Inu ½

Chapter 3

Kagome the Samaritan: Sesshomaru's Rescue

Kagome hummed to herself as she lugged her giant backpack toward the mini-shrine.

"Leaving already?" asked Sota as Kagome paused in the genkan to put her shoes on. He was holding a popsicle in one hand and his other hand was shoved in his pocket.

Kagome nodded. "Yup. I told Inu-Yasha that Id be back today and he gets kinda cranky if Im late." She slid into her loafers without much trouble and tried to hoist her massive bag onto her shoulders.

"Oh!" Sota held the popsicle in his mouth and went over to her to help lift the bag.

"Thanks," Kagome said as it was put in its proper place.

Sotas hand went to the popsicle and he removed it. "No problem, Sis."He looked a bit sheepish for a moment. "Um... Tell Inu-Yasha Hello for me."

Kagome eyed him. "Hes not a friend, you know."

Sota backed up. "I know, I know, but he watches out for you-- he doesnt have to ...."

Kagome scoffed inwardly, thinking, Yes, he does, Im his precious shard detector. But what came out of her mouth was, "I know. Ill tell him. Bye, bye, Sota!" she said as she skipped out the door.

Sota waved. "Tell mom and Gramps Ill be back after a while!"

Kagome jumped down the stairs and made her way to the shrine that housed the bone eaters well. He did protect her. Sota was right. And that last time, with the funky mask, hed actually been kind of heroic.

Maybe, she thought as she lifted her leg over the edge of the well. She sat down on it looking into the blackness. Maybe hes really not such a bad guy, she thought and with that, she shoved off into the well.

Or maybe I was wrong... she thought flatly as she emerged in the feudal era and saw Inu-Yaasha beating up a puppy.

"Inu-Yaasha! SIT!" she yelled as she hefted the backpack over the lip of the well and placed it on the ground. She scrambled out of the well and rushed over to the bloody broken mess of a dog that Inu-Yasha had been pummelling only moments before.

Inu-Yasha managed to get "Ka-Kagome..." out of her mouth as she was coming to grips with the fact that as much as "sit" hurt, "sit" with breasts (which were currently squished into the ground) hurt more.

"F- Frikkin moron!" she started to yell, which would have been the beginning of several minutes worth of swearing except that she realized that then Kagome might notice that fact that her voice was different and that would lead to the realization that something else was different...

So, the girl-type Inu-Yasha chose to keep her mouth shut and count her blessings that Kagome wouldnt find out.

Kagome leaned over the puppy on the ground. "Poor thing," she cooed almost in tears.

The puppy was about the size of a small cat. Its fur was snow white and curly around the ends with purple stripes on his face and legs. On his forehead he bore a purple cresant moon. His eyes, although they were threatening to close, were the same gold color as Inu-Yashas. Its white fur was streaked as discolored with blood.

The puppy growled at her threateningly as she tried to touch it and Kagome recalled that wounded animals get defensive but she couldnt bear to letthe poor thing sit there dieing. She looked at Inu-Yasha, who still had his face to the ground (he was avoiding looking up, afraid she would notice the change in him) and set her face in a determined frown.

"I dont know what the hell is the matter with you, but theres no excuse for this, " she hissed and ran to her bag looking for something to wrap the puppy in.

Inu-Yasha began to "explain" in his usual manner, forgetting his voice in his anger: "Stupid woman--you dont know--"

"SIT" she said flatly, not noticing anything except the infrequent whines of the puppy.

Kagome found a blanket within the bag and brought it out quickly and then proceeded to go back to the puppy.

Next to it, Inu-Yasha twitched spasmodically and although he was getting more pissed by the second, he had to console himself with the fact that if Kagome kept "sit"-ing him, shed never see him in this incredibly embarassing form.

The puppy growled at Kagome again and snapped at her, but soon found that this action caused it emense pain and resigned itself to being looked over by the human.

Kagome carefully wrapped the blanket around it and held it to her chest. She then rose and made her way back over to the well.

Kagome turned an icy eye to Inu-Yasha, who was beginning to lift his head. "Im going back home. Dont follow me."

She Wouldnt, he thought in alarm. Not with Sesshomaru!

"K-Kagome, ya moron!" he began yelling again in worry.

This time she noticed his voice, but was in no mood to care and uttering on last, "sit", she leapt into the well.

"B-BITCH!!!" he yelled as loud as he could.

Kagome held the little dog close to her chest and was careful not to hurt it. In Inu-Yashas defense, the pup was the spitting image of what she imagined Sesshomaru would have looked like as a puppy (not that shed ever imagined that...), but looking like the homicidal asshole wasnt a crime.

"Inu-Yasha..." she growled spitefully.

So that is why he allows himself to be led around by a mere human... thought Sesshomaru. Hed never seen the "sit" in action before and had been thoroughly surprised when it had happened. if he wasnt in so much pain, it would have been hilarious. And the well. Why had she jumped into the well? He didnt understand and thinking about it was giving him a minor headache.

As much as he hated to admit it, and he hated it very much, if the human hadnt shown up he probably would have died. He felt the jar of a landing as Kagome hit ground and yelped as his body was wracked with pain. He realized he might still die and his vision began to blur as he lay pressed against her, drifting off into a sleep and admitting to himself that she had a somewhat pleasant and comforting smell.

"Sota-a-a-a!!!!" she yelled in tears. The boy was just finishing his popsicle (it had only been a few minutes) and was still loitering around the genkan, debating about going outside when he heard the wail of his older sister.

.....Sis?... he thought, Shes back so soon...and her voice... its not right... She sounds worried...

He slid into his sandals and headed for the wellhouse.

The wellhouse was cooler than the rest of the courtyard and the house, too, and if it werent so darn creepy in there, it would have been a great place to spend time in the hazey heat of summer. He could see why Buyo was always sneaking in there.

He reached the wooden landing around the paraimeter and clomped down the wooden steps coming to a halt on the hard dirt floor. He leaned over the edge of the well half expecting to see Inu-Yasha draped over her shoulders and missing some limbs.

"Sis!" he got out between breaths. "Are you okay? Whats going on?"

"Take him!" she yelled holding up the bundle. "Carefull!"

Sota, not a little confused, grabbed the bundle in her outstretched arms.

"Op! Heavy," he whined as he took the dog.

Kagome began to climb up.

"What is it?" he asked, carefully lifting the edge of the blanket. "A dog?!?"he asked in surprise.

Kagome came over to the edge and motioned to have the dog given back to her. She nodded as Sota gently transferred the bundle back into her hands. "We have to take him to the vet."

"But hes not even our dog!" said Sota as Kagome began to run up the stairs and out the door.

Sota paused for a moment, thought and then ran after her calling, "Wait up, sis!"

He caught up with her as she reached the gates to the shrine and began to run alongside her. "Does...(huff) does Inu(huff) Yasha...know... you...came...back?..."

".....Inu-Yasha?" Her face hardened. "Hmph! I could care less if he knows or not," she said icily.

Yikes, thought Sota as they ran and he quickly made a mental note to avoid the topic of Inu-Yasha for a while.

"A few broken ribs, some contusions, possibly a concussion and his left front leg is broken. Theres a lot of swelling and quite a few nasty lacerations. they shouldnt need stitches, though. Did he get mauled by a wild animal?" asked the vet as he administered a painkiller to the dog which had recently begun to twitch and whine even in his sleep.

Kagome laughed nervously. "You could say that..." she said scratching her head.

Sota peeked over the table at the puppy. "But he should be okay, right?" asked the little boy, hopefully.

The veteranarian nodded. "Mm. Just try to keep him from moving around too much for a while. It shouldnt be too hard--hell be in a lot of pain. Make sure he eats and bring him back for a check-up in two weeks."

Kagome shook her head in agreement as did Sota, and the two of them bowed and said, "Thank you!" simultaneously and with equal enthusiasm and relief.

"Ive gone ahead and given him his first rabies vaccination was well." The vet picked a clip-board up from the table and tucked it under his arm. "Talk to Sakura at the front desk before you go and make an appointment for 2 weeks from now."

The two children nodded and Kagome gently slid the puppy off the table and into her arms.

Sesshomarus eyes opened slowly and he quickly blinked them shut again as they were assailed by an inordinantly bright light. His head exploded into a series of painfull firework-like burts and he growled menacingly.He opened them again slowly and found himself within the folds of a soft blanket. He was comfortable, despite being achy and having his offended ribs groan with pain at every breath. There was pressure on his leg and he tried to move to a position where he could see it, but found that it simply made him hurt more.

He stared angrily at the wall, defeated by this own body and growled in frustration. Even that hurt so, after a bit, he gave up and, for the first time, noticed that the room he was in wasnt normal.

Sesshomaru looked as best he could without moving. He was on a fabric covered platform or table of some sort and there was another table, this one made of wood, and a miniature throne across from it. On the table were books and a strange looking matal trough on a stick. He wondered if maybe it wasnt alive, as it had a vine growing out of the side of it. He tried to see where this vine led to, as he could see no dirt on the ground, just tatami mats, but he couldnt find it from the bed (for that was really where he was).

Next to the table and throne (desk and chair) was a strange, but recognizable vanity. This was a womans room. He knew that already because the cushiony surface he was residing on stank of the girl who had brought him there, but it was odd to see something familiar in the otherwise thoroughly foreign room.

Sesshomaru turned his eyes toward the ceiling, craning his neck the slightest bit, to see where the light was coming from. It certainly wasnt coming through the window, as he could see it was pitch black outside.

The source of the light turned out to be a strange rectangular box with a string hanging from it. It was casting off a rather even glow. He looked at it for quite a while.

Several feet from the end of the bed was a door. Sesshomaru noted this with mild interest (which is the most he is usually capable of mustering) and made a resolve ot use it as soon as he could walk again. It stood slightly ajar and he could hear the sounds of the houses residents, his sharp ears picking up four distinctly different voices, although he recognized only one.

That girl... he thought. Shes here... He tried to pick out her voice fromt he rest--hear what she was saying. It was a way to pass the time, at least.

Sesshomaru listened intently for a bit, noting that his hearing was not quite up to par, but still fair, and he heard a myriad of new sounds (although the shrine is quiet, its hard ot keep the sounds of the city from creeping in and each of them was new to Sesshomaru) but couldnt be distracted from his task of desiphering the girls voice from those of the other house inhabitants.

Quite suddenly, the door, which Sesshomaru had had his eyes fixed on, creaked ever so slightly and he lost his concentration in favor of the new and potentially more interesting situation that was developing. A brown fuzzy paw scrabbled under the door and widened the opening. It was withdrawn soon after and followed by a fur-covered muzzle. A tubby feline silently moved the door on its hinges until it could fit trough and then proceeded to sniff the air.

Sesshomaru tensed as he realized he would be at the creatures mercy and wondered why the addle-brained girl hadnt safe-garded against such a thing.

The cat waggled its rear a bit and then leapt onto the bed with a giant flop that sent a shockwave roilling through the mattress. Sesshomaru yelped in surprise and not a little bit o f pain as the sudden movement reached him. The large cat padded over to him and looked at his face.

Sesshomaru growled, showing his teeth, but the cat seemed unphased and flopped down beside him, shutting its eyes. It was sleeping and purring in seconds.

Sesshomaru stared at it, bewildered. The cat was stupid.

After he was thoroughly satisfied that the feline would leave him alone, he began to think back to what had happened.

Right after he had realized hed been hit by the magic water, a gamut of things had run through his head, not the least of which was the thought that he would soon be sporting a new pair of boobs just like his little brother. He had become incredibly surprized when he had begun to shrink.

Alarm had run through his brain as he had tried to figure out what was going on, when the whole world just sort of fell away and he found had himself inside the slippery silk of his kimono.

He had struggled to get out, nosing around, pushing here and there, and when he finally fought his way out, who should be staring at him but his brother, Inu-Yasha and she had promptly whacked him over the head with the flat side of the Tetsusaiga. It had still hurt and he had growled which resulted in yet another whack with the sword. For each time he growled, he was given a quick and hard, but not too hard, whack on the noggin. It might have ended there, with a few lumps and bruises and neither brother really hurt, but Sesshomaru bit Inu-Yasha-chan and she had proceeded to punch him for every bite he gave her. That is until he somehow managed to bite one of her newly acquired breasts.

Maybe it was the fact that her kimono had fallen partially open again, or the fact that they stuck out the farthest. Or maybe it had just been pure malice on the part of Sesshomaru, who had noted that they were probably very sensitive. In any case, after that Inu-Yasha-chan lost her already somewhat fragile temper and proceeded to beat the living daylights out of him. He didnt think Inu-Yasha had really meant to hurt him so badly. His brother was stupid that way. Soft. If Sesshomaru had had an opportunity to rid himself of someone that annoyed him, he would take it . Thats what set them apart. That and his belief that humans were worthless. He was slowly ammending that value, however.

Beside him the cat stretched and yawned. There were footsteps coming toward the room and the cat rose.

The black-haired girl yanked the door open with one hand. In her other hand was a two-trayed dish. "BUYO!" she hissed and the cat hopped off the bed and trotted to her legs which it rubbed its head against lovingly.

"Dont give me that," she said hottly. "You leave that poor puppy alone. He needs his rest."

the cat looked at her for a minute.

"Go on," she said and she tilted her head toward the door. Buyo padded out of the room and into the hallway. She slammed the door shut behind him.

Sesshomaru watched the girl. She was pretty, but he couldnt see anything special about her. His brother couldnt be that shallow, could he? This was definately the same insect he had seen him with when his arm had gotten cut off. Then again, they always seemed to be fighting, and when hed almost killed her, Inu-Yasha hadnt seemed too broken up about it.

Kagome set the dog-dish shed been carrying down on the bed before Sesshomarus nose. There was some kind of smelly square stuff in one tray and water in the other. Sesshomaru looked at it and then at the girl as if to say, Youre showing this to me, why exactly? Kagome faltered a bit and smiled. "Come on-- eat!" she said pushing it a little closer.

The proximity is not the problem!!! he wanted to scream. Sesshomaru turned his head away from the offending dish and Kagome let out a sigh. She held out her hand, fingers curled under a little and Sesshomaru sniffed it almost on reflex. She then moved the same hand gently onto this head and stroked his fur. This Sesshomaru responded to with a low growl and a look that said, If I could reach you, I would kill you. She paused for a moment but its hard to be intimidated by a puppy and she scratched behind his ears instead.

Sesshomaru responded in the previous manner for about a minute before the pain of growling got to him and then he lay silent, still bristling with anger that she dared to touch him.

It took all of ten minutes before he realized that it was rather soothing and that he actually enjoyed it. That was about the time she said, "What should we name you, hm?"

Sesshomaru opened his eyes slightly to look at her and then shut them again. It didnt matter what she named him--he would never respond to it.

"Somehting thatll really piss off that jerk, Inu-Yasha..." she said a little angrily, as she thought aloud. His eyes opened, suddenly interested.

"How bout... Sesshomaru? You look like him, you know," Kagome smiled sweetly and Sesshomaru felt his heart speed up a bit, which confused him thoroughly. Kagome laughed. "Naw. No way. I hate that guy." Sesshomaru tensed. "Hm... hm hm... it fits, though..." She shook her head. "NO. If theres anyone I hate more than that idiot Inu-Yasha, its his idiot half-brother." She had paused in her ear scratching momentarily.

"You do look like him , though..." she mused and began to scratch his head again. "Maru-chan..."

The fact that she hated him made him feel strange and he wondered what she would do if she found out who she was sharing her bed with. Realizing what he was thinking about made him angry. He shouldnt care whether she hated him or not.

"Whadda ya say, Maru-chan?" asked Kagome, thinking she was clever. Sesshomaru acknowledged her with a glance. She was scratching his head and it was having a sort of lucid effect on him. For tonight, he would rest and let her worry about names for him to ignore, and scratch his head. Tomorrow, he would start finding out how to regain his form and do imprtant things like eat and maybe kill something. Not neccessarily in that order. Hed be needing a way to work out his aggression, anyway.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes. If he hadnt have wanted the Tetsusaiga so badly (and a little revenge on his brother for humiliating him that last time and taking off his arm) this never would have happened. Had he not been injured severely, he would probably have gone off in determination seeking a way to remedy his plight, or at the very least he would have blaimed the whole incident on his brother and sworn to return and kill him. But, the fact remained that he had been injured, and badly, at that, and that put a large stopping block in the way of his quest to regain his form. It also afforded him time to think, and, right then, he was thinking that the whole thing was his fault.

He wasnt at the point of being all, "Hey, lets let bygones be bygones. Whadda ya say?", but he was at the very least a little regrettful and thought that maybe he could find something more pressing to deal with in the future than getting the Tetsusaiga all the time. He was, after all, a demon lord and his kingdom had been sorely neglected since he had started on his quest to get the Tetsusaiga. Maybe he could give harassing his brother a rest for a little while (Not that he had a choice. Lets face it-- a puppy isnt the most intimidating thing on the planet.).

He also wondered absently if Inu-Yasha could use the well as the girl had and suppposed that he could find out eventually. Hadnt the girl yelled for him not to follow her? That indicated that he could and maybe had frequently done just that. Sesshomaru wondered if he could, provided he could drag his broken puppy ass down there.

He decided to investigate it after he felt a bit better and drifted off to sleep yet again under Kagomes delicate fingers.

(Letters from the author have been moved to the end of each chapter to keep from disrupting the flow... I'm keeping them because they remind me of what I was doing at the time... I didn't have a live journal or a blog at the time which is where this superfluous crap would otherwise have ended up.)

Letter from the Author (Ill try to be brief!)

Hey- before this chapter gets underway, I thought Id fill you in a little--for one thing, my chapters are really short--this is because I want to get the story up as fast as possible and typing in little spurts helps. The other thing is that you may notice, even though the chapters are short, Im getting them up fairly quickly. This is because Ive already written about 50 pages of this thing by hand. translating it into type and continuing the story at the same time is a bit daunting so Im trying to get the whole thing on the computer so I can work ONLY on the comp. and get it done, hopefully, twice as fast. This is hard to do since I keep writing about 15 or so pages every day and getting further and further behind. Alas...

The other thing I wanted to say was that I mentioned a genkan. This is the place before you go into Japanese houses where you take your shoes off. There isnt really a translation for it, so Im using the real word.

Anyhoo, thank you for the support and I hope to have some more of the story up soon. Jya-ne!

Manekochan