InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ There and Back Again ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

 

Kai tilted his head slightly as he gazed out the window of his room. His room. What an odd concept. So odd, in fact, that he was still trying to get used to it, and he'd been here for over a week now.

 

He put his chin in his hands and leaned his elbows on the banister, gazing unseeingly out at the luscious garden. His tail swished gently behind him, as he contemplated the past few days. That was another thing, his tail. That, and the pointy ears and cheek stripes he now sported. He'd been too enamored with his surroundings and meeting Miaka and Shimoharu to notice right away, but sitting on one's tail tended to bring the existence of said tail up to one's attention.

 

He'd been freaked, to put it mildly. He later would swear he'd gone in cardiac arrest and a state of apoplectic shock at the same time, so great had his start been. Let's face it, how often do you wake up after having fallen down an empty old well, sporting a brand new limb! The most embarrassing part, in his opinion, had been the fact that he'd realized he'd gotten some new, rather interesting additions to his body, while he'd tried to sit up and greet Shimoharu properly that first time he'd met him. He'd shrieked his lungs out when he'd gotten tangled in his own tail and toppled off the bed in an undignified heap.

 

Luckily for him, Miaka's husband had simply laughed heartily and helped him untangle himself and sit up again.

 

He'd later figured the hot spring located behind one of the sliding doors he'd thought lead to a bathroom could serve as a mirror (he hadn't found a real one anywhere in his quarters), and taken a good look at his appearance. He'd noticed the black cheek stripes first, and had immediately thought of the ones both Miaka and Shimoharu had on their own faces. He didn't have the strange forehead-symbol thing though. He hadn't known whether he should feel happiness or regret over that little fact. It looked good on Miaka and her husband. The pointed ears were next. He guessed that explained his all-of-the-sudden enhanced hearing, in a weird sort of way. The now slightly elongated appendages were actually kind of cool, though he wouldn't admit it out loud. They gave him a sort of impish look which, combined with the tiny (for now, he suspected) fangs, gave Vernon's favorite endearment for him, `freak', a whole new meaning. But what still weirded him out the most, had to be the tail. It was pitch black, slightly fluffy and incredibly soft, with a pure silver tip. It sometimes seemed to have a mind of its own, swishing this way and that, but if he concentrated enough, he'd discovered he could control it, to an extent.

 

There were other changes too, but they were all minor, compared to his more obvious new additions. His hair, for instance, his this-strand-go-this-way-that-one-the-other hair was actually behaving for once. It still had a slightly untamed look, but nowhere near as bad as before. The strands had a silkier quality about them, smooth and slick, like water. He was actually considering letting it grow out, like Shimoharu's. Since now he was obviously if not exactly like, than at least a being similar to whatever Miaka and her husband were, he'd decided that if long hair could work for Shimoharu, it could work for him too. What could he say, he was still so terribly confused, his mind was focusing on the most inconsequential of things.

 

Another thing he'd noticed was his eyes. Besides the obvious fact that he didn't need glasses anymore, he'd been quite startled to see his normal, round pupils gone. Instead, they were now silted, like a cat's. And his irises…He'd been told he had intense eyes before, their green color had always been more prominent than normal. Another thing his beloved `family' used as evidence of his supposedly unholy origins and overall freakishness. But now…Now his eyes seemed to glow with a hellish flame, the green fires burning in their depths had even startled him at first. The first time he'd caught site of them, he hadn't been able to tear his gaze away from the slightly distorted reflection in the water.

 

It had been hard, coming to grips with all of those changes in such a small amount of time. He hadn't seen anyone other than Miaka and, on a few occasions, Shimoharu, during his one-week stay in the beautiful room. He'd used the time alone to come to grips with his new situation, whatever it was, and get used to his newly enhanced senses. His nose and ears didn't hurt him anymore, and his eyes had never really bothered him as much as the two previously mentioned appendages. He'd even managed to tone down his tendency to burst in goose bumps every time he touched something.

 

But besides that, he had little else to do. He still couldn't understand Japanese, and despite the fact he enjoyed Miaka's visits and the fact she didn't seem to hate him for his new, rather unusual appearance, they couldn't exactly have a decent conversation. She would usually bring him food, stay while he stuffed his face (he still found it hard to believe he was offered as much food as he wanted), present him with some new clothing, outfits similar to Shimoharu's, only a little simpler in design, as a gift he couldn't bring himself to refuse, and then hum a melody until he fell asleep. Shimoharu's visits were even shorter, though Kai still enjoyed them; the man was definitely fun to be around. And that was about it. The rest of the time he'd spend gazing longingly out the windows, wishing he could be among the flowers and trees he could see. He was getting stir-crazy.

 

It wasn't that he didn't appreciate everything that Miaka and Shimoharu had done for him, he did, really. It was just…He wasn't used to all the attention. Usually, the Dursley's would let him do anything he wanted and go anywhere he fancied, as long as he'd finished his chores and stayed out of their way. To now have someone care for him enough to check on his whereabouts and general well-being…It was new and a bit constricting. He felt like he was in a gilded cage, actually.

 

He sighed again, his eyes gazing a bit sadly at the beautiful scenery.

 

For a moment he though he'd caught Miaka's sweet fragrance, but then it was gone. He dismissed the incident, thinking his bored mind was playing tricks on him. He was so bored! He felt like he could kill for some company right about now!

 

Suddenly, a scent drifted to his sensitive nose. It was sweet and pure; the best way he could think to describe it would be innocent. He turned in the direction of the smell absentmindedly, sniffing the air to get a better whiff. Vanilla and honey, he thought triumphantly. It smelled of vanilla and honey.

 

Next, he heard a shuffling. It was coming from right outside his door. It was as if someone was trying to sneak in quietly, but hadn't perfected the skill yet.

 

With baited breath, he watched as the door slowly, hesitantly slid open. He already knew it was neither Miaka, nor Shimoharu. They didn't usually go sneaking about the place, they didn't need to.

 

What met his eyes once the door was open all the way, was quite…unexpected. A child, a boy not much older than him, glaringly obviously related to Miaka and Shimoharu. He seemed like the perfect combination between the two, probably their son. Miaka's white-silver hair and golden eyes were complimented by Shimoharu's strong body structure (for a nine-or-so year old, anyway) and a face that was just like the father's, only softened a bit by the mother's more delicate features. He was dressed all in white with a few spots of navy blue here and there, his attire as old-fashioned as everyone else's he'd seen.

 

And currently, the boy was staring at him with eyes just as wide as Kai's own.

 

They didn't know how long they just stood there, each rooted to his spot, taking each other in. The slightly tense silence was finally broken as the older boy swallowed thickly and slid the door shut behind him. He took a deep breath, seemingly to compose himself, and took a few hesitant steps in Kai's direction. He said something, his voice surprisingly deep for someone his age. His tone suggested he was expecting an answer.

 

Kai just looked at him incomprehensibly, trying to convey he didn't understand with body language alone.

 

“Sorry, I don't really understand your language.”

 

He decided to elaborate, just in case.

 

The other boy seemed startled at first He faltered a bit, as if unsure how to proceed. He then squared his shoulders and said something else poor Kai didn't get, with a bit more force behind the words. He again paused, as if expecting the other to say something in return Kai was growing increasingly worried. Couldn't this guy see he didn't understand squat?

 

Then he remembered how he'd first learned Miaka's name, and decided to try it out. He pointed at himself and said, very slowly.

 

“Kai.”

 

The older boy's light golden eyes widened a bit in realization as he pointed at him and repeated with a questioning look.

 

“Kai?”

 

Kai nodded excitedly. Finally, they were getting somewhere!

 

“Kai!” He confirmed.

 

The boy nodded regally and, with a serious expression quite strange on his young features, pointed at himself and said.

 

“Inutaisho Sesshoumaru”

 

Kai smiled brilliantly, and Sesshoumaru's lips quirked into the tiniest of quirks in return. Kai had the feeling his new acquaintance didn't smile often, or show much facial expressions at all.

 

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