Nauki yawned loudly as she squinted her eyes open. Out of curosity, she
sniffed the half-demon she had fallen asleep on. *He's still asleep.* She
moved some, lifting her body up as she peered down at him. Her long tresses
fell onto his cheeks.
Inu-Yasha moved his nose, sniffing. Someone was standing over him and
he was not ready to wake up yet. *Aw, I'm still tired. Whose standing over
me like that?* His cheeks began to itch. He scratched, moving his head a
bit.
*Come on, it's time to play. And, I think I'm hungry again.* Nauki
leaned down rubbing her nose against his. *Please get up.* She licked the
side of his mouth when he mrrphed at her.
Inu-Yasha opened his eyes, having forgot about Nauki. He looked at
her sleepily, stretching his arms over his head. "Nauki, it's too early to
get up." He turned over, throwing her on her side as he closed his eyes
again.
*Please?* She smiled at him, but realized he was asleep again. *O.k.,
I can go find my own food. Had to do it before when I was on punishment.*
Nauki got up slowly, testing her ankle. It was better today than it had
been the past few days that she had been at Kaede's hut.
She glanced behind her to see if Inu-Yasha was watching her, but he
wasn't. Nauki limped out of the hut. The sun that had came out from the
clouds was hurting her eyes. She rubbed them to make them feel better. *I
don't know what that bright thing is, but it hurts my eyes.*
Nauki sniffed the air. She smelled something in the forest way off.
*I hope it's food.* Her stomach growled a complaint.
She limped past a few of the villagers who were passing the hut. They
didn't bother to give her a second glance. Nauki carefully made her way
down the hill. She sniffed at the water that was formed in puddles down
from the rice fields.
After playing with the water, and seeing herself in it, she started
to go towards the forest. The row of dirt that she had to walk on was kind
of narrow. Nauki kept peeking over the edge, expecting something to jump
out at her.
When she came to the forest, she stopped, feeling as if she had been
there before. She knew she hadn't, but couldn't get over the feeling she
had had. Nauki walked further in, looking around seeing more of the trees,
as Kagome had called them. They were huge.
Nauki bent down examining the snow. It was cold around her toes. She
sniffed at it, wondering what it was. She guessed it was better here than
where she had been raised. The ground there was so ashy, and hard.
She sniffed the air again, trying to locate the smell she had picked
up. Nauki walked further in, passing bushes, twigs and other things. She
stopped in front of a large tree. It was strangely familiar to her.
Nauki walked up to it, touching it lightly. There were broken vines
around the bottom of it, as if something had been held here. She climbed
onto one of the vines. Arrows embedded into the tree caught her attention.
She cocked her head at them, not knowing what kind of weapons they were.
Hopping back down, she took one last glance at the tree before she
followed her nose again. She was led some distance from the tree to a bush.
There were red things growing on the bushes. She sniffed at them checking
to see if they were what she had smelled. They were.
*They must be edible.* Nauki started to pick the red weird shaped
things on the snow covered bushes. She put them in her torn rags. *He must
be up by now.*
Nauki made her way back to the tree with the arrows and vines, then
followed her nose again. She went past the bushes she had brushed up
against, and was led back to the hill.
She almost fell down the hill when she pressed on her hurt ankle.
*Ow.* Nauki decided to slide down the hill using her right foot to put
pressure on. When she made it to the bottom, she made her way back to the
dirt path she had crossed.
It was some time before she managed to make it back to Kaede's hut.
She was so tired. She had never walked that far in her life. There was
never anywhere to go where she had lived.
When she got back to the hut, she saw the half-demon outside looking
around. *What's he looking for?* When he caught sight of her, he scowled.
She stopped, wondering if he was going to punish her.
"Where have you been?! I've been worried sick!" Inu-Yasha walked up
to her, looking down at Nauki.
Nauki lowered her eyes, feeling like she was going to cry. She really
did like the half-demon and didn't want him mad at her. He had taken care
of her, and rescued her from certain death.
Inu-Yasha watched as Nauki closed her eyes, lowering her head. She
moved her hands slightly, spilling forth the red berries that she had found
in the forest. *She picked breakfast?* He was stunned. *Wait a minute,
those are poisionous!*
Nauki held back the tears. She wasn't even aware that her rags were
ruined by the juice. *I don't want him mad at me...* She covered her eyes,
not wanting him to see her on the edge of crying.
Inu-Yasha crouched in front of her, touching her face lightly. "I was
worried because something could have happened to you in the forest."
She looked at him slowly between her fingers.
"Nauki, come on, I'm not really mad. I promised Kagome that I would
watch over you, and I keep my promises."
She lowered her hands, sniffling a little. Nauki just looked back at
him, unsure about what to do.
Inu-Yasha noticed that her rags were ruined. "Aw, your clothes are
ruined." He touched the material, knowing the juice wasn't going to come
out. "We'll just have to make you some new clothes."
*Make me some clothes?* She didn't quite understand.
"Leave those there." He pointed. "They're poisionous. You didn't eat
any did you?"
Nauki shook her head.
Inu-Yasha turned his back towards Nauki. "Hop on, little one."
She put her hands on his back slowly. *I think he wants me to ride
his back.* Nauki hopped up carefully, holding on tight as he got up. *He
sure is tall.*
Inu-Yasha walked to the hut, going inside. He went into the room with
the fire. He felt someone tugging on his hair. "Huh? Oh yeah." He lowered
himself letting Nauki off.
She tilted her head at him.
Inu-Yasha retrieved a bowl that he had covered earlier. He took the
cloth off, and stuffed some dumplings into his mouth.
Nauki started to smile seeing the juice all over his mouth.
"W-What?" Inu-Yasha looked around. He didn't see anything behind him.
What was so funny?
Nauki got close to him. She licked the juice around his mouth. *It
tastes funny.*
Inu-Yasha blushed a little. *Something tells me she really likes me,
or it's pure innocence.*
After breakfast, he decided to approach Kaede who was working in the village. "Ye plan to make her a kimono, Inu-Yasha?" He knew he was going to get the heat from her. "Look, she ruined her clothes picking berries. Nauki needs a new kimono. She can't go around stark naked!" Kaede bent down to greet a small child. She smiled. "Me thinks ye are acting a bit like her father." She walked off some. Inu-Yasha stood with a dazed look on his face. *Her f-father?* "I'm not acting like anything, old woman! I promised Kagome I'd watch after her, and that's what I'm going to do." "Ye promised to watch over her, Inu-Yasha. Not take care of her. There's a difference." Inu-Yasha crossed his arms. "I don't need this!" "If ye want to get Nauki a new kimono, there is a tailor in a nearby village. Go see him. I can watch her if ye need me to." She looked behind her. Inu-Yasha was already gone.
When Kaede got back to her hut, Nauki was crying. She hobbled inside with her walking stick. "Nauki child, what ailes thee?" Nauki was sitting on her knees on the pallet that her and Inu-Yasha had slept on. Her head was held back, her mouth open, and tears were streaming down her face. She was half-way screaming, and half-way crying. Kaede sat down in front of the girl eyeing her curiously. "Nauki, what ailes thee child?" She bent down towards her. The tears coming from the girl's eyes baffled her. No one had been in the hut. She could not find out what was wrong. Nauki wanted him to come back. She liked him. *Is he mad at me?* She started to scream louder as she cried. Villagers from the area heard her crying, and were standing outside the hut. "What is going on in there," a man asked. "I think Lady Kaede is exercising a demon," said another woman. "It sounds like a child crying," an old woman said. "A child," a baffled woman asked. The old woman nodded. Kaede waited patiently for Nauki to stop crying. After a few minutes, she realized the girl was beyond tantrum mode. "Nauki, will you please tell old Kaede what is wrong?" Nauki shook her head, rubbing at her eyes as she continued to scream. *I want him to come back!* "Please, child. I cannot help ye if thee won't tell me." Kaede smiled at her a llittle, trying to look as pleasant as she could. Before she could ask again, Nauki started screaming, "P-Pa..pa" over and over. Kaede nodded slowly. "Who is your papa, child?" She had no idea who Nauki was really referring to. Nauki pointed out the door, her head turned as she scream-cried. "Papa! Papa!" She threw herself down on the pallet, covering her face when she realized the old woman didn't know who she was talking about. Muffled screams could still be heard. Kaede placed her hand on the child's head. "Calm yourself, my child. We will find him for you." Not believing her, Nauki scream-cried for three hours straight until Inu-Yasha came back.
When he was half a mile from the hut, Inu-Yasha could hear a child screaming. He hopped into one of the trees, sniffing the air. "Good grief, I don't know who her father is, but he's got to feel pretty lousy right about now." Inu-Yasha continued to hop and run the entire way to Kaede's hut. He found out that the closer he got, the closer the screaming was. The villagers scattered when he approached, watching him curiously from afar. "Stupid peasants." He made his way inside. What he saw confused him. The screaming child that he had heard from afar, was Nauki. He tilted his head, completely frozen as he watched her. "It is about time ye got back. She has been crying for ye since ye have left." Kaede got up, turning around to look at him. "M-Mee? But I'm not her father!" He pointed to himself with one nail.
"Tell that to that small child crying for ye, Inu-Yasha. Ye have been the one taking care of her, and she recognizies thee as thus." Kaede walked past him going outside. *Mee..? But, I don't understand. I haven't been around her that long for her to even consider calling me that.* It felt so strange for a child to be attached to him. He appraoched her carefully, setting down the green kimono he had gotten for her. She was still scream-crying as she sat on her rear, with her head back. Inu-Yasha couldn't believe the tears that were flowing down her face. *Aw, man, I didn't think leaving her for a short while would matter.* He sniffed her cautiously. Very slowly, he nudged her chin with his nose. "Nauki," he called her softly. Nauki continued to cry, but moved her head so she could look at him. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying. "Papa," she continued to cry, rubbing her burning eyes. Inu-Yasha bent down. He reached out, touching her eyes. "Hey, it's o.k. I'm right here, see?" The tears that were on her face were still hot. *Aw, I can't believe she likes me. Not even that much.* He wiped the tears from her face. When he saw her wanting to cry again, he licked around the edges of her eyes, coaxing her into staying calm. Nauki hiccuped. Inu-Yasha sat down in front of her. "I can't believe you were causing that much of a fuss." He glanced around making sure no one was watching them. He whistled sharply, waving for Nauki to come to him. She came faster than he anticipated. Nauki flew at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She dug her nails into his side Inu-Yasha looked down at her, feeling kind of moved. He wrapped his arms around her, nudging her forehead. "I didn't mean to leave you alone." She rubbed her face on his kimono, then sat up looking at him. Nauki looked down then back up. "Papa," she said softly. He touched her face with one of his claws. With a slightly confused, yet flattered expression, he asked her, "Why do you keep calling me that, little one?" Nauki closed her eyes, nudging his claw with her cheek. "Papa," she said again. *I want him to understand. He is my papa. I know he is.* She nudged again, whimpering slightly because she knew he wasn't going to understand. "I don't understand....why you keep calling me that. I don't have any kids, Nauki." He watched her, his heart going out to her. "I'm sorry." Nauki lowered her head in defeat. *He doesn't feel what I do when I'm around him. I'll just have to make him see that he is my papa.* Inu-Yasha watched as Nauki got off of him. She walked over to a corner of the room and sat down, her eyes staring off. He didn't understand what was making her so heartbroken. *I don't know what's wrong with me, either. I feel like this kid should be around me, needs to be around me. And the strange thing is, I want her to be around me.* He touched his chest, right over his heart, looking down as he felt something. *And I have yet to learn what this means.* He closed his eyes. It was almost the same feeling he got when Kagome had lifted the magic from the arrow that had been shot into his heart. Nauki turned around not wanting to look at him. *Why can't he see that he's my papa? How else could they have found me..? I can only call to whom I belong to...* She closed her eyes, her heart breaking. *I didn't ask to be taken from them..I'm not supposed to be around..* Inu-Yasha felt a deep sadness coming from Nauki. He didn't understand how he was able to feel her emotions. It totally baffled him. He picked up the kimono he had gotten for her. It looked just like his, except it was dark green. Tucking it under his arm, he crawled over to her as quietly as he could. Nauki didn't hear him coming. She felt someone scratching at her back lightly. She wouldn't turn around. Instead, she growled back. Inu-Yasha narrowed his eyes. *Did she just growl at me?* He laid the kimono down behind her. "Are you going to stop being mad at me?" Nauki shook her head. *Nope, sorry.* She crossed her arms, going into a fetal position. "Alright." He shrugged as he bent down towards her neck. Opening his mouth, he grabbed a hold of the scruff of her neck and pulled her back towards him, just like a wolf catching hold of its young. Nauki growled lightly as he pulled her. *What's he want now? I'm not through being mad!* Inu-Yasha kept pulling her backwards until she glanced at him. "Now are you going to stop," he asked through his teeth. He let go of her. Nauki got on all fours shaking her head like she had fallen into a large amount of water. She looked straight ahead as he stared at her. *Why does she remind me so much of a pup?* He sighed. *She's gonna need some work, crazy kid.* He leaned forward, nudging her right beside her ear. Nauki growled at him a little, but the more he kept nudging her, the less she growled. *I hate how he's able to make me stop being angry..* "Regardless of who you belong to, I like you, and that's all that matters for now." Inu-Yasha rubbed his nose against her skin. *He...likes me..?* Nauki turned around slightly looking at him. She grabbed his face, giving him a hard look. *I..don't understand you!* "If you can say "Papa", can you say anything else?" Inu-Yasha watched her look down sadly as she let go of his face. "Why is that the only word you can say, Nauki?" *Because you are the only one I was taken from. You're my papa..* She sighed again, not being able to explain it to him. "We'll just have to teach you some more words," he said watching her. He lifted her chin so she would look at him. "O.k.?" Nauki nodded slowly. "Hey, what have you two been up to?" Inu-Yasha turned his head to see Kagome standing behind him in the doorframe. "Hiya," he said. "You got her to come around?" Inu-Yasha nodded. "Can she talk?" "She can only say one word." "Aw, what word is that?" She walked over, bending down to look at Nauki. She smiled at her. "Papa." "Papa?" Maybe she's lost her father, or was taken away from him." She crouched down watching Nauki's reaction to her. The girl backed away some, not sure who this strange woman was. "She sure is scared of me." "Nah, she just doesn't know you yet, Kagome." He smiled at her, showing a bit of his fangs. Kagome noticed the dark green kimono sitting near Nauki. "Did you go and get that for her?" She winked at him. Inu-Yasha blushed slightly, scratching his head in embarassment. "Um, sort of," he said. "Aw, that's really sweet of you." Once she said that, it made him blush more. "I think you are getting attached to her, don't you think?" "Maybe," he said, scruffing Nauki's hair. The girl tilted her head at him. *Maybe? He told me he did like me...* She hmmphed at him, crossing her arms, turning her head a little. "What's wrong, Nauki," Kagome asked. "Don't you like the kimono Inu- Yasha got for you?" *What kimono?* She raised a brow, looking back at them. "She hasn't seen it yet," Inu-Yasha said. He picked up the kimono, showing it to Nauki. The girl tilted her head at him. She looked down at her rags. Then she noticed they were ruined. "It's going to replace what you have on. It'll keep you a lot warmer," Inu-Yasha told her. Nauki felt like she was glowing inside. *He got it for me..Me. He got it for me! Maybe he will realize that he's my papa.* She lifted her arms high over her head. *Change me.* Kagome pointed. "That's so cute! She wants you to put it on her." Inu-Yasha swallowed. "Uh..." Nauki started to shake her hands. *Change me!* "Nauki, I can't change you. See, um, adult guys don't change little girls, unless that guy is her parent." He tried to say it as careful as possible. She smiled at him, nodding her head quickly. *Exactly! So change me, papa!* "I don't think she understands," he said, closing his eyes. "I'll change her if you want me to," Kagome offered as she glanced at him. Nauki growled a defiance at that suggestion. She started snarling through her teeth sounding just like a dog. "Huh?" Kagome leaned back some with a surprised look on her face. "Inu..Yasha..?" He opened his eyes, raising a brow at Nauki. The girl had her eyes narrowed, and he swore that if she had long hair, it would have been raised on the back of her neck. "Nauki!" She immediatly stopped, shrinking back some. She looked up at him slowly. *Um....yes..?* "Stop growling at Kagome! She's not going to hurt you!" Kagome watched the girl move back some. "I think she feels threatened by me. She doesn't know me and all. I guess I would feel really weird if somebody came along trying to change me, and I didn't know her either." "That's not the point. She's never done that before, unless it was in play." "You've...been playing with her?" "Uh..." This time he was caught. Kagome moved closer to him. She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "That's so sweet. Maybe you are opening yourself more than you realize." Inu-Yasha blushed intensely. He loved Kagome, and she him, but he was still shy towards showing affection to her. Nauki raised a brow as she watched him. *He loves her.* Inu-Yasha smiled back at Kagome. He wrapped his arms around her waist, laying his head on her shoulder. "She's a cute kid. Kind of shy to people she doesn't know." Kagome wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his shoulder in return. "I wouldn't blame her. Look what she's been through." She closed her eyes remembering how weak Nauki had been when she first came around. Nauki was getting very jealous. She didn't like this deal where they were hugging and loving on each other, and she wasn't included. She crawled over to them. Looking very carefully, she saw an opening between them. *Hey,...I want some, too..* She managed to squeeze herself into the opening between Inu-Yasha and Kagome. Inu-Yasha and Kagome both felt something wriggling between them. They parted for a brief moment. Nauki popped her head up between them. *HI!* She smiled at both of them. Kagome got a strange look on her face. "I think she's jealous." "Nauki..." Nauki crossed her arms again. *Wait a minute...I hear something.* She put her head to Kagome's chest, right over her heart. "Inu-Yasha, what is she doing?" Kagome got kind of tense, not expecting that. *It sounds just like him...That heartbeat I heard in the forest, and in the dark world where I came from.* Inu-Yasha didn't budge, watching the little girl very solemnley. "Just be still, Kagome. I think she's figuring you out." Kagome nodded as Nauki kept listening. The child closed her eyes. *If it sounds like him, then..maybe I belong to her, too..* She looked up at Kagome with her sparkling purple eyes. Kagome was looking back at her oddly. When she saw that Nauki had a blank expression on her face, she relaxed immensley. Once she relaxed, Nauki gave her a good, wet lick right up her left cheek. Nauki sat back down between them, and raised her arms over her head again. She waved her hands around. *You can change me now!* Kagome sat completely still, staring past Inu-Yasha. "What..just happened?" "I have no idea, but I think she likes you now." "Apparently. She's a strange little girl," Kagome said. *Woman, are you going to change me, or not?* Nauki pulled on Kagome's hair. "Hey...!" *I can't exactly talk lady...I have to resort to the last measures I can take!* **************************************************************************** * Nauki hopped around in her new green kimono. She loved how it danced each time she touched the floor. She hopped on two legs, then on one. Soon she was hopping backwards and forwards enchanted by the cloth. "Inu-Yasha, the rosary is missing around your neck," Kagome gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. His hand went immediatly to his throat. "Huh?" "How can that be? Kaede put it there to.." She stopped. *Why..does he need it now..? He's not bad without it..is he?* "She put it there to keep me under control, is what you mean." He looked dead at her, afraid of what she was thinking. "Do you love me any less now that I can't be controlled without it?" His heart sank with the shocked look on Kagome's face. "How can you think that? Of course I love you!" "I can see it on your face, Kagome..You think that if the rosary is around my neck, that I will remain good and wholesome. While without it, I will turn evil and defial everything in my path." Kagome looked down, shame apparent on her face. "Inu..Yasha, I'm sorry.." "No, I know what you were thinking..I guess it all comes out, doesn't it?" Kagome looked at him hard, stern. "I love you for yourself! You were mean and selfish when I met you, but over time you changed!" He snuffed, turning around. He thought she loved him for himself, not for what she wanted him to be. While the two sat angry with one another, Nauki was still hopping around. She had forgotten that they were in the same room with her, lost in her own world. The girl waved her arms in front of her face, then suddenly started to twirl as she danced. Kagome felt tears coming to her eyes. She didn't want to lose Inu- Yasha over an arguement. She did love him. She wanted him to realize that. She just didn't understand how the rosary could have came off of his neck. Kaede was the one who put it there, and she thought, the old woman was the only one who could remove it. "Pa..pa..," Nauki called to Inu-Yasha, rubbing her eyes. Kagome turned her head to look at the girl. *She calls him "papa".* Inu-Yasha glanced at Nauki still mad with Kagome. "I told you I'm not your.." Nauki crawled into his lap, laying on her side. She rested her head on his leg, curling up. Yawning big, she closed her eyes, her small hand resting up under her chin. "You can't fight her. She really does love you, and so do I." Kagome looked at him sadly. "She...loves me..?" Inu-Yasha ran his fingers through the girl's hair. Nauki seemed to move her head back some, so he could have easier access. "Of course she does. I've seen the way she looks at you. You've been the main one taking care of her." "But...that doesn't mean anything," he said. "It does to a child. To her, you are the most wonderful thing she has ever expereienced. You are a hero to her, Inu-Yasha. Someone who is loving and kind..She doesn't see what you are on the outside..She looks past your figure and peers into your heart. You cannot hide yourself from her." "Kagome...um...if I tell you something..you have to listen, and can't judge me, o.k.?" Kagome nodded, knowing the fight between them was over. "Earlier today I could sense Nauki's feelings when she was mad with me. She was angry as a firecracker, and somewhat saddened because I wouldn't believe her." "Believe her about what?" "She kept calling me "Papa" over and over. She would give me a certain look, close her eyes, and nudge my hand while saying it over and over. I can't explain it..I felt something from her..Something deep within my heart. It was the same feeling I had when you lifted the arrow from my heart when I was stuck to the tree." Kagome crawled over to him, looking down at Nauki. "You think there's something about her?" "I know there's something about her. Kagome, I've interacted with Nauki in ways that I've never interacted with anyone, much less a child. She makes me feel complete, like the hole in my heart that Kikyo created, is gone.." She nodded slowly again, watching how entranced he was by the little girl lying in his lap, asleep. "I mean, Kaede's right. I've been watching over her, much like, a parent would. I've been feeding her, taking care of her... I played with her last night on the floor, and fell asleep with her. Heck, I even scolded her when she had gone off to the forest to pick berries..." "Maybe you feel responsible for her because she doesn't have any parents." "Might be, but I'm not sure. There's something about her. I feel like I need to be around her, I want her around, and she needs me in ways I can't explain." Nauki started to lightly scratch at his leg. "She's fast asleep now. She does that when she's completely gone," Inu-Yasha told Kagome. "She's a funny little thing. She wants to help me, and even likes me, for crying out loud." "You find that strange for a child to be attracted to you?" "I've never had it happen before. Remember when I had to forcefeed Nauki?" Kagome nodded. "Yeah, that was pretty scarey. I thought she was going to die overnight when I left." "Well, when she woke up, she wanted to feed me in the same demeanor. Strange as it was, I let her. I guess she thought she was repaying me. She couldn't understand that I wasn't sick." "Aw, she sounds really sweet. I hope she comes around to me soon." "She should. Nauki does like you. She just is cautious because she's only seen you once, and it wasn't for longer than a few hours." "I know. Have you given her a bath since she's been recovered?" "A bath?" "Well, yeah. She can't go around with dirt and muck on her. She'll get an infection." "Kagome, if you haven't noticed, it's snowing outside. If I put her in the river, she'll get even sicker." "No, no, no," Kagome waved her hands, shaking her head,"That's not what I mean. You can heat water, and put it in a tub. Bathe her in it." "Huh?" He tilted his head at her. "I'll show you tomorrow when I get out of school, o.k.?" Inu-Yasha nodded. "We aren't fighting anymore, are we?" "No..I just..wasn't sure if your feelings would change now that that stupid necklace is gone.." "Well, now you know." Kagome rubbed her nose against his cheek. Inu-Yasha leaned in, closing his eyes.
After breakfast, he decided to approach Kaede who was working in the village. "Ye plan to make her a kimono, Inu-Yasha?" He knew he was going to get the heat from her. "Look, she ruined her clothes picking berries. Nauki needs a new kimono. She can't go around stark naked!" Kaede bent down to greet a small child. She smiled. "Me thinks ye are acting a bit like her father." She walked off some. Inu-Yasha stood with a dazed look on his face. *Her f-father?* "I'm not acting like anything, old woman! I promised Kagome I'd watch after her, and that's what I'm going to do." "Ye promised to watch over her, Inu-Yasha. Not take care of her. There's a difference." Inu-Yasha crossed his arms. "I don't need this!" "If ye want to get Nauki a new kimono, there is a tailor in a nearby village. Go see him. I can watch her if ye need me to." She looked behind her. Inu-Yasha was already gone.
When Kaede got back to her hut, Nauki was crying. She hobbled inside with her walking stick. "Nauki child, what ailes thee?" Nauki was sitting on her knees on the pallet that her and Inu-Yasha had slept on. Her head was held back, her mouth open, and tears were streaming down her face. She was half-way screaming, and half-way crying. Kaede sat down in front of the girl eyeing her curiously. "Nauki, what ailes thee child?" She bent down towards her. The tears coming from the girl's eyes baffled her. No one had been in the hut. She could not find out what was wrong. Nauki wanted him to come back. She liked him. *Is he mad at me?* She started to scream louder as she cried. Villagers from the area heard her crying, and were standing outside the hut. "What is going on in there," a man asked. "I think Lady Kaede is exercising a demon," said another woman. "It sounds like a child crying," an old woman said. "A child," a baffled woman asked. The old woman nodded. Kaede waited patiently for Nauki to stop crying. After a few minutes, she realized the girl was beyond tantrum mode. "Nauki, will you please tell old Kaede what is wrong?" Nauki shook her head, rubbing at her eyes as she continued to scream. *I want him to come back!* "Please, child. I cannot help ye if thee won't tell me." Kaede smiled at her a llittle, trying to look as pleasant as she could. Before she could ask again, Nauki started screaming, "P-Pa..pa" over and over. Kaede nodded slowly. "Who is your papa, child?" She had no idea who Nauki was really referring to. Nauki pointed out the door, her head turned as she scream-cried. "Papa! Papa!" She threw herself down on the pallet, covering her face when she realized the old woman didn't know who she was talking about. Muffled screams could still be heard. Kaede placed her hand on the child's head. "Calm yourself, my child. We will find him for you." Not believing her, Nauki scream-cried for three hours straight until Inu-Yasha came back.
When he was half a mile from the hut, Inu-Yasha could hear a child screaming. He hopped into one of the trees, sniffing the air. "Good grief, I don't know who her father is, but he's got to feel pretty lousy right about now." Inu-Yasha continued to hop and run the entire way to Kaede's hut. He found out that the closer he got, the closer the screaming was. The villagers scattered when he approached, watching him curiously from afar. "Stupid peasants." He made his way inside. What he saw confused him. The screaming child that he had heard from afar, was Nauki. He tilted his head, completely frozen as he watched her. "It is about time ye got back. She has been crying for ye since ye have left." Kaede got up, turning around to look at him. "M-Mee? But I'm not her father!" He pointed to himself with one nail.
"Tell that to that small child crying for ye, Inu-Yasha. Ye have been the one taking care of her, and she recognizies thee as thus." Kaede walked past him going outside. *Mee..? But, I don't understand. I haven't been around her that long for her to even consider calling me that.* It felt so strange for a child to be attached to him. He appraoched her carefully, setting down the green kimono he had gotten for her. She was still scream-crying as she sat on her rear, with her head back. Inu-Yasha couldn't believe the tears that were flowing down her face. *Aw, man, I didn't think leaving her for a short while would matter.* He sniffed her cautiously. Very slowly, he nudged her chin with his nose. "Nauki," he called her softly. Nauki continued to cry, but moved her head so she could look at him. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying. "Papa," she continued to cry, rubbing her burning eyes. Inu-Yasha bent down. He reached out, touching her eyes. "Hey, it's o.k. I'm right here, see?" The tears that were on her face were still hot. *Aw, I can't believe she likes me. Not even that much.* He wiped the tears from her face. When he saw her wanting to cry again, he licked around the edges of her eyes, coaxing her into staying calm. Nauki hiccuped. Inu-Yasha sat down in front of her. "I can't believe you were causing that much of a fuss." He glanced around making sure no one was watching them. He whistled sharply, waving for Nauki to come to him. She came faster than he anticipated. Nauki flew at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She dug her nails into his side Inu-Yasha looked down at her, feeling kind of moved. He wrapped his arms around her, nudging her forehead. "I didn't mean to leave you alone." She rubbed her face on his kimono, then sat up looking at him. Nauki looked down then back up. "Papa," she said softly. He touched her face with one of his claws. With a slightly confused, yet flattered expression, he asked her, "Why do you keep calling me that, little one?" Nauki closed her eyes, nudging his claw with her cheek. "Papa," she said again. *I want him to understand. He is my papa. I know he is.* She nudged again, whimpering slightly because she knew he wasn't going to understand. "I don't understand....why you keep calling me that. I don't have any kids, Nauki." He watched her, his heart going out to her. "I'm sorry." Nauki lowered her head in defeat. *He doesn't feel what I do when I'm around him. I'll just have to make him see that he is my papa.* Inu-Yasha watched as Nauki got off of him. She walked over to a corner of the room and sat down, her eyes staring off. He didn't understand what was making her so heartbroken. *I don't know what's wrong with me, either. I feel like this kid should be around me, needs to be around me. And the strange thing is, I want her to be around me.* He touched his chest, right over his heart, looking down as he felt something. *And I have yet to learn what this means.* He closed his eyes. It was almost the same feeling he got when Kagome had lifted the magic from the arrow that had been shot into his heart. Nauki turned around not wanting to look at him. *Why can't he see that he's my papa? How else could they have found me..? I can only call to whom I belong to...* She closed her eyes, her heart breaking. *I didn't ask to be taken from them..I'm not supposed to be around..* Inu-Yasha felt a deep sadness coming from Nauki. He didn't understand how he was able to feel her emotions. It totally baffled him. He picked up the kimono he had gotten for her. It looked just like his, except it was dark green. Tucking it under his arm, he crawled over to her as quietly as he could. Nauki didn't hear him coming. She felt someone scratching at her back lightly. She wouldn't turn around. Instead, she growled back. Inu-Yasha narrowed his eyes. *Did she just growl at me?* He laid the kimono down behind her. "Are you going to stop being mad at me?" Nauki shook her head. *Nope, sorry.* She crossed her arms, going into a fetal position. "Alright." He shrugged as he bent down towards her neck. Opening his mouth, he grabbed a hold of the scruff of her neck and pulled her back towards him, just like a wolf catching hold of its young. Nauki growled lightly as he pulled her. *What's he want now? I'm not through being mad!* Inu-Yasha kept pulling her backwards until she glanced at him. "Now are you going to stop," he asked through his teeth. He let go of her. Nauki got on all fours shaking her head like she had fallen into a large amount of water. She looked straight ahead as he stared at her. *Why does she remind me so much of a pup?* He sighed. *She's gonna need some work, crazy kid.* He leaned forward, nudging her right beside her ear. Nauki growled at him a little, but the more he kept nudging her, the less she growled. *I hate how he's able to make me stop being angry..* "Regardless of who you belong to, I like you, and that's all that matters for now." Inu-Yasha rubbed his nose against her skin. *He...likes me..?* Nauki turned around slightly looking at him. She grabbed his face, giving him a hard look. *I..don't understand you!* "If you can say "Papa", can you say anything else?" Inu-Yasha watched her look down sadly as she let go of his face. "Why is that the only word you can say, Nauki?" *Because you are the only one I was taken from. You're my papa..* She sighed again, not being able to explain it to him. "We'll just have to teach you some more words," he said watching her. He lifted her chin so she would look at him. "O.k.?" Nauki nodded slowly. "Hey, what have you two been up to?" Inu-Yasha turned his head to see Kagome standing behind him in the doorframe. "Hiya," he said. "You got her to come around?" Inu-Yasha nodded. "Can she talk?" "She can only say one word." "Aw, what word is that?" She walked over, bending down to look at Nauki. She smiled at her. "Papa." "Papa?" Maybe she's lost her father, or was taken away from him." She crouched down watching Nauki's reaction to her. The girl backed away some, not sure who this strange woman was. "She sure is scared of me." "Nah, she just doesn't know you yet, Kagome." He smiled at her, showing a bit of his fangs. Kagome noticed the dark green kimono sitting near Nauki. "Did you go and get that for her?" She winked at him. Inu-Yasha blushed slightly, scratching his head in embarassment. "Um, sort of," he said. "Aw, that's really sweet of you." Once she said that, it made him blush more. "I think you are getting attached to her, don't you think?" "Maybe," he said, scruffing Nauki's hair. The girl tilted her head at him. *Maybe? He told me he did like me...* She hmmphed at him, crossing her arms, turning her head a little. "What's wrong, Nauki," Kagome asked. "Don't you like the kimono Inu- Yasha got for you?" *What kimono?* She raised a brow, looking back at them. "She hasn't seen it yet," Inu-Yasha said. He picked up the kimono, showing it to Nauki. The girl tilted her head at him. She looked down at her rags. Then she noticed they were ruined. "It's going to replace what you have on. It'll keep you a lot warmer," Inu-Yasha told her. Nauki felt like she was glowing inside. *He got it for me..Me. He got it for me! Maybe he will realize that he's my papa.* She lifted her arms high over her head. *Change me.* Kagome pointed. "That's so cute! She wants you to put it on her." Inu-Yasha swallowed. "Uh..." Nauki started to shake her hands. *Change me!* "Nauki, I can't change you. See, um, adult guys don't change little girls, unless that guy is her parent." He tried to say it as careful as possible. She smiled at him, nodding her head quickly. *Exactly! So change me, papa!* "I don't think she understands," he said, closing his eyes. "I'll change her if you want me to," Kagome offered as she glanced at him. Nauki growled a defiance at that suggestion. She started snarling through her teeth sounding just like a dog. "Huh?" Kagome leaned back some with a surprised look on her face. "Inu..Yasha..?" He opened his eyes, raising a brow at Nauki. The girl had her eyes narrowed, and he swore that if she had long hair, it would have been raised on the back of her neck. "Nauki!" She immediatly stopped, shrinking back some. She looked up at him slowly. *Um....yes..?* "Stop growling at Kagome! She's not going to hurt you!" Kagome watched the girl move back some. "I think she feels threatened by me. She doesn't know me and all. I guess I would feel really weird if somebody came along trying to change me, and I didn't know her either." "That's not the point. She's never done that before, unless it was in play." "You've...been playing with her?" "Uh..." This time he was caught. Kagome moved closer to him. She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "That's so sweet. Maybe you are opening yourself more than you realize." Inu-Yasha blushed intensely. He loved Kagome, and she him, but he was still shy towards showing affection to her. Nauki raised a brow as she watched him. *He loves her.* Inu-Yasha smiled back at Kagome. He wrapped his arms around her waist, laying his head on her shoulder. "She's a cute kid. Kind of shy to people she doesn't know." Kagome wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his shoulder in return. "I wouldn't blame her. Look what she's been through." She closed her eyes remembering how weak Nauki had been when she first came around. Nauki was getting very jealous. She didn't like this deal where they were hugging and loving on each other, and she wasn't included. She crawled over to them. Looking very carefully, she saw an opening between them. *Hey,...I want some, too..* She managed to squeeze herself into the opening between Inu-Yasha and Kagome. Inu-Yasha and Kagome both felt something wriggling between them. They parted for a brief moment. Nauki popped her head up between them. *HI!* She smiled at both of them. Kagome got a strange look on her face. "I think she's jealous." "Nauki..." Nauki crossed her arms again. *Wait a minute...I hear something.* She put her head to Kagome's chest, right over her heart. "Inu-Yasha, what is she doing?" Kagome got kind of tense, not expecting that. *It sounds just like him...That heartbeat I heard in the forest, and in the dark world where I came from.* Inu-Yasha didn't budge, watching the little girl very solemnley. "Just be still, Kagome. I think she's figuring you out." Kagome nodded as Nauki kept listening. The child closed her eyes. *If it sounds like him, then..maybe I belong to her, too..* She looked up at Kagome with her sparkling purple eyes. Kagome was looking back at her oddly. When she saw that Nauki had a blank expression on her face, she relaxed immensley. Once she relaxed, Nauki gave her a good, wet lick right up her left cheek. Nauki sat back down between them, and raised her arms over her head again. She waved her hands around. *You can change me now!* Kagome sat completely still, staring past Inu-Yasha. "What..just happened?" "I have no idea, but I think she likes you now." "Apparently. She's a strange little girl," Kagome said. *Woman, are you going to change me, or not?* Nauki pulled on Kagome's hair. "Hey...!" *I can't exactly talk lady...I have to resort to the last measures I can take!* **************************************************************************** * Nauki hopped around in her new green kimono. She loved how it danced each time she touched the floor. She hopped on two legs, then on one. Soon she was hopping backwards and forwards enchanted by the cloth. "Inu-Yasha, the rosary is missing around your neck," Kagome gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. His hand went immediatly to his throat. "Huh?" "How can that be? Kaede put it there to.." She stopped. *Why..does he need it now..? He's not bad without it..is he?* "She put it there to keep me under control, is what you mean." He looked dead at her, afraid of what she was thinking. "Do you love me any less now that I can't be controlled without it?" His heart sank with the shocked look on Kagome's face. "How can you think that? Of course I love you!" "I can see it on your face, Kagome..You think that if the rosary is around my neck, that I will remain good and wholesome. While without it, I will turn evil and defial everything in my path." Kagome looked down, shame apparent on her face. "Inu..Yasha, I'm sorry.." "No, I know what you were thinking..I guess it all comes out, doesn't it?" Kagome looked at him hard, stern. "I love you for yourself! You were mean and selfish when I met you, but over time you changed!" He snuffed, turning around. He thought she loved him for himself, not for what she wanted him to be. While the two sat angry with one another, Nauki was still hopping around. She had forgotten that they were in the same room with her, lost in her own world. The girl waved her arms in front of her face, then suddenly started to twirl as she danced. Kagome felt tears coming to her eyes. She didn't want to lose Inu- Yasha over an arguement. She did love him. She wanted him to realize that. She just didn't understand how the rosary could have came off of his neck. Kaede was the one who put it there, and she thought, the old woman was the only one who could remove it. "Pa..pa..," Nauki called to Inu-Yasha, rubbing her eyes. Kagome turned her head to look at the girl. *She calls him "papa".* Inu-Yasha glanced at Nauki still mad with Kagome. "I told you I'm not your.." Nauki crawled into his lap, laying on her side. She rested her head on his leg, curling up. Yawning big, she closed her eyes, her small hand resting up under her chin. "You can't fight her. She really does love you, and so do I." Kagome looked at him sadly. "She...loves me..?" Inu-Yasha ran his fingers through the girl's hair. Nauki seemed to move her head back some, so he could have easier access. "Of course she does. I've seen the way she looks at you. You've been the main one taking care of her." "But...that doesn't mean anything," he said. "It does to a child. To her, you are the most wonderful thing she has ever expereienced. You are a hero to her, Inu-Yasha. Someone who is loving and kind..She doesn't see what you are on the outside..She looks past your figure and peers into your heart. You cannot hide yourself from her." "Kagome...um...if I tell you something..you have to listen, and can't judge me, o.k.?" Kagome nodded, knowing the fight between them was over. "Earlier today I could sense Nauki's feelings when she was mad with me. She was angry as a firecracker, and somewhat saddened because I wouldn't believe her." "Believe her about what?" "She kept calling me "Papa" over and over. She would give me a certain look, close her eyes, and nudge my hand while saying it over and over. I can't explain it..I felt something from her..Something deep within my heart. It was the same feeling I had when you lifted the arrow from my heart when I was stuck to the tree." Kagome crawled over to him, looking down at Nauki. "You think there's something about her?" "I know there's something about her. Kagome, I've interacted with Nauki in ways that I've never interacted with anyone, much less a child. She makes me feel complete, like the hole in my heart that Kikyo created, is gone.." She nodded slowly again, watching how entranced he was by the little girl lying in his lap, asleep. "I mean, Kaede's right. I've been watching over her, much like, a parent would. I've been feeding her, taking care of her... I played with her last night on the floor, and fell asleep with her. Heck, I even scolded her when she had gone off to the forest to pick berries..." "Maybe you feel responsible for her because she doesn't have any parents." "Might be, but I'm not sure. There's something about her. I feel like I need to be around her, I want her around, and she needs me in ways I can't explain." Nauki started to lightly scratch at his leg. "She's fast asleep now. She does that when she's completely gone," Inu-Yasha told Kagome. "She's a funny little thing. She wants to help me, and even likes me, for crying out loud." "You find that strange for a child to be attracted to you?" "I've never had it happen before. Remember when I had to forcefeed Nauki?" Kagome nodded. "Yeah, that was pretty scarey. I thought she was going to die overnight when I left." "Well, when she woke up, she wanted to feed me in the same demeanor. Strange as it was, I let her. I guess she thought she was repaying me. She couldn't understand that I wasn't sick." "Aw, she sounds really sweet. I hope she comes around to me soon." "She should. Nauki does like you. She just is cautious because she's only seen you once, and it wasn't for longer than a few hours." "I know. Have you given her a bath since she's been recovered?" "A bath?" "Well, yeah. She can't go around with dirt and muck on her. She'll get an infection." "Kagome, if you haven't noticed, it's snowing outside. If I put her in the river, she'll get even sicker." "No, no, no," Kagome waved her hands, shaking her head,"That's not what I mean. You can heat water, and put it in a tub. Bathe her in it." "Huh?" He tilted his head at her. "I'll show you tomorrow when I get out of school, o.k.?" Inu-Yasha nodded. "We aren't fighting anymore, are we?" "No..I just..wasn't sure if your feelings would change now that that stupid necklace is gone.." "Well, now you know." Kagome rubbed her nose against his cheek. Inu-Yasha leaned in, closing his eyes.