To Serve
by Midoriko-sama
Wednesday June 16 2004
They threw rocks usually, but the first time they had thrown spears.
"There's nothing for you here! The nerve of you, to say the Lord was your grandfather, to say he would have made you samurai! Die!"
"Die!"
"Die!"
0000000000-0000000000
"Please help us. We heard about you, my Lord sent me, we travelled long, me and my servant, to find you. We beg you, we beg you, help us"
He looked down at the two men at his feet. Kagome was right behind him. Shippo was passing a comment on how much they stank. He just looked at them, and the crest on the horse's saddle.
"Inuyama" he whispered.
"Yes yes" said the one on the floor dressed in armour "That is my lord's land, Inuyama, we are humbly grateful that you know it, will you please help-"
"No" he said decidedly.
The one on the floor faltered for a second, then looked up at him cautiously. He narrowed his eyes and moved an ear towards Kagome, who had grabbed his sleeve in confusion.
"Inu-"
"How many summers do you count" he interrupted her, holding the kneeling man's eyes. His face looked young.
"Two dozen, my Lord" he said shakily. He narrowed his eyes farther.
"That's why they sent you, you wouldn't know" he said, hiding his clenched hands in his sleeves. "Tell your Lord that you do not ask help of the slighted. If the mountain youkai are attacking you, your defences from the North needed rebuilding last spring. If they are weak, it is only a fault of yours."
He stood and left. Just as he turned the corner, towards the rooms given to them in the house the monk had blessed that night, he heard the man plead with his companions.
"Please I beg you to convince your Lord, we are truly under attack, most vicious youkai-"
He had turned, leaped and landed with his hand on the samurai's neck in a blink.
"You will not dare to talk to any of my pack." he hissed. He looked up at a slight movement, and saw the terrified face of the young boy the man in his hands had called servant. He was trembling, and crying, and looking at him pleadingly. He was . . . so young.
"Don't interfere Kagome" he spat, feeling her move towards him, as he let go of the man. "Take care of that boy, his feet are bleeding. Leave this filth right here where he stands. I help no samurai, especially not ones from Inuyama"
When he left this time, he did not turn back
. . . . 0000000000-0000000000 . . .
The boy was playing with Shippo. The samurai had kept following them, and even though Inuyasha had refused to speak or even acknowledge him, Kagome had spoken to him occasionally. She had a kind heart, he knew that, and they all knew that he could deny her nothing, but nonetheless, whenever she spoke to the samurai, he refused to speak to her for the rest of the day. He had never denied her his back- it was usually a decision of hers when she took to Kirara. Now though, he sped ahead, leaving her behind, whenever she spoke to the samurai.
The boy didn't throw rocks at Shippo. Nor did he use the dagger that was in his belt. Maybe the boy did that because he knew he was watching. He made no effort to hide his presence as he watched the two play chase. The samurai moved towards him.
"Shippo, come" he ordered. The fox child made to protest, but looked at the older youkai once, and rushed immediately to his side.
"Why don't you want to talk to that man, Inuyasha? Why did he make you so angry?" he asked, climbing to his shoulder. He didn't answer.
"Kagome was really upset with you yesterday. You're being mean Inuyasha! Even though that samurai did something, Kagome didn't!" the kit said again. Shippo pulled his hair.
"Shut up, I have a lot to think about" he growled.
"Since when do you think!" The kit always answered that one in the same manner. When he wasn't answered to for a long time, he let go of the hair and buried his face in it "Kagome was crying yesterday. You made her cry. And you won't talk to her, so she can't apologize"
"You know she didn't want to apologise. You know her" he replied. The samurai was following
"Inuyasha, I know she breached pack order, but Kagome . . ."
"Enough. He shouldn't know her name" he said testily. They walked on in silence
. . . . 0000000000-0000000000 . . .
"He left" she told him timidly
"I knew that," he answered "He left the little boy here."
"He told me he hoped you wouldn't kill him. That he hoped you would travel back with him . . ." she faltered as he stood to leave "I didn't speak to him! I promise! Really I didn't! he just saw me and told me all that!"
He looked back at her in surprise when he heard the panic in her voice. Her face looked pained and desperate. He frowned at himself and looked at the clearing, the sun set, the rest of the companions by the river with the boy. Then he turned, walked back to her and sat in her lap, leaning back into her. Her arms were immediately around his neck. Her legs came up around him too, knees pressed to his sides. Her head rested against the back of his.
"Why did you hate him so much?" she asked quietly. Her grip on him increased, as if she was afraid he would get up to leave again.
"Inuyama is the village I grew in, the Lord is my mother's brother"
Her arms almost retreated, but he grabbed them
"I'm sorry Inuyasha, but I didn't know. You didn't tell me" she said. He pulled her arms around him again. He didn't understand why she had started to leave, unless she wanted to make him feel what she had felt when he did that
"I'm sorry for not talking to you" he said. Her head came back against his hair "I was just . . . the gall . . ." Her hand slipped under the haori neck, above the yukata underneath, and rubbed right over his heart softly. He grabbed her hand through the cloth.
"Ha ha ue's father had promised to teach me to become on of his samurai. He had even started. The little I know of sward grip and footing I owe to him" he said "When mother died, he moved me to sleep in his rooms when they tried to kill me . . . I think he knew the advantage of having a hanyou in his army. But I think he had loved my mother too"
"I'm sure he did Inuyasha" she said rubbing her forehead and nose to the back of his head.
"When he died though, my mother's brother had other plans. I was . . . imprisoned, and I was going to be sold as a slave. When I escaped, I had their spears in my back" He knew she would hug him tighter, press to his back when he said that- and he knew it was not out of pity. He had long realised that she was afraid for his life always, even when the danger had long passed. "They said I was not worthy of the title"
"And well they did" she said softly- he stiffened, that had been unexpected- "You would have looked like a god in that armour, not a samurai, with your hair flying from under the helmet." He snickered at that, although he wished he just could turn around and hug her. She had always the right kind word to make him feel better.
"I don't think they would have let me keep the hair" he snorted
"All the more reason for you not to be a samurai. You're better than they are, and I can't hide how much I like your hair"
"You and hair, wench" he laughed. Her hand started rubbing his heart again, and he took it in his once more- he hadn't realised he'd let it go. "I really had wanted to become a samurai"
"You're not a samurai" she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder "You're not human, you're not youkai. To me, you aren't even a real creature sometimes, you know?" she said. He didn't knew where she was going, so he just huffed.
"With . . . how tall you are, and how strong . . you can kill anyone, I know you can" she went on, hiding her face "You're . . . Inuyasha, a creature by yourself. You set yourself apart by your actions, and how good your heart is. I'm always honoured to travel with you"
"Shut up" he said softly but forcefully. "Stop speaking rubbish. Don't . . . please, I . . . don't deserve all that"
"You do deserve it. It's what I always think about you, and I've known you the longest"
That made him start. She had known him the longest. Throughout his life, no one had ever lasted more than a day in his acquaintance, and Kikyou he had known for only a three seasons. Kagome had been with him for almost two years, always with him. Thinking of him like that.
They stayed in silence for some time. The others had stayed away from them, and the sun had set. Now the glow of light was coming from the camp fire on the other side of the clearing. He could see the boy glance up at him sporadically. He clenched his hand around Kagome's arms to keep her there.
"Come here" he called, when he caught the boy's eyes again. The boy looked at Shippo who just nodded him on. Kagome didn't move when his hand tightened on hers. The boy sat in front of him.
"Do you live in Inuyama?" he asked him. The boy nodded, picking nervously at the grass around his knees. "You have a mother there? Family?"
"Yes" he said, glancing up at him and then looking down again three times "And two sisters, and my brother Kitoken" he said. Then the boy clenched his hands, and asked "Wh... Why didn't you like my brother?"
"Your brother is that samurai?" asked Kagome slowly. The boy nodded.
"I do not like your Lord, not your brother" he replied "How badly were the people affected by these demons?"
"Many of them died. . . mamma lost her house. Aniki took us in" the book looked up almost defiantly at him for insulting his brother. He laughed.
"Did you kill any of the youkai? Did they say why they left the mountain?"
"We caught a tanuki and some others who weren't making damage. I caught one too" the boy said, and looked at Kagome proudly, sneaking him a glance "they said a very big evil had come to the mountain."
"Do you think . . ." started Kagome. He knew what she was thinking.
"It seems we'll have to check it out" he replied "We were going to take the boy home anyway."
She nodded into his hair, pressed him one last time and then stood up. She gave her hand to the boy and they walked to the campfire. After a few more minutes of watching her with the others, he joined them too
. . . . . . . . . . . .End . . . . . . . . . .
This one came on a whim- a scene traipsed into my head and I wrote it down quickly before it escaped whence it came. hope you like it. I'm working on the new chapter of DYT again now that the exams are over (whoopee!!!!) And I'll also be co-writing a fic, maybe. Another one shot is in the works, I came second in the 2003 contest and I've been nominated with DYT again for best continuing fiction 2004 in the fanguild! The voting starts on the 20th June, so if you want to vote, you can do that by going to www. hibernatingbats .com and following the link to join the yahoo fanguild group from the fanguild page! There's a great selection of stories!