The Snowy Owl Christmas
Kagome along with her friends Sango and Miroku crunched through the snow covered leaves. Kagome's puppy Chance, who was an early Christmas gift to her from her Grandfather, runs ahead tail wagging, she watched Chance romp around. Then his romping stopped, his doggy body went tense as he suddenly picks up on the sent of something, Chance lunges forward yanking a very suprised Kagome along on his leash. Sango broke into a run following Kagome and Chance, Miroku follows bringing up the rear. Then as suddenly as this run had started it stopped as Chance stared at an injured snowy owl on the ground. There was an arrow sticking out of the poor owls wing, blood was on the snow, bright red ugly patches, Sango was the first to speak, she stumbled over her words. "What, what should we do?" but as soon as she spoke Kagome was in action, "Miroku help me to lift him and carry him home"
Miroku looked at her in utter disbelief but helped her anyway. He muttered to himself more than to anyone else that after all it is Christmas break. Kagome handed her dogs leash over to Sango, "I can't handle him and carry this owl too"
Sango took Chance and carried him in front of Miroku and Kagome; it took over an hour to get the owl home then her mom, after a few minutes of arguing made her keep the creature in the well house. Kagome brought the bird in and set him down on the dirt floor around the well, the 'Bone Eaters' well. She left the bird alone as she went to get a small space heater, some bandages, and food along with some water for the bird. She and Miroku set down to start the task of bandaging the bird's wing, and checking him over for other injuries. Kagome held the bird as Miroku broke the arrow and slid the rest of it out of the poor animal's wing. The bird started to fight as he pulled out the arrow squawking and moving a lot, but Kagome held him as Miroku bandaged the bird's wing.
Kagome went in the well house the next day with Miroku, who had a small education in Animal Care, she was very happy to see the food was gone along with most of the water. A very odd looking owl sleeping near the heater, this was the first time she looked at the owl, she rescued with Miroku, and Sango. He wasn't white but a silver color; he had a claw on every toe, and a very sharp beak. Then the owl opened his eyes, she was shocked to see not yellow, but amber he hooted weakly and hobbled over on unsteady legs.
Miroku was shocked, he just stared no wild animal would do that! Then he saw it, a small black ring on his foot, with the number 554. He was a pet, and had possibly escaped and ran into a hunter who had shot him.
"Kagome, its alright he's a pet, he has an I.D. ring on his foot" Miroku said to her She smiled at the animal, "hey little guy" she cooed stroking his soft feathers he let her pet him, then stood still as she changed his bandages, and even accepted her treat, fresh fish and some more water. After petting the owl for a few minutes she stood and offered her arm for him to step up on, and he complied. She held still admiring the bird, his eyes seemed to smile but then emotions ran through them, she watched him as he thought 'I can't believe what Kikyo did to me that wench, changing me Inuyasha into a chirping flying, no one understands you bird, then she had the nerve to smile as she shot me with an arrow.'
The next day before the new moon Kagome stopped by the well house with fresh fish, and mouse or two and a new bowl of water. She looked the bird over and changed his bandages, as she changed them she noticed that the ring on his foot was getting tight on him. She offered her arm for him to step up he complied again. She carried him out of the well house and into her house to call Miroku,((Phone conversation this is what Inuyasha can hear)) "hey Miroku, yeah that black ring on his left foot, it is getting to tight, can you come by and see if you can get it off? Ok yeah, see you soon, ok bye!" she hung up.
She unbandaged his wing, the wound was gone, but he didn't want to move it, which had her thinking that it was still hurt. By that time Miroku had arrived with his box of medical tools and things, "so how's our Christmas owl?" he said with a huge smile that made her laugh, "just fine aren't we Snow?" the owl looked at her with a what-did-you-just-call-me look, her and Miroku laughed. "Well let's see if we can't get this ring off"
He pulled out a weird tool and started to try to pull and pry off the ring but it wouldn't budge, he pulled out a different tool and gave that one a try. But the band was stuck tight, and then Kagome gave it a try.
After a few seconds and a loud crack, the black band falls off in two pieces, then a blinding white flash goes through the room making Kagome and Miroku shut their eyes tight. It was like watching a tree grow in fast forward, the bird slowly disappeared and a man slowly formed from the owl his silver hair cascaded down his back. On top of his head sat two sliver ears, he stood and stretched showing his fangs a long yawn.
His voice was raspy and hoarse from disuse, "Where am I?" he asked.
Looking around he knew these two, the girl was the one that found him, the guy was the one that had removed the arrow and fixed his wing up. But he had no idea where he was, his rescuers, Kagome and Miroku where speechless in a matter of seconds Kagome fell as she fainted. But she never hit the ground, strong arms caught her, he remembered his mothers words before she died she had told him something he would never forget, "...You will be mated, to your first loves mirror image, but she will not be a mirror heart..."
He looked down at the girl 'you will be mated to your first loves mirror image' those words played over and over in his head 'she looks like Kikyo' he thought. Miroku just stared at this guy, "who are you?" he managed to ask it wasn't long before he got his gruff reply, "My name is Inuyasha, who are you and who is she?"
"I am Miroku, and she is Kagome" he said pointing to himself, then to the girl who was still in his arms, "and I think she is waking up" he said quietly as Kagome moved.
Kagome stood up and looked at Inuyasha then to Miroku, "who are you?" she asked and got a gruff reply, "my name is Inuyasha" he said again "and I guess I should tell you guys before you start asking questions, about how I got turned into a owl?" he paused to see if they wanted to hear the story. To his dismay, they both nodded. He sighed before beginning his story.
((Inuyasha Flashback))
"Kikyo I don't see why you have to keep inside all the time, its Christmas break can't we do something outside?" he said watching the snow fall out the window. "Now Inuyasha you know we can't go outside, especially with Naraku out there looking for us, well, you" He sighed ever since his brother told Naraku about him; he had to keep out of Naraku's eye sight. Naraku was upset with him because of his connection to Kikyo and that his brother had done to him when he was younger but, it wasn't Inuyasha's fault that it happened. Naraku wanted Kikyo to be his follower not Inuyasha's, so his plan was to do him in, to get Kikyo after Inuyasha was gone. Kikyo struck first she took him into the living room and had him sit down on the couch, "I have a present for you Inuyasha!" He gave her a suprised look; gifts from Kikyo were not common. She smiled, "it's an ankle bracelet" she slipped it onto his ankle and suddenly he shrunk, his limbs got shorter. He felt the bones in his body rearrange and change shape and size. This all happened in a few seconds, he tried to yell at her, but all that came out where rough hoots. She grabbed him roughly and put him outside, "I never loved you, get out of my sight you stupid bird!"
Inuyasha took to flight, as he flew away he heard the sound of an arrow being nocked, and released. But it was to late for him to dodge the arrow she sent at him, it went into his wing with a searing pain; he watched it go through his wing. He fell from the sky and looked back at her trying to see if he could tell if she truly hated him that much, he saw her smiling face, he felt a tear run down his birdie face as he limped away from her dragging his injured wing. All this time one thought ran through his mind 'I loved her'
((End Flashback))
He looked at Kagome, silent tears where going down her face as she looked at him, she felt his pain. Even Miroku had a sad expression on his face. "Did she, really hate you that much? Enough to break your heart and to literally shoot you down like that?" Kagome asked.
He was suprised at her voice, it was choked with sadness, and it got worse when he nodded. The he felt her body press against his as she hugged him. She tried to show that she cared, he hugged her back. 'You will mate with your first loves mirror image' went through his mind again she looked just like her, and he couldn't help but to love her at least a little bit.
'But she will not be a mirror heart' he tried to figure out that part. Well if mirror image means just like, maybe that means she will be the opposite in her heart. He knew already she was nothing like that cold hearted woman he loved. Now he even doubted actually loving her. She sure didn't love him at all; she turned him into a bird, and then shot him, she had left him for dead. He didn't see one bit of love in that. "I don't know... I thought she loved me"
He heard her sigh "at least I knew I loved her, not any more that cold hearted woman has hurt me and I'm not going to go back this time"
This statment got Kagome's attention "This time? Shes done something like this before?"
Inuyasha had to chuckle "no not really, but she has hurt me before I've learned my lesson and I'm not going to go back" Kagome smiled and let him go, "good, she doesnt deserve to be forgivin, only someone heartless could do that to another person." he knew she was right and he needed to change the subject before this really got out of hand.
"So, now that I'm no longer a owl where am I going to stay? I can't go back." Miroku smiled "I might have a solution to that problem, I have a extra room where I stay your more than welcome to it" Kagome also smiled "or you can stay in the well house or on the couch, mom wouldn't mind after I explained it to her" Little did they know, Kikyo was watching them, with Naraku by her side "so my owl survived after all"
