InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis ❯ Tests ( Chapter 6 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: King Baka 
Kagome faces two tests, and Inuyasha has some questions to answer as well.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Romance / Hentai / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.23.2008 | Updated On: 12.14.2010 | Pages: 4 | Words: 8.4K | Visits: 4.5K | Status: Work In Progress
Kagome faces two tests, and Inuyasha has some questions to answer as well.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Romance / Hentai / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.23.2008 | Updated On: 12.14.2010 | Pages: 4 | Words: 8.4K | Visits: 4.5K | Status: Work In Progress
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: The Cave, by wbk.
I know it’s a little late for a Halloween story, but this one is really good. Besides, it’s not actually a Halloween story, per se, but it is dark and scary. Very fun.
Tests
Inuyasha was bored. Very bored. After the school had largely emptied, he decided to go wait by the entrance to Kagome’s classroom. He had a rough idea of where it would be, and his nose would guide him the rest of the way. He almost left that cursed hat up on the rooftop, having removed it once he arrived. “Don’t take it off under any circumstances,” my ass! Now he found there wasn’t much else to do but sit. He couldn’t even watch Kagome from his spot outside the door, but her scent told him she was concentrating pretty hard on something. That older guy was in there with her, too. Inuyasha growled low. As much as he hated leaving Kagome alone with any guy, this one didn’t seem to mean any harm. Good thing for him.
“Oh, Kami, look at his hair! I want to touch it!”
“It has to be dyed, but it looks so natural!”
“I wonder if only the hair on his head is silver?”
Inuyasha nearly choked at that comment, as the gaggle of girls down the hall began giggling hysterically. Damn humans! They have no idea I can hear everything they’re saying! He was quite certain his ears were burning under the hat, his teeth grinding together in an effort to reign in his desire to go ballistic. Those stupid girls kept saying how exotic he looked, among other things. Inuyasha smirked. Oh, if only they knew how exotic I really am. Without this stupid hat, I’d have them running for their lives with one growl. And yet, he couldn’t do that. One reason was obvious; Kagome would blow a stack. The second reason took him by surprise, but there was no denying it. He…liked it. He liked having people talk about him without using any number of the less-than-flattering adjectives he’d been hearing since his youth. He liked having strange girls call him ‘cute’ or ‘hot’—whatever the hell that meant—even though they thought he was human. It was refreshing to say the least. Of course, if any of them came up to him, he would promptly tell them all to go to hell.
Fortunately, it was only a few minutes longer before the group of girls dispersed and wandered away, apparently deciding that the silver-haired, barefoot boy dressed in ancient clothing and a baseball cap was a little too exotic for their tastes. That suited Inuyasha just fine too. But with the hallway now deserted, boredom again reared its ugly head, and the hanyou sat there tapping his fingers for a few minutes before heaving a cavernous yawn. Drawing the brim of the hat down over his eyes, he dozed off, keeping his senses alert.
“Hey, Inuyasha!” The somehow familiar voice had him shooting to his feet, spinning around to see three more girls skipping down the hallway toward him. Great… But then he recognized them, and relaxed slightly.
“Hey,” he replied, folding his arms in his sleeves. “You’re Kagome’s friends, right?”
“Yeah, do you remember us?” asked the one with the yellow thing in her hair.
“Uh, yeah. From that one time at the shrine.” Deciding to be friendly, not wanting to alienate Kagome’s friends, Inuyasha scrambled to try to remember their names. “Um, Emi?”
“Eri.” Close enough. Turning to the one with short hair, he thought for a moment, then said, “Yuki?”
“Yuka.” Also close enough. Finally, the one with the long, wavy hair.
“Ayumi?”
“Ayu—hey! You got mine right!”
“Well, I guess one out of three isn’t too bad,” Yuka stated amicably. Inuyasha could hear Kagome snickering from inside the classroom, her hanyou ears making her privy to this conversation. Feh! Get back to work, wench. I wanna get the hell outta here!
“So, Inuyasha, what are you and Kagome doing after she’s done her test?” Eri asked.
The hanyou shrugged. “Going back to the shrine, I guess.”
“Wanna come to WacDonald’s with us?”
Now, Inuyasha had no idea what this “WacDonald’s” was, but he knew the safest answer to a question like that.
“If Kagome wants to.”
They chatted pleasantly for a few more minutes, just passing the time, until a silent signal seemed to pass between the three girls. All conversation stopped, and Inuyasha felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Oh, they hid it well, but these three chicks were definitely up to something.
“So…” Yuka drawled, “how long have you known Kagome?”
“Uh, a little more than a year. Why?”
“How long have you two been going out?” she continued, completely ignoring his question. What kind of stupid…wait! Isn’t there some modern meaning to the phrase ‘going out?’ Did Souta tell me about that? But his memory wasn’t cooperating, so Inuyasha just went with the literal meaning of the words.
“The whole time, I guess.” Three sets of eyebrows raised at that, and Kagome choked slightly in the background. Why do I get the feeling that I just fucked up big time?
“Reeeeally?” Eri interjected, an evil twinkle in her eye. “Have you kissed her yet?” Inuyasha’s eyes widened as he gasped, and Kagome launched into a full-blown coughing fit, prompting her teacher to ask if she needed to get a drink. To Inuyasha’s dismay, Kagome declined, saying she was fine. If she had come outside, her friends would have realized that their little private interrogation wasn’t so private. And it would have stopped! But as it was, Kagome had abandoned him to face her three harpy friends on his own.
“I knew it!” Ayumi chirped happily, folding her hands in front of her chest and staring wistfully off into space. “Your face says it all. I bet it was in the middle of a beautiful field, with sakura blossoms floating all around you.” She signed melodramatically as the other two girls shook their heads.
“Well,” Yuka asked, smirking, “was it like our hyper-romantic friend here says it was?”
Inuyasha frowned. Not exactly… Both times we’ve kissed, one of us did it to keep the other from losing their mind. He wisely kept these thoughts to himself.
“Have you guys done anything else?” Eri posed suggestively, causing a furious blush to erupt on Inuyasha’s face and yet more coughing inside the classroom. Despite the acute embarrassment, Inuyasha felt his irritation rising rapidly. He had tried to be civil to Kagome’s friends, but if they were going to keep asking these invasive questions, then all bets were off.
“That’s none of your damn business,” he replied gruffly. The three seemed slightly taken aback at his sudden mood swing, but otherwise remained unperturbed.
“It is,” Yuka growled out, softly but firmly, still apparently believing that Kagome couldn’t hear everything they were saying. These deaf humans probably can’t even hear her choking in there. “We don’t want Kagome to get hurt. And speaking of that, what about that other girl you’ve been two-timing her with?”
This time, no coughing sounds reached Inuyasha’s ears. In fact, it seemed as if the entire world had gone deathly silent, anxiously awaiting his response. Never had he wanted to crawl into a hole so badly. But this time, he knew a dismissive comment wasn’t going to cut it, especially with Kagome eavesdropping. So, with no better option, he spoke from the heart, laid the truth on the line.
“Look. Things are…complicated, between me and Kikyou. But I’m with Kagome now, and I don’t regret it. So get off my fuckin’ back already!” (1) The three girls studied him seriously for several moments, before coming to a conclusion.
“Good,” Yuka replied, as the three of them broke into smiles and resumed their carefree bantering as if the last five minutes had never happened. How do they do that? Bitches…I’ll never understand ‘em. (2)
When Kagome emerged from the classroom about twenty minutes later, her excitement spared them what Inuyasha was sure was going to be quite an awkward moment.
“Eighty-six!!” she yelled, raising her arms above her head in triumph as her friends cheered. Well, I guess that means she passed her test.
“Alright! This calls for a celebration! Come on, Kagome, we’re going to WacDonald’s. Our treat!” Her three friends dragged her toward the exit, but Kagome broke away just long enough to grab Inuyasha’s hand and pull him along as well.
The walk to the restaurant was mercifully short, and Kagome stuck close to Inuyasha. Whenever the scents and sounds of the city became too much, she would close her eyes and press her nose into his haori, trusting him not to let her walk into a streetlight or a fire hydrant. Inuyasha put his arm around her shoulder, his face nearly matching the color of his haori, especially with Kagome’s three friends continually glancing back at them and shooting conspiratorial winks his way. But truthfully, he didn’t mind the closeness or the attention, as he took the chance to relish in Kagome’s scent as well. She did smell much better than anything else in the area. Anything else, period.
And then there was WacDonald’s. The twin odors of processed meat and grease assailed his senses, and Kagome had to turn her head away as he led her to the booth.
“Kagome, are you ok? You don’t look so good,” Ayumi said, her voice full of concern. Kagome nodded, flashing a reassuring smile.
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. I’m just a little dizzy. Nothing a cheeseburger wouldn’t fix.” Satisfied, the three girls went up to order their food, leaving Inuyasha and Kagome alone in the booth.
“Ugh! How do you stand it, Inuyasha! This city smells like so many things!”
Inuyasha just chuckled at her complaints, earning a heated glare. “Deal with it, wench. It’ll get better as you get used to your senses, but you’ll always hate it.”
“Hmph,” she grouched, folding her arms and turning away. Inuyasha just smirked. Apparently that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Kagome’s sour mood vanished as soon as the girls returned with burgers, fries, and sodas. Inuyasha marveled at the thing they called a “Big Wac.” It didn’t look good, it didn’t smell good, but man, did it taste amazing! One bite and he was hooked. He added the “Big Wac” to his short list of benefits of allowing Kagome to go home. Now, he just had convince her to get him one every day on her way home from school…
Ideas that would get him ‘osuwari’d’ aside, Inuyasha found himself mildly enjoying his time in the restaurant, even after he had devoured his Big Wac. Kagome’s friends were gossiping about stuff he didn’t understand, so he placed a hand over his sated stomach and let his gaze wander. There were a few parents with small children in the place, and several larger groups of young people like his. What really intrigued him was how openly the young men and women showed affection. He blanched at the things some of them were doing—in public no less—but other guys were just sitting with their arms around their girls. That he could do without suffering death by mortification, and he found himself wondering what it would be like. He had never dared touch Kikyou in such a manner. Their moments of physical affection had been few and far between, to say the least. But he put his arms around Kagome all the time when he carried her, and she didn’t seem to mind. And if she loved him like she said she did, wouldn’t it be ok? That, however, wasn’t the reason he was hesitating. He wasn’t stupid, and he knew putting his arm around Kagome in this situation would send a message to her and everyone who saw them. People only did that when they were together, after all.
But the more he thought about it, the more Inuyasha realized that they already were together, in a sense. They spent more time with each other than any other person, and he chased away any other males that came sniffing around her. They were both attracted to each other, and after more than a year in her presence he had finally grown up enough to admit that something romantic could develop between them. At the very least, she was his best friend, and he cared about her above all others. And Kikyou…he still loved her, but he no longer hoped for a future with her. The only future he could have with Kikyou involved joining her in hell, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to do that anymore, either.
So, before he could change his mind, Inuyasha raised his arm and wrapped it gently but firmly around Kagome’s shoulders. The sudden contact startled Kagome, who glanced up in time to see Inuyasha look away, red staining his cheeks. She couldn’t help but blush as well, even as a brilliant smile blossomed on her face. She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder, listening as his frantic heartbeat slowed and his tense muscles relaxed.
*FLASH* Click.
Startled by the sudden light, two sets of hanyou eyes turned toward the source, only to find all three of Kagome’s friends grinning at them. Ayumi was in hopeless romantic heaven, Eri was simply smirking, and Yuka was holding a camera. Kagome held out her hand, her eyes promising pain if the camera was not immediately placed into it. Unfortunately, Yuka had seen those eyes before, and knew her friend was all bark and no bite.
“No way, Kagome!” she exclaimed, putting the cursed piece of electronics back in her bag. “You two looked so cute! I just had to get a picture.”
Shoulders slumping in defeat, Kagome leaned forward and rested her forehead on the table. Inuyasha just sat there looking confused. Somehow, he knew better than to ask Kagome what a camera was in front of her friends. The group dispersed shortly after that, and the two hanyou began making their way back to the shrine. There was a couple walking in front of them, and Inuyasha couldn’t help but notice the way the guy’s hand was placed down at the girl’s waist. And since Kagome was already nestled against him, still struggling with the odors of the city…
The miko stiffened at the contact, and Inuyasha started to remove his hand, but Kagome reached around herself to stop him. Smiling shyly up at him, she replaced his hand on her lower back. And for the umpteenth time that day, both of them blushed hotly. But they found the situation anything but awkward; it was far too comfortable for that.
“Oh, look! What a cute couple. They even have matching hair styles! Hey! Can we get matching hair styles, too?”
“Sure, if you wanna cut your hair short like mine.”
“Awww, you’re no fun.”
Well, if they didn’t think their faces could get any redder, that passing couple had done it. And for the umpteenth time that day, Inuyasha wished these stupid, dumb, loud humans would realize he and Kagome could hear everything they were saying. For Kagome, in addition to stirring up the butterflies in her stomach, the conversation reminded her of another conversation she had inadvertently overheard today.
“Hey, Inuyasha?”
“Yeah?”
“Why…um, why did you tell my friends we were going out?” If Kagome was looking at Inuyasha, instead of staring at the sidewalk, she would have seen a flicker of understanding, a forgotten recollection flash across his visage.
“Nosy bitches. Feh! You spend most of your time with me, so…we’re going out.” He said it as if it was the simplest thing in the world. And to him, it probably was. Calm down, Kagome, he can’t possibly understand what that means in this time. He doesn’t like you that way! Still, as much as she tried to convince herself of this, Kagome couldn’t help the hope that welled up inside her. With the way he had put his arm around her, she could pretend, just for today, that he really was her boyfriend.
Kagome wasn’t the only one who became lost in thought. Inuyasha had, in fact, remembered exactly what Souta told him about ‘going out’ the instant Kagome popped her question. How guys and girls ‘went out’ if they liked each other, and how they would spend time together to see if they were ‘right’ for one another, and whether a long-term relationship could develop between them. And yet, even after recalling all of that, he still told Kagome they were going out. Am I insane?! It finally happened, didn’t it? I got hit on the head one too many times, and my brains turned to shit! His reasoning at the time had been simple; wasn’t that what he was doing with Kagome already? Plus, Souta told him most people went out with one person at a time, and neither of them were ‘going out’ with anybody else. He griped when Kouga came sniffing around, but Kagome had never shown any real interest in the wolf. And she definitely wasn’t ‘seeing someone’ from her time; no sensible guy would let his girl vanish into thin air for weeks at a time without explanation. Ultimately, the deciding factor had been his sense of smell. It was subtle, but each of them had left their scent on the other through months of close proximity and physical contact. He had marked her, and she had marked him, and in this one, small way they belonged to each other.
So, without giving himself time to consider Kagome’s reaction, he told her they were going out. He regretted it at first, but then she seemed happy, and he knew he wouldn’t take it back if he had the chance.
“Kagome!” Both hanyou looked up to see Kagome’s grandfather hobbling toward them. Looking around, they were shocked to find themselves on the shrine grounds, having been spacing out too much to realize where they were. The old man stopped in front of Kagome, staring at her with an unreadable expression, before reaching up and removing her headband. He gasped as her ears sprang into view.
“So it is true…” he said quietly, then his eyes hardened in determination. “Youkai be gone!” he yelled while flinging a whole pile of sutras upon his hapless granddaughter. As usual, the things had no effect, but they stuck to her clothes, her hair, and her face. Inuyasha took a step back, not wanting to get scorched by the flames that were sure to come spouting from Kagome’s ears. So he was astonished when instead she merely turned and walked into the house. But he didn’t miss the way her head lowered, or the scent of her tears.
“Kagome! Wait! I have more ofud—”
“Let her go, jijii. You’ve done enough already.”
“What are you talking about? We must ch—”
“We’re gonna change her back! In the meantime, try not to make her feel like shit!”
“What?! Kagome’s mother said you and I have the same goal, so how—”
“Yeah, except I didn’t try to purify her as soon as I found out! I didn’t reject her. Stupid old codger,” he muttered under his breath, though he was quite sure the jijii heard him. And apparently his words sunk in, because suddenly the old man looked crestfallen. Silently, he turned and followed his granddaughter into the house. Inuyasha was content to let him go, and leapt into Goshinboku to give them some privacy. I’m giving you one chance to not fuck this up, jijii. If you make her cry again, I’m tossing her over my shoulder and taking her through the well, and I guarantee you won’t see her again for a long while.
Later, figuring he’d given the old man enough time, Inuyasha vaulted down from his perch and jumped up to Kagome’s window. He found her lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She wasn’t crying anymore, but the scent of her tears still permeated the room.
“You alright, wench?” he asked gently, though he still managed to startle her. Sitting up, she nodded, even managing a small smile which he saw right through. Her grandfather had come up and apologized, told her she would always be his granddaughter, no matter how much youkai blood she had in her. But the truth was his actions had shaken her, and she didn’t object when Inuyasha told her they were going back to the Feudal Era. In the past, she knew her friends accepted her unconditionally. She didn’t have to hide what she was from them; they judged a person by how much good was in their heart, not how much youkai blood flowed through their veins. That wasn’t exactly being fair to her modern friends and family, since none of them had ever met a modern demon before, but she couldn’t help how she felt. And right now, she just wanted to return to the past for a while.
After packing and saying goodbye to her family, the demonic pair leapt into the well together, Inuyasha holding Kagome in one arm out of habit. He was about to spring them out of the well on the other side, but she stopped him. Handing him her overstuffed backpack, which he shouldered, she crouched down, then leapt with all her might. Part of her expected to only go up a few feet, but her momentum carried her sky-high, a good twenty feet above the grassy ground. She squinted her eyes shut, anticipating a painful landing, but when her feet hit the ground, her knees bent and she hardly felt anything.
“Woooowwwww!!! Did you see that?! That was amazing!” Flush with adrenaline, she continued to test her new hanyou strength, jumping around the clearing like a hyperactive kangaroo. Eventually, she realized Inuyasha had yet to emerge from the well.
“Hey, Inuyasha! Are you coming out or what?!”
“In a minute, wench!” she heard him respond. Shrugging, she skipped off toward the village without waiting, too exhilarated to care why he was suddenly so grumpy. When Inuyasha finally did climb out, his face was still slightly pinked. Kagome had unwittingly given him quite a show when she exited the well. That damn skirt is going to be the death of me…and of anyone else who looks under it!
A short while later, the intrepid group of travelers was on the road again, heading for Totosai’s. The humans, and one former human, had wanted to stay in the village for the night, and had only assented to leave when Inuyasha agreed to find them a hot spring when they made camp. Miroku said he wanted a nice, relaxing soak as well, but Inuyasha knew he just wanted to spy on the girls. And the girls knew it too, which is why the hanyou found himself on babysitting duty while they were bathing. Look at him, sitting there looking all innocent. Feh! If I take my eyes off him for one second, he’ll be gone!
“Kagome-chan, what are you doing?” Sango asked, genuinely confused. Kagome was just standing there at the edge of the spring, buck naked except for a towel she clutched to her front for modesty’s sake. And she looked absolutely petrified. The instant her toe had touched the water, she had sprung back involuntarily, as if the hot liquid burned.
“Oh, come on Kagome-chan! It’s not that hot.” To Sango’s continued surprise, the miko just shook her head, her ears moving wildly back and forth as if twitching in fear. Her ears…cat ears. And as understanding dawned, Sango couldn’t hold back the giggle which quickly escalated to full-on guffaws. The idea that Kagome, who enjoyed baths more than anyone else she knew, was now afraid of water…well, it was just too much for the poor taijiya. Kagome, on the other hand, was not amused one bit, as Sango realized when she finally calmed down enough to reopen her eyes. By then, Kagome had wrapped the towel around herself, and was leaning sulkily on one leg with her arms crossed over her chest. Her fierce pout almost made Sango burst into laughter again, but her sympathy allowed her to restrain herself.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Kagome-chan,” she said, hiding her smirk behind her hand.
“It’s not FAIR, Sango-chan! Why couldn’t I have been a tiger hanyou? They love the water! Now I’ve got these stupid youkai instincts that won’t let me do one of my favorite things!” She looked longingly at the shimmering waters of the hot spring, and stuck her toe out once more.
“Dammit!” she cried as she pulled the appendage back. Now Sango felt really bad for laughing. If Kagome’s swearing, this is starting to get serious! That didn’t stop a deliciously evil plan from forming in her mind, one that would help Kagome, of course.
“Kagome-chan, just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and take your time getting in.”
The miko’s glare told Sango exactly what she though of her idea, but she complied nonetheless. The deep breath actually did much to calm her frayed nerves. And closing her eyes meant that she couldn’t see the water; she could only smell it. Slowly, Kagome relaxed, and began to think that she might actually get a bath after all. Then all hell broke loose.
Just as Kagome was getting ready to try to put her foot in again, she felt strong arms wrap around her knees and pull her forward. She toppled off balance, and her scream was literally drowned out by the warm waters of the hot spring she suddenly found herself immersed in. Her youkai half took control at that point, as she let out a positively feline screech and launched herself straight up a good fifteen feet out of the spring. An overhanging branch passed in front of her nose, and she grabbed it with both hands, hanging on for dear life.
This was the scene that greeted Sango when she came to the surface. Kagome hanging from a tree, her eyes shining with a disturbing blend of fear and malice. If looks could kill… Sango tried not to give in to the urge to chuckle, she really did. But when the soaked towel, which had somehow stayed wrapped around Kagome’s body during her acrobatics, slipped open and fell into the spring, she lost that battle.
“Come on, Kagome-chan, let go!” she said between ragged breaths. Kagome shook her head vigorously, and Sango opened her mouth to ask something like “what if Inuyasha sees,” when lo and behold…
The sound of something crashing through the underbrush had Sango swiveling her head around, only to see Inuyasha emerge from the foliage, ready and looking for a fight. That is, until he spied Kagome hanging from the tree. His jaw dropped so low it must have come unhinged, and his eyes widened impossibly, as if he had permanently lost his ability to blink. He had at least temporarily lost his ability to think; all he could do at the moment was stare. At her eyes, glimmering with shock, her cheeks, colored with embarrassment. Down past her shoulders, to pert breasts, nipples fully erect due to the effects of cool air on wet skin. His gaze followed the droplets moving down her body, to her thin waist and over wide, elegant hips to the nest of curls that hid her most secret spot. And further still, down long, succulent legs and finally, back up again. Oh, yes, he could see everything. And apparently Kagome realized this as well, because she “eeped!” and released her grip on the branch, dropping back into the spring with a small splash. Ultimately it was the monk who broke Inuyasha out of his daze, as he came crashing into the hanyou’s back, nearly knocking them both into the water. Miroku didn’t even get a chance to look at the lovely ladies before a clawed hand began dragging him back to camp by the collar of his robes.
Silence descended on the hot spring once more, broken only by the grinding of teeth. Turning nervous eyes back to her friend, Sango saw Kagome standing in the waist-deep water, stalking her way. Her eyes carried murderous intent, and her whole body was flushed beat red. Usually not one to back down, Sango retreated anyway, holding her hands up in an effort to mollify her irate companion.
“K-Kagome-chan, wait! I, uh…it worked didn’t it? I got you in the water!”
Kagome was not impressed.
“Sango-CHAAAAAAN!!!!!!”
“Inuyasha,” Miroku sighed, prying uselessly against the hanyou’s iron grip. “Why must you spoil my fun? You got to look, did you not?”
“I didn’t see nothin’!!!”
Startled, the monk took his first good look at the flustered, flushing hanyou. “Ahhh, I see. You saw Kagome naked, didn’t you?”
Inuyasha faltered in his step, just enough to let Miroku know he’d hit the nail on the head. Yeah, he saw Kagome naked. He bolted out of camp as soon as he heard her scream, thinking there was danger. She had screamed, after all, and now the girls were screaming and splashing around again, but there was no way he was going back there. Because there hadn’t been any danger; Kagome was just…hanging there. Completely nude. Shame washed over him. He had been so entranced by her beauty, he hadn’t even thought to look away. Ugh, she’s gonna ‘osuwari’ me straight to hell when she gets back to camp. Miroku frowned, noticing his companion’s sudden change in demeanor.
“Relax, Inuyasha. I’m sure Kagome doesn’t mind as much as you seem to think she does.”
“I already told you! There’s nothing to mind, because I didn’t see anything!”
“Really? Your attitude suggests otherwise. Tell me, did you like what you saw? What does Kagome look like covered in only beads of water, glistening on her smooth skin?”
“Bouzu…” Inuyasha growled menacingly, raising a clenched fist while simultaneously trying to tamp down on the delightful images the monk’s words were conjuring up.
“Why, Inuyasha! I don’t think I’ve ever seen your face match the color of your robes before.”
Grrrrrrrrrrrr. “Bouzu! When I’m through with you, your whole body is gonna match the color of your robes!!”
A few minutes and cranial lumps later, peace settled on the two men, kitsune child, and fire cat who sat by the small campfire as they waited for the female members of their company to return. But with as insane as the day had been so far, Inuyasha should have known the peace wouldn’t last. He shot to his feet the instant the shinidamachu appeared overhead. Kikyou…what is she doing here? We just spoke a few days ago.
“Will you go to her?” Miroku asked, his tone suggesting he already knew the answer. Inuyasha sniffed the air, coming to a worrisome conclusion.
“There’s no need.” He paused a moment, giving the monk a chance to stare at him in shock before continuing. “She’s coming here.”
Miroku took a moment to digest that information, wondering the same thing as Inuyasha. Why is Kikyou coming here? She couldn’t possibly know about Kagome, could she?
Kagome and Sango were still giggling when they returned to camp a minute later, but that quickly ceased as they noticed the somber atmosphere and the snake-like demons whose presence explained everything. And Kagome knew—her day of pretending Inuyasha was her boyfriend was over, kaput, and totally finished. Old pain rose up inside her, the familiar darkness worming its way further into her heart, even as she tried to put up a brave front. But then, the sight of Inuyasha staring off into the forest nullified her best efforts in that regard. Why is he still here? Why can’t he just leave instead of drawing this out?!
“Inuyasha,” she said, a small amount of irritation leaking into her voice. “It’s okay; don’t hold yourself back on my—our account.” Inuyasha didn’t respond, the flicker of an ear giving the only indication he’d heard her at all.
“Apparently,” Miroku interjected, “Kikyou-sama is coming here.”
Kagome gaped at that, but her hanyou senses told her the same thing. The foul odor that could only be bones and graveyard soil, ever increasing, and the soft sounds of a body moving through the undergrowth confirmed Miroku’s suspicions. And now that she took the time to really look at them, Kagome noticed that the shinidamachu were merely circling around the campsite, instead of beckoning Inuyasha to follow them. But why? Why is Kikyou coming here? Does she know about what happened to me? Either way, Kagome realized with a grimace, this was sure to be a very unpleasant meeting.
The seconds ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace, and it felt like hours before the dead priestess finally emerged from the vegetation. She didn’t even glance at anyone else; her cold eyes instantly bored into Kagome’s, causing an involuntary shiver as her ears shrank back. Nevertheless, Kagome steeled her nerves and forced herself to maintain eye contact, refusing to show weakness in front of Kikyou of all people. Eventually, the dead miko broke the silence, though she did not break her gaze.
“I had to see it for myself to believe it.”
“What? Kikyou, how did you find out about Kagome?” Inuyasha asked, causing his former love to finally tear her eyes from her reincarnation.
“Well, Kagome, how did I find out?” she asked, her voice full of barely disguised contempt. When it became clear that Kagome had no answer for her, she didn’t even bother to hide it anymore. “I’m not surprised an untrained miko would fail to sense it, but because we share the same soul, there is a connection between us. So I can sense when something truly horrible happens to my reincarnation.”
Kagome bristled at the quasi-insult, and didn’t miss how Kikyou’s words made Inuyasha’s ears lower slightly. At this point, she didn’t know which one pissed her off more.
“So, you foolish girl,” Kikyou continued viciously, “tell me the story that youkai spun for you to get you to let him live. Let’s see if it pulls on my heartstrings as it clearly did yours.”
Kagome sputtered for a moment in shock, wondering if Kikyou could read her mind through this supposed connection. “How…?”
Kikyou scoffed. “Please. I sensed when the youkai’s spirit entered your body using the rebirth power. Normally when that happens, only one of two things can result. The youkai can take over the human’s body completely and transform it to his original form, or the human can defeat the youkai and drive the spirit to the netherworld. Two spirits cannot peacefully coexist in one mortal body. The only way you could have wound up as a hanyou was if you failed to send the youkai’s soul to hell. And in that case, you truly are a fool.”
Kagome felt her anger building, but she tried to keep her temper in check. She had never forced Inuyasha to choose between her and Kikyou, and she wasn’t about to make him pick sides in a fight if she could help it. “So, you’re going to judge me because I showed a child mercy?” she ground out, glaring daggers at the dead miko. Kikyou actually laughed at that, a disturbing sound that held no humor.
“Mercy?! Youkai are undeserving of such an emotion.”
“Oi! Why I oughta—eep!” Shippou’s indignant outburst was quickly silenced by a chilling glare, one that sent him scurrying to hide behind Sango. The small interruption did nothing to break the tension between the two miko.
“Inuyasha,” Kikyou spoke angrily, “you should send this useless girl back home where she belongs. Though she was of little help to you in your quest before, she could at least sense the Shikon jewel shards. Now, she cannot even do that anymore.”
“That’s not true!” Kagome yelled before Inuyasha could reply. “I can so sense the jewel shards!”
“You lie,” Kikyou said dismissively. At that moment, Kagome could think of nothing she would like more than to wipe that smug, conceited look off Kikyou’s face. Shaking with fury now, she ripped the bottle of Shikon shards from around her neck.
“Don’t believe me? Here!” she yelled, tossing the bottle to Kikyou, who caught it in one hand. “I guarantee you I’ll be able to see it no matter where you put it.”
The other miko studied her for a moment, then turned her back on them briefly before spinning to face them once more.
“Very well,” she said, holding each arm out to the side. “Which hand is it in?”
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Kagome summoned her powers. She looked at the right hand…nothing. She looked at the left hand…nothing. What the—I know I could sense it before! Pushing back her rising panic, she expanded her focus, and sensed a glimmer from somewhere further south. Honing in on that faint signal, she found what she was looking for.
“It’s not in your hand. It’s in your robes, near your left hip.”
Immediately Kikyou’s hands flew downward to cover the spot as if it had been scorched. Slowly she drew the bottle from her robes, and tossed it back to Kagome.
“Lucky guess,” she managed, though her voice lacked the confidence it had exuded before. For Kagome, that last, flippant remark was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Marching over to where her stuff was, she snatched her bow and notched an arrow. Taking careful aim, she let fly, putting as much spiritual energy into the projectile as she could. The arrow lit up the clearing as it flew, casting a powerful pink glow that could be seen and felt from many miles away. It penetrated the rough bark of the unlucky tree, scorching the surface before the light faded. Kagome’s smirk widened as she turned to gauge Kikyou’s reaction. The older priestess was aghast; never before had Kagome seen so much shock on her normally stoic countenance. But before she could further revel in her victory, Kikyou lashed out again in anger, the kind that arises from denial and deep confusion.
“What trick is this?! This is impossible! Youkai and miko are fundamental enemies. It is impossible for one being to contain the energies of both! (3) You should have lost your miko abilities the instant your body was no longer free of youkai taint. A miko’s strength is linked to her purity, so how can y—”
“Kagome’s heart is pure. Maybe that’s enough.”
The substance of those words did not surprise Kagome; not two days ago her friends had determined that her pure heart was the reason she still had use of her powers. What did stun her, leaving her standing there absolutely flabbergasted, was who had uttered them. All eyes turned to Inuyasha, who was staring at an imaginary spot in the forest canopy, not looking at any of them. As the haunting glow of the shinidamachu faded, the group once again turned their focus to Kikyou, just in time to see her disappear into the foliage. She had left without a word, and for a brief moment Kagome was afraid Inuyasha would go after her. Instead, the hanyou settled down against a nearby tree, closing his eyes so the others couldn’t tell whether he was deep in thought or just dozing. Either way, it was getting late, and the various members of the Inu-gang settled down for the night.
Sleep eluded Kagome, however, and it wasn’t because the smells and sounds of the night were keeping her awake. “Kagome’s heart is pure. Maybe that’s enough.” Did he really mean that? Her heart fluttered in her chest at the thought that Inuyasha had complimented her, actually defended her in front of Kikyou. Now she had to know what he really thought; she would be able to think of nothing else until she did. Climbing out of her sleeping bag slowly so as not to disturb Shippou, she crept over to where Inuyasha sat and plopped down next to him. She studied his peaceful face in silence until he cracked one eye open.
“Whaddya want, wench?” he mumbled drowsily.
“What you said before…did you really mean it?”
Inuyasha met her gaze, reading the need for reassurance in those breathtaking chocolate orbs, and sighed in resignation.
“Yeah, I meant it. Hell, Kagome, you’ve got the purest heart of anybody I’ve ever met.” Pausing, and having apparently just reached his quota for kind words in one day, he continued, “Now quit fishing for compliments and go to sleep!”
Kagome, who was still trying to wrap her head around the first part of what he said, didn’t seem to mind his gruffness. She enfolded him in a quick hug, then pulled away enough to plant a warm kiss on his cheek before releasing him.
“Thanks, Inuyasha,” she said before rising and returning to her sleeping bag. This time, she had no trouble slipping into slumber.
Inuyasha was glad it was dark and no one was awake, because his cheeks were suddenly very red. Even so, he couldn’t help the small grin that quirked his lips. He had seen Kikyou, and Kagome wasn’t mad! In fact, she appeared to be quite the opposite of mad, if that kiss had been any indication. And she hadn’t ‘osuwari’d’ him either. Yes, it had been one hell of a day, one that had him feeling closer to Kagome than ever before.
And you got to see her naked… He groaned, bashing his head against the bark to clear his mind of that image, to no avail. He wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight.
(1) Just wanted to clarify something. When Inuyasha says he’s “with Kagome,” he doesn’t mean with her with her. He just means he’s now traveling with Kagome, staying by her side. Of course, Kagome’s friends do interpret it to mean with her…
(2) Show me a guy who says he understands women, and I’ll show you a liar. ;)
(3) I thought of Tsubaki as I wrote this, but her case is fundamentally different. Yes, they called her a “dark miko,” but as far as I can tell she didn’t have any miko powers that would allow her to purify demons. She was much more demon than miko. Kagome, on the other hand, is both, and has the powers of both.
A/N – The Kagome being afraid of water idea was emailed to me by deathmvp. I hope it came out the way you envisioned it, D!
Kagome’s friends are always so cheery, but I think they, like all young girls (sorry ladies, but you can’t fool me!), have a darker side as well. And they didn’t really tear Inuyasha a new one; they just wanted to make sure he was doing right by Kagome, especially since they are now ‘going out’ with each other.
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Fanfiction of the Week: The Cave, by wbk.
I know it’s a little late for a Halloween story, but this one is really good. Besides, it’s not actually a Halloween story, per se, but it is dark and scary. Very fun.
Tests
Inuyasha was bored. Very bored. After the school had largely emptied, he decided to go wait by the entrance to Kagome’s classroom. He had a rough idea of where it would be, and his nose would guide him the rest of the way. He almost left that cursed hat up on the rooftop, having removed it once he arrived. “Don’t take it off under any circumstances,” my ass! Now he found there wasn’t much else to do but sit. He couldn’t even watch Kagome from his spot outside the door, but her scent told him she was concentrating pretty hard on something. That older guy was in there with her, too. Inuyasha growled low. As much as he hated leaving Kagome alone with any guy, this one didn’t seem to mean any harm. Good thing for him.
“Oh, Kami, look at his hair! I want to touch it!”
“It has to be dyed, but it looks so natural!”
“I wonder if only the hair on his head is silver?”
Inuyasha nearly choked at that comment, as the gaggle of girls down the hall began giggling hysterically. Damn humans! They have no idea I can hear everything they’re saying! He was quite certain his ears were burning under the hat, his teeth grinding together in an effort to reign in his desire to go ballistic. Those stupid girls kept saying how exotic he looked, among other things. Inuyasha smirked. Oh, if only they knew how exotic I really am. Without this stupid hat, I’d have them running for their lives with one growl. And yet, he couldn’t do that. One reason was obvious; Kagome would blow a stack. The second reason took him by surprise, but there was no denying it. He…liked it. He liked having people talk about him without using any number of the less-than-flattering adjectives he’d been hearing since his youth. He liked having strange girls call him ‘cute’ or ‘hot’—whatever the hell that meant—even though they thought he was human. It was refreshing to say the least. Of course, if any of them came up to him, he would promptly tell them all to go to hell.
Fortunately, it was only a few minutes longer before the group of girls dispersed and wandered away, apparently deciding that the silver-haired, barefoot boy dressed in ancient clothing and a baseball cap was a little too exotic for their tastes. That suited Inuyasha just fine too. But with the hallway now deserted, boredom again reared its ugly head, and the hanyou sat there tapping his fingers for a few minutes before heaving a cavernous yawn. Drawing the brim of the hat down over his eyes, he dozed off, keeping his senses alert.
“Hey, Inuyasha!” The somehow familiar voice had him shooting to his feet, spinning around to see three more girls skipping down the hallway toward him. Great… But then he recognized them, and relaxed slightly.
“Hey,” he replied, folding his arms in his sleeves. “You’re Kagome’s friends, right?”
“Yeah, do you remember us?” asked the one with the yellow thing in her hair.
“Uh, yeah. From that one time at the shrine.” Deciding to be friendly, not wanting to alienate Kagome’s friends, Inuyasha scrambled to try to remember their names. “Um, Emi?”
“Eri.” Close enough. Turning to the one with short hair, he thought for a moment, then said, “Yuki?”
“Yuka.” Also close enough. Finally, the one with the long, wavy hair.
“Ayumi?”
“Ayu—hey! You got mine right!”
“Well, I guess one out of three isn’t too bad,” Yuka stated amicably. Inuyasha could hear Kagome snickering from inside the classroom, her hanyou ears making her privy to this conversation. Feh! Get back to work, wench. I wanna get the hell outta here!
“So, Inuyasha, what are you and Kagome doing after she’s done her test?” Eri asked.
The hanyou shrugged. “Going back to the shrine, I guess.”
“Wanna come to WacDonald’s with us?”
Now, Inuyasha had no idea what this “WacDonald’s” was, but he knew the safest answer to a question like that.
“If Kagome wants to.”
They chatted pleasantly for a few more minutes, just passing the time, until a silent signal seemed to pass between the three girls. All conversation stopped, and Inuyasha felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Oh, they hid it well, but these three chicks were definitely up to something.
“So…” Yuka drawled, “how long have you known Kagome?”
“Uh, a little more than a year. Why?”
“How long have you two been going out?” she continued, completely ignoring his question. What kind of stupid…wait! Isn’t there some modern meaning to the phrase ‘going out?’ Did Souta tell me about that? But his memory wasn’t cooperating, so Inuyasha just went with the literal meaning of the words.
“The whole time, I guess.” Three sets of eyebrows raised at that, and Kagome choked slightly in the background. Why do I get the feeling that I just fucked up big time?
“Reeeeally?” Eri interjected, an evil twinkle in her eye. “Have you kissed her yet?” Inuyasha’s eyes widened as he gasped, and Kagome launched into a full-blown coughing fit, prompting her teacher to ask if she needed to get a drink. To Inuyasha’s dismay, Kagome declined, saying she was fine. If she had come outside, her friends would have realized that their little private interrogation wasn’t so private. And it would have stopped! But as it was, Kagome had abandoned him to face her three harpy friends on his own.
“I knew it!” Ayumi chirped happily, folding her hands in front of her chest and staring wistfully off into space. “Your face says it all. I bet it was in the middle of a beautiful field, with sakura blossoms floating all around you.” She signed melodramatically as the other two girls shook their heads.
“Well,” Yuka asked, smirking, “was it like our hyper-romantic friend here says it was?”
Inuyasha frowned. Not exactly… Both times we’ve kissed, one of us did it to keep the other from losing their mind. He wisely kept these thoughts to himself.
“Have you guys done anything else?” Eri posed suggestively, causing a furious blush to erupt on Inuyasha’s face and yet more coughing inside the classroom. Despite the acute embarrassment, Inuyasha felt his irritation rising rapidly. He had tried to be civil to Kagome’s friends, but if they were going to keep asking these invasive questions, then all bets were off.
“That’s none of your damn business,” he replied gruffly. The three seemed slightly taken aback at his sudden mood swing, but otherwise remained unperturbed.
“It is,” Yuka growled out, softly but firmly, still apparently believing that Kagome couldn’t hear everything they were saying. These deaf humans probably can’t even hear her choking in there. “We don’t want Kagome to get hurt. And speaking of that, what about that other girl you’ve been two-timing her with?”
This time, no coughing sounds reached Inuyasha’s ears. In fact, it seemed as if the entire world had gone deathly silent, anxiously awaiting his response. Never had he wanted to crawl into a hole so badly. But this time, he knew a dismissive comment wasn’t going to cut it, especially with Kagome eavesdropping. So, with no better option, he spoke from the heart, laid the truth on the line.
“Look. Things are…complicated, between me and Kikyou. But I’m with Kagome now, and I don’t regret it. So get off my fuckin’ back already!” (1) The three girls studied him seriously for several moments, before coming to a conclusion.
“Good,” Yuka replied, as the three of them broke into smiles and resumed their carefree bantering as if the last five minutes had never happened. How do they do that? Bitches…I’ll never understand ‘em. (2)
When Kagome emerged from the classroom about twenty minutes later, her excitement spared them what Inuyasha was sure was going to be quite an awkward moment.
“Eighty-six!!” she yelled, raising her arms above her head in triumph as her friends cheered. Well, I guess that means she passed her test.
“Alright! This calls for a celebration! Come on, Kagome, we’re going to WacDonald’s. Our treat!” Her three friends dragged her toward the exit, but Kagome broke away just long enough to grab Inuyasha’s hand and pull him along as well.
The walk to the restaurant was mercifully short, and Kagome stuck close to Inuyasha. Whenever the scents and sounds of the city became too much, she would close her eyes and press her nose into his haori, trusting him not to let her walk into a streetlight or a fire hydrant. Inuyasha put his arm around her shoulder, his face nearly matching the color of his haori, especially with Kagome’s three friends continually glancing back at them and shooting conspiratorial winks his way. But truthfully, he didn’t mind the closeness or the attention, as he took the chance to relish in Kagome’s scent as well. She did smell much better than anything else in the area. Anything else, period.
And then there was WacDonald’s. The twin odors of processed meat and grease assailed his senses, and Kagome had to turn her head away as he led her to the booth.
“Kagome, are you ok? You don’t look so good,” Ayumi said, her voice full of concern. Kagome nodded, flashing a reassuring smile.
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. I’m just a little dizzy. Nothing a cheeseburger wouldn’t fix.” Satisfied, the three girls went up to order their food, leaving Inuyasha and Kagome alone in the booth.
“Ugh! How do you stand it, Inuyasha! This city smells like so many things!”
Inuyasha just chuckled at her complaints, earning a heated glare. “Deal with it, wench. It’ll get better as you get used to your senses, but you’ll always hate it.”
“Hmph,” she grouched, folding her arms and turning away. Inuyasha just smirked. Apparently that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Kagome’s sour mood vanished as soon as the girls returned with burgers, fries, and sodas. Inuyasha marveled at the thing they called a “Big Wac.” It didn’t look good, it didn’t smell good, but man, did it taste amazing! One bite and he was hooked. He added the “Big Wac” to his short list of benefits of allowing Kagome to go home. Now, he just had convince her to get him one every day on her way home from school…
Ideas that would get him ‘osuwari’d’ aside, Inuyasha found himself mildly enjoying his time in the restaurant, even after he had devoured his Big Wac. Kagome’s friends were gossiping about stuff he didn’t understand, so he placed a hand over his sated stomach and let his gaze wander. There were a few parents with small children in the place, and several larger groups of young people like his. What really intrigued him was how openly the young men and women showed affection. He blanched at the things some of them were doing—in public no less—but other guys were just sitting with their arms around their girls. That he could do without suffering death by mortification, and he found himself wondering what it would be like. He had never dared touch Kikyou in such a manner. Their moments of physical affection had been few and far between, to say the least. But he put his arms around Kagome all the time when he carried her, and she didn’t seem to mind. And if she loved him like she said she did, wouldn’t it be ok? That, however, wasn’t the reason he was hesitating. He wasn’t stupid, and he knew putting his arm around Kagome in this situation would send a message to her and everyone who saw them. People only did that when they were together, after all.
But the more he thought about it, the more Inuyasha realized that they already were together, in a sense. They spent more time with each other than any other person, and he chased away any other males that came sniffing around her. They were both attracted to each other, and after more than a year in her presence he had finally grown up enough to admit that something romantic could develop between them. At the very least, she was his best friend, and he cared about her above all others. And Kikyou…he still loved her, but he no longer hoped for a future with her. The only future he could have with Kikyou involved joining her in hell, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to do that anymore, either.
So, before he could change his mind, Inuyasha raised his arm and wrapped it gently but firmly around Kagome’s shoulders. The sudden contact startled Kagome, who glanced up in time to see Inuyasha look away, red staining his cheeks. She couldn’t help but blush as well, even as a brilliant smile blossomed on her face. She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder, listening as his frantic heartbeat slowed and his tense muscles relaxed.
*FLASH* Click.
Startled by the sudden light, two sets of hanyou eyes turned toward the source, only to find all three of Kagome’s friends grinning at them. Ayumi was in hopeless romantic heaven, Eri was simply smirking, and Yuka was holding a camera. Kagome held out her hand, her eyes promising pain if the camera was not immediately placed into it. Unfortunately, Yuka had seen those eyes before, and knew her friend was all bark and no bite.
“No way, Kagome!” she exclaimed, putting the cursed piece of electronics back in her bag. “You two looked so cute! I just had to get a picture.”
Shoulders slumping in defeat, Kagome leaned forward and rested her forehead on the table. Inuyasha just sat there looking confused. Somehow, he knew better than to ask Kagome what a camera was in front of her friends. The group dispersed shortly after that, and the two hanyou began making their way back to the shrine. There was a couple walking in front of them, and Inuyasha couldn’t help but notice the way the guy’s hand was placed down at the girl’s waist. And since Kagome was already nestled against him, still struggling with the odors of the city…
The miko stiffened at the contact, and Inuyasha started to remove his hand, but Kagome reached around herself to stop him. Smiling shyly up at him, she replaced his hand on her lower back. And for the umpteenth time that day, both of them blushed hotly. But they found the situation anything but awkward; it was far too comfortable for that.
“Oh, look! What a cute couple. They even have matching hair styles! Hey! Can we get matching hair styles, too?”
“Sure, if you wanna cut your hair short like mine.”
“Awww, you’re no fun.”
Well, if they didn’t think their faces could get any redder, that passing couple had done it. And for the umpteenth time that day, Inuyasha wished these stupid, dumb, loud humans would realize he and Kagome could hear everything they were saying. For Kagome, in addition to stirring up the butterflies in her stomach, the conversation reminded her of another conversation she had inadvertently overheard today.
“Hey, Inuyasha?”
“Yeah?”
“Why…um, why did you tell my friends we were going out?” If Kagome was looking at Inuyasha, instead of staring at the sidewalk, she would have seen a flicker of understanding, a forgotten recollection flash across his visage.
“Nosy bitches. Feh! You spend most of your time with me, so…we’re going out.” He said it as if it was the simplest thing in the world. And to him, it probably was. Calm down, Kagome, he can’t possibly understand what that means in this time. He doesn’t like you that way! Still, as much as she tried to convince herself of this, Kagome couldn’t help the hope that welled up inside her. With the way he had put his arm around her, she could pretend, just for today, that he really was her boyfriend.
Kagome wasn’t the only one who became lost in thought. Inuyasha had, in fact, remembered exactly what Souta told him about ‘going out’ the instant Kagome popped her question. How guys and girls ‘went out’ if they liked each other, and how they would spend time together to see if they were ‘right’ for one another, and whether a long-term relationship could develop between them. And yet, even after recalling all of that, he still told Kagome they were going out. Am I insane?! It finally happened, didn’t it? I got hit on the head one too many times, and my brains turned to shit! His reasoning at the time had been simple; wasn’t that what he was doing with Kagome already? Plus, Souta told him most people went out with one person at a time, and neither of them were ‘going out’ with anybody else. He griped when Kouga came sniffing around, but Kagome had never shown any real interest in the wolf. And she definitely wasn’t ‘seeing someone’ from her time; no sensible guy would let his girl vanish into thin air for weeks at a time without explanation. Ultimately, the deciding factor had been his sense of smell. It was subtle, but each of them had left their scent on the other through months of close proximity and physical contact. He had marked her, and she had marked him, and in this one, small way they belonged to each other.
So, without giving himself time to consider Kagome’s reaction, he told her they were going out. He regretted it at first, but then she seemed happy, and he knew he wouldn’t take it back if he had the chance.
“Kagome!” Both hanyou looked up to see Kagome’s grandfather hobbling toward them. Looking around, they were shocked to find themselves on the shrine grounds, having been spacing out too much to realize where they were. The old man stopped in front of Kagome, staring at her with an unreadable expression, before reaching up and removing her headband. He gasped as her ears sprang into view.
“So it is true…” he said quietly, then his eyes hardened in determination. “Youkai be gone!” he yelled while flinging a whole pile of sutras upon his hapless granddaughter. As usual, the things had no effect, but they stuck to her clothes, her hair, and her face. Inuyasha took a step back, not wanting to get scorched by the flames that were sure to come spouting from Kagome’s ears. So he was astonished when instead she merely turned and walked into the house. But he didn’t miss the way her head lowered, or the scent of her tears.
“Kagome! Wait! I have more ofud—”
“Let her go, jijii. You’ve done enough already.”
“What are you talking about? We must ch—”
“We’re gonna change her back! In the meantime, try not to make her feel like shit!”
“What?! Kagome’s mother said you and I have the same goal, so how—”
“Yeah, except I didn’t try to purify her as soon as I found out! I didn’t reject her. Stupid old codger,” he muttered under his breath, though he was quite sure the jijii heard him. And apparently his words sunk in, because suddenly the old man looked crestfallen. Silently, he turned and followed his granddaughter into the house. Inuyasha was content to let him go, and leapt into Goshinboku to give them some privacy. I’m giving you one chance to not fuck this up, jijii. If you make her cry again, I’m tossing her over my shoulder and taking her through the well, and I guarantee you won’t see her again for a long while.
Later, figuring he’d given the old man enough time, Inuyasha vaulted down from his perch and jumped up to Kagome’s window. He found her lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She wasn’t crying anymore, but the scent of her tears still permeated the room.
“You alright, wench?” he asked gently, though he still managed to startle her. Sitting up, she nodded, even managing a small smile which he saw right through. Her grandfather had come up and apologized, told her she would always be his granddaughter, no matter how much youkai blood she had in her. But the truth was his actions had shaken her, and she didn’t object when Inuyasha told her they were going back to the Feudal Era. In the past, she knew her friends accepted her unconditionally. She didn’t have to hide what she was from them; they judged a person by how much good was in their heart, not how much youkai blood flowed through their veins. That wasn’t exactly being fair to her modern friends and family, since none of them had ever met a modern demon before, but she couldn’t help how she felt. And right now, she just wanted to return to the past for a while.
After packing and saying goodbye to her family, the demonic pair leapt into the well together, Inuyasha holding Kagome in one arm out of habit. He was about to spring them out of the well on the other side, but she stopped him. Handing him her overstuffed backpack, which he shouldered, she crouched down, then leapt with all her might. Part of her expected to only go up a few feet, but her momentum carried her sky-high, a good twenty feet above the grassy ground. She squinted her eyes shut, anticipating a painful landing, but when her feet hit the ground, her knees bent and she hardly felt anything.
“Woooowwwww!!! Did you see that?! That was amazing!” Flush with adrenaline, she continued to test her new hanyou strength, jumping around the clearing like a hyperactive kangaroo. Eventually, she realized Inuyasha had yet to emerge from the well.
“Hey, Inuyasha! Are you coming out or what?!”
“In a minute, wench!” she heard him respond. Shrugging, she skipped off toward the village without waiting, too exhilarated to care why he was suddenly so grumpy. When Inuyasha finally did climb out, his face was still slightly pinked. Kagome had unwittingly given him quite a show when she exited the well. That damn skirt is going to be the death of me…and of anyone else who looks under it!
A short while later, the intrepid group of travelers was on the road again, heading for Totosai’s. The humans, and one former human, had wanted to stay in the village for the night, and had only assented to leave when Inuyasha agreed to find them a hot spring when they made camp. Miroku said he wanted a nice, relaxing soak as well, but Inuyasha knew he just wanted to spy on the girls. And the girls knew it too, which is why the hanyou found himself on babysitting duty while they were bathing. Look at him, sitting there looking all innocent. Feh! If I take my eyes off him for one second, he’ll be gone!
“Kagome-chan, what are you doing?” Sango asked, genuinely confused. Kagome was just standing there at the edge of the spring, buck naked except for a towel she clutched to her front for modesty’s sake. And she looked absolutely petrified. The instant her toe had touched the water, she had sprung back involuntarily, as if the hot liquid burned.
“Oh, come on Kagome-chan! It’s not that hot.” To Sango’s continued surprise, the miko just shook her head, her ears moving wildly back and forth as if twitching in fear. Her ears…cat ears. And as understanding dawned, Sango couldn’t hold back the giggle which quickly escalated to full-on guffaws. The idea that Kagome, who enjoyed baths more than anyone else she knew, was now afraid of water…well, it was just too much for the poor taijiya. Kagome, on the other hand, was not amused one bit, as Sango realized when she finally calmed down enough to reopen her eyes. By then, Kagome had wrapped the towel around herself, and was leaning sulkily on one leg with her arms crossed over her chest. Her fierce pout almost made Sango burst into laughter again, but her sympathy allowed her to restrain herself.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Kagome-chan,” she said, hiding her smirk behind her hand.
“It’s not FAIR, Sango-chan! Why couldn’t I have been a tiger hanyou? They love the water! Now I’ve got these stupid youkai instincts that won’t let me do one of my favorite things!” She looked longingly at the shimmering waters of the hot spring, and stuck her toe out once more.
“Dammit!” she cried as she pulled the appendage back. Now Sango felt really bad for laughing. If Kagome’s swearing, this is starting to get serious! That didn’t stop a deliciously evil plan from forming in her mind, one that would help Kagome, of course.
“Kagome-chan, just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and take your time getting in.”
The miko’s glare told Sango exactly what she though of her idea, but she complied nonetheless. The deep breath actually did much to calm her frayed nerves. And closing her eyes meant that she couldn’t see the water; she could only smell it. Slowly, Kagome relaxed, and began to think that she might actually get a bath after all. Then all hell broke loose.
Just as Kagome was getting ready to try to put her foot in again, she felt strong arms wrap around her knees and pull her forward. She toppled off balance, and her scream was literally drowned out by the warm waters of the hot spring she suddenly found herself immersed in. Her youkai half took control at that point, as she let out a positively feline screech and launched herself straight up a good fifteen feet out of the spring. An overhanging branch passed in front of her nose, and she grabbed it with both hands, hanging on for dear life.
This was the scene that greeted Sango when she came to the surface. Kagome hanging from a tree, her eyes shining with a disturbing blend of fear and malice. If looks could kill… Sango tried not to give in to the urge to chuckle, she really did. But when the soaked towel, which had somehow stayed wrapped around Kagome’s body during her acrobatics, slipped open and fell into the spring, she lost that battle.
“Come on, Kagome-chan, let go!” she said between ragged breaths. Kagome shook her head vigorously, and Sango opened her mouth to ask something like “what if Inuyasha sees,” when lo and behold…
The sound of something crashing through the underbrush had Sango swiveling her head around, only to see Inuyasha emerge from the foliage, ready and looking for a fight. That is, until he spied Kagome hanging from the tree. His jaw dropped so low it must have come unhinged, and his eyes widened impossibly, as if he had permanently lost his ability to blink. He had at least temporarily lost his ability to think; all he could do at the moment was stare. At her eyes, glimmering with shock, her cheeks, colored with embarrassment. Down past her shoulders, to pert breasts, nipples fully erect due to the effects of cool air on wet skin. His gaze followed the droplets moving down her body, to her thin waist and over wide, elegant hips to the nest of curls that hid her most secret spot. And further still, down long, succulent legs and finally, back up again. Oh, yes, he could see everything. And apparently Kagome realized this as well, because she “eeped!” and released her grip on the branch, dropping back into the spring with a small splash. Ultimately it was the monk who broke Inuyasha out of his daze, as he came crashing into the hanyou’s back, nearly knocking them both into the water. Miroku didn’t even get a chance to look at the lovely ladies before a clawed hand began dragging him back to camp by the collar of his robes.
Silence descended on the hot spring once more, broken only by the grinding of teeth. Turning nervous eyes back to her friend, Sango saw Kagome standing in the waist-deep water, stalking her way. Her eyes carried murderous intent, and her whole body was flushed beat red. Usually not one to back down, Sango retreated anyway, holding her hands up in an effort to mollify her irate companion.
“K-Kagome-chan, wait! I, uh…it worked didn’t it? I got you in the water!”
Kagome was not impressed.
“Sango-CHAAAAAAN!!!!!!”
“Inuyasha,” Miroku sighed, prying uselessly against the hanyou’s iron grip. “Why must you spoil my fun? You got to look, did you not?”
“I didn’t see nothin’!!!”
Startled, the monk took his first good look at the flustered, flushing hanyou. “Ahhh, I see. You saw Kagome naked, didn’t you?”
Inuyasha faltered in his step, just enough to let Miroku know he’d hit the nail on the head. Yeah, he saw Kagome naked. He bolted out of camp as soon as he heard her scream, thinking there was danger. She had screamed, after all, and now the girls were screaming and splashing around again, but there was no way he was going back there. Because there hadn’t been any danger; Kagome was just…hanging there. Completely nude. Shame washed over him. He had been so entranced by her beauty, he hadn’t even thought to look away. Ugh, she’s gonna ‘osuwari’ me straight to hell when she gets back to camp. Miroku frowned, noticing his companion’s sudden change in demeanor.
“Relax, Inuyasha. I’m sure Kagome doesn’t mind as much as you seem to think she does.”
“I already told you! There’s nothing to mind, because I didn’t see anything!”
“Really? Your attitude suggests otherwise. Tell me, did you like what you saw? What does Kagome look like covered in only beads of water, glistening on her smooth skin?”
“Bouzu…” Inuyasha growled menacingly, raising a clenched fist while simultaneously trying to tamp down on the delightful images the monk’s words were conjuring up.
“Why, Inuyasha! I don’t think I’ve ever seen your face match the color of your robes before.”
Grrrrrrrrrrrr. “Bouzu! When I’m through with you, your whole body is gonna match the color of your robes!!”
A few minutes and cranial lumps later, peace settled on the two men, kitsune child, and fire cat who sat by the small campfire as they waited for the female members of their company to return. But with as insane as the day had been so far, Inuyasha should have known the peace wouldn’t last. He shot to his feet the instant the shinidamachu appeared overhead. Kikyou…what is she doing here? We just spoke a few days ago.
“Will you go to her?” Miroku asked, his tone suggesting he already knew the answer. Inuyasha sniffed the air, coming to a worrisome conclusion.
“There’s no need.” He paused a moment, giving the monk a chance to stare at him in shock before continuing. “She’s coming here.”
Miroku took a moment to digest that information, wondering the same thing as Inuyasha. Why is Kikyou coming here? She couldn’t possibly know about Kagome, could she?
Kagome and Sango were still giggling when they returned to camp a minute later, but that quickly ceased as they noticed the somber atmosphere and the snake-like demons whose presence explained everything. And Kagome knew—her day of pretending Inuyasha was her boyfriend was over, kaput, and totally finished. Old pain rose up inside her, the familiar darkness worming its way further into her heart, even as she tried to put up a brave front. But then, the sight of Inuyasha staring off into the forest nullified her best efforts in that regard. Why is he still here? Why can’t he just leave instead of drawing this out?!
“Inuyasha,” she said, a small amount of irritation leaking into her voice. “It’s okay; don’t hold yourself back on my—our account.” Inuyasha didn’t respond, the flicker of an ear giving the only indication he’d heard her at all.
“Apparently,” Miroku interjected, “Kikyou-sama is coming here.”
Kagome gaped at that, but her hanyou senses told her the same thing. The foul odor that could only be bones and graveyard soil, ever increasing, and the soft sounds of a body moving through the undergrowth confirmed Miroku’s suspicions. And now that she took the time to really look at them, Kagome noticed that the shinidamachu were merely circling around the campsite, instead of beckoning Inuyasha to follow them. But why? Why is Kikyou coming here? Does she know about what happened to me? Either way, Kagome realized with a grimace, this was sure to be a very unpleasant meeting.
The seconds ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace, and it felt like hours before the dead priestess finally emerged from the vegetation. She didn’t even glance at anyone else; her cold eyes instantly bored into Kagome’s, causing an involuntary shiver as her ears shrank back. Nevertheless, Kagome steeled her nerves and forced herself to maintain eye contact, refusing to show weakness in front of Kikyou of all people. Eventually, the dead miko broke the silence, though she did not break her gaze.
“I had to see it for myself to believe it.”
“What? Kikyou, how did you find out about Kagome?” Inuyasha asked, causing his former love to finally tear her eyes from her reincarnation.
“Well, Kagome, how did I find out?” she asked, her voice full of barely disguised contempt. When it became clear that Kagome had no answer for her, she didn’t even bother to hide it anymore. “I’m not surprised an untrained miko would fail to sense it, but because we share the same soul, there is a connection between us. So I can sense when something truly horrible happens to my reincarnation.”
Kagome bristled at the quasi-insult, and didn’t miss how Kikyou’s words made Inuyasha’s ears lower slightly. At this point, she didn’t know which one pissed her off more.
“So, you foolish girl,” Kikyou continued viciously, “tell me the story that youkai spun for you to get you to let him live. Let’s see if it pulls on my heartstrings as it clearly did yours.”
Kagome sputtered for a moment in shock, wondering if Kikyou could read her mind through this supposed connection. “How…?”
Kikyou scoffed. “Please. I sensed when the youkai’s spirit entered your body using the rebirth power. Normally when that happens, only one of two things can result. The youkai can take over the human’s body completely and transform it to his original form, or the human can defeat the youkai and drive the spirit to the netherworld. Two spirits cannot peacefully coexist in one mortal body. The only way you could have wound up as a hanyou was if you failed to send the youkai’s soul to hell. And in that case, you truly are a fool.”
Kagome felt her anger building, but she tried to keep her temper in check. She had never forced Inuyasha to choose between her and Kikyou, and she wasn’t about to make him pick sides in a fight if she could help it. “So, you’re going to judge me because I showed a child mercy?” she ground out, glaring daggers at the dead miko. Kikyou actually laughed at that, a disturbing sound that held no humor.
“Mercy?! Youkai are undeserving of such an emotion.”
“Oi! Why I oughta—eep!” Shippou’s indignant outburst was quickly silenced by a chilling glare, one that sent him scurrying to hide behind Sango. The small interruption did nothing to break the tension between the two miko.
“Inuyasha,” Kikyou spoke angrily, “you should send this useless girl back home where she belongs. Though she was of little help to you in your quest before, she could at least sense the Shikon jewel shards. Now, she cannot even do that anymore.”
“That’s not true!” Kagome yelled before Inuyasha could reply. “I can so sense the jewel shards!”
“You lie,” Kikyou said dismissively. At that moment, Kagome could think of nothing she would like more than to wipe that smug, conceited look off Kikyou’s face. Shaking with fury now, she ripped the bottle of Shikon shards from around her neck.
“Don’t believe me? Here!” she yelled, tossing the bottle to Kikyou, who caught it in one hand. “I guarantee you I’ll be able to see it no matter where you put it.”
The other miko studied her for a moment, then turned her back on them briefly before spinning to face them once more.
“Very well,” she said, holding each arm out to the side. “Which hand is it in?”
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Kagome summoned her powers. She looked at the right hand…nothing. She looked at the left hand…nothing. What the—I know I could sense it before! Pushing back her rising panic, she expanded her focus, and sensed a glimmer from somewhere further south. Honing in on that faint signal, she found what she was looking for.
“It’s not in your hand. It’s in your robes, near your left hip.”
Immediately Kikyou’s hands flew downward to cover the spot as if it had been scorched. Slowly she drew the bottle from her robes, and tossed it back to Kagome.
“Lucky guess,” she managed, though her voice lacked the confidence it had exuded before. For Kagome, that last, flippant remark was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Marching over to where her stuff was, she snatched her bow and notched an arrow. Taking careful aim, she let fly, putting as much spiritual energy into the projectile as she could. The arrow lit up the clearing as it flew, casting a powerful pink glow that could be seen and felt from many miles away. It penetrated the rough bark of the unlucky tree, scorching the surface before the light faded. Kagome’s smirk widened as she turned to gauge Kikyou’s reaction. The older priestess was aghast; never before had Kagome seen so much shock on her normally stoic countenance. But before she could further revel in her victory, Kikyou lashed out again in anger, the kind that arises from denial and deep confusion.
“What trick is this?! This is impossible! Youkai and miko are fundamental enemies. It is impossible for one being to contain the energies of both! (3) You should have lost your miko abilities the instant your body was no longer free of youkai taint. A miko’s strength is linked to her purity, so how can y—”
“Kagome’s heart is pure. Maybe that’s enough.”
The substance of those words did not surprise Kagome; not two days ago her friends had determined that her pure heart was the reason she still had use of her powers. What did stun her, leaving her standing there absolutely flabbergasted, was who had uttered them. All eyes turned to Inuyasha, who was staring at an imaginary spot in the forest canopy, not looking at any of them. As the haunting glow of the shinidamachu faded, the group once again turned their focus to Kikyou, just in time to see her disappear into the foliage. She had left without a word, and for a brief moment Kagome was afraid Inuyasha would go after her. Instead, the hanyou settled down against a nearby tree, closing his eyes so the others couldn’t tell whether he was deep in thought or just dozing. Either way, it was getting late, and the various members of the Inu-gang settled down for the night.
Sleep eluded Kagome, however, and it wasn’t because the smells and sounds of the night were keeping her awake. “Kagome’s heart is pure. Maybe that’s enough.” Did he really mean that? Her heart fluttered in her chest at the thought that Inuyasha had complimented her, actually defended her in front of Kikyou. Now she had to know what he really thought; she would be able to think of nothing else until she did. Climbing out of her sleeping bag slowly so as not to disturb Shippou, she crept over to where Inuyasha sat and plopped down next to him. She studied his peaceful face in silence until he cracked one eye open.
“Whaddya want, wench?” he mumbled drowsily.
“What you said before…did you really mean it?”
Inuyasha met her gaze, reading the need for reassurance in those breathtaking chocolate orbs, and sighed in resignation.
“Yeah, I meant it. Hell, Kagome, you’ve got the purest heart of anybody I’ve ever met.” Pausing, and having apparently just reached his quota for kind words in one day, he continued, “Now quit fishing for compliments and go to sleep!”
Kagome, who was still trying to wrap her head around the first part of what he said, didn’t seem to mind his gruffness. She enfolded him in a quick hug, then pulled away enough to plant a warm kiss on his cheek before releasing him.
“Thanks, Inuyasha,” she said before rising and returning to her sleeping bag. This time, she had no trouble slipping into slumber.
Inuyasha was glad it was dark and no one was awake, because his cheeks were suddenly very red. Even so, he couldn’t help the small grin that quirked his lips. He had seen Kikyou, and Kagome wasn’t mad! In fact, she appeared to be quite the opposite of mad, if that kiss had been any indication. And she hadn’t ‘osuwari’d’ him either. Yes, it had been one hell of a day, one that had him feeling closer to Kagome than ever before.
And you got to see her naked… He groaned, bashing his head against the bark to clear his mind of that image, to no avail. He wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight.
(1) Just wanted to clarify something. When Inuyasha says he’s “with Kagome,” he doesn’t mean with her with her. He just means he’s now traveling with Kagome, staying by her side. Of course, Kagome’s friends do interpret it to mean with her…
(2) Show me a guy who says he understands women, and I’ll show you a liar. ;)
(3) I thought of Tsubaki as I wrote this, but her case is fundamentally different. Yes, they called her a “dark miko,” but as far as I can tell she didn’t have any miko powers that would allow her to purify demons. She was much more demon than miko. Kagome, on the other hand, is both, and has the powers of both.
A/N – The Kagome being afraid of water idea was emailed to me by deathmvp. I hope it came out the way you envisioned it, D!
Kagome’s friends are always so cheery, but I think they, like all young girls (sorry ladies, but you can’t fool me!), have a darker side as well. And they didn’t really tear Inuyasha a new one; they just wanted to make sure he was doing right by Kagome, especially since they are now ‘going out’ with each other.
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