Inu-yasha and the whole cast of characters belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I do not own any of the characters or the rights to Inu-Yasha. Inu-yasha and the whole cast of characters belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I do not own any of the characters or the rights to Inu-Yasha.
i had this idea in my head all night, while i was about to pass out. hope you all like it.
It seemed so distant. The day she was ripped from her second family, thrown forward in time, her time. The young miko couldn't wrap her head around the whole ordeal. She was glad that eventually she was able to return, however she couldn't help but feel a sorta of void in her heart from missing her mama, grandpa and younger brother. She was so lost in her own thoughts, she had failed to hear the elder priestess that sat beside her.
"Kagome!" the aging priestess snapped. "Child you need to pay attention, or you will harm the herb." she scolded.
Kagome apologized and tried to rail her thoughts back to her duties. The past is in the past...er future rather. She couldn't dwell on something that could not be fixed. Though it didn't make things much less painful.
The sound of a horse approaching grab both priestess' attention, as they snapped their head up to the entrance of the village. A dusty brown horse with a tattered saddle and reins strode in, its long mane and tail flowed like the great willow tree's leaves in the wind. The beats' body seemed relaxed despite having to carry a more unsteady rider. The male was not a very tall man, his hair in a high topknot, his garments nearly matched the horse's ruined raid were in terms of how used they all were.
"I seek the demon slayers who were able to defeated naraku." the man's voice was gruff and mater-of-fact. He stared at Kaede hard as if she alone was the being he sought. She of coarse returned his glare despite only having one good eye. "You have indeed reached the village where they reside. Is there a reason for this disturbance?" her arched an eyebrow at the newcomer.
"m'lord sent me to retrieve them, in hopes they will be able to assist in a slaying of a fox Yōkai that has been plaguing our village for many a months." he tried to clear his throat and sound more fierce then what he truly was. "he told me to bring back the ones who had the power to rid the world of such a beast that was naraku." he added.
Kaede looked next to her and nudged the younger miko. "I leave this to you, dear. Do you wish me to rally Inuyasha?" she spoke softly.
"no ma'am," the man interjected "the half-breed was one m'lord requested not to be brought back. He feared that bringing...him..that the Yōkai might become more enraged or cause more damage." he straightened himself up while the horse under him shifted uncomfortably from standing still for so long.
Kaede could tell from how tense Kagome was, that a nerve was struck, and hard. Before the young miko could throw an insult or rant at the man she came to halt a fight before it started. "Inuyasha is our village protector, Lady kagome's Husband and the group's ally when it comes to fighting demons. If he is not allowed to join, then you will go back alone to handle the problem." she stood up slowly, her knees cracking from the movement. Her hands folded behind her back as she stared at the man. "Referring him to that term will cause you more issues then what the fox Yōkai could ever hope to accomplish." she finished as Kagome snarled but kept her head low so her hair blocked her rage.
The man swallowed hard, knowing he might possibly have signed his death papers. Nodding he finally spoke after moments of silence. "i-if that is the case, then we welcome him as well." his tone was low as his eyes left the aging miko who was now walking away, towards the outskirts of the village, to the young miko. As she stood from her current position, she shot the man a glare before also leaving him to gather the rest of their group in the heart of the village.
After what seemed like an eternity, the group was finally gathered with the exception of a certain fox kit who was away taking a test. The man cleared his throat as he remounted his horse. "its only a few days travel from here. Hopefully it wont be much longer then that." his eyes never leaving the silver haired hanyou clad in red. The golden orbs swirled, he could almost feel the blaze that was kindling behind them. Swallowing hard again he added "i-i a-hope you have everything."
the young married couple who were finally happy to have a break from their three little ones nodded, while Kagome merely snarled at the man. Inuyasha glanced at her from the corner of his eye, arching an eyebrow in confusion to her low growling, before adding his typical reply of "keh."
the group set off, not much was said during the trip, Kagome was happily on her husband's back, while Sango and Miroku were able to convince Kohaku to let them barrow their beloved twin tailed Nekomata, Kirara. The silence dragged on through the first day and night of the trip, minus from the occasional murmur of their guide noting how close they were to the village.
By the second night, they had finally made it. Despite Inuyasha's tough guy act, Kagome was able to tell his legs were bothering him, as well as how exhausted he was running nearly three days straight with little rest. Kirara was in the same boat, panting and groaning until she collapsed, flames encircling her and bringing her size down incredibly, till she was no more then a kitten. Sango bent down and scooped up the little thing, cradling her gently. "you did amazing, thank you Kirara." she whispered.
"the village headmaster has already prepare rooms for you at the local in." the man spoke softly, mainly to himself rather then the group. The village was impressive in size, and seemed rather busy despite it being well past nightfall. The man had gotten off his steed and started to walk it back to the stables of the castle that laid in the heart of the village. While pointing out the inn that had a light yellow lantern in the front, a large doorway and was large itself compared to most buildings in their home village.
The entrance was spacious and had more then enough room for the group to stand with out touching shoulders. The door opened to revile an older woman no older then Kaede's age. Silver locks pulled back in to a tight bun, her eyes were closed however she seemed to be able to sense the group and wore a warm smile as she greeted them. "I have been expecting you, your rooms are almost ready, I apologize for the wait. You may go straight down the hall to a room on the left. It is a small drinking area that we have. Please do feel free to stay there while we finish preparing them." her voice was soft, almost like the hum of humming bird wings.
As the group walked down the long hall, passing closed rooms on each side, the sound of voices drifted closer and louder. It wasn't one or two, no, more like 6 or 10. all sounding like males, discussing random trivial things or about rumors of the Yōkai that was tormenting some of the villagers. Others seemed to be drunken banter or jokes. Words slurred and the stench of alcohol assaulted Inuyasha's sense.
He growled, crinkling his nose as they walked in. the room itself was very large and open, with a side door that open to show a garden and small man made stream that flowed through. Nishikigoi swam by, once in a while popping up to the service for bugs before splashing back down to the bottom. There were four or five tables with in the room, most were taken by drunken patrons of the inn, while one was free and open. None of the men seem to take notice in the new group, barely to even make eye contact to them.
"this isn't so bad" Sango whispered as they sat down, a young woman in a soft blue kimono placed some cups on the table and a pint of sake in the center. Miroku barely missing a beat, poured himself some while staring at the girl. "No, I must say not bad at all." he grind before Sango nudged him with her elbow hard in to his side.
Inuyasha leaned in and whispered softly, "you alright?" his ears swiveled back and forth, catching snippets of all the conversations going on at once. Sango looked at Kagome worried, then back at Inuyasha, while Miroku drank happily. Kagome merely nodded, refusing to speak keeping her face hidden. Snorting, he leaned back to his normal position. "keh. Fine, be stubborn." he snapped.
"But then you got freaks like that one!" a man from across the room drunkenly slurred. Kagome could feel every muscle him her husband's body go tense. "those poor saps don't even realize they have a monster right next to them! That freak will probably wait to take advantage of those women before killing them. The gods know what those filthy half-breeds are capable of." he continued, the men in his company trying desperately to shush him, panic filled all their faces, when they realized the group of slayers could and were hearing everything.
"Half-breeds are no better then full breeds. Raping women, stealing children to devour and tormenting men before killin'em. Filthy predators, that's all they are." Kagome was frozen, as was the rest of her party. All eyes trained on one another, scared to see the look on their hanyou companion's face. The heat of rage rolled off him like a wildfire slowly turning in to a full-scale inferno. With out saying anything, Inuyasha grabbed a cup and filled it with the bitter alcohol before drinking it like a shot.
Miroku was the first to make a comment while the rest were still stuck in a state of fear. "we may need some more." he murmured as Inuyasha took two more hits. "i should go find the hostess." he quickly added as the last bit was gone before he could even stand up. Kagome was shaking, not out of fear, but full on fury, how dear these...these men, no, they had no honor, they were pigs in her eyes. Before she knew it, three more bottles were lined up. Inuyasha claimed one whole, and left the others for the group.
The man continued in his slurred rant though at this point the group toned it out, or tried to at the very least.
"I bet'ya he takes advantage of that little one. Poor thing probably doesn't even know what its like to be with a real man." he laughed, the rest of his group doing everything in their power to not help the situation.
-SLAM-
the bottle hit the table, shattering its bottom in to many shards and pieces. Liquid sprayed and covered the table. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks, all eyes trained at the silver haired man. A snarl decorated his features. The trio that surrounded him all swallowed hard, knowing his temper and the rage that he could muster in such a short time, they knew a very bad storm was brewing. His eyes seemed like golden magma of fury as he shot a glare at the drunk who now cowered in his place. Inuyasha stood up, the man nearly pissing himself at the swift movement of the dog-demon that strode past him, never taking his eyes off of him. Stopping just at the door way, he turn to fast the man before letting a rough bark like roar. The drunk nearly started to sob, pleading for Inuyasha to spear his life.
Disgust was apparent on him at this worm of a man. Shaking his head, he left the room, slamming the screen door closed behind him.
The room was heavy now, everyone could feel it in their chest. The group looked at one another. "well, this has been...interesting." Sango tried to lighten up the atmosphere, while trying to help the hostess clean up the shards. "i should go check on him" Kagome matched Sango's whispered tone. Miroku said nothing, keeping his thoughts quiet on the matter, while Sango apologized for the mess. "its been long enough for him to have calmed down a bit...right?" she looked at her sister-like friend. Sango replayed with a sympathetic smile.
Getting up, the drunk group of men hushed up as she passed them. Not bothering to even give them the time of day to cuss them out for their actions. The elderly woman met her at the middle of the hall. "If you are seeking your friend, he is in one of the rooms I had ready for you all." she smiled sweetly. "i-i am soo sorry for th-" the elderly women cut her off. "no child, I understand. Please, fallow me." she started to walk past the rooms to a stairwell at the end of the hallway. As they walked through the upper story of the building, the lighting was much darker. Barely enough light to see all they way down the hall.
They made it to the last room on the floor. Before the lady turned, nodding at the room and left her. Kagome swallowed hard, watching the elder figure disappear in the darkness. Her heart beat so fast, mind rushing with ways to start a conversation. After what seemed like years in the matter of short moments. Kagome managed to catch her breath, calmed her heart and cleared her mind.
"Inuyasha?" she whispered in to the dark room. She could sense his aura, she could also sense his rage. Still simmering near the surface. She had to admit, she was impressed with how well he was able to control himself. Those short ten months of her return had seemed to at least tone down his aggression. "Inuyasha I know your in here. Please say something." she pleaded to the darkness of the room.
After no answer, she finally mustered up the courage to enter the room, sliding the door closed behind her, completely shutting out any and all light. Knowing her husband, he was always more comfortable discussing things in privet, while its dark so she couldn't see. Knowing how he was big on trying to show how tough he was, both physically and emotionally. Mentally, Kagome knew when he got like this, when the world continually beat him, she knew she needed to be there, regardless how macho he acted.
She sat down in the middle of the room, barely able to make out the futons and a shadow that roamed around in the edges of the darkness. Sighing she waited for him to start.
"you really need to know when to leave me alone." his voice was harsh, hatred seething through like venom. She knew it was not directed at her, but it still stung. "after all I'm a monster.." he snarled. She closed her eyes. How many times had they done this dance?
"you are not a monster, and we both...we ALL know it."she spoke softly, his aura fluctuated around her. "Stop listening to people like that, what do they even know?!" she added. He growled low, it almost seemed like he was pacing around her. She anted so badly to reach out, to grab his arm and pull him down to her. "you have never caused harm to anyone who didn't deserve it. You have not spirited away children or tormented men, or...t-take advantage of women." she loathed the word they used. She loathed them for even saying he was capable of such a thing.
"they are right, I am a monster...a predator even." he murmured. "i could just as easily slaughter you all, and none of you would even realize what happened." his voice was still harsh, though the flames seemed to die a little bit. "you, NONE of you should keep your guard down while I'm around. Maybe while I'm still alive." her heart ached, it writhed in pain from the emotions of his words, his thoughts. 'SHUT UP YOU MORON' she wanted to scream. "don't say that, Inuyasha, you would never do-" " BUT I COULD" He snapped at her. She could feel him circling on her, but was unable to tell if he was walking or on his hand and knees like hunter seeking its prey. "i could so easily snap your necks, or rip your hearts out. And no one would be able to stop me. I am a monster because I AM capable of doing that." he whispered, his voice sent chills down her spine. With barely being able to see, it made this have more of a dangerous edge. She knew he would never harm her, he would never be the beast he thinks...the beast who THEY think he is.
"yet you haven't. You haven't even caused us to be crippled. Even when you fought Miroku, or Sango, even when we first met, you never did any of that." she stared in to the darkness in front of her, hoping he would see reason. She was met with silence for six or seven heartbeats before something grabbed her ankle and tore her to the floor, her head instead of meeting the wood boards under her, instead slammed on something soft. Now in a more vulnerable laying position, she looked at the wooden beams that held the ceiling up. A lump in her throat started to swell then as if her senses heighten due to the darkness, she could suddenly feel him over her. Her arms instinctively grabbed his shoulders. Her throat went dry, her arms started to shack, and a nervous giggle escaped her. As some of his silver tresses cascaded over her and rested on her collar bone.
"a monster would have let my skull split open when it made contact to the floor." she whispered cockily. Being greeted by a snort before his lips were on her neck. She let out a small yelp at the sudden change of mood. "no, Inuyasha no" she tried to be serious but instead gasping and holding back a moan. "no, bad dog!" she added as his own soft chuckle was added when he let his hand slide up her now bare side. She had barely noticed that he was messing with her garments. Her hands moved from his shoulders to the sides if his face, as more of his hair fell gently brushing against her exposed elbow causing goosebumps to rise.
"enough of that, you hear me? You are not a monster." she looked at him, barely able to make out his features despite her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She could see his golden eyes, swirl with so much emotion, so much love for her. She lifted her head up, and his lips met her own. Her hands moved to loop around his neck as their kiss intensified. He slowly started to pull her up to him so that she was sitting on his lap, straddling him.
After a few moments had passed between them, Kagome was the first to break away "you know we can't do this here." she giggled as he refused to let her go, returning to her open neck, a small moan escaping her. "no one will know if you stay quiet." he murmured. "n-no, we are here to do business." she moaned softly. "i know, but you wont let me finish that business." he chuckled. She gasped as he bit down gently, playfully swatting at him.
Finally after a mini battle with-in herself, she was able to stand up. Giggling when a depressed groan met her ears. She walked to the door but just as she was about to open it, a warm mass was behind her. Holding the sliding door closed with one strong hand. He nuzzled her and whispered "Thanks".
Letting the door go,she spun around, once more grabbing his face gently. "You need to remember that i am he- we are here for you. Even if that means defending you from assholes like that drunk." she wrapped her arms around him so her figure tips rested on the tops of his shoulders, her head tucked under his chin. Something about the way she swore, it turned him on. "stop letting them get to you. You are NOT a monster, even if you act like one when I try to get you up in the morning." she joked before lifting herself up to kiss under his chin then opening the door. Momentarily blinding him from the sudden light that came in.
"get some sleep, I'll be in when I make sure Sango and Miroku are alright." she smiled fixing her garments and closing the sliding door behind her, leaving him in the darkness with the warmth of their affection to swirl around him.
"Bless the gods that brought you to me." he murmured to himself.