[AU, Rated R] Dog's Body 5/? "Language Barriers"

Smarty Cat · Post by **Smarty Cat** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 12:12 pm

Chapter Summary: Kagome hears voices (or rather a voice), Inuyasha wishes her hearing was more acute, and Kaede brings out the beads.

Dog's Body
by
Smarty Cat 
smartycat9383(at)yahoo(dot)com

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Chapter 5: Language Barriers
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~I used to look at [my dog] Smokey and think "If you were a little smarter you could tell me what you were thinking," and he'd look at me like he was saying, "If you were a little smarter, I wouldn't have to."
--Fred Jungclaus~

Danger lurked in the shadows of the demon beast's forest. It was widely known and undisputed knowledge that to enter the trees put a person at risk for grave injury or madness and that to leave the trail meant almost certain death. Yet every day a teenage girl did those very things--entered the trees and left the trail for the sole purpose of a face-to-face meeting with death and destruction. A quite vocal, furry white death and destruction . . .

'You are a malevolent, groping bitch. Just give me the fucking food already!' Inuyasha shifted from paw to paw, rocking his body angrily so that the layer of dead foliage beneath him rustled a warning to the careless human girl as his snarls increased in volume to match it.

They had enacted similar lure, threaten, and retreat scenarios daily since the first petting incident two weeks before. The girl waved food at him, he came to take it, she groped him, and he left, expressing his disgust with a constant relay of vocalizations throughout the entire process.

Then she began withholding food.

Inuyasha was not amused.

His was a token display of resistance, and they both knew it. Despite his growling and grumbling and his apparent outrage at her manipulative tactics, he stayed. He met her every day of his own free will, and though constantly balking and uttering snarled protestations (he was a shockingly vocal dog though she had yet to hear him bark) at her affectionate overtures, he came to her willingly enough. Just never immediately.

"Come on, Inu," Kagome wheedled, crouching on the permanent layer of fallen leaves covering the forest floor and wiggling a stick of men's pocky enticingly in her fingers. "I just want to pet you."

His nose wrinkled in distaste, his lips rising and exposing the tips of his fangs. 'Stupid human. What makes you think I want to be petted? Keep your filthy human hands off me!'

She frowned and straightened, rocking forward onto the balls of her feet and withdrawing her offering with an air of annoyance. Her hands moved to her hips to both maintain her balance and to express her displeasure before the one still clutching the stick of pocky rose and thumped closed-fisted against her chest. "My name is Kagome. Ka-Go-Me," she enunciated with force. "Higurashi Kagome."

At that they both froze, staring incredulously at one another.

Inuyasha was the first to move. A quiver ran across his entire body, almost impelling him to draw closer to her, to look into her wide, startled eyes from a shorter distance. He surged forward, landing in a crouch in front of her hunched from, and peered up into her shockingly blank face. 'You can hear me?'

Kagome raised one hand to her head while casually shoving the pocky into his mouth with the other. Her fingers trembled, vibrating gently against his whiskers as his jaws automatically closed on the object forced between them.

"I knew it. I really haven't been getting enough sleep." She laughed weakly, sliding her hand out of her bangs and covering her eyes. "Now I'm starting to hallucinate."

She took a deep, ragged breath and bit her bottom lip. Her fingers scissored, and she peered out silently at him from between them for a long moment before sighing in a resigned manner and squaring her shoulders. Kagome beckoned, palm up and fingers loosely crooked. "Come here."

Inuyasha bristled but padded forward the final step between them, and she reached for him, sinking her hands into his lush, but dingy, white fur. Kagome wobbled a bit as she bent over him, running her fingers slowly through his coat along his back and sides while her thoughts chased each other in tangled circles.

He had started allowing her to do this several days before. However, his neck and head remained clearly off limits, and she did not dare attempt to initiate a tummy rub. He was too wary, too unpredictable, too dangerous. He remained coiled and alert beneath her hands, muscles tensed in preparation for action--violent action if the soundless rumble throbbing along his ribcage was anything to go by. In many ways the dog was still wild, and she imagined he always would be to an extent. It was a part of his mostly nonexistent charm.

Kagome pushed the strange, snarled declaration that had seared through her consciousness mere moments ago to the back of her mind and focused on the look and feel of the perfectly normal, if bad-tempered, animal in her arms.

It's amazing how quickly his wounds have healed since I've been providing him with regular meals and putting weight back on him. I would have thought it'd take more time to recover from such extensive burns.

However, as far as she could tell he did not even have any scar tissue, and his fur had grown back thick and luxurious. The brief flashes of skin she saw as she tormented him with her affection looked pink and healthy, even where burns had left it black and blistered before.

It's as though it never happened, as if he was never injured.

Her heart pounded in response to her thoughts, an alarm that she did not understand stiffening her body. Kagome forced herself to breathe deeply and relax. She tilted her head to the side, studying his face while being careful to avoid staring directly into his strange eyes, but even the more delicate skin there seemed to have suffered no permanent damage. Inuyasha noticed her scrutiny and pulled away slightly though he did not fully leave the circle of her arms.

"Every day you meet me," she murmured, letting her voice fill the air and wrap between them. Her words had acted as a binding since the moment she found him, accustoming him to her presence, and he no longer snarled at her with each syllable she spoke. "Every day I come, and you're waiting for me. Why?"

Inuyasha shifted, wondering if she really expected an answer, wondering if this was some sort of trick, and, yet, he realized that he did not know why he did it, why he followed her beyond the feedings he no longer needed. He just did.

"Summer is coming," Kagome continued, releasing him and sitting back on the ground, for once ignoring the jacket carefully spread on the earth a short distance away. Her nose wrinkled briefly at the decomposing leaves rustling beneath her and the smears of dirt already collecting on her skin and clothes, but she did not bother to move. She drew her knees up and rested her head on her folded arms atop them, looking beyond his shoulder to the shafts of light piercing through the canopy. "The days are getting longer and warmer, and I can spend more time with you before having to worry about being out after sunset. It's not so scary now . . . with you beside me. I used to be terrified to come in here, but now that I know you're here waiting for me I . . . I almost look forward to it, as crazy as that sounds. You follow me, and the shadows and the sounds aren't as frightening. You can hear and smell things that I can't, like an early warning system, right? If something doesn't bother you why should it bother me?"

She laughed. "The daylight probably helps too. Because I know you just come for the handouts. You don't like me; you like the food I bring you. You trail me, but you don't trust me. And that's okay. I don't blame you after the way you've been treated, and to be honest I don't trust you either." She cocked her head to the side and looked at him from the corner of her yes, a wry smile pulling her mouth up at one corner. "Not yet anyway. You don't seem so bad though so maybe I will. Someday."

Inuyasha could not completely suppress the strange and unexpected surge of emotion that stiffened his body, the first sudden drop of guilt that hit like a punch to his stomach followed by the unwelcome upsurge of hope that increased his heart rate. She was just a stupid human. Nothing she said mattered. It should not matter. It did not matter. They were empty words, the rambling of an ignorant, insignificant human girl who was too stupid to even realize what he was despite their mutual history of nearly killing each other.

"You look familiar in some strange way, like I should know you," she mused aloud, intruding on his own all too uncomfortable thoughts.

Inuyasha's nostrils flared as he swung his head around so swiftly that it nearly collided with her own. 'You did hear me, didn't you? You just don't know it. What are you, girl?'

She reached out to touch his face, but he sidestepped her hand with a warning snarl. Unless she was putting food in his mouth, his head was and had always been clearly off limits, his neck and throat even more so. It went against his every instinct and past experience to allow her access to any sensitive or vulnerable areas. His ears were a particular cause of contention. Kagome found the fuzzy white triangles fascinating. Inuyasha did not want her hands anywhere near them.

His threatening display did not dissuade her advances, however. She made a shushing sound, almost like a purr, and redirected her hand to a different destination, lightly brushing the fur on the front of his legs as she baited him with a bit of candy. The warm, rich chocolate melting from the heat of her fingers lessoned his misgivings, and he permitted her to touch him as he plucked the candy from her hand with surprising delicacy.

Kagome hummed under her breath as she suppressed a grimace at the wet tongue curling about her fingers, scrubbing every last bit of melted chocolate from her pores. It was easier to study him when his attention was diverted and he did not care so much about the invasive feeling of her eyes scrutinizing him. There was something strangely familiar about the dog though, something that niggled the back of her mind every time she saw a flash of white from the corner of her eye.

Though still too skinny, his condition had improved a great deal since she first found him. The added muscle mass that came with regular meals and exercise had done wonders to his proportions, and his coat grew thicker and healthier each day, though it remained matted and dirty despite Kagome's best, if admittedly limited, efforts to finger comb it. However, when the light hit him a certain way he sparkled like sun-touched snow. Inu (she really needed to think of a better name for him) was built on clean, powerful lines and moved with the intense, fierce grace of a predator poised to spring. Or do battle.

That's it!

Kagome's eyes narrowed as her gaze roved every line of his body. Her fingers tightened, pinching thick folds of skin between them, and he growled warningly.

"Akita," she mumbled, sitting back in the leaves and staring blankly beyond him. "Gods, you're an Akita."

And she started laughing.

His wiry and somewhat foxy appearance, combined with the curled tail, alert posture, head shape, and perfect triangular ears were unmistakable now that she knew what to look for. There was no doubt about it; despite his size, he was not at all bearish or bulky. Her Inu was a true Japanese Akita, free of any influence from the old Tosa and shepherd outcrosses. His strange, too light eyes were the only other fault her untrained eye could pick out, but he did not appear to have any vision problems, and they really were quite attractive with his coloring.

He should have been safely tucked away in a breeding program somewhere instead of left injured and starving in a forest full of youkai--not that I'm about to give him up now that I have him.

The starving, bedraggled, bad tempered dog she had found would be stunning with a bit more time and care. The idea that someone would treat an Akita in the manner that Inu had been treated . . . it was unimaginable.

Inuyasha watched in startled silence as the heaving of her shoulders slowed and then changed subtly as tears began trickling from her eyes. His own eyes widened as his ears flattened against his skull.

'Oi! Don't cry!'

She peeked up at him, with a strange heart-rending expression. "You're beautiful. How could someone treat you the way they did? How could someone hurt you?"

He froze fleetingly in the midst of his uncomfortable skittering. She thought he was beautiful? No. No! This girl. Kikyou. The blood. The fire. The agony. She had no idea what she had done to him, what he had been through. None. And she was the reason! She had done it to him.

Yet she cried for him.

'No,' he thought suddenly, angrily. 'You cry for the dog.' A strangled snarl built in his throat, but he whirled and fled before it reached the air.

Kagome lunged forward, one arm flung out and reaching after his retreating form. She did not call him though. She could not. The word stuck in her tear-clogged throat, a little inarticulate whimper of sound that stood no chance of closing the widening distance between them. Her shoulders slumped, and she sighed. She felt strangely bereft without his belligerent presence at her side. The forest shadows loomed darker and deeper, but she missed more than simply the illusion of protection he provided.

"Stupid Inu. Why do I even bother?" A self-deprecating laugh bubbled forth from her lips, and she shoved her hair out of her face as she rose to her feet. "I like him though I can't imagine why. Stupid me. What a pair we are."

<hr>

Kagome stepped out of the telephone booth and shielded her eyes against the bright glare of the sun. Her furtive gaze darted back and forth before she shoved a hastily scribbled note into her bag and began walking briskly up the street.

"Kagome!"

Damn.

Arumi called her name again and waved as she jogged across the street. She tucked some errant strands of wavy hair behind her ear as she giggled. "We're going to karaoke and then out for ice cream. Want to come?"

Kagome hesitated, biting her lower lip as her eyes flickered up and down the street, noting the length of the shadows. They had been let out of class early and she had already paid Inu his daily visit so she had a few extra hours before nightfall, but there were other things that she had hoped to accomplish in that time. She smiled apologetically and shook her head. "I can't today. There are some other things I have to do." Arumi's face fell, and Kagome felt a sharp stab of guilt strike her conscience. "I can walk with you for a little way though," she added as Yuka and Eri approached.

"So you're not coming?" Yuka asked bluntly, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one hip.

Kagome shook her head again. "I can't today."

"Fine then," the other girl muttered, turning and walking off. Her friends fell in behind her after an uncomfortable pause.

After a few minutes of heavy silence, Eri glanced sideways at Kagome, a calculating glint in her eyes, and ventured far too casually, "You've never said why you quit cheerleading."

Kagome twirled a lock of hair around her fingers as she contemplated her answer.

How much can I tell them? How much would they understand?

"Going to avoid it again, Kagome? Planning to just stop talking again?" Yuka demanded snidely without bothering to turn around.

"No, I just . . . I never was that good at it, never really happy with it, and--"

Yuka's right hand sliced out to the side in a negating gesture, cutting Kagome off mid-sentence. "You still don't just quit in the middle of the year!"

"It wasn't the middle, Yuka," Arumi chided nervously, stepping in as peacekeeper. She was quivering at the tension among her friends. "It was the beginning."

Yuka snorted, and though she did not turn around Kagome had no doubt that she was rolling her eyes. "But she was one for the last two years. Why stop now?"

Kagome's fists clenched at her side. They were her friends. Of course they would consider her actions to be their business. It was only natural, only to be expected. Why was she getting so angry?

I'll start snarling like Inu if this keeps up. Why don't I want to tell them the truth anyway? It's nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to hide. So why don't I want them to know?

She realized that they would not drop the issue until she gave them some sort of answer, however. She ducked her head and muttered a half-truth. "I got hurt. That's why I quit. I got hurt, and it scared me."

Arumi gasped. "Kinomoto-sensei didn't say anything about that!"

Kagome groaned mentally and massaged her temples, discretely checking their surroundings beneath her hand. They would have to part ways soon, and not just because she grew tired of their questions. "She wouldn't have. It wasn't supposed to have happened, and it was my fault for being reckless and stupid. I could have prevented it if I'd been more careful."

"Was that why you sat out gym for a week?" Eri asked, her voice brimming with curiosity.

"I didn't sit out!" Kagome replied, bristling with indignation. "I was the coach's helper."

"But it wasn't your turn!" Eri pointed out with all of the glee, and a hint of the malice, of a cat pouncing on an unsuspected mouse. "It was Arisa's turn. And you were limping too when you didn't think anyone could see you."

"Yes, well, you weren't supposed to notice that," Kagome responded dryly.

Eri bounced on the balls of her feet and raised her face into the sunlight, a satisfied smile curving her lips. "I know."

"So what have you been doing in the afternoons now, Kagome?" Yuka inquired with studied carelessness, turning to face them and walking backwards with her hands behind her head. Her casual tone could not disguise the tightness about her eyes and mouth, however.

"The usual. Working at the shrine. Helping Jii-chan con people," she replied flippantly, eyes narrowing on the street sign at the intersection ahead.

"Then why does he say you're not there when he answers the phone? You've been 'not there' for awhile now. It sounds like you have been conning people. Us. And your family."

Kagome stopped, her knuckles turning white around her bag's handle.

Did her family know she was not out with her friends in the afternoon? What had Yuka told them?

She stared at the sidewalk, her blood pounding through her ears as she struggled to reign in her temper. "It doesn't matter where I am," she said through gritted teeth. "It's not your concern."

Arumi made a sound of distress that drowned out even Yuka's sharp gasp. "Yes, it is, Kagome! We're supposed to be your friends, and we're worried about you!"

Kagome backed away as her friend reached for her. "I'm sorry, okay? But you really don't need to know. It's better that you don't. So I'm not going to tell you. And this is where we part. Have fun. Maybe I can come with you some other time."

She turned off down a side street without looking back, but she heard their footsteps stop as her own slowed. Their voices as they conversed among themselves carried easily down the narrow street, and her back stiffened at their words.

"Something must be wrong."

"Should we follow her?"

"No," Eri said decisively. "She said it's not our business so it isn't. We don't fight, and we're not starting now. Maybe she'll change her mind; maybe not. Come on."

Kagome bowed her head as she heard them leave, their voices fading as the distance between them increased. How accurately their physical locations reflected their current relationship! Tears pricked at her eyes, but she would not let them fall and dashed them away angrily.

"All this for a dog," she muttered, but there was little bitterness in her voice and it was fully submerged in an odd kind of acceptance.

For some reason she felt the need to keep Inu's existence a secret. If everything went according to plan they would know about him eventually. But now . . . now was not the time to introduce the abandoned canine to her friends and family.

He's not ready yet. But he will be.

She hummed quietly while she walked, her hand fishing in her bag for the address she had copied from the directory as she paused at a crossroads. Kagome looked at the paper then gazed at her surroundings, biting her lower lip as she tried to discern her location relative to her destination. This part of the ward was new and unfamiliar to her, and she cursed the book's lack of detailed directions and maps.

"Which way do I go?"

"Can I help you? Are you lost?" a calm, melodic voice inquired politely in response to her muttered question, and Kagome looked up to see a very pretty girl in street clothes standing beside her.

Kagome blushed and quickly averted her gaze lest she be caught gawking. It was bad enough to be caught talking to herself in public, but to be caught by such a well-groomed and self-composed person was even worse. The older girl's appearance was immaculate even while exuding a natural air, and Kagome in her school uniform felt dowdy and rumpled in comparison.

The stranger's expression was polite and interested, however. She seemed friendly, and Kagome relaxed, tucking a lock of hair behind her eye with an embarrassed smile.

"I'm looking for a woman named Shuushi Kaede. She has a . . . kennel. I'm unfamiliar with this area, but I thought I'd at least be able to hear it when I got close."

The girl smiled. "No, she has all the buildings and runs soundproofed, and her dogs are usually very well behaved. I can show you though."

"I don't want to--"

"It's no trouble, miko-san."

"--bother you . . ."

Kagome fell silent abruptly, and stared at the taller girl. She was wearing her green and white school uniform. There was nothing about her that would indicate her family status. "I'm not a miko," she said at last, looking away.

The other girl made an apologetic noise accompanied by a half-bow, but her eyebrows rose. "My mistake then," she responded coolly. "Please forgive me." She backed away and beckoned. "Kaede-sama's home is this way."

Kagome fell in beside her hesitantly. They walked in silence for only a few blocks, Kagome peering about with open curiosity and the other girl scrutinizing their surroundings almost as intently, though the craning of her neck was not so obvious. The other girl did not offer or appear to expect conversation, and Kagome could think of nothing to say anyway.

"Thank you very much for helping me. My name is Higurashi Kagome," she offered at last when the girl stopped in front of a wrought iron gate set into a high stone wall.

"Shimizu Sango. A pleasure to meet you," the older girl replied with a smile and a bow. "This is Kaede-sama's home. Will you be able to find your way back from here?"

Kagome glanced around as she thought. There had only been a few turns, and she could remember them. Kaede's house was also much closer to her own home than she had anticipated for she could see the Go Shinboku towering on its hilltop several blocks away. All she had to do was keep its leafy green bulk in her sight. "Yes," she answered with a wry smile. "I'm sure I can manage. Thank you."

"As I said, it was no trouble. Have a nice day."

Kagome watched Sango as she walked back down the street, her eyes widening and lingering on the slender rectangular bulge beneath the girl's long duster.

Is she carrying a katana? Why . . .?

Kagome shook her head, quickly reminding herself that it was not any of her business and peered through the gate dubiously. The main building was set back from the front wall, and she saw no sign of a bell or speaker system around the gate.

"Should I just go in?"

She lifted the latch nervously and pushed the gate open. It slid easily on its hinges, making no noise, but a short warning bark made it obvious that someone was aware of her arrival.

"What is it?" a gruff feminine voice called out, and a stocky woman appeared in the doorway of the main building.

Kagome blinked and averted her eyes politely as the woman approached. She was afraid she would stare otherwise. The woman was very short, older than Kagome had expected her to be, and wore an eye patch over her right eye. However, to Kagome's mind, even that unusual accessory was not the oddest thing about her for she also wore the white and red garments of a miko.

A dog training miko? What in the world . . . ?

"Do you want something?" Her voice was gruff, her tone terse.

Kagome gulped nervously and raised her head. "Are you Kaede-sama?"

The woman stiffened when she saw Kagome's face, an unreadable expression flickering across her own face. Her tone softened, however. "Yes."

"And you train dogs?"

"Among other things, yes. Are you having a problem with yours?"

"Not . . . exactly."

"Really?" the old woman inquired dryly. "Come have some tea and explain to me what 'not exactly' is."

Kagome followed her into the main building, and into a small, surprisingly dark wood paneled room. The light came from what appeared to be (but surely were not) gaslights set into domed sconces on the wall. It created an interesting interplay of light and shadow, somehow making the room appear simultaneously homey and mysterious, and swatches of dried herbs hung from the exposed ceiling beams and filled the room with a rich, pleasant odor, adding to the effect. She sat on a seating pillow in front of the low table where Kaede directed her and blew gently on the steaming cup of green tea that was handed to her.

Kaede settled herself on the floor across from Kagome with more ease than might be expected from someone her age and speared the schoolgirl with an expectant, piercing look from her good eye. Kagome took a hasty sip of her tea and cleared her throat.

"I found a dog in the forest, and I've been nursing him back to health. I'd like to take him home, but he's not very civilized."

"You found a dog in the forest?" Kaede repeated with sudden interest. "What forest?"

Kagome hesitated, casting about her memory for an official name but she could not think of one. "The forest that's attached to Tokyo Municipal Park," she said at last. Still unsatisfied with her answer she added, "The demon beast's forest."

The old woman inhaled sharply and eyed the girl before her warily. "That's an interesting place for a girl your age to be. What kind of dog is it?"

"He's a white Akita." She could not keep the tinge of pride out of her voice.

Kaede put her cup down suddenly, a sharp hiss emerging from her lips. "Inuyasha!"

"Eh?" Kagome stared at her, startled concern and a hint of fear widening her eyes at the old woman's alarming change in manner.

Kaede leaned across the low table, catching one of the girl's hands with her own and hauling her forward. "A white Akita! Does he have strange eyes? Answer me, girl!"

Kagome squirmed, but her hand remained locked in Kaede's grip. "I guess . . . They're pale and more like a cat's than a dog's, but he can see just fine!" Kaede's grip tightened, grew painful. "Please, let me go!"

The miko released her just as quickly as she had grabbed her, and Kagome fell back on her pillow with a muffled yelp.

"So . . . Inuyasha still lives," Kaede mumbled to herself before raising a sharp, glittering eye to the girl. "He lets you handle him?" she inquired, voice rough with suspicion.

Kagome cradled her hand, her fingers gently massaging the banded and bruising flesh, and glared balefully at the old woman. "Yes."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I'd like to make him civilized enough to take home to my mother."

Kaede snorted. "You're wasting your time then. He's dangerous, feral. Stay away from him!"

Kagome's fists clenched, and she struggled to not raise her voice at her elder. "I believe differently. Two months ago I could not get within three meters of him. Now he eats out of my hand."

The old woman's single eye widened, and she turned her head to truly study Kagome. "What shrine do you come from?"

"Higurashi," Kagome answered unwillingly. Was it branded on her forehead that she came from a shrine family?

"You are Higurashi-san's granddaughter then?"

Kagome straightened with surprise. "You know Jii-chan?"

"We worked and trained together many years ago."

The girl stifled a giggle. She must be as bad a miko as Jii-chan was a priest if she trained dogs for a living.

The old woman rose laboriously to her feet, motioning to Kagome to follow her through a side entrance. She adjusted her pace to Kaede's as the miko strode with a strange dignity though the unusually quiet kennels. The few dogs of varying shapes and sizes scattered among the runs ran up to the doors as the passed, their tails wagging furiously, and Kaede had a kind word for each of them. Kagome felt her animosity weaken with each word as well.

If the animals like her this much, then she can't be such a bad person, right? Just gruff. Unused to human contact perhaps. Oh, maybe she's lonely!

They passed from the kennel into the warm air outside, and Kaede turned, leading Kagome to a smaller building set off at the back of the property. Kagome gasped upon entering when she realized it to be an old, unused shrine. A small stand stood freely in the center of the worn floorboards but nothing rested on it. The shrine had been converted to a storeroom of sorts with rows of boxes and various jumbled odds and ends stacked and piled together against the wall so that only small patches of the wood were visible.

Kaede reached into one of those boxes and pulled out a dark beaded necklace. She held it in her hands, muttering over it quickly in words too low for Kagome to hear. A glowing white mist curled around the beads with each syllable that the old woman uttered, and it flashed once brightly before fading into the beads.

She offered it to Kagome who took it hesitantly. The beads seemed to tingle as they touched her fingers, and Kagome felt the hair rise on her arms and the back of her neck. She glanced down, noting that her exposed skin was clearly goose pimpled. Her head felt prickly, and she shook it an attempt to rid it of the odd sensation but that only made her hair stick to her face.

It's like it's electrically charged! Like that time with the creature. Is this what real magic feels like?

"Put that on him if you can and say a word of restraint. It will bind him to you."

"So he'll have to obey me? Like the Monkey King and his hat?" Kagome frowned. "I don't want to hurt him."

The old woman chuckled. "This is far less painful than that. And he will not always obey you. That's far too much to expect of any living creature capable of independent thought. But you will be able to subdue him when you must . . . although I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into. Inuyasha will always be wild, and he will always be dangerous."

"Inuyasha?" Kagome repeated. "You called him that before . . ."

"That is his name since birth. I knew him once. It can only be Inuyasha. There are no other Akita with eyes like his."

The girl leaned forward eagerly, eyes widening. "What happened to him then? Why was he abandoned and abused and starved?" Her voice wavered. "Why did someone leave him in the forest to die?"

Kaede's gaze fell, and she sighed heavily. "The woman he had . . . been loyal to . . . died. And we always believed him too vicious to be handled by anyone else . . . so we let him go . . . when he ran away . . ."

Kagome made a strangled sound of rage and clutched the necklace in her hands. "Well, you're wrong! He's not vicious! He's just stubborn!"

"Perhaps you are right, child," Kaede murmured in a skeptical tone. "I do not know. I never worked closely with him myself, only saw him from a distance. I wish you luck in your endeavor, Higurashi Kagome. Because in spite of your enthusiasm I think you will need it."

Kagome rolled the beads between her fingers. They were warm to the touch though the feeling of electricity had disappeared. "How much do I owe you for . . . for this?"

"Nothing."

"That's not right! I can't just take it for free. Especially when it's been enchanted!" she protested, shaking her head even as she clutched the necklace to her chest.

"Consider it a good deed then. We miko do not always receive payment for what we do."

Kagome knelt and dug around in her backpack, producing the small bag of kibble the dog--no, Inuyasha--had refused so many times. "Please take this. I know it's not much and it's been opened, but it's very good dog food. He just won't eat any of it."

Kaede smiled and accepted the bag. "Very well then. Be careful and if you ever need any help you may come here."

"That's very kind of you."

The old woman looked through the open door at the lengthening shadows stretching across her yard. "You'd best start home now, child. Sunset approaches."

Kagome followed her gaze and gasped, glancing down at her watch quickly. It was getting late and she still had to find her way home. "Thank you for all your help. I can let myself out."

Kaede followed her to the gate anyway and watched her jog away down the street in the direction of the looming green of the Go Shinboku, waving when the girl turned back to wave at her. Her hand dropped as Kagome rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. She continued to stare at the spot where the girl had disappeared, however, and did not react when a figure stepped out of the shadows at her side.

"You did not tell her that he turned on your sister."

"I did not say that she turned on him either, did I? There's still too much that doesn't make any sense, still too much that we don't know."

"Should I follow her Kaede-sama?"

Her wizened hands tightened around the metal bars of the gate, but she smiled ruefully before pulling it shut. "No, Sango, that won't be necessary just yet. Let us see what this girl can do."

A.N. I'm sure there are those of you who wonder what Inuyasha looks like. I'm also sure that some of you think you know. But do you really? The American Akita looks substantially different from the Japanese Akita, though unless you're into dogs and dog shows as I am you probably wouldn't notice or care. The differences are so great, however, that the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI, the World Canine Organisation) has recently recognized the varieties as two separate breeds competing in two different groups: the Akita (Japanese version) in Group 5: Spitz and Primitive Types and the Great Japanese Dog (not making that name up) in Group 2: Pinschers/Schanuzers and Molossers (ie, mastiffs). Japanese Akita are smaller on average, leggier, wirier, less massive, built more as Inuyasha the hanyou (rather than Inuyasha the bodybuilder) is. For more information and pictorial examples please see
http://www.tamarlane.com/comp.htm
http://www.akita.com/prosplit/types.htm
http://www.americanakitas.com/japanese_ex.htm

Whereas the characters in the feudal era don't have a surname unless they are nobility, it would be rather strange not to have one in a modern setting. Thus I have made them up:
shuushi, 'autumn contemplation'
shimizu, 'clear water'
from http://renku.home.att.net/500ESWd.html

The Monkey King: a character in the well-known and extremely long ancient Chinese tale Journey to the West (that, among others, the Dragonball and Saiyuki franchises are based on). The Monkey King was a troublemaker on a grand scale (he annoyed the gods a few times) so Buddha gave the monk Tripitaka a hat to control him. When Monkey put the hat onto his head it turned into a brass circlet. Whenever Monkey misbehaved Tripitaka chanted sutras and the circlet tightened, hurting Monkey and keeping him in line. Sounds rather familiar, doesn't it?

Lara Winner · Post by **Lara Winner** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 2:48 pm

Oooh. The plot thickens.

kyoki · Post by **kyoki** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:07 am

Update update!

Blissful Ignorance

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