Marks of Maturity

WARNINGS: Yaoi!!! (M/M smuttiness), incest, Kag-bashing, violence, language, etc...


A/N: Right now, I don't know where this is going... I haven't even watched InuYasha for almost a year, but my memory is pretty good... so please don't bite too hard- love nips are nice. In other words, flame if necessary, but constructive criticism is much healthier for the both of us. Ahhh... oh, we're assuming that Naraku's gone into hiding or something and is currently leaving them alone- for now- aanndd Inuyasha and Kagome (that BITCH.) are not actually in love. Bitch just thinks they have a relationship.

PART I
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"Inuyasha? Inuyasha! INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed.
"...Huh?!- Wha..." Inuyasha was interrupted by Kagome repeatedly shouting 'sit!' at him. He was slammed brutally into the ground, time after time, until finally he gave up and lay in the dust, waiting for the bitch to finish her temper tantrum. When he was sure the girl had run off someplace to sulk, he sat up and groaned. His face hurt more than it usually did after meeting the dirt. Gingerly reaching up to feel his aching cheek, he touched the fractured cheekbone. 'Agh! I must have hit my face on that rock too hard,' he thought. He flopped back onto his back and mentally bitched-out that damn woman as he waited for his body to reset the injury.

"Wow. Inuyasha sure has been out of it recently," remarked Sango.
"Yes, and Kagome sure doesn't take it well. She's so used to being the center of his attention that she can't stand his constant zoning out," Miroku replied. The monk and Slayer had noticed the tension building up between the youths. Originally, they had thought that Inuyasha was just sleep-deprived, or that Kagome was in one of her female moods. But this had been going on for far too long for such short-term explanations. Miroku, Sango, and Shippou just hoped their group wouldn't be torn apart by the differences.

"Hey, Inuyasha! Are you okay? She really got you good this time....again," Shippou chirped. The little fox demon bounced over to his friend and sat on his chest, taking in the fading bruises.
"Yeah... I'm fine. I don't know what her problem is. I can't help it, I've just can't concentrate on anything at all. Especially her voice, always chattering at me and whining about everything... I guess I hear it so often, it just fades into the background, you know?"
"Well, have you considered going to Kaede for advice? Maybe you got hit too hard in the head during one of these battles and your brain is dying!" Shippou began to worry as he thought over this possible scenario.
"You brat! My mind still works absolutely fine!"
"But Inuyasha!! You have seemed dumber this past week. I just don't want your brain to wither and die, ok? I'm worried about you!" As worried as Shippou may have been, this statement only angered Inuyasha. The silver-haired hanyou knocked the fox youkai off his chest and into a nearby tree. "And watch who you call dumb!" he yelled.

"Shippou does have a point. You do seem to be acting... differently. I hope you aren't sick," Miroku offered from a safe distance. Seeing his friend cross his arms and look away petulantly, Miroku added, "I know you say your father's blood will keep you from getting sick, but what if it was a certain disease that only affected demons? Or half-demons?"
"Then Kaede wouldn't know about it... she's a HUMAN healer! But FINE. I'll just go so you guys will shut up about it! I'm fine!" Inuyasha said. He jumped up with his normal grace, his bruises already healed.

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Inuyasha sat in Kaede's hut and impatiently endured her poking at him. She traced a wrinkled, calloused finger over his face.
"Hmm. Ye do seem different. There is something right below your eyes... I do not know why they are there. Have you kept a tight hold on the Tetsaiga?" she asked.
"Of course I have, old woman!" he exclaimed. Noticing her expression, he quieted down and asked in an uncharacteristically soft voice, "...Why do you ask?"
"Normally, ye have flawless skin. Kagome has told me that your Youkai markings appear when ye lose control of your father's fang because of your demon blood taking over, aye? Yet ye have developed jagged purple stripes. Right now they are very, very faint."
"They weren't there this morning though," the hanyou replied. He inspected his nails and found them a bit longer and sharper than usual; upon running the tips of his fingers along his teeth, he found his fangs to be much sharper and longer as well.
"Kaede, does this mean... is my father's blood taking over? Will it destroy me?" he questioned her. Despite being extremely anxious, he kept a facade up and tried to look disinterested.
"That, I do not know. You must seek out another demon to help you on this; my knowledge on this subject is limited."
"Huh! Well, THAT'S useful," snapped Inuyasha as he hurried away. Damn, where was Myoga when he was actually needed? Ever since he left to be with some she-flea, the group of travelers hadn't even heard from the little youkai. He didn't want to be bothered with Totosai- the asshole never told him what exactly to do. And last time he visited, Inuyasha had ended up doing all the old man's chores for him. No way THAT was happening again. He sighed and leapt up a large tree to sit and think on the problem. Hearing voices, he glanced beneath some branches and spied Kagome and Kouga sitting a bit off in the distance, but within earshot. 'Hmph, let's see what that whore-priestess has to say to that mangy wolf,' he thought.

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Kagome had fled to sit beneath a large tree. Stupid Inuyasha, he never listened to her anymore! What was wrong with him? She just wanted to tell him about how her friend had been on a date with some dope, and that Hojo told her that she was gorgeous but he wouldn't leave her alone. And the price of hair products were just sooooo unaffordable these days, so her hair was feeling kind of staticky and no one would want to talk to a girl with a bad hair day. Stupid dog.
She'd been so lost in thought, mentally berating her companion, that she didn't even notice Kouga sit down beside her.
"Hey, my gorgeous girl. What's got you down, huh? Where's the mutt?" he began, causing her to jump with surprise.
"Ugh! That dumb dog wasn't listening to me. AGAIN! And everyone took his side, but I never did anything wrong, honest! They're all just so mean... and you're not going to believe it, but Inuyasha HIT me! I was caught off guard, and he knocked me down and punched me in the stomach... oh, Kouga, it was horrible... it hurt so bad... Please, could you get back at him for me?" she whined. Shocked, the Wolf Prince made sympathetic noises and assured her that he would hunt down the mongrel and make him pay.

Inuyasha, on the other hand, couldn't believe his ears. He knew he had heard her correctly... his hearing was exceptional. How dare she lie about something like that? He would NEVER punch any female... at least, not Kagome. She still held the power to slam him into the ground whenever she wanted to, and he was mindful of that. Impulsively, he dropped down from his tree and confronted the two.
"Kagome! Why would you say that?! I have NEVER done anything like that, even when I should have! You are the cruel one. You are the one who does the hurting," he spat.
"Hey! Watch what you say around my Kagome," warned Kouga as he took a few steps forward, trying to intimidate the slightly smaller male.*
Leaping into the trees, Inuyasha sped off. "Don't believe her lies, Wolfy. Anyway, I'd love to kick your ass, but I got better things to do," he called over his shoulder.

Inuyasha felt it was a shame that Kagome had ever come between Kouga and himself. While jumping from tree to tree, he became lost once more in thought. This was occurring more and more often. He reflected that if it wasn't for Kagome, maybe he could have been friends with the wolf prince. They weren't so very different, and he would have relished the company of a friendly youkai. He'd been with humans so long; he no longer knew what was natural for his demon side. If only he'd had more contact with others with demonic blood... Shippou was fun to have around sometimes, but The Bitch never let either of them openly exercise their demonic nature. Besides, Shippou was too young to give any real advice on how to handle his... wilder side.
Unfortunately for Inuyasha, he focused so much on contemplating 'could have been's' that his foot missed a branch and he slipped, falling down to the forest ground.
"Oof!" he exclaimed, rubbing his butt, "I've really got to stop thinking so much!"
"Indeed, little brother, you must be careful not to overheat that small brain of yours,” said a smooth, silky voice that caused Inuyasha to leap to his feet.
"Sesshomaru! What do you want?!"
As usual, the cold lord ignored his young brother's question. "Where did you get those bruises?"
"What bruises?" Inuyasha was clearly surprised, and confused, so Sesshomaru sighed at his slowness before explaining, "The ones on your face. Beneath your eyes."
"Oh...." Inuyasha closed his eyes and rubbed his faint markings. He desperately wanted to know what was happening to him, and surely... surely Sesshomaru would at least be a little bit helpful? His mouth turned dry and he fidgeted as he tried to find the words he wanted. "I... They aren't bruises, Sesshomaru. They are youkai markings, like yours. They... They get darker every day. I don't know why they're appearing. My fangs and claws are getting longer and sharper, too... I don't understand. Do you... Do you know what is wrong? Am... Am I losing my soul?"
Sesshomaru paused, running one long, delicate finger over the stripes. "Hn."
Growing impatient, Inuyasha clenched his jaw and growled, "Hn? That's all you can say? PLEASE! TELL ME WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME!"
"Come with me. This is not the place to explain," the youkai commanded, striding away. The confused hanyou followed at a distance, wary of his brother, but hopeful to finally establish some sort of connection.

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"Kagome? Ka- oh, Kagome! And Kouga- have either of you seen Inuyasha? Kaede said he seemed upset and stormed off in this direction," said Miroku.
"Yeah, that mangy mutt ran off when I was gonna tear him up for hitting my woman!" growled the wolf youkai, pacing in circles. At these words, Sango and Miroku glared at Kagome, who definitely had a childish, guilty expression.
"What do you mean, Kouga? I don't think I can ever remember a time that Inuyasha has physically hurt Kagome, and he certainly hasn't hurt her any time recently," Sango replied. She watched Kouga's eyes narrow briefly in thought, but the expression quickly left his face as he put and arm around Kagome.
"Whatever. As long as he's away from me and Kagome, the past is in the past." Even as he said this, his mind was processing what he had just heard. He knew Sango wasn't the type to lie, and he would have smelled the deceit on her. He would think on this.
"I just hope he hasn't run into Naraku's goons again... He hasn't seemed to be, ah, doing too well, and I think his fighting abilities would be affected," said the monk, gaining Kouga's attention. When he didn't elaborate on this 'handicap' of Inuyasha's, Kouga lost interest and subtly moved his hand downward to rub the small of Kagome's back. She blushed, but leaned back, welcoming the touch. She figured that as long as Inuyasha wasn't around, she could safely see what candies could be sampled. After all, she thought, she was probably on the outs with Inuyasha anyway... which gave her total freedom, right?


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* Apparently Kouga is about an inch taller than Inuyasha- seeing as Kouga tends to stand more upright, while Inuyasha usually crouches slightly as if about to fight (in my imagination, at least...), I think the height difference would be slightly more obvious