The Blood I Shed for You

Disclaimer: Considering I am posting this story on a site called fanfiction.net, one would assume that it is exactly that, a fanfic. One would also assume any writers on this site would be immune to lawsuits in any way, shape, or form. Though, this may not be the case, and I do not wish to trustingly leave myself in the hand of another. I hereby announce I have no ownership of the Inuyasha series, manga, and movie. Ownership and all rights go to Rumiko Takahashi. I write any and all stories merely for entertainment of others, and myself. I receive no money for my efforts. Any original characters I may or may not use in any of my stories are of my own making, and though none of them may be protected as mine by law and I will have no power should someone decide to use one, I do appreciate permission, first.

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Inuyamainu nodded again, and so Miroku proceeded to tell her all he knew about the love triangle between Inuyasha, Kagome, and Kikyou. With out a word, Inuyamainu pushed herself up, turned on her heal, and tread off in the direction of the Bone Eater's Well. Everyone simply sat in silence until she was out of sight.

"That went well." Miroku said as he and everyone else watched the place where she disappeared into the trees.

~~~~~~Common Era: The Higurashi Household~~~~~~

Inuyasha stood against the wall in the Higurashi kitchen, watching Kagome's mother cook something that smelled quite delicious. Inuyasha had insisted on taking Kagome inside, not allowing her to attempt walking. Once inside, her mother had insisted on him staying for dinner, Souta insisted on him staying the night. Between the fussing of Kagome's family, minus her slightly kooky grandfather who was casting useless spells on him, Inuyasha had been rather forcefully convinced to stay the night. He hadn't even agreed when Ms. Higurashi had begun preparing the bed in the guest room. By that time, Inuyasha realized he had no say whatsoever in the matter, and resigned himself to the fact that he would indeed be spending the night. Sniffing the air, Inuyasha was glad he hadn't been allowed to leave, though he would still act as if it hurt him dearly.

"Inuyasha, dear." Ms. Higurashi said, her pleasantly sweet voice filling the air. "Would you mind helping me a bit?"

Inuyasha swiftly stood and strode to stand in front of her. "Uh… sure. No problem."

"I was so busy fixing up the guest room that I didn't get a chance to set the table. You wouldn't mind doing that for me, would you?" She said, smiling sweetly.

Inuyasha looked hesitant, a look of slight confusion on his face. "Uh…I… don't-"

"Oh! You poor thing! You don't know how to set a table!" She said, realization dawning on her. The look of infinite patience returned to her face once more. "Here. I'll show you."

She smiled comfortingly as she showed him how. She set a place mat in front of a chair, a plate in the center, 2 neatly folded napkins on the left side, and chopsticks and a glass on the right.

"Just like this." She said warmly.

"Oh!" Inuyasha smiled. "That's easy."

With that, Inuyasha began to set the table using the dishes Ms. Higurashi had set for him on the counter. He was done in no time and smiled triumphantly at her.

"All done?"

"Yep!" Inuyasha beamed.

Ms. Higurashi looked at the table and couldn't help a small giggle. Inuyasha had set all the placemats and dishes in front of the same chair.

"Oh my." She said, still giggling lightly.

"What?" Inuyasha asked, feeling a bit upset by her laughter.

"Oh nothing, dear. You did everything perfectly, except for one tiny mistake." She said kindly as she gently slid the placemats to their respective places in front of the other chairs. "There. Perfect!"

Inuyasha looked a bit embarrassed, but Ms. Higurashi just smiled at him.

"You did a wonderful job. Thank you for all your help."

Inuyasha blushed again, this time at her compliments and gratitude. He turned to walk away before Ms. Higurashi called to him once more.

"Oh, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha turned around again. "Yes?"

"Could you do me one more favor?"

"Sure." He said, feeling strangely happy to do another favor for Kagome's mother.

"Could you go let Kagome know that dinner is ready?"

Inuyasha smiled. "No problem!"

Before Ms. Higurashi could murmur a thank you, Inuyasha was dashing away through the house in the direction of Kagome's room. She heard the sound of his bare nails scratching through the halls until he reached her room. She began to set the food on the table as she heard their muffled voices through the floor. She smiled, noting that Kagome sounded a tad frustrated while Inuyasha sounded more insistent. As she was almost finished setting the table, she heard the sound of Inuyasha racing back down stairs, accompanied by Kagome's indignant complaints. Seconds later Inuyasha screeched to a halt just inside the kitchen, Kagome slung over his shoulder like a sac of potatoes.

"Inuyasha! I was doing my geometry homework!" She complained.

"So?"

"So, I'd like to pass my geometry class!" Kagome said, irritation evident in her voice.

"You can do your work later. It's time to eat." Inuyasha said, gently setting her down in a chair.

Kagome looked very irritated. "Osuw-"

"Don't say it!" Inuyasha interrupted, trying to think of a good excuse. "You might break the floor!"

Kagome looked pensive for a moment. "Good point."

Inuyasha sighed in relief. Kagome's grandfather and little brother had wandered into the kitchen during their debate and found a seat. Ms. Higurashi was the last one to take her seat as she set down the last dish. As Kagome's irritation dissipated, she noticed the spread of food her mother had set on the table.

"Wow, mom. Teppanyaki, yakitori, tonuki-sabe, tempura, sekihan, kenchinjiru, and oden!" Kagome said, quite surprised. "Is today a special occasion?"

"Not really, but Inuyasha is just so thin. I'd really like for him to eat more." Ms. Higurashi said with a bright smile.

Inuyasha didn't know whether to be embarrassed or honored. He opted for the latter.

"So all this food is for me?" He grinned.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said warningly.

"Eat as much as you like, dear. I can always make more." She said sweetly.

Inuyasha beamed and shot Kagome a winning grin. Kagome rolled her eyes. He could be so immature. . .

~~~~~~Sengoku Jidai: Inuyasha Forest~~~~~~

Inuyamainu's cloaked form fell against the ground in the Inuyasha forest. Her form remained motionless against the dirt as the minutes passed. The minutes dragged on until her figure shifted a bit, and then was gone. She had been listening to the ground for any sign of Inuyasha. She had heard and distinguished the sound of other animals, humans, and youkai, but no sign of her half brother. She had followed his scent into the Inuyasha forest, where it had been distressingly thick. She took note that he seemed to spent an ample amount of time there, but pushed it to the back of her mind as she continued her search. It was hard to pursue a single scent trail when his smell was all around her. Then she remembered he had the tiny miko with him and immediately sought out her scent. She found it and swiftly bound towards its freshest source. She found herself at the lip of a wooden well where the scent trail stopped. She frowned. Inuyasha and Kagome's scent stopped abruptly, mingling with the scent of dead youkai.

"Curious…" She commented.

She examined the well. It seemed like any ordinary well she had seen, despite the stench of dead lesser youkai. She inhaled the air surrounding the well, finding faint traces of her quarry were freshest inside the lip of the well. She assumed they had jumped in, though they were nowhere to be found. She smiled.

"A portal."

With only a second's hesitation she leapt into the well, though was daunted when she landed firmly on the floor of the well. She began searching the wall and floor for a secret panel, button, or entry, but found none. She deliberated for a moment before deciding to go back to the group she had been talking to earlier. If anyone knew about this strange phenomenon, it would be them.