InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mika- the Inu Ookami Hanyou ❯ The Bath ( Chapter 4 )

The Bath

 

Early the second morning of Mika's arrival in Feudal Era Japan, Mika awoke to the sounds of chirping birds and the clean smell of trees and earth with a hint of wood smoke. The sounds and smells were familiar and yet foreign to her at the same time. She recognized the individual elements as birds in the trees or the trees moving in the breeze, but since her arrival in this era, her senses had become enhanced. Mika had realized early in her life that some of her senses were acute, such as smell and sound. She vaguely remembers her father commending her about how she could hear the animals that they were hunting before he could even see them. As Mika lay on the bed, looking at the ceiling, she briefly recalled the fights with the bandits and her encounter with her cousin. She stretched her aching back as she vaguely recalled waking briefly a couple of times the day before as the elderly priestess and the warrior helped change the bandages on her shoulders and thigh.

 

“I reek,” Mika thought as she became acutely aware of the smell of her own dried blood on the bandages that covered a majority of the wounds on her shoulders, as well as the blood and dirt in her hair.

 

With a bath in mind, Mika opened her eyes; she looked around the hut at the various lying forms about her. The closest was the young warrior, Sango, and her two-tail cat Kirara. Near Mika's feet lay the priestess Lady Kaede, her cousin Kagome and the young boy Shippo. As far toward the wall, away from Mika as possible lay the form of what she perceived to be a monk. “That must be Miroku,” she thought as she continued getting her bearings of the hut. When her eyes laid upon her duffle bag a spark of recognition appeared in them. Pulling her blanket about her body, Mika rose silently from her sleeping mat and moved toward the bag. As she carefully moved toward the door, she held her breath, not wanting to awaken any of the people who lay sleeping before her, especially the monk. With the events of the previous day still fresh in her mind; her fear of men made her heart beat faster as she neared him. Grabbing the duffle bag and silently exiting the hut, Mika was finally able to breathe again. Carefully, without revealing her near naked body to the rest of the village, she was able to adjust the blanket, similar to toga fashion to where she was covered. She grabbed the handles of her duffle bag and tossed it over her shoulder.

 

As she moved toward the smell of water, a male voice from above asked, “Where do you think you're going?”

 

Startled, Mika dropped the duffle bag in fear as the realization that another male was nearby. “Who's there?” she asked in a fright-filled voice as she began to back away from her duffle bag. With the breeze blowing toward her, she was barely able to pick up the scent of a dog nearby.

 

Inuyasha landed near her duffle bag. His silvery hair flew out behind him in the mild breeze. Mika was mesmerized by his sudden appearance and her eyes focused on his dog like ears. “I asked where you think you're going?” he said again.

 

“You're Inuyasha?” Mika asked, a little less fright filled, taking in his scent deeply, identifying it as that of the dog demon she smelled previously.

 

He shook his head and replied, “Well, duh, and you're Mika. Kagome's cousin.”

 

Mika suddenly realized he stood between her and her duffle bag. Without realizing it, Inuyasha had moved closer to Mika, triggering her fight or flight response, due to her vivid memories of the assault from the day before. As he was about to lay a gentle hand on her arm, to lead her back to the hut, Mika moved with the speed of lightning to avoid contact. As he grabbed thin air, Mika had balled up her fists in a defensive boxing move and started jabbing at his midsection in rapid succession.

 

“Hey! Cut it out! Mika, I'm a friend. Stop hitting me,” was all Inuyasha could say as he blocked the moves as best he could without hitting her. He didn't want to hurt the girl and yet his patience was beginning to wane. Suddenly, Mika got around his defenses and a solid blow to his solar plexus knocked the wind out of him which was immediately followed by an upper cut to the jaw that dropped him like a rock. With Inuyasha sprawled out on the ground, Mika ran toward her duffle bag. Without slowing down, she grabbed the bag and raced toward the river that she could still smell in the distance.

 

As she ran, the fight or flight response in her subsided as she realized that he had not moved toward her like the men from the day before, nor had she felt that she was in imminent danger. When she neared what appeared to be a wide alcove of the river, Mika finally quit running. Her legs trembled with the exertion and felt as if they would no longer support her weight. She moved toward what appeared to be a lagoon below a looming waterfall. Mika breathed in the smell of the clean water and was delighted in the spectacular sight of the waterfall and the rainbow reflection of the sun on the misty air. As Mika removed a clean set of clothes from the duffle bag, she reflected on her journey thus far, but racked her brain as to why she had been brought here. As she dug into the bag for some soap and shampoo to wash the dried mud and blood from her hair, her hand brushed against the pendant of the howling wolf.

 

As she held it in the palm of her hand, a brief vision came from deep within her memory. Although it was shrouded in mist, Mika clearly saw the blue eyes of a male figure with pointy ears, and long dark hair. She heard the words as clear as day, “Stay safe, little Mika. Your mother and I love you very much and feel that this is the best for your safety.” As quickly as it came, the vision was replaced with fleeting images of Ayame and Jason as she recalled her recently deceased parents. As the memories of Mika's past flowed through her mind like a raging river, the voice of Ayame were clearly audible, “Instead of looking for your biological parents, we had claimed you as our own flesh and blood. Looking back now it seemed a bit selfish on our part, but we considered you to be our own flesh and blood.” Tears flowed down her cheeks as her memories dwelt on the accident which claimed her parents' lives. Mika wiped the tears from her face as she remembered her reason for being in Japan. Once Mika regained her composure, she laid the wolf pendant next to her duffle bag, determined to find the answers to why she was abandoned at birth, who was the man in her vision and why she'd been dragged into this mysterious place.

 

Once Mika was ready for her bath, she removed the blanket from her body and slipped into the cool refreshing water. She swam out a bit into the middle and sunk into the clear depths, allowing the water to cover her completely. Finally able to relax in the protective waters she let her mind drift to the events of the past few days. When she surfaced a sound from the shore drew her attention. Mika looked and saw Kagome and Sango on the shore, waving toward her.

 

Mika swam back to shore, still staying submerged in the protective cover of the river. “How did you know where to find me?”

 

Kagome replied, “We heard the fight and ran out to where you two had the scuffle. Inuyasha was knocked out for a couple of minutes, but we saw you running this direction. I figured you had wanted a bath and we followed.”

 

“I'm rather surprised you knocked him out. What happened?” Sango asked.

 

Mika grabbed the soap from a nearby rock, as she recalled. “My run in with the bandits has really got my nerves on end in regards to men. He was coming toward me and I immediately went on the defensive. I don't recall what triggered it, but as I ran here I realized he was not trying to hurt me, like the others did. I really should apologize to him.”

 

“I can see that more from Miroku than Inuyasha. He was not happy to say the least, but you'll have to wait until later to apologize. He had an errand that he left for after he came too. I figure he won't be back until later this evening.” Sango said.

 

Mika continued to bath as Kagome and Sango kept vigil. She washed her hair to get it clean and free of all the debris that had collected in it for the past few days. As the shampoo cleansed her hair, the brown, dirty exterior washed away leaving the strawberry blond in its wake. Sango and Kagome were shocked at the color. Mika looked at the two as she asked, “What's wrong?”

 

“Nothing's wrong. It's just you have such wonderful hair. I've never seen such a color before,” Sango said in awe.

 

Kagome said, “We have, Sango, just not this particular shade. Remember Ayame of the Wolf demon tribe? Her hair was really red.”

 

“Now that you mention it, I do recall Ayame. She was so enthralled with Koga then. I wonder if she still has feelings for him.” Sango recalled.

 

“My guess is she does. Now I just wish Koga would return them. It would help a lot with Inuyasha.” Kagome replied with a slightly sullen expression.

 

“Who is this Koga person?” asked Mika, as she continued to bathe, removing the soiled bandages from her shoulders and thigh.

 

Kagome blushed, as Sango giggled and replied, “He's the young leader of the wolf demon tribe, and fancies himself Kagome's fiancé. He and Inuyasha fight every time he comes around. Even though he won't admit it to us, Miroku and I both think Inuyasha is in love with Kagome too.” At that a sad look seemed to wash over Kagome's face. Mika had been watching the two and her heart instantly went to Kagome.

 

She could sense there was more to it then Sango surmised. “He sounds nice. Do you think he'll be coming around?”

 

“Oh I'm sure well see him soon. Once he gets a whiff of Kagome's scent, he makes a beeline straight for her,” Sango commented between giggles, causing Kagome to blush even brighter. Kagome and Sango glanced at Mika, as she emerged from the water, moving into the shallows to dry off. To both women's amazement, all the deep sword wounds had al but vanished. They resembled mere cat scratches without any scaring.

 

Mika again noticed their stares as she carefully toweled off the water from her body and hair. “Are you sure there's nothing wrong? Having just met you both, the staring is beginning to freak me out. Would you please tell me what's wrong?” Mika pleaded.

 

“You're wounds are healed! They were really deep. To the bone, really, and yet there are barely any marks left of the incident!” Sango gasped. Mika looked over the rest of her body and noticed that although it felt bruised, the physical evidence of the bruises were fading fast. The worst being the hideous yellow marks left around her throat were the only remaining evidence of the attack.

 

Mika had just finished towel drying her agile body and was turning back to look at the two girl when she saw something moving in the bushes nearby. Realizing she was still naked, Mika screamed and pointed at the bushes. “There's something in those bushes over there!” Just as Mika was about to go on the defense Kirara jumped out of the bushes holding a blushing and some what frightened Miroku.

 

“Sorry about that. I was just making sure everyone was doing ok!” he said, as Kirara moved closer to the group.

 

“You letch, you were doing no such thing! You were peeping on poor Mika, and you know it!” yelled Sango with murderous fury. Kirara had put Miroku down and quickly moved to Kagome's side.

 

As Sango proceed to pummel Miroku, Mika asked Kagome, “Wow, she can get really scary! Are those two married or something? She also called him letch, should I be concerned?” As she coved her nakedness with the towel she had used to dry off with.

 

“Oh, no, he's really not that bad. No, they're not married, yet. Miroku asked Sango to marry him, but there are some things they need to deal with first!”

 

“Well, could you make him leave so I can get dressed? While the bath was nice I'd really like to get into some clean clothes.” Before Kagome could respond, Sango pulled Miroku away by the ear scolding him the whole way. Kirara mewed and nosed the wolf charm near Mika's duffle bag.

 

“Oh please don't do that, Kirara! It's all I have to tie me to my parents!” Mika cried out, trying not to be too harsh. After all it was just a cat, even if it's a shape shifting cat. “Here you can play with this though.” Mika took out a scrunchie she normally used to wrap her hair in and tossed it to Kirara. Kirara's ears perked up and she acted like any other cat swatting at it and growling at the scrunchie. The sight was so normal Mika lightened a little and giggled behind her hand.

 

“Well now, that's better. You've been so tense since you got here. You look much prettier when you smile!” Kagome said with a smile. Mika smiled back thinking, “If this really is my cousin, then I'm glad. She has a good heart, and such a nice smell. I wonder what she uses on her hair.” Mika was starting to feel much attached to Kagome, despite their fairly recent introduction. “Kagome, how did you get here?”

 

Kagome thought about her answer for a moment, trying to determine whether to trust her cousin or not. Finally she replied, “The well that you were found at the shrine is how I get here. I guess the well acts like a gateway between Modern day and the Feudal Era. Without the use of the well, you were brought to the Feudal Era from the steps that lead to the shrine in Modern Day. Inuyasha has his suspicions as to what happened to cause this, but I'm not sure if you'd understand what happened.”

 

Mika thought a few moments as she digested the information that Kagome had just given her. “You're expecting me to believe that I'm in Feudal Era Japan after what I've been through and then be afraid that I wouldn't understand how I got here? I thought that you'd think a little higher of me than this. I'm not like your junior high friends. After what happened to me, I'd have believed you if you said the sky were purple. I'd just like to know what happened, if you don't mind. Let me be the judge of whether I'll understand or not.” With her emotions a bit of a roller coaster, seeing her cousin even doubting her, Mika thought, “What is it with my family and secrecy? Why does everyone feel the need to protect me?”

 

After contemplating her answer, Kagome replied, “Okay, I can see your point, Mika. Just stop me if you don't understand something and I'll try to clarify it. There's a demon called Naraku who has done some horrific things during this time. Inuyasha said that when he searched for you after the earthquake he'd caught trace amounts of Naraku's scent. Apparently he's trying to get to the Modern Era to cause some problems.”

 

“So basically, this demon is how I got here? Why? What does bringing me here accomplish?” Mika replied.

 

Kagome looked at her cousin in Amazement. “You caught on pretty fast. I guess I underestimated you, Mika. I'm sorry. I'm just not used to being this open with people from the Modern Era, other than Mom, Gramps and Sota.”

 

“It's understandable. If it hadn't been for my unexpected visit and run in with those men, I probably wouldn't have believed you. So, do you think we can get back to the Modern Era through this well?”

 

“Well I'm not sure. Only Inuyasha and I have been able to go back and forth. We could try, but let's wait till Inuyasha gets back. He always throws a fit if I leave with out talking to him first.”

 

“Really, is he that jealous or some thing?” Mika asked as she quickly dressed in clothes from her time, such as panties, racer-back sports bra, blue jeans and a loose light colored tee shirt. She quickly brushed out her unruly curly locks of strawberry-blond hair and pulled it into a high pony tail with a black hair band. Once she had completed getting dressed, she placed the pendant around her neck, but kept it hidden under her shirt as to keep it near her heart. She certainly felt more at ease in the jeans and tee shirt, than the business attire from her first day there and the most recent blanket of that morning.

 

“What can I say? Inuyasha is possessive, although he can be really sweet. Don't let his aggressive nature fool you, he acts tough but he can be a real puppy dog at times. But that's not to say he does have his moments when he's a total jerk,” Kagome responded after a little thought.

 

Mika smiled and felt this was a great time to see how her cousin was about being teased. “Sounds like the two of you are an item as well. So Kagome has he been as out spoken about his affections as Koga?”

 

Completely blushing Kagome stuttered, “Uh… well it's not that simple between us either.” Kagome paused for a second and with a heavy heart continued. “He's still kind of involved with this other girl, Kikyo. I guess you could say she's his old girlfriend.” “More like his old, DEAD girlfriend,” Kagome thought. Mika's heart felt for Kagome, she herself had never felt that way about anyone but her family. Since her interests were similar in nature to men, they viewed her more of a little sister or hunting buddy, instead of a girlfriend. Not only that, she liked being alone, a sort of lone wolf so to speak, depending on herself, her abilities, and vast knowledge of the great outdoors.

 

Mika quickly changed the subject, “Ok, well if we can't go home can you at least show me around? I would really like to check out the village, now that I have some company!”

 

“Sure, but do you think you feel up to it?” Kagome asked with concern in her voice.

 

“Oh, yes, I feel much better! After the bath and a change of clothes, I'm rearing to go! This fresh air does wonders for my energy!” Mika replied enthusiastically.

 

“Ok, but first we should get something to eat!” With those words both Kagome and Mika's stomachs voiced their opinions. Both girls laughed and Kagome helped Mika gather her things and head back to Kaede's hut.