Hey, everyone! This is my first fanfic here. I intend it to remain short (4-5 chapters at most), so enjoy it while it lasts!
DISCLAIMER: If this Dragonashes owned Inuyasha, she would not be spending so much time looking for scholarships to pay for college. I wonder if Rumiko Takahashi went to college…
An Acceptable Time
Chapter 1 – Worry
Young Inuyasha ran through the forest. He had to find a safe place to rest before night fell. For on this night, he would turn human – and being caught in the middle of a yokai-infested forest was a death sentence for a human. Even worse, any yokai with a sense of smell would be able to tell that he was a hanyo.
Turning his full attention to his task, he bounded into a clearing. Suddenly he felt a sharp sting surge through his body as he was thrown backwards, nearly missing a tree. He looked around. The clearing he had found was odd, he now realized; not only was it perfectly round, but it also had a river flowing through it. The river was parted in the middle by a circular rock, forming an island. The water must have come from a pure source, for it was creating a sort of natural barrier that he would not be able to cross. 'Perfect,' the young boy thought. His mother had taught him much about barriers and purifying magic before her tragic demise. He knew that trying to get over the river would be impossible for a yokai, or even a hanyo like him.
"OSWARI!"
Thump!
"What do you think you're doing, you pervert?"
The young man in question was still glued to the ground by the beads of subjugation around his neck, but managed an, "Oi, wench!" in response.
His miko attacker did not consider this an accurate description of his recent activities, so she repeated her command – sending her silver-haired antagonist into the ground once again.
"I was lookin' for ramen, got a problem with that? You promised you'd bring some back!" Inuyasha (who else?) pointed a clawed finger at the red-faced young woman in front of him.
The aforementioned young woman took a few deep breaths in an attempt to bring her color back to normal. "Inuyasha, my bag is private. I know you can smell ramen in there, but there are SOME THINGS," she gestured toward her garments, which had mysteriously found their way into the hanyo's hands during his frenzied search for his favorite food, "in there that I really don't want other people to handle."
The boy snorted. "What's so important about this stuff, anyways?" He asked, waving the oddly shaped pieces of cloth in front of her face.
Kagome was about to go into a panic. Miroku and Sango were bound to return soon from their venture into the nearby village. They had left their companions in the forest because the village was openly known to be particularly hostile to yokai, and no one wanted a fuss. Still, without the extra distractions usually caused by Shippo, Kilala, Inuyasha and Kagome, the couple would be back in record time. To avoid a fight (simply because it would take too long), Kagome merely stated, "That's a question that someone like Miroku could answer."
Realizing exactly what he was holding, Inuyasha turned a light shade of pink. He quickly threw what he now recognized as female undergarments back into the big yellow bag, mentally promising never to so much as peep inside it again. 'Good thing that damn houshi wasn't here…he'd never let me live this one down.'
At that moment, Shippo and Kilala returned from their fishing excursion. It was getting dark, so the group decided to begin cooking supper while waiting for Miroku and Sango to return. Kagome stared up at the sky absent-mindedly. She caught a glimpse of the moon – a waning crescent, according to her science books. In Feudal Era terms, it meant the new moon was only a night or two away.
The night Inuyasha turned human.
Kagome silently prayed that the next village they stopped at would be more tolerant toward yokai. Although the hanyo would probably bristle and bluster at the mere mention of spending the night in a human inn (and from what she knew of his past, she didn't blame him), everyone knew that Inuyasha's human night left them extremely short-handed. Spending the night in a yokai-infested forest was a last resort. After all, in the open anyone from Sesshomaru to Naraku himself could stumble upon the group and learn of Inuyasha's secret.
It was Naraku's fault that they were out there in the first place. Ever since his disappearance there hadn't been a sign of him or of any new Shikon Jewel shards. That accounted for Inuyasha's unceasing bad temper and impatience – which was why he had gone digging through her bag in the first place.
"Oi, wench!"
'Yep, definitely impatient.' Kagome sighed, turning her attention back to the fish she was cooking. "The fish will be ready soon, Inuyasha. And no," she continued, seeing her friend's mouth preparing to fire a retort, "We're not having ramen again tonight. I only have so many of them, you know. Unless you want me to go home and get more, we'll just have to make this supply last."
"Not that. Sango and that damn monk should be back by now." Inuyasha rose, turning away from the fire. "I'll be back."
"Inuyasha! Wait!" The young girl grabbed her bow. "I'll go too!"
"Just stay here and cook. It's probably nothin' anyways." 'Nothing I want you to have to deal with,' Inuyasha mentally added. He cared deeply for the girl, and felt sure that she felt something for him (after all, she had openly admitted her desire to be with him), but didn't trust himself to say so. At least, not at the moment. 'Maybe someday I'll find an acceptable time to tell her how I feel…'
"…Inuyasha…? I'm not letting you go by yourself." Kagome's voice betrayed worry, which was reflected in the small eyes of Shippo and Kilala.
"Feh. We'll eat, then we'll see what's taking them." Inuyasha sat back down by the fire. "The fish is done, anyways." He knew it was useless to argue with Kagome; and besides, if the group got into trouble, she could probably use her position as a miko to avoid punishment.
Kagome hastily removed the fish from next to the fire, silently thankful for Inuyasha's keen nose. She was still worried about Miroku and Sango, and the tension spread through the group. Even Shippo was being abnormally quiet, and for once didn't try to steal Inuyasha's fish. The four friends ate quickly, then silently set off in the direction of the village.
Well, thanks for reading! I'll update this as soon as I can, but probably not for a few more days. It's a busy time of the year for me. If you liked it, please review!
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