InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pups ❯ Chapter 1

Pups

 

Chapter 1

 

By Miryokuteki

 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything below his forehead. All of that belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, but the ears are mine! ^.^ HEHEHEHE! … Oh. I can't have those either? Phooey.

 

-=-

 

Kagome rolled over in her bed, attempting to stop the light from the rising sun from invading her sleep. It didn't work. She looked up at the ceiling with a sigh as the previous evening came back to her. She and InuYasha had fought again when she'd tried to come home for a test. Of course, it had ended with her having to `Sit' him several times before rushing past him and jumping into the well.

 

`Why does he have to be so stubborn?' she thought, sighing again. `Oh well, I'd better get ready for school.' She pushed her covers aside.

 

It was then that she noticed the first odd thing. Her pajama sleeves were about a foot too long and the shorts went down to her knees. `Funny…' she thought. `I thought clothes were supposed to shrink in the drier.' She brushed it off and moved to get off the bed.

 

`Okay… since when have my feet not been able to reach the floor? I must be out of it.' Hopping the extra inches to the floor she made her way to the door. She reached out for the doorknob and…

 

`Wait… something's not right here.' The gold handle, which was usually at her waist, was now at her eye level. She turned on her light, having to stand on tiptoe to do so, and ran over to her vanity. Climbing on top of her chair, she looked into the mirror. Expecting the face of a fifteen-year-old high school student she saw instead a girl no older then six staring back at her.

 

“What…? Thith ithin't… huh? My voithe thoundthz funny. I… I've got a lithp… and… why do I look like thith?” her six-year-old voice asked. She looked down at herself, noticing fully that she was now only three feet tall.

 

“Whatth going on?” She asked no one. “Wait… I can't go to thchool like thith.” She sat down on the floor to think. “What am I gonna do? Thith ith terrible. Ugh! Thupid lithp! I thought I got over thith… no `thisss' nine yearth… `years!' Ago.”

 

She began pounding her fists on the floor in frustration. “Great! Now I'm throwing a temper tantrum too! I'm a doppie little kid! Whatth happening to me?”

 

'10, 9, 8, 7…' she counted backward in her mind, trying to calm her self. `Okay Kagome, Think. There has got to be a logical explanation to this.'

 

“Ha!” someone laughed. She looked up to see a semi-transparent, little girl standing before her. “One day you're fifteen and the next you're six. There is no logical explanation. It's impossible.”

 

“Who are you?” Kagome asked tentatively. “Did you do this to me?”

 

“Kagome, it's me… Kat!”

 

“…”

 

“You know! You're imaginary friend! Of course I'm not surprised you don't remember me. You haven't talked to me since you got over that lisp of yours and real people started being your friend.” The girl pouted. “And no, I didn't make you a kid again but I'm glad you are. Now we can have fun! We'll climb trees and play hide and seek and…”

 

“No! I'm not playing anything! I've got to figure out whatth wrong with me tho I can change me back and go to thchool!”

 

“Okay, but if you ever what to have a little fun just call me. I'll be in here.” She reached out and tapped Kagome on the head. “Oh and maybe you should talk to Koinu. He might know what's wrong.” She began to fade.

 

“Wait! Whothz Koinu?” But the girl was gone. “Koinu? Could thhe mean… Inuyatha?”

 

Kagome thought for a moment then got up and went to her closet, searching for something that would fit on her tiny body. `Maybe Inuyasha does know something about this and if he doesn't Kaede may have some idea. Either way, I can't go to school.'

 

She finally settled on a colorful T-shirt that went down past her knees. She tied a belt around her waist to make it more like a dress and settled for some large flip-flops since her shoes were too big.

 

Heading down stairs she rushed past the kitchen where her mom was cooking breakfast. “Mom! I'm going to thee Inuyatha! I'll be back later!”

 

“Kagome? Your voice sounds funny. Are you feeling alright?”

 

“Yeah mom! I'm fine! Bye!” And with that she rushed out the door and to the well house, stumbling over her flip-flops on the way.

 

She jumped in and felt the familiar tingle of magic blew around her. She hit the bottom five hundred years in the past and turned to climb out. The only problem was that she couldn't reach the vines the normally helped her up. `Great! Now what?' She settled for the simplest method.

 

“Inuyatha! Inuyatha! Inu…”

 

“Bout time you showed up.” A voice sounded from outside the well. It was similar to Inuyasha's but sounded a bit… younger. “What's wrong? Can't get out of the stupid well by yourself?”

 

His face appeared over the edge of the well to look down at her. Both the miko's and the hanyou's jaws dropped at the same moment as they stared at younger versions on their companions. No one spoke for a moment, then…

 

“Hehehehehe!” Kagome giggled. “Inuyatha! You look so cute!”

 

“What are you talking about? I do not! Why are you a pup?” Inuyasha asked, flattening his ears at her shrill giggles.

 

“Me? You're the puppy!” Kagome laughed a bit more then looked up at the boy. “Hey! Do you think you could get me out of here? I can't reach the vineth.”

 

“Feh! Weak humans.” Kagome giggled again as her reached down to scoop her up out of the well.

 

“Thankth Inuyatha.” The girl said as he put her down.

 

“What's up with your voice? You sound weird.” Inuyasha asked gruffly, well, as gruffly as a six-year-old demon could.

 

Kagome looked at her feet. “It'th my lithp.”

 

“Your what?”

 

“My lithp! I can't pronounth the ethethz. And don't you be talking. Your voice don't thound the thame either!”

 

“My voice…? Your right, what's up with voice? I sound like a pup.” Inuyasha wondered feeling his throat.

 

“Thatth cauthe you are a pup!” Kagome responded.

 

“No I'm not! You are!”

 

“We both are!” She turned him to look at the well. “Thee! Your thorter then you uthed to be! The well cometh up to your chin. Thame with me! We've been turned into kidth!”

 

Inuyasha looked at the girl then back at the well. `She's right… that must be why I've felt funny all morning.' “But… that's impossible…”

 

“I know it ith. That'th why I came back. I thought Kaede might know what happened to uth.”

 

Inuyasha looked at her through the corner of his eye. “Can you stop talking like that? It's weird.”

 

“No. I can't. I already tried. Thith ith how I talked when I wath a kid. I had to go to a thpethial clath to learn not to and now itth back!”

 

“Okay! Fine… Let's head down to Kaede's and figure out what's wrong with us.” He took off at a slight jog that Kagome could usually keep up with.

 

“Koinu! Koinu! Wait up!”

 

“What now?” He turned to see Kagome gasping for breath about ten feet behind him.

 

“I can't keep up! My legth are too thort!” Inuyasha ran back to the young miko.

 

“Get on.” He said, crouching down for her to get onto his back.

 

“Thankth Koinu.”

 

“What are you calling me?”

 

“Koinu. Itth ethier to thay then Inuyatha.”

 

“Feh”

 

~Kaede's hut~

 

Shippo was sitting outside when InuYasha and Kagome arrived. He knew via his nose that they were coming and leapt up ready to hug Kagome when she got there.

 

Kagome was prepared to have the air knocked out of her by Shippo. He always jumped on her when she came back. But she didn't expect to be bowled over by a boy as tall as she was.

 

Both the Kitsune and the teen turned child went tumbling. After awhile they stopped rolling and caught their breath. Shippo recovered first. “Kagome?” He looked at the little girl beside him. “Oh! I'm sorry miss! I didn't mean to knock you down! I'm so sorry! I…”

 

“Thippo it'th me!” Kagome interrupted.

 

“Ka… Kagome? Y… you're a kit!” Shippo was lost now. It didn't help that InuYasha chose that moment to show up.

 

“Oi! Brat! What'd you knock her over for?”

 

“Huh?” Shippo stared at the young Inu youkai. “I… InuYasha?”

 

The hanyou ignored him and moved to help the young miko to her feet. Shippo looked from InuYasha to Kagome and back again. “Y… you're both kits! What's going on?”

“None of your business you little runt!”

 

“Ha! You can't call me that anymore cause you're a runt too!” Shippo ran forward and stepped on the hanyou's foot then took off in the opposite direction.

 

“Why you little…! Come back here!” InuYasha took off after him.

 

Meanwhile Kagome was getting frustrated. “Boyth! We don't have time for thith! We've got to figure out what'th wrong.” They ignored her. Kagome decided to end it herself. “Thit boy!”

 

InuYasha braced himself to hit the ground but nothing happened. He looked up in shock.

 

Kagome and Shippo were equally surprised. “It… it didn't work.” The kitsune stated dumbly.

 

“Thank you master of the obvious!” InuYasha replied. “The question is why didn't it work?” The demons looked to Kagome for an answer.

 

“Becauthe… becauthe of my lithp.” Kagome replied.

 

“Ha! You can't say `sit' can you? Alright!”

 

Shippo looked at her curiously. “What's a lithp?”

 

“It means she can't pronounce the ethethz.” InuYasha replied.

 

“What's an eth?”

 

“Not eth! Eethss!” The two simply looked at her in confusion. “Like… I can't thay InuYatha becauthe it hath an ethss in it.”

 

InuYasha and Shippo were still lost but luckily, someone else had been listening and understood what she meant.

 

“I believe what Kagome-sama is trying to say is that her lisp makes it hard for her to form the `s' sound when speaking. Am I right?” Miroku asked coming to kneel beside the three youngsters.

 

“Yeth! Finally, thomeone underthandth.” Kagome exclaimed.

 

“How long have you been there monk?” InuYasha asked, irritated at being caught looking like he did. It didn't help that Miroku was crouching before them as though they were children. `But you are a child.' Said a little voice in the back of his head. `Feh' he thought back.

 

“Long enough.” Miroku replied. “It seems you two have gotten yourselves into a very interesting predicament. I'm curious to know how this came to be.”

 

“That'th jutht it Miroko-thama. We don't know what happened. We woke up like thith.”

 

At this Shippo and InuYasha started laughing. Miroku, too, was trying to hide a grin.

 

“Whath tho funny?” Kagome asked annoyed.

 

The others simply laughed harder. Miroku recovered quickly and tried to explain. “F… forgive us Kagome-sama. It's just that your lisp makes you sound awfully funny.”

 

“Yeah Kagome! You `thound' funny!” InuYasha's comment brought another round of laughter from the boys.

 

“Hey! What's going on out here?” Sango poked her head out of Kaede's hut. First she noticed Miroku, Shippo, and another boy laughing at a little girl. It took a moment for her to realize who the boy and girl were.

 

“K… Kagome? InuYasha?”

 

Before she could do anything more, the young miko shouted, “You guys are all tho mean!” She then broke away from the group and headed back toward the well, tears streaming down her face.

 

Sango wanted to go after her friend but knew she should with the boys first so she sent Kirara to protect the small girl.

 

~Later~

 

“I can't believe you boys! How could you be so mean? Don't you think she went through enough torment when she actually was six years old? She doesn't need more. Especially not in a situation like this.”

 

The three boys hung their heads as Sango lectured. Miroku and InuYasha both sported lumps on their heads. InuYasha had asked why Shippo hadn't been hit too and Sango had replied that Shippo was a child and was simply following the example of the other two. InuYasha had come back saying he was a child too but Sango had ignored him.

 

“Now, InuYasha. You will go find Kagome and apologize to her. Kirara is with her now. Then you will bring her back here where Miroku and Shippo will also apologize. After that we'll try to figure out what's happened to the two of you. Got it?”

 

“Yes.” They mumbled meekly.

 

“And you must promise never to tease her about her lisp again. And to be extra nice to her for a while. Lisps are very hard for young children to deal with. She needs support not teasing. Understand?”

 

“How do you know so much about lisps anyway?” asked the young hanyou. The others looked at her expectantly.

 

“Because… because I had a lisp when I was a kid too. Okay?” She ignored the shocked looks on their faces and went on. “Now promise never to tease her again.”

 

“We promise.”

 

“Good. Now go find her InuYasha.”

 

~At the Well~

 

Kagome sat against the well crying. Kirara was circling her legs. “How can they be so mean to me? It'th not my fault I've got a lithp.”

 

“Of course it's not.” Kat had returned. “But they don't care. They just want something to laugh at.”

 

“InuYatha, I can underthand. But Thippo and Miroku…”

“Hey! Don't worry about it. They'll come around. They were just having some fun is all. They didn't know it would hurt you.”

 

“InuYatha did! He'th alwayth making fun of me. He doethn't care how I feel. He'th jutht a big jerk!”

 

“Well, yeah. Koinu's like that sometimes. But he's a good guy really. He said you smelled good once remember?”

 

“Yeah. One compliment out of a million inthultth. Why do you call him Koinu anyway?”

 

“That's what Ty calls him.”

“Who's Ty?”

 

“Koinu's imaginary friend of course.”

 

“InuYatha has an imaginary friend? And you know him?”

 

“Yup! We imaginary friend's hang out together when we're not needed. I've really gotten to know Ty recently. Koinu hasn't talked to him since his mom died. He was so busy trying to stay alive that he didn't have time to play with Ty. So Ty's been a bit bored. If you ask me, he should have stuck with Ty. It's because he didn't have any friends as a boy, not even an imaginary friend, that he's as gruff as he is now. He doesn't have any social experience.”

 

“Wow… I never knew that. I gueth I can't blame him for being mean then huh? It mutht be terrible not to have thomeone to lean on ath a kid. I remember when the kidth at thchool made fun of me you were alwayth there to comfort me.”

 

“Yup! And after you got over your lisp you made real friends and didn't need me anymore so I went to hang out with the others until you needed me again.”

 

“Thank you Kat. Hey! Doeth Ty know how Koinu feelth about me?”

 

Kat grinned. “Yup! And he told me!”

 

“Really! What'd he thay?”

 

“Sorry, you're gonna have to figure that out on your own.” She pulled out a book. The cover read I.F. Rules and Regulations.

 

“Rule 28 of the imaginary friend code: Feelings of love, friendship, hate, etc. of real friends may be shared among I.F. members but are not to be told to real friends unless in a dangerous situation in which the telling of such things will prevent harm from coming to RF (see regulation 114) or under the consent of RF (see regulation 129).”

 

“There'th actually an imaginary friend law? And to think that I thought thith wath all in my head.”

 

“Hey I better go. Koinu's coming.” And with that, Kat was gone.

 

A few seconds later, InuYasha appeared through the trees. Kagome stood up and wiped her eyes, still red from crying. InuYasha stopped a few feet away from her.

 

“Um… I… I'msorryIteasedyouaboutyourlisp.” He mumbled quickly.

 

“What?”

 

InuYasha looked up at her then back at his feet. He took a deep breath and tried again. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have teased you about your lisp. It was really mean of me and… I'm sorry.” He finished lamely and looked up to see a slight smile on her face.

 

“Thankth Koinu. But don't worry about it. Kidth have alwayth teathed me about it. I'm uthe to it.”

 

Inuyasha choked back a laugh at how she said `teathed' but Kagome heard and he looked back at the ground, his ears drooping in shame. But he looked up again as Kagome started laughing.

 

“You know,” she said. “It ith kind of funny thounding.” At this they both started laughing.

 

 

-=-=-=-

 

A.N.

 

I wrote this a long time ago and never finished it. I've kind of forgotten where I was going with it but I thought I'd post it anyway and if I get a good response I'll continue.