Two Months to Live by Corisu Li, chapter 11, inu yasha fanfic

This is a sequel to One Month for Romance. It is complete in 27 chapters. It has a few plot twists that will shock you.I'm posting it here with the permission of the author. I found it at http://www.geocities.com/inuyashakarma . Enjoy. Tim Seltzer

Disclaimer:
Corisu Li: Oww...hurts to type...I just got a athletic physical so I can play volleyball and they pricked my right index finger and it's soooore!!! Ah, well, I'll get over it. Hmm...Sapphrine Nayomi, I think that's a GREAT idea! ^_^ Maybe I'll use it, maybe not, but you'll know if I do...believe me, you will... And if I told you what I was thinking in the last disclaimer, it'd ruin the surprise! And we all like surprises, ne?
Kunoichi: You're rambling.
Corisu Li: Why the hell are you so sane lately?
Kunoichi: OH MY GOD! I haven't had a sugar binge in a long time!
Corisu Li: *sounds the alarm* ACK! Donations needed! Review and put the name of your favorite sweet in CAPITALS and I'll see if we can get her hyped up again!
Kunoichi: I hate being sane. It's boring. -__- Send me sweeeeets!!!
Corisu Li: Oh, and I have one other plea: Can someone please describe Inuyasha's youkai form for me? I, sadly, have never seen one of those episodes (darn you, America!), but I still want to use the description (not that I'm going to ruin the surprise by telling you how or anything...). Pictures would be helpful, too, as well as a description of his power & the transformation! Okay, enough. I don't own 'em, and if I did, you could bet that I wouldn't have to get a part-time job in the summer!

Chapter 11: All Training is Completed: Journey Resumes

Meanwhile, in Sango and Miroku's room, Ninsei and the monk were having a hushed conversation, trying not to wake the taijiya or the hanyous in the tree outside.

"Miroku-sama, I truly think you are ready for this. You have been training now for two weeks since the day that you recovered. You should be ready for a little display of your power."

"Ninsei-san, I still have too much power for me to control! What if it were to get out of hand and hurt one of my friends?"

"It wouldn't. As long as you have been meditating nightly, your power, even when outside of your command, should recognize those that you care for."

Miroku looked thoughtful. He had been training for a long time, and Ninsei kept telling him that he had practically perfected the art of the staff. Miroku doubted himself, however, the memory of the training session gone wrong never leaving his thoughts. True, he had been meditating so his power would answer to him and not the other way around, but he still feared the raw energy that he felt rushing through his body. Finally, he spoke. "All right, Ninsei-san. I accept your test."

"Good." The panther youkai stood to his feet and picked up his staff from its leaning position against the wall. "After breakfast, re-enter the forest, and I will show you that your mastery is complete."

Ninsei gave a bow and excused himself from the room, bound for their training clearing in the forest. There, he would meditate and prepare for the monk's arrival. Everything that they had been working toward was coming to a head. If Miroku could truly command his element, he would have taken his ability farther then Ninsei ever thought possible for a human. And if he couldn't... well, that wasn't an option.

Outside in their usual tree, Kagome and Inuyasha slept peacefully. Or rather, Inuyasha slept peacefully as Kagome's eyes flew open and she lifted her hands to her mouth. 'I'm going to be sick!' she thought frantically, and quite unceremoniously threw Inuyasha's arms off of her, leapt down from the tree, and vomited into a patch of bushes. When she had finished, she made a small noise of disgust and slumped to her knees, raising her eyes to Inuyasha, who was looking at her questioningly.

'What's wrong with you?' he asked, sliding from the branch and landing on the ground.

'I...I don't know. I just woke up and-" Here, nauseousness overtook her again and she dove for the bushes once more.

Now Inuyasha was truly worried. Kagome didn't get sick like this, even more so since she had become hanyou. So what the heck was up with her? 'Should I get Sango?' he asked lamely, not knowing what to do.

Kagome shook her head. 'I feel better now. I guess I just needed to get whatever it was out of my system.'

'Still, you should lie down or something. A weak bitch like you could get herself even sicker.'

Kagome reddened. 'Weak, am I? I'll show you!' And before he could react, she had darted forward and grabbed him by the neck, slamming his back into the tree.

'I'm NOT weak! You take that BACK!' Kagome's eyes were hardened, and Inuyasha was puzzled. Why was she reacting like this? She never got so angry over things like that before. On the contrary, she took them as signs of Inuyasha being worried. When her hand began to squeeze tighter, he decided it was time to take action and uttered the low growl that controlled her mark. Once he had a grip on it with his mind, he used his influence to shove her backward, landing her on her butt.

Inuyasha gasped for air as he stared at Kagome's form hunched on the ground. She was sitting with her legs stretched in front of her, her bangs hiding most of her face from view. It was only when he saw a droplet hit the ground in front of her that he realized she was crying. 'Kagome, don't do that! You know I hate it when you cry!'

Kagome lifted her head, showing him her tear-filled eyes. 'You always act like I'm so fragile! Why didn't you do something else? I can take it!'

As quick as a flash, Kagome stood and was once more angry. 'SO! The high and mighty Inuyasha doesn't even think he can control himself to spar with his mate! Well excuuuuse me for wanting a challenge!'

'I'm making perfect sense, baka! You think I can't take care of myself? Well, I CAN! Osuwari!' As Inuyasha took a dive, Kagome leapt through the window, bawling once more. The male hanyou couldn't even be angry that she'd subdued him; he was just too confused. He couldn't even remember what she'd been angry about!

When the effects of the spell dissipated, he pulled himself to his feet and looked toward the window where Kagome seemed to be explaining things to Sango in a loud, angry voice. Sango was trying to placate her, but nothing was getting to her in her rampage. Deciding that she probably didn't want to see him at the moment, Inuyasha opted to take a walk, hoping that she'd cool down before he returned. Whatever was wrong with her would hopefully be better then.

When Kagome burst into the room, she nearly unseated Miroku as she blew past him and toward Sango, who woke up immediately at the sound of the girl crying. Miroku was completely puzzled, so he settled down to listen to her explanation.

Sango sat up and pulled Kagome into a hug. "What is it Kagome-chan? What happened?"

Kagome offered an explanation that was full of hiccuping sobs, but when she was finished, Sango and Miroku exchanged confused looks. Finally, Miroku said, "Kagome-sama, that is just Inuyasha's way of showing that he cares. You should take nothing that he says so seriously."

Quick as a flash, Kagome rounded on him, eyes narrowed. "Guys are all alike! You AGREE with him, don't you!"

Miroku put up his hands defensively. "I didn't say that, Kagome-sama! I merely mean that-" He cut off when Kagome suddenly raced to the window and stuck her head outside. They heard the distinct sound of retching, but when she pulled herself back in, she looked slightly more relaxed.

"I'm starved!" she announced, evoking sweatdrops from her two friends. "What?" she asked when she saw the weird looks on their faces.

"Er, Kagome-chan? Are you sure you're all right?" Sango asked, eyeing the girl closely.

"I'm fine! Just hungry..." Her eyes darted to Shippou, who had awoken and was looking around, confused. "Shippou!" Her attention distracted once more, she leapt forward and took the little kitsune in her arms, hugging him tightly. A little too tightly.

Kagome abruptly stopped and put him down. "Sorry about that, Shippou-chan." Shippou gave her a funny look, but before anyone could say anything, there was a knock at the door and Kunoichi entered.

Kagome jumped up and clapped her hands. "Yep! Jukodo's again?" When Kunoichi nodded, Kagome grabbed Sango and Miroku by the wrists and tugged them from the room, a huge grin on her face. This left Shippou and Kunoichi to look after her in confusion.

"No idea," the kitsune answered, leaping to her shoulder. "Let's just go before she tears the place down."

The two left the room and followed the wake of destruction left by Kagome's speed, picking up Miroku (who she had dropped) along the way.

Kunoichi, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou were gaping at Kagome as she scarfed down bowl after bowl of food. She was eating as if she'd never been fed in her entire life. The group shot worried glances at each other, but once Kagome was (finally) full, she sat back, contented, and began to act more like her normal self.

Looking around at everyone else, who had been neglecting their food while watching her, she said, "Maybe I was a little hard on Inuyasha. I'm not quite sure why I reacted that way."

Kagome shrugged. "Dunno. Haven't seen him since this morning. I hope he's not mad or-"

He asked this because Kagome had suddenly stopped her speech, her eyes sliding out of focus. "I knew she wasn't well!" Sango exclaimed.

"No. It looks like something more than that. A vision, perhaps?" Miroku waved a hand in front of the female hanyou's unseeing eyes.

Shippou suddenly snapped his tiny fingers. "I know! I bet it has something to do with Inuyasha! Do you remember when Inuyasha sensed Kagome in danger in the woods, Sango?"

A look of comprehension dawned on Sango's face. "I do remember! But what can we do for her? She looks very ill."

Miroku shook his head. "Nothing, for now. I assume that she'll snap out of it soon and explain everything to us." With his words, everyone looked intently at Kagome, their half-finished breakfasts forgotten on the table.

During this discussion, a scene was playing out in Kagome's head. She felt as if she were in two places at once, a very odd sensation...

Kagome was running, and she could feel thoughts and emotions rushing through her head, but they were not her own. When she felt a small inkling of worry, she tapped into it and found that the worry was for herself. In another second, she had put two and two together and decided that she was, somehow, in Inuyasha's head.

He was in a forest, on the bank of a large lake. It was a very strange feeling when he leaned down and Kagome saw his reflection, instead of her own. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she could see an squid-like appendage slide from the water. It was apparent by Inuyasha's lack of movement that he didn't see it coming. Frantically, Kagome began to scream warnings, but it seemed as if he couldn't hear. His eyes remained on his own reflection, shimmering on the surface of the lake.

As the tentacle whipped forward, Kagome felt a tug in the back of her mind as she began to lose the connection. 'Inuyasha, look out!' she cried one last time, before the two were separated.

Kagome awoke with a gasp. "It's Inuyasha!" was the only explanation she provided her friends with before dashing off, nearly upsetting the table.

Everyone exchanged worried looks before rising to follow her, Kunoichi remembering just in time to leave money on the table as she grabbed her bow and arrows from the floor beside her. As soon as they left the building, they began to look for Kagome, but she was nowhere in sight. Sango put two fingers to her lips and whistled loudly, and seconds later, Kirara (in her large form) landed in front of the group. The girls and Shippou climbed on, while Miroku insisted upon getting there by his own means.

"Kirara, can you smell Kagome or Inuyasha?" Sango demanded. When the neko growled a positive response, she said, "Follow them!" With those words, Kirara leapt from the ground, dashing through the air toward the forest.

This left Miroku standing in the middle of the dirt path, contemplating his ways of travel. He supposed that he could run, but he might not reach the group in time to be of any help. The only other option left to him, then, was his staff...

Looking around to make sure that there were no innocent people close enough to be affected, he held his staff in the second position. This had been one of the things that Ninsei had intended to test him on today. It just turned out that he would need it sooner than that. Feeling the familiar warmth from his staff, he used it to hold his body in the air while he lifted his legs into a crossed position effortlessly. He could still make out Kirara on the horizon, so he knew in what direction he would have to go. He took a deep breath, then loosened the reins on his power a bit.

If it hadn't been a serious situation, Miroku would have shouted, "Whee!". Using the power of his staff, he was propelling himself through the air, about five feet above the ground, at a very high speed. As he approached the area where Inuyasha and Kagome were, he let himself to the ground with a relieved sigh and raised his eyes to survey the situation.

Inuyasha had left the village to ponder Kagome's actions. He was racking his brains for an instance where a bitch would behave this way, but nothing came to his mind except for a spell, and he knew that that couldn't have been the case, since she'd never been out of his sight. So...maybe something had happened in her sleep?

He came to a halt at the edge of a lake and peered into it, still thinking. He felt vaguely like he was worried over nothing, until he felt a nagging feeling in his mind. He couldn't quite place the sensation, but it felt familiar. Trying his best to ignore it, he allowed himself to become even more absorbed in his thoughts until he heard a distant, desperate cry.

'Kagome?' he wondered. How could she be communicating with him? They were way too far apart for Mind-Talk! When he got no reply, he began to stand, to return to Kagome and ask her what was going on, when he sensed movement on his right side.

Whirling quickly, he raked his claws across the area and watched as a bit of squid tentacle fell to the ground. "What the hell?" he asked, prodding it with a foot. It was as if it had literally appeared from nowhere, because he could see no injured creature around him. "Feh," he muttered, and turned once more to leave, when he felt a tingling sensation on the back of his neck. Once more, he turned and sliced off the tentacle, and this time, he caught sight of the appendage as it disappeared into the lake.

All of a sudden, as if on cue, a dozen of the tentacles burst from the water before he had time to react. Some coiled around his legs, his arms, and his torso. The one he was worried about, however, coiled around his neck. He could feel the sucking discs grabbing hold of his skin. Making an angry, yet disgusted sound, Inuyasha tried to slice the things apart once more, but they were restraining him, making movement impossible.

Then, before he could try to call out, he felt a sharp point burst from one of the suckers and dig into the back of his neck, just deep enough to break the skin. Inuyasha let out a hoarse scream as the wound stung with what felt like an acidic substance. When the offending appendage shifted, driving the point a little farther in, and Inuyasha felt blood dripping down his neck, he lost conciousness and hung limp in the thing's embrace.

This was the scene that Kagome ran in on, and needless to say, she let out a frightened shriek. Then, she let out another shriek, this one of rage, and leapt forward, quickly severing the tentacles with her claws and pulling Inuyasha to relative safety. All of the appendages that were curled around him fell off, save for the one around his neck.

Kagome heard Miroku arrive a several yards away, but she was intent upon the thing around Inuyasha's neck. She only acknowledged him when he said, "That tentacle won't come off until we kill this thing. Until then, it will keep him in this unconcious state. I've heard of these youkai. They like eating live food, so their venom doesn't kill, it just paralyzes...Kagome- sama!"

Kagome looked up at the way he screamed her name, but the reason became obvious as she felt a tingling on the back of her neck, followed by the feeling of something cold wrapping around it. Miroku looked on, horrified. There was nothing that he could do, since once the suckers took hold, they wouldn't release until the mother beast was destroyed, or unless the paralysis was already taking effect on the victim.

The thing that had grabbed her was one of the pieces that Inuyasha had severed earlier, and it was still mobile. Obviously, it still functioned correctly as well, as it drove a spine into the back of her neck, rendering her just as inert as her mate as she slumped to the ground beside him.

There was a thud of four feline feet hitting the ground and Kunoichi, Sango, and Shippou dismounted and ran toward the monk. "What happened, Miroku?" Shippou squealed as he leapt toward Kagome and began trying to wake her up.

"This thing...it paralyzes its prey. We need to defeat the thing that lives under the water for them to awaken."

Kunoichi's and Sango's eyes were locked on the waving white tentacles above the water. "How do you suppose we get to it, if it's under there?" Sango finally asked.

Miroku shook his head, then took on a thoughtful look. "Unless..." He took up the second position once more, urging the girls to get behind him. They complied, not sure what he was going to do, having never seen him put his power to use before. They gasped as they saw a huge tornado form in front of them, and instinctively clung to each other for fear of blowing away.

There was no need for worry, however. Miroku had everything under control as he urged the spinning wind toward the lake. When the tip of the tornado touched the water, it instantly drew the liquid up and out. Now, there seemed to be a gyrating mass of water in the midst of a dry lake.

The girl quickly loaded her bow and stepped up to stand beside him. On his other side, Sango held Hiraikotsu ready.

They didn't even have to wait long. A shapeless white mass rose from the dry lake, rolling onto the ground and starting to approach the small group. Shippou let out a shriek and hid himself in Kagome's hair.

The mass quivered a bit, then a huge rip opened in its middle and stretched wide, revealing a mouth full of what seemed like an obscene number of teeth. More tentacles burst from its amorphous body and wriggled in the air. When it had gone too far from the lake to turn back, Miroku relaxed the tornado and returned the water to its previous position. "Sango, don't throw Hiraikotsu! Solid weapons will have no effect!"

Sango looked puzzled, then realized that it was true as the blob separated itself to roll around a rock. Nodding, she stepped back.

Miroku continued, talking to the other girl this time. "Kunoichi, can you control the intensity of your arrows?" When she nodded, he said, "I'll split the thing in half with the wind. I need you to shoot an arrow at just the right time, so that when it comes back together, the arrow will be inside it. Do you understand?"

"Why can't I just shoot the thing?" Kunoichi asked, a wary eye on the slowly approaching blob.

"I told you. Solid weapons have no effect. However, if you were to expose it to miko power from within, there's nothing that it can do to protect itself."

The girl drew her arrow back, stretching the bow even tauter, and said, "Okay, do it!"

Miroku readied himself to use the first control motion, something that he had just learned. It could create a blade-like form of the element, sending it hurtling at the enemy. Taking a deep breath, he raised his staff over his head and brought it down swiftly, in the fashion of slicing a sword downward.

A curved blade became visible, bluish light surrounding it in wisps. It met the blob-thing and effectively sliced it in half. "Now, Kunoichi!"

Kunoichi, however, decided to wait a moment. 'Any second...' she thought. 'Any second....' "NOW!" she shouted aloud, releasing the arrow and watching it fly through the air.

Just as the thing had almost completely repaired itself, the arrow slipped through a rip in its flesh and was trapped inside. The girl began to focus, increasing the amount of energy in that arrow.

And the thing exploded, spraying white goo everywhere. Sango, Kunoichi, and Miroku tried vainly to avoid the falling gobs, but they still got hit with the stuff. The tentacles around Inuyasha's and Kagome's necks melted away, leaving punctures that were already healing. The two sat up slowly, grumbling to themselves. Kagome gently untangled Shippou from her hair.

Laughter came from the woods. "Bad morning?" Ninsei emerged, looking very amused at the sight of his friends covered in a mucus-like substance.

Ninsei gestured at the many piles of the paralyzing blob. "It seems like you had things under control. Also, Miroku-sama, I see no reason for you to continue training under me."

"I have been watching. You flew yourself here, and you demonstrated mastery of the first control position as well as the first control motion." The youkai smiled. "You would have passed my little examination."

Inuyasha and Kagome had managed to stand. "So does this mean that we can leave now?" Inuyasha asked, rubbing the back of his neck absently.

Kunoichi's face fell. "You can't leave! I'll never be able to go back to my normal life remembering you guys!"

Kagome sighed. "Kunoichi-san, you'll be fine. Even so, we're not going anywhere until we find that place where that 'supreme youkai' is rumored to live."

Kunoichi's eyes widened. "You mean you're going to to the Dark Mountain?" She immediately gained everyone's attention. Looking around at them and assessing their reactions, she gave a sly smile. "And I'll lead you there...if you'll let me come with you, of course."

Inuyasha threw up his arms in exasperation. "I KNEW this was coming! What are we now, a fucking traveling companion group? Why in the hell do we suddenly have so many damn people eager to join us? You'll probably get yourself killed if-"

He did, giving Kagome a look that showed that he remembered the reason why he'd been in the forest in the first place. She seemed to be all right at the moment, however, and he stopped worrying.

"Kunoichi-san, it's up to you." Kagome picked up where Inuyasha had left off. "I think you'd probably do well, since you are in better shape than I was when I first started traveling with the baka here. I have no problem with it."

Everyone else agreed with what Kagome had said, except Inuyasha, who offered a characteristic "Feh.". Ninsei smiled at her when no one else was watching, showing that he was personally glad that she wanted to accompany them. She returned the smile shyly.

"Well, we'd better get back then. Most of us need to clean off..." Miroku shook his robes irritably. "...and I think it'd be best to leave before sundown."

Kunoichi agreed, eyeing the slime on her clothing. "My Jii-sama shouldn't be against me going. He knows that I can take care of myself now, and if he puts up a fight, I'll just say that it's payment for you guys saving my life."

With those words, everyone began the trek back to the Uchida, Kirara refusing to let anyone ride her because of the disgusting youkai remnants.

Corisu Li: *laughs hysterically* Gods, that was such a stupid chapter!!! I hated it so much. You guys just don't know how hard it is to write crap like this and try to make it flow. I was trying to get it to a place when they could leave Senpai, and I did it, ne? From here on in, though, it should prove to be a lot more interesting!!! Next chapter, they meet Kikyou! Then, they meet Naraku (though I'm not sure when)! Then, mmph-

Kunoichi: *covers Corisu's mouth* Don't try it. She's been trying to give the story away for a long time now. A cookie to anyone who figures out what wrong with Kagome! (We won't tell you. We'll just give out cookies. If you want it to be a surprise, don't read the reviews!)

Corisu Li: Oooh, cookie! That reminds me, don't forget my pleas for help in the disclaimer at the beginning! Ja!

Two Months to Live by Corisu Li
This is a sequel to One Month of Romance. It is complete in 27 chapters. It has a few plot twists that will shock you.

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Two Months to Live

Chapter Eleven: All Training is Completed: Journey Resumes

Chapter 11: All Training is Completed: Journey Resumes