InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Secrets of the Heart ❯ Inuko's reasons ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 05: Inuko's reasons

 

Well, so far, so good. I guess…I'm a bit sad today because Christmas is so near and it's my first one since my parents broke up. If today's chapter is a bit down the road in the general mood, it's Christmas fault!! But I love Christmas anyway…So Merry Christmas to you all!!! Thanks to those who read this fanfic, even if they don't review because it's made for them.

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Rumiko, could you lend him to me only for tonight just to cheer me up? Please? Pretty please?

 

Inuko sat in front of Inuyasha, not looking directly at him and toying with a strand of her hair. Her emerald green eyes had gone watery from the sad thoughts she had to evoke to tell the story they were all waiting for. Her hair reflected the sun's rays and gave her a glow that seemed unnatural and that stroked sharp contrast with the deep shades of the forest behind her.

Shippo taped her cheek to call for attention. The slight gesture made Inuko lift her head to peer at the little kid. She smiled warmly. It was so nice to be with people that accepted you for what you were, it's was a new sensation for her, and a liberating one since she didn't have to hide her white fuzzy ears under a cap. It made her feel relaxed and comfortable and she could listen even better that she already had, her youkai senses that had being dulled having sharpened amazingly in just a few days. Inuyasha-onii-chan's presence emanated a protective aura, he had changed a lot from his pup days. He was now her pack leader, and her family, no resemblance to the wild hanyou she had acquainted so long ago.

 

She looked at Kagome. The human miko that had wan Inuyasha's heart and that had given a little orphan youkai a new family. She wondered if she could be adopted too, maybe the human girl was not old enough to be new mum but she could become like a sister. Even if she was a bit older now, Inuko thought, she was still considered a pup in youkai aging terms until she matured. `Not for long though' she thought sadly. Someday, she would have her own family too, but sharing his, made her feel as happy as she had not for a long time.

 

“I'm very happy we met again, onii-chan, you see… I was looking for you. That's why I send a guardian to find you when I was … too weak to do it myself”

“That orb…” spoke Miroku.

“Yes, my guardian took the form of a tester that I had once seen as a child. He followed your scent onii-chan, but since it disappeared at the well he decided to remain at the place where your scent lingered the most. This was, of course, the hut.”

Kagome thought about it, it was strange that Inuko didn't ask anything about why the smell of him had suddenly vanished. That would have raised many questions on anyone, most of all in a youkai since the banishment of one's scent wasn't possible. Maybe you could cut a track by getting in a stream of water, or dull it by applying mud but never erase it completely. Inuko hadn't asked either why she wore her school uniform, which to anyone from the Sengoku Jidai must seem very unusual or even improper. Maybe to youkai her clothes weren't that strange, but she hadn't grown up between youkai of weird wardrobes, anyway. `Quite a case, this little youkai'

 

“Where were you all this years? Why didn't you look for me before, Inuko?” Inuyasha was in turmoil. Finally a piece of his family had been returned to him, and he didn't plan to let it go but many questions arose inside of him. Had anyone else survived and he wasn't aware of it?

“I was trapped.” they all stared at her in disbelief.

“I was delivered as a very young pup to a shrine that was consecrated to the moon. The mikos there were all humans. I don't know why I was put there…” she paused, the strength of the feelings were suffocating her. “I don't know why I was left there, with those people that didn't care at all for me… That despised me, even without knowing what I really was. The only one that knew of my condition was the oldest priestess; she treated me as if I were her child. In one way I was, since she sort of adopted me when she was very young. I, aging as a youkai, lived longer than her… She died of old age… a few days before I decided to run away. ”

A single tear run down her cheek, she looked down, her hair hiding her eyes from them, as if she were embarrassed of her flowing emotions.

“I'm very sorry” said Kagome touching her shoulder. Sango took one of her hands but she slowly retrieved it from under her. The exterminator nodded, it was too soon for the young girl to trust them, she understood, it was way too soon. Even more if she had never had friends before… `The whole experience of being surrounded by people strange to her must be hard enough'

 

“Thanks. Anyway, she told me that when I finally matured, I would change. I do not know how exactly. But I couldn't stay there with all those humans that hated me and let them know of my secret. it's not as if I'm not proud of being a youkai, because I am, it's my blood, my parents heritage… What they left me as my heritage, and my uncle's bloodline, your bloodline, Inuyasha. So I run. I run to you, because I knew you'd be alive! I knew you would protect me since I cannot do it for myself just now…” she whispered the last words looking into the golden eyes of Inuyasha. She hated to be weak, to have to depend on others, to be a burden…

“You know I will. If I had had the slightest hint that you were alive, I would have swept all the land until I found you. You'll stay with me for as long as you want. This will be your pack.”

Miroku cocked his head to one side considering this peculiar idea, had they become a pack already? He was human so the concept was awkward for him but he imagined it was something like a family or community.

“We'll be together, Inuko-chan” said Kagome softly. Somehow she knew that the girl wasn't telling them everything. She seemed to have many things to hide. Kagome wondered why, as it seemed Inuko didn't trust them that much, yet, she corrected. She needed time, and it was okay since she didn't know them. She would prove Inuko that she could be trusted. And even more, that she could be part of her family too.

 

Inuko smiled shyly while she lifted her face in slow motion. Her lashes wore tiny drops from her tears. Inuyasha flinched at the sudden change in her scent. Suddenly, the increasing of her aura ceased and she regained her normal soft smell. She was calm. No show of emotion on her pretty pale round face. Maybe it had all been his imagination.

 

Inuko focused on her onni-chan, he was studying her. She could tell. His aura was focused, and since his youki run freely around him it was ease to judge his mood or feelings by it. She knew that there were youkai that could disguise their youki and the feelings under it, but it demanded a lot of control, power and experience, she had met one already. Blushing very lightly she suppressed the thought as quick as it emerged.

 

Shippo jumped to her lap and grabbed her by both sides of her cheeks. He was so close she couldn't look right at him.

“Oi, brat, that is quite bothersome” she said softly. Shippo grinned wickedly.

“You sound like Inuyasha”

“Is that a bad thing?” Inuko sounded worried by this.

“Oi!! You two, I'm right here so stop that nonsense!” Inuyasha smacked Shippo on the head and threw him to Kagome's lap. “I still have some questions for you, Inuko”

“Oh. Alright. ask”

“First, how the fuck did you get here? I mean wherever that shrine was, you came here and found me somehow.”

“Namida followed your aura. He's very skilled and can find almost anything that way”

“Namida?” repeated Miroku very interested.

“He's my guardian. He controls water and spiritual energy and he's much faster than I am since he can fly…”

“The thing that changed its form into a tester…the dragon that took us back from the cascade when I found you” recalled Inuyasha.

“I wouldn't call him a thing, he's got feelings you know, but yes, he was the one posing as the tester. He couldn't approach you in his dragon form. The village would be scared to death at his sight.”

 

Inuyasha was struck with an idea; he would talk to her about it later. It could be the answer to his pleas and the unique way they could find peace to allow him and Kagome to raise a family…They already were a pack, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, even Kaede. And now he had a cousin too. It felt good. If only... no, it was just impossible. Mmm..or maybe not so impossible…

 

“Could you summon him?” asked Miroku “I've never seen something that could disguise his nature in that way and fool even someone of my powers” the smirk on Inuko's face made it obvious that she didn't thought that high of his abilities.

“If it's okay with onii-chan…” the submission showed by her made Inuyasha growl slightly, only she heard it since it had been too low for human ears. She blushed with embarrassment, maybe he didn't want her to be obedient she had been thought that way. At first she hadn't complied but it had gotten harder and harder to stand to her true fiery nature. She had learned her lesson well, first to try the ground under her feet behaving like a docile girl, then only rebel her nature in fights she could win. What did he expect from her? To be as wild as he was? It was not a big problem anyway.

 

She stood and walked away from them toward the river.

“Oi! Inuko! Don't get wet or the fever will come back!” barked him.

She didn't turn around and started to walk into the water. Kagome stood to stop her. `The reckless child!' but she stopped cold when she saw that Inuko was walking over the water not into it. Her feet left tiny waves on the clear surface.

The white kimono was reflected upon the sky-blue water.

“Inuko-chan?” muttered Miroku.

Shippo looked at her completely astounded.

A soft swirl of energy started to wind at her feet. The water rose in waves and transformed into curls and swirls that jumped up and down around her as if it were a tornado. A blue glow steamed from the river and formed a cloudy form that surrounded her protectively…

 

An electric blue light took the fearsome shape of a huge dragon that circled around her. His fins shone in silvery reflection under the light, changing colors. First silver, then violet and green and back and forth, his yellow eyes directed towards the group of spectators. One of his claws touched Inuko's cheek grazing her hair before roaring loud into the skies causing flocks of birds to rise form their perches in the trees surrounding them.

Shippo crawled into the safetyness of Kagome's arms while Inuyasha scooped her behind him, one of his hands circling his sword.

“Don't worry, he won't harm you…” called Inuko still in the middle of the flowing torrent.

“Where the hell did that thing come from?”

“Don't call me a thing, ungrateful hanyou. I helped you before” the loud grave voice said coming closer to him, his moustache swaying in the air according to his moves.

“It can talk!” Shippo chirped before Kagome clapped his mouth with her hand. She felt very strong energy around this mononoke and according to Miroku's attitude, so did he, since his grip on his shaft had gone from slack to very tight.

“Don't dare call me a hanyou!”

“It's what you are, why the anger?”

At this Inuyasha smirked, it had being a good one, he must admit that at least. It seemed that this dragon had quite a lot of character, he wondered were that had come to, since Inuko seemed to have lost hers. He remembered her as a pup always in trouble despite her lack of youkai strength and ability, but now she seemed drained almost lacking her will. If that place were she had being had done this to her he would tear it apart completely.

“Inuyasha-sama, thanks for giving my master her health back when I couldn't do it.”

“She's family” his statement made it obvious it was no big deal for him, just what was right for him do to do. Namida nodded, the hanyou might be hot-headed but he was a worthy descendant of the great inu-dai-youkai.

The dragon surrounded Inuko again. His long tail forming circles around her and stretching into the sky, while a soft rain of water wettened his fins.

“Inuko-sama, how can I help you?”

“Oh, it's nothing really. Miroku-sama wanted to meet you that's why I summoned you” she petted his head while talking.

“Then I'll go”

“No, please watch over the shrine”

“Yes, I will” with a swirl of water he dissolved into the river disappearing under her feet.

“Why do you want to protect the place you hate?” Shippo's naive question surprised her. She gapped a few times before answering, a fact that was not lost to Inuyasha nor Kagome.

“I… I only want to see if everything is okay…” she didn't sound that confident and Kagome noted how her cheeks colored slightly. Indeed the girl had a pair of secrets still unshared, she was not the best one to say anything about it, since she had her owns but somehow she felt a bit sad about the fact that Inuko didn't even trust Inuyasha to that extent.

“Onii-chan… I'm feeling tired…” Inuko walked slowly towards them swaying abit to the sides. Everything around her was moving, the floor refusing to remain still under her feet.

“Oi! Inuko!” Inuyasha caught her before she hit the ground. Placing a hand to her forehead he felt her temperature rising, the fever was coming back.

“You stupid kid, you should have remained in that bed”

“Sorry…” she whispered before blacking out.

“Keh.” scooping her in his arms he eyed Kagome requesting her help in a silent way. Kagome followed him towards the hut in a hush a bit worried. How could the girl seem recovered in a moment and then fall into a fever at the next?

 

 

A/N: Sorry! It took me forever to finish this chapter! I'll be uploading the next one sooner. And action will unleash!!