Sorry everyone! Here we go again!!!
Chapter 18: Would the real Inu Yasha please stand up?
Legal: You know the drill. Tao, Momiji. They're mine. The others aren't.
"Existed first? Replacements?" Kouga was lost and Taomaru had to repress the blatant urge to throttle the wolf prince. In a clipped, annoyed-this-should-be-so-obvious voice, he explained about Kikyo and Kagome's connection to each other and to Inu Yasha. The wolf dog also explained about the Shikon Jewel and its origin and how it had reappeared in their world. Despite his irritation at himself, Sesshomaru learned a great deal about the girl in his arms and his twitching brother on the floor.
"If all that's true, then how can any of this be happening?" Kouga asked, his mind reeling with all the sudden info.
"Time does not always flow in a straight line." Momiji's voice startled them all as she reappeared. "Time will loop upon itself and form gateways or passages. Think of it as a river or stream; like both, time can form side passages along its path. Some of those paths snake away and form new rivers. Some travel on and feed other existing streams. Some will forge a path parallel to its source, have its own separate adventures and eventually rejoin the original river, bringing new things with its water."
They all stared at her, blinking. The ghost humphed, rolling her eyes and going to check on Inu Yasha. "If you didn't want the answer," she huffed. "You shouldn't have asked." She leaned over the rousing hanyou, checking on him. Sesshomaru looked at his recovering brother and held Kagome tighter. The youkai inhaled deeply, filling his nostrils with her delicate, gentle- His eyes widened and he looked sharply at the curled girl in his lap. Inwardly he groaned from sheer frustration. Why do these things always
happen to me?! He shifted Kagome as his mind wandered to other places, the movement making him more aware of her scent and Sesshomaru felt his body react instantly, wondering how the hell he had not noticed the delicious fragrance of fertility before.
He sighed and ground his teeth as more of her scent went into is lungs, making a growing problem worse. He curled his tail around his waist in an effort to buffer her abused body from any more inadvertent poking. A few feet away Kouga sniffed, noticing Kagome's scent as well. The wolf sighed deeply, reveling in feeling his own body react. The only one not bothered by the girl's potent scent was Taomaru who did not see Kagome as any kind of sexual object.
Unbeknownst to Kagome and everyone else until now, she was beginning her heat cycle and that only added to the tension and complexity of the mess they were all in. Sesshomaru wondered if Inu Yasha had known and got an inkling of a memory in response; when Inu Yasha had met her in her bedroom, dopey from her perfume, he had hugged her and inhaled deeply. The hanyou had known then that within the next week she would be irresistible to any one- the memory from Inu Yasha set Sesshomaru on edge.
"Gods," Inu Yasha's voice sounded strained as he sat up on the floor- as if his rousing were summoned by Sesshomaru's intrusion into the hanyou's memories. No one bothered to watch him except Momiji; an ear would be sufficient for everyone else to track the hanyou. The sounds of rummaging filled the silence that his waking had caused.
"What are you looking for?" Momiji asked politely, looking over the dark haired teen's shoulder. He was tearing into Kagome's traveling bag, scattering its contents on the floor.
"Food." Inu Yasha said, his voice a slight growl of annoyance as he dug. He found the timer and tossed it on the bed. A thermos of water and the hot plate followed it. The dreaded bottle of aspirin landed next to Sesshomaru, rattling innocently, as Inu Yasha dug further into the back pack. Kouga picked up the last and shook it, trying to open the childproof bottle. Chocolate bars flew through the air and Taomaru picked up two, offering one to Rin as he unwrapped one. Sesshomaru picked up a chocolate bar of his own, breaking it in half and offering some to Kagome. She shook her head, turning away and curling into a ball against his chest. The dog youkai felt alarmed and tried to coax her with a mental smile, a projection of warmth that he hoped would encourage her to eat. She shook her head again and he didn't press her further, silently telling Taomaru about it while he ate his half of the chocolate bar.
Kouga sniffed at one of the candies. "What is it?"
"It's good!" Rin said, half the bar smeared across her face and hands. A blue bronze eyed Taomaru smiled, finishing his own bar.
"Gotcha!" Inu Yasha crowed his victory, tossing the ramen cups on the bed and finally standing, now visible to all. He held Kagome's camping kettle in one hand, the other rubbing the side of his head while he yawned. He blinked when they all stared at him. The hanyou looked around and behind himself, trying to find the object of their curiosity. Inu Yasha twitched his tail in agitation while he glared back defiantly, his ears flattened back along his head while he started making dinner.
He filled the kettle, twisting open the thermos and purposely ignored them all. He filled the kettle, disappearing briefly as he set the portable heater to work warming the kettle. His dark hair began sliding forward and after a second of searching he tied it back with one of Kagome's hair ties. "What?" he demanded, standing up, setting the timer and taking the aspirin from Kouga. Inu Yasha opened the bottle easily, tossing two of the capsules in his mouth and chasing them down with a soda from Kagome's bag. The hanyou continued to sip his soda as he crossed his arms, his tail dancing behind him.
"Inu Yasha-sama?" Rin asked curiously, crawling across the bed toward him. He arched a brow at her but gave her a lopsided smile. His ears tracked Sesshomaru and Kouga while he bent down closer to the child. Rin touched one ear gently and he let her do it. The little girl pulled on the dark hair of his bangs and he made no move to stop her. She touched the stripes on his face, one under each eye, and again he let her explore. The hanyou grinned at her, tickling her face with his soft tail. She giggled, tugging on it. The timer went off, making everybody jump. Inu Yasha poured the warm water into the two ramen cups and reset the timer for them to cook accurately.
"What are you doing?" Rin asked watching him.
"Well," he replied, watching the clock impatiently and drinking the rest of his soda. "Since no one is telling me what's going on, I'm making some dinner for Kagome and me. I'm starving and have a killer headache." The timer beeped again and the hanyou pulled out some chopsticks, digging in greedily. "Sesshou, sit Kagome up and let her have some."
"I will not let her near that unless I know what it is." The pale youkai bristled, shocked and amazed at his brother's sudden transformation. Except for the furry white triangles twitching atop Inu Yasha's dark head, the hanyou looked like a full youkai- complete with stripes. Right now Inu Yasha was glaring at his brother, holding out the cup of noodles.
"Its food, you idiot," the hanyou rolled his eyes. "Kagome's hungry and this'll help." Sesshomaru still made no move to take the cup and Inu Yasha set it down on a bed stand nearby. He wolfed down the remainder of his own cup and set the trash aside. He jumped onto the bed, the movement graceful and quicker than he normally moved. He settled beside Sesshomaru unbothered by the menace radiating off the youkai. Using his newly acquired strength and speed, Inu Yasha took Kagome from Sesshomaru, pushing the latter away with the dark length of his tail.
"Hey Kago-chan." And he sat Kagome straddling his hips as he lay down. His tail buffered her seat and wrapped around her feet, her back resting against his legs. Kagome blinked down at Inu Yasha trying to figure out what had happened and who this was. Sesshomaru and Kouga made to pull the two apart and Taomaru stopped them with an outstretched hand blocking them. He shook his head wordlessly at them, bronze eye intent on the couple as Inu Yasha stretched for the food he had made Kagome. He offered her the cup and a pair of chopsticks to her and Kagome took both and began eating. Inu Yasha grinned at her, the same sexy smile she had long ago claimed possession of, and looked at the ceiling, his hands folded on his chest. His eyes drifted shut, but a claw tickling Kagome's foot let her know he was still awake.
"Inu Yasha?" I asked, just to make sure that he was okay. Truth be told, I had some reservations about the being I was sitting on top of. A claw ran its way up the sole of one of my bare feet. I twitched the foot away, suppressing the urge to jump in surprise- didn't want to spill soup all over either of us. I looked over at Sesshomaru and Taomaru, arching a brow. Sesshomaru remained impassive but watched Inu Yasha closely; Taomaru merely shrugged his shoulders, his arms supporting two little bodies. I blinked, my question written all over my face. I felt a tug on my sleeve and found Rin. She was sniffing at my soup and I guess I wasn't the only one who was hungry. I leaned over the bed, trying to find a spare pair of chopsticks.
"Here." With his eyes closed, Inu Yasha pulled a pair of unused chopsticks from his sleeve and held them up for me to take.
I took them and handed them to Rin, inviting her to share with me. "Thank you." I said sincerely. "Now, Inu Yasha-" He cut me off by holding up a finger and cracking a gold eye open.
"Eat first, Kago-chan. Ask after."
"Kago-chan?" Wow. I blinked, surprised after hearing the name. It had been so long since I had been called that; distantly a memory stirred. I took an experimental bite of the noodles, my brows drawn together as I considered the taste. There was a reason I didn't let Inu Yasha cook very often and not being familiar with the methods and equipment was only a part of it.
"Don't eat it Kagome if you don't want to." Kouga said. Oh yah; I'd forgotten the wolf prince was still in the room. I know he meant well but I had the feeling this conversation was going to get very personal and having Kouga in the room didn't help much.
"Why?" Rin said with her mouth full. "It's good. Sesshomaru-sama do you want some?" To encourage her lord she picked up a large amount in her chopsticks. I watched the youkai's brows pull together and knew he would refuse. "Please?" Rin tried again, this time with a note of pleading in her voice. I had to give the girl credit- Sesshomaru was her lord and master but damn if she couldn't manipulate him too. Her eyes shone with unshed tears and her bottom lip was thrust out, both sure signs she was about to cry.
Sesshomaru blinked, his eye brows raising high before he finally sighed in defeat. "I will sample a little." He stressed 'a little' and Rin obediently lessened the amount held between her chopsticks. The youkai didn't scoot over to us but rather leaned to his side with his arms crossed over his chest. The concentration was evident on Rin's face as she lifted the small mouthful from the cup and into Sesshomaru's mouth. He waited patiently and politely took the bite without spitting it out. The youkai ate it and then sat back as if nothing had happened.
When he didn't say anything, Rin began to fidget. "Was it good, Sesshomaru-sama?"
"It was not inedible." He replied and resumed watching Inu Yasha warily. Now, personally, I thought that was a pretty crummy thing to say but Rin looked as if she'd been given a new toy. She smiled wide enough to split her face and began eating the ramen with new fervor. I watched her as she ate happily and then finally shrugged- who was I to say what was a crappy compliment or not?
I ate bits and pieces but Rin was the one who polished off the cup. In the end I stopped holding it and simply let her take it- for some reason the food wasn't making me feel better. I poked the body below me and again an eye opened to regard me. "Okay, are you alright and which one are you?" When in doubt, be blunt. Both eyes opened and the hanyou smiled up at me. I didn't look but I knew everyone was watching me and the intensity of their staring made my skin itch.
A claw was held up and the hanyou moved his hand slowly. I didn't move but I heard a warning growl from Kouga and I knew Sesshomaru was bristling with alertness. It was comforting to know that they were ready to jump in and help me if need be but I knew Inu Yasha wouldn't hurt me, knew it like I knew the back of my hand. The hanyou poked me gently with that claw in the center of my chest, curling the pointy end of the digit away and then resting the knuckle against my bare skin. We kept eye contact the entire time.
Well now I knew who was in charge- though the tail should have tipped me off- and that was reassuring in a way; it was always nice to know who I was dealing with. "Are you alright?" I asked again as both eyes closed and he retracted his hand.
Inu Yasha swallowed and licked his lips before answering. "We are… readjusting to our body. It is slightly tiring."
"We?" Sesshomaru asked and the question was repeated by everyone.
"Inu Yasha's demon side is in control." I said softly, my eyes roving over his black hair and white ears. I ran a hand through the soft, luxurious fur of his tail, teasing the length of spine in the middle. Imagine the softest material known to man and you would have an inkling of how wonderful his fur felt against my skin.
Inu Yasha nodded, opening his eyes as he looked at the ceiling. "I am in control of us and my other half is not…pleased with the arrangement. We are also having difficulties with Tetsusaiga."
"Tetsusaiga?" Taomaru asked, his eye brow raised high and his eye lavender bronze.
"Where is the Fang?" Sesshomaru demanded. I wasn't sure if he was wanted to try and take possession of it again or if he was just making sure that Inu Yasha hadn't lost it.
Inu Yasha's brows raised and at last he looked at his brother thoughtfully, as if the hanyou was following my train of thought. "Tetsusaiga is inside us again, back where it was originally but not acting as it had." The hanyou's eyes closed again and looked back up at the ceiling. "The Fang is no longer my seal."
"Your seal?" I asked, starting to put things together but wanting to be sure I was on the right path. Inu Yasha nodded, swallowing again. Concerned, I asked if he was alright again.
"It is hard to concentrate with you so close." His eyes opened wide, locking with mine and he smiled at me, a tame variation of the sexy one he used only with me. He gripped my robe, pulling me gently but unstoppably forward and down. He wrapped his arms around me while he whispered in my ear. "You scent is enticing. It is later, you know." It took me a moment of remembering what he meant and when I finally did I blushed bright red.
~He tried for a kiss again, leaning forward and brushing his lips to mine. I moved my hands to his chest and held him away. "No, Inu-chan," I said firmly, shaking my head. "No, not now."
"Later?" He asked so plaintively it made my heart hurt- and flutter. He backed off, sitting back on his knees and looking up at me. His ears had drooped and I scratched behind them without thinking. I hugged him, and he hugged me back. I felt empty inside, the warmth from the kissing ebbing away. "Later, when everything is back to normal." He nuzzled the exposed skin near my collar bone.~
I sensed movement on the bed but couldn't see with my body pressed against Inu Yasha. I swallowed thickly as he buried his nose in my hair. "Things aren't back to normal yet." I said, my voice wavering while my heart rate sped up.
"This is as normal as it gets." He purred and started kissing my neck. I pushed upward, hoping to get out of range and to get off him. It was just too strange laying on him, too intimate with a crowd. I needed to get off of him anyway because straddling him was becoming uncomfortable if you know what I mean- if you don't, then you're too young to know anyway.
The hanyou found the love bite he had given me and took the skin between his sharp teeth. He didn't break the skin, just held it as he ran his tongue over it again and again. I froze, not wanting to provoke him, unsure of what he would do. I knew Inu Yasha wouldn't hurt me- even like this, I knew deep down that he wouldn't- but I didn't want anymore cuts. You smell so good, Kagome, his voice whispered in my head, feeling like a warm breath of air on sensitive skin. It was an odd description but more accurate than anything else. My skin prickled and the hair rose on my arms.
You taste so good. His tail snaked over me; wrapping around my body and pulling me back down against him. In one liquid movement, he rolled over and suddenly I was the one under him. I gasped in surprise and he lay full out on top of me; he didn't do anything except that, surprising me greatly. He nuzzled my neck and flexed his hands against my back, sighing contentedly as he got comfortable. "Tetsusaiga is no longer my seal." He said again and I felt his eyelashes brush my skin as he closed his eyes.
The rapid switch in conversation took my by surprise and for a moment my mind went blank. "Huh?"
"Tetsusaiga was my seal, designed to specifically keep me dormant inside Inu Yasha. Now that the dominance has shifted, the sword no longer seals me." God this duality was getting unnerving. So the sword was supposed to keep Inu Yasha's demon side sealed but I guess when the Tetsusaiga broke during a long ago battle, it could no longer do that. The sword was meant to protect Inu Yasha from himself and enemies but even when it was restored, the sword could no longer hold back the hanyou's demon side. That must be why Inu Yasha had been shifting so much; once out, his demon blood would not go back quietly-couldn't be restrained completely- and whenever a threat popped up, that side of him took over. But...
"Wait; Inu Yasha has been shifting back and forth a lot lately. More so than any other time against greater odds. Why is that?"
He sighed, cuddling me close. "Since I was awakened completely by you in the dream mesh, since I marked you and I made love to you, I will not go back into nothingness. I will not be sealed by a mere sword." As he spoke, he sounded more and more adamant about it and alarm stirred inside me. Inu Yasha seemed to sense it and ran his hands up and down my arms to sooth me. It worked and my eyelids fluttered. I blinked but couldn't keep them open. When I pried them open again, Inu Yasha had sat up and was holding me in his lap. From this position I could see everyone as they watched and I felt myself blush, hiding it by cuddling against the hanyou better.
"Oi, dog turd," growled Kouga, irritated at the way the couple were getting so damn cuddle. "Where did the tail and stripes come from?" The wolf prince was pretty damn angry- his power breathed through the room and made my skin prickle.
Inu Yasha frowned slightly as he looked up from me to look coolly back at Kouga. His tail wrapped around me, insulating me from Kouga's anger. "Where do you think wimpy wolf?" The hanyou's voice had a nasty bite to it and it made Kouga look at him in surprise. Inu Yasha ran a hand through his tail lightly and tapped his stripes, as if making sure they were really there. "I rather like having them back actually. It's very nice to be normal."
Kouga looked back extremely confused. He looked at the little Inu-chan and then at the older hanyou. They did look the same, the only difference being the color. "But you don't look like you did, your tail is black and so is your hair? What happened to the kid you to make you how you were?"
Inu Yasha just looked at Kouga with a very level gaze, unspoken volumes hanging in the air.
"The youkai half is dominant at the moment, that's what happened," I stated sleepily. I yawned tiredly and tried to make myself comfortable in the hanyou's arms. I pillowed my head with Inu Yasha's tail, the soft furry length also keeping my exposed skin warm.
Inu Yasha looked at his brother and asked, "Sesshou, where can Kago-chan to bed down for a long nap? She is beyond being exhausted and needs to rest for as long as possible. I don't want to have her woken up for anything short of a full fledged assault from the Dark Army." He looked down at me, and I frowned up at him. I tried to protest but my mouth wouldn't open. Another approach then.
I'm fine, now my mouth worked and I yawned into Inu's shoulder. Just give me a few minutes.
No. Inu Yasha shook his head at me, his jaw set in determined lines. You are going to sleep. As he stared down at me I noticed something, something so subtle I normal would have missed it. Inu Yasha's golden eyes weren't so gold anymore. If I hadn't been looking right up into them, I would have missed the blue flecks tinting the orbs.
I could sense Sesshomaru's confusion as to what was exactly going on with his brother, but he agreed with Inu Yasha's insistence that I rest. Damn, I wasn't getting out of this one but I was so comfortable that maybe sleeping would be a good idea. I had eaten, barely, but it was enough that I felt better, less weak. I heard Sesshomaru speaking, my eyes drifting shut of their own accord. Just for a few minutes. I murmured mentally and felt myself fall asleep.
Notes: …Well damn. Don't that just turn the tables a little? I made this one a little longer- had to to let everything make some sort of sense- so that should make some of you happy. Inu Yasha with dark hair but still with his demon powers- he and Sesshou will no longer be a matched set!
So, is this idea a little two far out there or has anyone else had any similar ideas? The continuation of the hanyou discussion and what happened between the two brothers will be dealt with in the next chapter so anyone who's interested, come on back for some more next week. On a brief note, Nat will you please email me? Telos, I got my phone fixed- you up for some chatting? ::grins::