A/n: ok since last chapter was pretty much a filler or an excuse for me to imagine Inuyasha's ears getting wet and twitching (squee! I love that mental image! my dog does that.) I guess I have to actually make something happen this time. Ehh oh well. Thank you a million times over to all the people who reviewed for me and have lent all their fabulous opinions. I love you guys! And I'm all for reading a good fic so if you feel you have written a good one, tell me and I'll drop by.
Ja ne!
"There's a house up ahead!" Shippo cried out suddenly leaping from the bike basket.
Sure enough, not far way was a small wooden house. No lights were on and no smoke rose from the chimney. It looked vacant and they quickly hurried to get inside.
It was cold inside the little hut but Miroku quickly got a fire going in the hearth, heating up the air. Kagome and Sango huddled together with Shippo underneath Kagome's blanket. Inuyasha began to dig around in Kagome's backpack until he found the cup of ramen he knew she had in there.
Kagome boiled some water and he eagerly devoured the noodles. He sniffed and wiped his mouth on his sleeve as he finished.
"I wonder when this downpour is going to let up," Sango wondered aloud. The loud pounding of the rain on the roof showed no sign of relenting.
Miroku stood up and lifted aside the door flap and sighed. Turning back to the others, he said, "This storm will probably last the rest of the day. We should just make ourselves comfortable," he added with a side-glance at Sango whose eyes flashed angrily.
"Don't get any ideas, Monk," she spat.
Miroku held his hands up in defense.
"I meant nothing of the sort, Sango! I just—."
Miroku wasn't given a chance to explain himself.
After six consecutive hours of playing cards, Kagome threw her hand in proclaiming defeat. Sango and Inuyasha followed suit. Miroku however laid his hand out, displaying a full house.
"It appears I have won," he said smugly.
"Well, I'm tired of losing to Miroku. Let's make something to eat," Kagome said falling back.
Inuyasha stood to his feet and stretched his arms.
"I think I'll go outside for now," he said.
"It's still raining…"
"It's not raining as hard. I'll be alright."
"What's up with him?" wondered Kagome aloud. She gasped as she suddenly remembered: Tonight was the new moon. The rain would definitely be over in awhile and it was already late in the afternoon. No doubt Inuyasha felt his body getting weaker as the new moon approached and wanted to go sit it out.
"Isn't tonight the new moon?" asked Shippo hopping into Kagome's lap.
"Yeah I was just thinking that," Kagome agreed. She frowned. "He's being stupid! He should stay here with us until tomorrow morning when he's stronger and not so vulnerable!"
She stood to her feet, pulled on a jacket and stormed out after Inuyasha.
Cupping her hands around her mouth, Kagome shouted for Inuyasha over and over. She searched for him, calling all the while, even though she knew she wouldn't find him. Inuyasha was several times faster than she would ever be, even if it was approaching the new moon.
Feeling angry and worried over Inuyasha, Kagome's cry became less and less frequent.
"Inuyasha," she groaned one last time.
"WHAT in the hell do you want, woman!" demanded an angry voice.
Kagome whirled around to see Inuyasha looking down at her, hands folded over his chest.
"There you are!" she shouted. "I've been so worried, Inuyasha!"
"What for?" he shouted right back, although he sounded a little thrown off.
Kagome sighed. "Tonight's the new moon and I know that's why you walked out like that."
Thunder rumbled overhead and the rain stopped. The clouds parted a bit to reveal the pink evening sky.
Inuyasha frowned.
"Is it wrong for me to not want to be weak?" asked Inuyasha irritably.
"You mean human."
"Yeah, so?"
"Fine! Stay by yourself and don't tell me what's been really bothering you! Stay by yourself and get killed in that weak human form! I don't even care if you drop dead!"
"I bet you would! How would you get any jewel shards without me?"
"Is that all you care about?"
"Huh? What are you getting at!"
"That you're a selfish, stupid, arrogant, half demon who insists on hating humans when practically you're only companions are humans! Your own mother was human, Inuyasha!"
"Feh! I don't have to listen to you," Inuyasha said going to leap away.
"OSUWARI!" Kagome shouted as loudly as she could.
Inuyasha fell hard in the wet earth.
"Kagome…dammit…that's not fair…"
"Neither is you leaping off when you know I can't follow."
Having nothing to counter that, Inuyasha struggled to his feet and stared hard at Kagome.
"What do you want then? Hurry up, it's almost sunset."
Kagome, strangely enough, found that now that she had Inuyasha's attention, she couldn't think of what she wanted to say.
"What?" Inuyasha asked frustrated after a minute or two.
"Why do you hate humans?" Kagome blurted. There it's out, she thought.
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and sighed.
"You're not going to leave me alone are you?"
Kagome shook her head.
Inuyasha glanced at the swiftly darkening sky. He sniffed the air trying to pick up a sent. His sense of smell was almost completely gone. Hearing too was definitely getting weaker. Oh well, he sighed.
"You're right, my mother was human," began Inuyasha. "She was kind and beautiful and never ever told me that I was wrong to have demon or human blood in me. She was just happy with who I was."
So am I, Inuyasha, thought Kagome.
"I loved her so much. We were happy. But every day nearly, there was someone who threw a rock at us if we were outside. A few times our laundry hanging outside was cut into shreds but left on the line. Nasty taunts and curses chased us everywhere if we even tried to walk around in the village. 'Bastard hanyou…' is what most of them called me. I didn't even know what it meant for the longest time." Inuyasha chuckled a bit.
"It sounds so sad," Kagome said quietly.
"I hated them all so much, the people in the village." His face grew dark and angry. So much so that Kagome took a step back. "Heh, they're all dead now though."
"What happened to them?"
"One night, my mother and I were sitting together eating when we heard voices from outside. When my mother got up to see what was going on, the doors and windows even were all locked. They yelled for her to give me to them. She didn't say anything. Then it was silent. My mother knew what was going on and told me to run. I didn't want to leave her, but she insisted. As I was about to force my way through a small window, they lit the house on fire. I dove through the window and made it safely out. My mother…"
Inuyasha looked down. Kagome went to put her hand on his shoulder but he brushed her off. The sky was getting darker and darker by the minute. He could feel his power dwindling away.
"I…attacked the villagers...I killed them all…There was blood everywhere and our house was consumed in flames. I looked into the flames before I passed out and saw my mother reaching for me. A beam had fallen across her back, pinning her down. Her body was already beginning to burn and she was crying. Then I blacked out."
"Inuyasha," Kagome said softly. She went to put her hand on his shoulder and this time, he didn't jerk away. He put his hand on hers and held it tightly.
"You remind me of her in some ways. How you always assume the best of people. How you don't care if a person is human or demon or both."
"I-I do?"
Inuyasha smiled. "Yeah, but you're a lot louder than she was."
Kagome laughed a bit.
"So, does that answer your question," he asked.
Kagome nodded. "Yes. And Inuyasha…?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry."
He squeezed her hand tightly.
"It's alright. I think…I think I needed to tell someone for a long time."
Inuyasha hair slowly darkened to a dark brown. His ears crept down the sides of his head and rounded out into human ears. His eyes which stared into Kagome's dimmed from their brilliant amber color to a pitch black.
"I'm a weak human now," he said smiling.
Kagome found herself leaning in close to Inuyasha. She started though and pulled her hand from his, blushing furiously.
"What are you doing so close!" Inuyasha accused.
"I was not! Why? Are you getting at something?"
"No way! I was just saying…!"
Excuses and accusations flew through the air for the next minute or two. They then sat in an embarrassed silence.
"So," Kagome said awkwardly. "Are you ready to go back then?"
"I think I'll wait the night out out here," he replied looking up distractedly at the still slightly clouded sky. Stars twinkled from the sky which was nearly completely dark.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
Kagome stared at him for a minute, but not angrily so. She smiled slightly and stood up brushing off her skirt as she did so.
"I'll be waiting for you at dawn."
"I'll be there."
"Promise?"
"It's a promise."
Kagome smiled as she felt the warmth creeping into her face.
A/N: whew I think that was the longest chapter yet! A good one though. I guess I could stop this story here. It would be all right if I did, I think. Hmm. I dunno. Depends on the feedback I get. (ahem reviews! ) lol I love you all so much! Leave a review if you care to. Ja ne!
