InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis ❯ Cats and Dogs ( Chapter 4 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: King Baka 
You know what they say about cats and dogs...
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Romance / Hentai / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.10.2008 | Updated On: 12.09.2010 | Pages: 4 | Words: 6.9K | Visits: 5.8K | Status: Completed
You know what they say about cats and dogs...
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Romance / Hentai / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.10.2008 | Updated On: 12.09.2010 | Pages: 4 | Words: 6.9K | Visits: 5.8K | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or any of the publicly known characters, plot, etc. I’m just renting them from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, etc. I do own the plot of this story and any original characters I’ve created. I will make no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers.
Fanfiction of the Week: Unleashed, by BlackMamba07
One of the finest AUs I’ve ever read. Full of suspense and action, this story isn’t for someone who can’t stomach a little angst. This is the third BlackMamba07 story I’ve recommended, ad for good reason. She is an amazing author.
Cats and Dogs
Inuyasha woke with a start, temporarily blinded by the bright sunlight that had roused him. What the…I fell asleep? That in itself wasn’t odd; even hanyou needed some sleep. The strange part was that he’d apparently slept through the whole night, not even waking at dawn like he normally did. The last time he slept so soundly had been on Kagome’s bed, after a battle with Naraku. At the time, he realized the depth of his slumber had much more to do with being wrapped in Kagome’s scent than the softness of her mattress, and it appeared last night had been no different. Hell, he could probably sleep with a hundred Shippous dancing on his belly, as long as Kagome was close. Expanding his lungs, he drew in the soothing scent of the girl still snuggled against his chest…and nearly pushed her out of the tree in his alarm.
Kagome awoke to the unpleasant sensation of being jostled, and not the kind of gentle motion her mother would wake her up with. Instantly alert, she opened her eyes to find Inuyasha, holding her at arms length, staring at her as if she’d just sprouted another head.
“Inuyasha! Wha-aahh!” Clenching her teeth, Kagome covered her ears with her hands, trying to get them to stop ringing. Oww! Why was my voice so loud? Taking a deep, steadying breath through her nose proved even more painful. She sputtered and sneezed, trying to fight off a rising sense of panic. Her nose felt like it was on fire! She slammed her eyes shut and curled in on herself, trying to fight off the alien sensations as they pounded against her skull. Suddenly she was pulled against a strong chest, her nose pressed firmly into the fabric of his haori. She started to struggle, but his words stopped her.
“Don’t fight it, Kagome! Just relax. Focus on me, just my scent.” His words were nearly whispered, yet they still rang loudly in her ears. Inuyasha, for his part, had realized what was happening as soon as he snapped out of his shock-induced stupor. Her scent had been his first clue; Kagome smelled like a youkai. And it wasn’t the same as when she smelled like him after riding on his back. No, her very being smelled of youkai, as if the scent was coming from deep within her flesh. One look at her confirmed his worst fears. There, standing proudly atop her head, were two black, triangular ears. That in itself filled him with dread; only one kind of creature had ears of that type… The sight of Kagome’s hands flying up to cover the fuzzy appendages bought him back to reality, as he observed her struggling to cope with the new information the world was hurling at her. She looked to be on the brink of passing out when he took action. He would have been lying if he said he knew what he was doing, but it was all he could do to keep her new senses from overwhelming her.
Kagome did as she was told, concentrating on Inuyasha’s scent. He smelled of so many different things: woods, sweat, dog. But his scent was entirely masculine, and despite how strong it suddenly was, she found it anything but unpleasant. Gradually her breathing slowed, and she relaxed, leaning bonelessly against him, physically and mentally exhausted. As time passed, a new nuance snuck into his scent, one that made her very anxious. She didn’t know what it was, but she knew she didn’t like it. Eventually, she grew comfortable enough to remove her hands from her ears. Her headache returned full force, but she focused on Inuyasha, his breathing, his heartbeat, and slowly the background noise faded to a more manageable level. How long had they been sitting there like that, twined around each other with her face nestled against his chest? To Kagome, it seemed like hours, and in fact it had been almost an hour. Finally feeling more like herself, Kagome pulled back only to have Inuyasha tighten his arms around her. Feeling the beginnings of a blush start to form on her cheeks, Kagome realized the full extent of their compromising position. She was sitting on his thighs, one knee planted firmly on either side of his abdomen, her legs bent and folded underneath her. Again she tried to extricate herself and again she was denied.
“Inuyasha,” she said, a little annoyed, “you can let me go now.” Instead of complying, he gripped her even tighter, and shook his head vehemently. Her exasperation and embarrassment melted away, however, as that strange nuance in his scent intensified. Then, somehow it clicked, something deep inside told her what it was—fear. Fear? What’s he afraid of?
“Inuyasha,” she asked, much gentler this time, “what’s wrong?”
He shuddered as the scent of his fear continued to strengthen. Finally, he spoke in a barely audible whisper.
“D-don’t hate me.” The pleading in his tone, the desperation there made Kagome’s heart ache.
“Hate you? Why would I hate you?” she asked, genuinely confused. Unable to form words, he settled for reaching down and grasping her hand. Hesitantly, he brought it up until it rested on top of her head. Kagome gasped as she realized what her fingers were touching. Somehow, in the chaos she had been too distracted to notice that her ears were not where they should be. And they weren’t human anymore; that was abundantly clear. Now she knew why Inuyasha was so afraid; she felt no small amount of trepidation herself.
“Inuyasha,” she inquired in a shaky voice, “what happened to me?”
Finally he pulled back to gaze at her, and the haunted look in his eyes, as if he knew what he was about to say would ruin their friendship forever, cut her to the core.
“Kagome…you got demon blood inside you. You’re a hanyou.”
Kagome stared at him, contemplating his words for a moment before the stress of the morning finally caught up with her. Her eyes rolled back and she fainted.
When she came to, she was lying on the ground, her head propped up on something warm and comfortable. Ugh…what a crazy dream. Still, as she opened her eyes and slowly blinked the haze of sleep away, she couldn’t help but feel that something was off. The smells and sounds of the world bombarded her senses, and she turned her nose into her Inuyasha’s leg pillow to escape the onslaught. The situation baffled her; in fact, it all too closely resembled that of her dream, where Inuyasha told her she was a hanyou. Kagome’s eyes widened as reality set in, and she inched her hand upwards until it made contact with the furry appendage she was afraid she would find. Bolting upright in shock nearly knocked her unconscious again, but Inuyasha’s firm hands on her back supported her as she adjusted to the incredibly loud and stinky world around her. Finally, when the cacophony that was nature had regressed to a more bearable level in her head, she dared a glance at the hanyou behind her. His expression was guarded, as if he had resigned himself to something. She had never seen him look so defeated.
“Inuyasha, what’s wrong?” she asked, wincing at the sound of her own voice. Inuyasha didn’t respond, merely looking away, refusing to make eye contact. Kagome was beyond confused; just what had gotten into him? It was she who had been suddenly turned into a hanyou! But maybe that was the problem. H-he can’t accept me like this? But why? I’ve always accepted him! How can he…reject me? Tears sprung to her eyes, but she blinked them back as another thought, a memory, occurred to her. “D-don’t hate me.” That was what he said. Is that why he can’t look at me, ‘cause he thinks I hate him? His response to her earlier question of why she would hate him confirmed her suspicion.
“Inuyasha,” she said gently. No response. “Inuyasha, look at me.” Still no response. Kagome reached out to gently caress his cheek, tenderly turning his face toward her. As his eyes became unhidden by his bangs, she gasped at the moisture she glimpsed in his amber depths. She let her fingers linger on his cheek as she endeavored to offer some much needed reassurance.
“Inuyasha, I don’t hate you.”
Finally his eyes snapped to hers as he sat up straight, breaking their intimate contact. His face revealed unabashed confusion, and his scent spoke of surprise, and tentative hope.
“Why?” was all he was able to articulate.
“Why should I?”
That did the trick, as Inuyasha’s golden orbs filled with anger and frustration, and he quickly launched into one of his trademark tantrums, though he did remember to keep his voice down.
“Why should you? Because it’s MY FAULT you’re…like THAT!!”
“It’s not your fault,” Kagome cooed softly, placing her hand comfortingly on his. But he jerked it away as if her touch burned him.
“Yes it is, wench! If I had protected you better, you—”
“That’s enough!” Kagome yelled, her own frustration rising. For once, Inuyasha did not further escalate the argument. In his mind, he deserved far more than a painless tongue-lashing. Seeing his chastised silence, Kagome took a deep breath to calm herself. “Look Inuyasha,” she continued, in a voice that was equal parts comforting and firm, “it’s not your fault. I should have stayed in the well like you told me. AND” she raised her voice to curtail his protest, “even if it was your fault, even if I died under your protection, I could still never, ever hate you.”
The look of wonder and gratitude that graced his visage at that moment was one Kagome would never forget. Inuyasha was humbled, utterly and completely, by the sheer kindness and forgiving nature of this girl, this one human who could not hate him, even when she had every conceivable reason for doing so. It was his fault, no matter what she said, that she had been turned into a monster, an abomination rejected by human and youkai alike. After she fainted, he had relived memory after painful memory. Taunts, insults, attempts on his life, they all beat him down, so much so that at some points he had wished for nothing more than a merciful end to it all. But his will to live was strong; at times it had been the only thing that kept him going over the years, back when he had no one else to live for.
But things were different now. Kagome was continuing what Kikyou had started. He now had friends, other people to live and die for; the concept was still somewhat foreign to him, even after more than a year in their company. None of them see me as a monster. They all accept me, even as a hanyou, and Kagome…she even said she loves me. Yes, perhaps the other humans hadn’t heard it, but Inuyasha’s sensitive ears allowed him to easily pick up Kagome’s exclaimed confession just before he crashed through the door and rescued her from Naraku’s infant. He thought of her words and her feelings regularly, but never mentioned them, or what he knew. It wasn’t because he doubted Kagome’s sincerity; she wasn’t the type of girl to say something like that without really meaning it. No, it was himself he was unsure of. Even after months of searching his feelings and grappling with his emotions, he couldn’t say he loved her in return. On the other hand, he couldn’t say he didn’t love her either. He just didn’t know, and Kikyou’s presence among the living only complicated matters. Inuyasha had concluded long ago that it would be best to focus on gathering the jewel shards and destroying Naraku, and let the rest sort itself out.
Now, it seemed like he would have to add something else to his list of priorities. Kagome may accept me as a hanyou, but she has no idea what I’ve been through. I can’t let her go through that…she’s always been loved, and everyone who meets her likes her. Inuyasha growled internally as he thought of how much he hated that sometimes, especially when other males were involved. Kagome doesn’t know what it’s like to be shunned, to be so completely alone you start talking to the trees… I can’t allow her to experience what it’s like to be hated just for being alive. It would break her. No, Inuyasha vowed then and there to find a way to change Kagome back to her human self, no matter what the cost. He would do everything he could to shield her from the hate, the loathing that faced every hanyou. He just hoped he could accomplish his task before her gentle spirit was permanently scarred.
“Inuyasha?” Kagome’s worried voice brought him out of his musings, and he realized he had been staring at her for longer than he should have. Quick as a flash, he enfolded her in a powerful embrace, as much to hide his lone falling tear as to assure himself that she was really there, forgiving him.
“Thank you,” he uttered in a near whisper. Then, pulling back to gaze at her determinately, he pledged, “Don’t worry Kagome. I promise I’ll find a way to change you back to normal. We’ll go to Totosai’s and see if he or Myouga know anything.” For some unknown reason, his words caused a slight pain to materialize in Kagome’s heart, but she pushed it aside, deeply touched by the fact that he was apparently prioritizing helping her over finding Naraku.
“It’s ok, Inuyasha. We don’t have to put off our quest. I’m not dying here. It’ll be an adjustment, and my head is still killing me, but I’m already doing better than befo—”
“No, wench! We’re going to see Totosai right away, and that’s final!!”
“Ok, ok, you don’t have to yell!” Kagome shouted, lowering her ears.
“Sorry,” Inuyasha replied quickly, as Kagome blinked in shock. Her hanyou friend just continued to surprise her today.
“Is it…really that bad?” he asked guiltily.
As she looked at Inuyasha, his own ears lowered, probably in shame, Kagome couldn’t help but smile at his concern. “No, it’s not that bad. The hearing gives me a headache, but I haven’t noticed much of a change in sight. The smells are the worst. But you really helped me out when you told me to focus on you.” She flushed lightly, both because of the reminder of their close contact that morning and because of the question she was about to ask. “D-do you thing you could…maybe, teach me how to use my senses?”
Inuyasha’s shoulders slumped incredulously in relief; when he sensed her nervousness, he expected her to request something either embarrassing or difficult.
“Of course, baka,” he replied, a small smile working its way to his lips, letting her know he didn’t really mean the insult. “Just keep practicing focusing your senses on one thing. I’ve lived with mine for so long that the things I need to hear are clear, and everything else just fades into the background. And you probably won’t notice the change in vision until tonight, especially since you’re a cat.” He spoke the last word with just a hint of disgust.
Kagome chuckled. “Well, I suppose we fight like cats and dogs anyway.” Inuyasha snickered as well, still unbelievably happy she was even speaking to him at the moment, even if it was to tell lame jokes. Comfortable silence fell until another related thought struck Kagome.
“Inuyasha, before…I could smell your feelings, your emotions.” She wisely made no mention of the hanyou’s fear; Kagome knew better than to tell Inuyasha he had ever been afraid of anything.
“Yeah, so? I’ve been able to do that my whole life.”
“But how did I know what each emotion was? It was like something inside me told me what I was smelling.”
Inuyasha merely shrugged. “Maybe you have youkai instincts, too.”
“Do you have them?”
“Feh! Bloodlust ain’t the only thing that takes over when I transform…” His voice cracked with old remorse, and Kagome placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He grasped it in his own and held it there, adding full-demon transformations as another reason why he had to change Kagome back as quickly as possible. Then Kagome spoke as if she had been reading his thoughts.
“I don’t know if I could transform. I am a miko…” She trailed off as an alarming thought occurred to her. Am I still a miko? Did I lose my powers? Can I sense the jewel?! Fighting off a sense of rising panic, Kagome focused her concentration, summoning her powers in the same way she always did. To her surprise and immense relief, it worked. Her hands glowed with the same pure, pink light, as if she didn’t have cat ears and claws. Claws? Examining her fingers, she observed that her nails had sharpened and elongated, narrowing down to fierce points. They were still clear like fingernails, but much thinner and rounder, and if she flexed her muscles the right way they disappeared into her flesh. Retractable claws…I really am I cat! This time it was Inuyasha who interrupted Kagome’s musings, as he continued their previous line of conversation.
“Earlier, when you were asleep, your powers came out…but you didn’t purify me. Why?” he asked, utterly stumped. Kagome thought about it a moment, then shrugged.
“Well, I would never want to purify you, so I guess my miko powers reacted to that.” Remembering the second part of her earlier concern, Kagome once again focused her powers, searching for a familiar presence. There! “And I can still sense the jewel shards. Thank the Kami!” she sighed in indescribable relief. Inuyasha frowned, sensing there was more to her reaction—over-reaction—than met the eye.
“Kagome,” he said firmly, waiting for her to look at him before continuing. “Even if you couldn’t sense the jewel shards, it wouldn’t change anything. I wouldn’t make you leave.” His tone suggested he was mildly offended, and Kagome mentally berated herself for thinking that for even a second. The old—very old—Inuyasha might have abandoned her in that situation, but they were friends now, good friends, and she should have known better.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed—”
“Keh! Damn right you shouldn’t have! I’m not a complete bastard, you know.”
“Yeah, I know, it’s just…”
“Don’t worry about it, alright?” he interrupted, already tired of her remorse. Why could he never stay mad at her when she said something stupid to him. It happened far less frequently than a similar exchange the other way around, so he should be using this chance to wrangle a sympathy promise from her, damn it! Maybe no visits home for a lunar cycle, or no ‘osuwari’ for a week. And yet…
“It’s no big deal, ok? Now, quit blubbering and tell me what the hell went on inside that head of yours. The babaa said you were either supposed to purify that youkai or he was going to take over your body, so how in all the layers of hell did you wind up as a hanyou?”
Kagome glared at him as she ceased her ‘blubbering.’ Honestly, I haven’t even started crying yet. Though she had a feeling that might not last too long. She was not looking forward to this part of the conversation.
“Well, when I fell unconscious, the second time,” she said, blushing as she remembered the glorious sensation that had saved her the first time. Inuyasha had the good graces to blush as well. “I was able to summon my powers and purify the demon. Only he didn’t vanish. His spirit separated from his youki, like what normally happens when you slay a youkai, but neither one disappeared. Apparently, I accidentally purified his spirit of its evil. And…when I read his mind, and saw how much he had suffered in his lifetime, I just couldn’t let him go to hell. He was just an orphan, a lonely kid searching for somebody to care for him, and when he found friends, he came after the jewel to gain power to protect them. I know he was evil; he killed humans without hesitation, but his purified spirit was just a child. I couldn’t do it, Inuyasha. I couldn’t let him merge with his youki, because then he would end up in hell. The only way to save his soul was to allow his pure spirit to go to heaven. I told him to leave his youki behind.” Kagome waited with baited breath for a long moment, not daring to elevate her gaze from the grass underneath her feet. “You probably think I’m a huge idiot.” Uncomfortable silence settled as Kagome held her breath, dreading the inevitable explosion.
“BAKA!!!” Kagome winced, but made no move to argue. “I already told you, I’m not that much of a bastard!” Now her eyes snapped up, to see an irritated—but not angry—Inuyasha gazing sternly at her.
“Wha-?”
“How can I be mad at you when you just wanted to save the soul of some little kid?” She heard the words he didn’t say: who was once just like me… And for the second time that day, Kagome berated herself for underestimating the strength of Inuyasha’s heart.
“Sorry,” she said, sniffling.
“C-cut that out! It ain’t a big deal! I didn’t used to care about…things like that, until you came along.” His voice trailed off and the last word was spoken barely above a whisper, but he met her eyes and stood by his confession. Kagome managed a watery smile in response. Sure, the brash, surly hanyou before her would sometimes hurt her feelings, but he always knew how to make her feel better, even if it was just by being there.
“Thanks, Inuyasha.”
“Keh!” he replied, a light dusting of pink gracing his cheeks. Kagome chuckled, amused by his typical oh-so-eloquent reply. “Come on, let’s go fetch the others. We’re starting toward Totosai’s this afternoon, even if I have to drag them out of the babaa’s hut.” The idea of setting out on a journey caused Kagome to remember something, something she probably would have been better off forgetting.
“Inuyasha,” she asked nervously, “how many days ago did that youkai attack?”
“Three days. Why?” he inquired suspiciously, suddenly aware of Kagome’s apprehension. Let’s see, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday…oh, crap!
“What’s the matter, wench?”
Kagome flinched, recognizing that tone. The one that said he knew she was hiding something; the one that also told her she was about to have one hell of an argument on her hands.
“Well, you see…”
“Spit it out already, wench!”
Kagome narrowed her eyes, managing a very feline snarl in response. “I failed one of my tests last week, so the professor offered to let me take a makeup…tomorrow.”
“WHAT!!! Oh, HELL no! No fuckin’ way!”
“Inuyasha, please, be reasonable! I have to take this tes—”
“No, wench! Your mother is never going to find out about…this!!” he yelled, motioning wildly at her with one hand. Kagome’s retort died on her lips as Inuyasha’s words sunk in.
“Inuyasha, you’re not worried that my mother will…reject me, are you?”
“Fuck! I ain’t worried about you! Your mom will love you no matter what you look like. I’m worried about ME! Kami, Kagome, do you have any idea what your mother is going to do to me? She’ll probably rip off my ears and nail them to the wall!”
Kagome just shook her head. Somewhere in that sea of profanity and bellowing, Inuyasha had said something amazingly sweet. Of course, a diamond in the rough is still a diamond.
“Thanks, Inuyasha. And relax, it was my fault this happened, and I know my mom won’t be too mad at you. And besides,” she teased, “I’ll protect you from my big, scary Okaa-san.”
Inuyasha glared at her, even as she tried to reign in her giggles and keep a straight face.
“I’m not afraid of your mother! Just don’t expect me to listen if she says I can’t ever see you again.”
Truly touched, Kagome flashed him a positively brilliant smile. “Deal. Now come on, we need talk to the others so I can go home and study.”
“Keh,” he mumbled as she dragged him off toward Kaede’s hut.
“Inuyasha, what are you doing?” Kagome asked, more than a little irritated at the hanyou currently blocking her exit from the well house.
“Just hang back awhile. I’ll talk to your mother so she doesn’t freak out. You remember what happened at Kaede’s hut, don’t you?”
Kagome lowered her ears, remembering just how painful that experience had been. As soon as she and Inuyasha entered the hut they had been bombarded with questions and greetings from their friends, who were obviously surprised and glad to see Kagome up and well. Then everything paused for a moment, as they took in her altered appearance, and the questions began again at an even higher decibel level. Kagome’s ears had instantly plastered to her skull, the pounding in her temples returning full force. Her friends weren’t yelling, but they weren’t speaking softly either. Her shouting match with Inuyasha by Goshinboku had bothered her, quite a bit actually, but she felt the conversation was too important to let it show. Besides, back then it had been only one person speaking at a time, and now it was three, even four, at once. And with the noise bouncing off the walls of the enclosed room, the roar was deafening to her not-so-well-adjusted senses. She was just about to turn around and retreat outside when Inuyasha came to her rescue.
“Shut up! All of you!” When the room was quiet, he continued, “Kagome hasn’t mastered her senses yet, so if you’re gonna talk to her, you gotta be quiet.” After flashing Inuyasha a grateful smile, Kagome proceeded to relate all of her adventures since the youkai attack. She left out certain parts, of course, much to the relief of her hanyou companion. The others expressed amazement at the kindness of her heart, and Kagome found herself blushing from all the attention. She flushed even deeper when she felt the somewhat familiar sensation of a hand on her backside. The lecherous monk backed away quickly as he found himself confronted by two snarling hanyou, as well as an irate taijiya.
“Now, now, everyone. I was just checking for a tail.” Kagome blanched at that. She wasn’t an animal, and she certainly didn’t have a tail!
“Bouzu! Touch her again and you won’t have anything to ‘check for a tail’ with!” After that remark, Kaede steered the conversation back to the original topic, expressing amazement that Kagome could still use her miko powers and sense the jewel shards.
“By all rights, such a thing should not be possible. Then again, many things I would not have thought possible have come to pass since ye first arrived through the well, Kagome,” she said, eyeing Inuyasha, leaving both hanyou to wonder what she meant. Then little Shippou just had to go and make that joke—“you guys fight like cats and dogs anyway”—and everyone laughed, except Inuyasha. If it wasn’t funny the first time, it definitely wasn’t funny the second time. There had been some discussion as to what their next course of action should be, but after Kagome assented to Inuyasha’s ‘suggestion’ that they go see Totosai, the group agreed. They would leave tomorrow afternoon, after her test. Secretly, Kagome was hoping to persuade Inuyasha to let her have an extra night in her nice, comfy bed, but that was a worry for another day. Currently, her primary concern was how to break the news of her ‘predicament’ to her mother.
“Alright, just try not to scare her too badly,” she reluctantly replied.
“Keh!” Then Inuyasha was gone, strolling across the shrine grounds to the front door. He knocked, and exchanged pleasantries with her mother before being invited inside. As soon as the door was closed Kagome darted out of her hiding spot, running up to the door and placing her ear against it. Just because she didn’t want to be seen yet didn’t mean she had to stay in the well house. Souta was at school and she could hear jii-chan puttering around in the shed somewhere, so if she was careful there was very little chance of getting caught. Her increased hearing easily picked up the muffled conversation inside the house.
“Uh, Mrs. Higurashi, I have to tell you something…about Kagome.”
“Oh, Kami, what happened? Is my baby hurt?! Is she—”
“No! She’s fine! Just, uh…something happened.”
“Inuyasha…”
Kagome gulped; she knew that tone of voice. Her mother didn’t get angry very often, but when she did, everyone in the Higurashi household knew to keep their distance, jii-chan included. And if Inuyasha didn’t spill the beans very soon, he would be learning that lesson firsthand. But that was the problem; he was trying to break it to her easy, not come right out and say “your daughter is a hanyou.” Deciding it couldn’t be helped, Kagome sighed, opened the door, and stepped into the kitchen.
“Kagome! Wha…” Mother and daughter stared at each other as Mrs. Higurashi trailed off, her cup of tea falling from her grasp. Neither noticed as Inuyasha snatched the cup out of the air, nor his hiss of pain as some of the scalding liquid splashed on his hand. Swearing softly, he padded to the sink and put his hand under the cold water as the two women continued their staring contest. Kagome broke her gaze first, unable to take the oppressive silence any longer.
“Hi, Mama. It’s a long story…” As if hearing her daughter’s voice was the only thing needed to snap Mrs. Higurashi out of her trance, she rushed forward, running her hands along Kagome’s cheeks.
“Kagome,” she whispered, still apparently in complete shock. “You have ears…”
“And claws,” Kagome replied, raising her hand and deploying her new weapons. Mrs. Higurashi jumped slightly, but seemed to come back to herself after that.
“So…you’re a cat?”
“Cat hanyou, actually.” What happened next was the last thing Kagome expected. Her mother grabbed her ears and began massaging them. And it felt good. Her whole body was relaxing, and Kagome couldn’t help it. She purred. A choked sound, a mixture of a laugh and a cough, from Inuyasha jolted her back to the present, and she blushed like a tomato. Inuyasha was standing at the sink trying not to laugh, and her mother was looking confusedly back and forth between the two of them. Kagome glared daggers at her red-clad friend; he would pay for that later. Mrs. Higurashi intervened at that point, sitting them down at the table and calmly demanding an explanation. Inuyasha was content to let Kagome do all the talking. Her mother listened attentively, her expression rising and falling with each twist and turn of the tale. When it was done, she nodded thoughtfully, then inquired as to what they were going to do now. Inuyasha spoke up then, informing her of their imminent quest to return Kagome to her original form. Mrs. Higurashi actually chuckled at that, flashing the ‘I know something you don’t know’ look, and effectively breaking whatever tension had still remained in the room.
“Well, you two fight like cats and dogs, anyway,” she said, laughing at her own joke as Inuyasha and Kagome rolled their eyes. “Would you like to take a bath, Kagome?”
“Oooh, that would be—ah! It’s almost four o’clock! No time for a bath, Mama, gotta go study!” With that, Kagome flew up the stairs into her room, leaving Inuyasha alone with her mother. The hanyou excused himself, preparing to follow her, but Mrs. Higurashi stopped him.
“Inuyasha,” she said in a tone that left no room for argument. “Kagome wasn’t telling me something. What was it?” The sudden uneasy feeling in his gut prompted Inuyasha to wonder if perhaps he really was afraid of Kagome’s mother.
“H-how did you know?”
“I’m her mother. It’s my job to know these things. Now what wasn’t she telling me.”
Inuyasha sighed, admitting defeat. “It was a close thing,” he muttered, eyes closed. “I—we almost lost her.”
“And you saved her?”
“I helped a little, I guess. She saved herself.”
“Thank you, for taking such good care of my daughter,” Mrs. Higurashi said quietly after a moment.
“Uh, sure,” Inuyasha replied awkwardly. Mrs. Higurashi let him go, and he quickly jetted up the stairs and flopped on Kagome’s bed. This was the scene that greeted Souta a few minutes later, as he accosted Inuyasha for his monthly dose of hero worship, catching a glimpse of his sister in the process.
“Whoa, what happened to you, Nee-chan?”
Sighing, Kagome launched into the very brief explanation, anxious to get her brother, and Inuyasha for that matter, out of her room so she could concentrate.
Souta grinned to himself as he thought of something funny. “Well, you guys fight like ca—”
“DON’T SAY IT!!!!”
A/N – Yep, many of you guessed it; this is the old Kagome turns into a half-demon premise. I’ve read several stories that start out with this foundation, and I have a common problem with most of them—it’s too easy. It’s too easy for Kagome to accept her new body, her new senses, and it’s too easy for the others to accept that she’s going to stay that way forever. I can assure you that this story will not take that road. I listed this story under the angst category for a reason, and I fully intend to follow through with that label. Expect more than in my other stories, but not too much.
Sidenote 1: you may think Inuyasha is out of character here, but remember when Kagome purified the miasma in Kikyou’s body? Afterwards, she told Inuyasha she hated him and he got vocally upset. In light of that, I don’t think Inuyasha’s reaction here is a stretch, especially considering he thinks she hates him and is going to leave and never return.
Sidenote 2: and you’ll never be able to convince me Inuyasha didn’t hear Kagome yell that she loved him. He crashed through the door immediately afterwards in the anime, and the manga shows her confession and his entrance on the same page! ‘Nuff said.
Thanks for taking the time to read my author’s notes, and enjoy the rest of Metamorphosis. Remember, reviews are always appreciated, and I like to respond to comments, so keep ‘em comin’!
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Fanfiction of the Week: Unleashed, by BlackMamba07
One of the finest AUs I’ve ever read. Full of suspense and action, this story isn’t for someone who can’t stomach a little angst. This is the third BlackMamba07 story I’ve recommended, ad for good reason. She is an amazing author.
Cats and Dogs
Inuyasha woke with a start, temporarily blinded by the bright sunlight that had roused him. What the…I fell asleep? That in itself wasn’t odd; even hanyou needed some sleep. The strange part was that he’d apparently slept through the whole night, not even waking at dawn like he normally did. The last time he slept so soundly had been on Kagome’s bed, after a battle with Naraku. At the time, he realized the depth of his slumber had much more to do with being wrapped in Kagome’s scent than the softness of her mattress, and it appeared last night had been no different. Hell, he could probably sleep with a hundred Shippous dancing on his belly, as long as Kagome was close. Expanding his lungs, he drew in the soothing scent of the girl still snuggled against his chest…and nearly pushed her out of the tree in his alarm.
Kagome awoke to the unpleasant sensation of being jostled, and not the kind of gentle motion her mother would wake her up with. Instantly alert, she opened her eyes to find Inuyasha, holding her at arms length, staring at her as if she’d just sprouted another head.
“Inuyasha! Wha-aahh!” Clenching her teeth, Kagome covered her ears with her hands, trying to get them to stop ringing. Oww! Why was my voice so loud? Taking a deep, steadying breath through her nose proved even more painful. She sputtered and sneezed, trying to fight off a rising sense of panic. Her nose felt like it was on fire! She slammed her eyes shut and curled in on herself, trying to fight off the alien sensations as they pounded against her skull. Suddenly she was pulled against a strong chest, her nose pressed firmly into the fabric of his haori. She started to struggle, but his words stopped her.
“Don’t fight it, Kagome! Just relax. Focus on me, just my scent.” His words were nearly whispered, yet they still rang loudly in her ears. Inuyasha, for his part, had realized what was happening as soon as he snapped out of his shock-induced stupor. Her scent had been his first clue; Kagome smelled like a youkai. And it wasn’t the same as when she smelled like him after riding on his back. No, her very being smelled of youkai, as if the scent was coming from deep within her flesh. One look at her confirmed his worst fears. There, standing proudly atop her head, were two black, triangular ears. That in itself filled him with dread; only one kind of creature had ears of that type… The sight of Kagome’s hands flying up to cover the fuzzy appendages bought him back to reality, as he observed her struggling to cope with the new information the world was hurling at her. She looked to be on the brink of passing out when he took action. He would have been lying if he said he knew what he was doing, but it was all he could do to keep her new senses from overwhelming her.
Kagome did as she was told, concentrating on Inuyasha’s scent. He smelled of so many different things: woods, sweat, dog. But his scent was entirely masculine, and despite how strong it suddenly was, she found it anything but unpleasant. Gradually her breathing slowed, and she relaxed, leaning bonelessly against him, physically and mentally exhausted. As time passed, a new nuance snuck into his scent, one that made her very anxious. She didn’t know what it was, but she knew she didn’t like it. Eventually, she grew comfortable enough to remove her hands from her ears. Her headache returned full force, but she focused on Inuyasha, his breathing, his heartbeat, and slowly the background noise faded to a more manageable level. How long had they been sitting there like that, twined around each other with her face nestled against his chest? To Kagome, it seemed like hours, and in fact it had been almost an hour. Finally feeling more like herself, Kagome pulled back only to have Inuyasha tighten his arms around her. Feeling the beginnings of a blush start to form on her cheeks, Kagome realized the full extent of their compromising position. She was sitting on his thighs, one knee planted firmly on either side of his abdomen, her legs bent and folded underneath her. Again she tried to extricate herself and again she was denied.
“Inuyasha,” she said, a little annoyed, “you can let me go now.” Instead of complying, he gripped her even tighter, and shook his head vehemently. Her exasperation and embarrassment melted away, however, as that strange nuance in his scent intensified. Then, somehow it clicked, something deep inside told her what it was—fear. Fear? What’s he afraid of?
“Inuyasha,” she asked, much gentler this time, “what’s wrong?”
He shuddered as the scent of his fear continued to strengthen. Finally, he spoke in a barely audible whisper.
“D-don’t hate me.” The pleading in his tone, the desperation there made Kagome’s heart ache.
“Hate you? Why would I hate you?” she asked, genuinely confused. Unable to form words, he settled for reaching down and grasping her hand. Hesitantly, he brought it up until it rested on top of her head. Kagome gasped as she realized what her fingers were touching. Somehow, in the chaos she had been too distracted to notice that her ears were not where they should be. And they weren’t human anymore; that was abundantly clear. Now she knew why Inuyasha was so afraid; she felt no small amount of trepidation herself.
“Inuyasha,” she inquired in a shaky voice, “what happened to me?”
Finally he pulled back to gaze at her, and the haunted look in his eyes, as if he knew what he was about to say would ruin their friendship forever, cut her to the core.
“Kagome…you got demon blood inside you. You’re a hanyou.”
Kagome stared at him, contemplating his words for a moment before the stress of the morning finally caught up with her. Her eyes rolled back and she fainted.
When she came to, she was lying on the ground, her head propped up on something warm and comfortable. Ugh…what a crazy dream. Still, as she opened her eyes and slowly blinked the haze of sleep away, she couldn’t help but feel that something was off. The smells and sounds of the world bombarded her senses, and she turned her nose into her Inuyasha’s leg pillow to escape the onslaught. The situation baffled her; in fact, it all too closely resembled that of her dream, where Inuyasha told her she was a hanyou. Kagome’s eyes widened as reality set in, and she inched her hand upwards until it made contact with the furry appendage she was afraid she would find. Bolting upright in shock nearly knocked her unconscious again, but Inuyasha’s firm hands on her back supported her as she adjusted to the incredibly loud and stinky world around her. Finally, when the cacophony that was nature had regressed to a more bearable level in her head, she dared a glance at the hanyou behind her. His expression was guarded, as if he had resigned himself to something. She had never seen him look so defeated.
“Inuyasha, what’s wrong?” she asked, wincing at the sound of her own voice. Inuyasha didn’t respond, merely looking away, refusing to make eye contact. Kagome was beyond confused; just what had gotten into him? It was she who had been suddenly turned into a hanyou! But maybe that was the problem. H-he can’t accept me like this? But why? I’ve always accepted him! How can he…reject me? Tears sprung to her eyes, but she blinked them back as another thought, a memory, occurred to her. “D-don’t hate me.” That was what he said. Is that why he can’t look at me, ‘cause he thinks I hate him? His response to her earlier question of why she would hate him confirmed her suspicion.
“Inuyasha,” she said gently. No response. “Inuyasha, look at me.” Still no response. Kagome reached out to gently caress his cheek, tenderly turning his face toward her. As his eyes became unhidden by his bangs, she gasped at the moisture she glimpsed in his amber depths. She let her fingers linger on his cheek as she endeavored to offer some much needed reassurance.
“Inuyasha, I don’t hate you.”
Finally his eyes snapped to hers as he sat up straight, breaking their intimate contact. His face revealed unabashed confusion, and his scent spoke of surprise, and tentative hope.
“Why?” was all he was able to articulate.
“Why should I?”
That did the trick, as Inuyasha’s golden orbs filled with anger and frustration, and he quickly launched into one of his trademark tantrums, though he did remember to keep his voice down.
“Why should you? Because it’s MY FAULT you’re…like THAT!!”
“It’s not your fault,” Kagome cooed softly, placing her hand comfortingly on his. But he jerked it away as if her touch burned him.
“Yes it is, wench! If I had protected you better, you—”
“That’s enough!” Kagome yelled, her own frustration rising. For once, Inuyasha did not further escalate the argument. In his mind, he deserved far more than a painless tongue-lashing. Seeing his chastised silence, Kagome took a deep breath to calm herself. “Look Inuyasha,” she continued, in a voice that was equal parts comforting and firm, “it’s not your fault. I should have stayed in the well like you told me. AND” she raised her voice to curtail his protest, “even if it was your fault, even if I died under your protection, I could still never, ever hate you.”
The look of wonder and gratitude that graced his visage at that moment was one Kagome would never forget. Inuyasha was humbled, utterly and completely, by the sheer kindness and forgiving nature of this girl, this one human who could not hate him, even when she had every conceivable reason for doing so. It was his fault, no matter what she said, that she had been turned into a monster, an abomination rejected by human and youkai alike. After she fainted, he had relived memory after painful memory. Taunts, insults, attempts on his life, they all beat him down, so much so that at some points he had wished for nothing more than a merciful end to it all. But his will to live was strong; at times it had been the only thing that kept him going over the years, back when he had no one else to live for.
But things were different now. Kagome was continuing what Kikyou had started. He now had friends, other people to live and die for; the concept was still somewhat foreign to him, even after more than a year in their company. None of them see me as a monster. They all accept me, even as a hanyou, and Kagome…she even said she loves me. Yes, perhaps the other humans hadn’t heard it, but Inuyasha’s sensitive ears allowed him to easily pick up Kagome’s exclaimed confession just before he crashed through the door and rescued her from Naraku’s infant. He thought of her words and her feelings regularly, but never mentioned them, or what he knew. It wasn’t because he doubted Kagome’s sincerity; she wasn’t the type of girl to say something like that without really meaning it. No, it was himself he was unsure of. Even after months of searching his feelings and grappling with his emotions, he couldn’t say he loved her in return. On the other hand, he couldn’t say he didn’t love her either. He just didn’t know, and Kikyou’s presence among the living only complicated matters. Inuyasha had concluded long ago that it would be best to focus on gathering the jewel shards and destroying Naraku, and let the rest sort itself out.
Now, it seemed like he would have to add something else to his list of priorities. Kagome may accept me as a hanyou, but she has no idea what I’ve been through. I can’t let her go through that…she’s always been loved, and everyone who meets her likes her. Inuyasha growled internally as he thought of how much he hated that sometimes, especially when other males were involved. Kagome doesn’t know what it’s like to be shunned, to be so completely alone you start talking to the trees… I can’t allow her to experience what it’s like to be hated just for being alive. It would break her. No, Inuyasha vowed then and there to find a way to change Kagome back to her human self, no matter what the cost. He would do everything he could to shield her from the hate, the loathing that faced every hanyou. He just hoped he could accomplish his task before her gentle spirit was permanently scarred.
“Inuyasha?” Kagome’s worried voice brought him out of his musings, and he realized he had been staring at her for longer than he should have. Quick as a flash, he enfolded her in a powerful embrace, as much to hide his lone falling tear as to assure himself that she was really there, forgiving him.
“Thank you,” he uttered in a near whisper. Then, pulling back to gaze at her determinately, he pledged, “Don’t worry Kagome. I promise I’ll find a way to change you back to normal. We’ll go to Totosai’s and see if he or Myouga know anything.” For some unknown reason, his words caused a slight pain to materialize in Kagome’s heart, but she pushed it aside, deeply touched by the fact that he was apparently prioritizing helping her over finding Naraku.
“It’s ok, Inuyasha. We don’t have to put off our quest. I’m not dying here. It’ll be an adjustment, and my head is still killing me, but I’m already doing better than befo—”
“No, wench! We’re going to see Totosai right away, and that’s final!!”
“Ok, ok, you don’t have to yell!” Kagome shouted, lowering her ears.
“Sorry,” Inuyasha replied quickly, as Kagome blinked in shock. Her hanyou friend just continued to surprise her today.
“Is it…really that bad?” he asked guiltily.
As she looked at Inuyasha, his own ears lowered, probably in shame, Kagome couldn’t help but smile at his concern. “No, it’s not that bad. The hearing gives me a headache, but I haven’t noticed much of a change in sight. The smells are the worst. But you really helped me out when you told me to focus on you.” She flushed lightly, both because of the reminder of their close contact that morning and because of the question she was about to ask. “D-do you thing you could…maybe, teach me how to use my senses?”
Inuyasha’s shoulders slumped incredulously in relief; when he sensed her nervousness, he expected her to request something either embarrassing or difficult.
“Of course, baka,” he replied, a small smile working its way to his lips, letting her know he didn’t really mean the insult. “Just keep practicing focusing your senses on one thing. I’ve lived with mine for so long that the things I need to hear are clear, and everything else just fades into the background. And you probably won’t notice the change in vision until tonight, especially since you’re a cat.” He spoke the last word with just a hint of disgust.
Kagome chuckled. “Well, I suppose we fight like cats and dogs anyway.” Inuyasha snickered as well, still unbelievably happy she was even speaking to him at the moment, even if it was to tell lame jokes. Comfortable silence fell until another related thought struck Kagome.
“Inuyasha, before…I could smell your feelings, your emotions.” She wisely made no mention of the hanyou’s fear; Kagome knew better than to tell Inuyasha he had ever been afraid of anything.
“Yeah, so? I’ve been able to do that my whole life.”
“But how did I know what each emotion was? It was like something inside me told me what I was smelling.”
Inuyasha merely shrugged. “Maybe you have youkai instincts, too.”
“Do you have them?”
“Feh! Bloodlust ain’t the only thing that takes over when I transform…” His voice cracked with old remorse, and Kagome placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He grasped it in his own and held it there, adding full-demon transformations as another reason why he had to change Kagome back as quickly as possible. Then Kagome spoke as if she had been reading his thoughts.
“I don’t know if I could transform. I am a miko…” She trailed off as an alarming thought occurred to her. Am I still a miko? Did I lose my powers? Can I sense the jewel?! Fighting off a sense of rising panic, Kagome focused her concentration, summoning her powers in the same way she always did. To her surprise and immense relief, it worked. Her hands glowed with the same pure, pink light, as if she didn’t have cat ears and claws. Claws? Examining her fingers, she observed that her nails had sharpened and elongated, narrowing down to fierce points. They were still clear like fingernails, but much thinner and rounder, and if she flexed her muscles the right way they disappeared into her flesh. Retractable claws…I really am I cat! This time it was Inuyasha who interrupted Kagome’s musings, as he continued their previous line of conversation.
“Earlier, when you were asleep, your powers came out…but you didn’t purify me. Why?” he asked, utterly stumped. Kagome thought about it a moment, then shrugged.
“Well, I would never want to purify you, so I guess my miko powers reacted to that.” Remembering the second part of her earlier concern, Kagome once again focused her powers, searching for a familiar presence. There! “And I can still sense the jewel shards. Thank the Kami!” she sighed in indescribable relief. Inuyasha frowned, sensing there was more to her reaction—over-reaction—than met the eye.
“Kagome,” he said firmly, waiting for her to look at him before continuing. “Even if you couldn’t sense the jewel shards, it wouldn’t change anything. I wouldn’t make you leave.” His tone suggested he was mildly offended, and Kagome mentally berated herself for thinking that for even a second. The old—very old—Inuyasha might have abandoned her in that situation, but they were friends now, good friends, and she should have known better.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed—”
“Keh! Damn right you shouldn’t have! I’m not a complete bastard, you know.”
“Yeah, I know, it’s just…”
“Don’t worry about it, alright?” he interrupted, already tired of her remorse. Why could he never stay mad at her when she said something stupid to him. It happened far less frequently than a similar exchange the other way around, so he should be using this chance to wrangle a sympathy promise from her, damn it! Maybe no visits home for a lunar cycle, or no ‘osuwari’ for a week. And yet…
“It’s no big deal, ok? Now, quit blubbering and tell me what the hell went on inside that head of yours. The babaa said you were either supposed to purify that youkai or he was going to take over your body, so how in all the layers of hell did you wind up as a hanyou?”
Kagome glared at him as she ceased her ‘blubbering.’ Honestly, I haven’t even started crying yet. Though she had a feeling that might not last too long. She was not looking forward to this part of the conversation.
“Well, when I fell unconscious, the second time,” she said, blushing as she remembered the glorious sensation that had saved her the first time. Inuyasha had the good graces to blush as well. “I was able to summon my powers and purify the demon. Only he didn’t vanish. His spirit separated from his youki, like what normally happens when you slay a youkai, but neither one disappeared. Apparently, I accidentally purified his spirit of its evil. And…when I read his mind, and saw how much he had suffered in his lifetime, I just couldn’t let him go to hell. He was just an orphan, a lonely kid searching for somebody to care for him, and when he found friends, he came after the jewel to gain power to protect them. I know he was evil; he killed humans without hesitation, but his purified spirit was just a child. I couldn’t do it, Inuyasha. I couldn’t let him merge with his youki, because then he would end up in hell. The only way to save his soul was to allow his pure spirit to go to heaven. I told him to leave his youki behind.” Kagome waited with baited breath for a long moment, not daring to elevate her gaze from the grass underneath her feet. “You probably think I’m a huge idiot.” Uncomfortable silence settled as Kagome held her breath, dreading the inevitable explosion.
“BAKA!!!” Kagome winced, but made no move to argue. “I already told you, I’m not that much of a bastard!” Now her eyes snapped up, to see an irritated—but not angry—Inuyasha gazing sternly at her.
“Wha-?”
“How can I be mad at you when you just wanted to save the soul of some little kid?” She heard the words he didn’t say: who was once just like me… And for the second time that day, Kagome berated herself for underestimating the strength of Inuyasha’s heart.
“Sorry,” she said, sniffling.
“C-cut that out! It ain’t a big deal! I didn’t used to care about…things like that, until you came along.” His voice trailed off and the last word was spoken barely above a whisper, but he met her eyes and stood by his confession. Kagome managed a watery smile in response. Sure, the brash, surly hanyou before her would sometimes hurt her feelings, but he always knew how to make her feel better, even if it was just by being there.
“Thanks, Inuyasha.”
“Keh!” he replied, a light dusting of pink gracing his cheeks. Kagome chuckled, amused by his typical oh-so-eloquent reply. “Come on, let’s go fetch the others. We’re starting toward Totosai’s this afternoon, even if I have to drag them out of the babaa’s hut.” The idea of setting out on a journey caused Kagome to remember something, something she probably would have been better off forgetting.
“Inuyasha,” she asked nervously, “how many days ago did that youkai attack?”
“Three days. Why?” he inquired suspiciously, suddenly aware of Kagome’s apprehension. Let’s see, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday…oh, crap!
“What’s the matter, wench?”
Kagome flinched, recognizing that tone. The one that said he knew she was hiding something; the one that also told her she was about to have one hell of an argument on her hands.
“Well, you see…”
“Spit it out already, wench!”
Kagome narrowed her eyes, managing a very feline snarl in response. “I failed one of my tests last week, so the professor offered to let me take a makeup…tomorrow.”
“WHAT!!! Oh, HELL no! No fuckin’ way!”
“Inuyasha, please, be reasonable! I have to take this tes—”
“No, wench! Your mother is never going to find out about…this!!” he yelled, motioning wildly at her with one hand. Kagome’s retort died on her lips as Inuyasha’s words sunk in.
“Inuyasha, you’re not worried that my mother will…reject me, are you?”
“Fuck! I ain’t worried about you! Your mom will love you no matter what you look like. I’m worried about ME! Kami, Kagome, do you have any idea what your mother is going to do to me? She’ll probably rip off my ears and nail them to the wall!”
Kagome just shook her head. Somewhere in that sea of profanity and bellowing, Inuyasha had said something amazingly sweet. Of course, a diamond in the rough is still a diamond.
“Thanks, Inuyasha. And relax, it was my fault this happened, and I know my mom won’t be too mad at you. And besides,” she teased, “I’ll protect you from my big, scary Okaa-san.”
Inuyasha glared at her, even as she tried to reign in her giggles and keep a straight face.
“I’m not afraid of your mother! Just don’t expect me to listen if she says I can’t ever see you again.”
Truly touched, Kagome flashed him a positively brilliant smile. “Deal. Now come on, we need talk to the others so I can go home and study.”
“Keh,” he mumbled as she dragged him off toward Kaede’s hut.
“Inuyasha, what are you doing?” Kagome asked, more than a little irritated at the hanyou currently blocking her exit from the well house.
“Just hang back awhile. I’ll talk to your mother so she doesn’t freak out. You remember what happened at Kaede’s hut, don’t you?”
Kagome lowered her ears, remembering just how painful that experience had been. As soon as she and Inuyasha entered the hut they had been bombarded with questions and greetings from their friends, who were obviously surprised and glad to see Kagome up and well. Then everything paused for a moment, as they took in her altered appearance, and the questions began again at an even higher decibel level. Kagome’s ears had instantly plastered to her skull, the pounding in her temples returning full force. Her friends weren’t yelling, but they weren’t speaking softly either. Her shouting match with Inuyasha by Goshinboku had bothered her, quite a bit actually, but she felt the conversation was too important to let it show. Besides, back then it had been only one person speaking at a time, and now it was three, even four, at once. And with the noise bouncing off the walls of the enclosed room, the roar was deafening to her not-so-well-adjusted senses. She was just about to turn around and retreat outside when Inuyasha came to her rescue.
“Shut up! All of you!” When the room was quiet, he continued, “Kagome hasn’t mastered her senses yet, so if you’re gonna talk to her, you gotta be quiet.” After flashing Inuyasha a grateful smile, Kagome proceeded to relate all of her adventures since the youkai attack. She left out certain parts, of course, much to the relief of her hanyou companion. The others expressed amazement at the kindness of her heart, and Kagome found herself blushing from all the attention. She flushed even deeper when she felt the somewhat familiar sensation of a hand on her backside. The lecherous monk backed away quickly as he found himself confronted by two snarling hanyou, as well as an irate taijiya.
“Now, now, everyone. I was just checking for a tail.” Kagome blanched at that. She wasn’t an animal, and she certainly didn’t have a tail!
“Bouzu! Touch her again and you won’t have anything to ‘check for a tail’ with!” After that remark, Kaede steered the conversation back to the original topic, expressing amazement that Kagome could still use her miko powers and sense the jewel shards.
“By all rights, such a thing should not be possible. Then again, many things I would not have thought possible have come to pass since ye first arrived through the well, Kagome,” she said, eyeing Inuyasha, leaving both hanyou to wonder what she meant. Then little Shippou just had to go and make that joke—“you guys fight like cats and dogs anyway”—and everyone laughed, except Inuyasha. If it wasn’t funny the first time, it definitely wasn’t funny the second time. There had been some discussion as to what their next course of action should be, but after Kagome assented to Inuyasha’s ‘suggestion’ that they go see Totosai, the group agreed. They would leave tomorrow afternoon, after her test. Secretly, Kagome was hoping to persuade Inuyasha to let her have an extra night in her nice, comfy bed, but that was a worry for another day. Currently, her primary concern was how to break the news of her ‘predicament’ to her mother.
“Alright, just try not to scare her too badly,” she reluctantly replied.
“Keh!” Then Inuyasha was gone, strolling across the shrine grounds to the front door. He knocked, and exchanged pleasantries with her mother before being invited inside. As soon as the door was closed Kagome darted out of her hiding spot, running up to the door and placing her ear against it. Just because she didn’t want to be seen yet didn’t mean she had to stay in the well house. Souta was at school and she could hear jii-chan puttering around in the shed somewhere, so if she was careful there was very little chance of getting caught. Her increased hearing easily picked up the muffled conversation inside the house.
“Uh, Mrs. Higurashi, I have to tell you something…about Kagome.”
“Oh, Kami, what happened? Is my baby hurt?! Is she—”
“No! She’s fine! Just, uh…something happened.”
“Inuyasha…”
Kagome gulped; she knew that tone of voice. Her mother didn’t get angry very often, but when she did, everyone in the Higurashi household knew to keep their distance, jii-chan included. And if Inuyasha didn’t spill the beans very soon, he would be learning that lesson firsthand. But that was the problem; he was trying to break it to her easy, not come right out and say “your daughter is a hanyou.” Deciding it couldn’t be helped, Kagome sighed, opened the door, and stepped into the kitchen.
“Kagome! Wha…” Mother and daughter stared at each other as Mrs. Higurashi trailed off, her cup of tea falling from her grasp. Neither noticed as Inuyasha snatched the cup out of the air, nor his hiss of pain as some of the scalding liquid splashed on his hand. Swearing softly, he padded to the sink and put his hand under the cold water as the two women continued their staring contest. Kagome broke her gaze first, unable to take the oppressive silence any longer.
“Hi, Mama. It’s a long story…” As if hearing her daughter’s voice was the only thing needed to snap Mrs. Higurashi out of her trance, she rushed forward, running her hands along Kagome’s cheeks.
“Kagome,” she whispered, still apparently in complete shock. “You have ears…”
“And claws,” Kagome replied, raising her hand and deploying her new weapons. Mrs. Higurashi jumped slightly, but seemed to come back to herself after that.
“So…you’re a cat?”
“Cat hanyou, actually.” What happened next was the last thing Kagome expected. Her mother grabbed her ears and began massaging them. And it felt good. Her whole body was relaxing, and Kagome couldn’t help it. She purred. A choked sound, a mixture of a laugh and a cough, from Inuyasha jolted her back to the present, and she blushed like a tomato. Inuyasha was standing at the sink trying not to laugh, and her mother was looking confusedly back and forth between the two of them. Kagome glared daggers at her red-clad friend; he would pay for that later. Mrs. Higurashi intervened at that point, sitting them down at the table and calmly demanding an explanation. Inuyasha was content to let Kagome do all the talking. Her mother listened attentively, her expression rising and falling with each twist and turn of the tale. When it was done, she nodded thoughtfully, then inquired as to what they were going to do now. Inuyasha spoke up then, informing her of their imminent quest to return Kagome to her original form. Mrs. Higurashi actually chuckled at that, flashing the ‘I know something you don’t know’ look, and effectively breaking whatever tension had still remained in the room.
“Well, you two fight like cats and dogs, anyway,” she said, laughing at her own joke as Inuyasha and Kagome rolled their eyes. “Would you like to take a bath, Kagome?”
“Oooh, that would be—ah! It’s almost four o’clock! No time for a bath, Mama, gotta go study!” With that, Kagome flew up the stairs into her room, leaving Inuyasha alone with her mother. The hanyou excused himself, preparing to follow her, but Mrs. Higurashi stopped him.
“Inuyasha,” she said in a tone that left no room for argument. “Kagome wasn’t telling me something. What was it?” The sudden uneasy feeling in his gut prompted Inuyasha to wonder if perhaps he really was afraid of Kagome’s mother.
“H-how did you know?”
“I’m her mother. It’s my job to know these things. Now what wasn’t she telling me.”
Inuyasha sighed, admitting defeat. “It was a close thing,” he muttered, eyes closed. “I—we almost lost her.”
“And you saved her?”
“I helped a little, I guess. She saved herself.”
“Thank you, for taking such good care of my daughter,” Mrs. Higurashi said quietly after a moment.
“Uh, sure,” Inuyasha replied awkwardly. Mrs. Higurashi let him go, and he quickly jetted up the stairs and flopped on Kagome’s bed. This was the scene that greeted Souta a few minutes later, as he accosted Inuyasha for his monthly dose of hero worship, catching a glimpse of his sister in the process.
“Whoa, what happened to you, Nee-chan?”
Sighing, Kagome launched into the very brief explanation, anxious to get her brother, and Inuyasha for that matter, out of her room so she could concentrate.
Souta grinned to himself as he thought of something funny. “Well, you guys fight like ca—”
“DON’T SAY IT!!!!”
A/N – Yep, many of you guessed it; this is the old Kagome turns into a half-demon premise. I’ve read several stories that start out with this foundation, and I have a common problem with most of them—it’s too easy. It’s too easy for Kagome to accept her new body, her new senses, and it’s too easy for the others to accept that she’s going to stay that way forever. I can assure you that this story will not take that road. I listed this story under the angst category for a reason, and I fully intend to follow through with that label. Expect more than in my other stories, but not too much.
Sidenote 1: you may think Inuyasha is out of character here, but remember when Kagome purified the miasma in Kikyou’s body? Afterwards, she told Inuyasha she hated him and he got vocally upset. In light of that, I don’t think Inuyasha’s reaction here is a stretch, especially considering he thinks she hates him and is going to leave and never return.
Sidenote 2: and you’ll never be able to convince me Inuyasha didn’t hear Kagome yell that she loved him. He crashed through the door immediately afterwards in the anime, and the manga shows her confession and his entrance on the same page! ‘Nuff said.
Thanks for taking the time to read my author’s notes, and enjoy the rest of Metamorphosis. Remember, reviews are always appreciated, and I like to respond to comments, so keep ‘em comin’!
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