Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Return ❯ Mistakes ( Chapter 1 )

 

“Kagome! Hurry up damn it! We haven't got all fucking day!” The eighteen year old girl, now currently sitting in a damp, dirty old well, sighed as she looked straight up into the hanyou's face.

“I can't! I think I sprained my ankle.” Buyo, who had once so many years ago got her down the well, had tripped her into it no less than three minutes ago. Already her day had become hazard ridden, and it wasn't yet past dawn.

“Clumsy wench.” Inuyasha floated gently down into the well, landing softly beside her. In all the times she'd seen him jump and land, he always seemed to fly. “How the hell did you manage it this time?”

Of course, this wasn't the only time she got hurt. Rocks, tree branches, her own feet even, were obstacles that she couldn't manage to avoid, no matter how hard she tried. “Buyo. He went after my skirt edge and I tripped over him.”

Inuyasha grunted, tenderly feeling her ankle to assess the damage. For all his gruff words, he couldn't seem to muster up the willpower to remain unconcerned. Not that he didn't try. “You'll be fine in a few hours; do you still have that wrap thing in your pack?” At her nod, he quickly found and wrapped her ankle to keep the swelling down. “There, good as new. Can we go now?”

“Thanks Inuyasha.” Kagome remained unphased by his tone and words, watching instead his eyes. Leaning over, she kissed his cheek, dangerously close to the left side of his mouth.

The little touches between them had grown, either one initiating them during the day, wither it be a kiss or an arm around the other's waist, neither of them could keep their hands to themselves. It seemed that with the fall of Naraku, and with the final passing of Kikyo, any and all excuses that they had held on to for years now didn't matter any more. And neither of them could care less.

“Keh, just be more careful alright?” Inuyasha said, even though he smiled slightly and returned the gesture. Though neither had told the other, both found it increasing hard to hide their love.

“So, what exactly are we doing today?” Kagome allowed Inuyasha to pick her up, wrapping her arms around his neck to steady herself.

“Miroku heard that some village is being terrorized by some youkai lord, and my brother wants us to check it out. A wildcat I think he said.” Inuyasha snorted. How he got labeled Japan's protector he could never figure out, but it didn't matter. Any village in trouble would come running to him, and if he didn't help Kagome would glare at him and accept anyway. And his brother used him as a little errand boy. He just never got any respect around here.

At least Sesshomaru wasn't trying to kill him anymore. That being a major plus. Inuyasha guessed that saving his future mate would get the bastard into his debt. Not that he'd take advantage of that, not him.

Yeah right.

“How far?” Kagome of course went with him every time, not like he had a say in the matter.

“Just a day or so. You brought back ramen right?” Kagome played with the completed Jewel that hung around his neck. After the battle, Inuyasha took the responsibility of guarding both it and her. Along with the Kotodama, they were the only thing that hung around his neck. He kept the locket next to his skin, tucked into his haori beside his heart.

“Eventually my mother will go broke buying all that ramen. Then what'll you do?” Kagome waved to the approaching Shippo, who was running so fast she expected the grass to catch fire.

“If you didn't buy so many toys and pocky for the runt, you'd have more money for the ramen wench. I've explained this to you before.” Inuyasha had indeed explained that nothing held more importance that his ramen and everything else just taking up space and money. He then spent two hours sulking in a tree after the tremendous amount of sits he had acquired.

“INUYASHA! KAGOME!” Little Shippo came to a stop before them. “Miroku sent me to find you! Something's in the village!” He became hysterical, jumping around and throwing his hands in the air for emphasis.

“What exactly is in the village?” Inuyasha had already started in the direction of the village. Dropping Kagome's bag back inside the well, he took off, stopping to let Shippo onto his shoulders so he could listen to him.

“Miroku says it looks like some sort of portal.” Shippo shivered. “He says it doesn't feel like youkai, and he can't tell what it is or where it leads. He wants you to check it out.”

“Keh, which means the wench is staying here.” He ran up to Miroku and Sango, both dressed and armed for battle, and dropped Kagome beside them. About fifty feet away, what looked like a dark purple circle hung about three feet in the air. It was six feet tall and about four feet across. The feeling it gave off wasn't something that Inuyasha had felt before, and his hackles rose as it pulsed. His instincts told him that wasn't something he wanted to be near, or near his pack. “Get back.” He growled, tightening his grip on Tetsusaiga.

“Have you seen anything like it Kagome?” Sango sounded as nervous as Inuyasha.

“No. It kind of reminds me of the portal that Naraku went through, but…it's different.” Kagome shook her head. “I don't think we should bother it.”

“Maybe it'll disappear; it just showed up a few minutes earlier.” Miroku shrugged.

“Feh, I doubt anything good comes of it.” He rolled his shoulders. “Keep an eye on it Miroku. Sango, Kagome, do you think you can handle the wildcat youkai by yourself? If something does come out of it, I'd like to know what it is.” Even though he was insecure of letting Kagome go off alone, he didn't want to let the portal out of his sight. She had gotten better with her archery and miko powers, so maybe it was time to cut the apron strings; whatever that meant. He'd heard Mrs. Higurashi use it once.

“Of course, we'll have Kirara with us just in case.” Sango gave a small shake of her head. “If I know where she went.”

“I'll help you, my Lady Sango.” Miroku said eagerly, jumping to her side. Of course, he just wanted some alone time with his lovely new wife.

“I told you to stay put houshi, don't test my patience.” Inuyasha growled, suddenly becoming interested in the conversation. Kagome had climbed back onto his back so they could go and get her pack.

“I think I'm entitled to a few moments with my wife, especially when she seems to have a problem that needs solving. It will only take a few minutes.” Miroku was having a tough time keeping his tongue in check. Inuyasha, while happy that his two friends were happy and together, he was also jealous. As a part, he would sometimes take his aggravations out on Miroku, or more precisely, Miroku's `alone time' with the wife.

“Keh, stay here. Me and Kagome can help her just fine.” He bit back, knowing he was being unfair. However, he didn't care.

“And if my husband wants to help me, Inuyasha, I doubt that it's your decision to make wither he does or not. For all I care you can stay here and he can go with me!” Sango had also noticed his weird behavior, and was frankly tired of it.

“Umm, guys?” Kagome, not wanting to get noticed, spoke up. She was watching as a familiar little neko pranced across the field, right towards the item in question. A glowing purple portal.

They continued to argue, clueless that the whole cause of the problem was unfolding right in front of them. “Hey guys!” She grabbed a hold of Inuyasha's hair, not noticing the slight warmth from his chest as she did so.

“What!?” “Let Go!” Were the responses she got, and all she could do was point in the direction she wanted them to look.

A basic thought ran through each head at exactly the same time. `That is not good.' Except for Kirara, she was a cat and she knew what she was doing.

All at once, they took off, Sango crying out to Kirara to get away from the `blasted thing right now!' But of course, Kirara was a cat on a mission and was not going to be dissuaded that easily.

As the group approached, Kirara edged closer to the portal, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Being a cat, she knew exactly what was going on. She had her ways. She knew the only way to solve the problem was to go through the glowing ball. Plus, a cat could only take so much relaxation before she went stir crazy.

Inuyasha was beginning to feel odd. It was similar to free falling off a cliff, all his nerves tingling and hair rising. And he felt warm. Even with Kagome lying on his back, his skin felt like it was burning. He felt Kagome cry out, and her arms tighten around his neck. Hearing her cry out, he finally took his eyes off the cat to look back at the portal. It was spinning like one of those tops in Kagome's world, and the edges sparked and shone as small arms out from the center to reach for them. Too late he realized how close they were.

Miroku had realized the same thing when he heard the hanyou start cursing it at the top of his lungs. He went to look for Sango, but the increasing light made it hard to see anything. He felt something brush his arm, and he latched onto it with both arms. As a tingling started in his fingers, he registered the soft curls of Sango's hair under them.

With two of them comparing it to a trip through the well, all experienced a similar tingling sensation. Blind, deaf, and mute, they quickly lost consciousness as they fell into the portal.

 

Amestris

Two days after Alphonse and Edward arrived back to Amestris.

“Brother, what exactly are we doing? We still need to call the Colonel and Winry's really worried about us being out of the house.” Alphonse Elric followed hesitantly after his brother, who seemed to be on a mission up into the mountains near Rizembool.

“It shouldn't take very long Al, and you could have stayed behind if you wanted to.” Edward drew an arm across his forehead to wipe away the sweat falling into his eyes. It was defiantly summer here and Ed was starting to miss the wintery chill of Germany. He hadn't realized how different time followed until he was back. Five years in Germany had only been two here in Amestris. And he had finally grown the height needed to stand shoulder to shoulder with the bastard colonel, so the height jokes had been in `short' demand. Ed had come up with that one all by himself.

“I know brother, but I didn't want you out here all by yourself, something could have happened.” Al stopped to examine a tree which only grew in this part of the country. Maybe Russell and his brother Fletcher would like to come out and see them. It'd been awhile since they'd seen the imposter pair; it might be good for Ed to talk to someone his own age.

“Al, I've got alchemy again, and I haven't gotten rusty. I can take of myself thank you very much. Why don't you go help Grandma Pinoko or something? I'm not even sure of what's going to happen.”

“All the more reason for me to accompany you brother.

“Here we are; what time is it?” Ed mumbled to himself as he bushed his way past the underbrush into the small field. Pulling the silver watch from his pocket, a scarred remainder of his past and possible future, he flipped it open, habitually looking over at the scratched writing on the left side. `4:03. Right on time.' It was time to settle the score, equivalent exchange.

Settling Indian style on a flat rock, he looked to the center of the field, knowing that very soon that the empty field wouldn't be empty much longer.

“When you get back to Amestris, two days after you arrive, walk half way up the mountain directly behind the Rockbell house. On the west side you shall find a small field. At exactly 4:07pm, a gate shall open and four people and two smaller creatures shall come through. To repay us for returning you to your home, all you have to do is help them return to their own world.”

Ayra had passed him the folder with only one piece of paper inside. On it was written those instructions. Having given his word, he would do it. However, he had to wonder what exactly he was getting himself into. He also had to wonder how they knew so much about his hometown.

“Alphonse, how much time does it take to get from here to Central?” The memories of the countless train rides he had taken in his youth, though only 22, had blurred together.

“Two days I think. I'm not sure.” Alphonse stood off to one side, unsure of what his brother was doing. He knew he had promised the woman something, but he wasn't sure what.

Ed checked his watch again, agitated that only three minutes had passed. He was not a patient person on the best of days, and today had not been going his way. Flexing the new automail, he admired the craftsmanship that his old friend had put into it. `I wonder how much damage it can take?' Ed flinched in instinctual habit at the thought; imagining what how much damage his head could take if Winry heard him think that, and if her wrench could take it.

It was lighter than the fake limbs he had to make do with in Germany, and had more range and motion. He had told her about the fake `skin' that they had put over the artificial limbs to make them more life like and she had went into mechanic mode. Already she had spoken to every gear head and mechanical alchemist she knew and was starting plans to put it into action. Something to put between flesh and metal on days with extreme temperatures would have major potential.

They could take more, and didn't give out as often as the old ones did. He was surprised that Winry had one so soon for him, but was glad that he didn't have to put up with the spare for very long. Ayra hadn't let him bring any artificial limbs through the gate.

The gate itself was an oddity. When they had gone through, they had expected the same Doorway to appear and take `payment' for their passage. However, they had been dropped off twenty feet from the Rockbell door safe and sound, all limbs firmly in place.

Except for Ed's missing two. Even though he had gotten his brother's body back, a small voice in his head resented the whole mess. Where was his payment? He'd done all the work, didn't he deserve something?

“Brother! What is that?” Al's voice drew him from his thoughts, and he realized that the portal had appeared. Ten feet in the air, it swirled lazily counterclockwise.

“That's what we're waiting for Al.” Ed stood and brushed off his pants. An unfamiliar feeling curled into his stomach, one he hadn't felt for a long time. Uncertainty.

A bright flash and both men shielded their eyes until it died down; leaving behind sun spots and a few crackles of energy. On the ground, lay four large human figures and a small lump buried under a pile of leaves. “Brother?” Al's voice was small, and he moved closer. Even though Al had matured into a tall and muscular teenager, already taller than his brother, he still sought comfort from his older brother.

“It's alright Al. I've been expecting them. There should be a cat around here too, along with a fox chimera I think?” Ayra hadn't been that specific about what the smallest member would be. A fox youkai is what she said. What the hell did that mean?

Edward approached the nearest figure, which appeared to be a man in his late teens or early twenties. His purple and black robes hid most of his body, but he didn't appear to be hurt. Close to his side, a woman around the same age but in some type of skirt instead. Her dark hair obscured her face, but again she seemed unhurt.

It was the two others that shocked him. The girl was in some type of short skit and shirt that he hadn't seen before. It was obvious that she was from some different world than the other three. The boy though, even without his silver hair and sharp claw like finger nails, was the one that drew Ed's eyes. Two small silver appendages lay against his head, mostly hidden by the mass of long hair. At closer inspection they appeared to be some type of animal ear, a cat or dog perhaps.

It was obvious that the later two were younger than the others. And the way the silver headed chimera clutched at the oddly dressed girl made it seem that they, at least, knew each other.

“I found them.” Al approached with two small bodies in his arms, cradling them like babies. One of them seemed to be one, a toddler at least. He too was different than any human. His ears appeared sharper than a human's and the bushy fox tail that sprouted from his backside attested to that.

“Alright, now we wait for them to wake up.” Ed brought his pack to his side. He and Al had taken care of themselves mostly in the other world, so they had been forced to learn the basic rudimentary of healing. After checking the new comers' vitals and bodies for injury, he shied away from the strange older chimera after seeing the sharp claws and fangs, he and Al settled in.

It was the chimera that woke up first, something that didn't surprise Ed much. It was just a moan at first, and then he started to shift around. Al had moved the two smaller ones away from the group, leaving Ed to himself. Not out of fear, he said, but because when the chimera woke up he would be wary and disoriented. The less he had to deal with the calmer he would be.

The first real sign of life happened fast. The chimera snorted once, and then bolted upright faster than Edward expected. His eyes remained closed, but the ears that had been pressed flat against his skull were now swiveling around like small disks. Immediately, they focused on Ed.

The eyes were next, cracking open slowly and blinking rapidly to adjust to the light. The color surprised him. They were gold, almost the same color as his own. They widened momentarily, and then narrowed to slits. A snarl erupted from the chimera's throat, and his lips lifted to reveal the deadly white fangs. The term, `cornered dog' came to mind and he didn't have to ask what he was melded with.

“Who the fuck are you?” His voice was rough, and the snarl never stopped as he spoke. His body lifted and glided, proving that he was as fit and wild as his animal counterpart. In a mere second he had went from flat on his back to a defensive crouch in front of the alchemist; blocking his view of the remaining humans.

A wave of caution and alertness broke through his mind. No matter what he thought, this creature might not be with the others. He might even be an enemy or a threat to their lives. Hell, he might hurt them for the fun of it. Did his animalist body affect his mind and attitude?

“My name is Edward Elric, who are you? What is your relationship with them?” A sneer of distaste grew on his face, causing his eyes and nose to wrinkle.

“Keh, I don't have to tell you anything.” His ears swiveled in Al's direction, and he took a deep sniff. “Tell your brother to put my friends down.”

Ed felt his eyes grow wide. How did he know that was his brother? “Not until you answer my questions.”

“Feh.” He snorted, and turned his attention back to the unconscious figures behind him. Giving him a warning glare, he darted over to their sides. He checked first and longest on the girl he had been holding, first sniffing her hair and face before putting his fingers to her neck. Seeing those deadly claws on the girl's neck caused Edward to stiffen, and his metal arm to rustle as he flexed his fingers. The gold eyes flickered back to him, then away. Satisfied with his findings, he darted over to the others, doing the same thing. He moved faster then any living creature that Edward had seen.

He proved it when all Ed saw, and all Al felt, was a blur of red and a small shift in the air and then he had both the fox and cat tucked into his own arms, crouched again by the girl once again.

“Hey!” Ed was on his feet, advancing on the strange boy. He stopped when a snarl harsher than the first tore through the air, directed straight at him. He watched as he conducted the same strange examination that he had done to the others. When he had finished, he placed the fox beside the girl he was sitting next to and the two-tailed cat next to the other woman.

“Now, you're going to answer some of my questions. Where the hell am I and why the fuck am I here?” The boy took a sword from his side and flopped down on the ground with his legs crossed, again directly between him and the unconscious group. Ed was sure that wasn't a coincidence.

“Tell me your name first.” Ed asked again, feeling like a bug under a microscope as the chimera's eyes stayed on him, but his ears continued to swivel around, more than once stopping on the group behind him. He was no longer worried about the boy hurting them; the amount of care and worry he had shown them made him certain the boy knew of them and at least cared something about them. If he was right, he cared more for the strange girl than the rest.

Studying him, he snorted and said, “Inuyasha, now fucking answer the question.”

Al gave a cough that sounded strangely like a laugh and both boys looked over at him. “Nothing. It's nothing.” Already Al could see that the chimera Inuyasha had more in common with his brother then his temper. He was stubborn and foulmouthed.

“You're in Amestris, near Rizembool. I don't know why you're here, I was just told to meet you. Do you remember anything from before? How you got here or where you're from?” Ed watched as Inuyasha considered his answer, showing that though he was hotheaded, he wasn't stupid.

“Some portal I guess. We got too close and it yanked us in.” He looked over at Al, who was walking closer. “So which one of you is in charge? And why am I talking to the runt?”

Edward gave a snarl of his own. “I. Am. Not. A. Runt.” He said, spitting each word.

“Whatever.” Inuyasha rolled his eyes, eyeing Al as he joined his brother. “I'm from Japan.” Ed nodded, having heard of it from others in Germany. “Kagome's from the same place, but a different time. Don't ask me, I don't have a clue.”

Ed could tell he was lying, but didn't call him on it. “Kagome's the one with the weird dress right? Who's the other two?”

“Miroku and Sango.” His ears flicked back when one of them stirred slightly, but otherwise didn't make any other signs of waking. “Kirara is the cat, and Shippo's the fox.”

“So,” Al asked, decided that sooner rather than later would be best for this particular matter. “How long have you been a chimera?”

“Alphonse!” Edward did not want to anger the chimera, who seemed to be vastly overprotective and unstable. And he had fought chimeras before; animal parts weren't the only things they gained from the combining alchemy. Super strength, unnatural reflexes, and enhanced senses. Fighting one wasn't what he wanted to do when he was still rusty at alchemy. “What my brother means, is when did someone perform alchemy on you?”

“A chimera?” Now Inuyasha was really confused, and it showed. “I don't know what you're talking about, and what the hell is alchemy?”

“Chimera, part human, parts something else.” Al recited, pointing to his ears. “Alchemists use human alchemy, which is against the law, to meld one creature with another. Usually they put humans with animals. Most of the time they don't turn out right, or they have diminished humanity. Most of them die or the military takes care of them.”

“Takes care of them.” Inuyasha said; his voice flat. “You mean kill them.” With that, he stalked off, back to his friends.

 

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

 

More fucking humans. Now he wasn't even born, he was fucking made. And apparently he didn't turn out right. And with the looks the humans were giving him, he had diminished humanity. He couldn't be trusted around other humans.

He looked down at Kagome, who looked so peaceful in her unnatural sleep. She didn't think he was evil, or unnatural, or untrustworthy. She loved him. Loved him as a hanyou. Loved him because he was him. Not even though he was a hanyou. She loved him. That was all that matters. No body else mattered.

He thought that maybe the two were different. They hadn't attacked him in his sleep, hadn't tried to take him away from his friends. But they weren't. It seemed they had their own version of half-breeds and they weren't much loved either.

Inuyasha traced the curve of Kagome's cheek as he thought, marveling at the soft skin that his own callused finger traced over. He was careful that he didn't touch his claws to her face, more from habit then anything else. Even a little too much pressure and he could draw blood.

A sudden spike in the tangy scent of fear came from the two humans; he couldn't stop his lips from drawing back in a silent snarl. He would never hurt Kagome. Never hurt a human unless they hurt him first.

Maybe it was better that he had diminished humanity. Humans weren't all that good to begin with. Even his bastard of a brother had honor; he let him fight back. Sesshomaru had waited until he had hit maturity before he had started to try to kill him. `This Sesshomaru would find no pleasure or honor in killing a pup, even a half-breed one at that.' It didn't mean he took care of him, but at least he didn't beat him every chance he got, or torture him for having ears like a dog's or pointed teeth. Didn't starve him and turn him into a glorified pet. With Sesshomaru, he had his honor.

Inuyasha glared back up at the blonde, meeting the gold eyes until they moved away. He wasn't the only unnatural one here. At least he didn't have metal limbs that smelled like Kagome's `cars'. Or the other that smelled like he had just been born a few years ago. His scent didn't match up with his age; he should be Rin's age at the most.

But there was a headiness in both their scents that linked them as family. Even with their gold eyes and hair, he knew they were brothers by the oddness of their scent. It seemed their father had not been entirely human himself. Keh, served `em right.

“Inuyasha, we didn't mean any insult by it.” The older one, Edward, called, having moved from his sitting position to stand in front of the other, who was looking ashamed of himself. “We were just curious by it.”

“Feh.” Wither they meant to insult him or not, they still believed that chimeras or half-breeds where lesser, unnatural beings. This was why Miroku did most of the talking. Even when he had a wind tunnel in his hand he was still considered human.

Kagome was waking up little by little. When she did wake up, Inuyasha was torn between either taking her to a nearby tree or just take off with her. That was his first instinct when he had woke up, but he realized that he couldn't carry the rest with him. If he had to, he could easily kill any threat that approached his pack.

He didn't want to leave the others, but it was obvious to him that they would have a better chance at survival. He wouldn't leave Kagome though, no matter what.

“Inu…” The girl lying beside him stretched out in her sleep, and then rolled closer to the warmth that radiated from his body. Worry lines appeared on her forehead, and she gave a small snort. That was the only warning he got before her hand snaked out and smacked him in the head.

“Goddamn it all to hell.” He growled, grabbing her hand and holding it in one of his own. What was with her hitting him! At least she wasn't sitting him anymore; but still, she was violent in her sleep!

“Inuyasha?” A slight tug and he released her hand, knowing that she was waking up and he didn't want to explain to her that she had a nasty little habit that kept him in his stupid trees. She had yet to climb one to smack him in the head.

“Come on wench, I'm getting old here.” He riled her, taking in her scent again. The smell of the portal was fading, and Kagome's natural scent was returning. Running his fingers through her hair, he started to hum. “Wake up.”

“Five more minutes?” She mumbled, and then yawned.

“No more minutes, wench. Don't you remember what happened?” She groaned and started to sit up, then fell back. Inuyasha caught her so she didn't hit her head on the way down, but let her lay.

“Inuyasha, what happened? Where's everyone else?” She panicked as best she could, flailing around as she tried to sit up. “Where are we?”

“Like I know. Everybody's fine, still asleep, but they should be waking up soon. How's your head?” He had had a huge headache when he woke up; but it had faded quickly.

“Oh, fine. Feeling better.” She calmed down after she had looked over at the unconscious figures of her friends. Turning her eyes to her hanyou protector, a trusting smile on her lips, and spoke. “How are you?”

“Keh, stupid wench. I'm a fucking half-breed remember?” Somehow the words had come out harsher than ever before, and the wounded look that hadn't graced her face in a few scarce weeks returned. “I'm fine!” He snapped, feeling the irritating sensation of the strangers' eyes on him. “Can you sit up?” He said, not comfortable with everyone staring at him.

“Yeah, help me?” Kagome realized that something other than her had sat his nerves on edge, and decided that drawing attention to it would not make it better.

“Is your friend feeling better?” Kagome jumped as a strange voice inquired about her. Inuyasha gave a snarl before he gained control of himself.

“Stupid fucking human…” He growled, arranging Kagome so she sat in his protective embrace. “Why don't you fucking jump off a cliff!” He shot back, pulling Kagome into his lap so they could both look at the intruders.

Surprised, the girl in his grip looked up at him, frowning. Sure Inuyasha was distrustful and rude, but he never took a dislike to someone that fast. They must have said something that offended him while she was still asleep. The reply to her question earlier came to mind.

“Would you like some water? Kagome right?” The taller one asked, holding up a canteen for inspection. He was dressed in finer clothes than the shorter one, and his shorter hair was only up a ponytail while his friend had a braid that matched Inuyasha's in length.

“I didn't get any damn water.” Inuyasha grumbled, but allowed the human to give his charge the offering. He did, however, keep a fierce glare on them at all times, warning them that if they put a toe out of line he would willingly chop it off and all that was connected.

“Thank you, what was your name?” Kagome passed the canteen over her shoulder, ignoring the grumbles that followed. He wouldn't say anything, or ask, but he was thirsty.

“Alphonse Elric, this is my older brother Edward.” The one who had offered the canteen watched as the chimera downed the whole thing, not asking wither the girl had wanted anymore.

“Hello. I assume you already know Inuyasha?” Kagome watched as the two grew pensive, reserving judgment before they decided if the liked the strange boy or not. “Don't worry about him, he's perfectly harmless.”

“Bitch, I am not!” Inuyasha did not want those humans thinking they could take him. He wasn't worried about winning the fight or not, but he didn't want Kagome to be upset if they did make a big deal about his mixed blood. “Keh, I can kill them without even drawing Tetsusaiga.” Turning his nose up, he snorted, smirking inwardly when the tangy scent of anger filled the air again.

Al groaned, knowing that an insult, however strange, would not make it past his brother unchallenged. He was not disappointed.

“What was that? You want to fight?” Edward jumped to his feet, causing the gleaming metal of his automail arm to attract Kagome's attention.

“Feh, I don't fight children. Why don't you run home and drink some milk or something.” Inuyasha, having been itching for a fight for the last twenty minutes, jumped at the chance. All he had to do was piss the human off enough so Kagome couldn't blame it on him.

“That's it! Get up here and face me chimera!” Edward towered over the seated pair, trying to intimidate the boy with his height, while he had the advantage that is.

“What did you call him?” Inuyasha, who had been in the process of standing, flinched and crouched instinctively. He knew that tone, and he knew exactly what it meant.

“A chimera, that's what he is right?” Ed didn't get why the silver-haired chimera had been getting ready to fight only to stop at the girl's voice. Sure, she sounded ticked, but what damage could she possibly do to anyone else, much less a chimera of his stature? Shouldn't she be afraid of him?

Kagome knew something of chimeras, and not just the Greek myths. A few months ago she had to do a report over human/animal experiments and some of the products of such travesty had in fact been called chimeras. DNA scrambling, and cross testing resulting in mutants, and most scientists decided to name the failures `chimeras' after the monster of Greek myth that was a jumble of creatures; most commonly a lion, goat, and snake of some sort.

Upon thinking of it, it was no wonder that Inuyasha had gotten so testy. Most likely he didn't know what a chimera was until they had explained it to him, and that had resulted in him taking offense.

“I sincerely doubt you know what you're talking about. And if you ever call him that again, I will personally rip out your tongue and force feed it to you. Inuyasha is a hanyou, he is not a chimera.” Having been around Inuyasha for a few years, she had learned a few verbal and nonverbal tones. Threatening someone, however, was an art that he had perfected in her from the get-go. Him the one being threatened had been a minor trifle.

Inuyasha was trying to decide if it would be grinning or running. At least her anger wasn't directed at him yet. However, this human boy would learn that Kagome had a bite of her own. Keeping himself out of sight, though, would prove a challenge. Kagome's anger had a habit of ricocheting back to him, no matter how she got started.

“Look girl, I don't know what a hanyou is, but I'm fairly certain that he wasn't born that way.” Ed frowned, unsure in how to continue. This girl reminded him of Winry, that in and of itself couldn't be good. Still, she couldn't be that scary. The chimera—hanyou—must just be a coward.

Inuyasha felt his blood run cold. Not from anger, but from fear of the anger pouring off of Kagome in waves. Yeah, running seemed like a good idea right now. Keeping his movements slow and unhurried, he backed away from both girl and boy. He'd learned that arguing with Kagome when she was that pissed was not going to further his courting. The strange boy was on his own.

“And I'm fairly certain that you weren't born stupid, but we get proved wrong everyday. Now, sit down, shut up, and don't say another word to either of us if you want to keep yourself in one piece.” Her tone left no room for argument, and all three males obeyed out of instinct. Snorting, she spun on her heel, muttering things about closed minded Neanderthal jerks that needed to be kicked in the ass. Walking over to the cowering Inu-hanyou, she sat beside him, all her energy being converted into quivers that belayed her still seething temper.

“Kagome, it's alright. I've heard worse.” Inuyasha, taking a chance, moved closer to wrap an arm around her shoulder. “Ain't nothing new.” Seeing the tell-tale signs of tears, he mentally groaned. Great, now he had to kill them. No one made Kagome cry.

“It still isn't right Inuyasha, you didn't do anything to deserve it.” Her bottom lip quivered, and silver trails began to form on her cheeks. “You—they—” Her voice broke, and the emotional stress that she had been holding back rather well so far overwhelmed her. Choking back as many sobs as she could, she huddled closer to her protector. “You are so much better than so many other people I've met. Why can't anyone else see it too?”

Ears dropping back, Inuyasha gathered her up into his lap in an attempt to console her. Cupping the back out of her head, he felt tears soak through his haori. It had been so long since she had cried last, and it was still his fucking fault. Only his mother had shed tears for him before, and it damned well made him uncomfortable to see this normally cheerful girl crying over him.

Still, he couldn't help but be proud of her. She had not only stood up for him, not that he needed it, but had cowed her opponents into submission. A strong alpha bitch would do the same for any of her pack. And Kagome was no weakling.

Drawing his gaze from the top of her head to the gaping humans, he sneered. He saw the younger one gulp. Both looked stunned. Why? Was it because Kagome had come running to him, for comfort? Or because the `little girl' had delivered such strong words in his defense? Deciding that a few threats of his own wouldn't make matters any worse and he didn't want to appear weak and in need of a woman's protection, he added his own words.

“Hurt my pack, and nothing will save you. Hurt Kagome again, and I'll enjoy ripping you to pieces. She is my bitch, mine. I might seem less to you, but Kagome will always be more important than anything you could offer.” Narrowing his eyes, he smiled, showing all his teeth and if he had been standing, he would have done his best to assume the `top' position. “She's nicer than I am, and way more forgiving.” Holding each of their gazes until they looked away in submission, he knew he had won the round. Retreating to the tree above the rest of his friends, he arranged Kagome in his lap until both were comfortable. Now, all they had could do was wait.

Miroku had always been the better talker, and he could think things through better than he could. And with the rest of his pack awake, he would feel less vulnerable. After dealing with the blond pair, he would get them somewhere they could rest and eat. Then, they could focus on getting home. Inuyasha already missed feudal Japan, and with Kagome's pack missing, his ramen.

 

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

 

That could have gone better. Edward Elric decided, watching as the hanyou took to the trees with the girl wrapped tightly in his arms. Hell, Armageddon would probably go better than that. Kagome had just made Hawkeye seem like a teddy bear totting toddler. And the look in Inuyasha's eyes as he promised a very painful death if they even thought of threatening his friends, or rather pack, had made the Colonel's death glare a welcome exchange. Edward doubted that Inuyasha would have any trouble carrying out his promises.

Even though he was out of sight, Ed knew that the hanyou was still watching them. After claiming them as friends, he wouldn't leave the rest of them just because the girl had started crying.

And why she had started crying was a mystery to Ed. And she had called him stupid! But maybe he was, after challenging a chim—hanyou just because he had lost his temper. And then the things he had said. Made him want to kick his own ass. He'd always let his mouth runaway with him, and now he really regretted it.

She had to have the biggest heart he had ever come across. Standing up just because an ignorant jackass decided to stick his metal foot where it didn't belong. And she was scary. No wonder Inuyasha had ducked for cover. He would need to apologize to both of them. Not that he thought they would accept, but he needed to.

He'd just assumed, and in the process made a huge ass out of himself.

Apparently, hanyou and youkai were actually born. Wherever they had come from had mystical monsters that walked around in human form. But what was the difference between the two? Did they have `magic' or whatever they choose to call it in there world?

A few things he did know for certain, was that Inuyasha had more in common with a wild dog than he had originally thought. Pack mentality, and he was apparently the alpha of the group. And Kagome was his `bitch'; he would protect her with his life. Wild dogs were more like wolves than domestic canines. And if he wasn't careful, he'd find out just how far he would go to protect his pack. A misfit one, but his family nonetheless.

And he'd been stupid enough to upset one of the members. Fuck fuck fuck…

“Brother, stop hitting your head against the ground, it doesn't help us.” Al watched as his brother began blaming himself. Sure, some of it was his fault, but didn't most of the blame rest on his shoulders? He was the one who had originally brought the talk of chimeras. “I assume this is why you wanted to know the distance between here and Central?”

“Yes, though I doubt even Mustang would have any better luck. But I think we'll need his help in helping them.” He withdrew a piece of paper from his pocket. On it was a small drawing of an equally small jewel. “Something this small causing this much trouble in my life; figures.”

“Whoever the hell Mustang is he can keep his nose out of our business.” Words came from a shrouded branch. “And there ain't no way we are going anywhere with you!”

Great, his mood hadn't improved. His excellent hearing didn't surprise Ed, dogs had wonderful hearing. “We were sent to help you!” Surely the boy knew help when he saw it.

“Wonderful job your doing!” Alphonse rolled his eyes. Sarcastic, rude, and stubborn; they'd get along great.