Author's Note: I have re-written this significantly. I was unhappy with
how quickly it was making the story progress, so I took all the
spontaneously mushy crap out. Sue me. Now it's more of a 'learn about
Kumiko-san' chapter. Remember, R&R, not just read.
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Inu: Well, bitch, where the hell have you been?
Arisha-chan: I'm sorry, Inu-dear, I was having some technical difficulties
with my internet connection, and then uploading was being a bitch, but
everything's alright now!
Inu: Whatever, just say what you gotta say and get on with the story...
Arisha-chan: Aw, Inu, are you looking forward to spending more time with
Kumiko?
Kumiko: Of course he is, stupid perv...
Inu: I think you have me confused with Miroku, bitch.
Arisha-chan: No, she doesn't.
Inu: -_-'
Arisha-chan: Anyways, I'm sorry everyone, but I don't own Inu Yasha,
however if I did, the series would never end and I would make my BF grow
his hair long, bleach it, and wear a pair of faux dog ears.
Inu: Sicko....
Arisha-chan and Kumiko: SIT!

Chapter Six: Walk With Me
"Come on, bitch, do you think you could take much longer? Kami, it's not
like we're walking across the whole island, here. You could at least walk
like you're half youkai," grumbled Inu Yasha, stopping to let Kumiko catch
up to him.
"And you know what you could do? Take your shitty attitude and shove it
right up your—"
"Kumiko! You came back!" Shippou interrupted her, running towards her. He
leapt up onto her shoulder and nuzzled her braids, sniffing at her denim
colored hair. "You smell like flowers, Kumiko-san!"
"Shippou-chan, you know you can call me just Kumiko. And thank you for the
complement. At least some people around her know how to treat a lady," she
said, tilting her face towards the sky as she passed Inu Yasha on the path
towards the small village.
"As if you were a lady," grumbled Inu Yasha, crossing his arms as he turned
to follow her.
"I heard that, Inu Yasha. Remember, I'm half demon, too," she said,
continuing on her way to Kaede's hut.
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"Inu Yasha, please, forgive me," came a whisper, almost silent, from behind
him. He turned, and stared into the blackness behind him.
"Who's there?" he called, even though he knew the answer. He looked
around, turning to meet her eyes, as he always did. "Ka... Kagome..."
"Inu Yasha, I'm so sorry," she whispered, her blue-gray eyes meeting his.
"I promise I'll be back, Inu-chan, I promise..." He watched her eyes, tear-
filled and red, as she started to turn from him.
"No, Kagome, wait!" he yelled, shocked at the sound of his own voice.
'This has never happened in my dream before,' he thought, fear suddenly
piercing his heart.
"I'm sorry Inu Yasha, I can't come back," the dream Kagome whispered
through her tears, turning to face him again. "I'm already there..."
He watched, tears filling his eyes as he stared at her visage. Black hair
was slowly turning blue, gray eyes beginning to shine green. Other than
these features, she remained the same. And suddenly, in his dream, it
clicked. "Kumiko... Kagome, you really are Kumiko..."
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Inu Yasha awoke suddenly, sweat beading on his brow, dripping down the back
of his neck. 'Kami, what a dream...' he though, looking across the room at
Kumiko's sleeping form. 'So she really, truly is Kagome. Maybe I should
be nicer to her from now on... But she can be such a bitch,' he told
himself, sighing, as he settled back down to rest. ' I'd rather not think
of it right now.'
He was drawn out of his thoughts, however, by a small puppyish whimper
coming from the other side of Kaede's small hut. He looked over to see
Kumiko, tossing and turning in her sleep, the scent of her fear and pain
filling the room along with her sweet scent. Her brow was furled, her
hands clenching and unclenching at some unseen attacker. He watched her,
slowly trying to decide whether to get up and go to her or let her try to
sleep through it herself.
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"Mother, no!" a child Kumiko yelled, trying to follow the older demon out
the door.
"No, Kumiko-chan, you must stay here," the demoness explained, embracing
her child. "I must go. It's my duty to fight for our lands. You know
that if the north were to fall into their hands, all hell would break
loose. I have to do this, koi... for you, for everyone living in this
territory, youkai, hanyou, and ningen alike. Understand?"
"Hai, Okaa-san, I understand," said the young girl, her puppyish ears
drooping down to lay against her head. Tears filled her emerald eyes as
she watched her mother walk towards the doorway and turn to her.
"Aishiteru, Kumiko-chan," whispered the female demon, her sky blue hair
whipping in the wind from the open door, as she walked out and onto the
battlefield on which her life would end.
Suddenly everything went black. Kumiko blinked, trying to get her demon
eyes to adjust to the darkened light. As she did so, the light got
brighter again, and she found herself looking into Inu Yasha's eyes,
intense pain filling her being, her breath catching in her chest before she
could even draw it in.
"Inu Yasha, I'm cold," she heard herself whisper, coughing a bit.
"Shh, Kagome, rest, it'll be all right," said Inu Yasha, his eyes watering
over as he looked at her.
"I'm going to die, aren't I, Inu Yasha?" she whispered, her voice low and
rasping. Fear filled her when she realized what was going on. She was
reliving her last moments as the miko Kagome, Inu Yasha' last love.
"Feh, stupid wench, of course not," cried Inu Yasha. His tear were pouring
now, and even though Kumiko knew what an immature ass he could be, her
heart broke for him, having to deal with this pain.
The next few moments were a blur for her. It was as if she were in and out
of her body at the same time, like something was pulling at her to leave,
but she didn't want to go just yet. There was something she needed to say.
"I'm dying, Inu Yasha, I'm not stupid. I just wish it could have been
different..."
"What do you mean, different, Kagome?"
"I wish you could have loved me, Inu Yasha, instead of Kikyou," she said,
softly, watching his tears run from the corners of his golden-amber eyes,
down his cheeks and drop from his chin onto her cheeks. "I always loved
you, Inu-chan."
"But I do love you, Kagome, not Kikyou," he replied, tears filling his eyes
even more. Kumiko could only guess that the two did not have any idea of
each other's true feelings until right before Kagome's demise. "Kikyou is
dead. I know that now. She'll never be back; things will never be the same
between she and I. It's you I love, Kagome, and only you."
The young girl laid her head back gently once more and looked up. Through
the pain, Kumiko felt her heart almost bursting with joy, and then a
horrible sadness, knowing that Kagome was about to die, after just now
telling her soul mate of her love for him.
"I'm glad then, Inu Yasha. I'm glad I made you happy, if only for a little
while." A sudden jolt of pain and reoccurrence of the pulling feeling she
had experienced earlier hit her full force, and she coughed and sobbed a
bit. "But I'm going now, Inu Yasha, I know I am. I can feel it. Please
take care of Shippou-chan for me, Inu-chan. Promise me you'll be nicer to
him and take care of him."
"I promise, koishii, I promise," he sobbed, taking he closer into his arms,
holding her tightly, as if it would stop her imminent death.
Suddenly, as if someone turned on a bright spotlight on only Inu Yasha and
herself, everything else around them in the dream disappeared. The pain
stopped, and all she could see was Inu Yasha's sobbing face, all she could
feel was his arms around her. All she could hear was his voice, his sobs.
She heard herself speaking, no choice in her own words, her voice shaking
from the effort.
"I swear I'll return to you somehow, Inu Yasha. I don't know how but I
will. If I've been reincarnated for you this time, I know I can be again,
right?" she whispered, feeling the cold air around her sinking into her
cooling skin.
"I know you will, koishii, I love you too much to let your soul stay away
from me for too long," he whispered back, kissing her forehead lightly.
"I love you Inu Yasha," she strained. "I love you."
With that, she seemed to rise out of herself, watching Kagome's body lay in
Inu Yasha's arms and she rose above them. 'I guess I really do look like
her,' she thought, absently, looking at the recently deceased miko's
features. 'Add blue hair and fangs and you'd have me.' But she was thrown
out of her absent thoughts by the sound of her name and the snapping open
of her eyes.
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"Kumiko, wake up!"
Kumiko snapped into a sitting position, her breathing heavy and uneven,
sweat beaded on her brow.
"Kami, Kumiko, are you all right? I'm never heard anyone have such a fit
in their sleep in my life," sighed Inu Yasha, relieved that she was finally
awake. "It's a damn good thing that Kaede and Shippou are very heavy
sleepers. What in the seven hells were you dreaming about that frightened
you so?" asked Inu Yasha, holding the shaking female's shoulders to steady
her.
"My mother... it was too awful to talk about right now... would you
please come with me to get some water?" she asked, her tears drying slowly
on her face, giving it a shimmering effect.
"Let's go," he replied, nodding, and helping her up. She smiled faintly;
he was actually acting like a gentleman.
A few minutes later, they were walking back to the village in silence. Inu
Yasha snuck glances at her, wondering what she had dreamt about her mother.
"My mother," she started, suddenly, after having noticed his glances for a
few minutes. "My mother was the Taiyoukai of the north. Toya Midori. She
died when I was 5. I don't remember much of her. I dreamed about the day
she died..." she trailed off. She didn't want to tell him about her
reliving Kagome's death, but maybe it was something he should know.
"Oh, you're of the Toya line. That explains the blue hair," said Inu
Yasha, absently. "And the green eyes. No one else has green eyes but them
around here. I've seen gaijin with green eyes, humans, but no other demons
or ningen."
"Yeah," sighed Kumiko. "But you can't really go by that in my world.
Demons are so few and so mixed now that sometimes you can't tell. My
mother's line was the last pure heritage left, until she had me. That's
why she died. Other demons from the south and east thought that her mating
with my father was disgusting, that I was an abomination. Maybe they were
right," she paused, anger filling her eyes with a red hue. "But I'm still
not going to go anywhere, so they may as well get used to me. Anyway, when
Okaa-san died, I had no one. My father had been dead for a few years
already, so one of her servants who was still loyal, Fujiko, put a spell on
me to hide my ears, and smuggled me to an orphanage in Tokyo. I stayed
there for 12 years, until Souta and Suki adopted me," she stopped. She
didn't feel like talking about her mother anymore.
"So you have ears like mine, really?" Inu Yasha asked, smiling slightly.
"Hai, but I don't know how to break the spell that confines them, or if it
even can be broken. Fujiko was a very powerful witch."
"We'll ask Kaede tomorrow. I would imagine that having your ears pinned
from such a young age would hinder your hearing," thought Inu Yasha, out
loud. He scowled in though for a moment. "I'm sorry for being such a jerk
to you, Kumiko. It's nothing personal, really. It's just how I am."
"It's alright, Inu Yasha. I understand. I know I can be a huge bitch
sometimes, and not in the literal sense," answered the female Inu hanyou.
She leaned up to him on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek quickly. "Come
on, we have to get back to the village. The sun is starting to come up,
they'll be wondering where we are," she said, turning away and heading back
towards Kaede's hut. He followed, perplexed by her behavior. Wasn't she
just telling him she hated him on the way back from the well? Maybe she
had more of Kagome in her than she really wanted others to know. He
followed her back to the village, confusion wracking his mind.
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Kumiko sat under the God Tree, watching Inu Yasha with Shippou. 'He really
does treat the little kit like his own pup, doesn't he?' she thought,
watching as Inu Yasha tried to demonstrate a punch. Shippou looked at Inu
Yasha with worship in his eyes, reenacting his movements. Kumiko sighed.
She was becoming bored with all this sitting around.
"So what's on our agenda today, Inu Yasha?" she yelled to him, causing his
attention to be drawn from the kit, who in turn, practicing a punch he had
just been shown, rammed his tiny fist straight into Inu Yasha's groin.
"Sweet merciful Kami... watch that, kit, do you want brothers and sisters
later in life?" moaned Inu Yasha, falling to his knees. Kumiko watched him
with wonder, and then suddenly, she burst into a mad fit of laughter,
unable to stop herself.
"Kami-sama, Inu Yasha, you should see your face right now!" she laughed,
rolling onto her back and holding her stomach as she shook with laughter.
"Geez, Inu Yasha, I'm really sorry! You were supposed to be blocking my
punches!" cried Shippou, jumping onto Inu Yasha's chest. "I swear I didn't
mean it!"
"It's ok, Shippou, I know you didn't mean it," groaned Inu Yasha, trying
his best not to grab the young fox by the head and fling him. Then his
ears heard the sound of absolutely unbridled laughter, and he looked up to
see Kumiko literally rolling on the ground, laughing her head off. He
quickly tried to shake off the pain, leaving himself with a dull ache
between his legs. "What are you laughing at, bitch?" he asked, angrily.
"I'm sorry," she giggled, turning onto her stomach and looking up at him.
"But the image of the Almighty Inu Yasha taking a ball shot from a kitsune
kit is just to fucking funny not to laugh at," she explained, bursting into
laughter again.
"Kami, whatever, bitch," Inu Yasha grumbled, getting up and walking back
towards the village.
"Hey, wait!" yelled Kumiko, starting after him, but before she even got a
chance to, he was gone. 'Damnit,' she thought. 'I was just messing around
with him, geez. Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea, if he's going
to be so goddamned fickle."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Kumiko, you really should go back with him," said Mitsumi, helping Kumiko
pack an old blue knapsack with clothes and toiletries. "He may be rude and
obnoxious, but there's got to be something sweet about him, I mean after
all, Kagome..." she trailed off. "I don't think you would have been able
to get through the well unless there was a reason for you to be on the
other side. It could be something of deadly importance. Please, just go
back with him, and be careful."
"Hai, Obaa-san. I will," Kumiko answered, accepting the hug her
grandmother bestowed on her. She followed the older woman out the door and
down the stairs. She was surprised to see Inu Yasha and Souta playing a
video game together, Suki cheering them on. "Okay..." she started,
mesmerized by the odd sight. "Ok, Inu Yasha, let's go."
"Go where, wench?" replied Inu Yasha, still staring at the television
screen.
"Back on the other side of the well, idiot, where the hell do you think?"
yelled Kumiko, annoyed. "Come on. We've got crap to do."
"Fine, I'm coming. Next time, Souta, I'll beat you for sure."
"You bet, Inu-onii-chan. Geez, I guess I can't call you that anymore.
Well, Inu Yasha, we'll see you around. Please try not to let her be gone
for more than a few days. We only just got her a few days ago," said
Souta, laughing slightly.
"Be careful, dear," said Suki, hugging Kumiko tightly.
"Yes, Kumiko, be careful," agreed Souta, also hugging her.
"I will, don't worry about me, I'm a big girl. Goodbye everyone!" yelled
Kumiko, walking into the well house. Behind her walked Inu Yasha,
obviously not thrilled about having to follow this girl who resembled him
so very much in personality.
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Kumiko sat there, perplexed. 'What kind of family do I have now, anyway?
Who would let their seventeen year old daughter roam around feudal Japan
with a hanyou to fight other demons and search for some stupid jewel? Oh,
yeah... A crack-fiend's family,' she thought to herself, shaking her head.
'And what the hell? He was all sweet last night after I had that dream.
Now he's being such a dick.'
Kumiko rose from her spot on the ground under the tree, and dusted her
pants off. She looked up to the sky and inhaled deeply. 'Wait... What the
hell is that?' she thought, seeing a snake-like demon flying slowly across
the sky, carrying a small, glowing orb. 'Oh, shit...'
"Shini-dama-chuu..." she whispered, turning to run back to the village.
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Arisha-chan: Well, that's it, and yes, I know it's crap, but hey, you
wanted an update, I gave you an update... I might rewrite it later anyways.
Ja ne!!!
Inu (with tape-covered mouth and limbs duct-taped together): Mmph mmph
mrrmph!