InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shi-Bun-No-Ichi Yasha ❯ Words in the Night ( Chapter 8 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Shi-Bun-No-Ichi Yasha
Part 8




"What is that thing?" Miroku stared at the foreign weapon, not understanding it, but having some inclination that it was dangerous.

"…!!!" Kagome was barely able to speak from being so scared. "It's a gun! A weapon that's more accurate than a bow and arrow!"

Inu Yasha growled, bearing his fangs and claws. He stood between Kagome and the punk in case the enemy should use his strange weapon. The thug stared at Inu Yasha, taking in all the bizarre features to him.

"What the hell ARE you?!" the punk aimed for the hanyou, his fingers itchy to pull the trigger."

"Something you're going to regret pissing off!" Inu Yasha leapt up to come down on the gang leader, but the burnt offender pointed up at him and pulled the trigger. The dog demon howled as the metal slug penetrated the left side of his chest. The sound could be heard miles away.

"INU YASHA!!!" Kagome screamed.

"Oh no!" Miroku managed to spit out in spite of his shock.

Inu Yasha dropped to his knees in front of the gang leader. For a moment, the trigger-happy enemy stood victoriously over the wounded hanyou and intended to fire once more. Just as the creep took aim, Inu Yasha leapt up, caught the thug by the throat and slammed him to the ground. The lethal weapon clattered harmlessly to the ground. Inu Yasha was about to deal the bully a fatal blow when the wail of police sirens came within earshot.

"We have to get out of here!" yelled Kagome, running to Inu Yasha's aid. Miroku glared down at the gun, silently damned it to hell, and then smashed it. Shippo moved to take the dog demon's arm when he noticed the bleeding wound on Inu Yasha's chest.

"We must go! Quickly!" Miroku ordered as he and Kagome helped Inu Yasha to his feet. As they began to walk away from the mall, Inu Yasha gently pushed them away.

"This is nothing!" he winced in pain. "If I can survive Sesshoumaru's arm through me, with poison claws to boot, then I can definitely handle this with no problem!"

"Let's just hurry out of here!" said Kagome. "The police are coming!"

The group hurried out of there and back towards the Higurashi Shrine. But then, along the way, Inu Yasha collapsed to his knees, panting heavily.

"Inu Yasha!" Kagome's voice was burdened with worry. "Are you ok?"

"Ugh!" Inu Yasha clenched his chest where the wound was. "What's wrong with me? Why isn't it healing?"

"The bullet must still be inside you!" Kagome's eyes turned teary. "We have to get it out and fast!"

"I can get it out." said Miroku. "But I'm gonna need you and Shippo to give me a hand."

"What can we do?" asked Shippo.

"Bring him over here." Miroku pointed to a tree in the nearby park. "Grab his arms and hold him still!"

Kagome and Shippo gulped as they peered over at Inu Yasha. He was cringing and clasping the injury tightly. Holding him down would not be an easy task. Reluctantly, they pinned Inu Yasha's arms down as Miroku pulled open the fire rat yukata.
Inu Yasha snarled and growled in agony, baring his long, white fangs. Thanks to the protective robe, the bullet had only punctured the skin and was sitting in plain view just inside the wound. Obviously, the demon blood in the hanyou's veins had naturally tried to mend the torn flesh, but the foreign object had prevented it from doing so.

Miroku carefully and cautiously reached forward to pull the offending ammunition. The second he brushed against it, Inu Yasha screamed.

"THAT HURTS, DAMN IT!" the hanyou roared.

"As do my ears after THAT outburst!" came the houshi's reply.

Then Kagome saw something she had never thought Inu Yasha capable of doing. He was crying. Crying! Even when Sesshoumaru had put his arm through him, Inu Yasha had not shed a single tear. Now, huge, salty tears were streaming down his face as Miroku tried again to remove the bullet from the demon's chest. Kagome could only watch and cringe as the priest slowly and agonizingly pulled the metal slug from Inu Yasha's chest.

Almost immediately, Inu Yasha's injuries began to heal rapidly on their own. After all the noise, they would have to hurry home to escape any unwanted attention. Inu Yasha was still in a lot of pain, but the best place that he could rest and recover completely would be at the shrine. The group made their way back without any more uncomfortable confrontations.

Back at the shrine, Kagome and the others explained what had happened and Inu Yasha was put straight to bed, despite his stubborn protests. It had been a very exhausting day for everyone, and soon enough, everyone had gone to bed.

But there was one person who could not fall asleep. Kagome lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling and the glow in the dark star stickers on it. All she could think about was Inu Yasha, downstairs and struggling to sleep. Quietly, she slipped out of bed and crept downstairs.

Kagome's actions had not gone undetected. As she neared Inu Yasha's futon on the living room floor, his ears perked right up and his nose twitched anxiously.

"Kagome…?" Inu Yasha uttered drowsily.

"Shh…" Kagome hushed him quietly. "I was worried about you, so I came down to see how you're doing."

"Why?" his brow creased.

"Because…" she stuttered. "Because I care about you… and I want to know if you're feeling any better."

"If you mean if my wound has healed up, the answer is almost." Inu Yasha lifted heavy eyelids to look at her.

"But are you feeling better?" she pressed.

"Yeah, I guess so." he answered.

Kagome's soft scent began to fill his sensitive nose. Somehow, Inu Yasha felt comforted by her presence and longed for more. As hard as it was, the dog demon swallowed the huge lump of pride in his throat and asked something he hadn't dared to ask for a very long time.

"Your lap…" he said. "Can I please… rest my head on your lap, Kagome?"

Feeling intensely shocked and compassionate at the same time, Kagome smiled and moved to rest the dog demon's head on her lap. He wasn't nearly in half as bad of a condition as he had been the first time he had asked her to do it, but the soothing scent that radiated from her was teasing him enough to ask again.

"I-I'm sorry…" Inu Yasha slurred.

"For what?" Kagome blinked.

"For being such a jerk." his hoarse voice uttered. "I've been a self-centered, fool-hearty jerk to you for no reason, and I'm sorry for that."

"It's ok, Inu Yasha," Kagome could feel the blush coloring her cheeks. "But tell me something. Why is this coming out now?"

"That girl…" the hanyou forced out. "There have been things I've thought of, things I've wanted to say and to do, that just can't come out into the open or we'll both be in danger!"

"Both of us?" she blinked.

"Yes." he continued. "Kagome, I'm neither a human nor a demon. I'm stuck in the middle, and all that I know is what I'm not. No matter where I go, I'll never be accepted by humans or demons."

"But what does that have to do with me being in danger along with you?" Kagome urged him to continue.

"My thoughts…" Inu Yasha struggled to say what he wanted right. "Kagome?"

"Yes?" she replied.

"Tell me. What do you think of when you're carrying Shippo in your arms?" he asked.

"Shippo?" she responded. "Well,… uh… he's warm, fuzzy, and cute. It's like carrying a little kid and taking care of him. Why do you ask?"

"Did you ever think to yourself-" a lump of fright cut him short.

"Did I ever think what?" Kagome anxiously inquired.

"N-Nevermind." Inu Yasha turned his face away from hers, staring at nothing in the room.

"No!" she demanded. "Finish what you were going to say!"

"I can't!" he gritted his teeth, infuriated he had let out what he had. Inu Yasha tensed so much that he bit his lip, drawing a pin-head sized drop of blood.

"Stop that and tell me what you were going to say!" Kagome urged. "I promise I won't tell anyone!"

Inu Yasha was on the verge of shedding tears again, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. If he told her everything, perhaps he wouldn't cry, but then she might laugh, slap, or even 'O'-word him for thinking such things. That would embarrass him to the limit and he'd certainly go off somewhere to cry alone. Damn this human blood! It made him weak! It gave him… emotions… something most demons don't have.

"I've had dreams…" he forced out. "Where you're holding someone in your arms… and it isn't Shippo…"

Kagome's heart skipped a beat. Things were slowly starting to come together, but she wanted him to finish, just to be sure of it.

"Who is it, then?" she said nervously.

"I didn't know until recently." Inu Yasha replied. "All I know is that she had black hair that shines when the light hits it… and…"

The words refused to come out of his mouth, and so the dog demon twitched his two fluffy white ears to say what his mouth could not. The moment of silence that followed would've made a pin drop sound as loud as cannon firing.

Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing. Inu Yasha dreamt of her? And with a child? Wait a second, that visual description sounded like…

"W-What are you…what are you saying… Inu Yasha?" Kagome tensed as she waited for the answer she had a feeling was coming.

"I don't know how else to say it to you, Kagome." his eyes were starting to water, but he forced the urge to cry a few feet back. "I l-… l--… like y- I… love… you!"

In a split second, Inu Yasha had his arms over his face, shielding it from any blows Kagome might deal him. Kagome was utterly speechless. He said it. He had actually said it! This stubborn, brash, loud and potty-mouthed half demon had just admitted his feelings to her! Where had that tough exterior gone? Had it been Chikara's presence that had crumbled it away?

Kagome felt Inu Yasha tremble in her lap. Gently, she took him by the wrists and pulled his arms away from his face. His eyes were wet, as were the sleeves of his yukata.

"I'm sorry!" he stuttered through clenched teeth. He was still anticipating abuse and was just waiting for that heart-shattering smack or slam of his head to the floor. "I'm sorry! I'm spitting stupidity! I'll shut up now!"

"Inu Yasha." Kagome's voice was soft and soothing as she gently touched his face. The trembling seemed to stop, but Inu Yasha refused to open his eyes. "I've never seen you like this. And if it's really stupidity you're spouting, then why are you crying?"

"Because I'm weak!" he growled.

"That's not true!" she retorted. "You're the strongest person I know!"

"Feh! What do you know?" Inu Yasha sat up, facing away from her. "You were living safe and sound before you were pulled down the well, and you only say that because I've killed nearly every demon we've encountered!"

"You're wrong!" Kagome stated. "What good is a strong body and a demon-killing record behind you if there isn't a strong heart beating in the chest?"

"Where I come from, that's everything!" he answered.

"Inu Yasha, look at me." she said sternly.

"No."

"Turn around and face me, Inu Yasha!"

"That sounds like a challenge!"

"And you're running away from it in case you haven't noticed!"

"I run from no one!"

"Then turn around and look at me!"

Grudgingly, Inu Yasha turned his head and stared at her.

"Turn completely around, so that you don't have to strain your neck!" Kagome ordered. Inu Yasha did as he was told.

"Now I want you to tell me everything." she said.

"About what?"

"About what's on your mind and your feelings."

"Demons don't have feelings!"

"But half-demons do."

Inu Yasha was about to counter that when he realized that he couldn't. At this point, it would be useless to lie to her. He had already confessed that he loved her and that he wanted to… well… eventually have a family, so what else could he possibly lose beyond this point?

"Alright," he sighed, relenting the tough-guy act. "What do you want to know?"

"Why have you been so mean all this time if that's the way you feel about me?" she asked.

"At first, I was afraid of you." Inu Yasha began. "I thought you were Kikyou, but once I realized you and her were two different people, I didn't want you to get close."

"Why?"

"Because I've learned through firsthand experience that if I care for someone, they're going to die."

"That's silly!" Kagome said. "I'm still alive."

"Yeah, but you've had some very close calls!"

"Hey, like you've said before, I'm too stubborn to kill!"

"You don't understand." he continued. "Despite what you've seen and heard, I cared for my mother very much, and she was killed."

"But that's just one incident."

"Let me finish."

"Go ahead." Kagome nodded.

"Then Kikyou showed up." Inu Yasha stared at the floor, knowing that Kagome was uncomfortable when the subject was her past incarnation. "I tried to keep my distance from her, but, the baka that I am, I started to care for her too. Naraku took care of her."

"I see…" Kagome joined Inu Yasha at staring at the floor.

"But there's another reason I didn't want to get close." He reluctantly proceeded.

"What is it?" she looked up at him.

"My parents died because of their feelings towards one another, and I was lucky to survive the onslaught that eventually followed." He paused, struggling to make what he had to say come out as subtle as possible. "If my feelings for you were ever made public knowledge, every demon in existence would hunt us down and kill us, and I don't want to lose you too, Kagome."

It made sense. Inu Yasha had lived a miserable existence as a result of his heritage and he didn't want her to get involved. He had pushed her away to keep her out of harm's way, although searching for the shards wasn't much safer.

"One more thing, Inu Yasha." Kagome tried to hide a yawn that was creeping up on her. "What do you think of… Chikara, our… you know…"

"I…" he blushed. "I don't know what to make of her. I mean, it's not possible, but… the proof is right there in front of me and…"

"And…" Kagome repeated.

"And… well,… I…" Inu Yasha could only gaze at Kagome, his eyes reflecting worry and affection at the same time. "Now everyone knows that we're going to… uh… how can I put this?"

"Get together?" she blushed.

"I guess you could put it that way." he replied. "Now that they know, you and I are already in danger."

"But our friends are the only ones that know!" Kagome blinked.

"How do you know that while we were talking in the Sengoku Jidai one of Naraku's lackies or Jaken wasn't listening in on us? All it's going to take is for one of them to know in order for the news to spread and the trouble to start!"

"I see…" Kagome stared at the floor again.

"Listen," said Inu Yasha. "We're both tired, but before you go back to bed, you must swear to me that none of this conversation will go beyond you and me. Swear it!"

"I promise, Inu Yasha." Kagome nodded. "This is just between you and me."

"One more thing." he continued. "No matter what happens, we must act as though this conversation never took place, or people might get suspicious, understand?"

"Yes." Kagome replied.

"Good." He yawned. "Now let's get some sleep!"

Inu Yasha curled up on his futon and was soon fast asleep, hugging the sheathed Tetsusaiga as though it was a teddy bear. Kagome smiled and returned to bed.

Outside the partially open window, a familiar shi-bun-youkai with silvery black hair sat smiling satisfactorily. She put her hands together and looked towards the midnight skies.

"Domo arigatou, Kami-sama!" she laughed inwardly. "It's about time!"


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How am I doing so far? Was this chapter too mushy? Not mushy enough? Either way, I'm sure most of you are looking forward to reading about them going to the States. That'll be in the next chapter, I promise!