Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ First Love ❯ Chapter 5

First Love

 

Chapter Five

 

Breakfast the next morning consisted of rice and some fruit that Hojo had given them the other day. They said nothing as they ate their food in silence.

 

It didn't bother Kagome at all but when her mother placed her homemade chopsticks on the old table rather loudly, it appeared the silence had gotten to her. Clapping her hands together, Kagome's mother looked across the table at her. “So Kagome dear, how was your night?” asked her mother lightly.

 

Kagome knew she was going to have to tell her mother at one point or another and she was ready to tell her almost everything. She didn't want her mother to worry so she would leave the scary parts out.

 

After she finished chewing the piece of fruit in her mouth, Kagome met her mothers' eyes. “It was a lot of fun, I had a good time.”

 

Souta's eyebrows rose. “Where exactly did you go last night sis?”

 

Their mother chimed in before Kagome could answer him. “Did Hojo show you around the festival at all? Was it exciting?”

 

Souta spit out his food. “What? Kagome got to go to a festival? That's not fair! Why couldn't I go?”

 

“Because Hojo had invited Kagome, Souta. You can go next time okay?” said their mother before she turned back to Kagome, waiting for her to reply.

 

Kagome put her finger to her lips. “Well, he did show me a lot of shops and stands which were very interesting,” she paused; trying to think of something she had forgotten. When she finally remembered, she smiled. “Hojo also got me some great tasting festival food called Tako-Yaki! Oh, it was great!” Her mouth began to water as she tried to remember the taste.

 

Her mother seemed to take on a sad, distant look. It didn't go unnoticed by Kagome. “What's wrong mom?”

 

Kagome watched her mother blink and her expression changed to a warmer one. “I was just remembering the last time I went to a festival. Your father had taken me at the time and he also bought me Tako-Yaki when we had gone. I've forgotten how it tasted but I remember loving it also. Hojo reminds me of your father in some ways.” Quickly changing the subject her mother said, “I remember Hojo apologizing for losing you at the festival. How did that happen?”

 

Kagome was starting to think that it really was a good thing that she had thought about all of these things when she had awoken this morning. If she hadn't, she knew she would have messed something up and her mother wouldn't believe her.

 

Acting as if it had not been a big deal, Kagome answered her confidently. “A horse that was still attached to a cart got loose and I lost Hojo in the crowd so I hid in an alleyway as the people at the festival ran to get out of the way. I guess I fell asleep before Hojo found me since I only remember putting my head down for a moment and then waking up here.”

 

Her mother seemed to believe her so she didn't so anymore questions.

 

Glad to finally get that out of the way, Kagome finished a piece of apple before standing. “I'm going to the river to wash up. I'll be back in a little while.” Turning, Kagome grabbed an old towel and bath robe along with a bowl of cleaning liquid she used for her hair and headed out the door, leaving her mother and brother to finish their breakfast.

 

The walk to the river was nice and easy, there was nothing rushing her nor was there anything to worry about. The good part about this river was the fact that it was in the forest that she loved. So every once in a while she would stop and enjoy the scenery that never got too old or boring for her.

 

When she finally made it to the river itself, Kagome undid the obi around her waist.

 

Only then did she notice that it was blue. Walking toward the rivers edge, Kagome looked at her reflection in the water.

 

She still wore the kimono that she had on the night before. She had not noticed how well the kimono actually looked on her until now. It really did look nice but for some reason Kagome couldn't wait to get it off. Seeing herself like this didn't sit well in Kagome's stomach as a result when she undid the obi, Kagome quickly took off the kimono and left it carelessly on the ground, not bothering to hang it up.

 

After wrapping a towel around her naked body, Kagome waded into the water. Sitting down so that the water came to her shoulders, Kagome leaned her back against a rock and relaxed in the calmly flowing water. As she leaned her head back, Kagome closed her eyes, basking in the sunlight that streamed through the treetops.

 

A sense of peace came over Kagome.

 

At times like these, Kagome wished she could stay like this more often but she knew it was impossible. Getting up, Kagome walked over to the waters edge -dunking her hair in the water on the way- where she had set the bowl down and grabbed a handful of the great smelling liquid. She slowly worked it into her wet hair until it bubbled. Picking up the bowl, she walked back to the rock where she had been previously. She let the liquid set in her hair and took whatever remained and began to wash her body, never missing an inch. Kagome took pride in the fact that she probably bathed more than any other girl in her village and so she smelled much better.

 

“I think I'll go work in the rice field to make some money tomorrow,” spoke Kagome to herself as she scraped the bowl clean. She had used the last of the body wash and now she needed to restock.

 

Not many spots were opened for people to work at the rice fields. They were usually taken up quickly but this time Kagome had heard they needed more workers now that she thought about it.

 

Working in the rice fields was hard sometimes, depending on the day, but the money she received at the end of the day would always be worth it. She could get more cleaning supplies and they would even give her a bag of fresh rice which would last them a day or two.

 

The left over money would always go to her mother so she could buy whatever she wanted. Sometimes she would even give some to Souta if he hadn't been annoying her at all that day or a few days before. So it was rare that Souta would get to see any money from her.

 

Gathering air into her lungs, Kagome sank down into the water so it was over her head and scrubbed the hair cleaner out. When she resurfaced, Kagome ran her hands through her now soft and silky hair, raking out any knots along the way. Bringing her hands to the front of her face she noticed she was starting to prune. Not wasting anymore time, Kagome wrapped the towel more securely around her and headed back to shore.

 

Once she was there she grabbed her dry bathrobe and, after dropping her towel, put it on. Like many things Kagome owned, the bathrobe she wore had been in her family for many years. Maybe in a few years she could buy her whole family new bathrobes.

 

She tied the sash around her waist tightly and bent to pick up both her bowl and wet towel. Seeing the blue kimono on the ground out of the corner of her eye actually had Kagome debating whether or not she wanted to take the darn thing home or just leave it there. Kagome shook her head in frustration before scooped up the girl Hojo had given her into her arms. She shouldn't be acting like this and Kagome mentally hit herself. “In any case he is my friend.” Sighing, she made her journey back through the forest and only stopped at the edge when she finally reached it.

 

Her reason for stopping stood a little more than a few feet away. It was Hojo. Kagome sighed again. It seemed she was doing that a lot lately.

 

He didn't look up at her at all until she reached out and tapped him on the shoulder. She giggles when he jumped.

 

“What are you doing here Hojo?”

 

He scratched his head and looked down. “I came to apologize about last night.”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Hojo. It's all right I forgive you. Stop worrying so much, I understand it was an accident.”

 

He looked at her out of the corner of her eye. “Are you sure its all right, Kagome?”

 

She rested a hand on his shoulder. “Of course.”

 

His expression seemed to become happier and he became less tense. He had probably been worried about her reaction ever since the night before. It was good that he finally got this off his shoulders.

 

A few moments passed and they soon found themselves sitting under a tree, which Hojo had led the way to, leaning against the trunk next to each other. Being next to Hojo brought back memories from the night before about Youko so Kagome decided to ask him what had been plaguing her mind all day.

 

“Hey Hojo?”

 

He didn't waste any time answering her. “What is it Kagome?”

 

She let her gaze wander to the sun, which had just started to set. “Who is Youko Kurama?”

 

It didn't really faze him when she asked him this question. Was he asked this a lot? Regardless, he told her.

 

“He's a ruthless bandit who takes pleasure in stealing rare and expensive items from other people. He'll do anything to get his hands on the prize. He's notorious for killing many people and that's why so many people know his name and are scared. The fact that he is a demon doesn't make anything better either. May I ask why you want to know Kagome?”

 

Her gaze quickly returned to his face, a light blush grazing her cheeks. “No reason. I've just never heard of him and I didn't know why all of those people reacted to his name like that. I just heard them say he was a bandit but I didn't expect that ever single person would run as fast as they could away from the festival.” She paused before turning to him again, their eyes met. “Hojo, what exactly is a demon?”

 

She guessed he was not expecting her question by the way he blinked rapidly and turned away from her. He did seem to recover somewhat after a few seconds. “I forgot that you probably wouldn't know what a demon was because they are so rare here. Even I'm surprised at how rare they are here, but outside of this area there are many and come in all shapes and sizes. Some demons can be very small and others can be bigger than a whole village!” He stretched his arms out, accentuating how big they were. “I've never seen one that big with my own eyes but I've heard many stories.”

 

He dropped his arms and turned more serious. “Then there are the demons that can change to look like a human or their true demon form whenever they want. These are the strongest and probably the scariest out of all the demons. The only way to tell them apart from humans is that they still have some of their demon characteristics. Youko Kurama is an example of this. He is a fox demon so when he is in his human form, he still has this fox ears, fangs and tail. In his true demon form, which is a silver fox, it is said he has nine tails and is larger than the average fox.” His face returned to hers and blushed. “You wont have to worry Kagome, I'll protect you.”

 

Kagome wasn't really expecting that so she let out a nervous laugh and looked at the village below them. “Thank you Hojo, but I can take care of myself. You don't need to worry about me.” Her words were a bit rushed and a little harsh but Kagome didn't care. She just wanted to leave.

 

Standing up quickly Kagome brushed the dirt off herself before turning and bowing her head towards Hojo. “It's late and my mom will start to worry if I'm not home soon. Goodbye!” Turning on her heels, Kagome began to walk rather fast back to her home, leaving a taken aback yet sad Hojo behind.

 

00000

 

Arriving home was always a nice feeling. Her mother always greeted her warmly and her brother would even be excited to see her sometimes. Kagome changed into her regular clothes and helped her mother around the house until dinnertime.

 

Dinner with her family was also nice. They talked about their day and what they did. Souta had played with some of the village children that day and he was sure to tell every detail about it. Her mother had done some labor work and gotten paid some money that she planned to spend on food.

 

Following dinner, they went to bed but Kagome couldn't fall asleep. She was too busy thinking about what Hojo had said. It had been in the back of her mind even through dinner.

 

Standing up slowly, Kagome made her way quietly outside and began walking to the forest that she loved. She kept her eyes on the full moon and surprisingly she never once tripped.

 

“So he's one of those demons…” she spoke softly to herself. She cringed slightly when she remembered the other descriptions Hojo had told her, reminding her of the grotesque demon that had attacked her. That demon had radiated with evil power but when she had seen Youko, he didn't seem all that strong. It was a little hard to believe he was one of the stronger demons but he had killed the ugly fish demon without even touching it.

 

So maybe it wasn't so hard to believe after Kagome thought about it?

 

Weaving in and out of trees Kagome found her favorite spot.

 

And found Youko sitting smack dab in the middle of it. Against her favorite tree nonetheless!

 

She had to shake her head and rub her eyes to make sure it was actually him. But there was no mistaking it; it was Youko, looking the same as he usually did.

 

He sat on the ground, back against a tree while his legs were straight out in front of him. The light from the moon shone on his body, making him look unreal.

 

Kagome blushed but didn't look away. The butterflies in her stomach came out and she felt a little lightheaded. Pull yourself together, she thought to herself as she took a deep breath.

 

Clearing her throat she took one step towards him. He didn't move an inch from where he was and Kagome squinted her eyes to try and get a better look at him. She knew she should have noticed it before but she only realized that his eyes were closed after a few moments of just looking at him. He seemed to be resting peacefully by how calm he looked.

 

For some reason she felt rather daring. Taking a few more steps she kneeled down next to him. Being so close to him without him knowing felt rather like she was cheating death.

 

He was very strong and mean from what Hojo had told her and what she saw but being so close to him at this moment, he didn't seem to be at all powerful.

 

He had a well-sculpted masculine face that looked soft but Kagome wouldn't dare touch him. Instead, she restrained herself to basking in his scent, which smelled like the forest and roses.

 

She moved her face in front of his and studied him. “He doesn't look evil…” she whispered lightly to herself.

 

A golden eye quickly revealed itself and Kagome jumped back slightly. Her heart was racing and she thought he would attack her but he still did not move. He only looked at her both coldly and angrily.

 

“Uhh,” Kagome began. She crossed her arms over her chest. “You're in my spot.”

 

He raised an eyebrow.

 

Clearing her throat, Kagome said, “I usually rest there when I come here,” and nodded to the tree he was against.

 

Hi chest rose slightly and he closed his eye.

 

Kagome narrowed her eyes at his uncaring behavior. “Are you listening?!” she asked angrily.

 

She waited for him to answer her and when he did, his voice was bitter. “You, human, are getting on my last nerve.” He extended a hand and Kagome got an eye full of his sharp claws. This time he opened both of his eyes. “If you don't keep your mouth shut, I'll run my claws right through you.”

 

His command and burning glare should have frightened her but it didn't. It only angered her. With a huff, she stood up and walked to a tree, sat down, and tried with all her might to glare daggers at him.

 

Even when he lowered his hand, she kept glaring at him evilly. What a jerk.

 

Neither of them moved and Kagome's eyes started to droop late in the night. She tried to fight off sleep, but she succumbed to it faster than she wanted to. The image of Youko resting not far from her was fresh in her mind.

 

That night, he was in her dreams.

 

000

 

Another chapter, I hoped you all liked it! Please let me know if you see any errors what you though! I read every review and sometimes I even reply =)

 

I liked writing this chapter a lot and I hope it was long enough. I hope I'm keeping everyone interested in this story. If you have any suggestions let me know and I'll be sure to read and consider it.

 

Until next time!