~Ch. 6- Differences~

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Okami © Capcom

As the sun began to set on that day, Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo returned to the village...but the whole time, Kagome noticed that the Inugami was silent. When she attempted to look at him, he could only look away from her, his golden eyes half-mast and dark. Kagome could only scoff and look away from him while shaking her head incredulously.

How could someone be so childish? What was it about her that he didn't like?

It didn't matter, she felt. As far as she was concerned, the Inugami was just being a brat and nothing else. He wasn't like anything she had first thought him out to be when she was a little girl. She saw him as a misunderstood hero who had been betrayed by the villagers that he had once sworn to protect...

...Then again...she supposed she couldn't really blame him for how he was acting. Especially when she considered the fact that the woman he loved repaid his attempts to protect her by sealing him with an arrow. Was it a misguided attempt? Perhaps, but still...

As Kagome and Shippo headed inside Kaede's hut for the night...she noticed that Inuyasha was standing on the branches of a nearby tree, watching her. It was a bit dark, but she could see his golden eyes, glowing in the darkness. It was almost eerie...and yet, she could make out something she couldn't quite place in those eyes. They were soft and- though she could be wrong- somewhat sad.

'He's so mysterious,' thought Kagome. 'He's avoiding eye contact with me...and yet, he also seems to hover around me. What's his deal?'

XXX

The following day...

"I'm going to practice my archery now, Kaede!"

"Don't stray too far, child."

Kagome headed out into the fields, carrying her longbow and a quiver of arrows while Shippo followed after her. As they walked, Kagome looked out of her peripheral eye and saw Inuyasha lying on the roof of the hut. He seemed to be asleep, but she couldn't quite tell. Shrugging her shoulders, the young priestess turned and continued on her own while Shippo clung to her shoulder. As for Kaede, she was busy collecting a few herbs from her garden for medicinal purposes.

As Kaede plucked some of the herbs from her garden and place them in her basket, Inuyasha soon came and stood beside her, having landed so softly that his feet were barely heard touching the grass.

"Is there something that ye need, Inuyasha?" Kaede inquired, not turning to face him.

"...Doesn't it bother you?" Inuyasha asked.

"Does what bother me?" Kaede asked back.

"Come on, I know you're old, but you're not senile!" Inuyasha complained. "I'm talking about that wench! Doesn't it bother you that she looks like Kikyo a little?! She's even wearing the same clothes she used to wear! And she's got spiritual powers, too! How are you not disturbed by that?!"

"Settle down, Inuyasha," Kaede said as she turned and looked at the Inugami. "'Tis true that Kagome is the reincarnation of my dear sister...and that gives some demons a reason to fear her."

"And it doesn't bother you, at all?" Inuyasha asked.

"I will admit," Kaede began, "there was once a time that I actually did believe Kagome was really my sister, reborn. I took her on as my pupil, at first, because I wanted Kagome to hone her powers...and perhaps to make her in my sister's image. However, as time went on and after Kagome's dear mother passed away...I realized that she and Kikyo were two different people. Kikyo was more reserved and softspoken than Kagome, who was vibrant and always lively. As I raised Kagome in her mother's stead, I found myself comparing her to Kikyo less and less...in time, I began to love that child as if she were my own granddaughter." A smile appeared on her wrinkled face. "Since then, my life has been more...fulfilled, so to speak."

Inuyasha only blinked at Kaede in bewilderment, then glanced in the direction where Kagome and Shippo left.

"Mayhaps ye should give her a chance, as well, Inuyasha," the elderly priestess suggested. "Ye might yourself thinking differently of her, also."

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed. "As if..."

Yet, despite what he said...he couldn't help but feel like he was doubting his own words.

XXX

THUNK! The arrow's tip struck the scarecrow in the chest, causing Kagome to heave her fist up and down in triumph while Shippo was heard cheering from nearby.

"All right, Kagome!" the kit called while Kagome laughed and began to notch another arrow in her bowstring. All the while, Inuyasha stood in the branches of an oak tree, staring down at her as she shot the scarecrow, again. As he watched her, for a moment, he could picture her again...Kikyo, holding a longbow as she aimed for the scarecrow. He shook his head before he opened his eyes, and once again, he saw Kagome, who bit her lip as she continued shooting another arrow at her target. This one fell a little short, though, landing just a few feet in front of the scarecrow this time. Sucking her teeth in frustration, she went to retrieve the arrow before she went back to her proper place again.

Inuyasha couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as he watched her, the tip of his glinting fang poking out from under his lip. She seemed a bit klutzy but determined. She certainly didn't give up as easy as some women would. Back when she first released him from his seal, he merely thought of her as some crybaby. Looking at her now, however, it seemed that he might have underestimated her, just a bit. He wasn't going to let her find that out, though. Why should he, anyway?

Soon, Kagome plucked the arrows out of the scarecrow, deciding that it was time for a much-needed break. Besides, she was getting a little hungry, anyway. As she went over to sit under the oak tree, she reached into a pouch that she had slung around her shoulder and...imagine Inuyasha's surprise: she had three big, puffy, sweet bean buns in it. Inuyasha's mouth suddenly watered as he eyed the buns, which Shippo eagerly took into his hands and happily took a big bite, his cheeks swelling at least twice in size.

"Inuyasha, why don't you come down and join us?"

Inuyasha tensed as he realized that Kagome had spotted him.

"Y-you knew I was here?" he asked.

"I knew you were watching me, all along," said Kagome. "You wanna come down and eat with us? There's one for you, too."

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed. "No thanks. Besides, gods don't get hungry!"

Grrrrrrrrrwwwwwwwwlll~!

"...Uh..." Inuyasha muttered, his face turning bright red while Kagome and Shippo both giggle.

"Your stomach sure seems to say otherwise," said Kagome.

"...Well...okay," Inuyasha said as he soon jumped down from the branch and sat down between Kagome and Shippo, the latter handing him a bean bun, which he soon took a big bite out of.

"How is it?" Kagome asked.

"...Yeah...it's not bad," Inuyasha replied with his mouth full. As the trio continued their little snack, Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome, who had a bit of bean paste on her right cheek, which went unnoticed while she ate.

"You got some bean paste on your face," said Inuyasha, causing Kagome to look at him before she wiped off her left cheek, which caused him to sigh. "Wrong cheek, wench."

Kagome only sighed and rolled her eyes as she wiped her other cheek. It seemed that no matter how many times she corrected him, he wouldn't stop calling her that, so she gave up on correcting him. Honestly, she had gotten used to it, by now.

Soon, they were finished eating their buns before Kagome stood up and went to continue her practice.

'...She actually did kinda cute while she was eating,' thought Inuyasha, who promptly shook his head. 'Wait a minute...did I really say that she was cute?!'

"Oh, darn it," Kagome grumbled as her arrow ended up going a bit too far from the scarecrow. "I guess I shot it a little too far, that time." She notched another arrow in the string and prepared to shoot again.

"You're doing it wrong," Inuyasha spoke up as he stood up and walked over to her.

"Excuse me?" Kagome asked in an irritated tone.

"What do you mean she's doing it wrong?" asked Shippo, angrily. "You better not be insulting her, again!"

"Ah, be quiet!" Inuyasha spat as he went to Kagome's side. "Listen, I don't know what Kaede's been teaching you, but she hasn't been teaching you the proper stance for archery."

"I...I'm sorry?" Kagome inquired.

"Here, let me show," Inuyasha said as he took Kagome by the arms and straightened them up. "Your arms have to be as parallel to each other as possible. That way, you can use the arrowhead to guide your aim, okay?"

"Uh...yeah," Kagome answered, her cheeks flushing a light pink.

"Now straighten your back out a little," Inuyasha told her as he put his hand to her back, then looked down at her feet, "and...which foot is your dominant one?"

"Uh...my left one, I guess," Kagome answered.

"Okay, spread your feet apart and put your left foot forward," Inuyasha told her, and she did exactly that. "There...now, pull back on the arrow."

Kagome slowly pulled the bowstring, holding the arrow by its fletching.

"Okay...shoot!" Inuyasha shouted, prompting the young priestess to loose the arrow, which sailed through the air with a whistle before it struck the scarecrow right in the chest.

"Oh! Look! I got it!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Wow! Amazing, Kagome!" Shippo cheered.

"Heh," Inuyasha grinned as he crossed his arms. "Not bad, wench."

Kagome blinked at Inuyasha before she smiled at him, causing him to stare at her for a moment before he scoffed and turned away.

"Don't think this changes anything!" the Inugami spat. "I just thought I'd help out, that's all." With that, he soon walked away. "Anyway, if you're done here, I think we should start looking for the rest of my powers."

"You wanna leave, right now?" asked Kagome.

"Duh," Inuyasha replied. "I wanna leave while it's still daylight out, at least!"

"If you're worried about that, just make the sun shine again," said Shippo, causing the Inugami to growl in annoyance.

"Where do you think we should head, next?" asked Kagome.

"I have a feeling I found the only powers I could from Yomigami and Tachigami," said Inuyasha. "The other gods are scattered throughout Nippon, so I have to go out and find them."

"...You know," Kagome began, "we could look in Shinshu Field. That's not far from here."

"Shinshu Field, huh?" asked Inuyasha.

"Hey, wait a minute, Kagome!" cried Shippo. "Shinshu Field is in the direction where we heard that scary roar, a few nights ago, remember?! What if we run into...whatever it was that made it?!"

"If you guys are scared, then just stay here," said Inuyasha. "You'll just slow me down, anyway. You'll probably end up getting kidnapped again!"

"Hey, I wouldn't have gotten kidnapped if you hadn't taken so long getting back!" Kagome argued.

"Hey, it ain't my fault!" Inuyasha countered. "Yomigami and Tachigami are such chatterboxes!"

"Ugh..." Shippo groaned as he listened to Kagome and Inuyasha go back and forth. "These two are acting like a couple of kids...and that's saying something because I'm a kid!"

Ultimately, Inuyasha had lost the argument with Kagome, who insisted on accompanying him to Shinshu Field. It seemed that no matter what he said, this wench was just either too stupid or too stubborn to back down...and yet, for some reason, he found himself feeling a strange warmth welling up inside him. He didn't know why, but...he almost seemed to like arguing with her. She actually challenged him...and he actually liked that. He didn't think there was any mortal who would actually do that...and yet, he found himself liking it.

'I gotta hand it to her,' he thought. 'The wench has guts...and I like a girl with guts.'

As the trio headed out toward Shinshu Field, Inuyasha momentarily glanced back at Kagome, who had her bow, arrows, and a pack full of supplies.

'I guess...she really is different from Kikyo...'

Looks like things are warming up between them a little. ;)

Review, please!