InuYasha/FMP crossover Chapter 13

[fookah]

Disclaimer: I only own myself. That?s good enough.

Chapter 13: Two Hearts, One Mind; Time Machine?

The dust eventually settled after Sousuke?s proposal of the duel between Inuyasha and Issei. Indeed they were to become helpers and servers for the trip, which was apparently not their forte. But Sousuke knew that because it was not their forte, both sides would have no advantages. In fact, it was probably more of an uphill climb for both. The prize of the bet would be one?s honor: the loser simply had to admit that the other was the better man in front of the whole group at the end of the trip. Sousuke understood that both guys hated to lose and used it to his advantage in forming this proposal.

That was fine for Inuyasha. He did not have to give up any of his possessions: his sword, his hakama, and Kagome. Well, Kagome was not really his, but he felt a sigh of relief that she did not have to be involved. Now Inuyasha would only have to show that Tsubaki who was the boss. By being the nicer guy, no less. He would make Issei bow to him for treating Kagome like that!

Kagome herself did not really care about who won the bet as long as there were no casualties. She was not unhappy to begin with anyway; in fact, she was in a bright mood. How could she not be when her crush talked of her as his woman and defended her like it was the end of the world? Besides, it was fun watching Issei?s (and almost everyone else?s) shocked face as they all watched Inuyasha cut down one tree with one swipe. Wait till they see the Tetsaiga!

The rest of the dinner went peacefully, at least when compared to the melee earlier. They turned their jokes on Kurz again, but the former model decided to play along if a friendly atmosphere could be regained. It was amazing that with all the tensions and confrontations between various people, the food laid undamaged. The entire table was in the middle of pestering Kurz about his supposed fetish about black bras when Melissa showed up, confused.

The Chinese woman first motioned to Kurz, ?Your turn.? She then turned to the rest of the table. She froze. The white-haired boy in the red hakama was there!

?Sousuke, whooo?..who??who is that guy?? Melissa could not believe that boy could be part of their group as she pointed at Inuyasha, who was grabbing one sushi after another, much to the chagrin of Kagome. That boy really needed to learn manners!

?What?s wrong, Mao? He?s our friend, not an enemy. Otherwise why would I allow him into our residence?? Sousuke replied. Then he remembered: he forgot to introduce him and Kagome to Melissa also. ?He?s my friend, Inuyasha, and the girl next to him is Higurashi Kagome. We met about a week ago.?

?I just saw that guy cut that big fxxking tree in two!?

?Yes, so what is wrong with that?? Sousuke replied as if cutting a tree was as ordinary as tearing up a newspaper.

Melissa looked at Inuyasha, who was now looking at her, sushi in both hands as Kagome was trying to tell the hanyou how rude he was as he continued to clean the plates. She then looked at Sousuke disbelievingly. How could this guy treat the cutting of a big tree in half by one hand of a boy as if he was watching someone walking a dog?

Sousuke whispered to Melissa, ?I will talk to you later about that, but he?s definitely not our enemy.?

The Sergeant Major nodded apprehensively. She took Kurz?s seat and quickly surveyed what was left on the table as Kurz grabbed a piece of sushi and headed for duty. She took a couple sushi and sashimi and started chatting with the rest.

Poor Kurz. He certainly was popular in terms of how much the people at the table could not lay off any topic regarding him. After all, Melissa was there to tell them all of Kurz?s exploits and failures with women, which included more than a few peeking and undergarment-stealing stories.

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Under Kaname?s arrangements the high school girls were split into two big rooms, three in each. Kaname and Kagome would take one room; Mizuki, Kyouko, and Ren would take the other. Since none of them was tired after dinner, they all went to Kaname?s room to play cards. And chat some more. Chatting IS half a woman?s life.

Most of the girls were still pissed at Issei after what he said during dinner, and they were focused on blasting him. Kaname, obviously, took charge.

?That Tsubaki! He really thinks that women are property! I really want to use my nails to rip him in half??Kagome, perhaps you should ask Inuyasha to rip Tsubaki instead of that tree in half, because that tree deserves better than that numbskull!?

?Seriously! And to think I actually like him a bit before?...? Mizuki added bitterly.

?But Inuyasha is awfully possessive of Kagome??? Ren thought out loud. ?I think Tsubaki did have a good reason to get angry since Inuyasha and Kagome are not officially going out, and yet Inuyasha declare Kagome to his and Tsubaki does not get a chance. Unfortunately, Tsubaki didn?t stop there.? The secretary from the Student Council was always Miss Spin Control.

It was something that no one could deny. Kagome herself knew best. As their search for the jewel progressed in the Feudal Era, Inuyasha went from indifferent to jealous and now to being possessive of her. She did not mind that, and knew that Inuyasha truly had feelings for her and would be willing to give up even his life for her without thinking. But there was one hurdle that Inuyasha simply could not overcome. Or not yet.

Kikyou.

Kagome would feel despair just thinking about Inuyasha?s former lover. She seems much more powerful than me, her reincarnation. Kikyou is, as Inuyasha once put it, more feminine and beautiful. And now that she is still alive, would Inuyasha??.?

Her smile instantly disappeared. Everyone took notice. It was not hard to see the change when Kagome had been smiling ever since the confrontation between Inuyasha and Issei.

Kaname opened her mouth first. ?What?s wrong, Kagome??

?Oh, uh, nothing much??? Kagome was surprised that everyone was focusing their attention on her. Was she that happy a moment ago!?

Kaname was smarter than that. ?Yes, there is something wrong, Kagome. You are smiling as if you gave birth to twenty babies a couple moments ago.? Kaname then paused before whispering to her, ?Is it Kikyou??

Kagome gasped. Kaname was too sharp. Way too sharp. She nodded.

The blue-haired dynamo continued to whisper, ?Don?t worry Kagome. I believe Inuyasha?s feelings for you are genuine. Look at how much he cared and stood up for you today. I believe that they are real. I don?t know, maybe he?s still in the process of understanding his feelings. Sousuke was like that too before. Give him some time.?

She was right. Even though he was rough and insensitive, Inuyasha did risk his life to save her numerous times. He stood up for her. He even declared her to be his woman! Kagome?s smile came back. Kaname swore that the room had become brighter at once.

Kaname thought it wise to add to the miko as she looked at the rest of the girls, ?Besides, you would rather worry more about one of them rather than Kikyou???

Kagome?s smile disappeared again. Kaname felt that perhaps she found out a way to save electricity by making Kagome smile and un-smile.

They eventually moved onto talking about Inuyasha after spending way too much time blasting Issei. It seemed that the karate president would be on everyone?s ignore list from now on. As for Inuyasha, the girls all had a new impression of him after dinner. Mizuki was obviously more impressed with the hanyou than ever before, and her crush on him was like Miroku?s wind tunnel. It was getting larger and threatening to engulf her. She said to Kagome, ?I know you won?t be like Inuyasha who was sooooo possessive. So since you guys are not an item yet??? Her eyes were dreamy. Kaname thought she saw images of Inuyasha in Mizuki?s eyes.

Kagome could only smile weakly. She hated to admit it, but she did not want another girl clamoring for the dog-demon?s attention.

Ren sighed, ?Kagome you are so lucky??I wish I can have someone like that too???

Ren had been sighing a lot on this trip, especially when they talked about Inuyasha. It seemed that Mizuki is not the only party interested in that boy. Kagome herself gulped and forced another weak smile. Another one!? And I thought Kikyou was bothersome enough already! And Ren is pretty too......looks like Kaname is right. I better get out of these three days with Inuyasha still by my side first!

Kaname only gave Kagome a slight pat on her shoulder. Poor girl.

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Inuyasha decided to clear his mind a bit as he sat on one of the trees at the back of the onsen. His confrontation with Issei was unwanted, but it did allow him to have some realization.

He really did have a lot of feelings for Kagome. He knew he had some, but how much he did not know. Now he does. A lot is the answer.

He cared for her. He worried for her. He protected her many times, and the thoughts of saving Kagome from danger often provided him new strength even when he was on the brink of death to win battles and protect her. He would give up anything for her. Anything. He was surprised that he even mentioned giving up the Tetsaiga. After all, it did help him slay many demons, including Naraku. He could not imagine living without the sword.

But he also could not imagine living without Kagome.

He could not even imagine Kagome being with someone else. He would rip to pieces anyone who dared to take her away from him.

He would give up his life for her if his death could allow her to survive.

Had he ever felt that way about Kikyou?

Perhaps, before Naraku played that foul trick in pitting them against each other. He and Kikyou found a common characteristic in each other: both were loners due to their nature or duty, Inuyasha being a half-demon and Kikyou being the protector of the sacred jewel. They understood each other.

What about Kagome, though? She was practically forced to come to the Feudal Era to assist Inuyasha in recapturing all the shards of the jewel. He was cold to her at first, thinking she was nothing more than a fish out of the water. Although she grew better at her job, what touched the hanyou was that Kagome was actually willing to work with him, even though at first he clearly wanted nothing to do with her. She made an effort to befriend him first. She wanted to understand him. She wanted to care for him. She was always worried about him. Even if he disliked her at first. Even if he was insensitive. Even if he was a jerk at times. Even if he pissed her off and got into numerous arguments with her.

He remembered when Kikyou once tried to pull him into hell with her, he heard Kagome?s voice telling him to break free, and he did.

He remembered when he took the jewel shards away from her and pushed her into the well so that she could not come back, on the fear that Naraku may be after them. He did not want her to be in constant danger. Yet when she miraculously came back, she said that she wanted to see him, and was wondering whether he was dead as he had not come to her own era and asked her to come back.

He realized that he feared losing her the most. More than losing the Tetsaiga. More than his life. Even more than Kikyou, whose bitterness toward the hanyou remained somewhat, although that was not the reason why. He remained connected to Kikyou in some way, but that seemed to be more as an obligation from the pre-Naraku days.

Inuyasha sighed. How stupid could he get? It was simple. If both Kagome and Kikyou were to fall down from a cliff, who would he save first?

It would not be Kikyou, that was for sure.

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Inuyasha just arrived at that thought when Sousuke walked to the tree. The soldier said to him, ?Come down please. I have something to show you.?

The dog-demon noticed that Kurz and Melissa were also with him. He remembered him saying something about them being a team under whatever secret organization that he was working for. Could it be Gauln that they found?

?Sousuke, Gauln?? Inuyasha could not think of anything else to ask.

Sousuke only nodded. ?Yes, Inuyasha. He seems to be doing something in the forest. Please do not approach him. Not yet. It may concern the Shikon Jewel, so please work with us. I know from Higurashi that you have a tendency to advance blindly with no fear of danger, even though it is often not wise to do so.?

Inuyasha only turned his head aside. ?Keh! I could easily destroy that bastard! Why should I wait when I can get the jewel now or demand to know its whereabouts??

The scar-faced boy only replied calmly, ?Gauln may not have the jewel with him, so killing him is useless.?

?Not really. He should die at my hands for attacking Kagome. I can never forgive that!?

Sousuke knew that Inuyasha was thirsting for revenge. ?I do know that, Inuyasha. But please. We do not know what Gauln had in plan. He may have already suspected our presence around this area. What if all four of us decide to advance and attack him, only to find out that he intended to capture the rest of our group instead and hold them ransom or even simply killing them off? That man is ruthless and cruel; why he left you two alive after getting the jewel is still a wonder to me. We obviously cannot ask our friends to fight with us. I cannot do anything that will endanger the lives of other people who should not be involved. You do not want Higurashi to be captured, am I correct? Just as I do not want Kaname to be captured.?

Inuyasha only gritted his teeth. He finally nodded. Fine, he would restrain himself for Kagome. Only once.

Sousuke continued, ?I want to kill Gauln too. For the same reason that you have. To avenge for the person that you love. In my case, I want to avenge for Kaname, whom Gauln captured numerous times. But we have to hold still. For now. I want to make sure that we know what he is doing, as well as making sure that my classmates and Higurashi will not be in danger. Please cooperate with us, Inuyasha.?

?OKOK! I hear ya!!?

?Good. Please follow us to our surveillance quarters. See for yourself. Perhaps you can even help us.?

?All right, Sousuke! Let?s go!? Inuyasha jumped down from the tree branch that he was at and followed them into their room.

They made their way into the room, which was at the far end. As they passed each room, Inuyasha saw that Issei and Shinji were drinking tea and talking, while the girls in another room were all playing cards and joking around. Kagome was laughing with the Jindai-ers. Inuyasha was glad that she was safe and having fun. He wondered whether she ever had that much fun with him. With him it was all fighting and constantly worrying about Naraku and the other demons who were after the jewel. He wished that he had the ability to provide her the kind of fun when she could simply relax without worrying about the jewel or anything else in that matter.

When he entered the SRT Team?s room, he found a long tube standing in front of him. ?Yo Sousuke, what the hell is that??

?A telescope.? Sousuke said. ?Never mind what it is and take a look through the hole please.?

Inuyasha did so, and he immediately spotted his new enemy. ?Dude, what IS he doing!? What IS that big thing??

Melissa replied, ?We don?t fxxking know. I have been spending the past three hours or so trying to figure out just what the fxxk it is!?

Inuyasha decided that he liked Melissa. Rough and tough. Hiding nothing. He looked at the monitors on the big machine through the telescope. ?I see images. Some moves, some don't.?

Sousuke asked, ?Inuyasha, are those images familiar to you then??

?Familiar??

?Yes, because??they seemed to be images from the past. It could be possible that some of these images are those of your own era??? Sousuke already explained Inuyasha?s and Kagome?s unique adventures in the past and how they now got involved with Gauln to his teammates.

?Let me take another look?..? Inuyasha peered into the telescope. He shook suddenly. All three SRT team members sensed it.

?What is it?? Kurz asked.

?Impossible??there is absolutely NO WAY!? Inuyasha looked at the SRT team quizzically. He was stunned.

Sousuke realized that his hunch was correct. ?That did look familiar to you, right??

Inuyasha only nodded, and then replied, ?One of those images??that??is the well in which Kagome and I can travel back and forth between the two times! How the HELL did that show up here!?? He could not control his shock.

Kurz only offered, ?Well, guys, looks like Gauln got himself a time machine or something like that. But what would he do with it? Don?t tell me that it actually just acts as his own History Channel!?

Melissa regained control. ?Never mind that. We just gotta keep watching him first. Only the more we watch what he is doing, the more we can have an idea of his plans. I just hope that we are not too late. Whatever that thing is, Gauln is up to no good.?

End of Chapter 13