InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ One Simple Question ❯ The 'What are Bonds?' Talk ( Chapter 4 )

 

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InuYasha growled angrily and folded his arms across his chest and into his haori sleeves and he plopped onto the floor and glared at the humans, “It means I've been a baka for thinking you could raise a youkai properly.”

 

“And why do ye think that, InuYasha?” Kaede's stare challenged the hanyou to speak his thoughts. Her gaze might have seemed uninterested but inside she was relieved and happy to see the half demon had grown and was indeed becoming worthy of calling himself a man.

 

“What would happen to Shippou if we died?” All movement within the old miko's home stopped.

 

“We?” Kagome's weak voice asked.

 

“Yeah, we. You, me, Sango, Kirara, and the letch. What's he supposed to do? Live with Kaede until her time comes and then what? Hope to be accepted by the villagers? Choose a human mate and watch the village go through generations as his life crawls by, forever stuck in one spot?” InuYasha's voice dripped disgust. Not that he truly despised living in one place, in fact the village had grown on him, but for once while his words were having the desired effect he needed to make them understand.

 

“He's a full-blooded youkai. He could go hunt down other kitsune and be with his own kind. Except that unless he learns how to fight and hunt and use his senses he'll never be able to prove he could protect and provide for a mate, he'll be seen as weak and not worth the trouble of keeping around. He's got a fuckin' piss poor start on becoming a strong demon because he's got humans raising him. So I took him hunting.”

 

“Are you telling me I can't raise my son?” Again the scary aura was back and Kagome was a hair's breadth from sitting InuYasha into oblivion.

 

“Keh. No.” He turned to glare at Kagome like she was stupid. “Hell, he's got better manners and personality than my brother and Kouga combined. You wanna keep teaching him that, be my guest. But there's some shit ningen just can't teach youkai. And besides that, I don't fucking envy my brother when Rin grows up and starts asking questions about her heat cycles. You volunteering to have that male to male talk with Shippou when his voice starts cracking?”

 

Sango and Kagome's faces lit up brightly and they looked away.

 

“I would be more than happy to volunteer for that discussion InuYasha.” Miroku's eyes held their lecherous twinkle once again.

 

“Hentai.” Sango's swing had barely any force behind it, but still the message was clear.

 

InuYasha chuckled darkly at him, “Keh, you won't be around by the time he needs it.”

 

Kaede got up and stirred the rabbit meat into the stew as the others all gaped at the hanyou yet again.

 

“What do you mean he won't be around? We may be getting married but we will always be here for you guys.” Sango looked to Kagome to be sure her friend didn't share the opinion that the engaged couple would abandon their friends. Kagome's baffled face didn't give Sango any comfort though.

 

“How old do you think I am?”

 

“I don't know. You seemed like you were 17 or 18 when we met, so I guess you're 19 or 20 now, right?” Kagome didn't like feeling so confused, she hoped to find solid ground soon.

 

“Wench, I'm still about 18 if you're comparing my age to a human's.” His ningen companions' faces were shocked.

 

“So you were 16 when I woke you up?”

 

“Nope. Same age now as I was then. You humans have aged two full years, Shippou, Kirara, and I have not.”

 

“So then how many years have you been alive, InuYasha?” Miroku seemed very interested in the current conversation, perhaps picturing how many women he could fondle if he aged like the inu hanyou before him. After a few moments of mental calculations he spoke.

 

“All together I must be pushing 300 by now.” He rode right over the gasps of his friends as he continued, “What I had meant, letch, was that Shippou won't need that talk for a hundred years or so.”

 

Kagome looked sad and thought back to Souta's questions at breakfast a moment before speaking, “InuYasha, I'm confused. Your father died. Your mother was going to die long before you became a man. Didn't your father leave anyone with instructions to care for you?”

 

InuYasha made a face and looked to Sango, “Why don't you take this one?” Sango blushed but explained she did not know the answer either.

 

“I thought exterminators learned all they could about their prey. You telling me you know nothing about blood bonds and soul bonds?” The hanyou scoffed.

 

Sango's face heated again and she felt the need to defend her fallen village. “We know how to spot mates. We know which demon breeds mate for life and which don't. Knowing how youkai bond isn't necessary to be able to kill them. Recognizing a mate who will rampage if you take out their other half, on the other hand, is useful.” She just about huffed at the hanyou.

 

“Oi, calm the fuck down. I just thought you'd know.” He turned to look at Kagome and realized every eye in the hut was on him, including the old miko and the kitsune. “What?! Do none of you know this shit?!” Shippou shook his head sadly, his father had expected to be around when Shippou came of age to hear all of this.

 

With a heartfelt sigh InuYasha scratched his head, took a breath, and began, “Youkai have always had things called blood bonds. It's like claiming that the person you bind to you is not only a friend, but pretty much family. It's where humans first got the term `blood brothers.' It's used for protection, dealing with dominancy, marking territory and that kinda stuff. There's a ritual and a sharing of blood and it winds the lives of the two together. Kouga has his two lackeys, Ginta and Hakkaku marked. It lets them know where he is and if he's in danger and vice versa. Soul bonds are sort of the same, only a lot more intense and those are for mates only. And a long time ago when a human first became a demon's mate they realized something pretty handy. Youkai blood bonds and soul bonds have unexpected boons for humans. They age like the youkai they are tied to. If the youkai that bound them dies the humans' bodies pick up where they left off and age like normal again. My father and mother were bound together for somewhere between 50 and 100 years, I ain't quite sure `cause I don't know how long they were together before I showed up. When my father died my mother began aging like a normal human again. And if Sesshoumaru wasn't a bastard and Myouga wasn't a coward I would've had people to watch out for me growing up. Answer your question, Kagome?”

 

Her next question knocked the hanyou on his ass.

 

“So why haven't you marked us?”

 

InuYasha blinked at her like she was speaking another language before replying. “Keh! Who the fuck would want to be bound to a fucking hanyou? It's for life, ya know.” His voice was completely serious. He jerked his head angrily to the side, refusing to look at his friends, his ears lowered to his head. The others knew he believed in his heart they would never allow him to let his blood taint them.

 

The angry, silent tension was broken when Shippou tugged on the large red sleeve.

 

“What?” Shippou rolled the sleeve of his own top up to bare his forearm and presented it, wrist up, to InuYasha.

 

The hanyou's ears shot up and twitched and he sat up from his slouch.

 

“You've gotta be fucking kidding!”

 

Shippou shook his little head and gently hopped into InuYasha's lap, pushing his exposed wrist into the hanyou's face. InuYasha had proven his intentions so fully to the kit during the past two days and Shippou was desperate to show his new papa it wasn't a one-sided commitment.

 

It wasn't lost on anyone the amount of respect involved for a full youkai to be marked by, and submit to, a hanyou.

 

InuYasha once again folded his arms and tipped his head down, letting his bangs hide his eyes.

 

“Roll your sleeve down Shippou.”

 

Shippou rolled his little sleeve down and tipped his head down as well, he knew how his papa felt about crying but he couldn't stop the tear that spilled over his lashes.

 

“Inu youkai don't mark the wrist, that's a kitsune thing.” InuYasha smirked, one fang gleaming in the low light when the kit's head shot up happily.

 

“You baka! I thought you were rejecting me!” He was relieved when the hanyou's silver hair shimmered as he shook his head slightly.

 

“No, runt, can't do it today though. There isn't time to do it before the sun sets.”

 

Realization dawned on his friends' faces. Tonight was the new moon.

 

Kagome cleared her throat and looked at InuYasha. “So you'll mark us then?”

 

Again the inu hanyou's eyes widened. “You're serious about this?” Kagome nodded. He looked to Miroku and Sango who also nodded. Then he looked to Kaede, whose attention was on supper.

 

“What about you, baba? I can't make you younger, but my blood might ease the aches and pains you have.” The logical part of his brain had taken over, those he traveled with put up with so much just traveling with him, bearing his mark wouldn't change that. He had to fight the urge to feel sheepish, he had actually believed they would all prefer aging and dying than being bound to him for eternity. But for once he could allow himself the luxury of bathing in the warm glow of their acceptance.

 

“I shall think about ye's generous offer, InuYasha. As much as I appreciate the offer I be old, mayhap too old to live forever.”

 

“Forever?” Kagome's eyebrows were lost in her bangs, her eyes wide.

 

Shippou leapt from InuYasha's lap into his mother's. “Youkai are immortal, mama. They don't get old and die like humans.”

 

“How can demons be immortal? We've killed so many.” Kagome's confusion was written across her face.

 

“Keh. Immortal, not invincible. If nothing kills us we live forever.”

 

“Even hanyous?” InuYasha nodded, brought his knees up, crossed his arms over them and rested his chin on his arms, his eyes taking on a faraway look.

 

“When I was little I met a rabbit hanyou. If you like my ears you would have loved hers. Even back then she was older than Myouga and he's ancient. And both her parents were still alive and strong. The youkai blood is strong enough that the human half can't affect our lifespan.”

 

“So, InuYasha…” When he looked at her Kagome continued, “What do you need for the ceremony? And when can we do them?”

 

InuYasha looked oddly contemplative and stared absently at his own claws as he answered. “Don't need anything. I'll need to draw blood though, so you might wanna plan your clothes out. And I want to wait until the full moon. My youkai blood is strongest then. And I can only do one a month. According to Myouga even full demons can't do more than one a night, it's too draining. Not to mention disorienting. You have to figure out how the bond works and feels before creating another.”

 

Sango thought about what he said and couldn't quell her curiosity, even growing up a taijiya was not this informative. “InuYasha, you said making the wrist is a kitsune thing. Does every type of youkai mark a different area?”

 

InuYasha nodded and lost the vacant look in his eyes as the sun set below the horizon and within a pulse of his heartbeat the gorgeous inu hanyou was a handsome human. “Yeah, and usually in dangerous places. Anywhere where carelessness can cause death, except for a few weird spots. Like toad youkai, they mark the tongue.”

 

“Why on earth are dangerous body areas the site for markings?” Miroku's voice was somewhat shocked. A tiny voice answered.

 

“It's a symbol of trust Miroku! If the one doing the marking refuses to take the other under his protection he can either abandon him or purposely kill the vulnerable one.” Shippou's tail fluttered happily under the small smile InuYasha sent his way. He knew the hanyou didn't like talking so much and since the kit knew he was right it saved his papa the trouble of explaining more and possibly sounding like a prick. InuYasha was doing well so far tonight and they all knew every time he opened his trap he could ruin it.

 

But then a thought occurred to the kit. “InuYasha, aren't inu youkai marks the most dangerous?”

 

The low growl, which never sounded quite right when he wasn't a hanyou, which came from InuYasha confirmed the kit's fear. InuYasha hadn't planned on telling the others that part.

 

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A/N: And I think I figured out how to combine this and the other continuation I was writing which means a good 40 or 50 pages I have done already, and I need to write maybe 10 pages to link the parts together, so we're looking at maybe 60 MSWord pages before I even begin to wonder where this story is going hehe. (Sadly MM.org and msword count pages differently so with my luck it'll look like 35 pages if I'm lucky hehe) It'll just take me some time to thread the pieces together.

 

Mel f - No, I won't give up on it. I had this story in my head for a while and had a good 20 pages written before I got brave enough to post. Now that I know people like it I'm almost afraid it'll run away with me. ~.^

 

Quillscript - Thanks. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.

 

TwiceTheInsanity - Yes, I am. Not every day, but I will. I like the story and apparently you guys do too.

 

Inukag4everandever - It is an Inu/Kag fic so yeah, but I need to work into it. I think the first alone scene they get is ch.6(don't hold me to it though) and while it might get a tad sappy it won't be a lemon(yet). lol Even the one-shot I've posted is 10 pages before they kiss, I can't jump into things without story, but I'm glad you like it.

 

Leila-chan - *glomp* muahaha! Glad to see you found it. =) I hope you'll like this one as much as TW.

 

Vulcana - Thank you, I think I will ;)

 

Wow, high praise Hanajima, thank you, and I hope I don't let you down.

 

I'm glad to see you liked it Wendy, then again you seem to like my versions of Yash =) I imagine this piece is going to be very humorous, and very cute. I'm having to fight to shove action and angst into any of it so far lol

 

*bows to Cricket42* If I keep writing will you keep reading? Hehe I can only hope.

 

Inuyashaloverr - There will be lots of Shippou + questions = awkward `look at Inu squirm' humor, but most of it will be saved for when he and the other person are alone since Yash responds so violently when there's an audience.

 

I am truly flattered, Adriane, and I hope you'll be reading till the end, because I'd hate to disappoint.

 

Here ya go chibi_mastermind and just another stupid girl, the next chappie should be out in 10 days or less, I'm almost done writing it. But I need to edit it before posting.

 

Tsk, tsk Courtney…naughty OR educational? Can't it be both? *evil smirk* Dr. Ruth's Idiots Guide to Sex maybe? Eh, you'll find out soon ;)

 

 

 

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