Sesshoumaru’s Imouto-chan, part 1

*Inu-Yasha walks through the forest, his long white hair blowing around his 
face in the breeze.  Behind him, Kagome pedals slowly on her bike, 
Shippou in the basket, Sango and Miroku following behind.  Myouga 
bounces from person to person, trying to get comfy.  Finally, he hops 
onto Miroku’s shoulder, considers taking a bite, then decides not to at 
the priest’s warning glance.  Suddenly, an unfortunately familiar scent 
touches Inu-Yasha’s nose.*
 
Inu-Yasha:  Sesshoumaru?

Kagome: Eh?  Inu-Yasha, is your brother in the area?

Inu-Yasha:  *nods* Somewhere upwind.  

Kagome:  *quietly*  So he might not know we’re here, right?

Inu-Yasha:  *also quietly* Iie.  He could probably hear us.  But there ~is~ 
a chance...  *everybody stops and stands really still for a while.  
Sesshoumaru’s scent does not grow stronger... but neither does it 
grow weaker.  Finally, Inu-Yasha motions everybody to slowly head 
the opposite direction, back the way they came.  Kagome walks her 
bike, Shippou now on her shoulder, Miroku puts his hands on the 
rings of his staff to silence them, and Sango treads just as silently as 
ever as the group heads away.  Myouga has disappeared entirely 
again.*

*Down in a small village, completely aware of his brother’s presence but not 
caring*

Sesshoumaru:  Baba, you will do this magic.

Old lady:  My Sensei once told me... beware youkai who want magic... why 
should I forget his wisdom?

Sesshoumaru:  Besides your life?

Old lady:  I am old.  Death knocks at my door anyway.

Sesshoumaru:  *amused*  You are brave, Baba.  But there is no harm in 
this magic.  I am merely weary of fighting with my brother...

Old Lady:  *skeptical*  That may be so, but I am reluctant to trust you...  
But still, I can see no harm.  Very well, I will perform the spell, on 
one condition - that it is done so in another land, far away from all 
people.

Sesshoumaru:  Done.

*a few weeks later, in China, beside a small pool of deep water*

Sesshoumaru:  What is required, Baba?  

Old lady:  All that is left is a few drops of his blood, the blood of a still-
living human woman, and the blood of a related living yokai...  do you 
have them?

Sesshoumaru:  Hai.  *holds up a small vial containing a few drops of Inu-
Yasha’s blood, and another with a little from Kagome... obtained that 
very same day he had first employed the old woman, much to the 
chagrin of Inu-Yasha’s friends (they ~thought~ they had been 
quiet...).  He hands the vials to the old woman, then swiftly makes a 
cut in his own skin and catches a few drops in a third container, 
giving this to the lady also and watching as his skin quickly closes up 
on itself*  (The things I put up with for you, Inu-Yasha...)

Old lady:  *opens vials and pours the contents into the pool of water, 
murmurs a few words, watches the water as it begins to boil, then 
stands up*  It is done.  Just a small flask of that water will do what is 
necessary.  Be careful it does not taint any other water.  *turns 
around in a slow circle*  Are you sure there are no people nearby?

Sesshoumaru:  Hai.  Just a small village half a mile that way. *points and 
smirks*

Old Lady:  Nani?!?!  You-you don’t know what you’ve done!  I must go warn 
them!

Sesshoumaru:  *shrugs* Do as you like, Baba.

Old Lady:  *calms down*  iie, iie, I’ll just nullify the spell...

Sesshoumaru:  You have a choice, Baba.  You can go and warn your 
villagers... or you can try to nullify the spell, and die before you 
finish.

Old lady:  *silently fumes for a few minutes, then stalks off in the direction 
of the village*  I tell you, you don’t know what you’ve done...  What is 
the name of this region, anyway?

Sesshoumaru:  Jusenkyo.

*A few days later, back in Japan*

Inu-Yasha:  Kagome, why do you insist on doing that every time we stop?

Kagome:  *slowly unwrapping a soiled bandage from around her upper arm, 
wincing in pain every now and then from the awkward task*  So it 
won’t get infected, baka.  You don’t have to worry, because you heal 
so quickly, but that’s a problem for me.

Inu-Yasha:  Oh.  ... Ano... Would you like some help?

Kagome: *pauses* H-hai.  *Inu-Yasha kneels down beside her, and gently 
finishes unwrapping the bandage.  As he does so, Kagome remembers 
how she got her wound in the first place.*

*A few days earlier*

*The group very carefully and quietly reaches the edge of the wood.  Inu-
Yasha lets out a sigh of relief, for now the group faces a large plain of 
tall grass - guaranteed to have soft, ~quiet~ soil.  Every snapped twig 
in forest had sounded like a roar to him.  He takes a grateful step into 
the field, his toes rejoicing in the soft, spongy dirt, then turns around 
to see if the others have followed him safely.  What he does see 
makes his jaw drop about six feet.*

*Kagome stands furthest back, having the most trouble keeping her bike 
quiet.  In front of her walks Miroku, making sure not to jangle his 
staff.  Closest to him are Sango and Shippou (who is conveniently 
riding on Sango’s shoulder).  But none of them bother him.  What 
disturbs Inu-Yasha is that fact that just a few feet behind Kagome 
stands his brother.*

Inu-Yasha: *shouts* K-Kagome, look out!

Kagome: Eh?  *jumps sideways and turns around... only to find herself 
already in Sesshoumaru’s arm as he moves to intercept her, a single 
claw digging deeply into her upper arm.*  Ii- *she swallows her cry of 
pain, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.  There is sudden flare 
of pain from her arm, and a feeling as if something cool presses 
against it, but then again, she could just be imagining things.  The 
world stops moving, and she finds herself dangling above the ground 
as Sesshoumaru stands in a tree, his arm now around her waist, his 
hand closed as if holding something small.  Warm blood drips from 
the puncture on her arm to the ground.  Below her stand her 
companions, all looking ready to kill.  Inu-Yasha growls*

Inu-Yasha: *dangerously* Sesshoumaru... put her down.  *his fists clench, 
and his nose flares as he smells Kagome’s blood.  One hand drops to 
the Tetsusaiga, and draws it out, fully transformed.  Kagome, 
meanwhile, struggles, trying her best to remove herself from the grip 
of Inu-Yasha’s older brother, but to no avail.  He ignores everything, 
even the kicking and the nails.*

Sesshoumaru: *calmly* Inu-Yasha... *suddenly drops Kagome onto the 
branch.  Only by quickly hugging the tree does she stop herself from 
falling.  Sesshoumaru, his hand withdrawing into his long sleeve, 
steps off the branch to face his brother.  His hand reappears, pointing 
at Inu-Yasha*  Shi-ne.  *He shoots out that whip-thingy.  Inu-Yasha 
raises a sleeve to intercept it, and it bounces off.*

Inu-Yasha:  *not taking his eyes off of Sesshoumaru*  Miroku, Sango, 
Shippou... Get Kagome and run.  This is my fight.

Shippou: B-But-

Miroku: *putting his hand over Shippou’s mouth*  Hai, Inu-Yasha.  *Sango 
just nods.  The three back away, toward the tree Kagome sits in.  For 
a minute they struggle to figure out how to get her down with the 
least amount of effort, while Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru play warm-
up with Sess’s whip, then Miroku links his hands and tells Sango to 
step into them.  He vaults her up into the tree (taking the opportunity 
to try to see up her skirt... but she’s much smarter than that and 
takes care that he doesn’t), and she gets Kagome to ride piggy back 
while she quickly climbs down.  For once, Kagome doesn’t argue when 
the others try to hustle her away from the fight.  Something just 
feels... different... about the way Sesshoumaru acts.  They get some 
distance away into the field, to a place near a stream where moss 
chokes off most of the grass, and stop.*

Sango:  Kagome-chan, your arm... *by now, the wound is a bloody mess, 
and Kagome’s poor clothes are soaked in blood, but she shakes her 
head.*

Kagome:  It’s not as bad as it looks, Sango-chan.  Ano... but I guess I do 
need to treat it...

Miroku:  *nods sagely*  Hai hai, Kagome-san.  Just take off your shirt, and I’ll--

Sango:  *Hits him over the head with her boomerang*  Shoo, Miroku.  
Shippou, make sure he doesn’t come back until I say it’s okay.  
*Shippou nods and leads the disappointed (and hurting) Miroku away, 
out of watching range.  Sango helps Kagome remove her blood-
matted shirt and cleans off the wound, which is surprisingly shallow, 
then wraps a bandage around it.  She then digs through the packs 
and finds a spare outfit for Kagome to wear, the classic red and white 
robe routine that makes her looks so much like Kikyou.  The girls sit 
down by the stream, conveniently forgetting to call Miroku and 
Shippou back...*

*in the tall grass, some distance away*

Shippou:  *whines a little*  It’s taking so ~loooooong~!  Poor Kagome!!!  
*little tears in his eyes*  It must be really bad!!!

Miroku:  *guessing what the girls are really doing, sits forlornly with a large 
sweatdrop and mutters to himself*  I doubt it...

*Back to the present, as Inu-Yasha helps Kagome clean and re-dress her 
arm*

Inu-Yasha:  *delicately rewrapping her arm*  Better, Kagome?

Kagome:  *blushes* Hai.  Arigato, Inu-Yasha.  (He’s so gentle, even with 
those claws of his...)  

Miroku:  *lighting a fire*  This seems like a wonderful place to camp for the 
night.  Oi, Kagome-chan, do you have any more of that Ramen of 
yours?

Kagome:  Hai, Miroku.  *Digs through her pack with her uninjured arm and 
takes out a small box of instant Ramen, then tosses it to Miroku who 
happily starts to cook for the whole group*  I got more when I went 
back home for more bandages.  *winces*  Okaasan was so ~mad~ 
when she saw me hurt... I was afraid she wouldn’t let me come back.

Sango:  *sitting down beside Kagome*  That would have been bad.  We’d 
have all missed you.

Kagome:  *smiles*  Arigato, Sango-chan.  *pauses*  That reminds me, 
‘Kaasan said a letter came from my cousin in Nerima.  My mother’s 
late sister’s daughter.  Since school will be getting out for winter 
break soon, ‘Kaasan wants me to go stay with her for a little while, to 
visit.  You know, for a week or so.

Inu-Yasha: (come on, what do you ~think~ he’ll say?  ‘Go have fun’ or 
something?)  Nani?!?! No way!  What about the Shikon shards?

Kagome:  *rolls her eyes*  (How did I know he’d say that?)  Inu-Yasha, it’s 
~just~ for a week.  The Shikon shards can survive that long.

Inu-Yasha:  But Kagome-  *blushes a little and looks down*  I’ll... I’ll miss 
you.

Kagome:  *smiles a little, sadly* It’s not for very long, Inu-Yasha.  And I’ll 
miss everyone, too. (Especially you...)

Inu-Yasha: (Everyone?  And what about me?) Kagome...

Shippou:  Kagome, don’t go!  Inu-Yasha’s so boring.  It’s no fun unless 
you’re here!

Kagome:  *laughs* *affectionately* Oh, Shippou-chan.  *hugs him*  I need 
a vacation.

Sango: *thinking out loud*  So you’re going home again... Kagome-chan, 
what ~is~ your home like?  I want to see it.

Kagome:  *imagines Sango in a school uniform, mini-skirt and all, and all 
the boys watching her...*  That might not be such a good idea, 
Sango-chan.  (Especially for all the men...) I don’t think you’d like it 
too much.

Inu-Yasha: (Sango might not fit in, but I’ve been there before...)  Kagome, 
is this... Ne-ri-ma very different from where you live?

Kagome:  Iie, it’s still part of Tokyo.  Only about an hour away by car, 
actually.  (Although people do often comment on strange things 
happening there...)  

Inu-Yasha:  *smiling to himself*  Yata.  Ano, what’s your cousin’s name?

Kagome:  *suddenly getting suspicious*  Why do you want to know, Inu-
Yasha?

Inu-Yasha:  *acting innocent*  Why not?  I’m just curious.

Kagome:  *still suspiciously watching him*  Her name’s Akane Tendo.

Inu-Yasha:  Ah.  *still acting innocent, those his ears twitch a little*  
*changes the subject*  Oi, Miroku, is the Ramen ready yet?

Miroku: Almost, Inu-Yasha.

*The next evening, the group settles by a river in a forest, with one more 
Shikon shard added to the pile.  Kagome and Sango chat as they build 
a fire, Miroku wonders absently if they’ll take another bath in the 
river, and Shippou talks with the returned Myouga.  Inu-Yasha scouts 
the perimeter of the camp, making sure it’s totally safe.  The wind 
blows steadily from the North, rippling the branches of the trees.  
Satisfied, Inu-Yasha returns to the camp.  By now, the fire blazes 
heartily and Miroku has already started the soup.  Shippou sits on 
Kagome’s knee as he listens to her and Sango talk, and Myouga 
makes a pest of himself as he tries to have ~his~ dinner.  Inu-Yasha 
starts to sit down beside Kagome, when his ears perk toward a sound 
from the South.  He stands back up and walks out of the firelight to 
get a better look.*

Kagome:  What is it, Inu-Yasha?  Another youkai?

Inu-Yasha:  Nnn.  Let me hear.  *the little group quiets down.  Inu-Yasha 
looks down the river, waiting for whoever comes.  When Sesshoumaru 
and Jaken appear along the river bank, Inu-Yasha growls a warning to 
the camp*  It’s Sesshoumaru...  *Kagome instantly finds herself 
behind a wall of comrades, Myouga hiding in her hair.  Inu-Yasha 
prepares himself for another fight*  (So soon?  I thought he’d leave 
us alone for a little while after that last attack... Although he did leave 
before it was finished...)  *remembers himself blocking an attack, 
only to find Sesshoumaru using his speed to tackle Inu-Yasha to the 
ground.  Without Kagome around, Inu-Yasha’s reflex time is halved, 
and Inu-Yasha falls.  He remembers the sharp pain of Sesshoumaru’s 
claws... but then, his brother makes a mistake and doesn’t press the 
attack, fumbling with some small object... Inu-Yasha has time to 
bring his sword into play, and tosses Sesshoumaru off.  Sesshoumaru 
laughs, a cruel laugh, comments on Inu-Yasha’s improvements in 
fighting - and then jumps away, leaving a very confused Inu-Yasha in 
his wake.*  (Maybe he’s come to finish that fight...) 

Sesshoumaru:  *stopping a few meters away*  Inu-Yasha...

Inu-Yasha: *guardedly* Nan da?  What do you want?

Sesshoumaru:  *smirks*  I want to talk, Inu-Yasha.  It’s time we had a 
family discussion.

Inu-Yasha:  *instantly suspicious*  Talk about what?  *prepares to draw his 
sword*

Sesshoumaru: *seriously*  I had a dream, Inu-Yasha.  About Otousan.  I 
want to discuss it with you.

Inu-Yasha:  So talk.

Sesshoumaru:  In private, Inu-Yasha.  Won’t you take a walk with me?

Inu-Yasha:  *bluntly* No.

Sesshoumaru:  *smirks* You don’t trust me... Smart.  But I have no tricks 
this time.  Besides, if you refuse, I will attack you - and your little 
human friends.

Inu-Yasha:  *says nothing, only glares*

Sesshoumaru:  Jaken, stay here.  Do not touch the humans.  I will return.

Jaken:  Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama.

Sesshoumaru:  Come, little brother.  *Turns around and starts to walk 
slowly away.  Inu-Yasha hesitates, then turns to Sango*

Inu-Yasha:  Don’t trust the frog.  *follows after Sesshoumaru*

Shippou: *eyeing Jaken warily*  I say we feed it to a snake... 

Jaken:  *He growls and takes a seat away from the fire.  Soon the humans 
have a glaring showdown with him across the fire, all sitting in stony 
silence.*

*Some ways off, Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru walk in silence along the 
riverbank.  Inu-Yasha walks a little behind his brother, watching the 
older youkai carefully, but keeping an ear out for other dangers.  
Suddenly, Sesshoumaru speaks*

Sesshoumaru:  Inu-Yasha... there are no traps this time.

Inu-Yasha:  Hai, hai.  *still keeps an ear perked, to Sess’s amusement.*  So 
what did you want to talk about?

Sesshoumaru:  *stops, and looks up at the sky; the clouds (barely visible in 
the dark sky) roll slowly past*  Inu-Yasha, I believe our father’s spirit 
is not resting quietly.

Inu-Yasha: *also stopping* What?

Sesshoumaru:  Otousan... spoke to me in a dream.  He is upset that his 
children fight so.  Before he died, he asked me to protect your mother 
and you.

Inu-Yasha:  (This is new...)  *snorts* Don’t tell me you’re going to be a 
good big brother now and chase away all the other scary youkai...

Sesshoumaru:  Iie.  Of course not, I hate you like you are.

Inu-Yasha:  So what are you going to do?

Sesshoumaru:  I know what it is that makes you so irksome to me now.

Inu-Yasha:  Eh???  Nani?  What are you talking about?  (He’s lost it...)

Sesshoumaru:  *continues, ignoring Inu-Yasha* If I change that, then I 
may be able to soothe Otousan’s spirit.  I would no longer have to try 
to kill you.

Inu-Yasha:  (What, he’s going to make me a full youkai?) *warily* 
Sesshoumaru...

Sesshoumaru:  *takes out a small flask of water; swirls it around in his 
hand and smirks a little at the sloshing sound it makes*  The answer 
is right here.

Inu-Yasha:  Nani?  That’s just water!  (He ~has~ lost it!)  *wonders how to 
get away from his now seemingly insane older brother*

Sesshoumaru:  Then this won’t bother you...  *pours the water into a glass, 
as Inu-Yasha watches with raised eyebrows, his arms crossed in a 
skeptical pose.  Sesshoumaru once again swirls the water around, 
staring at it intently, then seems to decide there’s not enough and 
kneels beside the river, catches some water in his hands, and fills the 
glass the rest of the way up.  He swirls it one last time to mix it, then 
nods to himself.  Inu-Yasha is by now more convinced than ever that 
his brother has snapped.  Then he finds himself soaking as 
Sesshoumaru dumps the whole glass on him.  Or should I say...*

Inu-Yasha:  *splutters and jumps backwards, going into a suddenly difficult 
fight stance and wiping away the water for clearer vision - only to 
discover that Sesshoumaru seems just a little bit taller...*  N-nani!?!?  
*Inu-Yasha’s hands fly to his throat, for his voice has just raised in 
pitch by several octaves.  For that matter, balance is much harder.  
He takes another step back, and stumbles, his center of balance much 
lower than before.  He lands soundly on his butt - which seems to be 
of different proportions than before - and finally looks down.*  Ah- 
ah- KYAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!  *Inu-Yasha stumbles quickly over to 
the river, staring into the water... the reflection stares shocked back 
at her.*

Sesshoumaru:  *bends down beside the changed Inu-Yasha, puts his hand 
under her chin and takes a good look at his new sister*  Hai.  The old 
woman did well... I like this much better.

Inu-Yasha:  *In her shock, she had allowed Sesshoumaru to touch her, but 
now she comes back to her senses, and bares her fangs at him*  
You... you... Sankon Tetsusou^!!!!  *She swipes at him, but he ducks 
quickly out of her range... luckily for him.  The attack blasts right by, 
and slices through some trees, a few boulders, and just about 
everything else in the way for about half a mile.  Inu-Yasha blinks, 
then looks down at her hands.  Her claws are now ~much~ sharper.  
She gently pokes her fangs with her tongue, and is delighted to 
discover that they, too, are sharper.*  Eh?

^Soul shattering Iron Claw

Sesshoumaru:  *smirks*  I guess there are advantages to being a woman, 
ne, Inu-yasha-~chan~?  *she turns on him and scowls fiercely, 
bearing her fangs to their full advantage* 

Inu-Yasha:  *growls*  Why don’t you try it?  I’d be glad to trade back!!!  
Sankon Tetsusou! *leaps at him, but with her change in balance, she 
falls much short and in a very different direction.  She lets out a 
stream of swear words as she rubs her sore bottom.  Sesshoumaru 
laughs*

Sesshoumaru:  *still chuckling*  Not very lady-like, Inu-Yasha.  I suggest 
you learn how to work yourself before attacking your older brother, 
imouto-chan.  Perhaps you ought to ask your little human friends how 
~they~ do it.  Now would be a good time to go tell them, don’t you 
think?  *Starts walking off in the direction of the camp*  I ~will~ be 
close by, Inu-Yasha.  *disappears into the night, although Inu-Yasha 
can still smell him.  She stumbles carefully to her feet, cursing all the 
way.  She notes absently that everything is proportionally different 
from her new height; the stones are bigger and her feet smaller.  She 
treads along the river, occasionally glancing at her new reflection, 
then yanking her eyes quickly away.  

Inu-Yasha:  (Curse it.  Walking never took so much effort before...)  *Every 
step she takes she seems to overshoot her mark, the swing of her 
hips adding length to her stride.  She concentrates, and steps with the 
balls of her feet, and manages to bring her stride down to a 
manageable length.  She looks back up... and immediately stumbles 
again as she reverts to what was ~his~ normal walk.  Inu-Yasha 
mutters some more unladylike words, brushes her long white hair out 
of her eyes, and gets back up again.  This time, she takes care to 
maintain her new walk.  Thankfully, she doesn’t hear anyone else in 
the area... If Miroku had seen her fall like that, she doubted she 
would have been able to stop herself from killing him.* *Darkly* (If, 
that is, I were able to without falling on my butt...)  *She glances 
again at the river, then looks away as if the sight burns her eyes.  
Finally, she goes around the last bend, and sees the campfire.  Her 
eyes prickle strangely in a sudden strong wave of relief, and she lifts 
a hand to feel what’s wrong.  She touches something wet*  (N-nani?  
Tears?  But... why?)  *She realizes that not only has it taken her 
nearly twice as long to get back as it did to get ~there~, but also that 
her hearing range is longer, as it had taken the same amount of time 
to come into hearing range coming back as it had been since she left 
hearing range.  Although ~he~ had been about half the distance away 
before he stopped hearing the camp, ~she~ had been only a quarter 
of the way back.  Inu-Yasha sighs and shakes her head.*  (My senses 
might be sharper, but I think I’d do anything to be male again...  
Why, Sesshoumaru?  Are you really that messed up?)  *As her 
attention wanders, she forgets about keeping her stride short and 
even, and falls down once again.  This time, she doesn’t bother 
muttering curses... she hollers them.  Her eyes get unexpectedly wet, 
and then the rest of her face; she scream louder at first, but then her 
throat catches, and her swears break down into sobs.*

*A few minutes earlier, at the camp*

Myouga: *Sitting in Sango’s lap, glaring at Jaken with the rest of the group, 
he breaks off his evil eye as he hears something.  Shippou also hears, 
and the two youkai turn to look towards the river.*  Someone’s 
coming.  *Kagome, Miroku, and Sango also look.  Jaken, although 
also hearing the footsteps, does not turn his gaze away.* 

Kagome: *calling out tentatively* I-Inu-Yasha?  *No answer.  A few 
seconds later, Sesshoumaru comes into view... alone.  He approaches 
the camp, and halts just outside of the firelight’s circle.*

Sesshoumaru:  Jaken, come.

Jaken:  Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama.

Kagome:  *stands up*  Oi!  Where’s Inu-Yasha? 

Sesshoumaru:  *pauses in the midst of turning around, Jaken already at his 
knee*  Inu-Yasha... has some new things to think about.  *pauses, a 
smirk on his face*  My younger sibling will come along soon enough.  
*turns all the way around, and walks off towards the Southwest.*

Kagome:  *growling a little*  I don’t trust him...

Sango:  *putting a hand on Kagome’s shoulder*  Neither do we...

Myouga:  *suddenly sniffing*  Oi, Miroku...did you remember to watch the 
Ramen?

Miroku:  Eh?  *eyes go wide*  Iie...  *jumps up to check the pot, then steps 
back and chuckles a little*  I guess I forgot...  But it’s not ~too~ 
bad...

Sango:  *rolls her eyes*  Can’t you do anything right?  *The group silently 
eats their rather overcooked Ramen, leaving some for Inu-Yasha; a 
few minutes pass before anything happens.  Suddenly, Shippou’s ears 
pop up*

Shippou:  I hear someone!  Inu-Yasha must be coming back!  *The group 
sits and waits*

Myouga: *quietly*  I’m not so sure that’s Inu-Yasha... whoever it is, they’re 
walking funny...

Kagome:  *growls*  That Sesshoumaru!  I bet he ~did~ fight Inu-Yasha!  
*worriedly*  Myouga, do you think he’ll need some help getting back 
over?

Myouga:  *sweatdrops*  Help Inu-Yasha-sama walk back?  No, thank you, I 
think I’d rather live than insult his pride...

Kagome:  *nods*  That’s true... *The group waits some more.*

Sango:  He’s... moving so slowly...  *Myouga nods.  Suddenly, his eyes 
widen, as if he hears something surprising.  Seconds later, everyone 
hears loud cursing, in a high, feminine, ~angry~ voice.  The swearing 
rises in volume - and then chokes off.*

Kagome:  That’s not Inu-Yasha!  That’s some lady... and I bet she needs 
some help!  *Everyone stands up and races out of the firelight.  As 
their eyes adjust, they see a figure sitting on the riverbank, curled up 
and shaking with sobs... a figure with a red outfit, long white hair, 
and two white ears poking out of the hair.  Kagome, leading the 
group, slows, and so does everyone else.* I-Inu-yasha?  *The figure 
looks up, but the low light obscures the face.  Still, the outline is 
obviously of a dog youkai.  A clawed hand reaches up and wipes away 
tears, and loud sniffling is heard.  A sound chokes out, sounding 
strangely high-pitched, but then again, Inu-Yasha is obviously 
crying...  Kagome breaks forward at a run, reaching his side, and 
kneels down beside him.  He looks away, his hair falling across his 
face, preventing her from seeing it.*  Inu-Yasha?  What’s wrong?  
Are-are you all right?

Inu-Yasha: *sniffs a little, but doesn’t say anything*

Kagome:  *her eyes adjusting more and more to the light* *a little scared* 
Inu-Yasha, answer me!  *He hugs his knees to his chest a little more, 
then, hesitantly, looks up*

Inu-Yasha:  Ka-Kagome...  *she gasps*

Kagome:  Inu-Yasha!  *reaches forward and touches the face she sees, 
unable to believe it.  No longer is it the strong, handsome face she 
has learned to rely on...  Now it is a scared, lost, strangely beautiful 
face, the face of a woman who doesn’t know who she is anymore.* 
Oh... my.  How-?

Inu-Yasha:  *whispers*  Sesshoumaru...  *shudders and hugs her knees 
closer, resting her face on them*

Kagome: That- that creep!  *her face softens, and she reaches out and 
wraps Inu-Yasha in a hug*  Dai ja bou, Inu-Yasha, dai ja bou.^  *Inu-
Yasha unfolds a little, and lets Kagome cradle her, taking comfort.  
The others, who had stayed a few meters away to give the two 
privacy, come forward.  They still cannot see the change.  Miroku, of 
course, notices first.*

^it’s okay

Miroku: *stopping mid-step* Nani?  *puts a hand out to stop Sango*

Sango:  Nani, Miroku?

Miroku: Inu-Yasha... is smaller now.

Sango:  Eh?  Don’t be silly, Miroku, how could...  *stops as she realizes its 
true.  Inu-Yasha is only a little bit bigger than Kagome now, curling 
easily into the other girl’s side.  Miroku approaches the few final 
steps, and kneels down on the other side of Inu-Yasha.  He looks at 
his companion, crying on Kagome’s shoulder (and hidden in her hair), 
then gently reaches out... and... pokes.*

Inu-Yasha:  *feels something touch her in a part of her that hadn’t existed 
earlier that night*  KYAH!!! *Instinctively, her claws lash out, but 
they touch nothing as Miroku leaps away, an expression of 
astonishment on his face*  How dare you?!?

Miroku:  *looking down at his hands*  That was... *looks up at Inu-Yasha*  
Inu-Yasha, what did Sesshoumaru do to you?

Inu-Yasha:  *collapses back down, her hands in her face, and almost starts 
crying again, but at the last second, stops herself.  She takes a few 
deep breaths, then, struggling, stands shakily up.  Kagome stands 
beside her, and the height change becomes more evident than ever.  
Inu-Yasha’s fists clench, her face turned downward at the Earth, then 
she takes a deep breath and looks up*  This... is what he did to me.  
*Her voice, extra-shrilly from crying, emphasizes her point.  Sango 
and Shippou gasp, taking a step back.  Myouga falls off of Sango’s 
shoulder in surprise.  Miroku is the only who doesn’t look surprised, 
having sensed a change before the rest.  In fact, he looks more 
closely...*

Miroku:  Wow, Inu-Yasha, you’re gorgeous... eh?  *Inu-Yasha now stands 
growling at his throat, her claws dangerously close to killing him... as 
she looks up at him.* Ehehehe... Gomen nasai...  *She lowers her 
claws, her eyes still filled with unshed tears.*

Sango:  Inu... Yasha...  *smiles with false perkiness*  Do you want me to 
hit him for you?  *Inu-Yasha manages a weak smile, then nods evilly.  
Miroku backs away, sweatdropping nervously, but still gets 
boomerang-ed.  He falls over backwards, unconscious.  Myouga and 
Shippou wisely say nothing.  Instead, Myouga hops onto Shippou’s 
shoulder, and Shippou turns around and starts leading the way back 
to camp, dragging Miroku along.  Sango, Kagome, and Inu-Yasha start 
to follow, but Inu-Yasha trips again.*

Inu-Yasha: *swears*  Kagome, how do you walk like this???

Kagome:  Eh??  I just... put one foot forward at a time...

Myouga: *piping up*  Inu-Yasha’s center of balance has probably changed 
along with the rest of his body.  He’s just having some trouble 
adjusting.

Miroku:  *pretending to still be unconscious, for fear of his own safety*  
(~She’s~ just having trouble...)

Sango:  *The three pause*  Ano... Kagome-chan, why don’t you get his 
other arm?  *Slips under one of Inu-Yasha’s arms, and Kagome does 
the same with the other*  Now, Inu-Yasha, left foot first... *steps with 
her left foot, her left hip swinging forward.  Kagome does the same, 
with Inu-Yasha watching closely.  Then she tries it... with somewhat 
less success.  She thrusts her hip out and moves her thigh upward, 
resulting a stride that pulls the other two girls suddenly forward and 
practically rips her own leg out of the socket.*  Um, Inu-Yasha, you 
don’t need to step upward so much.  Okay?  Now right foot.  *She 
adjusts her stance so that the left foot is in front again, and takes 
another step, then Kagome does the same.  Inu-Yasha follows, this 
time with more grace.  Pretty soon, she has the hang of it, and keeps 
up with her friends with ease.*

Inu-Yasha:  *smiling*  Actually, I think this is easier than before... And I 
like it a lot better than how I got back...

Kagome:  *giggles*  How ~did~ you get back?

Inu-Yasha:  *says nothing, but walks a few steps like she had in the forest.  
Kagome covers a smile with her hand*

Kagome:  You’d do very well in high heels, Inu-Yasha, if only you didn’t 
step so big.

Inu-Yasha:  *glares at her, then pauses*  Ano, Kagome, what are high 
heels?

Kagome:  *chuckles* Some torture device from my time that ladies like to 
wear.

Inu-Yasha:  *miffed*  I may look like a woman, but I’m a ~man~!

Kagome: *solemnly*  I know, Inu-Yasha.

Inu-Yasha:  *pauses*  (Kagome... how do ~you~ feel about this?...)  
*shakes her head*

Sango:  *cheerfully* Well, I bet we’ll find a way to fix it all soon, so don’t 
worry, Inu-Yasha!

Inu-Yasha:  *smiles a little*  Yeah.  *The three finally sit down by what’s 
left of the fire.  Kagome looks into the Ramen pot, but wrinkles her nose* 

Kagome:  Gomen, Inu-Yasha, we left you some dinner, but it was looking 
pretty bad even then... it overcooked... and it’s worse now.  Would 
you like me to make you some more?  *Inu-Yasha nods, her stomach 
rumbling.  Kagome digs through her back, finding a single serving 
package of Ramen, and cooks it for Inu-Yasha, who eats it hungrily.  
However, she only eats about a half of what she usually does.  
Surprised, she looks at still partly full bowl, wondering what to do.*

Inu-Yasha: Ano... Kagome-

Kagome: Yes, Inu-Yasha?

Inu-Yasha: I- I’m full. 

Kagome:  *has to hide a smile at the surprise in Inu-Yasha’s voice*  I guess 
since you’re smaller, you have a smaller appetite, as well...  Good, 
that’ll cut down on food costs for a while.  Until you’re back to normal.  
*Inu-Yasha smiles at this*

Inu-Yasha:  Yeah.  Until I’m back to normal.  *pauses, holding the not-
quite-empty bowl of still hot soup*  But what should I do with this?

Kagome:  *grins and stands up*  I’ll take it.  *turns to do so, but as Inu-
Yasha hands her the bowl, her claws slip, and the bowl’s hot contents 
dump themselves on her head.  He yelps.*

Inu-Yasha:  *feeling the change*  A-ano???  *looks down, and jumps up 
happily*  Oi, Kagome, I’m cured!!!  *pauses, and looks down sadly at 
his now noodled coat*  (And still hungry...)

Shippou: Wow!  Inu-Yasha!  

Miroku:  *who, when Inu-Yasha had finally settled down, had felt safe 
enough to pretend to wake up*  It looks like hot soup really does cure 
everything!

Inu-Yasha:  *does a joyful little dance around the campsite* 
Yesyesyesyes....

Sango:  *smirking* Cured, and covered with Ramen...

Inu-Yasha:  *pauses, and sweatdrops*  Ano... I guess I’ll go clean up 
some...  *grabs Shippou and heads down to the river to clean up*

*in the woods, watching*

Sesshoumaru:  *growls* (That hag!  Inu-Yasha’s not a girl anymore!  She 
lied!)  *decides to go kill her later... but decides to watch just a little 
while longer the group of happy humans and youkai...*