Work Text:
This came from a random thought I had, in which I asked myself, "Jane, what do you think would have happened if another person showed romantic interest in Inuyasha?" I realized that we never saw that in the anime/manga (Jakotsu doesn't count because he was in it for the murder/blood, ya know?).
Here's how I think it could have gone down.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.
No One Else
Bright lights and strong energy burst from Inuyasha's attack as it rang through the air.
"Backlash wave!"
With the sound of his battle cry, the yokai they were fighting disintegrated.
Inuyasha looked around at his comrades to make sure they were all okay. It hadn't been the hardest battle they'd ever fought, but it certainly hadn't been the easiest.
After confirming that they were all okay, Inuyasha sheathed the Tessaiga and turned to face the villagers that had come streaming out of the houses.
"Thank you all!" cried the village's headman. "We are indebted to you. Please allow us to give you all a warm meal and beds for the night."
Before Inuyasha could protest the extra time, Miroku cut in.
"Thank you, my good man," the monk replied. "We would be much obliged."
Inuyasha frowned but said nothing. Now that he thought about it, a meal didn't sound too bad.
O.o.O.o.O
Kagome took a bite of rice as she surveyed the room. The village headman had invited several other people to dine with them. She observed the few young women that she knew Miroku would flirt with and a couple other people. It was a rather jovial affair; apparently the yokai had been bothering the village for quite some time and they were celebrating the end of their constant peril.
There were many people there, but one stuck out to Kagome.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed a certain young woman consistently looking over at her. It wasn't a look of malice; it was more of curiosity and, oddly enough, light embarrassment.
Kagome huffed, assuming it was the usual shock at her modern outfit. It was normal for her to wear, but was usually seen as indecent to people in this time period.
Deciding to ignore it, she turned to Inuyasha whom was seated next to her. "Is your food good?" she asked. Inuyasha nodded as he took another bite.
"I'm not picky about food like you pesky lot," he began, "but even I have to admit this is a good meal."
Kagome smiled at him. She felt eyes on her and when she turned, she saw the same young woman's eyes on her. The woman's gaze dropped when they made eye contact.
Kagome leaned closer to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha," she whispered, "do you notice that woman over there? She keeps staring at me." Inuyasha glanced up to where Kagome was indicating and frowned.
The pair watched for a moment. Sure enough, the woman's brown eyes travelled back over to them.
Kagome soon realized that the woman hadn't been looking at her; she'd been looking at Inuyasha.
When the woman met Inuyasha's suspicious gaze, she blushed and looked down, her shoulder-length brown hair covering their view of her face. Kagome recognized that sort of blush…
"She's being weird," Inuyasha grumbled as he turned his focus back to his food. "Just ignore her."
Kagome spared a final glance at the woman before taking another bite of rice. "Okay…"
O.o.O.o.O
Inuyasha rubbed his full stomach as he walked to the room where they would be staying the night. It was rather large, so he and his comrades would all be able to fit for their nightly rest.
He'd noticed that Kagome had been quiet since dinner, and he silently wondered what was up with her.
Once they'd all gotten settled in their room, they saw a silhouette outside the privacy screen. Inuyasha braced for a confrontation as a soft knock came from the doorframe.
Frowning, Inuyasha looked to Miroku, silently requesting that he find out who was there.
The monk slid open the screen to reveal a young woman. Inuyasha recognized her as the one that had been giving Kagome the creeps at dinner.
He glanced over at Kagome and saw her eyebrows narrow and a firm frown come to her face. That surprised Inuyasha; he never saw Kagome act that way toward villagers unless it was truly warranted. What was up with her?
"Hello," the woman greeted with a bow. "My name is Aika and my father is the headman. I would like to personally give my thanks to you all for executing the yokai that had been tormenting the village." She peeked into the room until her gaze landed on Inuyasha. A blush came rose to her cheeks as she smiled at him. "Especially you, my lord."
Inuyasha nodded, a bit caught off-guard at being called lord. "Yeah, sure." There was something different about how this woman was behaving toward him. It almost reminded him of how women tended to act about Miroku when he was sweet-talking them…
Miroku smiled, and Inuyasha could practically read his mind. Before he could ask his famous Will you bear my child? line, Kagome stood up and walked over to the screen, effectively blocking the woman's view of Inuyasha.
"You're welcome," she said, her voice kind as always but rather curt. "It's been a long day, though, so we were just about to go to sleep."
The woman looked a bit surprised at the obvious dismissal, but she nodded all the same. "Yes, of course. I apologize for disturbing you. Thank you all again."
Inuyasha heard her footsteps retreat as Kagome firmly slid the screen closed again. She wordlessly walked back over to her sleeping back and laid down in it with her back to the others.
Inuyasha exchanged a confused glance with Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and even Kirara.
"What's your problem?" Inuyasha asked. "Since when are you rude to villagers?"
Kagome sat up suddenly and glared daggers at the hanyo. "Since when are you so nice to villagers? Especially female villagers?"
Inuyasha frowned as irritation began to fester in him. "Sorry that I wasn't a heathen to that woman. What are you so mad about?"
Kagome huffed and rose from her sleeping bag. "I'm getting some air," she said as she left the room. She slammed the screen behind her as she stomped out.
The remaining four people in the room exchanged confused glances with one another.
"That was unusual," Miroku commented. Shippo nodded his agreement.
"Maybe we should go see what's wrong," Sango suggested.
Inuyasha scoffed. "Keh! As if it matters. If she wants to go be mad by herself then by all means, let her."
"Stop being a jerk, Inuyasha!" Shippo scolded. "Usually when she's mad it's because of something you've done and this time seems like it's no different!"
Thump!
Shippo dissolved into tears as Inuyasha's fist came down harshly on his head.
Things settled down soon after as drowsiness began to take over everyone. Fifteen minutes after Shippo started yawning, he and Sango settled down to sleep.
Eventually, Miroku and Inuyasha were the last two awake. Kagome still hadn't returned, so Inuyasha made a silent resolve to stay up until she came back, if not go search for her after the monk had fallen asleep.
Although Inuyasha's gaze was glued to the door to watch for any signs of Kagome, he could practically feel Miroku staring at him.
"You got something to say?" the hanyo growled quietly as he opened his eyes to confirm that Miroku's gaze was trained on him.
Miroku sighed. "Kagome is obviously upset, Inuyasha. Perhaps it would be best for you to go ahead and find her."
Inuyasha frowned. "It's not like she's got a good reason to be upset. I didn't do anything."
Miroku shook his head. "You need to pay more attention."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and stood up. "I'm gonna go get that irritating woman. Go to sleep."
Without waiting for a response, Inuyasha left the room and headed in the direction of Kagome's scent.
Her scent wasn't marred by any tears, so Inuyasha knew she was angry, not sad. Great, he grumbled internally. Angry Kagome is my favorite...not.
He found her quickly; she was sitting near a small garden in the middle of the village. "Kagome?" Inuyasha called.
Kagome glanced up at him at the sound of her name. "I'm coming," she said as she stood up. Brushing past him, she made her way back to the room.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he followed her. Moody woman...can't do a thing with her.
He shook his head. He knew it wasn't true. He and Kagome had a bond, and as much as he tried to hide it, he couldn't ever stay mad at her. He was just glad she hadn't been crying.
They silently made their way back to the room without a word.
Kagome went right to sleep when they got back and Inuyasha had no complaints about that.
Whatever, he thought to himself as he closed his eyes. She'll be over it by tomorrow.
The next morning, Inuyasha noticed that Kagome's bad mood seemed to have subsided, but only a little. She still avoided any and all eye contact with Inuyasha. He rolled his eyes as she silently rolled up her sleeping bag.
Inuyasha caught Miroku frowning at him througout the morning as well, so needless to say, the hanyo was more than ready to leave that stupid village.
The village headman was waiting to bid the group goodbye, as was the young woman that had visited their room the night before.
Inuyasha paid no attention to the conversation between Miroku and the headman, instead choosing to focus on the fierce scowl on Kagome's face. It was directed at the woman, but Kagome didn't comment or say anything to her.
Baka...Kagome.
His golden gaze was so focused on Kagome that he didn't notice the presence in front of him until the person was right in front of him.
It was the young woman, Aika as he recalled, and she was smiling at him. That's odd, Inuaysha mused silently. People don't normally smile at me, let alone women.
Aika bowed to him, a small smile still on her face as well as a faint blush. She looked back up at him, her brown eyes wide and shy.
"Thank you again," she said, her voice quiet. "I certainly hope you will revisit our village in the future."
Inuyasha was confused. "Probably not. We don't usually come to the same place twice." Aika laughed lightly.
"Well, I hope this will be one of the few you return to," she continued. "I wish to see you again." She spoke simply and unabashedly, as if not caring that she was inviting a hanyo to return to her village.
Still confused at why this woman who didn't even know him would want to see him again, Inuyasha only shrugged. "I doubt it," was all he said. Inclining his head slightly in lieu of the proper bow, he walked away from the woman, pondering her odd demeanor.
Why would she want me to return? It's not like she even knows me.
He stewed silently, trying to understand why the woman would have said something like that. It confused Inuyasha to no end.
Miroku bid the headman a final goodbye before acknowledging Inuyasha. "Shall we continue on our journey?"
Inuyasha scoffed. "Gladly."
As the group departed from the village, Miroku pulled Inuyasha back to allow Sango, Kagome, and Shippo to walk on ahead. Unfortunately for Inuyasha, Kagome's bad mood seemed to have returned.
"So I take it you don't realize what upset Kagome yesterday," the monk commented. "Or right now, for that matter."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Of course not, baka. She's all mad for no good reason."
Miroku seemed to ponder something for a moment. "I would like to ask you a question, but I don't want you to fly off the handle at it."
Inuyasha frowned. "Go ahead. It's your funeral."
Miroku rolled his eyes. "Before Kikyo, had you ever been involved with a woman?"
"I don't-what do you-what?" Inuyasha sputtered. "Why would you ask me a question like that?" Miroku shrugged.
"Context, I suppose," he replied. "Will you answer the question?"
Inuyasha turned away from him. "No, I haven't," he finally said. "What kind of human woman would be interested in me? Let alone romantically!" Inuyasha huffed. "Happy now? You got your answer. Now what do you mean by 'context?'"
"I just was wondering if you were oblivious of the situation because you're just that daft or because you don't have much experience with women."
Inuyasha growled. "Excuse me?"
Miroku shook his head. "I meant you're being daft about the situation with Kagome. She is jealous, Inuyasha. That's why she's acting this way."
Inuyasha was confused. "Why would she be jealous? It's not like Kikyo came around or anything."
Miroku groaned at Inuyasha's stupidity. "You better not let Kagome hear you say that. I was not referring to Kagome being jealous about Kikyo. I was referring to the other woman. I believe her name was Aika."
Still puzzled, Inuyasha frowned. "Why would Kagome be jealous of her?"
Miroku, despite his obvious irritation with Inuyasha, chuckled. "You are certainly quite unsuspecting when it comes to women, my good friend. Aika seemed to be quite taken with you."
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Keh, yeah right! I'm a hanyo. Like I said, human women don't want anything to do with that." He paused. "Even Kikyo didn't...not really."
Glancing subtly at Kagome, Miroku spoke again. "Well, we obviously know one woman who wants something to do with a hanyo. Dog ears and all."
A deep blush came over Inuyasha's face. "Whatever," he grumbled.
The monk sighed. "All that aside, I'm just saying that even though Aika wasn't Kikyo, she was still a woman that was interested in you. It's a compliment that Kagome was jealous. But...compliment or not, Kagome was still upset by it. Maybe you should at least mention it to her and let her know that you weren't interested in that woman." Miroku eyed him. "Unless...you are interested in her?"
Inuyasha growled. "Keh! Of course not!"
Miroku began walking ahead to catch up with the rest of the group. "Maybe it would be good to let Kagome know that," he called behind him quietly as he made his way to Sango's side.
Despite his annoyance at the monk, Inuyasha pondered his words. Maybe it would be a good idea to mention that to Kagome...then at least she won't be mad over something completely ridiculous. Everyone always takes her side when she's mad at me. I'm not about to let them do that when she has a stupid reason like this.
That night, they decided to make camp in a small clearing on the edge of a forest fairly close to a small river. Sango set to work starting up a fire as everyone sat down.
Inuyasha, however, hesitantly remained standing as he glanced at Kagome, whom had barely spoken to him at all that day.
"Hey, Kagome," he said, trying to hide the nervousness he was feeling. "I'm gonna go catch some fish. Come with me."
Kagome looked up at him, obvious confusion in her eyes, but she stood up to follow him without argument.
They walked to the river in silence as Inuyasha tried to think of what to say. This was a stupid idea! he shouted internally.
"I think I see a few fish down here," Kagome called from where she'd wandered down the river.
Inuyasha came to join her, ignoring the presence of the fish he knew were below them.
"Hey," he said, his tone calmer as he tried to get her attention.
He could tell she noticed the change in his voice; she looked up in him in quiet surprise.
"Yeah?" she replied.
Inuyasha sighed. "So...you were mad last night...and today...about that woman back in the village?"
Kagome blushed. "Well, I don't know if I would say mad…"
The hanyo kept his golden eyes on her, noting how uncomfortable she had become.
"Well, whatever you were feeling, it was stupid."
Anger immediately came over Kagome's features. Before she could start to argue, Inuyasha quickly put his hand over her mouth to stifle the words before they could even pass her lips. "It was stupid because you thought it was a big deal that a woman was talking to me. I don't know what you thought would happen, but you all can't get rid of me that easily...especially you, Kagome. Nothing...and no one...could ever do that."
His words stopped Kagome's resistance as her eyes widened.
When it finally seemed like she wouldn't try to argue with him, he dropped his hand from her mouth.
"Okay?" he said. Kagome, still obviously surprised by his words, nodded.
"Okay," she finally replied.
Albeit a bit awkwardly, Inuyasha reached up and gently ruffled her hair before following the long strands down to her hand.
Before he could let go, Kagome tightened her grip and held on.
"Thank you," she said as she squeezed his hand. Inuyasha kept a hold on it as he gently tugged on her fingers.
"Let's head back," he said as he pulled her along behind him.
He let go of her hand before they reached the others so as to avoid the teasing he knew that would invoke.
Kagome smiled once more at Inuyasha before going to sit down in front of the fire.
The hanyo stretched before taking a seat next to Kagome, grateful that he'd solved the solution in such a mature way. Take that, Miroku. And he thinks I'm immature.
It was then that he noticed everyone staring at himself and Kagome.
"What are you people looking at?" he asked defensively.
Miroku only smirked. "It seems you forgot the fish. Were they not biting or were you perhaps occupied with something else?"
Inuyasha growled as Kagome blushed.
Shippo, innocently oblivious, jumped over to Kagome's backpack. "Let's have ninja food for dinner instead!" His excited voice made Kagome giggle.
At the sound of her mirth, Inuyasha's anger subsided.
He scoffed nonetheless.
"Ninja food is better anyway."
FIN.
:)
Much love.