InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Birth Marks ❯ inuyasha goes and kagome stays ( Chapter 7 )

Thanks 2 all those invisible reviewers! I suggest The Lucky Ones as a REALLY good story!

 

Disclaimer: Inu no mine, you no sue
------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------

Last time: "you were saying father," Inuyasha looked down at Kagome at the mention of him spacing out, "and we're close to camp." Inuyasha promptly removed his hand and Kagome whimpered slightly at the cold spot on her neck.

"Ah! There you are! Were you having some fun?" Miroku asked, perking up an eyebrow suggestively.

"Hentai," Sango rolled her eyes and hit him with her boomerang.

This time: Miroku sat back down to his breakfast, rubbing his head. " You should know us better than that by now, Miroku, you know that we don't have a relationship!" Kagome put her hands on her hips and Inuyasha jumped up into "their" tree to apparently grump.

<He ruined my chances. Better yet, if they weren't here, I could get further with Kagome. > He schemed while in the tree, remembering when they were first starting out on the hunt for the jewel. They were doing it together grudgingly at first, but there was something unique about that human, err, hanyou that was just magnetic. There was nothing that could tear them apart now. Not even Noraku!

It had been almost a year now that he was released from the Gosenboku. And, come to think about it, it was almost her birthday also. Her birthday! Inuyasha fell out of the tree backwards and landed squarely on his butt. "Oh! I, umm, I have some one to see in the next town over a-and I'll see you when you get back to Kayede's!" at that Inuyasha ran off.

<He's lying> Kagome thought as she ate a berry that she had managed to save from their roughhousing.

"What was that about?" Sango asked, staring the direction that Inuyasha went off to.

"Where did you and Inuyasha go this morning, Kagome-okaa-san?" Shippou asked from his seat by the fire. "Well, Inuyasha and I woke up early this morning and I fell out of the tree..."

"Ouch!" Sango winced at the image and remembering how far up the couple was during the night.

Kagome gave Sango a warning look before she continued, "We had an argument and I left to pick berries and cool down. When Inuyasha followed me, I sat him. When he got back up, he tackled me and I rolled him into the bushes" There was a smirk going around at Kagome's replay.

"...And then the arrow burned him and we left," Kagome had not had the best of times mentally replaying the event of early that morning, but her demon side loved it. "Quite an adventure this morning you had, we should start heading back to Kayede's so we can start listening around for more jewel shard rumors," Miroku tried to stand up and fell back into the dirt wincing. " Then again, this is a lovely view (staring at the backside of Sango standing), I would not mind relaxing for another day," He said, trying to cover up the extreme pain of his ankle.

Sango blushed slightly and stormed off so he couldn't see that she heard and understood the comment. Kagome shook her head at the two, <when will they accept that they care for each other, Sango especially. She just takes it like he says it to all the girls. True that he used to at first, but he has reserved himself a lot to just her. When will she see that? > Kagome knelt down beside the wounded monk (with her butt practically in his face) and lifted his robes away from his ankle. <What, no grope? Either I was right, or he's in more pain than I thought! >

"Sango! Can I get an opinion on this?" Kagome called over to the still-blushing slayer. She made the mistake of bending over in the same way as Kagome on the other side of Miroku's legs.

*Rustle*

"wha?"

*Slap*

"Hentai!"< br>
<Thought so, just her> " what do you think of the wound? I think it looks better, how about you?" Kagome was using all her will not to laugh at herself being right.

"I *slap* think it looks better from earlier also. But he'll need help walking. And NO I will not be the one helping him. *Smack* Kilala (Kirara? She's going to be a girl) will let you ride," Sango stood up to search for the demon cat. Kagome re-bandaged the wound and left the monk to sit by the fire for the morning.

--------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------

With Inuyasha

"her birthday, her birthday! I can't believe that I forgot her birthday!" Inuyasha kept mentally slapping himself as he headed to an old friend of his: Rumiko (yes, the author of the books). She would know what to do for a girl's present. In fact, the demoness was a close friend and past servant of Inutashio.

Rumiko was a bird demon that did many things for the family, and was an especially good seamstress. In fact, Inuyasha's fire-rat Haori was a gift for his tenth birthday many years ago. What is sad is that Inuyasha didn't even remember when his birthday was, just sometime in the spring.

Inuyasha bounded into a hidden cave, not even stopping to adjust his eyesight and almost hitting a wall for it. "I still can't believe...RUMIKO! Rumiko! Where are you? Rumiko! Rumi..."

"just wait a minute! I'll be right out!" an older demoness came around the corner wearing a teal kimono and blue obi that matched her feathers. She had feathers instead of hair and a short beak-like mouth/nose. "Lord Inuyasha? Is that you, or are my eyes deceiving me in my old age?" the bird-woman ran up and hugged the hanyou. Inuyasha grinned and hugged her back

"it's nice to..."

"my! Have you grown into a handsome young man! Is there a reason for this nice visit?" she asked, looking at how the outfit now fit his frame nicely, instead of being way too big for him.

"...See you too. Well, I was hoping..."

"That I would make you something? Oh! Who is she? What's she like? Is she good to you?" Rumiko kept on going. Inuyasha had to admit, she was a bit... bird-brained... at times, but she was good nonetheless. " It's Kagome's birthday next week and I want to get her something special," Inuyasha managed to say in one breath.

Rumiko took a step back and eyed him suspiciously. "Then why didn't you say that earlier? Come in and tell me what colors she likes. And do you want some tea?" the bird rolled her eyes at the boy's frustration and turned back into the cave, "follow me."

Inuyasha sighed and followed, hitting his head on the entrance, "oh, there's a low ceiling," Rumiko mentioned right after he found out that for himself.

--------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------

Kagome

they had been walking all morning (except for Miroku, Sango and Shippou) and there really wasn't much to say, except the usual "are we there yet?" of Shippou.

Kagome had plenty of things to think about. Like why had Inuyasha run off like that? And how strong was she now? When she was human a couple of years ago, she had accidentally broken Souta's right arm roughhousing. He had to have another student write everything for him for 6 weeks! <Well, there's only one way to find out! > "Race you to the next village Kilala!" and Kagome was off.

"Kagome! This isn't funny! Kilala has riders and besides, your gonna lose anyway!" Sango yelled from holding onto Kilala for dear life and Miroku onto Sango. Kilala had forgotten about her passengers and had taken up the offer.

Kagome looked through the blur of brown and green to see that a white form was parallel to her. Kagome grinned and sped up. She never liked to admit it, in fact she acted like she hated it, but she loved to run. Whenever she could in her time, she would pick the long route to school and run the whole way. In fact, she most of the time beat her friends that took the bus to school, and they were closer!

"Having fun Shippou?" she asked the kitsune wrapped around her neck for dear life. Shippou nodded slightly and hid his face in her hair.

The last thing that Kilala and her riders heard of Kagome was her laughing going the direction of the village that they would stay in for the night.

----------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------

Inuyasha looked up from the hundreds of bolts of fabric suddenly, he thought he heard Kagome's laughter quietly. "Did you hear that?" he asked, turning his ears to see if he could pick the laughter up more.

"Hear what? And what do you think of this color for her?" Rumiko held up a dark blue fluffy bolt.

"Nothing, and that's not her color, " Inuyasha closed his eyes in frustration and immediately saw the forest rushing past and the joy of running going through his mind. It was...Kagome's joy.

"How are you doing Shippou, we're almost there!" yes, it is Kagome that he was seeing through.

"Inu, Inuyasha sweetie? Come back to this time please," Rumiko was now holding a mint green bolt.

"Huh?" Inuyasha said the most intelligent thing then.

"You were slipping into your soul mate's consciousness. If you want to keep this present a secret, you should stay here mentally. So what is she like?" Inuyasha had shaken his head at the green and she was holding a silk lotus pattern in pink.

"She is a black dog hanyou and, apparently, she is running for fun right now," Inuyasha started off, quieting down when he saw the expression on Rumiko's face

"do you actually mean lady Kagome? I know exactly what to get her! Oh this makes this a lot easier! The old dog finally gave up an heir! And so many years after lord Inutashio gave up his half of the bargain! I can't believe that the clans are finally going to join after so long of a separation! She would look great in shades of green and I have just the fabric to use!" she picked up a bolt with orange lotus flowers at the edges and forest green behind it. The green faded to pastel in the middle and it would look beautiful on Kagome.

Inuyasha nodded and wondered what it would look like. She grinned at the boy's approval and went in back to find her sewing needle and thread.

---------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------

Kagome had reached the edge of the village and was taking a cool-down lap too fast for the humans to see. She spotted Kilala at the edge of the forest and jumped from roof to roof to her companions.

"Your speed has certainly increased since the spell was lifted," Miroku observed as he stood on his good leg using Kilala as a brace. "And definitely the power of your arrows have become more controllable from what you told us this morning,"

Kagome nodded and tried to pry the living neck warmer off. "Shippou, I stopped moving and you can let go now. I won't hurt you, just please, please let go! Your going to choke Me." at that, the kitsune let go to reveal four parallel scratches on either side of her neck where he was holding on.

Shippou saw the shallow gashes on Kagome's neck with droplets of blood and jumped to the ground, ashamed at what he had done.

Sango gasped and pointed to her neck, "Kagome, your bleeding!" Kagome wiped off the small amount of blood and looked at Shippou to find him with his forehead on the ground, whimpering for forgiveness. Kagome didn't understand how she knew, but she knew what the whining from the kit was for waiting for punishment for drawing blood.

Kagome wiped the small amount of blood off into a hand towel and grabbed Shippou to hug him. "I know that you think it's your fault, but I was the one that scared you and you had every right to accidentally hurt me. And see," Kagome tilted her head so the kitsune could see her neck, " the scratches are already mostly gone. And I didn't even feel them." Kagome smiled soothingly and detangled Shippou's hair with her fingers to calm him down.

"Should we go into town now and find an inn that will feed us?" Miroku asked the group, ready to do the routine 'dark cloud' excuse for getting a room. Kagome fished around in her pocket for the medallion that the village lord had given her. She grinned and pulled the silver-dollar sized coin out to show to the others.

"I knew that I put it somewhere! I got this from the fishing village lord and he told me that this would get us free room and board on the way home," Kagome gave it to Miroku to look at. The coin had the kanji of the village on one side and the other had the pieces symbol on it.

"I remember you getting that from that man for getting his wife out of the fire," Shippou said, leaning over to look from Sango's shoulder.

Kagome nodded as Sango grabbed the coin to look at it herself. "Yes, since I can't fight very well, I decided to see if I could save any survivors from the burning huts. Luckily, only the village lady was trapped and no one else. She was trapped beneath a timber and we saved her. Then later we got this coin from her husband that we later found out that they were the lord and lady of the village." by this time, Sango had given it back to Kagome and they were at the edge of the village.

Kagome stopped at the edge and held up her hand for the others to stop. If there was one thing that she knew from Inuyasha, it was that humans hated youkai and hanyou just because they were different than regular humans. Kagome took out a cloth and wrapped it around her head like the field girls to hide her ears. "Sango, can you tie this knot for me?" Kagome held up the ends to be tied at the base of her neck instead of on the forehead like the other girls.

"Afraid to show your true self still yet?" Miroku asked as he held Shippou so he wouldn't be in the way of Kagome's arms. Kagome turned to the monk and her eyes flashed with the many different colors they held. "I am going to get us a room and food and I don't want to ruin our good chances by my appearance... yet. As soon as we are settled in the room, this headband is coming off!" It was annoying that her ears were stuck flat and they were cramping as she spoke.

"What about your fangs?" Sango asked, looking over what the villagers would be convinced as a human at first glance.

"I won't talk very much and when I do, I will be careful not to open my mouth very wide. And no I don't think my eyes will be very noticeable if I keep my head down. And if they do ask about my hair, I'll say that I haven't washed it in a long time and it's dirt from our journey," Kagome said, cutting off any more questions and turning to go into the village and straight to the inn.

Kagome knocked on the door as the others stood behind her. A peek hole opened and a man's voice came from behind it, "who are you and what do you want at this inn?"

Kagome kept her eyes hidden by her bangs and dipped her head in acknowledgment, "sir, my friends and I have been traveling for a long time and we were hoping to receive some lodging for the night and maybe a meal also." <I just sounded like Miroku! I have been hanging around him WAY too much! > Kagome thought as she watched the man's eyes for an answer.

"What do you have that would have me give you a room?" came the gruff reply to his crinkled eyes. From what she could tell, the man was old and worn.

Kagome held up the coin for him to see. "This was given to us from the lord of the fishing village and he said that this coin can get us room and meal at any inn on this side of Japan." The man thrust a hand out of the peek door for the coin and Kagome dropped it in his palm. The small door shut and they heard a small whispered argument between the man and a woman.

The woman opened the door and smiled at the group. "Please excuse my husband, he is very wary of strangers from out of town. Please come in and get comfortable while I get a room ready for you all. Now how many are you?" the woman was older and dressed in a violet kimono and looked like inn keeping was a good business for them.

Kagome gave a small smile, "the monk, the demon slayer, the kitsune, the fire cat, and me. So that's three that you can set up." the hostess bowed and backed away to fix the room.

<The demon slayer and the monk will come in handy and most likely help when I ask. And the cat and kitsune do not seem like much of a threat, but that girl was not telling us something> the hostess thought as she found a big enough room and set it up.

-------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

I will stop there for this time and I hope I didn't end with too much of a cliffy. See you next time and remember to review!