Disclaimer: He's so cute…I wish I did own him.
Kagome: Um… You didn't bring Kikyo back did you?
You two have had enough relationship angst in the past…I don't think you need her revival yet again, besides there can't be two reincarnations at once (unless one is resurrected and steals a soul from the other.) When Kikyo died after fighting Naraku, she died with peace. She is gone…not to return.
Kagome: Thank goodness…I don't think I could handle another Kikyo, Inuyasha, Kagome triangle. Once was enough.
I agree…he's yours now, for good…whether you want him or not.
Inuyasha: Oi! What is that supposed to mean?
Chapter 23
Kagome eyed the arrow as it stuck out from the table. She could vaguely hear Ayumi scream next to her. Kagome didn't blame her, if this had happened before she first fell through the well, she would have screamed too. Instead the young miko found herself pulled up tightly against her hanyou, protectively. She felt him grab for Tetsusaiga at his waist. She quickly reached across him and placed her hand over his, a silent signal to keep the sword sheathed for now. "Wait, the demon I faced by myself was not too difficult. Don't use it unless you need to right now. Let's see what we are up against." She said softly, searching the confines of the food court for any signs of the attacker.
He growled, knowing she was right. "I can't find anyone, can you sense anything?"
"What? Like a Shikon shard? Inuyasha, I have the complete jewel around my neck."
"I sense a strong demon presence." Shinju added, coming up behind them. "The majority of demons can hide their presence, even from other demons; the few slayers around can still sense them. They are unable to hide from us."
"Someone's good for something." Inuyasha teased to Kagome. She growled in response. "Can you sense where it is coming from?"
"Not too far, I am not sure exactly what it is." Shinju looked around, scanning the crowd. Suddenly, she pointed to a place just outside the food court. "There. If we hurry we can catch up with it." She took off running after it. The rest of their companions were on her heels, Kagome on Inuyasha's back as usual.
Kagome's friends were left at the table, still speechless about what they were witnessing. Someone had just tried to kill their friend. Watching the hanyou carry their friend, Eri turned to Ayumi and said, "He can't be human, look how he can carry her as he jumps."
"Do you think they are telling the truth? Is she really the Kagome from the legend?" Ayumi asked in disbelief.
"That has to be it! She hasn't seemed remotely sick whenever we saw her the past year. Remember all the stories about Inuyasha she would tell. She will tell us when she is ready." Yuka answered, trying to convince her friends of part of the truth, they didn't need to know everything. If they were to find out that there were demons alive in this time, they would freak. "We'll catch up with them later. Let's get some lunch right now." She successfully refocused her two friends and the three of them went to get something to eat. Hopefully she could talk to Kagome before Ayumi and Eri.
"There! It is in the green shirt! Up by the video store!" Shinju yelled, pointing toward the disguised youkai that had almost gotten away.
"I see it!" Kagome yelled. "Inuyasha, don't kill it right away. We need to get some questions answered from it first."
"Keh," the hanyou answered. "No one aims at my Kagome and gets away with it. Good thing they missed or I would have to kill the bastard."
"Just get him, Inuyasha." Kagome replied, not wanting to think about how he sounded more and more like Kouga since she found him.
From right behind them a shout of "Fox fire!" could be heard as an eruption of flames came up from the ground directly in front of the escaping youkai.
"Nice job, runt! About time you did something to help." Inuyasha smirked as he landed behind their prey and lifted him by his shirt, as Kagome climbed off his back. "Oi! Why the hell did you shoot at Kagome? Who the hell are you?"
The youkai looked like a normal Japanese male, like everyone else around except Shippo. He refused to answer the hanyou's questions, only attempted to squirm from Inuyasha's grasp. "Inuyasha, remove the necklace around him." Makoto added as he arrived with Shippo and Shinju.
The captive would not stop moving, preventing Inuyasha from removing the necklace. Frustrated and angry, Inuyasha did the only thing he could think of at the moment; he hit him in the face. The hanyou succeeded in getting the necklace off the captive but knocked him out in the process. "Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled at the hanyou.
"What? I said I wouldn't kill him."
"But we still need to question him and see why he is trying to kill me. What is he?"
"A monkey youkai, they are pretty good at staying away from the scenes of their crimes, hence the use of the arrow. They are usually pretty good escape artists. I am surprised we were able to catch up with him, he sure didn't seem like he was trying to get away." Shinju replied.
"Why would he want to get caught?" Kagome asked in disbelief.
"Maybe he's working for someone else who wants to see what he is up against. Suddenly Kagome is surrounded by people and they don't know who or why." Shippo answered. "We have kept the secret of Inuyasha pinning himself to be with Kagome a secret. Many think that she is now vulnerable since he isn't around to protect her here and she had the completed jewel. They have no idea what happened to him. It is a great mystery in the youkai world, what happened to the hanyou Inuyasha, only a select somewhat trustworthy few know the truth."
"Like who?" Inuyasha demanded.
"Well, I did say somewhat trust worthy. Only two youkai's besides me came looking for you before you were hidden for good. Sesshomaru was the first, Kouga the second."
"Damn flea bag." He muttered beneath his breath. "Oi, bastard! Wake up!" He slapped the demon's face to attempt to wake him up. The monkey slowly opened his eyes. "Answer my questions before I decide to kill you for attacking Kagome."
"W..what questions? Who are you?" The demon with the unusually large ears and buck teeth shook in the hanyou's hands, obviously terrified.
"Why did you try to kill Kagome?" He tightened his grip around the captive's neck, watching him began to gasp for air. "Who do you work for? What do you want?"
"I..I was only told to discover who her companions were, and attempt to get the jewel from her if I could. I was hired out; I never met the man who hired me. I got payment when I accepted the job and a second installment when I come back with information."
Inuyasha dropped the captive, "Send him a message from me. Kagome is, and always will be protected. If anyone dares to get too close to her, I will kill them, understand?"
"Who..who are you?"
The hanyou smirked, "Inuyasha of course." The demon paled at the mention of the name. "Leave before I change my mind and kill you." The demon scrambled to his feet and took off at a full sprint. Inuyasha turned to Kagome, "You okay?"
"Nothing I haven't been through before, just never in a mall I guess." She answered, making Shippo laugh.
"Feel better, Inuyasha?" Shinju asked.
He cracked his hands, smirking. "Never better, now what're we supposed to do next?"
Kagome grabbed his arm, dragging the hanyou away from the group. "Now? We go shopping." She cried.
"Um, Kagome? Are you alright?" Makoto questioned, glancing at her with concern.
"Of course, why?"
"You just had an attempt made on your life. I thought that maybe you would rather-" Makoto began before he found himself interrupted by the hanyou.
"You call that an attempt?" Inuyasha snorted, "No one even got hurt!"
"Believe me, that was nothing, Makoto. It isn't serious unless we actually need to draw our weapons." Kagome said, smiling at Inuyasha.
"Or Kagome is possessed in an attempt to kill Inuyasha. That definitely was not anything to worry about right now." Shippo added, laughing.
"Possessed?" Shinju said in surprise. "How many times have you been possessed?"
"Oh just a couple of times, nothing major." She laughed, still pulling on Inuyasha. "Come on, let's go!"
"Nothing major, you almost kill me and it's nothing major." He growled in annoyance.
"You are still here aren't you? Not that they were ever successful in using me against you."
"Keh, of course not. You were too powerful for them." He smirked at her.
"Of course I was!" She said happily, dragging him into the video store to look at wall scrolls.
Three hours later, Inuyasha decided he would never step foot into a mall ever again. Kagome dragged him to each and every store to look at things he could possibly put in his room. He didn't let her get much for his room; he liked it just fine at the moment. She didn't argue, except on the idea of clothes. She forced him to try on about two hundred items of clothing, until he finally revolted and told her he would not put on anything else. It didn't stop her from purchasing a couple pairs of those uncomfortable jeans and some tee shirts, not to mention something called boxers.
Four hours, twelve slaps, two sits and numerous arguments between kitsune and hanyou later, they found themselves heading home. Kagome's bags filled the trunk of Makoto's small car. "I think I spent today making up for all of the shopping I missed during the past year, stuck in the past." Kagome sighed, exhausted.
"You actually enjoyed this crap? If I ever have to go shopping again, I will pin myself to the tree again." Inuyasha growled.
Makoto took a sharp turn knocking Kagome into the hanyou. "Stop that Makoto!" She yelled, not getting off Inuyasha yet. Instead she snuggled into his shoulder and closed her eyes. Shocked, the hanyou couldn't help but wrap his arm around her shoulders so she could get closer.
Shippo turned around to say something, and found himself so shocked his mouth hung open but nothing came out. "Oi, what Shippo?" Inuyasha growled at the kitsune.
"I'm impressed Inuyasha." Shippo answered, "For someone who claimed for over the past year of their life that they had no feelings toward her, you sure move quickly when given an opportunity."
Inuyasha reached over the girl and hit the kitsune in the head with a hard whack. "Mind your own business runt!"
"Come on, I wanna see it! It isn't everyday someone like you is smart enough to mark someone like Kagome in their sleep. I have to see it to believe it actually happened."
"Shippo!" Kagome screamed, "I am not showing you the mark, so stop asking!"
"I never asked you!" He pouted, "I asked Inuyasha to show me!"
"Mark? You marked her?" Shinju said quietly. "Kagome is still-"
"It's not like that Shinju. It was not a typical marking." Shippo interrupted. "Inuyasha probably won't be ready to admit his feelings to Kagome for a long time still, but his subconscious sure seems to know what it wants. It was an unconscious marking."
"Wh..what? He did it as he slept? I have only heard of that happening once or twice."
"Shippo, If you don't shut your mouth I am going to shut it for you." Inuyasha yelled at the same time.
"I wanna see it; you know you're proud of it. I can tell. It isn't as if you will ever tell her the truth."
"Shippo." He growled.
"Then I wanna hear you say it! You said it once and she was already gone."
"Shippo, SHUT UP!" Kagome screamed.
"Kagome, you deserve to hear it. He put you through enough back then."
"Shippo, mind your own business." Inuyasha growled.
"She deserves to know, Inuyasha. You know she does."
The hanyou growled at the kitsune quietly before saying, "Kagome-" That was as far a he got before Kagome slapped a hand over his mouth.
She shook her head and quietly said, "No." Before turning around and slapping the kitsune in the face. "Shippo, grow up. You want to see the mark? Here." She yanked down her collar to show him the dark black bruise, making everyone gasp.
"Inuyasha?" the kitsune whispered in amazement. "That is the most possessive mark I have ever seen. I can see why it had to be done unconsciously; I have never seen one that dark before. Nice job." The kitsune said quietly as he turned around to stare outside thoughtfully.
The rest of the trip home was quiet as Kagome snuggled back into the hanyou's hold, thinking pensively. As they walked up to the shrine, bags in hands, Inuyasha stopped and said, "I'm sorry."
"I know you, Inuyasha. There is no reason to apologize for being you; it's who I fell in love with." She turned and began walking again. "Besides, I already know. You pinned yourself to a tree, Inuyasha. That speaks louder than any words ever could."
She heard the bags hit the ground and immediately found herself within the hanyou's grasp. He kissed her senselessly until he heard her bags drop from her hands to the ground. He let her go and picked up the bags he had dropped, as Kagome fell to the ground. He leapt away to the tree outside their rooms, and entered his room via the window. She sighed, "Yes, your actions definitely speak louder than your words."
There a little fluff for all the fluff lovers.
Inuyasha: That whole set up and it wasn't even Kikyo?
Kagome: What? You actually wanted it to be Kikyo?
Inuyasha: Um…
Yeah, I though you were over her finally. You know, she is peacefully laid to rest and all.
Inuyasha: Keh, Whatever.
Kagome: You did! You actually wanted her to come back, didn't you? Sit! You jerk!
(Peers in Inuyasha shaped hole) Sigh Won't you ever learn?