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At one point in his life, he'd wanted to die and that had been a very, very long time ago.
He'd been young and confused. As he watched the sun drift lower to the earth, he walked to the village. There were children there, around his age, and they all froze when he came. There were taunting smiles, harsh words, and finally, a ball. Inuyasha had always enjoyed playing around, especially with others. Someone taller, a human, snagged the ball, and Inuyasha watched with rapt attention as he casually threw it over everyone's head.
Inuyasha was quick on his feet. Rushing over to the bouncing sphere, he caught it with his claws. Surprisingly, it did not puncture under his strength. He glanced over his shoulder, curious and hoping to see if the others were still there. They were gone and he vaguely felt his ears shift downwards on his head.
He should be accustomed to this, but every time he watched another person walk away from him, it sent a sharp pain through his chest.
"Inuyasha." His mother always had a musical voice, a voice that called out to him and he followed like a blind fool. He found her easily and she was standing by their home, the beautiful satin material trailing behind her. He dropped the ball almost immediately.
Her arms were around him the next moment, and he was startled. He embraced her back, of course, but kept silent. He could feel her shoulders tremble, hear her breath waver, and he wanted to ask what was wrong, but then he felt the warm drop hit the crown of his head.
That was the first time he'd ever seen his mother cry and he wanted to die.
That day, his resolve wavered.
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"Dammit…!"
"Running away again, half breed?!"
"You fuckin' wish!"
Inuyasha skillfully dodged a claw heading straight towards him. The large demon roared with anger, breaking trees out of the way as Inuyasha ducked, dashed, and darted from any further lunges at him. Earlier, Inuyasha had only been searching for a place to rest, if only for a moment, but when the ground began to rumble, his eyes had snapped right back open.
Scowling, the white-haired whirled around and snarled at the large demon. It made a fist with one hand and cackled, fully prepared to put Inuyasha out of his misery. Grasping onto the knuckles of the demon, he used his undeniable strength to throw the creature over his shoulder. It wasn't long until his claws did quick work of the demon's body, and it faded into ashes with scream of agony.
His sneer deepened as the bones began to smoke and diminish. Allowing his powers to drop, he wiped the blood from his claws and tucked his hands in his sleeves. It was getting out of control – all these demons popping out of nowhere. This was the fourth one this week and it was starting to agitate him.
With another annoyed grunt, he turned away from the ash and used the strength in his legs to land on a branch. It was high enough to hide out, at least for a while. As he made himself comfortable, he realized where he was. He was further in the East, and wasn't far from a nearby village. He scowled, he did not want a run-in with any humans again. They pissed him off.
With a huff, he slid his eyes closed, intending to retrieve the couple of Z's he'd missed.
But, instead, he heard, "Inuyasha!"
Said dog-demon's eyes flashed back opened. And he glared ominously at the giant pink ball heading his way. Playfully, the large thing rubbed its wet tongue on his cheek with a giggle. His fist came down without warning.
"Shippo!"
"Ow!"
There was a poof and suddenly, the small kitsune popped into his true self. With a rather agitated look, the kid stared at him, "What was that for?!"
"What do ya think?" Inuyasha snarled back. It wasn't often the kid came bugging him, and when he did come, it usually meant something big shit was happening. Usually, in the east, it would be war or short battles, and that meant it was coming closer to the west. And Inuyasha typically stayed clear of any of that. But if it was about Shippo's latest crush, he was going to kill something.
It hadn't been long since the two first meant. Inuyasha had been searching for something to eat and he stumbled across the half-dead kitsune, weeping his eyes out because his 'daddy was gone' bullshit. Inuyasha wasn't a fan of snot or tears, but he lingered a little too long, glaring down at the sprite.
Suck it up, he had said. It happens. Just like it had happened to him. He'd gotten over it and it pissed him off to see a true demon crying like a baby. But somehow, Shippo had stood, and as Inuyasha left, he tugged on the bottom of Inuyasha's hakama. When Inuyasha had looked back, he was rubbing a small hand over his large, teary eyes, and sucking it up, just like he had. It made him uncomfortable, but he did not say anything as the kitsune followed him around the next few days. Inuyasha managed to bring food to them both, and finally, the sprite said something. His name, how old he was, and how his parents had died. Of course, Inuyasha had said nothing, but Shippo went on and on.
He did not know when the kit had left, but he did. And whenever he came back, he brought something with him. Their relationship wasn't the best, but it was a new thing to them both, and it satisfied Inuyasha enough to know the little bastard was alive.
"But, Inuyashaaa~" The kitsune sing-songed, bringing him from his thoughts. "This is good!"
Inuyasha rolled his amber eyes, "Gossip?"
Shippo shook his head as he settled on the branch, smiling widely. Inuyasha grunted, looking away. "See there?" Shippo pointed a tiny finger to the village, just a few miles away, "I heard from a village girl," a blush was in his cheeks now and Inuyasha nearly attacked him, "that the priestess there is exterminating demons like crazy! I wanted to come warn you."
Inuyasha arched a brow. The village had a new miko? That was strange. Maybe the hired the wench for all the increase in demons. He couldn't blame them. Scowling, he tucked his hands into the sleeves of his haori and tried to calm his nerves. He'd never liked spiritual people – priest, priestesses, whoever the hell. He just didn't like their auras. He wanted to thank Shippo, but he didn't. Instead, he stood, the branch trembling under the weight, took Shippo's puffy tail in his grip, and hopped down.
Shippo didn't put up a fuss, in fact, he was peering up at Inuyasha curiously, "Inuyasha?" Inuyasha let him go and let the kid land on his head unceremoniously. "Ow! You jerk!"
"I'm heading further east. You can feel free to join me or not. It doesn't matter." He turned away, eyes staring straight ahead, and Shippo frowned.
"U-Um, Inuyasha?" The white-haired turned, scowling, "Can I catch up with you later? I want to say goodbye to Kyoko." He must've meant the young girl from the village, for he was flushing again.
"Tch," Inuyasha grimaced, "Ya better catch up fast. I don't wait." Shippo beamed in reply, and Inuyasha averted his gaze. When the kitsune was gone, so was he. He sprinted fast through the trees, ducking under branches, and leaping over vast lakes and rivers. It wasn't long until the village was out of sight, and his nerves calmed a bit.
He scowled at nothing in particular, using his nose to find the best vantage point to keep an eye out. He supposed he would wait for Shippo here, the trees would be a good place to rest and Shippo would be able to snuff him out. With a huff, he sprang upwards.
Only for an arrow to whizz past his face.
Inuyasha cursed sharply and hopped a quick step back. Damn. That had been close. He glanced at the arrow now buried a few dangerous inches into the bark of the tree. It drew up a smoke and had his insides curling with anger. It had been a miko's bow, and if it'd been any closer, his brains would be all over the forest.
"The hell?" He snarled out and then whipped around to face the ass who dared to challenge him. He fucking hoped it was someone worthy of his time. He'd been waiting for another good fight to blow off some steam. "Show yourself!"
And it wasn't long until he heard the lithe footfalls. He wasn't expecting to see pale, delicate skin, long, midnight black hair, and a lean figure. The furrow of his eyebrows deepened.
It was a woman. Just fuckin' great. He wasn't the one to usually harm women or children for that matter. He left those bitches alone and went after men, sometimes. Whenever he did have to kill though, he found it the hardest to look a woman in her face when terror flitted across it. Good thing it always seemed to be the ones sick in the head he ended up decapitating.
She glared at him from beneath her thin eyelashes, dark eyes smoldering with an unreadable emotion, and her arms tight and long to hold the bow and arrow. Inuyasha found a snarl working up his throat. So this was the miko going around killing demons? Just his luck.
"Got'a problem?" He demanded venomously to the strange priestess. She had yet to move. And he didn't trust her as far as he could chuck her across these woods. Fuckin' bitch.
"You," Her hands loosened a bit around her bow. Her voice was low, a bit different than the high voices he was used to hearing, "You…are a hanyou?"
His ears twitched violently at the name. He snarled again and her grip tightened around the bow, aiming directly at him. Her glare sharpened by a degree. "It was merely a question of curiosity." She stated calmly. With surreal grace, she brought back her weapon, a look crossing her face before she smothered it down, tucking away her bow and arrow.
Inuyasha watched in fascination as she turned away from him. That made him even angrier, he did not like being ignored, "Oi!"
She paused in mid-step, "Yes?"
"The hell? That's it? Ya attack me and then just run away?"
"I am not running." She looked back at him, and he frowned at her beauty. It was a sad kind of beauty, like his mother's. "You have not attacked me yet, and now I know that you do not know of me."
"Keh!" he crossed his arms over his chest, "Ya ain't famous or anythin'."
For a second, he thought he saw a smile, but it was gone the next second, "I see." She murmured, "I shall take my leave."
He arched a brow, but didn't say anything as she left. That night, when Shippo came back to bug him, asking why he hadn't left yet, Inuyasha couldn't answer, and instead, plowed his fist into the kitsune's defenseless head.
"None of yer business," he drawled, turning over to ignore the wailing.
He wasn't sure why he stayed. And he wasn't sure why he was curious. All he knew, that it was something about that woman, and he wanted to know what.
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"Oh, no! Oh, no!"
"Orihime? Are you awake?"
"Ah~ Onii-chan, Onii-chan, you have to help me?"
"With what? And why're you bouncing around like that?"
"My sock! I can't find it anywhere! I think the—"
"Let me guess, the little blue men?"
"No, no! The rainbow men, Onii-chan!"
"…"
"Onii-chan?"
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"Orihime?" Inoue Sora called out. As he finished steaming the rice, he scooped it out and put it into two bowls, along with the customary essentials for it. That being – for Orihime – ketchup, pickled radish, and sour cream. As he laid out their breakfast, he sighed, glancing at his watch, "Orihime, if you don't hurry, you'll be late!"
"Hai, hai~" The redheaded girl flew from her room. Sora, startled, almost ended up on the ground, if not for his quick reflex to step back. Obviously, his younger sister was starving, because it did not take long for her to break her chopsticks in two and dig into her rice – after dumping ketchup onto it – with such gusto, he thought she would choke.
With a fond smile, he ate his own, albeit much slower, and waited for her to ask for seconds. His little Orihime had sure grown up. She had changed from the teary-eyed toddler to a full woman in a blink of an eye. The more he watched her, the more he reveled into it. She was too beautiful for words, and he reminded her more and more of their mother each day.
Their parents were always a touchy subject. Being raised in such a vulgar, disgusting, mistreated home, Sora knew that it wasn't such a place for Orihime. When he'd turned eighteen, he was sure to grab the little money he had and leave. It had taken a lot of work and sweat and tears, but somehow, they managed through the hard-times.
He looked up when Orihime began glancing around, even peeking under the kotastu's table-blanket. When she poked her head back up, she appeared frantic.
"What is it?" He wondered if her wild imagination was getting to her again. "Are you still hungry? Did you loose a hairpin?"
"No~ Yoruichi-chan!" Orihime whimpered, her large silver eyes growing on her pretty face. Sora paused and then sweat-dropped at his sixteen year old sister's antics. Their fat black cat was missing again? Not much of a shocker. "Orihime," he chuckled, "shouldn't you be getting to school?"
She set her face into determination, "Not until I find Yoruichi-chan!" She stood, grabbing up her bag from beneath the kotastu table.
"Orihime, I told you stop putting your things underneath there."
"Sorry~!"
Sora sighed heavily, taking up her dishes, "Don't be late." He called to her. She nodded quickly, slipping on her shoes. He smiled a bit, "You know, she's probably around the old shrine. She likes to hang around there sometimes."
Orihime beamed at him, "Un!" And with a wave of amber hair, she was out of the door. Sora shook his head again and sighed, leaning against the doorframe.
"Should I be worried…?" he wondered a second too late.
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"Inuyasha!"
The golden, amber eyes she had come to love looked back, startled, anger shining in their deep depths.
She did not hesitate. With her last bit of strength, she launched her arrow.
How she wished to close her eyes, for this all to be a dream, but in the harsh reality, she could feel the hot silky ribbons of blood gushing down her arm. And he had done it, it was all him.
Love, she thought bitterly, is nothing more than a lie. She nearly breathed a sigh of relief when she heard it.
The arrow had hit its target.
"K…Kikyo…"
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"Yoruichi-chan…Yoruichi-chaaan~ Please come out! If you don't, I will miss first period and Tatsuki-chan will get very, very upset, and I will have to stay after class to wipe down the boards!" Orihime said, now crawling on all fours. She passed by the Sacred Tree, and stared at it in slight wonder. It was so large and so strong.
There was a small indent in it, right where she loved to rest her palm whenever the cherry blossoms bloomed to their fullest. She had always loved being around the tree, whether it be for when she cried or when she prayed. She did not understand this attraction and neither did others. Even Sora and Tatsuki became worried whenever she would even fall asleep in front of the Sacred Tree, do her homework, or talk to herself by the tree.
She never thought she was talking to herself. Whenever she was near it, she wished to tell it her deepest secrets, how her day went, and why she acted the way she acted. Tatsuki called this 'weird', Orihime called it 'natural'.
"Inoue-chan?" She heard behind her. Lifting her bright head, the girl looked back, behind her shoulder, and found Urahara Kisuke, the Shrine's caretaker standing behind her, tilting his head to the side with a welcoming smile.
"Ah! Urahara-san!" She smiled brightly up at him, pulling back to rest onto her knees, "Good morning."
"Mornin~" He sang right back at her, a twinkle in his eye, "What seems to be the problem and how can I be of assistance?"
"Oh!" She stood the next second, startling him slightly, "Yoruichi-chan!"
He blinked from underneath his hat before a sly grin went across his face, "Yoruichi-san, eh?"
Orihime blinked at him, "San?" She tilted her head to the side.
He waved at her dismissively, "She came past here this morning," he replied, ignoring her questioning gaze. He pointed his fan towards the well-house, grinning all the while, "We chatted a bit and she got mad at something I said," he shrugged, "She should be in there."
Orihime smiled, "Thank you, Urahara-san!" She skipped off.
"Won't you be late for school, Inoue-chan?" He called after to her, waving his fan exuberantly.
Orihime shook her head, red-gold strands flying around her, "I'll be quick," She nearly ran face-first into the well, but just in time, she managed to grab onto the handle. Tugging the door out of the way, she sneezed at the collecting dust that wafted into her nose. She heard Urahara-san call out to her in worry, but she reassured him with another sunny smile. Quickly, she lopped down the stairs, and heard something groan near the well.
She jerked, heart quickening. She stared at the locked doors of the well. It was covered in a thin layer of dust and spider-webs were spiraling around it. Licking her lips almost nervously, she tucked her hands behind her back and took another step down the small stairs.
"Yoruichi-chan?" She squeaked. It was darker deep down in the well, and when her foot hit the floor, she felt a vast amount of strange energy cascade around her. It felt too real to be her imagination, but she did not wish to venture farther inside. Tentatively, she called, "Y-Yoruichi-chan?"
Meow.
Orihime gasped sharply, whirling around. There sat Yoruichi on the bottom step, his yellow eyes shining coyly, and her black hair almost invisible in the darkness. Orihime's face lit up once again,
"Yoruichi-cha—"
The events that happened next made her head spin. One second she was staring at Yoruichi's fuzzy face, and the next, she was staring at the ceiling. She felt arms wrap around her middle roughly, causing the air to be forced out of her lungs. Orihime choked, eyes widening, and her hair blinded her for a second.
It was enough for her to gather her bearings, though. And when she did, she was staring Death in the face. Or she thought it was. The thing wrapped around her like a vice, with a woman's face, pale and venomous, and long dark hair that fell down her naked body. Orihime stifled a scream as the worm-like body wrapped around her being, and crushed her.
She tried to breathe, but found it nearly impossible. She wiggled, as the woman hissed at her. "Give it to me!" She screeched at Orihime. The next second, the two were staggering backwards and into the suddenly open.
"Inoue-chan!" She heard Urahara-san yell for her, and she heard the rushing of clogs heading in her direction.
Too late.
She expected the bottom of the well to suppress her fall, but in fact, she found herself surrounded by bright blinding light that made her even more panicked than before. Somehow, the worm-like body unwrapped around her, and she wanted to scrub herself clean from the feeling. The worm-woman was not happy about this, nor was she happy with Orihime.
The redheaded girl watched as her fangs grew dangerously longer, and her eyes narrowed, "Give it to me! Give me the Rikka!"
…Eh? Orihime could only stare at her blankly, and then watched in horror as the woman roared and lunged for her. "N-No!" She screamed, fear and confusion meddling into her heart. Something ignited inside of her, and she wasn't sure if it was good or bad. She pushed both her hands forward, as though to fight off the woman, but another bright light flashed in front of her.
When Orihime felt no pain, she hesitantly opened her eyes – shocked that she had closed them in the first place. She blinked rapidly several times and was thoroughly startled to see a golden dome folded in front of her protectively. The woman was too late in noticing and she flew into the shield the next second. The monster howled in aguish as something sprang forth and power erupted into her face.
The monster faded into nothing the next second with words of death on her lips.
Orihime landed hard on the ground a moment later. She wasn't sure if she fainted or not, but when she opened her eyes, she could hear the cry of birds. She blinked a few times to try and clear her vision. Her head hurt, and her body felt numb.
With a small whimper, she sat up and rubbed a hand over her head, "Owie…" Orihime had always been a wild dreamer, but this was taking it too far. It wasn't much room in the well, and it made her lungs contract. She pressed her back against the right side of the well, and went still.
"U-Urahara…" She croaked. Her voice was too low. She cleared her throat and tried not to think of soothing, cool water, "Urahara-san!" She called up, her voice too high now. It sounded frail and frightened.
No answer.
"Eto…I seem to have fell i-into the well and I think something may have tried to hurt me…Well, not exactly, but…" She trailed off, shaking her head. "But I-I was wondering, do you think you could help me up? And help Yoruichi-chan, too? She might be hurt. And…call Onii-chan for me? Please."
When she didn't hear a response, she rubbed her arms subconsciously. Her fear felt ridiculous, but not out of place. She had a right to be scared. It was strange to have such a nightmare while being awake at the same time. She could still feel the scales wrapping around her midsection and the fingers digging into her upper arms, demanding for something called the Rikka.
She lifted her small hand and gazed at it. And what had been that light? Had it come for her? She shook her head again, pressing her hands against her cool cheeks. She must've been daydreaming again. She just needed to calm down. And maybe find something to drink. Honey soda would be nice, and also some lemon popcorn. The thought of food calmed her down a bit, but when Tatsuki's anxious face popped through her mind, she became even more uneasy and alarmed.
She did not know how many times she called for Urahara-san, but he did not answer. Usually, whenever Yoruichi-chan heard Orihime's voice, she would come running. This was not normal. When she tried to stand, her legs felt like ten-pounds of dead weight and she fell onto her butt.
"Itai!" She squeaked, rubbing her lower back. Again, she tried to stand, and somehow got a hold of the old vines lining the sides of the well. She had never noticed them before. Quickly, she tested the weight of her legs, trying to determine if they were just asleep. Her ankle didn't feel exactly great and she was very much thirsty. "Oh, no!" She suddenly exclaimed, "What if I die here? A-And drown in my own tears?!"
She gasped dramatically.
"Urahara-san, pleeeeassse!"
There was no response.
She huffed, licking her lips. She was glad Tatsuki-chan told her how to at least climb the rope in gym class. As she tested the vine's durability, she tried to strengthen her resolve. Finally, she sprang from the ground, and yanked with all her might.
It was a while – and a few squeaks of fright – before Orihime reached the top. And when she did, she was thoroughly stunned. Dazedly, the first thing she noticed was a butterfly wafting over her forehead and landing on the edge of the old well. It was a beautiful arrange of colors – pink, orange, yellow.
She was too startled to even swing her leg over the lid of the well, and instead, she just stared at it. Thick bushes of trees and flowers and grass. You did not see this in Karakura Town where there were smelly cars, large buildings, and overrun society. She hungrily took in the natural beauty.
As she used her lithe strength to bring her leg over and onto the grass, she gulped.
This can't be Karakura…
And then she spotted the large tree.
The Sacred Tree! She thought happily. She bid a farewell to the tiny butterfly, and hurried through the light vegetation. It wasn't long until she was breaking through the last of the tall stocks of grass, bushes, and flowers. When she stumbled onto the other side, she was stunned.
It took her a long, silent moment to piece the figure attached to the tree together. The wind blew sharply, lifting her long, silky waves of red-gold. She blinked her large silver eyes again.
"This is…"
She tilted her head to the side, puzzled.
…Dog ears?
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Yes~! I finally finished it. I don't know why, but I've been thinking of this idea for a while now. I know it probably won't be read by a lot of people since it's a weird pairing, or can even be called, a CRACK pairing. But I still love Inuyasha and I still love Orihime.
Don't get my wrong, I ship Ichihime and Inuyasha and Kagome 24/7, I just thought I would experiment just a bit and see what I come up with. I love Orihime's personality mixed with Inuyasha's. It's a nice little tune they seem to have and I can't wait to jam it together.
And don't worry, I'm not really basing it off the Inuyasha series. Sure, they have to go on a journey, but mostly, this is a romance and friendship. I don't want to bore anyone by taking it full into Inuyasha or full into a Bleach season. It's my own story. Btw, Inuyasha and the gang will definitely appear, while I'm still debating on the Bleach gang. I feel like if I bring in Ichigo, I'll fall for him all over again, make Orihime fall for him all over again, and I'll hate myself for ruining the story. But I absolutely WILL NOT bring IchiRuki into this story. Over my dead body!
Please review. I was very scared to let this one out in the open.
-Star