Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, but the characters that I made up belong entirely to me.
Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is my first Inuyasha fanfiction. I hope you all enjoy it! Please let me know what you think!
The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…
Chapter 1
It was a beautiful spring morning in the Sengoku Jidai. The sun had just begun to rise above the distant mountains, tinting the puffy clouds with majestic shades of pink and gold. The birds were cooing softly, the tree branches swayed softly in the cool breeze, and the whole forest was quiet and calm. Suddenly, a series of loud noises coming from the nearby village shattered the serenity of the area, and a flock of frightened birds flew away from their nest, startled by the commotion. A loud, ferocious growl came from one of the huts that sat at the edge of the woods, sounding like a fierce lion. Next came the cacophonous clatter of pots and pans crashing to the earth, as well as some child-like squeals of mingled fear and laughter. A gruff angry voice rang throughout the village, "Shippou! Come back here you little brat! I'll teach you to call me a jerk! I'm gonna tear you apart, bit by bit!"
"Ahhhh!!!" an small, high-pitched voice screamed, "Help! Inuyasha's trying to kill me! Hheeelllppp! Kagomeeeeeeee!!!!!!" If a curious spectator had happened to be standing there that morning, he would have witnessed a very interesting spectacle. A small, redheaded kitsune cub was frantically running around in large circles around a small thatched hut. The cause for his fear soon appeared close behind him in a blur of red and white. The young fox demon was running away from the thing named Inuyasha, churning him short little legs as fast as they could move. A young teenaged girl wearing a dirty, torn school uniform stepped out from the hut, rubbing her eyes and yawning drowsily. She finally woke up enough to realize that Shippou was in dire need of rescue, and her blue-gray eyes widened momentarily. Kagome, for that was her name, sighed and narrowed her eyes.
"Inuyasha," she called, with a note of warning in her voice. Inuyasha halted to a stop and turned to look at her with a guilty face. He knew what was definitely coming to him now, and he dreaded it with all his heart. "Osuwari!" Inuyasha instantly crashed into the dirt. A string of muffled curses and some words were muttered into the ground.
"$%#@*! Stupid wench…" The remainder of Inuyasha's derogative name-calling and cursing was unheard by Kagome (luckily for him) and Shippou, as the dust cleared and half-demon with long white hair and golden eyes painfully picked himself up off the hard, compact ground. He brushed himself off, making sure to pick off the tiny bits of plants and pebbles that had adhered to his red, fire-rat kimono. At that moment, Inuyasha's amber eyes were slitted, and glittered like an angry cat.
"Oi, Kagome, whadya do that for? Just because you can control this cursed necklace whenever you want, it doesn't mean you have to use it on me every two minutes without any reason at all!" Inuyasha took a step towards Kagome, with a menacing glare at Shippou, who immediately bounded into Kagome's arms, quivering in fright.
Kagome huffed angrily, "Inuyasha, you were trying to hurt poor Shippou! That's reason enough, isn't it?"
"Yeah, you big meanie!" Shippou said with a triumphant look, from his place in Kagome's arms. He was pleased that Inuyasha was being punished, and, thinking that he had to make use of his distinct advantage, the little kitsune changed into a large, pink bubble-monster and floated towards Inuyasha's head. Inuyasha's soft furry ears twitched toward Shippou, then became engulfed in a mass of pink stuff as the young demon proceeded to gnaw on his head. The situation would have looked very humorous to any spectator, but neither of the two people present found Shippou's little act amusing. The hanyou growled angrily at the fox cub, then bopped him with a curled claw.
"Owww! That hurt!" The kitsune cub reverted back to his normal form, rubbing his head with a moan.
Kagome glared at the dog demon, then softened at the look on his face and continued with a pleasanter, calmer tone, " Look, Inuyasha, I'm sorry if I keep using the 'word' on you. I just can't help it, you know? I don't like it when Shippou gets hurt, cause he's like a little brother to me. I mean, you don't like it when people you care about get hurt, right? That's why I always say-, well, you-know-what…" She looked down, half-ashamed, half-repentant. Inuyasha thought about her words, and tried to imagine how he felt when someone he cared about was hurt. He remembered sadly how his human mother was killed by her own kind, cruel villagers who made her bleed to death while he watched helplessly. He tried to picture how he would feel if an evil demon succeeded in hurting Kagome. He remembered how angry he had always felt as he watched Kagome being wounded by the many Youkai that their group encountered on their search for the shards of the Shikon no Tama. Sometimes he wondered whether it was worth it. Every time Inuyasha insisted on going out to find a shard, he was endangering the one person in his life that he cared about the most. Kagome. His Kagome. He winced inwardly as he recalled all the bruises, sprains, scratches, cuts, and broken bones that the poor girl from the future had received throughout their journey. And come to think of it, it was partly his fault. He was the one who demanded that she and Shippou follow him and help him look for the jewel shards. It was he who always tried to prevent Kagome from jumping into the Bone Gobbling Well, to return to her time to get some much-needed rest. And worst of all, it was because of his failure to protect her that Kagome, the strong-minded yet kind-hearted miko, was hurt during their fights.
A gentle but persistent tugging on the loose sleeve of Inuyasha's large, baggy hakama pulled him out of his deep thoughts. Kagome was standing next to him, with a concerned and still embarrassed look on her face. "Um, Inuyasha?" she asked tentatively, "Are you alright?" Inuyasha immediately snapped out of his reverie and turned to reply with his usual brusqueness.
"Feh, of course I'm alright. Who do think I am, a weak puny human? I was just thinking! Mind your own business!" Inuyasha was about to add his usual term 'wench', when the pained features on Kagome's cream-colored face stopped him. He gazed at her gently for a moment, then whirled around and stalked off into the forest to sit on his favorite branch in the Go-Shin-Boku Tree and brood upon his thoughts and feelings, and to contemplate about the young girl who had won his heart.