Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

The More Things Change	By : inumom Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > InuYasha/Kagome Views: 2401 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
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Disclaimer: They�re still not mine. Maybe after I win the lottery�.

3. Questions and Answers

The short walk to the old miko�s home in the village seemed endless, and not only because of the huge uncertainties that nagged at them. They had not yet left the field in which the well portal stood when Kagome groaned, �Oh, no.� At the curious look from the hanyou at her side, she continued, �There are Shikon shards coming fast--it�s Kouga.�
The ferocious--almost murderous--growl that erupted beside her had her worried until she stole a glance in his direction. Realizing that he was still firmly entrenched in his normal hanyou form, she sighed as he snarled, �That bastard can�t leave you alone for a minute, can he?�
Grabbing him by the hand, she forged ahead. �We don�t have time for this crap,� she muttered.
Unfortunately, as she had known, there was no way that they could match the wolf youkai�s speed, enhanced as it was by the Shikon fragments embedded in his legs. It was only a matter of a few moments before the whirlwind created by the speed of Kouga�s passage through the forest emerged form the trees. As always, it blew right past them before reversing its course until coming to a complete stop before the young miko.
Grabbing her hands tightly in his own, he smiled down at her with what he hoped she would recognize as a charming look. Completely ignoring the seething hanyou--as always--he smirked, �When are you going to leave that fleabag and come with me to my pack?�
She could feel the flare of agitation coming from behind her. �Not in this lifetime, Kouga. Why can�t you understand? I am not your woman. I have never been your woman. And--believe me when I say this--I will never be your woman. Now leave, Kouga--I really don�t have time for this right now.�
She jerked her hands away from his grasp and returned to the hanyou, noting that the facial markings had started to return while she had been distracted by the arrogant wolf prince. �Come on,� she said, �We have to get to Kaede-baachan�s right away.�
Without so much as a glance in the wolf youkai�s direction, the two resumed their walk to the nearby village.

*

A considerable distance to the west, a silent figure paused in its endless circuit of the lands in its care. Sniffing delicately in the direction of the east, the tall youkai caught the faintest hint of a scent that was at once naggingly familiar and somehow subtly different at the same time.
Something, he decided, was wrong. Following his sensitive nose in the direction in which his only living family resided, he decided that the time had come to find out exactly how wrong that something actually was. It would take him a few days of travel to reach the human village, but he could spare the time if it meant that his curiosity would eventually be satisfied.
With neither a word nor gesture to his entourage, Sesshoumaru walked silently off through the forest, the human child in his care and his personal servant following as they always did.
If something was, as he suspected, going on with his idiot half-brother, it would no doubt be in his own best interest to learn what it was and prevent it from adversely affecting him if at all possible.

*

The miko from the future and her companion had nearly reached the village when she suddenly felt a pinprick on the side of her neck. Swatting at the source of the irritation, she found herself with the stunned form of a tiny flea youkai in her hand. �Myouga-jiichan! What brings you here?�
The tiny youkai hopped up and down in the palm of her hand in irritation. �Is it true? Why was I not called?�
The hanyou grabbed the parasite, snarling, �Is what true, bug? Do you know anything about what�s been happening to me?�
The flea settled immediately, adopting an expression that reminded the human girl of nothing so much as a particularly stuffy history teacher she had once had in middle school. �I was right, then,� he said, secure in his belief that he knew practically everything that could be of any use.
The hanyou growled deep in his chest, the facial markings becoming even clearer in his annoyance. �Spill it, parasite. If you know what�s wrong, now�s the time to come clean.�
The little youkai shivered at the prospects of facing his master�s wrath, but drew himself up to his full height and began his explanation. �There is nothing at all wrong, Inuyasha-sama. You are simply entering seijuku.�
�Huh?� Clearly confused, the hanyou waited--not too patiently--for an explanation.
Myouga cringed at the thought of the explanations he was being required to make, but decided that a little embarrassment was far less uncomfortable than being crushed out of existence by an angry hanyou. �You have, after all, been alive for more than two hundred years, Inuyasha-sama. It is certainly time for this transitional stage in your development.� Seeing that the hanyou still had no clue as to what he meant, the flea youkai decided that the time had come for a crash course in hanyou growth and development. �You understand that youkai and hanyous develop much faster than human children, right?� At the hanyou�s silent nod, he continued, �This is true for the first several years of their lives, until they reach very nearly their full size and strength. At this time, the growth process slows. Because of their extremely long life spans, youkai do not reach their full maturity until they have lived for centuries. This gives them time to learn the things they must know before they are able to establish territories and mate. At this time, they enter seijuku. For the several months it lasts, their bodies and minds undergo sometimes dramatic changes as they develop their full adult abilities.�
The young woman, who had been sitting quietly by listening to the explanations, felt a sudden urge to giggle. �You mean, something like puberty?�
The flea youkai considered briefly, then nodded. �That is the usual human term for the process, I think.�
Inuyasha closed his eyes wearily. �Go ahead to the village, Jiji. We�ll be along soon.� Once the tiny youkai had left, he turned to the human girl. �You should leave here until this is all over. I�ve heard stories about what happens in seijuku, and I don�t want you anywhere in the area.�
Her mouth was suddenly dry. �Why not?�
�You heard Myouga�s explanation. I�m going to be developing some new powers or something, and it could be dangerous for you.�
She shook her head. �I don�t think they will. I�ve already seen hints of some of them, remember? It looks like you�ll be able to keep your mind intact when you change forms now--maybe you�ll even someday learn to control the process yourself so that you can switch to whatever form you need at any given moment. You�ll also be able to communicate without using words. I�m sure that�ll come in handy in a fight. The first few times it happened, I thought I was hearing voices that weren�t there, until the time you also heard me.�
He couldn�t look at her. �You don�t understand. I�m maturing physically. You�re an unmated female, and you have my protection mark. It�s going to be almost impossible to ignore that combination. I could hurt you, and never even realize it.�
She sighed, thinking back to the scene with Kouga near the well. �I just wish there was a mark that would discourage Kouga. I like him, but he just can�t take a hint.�
The hanyou shook his head. �I don�t think he would even respect an intention mark: he�s pretty damn stubborn.�
�A what?�
�It�s more intimate than a protection mark, but less than a full mating mark. It�s caused by prolonged skin-to-skin contact, like when people sleep in the same futon. This usually takes a month or more to fade away.� He still refused to meet her eyes, standing up and extending a hand to help her rise from the grass.
She considered the flea youkai�s words as they continued on to the village. They explained so much that she had always found confusing. So her hanyou protector had not yet matured physically, despite his appearance. That certainly explained why he�d never mated Kikyou when they had known each other all those years ago. Maybe, she thought, it might also have something to do with why he had never approached her.
*I wonder if he�d want me now?*
She never noticed the hanyou at her side flinch, almost as though burned.
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The More Things Change