InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Plain Sight ❯ The Talkative Horse ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

AN: One review...more than I expected, but it's all good. Anyway, for whoever might be reading this, ppl at ff.net told me that Kag talks ALOT in this and it's mostly mindless crap. It's sort of an exageration of her attitude in the second epi in the anime. You know, the whole You-almost-killed-me-for-a-stupid-jewel-but-I'm-still-going-to-try-to-be-ni ce-to-you-and-make-conversation thing. If it makes you feel any better, just tell your self she's having wierd moodswings cause of...PMS.




Plain Sight

The Talkative Horse











The black stallion's horse shoes made a rhythmic 'clip clop' sound on the dirt road as his rider pushed him on towards the next village. He had been riding for days with only a few hours sleep each night and he could really use a cool drink. His rider had other things in mind.


His long silver hair was pulled back into a low braid and hidden under a riding cloak, along with his peculiar ears, but his golden amber eyes were quite visible. He had been sent on a journey to a far away village to visit the warlord of the land and now he was on his way home. The sooner he got their, the sooner the whole ordeal would be over. Too bad the closer to a village he got, the more the horse would slow down, apparently wanting to stop for a rest.


Too bad the next willage was at least a day away, and he didn't plan on stopping until he reached it.


At a fork in the road, the horse suddenly took the wrong path, despite it's master's constant complaining that they were going the wrong way. A few minutes later, they reached a girl that was walking down the same dirt path, her dark hair was pressed down with a scarf and her plain green yukata continually brushed against the small cloth pouch tied to her sash, making chingling sounds. The girl looked up at the approaching rider, wiping the ebony hair that had managed to make it's way out of the scarf out of her face and looking upon him with deep azure eyes as the stallion came to a stop in front of her.


"You wouldn't happen to know the way to Unachi, would you?" he sneered down at her


"Hello to you too," she said, a warm smile on her face.


He gave her a look of great disdain, taking in her features and supressed the urge to shudder. "I don't fucking have time for this, do you know the way or not?"


"I might." she paused for a moment, thinking something over, and said, "Are you lost?"


"I'm not lost," he drawled


"You just don't know where your going?"


"I know where I'm going just fine!" he yelled indignantly


Her head tilted to the side slightly, her brow furrowing and she asked, "Then why do you need directions?"


"I just do!" he all but yelled. Who the hell did this girl think she was?


She suddenly flashed him a brilliant smile, revealing a set of pearly whites and held her hand out to him, "I'm Kagome, pleased to meet you,"


He blinked. He had the feeling that this girl was mentally unstable. Looking down at her hand in disdain, he noticed the dirt under nails before scoffing and looking back up at her. "I suppose that means you don't know the way,"


"I know the way to Unachi. That's where I'm going," she said, lightly running a hand over his stallion's mane, "For the fair." She blew into the stallion's nostrils, allowing it to recognize her scent and it blew back into her face before lightly nudging her face.


He snorted and said, "You don't look like you have any money. What business could you possibly have at the fair?"


"Didn't your mother ever teach you manners?" she asked, her voice never losing it's carefree quality.


"Look, if you tell me the way to Unachi, I'll give you two silver peices. If not, then you can go to hell,"


"I know the way to Unachi," she said again,"But I don't want your money,"


"Good, then tell it to me,"


"I would however," she said, apparently not hearing him, "Like a ride to the village,"


"No way!" There was no way he was going to saddle himself with this....this vagabond.


"Well, you can either give me a ride, or wander around these roads until you find someone else to point you in the right direction. I doubt that will happen though,"


She was right. These roads would be practically deserted, the merchants taking the main roads to the large village. Not that he was going to admit to that. "Why do you want a ride anyway? You seemed just fine a moment ago, walking,"


"Take pity on me. My horses, along with all my supplies were stolen by bandits two days ago and I've been walking since,"


He didn't beleive that for a second. But it was also painfully obvious that she wasn't going to let up until she got what she wanted. He could, hwever leave her in the dust. But who knew how long it would take him to find his way to the village. So, he compromised.


"Feh. Whatever. Get on back. But I'm only doing this so I can get to village faster." The compromise existed only in his head.


"Whatever you say," she said, patting the horse's mane. She braced one sandal-clad foot high up on the horses stirrup as she began to climb her way up onto the horse, unwittingly giving him a nice view of her soft creamy legs, which at the moment were covered in dust and mud. His nose scrunched together in disgust and he shuddered at the thought of having to smell a dirty peasant for the whole ride. So he did the only thing any self respecting youkai could do, he breathed through his mouth.


"I didn't catch your name by the way," she said from his right ear.


"That's because I didn't throw it," he spat back before lightly kicking the horses sides to get it moving.


After a few moments of silence, Kagome said, "So, what shall I call you?"


"I couldn't care less what you choose to call me," he hissed, already getting irritated with this girls line of questioning.


"Alright, how about Numair?"


"Numair? What the hell kind of a sissy name is that? The first name you think to call me is Numair?"


"How about Tom?"


"Do I look like one of those white devils to you?"


"Fine, let's see...I think you look like a Barnabus. Oh, take a left at that twisted oak tree,"


"Barnabus? You think I look like a Barnubus?" he spluttered


"Yeah," she said as she pulled down the hood of his cloak and admired his silky silver hair.


Surpressing the urge to bop the girl over the head for thinking to touch his clotheing, he said "Didn't anyone ever teach you about personal space?"


"No,"


He was a bit taken a back by her outright answer, but soon recovered and said, "I do not look like a Barnabus. People named Barnabus are weakling cowards with clingy mothers,"


"You talk as though you have experience," she said, noticing the furry triangles that lay atop his head. For a long time, she sat there staring at them with a goofy grin on her face, before she reached up and rubbed one of them, just to hear what it sounded like. To her delight, it let forward a high-pitched 'tweak'ing sound.


He yanked his head away from her grasp, mad that she wasn't facing him to see the deep scowl that had spread across his face. Through his embarrassment, he let out a gruff, "Do you mind?"


"Not at all, Barnabus,"


"My name is not Barnabus!" he ground out.


"Whatever you say Barnabus," she shrugged


"Stop calling me that!" he said in a high pitched exclamation.


"Very well, what would you like me to call you?" she said, pointing over his shoulder to show him that he was about to take the wrong path.


He wasn't quite sure what to say to that, and she looked too much like someone he had once known to trust her with anything, even someting as insignificant as his name. So, what did he do? He changed the subject. "You ever been to Unachi?"


"No,"


"Then how do you know the way?" he asked


"I don't know the way,"


"What the fuck!" he exclaimed, "Then what the hell are you doing?!"


Again, she simply shrugged, starting to wonder if he was even aware of the gesture, "Your horse has been to Unachi,"


"So?" Either this girl was quite insane, or he was really missing something.


"He's giving me directions,"


Definitely the former. She thought the horse was talking to her? Just how unstable was this girl? Perhaps she was some convict that was trying to escape punishment....No, insane or not, this girl was much to naive for something like that. Still, she was crazy. As soon as they got to town he was dropping her off on her behind. "Right..."


She smiled at his elongated word and the obvious sarcasm behind it and took to staring at the side of his neck. "Why are you going to Unachi?" she asked his black hood.


"I'm just passing through," he said through gritted teeth, wondering why he was even bothering to answer this girl's questions.


"You don't have business there?"


"No." Does this girl ever shut up?


She was silent for a moment before saying to his right ear, "Your not a merchant are you?"


"Huh? What-of course I am. What would make you think a stupid thing like that?"


"Of course you have the clohes of a merchant, but you hold yourself like a noble, even on this horse," she said, tapping his spine lightly. "But you talk like a peasant. You know what you are?"


He let out a long sigh and grumbled, "No, but I'm sure your about to tell me."


"You, oh gentle knight, are an enigma,"


"You know, for someone who dresses so shitty, you don't quite talk like a peasant. Not all the time anyway,"


"My dad used any extra money he had to send me to school when I was a kid so I wouldn't talk like a peasant. I guess every now and then I revert back to my regular form." She quite easily spit out the rehearsed lie. But of course, it WAS rehearsed. 'More like the nobility lessons keep slipping in,' she thought absently to herself, 'I guess I can't get rid of all that noble crap'.


"I don't remember asking for your life story," he said iritably. How long had they been on this horse? Fifteen minutes or so? Felt like fifteen or so days.....


She sighed, blowing hot air onto his beck and leaned against his back, before he shook her off and said, "I'm not a bed 'princess'," exxagerating that last word so that it was like an insult.


She remained unaffected by it and simply started drawing pictures on his back with the tip of her finger to pass the time. After about an hour of doing this and pointing out directions, she got bored and took to staring at the back of his hair. The seperate threads looked like spun silver...no, wait, white gold. Definitely, white gold.


Just to make conversation, she said, "So, what kind of youkai are you?" out of nowhere.


No answer. But did that stop Kagome? Yeah, right.....


"I asked what kind of youkai you are," she said, knocking lightly on his head.


He bit down hard on his lip to keep the string of curses from surfacing. Why was he trying so hard to not offend the girl so bad? It would be so much easier to simply toss her on her ass and....oh yeah, he needed her. Damn. "What makes you think I'm a youkai?"


"I may be a bit naive about somethings, but I'm not blind. Hair, eyes and claws aside, you have furry ears sticking out of the top of your head," she said, rather matter-of-factly as though this was an everyday occurance for her.


Despite her nonchalant 'it doesn't matter very much' tone, he took offence. "Your one mouthy bitch, you know that? You'd think your mother would have taught you your place, but no~o, you just gotta keep talking. One day that big fucking mouth of yours is gonna get you in a shit load of trouble,"


"Geez, don't get your skirt all twisted up. I was just wondering what kind of demon you are. There's no need to take offence,"


He simply gripped his reins harder and stared at the road before them as though he were expecting a centipede demon to rise up from the ground any second and devour the girl behind him. Or at least try to take a bite out of her.


When he didn't answer, she gave him her analysis, "Okay, I can figure this out. You don't have the ears of a regular humanoid demon. You know, those pointed ones. So, that must mean your not a full demon. Are you a hanyou/" she asked innocently.


The way Inuyasha was gripping the reins, they should have snapped by now. In fact, Kagome was sure she could hear a slight tearing sound. Despite his obvious desire to throw her off the horse, she continued, "Judging from the ears and eyes, I'd say you were a neko-youkai,"


That definitely got a reaction out of him. He half turned in his seat so that he could see the grin on her face and said in a voice to calm for the fire burning in his eyes, "What the fuck did you just say, bitch?"


"I'm just kidding, geez. Besides, you look more along the lines of a dog anyway,"


He turned back around and once again got comfortable in his seat. Just a little longer to the village. Only a few more miles.....


"Inu-hanyou, huh? You know the king of the Western lands is an inu-youkai. A taiyoukai if I'm not mistaken,"


Once again, he remained silent, but it seemed....heavier, this time.


"Is that where your from? Or where your going maybe?"


Okay, last straw. This girl was just getting too annoying. "Why are you suddenly so interested in my life. I don't even know you,"


"That's cause your not even trying Barnabus! You have to ask a question if you want to get to know me,"


"Good thing I don't wanna get to know you," he replied in a low voice, trying his hardest to tune her out.


"God, your so grouchy! I'm trying to have a decent conversation here and you keep trying to bite my head off! Can't you be nice for even a minute?!"


"No, I can't! If you have a problem with it-!"


"Oh shut it." He obeyed immediately. Not because he wanted to, but because the only person that had ever told him to be quiet was his father and he was the ruler for christssake. "Why don't you try to be nice once in a while? You'd probably be liked a lot more,"


"I don't need people to like me. I just need people to-,"


"Fear you?"


"No,"


"Cower before you?"


"No,"


She thought for a moment and shot the back of his head a narowed look, "Die laughing when they see that thing you call a scowl?"


"No! I was going to say, I only need people to respect me." And how the hell had she known about the scowl? Stupid bitch....


"Oh....well, people would probably respect you a whole lot easier if they liked you,"


"So, your saying I'm not likeable?"


"No, I'm not saying that. I like you just fine," she said easily, then, very slowly, as though she were trying to say the right words, added, " I'm just saying, if you were nicer to people, more people would like you,"


"Feh,"


"Actually, scratch everything I just said. You're perfect the way you are," she said in that innocent, carefree voice, though there ws a touch of sarcasm to it. It was sweet, truthful and even a little mischievous, and he would have sworn that if he had been looking at her, her eyes would have been twinkling.


He felt her go back to drawing pictures on his back with the tip of her finger and lingered on her last comment. She was so unusual. One second, she was trying to convince him to be a better person, the next she was playing with the boundaries of normal social conduct.


The rest of the journey went on in silence, Kagome planning what her first move when she arrived at the fair should be, and Inuyasha planning the fastest escape route from the girl.


*


A few villagers turned their heads to the approaching pair that were riding into town on horseback. As soon as they reached the town square, the hanyou said, "We're here, get off," before unceremoniously pushing her off the horse.


She dusted off the dirt from behind as she got up and turned to thank him, "Thanks, I really appre-"


"Save it, I couldn't care less," he said before trotting off toward a bar to get a few refreshments and be on his way.


Kagome sighed and turned toward where they were setting up for the fair. They were already setting up wooden fences for the horses and such and booths for the different merchants coming to sell their goods. She turned toward the nicest inn to see how much it would cost to use the baths. She felt filthy with all that dirt on her legs. Then she'd have to see if she would be able to get a job. And who would want to hire a girl who couldn't even keep herself clean.


*

AN: Not much to say....um....er.....you know, I type faser when I get feedback, so go a head, press the iddy biddy button and tell me what you think. Until next time.....