FicWad

This chapter of "Other Ways," is brought to you by Chaos Baked Goods. Try the muffins. Or else.

.

.

.

"Late for what?" Inuyasha asked darkly, stepping between Kagome and the newcomer, so that she had to move to the side to see his face. She wondered if he even knew he'd done it.

Oddly, he'd also brought his right arm up to chest level, so that the gauntlet gleamed in the uncanny light.

"Oh, put that thing down," the rusty-haired man told him.

"No."

"Do you even remember how it works?" his eyebrows went up helplessly. "Tell me you do, Se. Please tell me you remember how to use one of those."

Inuyasha gave what probably would have been a growl, "I bet I can figure it out fast enough for you," he said.

The strange young man took a step back, raising one hand to his chin as if to think. Kagome frowned. That face was new to her, she was sure, but something about the gesture struck a chord.

"We know you, don't we?" she asked simply.

Inuyasha flashed her his fangs over his shoulder, "Shut up! I'm handling this."

"You should listen to her," he offered. "You never go wrong when you listen to her, Se."

"What the fuck is a 'shay'?" Inuyasha snarled.

The stranger clapped a hand over his forehead. "Hoo boy..." he looked up. "That's you. Your name. It's who you are," he glanced around the shaken room again and swallowed sickly. "Or at least it's who you were this morning."

"Do you know what happened?" Kagome felt her heart thud.

"We can't trust him!" Inuyasha snapped.

"We could at least talk to him. It sounds like he knows what's going on."

"He could have been planted here by Naraku!"

Kagome thought she saw the man's face darken at the name, but he shook it off too quickly for her to be sure.

"Look," he told them. "My name is Noi. We spoke this morning. Indis - that's one of our friends - told me she felt a great evil or some other tripe, and sent me to find you." He looked from Inuyasha's face to Kagome's and back, "Do you want me to prove that you've met me before?" he offered. "Okay. I know that you," he pointed at Kagome, "have a tiny little scar right here," he pointed at himself, just below his heart. "And I know that-"

It was nearly too fast to see. There was a rush of motion that swirled the papers tacked against the walls, and then Inuyasha was holding the strange boy up against the doorframe by his neck.

"And I knew," he choked, raising one pointer finger, "I knew you were going to do that!"

"Put him down," Kagome wrapped both hands around Inuyasha's arm and tugged.

"No way!" he pushed harder against Noi's throat. "Check."

Kagome blinked. "What?"

"Check, stupid! See if you really have a mark!"

"Don't call me stupid! And I'm not taking my clothes off with the both of you in here."

"You were the one who wanted to talk to him."

Kagome stamped her foot, "Because he might know how to help us!"

"I still think Naraku sent him."

"Maybe, but don't you think we should-"

"...guys..." the boy's eyes were rolled halfway back into his head. Kagome jabbed her heel down hard on Inuyasha's instep, yelping as she realized that she was barefoot, and he was wearing some kind of hard boots. It was enough, though, to startle him into dropping Noi.

"Oooh," she half-fell on the bed, tucking her foot onto her lap.

"Thanks..." the stranger managed.

"Don't move," Inuyasha ordered.

"So much for settling this non-violently," Noi choked. "I suppose it's true what they say about 'the meek shall inherit the dust.'" He struggled to his feet.

"I said don't move!"

"Inuyasha, he's only trying to help!" Kagome scolded.

"Quit telling me what to do," there was that unholy gleam in his eye again. "...bitch."

Noi looked up, "What did you say?"

Kagome shook her head. "He's just being immature. Don't pay him any atten-"

"No," he shook his red-orange head, turning his eyes back to Kagome, "Did you just call him..."

"...Inuyasha?" she repeated.

His face paled.

"Oh shit."