A/N: Hello again everyone! Looooooooong time no see, I know (grins sheepishly). I'm sorry for the long leave of absence I took from my fics, I know I've not been a good author and updated as per promised. A lot of things happened (I don't want to bore y'all with details) but I'm back now, hopefully for a long time I really do intend to complete the stories I've posted so far but they may take a little while since I need to revisit and re-read them all over again. But be rest assured, to all those who've been following up on my stories and reviewing consistently, you won't have to wait long I promise. I'll bring you guys your eagerly awaiting chapters ASAP! (thumbs up)
In the meantime, this is new story I'm working on. It's my very first Inuyasha Fanfiction and I'm hoping to get a lot of reviews and constructive criticisms for it (no flames please). Inuyasha's by far my most favourite anime and character, I absolutely love the dog-eared hanyou and the miko from the future and I've been wanting to write a fic based on them. I finally got my inspiration and I hope it comes out good. (fingers crossed).
As for the timeline of this story, well let's just say that it happens sometime after the Inuyasha movie: The castle beyond the looking glass (because the kiss Kagome and Inuyasha shared is quite significant here *wink wink*). In this story, it's been two years since Kagome landed in Sengoku Jidai and let's just keep it at that for the sake of the script, any further dwelling into the timeline would just give y'all a headache :P
Also, this fic may/may not contain adult themes (cough!) and scenes but actually that depends upon the flow the story takes. I do intend to bring in a little romance and passion wherever necessary so I'd say the rating for the fic would be somewhere between T and M. It would be better if you're above 16 when you read it, for your own heart's sake :P
That said I hope you guys will like this fic as much as you like my previous ones. Once again, I'm really sorry if you thought that I'd abandoned you all. I would never do that, you readers are most important to me. I promise I'll get back to 'Pack of love' as soon as this one stabilizes. Until then, Happy reading! :D
P.S: this may seem a little too big to be a prologue but bear with it kay? :P
P.P.S: Future Author's notes won't be as big as this one, I swear :P
~~~~O.o.O.o.O~~~~
PROLOGUE:
It was a beautiful day in Sengoku Jidai. The birds hummed, the bees buzzed, the flowers bloomed and Inuyasha had just recovered from his fifth SIT in twenty minutes.
Obviously what sprouted from his fanged mouth was not one of Shakespeare's love sonnets.
"Fuck Kagome! Don't you fucking dare take a fucking step towards that fucking well!"
Kagome's short skirt swiveled around her creamy thighs, letting the world have a short glimpse of her bunny panties, as she turned and fixed her hanyou with a murderous glare. "You can't stop me from going home Inuyasha, not this time!" she whirled around and fastened her pace.
"You are NOT going home!" Inuyasha sprang to his feet and with one gigantic leap, landed in front of her, blocking her way to the well. "We finally found news as to where Naraku might be lurking and we can't afford to have you gone! So you are staying RIGHT HERE!"
The growl that Kagome emitted would have made the hanyou proud, if he were not blinded by rage. He yelped suddenly when the miko's hand shot out and grabbed a lock of his silver hair. Pulling him closer, Kagome snarled out, very much like a bitch set out to protect her pups "I'll say this one more time Inuyasha, in two days I've got a major test coming up in school and if I fail to attend this one, I won't graduate this year, which means I'll be stuck in the same class for another year, and that's something I'm not eager to do. So whether you like it or not, I'm going home, to prepare and write my test. I will be back in four days at the least and until then you can play fetch with the others or whatever. Got that?" she didn't wait for a response, she was on a roll. "And if you come to my time to look for me I will personally skewer your cute puppy ears, fry them on my stove and feed them to the street-dogs!"
Inuyasha, in all honesty, had not paid a single attention to what she was saying. Rather he was mesmerized by her pink lips as they formed angry incoherent words in the air. They were so pink, so lush and so close. If he just leaned a little closer, he could get a whiff of her breath, probably a slight caress of those tender tissues. Just when the thought had processed in his mind he saw her lips outline the words 'ears' and he snapped back to reality. 'She's going for the ears? Oh hell no!' Clasping her wrists in a clawed hand he abruptly turned from the well and back in the direction of the village, dragging her along his wake. "Save your arguments for later Kagome, I'm taking you back to the village. I don't care what other ridiculous things you have to go to but for now you are staying put, right here. You can go once we deal with the problem at hand." He offered. See? He was even being generous.
Kagome felt a tick develop on her forehead. She had tried to be civil with the entire issue, if one could consider the numerous 'sit's she'd sent his way as being civil, but she had been kinder than usual and he had to go and ruin it all by being callous again. It didn't matter now, he had this one coming. Inhaling as much air as her lungs could hold, she wrenched her hand out of his grip and let them all out in a single "SIT!"
Down went Inuyasha, puppy ears and all. He cursed out loud as he once again met with his longtime companion, Mr. Mud.
"Sit! Sit! Sit!" Kagome let out a string of sits, just in case, and bolted to the well. Dropping her monstrous yellow bag into its depths, she propped one knee on the ledge and looked back to the hanyou still lying on his face, his butt sticking in the air. "The problem at hand right now was you Inuyasha, and I already took care of it." She couldn't suppress the giggle that sounded at his muffled cursing. "See you after four days." With that, she jumped into the well and was engulfed by the familiar blue light.
Miroku emerged from the bushes, brushing the leaves of his robes and held out a hand for his slayer friend, helping her up. "So Sango, when will it be convenient for you to pay up?" he grinned at Sango's angry blush.
"This is ridiculous." She muttered as she stalked off to where Inuyasha still lay on the ground. Towering over him with her hands on her slender kimono-clad hips, she scolded. "Inuyasha, I hope you are happy with what you've done."
"Leave me alone." The hanyou bit out, spitting mud from his mouth.
"This was not how you were supposed to behave!"
"Keh!"
"And now you made me lose the wager and owe money to Miroku."
"Hey, I didn't tell you to bet on me, did I?"
Miroku's smile widened as he watched his hanyou friend argue with the woman of his dreams. Thanks to Inuyasha's stupidity, it appeared he could buy sake tonight and save his money. Maybe he should continue with the betting business. He walked up to the arguing pair and placed a soothing hand on Sango's shoulder. "Sango dearest, you know that it's pointless to try and inject some sense into Inuyasha. I suggest you don't waste your breath on him." He flashed his smile at her as his hand lowered to its favourite place.
The slap that sounded echoed all through the trees. Inuyasha, still on his stomach, looked to his right to see Miroku kissing the ground. He smirked. "Nice of you to join me monk."
"Don't mention it." Came the muffled reply.
Sango heaved, face blotched red due to anger and embarrassment. "You both are a couple of idiots I tell you, idiots!"
"I agree with Sango on that." A perky voice sounded from the behind her and Shippo stepped into the limelight, sucking on a lollipop, followed by Kirara. He pointed the lollipop like a sword at Miroku. "You, Miroku, should learn to keep your hands to yourself. And you, Inuyasha" he shifted to the hanyou "you should start being nice to Kagome for once. This entire behavior is annoying, even to a kid like me."
Sango smiled as she patted his head. "There. See? Even Shippo has got more intelligence than you two." Shippo smiled cutely at her and resumed sucking his lollipop in a rather smug manner.
Miroku groaned as he sat up. "Sango dearest, I'm terribly sorry if I'd offended you, but you know my hand—
"I know your mind too Houshi, and I don't like it one bit." Sango growled.
Miroku ignored her and continued. "But that's not the matter. We came here to deal with Inuyasha and his rather vile behavior towards Kagome-sama—
"I ain't vile!" Inuyasha yelled as he sprang to his feet. "All I did was tell her she could go home after we resolve this new information about Naraku. She's the one who didn't take up my offer!"
"She needed to go home today Inuyasha." Sango explained, exasperated. "You know how much she values those 'tests' of hers."
"Keh! If she just stopped going to that stupid 'school' things would be a lot better." Inuyasha hmphed and crossed his arms.
"Yeah, and then she would become an illiterate idiot like you. Who'd want that?" Shippo yelped as he received a bop on his head. Turning teary eyes towards the hanyou he yelled. "What was that for?"
"For not keeping yer trap shut, you runt!" Inuyasha growled in return.
"I'm telling Kagome!"
"Keh! Like I care!"
"Children please." Miroku jingled his staff, calling the group's attention. "We have a matter to settle here and I don't want you to interrupt me." He winked at Sango, who rolled her eyes and bent down to scoop up Kirara, ready to head back to the village. "Inuyasha, we all know how much you miss Kagome-sama when she goes off to her home—
"I DON'T miss her, stupid monk!" The staff came down hard on Inuyasha's head and he yelped. Shippo sniggered, and then quickly ducked behind his slayer friend. "I said don't interrupt me." Miroku ground out, rather dangerously. When Inuyasha obliged, rubbing his head, he continued. "Right. No matter how much you deny it, we know that you don't like it when she goes off and that's not just because she won't be here to help collect the shards. Knowing this, I don't think we can allow your callous behavior towards Kagome-sama's feelings any longer."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the monk. "Meaning?" he asked suspiciously.
"Meaning if you don't tell Kagome-chan that you like her, then we will. And we'll make sure everyone in the village knows it too." Sango said smirking as his look turned horrified.
"You wouldn't!" he gasped.
"We would." Miroku nodded.
"But I don't like her! She's just a frien—
"Oh please Inuyasha." Sango glared at him. "You can fool anyone but not us. We can see the looks that you send her when she's not looking are anything but friendly."
"That's not—
"We also happened to hear certain things you said in your sleep last night. Too bad Kagome-sama was too deep into her slumber to hear them." Miroku said. Inuyasha stiffened as he observed Miroku's smirk and Sango's light blush. What had he said last night? Did he say something stupid? Or embarrassing?
Sensing Inuyasha's question before he asked it Miroku replied. "You were calling, rather moaning Kagome-sama's name in your sleep." He watched as the hanyou's face colored up. Sango's blush was full-on as she looked anywhere but the two in front of her. "It was quite…suggestive." He wriggled his eyebrows for added effect.
Inuyasha went as red as his haori. 'Shit!' he thought. He'd had one of those dreams again. And he hadn't been quiet about it. 'Shit! I'll never live this one down!'
Miroku's smirk widened. He cleared his throat. "Judging by the color of your face I gather that you remember now. So Inuyasha, can you still say that she's just your 'friend'?"
Inuyasha's ear swiveled in all directions as he contemplated whether to run or not. He knew that his friends would not stop this discussion, and if they do spread this to the entire village he'll die of shame. Worse, if they brought this up in front of Kagome…he inwardly shuddered. He didn't want to even think of that possibility. Gathering what wits he had, he lied through his fangs "Keh! You got it all wrong you perverted monk. I was just dreaming that I was in pain that's all."
"Pain from quite a strenuous activity I presume." Miroku said and Sango, if possible, blushed harder. Shippo looked at the two in confusion, not catching what was going on.
Inuyasha staggered back. "I-you-I don't-that's none of your business!" he finally spluttered.
"Inuyasha, just admit that you love her." Shippo scowled, getting bored with all the blushes and smirks. It was fun if he understood what's happening, but it was downright annoying if he didn't.
Inuyasha growled at the kitsune. "I don't 'love' her!"
"Inuyasha…" Sango groaned but the hanyou cut her.
"I can't love her." Inuyasha gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. His ears drooped ever so slightly. "Kikyo owns my heart." Sango's eyes softened at that. He sounded rather…sad.
Miroku, however, didn't miss a beat. "Your heart yes, but certainly not your libido."
The reaction was quite hilarious. Inuyasha looked at him like he'd grown two heads, Sango let out a gasped "Miroku!" as her face turned fiery red and Shippo, if possible, looked even more confused. Miroku waited, but the hanyou seemed rather frozen. He smirked. "I'm right aren't I?"
Inuyasha growled hard, despite the huge blush on his face. "You pervert!"
"What's a li-bi-do?" Shippo questioned innocently.
"It's nothing Shippo." Sango answered quickly. But Shippo wasn't done.
"Some kind of lollipop?"
Inuyasha almost fell over while Sango gaped at the kit with wide eyes. Miroku just laughed good-naturedly. "In a way it is Shippo." He grinned wickedly.
"Sango you'd better knock him off with your weapon before I kill him!" Inuyasha growled, steadying himself.
"I'm sort of tempted to let you kill him Inuyasha." Sango growled in reply.
Miroku held up his beaded hand in a reassuring gesture. "Ah come on, I was merely stating the facts that the Gods have shown me. Inuyasha" the hanyou stiffened at being addressed. "You have to admit that what I said was, at least, partially right ne?"
Inuyasha did not know what to say, so he "keh'd" and turned away.
"Exactly." Miroku smirked. "You may not accept now as to what your feelings towards Kagome-sama are but your body certainly realizes what it feels. Especially after last night's dream, I'm sure it feels pretty good about her—
"Ok that's enough listening to this conversation Shippo, let's head home." Sango said, turning towards the village.
"But I want to hear—
"Now." Shippo lowered his head and trudged after her. Sango looked over her shoulder at the two men. "I'm sure you can continue with you graphic talk without our company Miroku." She narrowed her eyes at the grinning monk before following the kitsune.
Miroku stared at the slayer's swaying hips for some time before turning back to his friend. The hanyou looked sad and confused, his ears drooped and head down and Miroku almost felt sorry for him, almost. But he knew that he would not get another opportunity to open up this topic again. "Inuyasha." He suppressed a smile when the hanyou replied with an annoyed grunt.
"You're not going to drop it, are you?" Inuyasha ground out.
"Nope." Miroku replied cheerily. "In fact, I think this is the perfect time to discuss this, what with Kagome-sama gone to her time." He continued, ignoring the hanyou's warning growl.
"You know monk, I'm really tempted to seriously maim you now."
"Yeah yeah, we all know how much you'd love to shed my blood, but that won't solve your problem my friend. In fact it would only worsen it, seeing as how Sango would be after your life if you so much as mess my hair, at least that what I'd like to think, but I do believe that she will avenge me, I mean I know she cares for me, she's just too shy to show it outright—
"Just get it over with houshi!"
"The point is" Miroku said loudly, his tone turning serious. "You are not going to accomplish anything by pushing things aside and running away. Sometimes you just have to face what's before you. You have to take your chances and give it all you got."
"What exactly are you implying houshi?"
Miroku sighed. "Just admit your feelings."
"I just did! I told you how I feel about her—
"Those are not your true feelings Inuyasha." Miroku cut him off. "Those are the cover-up excuses your mind cooked up to hide the truth from yourself, and from us. But we can see right through you."
"You're crazy!" Inuyasha huffed and started walking towards the village, very much intent on ignoring the monk.
"You know she'll always come back." Miroku continued a bit loudly, causing the hanyou to pause in his angry stride. "She's always returned to you, wherever she went. And yet you find it hard to let her go. Now why is that hm?"
"Because we need her to find the—
"A simple 'shard-detector' wouldn't have you waiting for her like an eager puppy Inuyasha." The hanyou turned slowly to look into the monk's violet eyes, eyes that seemed to bore into his very soul and unlock the emotions he'd hidden within. "Think about what I said."
He stood motionless as Miroku walked past him to the village, his staff jingling along his wind picked up, playing with the fine hairs on the hanyou's ears, causing them to twitch lightly. A single leaf flew by his face and he watched as it floated down gently to rest on the rim of the worn-out well. "Eager puppy huh?" he grimaced, watching the well with such intensity, almost as if he was willing it to bring her back to him. He shook his head. "Yeah right Miroku." He muttered, whirling around and trudging off to the village. "You could have done better."
~~~~O.o.O.o.O~~~~
"That Inuyasha is such a jerk!" Kagome huffed as she threw her bag onto the ground beside the well. "Would it hurt him to cave in a little bit? It's not like I'm taking a vacation or anything! Mou!" She hoisted herself out and landed next to her bag. Brushing the dust from her skirt she looked back into the well, her angry expression softening a little bit.
"Maybe I was a little harsh on him back then." She bit her lip, placing a hand on the well's surface. "Should I go back and apologize?" An image of Inuyasha's cocky grin surfaced in her mind and her scowl returned with renew. She shook her head vigorously. "What on earth am I saying? Me? Apologize to that baka? No way! He deserved what he got!" she glared down the well and stuck out her tongue, hoping the gesture would reach him somehow.
The door to the well house opened and Mama Higurashi stood there with her usual smile and a bag of groceries in her hand. "Ah Kagome, I thought I heard you. Welcome back."
Kagome turned and greeted her with a warm smile of her own. "Mama! I'm back."
"And for how long?"
"Four days." Kagome grimaced, hefting the heavy bag onto her shoulder. "Provided Inuyasha doesn't come for me. Well I promised him I'd castrate him if he did."
"Oh my, did you have to go that far?" Mama asked as they both made their way to the house. "That was a little extreme don't you think?"
"But Mama he's being so impossible!" Kagome whined. "He knows how much these tests are important to me. I don't want to resort to violence but he leaves me no choice, he's so…argh!"
Mama giggled at her daughter's wild expression. "Well let's hope he doesn't come to get you this time, for my grandchildren's sake." She grinned wider at the shocked "Mama!" that issued from the now blushing teenager. "Come on, I'll fix your bath. You must be tired. And then I'll make you oden tonight. It's been a while since Mama cooked it for you ne?"
All thoughts of Inuyasha flew from her mind and her blush disappeared when her mom mentioned 'Oden'. Letting out a wide smile Kagome nodded and hurried up to her room.
~~~~O.o.O.o.O~~~~
Kaede's eyebrow ticked irritably for the umpteenth time as she stirred the stew currently bubbling away over the fire. When she saw the lingering blush on Sango's face when she'd come in with a dejected looking Shippo she did not know if it was one of embarrassment or anger. And when Miroku had walked in with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes she'd thought he'd put his moves on the slayer again, but the absence of the trademark handprint on his cheek had her confused. Only when Inuyasha had walked in, grumpy mood and twitchy ears and all, had she realized that the monk's victim had been the hanyou all along. Seeing that Miroku was alive and well she deduced that whatever Miroku had told Inuyasha must have been something deep which left the hanyou too confused with his own feelings to harm the monk. And the only topic which affected Inuyasha to the point of being confused was Kagome-related. Kaede sighed. This deduction did nothing to ease the tension now swirling within her hut.
"Lunch's ready." She announced to whoever was listening. Fortunately Sango responded with a soft 'hai' and helped her divide the stew into five bowls. Shippo sat in his spot, rubbing Kirara's ears, glancing at Miroku then Inuyasha then back at the floor from time to time. Said monk sat in relaxed pose quite close to the kitsune, his back leaned onto the wall and his eyes closed. At Kaede's mention of dinner he opened his eyes and gave her a smile. "Ah that smells great Kaede-sama. Thank you."
Kaede nodded at him, eyeing his smile wearily, then turned to the half demon currently sulking away at the corner of her hut. "Inuyasha? Aren't you hungry?"
A single ear twitched. "No I'm good."
Kaede shot a suspicious look at the monk who was now sipping his broth calmly. For the ever-hungry Inuyasha to refuse dinner, the monk must have hit him really deep with his words. Kaede sighed again. This could take a while to clear up.
All of a sudden there was a rustling of clothes and the irate hanyou stood up. Three pairs of eyes looked at him expectantly. "A walk" was all he said before roughly pushing the straw-mat door aside and leaving the hut. Said three pairs of eyes then rounded upon the monk who was still sipping his broth calmly.
"Miroku don't you think you've gone a little far this time?" Sango admonished lightly. "He's even refused dinner. What did you tell him after Shippo and I left to make him mope so much?"
"Just the truth Sango dearest." Miroku said, putting his bowl down. "That he was not being true to himself or anyone of us for that matter."
"Yeah but to put it onto him all of a sudden like this—
"It's been two years Sango, you still think it's sudden? Kagome-sama is surely strong and has a good heart but there's only so much she can take. And we all know that what Inuyasha feels for her, it's time he admitted to it."
"But—
"I think Miroku's right." Shippo chipped in. "If Inuyasha told Kagome that he liked her, then she wouldn't have to leave us from time to time like this." The kitsune looked into his bowl sadly. "I don't like it when she's not here."
Sango's eyes softened. "Oh Shippo, I don't think Kagome-chan leaving us occasionally has anything to do with Inuyasha. You know she has a life there as well."
"Yeah but if Inuyasha would just stop being mean to her and admit to his feelings then she would be more willing to stay here right?"
Sango sighed. She didn't want to counter him on that, for even she wished for the same thing.
"Inuyasha can be a real jackass sometimes." Shippo added sourly.
"Shippo!" Sango scolded.
"No I agree with Shippo." Miroku said. "Considering how much Kagome-sama has been patient with him all this time, what with him running after Kikyo-sama whenever he gets a wind of her…er, no offense Kaede-sama." He smiled sheepishly at the old priestess who shook her head at him.
"None taken Miroku. I'm not so biased as to take my sister's side here. Inuyasha is facing a turmoil within him that we could only possibly guess and gossip about, but never know. A hanyou's heart is nothing like its demon or human counterparts. Taking into consideration how Inuyasha's had to spend his life all these years, we can't possibly expect him to come to grips with his real feelings within the short span of two years. He's not one who's had as much experience with women as ye Miroku." She looked the monk deep in the eye.
The little speech got Miroku thinking. "Perhaps you are right Kaede-sama, maybe I went a little far this time…" he admitted.
"We both did Miroku." Sango comforted him softly. "I just didn't want him to deny something that was already so obvious to everyone else. I pacified myself thinking that maybe this is how he shows his affection for her, by being mean to her."
"Maybe, maybe not. Like I said we can only guess." Kaede said, placing back the empty bowls to be cleaned. "Inuyasha has always been a tough book to read, what with his snappy attitude and all. Probably the only person who knows him best amongst us is Kagome. She was able to get past the barriers in his heart after all, even farther so when compared to my sister." The old miko groaned lightly as she rose to her feet. "I won't say what ye did today was wrong Miroku, sometimes he deserves a knock on the head, but give him some time to process it. He'll come to ye eventually; ye are like a brother to him after all."
Miroku chuckled lightly. "If only he would. I would gladly be here for him when he does. Oh leave those dishes Kaede-sama, Sango and I will tend to them."
The inmates of the hut resumed their activities, oblivious to the hanyou perched on the roof of the hut who'd heard every word of their conversation.
~~~~O.o.O.o.O~~~~
"So, I'm a jackass with a snappy attitude huh? Keh!"
Twigs snapped and leaves ripped as the angry hanyou cut himself a path through the thick forest, running at breakneck speed, away from his 'companions' within the hut. Skipping over the tall trees, he continued running until he reached a clearing with a pond. Landing on the ground he walked up to the water-line and plopped himself onto the ground in a typical dog-like fashion. He peered down into the serene surface of the pond and scowled at his own reflection. "Well, damn them all! They were the ones who sprung these feelings onto me without warning!"
The hanyou sighed as he thought about what his friends had been talking about inside the hut. Was he really that tough a book to read? Did he really have no clue as to what his feelings towards Kagome were? What did he feel for her really? He closed his eyes and imagined Kagome standing before him. Immediately his mind was filled with her beautiful smiling face, his ears tingled with her laughter, his nose seemed to remind him of her sweet scent. He blushed and felt a goofy smile spread across his face. He felt at peace with the world. "Maybe I really do like her." He thought. No sooner had he thought that when the smiling face in his mind contorted into an angry scowl as she spat the dreaded 'sit' command to him over and over again. Inuyasha growled and snapped his eyes open, the giddy feeling gone. "Keh! Me like her? She's nothing but a shard-detector that's it! Stupid woman!"
But he knew somewhere deep within his heart, that Kagome was not just that to him anymore. He remember the many times she'd shed tears for him, fought for him, smiled for him. No matter how much he denied, he couldn't help but turn into mush every time she gave him that smile. He remembered the time she'd asked to stay with him, despite knowing how he felt about Kikyo. He'd thought his heart would beat itself out of his chest and into her hands at the happiness he felt. Why did he feel so ecstatic when she'd promised that she would stay? And the one time when she'd kissed him, to break him from the spell of Princess Kaguya. Inuyasha brought a finger to his lips. Her lips had felt so soft, so vulnerable. How he'd longed to feel them once again, to taste them without restraint once again. Why would he feel all that to a mere shard-detector?
Inuyasha sighed again. All these questions were only confusing him further. He already knew that he would do anything for Kagome; he would protect her with his life. Kagome had changed his life so much that without her in it, he probably wouldn't be the same anymore. But was he willing to love her, with all his heart, the way he'd loved Kikyo? Come to think of it, did he love Kikyo with all his heart? When Naraku had driven a wedge between him and Kikyo, he'd been quite eager to accept the fact that she'd betrayed him. Would that have been true if it had happened between him and Kagome as well? Would Kagome have believed that he would betray her?
"No." a fierce voice spoke in his mind. "Kagome trusts me above everything else. She believes in me. She would never, for one moment, think that I would do anything to hurt her. And I wouldn't think that of her either." The hanyou blinked. How was he so vehemently able to admit that? Does that mean that she's more significant to him than Kikyo was? Kikyo's words from long back floated back into his head. "Does that girl mean more to you that I do, Inuyasha?"
"Argh this is getting me nowhere!" he growled and got to his feet. Feelings, emotions, he never was good with those stuffs. If it hadn't been for Miroku and Sango injecting these thoughts into his head he would have had his meal and be enjoying his sleep right now. Speaking of meal…
GROOOOOOOWL. Inuyasha sulked as his stomach growled hungrily. Maybe he shouldn't have acted haughty and accepted Kaede's stew. He sighed yet again. If only Kagome was there now to cook him up some ninja food.
"Kagome…"
The hanyou looked wistfully towards the direction of the bone eater's well. It was not even a day and he was missing her already. Shit, Miroku was right. He really was an eager puppy wasn't he? His feet started walking before his mind could register and before he knew it, he was looking down into the well. One jump and he could be by her side again, inhaling her sweet unique scent. He plopped down by the well, propping his chin against the ledge. His mind wandered towards the earlier conversation again and he blushed when he remembered the comment Miroku had made about his dream last night. Recently, those dreams had been occurring quite frequently, making him see Kagome in somewhat a different light. He couldn't deny it, she really was very beautiful, she always had been. But two years of fighting demons and battling on rough terrain had molded her pretty well. No more was she the naïve little school girl that had fallen into his world and into his life. Now she was a woman, a warrior priestess with eyes that held the intelligence and maturity of having seen so many battles and bloodshed. Her body, which was at a growing stage when he'd first seen her, had become supple and curvy thanks to the hardships she had to face every day. He couldn't help but admit that he'd had one too many nosebleeds every time he thought about her bathing or being in the nude, something that had only managed to make him blush and splutter before. Now, seeing her on the battlefield in that mini skirt had him tingling all over, especially in a place down south. Inuyasha blushed harder. When had he become aware of all these feelings inside him?
He couldn't help but sigh at the memory of the dream. Of course he'd wanted to kiss her, wanted to taste those pouty pink lips. He'd wanted to do so ever since the first kiss that she gave him. He wanted to lick her skin, see if she tasted the way she did in his dream. He wanted to see her beautiful brown eyes grow dark and hooded as they gazed up at him lovingly. He wanted to hear her sweet husky voice moan out his name as he moved rhythmically inside her…
Inuyasha groaned, feeling himself grow hard. God did these emotions mean that what he felt for Kagome was not just friendship? His inner demon purred at the memory of the dream and the prospect of turning it into reality. Did this mean that he'd begun seeing Kagome in a new light? That without him realizing it, he'd actually truly fallen in lo—
His ears and nose twitched and the hanyou sprang to his feet suddenly, flexing his claws as he looked around the clearing. No mistaking it, there was a demon nearby. He inhaled deeply, taking in the scents around him. Nothing smelled poisonous or foul but he knew it was demon and not human, it smelled too funny to be human.
"Damn ya spotted me. I was havin' so much fun reading yer emotions ya know. Especially the last part." A raspy voice sniggered.
The hanyou growled and cracked his knuckles. Just how long had this demon been around him, without him noticing? "Show yourself bastard!" he bit out.
"Hey ther's no need ta be rude lad, I ain't done nothin' to ya…yet." The voice chuckled as from within the clearing a figure came out into the open. Inuyasha blinked once, then twice. The creature barely looked taller than his hip but it was definitely old. Its face was wrinkled with age and its head was as bald and smooth as a pebble. A long white beard grew from his face, stopping just before its hip. It wore what seemed to be a collection of rags and a hood. It eyes reminded the hanyou of Totosai's large orbs but with droopy eyelids and its wrinkled cheeks looked flushed, as if it was drunk. The little demon shot him a crooked open-mouthed smile, showing several missing teeth. "Hiya kid."
"Don't 'hiya kid' me you old freak! What were you doing spying on me?" Inuyasha barked.
The old man or demon took a swig from the bottle in its hand and scratched its bald head. "I wasn' spyin' or nothin' kiddo, I was jus' passin' by when I saw ya mopin' by this ol' well. Yer face look'd interestin' I jus' had ta read it. Boy ya sure 'ave quite a story ta tell."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. The demon didn't seem dangerous but he kept his guard up anyway. "What do you mean you were reading my face? Just who are you anyway?"
"O ya I didn' interduce meself. Name's Tokichi kid. Tokichi the face-reader. I'm a magici'n see." The old man grinned again before taking another swig off his bottle.
"Wait, you're not a demon then?" Inuyasha asked, surprised.
The old woman scowled at him, tripping on his feet as he made his way towards him. "Do I look like a demon ta ya?"
"Well you smell like one, old man."
"Heh, must be the sake. An' I 'aven had a bath in days." He said, sniffing at himself. "But I can figh' a demon good I can. Best magici'n aroun'." He grinned again.
Inuyasha relaxed and folded his arms into his haori sleeves. The old man didn't seem to be a threat. He plopped down to the ground so he could come up to his level. "And? Why do you call yourself the face reader?"
"Cus' I can read people's faces and tell wha' they'r thinkin', I can." The old man hiccupped. "People make all sort'sa interestin' expressions wh'n they th'nk. It's kinda funny. Like th' 'uns ya made jus' now."
Inuyasha blushed then scowled. Could this old guy have known what was going through his head just now?
"Oo ya, I know wha' ya'v been thinkin' abou' sonny." The old man chuckled as he plopped down next to the hanyou. Inuyasha immediately scooted away a little, scrunching up his nose. "Gurl troubles ey?" he wiggled his white eyebrows.
Inuyasha felt his blush deepen and keh'd. "Shut up old freak."
"But ya know, yer doin' that gurl a mean thing kid." The old man continued. "Ya luv 'er th'n ya gotta tell 'er that ya luv 'er. S'not good ta keep a wom'n waitin', they c'n be vicious creat'ers they c'n." Another swig from the bottle.
"I don't love her ya wrinkled old bag." Inuyasha scowled. "I ain't got no idea how I feel about her."
The old man chuckled again, a few drops of sake dripping from his mouth. "Tha's cus yer c'nfuused kid. List'n." He reached up with a bony shriveled hand to pat at Inuyasha's chest. "Wha' dos yer heart tell ya?"
Inuyasha blinked. Was this grandpa giving him therapy lessons now? "I don't know, is it supposed to tell me anything?"
The geezer shook his bald head. "Yer suppos'd ta list'n to yer inn'r heart kid. Yer inn'r feelin's. Ther's 'nly 'un heart, it can't be that hard. Unles'…"
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "Unless what?"
The old man blinked up at him, his saucer like eyes growing bigger as they stared at him from top to bottom. Then he burst out laughing. "Yer a hanyou, ar'ncha?" he wheezed. "No wond'r yer c'nfuused kid. Man th's is interestin' it is."
Inuyasha growled, barely controlling himself from ripping the little guy's head off his neck. "So what if I'm a hanyou you old fart, you got a thing against hanyous?" he snarled, his ego coming to his defense as usual.
The old man shook his head again, wiping at his eyes. "No no ya got me wron' kid. I luv hanyou, their faces 're th' most compl'cated to read. They'r always a chall'nge fer me. Jus' like ya." He directed his crooked smile up at the confused hanyou.
"But why am I a challenge to you? You just said you read what I was thinking?"
"Aye I did, bu' t'wasn' easy kid, not like ev'ry 'un else. An' ya know why?" The hanyou shook his head negative. "Tha's cus ya 'ave not 'un bu' two hearts ta list'n ta, yer dem'n an' yer hum'n hearts."
Inuyasha blinked again. "My demon and human hearts?" This was a new concept. All this time he thought he had two different types of blood. Now he learns that he has two different hearts beating within him. He felt a headache coming up. How's that even possible?
A bonk on the head brought him back. "I wus speakin' figurativ'ly kid. Ya 'ave 'un heart in ya, bu' ther's two differn' sides ta it, like two sides ta a coin. Both sides 're not compat'ble wit' each oth'r." The old man took another swig from his bottle.
"You know, for a drunk, you sure can speak a lot of big words."
The magician narrowed his eyes at the cheeky comment. "Heh, mock me kid if ya wan', I'm no' th' 'un wit' two c'nfuused hearts in me." He sniggered when Inuyasha keh'd sourly. "Th' 'nly way ya c'n come ta a concl'sion wit' yerself is to list'n to both hearts, and draw a sol'tion."
"How do I do that?"
" 'Aven' ya seen monks meditatin' kid? Wha' do ya th'nk they meditate fer? Ta list'n ta their inn'r feelin's. Tho' tis cheesy, tha's th' 'nly way to get ta know th' real ya inside."
Inuyasha scowled. "Keh! There's no way I'm doing shit like that. I've seen Miroku do that sometimes and it doesn't do him any good. He's still as fucked up as ever." A light went on in his head. "Hey you're a magician right? Couldn't you cook up a spell for me? Something that could help me with this?"
The old man narrowed his eyes again. "Ther's no spell ta realiz' 'uns feelin's ya idiot! Ya gotta study yerself without 'nyone's help. Tha's 'ow tis done." He nodded his bald head for emphasis.
Inuyasha pouted. "If it was that easy you think I wouldn't have done that already? I just don't know ok, the more I think the more I get confused. And I don't want that." He thought back to what Shippo said from inside the hut, that Kagome would stay here more often if Inuyasha would admit his true feelings to her. He needed to know his true feelings dammit. "I don't want to lose Kagome 'cause of this." He admitted sadly.
The old magician looked at the sad hanyou from the corner of his eyes as he drank his sake. He had said the truth; the hanyou had to find out the truth for himself, the truth which was already glaringly obvious to the geezer. The old man chuckled lightly. The poor fellow was head over heels in love with the woman, but something in him was denying it so strongly. Was it his human side? Or his demon side? He continued reading Inuyasha's face. The hanyou seemed to have faced a lot of emotional conflicts in his life. Such was the life of a half-demon after all. The fact that he already thinks about this 'Kagome' woman so much is a wonder in itself. She must have made quite a big impact in his life. The old man blinked, the light going on in his head this time. Exactly where did she leave a big impression, on his demon or human heart? If he could find out which side probably has stronger feelings for her then…maybe he could use that new spell he'd just developed…
"Tell ya what kid, I'll help ya." The old man's voice shook Inuyasha out of his momentary reprieve. He looked down to see the crooked smile being offered again. "I might 'ave jus' th' th'ng fer ya. 'Ere, hold this fer me wudcha?" He thrust his empty sake bottle into the bewildered hanyou's hands and clapped his bony hands together as if in prayer. Closing his eyes, the geezer mumbled something in a foreign language and clapped his hands twice. Suddenly with a puff of smoke and a small 'pop' a shaggy bag appeared before him. The old man rummaged within the bag, mumbling something to himself all the while and took out a glass bottle containing a bluish red liquid inside. He handed the bottle to Inuyasha, who took it and sniffed at the contents wearily. "What the hell's this stuff old man?"
"Tis th' answ'r ta yer probl'ms sonny." The magician replied cheerily, chanting another spell to make his bag disappear. He took back the sake bottle from the hanyou, filled it with sake magically and took a swig from it. "Now mind ya it c'n be a li'l rough on th'm tastes buds bu' I sugg'st ya chug it down in 'un swig. Take it on th' nigh' yer powers go weak, when ya start feelin' yer dem'n powers leavin' ya. Ya take it when yer a hum'n it won' give ya no eff'ct. The minut' ya feel the firs' wave o' transfermation ya chug it all down, ya hear?"
Inuyasha looked suspiciously at him. The night he loses his powers, the night of the full moon, that would be tonight. Wow, talk about coincidence. "You're not planning to poison me with this, are ya old man?"
The old man chuckled. "Now why 'ud I wanna do that ey? Like I said, yer'n interestin' spec'men fer me kid. Well I'ma be off now. O' an' mind ya, the magic'l wear off 'nly once ye've found yer true feelin's so if ya don' th'n ya'l nev'r turn back ya norm'l a'righ'? I'll come check on ya from time ta time. See ya kid."
Normal? What did he mean— "Hey what'll happen if I drink this? Hey wait!" But the old man had already disappeared in a cloud of smoke, much like his bag. Inuyasha cursed out loud. "That bastard! He could at least tell me what this thing would do!" He looked down at the funnily smelling concoction in his hand. "I suppose I should tell this to Miroku and have him check if it's poison or not." He felt embarrassment attack him at the thought of admitting to the others about his supposed heart to heart with an unknown magician. Maybe he should just keep it to himself, forget about the whole thing and go about his life as usual? He shook his silver head furiously. This was for Kagome, he was doing this for Kagome. He needed to straighten out his feelings once and for all. He was going to be a man for once and not run away this time. Squaring his shoulders at the new found confidence in him, Inuyasha sped off in the direction of Kaede's hut.
A/N: Well, how was that for the introduction? I know I didn't give away much information about anything in here, but it's already gone past the limit of a normal prologue and I wanted to keep you guys in suspense for a little while (grins wickedly). The next chapter will let you know what the potion in Inuyasha's hands will do to him and the actual story will unfold from then on. I plan to make this as fun and humorous as possible, all the while helping the hanyou come to terms with his true feelings for the miko from the future. After all, they're our favourite couple and we ought to help them get together right? :D I'm not telling much about who else will feature in this fic and how, that's for you guys to read and find out. I'm hoping you will stick around to do so :D
Until the next fic then. Ja ne.
Kaijuu signing off.
P.S: Don't forget to review! Let me know what you think about the opening :D