Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale

Disclaimer: This episode of Inu-Yasha is of my own creation. I do not own any portion of Inu-Yasha. "Inu-Yasha" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1998-2003 Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan, Inc. Inu-Yasha is a trademark of Viz Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

A Change of Heart
Scroll Ten:
Confusion

"Lord Sesshô-maru!" Rin shouts as the inu youkai leaps into the clearing he left the little human girl and Jaken in before he rushed off into battle against Naraku. Before he has a chance to say anything, the young girl attaches herself to his leg, hugging it tightly and not letting go. "Rin missed you!"

The youkai lord awkwardly pats the human child on the head. "Yes, I apologize for my long delay in returning Rin."

The strange little imp hobbles up to his master. "Yes mi lord, you have been gone for quite some time now. What happened?"

"Naraku," Kikyo answers, as both she and Inu-Yasha land not too far from Sesshô-maru. "He tried to lure Inu-Yasha and myself into another one of his cunning traps so he could destroy us and gather the rest of the Shikon Jewel shards without any interference."

"He had not expected my presence," the inu youkai calmly adds in. "His trap was a rather pathetic one. I had expected much more from him, though the betrayal from Kagura had been most unexpected." Both Inu-Yasha and the lovely miko next to him nod slightly in agreement.

Rin rushes over to Kikyo and she picks her up in her arms. "Rin missed you!" the little girl says. "When that big youkai took you away, Rin was very worried about you!" She then wraps her arms around the older woman in a caring hug.

The miko is momentarily surprised by her affectionate actions. She them smiles warmly and kneels down to return the hug, gently running her fingers through the child's hair. "You do not need to be worried about me anymore Rin," the miko calmly says. "As long as both Inu-Yasha and his brother are here, I am none too worried about getting harmed."

"Ya here that?" the inu hanyou mutters to Sesshô-maru. "I think she's starting to trust you."

The elder brother shows no emotion towards this statement, but he turns away and his eyes narrow as he senses something. "A youkai is drawing nearer." He slowly reaches down towards his Tokijin, preparing for a possible battle. The winds suddenly change upwind and he frowns, now losing track of the incoming youkai. His sharp golden eyes dart around, but this youkai is smart, staying out of sight and not making a single sound, keeping both Sesshô-maru and Inu-Yasha from tracking it properly.

Suddenly, both of their eyes widen and the two grab the women by them and leap aside as a large tornado soars down from the sky and lands directly where they were all just standing…well, where the unfortunate Jaken is still standing. The strange little imp shrieks out in surprise as he is pulled in by the powerful winds and whipped out just as forcefully, his tiny little body flying off into the distance, becoming nothing more than another star in the sky. Both brothers narrow their eyes as they see a lone figure descending to the ground in the middle of the now disappearing twister.

Kagura smirks at the small group before her, snapping her decorative fan shut and completely halting the tornado. She calmly walks towards them, quite aware of the possible imminent danger she is in, with the two brothers holding out their swords and the miko steadying an arrow on her bow. "Although you may think otherwise," she calmly begins, "I am not here to do battle with any of you. My intentions are quite the opposite."

Inu-Yasha tightens the grip on his Tetsusaiga, light wisps of wind now beginning to circulate around it. "Really? Cause I thought that tornado you just shot at us was a really good reason to fight!"

The wind witch continues to smirk at him, opening her fan back up and fanning herself lightly. "I have given you far too much credit than you deserve," she begins, her deep crimson eyes flashing dangerously for a moment. "With all those muscles you use to fight, you've never gained any of the most important muscle, the one in your exceptionally thick head."

The inu hanyou growls at Kagura, taking a step forward while lowering his sword slightly. Sesshô-maru, on the other hand, sheathes his Tokijin, curious as to what the youkai before him has to say. "Well you have our attentions," he smoothly begins, "so speak. I can sense no malicious intent from you at the moment. Be forewarned, we will not tolerate any misbehavior on your part." He nods at his younger brother and he, quite begrudgingly sheathes his sword as well, quickly sitting on the ground and crossing his arms.

Kagura looks the inu youkai up and down, an odd look in her eyes. "Well now, beauty and brains," she purrs. "Now you have exceeded all of my expectations and then some!" She seductively walks around him, tracing a finger along his armor in front and his long silver hair in back. As she makes her way back to the front of him, a blade with a strong youkai aura suddenly appears on her neck, halting the wind witch in her tracks. Her eyes slowly travel up the length of the sword, all the way up to its owner's sharp gold eyes.

"Tell me why you have come here," Sesshô-maru starts in a cold sounding voice, "and stop playing games or I will kill you."

The reincarnation of Naraku pouts slightly. "Well you're no fun." She pushes the sword down and walks back in front of the small group. "Though we are by no means friends, we all have a common adversary in Naraku. Though now I may be free from his control, I can never be truly free of him until he is dead and his twisted heart has beaten his last beat."

Kikyo, who has put her bow and arrow away, steps forward next to Inu-Yasha and places a comforting hand on top of his head. "Then what do you propose?"

"A truce…of sorts. We all wish for his demise so I am proposing that we join together and form an alliance against Naraku."

Inu-Yasha snorts at Kagura's response, not quite believing his ears. He stands up and walks away, muttering under his breath about her being untrustworthy and she'll turn on them, since she did say that she wanted to kill him earlier shortly after the battle with Naraku. Both Kikyo and Sesshô-maru stay in their spots. As Inu-Yasha passes Rin, the young girl smiles and waves innocently at him. Despite being quite frustrated, the inu hanyou can't help but crack a small smile at her. He walks up to her and ruffles the top of her head, getting her to giggle slightly. He kneels down in front of her, asking, "Are you hungry?"

Rin nods enthusiastically, bouncing up and down on her feet. With another smile, Inu-Yasha stands back up and begins to walk off towards the forest, motioning at Rin to follow him. The young girl rushes over to him, reaching up and taking his hand. The hanyou stops in his tracks and looks down at the tiny hand that is grasping his. He tries to get her to let go, not wanting to show off his softer side, but the little girl has an amazingly stubborn grip and he is unable to get her to let go. With a shrug and a light sigh, he continues to walk off in search of food, Rin right by his side.

Kikyo turns away from the wind witch to see what Inu-Yasha is doing, and feels her heart warm at watching him walk off, hand in hand with young Rin. 'He is changing again,' she thinks to herself. 'I can feel it.' She turns back around to face Kagura, her cool mask back on. "How can we be sure that you will not attempt to betray us? Free or not, you were made from Naraku, and like it or not, it does not make you thought of as a trustworthy youkai."

"You proposed something similar with me not too long ago as I recall," Sesshô-maru adds, his sharp gold eyes carefully watching the female in front of him and judging her actions, "You wished for me to destroy Naraku and in turn you would give me the Shikon Jewel. I rejected your proposition then, so what makes you think I will change my stance now?"

Kagura's smile widens slightly. "But haven't you already? I believed you and Inu-Yahsa despised one another, but now I see the two of you traveling and fighting together."

Kikyo looks back and forth between the two youkai, not quite sure what to think of the situation. 'I had not expected those two to have a history with one another,' she thinks to herself. 'I wonder exactly what happened.'

"That is true," the inu youkai responds, nodding slightly, "but things have…changed between Inu-Yasha and myself. I had always thought of him as a weakling with that human blood coursing through his veins…"

"…And the fact that he changes into a full human when the moon disappears from the night sky," the wind witch adds in with a smile, much to the surprise of her two possible allies in front of her.

The reincarnated miko takes a step forward, her face adopting an angry expression. "How did you come upon this information? Does Naraku know of this?"

Kagura's smile suddenly fades, being replaced by a look of disgust. "I am sure he knows that Inu-Yasha changes into a human, but he does not know when. I did not reveal when his transformation takes place and I never had any intentions to do so."

"How can we trust you?" Kikyo asks.

"You cannot," comes the response from the reincarnation of Naraku. "It is that simple. I know that none of you shall trust me, so I will not try to reason with you." She suddenly shivers uncomfortably. "I much rather prefer Inu-Yasha's changed form than Naraku's. It was…exceptionally grotesque. I feel ill at the knowledge that I came from that monster." She sighs and looks away. "I was born…created into a life of servitude and pain. I was forced to be his lap dog, an expendable pawn in his twisted game. He did not care for me, for he cares for nothing but himself. All of his dirty work he made me carry out …I can never be forgiven for what I have done, but I had no choice. I wanted to live, and for that I did what I had to do." She looks back to the youkai and miko, sheer determination in her eyes. "I have stated my reasons for despising Naraku and whether you let me join you or not, I will see to it that he is destroyed once and for all."

Sesshô-maru looks over to Kikyo and turns slightly, catching her eye. He tilts his head towards where Inu-Yasha and Rin entered the forest and she curtly nods, following after them. The inu youkai slowly walks up to Kagura, his sharp eyes boring into her deep crimson ones. "I have decided to allow you to accompany us for the time being, but I warn you now, if I even suspect something is amiss with your intentions, I will kill you without a moments hesitation."

Kagura smiles as she reaches up and places her hand on his cheek, the mysterious look back in her eyes. "I expected no less from you."

oooooo

Some distance away, Kagome and the rest of the group have made their way back to Kaede's village, the young woman from the future intent on going back home for a couple days to attempt to do some schoolwork and also bring back some fresh supplies. She sits down at the edge of the old Bone Eater's Well, swinging her legs inside. She tilts her head back towards her friends, a light smile on her face. "Well I going back home now," she begins, "so I'll see all of you in a couple of days."

Shippô leaps up and hugs Kagome as tight as his tiny arms can. "Come back soon…and bring back some of those delicious sweets!" he adds with his large, pleading eyes.

The young woman from the future giggles while wrapping her arms around the little kitsune. "I will." She lets go and he hops back off of her, landing next to Miroku and Sango.

Koga walks up to Kagome and takes her hand, squeezing it softly. "I'll miss you my mate." He leans in for a kiss. His lips are just about to touch hers when, at the last moment, Kagome turns her head to the side so the ookami kisses her cheek instead of her lips. After the kiss, Koga backs up, a slightly confused look on his face. He is about to say something when the young woman hops into the well, going back to her own time.

Miroku and Sango share a brief, knowing look with one another before turning around and heading back to the village, Kirara and Shippô following behind them.

The ookami youkai stands rigidly still, staring at the spot his beloved Kagome was just sitting. 'She's been acting funny lately,' he thinks to himself. He leans forward so he can stare down into the well's dark nothingness, his hands placed onto the wooden edge. 'Kagome…why are you pushing me away?' A deep growl rumbles in his throat as a sudden thought comes to him. "Inu-Yasha," he snarls, gripping the edge of the well so tightly that it splinters into pieces, "it's all your fault! Without you around, Kagome wouldn't think of you all the time now instead of me!" He stands up, looking to the sky. "I can't take it anymore! I'm her mate and she thinks of him more!" He cracks his knuckles menacingly. "There's only one thing to do…" and with that, he rushes off, a large trail of dust following him.

oooooo

Kagome pulls herself out of the well in her time, groaning a bit as she does so. The last few days in the feudal era has been very taxing on her, both physically and emotionally. The feelings she thought she didn't have for Inu-Yasha anymore have sprung back into her in full, so much so that she barely has the heart to look her mate Koga in his bright blue eyes without wanting to burst into tears. With another groan, she hoists up her yellow backpack from inside the well, which is still heavy due to all the schoolbooks stuffed inside of it.

A few minutes later, she opens the door to her house and shouts, " Mom! Grandpa! Sota! I'm home!"

"Welcome home dear," Mrs. Higurashi cheerily greets as she walks in from the kitchen, wiping her hands with a dishtowel. She gives her daughter a quick hug before walking up the stairs. "I'll set up a nice hot, soothing bath for you Kagome. Dinner will be ready in a couple of hours and I just went shopping yesterday so there are plenty of snacks in case you want something right now." She is momentarily surprised as Kagome rushes up to her and wraps her arms around her in a tight hug.

"You're the greatest mom," the young woman mumbles, happy to be back home, if only for a little while.

Her mother giggles slightly while returning the hug. "Oh, Kagome, you can be so silly sometimes." With a kind hearted smile, Mrs. Higurashi turns back around and goes upstairs to prepare the bath.

Kagome watches her mother for a few moments before going into the kitchen, intent on getting a small bite to eat. She opens the door to the refrigerator and pulls out a large red apple, a soft smile on her face. She stares at the apple for a few moments, its color reminding her of a certain inu hanyou. 'I wonder what you're doing right now Inu-Yasha,' she thinks to herself. 'Are you…thinking of me?'

oooooo

Koga comes to a screeching halt at the edge of a steep cliff overlooking a vast expanse of forests. He kneels down and scans over the endless green. 'That mutt-face was heading off in this direction the last time I saw him,' he thinks to himself. He leans his head forward and sniffs in a big whiff of air, the scents of everything ahead of him coming in clearly. One scent in particular causes him to growl loudly. "Gotcha Inu-Yasha," he mumbles before charging down the cliff, moving so fast that to any normal creature, he appears to only be a blur. "You're gonna pay for taking my Kagome away from me!"

oooooo

"Tell me," Sesshô-maru calmly begins, "what do you plan to do once Naraku is destroyed and you are completely free from him?"

Kagura looks to the side, her face adopting an unsure expression. "I…I do not know."

The inu youkai smirks ever so slightly. "So you have been dreaming of being free for some time now, yet you boast no thoughts as to what you will do when the time arises." At the wind witch's uncomfortable reaction, he shakes his head. "I had expected no less, considering you are a female." He raises a speculative eyebrow as the winds around him suddenly increase, causing his clothing and hair to whip around back and forth. A sharp cry of "Dance of the Dragon" is heard just before a tornado slowly rises from the ground, surrounding Sesshô-maru, though he manages to keep his feet firmly planted onto the ground.

"You had best watch that tongue of yours around me," Kagura hisses, her eyes narrowed dangerously as she holds her fan out in front of her, "or else I will be forced to remove it."

The youkai lord shakes his head and calmly walks forward and passes through the tornado, as if it doesn't even exist. He watches as the 'spawn' of Naraku stumbles back, her eyes widening in surprise. "Did you even think for a second that your weak youkai powers could do any harm to one as powerful as I?" He continues his stride forward, making Kagura stumble back some more.

"My powers are not weak," she defiantly states, though she is beginning to become unsure. 'How did he walk through my Dance of the Dragon?' she thinks to herself. 'Is he telling the truth? Am I…weak?'

"Yes, they are," he coolly replies, still advancing upon her. "Your powers are weak because you are weak. I have watched you battle, and you allow your emotions to become a factor, that is your downfall. When you attack with your emotions, you become weak and predictable." Sesshô-maru comes to a stop just mere inches from the wind witch. He reaches over and grasps her under her chin, lifting her face up so she is looking directly at him. "If you can learn to block of your emotions so they will not surface, you can become invincible."

As Kagura gazes into Sesshô-maru's emotionless golden eyes, she suddenly understands what he is saying. "Show me," the wind witch begins, her eyes now burning with determination.

The inu youkai releases the woman in his hand and steps back, a small smirk breaking out. 'She is more clever than I anticipated,' he thinks. 'This shall prove to be…most entertaining.'

oooooo

Inu-Yasha and Rin emerge into a large clearing with a sparkling pond right in the middle. The young girl releases the hanyou's hand and rushes into the pond, hiking up her clothes slightly so as to not get them wet. She splashes around the shallow area, giggling while she does so.

The inu hanyou sits down at the water's edge and watches the child with a wistful expression, remembering his own childhood, and how difficult it had been for him. 'If only mom hadn't of died,' he sadly thinks, his dog-ears drooping in remembrance of the day she passed on. His thoughts are interrupted as some water splashes onto him. Inu-Yasha looks up to see Rin giggling madly at him, her hands covering her mouth. With a large smirk, he leaps into the pond, splashing the young girl as she splashes back, the two relishing the carefree moment.

Kikyo watches on from behind a nearby tree, smiling at the scene before her. 'I never knew he was good with children,' she mildly thinks. 'He will make a good father someday.' Her mind wanders back fifty years, back to when she was going to use the sacred Shikon Jewel to change Inu-Yasha into a full human. She was so in love with him that she was willing to give up her life as a miko and become a normal woman…living her life together with the man she so loved. "If had not been for Naraku," she mutters out loud, "my dream would have become a reality and Inu-Yasha and myself would have been together." The beautiful young woman places a hand over her belly. "I would have been proud to have carried his children." A light gasp escapes her as a hand gently rests onto her shoulder. She quickly turns her head to see Inu-Yasha looking down at her, a warm smile gracing his features. "Inu…Inu-Yasha…" she trails off as his hand moves down her arm and then comes to a stop on her belly, right over her hand.

"Kikyo," he softly whispers into her ear, pulling her close to him, "I…I woulda liked to have started a family with you."

The miko feels warm tears form in her eyes at the hanyou's confession. She turns around and leans up, catching his lips with hers in a gentle, loving kiss. After a few moments, a small gasp followed by the sounds of someone small running away forces the two of them to stop what they are doing. Inu-Yasha and Kikyo walk back towards the pond and see Rin sitting down near its edge, a heavy blush on her face while she avoids looking at the two before her. The young woman walks to the girl, a soft smile on her face. She kneels down in front of her and places a hand on her shoulder. "Do not feel embarrassed at what you just witnessed little one," she says in a calm, assuring voice.

"Rin is sorry for watching," she meekly replies, still avoiding looking the miko in the eye. She yelps out in surprise as she is suddenly lifted into the air and held up by Kikyo.

The miko pulls the Rin in closer, still smiling. "You have nothing to apologize for, for you did nothing wrong."

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha agrees, walking up next to them, "this sorta stuff happens all the time with other people who really like each other…I guess," he adds with a confused shrug, getting giggles from both girls. He smirks as well, but suddenly frowns as his dog ears pick up the sounds of something approaching them…fast. He turns around and narrows his eyes as he spots a small tornado quickly coming his way. "Kikyo, take Rin and go," he mutters, reaching down and grasping the hilt of his Tetsusaiga.

"Inu-Yasha," the miko begins, "what is going on?" It is now that she notices the approaching small twister in the distance. Nodding once to her beloved, Kikyo hurriedly makes her way to the trees with the young girl in her arms, who is currently unsure as to what is going on. After they are in several feet, the miko places Rin down and kneels down to face her. "Now I want you to stay behind the trees while I assist Inu-Yasha, okay?" The little girl nods slightly, a twinge fear beginning to show. Kikyo pats her on the head gently with a reassuring smile. "Do not worry, nothing will happen to us, I promise, just remain unseen and everything will be fine."

Rin smiles back and nods again. "Okay, Rin will hide and wait for you!" She suddenly leans in and embraces Kikyo quickly before hiding behind a tree and some bushes.

The miko smiles again before turning around and rushing back to Inu-Yasha to see what the problem is. She arrives just in time to see the small tornado suddenly vanish sever yards from her beloved, revealing a very angry looking youkai who instantly goes into a battle stance.

Inu-Yasha notices this and unsheathes the Tetsusaiga, transforming it into its true form. "What do you want Koga?" he shouts. "I've got nothing against you anymore! You've already got Kagome now so what more do you want?"

"Just one more thing mutt-face," the ookami growls menacingly, "your head!" And with that, he charges, intent on taking the life of his rival, intent on taking the life of his rival.

To be continued…

oooooo

Author's notes: Heh, man I suck at constant updates now don't I? I can keep on apologizing until I'm blue in the face…and my fingers fall off, but that won't really change anything now won't it? Like I've mentioned before in my last updates in other stories, I guess I overstepped my own potential and worked on too many stories at once, hence burning myself out and making good ideas and continuous updates excessively difficult. I never post a story until I'm satisfied that it's to the best of its potential. Call me anal, but that's just how I feel. I don't want you the readers and reviewers to read any of my stories that are sub-standard compared to what they can be.

On Inu-Yasha news, as I've been watching new episodes on Cartoon Network, I've been integrating some new situations into my stories, as most of you have probably noticed. I'm hoping it can work out for the best, and for your enjoyment.

Like I said before, I've been slowly gathering back the thoughts and ideas that helped me to churn out stories at a good pace. Hopefully things can get moving along faster soon, but only time can truly tell. Until then… -- lighthawkdemon