InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ I'm safe at home... aren't I? ❯ The village, and a new rival for Inuyasha ( Chapter 5 )

So many chapters, so little time… wait. Scratch that. Reverse it. (lol I sound like Willy Wonka!) Annnnnyywaaaaay……. Here's my next chapter, as I promised the certain annoying person who is in my class… mwahaha… It's waaaaay longer than my other ones, so if I don't have 70-word-a-minute type skills, it's not my fault.

Disclaimer: Ha! I found Inuyasha at a garage sale!! So he's now officially mine! Mwahahaha!!!!! Okay, so I own actual Inuyasha, and not the legal rights to the fic, so whatever! Damn you Rumiko Takahashi…. *sniff*

Previously…

Reminded of where he was, Inuyasha slowly slid Kagome off of his lap and placed Shippo in her arms. Allowing himself one more glance at the sleeping miko, he noticed she was shivering from the loss of her heat source, and he tucked his haori and her and Shippo before jumping back into his treebranch to wait for his friends to wake up.

Chapter Five: The village, and a new rival for Inuyasha

Miroku was the first to rise, sneaking over and grabbing Sango's backside, waking her up.

"HENTAI!" she yelled, grabbing hiraikotsu and waking the rest of her companions.

Kagome opened her eyes slowly and reluctantly, then groaned at what she saw: an unconscious monk, sprawled on the ground, and a seething taijia. The monk wasn't on his side of the fire anymore, and his hand lay close to Sango. The girl grinned, guessing at what happened before she woke up.

The feel of a blanket made her look down, where she saw… Inuyasha's haori? How had that happened?

Remembering the occurrences of the night before, she looked around for Inuyasha. She placed the haori in her arms, preparing an explanation as to why it was there and not on its owner. Finally spotting him in his roost in the tree, she giggled; half his hair was in his face, and he appeared to be mumbling incoherently. "Inuyasha," she called, standing up after shifting the still-asleep Shippo on the ground. "Time to get up! We have to go fight the rat-demons today, remember?"

"Huh-uh- what?" Inuyasha cried, almost falling out of the tree. Kagome and Sango giggled. Regaining his composure, he leapt out of the tree, landing next to the fallen monk. "I see Miroku got knocked out again," he remarked, nudging Miroku with his foot. Sango rolled her eyes.

"Apparently, he thought I was asleep," she replied, aggravated.

Kagome snorted disdainfully. "That's his usual excuse. It could be worse, though- Inuyasha, remember when we first met him, and we thought he was unconscious after he tried to suck me in and he ended up feeling me up?" she directed at the hanyou.

He nodded. "He was lucky I didn't slice him in half right then. Miroku actually said he could explain! Baka."

Kagome grinned. "That he is." The girl walked over to Shippo and nudged him gently. "Shippo," she said quietly. "Shippo, it's time to wake up!"

The kitsune growled and rolled over. "Kagome… I'm tired!" he muttered. She grinned, and poked him. "Shippo…" she nagged. "Get up!"

He sat up slowly. "Fine, Kagome!" the kitsune whined. "Is there anything left to eat?"

"I think we have a little of the rabbit left over from last night," she replied.

"Yay!" Shippo squealed. He ran over to the fire to look for it, kicking dust on Miroku in the process.

The monk sat up and sneezed. "Ugh… what happened," he queried, still looking a little dizzy.

Kagome put her hands on her hips indignantly. "You felt up Sango, and she knocked you out again," she retorted.

"Kagome, I found it!" Shippo screeched, holding up what little was left of their dinner.

"Good job, Shippo," the miko cajoled him.

The friends finished off what was left of the rabbit, cold, and continued on their way, this time everyone in high spirits. Before they left, however, Kagome took Inuyasha's haori over to him and handed it to the youkai, whispering, "Thank you… for last night." He pulled it over his arms, snorting. "Feh," he muttered. "I don't want you getting killed fighting rat-demons because you're tired."

Inuyasha kept an eye on Kagome while they were walking; whenever she started looking tired, he suggested that they stop and rest for a while.

After their third break, Kagome looked at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye. What was he up to? He hadn't been anywhere near this- well, the only word was decent- yesterday. What was going on?

Shippo squirmed in her arms, restless, and his foot scratched against one of the bandages on her left arm. Forcibly pushing back a wince, she bit her lip; she didn't want her friends to be bothered by her pain. After all, it wasn't unbearable. It would be worse to bother her friends with her weakness. And she was really weak. Look at Sango! Her brother killed her father and tried to kill her, and she got buried alive! These minor injuries were like mosquito bites compared to what had happened to her friends over time.

Inuyasha glanced at her. His sharp eyes had caught the infinitesimal twitch, and he knew what it meant. Though it worked very well, he knew that she had been trying to conceal the fact that she winced every time Shippo's tail or paws brushed up against her left arm. He wondered why she hadn't said anything, then realized: she had been hiding it so it wouldn't bother anyone else!

Inuyasha's eyes softened. To take pain for the comfort of others around her… Well, he had to do something; he couldn't just let her take pain unnecessarily.

Kagome gaped when Inuyasha took Shippo out of her arms and put the kitsune on his shoulder. "What is with you today?" she whispered, out of the others' hearing ranges.

"Nothing," he muttered, moving away ahead of her. She smiled; maybe Inuyasha had a heart? Nah, she scoffed, laughing to herself. It couldn't be… could it?

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they reached the afflicted village sometime around noon, many people crowded around them, armed with questions.

"Are you those demon-hunters we heard about?"

"Are you going to get rid of the rats?"

"Are those your natural ears? Are you a demon?" (These were directed at Inuyasha, of course)

"All right, all right, that's enough. Move aside!" came a harsh voice from the middle of the crowd, and the friends breathed a sigh of relief.

However, when a formidable-looking old woman in miko robes emerged from the crowd, Kagome gulped; the woman looked slightly disgruntled and sort of mad that she had to go talk to them at all.

"Are you the demon-hunters?" she asked, peering at them.

"Yes, we are," Kagome replied politely. "Who are you?"

"The priestess of a very desperate village. I didn't want any help dealing with the rats, but the head of the village insisted. I wouldn't have called you had Kaede not recommended you," the woman said, looking angry.

"Oh," Kagome said softly.

"Well, we are glad to help," Sango said cheerfully.

"The headman has set aside a hut for you. I suppose I should show you to them," the woman said grumpily.

"We would be much obliged if you did," Miroku said cheerily, while scanning the crowd for ladies. Sango glared at him, and he grinned.

The priestess led the way to a semi-large hut located next to the headman's.

"The rats come in the dark of the night," the woman told them. "Be sure you are on the outskirts of the village by then."

"Thank you," Sango said. "We'll be there, and rid your village of this menace forever."

"See that you are," the old miko stated as she left the friends to wonder what was wrong.

Sango sighed and dropped to the floor after carefully placing hiraikotsu within reach, in case Miroku tried to be an unorthodox monk again and grab her. The others settled in around her, Miroku farther away than he would have been had Sango not placed her hand on hiraikotsu in warning, Kagome next to her friend, and Inuyasha on the opposite wall. Shippo, having sat on Inuyasha's shoulder most of the day, gladly ran over and hugged Kagome gleefully, who laughed at his eagerness.

Inuyasha, who had spoken sharply with Shippo that day about staying away from Kagome's arm, glared at the kitsune. Shippo grinned but, not wishing to incur the wrath of the hanyou, obligingly scooted over from the girl's left arm to cuddle against her right. Kagome didn't notice, and Inuyasha breathed a silent sigh of relief; he didn't want the others to know that he had spoken sharply with the group's pet for Kagome's sake.

"What was with that woman?" Kagome asked her companions.

"I believe that she thought they could handle their infestation problem themselves, and did not need our help," Miroku replied.

Sango told her friend, "Yes, don't take it personally, Kagome. She's probably been taking care of her village for a long time, and thinks we are invading her territory."

"Hai," Kagome sighed. "But did it seem to anyone else that she has it in for me?"

"You're obsessing, wench!" Inuyasha growled. "She didn't have it in for you, and you're stupid if you think that every new person we meet has it in for you!"

Kagome stood up and walked to stand before him, a growingly angry vibe surrounding her. "I'm stupid, am I?" she asked softly, menacingly.

"Feh, wench," he muttered, trying to look staunch but feeling scared, "isn't that what I said?"

Kagome glared at him. "Sit," she told him, earning a loud thud and a string of curses as she walked back to sit next to Sango, smirking.

"Feh," he growled as the spell wore off and he pulled himself to his earlier sitting position, crossing his arms. Kagome and Sango giggled quietly together over whispered news, and Inuyasha glared, trying not to look like he cared. Miroku grinned at him, and Inuyasha spat out, "What are you looking at, monk?!"

"A hanyou that is irritated for no reason," the monk retorted.

"No REASON?!" Inuyasha half-yelled, half-growled. "I'm stuck in a lousy, boring hut in the middle of an unfamiliar village, about to fight some mangy rat demons that aren't worth my time!" he snarled, glaring at Miroku.

"Calm yourself, Inuyasha," the monk said serenely. "It will do no one any good to rant and rave. Simply resign yourself to the fact that we are here and we are going to rid this village of their demons."

"Feh," Inuyasha muttered, turning away. Miroku just chuckled, as if he knew that the hanyou would not take his advice and be calm.

The group sat another half hour sitting and reminiscing their old exploits. After enjoying a hearty laugh over the time Koga had tried to steal Kagome (the latter having to soothe Inuyasha's growls), their voices trailed off, and they sat in comfortable silence for several minutes.

A quiet knock startled everyone, and Kagome jumped. The door creaked open to reveal a mousy-looking boy who appeared to sixteen. With dirt-brown hair and same eyes, and a scroll tucked under his arm, he looked to be the very essence of geekiness in Feudal Japan. Kagome giggled. He looked over at her and gave her a small smile, guessing why she was laughing. His eyes held hers in a piercing gaze, and her eyes widened; she recognized that look, but she hadn't seen it since Hojo… oh, no. The girl bit her lip. Did the boy have a crush on her?

The boy continued to stare at her, with what could only be called blissfulness, until Inuyasha drew his attention with a cough. "What do you want?" he snapped, having noticed that the boy had stared at Kagome for at least a full minute. She glared at him but he ignored her, frowning at the mouse-looking boy. "Well? Are you mute or something?"

The boy cleared his throat. "My master, the headman, requests that you partake in supper with him and his wife," he said, glancing at Kagome under the pretense of gaining her approval of the invitation instead of just looking at her for the sake of looking at her, before returning his gaze the suspicious hanyou.

"Tell your master we will be pleased to come," Miroku told him cheerfully.

"I will," the boy said, bowing and backing out of the room, giving Kagome a last shy smile before exiting the hut and closing the door behind him.

"What was his problem?" Inuyasha growled, looking at Kagome. "He kept- staring at you, like he was possessed or something!"

Kagome grinned at him, trying to think of a way to tell him lightly… oh, yes. "Inuyasha, do you know what a `crush' is?" she asked the hanyou.

"No," he answered curtly, wondering what point she was trying to make.

"Well- it's when you see someone and are so entranced by their beauty or handsomeness that you think you're in love in them." Kagome looked at Inuyasha. He really wasn't going to take this news well…

"And?" he grunted. "What does this have to do with that- ningen- looking at you like that?" His eyes widened suddenly. "You mean… you think-"

"Yes," she interrupted him, nodding. "I think that that boy has a crush on me!"

"I'll kill that brat!!" he roared, jumping to his feet. "If he-"

THWAP!

Inuyasha fell back to his earlier position, nursing a lump on his head. "What the hell did you do that for?" he growled to Miroku, who held his staff in one hand.

"Be reasonable, Inuyasha!" the monk snapped. "It is not as if he is going to ask Kagome to marry him! Have you not dealt with these- crushes- before?"

"No," the hanyou said grumpily.

Shippo broke the sudden silence with a tearful, "Kagome, you can't leave us and get married to that guy!" He catapulted himself into her stomach from his seat on the floor, wailing.

She flinched as he hit her bruises, but made it look like she was just reacting to being hit in the stomach by a flying kitsune. She smoothed his fur, soothing him with a gentle, "It's okay, Shippo. I'm not going to get married to a guy I don't know! I'm not going to leave you any time soon."

Shippo relaxed, cuddling back against her lovingly. "Good," he mumbled.

Inuyasha, while no one was looking, sighed in relief. Sure, it was a long shot, but Kagome might actually decide to get married to someone she didn't know… He shook his head. Why did he even care if the stupid wench married someone? The name Hojo rose involuntarily in his mind and he growled under his breath. The little twit… he didn't know when to stop bothering Kagome…

Unnoticed by everyone, Miroku's left hand was twitching. It crept over the floor towards Sango, until…

Sango's screech of indignation shattered the silence, and she brought hiraikotsu down on the dense monk's head with a satisfying thud. "Really, Miroku!" she scolded. "I would think you would learn!"

"Sango, I am a monk!" he protested. "I protect my virtue from your wrong proclamations." He rubbed the growing bump on his head. Damn… the last one had almost faded, too.

"Do it again and I'll use that empty skull of yours to drink out of!" Sango yelled at the lecherous man.

Kagome, sighing, moved in between her friend and the monk. It was safe there, especially since Miroku hadn't tried any of his hentai moves on her since the day they had met. Hmm… why was that? Oh, yes. She forced back a giggle. It was because he knew Inuyasha would slice him into sashimi if he tried anything. She couldn't at least keep back a grin. Seriously, those two had had it in for each other since they had met.

That reminded her… how was Koga doing? They hadn't seen him in a while, and it was usually about two weeks between each visit. Then again, maybe it was better if he didn't show up… after all, Kagome didn't want Inuyasha distracted while they were fighting the rat-demons. That could lead to serious trouble.

A knock came again, this time a little more tentatively than before. The boy from before poked his head in and stuttered, "Th-the m-m-master says th-that dinner is r-ready." He risked a quick glance at Kagome, eyes half-lidded and rapturous, before quickly fleeing through the door. Kagome quelled the growling Inuyasha and walked through the door after the boy, her friends at her back.

She walked over to the close hut to the left of their own, and tentatively knocked on the door, her friends gathering around her. Kagome took a deep breath. Why am I so nervous? she asked herself.

A woman came to the door and opened it. "Hello, hello, welcome!" she said cheerfully, waving them inside. "Dinner is already being served. I am Iku, the headman's wife."

"We are pleased to meet you, Iku," Miroku said, bowing to her. "Please lead the way." He gave her a sly look, and Sango, seeing it, smacked him on the head with her hand and whispered, "Don't even think about it!"

Iku smiled and turned, walking down the hall, and motioned for them to follow. They did, the girls each smacking the monk on the head as a warning as they walked by. Inuyasha just grinned at the poor monk. Dejected, he returned to walking at the back of the group, his head hanging.

They entered a fairly large, lavishly decorated room. Tapestries hung on all of the walls, and eight small rugs that looked like they would be used to kneel on while eating surrounded the firepit.

Iku motioned them towards the central fire, over which a large pot and a smaller one simmered, and a wide plate with many small delicacies rested on rocks embedded next to the flames.

Miroku whistled as he looked around the room. "I could get a lot of money if I traded these…" he murmured. Sango shot him a don't-you-dare look, which he returned with a `who, me?' look. She rolled her eyes.

A fairly large man kneeling on one of the mats drew their attention with a gentle cough. Everyone but Kagome turned their gazes toward him. The girl fussed over Shippo's little clothes, putting buttons in the right holes and patting the cloth straight on his shoulders.

The man- presumably the headman- said quietly, "Welcome to my humble home. Please, sit down and sup with us." Kagome looked up; a shock raced through her veins to her heart when she saw the man, and she took a step back. He looked just like the thug that haunted her dreams!

A blink, and he looked like a normal man who was looking at her confusedly.

She said awkwardly, "Um- I was just admiring the lovely stitching on your clothing." For, indeed, the embroidered patterns of morning glory vines were a sight to see.

He seemed to take this, for he nodded genially and motioned for them to sit down. Kagome and her friends arranged themselves on the mats. The boy from before, the one who had stared at Kagome, came in, glancing shyly around. Inuyasha growled deep in his throat, but the boy didn't seem to notice.

He moved to take a seat next to Kagome, but Inuyasha blocked his way and directed him to the opposite side of the fire. The boy kneeled on the mat directly opposite of Kagome, while Inuyasha took the seat next to her, sitting in his usual cross-legged position.

Kagome put Shippo down gently on the mat next to her.

Rising, she apologized, "I'm sorry, everyone, I don't feel well. Please excuse me." She bowed politely to the headman and his wife, and exited the hut.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Inuyasha watched his friend retreat from the hut. I should go after her, he thought mournfully. But his gaze traveled to the large plate of delicacies, and his stomach rumbled in protest of anything but eating. I'll go after I eat, he compromised with the growing feeling of dread in his heart. He reached for a bowl of rice from the smaller pot.

Sango whispered to Miroku, "What could be wrong with Kagome?"

The monk replied softly, "I am not exactly sure, but this morning I saw that she had Inuyasha's haori covering her. Perhaps she has gotten a cold?"

"It's possible," the taijia agreed.

The headman said, "Everyone, please help yourselves. Oh, I almost forgot- this is my son, Tohaku. I believe you met him earlier?" He motioned to the boy, who was gazing longingly at the door through which Kagome had fled. "Tohaku," the headman said sharply, and the boy jerked and looked around at the group, one of which was hiding a grin.

"Pleased to meet you," he said shyly. The headman looked at the friends expectantly, and Miroku said, "I am Miroku, my lovely friend here is Sango, and this is Inuyasha." He pointed at the owners of each name as he said them.

"Hello," Sango said brightly, trying to make up for grinning at Tohaku's inattentiveness.

"And I'm Shippo!" the kitsune said cheerfully. "The woman who just left is my mommy, Kagome."

Iku raised her eyebrows. "She's your mother? She doesn't look like a fox-demon."

"Well, Kagome is sort of like Shippo's foster mother," Sango explained. "She and Inuyasha found him, and helped him get revenge on the Thunder Brothers for killing his parents."

"And it was fucking hard," Inuyasha growled, not liking that the topic was making Shippo look downcast.

Miroku thwacked him over the head with his staff. "Watch your language," the monk told him.

Inuyasha muttered something under his breath as he rubbed the fresh lump on his head. Everyone else quieted down as the headman's wife passed around the small bowls and began ladling out soup from the large pot.

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Phew! That took forever to type! But it was fun. I do it for my loyal fans… Oh, loyal fans! Where are you? *crickets chirp*

……

…Okay, that's not nice. Just for that, I'm not going to give you a preview of the next chapter!

No, I'm just kidding. I don't want to leave you hanging about what happens to poor Kagome… oops! I've said too much! But here you go anyway.

Oh, and for the crickets, I'm going to leave you hanging about what happens to Kagome anyway. Ha! But I will give you other info… Okay! I should stop talking!

~*~*~

A screech of "Mama!" made Kagome jump and turn around.

"Shippo!" she cried. A humongous rat was chasing the kitsune towards them!

Inuyasha leapt for him, Tetsuseiga in hand, but jumped to the side as a blazing arrow shot past him. The rat, squealing, vaporized.

Breathing hard, Kagome stood, bow held loosely in her grip. "Shippo…" she murmured.

~*~*~

Mwahaha! I'll leave you there! But I'll give you a hint… *cough*helives*cough*

Lol! Review please!