CHAPTER ONE
*
He glanced around the clearing. No one in sight. His dog ears pricked as he listened carefully for any sounds that might mean humans were nearby. Specifically, humans from that little village where Old Kaede lived.
When Inuyasha was satisfied that no one was near, he leaped down into the well.
There's no way you can just leave without telling me why! he thought angrily.
A tingle passed through his body as the well faded around him, surrounded by a wall of stars that seemed to stretch forever. He took a deep breath as the walls of the well appeared around him again, and he landed lightly on the dirt floor.
"Back in her era," he muttered.
He listened for a moment. It was quiet. Too quiet, he thought, frowning. He could smell a lot of people nearby, which wasn't surprising, since Kagome lived at a shrine. But he could also smell that horrible, nauseating smell -- auto exhaust, she had called it. Taking a shallow breath, he leaped up out of the well, and landed lightly on his toes on the top of it.
After peeking out to make sure no one was around, he ran swiftly across the courtyard to the trim little house where Kagome lived. "Lived" was a rough term, he thought, since she spent more than half her time travelling with him.
The house was silent. Inuyasha frowned at that. Usually someone was home -- that little brother of hers listening to that musical contraption of his, or her mom doing chores and cooking, or that crazy coot of a grandfather bustling around talking to himself. SOMEONE was usually here, but it looked empty.
He wandered into the living room, looking around. It was almost unnaturally neat and tidy. "H'lo?" he called.
Then he sniffed the air. She was here. Somewhere close by.
And so were onions.
Inuyasha coughed a little and rubbed his nose. She was in the kitchen, he'd bet.
He crept over to the kitchen door, his bare feet staying silent on the floor. The sound of a knife chopping reached his ears.
Inside, he could see Kagome. She was at a cutting board, chopping onions at a furious pace. She was wearing some very neat, new-looking clothes that he hadn't seen her wear before, and a ragged apron. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail. She wiped her eyes and kept chopping.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted.
Kagome froze for a moment. The knife dropped from her hand. Then she turned around and rushed toward him, with a strange intense look on her face. Inuyasha was caught off balance as she grabbed the front of his clothes, pushing him backward into the broom closet. She was forcing him backwards hard enough that his kimono was yanked open to the waist.
"Ka-Kagome," Inuyasha said, flustered. "What are you-"
Her only response was to slam the door shut and squeeze up against him.
Inuyasha's heart was in his throat. He'd occasionally had dreams about Kagome, dreams that left him sweaty, ashamed, and usually unable to look her in the eye for several hours. But in his dreams, she hadn't been this aggressive. And none had involved a broom closet.
"Don't make a sound," Kagome whispered, at about where his ear would have been if he had been human.
Inuyasha was desperately trying to think of what to do next. Aside from what Miroku would do in his place. "K-Kagome... we shouldn't be... I mean, we can't... not in-"
She slapped a hand over his mouth.
Inuyasha's ears pricked up at the sound of voices. Two women. They were laughing and talking about food. As the voices faded away, he felt Kagome relax; she took her hand off his mouth.
Inuyasha slowly pulled his clothing shut. "So... uh, you just wanted me to hide?" he said slowly.
He couldn't see her very well, but he could tell she was annoyed. "You had your mind in the gutter again, didn't you?"
"Did not."
"Then what exactly did you think I was gonna do?"
"Hey, you're the one who jumped me and pulled my clothes half off," Inuyasha snapped. "And threw me in here, and started pressing up against me. What was I supposed to think you wanted me to do?" Trying to regain the lost shreds of his dignity, he straightened his clothing. "So it's not my fault if I thought you wanted me to..." He stopped as a blush spread over his face.
"You're blushing, aren't you?" Kagome said. "Look, I had a very good reason for pushing you in here. And not that one, for your information." She opened the door and stepped out.
Inuyasha rubbed at his cheeks, trying to erase his blush. "Yeah, I just bet you did. I'm here to bring you back."
"No you're not."
"Kagome, you didn't even tell me where you were going. I'm not about to let you just LEAVE me like that!"
"Well that's too bad! Because I'm not about just go off with you, and do whatever you want, when I have something REALLY important to do! You'll have to wait a few days!"
"And what if I don't?!"
"Inuyasha, I've taken basic astronomy, and I can tell you a scientific fact. You are NOT the center of the universe."
"Hmph. Maybe I'll just carry you off," Inuyasha snapped.
"Maybe I'll just say a certain word if you try it," Kagome snapped back.
"Kagome?" a voice quavered. "Is that that your boyfriend in there with you, dear?" A little old woman appeared in the doorway, with her wrinkled face in a smile.
Inuyasha's golden eyes widened. Who the hell was that?
TO BE CONTINUED
*
He glanced around the clearing. No one in sight. His dog ears pricked as he listened carefully for any sounds that might mean humans were nearby. Specifically, humans from that little village where Old Kaede lived.
When Inuyasha was satisfied that no one was near, he leaped down into the well.
There's no way you can just leave without telling me why! he thought angrily.
A tingle passed through his body as the well faded around him, surrounded by a wall of stars that seemed to stretch forever. He took a deep breath as the walls of the well appeared around him again, and he landed lightly on the dirt floor.
"Back in her era," he muttered.
He listened for a moment. It was quiet. Too quiet, he thought, frowning. He could smell a lot of people nearby, which wasn't surprising, since Kagome lived at a shrine. But he could also smell that horrible, nauseating smell -- auto exhaust, she had called it. Taking a shallow breath, he leaped up out of the well, and landed lightly on his toes on the top of it.
After peeking out to make sure no one was around, he ran swiftly across the courtyard to the trim little house where Kagome lived. "Lived" was a rough term, he thought, since she spent more than half her time travelling with him.
The house was silent. Inuyasha frowned at that. Usually someone was home -- that little brother of hers listening to that musical contraption of his, or her mom doing chores and cooking, or that crazy coot of a grandfather bustling around talking to himself. SOMEONE was usually here, but it looked empty.
He wandered into the living room, looking around. It was almost unnaturally neat and tidy. "H'lo?" he called.
Then he sniffed the air. She was here. Somewhere close by.
And so were onions.
Inuyasha coughed a little and rubbed his nose. She was in the kitchen, he'd bet.
He crept over to the kitchen door, his bare feet staying silent on the floor. The sound of a knife chopping reached his ears.
Inside, he could see Kagome. She was at a cutting board, chopping onions at a furious pace. She was wearing some very neat, new-looking clothes that he hadn't seen her wear before, and a ragged apron. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail. She wiped her eyes and kept chopping.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted.
Kagome froze for a moment. The knife dropped from her hand. Then she turned around and rushed toward him, with a strange intense look on her face. Inuyasha was caught off balance as she grabbed the front of his clothes, pushing him backward into the broom closet. She was forcing him backwards hard enough that his kimono was yanked open to the waist.
"Ka-Kagome," Inuyasha said, flustered. "What are you-"
Her only response was to slam the door shut and squeeze up against him.
Inuyasha's heart was in his throat. He'd occasionally had dreams about Kagome, dreams that left him sweaty, ashamed, and usually unable to look her in the eye for several hours. But in his dreams, she hadn't been this aggressive. And none had involved a broom closet.
"Don't make a sound," Kagome whispered, at about where his ear would have been if he had been human.
Inuyasha was desperately trying to think of what to do next. Aside from what Miroku would do in his place. "K-Kagome... we shouldn't be... I mean, we can't... not in-"
She slapped a hand over his mouth.
Inuyasha's ears pricked up at the sound of voices. Two women. They were laughing and talking about food. As the voices faded away, he felt Kagome relax; she took her hand off his mouth.
Inuyasha slowly pulled his clothing shut. "So... uh, you just wanted me to hide?" he said slowly.
He couldn't see her very well, but he could tell she was annoyed. "You had your mind in the gutter again, didn't you?"
"Did not."
"Then what exactly did you think I was gonna do?"
"Hey, you're the one who jumped me and pulled my clothes half off," Inuyasha snapped. "And threw me in here, and started pressing up against me. What was I supposed to think you wanted me to do?" Trying to regain the lost shreds of his dignity, he straightened his clothing. "So it's not my fault if I thought you wanted me to..." He stopped as a blush spread over his face.
"You're blushing, aren't you?" Kagome said. "Look, I had a very good reason for pushing you in here. And not that one, for your information." She opened the door and stepped out.
Inuyasha rubbed at his cheeks, trying to erase his blush. "Yeah, I just bet you did. I'm here to bring you back."
"No you're not."
"Kagome, you didn't even tell me where you were going. I'm not about to let you just LEAVE me like that!"
"Well that's too bad! Because I'm not about just go off with you, and do whatever you want, when I have something REALLY important to do! You'll have to wait a few days!"
"And what if I don't?!"
"Inuyasha, I've taken basic astronomy, and I can tell you a scientific fact. You are NOT the center of the universe."
"Hmph. Maybe I'll just carry you off," Inuyasha snapped.
"Maybe I'll just say a certain word if you try it," Kagome snapped back.
"Kagome?" a voice quavered. "Is that that your boyfriend in there with you, dear?" A little old woman appeared in the doorway, with her wrinkled face in a smile.
Inuyasha's golden eyes widened. Who the hell was that?
TO BE CONTINUED