7 – How to keep a secret

Inuyasha had just returned back to Afterlife from his first few hours of work day as a dog, but he should be back in two or three hours, when Kagome and her mother would return from the pet shop. But one thing he had forgot about – how could he always be there? First, he should be there as her "angel" through the day... But what about her family? What would they think if the new family dog was gone all day, appearing at the same time when Kagome comes home from school? How could he explain the Afterlife-people where he spends all his time and almost never stays even for a little break?

He was screwed. He should have thought about this before getting mixed in this mess.

Well, Inuyasha decided to have a fast bowl of ramen with a few other hanyous in the dining hall's verandah. He just spun his chopsticks around the noodles without saying anything. Finally one hanyou girl with black hair turned towards him, looking worried.

"Are you alright, Inuyasha?" she asked. Now everyone turned towards the dog boy. He wasn't sure what to say.

"I...uh..."

"Having problems with protecting?" one hanyou boy asked. Inuyasha didn't want to talk about this with anyone else than Zaki.

"Maybe... you could put it that way... But... Ah, forget it."

Inuyasha was just on his way to the portal. He tried thinking all possible ways he could to manage living in the land of the living and the Afterlife at the same time without getting caught in neither.

He knew how to turn into his "angel" form, and how as a dog. He only needed to concentrate in the pulse in his chest and image himself as a dog. Otherwise he would turn an angel; the form he would spend most of his time, as Kagome's guardian angel.

Well, there he stood, on the huge roots of the Goshinboku, on the Higurashi shrine yard, in his dog form. He didn't really know what to do – until in just about a minute, he could smell Kagome. Oh shit! He was late!

Inuyasha started jogging towards the house's door and managed to scratch it few times. Then he could hear Kagome's call from her room's window:

"Inuyaa-shaa! Come here, boy! Inuyashaa! Where are you, Inuyashaa!"

Inuyasha quickly ran in front of the window, wagging his tail.

"Inuyasha!" Kagom shouted with a smile. "Come in!" she said and disappeared from the window. Inuyasha wasn't stupid – he knew she was going to come open the door for him. And so she did.

Kagome had started making her homework as Inuyasha laid on her bed.

"I was very worried about you", the girl said, not even raising her face from the books, concentrating on her studies. But suddenly Kagome closed her books and stretched a few times.

"Now, Inuyasha", she said, got up took her big yellow backpack from her closet, "I'll be going to the feudal era."

She packed her backpack heavily. After finishing her packing and saying goodbyes to her family, she walked to the small hut in the middle of their home yard. Inuyasha followed her faithfully. But then they got to the dried well. Kagome gave a sad look upon him.

"Inuyasha, stay", she said, pointing at the ground. The boy turned his ears back and bared his fangs a bit. Even being a dog, he hated being treated like a one.

Kagome's eyes widened. What? Well, he she didn't think about it more than that and said: "I will be back in... Well, it will take a maybe a day or two but... Mama will take care of you."

And so the girl jumped down the well, disappearing in a flash of light.

'You ain't gonna get rid of me this easy!' Inuyasha thought and followed his master by jumping down the well.

Kagome had just arrived on the bottom of the well, and just when she was about to start climbing up the ladder, lights shone again – it was Inuyasha.

"W-what the...?!"

Inuyasha looked around. He was there! And not as a spirit – but as a real dog!

'He is a white dog... He acts a bit grumpy sometimes... he can go through time...' Kagome thought by herself... But then he saw Inuyasha scratch his ear, get up and shake himself like a dog with his tongue out. No way. That was not Inuyasha. That's what her brain said. But her heart had started pounding stronger than normally when she reached out tothe dog and stroke it's neck. After she stopped, she sighed and shook her head.

But now, they both had to get out of of the well. Inuyasha couldn't climb up the ladder. Then Kagome got an idea!

"Inuyasha, come", she said and lift the dog on her back. "Don't let go. We'll be up the well in just a few seconds."

And so they climbed out of the well. Inuyasha looked all around. Even though he loved it back at the Afterlife with his parents, he was missing the 'real world' sometimes.

"Come, Inuyasha", Kagome said, petting her thigh. "I'll show you my friends!"

They walked the forest pathway towards Kaede's village. Inuyasha wagged his tail. Again, Kagome had her thoughts. And then...

"Kagomee!" shouted Shippo, who was sitting on the bench in front of Kaede's hut with Sango with her baby in her arms next to him. Sango's eyes widened when she saw the dog.

"A...a dog?" Sango said her eyes wide. "Where did you get that from?"

"I know", said Shippo. "He's an Inuyasha subsitute isn't he? You bought him from a dog-raiser!"

"N-no! He arrived under my window and..."

Miroku and Kaede walked out of the hut, summoned by Shippo's shout.

Miroku raised his eyebrow but didn't say anything, turning towards Kaede. The old lady walked to the dog.

"He is adorable", she said as she knelt down, starting to stroke him, smiling. Then she turned at Kagome.

"But, my child", the lady said, sad, "I understand ye want to replace Inuyasha, but he is dead. He is not a puppy that maybe wandered around the streets at 500 years after his home era."

"B-but-!" Kagome stammered.

"I'm not saying ye can't keep him", Kaede said, "but remember; this is not Inuyasha. This is a young male dog."

Inuyasha seemed a bit embarrassed of her saying he was a 'male' dog. That meant she had been looking between his legs.

Inuyasha turned his ears back.

"I think ya are right, Kagome", said Shippo, as they all had dinner in Kaede's hut. Even Inuyasha had his share. "He DOES feel like the real Inuyasha... A puppy-yasha."

Inuyasha growled, but concentrated on his soup bowl.

Night came, and everyone was about to go asleep. Mattresses were put on floor, one for everyone. Nowadays, as Miroku and Sango were married and even had a child, they were sleeping side by side. As Miroku had a woman he really loved nowadays, he wasn't lecherous anymore. No groping, no asking other women to 'bear his child'. Kirara wanted to give them some privacy – she didn't sleep beside Sango anymore. Nowadays she slept curled up a few feet from them on floor.

Kagome got on her mattress. She took a comfortable position and closed eyes for a few seconds... But saw Inuyasha sitting at the door, like a guardian dog. The girl smiled.

"Psst! Inuyasha!" she smiled and pet the floor as he heard her and turned towards her. "Come! Come to me!"

Inuyasha's ears pointed up, and after thinking for a few seconds, he walked to Kagome, curled up against her chest and closed his eyes.

"Good boy, Inuyasha!" Kagome whispered, wrapped her arm over him like a teddybear and smiled, closing her eyes.

But poor Shippo saw he had no place to go. He looked around like a lost child, when suddenly Kaede sat up and whispered:

"Come here, child."

Shippo smiled and tiptoed to the old woman. They cuddled together and fell asleep.

But even as perfect as this night was, Inuyasha couldn't sleep. Right after everyone else in the hut had fallen asleep, Inuyasha had to return to the Afterlife.

He was bit nervous about how would others react to him being in the world of the living almost all day.

Now he was on his way towards his family's room. He didn't answer the greetings he got on his way in the corridors. He was screwed. So so so screwed. He tried to make up excuses for his absence. He opened the door to his family room. Both his father and mother were in. Inutaisho was sitting behind Izayoi, massaging her shoulders. Inuyasha came in and sat down in front of his mother..

"Oh! We were getting so worried about you, honey!" Izayoi said and held her son's hands. "I know you want to give your loved one the best care, but you must not overdo it."

"But you're... not angry with me?" the boy asked quietly.

"Angry? For being hardworking? No, no", Inutaiso shook his head with a calm expression with a small smile and pet his son's back so hard the boy almost fell over.

It was late, but Inuyasha really needed to find Zaki. First, he had no idea where he could be. But he was sure he would find him from the dragon-temple.

And there he was – but not alone. With him there was a young adult man, maybe around 20. He was tall and the only way to tell that he was not human was that he had sharp blades of bones peeking out from the back of his hands and arms. Inuyasha knew who this person would be even without Zaki even had time to tell it.

"Hi, Inu", Zaki greeted, raising his hand. Inuyasha nodded. "This is my cousin, Ryouichi. He's a dragon hanyou just like me. He just came and I'm showing him around."

"Can I ask you how did'ya die? I mean, I died of illness..." Inuyasha mumbled.

"Yea, me too. I got leukemia, if you know what it is... What was your illness?"

Inuyasha just shrugged. "No idea. I just got something like a really bad flu or pneumonia of somethin', but then... things just got worse, I was freezing, couldn't breathe and I... I just passed out and woke up in here."

"That's how is always goes", Zaki nodded. "Dying always feels like passing out – no matter do you burn or drown, get poisoned or sick or, like, pierced by an axe."

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted. "I would have rather be pierced by an axe and have a fast death than be deadly sick for a month!"

A short moment of silcence.

"While, actually, I have had my stomach pierced without dying... So I know how painful it is to be deadly wounded..." Inuyasha said.

"Yes, well, that's how it goes. We all have our own ways of dying", Zaki said.

"How did you die?" Inuyasha asked, looking at Zaki.

"I was in the middlle of a huge fight and fell off a cliff. I didn't even reach the cliff's bottom before I woke up in here. BUT! Inuyasha, you must have had something else on your mind did you?"

"Yea, well... It's something I 'd prefer only you to hear."

Zaki looked at Inuyasha for a few seconds.

"Ryouichi, you stay here at the temple and wait a sec, I'll be back!"

Inuyasha and Zaki sure didn't go far, only behind the temple.

"Lemme guess", Zaki sighed. "Problems in the world of the living?"

Inuyasha nodded.

"Kinda. This might be a bit hard to believe but I managed to transform into a real dog."

"...No way!" Zaki said his eyes wide. "You're incredible! Only Very-Super-Hyper-Strong souls are able to do that and even they shouldn't! Th-they-! Hey!"

"Even the King told me my soul is very strong", Inuyasha said, maybe a bit proud. "But how can it be that You can't turn into a living being?"

"..." Zaki went quiet. "...Let's say I tried and... things didn't work out..."

Inuyasha knew he had said something he shouldn't have and laid his hand on his friend's shoulder. After a moment silence Zaki sighed and looked at Inuyasha.

"Okay now, let's stop this angsting. Tell me why you wanted to talk to me."

"This protege of mine can travel through time. She came from 500 years in the future, and only she and I can go through the well – the portal – to both eras. But there's absolutely no way I can be at two places at once! I must look after her as much as possible at school as an angel and after school, a dog... But her mother is home 24/7! What does she think that the family's new pet dog is gone always just as much as Kagome is? What can I do?"

A pretty long moment of silence. Zaki looked like he was thinking. Then:

"...I have an idea!"

Inuyasha pointed his ears towards his friend.

"Here goes: Add one more dimension to spend time in – look after your protege in your angel form normally, and when you want or it's possible, do it in your dog-form."

"But I can't spend all my time in the world of the living just switching forms-!"

"Let me finish", Zaki said, calm. "You will actually move to the feudal era. Make everyone think you 'spend your time in the woods' all day. All your feudal era friends will think that as a wild dog it is completely normal that you are on your way most of the time. Now, when Kagome will also get to understand you are in the feudal era, her mother wont be worried you being gone all day. It's simple – everyone thinks you are wandering out in woods, as you really are doing your guardian angel work. Of course, show up often in both eras, as a dog. Just hang out with your friends, but remember – if you need or just want to come here to the Afterlife for a break or somethin', make sure everyone thinks you are in the forest and not disappeared.

"Thank you so much, Zaki! You must be the Best friend I've had!" Inuyasha grinned, and they high fived. Zaki smiled, too.

It's not the first time this happens: a character I make up that first was nothing more than a name that arrived in the story, has started to become a character that I really start to like (for example from two older fics; Mitsuhiro and Reiki from "The Outsiders", and Kuromeru, Karasu, Yun and Hinote from "The Guardian Dog"). Now it's Zaki. He's wise and cunning, always ready to help his friends.

It might be my publishing will slow down a bit... Rewievs, they help meh!