Author's Note: I came up with this idea years ago while playing Inuyasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask. I finally got around to writing it! So here it is. I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to review! :)
Disclaimer: I simply own the plot line.
Personal Hygiene
Summary: Kagome knew the moment she tried to teach Inuyasha how to brush and floss his teeth that she was in for a hard time. [One-Shot]
Kagome had finally had enough.
Enough of Inuyasha consistently nagging her when it came to her taking a bath at least once a day.
It was one thing for him to become upset when she would need to go back to her own era to make up a test or study for exams. But trying to persuade her to forget about personal hygiene? No way.
"Why do you even bother?" Inuyasha had asked her at one point. He leaned towards her, taking a couple of dog-like whiffs. "You don't smell that bad!"
Kagome scoffed, shoving Inuyasha away from her. "Inuyasha! Sit, boy!"
Meanwhile Shippo, Miroku and Sango shook their heads.
"Will he ever learn?" asked Shippo with a sigh.
As Kagome walked with a towel and a spare change of clothes in hand, she kept her head held high. No more, she told herself firmly. Inuyasha will just have to be patient. Just because I'm in the feudal era doesn't mean I need to have the same hygiene habits as them!
"Kagome!"
The raven-haired girl turned around upon hearing her name. She watched Sango approach her.
"Hi, Sango. Is something wrong?"
The demon slayer shook her head. "No. I was going to ask if I could join you."
"Me too!" said Shippo as he popped out of Sango's shoulders.
Kagome smiled, "Sure!"
As they reached a lake not far from Kaede's village, the girls and Shippo quickly disrobed and entered the cooling water.
"Ah," Kagome sighed contently, lowering herself further into the water. "How relaxing."
"Yes, it is nice after we've been traveling for days," Sango remarked.
Meanwhile Shippo swam laps in circles between the girls.
"I just don't understand Inuyasha sometimes," Kagome began, splashing her water on her face and over her shoulder. "He can be so frustrating when it comes to little things!"
"Well, you know Inuyasha," Sango answered. "He can be very headstrong but you know he means well."
Kagome sighed, glancing over at the glass bottle holding a few Shikon jewel fragments. "I know. He wants to gather the shards of the Shikon jewel and defeat Naraku." She reached over for her shampoo, squeezing some of it into her hand as she lathered it between her palms before running it through her hair. "I do keep that in mind. That's why I take really short baths. I even shortened brushing and flossing to just 30 seconds each when I used to do both for a couple of minutes."
"Brushing and flossing?" asked Sango, tilting her head to the side as she had a puzzled look on her face. "What do you mean?"
Kagome glanced at her friend. "Brushing—you know, brushing your teeth and flossing them." When she saw Sango's look grow in confusion, Kagome gaped. "You don't know what I'm talking about?"
Did they not know about dental hygiene at this time? pondered the raven-haired girl. I mean, sure they didn't have the advancements in technology that I have in my time, but do they not have a clue?
"I'm sorry, Kagome. I'm still not following," Sango admitted, running the shampoo she borrowed from Kagome through her hair.
"Okay, let me show you," said Kagome as she leaned over to her bag. As she shifted through the contents, she finally pulled out what she was looking for—a toothbrush, toothpaste and a roll of floss. "Do these look vaguely familiar?"
"Kind of…" replied Sango as she tilted her head upwards, tapping her chin. "I think I've seen some of the wealthy villagers with a brush with those kind of bristles in it."
I can't believe she doesn't recognize what it is, thought Kagome. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, even Inuyasha have fine teeth. At least, I think they do… She, too, lifted her head, wondering if she'd ever actually noticed the dental hygiene of her comrades. But none of them have bad breath…As Kagome finished washing herself, she decided to push the thought to the back of her mind. I'll worry about it later.
After Kagome poured the soup into the last bowl and passed it to Shippo, she sat back on her shins and grabbed her own bowl.
"Okay, everyone, lunch is served!"
"Thank you for cooking the meal, Kagome," said Miroku as he began to eat.
Sango nodded in agreement. "Yes, it tastes delicious."
"I agree!" shouted Shippo.
Kagome smiled at the compliments. "Thank you guys! I'm glad you like it." She then glanced at Inuyasha. "Well, Inuyasha? How do you like it?"
Inuyasha tilted the bowl upwards, slurping the last of the contents within the bowl. As he lowered the bowl, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Not bad, Kagome," he commented. "Is there anymore?"
Kagome smiled at the compliment. "Uh huh," she said as she retrieved his bowl and filled it up once more before returning it to him.
Soon the hut was filled with only the sound of chewing as the group ate the soup silently. Kagome held her bowl her face, her gaze darting between Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha. Her eyes were particularly focused on their mouths, trying to ascertain whether her teammates had pearly whites as well or if it had simply been her imagination.
Miroku, having noticed Kagome's staring, placed his bowl down in front of him. "Is something the matter, Kagome?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha joined. "Why do you keep looking around at us?"
Kagome froze, feeling embarrassment well up in her stomach at the idea of being caught. She frantically searched her mind for a reason. "I was just… making sure you guys really did like the soup. I tried a new recipe." A sweat drop fell at her lame reason.
"Does it have to do with what we were talking about today in the lake, Kagome?" asked Sango, glancing at Shippo absentmindedly who had fallen asleep quickly after the meal.
"What were you talking about in the lake?" questioned Miroku immediately, a perverted grin filling his features.
Sango glared at the monk. "Nothing that would excite you, monk," she said as Miroku laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.
"What were you talking about?" asked Inuyasha with an arched brow.
"Well…" Kagome began before reaching over for her bag and bringing it to her. She dug through her backpack before settling on the same toothbrush, toothpaste and floss she had shown Sango earlier. She lifted each item in the air before placing it down in front of her. "Do you guys recognize what these are?"
Miroku placed a hand to his chin, his expression thoughtful. "It looks like something I've seen a wealthy villager have."
Sango nodded, "That's what I said."
"What's it for?" asked Inuyasha.
"It's for your teeth," answered Kagome.
"How does it work?" questioned Miroku, picking up the toothbrush and studying the foreign object.
"Well," began Kagome as she took the toothbrush from Miroku's grasp. "You start with the toothpaste. Some people wet it and others keep it dry. Then,"—she unscrewed the cap to the toothpaste tube and squeezed some of it on the bristles of the toothbrush—"you squeeze some of this, the toothpaste, onto the toothbrush. Then you put it in your mouth and brush your teeth."
"Is that why your teeth are so white?" asked Sango.
Miroku nodded. "I agree, you have some of the whitest teeth I've ever seen."
Kagome blushed. "Well, that's because I brush them. And then,"—she picked up the floss—"you take a string of this and go between each molar." She took out a string and demonstrated this as Sango and Miroku looked on curiously.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha scoffed, his hand brushing off the topic. "Seems pointless to me," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"But it's not," retorted Kagome. "It's to keep your teeth healthy and strong. In my era it's an important thing to do!" She then turned towards Sango and Miroku. "So, if you guys never heard of this, how else do you keep your mouth clean?"
"Well, many people rinse," said Miroku.
"And there's a mint herb that people use to keep their breath fresh," added Sango. "It apparently helps keep your teeth strong and white."
Must be the herb they use to make toothpaste, thought Kagome as she nodded.
"So that's what you guys do?"
Both Miroku and Sango nodded.
"Kagome, can you bring extra toothbrushes and toothpaste for us to try?" asked Sango as Miroku nodded in agreement.
Kagome beamed at the pair. "Sure!"
"Keh! This is stupid," remarked Inuyasha, his nose crinkling at the scent of the toothpaste.
Kagome glanced at the half-demon. "Come on, Inuyasha! It's not very hard. Look, Sango and Miroku already have it down!"
Inuyasha looked at the two as Miroku practiced flossing and Sango peered at the toothbrush, studying the bristles as she ran her fingers along them.
"I can show you, Inuyasha!" chirped Kagome with a smile spreading on her face.
Inuyasha's face twisted at thought. "No way," he replied, brushing Kagome's hands away from him as he stood briskly, leaving the hut.
"Inuyasha, don't be so stubborn!" Kagome called after him as she too rose and left the hut.
When her eyes settled to the bright sunshine outside, she noticed Inuyasha had already walked considerably far from the hut.
"Hey, wait up!" she yelled as she ran towards him, bringing another toothbrush, toothpaste and floss with her.
"Forget it, Kagome," replied the silver-haired hanyou. "I don't care to know about your pastebrush or toothfloss."
When Inuyasha reached a nearby creek, he sat down as Kagome plopped herself beside him.
"Come on, Inuyasha! It's not very hard!" she stated, taking the toothbrush as she began to demonstrate the motion of brushing one's teeth on herself.
She noticed the hanyou's drifting attention as he watched the ducks floating on the river.
Just then Inuyasha felt hands grip either side of his face.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing!" he shouted when she pinched his cheeks.
"Just—open—your—mouth!" she grunted, stressing each word as she tried to pry his mouth open.
"Hell no! Get off of me!" Inuyasha retorted as he pulled her prying hands.
"Come on, Inuyasha! Buyo loves getting his teeth brushed!" Kagome whined as she plopped back down against the soft grass.
"I'm not the same as your cat, Kagome!" snapped Inuyasha as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Besides, maybe if you had just waited a damn second and—"
As Inuyasha spoke, Kagome pounced on him, knocking him over from her sudden body weight as she lied on top of him, shoving the toothbrush in his mouth.
"Okay, so now that it's inside, you start brushing it side to side!" said Kagome cheerily as she moved the toothbrush accordingly, blissfully ignoring her body crushing against his.
Inuyasha growled, pulling the toothbrush out of his mouth as he turned his head to the side and spit out the toothpaste. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "What the hell, Kagome!" he barked whilst Kagome pouted.
"Inuyasha! That was a waste of good toothpaste!" she whined, disregarding the heated glare the silver-haired hanyou was giving her.
"Get off of me!" he grumbled, a small blush spreading on both his and Kagome's faces as he pushed her off of him and sat up. He leaned towards the creek, grabbing some water in his hands as he whished the water in his mouth before spitting it out. He wiped the water dripping from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He glanced at Kagome who was smiling at him. "What are you looking at?" he snapped with a scowl.
"You just brushed your teeth!" she chirped merrily with a wide grin. She then pulled out a string of floss. "Now, all you have to do is floss!"
Inuyasha growled, taking a few steps away from her instinctively as he sat on all fours, his expression guarded. "No way. You're not tricking me again."
"Come on, Inuyasha! You're almost done!" Kagome pleaded. "This whole routine only takes five minutes at most! It's really good and healthy to do every day!"
"Unless it makes me a better fighter, it's pointless," retorted Inuyasha, eyeing Kagome warily when she stood up quickly, her arms shaking at her sides.
"Fine, fine! Forget it! Just let your teeth rot, I don't care!" she huffed, turning and taking a few steps away from him. She looked over her shoulder, "Even Souta was easier to teach than you, and he hates brushing his teeth!" She whisked her head away, continuing to walk.
Inuyasha could hear her mutter complaints under her breath, waiting guardedly until she was out of sight and he couldn't smell her scent anymore.
When she couldn't sense her presence anymore, Inuyasha took a small step towards the dental equipment, then another, followed by another. Once he reached them, he picked up the toothbrush, squinting his eyes as he eyed the foreign object. Placing it aside, he picked up the toothpaste. He placed it near his eye, peering inside the tube before he squeezed it and the toothpaste splattered over his eye.
"Ow, shit!" he cursed as he rubbed his burning eye with cooling water. He shook his head in a manner similar to a dog as he shook the dripping water off of his face.
He tossed the toothpaste aside, finally settling upon the floss that lay dormant against the grass. He picked it up, flicking the cover open and close a few times. When it fell open. He tugged a string of floss, easily cutting the thin string with his sharp claws.
Each string kept getting shut prematurely due to his claws, causing Inuyasha frustration. In his aggravation, he ended up pulling out the rest of the string in the floss, only having one consistent string that was barely a foot long.
He held the thin string between his fingers, watching it sway limply against the soft breeze that blew by. He brought it to his amber eyes, studying it as he tried to remember how Kagome had demonstrated how to use it.
He opened his mouth slightly, running the string horizontally against his tooth. He took it out, shaking his head as he probed his mind further.
How did she do it? he wondered mentally. He sure as hell wasn't going to go ask her, not after she left so angrily. That, and he had too much pride to ask in front of Sango and Miroku.
When he turned the string vertical and placed it against his tooth, he found it easily slipped between the molars. He removed it quickly, thinking it was wrong, but found himself placing it back and moving the string back and forth against his fangs.
As he continued this for the rest of his teeth, his pace gradually becoming faster with each passing fang, he tossed the string aside and peered over the creek at his own reflection. He bared his teeth, already noticing his teeth becoming whiter.
"Good boy, Inuyasha!" whispered Kagome, having watched him the whole time through a bush nearby. She made sure she surrounded herself with the leaves so he wouldn't be able to catch her scent.
"Yes, good plan, Kagome," said a male voice behind her.
She gasped, covering her mouth to prevent her shriek as she turned around, hearing the bushes rustle before seeing Miroku and Sango appear beside her.
"Sango! Miroku! I don't think Inuyasha would want you watching," whispered Kagome.
"Who said I wanted any of you watching?"
"Eep!" Kagome shrieked as she whipped around.
Her, Sango and Miroku watched Inuyasha hover over them, glaring at all three.
"What the hell are you guys doing?" he barked.
"Oh, look at the time! I have to go home!" Kagome shouted as she stood up quickly, dashing away.
"Kagome! Get back here!" Inuyasha called after her.
The raven-haired girl looked over her shoulder as she ran, giving him a wave. "Sorry, Inuyasha! You used the rest of my floss and toothpaste! I have to go back to my era to get more!"
Inuyasha growled when she soon fell out of sight. He turned back towards Sango and Miroku, only to find them no longer there. He turned his head as he saw the two running back towards the direction of Kaede's hut.
"Hey, you two! You're not off the hook!" Inuyasha bellowed as he sprinted after them.
"Please, Inuyasha, we just wanted to make sure you were doing it right!" Miroku shouted.
"Yeah, right! You just wanted to spy on me and Kagome!"
"No, it's true!" yelled Sango. "We were just trying to help!"
"Help my ass! Get back here, cowards!" the silver-haired hanyou shouted as he continued to chase them in a circle around the hut.
A sleepy Shippo soon emerged from the hut, rubbing his eye as he yawned. "What's going on?" he mumbled as he watched Miroku and Sango flee from Inuyasha.
Kirara appeared beside him, uttering a soft mew.
Shippo glanced at her, then at the toothbrush, toothpaste and floss scattered behind him. He walked over to them, picking them up.
"Hey, Kirara, what's this?"