InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Not the Only One ❯ Conflict ( Chapter 10 )

 

It's dark outside, and it's only 4:18pm!! Man, I hate winter!

I went to my first anime con the other day. I was a good laugh, and it's made me want to go to a much bigger one! But I've got Japan to look forward to in the summer- god knows I'll need it, once my exams are over!

 

Oh, chapter 10 already! Arigatos as always at the end!

 

Know the lingo!:

Itekimasu: I'm leaving!

Arigato: thanks

Gomen: sorry

Ano: Um

Aa: Yeah

Iie: No

Hai: yes

Sugoi: Amazing

 

 

Chapter 10

Conflict

 

 

Kurama turned his key in the lock, the metallic clicking sound echoing throughout his empty apartment. Usually that noise was followed by a pang of loneliness, but tonight Kurama was smiling to himself as he headed to his bedroom.

You've been awfully quiet, Yoko…not jealous, I hope!

Grinning despite himself, Kurama stripped down to his boxers, pausing before pulling back the bed covers when he received no reply.

Yoko?

Suuichi- something's happened…

 

 

Kagome slipped on her shoes, the notes written in Kurama's fine hand tucked under her arm for the walk to school.

“Itekimasu!”

“Kagome, you've forgot your lunch!”

The miko smiled as she accepted the box from her mother, who then carried on tying her red and white checked apron.

“You'll need it after that test! You studied hard last night, Kagome- I'm proud of you!” Her mother beamed before picking a thread off her daughter's uniform.

“Inuyasha hasn't been by, has he?”

“No…”

Now that I think about it, he doesn't usually take this long…

Walking to school, Kagome contemplated the time that had passed since she had seen him.

He must still be with Totosai…I should be grateful, really! Inuyasha would have never let me stay this long usually, even to study…

Kagome gazed down at Kurama's notes, noting the precision in his writing, so perfect as if it had been typed. A slight blush crept up her face when she remembered the night before.

I was just a thank you kiss…right? Because he helped me so much with my studying…

 

 

Rui stared with an open mouth as Minamino-san entered the class. His hair was ruffled as if it had been severally windswept- though Rui could see the perfect blue sky and the still trees through the window. He set his bag down with a thump on their desk, easing into his seat without so much as an “Ohayo”.

Rui looked at him through her lashes, taking in his appearance with shock. There were lines under his eyes, marring his usually perfect skin and his usually bright green eyes had a dull, tired gleam to them. Rui saw also that his white shirt was buttoned up the wrong way, and he was only wearing one silver cufflink. She jumped as he let his head fall to his hands, a deep sigh emitting from his lips. Rui fidgeted for a few moments, battling with herself before mustering up the courage to ask what was wrong.

“Mina…”

“Minamino-san!”

Rui winced at the voice, overlapping hers with ease. Her gaze broke away to the owner of the voice, her friend Mugoi.

“So, it's true then?” Rui watched as Mugoi clasped her hands together and looked down with a sad face at Minamino-san.

Rui flashed a confused look at Mugoi before turning to see the boy's reaction.

Has something happened?

He looked up through his parted fingers, his eyes trained wearily on the girl standing in front of him.

“What are you talking about, Mugoi?”

Rui wanted to ask the question herself, and waited breathlessly for the reply.

“You looked pretty upset…I bet no one's ever dumped you before, neh?”

Dumped?!?

The boy frowned, his eyes narrowing.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,”

“Oh!” Mugoi clapped her hand to her mouth, her kohl lined eyes widening.

“Have I got it wrong? It's just…I saw your girlfriend walking with another boy yesterday…they seemed so close…and by your appearance today, I assumed you'd split up…”

Rui's heart leapt.

He's single again! But…who in their right mind would dump him?

 

Kurama simply blinked.

“Does this mean she's cheating on you? Oh, Suuichi-san…”

Is she talking about Kagome? But…I was with her most of yesterday…

“I'm afraid I don't know what you are referring to,” Kurama replied curtly.

“Don't let her get away with it, Suuichi-san! I saw her yesterday walking to that shrine of hers, with some boy who was carrying her stuff! And he gave her a gift!”

The bell rang suddenly, shaking Kurama out of his thoughts.

“I've told you before that it's none of your business, Mugoi. Now kindly leave me alone,”

After the teacher had begun the lesson, Kurama drifted back into his thoughts. He was sucking his pen lid, something he never usually did in public- but it helped him to think.

It could have been Inuyasha…

Giving hera gift? Carrying her things? What hanyou are you talking about?

The one you're so deeply jealous of, perhaps?

I am not jealous!

Oh, I see. So it's not because of your jealously that you-

Look, I've been over this again and again! I can't change the past you know! Anyway, you can ask Kagome yourself who this boy is when we pick her up after school!

 

 

Kagome let out a massive breath as she stepped into the school grounds, raising her hands to the sky and closing her eyes as the sun bathed her in its light.

“I passed!!!”

Kagome beamed as she walked out the gates and down the street, her smile widening when she saw a familiar redhead among the sea of schoolchildren.

“Kurama-kun!” Kagome ran the little way to meet him, jumping on him as she squealed, “I passed! 89%! My highest score ever!”

“That's great,” Kurama said as the girl clung onto him, spinning them around in a half circle until their momentum finally ran out.

She looks so happy…and I'm going to have to take it away from her…

“Kurama-kun? Are you alright? I didn't keep you too long last night, did I?”

The kitsune avatar faltered, the girl's arms falling to his waist, her hazel eyes radiating joy.

“There's…there's been a fight,” Kurama managed to say, as the rest of the schoolchildren had dispersed.

“A fight?” Kagome echoed, her first thoughts being of Kurama's friends- Hiei, or the others he had talked of-and that one of them might be injured.

“In the past,” Kurama added, seeing her hesitation.

Kagome's fingers clenched on his shirt, tugging the material taunt.

“Naraku?” She chocked.

“No,” he replied, his eyes sparkling, “Inuyasha and Yoko,”

 

 

Kurama filled Kagome in as they made their way to the shrine, walking as fast as physically possible.

“Inuyasha's not too injured, though he's poisoned and has some deep cuts and scratches. Yoko seems in a bit of a bad way, though I can't really tell how…Inuyasha didn't actually touch him, but…”

Kagome took all this information in as she tried to remember how stocked up her first aid kit was.

“But how did it start?” Kagome asked, as they reached the shrine steps, “I'm guessing they didn't just decide to duel,”

Kurama bit his lip as he lightly ran up the stairs, Kagome pounding ahead of him.

“It was Kikyo,”

Kagome stopped, staggering on the edge of a step in such a way that Kurama thought she was going to fall. She recovered quickly, and began to dash upwards again.

“Kikyo? What about her?”

Kurama sighed as they reached the top of the stairs. Kagome was facing away from him, catching her breath as they neared the well house.

“Yoko…interrupted Inuyasha and Kikyo during a meeting…and it went from there,”

“A meeting?” Kagome asked, her stomach clenching, “Yoko wouldn't start a fight because Inuyasha was talking to another woman, would he?”

Kurama's silence spoke volumes.

“They…they weren't just talking…”

Too much to ask for, I suppose…

Kurama touched her shoulder, noticing her hands fisted at her sides.

“Gomen…”

“And he has the cheek to accuse me…what a nerve!”

Kagome turned slowly, Kurama's hand still on her shoulder.

“Then again, I'm not much better than him, am I?”

“Don't,” Kurama interrupted, lightly running his hand through her hair, “He's hurt you a lot more times then you have him,”

Kagome sighed.

“When did you find out?”

“Yoko showed me the memory early this morning, though I think it actually happened the day before. I should have told you sooner, but you studied so hard for your test…”

“Arigato,” Kagome sighed again.

So that's what he never came…

“I suppose I better go see the damage for myself,” Kagome said, not quite meeting Kurama in the eye. “I know Inuyasha will be taken care of by the others, but Yoko…”

“I think he's in a bad shape,” Kurama massaged his temple, “The vision wasn't quite as clear as the others, and Yoko was so aggravated his emotions got pretty much in the way of things…”

Just what I need…another Inuyasha-Kouga situation. I'll need to sort things out with Yoko before I do anything else!

“I'll deal with it,” Kagome gave Kurama a quick hug, “I'm not sure how long I'll be away, but could you let my mama know I've gone? I'll see you when I get back…”

Kagome opened the well house door with a small smile, “Though you'll be watching me every step of the way, right?”

 

 

As soon as Kagome had hauled herself up the well and onto the lush green grass of the Warring Era, she was knocked back down again by a fluffy orange furball.

“Kagome!” the familiar whine of Shippo reminded Kagome how long she'd really been away.

“You were gone ages this time! What happened?”

Kagome sat up, ruffling the kit's mop of hair fondly.

“Don't worry, Shippo-chan, it was just some more tests. Now, where are the others?”

Shippo immediately tensed. The whole reason he'd been slinking around the well the last few days was in the hope of Kagome's return, but more over, to escape the shouting from the adults in the hut.

“Kagome…while you were gone…”

“It's alright, I already know,” Kagome said with false cheerfulness.

“Oh,” Shippo said, slightly relieved and slightly stumped at this knowledge.

“Ano…but how do you know?”

“I told you, Shippo-chan!” Kagome laughed, “I know all!”

Shippo looked at her in awe for a moment, before jumping up and down in her lap.

“Sugoi!”

He suddenly winced, and Kagome noticed a small bandage wrapped around his leg.

“Hey, what happened here?” she asked.

Shippo looked at the bandage, a worried expression on his face.

“I was there…during the fight. I kinda got in the way,”

Kagome's eyes widened, and she gasped, “Shippo-chan!”

His bright green eyes turned large and watery.

“I was so scared, Kagome! I was playing when I heard all this shouting and then I came across Inuyasha, Yoko and…”

“Kikyo?” supplied Kagome.

“Aa,” Shippo said, amazed that Kagome actually knew.

“Inuyasha looked really angry, but Yoko looked…scary. I've never seen him look so scary before,”

Kagome swallowed, a memory coming into her mind's eye. Yoko, with a completely dark look on his face as he stepped out from the shadows before a blank mask slipped over his features…

“Inuyasha had his sword transformed and everything and he was breathing really hard and Yoko only had a cut on his cheek but then he slashed out with his whip and Inuyasha was trapped and couldn't move his sword and then Kikyo fired an arrow at him,” Shippo gave out a huge puff from talking so fast while Kagome tried to understand everything he had said.

“Kikyo shot him? Then what?”

Shippo took a breath-

“It went in his arm but it seemed ok then Inuyasha was all tangled up in the whip and Yoko was about to hit him with another one and I shouted at him to stop but he didn't hear me and I knew my kitune-bi wouldn't have any effect and I had to think fast so I remembered what you did to save me and I jumped in front of Inuyasha,”

Kagome blinked before processing all this.

“Shippo-chan!” she suddenly exclaimed after working it out, “You brave, brave kit!”

Shippo snuggled against her, shuddering as he remembered the look of horror on Yoko's face as he just managed to pull the whip back in time.

“It's alright- he only clipped me, and then he seemed to change…he looked like he suddenly realised what he was doing, and just disappeared! Inuyasha was all ripped up and got some poisoning off the whip, but he's fine,”

Kagome closed her eyes, squeezing Shippo tight when she realised how close the kit had been to being ripped to shreds.

But if Shippo hadn't jumped in, it would have been Inuyasha…

Kagome's stomach have an awful lurch as she reached this realisation and she stood up quickly after setting Shippo down.

“Do you know where he is?” Kagome asked.

Shippo looked up at her, his head cocked in confusion.

“At Kaede's, with the others, as usual,”

“Iie, I mean Yoko,”

Shippo's bright green eyes widened to saucers as he gulped.

“Ano…I felt his aura around here somewhere when I was coming to the well today…are you going to see him?”

“Hai- I have a few things I want to say to him!”

“In that case…” Shippo shifted from one foot to the next, “I'm going to head back,”

Kagome smiled gently.

“I won't let him hurt you again, Shippo-chan,”

The small kit shook his head fiercely.

“It's not like that! I know it was an accident! But I think Yoko might be angry with me for interrupting with his fight,”

Kagome nodded, stooping to pet him on the head, “Alright. Don't tell the others I'm back yet, okay? I don't want them to worry!”

 

 

Kagome wasn't stupid. She knew walking defenceless through the forest again was really just asking for it. Opening the first aid box she always carried around her bag, she took out the small knife used for making incisions and cutting open bandages.

“Alright,” packing the box away, Kagome balanced the knife in her hand, trying to get used to the feel of the light metal against her palm.

Here we go…

Kagome allowed a few sparks of her miko magic to course through the knife, the handle of the blade cold against her skin. She entered the forest, hoping to see Yoko lying nearby, but she knew she wouldn't be so lucky.

“Yoko,” Kagome called, listening to the unnaturally quiet forest, “Yoko?”

She kept her back to the well, walking in a straight line as carefully as she could. Kagome kept one hand on top of her school uniform, comforted by the jagged shape of the shikon-no-tama.

“Yoko!”

Oh, where is he?

 

 

The silver bandit rubbed his forehead with the heel of his palm. He shifted in his tree slowly, the foliage he had conjured shifting around his back, fasting further to the bark. He could feel the purity flowing through his youkai blood, like oil through water. It made his eyes heavy yet his head light.

“Damned thing,” Yoko hissed, sliding his golden eyes to the broken arrow hanging out his arm.

He had dismissed it at the time- he had barely felt but a jab when it had struck, nearly twenty four hours ago, so concentrated was he on Inuyasha and the whip in his hand. Then Shippo entered the picture and Yoko had finally realised what he was doing- what he had nearly done. The smell of fear off the kit had brought him to his senses, cooled his before raging blood.

Now he had the problem of the arrow sticking out his arm.

He had tried pulling it out, but he was immediately repelled whenever he tried to touch it. His hand was already blistered. He had tried hitting the arrow off his tree, but it had only drove the arrowhead further into his arm and splintered the shaft. He had finally tried to manipulate his vines to pull it out, but the arrow's aura had similarly burned them to dust.

Yoko sighed, watching the skin around the area of the arrow as it took on a darker blue tinge, like an almighty bruise. This wasn't a mere purifying arrow, that much was clear. Yoko knew if a normal miko had fired that arrow, he would have been purified immediately. Then again, the woman who had been kissing Inuyasha so passionately was no ordinary miko. She was dead, for one thing, and Yoko couldn't understand how Inuyasha could tolerate her smell, never mind let himself be kissed by her.

She doesn't look like Kagome either- she has no smile, no life about her eyes. She only had despair, clinging to her and all those that she touches.

Yoko furrowed his brow as the pain in his arm deepened.

That bitch didn't want me to die quickly- she wanted me to suffer.

Yoko smiled sardonically as another thought entered his mind.

She didn't want Inuyasha to know either.

The kitsune settled further into his tree, and his thoughts turned to Kagome, the miko who he had been defending.

I wonder if she's ever coming back?

Yoko had run out of ideas. He looked at the embedded arrow with a quiet panic as he realised there was nothing he could do. He had no energy to move. He had no one nearby to help. His head was swimming, and he even fancied that he could hear Kagome calling his name softly.

“Yoko…Yoko?”

Then Yoko's eyes widened.

That is Kagome!

 

 

I've been totally overwhelmed by all my reviews at MediaMiner! Arigato guys!

As for you Fan Fiction Folk! The MediaMiner mob is whipping your ass!!

MediaMiner.Org:

XxhellzgurlzxX: Glad you love it lol!

Kagome4Hiei: I know, I know…blame it on the school, man!

Purplebabe: I love you for luvin it!

Madmiko: Don't worry, Hiei will have some very interesting scenes with Kurama and Kagome!! You're right, Mugoi is trying to stir up trouble…and the hanyou debate will be continued! Glad you're enjoying it so much! It gives me such great pleasure to know people enjoy reading this!!

LmKiTsUnE: I do like to try and add some humour throughout! Glad you enjoyed!

Devilangel620: Punnet squares rule! There's a lot of controversy bout the hanyou debate, but we'll see!

Kagome Lady of the Rain: Not as quickly as I would have liked…but hope you enjoyed!

Fox Vixen: Ah, arigato. Wasn't sure bout the whole tail thing! The group will pop soon!

Anime Lady PIMP: Oh, sounds interesting! You can't keep me right then!

Jj: Hehe, always great to know I have a fan!!

Elemental_dea: Yah, we did in bio recently so I couldn't resist putting it in! The ER rocks!

HopelesslyEscaflowne: Yup…and don't worry it will come down to a decision…but who will it be?!? Maybe Inuyasha will get his act togther…we'll have to wait and see!!

Hopelessly Hopeful: Aw, arigato! Glad you like!

Italiannproud: Oh, what an honour! I hope I didn't disappoint, being the first Kag Kur fic!!

Renata-sama: It's nice to know people understand!!

I've had an interesting response from my theory- there's a lot of ideas kicking around about Inuyasha's fertility, but this is one I happened to form during one bio lesson. (Who says you don't learn stuff at school ;) ) However, someone else raised a very clever point that I hadn't thought of, that I might just use….

I suppose you could say Kagome owes Kurama and Yoko a favour a piece, but when they're in the one body I like to think of them as…well, one!

No! I didn't even think that Yoko might be in the know- seeing how hanyou were held in such a horrible regard in his time, I guessed the idea of hanyou living to reproduce would be dismissed. The reason for his quietness was reviled in this chappy though!

You're correct about the kiss though- while Kagome could lie to herself that she couldn't stop Yoko, Kurama gave her the chance-though, like most girls her age, Kags will still lie to herself!!

Yoko's ego is dangerously large, certainly….

And Kagome's room really isn't an issue as she makes her own way back…though Yoko's scent does mange to get on her in the next chappy!

FanFiction.net:

Life-as-we-know-it: I love to keep y'all guessing! Hehe, you can't help loving Kuram-kun!!

Phoenixiafyre: Well, as you've read, there was a reason for Inu's absence, but don't worry- I realise the two are due a large fluff session- after all, I am and Inu x Kag fan first and foremost! (Though my muse begs to differ!)

IchikoKitsuneKoumori: Glad to hear it lol!

S.T.Nickolian: Heh, you better believe it! And Kags will explain soon!

Lady of the Silent Night: Eks, not as soon as I wanted, but I hope you liked!

Asuka-Angel-21: Hey, who says Inuyasha doesn't get to kiss Kagome? (cough!) As for babies….there will be talk of that in the next chappy!

AFF.net:

Diane: You're right- I didn't even notice, but the female yeah is `un' not `aa'- they sound pretty similar though! Arigato for pointing it out!

Katie: Hey, arigato so much! That little fact went out my head…now I know whether Inu is sterile or not!! (thank god for crossovers lol!)

Bekki: Well if you go onto FanFiction or MediaMiner and add this as a fav story it emails you…unfortunately aff doesn't have this system!! Glad you like so far!!

Ptbear: Oh, jealous females…they have big plans!!!

ImaginativeLove:

Chibikaggy: Aw, you're too kind! Hope you enjoyed!

Anon: That's what inspired me to write this! What's the saying…if you want the job done, do it yourself? Hehe!