InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Difference a Little Time Can Make ❯ Chapter 25 ( Chapter 25 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. I am not making any money from this story.

 

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. Please continue to review and let me know what you think. The changes from canon will continue to ripple out, thought some things will remain the same.

 

Well most of you easily guessed who the monk was. It was Miroku's grandfather, though I can see how you could think it would be his father. More will be mentioned later, when Miroku finally enters the story. Thanks to everyone who wished me a good vacation, I'm having a great time catching up with relatives and friends I haven't seen in a while. Also managed to catch up on my reading. If you're looking for good Inuyasha fanfiction I definitely recommend anything by SplendentGoddess on MediaMiner.org.

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Inuyasha sat in the branches of the Goshinboku as he contemplated the events of the last month and a half. The time away from the village had indeed allowed tempers to cool as the villagers appeared to be more welcoming of them. But that might have more to do with what had happened since they returned.

 

They had returned to Kaede's village a few days after recovering Kikyou's remains. They were just in time for Inuyasha to defeat a youkai that was attacking the fields. Inuyasha had easily dispatched it with the Tessaiga. The villagers had been wary but thankful for his aid. And then they had learned that he had helped Kaede recover the stolen remains of Kikyou, who was still honored and loved by the villages fifty years after her death. The villagers warmed up to them immediately. This time there had been no complaints about allowing him to remain in the village.

 

Inuyasha was unused to being so accepted in a human village, it had never before happened. It put him on edge and he was unsure of how to act, so he had kept his distance at first. Remembering what had happened in the other village, he had attempted to keep his distance and not touch Kagome as often as he was used to. But that resolve did not last as she would come up to him and grab his hand or hug him, or any other minor contact that he was sure would set the villagers off. But though there were some raised eyebrows and a furtive whisper or two, the villagers seemed to take it in stride. When he saw that the villagers were not going to turn on them for the contact he began to relax.

 

He reflected that part of their acceptance might also be because he helped ease their workload. As he had relaxed, he had begun to pitch in by doing things like making sure Kaede had enough firewood. He was able to bring down a tree and slice it into pieces in a fraction of the time it took the village men, and often had far more than Kaede needed. So he had taken to dumping the excess where the rest of the village could easily access it. Several villagers, such as the widows or the elderly, who could not easily gather their own had thanked him for his actions. The first time it happened he had been taken aback, not knowing what to say and had spent a few hours up a tree pondering it. But as it continued he had felt a kind of peace settle over him. He began to help out more around the village, things like heavy lifting were easy for him to do and he found he was being accepted further. It created an oddly warm feeling inside, knowing that for the first time in his life he was tolerated, maybe even accepted.

 

But the best part of the situation was Kagome. She had renewed her training with Kaede and often helped her with tasks throughout the village. Her kind and gentle personality had quickly warmed the villagers' attitudes. When he crossed paths with her during the day, she would bestow upon him a brilliant smile as she saw him helping others. He could tell that it made her happy when he helped others and he could admit to himself that he liked the feeling it caused inside as well.

 

But they continued to stay with Kaede in her hut at night. He would sit up against the wall of the hut, Tessaiga propped against his shoulder, while Kagome would lay on a futon, her head resting a few inches from his leg. Their relationship had not progressed any further as Inuyasha was unsure of how the villagers would react. He liked the feeling of acceptance he had gained and was wary of losing it.

 

He sighed as he attempted to turn his thoughts to other matters. There had been a few youkai attacks in the last few weeks, though Inuyasha had easily been able to defeat them. It was another thing that led to his acceptance by the villagers. Though, one or two of them had made some grumbles about it possibly being his fault. He had taken to running through the forest at least once a day to make sure that there weren't any dangerous youkai around that would attack the village. It also had the benefit of giving him time to himself away from the village as he would still occasionally become uncomfortable around so many people.

 

He smirked as he recalled the last new moon. Kagome had even used it as an excuse for their disappearance.

 

Flashback

 

Inuyasha grumbled as he watched the sun cross the sky. In a short time, it would set completely. Already he could feel his powers beginning to wane. He had been irritable all day. 'Can't believe I lost track of time' he thought as he cursed himself for not realizing that the night of the new moon was approaching. He wasn't sure what he should do, he didn't want the whole village to know his secret but he couldn't just take off and leave Kagome alone, could he? He had been trying to decide what to do all day and was still no closer to an answer. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even realize that Kagome had approached him until she spoke.

 

“Alright Inuyasha. Let's go.”

 

He turned to face her and was surprised to see that she had her bag with her in addition to her bow and arrows. “What?” he asked her.

 

She smiled at him. “Come on. The sun will set in an hour or less and we should be gone before then.” At his wide eyes her smile grew. “I do remember what tonight is. I figured that you don't want anyone else to know so let's go.”

 

He was touched by her concern for him. Then a thought occurred to him. “Oi. How are you going to explain our leaving?” He worried that the villagers would be able to tell, somehow.

 

“Simple. I told Kaede-sama that you were feeling restless, not used to being cooped up in a village for so long. So we are going to camp out in the forest for a few days. It was real easy to convince her with how irritable you've been today. I think the villagers will be relieved to have a break from your temper for a few days” she teased him lightly as she smiled to show that she was just joking.

 

“Keh.” He folded his arms. “So where do you plan to go?”

 

“There's a cave near the hot springs. I already checked it out when I bathed there the other day. It should be safe enough and is easily defensible. Plus, we're close enough to the village if anything happens.”

 

“Keh. You just want another bath” he teased her before allowing her to climb onto his back and heading for the cave she indicated. They made it with time to spare and settled in for the night.

 

End flashback

 

He had been touched when she insisted on staying awake all night with him. Once the sun had risen and his youkai blood returned, she had smiled at him before promptly falling asleep. It had been the best new moon he had ever experienced. They had stayed there for the rest of the day, and he had teased her when she had gone and taken a bath after all, returning to the village the next day. He had heard the villagers remark about how his mood had seemed to improve, hence his daily runs through the forest. He hated to admit it, but he was almost looking forward to the upcoming new moon for the chance to again be alone with Kagome.

 

Shaking his head to clear it, he leaped out of the Goshinboku and began to head back to the village. It was nearly time for the midday meal and he didn't want to miss the chance to spend time with Kagome.

 

He was nearly there when a foul stench reached him at almost the same time as the screams. He had started running immediately and felt his heart lurch inside his chest when he recognized Kagome's voice. He increased his speed, leaping over a few villager women who were running away from the area.

 

As he neared the area his keen eyes caught sight of a twenty-foot oni tearing up the area and swinging a large club. Several empty huts had already been demolished. He spotted Kagome standing to the side, preparing to fire an arrow.

 

Kagome held her ground as the oni came closer to her position. She can sense that Inuyasha was nearby but was unsure if he would make it before someone got hurt. Aiming carefully, she released her arrow. 'Please hit' she prayed silently. It did, impacting on the left arm of the oni, her purifying powers disintegrating the limb.

 

“ARGH!” The oni roared in pain and turned to face the direction the arrow had come from. He spotted Kagome reaching for another arrow. “YOU!” it yelled and lunged towards her, swinging it's club.

 

Kagome saw it coming and knew that she wouldn't be able to make another shot in time. She turned to run but tripped over a forgotten basket as her ankle twisted painfully. She shut her eyes, bracing for the pain only to feel strong arms wrap around her body and carry her away. She opened her eyes and saw the expected red covered chest as Inuyasha leaped out of the reach of the oni.

 

“You alright?” he asked as he moved to set her down, eyes searching for non-existent wounds.

 

Her ankle gave a painful twinge as she stood but she ignored it as she shifted her weight to her other leg. “I'm fine. Thanks to you” she told him.

 

“Good. Wait here” he said and turned to face the oni. Growling, he unsheathed the Tessaiga. “Bastard! What the hell do you want?!”

 

It looked at him and laughed. “A hanyou. What do you think a weakling like you can do to me?”

 

Inuyasha growled louder. “I'm going to make you regret deciding to come to this village for what's left of your short life.”

 

It laughed louder. “Funny. But if you're here then that must be the right girl. After I kill you, I'll have fun ripping her apart.” He lunged forward, swinging his club.

 

Inuyasha snarled and met him with the Tessaiga, blocking the club's swing. “Bastard! What the hell do you want with Kagome?!” He was enraged as he shoved the club away to land a glancing blow against the oni's chest.

 

The oni grunted as it fell back. “Baboon-man promised big reward for her death. Promised big land with lots of prey. Wants her dead, so I'm gonna kill her.” He swung the club again.

 

Inuyasha saw red as he swung the Tessaiga, cleaving the club in half. “You won't touch her!” he roared at the surprised oni before slicing his head from his shoulders. He stood there growling as he fought the urge to tear it's body to shreds. A hand gently touched his shoulder and he turned to see Kagome before she threw herself against his chest.

 

“It's okay Inuyasha, I'm alright. He can't hurt me now. You beat him.” As her words broke through the haze in his mind, he began to calm and became aware of the way his hands were clenched, claws digging into the palms of his hands. He forced himself to relax and unclench them as he wrapped his arms around Kagome, breathing in her calming scent and reassuring himself that she was alright. His ears twitched and he reluctantly stepped back from her as he turned to see Kaede and some of the village men approaching.

 

“Inuyasha, Kagome” Kaede greeted as she approached. “Are you alright?”

 

“We're fine Kaede-sama” Kagome said as she moved to greet the older woman. But as she took a step forward her ankle gave out on her and she would have fallen if not for Inuyasha's fast actions.

 

“Baka! You're hurt” he exclaimed as he lifted her into his arms.

 

“I'm fine. I just twisted my ankle is all.”

 

“Keh.” He didn't sound convinced.

 

“Take her back to my hut. We'll clean up here” Kaede told him and he quickly complied.

 

Upon reaching the hut he set her down on her futon and eased her shoe off her foot while rolling up the leg of her hakama. He hissed at seeing how swollen her ankle looked. “Wait here and don't move” he ordered as he left the hut to collect a bucket of water. He returned and began to apply a cold compress to her ankle.

 

Kagome felt herself blush at how gentle he was being. She was touched that he was being so careful and conscientious in taking care of her. She saw the look of concentration on his face as he carefully wrapped her ankle. “It's okay Inuyasha. I'm fine.”

His eyes snapped up to fix her with a glare. She was taken aback at the fierce look on his face, the intensity of his eyes. “It's not alright. You could have been killed, Bitch!”

 

She felt herself begin to grow angry. He had been so gentle and sweet one moment and the next he was yelling at her and calling her that disgusting name. She knew he only yelled because he had been worried but that didn't explain why he called her that name. “Why do you insist on calling me that vile name?!” She yelled back as she shoved him away. But she couldn't help the flash of surprise she felt when she saw him lower his ears and the glimpse of hurt on his face before he turned away.

 

'She doesn't want me to call her bitch?' Inuyasha lowered his ears and looked away. 'I thought things were good between us. She's never had a problem touching me or kissing me. Is it just the thought of going beyond that that she doesn't like?' He quickly turned his back so she wouldn't see how hurt he was by her words. “Fine” he muttered gruffly. “I won't call you that anymore if it disgusts you so much.” He made to leave but stopped as he felt her hand take hold of his.

 

Kagome was now really confused. She knew she was missing something vital in that exchange. Why else would he look and sound so hurt when she asked him not to call her a bitch? Seeing him about to leave she panicked and grabbed his hand. “Inuyasha?” He stopped but made no move to turn around. “Inuyasha, please look at me.” He slowly turned around and Kagome was taken aback by the look of confused misery on his face. “I'm sorry I yelled.”

“Keh” he said as he crossed his arms and looked away as he sat on the floor a few feet from her.

 

She bit her lip trying to decide the right way to ask her question before deciding to just be straight-forward. “I think there might have been a misunderstanding.” She was encouraged when she saw his ears twitch in her direction so she gathered her courage to ask her question. “What do you mean when you call me a bitch?” She sat back and waited for his answer.

 

Inuyasha frowned at her question and turned to face her. “What do you mean 'what do I mean'? It should be obvious.” As far as he was concerned the word only had one meaning, so why was she asking that.

 

She nodded her head slowly at his answer. “I think we might be thinking of two different things when you call me that.” He only looked even more confused, so she sighed. “In my time calling someone a bitch is an insult. It means that a woman is bad-tempered, malicious and spiteful. It could also refer to loose woman or a whore.” Watching his face she felt relieved to realize that that neither of those were the meaning he had been using in reference to her.

 

Inuyasha gazed at her in horror. How could the people in time use a word as special as 'bitch' to refer to something so wrong? His ears flattened against his head as he realized that she thought he had been calling her...that! “No!” he burst out suddenly, appalled. “I never meant anything like that!” he hastened to assure her. At her assurance that she realized that now he relaxed before blushing as he tried to figure out how to explain what he meant.

 

Kagome quickly spotted his difficulty and decided to make it easy for him. “It's okay, Inuyasha. As long as I know that that wasn't what you meant, then you don't have to explain.”

 

He quickly interrupted her, though he was touched by her consideration. “No, it's okay.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “Look, I'm half inu youkai.” At her nod he continued. “So that means that I have a lot of inu instincts. For an inu, bitch means something special. A bitch is a mature female that you are close to and care deeply about. It usually refers to one that you want to become your mate, if they aren't already.” His face was now redder than his haori and he refused to look at her.

 

Kagome had also begun to blush as she listened to his explanation. 'Oh' she thought. 'So he wants me to be his...' she blushed even further at that thought. And though she was nervous, she found that she didn't mind the idea. She glanced at him and saw the way he was fidgeting and realized how uncomfortable the silence was making him. “Okay” she said finally.

 

He turned to look at her in confusion. 'What does she mean by okay?'

 

She blushed again. “Thank you for telling me what it means.” She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat before continuing. “You can call me a bitch if you want.” She blushed again and looked away.

 

Inuyasha stared at her in shock. 'Did she really just?' His expression softened and he reached out and pulled her into a strong embrace. They sat there for a few moments before he released her. He opened his mouth to say something else when his ears alerted him to approaching footsteps. So he settled for giving her a brief smile before moving back a bit as Kaede entered the hut.

 

Kaede realized that she was interrupting something but didn't know what. She made no comment as she quickly checked Kagome's ankle before praising Inuyasha for a good job. “It should be fine by morning” she told them before facing the two with a serious look. “Now, I think we need to have a discussion.”

 

Kagome and Inuyasha both tensed at her words, knowing that what was about to be said would be important.

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I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. That discussion between Inuyasha and Kagome has been planned out for a while, though I thought it would have been seen a lot sooner than this. Well, you can't argue with the muses. Sorry for ending it on a mini-cliffhanger but I thought it was the best stopping place. I'll try to have the next chapter out soon.