Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

One Can Only Wander For So Long	By : Alesyira Category: InuYasha AU/AR > Het - Male/Female Views: 2260 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Revisions! Wording
changed, plot tweaked and shifted between later chapters, descriptions added
(or removed if they sucked... ;p)
Note, if you’re reading this on AFF or FAC, please be patient
until the next chapter is posted here to read any further. I’m moving sections of later chapters
around, and it might be so much that reading farther would be confusing.
Disclaimer - Of course, I don't own the Inuyasha characters.

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One Can Only Wander for So Long
By Alesyira
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Chapter Five - More Than What He Seems

Kagome was fifteen minutes away from her home when she flipped
open her cell phone and pressed a button to speed dial.

"...Hello?" A soft voice answered.

"Sango, it's me. I need you to come over for a while and help
me out. Long story short, I'm gonna need a hand with this dog I picked
up," Kagome said.

"Ok, I'll be over soon. ...Are you at home?" Sango
asked.

"Ten to fifteen minutes away, the sooner you get there the
better. Bring your bag, this poor thing took a beating, and has some nasty
looking cuts that I want you to look at.
He's been out cold for at least three hours now, but showed slight signs
of consciousness for a few moments about two hours ago," Kagome said,
casting a concerned glance at the canine sleeping on her passenger seat.

"I'm already out of the driveway. See you in a sec,
Kagome."

The other side of the line went silent, and Kagome set her phone
in the center console. A short while
later, she was driving down the quiet street that ran in front of her house. The gate sensors picked up her vehicle's
approach and the front entrance swung open automatically, allowing her truck to
enter the grounds. She hit a switch on
the dash to force the gate to stay open behind her as she parked in front of
her home. She knew Sango would be
arriving within a few minutes.

Putting the vehicle into park, she hopped out of her side of the
truck and rushed up to the front door, unlocking it and pushing it open. She went back to the truck and eased open
the passenger side door, finding the white canine still fast asleep on the
seat. She lifted the dog from the seat,
settling its sleeping form in her arms, noting the steady rise and fall of its
chest.

She smiled, her savior no longer seemed to be doing so badly. She walked carefully back into the house and
set the dog on the loveseat in her library. Standing, she took one more glance
at her sleeping charge before she walked into the kitchen to make some tea.

~~~

Sango sighed as she clicked off the phone. She had been expecting her boyfriend,
Miroku, over that afternoon for an early dinner and a movie, but it looked like
her plans had changed. Kagome wouldn't
have called for her help if it weren't something serious. Especially on a
weekday... Sango usually spent the weekends over at Kagome's, when they would
go for runs or sit and read in her lovely library.

Sango's job during the week was usually not very busy, just taking
care of the few pampered patients in town.
Being a vet in such a small neighborhood shouldn't pay as much as it
did, but the residents in the area were all high-paying owners who worried over
the slightest changes in their pet's demeanor.
Earlier that day she had to do a full examination on a cat that had been
meowing louder than usual.

Sango laughed to herself at the memory of that particular owner’s
complaints as she pulled into Kagome's driveway through the open gate. She could see the silver truck parked up
ahead, and both of the vehicle's doors were still wide open. Sango's smile
faded. `What could cause Kagome to rush like that...?' she thought to
herself.

Sango parked behind the pickup and grabbed up her doctor's bag
from the passenger seat. She glanced at
her watch. "Four pm..." she
said quietly. Miroku had said he'd be
over at four-thirty, but she could always give him a call and have him bring
over something for them all to eat. She walked up the front steps and upon
entrance turned slightly to her left, her gaze sweeping over the library.
Kagome sat in a small chair next to the loveseat with a teacup to her lips,
seemingly petting the dog that was lying just out of Sango's vision.

"What happened, Kagome?" Sango asked quietly. Kagome
looked up with a start, nearly spilling her cup of tea.

Kagome smiled brightly at her best friend. "Have a
seat," she said, gesturing to the chair across from the small table in
front of her. "This is quite a story..."

~~~

She told Sango everything from arriving at the forest to when she
returned home, including the incredible healing rate the dog and herself seemed
to have displayed in the short time since the attack. She saw the confusion
etched on Sango's face as her glance went back and forth between the two of
them. Sango finally stood and stepped in front of her slumbering savior. She
examined the dog for a short while, listening to the heartbeat and checking the
almost healed wounds.

"Are you sure he got these wounds today? Not remnants from an earlier fight he may
have been in?" Sango asked quietly. Kagome nodded.

"They were bleeding pretty badly earlier, the way the blood
was drying when I woke, they couldn't have been there very long," Kagome
reasoned. Sango frowned and went back to shifting the fur around each wound,
carefully removing the tape Kagome had used to help keep the wounds closed.

"These wounds look like they've had a week of
healing..." Sango muttered. "How curious... Let's wait till he wakes,
then get him bathed. Once the dirt and
blood is gone, he'll look good as new. Any idea on who owns him?”

Kagome frowned as she let the information sift in her
thoughts. `I wonder what his name
is?' she considered, thinking of what to call him when he woke...

Sango prodded for a response again, “...Kagome?"

Kagome looked up suddenly. She had been lost in her thoughts.
"Hmm? Oh, ah, no... no clue on who might own him... He has a strange sort
of collar around his neck, but I didn't see any tags on it. If he does have an owner... I'm kind of
worried on how long he has been lost.
Where I found him, there isn't anyone living nearby. Not for years, at least..." Kagome
looked back down at dog and scratched gently behind an ear. `This little guy
saved me...'

"I can call around, see if anyone has reported a missing dog
with his description," she said, looking at her watch. "I'm supposed
to meet Miroku for dinner this evening, would you like me to get him to bring
over something to eat while we wait for your little charge to wake?"

Kagome smiled and nodded. "Yeah... would you like a cup of
tea? I forgot to ask you when you came in..." Sango nodded as she pulled
out her cell phone and called her boyfriend.

~~~

`Tea. I can definitely smell tea. That girl... I can smell her
too... along with another person...’ he shifted slightly, vaguely aware of
needing to be somewhere. ‘or away
from somewhere...’ He wasn’t sure
where he was yet, but he knew with a dark sense of foreboding that he shouldn’t
be wherever he was currently. The curse
was unforgiving and remarkably swift when he was closer to someone, as
reflecting on his past had shown. ‘...Need to leave...’ he thought in misery, ‘or she’ll
die...’

His emotions were conflicted, however. He knew her life was in danger, regardless of if he left now or
later. Somehow, she’d be violently
eliminated even if he managed to escape her soft petting and heavenly
scent.

‘Stay,’ his tiny voice of reason whispered. ‘Stay, and protect what is yours.’

‘Mine?’ Inuyasha
had no claim over the woman: no verbal
mention of intent, nor any cute little bites or scent markings, so how the hell
could she be considered his?
Maybe... maybe she could
be his if he stayed; his to keep...
But he wouldn’t stay; it was futile to fight the curse. He quickly made up his mind, deciding to
leave as soon as he was able to walk out of here.

His stomach rumbled loudly as his nose processed two new scents
coming into the room: a male and - ‘Fooooooood,’ his internal voice
echoed with enthusiasm, stilling any thoughts of escape in favor of the
mouth-watering sustenance he could smell quite clearly. Ok, so maybe he’d stay long enough to eat,
but then he’d be leaving.
Without a doubt. He slit open
the eye that wasn’t smushed into a cushion for a stealthy glance around the
room, trying to keep his ears from flicking about in his alertness.

“Miroku! You took long
enough... I was starving...” the girl
said in what sounded to be a false whine.
He could see the adorable pout she displayed add weight to the
statement.

“Ah, Kagome,” Miroku said as Inuyasha could hear him moving just
out of sight with the food, “You know I would never keep two lovely ladies
waiting for my return without good reason!”
Thin box material shifted before he heard the girl and another woman
sitting somewhere beyond his peripheral vision make noises of barely contained
glee. A new - and nearly forgotten -
scent slipped over him, ‘Chocolate...’

The other woman spoke this time, “Oh, Miroku! You know that’s my favorite... you’re forgiven.” By this time, poor Inuyasha was ready and willing end his little
charade of sleep to taste some of the tantalizing goods being held within feet
of him. Playing on human sympathy for
adorable wounded animals – for he knew he was a good-looking specimen of
canine; anyone with his bloodlines was bound to be attractive! – he shifted and
let loose a pitiful whine, which would have been utterly degrading under
circumstances not involving chocolate.

The immediate response of concern from the girl was pleasing as
she bent over him, running her slim fingers through the thick fur on his
neck. ‘Kagome...’ he thought
back to what Miroku had called her, suppressing a shiver as she trailed fingers
up to his sensitive ear and scratched gently.
‘I really shouldn’t be letting her do this...’ he thought,
but inwardly reveling in the much-desired physical contact.

‘This is the first time in fifty years that I’ve been touched
for pleasure of another...’ he thought with an inner scowl. Regardless of how good it felt, the memory
of physical contact with another brought to the surface a multitude of feelings
and memories he’d lost since forced from active thought. The last person to have touched him left a
permanent mark: the body of a dog where
his should have been a lean, handsome hanyou.
She had cursed him for his belligerence at her strange attempts
of... whatever it was that she’d been
trying. ...Seduction through
violence? Even as a half-demon, the
idea still appalled him.

He realized the girl was still scratching his head in that perfect
spot, but the deluge of bad memories made him shudder and flick his ear to get
away from her slender fingers. His
attempts at evasion didn’t faze her, as she sought the other ear for more
tender caresses.

“So he’s awake now, is he?” the other woman in the room spoke,
moving into his line of sight with the soft sound of silk shifting. Kagome finally released his ear and moved to
sit back in her seat next to the couch.
Inuyasha felt a twinge of unease at this woman’s appearance. She was lithe and held herself with a subtle
deadly grace, and he knew well to be wary of this woman. She leaned forward, watching his face for
something while reaching out for one of his healing wounds.

He narrowed his visible eye at her scrutiny, flicking his gaze
over to the girl that he had saved for any notion of what was going on. Kagome was carefully watching the other
woman’s actions, tapping her mouth with an extended finger. The unfamiliar woman brushed her fingertips
across his fur, and he couldn’t suppress the instinctual growl of warning.

She frowned down at him, speaking clearly, “I’m going to check
these wounds, with or without your permission.
Don’t make me tranquilize you to do so...” she murmured, carefully
peeling back the bandages to examine the new skin she could see. “These are looking very good. Kagome, I think I was right earlier... With a bath and some food, he’ll definitely
be as good as new. He should be able to
get up and walk around shortly, if he can’t already.” She said with a smile.

“Thanks, Sango,” Kagome said with a smile, looking back down on
Inuyasha with a happy grin. Inuyasha
was glad to see such a pleased expression on her face, although he was unsure
why. ‘Stupid women.’ He huffed
internally. ‘I need to get out of
here,’ he thought to himself in irritation.

‘Right after I eat,’ he amended. He looked expectantly at the small box sitting on the short table
next to them, licking his chops in a very canine-like manner to signal his
desire to eat the food Miroku had brought.

The message was apparently clear as Kagome smiled in
understanding, rising to get him a plate of the food they were about to
eat. She ladled out some cooked beef
strips with a generous helping of lightly seasoned noodles onto a wide plate,
setting it on the floor near his spot on the couch. Inuyasha could barely contain his glee at the sight of such
mouthwatering treats that lay before him.
It had been so long since he’d had the pleasure of spices and
seasonings in his meals. Raw meat was
good for him, but nothing brought back old memories like good cooking.

“It’s not a very healthy selection for a dog,” Kagome began with a
slight smirk, “but I think you deserve some spoiling for saving my life.” She smiled down at him fondly, running her
fingers through the hair on his neck.
He gingerly stepped from the couch, testing his muscles with brief
stretches and nearly indiscernible twists before sitting on his haunches to
take a careful bite of the prized morsels.

‘I’ve died. It’s
official: I’ve gone to heaven, and I’m
never leaving,’ he thought to himself as he savored the food. Kagome even gave him a small slice of the
chocolate treat Miroku had brought. He
heaved a great sigh once the food was gone, looking in remorse at the empty
plate before him. He could have easily
eaten another ten platefuls.

He took a moment to study the three others sitting in the
room: Miroku was clad in the most
ridiculous shade of purple Inuyasha had ever seen on a man... but it strangely seemed to match his eye
color. He was staring down at Inuyasha
with a knowing expression, as though he could see through the curse to his true
form. Bemused, Inuyasha glanced up at
Sango, who was currently helping herself to a third slice of the dessert with a
dreamy expression on her face. ‘She
must be some sort of fighter,’ he guessed, gauging from her muscle tone and
weathered hands. Without seeing her in
action, though, he wouldn’t be sure...
But Kagome... Kagome was...

Sango finished her last bite, setting her plate on the table and
wiping her fingers clean with a napkin.
“Kagome,” she began, dragging Inuyasha away from his perusal of the
girl, “Miroku and I are going to head back to my apartment now. If you need
anything else from us, call, ok?” She
smiled as the two stood. “I'll stop by
tomorrow to check up on him, if you’d like.
If I get any word back on his owner, I'll call you..."

‘Owner?’ he thought with alarm. ‘What the hell is she talking about?’ He looked up at Sango with a scowl, for certainly she couldn’t
possibly think that he was someone else’s property... But Kagome caught his attention as she moved forward to embrace
Sango with a grateful smile.

“Thanks for your help today, Sango. I was really worried about him,” she said, moving back to stand
beside Inuyasha with a strange glance at Miroku.

“Aw, Kagome, don’t I deserve a hug too? I did, after all, bring dinner...” he said, a look of hurt in his
eyes.

Kagome raised an eyebrow at him.
“When you can receive hugs without groping, you pervert, you’ll
‘deserve’ the attention again.”

He smirked at her response, flinging his coat over his shoulder
before dropping into a more serious look.
He looked between Kagome and Inuyasha with a thoughtful expression,
seemingly considering his next words carefully. “Be careful with the dog, Kagome. I don’t think he’s quite what he seems to be.” Wrapping an arm around the other woman, he
continued, "Come on Sango, there's not much else we can do here tonight.
Let's let them get some rest."

Inuyasha watched as Miroku escorted Sango from the house, both of
them waving at Kagome. She followed to
close and lock her front door, then walked to a nearby wall to pressed some
buttons on a small box. Inuyasha's sensitive hearing picked up the sound of two
engines starting and the barely audible crunch of gravel as they drove away
from the house.

"The gate will close after they pull out of the estate,” she
began, looking down at him with a soft smile.
“You know, you need a bath.
Would you be terribly difficult in sitting in a bathtub, or are you a
really well behaved dog?" Kagome squatted down in front of him, meeting
his gaze at eye-level. Inuyasha's jaw
fell open in surprise, but the hanyou’s appearance of shock translated into a
lolling-tongue dog grin. Kagome
laughed. "Such a cute little inu - I'll take that as a yes. Come on, we
need to get that blood washed out of your fur."

She stood and turned, tapping her finger against her mouth as she
considered her options. She made her
decision and began walking across the foyer to another hallway, turning to look
back and see if he followed.

‘I already told myself I’d be leaving as soon as I’d eaten...’ he
frowned. ‘But a warm bath?’ He considered for a moment. ‘It’s been a while since I’ve had a warm
bath... Maybe as soon as I’m dry, I can
leave... She’s bound to leave me alone
sooner or later, and I can escape then, while she doesn’t see...’

His mind whirled in confusion.
‘Why am I waiting until she doesn’t know I’ve left? Why not just leave now?! I could just run out the...’

“Well, come on,” she said, interrupting his internal argument with
a soft laugh. “I’m not going to bite
you.”

Inuyasha couldn’t help but stand and follow her beckoning
voice. He padded slowly in her
direction, considering his actions. `...Would
it be so bad... to acknowledge that she's talking to me... and I understand
her? Maybe I should just play dog for a
while...' He was hesitant;
concerned that he might end up liking her presence too much to want to leave
her, safe and in peace... But that thought
brought a moment of pause. ‘If I
leave her now, wouldn’t she just die anyways?’

Most likely... They always
died...

But maybe...

...just maybe, if he stuck around...

...he could delay it.
- 4
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- 6
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One Can Only Wander For So Long