One Month for Romance by Corisu Li, chapter 3, inu yasha fanfic

This work is complete. It's one of the greatest fanfics I've found on the Web. I'm posting it here with the permission of the author. I found it at http://www.geocities.com/inuyashakarma . Enjoy. Tim Seltzer

Disclaimer: Inuyasha: This is stupid.
Kagome: Do you want me to say it? *smiles innocently*
Inuyasha: *gulps* Ok, ok....Corisu Li doesn't own any of us. There, happy? Of course she doesn't own me. No one can own me...not even a wannabe miko who thinks she has power over me just because she can subdue me with-
Kagome: OSUWARI!
Corisu Li: Well, you can guess what happens now...enjoy the relief of the cliffhanger's end!

Chapter 3: Livin' for the Weekend (part 2)

The tiger laughed, totally confusing Kagome. It leapt down from the roof, landing softly in front of the pair. Inuyasha smiled. "You want a fight, shapeshifter? Cause if you do, it's with me. I need to blow off some steam anyway."

Kagome pulled a face and prepared to respond when the youkai cut them off. "If you are done, Inuyasha, I have a message to give you."

"How the hell do you know my name?" Inuyasha asked, but the tiger-youkai paid him no heed.

"You are to meet my superior at this location at exactly 11:00 tonight," she said, using her tail to toss a piece of paper at the hanyou.

Inuyasha dropped the bags he was holding, snarled and leapt at the youkai, but she already knew what was coming. She quickly transformed into a bird and eluded the hanyou. "This is not MY fight, halfling. Don't kill the messenger." She flew away and disappeared into the darkness.

Inuyasha glared after her. Kagome, meanwhile, had snagged the slip of paper and was trying to figure out the meeting place. "Hmm...this can't be right!" she said, catching Inuyasha's attention. He looked at her.

"If these directions are correct, this will put you right in the middle of a forest!" Kagome thought for a second, then set her face. "I'm going, too!"

"No you're not, Kagome! That thing could hurt you! And I have a feeling that whatever its 'superior' is would hurt you as well."

"Well, she only said that I'd be hurt if you didn't go! So what could the harm be in taking along a little company? I'll even take my bow and arrow so I can be some help if things get rough! Onegai?"

Inuyasha sweatdropped. Why did she always seem to think that 'keh' means yes? Before he could pick up the argument. Kagome's smile faded. "Oh, no. Souta! Mom!" She ran toward the house before he could say a word.

Inuyasha was much faster, however, and leapt to the door, kicked off his shoes, and threw himself inside. He sniffed the air and didn't detect a trace of blood. Or youkai. A few second later, Kagome entered the door, panting. "You...have...to teach...me....how to....do that...sometime."

Just then, Mrs. Higurashi and Souta entered from the den. "Kagome-nee-chan? Something wrong?" Souta asked.

"No reason..." Kagome moved toward the stairs and motioned for Inuyasha to follow. When they reached her room, she flopped down on her bed in relief. Inuyasha dropped her shopping bags on the floor, by her closet, and retrieved Tetsusaiga from under her bed. He sat on the floor, closed his eyes, and leaned back against the wall, with the sword leaning on his shoulder. He had a lot to think about at that moment...

Kagome raised her head long enough to stare at her clock. 9:53 p.m. They had been gone all day, and she was bone tired. She couldn't help falling asleep, even though it was so near the appointed time for the mysterious meeting...

Inuyasha bolted through the streets, dressed once again in his fire-rat kimono, with Tetsusaiga at his side. He figured that it was too dark for anyone to see him, so he hadn't bothered to cover his ears. He ran at full speed, following the detailed instructions on the piece of paper that the tiger-youkai had given him. The directions were so simple, that they could be followed even by someone who didn't know street names. He skidded to a halt at the edge of a dense patch of woods, then took to the trees. He didn't know who wanted him, but they were going to get him. Inuyasha remembered the youkai's words, hissed in an ancient youkai language that he didn't even know he knew-

"Come alone Inu-youkai...or she will die by my hands, and you by the hands of my superior..."

He paused briefly to sniff the air. He detected no hint of Kagome, nor any other humans. She's gonna be pissed at me for this... he thought, but continued to leap from branch to branch toward the center of the forest. What exactly did this tiger-thing's superior want? he wondered. And why was I forbidden to bring Kagome?

"It is all set, Sesshoumaru. The hanyou is on the way and there was no sign of a girl with him."

"Exceptional work, Ayako. Now, take your normal form to regain your energy until he gets here. Make sure that he doesn't see the real you until it's absolutely necessary. That, and the fact that I despise the feeling of you perched on my shoulder..." Sesshoumaru shot the bird a very dirty look.

Ayako returned the sentiment and fluttered to the ground. She changed back into her ordinary shape, a cheetah youkai with patterned and lightly furred skin, long claws, and whiskers. She had black hair down to her waist and green eyes. Her nose was decidedly feline and her mouth housed long, sharp fangs. Her clothing consisted of a sleeveless black top and low-cut, baggy black pants. At her side was a sword in a sheath.

"Much better. Just make sure that Inuyasha doesn't come close enough to see you this way. If he does, you know what will happen..." He examined her eyes. "Or did Naraku not teach you that little bit of information?"

Ayako sighed. "If he sees me in my true form, then he'll be able to see through my transformations and force me to return to this state every time. I know, I know...do you think my instructor was a complete idiot?"

Sesshoumaru smirked and turned his head to look up at the night sky. "Yes...I do."

Inuyasha finally reached the small clearing where he was to meet with the tiger-youkai's superior. He looked around, but it was empty. He leapt down from his tree and immediately felt as though he passed through a wall of cold water. It must be a barrier to keep passerby from seeing inside, he thought. He landed on the ground, tensed for a fight, then raised his eyes to meet...

"Fluffy?" He exclaimed incredulously. Sure enough, it was Sesshoumaru, with the huge tiger-youkai at his side. "What the hell do you want? Does this have something to do with Kagome and that...that dart...." He trailed off as he saw Sesshoumaru's expression. "It WAS you! You fucking YAROU!" (a/n: another just-in-case - yarou = bastard)

Without thinking, Inuyasha threw himself at Sesshoumaru, who easily dodged the swipe and effortlessly chopped the hanyou on the back of the neck. Inuyasha never hit the ground, however, as Sesshoumaru grabbed him by the throat and slammed his back into a tree near the edge of the clearing. Ayako winced as her sensitive tiger ears heard the splintering of wood behind Inuyasha.

"Calm down, brother." He spat the word like a curse. "I only came here to talk with you. And you came to listen. Don't bother trying to fight me to bring out the answer, because this Sesshoumaru holds all of the cards and you...you hold none." Sesshoumaru flexed his arm and sent Inuyasha sprawling into the center of the clearing.

"Y..Yarou..." he gasped. "Why did you do that to Kagome? What was the point? I've already guessed that you weren't trying to kill her."

"Indeed, no. Actually, I have enlisted the aid of my helper here to infect her...and make her full youkai."

"WHAT?" Inuyasha roared. "Why the hell are you doing THAT? What the hell are you getting out of it? She'll just find out you did it, and then you'd be stuck with two pissed off youkai to deal with! You can't be serious!"

"Idiot. What makes you think that she would attack me? What makes you think that she would even know who YOU are? Once the human bitch is full youkai, she'll kill you and then live beside me...as my mate."

Inuyasha choked and flung himself at Sesshoumaru again. Sesshoumaru sighed, then conjured his whip of green shouki and cracked it across Inuyasha's back. Once more, Inuyasha hit the dirt, but he hopped back up immediately, ready. He ripped Tetsusaiga from its sheath and took a swing at Sesshoumaru. The sword sliced through a small part of Sesshoumaru's robes. Heh, Inuyasha thought. I can take him! At that moment, the tiger-youkai threw herself forward and grabbed on to Inuyasha's hand - with her teeth. (a/n: wait, do you guys know what shouki is? demon energy! *sigh* I'm sick of this. No more vocabulary lessons for a while ;P)

"Arrrgh!" Inuyasha roared in pain and rage as the fangs cut through his flesh. He flung his arm and knocked the tiger loose- and then he realized what she had been doing. When he flung his arm, the youkai had switched her bite to...Tetsusaiga...which was now in the tiger's mouth. The tiger hissed as it began to burn her and she dropped it at her feet, glaring at Inuyasha.

"I told you, Inuyasha, that I did not come here to fight with you. I'm here only to talk. The Siaku powder in Kagome's body will take full effect in about 3 weeks. In that time, I suggest that you say your good-byes..."

"Why the hell are you telling me all of this, Fluffy?" Inuyasha asked, still turning over everything that he had said in his mind. Siaku powder? That...that yellow stuff?

"Because, Inuyasha...I want you to know what you are missing. Don't think I am blind and have missed the clues that you have feelings toward that miko. Well, I'm here to tell you that you are forbidden to take her as yours. I will not let you defile our name by taking a miko bride...and I will not allow you to be happy."

"The Siaku powder is already weakening her miko powers. When those three weeks are up, she will have none, and be full youkai. I'm telling you to give you a chance to forget her, brother. With my persuasion, maybe I could even find some minions for you. You are my half-brother, Inuyasha, and I don't intend to let you tarnish Father's name by mirroring his weak, simple- minded decisions!"

"So...you're making me an proposition, huh? Offering me an out? Telling me that you'll welcome me back into the fold? Fuck off, Sesshoumaru. I don't need your acceptance!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes darkened. "Then DIE BY THE HAND OF YOUR LOVER, HALF- BREED!!!" he roared, turning away and beginning to leave. A few steps away, he stopped, and turned back, looking at Inuyasha closely. A large red gash was on his back from the whip, there were claw marks on his neck, and his wrist was nearly severed. Sesshoumaru scoffed, then unsheathed the Tenseiga.

Sesshoumaru ran forward and swiped the sword at Inuyasha, making sure that the breath was knocked out of him. Inuyasha landed on the hand that had been bitten by the tiger-youkai and winced at the pain...except there was no pain...

He looked down at his wrist to find it completely healed. As a matter of fact, he felt as good as new. His clothing wasn't even scratched!

Sesshoumaru looked at Inuyasha scornfully while he re-sheathed Tenseiga. "Let him retrieve his sword," he said to the tiger-youkai, who stepped back obediently as Inuyasha did just that. "As much as I, Sesshoumaru, would love to kill you now, I think it would be more entertaining to watch your bitch do it for me. Tell her what you like, Inuyasha. She will believe anything if you are unscathed. I will interfere no longer. You can delay the inevitable and not tell her...or you can tell her and still die knowing that there was nothing you could do. The choice is yours, but either way I see your death and my new mate." He turned again to leave.

At this, Sesshoumaru did something very unlike himself...He shrugged and said, "She'd make a powerful youkai....and she's kawaii..."

Despite being furious, Inuyasha sweatdropped, as did Ayako. He...thinks she's KAWAII? While he was puzzling over Sesshoumaru's answer, he and the tiger youkai took to the skies, fading into the distance...and leaving Inuyasha alone to think about what the hell he was going to tell Kagome.

Kagome was running through a dense forest. There was something ahead of her...perhaps something that held a Shikon no Kakera? She tried to run faster, searching the trees ahead for Inuyasha...but he wasn't there. Where was he? She needed him to stop the figure that was running from her. "Inuyasha!" she called, but there was no answer and still the hanyou did not appear. She frowned and realized that it was up to her! She ran even faster, the trees on either side of her becoming a blur as she ran to catch up. Without thinking, she leapt into a tree and continued in the treetops, absently sniffing the air to confirm the location of her target. Then, she dived. She plowed through the trees and collided with the back of the running figure, knocking it to the ground. Immediately, she grabbed it and lifted it to see...Kikyou?

Kikyou's words were cut short as Kagome separated her throat from the rest of her body- with her fangs.

Kagome woke up, gasping for breath and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. She tried to get up and realized that someone had come in and put a blanket over her, but she still wore the clothes that she was in after she'd returned from the mall. Oh, no... she thought. Does this mean...?

She slowly turned her head to look at the clock. 12:39 a.m. She had missed the meeting! And Inuyasha, that baka! He was sure gonna get it when he got back! At this thought, she scanned the room, worried. Did that meeting really take that long? she wondered, or was it more than a meeting? Maybe he was attacked? Could he be hurt somewhere? Or worse...?

With a strangled cry, she leapt from the bed and stumbled down the stairs. She nearly hurled herself through the den door, only to find-

Before she could really panic, however, there was a soft knock on the door and Inuyasha entered, looking a little tired but perfectly okay.

Imagine his surprise when Kagome threw herself at him, out of nowhere, sobbing uncontrollably. "Inu...yasha.....I thought you were hurt or dead and you didn't wake me up and it was getting late and you were nowhere to be found and-"

Inuyasha pressed a finger to her lips. "Shh...it's okay. I'm fine. The meeting was nothing. Just some baka trying to get me to join his ranks. I turned him down. He won't be bothering us again." Oh, well, he thought, at least the last few sentences were true.

He was about to tell Kagome to go back to bed and rest when she said something that knocked the breath out of him even faster than his half- brother's attack.

"That damn Sesshoumaru. The next time he shows up, he's going to get a miko's arrow right in the chest."

"I smelled him on you, of course." She let out a huge yawn, then turned away. "I'm going back to bed."

She...smelled him on me? But humans shouldn't be able to- he cut the thought short. The Siaku powder must be taking effect! I have to think of what I'm going to tell her! He rubbed his head as he pondered: And I have to tell her before she figures out that she has fangs!

For it was true. When Kagome yawned, Inuyasha could clearly see two slightly elongated, pointed fangs fully formed in her mouth.

An hour later, Inuyasha was in Kagome's room, examining her closely. First, he gently moved the hair at the top of her head aside, then breathed a sigh of relief. Whew...no ears! He moved down to her hands, and was pleased to see that long youkai claws had not formed yet, but her nails were slightly longer.

Now, for the most delicate - and most important - part, he thought. Very slowly, he raised one of his claws and made a shallow cut on Kagome's forearm. She made a slight movement, but luckily, didn't wake up. He watched the cut carefully...and no change occurred to it. He sighed again. Okay, so that means that she has fangs and a heightened sense of smell, but her ears, nails, and healing ability are still human. I still have time to save her! He left the room silently and went back downstairs to his designated sleeping place. He didn't sleep immediately, however. Instead, he was thinking up something to tell Kagome when she woke up. He couldn't help but indulge in the idea that maybe - just maybe - as a youkai, she could love him. He quickly stopped himself from thinking like that. Plus, if Fluffy was right, she'd kill him anyway! Inuyasha groaned softly and closed his eyes. Imagining what Kagome would look like as an Inu-youkai, he drifted off, a smile on his face.

Kagome woke up, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She was about to get out of bed (absentmindedly checking the floor for Inuyasha) when she felt a sharp pain in her arm. She looked down and saw a shallow gash, covered in dried blood. She winced. How had that happened? She shrugged, then headed to the bathroom to get a bandage and brush her teeth. She tried the doorknob - only to find that it was locked. Automatically, she took a deep breath through her nose and smelled...bubblegum toothpaste...hair gel...a faint scent of bubbles...

"Hurry up, Souta-chan!" she yelled through the door. She heard a shuffle as Souta dropped his toothbrush and nearly slipped and fell in surprise.

"How'd you know it was me, Nee-chan?" he asked, opening the door to stand before her in jeans and a shirt.

How did I know it was him? she asked herself. Aloud, she said, "I just did! Now get out! I feel like I haven't gotten a wink of sleep and I want to wake myself up!"

Souta shrugged, rinsed his mouth of toothpaste, collected his belongings, and left. Kagome sighed and put her own clothing on the toilet seat. She turned on the shower and stepped inside, allowing the water to completely engulf her body.

The sound of the shower woke Inuyasha. Oh, shit, he thought. Kagome always takes a shower right before she...brushes her teeth...

"Oh, SHIT!" He yelled, aloud this time. Before falling asleep the previous night, he had decided that he would just tell Kagome the truth when she woke up. He figured that she would find out anyway, so maybe she could handle it better if she was told, instead of having to find out herself...as she certainly would when she looked in her mouth...

He leapt off of the couch and ran upstairs, stopping outside of the bathroom door. "Kagome!" he called, praying that she hadn't noticed yet.

"What? I'm in the shower!" she called back, sounding slightly irritated, but not angry. Inuyasha let out the breath that he hadn't been aware that he was holding.

"I need to talk to you as soon as you get out of the shower!" he said. He heard the water stop and waited for a reply. And he got one...

"NO!" Inuyasha yelled. "Uh...what I mean is...this is really important! It can't wait."

Kagome sighed. "It'll have to wait three minutes, Inuyasha! I can't stand to talk in the morning unless..." Her voice trailed off and Inuyasha braced himself for what he knew was coming...

Kagome burst from the bathroom in a light blue sundress and collided with Inuyasha, knocking him to the ground and pinning him there. "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO ME?!?!?!"

Inuyasha took a deep breath and began the explanation. He debated leaving out the part about Sesshoumaru insisting that Kagome was going to kill Inuyasha and become his mate, but in the end, he just ended up telling her that, too. He figured that she'd be a lot madder if she found out that he'd been hiding something else from her. The whole time, Kagome listened attentively, and only asked one question when she was done:

This question left Inuyasha stumped. And of course, what better way to deal with confusion than hostility? "Hell if I know, bitch! I was way too busy with him predicting my death and your mating future!"

There was a long silence in which Kagome repeatedly ran her tongue over her teeth. Inuyasha waited for her to speak her mind, but instantly became fretful when she clapped a hand to her mouth and her eyes widened.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, thinking that maybe she'd bitten her tongue or something. "What's wrong?"

Kagome slowly turned her gaze up to the clock on the wall. 12:15 p.m. "Oh, no!" she gasped. "I have to get ready! Houjou will be here in 15 minutes!" And she bolted for her room, slamming the door behind her. Inuyasha gaped. She was still planning to go on that date with that weakling?

"Kagome! You can't go on that date! My brother and that crazy youkai are still out there! They could try to hurt you!" Inuyasha yelled, pounding on Kagome's bedroom door.

"Use your head, Inuyasha! They don't want to hurt either one of us! They've already done all they wanted to do and now all that they're waiting for is my transformation. I promise, when I get back from this date, we'll go back and talk to Kaede!"

"But Kagome! What if he sees your fangs?" He said the last sentence very quietly, so that neither Souta nor Mrs. Higurashi could hear.

"I'll be careful, Inuyasha! I promise!" Kagome opened the door and pushed past Inuyasha, headed toward the stairs. Inuyasha examined her. In addition to her pale blue sundress that only reached halfway to her knees, she now wore a pair of lace-up white sandals and a white sweater draped over her shoulders. There was no way that Inuyasha was going to let her go with this 'Hoho' guy alone and dressed like that...

Kagome turned and looked up at him from the bottom of the stairs. "No way, Inuyasha! You can't just invite yourself along on a date! It's rude!"

"Well then, I'll follow you. Just to keep an eye out." And to make sure 'Hoho' doesn't try anything... he thought.

Kagome frowned. "I don't need a bodyguard!" She began to walk away again. Hearing Inuyasha following, she said, "Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha crashed into the stairs and tumbled down them, ending up at the bottom, swirly-eyed. Kagome winced, then shrugged. It's his own fault, she thought, closing the door behind her as she heard Houjou honk the horn. (a/n: Houjou? With a car? Poor pedestrians...)

Corisu Li: I'm now in the process of writing Chapter 4. I'm almost done, so you'll see it in a day or two.

Inuyasha: She's probably trying to figure out how you'll react when you find out that I've ripped him apart...

Corisu Li: Hey! Don't start fighting again! He doesn't kill Houjou, Kagome, don't let him get you mad!

One Month for Romance by Corisu Li

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One Month for Romance

Chapter Three: Livin' for the Weekend, Part 2

Chapter 3: Livin' for the Weekend (part 2)