Watchdog, an inuyasha fanfic

Just a short piece I wrote to try to figure out Inuyasha's character. May be very out of character, but I tried. He ain't the easiest character to write. Please let me know what you think. I'd say this takes place midway through the series, but could really go anywhere.

Inuyasha looked down at his friends from atop the sacred tree near the bone-eater's well. They had all fallen asleep a long time ago, one by one. First Shippo, then Sango, Kagome, and finally Miroku. They were all human (except Shippo, but he was young), and needed their rest, unlike Inuyasha who always had enough energy to spare. He took it upon himself at nights like this, where they had to sleep in the forest, to watch over them and make sure they were safe.

Kind of like a watchdog. He mentally laughed at the irony of that. Heh. I kind of like that title. Suits me just fine.

He was always looking out for them. They were his friends – he had to. Growing up, he had always been alone. All he had was his mother, but she had died prematurely, leaving him all alone to deal with the world; him, a half-demon, hated by both humans and demons, and never accepted by either. Sure, his father had been a famous demon, yet it made no difference. People just couldn't accept an abomination like Inuyasha, a scourge to both sides of him.

That all had changed the day he had met Kagome. He cringed at the memory of their first meeting. Looking back on it, he had been a little harsh towards her, maybe just downright cruel.

All because she reminded me too much of Kikyo. I'm sorry Kagome for being like that. If I'd known then what I know now, I would have . . . what would I have done? Would I have sent her back to her era there and then? I really don't know.

He looked at the peaceful, sleeping face of the woman he had been thinking about. True, she did look an awful lot like Kikyo, but that's as far as the similarities went. Kikyo had died hating Inuyasha, tarnishing her once pure soul. Even though she had since learned the truth behind the circumstances of her death, that tarnish still lingered. She had become so cold, both in body and in spirit. She had even tried to kill Kagome once! It wasn't the same Kikyo that he fell in love with many years ago.

Kagome, on the other hand, was simply amazing in his eyes. From their first encounter till now, she had done the unthinkable. She had proven that a half-demon could find love and happiness. Always being by his side, embracing him when he was hurt, comforting him when he was in pain; all these things made him fall for her. Countless times she had proven that she cared deeply for him.

She's done so much for me. She's made me realize that I do have a purpose in life. I'm not supposed to go to hell with Kikyo, I'm supposed to live. She's also made me realize that I don't have to become a full demon to be strong. My strength comes from defending her and the others. After all, Tetsusaiga was created by my father in order to protect my mother, and now I use it to protect the woman I love.

Love? Where had that word come from? How long had he been using it? Was that truly how he felt? Did he really love Kagome? Deep down in his heart, he knew the answer. He had known it for a long time, but never could bring himself to admit it. The thought brought a smile to his face.

Shifting his gaze, he looked at Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara. Miroku was slumped against another tree, his staff lying on the ground next to him. The lecherous monk with the cursed wind tunnel in his hand. Inuyasha and Kagome had met him when he tried to kidnap Kagome to get her jewel shards. When Inuyasha had fought him, he never thought that this supposed 'holy man' would become a trustworthy friend. Ever since then, he had traveled with them, helping them out when it was needed. Miroku's story was a sad one, watching his father being sucked up into his own wind tunnel – the same fate that awaits Miroku himself some day if Naraku isn't destroyed. Inuyasha knew that when it came time, he would do everything in his power to save his friend from the miserable curse placed upon him.

Next to Miroku, Sango laid, a look of anger on her face. Watching her many a night, Inuyasha noticed that expression always on her face while she slept. Probably dreaming about Naraku and the day she saved her brother Kohaku from his clutches. Sango saw her brother become possessed and kill her friends and family. Her entire village was killed, leaving her and her little two-tailed cat demon friend, Kirara. Kohaku had died that day too, but by the power of a sacred jewel shard still lived on, albeit without his memories. Once when the girls were bathing in the hot spring, Inuyasha had seen (not without some type of punishment) the large scar on her back that she got from Kohaku's weapon. All of those awful memories are what caused her to look so fierce in her sleep.

The small fox demon yawned and rolled over next to Kagome, tucking himself in closer to her side. Inuyasha smiled at the sight. Shippo was one of the first ones to join their little ragtag group after Inuyasha avenged his father for him against the Thunder Brothers. The fox had taken a liking to Kagome from the start, looking to her like a child to a mother. However, on the other hand, Shippo liked to pick at Inuyasha, usually getting hit in the head as payback. Not that he would ever admit it, but the dog demon did care about the little fox demon. Maybe someday they could be a family: himself, Kagome, and Shippo.

All of the people below him he considered his friends and would do anything to protect. This mismatched group of guys and girls brought together by fate for a purpose. Anyone who had ever come across the sacred jewel had been met with misfortune, but could it be possible that this time the sacred jewel had done something good. It gave Inuyasha a new outlook on life. Actually it gave him a whole new life, one full of friends and people who cared about him for him, who didn't want him to change.

My friends? Who ever would have thought that I could have friends? I'm not alone anymore and I don't think I ever will be again. These friends of mine are always looking after me, so the least I can do is look after them in return. Guess I really am a watchdog now.

"My . . . my friends." The words were very soft spoken as they left Inuyasha's lips. He tried out the words and found that the more he said it, the easier they came. It would take some time to get used to saying them; a challenge he readily accepted as the sun began to dawn in the sky.

Down below, a single brown eye opened. She heard what the person sitting in the tree above them had said, well aware that he had been awake all night watching over them as he always did. She had been curious as to what he was thinking. When she heard him say those words, her curiosity was satisfied. With a small smile, Kagome rolled over and sighed. Before giving in to sleep, a funny image appeared in her mind . . . Inuyasha as a silvery white watchdog, guarding a house full of people, complete with collar, leash, and a sign saying 'Beware of Dog'. It was enough to make anyone giggle.

Please read and review.

- Silvarius