InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Catch a Falling Star ❯ always a lady in spite of hell ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter One

Kagome dropped to rest on her knees, setting her basket down and reaching out to shake the stems of the spade-leafed herb free of any bugs. She'd forgotten its name again--Kaede would be disappointed--but the plant definitely matched the description of the one the old miko had asked her to gather. Its velvety leaves reminded her of the short fur on Inuyasha's ears. He was off hunting somewhere, or possibly checking the boundaries of the forest he'd marked has his territory. Whichever it was, he'd been gone for two days with Kohaku, the longest he ever stayed away from the rest of them. His pack. Kagome stroked a silver-fuzzed leaf with the pad of one finger, wished he'd taken her with him, then reversed the direction. A shudder shivered up her spine; she held back a rueful chuckle. Just the thought of fur being rubbed the wrong direction was like hearing fingernails scraping down a blackboard, of which sound her memory was fortunately growing dim.

Cutting the stems just above the roots with the knife given her by Kaede, Kagome tried not to wrinkle her nose at the way the strong scent immediately obscured the other scents of the forest clearing with its pungency. She half-suspected, now, that Inuyasha's frequent protests over having any of his wounds doctored arose more from a dislike of the medicine-smells than his desire to seem all macho-indifferent to pain.

I think that's enough. She left a stem untouched as Kaede had instructed: the plant would grow back more fully next year if trimmed but not cut back entirely. A piece of twine served to keep the stems in her basket grouped loosely together. Kagome took care in tying the string about them; yesterday she'd accidentally scratched herself with a claw when tying a similar piece of twine about a similar bundle of herbs. It had been a small cut, but still--how long is it going to take me to get used to this? The thought was an irritable one, making Kagome more irritable still at how easy it was to ruffle her temper these days.

A harsh caw drew her attention to the sky. She stood, shading her eyes with one hand and dusting off the knees of her loose trousers with the other as she cast about with eyes and ears for the source of the cry. It was a raven, which meant Inuyasha might be nearby: the opportunistic scavengers had taken to following him about as soon as they'd all settled in the village and the hanyou started hunting regularly in the forest. There. The large black bird passed over some trees a few minutes from where she stood, and she could now hear the beat of someone running, but it wasn't Inuyasha; the rhythm was off from the pace she'd become accustomed to hearing over the past three years, a little faster--

"Kagome." There was the scuffle of feet skidding to a stop, a pair of warm hands taking hers, bright blue eyes, and a pleased grin. "Just the person I wanted to see." His eyes traveled from her head to foot--taking in the details of her altered appearance, she was sure. Kagome tried not to curl her toes in the grass to hide their clawed tips; it still felt somewhat embarrassing to go barefoot, though she'd never before hesitated to wear sandals or any other sort of open-toed shoe. But it made her feel almost as if she were flaunting things, which she wasn't; and she didn't want people staring at her. She'd tried pointing out to Inuyasha that Sesshomaru wore shoes, but the hanyou had only grumbled something about his brother being a crappy example, and her feet needed toughening anyways.

Kouga's gaze returned to hers, his smile wider. "You're looking beautiful. Sure you don't want to ditch that dog turd and be my woman?"

Kagome laughed nervously. Kouga might have changed his mind as regarded her--she thought it was probably something Inuyasha had said or did after Naraku's…death--but that hadn't led to any lessening of the antagonistic stance the wolf youkai and hanyou still displayed towards each other. "Kouga-kun, it's--it's good to see you," she said, taking a moment to assess his scent. She hadn't paid much attention to it last time, what with everything his last visit had immediately precipitated. He smelled woodsier than Inuyasha, muskier and not quite so pleasant, with travel-dust and the scents of others about him; probably his pack members, though the traces weren't fresh. Puzzled, she said, smiling, "Are you here by yourself?"

Kouga nodded his head, his dark tail of hair sliding over one shoulder with the movement. "Ginta and Hakkaku are with the rest of the pack back in our territory. Just wanted to let you know something. Why don't you call that mate of yours--might as well save some time and explain to both of you at once."

"Uh, he's not--Inuyasha--Inuyasha is," Kagome faltered, ears turning back as her eyes slid away from the wolf youkai's.

"He's not what?" Tone puzzled, Kouga leaned closer to her to sniff audibly; Kagome quashed a spike of unhappy dissatisfaction with herself: he did that so naturally. She wasn't nearly so confident or casual. For years she had made a point of not looking like Kikyou, not blending in, stubbornly wearing her school uniform even when it was manifestly impractical; now, her physical appearance made blending in an impossibility. Self-consciousness assailed her whenever she caught herself in a mannerism she recognized from Inuyasha. She might look like the inu hanyou, but did she have to act like one? Or should she try to act like one?

Kouga's huff as he stared at her, eyes narrowing, recalled Kagome from her unease. "You're not mates," he said, his voice rising just above the pitch of an accusing growl. "What the hell's going on? I was sure that dog-turd would be all over you after you and he figured out what had happened."

"Well," Kagome said uneasily, bending to pick up her basket with the herbs. She had some ideas about why things had cooled between her and Inuyasha--his and her guilt being foremost among them--but if she wasn't discussing the topic with Inuyasha, it certainly wouldn't be right to discuss it with the wolf youkai. "Kouga-kun, why don't we head to the village? Inuyasha should be back soon." She mustered a smile and tried to relax her ears, turning back towards the village.

"Kagome…" Kouga raised one hand to her shoulder.

"Oi! Hands off, wimpy wolf."