Disclaimer: So as you know, I own nothing related to Inuyasha. NOTHING.
So, I know I talked about this years ago, but I'm finally getting back into the whole writing thing and I decided to start simple with a fanfiction. So, faithful and new readers, welcome to the revamping of A Fortuitous Infatuation. I'm sure it'll be better than the blasphemy I wrote back in middle school during my weeaboo days. So without further ado…
- - A - - - F - - - I - -
"You will never get away with this."
Rei sat with a pout on her lips as the oddly-dressed girl and older woman finished reapplying her bandages after she had ruined them in her scuffle with Inuyasha. Her return back to the hut was an anger-filled one, and after a few nasty words shared between Inuyasha and herself, both were sitting on opposite sides of the hut, simmering.
Kagome sighed. "For the last time, I promise you. WE. AREN'T. KIDNAPPERS."
"If we were, we sure wouldn't want some stupid girl…" Inuyasha muttered, scratching the side of his face lazily. He was silenced as a multitude of glares were shot in his direction, sliding into his own sulk with a discontented mumble.
"If…If you are not kidnappers, then what reason could you possibly have for helping me?" Rei asked, leaning back to rest against the cool wood of the hut as her newly-bandaged chest throbbed softly.
"We couldn't just leave you there, you were hurt."
"Only a fool would help someone they do not even know."
The oddly-dressed girl smiled brightly. "I suppose we're fools then, aren't we?"
Rei stared at the girl and her companions as they, aside from the grumpy half-demon, all grinned at her. "Just who are you people?"
"Oh! We never did introduce ourselves, did we? I'm Kagome," the oddly-dressed girl pointed to herself, then continued to motion around the room at the others. "This is Sango, Miroku, Kaede, Shippo, and well, you've met Inuyasha."
Rei followed Kagome's hand as it pointed to each member of the group, finally being able to commit them to memory now that she had a face to put with the smells from earlier. She gave Kagome an extra hard look, taking in her strange garb that was completely different from the rest of her companions. Her kimono was a short one, a lovely shade of green, almost as dark as the trees in her homeland. The rest of it was white with the occasional strip of the same green and a large red bow tied around her neck. Interesting. Rei then moved to the others, glad to see that they, at least, knew how to properly dress.
Sango, was dressed in a simple kimono, but the telltale garb of the demon slayer could be seen peeking out from her collar and beneath her sleeves. Even without seeing the uniform, her smell was similar to the other demon slayers who had been unfortunate enough to cross her father and the weapon leaning on the wall behind her, an enormous boomerang, also reeked with the smell of demon bones, purified, but demons nontheless. The monk, Miroku, was obvious, his clothing a dead giveaway. Her eyes lingered on the rosary around his hand, securing a purple cloth in place around his palm, before they moved to the oldest member of the group, the priestess Kaede, faltering slightly on the metal plate that covered her right eye. She allowed herself to nod in thanks to the older woman, grateful for her help in taking care of her injuries, gaining one in return. Then, she turned to the smallest of the group and gasped. "You're a fox demon!"
The little one, Shippo, half-smiled and nodded, slightly unnerved at her sudden explosion. "Yeah, and before you ask, no, I wasn't kidnapped nor am I a hostage. These guys are my friends."
"Friends…with humans?" Rei muttered softly.
"Not all of us are human." Inuyasha quipped from his corner.
"I am sure I was not speaking to you, mutt," Rei shot back at him vehemently, turning back to Shippo and the others. "This is…an interesting group. But, if the little one is fine with you all, then I am as well."
A collective sigh was released from the human portion of the group. "Great, so now that that's all out of the way, what happened to you?" Sango motioned towards Rei's injury.
"Ah," Rei started, hesitating to tell them her full story. Despite their kindness, she still couldn't help but remember her father's warnings. Nothing good will ever come out of dealing with outsiders. Once they know who you are, they will never stop trying to use you for their own aims. That is why you must never leave the Gates, Rei. Promise me. She hadn't understood what he meant fully, so it was easy to promise something so simple back then. She had everything she could ever need at home, why would she ever want to leave? She cleared her throat. "I was simply careless and thought that I knew how to handle a poisoned injury. Clearly, I was wrong." She managed a wry smile.
"Clearly." Came a low grumble from across the room, low enough for only Rei to hear.
Before Rei could react, the monk this time stood, bowing slightly. "Well, I'm glad that we were able to be of some assistance. So, I don't believe we ever got your name, Miss…?"
She wavered before smiling softly. "Rei."
What happened next caught her completely off guard. In an instant, the monk was kneeled in front of her, grasping her hand gently in both of his, his lips pressed tenderly against her skin. "Ah, a beautiful name! Rei, a name of multiple, yet equally lovely, meanings. Now, Miss Rei, I do have one question for you," He smiled as her eyebrow arched in confusion, holding her hand tighter as she gently, yet firmly, tried to take it back. "Would you do me the great honor of bearing my childr—"
Before he could finish, the familiar bone boomerang slammed on top of his head, the whistle of it slicing through the air delayed with the fierce quickness of the attack. Rei blinked as Miroku slid to the floor, revealing the seething form of Sango behind him, swinging the boomerang back to its place behind her. "Pervert! What'd I tell you about that?" She smiled apologetically at Rei's stunned face and pulled the unconscious monk beside her, giving him a swift kick as further chastisement.
"Um…."
"Ignore him." The demon slayer said shortly. The others chuckled softly. Apparently this was a common occurrence.
Rei was silent for a moment, then slowly rose to her feet, raising her hand to stop Kagome and Sango as they quickly stood to help her. "I…I think I will head back now. I appreciate all of your help, but I should really be on my way." She braced herself against the wall, ignoring her body's screams of pain as the bandages dug into her skin, setting her chest on fire.
"Ye won't get far with the poison still within ye," This time it was the old priestess, Kaede, who spoke up. Rei had completely forgotten about her. She had been silent this entire time, seemingly taking in everything that had been said. All eyes fell upon her as she nonchalantly stoked the fire, pulling a long pipe from the cupboard beside her and lighting it. She put it took her lips and took a long draught of the tobacco, almost thoughtfully, before she blew it out in a puff of smoke.
Rei crossed her arms across her chest, brazenly, careful of her injuries. "Silly old woman, I am a full demon, this is nothing to a being like me. My shoulder has already healed, as you can see, and without your help. Neither broken bones nor poison can stop me for long."
Kaede laughed, blowing out another puff of smoke. "An old woman I may be, but I am far from silly. Ye are right about your broken bones healing quickly, but that is to be expected with your powerful demon blood. However, this poison is not something to be trifled with. Whoever did this to ye used something very potent and your…attempt at patching it up did not help either. Yew and pieris are a deadly combination, if ye were a human, ye would be dead in minutes."
Rei felt a shiver run down her spine and touched her chest gently. "N-nevertheless, I can still take care of myself, I'll be fine."
"Why don't you prove it?"
Inuyasha sat up from his corner of the room, a smirk playing on the corners of his lips. His gold eyes met Rei's green ones, locking them into a death stare.
"What do you mean?" She asked, forcing herself to stand up straighter.
"Simple. Prove to us that you can take care of yourself. Clearly you can handle something as easy as a hole in your chest and a little bit of poison, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Kagome shot a dark look at her half-demon companion. "Inuyasha…" She warned.
Rei smiled, ignoring the girl. "Right. But be warned, I was trained by the best. There's no way some mutt can beat me."
"This mutt'll beat you to a pulp, fox!" Inuyasha snapped, standing and in front of her, forcing her to look up to hold his gaze.
"Ha! As if you could compare to a full demon."
"We'll see, won't we?"
"We will, indeed. I just hope you won't be too sore when I defeat you. I'll make sure to step on your corpse when I leave."
"Bring it on."
- - A - - - F - - - I - -
Rei slammed into the ground with a cry of pain, blood spurting from her mouth as she felt the air leave her lungs. Inuyasha's bare foot rested on her abdomen, pressing her harder into the dirt. He leaned over, a smirk mockingly placed on his lips, and flicked her forehead gently. "So much for your full demon powers, huh?"
"That's enough, Inuyasha!" Kagome's voice called from somewhere in the distance.
"N-No…" Rei groaned, struggling to rise only to be forced back down by Inuyasha's foot. "I…am not…done yet, mutt…"
She felt Inuyasha's foot leave her stomach as he turned to walk away with a laugh. "Clearly you are, fox." She dug her fingers in the ground, trying her hardest to will herself to her feet. Get up…get up get up get up! Every slight effort made her body scream in pain, but she had to get up, she just had to! Why is this happening? "Why…whywhywhy…" Her words slipped from her lips in a quiet moan. She felt a tear slide down her cheek, then another one. She sucked in a shaky breath, trying her best to hold them back, but was unable to hold the sob that echoed when she let it go, tears running freely down her cheeks.
"C'mon, Rei…let's get you back to Kaede's…"
Rei turned her head at the gentle touch of Kagome's fingers on her shoulder, shrugging it off and struggled to her feet. She quickly wiped her eyes and shakily took a step, nearly collapsing with the effort. Both Kagome and Sango were next to her in a flash, sliding her arms around their shoulders to take off some of the pressure. She cast a side glance at both of them before fixing her eyes back on the ground. She bit her lip. Hard. She could feel the tears coming back.
"Thank you…" she whispered.
"C'mon, let's go."
With Miroku leading the way, they slowly made their way back to the village. Rei kept her eyes on her feet for the entire walk back. She knew that as soon as she looked up, the tears would start again. Their journey was a silent one, though she could feel the stares of the others on her. She could just see their faces, shadowed with worry and concern; a sight she didn't care to see. Instead, she slipped into her own thoughts. He beat me…No one has ever beaten me before…What is he?
"Sure took your time, didn't you?"
Rei's head snapped up in fury as she looked up to see the red-robed Inuyasha carelessly splayed along the branches of a tree. She cast a fierce glare in his direction, though it only made the half-demon's grin bigger.
"But that's what happens when you carry dead weight around. Such big words for such a puny woman, that was just about all she had." He laughed loudly. "I mean, it must be tough to carry around something full of so much sh-"
That was the last straw. Rei opened her mouth, tongue armed with the nastiest and foulest language she knew, but was beaten to the punch as Kagome dropped her arm and stepped forward, hands on her hips.
"SIT BOY."
What happened next, Rei could only classify it as divine providence. As soon as Kagome spoke those words, the rosary beads around Inuyasha's neck gave a bright glow and suddenly went heavy around his neck, sending him hurtling to the ground as if he had suddenly been squashed under the enormous weight of a boulder. He continued to sink deeper and deeper into the earth as Kagome fired off more 'Sit' commands before she gave a huff and returned to Rei's side, placing her arm back around her shoulders and pulling her forward.
Rei's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in awe, peeking into the Inuyasha-shaped crater as she was steered around it. She smiled at the absolute justice of the situation and quietly whispered down to him that she hoped he enjoyed the taste of dirt. Suddenly, she felt her back straighten a bit more. Perhaps this day wasn't so bad after all.
After that, the walk back to the village became incredibly easier, and soon Rei was able to walk by herself, completely unsupported as they entered the village limits. 'It's that demon blood,' Miroku had said once she was able to move easily. 'I always forget that you all heal so quickly.' Indeed, the cuts and bruises she had received from her fight with Inuyasha were nothing more than faint lines on her tanned skin. Even her poisoned chest, which he, interestingly enough, took great care not to injure, was nothing more than a dull ache now, a sting here and there.
They were greeted at the hut by the smiling faces of Kaede and Shippo, their arms full of herbs and poultices. The two of them hurried the others inside and sat Rei down in front of a fresh fire, busying themselves with her bandages. It didn't take them long to re-clean and bandage her injury, fussing over the rest of her upon seeing the already healing cuts and bruises from her battle.
"You could've held back a little, Inuyasha. You know she was already hurt!" The smaller fox demon squeaked.
Inuyasha plopped down on the tatami floor with a huff, crossing his arms in irritation. "Injured my ass, she was fine."
Rei's eyebrow arched slightly. "Oh, I believe that sounds like a compliment?"
He shrugged, glancing over at Kagome and tugging at his rosary. "Whatever."
"Even so…" Shippo muttered.
"Do not worry, little one," Rei smiled brightly, rubbing his fiery locks that matched her own. "I am all better. See?" She jumped to her feet and spun around for effect, wincing slightly as her chest throbbed. "And, thanks to your help, I believe I should be on my way now. I have depended on your kindness for far too long."
An explosion of displeasure erupted throughout the hut, as Kagome, Sango and Miroku shot to their feet and Shippo tugged at her borrowed kimono.
"W-What? But you're—"
"You can't, we—"
"Surely you should reconsider—"
"Noo!"
"Good riddance."
"Ahem."
Though light, the gentle noise was enough to silence the room as all eyes focused on Kaede. She stood and walked to a far off cupboard, rifling through it to bring out an armful of bottles. Each was full of a variety of herbs, liquids, and concoctions, all of which she set down in front of them.
"Kagome, your bag please?" She waited patiently as Kagome wasted no time and hurriedly procured a large yellow bag from a nearby cupboard and brought it to her. The old woman started to place each carefully inside, glancing over towards Rei. "I believe it is in your best interest if ye traveled with Kagome and the others. Despite your demonic blood, the poison still needs to be taken care of, and Kagome and Sango are very knowledgeable with what needs to be done. Ye are not yet fully healed, so I believe ye would be better off with protection. I'm sure ye would agree with me, correct?" She smiled as Rei grumbled softly, her face tinged with a light blush. "Inuyasha and Miroku will be most useful in that aspect."
"What about me?" Shippo complained.
"And, you too, Shippo. Of course I would not forget about you." Kaede smiled softly.
Rei shook her head hard, crossing her arms. "No. I cannot allow you to come with me. As I have said, I have relied on your kindness for too long, I cannot ask you to waste your time with such a simple task as accompanying me home."
This time, it was Miroku that stood, quickly moving over and kneeling in front of Rei once again. This time, his grip on her hand was tight.
"Please, Rei. Let us take you home, it's no trouble at all," He smiled up at her. "Besides, it wouldn't be very nice of us to just let you go on your own after all of the trouble Inuyasha caused. Let us make up for his stupidity."
"Hey! Now wait just a minute—"
"I agree!" Shippo interrupted, standing up and thumping his chest. "And I'll protect you, so there's no need to worry about stupid Inuyasha!"
"Shut it, runt!" Inuyasha swatted at the smaller fox demon, missing by inches, and glared as Shippo stuck his tongue out at him.
"Ah…B-But…" Rei stammered.
"C'mon, you wouldn't want to disappoint this face," Kagome picked up Shippo and held him in front of her. "Would you?"
Rei avoided direct eye contact with the devilishly adorable Shippo, feeling her resolve weaken as he used his best puppy eyes on her. After unsuccessfully avoiding his eyes, she finally sighed, her shoulders sinking in defeat.
"Fine…you all can come with me," The room erupted in cheers, though a small huff could be heard from a certain half-demon. "But only halfway! That is all, alright?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Alright, so it's been a while since I last posted...I've been busy. I've been working on this chapter for a while and finally got around to fine-tuning it. I'm actually pretty happy with how this worked out. So, yay! Hopefully I'll keep up with the flow, I've started to get back into writing and am working on a few other stories, one for Nanowrimo and going back to my HP fanfiction. We'll see how it goes.