Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I just write these for fun.
Author's Note: This is just a bit of fluff I wrote for a friend. Takes place a very long time before the beginning of the series.
**
Chapter Six: Wrap Her Up in a Package of Lies
The elderly couple, Hiroshi and Kokoro, which Inuyasha had spoken to about adopting Corin, lived on the edge of town in a respectable home. The man had once been a merchant and was not very wealthy, but he was well off. They would give Corin a good home.
Inuyasha carried her to their house on his back, giving her leg a chance to rest as much as possible.
"Welcome! Welcome," the old woman said when she saw them approach. "This must be your friend you told us about. Come inside." The lady of the house was in her late 50's with grey hair pulled into a tight bun. She was plump, always smiling and reminded Corin of her late grandmother.
"We're sorry to put you out like this. It's kind of you to let us stay here," Corin said graciously. Inuyasha had put her down and she leaned heavily on her crutch.
"Nonsense," Kokoro said. "It's no trouble at all. We're glad to have visitors. Please make yourselves comfortable. My husband is preparing a room for you and I've made some tea." Kokoro bustled out to get the refreshments she had prepared for her guests.
Corin sat down, grateful to have a place to rest tonight that wasn't outdoors. As much as she liked sleeping under the stars, it would be nice to have a real bed to sleep on for once. She looked around the large room, the door was open and she could see a modest but beautiful garden and pond outside. "They must be well off to have such a luxury," she said, more to herself than anyone. She didn't notice that Inuyasha had grown unusually quiet.
"They seem like nice people, don't they?" Corin asked him.
"Yeah. I guess so," his tone was a mixture of bitterness and sadness, with a hint of anger.
Though they hadn't traveled together for very long, Corin was learning to decipher Inuyasha's moods and find the difference in what he said and what he meant to say. In this case he was saying that they did seem like nice people, but he still couldn't afford to trust any humans.
"How long will we be staying here?" She asked. "I don't want to be a burden to them. I really just need a couple days until my leg heals a little more. This ointment the healer gave me has already made it feel much better. I'm sure I'll be able to walk on my own in no time. Then I won't slow you down so much." She smiled brightly at him.
"We'll stay as long as you need to," Inuyasha said. Inside, he felt terrible for deceiving her this way.
That night, Corin slept soundly, she wasn't cold anymore. The potion that the healer had given her was fighting the ice demon that was slowly taking over her body. This gave her hope. She knew what he had said, that it wouldn't save her, but she began to think that maybe she would have enough time to find a cure and that way she could always be with Inuyasha. This is what she dreamed in her comfortable sleep.
In the darkness, Inuyasha watched Corin sleep. She looked like a celestial creature come to earth. He skin was flushed silver from the light of the moon, and her long lashes cast shadows on her cheeks. He wanted to touch her face, to see if she was real, but he didn't move. He remained seated by the open door to her room. She'd asked him to leave it slightly open so she could fall sleep under the light of the full moon. Inuyasha leaned his back against the door and looked up at the sky. He wondered what Corin would do when she woke up some morning and he wasn't there.
Thankfully, he would never know. He planned to be far away before she realized that he was gone.
Several days passed at the merchant's house. Hiroshi and Kokoro doted on Corin as she healed, though she begged them not to. She tried to help around the house in payment for letting her and Inuyasha stay, but the couple wouldn't hear of it. So she spent her idle time sitting in the garden by the pond and talking to Inuyasha who could often be found relaxing in the tree that shadowed the little water garden.
"My leg seems much better today. I think I might be able to stop using my crutch soon. That healer is most amazing," Corin said. She was feeding the brightly colored koi that lived in the pond.
"Hmm," was Inuyasha's only reply.
Corin noticed that he seemed most distant lately. She wondered what could be troubling him. "Are you mad that we've taken so much time here? Are you very eager to see your friend we're going to see?"
"No, it's not that."
"I'm really sorry that I'm not well yet," she offered.
"Will you stop apologizing?" Inuyasha growled at her. "I keep tellin' ya it's not your fault. Why are you so nosy? Nothing's bothering me!" He jumped down from the tree and walked towards the garden gates. "I'm going for a walk."
"Oh," Corin exhaled. Something was definitely bothering Inuyasha, but he wouldn't tell her. "Maybe it's because we still don't know each other very well. I'll just leave him alone for awhile."