Just a couple notes: Writing InuYasha as he is at the beginning of the series is so hard. You never realize how much he's developed as a character until you try doing so. It was made a bit easier by the fact that the Shikon no Tama is not yet known and present. Kagome does have it of course, but no one knows that yet. Of course that's why InuYasha was so malicious towards her at the beginning of the original series, so now that and the issue with him knowing she's Kikyou's reincarnation are eliminated- now he's just incredibly rude.
And to clear something up regarding one of InuYasha's thoughts-- Kagome is still the reincarnation of Kikyou. They just have no way to tell that yet.
Note- All chapters revised 4-21-06
Anyway: Read, enjoy, and please review.
The Beginning of Tomorrow
Chapter 3-
The Unsealed Hanyou
By Kelly O'Connor
"I--InuYasha?" Kagome questioned as she noticed way he was staring at her. Judging by the expression in his strange amber colored eyes, he did not appear to be thinking friendly thoughts.
"Hello, Kikyou," the boy spat, malice in his tone and one of his fists clenched tightly.
Kagome would have stepped back, had she not been on a ledge. Instead she just gulped. Why is he calling me Kikyou?
"No, I'm Kagome… my name is Kagome," she clarified shakily.
The Hanyou didn't appear as peaceful now that he was awake, although he still wasn't all that intimidating in appearance. It was his voice that shocked Kagome, the name Kikyou had been spoken with such hatred.
I don't know why… he's the one who killed her right?
"Oi, Kikyou, what's up with…" InuYasha cut off his own words when his eyes registered his surroundings. A shrine house, and to the left a whole bizarre and unfamiliar landscape of what he assumed to be tall human made structures. "…Wait, where am I?"
Kagome found herself sighing lightly in spite of herself. Did he expect to wake up to find Kikyou?
"Sorry, I'm not Kikyou and this isn't her time," the young girl stated bravely.
"But you--" He cut himself off and surveyed her appearance. Wait, she isn't Kikyou… The Hanyou continued to observe the girl, narrowing his eyes as he noted the differences between the two. Kagome flinched as she felt his gaze upon her, and she grew aggravated.
"What! I'm not her! Kikyou is dead, you killed her, and it's probably been five hundred years since you did!" Kagome snapped in irritation.
A look of shock flickered across his face, "Keh, I didn't fucking touch her!" He retorted, the surprise in his tone continuing to baffle the young girl.
"But the legend said you deceived her and---"
"What the hell do you mean?" InuYasha asked rather defensively. "She betrayed me," he finished, his voice low and embittered. Kagome took a moment to blink. Despite his attempts to hide it, the hurt in his voice was evident when he spoke those three words.
She betrayed him… but how? The legend can't be wrong, can it?
"What the… but the," Kagome's breath hitched as she found herself tripping on the root that held her, and she grabbed the first thing that she could to be her stronghold. Her hands gripped the arrow that was embedded within the Hanyou's chest.
Unfortunately, instead of holding her up, the arrow vanished beneath her touch. With a scream, she found herself falling towards the ground.
But she didn't hit the ground. Instead Kagome felt herself stop and looked up to see a very annoyed looking InuYasha holding her hand with one of his own.
He's freed? Her thoughts raced as she saw him standing on the ledge she had occupied previously, one arm braced against the side of the tree. Rather roughly, he pulled her up on the ledge next to him. "...Thank you," Kagome finally managed. InuYasha fixed her a very irritated look and crossed his arms.
"Oi, clumsy," he paused, "If I hadn't you would have pulled me down with you."
Kagome frowned, "Well if I hadn't fallen you'd still be stuck to this tree!" She countered.
"I would have gotten off somehow!" InuYasha retorted.
"Oh really?" She asked rhetorically, "Because you've been stuck there five hundred years and never figured a thing out."
InuYasha was about to argue, but instead replied with a resigning "Keh." Kagome rolled her eyes and slumped down to a sitting position on the ledge.
Her head was racing with thought. She was sitting next to a Hanyou from Sengoku Jidai. What was she supposed to do with him? It's not as if he could just live in the house.
Not that I'd want him to. He's so… rude.
She switched her gaze over to him quickly and sighed. He was looking across the cityscape. And though his expression seemed to be forever stuck on irritated, Kagome could discern a hint of sadness underneath it.
But I can't just leave him on his own… Kagome interrupted herself, why would I want to help him? He's rude, annoying, and there is a legend that says he killed a woman. She paused. But judging by his reaction, I'm not sure that's true. Rude he may be, but the way he looked when I said he killed Kikyou, he was surprised and hurt. After a few moments, she came to a realization. Maybe I should help him anyway. It's kind of my fault this happened.
She looked back over to him and smiled tentatively. "Neh, InuYasha?" She inquired.
The Hanyou started up a bit, at the speaking of his name in such a friendly tone. "What?"
"What do you plan on doing now?" Kagome ventured. InuYasha shifted; no doubt still trying to comprehend the fact that he had supposedly slept for five hundred years.
"Bah, what's it to you?" He retorted. Kagome rubbed her forehead and sighed.
"Well I suppose you could look for that supposed brother of yours…" InuYasha stiffened.
"He's still around?" The Hanyou asked.
"If he really is your brother, then yes." Kagome answered matter-of-factly.
"Half brother," He clarified solemnly, "And we aren't on good terms." Kagome blinked.
"Well I imagine you weren't on the best of terms with a lot of people…" She muttered.
InuYasha tensed up then whipped around to face her angrily.
"It isn't that, okay!" He frowned, "It's not my fault I'm a Hanyou …." He stopped himself short, "Keh, I don't have to talk about this with you."
Kagome's eyes widened in realization as she recalledthe words of the legend she'd read regarding InuYasha and Kikyou.
"Using the excuse that, as a Hanyou he was never accepted by humans or youkai, the Miko took the Hanyou as her companion out of pity."
InuYasha was telling Kikyou the truth when he made that excuse wasn't he? His brother is full youkai… that's why InuYasha's feelings towards him are like this.
Kagome looked towards InuYasha, "I think I understand. I'm sorry for saying what I did."
InuYasha glared at her, his expression a mixture of aggravation and perplexity.
"You understand what?" He asked.
"I think I understand what you meant," she finished and surveyed her feet as if they were terribly interesting. His eyes widened in shock, before a heavy frown settled on his face.
"You don't know anything," the Hanyou replied, his voice low with dangerous irritation.
Kagome caught the "don't mess with me" tone, but boldly continued.
"I don't know much about you, you're right," she paused, "But it seems that you have nowhere to go, and so I guess you're going to have to stay here for a while." Kagome stood up and faced InuYasha, "So, let's try to get along. Why not?"
He crossed his arms in annoyance, "Hmph, why should I?"
"Because it will be much better if we get along since you're stuck here!"
InuYasha momentarily surveyed the girl before him. She looked similar to Kikyou and was obviously a Miko since she unsealed him from the tree, yet she acted so different. "Hmph," InuYasha replied simply.
"I'll take that as an 'I'll try Kagome,' all right?" she grinned. InuYasha did a double take and shrugged.
"Whatever," he resigned. They sat in silence for a moment before Kagome cleared her throat.
"I'll have to tell my mother when she gets home, although I have no idea how…"
"Your… mother?" InuYasha blinked.
"Don't worry, I think you'll like her," she reassured. He didn't respond.
Looking to the ground below, Kagome sighed, "I honestly don't know how I'm going to explain you to them. Jiichan will go nuts," stopping mid-statement, she turned to him, "Hey we've been on this ledge a long time, I think I'm going to climb down."
InuYasha nodded. He needed to move around a bit himself. After being unsealed, his muscles felt tight and cramped. Kagome began to slowly climb down the roots of the tree, finding it more difficult than usual since a lot of the roots she had climbed before were ones that had been surrounding InuYasha.
In a short minute though, she'd made her way down to the tree, only to see InuYasha land softly on the ground in front of her after leaping nimbly from the ledge they had been standing on.
Kagome blinked for a moment before figuring that such strength was part of his youkai half. "So," Kagome glanced to InuYasha, who was stretching his arms above his head. "Are you hungry?" She inquired, more to interrupt an awkward silence than anything. The silver-haired boy placed his hand on his stomach for a moment before glaring at Kagome.
"I'll get my own food," he replied smartly. Kagome rolled her eyes.
"Not very likely, you need money to do that." The schoolgirl rubbed her forehead.
InuYasha looked confused, and Kagome felt sorry for him. There was simply nothing he could do on his own at the moment in this era he'd awoken in. Realizing that he was likely an independent person, Kagome knew this reliance on others was going to be something that would bother him.
"Come on in InuYasha," she gestured towards her house, "I'll make you something to eat." InuYasha crossed his arms, and stood still.
"How do I know you aren't going to do something to it?" He retorted lamely. Kagome held out her hand and beckoned him to follow her into the house.
"I wouldn't do that. Come on InuYasha, you can trust me," the black haired girl pleaded.
The boy looked away. "I don't trust anyone!" He snapped weakly, but in spite of that, he found himself following the girl called Kagome into her home.
-------------------------------------------------------
Kagome made a startled sound when the stove buzzer went off. In between thinking about how to break the news to her family that a Hanyou was going to be moving in and watching as said Hanyou poked around the living room in curiosity, she had forgotten all about the Ramen that was boiling on the stove.
Standing up and sliding into the kitchen, she quickly began stirring the pot and pulled it off the stove, managing to save the instant noodles from overcooking just in time.
With a sigh of relief, she poured the noodles into two bowls, grabbed some chopsticks, and walked back into the living room.
InuYasha sat on a zabuton appearing exasperated, but when Kagome sat down the food in front of him, his expression brightened slightly.
"You really were hungry weren't you?" She asked as he first inspected the food for a few moments, then lifted up the bowl to his mouth and began slurping the Ramen down rather sloppily. InuYasha paused for a moment to shoot a glare at her.
"Yah so what if I was?" He snapped and went back to his rather haphazard eating.
Kagome smiled in spite of herself, for some reason she was glad to see him seeming happier. I can't tell Jiichan he's the Hanyou of that legend. He'll think InuYasha is a murderer and that will ruin any chance he has here. She glanced back over to the boy next to her, I believe him… legends aren't always right, and considering his behavior, there's no way InuYasha did that to Kikyou.
"Neh, InuYasha, do you know how to use chopsticks?" She gestured to the pieces of wood that sat next to where InuYasha's bowl had been. The Hanyou shrugged.
"Keh, I'm hungry… why would I waste my time with them?" He answered.
Kagome shook her head when InuYasha put down the empty bowl of Ramen.
"Are you going to eat that?" He pointed to Kagome's untouched meal.
She replied in the negative, and InuYasha set out to devour her bowl as well.
"Umm InuYasha," Kagome figured she could get her words in while he ate. "My family is going to be home soon." She paused. This was by many times, the strangest situation she had ever had to explain to anyone, let alone been in. "Like I said, I'm not sure how to present you to them, but just try to act friendly enough with them that they'll want you to stay."
Kagome winced. She hoped InuYasha could at least pull of somewhat amiable. He didn't respond and she sighed in vexation, "Please InuYasha, you have nowhere else to go."
InuYasha shrugged, "Oi- fine, whatever," the white haired boy complied as he put down a now empty bowl.
"Good then, I need to go out to the shrine and get my book bag. I'll be back in a moment."
Making her way out the front door, she blinked when she noticed InuYasha behind her. Instead of following her to the shrine though, he leapt into the branches of Goshinboku and as far as Kagome could tell, just… sat there.
"Hmm, I guess he has a lot to think about," the schoolgirl said to herself as she entered the shrine house.
InuYasha, meanwhile, did have a lot to think about. He situated himself on a branch, high in the Goshinboku. Why am I here? He asked himself, Kikyou's arrow hit the mark. I remember that much. He rubbed the area over his heart, where nary even a tear in his fire rat coat from the arrow remained. Still don't know why she hot me anyway. I guess I'll never know. At least that Kagome girl seems to believe me. His mind wandered to the girl who had decided to "take him in" after unsealing him. She's treating me like a normal person … InuYasha realized, and that's what boggled him.
That girl, with her strange clothes, strange house, and even stranger attitude treated him like he was not worse or better than her. This idea was slightly unsettling to InuYasha, as he was not at all familiar with being treated as such.
His eyes wandered over the moonlit landscape outside the shrine area. The strange enormous structures, the unfamiliar smells, the fact that there was no way at all to tell, except the Goshinboku itself that he was in the same place he had lived in so long ago greatly unnerved him.
This time seems so different, not only in appearance, but in the fact that I haven't sensed a youkai since I woke up. I wonder what happened? Bah, it doesn't matter.
Moments later, he heard a yell of "Hey InuYasha, get down here now!" and glanced down to the ground to see Kagome waving up at him with a large bag slung over her shoulders. Yes, this is going to take a lot of getting used to… InuYasha shook his head and glared at Kagome. "Keh, why should I?"
The girl stomped her foot in aggravation. "Because, my family is going to be home soon, and I need to tell you some things before they arrive." InuYasha hmph-ed and leapt down from the branches, landing in front of her with a scowl on his face.
"What do you have to tell me?" The Hanyou queried. Kagome gestured him to follow her inside, and he did so.
"First of all," she began as she walked up the stairs to her room, InuYasha behind. "We need to get you something to cover your ears."
She opened the door to her room and sat on her bed once she had entered. InuYasha followed suit and sat on the bed next to her, momentarily shocked by how it bounced when he moved on it. Kagome noticed his fascination and smiled lightly.
"Why do we need to cover them?" InuYasha asked, perplexed. "If you're trying to hide it, it's not like they won't find out anyway." Kagome shook her head vigorously in the negative.
"No, no it's not that!" She explained, "I want to explain to my family the situation first. I'll explain first, and then you can take it off." She reached over to her bureau drawer and slid it open, pulling out a bandanna and toying with it with her fingers.
"I'm not wanting to hide it from my family InuYasha. I just want to prepare them. I don't think many youkai exist in this time, and most people just consider them to be ancient myth anyway. They don't even believe they ever did exist." She closed her eyes, "So, I just want to tell them first."
InuYasha blinked in surprise. He'd suspected there weren't many youkai in her time, however, the idea that many people didn't think youkai were real when in the time he was sealed they were a part of everyday life completely threw him for a loop.
"Keh- fine," he agreed. Kagome looked down to the bandanna.
"Can you umm… put this on?" She asked, gesturing towards the cloth. He crossed his arms and glared at the bandanna in her hands, as if it were something to truly be glowered at.
"I've never worn anything on my head. How would I know how to put that on?" InuYasha shrugged.
"Oh, well I figured you may," she held the bandanna up in her hands, "I guess I'll put it on then."
"Whatever," he resigned. Kagome nodded and scooted behind InuYasha, pausing for a moment before placing the bandanna over his ears. Holding it in a tied position at the back of his head, she looked to the Hanyou.
"Is that comfortable? Smashing your ears at all? I can move it…"
"It feels funny period," InuYasha snapped.
She shifted it a little bit to the left and tied it off at the back of his head, momentarily stopping to run her fingers through a bit of his long silver-white hair.
"What are you doing?" InuYasha asked when he noticed her actions. Kagome pulled her hand away from his hair like she'd touched a hot stove.
"Uhh sorry, I just umm… like your hair," she managed to explain, cheeks pinking at being caught in the act.
InuYasha's eyes widened momentarily before he let out a soft "Keh," and hid a small blush of his own.
The slightly awkward moment of silence between the two was interrupted by the front door opening downstairs.
Kagome gasped, "Mama, Souta, and Jiichan are home." She knew they were going to be picking up Jiichan after soccer practice and so all three of them would be home at the same time.
"Your family is home?" He inquired. Kagome shook her head in the positive.
"Yes, InuYasha, they are." She took a deep breath. "I'm going to go down there, and I want you to follow me," she instructed, "Just act… normal."
"Normal?" InuYasha cocked his head in slight confusion.
"As in don't talk beyond greeting them for the time being. Sit down when I sit down, I'll explain everything," Kagome elaborated.
"Hmph, fine," the Hanyou agreed reluctantly. The schoolgirl smiled and left her bedroom, the white-haired boy following. Once they'd reached near the bottom of the stairs, Kagome motioned InuYasha to stay where he was and walked down the rest of the way to peer into the kitchen.
"Mama," Kagome called into the kitchen. Mrs. Higurashi looked up and gave her daughter a warm smile.
"Hello Kagome. How was your day?" The dark haired woman asked.
"Completely different from any day I've ever had before," Kagome responded. And that's an understatement. Mrs. Higurashi raised an eyebrow.
"Really now, you want to tell me about it?" Mama ventured. The teenage girl nodded.
"I actually want to tell you, Jiichan, and Souta about it right now… in the living room."
Mrs. Higurashi looked befuddled.
"Please Mama, now if you can." The older woman nodded and went to the living room, as Souta and Jiichan were already there. Kagome smiled.
"Thanks Mama… I have something to explain to you all that's going to take a while." She spoke as her mother walked away.
Kagome glanced behind her and gestured to InuYasha, who made his way down the rest of the stairs and followed her into the living room. The Hanyou found himself with three pairs of eyes staring at him right upon his entrance and he twitched nervously. Kagome gave him a reassuring smile, and motioned him to sit down next to her on a zabuton after she did so herself. Souta on the other hand, just grinned.
"Kagome-neechan you wanted us all to meet your boyfriend?" He asked as if he had made a startling realization. She shook her head in the negative, flustered at her brother's implications.
"Mama, Jiichan, Souta… this is InuYasha, he's not my boyfriend," she paused and took a deep breath, "But he will need to stay here."
The eyes of every occupant of the living room widened in surprise. And that's not even the beginning. Kagome cleared her throat and prepared to tell them all about her very interesting day.