InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Some people need a push ❯ Love and Avice ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3: Love and Advice

Kaede's Village, Japan

Feudal Era, Day 1

 

“I don't like that spell, Jan. It is way too weird. Sorry.” Miroku clutched his stomach.

 

“Weak stomach. I got through it fine, Miroku. You're acting like her cousins.” Inuyasha threw a snide remark at Miroku, but he wasn't far off. Jan's cousins were off hurling from the trip here. They could barely handle roller coasters, though, so it wasn't very surprising. The spell wrenched at their guts worse than the one that got them there, plus a very disorienting view that gave you a shot of all the land between where you were and where you wanted to be.

 

“Hey, give him a break. He's not the one who had his eyes closed and a green face while I was starting up the spell.”

 

“Earth magics make me nauseous. I was stuck to a tree for fifty years, so I'm the one who needs a break.”

 

“How'd you know it was earth magic? No one knows that, not even my Wicca group. It's my spell,” Jan said, curious and a little pissed that someone knew the trick - the secret - to her spell.

 

“I told ya. I get nauseous around earth magic. I'm very sensitive to it.”

 

Jan grinned. “Oh, my! A sensitive guy! Never thought I'd see the day when I met a guy as tough as you who was - is? - sensitive!”

 

“I'm not sensitive!” Inuyasha stalked off.

 

“Touchy. Hmm. I should meddle. No. Yes…” She began to debate with herself, trying to figure out what she should do.

 

“Hey, Jan, it's time to go! Are you sure you don't want to go home?” Kagome jogged up to her.

 

“Going across water is water magic, something I suck at. The only other way would be to buy passage, and I really don't want to do that. I'd be broke for the rest of my life.”

 

Kagome nodded, obviously perplexed. She grabbed Jan's wrist and guided her to a dried up well with vines growing into it.

 

“This is how we're supposed to get back to the future? A well?”

 

“Don't act like this is all that weird. You're the one who ended up in the middle of the road today, not me.”

 

“Touché. Now, what do we do?”

 

“Jump!” With that, Kagome disappeared from sight.

 

“Freakin' insane people!” Jan looked back one more time then jumped.

 

~*~*~*~*

 

“Here we are, guys… Ramen, candy, crayons, medical supplies, boxed food, some food mom made for us, clothes for you guys,” Kagome put everything out on the floor so everyone could get a good look at it. “Crackers, gum, more crayons, some paper…” she went on with the litany of what she had brought with her, ending with, “And some of that kitty food for Kilala. Enjoy! We packed double for everything, because there were two of us.”

 

“Thanks, Kagome!” Everyone scrambled for what they wanted, ending with Maria and Amelia in a corner arguing over who got which pair of shoes. The shoes were almost identical, except for the slight difference in color shade. Jan shook her head as she tucked into the food Kagome's mom had packed.

 

Everyone was eating and talking, except for Inuyasha. Jan noticed that he didn't talk, and watched him out of the corner of her eye. He was eating some pre-cooked ramen that Kagome had put in a thermos for him, and he was really tucking into it. Occasionally, though, he would stop eating and stare at Kagome.

 

Definitely interfering. Kagome thinks that he loves that dead priestess she told me about, and he probably thinks that she's in love with some one else… probably that guy Koga. I wonder…

 

On the road again, Japan

Feudal Era, Day 4

 

Inuyasha was watching Kagome. She's beautiful when she smiles. I wish she would smile for me. He saw Jan watching him, staring at him, with a contemplating look on her face. Suddenly, the look on her face changed, and she said something to the others at the fire. They replied to her, but she shook her head and smiled at what they said.

 

Inuyasha closed his eyes. He tried to picture Kagome with a huge smile on her face, but the only picture he got included Koga kissing her hand. Mangy wolf!

 

“Hey, Inuyasha. Kagome look good at that angle?”

 

Inuyasha started, and almost fell out of the tree he was sitting in. “What are you talking about?”

 

“I saw you watching her. You watch her whenever she's not gonna notice it. It's kinda obvious. You like her.”

 

“You're crazy.” Inuyasha closed his eyes again.

 

“She thinks you're still in love with that priestess… Kikyo?… and I can tell that she likes you. She gets all jealous sounding whenever she talks about Kikyo, and her voice goes soft when she talks about you. Her voice sounds hurt when she talks about you and Kikyo.”

 

“Feh.”

 

Jan decided to try again. “You know, her birthday's coming up. She's mentioned it to me. It might be a good time to impress her.”

 

“So? What of it? Kikyo's dead and Kagome likes that mangy wolf, Koga. Like a hanyou like me would stand a chance with someone like Kagome,” Inuyasha said. His voice was soft, but Jan could tell he was telling himself as much as her. She could also tell that it was something he had told himself often, and it hurt every time.

 

“Kagome thinks that Koga is a joke. The only reason she stands him is because he's nice and a friend. A friend is all he'll ever be to her - especially if you win her over. A good start would be something for her birthday next week. Monday, I believe she said. Try flowers. I don't think that there's much else you could do, since you're too chicken to make a move on her.” In the dark, Jan smirked.

 

“You've been staring at her since we've left Kaede's village, every night. You're torturing yourself, and you know it, but you can't stop, because you love her. You don't want to show weakness by showing it, and you don't want to interfere between her and the wolf because you want her to be happy. Well, guess what? She's miserable, because she thinks the only way you'll love her is as Kikyo's reincarnation. Surprised? If you want my help, just tell me. I'll be acting like you, and be brooding over on that branch.” Jan gestured to the tree next to him, then jumped up to grab the lowest limb.

 

In the tree, comfy and settled, Jan waited for Inuyasha to ask for her help. It was so easy for her to read emotions… and she usually couldn't help but interfere. This time was different, though. She could tell that they were fighting love - real, actual, life-long love - because of some stupid preconceived ideas about how the other loved someone else. She found it frustrating, at its best.

 

“Okay, what should I do?” Inuyasha's voice came from below her, and she smiled. Swinging her legs to the same side of the branch, she leaned back and hung upside down on the branch, coming face-to-face with the hanyou.

 

“First, you stop acting like an insensitive ass around her. Just a little, though. I can smell `fake front' from a mile away, ya know. Then, on her birthday, leave it to me to set up a nice little romantic dinner for you guys, and you should tell her what you feel. I'll help you with that, though, because, since you're the kind of guy you are, you'll probably screw it up. Nothing personal,” she said when he tried to protest, holding up - or down - a hand. “It's just that you're one of those `tough' guys who suck at expressing emotions. Deal?” She held her hand out to him, and he shook it.

 

“Deal. You sure it'll work?” Jan couldn't see his face, but his voice was worried.

 

“Positive. I'm gonna hit her with this next. I just wanted to make sure that you're agreeable. I don't think she'll have any problems admitting that she's in love with you, but I knew that you would. See ya, Silver.” Swinging down from the branch, Jan started to jog towards the camp. She could feel Inuyasha's eyes on her back for most of the way, until he shifted his gaze to Kagome.

 

Lover boy is staring at the one thing he wanted, and thought he'd never have a chance at. Until tonight. A smile wreathed her face, promptly wiped off when she saw Sango glowering at Maria, who was flirting with Miroku. She sighed, and went to break it up.

 

Still on the road, Japan

Feudal Era, Sunday, Day 10

“Okay, what we need is for you to go out early tomorrow and get some meat for the dinner, fish at the worst, pheasant at the best. Small pheasants, though, like quail. No chickens, turkeys, ect. Then you report to my cousins, who will get you all spiffy-looking. That's a good thing.” Jan was giving Inuyasha instructions as they walked out of earshot of the group.

 

“And where will you be during this?” Inuyasha looked at her accusingly.

 

Jan smiled. Like she would ever run out on something like this! “I will be cooking, conjuring, and setting up a nice and delicious dinner for two. Sango is going to be suggesting we stop for a few days to replenish our supplies, and you will make yourself scarce tonight, so Kagome doesn't take it amiss that you've disappeared tomorrow. I will protect her from unseemly advances from Koga, if he shows up, and Sango will pretty her up. I'll explain everything else later.”

 

“This seems very complicated, Jan.” Inuyasha was scratching his head, confused.

 

“It's all your fault, Silver, s'all your fault.”

 

“Why do you keep calling me Silver? And how is it all my fault?”

 

“I call all my friends by names I think up for them. Maria's the ditz, Amelia's Mother Dear, when I'm frustrated with her, one of my friends back home I call Crazy Lady, another I call Quiet Lady, and another I call Hyper Lady. One I just call a pain in the ass 'cause she won't leave me and my friends alone. You have been dubbed Silver, because of your hair.” Jan reached out to flick a lock of his hair. “As for why it's all your fault, you're the one who left Kagome to the courting of Koga, you're the one who let her think you were still in love with Kikyo, you're the one who let her think that you only thought of her as a cheap imitation of Kikyo. Shall I go on?”

 

She sincerely hoped that he wouldn't let her go on, because she ran out of short comings for him. She would probably come up with more later, but she didn't have any good ones now.

 

“Nah. I see what you mean. I guess I am to blame. I just thought…” he lapsed into a silence.

 

Jan felt bad for making him feel bad now. He was pretty moody, but it was usually in an angry way. “Well, you thought wrong. Now, you think differently. Forgive and forget, live and let live. In other words, get over it!”

 

Inuyasha didn't respond, but Jan could tell he had been cheered up. She grinned, and grabbed his arm. “Come on, Silver. Let's catch up with the rest of the gang.”

 

Stopped for camp, Japan

Feudal Era, Monday, Day 11

“Okay, you want him to look gorgeous, but not like he did any thing other than take a bath. You want

him to have clean hands and nails and feet without it being obvious that it happened. No manicures, pedicures, or different hairdos. That is a very hard order to fill, especially on a guy without anything other than water, which is all we have here.” The cousins were looking at her with a look that screamed “You're freakin' insane!”

 

Jan just ignored the look and said, “Yep. Learn to love it.”

 

“So not right. We'll do the best we can, but it's a hard job.”

 

“Well, I have complete confidence in your abilities, so you better do your best. I promised Inuyasha that after this dinner, his problem would be solved or gone. I try to keep my promises, so… yeah.”

 

Jan turned to Sango. “You know what to do, right?”

 

“Get her into the outfit you showed me yesterday, clean, do her hair, get her to the site without her knowing about the dinner. Pretty easy, considering what you guys have to do.” Sango already had Kagome's bag, and was ready to go get her from Miroku, who agreed to keep her busy while the other girls talked. All he knew was that it was a birthday surprise for her, because he was really bad at keeping secrets like that. Sango had told her that the year before, he had told Kagome about the party she was getting as they were headed there. They didn't want it to happen again.

 

“Right. Now, let's get to it. The spot is past a clearing, on the scenic route to the spring. There's a charm around that way to keep anyone except one of us or Inuyasha getting in to interrupt the dinner; I had to set it up last night. Try to keep her occupied while you're going to the spring, because she'll feel a weird tingle when she goes through it. Remember to take something to `forget' with you. Make sure she doesn't come back with you to get it, though. Keep her there for about forty minutes if you can, and press the red spot on the little piece of wood I got you when you guys are headed back. Now, off to work we go.” Jan made a shooing gesture, and turned around to where she was working. The place they had decided to stop at was full of little mini caves and secluded glens, perfect for the plan they had in mind.

 

Inuyasha hadn't managed to get any thing small enough for a dinner for two, but he did run into a village that had its market in the morning. He had taken Sango down, and she bought a slab of beef for the whole group. Jan turned the beef into a stew for the main part of the group, and a cooked the beef for the two to put over noodles with a sweet sauce, nuts, and some other stuff.

 

Kagome, oblivious to it all, had been practicing her archery with Miroku and Jan at intervals all day. Shippo, a bit more observant than Kagome, had almost given away the plan by asking after the plotters whenever they were missing. Finally, Jan had to tell him that they were planning a special birthday surprise. He wanted to know what it was, but all Jan would tell him past that was that she was going to go somewhere with Inuyasha. He seemed satisfied with that, but Jan worried about him asking questions.

 

Shippo didn't pose as much as a problem as Miroku, though. Miroku kept asking her what they were planning whenever he thought Kagome was far enough away to not hear, but he badly misjudged his voice and the distance. Kagome was a little curious, until Jan kicked Miroku's ankle and presented her with a spelled bow. Kagome was happy, and Jan kicked Miroku's ankle whenever she wasn't looking until he began to limp.

 

“I'm gonna tell Sango about this tonight, Miroku. You need to keep a tight lock on your lip for the rest of the day. If you give this away, we'll use your head for a hacky sack. I know a wonderful spell that keeps you alive and conscious, so don't doubt me.” Miroku blanched visibly, and Jan smiled wickedly.

 

The cousins were working furiously on Inuyasha's part. They had finished with the basic bathing - where they had gotten uncomfortably personal, to hear Inuyasha tell it - and were working on his hair when Jan got there.

 

“His clothes are over there, soaking. We figured you could dry them magically, or something. His shirt,” Maria started.

 

“Has so many patch jobs I'd be surprised if she notices if he didn't even wear it.” Amelia finished the sentence for her.

 

Jan grimaced. “I wouldn't suggest sending him to meet Kagome without a shirt on. She could take it the completely worst way possible.”

 

Inuyasha yelped. “Hay! Watch what you're pullin' at there! And I ain't gonna meet Kagome bare-chested!”

 

“Oh, good lords, Inuyasha! We're just saying that it was a sorry excuse for a shirt. I mean, really, it's pathetic how many rips there are in it. And the patch jobs were done by an amateur.”

 

“Kagome fixed that shirt for me.”

 

“Proving my point. An amateur fixed the shirt. Okay, look, if you're so attached to those patch-ups, we'll let you keep three.”

 

“Whaddya mean, `let' me `keep' three? It's my shirt!” Inuyasha made to get up from his chair, but Maria pushed him back and sat on his lap.

 

“It may be your shirt, but it's us who're getting this whole thing together. If you don't want to go, I'm sure Koga would jump at the opportunity to spend a whole night alone with Kagome.”

 

“I don't want that mangy wolf anywhere near Kagome! I have a chance at her now, so he'll be dead next time he tries to kiss her!”

 

The girls smiled. It was so obvious Inuyasha was in love with Kagome.

 

They stopped gossiping and got back to work after they had gotten Inuyasha calmed down, assuring him that they would keep Koga far, far away from Kagome.

 

Jan started to work on the shirt, magicking away all the stains and worn spots. When she was done with that, she asked, “Do you want to pick out patch jobs to keep?”

 

Inuyasha considered it for a moment, then grudgingly, replied, “No. I guess I don't. Except for the one on the left shoulder, right above the heart. I want to keep that one.”

 

“I can't figure out which one you mean, Inuyasha,” Jan said, after looking at the garment for a while.

 

“I'll show you.”

 

The patch was a little hole, a rip that might as well not have been there. It was a pretty bad fix, worse than the others. It looked barely large enough for a small knife; the only thing that would have fit easily would have been…

 

“Was this an arrow hole?”

 

“Yeah. Kikyo shot me there the day she died.”

 

“Are you sure you want such a blatant reminder of Kikyo to be here? I mean, Kagome thinks that you love Kikyo. It'll just fuel the fire if she knows which patch this is.”

 

“It was fixed the day she released me from Kikyo's spell. It's the first patch to my shirt she made. I want it there.”

 

“Okay. I mean, it is your shirt. Kinda weird way to keep your memories, though, don't you think?”

 

Inuyasha was silent. Jan didn't press the matter, and went back to fixing up the shirt.