InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Returning Home ❯ Another Kitsune ( Chapter 11 )

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

Chapter 11: Another Kitsune

Kagome paused at the edge of the brightly lit clearing that held the well. Her sensitive eyes darted to the shadows around the edges and her ears rotated gathering information that she hadn't learned how to decipher.

She forced her nerves to relax. She had taken this walk hundreds of times; there was no reason for her to be nervous this time. Though it was her first time since she had changed.

Hesitantly she crept up to the well, then knelt to rest her arms on the well's lip and gaze into the darkness.

`How am I going to explain this?' Kagome thought, `An accident? Hmm…. Will the well even work for me now? Oh, Mama, what am I going to do? My eyes are nicer, but I have claws and fangs. They're not too noticeable, but… my ears…' "I can't believe my ears are bigger then InuYasha's!" Kagome groaned and let her head fall onto her arms.

"I think they make you look even cuter." A strange male voice said from a few feet behind her.

Kagome spun around so fast that she ended up leaning on the well, supporting her weight with her hands on the lip behind her. She squinted against the light to see the intruder.

Before her stood a tall handsome man in his early twenties with one hand on his waist and the other hanging loosely at his side in a pose of casual pride and amusement. He wore blue hakama and a blue jacket with a red and cream patterned shirt underneath. But what concerned Kagome was his pointed ears and slitted eyes, proof that he was a youkai. She was somewhat calmed, though she wasn't sure why, by the sight of his shocking red hair and fluffy red tail that marked him as a kitsune. His eyes were a similar color to that of the starburst in hers, and they were laughing at her.

"Wow," he said crossing his arms, "you're even cuter up close."

All fear left Kagome in a rush on annoyance, "I'm not cute." She stated indignantly as she stood.

"Ok." The kitsune agreed in an unconvincing manner, "But there is nothing wrong with being cute, Kagome. You are still fairly young. You were what, 16, 17?"

"I'll be 16 this fall." Kagome corrected him, "How do you know my name?"

"I am a wise and powerful kitsune." He said importantly, "but mostly this is my territory and I have watched your group from a distance for a while. I am Akira"

"You watched us?" Kagome asked suspiciously.

"In my youth I decided to be a friend to humans, so I have to get my entertainment somewhere."

Kagome shook her head, "Isn't this InuYasha's territory?"

"No," He answered stepping closer to her, "This is InuYasha's land. It's kind of complicated. I'd be happy to explain it to you later, but now I want to know about this." He made a motion that indicated all of Kagome.

"I'm not really sure," Kagome said sitting down on the lip of the well, "Shippo said three ladies rewove my body using his as a sort of pattern."

Akira nodded, this bore thinking. "But you're the same Kagome, the same human miko?"

Kagome nodded, "But now I'm a kitsune hanyou miko… weird."

"And only a little impossible." Akira sat next to Kagome, "You know, the kit can only show you so much. He doesn't know much plant magic. I could teach you more."

Kagome squinted up at him suspiciously, "What are you suggesting?"

"Nothing yet." Akira smiled, "But once you learn to control your aura, and Shippo is finished with you, we'll talk."

"InuYasha has forbidden me from making deals with strange youkai." Kagome stated offhandedly, "Actually, he's forbidden me from talking to strange youkai, and after what happened last time I'm listening to him. For now."

"A wise policy." Akira agreed, "But perhaps he'll change his mind in my case. I am a kitsune Kagome. Kitsune hanyou's are, well, non existant. But I am a kitsune. I have some idea what you're in for."

"… What am I in for?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

"Let's talk about that later, first I want to get a good look at you." Akira leaned forward, toward Kagome.

Kagome leaned back, "What are you doing?"

"I want to see how old you are." He smirked, "For a kitsune. Let me look into your eyes."

Kagome straightened up and looked at him suspiciously, but she let him guide her head with one hand so he could see her eyes better.

"Mmmm, pretty." He laughed when Kagome rolled her eyes, "stop that… no, you'll have to look down for me."

At this precise moment, with Akira holding Kagome's chin lightly as he gazed into her eyes, InuYasha entered the clearing.

"What the hell are you doing?" InuYasha growled at the kitsune male.

Akira released Kagome and stood slowly. No need to startle him. "It's not what it looks like."

"I don't care." InuYasha moved forward quickly to stand in front of Akira, who was slightly taller than him, "You're not allowed around my… friends."

"But she's a kitsune now." Akira took a step away from both him and Kagome, "That changes the rules. Ask Myouga if you don't believe me."

InuYasha paused, he'd have to talk to Myouga later, "What were you doing?" He asked Kagome, "You're not supposed to talk to any youkai you don't know and you don't know him!"

"Who is he?" Kagome asked innocently, she tilted her head and perked up her ears unconsciously while she opened her eyes wide.

"Cut that out!" InuYasha yelled at her, "He's none of your business."

"That's not entirely true." Akira spoke again, despite his better judgment.

"What did I do?" Kagome's brow knitted slightly and protruded slightly.

"Stop that!" InuYasha yelled again.

"What?" Kagome leaned back, completely confused.

"You mean you don't know?" Akira asked calmly.

Kagome shook her head slightly causing her hair to puff out and swing prettily before it settled around her slightly confused, somewhat upset face.

"Oh." Akira started to chuckle, then he laughed. He turned to InuYasha, "You-you're in for a lot of trouble."

"What am I doing?" Kagome was getting upset. She could feel her tail jerking from side to side behind her. It was strange enough a sensation that she forgot to be mad.

"That's not important right now." Akira answered after he recovered.

"What were you doing to her?" InuYasha asked again.

"I was ageing her." Akira answered, "The rays of the honey color that reach the edge of her iris show a slight ring of blue would be there if her eyes were normal."

InuYasha walked up to Kagome, who was still sitting on the well, half turned to look at her swishing tail, "Kagome." He said.

Kagome turned back to look at him. He put his hands on either side of her and leaned in close to look at her eyes. Kagome leaned back a little.

"So?" InuYasha asked, still looking, "She's got some blue in her eyes. So what?"

The kitsune shrugged, "I was only trying to see how old she was. Now I know."

"How old am I?" Kagome asked, pushing InuYasha back to a less intrusive distance, "And what does that mean?"

"Mid adolescent." Akira answered, "You won't be truly physically mature for a few years, after the blue is gone. But I'm not sure when because you're a hanyou."

"Why does that matter?" Kagome asked tilting her head in a look of innocent curiosity, "How old I am, I mean."

"… Just curious." Akira answered, "Kagome asked me to help her understand being a kitsune."

"Like hell you will." InuYasha growled lowly.

"Can you help her? Do you know what to expect from an adolescent kitsune? I'd be helping you too." Akira folded his arms and leaned back on one foot in a mixed posture of arrogance and preparedness to flee, "You're not even sure what it means to be an inu hanyou."

"I know more then you'd think." InuYasha growled and started to advance on him.

"But Kagome doesn't have the luxury of a retainer like you do, InuYasha." Akira warned, "Kagome has an orphaned child. How much does a child Shippo's age know about the world, let alone the world of youkai?"

InuYasha didn't even flinch at the reference to his own youth.

"InuYasha." Kagome's concerned voice floated lightly from her seat on the well. "Please, don't fight. He didn't do anything and I have some questions."

InuYasha stopped, and turned to Kagome. She was giving him a big eyed sad look and her eyes were all glittery. Kagome never made that face and she was too damn good at it already, "Tomorrow, this time, by the God Tree. All of us will be there."

Akira nodded and backed away a few steps before he turned and headed into the woods.

"I told you not to talk to any strange youkai!" InuYasha turned back to Kagome, "And don't give me that look. It freaks me out."

Kagome tried to understand what look she was giving him that would freak him out, but gave up, "I didn't talk to him, he talked to me. Besides, he said that this was his territory. Is that true?"

"Yeah," InuYasha frowned, "but that's no excuse."

Kagome stood up and dipped her head, then looked up at him remorsefully, a slightly worried look on her pouting face, "I'm sorry, I'm not thinking right lately. Don't be mad InuYasha, please." She said as she walked up to him.

"Cut that out!" InuYasha scowled.

"Cut what out?" Now she was upset. What was she doing? "He was just talking to me. What was I supposed to do? Scream and run back to the village?"

"Yes!" InuYasha yelled back at her.

"He wasn't doing anything!" Kagome yelled back, "Besides he says this is his territory! So there!"

InuYasha closed his mouth with a snap. Yeah, the kitsune's territory went all the way to the god tree, that's why he chose that place to meet tomorrow, "So? You still don't know him."

"I know him now." Kagome crossed her arms and walked crisply past InuYasha toward the village.

"No you don't!" InuYasha stomped after her.

"Yes I do." Kagome didn't even turn her head toward him, "We had a nice conversation."

"No you don't!" InuYasha yelled, "That doesn't count. He's a dangerous youkai!"

"He's not dangerous." Kagome snipped, "He's nice and harmless, and he just wants to help me!"

"That's what you thought about Sorrell." InuYasha grumbled.

Kagome stiffened for a second, then took off at a run to Keades.

InuYasha blinked at the spot she had been standing. She was a lot faster now. He would have run after her, to see how fast she was, but he still had thinking to do.

He had sorted out his thoughts on his… relationships, mostly. Sorrell had set him straight on some aspects of his relationship with Kagome, and Kagome had told him the rest. He couldn't quite believe all of what she said, but she must have. He had chosen Kikyo, but not… not the way that everyone thought. He pursued Kagome, but he tried not to. He just wanted to be close to her while she was still here. He tried to keep others away from her, true, but some day he might be able to pursue her properly. Probably not.

But the nature of love is what was bothering him most. Both Kikyo and Kagome were amazed that he still cared for them after their transformations. But what did that have anything to do with it? When you cared for someone their form shouldn't matter.

Especially when it was temporary. Eventually Naraku would be dead and the jewel would be dealt with, then Kikyo would find peace, one way or another, and she would be herself again. There had still been hope that Kagome would return to normal or that Myouga would find some way to help her.

But none of that should matter either, when you cared about someone. When you cared for someone, you didn't let them push you away. Kagome had shown him that.

But the nature of love… how far did it go? How different can someone get and your love remain? If they changed completely, became an entirely different person, did you still love them? If you did, what did you love? Their form? Their spirit? Their soul? How did you know what you loved? If you stood by someone that was completely different from the one you started to care about, was that love? Love of what?

The only thing that he could be sure of now was that his feelings for Kagome, the ones he couldn't look at straight just yet, weren't based on Kikyo. Long ago he learned the uniqueness of her form, and from the beginning he recognized the difference in her scent. Even if it would always remind him of Kikyo, just a little. He could never mistake them. But now there was even less of Kikyo in her form and scent. Less Kagome too. She wasn't that different, just little things, down to the way she walked. Was she still the person he… cared for? She seemed to be, but she wasn't finished yet. Who would she turn out to be? He didn't want to lose Kagome. Not even to herself.

*

A/N: InuYasha kinda binge thinks, and saves it all up for when he can be alone.