Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Pursuit of Power ❯ Trials and Tribulations ( Chapter 1 )

Summary: Kagome hates relying on Inuyasha to save her all the time and sets about rectifying the problem. When the guardian of the well is accidentally freed, mayhem erupts as anyone and everyone can go through the well. InuyashaxRanma xover. InuKag, MirSan, RanAka

 

AN: This is my first Inuyasha/Ranma fic. I was drawn to writing this after searching for such cross over fics and not being entirely satisfied with what I found. If anyone can recommend a good one, by all means recommend away!

 

Revised 16 Oct 06: This chapter has been edited and beta-ed by the wonderful Erica, who I wanted to thank most profusely for her great job. Unfortunately, I haven't heard from her in a while so it looks like I'm looking for another beta…

 

Disclaimers: Neither Inuyasha or Ranma belong to me, though I wish they did! None of the characters belong to me; both are from the devilishly brilliant mind of Rumiko Takahashi

 

 

The Pursuit of Power

 

Chapter One - Trials and Tribulations

 

Kagome sighed as she stared dismally at the book in front of her. Lately studying brought her little joy. Not that it did very much before, Kagome Higurashi wasn't exactly the type to be utterly consumed in her school work, but at least before she at least understood what she was reading. Lately all her textbooks were almost entirely foreign to her, as if they weren't written in her native tongue at all. Though what she was doing lately was not entirely conducive to her studies.

 

These days Kagome Higurashi was doing things that ordinary school girls were not supposed to be doing. Fighting hoards of demons five hundred years in the past was anything but normal. All hope for a mundane life had been put on hold nearly two years ago when at the tender age of fifteen, Kagome was dragged into a relentless pursuit of the one thing that all beings craved for - power.

 

Her life as she knew it, now revolved around fighting for and chasing after power. However, it was something that she herself had no interest in at all. So why did she spend so much time in the pursuit of it, you might ask? It was a question that she herself did not know the true answer to. Oh, there were the reasons that she told her family and tried desperately to convince herself of. It was duty. It was her duty to fix her mistake and along the way other very legitimate reasons emerged for why she, an ordinary Japanese girl should go on the hunt for tiny fragments of a jewel that held immense power. Reasons such as revenge for the death of loved ones, revenge for the torment of a loved one. Revenge for the ruination of a life and the annihilation of true love.

 

Ah - true love…

 

Kagome tapped her pencil against her book before deciding that it was a lost cause. It was all Greek to her anyway.

 

A light knock on her door gave her all the excuse she needed to spring up from her chair and away from the dreaded textbook.

 

“Oh, hi Mom! I was just studying, catching up you know…”

 

Her mother smiled at her knowingly, “Well come down and help me for dinner, unless of course you're too busy…your studies are very important you know.”

 

She waved her hand dismissingly as a happy sparkle came to her chocolate-brown eyes. “Oh it's not trouble at all! I really should help you around the house more often!”

 

Gratefully, Kagome followed her mother downstairs, all the while chatting animatedly, completely unaware of the golden eyes which watched her make her way downstairs.

 

 

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He took a deep breath of her scent which hung heavy in the bright room that she just vacated. Stupid wench, she had left her window wide-open and defenseless. You'd think after all this time with him, surrounded by dangerous youkai, she would learn to be better aware of her surroundings and of the possible dangers that lurked.

 

Of course she thought that her world was safe.

 

He added naïve to her lists of faults.

 

Ears perked for every sound, he soon realised that Kagome and her mother had walked into the kitchen. Content to leave her in her mother's care, he lounged in the tree branch that he had perched himself on.

 

If anyone had bothered to look up and into the tree they would've seen a sight that would've startled them. They would've seen a young man with flowing silver hair to his waist, dressed all in red with a sword hanging from his hips. The hair and outfit would've been enough to startle anyone, but it was perhaps the ease with which he lounged on a tree branch, as if he was on a comfortable couch, that would've drawn the most attention. If the person, whose wandering eyes had drifted upwards, was very keen, he or she would've spotted the one thing that was the young man's most startling feature - a feature which Kagome and her mother doted on with childish glee - a pair of silvery, fuzzy dog ears.

 

Fortunately, man had been taught since the extinction of dinosaurs that no creature from the skies was large enough to be a threat to him and there was hardly a need to look up. People of this day and age were even less likely to peruse the skies, engrossed as they are with the various beeping bits of technology that they were convinced they needed.

 

The smell of food cooking soon reached his sensitive nose, and he contemplated if it would be a good time to make his presence known. Of course once he had done that he would soon have to get to work on convincing the girl to leave with him. Such things often led to yelling and pain - on his side. He would never lift a hand to harm the fiery maiden for many reasons; one was her power over him.

 

Kagome held a lot of power over the hanyou, power that she was largely unaware of, except for one. Her power to subdue him with one word, a word that once spoken by the raven-haired girl brought him crashing to the ground - painfully.

 

Yelling and pain. No, he wasn't in the mood for either at that precise moment.

 

His delicate nose told him that dinner was cooked and that Kagome had moved into the dining room.

 

That was when a delectable scent reached his nostrils, which made his ears twitch and his mouth begin to salivate. There was only one scent in the whole wide world that had such an effect on him.

 

Ramen.

 

The scent wafted from a bowl that sat on the window-sill, chopsticks at the ready laid on top of it.

 

“Inuyasha, come and get your dinner before Kagome comes back.”

 

He smiled, touched by the woman's kindness and her understanding. He dropped to the ground and reached for the bowl.

 

Kagome's mother smiled, “You'll need your strength, ne?”

 

He flushed, “We don't always argue.”

 

“Oh, I know.” With those three words, she busied herself with taking the steaming plate into the dining room where the rest of the family had already gathered for dinner.

 

“Feh.” Inuyasha leapt back onto his spot in the tree. It was a good idea to have ramen now anyway. Kagome was never happy when he demanded that she go back with him and was bound not to make him his favourite food, at least for a little while.

 

 

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At that precise moment, another young man was enjoying a bowl of ramen. His jet black hair was twisted in a pig-tail which he flicked casually away, his hands moving inhumanly fast. He was the subject of three female gazes of varying quality.

 

A pair of shining brown eyes from beneath purple locks, gazed at the young man adoringly, her hands clasped to her chest as she purred contentedly assured that he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

 

Another pair of brown eyes, this time from a dark-haired girl, narrowed in annoyance as she watched the young man devour the bowl before him. Those eyes slid to the smiling purple-haired girl who continued to stare adoringly at the young man. Blue-black locks fell across increasingly narrowing eyes until they appeared to be no more then glittering slits in a pale face as she wondered what the other girl could be so happy about.

 

The owner of the impassive brown eyes watched the scene, or at least she tried to maintain a façade of indifference. So what if he never wanted to eat her food? Why did she have to anyway when he had that purple-haired idiot and the okonomiyaki-crazed chef pandering to his every need anyway? The girl tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

 

Inhaling the last of the ramen, the young man licked his lips appreciatively. “Wow, thanks for that Shampoo! It really hit the spot!”

 

“Aiyah! Shampoo so happy! Ranma really like special ramen?”

 

Ranma Saotome, the young heir of the Anything-Goes Martial Arts technique, rubbed his stomach appreciatively, “Oh yeah, it was really….”

 

It was at that moment that quality of the three feminine gazes changed dramatically.

 

The brown eyes of Shampoo, the Chinese Amazon who offered Ranma his dinner, brightened in triumph as his own dark eyes began to glaze.

 

“It was…so….” Ranma's rubbing hands began to clutch at his stomach as his speech began to falter.

 

Ukyou Kuonji who had been watching with fascination as Ranma ate, turned to look at Shampoo with, indignant anger shining in her dark eyes as she realised that her suspicions were based on concrete fact, while Akane Tendou, simply rolled her eyes and began to step away.

 

Shampoo's many plots and schemes to finally capture Ranma as her husband were often varied if not inventive. She often resorted to trickery, magic or more often then not, a combination of both. This time she had obviously laced her offering with something that would enable her to better hold onto her elusive fiancé.

 

Ukyou grabbed Ranma's shoulders and began to shake him. “Ranma! Ranma snap out of it! I told you not to eat anything from that witch!”

 

Shampoo smirked, “Who you calling witch, spatula girl? It do no good, Ranma belong all to Shampoo!”

 

Ukyou whirled to face her opponent, forgetting all about her own beloved Ranma. “Would you stop calling me that? I will call you a witch cuz that's precisely what you are! What did you do to him now?”

 

Shampoo bristled as Ukyou fumed and as the two girls faced each other: Shampoo with her weapons in her hands and Ukyou's spatula flashing dangerously. Ranma sank to the ground.

 

Forgotten by the two now brawling girls, Akane went to Ranma, touching his forehead lightly and pushing his thick black hair out of the way; she peered into his eyes.

 

“Ranma? You okay?” Akane kept her voice soft, though all she wanted to do was yell at him for his stupidity, rant about his stomach and generally yell him out of this state.

 

She was so concerned over his welfare that she had not noticed his hand snaking around her before it was too late and he swept her into his embrace. “Oh Akane…”

 

“R-Ra-Ranma?” Akane yelped as he pressed her to his muscular chest. “What are you doing?!”

 

“Akane…” His dark eyes shone with a passion she had never seen in their velvety depths, especially not when he was looking at her.

 

A high pitched shriek caught her attention as the Amazon whirled away from her opponent. “Aiyah! Ranma supposed to look at Shampoo not Akane!”

 

Before Ukyou could regain her balance, and before Akane and Ranma could do more then stare in confusion, another agonised scream rent the air.

 

“Saotome! Prepare to die!”

 

Ranma deftly swept Akane more firmly into his embrace, before gracefully leaping out of the charging swordsman's path, whose eyes were blazing with crazed fury.

 

Shampoo had by then regained her senses and was digging in her pockets, while Ukyou battled with gravity, feet slipping underneath her. Before Ukyou could make a leap at the Amazon, Shampoo withdrew a small packet from her sleeve in triumph. She quickly ripped the packet and blew the powder within at Ranma.

 

Ranma blinked, unsure of what he was doing… and why was he holding Akane? For that matter why was upperclassman Kuno charging at him? Shaking his head in an attempt to dispel the heavy fog which seemed to have descended on his mind, he quickly disposed of Kuno with a well-placed kick. Landing gracefully on his toes he rounded quickly, eyes searching out the responsible party before landing on the purple-haired Amazon.

 

“Shampoo! What the hell did you do to me now?”

 

“Shampoo do nothing! Why Ranma yell at Shampoo?”

 

Ranma was preparing to bellow again, when Akane made her presence in his arms known, “Ahem, mind letting me go now Ranma?”

 

“Huh?” Momentarily confused, Ranma looked down at her.

 

“Unless, you want to keep carrying me all the time…”

 

Dropping her unceremoniously on the ground, Ranma glared, “As if I want to carry around a tomboy like you around!”

 

Incensed from the drop and the insult, Akane sprang to her feet, “Who was asking you to? Baka!”

 

Before Ranma could blink or duck, he was sailing through the skies, a huffing Akane glaring at his swiftly departing figure, as she rubbed her shoulders.

 

 

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Kagome fumed, her arms crossed over her chest. He was doing it again! Ordering her around, dictating her life... As she continued to glare at the Inu-hanyou, she couldn't help but wonder why he was so insistent that she come back. Why? Why, when she was nothing but a burden to him: a fact that he never failed to point out to her.

 

“Three days! Three days you said? Can you count wench?” Inuyasha glared back at her, failing to back down from her fury, but matching it with his own.

 

“Of course I can count! Though frankly I'm surprised I still can since you seem to insist on depriving me of an education!” Kagome stomped her feet, hair flying as she stared him down.

 

“No one cares if you can even read! You just find those shards and keep out of trouble!”

 

Mrs. Higurashi continued to serenely bustle around the kitchen, stowing away plates and glasses as her daughter and Inuyasha fought. It was not an uncommon occurrence, and whatever the outcome of the fight, dishes had to be put away.

 

Souta, Kagome's younger brother, watched the two fight, wondering whether or not he would be able to pull Inuyasha away from his banshee of a sister.

 

“Is that all I am to you? A shard detector?” Kagome could feel the fight going out of her. She scolded herself for even asking the question when she already knew the answer. She knew she could never touch Inuyasha's heart. There was already one woman who occupied that very special part of the hanyou's mind and soul and Kagome knew it wasn't her.

 

Inuyasha flinched away as the scent of salt and sadness began to roll off the girl who had been fighting him with fiery passion mere moments ago. He hated when she cried. “Feh, what else are you good for?”

 

The anger which had begun to ebb away from Kagome surged once more. Her eyes flashed dangerously as she stared at the dog-eared boy that stood before her with his arms imperiously crossed over his chest. “Inuyasha….”

 

He flinched again, hating himself for doing so. He was all too familiar with that tone.

 

“Sit.”

 

Inuyasha came crashing down onto the cold floor. He gained enough use of his own muscles in time to see Kagome walk up the stairs.

 

 

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She had convinced herself that she no longer cared about the way the other girls chased after him. Convinced herself that the pain she felt when Shampoo draped herself all over him was nothing but indigestion. Tried to ignore Ukyou's blushes and Kodachi's proclamations of devotion.

 

They weren't in love after all. It was all their parents' idea…

 

Akane walked up the stairs and into her room, no longer able to hide the weariness that seemed to have settled into her bones. She was just so tired of it all. Gratefully, she walked into her room and fell onto her bed.

 

The loud squeal made her jump right out again.

 

“Oh P-chan! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there. Come here baby.” Akane held her arms out to her adorable pet pig, who gladly leapt into her arms.

 

She was completely unaware of the pair of eyes which peered into her room and narrowed when the pig snuggled into her chest.

 

“There now, I'm going for a relaxing bath and get ready for bed. You stay right here, okay baby?” Giggling softly, Akane petted him gently before turning to gather her towel.

 

Humming quietly to herself, Akane settled into her bath. Life was one rollercoaster ride after another, exhilarating yes, tiring definitely. She wondered if her life would return to normal if a certain boy was no longer in it. She sank deeper into the warmth of the water as she contemplated what it would be like without the morning fights, the constant bickering and the absence of a flock of females all convinced that they were Ranma's one and only love.

 

There, when she was all alone, where there were no ears or eyes to pry, in the very back of her mind, she could admit that she would miss him. Never out loud, though. With this many people in the one house, you could never be too sure who would be lurking just outside the door.

 

Akane finally managed to pull herself out of the tub and into her pajamas, when she heard the commotion. Sighing deeply, Akane ran to her room and peered out of the window.

 

The moonlight revealed a calm scene of the pond gently rippling as the wind picked up a few leaves, sending them dancing across the backyard. The peaceful moment was not to last as the calm of the water was broken by a red-headed girl surfacing, holding Akane's pet pig away from her body.

 

“Damn it Ryouga! I just took a bath!”

 

Akane's eyes narrowed angrily as she stared down at the busty red-head gripping her pet. “Ranma! Let go of P-chan right now!”

 

“Wha…” Beguiling blue eyes blinked the water out, as she flipped her pig-tail over her shoulder. “He started it! He pushed me in!”

 

Akane sniffed disdainfully, “Oh for crying out loud Ranma! How can poor sweet P-chan push you?” Her gaze softened as she watched Ranma climb out of the pond, cursing under her breath. She grabbed some towels and threw them down to the sopping-wet girl. “I'm coming down.”

 

Akane had turned away and did not hear the furious whispers outside her window.

 

 

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Kagome's eyes flicked over the screen, mentally ticking off listings as she went. So she was weak and useless… good for only one thing… Well she'd show him!

Kagome was determined that she wasn't going to be a burden anymore, that she would never need Inuyasha to rescue her again, she would never need…

 

She sighed and shook her head. She couldn't fool herself; she knew that she would always need him, but he didn't have to know that. Her eyes settled on a listing that looked promising. It was across town, but she could reach it no problem. It was a family owned business and since she was after quality, she was sure it would suit her needs.

 

Kagome jotted down the address and phone number. “The Tendou dojo, I can check it out tomorrow.”

 

Confident that she had taken steps towards the right direction, Kagome turned the computer off and rose to go to bed. Turning down the covers and firmly tucking them into place, she did her best to ignore the still fuming Inuyasha who sat at the opposite wall, his katana tucked in the crook of his elbow. Because she had turned away, Kagome did not see Inuyasha intently staring at her back before sighing despondently and closing his eyes.