Unexpected Places

Disclaimer: Muahahahahahahahahahahahah! *cough. choke* Yeah, yeah, whatever. Thanks Rumiko Takahashi for letting my imagination run wild.

Of Herbs and Headmasters

The fourth day was starting off on the rocks. In the mid-morning in the middle of a meadow was a grumpy hanyou sitting on a boulder with his hands jammed up into his sleeves. He was obviously not happy about something.

However, the black-haired woman was peacefully and gracefully moving in and out of the hypnotic dance of Tai Chi (A/N: Don’t care if it wasn’t invented yet so, Nah!). Her movements were fluid like moving silk. Even he couldn’t keep his eyes from off her. She was just simply put it: erotic. Her body almost moved seductively. She moved every bit of her curves. He was determined though and really did try to ignore her. He was on a mission, dammit!

“Shit, woman! Why can’t I fucking do it?” he snapped.

“Because you still have a gaping hole in your stomach and doing a little exercising like running will tear it open further! Damn! Sometimes I wonder how fucking dense you really are dog-boy!” She ended up yelling at him after about the fifth complaint that came from his mouth.

“You are fucking IMPOSSIBLE!”

“Look whose TALKING!”

“Fucking cat,” he grumbled.

“Why in the seven HELLS do you still call me a neko?!” She stomped over to him and pounced.

They landed on the ground with him on bottom. She grabbed his collar and sneered baring her teeth. She held back the growl that was rising from her throat. He was baring his fangs as well and growling. He braced his elbows on the ground and slowly rose even with the added weight of her on top of him.

“Because you remind me of a damned cat, that’s why, happy? --- Now, why can’t I?”

“Because I won’t be satisfied until that hole in your stomach is fully healed, but you seem to want to worsen your condition.” She had this overwhelming feeling of wanting to bite him, but held her ground.

His face softened and she could hear an almost silent whine escape his lips. “Alright. You win, but I need to do something or my joints will get stiff from the lack of exercise.”

She let go of his collar and stood pulling him up as well. She straightened her clothing as did he and they walked back to the hut. While telling him to wait outside, she went in, collected her bow and quiver full of arrows and a basket then stepped outside.

He backed away immediately trying to keep some distance between them. He shook his head over and over again in shock and disbelief. “Oh no. I’m not going to be used for your target practice. No way in hell.”

Her shoulders slumped and her head turned towards the sky as if asking the Godds for help. She turned back toward him rolling her eyes.

“No crazy… here.” She tossed the basket to him as he caught it. She began walking in the opposite direction of her target board. “You said you wanted some exercise and walking is. So is picking the herbs we are going to find. The bow is for protection you log head.”

She snorted to hold back the laugh as he reminded her of a faithful and loyal dog following its master. He never ceased to amaze and make her smile. They had both lived in solitude most of their lives, but it seemed they were getting along fine.

They walked for about a mile to come to a fallen, decaying, massive tree. The tree was ancient and was here even before her birth so long ago. She sighed and put her bow across her back to stay in place. Crouching down she picked an herb.

“I need more of this herb to make your salve. If we pick enough, we will have enough to last awhile.”

“We had to come all the way out here and to pick only one herb,” replied he irritably.

She wiggled her finger at him and he came to her nonverbal beckoning call.

Whispering in a curious ear, “This is actually a secret herb that is a cure-all. It heals sickness, infection, poison…” She arched a delicate eyebrow to regard him. “And it also helps to mend flesh. The only catch is that you have to know what part of the plant to use depending on the ailment or injury. I grow a few in a small garden so I can collect the seeds and grind them into a powder to put in tea for internal injuries. Brewing the fresh leaves in hot water helps with headaches. When the plant is dried it also helps with other needs.”

“That it?” he quirked an eyebrow at her.

She slightly coughed to cover her embarrassment. “When in bloom, the flower’s scent can be quite an aphrodisiac. It would be pretty strong too with your heightened senses. So I would watch out if you were to come across a cluster of them. Oh, and the time it does bear fruit, the berries prolong life when eaten.”

“You sure do know a whole lot about this stuff,” he scoffed.

“It’s my job doggy.” Her voice dropped to a deadly tone.

He turned his head to stare at her. “That sounds too much like a challenge little kitty.”

“Not when you’re still wounded, you nut!” She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “But maybe some other time.” The woman smirked while picking an herb.

“Agreed.” He was up for the challenge and she pretty much offered and accepted.

They spent most of the rest of the day finding and picking the cure-all herb and trekking the way back home. He got her angry quite a few times on the way back. She thumped his head quite a few times as well. Other than the arguing and thumping, the walk was silent and calming. She didn’t catch the times he was staring at her.

A small scent entered his nose then a small mew was heard. The girl by his side stopped and crouched towards the brush by the beaten path. A small grey kitten with white paws walked out mewling at the human. She picked up the feline petting it as it closed its eyes in content and comfort. The hanyou just looked at the purring cat held safely in her arms. The neko meowed at him squinting its eyes. He slowly reached a finger at it. The cat craned its head to get a good sniff of him.

“You can pet him; he’s perfectly comfortable with you. Usually Toka isn’t too fond of strangers. He can be very protective.”

“As protective as an inu?” he asked.

“Not as ferocious as a dog, but he will do anything to protect what is his. --- See, with a neko, they don’t recognize us as being masters, but that they are the masters. They only give respect to the youkai. Nekos are pretty loyal just like an inu. --- Never thought you would learn that.”

He carefully began to scratch behind the cat’s ears with his claws. The cat returned the action with a satisfied purr. The feline turned to look at her and meowed. She grinned and moved to put Toka in the hanyou’s arms. The cat got comfortable, and her companion was content to scratch the neko’s back. The feline’s rumble vibrated through his arms and soothed him. They were content the rest of the walk home. Once in a while she would reach over and scratch Toka’s ears. And let’s just say that nothing very interesting happened the rest of the day.

***

He awoke again with the lingering vision of that white haired girl in his mind’s eye. It was morning and his caretaker had left him some food on the floor by his futon. It was a week since he had awoke in her hut with her hovering over him. He could feel his strength returning to him very slowly.

He wasn’t used to him healing this slowly, but then again he had never been gutted by his half-brother’s poisonous claws before either. This slow recuperation was making him feel incompetent and irritated the hell out of him. His mood should have been foul, but he wasn’t out in the youkai-ridden forest trying to fight for his own survival. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t certain why no youkai had attacked him, this hut, or the village yet. This perplexed him slightly, but he didn’t care. As long as he wasn’t fighting was fine by him because it made it better for him to heal better.

What really grated his nerves was that the new moon was coming up in a week and that made healing… difficult. His caretaker’s arrival was marked by the meow of Toka and his acute sense of hearing and smell. He could smell that she was tired and sat up when the mat moved to the side and shuffled back into place.

She set her bow and quiver with few arrows to the side. She said not a word as she quietly walked over to her futon and laid down. Her arm was lazily draped over her eyes as she seemed to sleep, but his nose told him otherwise. His sight wasn’t too great so he relied on his heightened sense of hearing and smell to help him.

“Must have been a hard workout,” he replied.

“You can say that,” she grinned, but it went unseen. He could almost hear the grin she made. She flipped over to face him while laying on her stomach with her hands under her chin and her eyes closed. He looked across to stare at her knowing she had more to say. His ears swiveled around to the front of his head to listen attentively.

“Actually, the village was attacked this morning after I had finished making breakfast.” She neglected to say that the girl had walked in seeing her place his food next to his futon. The girl was shocked and covered her mouth with her hands. By now the word had gotten out that she was taking care of an injured youkai. The word was probably spread around while she went into battle.

What was done was done, and she was happy she didn’t regret it. This… man was helping with the ache of loneliness she was feeling inside. They were slowly becoming friends.

“What the hell? --- I must have been really out of it if I didn’t even wake up once I smelled it,” he grumbled.

“You need your rest. Besides, I can handle myself and I took care of it,” she retorted.

“And exhausting yourself in doin’ it… You humans are pathetic,” he sighed, “Did you get hurt?” He sniffed the air. “You don’t smell hurt.”

“Not so pathetic now am I?” she stated.

“I don’t know. You still smell pathetic and worried. What, you don’t think you killed it? If you didn’t then you really are pathe…”

“No, I just think something is going to happen today. Something bad,” she said cutting him off.

“What could go wrong? I’ll be here to watch over you,” he stated simply to comfort her fears. She turned her head to smile at him and he couldn’t help but smile back.

Even though he meant well, she couldn’t help but think that something was going to happen.

It took until evening that the gloom weighed heavily on her heart. She was helping him wash his hair. He could reach everything else except for the top of his head.

“What the fuck? I can reach my damn neck, but I can’t reach my fucking head. What kind of shit is this?”

He sat there cross armed while naked in the water on a boulder wearing a frown on his face. This caused her to honestly laugh.

“What the hell are you laughing at wench?”

She snickered and pushed him back to rinse his hair. Once finished, he sat up to look at her in the most adorable pout she had ever seen. She playfully splashed water at him.

“I say… you look like an adorable puppy when you can’t get your way. It’s so cute.” She wished she could squeal in delight.

“I’m not suppose to be cute,” he performed the same pose without realizing it.

“Then what are you suppose to be… Puppy Boy?” She nearly laughed again.

Her smile faded when his expression turned for the worse. He sunk lower into the water growling. Something was completely wrong.

“Their hatred is rolling off them in waves. I can smell it. Your villagers are pissed.”

He pointed behind her and backed away as far as he could go without drowning. She turned to see a line of torch lights heading towards them. She was able to pick up their footsteps. A twig snapped in the forest and they both swept the area with their eyes.

“They’re trying to circle us!” She couldn’t believe it. This was a shocker to her. “Those fucking bastards!” Her growl was only loud enough for her ears. She bared her teeth in a snarl.

“So much for fucking trust.”

She turned to her companion with a pleading gesture. “You haven’t known me for very long, but you are gonna have to fuckin’ trust me.”

He eyed her curiously with suspicion and confusion.

“Relax…just trust me,” she urged before giving him a wink.

Turning as quickly as possible in the water, she clapped her hands together watching as they began to glow a faint blue. Her hands widened and the light stretched along. She threw the light out to form a bubble around the hot spring like before. Luckily in the nick of time for a net was thrown from the forest and bounced off. She smirked knowing she had thwarted their plan.

It didn’t take long before they were meters away from the spring. The villagers crowded close to see what was going to take place. Her quiver and bow were resting near the boulder. She waded out the water wearing her simple inner yukata with her sleeves tied back with the tasuki cord. Carefully she squeezed out the excess water from her clothing as she walked over to a fallen tree log to sit with her legs crossed in Indian style. The headmaster whom she was looking at was staring in shock at the hanyou in the hot spring. He turned his disbelieving eyes on her.

“How are you headmaster? What can I do for you and the villagers?”

“We came to capture the youkai,” he simply stated.

She looked at her nails thinking they were the most interesting thing in the world. Pointing to the figure in the water, “Well, there he is. Go get him if you can.”

The headmaster looked at her angrily walking towards the hot spring with a determined step. Her companion was heard growling the closer the human got. Soon enough he bumped into a barrier.

“What the hell?” the man said in an outrage.

“Oops,” she said covering her mouth in a dramatized gesture making a scene. “How could I do such a thing to the almighty headmaster of the village who thinks everything should go his way.”

“Do you see?” he looked towards the villagers who gasped. Turning, he looked at her in an outrage, “How dare you turn on us miko. We thought we could trust you with the killing of this youkai, but now you dare to bring him in your very home! For all that we know you could be conspiring with him to destroy our village. Our way of life.”

She laughed while pushing herself off the log taking her position in front of the villagers. She turned to the headmaster.

“For the love of Almighty Kami man. What makes you remotely think I would destroy you now after so many years of watching over the entire village? I even helped you all rebuild your huts when destroyed. Headmaster, you have got to come up with a better excuse than that.”

“You are harboring the most feared thing that could come and kill us whenever possible.”

She laughed once more. A hearty one at best. “Oh, what ever shall I do with you kind sir.” She paced in front of the crowd.

“I know what to do with traitors who conspire with youkai,” he sneered raising his torch to attack her as he charged forward.

To his shock she spun around so fast to trip him. His head ached so fast that he nearly missed the warm fingers wrap around his throat and his torch hover above him.

She sniggered above him, “Headmaster, I do not have a hand book in my hut labeled Mikos for Dummies and if I were to find one I would gladly send it to you as a present.” She pulled him up to his feet brushing him off. “All I do is help people who need it. I care not what race you are, but with you it seems that old habits die hard. Be careful headmaster for I am not easy to trifle with. You do not want to see an angry miko on your hands.”

She handed back his torch and paced the length of the crowd. She was pacing to think and they were wondering what was going on. She stopped abruptly; a smile spread across her face. She turned to the crowd.

“Oh, yes. Now I remember where I was going with this.” She coughed to clear her throat. “I am terribly sorry that this was not to be expected, but I have to remind you that you are on my property so if I were you, I would leave right now to save myself any grief. Apologies also to you headmaster, but remember that I do not live in your village so do not try to dictate me with your nonsense. Have a good night and hurry before you catch cold. I will be here in the morning if you need me.”

She was so nice and so right that it was hard not to be mad at her. The crowd gave displeasing looks at the headmaster as they left to return to their homes. How dare he get them so riled up for nothing. Most villagers bowed to show their apologies in return and were noted by her.

“This is not over between us,” the headmaster threatened.

She made an act of trying to be scared then one more thing occurred to her. “You’re forgetting one more thing.” He raised one bushy eyebrow. Now that was something that made a mental shiver run through her spine. He was so ugly it wasn’t funny. She cleared her throat once again to disperse the thought, “You might want to call off your ninjas before I sick my doggy on them.” She smiled to give it more effect. He took the hint calling them off with a flick of the wrist. He walked back to the village with broken pride and a headache. Before she could think, she picked a few of the cure-all leaves and stopped the man. “Brew these in hot water and drink the tea. It will take away the headache.” She didn’t say one more thing and left. His shock died away just as quickly as they disappeared into the night.

She walked back to the hot spring to notice that he wasn’t there. She looked all around then walked into her hut when she heard a noise. He was gathering his things.

“Where are you going?” she politely asked.

“Just leaving,” was all he said.

“Why?” He walked out of the hut keeping his back to her as she followed.

“You fucking lied to me,” he snarled almost giving in to a growl.

“But you did not ask if I were the miko. All you asked is if there was a miko in this village. I answered truthfully with a yes knowing that you wouldn’t like it if I said I was the miko. We were just getting to know one another.”

“And we still are. Don’t you understand. Because you failed to tell me to begin with you were lying the whole time which is unacceptable.”

“And you fail to remember that we established this relationship on questions and answers. I am sure there are a few things that you haven’t told me either,” she argued following him out into the forest.

He growled, “No I haven’t and when it came time to tell you I would tell you on my own terms not letting you find out the hard way. You should have told me when those villagers were walking up here about to take my head.”

“But I didn’t let them. Isn’t that good enough?” she asked trying to reach out to him with her hand to shake some sense into him.

“Dammit wench! No it isn’t. Now go back before you get hurt out here.”

“But if you go now what am I…” she left the question in the air unanswerable. “I don’t even know your name.” Pent up angry tears gave way. Perhaps the only ones in a long time that she had ever shed. Her hands balled into fists. She was so close to not being lonely anymore. This was the closest she had ever come to.

“Maybe it’s a good thing that you don’t. If you don’t have a name then you won’t remember. I will be just a nameless hanyou who passed through.”

She had stopped walking a few meters ago. She refused to believe something like that. “You won’t be because my name is Neara. I am the miko of this village; the one who has been your caretaker in your wounded state. I also have many secrets that will be shared as our trust grows if you would only let me try.”

She saw him stop at her words. He turned staring at her. She had that worried determination in her eyes. He took the bait walking back towards her.

“What makes you think…” He was interrupted with a hand that was shoved out in front of him wanting to be shook. He stared at her noticing a pleading look that was slightly noticeable in her eyes. She wanted his friendship. He took her hand wanting to see what she was going to say.

“Hi.” That couldn’t be it. There had to be more. Luckily he wasn’t disappointed. “I wanted to start off on a new sheet since we had a rocky first start. I want you to know that I didn’t mean to keep that from you, but I also wished what happened back there wouldn’t happen either. I have too much wishful thinking because right now I wish you would tell me your name as well.”

“Inuyasha.” He couldn’t help but be shocked that she wanted to start all over again.

“Thank you Inuyasha,” she said pausing slightly to phrase her thoughts, “Are you willing to start fresh as if this incident didn’t even happen because I really want to. I want you to trust me as much as I trust you already”

He couldn’t help it. He was starting to get used to this friendship thing so it wasn’t hard to stay mad at her. “Sure Neara. I guess I could give you another chance.”

“Thanks again. Are you ready to go back so I can make dinner?”

“Food sounds nice right now.”

“Good because it’s going to take a little bit to cook.”

“Dammit!”

“Ah, the impatience of dog-boy.”

He mumbled curses as she laughed at his ridiculous self.

********************

A/N: Sorry guys. My cousin had a baby. A beautiful baby boy. I'm proud of her. He's 8 lbs 2 oz of joy. She had him May 31. This is the reason why I have taken a little while. I am taking a vacation from the 4th through the 18th. I'll try to get my ass on the ball finish typing ch. 6. Anyway, enjoy.

PS. I don't think I put enough meat in some parts so tell me what you think. I'll be glad to put some addage in it.

IL20