InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Returning Home ❯ Shadow of Doubt ( Chapter 17 )

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

 

Chapter 17: Shadow of Doubt

 

As Kagome crawled into the small area that she, InuYasha and Shippo had gathered to hunt, InuYasha was just sticking something in his jacket. A pile of bloody meat was directly in front of him on a piece of clean bark which partially hid a scorched spot on the earth.

 

InuYasha glanced at her when she crawled up, “I told you to wait here.”

 

“I just went back to camp.” Kagome pouted cutely at him from under her eyelashes as she sat up next to him, “What are you doing?”

 

InuYasha ignored her and pushed the bark plate between them, “Eat up.”

 

“Yeah!” Shippo dropped his bird and Hitomi's hand and scuttled to the plate, only to be knocked back.

 

“Not you,” InuYasha scowled, “eat your bird, this is for Kagome.”

 

“What!” Shippo stood up, “After I helped you-“

 

“Shut up!” InuYasha interrupted, “Or you won't even get to eat that.”

 

“What is that?” Kagome looked dubiously at the raw flesh she was supposed to eat.

 

“Rabbit.” InuYasha said shortly and stuffed a large piece in his mouth, “It's good.”

 

“Don't talk with your mouth full.” Kagome frowned thoughtfully, “Can I eat that raw?”

 

InuYasha shrugged and licked his fingers.

 

Hesitantly, Kagome picked up a piece of the offered meat. It smelled like food. Kagome licked at it. It tasted like food, good food. Healthy food. Delicious food. She ate it quickly. The tough wild meat was no match for her sharp teeth, and while she took small bites, she didn't seem to bother to chew them. Soon the bark platter was empty and she was daintily licking the remains from her outstretched fingers.

 

InuYasha was reclining against a tree with one arm resting on his bent knee as he watched Kagome. After her initial hesitance she took to eating her meat raw well. She even seemed to enjoy it.

 

“Messy.” Kagome muttered. She was holding her hands in front of her looking at them with a small frown.

 

“Keh,” InuYasha commented, a small smirk trying to make itself known on his face, “that's nothing. Look at the kits.”

 

Shippo and Hitomi were sprawled in a mess of feathers snoring contentedly, half their faces and all of their hands colored red.

 

“It looks like the bird exploded on them.” Kagome blinked. She was a little concerned that the scene wasn't at all disturbing to her… actually, it was sort of endearing.

 

“No, it doesn't.” InuYasha stood and looked up, trying to gauge the time through the canopy.

 

“We need to get washed up.” Kagome said as she gently woke the kits.

 

InuYasha nodded and lead them down to the river. He watched silently as Kagome directed Shippo on cleaning spots he had missed and helped Hitomi to keep her clothes dry.

 

“Don't think I forgot about you InuYasha.” Kagome said as she scrubbed Shippo's ear with a handkerchief, “You wash up too.”

 

“I don't need to.” InuYasha crossed his arms in defiance.

 

“I can smell it on you.” Kagome frowned at him, “Come on InuYasha, it won't kill you to wash your hands.”

 

“Keh.” InuYasha said, but he kneeled next to her and rinsed his hands in the river. Suddenly he was pushed into the water by two small hands on his shoulders.

 

He came up sputtering and glared at the person who dared pull such a trick on him. Kagome stood where he had been, feet firmly apart, grinning triumphantly.

 

But Kagome was one step ahead of him, and before he recovered shouted, “Run kids!”

 

And they were off!

 

InuYasha was just behind them, dripping wet and spouting curses. But it wasn't far back to the others and Hitomi and Shippo took safety in the arms of Miroku and Sango… blurting out the story in delight.

 

Kagome, the reason for his state, was behind them on the road. She held one claw sheepishly between her teeth and her eyes were wide in contrition, but there was a mischievous glint in those starburst jewels that made InuYasha growl.

 

He jumped over the humans and wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist, capturing her from behind, pulling her off her feet and swinging her around. He leaned them over slightly, his wet hair falling around them and he shook his head lightly getting an indignant cry out of Kagome.

 

“InuYasha! You're getting me wet!” Kagome wriggled in his arms and pulled at his hands.

 

“Keh!” InuYasha smirked as he let her go.

 

She backed several long steps away from him, rubbing her neck where InuYasha had placed his head, a strange look crossed her face and she gave him a half hearted, “Jerk.”

 

“Served you right.” InuYasha crossed his arms and never lost his smirk.

 

Kagome wrinkled her nose and turned back to the road, “I hope my clothes dry before we have to stop and camp.”

 

“Keh.”

 

*

 

“There's a village ahead.” Kagome announced, looking very pleased with herself, “I can smell it.”

 

InuYasha huffed and nodded curtly.

 

“It's going to rain tonight.” She glanced slyly at him from the corner of her eye.

 

“Keh.” InuYasha replied.

 

“What does a village smell like Kagome?” Sango asked carefully. She wasn't sure how, or if, she should ask these questions.

 

Kagome paused and donned a thoughtful expression, “Like… waste.”

 

“Eh, waste?” Sango asked, shocked.

 

Kagome nodded, “But not really in a bad way, exactly. There's just an awful lot of decay and sweat and…. It just smells like people, in one place for a while.”

 

“Waste, decay, and sweat, but not bad.” Sango repeated slowly, “… how is that not bad?”

 

“I don't know, it's just the way I smell now. It's different.” Kagome explained as they reached the top of a small hill and the anticipated village was revealed to them, “Look at that village. When you see it, as a traveler, you see fields and recognize the path through them that we must take. You see the modest number of houses and their simple construction and realize that there is likely no inn here. You see the people working and can tell that they are basically healthy and relatively content, so we won't likely be turned away outright. Do you see that Sango?”

 

“Yes.” Sango looked over the peaceful scene as Kagome spoke.

 

“Now step back, look at it like you weren't a seasoned traveler, just someone coming home. Then it's just a pretty picture.” Kagome smiled thoughtfully, “If I put a flower to my nose, I get dizzy, but I can enjoy a meadow full of them without ever even stooping down.”

 

“But I don't see decay or waste Kagome,” Sango continued, “how does that not distract from the picture?”

 

“It's not bad waste it's…just… information. I smell like you see.” Kagome put a hand to her forehead and her animal features disappeared leaving only slight change of her features and pearlescent completion, “How do I look?”

 

“Cute.” InuYasha scowled at her.

 

“Who asked you?” Kagome yelled before she turned and stomped down the hill toward the village.

 

InuYasha narrowed his eyes at her back and joined the rest in catching up to her. She looked too damn attractive now. It's not like she wasn't pretty before, but now she was… more. And she had this strange aura that attracted people to her. Even the men at Keades village had begun to notice her again. She was too cute; looking cute would mean people… men, would assume she was silly and harmless. And her unconsciously flirtatious movements would encourage them. He'd have to keep an eye on her. She may not be as gullible as she seemed, but she was too eager to trust.

 

When they reached the village they were first met with wary glances at InuYasha, then smiles as Kagome, now emitting happiness drew the attention from the rest of them. The reaction was nearly immediate. Every man stopped working to watch her pass by. InuYasha bared his teeth at the few that let their eyes linger and pushed his hands farther up his sleeves, but remained silent.

 

Miroku took the lead, as was the habit, so that he could introduce them to the villagers and locate the head man.

 

“It's that horrible hawk that's done it.” A group of old men were engrossed in a conversation as they passed, “Junji says that it's suddenly got bigger and started picking off the live stock. Not like we have much to spare.”

 

“Excuse me, sir.” Kagome stepped away from her group and walked up to them, “You said it suddenly got more powerful?”

 

“Yeah… uh,” the men turned to look at her, “…what?”

 

“The hawk?” Kagome blinked her big brown eyes at them innocently, “Where is it?”

 

“It, uh, flies around.” The man responded.

 

InuYasha growled and pushed Kagome behind him.

 

“Hey!” She squeaked.

 

InuYasha ignored her, “Where does it hunt?” he snarled, making sure to show his fangs.

 

“It comes from the north, in the mornings, early.” The man gulped and stumbled back a few steps, “It goes where the food is.”

 

InuYasha narrowed his eyes before swinging away and storming back to the others with Kagome's wrist held tightly in his hand.

 

“Hey!” Kagome cried indignantly, stumbling behind him, “let go!”

 

“Stay with the group Kagome.” InuYasha growled as he flung her into Sango, “That's what Miroku's for.”

 

She caught Kagome and lifted her back onto her feet, “InuYasha, you're drawing attention to us.” Sango hissed.

 

Around them the villagers began to gather, measuring what was going on, deciding what they should do, how they should do it.

 

Kagome looked up at him, unsure whether to be angry or hurt, “My wrist hurts.” She pouted holding her injured wrist to her. To the outsiders, those not sensitive enough to sense her anger, she was absolutely the victim, a dainty maiden manhandled by a brutish youkai.

 

“Kagome,” Miroku started, sensing the tension that was quickly manifesting in the crowd.

 

InuYasha rolled his eyes and interrupted Miroku, “You'll have to be tougher than that now vixen. Open you eyes and stop being so fucking naive.”

 

Anger rose quickly in Kagome, her dainty growl rolled in the back of her throat, “Shut up!” she stomped her foot and shook her head, “I'm not naive, I'm not stupid and I'm not weak!”

 

“Keh!” InuYasha scowled at her, “Stop screeching. If you can't see what you're doing then you're blind and stupid. No matter what your `school' says.”

 

Kagome lost all control and leaped at InuYasha snarling, with her claws extended. As she landed on him and knocked him to the ground, her illusion faded revealing her true form to the stunned audience.

 

InuYasha caught her hands as they tumbled back and managed to keep her from clawing him, or “shocking” him with the miko energy crackling from the tips of her claws.

 

Whispers of “Kitsune” spread throughout the crowd and Miroku sighed as Kagome moved to claw at InuYasha's eyes.

 

“Please, kind villagers, forgive our spirited friends. I assure you they are… tame enough. This is simply a lovers tiff.” He explained matter-of-factly.

 

“Hey!” Kagome called to him indignantly.

 

“Who you callin' tame buzo?” InuYasha was now sitting up with Kagome slightly suspended over his lap by her wrists, which he held in one hand.

 

Miroku was unfazed, the villagers were listening to him, “We are traveling youkai slayers searching out recently powerful youkai that have begun to pester human settlements, and defeating them… for a moderate fee.”

 

Sango groaned as Miroku continued his pitch, but walked to her friends to remind Kagome and InuYasha exactly how what they were doing looked. Shippo and Hitomi just laughed.

 

Miroku managed to talk them out of a dangerous situation and into a place to sleep for the night. It helped that Kagome glared at InuYasha for the rest of the night causing most of the men to see InuYasha in a more sympathetic light. And Kagome herself seemed to make people want to trust her.

 

Miroku was concerned by that whole incident however. Kagome becoming a hanyou had dwindled the number of humans in the group to two. It was easy to get people to overlook Kirara and Shippo, as small things were never seen as much of a danger, but InuYasha had only been tolerated so well because of the three powerful anti-youkai humans traveling with him. Once they were alone in their room for the night Miroku brought this up.

 

Sango nodded, “And how can we explain that Kagome is a powerful miko when she is clearly a youkai.”

 

“Hanyou.” InuYasha spat.

 

“I wouldn't have been found out if InuYasha hadn't been such a jerk.” Kagome muttered.

 

“That was uncalled for InuYasha,” Miroku agreed, “Kagome wasn't in any danger from those old men. But, Kagome, you need to rein in this new temper of yours.”

 

“It's not new.” Kagome disagreed, “I've always had it. I just usually subdue him instead of...”

 

“Pouncing on him?” Shippo smiled broadly and Hitomi giggled.

 

Kagome glared at the kits while a blush spread across her face.

 

Miroku cleared his throat. “However that is, if you are going to continue to try to appear human while we are in villages, you will need to make more of an effort to hold your illusion.”

 

Kagome stopped glaring and her blush dissipated as she gazed blankly at the floor, “I'll try Miroku.” she said, then thought sadly, `try to appear human.' She smiled brightly at her friends, “I'll just have to remember to subdue InuYasha more!”

 

“Keh.”

 

Miroku smiled mildly, “I think we should turn in for the night, we have to get up early to hunt that hawk.”

 

*

 

Kagome lay on her side under the covers with the kits curled tightly against her stomach, above the covers. Her hand ran lightly across one small head and then the next as they slept.

 

“Kagome-sama?” Hitomi blinked blearily, “You can't sleep?”

 

“…No.” Kagome answered quietly. She didn't want to admit it but she was uneasy in this strange house with its strange smells and sounds, “I didn't mean to wake you.”

 

“You didn't.” Hitomi lied and sat up, sniffing. She frowned, “Why is InuYasha way over there? Are you that mad?”

 

“Keh,” InuYasha expounded quietly, “go back to sleep.”

 

“But, if you lay down next to Kagome,” Hitomi pulled herself around to face him over Kagome's waist, “so you can feel her heartbeat, you'll both sleep. Destiny says you'll even take turns on watch.” She added suddenly.

 

“What?” InuYasha asked, he had never heard of this before.

 

“Destiny says its instinct,” Hitomi explained, “one sleeps while the other listens and rests then they switch. Unless you're in a den… but this isn't a proper den.” Hitomi paused then asked in confusion, “Don't you want to sleep with Kagome? Don't you trust her?”

 

InuYasha wouldn't have known what to say even if he hadn't noticed Kagome's back stiffen at Hitomi's words.

 

“No.” Kagome said, sounding almost sad, “He shouldn't sleep with me. It's OK, I'm not tired anyway.” She pulled Hitomi back to her spot on the futon, “But you are, sleep.”

 

InuYasha frowned at Kagome's back, uncertain what her comments meant, wondering what she was thinking. He thought about it all night as he leaned against the wall watching Kagome curled around the kits, all night awake… and silent.

 

*

 

A/N: Action? Is that in this story? Well, yes, and as you can guess it will begin next chapter. Sorry it has taken so long but things had to be taken care of. And there is so much to keep track of with Sorrell and Kohaku, the continuing development of Kagome and her and InuYasha's relationship, the jewel shards and everything (and everyone) that goes with that and it's all happening at once and I get blocked as everything tries to come out at once. Not to mention the stuff that you aren't even aware of, but that's far in the future for now. Gah! The future! I forgot about the future! When is Kagome going to have the time to go home? Where's my outline….

 

Biggest anime fan; Wow, thanks for the glowing review. The animal stuff, yeah I love them and I do a lot of research for all of my stories and when I decided to turn Kagome into a vixen I tried to find out information about Japanese foxes and Kitsune legends…. I found nothing on any kind of real Japanese animals, at all! So Kagome is based on the red fox. But I did find a couple old stories about Kitsune youkai that I've use to make form her appearance others reactions to her (along with another anime). Of course I did take some artistic license.

 

Priest: It's good to see you again. As for Kouga, he's here in the next three maybe four chapters. Maybe.

 

ChrisKaz958: Wow that's a lot of questions, all that will be revealed in the story so keep reading.

 

Cursed jax, Taeniaea, inuficcrzy, Lady of Imladris, nadeshiko-10, thanks for your wonderful reviews, and feedback! Feedback is always good.