Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Freak Show ❯ Sengoku Jidai ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

~Kagome: More Kurama! More Kurama! That's what the fans demand!

~Belle: I know, I know. Supply and demand and all that jazz, so here it is.

~Youko: People just can't get enough of me.

~Belle: Now, now, none of that cocky attitude.

~Kurama: Do not fear, I shall be in my best behavior. Well, for the most part, I can only control Youko so much.

~Belle: Thanks for the reviews and ENJOY!

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"We don't have time for this wench. We have shards to find." Inuyasha rudely informed Kagome after wolfing down the breakfast Mrs. Higarshi had left the three teenagers. Kagome's family left for the day to visit a family friend.

"Inuyasha! Shuuichi has not seen his mother for months he needs to see her so that she isn't worried. You wouldn't understand, but I know how it feels to not be able to see your family for months at a time. I know what it's like having to face them after they have been worried sick about your well being." Kagome told him bitterly thinking back to all the times she had been unable to see her family for long stretches of time.

Inuyasha almost looked guilty for a moment, but he did not want to waste anymore time on this stupid boy. He was worst than that Hobo boy. Inuyasha vividly remembered that Spring preventing Kagome and Hojo from kissing in some school play. As a result he didn't trust her to spend any time with any boy from her era. (Episode 128)

"Kagome, it is your responsibility to collect the shards." Inuyasha spoke quietly and carefully pronouncing her name very specifically.

"You don't think I know it's my fault that the jewel is shattered? You think I don't spend almost all of my time in the Sengoku Jidai without realizing that I am the one that shattered the jewel that was embedded in my body?"

Inuyasha backed away a step. The volcano was about to erupt. Kurama noticed the tension level rise a notched and backed up a few paces as well.

"Inuyasha. I have sacrificed so much to aid you in the quest to find those shards. My life here is in shambles. My friends all think I'm dieing of rare diseases, my family has no idea whether I'm dead or alive, and when I am here I can never relax. In the Fuedal era I'm worried about getting killed. Here, I am cramming in two months of studying into two days. I think I understand perfectly what my responsibilities are." Kagome told him coldly with an unrecognizable hostility.

"Keh, fine. Go play with your new friend and see his mommy. I'm going back. You better be there in the next two hours, or else I'll drag you back and it won't be pretty." Inuyasha ran out of the kitchen and jumped through the well leaving behind an unhappy Kagome and an anxious Kurama.

"Let's go and see you mother now, Shuuichi." Kagome told the boy softly.

He smiled at her and offered his arm to her. She looped her arm through his and allowed him to lead her. "Please, call me Kurama."

She offered him a peaceful smile. "I'm sorry about that. He just makes me so angry sometimes. All he ever does is complain and tell me how worthless I am. The only thing I'm good for is finding shards."

"Kagome, you know that isn't true. I haven't even known you a day and I know that you are one of the most courageous, strongest, and most clever people I have been acquainted with. And I have known a lot of people." Kurama offered her as they walked towards his home which was actually only a few blocks away.

"I can't believe we live so close by one another and have never met." Kagome told him when they reached his home. It was a beautiful two-story house with the most phenomenal landscape. "Is your mom a gardener in her free time?"

Kurama laughed softly. "No. The plants are my area of expertise actually. I'll show you." He walked over towards some vines that had begun to grow on the side of the house and lightly tapped them with his index finger.

Before Kagome's startled eyes the vines began to climb up the rose ladder on the side of the house. Then the vines began to sprout gorgeous yellow roses. "That's amazing." Kagome awed.

"It's part of my residual powers as Youko." Kurama explained his green eyes flashing amusement at Kagome's obvious fascination with the newly grown vines.

"Ouch!" She pulled back her finger that was now bleeding and was about to suck off the blood when Kurama grasped her hand in his.

"Silly. Roses have thorns." He then took her finger and put it in his mouth and gently stopped the bleeding. Kagome stood before him completely entranced with the sensations he was causing with his actions.

Before she could say anything, not that anything was coming to mind, the front door of the house opened. "Shuuichi? Is that you?" A motherly woman with red hair and the same emerald eyes as said boy called out.

Kurama released Kagome's finger from his lips. "Yes mother. I'm here with a friend of mine." He led Kagome over towards his mother.

"Hello Mrs. Minamino, I am Higarshi Kagome." Kagome greeted the woman formally.

"It is a pleasure to meet you dear. Come on inside you two, and Kagome call me mom." Mrs. Minamino welcomed.

The two youth followed her inside the spacious home. "Would you two like some tea? Shuuichi dear, Hiei told me you were on a special mission. How did it go?"

"Oh, it went well." Kurama replied quickly catching onto the cover story that his friend Hiei had fed his mother. "It was my last mission for the Spirit Detectives actually and I am now about to aid Kagome in a quest."

"Really? So how long will you be gone?"

Kurama looked at Kagome for an answer. She simply shrugged her shoulders. "It's an indefinite amount of time, I'm afraid mother."

Mrs. Minamino glanced at her son and at the young woman. She smiled at them. "That's fine as long as you are back in time for classes. They start in about four weeks."

"We will definitely be back by that time." Kagome answered.

"So how do you two know each other?"

"We both go to the same high school." Kurama answered. It was the truth. That may not be how they know each other, but at least it wasn't a lie.

"I see." Mrs. Minamino smiled at the two as she started to imagine how great it would be to have grandchildren. She coughed aloud to clear her throat, or rather to clear her mind of ridiculous thoughts. These two were way too young for that. "Okay, well then I guess I will see you when you return son." She kissed her boy on the forehead and gave him a warm hug. Then she turned to Kagome and gave her a hug as well.

"I'm just going to gather a few items and then we'll be off." Kurama informed his mother.

Thirty minutes later Kurama and Kagome were heading back to the Shrine. He had packed a couple of changes of clothes and dumped them into a backpack that he now had slung over his back.

Twenty minutes after that found Kurama standing on the counter of the Higarshi's kitchen tossing packages of Ramen noodles towards Kagome. She packed them inside her backpack.

"Kagome, don't you think we should bring something a little more substantial? Or perhaps something more nutritional?" Kurama asked as he tossed her the last package of Ramen and then leapt off the counter in front of her.

She smiled at him. "Nah, Ramen works well. When we need more substantial foods, Inuyasha hunts down some game."

Kurama frowned at the reference to the hanyou. "I'm a pretty good hunter myself plus I know practically everything about herbology." Kurama bragged with good reason.

Kagome tried to sling her backpack over her shoulder but someone stronger than her stopped her and took the bag from her grasp.

Kurama yanked his bag off the kitchen table and dumped its contents into her larger bag and then tossed it over his back. "If you don't mind, I'd like to carry the bag especially now that it's twice as big as you." He teased.

"You don't have to Kurama. I'm used to carrying around my big backpack. How do you think I got these muscles?" She flexed for him to offer proof.

"Well I put my clothes in here too. So now it's my burden. Let's go."

Kagome led him to the well house and they stood above the rim of the well peering into the darkness.

"I'm still not entirely sure how the well works. It allows Inuyasha and I to travel through. I think it has something to do with the Shikon Jewel. So I better hold on to you."

"How about I hold on to you?" Kurama asked as he wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist. "So do we just jump?"

Kagome nodded, unable to speak for the close proximity of Kurama had rendered her breathless. The two jumped into the well and were surrounded by a purple-green mist. They landed on soft dirt a few moments later with the bright day sun greeting them as opposed to the roof of the well house.

"We're here." Kagome announced as Kurama slowly unwound his arms from her waist. She began the climb up the uneven stones that composed the well. Usually Inuyasha jumped down and helped her out, but he was no where to be found this time.

Suddenly some vines began to inch towards her and wrap themselves around her arms and legs. She started to scream but the calm voice of Kurama eased her tension.

"Don't worry. I'm manipulating the vines." Kurama announced as he rose beside her on the vine-express. Soon the two were elevated out of the well and landed safely on the ground above. They were greeted by a ball of fur.

"Kagome! You're back! I missed you! Who's he?" Shippo asked sniffing curiously at the friend Kagome had brought along.

"Shippo, meet my friend Kurama. This is the Kitsune pup I told you about."

"It is an honor to meet you Shippo. I have heard a great deal about your bravery." Kurama bowed respectfully before the pup, inwardly smirking as the child puffed his chest out in pride.

"It's nice to see Kagome with such smart friends." Shippo sniffed some more. "You smell different. You smell like a Kitsune."

"Don't tell anyone. But I am." Kurama whispered quietly in his ears.

"Come on, we need to head back to the village, I imagine Inuyasha has grown quite annoyed by now." Kagome led the two towards the village.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sango and Miroku were trying to calm down an irate Inuyasha. He was babbling about someone having to do with roses and as soon as he caught wind of Kagome he ran away and climbed a tree to brood.

"Kagome!" Sango ran to her friend and gave her a big hug. Then she noticed the young man that Inuyasha was complaining about earlier. The man in question was stunning and absolutely adorable with Shippo clinging to his shoulder.

"You must be the waste of breath that Inuyasha was telling us about." Miroku greeted the new arrival with an amused smile.

"I am Kurama. You must be Miroku. And you must be Sango." Kurama greeted the two with a respectful nod of the head.

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The group began traveling in search of shards minutes after Kagome entered the village with her new friend. Inuyasha seemed to have an extremely unpleasant temperament. They had been marching along at an insane pace. Sango and Miroku were giving Kagome the `look' that said they were getting tired.

"Um, Inuyasha?" Kagome questioned.

"What?" Inuyasha bit off harshly.

"Do you think we could stop for the evening now?" Kagome pleaded in her most sugary sweet voice.

"Why? Is flower boy tired?" Inuyasha halted and glared at `flower boy.'

Kurama stood a little straighter in a silent challenge.

"Inuyasha, we are setting up camp now." Kagome informed the hanyou tired of his attitude.

"The hell we are." He began to head off again, but Kagome's magic word stopped his progress.

"Sit! Okay, let's set up camp guys." Kagome cheerfully sat down upon a nearby rock but far enough away from the muttering dog-demon in the dirt.

Kurama pulled the pack off his back and handed it to Kagome and she began to make Ramen for the ensemble. Inuyasha yanked his overly full bowl from Kagome's offering hand and inhaled it before he jumped into his tree to sulk.

Kurama had taken a seat near Miroku and was watching the monk's actions towards the demon slayer. He noticed how his hand kept twitching to reach inappropriate places. Kurama decided to offer some advice.

"You know. If you would like to impress her, perhaps you should treat her with respect." He whispered in Miroku's ear.

"You don't understand the temptation." Miroku whispered back.

Kurama shook his head and cast a side-long look at Kagome. "If you knew my past, you would know that I understand the temptation better than practically anyone."

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~Belle: What did you think?

~Kagome: Kurama is so dreamy.

~Belle: Yes, of course he is. So I'm thinking either having a confrontation with Kikyou or Sesshoumaru. Who would you guys prefer first?

~Inuyasha: I'll kick Sesshoumaru's ass!

~Kurama: Whatever, I would defeat him with my rose whip.

~Sesshoumaru: None of you could touch this Sesshoumaru.

~Belle: Either way, Kurama is going to kick some butt.