InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Lifetime Loving You Part 2; The Path to Osaka ❯ Tai and Flowers ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author.

A Lifetime Loving You

Part 2; The Path to Osaka

~~~~

Chapter 8; Tai and Flowers

(Inu-yasha)

Morning came with a vengeance on the third day of traveling. The mountains were in clear sight, and the sun's golden rays couldn't be hidden when they appeared over the notch. I blinked a few times as I squinted through rays poking through the snow and branches of a tree.

I yawned and stretched my back out before reaching out as far as I could, fingers tense, until I gave in and scratched the tree's bark with my claws. I jumped down and stretched out my legs on all fours before shaking it off, letting my lips flap around while I moaned.

I sat back down and pulled the front of my kimono apart to scratch an itch in my chest while the sleepiness blinked itself out of my eyes. I looked down at what I was doing I examined my chest again, looking at the place where Kitsumi's claws had dug into me.

With a huff I got to my feet and crawled over to the depression in the earth where the entire village slept. Shippo was still fast a sleep on the opposite side with his fur vest pulled over his eyes and his fox feet hanging out while the toes wiggled in the cool air.

I let out a snort. "Lazy bum!"

My ear twitched when I caught the sound of water running. I lumbered my way to the tiny stream not too far and began to splash my face with the icy cold water. It woke me up in no time and I took a deep breath as I sat down by the stream's edge. I looked down at my hand and saw that grass had begun to grow at the water's edge. Spring was slowly starting to make its way, which meant that this journey wasn't going to be easy.

One thing was sure, I wasn't about to loose a single villager to Naraku, demons, or nature itself. Though, it wasn't easy as it looked. One dog hanyo, a preteen fox demon, an exterminator who hadn't been hunting in five years, a married monk with two kids, a beautiful woman with purity powers that also hadn't been put to use I a long time, a hanyo dog pup, and then 100 villagers with their children.

"Just think about getting to Owari first…Polaris should be able to offer something when we get there."

I rolled over to push myself up on my hands when a flash of light came in the corner of my eye and I crouched to the ground instantly when the sound of the air swishing didn't sound right. A dagger staked itself in the earth only a foot away from my body and I turned in the direction it came from.

My golden eyes fell on a black haired man with large green eyes on horseback who seemed to be…drunk! "Stupid beasts! I'll kill all twenty of ye!" he grumbled.

It was then that I saw his armor and the royal crest on his chest plate. This was a royal samurai and not a very smart one either to be drunk on the job. However, even though the drunken behavior was one thing I was uneasy about, it was the blood draining from his leg where an arrow had taken him.

Before he could say another word, he hiccupped and with a groan lost his balance on the horse and fell over into a pile of slushy snow. The horse snorted for a moment before I got the nerve to get to my feet. It whinnied and raised its front hooves, but I snatched the reins and pulled the stead down and soothed him.

I stared at the samurai until Kagome came over the hill with Kitsumi and the twins and Shippo hopping in last. Kagome slid to her knees and looked at the young man. "What happened?"

I kept my watch on his face. "I went for a drink until this drunk came and threw a knife at me."

Kagome looked him over hastily and then saw his leg. "He's wounded. Do we still have those white linens we salvaged?"

I looked at her for a moment. "Yeah, they should be still in the wagon with the horses that escaped the fire."

She then made her way to his head and picked up Kitsumi. "I'll get a tent up for him; can you carry him to the campsite?"

~~~~

(Kitsumi)

"Do you think he's dead?" Kohaku asked as he loomed over the moaning man's head as the three of us sat in the white make shift lean-to.

"Naw, he wouldn't be breathing if he was," I said as I sat at his feet.

Kara looked at him opposite of her brother. "I think he's handsome!"

Kohaku snorted, "You think every guy you see is handsome."

"Not every guy!"

"Yeah, huh!"

"Nuah!"

"Yeah, huh!"

"Nuah!"

"Yeah, huh!"

"Nuah!"

This argument continued for the next minute or so as it changed to name calling, including "Doe head!" and "Squid vomit!"

I moaned and rolled my eyes as I sat down with my legs bent at my side and my arms on the ground in front of me. It was then that I realized I was sitting like a dog and arched my brown knowing I had never sat like this before so naturally. `Inu-yasha does it all the though…must be the dog thing,' I thought as I yawned and the name calling continued.

Suddenly the man moaned and the twins gasped and I opened my eyes to watch. "Look, look, he's waking up!" Kara whispered.

"I could tell that, Stupid!"

"You couldn't tell if he was dead or alive a moment ago, Jerk!"

The samurai moaned and blinked his green eyes a moment until everything could come into view. Kohaku and Kara sat there looking down at him.

"Wow, he's really out of it!" Kohaku said amazed.

The man moaned and then slapped his hand over his face before rubbing it down over his nose and to his mouth.

"He must have a headache the size of a mountain," Kara whispered.

He stared at them for a long time until everything came into view and his eyes opened a little wider.

However, I got impatient and jumped onto the man's legs chanting, "Let me see! Let me see!"

It was then that the man sat up wincing in pain and I gasped when I came to a halt and my eyes met emerald.

It took no more than five seconds for the both of us to look at each other and then for him to scream like a girl, and for his reaction to knock me off of him and on top of Kara.

"Demons! Demons! Captain! There are demons in the area demons!"

The man was so scared that he was crawling up the side of the tree that held the shelter up, teeth chattering in fear. I arched my brown and looked at Kara only for a moment when we saw the front of the man's hakama suddenly grow a large wet mark over his groin.

We all widened our eyes as Kohaku broke the silence. "Wow…I never thought samurais could get THAT scared after seeing a demon."

A moment later, Mother opened the opening to the shelter and crawled in. "Oh my goodness!" she squeaked.

Then Inu-yasha's head poked in on the other side right next to the samurai. "What's wrong?"

The man's green eyes met Inu-yasha's amber and the two of them yelled until the guy had pushed himself into a corner.

My mother scrambled over to him. "Sir, please! Sir, don't worry! He won't harm you."

It was then that in that instant that I watched the man's eyes meet my mother's brown ones, and the fear that was once in his green eyes suddenly turned into awe.

He then cleared his throat and relaxed a little. "Milady, please excuse my rudeness. I did not know I was in the company of such a fine lass."

Needless to say the three of us including Inu-yasha though, `huh?' as our eyebrows rose at one side and stared at my mother and the strange man beside her who was now on his knees holding her hands in his.

"Please let me introduce myself. I am Lieutenant Tai, one of the emperor's most trusted samurai. And whom may I ask are you, dear angel?"

My mother's eyes were wide with shock and her face was a funny shade of red. "Umm, I'm known as Lady Higurashi Kagome."

He eyed my mother for a moment. "Ah, milady!" he said, planting a soft kiss on her hand and then trailing it up to her wrist. "And, is there a Lord Higurashi that I should be aware of?"

The three of us looked at each other and winced as we voiced our disgust.

Inu-yasha on the other hand narrowed his brow and came into the shelter a little more. "You'd better hope there ain't!" he growled.

Tai than looked at my mother and pulled her around back of him. "Do not worry, milady, I will protect you from this beast."

Inu-yasha growled and the three of us shook our heads. Finally, my mother cut in.

"Umm, Sir Tai, this is Inu-yasha."

The man looked at my mother for a moment and then back at Inu-yasha whose face calmed somewhat. "A demon that resides at the sides of human's, how very interesting."

All of the sudden, Inu-yasha's nose caught a whiff of the air, and mine followed a moment later along with everyone else in the shelter. The three of us looked at each other for a moment until the faint green tint in our faces were seen and Kohoku gagged as Kara and I cried, "Eww!" in unison.

Inu-yasha covered his nose with his sleeve and Mother backed away doing the same. Tai then blushed as he realized what the problem was. "Excuse me, please. I do have a pair of extra clothing in my steed's side traveling pouch."

Inu-yasha moaned, "I'll got get it."

"Right be hind you, Inu-yasha!" I cried as I scampered out of the shelter with Kara and Kohaku at my heels. I stopped short though and looked back as the other two ran ahead to get away from the stench of human waste. I covered my tiny nose and listened as my mother continued to talk within the shelter and I peeked through the crack in the cloth opening.

"You really do get scared easily."

"I've never had enough bravery around demons."

My mother began to inspect Tai's leg. "Does it hurt?"

Tai looked at the place where my mother's hands were and blushed a little. I glared. He then took the liberty of placing my mother's hands a little higher than the wound. "It sort of hurts here, Milady!"

My mother touched the place adding pressure to parts of the area until he winced truthfully in pain. "Oh, that doesn't sound good. You'll be off your leg for at least a week. It's a good thing you have your own horse. You'll need it while we travel to the west."

His eyes seemed to brighten. "You are heading to the west?"

My mother sat up on her knees. "Yep, Inu-yasha, I and this entire village are all heading to the west."

His eyes seemed to brighten as he took my mother's hand again. "Milady, I seek to return to the west as well. Perhaps I can join you on this journey and serve you and your people."

~~~~

(Inu-yasha)

"No!" I said, and turned my back to her and crossed my arms looking at the mountains.

"Come on, Inu-yasha! He's only looking to return to Kyoto. Besides, with his leg in that condition he shouldn't be left to fend for himself. Besides you could use the help."

I turned around and stared at her completely shocked. "Kagome, are you blind! The man was drunk!"

"To ease the pain! The sake was herbed with a pain killer herb, I could smell it."

I groaned and sat down at the side of the stream again and pulled out the knife he had flung at me. I then handed it to her. "If he harms one person in this camp, namely me or your daughter, he's out."

Kagome looked at him for a moment and smirked. "That's not the only reason you'd kick him out is it?"

My face felt hot all of the sudden. Kagome continued to give me the same look. I snorted and turned away as she bent down. "Oh admit it! You're jealous of the fact he's attracted to me. Like all those kisses on my hand weren't getting you steamed up."

I growled before looking at her again and rising to my feet. "He's dangerous to have around, Kagome!"

She looked at me, completely unconvinced. "Oh please, you're acting the same exact way when Kouga had his hands on me. Will you just grow up?"

I snarled, "You first!"

Kagome sighed in annoyance and stomped off. "You're such a jerk!"

I snorted and sat back down again and looked into the stream. `At least this time she doesn't have a well to jump down and hide from me again.' I opened my eyes a little more, `but that also means…I'll see what she looks like when she's mad for a really long time.'

I sighed and slouched forward. "Why can't things go back to the way they used to be?"

"Inu-yasha!" I heard a tiny voice call over the hill and I turned my head to see Kitsumi rushing up to me.

She huffed for a moment and then sat down like a dog beside me. "You won't believe what I just found out!"

I sulked, "Not now, Squirt, I'm not up to it."

Kitsumi stared at me for a long period of time and then nuzzled her way under my arm and sat the same way she had on the ground a moment ago. She then looked up at me and her tiny nose nudged mine and it caught my attention. She then held up a tiny seed she had fisted up in her tiny hand.

"Watch what I can do!" she whispered and then placed the tiny seed on a bare piece of ground. Kitsumi then carefully covered it and smiled at me. "Now watch this!"

Gently, Kitsumi cracked her knuckles in her hand and held out the mysterious pair of white and gold claws. Slowly, she sank the tips into the ground and her tiny face tightened.

Then, a golden white light formed in the earth and a plant began to grow out of the ground. Kitsumi then slowly lifted her claws from the earth following the growth of the plant and helping it to grow upward.

My eyes widened in amazement as she then opened her eyes to watch as the light faded, and the plant bloomed into a white flower.

She giggled and looked at me. "Pretty cool, huh, Inu-yasha?" she asked looking for my praise.

Gently I took the tiny hand into my large one and looked at the tiny pair of claws.

`The same light I saw when I ran through the fire…and the same light I saw when I found Kagome all those years ago when Sesshoumaru stole her. These claws…they grant life!'

Kitsumi looked at me curiously. "What is it, Inu-yasha? Don't you think it's cool that I can make a seed turn into a flower?"

I shook my head as I snapped back into reality, and smiled at Kitsumi as I nuzzled her cheek a little in play. "Course I do! Nice going, Squirt!" I praised her with a smile as she giggled.

Went the fun was over, she seemed to linger at nuzzling my nose with hers a moment longer before yawning and curling up into a ball in my lap and falling asleep. I snorted. "Crazy kid! She wore herself out making a flower bloom."

~~~~

Short chapter I know! But it was humorous and cute I hope!

Next chapter the journey continues…for Sesshoumaru that is when he is confronted by Kagura.

See you soon!