InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Returning Home ❯ Sleeping Cutie Awakes ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

Chapter 10: Sleeping Cutie Awakes

Kagome drifted slowly up from the cool, comfortable darkness she had been hiding in. First she noticed how sore her body was, sore and tingly. She had obviously been laying in one position for too long, but she lacked the energy to move.

It was warm where she was, and dark, and it smelled strongly, but not unpleasantly, of sweat and herbs. Slowly she opened her eyes a crack to see her surroundings. She saw the dark roof of a hut above her. That wasn't so helpful, so, with great effort, she rolled her head toward the source of light. It was a pile of coals in the fire place in the middle of the room that were glowing dimly. She could clearly see medicines, herbs and containers organized in a vaguely familiar way along the far wall. Thick cloths were pinned over the windows of the room not letting any of the sunlight, that she knew was shining outside, inside. Why would someone do that?

Kagome frowned, and blinked at the labels on the jars, they weren't lit, exactly, yet she could read them easily. The room was nearly pitch black but she could tell the difference in the dark aged wood and the dark course cloth pinned to it on the opposite wall. Weird.

`I'm at Keades'?' she thought as she finally managed to sit up, `I'm alive? How did I get here? Wasn't I supposed to…' she never had a chance to finish that thought.

"Kagome!" Shippo whispered excitedly, he didn't want to alert the others yet. This was his time. He ran over to her on all fours and sat patiently waiting for her to notice him.

Kagome put one hand to her forehead, she didn't feel quite real, "Shippo?"

"I told them you would be alright." He stated happily, and quietly, "Alright so it was because of a dream but I knew! And here you are!" he bounced.

"Shippo, what happened?" Kagome asked, lowering her hand, "Why are you whispering, why…" Kagome stopped talking when she noticed the hand in her lap. It looked like her hand, and no one else was in the room. But this hand had short delicate points on the end.

Kagome raised her hand until it was only a few inches from her face and examined her nails. They were only slightly longer then she usually kept them, they were still pink and white, but now they were a little stronger looking. And pointed. Small strong triangles had taken over the gentle curve at the end of her nail. They weren't even nails anymore, they were claws. Very delicate and almost understated, but still claws.

Her heart sped up and she felt dizzy, confusion and fear descended on her heart and mind. Her hair moved on her head as she noticed Shippo was talking again. Terrified, Kagome moved her clawed hands to the side of her head, but Shippo's words managed to reach her before she reached her destination.

"-really my sister now!" he pounced happily on her knee with his hands.

"S-sister." Kagome blinked down at him and lowered her hands.

"Yeah, weren't you listening?" Shippo tilted his head slightly in disapproval before explaining again, "The ladies took your body apart and rewove it using my body as a pattern. Just like clothes! That's why I had the dream, they were asking my permission. I guess I gave it `cause here you are!"

"I'm you sister now?" Kagome asked dazedly, how could she be his sister?

"Well, half sister." Shippo admitted with some embarrassment, "But that's just as good!"

"So, I'm a…" Kagome looked from Shippo back to her hands.

"A kitsune, a-a hanyou." Shippo corrected himself, "A kitsune hanyou! It's wonderful Kagome! I promise to teach you all about being a kitsune. You'll have lots of fun and you'll live so much longer! Uh, not that that matters, it's not like I thought about how long you'd live before or anything." a blush started to rise on his cheeks and he couldn't seem to stop talking, and talking wasn't making it better for him.

The growing panic in Kagome was pushed back in her foggy mind by Shippos' words and antics, and she found herself smiling at the kit.

"Shippo, it's ok." She held out her hands to hug him and he jumped into her arms, `Does he really worry about my… life span?' she wondered.

"I can show you some stuff now." Shippo jumped back, "We can go play in the forest!"

"Later Shippo," Kagome yawned, "I'm tired and fuzzy. I can barely move."

"I guess being reborn as a hanyou is hard work huh?" Shippo watched as Kagome sank back down onto the futon, curling up in a loose ball on her side. "You sleep here Ok? I'll get the others and be right back."

Shippo pulled the sheet that had fallen when Kagome sat up back around her shoulders and left quietly so as not to wake her.

*

Kagome woke quickly to the sound of raised voices outside.

"You weren't supposed to leave her alone!"

InuYasha sounded angry, Kagome frowned, `I was just sleeping.'

"She's sleeping." Shippo sounded annoyed, "She's ok with it, really."

"Shippo," Miroku calm as ever, "Kagome is in a delicate condition, we want to give her time to get used to her transformation and we need to be there to support her."

"And make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." InuYasha growled.

`They think I tried to kill myself!' Kagome sat up and glared at the door, `well, I kinda did. After all, I didn't know when I drank to rebirth that it meant this life.'

"Kagome?" InuYasha was standing in the now open door.

Kagome dove back down and pretended to be asleep.

InuYasha rolled his eyes, "I saw you Kagome, I know you're awake." He walked over and knelt by her head, "Get up."

She really didn't want to talk to him. Might lock her in a cabin or something…. "I'm asleep, go away." She replied curtly.

InuYasha growled.

"InuYasha leave her alone," Sango knelt near Kagome's stomach, "she's had a hard day."

"That's her own fault. Get up!" InuYasha ordered gruffly.

"InuYasha, you must coax a young vixen out of her den gently, Not frighten her." Miroku said from her feet.

`Vixen?' Kagome's eyes popped open "Vixen!" Kagome sat up and jumped to rest on her hands and knees, only inches from Miroku, "Who are you calling a vixen?"

"… That's what you are now Kagome." Miroku sat back on his heels.

"But…"

"He's right Kagome." Shippo said from his shoulder, "You're a female fox you-hanyou, so… a vixen."

Kagome sat back on her heels, `Damn.'

"Kitsune." InuYasha spat, "Why did it have to be a fucking kitsune!"

Kagome gave him a flat look, "You don't like Kitsune's?" she asked dryly.

"No! Ye… Damn it!" InuYasha growled, "That's not…. Come here."

Kagome hesitated and looked at Sango, who nodded, before she crawled to the head of her futon.

InuYasha looked her over from her knees to the top of her head, suddenly reminding Kagome about her earlier worries. Kagome raised her hands to her head to the side of her head where her ears should be. No ears. She could feel the panic start to rise in her again.

"Kagome," InuYasha took her hands from her head and held them in her lap, "don't."

Kagome looked at him with wide eyes. His eyes seemed to glow, even though his back was to the coals. Did her eyes glow?

InuYasha looked into her frightened eyes, they reflected the light beautifully, even though she was in his shadow… if the coals had been bright enough to cast a shadow. InuYasha leaned forward slightly and sniffed at her discreetly.

First Kagome backed up, it was just too weird. But curiosity got the better of her and she leaned in and took a slight sniff near InuYasha's cheek. At first she just smelled InuYasha, then there was this rush of fragrances, emotions and sparkling electricity that shot through her mind and body as she continued to inhale his scent. His scent was music with all the notes sounding at once, a book that told its' tale in a rush of nonsense. It told of woods and fire, storms and running rivers, it sang of running in at night, in the rain and for the joy of it. It told of bloody battles, tears and frustration. Lots of frustration. And promise. It screamed of promise, she didn't understand, but it brought to mind dark forests, full moons, soft forest floors and sweat. It made her head spin, but she wanted to understand. She could almost smell the ancient fire rats on the cloth on his shoulder when she lowered her head to sniff at his neck.

InuYasha moved slowly, being more knowledgeable about this, he took short sharp sniffs and leaned in to scent her hair. She was still Kagome, still sweet and gentle, with a uniquely passionate undercurrent that sometimes bordered on violent. She was still spring time blossoms, gentle breezes and playful brooks. Only now she hinted at early summer storms and the fire on her scent threatened to break away from the safety of the hearth and catch the whole forest in its heat. And there was the promise still. the promise of hearth, warmth and acceptance, only now that promise was stronger and also spoke of full moons and wild chases.

They reveled in each others scent enraptured by, and enwrapped in the other. Close enough to feel the others heat, but never touching.

"Should we leave you two alone?" Miroku watching the shadowy figures of his friend jump, InuYasha straightened immediately, Kagome settled back slowly.

"Houshi-sama!" Sango warned.

"They were just saying hello." Shippo shrugged, "Do me next Kagome!" Shippo bounced up to her, but InuYasha grabbed his tail held him away from the vixen, "Hey!"

"No one's going next." InuYasha stated as he dropped Shippo next to him, "She… needs time."

"Kagome does look tired." Sango looked at Kagome's shadow as she weaved in place.

"I'm, that was…" Kagome blinked, she couldn't make much sense out of what had happened.

"Can we at least take the bags off the windows? It's too dark in here." Shippo pouted.

Sango and Miroku nodded and stood to retrieve the bags and let light into the hut.

"Why were they there?" Kagome asked of the bags.

"Keade wasn't sure how sensitive your eyes would be." Shippo answered, "She was worried about the fever."

"I had a fever?" Kagome asked him as she crawled for her bag, she had a vague sense that something was different in the way she moved, but she couldn't put her finger on it and decided it could wait.

"Yeah, you kinda died Kagome." Shippo followed her, "We were all really worried. Then you got better, then you got a fever, and we ran to one miko that told us to leave and we came to Keade's because she knows you and the girl that poisoned you told InuYasha to seek his kitsunes sister, but I don't have a sister unless you count you now. What'cha doin'?"

Kagome was digging through her pack as she kneeled before it, "Looking for my mirror."

"You're really pretty Kagome." Shippo assured her.

"Thanks." Kagome said distractedly, the light was now pouring in from the windows and she now had her mirror in her hand. She raised her hand with trepidation, and turned her mirror so that she could see her reflection. Her face was similar, some slight changes that she couldn't quite pinpoint, but it was still her face. Her black hair still framed her face in mild, wild waves. Only it seemed wilder and more black, like light just fell into it, and it was much softer. She opened her mouth a little and revealed delicate fangs that only protruded from the line of her teeth enough to be noticeable. She couldn't see any ears. The sides of her head were similar to InuYasha. She had expected that though. Before she moved the mirror to see the ears that must be perched on the top of her head, she paused to look at the most marked difference in her face. Her eyes.

They seemed to be larger, but she wasn't sure about that. Her rich dark brown irises were the same as always, but the starburst within them had changed, now they were the color of a tiger eye gem, or dark honey, and surrounded a slitted pupil.

Kagome blinked, `Scarred. Well, it's better than green,' She thought in a daze, `and it complements the brown. It's just a shade or two darker than InuYasha's.'

"Kagome?" Sango's voice made her turn her head and shoulders to the others, "Your eyes… They're nice" she reassured her nervously.

"We hadn't seen them before Kagome." Shippo tottered on his fox feet trying to get a good angle.

Kagome turned quickly so that she was sitting with her legs out in front of her, then sighed in relief when she saw that they were still human. But a slight tugging sensation drew her attention behind her once again.

"I have a tail, don't I." Kagome said flatly.

"It's really pretty Kagome!" Shippo jumped on her lap, "It's black with a white tip, of course, and it's so soft!"

Kagome gave him a crooked smile, her head was spinning with all the changes to her physical form. She needed a break before she could see what else had changed.

"Why did it have to be a fucking kitsune?" InuYasha mumbled.

*

Kagome sat just outside Keades' hut, her tail wrapped around her waist with the tip thumping against the opposite thigh. When she stood her tail reached just below her knee and made sitting and laying a little difficult. she was looking around at the people and buildings and trees. Everything seemed to emit a sort of light on its own adding to the light cast by the sun. It made everything so much clearer but she almost had to squint to avoid hurting her eyes, which blurred everything a bit.

"Are you alright Kagome?" Miroku settled down next to her.

"I think my eyes work differently now." She squinted up at him, living things seemed to give off the most light, `I wonder if InuYasha sees like this?'

"Kagome…" Miroku paused as one of her ears twitched in the direction of a sudden noise, "Kagome I…"

"You've been sent to find out what happened?" Kagome smiled at him, "I was dying Miroku, but it was worst than that, because I wasn't going to die. I didn't like who or what I was becoming. I couldn't stand living as a succubus for hundreds of years. I was saying things I don't say, and thinking things I don't think, and worse, the times that I realized that it wasn't me, that I didn't like what I was becoming were coming less and less often. I didn't want to lose you guys as my friends. I didn't want to lose myself either. So when I was given the chance I chose rebirth. I could have chosen oblivion and been done with the jewel once and for all. But I couldn't do that. But, the truth is, when I chose rebirth, I didn't know she meant this life. I didn't really think about it, but I kind of figured I'd get reborn, maybe fall down the well again and meet you all next life or something."

"I see." Miroku looked down thoughtfully.

"I didn't see it as killing myself," Kagome felt she needed to explain herself more, "what I was becoming was horrid and vile and would have lasted for centuries. I was losing myself and my ability to sense and purify the jewel, and I nothing I could do would stop it."

"Are you prepared to deal with this form?" Miroku asked somberly.

"Being a kitsune hanyou?" Kagome looked straight ahead at nothing, "Sure." She shrugged, "I accepted rebirth and put my trust in the powers that be. If this is how I have to pay for my weakness with Sorrell then so be it. I already feel more like my old self." She laughed, "Actually I feel like I'm just getting over a long illness and spent too much time in bed. I have all this new energy and my head's too light to use it without falling down."

"I'm still a miko." She added quietly.

Miroku looked at her profile for a moment, "Are you sure? We haven't been able to sense either energy since your fever."

Kagome nodded, "There wouldn't have been any point otherwise. I chose to continue the quest, I wouldn't… be needed, as a youkia."

Around the corner of the hut InuYasha, Sango and Shippo leaned in, listening.

"I told you she wasn't leaving us." Shippo whispered.

*

"Ta-da!" Kagome held up herself in victory. She was standing under the god tree with Shippo a few days later, practicing kitsune magic. Shippo was watching from few feet away on a tall root, safe from the powerful miko aura that Kagome hadn't learned to control during her practice. Currently Kagome was practicing shape shifting. She was trying to look like her self. Her old, human self.

"That's great Kagome!" Shippo grinned madly, he wanted to run up and hug her, but feared purification, "You even hid your tail this time! You must be really powerful!"

"But what about my complexion?" Kagome looked down at her hands, normal human hands with normal human nails. The day after her discussion with Miroku, Kagome had made a full recovery and her skin had evened out and gotten paler, even getting an almost pearlescent quality.

It had really bugged her.

Her complexion hadn't been bad, why did it have to change so much?

But now her hands had a more normal hue, still annoyingly perfect, but normal. The perfect problem was hard to overcome, and a perfect illusion, according to Shippo, was imperfect. Not that he could manage it either.

Still, it seemed like she should be able copy herself exactly.

"You're fine Kagome." Shippo rolled his eyes, "You want to try producing multiples again?"

"Ugh, not yet Shippo." Kagome popped back to her kitsune form, "that makes me dizzy."

Shippo nodded sagely. It was difficult to handle all the different views many pairs of eyes would feed back to you. He had thought of that trick first because it was one of the first defenses taught to kits. Maybe Kagome needed more time to get used to being a kitsune. Or her being a hanyou weakened her magic or mind…. Shippo shook his head, Kagome wasn't weak and her mind was, well he didn't understand the female mind anyway, but Kagome was powerful. She had hid her tail, after all.

Kagome sighed, "I think I'm done with illusions for the day."

"Alright." Shippo jumped down from his perch and walked up to her, now that her aura was back to normal, "we'll break for lunch, then we'll work on plant magic. Let's go see what Keade has on the fire."

Kagome groaned, Shippo was a slave driver, "How about you go ahead to Keades' and I'll be along in a while." She smiled innocently.

"InuYasha doesn't want you wandering around alone until you're more used to your new body." Shippo purst his lips importantly, "He told me to keep an eye on you."

"Well, at least someone's looking at me." Kagome sighed.

"It… it's just a shock. That's all." Shippo patted her shin comfortingly, "You may be my sister, but it will take them time to get used to the new you."

Kagome smiled down at Shippo, "Time." She agreed sadly, "I just want to take a walk by the well. I'm not going home yet so don't give me that look, I just want to see it again. What could happen between the well and Keades'?"

Shippo gave her an unconvinced look, but finally relented, "Ok, but only if you promise to study extra hard this afternoon."

*

A/N: Perhaps a little, well… overdone, but I had to get her out of that situation somehow. And I have some really good ideas for this story so bare with me. It is a fun story right? Please review.