InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis ❯ Reminisces ( Chapter 12 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: King Baka 
Inuyasha and Kagome reminisce, and Naraku makes an appearance.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Romance / Hentai / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 01.07.2009 | Updated On: 12.24.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 6.2K | Visits: 3.8K | Status: Completed
Inuyasha and Kagome reminisce, and Naraku makes an appearance.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Romance / Hentai / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 01.07.2009 | Updated On: 12.24.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 6.2K | Visits: 3.8K | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or any of the publicly known characters, plot, etc. I’m just renting them from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, etc. I do own the plot of this story and any original characters I’ve created. I will make no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers.
Fanfiction of the Week: “A Question of Conscience,” and “Good Dog,” both by FrameofMind.
A double-dose of awesome fanfiction this week, as I submit to you two of my favorite one-shots of all time. Both are a wonderful blend of comedy, drama, romance, and a sprinkling of angst. It’s a travesty that each has less than 1,100 visits and 10 reviews on mediaminer. Somehow these went largely unappreciated when they were first posted, but it’s not too late! Go read!
Reminisces
“Ouch!”
*Slap*
“Dammit, Myouga! How many times do I have to tell you not to bite Kagome?”
“But, Inuyasha-sama,” the flea whined pitifully from his place between the hanyou’s fingertips. “It’s been such a long journey, and Kirara won’t let me take any of her blood. I’ve had nothing to eat for days!”
“Go suck on Shippou.”
“Oi!” the kit protested.
“But Inuyaaashaaaaaa-samaaaaa,” Myouga moaned, putting on his most sympathetic air. “The blood of beautiful young women always tastes the best. Add in the distinctive flavor of youkai…oh, Kagome-sama’s blood must taste heavenly!”
“Too bad. You’ll have to find another one.”
“Oh...becoming…dizzy. Can’t…remember…directions. Must…have…nourishment.” Myouga swooned, drawing an exasperated growl from Inuyasha. Nevertheless, the hanyou bared his arm, and Myouga attacked it with vigor. When the flea had taken what Inuyasha deemed to be a sufficient amount, he was unceremoniously flicked off.
“There, ya fuckin’ pest. Now get us to Daichi’s quickly or I’ll turn you into a Myouga-pancake!”
“Pan-cake?” Miroku questioned curiously, causing Inuyasha to stare off into space as a memory came to mind. The flat, circular disks, covered in butter and syrupy goodness…it had been almost as good as ramen, or bacon!
“Kagome’s okaa-san made them for us once. They’re really good.”
Miroku’s eyebrows raised in surprise. Okaa-san? Since when does Inuyasha address *anyone* so respectfully? Kagome’s mother must have made quite an impression on him.
Inuyasha snapped out of his daydream when he felt eyes boring into the back of his head, and turned to see Kagome gazing at him contemplatively. “What are you looking at, wench?” he grumped, though there was no real hostility in his words.
Kagome shook her head and smiled wider. When Myouga called her beautiful, she had cringed, mentally preparing herself for a snide remark from Inuyasha, somewhere along the lines of ‘Beautiful? I don’t see any beautiful girls around here.’ When this customary, caustic reply never came, but was instead replaced by ‘You’ll have to find another one,’ she turned to stare at him in amazement. For he had just directly implied that she was in fact beautiful, and apparently didn’t even realize it. Over the past few weeks, her nose had informed her that this is what he thought, but actually hearing him state it aloud, though in not so many words, was entirely unexpected. She chuckled lightly. Yes, Inuyasha had changed. No longer was he the brash, insulting, infuriating hanyou he had been when they first met. He still charged recklessly into battle, swore like a sailor, and could stoke her ire like no other, but he had certainly mellowed. He no longer insulted her at every opportunity, and his overall mood had greatly improved. Having friends he could trust had probably been the biggest factor in these changes, but Kagome liked to think that she had helped him in other ways as well. She was the only one of the group who loved him, after all, and the first one to grant him unconditional acceptance. Overall, he had become much happier since that first night by Goshinboku. His eyes were brighter, and he no longer carried the burden of Kikyou’s death on his shoulders constantly.
Inuyasha arched an eyebrow but otherwise let her reaction go. That was another thing that had changed; a year ago, he probably would have made a scene, demanding to know what she found so ‘damn funny.’ Again, he had mellowed. But when danger came around, he was still as ready for a fight as ever. That was fortunate, because a sudden scent in the air had Inuyasha snapping to attention, their conversation forgotten. This time, Kagome doubted their guests would be content to just talk.
“Heh.” Inuyasha smirked, cracking his knuckles as the two youkai skidded to a stop before them. “I was hoping to see you bastards again. Will you stay and fight, or will you run off with your tails between your legs again?”
“Believe me, cretin, fear had nothing to do with our hasty departure following our previous encounter,” Takehiko replied easily, not in the least bit bothered by Inuyasha’s posturing. In fact, both he and his sister seemed extremely confident, which immediately put Kagome on edge. “Stick to the plan, Sora,” he said before both attacked.
Takehiko shot straight toward Inuyasha, slashing in a downward arc with a long, curved blade that widened slightly at the end. The weapon crackled with youkai energy, but Tetsusaiga had no problem meeting the attack head-on and repulsing it. After several moments of heated exchanges, it appeared that Inuyasha had the advantage in both physical brute strength and the power of his sword. But what Takehiko lacked in power, he made up for in grace, agility, and swordsmanship. Inuyasha found himself on the defensive, barely able to keep up with the swift strikes that tore several slices in his haori. Finally, the hanyou regained his proverbial footing, lashing out with the Kaze no Kizu. His opponent dodged effortlessly, but Inuyasha followed up, attacking with measures swipes of Tetsusaiga, careful to avoid overswinging and leaving his enemy an opening. The mass and force of his sword strikes compelled Takehiko to dodge or parry, as he seemed reluctant to block the attacks directly. He continued dancing, counterattacking where he could, but mostly staying just out of killing range. The two drifted farther and farther away from the rest of the combatants as Inuyasha doggedly pursued, his irritation increasing exponentially with each missed stroke.
Meanwhile, Sora had immediately taken to the air, unfurling her large, powerful wings and hovering in place. Each flap sent hundreds of small shards of youkai energy toward the Inu-gang, like white-hot bullets cutting through the breeze. It almost appeared as if the was flinging her feathers at them, but that was not the case; she was using her feathers to manifest her youki into an energy attack. Her targets scattered, and Sora ceased her harassment, biding her time. Sango was the first to respond; she leapt on Kirara, flinging hiraikotsu straight at the hawk’s neck. A flap of Sora’s wings sent the weapon off course, the boomerang skidding to the ground off to the side. As the taijiya flew to recover her weapon, Miroku stepped forward and opened his kazaana. Sora’s expression revealed her shock, but another mighty beat of her wings gave her just enough time to launch an energy attack in the monk’s direction. This time, Sora condensed her energy, firing several larger orbs instead of a hundred shards. Miroku closed his kazaana just before lunging to the side to avoid being burned to a crisp where he stood. This was the opportunity Sora had been waiting for, and she took it without hesitation, diving toward her true target—the now-unprotected miko-hanyou bitch.
Kagome, startled by the sudden change, fumbled the arrow she had been notching. The weapon clattered uselessly to the ground, and Kagome watched with wide eyes as the hawk youkai bore down on her. She leapt away at the last second, launching herself backward in an attempt to avoid impalement by the sharp talons she could see glistening in the sunlight. But it was futile; the bird’s momentum was too much to overcome, and her expertise on the wing was extraordinary. Sora grabbed Kagome’s shoulder, the claws piercing her flesh and holding it like an inescapable vice. Then, before the miko had even registered the pain, Sora drove a dagger into her gut. Oddly, Kagome felt no pain. She could see the silver hilt of the weapon protruding from her stomach, but there was no accompanying sensation that would tell her the rest of the weapon was even there.
Then, it happened. Blinding, burning agony exploded throughout her body, and an anguished scream escaped her throat. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think; it felt as if her body was being torn asunder, ripped apart from the inside. The darkness closed in swiftly, beckoning her to surrender to the strange power invading her. But at some level, in some stubborn corner of her mind, she refused. Her miko powers surged unbidden within her, the last, automatic defense of their mistress, who found herself on the very precipice of death. And suddenly the blackness was gone, as was the tortuous agony, and she collapsed forward, another’s scream replacing her own.
Inuyasha spun around upon hearing Kagome’s cry, nearly having his head lopped off as a result. But he ignored Takehiko now, and charged back toward his comrades with the inu-youkai hot on his heels. For a brief moment, Kagome and Sora were locked together, then there was only pink. Out of the blinding flash shot Sora, screeching at the top of her lungs, her cry sending all the creatures of the woodland and the plain running for cover. She trailed acrid black smoke, her wings ablaze with unquenched flame as she plummeted to the ground. Over and over she rolled, her battered body absorbing the impact, the unforgiving earth nevertheless putting out the fire that tormented her. Thin bolts of purity still crackled around her, even as she lay motionless in a heap.
“Sora!” shouted Takehiko as he sped by Inuyasha to reach his sister. He checked on her quickly, snatched up the dagger lying nearby, then gathered her into his arms and sped off at a speed none of the Inu-gang could match. Not that any of them intended to give chase.
“Kagome!” sounded four voices, more or less in time with each other. To their surprise and relief, her eyes fluttered at the noise, and she slowly sat up. She wobbled slightly, and appeared confused at first, but as her short-term memory returned, her eyes darted all around in alarm.
“Relax, Kagome-sama,” Miroku said, “they’re gone. You made sure of that.”
“Yeah,” Shippou enthused. “I’ve never seen such a strong miko attack! It made the hairs on my tail stand on end.”
Kirara, in her small form once again, mewed in agreement. Kagome frowned, brows furrowing in consternation.
“But what happened to me? Why did my miko energy explode like tha—” Kagome cut herself off as Miroku knelt before her and lifted her shirt enough to expose her stomach. Her first instinct was to push the garment back down, and maybe smack the monk, but she tamped it down upon seeing his astonished expression and remembering the knife wound she surely must have down there. There was a brief scuffle as Miroku was quite literally tossed aside by the back of his robes, his hand replaced by a clawed one.
“Fuckin’ hentai! Stay away from Kagome!”
“Inuyasha, I assure you, my intentions were honorable. I merely wished to check Kagome-sama’s wound.” The hanyou spared a glance at Kagome’s stomach before returning his glare to the monk.
“What wound? I don’t see anything.”
“Which is very odd, considering the fact that I swear I saw Sora shove a dagger into Kagome’s gut.”
“WHAT?!! You better not be fuckin’ with me, bouzu!”
“Do you think I would joke about something so serious?”
“Wait, Inuyasha,” Kagome interrupted before the hanyou could respond. “It’s true. She really did stab me. About here,” she said, using one finger to point out the approximate point of entry. Inuyasha studied the small patch of skin; it looked just as smooth and flawless as the rest of her flesh! And with that in mind, he couldn’t help but zoom his eyes out a bit, the flat, toned expanse of her stomach mesmerizing him completely.
“It was really weird,” Kagome continued, oblivious to his distraction. “It didn’t hurt at all where she stabbed me, but the rest of my body was on fire! Like I was being torn apart from the inside…” she trailed off, noticing the all too pleasant sensation of gentle fingers caressing her belly. She flushed lightly as she noticed whose hand it was, and the glazed-over look swimming in his amber eyes. “Uh…Inuyasha? You can put my shirt down now.”
Inuyasha blushed crimson, and withdrew his hand instantaneously, making Kagome wish she hadn’t said anything. His embarrassed eyes met hers for a moment before he looked away. The movement caused him to notice the flow of blood still trickling from her shoulder, and he leapt to his feet and walked away. Kagome was immensely relieved when he returned with her first aid kit, having at first believed that he was too mortified to remain in her presence for the time being. Then she remembered the wound herself, and glanced at her shoulder, the corresponding pain finally working its way into her consciousness. She grimaced as she took in the damage; Sora’s talons had torn several holes in her blouse and sheered right through the strap of her bra.
“Damn! That was my favorite bra! And I liked the blouse, too.” The wounds themselves were not too severe; they would only have been serious if she was human. As it was, they were already healing on their own. Nevertheless, Inuyasha delicately cleaned and bandaged the punctures, as she had done for him countless times. He wore a look of intense concentration, his inexperience with the art of healing evident in his expression. But surprisingly, the bandaging turned out fine; Kagome felt that she couldn’t have done a better job herself. “Thank you,” she said shyly when he was finished. He merely grunted before standing and looking around, swearing under his breath about the cowardly flea who had obviously run off at the first sign of danger.
“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with your stomach, Kagome-chan?” Sango inquired, prompting Kagome to lift up her shirt and examine the area one more time.
“Yep. There’s nothing there, and I don’t think there ever was.”
“That’s so strange, though! A dagger that doesn’t cut? I don’t like whatever those two are plotting.”
“It must have something to do with their desire to get their brother back,” Miroku stated. “We must be extra cautious the next time they come around. You are their true target. It would be best if some of us kept that in mind.” His inflection rose, making it perfectly clear just who he was referring to. Inuyasha pointedly ignored the jibe, but Kagome noticed that his ears did droop slightly. Maybe that was why he bandaged her wounds instead of letting someone else do it—because he felt guilty for leaving her unprotected? But he didn’t leave me unprotected. He took Takehiko out of the fight, and it was three—four counting Kirara—against one! He can’t possibly blame himself, can he? She knew the answer to that question. Inuyasha never had problems placing blame for something upon his own shoulders. He blamed himself for Kikyou’s death, and her near-second death, and for any number of times she herself had been injured or put in danger. Most of the time, it wasn’t his fault at all; such was the case here. But he didn’t appear to be too bummed, and Kagome didn’t think it would be a major issue.
“Where is that damn flea?” he griped aloud. “We’ve wasted enough time today!”
Kagome arched an eyebrow. Hmph, some of that ‘wasted time’ was you staring at me. But she wisely kept such thoughts to herself, knowing that being reminded of his momentary indiscretion would put her hanyou in a sour mood indeed. And it wasn’t like she really minded the contact… Raising her shirt again, she examined the part of her that had kept Inuyasha so enthralled. She was pleasantly surprised at what she saw. Since when do I have abs? Now, she had never been too pudgy, and the last of her baby fat had vanished sometime around her fourteenth birthday, but she had never been blessed with perceptible muscles either. Yet, there they were, not overly pronounced, but clearly visible to anyone who gave her more than a passing glance. She had to admit she liked the view. Another benefit of being a hanyou, I guess.
“Oi, wench! You gonna sit there staring at yourself all day? Let’s go.”
Kagome scowled at him, barely holding back the reflexive ‘osuwari’ that came to her lips. She settled for sticking her tongue out at him.
“Where are we going, Inuyasha,” she asked dubiously. “Have you found Myouga yet?”
The hanyou sputtered for a moment, then huffed haughtily. “Keh! He’ll find us if he knows what’s good for him.” As if on cue…
“Ouch!”
*Slap*
“Kagome, wha—oh, I’m gonna fuckin’ kill that flea!” Said flea popped back into form, rubbing his tummy happily, the picture of contentment.
“I was right! Kagome-sama’s blood is absolutely divine!”
“I don’t care, pest. You’re dead!”
“W-wait, Inuyasha-sama!” Myouga exclaimed from his place on Kagome’s palm, waving his arms in an attempt to placate the irate hanyou bearing down on him. “I have something very important to ask y—”
*Clap*
“Oooooh, such is the life of a flea.” Myouga once again popped into his normal, rounded shape, and Inuyasha grasped him firmly between two fingers.
“Now tell us what’s so important, and then get us to Daichi’s, or I’ll squish you about a hundred more times.”
“No need to resort to threats, Inuyasha-sama. I am your faithful servant.”
Inuyasha scoffed. “Faithful? Where were you when the fighting started, huh? Hiding in a bush?”
“Where I was watching the battle from does not matter. But who you were fighting…that’s what’s so important! Who was that Inu youkai, Inuyasha-sama? Do you know his name?”
The hanyous shrugged. “Takemiko…Takehiro…”
“Takehiko ?” the flea supplied.
“Yeah, that. Why, do you know him?”
“I suppose you could say that,” Myouga sighed, his eyes glazing over as if gazing upon a distant memory. “Come, everyone. Sit around Kagome-sama and I will tell you everything I know about this Takehiko.” When the Inu-gang was settled, Myouga began. “It must have been over a hundred years ago, soon after Inuyasha-sama’s father met his mother. (1) Word got out that the Inu no Taisho was infatuated with a human, and many sought to challenge him for the Western Lands, believing him to be weak. Most found otherwise very quickly. There were others, however, who were actually strong enough to be a threat to your father.” Here, Myouga paused, his face wilting as if the next part of the story caused him great sadness. “One of those few was an inu-youkai named Yuudai. He was one of your father’s most trusted advisors. I was there when word of his betrayal reached your father. The only other time I saw the Inu no Taisho look so incensed was right after the battle with Ryukotsusei, and that was because your mother was in danger. Of course, Yuudai’s wicked actions also placed your mother in grave peril. He waited like a snake in the night, biding his time while hiding his hatred of your mother and her relationship with your father. While the Inu no Taisho was away, he tracked down your mother and sought to kill her. Only Sesshoumaru’s intervention spared your mother that fate, an—”
“Hold up, flea. Did you just say that Sesshoumaru saved my mother?”
“Yes, I di—”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”
“It isn’t, Inuyasha-sama! Yes, Sesshoumaru resented your mother, perhaps even hated her, but your father asked him to watch over her while he was away. It was his duty as a son to protect her, and Sesshoumaru always took his duties very seriously.”
“Keh. He’s still a bastard.”
“Quiet, Inuyasha! I wanna hear the rest of the story!” Shippou spoke up, feeling secure in his place on Kagome’s lap.
“Why you little—”
“As I was saying,” Myouga interrupted loudly, effectively reducing Inuyasha’s outburst to quiet grumbles. “Sesshoumaru was not strong enough to take on a youkai of Yuudai’s caliber, but even back then he was one of the fastest youkai alive. He whisked your mother away and brought her to your father, with Yuudai in hot pursuit. The ensuing battle was one for the ages, I assure you. It took almost a full day, but the Inu no Taisho finally emerged victorious, and Yuudai was slain. However, the entire turn of events shook him to the core. Fearing for your mother’s life, he was prepared to cut all ties with her and never see her again. That night, he took her into his chambers to inform her of his decision. I know not how she persuaded him otherwise, but when they emerged the next morning, they were full-fledged mates and your mother was carrying you, Inuyasha-sama.”
“Wow…” was all Kagome could say, but in doing so she merely expressed what everyone else was thinking. “That’s an amazing story, Myouga-jiji, but what does it have to do with Takehiko?”
“Yuudai had a son. In those days, it was customary to kill the family of traitors. But Yuudai’s mate had already passed on several years before, and the Inu no Taisho could not bring himself to slay the orphan whelp—your mother’s influence, no doubt. So, over Sesshoumaru’s objections, he banished the boy from the Western Lands, to let nature do with him as it saw fit. That boy’s name was Takehiko.”
“So he’s got a grudge against me for something my old man did to his old man? How stupid.”
“I’m not so sure, Inuyasha,” Miroku spoke up. “Takehiko has never given any indication that he holds the past against you, has he?”
Inuyasha shook his head in the negative.
“It is possible that he simply does not know that you are the son of the Inu no Taisho,” Myouga said. “He was long gone by the time you were born, and your father was very careful to keep your arrival in this world a secret. To this day, few individuals know you are his son.”
“If that is indeed the case, then it would be best to keep it that way,” Miroku supplied, his tone making it clear that he expected an argument. He was not disappointed.
“Why? Either way, we’ve got a score to settle. I’ll beat his conceited ass no matter what!”
“I do not believe our opponents need any more motivation, Inuyasha,” Miroku replied. After a couple more minutes of persuasion, and some gentle coaxing on Kagome’s part, they got Inuyasha to agree not to exacerbate the situation by throwing the past in Takehiko’s face. Then, true to form, he rudely ordered them to get off their ‘lazy human asses’ and resume their journey. Sango rose and pulled Kagome to her feet. The miko staggered, a wave of dizziness washing over her as she leaned into the slayer.
“Kagome-chan? Are you alright?” she asked, her voice revealing genuine concern.
“Yeah, I just feel woozy.”
“Hm, well you were wounded, and we don’t even know what that dagger did to you.”
“Anyone would feel drained after emitting a purification blast of that magnitude,” Miroku said. “Inuyasha, why don’t we wait here for a while.”
“Keh. Fuck that! Kagome, get on.”
Kagome raised her eyes to find Inuyasha kneeling down in front of her in his classic ‘get on my back’ pose. So she did. She sighed deeply as she settled her body against him, his hands securely holding her thighs as he walked. How long had it been since he carried her? A month? She had missed this, the simple pleasure of feeling him so close to her, their bodies pressed intimately together. The only place she felt safer was in his arms. Resting her cheek against his haori, she let the gentle motion of his gait soothe her into slumber.
She woke to the delectable scent of roast rabbit. Opening her eyes, she was startled to find that it was dusk already. Sango and Miroku were sitting by the fire eating, while Inuyasha and Shippou lounged against a nearby tree, probably having already scarfed down their portions of the meal. Shippou was eyeing the remaining meat hungrily, the stick that spitted it placed just close enough to the fire to keep the meat warm. Inuyasha just looked indifferent; his eyes were closed and his expression peaceful. But one of his ears was quirked in Shippou’s direction, and Kagome knew he would be on the kit if he took even one step towards her share of the meat. He wasn’t wearing his fire-rat haori, and she briefly wondered where it was before realizing it was on her. That he had thought to remove it and lay it across her like a blanket warmed her heart and brought a brilliant smile to her face. It was such a little thing, but all of his small gestures of friendship meant the world to her. She stood, and her glee waned as he turned to gaze at her. She gasped, instantly knowing something was wrong. His eyes lacked their normal fire; there was something ominous lurking behind those normally bright amber orbs, haunting them.
“Thanks,” she said, handing him back his haori.
“You better eat that before the runt gets his paws on it,” he grumbled, pointing to the meat by the fire. Then he stood, shrugged on his haori, and padded softly into the forest. Kagome watched him go, desperately wanting to follow but needing some answers first.
“What’s wrong with Inuyasha?” she asked, her anxiety apparent in her voice.
“We’re not sure, Kagome-sama,” Miroku answered. “He’s been like that ever since this afternoon.” It took a few seconds for the light to go on in Kagome’s head. Of course! Hearing Myouga talk about his mother today must have been hard for him. Inuyasha’s mother had always been a sensitive subject, one rarely discussed. He loved her—he had said as much before—but thinking about a deceased parent always brought up painful memories. Kagome could verify that with absolute certainty. Now that the detective work was over, Kagome wolfed down some of the rabbit meat and gave the rest to Shippou. It took her only a few minutes to find Inuyasha, her nose having little trouble following his trail. He was sitting hunched-over on a gentle rise near the edge of the forest. His long, luxurious hair trailed in the breeze, glinting in the young moonlight and giving him an ethereal quality. She could sense the sadness in his aura as she approached, and he did not acknowledge her when she sat down next to him. After several minutes of oppressive silence, Kagome gave up trying to come up with something to say. If Inuyasha wanted to talk about what was bothering him, then he would. If not, then he wouldn’t. All she could do was be there by his side, and hope her presence soothed the turmoil in his soul.
“I wonder,” he mumbled after what seemed an interminable amount of time, startling Kagome. “Would my mother have been better off if she’d never met my father, or had me? They were together for such a short time…did she regret? She was always so sad…”
“I once asked my mother the same thing,” Kagome replied softly, recalling unpleasant memories long-buried. Inuyasha looked at her for the first time, watching as her eyes brightened slightly, and her lips quirked in a tentative smile. “She told me she didn’t regret meeting my father, and even if she knew how short their time together would be, she still would have married him. I bet your mother felt the same way about your father…and about you.”
Inuyasha was silent for a long time, and Kagome eventually stood up and turned to head back to camp.
“Kagome.”
She stopped, the hint of desperation in his voice making her heart clench.
“Thank you.”
Kagome nodded, flashing him a small grin, before resuming her trek. He joined her, and they walked back to camp together, hand in hand.
“Well, Kagura? See anything interesting?”
The monotony of life was suffocating. Confined to yet another one of Naraku’s castles, waiting for the cold bastard to give her something to do or decide she was no longer useful and end her miserable existence. Some days she preferred the latter. Finally, when she thought another day cooped up in the dreary complex would drive her insane, she swallowed her pride and asked—begged—to be allowed to leave, promising to behave and not go far. She had apparently caught her master on a good day, because Naraku sent her out to check up on the Inu-gang. With most of the Shikon jewel in his possession, he grew more arrogant and self-assured every day, and had neglected to keep an eye on his enemies. He confidently predicted their demise when he deemed the right time to go out and meet them. For Kagura, the job was just what she needed to break the tedium of her existence.
So she trailed Inuyasha and his companions all morning, staying downwind and out of sight. The exercise in stealth was also immensely enjoyable, at least compared to how she usually spent her days. A couple of times she got too close, and Inuyasha would stop and spin around, sniffing the air. But he could never catch more than a passing whiff of her, and probably thought he was imagining things. What confused her was the first time Kagome also looked back and scented the air. She gasped loudly when she saw the black, triangular ears atop the ex-miko’s head, nearly giving away her hiding place. She didn’t know how such a thing came to pass, but Kagome was a hanyou. She sat contemplating this in a tree as the group ate lunch, and was still deeply confused when two strange youkai, an inu and a hawk, assailed them. She found herself rooting for the Inu-gang, since they were some of the few individuals who stood any chance of defeating Naraku. She despaired when the hawk youkai zeroed in on Kagome, closing for the kill, and was dumbfounded into a slack-jawed stupor when Kagome repulsed the attack with an incredibly powerful blast of miko energy. How could Kagome, a hanyou, still have the use of her miko powers? It should have been impossible, but she had seen it with her own two eyes.
That thought caused a sinister smile to form on her lips, and she hurried back to Naraku’s castle. So here she was, telling Naraku almost everything she had seen, but leaving out one very crucial detail.
“So Kagome is a hanyou, huh?” he reflected aloud, grinning maliciously from ear to ear. “Excellent! Her miko powers have always been a thorn in my side, quite literally in at least one instance.”
With that, he waved Kagura away, and the wind sorceress gratefully took her leave. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep a straight face. Yes, Naraku knew Kagome was a hanyou; he would have found out eventually and she had no choice but to tell him. But he didn’t know she still possessed miko powers. Hopefully, the day he found that out would be his last.
Name Translations (courtesy of behindthename.com)
Yuudai – “hero, manly” and “large, great” (I chose this name mostly because it just sounded right to me)
(1) One of the movies sets Inuyasha’s age (at about 200, right?), but I’m not buying it. The anime or manga never mention how old he is, so I’m making it up. Here, he’s about 50 (not including tree years). Any longer than that is too long to spend alone in the woods and still come out a halfway decent (and sane) person. Besides, he still looks (and acts) extremely young, and demons do age. I figure a 200 year-old Inuyasha would act more like…Sesshoumaru (Kami forbid). This isn’t really an important point outside of this chapter, if you disagree.
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Fanfiction of the Week: “A Question of Conscience,” and “Good Dog,” both by FrameofMind.
A double-dose of awesome fanfiction this week, as I submit to you two of my favorite one-shots of all time. Both are a wonderful blend of comedy, drama, romance, and a sprinkling of angst. It’s a travesty that each has less than 1,100 visits and 10 reviews on mediaminer. Somehow these went largely unappreciated when they were first posted, but it’s not too late! Go read!
Reminisces
“Ouch!”
*Slap*
“Dammit, Myouga! How many times do I have to tell you not to bite Kagome?”
“But, Inuyasha-sama,” the flea whined pitifully from his place between the hanyou’s fingertips. “It’s been such a long journey, and Kirara won’t let me take any of her blood. I’ve had nothing to eat for days!”
“Go suck on Shippou.”
“Oi!” the kit protested.
“But Inuyaaashaaaaaa-samaaaaa,” Myouga moaned, putting on his most sympathetic air. “The blood of beautiful young women always tastes the best. Add in the distinctive flavor of youkai…oh, Kagome-sama’s blood must taste heavenly!”
“Too bad. You’ll have to find another one.”
“Oh...becoming…dizzy. Can’t…remember…directions. Must…have…nourishment.” Myouga swooned, drawing an exasperated growl from Inuyasha. Nevertheless, the hanyou bared his arm, and Myouga attacked it with vigor. When the flea had taken what Inuyasha deemed to be a sufficient amount, he was unceremoniously flicked off.
“There, ya fuckin’ pest. Now get us to Daichi’s quickly or I’ll turn you into a Myouga-pancake!”
“Pan-cake?” Miroku questioned curiously, causing Inuyasha to stare off into space as a memory came to mind. The flat, circular disks, covered in butter and syrupy goodness…it had been almost as good as ramen, or bacon!
“Kagome’s okaa-san made them for us once. They’re really good.”
Miroku’s eyebrows raised in surprise. Okaa-san? Since when does Inuyasha address *anyone* so respectfully? Kagome’s mother must have made quite an impression on him.
Inuyasha snapped out of his daydream when he felt eyes boring into the back of his head, and turned to see Kagome gazing at him contemplatively. “What are you looking at, wench?” he grumped, though there was no real hostility in his words.
Kagome shook her head and smiled wider. When Myouga called her beautiful, she had cringed, mentally preparing herself for a snide remark from Inuyasha, somewhere along the lines of ‘Beautiful? I don’t see any beautiful girls around here.’ When this customary, caustic reply never came, but was instead replaced by ‘You’ll have to find another one,’ she turned to stare at him in amazement. For he had just directly implied that she was in fact beautiful, and apparently didn’t even realize it. Over the past few weeks, her nose had informed her that this is what he thought, but actually hearing him state it aloud, though in not so many words, was entirely unexpected. She chuckled lightly. Yes, Inuyasha had changed. No longer was he the brash, insulting, infuriating hanyou he had been when they first met. He still charged recklessly into battle, swore like a sailor, and could stoke her ire like no other, but he had certainly mellowed. He no longer insulted her at every opportunity, and his overall mood had greatly improved. Having friends he could trust had probably been the biggest factor in these changes, but Kagome liked to think that she had helped him in other ways as well. She was the only one of the group who loved him, after all, and the first one to grant him unconditional acceptance. Overall, he had become much happier since that first night by Goshinboku. His eyes were brighter, and he no longer carried the burden of Kikyou’s death on his shoulders constantly.
Inuyasha arched an eyebrow but otherwise let her reaction go. That was another thing that had changed; a year ago, he probably would have made a scene, demanding to know what she found so ‘damn funny.’ Again, he had mellowed. But when danger came around, he was still as ready for a fight as ever. That was fortunate, because a sudden scent in the air had Inuyasha snapping to attention, their conversation forgotten. This time, Kagome doubted their guests would be content to just talk.
“Heh.” Inuyasha smirked, cracking his knuckles as the two youkai skidded to a stop before them. “I was hoping to see you bastards again. Will you stay and fight, or will you run off with your tails between your legs again?”
“Believe me, cretin, fear had nothing to do with our hasty departure following our previous encounter,” Takehiko replied easily, not in the least bit bothered by Inuyasha’s posturing. In fact, both he and his sister seemed extremely confident, which immediately put Kagome on edge. “Stick to the plan, Sora,” he said before both attacked.
Takehiko shot straight toward Inuyasha, slashing in a downward arc with a long, curved blade that widened slightly at the end. The weapon crackled with youkai energy, but Tetsusaiga had no problem meeting the attack head-on and repulsing it. After several moments of heated exchanges, it appeared that Inuyasha had the advantage in both physical brute strength and the power of his sword. But what Takehiko lacked in power, he made up for in grace, agility, and swordsmanship. Inuyasha found himself on the defensive, barely able to keep up with the swift strikes that tore several slices in his haori. Finally, the hanyou regained his proverbial footing, lashing out with the Kaze no Kizu. His opponent dodged effortlessly, but Inuyasha followed up, attacking with measures swipes of Tetsusaiga, careful to avoid overswinging and leaving his enemy an opening. The mass and force of his sword strikes compelled Takehiko to dodge or parry, as he seemed reluctant to block the attacks directly. He continued dancing, counterattacking where he could, but mostly staying just out of killing range. The two drifted farther and farther away from the rest of the combatants as Inuyasha doggedly pursued, his irritation increasing exponentially with each missed stroke.
Meanwhile, Sora had immediately taken to the air, unfurling her large, powerful wings and hovering in place. Each flap sent hundreds of small shards of youkai energy toward the Inu-gang, like white-hot bullets cutting through the breeze. It almost appeared as if the was flinging her feathers at them, but that was not the case; she was using her feathers to manifest her youki into an energy attack. Her targets scattered, and Sora ceased her harassment, biding her time. Sango was the first to respond; she leapt on Kirara, flinging hiraikotsu straight at the hawk’s neck. A flap of Sora’s wings sent the weapon off course, the boomerang skidding to the ground off to the side. As the taijiya flew to recover her weapon, Miroku stepped forward and opened his kazaana. Sora’s expression revealed her shock, but another mighty beat of her wings gave her just enough time to launch an energy attack in the monk’s direction. This time, Sora condensed her energy, firing several larger orbs instead of a hundred shards. Miroku closed his kazaana just before lunging to the side to avoid being burned to a crisp where he stood. This was the opportunity Sora had been waiting for, and she took it without hesitation, diving toward her true target—the now-unprotected miko-hanyou bitch.
Kagome, startled by the sudden change, fumbled the arrow she had been notching. The weapon clattered uselessly to the ground, and Kagome watched with wide eyes as the hawk youkai bore down on her. She leapt away at the last second, launching herself backward in an attempt to avoid impalement by the sharp talons she could see glistening in the sunlight. But it was futile; the bird’s momentum was too much to overcome, and her expertise on the wing was extraordinary. Sora grabbed Kagome’s shoulder, the claws piercing her flesh and holding it like an inescapable vice. Then, before the miko had even registered the pain, Sora drove a dagger into her gut. Oddly, Kagome felt no pain. She could see the silver hilt of the weapon protruding from her stomach, but there was no accompanying sensation that would tell her the rest of the weapon was even there.
Then, it happened. Blinding, burning agony exploded throughout her body, and an anguished scream escaped her throat. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think; it felt as if her body was being torn asunder, ripped apart from the inside. The darkness closed in swiftly, beckoning her to surrender to the strange power invading her. But at some level, in some stubborn corner of her mind, she refused. Her miko powers surged unbidden within her, the last, automatic defense of their mistress, who found herself on the very precipice of death. And suddenly the blackness was gone, as was the tortuous agony, and she collapsed forward, another’s scream replacing her own.
Inuyasha spun around upon hearing Kagome’s cry, nearly having his head lopped off as a result. But he ignored Takehiko now, and charged back toward his comrades with the inu-youkai hot on his heels. For a brief moment, Kagome and Sora were locked together, then there was only pink. Out of the blinding flash shot Sora, screeching at the top of her lungs, her cry sending all the creatures of the woodland and the plain running for cover. She trailed acrid black smoke, her wings ablaze with unquenched flame as she plummeted to the ground. Over and over she rolled, her battered body absorbing the impact, the unforgiving earth nevertheless putting out the fire that tormented her. Thin bolts of purity still crackled around her, even as she lay motionless in a heap.
“Sora!” shouted Takehiko as he sped by Inuyasha to reach his sister. He checked on her quickly, snatched up the dagger lying nearby, then gathered her into his arms and sped off at a speed none of the Inu-gang could match. Not that any of them intended to give chase.
“Kagome!” sounded four voices, more or less in time with each other. To their surprise and relief, her eyes fluttered at the noise, and she slowly sat up. She wobbled slightly, and appeared confused at first, but as her short-term memory returned, her eyes darted all around in alarm.
“Relax, Kagome-sama,” Miroku said, “they’re gone. You made sure of that.”
“Yeah,” Shippou enthused. “I’ve never seen such a strong miko attack! It made the hairs on my tail stand on end.”
Kirara, in her small form once again, mewed in agreement. Kagome frowned, brows furrowing in consternation.
“But what happened to me? Why did my miko energy explode like tha—” Kagome cut herself off as Miroku knelt before her and lifted her shirt enough to expose her stomach. Her first instinct was to push the garment back down, and maybe smack the monk, but she tamped it down upon seeing his astonished expression and remembering the knife wound she surely must have down there. There was a brief scuffle as Miroku was quite literally tossed aside by the back of his robes, his hand replaced by a clawed one.
“Fuckin’ hentai! Stay away from Kagome!”
“Inuyasha, I assure you, my intentions were honorable. I merely wished to check Kagome-sama’s wound.” The hanyou spared a glance at Kagome’s stomach before returning his glare to the monk.
“What wound? I don’t see anything.”
“Which is very odd, considering the fact that I swear I saw Sora shove a dagger into Kagome’s gut.”
“WHAT?!! You better not be fuckin’ with me, bouzu!”
“Do you think I would joke about something so serious?”
“Wait, Inuyasha,” Kagome interrupted before the hanyou could respond. “It’s true. She really did stab me. About here,” she said, using one finger to point out the approximate point of entry. Inuyasha studied the small patch of skin; it looked just as smooth and flawless as the rest of her flesh! And with that in mind, he couldn’t help but zoom his eyes out a bit, the flat, toned expanse of her stomach mesmerizing him completely.
“It was really weird,” Kagome continued, oblivious to his distraction. “It didn’t hurt at all where she stabbed me, but the rest of my body was on fire! Like I was being torn apart from the inside…” she trailed off, noticing the all too pleasant sensation of gentle fingers caressing her belly. She flushed lightly as she noticed whose hand it was, and the glazed-over look swimming in his amber eyes. “Uh…Inuyasha? You can put my shirt down now.”
Inuyasha blushed crimson, and withdrew his hand instantaneously, making Kagome wish she hadn’t said anything. His embarrassed eyes met hers for a moment before he looked away. The movement caused him to notice the flow of blood still trickling from her shoulder, and he leapt to his feet and walked away. Kagome was immensely relieved when he returned with her first aid kit, having at first believed that he was too mortified to remain in her presence for the time being. Then she remembered the wound herself, and glanced at her shoulder, the corresponding pain finally working its way into her consciousness. She grimaced as she took in the damage; Sora’s talons had torn several holes in her blouse and sheered right through the strap of her bra.
“Damn! That was my favorite bra! And I liked the blouse, too.” The wounds themselves were not too severe; they would only have been serious if she was human. As it was, they were already healing on their own. Nevertheless, Inuyasha delicately cleaned and bandaged the punctures, as she had done for him countless times. He wore a look of intense concentration, his inexperience with the art of healing evident in his expression. But surprisingly, the bandaging turned out fine; Kagome felt that she couldn’t have done a better job herself. “Thank you,” she said shyly when he was finished. He merely grunted before standing and looking around, swearing under his breath about the cowardly flea who had obviously run off at the first sign of danger.
“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with your stomach, Kagome-chan?” Sango inquired, prompting Kagome to lift up her shirt and examine the area one more time.
“Yep. There’s nothing there, and I don’t think there ever was.”
“That’s so strange, though! A dagger that doesn’t cut? I don’t like whatever those two are plotting.”
“It must have something to do with their desire to get their brother back,” Miroku stated. “We must be extra cautious the next time they come around. You are their true target. It would be best if some of us kept that in mind.” His inflection rose, making it perfectly clear just who he was referring to. Inuyasha pointedly ignored the jibe, but Kagome noticed that his ears did droop slightly. Maybe that was why he bandaged her wounds instead of letting someone else do it—because he felt guilty for leaving her unprotected? But he didn’t leave me unprotected. He took Takehiko out of the fight, and it was three—four counting Kirara—against one! He can’t possibly blame himself, can he? She knew the answer to that question. Inuyasha never had problems placing blame for something upon his own shoulders. He blamed himself for Kikyou’s death, and her near-second death, and for any number of times she herself had been injured or put in danger. Most of the time, it wasn’t his fault at all; such was the case here. But he didn’t appear to be too bummed, and Kagome didn’t think it would be a major issue.
“Where is that damn flea?” he griped aloud. “We’ve wasted enough time today!”
Kagome arched an eyebrow. Hmph, some of that ‘wasted time’ was you staring at me. But she wisely kept such thoughts to herself, knowing that being reminded of his momentary indiscretion would put her hanyou in a sour mood indeed. And it wasn’t like she really minded the contact… Raising her shirt again, she examined the part of her that had kept Inuyasha so enthralled. She was pleasantly surprised at what she saw. Since when do I have abs? Now, she had never been too pudgy, and the last of her baby fat had vanished sometime around her fourteenth birthday, but she had never been blessed with perceptible muscles either. Yet, there they were, not overly pronounced, but clearly visible to anyone who gave her more than a passing glance. She had to admit she liked the view. Another benefit of being a hanyou, I guess.
“Oi, wench! You gonna sit there staring at yourself all day? Let’s go.”
Kagome scowled at him, barely holding back the reflexive ‘osuwari’ that came to her lips. She settled for sticking her tongue out at him.
“Where are we going, Inuyasha,” she asked dubiously. “Have you found Myouga yet?”
The hanyou sputtered for a moment, then huffed haughtily. “Keh! He’ll find us if he knows what’s good for him.” As if on cue…
“Ouch!”
*Slap*
“Kagome, wha—oh, I’m gonna fuckin’ kill that flea!” Said flea popped back into form, rubbing his tummy happily, the picture of contentment.
“I was right! Kagome-sama’s blood is absolutely divine!”
“I don’t care, pest. You’re dead!”
“W-wait, Inuyasha-sama!” Myouga exclaimed from his place on Kagome’s palm, waving his arms in an attempt to placate the irate hanyou bearing down on him. “I have something very important to ask y—”
*Clap*
“Oooooh, such is the life of a flea.” Myouga once again popped into his normal, rounded shape, and Inuyasha grasped him firmly between two fingers.
“Now tell us what’s so important, and then get us to Daichi’s, or I’ll squish you about a hundred more times.”
“No need to resort to threats, Inuyasha-sama. I am your faithful servant.”
Inuyasha scoffed. “Faithful? Where were you when the fighting started, huh? Hiding in a bush?”
“Where I was watching the battle from does not matter. But who you were fighting…that’s what’s so important! Who was that Inu youkai, Inuyasha-sama? Do you know his name?”
The hanyous shrugged. “Takemiko…Takehiro…”
“Takehiko ?” the flea supplied.
“Yeah, that. Why, do you know him?”
“I suppose you could say that,” Myouga sighed, his eyes glazing over as if gazing upon a distant memory. “Come, everyone. Sit around Kagome-sama and I will tell you everything I know about this Takehiko.” When the Inu-gang was settled, Myouga began. “It must have been over a hundred years ago, soon after Inuyasha-sama’s father met his mother. (1) Word got out that the Inu no Taisho was infatuated with a human, and many sought to challenge him for the Western Lands, believing him to be weak. Most found otherwise very quickly. There were others, however, who were actually strong enough to be a threat to your father.” Here, Myouga paused, his face wilting as if the next part of the story caused him great sadness. “One of those few was an inu-youkai named Yuudai. He was one of your father’s most trusted advisors. I was there when word of his betrayal reached your father. The only other time I saw the Inu no Taisho look so incensed was right after the battle with Ryukotsusei, and that was because your mother was in danger. Of course, Yuudai’s wicked actions also placed your mother in grave peril. He waited like a snake in the night, biding his time while hiding his hatred of your mother and her relationship with your father. While the Inu no Taisho was away, he tracked down your mother and sought to kill her. Only Sesshoumaru’s intervention spared your mother that fate, an—”
“Hold up, flea. Did you just say that Sesshoumaru saved my mother?”
“Yes, I di—”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”
“It isn’t, Inuyasha-sama! Yes, Sesshoumaru resented your mother, perhaps even hated her, but your father asked him to watch over her while he was away. It was his duty as a son to protect her, and Sesshoumaru always took his duties very seriously.”
“Keh. He’s still a bastard.”
“Quiet, Inuyasha! I wanna hear the rest of the story!” Shippou spoke up, feeling secure in his place on Kagome’s lap.
“Why you little—”
“As I was saying,” Myouga interrupted loudly, effectively reducing Inuyasha’s outburst to quiet grumbles. “Sesshoumaru was not strong enough to take on a youkai of Yuudai’s caliber, but even back then he was one of the fastest youkai alive. He whisked your mother away and brought her to your father, with Yuudai in hot pursuit. The ensuing battle was one for the ages, I assure you. It took almost a full day, but the Inu no Taisho finally emerged victorious, and Yuudai was slain. However, the entire turn of events shook him to the core. Fearing for your mother’s life, he was prepared to cut all ties with her and never see her again. That night, he took her into his chambers to inform her of his decision. I know not how she persuaded him otherwise, but when they emerged the next morning, they were full-fledged mates and your mother was carrying you, Inuyasha-sama.”
“Wow…” was all Kagome could say, but in doing so she merely expressed what everyone else was thinking. “That’s an amazing story, Myouga-jiji, but what does it have to do with Takehiko?”
“Yuudai had a son. In those days, it was customary to kill the family of traitors. But Yuudai’s mate had already passed on several years before, and the Inu no Taisho could not bring himself to slay the orphan whelp—your mother’s influence, no doubt. So, over Sesshoumaru’s objections, he banished the boy from the Western Lands, to let nature do with him as it saw fit. That boy’s name was Takehiko.”
“So he’s got a grudge against me for something my old man did to his old man? How stupid.”
“I’m not so sure, Inuyasha,” Miroku spoke up. “Takehiko has never given any indication that he holds the past against you, has he?”
Inuyasha shook his head in the negative.
“It is possible that he simply does not know that you are the son of the Inu no Taisho,” Myouga said. “He was long gone by the time you were born, and your father was very careful to keep your arrival in this world a secret. To this day, few individuals know you are his son.”
“If that is indeed the case, then it would be best to keep it that way,” Miroku supplied, his tone making it clear that he expected an argument. He was not disappointed.
“Why? Either way, we’ve got a score to settle. I’ll beat his conceited ass no matter what!”
“I do not believe our opponents need any more motivation, Inuyasha,” Miroku replied. After a couple more minutes of persuasion, and some gentle coaxing on Kagome’s part, they got Inuyasha to agree not to exacerbate the situation by throwing the past in Takehiko’s face. Then, true to form, he rudely ordered them to get off their ‘lazy human asses’ and resume their journey. Sango rose and pulled Kagome to her feet. The miko staggered, a wave of dizziness washing over her as she leaned into the slayer.
“Kagome-chan? Are you alright?” she asked, her voice revealing genuine concern.
“Yeah, I just feel woozy.”
“Hm, well you were wounded, and we don’t even know what that dagger did to you.”
“Anyone would feel drained after emitting a purification blast of that magnitude,” Miroku said. “Inuyasha, why don’t we wait here for a while.”
“Keh. Fuck that! Kagome, get on.”
Kagome raised her eyes to find Inuyasha kneeling down in front of her in his classic ‘get on my back’ pose. So she did. She sighed deeply as she settled her body against him, his hands securely holding her thighs as he walked. How long had it been since he carried her? A month? She had missed this, the simple pleasure of feeling him so close to her, their bodies pressed intimately together. The only place she felt safer was in his arms. Resting her cheek against his haori, she let the gentle motion of his gait soothe her into slumber.
She woke to the delectable scent of roast rabbit. Opening her eyes, she was startled to find that it was dusk already. Sango and Miroku were sitting by the fire eating, while Inuyasha and Shippou lounged against a nearby tree, probably having already scarfed down their portions of the meal. Shippou was eyeing the remaining meat hungrily, the stick that spitted it placed just close enough to the fire to keep the meat warm. Inuyasha just looked indifferent; his eyes were closed and his expression peaceful. But one of his ears was quirked in Shippou’s direction, and Kagome knew he would be on the kit if he took even one step towards her share of the meat. He wasn’t wearing his fire-rat haori, and she briefly wondered where it was before realizing it was on her. That he had thought to remove it and lay it across her like a blanket warmed her heart and brought a brilliant smile to her face. It was such a little thing, but all of his small gestures of friendship meant the world to her. She stood, and her glee waned as he turned to gaze at her. She gasped, instantly knowing something was wrong. His eyes lacked their normal fire; there was something ominous lurking behind those normally bright amber orbs, haunting them.
“Thanks,” she said, handing him back his haori.
“You better eat that before the runt gets his paws on it,” he grumbled, pointing to the meat by the fire. Then he stood, shrugged on his haori, and padded softly into the forest. Kagome watched him go, desperately wanting to follow but needing some answers first.
“What’s wrong with Inuyasha?” she asked, her anxiety apparent in her voice.
“We’re not sure, Kagome-sama,” Miroku answered. “He’s been like that ever since this afternoon.” It took a few seconds for the light to go on in Kagome’s head. Of course! Hearing Myouga talk about his mother today must have been hard for him. Inuyasha’s mother had always been a sensitive subject, one rarely discussed. He loved her—he had said as much before—but thinking about a deceased parent always brought up painful memories. Kagome could verify that with absolute certainty. Now that the detective work was over, Kagome wolfed down some of the rabbit meat and gave the rest to Shippou. It took her only a few minutes to find Inuyasha, her nose having little trouble following his trail. He was sitting hunched-over on a gentle rise near the edge of the forest. His long, luxurious hair trailed in the breeze, glinting in the young moonlight and giving him an ethereal quality. She could sense the sadness in his aura as she approached, and he did not acknowledge her when she sat down next to him. After several minutes of oppressive silence, Kagome gave up trying to come up with something to say. If Inuyasha wanted to talk about what was bothering him, then he would. If not, then he wouldn’t. All she could do was be there by his side, and hope her presence soothed the turmoil in his soul.
“I wonder,” he mumbled after what seemed an interminable amount of time, startling Kagome. “Would my mother have been better off if she’d never met my father, or had me? They were together for such a short time…did she regret? She was always so sad…”
“I once asked my mother the same thing,” Kagome replied softly, recalling unpleasant memories long-buried. Inuyasha looked at her for the first time, watching as her eyes brightened slightly, and her lips quirked in a tentative smile. “She told me she didn’t regret meeting my father, and even if she knew how short their time together would be, she still would have married him. I bet your mother felt the same way about your father…and about you.”
Inuyasha was silent for a long time, and Kagome eventually stood up and turned to head back to camp.
“Kagome.”
She stopped, the hint of desperation in his voice making her heart clench.
“Thank you.”
Kagome nodded, flashing him a small grin, before resuming her trek. He joined her, and they walked back to camp together, hand in hand.
“Well, Kagura? See anything interesting?”
The monotony of life was suffocating. Confined to yet another one of Naraku’s castles, waiting for the cold bastard to give her something to do or decide she was no longer useful and end her miserable existence. Some days she preferred the latter. Finally, when she thought another day cooped up in the dreary complex would drive her insane, she swallowed her pride and asked—begged—to be allowed to leave, promising to behave and not go far. She had apparently caught her master on a good day, because Naraku sent her out to check up on the Inu-gang. With most of the Shikon jewel in his possession, he grew more arrogant and self-assured every day, and had neglected to keep an eye on his enemies. He confidently predicted their demise when he deemed the right time to go out and meet them. For Kagura, the job was just what she needed to break the tedium of her existence.
So she trailed Inuyasha and his companions all morning, staying downwind and out of sight. The exercise in stealth was also immensely enjoyable, at least compared to how she usually spent her days. A couple of times she got too close, and Inuyasha would stop and spin around, sniffing the air. But he could never catch more than a passing whiff of her, and probably thought he was imagining things. What confused her was the first time Kagome also looked back and scented the air. She gasped loudly when she saw the black, triangular ears atop the ex-miko’s head, nearly giving away her hiding place. She didn’t know how such a thing came to pass, but Kagome was a hanyou. She sat contemplating this in a tree as the group ate lunch, and was still deeply confused when two strange youkai, an inu and a hawk, assailed them. She found herself rooting for the Inu-gang, since they were some of the few individuals who stood any chance of defeating Naraku. She despaired when the hawk youkai zeroed in on Kagome, closing for the kill, and was dumbfounded into a slack-jawed stupor when Kagome repulsed the attack with an incredibly powerful blast of miko energy. How could Kagome, a hanyou, still have the use of her miko powers? It should have been impossible, but she had seen it with her own two eyes.
That thought caused a sinister smile to form on her lips, and she hurried back to Naraku’s castle. So here she was, telling Naraku almost everything she had seen, but leaving out one very crucial detail.
“So Kagome is a hanyou, huh?” he reflected aloud, grinning maliciously from ear to ear. “Excellent! Her miko powers have always been a thorn in my side, quite literally in at least one instance.”
With that, he waved Kagura away, and the wind sorceress gratefully took her leave. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep a straight face. Yes, Naraku knew Kagome was a hanyou; he would have found out eventually and she had no choice but to tell him. But he didn’t know she still possessed miko powers. Hopefully, the day he found that out would be his last.
Name Translations (courtesy of behindthename.com)
Yuudai – “hero, manly” and “large, great” (I chose this name mostly because it just sounded right to me)
(1) One of the movies sets Inuyasha’s age (at about 200, right?), but I’m not buying it. The anime or manga never mention how old he is, so I’m making it up. Here, he’s about 50 (not including tree years). Any longer than that is too long to spend alone in the woods and still come out a halfway decent (and sane) person. Besides, he still looks (and acts) extremely young, and demons do age. I figure a 200 year-old Inuyasha would act more like…Sesshoumaru (Kami forbid). This isn’t really an important point outside of this chapter, if you disagree.
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