InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Difference a Little Time Can Make ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. I am not making any money from this.

 

Summary: A butterfly flaps its wings and a tornado occurs on the opposite side of the world. One difference causes a ripple effect, changing everything. What difference can a small change make? What if Inuyasha didn't arrive at Kikyou's village for several weeks? What difference would a little bit of time make? What if he arrived in time to save Kaede from the demons but was mistakenly blamed by Kikyou? What if he never heard of the Shikon no Tama, never had any type of relationship with Kikyou? How would this affect his meeting with Kagome?

 

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. Please continue to let me know what you think of this story. I am more likely to update quickly when I am inspired by reviews, otherwise I might lose interest and take a while to post the next chapter. I'm not saying that I won't post if I don't get a certain number of reviews, just that I write faster when I am inspired.

 

 

They traveled for a long while, and as sunset approached Inuyasha eventually spotted an old dilapidated hut. It had obviously been abandoned for some time and was far enough from the village that they would not have to worry about anybody stumbling across them. He hopped down from the trees to land in front of it before reluctantly letting Kagome slide off of his back.

 

Kagome lifted her head from his back as she felt him land on the ground and stop moving. Feeling his grip on her legs begin to relax, she allowed herself to slide off of his back and took a step away. She immediately missed the warmth of his body and shivered a little.

 

Inuyasha noticed her shiver and said “Come on” as he entered the hut. The inside of the hut looked to be in decent condition, merely dusty from lack of use and in need of a good cleaning. Using the last of the light from the setting sun he grabbed a few rotting furs to use as a makeshift broom and quickly swept the dust and debris out of the hut. That taken care of, he made sure that the fire pit in the center of the hut was clean and ready for use. He knew how cold it could get at night in this region. Inuyasha glanced up to see Kagome hovering in the doorway, curiously looking around the hut. “Oi wench” he called. “Are you coming inside or not?”

 

Kagome blushed at his question but entered. She glanced at him and said “My name is Kagome, not wench.” He raised an eyebrow at her tone of voice. 'She's feisty, gotta give her that.' “Is this your house?” she asked suddenly.

 

He snorted. “Keh. No it probably belonged to one of the woodcutters. That or a hermit. We're far enough away from the village that we shouldn't have to worry about any searchers finding us.”

 

Kagome looked back around the hut before facing him again. “But we're trespassing. What if the owner comes back?”

 

“Keh. Don't make me laugh. Whoever lived here is long gone. They either died or moved to the village as they got too old to handle the workload by themselves. This place hasn't been occupied for years.” He stood suddenly. “Wait here, I'm going to get wood for the fire.”

 

Kagome fidgeted nervously as she looked around the hut. “Wait here, he says. Where does he think I'm going to go?” The sun had set completely a few minutes after he left, leaving Kagome to sit there in the dark. “I couldn't see where I was going even if I did decide to leave.” She muttered to herself.

 

Inuyasha returned a few minutes later with a large pile of wood. His enhanced eyesight had easily allowed him to see where he was going in the dark with only the light provided by the moon. He placed the wood in a pile against the wall and then quickly started a fire in the fire pit. “There, that should last for the rest of the night.” He turned to look at Kagome. “So why didn't you want to go with the other humans?” he asked suddenly. “Why would you rather go with a hanyou then with your own kind?”

 

'There's that word again. Hanyou. What exactly is a hanyou?' Kagome wondered as she thought about what to say. She decided to just tell him the truth. ”Because I trust you more than I do them. You have not given me a reason to fear or distrust you, unlike those villagers.”

 

“Keh! I'm a hanyou. That right there is reason enough for most humans to fear and distrust me. And how do you know that I'm not just trying to get the jewel from you?” He asked as he wondered at this strange girl who showed not the slightest bit of fear at being alone with him.

 

“I don't care if you are a hanyou” 'whatever that is' she told him. “You protected me from that youkai, haven't tried to hurt me even though you've had plenty of opportunities, and unlike the villagers you gave me a choice. And if you were really after the jewel, you have had plenty of opportunities to take it from me. It's not like I could stop you if you tried to take it. And, I don't know, I just feel like I can trust you.” She blushed as she said that last bit and looked away.

 

Meanwhile, Inuyasha sat there in shock at her words. 'She really trusts me?' His eyes softened as he continued to stare at her. 'No one has ever trusted me before. Who is this girl? Why do I feel so drawn to her? Does she feel it too, this connection?'

 

A sudden noise caught his attention and he looked up as Kagome's stomach gave another growl. She blushed and covered it with her hands as if to quiet it. “Sorry, I guess I'm a bit hungry.” Her stomach gave an even louder growl as if in agreement and her blush grew.

 

Inuyasha felt his own stomach grumble in response. “Keh. You're not the only one. Wait here and I'll be back with something to eat.” She nodded her agreement and Inuyasha was shown another sign of the depth of her trust. 'What did I do to earn her trust in so little time?' he wondered. As he exited the hut he grabbed a couple of jugs that had been near the wall so that he could bring water back as well.

 

While he was gone Kagome explored around the hut. She felt odd, going through someone's home but she found that Inuyasha was correct, the place was abandoned. The only objects still present were a couple of old, cracked plates. She couldn't even find an old blanket. She settled for smoothing out the dirt floor beside the fire so that they would be able to sit comfortably. Then she settled in to wait for Inuyasha to return. She didn't have to wait long.

 

True to his word, Inuyasha returned a short while later. He brought with him a rabbit and several fish. They were already cleaned and ready to be cooked. Kagome found herself grateful for that, she didn't know if she would have been able to eat if she had seen them before they were prepared. They set the food over the fire to cook.

 

Once the food was cooking and all they could do was wait, Inuyasha took one of the jugs of water and gestured for Kagome to move closer. “Here, wench. Let's have a look at that wound of yours. Don't want an infection to set in.”

 

“I told you, my name is Kagome. KA-GO-ME.” She told him though she did move closer.

 

“Keh.” Was his only reply as he examined the damage to her side. He tore a small piece of cloth from the sleeve of his haori and soaked it in the water before using it to clean the cut. The wound wasn't very deep and appeared to have already stopped bleeding.

 

Kagome blushed at his actions and nearness. “Thank you” she told him as he worked. “You didn't have to ruin your clothes though.”

 

He snorted. “Don't worry about it. It's made from the fur of the Fire Rat. It'll repair itself.” He continued his task. Once that wound was taken care of he started tending to the smaller scratches on her arms and legs.

 

“Oh” she replied. Seeing what he was doing she told him “You don't have to do that. I'm sure I'll be fine.”

 

However, he was in no hurry to give up the closeness to her that his actions gave him. “Keh! If these aren't taken care of they could get infected. You think I want to be stuck lugging you around and taking care of you if that happens.”

 

“Oh. I'm sorry to be such a burden” she said as she looked away, tears pooling in her eyes.

 

He kicked himself for his words when he heard the tone of her voice. As the scent of her unshed tears hit him he panicked. “Oi, don't cry wench. I didn't mean it like that. I just mean that you humans are weak and get hurt so easily. Don't cry.”

 

Seeing the barely concealed panic on his face and hearing the apologetic tone of voice, Kagome calmed down. She laughed as she thought 'Look at the big tough guy. He can slay youkai and act tough but the thought of a woman crying sends him into a panic.' “I'm not crying. And stop calling me wench.”

 

He calmed down at that. “Keh. Looks like the food's done” he said as his nose relayed that fact to him. Removing the food from the fire, he distributed it equally between them using the plates that Kagome had found earlier. They sat and ate, easily polishing off the food between the two of them. Kagome hadn't eaten since breakfast that day and Inuyasha's last meal had been fifty years ago, so it was no wonder that they were both so hungry.

 

Once they were finished they sat there in silence, simply enjoying one another's company. Kagome fidgeted a bit as she glanced at him. “Hey Inuyasha?” He turned his head to look at her. “I was wondering, what did you mean about you being a hanyou? What exactly is a hanyou, and why would it be a reason to distrust you?”

 

His eyes widened at her question. 'Is she serious? How does she not know what a hanyou is? It's just a trick, she's trying to mock me. I knew this was too good to be true.' He bristled and became defensive. “Keh! Don't act like you don't know what a hanyou is. You're just like all the others, trying to mock me. This was all an act, wasn't it? You were just pretending to be nice, hoping I would reveal something to you and then you were going to use it to make a fool out of me. Well you can forget it. I'm nobody's fool.” With that he stood and started to storm out of the hut.

 

Kagome's eyes widened at his outburst. 'What did I say?' As he made to leave, she panicked. “Wait Inuyasha, please! Don't go. I'm sorry, whatever I said or did I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make a fool out of you, I swear. I really don't know what a hanyou is. I'm sorry for asking something that is obviously so personal, you don't have to answer. Just please, please don't leave.” Tears were leaking out of her eyes as she pleaded with him.

 

Inuyasha had paused in the doorway. 'She-she really means it. She really doesn't know?' The scent of her tears reached him and he turned around. “D-don't cry. I won't leave, alright. So stop your crying already.”

 

At his gruff command for her to stop crying she looked up to see him moving back inside. Wiping at her eyes, she offered him a small smile. “I really am sorry Inuyasha. I didn't mean to ask something that's obviously so personal.”

 

“Keh. Not really that personal. It's kind of obvious what I am.” Seeing her look of confusion, he flicked his ears in her direction. Her eyes caught the movement and she stared at them. “See? The ears should make it obvious.”

 

Kagome stared at his ears and fought the urge to touch them. 'No, it was one thing when he was sleeping and didn't know. I can't just go around touching someone's ears without permission. I wonder if he would let me...' She shook her head to clear it and turned back to Inuyasha. “I still don't understand. I know that they aren't human but I know that you're not human. So what does it mean?”

 

'She really doesn't understand' he thought as he saw the genuine look of confusion on her face. “Keh. They mark me as a hanyou. I'm part youkai and part human, belonging to neither. Humans hate me for my youkai heritage and youkai hate me for my human heritage.”

 

“But that's stupid. You can't help who your parents are.” She told him. She blushed. “And as for your ears, I actually think that they're kind of cute.”

 

His eyes widened at her continued acceptance of him, even now that she knew the truth of what he was. 'She accepts me as I am. It doesn't bother her at all. No one has ever accepted me before, not since Mother.' Then the rest of her words reached him and he blushed. “Oi! My ears are not cute.” He told her loudly, eliciting a giggle from her.

 

Now that the tension between them had dissolved they resat themselves by the fire. Inuyasha turned to her and asked “How come you didn't know what a hanyou is? And your clothes are strange, I don't think clothing could have changed that much in fifty years. Where are you from?”

 

It was now Kagome's turn to be unsettled by a question. She sighed. “I'm not from here. Where I come from there aren't any youkai or hanyou or miko. They are just stories, legends. I live with my family at our shrine. This morning while I was looking for my cat in the old well house, Mistress Centipede burst out of the well and grabbed me, dragging me through the well. I found myself at the bottom of the well but when I climbed out the shrine and everything was gone. Everything here is so different from what I'm used to. There are real youkai and monsters and the people aren't much better. They would kill someone just for dressing differently. I just want to go home.” As she had spoken she had started to cry and by the time she had finished she was sobbing into her hands.

 

Inuyasha was now really nervous and moved closer. “D-don't cry. What is it with you that you keep crying?” His words only made her cry more. Awkwardly patting her back he told her “Please stop crying. I'll help you find a way home, Kagome, I promise.” This had a better effect on her as she raised her head from her hands to look at him.

 

“D-do you mean it?” she asked.

 

“Keh. I said it didn't I? I'll help you find your way home. Now will you stop crying?”

 

Kagome gave him a watery smile as she wiped at her face with her hands. “Thank you Inuyasha.”

 

“Keh.” But he blushed as he looked away.

 

Kagome gave him another smile before suddenly yawning. “Oh. It's been a long day. I guess we should get some sleep.” She started to lay down by the fire but paused when Inuyasha moved to sit against the wall. “Inuyasha?” she asked.

 

“You go to sleep. I'll be fine. I don't need as much sleep as you weak humans. Besides I've been sleeping for fifty years, haven't I?” He received a smile in return for his words. He watched as she quickly fell asleep, exhausted from the events of the day. He continued to sit against the wall, occasionally dozing but alert for signs of danger. He would periodically wake to add wood to the fire.

 

A few hours later Inuyasha opened his eyes looking for the source of the sound that had disturbed him. His eyes landed on Kagome as she made another sound, her body shivering in the cold air despite being near to the fire. With a sigh and a low comment about “weak humans” he got up and removed his haori before moving over to her. Gently covering her with the haori, he paused to breathe in her scent and was surprised when she suddenly grabbed his right hand. He tugged his arm, trying to break her grip but she just held on tighter. “Oi wench, let go of my hand.” She merely frowned in her sleep and rolled over to put her back to him, unknowingly pulling him with her as she held his arm against her chest. Inuyasha had to put his other hand out to stop himself from falling on top of her.

 

He crouched there staring at her and tried to find a way out of his predicament. He couldn't think of a way to free himself without either waking or hurting her. He didn't want to deal with the embarrassment they would face if he woke her so he decided to remain where he was for the moment, believing that she would eventually release him. He stared at her face, admiring the way the firelight reflected off of her hair. His eyes softened and he used his free hand to brush a stray lock of hair from her face. Trying to get comfortable, he laid down on his side next to her with his right arm draped over her body as she still clutched it to herself. A short while later he joined her in slumber.