By: Lady Tiger LiLy
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha. I own what I own.
Chapter 4: Home Away From Home
"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome said softly as she stepped inside the well house.
He turned from where he sat on the steps that were facing the well. "Kagome? What are you doing up? You should be sleeping. You haven't slept in almost two days."
"You haven't slept either." She spoke as she came and sat next to him. "Here, I brought you some tea." She held the cup out to him.
He took the cup and sipped the warm liquid.
"She'll be ok, won't she?" Kagome asked, wanting reassurance.
"Of course she will." He told her. He put his arm around her and sat down the cup that was in his other hand. He then pulled Kagome up into his lap and held her tightly as she began to cry softly. "Don't worry. I'm going to be right here waiting for her to come home, ok?"
Kagome sniffled and nodded as she clung to his kimono. They sat silently like that for a while until Inu-Yasha felt Kagome's grip loosen. He looked down and saw she had fallen asleep. He then stood up and carried her back to the house where he gently put her back into their bed so she could sleep for the rest of the night.
He then went back out to the well house and sat in his same spot as before. He sat and stared at the well, lost in his thoughts.
(Flashback)
"Bedtime!" Inu-Yasha growled as he stomped into a child's room with Junko thrown over his shoulder.
Junko squealed with delight.
"Ow! Junko!" Inu-Yasha complained. "That hurts daddy's ears."
"I sowy daddy." She apologized as he lifted her off his shoulder and sat her in her little toddler bed. She then got up on her knees and leaned over to Inu-Yasha who was sitting beside her little bed with his elbow resting on the mattress. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed one of his ears.
"Thank you." He smiled. "Want a story?"
"Yeah!" She clapped.
"Long time ago, there was a princess who had traveled from a far away land. She found her self lost in a strange forest. The trees were gigantic! As big as buildings! The grass was like soft green carpet, and the flowers smelled very pretty. The princess wondered the forest until she came to a tree. It was the biggest tree in the whole forest!" He stretched out his arms to try and show how big. "That's when-"
"The princess saw the boy!" Junko interrupted.
"Hey! Who's telling the story here?"
Junko giggled.
"Yes, the princess saw a boy. He was trapped to a tree by a magic spell that was put on him. The princess walked up to the boy and-"
"Touched his ears!" Junko finished as she got up again and rubbed her daddy's ears.
"That's right! The princess rubbed the boy's ears and broke the spell. He then helped her find her way back home where they lived happily ever after."
"I like that story." Junko commented as her father tucked her under her blankets.
"Me too."
(Another Flashback: Junko is about 10 year old and is sitting on the roof of the house when Inu-Yasha jumps up onto the roof.)
"You're mother would yell at me if she knew you were up here."
Junko giggled. "Hi dad."
He walks over and sits next to her. "What are you doing up here?"
"I just like it up here." She replied.
"Yeah, me too."
"Hey, dad? Do you think Tokyo used to be full of trees before people started building houses and skyscrapers?"
"I would say so."
"I wish it was still covered with trees and grass… Like one big park!"
"I know what you mean…" He replied while he looked out over the neighborhood.
"Someday, I want to move out of the city and live out where there's trees and no skyscrapers around for miles…"
"Sure, as long as you take me along with you!"
She laughed. "Hey dad, remember the story you used to tell me when I was a little kid? About the princess and the boy?"
"Yeah." He replied.
"I want to live in a forest like that one someday…"
(End Flashback)
'I'm worried about her safety and want her to come home, but… I'm more worried that she might not want to come back home…' Inu-Yasha sighed. 'It's my fault if she doesn't come back…'
"YOU'RE GOING BACK HOME!"
"No I'm not! I want to see what Feudal Japan looks like!"
"You're crazy! It's dangerous out there! You'll get yourself killed! You should just go home! You've stayed here long enough!"
"I'm not going home yet and you can't make me!"
"Just watch me!"
"SHIPPO, YOU BASTERED! PUT-ME-DOWN!" Junko shrieked while the kitsune youkai grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder.
"Wave good-bye to everyone!"
"SHIPPOOO!"
Kaede and Rin watched as Shippo carried a thrashing Junko away.
"Is he really going to make her go back through the well?" Rin asked Kaede.
"If he does, it is for the better." She replied.
"Damn it, Shippo! You can't do this!" Junko continued to yell as he hurried through the forest. He soon came to a stop. Junko took a quick breather. "Put me down!" She yelled once more.
"Don't worry! I will!" He replied. He grabbed her and held her over the mouth of the well.
"Don't do it, Shippo!" She yelled.
"It's for your own safety!" He said as he dropped her into the well. Junko screamed when he did so. Shippo then looked down the well to see that Junko had managed to grab hold of the edge of the well. "Let go!" He commanded.
"NO!" She shouted back as she looked up at him. Shippo was taken back when he saw tears in her eyes. She was trying to hold back her tears so she would have the strength to hang on. "Ah!" She whimpered as one of her hands slipped and let go of the edge. Her other hand was about to slip too when Shippo grabbed it and pulled her out of the well.
"Junko… I…" He didn't know what to say to her.
She looked up at him for a moment before shoving him back. "YOU JERK!" She yelled before running off into the forest.
"Junko!" He shouted after her. "Aw, man!" He groaned as he chased after her. "Junko! Come back!"
"DON'T FOLLOW ME!" She shouted over her shoulder. Suddenly her body collided into a soft, yet sturdy, wall. She looked up to find the face of the kitsune boy.
He grabbed her by her arms. "Junko, stop!"
"WHY! IT'S NOT LIKE YOU WANT ME AROUND!" She yelled at him. "LET ME GO!" She tore out of his grip and ran off in another direction.
Shippo was a taken back by her comment. He watched her run off. "That's not it…" He said aloud to himself.
He quickly followed her. He found her huddled under a tree crying. Her head was rested on her arms as she hugged her knees to her chest.
Junko lifted her head for a moment to wipe her face with her sleeve. When she did so, she saw the strangest thing.
"A balloon…?"
A huge, pink balloon object floated in front of her. It slowly turned around so that she now saw that whatever it was, it had eyes. It also had what appeared to be short arms.
Junko watched the 'balloon'. She didn't know what to make of it. She watched as it made weird faces at her. She stayed solemn. "What on earth…?" She cautiously reached out and poked at the 'balloon'. It started to giggle. She kept poking at it and it began to laugh. Suddenly, the 'balloon' popped and the kitsune boy fell out of mid air and landed on his tail.
"Ow…" He groaned as he rubbed his bottom.
"Shippo! What do you think you're doing!" She demanded.
"I was just trying to make you laugh or at least smile." He replied as he stared down at his claws.
"STOP FOLLOWING ME!" She yelled as she left again.
Shippo sighed.
Junko ran until she found herself back at the tree; the tree her father was pinned to. She crawled up onto one of the giant roots and touched the trunk of the tree. "I wish dad was here..." She sighed to herself as she leaned against the tree.
"Is this seat taken?"
Junko wiped her eyes again with her sleeve. And looked over at the owner of the voice. "Dad?"
The white haired hanyou leapt onto a root next to her. "So this is where you've been. Your mother has been worried sick. Why haven't you come back home?"
Junko stared at him for a moment. "Oh, daddy!" She broke down. She threw her arms around him and buried her face into his chest.
He looked a little surprised. "Hey, there. What's wrong?" He asked.
She sniffed. "I feel like I don't belong back home! And… I'm not wanted here! I don't belong anywhere!" She cried.
He looked pained. "Junko, I'm so sorry…"
She looked up at him and wiped her eyes. "Huh? Sorry for what?"
"I'm sorry I made you feel unwanted."
"Huh? But you never-"
In the blink of an eye, Junko found herself in the arms of the kitsune youkai. He gave her a weak smile.
Junko stared at him in confusion. "But where…? How did you…? Why did you…?"
"Fox magic. It was an illusion. I'm sorry but I didn't know how else to get you to talk to me!"
She looked at him with hurt in her eyes. "How could you deceive me like that? That was low! Go away!" She shouted as she fought to get out of his grasp.
"Will you please listen to me?"
She said nothing but continued to pitifully fight him to let go.
"Please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I tried to send you away! It's just that it's so dangerous here! You'd be safer at your own home in your own time! Junko? Junko, are you listening? I was just trying to protect you! It's not that I don't want you around…"
She gave up fighting him and sat quietly with tears in her eyes as he held her by her arms.
"Junko?"
"I'll have you know I am a capable young woman who can take care of herself!"
"And I'm sure you are, but- LOOK OUT!"
"Huh!"
"CAW!"
A three-eyed black bird swooped down out of a nearby tree and was headed straight for Junko. Shippo pulled her to him and held out one hand at the bird. "FOX FIRE!" He shouted as the blue flames flew out at the bird. The bird cried out in pain as it flew off a few feet before it fell to the earth and burned to death.
Shippo looked down at Junko as she clung to him. He felt her heart pounding against him until she let go and pulled away from him.
He looked down at her. "You're in Feudal Japan now. You must understand that things are different here."
Junko nodded solemnly.
"Are you alright?"
"… What was that thing?"
"A crow demon."
"I should have guessed." She sighed.
"Are we ok now?" Shippo asked to confirm.
Junko looked away and was silent for a moment. "Don't ever do that again..." She muttered.
"What?"
"Don't ever take on my father's appearance again." She stated firmly.
"Ok, I won't do it again."
Junko said nothing.
Shippo jumped down from the giant root. "Well, we better get you back."
Junko raised her brow at him.
Shippo sighed. "I mean get you back to the village."
"You mean I can stay?"
"Until you're ready to go back home, that is."
Junko didn't respond. Shippo reached out his arms to help her down. She grabbed his hands and leapt down. She looked up to see him smiling at her.
"But for now, you can think of the village as a second home. And at this home, you have friends here." He smiled as he turned and led the way back to the village.
Junko stood there for a moment, reflecting on what he said. 'Friends…?' She thought.
Shippo turned to Junko. "Hey! You coming or what?" He shouted to her.
Junko huffed. "Did anyone ever tell you patience is a virtue! Hold your horses, fox boy!" She shouted as she hurried to catch up with him.
Shippo laughed though he didn't know what she was talking about.
"What's so funny?" She demanded.
"You are!" He smiled.
"I am not!" She shouted at him.
"You are a lot like Inu-Yasha! He was always yelling at me."
"I don't blame him! You are so annoying!"
"Aw! You know you like me!" He smiled.
"Oh? And what makes you think that?"
"Because I think that somewhere inside you, there's a part of you that is like Kagome; sweet and kind hearted. You should show it more often."
Her face softened. "Why would you think that?" She asked him.
"Because I've never seen Inu-Yasha cry." He stated.
"THAT WAS YOUR FAULT! AND DON'T YOU EVER TELL ANYONE YOU SAW ME DO THAT!" She shouted at him threateningly.
"It's nothing to be ashamed about but if you don't want me to, I won't!"
"Why are you being so nice?" She asked.
"Because we're friends." He said simply.
Junko said nothing. 'Shippo is such a pompous ass and an idiot! But then… he can be really kind. How can he be so nice to me? I've been nothing but mean to him and he says we're friends? I'm surprised I even have friends back home…'
Junko looked over at Shippo as they walked. He turned to her and smiled. Junko felt her face get warm. She then frowned at him. "YOU'RE ONLY BEING NICE BECAUSE YOU FEEL SORRY FOR ME, ISN'T IT?" She accused.
Shippo was taken back by this sudden outburst. "What?" He blinked.
"I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY!" She shouted as she stomped off ahead.
"WHAT! NO! THAT'S NOT- JUNKO! WAIT UP!"
LOL! I thought the ending was funny! Don't you just love the mushy father/daughter moments between Inu-Yasha and Junko! Please Review! See you next chapter!
Lady Tiger LiLy