Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Paradox ❯ Inuyasha ( Chapter 2 )

Title: Paradox

Rating: NC-17

Disclaimer:
I don't own either
Inuyasha or YuYu;
Somebody else does.

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Para dox,
by Somnambulicious

Chapter 2: Inuyasha

Kagome was still berating herself for the fiasco during kung fu class as she kicked off her shoes and dropped her backpack by the front door. Idiot! I knew better than to turn my back on Yukio. She fervently hoped that she hadn't looked like a complete idiot to her classmates...or to her instructor, for that matter.

Kagome's thoughts lingered on her instructor -- what was his name again? Minamino? -- as she prepared to take a shower before dinner. He certainly was attractive, there was no denying it. And he couldn't be much older than she was. She found herself vaguely wondering whether he had a girlfriend, but she quickly banished that line of thinking from her mind. Between her trips to the Sengoku Jidai and trying to keep up with school, Kagome didn't have time for a boyfriend. And how on earth could she possibly explain her frequent, extended absences?

By the time she'd finished with her shower and dried her hair, Kagome had managed to forget about what had happened in kung fu class and was looking forward to yet another homemade dinner with her family. But her plans were shot to hell when the bathroom door flew open, and Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha standing in the doorway, an uncharacterstic look of panic in his eyes.

"Inuyasha! What's wrong?" Kagome asked, a hundred horrible scenarios running through her head. Naraku? Sesshoumaru? An epidemic? The kazaana?

"Get on. I'll explain on the way," Inuyasha said as he crouched in front of Kagome and waited for her to climb on his back.

It must be bad if he's in this much of a hurry, Kagome thought as Inuyasha raced out of the house in a blur. He didn't speak until they'd made it through the well.

"The village is under attack," Inuyasha told her in a grim tone of voice. "We must have killed the oni four times already, but the damn thing keeps coming back. We need you to find the jewel shard."

"Right," said Kagome. "Is it one of Naraku's detachments?" she asked hopefully.

"No," said Inuyasha, shaking his head. "We still haven't seen or heard anything about him." Kagome felt Inuyasha tense as he said this. It had been a full year since they'd seen or heard anything about Naraku. After the Musou incident, it seemed like he'd just disappeared off the face of the earth, along with his jewel shards. The group had continued to search for the remaining shards, hoping to come across some rumor or scent of their hanyou nemesis in the process.

As they neared the village, Kagome felt the tingling in her senses that told her a jewel shard was nearby. Dusk was settling across the sky, but even in the gathering darkness, Kagome could see the devastation that the shard-enhanced youkai had left in its wake. Trees were sliced clean in half, and wide furrows had been driven deep into the ground where Inuyasha had used Tessaiga's Kaze no Kizu. In the village, half a dozen huts had been smashed to the ground like matchsticks, and Kagome mentally groaned. It'll take the village months to recover from this!

Sango's cry of "Hiraikotsu!" directed Kagome's attention to the center of the village, where Sango and Miroku were battling the oni. Hiraikotsu whistled through the air and struck the oni's left leg with a sickening crack, and the monstrous thing screamed in rage as it crashed to the ground, destroying yet another villager's hut.

Inuyasha skidded to a halt between Sango and Miroku, and Kagome dropped to the ground. "Kagome, does it have a shard?" asked Miroku as the oni's leg visibly repaired itself and the creature rose from the ground.

"Yes, it's in its belly. The oni must have swallowed it," Kagome replied. "Sango, can I borrow your wakizashi? I left mine at home." Sango nodded and tossed the small sword to Kagome. "You guys knock the thing down again, and I'll get the shard."

Inuyasha started to protest. "But Kagome--"

"No buts, Inuyasha. I'm the only one who knows exactly where the shard is, so I'm going to have to retreive it. We don't have time for you to hunt around for it." Inuyasha growled, but he didn't argue with her.

"Sango, you take the right arm, I'll take the left. Miroku, do you think one of your ofuda can knock it down?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yes," said Miroku, taking an ofuda out of his robes.

"All right! Now!" screamed Inuyasha, and the three sprang into action. Sango released Hiraikotsu, aiming at the oni's right shoulder, and Inuyasha leapt into the air with Tessaiga raised above his head. Hiraikotsu and Tessaiga struck at the exact same moment, and in an instant, the oni was armless. Before it could even scream, Miroku's ofuda struck it in the chest, and the towering creature toppled to the ground.

Kagome sprinted up to the oni and climbed into its belly, where she could sense the jewel shard. She hesitated for just a moment before plunging the wakizashi deep into the flesh and pulling down, making a slice wide enough for her arm to reach in. Black blood poured from the wound, and the oni's flesh was hot to the touch when Kagome slipped her arm inside. The oni was stirring, but Kagome only had to fish around for a second before her fingers closed over the jewel shard, and she pulled her hand out with a cry of triumph.

Kagome was so caught up in the moment that she didn't feel the oni shift beneath her. As the creature took its final breath, it rolled over, and Kagome scrambled to get off of it, but she wasn't quick enough. Her friends watched in horror as Kagome fell backwards off of the oni, only to be pinned underneath its chest when it settled.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha was in full-panic mode at this point, and he rushed to where he'd seen Kagome disappear under the monster's heavy mass. He put his back to the oni's side and pushed, digging his feet into the earth beneath him, and Sango and Miroku joined in the effort. They finally managed to lift the oni enough for Kagome to crawl out from beneath it, sputtering and coughing.

"I got it!" she yelled excitedly as she waved at her friends. She was quite a sight, drenched in blood and gods only knew what else. A large bruise was already coloring the left side of her face. Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Kagome had the shard and was still in one piece. This was the first time she'd taken such a hands-on role in a battle, and he had been worried. Not that he'd ever let her know that.

"Feh! It's about time!" he yelled as he sheathed Tessaiga. Kagome just smiled at him. She wasn't going to let him ruin her good mood.

"Well done, Kagome," said Miroku as he looked over the oni with a critical eye. "We should probably start getting this to the Bone Eater's Well." The villagers were beginning to gather around, coming out from where they'd hidden during the battle.

"Yes," said Sango. "I'll go get the oxen."

"And I'll get the harnesses," Kagome offered, but when she stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Inuyasha shaking his head at her.

"You're not doing anything until you take a bath," he said. "You reek of blood and...whatever was in that thing's stomach."

"Oh no! My clothes! Eww!" Kagome cried, noticing for the first time the state of her clothing. At least it was just a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"I will loan you some clothes, child," said Kaede, stepping forward to address Kagome. Kagome bowed in thanks and followed Kaede to her hut.

It wasn't until she stripped down to bathe that Kagome noticed the long gash on her left arm, courtesy of the oni's armor. That'll scar for sure, she thought with an odd sense of pride. She'd earned her first battle scar today.

She carefully cleaned the wound and wrapped it up using the tabi socks that Kaede had loaned her. When she was clean -- well, as clean as she could get without any bathing supplies -- Kagome dressed and headed back to the village. Halfway back, she was nearly knocked down when an orange blur launched itself at her chest.

"Ka-go-meee! You're okay!"

Kagome laughed. "Yes, Shippou, I'm fine. Where have you been?" Shippou climbed onto her shoulder as Kagome continued her walk back to the village. The full moon illuminated the path well enough for Kagome to keep from tripping on any stray tree roots.

"I was scouting the forest to make sure no more youkai were coming," Shippou said, his chest puffing up with pride.

"Oh, how very brave, Shippou! I bet you're the best scout in the world!"

"I don't know about that, Kagome. Hey, Sango said you fought the oni! And Inuyasha said you were stupid!" Kagome rolled her eyes at that one. I'm sure he's taking that out of context...pretty sure, anyway.

"Inuyasha was just worried about me, Shippou. He thought I was going to get hurt fighting the oni."

"Sure, Kagome. Hey, how long are you staying this time? Did you bring me any pocky?"

"Sorry, I forgot my bag. Inuyasha was in a big hurry to get here. And I'm afraid I have to go back today. My arm is hurt, and I left my bandages at home." Not to mention I really don't want to wear miko clothes any longer than I absolutely have to, she added mentally. Shippou's face fell in disappointment, and Kagome felt her resolve waver. "But I think I'll probably come back in a couple of days, and I'll be sure to bring a nice big box of pocky for you."

Shippou looked at her warily. "Strawberry?"

"If that's what you'd like," Kagome said with a laugh.

"That's great!" Shippou proclaimed, hugging Kagome's neck tightly. The two friends laughed merrily on their way back to the village.

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By the time Kagome and Shippou reached the well, Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku had finished the grim task of cutting the oni's remains into well-sized chunks and disposing of the body.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get the smell out of these clothes," complained Sango as Kagome approached.

Miroku gave her a lecherous grin. "You could--"

"If you know what's good for you, you won't finish that thought, houshi." Sango's glare was enough to keep Miroku from pressing his luck. "Oh, Kagome, are you going back home tonight?" she asked.

"Yes, Sango. I left my bandages at home, and I need to patch up my arm."

"You're hurt?" Inuyasha was at Kagome's side in an instant, pulling at her sleeves to inspect the damage. "I told you not to fight!"

"It's nothing major, Inuyasha, just a cut." But I'm glad to know that you care.

"Keh. Just because you've been training with Sango doesn't mean that you're ready to take on a youkai like that." I worry about you, Kagome.

"Oh! Speaking of training, Kagome, did you find a sensei in your era?" Sango asked.

"Yes, I started classes yesterday. I'm learning a system of fighting called Wing Chun kung fu that's from the continent, and my instructor is quite good."

Sango raised an eyebrow. "The continent, you say? I expect you to show me what you've learned when you return."

"Of course. I'll be back on Friday night, in four days, all right? Come and get me if you hear any rumors of shards, or Naraku, okay?"

Inuyasha nodded. "I will."

"Don't forget my pocky! Strawberry!" said Shippou, giving Kagome a goodbye hug.

"I won't forget, sweetie. See you guys in a few days!" With that, Kagome jumped into the well and went home.

Inuyasha glared at Sango. "I hope you know what you're doing. Now that she's training, she's going to want to fight."

"We've been over this. Kagome needs to know how to defend herself. We can't always be there to protect her."

Inuyasha just growled and turned to go back to the village. If I had my way, I'd always be there for you, Kagome.

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K agome got more than her share of odd stares the next day at school, but nobody asked her where her mysterious bruises came from. For once, Kagome was glad that Ayumi, Eri, and Yuki had been accepted into a better high school than she had; "I fell down the shrine steps" probably wouldn't have worked on them.

After school, Kagome headed to the dojo for kung fu class. She hoped the liquid stitches her mom had used on her arm would hold through class. The girls in the locker room edged away from her when they saw the extensive bruising on her face and left arm, and Kagome couldn't help but feel very lonely in that moment.

The rest of the students continued to avoid her as she stretched before class in the dojo. She could hear their speculative whispers, although she tried not to pay much attention to them. The two major theories as to how Kagome had received her injuries were that she had been caught up in a gang turf war, or that her parents had beaten her for her bad grades. Gang turf war, thought Kagome wryly, that's not too far from the truth.

Kurama walked into the dojo precisely on time, and the first thing he noticed was Kagome's dark bruises. What the hell happened to her?

Looks like she took a pretty bad hit from something, replied Youko. Her left arm is cut, as well.

Kurama frowned. He didn't like the idea of someone beating up on his best student. He resolved to talk to the girl after class.

The second class was much like the first: a warm-up jog, followed by stretching, and then more of the same moves from the Siu Lam Tao. Kurama didn't say anything about sparring, and nobody asked for any further demonstrations.

After class was over, Kagome made a beeline for the women's locker room. She had seen Minamino's furtive glances at her bruises, and she didn't want to come up with a cover story. But to her disappointment, he was waiting for her outside the dojo.

"Miss Higurashi, I'd like to have a word with you," Kurama said, straightning himself from where he'd been leaning against the wall next to the door.

"Yes, Minamino-sens-- I mean, sifu?" Kagome asked nervously, gripping the strap on her backpack and grinding her toe against the ground. Kurama saw her fidgeting and decided to make her feel more at ease.

"You're showing a lot of aptitude. Do you feel that the class is challenging enough for you?"

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, yes, sifu. You're a wonderful teacher," she gushed.

Kurama gave her his most heart-melting smile and said, "Please, Miss Higurashi, you can call me--" he seemed to pause and think for a moment before continuing -- "Shuichi."

"Okay, Shuichi, you can call me Kagome," she said, smiling back at him.

"As I was saying, you are progressing quite well in the Siu Lam Tao. Unfortunately, the other students are not as quick to pick up the movements are you are. I'd hate to think that they are holding you back." Kurama paused for a moment when Youko spoke up in his head.

Offer private lessons! We can find out more about her fighting style that way!

Youko, we don't have time for that.

Psh. We're at the top of your class already; we can spare a few hours a week to a good puzzle.

It might look bad, offering to give one of my female students "private lessons" the second time I've seen her. The dojo owners would probably frown on that.

Kagome, meanwhile, was bewildered at her instructor's extended silence. "Shuichi? Are you okay?" she asked, waving her hand in front of his face.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, Kagome. I was wondering whether you'd like some extra training after class a few days a week." Dammit! I didn't mean to ask her that!

Kagome blushed at the thought of spending time alone with her very handsome instructor. Stupid! That's not what he's thinking! He's just being nice. "Well, I could use the extra training..."

"Very well, then," Kurama said with another disarming smile. "Would an extra half hour on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays be a good start?"

"That would be fine, I guess. How much would the private lessons cost?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, Kagome. It will be my pleasure."

Kagome smiled at him. "Okay, then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she turned to leave, but Kurama's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"One other thing, Kagome," he said in a serious tone of voice that made her cringe. "What happened to you?" he asked softly, tracing the bruises on her cheek with his finger.

Kagome was silent. What do I tell him? "Um, I fell down the steps at the shrine where I live. Clumsy me!" she said, laughing nervously.

Kurama could feel Youko's frown. Her? Clumsy? She's lying, Kurama. Kurama agreed. He shook his head.

"Don't lie to me, Kagome. Has someone been hurting you? Is that why you're taking this class?" His voice was barely above a whisper, and Kagome couldn't stop the shiver that went down her spine. He was easily diarming her carefully drawn lines of defense.

"Yes. I mean, no! I mean--" Kagome stammered. How could she have slipped up like that? "It's nothing! I tripped and fell!" she cried.

Kurama frowned at her again. "If someone's hurting you, Kagome, you can tell me. We can make it stop."

Kagome hung her head, trying to sort out her conflicting emotions. While it felt so very good to have someone care enough about her to ask about it, she couldn't very well tell him what was really going on. "There's nothing you can do about it, Shuichi. It's something I have to take care of myself," she said softly.

"Very well, Kagome. Perhaps in time you will tell me the truth. For now, I will continue to teach you to defend yourself."

"Thank you, Shuichi," Kagome said, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "You have no idea how much that means to me." She hefted her bag onto her shoulder and gave him a small smile. "I'll see you tomorrow night, okay?"

"Tomorrow night," Kurama agreed, and he watched her turn and walk away.

'Who's the girl, fox?' a curious voice inquired in Kurama's mind. Our of the corner of his eye, Kurama could see a dark figure sitting in the branches of a nearby tree.

'Hello, Hiei. She's a student of mine.'

'A very intriguing puzzle of a student,' Youko added.

'Hn. New obession, Youko?' Amusement colored Hiei's voice.

Youko sniffed indignantly. 'I'm not obsessed. I merely find her interesting. It's not every day you meet a high school girl who's being trained by a taijiya.'

'Taijiya? You've got to be joking.'

'We don't know that, Youko,' Kurama admonished. 'But she does seem to know a few unusual moves,' he admitted.

'And then there's the injuries,' Youko added. 'That looked pretty serious.'

'Well, you'll have to put your little obsession on the back burner for now, fox. I came to warn you. Koenma's sending Botan to fetch us. There's been another breach.'

Kurama sighed heavily. 'And here I was planning to study tonight.'

'Don't worry your pretty little head. We'll be back before morning.'

Youko's response that his head was anything but little was cut off when the blue-haired ferry girl popped out of a portal in front of Kurama. "Kurama! Hiei! Great, you're both here. Koenma needs to speak with you now."

"After you," Kurama said with a slight bow.

Hiei just rolled his eyes before he followed Botan through the portal to Reikai.

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Eight hours later, Hiei, Kurama, Yusuke, and Kurabara were once again gathered in Koenma's office.

"This is bullshit, Koenma! Whatever passed through is long gone, and from the readings, it couldn't have been anything big. You're sending us after insects, toddler. Insects!" Yuusuke pounded on Koenma's desk.

Koenma frowned. Yuusuke continued to call him that insulting nickname despite the fact that he'd given up his babyish avatar in favor of a teenage version years ago. "Any breach in the barrier is cause for alarm, Yuusuke. You know this."

"Keiko's gonna have my head for this! We were supposed to be going over wedding plans tonight!"

Kurama stepped forward and raised his hands in an attempt to diffuse the situation. "I have to agree with Yuusuke on this one, Koenma. The breach was so small that we can't even be certain that anything actually got through."

"Ch," said Hiei. "The fox just wants to get back to his new obsession."

"Obsession?" asked Kurabara. "What obsession?"

"It's nothing," said Kurama, glaring at Hiei.

"Nothing?" asked Hiei, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you think Koenma would like to hear about your taijiya friend?"

'I'm going to kill you for this, you know,' Kurama thought.

'I'd like to see you try. This is too much fun.'

"Taijiya? What is he talking about, Kurama?" asked Koenma.

Kurama sighed and turned to the Reikai ruler. "A student in my kung fu class is displaying an...interesting style of combat. Youko believes she's being trained by a taijiya."

"What's a taijiya?" asked Kurabara, looking very confused as he scratched his head.

"Didn't you think it would be prudent to tell me about this?" Koenma asked, pointedly ignoring Kurabara's question.

"Hey! What are you guys talking about? What's a taijiya?" yelled Yuusuke. Koenma sighed and pointed at a TV monitor that suddenly appeared behind his desk.

"Taijiya were clans of youkai exterminators in the time back before the barriers between the worlds were formed. But the lines died out three hundred years ago." On the TV monitor, there was a painting of a man wearing a black catsuit with green armor that protected his shoulders, stomach, and legs. An odd-looking mask covered his nose and mouth.

"Then the only things alive that would know anything about taijiya are..." Yuusuke's voice trailed off.

"In Makai and Reikai, correct," Koenma said grimly. "Or rather, they should be."

"How can you be sure that the lines died out? Maybe there were some that you didn't know about," Kurabara speculated.

"Perhaps. All the same, Kurama, I'd like you to keep an eye on this student of yours. What did you say her name was?"

Kurama's eyes flashed amber before he answered Koenma's question. "I didn't." The two stared each other down until Kurama finally sighed and gave in. "Higurashi. Higurashi Kagome."

"Very well, then. Kurama, you will keep an eye on this student. Actually," he mused, stroking his chin, "it wouldn't be a bad idea to have someone watch her during the day as well. She might lead you to this taijiya who is teaching her."

"I don't have time for that, Koenma. I'm taking a full load of courses this semester." Kurama flashed Hiei a sly grin before he continued. "But Hiei has plenty of time."

'You bastard.'

'You brought this upon yourself, Hiei. I wasn't going to mention the girl.'

Koenma nodded. "It's settled, then. Kurama, you will get to know this girl during your classes, and Hiei, you will follow her during the day. I'm going to look up the girl's file and see what I can find out about her."

"Hey, do you have anything for us to do?" Kurabara asked. Yuusuke gave him a not-so-subtle punch to the stomach for 'volunteering' the two of them.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt for you to meet the girl, Kurabara. Let us know if she displays any unusual spirit energy."

Once they were back in the Ningenkai, in Kurama's apartment, Hiei glared at Kurama for all he was worth.

"I have better things to do than to follow some ningen girl around all day, fox."

"Like what? Glare at people? Brood?"

"Hn. If this is some scheme to get in this girl's pants--"

Kurama rolled his eyes. "I assure you, it is no such thing."

'Although the prospect isn't exactly distasteful,' mused Youko.

Hiei's eyes flashed in anger. "I am not going to play matchmaker for you, fox. Find someone else to do it."

'Jealous, Hiei?'

"Hn. Not likely."

'Of course, who could blame you? After all, we can probably have any woman we want. But you, on the other hand--'

"Youko, that's enough. I apologize for him, Hiei. He's just angry because you revealed his new puzzle to Koenma."

"Don't bother apologizing. I have work to do," Hiei said before leaping out of the open window. Kurama shrugged and closed the blinds. Now that most of the team was working on Youko's new puzzle, it wouldn't take long to uncover the mysteries surrounding this Higurashi Kagome.

Edited 17 May 2005