THE INU-HINAN
+THE REINCARNATED VERSION+
By Rayasha Hinu
Synopsis Hello! Well, it's been forever, but I have finally done it! The re-released version of "The Inu-Hinan"! I wasn't too pleased with the old version... it was incomplete, and the writing was rather on the fritz... so I decided to restart my old epic, and retool it to be bigger, better, and bolder than before! Hope you like the change! Read and Review please! Enjoy!
Chapter 1: "Do You Have ANY Manners?"
Kagome looked down at her companion with absolute disgust. His face was plunged deep inside of an Instant Noodle bowl, and the form of his face, plus the friction he caused as he tried to lap up the left over broth and noodles stuck to the bottom of the Styrofoam bowl, was beginning to cause the bowl to split, leaking the liquid all over his haori and hakama. The slurping sound he was emitting was none to appeasing either.
"Did you hear me?!" Kagome shouted again, grabbing his dog ear and twisting it deliberately. The half dog demon yelped, immediately emerging from the bowl to bite at the human's fingers for the painful action.
"What the hell!" Inuyasha growled, his fingers going to his sore and violated ear gingerly, "I was eating the food you gave me! Sheesh!"
"Then don't do it so noisy!" Kagome put her hands on her hips, "Miroku uses chopsticks like a gentleman! Sango does it like a nice lady should! Even Shippo, who is ... I dunno... at least half your age... I think... not so sur-- ANYWAY! Point is, he even eats properly! But you... grrr... what were you? Born in a barn?"
"You don't know shit about where I was born, Kagome," Inuyasha barked, closing his eyes in an arrogant air.
"Well, it certainly wasn't any place that taught you table manners, that's for damn sure." Kagome sat down, fuming, taking out a bento box and a pair of chopsticks. She wasn't in the mood to stare at a Ramen bowl right then.
Inuyasha however, got up from his spot, walking casually over to the yellow mass that was Kagome's bag. He flipped open the cover, and plunged an arm into it's depths, like a raccoon after a treat.
"How much crap do you lug around with you?" Inuyasha said, his arm going past the elbow deeper into the bag. He laughed, "For crying out loud!"
He put his head into the bag, now with a 1/4 of his body submerged in the bag's depths. Muffled, he chuckled, "I mean, how in the hell could you tote such an abysmal-- Is that a cat?"
He emerged from the bag holding up a stuffed animal of a cat with a large grin. His eyebrow raised as he held it aloft in front of his companions for inspection, "What the hell is this for?"
"That-" Kagome snatched it from his fingers, "Is a very necessary item for my studies."
"What studies? Using-Worthless-Crap-For-Shard-Hunting- Class?" Inuyasha mocked, rolling his eyes, "Seriously, Kagome. Loose it. It's more than you need to carry. You're going to have the spine of an old biddy by the time you're 24."
"Shut up!" Kagome yelled, throwing the plush kitty at Inuyasha's head. It made a squeak noise as it bounced off his shoulder and landed in the grass. Kirara pounced on it, turning on her back to play with it on her belly.
Inuyasha disappeared back into her bag again, rummaging around shouting occasionally, "Crap," or "Worthless junk," or Kagome's personal favorite, the almighty, "This is cool! What does it d- OW! F!" followed by the inevitable crack or snap and "Plotting piece of shit thingamajiger..."
Finally, a little laugh of victory echoed from inside the bag, and Inuyasha pulled out, holding aloft a bowl of Ramen as if it was the Holy Grail (Which is an item described in King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, which lay on it's face in the dust a few feet away on a page describing Gwennavier being tried of treason and daring Lancelot rescuing her).
"Congrats on finding that... now how do you plan on heating it?" Kagome said, her eyes falling on the electric hot plate that she had used to heat the items.
"Come on, Kag!" Inuyasha begged, "I promise to eat it right this time..."
"No slurping?" Kagome asked, eyebrow raised.
"None." Inuyasha smiled, holding out the bowl expectantly.
Kagome sighed, taking it from the hanyou's extended hand.
Three minutes later, she grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back so that the whole bowl washed over his face. Inuyasha's eyes were wide in shock, as he looked up at Kagome, choking a little on excess soup, while a noodle-egg spiral hang looped around his hair and hung like a Christmas ornament.
"You are absolutely disgusting!" Kagome said, angry as hell that the hanyou had yet again, been a pig, "You must be half pig demon, because no human nor dog ever eats so hideously!"
"Watch it, Kagome." Inuyasha growled, "I'm serious."
"Ooo... now you're serious," Kagome imitated poorly, waving her hands before putting them on her hips again, "Why can't you be serious about the well being of your fellows? Eh? Are we not worthy of your politeness since we put up with you?"
"Shut up!" Inuyasha said, getting up and baring his teeth, "Get over it!"
He walked off, growling under his breath.
"Beastie," Shippo said, crossing his arms, "Kagome, you were justified to chew him out. He needs to learn to behave."
"Hm... overreacter." Kagome nodded, following up with, "DRAMA QUEEN!"
"Bitch..." Inuyasha shouted, before the shadows of the forest engulfed him.
This wasn't the first time Kagome had this little scene with Inuyasha. Just earlier that week, it had been played out as so:
"Inuyasha! Stop being such a dog!" Kagome had been pissed off at him while he was eating lunch with her. She had been able to work out an arrangement of return with the dog demon: she could go home for two days, if he could monitor her every move. He had done a number of things that Kagome just didn't agree with already; such as almost mauling Hojo when he gave her a gift for another 'ailment', and when he got frustrated with the headscarf that Kagome had given him, and almost tore it off in front of her friends. Thank god that she had her backpack with her. It served as a 'hat' until her confused friends left to go shopping.
Right then, they were eating sandwiches that Kagome had prepared herself. The food was completely foreign to Inuyasha, but as soon as he nibbled a bit of the food, he began to stuff his face, scattering crumbs and pieces of lettuce onto the table. Kagome shivered with disgust and was on the verge of screaming.
"I don't know what gives you the right to act like such a dog, bingeing down the food like that! Do you have any manners?"
"Well, I am half dog-demon. Does that work as an answer?" Inuyasha took his sleeve and wiped the broth of his face, "Besides, I do have manners."
"Since when!" Kagome yelled.
"Hey, I had a mother too. Maybe not as long as you, but she did teach me how to behave when I want to."
"Whatever."
"Besides, I'm doing you a big favor right now, letting you stay here. Just be grateful."
"Grateful," Kagome mumbled, "Grateful my-"
"What?" Inuyasha said.
"Damn your ears. Anyway, let's try to exercise these "manners" that she bestowed upon you, 'kay?" Kagome smiled through gritted teeth.
"Sure thing," Inuyasha had responded, attacking a set of Hoho's, and then ranting about Kagome liking Hojo because he was a Sweet Demon who forged pastry goodness to ensnare people, and how it may be too late to thwart his plot...
Night had fallen, but it hadn't had much of an affect on Kagome's attitude. Miroku had taken off to find Inuyasha and talk him out of his 'fit', leaving Sango and Kagome alone while Shippo and Kirara played with the plush kitten.
"He's a demon... you should be happy that you have one that isn't willing to chop your head off." Sango said, looking at Shippo play keep-away with the doll, "It's really a blessing that we have discovered a trio of demons actually willing to befriend humans, you know?"
"You think that I'm asking too much of him to display a little respect?" Kagome said coldly, glancing at Sango.
"What I think, is that it's a major step for demons to commit like this... you don't want him to change his mind." Sango said, smiling reassuringly at Kagome.
"Like he has a choice," Kagome laughed shortly, "That rosary of his binds him to my crap. Hey! That's an id-"
"Kagome, no." Sango said, slapping Kagome playfully on the knee, "Miroku will talk him out of this funk, and then you can go back to being two peas in a pod."
"Hopefully not a messy, icky, noisy pod," Kagome said under her breath, shivering a little in distaste.
A few hours passed, and Kagome was getting a little anxious about the men's whereabouts. She knew they wouldn't abandon them, but she didn't know if they were either being attacked, or they were being stalled by a pretty face. She got up, knocking her hand over her dress to rid it of dirt and dust, and turned to Sango.
"I'm going for a little walk, okay? Can you stay and watch the camp?" Kagome asked.
Sango raised an eyebrow, but motioned with her hand, "Don't be long... the woods are dangerous to just go wandering around willy-nilly."
"I'll take my bow." Kagome said, hoisting the quiver and weapon over her shoulder.
"Good girl," Sango smiled and waved as the stuffed cat made a squeak as it collided with her temple.
"Oohhh... you're both gonna get it now!" She laughed as she got up, chasing the two little demons playfully.
Kagome laughed as she walked off into the woods, holding onto a flashlight. She hummed to herself, trying to distract herself from the looming darkness. Suddenly, she came upon a few evenly spaced lights. Realizing they were torches, she turned off her flashlight, crouching low to observe.
Over a year of demon hunting and being with Inuyasha made Kagome aware of how to cloak herself. Don't fear. Breathe deeply so your breaths can't be heard and your aura doesn't flux. Coat yourself with a little dirt from the floor and hide amongst strong scented bushes. Crouch low and crawl with your fingers spaced apart, that way, you'll move less rocks and the earth won't shift.
She didn't know what lay beyond bathed in the light. It could be a party of demons, or a terrible ceremony, or maybe even--
She dismissed the Kikyou-theory. Kikyou didn't deserve her constant attention.
She neared it, close enough to notice heat rising from below the torches. She sweat dropped as she realized it was a hot spring. However, she remained close to the ground, crawling closer and closer until she rounded a rock. Flattening herself against it, she listened in as she heard two familiar masculine voices talking in the pools.
"Still, she didn't have to pour soup on me." Inuyasha said, sulking into the warm water.
"You should display yourself in a much better air, Inuyasha. Women aren't pleased by being messy or 'porkish'." Miroku said, his tone containing the usual "I'm An Expert on The Female Mind" flavor.
"Inuko told me that many times," Inuyasha whispered.
"Inuko?" Miroku inquired.
"My sister." Inuyasha said simply, though Kagome heard a splash. Inuyasha had submerged himself beneath the water as an attempt to end the subject.
Another break of the water's surface was followed by another question from Miroku, "You have a sister?"
"Yeah... I did." Inuyasha said, "She was basically a mother to me. My mom had fallen into a deep depression when my father died. She wouldn't even look at me. I reminded her too much of him. So, my sister took pity on me, and took care of me herself. She couldn't nurse me, of course, she was way too young. Nine, actually, but she took up all the other motherly duties that my own mother neglected until my mother collected her sanity."
"Nine years old and such responsibility." Miroku said, taking a bar of Kagome's soap and scrubbing it into a wash cloth, "What happened to this sister of yours?"
"She died." Inuyasha said simply.
"I'm sorry." Miroku whispered, "Must be painful subject for you, huh?"
"I don't like to talk about it..." Inuyasha said, squirming a little, "You see... when Kikyou died, I didn't even know that she did. When my mother died, I had time to say good bye, but when Inuko died, I didn't even have that much."
Inuyasha took the soap from Miroku's extended hand and scrubbed it into his haori's sleeve, "Inuko taught me everything. Even how to survive should something happen... she taught me swordsmanship... basic swordsmanship, and how to use my born weapons..." he flexed his claws a little, "She taught me reading, writing, etiquette, things that she believed where necessary for me, given the conditions in which we lived under, she thought that if I was educated, that maybe I'd have a better chance in demon/human society if I was to make a choice. She loved being a half... she thought it was the best of both worlds. I believed that... until I saw her die in front of me when our home was invaded by a demon horde."
Miroku was silent, but his hand dipped slowly under the water. He frowned, and lifted the now wetted cloth up to his neck, "I'm sorry to hear that, Inuyasha."
"Well, what can you do?" Inuyasha sighed, scrubbing the sleeve over his chest and arms, "You sure as hell can't bring her back from the dead."
"Well--"
"Don't respond to that. I mean it."
Kagome looked down at the ground, guilty. Maybe her demanding of manners had reawakened some painful memories in Inuyasha that he didn't deserve to have dredged back up. She sighed, thinking maybe she should forgive him and apologize.
She got up from her spot, wandering over to the water side with her head down, "That was the saddest story... I'm so sorry Inuyasha for being such a bitch to you--"
Silence.
Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha and Miroku both looking at her with blank/shocked expressions on their faces. Kagome then noticed what was wrong with the picture, and blushed horribly, spinning around and covering her eyes like they had been gouged out of her head.
"I'm SO SORRY!" She said, repeating over and over.
There was a splash, and a wet hand gripped her shoulder, "Apology accepted."
Kagome turned around, face flushed. She looked up at Inuyasha, who was wet as a dog, his bangs mangy from being in the water, but his body all slick and reflecting the orange light, adding highlights to his features... including his eyes... those orbs of amber that glowed with a fire all their own.
Kagome blushed deeper, entranced by his appearance in the twilight, before she made the mistake of letting the trickery light lead her gaze down south. She gasped and then slapped him across the face, shouting "PERVERT!" And stomping off.
A few yards away, closer to the camp and away from the "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?" 's echoing from the hot spring, Kagome couldn't help but blush insanely and giggle as she flipped on the flashlight and sauntered back towards the camp.