Thanks to: Sasia (interesting point, that, about the Americans' saying of "dig a hole to China". Us Brits say "dig a hole to Australia!" so i suppose Chinese might say something like "dig a hole to Egypt"?), Sayuri-chan 16, Sesshoumaru Minion, Sweeteen19, Silver Wolf Pups, and GoingGhost.

Very soon, this fanfiction will be at an end cos my new policy is not to let my stories go on past 10 chapters (which has suited the last two stories perfectly).

Tessadragon


Chapter 8

Who am I? Who am I? Inuyasha wants to know who I am? "You have got to be kidding," Kagome declared, then took a step forward. Inuyasha backed up a step, glaring at her, contemplating this threat.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said sweetly, "This is a really bad time to develop a sense of humour."

He stared at her. "How'd you know my name?"

"How old are you, Inuyasha?" Kagome demanded.

"Seven summers!"

"No, you're not," Kagome said, shaking her head. "Now, Rin, go back to Sesshomaru. Tell him to keep his hands off Inuyasha or else."

"You'll tell my charge to tell me that?" Sesshomaru's voice rang out across the river, coldly amused.

Kagome planted her hands on her hips. "Sesshomaru, I've had about enough of you!" she snapped. "How low of you to manipulate Inuyasha just to get a hold of his Tetsusaiga! Yes! I know that's what you plan…it's so obvious!"

Inuyasha looked down at the hilt of his Tetsusaiga. It didn't look like much to him. He gave a big trusting look to his older half-brother, then unclipped Tetsusaiga's sheath and held it out to Sesshomaru, but Kagome grabbed his sword hand. "Oh no you don't, Inuyasha," she said sternly. "Your mother would never want you to give Tetsusaiga to Sesshomaru. I don't want you to give Tetsusaiga to Sesshomaru."

Inuyasha gave her a worried look and nibbled his lower lip. Kagome couldn't help thinking, How cute!

"Sesshomaru, if you come after us, I'll shoot you," she warned him, indicating the quiver of arrows on her shoulder. "Anyway, I thought you had more honour than to wait until your brother's under a spell."

"Fine," Sesshomaru said coldly. "Come, Rin."

Rin gave young Inuyasha a sad look. "Bye," she whispered then ran after Sesshomaru, who was walking away.

"Bye," Inuyasha whispered back. Rin waved at him.

"C'mon, Inuyasha," Kagome gave him a gentle smile and took his hand.

"Who are you?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome felt sadness within her heart. He doesn't even remember me…I thought love would always know itself… "Just a friend. I am Kagome. I am just a friend. And now we have to go."

"Just a friend," Inuyasha echoed.

Kagome forced herself to concentrate on holding the half-demon child's hand.

"Kagome," Inuyasha took care to pronounce her name right, his golden-tawny eyes studious. "You said Sesshomaru's brother's under a spell? And I am Sesshomaru's brother, right?"

Kagome winced.

"Am I under a spell?" Young Inuyasha looked up at her anxiously, his grasp on her hand clingy. "What should I be?"

"We must first find a hiding place," Kagome said heavily, leading him away from the river. Kirara followed them in her kitten form. "Then I will try and tell you."


"Here, demon-kid eater, demon-kid eater," Shippo called, trembling, into the forest air. His voice didn't carry far.

"Don't treat it like it's stupid," Sango said reassuringly from the treetops where she was hiding. Miroku was beside her, his face calm though his every nerve was prepared for battle.

Shippo gulped and changed tactic, and bit into his wrist, wincing as he watched the blood flow, and made sure not to let it stain his clothes.

Sango gave Shippo an impressed look, "The smell of blood may bring it running if it's already been cheated of one meal." Her voice was soft as the wind.

Shippo sat down cross-legged, trying to look helpless, even though foxfire was swirling around in him nervously, like trying not to burp.

"Ahhh…" a very soft, reptilian voice, so far away that it could have just been the wind.

"Eep!" Shippo quivered.

Something licked its lips.

"Here's hoping it's actually the demon we're waiting for," Miroku murmured, watching the ground below keenly.

"I never knew there were so many that wanted to eat Shippo," Sango agreed quietly with an amused smile. She'd already had to slay two other demons, not nearly powerful enough to do to anyone what'd been done to Inuyasha. She'd almost felt bad about slaying them, they'd been so pathetic. Almost.

"Aiiee!" Shippo jumped to his feet as the demon entered the clearing, tall on his lizard legs. His reptilian tongue flicked out towards Shippo, tasting his aura… "Ready meals," it murmured in delight. "Don't have to prepare it at all!"

"He-elp!" Shippo shot up a tree. The demon leapt up ahead of him, faster, and faced Shippo from the same branches the fox demon child had been trying to hide in.

"Hirikotsu!" Sango hurled her weapon at the demon. It uttered a screech and leapt up away.

"It's as fast as Inuyasha!" Miroku whispered, leaping from the tree.

"Shippo!" Sango caught her weapon as it curved back to her, her feet sliding back with the weight of the object. Her eyes held that battle-ready calm. Miroku brandished his staff at the demon, a sutra ready in one hand. "Surrender, demon! Take the spell off the half-demon or we shall have to kill you!"

The lizard-like demon laughed, a rasping laugh and spat acid at them, an acid that steamed of miasma.

Miroku shook his head grimly. "Guess I can't suck it into the wind-tunnel then. Pity."

"This may sound strange, but I always feel spooked by how much you suck into your hand," Sango remarked, running at the demon, then leapt and slammed a kick into its narrow temple, simultaneously swinging her Hirikotsu into its neck. It gave a strangled shriek and scuttled backwards.

"Watch out, Sango!" Miroku yelled as the lizard demon whipped its long tail around, sending the demon slayer flying, then it leapt after her, fangs bared to deliver a fast killing blow.

"Oh no you don't!" Miroku hurled himself at it, his staff between his two hands, staving off its fangs and blocking its access to Sango as she clambered to her feet, briefly shaking her head, then pulled out her last-resort katana. "Thanks, Miroku." Her hirikotsu was across the clearing.

"Fox fire!" Shippo yelled, squeezing his eyes shut as he threw himself into yet another suicidal battle, The things I do for my friends! He thought as he hurled one palm of green fox fire at the demon, then another. It reeled only slightly, then blinked the green flames from its eyes and prepared to catch the falling fox demon in its mouth.

Sango slashed her katana across its throat.

Shippo summoned all the hatred and sadness and love for his friends and determination, felt his power building up until he could see the lizard demon's swirl of demonic energy. "Heartscar!" he shrieked and buried his fangs into the lizard-like demon's throat, fighting to spill as much blood as he could before jumping off and landing on the forest floor, panting. "That'll teach you to pick on little kids!" he yelled, then fell back reeling.

Blood still spilling from its throat, its eyes already gaining the death-glaze, the lizard demon roared one last time and hurled itself at Sango, trying to at least kill her, whipped its tail at Miroku, sending him flying.

A roar reverberated from the sky, then Kirara, all alone, plunged from the sky and slammed itself into the lizard demon, ripping into it with her fangs, growling low in her throat at this thing trying to hurt her mistress!

With a last low groan, the lizard demon slumped into the ground and its tail slowed its thrashing.

Sango, Miroku and Shippo lay there on the forest floor, all winded. Finally Sango got her breath back. "Where're Kagome and Inuyasha?"


She was so tired. They'd walked for a long time and she was glad young Inuyasha hadn't complained. "Here," she said finally, finding an empty shepherd's hut at the foot of the hill. The last travellers who'd been here had left an armful of firewood: Kagome smiled gratefully. The sky outside had been terribly overcast and she'd feared she'd have to walk in the rain to fetch firewood otherwise.

Inuyasha slumped to the floor where he'd stood. Kagome couldn't help but smile. "No, silly, if anyone opens the door, you'll be in its way."

Inuyasha replied with a light sleeping snuffle-sound and curled himself up into a ball. Kagome smiled and shook her head and picked him up, surprised at how light he was, carrying him to the other side of the room. She didn't have her bedroll with her, oh well. She was tired enough anyway to sleep as she was. Her eyelids fluttered shut as she leaned her back against the wall and hugged her knees to her chest.

So this is what Inuyasha is like as a child, Kagome thought, trying not to feel sad that Inuyasha didn't remember her. He's very sweet. I'd thought he was always mistrusting, but really he's entirely innocent and selfless, even willing to give Tetsusaiga to Sesshomaru! She drifted deeper into sleep. I suppose there's still that innocence and selflessness at his core…I've always known it, or at least, I've known it for a very long time.

Tonight her dreams weren't filled with the darkness of not knowing Inuyasha, but the lightness that she did know him: flashbacks of how many times he'd saved her life, and that time he'd almost died of poison and had slept with his head on her lap…

Like he's doing now, the subconscious part of her smiled: Young Inuyasha had snuggled up to her and fallen asleep with her.

She dreamed of how Inuyasha changed her life and how she hoped she'd changed his.

Kagome…I'm sleeping with Kagome. The older part of Inuyasha's mind resurfaced very slowly, like from a long sleep. He wanted to do something…special. To thank her for believing in him so much. Maybe he'd even be brave enough to kiss her.

He tried to move his hand, to touch her hand that lay only inches from his. The groan didn't even escape his lips as his body refused to obey him.

Is the kid part of me still in charge? Inuyasha thought despairingly. He tried again, his will strong as he tried to move anything: his feet, his hands, his knees…nothing. His body just wouldn't obey him. All he could do was watch Kagome as she slept. Torture. He just hoped she wouldn't say 'sit' in her sleep because his younger self, he could only describe as a wimp.

The next chapter is especially for kawaii young Inuyasha...