Complicated Love
Chapter 1: Mysterious girlKagome brushed back her jet-black hair. She was going away on vacation for a month and didn't know how to tell Inuyasha. She sighed, as she knew what she had to do.
"Inuyasha," called Kagome, wondering if he could hear her.
His ears tweaked to the sound of her voice and he turned his head to stare at her. Kagome beckoned with her hand to follow her and he instantly turned around and began walking after her. Kagome picked up her bag with all her stuff in it and continued walking toward the well. When she reached it, she placed a hand on the warm wood, stiff with age. She turned around and glanced at Inuyasha's face, just radiant in the sunlight. His hair whisked around his face and Kagome couldn't believe how much she didn't want to leave him.
Inuyasha frowned, "What is it Kagome? We don't have all day; those jewel shards won't find themselves you know. Don't forget about that bastard Naraku, we still have to slaughter the demon."
Kagome felt her heart wrench inside of him. Ever since that day…the day when Naraku killed Kikyou, Inuyasha had been consistent in wanting to kill him. He hadn't looked at Kagome without sadness etched all over his face. That was another reason she was leaving on vacation. It would be better for him if he didn't have the reincarnation around, reminding him of what a pitiful job he did of protecting the one he loved.
Kagome sighed, "Inuyasha, something came up in my family. We're going on vacation."
Inuyasha sighed; he knew he could never keep Kagome away from those damn tests.
"So, how many days do you need? Three as usual?"
Kagome was surprised at his lack of resistance; it must be because of Kikyou. Right now, he doesn't care.
Kagome replied, "Actually, I need a month for this. And I'm sorry, but you can't come with us. My family doesn't have enough money, and it would be sort of weird for a hanyou to come on the trip. There's going to be a lot of people there."
Inuyasha started growling.
"No way in hell am I letting you leave for a month! Who the hell is going to find the jewel shards? Miroku, Sango, and Shippo can't sense them at all. And that fucking bastard Naraku killed…."
Inuyasha faltered, even bringing up the subject of Kikyou was painful to him. A noise in the woods made Inuyasha turn around. Standing not 5 feet in front of him was the rest of his group. Miroku came up to Inuyasha and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I need to talk to you Inuyasha. Let Kagome go back to her world."
Inuyasha shook his head no in defiance.
"No, she's staying here and helping us find the jewel shards, not to mention Naraku."
Miroku shook his head at Inuyasha's stubbornness.
"Inuyasha you misunderstand. Normally even I would oppose to Kagome being gone this long, but Sango and I have to travel to the opposite side of Japan. We have had requests to slay demons, and you are a hanyou so that would ruin our chance to score big with money. Shippo also has to visit his mother and father's grave. It turns out that Shippo does have some relatives, and they're holding a one month long get together. We're all going where we need to go you cannot stop us. I suggest you let Kagome go. Then when she gets back you can come get us."
Inuyasha's mouth opened in protest, but he realized when he had been beaten.
"Fine, see if I care. Go on you trip Kagome."
Kagome smiled and nodded her head. She jumped down the well before Inuyasha could change his mind. Inuyasha turned around, but saw that everyone else had already left. Inuyasha wandered into the woods, wondering what in the world he could possibly do to pass the time.
An interesting scent caught his nose. It was the scent of cherry blossoms, a tree Inuyasha particularly loved. He ran toward the smell, caught in its enticing aroma. As he neared the clearing, Inuyasha slowed down. Another scent was on the tip of his nose. Inuyasha crept forward, careful about not being seen. A stream of sunlight shown down on a girl who was gathering cherry blossom petals in her hands. She looked the exact age as Kagome, maybe two years older and she was as tall as Inuyasha. At her side was a samurai sword, its tip barely missing the ground. She had short black hair that fell to her shoulders, and she was wearing a pale blue kimono.
Inuyasha fell back in shock. She's beautiful! But why is she carrying around a samurai sword? And why does she smell like sunflowers, when cherry blossoms surround her?
Just then, Inuyasha saw a flying demon approach the girl; it's wings flared, and coming straight at her. Inuyasha jumped out of his hiding place and sharpened his claws.
"Sankon Tessou! (Iron Reaver Soul Stealer)"
He sliced through the demon, cutting it in half. The remains showered down behind the girl. Inuyasha landed with a triumphant grin spreading through out his face. He heard the girl's voice behind him and turned around, his smile quickly gone.
The girl was bowing before Inuyasha, her hair touching the bloodstained grass. Her voice rang through the forest. It was a soft gentle voice, but beneath its friendly exterior, Inuyasha could feel its power.
"Thank you sir! Please teach me how to fight!"
Inuyasha grew surprised at the determination in the girl's voice. He looked down at her, her face still low to the ground.
He scowled, "Get up. Never bow before me like that again."
The girl immediately got up and looked at Inuyasha. It was then he noticed her eyes. They were a bright green, and seemed to go right through Inuyasha's soul. It was as if this girl had seen much sorrow in her life, and yet tried to take on the world, seeing more than she had bargained for. Inuyasha was immediately interested in the girl's past, and decided he would take her on as his apprentice. What else was he going to do with a month of free time?
The girl spoke, "Please teach me how to fight with a sword. I don't know how to use this sword and it would come in handy for slaying demons when no one else is around. Please sir! I understand you're a hanyou, but your eyes aren't evil and I know you'd be a better teacher than some stupid overpriced sensei!"
Inuyasha scowled at the girl's interpretation of him.
"Don't go spouting off nonsense again. I'll take you as my student, but only for a month. If you don't learn my teachings in a month, I have no use for you, understand? Meet me tomorrow here at this very tree and don't wear a kimono. You'll know what I mean as soon as we start. Do you understand?"
Inuyasha smiled in the inside as he saw the girl's smile brighten.
She nodded her head, "All right, I'll be here. Thank you."
With that said, the girl turned around and ran off in the opposite direction. Inuyasha watched her go; he was in fact excited to be able to teach someone his forte. That would show Sesshoumaru.
The next morning Inuyasha mulled around the cherry tree, waiting for the girl to show up. It occurred to him he hadn't asked the girl's name, nor had she given it to him. Inuyasha frowned, but thought it was none of his business. When she wanted to tell him, then he would find out. For now he'd just call her bitch. He never was one to care about other people's feelings that much. Also, just slaying demons didn't seem a good enough excuse to learn swordsmanship from him. This girl was keeping too many secrets and that made her dangerous.
A noise interrupted his thoughts as the girl entered the forest. Inuyasha quickly glanced over her and noticed that she was a hakama and gee closely resembled to his. Though instead of red, it was a pale blue. Though Inuyasha didn't care, the blue suited her very well. She walked up to him her hand on her sword. She bowed as she came near him.
"Sensei, where are we training today?"
Inuyasha replied, "An area close to the mountain range, its about 5 miles from here. Before you complain though, remember this. Running builds up you stamina. Your stamina determines how long you can hold out in a battle. Today is a test of your stamina. Show me what you got, okay?"
The girl nodded her head and braced herself to run. Inuyasha started a light jog and looked behind him, she wasn't moving.
"Bitch, we haven't got all day! Hurry your ass up!"
The girl snapped to attention and began running a light jog. Soon she caught up to Inuyasha, and he started running again. Inuyasha got sick of jogging and sped up the pace to a run. This was as fast as he and Miroku ran when traveling the countryside. The girl sped up as well but her speed was no match compared to Inuyasha's. Inuyasha laughed.
"Come on bitch, don't tell me that's all you got?"
The girl scowled and ran as fast as she could, beads of sweat rolling down her face. Inuyasha continued his pace, if she can't run with my level, she's useless.
Inuyasha glanced behind every so often to check up on the girl. She lagged at some points, but she continued running as fast as she could. Inuyasha marveled at how she could run this much and yet not so much as utter a word. When they reached their destination, Inuyasha stopped underneath the huge mountains and waited for her to catch up. When she came toward him, she collapsed as she stopped with sudden force. Inuyasha leaned forward and caught her before she hit the ground. She looked up at him and smiled a weak smile.
She murmured, "I did it."
Inuyasha smiled at her, though it wasn't his usual smirk.
"Yeah."
Inuyasha set her down on the ground gently. He jumped back suddenly and pulled out the Tessaiga, though without transforming it. The girl looked up at him, her eyes confused. Inuyasha raised his sword and leapt forward.
"Take out your sword!" Inuyasha screamed as his sword came down on her.
The girl grabbed the sword without taking it out of its sheath and blocked his sword coming down. She leaned her weight against the sword and forced it off. She struggled to get up, the strain exhausting.
Inuyasha yelled, "Good, you blocked the first attack. The enemy will not wait for you to recover! Draw your sword quickly! Fatigue is nothing compared to life!"
The girl pulled out the sword, keeping the sheath in her left hand. Inuyasha attacked again, bringing his sword down on her head. The girl blocked with her sheath, then using her sword in her right hand slashed out at Inuyasha, it flipped in her hand. It was now a sakabato sword, as was Inuyasha's. Inuyasha did a back flip and landed 10 feet from her.
Inuyasha smiled, "Good. I see you know some sword techniques. This should make it easier to teach you. Though your fatigue is taking its toll on you. Are you gonna be okay, bitch? Or shall we suspend?"
The girl scowled, "Bring it on Sensei. You're lucky I turned the sword just in time. If I didn't it would have left a mark."
Inuyasha laughed.
"It would have been better to have cut me bitch. Turning your sword to the flat side that late was your downfall. Think quicker! I did it automatically, don't make the same mistakes next time."
The girl nodded her head and ran forward, this time taking the initiative. She raised her sword and struck downward at Inuyasha, while swinging her sheath into his stomach. Inuyasha blocked her sword with his and grabbed her sheath with his hand. Using both advantages, he flicked his wrist and her sword went flying out of her hand. He grabbed the sheath harder and pushed her to the ground, holding the sheath as she let go. She stared up from the ground at him, his sword pressed against her throat. Inuyasha thought it unnerving as she looked up at him, no fear showing in eyes. These were the eyes of someone not afraid to die.
Inuyasha spoke, "You would have been dead, bitch. Very sloppy, but I liked your maneuver with your sheath. It was quite good, if I hadn't known you were going to do it. Would you like to know why I don't use my sheath?"
The girl nodded her head in reply. Inuyasha jumped back and offered her his hand. She slapped it away and struggled to get up. Her fatigue was gaining on her but she wasn't going to let him know. She stood up and grabbed her sword and sheath, placing them in her hands.
Inuyasha spoke, "This is why."
He concentrated for a second and Tessaiga sprang forth into its huge ass form. He lifted it with one hand and placed it on his shoulders.
Inuyasha yelled, "See why a sheath would get annoying? But it does have its benefits. The sheath protects against all attacks and it calls my sword to it. But I learned to go against it. Though I won't use my huge ass sword against you. It would slice your fucking sword in two. Just remember that the sheath doesn't make the warrior. I will break your sheath and when I do, you will never use one in battle again, understand?"
She stared in amazement as Inuyasha then put his sword back into its rusty form.
"That's amazing Sensei! You must be really strong to wield a sword like that. I still have to rely on my sheath, but one day I won't!"
Inuyasha smiled and looked up to the sky.
"Well, I guess…"
The girl took her chance and charged forward, stabbing straight at Inuyasha's chest with her sword and coming from the top with her sheath. Inuyasha glanced down and blocked both attacks with his one sword. His sword was placed in a downward motion, the sheath and sword bouncing off of it.
Inuyasha yelled, "You really should respect your sensei, bitch!"
Inuyasha slashed out quickly with his sword, hitting the girl across the chest hard. She fell to the ground and coughed, a little blood coming up. Luckily it was with the blunt end of his sword so all it did was bruise her. Inuyasha took out his sheath and hit her hard with it on her shoulder, then kicked her away from him. She was now sprawled out onto the ground, grabbing her shoulder and stomach, her teeth grinding as the pain overwhelmed her.
Inuyasha frowned, "If you think you can get away with attacking the enemy like that, then you're one stupid bitch. Next time I won't go easy on you. If you think this hurts, then wait for the next attack, or are you giving up?"
The girl raised her head and stared at Inuyasha, her eyes piercing through his. Inuyasha saw the determination in them and he raised his eyebrow a little.
She murmured, "This pain is nothing compared to what happened. I will not yield."
She stood up with her sword and faced Inuyasha, her body slouched forward.
"I will not yield! I will not yield. I WILL NOT YIELD!"
With that the girl slipped into the state of unconsciousness and fell toward the ground. Inuyasha grabbed her and gently laid her on the ground.
"You're pretty tough, I'll give you that."
She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was her sensei, his white hair and golden eyes looking at her with concern. She got up and felt a sharp pain in her stomach and shoulder. Inuyasha glanced at her and frowned.
"That was fast. You were out for about an hour. Are you ready to spar again? This time, without swords though. I want to see if you know marshal arts. Fair enough?"
She nodded her head, not wanting him to see the pain deep in her eyes. She tried to get up and stumbled, Inuyasha caught her arm and lifted her up gently.
She spoke, "Why are you helping me?"
Inuyasha frowned as he thought about the question.
"You fought hard with the sword, I'll help you some times but not a lot. I'm not here to baby-sit you, but I am here to make sure you learn to fight and to make sure you don't break any bones. Now get into your fighting position."
The girl smiled and put up two of her hands. Inuyasha laughed at her stance, it was really pitiful. He walked over to her and went behind her. She immediately tensed, but stopped as he laughed.
"Your stance is awful! You can't block like that."
Inuyasha grabbed her hands from behind and brought them up closer to her body. He then kicked her legs softly into the position he wanted them in. He left and went in front of her.
After about an hour of teaching her the basics, he went and sparred with her a while. She got a few bruises out of it, and Inuyasha smiled at how she didn't cry once at being hurt. She was a different kind of person, one who could take a few punches.
Soon it began to turn to dusk and it was time to head back. Inuyasha came up to the girl and put his hand on her shoulder.
He whispered, "Do you want a ride back, or are you going to run?"
The girl lifted her head and looked him in the eye.
"Of course I'm going to run sensei. Otherwise I would prove myself one frail girl."
Inuyasha frowned and shrugged his shoulders.
"Okay, suit yourself. Let's go."
With that he started off running, the girl trying her best to keep up. Inuyasha grew worried though as he saw her stumble a couple of times. She always managed to keep up though and Inuyasha smiled. During the sparing lesson she had held her own, but she really needed to be taught some more skills. Any enemy would have easily killed her and Inuyasha was determined to make sure she learned everything in one month.
She'll never beat Naraku though.
This thought surprised Inuyasha though as he hadn't thought of Naraku at all during the entire day of training the girl. It was amazing how having something to do took your mind of the toughest things. Inuyasha then was a bit puzzled at how much he was at ease with the girl. With Kagome at the beginning, he was always mean but eventually he softened up. Inuyasha looked behind him and saw the girl running still, her face flushed and her eyes half closed.
God, I never knew a girl could be this tough. What reason does she have for it though?
Inuyasha quickly stopped these thoughts as he saw the girl fall to the ground. He ran back toward her and picked her up, bridal style. As he held her in his arms, he then realized how fragile the girl was. She felt lighter than his sword which was pretty damn light. In the dim light, he saw her breathing heavily. He saw her eyes were closed and concluded she fell unconscious. He put her on his back the way Kagome used to ride and ran back toward the cherry tree.
I can't believe she lasted this long. God, she one tough human, I still can't believe a human could be this strong.
Inuyasha stopped underneath the cherry tree and placed the human girl underneath it, watching as the wind blew gently across her face. Inuyasha glanced down on her as she lay under the moonlight and once again noticed her beauty. Inuyasha felt a pang of regret as he thought of how much he had hurt her today, with his training regime. Inuyasha took off his outer gee and placed it on the ground, then very gently picked up the girl and placed her on it. He then took the opportunity to lie against the cherry tree, looking at the girl while keeping watch. Pretty soon, he fell asleep to the sway of the wind on his face and the sound of the girl's soft breathing.