InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ When We Awaken ❯ Chapter 7: Relations, Part II ( Chapter 7 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Ai Kisugi 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.28.2013 | Pages: 7 | Words: 9.9K | Visits: 529 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.28.2013 | Pages: 7 | Words: 9.9K | Visits: 529 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter Seven: Relations, Part Two
His mother nearly dropped her cup and his father’s normally unflappable visage became momentarily astounded. He noticed his parents exchanging a meaningful glance, his mother’s face adrift in worry before she smoothed her features.
She paused for a moment. It was almost as if she needed to catch her breath before she spoke. “Inuyasha, my son. Why are you wearing the robe of the firerat?”
Inuyasha’s eyes widened. “How did you…?”
His father continued with a clipped tone that spoke of concealed anger. “And why do you have the Tessaiga at your side?”
His mother was looking at him oddly and he had never seen his father so angry.
“I will ask you one last time, Inuyasha. Why do you have the Tessaiga at your side?”
He had never felt so small than when he was in his father’s presence. He had always looked up to his father and marveled at the man’s supernatural abilities. However, there was one thing he never wanted to see and that was his father’s fury directed at him.
His father’s golden eyes no longer seemed warm; they were ice cold and calculating.
Words flew from Inuyasha’s mouth. “A miko gave them to me…she said that they were mine.” He didn’t add that the girl in question might have been delusional and was under the mistaken impression that she was from 500 years ago. It was bad enough that they were asking him about two gifts she had given him. As much as he couldn’t have cared less about the robe and the sword when they had been given, now he found that he couldn’t part with them. The thought of giving up his Tessaiga put his teeth on edge.
His mother cocked her head to the side, trying to figure out his words. “The girl you met at the park you were camping at?”
Inuyasha nodded his head in affirmation. He didn’t like the glow he saw in his mother’s eyes.
“The one you gave CPR to?” she asked with a hint of a smile.
His father’s eyebrows were raised momentarily. “CPR?” he asked.
His mother took a sip of her tea and slyly looked at her husband out of the corner of her eye. “Ummm hummm…” she intoned as she sipped her cup. She paused and then set her teacup down on the low table. Her eyes met her son’s again.
“You said that you returned her to her shrine. Where is it?”
His father looked at him with a sternness that brooked no argument.
Inuyasha almost stuttered. The glare his father was giving him was something he had only seen when his father was dealing with unruly business associates.
He was about to answer, but something hardened inside of him. A need to protect Kagome reared. As much as he wanted to answer his parents, the need to safeguard her was stronger.
“Wait. If I answer your question, you won’t harm her will you? I need to know that she will be safe.”
His father’s eyes flashed, but his mother put her arm up against his chest. Her eyes were clear; they seemed alight in happiness. Her brief smile to his father seemed to put him at ease, the gruff exterior of his father softened.
Golden eyes bored into him. “Do you have someone to protect, Inuyasha?”
The words shocked him. They seemed so familiar, like they were from an old dream or a forgotten memory.
He swallowed. “Yes, father. I have someone I need to protect.” Inuyasha gripped the hilt of his sword.
The silver-haired demon leaned backward, as if appraising the situation. “Then that is why the sword has returned to your hands.”
His father’s anger seemed to seep away, replaced with a melancholy look. Golden eyes flickered over the Tessaiga, but now restfulness and a sense of purpose settled on his features.
“As long as this miko proves to be no threat, she will remain unharmed. Answer your mother’s question, son,” commanded his father.
He didn’t understand what was going on, but he knew enough about his father to not test his luck. Directly disobeying his father two times in a row could make for a painful experience.
“She works at the Sunset Shrine in downtown Tokyo. Today she met Detective Sureiyâ and he asked her to come into the Taijiya headquarters with me tomorrow. I am going to start training at headquarters.”
His mother’s eyes looked pained, while his father’s eyes seemed proud. His father spoke to his mother first. “Inuyasha cannot be a boy forever. It’s about time he learns how to be a man.”
His father continued in a low voice. “Now you need to tell me how you managed to blow up your apartment.” The older demon paused to look at the sword at Inuyasha’s side. “Though, I believe Tessaiga had a lot to do with it.”
He continued while looking Inuyasha directly in the eye. “The Tessiaga would not have emitted such massive destruction unless demonic power was involved. What exactly were you fighting, son?”
Terror drew itself across his mother’s features. “You were fighting a demon in your apartment, Inuyasha?” She drew herself close to her son, her hand touching his arm.
Inuyasha gulped. The last thing he ever wanted to do was to worry his mother. He hoped that if he only mentioned the fight at his apartment and did not mention the demon at the park, that she would be less worried. However, both of his parents knew when he was lying. He would have to skirt the truth.
He took in a cleansing breath and then related the tale, yet again, of what had happened in his apartment last night and how he had ended up in the bedroom of the miko in question once the morning came. He noticed that his mother was incredibly amused about where he had slept last night. It almost erased the worry from her face. He didn’t know why that irritated him.
His father was the first to speak. “I am going to contact Detective Sureiyâ.” He pushed himself away from the table. “We will need to meet this miko later. In the meantime, you will start residing in your old room. Having you on your own is not safe right now. Once you get settled, join me in the garden.”
“Why?” asked Inuyasha as his father’s taller frame stood up, standing regally in his silver and white kimono.
“No one will be able to teach you how to properly handle the Tessaiga like I can,” answered his father. “Your training will start today.”
He nearly ripped his doorframe of delicate rice paper, as he entered his old room. He really didn’t like the idea of living with his parents again, especially after having the freedom of living alone while in college.
However, college was no longer an option. While he had been training with his dad, his mother had disenrolled him from Tokyo University. Inwardly, he actually agreed with them for the choice. If he was to train with the Taijiya, as well as his father, and also attempt to protect Kagome, his plate was already far too full. But he hated being told what to do. Inuyasha had even tried to argue with his mother. However, his father would brook no disagreement.
He took in his old, disused room. Unlike his apartment, this room was more traditional. It had tatami mats, rice paper screens that hid a Japanese garden, low-lying tables, a large futon in the middle of the room and even a small stone garden in the corner of the room, complete with a small Buddha.
Disgruntled, he disrobed before he threw himself on his futon and gazed at the ceiling. His body was aching from the exertions that his father had put him through.
…
The day had started with his father taking them to the clouds and then after flying for a while, they had landed on a small deserted isle that was more of a rocky outcropping than an island.
His father had then proceeded to fight him, hand to hand. Unfortunately, his father was quicker and had the ability to fly. There was also nowhere to run. The isle was so small, that he had trouble finding a footfall while trying to evade his father’s poisonous whips.
Inuyasha had always thought that he was a powerful demon. But today his father had put him squarely in his place. He was just happy that Kagome had not seen his humiliation.
The older demon had slashed with his claws and flogged him with his poisonous whip. Lash marks continued to lace his body, arms and legs, green ooze falling from the wounds, preventing them from healing as quickly as they otherwise could.
After Inuyasha had fallen into the sea a few times, his father had relented, giving him time to dry his clothes and to catch his breath.
Inuyasha had felt hatred bubble for his father as his poisoned wounds festered and simmered on his skin. What had made everything even harder to swallow was that his father’s impeccable white and silver kimono did not bear a single mark. His father looked down at him evenly.
“Do you think I was too hard on you today, son?”
Inuyasha had only looked away in anger and shame.
His father only had hummed to himself and looked down at his claws that were now glowing with green poison. “I have actually paused in this fight and have allowed you time to recuperate. A real enemy would never give you a chance to pause the battle,” he had said.
His father had then whipped the tendril of poison at Inuyasha who at the time had been busily trying to squeeze the water from his haori.
Just as the whip was about to land, Inuyasha had felt an inner calm. Almost without thinking, he had unsheathed his sword. The Tessaiga flashed against the cold sea that surrounded them as the green whip was wrapped around the blade.
Inuyasha’s eyes had widened, his pride at his quick reflexes glowing through his eyes.
His father had quickly tugged at the whip and the Tessaiga flew from its owner’s hand, landing squarely in the palm of his father’s.
Almost as if he had forgotten his son, the older demon had turned the sword over, examining its edge and worn features.
Inuyasha’s eyes narrowed. He couldn’t place it, but for some reason, seeing his father hold his blade had angered him into furious rage. It had been difficult to see Detective Sureiyâ and Miroku handle his blade. But seeing it in his father’s hands had infuriated him.
He had stood to his full height and yelled as he reached out for the blade, “It’s not yours!”
His words of anger had startled his father. But what had surprised him even more was that the blade responded. It had wiggled in his father’s hands before an unknown force ripped it away and brought the blade squarely back into Inuyasha’s open grip.
The hanyou had heaved in anger, wondering what had overtaken him and then paused to look at the battered blade.
“Indeed,” intoned his father with a quirked eyebrow. “Then perhaps it is time for us to stop our combative training and work on honing your skills with that sword.”
Inuyasha tried to get his breathing back under control. For some reason he hadn’t been expecting his father to be reasonable or to stop attacking him. His own feelings mystified him.
Taking a deep cleansing breath, he had stood up and held his sword out in front of him, gripped tightly with both hands.
Inuyasha had been expecting his father to face him with a sword of his own. Instead, his father had taken a small, paper, origami crane out of his obi. Curiously, the object flew into the sky on paper wings.
His father had then reclined on a rock, his face an impassive mask as the paper creature dove toward Inuyasha.
Without any real tactic in mind, Inuyasha had blindly swatted at the paper crane with his sword. He had looked more like a man swatting at a bug with a flyswatter, than a swordfighter.
With each slice, the paper crane had split into another segment. However, instead of the paper pieces fluttering to the ground, they had simply reformed, adding another paper crane to the menagerie buzzing around him.
“What in the fuck is this supposed to help with?” yelled Inuyasha as he had continued his mad dance around the paper objects. He had still continued to slash at the flying paper cranes a more flew around him, looking like swarming gnats.
The paper cranes looked harmless, but when they flew close enough to Inuyasha, their paper wings would slice his skin and robes. His exposed face and arms had been peppered with horizontal cuts and scattered drops of blood.
A wry smile fell upon the demon’s lips. “I asked you if you had someone to protect, Inuyasha.”
“What in the fuck is that supposed to mean?” yelled the half demon as he had continued to slice at the objects. He had brought his brows together. His father’s words seemed familiar, he knew that the words were once spoken by someone else… Unfortunately, it drifted away like smoke blown away by the wind, just as he tried to focus on his father’s words.
Frustration mounted. There was something he was missing, some thought or memory that was out of his reach and it made him angry. He had decided to refocus his anger as he continued to madly slice into the air surrounding him; he thought about the sole person he wanted to protect. A girl in miko’s robes with wavy, raven black hair and eyes the color of a storm flashed in his mind.
“Kagome,” he had murmured.
He never noticed the way his father’s eyes narrowed when he had spoken that word. What he did see was the way his blade had suddenly erupted into a glowing crescent moon dwarfing his own frame.
He had been momentarily startled enough to let the flying paper origami slice his nose. “Fuck!” he had yelled before he managed to swat at the offending object with the glowing sword.
That time his mad slices through the air had managed to fry the small bits of paper droning in the air. Ashes fluttered to the ground.
A mad smile had then made its way across Inuyasha’s features before his final slashes in the air managed to decimate the paper swarm.
He had stood up straight and tall, leaning against his glowing sword, a smirk of pleasure clearly written across his face.
His father had seemed unimpressed.
Wordlessly, he had pulled a green origami dragon from his obi before releasing it into the air. The paper object had snorted and a whiff of smoke rose from its nostrils. The small thing darted in front of Inuyasha. The half demon had simply guffawed.
“Come on! Give me something more challenging. I can easily destroy that stupid paper thing,” Inuyasha spoke in confident tones.
The tiny green paper dragon hadopened up its maw and a blast of fire had poured out of it, burning his hand with fire and heat.
“Fuck!” Inuyasha had screamed as he held his throbbing hand and dropped his Tessaiga. The once glowing object transformed back into a dull sword and had lain among the dirt at his feet. His hand was charred black and blood oozed out of the cracks in his skin. His hanyou healing abilities had quickly kicked in and he had started to see the blackened marks fading into a healthy skin tone before his eyes.
Then he had felt another pelt of fire hitting him from behind. He had felt the heat against his skin, but that time the paper dragon was breathing fire against his robe of the fire rat.
He had noticed when he had been fighting the demon in his apartment; the gas explosion in his kitchen didn’t seem to hurt him. Perhaps it had been the robes he was wearing? Perhaps they were the mystical robes of legend that the Princess Kaguya of the Moon Kingdom had asked for?
At the moment, he couldn’t begin to understand where Kagome had found them. All he knew was that they actually worked.
For once, he had smirked. If he could just keep the thing from attacking his bare skin, he could defeat the pest.
He had quickly bent down to retrieve his Tessaiga. Once the sword was in his hands, he had expected the sword to transform back into its larger, glowing form. But all he had in his hands was a mangled sword.
The paper dragon blasted him with another round of fire.
“Fuck!”
Inuyasha had barely managed to put up his sword in time to block the fiery path. The flames were cleaved into two halves by the sword’s dull edge, and what was left of the flames fell harmlessly against the arms of his robes.
The paper dragon dove again, and that time it was making a beeline for his face.
“Oh, fuck no!” screamed Inuyasha as he had turned and twisted, exposing his back to the flames, which again fell harmlessly against the red fur cloth.
“Do you have someone to protect, Inuyasha?” asked his father.
Inuyasha had only nodded as he tried to evade yet another tiny, diving dragon attack.
“Then imagine her behind you and you are her only means of protection,” ordered his father.
The words somehow made perfect sense. There was no real reason to fight unless he was protecting someone. The motive had to be pure and without selfish motives…
“Kagome…” he had whispered again while he imagined the black haired miko behind him, with her quiver of arrows spent and sweat on her brow. She needed him and there was no one else who could help her…
His pride suddenly swelled and he felt more powerful, just thinking about how much she might need him.
The sword had suddenly sprung to life, a blazoned crescent moon glowing with raging fury.
The small paper dragon had seemed to pause in confusion as it hovered in mid air. It was the delay Inuyasha had needed to smite the tiny creature.
He had slowly slashed down into the creature, his flashing sword following a diagonal path down towards the ground. The paper creature fell right into the Tessaiga’s path.
Inuyasha glowered in anticipation. The thing was going to be fried into ash within moments.
His smirk had slowly morphed into confusion and then into utter disbelief when the paper dragon had still been hovering in mid air. It had seemed to snort at him, whiffs of smoke puffing out from its nostrils.
His father had spoken as if bored. “That paper creation was enchanted with dragon blood.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” quipped Inuyasha who was busily dodging another tiny blast of fire aimed at his face.
“It means,“ his father had continued in a patronizing tone, “that it is immune to fire, like all dragons. Your sword cannot destroy it unless you unleash the power of the ‘Wound of the Wind.’”
“What the fuck? You mean the ‘Wind Scar,’ Dad?”
A silver eyebrow arched. “Yes, that is exactly what I mean, son.” He had paused and continued. “Imagine a rift in the air in front of you, the converging of two energies, your own and the dragon that you face. But most of all imagine the person you must protect. Keep them in the forefront of your mind.”
Inuyasha’s mind went back to the night that he was attacked in his apartment. He had unleashed something so powerful that he had blown the roof off of his building.
Something had taken over then, a fleeting calm and a sense of purpose, married with the unmistakable desire to protect Kagome with his life. He marveled when he thought back at how little concern he had felt for his own life, but the panic he had felt when he had realized the demon might try to kill her next.
He had centered on these thoughts. He had pretended that the dragon was about to attack Kagome, that she was helpless behind his back.
He had smirked. Perhaps it was his ego, but he really didn’t like the idea of her saving his ass. She had done so once and he was mortified that he had been so weak and helpless.
“Never, fucking again!” he thought.
Inuyasha had concentrated, looking not only at the paper creature that was zipping through the air, but also at the demonic wake that it left.
He could sense a trail in the air that left a telltale aura. He had waved his sword in the direction of the demonic signature that was left. He had felt a reverberation in his sword. It vibrated, as he sensed a disruption in the twining of the two energies of his sword and the dragon. Between the two, there was a void of space where neither energy gained hold.
He had aimed his sword at that spot. Then he had unleashed his swords pent up energy. “Wind Scar!” he had yelled.
What had followed was a quake that erupted from his sword, slashing down against the earth. Bright light blinded his vision and the energy flowing felt like lightning had struck the ground in front of him, pushing him back and bathing the area in a destructive flow.
His body had heaved with heavy breaths as he looked on the devastation in front of him. Five jagged cracks burst out from the ground in front of his sword, looking like the serrated remains of an earthquake.
The paper dragon was nowhere to be seen. Another smirk erupted across his face. “Keh!”
Inuyasha had taken a step back and he had let the image of Kagome standing helpless behind him dissipate. The sword had quickly followed, becoming nothing but an old rusty sword again. He had quickly sheathed it and looked at his father, expecting to see pride in his eyes.
All he had been met with was an arrogant calm and a stern command. “Again,” his father had spoken as he released another paper dragon into the air.
…
The day went on until Inuyasha was both burnt and wet. Staring up at the ceiling, Inuyasha was happy to finally be in the comfort of his own room, even if he was upset at having to stay at home. He groused for a few minutes, before he noticed that the sun was starting to set.
Panic seemed to overwhelm him. Sango would only be able to protect Kagome during the day, at night she would be returning home. He knew that the Taijiya would send someone else in her stead, but if it wasn’t Miroku or Sango, he didn’t trust them.
Inuyasha took a quick shower to get the soot and salt water off of him. He managed to eat a quick meal with his mother before he made it back to his room. He was itching to wear his robe of the fire rat. He was surprised when he found his garment perfectly dry and mended.
He smirked as he put it back on and then securely tied his Tessaiga back to his side. No one could protect Kagome like he could. There was just one final thing he needed to do before leaving.
He evaded the hired servants before he made his way to his father’s office. There was an item there that he could use. He didn’t know how his father had obtained it, but apparently it was very old, predating the necklaces they currently wore that made them appear human. These bracelets would obfuscate a demon. It wouldn’t make you invisible, but it made you blend in better with your surroundings, like a chameleon.
He reached to take out a small cloth wrapped box with a small golden bracelet within. He carefully took out the charm before he rewrapped the box. Inuyasha put the smooth metal band around his wrist. His smile looked like the grin of a Cheshire cat. His body blended into the walls and only his teeth were visible. Even his scent became distorted and dilute.
Inuyasha quickly managed to leave his father’s complex and leapt into the air. He would be at the Higurashi Sunset Shrine in less than an hour.
Two cups of tea sat out steaming in front of them. Inuyasha’s father took the small ceramic cup in his clawed hands and took a long, calming sip.
The woman smiled, looking at her husband coyly. “So, did our son leave already?”
The older man huffed and sat back. “Yes, and he managed to take my concealment charm with him.”
His wife giggled, her amusement making her look years younger. “I’m glad that you managed to put a GPS tracking device on it.”
Her husband arched an eyebrow. “Hnnnn…” was his only reply.
A smirk made its way across Inuyasha’s face as he formulated a plan. With his bracelet of concealment in place, he dropped down effortlessly behind the young demon. Then he swiped up the demon’s tail. With his concentration interrupted the small demon popped in front of Inuyasha. A kitsune who looked to be a young boy dangled in front of him by its long puffy tail.
“Hey! What gives!” yelled the smaller tyke.
“Is this what the Taijiya send these days for protection? Are they getting desperate?” asked Inuyasha with a nasty smirk on his face.
“Let go!” yelled the smaller creature.
Inuyasha delayed a moment too long before putting the young demon back down. A spinning top quickly crashed onto his head, it morphed into an immense size and managed to splatter him onto the ground. The large wooden object ground painfully into his back.
“Kagome!” the tiny creature yelled as it managed to catapult itself from the shrine grounds into the girl’s living quarters on the second floor.
Inuyasha managed to knock the oversized play toy off his back and pull himself off of the ground. He was cursing kitsune foxes when he heard Kagome’s reply.
“Oh Shippo, what could have possibly frightened you?” asked Kagome soothingly.
The young demon sputtered. “A horrible dog demon, he was trying to…”
Inuyasha had had enough. He straightened his back and managed to leap into Kagome’s room, following in the young kitsune’s wake.
His eyebrow twitched in agitation when he saw Kagome holding the tiny fox demon in her arms, like a baby. He felt a small stab that emanated from his heart when he looked at the scene. That young demon was held protectively against her breasts as it continued to babble.
At first he had only wanted to play a trick on the young fox demon, now he wanted to pummel the creature. He took off his bracelet and put it in his pocket so that Kagome could see him more easily.
“That’s him!” yelled the fox demon accusingly. The young thing attempted to snarl and leap out of Kagome’s arms, however the young miko held him in check.
“Inuyasha!” she exclaimed with a warm smile.
“Inu..?” muttered the fox demon. “You mean you know this bast---?” Kagome put her hand on Shippo’s mouth before he could talk himself into any more trouble.
Inuyasha stomped until he stood right next to Kagome. “What the fuck, Kagome? Why are the Taijiya sending a defenseless squirt like him to protect you? He can’t do anything!”
Kagome turned while holding Shippo, shielding him from Inuyasha and putting him on her bed. “He doesn’t mean it Shippo-chan,” she said while patting him on the head.
An angry pain filled him as he stormed next to Kagome, his face centimeters from hers. “You think I didn’t mean it? There’s no fucking way that I didn’t…”
Inuyasha paused as he looked down at the smaller girl. Her lips were right next to his and she didn’t seem the least bit fazed by his tantrum. She only answered him with a small smile.
He quickly lost track of what he had been yelling at her about. Her lips were pink and full. He remembered kissing them the first time he had met her. Back then it had been a shock, now all he could think about was trying it again, holding her next to him and feeling her lips desperately reaching for his.
He swallowed before he moved to hold her by her shoulders. Her smile quickly morphed into confusion before she looked up at him with a look of both pain and longing.
She licked her lips as he let go of one arm to caress her cheek. “Kagome,” he whispered.
The young kitsune on Kagome’s bed would not be ignored. “Kagome! Stop it! He’s the bad guy!”
Kagome blinked and looked up at Inuyasha with widened eyes. A blush found itself drawing across her features and a look of shame overcame her. She managed to detach herself from Inuyasha and moved to pick up the young fox demon again.
Inuyasha’s hands flexed in anger; If Kagome had not been in the room, that little demon would have been in a world of hurt.
She spoke down lovingly to the young fox demon. “No, Shippo. He’s my friend. He protects me like you do.”
The young demon replied snarkily. “That didn’t look like any protecting to me.”
Kagome sighed. “It’s time for me to get to bed. Do you think that you two can get along for a few minutes while I change?”
The two adversaries looked at each other warily as Kagome exited the room. Inuyasha was concentrating on giving the little kitsune the evil eye when the creature started to make a nest for himself in Kagome’s bed.
The young demon pulled down the covers and managed to snuggle inside of the bedding. Inuyasha’s eyebrow twitched.
“What in the fuck do you think you’re doing?” yelled Inuyasha as he glared at the impetuous kitsune.
A door clicked and Kagome was back in the room wearing a pink shirt and yoga pants.
The young fox demon replied with all of the innocence of a young child. “Kagome said that I could sleep in her bed tonight.” He puffed up his little chest. “That way I could protect her better.”
“Kagome, there is no fucking way that you could let…” Inuyasha tried to reason.
He was struck dumb when he saw Kagome ruffle the hair on Shippo’s head, like a mother would do to her child. She looked up at Inuyasha, her face aglow with warmth and tenderness. “He can sleep here, Inuyasha. He said that he’s been having nightmares.”
“The Taijiya sent a kid who has nightmares at night to protect you?” steamed Inuyasha. He felt like a blood vessel on his forehead was about to burst.
Kagome just giggled and looked up at him with clear, bright eyes. She moved next to him, holding his hand in hers. “No, Inuyasha. He’s only in training. I told the Taijiya that you would be here at night to protect me, so that they could send someone who still needed to learn the ropes.”
Inuyasha was befuddled. “What do you mean? How did you know that I would be here tonight?”
Kagome only looked up at him. Brown, clear eyes looking up at him, seemingly knowing things about him that he didn’t know himself. She smiled. “I just knew, Inuyasha.”
Inuyasha gulped as she led him to a small pillow and bedding that had been put on the floor next to her bed. “You can sleep here,” she whispered.
Everyone soon settled down to sleep. Inuyasha would be lying if he said that he was fine with the little demon snuggled up to Kagome like a stuffed animal. It made something itch inside of him. All he wanted to do was to kick that little demon out of the room and trade places with the imp.
Thoughts of ways to torment the little kitsune filled his mind as he lay down on the floor next to Kagome. Soon the miko and the fox demon were fast asleep, but the hanyou couldn’t clear his mind enough to rest.
Finally he managed to sit up, cursing as he did so.
He turned to look at Kagome, asleep with a gentle smile on her lips. Her arm fell down, almost touching the floor.
Uncertainty filled his thoughts, but Inuyasha was still drawn to her. He cupped her hand in his. Almost immediately, the indecision warring in his mind ceased. Peace gripped him and purpose filled him. Somehow he knew she was his. His to protect, to defend…and to…something else also peeked into the corner of his mind, but he refused to listen to it.
“Inuyasha…” she murmured in her sleep.
He took in a deep breath of astonishment. She knew he was here, even in her sleep. Part of his mind told him that perhaps she was thinking about another Inuyasha. But the logical part of him knew that was just foolish. There was no other Inuyasha in this world and there was no way that the girl he was next to actually lived 500 years ago.
Kagome was just a little insane and somehow he was perfectly fine with that knowledge.
He sat up next to her bed, her hand dangling around his shoulder. Inuyasha fell quickly into a peaceful sleep, perfectly content in his newfound role as her protector.
Today was bad and it was only getting worse. Detective Sureiyâ had told Inuyasha that he would get the finest instruction. Unfortunately, Inuyasha had known long ago who was in charge of hand-to-hand combat training; it was his old rival, Koga, of the wolf demon tribe. If it wasn’t for his fierce desire to protect Kagome, he would have left this crazy facility and its equally insane coach long ago.
“Fuck!” Inuyasha yelled as he plummeted to the ground and attempted to stand back up. He swiped at the corner of his mouth and wiped away some blood.
The wolf demon jumped up and down in front of him, like a boxer preparing another strike.
“Come on dog turd!” Koga yelled before landing a flying kick into Inuyasha’s abdomen.
Inuyasha almost doubled over, but he managed to quickly lift an arm, catching the next kick that Koga had sent.
The hanyou smirked for a brief second, thinking that he had finally gained the upper hand on his opponent. However, Inuyasha only held one leg. He quickly found that that was a mistake. Koga’s other leg pushed up against the ground before kicking Inuyasha hard against the side of his face.
The hanyou was forced to let go as he reeled backward and fell once again against the padding of the gym’s walls.
Inuyasha was pissed. All he wanted to do was to serve Koga’s head on a platter. Seeing the wolf demon bloodied and begging for mercy would have been equally satisfying. Unfortunately, the wolf was over two hundred years old and had far more combat experience.
The hanyou started to get back up, prepared again to try to strike when the door to the room opened. Miroku and Sureiyâ stepped through and seemed surprised to see Inuyasha in the corner, having trouble staying upright.
“Hey!” yelled Koga as he exposed his back to Inuyasha. The wolf demon strolled over to the pair nonchalantly, cockiness in his step.
Inuyasha growled and propelled himself up to his feet. The attack of opportunity that Koga had presented him with was just too appealing.
Just as he was going to rush against Koga’s back, Sureiyâ was slapping the wolf demon on the back, interfering with his shot.
Inuyasha barely managed to stop his forward momentum before he slammed into the detective. He hovered back about one pace as the two men chatted amiably. The smiles on their faces just pissed him off even more.
“Fuck this!” Inuyasha yelled out as he left the room, trying not to show any stiffness or injury as he vacated the cursed room.
Without even looking over his shoulder, Koga called out. “Same time and place tomorrow.”
The only answer from Inuyasha was the door slamming shut behind him.
Miroku looked quixotically at the departing hanyou and scratched his head. “How was the training session, Koga?”
The wolf demon just smiled, his teeth very white and sharp. “The idiot doesn’t know what he’s fighting for. He’s too scattered and can’t concentrate on anything. I suggest you get rid of him. A hanyou like him isn’t good enough to win in a fight with a real demon.”
Detective Sureiyâ leaned back. “If you had seen the destruction he had wrecked on an apartment complex, you wouldn’t be saying that, Koga.”
The wolf demon only sneered. “So he has some sort of special blade that can help him attack. But one-on-one combat…the boy is as good as dead. He has no drive. He’s not even bothering to fight! How in the hell can I train him?”
Miroku looked thoughtfully at the closed door behind him. “Perhaps there is a way that we can motivate him.”
However, he was confused about her presence, although he wasn’t about to complain. He knew that she was supposed to be working at the Sunset Shrine.
Still, it made his heart feel lighter when she was at his side and perhaps he walked a little more boldly, perhaps his back was a little straighter. As he entered the building he was surprised that Miroku and Eri met him. Miroku was in his monk’s robes and Eri was sporting her slayer’s uniform of tight leather. Almost any woman with any semblance of curves looked breathtaking in the tight leather that the slayers wore. If he was going to be honest with himself, it was probably one of the reasons why he had accepted a date with Eri--that and Miroku’s constant attempts to pair him up with any woman that he so much as glanced at.
Inuyasha supposed that the date had gone well enough from Eri’s point-of-view. They had had a nice dinner together and had seen some of the sights of Tokyo at night. However, it was when he had put his arms around the girl and attempted to kiss her that he knew everything was wrong. Something deep inside of him was repelled by what a normal man would consider to be a beautiful girl. She simply didn’t smell right and there was something off about her. For some reason she just didn’t seem to match whatever his inner demon was searching for. Kissing her was like licking cigarette ashes.
He had ended the date quickly after his misguided attempt to kiss her. The poor girl had probably been wondering why he had left so quickly.
He had really hoped that he wouldn’t be seeing Eri for a long time. Inuyasha clenched his teeth together and made his way toward the duo.
As fate would have it, Eri was waving happily at him and even tried to give him a hug. She seemed non-pulsed as Inuyasha glided away from her arms. She continued to follow the group down the hallway.
Miroku’s staff jingled as he made his way down the hallway to the training rooms. “I hope you don’t mind, Inuyasha,” Miroku said casually. “But I thought that the girls might learn a few things from your training exercises.”
Inuyasha blanched. “What? No!” Thoughts of his imminent humiliation at the hands of Koga with two women watching him danced in his mind.
Miroku seemed to be one step ahead of him and was already corralling the two girls into the training room. “If you will only allow me a chance to try an experiment, Inuyasha.”
The hanyou spoke through gritted teeth, his words laced with anger. “This is no fucking time for you to try to get me hooked up with Eri again and I don’t want Kagome watching this.”
The monk only smiled one of his calm, beguiling smiles. “I have a theory, Inuyasha…”
Inuyasha managed to fold his hands in front of his chest. “What sort of fucked up theory…?”
Miroku only laughed and managed to slap Inuyasha on the back, effectively pushing the hanyou into the training room while doing so. The monk grinned from ear to ear and whispered to the hanyou. “The theory is that like most dog demons you only ‘perform’ well…” After mentioning that word, the monk’s eyebrows raised perceptively. “…when someone you need to protect is present.” The monk continued by gesturing to the two ladies in the room.
Eri was standing comfortably in her leather slayer uniform. Inuyasha noticed how tightly the outfit curved around her ass and her thighs. Kagome was next to her and for the first time since Inuyasha had met the girl, she seemed a little worried. She was tugging at her robes and looking at the slayer’s costume in confusion.
For a brief moment, all Inuyasha could think about was what Kagome would look like wearing one of the slayer’s uniforms. The image was dancing in his mind, distracting him until he saw the unwelcome sight of Koga pulling Kagome close, holding her hands in his.
Inuyasha stormed forward. He had once thought that just seeing the arrogant wolf demon infuriated him, but seeing him touch Kagome made something snap deep inside of him. No one should be touching Kagome and certainly no one should be flirting with her.
The wolf demon seemed to be ignoring everyone else in the room. He was sniffing the air near Kagome. Inuyasha only growled. Kagome had a lovely scent and now the wolf demon was aware as well.
He roughly shoved Koga away, disentangling their hands. He quickly moved to put himself between Kagome and his combat trainer.
“Keep your fucking hands to yourself, wolf!” seethed Inuyasha as he tried to block Kagome from Koga’s view.
Inuyasha didn’t like the gleam in the wolf demon’s eyes or the way they started to sparkle in amusement. “I was under the impression that you were dating, Eri.” Koga then moved around Inuyasha, managing to hold Kagome’s hands again. This time the miko’s eyes went wide.
“Date?” asked Kagome as she stared at Inuyasha.
“Which means that this miko is up for the taking.” Koga fixated his eyes on Kagome. “My name is Koga. What’s yours, gorgeous?”
Inuyasha batted their hands apart. “Not for you to know, shit face!” His temples were starting to throb with anger.
Koga turned calmly to Inuyasha, a sneer starting to make itself across his handsome features. “Then try to stop me, dog shit!”
Inuyasha didn’t think; he only attacked. His body moved before his conscious mind had given him leave to do so. The only thing hammering in his mind was how much he hated Koga and how the wolf demon should suffer for daring to touch Kagome.
His hand was already clenched and was flying into the wolf demon’s face.
Koga lunged backwards, avoiding the connecting punch by a hair’s breadth, before leaping away from the girls and landing on the other side of the padded enclosure.
The wolf demon only grinned at Inuyasha cheekily, before gesturing to the hanyou to come at him again.
Fury consumed Inuyasha’s mind as he leapt toward his opponent, his fists flying. Koga’s head ducked once again, this time barely avoiding the hand that connected to the wall instead. The white wall padding quickly gave way to Inuyasha’s fist. Splinters of wood and plaster flew into the air on impact.
The hanyou tried to pull his bloodied hand from the wall just as Koga managed to lunge to the ground and kick the hanyou’s feet right out from under him.
Inuyasha sputtered to the floor, his arms flailing behind him.
Koga only laughed, as he stood regally above the hanyou. “Learn self-control, mutt-face! You’re a waste of my time...”
The wolf demon quickly followed his words by attempting to jump and then land on Inuyasha’s belly with both feet. The hanyou barely managed to avoid the quick attack as he immediately swerved to the side, Koga’s feet impaling the floor.
Inuyasha was still on the floor when he twisted back to grab Koga’s legs in a stranglehold, effectively pulling the demon down onto the ground with him.
A quick elbow to the man’s ribcage and a swift upper-cut to his jaw briefly immobilized Koga. After being trained by his father, Inuyasha knew that he could give no quarter. With flying fists, he delivered punch after punch to Koga’s face, bloodying his nose, blackening an eye and marring the demon’s once perfect features.
For the first time in their many bouts, Inuyasha thought that he might have the upper hand when he was kneed solidly in the groin.
The hanyou howled in pain and rolled off the wolf, cursing as he moved.
Koga got up, wiping the blood away that was dripping down his nose with a hasty swipe. The smug grin that had once shown on his face had now dissolved into a look of stern indignation.
Inuyasha attempted to stand, his feet wobbly.
The wolf demon taunted him. “The miko needs a real man, not a half-breed like you.”
With those words, some half-forgotten memory played in Inuyasha’s mind. He was seeing a young boy with long black hair and the robes of a kannushi telling him that he wasn’t fit to be with a miko. He remembered the boy was telling him that if a miko was touched by a hanyou, that she would lose her powers. Half-breeds were impure.
Feelings of resentment welled up inside of him, until another memory let itself loose. He felt Kagome’s form next to him, desperately kissing him with abandon, and his bittersweet joy at learning that she not only wanted him as well, but that the young kannushi had been deliberately misleading him.
Just like Koga…
Inuyasha snarled before attacking. His pains were somehow forgotten in the haze of battle. All he wanted was revenge. Revenge for being misled, revenge for missed opportunities, revenge for betrayal…
This time his claws came into play and Koga was barely able to defend himself. Inuyasha slashed at the boy’s abdomen, bloody gouge marks left in its wake.
Fist and claws continued to attack as blood droplets fell like fine mist and occasional splotches on the otherwise spotless padding of the white floor next to Koga.
In the haze that clouded his mind, Inuyasha hardly noticed that the wolf demon had his arms around his head and stomach in an attempt to ward off the attacks. The wolf demon was no longer fighting against him.
Inuyasha did not see the wolf demon in front of him, instead he saw the young kannushi who had told him he was somehow not worthy. Then that young man’s face somehow morphed into the shape-shifting demon who had attacked him at his apartment. A man with long black hair that writhed like tentacles and eyes that were pitch black.
Suddenly, his arm was held back in a stern grip from behind. He attempted to jerk his hand free and then realized who had been holding him. He scented his father behind him, keeping him from attacking. Finally, the vision of the shape-shifting demon moved away from him, leaving the bloodied form of his erstwhile wolf demon trainer cowering in front of him on the floor.
Then his senses picked up something else—fear, and it was coming from Kagome.
He pivoted away from Koga, his arm still in his father’s grasp, while trying to make eye contact with the miko he wanted to protect. It was then that he noticed the deep blood stains on his hands and within his claws.
He was about to try to explain to Kagome why he had done it, why he had attacked so viciously. He was so certain that his errant behavior had driven Kagome away from him.
Just as he was about to speak, the miko gasped and it wasn’t at his bloodied claws. She was looking directly into his father’s narrowed golden eyes.
Kagome stammered in disbelief. “Sesshoumaru-sama…”
His father dropped his arm and stood between the miko and Inuyasha. For the first time in Inuyasha’s life, he noticed that his dad was wearing a look of befuddled surprise. No one else would have noticed the subtle change in his features, but it was his raised brows and the slight widening of his eyes that gave his father’s restrained emotions away.
His father’s eyes narrowed. “Miko, how is it that you are still alive …?”
Author's Notes:
#1: Why did this chapter take so long? I am so sorry. It was just life. The reader’s digest version is: just when I was finishing up this chapter my husband had to go in and out of the ER for an entire weekend. Then he had emergency surgery (kidney stones). Then I had the end of the year closeout at work (ends June 30th). Then my parents stayed at my home for two weeks. I hope I don’t get that distracted again! This entire story has already been plotted out, so there are no writer’s block problems, only problems in having time to write, which I hope should be alleviated for the near future.
#2: Thank you Glon Morski for recommending this story over at ‘If the Roles Were Reversed.’ I already recommended her awesome tale a few chapters back, but if you haven’t yet checked out her lovingly hand-crafted tale that tugs at your heartstrings and keeps you astounded with intricate fight scenes, then you are missing out. :-)
#3: Thank you Onna for nominating ‘When We Awaken’ for ‘Best In-Character Fiction.’ This story actually won last quarter, woo hoo! ;-)
#4: Answers to questions I have been getting… Who are Inuyasha’s parents? Well, now you know that Sesshomaru is his dad. So who do you think Inuyasha’s mother is? I had one reviewer actually guess that Sesshy was Inuyasha’s dad, but now I can’t find that review.When will our modern Inuyasha remember his past? Well, as you can see, he is already starting to remember. Give him some time…What is going on with Inuyasha’s parents? I loved the conspiracy stories about Inuyasha’s parents. Well, now you should know that his parents are not really hiding anything from Inuyasha. He just has an overprotective mother. Considering the fate of the predecessor, whose name the modern Inuyasha bears, his mother is a little worried about him meeting the same fate.
Hojo’s hanyou abilities…? Sorry, I’m not telling. Maybe you can pick up on them as the story progresses. He has used them publicly already.What was legend of a dog demon that Souta was referring to? Just a 500 year-old legend about a certain miko and a dog demon we all know and love.
Is Inuyasha a wimp? Sorry folks, he’s taking after Kagome and her gradual development in the story. Remember what she was like in the beginning before she was able to fire a sacred arrow? I hope everyone is happier with the modern Inuyasha in this chapter, since he has just managed to beat poor Koga to a pulp.
Kokoronagomu: You are dead on about the Uncle idea… ;-)Darkcreeder: No mind-games, but there will be twists. Inuyasha’s parents do love him. His mom is just over protective. And now as you know, Sesshomaru has been in this tale for two chapters so far.Jingyee: I see Inuyasha’s subconscious as his ‘Id’ and his conscious mind is his ‘Ego’ and ‘Superego.’ They all meet in his mind while Inuyasha dreams and battle out their differences. Since they are all of the same mind, you will see them interact with each other. Oh and Miroku thought that Inuyasha and Kagome were acting like a couple who had been together for a long time. They seem to anticipate each other’s moods and actions.#5: This story will have three twists in it. You have already been introduced to the first one: that is Sesshomaru is Inuyasha’s Dad. Two more to come… ;-)
#6: One of my betas asked this, so I will repeat. Kikyo is dead. D-E-A-D. She will not come back from the dead, she will not walk the earth again. Please do not worry. No golem Kikyo’s will be in my story.
Warning: Some swearing and violence.~~~oo0oo~~~Special thanks to my awesome and talented betas: SplendentGoddess, Alpine, and Kmoaton~~~oo0oo~~~ ‘Thinking’“Speaking”~~~oo0oo~~~
Last Chapter:His mother nearly dropped her cup and his father’s normally unflappable visage became momentarily astounded. He noticed his parents exchanging a meaningful glance, his mother’s face adrift in worry before she smoothed her features.
She paused for a moment. It was almost as if she needed to catch her breath before she spoke. “Inuyasha, my son. Why are you wearing the robe of the firerat?”
Inuyasha’s eyes widened. “How did you…?”
His father continued with a clipped tone that spoke of concealed anger. “And why do you have the Tessaiga at your side?”
~~~oo0oo~~~
Inuyasha could only look at his parents in complete confusion. “What…how did you know?”His mother was looking at him oddly and he had never seen his father so angry.
“I will ask you one last time, Inuyasha. Why do you have the Tessaiga at your side?”
He had never felt so small than when he was in his father’s presence. He had always looked up to his father and marveled at the man’s supernatural abilities. However, there was one thing he never wanted to see and that was his father’s fury directed at him.
His father’s golden eyes no longer seemed warm; they were ice cold and calculating.
Words flew from Inuyasha’s mouth. “A miko gave them to me…she said that they were mine.” He didn’t add that the girl in question might have been delusional and was under the mistaken impression that she was from 500 years ago. It was bad enough that they were asking him about two gifts she had given him. As much as he couldn’t have cared less about the robe and the sword when they had been given, now he found that he couldn’t part with them. The thought of giving up his Tessaiga put his teeth on edge.
His mother cocked her head to the side, trying to figure out his words. “The girl you met at the park you were camping at?”
Inuyasha nodded his head in affirmation. He didn’t like the glow he saw in his mother’s eyes.
“The one you gave CPR to?” she asked with a hint of a smile.
His father’s eyebrows were raised momentarily. “CPR?” he asked.
His mother took a sip of her tea and slyly looked at her husband out of the corner of her eye. “Ummm hummm…” she intoned as she sipped her cup. She paused and then set her teacup down on the low table. Her eyes met her son’s again.
“You said that you returned her to her shrine. Where is it?”
His father looked at him with a sternness that brooked no argument.
Inuyasha almost stuttered. The glare his father was giving him was something he had only seen when his father was dealing with unruly business associates.
He was about to answer, but something hardened inside of him. A need to protect Kagome reared. As much as he wanted to answer his parents, the need to safeguard her was stronger.
“Wait. If I answer your question, you won’t harm her will you? I need to know that she will be safe.”
His father’s eyes flashed, but his mother put her arm up against his chest. Her eyes were clear; they seemed alight in happiness. Her brief smile to his father seemed to put him at ease, the gruff exterior of his father softened.
Golden eyes bored into him. “Do you have someone to protect, Inuyasha?”
The words shocked him. They seemed so familiar, like they were from an old dream or a forgotten memory.
He swallowed. “Yes, father. I have someone I need to protect.” Inuyasha gripped the hilt of his sword.
The silver-haired demon leaned backward, as if appraising the situation. “Then that is why the sword has returned to your hands.”
His father’s anger seemed to seep away, replaced with a melancholy look. Golden eyes flickered over the Tessaiga, but now restfulness and a sense of purpose settled on his features.
“As long as this miko proves to be no threat, she will remain unharmed. Answer your mother’s question, son,” commanded his father.
He didn’t understand what was going on, but he knew enough about his father to not test his luck. Directly disobeying his father two times in a row could make for a painful experience.
“She works at the Sunset Shrine in downtown Tokyo. Today she met Detective Sureiyâ and he asked her to come into the Taijiya headquarters with me tomorrow. I am going to start training at headquarters.”
His mother’s eyes looked pained, while his father’s eyes seemed proud. His father spoke to his mother first. “Inuyasha cannot be a boy forever. It’s about time he learns how to be a man.”
His father continued in a low voice. “Now you need to tell me how you managed to blow up your apartment.” The older demon paused to look at the sword at Inuyasha’s side. “Though, I believe Tessaiga had a lot to do with it.”
He continued while looking Inuyasha directly in the eye. “The Tessiaga would not have emitted such massive destruction unless demonic power was involved. What exactly were you fighting, son?”
Terror drew itself across his mother’s features. “You were fighting a demon in your apartment, Inuyasha?” She drew herself close to her son, her hand touching his arm.
Inuyasha gulped. The last thing he ever wanted to do was to worry his mother. He hoped that if he only mentioned the fight at his apartment and did not mention the demon at the park, that she would be less worried. However, both of his parents knew when he was lying. He would have to skirt the truth.
He took in a cleansing breath and then related the tale, yet again, of what had happened in his apartment last night and how he had ended up in the bedroom of the miko in question once the morning came. He noticed that his mother was incredibly amused about where he had slept last night. It almost erased the worry from her face. He didn’t know why that irritated him.
His father was the first to speak. “I am going to contact Detective Sureiyâ.” He pushed himself away from the table. “We will need to meet this miko later. In the meantime, you will start residing in your old room. Having you on your own is not safe right now. Once you get settled, join me in the garden.”
“Why?” asked Inuyasha as his father’s taller frame stood up, standing regally in his silver and white kimono.
“No one will be able to teach you how to properly handle the Tessaiga like I can,” answered his father. “Your training will start today.”
~~~oo0oo~~~
It had been a long, grueling day for Inuyasha. He looked like a wet dog. Each step he took made a wet slapping sound on the tatami mat underneath him. He was also covered in soot from head to toe. The ends of his silver hair had been charred black. He flexed his hand, which had previously been a blackened husk. His wounds were slowly reknitting, color returning to his gray skin and he could even see his robe repairing itself, as if by magic.He nearly ripped his doorframe of delicate rice paper, as he entered his old room. He really didn’t like the idea of living with his parents again, especially after having the freedom of living alone while in college.
However, college was no longer an option. While he had been training with his dad, his mother had disenrolled him from Tokyo University. Inwardly, he actually agreed with them for the choice. If he was to train with the Taijiya, as well as his father, and also attempt to protect Kagome, his plate was already far too full. But he hated being told what to do. Inuyasha had even tried to argue with his mother. However, his father would brook no disagreement.
He took in his old, disused room. Unlike his apartment, this room was more traditional. It had tatami mats, rice paper screens that hid a Japanese garden, low-lying tables, a large futon in the middle of the room and even a small stone garden in the corner of the room, complete with a small Buddha.
Disgruntled, he disrobed before he threw himself on his futon and gazed at the ceiling. His body was aching from the exertions that his father had put him through.
…
The day had started with his father taking them to the clouds and then after flying for a while, they had landed on a small deserted isle that was more of a rocky outcropping than an island.
His father had then proceeded to fight him, hand to hand. Unfortunately, his father was quicker and had the ability to fly. There was also nowhere to run. The isle was so small, that he had trouble finding a footfall while trying to evade his father’s poisonous whips.
Inuyasha had always thought that he was a powerful demon. But today his father had put him squarely in his place. He was just happy that Kagome had not seen his humiliation.
The older demon had slashed with his claws and flogged him with his poisonous whip. Lash marks continued to lace his body, arms and legs, green ooze falling from the wounds, preventing them from healing as quickly as they otherwise could.
After Inuyasha had fallen into the sea a few times, his father had relented, giving him time to dry his clothes and to catch his breath.
Inuyasha had felt hatred bubble for his father as his poisoned wounds festered and simmered on his skin. What had made everything even harder to swallow was that his father’s impeccable white and silver kimono did not bear a single mark. His father looked down at him evenly.
“Do you think I was too hard on you today, son?”
Inuyasha had only looked away in anger and shame.
His father only had hummed to himself and looked down at his claws that were now glowing with green poison. “I have actually paused in this fight and have allowed you time to recuperate. A real enemy would never give you a chance to pause the battle,” he had said.
His father had then whipped the tendril of poison at Inuyasha who at the time had been busily trying to squeeze the water from his haori.
Just as the whip was about to land, Inuyasha had felt an inner calm. Almost without thinking, he had unsheathed his sword. The Tessaiga flashed against the cold sea that surrounded them as the green whip was wrapped around the blade.
Inuyasha’s eyes had widened, his pride at his quick reflexes glowing through his eyes.
His father had quickly tugged at the whip and the Tessaiga flew from its owner’s hand, landing squarely in the palm of his father’s.
Almost as if he had forgotten his son, the older demon had turned the sword over, examining its edge and worn features.
Inuyasha’s eyes narrowed. He couldn’t place it, but for some reason, seeing his father hold his blade had angered him into furious rage. It had been difficult to see Detective Sureiyâ and Miroku handle his blade. But seeing it in his father’s hands had infuriated him.
He had stood to his full height and yelled as he reached out for the blade, “It’s not yours!”
His words of anger had startled his father. But what had surprised him even more was that the blade responded. It had wiggled in his father’s hands before an unknown force ripped it away and brought the blade squarely back into Inuyasha’s open grip.
The hanyou had heaved in anger, wondering what had overtaken him and then paused to look at the battered blade.
“Indeed,” intoned his father with a quirked eyebrow. “Then perhaps it is time for us to stop our combative training and work on honing your skills with that sword.”
Inuyasha tried to get his breathing back under control. For some reason he hadn’t been expecting his father to be reasonable or to stop attacking him. His own feelings mystified him.
Taking a deep cleansing breath, he had stood up and held his sword out in front of him, gripped tightly with both hands.
Inuyasha had been expecting his father to face him with a sword of his own. Instead, his father had taken a small, paper, origami crane out of his obi. Curiously, the object flew into the sky on paper wings.
His father had then reclined on a rock, his face an impassive mask as the paper creature dove toward Inuyasha.
Without any real tactic in mind, Inuyasha had blindly swatted at the paper crane with his sword. He had looked more like a man swatting at a bug with a flyswatter, than a swordfighter.
With each slice, the paper crane had split into another segment. However, instead of the paper pieces fluttering to the ground, they had simply reformed, adding another paper crane to the menagerie buzzing around him.
“What in the fuck is this supposed to help with?” yelled Inuyasha as he had continued his mad dance around the paper objects. He had still continued to slash at the flying paper cranes a more flew around him, looking like swarming gnats.
The paper cranes looked harmless, but when they flew close enough to Inuyasha, their paper wings would slice his skin and robes. His exposed face and arms had been peppered with horizontal cuts and scattered drops of blood.
A wry smile fell upon the demon’s lips. “I asked you if you had someone to protect, Inuyasha.”
“What in the fuck is that supposed to mean?” yelled the half demon as he had continued to slice at the objects. He had brought his brows together. His father’s words seemed familiar, he knew that the words were once spoken by someone else… Unfortunately, it drifted away like smoke blown away by the wind, just as he tried to focus on his father’s words.
Frustration mounted. There was something he was missing, some thought or memory that was out of his reach and it made him angry. He had decided to refocus his anger as he continued to madly slice into the air surrounding him; he thought about the sole person he wanted to protect. A girl in miko’s robes with wavy, raven black hair and eyes the color of a storm flashed in his mind.
“Kagome,” he had murmured.
He never noticed the way his father’s eyes narrowed when he had spoken that word. What he did see was the way his blade had suddenly erupted into a glowing crescent moon dwarfing his own frame.
He had been momentarily startled enough to let the flying paper origami slice his nose. “Fuck!” he had yelled before he managed to swat at the offending object with the glowing sword.
That time his mad slices through the air had managed to fry the small bits of paper droning in the air. Ashes fluttered to the ground.
A mad smile had then made its way across Inuyasha’s features before his final slashes in the air managed to decimate the paper swarm.
He had stood up straight and tall, leaning against his glowing sword, a smirk of pleasure clearly written across his face.
His father had seemed unimpressed.
Wordlessly, he had pulled a green origami dragon from his obi before releasing it into the air. The paper object had snorted and a whiff of smoke rose from its nostrils. The small thing darted in front of Inuyasha. The half demon had simply guffawed.
“Come on! Give me something more challenging. I can easily destroy that stupid paper thing,” Inuyasha spoke in confident tones.
The tiny green paper dragon hadopened up its maw and a blast of fire had poured out of it, burning his hand with fire and heat.
“Fuck!” Inuyasha had screamed as he held his throbbing hand and dropped his Tessaiga. The once glowing object transformed back into a dull sword and had lain among the dirt at his feet. His hand was charred black and blood oozed out of the cracks in his skin. His hanyou healing abilities had quickly kicked in and he had started to see the blackened marks fading into a healthy skin tone before his eyes.
Then he had felt another pelt of fire hitting him from behind. He had felt the heat against his skin, but that time the paper dragon was breathing fire against his robe of the fire rat.
He had noticed when he had been fighting the demon in his apartment; the gas explosion in his kitchen didn’t seem to hurt him. Perhaps it had been the robes he was wearing? Perhaps they were the mystical robes of legend that the Princess Kaguya of the Moon Kingdom had asked for?
At the moment, he couldn’t begin to understand where Kagome had found them. All he knew was that they actually worked.
For once, he had smirked. If he could just keep the thing from attacking his bare skin, he could defeat the pest.
He had quickly bent down to retrieve his Tessaiga. Once the sword was in his hands, he had expected the sword to transform back into its larger, glowing form. But all he had in his hands was a mangled sword.
The paper dragon blasted him with another round of fire.
“Fuck!”
Inuyasha had barely managed to put up his sword in time to block the fiery path. The flames were cleaved into two halves by the sword’s dull edge, and what was left of the flames fell harmlessly against the arms of his robes.
The paper dragon dove again, and that time it was making a beeline for his face.
“Oh, fuck no!” screamed Inuyasha as he had turned and twisted, exposing his back to the flames, which again fell harmlessly against the red fur cloth.
“Do you have someone to protect, Inuyasha?” asked his father.
Inuyasha had only nodded as he tried to evade yet another tiny, diving dragon attack.
“Then imagine her behind you and you are her only means of protection,” ordered his father.
The words somehow made perfect sense. There was no real reason to fight unless he was protecting someone. The motive had to be pure and without selfish motives…
“Kagome…” he had whispered again while he imagined the black haired miko behind him, with her quiver of arrows spent and sweat on her brow. She needed him and there was no one else who could help her…
His pride suddenly swelled and he felt more powerful, just thinking about how much she might need him.
The sword had suddenly sprung to life, a blazoned crescent moon glowing with raging fury.
The small paper dragon had seemed to pause in confusion as it hovered in mid air. It was the delay Inuyasha had needed to smite the tiny creature.
He had slowly slashed down into the creature, his flashing sword following a diagonal path down towards the ground. The paper creature fell right into the Tessaiga’s path.
Inuyasha glowered in anticipation. The thing was going to be fried into ash within moments.
His smirk had slowly morphed into confusion and then into utter disbelief when the paper dragon had still been hovering in mid air. It had seemed to snort at him, whiffs of smoke puffing out from its nostrils.
His father had spoken as if bored. “That paper creation was enchanted with dragon blood.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” quipped Inuyasha who was busily dodging another tiny blast of fire aimed at his face.
“It means,“ his father had continued in a patronizing tone, “that it is immune to fire, like all dragons. Your sword cannot destroy it unless you unleash the power of the ‘Wound of the Wind.’”
“What the fuck? You mean the ‘Wind Scar,’ Dad?”
A silver eyebrow arched. “Yes, that is exactly what I mean, son.” He had paused and continued. “Imagine a rift in the air in front of you, the converging of two energies, your own and the dragon that you face. But most of all imagine the person you must protect. Keep them in the forefront of your mind.”
Inuyasha’s mind went back to the night that he was attacked in his apartment. He had unleashed something so powerful that he had blown the roof off of his building.
Something had taken over then, a fleeting calm and a sense of purpose, married with the unmistakable desire to protect Kagome with his life. He marveled when he thought back at how little concern he had felt for his own life, but the panic he had felt when he had realized the demon might try to kill her next.
He had centered on these thoughts. He had pretended that the dragon was about to attack Kagome, that she was helpless behind his back.
He had smirked. Perhaps it was his ego, but he really didn’t like the idea of her saving his ass. She had done so once and he was mortified that he had been so weak and helpless.
“Never, fucking again!” he thought.
Inuyasha had concentrated, looking not only at the paper creature that was zipping through the air, but also at the demonic wake that it left.
He could sense a trail in the air that left a telltale aura. He had waved his sword in the direction of the demonic signature that was left. He had felt a reverberation in his sword. It vibrated, as he sensed a disruption in the twining of the two energies of his sword and the dragon. Between the two, there was a void of space where neither energy gained hold.
He had aimed his sword at that spot. Then he had unleashed his swords pent up energy. “Wind Scar!” he had yelled.
What had followed was a quake that erupted from his sword, slashing down against the earth. Bright light blinded his vision and the energy flowing felt like lightning had struck the ground in front of him, pushing him back and bathing the area in a destructive flow.
His body had heaved with heavy breaths as he looked on the devastation in front of him. Five jagged cracks burst out from the ground in front of his sword, looking like the serrated remains of an earthquake.
The paper dragon was nowhere to be seen. Another smirk erupted across his face. “Keh!”
Inuyasha had taken a step back and he had let the image of Kagome standing helpless behind him dissipate. The sword had quickly followed, becoming nothing but an old rusty sword again. He had quickly sheathed it and looked at his father, expecting to see pride in his eyes.
All he had been met with was an arrogant calm and a stern command. “Again,” his father had spoken as he released another paper dragon into the air.
…
The day went on until Inuyasha was both burnt and wet. Staring up at the ceiling, Inuyasha was happy to finally be in the comfort of his own room, even if he was upset at having to stay at home. He groused for a few minutes, before he noticed that the sun was starting to set.
Panic seemed to overwhelm him. Sango would only be able to protect Kagome during the day, at night she would be returning home. He knew that the Taijiya would send someone else in her stead, but if it wasn’t Miroku or Sango, he didn’t trust them.
Inuyasha took a quick shower to get the soot and salt water off of him. He managed to eat a quick meal with his mother before he made it back to his room. He was itching to wear his robe of the fire rat. He was surprised when he found his garment perfectly dry and mended.
He smirked as he put it back on and then securely tied his Tessaiga back to his side. No one could protect Kagome like he could. There was just one final thing he needed to do before leaving.
He evaded the hired servants before he made his way to his father’s office. There was an item there that he could use. He didn’t know how his father had obtained it, but apparently it was very old, predating the necklaces they currently wore that made them appear human. These bracelets would obfuscate a demon. It wouldn’t make you invisible, but it made you blend in better with your surroundings, like a chameleon.
He reached to take out a small cloth wrapped box with a small golden bracelet within. He carefully took out the charm before he rewrapped the box. Inuyasha put the smooth metal band around his wrist. His smile looked like the grin of a Cheshire cat. His body blended into the walls and only his teeth were visible. Even his scent became distorted and dilute.
Inuyasha quickly managed to leave his father’s complex and leapt into the air. He would be at the Higurashi Sunset Shrine in less than an hour.
~~~oo0oo~~~
Inuyasha’s mother was sitting outdoors on a low-lying table in her garden when her husband joined her. She smiled as her husband nipped at her ear before joining her at the table.Two cups of tea sat out steaming in front of them. Inuyasha’s father took the small ceramic cup in his clawed hands and took a long, calming sip.
The woman smiled, looking at her husband coyly. “So, did our son leave already?”
The older man huffed and sat back. “Yes, and he managed to take my concealment charm with him.”
His wife giggled, her amusement making her look years younger. “I’m glad that you managed to put a GPS tracking device on it.”
Her husband arched an eyebrow. “Hnnnn…” was his only reply.
~~~oo0oo~~~
Inuyasha was perched on a large tree that sat squarely in the middle of the Higurashi compound. He could see nearly everything from here, including a certain kitsune who was not nearly as clever as he thought he was. He could clearly see the fox demon’s burnt orange tail poking out of a bush. The silly young demon had tried to morph himself into a plant and was only partially successful.A smirk made its way across Inuyasha’s face as he formulated a plan. With his bracelet of concealment in place, he dropped down effortlessly behind the young demon. Then he swiped up the demon’s tail. With his concentration interrupted the small demon popped in front of Inuyasha. A kitsune who looked to be a young boy dangled in front of him by its long puffy tail.
“Hey! What gives!” yelled the smaller tyke.
“Is this what the Taijiya send these days for protection? Are they getting desperate?” asked Inuyasha with a nasty smirk on his face.
“Let go!” yelled the smaller creature.
Inuyasha delayed a moment too long before putting the young demon back down. A spinning top quickly crashed onto his head, it morphed into an immense size and managed to splatter him onto the ground. The large wooden object ground painfully into his back.
“Kagome!” the tiny creature yelled as it managed to catapult itself from the shrine grounds into the girl’s living quarters on the second floor.
Inuyasha managed to knock the oversized play toy off his back and pull himself off of the ground. He was cursing kitsune foxes when he heard Kagome’s reply.
“Oh Shippo, what could have possibly frightened you?” asked Kagome soothingly.
The young demon sputtered. “A horrible dog demon, he was trying to…”
Inuyasha had had enough. He straightened his back and managed to leap into Kagome’s room, following in the young kitsune’s wake.
His eyebrow twitched in agitation when he saw Kagome holding the tiny fox demon in her arms, like a baby. He felt a small stab that emanated from his heart when he looked at the scene. That young demon was held protectively against her breasts as it continued to babble.
At first he had only wanted to play a trick on the young fox demon, now he wanted to pummel the creature. He took off his bracelet and put it in his pocket so that Kagome could see him more easily.
“That’s him!” yelled the fox demon accusingly. The young thing attempted to snarl and leap out of Kagome’s arms, however the young miko held him in check.
“Inuyasha!” she exclaimed with a warm smile.
“Inu..?” muttered the fox demon. “You mean you know this bast---?” Kagome put her hand on Shippo’s mouth before he could talk himself into any more trouble.
Inuyasha stomped until he stood right next to Kagome. “What the fuck, Kagome? Why are the Taijiya sending a defenseless squirt like him to protect you? He can’t do anything!”
Kagome turned while holding Shippo, shielding him from Inuyasha and putting him on her bed. “He doesn’t mean it Shippo-chan,” she said while patting him on the head.
An angry pain filled him as he stormed next to Kagome, his face centimeters from hers. “You think I didn’t mean it? There’s no fucking way that I didn’t…”
Inuyasha paused as he looked down at the smaller girl. Her lips were right next to his and she didn’t seem the least bit fazed by his tantrum. She only answered him with a small smile.
He quickly lost track of what he had been yelling at her about. Her lips were pink and full. He remembered kissing them the first time he had met her. Back then it had been a shock, now all he could think about was trying it again, holding her next to him and feeling her lips desperately reaching for his.
He swallowed before he moved to hold her by her shoulders. Her smile quickly morphed into confusion before she looked up at him with a look of both pain and longing.
She licked her lips as he let go of one arm to caress her cheek. “Kagome,” he whispered.
The young kitsune on Kagome’s bed would not be ignored. “Kagome! Stop it! He’s the bad guy!”
Kagome blinked and looked up at Inuyasha with widened eyes. A blush found itself drawing across her features and a look of shame overcame her. She managed to detach herself from Inuyasha and moved to pick up the young fox demon again.
Inuyasha’s hands flexed in anger; If Kagome had not been in the room, that little demon would have been in a world of hurt.
She spoke down lovingly to the young fox demon. “No, Shippo. He’s my friend. He protects me like you do.”
The young demon replied snarkily. “That didn’t look like any protecting to me.”
Kagome sighed. “It’s time for me to get to bed. Do you think that you two can get along for a few minutes while I change?”
The two adversaries looked at each other warily as Kagome exited the room. Inuyasha was concentrating on giving the little kitsune the evil eye when the creature started to make a nest for himself in Kagome’s bed.
The young demon pulled down the covers and managed to snuggle inside of the bedding. Inuyasha’s eyebrow twitched.
“What in the fuck do you think you’re doing?” yelled Inuyasha as he glared at the impetuous kitsune.
A door clicked and Kagome was back in the room wearing a pink shirt and yoga pants.
The young fox demon replied with all of the innocence of a young child. “Kagome said that I could sleep in her bed tonight.” He puffed up his little chest. “That way I could protect her better.”
“Kagome, there is no fucking way that you could let…” Inuyasha tried to reason.
He was struck dumb when he saw Kagome ruffle the hair on Shippo’s head, like a mother would do to her child. She looked up at Inuyasha, her face aglow with warmth and tenderness. “He can sleep here, Inuyasha. He said that he’s been having nightmares.”
“The Taijiya sent a kid who has nightmares at night to protect you?” steamed Inuyasha. He felt like a blood vessel on his forehead was about to burst.
Kagome just giggled and looked up at him with clear, bright eyes. She moved next to him, holding his hand in hers. “No, Inuyasha. He’s only in training. I told the Taijiya that you would be here at night to protect me, so that they could send someone who still needed to learn the ropes.”
Inuyasha was befuddled. “What do you mean? How did you know that I would be here tonight?”
Kagome only looked up at him. Brown, clear eyes looking up at him, seemingly knowing things about him that he didn’t know himself. She smiled. “I just knew, Inuyasha.”
Inuyasha gulped as she led him to a small pillow and bedding that had been put on the floor next to her bed. “You can sleep here,” she whispered.
Everyone soon settled down to sleep. Inuyasha would be lying if he said that he was fine with the little demon snuggled up to Kagome like a stuffed animal. It made something itch inside of him. All he wanted to do was to kick that little demon out of the room and trade places with the imp.
Thoughts of ways to torment the little kitsune filled his mind as he lay down on the floor next to Kagome. Soon the miko and the fox demon were fast asleep, but the hanyou couldn’t clear his mind enough to rest.
Finally he managed to sit up, cursing as he did so.
He turned to look at Kagome, asleep with a gentle smile on her lips. Her arm fell down, almost touching the floor.
Uncertainty filled his thoughts, but Inuyasha was still drawn to her. He cupped her hand in his. Almost immediately, the indecision warring in his mind ceased. Peace gripped him and purpose filled him. Somehow he knew she was his. His to protect, to defend…and to…something else also peeked into the corner of his mind, but he refused to listen to it.
“Inuyasha…” she murmured in her sleep.
He took in a deep breath of astonishment. She knew he was here, even in her sleep. Part of his mind told him that perhaps she was thinking about another Inuyasha. But the logical part of him knew that was just foolish. There was no other Inuyasha in this world and there was no way that the girl he was next to actually lived 500 years ago.
Kagome was just a little insane and somehow he was perfectly fine with that knowledge.
He sat up next to her bed, her hand dangling around his shoulder. Inuyasha fell quickly into a peaceful sleep, perfectly content in his newfound role as her protector.
~~~oo0oo~~~
Inuyasha flew up in the air, crashing into the white, padded walls of the training facility of the Taijiya. The gym bore some striking resemblances to an insane asylum room.Today was bad and it was only getting worse. Detective Sureiyâ had told Inuyasha that he would get the finest instruction. Unfortunately, Inuyasha had known long ago who was in charge of hand-to-hand combat training; it was his old rival, Koga, of the wolf demon tribe. If it wasn’t for his fierce desire to protect Kagome, he would have left this crazy facility and its equally insane coach long ago.
“Fuck!” Inuyasha yelled as he plummeted to the ground and attempted to stand back up. He swiped at the corner of his mouth and wiped away some blood.
The wolf demon jumped up and down in front of him, like a boxer preparing another strike.
“Come on dog turd!” Koga yelled before landing a flying kick into Inuyasha’s abdomen.
Inuyasha almost doubled over, but he managed to quickly lift an arm, catching the next kick that Koga had sent.
The hanyou smirked for a brief second, thinking that he had finally gained the upper hand on his opponent. However, Inuyasha only held one leg. He quickly found that that was a mistake. Koga’s other leg pushed up against the ground before kicking Inuyasha hard against the side of his face.
The hanyou was forced to let go as he reeled backward and fell once again against the padding of the gym’s walls.
Inuyasha was pissed. All he wanted to do was to serve Koga’s head on a platter. Seeing the wolf demon bloodied and begging for mercy would have been equally satisfying. Unfortunately, the wolf was over two hundred years old and had far more combat experience.
The hanyou started to get back up, prepared again to try to strike when the door to the room opened. Miroku and Sureiyâ stepped through and seemed surprised to see Inuyasha in the corner, having trouble staying upright.
“Hey!” yelled Koga as he exposed his back to Inuyasha. The wolf demon strolled over to the pair nonchalantly, cockiness in his step.
Inuyasha growled and propelled himself up to his feet. The attack of opportunity that Koga had presented him with was just too appealing.
Just as he was going to rush against Koga’s back, Sureiyâ was slapping the wolf demon on the back, interfering with his shot.
Inuyasha barely managed to stop his forward momentum before he slammed into the detective. He hovered back about one pace as the two men chatted amiably. The smiles on their faces just pissed him off even more.
“Fuck this!” Inuyasha yelled out as he left the room, trying not to show any stiffness or injury as he vacated the cursed room.
Without even looking over his shoulder, Koga called out. “Same time and place tomorrow.”
The only answer from Inuyasha was the door slamming shut behind him.
Miroku looked quixotically at the departing hanyou and scratched his head. “How was the training session, Koga?”
The wolf demon just smiled, his teeth very white and sharp. “The idiot doesn’t know what he’s fighting for. He’s too scattered and can’t concentrate on anything. I suggest you get rid of him. A hanyou like him isn’t good enough to win in a fight with a real demon.”
Detective Sureiyâ leaned back. “If you had seen the destruction he had wrecked on an apartment complex, you wouldn’t be saying that, Koga.”
The wolf demon only sneered. “So he has some sort of special blade that can help him attack. But one-on-one combat…the boy is as good as dead. He has no drive. He’s not even bothering to fight! How in the hell can I train him?”
Miroku looked thoughtfully at the closed door behind him. “Perhaps there is a way that we can motivate him.”
~~~oo0oo~~~
As Inuyasha walked back to the Taijiya the next morning, he was surprised to see Kagome at his side. He liked the way they looked together, like a couple from the feudal era: he in his robes of the fire rat and she in white and red miko’s robes.However, he was confused about her presence, although he wasn’t about to complain. He knew that she was supposed to be working at the Sunset Shrine.
Still, it made his heart feel lighter when she was at his side and perhaps he walked a little more boldly, perhaps his back was a little straighter. As he entered the building he was surprised that Miroku and Eri met him. Miroku was in his monk’s robes and Eri was sporting her slayer’s uniform of tight leather. Almost any woman with any semblance of curves looked breathtaking in the tight leather that the slayers wore. If he was going to be honest with himself, it was probably one of the reasons why he had accepted a date with Eri--that and Miroku’s constant attempts to pair him up with any woman that he so much as glanced at.
Inuyasha supposed that the date had gone well enough from Eri’s point-of-view. They had had a nice dinner together and had seen some of the sights of Tokyo at night. However, it was when he had put his arms around the girl and attempted to kiss her that he knew everything was wrong. Something deep inside of him was repelled by what a normal man would consider to be a beautiful girl. She simply didn’t smell right and there was something off about her. For some reason she just didn’t seem to match whatever his inner demon was searching for. Kissing her was like licking cigarette ashes.
He had ended the date quickly after his misguided attempt to kiss her. The poor girl had probably been wondering why he had left so quickly.
He had really hoped that he wouldn’t be seeing Eri for a long time. Inuyasha clenched his teeth together and made his way toward the duo.
As fate would have it, Eri was waving happily at him and even tried to give him a hug. She seemed non-pulsed as Inuyasha glided away from her arms. She continued to follow the group down the hallway.
Miroku’s staff jingled as he made his way down the hallway to the training rooms. “I hope you don’t mind, Inuyasha,” Miroku said casually. “But I thought that the girls might learn a few things from your training exercises.”
Inuyasha blanched. “What? No!” Thoughts of his imminent humiliation at the hands of Koga with two women watching him danced in his mind.
Miroku seemed to be one step ahead of him and was already corralling the two girls into the training room. “If you will only allow me a chance to try an experiment, Inuyasha.”
The hanyou spoke through gritted teeth, his words laced with anger. “This is no fucking time for you to try to get me hooked up with Eri again and I don’t want Kagome watching this.”
The monk only smiled one of his calm, beguiling smiles. “I have a theory, Inuyasha…”
Inuyasha managed to fold his hands in front of his chest. “What sort of fucked up theory…?”
Miroku only laughed and managed to slap Inuyasha on the back, effectively pushing the hanyou into the training room while doing so. The monk grinned from ear to ear and whispered to the hanyou. “The theory is that like most dog demons you only ‘perform’ well…” After mentioning that word, the monk’s eyebrows raised perceptively. “…when someone you need to protect is present.” The monk continued by gesturing to the two ladies in the room.
Eri was standing comfortably in her leather slayer uniform. Inuyasha noticed how tightly the outfit curved around her ass and her thighs. Kagome was next to her and for the first time since Inuyasha had met the girl, she seemed a little worried. She was tugging at her robes and looking at the slayer’s costume in confusion.
For a brief moment, all Inuyasha could think about was what Kagome would look like wearing one of the slayer’s uniforms. The image was dancing in his mind, distracting him until he saw the unwelcome sight of Koga pulling Kagome close, holding her hands in his.
Inuyasha stormed forward. He had once thought that just seeing the arrogant wolf demon infuriated him, but seeing him touch Kagome made something snap deep inside of him. No one should be touching Kagome and certainly no one should be flirting with her.
The wolf demon seemed to be ignoring everyone else in the room. He was sniffing the air near Kagome. Inuyasha only growled. Kagome had a lovely scent and now the wolf demon was aware as well.
He roughly shoved Koga away, disentangling their hands. He quickly moved to put himself between Kagome and his combat trainer.
“Keep your fucking hands to yourself, wolf!” seethed Inuyasha as he tried to block Kagome from Koga’s view.
Inuyasha didn’t like the gleam in the wolf demon’s eyes or the way they started to sparkle in amusement. “I was under the impression that you were dating, Eri.” Koga then moved around Inuyasha, managing to hold Kagome’s hands again. This time the miko’s eyes went wide.
“Date?” asked Kagome as she stared at Inuyasha.
“Which means that this miko is up for the taking.” Koga fixated his eyes on Kagome. “My name is Koga. What’s yours, gorgeous?”
Inuyasha batted their hands apart. “Not for you to know, shit face!” His temples were starting to throb with anger.
Koga turned calmly to Inuyasha, a sneer starting to make itself across his handsome features. “Then try to stop me, dog shit!”
Inuyasha didn’t think; he only attacked. His body moved before his conscious mind had given him leave to do so. The only thing hammering in his mind was how much he hated Koga and how the wolf demon should suffer for daring to touch Kagome.
His hand was already clenched and was flying into the wolf demon’s face.
Koga lunged backwards, avoiding the connecting punch by a hair’s breadth, before leaping away from the girls and landing on the other side of the padded enclosure.
The wolf demon only grinned at Inuyasha cheekily, before gesturing to the hanyou to come at him again.
Fury consumed Inuyasha’s mind as he leapt toward his opponent, his fists flying. Koga’s head ducked once again, this time barely avoiding the hand that connected to the wall instead. The white wall padding quickly gave way to Inuyasha’s fist. Splinters of wood and plaster flew into the air on impact.
The hanyou tried to pull his bloodied hand from the wall just as Koga managed to lunge to the ground and kick the hanyou’s feet right out from under him.
Inuyasha sputtered to the floor, his arms flailing behind him.
Koga only laughed, as he stood regally above the hanyou. “Learn self-control, mutt-face! You’re a waste of my time...”
The wolf demon quickly followed his words by attempting to jump and then land on Inuyasha’s belly with both feet. The hanyou barely managed to avoid the quick attack as he immediately swerved to the side, Koga’s feet impaling the floor.
Inuyasha was still on the floor when he twisted back to grab Koga’s legs in a stranglehold, effectively pulling the demon down onto the ground with him.
A quick elbow to the man’s ribcage and a swift upper-cut to his jaw briefly immobilized Koga. After being trained by his father, Inuyasha knew that he could give no quarter. With flying fists, he delivered punch after punch to Koga’s face, bloodying his nose, blackening an eye and marring the demon’s once perfect features.
For the first time in their many bouts, Inuyasha thought that he might have the upper hand when he was kneed solidly in the groin.
The hanyou howled in pain and rolled off the wolf, cursing as he moved.
Koga got up, wiping the blood away that was dripping down his nose with a hasty swipe. The smug grin that had once shown on his face had now dissolved into a look of stern indignation.
Inuyasha attempted to stand, his feet wobbly.
The wolf demon taunted him. “The miko needs a real man, not a half-breed like you.”
With those words, some half-forgotten memory played in Inuyasha’s mind. He was seeing a young boy with long black hair and the robes of a kannushi telling him that he wasn’t fit to be with a miko. He remembered the boy was telling him that if a miko was touched by a hanyou, that she would lose her powers. Half-breeds were impure.
Feelings of resentment welled up inside of him, until another memory let itself loose. He felt Kagome’s form next to him, desperately kissing him with abandon, and his bittersweet joy at learning that she not only wanted him as well, but that the young kannushi had been deliberately misleading him.
Just like Koga…
Inuyasha snarled before attacking. His pains were somehow forgotten in the haze of battle. All he wanted was revenge. Revenge for being misled, revenge for missed opportunities, revenge for betrayal…
This time his claws came into play and Koga was barely able to defend himself. Inuyasha slashed at the boy’s abdomen, bloody gouge marks left in its wake.
Fist and claws continued to attack as blood droplets fell like fine mist and occasional splotches on the otherwise spotless padding of the white floor next to Koga.
In the haze that clouded his mind, Inuyasha hardly noticed that the wolf demon had his arms around his head and stomach in an attempt to ward off the attacks. The wolf demon was no longer fighting against him.
Inuyasha did not see the wolf demon in front of him, instead he saw the young kannushi who had told him he was somehow not worthy. Then that young man’s face somehow morphed into the shape-shifting demon who had attacked him at his apartment. A man with long black hair that writhed like tentacles and eyes that were pitch black.
Suddenly, his arm was held back in a stern grip from behind. He attempted to jerk his hand free and then realized who had been holding him. He scented his father behind him, keeping him from attacking. Finally, the vision of the shape-shifting demon moved away from him, leaving the bloodied form of his erstwhile wolf demon trainer cowering in front of him on the floor.
Then his senses picked up something else—fear, and it was coming from Kagome.
He pivoted away from Koga, his arm still in his father’s grasp, while trying to make eye contact with the miko he wanted to protect. It was then that he noticed the deep blood stains on his hands and within his claws.
He was about to try to explain to Kagome why he had done it, why he had attacked so viciously. He was so certain that his errant behavior had driven Kagome away from him.
Just as he was about to speak, the miko gasped and it wasn’t at his bloodied claws. She was looking directly into his father’s narrowed golden eyes.
Kagome stammered in disbelief. “Sesshoumaru-sama…”
His father dropped his arm and stood between the miko and Inuyasha. For the first time in Inuyasha’s life, he noticed that his dad was wearing a look of befuddled surprise. No one else would have noticed the subtle change in his features, but it was his raised brows and the slight widening of his eyes that gave his father’s restrained emotions away.
His father’s eyes narrowed. “Miko, how is it that you are still alive …?”
Author's Notes:
#1: Why did this chapter take so long? I am so sorry. It was just life. The reader’s digest version is: just when I was finishing up this chapter my husband had to go in and out of the ER for an entire weekend. Then he had emergency surgery (kidney stones). Then I had the end of the year closeout at work (ends June 30th). Then my parents stayed at my home for two weeks. I hope I don’t get that distracted again! This entire story has already been plotted out, so there are no writer’s block problems, only problems in having time to write, which I hope should be alleviated for the near future.
#2: Thank you Glon Morski for recommending this story over at ‘If the Roles Were Reversed.’ I already recommended her awesome tale a few chapters back, but if you haven’t yet checked out her lovingly hand-crafted tale that tugs at your heartstrings and keeps you astounded with intricate fight scenes, then you are missing out. :-)
#3: Thank you Onna for nominating ‘When We Awaken’ for ‘Best In-Character Fiction.’ This story actually won last quarter, woo hoo! ;-)
#4: Answers to questions I have been getting… Who are Inuyasha’s parents? Well, now you know that Sesshomaru is his dad. So who do you think Inuyasha’s mother is? I had one reviewer actually guess that Sesshy was Inuyasha’s dad, but now I can’t find that review.When will our modern Inuyasha remember his past? Well, as you can see, he is already starting to remember. Give him some time…What is going on with Inuyasha’s parents? I loved the conspiracy stories about Inuyasha’s parents. Well, now you should know that his parents are not really hiding anything from Inuyasha. He just has an overprotective mother. Considering the fate of the predecessor, whose name the modern Inuyasha bears, his mother is a little worried about him meeting the same fate.
Hojo’s hanyou abilities…? Sorry, I’m not telling. Maybe you can pick up on them as the story progresses. He has used them publicly already.What was legend of a dog demon that Souta was referring to? Just a 500 year-old legend about a certain miko and a dog demon we all know and love.
Is Inuyasha a wimp? Sorry folks, he’s taking after Kagome and her gradual development in the story. Remember what she was like in the beginning before she was able to fire a sacred arrow? I hope everyone is happier with the modern Inuyasha in this chapter, since he has just managed to beat poor Koga to a pulp.
Kokoronagomu: You are dead on about the Uncle idea… ;-)Darkcreeder: No mind-games, but there will be twists. Inuyasha’s parents do love him. His mom is just over protective. And now as you know, Sesshomaru has been in this tale for two chapters so far.Jingyee: I see Inuyasha’s subconscious as his ‘Id’ and his conscious mind is his ‘Ego’ and ‘Superego.’ They all meet in his mind while Inuyasha dreams and battle out their differences. Since they are all of the same mind, you will see them interact with each other. Oh and Miroku thought that Inuyasha and Kagome were acting like a couple who had been together for a long time. They seem to anticipate each other’s moods and actions.#5: This story will have three twists in it. You have already been introduced to the first one: that is Sesshomaru is Inuyasha’s Dad. Two more to come… ;-)
#6: One of my betas asked this, so I will repeat. Kikyo is dead. D-E-A-D. She will not come back from the dead, she will not walk the earth again. Please do not worry. No golem Kikyo’s will be in my story.