A/N: Heh, another story that I have taken so long to update on.... I feel absolutely horrible for taking so long. I promise that I had legible reasons though, but if you still insist on bombarding me with tomatoes, go on ahead! ^^;;
Anyway, here's the next chapter for this story, and I hope you like it! I think it's going to be getting pretty good soon... so read and tell me what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the show's characters, but I DO own Kairi, so ask for permission if you wish to use her. And now ladies and gentlemen and all of you readers, chapter 3!
Chapter 3: Mysterious Woman
~"I wish Inuyasha could've saved me." He knelt to her side, slowly withdrawing the jewel from her hand. "No." His eyes filled with joy as he held the awesome power within his hand. "Who the heck is Inuyasha?"
"Your worst nightmare." The demon shot around, gazing into the raging amber storm of the pissed off hanyou.~
The very instant the demon's eyes locked with that of the hanyou's, he prepared himself for battle. Placing one leg behind him, he made sure that his grasp on the jewel was firm, incase the hanyou decided to try and steal away his precious item. "Would you look at that? A canine mutt who's here to protect the one her loves. Too bad for him she's on the very verge of death."
"If you have a damn problem with that, I suggest you fix it because I'm in no mood to be taking shit from a low-life youkai such as yourself." Inuyasha's amber orbs narrowed on the beast, more than ready to attack.
"You've got it good in trash talk, but I bet you can't even strike down a lower-class demon." "And I suppose you're referring to yourself, because I'm about to kick your ass." Before anymore speech could be made between the two foes, the hanyou had taken off. Rearing his hand back, his fist struck the youkai faster than he could comprehend, and sent his body hurling towards a tree. The demon's eyes widened incredibly as his form crashed into the tree, causing the bark to snap beneath his back. "D-damn you... I'll get you for that." However, as the youkai struggled to stand, he noticed that the inu hanyou was no longer interested in him, but the weakened maiden on the ground.
"Kagome... how could this have happened to you?" The hanyou's eyes softened as he gazed upon her blood covered face; because of the blood and dirt that concealed her flesh he was unable to see whom it really was, Kairi, Kagome's little girl.
"Um... uh... Inu-yasha?" She spoke softly as unconsciousness claimed her entirely. Closing her eyes, her head fell over to the side, and her breathing became more heavy. Because of the serious wound, her life was in jeopardy.
"Kagome! Please hold on... for me?" As he spoke those words, Inuyasha turned around. A hellish type of flame flickered within his amber depths. A reddish type of hue seemed to engulf his form as his hand gripped the hilt of his trusted sword, Tetsusaiga. Giving a deadly growl, Inuyasha raced forward towards the unsuspecting demon. "Go to hell you swine!" With that, the mighty blade came face to face with the youkai.
"No... way..." The beast gasped as the blade of the hanyou's sword sliced cleanly through his chest, splitting him down the middle. Within another second, the demon's lifeless form fell to the ground in a heap of bloody flesh. Blood from the demon's wounds had showered around him, getting the inu hanyou as well. "Gah, this crap is nasty..." He shook his head as the irritating stench filled his dog nose. Of all times to have a keen nose, this was one of those moments when he wish he didn't; the horrific scent of the demon's rotting flesh caused Inuyasha's mind to spin slightly.
"I've got to get out of here. But first..." Without another word, he turned around quickly and was by the girl's side in a flash. With no hesitation, he embraced her motionless form in his arms, resting his head gently against her chest to find a heart beat. Hope redeemed itself in his eyes when his keen ears picked up the faint rhythm of a heart, her heart. "Thank goodness..." Giving a gentle hug, he lifted her into a comfortable position, and was off.
Moving at break neck speed, the hanyou's golden eyes kept watch for his destination. Scanning here and there throughout the scenery, he came to a halt on a branch. "I can smell it... hold on a little longer Kagome." Vaulting once more into the air, he glided winsomely, almost as if he were flying. His amber orbs caught sight of his goal, and within moments his lightning feet guided him there.
The instant they reached the shimmering surface, the hanyou vaulted into the glimmering waters and began to wipe away the dirt and dried blood from the maiden's face. Taking heed of his sharp claws, he guided droplets of water along her smooth cheeks to take away the blood. Continuing these gentle gestures, it didn't take long before his eyes widened at the person resting in his arms. Ceasing all movement, the hanyou simply stared at her in awe, unsure on how to act whatsoever. The maiden simply moaned slightly, her form moving closer to the warmth embracing her.
"You're... you're not Kagome?" His eyes locked onto her face, not budging an inch. Giving a little whimper, the girl slowly opened her eyes, gazing into the amber pools before her. "My dream has finally come true." She broke out in a smile, struggling to raise her hand to his cheek. With a gentle stroke, she continued. "T-thank you...Inuyasha." Her navy blue eyes fell shut as she fell into a state of unconsciousness once more.
"Uh..." Inuyasha was speechless as he proceeded with his stare. "For some odd reason, I feel like I know you, or a part of you." He leaned his head forward, taking in the scent of the girl. "There's a connection between you and Kagome; your scent tells me that." He took his hand and gently brushed a lock of her tangled hair behind her ear. "Whoever you are, I feel the need to keep you safe, as if my life depended on it. I promise you, I will protect you...for now." He turned around and began treading out of the shimmering waters. His kimono dripped with droplets of water to the ground as he exited the lake. With caution, not trying to wake the girl, he rested her body beside the base of a tree. Even though it wasn't much help, he removed his jacket and delicately wrapped her small body in it.
His amber orbs widened slightly as a faint gasp left his lips. The wound inflicted upon her by the demon was slowly healing. The large gouge that once had taken place on he chest was no longer visible, only a large blood stain. "Something is different about you. That attack would've killed any mortal human." His eyes studied her body. "I'll be back to get some firewood. Don't you move." With those words, he disappeared into the forest surrounding them.
* * * *
Later that evening, when the feudal era had come to a rest, all you could hear was the gentle whistle of the wind, the soft chirping of the night crickets, and the light sound of a crackling fire. Laying by the base of the tree, where the fire was carefully placed, the girl stirred in her sleep, preparing to wake up. Her body slightly moved as she opened her eyes, revealing the navy blue orbs beneath. As she rose to a sitting position, she winced in pain. Even though many of the scars were gone, which was still a mystery to her, there was still pain left behind. Focusing her eyes on the dark surroundings, she scanned the area. "Huh? W-where am I?" Her voice was quiet and had a frightened tone to it as she scooted her legs closer to her body, trying to keep warm from the evening chill. The jacket wrapped around her was still a little damp, so it didn't help much in keeping her warm.
As she sat there in silence, her head suddenly perked up from the sound of rustling, almost as if someone was approaching her. Instantaneously, her hand searched the ground around her for something to keep her safe. Once her hand gripped a rock, she prepared for defense. "Stop right there, whoever you are! I'm warning you!" Seconds after she had given her threat, and the ruffling noises didn't stop, she chucked the stone in the direction it was coming from. For a moment, there was nothing but an eerie silence. Then she heard the thud, the moan, and the cursing voice afterwards. "Argh! What the hell was that for? I go saving your sorry ass and this is the payment I get? If I didn't show up when I did, then you'd be floating in the world above kid."
Kairi's navy orbs watched in silence and shock as the bickering figure appeared in the light given by the warm flames of the fire. No words seemed to come to her mouth as she got a full image of the person standing before her. "Aren't you going to even apologize for hitting me like that? If not then I might as well leave you here for the demons to feast on." The hanyou smirked somewhat as he dropped to the ground, crossing his legs. When he folded his arms, his eyes slightly widened at the unexpected tears that filled her eyes.
"Feh, what's wrong with you?" The maiden simply shook her head, a few tears flying from her cheeks. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she let out a small sigh. "I just can't believe you're real..."
"Eh? What the hell is your problem?! Duh I'm real! What kind of fantasy world have you been living in? It's not like this is a dream or somethin'. That demon must've messed with your head back there because it doesn't seem like it's screwed on right." "It must be too good to be true... you're actually real." "Did anything I say sink into that thick skull of yours?! Damn you must be a stupid girl then... I'm real, you understand yet?" Kairi let out another sigh, his smart aleck attitude not getting to her the least bit. "Hello?! You're really pissing me off, I hope you know that." As for Inuyasha, she was getting farther then simply underneath his skin; she simply aggravated the hell out of him.
"You don't get." "Hm? Don't get what?" "Uh... don't worry about it! I'm just happy... happy that I'm sitting here in the feudal era..." That's when she began to speak her thoughts aloud, unknowingly. Inuyasha's amber orbs had widened immensely as he listened to her words.
"I'm finally somewhere I have always dreamed of visiting, and I get to be here with Inuyasha nonetheless. The one person my heart was craving to meet, I have found him so easily, or I should say he found me. Perhaps it was destiny?" 'She has gone crazy...' Inuyasha didn't realize that a light rosy tint had taken place on his cheeks. Swallowing heavily, he shook off the thoughts and scooted closer to Kairi; she still didn't realize the words she had spoken out loud.
"Are you running a fever or something?" He placed his hand gently against her forehead, looking for any signs of a fever. The maiden blinked a few times as he leaned back, his dog-like ears twitching slightly. "You're not burning up... but are you sure you're feeling ok? You don't look too good kid, and you sure as hell aren't making any sense. Hmm... maybe it's just a girl thing." That got her attention. However, not exactly in the way she wanted. Her cheeks had turned a deep shade of red as she lifted her head. When she moved forward, she didn't realize exactly how close he was, and when she moved forward.... let's just say they were seconds from touching lips. "I... I have a name you know..."
The hanyou blinked many times, but he didn't find himself moving back, neither did Kairi. "Well, for your information... I can't read minds." "No one can you jerk. It's Kairi." That's when he pulled away. It seemed almost as if a pain grasped his heart, twisting and turning. His eyes gazed in some shock as his body jumped up, moving at least 5 feet away from her. She simply blinked several times and watched in confusion as he turned away. "Kairi..." "Yeah, does it bother you?" At this moment, Inuyasha's bitter attitude had gradually faded, and that gentler side was beginning to surface. Crossing his arms across his chest, he concealed his amber orbs and spoke somewhat kindly.
"Of course I have nothing against your name. It's only... someone I knew a long time ago loved that name, in fact it was her favorite. She wanted to name her first daughter by that name. When I first saw you Kairi, you appeared to be that woman." Kairi was almost speechless, but she was able to find words after standing up herself, and walking behind him. "Heh, that sounds like my mother. Kairi was her favorite name too, and that's why she named me that. I am her first child, and many people say I look exactly like she did when she was my age, only my hair style is somewhat different and I have navy blue eyes." "You don't realize how much you portray this woman." She blinked a few more times before placing a hand on his shoulder to turn him around. The hanyou was ready to complain and chew her out for touching him like that, but when he saw the expression in her eyes, he could barely speak.
"I'll take that as a compliment. This woman you speak of must have been extremely important to you, because I can see the sorrow within your amber depths. I hope that my presence doesn't bring back unwanted memories... but still, I have to get back. Can you show me how?" Inuyasha continued to gaze into her eyes, seeing many memories he had shared with Kagome playing Kairi's navy orbs. "What do you mean get back?" "This isn't my home... I don't belong here, though I really wish I could stay. If I did however, my mom would be horrified and then she can never live peacefully. She's probably worried sick right now. Plus, I want to tell her that those stories about a demon and his adventures were true!!" 'Could she be from the future then, from Kagome's era?' Many questions were deluging the hanyou's mind, many of which made no sense.
"Stories... tell me about them?" "Will you help me get back if I do?" The inu demon rolled his eyes slightly, then nodded. Dropping to the ground once more, he crossed his legs and folded his arms. Kairi did the same, only she sat on her knees and placed her hands in her lap.
"Well, all of her stories consisted of an adventure with a hanyou and his friends... a hanyou just like you." "Hm? Hey, hey, hey! How in the hell did you know I was a hanyou?" Curiosity killed the cat. He was already budding in without even giving her a chance to finish. "I'm getting there. Do you mind keeping quiet though so I can actually tell you about them?" "Feh, whatever."
"Hmph, he had the same damn arrogant attitude as you do. Anyway, she said that the journey started out with him and a girl because she had shattered a sacred jewel..." Kairi pulled something from her pocket; it was a small, shimmering rosy ball. "...which I think is this one?" Inuyasha's jaw dropped to the floor when he noticed the object in her hand was nothing other than the Shikon no Tama. "How in the HELL did you get a hold of that?!?" "Uh...I...uh...it just appeared in front of me ok?! Now if you don't mind, sit down, listen, and SHUT UP!" He leaned back, recoiling from the outraged girl. Pretty much the only thing he was afraid of was an outraged teenage girl, and he had plenty of experience with an aggravated girl. He was lucky she couldn't say 'Sit-boy' and control him, otherwise he'd be black and blue right about now.
"Like I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted, they were on a quest to find the shattered jewel fragments. She said there were three others in the group as well. Let's see, who did she say again? Oh darn it! I don't remember their names, but I remember how she described them. She said one was a lecherous man, one was a tough girl who had a kind heart, and that there was a little child that loved her very much. She said that he looked up to the girl as if she were his mother. Isn't it sweet?" "...yeah..." The hanyou was breathing somewhat heavily as each description portrayed an image of his dear friends in his mind.
"Uh... she said they were also on a quest to destroy the life of an all powerful demon who had hurt them and many others. That demon placed a curse on the lecherous man, he killed the kin of the tough girl, and hurt the hanyou in more ways then one. It truly is depressing when you think about his past... so horrible..." "Did she give you the name of the hanyou?" "Yeah, and that's how I know your name. You fit the description of that hanyou so well, it just seemed natural to call you Inuyasha, and it's ironic that your name really is Inuyasha. But, as you can probably tell by now, the hanyou's name was Inuyasha." By now, the inu hanyou's heart had frozen entirely. His eyes widened some more as the information struck him hard.
"K-Kagome..." His voice spoke somewhat shakily as he closed his eyes, trying to rid his mind of those thoughts. "You know that name? It belongs to my mother... her name is Kagome." Could this night become anymore shocking for the hanyou? Apparently, yes. This by far topped everything, and nearly stopped his heart in the process. "Your mother?" "Um... yeah... is something wrong with that? Did you... know her?" "How could I have known her?! That name simply came into mind is all..."
Inuyasha slowly dropped to his back, and rolled over on his side. Using his hand, he supported his head so his eyes could gaze better upon the moonlit land. "Let's just go to sleep now, and I'll help you get back tomorrow. Besides, we have to return the jewel, and you also have quite a bit of explaining to do." "Me? Why not you?!" That's when the hanyou snapped. Quickly flipping over, his eyes were filled with a mixture of sorrow and anger. "Because I'm not the one who traveled through time, fell in love, then just left because she felt that it wouldn't work out, even after everything we had been through together!!" After those words left his lips, he turned back away and crossed his legs, a 'hmph' leaving his lips.
'He said we... he's talking about Kagome... she's the girl in the stories, and he's the hanyou. They were in love, but she left him, and now he's remembering about it all because of me.' Kairi felt a few tears slowly rising to the surface of her eyes as she leaned back, gazing up at the stars. She had nothing to come back with, so she remained silent.
After a good five minutes of nothing but sheer silence, she broke it. "Inuyasha?" He was laying on his side once more, somewhat of a sorrowful expression written across his face. "What?" He didn't mean to literally bark at her, but the arising emotions caused pain within him, and he couldn't help it.
Letting out a small sigh, Kairi rose to her feet and walked over to him, kneeling back down at his side. "Goodnight Inuyasha." When he heard those words, his eyes narrowed somewhat, and he buried his head more into his arm. "I'm sorry about what happened between you and Kagome... it truly is heart breaking. But I do hope, that through all of this, you will allow yourself to open your heart to others once more. When you do, I know you'll find that special person, and your life will be what you've always dreamed of." When she finished her words, the maiden slowly leaned down and surprisingly placed a gentle and warm kiss upon his cheek.
The instant he felt her soft kiss, his eyes widened immensely. Her lips were so soft and tender, and caused warm emotions to arouse within his heart. Very carefully, he leaned over and watched as she took a place to rest back by the tree trunk. The hanyou's amber orbs softened slightly when he noticed her snuggling into the warmth of his kimono jacket, and as she drifted into a peaceful slumber.
At this moment, he rose to his own feet and meandered towards her and the tree. Stopping only about a foot before her, his eyes scanned her sleeping face. 'This feeling is so familiar... the one I shared around Kagome.' When he realized the thoughts crossing his mind, he shook his head side to side slightly, then vaulted into the air. "I can't love again... every time I do my heart ends up broken in the end. It's simply not meant for me to love..."
Finding a soothing position, he laid back on the branch, but in a way so he could still gaze upon Kairi's slumbering form if his mind drifted towards her; and it had many times. 'These feelings are getting to me too much... I have to let them go, but how?' Glancing back at the slumbering maiden once more, he let out a deep sigh. Was it really possible for him to open his heart once more and to allow others entry into it? "She's just another stupid girl, and there's no need to be thinking about her so much." He jammed his eyes shut, trying to let sleep overcome his body. 'But still, there's something different about her, something I enjoy.'
With that single though lingering in his mind, the inu hanyou was finally able to rest. He didn't make too much of everything right now, but some deep within his soul said that a whole new adventure would begin, and possibly even finding a person to mend his broken heart. Somewhere within those depths, every sign continued to point to Kairi. When you put two and two together, the outcomes so far appear to be fate. Kikyo and Kagome could have only been mere prologues to the hanyou's true destiny, and now the path that was fit for him could finally be taking place.
____________________________________________________
A/N: Phew that one was kinda long... hehe. Did ya like it? And you can probably already picture what's going to happen... but a BIG twist is going to take place later on... muwahahaa, and everything is going to take a spin! I haven't come up with a title for the next chapter yet, and I'm not too sure how long it's going to take to update. Don't expect a new chapter within the next few days... possibly even weeks. I'm really sorry for taking so long, but everything's kinda chaotic right now...
Anyway, wasn't that chapter cute? I hope ya liked it, and don't forget to review! Tell me if I should continue this story or not... I wanted to hear all of your opinions... until next time, ja ne!
~Kitty~