InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Seal ❯ Getting to know eachother ( Chapter 3 )

Hello, we meet again!

Several of you have asked what's up with Kagome. I won't tell you, because a) it would ruin the surprise (ain't I evil??) and b) it's going to become obvious in a couple of chapters away. (at least, that's the way I originally planned it to be.)

I CAN tell you that Kagome has never met Inuyasha before, which you'll see if you read this chapter. Though it probably will leave you more confused with her. (I did it on purpose- 'That's my alibie and I'm sticking with it!!')

And now on with the show!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story (if I did I'd be rich, filthy stinkin rich. I'd be off to the Bahamas and… and… and I better come back down to earth as they aren't mine) ; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

The Seal

Part 3: Getting to know eachother…

Inuyasha perched up on a branch, pondering. The Kikyo-look-a-like was touring around the village with the baba, being introduced as Kikyo reborn. It was starting quite a ruckus. People praying to her, bringing offerings. It was amusing to watch, the girl getting all flustered, not knowing what to do. He'd been following them around in the beginning, but had been spotted by some children, and chased away for scaring them. Right now he was busy trying to adjust to the idea that 50 years had past, and that Kikyo was dead and already reborn. Reborn… 'Keh! That twit is Kikyo? Not a chance,' he snorted to himself. 'Kikyo was pretty… and she smelled nice.' He'd never mistake that wench for Kikyo… yet he had… Forget Kikyo. Kikyo had betrayed him. Kikyo was dead, 50 years ago.

***

Kagome had finally snuck away from Kaede. It was all fine and dandy to be paraded around the village as Kikyo, it kept them from asking too many questions, but it was still kind of freaky when people bowed down to her. It made her feel special. Not that she wasn't special, but usually she'd received a completely different treatment than pure awe. It was… weird. Unsettling, knowing they only did this because they believed she was her previous-- correction, Kikyo's reincarnate. She'd also been spoilt with fifteen years of normalcy in Japans future Tokyo. She smiled to herself, 'If they knew the truth I wonder if they'd be as generous with their praise?'

Shifting her thoughts to more important matters, there was the awakening of Inuyasha. She'd thought him lost. Yet here he was, alive and kicking. 'Make that cursing,' she snickered to herself brushing some hair out of her face. Her amusement faded into a frown. Before the… incident, leading to Kikyo's death, she'd been hoping to… meet… Inuyasha. She had known how Kikyo felt about him, right to the very bloody, bitter end. Inuyasha had been the first thing to spark Kagome's interest in oh so many years. She had wanted him to win, because… because he reminded her too much of herself, and she wanted to know someone like *her* could win. The jewel was supposed to have gone to him, and though she now knew how warped the legend had become, she still would have liked to have known him herself. And she did. For a brief moment…

'And now I have another chance.' Kagome sighed kicking a rock, shifting her pouch full of food offerings. "But things are different now. I don't want to go back… I don't want them to know…" she mumbled to herself. Shifting her gaze up to the sky, she stated irritably: "But I guess that someone else *does*! Selfish bastards!!"

Shaking her head she turned toward where she'd last seen Inuyasha. At least she could have some fun, and get to know him this time. She smirked, oddly enough giving a moderate enough impression of Inuyasha himself, "And like mama said, 'the way to any guys heart is through his stomach.'"

***

Inuyasha was so deep in thought that he hardly noticed the approaching girl. A flying tomato was all the warning he got, his body reacting before it splattered his haori. "Eh?" Glancing down he spotted the wench just standing there smiling. 'The bitch!' He growled at the girl, hoping she could take a hint. She couldn't.

"There. That's part of your share," she said, all smiles. 'My share? What the fuck's wrong with her?' "What's all that food?" He didn't trust her, she was up to something, and eyeing all that food she'd been given, she was doing quite well at it.

"They're offerings from the villagers. Come on down, and we'll share it," Kagome continued, unfazed by his mistrust. 'Come on Inuyasha, don't make me say it.'

Well… he was hungry… Edging closer, he sat down by the girl who was already busy munching on her loot. 'Something is definitely wrong…' he thought eyeing the calm girl, 'She's not reeking of fear.'

Inuyasha was eyeing her warily, she could feel his glare boring a hole in her back. "What are you scheming, bitch?" 'Scheming?' Meeting his eyes she smiled carefully, "Nothing, it's just… you. You hate me, don't you?" "YOU MAKE ME RETCH," he snarled out. 'Why that little… What'd I ever do?!' "Listen you, I'm *Kagome*, not Kikyo. I never will be Kikyo, either!" Kagome ground out. It was getting kind of tiring with this unfair treatment, him shoving all his resentment onto her. And though she was hiding behind the charade of the whole reincarnation thing, she still would like to be resented for her own actions, not a loooong dead miko's.

"Keh! That's what the baba says." The girl stared at him incrediusly, "And you believe her?! Dammit, I am *not* Kikyo!!" Considering the fact that the bitch was about to spontaneously combust with all that smoke steaming out from her, *that* wasn't that hard to believe. Kikyo had never lost control of herself like this chick was. From this point on Inuyasha kept on egging her purely due to his own stubbornness and sadistic pleasure.

Inuyasha schooled a carefully indifferent face, resisting the urge to flip her one. Counting his fingers as he lay it at her, he casually remarked: "Oh? You smell like her, you look like her, and you sound like her… so that must mean you *are* her." Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, he smirked. She was slowly loosing her cool. Good.

Kagome *was* steaming at this point. Here she was trying to be friendly, finally get to know him, and he had the nerve to… 'Why that son of a… Smell like her, SMELL LIKE HER?! After *all* I've been through!! I'll give him 'smell like her'!!!' And with that Kagome executed, admittedly unintentionally, the most devilish act to put the hanyou in his place, using one of Inuyasha's, and most other guys, few weaknesses. She broke down and began crying.

Inuyasha was sourly regretting making fun of her. She'd just suddenly started sniffing, all innocent at first. Then the quiet tears had come, and it had rapidly progressed to loud sobbing. Grasping for anything to stop the flood that was raining down at him, he waved his hand in front of her, trying to appease her, "Fine! You're not Kikyo. You're *not* *bloody* Kikyo!!" And then the rain stopped, and the warmest smile sprouted from her face. "I knew you'd see it my way," she grinned. 'I've been had. I can't believe it!' Inuyasha did the only thing he could. He facefaulted.

***

'Maybe I went to far,' Kagome eyed the sulking hanyou. He hadn't spoken a single word after that stunt, only throwing disgusted looks at her every now and then. She hadn't meant to offend him, just… What had she meant to achieve, come to think of it? Loosen him up? But it had felt good, all the same, to cry all out. Sighing at the obviously very childish hanyou, she braced herself, 'Well, only one thing left to do. Swallow your pride now…'

"I'm sorry." He nearly didn't hear it. He actually thought he'd imagined it until she repeated it. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, it was mean of me. I'm sorry." Looking up, she actually looked sincere. Somewhat. Well that ruined all his plans for payback. All kind of ways of torture tossed out the window. Why did she have to go and apologise…? The nerve! He had just catalogued her as all the others, and then she had to go and apologies. She must be up to something…

It was rather obvious that he didn't believe her from the looks he was sending her. Well… who could blame him really. Here he was, back from the dead, facing the look-a-like of his murderer, subdued by her and mocked. But what could she do? She'd already said she was sorry… And she was under a lot of stress herself.

If anybody had passed by the two youths at this time, they would have met with a rather melancholic view. None of them were speaking, leaning against the tree, the air brimming with tension and awkwardness.

Finally, Kagome had had enough. They weren't getting anywhere. "So…" and there her courage ended. Inuyasha glanced up. What to say, now that she had his attention? "So," fumbling for anything to say, that hopefully wouldn't start another argument, she asked, "so, um… why *did* you want the jewel?"

Inuyasha blinked. Hadn't they already been through this? Shaking his head at her, he answered gruffly: "As the baba said, to be a full demon." And then just to show that he was just humouring the puny mortal for now, he threw in, "You senile or something, wench?!"

Taking no heed of the insult, Kagome smiled at him. He'd answered, insulted her as well in the process, but it was a start. "That's all? You want to be a full demon?" Kagome eyed him a bit uncertainly, "What's the difference?" The question caught him by surprise. "The difference?" he mouthed. Kagome nodded encouragingly, "Uh huh. The difference. Between full demons and halflings. There must be something different about them since you want to change. So, what is it?"

It was such a simple question, totally innocent the way it was asked, yet he couldn't answer it, he'd never thought about it. People had just said so and he'd believed them. Why should they lie?

Brushing the revelation angrily aside, it was too late now, he'd come too far, he huffed, "Feh! That's none your business."

Kagome frowned at the answer, but didn't pursue it. "What you gonna do afterwards?" Inuyasha snorted at her, irritated, "What's with all the questions, bitch?" "I just wanted to know. No need to throw a hissy fit," Kagome sniffed at him, "I never met a demon before." Not really a lie… "You're cute. Decides, what harm could it cause? For all you know I might just give the jewel to you…" she looked thoughtful at him a moment before adding, "*If* you have a good reason. All you have to do is ask." And with that Kagome stood up, leaving behind a speechless Inuyasha. 'I can't believe I said that.'

'Did she mean it?'

-

Praeceps:

Ooooooo, we're nearing the good bits!! Soon we'll be trailing off from the original plotline, but not quite yet…

It's after we leave the plotline that it gets tricky. I *know* what happens before we trail off, but I have no particular idea what happens afterwards. I just have the destination in mind.

I'll also like to state at this point, what should be obvious, that Kagome is NOT all-knowing. She knows bits… WHY she knows some bits will come later. ('Aren't I nice?' Dodges books thrown at me.)

^-^

Well that was all, for today at least, toodles!! ;-D