Broken Mold
127
The great oak trees north of the Bone Eater well had no leaves. A recent fire had extinguished any signs of life in the now desolate forest. Large clearings of desecrated vegetation were scattered about for miles, sparse patches of grass the only vibrant color. There were no birds, no animals. The charred trees still standing cast their bony shadows over empty nests.
The sounds of battle had ceased only seconds earlier.
Inuyasha stood unwavering, Tetsusaiga grasped firmly in hand, before one of the biggest demons he had ever seen. Its face, like its body, had been disfigured beyond all recognition of its former self by the corruption of the large Shikon Shard lodged somewhere inside it. When it moved, muscles spasmed irregularly under broken tufts of fur. Its dog-like protruding nostrils opened and shut around huge gusts of rancid exhalation. The beast's focus shifted from target to target, never ceasing. It was chaos and its victim was irrelevant.
"What the hell is it, Miroku?" Inuyasha had roared. His legs ached from the extortion of dodging the monster's powerful thrusts of its massive arms. He hadn't noticed until now. The beast, however, wasn't interested in the cold thrill of the fight. It just sought the bloody aftermath of its victory.
"I think it used to be a wolf demon," Miroku shouted back. He was with Sango and Kagome. He couldn't feel his arm. "Just keep its attention on you!" Then he shouted, after looking at his arm, "I don't think it would be wise for me to try confronting it again!"
In the pit of the hanyou's stomach, he knew he hated this part of the process. He feigned indifference, but in reality it was he who carried out the most vicious of the party's duties; he was the baleful executioner, disposing of the soulless husks of meat and muscle that had once been noble. A vision of the forest guardian flashed before his eyes, and of him temporarily sealing the well.
"Wind Scar!"
The massive chasm of natural energies split the space between him and the wolf demon. When the dust and ash cleared, it was gone. Inuyasha's shoulders slumped in quiet triumph.
Seconds later, there was a wet thud and the hanyou was lying face down on scorched earth.
From behind him, fifty feet of bulk and bone stood with its snout twisted in a hideous deformity of what once could have been a smile. Its hulking frame turned and moved towards the rest of the group, its uneasy gait belying its staggering agility.
The first sounds out of its mouth were lazy and unintelligible, like someone waking up after a long nap. Its words slowly took shape, until it spoke in a deep, guttural tone.
"…You don't know how long it's been since I've had a meal," it choked out. Every word still seemed lazy and the pauses longer than necessary. It was like they were too large and had to be forced out of its throat. It was staring dazedly at the monk. "Everything here has been dead for weeks! Those fucking farmers burned everything!"
Muscles on muscles shifted in knotted succession, moving closer and closer to Miroku.
"Get back," Miroku said firmly to those behind him. Kagome obliged. He held his bo staff threateningly in his right hand.
The wolf's eyes lacked eyelids. The small flaps of skin that had once protected them from the elements had sunken and receded into its skull as it had grown. Blood red pupils laced with purple veins stared now at Kagome, then Sango, then back to Miroku. "You don't know how happy I am to see fresh meat," it shrieked, slapping the monk clear out of its way with one powerful twinge of its arm. The thought to use his Kazaana had crossed his mind, but with his arm broken, it was deemed too dangerous.
Inuyasha's eyes fluttered open.
"It's been weeks," it shrieked, "since I've eaten! Those scrawny peasants were more bone than meat! They did nothing for my appetite!"
Sango held a hand to her neck where a rock shard had been lodged. It bled terribly.
The choked voice of the demon hurt the ears. In its excitement, its voice had risen to a high, unsteady treble. "You don't know how hungry I am!"
Inuyasha forced himself up. He turned to look at the monstrosity. Sango and Miroku did the same in a senseless stupor.
The Demon's voice had calmed down somewhat after he came across the miko. Its attention solely on her, it took comfort in what would be its first meal in two weeks. Whether it was talking to itself or its indisposed audience was uncertain. But nonetheless, calm and controlled, it spoke. "Just what I've been looking for," it cooed, a hand lashing out and hoisting Kagome into the air by her ankle. The school uniform skirt would have fallen downward, resulting in a very illicit scene, had both her hands not rushed to stop it. Only afterwards had Inuyasha realized she was screaming.
"There aren't many pudgy ones left in Japan," it mused sadly. "Naraku's wrath causes a lot of famine." It had pulled the schoolgirl closer to its wide, unblinking eyes. Specks of snot and saliva glistened around its trembling mouth. It spoke with an authoritative knowledge. "A lot of guys I know cut the fat off first-" Its claws shimmered in the afternoon sun, "- less carbs," it stated matter-of-factly. "But then the human just doesn't taste the same.
"They just don't have that SQUISH, you know?" Its monstrous talons shifted and tightened considerably around Kagome's thick thigh. She screamed louder. "Kills the flavor," it rumbled, spittle flinging off its rubbery jowls. "The flavor is very important."
Inuyasha's elongated nails scraped loudly, instantly, against the metallic hilt of Tetsusaiga. In a flash, it was restored to its true form. He was behind the behemoth, and this time he wouldn't miss.
Lean muscles tensed, bulged, and suddenly he was airborne. Before the clang of his claws on iron had even registered to the wolf-demon and humans, the ligaments of its arm were severed and the pressure against Kagome's leg was alleviated. She blinked twice when she found herself in Inuyasha's arms. It felt good in a lightheaded sort of way.
An hour later found Miroku's arm in a splint. He was pointing over to the massive carcass of their kill. He was speaking to Kagome. "How about getting the shard from it now? We've got enough bandages not to be in any immediate danger."
Sango watched intently from the distance as Kagome nodded, then strode over to the pile. Had she gained even more weight? The girl certainly ate enough lately to be three times her size. I should be happy she's still secure enough with her body to wear that uniform, the demon hunter told herself. Then, she saw Kagome bend over and her skirt fail to adequately cover her expanded rear.
"We should have gotten Kagome something else to wear at the village," Sango thought aloud. She didn't realize it until Inuyasha agreed with her. "Her uniform is even smaller on her than usual," she sighed, watching Kagome in quiet horror. If she inhaled too quickly, the poor skirt would snap! She could just imagine Miroku's reaction.
"It's better than some of the other clothes she brought along," Inuyasha replied. "I didn't know that getting fat brought the slut out in girls."
"Inuyasha!" Sango gasped.
"You were thinking the same thing."
Sango hurriedly ended the conversation. "We should still get a tailor in the next town to make Kagome something larger. Or maybe just let out a few of the seams on some of her other stuff."
Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah. I'll do that," he decided. "I don't want you botching it up."
The Shikon Shard had been shot deep into the monster's skull. After having Miroku crack it open, it had been Kagome's job to sift through pounds of demonic gray matter until she finally found it. "See if I ever do that again," she had grumbled to herself as they walked off.
A town was just outside the edge of the forest. Kagome kept wiping her hands on the seat of her skirt, trying to get off the juices that had matted themselves onto her hands and arms. There hadn't been a stream or lake to clean up in since they'd left the village. Her skin was crawling. She looked up, as the trees got scarcer, at the bright sun glaring down through unpolluted air. There were, of course, a few good things about the Sengoku Era.
"I can't wait to get to an inn and bathe," Kagome moaned. Sango looked at her in complete agreement. "I feel so dirty!" She looked back to where Inuyasha was trailing several feet behind the rest of them. "You going to be like this all day?" He scoffed and turned his head away. Typical.
After everyone had returned their focus to the road ahead of them, Inuyasha could go back to his own thoughts. He watched, with remote curiosity, Kagome as she walked. He no longer felt immoral when he snuck looks at her, even if it was just to enjoy the sight of her body. It felt good to be free of what he considered a vice. Now he stared, like a man who slows down to rubberneck by the side of an accident, at Kagome's bare legs. Her thighs shuddered with each step. Sango's, he noted, didn't. Hers were toned and lean like that of a warrior. Kagome's were…
Fat.
He watched as the sides of her shirt slid upward, revealing small love handles above her tight waistband. Every few minutes, she tugged the shirt back down, only to have it slide back up seconds later. The front of her shirt had been tight against the distended curve of her tummy. He was pretty sure that meant the shirt was supposed to be looser.
Kagome walked on, chatting idly with the others, never to know about Inuyasha's scrutiny. He walked quietly behind them until they reached the town.
"I'm so hungry," Kagome blurted out, looking wide-eyed at Sango.
"We'll get some food after we find a bed and," Sango scraped a glob of demon viscera off Kagome's arm, "a warm bath."
The town, which was larger than most that she had been to, had only a few open inns. The one they wandered into was expensive for the services it provided, a sign that the town received an ample amount of commerce.
After they had rented a few rooms, Kagome had gone in a mad dash to the private bath. Inuyasha followed her in.
"What?" she asked, once she realized he wasn't going to leave the bathroom without acknowledgement.
He explained to her quickly, "Your clothes are as disgusting as you are, and I thought I'd take those to be washed with the rest of them while you bathed."
She looked at him intently, then the bar of soap she had brought along with longing. Finally, she told him, "Yeah, sure. I'll hand them to you once I'm undressed. But you better have them back by the time I'm done!"
He stepped outside and waited. After she gave him the clothes, he found it to be the first time he hadn't had the suppressed urge to peek back in through the crack of the door, or even imagine her undressing…
It felt good.
It felt really good.
He went back to her pack and grabbed the several changes of clothes and the gray garments she called "sweats". Those, he knew, still fit and would give the tailor the proper measurements.
Monk!" Inuyasha nudged Miroku with his elbow, his hands brimming with a woman's attire. "Did you see a tailor anywhere earlier?"
Miroku looked from the pile of fabric to Inuyasha, saying slowly, "I thought you were going to get them washed."
"I'm not. Have you seen one?"
"Yeah, there was a small shop back down the road." Miroku leaned back on the chair, his legs uncharacteristically placed on the top of the table. He had pointed in the direction of the shop. "I didn't recall you telling Kagome that you were going to a tailor with all her clothes," he started suspiciously.
"I wouldn't go telling her any time soon, Monk"
He nodded in understanding.
"Hey… how did you know I told her I was going to wash these?"
Miroku squirmed, his eyes suddenly darting to the nearest exit. "Well…" he mumbled. "Remember that big wooden box with all the holes in it?"
Inuyasha hurriedly wiped the blood from his knuckles as he neared the tailor's door.
Inside, he stomped abruptly up to the wood counter and dumped the pile of clothes there, all the while calling for "the service". An elderly man approached.
"Can I help you?"
"The stuff is too small," Inuyasha grunted.
The man lifted the single pair of jeans up, noting the interesting tags and, more importantly, the signs of serious strain exerted on the seat and legs. His eye also caught the skirt. "I see," he said slowly, looking at Inuyasha strangely. "Everyone has their own taste."
"I'll say," Inuyasha agreed. "Some very different than others." He thought back to when he had gone through Kagome's Tokyo.
The old man seemed to weigh his words carefully as he sifted through the array of fashion. "This isn't actually as different as you might think," he said after a moment of handling the petite skirt. "In fact, some people I know even think it's healthy."
The hanyou blinked. "The skirt is healthy?"
"Oh, yes. Even the skirt." His hands tugged at the distended waist of the skirt. The elasticity had been heavily impaired. "Though, you should have brought it to me sooner. This cloth is ruined." He motioned to the limp polyester waistband.
"I would have gotten it let out sooner had I thought it would go this far," Inuyasha confided wearily. "Sometimes," he stated with earnest sentiment, "you just don't see what's right in front of you." He had forgotten about the skirt.
The man nodded in understanding. He had walked around the counter to Inuyasha's side; Inuyasha was sitting on the edge of it morosely. He said, "A lot of times, it starts because of an emotion trauma."
Inuyasha discovered himself to be nodding. Kagome had always been overemotional. "But it's progressed so far beyond that now," he whined. His fist slammed into the table, hard. The clerk suddenly noticed his perfectly shaped nails. "It's out of control!"
The old man's eyes were brimming with tears as he placed a tender hand on Inuyasha's thigh. "You're not alone, boy. I understand."
It had been a long time since Inuyasha had smiled so freely. The man looked at Inuyasha with such colossal comprehension. He hadn't thought anyone other than Kagome capable of such profound empathy.
Soothingly, the old man whispered so quietly that Inuyasha had to bend closer to hear him. His words were filled with the hope of friendship.
"We cross-dressers have to stick together."
Inuyasha managed to find another tailor on the other edge of town. He was much more specific about his situation.
When he arrived back at the inn, he was feeling a great deal more secure with himself. His demonic stature had, and this he was proud of, gotten his items bumped to the front of the seamstress's list. Small droplets of blood dotted some of the outfits where her bloodied fingers had worked too shakily in their haste.
Actually, Inuyasha smiled freely a hell of a lot.
He quickly dumped all the clothes inside the bathroom and left.
Kagome sunk deeper into the large wooden tub, enjoying the purifying feel of clean water. She should get out soon, she thought. Her hands were turning into prunes. Inuyasha would be back soon with her clothes, anyway.
She took a moment to think about that. Clean clothes. Clean, crisp, fresh, odorless clothes…
Her head fell under the surface of the water one more time. Then she rose and got out.
There were no mirrors in the room, but she didn't need them. She knew that when water beads skated down her body and plummeted to the hardwood floors below, that they first had to run across full hips and a swollen belly. She realized that her arms' definition had been hidden beneath a soft layer of blubber, and she understood that a luxurious bath wasn't going to do jack shit about it. Not with the way she planned to continue to eat. It would only get worse.
Besides, why should she stop? She didn't care. If her body could only catch the attention of lecherous perverts like Miroku, why should she even want to maintain it? Hojo had said that he was only interested in her as a person. Her mom didn't feel a need to stop her. Inuyasha had refused to care one way or the other. Why should she care? No one else did.
She might as well enjoy her life. She was so much more fortunate than most people.
Kagome ran a hand through her long hair as she wrapped a towel around her form. Against the white linen, her gut jutted out further, for the first time, than her breasts. She refused to care. She went to look for her clothes.
Inuyasha had been on time, for once. She handled her uniform with a swelling anticipation.
Kagome had been prepared for a fight. She had been ready to pull and strain and groan and suck it in until the last article of fabric and all her wobbly bits were in their proper place. What she hadn't expected was to wrap the green uniform skirt around her waist and snap it with ease, no embarrassing muffin-top or anything. And when she pulled her white blouse over her head, it didn't get hitched about her larger boobs or her belly. It slid down comfortably, flattering her expanded figure.
Kagome ran a hand down her sides, along where love handles should have bulged all the way down to her hips. It all felt normal. Her uniform fit. What had happened? Had she lost weight?
She was too ecstatic as she walked out into the serving room of the inn, clad in perfectly fitting clothes, to notice the usual tightness of her bra, or the expected bunching of her panties.
Kagome sat down next to Sango and in front of two plates of roasted ham. All Kagome felt was the urge to stand up and scream her happiness at the top of her lungs. She was, however, salivating over the entrée in front of her too much to do much anything else than stare. She took a few bites before looking up expectantly at Sango.
There was a small pause before exterminator understood, and then she quickly explained, "Oh, uh, I've already eaten."
Kagome looked crestfallen. "Come on, Sango. I can't eat alone!"
"But…"
"You couldn't have eaten that much!" She said as a tempting afterthought, "There's always room for seconds."
The huntress smiled shyly. It hadn't been that much. "I guess I could force down a little more," she agreed in submission, sliding the other serving in front of herself. Kagome was beaming again, and before long Sango had forgotten she'd ever had a first course.
What's more, she was on her third when, in the middle of conversation, she blurted out brightly, "Your clothes look like they're fitting a lot better!"
Kagome smiled radiantly at the compliment, her chopsticks moving again at full speed. The subject quickly turned to Eri's new boyfriend.
They'd get back to hunting the jewel shards tomorrow. Today, they'd let loose and enjoy.