InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis ❯ Adjustments ( Chapter 5 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: King Baka 
Kagome continues to adjust to her new senses, and some unexpected developements, both at home and at school...
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Romance / Hentai / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.17.2008 | Updated On: 12.09.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.7K | Visits: 4.9K | Status: Completed
Kagome continues to adjust to her new senses, and some unexpected developements, both at home and at school...
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Romance / Hentai / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.17.2008 | Updated On: 12.09.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.7K | Visits: 4.9K | 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: Live and Let Die Trilogy, by doggieearlover.
Characters are not kept strictly in character, but I still found these three stories highly enjoyable regardless.
Adjustments
“Rolling around won’t help,” Inuyasha said exasperatedly. “You can’t fall asleep because you don’t need to sleep.”
Kagome growled in annoyance, opening her eyes to glare at him in his spot under her window. Her feline eyes glowed forebodingly in the darkness, easily taking in every detail hidden by the night from human eyes. Her night vision was truly amazing, she reflected, but to this point her new senses had proven more of a handicap than a help. She had been able to manage her nose and ears while studying, mostly because she had secluded herself in her room, which was quiet and smelled predominantly like her. Aside from Inuyasha’s scent, her own was the only scent she was able to easily handle thus far. She had stopped studying sometime around ten o’clock, and had gone to bed soon after. Inuyasha had resumed his customary resting pose, sitting cross-legged watching over her with Tetsusaiga leaning against his shoulder. She appreciated the gesture, but now the conceited jerk was starting to get on her nerves. For the past hour, he had been periodically informing her that her attempts at falling asleep were useless. And she still hadn’t forgotten about the purring incident… Finally giving up, Kagome sat up straight and flung back the covers in frustration.
“Well what am I supposed to do? Stay awake all night?!”
“That’s what I do sometimes,” he answered calmly.
“Well I’m not! I have a test after school tomorrow, and I need my beauty sleep!”
Inuyasha bit back a snide comment, deciding not to stoke the already powerful flames of Kagome’s ire. Besides, what was the point in telling her she wasn’t beautiful when nothing could be further from the truth? Even in the beginning, he had always thought so. Even when he used to call her ugly… Inuyasha’s ears lowered slightly. No, he wasn’t proud of how he had acted back then, but he was almost glad he had been such an ass. That Kagome stayed with him, even with how he used to treat her, showed him more about friendship than he had ever known. They had become closer as a result of those early days, and maybe that was why he could now admit that she was beautiful. He was attracted to her, and he had eventually realized that was okay. He wasn’t some lowly, disgusting half-breed to Kagome. She saw him as a man, and men had certain urges, whether they chose to act on them or not. He wasn’t a pervert like that lecherous monk, but at least now he wasn’t above admitting—to himself—that he liked how Kagome looked. He liked her hair, her eyes, her figure…
And it wasn’t as if she didn’t like the way he looked, either; his nose told him as much. Every once in a while he would catch her staring at him, her scent spiking slightly. It wasn’t much, just a small change in her natural fragrance, but it was enough to let him know she liked what she saw. Then she would blush and look away, and he would pretend not to notice. It was a little game they played, but only he knew about it. That was the way he wanted it. He had decided long ago to focus on the mission at hand, and shift the determination of his feelings to the proverbial back burner. Still, that didn’t mean he wasn’t happy that Kagome was also attracted to him. He attributed it to male pride, an ego that had gotten much larger since he met the young miko from the future. In the beginning, he really had been all talk. He claimed he didn’t care when others put him down for being a hanyou, but it wasn’t until Kagome came into his life that he found he truly didn’t care. As far as he knew, he was the only male Kagome developed that faint, spicy aroma around. Perhaps that was the reason he was able to tolerate that damn wolf now, at least more than he used to. He actually believed Kagome wasn’t interested in the fleabag now, though he could still only take so much of that ‘my woman’ bullshit…
“Hey! Don’t ignore me!”
Inuyasha cringed at the vehemence in Kagome’s tone. Apparently she had taken his silence the wrong way. But as he finally glanced at her, observing her pouting lips, narrowed eyes, and drooping ears, he lost his momentary apprehension. She looked so damned adorable! How was he supposed to resist teasing her a little?
“Quiet wench, I’m trying to sleep.”
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Kagome opened her mouth to spit out ‘the word,’ then snapped it closed. She settled for an icy glare instead. “You are so lucky my family is asleep on the same floor.”
“Keh!” I bet!
“Uh! And why is it so hot in here?” Kagome growled, running her finger inside the collar of her flannel pajama top.
“Hanyou don’t get co—”
“Yeah, yeah,” she interrupted, “I forgot. The ‘Mighty Inuyasha’ never gets cold.” Sarcasm was dripping from her voice, but Inuyasha chose to ignore it.
“Hmmm…I like the sound of that. You should call me ‘The Mighty Inuyasha’ from now on,” he replied with a smirk.
“The ‘mighty pain in the butt’ is more like it,” Kagome mumbled, drawing an even larger smirk from the male hanyou. Rising to her feet, she shuffled over to her bureau and ruffled through the contents of the top droor before finding whatever she was looking for. As she glanced over her shoulder expectantly, Inuyasha got the distinct impression she was waiting for him to do something.
“What?” he grumped, not liking how dumb he felt at the moment. Kagome held her hand out to the side, revealing the mysterious object to be a shirt.
“Close your eyes,” she said in a warning tone. Inuyasha wisely did so, and kept them closed until the rustling of her clothing ceased. If she caught him peeking there was no way he would escape the ‘osuwari’ command, even if it meant waking up the entire city. Even so, it was still tempting… He felt his cheeks heat as he turned his mind away from those thoughts.
And yet, when he opened his eyes, his mind swung right back to its previous direction. He stood corrected; that thing wasn’t a shirt. It was a half-shirt, the most revealing article he’d ever seen her wear, not counting that swimsuit thing she’d worn way back when. And he was only a little attracted to her back then. The garment covered her torso, but left her shoulders and upper chest bare, and was held in place by two thin strings of fabric that went over her shoulders. The things looked like they were ready to snap any moment, which would result in the garment pooling around her hips. The fact that he’d seen her naked before, and knew what lay under the cloth, didn’t help his situation any. After what was probably only a second of staring, but seemed like a lot longer to Inuyasha, he tore his gaze away.
Kagome was trudging back to bed when Inuyasha’s scent drifted to her nose, and she paused mid-step. She sniffed again, using the focusing technique Inuyasha had shown her, and was able to confirm the alteration. It was very slight, and if she hadn’t been so familiar with his scent from their contact that morning, she probably wouldn’t have noticed it. A smile rose unbidden to her lips as she her ‘youkai instincts’ told her what it meant, though Inuyasha also reeked of embarrassment. Kagome moved toward the bed, deciding the best course of action was to let it go, lest she make her hanyou feel uncomfortable. He never reacted well when he was embarrassed. Still, her grin just refused to leave, even as she laid back down facing away from him. He was attracted to her. He thought she looked good. Kagome was suddenly very giddy, and barely managed to restrain a girlish giggle. It was nice to know, especially since he used to call her skinny and ugly. But it had been such a long time since he had insulted her like that, though he never did call her beautiful or pretty either. Regardless, Kagome liked to think she knew him better now. He wasn’t the kind of guy to dole out compliments. He wasn’t a sweet talker, and in her book that just made him even more special. When he did say something nice, she knew he really, truly meant it.
They said in school that body language is an essential part of communication, and Inuyasha’s body, his scent, had just told her more than his mouth ever had. He wasn’t aroused; the spike in his scent seemed too minor for that, but he was appreciative. Sure, he was embarrassed about it, but then she had also been embarrassed when she first began appreciating how good Inuyasha looked. That thought caused her smile to wane, as a flush appeared on her own cheeks. As a dog hanyou, he probably had an even better sense of smell than she did, which led her to the obvious conclusion. He’s known this entire time! Kagome took a deep breath, trying to calm her nervousness. So they were both attracted to each other. There was nothing wrong with that. Considering Inuyasha had never berated her about it, he didn’t seem to mind, and she definitely didn’t. Then again, she knew how she felt about Inuyasha. What she didn’t know was how he felt about her.
But that was a worry for another day. Inuyasha had just made her very happy, whether he realized it or not, and she wasn’t about to ruin the moment by making herself depressed. Grinning again, Kagome rolled herself over to face him before breaking the silence.
“Hey, Inuyasha?”
The hanyou started, having expected her to resume her efforts to fall asleep. He had detected the slight falter in her step, and was absurdly relieved when she hadn’t mentioned his reaction to her ‘shirt.’ Either she hadn’t figured out what the change in his scent meant, or she…didn’t mind? At this point, he wasn’t quite sure which thought appealed to him more.
“Yeah?”
“What do you do at night, when you can’t fall asleep?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes I think about things, but most of the time I just doze off. I’m not awake, but I’m not asleep either. The time passes quickly, and I can keep my ears open for danger. Feh! I already told ya, you don’t need to slee—”
“Yes, I do!”
Inuyasha just gaped at her incredulously. I’ve been a hanyou my whole life, and now she’s trying to tell me she knows more about being a hanyou than I do?!
“Look, Inuyasha,” Kagome continued before he could retort. “I’m really tired. I feel tired. Heck, I just spent five hours studying, and my brain is fried! It’s just that every time I’m almost asleep, I hear a new sound, or catch a new scent, and then I’m wide awake again. If I don’t get some rest, I’m gonna fail my test tomorrow for sure!”
Inuyasha’s eyes softened in sympathy. Kagome looked positively miserable, the prospect of failing her test weighing heavily on her. Trying to think of a way to help her, his mind supplied an answer, a long-forgotten memory. Ages ago, in the happy days of his youth, days which had only been happy because she was there, he never went a night without sleep. When the echoes of the night were too foreboding, when the taunts and insults of the villagers were too fresh in his mind, she had always been there for him. He would slink into her chamber in the dead of night, and was always welcomed with open arms. She would hold him, tell him he was cherished, that she loved him, and touch him in a manner that compelled him to believe every word. She had been his entire world, and when she passed…
He shuddered, burying thoughts of his mother’s death within the depths of his memories. He had long ago given up grieving, but he would never, ever forget the sound of her voice, the way her eyes shined so brightly whenever he smiled, and the way her love made the cruelties of the world bearable. Most of all, he would always cherish her unquestioned acceptance, her total devotion, and the love he held in his own heart in return.
“Inuyasha?”
He jumped at the sound of Kagome’s voice, drawing him back to the present. She wore a worried expression, obviously wondering where he had been just now. Automatically, his mouth opened to deliver his normal dismissive remark, but he stopped himself. Tonight, alone with Kagome, revealing some of his past, something he’d never been fond of doing, just seemed…right.
“My Okaa-san,” he said, a small, sincere smile forming on his lips. Kagome was stunned speechless, not quite knowing what to make of Inuyasha’s odd behavior. It was even stranger that he was referring to his mother as ‘Okaa-san,’ when in the past he used the slang term ‘Ofukuro.’ She waited patiently, hoping he wouldn’t lose his nerve and slam the gate on his past once again.
“Whenever I couldn’t sleep, she always knew how to comfort me.”
“You loved her, didn’t you?” Kagome asked into the ensuing silence. Inuyasha studied the rug for a moment before answering.
“Feh. ‘Course I did,” he replied, his gruff voice at odds with the peace reflected in his features. At that moment, the hanyou and the miko locked eyes, and they both saw complete understanding reflected in the other’s gaze. The two souls, hopelessly mismatched yet so perfectly aligned, shared something in that moment that nearly brought tears to Inuyasha’s eyes. She knew. Kagome understood what it was like to lose a parent, the loss, the guilt, the overpowering emptiness. But she’d always had her mother, her brother, her grandfather. She had never known the hell he’d gone through after his mother’s death, and as long as he could find a way to reverse her transformation, she never would. Having had enough of conversation, Inuyasha rose to his feet.
“Lay back down, wench.” Confused, Kagome just quirked her head at him, a movement Inuyasha couldn’t help but find adorable. She looks like a curious cat. Folding his arms across his chest, he said, “What now? Do you wanna go to sleep or not?”
Kagome didn’t have to think about his question twice, and she quickly lay down on her side facing him. Still, as Inuyasha stalked forward and plopped himself down on the bed next to her, she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Now, it was the good kind of nervousness, but still…
Sensing her discomfort, Inuyasha smirked, revealing a pearly white fang. “Relax, wench. I ain’t gonna bite.” Kagome frowned. Sometimes I’m not so sure. Nevertheless, she did unclench her tense muscles, easing her body into the mattress and closing her eyes. She trusted him completely, though there wasn’t much he could do at this point that she would seriously object to. She loved him, after all.
The feel of his fingers gently rubbing her ear sent a jolt of adrenaline running through her, but it didn’t last long. Soon she was purring, and this time she couldn’t bring herself to care. His tender ministrations sapped all the energy from her body, as she felt all her worries desert her. How could something so innocent feel so good? Well, now I know why he doesn’t let anyone rub his ears…
In minutes she was sound asleep, her purrs replaced by gentle breathing. And Inuyasha was truly glad, happy that he had been able to help her. He would do anything for her; holding her in his arms as she slipped away had reminded him just how badly he needed her. He stroked her hair gently, and Kagome snuggled further into her pillow, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like his name. Face flushing, Inuyasha rose to his feet and dragged the sheets up to cover her. Then he returned to his post under the window, feeling more content than he had in a long time.
*Beep! Beep! Beep!*
Kagome smacked the button on her alarm clock with practiced ease, stopping the incessant beeping. Memories of the previous night came back to her, and she flashed a brilliant smile as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Thanks to Inuyasha, she had slept through the night, and felt refreshed and ready to take on the day. Now if she could just get her ears to stop ringing…
Kagome flung back the covers and sat up, only to bring her hands to her mouth in a futile attempt to stifle a giggle. There stood Inuyasha, in the center of her bedroom, the transformed Tetsusaiga held in front of him. His ears were swiveling left and right, scanning his surroundings, at least until her amusement made itself known. At that point, Inuyasha focused his attention on her, and understanding dawned in his eyes as he blushed furiously. He glared murderously down at her alarm clock as he resheathed Tetsusaiga, mumbling curses under his breath. Laughing even harder, Kagome pushed him out the door before he could take out his frustration on her hapless alarm clock.
Inuyasha was still pouting when she came downstairs after getting ready, but a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs cured that. Watching him wolf down the succulent strips, Kagome was reminded of a very old commercial she had seen once. (1) He devoured almost the whole package, and Kagome was suddenly glad they didn’t have refrigerators in the feudal era. Otherwise, she’d be lugging back additional pounds of processed meat in her already overstuffed yellow bag. Surprisingly, however, the thought of ingesting all that grease didn’t make her sick. Instead, she found the bacon even more appealing than ever before, but managed to hold herself to two pieces. She chalked it up to the carnivorous nature of their youkai halves. After finishing her breakfast, Kagome stood and turned to address her satiated friend.
“Inuyasha, I’m leaving. Stay here and be goo—”
“Feh! Fuck that! I’m going with you.”
“No way! You’re staying here!” Kagome declared, her anger rising.
“I said I’m going, wench! You think I’m gonna let you pass out in the street? You’ll get trampled by one of those aw-toe-mo-beel things!”
Kagome’s irritation withered as quickly as it had grown. He’s worried. Grinning now, she watched as he crossed his arms over his chest, glaring as if he was daring her to point that out. She knew better.
“Okay, you can come. But you have to promise to stay outside the school, and I don’t mean right outside, either. Don’t let me catch you peeking in through the window again. You got me in trouble that time!”
“Keh!” he replied, but Kagome knew grudging agreement when she heard it. So, after grabbing her backpack, she linked arms with the now flushing hanyou and escorted him toward the door.
“Uh, Kagome…” her mother called from behind her.
“Yes, Mama?” Instead of replying, Mrs. Higurashi just smirked, pointing delicately to the top of Kagome’s head. It took the miko a second to catch on.
“Ah! My ears! How could I have forgotten? How am I gonna hide them?” Kagome’s voice faded as she bolted up the stairs to her room, leaving Inuyasha and Mrs. Higurashi to chuckle in amusement. The hanyou’s mirth didn’t last long, however, as he soon found himself wearing the dreaded hat with orders not to remove it under any circumstances. He did a bit of grumbling about that.
One level up, Kagome was frantically fussing with her hair, trying to find a bearable way to hide her ears. She quickly discovered bobby pins just wouldn’t cut it—ouch! Her teachers would make her remove a hat, and if she wore a bandana the same way Inuyasha wore them, she would just look goofy. The real problem wasn’t hiding the ears, it was concealing the bare patches of skin that resided where her ears should have been. I can hear it now… What happened to my ears? Uh, I had earlobe cancer and they had to be amputated. Why aren’t there any scars? Um…
Finally, she settled on wearing a wide black headband which pushed down on her ears but didn’t bring her to the point of tears like the bobby pins had. Additionally, since her normal hair style would reveal her lack of human ears, she used the headband to position a couple forelocks to drape over the front of her shoulders. That did the trick, and it didn’t look half bad either! In fact, her hair style now resembled Inuyasha’s to some degree, which definitely wasn’t something to complain about. She had always loved his hair. Unfortunately, the alterations had taken time she didn’t have.
“Oh, no! I’m gonna be late!” she lamented as she vaulted down the stairs. She had taken two hurried steps out the door when she found herself lifted and placed against a strong back. “Inuyasha! What are you doing?!”
“What’s it look like, wench?! You definitely won’t be able to handle running through that smelly city in your condition.” With that, Inuyasha took to the air, leaping from building to building toward the familiar white structure in the distance. Kagome held on for the ride, loving every moment of it, especially since the foul odors of the city streets were many stories below. They arrived just as the final bell sounded, and Kagome sprinted toward the doors, yelling parting words as she went.
“Thank you! Now stay outside and be a good boy!”
Inuyasha growled at that remark, but the wench was already gone. Feh! She’s gonna get it later for that one. Treating me like a dog… While plotting his revenge, Inuyasha leapt to the nearest roof and moved to the one that was adjacent to the room he knew to be her classroom. She had told him not to let her catch him peeking through the window. So she wouldn’t, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t keep an eye on her. He still wasn’t convinced her going to school was a good idea, but Kagome was as stubborn as she was beautiful. He nearly tripped over his own feet at that thought, and was glad there was no one around to see him blush. When he reached his post, Kagome was indeed sitting at her desk, her attention on the uppity prick at the front of the room. Hmmm, I wonder…if I strangled that guy, would Kagome have to go to school anymore? He snorted. Probably. Would it be worth the thousand ‘osuwari?’ Probably not. Not that he had any intention of letting the stupid rosary interfere with his job of protecting Kagome. She looked fine now, but if he thought she was in the slightest trouble, he’d bust through that flimsy glass and grab her before she could even think about saying ‘the word.’
Kagome remained blissfully unaware of Inuyasha’s presence on the rooftop, though she checked periodically. Her friends barely had a chance to greet her before the teacher strolled in, and for that Kagome was grateful. It gave her a chance to adjust to the new smells and sounds of the school before being interrogated. The whole place reeked of rampant hormones, for lack of a better term. By lunchtime, by matching scents with eye direction, Kagome acquired a fairly good idea who everyone liked, didn’t like, thought was cute, etc. To her surprise, she caught several boys eyeing her as their scents spiked in appreciation. A couple even bordered on full-blown lust, the definition ‘helpfully’ supplied by her youkai side. She made a mental note to avoid those boys, not that she had ever flirted with anyone, though a certain hanyou would have you think differently. He thinks I flirt with Kouga? He has no idea how some girls flirt in this era.
Still, despite the continuing and acute sense of discomfort that came with her enhanced senses, the whole experience had an inflating influence on her ego. She walked with just a little extra wiggle in her hips toward the stairwell, intent on sharing her lunch with Inuyasha as a reward for carrying her and behaving himself so far. At least, she assumed he had been behaving himself. Unfortunately, the dreaded call of her name assailed her ears before she got there. Turning, she groaned inwardly. There was Hojo, followed closely by Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi. So much for a nice, peaceful afternoon meal.
“Hello, Hojo-kun. What’s up?” she asked, plastering on a fake smile.
“Not much, Higurashi. How are you?”
“I’m fine,” she replied while discreetly sniffing in Hojo’s direction. With as many times as he’d asked her out, she expected him to smell like those boys from her class. But Hojo didn’t really smell like much of anything. He clearly found her attractive, but the corresponding scent was very faint. Mostly, he smelled of happiness and contentment. Talk about boring…
“Really? What about your—”
“Nope. I’m fine!” Kagome interrupted, not wanting to hear what insane illness her grandfather had concocted for her this time.
“Well, if you’re feeling better, would you like to go to a movie on Saturday?”
Kagome had to struggle to hold back her grimace. She really should have expected this, right? And yet, here she was, stuttering as she tried to come up with a halfway decent excuse, other than, ‘I’m going to be five hundred years in the past on Saturday.’ Fortunately, it turned out the effort was unnecessary.
“Oh, Kagome,” Eri spoke up for the first time, “don’t you have to go to Osaka for some medical tests this weekend?” Kagome was stunned speechless for a moment, but quickly recovered.
“Uh, yeah! Sorry, Hojo-kun, but I’m not going to be around on Saturday.”
“Oh. Okay, maybe next time!” Hojo said, only slightly less cheerily, as he departed. And the best part is, Kagome thought, *I* didn’t lie to him. Turning to meet the three grinning faces of her friends, Kagome found herself stuttering once again.
“I…you…we…”
“C ome on, Kagome!” Yuka chided playfully, “we’re not gonna set you up with Hojo when you’re clearly more interested in that Inuyasha guy.” Beaming now, Kagome embraced her friends in a warm hug.
“I love you guys!” she exclaimed, to which the girls giggled.
“Speaking of Inuyasha,” Ayumi chimed in, “it’s been two months since we last saw him. Is he around?”
“Yeah, when can we see him again?”
“We’ve gotta make sure he’s treating you right, Kagome!”
The miko laughed merrily at their antics. “Don’t worry, guys. Inuyasha treats me just fine, trust me. Although…”
“What?!” all three girls demanded, suddenly concerned. Kagome waved her hands to placate them.
“No, no, no, nothing like that. It’s just that I think he’s planning to meet me here after my makeup test. So if you guys want to see him, I guess you can wait.”
The three girls looked at each other, nodding in determination. “We’ll stay, Kagome. Girls always need their friends to help keep their boyfriends in line.”
Kagome blushed as the three sirens dragged her off to eat lunch, but she didn’t bother to tell them that Inuyasha wasn’t her boyfriend. They spent so much time together that he might as well be. Though perhaps that was just wishful thinking on her part. Scratch that; she knew it was wishful thinking.
(1) Anyone else remember that old Beggin’ Strips commercial? Cracks me up thinking of Inuyasha acting like that hyper dog… (It’s BACON!!!!!!) Go look it up on youtube if you’re not familiar with it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CErapf79rqM)
A/N – Wow, this part of the chapter ran a lot longer than I expected, but I think it came out well. Don’t worry; we’ll get to some action and adventure sooner or later.
Ah, so begins the dance of love. Will it be a slow dance, or a fast one? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see, now won’t you? And I want to emphasize again that it’s not arousal they’re sensing from each other in this chapter. In my experience, you can be attracted to someone without getting aroused. And a keen enough nose might be able to pick up that subtle appreciation.
2010 Note – I think I fell in love with the ellipsis (…) when I was writing these early chapters. I’m going through saying to myself ‘how many of these freaking things did I put in here?’ Well, many of them have been removed. I’m glad I decided to edit, if only because I get to fix some of the things I did back then that annoy the crap out of me now. I’ve also played a lot with the paragraph organization to make it clearer who’s speaking.
Converting /tmp/phpZf8Ysv to /dev/stdout
Fanfiction of the Week: Live and Let Die Trilogy, by doggieearlover.
Characters are not kept strictly in character, but I still found these three stories highly enjoyable regardless.
Adjustments
“Rolling around won’t help,” Inuyasha said exasperatedly. “You can’t fall asleep because you don’t need to sleep.”
Kagome growled in annoyance, opening her eyes to glare at him in his spot under her window. Her feline eyes glowed forebodingly in the darkness, easily taking in every detail hidden by the night from human eyes. Her night vision was truly amazing, she reflected, but to this point her new senses had proven more of a handicap than a help. She had been able to manage her nose and ears while studying, mostly because she had secluded herself in her room, which was quiet and smelled predominantly like her. Aside from Inuyasha’s scent, her own was the only scent she was able to easily handle thus far. She had stopped studying sometime around ten o’clock, and had gone to bed soon after. Inuyasha had resumed his customary resting pose, sitting cross-legged watching over her with Tetsusaiga leaning against his shoulder. She appreciated the gesture, but now the conceited jerk was starting to get on her nerves. For the past hour, he had been periodically informing her that her attempts at falling asleep were useless. And she still hadn’t forgotten about the purring incident… Finally giving up, Kagome sat up straight and flung back the covers in frustration.
“Well what am I supposed to do? Stay awake all night?!”
“That’s what I do sometimes,” he answered calmly.
“Well I’m not! I have a test after school tomorrow, and I need my beauty sleep!”
Inuyasha bit back a snide comment, deciding not to stoke the already powerful flames of Kagome’s ire. Besides, what was the point in telling her she wasn’t beautiful when nothing could be further from the truth? Even in the beginning, he had always thought so. Even when he used to call her ugly… Inuyasha’s ears lowered slightly. No, he wasn’t proud of how he had acted back then, but he was almost glad he had been such an ass. That Kagome stayed with him, even with how he used to treat her, showed him more about friendship than he had ever known. They had become closer as a result of those early days, and maybe that was why he could now admit that she was beautiful. He was attracted to her, and he had eventually realized that was okay. He wasn’t some lowly, disgusting half-breed to Kagome. She saw him as a man, and men had certain urges, whether they chose to act on them or not. He wasn’t a pervert like that lecherous monk, but at least now he wasn’t above admitting—to himself—that he liked how Kagome looked. He liked her hair, her eyes, her figure…
And it wasn’t as if she didn’t like the way he looked, either; his nose told him as much. Every once in a while he would catch her staring at him, her scent spiking slightly. It wasn’t much, just a small change in her natural fragrance, but it was enough to let him know she liked what she saw. Then she would blush and look away, and he would pretend not to notice. It was a little game they played, but only he knew about it. That was the way he wanted it. He had decided long ago to focus on the mission at hand, and shift the determination of his feelings to the proverbial back burner. Still, that didn’t mean he wasn’t happy that Kagome was also attracted to him. He attributed it to male pride, an ego that had gotten much larger since he met the young miko from the future. In the beginning, he really had been all talk. He claimed he didn’t care when others put him down for being a hanyou, but it wasn’t until Kagome came into his life that he found he truly didn’t care. As far as he knew, he was the only male Kagome developed that faint, spicy aroma around. Perhaps that was the reason he was able to tolerate that damn wolf now, at least more than he used to. He actually believed Kagome wasn’t interested in the fleabag now, though he could still only take so much of that ‘my woman’ bullshit…
“Hey! Don’t ignore me!”
Inuyasha cringed at the vehemence in Kagome’s tone. Apparently she had taken his silence the wrong way. But as he finally glanced at her, observing her pouting lips, narrowed eyes, and drooping ears, he lost his momentary apprehension. She looked so damned adorable! How was he supposed to resist teasing her a little?
“Quiet wench, I’m trying to sleep.”
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Kagome opened her mouth to spit out ‘the word,’ then snapped it closed. She settled for an icy glare instead. “You are so lucky my family is asleep on the same floor.”
“Keh!” I bet!
“Uh! And why is it so hot in here?” Kagome growled, running her finger inside the collar of her flannel pajama top.
“Hanyou don’t get co—”
“Yeah, yeah,” she interrupted, “I forgot. The ‘Mighty Inuyasha’ never gets cold.” Sarcasm was dripping from her voice, but Inuyasha chose to ignore it.
“Hmmm…I like the sound of that. You should call me ‘The Mighty Inuyasha’ from now on,” he replied with a smirk.
“The ‘mighty pain in the butt’ is more like it,” Kagome mumbled, drawing an even larger smirk from the male hanyou. Rising to her feet, she shuffled over to her bureau and ruffled through the contents of the top droor before finding whatever she was looking for. As she glanced over her shoulder expectantly, Inuyasha got the distinct impression she was waiting for him to do something.
“What?” he grumped, not liking how dumb he felt at the moment. Kagome held her hand out to the side, revealing the mysterious object to be a shirt.
“Close your eyes,” she said in a warning tone. Inuyasha wisely did so, and kept them closed until the rustling of her clothing ceased. If she caught him peeking there was no way he would escape the ‘osuwari’ command, even if it meant waking up the entire city. Even so, it was still tempting… He felt his cheeks heat as he turned his mind away from those thoughts.
And yet, when he opened his eyes, his mind swung right back to its previous direction. He stood corrected; that thing wasn’t a shirt. It was a half-shirt, the most revealing article he’d ever seen her wear, not counting that swimsuit thing she’d worn way back when. And he was only a little attracted to her back then. The garment covered her torso, but left her shoulders and upper chest bare, and was held in place by two thin strings of fabric that went over her shoulders. The things looked like they were ready to snap any moment, which would result in the garment pooling around her hips. The fact that he’d seen her naked before, and knew what lay under the cloth, didn’t help his situation any. After what was probably only a second of staring, but seemed like a lot longer to Inuyasha, he tore his gaze away.
Kagome was trudging back to bed when Inuyasha’s scent drifted to her nose, and she paused mid-step. She sniffed again, using the focusing technique Inuyasha had shown her, and was able to confirm the alteration. It was very slight, and if she hadn’t been so familiar with his scent from their contact that morning, she probably wouldn’t have noticed it. A smile rose unbidden to her lips as she her ‘youkai instincts’ told her what it meant, though Inuyasha also reeked of embarrassment. Kagome moved toward the bed, deciding the best course of action was to let it go, lest she make her hanyou feel uncomfortable. He never reacted well when he was embarrassed. Still, her grin just refused to leave, even as she laid back down facing away from him. He was attracted to her. He thought she looked good. Kagome was suddenly very giddy, and barely managed to restrain a girlish giggle. It was nice to know, especially since he used to call her skinny and ugly. But it had been such a long time since he had insulted her like that, though he never did call her beautiful or pretty either. Regardless, Kagome liked to think she knew him better now. He wasn’t the kind of guy to dole out compliments. He wasn’t a sweet talker, and in her book that just made him even more special. When he did say something nice, she knew he really, truly meant it.
They said in school that body language is an essential part of communication, and Inuyasha’s body, his scent, had just told her more than his mouth ever had. He wasn’t aroused; the spike in his scent seemed too minor for that, but he was appreciative. Sure, he was embarrassed about it, but then she had also been embarrassed when she first began appreciating how good Inuyasha looked. That thought caused her smile to wane, as a flush appeared on her own cheeks. As a dog hanyou, he probably had an even better sense of smell than she did, which led her to the obvious conclusion. He’s known this entire time! Kagome took a deep breath, trying to calm her nervousness. So they were both attracted to each other. There was nothing wrong with that. Considering Inuyasha had never berated her about it, he didn’t seem to mind, and she definitely didn’t. Then again, she knew how she felt about Inuyasha. What she didn’t know was how he felt about her.
But that was a worry for another day. Inuyasha had just made her very happy, whether he realized it or not, and she wasn’t about to ruin the moment by making herself depressed. Grinning again, Kagome rolled herself over to face him before breaking the silence.
“Hey, Inuyasha?”
The hanyou started, having expected her to resume her efforts to fall asleep. He had detected the slight falter in her step, and was absurdly relieved when she hadn’t mentioned his reaction to her ‘shirt.’ Either she hadn’t figured out what the change in his scent meant, or she…didn’t mind? At this point, he wasn’t quite sure which thought appealed to him more.
“Yeah?”
“What do you do at night, when you can’t fall asleep?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes I think about things, but most of the time I just doze off. I’m not awake, but I’m not asleep either. The time passes quickly, and I can keep my ears open for danger. Feh! I already told ya, you don’t need to slee—”
“Yes, I do!”
Inuyasha just gaped at her incredulously. I’ve been a hanyou my whole life, and now she’s trying to tell me she knows more about being a hanyou than I do?!
“Look, Inuyasha,” Kagome continued before he could retort. “I’m really tired. I feel tired. Heck, I just spent five hours studying, and my brain is fried! It’s just that every time I’m almost asleep, I hear a new sound, or catch a new scent, and then I’m wide awake again. If I don’t get some rest, I’m gonna fail my test tomorrow for sure!”
Inuyasha’s eyes softened in sympathy. Kagome looked positively miserable, the prospect of failing her test weighing heavily on her. Trying to think of a way to help her, his mind supplied an answer, a long-forgotten memory. Ages ago, in the happy days of his youth, days which had only been happy because she was there, he never went a night without sleep. When the echoes of the night were too foreboding, when the taunts and insults of the villagers were too fresh in his mind, she had always been there for him. He would slink into her chamber in the dead of night, and was always welcomed with open arms. She would hold him, tell him he was cherished, that she loved him, and touch him in a manner that compelled him to believe every word. She had been his entire world, and when she passed…
He shuddered, burying thoughts of his mother’s death within the depths of his memories. He had long ago given up grieving, but he would never, ever forget the sound of her voice, the way her eyes shined so brightly whenever he smiled, and the way her love made the cruelties of the world bearable. Most of all, he would always cherish her unquestioned acceptance, her total devotion, and the love he held in his own heart in return.
“Inuyasha?”
He jumped at the sound of Kagome’s voice, drawing him back to the present. She wore a worried expression, obviously wondering where he had been just now. Automatically, his mouth opened to deliver his normal dismissive remark, but he stopped himself. Tonight, alone with Kagome, revealing some of his past, something he’d never been fond of doing, just seemed…right.
“My Okaa-san,” he said, a small, sincere smile forming on his lips. Kagome was stunned speechless, not quite knowing what to make of Inuyasha’s odd behavior. It was even stranger that he was referring to his mother as ‘Okaa-san,’ when in the past he used the slang term ‘Ofukuro.’ She waited patiently, hoping he wouldn’t lose his nerve and slam the gate on his past once again.
“Whenever I couldn’t sleep, she always knew how to comfort me.”
“You loved her, didn’t you?” Kagome asked into the ensuing silence. Inuyasha studied the rug for a moment before answering.
“Feh. ‘Course I did,” he replied, his gruff voice at odds with the peace reflected in his features. At that moment, the hanyou and the miko locked eyes, and they both saw complete understanding reflected in the other’s gaze. The two souls, hopelessly mismatched yet so perfectly aligned, shared something in that moment that nearly brought tears to Inuyasha’s eyes. She knew. Kagome understood what it was like to lose a parent, the loss, the guilt, the overpowering emptiness. But she’d always had her mother, her brother, her grandfather. She had never known the hell he’d gone through after his mother’s death, and as long as he could find a way to reverse her transformation, she never would. Having had enough of conversation, Inuyasha rose to his feet.
“Lay back down, wench.” Confused, Kagome just quirked her head at him, a movement Inuyasha couldn’t help but find adorable. She looks like a curious cat. Folding his arms across his chest, he said, “What now? Do you wanna go to sleep or not?”
Kagome didn’t have to think about his question twice, and she quickly lay down on her side facing him. Still, as Inuyasha stalked forward and plopped himself down on the bed next to her, she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Now, it was the good kind of nervousness, but still…
Sensing her discomfort, Inuyasha smirked, revealing a pearly white fang. “Relax, wench. I ain’t gonna bite.” Kagome frowned. Sometimes I’m not so sure. Nevertheless, she did unclench her tense muscles, easing her body into the mattress and closing her eyes. She trusted him completely, though there wasn’t much he could do at this point that she would seriously object to. She loved him, after all.
The feel of his fingers gently rubbing her ear sent a jolt of adrenaline running through her, but it didn’t last long. Soon she was purring, and this time she couldn’t bring herself to care. His tender ministrations sapped all the energy from her body, as she felt all her worries desert her. How could something so innocent feel so good? Well, now I know why he doesn’t let anyone rub his ears…
In minutes she was sound asleep, her purrs replaced by gentle breathing. And Inuyasha was truly glad, happy that he had been able to help her. He would do anything for her; holding her in his arms as she slipped away had reminded him just how badly he needed her. He stroked her hair gently, and Kagome snuggled further into her pillow, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like his name. Face flushing, Inuyasha rose to his feet and dragged the sheets up to cover her. Then he returned to his post under the window, feeling more content than he had in a long time.
*Beep! Beep! Beep!*
Kagome smacked the button on her alarm clock with practiced ease, stopping the incessant beeping. Memories of the previous night came back to her, and she flashed a brilliant smile as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Thanks to Inuyasha, she had slept through the night, and felt refreshed and ready to take on the day. Now if she could just get her ears to stop ringing…
Kagome flung back the covers and sat up, only to bring her hands to her mouth in a futile attempt to stifle a giggle. There stood Inuyasha, in the center of her bedroom, the transformed Tetsusaiga held in front of him. His ears were swiveling left and right, scanning his surroundings, at least until her amusement made itself known. At that point, Inuyasha focused his attention on her, and understanding dawned in his eyes as he blushed furiously. He glared murderously down at her alarm clock as he resheathed Tetsusaiga, mumbling curses under his breath. Laughing even harder, Kagome pushed him out the door before he could take out his frustration on her hapless alarm clock.
Inuyasha was still pouting when she came downstairs after getting ready, but a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs cured that. Watching him wolf down the succulent strips, Kagome was reminded of a very old commercial she had seen once. (1) He devoured almost the whole package, and Kagome was suddenly glad they didn’t have refrigerators in the feudal era. Otherwise, she’d be lugging back additional pounds of processed meat in her already overstuffed yellow bag. Surprisingly, however, the thought of ingesting all that grease didn’t make her sick. Instead, she found the bacon even more appealing than ever before, but managed to hold herself to two pieces. She chalked it up to the carnivorous nature of their youkai halves. After finishing her breakfast, Kagome stood and turned to address her satiated friend.
“Inuyasha, I’m leaving. Stay here and be goo—”
“Feh! Fuck that! I’m going with you.”
“No way! You’re staying here!” Kagome declared, her anger rising.
“I said I’m going, wench! You think I’m gonna let you pass out in the street? You’ll get trampled by one of those aw-toe-mo-beel things!”
Kagome’s irritation withered as quickly as it had grown. He’s worried. Grinning now, she watched as he crossed his arms over his chest, glaring as if he was daring her to point that out. She knew better.
“Okay, you can come. But you have to promise to stay outside the school, and I don’t mean right outside, either. Don’t let me catch you peeking in through the window again. You got me in trouble that time!”
“Keh!” he replied, but Kagome knew grudging agreement when she heard it. So, after grabbing her backpack, she linked arms with the now flushing hanyou and escorted him toward the door.
“Uh, Kagome…” her mother called from behind her.
“Yes, Mama?” Instead of replying, Mrs. Higurashi just smirked, pointing delicately to the top of Kagome’s head. It took the miko a second to catch on.
“Ah! My ears! How could I have forgotten? How am I gonna hide them?” Kagome’s voice faded as she bolted up the stairs to her room, leaving Inuyasha and Mrs. Higurashi to chuckle in amusement. The hanyou’s mirth didn’t last long, however, as he soon found himself wearing the dreaded hat with orders not to remove it under any circumstances. He did a bit of grumbling about that.
One level up, Kagome was frantically fussing with her hair, trying to find a bearable way to hide her ears. She quickly discovered bobby pins just wouldn’t cut it—ouch! Her teachers would make her remove a hat, and if she wore a bandana the same way Inuyasha wore them, she would just look goofy. The real problem wasn’t hiding the ears, it was concealing the bare patches of skin that resided where her ears should have been. I can hear it now… What happened to my ears? Uh, I had earlobe cancer and they had to be amputated. Why aren’t there any scars? Um…
Finally, she settled on wearing a wide black headband which pushed down on her ears but didn’t bring her to the point of tears like the bobby pins had. Additionally, since her normal hair style would reveal her lack of human ears, she used the headband to position a couple forelocks to drape over the front of her shoulders. That did the trick, and it didn’t look half bad either! In fact, her hair style now resembled Inuyasha’s to some degree, which definitely wasn’t something to complain about. She had always loved his hair. Unfortunately, the alterations had taken time she didn’t have.
“Oh, no! I’m gonna be late!” she lamented as she vaulted down the stairs. She had taken two hurried steps out the door when she found herself lifted and placed against a strong back. “Inuyasha! What are you doing?!”
“What’s it look like, wench?! You definitely won’t be able to handle running through that smelly city in your condition.” With that, Inuyasha took to the air, leaping from building to building toward the familiar white structure in the distance. Kagome held on for the ride, loving every moment of it, especially since the foul odors of the city streets were many stories below. They arrived just as the final bell sounded, and Kagome sprinted toward the doors, yelling parting words as she went.
“Thank you! Now stay outside and be a good boy!”
Inuyasha growled at that remark, but the wench was already gone. Feh! She’s gonna get it later for that one. Treating me like a dog… While plotting his revenge, Inuyasha leapt to the nearest roof and moved to the one that was adjacent to the room he knew to be her classroom. She had told him not to let her catch him peeking through the window. So she wouldn’t, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t keep an eye on her. He still wasn’t convinced her going to school was a good idea, but Kagome was as stubborn as she was beautiful. He nearly tripped over his own feet at that thought, and was glad there was no one around to see him blush. When he reached his post, Kagome was indeed sitting at her desk, her attention on the uppity prick at the front of the room. Hmmm, I wonder…if I strangled that guy, would Kagome have to go to school anymore? He snorted. Probably. Would it be worth the thousand ‘osuwari?’ Probably not. Not that he had any intention of letting the stupid rosary interfere with his job of protecting Kagome. She looked fine now, but if he thought she was in the slightest trouble, he’d bust through that flimsy glass and grab her before she could even think about saying ‘the word.’
Kagome remained blissfully unaware of Inuyasha’s presence on the rooftop, though she checked periodically. Her friends barely had a chance to greet her before the teacher strolled in, and for that Kagome was grateful. It gave her a chance to adjust to the new smells and sounds of the school before being interrogated. The whole place reeked of rampant hormones, for lack of a better term. By lunchtime, by matching scents with eye direction, Kagome acquired a fairly good idea who everyone liked, didn’t like, thought was cute, etc. To her surprise, she caught several boys eyeing her as their scents spiked in appreciation. A couple even bordered on full-blown lust, the definition ‘helpfully’ supplied by her youkai side. She made a mental note to avoid those boys, not that she had ever flirted with anyone, though a certain hanyou would have you think differently. He thinks I flirt with Kouga? He has no idea how some girls flirt in this era.
Still, despite the continuing and acute sense of discomfort that came with her enhanced senses, the whole experience had an inflating influence on her ego. She walked with just a little extra wiggle in her hips toward the stairwell, intent on sharing her lunch with Inuyasha as a reward for carrying her and behaving himself so far. At least, she assumed he had been behaving himself. Unfortunately, the dreaded call of her name assailed her ears before she got there. Turning, she groaned inwardly. There was Hojo, followed closely by Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi. So much for a nice, peaceful afternoon meal.
“Hello, Hojo-kun. What’s up?” she asked, plastering on a fake smile.
“Not much, Higurashi. How are you?”
“I’m fine,” she replied while discreetly sniffing in Hojo’s direction. With as many times as he’d asked her out, she expected him to smell like those boys from her class. But Hojo didn’t really smell like much of anything. He clearly found her attractive, but the corresponding scent was very faint. Mostly, he smelled of happiness and contentment. Talk about boring…
“Really? What about your—”
“Nope. I’m fine!” Kagome interrupted, not wanting to hear what insane illness her grandfather had concocted for her this time.
“Well, if you’re feeling better, would you like to go to a movie on Saturday?”
Kagome had to struggle to hold back her grimace. She really should have expected this, right? And yet, here she was, stuttering as she tried to come up with a halfway decent excuse, other than, ‘I’m going to be five hundred years in the past on Saturday.’ Fortunately, it turned out the effort was unnecessary.
“Oh, Kagome,” Eri spoke up for the first time, “don’t you have to go to Osaka for some medical tests this weekend?” Kagome was stunned speechless for a moment, but quickly recovered.
“Uh, yeah! Sorry, Hojo-kun, but I’m not going to be around on Saturday.”
“Oh. Okay, maybe next time!” Hojo said, only slightly less cheerily, as he departed. And the best part is, Kagome thought, *I* didn’t lie to him. Turning to meet the three grinning faces of her friends, Kagome found herself stuttering once again.
“I…you…we…”
“C ome on, Kagome!” Yuka chided playfully, “we’re not gonna set you up with Hojo when you’re clearly more interested in that Inuyasha guy.” Beaming now, Kagome embraced her friends in a warm hug.
“I love you guys!” she exclaimed, to which the girls giggled.
“Speaking of Inuyasha,” Ayumi chimed in, “it’s been two months since we last saw him. Is he around?”
“Yeah, when can we see him again?”
“We’ve gotta make sure he’s treating you right, Kagome!”
The miko laughed merrily at their antics. “Don’t worry, guys. Inuyasha treats me just fine, trust me. Although…”
“What?!” all three girls demanded, suddenly concerned. Kagome waved her hands to placate them.
“No, no, no, nothing like that. It’s just that I think he’s planning to meet me here after my makeup test. So if you guys want to see him, I guess you can wait.”
The three girls looked at each other, nodding in determination. “We’ll stay, Kagome. Girls always need their friends to help keep their boyfriends in line.”
Kagome blushed as the three sirens dragged her off to eat lunch, but she didn’t bother to tell them that Inuyasha wasn’t her boyfriend. They spent so much time together that he might as well be. Though perhaps that was just wishful thinking on her part. Scratch that; she knew it was wishful thinking.
(1) Anyone else remember that old Beggin’ Strips commercial? Cracks me up thinking of Inuyasha acting like that hyper dog… (It’s BACON!!!!!!) Go look it up on youtube if you’re not familiar with it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CErapf79rqM)
A/N – Wow, this part of the chapter ran a lot longer than I expected, but I think it came out well. Don’t worry; we’ll get to some action and adventure sooner or later.
Ah, so begins the dance of love. Will it be a slow dance, or a fast one? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see, now won’t you? And I want to emphasize again that it’s not arousal they’re sensing from each other in this chapter. In my experience, you can be attracted to someone without getting aroused. And a keen enough nose might be able to pick up that subtle appreciation.
2010 Note – I think I fell in love with the ellipsis (…) when I was writing these early chapters. I’m going through saying to myself ‘how many of these freaking things did I put in here?’ Well, many of them have been removed. I’m glad I decided to edit, if only because I get to fix some of the things I did back then that annoy the crap out of me now. I’ve also played a lot with the paragraph organization to make it clearer who’s speaking.
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