Enjoy!
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Auburn Strands and Red Threads #9
Inuyasha took his time returning to his place of origin.
When he first left her home, he had sprinted over rooftops and launched himself through the air until he recognized landmarks on Kagome's side of town.
This, he knew, was far enough. The two girls were on completely different sides of Japan, it seemed.
He walked the streets of the warm night. Few people were out and there were those who shamelessly gawked at him for reasons he still did not understand, but it didn't matter. Kagome wasn't around, so he wouldn't get in trouble or yelled at to put on one of those weird hats—interesting, but weird all the same. They made his ears hot anyway.
No, he didn't care if people stared at him because he needed time to think. Sooner or later he'd have to realize thinking this much wasn't good for him, but he desperately needed to right now. He was . . . deeply troubled by what Orihime had told him. She was in trouble, would possibly be taken away, and it was more or less his fault. But could it really have been his fault? The only reason he kept going around her was because of the jewel shard, and the only reason he had so much trouble with it was because she was hard to detect. She . . . wasn't easy to be around.
She . . .
She was just . . . different.
He sighed harshly, shaking his head. He was becoming more frustrated with himself because it was exhausting dodging the internal question about why this mattered so much in the first place, and he was tired of feeling like he needed to justify anything.
She could have avoided this fate if she had just let him die. She had no reason to harbor any form of sympathy or remorse for killing him.
They didn't know each other!
They only really got to know each other tonight, but that didn't need to happen either. She could have been rid of him and kept the jewel shard and . . . and . . .
Well, she said she didn't want the shard.
This whole thing was an accident encounter, but was it meant to happen? If he hadn't chased that loathsome demon to her part of town they wouldn't even have all this to worry about. That day had been put out of his head, but now it was important to remember.
(\/)(\/)(\/)(\/)(\/)(\/)(\/)
Inuyasha walked through the forest, arms folded, and told himself he wasn't doing this for Kagome. He was going to her time just because he could, and since she was also there, he might as well stop by and see what she was so mad about. It's not like she banned him from seeing her, so it was perfectly okay for him to do so.
Maybe . . .
It's been a while, so maybe he was experiencing wishful thinking.
Kagome's anger was always tricky to handle, and he hoped this wasn't a situation in which she would end up crying. God, he hated when he was the reason she cried. He tried to monitor the things he said and did, but that was difficult—if not near impossible—when he spent years upon years never having to do so. Plus, she was as outspoken as him, so he couldn't help that he was comfortable expressing whatever came to mind.
He'd like to think that's why she was so expressive with him, at least.
For now, he put it out of his mind because, again, this wasn't about her. He was just out for an extended walk.
His gaze was immensely engulfed with looking forward until he caught sight of a demon stumbling his way from the opposite direction. It was nothing but a boar-sized horned creature that even Shippo could take, and it appeared to be blind or just had a hard time opening its eyes. There was nothing significant about it; it was passing by him, but he felt compelled to follow it.
So, he did.
For the entire morning, he followed the damned thing around as it fumbled about like a newborn and walked in numerous circles, and then . . . there was a shard.
They were near the well when the gleam hit Inuyasha's eyes. How it got there, he didn't know. It must have just gotten there since he and Kagome were around it often. It was gleaming in the grass.
The demon didn't seem to notice it; the jewel didn't seem to be the reason it came here, but Inuyasha waited. The tiny demon trudged towards the well blindly, running into the wood and cowering in place for a moment, whining. Still, Inuyasha watched. He knew he could just walk over and get the shard—the easiest find ever—but he waited.
Finally, the little thing sniffed around, pausing at the jewel, and, with an ever observant Inuyasha a few feet away, swallowed it.
The demon grew in size, but that was all for the moment. It was taller than the well, and it stepped through it, though not on purpose. Inuyasha ran to peer into the well and was not surprised to see that it was gone. Naturally, he jumped in after it, but he felt no urgency in his movements.
On the other side, both demons ventured through wooded areas when possible and the bi-pedal of the two noticed how the other kept morphing and growing right before his eyes.
Still, he felt nothing.
No urgency to act.
It wasn't until they were in a part of town that Inuyasha was not familiar with that the morphing was complete. The demon was taller than the trees if it stood, and it noticed him for the first time.
"Half-demon," it sneered. "Are you lost or did you come to die?"
Inuyasha scoffed, "And here I thought I wouldn't have a reason to kill you."
"What was that, you inferior mutt?!"
"Forget it," Inuyasha smirked, drawing his weapon. "Let's just get this over with."
(/\)(/\)(/\)(/\)(/\)(/\)(/\)
And things have been different ever since. It wasn't even that long ago, yet he's found his emotions yearning for that girl—for Orihime—so incredibly bad.
Was it safe to admit that?
His feelings for Orihime became hard to ignore a while ago, but it was okay now, right? Because she liked him, right? She invited him to dinner, so it had to be right. At least, he needed it to be right or else humiliation and regret might be the emotions to take over. So . . . he had to do something for her. If she's in trouble at his expense then he had to do something.
He reached the well and stared down it for a long time. What did he plan to do exactly? What could he do? He didn't have the answer and had a feeling he wouldn't know the answer when he returned.
Sighing, he jumped into the well and took in the lights and weightlessness.
In the back of his mind, he wondered how Orihime would look in this pseudo-state of falling. With her hair hovering around her and the lights curving to her body, she'd probably look like a goddess.
He laughed once his feet made contact with the ground. He couldn't bring Orihime here. He had to be careful with his thoughts unless he started to become delusional.
Inuyasha jumped out of the well and sprinted to Kaede's hut. Much to his relief, the person he had business with was already outside.
"Miroku."
Miroku, seated against the hut and dozing off, looked at the approaching half-demon as he rubbed his eyes. He grinned, not able to hide his exhaustion. "Ah, Inuyasha."
"What're you doin' out here?"
"I guess you could say this is my punishment."
Inuyasha's shoulders slumped. "You got on Sango's bad side again?"
"What? No, no. We just . . . didn't agree, that's all."
"Yeah? About what?"
The monk scratched the side of his face. "Eh . . . Never mind it. How'd your rendezvous go?"
Inuyasha faltered, his head pounding because he thought he could stall from the topic a little longer. "Good. I think. It was very . . . weird, but we talked, and . . ."
Miroku forced himself to wake up a bit more. "Did something happen?"
"That's . . . Uh, let's take a walk."
Miroku blinked at his comrade. Was Inuyasha coming to him for advice again? He didn't mind, and he was glad to help, but Inuyasha didn't rely on people—at least not on Miroku. "Sure."
The two walked out of the village in silence. Miroku had fully awakened and was certain to let Inuyasha be first to speak when he was ready. Still, Miroku was itching to know what was bothering him. It must have had something to do with the dinner date, which would explain why Kagome wasn't back yet.
"I," Inuyasha started, "don't know if she likes me."
"Huh?"
"I know we said she must've invited me over 'cause of feelin's and whatever, but maybe she just wanted to cook for me, ya know? I don't think it's more . . . than just that."
Miroku noticed how Inuyasha's ears drooped. "Inuyasha, take it from someone who can see the situation from a neutral perspective: She likes you."
Inuyasha frowned at the ground. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because she worries about you, doesn't she?"
"Well . . . yeah, I guess."
"She cares for you, right?"
Inuyasha shrugged, brain throbbing. "Maybe. I can't tell."
"Come now, Inuyasha, Kagome has made it clear more than-"
Inuyasha stared at him quizzically. "What're you talking about?"
"I'm telling you that Kagome-"
"Why are we talkin' about Kagome?"
"Why?" Miroku thought as hard as he could in a short amount of time. "Isn't that why you've come to talk to me?"
Inuyasha's face scrunched with the audacity of someone who felt deeply misunderstood. "No, I came to talk to you about the dinner and junk."
Miroku nodded. "With Kagome."
"Wha-? No, it has nothin' ta do with Kagome. The girl I'm talkin' about is named Orihime."
"What?!"
The two stopped. They had made it far enough from the village where Miroku's yelling couldn't bother anyone.
The monk stared at Inuyasha with wide, ignorant eyes. "Are you telling me you met someone else in Kagome's time?"
"Met someone else?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes if only to look anywhere else but the monk. "You make it sound like I'm sneakin' around."
"You are sneaking around! Listen, Inuyasha, I know I make it seem like fun, but you do not want to juggle two women, okay? It does not work well in the end."
"I'm not jugglin' two women." Inuyasha stopped to think. "I don't even have one!"
"You cannot be serious," Miroku gaped. "You have Kagome!" Miroku hesitated, wondering if somehow he himself had misunderstood the entire relationship between Inuyasha and Kagome. "Right? The two of you seemed be . . . close like that."
Inuyasha put up his hands defensively, trying to think and talk at the same time. "Look, I'll admit that I get into odd situations with her, and maybe I thought somethin' was there, but . . . In reality, we're not really . . . together, and . . . this . . . whatever the hell I'm in now is . . . a lot . . ." Inuyasha sighed harshly. He tried forcing out words to come close to what he wanted to say, but settled with blurting out, "Different! Okay? Things with Orihime are a lot different, and I'm not even sure there's anything there either!"
Miroku had to take a moment to assess the situation; he had just been thrust into a scenario he wasn't prepared for.
Inuyasha likes another girl?
Inuyasha likes another girl that he met in Kagome's time?
"Whoa," Miroku sighed, bringing a hand to his forehead. "Inuyasha, tell me, how did you meet this . . . Uh, this . . ."
"Orihime," Inuyasha grumbled, but his tone softened. The half-demon stared at the ground, ears flat. He appeared as though he were remembering something pleasant that also caused him a great deal of pain.
Miroku didn't know how to describe how seeing Inuyasha like this made him think he himself could feel what Inuyasha was feeling. "Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha collapsed to a crouch with his hands gripping the side of his head. Miroku immediately descended to his level and placed a steady hand on his friend's back. He was going to ask him if he was alright, but he was shocked by Inuyasha's wide eyes that stared at something not in this world. He looked like a madman.
"This is crazy," Inuyasha whispered, almost frantic. "From the day I met her, I couldn't get her out of mind and now . . . It's impossible. It hasn't been long since we've met, but she's taking over my mind."
This was a conflicting matter. Miroku knew the way he went about this could easily be seen as him picking between two friends. If he helped Inuyasha cope with these feelings for this woman that Miroku himself has never met, that would be going against Kagome. Likewise, if he tried to convince Inuyasha his feelings for Kagome and the connection he had with her could never be matched, then he would essentially be belittling the feelings Inuyasha had.
That was the worst part of it all.
If Inuyasha had come to him acting the way he normally did, then the decision would be easy to make. But Inuyasha was like this. He was a young man confused with feelings he's never experienced before and . . . these feelings may actually be something to look into. Miroku desperately hoped this was all the result of fleeting emotions, but that didn't mean he could just rely on Inuyasha to see it that way, too.
Miroku leaned his staff in the crook of his shoulder and rubbed his face. This was not going to be easy. "Help me understand how this all started."
Inuyasha was skeptical at first. Sure, he came to Miroku with his problems, but pouring his heart out to him was a completely different matter. Still . . . he needed help . . . So, he put his pride and insecurities aside.
Inuyasha started with the trouble when he woke up at Orihime's place, but there was a nagging feeling telling him to start where it actually began: In this time. He told of all events, all emotions felt, and all thoughts he had at the time. It was an incredibly stupid feeling to explain his love woes to a lecherous monk, but what was he supposed to do? When the goof all of a sudden looked serious and actively paid attention to everything Inuyasha was saying, how could he not relay every single detail? By the time tonight's happenings were told, Inuyasha felt like his head was lighter.
"I see." Miroku nodded, eyes closed. "Inuyasha, is it safe to say that you have strong feelings for this girl, even though you know little about her?"
Inuyasha nodded despite hearing the logic in Miroku's words.
"Would you say that you love her?"
"Love her?" Inuyasha repeated, taken aback. "Even I know it takes more time to fall in love with a person."
"Yes, but would you say it anyway?"
Inuyasha had to think. It was too soon, and he didn't know much about her, but is that what he felt? "I don't know," he finally admitted.
"It seems to me that this is not an ordinary occurrence. Even though you allowed that demon into Kagome's time, it's odd that this girl did not react to your appearance or your abilities like most people do." He shook his head. "Even in our time, people are not accustomed to the way you are."
"Thanks for reminding me," the half-demon grumbled.
"Do you not see, Inuyasha? How do people in Kagome's time view you?"
"Well, not many people have seen what I am or what I can do . . . But they give me weird looks."
"And did this girl give you those looks?"
"I . . . No. She treated me like a normal person . . . Even tonight, she laughed with me and taught me things without hesitation."
"Exactly. I can't tell you how she feels, but she must be—special, in some way."
Special? Miroku thought she was special, and he hadn't even met her? Inuyasha knew she was different, but was she a special case?
"And," Miroku added, "do you truly believe the situation she is in is your fault?"
Inuyasha nodded, frowning at the ground.
Miroku looked to the side for a moment. "Honestly speaking, could I convince you otherwise?"
Inuyasha's lips slightly twitched upward, and he shook his head.
"Well then, what are you going to do?"
"I have to help her."
"How?"
Inuyasha shrugged. "Just doing, I guess. She kept talkin' about some society, so I guess I have to deal with them."
"Going after some unknown enemy in a world we know very little about." Miroku shook his head. "I would like to talk you out of it, but my breath would be wasted, wouldn't it?"
Inuyasha grinned. "Yeah, it would."
"Very well." Miroku stood up and extended a hand to help his friend up from the ground. "If this is the path you choose, then I cannot stop you." He pulled his friend to his feet. "Though, allow me to meet her some time."
Inuyasha's eyes squinted. "Why?"
"I'm curious. What kind of girl is capable of reducing you to tears?"
Inuyasha scowled as they headed back to the village. "I didn't cry."
"I'm pretty sure I saw tears."
"You saw spirits."
The two talked leisurely. Inuyasha definitely felt better now that he voiced some of his concerns, but he still had a few details to figure out. Hopefully, things would come to him as they go.
"So," Miroku tried to be nonchalant, "is this a secret I have to keep?"
"It'd work better that way."
"I was thinking the same thing." The monk ran through tonight's conversation once more. "Mind if I ask you something?"
"As long as you don't ask me to describe how she looks," Inuyasha mumbled coherently enough.
"Something else then." Pause. "What . . . does all this mean for you and Kagome?"
Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like this question, but he might as well sort it out while he was in a mood to think a bit more. "It shouldn't mean anything for us because we aren't . . . together."
"You two aren't together, no, but there was something there."
"Maybe there was, but . . . things are just different now. She's still a good friend, and it's not like anything happened between us that tells me I need to tell her about Orihime."
"Don't you think you should anyway?"
Inuyasha frowned. "No."
o0o0o
When the sun rose, Inuyasha had been wandering the forest outside of the village. He had thankfully gotten some sleep due to the crash from his extensive adrenaline rush, but this did nothing to ease him. He still had an issue he had yet to resolve, and it was something he didn't know how to resolve. How could he get Orihime out of trouble when he didn't fully understand how he got her into trouble in the first place? Furthermore, why was she so accepting of her punishment when all she did was help him?
She should be angry.
She should be fighting this!
She should . . .
She just needed to be safe. And maybe he was just being selfish, but he wanted to figure out what exactly was going on with him when he was around her, and having some society carry out punishments that don't make sense wasn't something Inuyasha wanted getting in the way.
His time in the Feudal Era for the day was long and spent in solitude. He hoped if anyone questioned his whereabouts, Miroku would be reliable enough to give a convincing excuse. Inuyasha supposed he himself would be confronted about his disappearances sooner or later, but he'd wait until 'later' happened (because he would be disappearing a lot more).
When the burnt orange veil of evening draped across the sky, Inuyasha was already making the transition into Orihime's time. Traveling to her side of town was already programmed into his brain, and he arrived at her door much sooner than he thought was possible. It was then he began to wonder what she would think of him for showing up like this. He told her he was coming back, but how did she view him? He put up a tough act, but he didn't even have a plan—nothing had happened yet.
Putting aside his unusually common internal conflicts, he knocked on her door.
One minute passed.
Two minutes passed, and no movement could be heard.
He knocked again, summoning his irritable nature to put more force behind it.
Two more minutes, and still no sound.
Inuyasha sat in front of her door. He was early compared to yesterday. For some reason, she liked to walk around at night, so the sky needed to get a few shades darker until she showed up.
And then his thoughts took a slightly unsettling turn. She could be out doing whatever it is she did or she could be in . . . some need of help. Even if she was, she had that weird power of hers to aid her, but . . . she didn't seem like the fighting type. She even said she attacked him by accident . . .
He hated that he took up thinking.
Inuyasha turned his head to the side, sniffing the crease of the door to take in as much of her scent as possible. Detecting her would have to be a skill he honed, and there was no better time to start than now.
He jumped over the rail and down to the ground. He sniffed around, zeroing in on the one that was hers. It took him a while, but when he was sure he found it, he set himself in motion once again. He wandered down many streets and took a few turns. A few times he had to remind himself who he was looking for because he would be lost in the scent and the girl it reminded him of.
Inuyasha came to a halt. He sniffed the ground and surrounding areas, but he couldn't find her. He climbed on top of a nearby building and scanned the area. There were many buildings like the one he was on, areas that seemed exclusive to trees and other forms of nature, and in the distance he saw a form of housing that reminded him of his time. It was an interesting sight to see. He thought this era had lost simplicity.
He scanned some more when his eyes locked on to a figure with orange hair walking in the direction the house was in.
Inuyasha frowned.
It wasn't the person he was looking for, but not many people in this time had that hair color. If luck was on his side, that person would know her.
But luck has never been so kind to him.
Ichigo was on his way to Kisuke Urahara's shop.
Rukia's gigai had been acting up, and it was the perfect chance to not only inquire about some new merchandise but about other pressing matters as well.
Tatsuki informed him Orihime claimed to be cooking dinner for Mr. Hat-And-Clogs. She was convinced Orihime made it up to cover for something else, but it bothered Ichigo nonetheless. Out of all the lies Orihime could have come up with . . . that one was too plausible. When it came to lying, the auburn girl never made sense, so then he was curious as to why she would be cooking for the shopkeeper. Since when were they in a position where she felt comfortable offering or he felt bold enough to request it?
Orihime cooking . . .
Kisuke must be after something else because—no offense to her—Orihime couldn't cook.
Then there was the next question: When would they have had time to interact like that? Kisuke didn't wander around town among humans, so that would mean Orihime was the one to visit him.
Why?
Was it possible that . . . somehow, for some reason . . . they were dating?
Ichigo shook his head.
It wasn't impossible, but it was highly unlikely and . . . wrong. Kisuke was old. Really old. Did pedophilia exist in the Soul Society and could this be classified as a case?
He didn't know.
That's why he was going to find out what was going on and the decide from there.
However, as he walked down the twilight lit streets, he couldn't ignore the being following him. A red figure had caught his attention a while ago as it hopped on buildings ahead of him from time to time. It didn't bother him, not really, because whatever or whoever it was seemed to be curious more than anything, but when was it just going to stop him and speak?
After a few more steps, Ichigo ruffled his hair and stopped. He turned and looked at a street lamp above him. A red cloaked figure with silver hair and . . .
Dog ears?
Cat ears?
Whatever.
He was being stared at by something that definitely wasn't human and it was perched on the street lamp like . . . a cat. Maybe a dog? What was it?
"Can I help you?" Ichigo asked.
The figure stared at him.
"Look, I can see you, alright? Wearing red, silver hair." Ichigo pointed at his own head. "You have these . . . things on your head. Do you need something?"
The figure cocked its head then jumped down in front of him. It was a boy, probably his age, and was maybe three inches shorter than him. Taking in his appearance, most notably the sword, Ichigo made an assumption.
"Are you a Soul Reaper?"
"What?" the boy asked, making a face. "No. Why is that so common here?"
Ichigo studied him more. He didn't know if the boy was glaring at him or if that was just the way his face was set. "Well, you've caught my attention. What do you need?"
"What makes you think I need something?"
"You've been following me, and I didn't sense any malice from you, so you're a spirit, maybe?"
The boy huffed impatiently. "No, I'm-!" He groaned. "Forget it. I'm looking for a girl. She's about this high," he brought his hand up to indicate the size, but had trouble knowing how high to place it, "kinda weird with big eyes."
"Kinda weird, huh?" A lot of the girls Ichigo knew were 'kinda weird'. "Any more details than that?"
The boy was about to speak when he suddenly started sniffing the air, turning his head toward Ichigo's left. "Never mind," he said, jumping over buildings as he raced to who knows where.
Ichigo stared for a moment. That wasn't the weirdest thing he's ever experienced, but it was definitely odd. He vaguely noted the energy he felt from that . . . that was different from any other being he's encountered so far. He didn't really sense anything at all.
Orihime walked in silence, thoughts consumed by too many things at once.
Kisuke wasn't happy tonight.
He forced it, tried to smile and laugh for her sake, but he was on edge. When it was time for her to go, he kept trying to convince her to stay; she knew what it must have been about.
She was okay, though.
This was something she was prepared for.
"Orihime!"
She looked over, eyes widening of their own accord. She watched as a figure hopped over buildings and landed mere feet away from her. "Inuyasha," she breathed. "What are you doing here?"
"I told you I was comin' back."
She cracked a painful smile. "Inuyasha . . . This is a bad time. I-"
A bright light appeared next to her. The two looked over as a portal formed and opened. Through it, a troubled Rangiku and a stoic Hitsugaya emerged.
"Orihime Inoue," the shorter of the two said, "come with us."
She bit her lip, nodding. She glanced at the golden eyed boy and gave him a soft smile. "Bye, Inuyasha."