InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ All of Me ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Inuyasha is human in this story with his human black hair like in the manga. He still has golden eyes, and the dog he turns into is white for reasons of my own which will be made clear by the end of the story.

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

 

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Chapter 1

 

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Tokyo: forty-nine and a half years later

 

"Kagome, dear, you need to get up or you'll be late for school."

 

The girl in question buried her face into the softness of her pillow and pulled the covers over her head. She ignored the sound of feet on the stairs and the tapping on her door. But she squeaked in protest when the blankets were yanked down around her ankles.

 

"Just five more minutes, Mom," she mumbled, wincing away from the bright morning light.

 

"That's what you said five minutes ago," her mom replied. "I expect you to be dressed and downstairs in ten minutes, or you are going to school in your pajamas." She left the room, not bothering to close the door after her.

 

The girl yawned and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Mom would probably be sadistic enough to go through with her threat. The clock by her bedside ticked insistently at her, warning that unless she hurried she would be late.

 

"Welcome to another exciting day in the life of Kagome Higurashi," she muttered, searching for her school uniform. She found it draped over the back of a chair, where she had tossed it the night before. "My life is so boring. I wish something would happen to make things interesting." Kagome brushed the wrinkles out of her skirt and padded down the stairs, dragging a brush through her hair.

 

Grandpa and Souta were already sitting at the table. Souta fed pieces of egg to the cat when nobody was looking.

 

"Don't feed your breakfast to Buyo, Souta," Kagome said. "It'll make him fat."

 

Souta rolled his eyes. "He's already fat, Sis." But he did stop after a reproving glare from Mom.

 

"Thanks, Mom," Kagome said, as a steaming plate of eggs and toast was set before her. She reached for the jam.

 

"Stop, Kagome!" Grandpa reached into his robes, drew out an ofuda, and slapped it down on her plate. "Demon begone!"

 

Kagome stared at her toast, now with a demon banishing scroll stuck to it. Grandpa's spells and charms never worked like he claimed, but he continued to see demons everywhere and attempt to banish them. "It was only toast, Grandpa!"

 

"It was demon toast!" Grandpa insisted.

 

"There are no demons, Grandpa. Stop trying to scare people with your silly chanting." She looked at the kitchen clock. "Oh, no! I'm going to be late! Thanks for breakfast, Mom! See you this afternoon!"

 

Kagome crammed the last of her egg into her mouth, followed by half a glass of orange juice, inhaled at the wrong time, and promptly started choking. Souta laughed as his sister turned interesting colors and coughed, trying to clear her airways. Mom patted her on the back until she could breathe normally again. Scooping up her school bag, she slipped into her shoes and dashed out the door.

 

Kagome raced down the sidewalk, nimbly dodging other pedestrians. She shivered slightly, even in her winter uniform and warm jacket. Winter was definitely on the way. You could practically smell the snow in the air.

 

"Yuka! Eri! Ayumi!" She frantically waved her arm to catch the attention of three girls some distance in front of her. As one they looked back, smiled, and stopped to wait. Panting from her brisk run, Kagome exchanged greetings with her friends.

 

"Are you ready for the test?" Yuka asked.

 

"Of course!" Kagome replied promptly. She frowned, straining to remember if she had studied. "Which test would that be?"

 

"The one in math, silly." Ayumi laughed at the expression on Kagome's face. "Your least favorite subject." Giggling and gossiping, the four girls passed into the school building. Caught up in discussing the trials of the day, not one of them noticed the pair of golden eyes observing them from sheltering bushes at the edge of the schoolyard.

 

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Sighing, Kagome stepped out of the building and shaded her eyes against the late afternoon sun. Who needed math? It wasn't like she was planning to be an accountant or anything. Grandpa already had her life planned out. She was to be the next caretaker of the Sunset Shrine. It was in her blood.

 

"I hope mikos don't need math." Kagome set a brisk pace towards home. She didn't believe in any of that miko nonsense. She was Kagome Higurashi, an ordinary junior high school girl. High school and college were in her future, not tied to the shrine that had been home all of her life.

 

Someone was following her. There was an uncomfortable prickling sensation on the back of her neck. Her footsteps slowed and then stopped. Taking a deep breath to control her inexplicable trembling, she peeked over her shoulder. A white dog stood in the middle of the sidewalk, regarding her with golden eyes. The coat looked filthy and matted, like the dog had rolled in the mud and crawled through a patch of weeds. Unnervingly direct in his stare, the dog looked like he was waiting for her to do something.

 

"Scram! Go home!" Kagome stomped her foot on the sidewalk, making shooing motions with her hands. Something flashed in the dog's eyes. Could dogs get disgusted? She felt somehow embarrassed, and this made her angry. She marched up to the dog.

 

"Go home!" she shouted, pointing in the general direction of the school. The dog opened his mouth. For a second she thought he was going to bite her. But the dog only yawned and sat down, plainly intent on not going anywhere.

 

Kagome turned around and continued on her way. The clicking of the dog's toenails on the sidewalk told her that he was following. Refusing to acknowledge the beast, she didn't stop until reaching the steps leading to the shrine. The dog sat down just out of reach and watched her. She was just wondering if throwing her math book at him would convince him to leave her alone when Souta appeared.

 

"Cool!" He ran up to the dog without fear. "Where'd you get the great dog?"

 

"Stay away from him, Souta!" Kagome grabbed his arm and yanked him back. The dog spared a glance for the boy before continuing to watch the girl. "He might bite you!"

 

Souta wiggled out of her hold. "He won't bite," he assured his sister, scratching the dog on the head. One ear flicked in acknowledgment. "Can we keep him?"

 

Kagome wrinkled her nose. "He's filthy, Souta. And he probably has all sorts of diseases." Was it her imagination or did the dog look offended? "I bet somebody's looking for him."

 

"No collar or tags," Souta stated cheerfully. "Just a marble tied around his neck. What should we call him?"

 

"How about Stinky?" Souta and the dog gave her the same flat look.

 

At that moment, Grandpa came around the corner of the shrine carrying his broom. He stopped when he saw his grandchildren with a large white dog. The broom fell with a clatter. Whipping out one of his ever-present ofudas, he plastered it on the dog's nose.

 

"Demon begone!" he shouted. With a long-suffering sigh, the dog rubbed his paw against his nose and dislodged the scroll.

 

"We'll call him Demon!" Souta grabbed the thick fur around the dog's neck and tugged. "Come on, Demon. I'll introduce you to Mom."

 

Kagome and Grandpa stared as Souta took off. Casting an eerily triumphant look at the girl, the dog willingly followed. Bending, she retrieved the broom from the sidewalk.

 

"Looks like we got a dog," she commented, beginning to trudge up the stairs. Unbeknownst to Kagome, her life just got a hell of a lot more interesting.

 

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"What a sweet, well-behaved dog," Mom commented. The dog sat in the middle of the living room. Buyo perched uncomfortably on the top of the bookshelf, clearly not happy in the least. No one had listened to him or tried to throw the interloper out, even when he hissed his displeasure. The dog had plopped himself down on the rug, managing to radiate smugness. Kagome tried to ignore the dog. She headed up to her room to study before dinner. The dog immediately stood up to follow her.

 

"I think he likes you, Sis," Souta said.

 

"He stinks. Someone should give him a bath." Kagome made a face, eyeing the dog's dirty coat.

 

"That's fine, dear. Just don't use up all of the shampoo." Kagome's mouth fell open at her mother's suggestion. She made to protest, but nobody was listening. The dog didn't look any happier with the idea. With an irritated sigh, she dragged the dog up the stairs.

 

It took almost a whole bottle of Herbal Essences shampoo to get the mud and burrs out of that white coat. His only sign of aggression had been when he growled at her for trying to untie the marble from around his neck. She finally left it alone. If he was that firmly attached to it, then she wasn't going to argue. The dog was bedded down in Souta's room, despite attempts to sneak into her room. The sun would soon disappear completely below the horizon, and she still had a mountain of homework to do. No unwanted dog was going to distract her.

 

No one noticed the white dog slink down the stairs. With a clever twist of his paws, he unlatched the door and slipped outside.

 

"Has anybody seen Demon?" Souta poked his head into Kagome's room.

 

"No! Now go away!"

 

"The front door's open," Grandpa called from downstairs. "He probably went back to wherever he came from."

 

"We'll look for him in the morning, Souta." Mom walked by with a load of laundry. She gave him a push towards his room. "Don't you have homework to finish?"

 

Out on the darkening shrine grounds, a sullen red glow could be seen coming from the old well house. A moment later, a dark-haired figure walked out. He scanned the area, before dashing across the open space.

 

Up in her room, Kagome blinked. She could have just sworn that she saw someone running across the yard. Maybe math was the wrong thing to study when she was so tired. The math book was carefully placed aside for later.

 

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The man, who used to be a dog, strode down the sidewalk. He occasionally paused, scanning his surroundings as if looking for something or someone. Hearing a soft, musical chiming he turned into an alley to locate the source. A young man leaned against the wall at the rear, idly turning a long staff around in his hands. The rings at the top rattled together with the slight movement.

 

"Hey, Miroku!" the newcomer hissed. Miroku straightened in greeting.

 

"I've been waiting here for hours, Inuyasha. Did you find the girl? Is she a miko?" Miroku stopped and sniffed the air. "And why do you smell like Herbal Essences?"

 

"It's not what you think, you damn lech! She just-- Never mind!" Inuyasha grabbed the young monk's arm and pulled him out of the alley.

 

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Miroku asked, falling into step with his friend.

 

"This girl will break the spell." Inuyasha didn't look at Miroku, just kept walking. But he sounded sure of himself.

 

"That's what you said about the last six girls. What makes this one different?"

 

"She just is," Inuyasha snapped irritably. The flowery scent of the shampoo was starting to give him a headache. He sighed. “Look, I've been searching for almost fifty years. In all that time, not once has the Shikon jewel done more than turn a deeper shade of pink. Kaede told me that the jewel reacts to miko power, the stronger the power the stronger the reaction. When I saw that girl today, the jewel burned so hot that it almost singed my fur.”

 

Miroku nodded his head in understanding. They walked for a while in comfortable silence.

 

"Did you find out anything useful today?" Inuyasha abruptly asked.

 

Miroku shook his head. "Another dead end. Old man Toutousai had never even heard of the Shikon jewel. And he was in America fifty years ago. His story checks out."

 

"Damn!" Inuyasha fingered the round jewel at his throat. “Do we have any other leads?"

 

"Nothing solid. But I am supposed to meet Myoga tomorrow. That little parasite usually knows something."

 

"I hope so." The two climbed the stairs to the small apartment located above Kaede's herb shop. "I'm running out of time."

 

"We're home!" Miroku opened the door just wide enough for the two of them to step inside. An old woman looked up from the table where she was crushing herbs. The patch over one eye gave her a slightly sinister appearance.

 

"Welcome back, you two." Kaede didn't rise to greet them. Inuyasha flopped down into a chair, hooking a leg over the armrest.

 

"Isn't there another way to break this damn curse?!" Inuyasha burst out. "I only have six more months. And then I die and Kikyo's killer goes unpunished." He smashed his fist onto the small table beside the chair, punching a hole through the thin wood. The lamp wobbled dangerously close to the edge.

 

"It is six months you can use wisely." Kaede put her herbs down, devoting her entire attention to the angry young man. "You will not find love with so much hatred in your heart. And the Shikon jewel you wear will draw the killer like a moth to the flame. It has already drawn the attention of one you would be wise to avoid. He already suspects too much."

 

Inuyahsa snorted. “He doesn't frighten me. He's just another obstacle between me and vengeance.”

 

"Relax, Inuyasha." Miroku leaned his staff against the wall. Stretching, he yawned before smiling encouragingly. "Tomorrow I will seek out Myoga. And you can get to know this girl you found."

 

"Tomorrow," Inuyasha agreed softly. He clutched the Shikon jewel in his fingers, his golden eyes glinting with his vow.

 

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Food for thought: There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it.