InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ You Can't Hurry Love ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

You Can't Hurry Love

 

((The Fiction Formerly Known As, “Attack of the Warm Fuzzies”))

by: Crystal, a.k.a. Akane-Lovely (ff.net), Aquamarine (mmorg) & MissCrystalis(lj)

 

~ - ~

 

But I keep on waiting,
Anticipating for that soft voice
To talk to me at night,
For some tender arms
to hold me tight.

 

~ - ~

 

No sooner had the first tell-tale sounds of battle echoed off the surrounding cliffs and reached their humble campsite, than Miroku had sprinted into the woods with Sango right behind him. Shippo, however, not feeling particularly eager to go running headfirst into his Doom, hesitated a moment.

 

"I'm just a kid, after all…"

 

Visions of any number of giant, deadly monsters attacking his friends while he hid safely out of sight, however, began running through his little head. True, the three humans he kept around were pretty strong, and Inuyasha wasn't half-bad in a fight, himself, but… What if something went wrong? What if Naraku had attacked and Miroku couldn't use his kazaana because of the Saimyoushou, or Sango got distracted because of Kohaku, or Inuyasha lost his Tessaiga because he was an idiot, or -?

 

"I can't just abandon them, not when they might need me!"

 

There was only one thing left for a kitsune cub to do.

 

"I have to be strong! Kagome! Don't worry! I'm comiiiii-aaaahhhhh! Help! Kagome! Inuyasha! IT'S GONNA EAT ME!!"

 

It wasn't until Kirara mewed in annoyance that Shippo realized he was not, in fact, in any immediate danger of becoming anyone's dinner. The cat, noting Shippo's selflessly bold determination to rush to the aid of his friends, had plucked him up in her mouth by his collar and begun running after Sango. As soon as his panicked yelps subsided, she flipped him into the air and caught him on her back without so much as a pause in her graceful stride.

 

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Shippo sulked.

 

Kirara roared. Was it her fault the fox was so jumpy?

 

"Inuyasha! Kagome! Are you alright?"

 

"Lady Kagome? What… happened?"

 

They had caught up to the group! Shippo scampered up to the top of Kirara's head in order to assess the situation a little better. Kagome was kneeling next to a smiling Inuyasha with poorly concealed concern. She held his fire-rat haori in her hands and her hair was frazzled - practically sparkling with static electricity. Miroku had squatted down opposite Kagome so that his head was level with Inuyasha's. It appeared the monk was examining the half-demon's eyes as he leaned heavily on his staff for balance. Sango was hovering over Miroku's shoulder and seemed to be truly disturbed about something.

 

Shippo frowned. Everything seemed in order - they were all present and accounted for, he couldn't smell any blood and Inuyasha was smiling cheerfully…

 

The fox-demon's eyes narrowed.

 

Inuyasha was smiling - cheerfully?

 

This wasn't his "I-just-kicked-some-major-demon-ass" smile, either, nor was it the "I'm-really-gonna-enjoy-pummeling-you-to-the-ground" smile that Shippo knew all too well.

 

This look was different. Shippo could only compare it with Kagome's "I'm-oh-so-happy-to-see-everyone-again" smile that she gave them whenever she returned from one of her extended absences in her homeland. What was Kagome's smile doing on Inuyasha's face?

 

"Inuyasha, are you sure you're alright?"

 

"I'm fine, Sango. My head's a little fuzzy, but other than that…" The dog-boy-in-question looked up at them earnestly. "I don't think that rat's powder was anything to worry about. Thanks for your concern, though. It means a lot to me to know you all… eh?"

 

Inuyasha's eyes crossed, following Kagome's hand as it moved from its position on his haori to his forehead. "He doesn't have a fever," the girl told the frowning monk and demon slayer after a moment.

 

"See? Now do you believe I'm ok?" Dog ears twitched when the soft hand left his face. What was everyone so upset about? The brilliant smile faltered, only to be replaced by a look of pure concern. "Did I do something wrong?"

 

"I don't sense any evil aura surrounding him," Miroku stood up and straightened his robes. "I don't believe Inuyasha has been possessed... And yet…"

 

"What? Did I grow an extra head or something?" Stranger things had happened, after all. Inuyasha felt both of his shoulders - just to make sure.

 

"Anyway, if he were possessed by an evil spirit, don't you think he'd be acting a little more… evil?"

 

"Yes, Sango. I think you're right. Still, this is a little disturbing…"

 

"Hey, guys! Tell me what you're all so worried about. I can't help if I don't know what the problem is." It wasn't a demand - more of a quiet supplication as he stood, looking from friend to friend in hopes that someone would get around to telling him what was going on. The three humans exchanged nervous glances, unsure of how to explain their concern without sounding rude. It wasn't like there was anything wrong with Inuyasha being so amiable… It's just that none of them were aware that the phrase `thanks for your concern' was actually in Inuyasha's vocabulary.

 

Shippo had seen and heard enough. It was clear to him that none of his friends were grasping the true nature of this situation. Jumping off of Kirara, he marched right between Miroku and Sango and leapt up onto the confused Inuyasha's shoulder. He whacked Inuyasha's head with a tiny fist and taunted, "What's the matter with you, Inuyasha, did you get yourself hit in the head or somethin'?"

 

Not a trace of anger flickered behind Inuyasha's eyes. "What do you mean, Shippo?"

 

It didn't work! Shippo's jaw dropped momentarily, but he quickly recovered. "Oi, you truly are an idiot, aren't you? Was there really a demon here, you moron, or did you just get scared of your own shadow and start attacking random trees?"

 

"No, there was definitely a rat-demon. You can ask Kagome, she saw it, too." Inuyasha nodded in the girl's direction before sighing. "Unfortunately, I had to kill it. Shame, really. We might have been able to talk things out if I hadn't acted so rashly…"

 

An eerie stillness followed on the tail of this declaration. Inuyasha's companions were temporarily struck dumb, the birds fell silent, and even the wind seemed to have died down.

 

"What? What did I say?"

 

Shippo shook himself mentally. The humans appeared to be frozen in a state of shock, so it was going to be up to him to get that idiot to snap out of it. This was no time to panic…

 

Inuyasha frowned, an expression that filled the kit's heart with hope. That was, until he asked, "Shippo, are you ok? You look kinda shaken up."

 

"Gah!" Shippo grabbed a tuft of Inuyasha's silvery mane and yanked at it desperately. "Who are you? What have you done to Inuyasha?!"

 

"Shippo, what're you - Hey! Kagome! Shippo's gone crazy! Get off! Owwww!!”

 

"Shippo! Shippo! Calm down!" It took several minutes and the combined efforts of Kagome and Sango to extract the traumatized fox-demon's hands from Inuyasha's head. Kagome hugged Shippo closely in an effort to reassure him - and also because she thought that having his hair nearly yanked out would be enough to make Inuyasha rethink his agreeable behavior.

 

"Shippo…" Amber eyes were hidden beneath the tangled mess left behind by the little fox. The group held a collective breath; dear Shippo was not likely to live to see tomorrow! Clawed hands reached up to part the tresses away from his face. Brilliantly shinning fangs flashed… into a paternal smile?

 

"Shippo, sorry, but I don't think you should eat so much of that candy anymore. You're gettin' kinda hyper."

 

The muscles around Kagome's right eye twitched violently. "I think we should get back to camp."

 

Miroku cleared his throat. "I agree. We can discuss exactly what happened between you, Inuyasha and that demon after we've all had something to eat, yes?"

 

Shippo shook his head miserably. Trust Miroku to keep his expression neutral at a time like this.

 

"Are you certain you don't have any saké?"

 

Shoulda known.

 

~ - ~

 

Thanks to their good friend, Hanataka the Rat Demon of the Northern… Eastern… Somewhere, it was much too late in the evening to think about catching and roasting anything to eat. Fortunately, there were still some provisions left over from the donations of villagers whose homes the group had saved just a few days ago from an infestation of slug demons (though it was best not to think of that right before dinner…) Along with Kagome's rice crackers and four cups of ramen, they were able to improvise a fairly decent meal.

 

Kagome watched in amusement as Inuyasha ate his favorite dish. The sun could stop shinning and the world fall off its axis, but Inuyasha would still slurp his ramen down like it was both his first and last meal ever. She smiled. He may have been acting strangely, but at least some things did not change.

 

He looked up at her, chopsticks raised halfway to his mouth. "Hey, Kagome, you're sure it's alright if I have your portion of ramen? I feel bad taking food out of your mouth…"

 

"Please eat it, I'm not that hungry. Honest."

 

Inuyasha nodded. Then, he glanced at the little fox-demon who was eying him warily from across the campfire. "Well, maybe Shippo should have it, then. He's looking all pale and shaky."

 

Kagome wondered briefly if Inuyasha had somehow managed to hit himself over the head with the blunt end of his sword sometime while she was underneath his haori. Was that even physically possible? She supposed it could be, if one was clumsy enough… But Inuyasha was nothing if not well-coordinated. She mentally crossed that theory off. "Sango?"

 

"Hmmm?"

 

"Have you ever heard of demons carrying behavior-altering poisons?"

 

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it since you mentioned that rat threw some powder at you…" The exterminator had on that far-away expression she always wore when talking about the members of her fallen village. "Once, when we were trying to get rid of a colony of salamander-demons, a fellow exterminator lost his face mask. He was exposed to some of the venom and spent the rest of the week just sitting on his porch, staring off into space. When he finally snapped out of it, all he remembered was that he had felt like a great cloud had settled over his brain, and then he just felt content, like nothing was wrong with the world."

 

"Really? Sounds nice." They all turned to see Inuyasha, lying flat on his stomach with his elbows in the dirt. He had his head propped up in his hands like a child at story time.

 

"Indeed. Sango," Miroku turned his attention back to the worried demon slayer. "Do you think the same kind of thing has happened to Inuyasha?"

 

Sango slapped Miroku's wandering hand away before responding. "It's the only thing I can think of. Other demons may have been able to harvest the salamander-venom and turned it into a toxin that would help them render their enemies harmless. Of course, Inuyasha is a half-demon, so he's not reacting quite the same way a human would."

 

"So, if I had inhaled that powder-stuff, I'd probably be comatose right about now?"

 

"I'd say it's a strong possibility, yes. You were lucky."

 

Knowing just how close she had come to being paralyzed by some vengeful rat's poison made Kagome feel incredibly warm and squishy inside… She blinked. No, that wasn't right… She had been tackle-hugged by a very alarmed Inuyasha!

 

"That would have been awful! I'm so glad you're ok, Kagome! You're really sure you feel fine, right?"

 

"I… uh… yeah, I'm… I feel... perfect…" She kept her head buried in Inuyasha's chest, not wanting anyone to see her furious blushing. Maybe… Maybe if he was going to act so affectionate… This wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

 

"Ah… In any case…" Poor Sango was trying valiantly to keep talking as if nothing unusual was going on. "I think the affects of the poison should wear off in a day or two. If not, we'll be back at Kaede's village by then, she might know what to do.""

 

Damn. Kagome sighed in resignation.

 

"We will simply have to wait and see what happens." With a stealth that came from decades of patient practice, Miroku once again inched his fingers towards the flustered Sango's voluptuous…

 

"Monk!”

 

So close!

 

"Sango. I thought that since we were all being more affectionate tonight," his head tilted towards Inuyasha, who was currently resting his head in Kagome's lap, "you might want to…"

 

"Don't make me kill you in front of Shippo." She fingered the edge of her dagger.”

 

"Oh, don't worry, Sango,” the innocent kit told her, “I don't mind if you do."

 

Miroku sighed.

 

~ - ~

 

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha. This fan fiction is not owned, authorized or otherwise endorsed by anyone associated with Inuyasha.

 

Author's Note: Thank you, W_J and Lady Barrista, for your kind reviews! They really encouraged me! The first chapter was difficult for me to write for some reason, but I felt like the second flowed a lot more smoothly. I hope you enjoyed it. I'll be back with the next chapter in a couple days.