Third Time's A Charm- Chapter 11

"You haven't touched a thing." The scent of cinnamon and sakura filled his nose as Akari appeared hovering over his shoulder. Her voice was concerned and when he glanced back at her from the corner of his eye he saw her lips turned down into a soft frown.

"Hey."

"Hmm?" she replied softly, walking around him to lift the bowl from where he'd set it away. Her fingers moved to lift a piece of roast meat to her mouth.

"Why'd you…why do you…why'd you choose me? For this deal?"

She shrugged, chewed slowly then swallowed. "You're were on hand at the moment." She grinned. "I faintly remember having this conversation before." Her brow knit with confusion. "Inuyasha?"

He didn't meet her eyes. For some reason she always seemed able to read too much of him when he did. 'She's in love with you' Ayako's words echoed through his head like a beating drum. How? Why? How could another woman love him when the others who did always ended up dying? He didn't want another death on his hands.

"I'm leaving, Akari."

"No you're not." She said dismissively and moved to sit down next to him. "Inuyasha we made a deal. And no matter if you like it or not I haven't collected my end of it." She smiled in the face of his blush. "If you wish to after that you can leave this village and never look back but until then, you stay." Her fingers closed around another piece of meet and she held it up to his mouth. He looked at her then turned his face away, pushing up from the ground roughly.

"I don't belong to you, you got that?" He demanded. Memory and fear made him angry and his words harsh.

Akari rose slowly, gracefully and turned to meet his burning gaze with her own eyes, firm and cold as ice. "But you do. Until the morning after you'd lain in my bed, you do Inuyasha. You ask me why I chose you Inuyasha." She stepped forward quicker then he could back away and pressed herself against his chest. "Because I'm selfish Inuyasha. Because I will have no one other then my heart's desire. If only for one night Inuyasha you'll belong to me. For just one night…my soul won't be alone anymore."

He wished he could pull away but he couldn't. Not from the sorrow and hope that sang a chorus in her voice. He knew it. It was the same lonely sadness he'd seen in Kikyou's eyes over 50 years ago. It was the same love and hope he'd seen in Kagome's when she looked at him. And he had no strength or will to ignore it, or her.

"Akari." He lifted his arms and wrapped them around her lightly, felt her press her face into his chest.

He could understand that; a lonely soul. But in the end could he really walk away from her? Would he hate himself more for staying or going in the end? It plagued him to the point that he almost wished he'd never met her.

Almost.

Inuyasha wasn't one to allow himself to sit around idle particularly not in a foreign place. However when Akari was called away again he couldn't help but feel relieved. She'd gotten to him, and worse he couldn't exorcise the feeling by simply removing her from his presence it seemed. He nearly wished that she'd been right and the demons had followed them here. At least that would have been an outlet for his frustration as well as serve as a distraction. However he'd scanned the forest and hadn't seen anything. Finally he'd had no choice but to return to the village.

Seated on the roof of one of the trees on the village's border the toppling of one of the huge oaks startled him. Particularly when it gave way to the view of a small group of men; two half-breeds, one human, and one who appeared to be ¾ demon. The human huffed, leaning against and axe and wiped sweat from his brow before he caught sight of Inuyasha. His eyes narrowed and he turned back towards the other three. Inuyasha steeled himself for controversy.

"Hey. You up there." One of the men, a panther hybrid, called. "What are you doing?"

"What's it to you?" Inuyasha growled.

The man frowned. "We could use some help."

Inuyasha's face contorted with confusion. Help?

"That means." The human man interjected. Her was older then the others, perhaps just pushing past 50. "Get yer butt down here and lend a hand."

Inuyasha bristled but jumped from the tree, landing near the small group. Arms folded across his chest. "You tryin to start something old man?"

"Here." The human ignored him, shoving an axe into his hands abruptly. Inuyasha half stumbled back, gripping the handle. The man gestured towards a thick oak with his hat. "Go on. Cut it down."

Inuyasha glanced at the axe then smirked, dropping it and pushed his sleeves up. "I don't need this." Boast followed by the loud crack of his knuckles before he lunged at the tree. "Iron Reaver!" Claws cleaved through bark and trunk clean. They scrambled back to avoid the decent of the tree as it toppled over leaving only a stump behind.

Inuyasha turned back, expecting a fight but instead the man clapped him on the shoulder and grinned. "You're alright." The other three grinned at him. "I'm Joben. That there's Sachiko, Kenji, and Tomeo." When Inuyasha was shocked silent the man thumped him on the back again. "Well boy. What's your name?"

"I…Inuyasha."

Akari found him there at sunset, seated among a mass of felled and carved trees. Joban, Sachiko, Kenji, and Tomeo all rose when she approached and she flashed them dazzling smiles. The sorrow she'd shown Inuyasha was gone and he understood what Ayako had meant. She smiled for everyone so they wouldn't worry about the pain inside her.

How many times had he done something similar? Too many to remember.

"Would you mind if I stole Inuyasha, Joban?" She asked softly, reaching out to curl fingers about Inuyasha's clawed hand.

"Not at all Lady Akari." Joban grinned and winked towards Inuyasha. "He's a good lad. You behave yerself."

Akari dropped a kiss on the man's forehead as she tugged Inuyasha after her. He followed unwilling to make a scene in front of the group who cast mysterious smiles back towards them as they retreated. Once they disappeared from sight however he jerked his hand from her grasp and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Where are we going?"

She wasn't so easily put of and reached out again. Her fingers were slow and hesitant this time however, searching for his and hovered questioningly. He didn't pull back a second time and so she took his hand in his again then smiled up at him.

"To collect your end of the deal."