InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Colors of Life ❯ Fight in the Park ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer- I do not own InuYasha or any of the original characters; they are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation for personal and shared enjoyment of true InuYasha fans that I hope is up to the quality of the real series. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Translation notes- (remember, spelling is questionable)

Temme = one epithet Inu uses often meaning "you" in a contemptible or derogatory way

Ahou-ja = you moron

Sankontessou = soul shattering iron claw

Okairi = welcome back

Baka = idiot

Chapter 3: Fight in the Park

The long piece of paper kept wanting to roll up, so Souta anchored it down with a shoe and a baseball mitt on the floor, it's inviting length churning his imagination. He grabbed his crayons and lay down in front of it. Reaching for the brown, he started to draw.

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

Kagome stood staring in amazement at InuYasha challenging the huge hairy creature…in her neighborhood park! `How did he know?'

The beast turned to face the hanyou directly and scoffed loudly, "HA HA HA, AND WHO ARE YOU?"

InuYasha leapt to stand on top of an historic statue and proudly stated, "I am the Mighty InuYasha!" He raised his sword over his head and posed with his chest puffed up.

Disbelief raced across Kagome's face. `What the…'

Arms waving and tail lashing, the hulking brute continued to laugh unconcernedly, "HA HA HA! THEN YOU'LL BE NEXT IN MY BELLY, YOU DIRTY RAT!!" With that, it raised one screaming child toward its gaping maw.

InuYasha rushed forward blindingly fast and swiped the targeted arm with his free hand, claws spread wide, "Sankontessou!" The severed arm fell empty, the child plucked from harm as InuYasha sped past.

He gently set the crying girl down and spun to face the bellowing monster. InuYasha sheathed his sword and leapt at the creature again, aiming for the other child-burdened arm. "Sankontessou!!" and another child is timely rescued.

"HOW DARE YOU COME BETWEEN ME AND MY MEAL!" The thrashing tail knocks over a drinking fountain and the two remaining arms start to pound the ground as the beast roars its frustration. "AARRRRGGGGGGGG!!"

InuYasha's sword is back in his hand as he faces the creature once more. "I'll teach you to pick on little kids, you Big Bully!"

The hairy brute lumbered forward and swings at the boastful hanyou, and in a flash of silver and red, another arm lies severed on the ground. The serpentine tail lashes out and plucks InuYasha off the ground as he lands, wrapped tightly and raised up high, it flings him forcibly through the air, slamming into the side of the stone-walled park bathroom.

Kagome gasped. "InuYasha!" she shouted in spite of herself. She took a step forward then stopped as the fallen hanyou moved to stand. She sighed in relief, her heart pounding.

"Temme…" InuYasha snarled, "Game Over!" He took a few running steps and leapt into the air above the bleeding creature, both hands curled around the sword's handle, magic currents forming and twisting along the blade. He swung the sword sweepingly downward "Kaze no Kizu!" A wave of energy emerged in the wake of the blade's path and spread outward to envelop the now cowering beast, its remaining arm covering its terrified eyes. Its dying scream cut short by a bright flash…and all that remains is a drifting pile of dust that the breeze begins to disperse.

Kagome runs over to him, thankful that the danger was over but with questions on her lips. She stops next to him and looks for any damage, hands clenching with a need she denies herself. "InuYasha, are you alright?"

He stands there with Tessusaiga propped casually over his shoulder and a smug look on his face. InuYasha nods in satisfaction, sheaths the sword and turns to walk away.

Surprised at his lack of answer, she follows. "InuYasha, wait" She reaches for his shoulder, "InuYasha…?" Just as her hand touches cloth and the warm flesh and bone beneath it… it's gone. Disappeared. Kagome stops, blinking her disbelieving eyes. She looks around desperately. The gushing water from the broken fountain…the ever shrinking pile of dust…the small huddle of crying children…the rather large cracks in the stone building…and InuYasha's footprints in the dirt that just…stop.

`What is going on?'

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

Souta dropped the red crayon back into its box and sat up to admire his work. He smiled and closed the box to put it away. Eyeing the still blank part of the paper he thought, `I'll have to think of more.' He picked up the mitt and shoe and watched the paper regain its curled state with amusement.

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

A noise halted the urgent conversation around the cook fire and Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kaede turned towards its source.

InuYasha stood confused in the doorway of Kaede's hut, its occupants startled shouts making no sense coming from four raised voices at once as they gathered around him in concern, until Kaede's voice rose higher to demand an overall silence. "InuYasha…" His eyes blinked a few times then focused on her face. "…I…" He suddenly shook himself and took a deep breath.

Kaede peered myopically at his strained face. "What happened to thee?"

He looked down at the dust on his clothes and smelled the ichor under his claws. "I…" His gaze went to Kaede's questioning one, "I think…I just fought a monster…" He frowned in concentration, "…I'm not sure, it's…it seems like a dream." He flexed slightly sore shoulders.

She shared a look with the others and turned back to InuYasha. "Can ye remember ought else?" She waited with more patience than the others.

He thought hard through the haze in his mind, "There were children…screaming…"

Sango gasped and the small Kirara squeaked in her tightened embrace. Miroku placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "And…?" he prompted. Shippo, fluffy tail twitching, scrambled up onto the Monk's shoulder, the better to see.

InuYasha frowned harder, "…It was trying to…eat them." His frown faded, a satisfied smirk taking its place, "I defeated it." He crossed his arms and pushed past them to sit cross-legged near the fire.

Miroku and Sango stared after InuYasha with identical expressions long suffering disgust. Shippo muttered "Ahou-ja…" before jumping down and going back to where he had been sitting before.

Kaede was more thoughtful and still puzzled as she approached the smug hanyou. "But InuYasha, where was it and how did ye get there?" She stood next to him, watching his face as he looked for the answer.

Finally he shrugged, "What does it matter? I won and that's all that counts." He re-crossed his arms and assumed an aloof expression.

Her disgust matched the others' at last. "Have ye no curiosity on the how of your disappearance and reappearance?"

He didn't look so smug, as they waited for a response. An idea occurred to him just before he opened his mouth. He pulled his sword in its sheath from his belt and held it up. "Maybe Tessusaiga brought me there to fight that creature and brought me back after I…won." His declarative statement was unconvincing, even to himself, and he slid the sword and sheath back in his belt. He tried to brazen it out by looking confidant in the face of the other's incredulous disbelief. Stunned silence was his reward and he re-crossed his arms to sit proudly.

"……Ahou-ja!"

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

Kagome slammed through the front door. "I'm home!" she sang out. Her mother stepped into the entryway, drying her hands on her apron as Kagome slipped her shoes off. She smiled at her out-of-breath daughter, "Okaidi Kagome. How did your day go?"

The teenager toed off her second shoe as her shoulders slumped in weariness. "Not good, I think, Mama." She straightened and looked at her mother in frustration. "I spend so much time in the past, you would think History wouldn't be so difficult." `…The past…' She quickly headed for the stairs, "Mama, are the replacement bandages in the cupboard and do you think we still have some ramen? I don't have time to go to the store."

She was halfway up before her mother responded. "Yes and yes…but Kagome, I thought you weren't going back until tomorrow? Don't you have a test?" Her hands twisted in her apron and a concerned frown marred her brow.

Kagome didn't stop her progress and answered back, "Plans have changed!" She charged up the stairs and stepped into her room while slipping her pack off, almost tripping on the pile of things she had dumped out just this morning. `That will never do…' This time she dumped her pack out onto the bed, gathered up her school things and stacked them neatly on her desk. She turned and sat on the floor to sift through the mess, finding the things she needed to take with her and setting aside the things she didn't. Pushing, guiltily, the small pile of unnecessary things under her bed `I'll take care of those when I get back,' she stood up with her freshly re-filled pack and dashed back out of her room.

Souta was there by his door, looking rumpled in his pajamas and hair sticking out every-which-way. "Neisan…" His smile slowly faded, "You're leaving again?" He followed her to the stairs, "But you just got home!" His disappointment was clear.

She turned at the top of the stairs and ruffled his messy hair some more. "Sorry, squirt. I gotta go." Kagome went swiftly down the stairs and headed to the kitchen to get the rest of her supplies.

Souta stood staring after her and wiped his drippy nose on his abused sleeve. `Neisan…you promised…' He sighed and trudged back to his bed.

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

InuYasha stomped out of the hut impatiently, tired of the endless questioning. He better get out of there before he said or did something everyone would regret. `How can I tell them something I don't know?' He kicked a pebble out of his path, "Keh!" He strode to the edge of the village, passing a few of the inhabitants who gave him a wide berth. Most were used to him being about, but anyone with any sense would avoid the distempered hanyou when he wore his anger so visibly.

He stood looking out over the fields and nearby hills with his hands hidden in his sleeves. `This being around others all the time is difficult' He watched a group of birds fly up into the sky and stared at the pure white clouds until his eyes hurt. He squinted and forced himself to focus on the depthless sky. `What did happen?' He sighed deeply, and felt his restlessness ease. He bowed his head and closed his strained eyes as his thoughts turned inward. `I have no idea how I got there or how I returned…' He frowned, `…could it have been a dream?' He remembered the dust, the smells and the familiar aches… `No. It was definitely real. How then?' His eyes opened as anger began to grow anew. `And who?' He took another deep breath and blew it out sharply, his yellow gaze scanning all around for some hidden foe. `…Wait…' He inhaled with purpose this time, a faint smile crossing his face, `…yes…' He turned and headed for the Bone Eater's Well, his anger forgotten. "Kagome."

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

"He better have a good explanation…" Kagome grunted as she pulled herself over the edge of the old well. She sighed and sat on the rim, tossing her pack to the ground. She blew her bangs out of her eyes and thought about the park… `How did he disappear like that?' She bit her lower lip in worry, `but more importantly…why did he ignore me? Is he mad at me?' She sighed again and tilted her head back, looking at nothing, `…and how did he know I needed him?'

She bent down to pick up her pack and when she straightened, he was there…rushing toward her out of the trees. Her heart started to race and her face felt hot, `…every time…every time I see him…' She stood up just as he reached her and composed herself before speaking.

"InuYa--"

"Kagom--"

They both stopped in confusion. Kagome was quicker to regain her wits, "InuYasha, are you alright?"

Puzzled, he stared at her…"That should be my line. You're a day early. Is something wrong?"

Her mouth fell open in amazement. "Something wrong?!?" Anger began to build, "You come to my time…fight in public… you Ignore Me?!?!" She raised her hand and poked him in the chest with an accusing finger, "And you ask me if something is WRONG?!?!!"

It was his turn to be amazed, his eyes growing huge, `What the…' He grabbed the hand that was still poking him, "Kagome, how did you know?"

Shock and anger took over and she yanked her hand out of his grasp. "HOW??" He backed up in the face of her fury, "HOW??" She stepped forward for every one he took back, her pack forgotten on the ground. "Are you STUPID?? I was RIGHT THERE!!!" He raised his hands in front of him instinctively as she continued to fume. "…And You IGNORED Me!"

He said the only thing that came to his mind, "I did?"

"…BAKA!!!" She screamed and pushed past him to head towards the village. At the edge of the trees she turned back, "BAAAAKA!!" She spun around and went into the trees and out of view.

InuYasha stood there, confusion and relief vying for supremacy. `At lest she didn't sit me.' He went back to the well to retrieve her backpack, slinging it over his shoulder and debated on giving her more time to cool off before trying to talk to her again. `So that's where I was…and Kagome was there too?' He frowned, `Why didn't I see her?' He shifted the pack more comfortably and slowly walked in the direction Kagome took, `Not possible, even if I couldn't see her…' He inhaled deeply, senses alive, `…I would smell her.' He entered the forest, deep in thought.