A Hanyou in Tokyo

By socchan

One: Inu-Yasha

One of the first things Kagome had noticed about the forest was that it was dark. It wasn't the physical dark of 'a dark and stormy night', as sunlight filtered in through gaps in the trees, illuminating the close passages of the forest's maze while still not quite lighting anything up; neither was it the quiet, peaceful dark one would normally find in forests. It was the kind of dark that one would expect in a place that was permanently twilight, or caught somewhere between two distinct warring powers, not neutral, but not quite a part of either side. Almost like something fighting for survival. It was a strange feeling, but somehow, not one Kagome disliked. She almost felt herself reaching out to it, despite the fact that it was only a forest and a feeling in the atmosphere.

"Not like I'm even supposed to be here…" Kagome muttered. Her grandfather had expressly forbidden her from ever entering the forest surrounding the shrine, dubbed who knows how many years ago 'Inu-Yasha's Forest'. She wasn't entirely sure why she wasn't allowed in, only that her grandfather thought it was dangerous. Kagome glanced around her and snorted. "Of all the stupid things to say about this place. Dangerous. Ha!" She half-smirked as she watched a chipmunk scurry over a tree root.

Still, Kagome wasn't entirely certain why she was there. It was just as if something had… compelled her to come. Something that had long ago been swallowed up by the forest, becoming almost as much a part of it as the trees, defining its character…

Kagome shook her head to clear it of such thoughts. That was something her grandpa would say, not her! She knew with a confusing clarity that there was more to life than most people saw, but not the same way her grandpa seemed to think there was. But maybe, she thought, looking around her, maybe this time she'd found something…

Kagome shivered as she felt suspiciously as if someone was watching her. She glanced briefly over her shoulder, then continued to follow the direction the weird feeling was leading her. A pair of red eyes flashed briefly in the darkness behind her.

Kagome stepped into a clearing, and blinked a few times, adjusting to the change in light. That twilight feeling didn't leave in the sun; it seemed only to get stronger. Kagome was sure of it.  She bit back a gasp as her vision cleared at last.

A magnificent old tree sprawled in the center of the clearing, its branches reaching towards heaven like slaves reaching towards freedom. Leafless vines and branches grew up its trunk, securing there a white haired figure dressed in red. Kagome subconsciously stepped forward to bet a better look at the boy. She frowned; he was pinned to the tree with an arrow, but he seemed only to be sleeping, not dead. Her frown deepened when she noticed the two white furry triangles sprouting from his head. "What the…" she murmured under her breath, stepping closer still to the unresponsive boy.

Without realizing it, Kagome had climbed up the roots until she was nearly face-to-face with him. Sunlight streamed down onto him, illuminating his thick hair and accenting his perfect lips. Kagome's cheeks singed red at this thought, and she turned her attention to the reason she was this close in the first place: his ears. She couldn't quite see them, so she climbed a bit higher until she was at eye level with the boy. Cautiously, Kagome reached forward to feel his ears. Her eyebrows shot up in shock; not only were they very soft, but they felt unmistakably real. As she ran her thumb along the soft fur of his left ear, it twitched in her grasp. She gasped, and lost her footing, catching herself by letting go of his ears to grab onto his shoulders. Sighing in relief, she turned her head to stare into a pair of luminous autumn gold eyes. They sparked in annoyance.

"Y'know…" the no-longer-sleeping boy said, "I don't particularly like being awakened by my would-be killer." His tone suggested he liked it a good deal less than this, which is to say, not at all, and the only reason he was tolerating her presence at all was because he was stuck to a tree.

Kagome shrieked and lost what precious little balance she had gotten, tumbling back to fall unceremoniously on her butt. Organizing her jumbled thoughts, Kagome glared up at the source of her embarrassment. "You're one to talk!" she snapped, despite the urgent warnings her brain was giving her mouth to shut the hell up before she got them both killed. "I don't even know you! I've never seen you before in my life. I've never even been in this forest before today. How could I have tried to kill you?"

The boy rolled his eyes. "You're not fooling anyone with that 'little-miss-innocent' act, Kikyo. And what's with those weird clothes?"

Kagome blinked, startled, then turned her glare back full blast. "I'm not Kikyo, and this happens to be my school uniform! And while it's certainly not the most stylish thing in the world, it's better than going around in what you're wearing." Secretly, Kagome was appalled at the venom she used with a perfect stranger, but it was too late to change it now.

The boy's eyes, if anything, only showed more annoyance, matching the scowl on his face. "What are you talking about? Of course you're Kikyo, you have to be."

Kagome growled, and, throwing caution to the wind, rose to her feet. She marched over to the tree, got a firm footing, and looked him straight in the eye. "Now look here, you. I don't know who you are or why you're stuck to this stupid tree, but I'm not Kikyo, I'm Kagome. Ka-go-me! And I certainly don't have to be this Kikyo person—in fact, the only person I have to be is myself!"

The boy glared at her. "What is with you lately, huh? First, you try to kill me, and now—" the boy stopped mid-sentence, and peered at Kagome. He sniffed at her. Kagome looked offended. "Huh. What do you know. You really aren't her." He leaned back against the tree, sporting a rather smug smirk. "Yup, Kikyo smelled nicer. She was prettier, too, for all you look alike." Kagome stared at the boy, dumbfounded. "Now get me down from here, wench. I don't expect you'd like being stuck to a tree very much." Kagome's glare turned icy, and white-hot rage streamed through her veins. Gathering all the strength she could muster, Kagome smacked the boy across the face, then turned around and jumped off the tree, stalking off the way she had come. "Oi! You! I thought I told you to get me down from here!" the boy called after her.

Kagome stopped in her tracks, and spun around. "Shove it, you. After the way you treated me, I wouldn't lift a finger to save your life." Glaring darkly, Kagome spun on her heel, and continued walking into the forest.

The boy watched her go, disinterest painted on his face. "Well, it's not like I have anywhere to go…" he muttered. "And so what if she looks like Kikyo? What's that got to do with anything?" He glanced after the girl, and sighed. "Damn. She's going to get into trouble in there."

Kagome stormed out through the forest, oblivious to both the boy's comments and to the pair of eyes watching her as she ranted angrily to herself. "So what if I'm not that Kikyo person?" Kagome muttered, darkly. "What right does that give him to order me around? And what should he care if I'm Kikyo or not? I thought she tried to kill him!" She snorted. "Fat lot of good that did. He's still alive, and now he's bugging me! I have half a mind to go back there and finish what she started…." Something rustled in the bushes to her left. "Still…" Kagome said, wistfully, "He was kinda cute…" Shocked at the turn her thoughts were taking, Kagome stopped dead in her tracks, and shook her head vigorously. "No! I am not attracted to that jerk. I couldn't care less if I never saw him again!" With a nod of affirmation to these 'more correct' thoughts, Kagome continued on her way, still muttering dark things about the rude boy. The thing in the bushes watched her a minute more, then followed.

Continuing her tirade, Kagome rounded a bend in the near-invisible trail, and screeched. A giant centipede with a three-armed woman's torso blocked her path. There were stumps where three of her arms had been burned off. The centipede woman's eyes glowed red as it stared down at the frightened girl. "Where is it?" she demanded, her voice clicking and hissing. Long fangs dripped something akin to poison were revealed as she spoke.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Kagome stuttered, trying to keep her balance.

"The Shikon no Tama!" the centipede woman insisted. "I can sense it on you, girl. I know you have it…"

Kagome frowned as something sparked in her memory. "Ah!" she cried, reaching into her bag to pull out a keychain. "You mean this?" An iridescent glass ball dangled from a chain on the ring. The centipede woman hissed in acknowledgement, and nodded, her glowing eyes never leaving the glass bauble. Kagome smirked, and gripped it in her fist. "Then go and get it!" With all the strength she had, Kagome pitched the thing off into the forest, the centipede monster following it. Kagome wasted no time in turning a full one-eighty, and running for dear life. That trick wouldn't work for long. She smirked a bit at finally having found a good use for one of her grandfather's birthday gifts.

Kagome heard a roar behind her as the centipede woman discovered the false jewel. Swallowing hard, Kagome sped up, trying to outrun the monster behind her. The nearing sounds of crashing trees told her she was having little success.

Kagome stopped with a gasp as she found herself once again in the clearing with the odd boy. He smirked at her, an arrogant glint in his golden eyes. "Well, well. Regretting your actions already."

Kagome glared at him. "Hardly. I'm only running for my life."

As if to prove her point, the centipede woman chose that moment to burst free from the trees. The dog-eared boy blinked in surprise. "What's Mistress Centipede want with you?"

"The hell if I know!" Kagome shot back, eyes darting back and forth, searching for cover. She found none, and had to dive out of the way when Mistress Centipede saw her and attacked.

"Hey." Kagome dodged another of Mistress Centipede's attacks. "I said, hey!" She tucked and rolled to avoid the crashing legs. "Hell-oooo, human, I'm talking to you! Answer me back already! I know you can hear."

"I'm kinda busy here!" Kagome shouted to the dog-eared boy.

"Yeah, that's what I'm trying to talk about." The boy's voice had more than a hint of sarcasm. "Get me down from here, and I'll help you out."

Kagome stared for a minute, almost costing her a limb. "You'll what?!"

The boy scowled at rolled his eyes. "I'll take care of that demon you ticked off, what else?"

Kagome glanced between him and Mistress Centipede; he seemed not only serious, but the lesser of two evils. "How do I get you down?"

The boy grinned in triumph; he knew he'd won. "Just take the arrow out."

Kagome glanced at the boy one more time before dashing to the tree he was secured to. "This had better work." She gritted out, climbing up and clutching the arrow in both hands. The clenched her fists and pulled, and to her utter shock, the arrow vanished from her grip. With a feral grin, the boy tore free from his bonds, causing Kagome to loose her balance once again. Before she could blink, he had an arm around her waist, and was depositing her back on the ground. He made sure she had her balance, then flashed a cocky grin, and attacked Mistress Centipede head-on. Brandishing his claws, the dog-boy jumped to an alarming height, then tore them through Mistress Centipede's body, dividing it neatly in half. The body hit the ground first, its guts exploding outwards, the boy landing lightly on his feet soon after. Kagome swore under her breath as she dodged the flying demon bits.

"Hey," Kagome turned to look at the boy, who was smirking at her. "Thanks for getting me out of there. I haven't had a good fight in ages." Kagome smiled, and was about to reply when he continued. "Because you freed me, and I'm in such a good mood right now, I think I'll let you live a while longer."

Kagome's eyes narrowed; so much for him being the lesser of two evils. "Why did you just save me if you're planning to kill me later?!" she growled.

The boy blinked in surprise a moment, then grinned. "Hey, not half bad for a human. I didn't know your kind could growl."

Kagome glared more fiercely at him. "Just answer the damn question." She gritted out.

The boy shrugged. "I did say I'd take care of Mistress Centipede, didn't I?  So I fulfilled my obligation to you for freeing me, and now I'm pretty much free to do as I please." He grinned at her expression of shocked fury. "Well, as much fun as this has been, I've gotta run. Don't forget, though, the next time we run into each other will be the last time you do anything." With that, he leapt off through the forest, laughing.

Outraged, Kagome stared at the boy's retreating figure. He was, somehow, the most amazingly infuriating person she had ever met. With an angry grumble, Kagome shook her head, and started the long walk back.

"I'm home!" Kagome's call rang out through the house.

"Welcome back!" Kagome's mother said, leaning out through the kitchen doorway and smiling warmly.

"You're later than usual." Kagome's little brother, Souta, stated from where he sat on the couch, watching television.

"Yes, where were you?" her grandfather asked. He was sitting next to Souta.

Kagome shrugged. "I was out with some friends." She didn't need to tell them that one of her 'friends' was a now dead centipede woman, and the other was a dog-boy who planned to kill her. Her grandfather nodded, and turned back to the screen. Kagome was struck by an idea. "Grandpa, what's 'Inu-Yasha Forest' named after?"

The old Shinto priest blinked and turned his head from the television. "Why do you want to know?" His eyes glittered with happy tears. "Have you finally developed an interest in the supernatural?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "No, Grandpa, I was just walking by the forest, and I got curious." That wasn't completely a lie.

The lights went out, and a dim swinging lantern hung above her grandfather's head. "Then listen well, child. Long ago, in the Warring States era, there was a half-demon named Inu-Yasha, a priestess named Kikyo, and a sacred jewel named the Shikon no Tama." Kagome blinked; already things were starting to sound familiar. "The priestess Kikyo had great power, and was charged with the enormous task of guarding the jewel from demonic forces that would use it to increase their own power. One such force was Inu-Yasha, who wanted to use the jewel to become a full youkai. He deceived his way into Kikyo's heart, claiming he would use the jewel to become human, earning her trust. Then, one day, he went on a rampage, destroying the village where the miko lived, and mortally wounding her in the process. Using the last of her strength, the young priestess shot an arrow into the hanyou's heart, pinning him to a tree in the middle of the forest." Kagome bit back a gasp, recognizing him as the boy she had freed, but her grandfather continued on. "Kikyo knew she would not live much longer, so with her last breath, she asked to have the Shikon no Tama burned with her, so its power would leave this world forever. In time, the forest took on the hanyou's aura, and the villagers named it Inu-Yasha's Forest." Kagome's grandfather flicked the lights back on. "That answer your question, girl?"

Kagome nodded, dazed. "Yes… Thank you, Grandpa." Lost in thought, Kagome wandered up the stairs to her room. Dropping her bag on the floor, Kagome flopped on her bed and stared at the ceiling. "That boy…" Kagome murmured, "He was Inu-Yasha…? But why did he think I was Kikyo? She's dead… and why did Mistress Centipede think I had the Shikon no Tama? It's not even in this world any more!" Kagome sighed, and draped an arm over her eyes. "I guess I'll never know… He plans to kill me the next time he sees me, after all…"

"Hey. You." Kagome was startled out of her musings by a vaguely familiar voice. She lifted her arm to come face-to-face with a pair of luminous golden eyes for the second time that day. Inu-Yasha was crouched over her on her bed, scowling. Kagome 'eep'ed, and tried to scoot back, only to have Inu-Yasha snatch the front of her uniform and drag her closer. "Where the hell are you hiding the Shikon no Tama, bitch?"

=^-,-^= End Chapter One =^-,-^=

*grins * You hate me now, admit it. I know you do. Don't try to hide it; it won't work. Anyway, back to business. I got this idea a while ago when I was wondering what would happen if Kagome didn't travel back in time to wake Inu-Yasha up, and go on that whole shard quest, and this is what came out of it. In reality, there are two things that made me really want to write this story, neither one of which are featured in this chapter. Or the next, for that matter. Still, you'll see them eventually, and when you do, I'll point them out. While this is probably not my best work, I must admit, I've come up with some pretty ingenious plot devices for it, which I plan to work in relatively soon. I'll try and update bi-monthly, but don't get your hopes up, because it's not finished yet; I might get writers' block or something, and have to postpone (knock on wood).

Anyhow, this is my first Inu-Yasha fic, and as is my tradition, I would like to invite all reviewers to do their worst. Go ahead; my treat. I probably frustrated more than a few of you with where I ended this chapter, so don't be afraid to yell at me for that or anything else. My grammar isn't the greatest in this fic, either, but maybe I'll go back and re-work it someday. Maybe. We'll see.

Disclaimer: If I owned Inu-Yasha, I would probably have done a much worse job with him and the rest of the crew than Takahashi-san has done. For this, I thank her. But I don't own it, and that means that it is the wonderful story we all (supposedly) know and love. Thanks for listening!

Edit (12-24-03): Boy, was I cocky then.  I still am, a little.  Anyway, went through, and tried to make the chapter run smoother in a couple of places.  Hope it worked.

-socchan