~*A Different Way*~
Chapter 2: A Different Inuyasha
*Last time*
"Lady Kagome, get down from there now!"
Kagome looked back at Miroku, slightly puzzled at the panicked look on his face. She realized what he was worried about though when she felt a clawed hand grip her wrist tight enough to snap it.
"Oi, wench! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
~*~
Inuyasha sneered at Kagome's shocked expression. "What's the matter Kikyou? Weren't expecting to see me wake up? Looks like your little seal wasn't perfect."
The claws clenched her wrist even tighter and lines of blood could be seen leaking from where her skin was punctured. She was beginning to see why he had been sealed to the tree in the first place. He wasn't as innocent as he looked.
"Well, come on Kikyou," he said, sneering. "Use your miko magic to put me asleep for another fifty years. I can assure you that if you don't soon, I'm gonna make you wish you were never born!"
BONK!
Miroku whacked Inuyasha with his staff, giving him the distraction he needed in order to pull Kagome away. Kagome clung to him, looking back at Inuyasha warily. The hanyou looked surprised, but his expression quickly became bitter.
"I see you've found yourself another man, Kikyou. I should've figured you would; no one wants to mate with a pathetic hanyou, right?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Kagome raged, having finally found her voice. "My name is Kagome! KA-GO-ME! It's not Kikyou, and it's DEFINETELY not wench!"
Inuyasha looked at her suspiciously for a second. His nose wrinkled. "You're right," he replied. "You're not Kikyou. Kikyou smelt a lot better."
Kagome was seething. "Why you little. . ."
"Lady Kagome, he obviously is just trying to provoke you. I suggest we redirect your attention to getting you home."
Kagome nodded and followed Miroku out of the clearing. She only glanced back once, and when she did, she was surprised to see an expression of terrible sadness etched across the hanyou's face.
However, she quickly shoved the image to the back of her mind and concentrated on getting home. She was hoping that she would be able to just jump into the well and get home, but something told her it wasn't going to be that easy.
However, when she reached the clearing, she tried anyway. She jumped into the well while Miroku watched anxiously. As she fell, she squeezed her eyes closed tightly, hoping that when she opened them, she would be back home. She landed roughly on dirt and looked up hopefully, praying that she would see the wooden rough that covered the well in her time. Instead, she saw bright blue sky and fluffy clouds along with Miroku's curious face. Sighing heavily, she used the vines on the side of the well to climb to the brim once again. Once she reached the top, Miroku grasped her hands and helped to pull out.
"I guess it didn't work," Miroku stated obviously.
Kagome shook her head gloomily.
"W-what if I never get home again? I bet everyone's really worried about me. . .and without me around no one's going to remember to feed Buyo. What if they spend their rest of their lives thinking I died or something?"
Miroku lifted her chin with one hand in order to make her look him in the eye. "Don't lose hope so quickly, Lady Kagome. I promised you that I would help get you home, and I am a man that does not take promises very lightly. There is a village nearby that is home to a very knowledgeable miko. I'm sure she'll be able to help you find a way home."
Kagome smiled at him thankfully, and the two of them started off towards to village, which wasn't very far away. They had almost reached the civilization when the ground began to quake and tremor. Miroku leaned on his staff in order to keep his balance.
"What's happening?!" Kagome asked frantically.
Without warning, the ground in front of then exploded, revealing the centipede demon that had pulled Kagome into the well. The demon looked extremely angry, and it smiled sinisterly when its eyes fell on Kagome.
"Shikon!" it hissed. "Give it to me, girl! Give me the Shikon Jewel!"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Kagome shouted before Miroku shoved her behind him protectively.
"You lie! I can sense its power! Give it to me!"
Miroku quickly removed the prayer beads off of his hand. "Run, Kagome! I'll buy us some time! Just run as far away from here as you can!"
Kagome opened her mouth to protest, but one glare from Miroku sent her fleeing into the woods. Once she was gone, Miroku unleashed his wind tunnel. The demon shrieked in rage and thrashed angrily, its tail knocking over various trees. The demon was putting up a remarkably good fight. It fought against the wind furiously, driven by its desire for the Shikon Jewel. It quickly slithered around Miroku and after Kagome. Cursing, Miroku wrapped the beads over his wind tunnel before following the centipede. He could only hope that he wouldn't be too late.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Kagome panted as she ran in a random direction, trying to put as much distance between that demon and her as possible. Branches cut her as she ran through brambles, but she ignored the feeling of blood trickling down her legs and arms. She hated this feeling. She hated running away from her problems, but she didn't want to get in Miroku's way. She was naturally clumsy and felt that she would only make the situation worse. A shriek from behind her let her know that the centipede demon had ignored Miroku and chased after her instead.
The situation had just gotten worse.
She winced as her shirt ripped down the middle, almost completely falling off. Her feet flew out from under her as a root appeared in her path, causing her to go sprawling into a clearing that looked suspiciously familiar. Her eyes fell upon the Goshinboku and the boy pinned to it.
'Oh God,' she groaned mentally. 'As if things couldn't get worse, now I'm going to die in front of a smart-assed hanyou that claims I smell bad. Life was good while it lasted, I suppose. . .'
Kagome closed her eyes tightly as she felt the centipede demon's tail wrap around her body and lift her off of the ground. She felt herself grow faint as her breathing was constricted. Surely her ribs would crack any second now. . .
'I really don't want to die right now. . .I wish someone. . .anyone. . .please help me. . .'
The demon howled in pain as Kagome glowed with a bright pink light, illuminating the area and blinding Miroku who had just entered the clearing. Kagome fell to the forest floor; mercifully unconscious, and landed with a sickening thud.
Inuyasha, who had been asleep during the confrontation, felt a comforting warmth surround him and opened his eyes sleepily. The arrow pinning him to the tree pulsed, as if it had a life of its own before disappeared. The hanyou fell to the ground and looked down at his chest numbly. He felt no pain, and no blood stained his chest. His claws were flexed, and he rose on wobbly legs that hadn't been used for fifty years.
A smirk crossed his face slowly, and he met the eyes of the horrified monk across the clearing.
After fifty years, Inuyasha, the hanyou who had decimated an entire village, was free.
And the first thing on his agenda was to kill that stupid centipede demon that was giving him a killer migraine with all of its shrieking. It was done with a few quick slashes of his claws. He grinned in sadistic glee at the blood that stained his hands. It had been so long since he felt this *alive.*
Being as inconspicuous as possible, Miroku crept to Kagome's side and rolled her onto her back as carefully, being mindful of any wounds she might have attained.
She was not in good shape. Cuts marred her legs and arms from the branches she had scraped against, and there were a few on her face as well. Her ankle was swollen from when she had fallen, and he was pretty sure her ribs would be slightly bruised from when the demon had tried to suffocate her.
Of course he had bigger problems to worry about at the moment. Like the fact the Inuyasha had remember that they were in the clearing and was walking towards them with a very frightening grin on his face. He stopped right in front of the couple and sneered down at Miroku.
"Give me the Shikon now, and I *might* not kill you."
Miroku edged in front of Kagome nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have any jewel, and as far as I know, neither does Kagome." He was gripping his staff so tightly, his knuckles were turning white.
"Stop trying to lie, monk! I can sense the power coming from her! She has it! Give me the Shikon Jewel now!"
He struggled with Miroku for a second before throwing the monk a few feet away. Inuyasha knelt down next to Kagome and ran his hands over her arms for a moment, trying to figure out where the jewel was hidden without having to 'search' her. Miroku returned to his position beside Kagome and watched Inuyasha warily.
The hanyou's brow was furrowed in concentration, and his eyes widened as Kagome's abdomen began to glow pink underneath her shirt. He quickly pulled the shredded garment off of her and tossed it away with a snort. Miroku forced himself to concentrate on the small sphere of light on the left side of Kagome's body instead of the rest of her bare body.
Besides, Mushin had always said not to take advantage of unconscious women. . .it was more satisfying to take advantage of them when they were awake.
"What the hell is this?!" Inuyasha growled.
The outline of the jewel could be seen glowing a bright pink from the outside of her body, but it seemed like the jewel was embedded *inside* of her.
This complicated things a little bit.
Inuyasha growled again in frustration before lifting a clawed hand in preparation to run it through Kagome's body. Miroku's hand stopped him before the claws came anywhere near to piercing her skin.
"You're not getting the jewel out that way," Miroku said firmly.
"And who are you to stop me, monk?" Inuyasha scoffed.
"Think of it this way, Inuyasha; if you try to cut jewel out of her, you might damage it. It would be better if you came with me to the village nearby to find a better way to extract it from her. Besides, I don't really think you want to hurt her."
Inuyasha stared at Miroku like he had four heads. "Let me get this straight," he said slowly, "you're inviting me to a village full of humans when I can easily kill you and all of them with a swipe of my claws?"
Miroku shrugged.
"I guess I'll come," Inuyasha mumbled reluctantly. The hanyou stood up and dusted off his pants, waiting impatiently for Miroku to do the same.
The monk lifted Kagome off the ground, though he discreetly traced his hands over her breasts before doing so. Inuyasha stared at him in disbelief causing Miroku to smile back cheekily and inquire, 'what?' innocently.
"You, are one fucked up monk."
"Why thank you, Inuyasha."
*~*~*~*~*~*
The three of them entered the village. The entire place was so devoid of any life, it was eerie. No welcoming lights shined from any of the cabins, and it was as quiet as a crypt. Miroku walked forward cautiously, Kagome still nestled in his arms.
'How could all of the villagers just disappear?' he wondered.
He wondered no longer when he found himself looking at an arrow with a very angry villager on the other end. Both he and Inuyasha were completely surrounded by armed villagers. They must have got word of a demon in the area and were waiting for any sign of an attack on the village.
"Move out of my way," came an authorative voice from within the crowd. The villagers immediately parted in order to let an old woman through.
She appeared to be the village miko. She wore the traditional garb along with an eye patch and seemed to radiate wisdom. Her eyes widened in amazement when she saw Inuyasha.
"How is this possible?" she murmured. "Kikyou sealed you. . ."
Inuyasha glared at her. "Yea, well this girl unsealed me."
Miroku could have sworn that the woman's eyes were popping out of her head when she saw Kagome.
"Sister. . ."
The villagers were also shocked at Kagome's appearance, a few of them also mumbling about Kikyou. Miroku felt a twinge of annoyance on Kagome's behalf. She was not this Kikyou, and she shouldn't be seen as anyone else but herself.
Kaede gestured for the villagers to lower their weapons before commanding Inuyasha and Miroku to follow her into a nearby hut.
Once inside, Kaede prepared an herbal remedy for Kagome's injuries while Miroku explained the young girl's situation. Kaede stated that the resemblance between Kikyou and Kagome was more than mere coincidence and that Kagome was probably Kikyou's reincarnation. That would explain why the Shikon was embedded inside her. Inuyasha had probably been freed when Kagome unintentionally wished for it.
While Kagome was patched up and explanations were given, Inuyasha sat in the corner sulking, though he occasionally glanced over at Kagome.
Kagome certainly looked enough like Kikyou to be her reincarnation, but personality wise they were polar opposites.
'Maybe this Kagome girl wouldn't be so bad if I got to know her. . .'
Inuyasha squashed that thought quickly. The last time he had tried to get to know someone, he had ended up pinned to a tree for fifty years. He was better off stealing the Shikon Jewel and becoming a full demon instead of trying to befriend a human.
Friendships only led to pain and betrayal. . .
"You say this girl came from the future, passing to our time through the Bone Eater's Well?" Kaede asked Miroku.
Miroku nodded his assent. "And when she tried to get back home before, it wouldn't let her through."
The old woman sat in deep thought. "There is a monk in the next village that knows much more magic than I do. If anyone knows why the well is refusing to let the girl through, it is that man. The village is about a day's walk from here."
"Thank you Lady Kaede, we'll set out first thing in the morning. Will you be joining us, Inuyasha?"
Said hanyou looked up, startled. He hesitated for a moment, contemplating his answer while studying the peacefully sleeping girl on the floor.
"Yea. . .count me in."
A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, but I just wanted to get another one out before school starts again, which is relatively soon, much to my dismay. *sighs wearily* If you have any question, compliments, criticisms, or flat-out insults, feel free to leave a review.
Chapter 2: A Different Inuyasha
*Last time*
"Lady Kagome, get down from there now!"
Kagome looked back at Miroku, slightly puzzled at the panicked look on his face. She realized what he was worried about though when she felt a clawed hand grip her wrist tight enough to snap it.
"Oi, wench! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
~*~
Inuyasha sneered at Kagome's shocked expression. "What's the matter Kikyou? Weren't expecting to see me wake up? Looks like your little seal wasn't perfect."
The claws clenched her wrist even tighter and lines of blood could be seen leaking from where her skin was punctured. She was beginning to see why he had been sealed to the tree in the first place. He wasn't as innocent as he looked.
"Well, come on Kikyou," he said, sneering. "Use your miko magic to put me asleep for another fifty years. I can assure you that if you don't soon, I'm gonna make you wish you were never born!"
BONK!
Miroku whacked Inuyasha with his staff, giving him the distraction he needed in order to pull Kagome away. Kagome clung to him, looking back at Inuyasha warily. The hanyou looked surprised, but his expression quickly became bitter.
"I see you've found yourself another man, Kikyou. I should've figured you would; no one wants to mate with a pathetic hanyou, right?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Kagome raged, having finally found her voice. "My name is Kagome! KA-GO-ME! It's not Kikyou, and it's DEFINETELY not wench!"
Inuyasha looked at her suspiciously for a second. His nose wrinkled. "You're right," he replied. "You're not Kikyou. Kikyou smelt a lot better."
Kagome was seething. "Why you little. . ."
"Lady Kagome, he obviously is just trying to provoke you. I suggest we redirect your attention to getting you home."
Kagome nodded and followed Miroku out of the clearing. She only glanced back once, and when she did, she was surprised to see an expression of terrible sadness etched across the hanyou's face.
However, she quickly shoved the image to the back of her mind and concentrated on getting home. She was hoping that she would be able to just jump into the well and get home, but something told her it wasn't going to be that easy.
However, when she reached the clearing, she tried anyway. She jumped into the well while Miroku watched anxiously. As she fell, she squeezed her eyes closed tightly, hoping that when she opened them, she would be back home. She landed roughly on dirt and looked up hopefully, praying that she would see the wooden rough that covered the well in her time. Instead, she saw bright blue sky and fluffy clouds along with Miroku's curious face. Sighing heavily, she used the vines on the side of the well to climb to the brim once again. Once she reached the top, Miroku grasped her hands and helped to pull out.
"I guess it didn't work," Miroku stated obviously.
Kagome shook her head gloomily.
"W-what if I never get home again? I bet everyone's really worried about me. . .and without me around no one's going to remember to feed Buyo. What if they spend their rest of their lives thinking I died or something?"
Miroku lifted her chin with one hand in order to make her look him in the eye. "Don't lose hope so quickly, Lady Kagome. I promised you that I would help get you home, and I am a man that does not take promises very lightly. There is a village nearby that is home to a very knowledgeable miko. I'm sure she'll be able to help you find a way home."
Kagome smiled at him thankfully, and the two of them started off towards to village, which wasn't very far away. They had almost reached the civilization when the ground began to quake and tremor. Miroku leaned on his staff in order to keep his balance.
"What's happening?!" Kagome asked frantically.
Without warning, the ground in front of then exploded, revealing the centipede demon that had pulled Kagome into the well. The demon looked extremely angry, and it smiled sinisterly when its eyes fell on Kagome.
"Shikon!" it hissed. "Give it to me, girl! Give me the Shikon Jewel!"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Kagome shouted before Miroku shoved her behind him protectively.
"You lie! I can sense its power! Give it to me!"
Miroku quickly removed the prayer beads off of his hand. "Run, Kagome! I'll buy us some time! Just run as far away from here as you can!"
Kagome opened her mouth to protest, but one glare from Miroku sent her fleeing into the woods. Once she was gone, Miroku unleashed his wind tunnel. The demon shrieked in rage and thrashed angrily, its tail knocking over various trees. The demon was putting up a remarkably good fight. It fought against the wind furiously, driven by its desire for the Shikon Jewel. It quickly slithered around Miroku and after Kagome. Cursing, Miroku wrapped the beads over his wind tunnel before following the centipede. He could only hope that he wouldn't be too late.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Kagome panted as she ran in a random direction, trying to put as much distance between that demon and her as possible. Branches cut her as she ran through brambles, but she ignored the feeling of blood trickling down her legs and arms. She hated this feeling. She hated running away from her problems, but she didn't want to get in Miroku's way. She was naturally clumsy and felt that she would only make the situation worse. A shriek from behind her let her know that the centipede demon had ignored Miroku and chased after her instead.
The situation had just gotten worse.
She winced as her shirt ripped down the middle, almost completely falling off. Her feet flew out from under her as a root appeared in her path, causing her to go sprawling into a clearing that looked suspiciously familiar. Her eyes fell upon the Goshinboku and the boy pinned to it.
'Oh God,' she groaned mentally. 'As if things couldn't get worse, now I'm going to die in front of a smart-assed hanyou that claims I smell bad. Life was good while it lasted, I suppose. . .'
Kagome closed her eyes tightly as she felt the centipede demon's tail wrap around her body and lift her off of the ground. She felt herself grow faint as her breathing was constricted. Surely her ribs would crack any second now. . .
'I really don't want to die right now. . .I wish someone. . .anyone. . .please help me. . .'
The demon howled in pain as Kagome glowed with a bright pink light, illuminating the area and blinding Miroku who had just entered the clearing. Kagome fell to the forest floor; mercifully unconscious, and landed with a sickening thud.
Inuyasha, who had been asleep during the confrontation, felt a comforting warmth surround him and opened his eyes sleepily. The arrow pinning him to the tree pulsed, as if it had a life of its own before disappeared. The hanyou fell to the ground and looked down at his chest numbly. He felt no pain, and no blood stained his chest. His claws were flexed, and he rose on wobbly legs that hadn't been used for fifty years.
A smirk crossed his face slowly, and he met the eyes of the horrified monk across the clearing.
After fifty years, Inuyasha, the hanyou who had decimated an entire village, was free.
And the first thing on his agenda was to kill that stupid centipede demon that was giving him a killer migraine with all of its shrieking. It was done with a few quick slashes of his claws. He grinned in sadistic glee at the blood that stained his hands. It had been so long since he felt this *alive.*
Being as inconspicuous as possible, Miroku crept to Kagome's side and rolled her onto her back as carefully, being mindful of any wounds she might have attained.
She was not in good shape. Cuts marred her legs and arms from the branches she had scraped against, and there were a few on her face as well. Her ankle was swollen from when she had fallen, and he was pretty sure her ribs would be slightly bruised from when the demon had tried to suffocate her.
Of course he had bigger problems to worry about at the moment. Like the fact the Inuyasha had remember that they were in the clearing and was walking towards them with a very frightening grin on his face. He stopped right in front of the couple and sneered down at Miroku.
"Give me the Shikon now, and I *might* not kill you."
Miroku edged in front of Kagome nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have any jewel, and as far as I know, neither does Kagome." He was gripping his staff so tightly, his knuckles were turning white.
"Stop trying to lie, monk! I can sense the power coming from her! She has it! Give me the Shikon Jewel now!"
He struggled with Miroku for a second before throwing the monk a few feet away. Inuyasha knelt down next to Kagome and ran his hands over her arms for a moment, trying to figure out where the jewel was hidden without having to 'search' her. Miroku returned to his position beside Kagome and watched Inuyasha warily.
The hanyou's brow was furrowed in concentration, and his eyes widened as Kagome's abdomen began to glow pink underneath her shirt. He quickly pulled the shredded garment off of her and tossed it away with a snort. Miroku forced himself to concentrate on the small sphere of light on the left side of Kagome's body instead of the rest of her bare body.
Besides, Mushin had always said not to take advantage of unconscious women. . .it was more satisfying to take advantage of them when they were awake.
"What the hell is this?!" Inuyasha growled.
The outline of the jewel could be seen glowing a bright pink from the outside of her body, but it seemed like the jewel was embedded *inside* of her.
This complicated things a little bit.
Inuyasha growled again in frustration before lifting a clawed hand in preparation to run it through Kagome's body. Miroku's hand stopped him before the claws came anywhere near to piercing her skin.
"You're not getting the jewel out that way," Miroku said firmly.
"And who are you to stop me, monk?" Inuyasha scoffed.
"Think of it this way, Inuyasha; if you try to cut jewel out of her, you might damage it. It would be better if you came with me to the village nearby to find a better way to extract it from her. Besides, I don't really think you want to hurt her."
Inuyasha stared at Miroku like he had four heads. "Let me get this straight," he said slowly, "you're inviting me to a village full of humans when I can easily kill you and all of them with a swipe of my claws?"
Miroku shrugged.
"I guess I'll come," Inuyasha mumbled reluctantly. The hanyou stood up and dusted off his pants, waiting impatiently for Miroku to do the same.
The monk lifted Kagome off the ground, though he discreetly traced his hands over her breasts before doing so. Inuyasha stared at him in disbelief causing Miroku to smile back cheekily and inquire, 'what?' innocently.
"You, are one fucked up monk."
"Why thank you, Inuyasha."
*~*~*~*~*~*
The three of them entered the village. The entire place was so devoid of any life, it was eerie. No welcoming lights shined from any of the cabins, and it was as quiet as a crypt. Miroku walked forward cautiously, Kagome still nestled in his arms.
'How could all of the villagers just disappear?' he wondered.
He wondered no longer when he found himself looking at an arrow with a very angry villager on the other end. Both he and Inuyasha were completely surrounded by armed villagers. They must have got word of a demon in the area and were waiting for any sign of an attack on the village.
"Move out of my way," came an authorative voice from within the crowd. The villagers immediately parted in order to let an old woman through.
She appeared to be the village miko. She wore the traditional garb along with an eye patch and seemed to radiate wisdom. Her eyes widened in amazement when she saw Inuyasha.
"How is this possible?" she murmured. "Kikyou sealed you. . ."
Inuyasha glared at her. "Yea, well this girl unsealed me."
Miroku could have sworn that the woman's eyes were popping out of her head when she saw Kagome.
"Sister. . ."
The villagers were also shocked at Kagome's appearance, a few of them also mumbling about Kikyou. Miroku felt a twinge of annoyance on Kagome's behalf. She was not this Kikyou, and she shouldn't be seen as anyone else but herself.
Kaede gestured for the villagers to lower their weapons before commanding Inuyasha and Miroku to follow her into a nearby hut.
Once inside, Kaede prepared an herbal remedy for Kagome's injuries while Miroku explained the young girl's situation. Kaede stated that the resemblance between Kikyou and Kagome was more than mere coincidence and that Kagome was probably Kikyou's reincarnation. That would explain why the Shikon was embedded inside her. Inuyasha had probably been freed when Kagome unintentionally wished for it.
While Kagome was patched up and explanations were given, Inuyasha sat in the corner sulking, though he occasionally glanced over at Kagome.
Kagome certainly looked enough like Kikyou to be her reincarnation, but personality wise they were polar opposites.
'Maybe this Kagome girl wouldn't be so bad if I got to know her. . .'
Inuyasha squashed that thought quickly. The last time he had tried to get to know someone, he had ended up pinned to a tree for fifty years. He was better off stealing the Shikon Jewel and becoming a full demon instead of trying to befriend a human.
Friendships only led to pain and betrayal. . .
"You say this girl came from the future, passing to our time through the Bone Eater's Well?" Kaede asked Miroku.
Miroku nodded his assent. "And when she tried to get back home before, it wouldn't let her through."
The old woman sat in deep thought. "There is a monk in the next village that knows much more magic than I do. If anyone knows why the well is refusing to let the girl through, it is that man. The village is about a day's walk from here."
"Thank you Lady Kaede, we'll set out first thing in the morning. Will you be joining us, Inuyasha?"
Said hanyou looked up, startled. He hesitated for a moment, contemplating his answer while studying the peacefully sleeping girl on the floor.
"Yea. . .count me in."
A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, but I just wanted to get another one out before school starts again, which is relatively soon, much to my dismay. *sighs wearily* If you have any question, compliments, criticisms, or flat-out insults, feel free to leave a review.