DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters of the Inuyasha series nor do
I own the original storyline.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
~*~
Hi all!! Here I am again!! And like I said before, I will have a LOT of time
to write chapters the coming 10 weeks (till April) because of an extremely relaxed
schedule of school. It will be a bit slower in the beginning since I haven't
written the chapters yet but don't worry, I'll pick up the pace soon ^-^!
Please enjoy reading this chapter of mine and leave a review behind after reading!
Thank you!!
~*~
Italic: thoughts
-- --: locations
"...": spoken words
~*~*~*~*~: time gap
*...* : noises
-by Kittymui-
Blooming friendship
Previously:
"Don't be..." he suddenly said, as if he knew what she was thinking.
"You didn't know...you couldn't have known so it's not your fault.
Kagome didn't know why, but she felt the tears, which she had managed to push
back before, well up in her eyes again. And before she knew it, they were already
streaming down her cheeks.
~*~*~
Inuyasha was shocked when Kagome suddenly started to cry. "O-oi...why are
you crying...?" he stuttered with a shocked expression on his face. Did
I make her cry again? God, I'm such a jerk... he mentally scolded himself.
He immediately released her shoulders and held up his hands as if he was surrendering.
"L-look...I'm sorry if I made you cry again...really...I'm__"
He was cut off when Kagome suddenly clasped his haori and buried her head into
his chest. "K-k..." she sobbed in his chest. "...kowakatta..."
Inuyasha's eyes softened as he wrapped his arms around her and gently stroked
her hair. I guess I can't really blame her, since she'd probably never been
kidnapped and forced to be some youkai's mate before. he thought understandingly.
"It's okay, he's gone now," he reassured her and slightly pulled away.
"That aside, how is your wrist?" he asked.
Kagome, who was still sobbing, let go of his haori and held up her injured wrist,
revealing a faint blue skin and several nail-marks aligned next to each other.
And a couple of dried trails of blood ran from her wrist to the inside of her
sleeve.
Inuyasha gently took her wrist in his clawed hand and reached into his sleeve
with the other.
Kagome widened her eyes when she saw him pull out the small medicine bottle
she had lost during the kidnap. How did he...?
"I had found it on the floor near the creek," he explained as he pulled
out the tiny cork that sealed the opening of the bottle.
"This will sting a little," he warned before pouring out some of the
liquid onto the nail-marks.
Kagome winced a little as she indeed felt the singing sensation but ignored
most part of it when she realized what it meant that he had found the bottle
near the creek. He came back to where he had left me behind...
When she came back to reality again, she realized that Inuyasha had started
to bandage her wrist with a red cloth. "A-arigatou..." she whispered
as a blush crept up her cheeks.
"Dou-itashimashite," he replied, tying a knot to keep the bandage
on its place around her wrist. "Can you walk?" he asked after a short
pause.
"Maybe..." she answered and tried to put more pressure on her foot
that caused her to topple forward before. But she winced again as the sharp
pain ran through her body. ...not... she added mentally and shifted her
gaze to Inuyasha again, only to find him kneeling in front of her with his back
to her. ...Eh?
"Climb on," Inuyasha said, looking over his shoulder. "I'll carry
you back."
Kagome's eyes widened. "B-but__"
"I won't ask again Kagome," he cut her off. "Now climb onto my
back."
As if her name was the magic word, Kagome obediently climbed onto Inuyasha's
back and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Y-yeah," she replied.
"Alright then. Hold on tight and don't let go," he warned as he looped
his arms around her legs and dashed into the woods with great speed.
He called me by my name again... Kagome thought with a smile as she tightened
her grip around Inuyasha's neck. Her thoughts were cut off when Inuyasha suddenly
spoke again.
"Where do you live?" he asked, jumping from branch to branch.
"Euhm...in a mansion a little East from where we met," Kagome replied.
"We should be able to get there before dinnertime, don't worry," he
reassured her.
Kagome's lips curled up into a small smile. "Arigatou," she thanked
him.
"But how are you going to explain your injuries? And your dirty yukata?"
he asked after running a while.
Kagome thought for a moment before answering. "I'll think of something..."
After that, the trip continued silently as Inuyasha focused on the path and
Kagome on the landscape around them.
~*~*~
"We're here."
"Eh?" Kagome responded surprised, not even realizing that the running
had stopped and that they were standing in front of the gate of her courtyard.
Slightly disappointed that it had ended so soon, Kagome climbed off of Inuyasha's
back.
When she opened her mouth to thank him for bringing her home, the silver-haired
boy had already turned around to her with the small medicine bottle in his clawed
hand. "Here...you'll need this more than me, especially when you don't
want your father to worry about you," he said, handing over the bottle.
"Arigatou," she smiled at his consideration and took the bottle.
"Well, I guess I should be going now," Inuyasha decided as he turned
to walk away.
Kagome quickly halted him. "Will we meet again?" she asked hastily,
afraid that he'll shut himself off from her again after today.
A silence fell between them and her face dropped. "I guess n__"
"I don't know about you but we're not going to move out of our house any
time soon," he cut her off, without turning around to her.
Dammit, just answer her question you idiot!! he mentally scolded himself
as he realized how cold he sounded.
He released a sigh as he tried to come up with a better answer.
At the same time, Kagome wondered what he was thinking as she heard him sigh.
She was surprised when Inuyasha looked over his shoulder and gave her a friendly
smile. "You know where to find me if you're bored," he said.
It took Kagome several seconds to realize what it meant and a bright smile appeared
on her face as she did so. "Okay!!" she responded with a quick nod.
"Ja ne!"
With that, she opened the small gate and entered the courtyard of her mansion.
A calm expression appeared on Inuyasha's face as he stared at the gate a little
longer before he finally turned around and walked away. I guess...it's okay...
he approved inwardly and disappeared into the forest.
~*~*~*~
"Ohayoo Inuyasha!!!"
Inuyasha opened his eyes and dropped his gaze, only to see those familiar navy
orbs again. "Ah," he responded casually as he sat up and stretched
his arms.
A couple of weeks had past since the day he had indirectly given her permission
to bother him whenever she was bored and much to his surprise, there hadn't
been a single day that she didn't.
Strangely enough, he didn't find her everyday company annoying or bothersome
at all.
His attention was drawn again when Kagome called out to him again. "Inuyasha,
come down here! I want to show you something," she said.
Within seconds, Inuyasha jumped off the branch and walked up to her. "What
is it?" he asked.
"Look!" she said as she held up a bow and a quiver filled with arrows.
They were both made of strong dark wood with edges coated in silver. The arrow,
though not decorated with silver coating, were given soft crosshair-shaped tails
made of white feathers instead. All of them were made for her age and height
and fitted her perfectly.
"It took me a long time to convince my father but it was worth it, don't
you agree?" she asked, looking up at Inuyasha.
"Keh! Can you actually use them?" he snorted, folding his arms together,
obviously not impressed.
Kagome blushed. "Well...no..." she admitted. "...but I can learn!"
"Aren't you a bit young to learn how to use weapons?" he asked, eyeing
her.
She frowned. "Euhm...no? I mean...I'm twelve...but the earlier, the easier,
right? I'm sure I'll be able to master archery in no time!!" she smiled
confidently.
"All talk and no action," Inuyasha smirked. "I won't believe
you until you can prove your words."
Kagome's face dropped but then suddenly a grin appeared. "You really sound
like you know better...want to try using them?" she asked, holding up the
bow and quiver to Inuyasha.
"No way!" he refused. "I'm not going to use those! Bows and arrows
are girls' stuff!!"
She raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you don't know how to use any other
weapons than your claws."
"Of course not you baka!" Inuyasha quickly defended. "I have
a sword...a very powerful one made of my father's fangs and it belongs to me
only," he said proudly.
"Oh really? And where is this sword of yours? Why aren't you carrying it?"
Kagome grinned. "Or are you just lying?"
"I'm NOT!!" he growled as a blush of embarrassment colored his cheeks.
"It's just...well...I'm not allowed to use it until I turn 18...so__"
"Aha! So you can't prove it huh?!" Kagome cut him off. "Well
then, I'm not going to believe you either, until you can prove YOUR words!"
"You want prove? Come with me to my house and I'll show it to you!"
Inuyasha argued.
Kagome gave him a stupefied look. "Yeah right!" she snorted.
"Why not? My father and half-brother are out of business and all of the
servants were given a small holiday, so it will be just you and me," he
explained.
"The more reason I DON'T want to go to your house," she spat, giving
him an distrusting look.
Inuyasha widened his eyes. "What the...oh no...no no no...you're actually
having some dirty thoughts aren't you?! Now look who's perverse!!" he cried.
Kagome folded her arms together and stuck up her nose. "Still, I'm NOT
going to believe your words and I WON'T go to your house to see your so-called
prove!" she decided stubbornly.
A moment of silence passed as Inuyasha thought about an alternative.
"All right! Then I'll sneak into my father's chamber and get it. I'm sure
it'll be alright since nobody's around for the coming days," he finally
decided.
"Sounds good to me," Kagome agreed. "When will you do it?"
"Tonight," he replied without second thought. "Meet me here tomorrow
at noon and I'll prove it to you that I'm not lying."
"Okay, deal!" Kagome agreed, not really thinking before deciding.
"Good! Then prepare to be amazed tomorrow," Inuyasha smirked as he
turned to dash away.
Suddenly Kagome remembered something. "Wait!! I can't tomorrow! Could we
pick another day instead?" she cried after him.
A smirk appeared on Inuyasha's face as he stopped and looked over his shoulder.
"What's the matter? Afraid that I might actually prove you wrong?"
he grinned.
Kagome frowned. "Of course not!! It's just...well..."
"No excuses!!" Inuyasha cut her off. "I'll see you here tomorrow
at noon!! And that's final!!" he cried and quickly dashed away before Kagome
could say anything else.
"No wait!! W-wait..." her voice faltered as she realized he wasn't
going to stop anymore.
Mou...what am I supposed to do now... she groaned inwardly, turning to walk
away. Father would be furious if I told him that I can't visit mom's grave
just because of a stupid sword...but...Inuyasha isn't listening either...
she sighed. Stupid, stupid Kagome!! she scolded herself mentally.
B-but he would forgive me...right?
Yeah...he would understand... she decided after pondering a moment and continued
her promenade back to her house.
~*~ the next day ~*~
Inuyasha was walking through the forest with a long and thin object in his hand.
It was a black scabbard with a sword in it. The edges of the scabbard was coated
with gold together with the hilt of the sword, which had a thin red braided
rope attached to it.
A smirk formed on his face. She's going to be fascinated by this. Oeh...I
can't wait to see her surprised and defeated expression. he thought to himself
as his grip on the sword tightened.
~*~
After arriving at their usual meeting spot near the creek, Inuyasha sat down
at the base of his favorite tree and leaned against its trunk. It should
be noon soon. he thought, looking up at the sky, which had started to get
cloudy. "I sure hope it doesn't rain today..." he muttered.
~*~ meanwhile ~*~
Kagome didn't know why, but she couldn't help but feel awfully guilty as she
watched the landscape from behind the windows.
She and her father were sitting inside a white carriage pulled by four brown
horses. They were on their way to the grave of Kagome's mother, which was located
on a nearby hill.
"Father? Do you know when it will be noon?" she suddenly asked her
father, who was sitting from across her.
Her father looked like a very strict person. If you didn't know him well, you
would never expect to hear that behind the stoic face, there was actually a
very kind man who's just missing his deceased wife. He had short curly dark
brown hair and eyes of the same color. And today, he was dressed in a formal
black uniform, which completely matched the formal black dress of Kagome.
"It should be noon soon," he replied monotonously. "Why do you
ask?"
Kagome quickly turned to the window again. "N-nothing...just curious..."
After that, the trip continued with the two silently staring out of the windows
of the carriage.
~*~
"Take your umbrella with you, it's going to rain soon," her father
ordered after stepping out of the carriage.
A worried look appeared on Kagome's face as she lifted her gaze up to the sky
and realized he was right.
The sky, which was blue before, was now dark gray. The bright sun had disappeared
behind the thick clouds and the environment around them looked as if it was
already evening.
He wouldn't still be waiting right? she asked herself mentally as she
followed her father up the hill. She nodded to herself as she succeeded in reassuring
herself. He's probably gone home already...he should be since he's not the
kind of person who would wait more than an hour. she decided.
Her thoughts were cut off by the voice of her father. "Kagome, come here
and pray for your mother."
"Hai," she acknowledged and walked to his side.
She closed her eyes and put her hands together. In her mind, she began to tell
her mother about the flower, about how she got pursued by the wolf tribe and
most of all, how she got to meet Inuyasha.
But before she could finish her story, a drop of water that landed on her joined
hands interrupted her. She opened her eyes. ...Eh?
When she looked up at her mother's stone grave, which was becoming wet and darker
of color, she realized it was raining. She quickly opened her umbrella and froze
when she heard her father speak to her. "Is there something bother you,
Kagome?" he asked, looking down at her.
"N-no!! Of course not! I mean...euhm...well..." she stuttered as her
voice faltered.
Her father frowned. "Kagome," he said impatiently.
Kagome sighed and confessed. "I...well...I kind of promised a friend to
be at a our meeting spot by noon today... and my friend is probably still waiting
for me right now..."
"I see," he responded, raising an eyebrow.
A short pause took place as Kagome dropped her gaze.
"Well what are you waiting for then? It's not a lady's behavior to let
a friend wait in the rain," he suddenly spoke.
Kagome looked up to her father and widened her eyes. "You mean...I'm allowed
to leave?" she asked hopefully.
Her father smiled. "I don't know about you but I'm not going to stay here
any longer with this rain pouring down. I'm sure your mother wouldn't mind it
if we continued our visit on another day."
She almost jumped a hole in the air. "Thank you father!!" she cried
relieved, hugging him as she lowered her umbrella.
"Come on. I'll have the coachman drop you off near your meeting spot,"
he said, pulling away and turning to leave.
"Uhn!" she nodded and followed her father down the hill.
~*~
Darn. Inuyasha cursed as he looked at his soaked clothes and removed
some wet strands of hair that got plastered onto his cheek. Me and my big
mouth...
But he got even angrier when he realized that he had been waiting for two hours
already. Where the hell is she?! What's taking her so long?! he cried
mentally.
Despite the fact that he was sitting near a thick tree, he still became wet
because the rain was literally pouring down from the dark gray clouds. He didn't
know when he had started to shiver but he quickly shook it off as soon as he
realized it. He hate to admit it, but he was actually freezing when soft breezes
collided with his wet garments, which were plastered against his skin.
As he was too busy with complaining and keeping himself warm, he didn't realize
that the rain had stopped for him and that someone was bowing over his form.
~*~
As soon as their carriage stopped, she jumped out of it and ran into the woods
with her umbrella in her hands.
I wonder if he had already left... she pondered worriedly as she repositioned
her umbrella to the shifting behavior of the wind and approached the old tree
near the creek. Her eyes narrowed when she saw something red behind the trunk.
When she walked around it, she widened her eyes.
Kagome found herself looking down at a soaked Inuyasha (from aside), who was
sitting at the base of the tree with a katana-like object resting against his
shoulder. Maybe it was because of the noise caused by the pouring rain, because
he didn't seem to notice that she was there as he kept staring out in front
of him.
She slowly walked closer to him and shared the protection of her umbrella with
him as she slightly bowed over his sitting form.
It was then that he finally realized her presence and lifted his gaze up to
her.
His face was expressionless at first, but then a scowl appeared. "What
took you so long?!" he grunted.
"G-gomen..." she apologized. "I-I___"
"I've been waiting for hours already!! Are you toying with my patience
or something?!" he cut her off.
Kagome frowned. "No!! It's not like that!! It's just__"
"No??? Well how come I get the feeling that you are!??" he cut her
off again. "Just because you're rich doesn't mean you can toy with other
people to amuse yourself!!"
"I don't!!!" she argued, starting to get angry. "If you just
let me expl__"
"I'm soaked and have been like that for hours and you want me to be patient
and listen to your excuses?!? You're really out of your m__" he cut himself
off when he looked at Kagome's appearance. "W-why the hell are you dressed
like THAT!?" he spat stupefied.
Kagome sighed. "That's what I tried to tell you yesterday and what I'm
trying to tell you now...today is the memorial day of my mother's funeral..."
she explained.
Just when she thought he would understand, she received a 'Feh!' instead.
"This is great...this is just great!!" he groaned and began to stand
up, using the trunk for support.
Kagome became slightly worried as she watched how Inuyasha shivered and desperately
tried to remain on his feet. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Inuyasha eyed her and gave her a glance of annoyance. "Am I okay???"
he repeated her question with a sarcastic tone. "I'm totally soaked and
I'm freezing!! Do I look okay to you?!"
Kagome offered a hand, only to be smacked aside by the dogdemon. "I'm fine!
No thanks to you!!" he snarled as he walked pass her without looking at
her.
Kagome couldn't suppress her anger anymore and clenched her fists. "You
could have just left you know?" she snarled, turning to him and almost
instantly regretting it when she saw him freeze. "O-oh God...I-I'm sorry...I
didn't m__"
"You want to know why I kept waiting?!" he growled without turning
around to her. "Because I was afraid that you might arrive once I've left!!
I didn't want you to wait in the rain instead, that's why!!" he cried angrily.
All of Kagome's anger extinguished as she heard this. She wanted to say something
but was cut off again by the hanyou.
"Save it," he sighed. "I don't need your second-thought apology."
And with that, he just walked away with his sword clenched in his hand.
Kagome just watched how Inuyasha disappeared into the woods and shortly after
that, she started to leave the place too.
-- at Kagome's house --
After she got home, she quickly slipped into a comfortable white yukata and
made herself a warm cup of mint tea before she retreated to her bedroom.
It was a very cozy bedroom with creamy yellow walls and white carpeting. A white
bed made of wood with white sheets and pillows stood against the wall from across
the door and a low creamy blue nighttable of the same material could be seen
next to it. A large wardrobe of the same blue color stood against the same wall
with a long oval shaped mirror standing next on the floor next to it. And there
was also a wooden dresser in the room with a comfortable chair in front of it,
both having the same creamy blue color.
Kagome's favorite spot was the corner of her bedroom near the window, where
several large square and fluffy pillows were lying on the floor.
After she had put her cup on the windowsill, she settled herself comfortable
on one of the huge pillows and watched how the rain tapped against the window.
Although the tapping sounds were supposed to be easing, the longer she watched
the non-stop rain, the more she worried about Inuyasha. She couldn't help but
remember how he shivered in the rain and looked as if he could faint and collapse
to the floor any minute. The longer she thought about it, the greater the uneasiness
in her heart became.
He'll be all right...right? I mean...he's a youkai...so he's got to be strong...right?
she debated in her mind. Besides...it should be just a little cold...he'll
overcome it easily.
She took her cup of mint tea and sipped it. Yeah...a little cold won't break
him...he'll be better in no time. He just needs a little bit sleep and water...and
some...wait a minute...
Then Kagome realized something and frowned. Didn't he say his father and
brother are away? Which means...he's all alone at home! she concluded.
She almost jumped up of shock when an almost deafening thunderclap could be
heard from the outside. Nobody's around...so he wouldn't be able to cook...or
make himself a cup of warm milk...or even change his soaked clothes...oh my
God! What if he fainted while walking up the stairs? Nobody would know and...and__
Before she scared herself to death with all the possibilities in her head, she
quickly got to her feet and hurried out of the bedroom into the main hall.
When she ran around the corner, she bumped into someone and took several steps
backwards. "G-gomen!" she apologized with a pant.
When she looked up at the person she bumped onto, she realized it was her father.
"F-father!"
"What's the matter Kagome? Why are you running in the main hall like that?"
he asked worriedly.
"I-I...I just...I mean..." she stuttered, not being able to come up
with a good excuse with her mind filled with worries about Inuyasha. "My
friend...is sick...I have to go to him..." she finally confessed.
Her father raised an eyebrow. "So it's a 'he'," he spoke. "And
with this kind of weather? Do you know where he lives?"
Kagome frowned, as she knew what her father was worrying about. "I'll manage
somehow...please father, he's a very important friend of mine...please..."
she pleaded.
"A very important friend huh?" he said while pondering if he should
let her go. But when he saw how desperate the look was, which she was giving
him, he knew he had no other choice. "I guess I don't have any other choice...very
well then...you may go." he gave in. "But! You have to be careful
okay? And you have to come back once you've made sure he's fine by himself,
understand?"
Kagome's face brightened up in an instance. "Thank you!! Thank you father!"
she cried and quickly ran pass him towards the cloakroom of the mansion. She
quickly took her winter cloak from a coat-hook and put it on. It was a long
thick brown cloak made of fur that reached below her knees.
After she made sure she was well-protected against the cold breezes, she grabbed
her umbrella and left the mansion.
~*~
After a long search through the forest, Kagome finally found the mansion of
the inu-youkai. Without thinking anything else, she quickly climbed over the
low gate of the courtyard and made her way to the mansion.
When she was just about to knock at the huge massive wooden door, she realized
it was ajar. "Inuyasha?" she called as she closed her umbrella and
slowly pushed the door open.
After she entered, she found herself in a huge space, which was apparently the
main hall. But it was dark, since the candles on the walls weren't lit.
Kagome quickly closed the huge door behind her and searched her cloak pockets
for a pair of firestones. Her father always ordered her to take them along whenever
she goes outside in case she got lost somewhere and she was glad about it...now
more than ever. After she found them, she slowly made her way to a candleholder
and began to create a flame.
Within several minutes, there was finally some light shining in the main hall.
Kagome stepped aside from the candleholder and turned around to explore the
huge space.
She narrowed her eyes when she saw something strange lying on the floor in front
of the stairs at the end of the hall. She picked up the candleholder and started
to walk towards the strange object.
Her eyes immediately widened when she stood about 2 meters away from it.
He was lying on his stomach on the cold marble floor with his face lying on
its side. His red garments were drenched and his wet silver hair was spread
unevenly over his back with some strands plastered onto his pale, sweating face.
Short, yet deep pants caught her ears as she watched his back rise and fall
at an unusual pace.
She quickly ran to his side and knelt down next to his waist.
"I...Inuyasha!!!!" she cried out his name.
The first cliffhanger of this story ^-^, cool huh? Be prepared, coz there will
be a lot more!! To be honest with you, this is just a prolonged prologue of
the story, the better parts are yet to come!! Anyway look forward to the next
chapter!!
Next chapter: Fever
[AN: Sorry guys, I can't give you any sneak previews of the next chapter
because I haven't written it yet. *grins* Oeh...even more suspense huh?]
Vocabulary:
kowakatta: I was scared
arigatou: thank you
dou-itashimashite: you're welcome
ja ne: I'll see you later
ohayoo: good morning
ah: sort of an acknowledgment, like 'yeah'
baka: idiot
mou: geesh
hai: yes/okay
gomen: I'm sorry
REPLIES ON REVIEWS:
Ks-Starshine: Oh no not at all ^-^, as you can see I've already edited
my chapter to correct that misuse of words. Thank you very much for telling
me. Again, feel free to suggest anything that could be corrected.
angelkitty77: Hahaha, well I'm glad you liked it!
winged*wonder: I hope you've received the email I sent you. Thanks for
reviewing.
Kagura wind fairy: Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it!
Kyia: Thanks for telling me! I've corrected the mistake ^-^.
Guardian-of-the-night: Thanks! And don't worry about that, I still love
to read that in reviews.
whitemiko: Thanks for your compliments ^-^! Don't worry, I always finish
what I have started.
Rhexi: Hahaha, I'm so happy to know you like my story ^-^ thank you!!
Chibi-Call: Thank you!!
Inukamisashi: Hahaha first I didn't know what you meant by "little
girl" but then I realized you were talking about the girl from the flashback.
Anyway thanks, I'm glad you like the chapter ^-^! And thanks for telling me
which part you liked ^-^!
~*~
Lots of greets
~Kittymui~
Posted: 2 February 2004
Last Edited: 12 February 2004
Spelling check: YES