InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Some people need a push ❯ Love and Beloved ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6: Love and Beloved

Stopped for camp, Japan
Feudal Era, Monday, Day-ish 11

“Hey, Jan, what were you yelling about in the back chamber?” Sango asked, without looking up from Kagome's date.

“How some people are idiotic about vanity and how they really need to get a grip and stop caring about what others think of you. Who cooked?”

“Maria. We're waiting for you to detoxify it. Who were you yelling at? There wasn't anyone in that chamber.”

“I brought us company. I also offered them food, but, if Ditz cooked it, I'm not sure they'll want to eat it.”

Sango looked up from the scrying bowl. Seeing Sesshomaru, she tensed. Seeing Rin, she smiled.

“Well, since she's here, I see why you wouldn't want to feed Maria's cooking to them. If it were just him, I would have enjoyed watching him try to eat it.”

“Oh, stuff it, he's not here to take jibes. Wasn't he one of the guys on their way to help us beat Naraku?” Jan walked over to the pot and wrinkled her nose.

“Sorry. I just never get a chance to. He always runs off whenever he and Inuyasha meet. If they cross paths, both practically turn around and go back. Is it salvageable?”

“Well, he's here, so be nice, will you?” Waving her hands and muttering in Latin, she smiled. “I couldn't save the food's life by normal means, but I have no qualms about using magic. There is very little that you can't do with magic.”

She dished up two dishes, and handed one to Rin, and kept the other. Seeing Sesshomaru looking at the pot, she said, “Dig in, cause I ain't getting it for you.”

“It's really good, Lord Sesshomaru!” Rin piped in.

“I don't think we should trust the friends of your brother, milord. Remember, your brother hates you.” Jaken was whispering, but the others could hear him just fine.

Sango snorted in response to Jaken's `whispers', and said, “If we had wanted to poison you, Jan would have left the pot the way Maria made it. She probably saved your lives by making it edible. You are completely safe here with us... at least, unless Inuyasha comes back in a bad mood. Even then, Kagome will keep him from killing you.”

At that moment, Miroku walked in. He had apparently been in the small chamber that the group had dubbed the changing room, because he was now in his sleeping clothes (i.e. his pajamas).

“Hey! Jan, why does no one listen to me?”

“It might be because you're a lecher. Just a guess, though.”

“Why am I classified, generalized, as a lecher?”

“You touch women's butts, you ask them to bear your children when you meet them, and you are a womanizer to boot. That pretty much spells lecher out.”

“Fascinating as this conversation is, I believe that we should be preparing to battle Naraku. Have any of you even begun to think of a plan?” Sesshomaru had fetched himself a bowl of the stew by this time - or had Jaken fetch it for him - and sat down next to Rin.

“Well, I thought that I could set up a few homunculi for distractions,” Jan began, then saw blank looks from all around.

“What's a homunculi?” Shippo asked.

“Ooh! Let me answer! I know this one!” Maria was bouncing up and down, repeating a litany of “Please, please, please, please, please...” until Jan finally nodded.

“A homunculus is a being created from a natural substance that the maker can, if made correctly, manipulate to their will. The most common known form of homunculi is the golem, made from animated mud or even sometimes stone. If the wizard, sorcerer, witch, or whoever's making it, is strong enough in magicks, then the homunculus could look human, have a personality, or even act so human it is hard to tell the difference. The next most commonly known form is the regenerated homunculi. No one is sure if this type of homunculi is really a homunculus, because it is not truly created, but a soul returned to its dead body. This version of a homunculus is also difficult, if impossible, to control.”

Every one stared at Maria. This girl, also known as the Ditz, had just spouted a large amount of arcane knowledge that very few people in her time knows of, or remembers.

“How did you know that?” Jan asked her.


“One day I mentioned a golem, and you spouted it off at me. I was talking about the guy off the Lord of the Rings movies, but you didn't know that until I told you that you were weird.”

“You actually remembered that?”

“I'm not as blonde as I look, you know. I just act like I am.”

“Of course.”

“Naraku is not likely to be confused by a homunculus, especially if it takes a lot of magic to create one good one.” Sesshomaru was there in the conversation, with a pin flying at the proverbial bubble.

“My book has a large number of potions and spells for creating homunculi, Sesshy, not to mention that I concentrated my studies on Earth and Life magic. One of the easier things for me to do is to create a humanoid homunculus, and only a step up from there is to make it human-looking. Human seeming will have to be the work of a telepath or empath, and controlling it will fall on a telepath's shoulders, if we don't want Naraku to know what we plan to do with them. I can even turn wood into homunculi, and stone is the preferred battle form, though it is harder to animate.” And, just like that, the proverbial bubble is blown away, out of the range of Sesshomaru's pin.

“Sesshy?”

“It's like me calling Inuyasha Silver, or Maria Ditz.”

“You call me Ditz?”

“Yep. That's beside the point, though. What we're talking about is battle plans and homunculi.”

“How many of these can you make?”

“Ones that are capable of thinking for themselves on a basic level, like knowing where to shoot a bow for the best damage, and look like passable humans, quota is four. Leaving without the structure, keeping them barely humanoid, eight and a half. Loosely controlled with telepathy, looking like passable humans, seven. Humanoid form for the latter, fifteen. Completely controlled with telepathy, human looking, ten, humanoid, quota is thirty-five. And that's with live materials, such as grasshoppers, trees, things like that. With mud, quadruple the quotas for each, for stone, just double it. Stone is the preferred battle homunculi originator, as I said before, because it is harder to `kill' and is more resilient to most attacks, such as water and fire attacks.”

“Wouldn't fire make the mud ones stronger?”

“Nope. When the fire dries the mud, it flakes off, or it becomes brittle enough to shatter.”

“If one of these homunculi is destroyed, could you create another one?”

“Not on the spot. It takes about fifteen minutes to make a decent stone homunculus, and about an ten to make a mud one.”

“Wouldn't you have exhausted your powers by making your full quota of homunculi?”

“No. Most of the energies that go into a homunculi are restored once it is destroyed. It's dangerous to have a lot of homunculi in close proximity to the creator during a battle, because if they are all destroyed at once, the back lashed energies would wipe the creator out.”

“That sounds complicated.”

“Well, it is, especially for people who don't specialize in Earth magicks. The only reason I did is so that I could have a homunculi take notes for me in college. They'll write down everything, and I don't have to go. Unless it rains.”

“You're in collage?”

“Yeah.”

“You seemed younger than that.”

“Well, not my fault. It's probably the clothes.”

“Kagome is always studying for tests so she can get in college. Inuyasha gets frustrated with her for always bringing her books and stuff along for studying.”

“Why doesn't she just get it on tape?”

“Excuse me, but I believe we were talking about homunculi and battle strategies.”

“Of course, Sesshy. We're so sorry to interrupt your beautiful plan... oh, wait, it was my plan! So stuff it.”

“If I may intercede, what is the difference between human seeming and human looking?” Miroku jumped between the two, and intercepted their fight.

“Human seeming is when they act human, human looking is where they look human. Isn't it obvious?” Once again, Maria stunned them with her brain - or, more accurately, the use of her brain.

“What she said.”

“Hey, guys? Is any one watching Inuyasha and Kagome besides me?” Shippo spoke up from the corner where the scrying bowl was hidden. Everyone's head snapped to look at him, and the girls all ran over and crowded around him.

“Are they arguing? Turn up the volume!”

Secluded glade, Japan
Feudal Era, Monday, Day-ish 11

“What did you say? Say it again!” Kagome had a stricken look on her face, and she leaned towards Inuyasha hopefully.

“I didn't love Kikyo?” He hoped to get out of having to repeat the one part where he said he loved her, because, even though he had already said it, he was afraid to say it again. Saying things like that on purpose, by the way, is very stressful, hard, and makes you uncomfortable. I believe this is called the spotlight symptom.

“What you said after that, Inuyasha.”

“Not the... the way... I-didn't-love-her-the-way-I-love-you.”

“You love me?”

Inuyasha could do nothing other than nod, and so he did this with an enthusiasm.

“Really... Oh, Inuyasha!” Kagome's face lit up, and Inuyasha's heart stopped trying to choke him. Just in time for Kagome's out flung arms to encircle his neck and choke him in their turn.

“Ka...*choke* ...Kagome!” Inuyasha tried to yell in a strangled voice.

“Oh, I am soooooo soooooo soooooo sorry! Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Just warn me next time, okay?” He thought for a moment, then said, “I guess that means you're not in any danger of giving in to Koga or that Hojo guy in your time, right?”

“Giving in?”

“Well, they have been courting you, ya know. Koga, at least, seemed intent on wearing you down to be his mate. Mangy wolf.” He growled, and scowled, too.

“I never had any intention of letting Koga go any further than courting. I was waiting for my handsome Prince Charming to come to his senses and declare his undying love for me. But, since he didn't show up, I'll have to settle for you.” Kagome had meant it as a joke, but, seeing the look on Inuyasha's face, realized he didn't get it, and thought she was serious.

“Inuyasha, I wasn't really waiting for a Prince Charming. I was just waiting for an incredibly handsome hanyou to figure out he loved me. It was a joke.”

“So, you were waiting for me the whole time?”

“Uh-huh. I was even willing to take second to Kikyo.”

“I'd never put you second to Kikyo, Kagome! Never!”

“So long as it stays that way,” Kagome said in a fake threat, “Everything will be just fine, won't it?”

Inuyasha propped himself up on his elbow to face her. “I swear by... by the Tetsusaiga that I will never place you second to any one. I swear it!”

“When we... If we have kids, you damn well better put me second!” Kagome said vehemently. Kagome rarely, if ever, swears, and so this statement surprised him. A lot.

“I swear by the Tetsusaiga, I will never place you second to any one except our children, and then only when it's necessary for their survival or raising.”

“Good.” Kagome felt a blush rising to her face.

“What are you embarrassed about now?”

“I... I swore...”

“So? You didn't take a vow or oath against it, did you?”

“No. But, it's not lady like!”

“I don't want lady like,” Inuyasha said, tilting her chin up so he could meet her eyes. “I want Kagome.”

Kagome licked her lips, which were suddenly feeling very dry and chapped. The movement caught the attention of Inuyasha, and his gaze dropped to her mouth.

Should I? Our faces are so close already, and...

Inuyasha's indecision was solved for him as Kagome pressed her lips against his.

Inuyasha was startled for a moment, then returned her kiss. It was soft at first, but, as he grew certain it would not scare her, he leaned into it, deepening the kiss. He marveled at her taste - after so long of imagining what she would taste like, he finally got a chance to - and she tasted so much better than what he dreamed she would.

Kagome pulled back, and Inuyasha reluctantly gave her back her lips. She was breathing a little heavier than she had been before, and a blush was creeping up to her face.

“I...”

Inuyasha put a finger to her lips. “Don't even. I was thinking about the same thing, you know. You just did it.”

“I... Kiss me again.”

Inuyasha was happy to oblige her, and pulled her closer to him. “I love you, Kagome.”

“I love you, too, Inuyasha.”

He breathed in her scent, and kissed her chastely on the forehead. Kagome smiled, and rested her head on his chest.

“Tell me more about your mom, Inuyasha.”

“She loved music so much. Her favorite instrument was the flute, because she had learned to play it from her mother, and, in turn, she taught me. She loved listening to me play. I'd always play festival tunes for her...”

Inuyasha went on, deep into the night, until Kagome fell asleep. Too tired himself to take her back to camp, he gathered her into his arms, and fell asleep, breathing in the scent he had dreamed of for so long. They both smiled as they dreamed, and pulled closer to each other.

Stopped for camp, Japan
Feudal Era, Monday, Night 11

“Awww, that's so sweet!”

“I can't believe the nit actually said that!”

“They'll either be fighting again or kissing soon.”

“I'll go for kissing!”

“Kagome looks pretty!”

“Women!” This last one came from the men, and the girls all shot them the look that men learn to fear. Even Rin pitched in a look, and, despite the fact that she had almost no female influence in her life, she still managed a decent look at them, and Jan felt a sudden, unexpected, and unusual surge of pride. Wonder where that came from? I don't have a reason to be proud the girl can give a look, so why am I? Oh, well. Think later, watch now.

“They're arguing again.”

“That's not arguing, that's loudly discussing. There's a difference. Arguing is when they have different points that the other won't agree with. Besides, it's over.”

They listened to what Inuyasha said next, and Jan knew what Kagome would say next.

“Uh-oh,” they all said in unison when Kagome asked Inuyasha about Kikyo.

He paused for a moment, then replied, “Kikyo was one of the first people since my mom to treat me as more than a mistake or a disgrace. She kinda reminded me of my mom, I guess. I think she was a possibility for a surrogate mother for me, before she died. Now, she scares me, because she feels so much hate and anger, and I don't think there's anything left of her. I didn't really love her, though, not the way I love you.”

“Wonder what Kagome's gonna say to that?”

“I'm just glad he got off the subject of Kikyo quick.” Everyone looked at her funny, and Jan sighed. “He was gonna blab out that he loves her some time tonight, anyway. I just didn't want him to make her feel as if she was gonna be second to Kikyo, and staying on the subject for long would have made her feel like that. Now, look, she's responding.”

Everyone turned back to the bowl to see Inuyasha stumble over repeating his declaration of love.

“Why's he having such a hard time saying it? He's already said it!”

“Because saying things like that on purpose is very stressful, hard, and makes most people, especially people like Inuyasha, uncomfortable. I believe it is called the spotlight symptom.”

“Oh, real romantic. He rushes it out, then nods. What a joke.”

“It's not as easy as you would think, Amelia. You should know that.”

“I wonder if they'll lose it tonight?”

“Lose what?” Shippo and Rin asked simultaneously. Maria started to answer, and got kicked in the shin.

“Their minds. Now, you two should try and get some sleep. We have a long way to go tomorrow, and there's a ton of large streams in our way, so I can't teleport us there.” Giving Maria a dirty look, Jan ushered the kids off to their bed rolls.

“You should know better than to talk about that kind of stuff around kids their age, Maria!”

“Lose what?” Sango asked, and Maria choked back a laugh.

“If you don't know, I'm not gonna tell you.” Jan walked away to where the guys were sitting, and poked Miroku. “You need to try to educate her in these kinds of things.”

“She'd kill me!” he exclaimed, then realized that he had just admitted that he had been listening.

“Stop touching her ass, look her in the eyes, stop touching other women's asses, and stop asking every girl you meet to bear you children, and you'll do fine. In point, she won't kill you if you stop acting like a lecher. She's your one true, Lecher, but you won't get her if you keep acting like your name.”

Miroku stared at her, and Jan grinned as she pushed his open mouth closed with her finger.

“Truth is truth, monk, and even I can tell this. I'll bet any one could, if they looked for it.” They both stared at Sesshomaru then, their mouths hanging wide open. He smirked, and said, “You told me to be less aloof, Kechara.”

Jan recognized the word, and narrowed her eyes.

“Kechara?” Miroku queried.

“It's an old magic word.”

“Magic word?”

“It doesn't have any power, when it's alone. He's using it for it's meaning.”

“What does it mean?”

“I wouldn't know,” she replied stiffly. Miroku looked at her funny, then shrugged.

“What are the chances of you helping me with Sango the way you've helped Inuyasha and Kagome?”

“Slim to none, Lecher, and Slim's out of town.”

He thought over this, trying to figure out what she meant, then said, “Why not?”

“Because some people need a push, and some people don't. You just need advice. And I already gave that to you.”

Miroku looked crestfallen, and Jan patted his shoulder. “It'll work out, Miroku. I'm sure of it.”

The others came back then, and they began to plan for the meeting with Naraku once again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just for a note, the word `Kechara' is from an author named Mercedes Lackey, and it means, in its simplest form, `beloved'. Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite authors, and I couldn't think of anything else to put in, so I put that in. And Jan does know what the word means, she just doesn't want Miroku to know before she knows why Sesshomaru called her that. And, please, someone, Review! I beg of you!