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Incense And Mirth, Taming The Wild Hanyou Heart	By : vikikibouki Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > InuYasha/Kagome Views: 8842 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
A/N

Before I start prattling on, I would like to thank all of the readers that took the time to review. I read every single one of them. It's because of you, my sweeties, that this story has grown into what it is today. So...this chapter is dedicated to all of my sweeties that have left me reviews. And to BOOKWORM; A special thanks for hearing me out.

I hope that you enjoy chapter 4.
There's going to be a new, more permanent, character added on in this segment of my story. He's of my own creation and I've decided to make him a bit of a pompous ass. That's why he 'speaks like a know-it-all' So, if there are any kinks or quirks that you may find a bit out of sync, bear with me, please. I'm not used to creating characters with flaws. Also, any references towards mushrooms and herbs, either being poisonous or not, were all found on internet sites after much time-consuming research. Why do I say time-consuming? Because I couldn't make heads or tails of half of the names that I was reading. So if there are any mistakes made while writing this, they were not intentional. And as much as I love mushrooms, Mycology is definately not my fort�.

Translation for....KINOKA-YA: Expert In Mushrooms; Expert Mushroom Hunter.

My motto from now on:

'WRITERS BLOCK IS A FIRST CLASS BITCH!' (especially at 2 AM and you REALLY wanna finish)

Kinoka-Ya

Kagome awoke with a start. She wasn't quite sure exactly how long she had been sleeping. From the way the sun shone into the hut, at least two hours. She yawned as she stretched, then got up. Looking around, Kagome noticed that she was all alone. 'Where is everyone?' she thought to herself as she headed outdoors.

"Hey, Shippo, where's everyone gone off to?" she asked the little kitsune that was busy drawing on sheets of paper nearby.

"Kaede went to help a village girl who started to go into labor and Sango went with her. Miroku followed them because the baby's father asked him to bless both mother and child afterwards." Shippo replied, never looking up from his drawings.

"I see. But, where's Inuyasha? The last time I saw him he was going to ask Kaede about something while taking a walk with her."

"Gee, Kagome, I really don't know. The last time I saw him he was with you inside of the hut. Come to think of it, he has been acting a bit weird lately. Did you two have a fight or something?" Shippo answered, momentarily stopping his colored pencil.

"No. We haven't been able to find time to talk to each other lately, much less fight. I wonder what he's up to?"

Kagome turned to go back inside the hut. She spied her yellow back-pack and realised that she was almost completely out of supplies.

'This would be as good a time as any to go back home and restock-up. With Inuyasha being gone, I could whisk myself over there without getting into one of our famous temper-tantrums about it. Not only that, I really could use a good long hot soak in the bathtub." The more Kagome thought about it, the more tempting it became.

"That's it. I'm leaving. I'll be gone until tomorrow. With everyone being as occupied as they are, no one'll miss me until tomorrow morning, anyways." she quickly decided, grabbing her back-pack.

"Hey, Shippo! Could you do something for me? If anyone asks where I've gotten to, would you tell them that I had to go home to get some supplies and that I'll be back sometime tomorrow morning?" Kagome called out as she jogged towards the path that would take her to the well.

"Sure thing, Kagome. Don't forget my ninja food, okay?" Shippo hopefully quipped back loud enough for Kagome to hear.

Kagome stopped and turned around, blowing him a kiss. "Oh, sweetie, you know that I wouldn't forget you. Just try to stay out of Inuyasha's hair when he returns from wherever he is. I have a feeling that he's not going to be too happy when he finds out that I'm gone. And tell him that I promise to bring back a couple of extra packets of ramen for him!" she yelled back

'At least with that thought in mind, he won't be so quick to judge me when I climb out of the well tomorrow.' Kagome said to herself as she turned towards the path once again.

Shippo shook his head at her retreating back.

"Personally, I don't think that the promise of ramen is going to placate him as much as it used to. Inuyasha's changed so much lately. I know that he's gonna be ROYALLY PISSED OFF when he finds her missing. The first thing he's gonna do is take off right after her down the well. I sure hope that Kagome's in a good mood tonight because if she isn't, all HELL'S gonna break loose between them." he mumbled to himself.

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Shinseiki looked around his campsite, making sure that everything was in place. He'd been preparing this moment for a long time now. When Naraku had come to him several months ago to propose a truce between them, he couldn't exactly believe what he was hearing. That the great Naraku was willing to forgive him for an earlier transgression, no matter how slight that it had been, was of a great relief to him. He still could not understand how his potion had failed. He had mixed all the right quantities of arrowroot within the rest of his poisonous concoction and yet his demon victim had still been able to taste the ground Huang-Qi beans. Needless to say that Naraku had become very upset with him.

Shinseiki stared off into the distance, lost in thought. The fact that he could almost pass off as Naraku's twin brother was the only thing that saved him from death, he was quite positive of it. The only difference between them was their hair color. Whereas Naraku's was very dark, his was much lighter. And somewhat shorter. He was also very particular about the way he took care of it. But...oh, whatever. He wouldn't dwell on it any longer. He had other things to think about. This time he would make sure that everything went according to plan. He'd been given his orders from Naraku, and Naraku wanted the young miko dead. Shinseiki would provide the means for Naraku's plan.

As a child, Shinseiki had followed his grandfather everywhere. He'd learned at a very young age all the mysteries that there were to know about plants, herbs and mushrooms. Many were medicinal, and when mixed with other ingredients, could heal all manners of ailments when ingested. As for the others, while being poisonous, they still had many good uses, either for aromatics or for poltices. "As long as you know which herbs to grind together." Grandfather would constantly remind him.

Old Shokatsu had a very good reputation, and many a head-man from villages far and wide would seek his counsel on remedies. Even noblemen would send their lackeys to him so they could recieve their spring-tonics on time. Yes, Shinseiki had learned from the very best and now, he himself was renowned as an 'herbalist extraordinaire' and a very experienced Kinoka-Ya.

Even better than his grandfather, for that matter. Whereas Shokatsu would only gather edible mushrooms for his potions, Shinseiki learned everything about ALL of them. And he learned how to use them. Shinseiki had even impressed his grandfather when he had showed him how he'd been able to strengthen a demon ward. By grinding up several dried poisonous mushrooms together, mixing the powder with sake and soaking the ward in it overnight, it had strengthened at least a tenfold. The unfortunate demon rat that they had unexpectedly come across never knew what had hit him.

Shinseiki sighed and shook himself back to the present. He'd lost his grandfather only two years ago and still grieved over his death. He looked towards the small table that was set up by the fireside. If it had been anyone else besides Naraku that demanded this of him, he would have refused. He could not willingly take another person's life and still be able to wake up the next morning and not feel guilty (unless it was a nasty demon, of course). He was a healer, DAMMIT, not a murderer. But he had no intention of giving away his own life, either, and Naraku had been VERY clear as to where his loyalties should lie. So, Shinseiki did exactly as Naraku commanded.

"Let's see, now. A pinch or two of ground bark from the Black-Haw Snowball tree, mixed with ground fruit pits along with a thumbnail of Aconitum, then that is mixed in with the ground Kava-Kava root (that my cousin so thoughtfully gave me as a gift from his travels). Now, all I need is something to mask the taste with and she will never know exactly what type of tea it was that she was drinking. At least the poor girl won't feel anything because of the Kava-Kava root. That much I CAN do for her."

Shinseiki grumbled out loud; "I still wonder what that little miko did to deserve Naraku's wrath. Is it because she looks so much like that priestess that I encountered once before? What was her name again? Ahhh....Kikyou, I think. Yes, that's it. I remember her having quite the mouth on her when it came to talking about Naraku. If this miko is anything like that other one, then I can imagine why he'd want to get rid of them both. Oh, well. Who am I to judge? By tomorrow evening I will be far away and she will be but a distant memory."

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Miroku walked slowly down the path that led to the river by their village. He was smiling and felt very good about himself. The child that had been brought into this world just a short while ago was a healthy, strapping baby boy with lungs that could rival Inuyasha's. Hakourou, the child's father, couldn't stop telling everyone. He was truly one proud father.

The mother, Mayko, had not only survived the birthing without any problems, she had made a remarkable recovery. Only an hour after her son had been born, she proclaimed herself fit enough to leave the birthing hut and return home. At first both Kaede and Sango had been dead set against it. After much arguement and debate, they finaly gave in but on only one condition. That if any problems occured, Hakourou was to come and advise them right away. He'd wholeheartedly agreed. The fact that he and Mayko had followed Kagome's insructions on how to plan the pregnancy had contributed a great deal towards her health because of her young age.

Mayko had convinced Hakourou to wait at least a year before having their first child, even though he'd been reluctant about it at first. After learning how to calculate the days between her most fertile times and when her temperature seemed higher, they became extremely careful. They'd decided that during those times there would be no sexual intercourse whatsoever. And although Hakourou had found this to be extremely difficult at first, Mayko made his waiting all the more worthwhile. Actually, just about the whole village could hear them during those times. It seemed like each night was a replica of their first one together.

And then it happened. On her seventeenth birthday, Mayko decided that she was finally ready to be a mother. Without saying anything to her husband, she'd counted her months to see if their first chid could be born around the same time that Hakourou celebrated his birthday. The dates corresponded perfectly. Nine months later baby Souta was born. As soon as Mayko realised that she was expecting, it had been decided that they were to honor Kagome for all of her help. If it was a girl, she was to be her namesake. If it were to be a boy, he would be called Souta after Kagome's brother.

Miroku chuckled to himself. He knew that as soon as Kagome heard the news, she'd be running towards the new family's hut to check on the baby, and he could hardly wait to see the look on her face. Those that knew Kagome personally could tell just how much she loved chidren. It wasn't really a surprise to anyone.

Miroku turned towards Inuyasha's Forest, deeply lost in thought. He hadn't realised exactly how far he'd gone until he came upon several downed trees. That's when he spotted it.

"No! It can't be! A Ling Zhi mushroom. I must be seeing things. An orange with black fringe, at that. They're so rare. The Kami must truly be proud of us today. Hey! And Sheitake, too. Now I know that we've been blessed. To have found both of them growing together like this, is a gift sent from up above. I'll dry these as soon as I get home. That way, should any accidental poisoning occur, I'll be ready." He gently pried them off from the rotting tree trunks and carefully wrapped them up in his spare bandana. Then he decided to head back towards the village.

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Inuyasha looked around him, studying his handiwork. as soon as he'd arrived at the cave, he'd started cleaning and preparing it for Kagome's surprise. He'd scrubbed everything from top to bottom, making sure that there were no more bugs or spiders still hiding somewhere. He knew just how scared they made her. Kagome could face off any Youkai and look straight in the face of death itself and not be afraid, but stick a spider in her hair and you could hear her scream for miles around. He chuckled to himself at THAT thought. Next, Inuyasha had gone about preparing her sleeping bag and the blankets that they'd need. He placed everything beside the firepit that he'd dug out. Then, he placed the fruit that he'd picked earlier on his way towards the cave in a basket. Kaede had given him not only the basket, but several clay jars as well. He would be able to keep fresh water close to them and not have to go out and get any during the night. He was thankful that Kaede had thought of it.

"There's only one thing I've got left to do." Inuyasha said to himself as he stared down at the very large bouquet of wild roses that he was holding.

About two months ago, while waiting for Kagome to finish up a few loose ends that she'd insisted on doing, Inuyasha had sat down beside Mamma Higurashi in the living room. She'd been watching a 'moo-vee' on that noise-box everyone called a T.V. and he was curious to see what was going on. As his eyes followed the moving pictures on the screen, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The man in the picture was pulling apart flowers and throwing the petals all over the floor! And then he had the gall to turn down the bed sheets and....place several long stemmed red roses on top of the pillows?!
What kind of nonsense was this??

"Uhhh...Mrs. Higurashi? Would you mind explaining to me why that idiot just destroyed perfectly good flowers? And why mess up the floor with all of the petals? I mean, talk about doing something really stupid! What a dumb dolt! And how come he put those roses on top of the bed instead of in a jar of water? Doesn't he know that they're gonna die quicker that way?" He asked, scowling at the T.V.

Mamma Higurashi chuckled and quickly wiped her cheeks, hoping that Inuyasha wouldn't notice the tears. She'd always been a softie for love stories.

"Inuyasha, sometimes when a man loves a young woman and he wants to show her, he may do things that he normally wouldn't. In this case, he knows just how much his girlfriend loves flowers. By showering the bedroom floor with petals, it's his way of showing her just how deeply his feelings really are for her. And as for the roses, well, did you not notice the small box that he pulled out of his jacket pocket?"

Inuyasha just nodded, so Mamma continued.

"That, my dear, is in all liklihood a ring. Tonight is the night that he has finally decided to proclaim his love for her and ask her to marry him. Hence the flowers on the pillow. He's not leaving anything to chance. He wants her and is willing to do anything to please her, no matter how silly it may seem to others. That, Inuyasha, is what true love is all about. You don't care what anyone else thinks. As long as you can please the one you love, nothing else matters."

Mamma paused a moment, then added;

"When your heart is ready, Inuyasha, truly ready, then you'll understand EXACTLY what I'm trying to say."

Inuyasha turned towards Momma, not saying anything, and looked her directly in the eyes. He surprised her with a quick hug. Then he got up and headed out to find Kagome, hoping that she'd finally be ready to leave. Mrs. Higurashi had given him much food for thought, indeed.

Several weeks ago, before the 'incense incident', Inuyasha had gone to see Totosai hoping to get some information that he'd needed for Tessaiga. Instead the master swordsmith had something very interesting to ask of him. He needed a few diamond shards for a sword that had been commisioned and hadn't been feeling well enough to go and gather them from his nearby mines. If Inuyasha was willing to let out a KONGOU-SOUHA blast, then not only would Totosai have all the diamonds that he needed, he could make something for Inuyasha with some of the left-overs.

Inuyasha had reluctantly agreed. Actually, with Totosai, he hadn't had much of a choice. But in the end, he was glad.

To thank him, Totosai had made a beautiful two toned golden ring, interwoven as branches from a tree overlapped with a thick, weeping vine would be. Right dab-smack in the middle was a huge heart shaped diamond that Totosai had cut and polished to perfection. The ring was positively breathtaking. Inuyasha thought that it looked a bit like the Goshinboku with the sun shining over it. He had never owned anything so exquisite before, for the very simple reason that he'd never really needed anything like it. No one was going to take a lowly half-breed like himself for a mate. And if he dared to show anyone something as valuable as this ring, well, he would be accused of stealing it.

But that was before he met Kagome. That girl had somehow managed to throw his world up-side down. He knew that because of her, he could never be the same again. And even though he couldn't let it show, he was very grateful towards her.

Inuyasha had originally planned on giving the ring as a present to Kagome to honor their time spent together chasing after Naraku. Then he'd decided that it would probably make a better birthday gift, instead. Finally, after thinking it over very carefully, and remembering his conversation with Mamma Higurashi, Inuyasha knew EXACTLY what to do with the ring and how to offer it to her.

"I guess that 'moo-vee' wasn't as stupid as I thought it was. I just hope that Kagome appreciates all the work I put into ripping out those rose petals for her. It sure smells good. And it makes for a nice soft carpet, too. Now, all I need is a different type of flower to offer her at the same time that I ask her to marry me. And I know just where to go."

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Kagome had almost made it to the well when she heard someone call out to her.

"Excuse me miss, but aren't you the priestess named Kagome?"

She stopped and turned, then gasped.

"Naraku!"

"What? Oh...no. You must have me mistaken for someone else. My name is Shinseiki. I am a Kinoka-Ya. I'm here on business, selling remedies and trading for the more exotic types of herbs and mushrooms that can only be found in this vicinity. There is a particular type of Kuzu root that grows only in this region and I have need of it for several of my tonics. I am so sorry that I startled you. It was definately not my intention, I assure you."

"How do you know my name?" Kagome nervously asked this stranger that had mysteriously appeared.

"I've been hearing about you and your friends for quite some time now. You have all developed impressive reputations. People have spoken to me in almost evey village that I've done business in about this strong priestess that refuses to don the customary clothing that she should be wearing according to her status. You are the only woman whom I've ever come across, as of yet, that would dare to wear attire such as this. It was only natural of me to assume that you should be the one called Kagome." Shinseiki smoothly replied.

I see. Well, it's been nice meeting you, but I really do have to get going. I still have plenty of work to do before the sun sets." Kagome answered. She didn't trust man. Actually, she was starting to get very nervous just by standing here and talking to him.

"Priestess, before you leave, would you do me the honor of sharing a cup of tea with me? It would please me greatly to show you what I use to make my remedies and potions. And, if I may be so bold to ask, would you be kind enough to bless my herbs for me? Maybe by doing so, their healing properties shall increase and will heal even more of the sick and weak."

Shinseiki had to think of something quickly. Otherwise, this would be over and done with before he'd even had the chance to get started. If he had to play on her sympathy for the weak, then so be it.

Kagome sighed. This was definately not working out the way that she wanted it to. Her plans were slowly being shot to hell. she mulled over his request in her mind. What could one cup of tea do? It couldn't hurt, and if blessing his herbs managed to get her out of here a bit quicker, then she'd do it.

"Oh, all right. But just one cup, mind you. Then I really must be on my way." Kagome told him, still feeling a bit nervous.

Shinseiki clapped his hands and yelped out a: " Thank You!" making Kagome smile.

'Maybe this won't be so bad after all.' she thought to herself.

I've decided to cut this chapter short and split it into two. Trust me, sweeties, you will all understand why in the next chapter. Be patient. JA NE
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Incense And Mirth, Taming The Wild Hanyou Heart