Mata Ashita
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. Chapter 2: Truce
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~*~
"Gr....." she grumbled. "That good for nothing sonova-"
"You're thinking out loud, ya know."
.
With an aggravated cry, she kicked the nearest patch of blossoms and walked further away.
"Hey! What did those flowers ever do to you?"
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~*~
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.
He lay on his back, looking up at the stars while his feet warmed itself on the hearth. It was rare to have such a serene atmosphere like this. Just about all of his nights were spent contemplating how to escape in the cellars of local prisons in towns. That reason he was in prison in the first place would be for stealing food. But hey, a guy's gotta eat.
Speaking of eating...
He turned his head to the right where lay a lump by the riverbank.
*Sigh*
She was still mad at him.
She had refused his invitation of a warm bed on the hearth, being the obdurate girl she was, and decided she'd rather spend her night on the soggy ground than with him.
Sighing for the umpth time that day, he trekked towards the supposedly sleeping girl to persuade her to get her mulish butt back here, lest she get a cold.
Not that he cared.
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~*~
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She shivered.
It was a warm night, but the water tended to give off that cold feeling. Boy was that spot by the fire looking mighty tempting right now.
'No,' she thought. 'Not giving in. C'mon Kagome. Think warm. Think warm. Yeah, that'll show him. I don't need him.'
Pride always did get the better of her.
She suddenly felt a heavy weight on her.
'Huh?'
She half sat up to see what had befallen upon her back. A red haori draped over her shivering body, giving off comforting warmth. Her sight caught on the boy that lay face up next to her, arms behind his head, enjoying the stars.
With a 'hmph', she threw the source of warmth back in his face and turned away.
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~*~
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'That stubborn wench,' he muttered. 'doesn't know compassion when it's slamming right in her face.'
He turned to his left to see the girl's back to him. Lifting his head, he began to confront her.
"What the heck's your-"
"Leave me alone!" she replied angrily.
He growled. No one snapped at him.
"You're still mad about the food aren't you?"
Silence gave him his answer.
He sighed.
"Fine, fine, I'm SORRY," he apologized, rolling his eyes. "You happy now?"
He was met again with a 'hmph'.
Already tired with this argument, he did the last thing he could think of.
.
.
.
.
~*~
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.
.
.
Kagome's eyes immediately cracked open when a soft thud landed right in front of her face.
It was that loaf of bread!
"THERE. Happy now?!"
She sat up to face him, who had also sat up by this time, holding the prized possession.
"But...how...what the f-"
"Stole it."
"But...how?" was her smart respond.
"Eh, took it when the old hag wasn't looking."
She looked at the food in her hand, and back at his face. Then back to the food, and back to his face.
She felt kinda guilty now that he had given up what he could've taken and scoffed down before.
She sighed, and broke the bread in half, throwing the other half in his face while eating her own.
He looked surprised as the half piece landed on his lap. He, too, took it at stuffed it in his mouth.
It wasn't a meal, but it would do for now.
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~*~
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.
"So, where did you plan to go?"
"Feh, none of your business, wench!"
A pregnant pause filled the distance between them, as they both tried to find way to break the silence.
"So, where are YOU going?" Inu-yasha asked, somewhat quietly.
Kagome smiled. Good. She'd been waiting for him to ask her that.
"I'm looking for my family," she happily started off. "I was orphaned for as long as I can remember. I couldn't remember anything before Kaede-baba took me in. All she ever told me was that I was found lying in the grass, a bit away from the burning village I had come from."
Her eyes glazed over, at the remembrance of her Kaede-baba, her foster mother, and Shippo-Chan, her adorable little foster brother.
Hours passed as Kagome enjoyed herself, talking to the boy to her right. It felt great to have someone intently listen about her life story, leading up to the events that happened in the cottage in the woods.
"It's funny that we met in such a place and under such circumstances, huh?"
She turned her head to her right, seeing the boy fast asleep. She sighed.
'At least he's not such a jerk when he sleeps,' was the last thing she thought before she drifted off to la la land.
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.
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~*~
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~ Days later ~
"Harder! Do it harder!"
"This is the hardest I can go!"
"Put all your strength and force in your hips. Thrust it out a bit!"
"I'm thrusting! I'm thrusting!"
"No, no! You gotta have that swinging motion. Bring it all the way out this way, and swinging it in hard this way!" Inu-yasha showed his point, swinging his arm out as he let go of the rock.
Kagome stared in awe as the rocked skipped seven spaces through the water, something she COULD NOT do. She picked up the rock, and tried at it again, only to have the rock plop right down to the bottom of the river.
"Argh! I can't do it!"
"Ok, swing back your arm behind you, and put all your force in your hips and arms."
'That did not sound right,' she thought.
Sighing, Kagome threw the rock once more, making sure to have that 'thrusting' movement she was taught.
The moment it hit the surface of the water, it bounced off and landed to the spot ahead.
Kagome squealed, looking at her rock go!
'1! 2! 3! 4-'
It stopped.
"Where the HECK did that duck come from?!"
Out of nowhere, a green mallard had paddled right in the way of the dangerously skipping rock, landing right in its face.
"Ouch." Inu-yasha stated casually, not feeling sorry in the slightest way for the dead bird.
.
.
.
~*~
.
.
.
"Urgh! Today is just not my day is it?" Kagome complained.
After that duck incident, she had gotten paranoid about her skills. Scared she would kill something else, she had dodged everything living, even if it meant falling hard on her butt just so she wouldn't harm that innocent leaf about to fall.
Inu-yasha rolled his eyes. "Look, you're not a crazed murderer ok?"
"Oh, look who's talking! At least I didn't take advantage of that duck and roasted it!"
"Hey, you ate it, too!"
It was true. She did wolf down almost most of it, but she did feel guilty. That counts, right?
"Ugh, I think I'm going vegetarian now."
Her body hazardously swayed back and forth at the rumbling in her stomach. It sure wasn't hunger.
"Get on," he insisted, crouching down in front of her.
Not minding a break from walking all day (her feet were getting pretty sore), she took the offer and threw herself on back, emitting an 'Uph' from the boy.
"Gosh dang it, you're heavy."
.
.
"Do you really want to find your family?" he asked out of the blue, figuring she was still awake.
"Huh?" she reacted on instinct, stunned as the sudden topic was brought up. "What kind of question is that? Of course I do!"
"But, don't you already have a family? Someone who already cares for you, and loves you?"
She stared at the back of his head, about to make a smart remark, before she realized he was serious. She was quiet for a while, contemplating on how to answer that.
"I-I guess, I don't know."
"You're not looking for them are you?"
Kagome widened at the accusation, but he continued with his ramblings before she could interrupt.
"You're just looking for someone to call your own, a house to call a home, a 'family' to belong to. But you already have one. As long as someone cares for you, you already belong. Right there, with the people who love you."
That uncomfortable stillness was there again.
"You should be happy with what you have. It's more than what you can say for me."
She looked away from the ground she had been gazing at, to look to his head once more, looking up at the setting sun fervently.
'Whoa, poetic mode,' she mused to herself.
That's when what he said had sunk in.
"What? What does that mean, 'it's more than you can say for me'?"
Continuing in his walk, Inu-yasha shook his head to clear out his thoughts.
"Never mind."
"Aw c'mon. You never really told me about. This is the perfect time!" she pleaded.
"Feh."
"Why are you here, with me? Where are you going? What are you looking for?"
"I can't tell you what I'm looking for," he said firmly.
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know what I'm looking for."
"What? How is that possible?" she gasped. "You're a kidnapper aren't you?! I knew it! Get me off right now!"
"Ah! Stop that!" he yelled as her foot embedded itself into his side. "Argh! Relax! I'm not gonna kidnap you!"
Finally satisfied with his answer, she stopped flailing about, out of breath.
Minutes after, he presumed it was safe to continue where he left off.
"I guess, you can say I'm like you. Looking for a place to belong."
"What about your family?" she asked cautiously, not wanting to scare him off now that she got him talking.
"They died," he replied sadly, his head bent towards the ground.
"Oh."
Her heart opened up to him. So he had lost loved one, too. He was all alone, unlike her. She had someone to love, and someone to love her back. And here she thought SHE was the unfortunate one.
Inu-yasha's head snapped up from its position when he felt to small arms wrap even tighter around his neck.
"I'll be here to love you, Inu-yasha," she whispered.
.
.
. Chapter 2: Truce
.
.
.
~*~
"Gr....." she grumbled. "That good for nothing sonova-"
"You're thinking out loud, ya know."
.
With an aggravated cry, she kicked the nearest patch of blossoms and walked further away.
"Hey! What did those flowers ever do to you?"
.
.
.
.
~*~
.
.
.
.
He lay on his back, looking up at the stars while his feet warmed itself on the hearth. It was rare to have such a serene atmosphere like this. Just about all of his nights were spent contemplating how to escape in the cellars of local prisons in towns. That reason he was in prison in the first place would be for stealing food. But hey, a guy's gotta eat.
Speaking of eating...
He turned his head to the right where lay a lump by the riverbank.
*Sigh*
She was still mad at him.
She had refused his invitation of a warm bed on the hearth, being the obdurate girl she was, and decided she'd rather spend her night on the soggy ground than with him.
Sighing for the umpth time that day, he trekked towards the supposedly sleeping girl to persuade her to get her mulish butt back here, lest she get a cold.
Not that he cared.
.
.
.
~*~
.
.
.
She shivered.
It was a warm night, but the water tended to give off that cold feeling. Boy was that spot by the fire looking mighty tempting right now.
'No,' she thought. 'Not giving in. C'mon Kagome. Think warm. Think warm. Yeah, that'll show him. I don't need him.'
Pride always did get the better of her.
She suddenly felt a heavy weight on her.
'Huh?'
She half sat up to see what had befallen upon her back. A red haori draped over her shivering body, giving off comforting warmth. Her sight caught on the boy that lay face up next to her, arms behind his head, enjoying the stars.
With a 'hmph', she threw the source of warmth back in his face and turned away.
.
.
.
.
~*~
.
.
.
.
'That stubborn wench,' he muttered. 'doesn't know compassion when it's slamming right in her face.'
He turned to his left to see the girl's back to him. Lifting his head, he began to confront her.
"What the heck's your-"
"Leave me alone!" she replied angrily.
He growled. No one snapped at him.
"You're still mad about the food aren't you?"
Silence gave him his answer.
He sighed.
"Fine, fine, I'm SORRY," he apologized, rolling his eyes. "You happy now?"
He was met again with a 'hmph'.
Already tired with this argument, he did the last thing he could think of.
.
.
.
.
~*~
.
.
.
.
Kagome's eyes immediately cracked open when a soft thud landed right in front of her face.
It was that loaf of bread!
"THERE. Happy now?!"
She sat up to face him, who had also sat up by this time, holding the prized possession.
"But...how...what the f-"
"Stole it."
"But...how?" was her smart respond.
"Eh, took it when the old hag wasn't looking."
She looked at the food in her hand, and back at his face. Then back to the food, and back to his face.
She felt kinda guilty now that he had given up what he could've taken and scoffed down before.
She sighed, and broke the bread in half, throwing the other half in his face while eating her own.
He looked surprised as the half piece landed on his lap. He, too, took it at stuffed it in his mouth.
It wasn't a meal, but it would do for now.
.
.
.
.
~*~
.
.
.
.
"So, where did you plan to go?"
"Feh, none of your business, wench!"
A pregnant pause filled the distance between them, as they both tried to find way to break the silence.
"So, where are YOU going?" Inu-yasha asked, somewhat quietly.
Kagome smiled. Good. She'd been waiting for him to ask her that.
"I'm looking for my family," she happily started off. "I was orphaned for as long as I can remember. I couldn't remember anything before Kaede-baba took me in. All she ever told me was that I was found lying in the grass, a bit away from the burning village I had come from."
Her eyes glazed over, at the remembrance of her Kaede-baba, her foster mother, and Shippo-Chan, her adorable little foster brother.
Hours passed as Kagome enjoyed herself, talking to the boy to her right. It felt great to have someone intently listen about her life story, leading up to the events that happened in the cottage in the woods.
"It's funny that we met in such a place and under such circumstances, huh?"
She turned her head to her right, seeing the boy fast asleep. She sighed.
'At least he's not such a jerk when he sleeps,' was the last thing she thought before she drifted off to la la land.
.
.
.
.
~*~
.
.
.
.
~ Days later ~
"Harder! Do it harder!"
"This is the hardest I can go!"
"Put all your strength and force in your hips. Thrust it out a bit!"
"I'm thrusting! I'm thrusting!"
"No, no! You gotta have that swinging motion. Bring it all the way out this way, and swinging it in hard this way!" Inu-yasha showed his point, swinging his arm out as he let go of the rock.
Kagome stared in awe as the rocked skipped seven spaces through the water, something she COULD NOT do. She picked up the rock, and tried at it again, only to have the rock plop right down to the bottom of the river.
"Argh! I can't do it!"
"Ok, swing back your arm behind you, and put all your force in your hips and arms."
'That did not sound right,' she thought.
Sighing, Kagome threw the rock once more, making sure to have that 'thrusting' movement she was taught.
The moment it hit the surface of the water, it bounced off and landed to the spot ahead.
Kagome squealed, looking at her rock go!
'1! 2! 3! 4-'
It stopped.
"Where the HECK did that duck come from?!"
Out of nowhere, a green mallard had paddled right in the way of the dangerously skipping rock, landing right in its face.
"Ouch." Inu-yasha stated casually, not feeling sorry in the slightest way for the dead bird.
.
.
.
~*~
.
.
.
"Urgh! Today is just not my day is it?" Kagome complained.
After that duck incident, she had gotten paranoid about her skills. Scared she would kill something else, she had dodged everything living, even if it meant falling hard on her butt just so she wouldn't harm that innocent leaf about to fall.
Inu-yasha rolled his eyes. "Look, you're not a crazed murderer ok?"
"Oh, look who's talking! At least I didn't take advantage of that duck and roasted it!"
"Hey, you ate it, too!"
It was true. She did wolf down almost most of it, but she did feel guilty. That counts, right?
"Ugh, I think I'm going vegetarian now."
Her body hazardously swayed back and forth at the rumbling in her stomach. It sure wasn't hunger.
"Get on," he insisted, crouching down in front of her.
Not minding a break from walking all day (her feet were getting pretty sore), she took the offer and threw herself on back, emitting an 'Uph' from the boy.
"Gosh dang it, you're heavy."
.
.
"Do you really want to find your family?" he asked out of the blue, figuring she was still awake.
"Huh?" she reacted on instinct, stunned as the sudden topic was brought up. "What kind of question is that? Of course I do!"
"But, don't you already have a family? Someone who already cares for you, and loves you?"
She stared at the back of his head, about to make a smart remark, before she realized he was serious. She was quiet for a while, contemplating on how to answer that.
"I-I guess, I don't know."
"You're not looking for them are you?"
Kagome widened at the accusation, but he continued with his ramblings before she could interrupt.
"You're just looking for someone to call your own, a house to call a home, a 'family' to belong to. But you already have one. As long as someone cares for you, you already belong. Right there, with the people who love you."
That uncomfortable stillness was there again.
"You should be happy with what you have. It's more than what you can say for me."
She looked away from the ground she had been gazing at, to look to his head once more, looking up at the setting sun fervently.
'Whoa, poetic mode,' she mused to herself.
That's when what he said had sunk in.
"What? What does that mean, 'it's more than you can say for me'?"
Continuing in his walk, Inu-yasha shook his head to clear out his thoughts.
"Never mind."
"Aw c'mon. You never really told me about. This is the perfect time!" she pleaded.
"Feh."
"Why are you here, with me? Where are you going? What are you looking for?"
"I can't tell you what I'm looking for," he said firmly.
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know what I'm looking for."
"What? How is that possible?" she gasped. "You're a kidnapper aren't you?! I knew it! Get me off right now!"
"Ah! Stop that!" he yelled as her foot embedded itself into his side. "Argh! Relax! I'm not gonna kidnap you!"
Finally satisfied with his answer, she stopped flailing about, out of breath.
Minutes after, he presumed it was safe to continue where he left off.
"I guess, you can say I'm like you. Looking for a place to belong."
"What about your family?" she asked cautiously, not wanting to scare him off now that she got him talking.
"They died," he replied sadly, his head bent towards the ground.
"Oh."
Her heart opened up to him. So he had lost loved one, too. He was all alone, unlike her. She had someone to love, and someone to love her back. And here she thought SHE was the unfortunate one.
Inu-yasha's head snapped up from its position when he felt to small arms wrap even tighter around his neck.
"I'll be here to love you, Inu-yasha," she whispered.