InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Blessed Curse ❯ The Proposal ( Chapter 2 )

~Blessed Curse~

By: Youkai Yume

Sorry the last chapter was so short, but it was really late when I wrote it! I was tired, and sleepy, and half of the time I didn't know what I was writing about! So, if anything sounded weird in the last chapter, please forgive me. ^_^ Note! There will be OOCness in this story. It makes it easier for me to follow the "B and B" storyline.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha's not mine(sigh) This story idea isn't even mine either, all rights belong to the brilliant Sanosuke Hidane! ^_^ Except for the Inuyasha part, that goes to Rumiko Takahashi (isn't she just sooooo lucky?)

Act 2: The Proposal

Kagome could sense that Inuyasha was extremely nervous about something. She settled down on the branch and sat next to him, awaiting his response.

"Inuyasha, what is it?" He turned to look at her, his eyes intense as he reached to hold her hand. Kagome was slightly surprised at this, but focused her gaze on him.

"Kagome, I. . ." he traced circles on the back of her hand, pausing to mull over what he wanted to say next. She became tense, what was going on? And why was he holding her hand like that? What was even stranger was that she didn't get the usual warm tingly sensation that came whenever he touched her. `Must be a sign that something is out of whack. . .'

"Ah, heck! I'm no good at this kind of stuff!" He scratched his head furiously, his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

"What stuff?" She inquired. He shifted his gaze back at her.

"I'm just gonna come out and say it! Kagome, I want you to become my mate!" Kagome's eyes became as wide as saucers. Her mouth hung open in shock, as she continued to stare at him as, not believing what she had heard.

"Y-y-you WHAT?!" She managed to sputter out after ten seconds of processing in the information. "I must've heard wrong, `cuz I just heard that you wanted me to be your, your, your. . ."

"Mate?" He finished for her, his eyes set firmly on her. She stared up to him, studying his face to see if he was joking. But there were no traces of deceit, only honesty. `But, it can't be.' Inuyasha could tell she still didn't believe it. He became slightly angry at this. Didn't she want him?

"Why are you staring at me like that?! You think I'm joking?! Kagome, I thought that you. . .you cared about me," he averted his eyes from her. Why, she wasn't sure if it was because he was embarrassed or because he was hurt. She immediately became washed over with guilt.

"Inuyasha, it's not that! I do care about you. . .a lot," she added with a slight blush. He turned back to look at her, his amber eyes urging her to go on. "It's just that, well, this is all just so sudden. I mean, just a couple of days ago, you were insulting me calling me all sorts of names, and the next thing I know, you're proposing to me." She lifted her head so her sapphire orbs met his. "Why the sudden change?"

He shifted uncomfortably, his cheeks becoming a handsome color of red.

"Because I. . .I love you, Kagome. Is there any other reason I need?" She blushed at this. Happiness welled inside. Did he really love her? It would explain his recent behavior, but it's just too sudden, even for someone as bipolar as Inuyasha. She searched his eyes for the confessed emotion, but found none. They were warm and comforting, but there wasn't any real love, only something she saw close to possessiveness.

Her heart sank at this. Even if he DID love her, there was still one more issue that was nagging at the back of her head.

"But what about Kikyo?" Kagome asked, her voice shaky upon mentioning the miko's name. Inuayasha's grip on her hand became tighter.

"Forget about her! I only want you! Geez, what does it take?" He asked, frustrated.

"But, I can't! I have to know if you're only doing this to replace her! You loved her first, and you made a promise to her! Please tell me the truth Inuyasha, do you love me, or do you love Kikyo?" Kagome tried to blink back tears that were beginning to prick at her eyes. She knew what the answer would most likely be if he were truly honest. But she just had to know.

Conflict could easily be seen in his amber depths. He didn't want to decide. But it didn't really matter, right? Because, he was in love with Kikyo's soul, so if Kagome was her reincarnation, then isn't she Kikyo too? Besides, he didn't want anyone else to touch his Kagome.

"Don't do this Kagome, I said I loved you, and I meant it! I want you as my mate and mine alone! No one else's, and especially not that stupid wolf!"

"Koga?" She glared at him. "Is this what this is all about?"

"I don't like other people touching what's mine!" He covered his mouth when he realized how that must've sounded to her. Kagome felt her anger rising. `What's his?!'

"So THAT'S how you think of me? I'm property? A THING that you own?!" Her cheeks were burning red, waiting impatiently for his answer. Inuyasha tried to think of an excuse.

"That's not what I meant, I just. . .well, I just don't want anyone else touching you, that's all. You're mine and that's that!" He looked at Kagome, who had her bangs shadowing over her eyes, fists clenched into balls.

"SIT!SIT!SIT!SIT!SIT!" Kagome screamed in fury. She was slightly pleased when she heard a sickening thud that signified Inuyasha's body impacting into the ground. "How dare you! I can't believe you'd say something like that! That's not love! That's-That's-GRRRR!"

She jumped off the branch, landing next to Inuyasha's subdued form, his usual muffled curses could be heard.

"You know, if you weren't lying in the dirt, I'd slap you! But I think I'll save it for later!" She huffed before stomping off. Soon, Kagome began to sprint, in hopes of getting as far away as possible from Inuyasha. Something hot and wet slid down her cheek as she ran.

`Oh great, now I'm crying over that bastard!' She wiped furiously at her tears, but found that they just kept coming. `I was a fool to even believe, if only for a split second that he loved me.' She suddenly stopped in the middle of the road.

`But was that what I really wanted?' Kagome wasn't sure. Did it really feel right when he said it? When all the thoughts of being with him flooded her mind? Did it all really fit? Somehow, she knew what the answer was. `I knew it wasn't meant to be, and yet, yet I still hoped that it would all work out. I'm such an idiot!'

"Kagome!" Her head swung in the direction of the voice. A big brown ball of fluff launched itself into her, and she caught it, stumbling a bit before regaining her balance. She smiled sweetly down at the kitsune pup.

"Hello, Shippo!" Kagome did her best to sound cheery.

"Hi! Where are ya going? I heard you screaming earlier, what's goin' on Momma?" he asked. Kagome shook her head.

"It's nothing, Shippo-chan, Inuyasha and I just had another one of our stupid fights, that's all." The little kitsune looked curiously up at her, and examined her face.

"Were you crying, Momma?" he touched the tear streaks that were still lightly visible on her face. She grasped his small hands in her own, and kissed his forehead.

"It's not important, hey, why don't you go and play? You know what? Kaede wanted more herbs, so why don't you take Kirara and find some? I'll catch up as soon as I get a couple of things from my bag." She suggested. Shippo stared at her with his big orbed eyes before answering her with a big "Kay, kaa-san!" and running off into the direction of the forest.

Kagome watched as her "pup" went. `Forget about Inuyasha! It's a beautiful day, and I'm gonna enjoy it!' Her heart lightened a bit at the thought, as she headed towards the hut where she left her giant yellow bag.

*~*~*~*

"There's some more over here, Kirara!" Shippo pulled out the little plants with all his might before it finally gave way and released the earth. Little specks of dirt flew into his hair, which he wiped away instantly. He held up the piece of vegetation proudly for Kirara to see, but face faulted when he got a closer look at it.

"Awww, it's just a weed!" He threw it aside and pouted. Kirara gave a comforting "meow" before sniffing around for more herbs.

"I wish Kagome would hurry up, I don't know what's what around here! They all look the same to me!" Shippo began to poke one, as if to see if it will give off some sign that said, "Hey, pick me! I'm a herb!"

After some time had passed, he looked around to see if Kagome or Kirara was there. He pounced around the clearing, hoping to spot the fire cat's fluffy white tails. Shippo heard a distant "meow" in the distance, and decided to follow it deeper into the forest.

"There you are, Kirara! Wow, are these herbs? Good job! Let's pick `em!" With that he excitedly began to uproot all the growing vegetation in the area, hoping that Kagome would sort them out later.

He was so caught up in what he was doing that he almost missed the growl that Kirara emitted. He turned to look at the cat, and found that she had her fur standing up, and baring her fangs.

"What is it?" Shippo sniffed the air around him for any sign of danger, and panicked when he smelled the scent of hungry wolves. He whipped his head around, and was horrified to see at least twenty wolves emerging from the bushes.

They growled in bared their fangs, drool dripping from their hungry mouths. Shippo edged closer to Kirara, who was now burning her bright flame as she transformed into her giant cat form. He instantly scrambled onto her back, clutching her creamy white mane.

"Those wolves, kinda smell like. . .Koga's pack?!" His mind raced with questions, what were they doing here in Inuyasha's forest? Did that mean he was somewhere nearby to capture Kagome?

He was instantly brought out of his thoughts when he heard their vicious snarls. Shippo trembled in fear now. They were going to attack. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, one of the wolves lunged itself at them, fangs and claws ready to kill.

Kirara gave out an angry roar before tackling past it, her flames scorching its fur.

"Yeah! That's the way to get `em!" Shippo cheered as Kirara continued to plow through the pack of hungry wolves, running past them and deeper into the forest. `I think we lost them,' Shippo thought, and turned his head around to find that he was sadly mistaken.

"Kirara! Run faster!" He yelled frantically, as the wolves chased after them relentlessly. The fire cat put on a new burst of youkai speed, and left the wolves behind in the dust. Shippo felt momentary relief, before he heard a distant howl that signified that it was calling more of its kin.

Shippo tugged on Kirara's mane, and urged her to go on.

"If we don't keep moving, they'll catch up to us!" The fire cat mewled in exhaustion. They had been running for a long time, and now that he noticed, it was getting quite dark. The pale moon hung in the hauntingly dark midnight sky, and the branches of the trees cast eerie shadows into the night.

Shippo shivered slightly. Something else that he noticed was that he wasn't in Inuyasha's forest anymore. The land was new to him, and wherever he was, he definitely didn't want to be there.

"I miss Kagome! I wanna go back!" He complained. But Kirara trudged on, her senses alert once more as she smelled the wolves approaching closer with renewed determination.

*~*~*~*

"WAAAAAH!" Shippo cried as the wolves nipped at his dangling feet. He hung desperately onto Kirara's tail, who was now slowing down from her exhaustion. Koga's pack had caught up to them alright, and now there were more of them!

Dark shadowed trees blurred past them, as they ran blindly through the new terrain. Shippo began to throw his illusionary magic randomly at the wolves, hoping that it would slow them down. It worked, for about ten seconds.

All of a sudden, they came to an abrupt stop. Shippo looked surprised over Kirara's head, and realized why. They were teetering on the very edge of a cliff! He gulped when he realized how far the bottom looked like it was going to be if he dropped.

He gave an even louder gulp when he remembered there were hungry, vicious wolves behind them. They all lunged in at once, and Shippo braced against Kirara for dear life, waiting for the ripping and shredding of the wolves' fangs and claws.

But it never came, as Kirara leaped over the hoard of wolves, surprising all of them. Some fell to their death as they went over the cliff in their charge of attack. It surprised Shippo too, for he was thrown back from the leap, and landed on the hard earth with a thump.

His eyes shot open to see Kirara roaring and running off into the woods, leading the pack of wolves away from the kitsune. Soon, there was no one there but himself, and the howling wind.

"Kirara?" Shippo cried silently into the woods for the fire cat. When he realized she wouldn't come back, be began to cry. `Please don't leave me all alone!' Soon, little tiny droplets fell onto his blazing red hair, and he groaned when he realized it was beginning to rain, and hard.

`Gotta find shelter, maybe I can find Kagome and the others in the morning.' With that he trudged on, sniffing in the hazy rain for any sign of protection from the wet weather. In the far off distance, he saw a giant looming shadow that looked a lot like a castle or mansion.

"Maybe I can stay here for the night." He easily slipped through the giant gates with his small body, and gasped when he got a better look at the dark domain.

"Whoa! It's so big. . .and scary looking. . .but this is no time to be picky! I gotta get inside before I get a cold!"

~End Chapter

Done! I love that word. Done. Just in time for Inuyasha too! ^_^ Sesshomaru will be in the next chapter, as well as Kagome of course. Sorry about making Inuyasha the bad guy here, folks, but I need a villain, and Naraku didn't really make sense, and Koga's just soooo overdone.

Review Responses:

~Fanfiction.Net

Blue-Saiyan-Angel: Sorry, but like I said, tired and I just barely got home from school and gym, and AHHHHH!

Western Mistress: Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale too! That's why I just had to do this idea!

Emiko24: Thanks! I hope not to disappoint you!

Pongo: I'm not sure what you mean, but okay!

Stelmaria: Thanks! I'm flattered, but really, I do need that break!

Mistress Fluffy: I'll try to keep it going as soon as possible, but I should really keep going on my other fic, ne?

Inuyashagirl1702: Me too! Love that fairy tale! Love the musical! Love that little chipped cup! ^_^

Vegetas_Bitch79: Sorry if I can't e-mail you! But my stupid e-mail thing isn't working!

Inuyasha-luver3: yeah, we understand each other. ^_^ I think. . .

Lady Kaiba: I'll be waiting for the threat! But, I'll probably have to threaten you to update your fics in return. Lol.

Kagura-hime: I considered writing this in a b and b sense too, but it's already been dones, so yeah. . .

BlackShadow1: Yay! Constant reviewer! You better be true to your word! Or I'll, well, I can't say I'll stop writing, cus that's too mean!

Ava: Thanks! I'll get to it!

Flare2: Yeah, sorry about that, but I really needed some way for him to be cursed, and Sano originally wanted Kikyo to do the job, so sorry if you were disappointed! I'll just go sulk now. . .

Hikari no Sekai: Glad to hear this is something a bit different for you to read! Like I said to someone else, the whole AU thing has already been done, so I wanted something new.

Kya: Thanks for being the first to review this story! I'll try to make you proud! ^_^

~Mediaminer.org

Sunstar: Thanks for being the first reviewer on Mediaminer for this fic too! How do you always get to it first?

If your review response is not up here, I apologize deeply! But I don't always receive them until after I post up the chapter! News on ForgetMeNot, I will hopefully have the next chapter up by Saturday, but again, no real guarantees.

Ja Ne! ^_~