Curiosity – Chapter 30 – "Let The Games Begin"

Inuyasha just stood there like he was frozen. He couldn't stop staring at the woman before him that so resembled his mother. Surely it wasn't really her; but the hand that lay upon his shoulder felt too real. She had to be a figment of his imagination. Yeah, that's it, he was just so stressed out that the human and demon standing before him were just a mirage.

But he felt her squeeze his shoulder again and saw her brow furrow in concern. Did that mean?

No! He wouldn't be fooled again!

A fire lit up in the eyes that so resembled that of the demon standing behind his so called "mother" as he harshly shoved Izayoi's hand from his shoulder and retreated from the house and into the surrounding forest.

"Inuyasha please come back!" Izayoi started to follow out after him but was stopped when an unknown woman (to her) stopped her from leaving.

"Please stay inside. It's not that he doesn't want to see you; this is only his way of coping when he is overwhelmed. I'm sure he'll be alright later in the day."

"And who exactly are you to say that about my son?" Touga questioned the woman; he could tell that he'd seen her before but she couldn't exactly place where; though he was impressed when she bowed before him, acknowledging his title as a Lord (or ex-Lord), showing that she had indeed been trained in the ways of how to treat royalty.

"Forgive me, my name is Arisu Higurashi and I am Kagome's mother. I know about what he is doing through past experiences with him. He often goes and sits in a tree somewhere among the shrine grounds when he is upset, angry, or contemplating something. Just give him some time and I'm sure he will be down by the end of the day."

As Arisu continued to tell Touga what she knew about Inuyasha, at his request, Izayoi looked out the door longingly in the direction that her child had run off to. She knew that Inuyasha had changed since he was but a small boy, but would he truly abandon his own mother AND father now that they had come back to him?

She never noticed the tears that were running down her face until she felt a clawed thumb wipe them away. Gazing up into her mate's face, she gave him a watery smile before leaning into his embrace and having him guide her back into the house to get some much needed sleep.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

When sunrise came and the household began to waken there were still no signs of Inuyasha returning anytime soon. Kagome figured that he had most likely returned to the Feudal Era, not wanting to be disturbed.

The wench didn't know what she was talking about.

He'd been right next to the house the entire time; perched in the closest tree he could find by the house. There was no way in hell he was going to leave the Higurashi family and his friends in the company of his so called "parents". Why weren't the others weary of the two people as he was? Didn't they find it suspicious in the least?

"Probably not, with the way the wench see's things she most likely weaseled her way around her words to make it sound like they were 'okay' and 'harmless'. Damn wench is going to get herself in trouble one of these days and I'm just gonna leave her sorry ass be to accept the consequences of her actions."

"Keh, can't do that; it'll just get me sat." He thought aloud as he continued to watch the house.

What disturbed him the most was how many times he'd seen the old hag and Kagome's grandfather sneaking around the store houses like a couple of horny teenagers. Never once did he smell them... that way… on the other, though one time the scent was close; they'd obviously been interrupted, but every time he saw them one or the other was out of breath and both were blushing like mad.

Just what the hell was going on around here?

One way or another he was going to corner that wench sometime today and get some answers – whether she liked it or not.

The hanyou had bided his time the entire day, not bothering once to move out of his tree even when Arisu had come and tried to coax him with ramen. There was just no way was he going to go near the two people who he had longed for the most in his childhood.

Why couldn't the mortals below him figure it out? It honestly wasn't that hard to understand the reason behind his reclusiveness but he supposed he couldn't blame them. None of them had ever been put in this situation before so it must have just seemed stupid to them as to the way he was acting.

But he really didn't care about what they thought right now.

Inuyasha watched Izayoi and Touga walk out of the Higurashi household hand in hand and into the surrounding forest. This was the third time they had gone for a walk today and from what he could figure they were just trying to lure him off of his perch.

Keh – like that would work.

His golden gaze turned to the sky in attempt to determine the time. If what he determined from the position of the sun was right, Kagome's "test demon" should be letting her go by now.

It was time to put his plan into action.

Little did he know that both the golden and brown gazes of his parents were watching him as he left, each with a smile across their face.

"Sorry guys I can't go to WacDonald's today, I've got to get home and help with my visiting family."

The three girls that surrounded Kagome sighed in response. This was the second day their friend had to rush home and attend to her guests. Would her mother really be so mad if they had just a small bit of girl time?

"Kagome how much longer will your family be staying over; we really need to have some girl time!" Yuka wined as she laid her head on Kagome's uninjured shoulder.

Said girl opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by the gruff hanyou yanking her away from her friends.

"Look woman I've got a bone to pick with you and…"

"Oh so THIS is why you've been rushing home so much!" Eri winked at Kagome appreciatively before eyeing Inuyasha up and down. Just what kind of body was this guy hiding under all those baggy clothes?

Stepping in before the two went too far, Ayumi took hold of an arm on either girl and began to drag them down the street towards her house, yelling a good-bye in her wake and reminding the young miko not to have too much fun.

Catching the hidden meaning behind the girl's remark, Kagome's face turned beet red while trying to avoid Inuyasha's questioning stares.

"Oi wench, are you ok?"

Sure that her blush had gone, Kagome gazed up at the hanyou, contemplating her answer.

"Well at least he remembered to wear a cap."

"Um… I'm fine. What are you doing here? Did Mama send you to get me or something?"

His response was turning his back to her and lowing to a crouch, a position that Kagome was way too familiar with. Knowing that he wouldn't talk until he was good and ready, Kagome clamored up onto his back and tried to hold on as best as she could with her one good arm.

The hanyou stopped on a random rooftop only two blocks from Kagome's home.

"Inuyasha what's the matter? I know there's something bothering you, so what is it?" The way he was acting was really concerning Kagome. He hadn't been this quiet in a long while.

Facing away from her, Inuyasha took a deep breath before he began to… well… he didn't know what he was going to do, but he was damn well going to do it!

"I want to know what happened Kagome; from beginning to end. How did it come to be that my… no, the look-a-likes of my parents came to be in your home?"

She'd barely heard his whispered question but she'd gotten the gist of what little she'd been able to hear to answer him.

Kagome walked up to him and placed her good hand upon his shoulder and lain her head upon his shoulder blade as she'd done so many times before. She felt the need to give him support as she spun the unbelieving tale.

She started with when Izayoi had appeared before Kaede's door and requested help and went on from there. When she got to the part of how she'd called his elder brother an idiot in her fits of hysteria she'd heard Inuyasha growl while he turned to examine the almost non-existent bruises still on her neck.

"He did this didn't he?" Her silence was all he needed for an answer as he gently touched the small claw indentations that would forever scar her. That was the fate of being attacked by the claws of a poison youkai; they always left a mark on their surviving victims.

"I'll kill him Kagome. I'll make him pay for ever laying a hand on you." He vowed earning an appreciative smile from the priestess before him.

As she continued on with what had happened in his absence, Inuyasha decided they should probably start walking back to the shrine before Arisu became upset. Grabbing hold of Kagome and checking to make sure no one saw him, Inuyasha jumped off of the building and onto the sidewalk below before both began walking home.

Not once did Kagome mention anything that Kikyo had made her do before being forced to bring her to the modern era. She figured Inuyasha was more interested as to why she'd brought two specific people with her.

They turned the corner, only steps before they would reach the stairs that led up to the shrine and the inu-hanyou stopped dead in his tracks. It took Kagome a few seconds to realize he had stopped; she gazed back at him in wonder.

"Inuyasha are you…"

He was by her side in a moment's notice, gazing down at her with honeyed eyes that made her melt.

"Why? Why did you bring them back here? Did you not think that they might hurt your family? How did you know that they weren't a pair of those un-things like Sesshomaru used on me before?"

Kagome needed a few seconds to think of a response so she began to walk up the stairs, Inuyasha right at her side every step of the way.

"I had a gut feeling." She started out. "You know they asked me to help them reconnect with you, why would I not help them with that?"

Both paused as they reached the top of the stairs, neither saying a word.

"Inuyasha - all I've ever wanted is for you to be happy. I thought you'd be ecstatic to have your parents back. You are, aren't you?"

Another deep breath escaped the hanyou as he studied a particularly interesting piece of stone.

"I ain't getting my hopes up. Do you honestly blame me for not being all excited about my mother coming back to me? Do you have any idea how badly I want to thrust myself into her arms and never let her go?" He turned to stare deeply into the young miko's eyes, in an attempt to get his point across.

"Kagome, I've already lost her once. Practically twice if you include my damn half-brother's stupid little stunt. Do you honestly think I want to lose her for a third time?"

"Oh sweetie, I won't leave you again. Not for a very long time."

Both turned to stare at the pair who were in turn staring back at them. They could see the tears in Izayoi's eyes as she slowly opened up her arms in a welcoming gesture. It was oddly reminiscent of the last time she'd popped up on this plain.

"Come here Inuyasha. Would you please give your mother a hug?"

Honeyed eyes hardened as he took a protective stance before Kagome; silently fearing the worst about the two before him.

"Like hell I'm going to fall for that one again you lousy fake of a woman!" Inuyasha bared his fangs, prepared to do anything to for the woman standing behind him.

Extremely loud growling erupted from the once Western Lord as he too shoved his mate behind him; he too baring his fangs at his youngest son.

"You will apologize to your mother now pup or you will face the consequences!"

"Like hell I will beg for forgiveness from a person who I know ain't my mother. I ain't f***ing stupid like everyone thinks a hanyou is! I'm not falling for some damn copy of my mother and now my own father!"

With patience wearing thin, Inuyasha grasp the hilt of his Tessaiga, pulling it out to take care of the two counterfeits in front of him once and for all.

If only something hadn't barreled into his side in that exact instant; pinning him to the Sacred Tree by the neck almost two foot off the ground.

Dueling growls sounded throughout the air as golden eyes began to bleed red.

This was going to be bloody.