The Moonless Night: Inuko's true Feelings
Chapter 9
"Stupid Hitoshi and his stupid games," I mumbled to myself. Kikyko looked over at me and stopped, she rolled down her kimono.
"I'm not hurt big brother," she said to me taking my arm.
"Yeah well you could've been if I wasn't with you," I told her. Hakura and Kira turned around and looked at us, they walked backwards
Kikyko held a hand to me and whispered, "why don't you go walk with Haku?" she said. I pulled her hand down.
"Shut up about that!" I said to her.
Hakura turned around and hummed to herself. Kira grabbed Kikyko by the arm pulling her away from me. I sighed and followed behind them silently.
The girls ran in to our house laughing.
"Hey, that was short," father said to us.
"Yeah the game wasn't fun anymore," I said to him.
Mother and Sango were drifting in and out of the house making food, and putting away laundry.
I sat down leaning against the house watching father and Miroku chop firewood.
"What game were you playing?" Miroku said tapping a fist to his shoulder.
"A stupid spin the bottle game," I said and yawned lifting my arms over my head.
"Spin the bottle," Mother said looking at me. She shifted a basket to her waist.
"That's not a game for children," she said. Father and Miroku looked at her confused.
"Yeah well we left and didn't finish," I told her.
"Good, don't play that game," mother said to us. She disappeared in to the house. Father and Miroku followed behind her. I heard them discuss the matter of the game, spin the bottle, I guess mother's version was a little different then the version we played. But she didn't seem happy about it.
I shifted to my feet, and sighed.
"I'm going inside," I said to Kikyko, Haku and Kira. They looked at me and ran past me in to the house. Wow, crazy much!
I slide in to the house and yawned.
"Man what a day," I said to myself.
"Hey Inuko we do training tomorrow again okay? This time something harder," father said to me. I slide in between him and mother.
Hakura and Kira were teaching Kikyko a hand game; I watched them as they clapped their hands together. Every so often Hakura would turn and look at me. I would quickly turn my eyes away.
Mother and Sango passed bowls of food around to us. I wondered why everyone had gathered at our place that day. Usually if Sango and Miroku came over they'd spend half a day and leave. The evening was slowly changing, and nightfall was passing.
After we ate, mother and Sango cleaned up. I shifted near father. I hated this night, it was a moonless night, every new month since the day I was born father and I would change from half demon to human. Mother always made sure she kept her bow and arrows close during the night, father said that demons could attack us in our form.
"Wow, Inuko and papa look like humans," Kikyko said pointing to us.
"Wow, I didn't know your brother changed in to a human," Haku said to Kikyko.
"Mm hmm every new month," she said.
"Oh, I see…" Haku said she looked at me and blushed.
Kira rested her head in her father's lap, and Sango bounced Koji in her arms trying to make him sleep.
"I hate this night," father said. I looked up to him and looked at my hands. My claws were gone, I sighed and pulled my hands into my sleeves.
Our house fell quiet; Kikyko had fallen asleep in mother's lap. Hakura sat awake next to her father looking at me.
She was really beginning to agitate me.
"What is it?" I half shouted at her.
She turned her eyes and looked over at her baby brother.
Father placed his hand over my head.
"She's curious Inuko," father said to me.
"Don't be mean," he added. I pushed his hand away. I didn't want anyone to see me as a human. Haku and Kira have never seen me as a human. I felt very uncomfortable, and insecure.
Mother and Sango had curled up with Kira, Koji and Kikyko and slept next to eachother. Miroku held his staff close to him and slept upright against the wall. Hakura however, hadn't slept.
"What?" I told her again.
"Nothing," she said looking at me.
"Your really beginning to agitate me," I shouted at her.
Miroku opened his eyes and looked to us. "Inuko I think you should sleep," Miroku said to me.
"No, I'm not tired," I replied. Haku shifted her eyes to me again and blushed.
"What is your problem, really?" I shouted at Hakura.
"Right now, you're my problem," Hakura shouted back. Mother and Sango shifted under the sheets.
"I'm so not sitting here for this," I shouted. I jumped to my feet and jumped out the door.
I sighed and dragged my feet along the ground.
"Hey, get back inside," father said from behind me.
"I just need to be alone," I told him.
He bent down to me.
"What's with you and Haku?" father said. I looked at him and sighed.
"Dad," I said to him. He sat down next to me. I looked up at the night sky.
"Yeah?" He asked.
"I kissed Haku," I confessed to him. I moved my eyes to him then quickly back to the sky.
"Uhhh you did what? What do you mean kissed her like how?" father quickly jumped in and said.
"I mean like how you kiss mom," I told him. I pressed my head against my knees.
"Uhhh are you crazy, you're only eleven you shouldn't even know that stuff," father shouted at me.
"It was a dare okay, it's not like I wanted to do it," I said again.
"Idiot, she's a girl and your both kids, you shouldn't even be doing stuff like that," father bellowed at me again. He tapped his fist over my head.
"I said it was a dare, it's not like I wanted to do it," I said again.
"Did you tell Miroku this?" father said to me.
"Gah no are you kidding me, Miroku would have my head on a plate," I said to him waving my hands in the air. Father laughed and rubbed his head.
"I don't think he would go that far," father added.
I sighed and looked back to the sky.
"Do you like her?" father asked me.
"Who Haku?" I said.
"Yeah who else would I be talking about," father taunted.
"Well… uhhh… no," I quickly said.
"Yeah, you do like her!" father said shifting to his feet.
"Come back inside," father said to me.
I sighed. He was right, I do like her. And being a human right now, I liked her a lot more. I really didn't want to be in the same room with her. But…. I had no choice.
Father slept upright against the wall. He was always worried demons would raid the village on the nights we changed to humans, one night demons did raid the village, and mother and Sango and Miroku had to defend the village until day break.
I sighed and rested my head against fathers shoulder. For some reason, Hakura didn't sleep, I don't know why. She would drift off every so often, but she'd snap her eyes open and just stare at me. It was really agitating and frustrating. I didn't want to shout at her, and tell her to stop, I'd wake everyone up.
"Haku," I said to her. She looked at me again then shifted her eyes to her sister.
"Come outside with me," I said to her. I shifted to my feet and extended my hand out to her.
"You shouldn't be outside at night alone," she whispered to me and took my hand.
"It's fine, we won't be long," I said to her. She grabbed my arm and followed me outside.
I guided Hakura towards the tree not far from our house.
"So what do you want Inuko?" She asked me pulling her knees up.
I sighed deeply and pulled my arms through my sleeves.
"I'm sorry about what happened today, it was a dare and…." I started to explain my reason behind it when Haku stopped me.
"I …. I kinda didn't mind," she said looking at me.
"Uhhh… what?" I replied to her nervously.
"Inuko, you look cute as a human," she said to me and turned her face blushing.
"Haku, I think we should just be friends… It wouldn't be right for us to think otherwise right now," I said to her. I didn't want to upset her, but it was how I felt. Haku is a great girl, but… we are too young to even think about anything right now.
"Really? Oh," she said. What she was disappointed? I didn't think she would be upset about us being friends. Wait…. She wasn't expecting anymore was she?
I looked at her.
"Haku are you disappointed?" I asked her. She turned and looked to me.
"Yeah, sort of," she said taking in a deep breath.
"I was kind of hoping, well… umm, you'd ask me to be your girlfriend," she said blushing again. Uhh, she wasn't serious was she? I really had no intensions to do so right now, I really didn't even like girls. I don't even know what couples, do or how they act with each other.
"Uhh, Haku we're too young for that," I said to her. She sighed deeply and looked at me again.
"I know you're not wanting too," she said and shifted to her feet, she dusted her Yukata, "But that doesn't mean I won't stop trying," she added. I lifted an eyebrow to her.
"Wait what do you mean you won't stop trying," I said to her, jumping to my feet. I followed her in to the house.
That night Hakura finally slept, I still couldn't. I leaned against father and tried to close my eyes, but noises outside would wake me. The sound of wolves in the distance, the tree's cracking and swaying. Even the sounds of crickets and other insects would wake me. I kept my eyes closed and hoped the night would be over.
"Inuko, Inuko," Kikyko's voice echoed against my ear. She had rolled over me and stared at me.
"What let me sleep I haven't slept all night," I said to her.
"It's sunny out," Kikyko said. I sighed and rolled over, my back to her.
She climbed over me and rolled to the floor.
"Why didn't you sleep?" she asked me. I hissed at her.
"Go away and let me sleep," I shouted. She sighed and jumped to her feet.
"Fine, I'm going outside to play…" She places her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at me.
"I don't care what you do," I said to her and rolled over again.