InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Problem With Presents ❯ Chapter 1

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A/N: I hope you enjoy this, I just couldn't resist, especially when a similar situation presented itself at work.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not now, not ever.

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He was back again.

Inuyasha's muscles coiled, and he straightened as the familiar young man entered the courtyard and made his way toward the main house.

Another gift, he thought with an angry scowl. What is this guy up to?

He watched with annoyance as the young man presented his offering to Kagome's grandfather, and the old man accepted the gift with a deep bow and a happy smile. In a gesture of gratitude and affection, Jii-chan clasped the younger man's shoulder.

“Keh,” Inuyasha muttered as the two parted, and the young man bounded down the step whistling a happy tune. Crossing his arms around Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha settled back against the trunk of Goshinboku and awaited Kagome's return from school.

A week had passed since they secured their latest fragment of the Shikon no Tama from a low-level youkai just outside of Edo. Afterward, Kagome had remembered a test that she desperately needed to study for and had begged for permission to return home. Feeling charitable, he had let her go without argument.

“Inuyasha!”

Lifting his head, he fought a smile as a beaming Kagome came in to view, waving vigorously. Though he would never admit it, he had missed the strange miko after just a day and opted to wait in her time until she was ready to continue their quest. It was a nice change of pace. Kagome's mother was a fantastic cook, and her brother and grandfather were mildly entertaining. If nothing else, the cat was fun to torture. Though Naraku and the Shikon no Tama were never far from his mind, in Kagome's era he almost felt at peace.

He dropped out of the tree as an out-of-breath Kagome approached the house. “Oi,” he called, sliding Tetsusaiga to its place at his side. “Are you ready to go back?”

The anxious expression on her face was answer enough. “Inuyasha, I'd -”

“No,” he snapped with a glower. He had been more than reasonable, and his patience was waning. “You've been here for almost a week. It's time to go back.”

“I know,” she replied in a rush. “And I appreciate how understanding you've been, Inuyasha, but I've almost caught up with my studies and I just need two more days so I can take another test and -”

“Two days?” he interrupted sharply. “That's too long!”

“Please,” she begged with her hands held together imploringly. Taking a deep breath, she planted on her most convincing expression. “Inuyasha, please…”

He hated it when she resorted to such dirty tactics: widening those big, brown eyes and making her lower lip tremble. Irritated at the situation, but even more so that he was helpless against her powers of persuasion, he merely huffed and headed toward the well. There were a few things he wanted to talk to the others about anyway.

“Two days!” he yelled, slamming the door to the well house behind him. Although the wood of the door was thick, it didn't shut out Kagome's happy laughter or her expressions of gratitude, and he fought back another smile before he disappeared into the well.

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“Are you jealous, Inuyasha?” Miroku teased as Sango giggled, and Shippou and Kirara chased one another in a nearby field.

“Feh!” the hanyou snorted and looked away. He didn't know what he felt, but he was absolutely certain that it wasn't jealousy. “I'm just…curious.”

Holding back her laughter, Sango cleared her throat and adjusted Hiraikotsu on her shoulder. She had been surprised, to say the least, when Inuyasha had calmly asked to speak with them. Of all the things that she had imagined he wanted to talk about, this had never even remotely crossed her mind. “Every day, you say?”

Inuyasha nodded, looking away once more to conceal his look of disgust. “Almost always the same time too. And her grandfather looks so sickeningly happy to see him.”

Miroku coughed to cover his chuckle. Shaking her head at Inuyasha's transparency, Sango shrugged. “Well, traditionally, a man brings a woman a gift to show his affection.”

Inuyasha turned his attention back to his companions. “Affection?”

Nodding, Miroku grinned at the hanyou's mounting anger. “Yes,” he added, “and when the woman accepts his gifts, she shows that she recognizes and welcomes his advances. It's a form of courting.”

“Courting,” Inuyasha growled menacingly. “She can't court that bastard! I won't let her!”

“You can't stop Kagome-chan from courting whomever she chooses,” Sango scolded lightly. “I think it's wonderful she has someone taking an interest in her.”

Ignoring the slayer's blatant hint, Inuyasha shook his head. “I have to find a way to stop this,” he groused. “Besides killing him, what can I do?”

Sango sighed, “You could just tell her how you feel.”

Horrified, Inuyasha blanched. “How I feel? What do you mean?”

Miroku coughed lightly once more and patted the distressed hanyou's shoulder. “You don't have to hide it from us, Inuyasha. If you want to secure Kagome-sama's affections, you should court her yourself.”

Flushing, Inuyasha glowered at the snickering pair. “It isn't like that,” he snapped. “She can't court anyone until she completes the Shikon no Tama. That has to come first!”

Sango moved to protest but was stilled by Miroku's gentle hand.

“Kagome-sama is a beautiful woman,” the houshi stated with a small shrug. “You are a fool if you think that other people do not notice. And though she has a responsibility to you and the Shikon no Tama, a woman's heart suffers when it grows lonely. A word of advice, my friend: if you do not do something soon, you run the risk of losing her to someone else.”

Inuyasha was still stammering as he watched Sango and Miroku head back toward the village.

I'm definitely not jealous, he snorted to himself. I don't care who courts that silly girl, but I need her now to find the jewel shards. My feelings are purely professional. I'll just tell her that she has to wait. Kagome will understand.

Making up his mind, the hanyou streaked toward the well and leapt inside before his courage could fail him. Although he would never admit it aloud, the miko could be frightening at times; especially when she thought he was meddling in things that did not concern him. Emerging in Kagome's time, he scowled as he caught the young man's scent once more. That bastard was here again!

He couldn't explain the feeling that rose in his chest at the thought of Kagome courting that wimpy-looking young man. She was kind and giving, but also strong-willed and stubborn. That frail-looking, gift-giving, stupid-no-good-son-of-a-snake would never be good enough for the Shikon Miko.

Within moments, he was within Kagome's room.

“Inuyasha?” Kagome looked up from one of her books in confusion. Though she enjoyed his company, the hanyou usually found other forms of entertainment when in her time. “Is something wrong?”

Against his better judgment, he blurted out, “Who is that guy that keepings bringing you gifts?”

“Gifts?” Kagome repeated as she set down her pen. Thinking for a moment, her eyes widen in surprise. “You mean Houjou-kun? Why do you ask?”

Flushing with humiliation, Inuyasha tucked his hands in his sleeves. “Do you… I mean…” Though his question risked him getting `sat', he had to address this problem. Tensing in anticipation for a meeting with the floor, he pressed on. “Do you accept his gifts?”

A blush rose in her cheeks. What in the world? “Um, kind of,” she answered hesitantly.

“What do you mean?” Inuyasha continued, his stomach curdling in both dread and something else. “So you accept his advances?”

“What?” Her jaw dropped in shock. All at once, she suddenly understood the reason behind his inquiries and began to giggle. “No! Inuyasha, Houjou-kun is a friend. He brings me gift because of all my supposed illnesses. His family is very…ah…health conscious. Why do you ask?”

“The lecher told me that woman accept gifts from men when they are being courted.”

Kagome couldn't help the smile that brightened her expression. “Are you worried?”

“No!” he nearly shouted, his face nearly matching his suikan in color. “I… You can't court until the Shikon no Tama is completed! You promised!”

If she hadn't figured out Inuyasha's intentions, she would have been insulted. However, touched by his obvious jealously and amused by his embarrassment, Kagome opted to allow his fumbling intrusion into her personal life. “I'm not courting Houjou-kun, Inuyasha. It's true that sometimes giving gifts could be interpreted that way, but in my time, it's common for friends to give gifts to one another.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “I accept his gifts to be polite. I don't want to hurt his feelings.” Blushing again, she leaned forward. “And to be honest, it embarrasses me.”

Satisfied, Inuyasha relaxed against her bed as she went back to her homework. That had gone much better than he had imagined. Though he was still unsure about their future, he couldn't deny that he felt immensely better about this `Houjou' guy.

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In a rare good mood, Inuyasha donned the silly-looking hat that covered his ears and checked his reflection in the hallway mirror. It had been a good day. Kagome's mother made a delicious lunch, he had helped Jii-chan without breaking anything, the cat was sufficiently tortured, and he had escaped without injury. But the best part of all: that annoying `Houjou' guy had not made an appearance at his usual time.

Kagome must have set him straight, he thought happily. He was so pleased that he decided to surprise Kagome by picking her up from school. Though it was such a small gesture, he knew it made her happy.

Laughter suddenly caught his ears, and he immediately turned toward the sound. That sounded like Kagome! She must have been released early. Though he was disappointed that his surprise was ruined, he was also excited about the prospects of returning to their quest. In a flash, he leapt out the door and rushed toward the shrine steps.

His elation was quickly quashed as he quietly approached and another scent wafted past his sensitive nose. It was him. And even worse, it was him…with Kagome.

Inuyasha seethed as he watched the exchange from a safe place out of sight. She lied, he fumed to himself as Kagome accepted the young man's gift with a beaming smile and a deep bow. Clutching the parcel to her chest, she laughed at something the man said and looked so beautiful that it made the hanyou's chest ache. She said she was embarrassed by his gifts, but she doesn't smell embarrassed. She smells flattered and grateful.

“Tomorrow?” He heard her call as the young man turned and began his trek down the steps.

“Of course,” he called back.

Resisting the urge to beat the young man to a pulp, Inuyasha watched as he left the shrine with a cheerful smile on his face. Determined to do something, a plan began to formulate in the hanyou's mind. In a few moments, a chilling expression crossed his face. Maybe Kagome was just too nice to tell the guy to leave her alone. If that was the case, then he would make sure that he and that `Houjou' guy had an understanding.

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Inuyasha felt an evil grin lift his lips as he caught a familiar scent in the breeze. Muscles coiling in anticipation, he waited until the young man came into sight. There he is, he thought with a scowl. Same time, every day. Cocky bastard. And he has another damn gift! Today, it ends.

Leaping from his perch, he landed heavily in front of the startled young man, causing him to drop his offering.

“W-what is this?” the man stammered, stumbling back from the growling hanyou.

“Listen here,” Inuyasha snarled, snagging the front of the man's shirt and lifting him from the ground. “You are never to come back here again.”

“B-but, Sir! I-”

“Shut up and listen,” Inuyasha cut him off with a sharp bark and shake. “I don't care how much you want to court Kagome. You can't. She's got a responsibility and she doesn't need someone like you to protect her. She's got me.”

“I-I…”

“I said shut up!” Inuyasha's grip tightened and he took a sort of perverse pleasure watching the man's eyes bulge in terror. “Kagome's mine. Do you understand?”

The young man nodded.

“Don't look at her, don't talk to her, don't bring her anymore gifts. Don't even set foot on the shrine grounds again.”

Pulling off his cap, Inuyasha released his ears and shook his head. The young man only stared in horror as the hanyou bared his fangs in a frightening grin and brandished his razor-sharp claws.

Inuyasha's sneered as he felt the young man go limp in his grasp. His scent reeked of defeat and fear. “If I ever catch you here again, you'll be sorry. Do you understand?”

Nearly sobbing in fright, the young man nodded.

Convinced that they had reached an `understanding', Inuyasha dropped him unceremoniously to the ground. The young man stumbled in his haste to flee and nearly fell down the shrine steps. Inuyasha laughed as he ran into the street and narrowly missed getting hit by a car, sobbing all the while.

Serves him right, he thought with a smirk. Bounding up the stairs, he recaptured his pleasant mood and replaced his hat. There was nothing that could ruin the day now. Hell, he was even looking forward to seeing the kitsune runt again. Scenting the air for Kagome, his smile vanished as he slid to a stop in front of the miko and a young man.

“Oh, Inuyasha!” she greeted warmly, gesturing to the boy at her side. Her nervous tension was bitter in his nose. “I'm so glad you're here. I wanted you to meet Houjou-kun.”

“Inuyasha-san,” Houjou bowed in respect, “it is a pleasure to finally meet you. Higurashi speaks…fondly of you. And often.” His polite expression flickered before resetting itself.

Ignoring him, Inuyasha's face blanched. “Uh…what?” he choked out. “T-this is…Houjou?”

Confused by his behavior, Kagome nodded.

“But…” Inuyasha cringed, looking over his shoulder. “Then who was that other guy?”

“Other guy?” Kagome's brow furrowed. “What other guy?”

Inuyasha didn't answer.

“Inuyasha?”

He shook his head.

“Kagome,” Jii-chan called as he emerged from the kitchen. “How was school?”

Still perplexed, Kagome turned her attention to her grandfather. “It was fine, Jii-chan. I think I did well on my exam.”

“That's wonderful!” he exclaimed. “By the way, I'm expecting another shipment of Shikon no Tama key chains this afternoon. Has anyone seen the UPS man?”

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