Crossover: A Different Inuyasha

Kagome sat down next to Inuyasha with her bowl in hand, her chopsticks flicking at the rim of the bowl, but she couldn't manage to pick up a single piece of food properly.

She glanced sideways at the dark-haired boy beside her out of the corner of her eye—what had happened at home in just one day?

What kind of spell did this uninvited guest cast on Mom and Grandpa?

They actually found me a fiancé?

If... if it's true, then tonight... he won't want me to be with him... no, no!

Kagome abruptly looked away, her ears burning slightly. She quickly lowered her head, shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth, and swallowed the inappropriate thought as she chewed.

Grandpa is unreliable, to say the least; he's caused trouble every single time since I was a child.

But Mom is different.

My mother has always been the most reliable person, so why would she join in the commotion?

Kagome set a goal for herself: she must find an opportunity to find out the whole story.

We can't let the bad guys get away with it!

Just then, a pair of chopsticks reached out and placed a piece of her favorite tamagoyaki into her bowl.

"Kagome, you should eat something too."

Inuyasha did it naturally, without any deliberate effort.

Kagome paused for a moment, then looked up and met his smiling lips—his eyes looked exceptionally clear under the light.

She suddenly felt her cheeks burning, quickly lowered her head, and mumbled a reply, "...Thank you."

No way, thank him my foot! This is my home!

Kagome angrily shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards Inuyasha.

The boy sat upright, responding to his mother's every word with a smile, his manners impeccable.

hateful.

Why bother with someone so good-looking? She's all smooth talk and doesn't seem like a good person at all!

Kagome muttered to herself, secretly observing the situation on the table—her grandfather and mother were both acting strangely, so who else could help her?

Is he my younger brother?

She glanced around and saw that Sota was gnawing on a chicken leg, his mouth glistening with oil. She couldn't count on her silly younger brother for any advice.

Kagome gripped her chopsticks tightly, her gaze refocusing on Inuyasha's profile, her eyes revealing a resolute determination to fight alone.

Okay, even if the whole world is on your side, I will not admit defeat!

I will expose your true colors and show Mom and Grandpa what you're really like! Just you wait and see, Inuyasha!

As night deepened, the lights in the Higurashi family home went out one by one at the end of the corridor, leaving only a warm glow in the direction of the bathroom.

Inuyasha pushed open the bathroom door, wearing a loose bathrobe, his long, dark hair hanging wetly over his shoulders.

He had only taken a few steps when a figure suddenly darted out from around the corner.

Kagome, who had been waiting for a long time, was not about to miss the opportunity to have Inuyasha alone. She suddenly jumped out and, without saying a word, pushed his shoulder and pulled him to the corner.

Inuyasha didn't dare to exert any force, wanting to see what this little girl was up to.

Kagome put her hands on her hips, took a step forward, tilted her head back, and struck a bossy pose, her eyebrows furrowed tightly. "Who are you? Why did Mom and Grandpa treat you like that—"

She stopped speaking halfway through her sentence.

The light from the corridor shone from the side, clearly illuminating her face, which was damp with moisture.

Her long, black hair was still dripping wet, with a few strands clinging to her forehead and neck, disappearing into the open neckline of her bathrobe along her collarbone.

Kagome's gaze involuntarily stopped, and then her ears began to burn.

Tick.

A drop of water slid down Inuyasha's hair, leaving a small water stain on the floor.

Kagome snapped back to reality, cleared her throat, and raised her voice even higher, trying to cover up her racing heartbeat with volume, "Quick, tell me!"

Inuyasha leaned against the wall, his eyes lowered, taking in the thin blush that spread from her ears to her cheeks.

He smirked, reached out, and slowly, very slowly, pulled at the collar of his bathrobe, creating a small opening on either side.

Kagome's pupils dilated suddenly.

"...!"

A short scream escaped her throat, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She bounced back half a meter, turned and ran, her slippers making a series of frantic thuds on the wooden floor.

"rogue--!!!"

The shout echoed down the corridor, and before the sound had even faded, the person had already turned the corner and disappeared.

Inuyasha leaned against the wall, his hand still clutching the collar of his yukata, gazing in the direction she had disappeared, and chuckled slowly.

"...So cute."

In the living room, the warm yellow light cast long shadows of the people.

Kagome sat on one side of the low table, her hands resting on her knees, explaining to her mother what had just happened.

She spoke very quickly, and her finger would occasionally point towards the corridor, as if she were trying to recreate the crime scene in great detail.

"...and then he did that, just like that—he pulled his bathrobe open! It was on purpose!"

She became more and more excited as she spoke, her cheeks flushed, and she gestured with her hands in the air.

"He definitely did it on purpose! What normal person would do something like that?"

Just as they were getting into the conversation, Kagome's gaze inadvertently swept across the other side.

Inuyasha sat there quietly, his posture upright, with an innocent smile on his lips, like a well-behaved child who had been wronged.

But the instant Kagome looked over, he blinked—his black hair turned silver-white in the blink of an eye, and a pair of fluffy, slightly trembling dog ears emerged from his soft, fluffy hair.

It looks so cute that you just want to pinch it.

"What's this!?"

Kagome sprang up from the cushion, pointing her finger straight at Inuyasha.

"Mom! Look at him!"

"Ok?"

The mother looked in the direction she was pointing, then looked away, tilting her head in confusion. "...Is something the matter?"

Kagome turned her head eagerly to look—Inuyasha had returned to normal.

Her hair was as black as ever, her head was bald, her eyes were innocent, and she had a well-behaved look that said, "I didn't do anything."

He even picked up his teacup and took a sip, looking as composed as if he were enjoying a good show.

Mom frowned slightly, her tone carrying a hint of serious reproach.

"The matter of my fiancé was just a joke my grandfather made in a moment of excitement. But Inuyasha is a guest in our house, and we can't behave rudely towards a guest."

"No—! I—"

Kagome opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but before she could speak, she caught a glimpse of Inuyasha's hair turning white again, and his furry ears twitched slightly at her.

His mouth opened and closed, silently mouthing the words—as if to say, "Go on, keep talking."

Kagome clenched her fists at her sides.

I'm so angry!

She gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, suppressed her raging anger, and forced a big, forceful smile as she nodded to her mother.

"...Yes, I understand, Mom."

After saying that, she turned and glared at Inuyasha, giving him a fierce look.

He's putting on airs; you can tell at a glance he's a jerk who likes to tattle on others in front of the teacher. This isn't over yet!

Chapter 97: The Great Adventure at Night, Finally Obtaining the Shikon Jewel

It was late at night.

Most of the lights in the Higurashi family home had been extinguished, with only one nightlight left on the porch, emitting a faint glow.

Kagome waited in bed for a long time with her phone in hand. When she felt that everyone should rest, she finally lifted the covers, stepped barefoot onto the cold floor, tiptoed to the closet, carefully opened the door, and pulled out a crumpled cloth bag from the deepest part.

The cloth bag was opened, revealing a stack of yellowed talismans—a "family heirloom" that Grandpa claimed to have kept at the bottom of a trunk for many years, possessing immense power, and which was eventually hidden away by the younger Kagome, whom he only remembered now.

Kagome clenched the talisman, gave herself a mental pep talk, and then crouched down, stealthily making her way down the corridor toward the guest rooms.

'You wretched monster, I'll vanquish you tonight!'

She now understands—how could those hairs that change so easily, those furry ears, possibly be human?

'Grandpa and Mom, they must have been bewitched by his sorcery!'

Kagome stopped in front of the paper door of the guest room, holding a talisman in her palm and gripping the edge of the door frame with her other hand.

Tonight, the beautiful Kagome Higurashi will save the world!

Kagome's eyes lit up, filled with a courage ignited by a sense of mission.

Then she flung open the door, holding the talisman, and strode inside—

"Monster! Surrender!"

Moonlight streamed in through the open paper door, illuminating the empty guest room.

The bedding was neatly folded, and there wasn't a single crease on the pillow. The window was half-open, and the night breeze was blowing in from outside, causing the curtains to sway gently.

There was no one in the house.

Kagome's hand, holding the talisman, froze in mid-air. She blinked, and her expression slowly changed from fierce to bewildered.

"...Huh?"

She swallowed hard.

According to the rules of horror movies, at this point, it will definitely be—

A light, airy voice came from behind, carrying a hint of lazy laughter.

"Did you come to see me?"

Kagome's back stiffened, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water on the back of her neck, and the hairs on her body stood on end.

Sure enough, we're doomed.

She could even hear her own heart pounding, her legs felt frozen in place, and her knees buckled uncontrollably.

She stiffened her neck and turned her head away—

The moonlight fell on the corridor, enveloping the figure beneath it in a layer of cool, silvery glow.

His long, silvery-white hair swayed gently in the night breeze, his features were softened by the moonlight, and his golden eyes reflected starlight, making him look otherworldly.

A faint smile played on his lips, his expression calm, as if he had known she would come over, or as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

"you--!"

Kagome had barely opened her mouth, before she could utter a complete sentence, when Inuyasha stepped forward, bent down, slipped one hand under her knees, and wrapped the other around her back, lifting her up without a word.

The moment their bodies were lifted into the air, Kagome's scream was stuck in her throat and hadn't even had a chance to escape when Inuyasha lightly touched the edge of the corridor with his toes, and the two of them leaped out of the window together.

A night breeze swept over me, carrying the unique coolness and emptiness of being high up.

Kagome instinctively closed her eyes, gripping his collar tightly with both hands, her heart pounding in her chest as if it would jump out of her chest.

The expected fall did not happen—the wind whistled past her ears, carrying a steady and gentle lifting sensation.

She quietly opened her eyes.

The clouds are flowing, the moon is overhead, and below, Tokyo is shrinking at an incredible speed into a miniature scroll adorned with lights.

Beneath their feet, a cloud dragon, its entire body shimmering with silvery-white light, was winding and unfurling, its scales clearly defined, its long whiskers flowing, gleaming in the moonlight.

Kagome opened her mouth wide, but couldn't utter a single word.