Konnichiwa! I started this chapter a little earlier then I thought I would. I wrote Chapter 3 on my home computer, but it was deleted. So the one that's up is one that I wrote on my sister's old laptop that I brought with me to Maine. I've altered some parts and added others. I hope I did the whole –chan/-kun thing right. It took me a long time to write, because the laptop decided it wanted a virus, and it took me ages to be able to transfer it to the main computer in the house. Hope you like this chapter!
Last Time
"That's what you're supposed to think," said Youko with a sarcastic tone as he walked over to the ivy-covered rock. Reaching out, he gently pulled a tendril of ivy. Suddenly, a piece of rock not covered by ivy lifted up, revealing a tunnel. "I'm a thief, I have to keep my grotto safe."
"Okay, that's a little creepy, don't ya think?" asked Sakura as the group walked into the tunnel.
This Time
As the group of 2 hanyou, 2 ningen, and 6 youkai descended into the tunnels with fading sunlight, glowing crystals were implanted on the walls in a pale blue shade. Soon the tunnels leveled out and wooden doors became visible with different symbols on them.
"Is there actually a reason why we're taking this path?" asked Kagome as the group turned a fourth corner in three minutes.
"Actually, yes. If someone actually managed to find my grotto and get in, they wouldn't get far. These tunnels are many and winding like a maze. They would probably get lost or there are plenty of ambush points on the way to the main chambers, with tens of false rooms," answered Youko without looking back as he walked through the passages.
"You are really serious about this place, aren't you?" asked Hikage as she looked at Youko's face.
"I am 'really serious' about everything I own and care for, Hikage-chan," replied Youko as he looked at Hikage for a moment before returning his attention back to the tunnel they were traveling. The matchmaking girls of the group took note of it.
The group walked for another 5 minutes, Inuyasha and Shippo calm while the others were becoming anxious. Eventually, they came to a door marked with a symbol that had two triangles facing to the left, connected at the inner corner. Everyone except Inuyasha, Shippo, and Youko admired the symbol for a moment before Youko opened the door.
"The symbol," Youko explained as he walked into the room, followed by the rest of the group, "is that of love in the ancient Lotasian language, mano (the same symbols as in Alice 19th). The major chambers are marked with other symbols from the language as well. The false chambers have similar symbols, but a passerby wouldn't be able to tell the difference."
Inside the room, everyone got a good look around. Except for some climbing roses, ivy, and clematis, the walls were bare. In the center of the room was a small coy pond with fountain and water lilies. Around the pond were various sized chairs capable of seating two to three people. The groups sat in five pairs: Inuyasha and Kagome, Miroku and Sango, Shippo and Kilala, Kin and Sakura, and Youko and Hikage.
"Okay Inuyasha," said Youko, turning his attention towards the male inu hanyou. "What's so important that we had to talk about it in here?"
Inuyasha sighed, and then began his tale. He told of what had happened since the last time he had seen Youko, of Kikyo, his revival via Kagome, meeting Shippo ("I see my lessons on stealing haven't worked well," noticed Youko looking at Shippo, who winced), Miroku's arrival, Naraku's past, the various meetings with Kikyo, Sango's story, Kouga's kidnapping of Kagome (Feh, wimpy wolf), meeting Hikage, Kin, and Sakura (Youko glanced at Hikage during this part), Naraku's second attack, and the girls' first meeting of Shippo, Miroku, and Sango.
"Well, that's interesting," said Youko after a moment's silence. "Never would I even have thought that these onna were once human. Now, let me guess, you want me to identify what kind of youkai they are and find someone to train them, right?"
"You got it Uncle," said Shippo before Inuyasha could even open his mouth. Shippo received a bonk on the head.
"Hit my nephew like that in my presence without permission, and you will have a broken arm," growled Youko threateningly. "Oh, and I'll train Hikage for you."
"You would do that for me?" asked Hikage incredulously.
"Yes, I would, Hikage-chan," answered Youko, turning his golden gaze to Hikage's silver-blue one.
"Thank you Youko-kun!" nearly yelled Hikage as she gave Youko a fierce hug, him blushing and slightly returning it.
"Thanks, Kurama. Can I use the gym? I need to destroy something and I promised Kagome I would train her at fighting," asked Inuyasha.
"If you plan on using the Wind Scar, use the auxiliary gym, I'll need the main one to train Hikage," replied Youko. "In an hour, we'll test Kin and Sakura to see what kind of youkai they are."
"What about me, Youko-kun?" asked Hikage.
"We'll find out what kind of youkai you are during your training. You're obviously a kitsune, I believe silver, but there's something about your aura that throws me. We'll figure that out once your friends have set off," answered Youko.
"Whatever, Kurama. Come on Kagome," said Inuyasha as he walked out of the cavern followed by Kagome.
"Well, I hope this works out for him," mumbled Youko as he watched Kagome's retreating figure.
"What do you mean, Youko-sama?" asked Miroku, turning to face him.
"Every since Inuyasha was a pup, he hasn't had much contact with females. According to what he has told us, the only females that were ever close to him were his mother, that Kikyo, Kagome, and slightly Sango. I can tell from his story that he thought he was in love with Kikyo, but that was only a slight friendship. He loved his mother like any child would, and Sango is probably a good friend. But Kagome, even though she is Kikyo's reincarnation, holds a special place in his heart. Surely Inuyasha realizes this, but doesn't know how to act, since the Kikyo fiasco. From what I can tell, Kagome also feels something for Inuyasha, but is afraid that she'll be rejected due to Kikyo."
"I told her that if she likes someone, she should act on it!" said Sakura. "Actually, I've told that to you too, Hikage-chan."
"Back to the subject," said Youko, interrupting Sakura, "if I know Inuyasha like I know I do, Kagome is very likely the one that he wants to be his mate. Shippo, can you tell me exactly how Inuyasha acts around this 'Kouga' ookami?"
"He gets really upset and angry. Especially when Kouga pulls Kagome close and calls her his woman. Inuyasha got really upset when Kouga kidnapped Kagome the first time, and has wanted to fight him since the start. But Kagome won't let him, even though she doesn't like Kouga, she considers them both friends and doesn't want either one hurt," said Shippo truthfully.
"Hmm, does Kagome have any clue about youkai courtship rituals?"
"I don't think so."
"I'd better explain this to her before she leaves, so she can act accordingly either way."
"What rituals are you two talking about?" asked Hikage confused.
"Don't worry, Hikage-chan, I'll explain everything during your training. I'll inform whomever I think is best to train you two to explain it to you as well," finished Youko, looking at Kin and Sakura.
"Thank you Youko-sama," said Kin with a small bow.
"Please, don't call me –sama, I told the same thing to Hikage-chan. –kun will do fine."
"Okay, Youko-kun, can you think of something for us to do before you 'test' us to find what kind of youkai we are?" asked Sakura in a bored tone.
"I'll take you three to the library for now. Miroku, Sango, if you wish, you can use the extra training room for now. Just no Wind Tunnel, okay Houshi?"
"Hai, Youko-kun. Just show us the way," said Miroku as he and Sango stood up.
"Follow me.
With Inuyasha and Kagome
"Inuyasha, are you sure this is the way to get to the gym?" asked Kagome as they made another turn.
"Yeah, we're getting close to rangu," he responded as he led her around another corner.
"Rangu?" she asked, curious.
"The symbol for courage. The symbol Kurama marks the door with has a reason. The main gym is marked with kara, protection. The bedchambers with shibi, calm. Everything has reason. Ah, here we are," said Inuyasha as they stopped in front of a door with a new symbol. A triangle with a straight edge on the top, but the edge had a space in the middle. Two lines went inside the triangle slightly from the edges of the straight edge. Inuyasha pushed open the door and walked inside.
Inside, the floor, instead of rock, was covered in grass. The light inside was natural sunlight from a small hole in the high ceiling. The room itself was large enough to fit Sesshomaru in his
true form, twice! Ivy plants covered the walls, as always.
"What is it with Youko and plants?" asked Kagome as she looked around the room.
"Kurama is a silver kitsune, and they have the power over plants instead of illusions like
Shippo," answered Inuyasha as he walked into the center of the room. "Just let me use the Wind Scar a few times before I start training you, I need a stress breaker."
Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsusagai, which immediately transformed into a fang. The Wind Scar came almost immediately afterwards. After blasting a few rocks that were at the end of the gym, Inuyasha sighed, sheathed Tetsusagai, and motioned Kagome to come over.
"Okay Kagome. Let's start you off with a basic defensive position," said Inuyasha as he spread his legs, leaned slightly forward, and put his arms, claws out in front of his chest, slightly spread.
"Now, you try."
"Okay." replied Kagome as she attempted the position, but failed. Shaking his head, Inuyasha walked behind Kagome, and gently moved her so he could adjust her feet and upper body position, and gently wrapped his hands around hers. Kagome slightly shivered at his touch.
"Your feet are too close together," he whispered next to her neck as he adjusted her legs. "If you keep them that way, you're easy to knock over." He gently pulled her upper body backwards. "Same thing with your torso, it's too far forwards, throws off your center of balance." He gently pulled her arms so they covered her chest better. "You gotta cover your chest well if you don't want a stray kick to get in."
Inuyasha gently held her there and Kagome relaxed considerably. She couldn't help it. No matter how hard she tried to distance herself from him, it didn't work. She loved him, she knew it. But every time she tried to tell him how she felt, a voice whispered to her. You are nothing to him, it said, just a shadow of Kikyo. He could never love you the way you do him. So, she would stop, afraid of being hurt.
Inuyasha felt Kagome relax against him, and a shadow of a smile graced his lips. He knew that he loved her. He didn't know how to tell her though. Even time he tried to tell her, someone would pop up, disappear, and his rough side took over, hurting her. He wanted her as a human and as a hanyou, and with her now a hanyou as well, he wanted her more. She was the one person that could really make him open up, even if she didn't know that.
"Now," he said, pulling his head away from her neck, "you try." He pulled away completely. Kagome straightened for a minute, then took the form he had put her in.
"Not bad," he remarked. "I was afraid we would need longer then that. Now, even though you might think I just do stuff at random during a fight, but there is reason. I do actually think when
I fight."
"Really? I thought you just did whatever popped into your head."
"You'd be wrong, bitch."
"Don't call me bitch! SIT!"
Inuyasha slammed into the grass and broke through to the rock. Lifting his head a bit, he managed to say, "What was that for? You're inu now! Bitch female dog, which you are! For inus, bitch female anything!"
"Oh, sorry! I guess I forgot. It feels natural like this, not like I'm actually hanyou. But you've got to give me a break, I've been human for 17 years now!" said Kagome as she tried to help Inuyasha up.
"Well you'd better get used to being hanyou. Youkai can live for thousands of years, and hanyou for sometimes hundreds. You could stay in this time, and still get to see your family, eventually."
"I didn't know that," said Kagome.
"Well of course you didn't. That's why you asked me to train you, remember?" noted Inuyasha.
"Yeah, okay, so what's next?"
"Let's see how strong you are. Punch me as hard as you can."
"Are you crazy! I could seriously hurt you!" nearly screamed Kagome.
"I doubt it. You just turned into a hanyou. You haven't had any training. I've been like this all my life. I've had years of training, and practice. You're not about to hurt me," calmed Inuyasha as he pointed a thumb at himself to show his point.
"Okay… Sorry in advance if I hurt you," slowly said Kagome as she pulled her fist back. Aiming, she then closed her eyes, and let it fly. It hit Inuyasha's chest with a soft thump.
"Well…" he started, "at least I know how much I need to work you."
"I'm that bad?" asked Kagome, sounding slightly hurt.
"For a human that's done as much as you have, you're pretty good. For a hanyou, it's bad, sorry to say," Inuyasha said soothingly.
"Oh great, I'm horrible! Next battle I'll still be useless! What am I…" she was cut off mid-rant by Inuyasha walking behind her, putting one arm around her waist, and using the other one to rub her newly formed ear. She began to softly purr and slumped against Inuyasha and would have fallen if not for his arm.
"You need to calm down," Inuyasha whispered from atop Kagome's head, still rubbing her ear.
"It won't take long for you to get stronger. You were just changed this morning, and everyday a hanyou is alive, he gets a bit stronger. Soon, you'll be stronger then Sango. You just need to relax and train a bit."
Kagome listened in a daze, and slightly nodded, still purring. She leaned her head into Inuyasha's hand, wanting to feel this more. It was calming, peaceful, and warm. She felt safe, being held like this by Inuyasha.
Inuyasha smiled at her reaction. Kagome probably thought what she was doing was simply instinct. On the contrary, an inu youkai only reacted in such a way when they trusted and possibly loved the person rubbing whatever it was. There's hope for us, he thought as he lowered his head to gently nuzzle her neck, making Kagome purr even more. Someday, he thought, she will be mine and I hers.
Slightly earlier with Youko, Hikage, Kin, Sakura, Miroku, and Sango
As they exited the room, Hikage, Kin, Sakura, Miroku, and Sango once again followed Youko through the winding passages. After a few minutes of walking, they began to hear muffled talking, which soon turned into yelling, then quieted.
"What was that?" asked Sango as they walked.
"I have an idea, let's check it out quickly," said Youko as he made another turn.
They stopped outside an open door and peered inside. What they saw amazed them and had
Hikage, Kin, and Sakura cheering inside.
Inuyasha had one arm around Kagome's waist, the other one on her head rubbing her ear, his head next to her neck, eyes closed. Kagome was leaning against his chest, purring her eyes closed as well. They were unaware of their audience.
Youko gently closed the door and began to chuckle as he continued to led the group down the hall.
"What's so funny Youko-kun?" asked Kin,
"Didn't I tell you that Inuyasha wanted Kagome to be his mate? The way he was holding her and her response is proof that he wants her and her him. Kagome doesn't know that, so I'll have to explain that to her. At their rate, they should be formally courting by the end of the week, and mated within the month."
"Youkai move that fast?" asked Hikage.
"Sometimes, but do take note that Inuyasha and Kagome have known each other for two years, gone though plenty of battles together along with plenty of hardships. Now that Kagome's a hanyou, Inuyasha won't have to worry about ningen protocol. Once I explain this to her how things are proceeding between them, she'll feel more comfortable."
"Man, this is really confusing," stated Sakura.
"There may be some texts in my library if you wish to do some independent research," said Youko.
"Damn, you make it sound like we're in school," said Kin with a shake of her head.
"No matter, Miroku, Sango, here's the extra training room," said Youko, pointing to a door with another symbol. In the middle was a small x, with a straight line at the top, and a line coming out of the bottom of each line, extending farther then the x. "This is the symbol for water or blessing, dana. You'll find out in a minute why. Come this way to the library."
Sango and Miroku shrugged at Youko's vagueness, but nevertheless opened the door. Stepping though the door, they both stopped and stared in wonder.
"Well, this should be interesting," said Miroku in a bland voice.
I'm sorry this took so long to come out! I've been working on this for a while, but I couldn't think of a good way to end the chapter. Sorry for the cliffhanger as well. I'll update ASAP. Ja ne!