Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Not even his ears. ;;
"words"- dialogue
'words' – thoughts
~*~
The Switch
By hiei_hellfireangel
Chapter 1
We'll Know When It Happens, When It Happens
Silver hair whipped across Inuyasha's stern face as he swiftly bound from tree to tree, stopping occasionally to sniff the surroundings for any traces of Naraku. The rest of the party were following close behind him, Miroku and Sango riding on Kirara, and trailing behind them was Kagome on her bike with Shippou in the basket. It was early in the morning when they left Kaede's hut and they were still quite groggy, save Inuyasha.
The latest rumor about the Shikon shards stirred something in the hanyou; probably his restlessness got the best of him. He couldn't be blamed, though. It had been almost one and a half month since they last saw a shard, and they were even unlucky that time since Naraku beat them to it.
The number of the shards was dwindling – fast. Almost a year ago, they had most of the jewel complete but Kikyou took it from them and gave them to Naraku. Kagome, being the new miko of the Shikon no tama, took it the hardest. The fact that the dead priestess was the one who took it didn't help either.
True, Kagome's determination to complete the jewel had increased, but there were certain things in her way. Things like school, friends, and family tied her to the other world. No matter how much she'd explain to Inuyasha, he'd never allow her to leave, or so he thought. There was always the magic 's' word…
"Oi, I think we're on to something." said Inuyasha as he sniffed the air once more to make sure.
Miroku got off Kirara and ran towards the hanyou. "What do you think?"
"He was definitely here. The scent's not too old either."
"What are we going to do now? Can't we make a surprise attack?" asked Sango as she got off Kirara, too.
"No. They probably know that we're here already. And, uh, speaking of surprises…"
The houshi's voice trailed as he and the tai-jya heard Inuyasha call out to Kagome.
"Hurry up, will ya?! We can't just wait for you all day!"
The girl ignored his demand and continued to take her time. Annoyed, the hanyou leapt in front of her and held the basket of the bike in order to stop it from moving. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Are you deaf? I told you to move it!"
"You're so dead, you jerk."
Inuyasha picked Shippou by the scruff of his neck and glared at him.
"I wasn't talking to you, runt." he said dangerously before putting the kit down. He then turned to Kagome.
"Oi. What the hell is wrong with you?"
Kagome clenched her hands tighter on the handles of the bike. She seemed to be in a VERY bad mood.
"SIT! SIT! SIT!"
"Fuuuuuuuucccccccckkkkk!!!"
"I told you, baka."
Miroku sighed. "Oh dear. Kagome-sama's still sore about it, ne?"
"Seems like it. Hmph! Serves him right!" retorted Sango as she turned around to meet up with her friend.
"Tsk. Tsk. Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned…"
~*~
-=Flashback=-
"First Aid kit… check. Clothes… check. Ramen… check…"
Kagome ran over her list of things to bring to the Sengoku Jidai. It had almost been a month since she went back to her time. She really had no choice; her grades were threatening to fall dangerously low and her mother went on a vacation, leaving only her grandfather and Souta alone in the shrine. And gods, who knows what could happen if they were left alone for a period of time?
She missed the Sengoku Jidai. She missed its clear skies, clean waters, fresh air, and bright stars. She missed all the adventure. She missed her friends. She missed him.
"Inuyasha…" she sighed as she looked outside her window. Her eyes landed on the well house. It had been a month and he didn't even bother to visit. It made her feel lonely.
"Duh, Kagome. You sat him before leaving." she reminded herself out loud.
It didn't really matter, because she was coming back… tonight.
That would be a surprise. She couldn't wait to come back, couldn't wait to see Inuyasha. Oh, how she missed him…
Kagome heaved her abnormally large bag over her back as she proceeded outside of her room. Memories played back in her head like old videos as she walked down the stairs, out into the yard and into the well house. They kept on flooding her brain as she jumped down the Bone Eater's Well.
The young miko landed with a small thud. 'I'm back!' she thought. Her excitement was beginning to overwhelm her. She hurriedly dusted her skirt and then began to climb up the well, jumping frantically to reach the lip. Suddenly, she felt a strong hand hold hers and pulled her up. Kagome's heart skipped a beat as she recognized the feel of strong, calloused hands.
"I-Inuyasha?"
"Who else?" he replied gruffly as he gave a great pull which pulled her out completely, including her humongous bag. Kagome blushed furiously as she thought of a reason as to why her beloved hanyou was here. But thoughts are useless, so she opened her mouth to ask.
"What are you doing here?" 'Were you waiting for me?'
Inuyasha's eyes widened as he heard her speak. He looked around, as if looking for an answer in the trees, before answering her.
"Uh… I was just passing by when I recognized your scent around here. And I know how clumsy you are so I came to help you up."
It was a typical answer, she expected it. Her shoulders sagged a bit in disappointment. 'How stupid of you to think that, Kagome. Stupid."
"So, um, I'll be heading to Kaede's hut. Uh, see you around…" she said as she dragged her bag with her. Suddenly, she felt his hand grasp her arm in an affectionate manner.
Kagome froze. Inuyasha always held her like that whenever he had something important to say, but what could he possibly want to say to her now? Was he going to… NAH! She quickly dismissed the thought before facing him.
"What is it, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha just looked at her, his eyes reflecting something she couldn't comprehend. Once again, she began to feel heat creep up to her cheeks.
"Kagome… I have something to tell you." he said as he pulled her by the waist, pulling her body close to his. Kagome's chest began to ache because of the violent pounding of her heart.
"O-Ok…" she stuttered as she felt his other hand squeeze her arm.
"You're my friend, and I know that you want me to be honest with you, right?" Kagome nodded nervously. 'He remembered.'
She smiled mentally when she remembered the nice quality time she had back then with the hanyou. They were talking along the lines of Kikyou when she brought the honesty topic up.
"I-I don't really know how to say this, but… Gods, this is harder than I expected, this honesty thing…" 'He's proposing!!!'
"It's been a month since I last saw you, and, uh, now that you're here, uh…" 'Hurry up and say it!!!'
Kagome realized that she hadn't been breathing for the last few seconds until she gasped when she felt the hand on her arm caress her cheek. 'This is it!'
She closed her eyes. This had to be a dream! Inuyasha was actually proposing to her! No, no, this has got to be a dream! She fluttered her eyes open again, expecting to see the wall of her bedroom. Instead, she met his golden eyes once again. Oh yeah, this IS for real, alright.
"I think…"
'Somebody pinch me!!!'
She was snapped out of her reverie by the sudden increase of pressure being inflicted on her cheek. Was he pinching her? She looked at him and saw him look at her in an inspecting manner. 'What the heck…'
"I think you've gained weight."
The words rolled off his tongue insensitively in a split second. Not sure she heard it right, Kagome looked at him questioningly. "W-What?"
"I said, I think you've gained weight."
Disbelieved, Kagome shook her head. What the heck did he just say?! Weight?! What wei—Then it dawned on her. All the hugging, the touching, and pinching… it was all to check on her! A vein started to twitch near the corner of her eye.
"You didn't mean that, ne?" she asked as cheerfully as she could. Too cheerfully, she thought. Her cheeks strained from the exaggerated grin on her face.
"Eh? Course I did." Inuyasha answered as he let go of her. Oops, wrong answer.
"Y-You know I just cared that's why blah blah blah…"
All the other words were drowned. She refused to hear any more. Clenching her fists, she shot up at Inuyasha. Tears were threatening to spill from her dark brown eyes.
"Kagome?"
She couldn't take any of it. Sniffing, she ran from the grove towards the direction of Kaede-baba's hut, leaving a confused hanyou behind.
-=End of Flashback=-
~*~
'That insensitive no-brain idiot!'
Kagome sighed as she trudged alongside her bike to her other friends' direction. The fateful event happened two days ago and she was still sore about it. No one could blame her though; it was most definitely tactless of Inuyasha, holding her like that then insulting her. 'How utterly inconsiderate, that jackass!'
And yet, behind all those things going on in her mind about shoving grass in Inuyasha's mouth, she couldn't help but think the opposite. Granted, the boy blurted out that he thought that she was getting fat, but he did say that he just cared. And it wasn't his fault that she thought he was going to propose. Okay, partly his fault…
The young miko felt sick of herself. Why was she always blaming Inuyasha for everything when she knew that it was her fault? Was it so that she could defend herself from getting hurt whenever the dead priestess was around? Or was it out of her desperation? She didn't know…
Sango noticed her friend's sudden change in mood. She knew what she was contemplating about, being a girl, too, and all. She placed an arm around her and asked.
"Are you ok, Kagome?"
"Hai, I'm fine."
"I don't blame you for what happened, but you should concentrate on more important things. If I were you I'd make up before things get worse. Who knows what might happen next?"
Thank the gods for Sango. What would she do without her? "Ok, ok…"
Kagome turned back and went to the still lying Inuyasha. The spell hadn't worn off yet. She prayed that the hanyou was in a listening mood, which was most dubious. She was just about to speak when he cut her.
"I bet you're here to apologize, eh?" he said gruffly.
"Hai… I'm sorry Inuyasha, that was really dumb of me. Will you forgive me?"
Inuyasha rolled onto his back and faced her. "That was REALLY DUMB of you, you know…"
Kagome just nodded.
"I really don't know what goes on in that strange mind of yours, wench. You're really a weird one."
The girl raised an eyebrow. "Where are you getting at?"
"See?! Now you're thinking of other stuff!"
Kagome was not getting any of this. "What are you talking about?!"
"W—,"
"I'm sorry to interrupt your little PDA (A/N: Public Display of Affection), but we really have to go. Something's up." said Miroku with a grin.
Kagome held back from sitting Inuyasha a million times more and decided to follow the houshi. 'I was trying hard at apologizing then he starts complaining! ARGH! HE IS GOING TO PAY DEARLY!!!'
"Oi!!! I can't move yet!"
Inuyasha lay immobile on the ground. The sitting spell hadn't lifted yet. 'Stupid girl! How dare she sit me right now!' He cursed his bad luck as he struggled to sit up. But try as he might, the spell just won't let him.
"You know that's not gonna work."
Great, just great. At the moment of his weakness the little runt decided to show up and shove that fact right to his face. Just what did he do to deserve this kind of shit?
"Shut up, runt, or else I'll—,"
"What? Pound me to the ground? Like that's gonna work."
'Why that little squirt!' screamed Inuyasha's mind. No wonder he chose this time to bug him. He'd save himself from curses and bumps on the head.
"Just wait till I get up, pipsqueak, and I will!" he growled.
"Yeah right. And then you'll get sat again. What a joy!" scoffed Shippou. A huge grin spread across his face. Inuyasha growled loud at the kit. 'I'm gonna wipe that stupid grin off your face, you brat!'
As if on cue, Shippou trotted away from the older boy just as the spell lifted. The hanyou was very tempted to bash the kit's skull on a rock but dismissed the thought quickly as he remembered the purpose of their journey. He stood up, dusted his haori and hakama, and ran to the other's direction.
"So, what's up?" he asked as he caught up. He moved closer to Shippou, then gave the kit a small bop on the head. It wasn't hard, but it was enough to earn him a cry. The kit gave him a raspberry, which caught Kagome's attention. Lucky for Inuyasha, she was too pissed to sit him any more.
Miroku sighed as he turned to look at Inuyasha. "Take a look at this."
The houshi tapped his shakujo into what they thought was air. As the contact was made, there was a loud crackle and bursts of light. Miroku then retrieved his shakujo and showed it to the rest. They looked at it and noticed that it remained undamaged.
"A barrier?"
"You're right, Kagome-sama, but it's peculiar. It's very weak. I think even Shippou can break it."
"So you're saying it's a trap, bouzu?"
"It is, most likely."
"But isn't that a bit too obvious? I mean, if Naraku wants to trick us he should have at least thought it over." said Sango. "He knows us already and I don't think he still underestimates us. That would be stupid."
"True, but who knows what goes on in his demented mind, my dear Sango. And besides, I think we really don't have a choice."
Inuyasha rolled his sleeves and cracked his knuckles. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's kick some Naraku ass!"
Miroku gave a small smile. "Couldn't agree with you more."
Inuyasha hit the barrier with small force. It crackled around his fist, which made him flinch ever so slightly, then vanished. He stepped inside the clearing, sniffed around, then motioned the others to follow. They walked cautiously, keeping their guards up. They couldn't see Naraku, but Inuyasha's nose told otherwise. Suddenly, an all too familiar cackle rang throughout the forest.
"Kukukukuku…"
Without hesitation, Inuyasha swung the Tetsusaiga, transforming it into the huge fang. He growled angrily and bared his teeth. "Naraku, you bastard! Come out here!"
Naraku materialized from thin air onto a branch above them. He was wearing his usual baboon pelt. "As impatient as ever, aren't we, Inuyasha?"
"Impatient my ass! Kaze no Kizu!"
The Cutting Wind lashed towards Naraku and cut him right in the middle. The baboon pelt vanished; in its place was a wooden doll.
"How about a game of hide and seek, Inuyasha?" rang Naraku's voice through the forest.
"Feh! You coward! You think I can't smell you?!" he growled as he ran deeper into the forest.
Miroku frowned. Then it struck him. "Hide and s—Inuyasha wait! It's a trap!"
"What?!" chorused Kagome and Sango. And without a second thought, they rushed to Inuyasha's direction, only to be blocked by a much stronger barrier.
"Inuyasha!!!" cried Kagome as she bounced from the barrier. All angry thoughts escaped from her mind. 'No! Inuyasha!'
Sango and Miroku continued on bashing the barrier with Kirara breathing fire behind them. Even though it seemed hopeless, Kagome stood up and aimed an arrow to the barrier.
"Watch out!" she cried as she took her aim. They followed and backed away. It was then she noticed that someone else was missing.
"Where's Shippou?!"
~*~
"Naraku, come back here!" yelled Inuyasha.
He ran as fast as his legs could. He was determined to get the Shikon no Tama back and finish Naraku off once and for all. 'You will pay for everything, you bastard!'
The hanyou made a great leap and landed in a small grove. There in the center was his nemesis. Inuyasha clutched the hilt of the Tetsusaiga tightly as he gritted his teeth in anger.
"Oh my, you've found me." chuckled Naraku evilly.
"Stop this fuckin' crap, Naraku, and let me finish you off!" Inuyasha gave a loud battle cry as he charged towards Naraku. He gave one mighty swing with his Tetsusaiga.
"Kaze no Kizu!!!"
Lots of Cutting Winds flew towards Naraku. Inuyasha grinned cockily. To his surprise, the Cutting Winds bounced off Naraku. "What the hell?!"
"Bad, bad boy, Inuyasha. I said, you found me. Now I'm 'it'."
As the smoke cleared, a small form was standing in front of Naraku, holding a mirror. It was Kanna, one of Naraku's detachments. Inuyasha figured that it was her mirror that made the Kaze no Kizu bounce back.
"Hmm… now what shall we do to you?" he said sadistically.
"Dream on, you bastard!"
"Oh really now?"
This pissed Inuyasha off greatly. He couldn't take this anymore. He heaved the Tetsusaiga to give another blow but he suddenly couldn't move his body! He growled louder in a threatening manner.
"What the fuck have you done to me?!"
Naraku cackled then stared at him with his blood red eyes, and then he placed his hand on Kanna's shoulder. "Do you remember how her mirror sucked your woman's soul?"
Inuyasha frowned as his mind flashed the incident to him. It was one of the times where Kagome was almost killed. He shivered a bit at the thought, but then shook it off as he focused on his enemy.
"I can do the same to you, but not just that."
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Everything on this earth has a soul, Inuyasha."
"Stop talking in damn riddles!" yelled Inuyasha as he struggled to escape.
"My point is, how would you like to exchange souls with, say a rock?"
Inuyasha gritted his teeth even more. This guy must be joking. "You wouldn't dare…"
"Imagine, the great Inuyasha, a rock. A useless rock that can be crushed with one step."
'This isn't happening! I can't possibly end like this!'
Naraku flashed the evilest smile to the hanyou. "It was nice meeting you, Inuyasha. Oh, and don't worry, you're comrades will be joining you very shortly."
'No… Kagome!'
Without another word, Kanna activated her mirror. The mirror glowed an eerie purple. Suddenly, Inuyasha felt as if his insides were being sucked into the nothingness of Kanna's mirror.
'This can be… Kagome… I'm sorry…'
"Kukuku…"
"Inuyasha!!!"
Then everything went black.
~*~
Hiei_hellfireangel: Ooohh!!! Cliffhanger!!! Gomen ne but I just had to do it! :D Did you like it? Please give do review! It's just a click away… Okies, I know you're all a bit annoyed. I myself have noticed that the story's pacing is a bit slow. But I felt it necessary to insert certain scenes (e.g. Kagome's flashback and Shippou's teasing) to show how everything was before "the switch", and not just to lengthen the chapter.
Gomen ne, too, for the delay of this chapter!!! Inspiration is one bad-ass b****, she hardly shows up when you need her. And my exams, vacation abroad, reunions, and spring cleaning (gods, it was horrible!) didn't help at all. :(
P.S. If you have noticed, the Prologue is quite misaligned. And I used to have italics there for the thoughts (I use MS Word), but due to unknown reasons, they all disappeared! Should I be using HTML codes for this? Please help!
Reviews:
I Stalk Sesshomaru on weekends: Hai… poor, poor Inu.
Mary: LOL! I guess you're right. Thanks for the very nice, etc, etc, etc comment! :D
shi_shi777: So do I… It's pretty hard to think of some to put in here though. Now I'm beginning to have second thoughts! Damn! ;.; Anyways, thanks for putting me in your fave list! *bows* I will do my best to continue this story. And no, I DO NEED all the luck I can get…
Kaoru_Gal: Wow! Thanks a lot! *hugs*
Randall_Flagg2: Nooo!!! Not the big gooey eyes!!! @_@;; And like I said before, I will do my best to update regularly.
friend of shippou: Awww… Thanks!
Jabba1: *blushes* Gosh, that's so flattering. ^-^; I guess I owe my underdeveloped psychology skills to one of my friends and to my teacher. Oh, is abby you're real name?
binksbabe2001: Thanks for the compliment! Nuuu… You're all pressuring me to update regularly and put my studies at stake! Oh what shall I do!? Hmmm…
Sammyosa92: You did? Lol! Thanks for adding me and Merry Christmas to you, too! :D
Midoriko-sama: OMG YOU ACTUALLY READ MY FIC!!! *squeals* Gosh this is such an honor!!! ;; Thanks for the very nice compliment! I really appreciate it! My grammar? Hai… I know. I've been having troubles with that lately. Good thing my sis bought this nice grammar book! :D And I think you're quite right about the conscience thing, but I have to continue using it (if I have to) so that the fic will be uniform. Thanks for the idea, though! And about your fic "Never Alone", I'VE READ IT!!! And a lot of your other works. I really really really loved them! *hands M-sama some chocolates* ^-^U
darkqueen6: Thanks! Um, about the romance thing… Iunno, really. Read the Author's Notes above to know why. ;;
This chapter is dedicated to my good friend Michellin Quavers. Thought I didn't have a gift for you, ne? This is for you!!!
Till then!~