InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pack Law ❯ Build Up ( Chapter 13 )

Pack Law

 

A/N: This chapter entirely dedicated to Phalon. Without your conversations, my Hitomu-muse might still be twitching in the corner!

 

Chapter 13: Build Up

 

Hitomu winked at Kagome. “What, not happy to see your boyfriend?”

 

Kagome's eyes sparked angrily as her aura flared. “What were you thinking? Are you completely stupid? I'm surprised InuYasha didn't rip your head off!”

 

Hitomu forced a shaky laugh, closing his eyes for a moment. `I am, too! I thought I was a dead man!' Focusing again on the woman in front of him, Kagome was displeased to see an evil smirk cross his face. He was looking over her shoulder; she turned and moaned. Eri, Yuka and Ayumi were quickly making their way toward them.

 

“Oh my gosh, Kagome! You two are really dating?” Eri waved jauntily at Hitomu as she dragged Kagome across the hall and into the nearest classroom. “You have to tell us all about it! When did he ask you out?” The miko sent the young man a scathing glare over her shoulder as she was hauled away; Hitomu hurried down the hall to his first class.

 

`Forget about InuYasha killing me, I'll be lucky if she doesn't!' Still, he and his sister were truly their father's children. He had faith he could prevail where it appeared his alpha was failing.

 

**********

 

Kagome held her head in her hands, willing herself not to kill her friend's son. To her left, Sarah was cracking up. Even Tsukiyoshi had a wan smile on his face.

 

“I still can't believe you kissed her in front of InuYasha! Hell, I can't believe you're not dog food this morning!” Sarah was still reeling from the events of the day before. Kagome groaned.

 

“I can't believe it either. Eri, Ayumi and Yuka won't leave me alone.” Her eyes cut into Hitomu's. “They can't get over it and just keep talking about how `incredibly handsome' you are!” Hitomu sported a cocky smile. “Then, of course, they recognized InuYasha when he came in. I'll be lucky if I can keep straight half the lies I've told those girls.” Turning eyes skyward, she sighed again, “I can't believe you kissed me. Just like that!”

 

Hitomu tilted his head curiously at Kagome. She idly wondered if it was a habit he had picked up from growing up with inu-youkai. "Oh come on, you know you liked it."

 

Kagome fidgeted, turning her gaze to Sarah, whose eyes glittered with tears of laughter. `How does he get me so flustered so easily?' “That's not the point!” she hissed angrily.

 

“You don't deny it?” Kagome whirled on the inu-youkai behind her. Even calm, cool Tsukiyoshi was getting his digs at her! How unfair was this? `Of course, any other girl would give their right arm to be in my position.' The irony wasn't really lost on her, but it didn't mean she had to appreciate it.

 

“Is he a better kisser than InuYasha?” Sarah piped up again, finally containing her giggles. Hitomu turned an interesting face to the embarrassed young woman, eyes flashing in expectation.

 

Kagome sighed dreamily, thinking of InuYasha's kisses. “They're two totally different people, with two totally different styles…” The memory of golden eyes, softened in the moonlight as she relaxed in his arms abruptly altered to the same eyes hardened by anger as she tried to pull away from Hitomu yesterday. She groaned again, catching a glimpse of his amused expression. “Why am I even talking about this? Oh, InuYasha's already mad at me, and I still don't quite know what I did!” Her anguish turned to indignation, “In fact, I haven't done anything! I haven't touched the well! I didn't even kiss you, you kissed me!”

 

“You didn't pull away.”

 

“I tried; you were nearly squeezing the life out of me!”

 

“Well, you didn't want to go out with that wimpy Houjou, did you? We had to make it look realistic!” Darn that Hito, looking so pleased with himself. Didn't he realize just how territorial InuYasha could be? `Heck, he was fighting with Kouga over me even when Kikyou was still alive!'

 

Kagome squirmed in her seat, still avoiding her lunch. She was certain food wouldn't sit well on her roiling stomach. “Guys, I'm not headed to the den today. I just really can't face InuYasha. Besides, I've decided I'm leaving tomorrow night. Maybe something's supposed to happen on Saturday morning that I can avoid.”

 

Sarah exchanged worried looks with the others at the change in topic. It still stood that Kagome had not returned, and she was obviously planning on going back. They were all thinking the same thing. `What's going to happen?'

 

**********

 

`What's going to happen?' InuYasha leaned back in his leather desk chair, blowing stray hairs out of his face. He was supposed to be focusing on a memo to the rest of the Inu clans, focusing on possible changes in official Pack Law. `Like I can focus on boring shit like that on a week like this.'

 

He rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up a bit. `Fucking bitch!' Kagome's scent had filled the den again, leaving him clinging to wakefulness after half a night of dreams of her and him… InuYasha shifted uncomfortably, irritated that she could still affect him like this. Of course, he'd flat-out told Hitomu that she was his, but he didn't plan on acting on those words until he found out just what had happened with the well.

 

`Did I drive her away?' He reflected on his actions the past few days. He hadn't really made her feel welcome here, that's for damn sure. InuYasha grimaced. He may have survived this long, he may have adapted well, but he still tended to think in terms of “her time” and “his time.” His time was several centuries ago, when Japan was still lush and green and filled with all manner of youkai just angsting to beat the ever-living shit out of each other. Now, though, they had to hide who and what they were, changing aliases in a rotation of every fifty years. He thanked every kami he could name that they were using their “regular” names on this particular spin through time. Any more changes and even Kagome may not have been able to follow.

 

A familiar, not un-wanted scent reached InuYasha's nose just a few seconds before Miroku opened the door to his office. Waiting in the doorway for InuYasha's nod of greeting, the monk-turned-doctor gazed around the room.

 

“C'mon in. What do you want?” InuYasha's voice was gruff, but he knew Miroku wouldn't have come if he hadn't been concerned about something. This was “work” time for the hanyou; he was rarely interrupted. Truth be told, InuYasha was glad for the company. He couldn't get Kagome out of his mind and needed to focus it elsewhere before he lost control of himself.

 

Miroku cleared his throat. “I couldn't help but notice that I still have a son this morning.” InuYasha inclined his head in assent. “I appreciate you not pruning my family tree…”

 

“Feh. You can have another.”

 

Miroku's smile did not reflect in his eyes. “True, but though he can be quite a stubborn baka, I've grown rather fond of him. He looks up to you, you know.”

 

InuYasha raised an eyebrow. “The little idiot was certainly looking up to me last night.”

 

“Oh, I'm quite sure of it. He seemed rather shaken when he came back.”

 

InuYasha didn't respond, staring at Miroku seriously. He knew there was more to this visit than the idle chatter they had engaged in. Miroku's conversation thus far had only served to piss him off more as the images of Kagome and Hitomu kissing assaulted him again. He clenched his fist on his desk, leaving a furrow of claw marks. Miroku gulped.

 

“He, uh, said something interesting, however.”

 

“Feh?” InuYasha's tone of indifference didn't fool his beta one bit.

 

“Hitomu says you called Kagome your mate.” There was no accusation in Miroku's voice. Instead, it seemed more idle curiosity. “I don't suppose you plan on telling her this anytime soon?”

 

InuYasha growled softly, “I guess it really all depends on what happens this weekend.”

 

Miroku nodded his agreement, “Understandable, under the circumstances.” His voice took on a teasing quality, “You know, however, that this will surely destroy your reputation with the ladies of the various courts…”

 

InuYasha snorted at the reminder. He had refrained from most interaction with women, youkai and human alike, for the last five centuries. When it came down to it, he was afraid of rejection yet again, and his youkai was bound and determined to have Kagome. With his amazing looks, power, and reclusiveness, he had turned into a hanyou “Most Eligible Bachelor.”

 

Both turned to look out the window, where the Higurashi family shrine lay on the other side of the city.

 

Both were thinking the same thing. `Two days left. What happened?'

 

**********

 

Friday

 

“You're still planning on leaving today?” Sarah's attitude was a complete 180 from the day before; today, she was serious and downhearted.

 

Kagome nodded determinedly. “I'll head to the shrine right after school and go back. What I really wonder is what everybody is doing on the other side of the well right now?”

 

Sarah tilted her head, hanyou ears akimbo as she tried to figure out what Kagome wasn't saying. “Do you think something happened on that side?”

 

“If they weren't around the well to watch, how would they know? Miroku said I never came back. He said that InuYasha will try the well on Saturday morning and find he can't get through. Does that necessarily mean I'm going to do something?”

 

Sarah shook her head slowly. “No, I guess not. But if something happens to the well in that time, then why would it work for you now?”

 

Kagome's eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

 

“If something happened to the well five hundred years ago to close it, then wouldn't it be closed now? Then, technically, you never would have been able to go through in the first place, which means none of this would have happened, right?”

 

The miko moaned, lowering her head. “This is so confusing. I guess that makes sense, but I would never turn on InuYasha and the others!”

 

“Uncle certainly doesn't seem to think so!” Kagome jumped as Hitomu's voice rang out behind her. She flushed at the reminder of the hanyou's attitude as of late. “It's obvious he thinks you did something.”

 

“Do you really think I'd abandon them, Hito?” Kagome's steely gray-blue eyes reflected her mood, daring him to lie to her.

 

“Of course not, my beloved Kagome! You're loyal to a fault, why would you?” He reached out his arm around his “girlfriend”, grinning as she tried to shrug it off.

 

“That's right, I am loyal. I'm loyal to InuYasha, too, so you'd better knock it off!”

 

“Oh come on, sweetie…” Hitomu drew his voice out in a drawl as the bell rang, “You wouldn't blow your boyfriend off like that, would you?”

 

Kagome's glower followed him down the hall as he wandered off to his first class of the day.

 

**********

 

Kagome huffed as she stomped up the stairs to the shrine, a veritable wave of people behind her. Miroku had absolutely insisted on driving her home to the shrine the moment Hitomu let it slip to his father that she was going to attempt to thwart time by going back today.

 

Of course, InuYasha and Sango had been in the mini-van as well, making for a rather packed trip. Only Kagome had argued when they said they would go with her. None of them batted an eye, not even when InuYasha grabbed her by the upper arm and, with a stern glare, shoved her into the vehicle.

 

Halfway up the stairs, Kagome felt an ominous prickle tickle down her spine. She came to a halt, gazing upward anxiously. Something was telling her to run.

 

`A jewel shard? A very, very tainted shard…'

 

Sarah hadn't seen Kagome stop and careened into her, almost falling back down the stairs. Sango and InuYasha reached out to catch her, noting Kagome's dazed expression. Hitomu and Miroku were both glaring up the steps, a foreboding energy rolling off the shrine property.

 

“Kagome? Is something wrong?” Sango recognized the look on the miko's face and began to load her weapon. Noting her movements, InuYasha began to loosen Tetsusaiga from his belt loop, where modern youkai technology had created a new sheathe that appeared as a cell phone.

 

Spurred by a sickening feeling of dread, Kagome pumped her legs up the shrine steps, taking the rest of the group by surprise.

 

“Kagome! Wait!” She didn't even seem to hear Sango's call as she recalled her brother had stayed home sick that day.

 

`If anything's happened to my family…'

 

Coming up to the top of the steps, Kagome skidded to a stop, eyes wide, hand instinctively clutching the chunk of Shikon no Tama she wore around her neck.

 

Red eyes flashing menacingly, a frightening smirk on his face, Ken glared down at her from his perch on her family's roof. “Hello, miko…” Holding a hand out, a ball of flame burst onto his hand.

 

As the rest of the group made it up the steps, armed and ready, the fire youkai lobbed the ball at Kagome with a cackle.

 

A/N:

 

Next - the mystery of the well revealed!!!

 

I went through and edited a few chapters here and there, throwing in small details that I may have skimmed over in my rush to get the story underway. If you don't go back and re-read, you won't miss too much, but it could prove enlightening if you're interested.

 

“Thank you” to everybody who's reviewed so far. Specifically -

phalon23, pinkit (nope, not Shippou… good guess, though!), Ryo5492, pokiepal, angel-up-above-heaven, kokoronagomu (haha, it's hard to truly portray a man in all his “glory”… especially as mine is so well trained already!), sakuralovesinuyasha, Kurinju-sama (InuYasha kind of is like that, but I think it stems more from betrayal being a re-occurring thing in his mind. I'm glad you enjoy my OCs!), DragonKitsune, Sovereignty, CatLover260, kodaiqkitten (thank you again for allowing Misery to make an appearance. I know it wasn't big, but in my mind, she beat the hell outta Yasha with some new weaponry, hehe)

 

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the anime/manga. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

 

I do, however, own the original characters in this story. Please don't steal them! (I may let you borrow them if you ask politely.)