InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Beauty and the Beast, Inuyasha Style!! ❯ Castle in the Thorns ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3

(Actions)

Thoughts:...

Speech:....

*Sounds*

*~*~*~*~*

Shippo: Hey Kirara, are you sure it was around here?

Kirara (untrasnformed, nodds): Weow...

(Shippo, Kirara and Inuyasha are walking through the autumn forest, looking like they always do. Kirara and Shippo are relaxed, but Inuyasha is tense, sniffing around as if hunting for something.)

Shippo (Pensive): Hmmmm...Inuyasha, are you sure you don't smell anything?

Inuyasha: Shut up, I just heard something....

(He closes his eyes and pricks up his ears. Shippo and Kirara watch. A wind swishes through the trees.)

Shippo (whiny): Ahhhhh Inuyasha, it was probably just a mouse or something. Let's go back and eat. There's no one who would be stupid enough to hang around here any ways.

Inyasha: Shhh, I heard it again....

(He turns his head to look in the direction of a hill. Inside the hole in the ground, we see Kagome with her hands to her mouth, holding her breath. The ring on her finger. Suddenly, Inuyasha turns away.)

Inuyasha (Suddenly): Never mind, it's nothing. Let's go.

Shippo (Surprised): Eh? ...Okay.

(As they walk away Kagome waits a few more seconds before...)

Kagome (Exhale loudly): Whooosh....

Kagome: That was close...I thought I was a gonner!

(She relaxes a bit and leans her back against a rock face.)

Kagome (worried): Now what do I do...The others probably think I'm dead already...I have to get out of here, it's almost dark!

(Cautiously, she pokes her head out of the hole and scans the forest floor. Seeing nothing, she climes out slowly, in a bit of pain from falling down the hill, and starts to walk away.)

Kagome: It's a good thing I have Grandma's ring. Otherwise....

Inuyasha: Heh! So that's where you've been hiding huh? Lying in some dirty hole.

(Kagome stops, frozen in fear. Behind her, we see Inuyasha standing in a tree, Shippo and Kirara beside him. Slowly she turns around to look at him.)

Kagome: (Gulp)

Shippo: It's a ... girl!

(She takes a few steps backward as Inuyasha jumps easily down to the ground, holding his claw up menacingly.)

Inuyasha: Hey bitch, tell me what you were doing in my forest, or I'll rip your head off.

(Kagome's eyes go wide in fear and she backs up a few more steps, her heart beating heavily.)

Inuyasha (cracking his claw joints): Scared eh? You'd better be, cause when I'm through with you. You'll wish you'd...

*Whack!*

(Suddenly Shippo comes down and whacks Inuyasha on the head with a small log. Inuyasha snatches him out of the air by his tail and holds him up level to his face, glaring angrily.)

Inuyasha (lump and vein): HEY! What're you doing you little piece of shit!

(He pummels Shippo before he can answer and tosses him to the ground. Shippo screams an bounces, getting up with several lumps on his head.)

Shippo: Hey! Idiot, I was trying to help!

Inuyasha (Grabbing Shippo by the tail again): Oh yeah? And how's that? Bastard!

Shippo: Stupid! Come here!

(He yanks Inuyasha closer by his hair and whispers in his ear.)

Shippo (whisper): Stupid, you won't get anywhere with her if you SCARE her to death, will you?!

Inuyasha: Eh?

Shippo (Crossing his arms): Really Inuyasha, even I little kid like me knows that! Or maybe you want to be a demon forev....

(He's cut short as Inuyasha starts pummeling him again. Meanwhile Kagome still watches with a scared expression. Suddenly she turns and starts to run.)

Kirara: Weow!!

Inuyasha (Beat beat): ...freeking piece of....Huh?

(He looks up in surprise as Kagome bolts.)

Inuyasha: Hey! Wait!....shit, this place is full of sink holes....

(He gets up and starts running after her, followed by a transformed Kirara. Kagome looks back, horrified.)

Kagome: Oh no....

(Suddenly she trips and falls forwards. On impact, the ground she lands on gives way and she tumbles headfirst into a hole.)

Kagome: Kyaaaaaaa!!

(There is a loud thump as Inuyasha and the others arrive at the edge of the hole, and look down to see her lying unconscious again.)

*~*~*~*~*~*

Kouga: I don't CARE if it's dark or not! I'm going back for Kagome, and if you two chickens don't want to come, than FINE!

(They're back at the Higurashi shrine. Off to the side Kagome's family is trying to comfort one another, while Kouga is about to storm outside. Sango and Miroku are calmly sipping tea, Miroku has a sling on his arm.)

Miroku: It's not that simple. The youkai in that forest are far beyond anything I've ever seen. It was as if they were planning against us from the beginning. We were very fortunate to get out with our lives...

Kouga: Don't be rediculous! Demon's can't think! They're like animals! Stupid, beasts!

Sango (glares at Kouga): Either way, these certainly aren't normal demons...If we go back in there, we go alone, at an appropriate time. Otherwise we may just make things worse for Kagome-chan.

Kouga: !?

Miroku: Sango's right. If Kagome is alive, she'll have found a safe place to stay for now. If things stay calm, she might just be able to slip out on her own. Going in there and stirring things up will definitely make it harder for her...

(There's a long pause as everyone stirs this around in their heads. Kagome's mother, seems especially sad. At last Souta stands up and turns to his family.)

Souta: It's okay. Kagome's strong, and she has Grandma's ring with her. She'll be sure to come back, won't she Sango?

Sango (Smiles and pats Souta's head): You're sister is very brave. I'm sure whatever happens, she'll try her hardest to get back and see her cute little brother.

(She and Souta smile at each other.)

*~*~*~*~*

(Inside a room in the castle, Kagome is lying in a four poster bed with a wet cloth on her head. Shippo, Tanuki and Kirara are watching over her by the light of a single lamp.)

Tanuki: So, this is the girl huh? Will she be okay?

Shippo (re-wetting the cloth on Kagome's head): She suffered from a bad fright, and then fell down a hole, but somehow, she seems pretty tough.

Tanuki: She's going to have to be tough if she's ever going to get along with Lord Inuyasha and break our curse.

Shippo: You're telling me! That bully, he just about punched by head in today. Imagine, picking on a weak child!

(He places the cloth back on Kagome's head and she starts to mumble and stir.)

Shippo: Ah! She's waking up!

(Kagome opens her eyes slowly, still looking half asleep. Shippo crawls up beside her.)

Shippo: Are you all right?

(Kagome suddenly turns and looks at him in surprise, but not really afraid.)

Kagome: Wh...where am I?

Shippo: You were unconscious, so we had to bring you back to the castle with us.

Kagome (shocked): Ca...Castle!

Kagome: So it wasn't a myth!

Tanuki: Um...hello...

(Kagome looks up in shock as she sees Tanuki for the first time. In the shadows he looks much more demonic than Shippo, and she sit up and backs away a bit.)

Shippo: It's okay, it's just Tanuki, he's our chef!

Kagome: Your...chef?

Shippo (Smiles): Yep! That's Kirara, she's captain of the guard, and I'm Shippo, we met in the forest, but you probably don't remember...

(Kagome looks on in shock as Kirara bounces up to her and starts nudging her as she wants to be petted. Kagome obliges, somewhat spaced out.)

Kagome (disbelieving): And you all live here in the castle?

(Suddenly her eyes go wide with fear.)

Kagome: ...and that other guy, does he?...

Shippo: Oh, you mean Inuyasha? Don't worry about him, he's not as bad as he seems, he just likes to be violent that's all.

Kagome (Scared): Eh??

Tanuki: Shippo! Don't say things like that. Lord Inuyasha isn't that bad.

Shippo (realizing what he just said): Oh right! I mean he's really very nice, and kind, and...

Tanuki (Changing the subject): Would you like something to eat? I made you a dinner, it should still be warm.

(He holds out a covered dish on a silver platter. After a moment's hesitation, Kagome accepts the platter and sets it on her lap. Then, slowly, she pulls the cover off uneasy about what type of food these people eat. The second she sees it however, her face changes into one of surprise.)

Kagome: Eh?

(She stares down at rice and pickled vegetables. In the background, Tanuki looks embarassed.)

Tanuki (Wringing hands): I'm sorry. We don't go to town you see, and there aren't enough of us for a large farm so...

(Kagome looks up at him, somewhat surprised to see him apologising. After a moment, her face softens and she smiles.)

Kagome: It's fine. Thank you Mr. Tanuki.

(Tanuki looks up surprised as Kagome splits her chop sticks, says grace, and digs into her food. Shippo observes her, slightly amazed.)

Kagome: Grace!

Shippo: This girl...she's not afraid anymore?

Shippo: ...If that's the case, then maybe she really could be the one to...

(Suddenly Kagome stops eating and looks at him, as if remembering something.)

Kagome: Oh, by the way, I'm Kagome. Nice to meet you.

(Shippo looks surprised for a moment, then his face brightens into a smile and he nods.)

*~*~*~*~*~*

(Meanwhile, in a large dark room in the castle, Inuyasha sits on a glass-less windowsill with a broad view of the land before him. He seems broody as usual, Tetsuiga at his side.)

Inuyasha: Dammit, as if I didn't have enough problems. What are those wimpy humans up to now?

(Myouga is sitting on Inuyasha's knee, looking thoughtful.)

Myouga: Kirara said they weren't ordinary humans, it seems they were skilled demon hunters, and well armed too. Since they got out of the forest alive, I expect we haven't heard the last of them yet.

(Inuyasha is silent as he thinks for a long moment. Then he turns back to Myouga.)

Inuyasha (darkly): How many casualties were there?

Myouga (thoughtful): Hmmm....Well, as far as I can tell, it was mostly Naraku's lot that attacked them, so...

Inuyasha: (Picking up Myouga between his fingers): That's not what I asked, Dammit. How many were killed?

Myouga (Paniced): I...I'm not sure yet, b-but I know it's over a hundred...

*Squish*

(Myouga floats to the ground as Inuyasha stares off looking extremely pissed, as if he wants revenge.)

Inuyasha: Shit! I have a hard enough time keeping everyone in the forest as it is, and now they want to come and make trouble from the outside too? Damn those bastards! They'll pay for this.

(He looks on menacingly as Myouga climbs back onto his knee again. Inuyasha looks back at him as he speaks.)

Myouga: Anyway, Lord Inuyasha, what do you plan to do about that girl you found. Have you considered that maybe she could be the one to...

Inuyasha (Sharply): Shut-up!

(Myouga falls off as Inuyahsa abruptly stands up to leave, taking Tetsuiga with him. After a few steps, he stops to look back at Myouga, an angry glare on his face.)

Inuyasha (angrily): I've told you a hundred times already, that's NEVER going to happen. So stop your pointless daydreaming and don't bring it up again!

(He turns again and storms out of the room, his hair waving behind him. We see a side view of his face as he walks, looking ready to kill something.)

Inuyasha (clench fist): I know...I will be like this until the day I die...

*~*~*~*~*

Notes: Rice and pickled vegetables is like a bare bones meagre staple for the Japanese, similar to our "bread and water." It is, however, more substantial that bread and water, and enough of it could make a half decent meal I suppose.