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Chapter Eleven
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Kagome landed safely on the other side of the well with a soft thud.
Pausing first to give a little yawn and stretch her arms above her head,
she leaned down and hoisted her bulky bag onto her back.
She released on willing 'umph!' of protest when the weight of the
pack almost sent her off balance. And to think, right now the bag was only
half as heavy as it was when she originally left with it for the feudal
era. Smiling a little she stepped forward and began to pull herself up the
ladder.
Maybe next time she returned she would invite Inuyasha to come along
so that he could carry the bag. She laughed a little as she pictured how
his face might look when she told him that that was the reason she wanted
him to come with her. She would have to do that sometime.
Wobbling a bit, Kagome unsteadily made her way out of the wellhouse
and over to her own home. A warm, inviting light shone from the kitchen
window signifying that her family was still awake. Good. That meant that
she wouldn't have to labor to be extra quiet so that she wouldn't awaken
them. And maybe she could have a bath.
By the time the miko actually reached her house, her breathing was
slightly haggard and the only thing on her mind was ridding herself of the
burden on her back. Throwing open the door she waited only long enough to
kick off her shoes before dropping the bag ungracefully to the ground.
'THUD!'
The young woman winced as the noise seemed to echo in the quiet home.
She hadn't thought it would be that loud.
"Kagome, sweetie, is that you?" Her mother's voice called from the
doorway.
"Yeah Mom."
Something smelled good. Kagome followed her nose to the kitchen where
her mother was in the process of pulling out a pan of freshly baked
cookies. Yum!
"How long are you going to be staying this time?" Mrs. Higurashi
asked as she turned to put the pan on the counter to cool. Like a moth to
the flame, the miko was immediately drawn to the other side of kitchen,
staring impatiently at the cookies as she waited until she could eat one.
"Three days." She replied, her eyes not once wavering from the snack
in front of her.
Mrs. Higurashi hid a chuckle at her daughter's behavior.
"You must be exhausted from all your travelling. I'll go start you a
bath." Kagome didn't even look as her mother went to leave the kitchen. All
the girl could do was nod in agreement and call out a mumbled thanks after
the retreating form of her mother.
"I'll be right back." Her mother said as she through the doorway and
up the stairs.
A moment later the sound of water rushing through the pipes could be
heard. Indoor plumbing.
It was good to be home.
Finally, impatience getting the best of her, Kagome snatched a cookie
quickly away from the still hot pan and folded it into a napkin before it
could burn her hand. Making a mental note to ask her mother to bake some
more later so that she could bring some to the feudal era as a treat for
her friends, Kagome blew on the morsel before risking a small bite. Her
lips curled up in a contented smile as she savored the flavor. Not to hot.
Not to cold. Just warm gooey cookie.
Perfect!
"That's the only one for tonight Kagome." Her mother's voice reached
her ears as the miko turned around to see the woman had returned. "Those
are for you and your brother for school tomorrow."
Kagome nodded and nibbled tentatively on the edge of her dessert.
Might as well make it last.
"Your bath should be ready in about 5 minutes," Mrs. Higurashi
continued as she bustled around, cleaning up the last of the cookie making
mess from the counters. "But before you go up, there's something I need to
talk to you about."
Intrigued, Kagome merely nodded once again in response as she moved
to sit down to the table. Mrs. Higurashi quickly finished her tidying up
and then joined her daughter after pouring herself a glass of water.
"Your school called last week while you were gone." The older woman
began. Catching the urgency in her mother's tone, Kagome put the cookie
down on the table and gave her her complete attention. 'Please say there's
no bad news...' The priestess prayed as she met her mother's eyes.
"Because you've missed so much school over the past year, they said
that you are unable to continue attending there and they transferred you to
a new high school."
Kagome was speechless. New school?! She knew that her mouth was
hanging open but at the moment there was nothing she could do about it. New
School?! Away from all of her friends and people that she knew? And in the
middle of the year. She fought back to urge to groan. This was not going to
be fun.
She would have to ask Inuyasha for more time here so that she could
adjust. He was not going to like that.
'Why me?'
Mrs. Higurashi seemed oblivious to her daughter's inner turmoil as
she calmly took a sip of her water and then continued. "Your new school is
Sarayashiki High and you'll be starting there tomorrow. I'll drive you
since its your first day so that you'll know where to go."
"Sarayashiki High?" Kagome repeated in a paniced squeak. The school
was notorious around the entire city for its gangs and problems. It was
probably one of the worst reputed high school's in Tokyo, and now she had
to go there! Kagome groaned and leaned her forehead against the table. The
only good thing that she had EVER heard about the place was a couple years
back some boy saved a kid from getting hit by a car at the cost of his own
life. But that story had quickly been left to the tabloids when the savior
suddenly 'came back from the dead' so to speak.
"Yep. Sarayashiki High." Mrs. Higurashi repeated cheerfully. Kagome
looked up from the table top. Her mother's perky reply made her wonder if
the older woman had ever watched the news.
"You have a new uniform and everything. I put your uniform in your
closet and I took the liberty to buy your new books myself. They're on your
desk."
Kagome let her head fall back to the table with a thump. She
shouldn've just stayed in Feudal Japan. What she wouldn't give for a pair
of red slippers right now...Or wait. She was already home. Um..What color
shoes for Warring States Era?
"Oh sweetie! Your bath should be ready now. Head on up. As soon as
your done you shoulg go to bed. Wouldn't want to end up being late on your
first day of school would you?"
Relectantly Kagome lifted her head from the hard wood and, grabbing
her cookie, trudged up the stairs cursing every diety she could think of
under breath as she defiantly munched on the snack.
'I can't wait until tomorrow...'
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Youko's golden eyes quickly appraised the demon in front of him,
taking special note of the gargantuan blade that glimmered eerily in the
moonlight. His eyes lingered on the fang's edge for just a moment longer
than necessary, admiring its steel cleaving sharpness. It was something
worth taking.
He almost chuckled at the thought of stealing the hanyou's demon
blade. It would be quite interesting to see the look on the inu's face.
Inuyasha began to growl when Kurama didn't answer him and instead
continued to stare indifferently, as if the half demon were nothing but a
rock on the path.
"I said, What do you want fox!" Inuyasha snarled, baring his canine
fangs dangerously as his threatening growls increased in volume.
Youko smirked as the hanyou repeated his question. 'Kagome' his mind
said.
"Where did your little miko go?" He asked, honestly intrigued. The
last that he had seen of the girl, she had slipped of her own free will
into a dried up well. Youko had easily been able to sense the magic that
engulfed the structure right before Kagome's scent had disappeared. He
couldn't deny that his curiosity was piqued.
'It's none of your fucking business!' Inuyasha's mind snarled. "Why
the hell would you want to know!" The hanyou demanded, bracing himself in a
defensive pose.
"That is none of your concern."
Seeing that the half demon was not going to tell him anything about
the well or the miko's disappearance, the kitsune turned his back on
Inuyasha, walking away in a deliberately slow pace as his tail twitched in
a taunting manner. He unmasked his scent, the hanyou already knew what he
smelled like, why not let him smell again, and see that Youko Kurama did
not fear him. He would just get the information from elsewhere.
Besides, ignoring Inuyasha would definately cause him to do something
violent and brash. Youko owed the mutt a good ass kicking. The youkai
didn't need to wait long before Inuyasha came charging at him, blinded by
rage and pride.
A gust of wind swept his hair to the side of his face as the
Tetsusaiga sliced through the air, narrowly missing Youko's shoulder. It
could not be argued that Inuyasha didn't have the strength the weild his
father's fang, however the hanyou had never had any sort of training what
so ever when it came to swordsmanship and thus did not have the skill to
immediately recover from a futile attack with such brute force behind it.
As a result, the momentum he had created carried on a moment before he
could stop it and caused him to hesitate less than a split second before he
could pull together some sort of offense.
That was all the time that Youko needed in order to attack. Seizing
the opportunity presented, the kistune theif nailed Inuyasha in the back
with a solid kick. The result sent the inu flying forward several yards,
coming to a rough halt as he crashed into the ground. Kurama grinned
inwardly, without the miko around there were no distractions to divert his
attention.
This fight was his.
Inuyasha recovered quickly and was on his feet before Youko could
reach his side and deliver another blow. The fox demon had to admit a hint
of surprise that he was able to recover so quickly but brushed it off
quickly. It didn't matter, Inuyasha had no real style. It was just kick,
slash, punch. His movements were all wild and completely predictable. Of
course that may have been a result of the hanyou's quick temper, but it
didn't matter.
Youko obviously had the advantage in this fight.
Inuyasha made an almost roarlike sound of frustration as he heaved
Tetsusaiga into an offensive posistion and rushed at Kurama, planning on
another offensive attempt. Deciding to goad him even further, the kistune
made no attempt to move. He just stood there and waited for Inuyasha to
reach him. When the Tetsusaiga finally came within striking reach, Youko
merely took daintly little sidesteps, easily avoiding each swing. A cruel
smile twisted at the corners of his mouth as Inuyasha's movements began to
grow more and more wild.
It was as if the hanyou was swinging a log instead of a sword.
His temper was getting the better of him.
After nimbly dodging a few more onslaughts, it was time to end the
fun. With a burst of speed that was rivaled by no one except possibly the
taiyoukai of the West in Inuyasha's mind, Youko rushed at the inu. Before
the hanyou knew what was happening, the thief was behind him, pressing his
sharp claws into his neck.
He could feel Youko's hot breath on his skin. The sensation disgusted
him. But the fact that the kitsune wasn't even breathing heavily enraged
him beyond belief. With a feral snarl, Inuyasha twisted out of Youko's
deadly grasp with a deftness that caught the fox by surprise. So the hanyou
did have some skill after all.
Youko laughed softly to under his breath, knowing very well that with
his enhanced youkai senses, Inuyasha could hear him.
"Tsk tsk. No control what so ever." Kurama chided, the smug smirk in
place and his eyes taunting. "How pathetic."
"Shuddup you bastard!" Inuyasha yelled, any semblence of control that
he happened to have remaining snapping at kitsune's haughty tone. At the
moment, the silver haired fox reminded him eerily of Sesshomaru. The
thought brought Inuyasha blood to a boil.
That bastard was not above him.
It didn't matter if the fox was Kagome's ONLY chance at happiness.
Inuyasha wasn't going to kill him. That bastard dared to treat him like
some insignifigant little pup!
For a moment Inuyasha's eyes flashed red despite his white knuckled
grip on the Tetsusaiga. Gold met gold as the two demons stared at each
other, both on seperate sides of the clearing. In a passing thought,
Inuyasha noted that they were only several feet away from the Bone Eater's
well.
Youko saw the inu's eyes dart to the side and then back. Cautiously,
he peeked out of the corner of his eye at the dried up well. The one that
Kagome had leapt down. His smirk widened as he caught whiff of something.
The hanyou was nervous.
He didn't want Youko near the well.
"What are you hiding half breed? Don't want me to go anywhere near
your precious miko? Or is it something else?" Youko pondered aloud as he
raised an eyebrow. Inuyasha's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, but Kurama
caught the change. The anxiety in the hanyou's scent almost doubled.
Inuyasha's mind was racing. He and Kagome had always been the only
ones able to travel through the well. And that was because of the bond that
they shared. But what if Kagome now shared some kind of bond with the fox
now? After all, they had kissed. In Inuyasha's opinion that made a bond
almost as strong as the one he shared with Kagome.
Would Youko be able to go to Kagome's time?
Or would he try to destroy the well instead?
"Feh. I'm not hiding anything you pompous jack ass." Inuyasha
retorted, using all of his will power to keep his feet planted firmly to
the ground and not rush over to keep Kurama away from the well. The
kitsune's brow arched higher and the smirk grew.
'Dammit!' Inuyasha's mind screamed at him. He knew that the other
demon could easily smell the nervousness rolling off of him in waves. And
there was nothing her could do about it now.
Youko was there one moment, standing several yards away from Inuyasha
with the Bone Eater's well off to the side. Then the next moment he was
gone, a blur barely visible to the naked eye as he streaked across the
clearing, gracefully stopping before the lip of the well.
"I think you are hiding something Inuyasha." Kurama teased. One of
his fangs glinted in the dim moonlight as his eyes glowed in anticipation.
Then, without a moment's more hesitation, he leapt down the well.
It was all over before Inuyasha's mind could even register what had
just happened.
"NO!"
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Shippo's ears perked up as a loud cry echoes through the night. A
quick glance at Kiarara confrimed that she too had heard the noise and that
he wasn't just imagining things. The others in the hut were blissfully
ignorant to the sudden tension sparking between the demons though as they
continued to discuss their latest journey and sip tea.
Shippo glanced anxiously at the neko demon once again. His question
was obvious in his large green eyes and bristled tail. 'What if something's
happened?' The little kitsune's fangs peeked over the edge of his lip as he
bit it worriedly. His tail began to flick a bit like a cats, reflecting how
uncomfortable he was feeling at the moment. And yet he didn't know what to
do.
Kiarara growled low in her thoat. The sound was one used often on
young kittens to ease their frustration or despair and it sounded almost
like a rumbling purr. Had the fire cat been in her larger form it might
have had a better affect on Shippo. But as it was he was too lost in his
own thoughts, pondering what the noise could have been and if it was really
something to worry over, to notice the comfort the fire cat youkai was
offering him. Sango however did notice as the vibrations went through the
kitten form to the taijiya's body.
"What is it Kiarara?" She asked, mild anxiety tinting her voice.
Miroku and Kaede abruptly stopped their conversation on demon wards
at the young woman's query. When Kiarara made no move to avert her gaze
from something in the corner, all eyes followed the line of sight to the
tense Shippo.
"Shippo?" Miroku called out. The kit seemed not to hear the monk as
he contined to bite on his lower lip. If there wasn't really anything wrong
he didn't want to worry everyone else or possibly make them mad by rising
them from the hut to go on a goose chase. And nothing would be wrong anyway
right? Inuyasha was with Kagome...
...But that noise. It had sounded like Inuyasha shouting. It was
angry true. But this time Inuyasha had agreed to let Kagome go back to her
time. Why would he suddenly be upset about it.
That did it. Something had to be wrong.
"Shippo? Are you alright?" Kaede's rough voice broke through the
little fox demon's thoughts. The kit looked up to find four concerned pairs
of eyes boring into him.
"Something's happened. I just heard a shout." Shippo whimpered.
For a moment the group hesitated. Sango and Miroku shared a
questioning glance, but only for a moment before they simultaneously stood
to their feet. With a jangle from the houshi's staff the two humans rushed
out the door, Kiarara on their heels. Shippo hesitated only a moment longer
before he scampered out after them, leaping onto Kiarara's back just as the
fire cat took flight.
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Youko could feel the air rush past him as he fell. The well was in
fact deeper than he thought it would be. From above it looked much more
shallow. A strange tingling sensation began to encroach upon his body,
making his limbs feel both numb and tense at the same time. he felt his
senses becoming overwhelmed at the ancient magic surrounding him.
For a moment he thought he saw a blue light flash and he could feel
the shard he carried pulsate in response. But as quickly as he saw it, it
was gone, and with it went the magic. As the magic retreated from his form,
it felt like it was sucking the energy out of his body, draining him of all
his strength. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist in an attempt to
resist. The defiance seemed to work as he felt the last of the power recede
without leaving him decapacitated.
For a moment the kitsune felt as if he was floating. Time seemed to
slow as he felt himself slowly being lowered to the ground. Through his
thin slippers he could feel the cold hard packed dirt of the bottom of the
well. His golden eyes flashed in the darkness as he tried to make out what
had just happened.
He instinctively knew that the magic that had surrounded him had been
the same that had engulfed the young miko. When the powers had receded
though, it had felt as if they were...rejecting him? He pulled the jewel
shard which he still carried out of a fold in his tunic. The fragment still
seemed to pulse with energy, responding to something about the well.
Did the girl's fragments of the shards have something to do with the
well? Were the two somehow connected. His mind was being overwhelmed as
thousands of questions raced through it. Satisfied that no one could see
him at the moment, Youko allowed himself to shake his head roughly,
jumbling all of the thoughts until they were forced to rest.
As soon as his mind cleared, his senses returned to normal. Almost
immediately he was assaulted by the scent of the hanyou. Looking up, Kurama
was for some reason disappointed when he saw the same night sky that he
always saw. For a moment when he had been falling, he had toyed with the
childish notion that the well might bring him somewhere else. By why would
it? The idea was completely ludicrous, not to mention impossible.
'But then what happened to the little miko?' His mind whispered.
He refused to answer or even think about it.
With an inaudible grunt of frustration, Youko leapt out of the well.
Landing with the grace of a feline on the wooden edge, he came face to face
with an enraged, yet bewildered hanyou.
Inuyasha had run to the well, crying out in protest, when he saw
Youko leap into it. He had reached the side just in time to see the demon
disappear in the blue lights that until that moment had only come for him
and Kagome. But then the strangest of things had happened, the lights had
reappeared, feeling frigid compared to their normal lucidity, and with
them, came the kitsune thief.
Inuyasha was sure that Youko had been unable to travel through time
when he saw the youkai land on the bottom of the well and glare about in
frustration and confusion. After all, had he been allowed to pass, the
hanyou was sure that he would not return so quickly, it went completely
against kitsune nature. But also, had he been allowed, he would not have
looked so lost or angry as he had when his feet had landed on the bottom of
the well.
Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk. The fact that the lights had
appeared did trouble him, but the fact that the demon couldn't pass though
and was forced to jam his pride down his throat, that just made him want to
laugh out loud.
And so he did.
Youko recoiled, appalled, when all of a sudden the inu before him
began to shake as if he was having a seizure. But what were those strange
noises coming from him. Just as Kurama was inching forward again to
determine the identity of the sounds, Inuyasha threw his head back to the
sky and laughed to the moon. At the abrupt motion, the legendary bandit had
once again jumped back.
Was the hanyou crazy now?
The laughter continued and realization dawned on Youko Kurama like an
anvil falling on a cartoon character's head. The mutt was laughing...at
HIM!
The fox demon's ears laid flat against his head and his tail almost
doubled in volume as it bristled indignantly at the insult. His molten gold
eyed narrowed dangerously and flashed with the fire of hell's fury as his
teeth bared in a feral snarl.
No one laughed at Youko Kurama. NO ONE!
Inuyasha had barely any time to recover when once again Youko was
charging at him. This time the offending demon's strength and speed seemed
to have increased ten fold as Inuyasha was unceremoniously snapped out his
bliss by the need to parry an onslaught of deadly blows.
Youko's fury only increased when Inuyasha successfully defended
against all of his attacks. He could feel the crimson bleeding into the
corners of his eyes and knew that it wouldn't be long before he lost to his
inner demon. His control would soon snap.
Inuyasha was breathing heavily. He wasn't sure how much longer he
could dodge the blows that the enraged kitsune was trying to deal to him.
The hanyou had never fought someone this strong, not even Sesshomaru could
compare to the silver fox demon. Inuyasha could feel the pace of his heart
quicken with something akin to...fear?
When Kagome had released him from the Goshinboku, the inu had had
little to live for. Believing that his first love had betrayed him and the
world had forsaken him, he most likely would have never known fear in a
situation like this. In fact, he may have embraced the sure death that it
represented as an escape from the world.
But Kagome, despite how he had pushed her away, had offered, no
forced upon, him friendship. Something that he longed for no matter how
much he would deny it. And then in their travels together he had
accumaleted more companions, more friends.
He had something to live for.
One of Youko's attacks made it past his defenses and Inuyasha could
feel the cold claws slashing across his abdomen, followed by the slow
trickle of blood. It was at this moment that a sudden revelation hit him.
He was dying to live, yet at the same time he was living to die.
He was fighting with everything he had, and then some, holding onto
his life, unwilling to part with the world. It had been that he used to
fight only to stay alive long enough to defeat Naraku. But now he had so
much more to live for. Yet he still fought for the chance to kill the evil
being who had decieved both him and Kikyo those many years ago. And why? So
that he could avenge Kikyo and go to hell with her.
So that he could die.
It was, in a sense, quite ironic.
Could he really allow himself to go to hell with Kikyo now?
The scent of freshly spilt blood assaulted Youko's senses and he
could feel the blood lust that had been threatening to overtake him
abating, feeling that it had been satisfied enough. Slowly he began to gain
his prided control back, but never once did he cease his attacks.
He stared venomously at the hanyou before him. Grudgingly he had to
admit that the inu youkai was a worthy opponent. Maybe if the circumstances
of their meeting had been different they could have been partners.
Never friends.
Only partners.
Youko did not have friends. They were weaknesses.
The Kitsune watched in reluctant admiration as Inuyasha valiantly
battled against the stress his body was putting on him to give up. He could
hear the heavy beating of his heart and the labored panting of his breath.
If they kept up their fight much longer than he would be forced to slay the
hanyou. But even though he had just met him, Kurama knew that the half
demon was not one to give up.
Youko gracefully back handspringed, abruptly ending his seemingly
interminable onslaught hand surprising Inuyasha. Gold met gold as the
oppenents glared at eachother, each one rivaling the other with the enmity
and coldness in their stare. Simultaneously they flexed their claws, though
Inuyasha still held his father's fang in a defensive posistion.
Youko was the first to speak. "The only reason I will not kill you
today is because I need you to answer as few questions." He started, his
voice casually flowing in a bored drawl as if he was talking about the
weather. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and he began to growl between pants but
the legendary theif ignored him, instead choosing to continue as if the
iterruption had never occured.
"You've proved yourself a worthy opponent and for that reason I
respect at least your fighting skills and will give you a choice. You can
answer my questions now or I will be back later."
Youko's words were not issued as a threat, but rather as a promise.
Inuyasha couldn't help but draw back, stunned by the other demon's admition
of admiration. No other demon had ever praised him like that before. Even
Shippo, though he was just a kit, had yet to say that he respected Inuyasha
at all.
It was because of this that it took a moment for the kitsune's words
to register. But register they did. "Feh! Like I would ever tell you
anything!" Inuyasha snarled as best as he could while continuing to catch
his breath.
Youko only smirked.
"I will be back then."
Inuyasha blinked and the fox was gone. Bewildered he glanced around
him for a bit, even sniffing the air to see if he was still nearby. But
needless to say, the bandit was covering his scent again. Growling in
frustration, but grateful that the fight had ended, Inuyasha sheathed his
sword and plopped himself indian style on the ground with his back leaning
against the well to catch his breath.
His demon blood was just beginning to kick in, ceasing the blood flow
from his stomach and starting to close the wound when Shippo and the monk
and taijiya burst into the clearing on Kiarara'a back. Inuyasha looked up
briefly at them, but looked away again when he saw their anxious faces. He
didn't think that he would ever get over people worrying over him.
"Inuyasha! What happened?" Shippo cried as he scampered over to the
exhausted hanyou, followed closely by Miroku and Sango who happened to be
wondering the same thing. Kiarara remained in her larger form as she too
came over, offering her back as support when Inuyasha tried to stand.
"Inuyasha?" Miroku queried, his deep indigo eyes clearing repeating
Shippo's question.
"Feh."
Sango, Miroku, and Shippo just stood speechless as they watched the
red garbed back slowly walk away from them, hobbling with the fire cat
acting as a crutch. As soon as his back was out of sight, they all looked
at each other in turn...and shrugged.
Inuyasha obviously could take care of himself.
And it certainly didn't seem like he was going to share whatever had
happened with them.
With an indignant snort from Shippo and an exasperated sigh from
Sango, the trio began to follow after the stubborn hanyou. The only noise
coming from them was the cheerful jingle of Miroku's staff until...
"HENTAI!"
WHACK!
...there was silence once again.
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