Inu ½

Chapter 6

To Grandmother's House We Go: Sesshomaru

There were many strange things in the kitchen, Sesshomaru noted. The giant white box? What was that supposed to be? He stared at it from Kagome's side as she explained to her mother what was going on . Her mother was washing some vegetables and Sesshomaru turned his attention to her and the seemingly magical water spout that could be stopped with the turn of a knob. He shifted for a better view through the mesh at the end of his cloth prison, but her mother bent down to get a closer look at him as she dried her hands.

"Oh! He's cute," she cooed with the same enthusiasm as her daughter. "I could watch him for you, you know... If you take him back with you Inu-Yasha might get jealous," she teased with a smile.

Kagome turned red. "Stop it, Mom! It's not like that! Inu-Yasha's a big stubborn, chauvinistic jerk." She puffed up in frustration.

Her mother smiled gently and asked, "How long will you be?"

"10 MINUTES," she yelled as she hotly stormed out and right past her grandpa who said, "Well, good mor-.....ning.....Ka.....go........me..............?.................." and burst out into tears at her having ignored him.

Sesshomaru noted that old people in her world smelled the same as in his, much to his chagrin.

Kagome didn't afford him much time to look around as she bolted down the steps. It seemed the family owned a shrine. Over the tops of the surrounding trees Sesshomaru could see strange and enormous structures, which he guessed were buildings. The architecture was like none he'd ever seen and he became curious, but Kagome soon entered the well house and blocked them from view.

The well house was cool and smelled funny, like dirt and mildew, but Sesshomaru smelled other smells, too. The smell of Kagome was lingering about in the place as was the smell of the little boy, Sota, and the cat Buyo. The faint smell of her grandfather hung in the air along with the dissipating smell of osake and Kagome's blood. This he could barely smell and he wagered it would soon be gone.

And then there was another smell. A smell he well knew. It was obvious to him now that Inu-Yasha had gone through the well. Several times. In fact, he could say that his smell and Kagome's were the strongest in the place.

He tore his mind away from exploring the room with his senses and steeled himself for the journey through the well. He wasn't sure what to expect. The last time he hadn't been fully cognisent.

Kagome leapt into the well without much fanfare and no hesitation, making Sesshomaru wonder how many times shed done it in the past and he felt a tiny pang of something akin to anger, but a little different. He knew that feeling. It'd been absent in him for quite a while, but it was back, as plain as day. It was jealously-- the same feeling he'd felt when the half-breed had been born. The same feeling he'd felt when he found out his brother got the Tetsusaiga and he got the lame Tensaiga. But why would he be feeling it now? Perhaps being a puppy had softened his demonic heart or perhaps it was simply the way the girl looked at him--like she really cared about. Not only that, but cherished him. No one had looked at him like that.... not since......

.....not since.....

A young Inu-Yasha smiled sweetly at his older brother. The boy was only about 2 feet tall and looking quite funny in his kimono. It was a bit big for him and had a layer of dirt on it. This same dirt was on his face and he was proudly holding out to his brother some wild flowers with a clod of dirt attached to their roots.

Sesshomaru was in his early teens and looked down indignantly at the little white-haired brat and .... couldn't help but smile. Just a little, but that was all the tiny dog-demon had needed and he beamed back, positively glowing.

It had been so long ago that the two of them had been like real brothers. He had always resented him since the day he was born, but... the brat had won him over, eventually. The young Inu-Yasha had positively doted on Sesshomaru. He wondered bitterly if Inu-Yasha still remembered that.

Their fighting had begun as a way to make Inu-Yasha stronger, although he'd never told him. Sesshomaru had always been pushing the boy to the limits, and was surprise each time when the limits began to stretch farther and farther. Then one day, he realized that maybe he'd been pushing a little too hard--playing the game with a little bit of flippancy. He hadn't realized the boy took it so seriously until he realized Inu-Yasha had grown to hate him.

After that, it had been easy to forget that the man in front of him was the boy he had once loved and fighting became all that they knew. In the back of his mind, though, it was always there-- that fact that the person he had loved most, aside from his father, had grown to hate him--had in fact, abandoned him to a cruel world where no one and no thing saw him in the same light as that one small boy once had.

That had been the turning point. The point where Sesshomaru's grief became hate. The ungracious cur! How dare he hate him? He had only tried to make him strong enough to survive and what did he get in return? No thank yous and a nice lovely brawl every time they got together. Fine. He hoped their fights had hurt like hell, cutting deep into his soul-- not his body. That's where he had really wanted to wound him. He consoled himself with the fact that his brother was as lonely as he, possibly more so.

Until, that is, Kikyo, came along. She had ruined his carefully constructed revenge--had freed Inu-Yasha from his cage of loneliness-- or at least had been about to-- until she herself destroyed him.

And here he was with another human. His idiot brother would never learn. And not just any other human. If the rumors were true, then this girl was the reincarnation of his first mistake. That was why Sesshomaru hadn't hesitated to kill her in the race for the Tetsusaiga. He had wanted to hurt his brother profoundly, but it seemed the half-breed wasn't attached to her yet, and from the way she spoke, she wasn't attached to him either. That had been a bit of a disappointment. Still, words and actions could be false, as he well knew. That was why he was now jealous. And how did was he resurrected, anyway?... he thought. If he could have spoken he would have muttered it.

Kagome let out an, "oof!" as she came to land on the hard earth in the feudal era. She quickly thought to be a bit more careful with her noise. Her smell alone was usually more than enough to bring the dog-demon running. Sometimes she wondered if maybe he didn't simply sense her arrival, as he always seemed to be there waiting on her.

Here comes the hurricane... she thought as she gently lifted the bag with "Maru-chan" in it onto the lip of the well and clambered up. She looked over the edge only to see that her bag was no longer there.

Rage began to silently build and she grumbled, "He can't possibly be that childish--" but then she remembered a little conversation she'd had with him by the side of a stream---"I meant get out of those weird clothes and get back into your own weird kimono!" "Why? Because I look like Kikyo?" "Fu--there's no connection." He's like a middle schooler...

Kagome stared flatly out across the grass and scratched her head with a sigh as she imagined the contents of her bag strewn across his forest in impossible to retrieve places. She hitched up the bag with Maru-chan in it and began her walk to Kaede's village.

Sesshomaru noted silently that all evidence of the previous day's fight was gone and wondered if Inu-Yasha had actually had some sense for once. He looked out he mesh window of the carrier and registered the path they were taking in his mental file. It was strange. The well was the only thing that was the same in both worlds that he could see. But the world that Kagome lived in was so strange and different from his own. Maybe it was the distant future?

They neared a village and Sesshomaru thought it was the one they were looking for as people began to shout hello to the girl and make a fuss yelling "Good Morning!" and such.

"Good Morning!" Kagome would wave back, and her anger went away in the presence of the friendly villagers.

She finally came to a hut, a rather large one as far as huts go, and knocked lightly on the wall near the flap.

"Lady Kaede?" she asked as she pushed the flap aside and entered the hut. Kaede was asleep on a futon on the floor and grunted when Kagome spoke.

Sesshomaru tried not to breath. The smell of the old woman was strong to him and then there was the Inu-Yasha's smell, which was a few hours old, neither of which were very pleasant to his sensitive nose. He quickly regretted having come with Kagome.

Kaede sat up and stared at the pet carrier. "What is that?" she half mumbled in her old woman's voice.

Kagome unzipped the bag just enough for Sesshomaru's head to fit out and the puppy nosed his way toward the opening, hoping for some fresh air, or, at least, a better view.

Kaede's eyes went wide. That is the dog from the vision... and no doubt the one that Inu-Yasha is so worried about, she thought quietly.

The puppy looked at her intensely, sensing that she knew his secret and mentally dared her to reveal it.

But, Kaede let out a little chuckle and said, "Cute." If he could have reached her, he would have bitten her. The old woman groaned and rose off of the futon. She began tidying up, putting her bedding away on a palate of wood kept for just such a purpose. What was the girl thinking? Bringing Sesshomaru with her was foolhardy at best and just downright dangerous at worst. She obviously had no idea who he was. "What's his name?" asked the old woman, making small talk.

"Sesshomaru," said Kagome with only a little hesitation.

Kaede faltered as she put the futon away, composed herself and replied, "That's nice. Does he like it?"

Kagome scratched the mutt's head, noticing that he was a bit tense-looking. It didn't help any, but she didn't notice. "I call him Maru-chan for short."

Kaede had to suppress a laugh. "Oh?"

Kagome nodded. Sesshomaru gave up trying to intimidate the old woman and took to looking around the hut. After the embarrassment of his nickname being found out, there would be no greater shame.

(Or so he thought.)

"Anyway, have you seen the blockhead, lately?" asked Kagome.

"You mean Inu-Yasha? He dropped off your bag last night," said the old woman, hoping that Kagome wouldn't notice that she was currently piling a blanket on top of Sesshomaru's fur wrap and kimono in an attempt to hide it from her eyes.

Sesshomaru noticed, however, and became suspicious and wondered why the half-breed had salvaged his clothes and why the old woman was keeping his secret for him.

"R-Really...?" she asked, a little guiltily and feeling sorry that shed thought so ill of him. She hurried over to her bag, opened it up, checked the contents and found that, except for some tea and junk food, everything was there. Guilt tugged at her again. "Where did he go?" she asked.

The old woman shrugged. "He told me nothing." It wasn't easy to lie to Kagome, but the girl would never suspect it.

Sesshomaru, on the other hand bristled with anger, his eyes blazing. She was lying and he knew it.

"He only said he'd be back later and that it was none of our business."

Well, that did sound like something his brother would say. Maybe the old fool had her reasons.

"Mn..." Kagome looked a little disheartened as she closed the backpack and came back over to sit by the embers of the previous night's fire.

"He can be such a jerk," she vented. "If he thinks I'm going to be sitting here waiting for him to get back, he's out of his mind. I have a life, you know. I have school, and a nice--emphasis on NICE--guy who likes me," she said referencing, of course, Hojo. "Inu-Yasha keeps disrupting my life," she seethed.

Kaede smiled softly. But you keep coming back here, don't you? she wanted to say, but instead of inciting an argument, she chose to change the subject and turned the conversation on to lighter topics.

"Why did you bring Maru-chan with you?"

"Hm? Oh..." Kagome was snapped out of her little pit of hatred long enough to return to her former self. She thrust a thumb in the direction of the dog in question and said, "He wouldn't let me leave. I was afraid he hurt himself. He's supposed to stay still."

Kaede's eye brightened as she saw her chance to ensure her friend's safety. It'd probably get her killed later, but, she reasoned, shed had a long enough life already. " Moving too much, is he? I may be able to help you there. "Kaede turned toward a small table near the back of the hut, littered with objects and she riffled through them.

Sesshomaru didn't like the way things were going.

"Could you? That'd be great. If you've got some kinda herbs or something..."

Kaede turned around with a string of purple prayer beads in her hand and smiled.

Sesshomaru eyed the beads warily.

"That a bit of over-kill... don't you think?" asked Kagome a little unsurely. The old woman simply smiled again, cleared her throat and began a chant, during which two things occurred: the first being that the beads began to glow white. The second being that Sesshomaru realized where he'd seen a necklace like that before--on the neck of his brother.

He began to struggle, but within a matter of seconds, the beads were around his neck.

Kaede looked at him smugly and Kagome blinked in half-confusion, thinking maybe Kaede was getting a bit bead-happy.

"Stay?..." she said a little unsurely and the beads glowed again as Sesshomaru was forced to the floor, his head jerking through the zipper opening at lightening speed as he was rendered immobile.

He stared at the old woman, hatred burning in his eyes. Curse you, old hag... he thought with a low growl of contempt. The ground hadn't been very far from him, so it hadn't hurt much, but the thought of having been collared like his idiot brother, and by a human, no less, made him positively livid with anger. his pride had been taking a serious beating of late.

Kagome managed a smile, still thinking the necklace a bit cruel, but said, "Thank you. That'll help. I think."

"My pleasure," said the old woman with a smile. "Could you do me a favor, though? There's a stack of wood back behind the hut and I'm a bit tired today. Can you bring me in a rick?"

"Ah? Oh! Yeah, sure," Kagome nodded, happy to be of some use. She quickly disappeared out the hut flap.

Now they were alone. Sesshomaru growled at the old woman wanting very much to kill her. No. Torture her, then kill her.

Kaede looked at him. "You probably hate me right now," she said as she stared at him, "but I won't give you the chance to hurt Kagome. Those beads are for her safety, and right now, they're for your good as well. Like it or not, you're in no shape to be doing much of anything."

Sesshomaru growled back at her as menacingly as he could, but the old woman seemed to ignore it. She was used to the snarling fits of a certain half-demon.

Although, she reasoned, the puppy's gaze is a bit disconcerting.

Sesshomaru continued to growl, but broke it off when all the tensing made his leg hurt.

Kaede poked the embers in the fire pit with a stick.

"We're not sure yet if the transformation can be reversed or not, so just make the most of it while you can. You could have found a much worse master."

Master, Sesshomaru seethed at that. Beads or no beads, no human would ever be his master. Not even Kagome. He tried to stand up, but the spell on the beads was obviously strong and seemed to last a tad longer than the one on Inu-Yasha's beads and he wagered he'd just have to wait until it wore off.

"Okay..." stated Kagome as she came in the door carrying a rick of wood. "Where do you want it, Lady Kaede?"

"There is fine," she said pointing next to the doorway. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said as she placed the firewood on the ground and dusted off her hands.

She bent down in front of Sesshomaru, who was still mad enough to kill things with his glare, smiled and said, "Did you behave yourself?"

He looked at her, his anger dissolving into embarrassment. the old woman was just protecting her friend. He would still kill her later, but... he could see her point. After all, up until the day before, he'd no only been their enemy, but their worst enemy.

Had been their worst enemy? He shook his head in disbelief. He wasn't thinking clearly because of the new from, he tried to reason. As soon as he regained his old body, he'd have no trouble killing his ingrate half-brother, Inu-Moron, or the stubborn but sweet woman in front of him.

So why did he suddenly decide that he wasn't their enemy?

"Well, " said Kagome as she zipped up the bag. Oh, no! thought Shesshomaru realizing that his chances for escape were now exactly zilch. "I ought to get back now."

Kaede nodded in agreement. "I think that's a good idea."

Kagome went to the giant backpack and tried to get it onto her back with success. The tea Inu-Yashad drunk had lightened her load considerably.

With a little sigh she lifted the pet carrier over her shoulder and held the strap in place.

"I'll see you later," she said with a wave. "And thank you."

Kaede nodded a "you're welcome" and said, "Be careful."

Kagome made her way back to the well with Sesshomaru in tow. She slung her legs over the edge and sat on it for a moment, thinking.

"Inu-Yasha... where did he go?... We're always fighting, but he never runs off..." she sighed, wishing she could hold Maru-chan to help comfort her. She felt remotely bad. He says he hates me, so maybe he finally got a bit fed up and went to look for the shards himself... she sighed again, but realized what she was going on about, clapped her hands in front of her face and brought her customary stubbornness to the forefront.

"What am I thinking?!?" she ranted aloud. "Good riddance. Here's to havin a frikkin life again," she huffed, and with that, she shoved off into t he well.

Owari.

next: Chapter 7! Girl trouble?!? What's a half boy, half girl, half-human, half-wit, half-youkai to do? (Ask for directions, maybe?...)

Note from the author:

Today has been a fairly weird day so far, what with the power going out on me and me not having saved my new chapter yet, so I'm not gonna wax poet on this thing, as I've already typed on it for an hour and lost it. Anyhoo, you may have noticed that I Dont use spell check. That's cause I can't find it. The computer I'm on is all in kanji and what not and I Dont want to muddle around and try to find it cause my spelling isn't that bad. Least I hope not... Excuses, excuses, you say. (most of it is sheer carelessness and laziness on my part, but, that's a secret... ) Bottom line, please Dont rag on me about the spelling thing. I'm doing all that I can!!! (you should have seen how long it took me to find the quotation marks on this Japanese keyboard...aheh... )