one talking about you held enough ground to get the message through to his
inner self, “Don’t ye be afraid to face that event and walk away blameless. For
no one is ever at fault of such horrific deeds. Ye must find a way to save
yourself, and find your way again. Ye path will never be as it was, but perhaps
something even more fulfilling shall now come ye way.” …
 
 
    ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Branch Of A Tree~
 
           
~Inuyasha~
 
            He sneezed, and wandered just who the hell was talking about him
when he felt a presence. After leaving the cave, the hanyo had taken to the
trees; feeling bad with each leap he took away from the obviously hopeless
girl. She could barely walk to the river for a proper bath, and had bruises
everywhere, but was willing to take on death. Now that he thought about it, he
was more aggressive than usual. Sure, Inuyasha knew he had a terrible way with
words, but he wasn’t a complete fool. ~I wanted to argue with her. I wanted to
make her cry…I wanted to see her break down~ He mentally admits to himself;
afraid of this new emotion welling up inside him. After the night with Kagome,
all he kept imagining was pain and hurt. It seemed to be the only thing that
made sense anymore. Nothing else was registering anymore. There was love out
there. Normal, understandable love.
 
         But, so far, Inuyasha has never understood that kind of love.
                                        
            First, it was Kikyo. Things would have been normal if Naraku didn’t
come along and ruin everything. ~And the bastard is still out there with
shards~ He mentally thought; frowning as the presence gets closer. ~And
now…Kagome…~ He thought of his current lover. She’s everything he wants in a
lover. Kagome is strong, stubborn, but still sweet and true to herself in all
situations. Her morals and convictions didn’t always make sense to him, but he
loved her anyways, and looked forward to finding a happy ending while chasing
down Naraku. But then…~She…She did…that…to me…Why? Why, Kagome? I love you
already…Am I really that bad at showing just how much I love her?~He questions
himself before his brows knit together in irritation at the feel of something
pinching his cheek. Inuyasha waits a moment before smacking his cheek; mentally
grinning in satisfaction at hearing the pained squeak-grunt of the flea that
dared to drink from him.
“Why am I not surprised?” He mummers; watching the paper thin flea fall into
his lap before it recovered and looked at him apologetically, “What the hell
are you doing here, Myoga?”
“I came to check on you, Master Inuyasha,” Myoga states, his black eyes and
what few grey hairs his has left on his little head being the most prominent
features on the flea youkai besides his blood sucking mouth, “Totosai and I
happened to be in the area and I sensed your tasty blood.”
“So you decided to come over here and take a sip, did ya?” Inuyasha asks dully;
knowing he was right when the flea sweats and tries to deny it.
“Is it impossible for me to have wanted to come and see you, master?”
“With the way I’m always fighting, and you being the type to run from any sign
of danger, you really expect me to believe that?”
“But master! Really!” Myoga tries to protest, but it wasn’t working on him.
Inuyasha didn’t believe one word of it.
“Hey, Myoga…Do you know anything about a plant called the Dog Fruit?” He asks;
suddenly thinking of the red plant that Kagome had slipped into his mouth to
consume, “I’ve heard of it somewhat from Kikyo before, but still don’t know
much about it.”
“Hmm? The rare and legendary Inu no Kajitsu?” Myoga questions.“Yeah. That. What
do you know about it?”“Hmmm…Well, I’ve heard a few things,” He begins,
“Supposedly, when a human and demon were discovered to be in love, they were
both savagely murdered by the villagers and their priest. They say the blood of
the lovers mingled and spilled in a field of harmless poppies, but that their
love was so strong it transformed the plant into a type of super hybrid. The
Dog Fruit, also called the Dog Heart Poppy or the Poppy of Entrapment, use to
be really popular for lovers to share during marriage ceremonies. It wasn’t
until centuries later that the truth of the plant’s rather sinister history
would come about.”“Sinister history?” Inuyasha inquires; ears flicking a bit at
the sound of the wind rushing quietly through the trees around them.“Yes. While
the plant itself is still much like the regular poppy, its symbolic meanings
started to become real. The poppy is known as a flower of sleep, death, and
peace. But its opiate properties make it very addictive. In fact, most who
consume the flower in any way are sometimes so addicted to it that they’ll
chose death over not having it at all,” the flea demon remarks morbidly.“Why
the hell would anyone use it then?” Inuyasha demands more than asks; heart now
clenching tight in his chest with fear for what it all meant for himself.“Lack
of real knowledge, to be honest. At first people thought that poppies were just
beautiful flowers; not realizing that the imported plants from China held such
dangerous promises for them. They learned to make opium with it, and had become
addicted to the point where humans are struggling to ban the stuff even now.
The Dog Fruit is actually considered a holy flower. It was used by priestesses
in order to make demons bow to their will and fight in wars with them.
Eventually, the general public got ahold of this powerful flower, and started
to use it as a way to enslave demons and humans to them.”“But then why would
couples willingly take it?”“It was a show of faith,” Myoga answers, crossing
his arms and closing his eyes as he talks, “You take the Dog Fruit and eat it
to show everyone that you are hooked and madly in love with the one you’re
eating it with. It’s basically a physical sign of loyalty.” “Ok…What does a
person do if they eat something like that and didn’t mean to?”Myoga cringes,
“…I wish them well. The Poppy of Entrapment works slowly, but surely. At first,
it would plague the person’s dreams of the person who gave it to them. Rather
those thoughts be good or bad is irrelevant, as the plant makes no distinction.
Then the person will start to have unconscious thoughts of the person until
they are consumed by little else. Finally, the person is driven mad by the
desire to only be near that person, the Dog Fruit’s opiate power turns into a
living curse of forced love. Some demons dare call it the Lover’s Rape Flower,
because it violates the natural ways of love.”“…So is there no way to get it
out of your system?” Inuyasha asks hesitantly; now afraid of Myoga’s
answer.“Because the plant’s power it connected to its opium, it’s a real
struggle. The withdrawals are enough to make you truly believe you are
dying…And some really do end up dying trying to rid themselves of the
entrapment. The side effects include random aggressive tendencies, anxiety,
insomnia due to nightmares, flu-like symptoms and many more. The stuff is nasty
and no self-respecting priest or priestess will use it today.”               
Inuyasha silently listens. He wanted to run from himself. Wanted to leave his
body behind as the thought of side-effects kick in. ~So that’s why I’ve been
cranky and sick. The Dog Fruit is still in my system.~“Myoga…How long can it
take for the powers of this flower to leave the person’s system?”The flea demon
looks at Inuyasha curiously; a sort of intelligence Inuyasha wished wasn’t
there shining through as he answers, “…It’s random, my lord. Some only feel the
effects for a few days. Others, many months. It all depends on how much of it
you have ingested.”“…A whole plant was given to me about maybe two weeks or so
ago.” “Then I suggest you stay away from the giver until you feel better. You
look to be out of the most dangerous of the withdrawals, but, if you go
anywhere near the person who gave it to you even a second too soon…It will only
start up again and you will be enslaved to that person forever.”
… ~Sheila~                 The upcoming night threatens to darken the lonely
cave and pit its lone inhabitant into perpetual darkness. Sheila shivers as the
howling wind ghosts past the opening; her dinner being the stew that she made
earlier in the day. She left the bowls that Inuyasha had left alone. It was a
false comfort. She needed those bowls to sit there and lie to her about him
leaving. ~He just went out to get some air…He’s just…taking a break after our
little fight…Nothing serious…~ The teen girl thought while making sure that
there was still enough sticks inside to hold her off at least until tomorrow.
Sitting her empty bowl and silverware to the side to be cleaned in the morning
at the lake, she gets up slowly from the safety zone of the fire’s light to
face the growing black at the mouth of the cave.               Even with the
threat of sleeping alone in the forest for the first time since she’s got to
the Feudal Era, Sheila couldn’t deny the mysterious beauty the place held.
Taking in the sounds of night creatures stirring, she smiles sadly at the night
time landscape, “He isn’t coming back, is he? ...I guess I should be happy. The
arguing has finally stopped and I don’t hear anymore nagging or cruelty…And
yet...What I wouldn’t give for his voice to break the scary den of sounds I
hear beyond my prison,” she confesses to it before turning away and preparing
herself for a very frightful night…  ~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Forest
just outside of Arata Village~  ~Sesshomaru~ “Vickie, we need to talk.” He
wasn’t surprised that she didn’t react to his presence. He wasn’t fool enough
to believe that his astute sister couldn’t always feel him coming most of the
time. The conversation with Kagome was on his mind. He knew his sister had to
be lying. There was never a time where the dog/wolf youkai couldn’t find their
younger brother, and wouldn’t travel the ends of the earth to find him if need
be.“You must mean that conversation with the bitch?”“I meant with the miko,” He
corrects. While he didn’t care for Kagome much either, he didn’t see any reason
to insult dogs by calling her bitch, “I take you have already found Inuyasha.”
“Brother…Inuyasha has been raped.” Sesshomaru’s eyes narrow. After the
conversation with the human, Vickie had chattered for a little while before
disappearing. He had followed her after everyone had done chores for the
afternoon that consisted of watch duty and hunting for his elusive brother
before having a little free time, dinner, and, finally, sleep. The darkness was
nothing to him. He could easily see and sense his sister sitting in a tree in
the dense forest that surrounded Arata Village.“Has this been confirmed by
Inuyasha?”“…No, but I’ve seen him,” she confesses quietly to him, “He…he wasn’t
well, brother. While he didn’t seem different, his senses were horrible. He
couldn’t even sense me, and I was only a few feet away from him!”“That sounds
like our brother’s stupidity, not rape.” “I’m being serious, brother. Someone
had witnessed it…,” he could hear her fight to not sniffle as her voice got
thick with emotion, “My baby brother has been raped. Rather a hanyo or not,
it’s still disrespect to our family and pisses me off to no end!” She ends up
shouting; punching the tree and causing it to groan as if in real pain.“Sister,
if you truly have seen our brother, why haven’t you brought him home yet?”“…You
shall see, big brother,” she glances down at him; making Sesshomaru think that
he’d rather not know what she was up to, “Trust me when I say that, for better
or worse, I have done all I can for our little brother. Now, the rest is up to
him.” …  ~Kagome~                She tried her best to follow after Sesshomaru
quietly; her human eyes not able to see every twig and rock that tripped her or
made her make a noise she thought was louder than the night creatures. She had
pretended to be asleep in hopes of following after the daiyoukai and hearing
their conversation. But the risk of getting too close was too great, and, once
Vickie punched the tree, the human didn’t want to think about how it would feel
to be discovered. ~I’m sure they’re talking about Inuyasha. I bet she actually
does know where he is. What is she up to? Why is she hiding Inuyasha away?~ She
thought; walking back to the inn before a disturbing thought came to
being.“…Does Vickie maybe…love Inuyasha? Is that it? Is she in love with her
own brother and think of me as a rival?” Kagome thought out loud; frowning at
the thought of having to compete with Vickie of all people. It was one thing to
try and appease her as an over protective sister, but could she really measure
up as a more diligent lover?
~That’s it! I don’t care if she beats me to death! I am not leaving Vickie’s
side from now on. I’m sure she is sneaking off to be with Inuyasha behind my
back, the tramp!~                She was about to stomp back into the inn when
a rustle in the trees nearby made her heart jump into her throat with
excitement and hope, “I…Inuyasha?” She calls out; hearing another rustle before
all went still, “No…It was probably just the wind…Oh Inuyasha…Come back to me,
already…” …  ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown
Cave~  ~Inuyasha~                It was dark. Too dark to see anything but the
thin, tempting light ahead of him.“Inuyasha.” A familiar voice calls to him,
“Inuyasha, I love you.”“Kagome,” he calls out softly; letting the light guide
him to the voice, “I love you too, Kagome.”“Come to me, Inuyasha. I want you to
come to me.”“Are you sure, Kagome?” He asks; his steps tentative and halting as
he the teasing trail of light continues to lead him, “I…I’ve made so many
mistakes.”“It’s ok, Inuyasha. As long as you love me.”“I love you.”“Yes.”
Kagome’s voice creeps over him, making him feel high and shaky, “Tell me again
that you love me.”“I love you, Kagome,” He says obediently; his words soft as
he hunts down sound of her.“Oh Inuyasha,” she coos, “Won’t you say it more?”“I
love yo-““I promise to take care of you until you don’t need me anymore,”
Another voice invades his senses; causing him to pause in his loyal following,
“We need to come together, Inuyasha. So we both can survive.”“Sh-Sheila…?” The
hanyo questions cautiously.“Yes, Inuyasha. Even though I’ve said those words,
you left me to die.”“B-but you told me to leave!” He accuses.“Forget about her,
Inuyasha,” Kagome demands; seeming to appear from nowhere before him in a sheer
dress of some fashion he wasn’t use to, “Let her die. Let her rot in that
lonely cave where demons can find her. She only helped heal you when you were
down and out. But she really means nothing, right? You have me. So just love
me.”“I…” Inuyasha frowns; thinking of the cave and just how dangerous it was to
be an injured person there.“Don’t let me die,” the dark skinned girl appears
before him as well, “I…I’m scared and lonely. You know that feeling, don’t you,
Inuyasha? The feeling of having no one to turn to?”“That doesn’t matter. You
have me now. Let her die, Inuyasha. Come to me.”“Kagome,” He mummers in shock,
“What’s gotten into you?”“What do you mean?” Kagome frowns at him, “Don’t you
know that I love you?”“Yeah but-““Then leave her! You need no one but me! You
have no one but me! You love no one but me!” She demands; making him shake
harder than he did earlier.“S-stop it, Kagome.”“Say it with me, Inuyasha! Give
me all of yourself!”“Ka-Kagome.”“Wake up, Inuyasha,” Sheila demands softly;
dark eyes bright with concern as she opens her arms, “Run to me and wake up
before it’s too late!”“No, Inuyasha! Come to me before it’s too late,” the
paler teen commands, “Just say the words, and you’re mine
forever!”               Afraid, confused, and feeling terribly sluggish with
each step he takes towards Kagome, Inuyasha shakes his head before forcing
himself to run into Sheila’s arms instead, “It’s a nightmare. It’s another
nightmare!”“No, Inuyasha! Come here! You are mine! MINE!”“Shhh!” The dark teen
croons in his ear, “You belong to yourself. Now, wake up, Inuyasha. Before this
dream consumes you…” …                Inuyasha shivers as he comes to; his body
nearly soaked with sweat when he realized a frightening fact. He wasn’t in the
tree he was in before. “I…Inuyasha?” He heard Kagome’s call. So close. So
tempting. He could be with her. Fulfill her every desire and have her love in
return. ~You belong to yourself~ The dream Sheila seems to hum at him; his
heart racing and tears streaming down his face as he ran away from the very
person he wanted so bad, he’d die to have her. ~How did I get here? I went to
sleep in the tree after Myoga left…and wake up to new smells and Kagome’s voice
so near. Did I…Did I sleep walk?~ The hanyo runs hard; the landscape a blur as
Myoga’s words come back to him. ~The Dog Fruit will indiscriminately lead me to
Kagome…Even while awake. It hasn’t left my system at all! The damn thing
brought me here even while I slept!~ He thought; fear running rampant in his
head. Sleep wasn’t safe and yet…~I didn’t just dream of Kagome…Did the flower
somehow pick up on my thoughts of Sheila too, and try leading me to her too?
But…I thought Myoga said that the poppy only works for the person who handed it
to you…So…Why…?~ He tried to think about it, but then yelps as he leaps for a
tree branch and misses. Hitting the ground, Inuyasha groans; his vision going
hazy with the need for more sleep, ~N-no~ He thought, forcing himself up, ~I
must make it to the cave. I have to get back to the cave before I pass out.
Please still be at the cave~…  
      ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown Cave~
 
 
~Sheila~
 
            A warming sensation made her awaken; the teen tensing as a body
squeezes into the sleeping bag with her. After dinner, Sheila had went to
sleep; her sore body restless but too tired to stay up even while stressed.
Seeing the red of the person’s pants as they removed their red robe, her brain
finally makes the proper connections to guess at her mystery guest in the
dwindling firelight.
“I-Inuyasha? W-what are doing here?” She asks; too surprised to not speak with
him.
“Let me stay.”
“Wh-what?”
“Please,” He begs; golden, demon orbs bloodshot with fatigued, “Let me stay.”
Sheila stares into the suffering eyes, ~Something has really scared him~ She
concludes; slowly wrapping her arms around his shaking body and gently shushing
him, “It’s alright. You can stay. I…I missed you, Inuyasha,” she declares
softly, trying her best not to look away from his sleepy, stunned stare as her
cheeks feel very warm at the confession.
“Thank you,” He mummers; breaking the eye contact by pulling her tight against
his chest with the pressure of his chin over the top of her head, “I…I missed
you too.”
            Heart pounding in her chest with a confusing mixture of feeling as
light as a feather, but awfully heavy like a mountain sat on her ample bosom,
Sheila snuggles her face into his warmth; glad that the stand-still was coming
to a close…
 
 
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
 
 
***** Chapter Sixteen: I Know Where They Are, I'm Just Not Telling And The
First Pulse Of Sheila's Heart *****
Chapter Summary
     Vickie admits to knowing their location, and Sheila's heart begins to
     open while someone watches not too far away...
Chapter Notes
     Sorry for how long it took to load these next 5 chapters. This is my
     B-day month (Today is actually my birthday :) ), so things are moving
     a bit slow. Once again, I am sorry for the delay and hope you enjoy
     reading my story. Please take time to review or kudos to let me know
     how I'm doing :)
 
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                               Chapter_Sixteen:
                                        
  I_Know_Where_They_Are,_I’m_Just_Not_Telling_And_The_First_Pulse_Of_Sheila’s
                                     Heart
                                        
                                        
~Feudal Era, Kai Province, Arata Village, Taiyo no dansu Inn~
                                        
                                        
~Vickie~
 
“Where are they, Vickie?” Kagome demands to know; her body looking like a
pattern of dirt patches and some bruises that the youkai is happy to have put
there only a few hours ago.
            It was mid-morning. The gang of 14, if you include darling Kirara,
had a bit of a late start in the third week of their wait. After having a fast
breakfast of fruit from the gracious inn keeper, they broke into 5 little
groups and went out to do various jobs. The half that had mostly fighter
partners, like Yusuke, Miroku and Vickie, were usually the first to go on the
Inuyasha search; since the worse of demons had a habit of appearing in the
night. It had been funny for her to see just how well Joey and Sesshomaru
worked as a team even before Jaken’s interesting return. The poor toad youkai
had been running for his life by another demon that was persistent on thinking
he was a snack. The skunk demon wasn’t something Vickie relished aiding the
silly servant from getting eaten from, but, with Sesshomaru seeming to want to
just watch, it was obvious that it would be up to her, Sango, and Miroku.
 
         The others were NOT having anything to do with a skunk demon.
                                        
                               Not even Kagome.
                                        
~Not that I blame her. It took hours to smell normal again after that fight~
She thought; trying her best not to get upset by the interrogation from the
irate miko. Although in retrospect, Vickie supposed she should have seen this
moment coming. Kagome has been giving hinted questions about her ability to
sense her brother, and has been more intense with asking why she was being so
vague. ~The bitch has everyone except Yusuke looking at me like I’m the
villain. At this rate, I have no choice.~
“I’m not telling,” She states with her head up high, not surprised by the shock
on everyone’s face.
“You mean you really do know where they are?” Sango asks slowly; seeming not to
want to believe it.
“It’s true. I know where they are.”
“They?” Both Keiko and Joey say in unison with comically wide eyed expressions.
“Yes. They. I know where both our teammates are.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Kelson asks patiently. He was the most rational
out of the group, and she was starting to feel immensely grateful for that. It
kept her grounded somehow.
“Because I don’t want anyone to know where they are yet,” Vickie answers;
taking one look at Yusuke, and, seeing him nod, glances at the others with a
determination that has them all warily looking at her, “I didn’t want anyone to
know because someone has violated my brother’s virginity, and I’m not sure who
to trust now.” …
 
~Kagome~
 
            Her heart stops at the words. ~Sh-she knows?!~
“How do you know something like that?” Kagome asks; beating down the guilt as
best she could. She didn’t think Inuyasha was really telling the truth about
being a virgin. Surly he and Kikyo had done something at some time in their
relationship, ~How can he love her so much and not express it? Doesn’t Inuyasha
know anything about love? Doesn’t he know he’s supposed to give himself to the
person in order for it to last? No wonder Naraku could get between them. It
looks like I’m not the only one that he’s been holding out on.~
“Someone has witnessed it,” The youkai confesses; giving Kagome a glare that
has her blood running cold, “And, once he joins up with us, he’ll be able to
identify who has done it once and for all.”
~Oh no! If she finds out what I did, I’ll lose Inuyasha forever!~ She mentally
panics, ~I’ve got to find Inuyasha! I’ve got to give him the last two of the
Dog Fruit I have, or the spell isn’t complete.~
“Poor guy,” she hears Serenity say; turning to see her holding back tears, “Who
could have done such a thing? That’s awful.”
Kagome tries not to let guilt overwhelm her at the words nobody could answer
but her. ~I’ve done nothing wrong~ She thinks fervently to herself, ~We are a
couple, and couples have sex. So he might have said stop it, but he didn’t
really mean it…He just didn’t know what was fully going on. Inuyasha is a
virgin. Well…was…But that doesn’t matter! We are meant to be together! I won’t
lose him! I can’t…~Her mind was too full to continue arguing with Vickie. She
goes to sit down and thought heavy thoughts as a late brunch was made for them,
~I love Inuyasha…I don’t have to apologize for that…I don’t…~ …
 
 
       ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Tama River~
                                        
                                        
~Sheila~
 
            She glances curiously at the naked back of Inuyasha as he wades
through the river; the front of her blue shirt and loose grey pants a bit wet
from washing his clothes, “Are you alright?”
“…Yeah,” He answers slowly; an indicator to her that he wasn’t alright.
            Sheila makes sure not to sigh as she continues to clean the
fundoshi she took from him after he left them by the shore and submerged enough
into the water for her to not spy on any man-parts.
“Tell me about your mother, Inuyasha.”
She looks up just in time to see the curious look that crossed his face with
her request. Sheila was still wary of getting close to him, but saw that he
needed help. Ever since he returned to her that night, he hasn’t left her sight
for even a moment, and she noted that he was strongly afraid to. Just as
before, she was pulled into the dream landscape each night they lay together.
And each night, just as before, she comforted him as he struggled through his
love and pain for her sister. ~The more I go into his dreams, the more I notice
little things. Like the fact that the meadow had more than just poppies in
them. There was another flower that, when it opened, showed the image of a
beautiful woman with gorgeous black long hair and finely crafted kimono. I
couldn’t see her face, but I’m betting it’s his mother.~ She thought; finishing
up her cleaning of the Japanese underwear and squeezing the excess water out of
it.
“Huh? Why?” He asks; voice genial and tired. It made her want to hug him. Even
though she hated how cruel he was before, Sheila didn’t want to see him beat
down. ~He deserves to be happy like anyone else~ She secretly believed.
“Because I think she showed up in your dreams before,” Sheila admits, “I saw a
woman inside of a flower that looked to be white forget-me-nots. She had long
black hair, fair skin, and wore a really pretty kimono.”
“…”
“I-Inuyasha?” Sheila calls his name unsurely; seeing his head duck in a
submissive manner that worried her, “D…did I upset you? If so, I’m sorry.”
“…Sheila.”
“Y-yes?”
“…Kill me.”
Sheila’s heart stopped a moment; skipping a few beats as her eyes widen at his
words, “Wha…what did you say?”
“I said kill me,” Inuyasha repeats quietly; his tears easy to see as they flow
down his cheeks, “I can’t… take it anymore. I want to go be with mother… I
don’t want to… understand love anymore. It hurts….It hurts… too much. So
please…kill me.”
“Inuyasha,” She whispers his name; not caring about her clothes getting wet or
the fact he was naked as she came to him in the river. She gently pulls his
head down to her shoulder; the tears dripping from his face to soak into her
clothes as she wraps her hands under his arms and around his back to hold him
tight, “Your mother would want you to live. I know that because I’ve lost my
mother only six months ago… It still hurts, and I wish she was here with me… to
help me understand everything I’m going through… But I know it would kill her
to see me die. Just like it… killed me to see her die.”
            She felt him move; the grip of his arms around her tight enough to
almost hurt as he trembled and hid his face further into her shoulder.
“Kagome hates me,” she hears his muffled words, “I love her, but she hates me.
I…I don’t know how to love her the way she deserves. I keep making her hate
me…”
Sheila stayed quiet for a while, time seeming to stand still as she lets the
warmth of her body calm him down. Once his shivering settles down, the teen
speaks up, “Don’t think about that. It doesn’t matter. Real love will sing to
the will of your heart,” She remarks; saying the very things her mother had
once said to her when she was very little and going through her first crush.
Her affections weren’t returned, and she cried for days until her mother said
the poem to her. Taking a breath, Sheila recites a part of it:
 
                           In a time clear as snow,
                        There were two lovers long ago,
                       Whom could not reach each other.
                                        
                       One side was marked by the diva,
                          The other held by Inuyasha,
                       But they would not have another.
                                        
                 For the Will of their heart was set in stone,
                          Love, magic and time alone,
                  Held the potential to bring them completion
                                        
                         As long as both stayed true,
                        They will love longer than you
                                        
“Their Will being beyond extinction…” Inuyasha says the last part in open awe;
causing Sheila to gasp and look up as he moved his head away from her shoulder
to stare at her.
“You…You know the poem too?”
“Yeah. It was something my mother would tell me every night before bed. I
thought she made it up for me,” He mummers. The look of confusion on his face
matched her feelings.
“My mother told me the same poem every night too! Well, at least that’s the
first part of it she would tell me. I thought she made it only for me too,
but…,” she hesitated a moment before smiling at Inuyasha. Feeling suddenly
inspired, she tilts her head up a little and she kisses his forehead; the look
of surprise on his face making her giggle.
“Wh-why did you do that?” He questions, the tinge of pink on his cheeks making
him look endearing.
“It’s because we share the same story,” she explains, “Mother told me that, if
you find someone that could ever mirror you, then you must be soul siblings.”
“Soul…siblings?”
“It means that, even though we aren’t the same person, we should take care of
each other like we are the same because if you treat someone that is just like
you bad, you are treating yourself bad,” She hugs him close; hiding her face in
his chest but still making sure to speak loud enough to be heard, “For whatever
reason, the universe has made us the same in so many ways. Your father died
protecting your mother and my mother claims mine was doing the same when he
died. You have a brother who, while has gotten over his hatred of you, still
seems to despise you at every turn. My older sister is the same way. You’re
your mother’s only child and so am I. And…,” she pulls back a little to look at
him seriously, “we both are still learning what the will of our hearts are.”
               He stares at her in silence, his face unreadable for a long
moment before he leans his head into her shoulder and hugs her tightly against
his powerful, limber frame, “Ok, I get it. Anata wa watashi no tamashidesu,” he
replies softly into her shirt, “In other words, you are my soul. So I will take
good care of you.”                Sheila opens her mouth in a silent gasp, the
Japanese words for ‘you are my soul’ making her feel a pain in her chest that
brings her to tears, “I will take good care of you too, watashi no tamashi…the
words for my soul,” she says the words back; her body feeling like it was
floating as she holds him close… 
 
???  
 
               He grins from his place among the trees far away from the two
standing in the river; able to see the soft, whitish-blue light circling them
that neither could see in their moment of kindred embracing. ~Finally. The Will
of Heart is starting to open. Looks like he is the one to get me her Will after
all. Now, it’s just a matter of waiting…~   
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
 
 
***** Chapter Seventeen: A Month Just Isn't Enough *****
Chapter Summary
     The month is going well, a thief is caught, and pair prepare to
     return to their friends...
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                              Chapter_Seventeen:
                                        
                           A_Month_Just_Isn’t_Enough
                                        
 
      ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown Cave~
         
 
~Inuyasha~
 
            Inuyasha wakes with a stretch, the sun flooding in from the mouth
of the cave signaling that it was morning and breakfast would have to be hunted
for. Yawning while purposely twitching his ears in a way to stretch them as
well, the hanyo chances a sideways glance at the girl sharing the sleeping bag
with him. He smiles slightly at seeing her lips parted in a small oval shape.
~Sleepy headed woman. She’s got no endurance for late nights~ he thought,
recalling the game they played last night. Sheila showed him how to play
kendama, a type of wooden toy consisting of an interestingly shaped wooden
tower, ball, and, if you desire to play with one on there, a string connecting
the two. At first it was frustrating, but she didn’t give up on him, and spent
most of the night showing him the thrill of playing the simple game.
~I actually can’t wait to play it again~ He thought, quietly easing out of the
sleeping bag to make sure not to wake her. Once again stretching, Inuyasha
wanders over to the pack that was sitting beside the wall, picks through a side
pocket for the extra brush, toothpaste and medicine in it, and gets up to leave
the cave. It was a routine that started up a few days after their hug in the
river. She didn’t fully believe that he was healed, and demanded him to keep
taking at least a small dose of the medicine in the mornings. ~Stuff is nasty
enough to kill an army of demons I bet~ He surmises; walking towards the river
to start on the morning task of cleaning himself.
            It’s been a little over a month that they have been together in the
cave. The first two to three weeks were hard, but, once he decided to let go
and trust the dark teen, things got easier on them both. ~It’s almost been five
weeks now, if that calendar thing Sheila has in her travel pack is to be
believed. From what she could gather of how nature is acting now and how the
weather feels to her, we’ve just come out of June and are in the early days of
July…Her mother died during December in her time…She remembers because the sky
started to weep frozen tears with her…once she left and accepted the death had
actually happened, and wasn’t just a bad dream…Just like when…my own mother
left me behind…~ He scowls in confusion, getting to the river and starting on
the nasty task of taking meds, brushing his teeth and washing his face at
least. Careful to not swallow the toothpaste like he did the first time he
brushed his teeth, Inuyasha thought of all the similarities and difference they
shared. While they didn’t share the exact same things, such as gender, age, or
attitudes towards life; the things they did share made him feel like he really
was looking in a mirror.
~Our sibling problems…the fact that we both have lost our parents and have been
left to find our own way…The way the world ostracized us…It all fits…But
why?...~ He thought, finishing up his morning clean up before splashing his
face to clear his thoughts, ~Whatever. If we’re mirror siblings then so be it.
Sheila is getting better anyways. She’s even starting to walk without much of a
limp really, although she admits to still being a bit sore…~ He frowns;
realizing the time was drawing dangerously close for them to move on, ~…Is she
really Kagome’s sister? Everything she’s talked to me about…The kids at
school…the problems at home…If all of that is real then…she’ll want to
eventually see her again I guess…And I do recall her telling me about a group
of friends she showed up with…~ Inuyasha frowns at feeling a tension fill him
that he understood all too well. He didn’t want the peace to end. He didn’t
want to go back to the group. The pain of the rape was almost a distant memory
now, and the nightmares have all but cleared. Walking away from the river, his
mind was full and his heart a bit heavy. ~What will Kagome say to me after all
this time?...What will the others say?...Will…Will Sheila stop me from sleeping
with her once she has to face Kagome?...Will Kagome get…mad?~ He shakes his
head and sighs; quietly making it back to the cave, ~Of course she’ll be mad.
She doesn’t think you love her, and is gonna think something weird is going on
once she finds out I can’t sleep without racing to her sister’s sleeping bag. I
feel so stupid for trying to think otherwise, but…Sheila…~ He takes a peek at
the girl still in the sleeping bag, and couldn’t help smiling at the pouty
frown on her face.
~She’s got a hand fisted in the area where I sleep…Is she…thinking of me too?
Does…does me leaving her side make her frown like that?~Unable to keep from
smiling, he walks over and softly brushes his lips over her cheek; the little
smile that comes to replace the sour expression doing things to his heart he
dare not look too deeply into…
 
 
      ~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Arata Village, Taiyo no dansu Inn~
 
 
~Kelson~
 
“How was the fishing?” Kelson hears Yusuke ask as he returns from his morning
fishing trip. While it was a way to thank and aid the innkeeper for being kind
enough to let them continue their stay, it was also a way for the Irish/
Japanese boy to get a break from the group. ~Wayyy too many hormones in that
room~ He thought of the room they all shared in the inn before smiling at the
spirit detective. Kelson wasn’t fully trusting of him, but would keep his peace
until the teen provokes him to not to.
“It was great! I caught a lot more than we’ll eat, I’m sure,” he answers in
calm cheer; smiling as Kohaku and Shippo race past him for a rowdy game of tag.
He has noted that, while Rin still played with them, the young girl was
starting to take more interest in talking to the other girls and staring at the
one called Sesshomaru. ~She must have a crush on him or something. She’s about
thirteen or fourteen now, and probably is considered grown in this timeframe~
he thought; still amazed by just how young a girl could be for that in this
time when compared to the Present.
“That’s good,” Keiko, whom is wandering out as well, replies, “The innkeeper
was worried there wouldn’t be enough to feed everyone.”
“No worries,” Kelson assures, “So, are you going somewhere?”
Keiko nods, “Yep. I’m going to the storehouse to collect rice and other food
stock stored there,” she giggles before calling to the playing boys, “And you
two are supposed to be getting the eggs from the chickens!”
“Ok, ok,” Shippo calls to her breathlessly; Kohaku chasing after him as they
run off to do as told.
            Kelson snickers while watching them leave; excusing himself from
Yusuke and Keiko to go inside and hand the fish over.
“Oh thank you young man,” the innkeeper’s wife replies; her green eyes warm as
she bows to him with her long, greying dark hair wrapped tight in a ponytail
style with a comb inserted known as shimada mage, “I shall have a wonderful
breakfast done for you all shortly.”
“No problem. Thanks for your patience in letting us stay here.”
“Nonsense,” she contradicts the compliment; a normal behavior that Kelson was
slowly getting use to from her, “It’s the least we can do for all the help you
have been. I wish we could do more.”
“No, your kindness and hospitality is more than enough. Thank you though,” He
says politely; smiling at her fair cheeks going pink before she took the fish
and wandered into the little area that was the kitchen. Chuckling to himself,
he wanders towards the room; knowing most of the group was still there getting
ready for the day. It’s been about a month since they’ve been there, and, other
than worrying about his cousin, Kelson found the era to be a nice change from
the Present. The streets were only noisy with horses and people going about
their day, not cars, buses or other typically loud things. It almost made him
think of certain parts of Ireland, so he was feeling right at home.
~The tension among the others though…not so homey~ He admitted to himself;
thinking particularly of Vickie and Kagome. The energy between the two was
intense, and it took every effort from everyone to keep the girls from
attacking each other. ~I can’t say I blame Kagome though. Vickie claims to know
where both Inuyasha and Sheila is, but don’t wish to tell us. Everyone, except
Kagome, has just learned to accept it after hearing about the fact that he’s
been raped and haven’t dared to ask any questions. But, sooner or later, we’re
gonna have to get answers. And hopefully, it’s before those two find a way to
kill each other~ Kelson, while being a young man who had no problem dealing
with being involved in the situation, didn’t see the point of fully butting in.
It was Vickie’s brother as far as he was concerned, and so he respected her
need to keep him safe.
 
It was the need to hide Sheila’s location as well that had him a little upset.
                                        
            He remembers her injuries before they left for this era, and
couldn’t help wondering if she was really safer without the aid of the whole
group. ~That, and what if she’s run out of medicine to take?~ He thought;
holding in a sigh at coming in and feeling the tatami room a bit tense.
“I’m not asking to invade his privacy, Vickie,” Miroku continues, obviously
asking something that was disturbing enough to cause this atmosphere, “It’s
just that I’ve never seen Inuyasha willing stay away for this long. I can only
imagine how the rape has affected him, and am asking about it in hopes of not
agitating him further once he joins us.”
“…I really can’t tell you anything about it,” the demon girl relents; her frown
proof enough of her worry for her brother, “I don’t even know who did it,
Miroku, much less how or why. All I know is that Inuyasha needs time, and,
rather you like it or not, I’m going to respect that and not say where he is.
When my little brother is ready, he’ll make an appearance.”
“But what about Sheila,” Kelson speaks up, “I’m not gonna pressure you about
your brother. He’s been through a trauma none of us really understand. But
can’t you at least tell us where Sheila is?”
“Sheila?” Vickie parrots questioningly before smiling a little, “I can’t reveal
that because Sheila…is with Inuyasha,” she confesses; the look of surprise,
pain, and something that looks like anger to the Irish boy flitting across
Kagome’s face that makes Vickie smile more. ~Nope. Absolutely no love there
whatsoever between these two. But then again, Kagome is pretty strange acting~
He thought, taking a moment to study the girl that was from their own time
before replying to Vickie’s answer with only one question.
“Is she safe? The last time we saw her, she was injured and racing off to fight
a strange demon with nothing but firecrackers,” Kelson looks at Vickie
seriously; hoping the expression on his face was enough to prove that, if she
lied to him, she would regret it, “So tell me. Is she really ok?”
            Vickie snorts, not intimidated by his gaze, “Yes. I saw her myself,
Kelson. Sheila was limping a bit, but was otherwise healthy and safe.”
Relief flows through him. ~Good. As long as she’s alright, then it’s fine.
Sheila will make sure to make it back to us~ He thought; smiling and nodding at
the youkai, “Ok. That’s all I wanted to know.”
“Well of course she’s alright,” the youkai gives a sniff of indignation, “I
wouldn’t leave oneesan somewhere and not know she was safe.”
~That’s right. Vickie accepts Sheila as her sister. Although….~ He glances
warily at Sesshomaru, who was giving his sister a rather cold stare ~not
everyone feels she should have that honor~
“Joey,” Kelson hears Serenity talk to her brother, “Are you ok? We just heard
that Sheila is doing fine, but you’re still frowning.”
Joey looks up, as if pulled out of a deep thought, “Huh?”
Yusuke and Keiko wander in; the smile on the spirit detective’s face teasing at
coming in on the last parts of the conversation, “He’s not happy because his
boyfriend isn’t here.”
            Joey blushes brightly while fussing, “You shut up!” he then frowns;
worry filling his hazel irises, “It’s just dat…I was expectin’ Kaiba to have
met up with us by now…”
“That’s true,” Yusuke agrees, “Kurama and the others were supposed to meet up
with us a few weeks ago,” he sighs, “Something must have come up to delay them,
because I know damn well Kurama and Hiei would have lead them easily to us.”
Kagome frowns and stands up; the anger lines still noticeable on her face.
Kelson has studied body language for his art classes, so he knew he wasn’t
mistaken by the stiff walking and tense shoulders of the teen girl as she walks
away.
“Sorry everyone. I need to take a walk. There’s just too much going on for me.”
“Poor Kagome,” Sango remarks once the girl leaves; drawing everyone’s
attention, “Vickie, can’t you tell that she’s missing Inuyasha?”
~Missing him?~ Kelson thought, ~She looked more angry than anything else to me.
But, then again, her subtle body language could be seen as worry and stress…Are
they maybe…bad at reading the girl’s real intentions because they think they
know her so well?~
“Whatever,” Vickie crosses her arms; voice rippling with a growl, “I’m not
buying the sob story. If she missed him, she wouldn’t have been the first one
to state we should probably be going this early morning.”
“While I know it sounds contradictory, I believe I can understand her
reasoning,” Miroku explains calmly, “I think she believes that, if we continue
hunting for the jewel shards, even without Inuyasha, that he will follow after
us and appear when needed.”
“That’s right,” Sango nods, “Inuyasha always appears once Kagome really needs
him. I think it’s her way of hoping to see him again sooner.”
“We. Are. Not. Going. Anywhere.” Vickie states; each word tense and being
punctuated by a tap of her long tail, “If we move and get into danger, Inuyasha
will NOT just suddenly appear. I just told you that he’s hurt.”
“But surly his wounds have healed by now,” Miroku remarks; earning himself a
rather loud growl.
“I’ve already had a talk with Kaede about it.”
“Kaede?” Kelson asks.
“She’s a wise elderly priestess that is sister to Kikyo, another priestess and
ex-girlfriend of my youngest brother,” Vickie answers before continuing, “She
said that, while his wounds might be healed, Inuyasha himself will take time to
come to himself…If he ever does…”
“Hopefully, the situation with Inuyasha and the fact that the other group
hasn’t joined us yet will be alleviated soon,” Joey comments, “It’s all giving
me a bad, itchy feeling.”
~Yeah…And it’s not only their situations that’s making it all bad or itchy,
Joey~ Kelson thought privately; taking a long glance at the door where Kagome
had vanished through…
 
 
   ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Kaede’s Village, Kaede’s Residence~
 
 
~Kaede~
 
“Priestess Kaede! We’ve caught the thief! Hurry! We need help!”
            Kaede was helping reassure a woman that caught her daughter cutting
her nails in the night that the honorable girl would most definitely attend her
funeral as she should when the man showed up. The old superstition of nail
cutting at night implying you won’t be there for your parents’ death was a hard
one to ignore, and so, with a promise to talk to the young lady in question,
Kaede excuses herself before running after the man as best she could.
 
        The sight that greeted her was enough to leave her speechless.
                                        
  There, growling at the ropes they dared to try and contain him with, stood
 Inuyasha; his claws easily breaking the ropes while holding some of the crops
                             in one of his hands.
                                        
“Inuyasha! What has possessed ye?!” She demands; satisfied as his flinch from
the sound of her voice.
“Kaede,” He mummers; relaxing his hand that had destroyed the ropes, “I…I need
these.”
She blinks in surprise. ~His last words were said in earnest. What is going on
here?~
“Is something the matter with Kagome, Inuyasha?”
Again, he winches before answering, “No…It has nothing to do with her.”
“Than what is going here, Inuyasha? Ye are acting rather strangely. Ye never
had an interest in crops before. So what is motivating ye to do this?”
            Inuyasha was silent a moment, his death grip on the crops
unrelenting as he nods, “…I’ll show you,” he mutters; turning around and
walking towards the forest.
Curiosity made her follow after him. ~So, he’s the one that’s been stealing the
crops. I knew the rape would make him do odd things…~ Her face becomes grim as
she thought of the rape he had went through. ~It’s only been a month at
best...not enough time to have fully healed from the trauma of such an event.~
“Inuyasha.”
“What?”
“How are ye doing?”
“Doing?”
“I haven’t seen ye or Kagome for a full moon phase,” She gives an excuse;
knowing he most likely wouldn’t answer her otherwise, “I was just wondering how
you and her were fairing.”
“We’re fine,” he answers too quickly for her liking. ~As I suspected. Ye is not
fine, and wants to avoid the topic of Kagome as fast as possible. Is it because
of the rape? Is he worried that Kagome might not see him the same after being
raped by someone? Or is there more to his avoidance than even I can
comprehend?~ She thought in her typical logic. Kaede quietly follows and
contemplates just how much of Inuyasha was really healed when a girl’s voice
pulls her from it.
“Koinu!” A dark girl with bright, blue-black eyes in an odd outfit waves from
the mouth of a cave; the smell of wild pheasant and eggs in the air making the
elderly woman desire more breakfast to the meal already settled in her stomach,
“Where have you been? I’ve already started breakfast! That trap I asked you to
set up really came in handy and I was able to find eggs too!”
Inuyasha turns red, “Will you stop calling me puppy! And what did I tell you
about wandering off?!”
“But the trap isn’t even half a mile from here,” The girl protests lightly.
“I don’t care. You’re still injured. You should not be leaving the cave at
all!”
The girl just laughs softly before smiling at him, “Don’t worry, Inuyasha. I’m
doing just fine. I’m only a little sore now. I promise.”
“Hmph,” Inuyasha grunts, walking over and handing her the crops, “You still
shouldn’t be out. What if demons would have found you?” He continues to fuss;
seeming to have forgotten Kaede.
            The girl accepts the crops before looking curiously at her, “Oh!
You bought company. Hello. My name is Sheila Higurashi. You can call me Sheila
or Fantasy,” the dark skinned girl introduces herself, “And who might you be?”
“I am Kaede, priestess and leader of Kaede Village,” She replies; her own dark
eyes widening a touch at their interaction, “And ye must be very close to this
demon to speak so. I’ve only seen Kagome take such a formal way with him.”
“Inuyasha? He’s my soul brother,” Sheila remarks confidently, “Of course I’d
talk to him like this. He’s part of me, as far as I’m concerned.”
“Sh-shut up and check on the food,” Inuyasha complains; the look on his face
evident of his embarrassment.
“I see,” Kaede says quietly; watching the dark skinned girl wander into back
into the cave, ~Her name matches Kagome’s, but her skin does not. Do they be
half-siblings?~ She thought, deciding to following in after the two to further
watch this intriguing claim of being soul related. ~Not just anyone would claim
such a thing. To confess to be one’s mirror image…is almost like saying…one is
married rather than mere siblings…~
“Great! You got more rice,” Sheila says jovially, leaning up a little to kiss
Inuyasha’s cheek before going to the fire, “You can have the pheasant and egg
now if you don’t want to wait on the rice balls. Onigiri can take a minute to
cook.”
            Inuyasha didn’t bat an eye at the show of affection. The dog demon
just nods and goes to make himself a bowl; as if this was normal behavior
between them, “Thanks.”
“So, Inuyasha, ye knows that thy sister has been looking for ye?” Kaede asks;
deciding not to speak up about their way of behaving with one another. ~I think
I understand…Inuyasha is using this girl to cope with what has happened to him.
He finds a kinship in her because she believes they are so similar. Inuyasha
still trusts himself, so it wouldn’t be hard to trust someone who professes in
being nothing more than a mere image of him. But what does this Sheila get out
of it? She seems a nice girl, but why is she so willing to let Inuyasha use her
like this?...Is she perhaps, doing the same? If they be mirror images, then
maybe she has a trauma just as devastating as rape she is still dealing with?~
“Oh…?” Inuyasha asks vaguely; not looking at Kaede as he starts to eat his
breakfast.
“Did you want any?” Sheila inquires; already starting up on a bowl for her.
Kaede smiles a bit, “Yes, I would love to have some. But only a little bit, as
I have already ate.”
“Alright. It’s my first time cooking pheasant,” the dark teen announces;
proudly presenting Kaede with the traditional tamagoyaki with a small side of
pheasant before going back to make sure the rice was done correctly for the
rice balls. Mentally preparing herself, Kaede takes a bite, the rich flavors of
old and new making her hum.
“You are a very talented cook. The eggs are tasty and the pheasant is perfect.”
The teen blushes, “Thank you,” she mummers; smiling for a little while but then
frowning after a bit, “Inuyasha…I think…we should start thinking about getting
back to the others…”
            Inuyasha tenses, his food halting in front of his mouth a moment
before he continues as if he didn’t pause, “Really? I thought you said you were
still sore,” he mumbles in between bites.
~Hmmm…Sounds like Inuyasha is purposely avoiding the group…I can’t say I blame
him. The tension between himself and Kagome is enough to make me worry for him~
She thought, commencing with eating her food. It was a little known fact that
she didn’t fully condone the union between the two. As far as Kaede was
concerned, the idea that Inuyasha was tempted by the young priestess due to her
connections with Kikyo could not be ignored. ~No matter how different they are,
Kikyo and Kagome share the same soul. With such a strong similarity, who is to
say the lines cannot blur and Inuyasha foolishly desires one due to the
existence of the other? There is no kind way to put it. It is because of his
constant thoughts of Kikyo that Inuyasha is reluctant to leave either. While
Kikyo has made a new life for herself, it seems the hanyo still has not let her
go. At the end of the day, Inuyasha loves Kikyo, and that love has warped
itself onto Kagome. I just hope his love for her is strong enough to survive
once he deals with the similar emotions most likely hidden underneath.~ The old
priestess frowns at the thought of her sister. It was hard to understand her
motivations. The woman has decided to rejoin the living; not wanting to accept
death. ~She found a spell that makes her human and gives her the freedom that
she’s always desired…But…has she truly become human?...There is always a catch
to such spells, and I fear for my dear sister…~
“I am still sore, but…your sister…Inuyasha,” Sheila goes over to him and gently
rubs his shoulder, “I know she’s worried…Not to mention the others are probably
worried too. As much as I’m enjoying having you all to myself…we need to go to
them.”
Kaede watches as Inuyasha takes in the girl’s words; his eyes openly tormented
as he speaks, “But…the dreams have finally stopped…What if…What if they come
back?”
“Dreams?” Kaede asks.
“Um…He’s been having really rough dreams as of late,” Sheila mummers, her arms
wrapping around the hanyo’s head to pull him tight against her chest as she
speaks.
“Inuyasha…have ye been dreaming like this for a while?”
“Y…yeah…I…I made a mistake and ate some damn plant called the Dog Fruit,” he
talks into the girl’s chest; not making any move to remove himself, “It…it
gives me dreams…”
“The Dog Fruit,” Kaede pales; now fully concerned, “How long has this plant
been in your system, Inuyasha?” She demands more than ask.
“…The month I’ve been away from the others.” …
 
~Sheila~
 
~So it must have been when Inuyasha was…raped~ Sheila thought; holding tight to
comfort her soul brother. She had woken up to him being gone, some part of her
wanting to panic while the other part laughed at her panic. Figuring he was
going to get food, she smiled when she checked her pack and found that he had
taken some of the medicine and used the red toothbrush she gave him.
            The last few weeks hadn’t been easy. Inuyasha was healed, but,
sometimes, he still woke in sweats and surprised her by vomiting a few times.
This last week or so together had finally seen him calm and fully healed; his
skin going from slightly pale to a healthier, tanned peach color. And now, at
the mention of going to find the others, his reticence didn’t really surprise
her. ~I’m betting I’m right…Someone in the group must have something to do with
his rape…oh, Inuyasha…If only you would just come out and tell me…~
“A month is not enough,” Kaede’s words cut into her thoughts, “Ye need to avoid
further exposure to that drug for at least a year for it to fully clear your
system. Even with that time, the damage to your mental and emotional state may
be all but permanent.”
“What?!” Inuyasha questions, tensing in her hold and shivering.
 
                            She knew he was afraid.
                                        
“It’s ok, Puppy,” Sheila croons; her arms unwrapping from his head so she could
massages his ears slowly. She’s learned only a few nights ago that it was a
calming gesture, as long as her fingers didn’t pinch or rub too quickly.
            His body eases from its tension; the teen girl feeling him sit the
half-finished food down to reach up and grip her waist. Sheila blushes and
squeals, his claws wiggling over her sensitive hips.
“N-no!” she struggles, fighting back laughter as she tries to escape, “D-don’t!
No fair! I…Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Y-you know I’m t-ticklish!! S-stop!”
“What did I tell you about calling me a puppy?” Inuyasha asks coolly; his
fingers not letting up for a second.
“O-ok! Ok! I’m…Ha! Ha! Haaa!!!...I’m s-sorry! I’m sorry!!!”
He releases her; Sheila sticking out her tongue before giving out a little
scream and running across the cave when he chases her.
            This was a new development. As she spent day in and day out with
him, a nature of frolic has somehow snuck in. Sheila didn’t know when or how,
but the arguing that use to dominate every conversation was nearly nonexistent.
~Is it because we need each other?...Or maybe it’s because of this Dog Fruit
thing?...Did…did Kagome give it to him?~
            The sound of a clearing throat made her pause in her play with
Inuyasha; her blush making her skin a brown-cherry at realizing he had her
pinned against the wall, “U-um…yes?”
“I see ye are getting along oddly well,” Kaede mummers, “Perhaps the effects of
the Dog Fruit is rubbing off on you.”
“I-it can do that?” Inuyasha blinks, slowly letting go of Sheila, “I thought it
only worked…”
“…With the person that gave it to you? Mostly,” Kaede continues.
“Wait,” Sheila interferes, “What the heck is this fruit thing, and how does it
have anything to do with me and Inuyasha?”
“I will explain it to you simply. It’s like this…”
 
                             ~A little time later~
                                        
“…So, this fruit is actually a flower, and has the power to force the person
that eats it to be dependent on the one who gives it to them. But you’re
basically saying that isn’t all true?”
“No. Unfortunately, there are a lot of rumors and ideas on how the plant
works,” Kaede finishes up her explanation, “Because it hasn’t been used in so
many years, no one is really sure how it works, but I do know that the plant
makes the person more dependent and easy to control. It’s a terrible and
dangerous herb that has the ability to cost the person taking it their life.”
            Sheila unconsciously hugs Inuyasha closer; having sat down beside
him in the cave and keeping her hands on him in hopes it was comforting. Now
she was the one needing comfort. ~What’s happening to me? I feel like….losing
him would…destroy me…?~ She frowns; not understanding any of it.
“Sheila.”
She turns to see him looking at her; his demon eyes serious, “Yes, Inuyasha?”
“When we get with the others…will I be able to still…sleep with you?”
“Of course,” She answers without hesitation, even while blushing at him saying
such things in front of someone, “You’re my soul sibling, remember? I’ll always
take care of you, ok?”
Inuyasha nods; gently pulling from her arms to stand up, “Ok. I’m ready to go
and check on the others.”
Sheila smiles, “Alright. I’ll pack everything up. There’s still plenty of rice
and eggs to eat on if you want while I pack,” she states, content to grab a few
bite size, rolled eggs before getting to work. ~I’m here, Inuyasha,~ She
thought; feeling the very words warm some place inside her, ~I’m here.~ …
 
 
 
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
 
 
***** Chapter Eighteen: A Bad Reunion *****
Chapter Summary
     In which they get back with the others, and things don't go so
     well...
 
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                           Fantasy's_Willful_Heart:
                                        
                               Chapter_Eighteen:
                                        
                                 A_Bad_Reunion
                                        
                                        
   ~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Western Edges Towards Kai Province~ 
 
 
~Sheila~
 
“Inuyasha, can we stop for a bit?” She asks; finally comfortable with being
piggy backed on his back. At first she was tense, but the view among the trees
had her gasping and smiling. She loved seeing the top of the trees. Enjoyed how
the dips into the trees left a funny feeling in her stomach.
 
      Felt a secret joy at his hands holding her so securely to his back.
                                        
            His back rubbing her front has sent tickles all through her body.
The kind she knew were inappropriate. ~He needs me to be his sister, not a
pervert~ She reprimands herself; grateful when he pauses and lets her down.
Finding a large rock, she sits down and takes off her pack.
“Do you want a snack, Inuyasha? It’s been at least three hours since we left
the cave after walking Kaede home.”
“Sure,” He replies curtly. She smiles at him anyways; knowing his mind was most
likely filled with dread. ~His rapist is probably someone in the
group…Kagome…Did you really…do that to him…?....If his dreams shed any
truth…Why did you do it…?~
            She pulls out a Hershey and Snickers; raising the two snacks up for
him to decide. It doesn’t take long for him to go for the Snickers. He’s been
favoring them over the Hershey after she let him have a taste of them sometime
in the month. Tearing open the candy and nibbling on it, Sheila watches him
stand in the warm sun. With his ears twitching sporadically, the hanyo was a
sight that still fascinates her. His profile was masculine, but somehow…soft.
Almost childish in some places. She knew from watching him bath that his body
was fit in ways she’s never seen the teen boys at school fit before. It was
manly. There was no other word for it.
 
            And, for once, she wanted to do anything but punch him.
                                        
“Inuyasha…Are you and my sister…together?”
“…Yeah…I think…”
“Think?”
“Sometimes…I’m not sure what to do for Kagome…” Inuyasha admits; taking a last
bite of the candy bar before handing Sheila the wrapper, “I just…don’t know the
right move to make…”
            Sheila stays silent a while, forcing herself to not think about why
it hurt to hear him say he was together with Kagome, “…I’ll help as best I can.
But, I have to admit, I have a pretty hard time understanding my sister too
most times.”
Inuyasha glances over at her; meeting her eyes head on, “Sheila…thank you.”
She frowns; confused, “Thank me? For what?”
“For wanting to help…I know you say we’re soul siblings, but still…I’m glad you
want to help me.”
She nods; smiling as she stands up, “Don’t thank me for that. I said I’d help
and made a promise. Once I make a promise, I try to not go back on it. Now come
on,” She walks up to him, standing only a foot or so away, “Let’s go find your
sister and the others. We’re almost there.”
Inuyasha gives an affirmative grunt, his eyes shining with new vigor as he
squats down. Sheila goes behind him and grips onto his shoulder; holding in a
gasp as he takes possession of her legs and seems to fly…
 
 
     ~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Arata Village, Arata Village Garden~
 
 
~Serenity~
 
            Laughing as she picks flowers and herbs with Rin, Serenity was
enjoying the afternoon heat and docile company of the sweet tempered girl
beside her when Rin stood up and shouted loudly at a man in red leaping over
them.
“Inuyasha!” She yells in excitement, “Inuyasha is finally here!”
Serenity’s heart danced for joy. ~At last! If Inuyasha is back, then Sheila
must be too~ She thought, happily gathering up her half full woven basket to
race after the young man going for the inn. The morning had been so tense with
worry and fear, and so the kind hearted girl was hopeful that Vickie’s brother
would bring some much needed happiness to the group.
~Kagome and Vickie are almost always at each other’s throats and everyone is so
sad because of all the worries and delays. It’s about time we all had the good
news of their return~
            It’s only as she runs along with Rin that she spots the girl on his
back with a traveling pack on her own, “Sheila!” She shouts; tears ready to
stream down her eyes, “Sheila, you’re alive! I’m so happy!!!”
“Serenity!” Sheila calls from Inuyasha’s back; waving as he stops in front of
the inn and squats down to let her down. Not even seconds later, Serenity was
embracing her; the solid feel of her friend enough to cause the tears to fall
down her face.
“You’re alive,” she whispers, relief coloring her words, “I can’t believe it.
We were so worried. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” she babbles on;
causing Sheila to laugh as she hugs her back.
“It’s good to see you too, Serenity. Other than still being sore, I’m fine,”
she declares cheerily before yelping and laughing as both Serenity and Sheila
barely avoid Vickie knocking Inuyasha over from out of nowhere.
“Gah!
“Inuyasha! You’ve finally come to us,” The female youkai said; tears dripping
down her cheeks, “I was starting to think you weren’t going to come back for a
long time.”
The look on the young man’s face was enough to have Serenity smiles happily as
he hugs his sister.
“I’m here now,” he replies, “And I have this girl claiming to be your sister.”
“Claiming?” Sheila mummers, smiling and rolling her eyes, “Don’t make me slap
you, Koinu.”
“You must want to be punished,” Inuyasha fusses at Sheila, but doesn’t get the
chance to do anything as Vickie leaps off him to hug the dark skinned girl.
“Oneesan! You’re finally back, oneesan! You worried the hell out of us when you
went missing after chasing down that demon.”
            Sheila laughs, “Well I’m back now.”
“That’s interesting,” Kagome’s voice breaks in, sounding a touch upset to
Serenity, “You shouldn’t be here at all. You should be in the Present, serving
your detention for beating up on students all day.”
Serenity gasps, shocked at the malice tinged words, ~What is wrong with her?
Shouldn’t she be glad to have Inuyasha back? And isn’t Sheila her sister? How
can she be so upset about her being here?~She frowns as the teen girls glare at
each other before Kagome softens and smiles at Inuyasha.
“You’re back with us!” She replies happily; purposely ignoring her sister as
she walks over and wraps her arms around him, “I was so worried. How are you
feeling, Inuyasha?”
“Me? I-I’m fine,” he stutters; the shock on his face making Serenity frown,
~…Why does he seem so nervous of Kagome?...Aren’t they dating?...Is he…afraid
of his own girlfriend…?...~ She shakes her head and wanders inside. She didn’t
have the heart to watch the blatant disregard of her friend…
 
~Sheila~
 
            Sheila watches the two embrace; the intimate hold making her hurt.
~Why does it matter to me?.. He already told me he was with Kagome…So why is it
bothering me a little?...Maybe I’m just…spoiled to Inuyasha’s attention…? I
have to remember that, until now, I had him all to myself…And now…~
“Come on, sister,” Vickie grabs hold of Sheila’s arm, almost tugging her inside
with a low growl in her voice, “I want you to come and meet the others.”
“Oh, ok,” Sheila replies meekly, tensing at seeing a flash of fear in
Inuyasha’s eyes. ~What am I doing? I can’t abandon him now. For all I know,
Kagome might have…!~
“Aren’t you gonna come inside and introduce yourself to my friends, Inuyasha?”
Sheila asks quickly, pleased with herself at the flash of gratitude in his eyes
before he nods.
 
      For whatever reason, Inuyasha wasn’t ready to be alone with Kagome.
                                        
                   And she wasn’t about to force him to be.
                                        
“But Inuyasha, I was really hoping to talk with you alone a little bit,” Kagome
softly pouts, “I’ve missed you so much. Won’t you spend a little time with me?”
“Can’t it wait until he meets me friends?” Sheila questions; struggling against
Vickie’s tug. She refuses to be pulled away. She refuses to run from the sister
that decided she wasn’t worth the time of day.
 
       She refuses to abandon her soul brother to a fate he didn’t want.
 
            Sheila could feel Vickie pause in her pulling motions as Kagome
glares over at her.
“It’s not like your friends are going anywhere. He can meet them later,” she
replies with what Sheila knew to be false whining. She was good at that when
she desired her way when the time warranted it.
“Yeah, but he just got back. I’m sure he’d rather rest in this inn and get to
know everyone than to go on another walk or trip after carrying me all the way
here.”
“You made him carry you here?” Kagome demands more than ask.
“No I didn’t,” Sheila defends herself from the accusation, “He willingly let me
on his back to get here.”
“And you actually didn’t hit him or anything?” Kagome gives an indelicate
snort, “That’s new. Why don’t you tell everyone you made your friends by
beating them up first.”
“She didn’t beat me up,” Keiko remarks; coming towards the door with a slightly
stern look, “And it’s obvious that he gave an answer already, so quit trying to
pull him away Kagome.”
“Keiko…,” Sheila says her name in an appreciative tone.
Kagome wouldn’t let up, “You must have told him your history,” she remarks
snidely, “That’s why he agreed to go meet your friends right away. Did you tell
him all about how father had an affair with your mother, but, in the end,
stayed with my mom cause he actually loved her?” She asks, her voice calm even
as her words bit into Sheila, “Did you tell him how dad pretended you didn’t
exist in favor of coming back to his true family?”
“That’s not all true!” Sheila shouts. Her heart was beating like a drum;
thrumming with adrenaline and emotional pain, “Mom said he did love her! He
did!”
“Do you have proof of this?” Kagome challenges, smirking at Sheila’s long
silence, “That’s what I thought. The reality is that you played on Inuyasha’s
sympathy in hopes that he’ll be nice to you, didn’t you? You’re nothing but
trouble at home, so why should I expect you to be good now that you’re here?”
Sheila shakes her head, denying all the hurtful words, “That’s not true and you
know it! I may get into trouble with fighting but at least I’m not fucking
everyone at school!”
 
                         The slap was sudden and hard.
                                        
  It stunned Sheila into the silence and makes most the other teens gasp when
           they made their way to the door to see what was going on.
                                        
“Kagome,” Sango’s voice vaguely registers in the dark teen’s mind, her hand
going to her bruised right cheek, “that wasn’t very nice.”
“I-I’m sorry,” Kagome sniffles, “It’s just that…she always ruins everything…I
didn’t want her to hurt you guys or Inuyasha neither…She’s….she’s been using
the fact that she's a bastard child to make everyone like her and it makes me
sick!”
            The silence was deafening. Or maybe Sheila’s ears weren’t working.
Blindly, she tugs herself away from Vickie and runs away from the inn; her
cheeks flooded with tears…
 
 
                                        
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
***** Chapter Nineteen: Gods Will Talk, And Vickie's Real Reasons *****
Chapter Summary
     A god talks to Sheila, and Vickie does too...
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                               Chapter_Nineteen:
                                        
                   Gods_Will_Talk_And_Vickie’s_Real_Reasons 
                                        
                                        
     ~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Arata Village, Outside Arata Shrine~
                                        
                                        
~Sheila~
 
            Sheila stares up at the growing dusk while standing near the torii
of a small shrine. It was tempting to go and pray, but she wasn’t sure if she
should.
 
Not being from Feudal Era, it might be bad to do something that could upset the
                                     gods.
                                        
~I don’t think the gods are going to want to hear from me anyways, considering
all my feelings right now…~ She thought; not wanting to burden them with her
mood. After that confrontation with Kagome, Sheila had ran for it; unable to
stand anymore of her bickering. ~But…I left Inuyasha…I hope he’s ok…~
            Willing up her nerve, Sheila goes to well; sitting down her travel
pack in order to get a clean bowl out. Cautious to not fall in, she leans over
the stone wall of it to dip the little bowl into the water. Pulling it out, she
pours some water on her left hand using her right hand to hold the bowl, then
switches and repeats the process with the left hand holding the bowl while
water washing the right hand. She then takes a little water into her left hand
to quickly wash out her mouth.
            Having finished the ritual purification of her body, Sheila tucks
away the bowl and puts back on the pack. Walking up to the torii gate that
symbolically separated the sacred space of the gods from the space of man, she
bows before going through, careful to be on the far side as tradition stated
that the gods walked in and out in the middle of the path of stairs. Walking up
the old swept steps was therapeutic in its own right. While she wasn’t Kagome,
she still shared the half that made her a priestess. ~Father is grandpa
Higurashi’s son…Which means the blood of priests and priestesses in the family
are in my body too….And yet…Kagome and I are so different…I’ve tried talking to
grandpa but…he…avoids me at home…~ she frowns; trying to erase her troubles
from her mind as she makes it up the stairs.
            Smiling at seeing the homey little shrine that was really nothing
more than a small wooden structure with a small pagoda and figurines among
nature, Sheila walks past the protective twin statues of some creature in order
to reach in the pocket of her jeans in order to pull out some money to put in
the offering box. After giving her offering, she rings a bell that is hanging
over the shrine a few times, bows twice, clap her hands with the left a little
above the right to represent the gods and starts to pray.
~Please dear god of this shrine, watch over my friend, Inuyasha. Teach me
patience with me sister. We don’t get along and end up fighting all the time.
And finally, keep me brave and fearless as I deal with accepting that demons
are real…And I’m suspected of being one…~ Sheila bows again before sighing and
leaving the shrine; taking her time to walk down the path with a worried
expression, ~…I’m just a bastard child…surly I’m not a demon…But…if I
am…then…What is a demon priestess blood in her called…?~
“Sheila.”
            She pauses; frowning as an unidentified male voice calls her name.
“Sheila…”
Sounding more like it was coming off of the wind, Sheila turns back around;
realizing it was coming from the direction of the shrine. Frowning, she walks
back up the path to look around the empty shrine.
“He…hello?” She calls out hesitantly, sure she must have misheard.
“Come closer, Sheila. Come closer to the shrine.”
Warily, Sheila inches closer, inspecting the figurines of Buddha and a few
other gods she didn’t know by sight, “Who…who are you?”
“I am Sukuna-Biko-Na. I am a god,” the voice answers. She gasps and backs away
a bit as the shrine starts to glow.
“Young one, I have heard your cry and wish to give you a gift.”
“M-me? A gift? But why?” Sheila asks; mystified by the blue-white glow.
“You will discover that in time. Just trust me. Your mother, The Beautiful Lady
of the Bountiful Soul…Belle…would want you to have this.”
“M-mother?!” She stutters a moment; heart lifting at the words, “You…you knew
mother?”
“Yes. We were good friends whenever she could send good word to me,” the voice
replies, “Now, here are your gifts.”
            Sheila stares slightly open mouthed as something appears near the
foot of the shrine. Curious, she comes forward; smiling as she picks up the
pottery pieces, “I know what this is. It’s a Kabura Tokkuri, a type of bottle
for rice wine,” she mummers; touching the old bottle before glancing at the
three cups that came with it and a plain little wooden box filled to the brim
with rice, “And that box is a masu. It was used to measure out rice.”
“Yes. This gift will help you heal and cultivate when you need to. Simply fill
the tokkuri with water and drop three grains of rice inside. It will turn into
a healing drink that, the longer you can let it sit out, the stronger it
becomes. It does make the one healed a bit drunk though, so be careful with
potency and use it wisely. The box, as long as you don’t use all the rice at
once, will refill itself by the next day and has a protective barrier that
prevents it from spilling, spoiling or creatures getting to it. The magic of
these items are tied to your Will, so only you use it.”
“Will…Can this help Inuyasha?”
“Yes. It will make the side effects of his condition more bearable until he
gets better. It will allow him good rest and an easy stomach to prevent
vomiting. Should he get poisoned again, you will need to make a patch and let
it sit overnight to be the most effective, as the power of the flower gets
stronger each time it’s taken.”
“You even know what’s ailing him?!”
“Sheila…I’m a god.”
She blushes; feeling a bit slow for that comment, “Oh. Right. Of course as a
true god, there isn’t too much you can’t see.”
“I cannot see everything but, as a healer, I can see the sickness in people and
animals. The gift I gave you will let you heal humans, demons and animals
alike, if you so desire.”
“How much of this should I give him now?” Sheila asks; excited to finally have
something that could really help her friend.
“At this point, he only needs to have one cup a night. Keep that up for a week
or two, and your friend…as long as he isn’t poisoned again…should heal.”
“Oh thank you! Thank you, Sukuna-sama.” Sheila bows a dozen times before
running down the stairs; careful with her precious cargo as she runs to get
back to the others. ~Inuyasha, I can help heal you at last. May be it won’t
change the fact that I ran off in the first place, but I’ll make it up to you,
I promise!~…
 
~Sukuna-Biko-Na;_Dwarf_God_of_Cultivation_and_Healing~
 
            The shrill eyes of the god watches as the excited girl bows and
leaves his shrine. ~She’s done it. Belle, your child is as beautiful as you
underneath that human persona…May she succeed where we keep failing.~
“I shall be keeping my eyes on you, Fantasy…You have so many trails and
troubles coming your way…You’ll find your Will challenged and that healing rice
wine in constant use. Hold on to the strength and desires of your heart…And may
the Destroyer of All not discover who you truly are.” …
 
 
~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Arata Village, Tree Beside Taiyo no dansu inn~
 
 
~Inuyasha~
 
            He sat in a tree after narrowly escaping Kagome once Sheila ran
off. Feeling jittery and nervous, Inuyasha watched as the group members argue
among themselves. Some of them thought Kagome had went too far while the others
thought that Sheila had pushed Kagome into going too far. One half believed
that the dark teen was right in her argument, but the other side wouldn’t budge
on the fact that Inuyasha and Kagome’s relationship was purely their business.
~Yeah right…They always butt in and complain at me for one thing or another
when it comes to our relationship. They couldn’t stay out of it to save their
lives~ he thought grimly; secretly not caring one wit about that.
“…Sheila…” he whispers to himself; fighting the strong temptation to hunt her
down, “What’s wrong with me? One moment, I can hardly stay away from Kagome.
And now…I can’t think of sleep without her sister…” ~Everything she said was
true. She is Kagome’s half-sister. She did fight with my sister in order to
gain her respect and has come to this time to help Vickie find me.~
“Inuyasha!”
Inuyasha lifts his head from his brooding in the tree branch; all thoughts
forgotten at seeing the dark skin girl running towards the inn, “Sheila,” he
calls; hating how his whole body tightened with hope when she stopped and gave
him a breathless smile.
“Inuyasha,” she breaths out his name in open relief, coming up slowly to the
trunk of the tree he was sitting in, “I’m…I’m sorry for earlier,” she mummers,
looking very contrite, “I shouldn’t have run off. At least…not without you. I
just…It hurts when she talks to me like that…”
            Without thinking, he reaches down and extends his hand, smiling a
tad when she takes off the pack and carefully putting away whatever that stuff
was in her hands before she willingly grips hold of it. Tugging her up the tree
with one easy pull, Inuyasha sits her securely in his lap; his arms wrapped
around her securely, “I understand,” he remarks calmly, his body becoming at
peace instantly with her presence, “Just please…don’t leave me again, alright?”
“Don’t worry,” she reassures him; his heart becoming light at her enjoying the
entrancing, tree level view of the village, “Like I said. I’ll always take care
of you. Even when I’m afraid and run away, I’ll find my way back to you,
Inuyasha. You’re my friend and soul-sibling,” her words relax him further; so
much so, that all he could do in reply was hug her closer to his chest as his
eyes close to welcome sleep…
 
 
      ~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Arata Village, Taiyo no dansu Inn~
 
 
~Vickie~
 
            Vickie quietly sits on the futon; no amount of idle chit chat with
Yusuke or anyone being enough to settle her nerves. The argument with Kagome
and her friends were enough to nearly split the group back into two. Sango and
Miroku had to drag Kagome away, so close was the girl ready to risk a fight
with Vickie. ~She would have just lost and died~ She thought simply, purposely
ignoring the constant stare of her older brother.
           
                      He didn’t approve of Sheila at all.
                                        
“So you go from one human priestess to the next? What’s the point of giving our
brother the exact same woman, but with a different painting of flesh?”
“Sheila is not the same as Kagome,” she had protested, but all Sesshomaru did
was turn his back and walk into the room without another word.
~…Is he right? Is she…just like Kagome?...They are sisters, and, while they
aren’t the same person, is there really that much difference between the
two?...~ Vickie was having doubts. She trusted Sheila to be her sister, but…was
she really strong enough to be with someone like her brother?
“I won’t find out just sitting here thinking about it,” She decides; saying the
words lowly to herself while standing up slowly. Still paying her older brother
no attention, Vickie walks out of the tense room, “First, I need to find Sheila
and see if she meant to just run off like that. Inuyasha doesn’t need a girl
that’s going to run off…Even Kagome doesn’t run when things get serious, for
the most part…”
            Further determined by the spoken fact, the youkai wanders outside;
lifting her nose to the air and blinking when the freshest scent comes from the
tree where Inuyasha is. ~Wait…Isn’t that her pack by the tree trunk?~ She
thought, walking with silent, swift steps as she peeks up into the tree.
            Smirking, Vickie felt all her worries leave her at seeing the
darling sight. There was Inuyasha, sleep like a newborn puppy demon with his
arms wrapped around Sheila, who was watching sleepily as the stars were
starting to make their luminous appearance in the growing night. ~I knew it!
What the heck was I about to stress over? She came right back to him despite
knowing her sister isn’t that far away. Sesshomaru. I must tell Sesshomaru of
this later. She’s a fighter after all, brother! She’s not just a priestess.
Sheila is willing to see Inuyasha’s point of view, and stand by him when he
can’t get his own voice in. The Matching Glass must be a success!~ She thought
with renewed confidence; now deciding it was time for the hard part…
 
        Telling Sheila the whole truth of why Vickie brought her here…
                                        
~Sheila~
 
            Sheila lays against Inuyasha with an inaudible sigh of contentment.
Having decided to show him the magical gifts she received later, the young teen
stares at the stars in admiration of their dying beauty; her own hands folded
down in lap as he held her tightly. ~Inuyasha…I meant what I said.~ She
thought, turning gradually in his arms so that she could face him. Tucked in
his lap, Sheila takes in the scent that was uniquely his, “Inuyasha,” she
whispers; smiling as his ears twitch, “I’ll try to always be here, ok?”
            The hanyo grumbles some unintelligible words; appearing to answer
her in his sleep.
“I’m sure that really makes him feel better.” A familiar voice says below,
causing Sheila to glance down and smile at Vickie.
“Hey Vickie. Sorry for all the trouble I caused earlier.”
“It’s fine. Um, Sheila…Could you…come down here a moment?” The wolf/dog youkai
asks softly, “I know you might not be in a good mood after what happened
between you and your sister, but I have something really important I need to
tell you.”
            After a short time, Sheila nods, feeling a disappointed and
reluctant as she inches out of Inuyasha’s arms.
“You better catch me then,” she warns before jumping out of the tree; only able
to hold back a little of her laughter as Vickie catches her and ends up falling
to the soft ground.
Vickie shushes her before lightly pushing her off and walking a distance from
the tree. Being beckoned, she follows, curious as to what her made-sibling
wanted to talk about.
            After they walked to the edges of the village, but not too far as
to be noticed by any of the group that might be on watch, Sheila stops once
Vickie pauses and sits down on the grass; a wary sigh leaving her friend
causing her to frown.
“Vickie? Is everything ok?”
“I’m just a little tense,” the youkai explains, “Dealing with your sister makes
me irritable beyond reason. She can be nice, but that girl,’ she shakes her
head, “that girl can be a real bitch when she wants to.”
“Yeah I know,” Sheila answers her friend before taking seat on the ground
across from her, “I do live with her… Wanna trade siblings?”
“Hell no,” Vickie says with a laugh, “my hands are already full with my two
brothers, no need to try and deal with the impossible!”
“That's an understatement if I ever heard one,” Sheila smiles, then looks
seriously at the youkai, “So what's up? Is something the matter?”
“Yes and no…I-I have to tell you the truth,” Vickie says with her head ducked,
“There’s still something I never fully explained.”
Sheila tenses a bit, “Another secret?”
“Kinda.”
She sighs, ~Well, at least she’s coming out and telling me, I guess~
“Will…will you hear me out…oneesan?”
 “Go ahead,” Sheila nods; leaning back on her hands, “I’m listening.”
“I…I didn’t run into you on accident. Well, not fully on accident,” the teen
confesses, “I was there for a reason and ran into you because of it.”
“Ok…why were you in the Present?  And what does it have to do with me?”
“I went to the Present without meaning to at first, but ended up staying there
when something I had reacted to you.”
“Reacted to me?”
“Yes. I had a way of finding someone very important, and that important person
is you.”
“This doesn’t have anything to do with them calling me the ‘helpful demon’ does
it?”
Vickie shakes her head, “I didn’t even know about that. I came for a whole
different reason that leads to my ultimate question. Sheila,” the youkai looks
at her in earnest, “I need you to do me an extreme favor.”
“What?”
“I need you to try and get with my brother, Inuyasha.”
“What?!” Sheila shout-squeaks; her heart and body lurching back in shock.
~Wh….why is my heart reacting to this?...~
“Shhh,” Vickie silences her, “Listen to me, please. I know that Kagome is
hurting him in some way,” she sighs, “His behavior around her is tense and
seems fearful. Even without the odd, new way he’s been with her, Kagome is
hurting his chances of understanding love. You see, in our time, your sister is
the reincarnation of a priestess name Kikyo. That woman was my brother’s first
love and…”
“…And you’re afraid that he’s just using Kagome as a rebound, or a repeat of
Kikyo?” Sheila tries to guess. It was odd for her to think of her sister being
the reincarnation of anyone, but she said nothing of this. Her new little
sister didn’t need to get distracted with explaining that to her.
“That, and she’s just…not right to me,” Vickie’s demon eyes swim a bit in the
darkness as she speaks, “Their love has so many flaws to it. I know love isn’t
perfect but…I…I need to make sure that my brother can’t find better. I need to
see if he can’t find a love that isn’t just convenient.”
“Convenient?”
“Yes…You see, Kikyo was the first time he interacted with someone other than me
on purpose. I kinda respected her though, because they were equals in some ways
back then. Now…I wouldn’t ask him to date that holy witch to save my life,”
Vickie growls, “Nearly dragging him into hell with her…having a type of private
affair with Naraku, who then became our enemy…And now she’s cheated death to
become some kind of human. I’m glad that is all done and over with. But then
along comes Kagome, and I don’t like how things have been since. She’s turning
my brother into her personal pet!”
“Come on, Vickie,” Sheila shakes her head, “Aren’t you being a bit severe?”
The youkai looks at her dully, “Sheila, even though my brother has already
confessed to being in love with her and vowing to do whatever he can for her,
Kagome has admitted to feeling insecure if he doesn’t have the Beads of
Subjugation on.”
“Beads of Subjugation?”
“That damn collar on his neck. Whenever he’s bad, or makes her mad, she yells
‘sit’ and the magic makes him fall on his face. Now, tell me, is that something
you do to someone you love as an equal?”
“I…I didn’t know that that’s what the necklace was,” Sheila replies; frowning
at the thought of Inuyasha being knocked to the ground by a word so typical of
dog training,
“Maybe she…feels she must because she’s human…? But…that’s still not right…If
he was my lover, I would never do something like if it isn’t necessary.”
“She saves his life with it every rare moon, but mostly uses it on him when he
angers her or she thinks he’s being unfair. My brother should not be
disciplined for being who he is. So, with that in mind, I found a kind of magic
to aid me in finding someone else he could try relating to…And it lead me to
you. At least, it was the only way I could think of without giving into the
temptation to kill her…”
 “So you want me to replace her,” Sheila inquires; doubt filling her of this
plan, “I'm not sure if this is gonna work. I mean, for one thing, I can’t make
anyone love me. And I wouldn’t want to do it like that, for another.
Relationships should happen more naturally than that.”
“Come on Sheila,” Vickie implores hopelessly, “I know you don't really know my
brother and he can be a real stubborn at times, but you know as well as I do
that he has a big heart.”
Sheila suddenly holds herself at remembering his earlier embrace and words.
~That’s right…Inuyasha can be quite sweet without meaning to. And he’s already
been through so much…~
“Please, Sheila,” the youkai pleads; smiling at her as if she knew what the
dark teen was thinking about, “you know he deserves better than what Kagome can
give him!”
“…I..I know…,” Sheila sighs; her emotions conflicted, “Can I have a while to
think about it? This is a bit much for me to decides on all at once”
“OK, take your time…,” Vickie says, standing up and gently touching her
shoulder, “But please…please choose well, big sister,” she mummers, the demon
girl walking away towards the inn. Getting up to go back to the tree a little
while after that, Sheila thinks about the situation that may change the very
fabric of her beliefs and promises to herself. ~Can I really give my heart,
even temporarily, in order to save another? I…I don’t want Inuyasha to
hurt…but…can this…really fit with what mother has told me about the Will of my
heart? I feel that…I badly want to help him…My…my heart aches to…So…should I?~
 
            Sheila wasn't sure, but, as she softly calls to Inuyasha and he
awakens to carefully pull her into his embrace once more with worry that he
must have slept too heavy and dropped her, the teen had a feeling she knew what
path she desired to take…
 
                     Courage taking it was another thing… 
                                        
                                        
                                        
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
 
***** Chapter Twenty: Meeting The Rest *****
Chapter Summary
     In which Sheila gets a full intro to the others and Sesshomaru isn't
     so thrilled...
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
                                        
                                        
                                        
                            Fantasy's_Willful_Heart
                                        
                                Chapter_Twenty:
                                        
                               Meeting_The_Rest
 
 
  ~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Arata Village, Outside Taiyo No Dansu Inn~
                                        
                                        
~Jaken~
 
            After narrowly avoiding the morning wallops from his great lord and
master for his usual articulation of problems he spotted with having so many
people with them, the toad demon races outside only to pause when his senses
picked up on Inuyasha. ~So it’s true, Me lord’s useless brother has returned,
but…what’s this?~ The barely two foot demon frowns; walking closer to the tree
in order to see a sight most peculiar to him.
 
  Inuyasha asleep in a tree with an unidentifiable woman wrapped in his arms.
                                        
“Hasn’t that boy had enough with his human girlfriend? Master Sesshomaru would
never be so reckless and dishonorable. Running from woman to woman like this is
sure to leave his children in question,” he replies haughtily and quite loudly;
careless of the mumbling that can be heard up the tree, “Lord Sesshomaru
doesn’t have children now, but, when he does, they will be just as great as he
himself, if perhaps not greater. Oh, but none of them will ever have their
father’s grace or assurance of power, no no. They will nonetheless be
auspicious and beyond any other simple lord or demon. But, then again, while
Lord Sesshomaru is indeed very powerful, he still isn’t as powerful as his
father. A rather sad thing to know considering his father was one of the first
to aid in his training.”
“Jaken. Why are you out here babbling nonsense?”
Jaken’s blood runs cold at the sound of his master so close, turning around
quickly, the demon stutters at the steady stare from Sesshomaru, “M-me lord! I
would never sit out here and contemplate your power versus your father’s! Th-
that would be most foolish m-me lord.”
Much to his relief, the dog demon aristocrat loses interest in him to look up
the tree; a frown of displeasure on his face.
~I knew it! Master Sesshomaru doesn’t approve of this incessant flirting with
pointless women either.~ He thought, triumphant in his thinking, ~No doubt me
lord is going to give that idiot a firm scolding when possible~
“Oh, and Jaken.”
Jaken went from confident and mentally preening to cowering and staring warily
at Sesshomaru, the poor toad demon only able to grunt in pain as he’s hit
upside the head.
“Don’t ever run from my discipline again.”
“Y-yes me lord,” He answers; rubbing the large lump of swollen flesh on his
head. ~Why must he take his frustrations out on me?~ He whines in his mind,
before opening his mouth in curiosity, “Um, me lord? Why is your brother
sleeping with another floozy?”
            A random, unexpected thump on the head gets him again, the toad
demon yelping in pain and holding his head while glaring at an upset Kagome.
“I am NOT a floozy! You rude toad!”
“Impudent wench!” Jaken argues back, “Any demon with a nose knows you must be
one!”
“What the hell is with all this noise out here?” Jaken hears Vickie as she
comes out stretching, “We’re supposed to be getting ready to pack and leave,
not fuss over rather Kagome is a whore or not. Although that would explain the
damn stinky ass soap she keeps using...”
The teen girl blushes at the implication, “What’s the matter with me liking
scented soap? Just because I like frequent baths it doesn’t make me a floozy!”
“Sure,” Jaken hears Vickie mumble, like she doesn’t believe a word of it, “It
doesn’t prove that you’re not a floozy either.”
“How can you say such a thing? I’m nothing like that!”
“It’s my mouth. I can say what I want. Don’t let your control over my brother
and your friends get to your head.”
“What do you mean by that?!”
“Um…guys…” A female voice joins the fray, “Can’t you all argue elsewhere?
Inuyasha has been having a rough time sleeping, and this isn’t helping. It’s
still very early, and I vaguely think I heard one of you say that you still
haven’t packed. Well, I’m packed still and only have to do some morning
cleaning. So if you could kindly fuss somewhere else…”
            Jaken glares up the tree; seeing that the voice belongs to the dark
skinned girl that was blinking down at them sleepily from Inuyasha’s arms, “I
don’t know who you are, little girl, but you cannot tell master Sesshomaru to
go anywhere. My lord can show you your place in mere seconds and have you
rethinking such rude words!”
The girl stares dully at him, “What is so rude about kindly asking you all to
take your argument somewhere else? Some of us are still trying to sleep, and,
if this lord of yours is as important as you say, he wouldn’t waste his time
being around all the fussing anyway.”
“That may be so, but you are in no position to be talking about the great lord
Sesshomaru,” He continues to argue back; refusing to be outdone by what looked
to be a simple mortal woman, “For instance, why would a simpleton like you be
held in such an embrace by Prince Inuyasha if you be a respectable woman?”
            The girl glares down at him, “I am comforting my brother, you ugly
frog.”
“H-how dare you!”
“Jaken.”
“Y-yes Lord Sesshomaru?”
“I’ve heard enough. Let’s get prepared to move on. Wake Rin and the others,”
his lord orders; making the servant demon bow with a pout. ~But she called me a
frog! The little wench is clearly testing me! Oh lord Sesshomaru, I hope you
teach her a lesson.~ He thought, imagining his great lord beating up the girl
in his honor as he wanders away to awaken the others…
 
~Sheila~
 
            Sheila sighs tiredly as she watches an elegant man dressed in white
give a quick glare before turning to follow after the odd toad man. ~Well, good
morning to you too~ she thought derisively; tensing at the murderous look in
Kagome’s eyes shining up at her and the dog demon. Clutching Inuyasha
defensively, Sheila’s heart races with an intuition that trouble was afoot.
“Inuyasha…”
Vickie’s face splits into worry that she could see from the high perch of the
tree, “Kagome! Don’t!”
“…Sit.”
The world lurches forward at an alarming rate, Sheila screaming as her stomach
clenches from the sudden movement. Seeing the earth coming towards her at a
fast speed, she closes her eyes and clings tight to Inuyasha; praying to
survive the long fall from the tall tree. ~My sister is trying to kill us!
Is…is this what Vickie meant by the power of the Beads of Subjugation?! It’s
awful!~ Her mind prattles; not wanting to face the reality of just how close
death was. ~I didn’t get to make my decision yet…I didn’t get to keep my
promise to Sota…I…I won’t be here for Inuyasha….~
            Tears fell as she waited for the impact of the earth, plus the
weight of the demon holding her tight, to crush her alive…
 
          …Only to hear a pained grunt after being tossed in the air.
                                        
            Gasping, she lands on Inuyasha, frowning as she immediately starts
checking over the hanyo in her shock, “I-Inuyasha? Are…are you…ok?” Sheila
asks; her voice halting after the sudden fall.
“I’m fine,” He mutters out, carefully moving her off of him before becoming
pale at a snarling sound, “Vickie! NO!”
            Sheila looks up in time to see Vickie, a now red eyed youkai,
stalking Kagome menacingly; her teeth bared in a way that makes the dark teen
flinch back a bit. Her sister inches back, brown eyes lit with an apologetic
light.
“I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for him to get hurt. I just…lost it,” she replies
honestly, the admission hurting Sheila beyond reason.
~I knew it…She wasn’t trying to get Inuyasha…She was…she was trying to
kill…me…~
“You think that changes anything? You stupid girl! You think you can just be
excused, just like that?! No!” Vickie growls; long nails extending from about
four inches to a full eight, “I’m gonna take your head off. Then I’ll apologize
and see if it’s matters!” the female youkai shouts; charging at Kagome with
claws at the ready.
“Vickie, please don’t!” Sheila implores. No matter what her sister did, Kagome
was still a living, breathing relative.
 
                          She couldn’t watch her die.
                                        
                  She couldn’t! She didn’t have the heart to.
                                        
            Claws rake the air and she closes her eyes tight; knowing there was
no way she could save Kagome in time. But then she opens them again at hearing
a livid struggle.
 
    Inuyasha had somehow gotten up in time to get in the way; the hanyo now
                       grappling with his older sister.
                                        
“Dammit, Vickie! Cut it out!” He demands, having a very hard time keeping his
footing as his older sister easily tosses him to the side.
“How long will you tolerate it, brother?!” the youkai growls out, ignoring the
fact that Kagome had ran to the side the moment Inuyasha got in the way, “How
many times will it be ok for her to do anything to you? Eh?! When is it
enough?!” she exclaims angrily, “I should rip that damn necklace off your
fucking neck and wrap it around hers. I want to yell sit and slam her into the
ground over and over again. And all because I feel like it!”
            Inuyasha winces, but stays silent; his eyes never wavering from his
sister’s.
Giving her half-sister only a passing glance, Sheila gets up from beside the
Inuyasha-shaped crater in the ground and walks between the siblings; smiling as
she reaches behind her for the hanyo’s hand, “It’s not his fault, little
sister,” she mummers, feeling oddly content by the feel of a warm, slightly
calloused hand enveloping hers, “I angered my sister. That’s why Kagome did it.
I’m sure she didn’t think it would hurt Inuyasha much at all,” Sheila looks
over at her half-sister, “Right Kagome?”
            Eyes looking ready to boil her sister alive, Kagome slowly answers,
“…Right.”
“See? So don’t be angry with him, Vickie,” She begs softly, “…please? You
haven’t introduced me to the others yet. Can you show me your friends…please?”
The female youkai took a long while to answer; her black and gold eyes still
simmering with built up rage, “…Fine. Come on then,” she grumbles, glaring at
Kagome before walking towards the inn, “I’ll show you to the others.”
“Ok. Just let me get my travel pack,” Sheila replies lowly; not daring to make
eye contact with her older half-sister as she goes to grab her travel pack with
Inuyasha keeping a gentle, firm grip of her hand. ~I can feel him shaking a
little…It’s ok~ she squeezes his hand intermittently, ~I’m still here,
Inuyasha. At least until you…throw me away. I don’t want to compete with my
sister…but I don’t want to see you hurt either…What decision should I make?
You’re my soul sibling…but Kagome is your lover…and your sister wants me to…~
Sheila blushes at the implications of what Vickie had told her last night she
wanted ~Vickie wants me to give you a chance to love someone else…But…Is that
fair? Should I agree to something like that when you’re…already in love?
Still…if it was me, and I was in love with someone who needed so much control
over me…would I want to be saved?...Or left alone to deal with it myself?...I
just don’t know what the right answers are…~
“I…I’m sorry I make you so angry, Kagome,” Sheila takes time to say out loud,
still not looking to her sister as she pauses at the door, “I really am just
Inuyasha’s friend. He’s been sick a while, so I’ve been taking care of him.
That’s all. Nothing more. Maybe you, Inuyasha and I can talk about it later? I
really don’t wanna fight with you like this.”
“Yeah…Sure…,” she hears her sister answer elusively, almost half-heartedly, “We
can talk, I guess.”
            Nodding, Sheila guides Inuyasha inside of the inn; taking quick
peeks at it. Featuring the typical tatami matted rooms, communal baths, and
other public, relaxing spots meant for travelers, it amazed the girl to be in
one for the very first time. She’s never had a reason to go into hotels or inns
before. ~Amazing! It’s so…cozy…Is this the reason you’re hardly ever home,
Kagome? I would just stay here too…enjoying inns and traveling with Inuyasha
and Vickie…~ Contemplating just what that would be like on a daily basis…
 
~Kagome~
 
            Kagome grits her teeth, her mind full of anger and anguish. ~how
could he just go in there with her? And talking to me like that?! As if I have
to talk to her about anything! What nerve!~ she sniffs in upset; her hands
balled into fists as she walks to the village garden. She wasn’t worried about
being left behind. She knew full well that Miroku and Sango would stand for it,
and used the extra time to vent.  
“Stupid Inuyasha! Who told you to sleep with her?! Wait…,” her eyes widen as
she frowns, “What if she’s lying about just helping him. Did they…Did they
maybe…have sex already?” She pauses in her walking, staring at the crop garden
with a troubled mind. ~Can it be possible for him to cheat on me?...Even with
the powers of the Dog Fruit?... But that isn’t how he told me it works,~ she
reminds herself, ~No…they can’t have sex…Inu…Inuyasha couldn’t have learned to
love her like he loves me…Could he…?~ Kagome shakes her head, stubborn
determination spiking up, “Inuyasha, I won’t let you go. I won’t leave you.
Ever. You are mine, and I am yours. That’s how it’s supposed to be, and that’s
how it will be!”…
 
~Sheila~
 
 “This is Sango,” Vickie first introduces a young woman with brown eyes, some
pink makeup near her eyes, long dark, brownish hair held by a red ponytail
holder and a body fitted snugly into a one-piece body suit with parts of the
armor and pads being pink. The armor and shoes the young woman wore were black,
and she was about an inch or so shorter than her.
“Hello,” Sheila bows politely, “my name's Sheila. It’s nice to meet you. I’m
sorry for the mess I caused earlier with you guys,” she apologizes; recalling
her first confrontation with her sister in front of them.
            Sango smiles hearteningly before bowing back; careful not to let
her boomerang-like weapon bend with her that’s strapped to her shoulder and
back, “Don’t worry about it. It’s nice to meet you, Sheila. I didn’t know
Kagome had a younger sister.”
“Yeah…As you’ve most likely gathered, we don’t get along well.”
“I’m sure that, with time, you shall. Kagome is a very nice person. She just
needs time.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Sango is a Demon-slayer,” Vickie continues to explain once they finish
greeting each other, “She's really strong for a human and is currently dating
Miroku.”
The demon slayer blushes, “I'm not officially dating that dirty monk! D-don’t
lie to her like that!”
“Don't listen to her,” her ‘sister’ whispers while pulling Sheila away, “she's
just shy,” she chuckles before playfully picking up a little demon with dog-
like feet, child-green eyes, and brown hair that is held loosely by a blue bow.
With a turquoise shirt covered in leaf designs leaf-designs matching the color
of said bow, the little, slightly pointy eared demon had an orange-brown vest
he wore over it. His hakama is dark blue and a little baggy with the usual bow-
tie knot keeping them on and a pretty cream brown tail. All in all, he couldn't
be more than two feet tall.
“This little guy is Shippo,” Vickie smiles at his blush, “he's our magic fox
kit and can even do transformations!”
“Hey,” Shippo pouts, “I know what kit means! I'm not a kid or a kit! I'm an
adult!”
“Well it's nice to meet you too, adult Shippo,” Sheila smiles as the little kit
scampers off to hide warily behind the one she guessed was Miroku the moment
Vickie puts him down.
“Wait, don't tell me,” Sheila says as they come to a demon that easily stands
seven feet tall, has beautiful markings on his face, long white hair that
almost touches the ground and a long tail held like some fashionable garment on
his unarmored shoulder, “you must be the great lord Sesshomaru,” she says with
a bow, “a privilege to meet you on the same level rather than from the tree, my
lord.”
Sesshomaru stares at her in wary surprise, tilting his head curiously.
“Sis told me all she could about you,” she confesses, “I’m sorry for the
spectacle I made earlier with your…servant,” she replies; glaring down at the
toad demon that glares right back.
Sesshomaru grunts, “Whatever,” He states simply, her heart a little tight as he
looks away from her with open disinterest. ~Figures…It’s obvious that he
doesn’t like me…~
“Just ignore it for now, Sheila,” Vickie mummers; gently tugging her away by
her free hand, “He can seem haughty and moody at first, but he’ll come around.”
“O-ok,” She answers, smiling as best she could while still applying light
pressure on Inuyasha’s hand for her own comfort. Sheila knew that everyone in
the room was staring at their conjoined hands as if they were on fire, but paid
it no mind.
 
            As long as Inuyasha didn’t let go, she wouldn’t either.
                                        
                          No matter how embarrassing.
                                        
“This is Rin,” the youkai says, pointing to a girl that looks to be about
thirteen or fourteen with waist-length black hair, a child-like face with thin
lips and big, soulful black eyes. She is wearing a strange, polka-dot orange
dress that looks newly mended. Like Vickie, Shippo and Inuyasha, she wears no
shoes and looks pretty fragile. She had to be exactly five feet tall.
“She's the one that I told you Sesshomaru raised.”
“Yeah, I remember,” Sheila nods before grinning and bowing at the younger girl,
“Pleased to meet you, Rin.”
“Pleased to meet you, Sheila,” The girl answers cheerily, “I’m guessing you’re
Inuyasha’s friend.”
“Yes,” she replies without preamble, “We are soul-siblings.”
Sesshomaru snorts, “Soul siblings? Is that what you call it?”
Sheila glances over from Rin to Sesshomaru curiously, “Yeah. What else would
you call it?”
Sesshomaru shakes his head a few times, “Nothing,” he remarks simply; not
talking any further about it.
“Let me tell you right now to ignore Sesshomaru. Nobody fully understands what
he’s going on about most days,” Vickie taunts.
“I merely find it entertaining that she calls herself a soul sibling of a
Taisho.”
“You’ll find out it’s true soon enough,” Sheila replies; confident in what she
felt for the demon holding her hand, “Just watch and see for yourself.”
“Oh don’t worry. I will,” the elegant demon coolly affirms.
“Anyways, this boy here is Kohaku,” Vickie introduces her to another person
before whispering quickly in her ear, “But be warned. We’re still kinda
cautious of him.”
 “What's wrong with him,” Sheila asks quietly, glancing over at the boy who
looks to be about fourteen with short black hair in a ponytail and body armor
much like Sango's covering his slender body; except that the extra parts were
blue instead of pink.
“We recently got him back from Naraku,” the youkai continues to whisper so as
not to be heard, “we're not sure if all of his mind control is off of him yet.”
“That's terrible,” Sheila says with a frown before bowing and greeting him;
loving how relatively soft spoken and kind he sounded. While the teen did stare
at the grip she had on the hanyo’s hand, he didn’t seem as bothered by it as
the others. ~Maybe it’s because he doesn’t really know Inuyasha all that much
yet?~Sheila thought, before bringing her attention back to Vickie.
“And this is Miroku,” her made sister continues after going over to a young man
with short black-brown hair trailing into a tiny ponytail, softly tanned cream
skin, strangely bright dark gray-like eyes and simple features nicely put
together. Wearing an interesting purple and navy blue to black kimono, he
stands a bit under six feet, has an interesting staff and also a ring holding
some of his kimono to cover his hand with holy beads over it.
            Sheila bows once more, “Hello, Miroku. I am Sheila. Nice to meet
you.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Sheila,” Miroku answers smoothly; his
voice holding a hint of flirting as he smiles at her, “Please. There’s no need
to bow,” he gently grips hold of her hand, “We don’t need such formality.”
“Miroku, if you don’t get your hand off her, you won’t have a wind tunnel to
worry about anymore,” Inuyasha growls; causing everyone to snicker as the monk
immediately tugs his hand away with a blush.
“Now, now, Inuyasha. No need for hostility.”
“That wasn’t hostility. That was a promise.”
“Oh stop it you two,” Sheila remarks; just barely holding in a laugh, “I’m
happy to meet everyone.”
“Don’t forget Kirara,” Shippo states; holding up the darling two tailed demon,
cream colored demon cat.
Oh! She’s so cute,” She coos, smiling at the purring kitty, “Is it ok to pet
her?”
“Sure, if Kirara doesn’t mind,” Sango replies to her, “She’s been with me for a
long time, and is a great companion.”
“Is it ok, Kirara?” Sheila asks, hesitant to reach out and touch the pretty
kitten size cat. The purring gets louder, black cat ears twitching a moment
while large red eyes stare at her patiently. Taking courage from the behavior,
she moves her free hand out to pet the head with the black diamond symbol on it
that matches the dark stockings of the kitty’s feet and a couple stripes on the
two tails, “It’s nice to meet you, Kirara,” she remarks; smiling up at everyone
while still petting the cat, “It’s really nice to meet you all. Thanks for
letting me say hello, even though my sister and I aren’t getting along well.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Miroku replies.
“She’ll come around,” Sango assures.
“You’re her sister. You’re family. So I’m sure you’ll get along someday,”
Shippo chirps in; hugging Kirara close until the cat leaps out of his arms to
sit on Sheila’s shoulder, “And Kirara thinks so too!”
“I hope we all get along well,” Kohaku states quietly; seeming shy to speak.
“Everything will be fine, big sister,” Rin remarks cheerily, “As long as we’re
together, we’ll become family soon enough.”
Jaken gives an indifferent noise, “I doubt it, Rin. I second me lord that she
can’t possibly be trusted.”
Sesshomaru didn’t agree nor contradict. He just stayed silent. Mentally
sighing, Sheila stays optimistic, ~I may not have the older brother’s approval,
but I have met the rest of the group, and am hopeful that we all might do well
together someday.~
                                        
                                        
                                        
                       *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
 
 
 
***** Notice: Change of Heart *****
Chapter Summary
     Author Note: Change of heart
I'm sorry for the one week message. Alot was going on at that time, and I had
lost confidence in myself for a bit. I'll be posting more chapters soon as I
can. Once again, I'm sorry for that, and hope you enjoy reading the story so
far :) 
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!
