InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Beautiful Souls ❯ Emotion ( Chapter 3 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: BrethlessM 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Hentai / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 07.31.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 7.0K | Visits: 818 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Hentai / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 07.31.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 7.0K | Visits: 818 | Status: Work In Progress
Sango awoke from a two-hour nap, surprised to find herself alone. Sitting up, she stretched and yawned widely. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Sango stared up at the sun and squinted, gauging the time to be almost noon. Her stomach growled in agreement. Standing, she peered off into the distance, trying to determine if Miroku had gone far. It wasn’t like him to take off on his own.
A small mew at her feet caught her attention. Stooping to pick up Kirara, Sango rubbed her forehead against the nekomata’s, “Did you see where houshi-sama went to?” Kirara mewed again and jumped from the arms of her companion. Leading the way, Kirara never looked back to see if Sango followed.
The forest broke not 10 feet from where the trio had stopped to rest and the clearing gave way to a small stream. On a rock sat their absent friend, meditating quietly. Sango paused in her approach and took a silent, unnoticed moment to admire the man. Miroku sat perfectly still, legs crossed beneath him, palms facing upward to receive the divine grace of Buddha. His breathing was slowed so much, she could hardly perceive the rise and fall of his chest beneath his robes. Though his eyes were not completely closed, they focused on something distant, unseen, and not of this world. Sango knew from years of experience that, in this state, he was blind to the physical world he inhabited.
A slight breeze lifted the hair from his neck. As his dragon-tail settled back into place, Sango smiled softly. She never could precisely pinpoint what it was that drew her to Miroku. Besides his womanizing tendencies and his inability to keep his hands to himself, she also knew for a fact that he wasn’t as polished as he appeared to be. Around others, especially women, he presented a facade of gentlemanly charm. Below that was a rougher persona, one who appeared in battle and on certain other occasions when there was no need to keep up pretenses. How many times had she seem him lie to procure them lodgings, or use his abilities to practically swindle village heads out of their valuables? Yet, there was something about him... an occasional emotion in his eyes that he would never admit to feeling. One that hinted at a life of sorrow and loneliness he never mentioned. Whenever he looked at her, there was a gentleness in his violet gaze that always made Sango feel as if her soul were open to him.
Shaking herself out of a rare moment of reverie, Sango chastised herself, “Baka.” Squaring her shoulders she approached the monk and placed a soft hand on his knee, “Houshi-sama? We better be on our way.”
Miroku’s eyes slowly slid into focus and his gaze turned to rest on her, “Ah, Sango. Did you rest well? I myself couldn’t sleep, and watching you do so was quite a distraction.” He stood slowly and climbed down from the rock. “As my guardian, Mushin used to tell me: One hour of meditation is just as good as a full night’s sleep.” He smiled that familiar smile of his and took Sango’s hand, raising it to his mouth. “Though I had thought of other ways to more enjoyably pass the time.”
Sango stopped the grin that threatened to take over her face and reminded herself to be offended. The sharp crack of her hand across his cheek echoed through the surrounding forest, causing nearby birds to flee their nests. Stalking away to gather their belongings, Sango muttered a curse at herself, too low for a certain somebody to hear. If she didn’t watch herself, she’d become as bad as he is.
Joining her a moment later, Miroku took up his staff and watched as she prepared a light lunch for them out of the food Kagome had provided for such occasions. They had searched for Mouryoumaru all night, finally deciding near sunrise that he was indeed gone. As the sun had started its journey across the sky, the two had begun asking the waking farmers if they had seen or heard about any strange occurrences in the area. Nothing had come of that approach either. Rested and out of ideas, the party decided to head back the way they had come. Maybe they would notice something in daylight that had been missed in the darkness.
“Besides,” Sango said as they once again resumed their flight. “I could use a long soak in the hot springs to work out the stiffness in my muscles from traveling so much.” A sudden hand on her behind shouldn’t have been unexpected, but made her gasp in surprise.
“I would be most honored to aid you in your task,” Miroku whispered in Sango’s ear, making her shiver, before he finally succumbed to the sleep that had eluded him before - albeit assisted by a blow to the head from Hiraikotsu.
****************
Inuyasha too, was headed back towards the village. After dropping Kagome off at her house first thing that morning, Inuyasha had run throughout all of Musashi(1) and probably half of Kai(2) before admitting that Mouryoumaru and Naraku were nowhere to be found. He even would have settled for finding Sango’s little brother Kohaku. He might have been able to get some information out of the kid now that he was out from under Naraku’s control.
Inuyasha jumped through the branches of the closest tree and paused among the quieting rustle of leaves. Leaning forward slightly he tentatively sniffed the air in all directions. The musk from a nearby family of rabbits came to him, as did the aroma of foxes, bear and hundreds of birds... but no hint of the nauseating odor he sought. Swearing in frustration and preparing to continue back to Kaede’s hut, a sudden noise from the village made his ears prick up.
A scream, followed by another drifted across the neighboring fields. Inuyasha headed in that direction, leaping from tree to tree, positioning himself in the path of the wind carrying the scent of the disturbance. ‘Human blood. Not a lot but... an Oni(3)?’ Grinning fiercely, Inuyasha jumped down from the tree and followed the traces of his prey carried to him on the breeze. It wasn’t what he’d hoped for but it’d do to relieve some tension.
Picking up speed, no longer worried about the noise he made, Inuyasha finally spotted the Oni. It was a red Oni. Typical of it’s species, it was horned, had no neck, a crest of thick, dark hair and, Inuyasha noted as it turned to face him, an enormous mouth.
“Ku, ku, ku... what’s this? A half-youkai? Run off hanyou. I got to these villagers first,” The beast reached for the nearest hut and attempted to rip the structure apart, aiming for the humans hidden inside.
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you about sharing?” Inuyasha roared. In a single motion he drew the Tetsusaiga and leapt at the creature, slashing into one of it’s shoulders.
“What’s this? You intend to fight this Gosai(4)? I’ll tear you to pieces with my teeth and spit out your bones!” The Oni turned from the village, pulling the fang from his body.
A nasty shock caused Gosai to drop the sword as Tetsusaiga’s barrier prevented him from touching it. Taking a lumbering step in the direction of his opponent, the beast roared in anger, swiping a long-clawed hand at Inuyasha. His eyes burned with rage as the hanyou managed to swing again, approaching instead of retreating as expected.
Inuyasha laughed as Gosai’s arm fell away from it’s body. “Guess you won’t be needing that anymore, will you?”
“Foolish Hanyou... you dare to face me over the lives of humans? My arm will grow back but you shall die and those you protect won’t even remember your filthy name!” Lunging forward with surprising speed, Gosai sunk his claws into Inuyasha’s haori(5), tearing flesh before the half-youkai could react.
“I’m through playing with you Gosai, prepare to rust Tetsusaiga with your blood!” As the winds gathered round the sword, Inuyasha lifted the fang, preparing to deliver the Cutting Wind and deliver this creature to Hell, “Kaza no Kizu!(6)” He slammed Tetsusaiga into the ground, the powerful force of the blades attack shooting out towards the Oni... just as Gosai sprung out of it’s path and took off running.
“Shit,” Inuyasha quickly gave pursuit, chasing the Oni into the trees. “You’re not getting away ya bastard!”
“Hiraikotsu!” Sango’s boomerang bone appeared from behind a row of trees as Kirara soared out and caught up with Inuyasha.
“Need some assistance?” Miroku smiled down from behind Sango as Inuyasha watch her weapon barely miss it’s target.
“Nice of you to show up!” Inuyasha shouted. “This guy’s going down!” Sprinting ahead of the others, Inuyasha again took to the trees, quickly overtaking Gosai. Landing in front of him, Inuyasha took his stance to deliver the Cutting Wind once more.
“Leaving so soon? And we were just getting acquainted!” Punctuating his comment, Inuyasha swung his blade. Tetsusaiga struck the ground with a powerful force, it’s blast rending the beast to shreds.
Kirara landed, letting Sango and Miroku down.
Miroku glanced at the decimated body of the Oni, “You could have at least saved some for us.”
“Keh. You can clean up the mess,” Turning, Inuyasha headed back toward Kaede’s village, “And hurry up! I can’t wait around for you guys all day, ya know.”
Miroku sighed and removed the mala beads(7) from his right hand. Sucking the remains of the Oni into his Kazaana(8), Miroku looked at Sango. “Why do we always get the dirty work?”
Sango grinned, “Come on Monk. Let’s go see if Inuyasha did any better than we did.”
****************
Throwing herself down on her sleeping bag, Kagome looked over at Eri, Yuka and Ayumi as they flopped down beside her, “Are you guys ready to go swimming yet?” Laughing as her three friends groaned in exhaustion, Kagome sat up and dug into her pack. Removing the medical kit she always carried, Kagome began ministering to her friends blistered feet.
“Why aren’t you tired Kagome? You’re sick so often you can’t be in any better shape than we are. You’re not even out of breath!” Eri gave her a piercing look as Kagome avoided meeting her eyes, ashamed at having to lie so boldly no matter how often she was forced to do it.
“Well, you know. The doctors all say I should exercise as often as I can... to help me get better. I guess with all the school I’ve missed I’ve had more time to keep up with my work-outs,” praying that they didn’t inquire further, Kagome moved on to Yuka’s feet. Smiling to herself, Kagome realized that she was a lot stronger then the other girls her age. Spending so much time in the Feudal era had been great for her in more ways than one. All that time spent walking across the country had given her strong muscles, powerful lungs, and more stamina than she’d thought. The four girls had just finished a nature hike with the rest of their class and, while everyone else seemed ready for a nap, Kagome relished the idea of a nice long swim to cool down.
“Aren’t you glad you came, Kagome? You really seem to take to this whole outdoors thing. I’m still worried a spider will crawl into my bag,” Ayumi shuddered at the thought, “ And you’re the only one of us that didn’t get blisters.”
“The trick is to wear extra thick socks... I, uh, read somewhere,” Kagome closed her medical case, “There. That oughta do it!” Sitting cross-legged on her sleeping bag, Kagome watched as the rest of the class lounged around. It was only 4:00 in the afternoon and dinner wasn’t for another two hours.
Truthfully, she hadn’t wanted to come on this trip at all. When Inuyasha had woken her up at dawn to take her home, she’d anticipated doing nothing more productive than taking a long, hot bath and maybe doing some shopping. The look on Shippou’s face as he’d waved good-bye reminded her of Inuyasha on one of his worse days. She definitely needed to get him some extra special candy to make it up to him.
When Yuka had called at 9:00 to nag her about the trip, she’d tried to find an excuse to get out of it. Being gone all night when she could spend the time at home with her family for once, didn’t seem all that exciting. Plus, she had sort of been hoping that Inuyasha would show up. It was only when Yuka accused her of just waiting around for ‘that violent boyfriend of yours to call’ that Kagome had been properly ashamed into agreeing to go.
‘So far...’ she thought as she stretched out, laying her head on her pillow. ‘...it hasn’t been so bad. They’re right. In the three years I’ve been hunting for the Jewel shards, I’ve barely gotten to spend any time with my friends. After everyone heads off to University, I’ll probably never see most of them again. As long as I’m stuck her for a few days anyway, I might as well enjoy the time I’ve got to see them.’ On top of that, she’d been surprised when, upon arriving in the cafeteria at 12:00, the first thing the school Principal had done was pass out the graduation letters. Kagome had nearly fainted when she read that she had actually gotten good marks on her finals and would definitely be graduating with the rest of her class.
The soft snoring of her friends filled her ears. Kagome decided to let them sleep for no more than an hour before dragging them to the lake. Rolling onto her side, she looked at the forest surrounding her... the same forest she spent so much time in on the other side of the well. ‘Funny.’ She mused as around her, classmates drifted off into naps of their own. ‘After five hundred years, the forest hasn’t changed much. The lake is smaller and the trees are somehow older... but everything looks the way it should be.’ Putting on her headphones and closing her eyes, she thought softly, ‘I hope that’s a good sign.’
*************
Inuyasha landed softly on the ground inside the well-house. Pausing to sniff the air, he started towards the house, satisfied that nothing was wrong. Frustrated that neither he, Miroku or Sango had found anything of value in their searches, Inuyasha had suddenly found himself worried about Kagome. Something Sango had mentioned the night before had started to bother him, although he’d barely heard it at the time. ‘Mouryoumaru sure left in a damn hurry last night.’ Something about that didn’t sit right with him, and since he’d only attacked Kagome....
Not that he’d let on his concerns to the others. He’d covered his desire to visit Kagome by promising Shippou he’d take her a picture that the kit had drawn of himself and the girl he loved like she was his mother. Inuyasha grinned at the thought of the young youkai, remembering the look of delight on Kagome’s face whenever he played with the little runt. The reason he’d given her for doing so was that someone needed to train the brat and it might as well be him. This was true, but only half true. The main reason was that Inuyasha knew what it was like to grow up without parents. It was the reason he’d allowed the damn kid to come along with them in the first place. Though at the time he’d never thought it’d be him, he’d known even then that the runt would someday need someone to show him the right way to behave. It had just seemed natural that he, himself, was the only one who could take on that role.
‘Now if I can just get Kagome to stop coddling him so much. Youkai kids need to be raised tough or else they’ll never learn how to protect themselves from the bigger youkai.’ Realizing that he might be starting to take on a little too much responsibility for the brat, Inuyasha shook all thoughts of Shippou from his head as he jumped up onto the section of the roof on Kagome’s house that hung off just below her bedroom window.
The room was cool, since the window had been open. ‘Heh, she was expecting me.’ Except that Kagome wasn’t there. Opening the door to her bedroom and listening downstairs, he could hear the sounds of Mrs. Higurashi in the kitchen, serving dinner while Souta and Jii-Chan talked about the history of the daikon radish they were having with dinner. Making his way down the stairs, he entered the kitchen, already knowing by smell that Kagome wasn’t at home.
“Oh, hello Inuyasha! Would you like to join us for dinner? We were just starting,” Mrs. Higurashi smiled and put down a mat for her unexpected guest to kneel on, as though visitors often came through the window in her daughters bedroom instead of using the front door, “We have plenty.”
Nodding his head and sinking to his knees, Inuyasha waited until Kagome’s mother finished serving him before asking, “ Where’s Kagome?”
Mrs. Higurashi frowned, reminding Inuyasha of Kagome, who’s nose crinkled the same way as her mothers, “ She went on that camping trip with her classmates. Since she came back early I thought you knew. She wasn’t expecting you, was she? It’s not like her to disappear on you.” Smiling at him with a twinkle in her eye, which again reminded him so much of her daughter, Kagome’s mom smiled. “Now, don’t tell my you two fought again.”
Inuyasha swallowed the mouthful of rice he’d put in his mouth, shaking his head, “Nah, we didn’t fight and no, she wasn’t expecting me. I just wanted to check in with her and... uh... give her this.” He pulled Shippou’s drawing out of his haori and handed it over to the woman.
“Oh, how lovely. Is this Shippou? He’s just as adorable as Kagome says he is. I’ll just hang this on the refrigerator for her until she comes back,” Passing it over to Souta and Jii-Chan, she eyed Inuyasha’s empty plate, “Would you like some more to eat? I can boil some water for Ramen if you’d like.” Smiling as Inuyasha’s ears flicked with interest at the word ‘Ramen’, she stood from the table and quickly filled up the kettle.
“Inu no Nii-chan(9), will you be staying the night? You can crash with me and I can show you the new video game mom just got me. It’d be great!” Souta’s eyes lit up with excitement at the idea and Inuyasha smiled at the thought that he was not only welcomed in this house but wanted here as well. The Higurashis’ treated him as a member of the family and he suddenly realized that he liked the feeling.
Smiling as Kagome’s mom set the cup of noodles in front of him, he reached over and mussed the boy’s hair, “Not this time kid. Maybe sometime soon though, if your nee-chan(10) doesn’t make me crazy first,” Grinning at the laugh his comment elicited from Kagome’s Jii-Jii(11), Inuyasha turned to Mrs. Higurashi, feigning disinterest, “So, where’s this... camping thing at anyway?”
Mrs. Higurashi stood to clear the table, “Oh, it’s in the forest on our property. Shouldn’t be too far,” Giving the hanyou a knowing look over her shoulder, she added, “Just make sure none of the chaperone’s see you or they won’t let her graduate.”
Standing, Inuyasha gave the woman a quick, “Keh,” and headed for the front door. With his back to her, he grinned. Kagome’s mom was one of the most unusual women he’d ever met.
**************
‘I wonder what Inuyasha’s doing?’ Kagome mentally kicked herself as she had the last hundred or so times she’d thought the same thing. Looking at her watch she sighed. It was 9:00. In half an hour the chaperones would be around to tell them to quiet down and although Kagome wasn’t bored, she was finding it hard to take an interest in the conversation her friends were having.
After their nap, Kagome had dragged the others to the lake. The four had gone swimming and it was then that Kagome began to feel strangely out of place. The novelty of swimming for enjoyment instead of bathing purposes was odd to her. While her friends had shrieked when they had first touched the cool water, Kagome had dove right in, knowing that the best way to get used to the chill was to get in and get it over with. She had found herself constantly looking around for the net bag she carried her bath supplies in and once even suspected that Inuyasha was peeking at her from behind a rock.
At dinner she had nearly laughed at the thought that she wasn’t eating fish, rabbit or Ramen. In preparation for the graduation ceremony taking place the following afternoon, all of the students had been rehearsing the traditional songs that would be sung by the students. Kagome had missed most of these rehearsals and was thankful when some of the teachers suggested an impromptu practice session around the campfire before bed.
For the last two hours, Kagome had been struggling to take part in her friends discussion on clothes, movie stars, and boys until her brain couldn’t take anymore. ‘I wonder what Inuyasha’s doing?’ She groaned. ‘You’re sick Kagome. Can you not possibly go for one hour without thinking about that guy? What you’re really wondering is if he’s off with Kikyou somewhere.’ Frowning, she suddenly realized that Eri was wondering the same thing... only out loud.
“ Honestly, Kagome, will you stop sighing and talk to us? I’m sure that boyfriend of yours can survive one night without you.”
Kagome smiled, “Sorry guys. I was just telling myself the same thing.” She giggled as her friends rolled their eyes at her.
“ So, is he taking you to the dance after graduation?” Ayumi blushed brightly, “ Kiyoshi(12) asked me last week, after class.”
“ Kiyoshi? He’s had a crush on you for years! That’s fantastic!” Kagome grinned as her friend glanced over to where the boy in question was sitting with his friends.
“He has cute ears.” Ayumi giggled.
Kagome nodded, thinking of Inuyasha’s adorable puppy-dog ears. “What about you two?” She asked the other girls.
“Eri’s going with Ken(13) and I asked Akio(14) to go with me,” Yuka looked at Kagome, “The second most popular boy in school... next to Houjou of course.”
Kagome sighed, “ Who’s he taking?” She waited while her friends exchanged looks.
“ No one, as far as we know. We think he’s been waiting to ask you,” Yuka looked over to where Houjou was sitting with the three other girls’ dates, noting that he kept stealing glances at Kagome, “ He hasn’t said anything to you yet?”
Kagome shook her head and Ayumi nodded, “ That makes sense. I saw him when we were swimming and he looked like a fish, standing there with his mouth open when he saw Kagome in her swimsuit.”
Kagome’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, “ He did not! Where was he?”
Eri cut in, “ Ayumi’s right, he did. He was standing by that big rock on the shore. The one that has the flat top. He ducked behind it pretty quickly when he saw that I’d noticed him staring,” Kagome suddenly remembered her urge to remind Inuyasha not to peek.
“ And don’t you remember when we came back from changing into our pajamas? We ran into him and he turned so red I though his head would explode!” Yuka laughed, “Why don’t you just give in and go out with him? He’s nice, cute, popular and he’s liked you for years! He’s never gone out with anyone else in all the time he’s been asking you. There isn’t a girl at school who wouldn’t kill to be the object of his affection. He’d obviously be better for you then some haffu(15) gang member who won’t even take you to the most important social event of the year!”
“ I thought this was the most important social event of the year,” Kagome reminded her friend, who waved it off as though it weren’t important, “ And Inuyasha’s not a gang member. Besides, wasn’t really planning on going anyway.” Ignoring her friends scandalized looks, Kagome sighed, “It’s not that Houjou isn’t nice and all that, I just... don’t see him that way. He’s too...” Kagome couldn’t think of an appropriate word to describe him.
“Well, you do like those bad boys. The tough guys, right?” Eri was teasing, but she wasn’t far wrong.
“I just like guys with a backbone, that’s all. Someone who’s able to stand up for himself,” ‘Like Inuyasha.’ Kagome silently added. The chaperone arrived to announce the ‘lights out’ and Kagome gave a silent prayer of thanks that the conversation was over. Saying goodnight, she turned off her flashlight and rolled over onto her pillow.
The stars through the trees were still not as bright as in the Sengoku Jidai. The reflection of lights from the city dimmed their brilliance and Kagome suddenly felt homesick. ‘It really is my home,’ she thought. The sound of soft breathing filled the air as one by one her classmates fell asleep around her. The occasional rustle of sleeping bags broke the stillness of the night, making it hard for Kagome to relax. ‘I’m just not used to so many people being so close. Usually it’s just Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kirara and me.’
The night deepened around her, and the occasional distant cry of the nocturnal creatures drifted down from the surrounding mountains. Rolling over to find a more comfortable position, Kagome glanced at the illuminated face on her watch, surprised to discover that she’d been tossing and turning for half an hour. ‘What’s the matter with me? It never takes me this long to fall asleep. At least, not when Inuyasha is watching over us.’ Remembering to kick herself for thinking about him again, Kagome decided to use the restroom before trying to sleep.
Getting up, Kagome tried to remember the way to the public bathroom. Installed within the last ten years for campers and hikers, the sight of it was a definite reminder of the passage of time. Finishing and washing her hands, Kagome made her way back to the campsite by the light of the full moon. Something dropped out of the trees, landing on the path in front of her. Kagome gasped, a second before she recognized the familiar red of Inuyasha’s fire rat haori and hakama(15).
“ Inuyasha!” Remembering to lower her voice, she checked to make sure no one was coming along the walkway. “What are you doing here? You scared the life out of me!”
The hanyou was frowning and didn’t answer as he walked past her towards the bathroom. “ What the hell is this?” He asked, wrinkling his nose, “ It... smells.” Covering his nose with the sleeve of his haori, he turned back to Kagome as if demanding she account for the structure’s presence.
“ It’s a public bathroom. It smells because, well, people use it to go to the bathroom.” Unable to think of a better explanation than that, she added, “ If anyone sees you here, I’ll be in big trouble.
Kicking dirt in the direction of the offending building, Inuyasha finally looked at her, “What, not glad to see me, bitch? You didn’t tell me you’d be off playing in the forest. I came to check on you and couldn’t find you. I should have know a pathetic human like you wouldn’t know not to go running around the woods by herself.” Scowling, he looked down at the ground, ” You’re the only one who can detect the Jewel shards.”
Kagome glared at him, wondering why she’d wanted to see him so badly anyway, “Well, this pathetic human is going back to the rest of the pathetic humans to get some sleep,” Turning around she started back to camp again, furious with herself for caring what he said. Two arms wrapped around her from behind and suddenly she found herself flying through the air, landing on a tree branch nearly 20 feet off the ground.
“Who said you could go anywhere, bitch?” Inuyasha grumbled as he settled back against the trunk of the tree and pulled Kagome into his arms, making sure she wouldn’t fall. He waited until he was sure she’d stopped struggling before loosening his grip, “ So what’s this all about anyway?”
Kagome relaxed, wondering why he had to be such a baka, “It’s a camping trip for all of this year’s graduates. The ceremony is tomorrow and my friends really wanted to spend time with me before we all go our separate ways. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t actually know I was going. When you brought me back, I got talked into it,” She turned a little to look at him, “You’re not mad, are you?”
Inuyasha stifled a groan as she twisted on his lap. Seeing the concern in her eyes that he might really be upset, as though his opinion of what she did truly was important to her, Inuyasha turned his head away to hide the desire that was surely evident in his eyes, “Keh.”
Smiling and snuggling back against him, Kagome allowed herself to enjoy just being held by the man she wanted, more than anything, to love her as much as she loved him. She was happy he’d come to see her. It made her feel that, somehow, he might care for her after all.
“It’s different here. The forest, the sky... everything,” Inuyasha’s voice was quiet, but she heard the sorrow in it that filled her whenever she though about the vast amount of time between her world and his.
“It’s not my era anymore. After we defeat Naraku, after....” She hesitated, not able to finish what she’d been about to say, “ I don’t know what I’ll do.”
Inuyasha buried his face in her hair, inhaling the scent that he knew he shouldn’t indulge in too much. He wanted so badly to ask, to tell, to beg, her to stay with him. There was nothing he could give her, this girl from a world so different from his own. He wanted to open his heart to her but fear prevented him. Never one to take rejection lightly, Inuyasha had guarded his heart against any intrusions... until he’d met Kikyou.
Kikyou had created a chink in the armor he’d used to shield himself, but it wasn’t until Inuyasha had met Kagome that he’d learned what things like love, friendship and trust were. Her smile, her strength in the face of all that they’d been through, her complete and total acceptance of him - the filthy hanyou, despised by both of the worlds that had sired him - had given him strength he’d never known existed in him. Kikyou had wanted him to become human so they could be together. Kagome’s total acceptance of him as he was made Inuyasha feel proud of himself, for the first time in his life.
His half brother, Sesshoumaru had been formerly trained in the arts of weaponry, fighting and self defense. As a pup, Inuyasha had spent most of his life hiding until he’d grown enough to fight back. Though unskilled and untrained, he’d beaten back youkai hundreds of years older than him, 20 times his size, even the all-mighty Sesshoumaru. It didn’t take long for Inuyasha to realize that it was Kagome who made the difference. When she was around, he refused to be slain, for the simple reason that, if he died, no one else could or would protect her.
Her voice brought him out of his thoughts, “Inuyasha?” She yawned sleepily and sat up so that she could face him, “Will you come to my graduation ceremony tomorrow? It’s long and boring but... I’d really like it if you came.”
“Keh,” His response seemed to please her and she smiled at him. He never could understand why she always took that as a yes. Remembering something else, he frowned. Avoiding looking at her so she wouldn’t see that it mattered, Inuyasha watched her from the corner of his eye. “So... who’s this ‘Houjou?’”
Kagome turned and stared at him, wide-eyed, “ Just how long have you been here?”
Not able to decide if he liked where this was heading, Inuyasha opted for the usual approach “Long enough to hear your friends rave about how great he is, bitch.”
Expecting anger or at least irritation, he was surprised when instead, Kagome smiled, “ He’s a friend. He’s liked me for a long time and keeps asking me out but he won’t take the hint that I’m just not interesting in him.”
Relieved, Inuyasha struggled to keep his face neutral, “ No backbone... right?” Reaching into his haori, he brought out a small package and handed it to her, “ Here.” Kagome’s smile faded into a frown of confusion as she took it from him. Folding his arms and sticking his hands inside the opposite sleeves, he offered nonchalantly, “I forgot to give it to you yesterday.... For your birthday.” Watching the expression on her face as she opened it, he silently prayed that he wouldn’t feel like an even bigger baka when she saw what it was.
Folding back the last of the wrapping, Kagome lifted what appeared to be an oval-shaped piece of wood. It was almost the exact same size as a coin and just as thick. Holding it up to the moonlight, she saw.... Her breath caught in her throat, “Me.” On the surface of the disk was a rough carving of her face. She appeared to be sleeping, her hair spread out around her face, framing it. Turning to Inuyasha, she couldn’t quite contain the tremor that shook her voice. “ Did you...?”
Guardedly, Inuyasha answered in a low mumble. “ Pathetic humans sleep more than youkai.”
Kagome’s heart suddenly picked up speed, “ It’s beautiful Inuyasha. It’s the best present I’ve ever gotten. Thank you,” Missing the blush that spread across his face, Kagome lifted it to the light again. A tiny hole had been punched into the very top and it seemed to be strung with a very fine silver thread... no, not thread.... Turning to him again in surprise she asked quietly, “ Is this your hair?” At his nod, she suddenly found speaking impossible. Tears threatened to blind her as she held the necklace out to him, “ Would you put it on me?”
Turning her back to him she closed her eyes as Inuyasha slipped it over her head. Gently, he lifted her hair out from beneath the strand that held the necklace and smoothed it back in place. Looking down, she saw that it hung perfectly and looked even more beautiful on then off. Turning suddenly, she threw her arms around him in a spontaneous burst of emotion.
Inuyasha forgot how to breathe as he felt her breath on his neck. Hoping she didn’t notice the low rumble that rose in his chest, he wrapped his arms around her again as she settled back, sitting sideways on his lap, resting her head on his chest.
“Inuyasha?” Her voice suddenly sounded heavy and he knew she was drifting off, “Would you stay with me? Just until I fall asleep?”
“Keh,” Kagome fell asleep with a smile on her lips. Inuyasha sat there, holding her until the first rays of the sun threatened to appear over the distant horizon.
When Kagome awoke the next day, the sun was up and she was tucked tightly into her sleeping bag, wrapped in a comforting fire rat haori.
*********************************************************** *******************
Chapter Glossary:
1. Musashi - One of the provinces in 16th century Japan. Kagome’s house and Kaede’s village are both in Musashi.
2. Kai - The neighboring province to Musashi in 16th century Japan.
3. Oni - Japanese mythology has a variety of what us Westerners generically call, ‘demons’. An oni is probably the most generic Japanese representation of what we would call a demon, however, there is little simple about them. Oni roughly translates as ‘Ogre’, and the two most common varieties are blue and red Oni. Some Oni are good, like the spirits of monks who became Oni to protect the temple from disaster. Women Oni are born of jealousy, or violent grief. Red Oni, like the one I’ve created here, are thought to be hunting for the souls of sinners to take to the god of hell.
4. Gosai - Japanese for ‘red’.
5. Haori - The red jacket Inuyasha wears. Made from the fur of the fire-mouse, which makes it act like a sort of armor. It’s protected Kagome more than once from things like fire, acid attacks and razor sharp hair (yes hair). By the way... you did read correctly - fire ‘mouse’. I guess fire rat sounded more manly for the anime. I use fire rat because, well, it sounds more manly.
6. Kaza no Kizu - Literally, ‘Cutting Wind’ but it’s more familiarly known as ‘Wind Scar’. The first technique Inuyasha masters with the Tetsusaiga.
7. Mala beads - These are the rosary beads Miroku wraps around his hand to seal his Kazaana (see below). Monks would carry strands of 112 prayer beads with them when they traveled. The number of beads on a strand indicates how far along the path to Nirvana a person is, so regular people would usually get a smaller strand then Miroku’s.
8. Kazaana - Literally, ‘Air Rip’ but better known as ‘Wind Tunnel’ to anime watchers. Naraku put a curse on Miroku’s grandfather, putting a hole in his hand that sucked up anything in his path. In time, the Kazaana sucked up the grandfather himself. Miroku’s father suffered the same fate when Miroku was about 8, and Miroku seeks to destroy Naraku and end his family’s curse... or else, bear a son to carry on with the vengeance mission.
9. Inu no Nii-chan - Ah! One of my favorites! Literally translates as ‘Dog brother’. This is what Souta calls Inuyasha in the manga. The name ending -chan is a term of endearment, generally used with girls, among boyfriends and girlfriends and kids, although adults and men will use it too, depending on the relationship. It’s an incredibly cute name and very familiar. No wonder Inuyasha feels so at home with Kagome’s family!
10. Nee-chan - Japanese for older-sister.
11. Jii-Jii - The Japanese for grandfather is Jii-chan, and Jii-Jii is a rather derogatory form of it. It’s kinda like saying ‘old fart’. Inuyasha calls Myouga this as well.
12. Kiyoshi - Name means, ‘The quiet one.’
13. Ken - Name means, ‘One’s own self.’
14. Akio - Name means, ‘Bright Boy.’
15. Haffu - Japanese slang for ‘half’, as in, half Japanese, half foreign. This phrase is used in the manga when the three girls meet Inuyasha for the first time. They ask if he’s ‘haffu’ because of his light colored hair (Manga volume 34, chapter 332).
A small mew at her feet caught her attention. Stooping to pick up Kirara, Sango rubbed her forehead against the nekomata’s, “Did you see where houshi-sama went to?” Kirara mewed again and jumped from the arms of her companion. Leading the way, Kirara never looked back to see if Sango followed.
The forest broke not 10 feet from where the trio had stopped to rest and the clearing gave way to a small stream. On a rock sat their absent friend, meditating quietly. Sango paused in her approach and took a silent, unnoticed moment to admire the man. Miroku sat perfectly still, legs crossed beneath him, palms facing upward to receive the divine grace of Buddha. His breathing was slowed so much, she could hardly perceive the rise and fall of his chest beneath his robes. Though his eyes were not completely closed, they focused on something distant, unseen, and not of this world. Sango knew from years of experience that, in this state, he was blind to the physical world he inhabited.
A slight breeze lifted the hair from his neck. As his dragon-tail settled back into place, Sango smiled softly. She never could precisely pinpoint what it was that drew her to Miroku. Besides his womanizing tendencies and his inability to keep his hands to himself, she also knew for a fact that he wasn’t as polished as he appeared to be. Around others, especially women, he presented a facade of gentlemanly charm. Below that was a rougher persona, one who appeared in battle and on certain other occasions when there was no need to keep up pretenses. How many times had she seem him lie to procure them lodgings, or use his abilities to practically swindle village heads out of their valuables? Yet, there was something about him... an occasional emotion in his eyes that he would never admit to feeling. One that hinted at a life of sorrow and loneliness he never mentioned. Whenever he looked at her, there was a gentleness in his violet gaze that always made Sango feel as if her soul were open to him.
Shaking herself out of a rare moment of reverie, Sango chastised herself, “Baka.” Squaring her shoulders she approached the monk and placed a soft hand on his knee, “Houshi-sama? We better be on our way.”
Miroku’s eyes slowly slid into focus and his gaze turned to rest on her, “Ah, Sango. Did you rest well? I myself couldn’t sleep, and watching you do so was quite a distraction.” He stood slowly and climbed down from the rock. “As my guardian, Mushin used to tell me: One hour of meditation is just as good as a full night’s sleep.” He smiled that familiar smile of his and took Sango’s hand, raising it to his mouth. “Though I had thought of other ways to more enjoyably pass the time.”
Sango stopped the grin that threatened to take over her face and reminded herself to be offended. The sharp crack of her hand across his cheek echoed through the surrounding forest, causing nearby birds to flee their nests. Stalking away to gather their belongings, Sango muttered a curse at herself, too low for a certain somebody to hear. If she didn’t watch herself, she’d become as bad as he is.
Joining her a moment later, Miroku took up his staff and watched as she prepared a light lunch for them out of the food Kagome had provided for such occasions. They had searched for Mouryoumaru all night, finally deciding near sunrise that he was indeed gone. As the sun had started its journey across the sky, the two had begun asking the waking farmers if they had seen or heard about any strange occurrences in the area. Nothing had come of that approach either. Rested and out of ideas, the party decided to head back the way they had come. Maybe they would notice something in daylight that had been missed in the darkness.
“Besides,” Sango said as they once again resumed their flight. “I could use a long soak in the hot springs to work out the stiffness in my muscles from traveling so much.” A sudden hand on her behind shouldn’t have been unexpected, but made her gasp in surprise.
“I would be most honored to aid you in your task,” Miroku whispered in Sango’s ear, making her shiver, before he finally succumbed to the sleep that had eluded him before - albeit assisted by a blow to the head from Hiraikotsu.
****************
Inuyasha too, was headed back towards the village. After dropping Kagome off at her house first thing that morning, Inuyasha had run throughout all of Musashi(1) and probably half of Kai(2) before admitting that Mouryoumaru and Naraku were nowhere to be found. He even would have settled for finding Sango’s little brother Kohaku. He might have been able to get some information out of the kid now that he was out from under Naraku’s control.
Inuyasha jumped through the branches of the closest tree and paused among the quieting rustle of leaves. Leaning forward slightly he tentatively sniffed the air in all directions. The musk from a nearby family of rabbits came to him, as did the aroma of foxes, bear and hundreds of birds... but no hint of the nauseating odor he sought. Swearing in frustration and preparing to continue back to Kaede’s hut, a sudden noise from the village made his ears prick up.
A scream, followed by another drifted across the neighboring fields. Inuyasha headed in that direction, leaping from tree to tree, positioning himself in the path of the wind carrying the scent of the disturbance. ‘Human blood. Not a lot but... an Oni(3)?’ Grinning fiercely, Inuyasha jumped down from the tree and followed the traces of his prey carried to him on the breeze. It wasn’t what he’d hoped for but it’d do to relieve some tension.
Picking up speed, no longer worried about the noise he made, Inuyasha finally spotted the Oni. It was a red Oni. Typical of it’s species, it was horned, had no neck, a crest of thick, dark hair and, Inuyasha noted as it turned to face him, an enormous mouth.
“Ku, ku, ku... what’s this? A half-youkai? Run off hanyou. I got to these villagers first,” The beast reached for the nearest hut and attempted to rip the structure apart, aiming for the humans hidden inside.
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you about sharing?” Inuyasha roared. In a single motion he drew the Tetsusaiga and leapt at the creature, slashing into one of it’s shoulders.
“What’s this? You intend to fight this Gosai(4)? I’ll tear you to pieces with my teeth and spit out your bones!” The Oni turned from the village, pulling the fang from his body.
A nasty shock caused Gosai to drop the sword as Tetsusaiga’s barrier prevented him from touching it. Taking a lumbering step in the direction of his opponent, the beast roared in anger, swiping a long-clawed hand at Inuyasha. His eyes burned with rage as the hanyou managed to swing again, approaching instead of retreating as expected.
Inuyasha laughed as Gosai’s arm fell away from it’s body. “Guess you won’t be needing that anymore, will you?”
“Foolish Hanyou... you dare to face me over the lives of humans? My arm will grow back but you shall die and those you protect won’t even remember your filthy name!” Lunging forward with surprising speed, Gosai sunk his claws into Inuyasha’s haori(5), tearing flesh before the half-youkai could react.
“I’m through playing with you Gosai, prepare to rust Tetsusaiga with your blood!” As the winds gathered round the sword, Inuyasha lifted the fang, preparing to deliver the Cutting Wind and deliver this creature to Hell, “Kaza no Kizu!(6)” He slammed Tetsusaiga into the ground, the powerful force of the blades attack shooting out towards the Oni... just as Gosai sprung out of it’s path and took off running.
“Shit,” Inuyasha quickly gave pursuit, chasing the Oni into the trees. “You’re not getting away ya bastard!”
“Hiraikotsu!” Sango’s boomerang bone appeared from behind a row of trees as Kirara soared out and caught up with Inuyasha.
“Need some assistance?” Miroku smiled down from behind Sango as Inuyasha watch her weapon barely miss it’s target.
“Nice of you to show up!” Inuyasha shouted. “This guy’s going down!” Sprinting ahead of the others, Inuyasha again took to the trees, quickly overtaking Gosai. Landing in front of him, Inuyasha took his stance to deliver the Cutting Wind once more.
“Leaving so soon? And we were just getting acquainted!” Punctuating his comment, Inuyasha swung his blade. Tetsusaiga struck the ground with a powerful force, it’s blast rending the beast to shreds.
Kirara landed, letting Sango and Miroku down.
Miroku glanced at the decimated body of the Oni, “You could have at least saved some for us.”
“Keh. You can clean up the mess,” Turning, Inuyasha headed back toward Kaede’s village, “And hurry up! I can’t wait around for you guys all day, ya know.”
Miroku sighed and removed the mala beads(7) from his right hand. Sucking the remains of the Oni into his Kazaana(8), Miroku looked at Sango. “Why do we always get the dirty work?”
Sango grinned, “Come on Monk. Let’s go see if Inuyasha did any better than we did.”
****************
Throwing herself down on her sleeping bag, Kagome looked over at Eri, Yuka and Ayumi as they flopped down beside her, “Are you guys ready to go swimming yet?” Laughing as her three friends groaned in exhaustion, Kagome sat up and dug into her pack. Removing the medical kit she always carried, Kagome began ministering to her friends blistered feet.
“Why aren’t you tired Kagome? You’re sick so often you can’t be in any better shape than we are. You’re not even out of breath!” Eri gave her a piercing look as Kagome avoided meeting her eyes, ashamed at having to lie so boldly no matter how often she was forced to do it.
“Well, you know. The doctors all say I should exercise as often as I can... to help me get better. I guess with all the school I’ve missed I’ve had more time to keep up with my work-outs,” praying that they didn’t inquire further, Kagome moved on to Yuka’s feet. Smiling to herself, Kagome realized that she was a lot stronger then the other girls her age. Spending so much time in the Feudal era had been great for her in more ways than one. All that time spent walking across the country had given her strong muscles, powerful lungs, and more stamina than she’d thought. The four girls had just finished a nature hike with the rest of their class and, while everyone else seemed ready for a nap, Kagome relished the idea of a nice long swim to cool down.
“Aren’t you glad you came, Kagome? You really seem to take to this whole outdoors thing. I’m still worried a spider will crawl into my bag,” Ayumi shuddered at the thought, “ And you’re the only one of us that didn’t get blisters.”
“The trick is to wear extra thick socks... I, uh, read somewhere,” Kagome closed her medical case, “There. That oughta do it!” Sitting cross-legged on her sleeping bag, Kagome watched as the rest of the class lounged around. It was only 4:00 in the afternoon and dinner wasn’t for another two hours.
Truthfully, she hadn’t wanted to come on this trip at all. When Inuyasha had woken her up at dawn to take her home, she’d anticipated doing nothing more productive than taking a long, hot bath and maybe doing some shopping. The look on Shippou’s face as he’d waved good-bye reminded her of Inuyasha on one of his worse days. She definitely needed to get him some extra special candy to make it up to him.
When Yuka had called at 9:00 to nag her about the trip, she’d tried to find an excuse to get out of it. Being gone all night when she could spend the time at home with her family for once, didn’t seem all that exciting. Plus, she had sort of been hoping that Inuyasha would show up. It was only when Yuka accused her of just waiting around for ‘that violent boyfriend of yours to call’ that Kagome had been properly ashamed into agreeing to go.
‘So far...’ she thought as she stretched out, laying her head on her pillow. ‘...it hasn’t been so bad. They’re right. In the three years I’ve been hunting for the Jewel shards, I’ve barely gotten to spend any time with my friends. After everyone heads off to University, I’ll probably never see most of them again. As long as I’m stuck her for a few days anyway, I might as well enjoy the time I’ve got to see them.’ On top of that, she’d been surprised when, upon arriving in the cafeteria at 12:00, the first thing the school Principal had done was pass out the graduation letters. Kagome had nearly fainted when she read that she had actually gotten good marks on her finals and would definitely be graduating with the rest of her class.
The soft snoring of her friends filled her ears. Kagome decided to let them sleep for no more than an hour before dragging them to the lake. Rolling onto her side, she looked at the forest surrounding her... the same forest she spent so much time in on the other side of the well. ‘Funny.’ She mused as around her, classmates drifted off into naps of their own. ‘After five hundred years, the forest hasn’t changed much. The lake is smaller and the trees are somehow older... but everything looks the way it should be.’ Putting on her headphones and closing her eyes, she thought softly, ‘I hope that’s a good sign.’
*************
Inuyasha landed softly on the ground inside the well-house. Pausing to sniff the air, he started towards the house, satisfied that nothing was wrong. Frustrated that neither he, Miroku or Sango had found anything of value in their searches, Inuyasha had suddenly found himself worried about Kagome. Something Sango had mentioned the night before had started to bother him, although he’d barely heard it at the time. ‘Mouryoumaru sure left in a damn hurry last night.’ Something about that didn’t sit right with him, and since he’d only attacked Kagome....
Not that he’d let on his concerns to the others. He’d covered his desire to visit Kagome by promising Shippou he’d take her a picture that the kit had drawn of himself and the girl he loved like she was his mother. Inuyasha grinned at the thought of the young youkai, remembering the look of delight on Kagome’s face whenever he played with the little runt. The reason he’d given her for doing so was that someone needed to train the brat and it might as well be him. This was true, but only half true. The main reason was that Inuyasha knew what it was like to grow up without parents. It was the reason he’d allowed the damn kid to come along with them in the first place. Though at the time he’d never thought it’d be him, he’d known even then that the runt would someday need someone to show him the right way to behave. It had just seemed natural that he, himself, was the only one who could take on that role.
‘Now if I can just get Kagome to stop coddling him so much. Youkai kids need to be raised tough or else they’ll never learn how to protect themselves from the bigger youkai.’ Realizing that he might be starting to take on a little too much responsibility for the brat, Inuyasha shook all thoughts of Shippou from his head as he jumped up onto the section of the roof on Kagome’s house that hung off just below her bedroom window.
The room was cool, since the window had been open. ‘Heh, she was expecting me.’ Except that Kagome wasn’t there. Opening the door to her bedroom and listening downstairs, he could hear the sounds of Mrs. Higurashi in the kitchen, serving dinner while Souta and Jii-Chan talked about the history of the daikon radish they were having with dinner. Making his way down the stairs, he entered the kitchen, already knowing by smell that Kagome wasn’t at home.
“Oh, hello Inuyasha! Would you like to join us for dinner? We were just starting,” Mrs. Higurashi smiled and put down a mat for her unexpected guest to kneel on, as though visitors often came through the window in her daughters bedroom instead of using the front door, “We have plenty.”
Nodding his head and sinking to his knees, Inuyasha waited until Kagome’s mother finished serving him before asking, “ Where’s Kagome?”
Mrs. Higurashi frowned, reminding Inuyasha of Kagome, who’s nose crinkled the same way as her mothers, “ She went on that camping trip with her classmates. Since she came back early I thought you knew. She wasn’t expecting you, was she? It’s not like her to disappear on you.” Smiling at him with a twinkle in her eye, which again reminded him so much of her daughter, Kagome’s mom smiled. “Now, don’t tell my you two fought again.”
Inuyasha swallowed the mouthful of rice he’d put in his mouth, shaking his head, “Nah, we didn’t fight and no, she wasn’t expecting me. I just wanted to check in with her and... uh... give her this.” He pulled Shippou’s drawing out of his haori and handed it over to the woman.
“Oh, how lovely. Is this Shippou? He’s just as adorable as Kagome says he is. I’ll just hang this on the refrigerator for her until she comes back,” Passing it over to Souta and Jii-Chan, she eyed Inuyasha’s empty plate, “Would you like some more to eat? I can boil some water for Ramen if you’d like.” Smiling as Inuyasha’s ears flicked with interest at the word ‘Ramen’, she stood from the table and quickly filled up the kettle.
“Inu no Nii-chan(9), will you be staying the night? You can crash with me and I can show you the new video game mom just got me. It’d be great!” Souta’s eyes lit up with excitement at the idea and Inuyasha smiled at the thought that he was not only welcomed in this house but wanted here as well. The Higurashis’ treated him as a member of the family and he suddenly realized that he liked the feeling.
Smiling as Kagome’s mom set the cup of noodles in front of him, he reached over and mussed the boy’s hair, “Not this time kid. Maybe sometime soon though, if your nee-chan(10) doesn’t make me crazy first,” Grinning at the laugh his comment elicited from Kagome’s Jii-Jii(11), Inuyasha turned to Mrs. Higurashi, feigning disinterest, “So, where’s this... camping thing at anyway?”
Mrs. Higurashi stood to clear the table, “Oh, it’s in the forest on our property. Shouldn’t be too far,” Giving the hanyou a knowing look over her shoulder, she added, “Just make sure none of the chaperone’s see you or they won’t let her graduate.”
Standing, Inuyasha gave the woman a quick, “Keh,” and headed for the front door. With his back to her, he grinned. Kagome’s mom was one of the most unusual women he’d ever met.
**************
‘I wonder what Inuyasha’s doing?’ Kagome mentally kicked herself as she had the last hundred or so times she’d thought the same thing. Looking at her watch she sighed. It was 9:00. In half an hour the chaperones would be around to tell them to quiet down and although Kagome wasn’t bored, she was finding it hard to take an interest in the conversation her friends were having.
After their nap, Kagome had dragged the others to the lake. The four had gone swimming and it was then that Kagome began to feel strangely out of place. The novelty of swimming for enjoyment instead of bathing purposes was odd to her. While her friends had shrieked when they had first touched the cool water, Kagome had dove right in, knowing that the best way to get used to the chill was to get in and get it over with. She had found herself constantly looking around for the net bag she carried her bath supplies in and once even suspected that Inuyasha was peeking at her from behind a rock.
At dinner she had nearly laughed at the thought that she wasn’t eating fish, rabbit or Ramen. In preparation for the graduation ceremony taking place the following afternoon, all of the students had been rehearsing the traditional songs that would be sung by the students. Kagome had missed most of these rehearsals and was thankful when some of the teachers suggested an impromptu practice session around the campfire before bed.
For the last two hours, Kagome had been struggling to take part in her friends discussion on clothes, movie stars, and boys until her brain couldn’t take anymore. ‘I wonder what Inuyasha’s doing?’ She groaned. ‘You’re sick Kagome. Can you not possibly go for one hour without thinking about that guy? What you’re really wondering is if he’s off with Kikyou somewhere.’ Frowning, she suddenly realized that Eri was wondering the same thing... only out loud.
“ Honestly, Kagome, will you stop sighing and talk to us? I’m sure that boyfriend of yours can survive one night without you.”
Kagome smiled, “Sorry guys. I was just telling myself the same thing.” She giggled as her friends rolled their eyes at her.
“ So, is he taking you to the dance after graduation?” Ayumi blushed brightly, “ Kiyoshi(12) asked me last week, after class.”
“ Kiyoshi? He’s had a crush on you for years! That’s fantastic!” Kagome grinned as her friend glanced over to where the boy in question was sitting with his friends.
“He has cute ears.” Ayumi giggled.
Kagome nodded, thinking of Inuyasha’s adorable puppy-dog ears. “What about you two?” She asked the other girls.
“Eri’s going with Ken(13) and I asked Akio(14) to go with me,” Yuka looked at Kagome, “The second most popular boy in school... next to Houjou of course.”
Kagome sighed, “ Who’s he taking?” She waited while her friends exchanged looks.
“ No one, as far as we know. We think he’s been waiting to ask you,” Yuka looked over to where Houjou was sitting with the three other girls’ dates, noting that he kept stealing glances at Kagome, “ He hasn’t said anything to you yet?”
Kagome shook her head and Ayumi nodded, “ That makes sense. I saw him when we were swimming and he looked like a fish, standing there with his mouth open when he saw Kagome in her swimsuit.”
Kagome’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, “ He did not! Where was he?”
Eri cut in, “ Ayumi’s right, he did. He was standing by that big rock on the shore. The one that has the flat top. He ducked behind it pretty quickly when he saw that I’d noticed him staring,” Kagome suddenly remembered her urge to remind Inuyasha not to peek.
“ And don’t you remember when we came back from changing into our pajamas? We ran into him and he turned so red I though his head would explode!” Yuka laughed, “Why don’t you just give in and go out with him? He’s nice, cute, popular and he’s liked you for years! He’s never gone out with anyone else in all the time he’s been asking you. There isn’t a girl at school who wouldn’t kill to be the object of his affection. He’d obviously be better for you then some haffu(15) gang member who won’t even take you to the most important social event of the year!”
“ I thought this was the most important social event of the year,” Kagome reminded her friend, who waved it off as though it weren’t important, “ And Inuyasha’s not a gang member. Besides, wasn’t really planning on going anyway.” Ignoring her friends scandalized looks, Kagome sighed, “It’s not that Houjou isn’t nice and all that, I just... don’t see him that way. He’s too...” Kagome couldn’t think of an appropriate word to describe him.
“Well, you do like those bad boys. The tough guys, right?” Eri was teasing, but she wasn’t far wrong.
“I just like guys with a backbone, that’s all. Someone who’s able to stand up for himself,” ‘Like Inuyasha.’ Kagome silently added. The chaperone arrived to announce the ‘lights out’ and Kagome gave a silent prayer of thanks that the conversation was over. Saying goodnight, she turned off her flashlight and rolled over onto her pillow.
The stars through the trees were still not as bright as in the Sengoku Jidai. The reflection of lights from the city dimmed their brilliance and Kagome suddenly felt homesick. ‘It really is my home,’ she thought. The sound of soft breathing filled the air as one by one her classmates fell asleep around her. The occasional rustle of sleeping bags broke the stillness of the night, making it hard for Kagome to relax. ‘I’m just not used to so many people being so close. Usually it’s just Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kirara and me.’
The night deepened around her, and the occasional distant cry of the nocturnal creatures drifted down from the surrounding mountains. Rolling over to find a more comfortable position, Kagome glanced at the illuminated face on her watch, surprised to discover that she’d been tossing and turning for half an hour. ‘What’s the matter with me? It never takes me this long to fall asleep. At least, not when Inuyasha is watching over us.’ Remembering to kick herself for thinking about him again, Kagome decided to use the restroom before trying to sleep.
Getting up, Kagome tried to remember the way to the public bathroom. Installed within the last ten years for campers and hikers, the sight of it was a definite reminder of the passage of time. Finishing and washing her hands, Kagome made her way back to the campsite by the light of the full moon. Something dropped out of the trees, landing on the path in front of her. Kagome gasped, a second before she recognized the familiar red of Inuyasha’s fire rat haori and hakama(15).
“ Inuyasha!” Remembering to lower her voice, she checked to make sure no one was coming along the walkway. “What are you doing here? You scared the life out of me!”
The hanyou was frowning and didn’t answer as he walked past her towards the bathroom. “ What the hell is this?” He asked, wrinkling his nose, “ It... smells.” Covering his nose with the sleeve of his haori, he turned back to Kagome as if demanding she account for the structure’s presence.
“ It’s a public bathroom. It smells because, well, people use it to go to the bathroom.” Unable to think of a better explanation than that, she added, “ If anyone sees you here, I’ll be in big trouble.
Kicking dirt in the direction of the offending building, Inuyasha finally looked at her, “What, not glad to see me, bitch? You didn’t tell me you’d be off playing in the forest. I came to check on you and couldn’t find you. I should have know a pathetic human like you wouldn’t know not to go running around the woods by herself.” Scowling, he looked down at the ground, ” You’re the only one who can detect the Jewel shards.”
Kagome glared at him, wondering why she’d wanted to see him so badly anyway, “Well, this pathetic human is going back to the rest of the pathetic humans to get some sleep,” Turning around she started back to camp again, furious with herself for caring what he said. Two arms wrapped around her from behind and suddenly she found herself flying through the air, landing on a tree branch nearly 20 feet off the ground.
“Who said you could go anywhere, bitch?” Inuyasha grumbled as he settled back against the trunk of the tree and pulled Kagome into his arms, making sure she wouldn’t fall. He waited until he was sure she’d stopped struggling before loosening his grip, “ So what’s this all about anyway?”
Kagome relaxed, wondering why he had to be such a baka, “It’s a camping trip for all of this year’s graduates. The ceremony is tomorrow and my friends really wanted to spend time with me before we all go our separate ways. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t actually know I was going. When you brought me back, I got talked into it,” She turned a little to look at him, “You’re not mad, are you?”
Inuyasha stifled a groan as she twisted on his lap. Seeing the concern in her eyes that he might really be upset, as though his opinion of what she did truly was important to her, Inuyasha turned his head away to hide the desire that was surely evident in his eyes, “Keh.”
Smiling and snuggling back against him, Kagome allowed herself to enjoy just being held by the man she wanted, more than anything, to love her as much as she loved him. She was happy he’d come to see her. It made her feel that, somehow, he might care for her after all.
“It’s different here. The forest, the sky... everything,” Inuyasha’s voice was quiet, but she heard the sorrow in it that filled her whenever she though about the vast amount of time between her world and his.
“It’s not my era anymore. After we defeat Naraku, after....” She hesitated, not able to finish what she’d been about to say, “ I don’t know what I’ll do.”
Inuyasha buried his face in her hair, inhaling the scent that he knew he shouldn’t indulge in too much. He wanted so badly to ask, to tell, to beg, her to stay with him. There was nothing he could give her, this girl from a world so different from his own. He wanted to open his heart to her but fear prevented him. Never one to take rejection lightly, Inuyasha had guarded his heart against any intrusions... until he’d met Kikyou.
Kikyou had created a chink in the armor he’d used to shield himself, but it wasn’t until Inuyasha had met Kagome that he’d learned what things like love, friendship and trust were. Her smile, her strength in the face of all that they’d been through, her complete and total acceptance of him - the filthy hanyou, despised by both of the worlds that had sired him - had given him strength he’d never known existed in him. Kikyou had wanted him to become human so they could be together. Kagome’s total acceptance of him as he was made Inuyasha feel proud of himself, for the first time in his life.
His half brother, Sesshoumaru had been formerly trained in the arts of weaponry, fighting and self defense. As a pup, Inuyasha had spent most of his life hiding until he’d grown enough to fight back. Though unskilled and untrained, he’d beaten back youkai hundreds of years older than him, 20 times his size, even the all-mighty Sesshoumaru. It didn’t take long for Inuyasha to realize that it was Kagome who made the difference. When she was around, he refused to be slain, for the simple reason that, if he died, no one else could or would protect her.
Her voice brought him out of his thoughts, “Inuyasha?” She yawned sleepily and sat up so that she could face him, “Will you come to my graduation ceremony tomorrow? It’s long and boring but... I’d really like it if you came.”
“Keh,” His response seemed to please her and she smiled at him. He never could understand why she always took that as a yes. Remembering something else, he frowned. Avoiding looking at her so she wouldn’t see that it mattered, Inuyasha watched her from the corner of his eye. “So... who’s this ‘Houjou?’”
Kagome turned and stared at him, wide-eyed, “ Just how long have you been here?”
Not able to decide if he liked where this was heading, Inuyasha opted for the usual approach “Long enough to hear your friends rave about how great he is, bitch.”
Expecting anger or at least irritation, he was surprised when instead, Kagome smiled, “ He’s a friend. He’s liked me for a long time and keeps asking me out but he won’t take the hint that I’m just not interesting in him.”
Relieved, Inuyasha struggled to keep his face neutral, “ No backbone... right?” Reaching into his haori, he brought out a small package and handed it to her, “ Here.” Kagome’s smile faded into a frown of confusion as she took it from him. Folding his arms and sticking his hands inside the opposite sleeves, he offered nonchalantly, “I forgot to give it to you yesterday.... For your birthday.” Watching the expression on her face as she opened it, he silently prayed that he wouldn’t feel like an even bigger baka when she saw what it was.
Folding back the last of the wrapping, Kagome lifted what appeared to be an oval-shaped piece of wood. It was almost the exact same size as a coin and just as thick. Holding it up to the moonlight, she saw.... Her breath caught in her throat, “Me.” On the surface of the disk was a rough carving of her face. She appeared to be sleeping, her hair spread out around her face, framing it. Turning to Inuyasha, she couldn’t quite contain the tremor that shook her voice. “ Did you...?”
Guardedly, Inuyasha answered in a low mumble. “ Pathetic humans sleep more than youkai.”
Kagome’s heart suddenly picked up speed, “ It’s beautiful Inuyasha. It’s the best present I’ve ever gotten. Thank you,” Missing the blush that spread across his face, Kagome lifted it to the light again. A tiny hole had been punched into the very top and it seemed to be strung with a very fine silver thread... no, not thread.... Turning to him again in surprise she asked quietly, “ Is this your hair?” At his nod, she suddenly found speaking impossible. Tears threatened to blind her as she held the necklace out to him, “ Would you put it on me?”
Turning her back to him she closed her eyes as Inuyasha slipped it over her head. Gently, he lifted her hair out from beneath the strand that held the necklace and smoothed it back in place. Looking down, she saw that it hung perfectly and looked even more beautiful on then off. Turning suddenly, she threw her arms around him in a spontaneous burst of emotion.
Inuyasha forgot how to breathe as he felt her breath on his neck. Hoping she didn’t notice the low rumble that rose in his chest, he wrapped his arms around her again as she settled back, sitting sideways on his lap, resting her head on his chest.
“Inuyasha?” Her voice suddenly sounded heavy and he knew she was drifting off, “Would you stay with me? Just until I fall asleep?”
“Keh,” Kagome fell asleep with a smile on her lips. Inuyasha sat there, holding her until the first rays of the sun threatened to appear over the distant horizon.
When Kagome awoke the next day, the sun was up and she was tucked tightly into her sleeping bag, wrapped in a comforting fire rat haori.
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Chapter Glossary:
1. Musashi - One of the provinces in 16th century Japan. Kagome’s house and Kaede’s village are both in Musashi.
2. Kai - The neighboring province to Musashi in 16th century Japan.
3. Oni - Japanese mythology has a variety of what us Westerners generically call, ‘demons’. An oni is probably the most generic Japanese representation of what we would call a demon, however, there is little simple about them. Oni roughly translates as ‘Ogre’, and the two most common varieties are blue and red Oni. Some Oni are good, like the spirits of monks who became Oni to protect the temple from disaster. Women Oni are born of jealousy, or violent grief. Red Oni, like the one I’ve created here, are thought to be hunting for the souls of sinners to take to the god of hell.
4. Gosai - Japanese for ‘red’.
5. Haori - The red jacket Inuyasha wears. Made from the fur of the fire-mouse, which makes it act like a sort of armor. It’s protected Kagome more than once from things like fire, acid attacks and razor sharp hair (yes hair). By the way... you did read correctly - fire ‘mouse’. I guess fire rat sounded more manly for the anime. I use fire rat because, well, it sounds more manly.
6. Kaza no Kizu - Literally, ‘Cutting Wind’ but it’s more familiarly known as ‘Wind Scar’. The first technique Inuyasha masters with the Tetsusaiga.
7. Mala beads - These are the rosary beads Miroku wraps around his hand to seal his Kazaana (see below). Monks would carry strands of 112 prayer beads with them when they traveled. The number of beads on a strand indicates how far along the path to Nirvana a person is, so regular people would usually get a smaller strand then Miroku’s.
8. Kazaana - Literally, ‘Air Rip’ but better known as ‘Wind Tunnel’ to anime watchers. Naraku put a curse on Miroku’s grandfather, putting a hole in his hand that sucked up anything in his path. In time, the Kazaana sucked up the grandfather himself. Miroku’s father suffered the same fate when Miroku was about 8, and Miroku seeks to destroy Naraku and end his family’s curse... or else, bear a son to carry on with the vengeance mission.
9. Inu no Nii-chan - Ah! One of my favorites! Literally translates as ‘Dog brother’. This is what Souta calls Inuyasha in the manga. The name ending -chan is a term of endearment, generally used with girls, among boyfriends and girlfriends and kids, although adults and men will use it too, depending on the relationship. It’s an incredibly cute name and very familiar. No wonder Inuyasha feels so at home with Kagome’s family!
10. Nee-chan - Japanese for older-sister.
11. Jii-Jii - The Japanese for grandfather is Jii-chan, and Jii-Jii is a rather derogatory form of it. It’s kinda like saying ‘old fart’. Inuyasha calls Myouga this as well.
12. Kiyoshi - Name means, ‘The quiet one.’
13. Ken - Name means, ‘One’s own self.’
14. Akio - Name means, ‘Bright Boy.’
15. Haffu - Japanese slang for ‘half’, as in, half Japanese, half foreign. This phrase is used in the manga when the three girls meet Inuyasha for the first time. They ask if he’s ‘haffu’ because of his light colored hair (Manga volume 34, chapter 332).