Here we go, with a considerably shorter delay than normal. Chapter 5 of BFGP. This chapter is going to be fun to write, and I'm looking forward to it. It's one of the most action packed chapters so far, and it leads the story back over to the story time line from the anime. But don't worry, the wires run parallel, but do not cross. Things may be similar, even familiar events may occur. But these characters are different, and so things turn out differently. Pretty much always. Hope you like it. Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, I have, as of now, No intention whatsoever of resurrecting Kikyo. I don't like her very much, and I don't think she is all that important to the development of Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship. I don't think ill of her, but I'm not too interested in including her. So, don't keep an eye out for the equivalent of episodes 14 and 15 cause its not in my plan.

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha, not me. Not that I necessarily need to bring it up since I think pretty much everyone here has figured it out by now. Even if I did own him, he would have been gone by now. Removed from my care due to neglect. After nearly a year without updates, I'm starting to think it might be best if I avoid children and pets and stick to houseplants. Them, it's not illegal to kill by accident. It's just pathetic.

P.S. In case any of you are wondering, I have decided to do all the chapter titles in this story as something Inuyasha might say. It entertains me. That's all there is to that story.

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Boy of the Future, Girl of the Past

Chapter 5

Anger Issues and Bird Demons

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Inuyasha woke with pie on the brain for reasons he didn't think he wanted to remember. At first he wasn't sure what had roused him, but then he saw Kagome standing in the doorway, her hand poised to knock lightly on the frame. She was smiling expectantly at him, but it felt far too early to be awake.

"C'mon. We have breakfast, than I promised to show you around the village. It's a big day!"

Inuyasha groaned at the excitement in her voice. "What time is it?" he asked groggily, reaching up to rub his eyes.

"I don't know what scale you use in your time, but it's about 2 hours after sunrise."

Inuyasha did a quick mental calculation. "That's like 8:30 in the morning. Come get in my a couple hours." He made to roll over to avoid the light streaming through the door, but his side screamed in agony as he moved and he hissed through his teeth. He had forgotten about his ribs. Rolling was a bad, bad plan. Kagome was at his side in an instant.

"Are you all right?" she asked him, looking worried and apologetic. "Does it hurt?"

‘No, it feels fucking fabulous getting your guts bashed in' he wanted to say, but he caught sight of her face with apology written all over it and he couldn't be that mean. Perhaps it was too early for biting sarcasm. "It's okay, I just forgot and moved wrong. I'm fine." He got up slowly, carefully. It was easier today, with the binding in place. "See? Just a bad move." He pushed himself slowly to his feet, and stretched slightly, seeing what hurt and where. The wound in his shoulder where Kagome had shot him had faded considerably, and only twinged like an old cut when he directly pulled that skin. His side was less painful than the day before, but definitely not healed yet. It still ached dully when he breathed or moved, and screamed painfully if he pulled at all. He sighed. He still needed to be careful with that one.

"So, what was that I heard about breakfast?" he asked, sounding perhaps slightly more excited then the occasion called for. Kagome laughed.

"It's next door. Let's go." She grabbed his hand and pulled him gently at out the door and up to the hut immediately next to his, where Lady Kaede was sitting on the middle of the floor over a pot of rice. "Good morning, Kaede. Inuyasha is awake."

Kaede's single visible eye crinkled in a smile. "Aye, I can see that." Her eye drifted down to Inuyasha and Kagome's interlocked hands. Both of the teenagers followed her gaze and abruptly released each other. Kaede watched closely, but made no comment.

The two sat on either side of Kaede, and she served each of them a bowl full of rice. For a few minutes, everyone ate in silence. There was a tension in the room that was not quite comfortable, and it emanated from Kaede, who glanced at Inuyasha much too often. As the meal drew to a close, and Inuyasha moved to rise, Kaede held up a hand to still him.

"If ye would wait just a moment, I have been considering a theory I would like to discuss with ye." Neither one moved, staring at Kaede with confused expressions. "Firstly, Inuyasha, I would like to ask that ye show us the wound ye received from Kagome yesterday morning. The injury in the shoulder, if ye please. Remove ye kimono."

"Tee shirt," Kagome corrected her, giving Inuyasha a confused look, as though he were somehow in on this. He returned a similar one. As if he knew anything going on in her time that she didn't. He barely understood breakfast there.

"Uh, okay I guess," he answered, confusion evident in his tone. He pulled his shirt carefully over his head again, noting that it was much easier to do himself today than it had been yesterday. Once it was over his head, he pulled his hands out of the sleeves and sat feeling suddenly self conscious as the two women stared at his bare skin. Kagome was gaping slightly, her look calculating. Kaede looked mollified, as though her proof was written on his exposed flesh. After a minute, he could take no more of their silent scrutiny.

"Okay, what? What are you staring at?" Kagome just shook her head, but Kaede smiled and spoke to him directly.

"We are examining ye shoulder child, the one Kagome shot yesterday morning. Alas, it seems we had forgotten to wrap the wound in our haste to aid the greater injuries. But, apparently, it is of no matter." She said the last part approvingly, as though, in his gaping confusion, Inuyasha had somehow pleased her.

Inuyasha glanced at the shoulder in question. There was a dark scar winding over the area that his skin had been torn by the arrow, fading slightly on the outsides. He knew that, before the week was out, it would be gone completely. He glanced at the other shoulder for comparison. Nothing interesting there. He turned back to his left.

"I'm still confused here. What's so interesting about my shoulder?"

"The wound," answered Kagome, dumb struck.

"Well, yeah, you shot me with your arrow. You were there, remember? What did you think happened to get blood everywhere? Are you sure you people aren't crazies?"

Kaede laughed, but then grew serious so instantly that Inuyasha almost thought he had imagined it entirely. It wasn't reassuring behavior.

"She refers, child, to the fact that a wound only a day old has healed over completely, leaving but a mark."

"Oh, that? I'm a fast healer, is all. I always have been. My dad says I get it from his side of the family. I don't care all that much, to be honest."

"Have ye ever noticed that you recover from injuries so much quicker from ye peers?"

"Well, yeah, but its not that big a deal. I mean, I don't get hurt too much, and whenever they do they milk it for weeks. It's totally pathetic. I'm just not into the whole sympathy gig." The two woman continued to stare, one confused, one smug. By now, Inuyasha was pretty sure his face was annoyed. "Seriously, what?!"

"Inuyasha, to heal so quickly as you do... It's not normal," Kagome told him slowly, as though considering it was she went. "It's not human." She bit down on her lower lip as though she had let too much slip.

Inuyasha was finally getting it. "Woah, woah, tap the breaks here, people. Are we on this demon thing, again? I thought we had cleared this up. I'm not a demon. I don't know any demons. I couldn't find you one if you asked, and I definitely am not one! How did we even get on this again?" He grabbed up his shirt and pulled it back on over his head, carefully, but not too much so. He caused himself no pain.

"Inuyasha," Kaede explained calmly, "I believe that ye might be what we call a hanyou, a half-demon, someone with one human parent and one demon parent. It is very uncommon, but not unheard of. Most demons and humans do not like to get close enough to each other to conceive a child. But, in cases when such unions do occur, the children often show specific characteristics; Advanced healing abilities, unusually strong senses, demon instincts, uncommon strength often greater than that of lower demon, for only high demon can mate with humans, and great speed. Ye possess, from simply what I have observed in ye since your arrival, the speed, the strength, the instincts, and the healing ability. Some look mostly human, others mostly demon. I have never seen one who looks as human as ye do, or one whose demon energy is so greatly suppressed, but this close to ye, I believe I can detect it. I believe, Inuyasha, that ye are half-demon."

Silence filled the hut for a moment. Keade's face was understanding, but also a bit smug. Kagome's expression suggested she had been betrayed. Inuyasha's face was utterly nonplussed. After a moment's pause, he finally found enough of his voice to speak.

"You think...that I'm ...only part human...and part...demon," he repeated, taking the words in as he spoke them, mulling them over. Kaede bowed her head once in a dignified nod. Inuyasha nodded back automatically. "Right."

Inuyasha stood so suddenly, that both women started and his injured side protested angrily. He ignored all three of them. "You guys are nuts after all, and I'm going home if I have to dig myself there through that stupid well." With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the hut. He heard the two priestesses scramble to catch up.

"Inuyasha, child, wait!" Kaede called behind him. He ignored it.

"Inuyasha...stop," Kagome said from closer behind him then he expected, her voice low and menacing all of a sudden. Gripped by morbid curiosity, he turned to find her six feet away, her bow leveled with an arrow cocked, this time at his heart. A fatal shot. "Don't move, or you'll never move again," she told him coldly. He turned completely to her and gaped at her.

"Kagome, what are you doing?" he asked, utterly flabbergastered. An hour ago, she had been all worried about his broken ribs, and now after one stupid conversation, she was ready to kill him.

"You lied to me. You said you were human, and you lied. I don't take kindly to demons who lie to me."

Inuyasha was starting to get angry now. Kaede was coming up behind Kagome as quickly as she could, worry written on her face. Inuyasha spoke loudly, partly from emotion and partly because he wanted the old woman to hear it too,

"You know what? This is bullshit. Back the fuck up here, okay? Firstly, I don't care how much you don't like something, it doesn't mean you get to shoot someone every time they bother you. Trigger happy, much?  You'd be locked up in my world. Secondly, I never lied to you. I am human. I don't know what the old hag is talking about, or what you are so pissed off about, but I do know that I'm not a demon. For god's sake, I live with my biological parents. My dad works in computers. He designs software for virus blocking. My mother is an artist now, but she used to have a C.P.A. license...I guess you don't know what any of those things are, but let me assure you, they are very normal, very human  jobs in my world. I think if my parents had a whole bunch of extra limbs lying around and tried to eat me every morning, I would have noticed by now. Thirdly, I guess your right about demons existing here, but they just don't in my world. And I live with two nice, normal parents in a nice, normal house, with a jerk, normal brother, and be some weird demon half- breed. SO STOP AIMING THAT DAMN ARROW AT ME!" He finished in a shout, and started breathing heavily trying to catch his breath from his rant.

Kagome still had her bow trained on Inuyasha's heart, but her face looked less sure. Finally, Kaede reached the pair of teenagers, winded but firm.

"Kagome, lower ye weapon. Even if he is a demon, he is clearly no threat to us. He risked his life for ye and ye owe him better." Kagome lowered her bow reluctantly, but instead glared angrily at Inuyasha as though he had run over her puppy and gotten away with it. "Inuyasha, I did not mean to offend ye, but I do believe that there is something other than human in ye. I also believe that, regardless, ye did not lie to us, and ye genuinely do not know of this heritage... if ye possess it," she added at the end, seeing that Inuyasha was going to argue again. "Now, please, let us return to privacy and discuss matters further."

"Yeah, no thanks. I don't want to go anywhere with little miss It's-fine-if-you-save-my-life-and-all-but-the-second-I-get-mad-at-you-I'm-going-to-try-and-kill-you. I think I would rather take my chances with the magic well. Nice knowing you, maybe I will read about you in a history book sometimes, but I am out!"

Inuyasha turned on his heel and stomped away into the woods, holding his head up high, though still half expecting to find an arrow lodged in his back at any moment. He didn't relax until he made it to the trees, and left the line of sight of the two crazy priestesses he hoped he wouldn't meet again,

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"We can not just let him go like that, Kaede. "

"I agree."

"You do?" Kagome asked, surprised. "I thought you liked him."

"Aye, he has great potential good in him."

"Wait, we aren't on the same page here. I want to go and capture him at least, or kill him. I mean, if he's a demon..."

Kagome was cut off abruptly by Kaede. Her normal, frail voice was gone, replaced by a hard tone filled with authority. Kagome recognized that as the High Priestess tone. Kaede was pulling rank, giving an order. Automatically, Kagome stood up straighter.

"Kagome, this irrational prejudice against demons mush stop. I have indulged ye long enough. Never have a seen such bloodlust in you for a single life. Not only have ye no proof that he is half-demon, but he himself is unaware of this heritage. He proved trustworthy and brave when ye needed aid, and you plan to repay him by shooting him in the back? He is only a boy, Kagome, and ye are meant to be a force of good and justice in this world. I am very disappointed in you, Kagome. You just displayed totally willingness to take an innocent life out of unfounded fear, and it must end!"

Kagome hung her head as she listened to the older priestesses words, shame washing over and through her. It was true. Hearing that Inuyasha was half-demon, and seeing all the signs at last, angered her more then it should because she had believed him to be human, liked him even. She had felt betrayed. But, in all truth, it had not been a betrayal on Inuyasha's part, but a misunderstanding. And if he really had no idea what he was...she swallowed hard at how close she had come to hurting an innocent person. She had let her demon bias cloud her judgment, and there was no excuse.

"I am so sorry, Lady Kaede. What must I do to redeem myself?"

"Go and follow Inuyasha. Apologize to him. Explain yeself! And then, try to convince him to return. There must be a reason he was able to come in the first place. If he refuses, and no longer wishes to stay here, or to return again, then let him go safely, and make sure he is not set upon on his way."

Kagome did not argue. She turned, and jogged after where Inuyasha had disappeared. Luckily, she was pretty sure she knew where he was headed.

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Inuyasha grumbled unhappily to himself as he walked. He was fairly certain he was headed in the vague direction of the well, but he couldn't be sure. All the trees looked alike to him.

He had liked Kagome. They had bonded a little. She had confided in him, and he, in return, had trusted her. And then she tried to kill him. Girls sucked.

He grumbled quietly to himself. Well, if she wanted to go around being crazy and guarding a marble, and shooting strangers for no reason it was none of his business. His only business was to keep his ass far away from her.

He wandered for what must have been an hour or so, figuring that he was definitely lost by then, when he came to a familiar looking clearing in front of a very large and gnarled tree. There was something he recognized about it. After a moment he realized what. At about shoulder height, there was a small scar in the tree. It looked like it had been cut and burned slightly, and exactly the shape and size of an arrow head. He swallowed convulsively. This is the tree that Kagome (he thought the name with a bitter mental edge to it) had pinned him to with her stinging arrow.

‘Great' he though idly, feeling annoyed again. ‘Back to the scene of the crime.'

"I figured I would see you here," said a voice behind Inuyasha, making him freeze, even his heart seeming to stop. He knew the voice. He turned slowly to see Kagome sitting on the root of a tree across the clearing from the big, sacred tree now at his back.  She had her bow and arrow with her, but not at the ready, which was almost reassuring. The bow was sitting on its side on the ground beside her, her fingers absentmindedly tracing a pattern that didn't exist onto the wood. Her arrows were in a leather quiver struck to her back. She was not in any sort of ready position, so Inuyasha relaxed slightly and willed his heart to start again.

"I thought you had gotten lost in the woods. Then I never would have found you. I figured you would try to come here, that you wouldn't know how to go straight to  the well.  It makes sense for you to follow the path you took last time. I had nearly given up though. I was just about to go and wait by the well instead." She looked up at him at last, smiling tentatively. It looked painful.

"So, what, shooting me and getting half my side caved in isn't enough? Did Kaede send you here to make sure I was dead?"

Kagome sighed. "Of course not. She sent me to...," Kagome took a deep breath, "to apologize to you. Like I explained, I have my reasons not to trust demons, but that I was willing to shoot you...even though you don't even know what you are, or even if you are...that was inexcusable. Half demon or not, you were still totally innocent. I'm really sorry."

Inuyasha watched her, confused again.

"If it's any consolation, though, I probably wouldn't even have done it. I maybe would have tried to scare you or shot you in the leg, but I wouldn't have killed you.

"Oh, I see," said Inuyasha, bitterly. "You weren't going to kill me, just shoot me in the leg. Well, that's fine then, let's do that. C'mon, Ill bring snacks, it will be fun." He stopped to glare at her. Kagome sighed.

"Okay, so I guess I deserve that one. But I really am sorry about it, Inuyasha. And you can still stay here, at least until you're healed up."

"No, thanks, I think I will just go home now."

"Well," said Kagome, "you can always come back then, you know. And hang out here for a bit. Kaede would like you to, and I... well, I wouldn't really mind it."

Inuyasha put on a thoughtful expression and pretended to think about it. "You know what, I don't think so. I think I'm just gonna go one home, change my clothes finally, take a nap and deal with the broken ribs things. Then I'm going to find myself a therapist and let him tell me I made this up in my mind as a reaction to stress and I will believe him and return to normality. Thanks anyway, though."

Exasperated, he turned away and started walking back in the direction he was certain the well was. Sure enough, only about two minutes passed between him leaving and seeing it across the field. Inuyasha headed towards it, finally allowing some hope to seep into his bound chest.

Kagome came running up behind him then, calling to him to wait up. Inuyasha, furious, stopped and turned back so fast she nearly crashed into him.

"What," he snarled at her, but she was unfazed.

"Well, I just figured," she began, reaching to her neck, pulling out the jewel and twisting it around on its chain as she spoke. "I mean, I figured you could always..."

She was interrupted by a piercing, animalistic cry from above. Freezing, Kagome tucked the jewel back under her kimono and pulled up her weapon, reaching into her quiver for an arrow. She regarded the sky coldly before knocking it.

"What's going on?" Inuyasha demanded, feeling the electricity that had hurt his shoulder so badly the morning before gathering on the arrow tip, although it didn't hurt him now as she readied to fire.

"Demon carrion crows," she answered with disgust. "They live by eating the flesh of dead and decaying animals. Sometimes, if one is weak enough, the will eat it alive. It's disgusting. Especially the demons. If one gets enough power, it will not only go after the dying and dead, but the living too. They have been known to snatch children from villages and eat them in the sky, ripping them apart in front of their parents, dropping pieces like bloody rain. It's awful."

"Ah," said Inuyasha, disgusted too by the thought. "See, I think demon's like that it's ok to be prejudiced against and shoot."

Kagome smiled fiercely at him. "Agreed." She took aim and pulled back on the string, only to freeze. "Uh oh," she said, lowering her bow and staring in terror at the sky.

"What, uh-oh?" Inuyasha demanded. "What's wrong?"

"Look up," said Kagome in answer. Inuyasha followed her gaze and sucked in a sharp breath.

"Uh-oh," he agreed.

Instead of one or two crows like there had been before, there were dozens now, circling over head, eyeing Inuyasha and Kagome as if they were lunch.

Suddenly, all as one, the dove towards the pair.

"Run!" shouted Inuyasha, grabbing Kagome by the wrist and pulling her into the field. They managed to get halfway across, right up to the well, before the birds were upon them. Moving as one unit, the crows lowered their beaks like a giant sword headed towards the two teenagers.

Kagome fumbled with her bow, trying in a moment to ready it.

"Uh, Kagome, I don't think that's gonna work."

"What else can I do?" she demanded angrily. She twisted the bow around and reached back for an arrow from her quiver. She got a hold on one, and pulled it forwards.

As she did so, however, she accidentally snagged the string of beads that hung around her neck, ripping it and sending the beads flying everywhere.

"Oh god, No!" Kagome screamed, as Inuyasha grabbed her and pulled them both to the ground, his side burning with the motion so badly that he sucked his breath through his teeth.

"Get down," he growled in her ear, partly out of irritation and mostly out of pain.

The birds swooped an inch from their heads and then pulled up in formation, preparing for another dive. Kagome and Inuyasha rose to their feet looking for somewhere to go.

"Where is the jewel? Where is the Shikon Jewel? If those crows get it, it will be terrible!"

"You know what else would really suck? If the crows got us!"

"But the jewel," insisted Kagome, as the birds turned to make another dive, faster and more brutal this time. They wouldn't miss the mark.

"We can't Kagome, we have to go!" he shouted, looking for refuge. He spotted the well a foot behind them and, without a second though, pulled Kagome with him into its depths.

They heard the thud of many beaks driving themselves hard as nails into the wood.

Inuyasha felt a wave of pain in his side, and something inside cracked loudly.

"Oh no, Inuyasha!" Kagome called to him, sounding like she was underwater.

The last thing Inuyasha thought before passing out was ‘worst week ever'. Then he was gone.

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 Ok, so that is chapter 5. I actually intended to cover a lot more in this chapter, but when it reached ten pages with at least that much to go, I surrendered and decided to bump the rest of the action and the breaking of the jewel to chapter 6, coming as soon as I can get it out. I hope everyone enjoys. But I really need to go to bed now because its 6:04 am, I was up at 9 today, and I will be up at 9 again tomorrow. College sucks.