Disclaimer - Sadly, Inu Yasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz entermainment.
We do not own Inu Yasha, though we are working on it. However, we do
own a Wufei plushie, so that provides us with some comfort.
Inu Yasha, a Feudal Fairytale presents...
Don't You Dare
a Chang Po/Nataku production!
Chapter 2
"So, what's up with Inu Yasha?" Kagome asked, blowing the steam from her
tea. "First, he doesn't come to meet me at my house or at the well to yell at
me, and now he's off in the forest looking for my bike!"
"Well, Inu Yasha always was a little weird." Shippo offered offhandedly. Kagome
only sighed.
"My wager is that Inu Yasha wanted to be by his lonesome," Kaede suggested,
pouring herself a cup of tea. "Which is normal for him, but I must admit he hath
been behaving strangely."
Kagome tilted her head in curiosity. "What do you mean?"
"The lad hath been moping around for days as if he hath not a spark of life in him." Kaede replied, watching the tea leaves swirl around in her cup. "His normal
disposition hath abandoned him - it seems our Inu Yasha be a thing of the past."
"What are you saying?"
"It's like he's tired," Shippo explained. "But no matter how long he sleeps, he
still isn't rested. It's as if nothing phases him anymore - ever since Kaede tended
his injuries, he hasn't beat me up once." At this he paused, in wonder at this last
turn of events.
"Hang on a sec," Kagome replied. "His injuries? When did he get hurt?"
"I can only assume it was during ye last excursion." Kaede replied. "A serious
side wound was dealt to him; he passed out as soon as he arrived back at the
village from the well."
"By now it should've healed, but he's still actin' funny…"
At this point, Shippo's words were falling on deaf ears as Kagome's brain shifted
into overdrive trying to remember when Inu Yasha could have suffered an injury.
Kagome recalled that she had sensed Shikon no kakeru in to different loca-
tions - the Northern forests and the Mountain ranges in the South. Rather than
lose a shard to an enemy, the group had decided it best to split up into two
parties. Sango and Miroku had agreed to going north, while Kagome, Shippo,
and Inu Yasha would go south.
The journey had proved uneventful until the reached the valley at the foot of the mountains. It was agreed that the trek over the mountains would take at least a
week, however Kagome only had 4 days before she had to return home for her
final exams. Inu Yasha, to say the least, hadn't been too pleased about this.
So, after much deliberation, and a few Osuwari's, Inu Yasha 'decided' they would
take an underground pass he knew of through the mountain. Needless to say,
Kagome was upset that he hadn't told them about the tunnel in the first place, but
Inu Yasha refused to disclose his reasons. That had been a mistake.
~~ Flashback ~~
Inu Yasha drew the Tetsusaiga from its sheath, the fang immediately coming to
life at its owner's command. A light surrounded the sword, lighting up the area
around them.
"What's wrong, Inu Yasha?" Shippo asked, sniffing the stale air around them as
he had seen the hanyou do several moments before drawing out his father's fang.
Inu Yasha's golden eyes narrowed slightly, scanning the area around them.
"Death is here."
Before Kagome could ask what he meant, it hit her; an awful stench rushed
towards her nostrils like a powerful wave. The force of it was so strong that it
nearly sent her stumbling backwards. Her hand flew up to her face, covering her
nose and mouth. "What is that?" she exclaimed.
Inu Yasha's tone was quiet, but grim. "The Mogura clan."
The three entered a large spacious cavern littered with corpse and skeletal
remains. The bones resembled that of humans, but were slightly smaller, and
more hunched over. Much to the three's discomfort (although Inu Yasha was
better at hiding it than his two companions) many of the corpses were positioned
in such a way so that they all looked as though they were writhing in pain from
some unknown agony.
Kagome clutched unto the sleeve of Inu Yasha's haori. "I-it's a graveyard!" she
gaped, turning to him in horror. "And you knew this was here?"
"I knew there was a clan of mole demons living down here," Inu Yasha replied,
frowning at her as if she had accused him of the massacre before them. She
winced and looked down at her feet as they paced several Shippo-sized remains.
She clutched at the kitsune tightly. "I knew they wouldn't give us much trouble if I
had to fight'em… I didn't think they'd be dead."
Kagome glanced up at him. He didn't show it, but it was though he was just as appalled as she was. "What do you think did this?" she asked.
"Don't know." He looked away from her. Uncomfortable with the look she was
giving him, he focused his attention on his nose. It was hard at work trying to sniff
out intruders but was so far coming up short. Inu Yasha frowned in disgust - the
smell of death was starting to bother him. "All I smell is decay… there's nothin'
here but a bunch of dead bodies."
"Inu Yasha…" Kagome began, cut short by the look he gave her.
"Let's just find the shards and get the hell out of here." With that, he began
trudging on. "Oh, and make sure not to touch anything… Kami only knows what's
down here."
Kagome only nodded, following behind him.
Shippo clung fearfully to Kagome's arm, looking around half expecting a
skeleton to jump up and attack them. "Do you sense it yet, Kagome?" he asked.
He hoped she would find it soon; he didn't like the idea of having to hang around
in an underground tomb.
"Uhh…" Kagome couldn't bring herself to focus, there were bodies everywhere.
She felt Inu Yasha's impatient stare. "I can't…" She trailed off, the shard's
presence suddenly was making itself known to her. She frowned in confusion
however, something just wasn't right.
"What?" Inu Yasha asked, sensing her distress.
Kagome's eyes went wide. "It's coming right towards us!" Inu Yasha's body
went tense. Kagome's gaze went directly to their feet. "It's beneath us!"
"Kuso…" Inu Yasha grabbed her and Shippo, leaping away as the ground
began to quake. Without warning, rocks shot up from the ground, tumbling
down upon them. However, Inu Yasha deftly moved them out of the way, setting
them down safely several yards away.
"What's going on?" Shippo wailed, watching as stalactites rained down on the
spot where they had once stood.
Suddenly, an earthworm-like demon pierced the surface, its head rising at least
15 feet above them. It had thick, snake-like scales and propelled itself forward
with two clawed hands.
The creature also possessed multiple razor sharp pincers sightless spider eyes;
resting between them were three Shikon no Kakeru.
"They're there!" Kagome cried out, drawing her bow. "Between the eyes!"
"Keh…" Inu Yasha smirked, hefting the Tetsusaiga over his head. "Leave this
thing to me!" He leapt forward, slashing at one of the youkai's arms with all his
might.
The worm howled in pain, swiping at the hanyou with its tail. Inu Yasha expertly avoided the attack, swatting it away with his sword; however, one of the worm's
pincers swiped at him from the side. Its force knocking him backwards, Inu Yasha landed in an old, rusty pile of armor and scrap metal, letting out a short cry of pain.
"Inu Yasha!" Shippo cried out.
"Damnit," Inu Yasha gritted, glancing the tear in his haori. "I ain't gonna lose to a
giant worm!"
"Inu Yasha, watch out!"
Inu Yasha looked up to see the youkai making a second charge, its good claw
poised for a final strike. Before he could draw Tetsusaiga to block it, an arrow flew
out of nowhere, stopping the beast in its tracks. Enraged, it lashed its head around wildly, knocking bones and rocks out of its path.
"It's not dead yet!" Shippo wailed out the obvious.
In response, another arrow flew faster and truer than the first, splitting its
predecessor in twain as it found its mark on the youkai's forehead. The creature
let out one last painful, gurgled howl before dropping to the ground with a sickening thud.
Inu Yasha cursed under his breath.
Kagome paused a moment before making her way towards him, her bow still in
her hands and Shippo close at her heels. "Inu Yasha, are you all right?" she
asked worriedly. "I was so worried I wasn't gonna make that shot…"
He rose to his feet slowly, a scowl etched deeply on his face. "I told you I had it
under control," he replied. "You should'a stayed out of it!"
Kagome blinked in surprise; was this his way of showing gratitude? She frowned
up at him. "Hey, I was just trying to help!"
Inu Yasha turned away, sheathing the Tetsusaiga as he made his way back the
way they came. "Just get the damn shards so we can get out of here."
Kagome could only watch his retreating form. "Inu Yasha…"
~~ End of Flashback ~~
"Kagome-san…" Kaede watched the girl sitting across from her with worry. She
hadn't moved or blinked for several minutes. "Kagome?"
The young girl blinked, as if coming out of a trance. "The worm…"
"What?"
"The worm!" Kagome replied excitedly. "It was the worm… with the pincer and
the slashing… and the tail!" Kaede didn't seem to be following her. "It slashed
him when he got thrown backwards! That's how he got injured… and that jerk
didn't tell me!" She rose from her seat, grabbing her shoes as she raced for the
door.
"Where ya goin', Kagome?" Shippo asked bemusedly.
Kagome was already running off. "To give dog-boy the 'sitting' of his life!"
~~~
Inu Yasha sat alone by the well, absently fiddling with the paddle on Kagome's
bicycle. He'd found it in the underbrush some distance away and since he had
no idea how to ride the blasted thing, he had dragged it back to the well.
Normally, he would have carried it, like he had so many times when Kagome
would complain about it being stuck in the mud, or wedged between a root or
a rock. But now, for some odd reason, he could barely scrounge up the energy
to drag it back to the well - let alone the village - which was why he was where
he was.
'The stupid thing isn't so heavy,' he thought to himself. A frown passed over his features. 'So why am I so tired?'
It was a question he had been asking himself constantly as of late, but still had
yet to find an answer. Just as Shippo and Kaede had explained to Kagome, Inu
Yasha had found himself to be groggy and lethargic, as if he hadn't slept or moved
for days. He knew he wasn't losing his strength; it was almost as if he were losing
the will to call upon it.
Leaning back, he looked up at the clouds slowly rolling by over head. Closing
his eyes, concerned look passed over his features. 'What's the matter with me?'
Though his eyes were closed, Inu Yasha could feel a shadow of a figure standing
over him. By the smell, he knew he had no cause for alarm, but it bothered him
that he hadn't noticed her approach earlier. He opened one eye to glance up at her. "What do you want?"
Kagome had been angry when she caught sight of him just lounging by the well
with her bike, but as she drew nearer and saw the concern and confusion pass
over his face, all her anger left her along with anything she had planned to say to
him.
"Well…?"
She shook her head, sitting down next to him. Looking up at the clouds, she
didn't notice the relieved smile pass over his face. "I was gonna yell at you." she
replied after a few moments.
"What for?"
Kagome glanced down at him, concern and hurt in her eyes. Inu Yasha quickly
averted his gaze, closing his eyes. "Kaede-bachan told me about your injury."
There was no response. "I know you got hurt in that tunnel pass."
Inu Yasha didn't open his eyes. "So you came here to 'sit' me for not telling you
about it?"
Kagome blinked in surprise. How had he known that? Did he really know her
that well? "I was going to…" she admitted sheepishly. "But I changed my mind."
"Keh…" Curiosity caused to golden eyes to open and stare up at her. "How
come?"
Kagome kept her gaze locked with his so that he couldn't look away. "What's
bothering you, Inu Yasha?"
The hanyou blinked, sitting up to face her. "Wh… what?"
"I asked what's bothering you." she repeated. "Shippo-chan and Kaede-bachan
told me you haven't been acting normal since that last incident." She softened her
tone so that it didn't seem so accusing. "So, what's the matter?"
Inu Yasha fumbled for words for a moment. What could he possibly say when
she was looking at him like that? She was genuinely concerned for him, just like
she always was when he was hurt or injured. Still, this was something bigger, something he himself didn't understand. Could he just lie and play it off like he
always did?
"Inu Yasha…?" He felt Kagome's hand rest itself on top of his. "Does it still hurt?"
"Huh?" he blinked, looking down. He had been absently rubbing at his injured
side, and Kagome, still concerned for his well being, had taken notice. His side
had been still throbbing as of late, but with Kagome's hand on his the pain was miraculously gone! It was taking all of his willpower not to blush.
Realizing her boldness, Kagome too blushed, pulling her hand away quickly.
"Sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to…" She trailed off, Inu Yasha's gaze
still where her hand had once been. What was up with him? "Um, Kaede showed
me some plants that can help dull the pain." Kagome stood up, pulling her bicycle
up with him. "How about I go gather some up to make a poultice for you?"
Inu Yasha blinked, awed by the feelings surging through him from just a simple
touch. At Kagome's suggestion, his brain nagged at him to give her some sort of response so that she would stop staring at him the way she was.
~ Tell her that you're fine and that she should mind her own damn business! ~ one
voice cried out.
~ Better yet, ~ sneered another. ~ Tell her that you don't want some poisonous concoction that would most likely kill you or make your already healing injury
worse! ~
~ Or, you could walk away and ignore her! ~ replied a third voice. ~ Shove down whatever you're feeling and pretend as if this little moment never happened! You
don't need this from her! She's just a Shikon no kakeru detector! ~
Inu Yasha still hadn't moved from his spot, making Kagome worry even more.
~ His normal disposition hath abandoned him, Kaede had said, it seems our Inu
Yasha be a thing of the past. ~
"Inu Yasha…?" she called out tentatively. He up at her. "Do you want
the poultice?" He nodded slowly, watching as a relieved smile made its way over
her features. "Okay! I'll start gathering them right now!" With that, she pulled the basket off of her bike, walking over towards a bush a few yards away.
She had only gotten a few feet when she heard the words, "Thank you."
~End of Chapter 2
Authors' Notes
Miss Chang Po - Inu Yasha saying thank you? What is the world coming to?
Nataku-chan - There's something up with everyone's favorite hanyou, but is it
necessarily a bad thing if it's causing him to have manners?
Learning Japanese with Miss Chang Po and Nataku-chan!
We do not own Inu Yasha, though we are working on it. However, we do
own a Wufei plushie, so that provides us with some comfort.
Inu Yasha, a Feudal Fairytale presents...
Don't You Dare
a Chang Po/Nataku production!
Chapter 2
"So, what's up with Inu Yasha?" Kagome asked, blowing the steam from her
tea. "First, he doesn't come to meet me at my house or at the well to yell at
me, and now he's off in the forest looking for my bike!"
"Well, Inu Yasha always was a little weird." Shippo offered offhandedly. Kagome
only sighed.
"My wager is that Inu Yasha wanted to be by his lonesome," Kaede suggested,
pouring herself a cup of tea. "Which is normal for him, but I must admit he hath
been behaving strangely."
Kagome tilted her head in curiosity. "What do you mean?"
"The lad hath been moping around for days as if he hath not a spark of life in him." Kaede replied, watching the tea leaves swirl around in her cup. "His normal
disposition hath abandoned him - it seems our Inu Yasha be a thing of the past."
"What are you saying?"
"It's like he's tired," Shippo explained. "But no matter how long he sleeps, he
still isn't rested. It's as if nothing phases him anymore - ever since Kaede tended
his injuries, he hasn't beat me up once." At this he paused, in wonder at this last
turn of events.
"Hang on a sec," Kagome replied. "His injuries? When did he get hurt?"
"I can only assume it was during ye last excursion." Kaede replied. "A serious
side wound was dealt to him; he passed out as soon as he arrived back at the
village from the well."
"By now it should've healed, but he's still actin' funny…"
At this point, Shippo's words were falling on deaf ears as Kagome's brain shifted
into overdrive trying to remember when Inu Yasha could have suffered an injury.
Kagome recalled that she had sensed Shikon no kakeru in to different loca-
tions - the Northern forests and the Mountain ranges in the South. Rather than
lose a shard to an enemy, the group had decided it best to split up into two
parties. Sango and Miroku had agreed to going north, while Kagome, Shippo,
and Inu Yasha would go south.
The journey had proved uneventful until the reached the valley at the foot of the mountains. It was agreed that the trek over the mountains would take at least a
week, however Kagome only had 4 days before she had to return home for her
final exams. Inu Yasha, to say the least, hadn't been too pleased about this.
So, after much deliberation, and a few Osuwari's, Inu Yasha 'decided' they would
take an underground pass he knew of through the mountain. Needless to say,
Kagome was upset that he hadn't told them about the tunnel in the first place, but
Inu Yasha refused to disclose his reasons. That had been a mistake.
~~ Flashback ~~
Inu Yasha drew the Tetsusaiga from its sheath, the fang immediately coming to
life at its owner's command. A light surrounded the sword, lighting up the area
around them.
"What's wrong, Inu Yasha?" Shippo asked, sniffing the stale air around them as
he had seen the hanyou do several moments before drawing out his father's fang.
Inu Yasha's golden eyes narrowed slightly, scanning the area around them.
"Death is here."
Before Kagome could ask what he meant, it hit her; an awful stench rushed
towards her nostrils like a powerful wave. The force of it was so strong that it
nearly sent her stumbling backwards. Her hand flew up to her face, covering her
nose and mouth. "What is that?" she exclaimed.
Inu Yasha's tone was quiet, but grim. "The Mogura clan."
The three entered a large spacious cavern littered with corpse and skeletal
remains. The bones resembled that of humans, but were slightly smaller, and
more hunched over. Much to the three's discomfort (although Inu Yasha was
better at hiding it than his two companions) many of the corpses were positioned
in such a way so that they all looked as though they were writhing in pain from
some unknown agony.
Kagome clutched unto the sleeve of Inu Yasha's haori. "I-it's a graveyard!" she
gaped, turning to him in horror. "And you knew this was here?"
"I knew there was a clan of mole demons living down here," Inu Yasha replied,
frowning at her as if she had accused him of the massacre before them. She
winced and looked down at her feet as they paced several Shippo-sized remains.
She clutched at the kitsune tightly. "I knew they wouldn't give us much trouble if I
had to fight'em… I didn't think they'd be dead."
Kagome glanced up at him. He didn't show it, but it was though he was just as appalled as she was. "What do you think did this?" she asked.
"Don't know." He looked away from her. Uncomfortable with the look she was
giving him, he focused his attention on his nose. It was hard at work trying to sniff
out intruders but was so far coming up short. Inu Yasha frowned in disgust - the
smell of death was starting to bother him. "All I smell is decay… there's nothin'
here but a bunch of dead bodies."
"Inu Yasha…" Kagome began, cut short by the look he gave her.
"Let's just find the shards and get the hell out of here." With that, he began
trudging on. "Oh, and make sure not to touch anything… Kami only knows what's
down here."
Kagome only nodded, following behind him.
Shippo clung fearfully to Kagome's arm, looking around half expecting a
skeleton to jump up and attack them. "Do you sense it yet, Kagome?" he asked.
He hoped she would find it soon; he didn't like the idea of having to hang around
in an underground tomb.
"Uhh…" Kagome couldn't bring herself to focus, there were bodies everywhere.
She felt Inu Yasha's impatient stare. "I can't…" She trailed off, the shard's
presence suddenly was making itself known to her. She frowned in confusion
however, something just wasn't right.
"What?" Inu Yasha asked, sensing her distress.
Kagome's eyes went wide. "It's coming right towards us!" Inu Yasha's body
went tense. Kagome's gaze went directly to their feet. "It's beneath us!"
"Kuso…" Inu Yasha grabbed her and Shippo, leaping away as the ground
began to quake. Without warning, rocks shot up from the ground, tumbling
down upon them. However, Inu Yasha deftly moved them out of the way, setting
them down safely several yards away.
"What's going on?" Shippo wailed, watching as stalactites rained down on the
spot where they had once stood.
Suddenly, an earthworm-like demon pierced the surface, its head rising at least
15 feet above them. It had thick, snake-like scales and propelled itself forward
with two clawed hands.
The creature also possessed multiple razor sharp pincers sightless spider eyes;
resting between them were three Shikon no Kakeru.
"They're there!" Kagome cried out, drawing her bow. "Between the eyes!"
"Keh…" Inu Yasha smirked, hefting the Tetsusaiga over his head. "Leave this
thing to me!" He leapt forward, slashing at one of the youkai's arms with all his
might.
The worm howled in pain, swiping at the hanyou with its tail. Inu Yasha expertly avoided the attack, swatting it away with his sword; however, one of the worm's
pincers swiped at him from the side. Its force knocking him backwards, Inu Yasha landed in an old, rusty pile of armor and scrap metal, letting out a short cry of pain.
"Inu Yasha!" Shippo cried out.
"Damnit," Inu Yasha gritted, glancing the tear in his haori. "I ain't gonna lose to a
giant worm!"
"Inu Yasha, watch out!"
Inu Yasha looked up to see the youkai making a second charge, its good claw
poised for a final strike. Before he could draw Tetsusaiga to block it, an arrow flew
out of nowhere, stopping the beast in its tracks. Enraged, it lashed its head around wildly, knocking bones and rocks out of its path.
"It's not dead yet!" Shippo wailed out the obvious.
In response, another arrow flew faster and truer than the first, splitting its
predecessor in twain as it found its mark on the youkai's forehead. The creature
let out one last painful, gurgled howl before dropping to the ground with a sickening thud.
Inu Yasha cursed under his breath.
Kagome paused a moment before making her way towards him, her bow still in
her hands and Shippo close at her heels. "Inu Yasha, are you all right?" she
asked worriedly. "I was so worried I wasn't gonna make that shot…"
He rose to his feet slowly, a scowl etched deeply on his face. "I told you I had it
under control," he replied. "You should'a stayed out of it!"
Kagome blinked in surprise; was this his way of showing gratitude? She frowned
up at him. "Hey, I was just trying to help!"
Inu Yasha turned away, sheathing the Tetsusaiga as he made his way back the
way they came. "Just get the damn shards so we can get out of here."
Kagome could only watch his retreating form. "Inu Yasha…"
~~ End of Flashback ~~
"Kagome-san…" Kaede watched the girl sitting across from her with worry. She
hadn't moved or blinked for several minutes. "Kagome?"
The young girl blinked, as if coming out of a trance. "The worm…"
"What?"
"The worm!" Kagome replied excitedly. "It was the worm… with the pincer and
the slashing… and the tail!" Kaede didn't seem to be following her. "It slashed
him when he got thrown backwards! That's how he got injured… and that jerk
didn't tell me!" She rose from her seat, grabbing her shoes as she raced for the
door.
"Where ya goin', Kagome?" Shippo asked bemusedly.
Kagome was already running off. "To give dog-boy the 'sitting' of his life!"
~~~
Inu Yasha sat alone by the well, absently fiddling with the paddle on Kagome's
bicycle. He'd found it in the underbrush some distance away and since he had
no idea how to ride the blasted thing, he had dragged it back to the well.
Normally, he would have carried it, like he had so many times when Kagome
would complain about it being stuck in the mud, or wedged between a root or
a rock. But now, for some odd reason, he could barely scrounge up the energy
to drag it back to the well - let alone the village - which was why he was where
he was.
'The stupid thing isn't so heavy,' he thought to himself. A frown passed over his features. 'So why am I so tired?'
It was a question he had been asking himself constantly as of late, but still had
yet to find an answer. Just as Shippo and Kaede had explained to Kagome, Inu
Yasha had found himself to be groggy and lethargic, as if he hadn't slept or moved
for days. He knew he wasn't losing his strength; it was almost as if he were losing
the will to call upon it.
Leaning back, he looked up at the clouds slowly rolling by over head. Closing
his eyes, concerned look passed over his features. 'What's the matter with me?'
Though his eyes were closed, Inu Yasha could feel a shadow of a figure standing
over him. By the smell, he knew he had no cause for alarm, but it bothered him
that he hadn't noticed her approach earlier. He opened one eye to glance up at her. "What do you want?"
Kagome had been angry when she caught sight of him just lounging by the well
with her bike, but as she drew nearer and saw the concern and confusion pass
over his face, all her anger left her along with anything she had planned to say to
him.
"Well…?"
She shook her head, sitting down next to him. Looking up at the clouds, she
didn't notice the relieved smile pass over his face. "I was gonna yell at you." she
replied after a few moments.
"What for?"
Kagome glanced down at him, concern and hurt in her eyes. Inu Yasha quickly
averted his gaze, closing his eyes. "Kaede-bachan told me about your injury."
There was no response. "I know you got hurt in that tunnel pass."
Inu Yasha didn't open his eyes. "So you came here to 'sit' me for not telling you
about it?"
Kagome blinked in surprise. How had he known that? Did he really know her
that well? "I was going to…" she admitted sheepishly. "But I changed my mind."
"Keh…" Curiosity caused to golden eyes to open and stare up at her. "How
come?"
Kagome kept her gaze locked with his so that he couldn't look away. "What's
bothering you, Inu Yasha?"
The hanyou blinked, sitting up to face her. "Wh… what?"
"I asked what's bothering you." she repeated. "Shippo-chan and Kaede-bachan
told me you haven't been acting normal since that last incident." She softened her
tone so that it didn't seem so accusing. "So, what's the matter?"
Inu Yasha fumbled for words for a moment. What could he possibly say when
she was looking at him like that? She was genuinely concerned for him, just like
she always was when he was hurt or injured. Still, this was something bigger, something he himself didn't understand. Could he just lie and play it off like he
always did?
"Inu Yasha…?" He felt Kagome's hand rest itself on top of his. "Does it still hurt?"
"Huh?" he blinked, looking down. He had been absently rubbing at his injured
side, and Kagome, still concerned for his well being, had taken notice. His side
had been still throbbing as of late, but with Kagome's hand on his the pain was miraculously gone! It was taking all of his willpower not to blush.
Realizing her boldness, Kagome too blushed, pulling her hand away quickly.
"Sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to…" She trailed off, Inu Yasha's gaze
still where her hand had once been. What was up with him? "Um, Kaede showed
me some plants that can help dull the pain." Kagome stood up, pulling her bicycle
up with him. "How about I go gather some up to make a poultice for you?"
Inu Yasha blinked, awed by the feelings surging through him from just a simple
touch. At Kagome's suggestion, his brain nagged at him to give her some sort of response so that she would stop staring at him the way she was.
~ Tell her that you're fine and that she should mind her own damn business! ~ one
voice cried out.
~ Better yet, ~ sneered another. ~ Tell her that you don't want some poisonous concoction that would most likely kill you or make your already healing injury
worse! ~
~ Or, you could walk away and ignore her! ~ replied a third voice. ~ Shove down whatever you're feeling and pretend as if this little moment never happened! You
don't need this from her! She's just a Shikon no kakeru detector! ~
Inu Yasha still hadn't moved from his spot, making Kagome worry even more.
~ His normal disposition hath abandoned him, Kaede had said, it seems our Inu
Yasha be a thing of the past. ~
"Inu Yasha…?" she called out tentatively. He up at her. "Do you want
the poultice?" He nodded slowly, watching as a relieved smile made its way over
her features. "Okay! I'll start gathering them right now!" With that, she pulled the basket off of her bike, walking over towards a bush a few yards away.
She had only gotten a few feet when she heard the words, "Thank you."
~End of Chapter 2
Authors' Notes
Miss Chang Po - Inu Yasha saying thank you? What is the world coming to?
Nataku-chan - There's something up with everyone's favorite hanyou, but is it
necessarily a bad thing if it's causing him to have manners?
Learning Japanese with Miss Chang Po and Nataku-chan!