InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Slave Trade ❯ Carrots ( Chapter 5 )

 

Inuyasha sighed for what seemed the hundredth time. Here he was, the son of the Great InuTaishou, going on a picnic with a kitsune and a human girl. Then again, it was sort of his fault, not that he would admit it. Kagome was going to let him sit in a tree, undisturbed, but he had to open his big mouth and tell her about how he had never been on a picnic before. So here he was, walking through a forest to participate in this god-forsaken picnic. And here comes sigh number one-hundred and one.

 

“Inuyasha, quit sighing,” Kagome said in exasperation, “we're almost there.”

 

Kagome was currently carrying Shippou who had stopped in the middle of the path after a few minutes of walking, which Kagome had assumed meant his feet, er, paws were hurting from the walking.

 

After many sighs and several `are we there yet's', all courtesy of Inuyasha, they finally arrived at their destination.

 

It was beautiful. A small lake with a waterfall, flowers of all different colors, and it was surrounded by tall trees to keep away unwanted visitors. Inuyasha was surprised that, according to his nose, the only creature that had ever been here was Kagome and small forest animals.

 

“I put a barrier around the area when I found it,” Kagome said, as if reading his mind, “I know it's selfish of me, but I wanted a place all my own. So I made sure it kept out humans, youkai, and dangerous animals.”

 

Shippou, not caring how the place came to be as long as it was there, jumped from Kagome's arms and looked for the perfect place to put the blanket and picnic basket. With a smile, Kagome followed the boy and helped him set up the picnic at the spot he had chosen. After everything was in place and Inuyasha had, grudgingly, joined them, Kagome went in for the kill.

 

“So Shippou, what's your favorite color?”

 

Shippou looked longingly at the basket full of food before sighing and shaking his head.

 

“Okay, what about you Inuyasha?” Kagome said, desperate to make Shippou comfortable.

 

Inuyasha also glanced longingly where the food was hidden before gruffly answering, “Feh, red, I guess.”

 

Kagome sighed, “Alright, you can eat now.”

 

The words had barely left her mouth before the two males had attacked the basket and started to gorge themselves.

 

A few hours later, Kagome and Shippou found themselves lying on their backs watching the clouds roll by. Well, Kagome watched the clouds as Shippou stared aimlessly in space, lost in thought.

 

“Yen for your thoughts,” Kagome said softly while chomping on a carrot.

 

Shippou merely continued to stare, not giving a response. Kagome didn't push him, but glanced worriedly at the young kitsune.

 

“Yo, runt,” Inuyasha called from the tree trunk he was resting against, “come over here.”

 

Shippou hesitated a moment before, seeing the fierce look upon Inuyasha's face, walking over to him.

 

“Listen,” Inuyasha whispered when the boy reached him, “I know it's hard to believe, but Kagome is a decent master so far. I think it would be okay for you to talk to her, but never let your guard down. She's kind now, but you never know for sure.” Inuyasha sighed, voicing his own concerns. He liked Kagome and prayed that this was what she was and would always be like, but you could never trust anyone. Not even yourself, as Inuyasha knew all to well.

 

Shippou stared at him for a minute before sitting down next to Kagome and quietly started a conversation. The smile Kagome gave him was enough reason to make him glad he talked to Shippou and make him smile in return.

 

*~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~*

 

Kagome watched as Inuyasha said something to Shippou and watched the young boy walk towards her.

 

“What is your favorite color Kagome?” Shippou asked.

 

Kagome looked over Shippou's head to where Inuyasha was leaning against a tree and have him the biggest, brightest smile she could muster which got even brighter when he smiled in return.

 

“Hmm,” Kagome furrowed her brow as if thinking deeply and answered, “I think I like blue the best.”

 

“Why?” asked Shippou, “green is so much better than blue.”

 

“Feh, you're both wrong,” Inuyasha said, appearing seemingly out of thin air, “red is the best.”

 

“How would you know, “Shippou asked, “dogs are color blind.”

 

“I ain't no damn dog and I can see colors perfectly fine,” Inuyasha barked as his face steadily began to grow his favorite color.

 

Shippou scampered up Inuyasha's body until he was resting on his shoulder and peering into his face.

 

“I dunno, you look like a mutt to me,” Shippou stated and quickly moved out of the way as Inuyasha attempted to hit him, only to hit himself in the face.

 

“Why you little brat!” yelled Inuyasha as Shippou jumped off his shoulder and he commenced in chasing the young boy.

 

Kagome smiled, she knew she should stop them, but they were showing emotion, talking, yelling, laughing, well, Shippou was laughing and Inuyasha was doing most of the yelling, but still, they were relaxed around her and that's all that really mattered.

 

Inuyasha had finally caught up with Shippou and was now holding him captive by his tail.

 

“Okay Inuyasha, it's time to put Shippou down now,” Kagome said, smile still in place.

 

“Why should I, this brat started it, so I get to finish it,” Inuyasha growled out between clenched teeth.

 

Kagome's smile quickly turned into a frown and her face darkened, “Inuyasha, put Shippou down now or else.”

 

It was then Inuyasha sealed his fate, “Or else what, wench?”

 

“Sit.” An Inuyasha met dirt.

 

Shippou, who had escaped Inuyasha's clutches when Kagome subdued him, burst our laughing and crawled onto Inuyasha's head.

 

“I thought you said you weren't a dog, Inuyasha,” Shippou managed to gasp out between laughs.

 

Inuyasha, from his spot on the ground, merely growled.

 

“Okay Shippou, leave poor Inuyasha alone,” with this said, she plucked Shippou off of Inuyasha's head and started placing all of their supplies back in the basket.

 

“Why are you putting everything away?” Shippou asked.

 

“Well, we've been here for a while and everyone probably forgot that I took you on a picnic, so they are probably panicking by now. So, we should go back.”

 

By the time the three had reached the castle, they found out Kagome was one hundred percent correct. People were running around screaming Kagome's name and had apparently started a search team.

 

Kagome sighed as she tried to avoid the many people who were scurrying in random directions looking for her. And the one shouting orders at them, Kouga.

 

“Okay people, move your asses and find my woman!” Kouga shouted, “You check in the forest. What do you mean you're tired, if you have legs you search!

 

Beside her, Kagome heard Inuyasha huff in annoyance.

 

“If the wolf would use his fucking nose he would know that you're right in front of him,” Inuyasha said gruffly.

 

Kagome was startled for a minute, but quickly gave Inuyasha a smile. Ever since they had left the barrier, both he and Shippou had become quiet and sullen. Inuyasha had been rigid as if expecting someone to jump out of the bushes and attack. Shippou had sat in her arms and regained the dull look in his eyes. Kagome assumed that they thought it was okay for them to be more… alive with her, but only in private. She smiled, it was a start.

 

Her musings were cut short when Kouga apparently took Inuyasha's advice and sniffed the air. With a shout of her name, Kouga was next to her in a blink of an eye and pulled her into his arms.

 

“Kagome, I was so worried about you. Where did you go? Never leave the grounds without someone going with you! I'm so happy you're safe. I don't know what I would do if my woman was injured.”

 

“None of your business where she went and I was with her,” Inuyasha stated as he placed himself between Kagome and Kouga.

 

“I meant someone able to protect her.”

 

Inuyasha bristled at the comment, “I can protect her more than you ever could.”

 

As they continued to argue, Kagome managed to tip-toe her way up the steps that led to the castle doors. She slowly opened one of the large wooden doors when the unthinkable happened, the door squeaked. Immediately both males' heads snapped towards the door, more specifically, the girl who was trying to escape their clutches.

 

“Psst, Kagome,” whispered Shippou who had climbed onto Kagome's shoulder to escape Kouga's hug of doom, “I can distract them for you.”

 

“Really Shippou? You'd do that for me?”

 

“Of course,” and with that, Shippou pulled out a small green leaf from the recesses of his small brown vest and with a small `poof' two identical Kagome's stood where one had been.

 

“What in the seven hells?!” Kouga exclaimed while staring at the two Kagome's in confusion.

 

Suddenly, the two Kagome's started whispering to each other before one started creeping its way to the side of the castle with its back against the brick wall. It was then Kouga made his decision and ran after the one that was leaving. So focused on catching the Kagome, he never noticed the bushy tail she seemed to have acquired as she started sprinting towards the forest.

 

Inuyasha watched as Kouga ran after the wrong Kagome before turning his attention to the real one, who was currently slipping inside the castle.

 

He waited a few seconds before the now familiar pull dragged him towards the castle. He quickly opened the door, having learned from last time that being pulled into a door is painful. He found the elusive girl sitting on the steps waiting for him.

 

She opened her mouth to speak when a loud wail reached their ears and they both darted up the stairs towards the noise. They both stopped outside one of the many guest rooms and the origin of the shriek they heard. Inuyasha desperately wished that the collar didn't dull his senses so he could tell what lurked behind the closed door.

 

He pulled Kagome behind him and slowly opened the door, only to wish he hadn't. For in the room was something that chilled the hanyou to the bone.

 

*~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~*

 

Kagome and Rin sat comforting a crying Sango while Inuyasha leaned against the door and tried not to rip his hair out. But the noise was so aggravating, and the woman was so damn loud. He didn't know how Rin and Kagome could stand it. They were patiently asking Sango what had happened, if she wanted anything, more tissues or maybe an ice cream? All while Sango just sat there crying, and Inuyasha hated a crying woman.

 

“Sango, are you ready to tell us what happened?” Kagome asked when Sango had, slightly, calmed down.

 

“Well, I was reading a book in my room, when I heard a sound outside my door. So I opened the door and-” here Sango was forced to stop as another bout of tears erupted, before managing to calm down enough to continue, “I found Miroku flirting with one of the servants!”

 

Rin and Kagome exchanged a puzzled look as Sango buried her face in her hands to muffle her sobs.

 

“But Sango, Miroku flirts with anything that's female and walks on two legs,” Rin said while rubbing the poor girl's back in a comforting matter.

 

Inuyasha let out a small growl, for some reason, the thought of Miroku flirting with Kagome… bugged him, to put it lightly, very lightly.

 

Sango ignored Inuyasha's growl and managed to make a reply in between gasps and sniffles, “But this time-sniff-instead of beating the crap out of him I-sniff-decided to think about why I wanted to beat the crap out of him and I came to the conclusion that I-I-I'm falling in love with him!”

 

Kagome and Rin stared in shock as Sango once again dissolved into tears. Inuyasha didn't react at all, other than his ears, which plastered to his head in an attempt to block out the noise.

 

“But how, you always made it out that you hated him,” Rin managed to get out.

 

“As soon as you were married, you made it perfectly clear that you only married him because his father was the Lord and your father was Head of Defenses and they arranged for you two to be wed and that you -”

 

Here Rin joined Kagome and they finished the end simultaneously, memorized by the large amount of times Sango had said this to them,

 

“would rather gnaw your own foot off while gouging your eyes out with carrots than touch one hair on the perverted perverts head.”

 

“I know but, there were times when he would be sweet and caring and-and-I couldn't help but start to fall in love with him!”

 

“I know exactly what you mean Sango, love sneaks up behind you and before you know it WHAM your head-over-heels in love with him. Even though he can be so cold to everyone, and seems to barely tolerate you, but none of that matters, because his faults are what make him the most beautiful, amazing, awe-inspiring, tall, white-haired, golden-eyed, gorgeous piece of demon that ever walked this planet,” Rin finished her speech with starry eyes, before snapping back into reality to see Kagome and Sango staring at her with identical smirks on their faces.

 

“Since when is Miroku tall, and white-haired?”

 

“Or golden-eyed and a demon?”

 

The three girls were silent for a moment before they burst out laughing. It never ceased to amaze Inuyasha how these so-called royalty could be so... normal. How they could gossip and giggle and have normal problems, just like normal girls.

 

When the girls' giggle-fit died down they decided that it would be best to celebrate Sango's glorious emotion by going down to the kitchen and eating a tub of chocolate ice cream.

 

*~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~*

 

Kagome, Sango, and Rin pouted and put on their best puppy-face's as they stared pitifully at the greedy hanyou who was hovering protectively over his new found treasure.

 

“May we pretty please have a little tiny bit of ice cream Inuyasha?” Kagome begged and put in an extra lip tremble for effect.

 

“No, go eat a carrot or something,” the hanyou growled as he threw the useless spoon over his shoulder and stuffed his whole face in the tub of ice cream.

 

The three girls sighed in exasperation as the listened to the sound of their precious icy treat being devoured and quickly came to the conclusion that offering Inuyasha a small taste had been a bad idea. What could be worse than getting your ice cream stolen from you?

 

The girls quickly found out as a servant came and told them the Lords were waiting for them in the meeting room.

 

Apparently having your ice cream taken away from you and then having to sit discussing war all day was worse.

 

When they entered the meeting room they were surprised to not only find the Lords, but Kouga and Kaede waiting as well.

 

“Kaede has informed Kagura that instead of working in the kitchens, she will instead be working in the gardens and Kouga has agreed to watch Naraku,” Sesshoumaru said, getting straight to the point.

 

“Because we all know that the kitchen is where all the gossip is, and the garden is where the plant obsessed gardeners live, and they have no time for gossip,” Miroku said truthfully.

 

“Just because the gardeners are a little… over-enthusiastic about plant life doesn't mean their obsessed,” Kagome said, defending the poor gardeners.

 

“LIES!” Miroku declared, “Just this afternoon I was randomly attacked by one of the youkai gardeners for eating a carrot. He said that I was murdering a poor defenseless life form, and accused me of making many baby carrots fatherless! How could he tell that it was a boy?! It was only a carrot!! And then he manipulated the vines to tie me to a tree, if Sesshoumaru hadn't come along I'd still be there!”

 

“If only,” Sango muttered.

 

“As interesting as that is,” Sesshoumaru said flatly, “we have much bigger problems at hand.”

 

“What could be more important than fatherless carrots?” asked Miroku.

 

“The fact that Naraku is plotting on stealing the Shikon no Tama which will result in horrific happenings and most likely him succeeding in world domination,” Rin said incredulously.

 

“And the Slave Trade,” Kagome added.

 

“What about it?” Sango asked.

 

“I want to get rid of it,” Kagome said slowly.

 

“That's all well and good, but you can't,” Miroku said seriously.

 

“What do you mean I can't, I rule the Northern Lands, I control the very lives of the people who live within the boundaries of it, I can surely get rid of one evil, corrupt, trade.”

 

“But the people won't stand for it, many of them make a lot of money by selling slaves, others think that they simply can not live without a slave in there household. People simply will not except you getting rid of it,” Sesshoumaru said logically, “You can't do it.”

 

Kagome stared at him, “I can try.”

 

 

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