InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Settle the Score ❯ Oceanbound ( Chapter 5 )
by Chri
Author rantings :
Hi there everybody. With this chapter I made it over the 20.000 words mark! I'm actually quite pleased with myself, I think it's a turning point for a fic to get that far.
Personally I think that one should plan ahead the fic a bit, not just write because one thinks of something cool. I spent three days just planning the fic out before I started to write. And it's not like the fic is hammered in stone now, I only have a few catchwords for each chapter, and I'm not even sure of the end.
The catchwords for the last chapter were "nightmare", "travel to Inuyasha's village", "talk about Inuyasha", "girl-talk, man-talk", "fight youkai" and "hear wolf story from Jiji". And that was all that was used for a 8000 words chapter. (I'm so proud of that chapter, you have to forgive me :) )
So fellow writers out there, think about your fic a bit before you start to write! It will help you and your story! I learned it the hard way, I tried a Kenshin-story out of the blue and it totally sucked (I deleted it after a week).
Is anyone reading this? :)
Disclaimer : IY is not mine, but at least I have 2 living characters now : Jiro and Aiko. Not that they would be really important.
Special thanks to :
Kat Morning for her awesome beta skills. I guess you're used to writing <comma> by now... Thanks for putting up with me!
Chapter 5
Everytime I try to climb a mountain
All I find are steeper ones aheadOceanbound
Inuyasha woke up hearing footsteps coming nearer. He was awake in a moment, turning his right ear to the source and listening to the sound. Somebody was stalking him, trying to move without making sounds. Adrenaline rushed through his body, but he resisted the urge to jump up and face the threat. Instead he breathed in deep and even, completely at odds with the tact his heart was racing, leaving his attacker with the impression he was still sleeping. His nose then identified the person trying to stalk him: Kagome.
He opened one eye just a bit, very slowly so she wouldn't notice. Inuyasha peered through the slit, to see what she intended to do. She wasn't armed or carrying anything, so she most likely wanted to scare him awake. When she stood next to him, she sat down beside him and moved her head next to his ear. Inuyasha closed the eye again, so she wouldn't notice that he was observing her, and prepared himself for the inevitable.
"Good MOOOOORNING!" Kagome yelled into his ear. ´If she screamed any louder, the gems in this village would have shattered´, Inuyasha thought when he noticed the ringing sound in his ears. Still he had not moved, keeping up the sleeping - Inuyasha facade. His ears were back to normal after a few seconds, and he could make out Kagome asking an uncertain "Inuyasha?"
She seemed to be standing away from him a bit. Probably, she had moved out of his reach after she had tried to break his eardrum. "Inuyasha, are you okay?" he heard her ask again. He had to suppress a smile at the worry and confusion in her voice. He exhaled slowly, waited for some time then inhaled. ´Come on Kagome, this is getting boring...´ he thought when he exhaled again after a while.
When he heard Kagome kneel down, he prepared himself, tensing the stomach muscles and inhaling very deep. He hoped that she would scare her ass off. "Inuyasha?!?" he heard her again, this time almost desperate. He liked it when she was scared for him. Then she reached down for him. The moment she wanted to shake him, Inuyasha bolted upright, growling the most menacing growl he was capable of when he felt more like laughing his head off.
"AAAAH!" Kagome screamed, shocked more from the sudden awakening than real fear of Inuyasha, clutching a hand to her chest.
"Kagome, you are not supposed to be afraid yourself when you want to scare others awake," he laughed at her. "You'll have to be much more quiet if you want to stalk me."
"Inuyasha, you almost gave me a heart attack," Kagome told him somewhat angered. Her fine plan of repaying the hanyou for all the times he had woken her up to continue his journey had been foiled by his supernatural senses. She hadn't really believed that it would work, and had been really surprised when she had made it next to his ear. But when the hanyou didn't wake up, she had gotten unsure and finally concerned. So when he bolted up, she was shocked from that alone.
"And what were you trying to do?" he asked her with an accusing, yet amused tone. "I don't think that shouting in my ear was intended to calm me down. Why did you want to scare me awake anyway?"
"Well, maybe I was trying to get my revenge for all the times you woke me up almost before sunrise? And everyone has been up for two hours, so you have been the only one still asleep." She looked at him, finding that he still looked a bit tired. She hoped that he hadn't been healing a wound from the fall. The only times when he had been lying down longer than the rest of them, was when he had a hole through his stomach or something like that. "You are usually the first one up, why were you still sleeping?"
Inuyasha had an excuse in a split second, not wanting to seem weak. She wasn't wrong, he didn't need as much rest as the rest of the group, but sleeping here, in this village, was just a tad unnerving. The knowledge that there might be a werewolf stalking around didn't help to calm him down either, although it was unlikely that the creature would resurface now after more than fifty years. He hadn't slept well, awaking often but not able to grasp what he was dreaming, although it most likely had to do with his parents and his childhood. Still, nobody needed to know that he had once lived in this village. "Shippou kept bugging me. I didn't get much sleep, and when he left with Miroku this morning, I finally had the opportunity to rest a bit."
Kagome looked at him, contemplating if he was telling the truth. She gave him an unbelieving look. She couldn't remember that he would have ever been disturbed in his sleep by any of them. "Really? Then, why have you never complained until now?"
"What do you think is the reason I sleep up in trees all the time? Because I don't want to stay awake hearing you snore," the hanyou insulted her. He wasn't telling her that lying up there actually increased his hearing range, or that he slept better because he was a lot harder to reach. As long as nothing invaded into a certain range, his subconsciousness didn't wake him up unless he couldn't place the sound or smell.
"I don't snore!" Kagome insisted, immediately regretting falling for his trap. At least from now on she would be aware when he tried to distract her. ´Point to Inuyasha,´ she thought bitterly.
"I think I will go to eat breakfast now," Inuyasha told her, ignoring her statement. "Do they only have damned vegetables again?" he asked, remembering last evening's meal. ´I'll go hunting in the woods before I eat only fruits and rice again, fuck Miroku,´ he thought of going against the monk's ban of eating flesh, like always. The only reason not to leave for the forest was that he was feeling quite relaxed now, and he usually hunted when he wanted to vent his anger.
Kagome made a face. "They were good enough yesterday..."
"Well, hanyous can't be choosers," he told her one of the oldest truths of his life. Inuyasha stood up, offering Kagome a hand. "I eat what I get, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Now come on, we don't want to keep Miroku and Sango waiting. If it eases your mind, Shippou is a much louder sleeper than you." This was as much of a reassurance as she would get from him.
Kagome accepted his hand. He pulled her up quickly, his impatience getting the better of him. He couldn't wait to get out of this village. Now that he had brushed off her curiosity, all that was left was eating breakfast and being on the way again. "I don't snore," Kagome stubbornly insisted.
"How would you know?" Inuyasha questioned with a smirk.
"Even IF I did, it would not be polite to rub it under my nose!" Kagome argued back.
"So you are admitting you snore?" he asked, making fun of her. Maybe, he thought, he was catching up for all the years he had lived without a friend to tease.
"NO!" Kagome shouted. ´He's doing it on purpose. He is trying to drive me insane...´ she thought, glaring at her hanyou. Didn't he like her, or why did most of their conversations end with Inuyasha insulting her? This was what she enjoyed about going to school, the guys in her class would never be as rude as him; it was almost like holiday from insults. "Why can't you just be like the boys from my time?" she thought out loud.
She realized her error when she saw Inuyasha turn around. "Fine, why don't you just go to the fucking boys of your time?"
Kagome wanted to explain but her friend started to walk to the main room of the inn. "Inuyasha, wait!" she shouted, running after him.
"Or you'll do what, sit me?" Inuyasha asked her in an uncaring voice that made her cringe. He hadn't even bothered to turn around. They arrived at the lounge where Shippou was sitting in front of the breakfast that was set out on the floor, chewing on something to kill the time. "Morning, brat," Inuyasha grunted.
´He's not in a good mood today´, Shippou thought and made a mental note not to anger the hanyou. Kirara, who was lying in the corner of the room next to Hiraikotsu, also gave him a wary look.
Kagome watched as Inuyasha sat down and stuffed a whole rice ball into his mouth. He looked intently at the breakfast, as though pondering what to take next, showing that he didn't want to be disturbed. Despite that, she still had to clarify things. "Inuyasha. Now will you listen to ..." She was interrupted when Inuyasha stood up abruptly.
"Nobody can eat this vegetarian shit. I'll go get my own breakfast," he growled and went for the door. He was gone before Kagome could think of something to say. Shippou looked after him. "What's wrong with him today?" he asked, the most childish innocence he could make up in his voice.
Kagome looked a bit uneasy. "Nothing important, I just phrased what I wanted to say in the wrong words. Where are Miroku and Sango?" she asked instead of really answering the question. She would rather discuss the subject with Sango.
"They went on a trip through the village. Sango said that they were going to restock our supplies."
Kagome stood up. "Let's search for them..."
´I'm an idiot. Shit!´ she swore mentally. She had ruined the nice atmosphere they had built up with her careless statement. She just hoped that she hadn't offended Inuyasha too much, and would be able to clear up the misunderstanding soon.
Miroku took the hand of the girl into his. She looked nice, with a slim figure, but not too thin. "Fair lady, I have a favor to ask of you." Sango rolled her eyes. How could she have thought that Miroku had changed, just because he hadn't tried to grope her the last few days?
"My friend and myself are in search for a place to get supplies, and if you would be kind enough to tell us where to buy food we would be most thankful," the monk asked. The woman giggled at the overpolite question and told him the way. Miroku noticed that the merchant was close to the cliff, probably the workers preferred to buy their food from there, as mining was hard work. The monk bowed in return. "May Buddha's blessings be upon you, beautiful lady!"
Sango was speechless. She remembered to shut her mouth before Miroku could notice, hoping that he hadn't already. The monk was behaving very unusual. He had not only just asked after the way, but called her his friend, too. He had always ignored her, and the rest of her group too, when he was about to ask his question. She noticed that Miroku was already walking along the way the woman had described to him. Sango jogged a few meters to catch up with him.
Miroku looked at Sango out of the corner of his eye. His actions were affecting her, just in which way? In that moment she just looked plain confused. "My dear Sango, I hope you are not feeling ill?" he commented her silence.
"Ill? I? Oh no. I just ..." she stopped to think of a meaningful sentence. Deciding what to say, she settled for confronting Miroku. "About the woman you talked to, she seemed beautiful enough to meet your standards. Why didn't you ask her to bear your child?"
Miroku had to suppress a grin. It looked like it meant much to her, at least he hoped that it did and it wasn't just curiosity. But why would she look angry every time he asked a girl to bear his child then, as Shippou had told him this morning? He decided to evade her question for now. "Do you want me to ask her?"
"No, of course not," Sango answered quickly. It wasn't as if she didn't like the change, so she didn't want Miroku to fall back to his 'normal' self. ´Old habits die hard,´ she thought, and made a mental note not to sound like she was criticizing the change. "I just wondered why you are behaving so unusual lately. You haven't even tried to touch me the last few days."
Miroku had to smirk and looked around if Kirara was near. "If I had known you liked that..." he said, sliding his hand down her back. He forced himself at the last moment to stop at her waist, remembering Shippou's advice, and instead of sliding further down he put his arm around her. ´Kirara owes me for that,´ he thought with a twisted smile, liking the feeling of her being beside him too.
Sango almost froze in her step when she noticed that he didn't grope her again. Before, she had been very angry when she saw Miroku grasping the girl's hand, after he hadn't tried to touch her for days. At least the groping told her that Miroku found her attractive too, not that she wouldn't have preferred another way of assurance. ´Like putting his arm around my waist,´ she thought, liking the feel.
So, when Sango saw his two hands closed around the girl's, after Miroku had ignored her the last few days, at least that way, she had jumped to the conclusion that the monk had given up on her. And the relief she had felt after he had only asked for the way had also shocked her at first, making her realize how much she had grown to like the monk.
Miroku had half expected a slap, or at least to be pushed away. Instead, she had gone silent, but seemed to accept his gesture. He decided not to ask her if she liked it, so the comfortable silence would not change to an uncomfortable argument, in case she got embarrassed. Some people were looking after them, commenting what a cute pair they made, with the blades at their sides, but Miroku just ignored them, happy that the blades indeed served to make them look like they belonged together. He looked at Sango again, she seemed lost in her own thoughts.
When they arrived, Miroku let go of Sango to talk to the merchant. "Good morning. We would like to buy some supplies." He looked down at the list that Shippou, Sango and he himself had made this morning. "We want to buy rice, bamboo shoots, sushi, and some sake." He ordered the last item for himself, having some things on his mind with it...
The merchant gave them a distrusting look and named the price he wanted for the goods. That snapped Sango out of her daydreams. "What? That's usury! That's five times the price everything is worth."
The merchant didn't flinch. "That's the deal I offer. You won't get a better one around here," he said somewhat rude.
"Wait for me!" Miroku and Sango heard Kagome shout just when the youkai hunter was about to give the merchant a piece of her mind. They turned towards the direction of the shout, seeing the miko coming their way with Shippou. Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen. "Hello again, Kagome-sama," the monk greeted her when she finally caught up. "It looks like you could have stayed at the inn, this merchant here doesn't look like he wants to sell us his goods."
"Why not?" Kagome asked the merchant, turning towards him. She noticed that the merchant was giving Shippou a death glare. "Pah. Take your fucking youkai and leave!" he shouted, pointing a finger at the fox demon.
"What has that to do with Shippou?" Kagome asked furiously. Sango grabbed her by the hand and pulled her away. "I have seen people like him a few times, Kagome. People who have developed a great dislike for youkai in general, for whatever reasons. He will not be willing to trade with youkai 'friends'."
"But Shippou hasn't done anything wrong!" Kagome complained.
Sango nodded. "That's true, Kagome, but he won't believe it or it won't interest him."
"So, where is Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, changing the topic.
Kagome looked towards the wood. "He has gone hunting," she said somewhat guilty.
Sango was surprised. "Why? There was enough breakfast left to satisfy even him."
Miroku shook his head. "He probably lusted after meat again." He was an open-minded monk, but he didn't agree with eating animals. They could, after all, be the reincernation of your relatives. Kagome seemed to agree with the hanyou, which had surprised him very much in the beginning. The youkai of their group also had no problem with eating flesh, of course. Well, it was their own decision what they wanted to do with their souls...
"Well, that's partially true, but to vent his anger was his greatest reason, I think," Shippou blurted out.
Inuyasha moved through the forest. He wasn't running, but going as fast as he could without making sounds. Going against the wind, he would catch the scent of whatever was in front of him easier, while his prey would have an even harder time noticing him.
What Kagome had said stung deep, especially after he had relaxed that much around her. It was just good that he always reacted the same with problems : anger. He didn't know what he would have done if the anger hadn't flared in him like a cold flame. He had decided to go hunting before he said something he would regret later. Hunting always was the best way to cool down for him, and it even helped him to think about things.
´Why can't you just be like the boys from my time?´ Inuyasha remembered what Kagome had said. The guys in her time probably were nice, rich, good-looking humans, sucking up to Kagome. ´Why do you have to be a hanyou? Why can't you be human?´ the Kagome in his mind continued.
He was used to being excluded because of his lineage, but he had grown to believe that his friends were different. He had grown to believe that he finally had found something akin to family, people who accepted him unconditionally. ´Why can't you just be like the boys from my time?´ Hearing that from especially Kagome was his wake-up call to reality.
Suddenly, Inuyasha caught the scent of a deer. Absentmindedly, he went down on all fours, approaching his prey without making any sound at all.
The worst thing was, he couldn't even be angry with Kagome. What did he have to offer, even if you ignored the fact that he was only half human?
He saw the deer feeding, still not knowing of the danger it was in. Inuyasha got up and jumped at his prey, tearing out the throat with his claws. To spare the animal a painful death, he broke its neck immediately.
He hung the deer up at the legs with his red haori at a tree. Having to wait till all the blood left the dead animal, he sat down against the tree and continued to brood about Kagome.
´I mean, I can hardly come back and say "Hey Kagome, look, I have a deer for you!"´ Inuyasha's thoughts turned back to what he could offer. What she wanted had to be a boy with an education, maybe even a job, with friends, family. What could he really offer her, beside a fucking deer he caught in the forest?
He never had gotten much education. School seemed to be very important in her age, judging from how often she left for those 'tests'. All he did know was how to read and write, and some very basic math. Compared to the things he had seen in her mathematics book it was nothing. Sometimes, when he had read in her books and thought he got a concept, he saw something that turned everything upside down.
Miroku, Sango and Shippou were the persons that came nearest to being his friends - hell, they even were - but they were her friends first. And Sesshoumaru could hardly be counted as family. The bastard wouldn't invite them to his birthday, but rather rip their heads off. The time Sesshoumaru had stopped his rampage and spared his life, his full youkai brother had announced to kill him later, and he took the threat seriously. So, no luck on that front either.
The only thing he thought he was doing quite well was his job. Kagome hadn't been really hurt, although she was quite reckless. But what would happen once the Shikon no Tama was completed? Then his job would be finished, and he would no longer be needed. For that was all he was currently doing, killing any threat to Kagome's life. Almost like a real dog protecting its master.
´Disgusting,´ Sesshoumaru commented in his mind.
But there was nothing else he had ever learned to do. When the jewel was finally completed, Sango and Miroku would probably come together, if the monk ever stopped being a lech, and maybe even take in Shippou. Kagome would go back to her time. No Shikon no Tama, no monsters trying to get through the well. She would finally have time for her education again.
Maybe she would even offer him the jewel to change. But it wasn't something he wanted. He didn't want to change. Sesshoumaru wanted him to be youkai, Kikyou wanted him to become human, and Kagome had obviously joined sides with Kikyou. ´Why can't you just be like the boys from my time?´
To tell the truth, he was content with himself. Maybe the turning human every month was unpractical, but he could live with it. The claws might look a bit odd, but they were very useful. His ears might be out of the norm, but hell, with them he could possibly hear better then even Sesshoumaru. Why did everyone want him to become something different?
Did he run around, forcing anyone to become youkai or hanyou? No, he didn't want people to share his fate. He was considerate enough to accept everyone for whatever that person was. If he had a problem with someone, it was because of something that someone was doing.
Inuyasha noticed that the blood had stopped dropping, so he continued with the preparation by gutting and skinning the deer. After that, he tried to open the knot in his haori, but it had pulled tight because of the weight of the deer.
"Damned tree!" he growled and swiped at the branch the deer was hanging from, letting his frustration out at the tree. The branch was severed from the tree, causing the animal to fall down with it. The weight being taken from the knot, he was finally able to open it. He took the branch and hurled it away as far as he could. "FUCK OFF!" he screamed after the branch as well as at Kagome. There it went, his only chance at a normal life. There it went, the only hope he had ever dared to have since Kikyou. There it went, just like the branch, which connected with a tree and broke in two. His self control finally was expended, and he felt tears forming in his eyes. He got even more angry at himself and forced them back.
"WHY?" he shouted at the top of his voice at the already affected tree, and cut the more than hundred years old colossus down with one swipe. "WHY?" It fell down taking two smaller trees with it. He went to another tree and started punching it. "GODDAMN Fucking why?" With each word, his voice as well as his punches grew softer, until he collapsed against the tree, sitting with his back against it. He just sat there, staring up the sky and waiting for the earth to swallow him.
After some time he regained his composure. He looked at his fist, seeing that it looked like a bloody mess. He licked the blood off, the coppery taste and the pain helping to bring his sanity back. When the blood was licked away, he could see that his hand was already healing again, it had looked much worse than it was. He went back to finish his work, to distract himself from the despair. He divided the meat into handy parts, put everything in his haori and shouldered it like a sack. Because his jacket was made of fire rat fur, it wouldn't absorb bad smells. After lowering it into a river for a minute the blood spots would be washed away and the haori would be as good as new. He wished other things were that easy to fix.
Well, at least he knew now where he stood. For some time he had thought that she wanted to be more than just a friend. Hoping that she might love him just like he was, something not even Kikyou had done. In a way it was better than not knowing, he told himself. He had let her come too close, and from now on he would keep up his guard. From now on he would keep his distance from the fucking bitch, before she really ripped his heart out.
Hoping he had cooled down enough, he took the one piece of flesh he had left outside his jacket for breakfast, and walked back to the goddamned village with the meat on his back.
"Kagome, just let it be..." Sango shouted towards her friend. Kagome was still discussing how bad prejudices were with the merchant. The argument was going on since almost half an hour. Everyone of the group, except Kagome of course, had gone away a bit, bored by the discussion, and then Shippou was asked why Inuyasha was angry. But the child didn't know anything, just that Kagome had said something wrong to him. Sango thought that the miko was frustrated from whatever had happened with Inuyasha and was letting it out on the merchant.
"Look girl, I have nothing against you, but I won't do anything that will help a youkai in any way. That's my last word."
"But what if this youkai kills another youkai who would have harmed you?" Kagome asked a theoretical question, pegging away.
"Then this youkai would later do something that would harm me, too." The merchant looked around for some other customers, but it didn't look like he would be freed from the strangely dressed girl anytime soon. Then he saw someone heading for him, and almost shouted thanks before he saw it was the other demon that was with the group.
"What the hell are you all doing here?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome seemed to be talking to some man and the rest stood around, looking bored. Couldn't they do something better with their time? Hell, even when he was about to lose his mind, he did something useful by catching a deer. He hadn't even forgotten to salt the meat when he had reached Jiro's place, to prevent it from getting spoilt.
"Well, we were trying to buy some supplies but this merchant here doesn't want to sell us anything," Sango answered. "Kagome has been trying to change his decision, but so far she didn't have much luck." The youkai hunter looked around, seeing that Inuyasha was carrying something.
Before she could ask, Inuyasha answered her question anyway. "We don't need his fucking supplies. I got something much better." He put down his haori and opened it. "There is enough for everyone."
Shippou's eyes almost fell out. "It's deer! Kagome, look, it's enough for the whole day!"
Kagome looked at the meat, then up to Inuyasha. He looked her straight in the eye, with ... defiance? Then he kneeled down to the meat to close the haori again. "You want something too this time, Miroku?" he asked the monk, who stood behind him.
´He knows damn well I want nothing,´ Miroku thought. He swung his staff to hit Inuyasha on the head. To his surprise the hanyou turned, stepped towards him and grabbed his wrist while he was about to strike. In one fluid motion the staff was twisted out of his grip while Miroku's motion was carried on and the monk was unceremoniously thrown over Inuyasha's hip to the floor.
Kagome looked at the hanyou. He had a grim, calculating look on his face again, like he had had before he had killed the two slave hunters. For a moment she thought that he would attack and prepared to sit him. But he relaxed after an instant, released the monk's wrist and threw the staff to Miroku, who, lying perplexed on the floor, caught it. Everything happened so fast that, if Sango hadn't tensed too, her hand at the hilt of her sword, it would have left Kagome wondering if she had just imagined Inuyasha's expression.
Inuyasha now looked as confident and arrogant as always. "No playing today, Miroku." He went back to his haori and shouldered it again. "See you at Kagome's bike. Try to hurry up, we only have a week left and it's still a long way!" With that he went towards the cliff, and began to jump up directly, ignoring the road. Everyone looked after him with confused expressions, not knowing what to say.
"I told you not to anger Inuyasha today," Shippou lectured Miroku, breaking the silence.
Sango relaxed too. "What's wrong with Inuyasha?" she wondered out loud. She had thought that she would have to defend Miroku when she saw the expression on the hanyou's face. She went over to the monk who was still lying on the ground, and offered him a hand. Miroku accepted it, standing up. "One should not anger him today, I say." He dusted his cloth off, and turned towards the rest of the group. "Let's go back to the inn. We have to say goodbye to Jiro before we leave, not to forget Sango's Hiraikotsu is still being guarded by Kirara there." They left for the inn in a fast pace.
"Inuyasha is really quick to anger lately. And he never had a long fuse to begin with," Kagome began the conversation anew.
"I don't know. He looked almost surprised when he saw Miroku lying on the floor before him," Sango thought out loud. "It was as if he was fighting off a real attack."
"And very professional, might I add," Miroku said. "If he had wanted to, he could also have crushed my wrist, or used my own weapon against me after the throw." If Inuyasha had attacked him directly after the throw, he possibly couldn't have fought off a blow barehanded. With Inuyasha holding his wrist with one hand, he wouldn't have had enough mobility to evade a strike with the staff the hanyou had ready in the other hand. He wouldn't have had time to draw his sword either.
"What Inuyasha was doing was a basic technique for fighting barehanded against an armed opponent," Sango explained. "In our village-" the youkai hunter stopped at the memory of her brother sparring with her. She remembered teaching Kohaku a technique not unlike the one Inuyasha had used. Her brother had been complaining all the time that she was stronger and heavier, until he got the move right and used the weight of his sister against her.
"In our village," she began anew, pushing away old memories, "everybody was trained in the martial arts. To use such techniques, they have to be trained very often until you can do them with barely thinking. In a real fight, timing is very important and you can't think long about which move to use, so you have to decide almost subconsciously."
Sango made a short pause, contemplating what to say next. "I think this was what Inuyasha was doing. He reacted to a threat behind him without really thinking," she finished.
"But Inuyasha has never shown any technique in his fights," Miroku said, not remembering Inuyasha ever fighting with something beside brute strength and good reflexes.
"Inuyasha. No Technique. Hmm," Sango thought out loud. She could remember some moments when she believed that Inuyasha was about to use some advanced move, as far as she could tell from his stance, but caught himself before executing it. Still, she had never been sure until today. Inuyasha had executed the move flawlessly, it would have worked perfectly even if he was not half-youkai, if he was just as strong and fast as a human. "I think he has negated that theory today."
Kagome was not catching up with them. "What do you mean? That Inuyasha's more than just a rowdy?"
"Exactly," Miroku told the miko. The technique Inuyasha performed, although relatively simple, had countered his equally simple swipe perfectly, he had to agree with Sango on that. ´Or should I say Sango-chan?´ his thoughts wandered off. The way she let him hold her today... Almost unconsciously he inched nearer to her and tried to put his arm around her waist again.
But this time Sango elbowed him in the rips. "There's no time for that now, Miroku," she told him. She also had to think things over, if she really wanted more than just friendship from the monk. But she needed some time and a nights sleep, without Miroku, to come to a conclusion. So preparing to leave and finally following Inuyasha was a welcome distraction.
Miroku put a bit distance between Sango and himself, but less than would have been appropriate. She had said not this time, but there still was later. With a grin, Miroku remembered the sake he had stolen while Kagome had been arguing with the greedy merchant. Finally his skills could be put to good use. He ignored that most monks wouldn't define stealing sake to intoxicate a girl as a noble deed.
Miroku made a mental note to thank Shippou for his good advice concerning Sango. He didn't know if he should follow Inuyasha's advice too, but seeing how things seemed to develop, or better not develop between the hanyou and the miko, he would use Inuyasha's advice only as drastic measure.
Kagome looked at the two. Instead of really answering her question concerning Inuyasha's fighting ability, both were unusually quiet. But, while Sango looked like she was concentrating on the present, the monk had a far away look and a grin on his face. She didn't even want to know what the pervert was thinking about... Still, they were walking together quite closely, the equal armament intensifying the impression of a pair, leaving her wondering if she had missed something.
When Kagome was about to ask again, they reached the inn. Jiro's wife Aiko was standing in front of it, sweeping the front yard. "Good day!" she greeted them. "Will you be staying for dinner? Jiro is not at home, but please come in for some tea."
Miroku bowed. "No, Aiko-sama, we merely came to thank you for your kind care, we have to be on our way again. We also wanted to know if we could buy some supplies from you, as the merchant seemed to have a dislike for our group and didn't want to sell us anything."
Aiko gestured them to come in nonetheless and served the group some tea after they had set down. "Ah, you have run across Gihei. He didn't even tell you his name?" When she saw that everyone shook their heads she continued, "You have to excuse him. He is a good man, but youkai are in his bad book. He lost his wife and two of his children to them before he settled here, and has loathed youkai ever since," Aiko explained Gihei's behavior.
"I'm sorry for that," Kagome said. At least now it made some sense why the man had left them unattended. Still she didn't agree with judging a whole race from one event. But she guessed that because of the hard times, people's mistrust was easily earned. And not much good was heard about youkai, also because bad news seemed to be the best news even in this time.
"In fact, many of the people here have had bad experiences with them, lost their homes and such, being forced to settle here," Aiko told them about the inhabitants of the village. She took a sip of her tea before she continued to speak. "I'm also sorry to say that we are low on supplies, but the next village is just a day's journey from here. You should be able to buy some food there," the woman of the house said, bowing to them.
Miroku bowed too. "It is no problem, Aiko-sama. Well, I think we should be leaving now, our dog-eared companion is waiting for us atop the cliff," he said, seeing that everyone had finished tea. Sango went to retrieve Hiraikotsu while the rest got up. They were already through the door, when Jiro's wife followed them outside.
"You could come back in twenty days, there is a market being held then, and many people come there to trade all kind of things, with us for jade, or between themselves. Maybe we could repay you then for your help," she told them. She smiled down at Shippou. "I have also heard that this year some kind of circus will be residing in the village."
Shippou looked interested. "What's a circus?"
"It's a show where people show various tricks and stunts," Kagome explained the kid. She herself found the market more interesting. There could be someone selling a Shikon shard, not knowing what it was. And maybe she could get a souvenir? "We will most likely show up. Good bye until then, Aiko-san."
The group left the village and went on the road that went up to the top of the cliff. Kagome started to brood again. Her stupid comment this morning seemed to have affected the hanyou more than she had feared. Inuyasha had acted as if nothing had happened, but the incident with Miroku proved otherwise. She still remembered the look he had given her. When before there had always been friendship and affection in his eyes, now there had only been repulsion and independence. He seemed to already have built up his walls again. She just hoped that she would be able to break through.
Shippou hopped onto Kagome's shoulder and whispered into her ear to leave Miroku and Sango some private time. Kagome followed his advice, feeling both happy and sad that at least her friend seemed to be more lucky in love than herself.
The miko and the youkai kit on her shoulder fell back until Miroku and Sango were out of sight.
"Kagome, why is Inuyasha so grumpy today?" the fox child tried his innocent act again.
Said miko looked a bit uneasy. "Well, I told him that he shouldn't tease me but he got it a bit wrong...."
"Just from that?" Shippou looked at her inquiringly. Inuyasha wouldn't get that angry just because she said he shouldn't tease her.
Kagome looked at Shippou. Should she really tell the child? But there was no one else, as she didn't want to disturb Sango and Miroku. "Well, you know I remembered that in my school, people would never be so rude to me. And then I said, no it's more like I thought out loud, no not even that loud, it's more like I was speaking to myself ..."
"Yes, you didn't mean it, I got that!" Shippou interrupted her impatiently.
"Why can't you just be like the boys from my time?" Kagome told the fox child.
Shippou had to find his voice, not connecting Kagome's statement with what she had told Inuyasha, applying it on himself. Had he just heard her right? She wanted him to be like the children in her age? She would trade him for some boy from the future? He thought of her like his mother, and she didn't want him?
"I just wanted to help you!" the child cried. That was all he brought out before he started to sob without bringing a word out, hiding his head in Kagome's hair. Was it his fault that his parents had been youkai? All he ever wanted was to help, help Kagome's relation with Inuyasha, help with the shard hunt. He tried to ease her life where he could.
He was reminded of the scene with the merchant, who didn't want to sell them anything because of him. Shippou hadn't thought much about it then, because he had never been excluded before and the merchant wasn't important to him. But now, when Kagome said the same, it overwhelmed his young brain, which was not accustomed to being rejected. He felt like it was his fault that nobody in this group would have something to eat, completely forgetting Inuyasha's deer. Kagome maybe didn't want him because of that too, because she would starve because of him. ´Some fine help I am!´
Kagome looked at him dumbfounded. What did he mean with he just wanted to help her? And why did the small one start to cry? "Shippou, what's wrong with you?" He didn't make much sense.
Shippou looked up at her. The concerned look on Kagome's face flared his hope again, and the tears started to stop. "Please, don't give me away! I'll do whatever you say! Just please don't leave me too!"
Kagome now had an idea what was going on in the little one's head. "Shippou, you're even more stupid than Inuyasha! First of all, I didn't mean you, that was what I told Inuyasha. And second, I didn't mean it that way! All I wanted to say was that he should be a bit more polite, like the boys in my time. It has nothing to do with him being hanyou and such." Kagome tried to clear up things. Was what she had said really that bad?
Shippou looked away, embarrassed over his outburst. Still he felt relieved, for his worries had been unfounded. He tried to break the silence, but came up with nothing to say. He remembered how angry Inuyasha had acted this morning, now knowing the reason for his behavior. "Wow, Inuyasha reacted quite well," he said, remembering today's events in a new light. When the hanyou came back from the hunt, he had seemed like his usual self, just the incident with Miroku seemed a bit odd. Inuyasha had never struck back until now when the monk smacked him on the head.
This time it seemed Kagome had started the quarrel. Normally only the hanyou did say such stupid things, maybe he was rubbing off on Kagome. It looked like now both sides were trying to sabotage his attempts to bring them together. He had hoped that not only Miroku would remembered his advice, but Inuyasha too. The monk actually seemed to be making way in his quest for Sango, but after what Kagome had said it was almost impossible that Inuyasha would try something on Kagome. It looked like it was up to him to fix everything.
Remembering last afternoon's conversation with Inuyasha, he hoped that he would be able to talk Inuyasha out of his conclusion. "Don't worry, Kagome, I will talk to him!" he told her as reassuringly as he could.
Not as long as the last chapter, but still long enough I think. I think I talked enough about word count at the rantings, so I will spare you the amount (translate : I'm too lazy to count). If everyone wonders about the fake update on January, 4th, I was experimenting with the Vocabulary...
The problems in Inuyasha's and Kagome's relation are necessary for the plot. It won't be be dragged out into chapters upon chapters of angst. And I promised you a roller coaster ride, didn't I? I will try not to favor one of the two, and I think this quarrel is the guilt of both parties, Inuyasha for being angered so quick, and Kagome for letting something like that slip.
It was really hard to write Inuyasha in this chapter, and I hope I didn't make him seem weak or wimpy or something, but Kagome has just shattered all his hopes. I'm glad I waited a day before I posted this chapter, because this part of the story needed some editing after a nights sleep.
The move Inuyasha was using is a twisted version of a Judo move, Sode Tsuri Komi Goshi. I'm doing Judo (only green belt) and I'm trying to use my knowledge for the fic. Judo didn't exist back then (it was founded by Jigoro Kano 1882), but Jujitsu, from which Judo was invented, dates back very long before 1500, when everything in this fic is happening. (There are documents dating unarmed fighting competitions in Japan around 230 B.C.)
There was a Buddhist's prohibition against eating animals until somewhen around 1600. And Miroku's a monk, so he has to follow that, right?
The title comes from the Album Threshold - hypothetical. It's one of the best Prog Metal Albums ever (RockHard album of the month). To start with, also try "Long Way Home" or the masterpiece "The Ravages of Time". If you can't do anything with Dream Theater (a very progressive Band), this is the Prog Metal Album for you! (Threshold are actually quite heavy for Prog Metal, at least on that album, I don't know any others)
January 8th, 2003 : Chapter 5 complete.
June 6th, 2003 : Kat kicked a lot of typos out. I just posted it.