InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Seal ❯ The smell of flowers ( Chapter 5 )

Aloha!! (Yes I know I don't speak Hawaiian)

If you've looked at my authors page you'll see my ode to freedom from school. Yes. Yes it is true. IIIIIIIIIiiii'mmm FFFFFFFffffrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha *wheeze* hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

Hrm… Yes I feel much better now that that's off my chest.

As you may notice, I will be updating this story a little less often than I have till now. This is because, as previously stated, I've now posted the already written chapters that I just had to polish up a bit. I still know in which way I'm heading with this story of mine, but now I actually have to write entire new chapters, instead of fixing up old pre-written ones. Never the less I will continue writing (unless all of you threaten me with a beating for my horrible lack of writing-skills)!!

Nothing much has happened yet (duh), but hopefully I'll be getting around to some action soon.

At this point some of you might wonder about Kagome (such a moody girl), I won't divulge any secrets about her at this point, but she isn't at this point a very stable person, not without reason, but I'm not telling… nyah nyah ;-p

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 5: The smell of flowers…

Inuyasha watch the village children race off to tell their parents of the new story they'd heard, shaking his head. His attention switched to the wannabe-Kikyo, who was now… staring up at him? Indeed she was. Why?

"Inuyasha, come down!!" "No." Kagome frowned up at the hanyou. 'Well, that was blunt. Oh well, when in Rome…'

Inuyasha was rather startled when instead of leaving, the little wench started to climb up to him. 'What on earth is she up to?' Staring at her, as she drew closer, his interest started to spike. She was a really weird girl, one minute she was making fun of him, the other she was being annoyingly sweet, and when left to her own devises she turned rather sombre. He couldn't figure her out. She was nothing like Kikyo…

"Are you just gonna stare at me, or are you gonna help me up?" "Keh," he humph'ed grabbing her outstretched arm and hoisting her up. 'Just this once…'

Once safely perched on the branch, Kagome took the time to admire the view. "Wow… I see why you lived here. It's nice." She glanced over at him. He was eyeing her warily. "What do you want?" "I just wanted to talk." She looked troubled. "Then talk," was the curt reply. She cast a searching glance at him. He was willing?

"It's a sore point." Inuyasha eyed her curiously. What was she talking about? He hesitated a second wondering if he really wanted to encourage her to pester him. In the end curiosity beat annoyance.

"What's a sore point, wench?" Kagome jumped, not expecting a reply. Clearing her throat she looked him strait in the eyes. This might be her chance to come clear. Partly at least. And for some odd reason it was important that he believe her. Hesitantly, yet gaining courage, she spoke, "Kikyo. She… I'm not Kikyo."

Inuyasha wanted to bang his head against a tree, or something else conveniently placed near by. 'Oh no, not this again. Doesn't she get enough?' He eyed her dubiously, rubbing his temples, "You smell like her."

Kagome perked up at his reluctant reply. 'Is it my imagination or was that more of a question than a statement? Let's see where this may take us…'

Inuyasha was a dog-demon. Dogs have a great sense of smell, and so did he. Dogs also had cute, furry ears that drove her crazy, just like Inuyasha's, but that was besides the point. Kagome knew this. She knew that all living creatures perceived the world through their own senses, and humans would see a very different world if their senses were as enhanced as his. Inuyasha didn't just see people, he sensed them; through sight and sound and smell, and probably through touch aswell. There was no end to the ways that he could perceive people. He knew them, knew their looks, heard their heartbeats, read their scents. He saw them. All of them. And he would remember them always. Kagome understood this. Heck, that was probably part of why she was so fascinated by him, besides his gruff attitude and tragic history. But more importantly, she could use this now, explain to him what no one else could possibly comprehend. Make him understand, yet still keep her precious secret from him, from all of them.

Shooting him a evaluating glance, she presented her question as neutrally as possible, trying to gage his reaction to it. "What do I smell like, really? No, let me rephrase that. What did Kikyo smell like?" Silence. Good, he was thinking about it.

"She smelled sweet. Like flowers."

The answer came so abrupt that she was startled, nearly loosing her footing on the branch. She hadn't actually expected an answer from him, figuring he'd try to skirt around the subject or completely ignore her. She was pleasantly surprised. Of course, that didn't matter if she were to fall out of the tree and break her neck.

Inuyasha dove towards her as she toppled over. Pure reflex. Their eyes locked, as he held on to her, pulling her back up, and she couldn't help it. She smiled. "Thank you." "Keh." He looked away, too embarrassed to even insult her.

When both had settled back on the branch securely, Kagome taking her time to lock her limbs around the branch in a comfortable manner, she continued her ploy, slowly prodding him down the right direction. "So what do you smell when you smell me?" "Look, bitch, I already told you, you smell like fucking Kikyo, only…" He stopped, not willing to say more. Kagome let out a triumphant grin, but avoiding sounding smug. "I smell a lot stronger, don't I?"

That was exactly it. How had she known?

"I do, don't I." Inuyasha could hear the satisfaction in her voice, and it angered him, rubbing against his bruised ego. The little wench was right, and she was revelling with that knowledge. She was pushing all his buttons.

"So what of it?!" He sounded more like a pouting child, than a grown hanyou. Kagome could hear the suppressed anger behind his growls, directed at her. Time to tread with caution, she had to go straight to the point before he lost his temper.

"Kikyo was the guardian of the jewel, was she not?" A curt nod followed. "And she was around the jewel a lot. Right?" Another nod, though he was getting more hesitant. "Kikyo didn't only smell of flowers, did she." "…"

He didn't know what to think. Thinking back, there were times when she smelled less flowery, and more… bitter. Well bitter wasn't the word for it either. Behind the smell of flowers and sweet fresh air, lurked a more melancholic smell.

"It's the jewel." "Huh?" his head snapped up. Kagome was gazing at him with an unreadable expression. "The smell… it's because of the jewel. She was around it all the time. It rubbed off on her. It was the jewel you kept smelling, not Kikyo." It was Inuyasha's turn to frown. "Than why do you look alike?" "I'd say pure fluke. And we don't look identical. We have different eyes. And her hair was straighter."

'That's true. The wench does have a point. But…' Inuyasha's eyes widened, 'Hey, how'd the bitch know what Kikyo looked like?! She died 50 years ago.'

The clinking of beads brought him back to the present. The girl was smiling sadly at him, holding the prayer-beads, the very ones used to subdue him. "Here. You can keep them as a momento." "Wha-why…?" Inuyasha's brain was having trouble processing this strange behaviour. Didn't she have a single preservation instinct? Was she insane? He voiced his thoughts. Kagome laught softly, though she wouldn't meet his eyes. "You are wild, ne? All wild creatures should be free." She looked way from him, leaning softly against the goshinbuki's bark with a sigh, gazing at the setting sun. "It's a horrible feeling, you know, not being in control… To know that for all your strength, all your pride, just one word… one word will reduce you to… well you should know, ne? It… it ruins you. It's like you loose a part of yourself. I wouldn't wish that on anyone… no one. I suppose that telling that story reminded me of that." The last came out in a whisper. Inuyasha opened his mouth to demand more answers, but was cut off by a quiet sniff. She was crying again. "Please don't ask me, Inuyasha," she pleaded softly, resting her head on his shoulder. Closing her eyes she continued, tears still flowing, "I keep secrets. And I can't tell you them." His ears flicked to and throe in indecision. She sounded so tired and weary, nothing like the girl he'd come to know in this short amount of time. And she'd FREED him… But she was hiding something, she'd admitted so herself… Another sniff escaped her lips. 'Sigh… I'm going soft.' He reached out a clawed hand to her. The surprise on her face was worth the unusual action, as she took the proffered hand, smiling unsurely. He'd let it go this one time.

Two people could be seen that night, sitting in the goshinbuki. One leaning against the other, having drifted off to sleep. The other gazing at the stars, arm slung around the first one, keeping her steady…

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Praeceps:

Yes, now it is done. This chapter that is…

If you have any questions about the story that you find unclear, I will do my best to answer them, as long as I deem them of no harm to my present plot-line. I really appreciate all your ramblings (not in anyway meant as insulting, just clearing that up), and might use some for inspiration if permitted, but for now I have my own agenda.

Thanks to all you reviewers, especially Lirael who has reviewed all my chapters (see I really do read them), I'll do my best not to disappoint you all.

PS. Is nobody going to read and review my other story, soon to be stories?

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