Free Web Hosting Provider - Web Hosting - E-commerce - High Speed Internet - Free Web Page
Search the Web

Chapter 21: Unwelcome Arrival

"There you are!"

Kagome jumped around, startled, nearly tripping over a root at the edge of Inuyasha's Forest. The half-demon himself dropped out of a tree almost on top of her, scaring the daylights out of her. It caused her to lose her balance when she nearly ran into him as he suddenly appeared in front of her.

Inuyasha caught her before she overbalanced too far, pulling her back upright. "Whoops," he mumbled. "Clumsy girl."

"You scared me! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Kagome accused, trying to calm her pounding heart. So familiar was she with his warm aura that she hadn't paid attention to his approach, and was thus caught off-guard when he appeared.

"I wasn't sneaking," Inuyasha retorted, not quite as gruff as usual. "Where were you?"

"Talking to Shirokiba."

Inuyasha's brows dropped a fraction, almost looking suspicious--or jealous. "About what?"

"Just some things," Kagome replied, praying he wouldn't pry.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, but he shrugged it off. "Fine, whatever. Don't disappear on me, girl. Ginnezu's stalking around in a weird mood. It's spooky."

Was he actually being concerned for her safety? Kagome watched him for a while before some of Shirokiba's words came back to her, making her frown slightly. Should I try a bit of it now? Ginnezu's out and about, and I could practice...just a little. Just to see what happens.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, averting her eyes from his face. "Shirokiba just wanted to ask me some things before I left."

She watched him shift his weight; she could almost feel him cock his head slightly. "I said it's fine. Let's go back."

"Okay." Obediently, Kagome followed Inuyasha across the fields. She watched the back of his head, seeing one of his ears turned a little back toward her as though he'd become suspicious of her walking behind him. What did Shirokiba say? Demure, obey, no eye contact, submissive, she repeated to herself, wondering how her initial foray into that territory had gone over with him. He didn't seem to have noticed.

Kagome saw that he'd dropped his pace and was drawing alongside her, so she turned her eyes to the path in front of her, lowering her head a bit. She could feel his gaze on her as he watched her from the corner of his eye; she could tell he thought something was up.

"Are you okay?" she asked, feeling an incredible need to break the silent tension. "I mean...after last night...?"

In the corner of her eye, she saw him redden. "Oh...uh, yeah. Just a...a bad dream. I...thanks for...for being there."

"I was glad to help," Kagome replied, her tone quiet. "It wasn't any trouble."

"Did Shirokiba want to talk about that?" he asked, his voice growing just a bit surly.

"Only a little," she responded truthfully.

"What did he tell you?"

Kagome had to resist a strong urge to look at his face, to read his expression, but she settled for deciphering his tone of voice and kept her eyes down on the path. "Just some things about your time with him."

"How much?"

She debated how much of the truth to give him, if any at all. "He said you'd been hurt when you were little. He said it was bad, and you still have nightmares sometimes. I'm sorry..."

Inuyasha snorted. "Don't be. It was a long time ago."

"Oh."

They went on to Kaede's hut in silence. Kagome could still tell that Inuyasha was watching her, his eyes narrowed as though suspicious of her. But he seemed more puzzled than anything else, as if there was something different about her that he couldn't quite put his claw on.

Later that afternoon, Inuyasha carried Kagome's pack for her as he and the schoolgirl headed for the Bone-Eater's Well. Kagome had packed all her things and said goodbye to the others--including Ginnezu, to whom she gave a secretive smile and received only an expressionless glare in return.

"This is quite a switch," Kagome commented as she trotted along behind Inuyasha. "Usually you're the one chasing me as I run to the well with my stuff."

Inuyasha snorted.

"It's nice to do it this way, though," she continued pleasantly. "We can part on better terms than an argument, and it's nice not to have to say you-know-what."

They approached the well. Inuyasha made as if to jump in, but Kagome stepped forward. "Wait a second. I need to talk to you for a minute. When do you want me back?"

Inuyasha set her pack down, thought for a minute, and shrugged. "Whenever you come," he said, his voice a little odd.

Kagome realized she'd forgotten to avert her eyes, so she dropped her gaze and fiddled with the straps on top of her backpack. What if...I do what he wants instead? What would he do then? "I can come back to visit for a little while after school, if you want," she offered. "When do you want to go on another shard hunt?"

Inuyasha cocked his head to look at her strangely again. "I want to go now, but--"

"Okay, let's go."

The dog-demon nearly fell over, staring at the schoolgirl standing near the well, fanged jaw slack. "Wh--why now? I thought you were--?"

Kagome shrugged shyly. "You said you wanted to."

Inuyasha's eyes seemed ready to pop out. "You--because I--?" He swallowed. "Who are you and what have you done with Kagome?"

She giggled. It was actually funny, the way he'd reacted to her acquiesence. "Nothing! I'm still me, silly."

"Then why are you acting strange?"

"Strange?"

"You actually want to go after a shard even though I'm letting you go home? You've been being weird all day. And you won't..." The dog-demon stepped a bit closer. "Kagome."

"Hm?" Her eyes flicked up briefly before dropping again.

"Kagome," Inuyasha repeated, a little more forcefully.

"What?" Still her eyes did not meet his; she was proud of herself for resisting her reflex. However, she was more than shocked when his clawed hand touched her cheek firmly, pulling her gaze up to his.

"Look at me! What's the matter with you?"

Finally, she looked into his eyes--he had come very close to her, one hand on her cheek. "I...I..."

"Don't hide your eyes from me," he said softly, his expression focused, intense, and a bit concerned as he released her. "I want to see your face when you talk to me. Why are you...?"

"I don't know," Kagome said, just a bit breathless. He was so close...

Inuyasha gazed at her for a minute, then seemed to shake himself and stepped back. "How long are you going to be?" he grumbled, covering his ruffled feathers with his customary gruff facade.

"How long...?"

"How much time do you need?"

"You're asking me?" Her eyes were wide with astonishment once more. "You've never asked me..."

"If you need time," Inuyasha said, "I suppose I can occupy myself with locating more shards for us to find when you return."

"I...I guess a week. Two weeks, tops," Kagome replied reluctantly. "I need to study but I can come during afternoons if you want--"

"Don't bother," he barked, taking her pack from her. "Get done what you need to get done. Then I can have your undivided attention."

"Yes, sir," Kagome replied smartly, hiding a smile. Her tone earned an odd look from him.

"Just get on," the half-demon grumped, crouching. "I'll take you through."

After Inuyasha and Kagome disappeared through the well, Ginnezu dropped out of a tree and peered into the hole, perplexed. Curious, she hopped in, landing easily and looking around for any signs of a secret door or some other passageway. There was nothing; not a door, nor a portal, nor even a teleportation scroll or a warping seal.

Damn. How did he do that? Ginnezu wondered. Was it him? Or was it the girl's power? How could he just vanish like that? It's just like before... Growling softly to herself, she leaped out of the well and headed off to contemplate this new mystery.

The hunter paused among the trees, stopping as though he'd hit a wall. He took deep breaths and tested the air carefully, expression intense. He sniffed briefly near a sapling, then a bush a few yards away. His nose wrinkled as he rumbled softly.

Feh. Inuyasha's territory, this part of the woods, he thought with a disgusted snort. Stupid dog-turd thinks he can hold a whole part of a forest. But at least I know I'm in the right place.

The hunter silently went on his way, leaving no trace. However, he avoided the invisible barrier of the scent-marks, traversing the "line" until he could find a place where the border turned in his intended direction once more. His speed made that a short venture, and once again he was on his way.

Inuyasha was depressed when he trundled out of the woods after escorting Kagome home. He wandered into the village like a lost soul, grumbling to himself. Shirokiba noticed his downcast mood right away, and immediately tried to cheer him up.

"Say, mutt, why the long face?" the older demon said with a cheerful cock of his head, striding alongside his friend. "It's a nice afternoon--you feel like hunting?"

"No."

"Aw, come on. You used to love it when you and I went out and coursed a buck or two. Aren't you hungry?"

"No."

"Kid, you need--"

"Would you just shut up? Stop being so damn cheerful." Inuyasha hopped up to Kaede's roof--where Ginnezu was conspicuously absent--and flopped down to mope.

Shirokiba sighed and plopped down beside him. "I give up."

"So get lost."

"What's with the attitude?"

"My life sucks."

"And that's because...?"

"It just does."

"My, my, are you in a funk."

"Deal with it."

"Sometimes you're so depressive you make me moody, mutt."

"Piss off."

Shirokiba abruptly turned and cuffed Inuyasha in the head, nearly tumbling him down the incline of the roof. "Snap out of it, you petulant little puppy!" he barked while the half-demon stared at him, shocked. "She's not dead and she's not gone forever, so pull yourself together and quit taking your loneliness out on everybody else! Act like a man for once instead of a whining cub!"

Inuyasha rubbed his head and gave his friend a surly glare. "That is not the reason I'm sulking!"

"Well then, what the hell is it?"

The half-demon opened his mouth, blinked, shut it, then opened it again. This time he blinked twice before clicking his fangs shut once more.

"I told you so," Shirokiba rumbled smugly.

"Damn." The dog-demon turned away from his friend, trying to shift the focus of the conversation away from his embarassingly obvious longing for Kagome's presence. "You were talking to Kagome about me this morning."

"Uh...yeah." And I am one dead wolf-dog if she gave in and told him what I said!

"What about me?"

Whew. "Just...a bit of general stuff."

"That's what she said." Inuyasha fixed Shirokiba with another glare. "Don't talk to her about me. Don't tell her anything."

"I already did."

"Dammit, Shirokiba, don't tell her any more!" Inuyasha exploded, fangs bared. "She doesn't need to know about any of the crap that happened a long time ago. It's over and done with, and I've got it under control now--so that's the end of it."

"What about next time?"

"What next time?"

Shirokiba didn't waver under the golden stare. "What about the next time you have a nightmare? Or the next time your phobia pops up? Or the next time your panic reaction gets triggered? What then?"

Inuyasha seemed to coil up defensively, without actually moving. "Then I'll deal with it. She doesn't need to be involved."

"She's already involved," Shirokiba reminded him. "Did you forget last night entirely? Do you remember what she did for you?"

Inuyasha stared into the distance, sullenly refusing to reply.

"She won't let you go it alone," the wolf-dog continued. "She cares too much. She's going to stay right beside you no matter what happens. If you have another nightmare, she's going to be there. If you get scared again, she'll stay with you. If you break down, she's going to be right in the middle of it. I think you should tell her everything, so she can understand and help you."

"I don't want her to know," Inuyasha growled. "I don't want her to pity me."

Shirokiba bopped him again, much more lightly and almost affectionately this time. "You're incredibly dense sometimes, mutt. You seem to forget that there are times everyone needs a little sympathy--even tough guy White Dog lordlings like you. If you weren't such a hardcase all the time you'd realize that she's sorry for you because she cares about you and she feels awful that such horrible things happened to you."

Inuyasha snorted, but had no retort.

"Stop being so sensitive," Shirokiba continued. "You need to be a little more--"

Abruptly, Inuyasha whirled with a snarl, his back-set ears twitched up to alertness and his body tensing in alarm, claws ready. He stared into the distance with a fierce expression on his face.

Shirokiba went serious immediately. "What?"

"It's him," the half-demon growled, his voice dangerous. "And he's the last problem I need to deal with right now!"

"What is it?" In the next moment, Shirokiba understood--there was a rush of wind and a rapid pattering of footsteps, along with the scent of a demon. "What the--?"

"One of the more intrusive nuisances in my life," Inuyasha informed him tersely, hopping down from the roof. "I just wonder what the hell he's doing so far from his territory."

The blur of wind and dust approaching over the fields resolved itself into a humanoid form that skidded to a stop in front of Kaede's house, confronting Inuyasha. It was a young wolf-demon with cat-slitted blue eyes and black hair pulled back in a high ponytail. He wore a battered chestplate, a sword, and mottled gray-brown wolfskins that wrapped around him in such a way that it was difficult to tell where the skins ended and his own fur began. He also posessed a tail of the same brindled color, and he exuded a chilly demon-aura as well as an air of arrogant confidence.

"Well hello, dog-turd," the newcomer greeted mockingly.

Inuyasha bared his fangs. "Kouga..."

The wolf-demon laughed unkindly. "Nice to see you again, half-breed."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Whatever I want," the wolf-demon snorted in reply. "Where's Kagome?"

Inuyasha growled aloud. "Home. Far away. You can't reach her."

"And why not?" Kouga appeared puzzled for a moment. "You trying to hide her from me? You've got no right. It's not like she's yours."

Something about Kouga's comment bit deeply into him. Inuyasha snarled low in his throat and advanced, itching to rip the Wolf's guts out. However, a loud voice from the rooftop stopped him in his tracks.

"Kouga! You mangy cub!"

The young wolf-demon's eyes suddenly became wide blue saucers as he stared at the demon just jumping down from Kaede's roof. "Sh--Shirokiba?"

"Heh...I looked all over the mountains for your little Pack of vagabonds before I came here, and couldn't find hide nor hair of you! So where have you been hiding out all this time?"

"I...uh...ah..." Kouga was at a complete loss, his fanged mouth gaping.

With a mocking grin, the wolf-dog took the Wolf in a headlock and noogied him, nearly unbalancing him.

Hurriedly, with a protesting snarl, Kouga shoved him off with an air of ruffled dignity. He did not attack or retaliate, instead grooming his mussed fur and studiously ignoring Shirokiba's smug chuckles, looking terribly embarassed.

Inuyasha was at a loss as he watched the exchange. "You...you two...know each other?"

Shirokiba shrugged. "Sure. You do too, eh? What a coincidence!"

Kouga and Inuyasha glanced at each other. "You know him?" they both asked of the other in unison, then looked startled at each other.

"How the hell does a dog-turd like you know Shirokiba?" Kouga demanded.

"How the hell does a wimpy-wolf like you know him?" Inuyasha retorted.

Shirokiba saw the stiff-legged, bristled posture that both younger demons adopted as they faced each other. He placed a hand on both chests and pushed them apart. "All right..." They resisted at first, until he became more forceful. "All right, pups, break it up!"

Amazingly, both backed down, though they continued to rumble at each other.

"I take it neither of you get along," Shirokiba said with a shake of his head. "That's sad, you know. I have so much in common with both of you."

"What?" Inuyasha asked.

Shirokiba chuckled. "Inuyasha, Kouga and I share the same problem that you and Sesshomaru do--only on better terms."

Inuyasha blinked, then gasped. "You mean he's--?"

"My half-brother." The wolf dog affectionately ruffled Kouga's hair again, earning another protesting snarl. "We share the same father--one of the big gray northern Wolves from a Pack in the snow-capped mountains there. Kouga's mother is an Alpha Wolf in one of the local Packs, while mine is a Gray Dog."

"Gray Dog my left paw. You're still a half-breed like this dog-turd," Kouga grumped. Despite his usual violent reaction to those who displeased him, the younger demon did not make any aggressive moves toward Shirokiba other than empty displays.

Inuyasha stared from one brother to the other, startled that he hadn't seen the resemblance between his rival and his mentor. Both full-demons shared similar heights and builds, as well as the same facial features through the cheekbones and jaw.

"So why is this dog-turd so important to you?" Kouga grumped, staying on the opposite side of Shirokiba from his rival.

"This is the pup I told you about, stupid--the White Daimyo's son."

This time it was Kouga's turn to gape. "You mean this half-breed dog-turd is...?"

"The son of Seibunishi of the Dog Clans and heir to the Great Demon's legacy. Don't you remember anything I told you? He's the boy I raised a while back--part of the reason I stopped hanging out with you, you selfish cub."

"No...howling...way." Kouga stared at Inuyasha as if seeing him for the first time. "He's just a half-human! How can he be the White Lord's heir? You never said it was Inuyasha!"

"So I didn't tell you his name. I left out a lot on purpose, you stupid pup--the poor boy deserves some privacy. Little brother, have I ever lied to you?" Shirokiba shook his head, seeing the two younger demons glaring at each other with violence in their eyes. "Egads, you two! Stop bristling at each other. I won't have two of my favorite demons fighting like a couple of moron cockerels."

"Kouga's the moron," Inuyasha growled.

"Dog-turd, you--!"

Shirokiba suddenly cuffed Kouga, like he had Inuyasha before. "Don't forget who you're talking to, Kouga. Don't forget who he's descended from. He holds blood-right over you, too, young Wolf--remember that." His voice was suddenly cold, suddenly full of hard warning.

Inuyasha, for one, didn't have a clue what Shirokiba was talking about, but at least it made Kouga shut up. Grumbling and glaring, the wolf-demon stewed, while Shirokiba fixed him with a wolf-dog's blue-gold stare.

"Don't be a fool, little brother," Shirokiba continued to his younger half-sibling, softly and more gently. "He can kill you easily, despite what you might think about half-humans. I don't want to lose you to some stupid, pointless rivalry and have it cost me my friendship with him."

He let silence hang in the air for a minute before he stood back and took on his usual tones. "I suggest you go cool off before you come back here again, if you have some important business. If you're just here to start a fight I'm going to have to kick your tail to the Windcliffs and back--and that goes for both of you!"

"Like you could!" the two younger demons snarled in unison, startling one another again.

Kouga glared and growled. "I'll go now...because you said so, Shirokiba. But I'll be back," he said to Inuyasha as he began to walk away. "Don't think this is over, dog-turd. Just because you're hiding behind my brother doesn't mean we're finished." There was a splash of dust as the wolf-demon kicked into high gear, dashing off through the fields towards the southern forests.

"What a thickhead," Inuyasha spat when the other was gone, only to receive a cuff from Shirokiba. "Ow! What the hell was that for?"

Shirokiba chuckled. "That's my little brother you're talking about, mutt. I'm the only one who gets to call him names."

"Why, you--!"

The wolf-dog ducked Inuyasha's first slash, faked him out for another dodge, then feinted around him, taking off at a run for Inuyasha's Forest, the half-demon right on his tail. The boy was well overdue for a good game of chase, and though he was mad now he'd be laughing by the time Shirokiba was done with him.

He'll absolutely kill me when he catches me! But at least this gets his mind off of pining after the girl for a while, Shirokiba thought with a breathless chuckle. It'd be good for him to have fun more often. I wonder if Kagome likes to play...?

In a tree at the edge of Inuyasha's Forest, Ginnezu's meditations were interrupted by the cacophony of the two demons below her dashing through the trees like a pair of gamboling pups, Inuyasha snarling like a tiger and Shirokiba hollering like his tail was on fire. Growling in annoyance, she shook her head, bemoaning the idiocy of all men in general and the hopelessness of her race because of it. With a groan, she wondered why, oh why could she never find a moment's peace with that stupid wolf-dog around?

To be continued...