InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Reliving the Past ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

Reliving the Past

by kmf

An Inuyasha fanfic

Rating: R

Warnings: Language

Disclaimer: I only wish I did own Inuyasha *fondles his ears*

Chapter Nine

Kaminari worked on her ankle with such gentleness, she only felt discomfort when he initially started to wrap the crepe compression bandage around it. Under Kagome's instructions, he had tapped softly on her mother's door, before reporting back that her mother was not in the house. He had then found ice in the freezer, a bandage in the first aid kit and had even gone so far as to brew Kagome a cup of sweet tea, which he brought to her bedside before bandaging her foot.

He had made a passing comment on the amount of bandages, ointments and medical equipment that were stowed in the bathroom, and Kagome had given him a nervous explanation that her mother was a nurse and felt the need to have those items on hand 'just in case'. Kaminari had nodded as she spoke, but she got the feeling that he knew that she was telling him a pack of lies. Well, white lies anyway. Her mother had the items in stock because Kagome regularly used them whilst in the past. But only very rarely on herself.

Once Kaminari had finished binding her ankle and finding another two pillows to prop under it, he sat on the bed beside her. He reached down with a careful finger and gently touched her bruised cheek.

"Looks painful," he said, looking at her closely.

He was obviously seeking an explanation for her injuries and Kagome bit her lip silently cursing. She had hoped that he would forget his earlier demands to know the truth of the matter. She smiled brightly.

"Not so much," she said, "I'm pretty used to getting battered and bruised, because I'm such a clumsy b-person."

She flushed. She had almost called herself a clumsy bitch; so often had she heard those two words come together out of Inuyasha's mouth she had almost said the phrase automatically. Kaminari didn't seem to notice her stammered change and she breathed a sigh of relief, whilst making a mental note to pull Inuyasha's ears until she ripped them from his head next time he called her that.

"Kagome..." Kaminari had moved closer to her, placing his hands on either side of her reclined body. He looked down at her, his long dark hair trailing over his shoulder and tickling her face.

"Eh?" Kagome swallowed, just when had he got so darn close to her?

"Who did this to you?" he asked carefully, his eyes disturbingly close to her own so she could see her reflection clearly. Her own eyes were wide, a little startled, her hair mussed and her face ugly with the bruise she had gained. She couldn't help but lift a hand to touch her face lightly, wondering just how she was going to hide it from her mother. "Kagome!" Kaminari prompted her again as he watched her eyes become glazed and absent, "Was it the guy you like? Did he do it to you?"

Kagome blinked. Then she grinned, pushing Kaminari back a little as she struggled to sit up.

"Inuyasha would never physically hurt me," she said with absolute honesty. Break my heart, yes. Render my soul incapable of ever loving again, yes. Brutalise me with curses and taunts, yes. But the idea of him physically hurting her was ludicrous.

"Then how...?" Kaminari asked, pointing at the bruise on her face, "And don't give me any crap about falling down stairs."

Kagome frowned.

"Walked into a door?" she asked. Kaminari shook his head. "Hit by a Frisbee?" she tried again. Kaminari shook his head. "Fell off a skate board?"

"You aren't going to tell me, are you," Kaminari said, standing up, his eyes disgruntled.

Kagome felt guilty. She reached out a hand and grabbed his.

"Smacked around the face by a demon spider?" she tried again, smiling prettily.

Of course it was the truth this time, and it sounded more ludicrous than the other explanations. But it did make her feel a little better that she had told him the truth, even though she fully expected him to stride out of the room angry at her for spouting such rubbish. Surprisingly, he didn't. He crouched beside her, and gently smoothed the hair back from her face, his mouth smiling a little.

"A big one?" he asked.

"Big as a horse," she nodded.

"Ah, not that big then," he said, standing up. "Get some rest. I'll go and make you some more tea," and he let himself out of the room.

As he slipped out the door, Kagome found the grin on her lips slip, and a frown replace it. Just how in the hell did he know that a horse sized spider demon was not very big?

* * * *

When Kagome woke up, by the light coming through her window she could tell it was early evening. She frowned wondering just how she had managed to sleep the entire day away.

"Awake then?"

Kagome's eyes turned to the door. Souta stood leaning against the frame, his arms crossed, his hair messy and his eyes concerned. She grinned at her brother to show that she was fine, but ended up wincing as the puffy bruised skin of her face protested against the movement. He pushed himself off the doorframe and moved to sit on her bed.

"You're a mess," he stated, an eyebrow raised as he peered at her face, "Mum would have a fit."

Kagome bit her lip, wondering just how thick she could put foundation on her skin to try and hide the bruise and not look like some 60-year-old trying to regain their youth. Souta followed her glance to her dressing table upon which sat her limited makeup.

"Don't bother, sis," he smiled, "Mum has gone away visiting family for a week or so." He shrugged his shoulders at her raised eyebrow, "She thought you would be gone for a while and she has been needing a holiday for a sometime."

Kagome nodded, understanding. She was an adult now, and her mother had a life of her own. It was not as if either of her children were minors anymore. Souta nodded towards the door.

"See you've found an Inuyasha replacement," he smirked.

...replacement?

Kagome glared at Souta only to see him smirk back at her. Cheeky little shit, she thought, resisting the urge to throw one of her nice soft pillows at her brother. Instead, she peered curiously at the door.

"Is he still here?" she asked.

"Yup," Souta nodded. "Scared the heck out of me when I got home. I knew that you were home cause your backpack was on the kitchen floor. But I didn't expect to find you in your bedroom with a strange man."

"He was in my bedroom?" Kagome didn't know whether to feel outraged or warmed by Kaminari's attention to her.

"I certainly was,"

Speak of the devil...

"I wasn't sure whether you had a concussion or not, and didn't want to leave your side until I was sure," Kaminari strolled into the room as if he owned the house, pulling out the chair next to Kagome's study desk and sitting down. He peered at her, "You look better."

Kagome glanced at Souta, who seemed to be regarding Kaminari with something akin to suspicious awe. And Kagome could hardly blame him; Kaminari's personality was, at times, overwhelming. Kaminari picked up a pencil from the tabletop, and began weaving it through his fingers in a nonchalant manner.

"Young Souta here has been very informative," Kaminari continued, "Seems that he thinks this man you are fond of would never intentionally hurt you."

Kagome's mouth gaped open horrified by Kaminari's words. She turned her head towards Souta seeking confirmation that he had been pumped for information. Souta shrugged and smiled at her apologetically, and Kagome found it difficult to be cross with him. Kaminari could be extremely persuasive at times. Instead she turned her gaze to her professor, arching an eyebrow.

"Really," she said, her voice soft and sweet.

Instantly Souta knew that she was annoyed to say the least, and his head perked up with interest. It was always rewarding to watch Kagome take Inuyasha down a peg or two with her tongue, and he was obviously hoping for some of the same entertainment with Kaminari.

Kaminari smiled back, oblivious to the danger that he was in.

"It seems that the man we are talking of is very brave and wouldn't stoop to hitting you," Kaminari continued, "Therefore I am simply going to have to believe your explanation with regard to Demon Spiders."

Kagome's mouth opened a second time in surprise. This wasn't the way the conversation was supposed to go. She was supposed to tell him off for badgering her brother for information that was really none of his business. Instead, he had put her off by mentioning spider demons, the truth about her injury, but not an explanation that she would expect any sane modern person to accept.

She could see Souta out of the corner of her eyes about to talk, and she knew that he would be asking if it was true (Souta did not share her fear of spiders and often rescued her from the miserable creatures, but always delighted in teasing her about it.) She held up a hand to stop him, to remind him that they were in company of someone who didn't know about Kagome's own personal time warp. And luckily Souta heeded her and remained quiet.

She tried again.

"And just what are you doing at my home anyway, when I told you I was going to be away for a couple of weeks?" she demanded, again hoping to put him off balance and shame him.

He grinned back, casually running his fingertips through his long hair.

"Research," he replied, "I visited the shrine because I wanted to learn more about the legend I just discovered."

...silence...

"Legend?" Kagome asked weakly.

Kaminari nodded. "A rather fascinating one about a demon, half dog half human, his eternal love who was a miko cruelly murdered then resurrected, and the jewel she guarded called the Shikon no Tama."

For the third time since she woke up, Kagome's mouth dropped open. Only this time she felt sick.

* * * * *

The sun was only just beginning to set when Inuyasha decided he had had enough of hanging around the well moping about Kagome. It had hurt him a little that she didn't want him to take her back to her time, although he could see her point about him being a little exotic for the future world. However, that had never really stopped him in the past, a hat covering his ears had been the entire disguise he had needed before. Yet, this time Kagome didn't even stop to consider it.

She was probably still pissed about his comments about fucking someone to get it out of her system. When he had mentioned the conversation to Sango, she had gone a similar white then deep red colour that Kagome had, and Miroku had to physically restrain her from trying to bludgeon him with her boomerang.

Obviously it was a human hang up.

Although what there was wrong about having sex when you wanted it was beyond Inuyasha. Granted, if she was mated it would be wrong. Once mated, you were mated for life. And you only had sex with your mate. But Kagome wasn't mated, she ought to be free to satisfy her self if she wanted to.

He really didn't understand.

Given Sango's reaction, and Miroku's lecherous smirk, Inuyasha decided that perhaps it was time that he go and talk to her again about this. He really didn't want her coming back through the well in the same confused manner and distracting them all again. And maybe, if she had such a desire to fuck, maybe he could help her out.

He flushed a little at the thought. It wasn't the first time he had considered what it would feel like to be inside her. It occurred fairly regularly, usually coinciding with her heat cycle that occurred on a monthly basis. For two or so days she would exude the most wonderful scents.

Actually, both she and Sango would because their cycles were almost synchronised, and for those two days he would often consider what it would be like to be with both of them. When he had a chance, of course. Most of the two days would be spent getting rid of the variety of minor demons that would be attracted to the girls' aroma.

But with Kagome, unlike Sango, Inuyasha would often consider what it would be like to fuck her when she wasn't in heat. Such was the attraction he felt for her. Any opportunity to carry her on his back was taken; it was pleasant to feel her holding him close. The warm spicy scent that came from between her legs when she had them open around his back was desirable and intoxicating.

So much so that he had been very pissed off when she first brought through the well the metal contraption she called a bicycle. The damned thing kept her legs quite close together and well away from him. He smirked and looked down at his claws. She still hadn't figured out why it was so prone to multiple punctures forcing him to carry her.

Decision made, he leapt into the well, and down into the future world. As he arrived, the first thing that hit his nose was the salt of tears. Crouching down, he touched the impacted dirt of the bottom of the well. Kagome had landed hard and probably had felt more than a little pain. He snarled a little. The stupid bitch was so stubborn, if she had allowed him to come he would have held her and easily prevented any further pain to her damaged limb.

He bounded out of the well, and peered out the door, listening, smelling, and looking. The courtyard was empty. A light on in Kagome's room showed that she was in her house. Grinning, Inuyasha sped across to the tree outside her window, leaping up it in one bound and settling himself on the branch that he used when watching her. Peering in, he frowned.

She wasn't alone.

The window, half-open let the scents of the people occupying the room seep out. Kagome, her irritating brother Souta and someone else.

Someone familiar.

Someone male.

Inuyasha felt a territorial snarl spread across his face. It was the one she wanted to fuck. Already she had him up in her room. Shit, couldn't she even wait for a day to pass before succumbing to her urges?

He lent further towards the window, peering carefully, moving slowly so as not to be seen. Souta was sitting on Kagome's bed, which suited Inuyasha just fine. So long as her brother was with her, Kagome wouldn't get up to anything serious. Or at least he thought so. Kagome was looking pale, the bruise on her face livid and painful looking. Again, this was good. Surely the bitch couldn't think about rutting when she was in discomfort

The third person in the room sat beside her bed, his body language possessive and domineering. Confident.

That was bad.

Inuyasha had hoped that it would be some passive child man who had caught Kagome's eye, like the boy that used to hang around her when she was at the other school. But this was no boy, it was a fully-grown older man who was acting far too possessive around Kagome.

Inuyasha sniffed the air. There really was something disturbingly familiar about the man's scent. It wasn't just that he had smelt him on Kagome before, rather he was sure that he had smelt him somewhere before that. The idea flickered irritably around his mind for a moment or two, as he tried to consider just where. The man's profile also seemed a little familiar, and Inuyasha mentally urged the man to turn towards the window so that he could see him face on.

The man ignored him and continued to face Kagome. Arrogant little shit, Inuyasha thought, tempted to throw something at the window to gain his attention. If he did though Kagome would know that he had come through the well. She would either be cross and murmur the word to activate his necklace (and he really didn't fancy hitting the ground from this height) or she would be smug with the realisation that he had come after her and he really couldn't stomach that either.

Instead, he settled back on his branch and listened in on the conversation. Not the most polite thing to do, but Inuyasha often found it necessary to do so to glean information he needed. And, his intention was to enter Kagome's room as soon as Souta and the male had left and she was asleep just to be sure that she was alright.

His ears twitched as he heard Kagome's voice get angry. Even he knew to be wary of those tones, and he grinned at the thought that Kaminari was possibly digging his own grave. The man, however, seemed oblivious and continued to talk to her like a disparaging elder. Inuyasha ignored his words, instead waiting for the moment that Kagome would suddenly scream at him in the enraged voice that he so often heard.

Instead, he was surprised to hear her say softly and warily, 'Legend?'

Inuyasha was instantly sitting upright, his fists clenched and ready to spring in through the window. Kagome sounded so unsure of herself, so surprised and nervous, Inuyasha only thought was to protect her.

The man continued to speak.

"A rather fascinating one of a demon, half dog half human, his eternal love who was a miko cruelly murdered then resurrected, and the jewel she guarded called the Shikon no Tama."

Inuyasha could hear Kagome's heart beat quicken at the man's words. Hell, his own pulse rate rose as well.

Just what in the hell did this man know about the Shikon no Tama?

TBC