Just a Book

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha Copyrights.

A/n: Originally posted in 2008, this is my revised version. Hopefully it's a little better than before.

000ooo000

Kagome stared at the root sticking innocently out of the ground, mocking her. Huffing, she rubbed her sore bottom and rolled gingerly to her feet. She supposed it served her right for not watching where she was going, not that she hadn't had a perfectly reasonably excuse for woolgathering. Her mind was too full of worries for her friends, still recovering from the last battle with Naraku, to care about where she put her feet. Still, she has happy that no one was around to watch her less than graceful tumble. Kagome tested her weight gently, rolling the ankle carefully, before continuing down the dark path towards the well. Almost immediately, her thoughts drifted back to the rest of the group, holed up in Kaede's hut, nursing their wounds. Miroku, in particular, was fighting off a larger than normal dose of Naraku's poison. She wished she could stay and help but the truth was she was more useful getting medicine from home than she was playing nurse assistant. Inuyasha hadn't been kind when he had pushed her out the door but she knew his short words had more to do with worry than with anger. Despite his loud protests to the contrary, Inuyasha was one of the biggest worrywarts Kagome had ever met. She could deal with his snippy attitude as long as it meant he cared.

Kagome smiled, imagining Inuyasha's reaction to her thoughts. No doubt he would go red and then ignore her; he was honestly such a kid sometimes. She laughed softly and swung a leg over the lip of the well. Just as she was about to slid into the darkness, however, the hair on the back of her neck stood up, locking her muscles at the brush of demonic aura. Kagome turned her head slowly from side to side, trying to pinpoint the danger. Holy power thrummed beneath her skin, pooling under her fingertips. Whoever the aura belonged to was either too weak to hide or very, very good at masking their presence. Something moved at the corner of her eye and she whipped her head around. She was just able to catch sight of a shadowy movement before it and the aura disappeared. Her powers settled but her nerves were still singing with adrenaline. 'Damn', she thought in annoyance, as the fine hairs on her arm went flat. If she told Inuyasha about the demon, he'd never let her go home. She'd be stuck with him following her around for at least another week. On the other hand, however, if she didn't say anything her friends could be attacked unaware. Unwilling to put her friends in danger, she made a mental note to bring back some books and jumped into the blue swirl of magic.

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Kagome stepped back to admire her handiwork. On the up side, she had managed to fit all of her romance novels. No small feat, considering the bag was already filled to the brim with medicine, food, and clothing. It was so full, however, that she wasn't sure how she was going to pick it up without it busting a seam. Her mother smiled and helped set it on her back, laughing quietly at Kagome's small groan.

"Are you sure you need all these extra books, dear?" Her mother fiddled with the straps as they tried to find a comfortable position.

"I'm probably going to be stuck in one place for a while." Kagome grinned at her mother over her shoulder, barely able to see the small woman. "You know how Inuyasha gets." They shared a laugh, walking slowly towards the well house.

"What will you do when you start traveling again?" Her mother asked, "I can't imagine you dragging them all over Japan."

Kagome waved a hand lazily and swung a leg over the lip of the well. "I'll just leave them with Kaede. She won't mind." She pecked her mother on the check and jumped. The nice thing about the well's magic was that it lifted her and the bag effortlessly, giving her a few moments of rest from the heavy weight.

Despite the heavy weight, Kagome was happy to be bringing the extra books. With her time in the feudal era getting longer and longer, she had had less and less time to read. She barely had time to do her homework, let alone pleasure read. But with her friends holed up for at least a week, this was her chance to get some relaxation. Besides, the books weren't just for her, she had brought a few historical ones for Miroku while he was laid up in bed. Surely no one could fault her for looking after her injured friend. It didn't hurt at all that she had a camera ready to capture his face. His porn scrolls didn't have a thing on a juicy romance novel. She might even be able to out pervert the pervert. Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't notice when the light died away and with it, the support. Kagome groaned as the weight settled back onto her shoulders and she started the long climb up to the surface. It took her twice as long as usual, but calling on all of her strength, she managed to haul herself to the top and onto the grass. With a weak 'yay' she got to her feet and headed for the village. She was so focused on her goal that she never noticed the small blue book lying in the grass, the two lovers on the front more interested in each other than the women leaving them behind, nor the little hands that picked them up sometime later.

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Sesshomaru didn't want to admit it, not even to himself, but he was bored. He had followed his half-brother's pack to their human den, hoping to find some minion of Naraku's lurking about. At the very least he had hoped to glen information about his newest hiding place, but two days had passed without a sound from either hanyou. It was somewhat surprising that Inuyasha hadn't caught his scent yet. He was an idiot but an idiot with a better nose than most thanks to their father's blood. Sesshomaru could admit that he was disappointed; a fight would have made things a little more bearable. If this continued, he would have to take up his patrols again and then he would be out of the area if Naraku resurfaced. How annoying.

The crackle of twigs accompanied by Rin's scent drifted into the camp, followed by Jakken's voice as he complained loudly. After a few minutes, the two of them broke through the trees, Jakken waving his staff around and Rin clutching something to her chest. The little girl had grown, he thought, not without some pride at the adult she was turning into. It was easy to see she would be an attractive human when she reached her maturity. However, it was her fighting abilities that proved to him that taking her on as his ward was not a wasted effort. She would be a human above all others, he was sure of it.

"Rin has found something new; will Milord permit me to read to you?" Rin asked, almost jumping with excitement. Sesshomaru nodded, half listening as she sat down and began her recitation, stumbling over a few words that neither of them recognized.

"Yuuma could stand it no longer and he lowered his lips to hers, crushing her mouth beneath his own. Kanon moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, raising her face to meet him half way, enjoying the wild taste of his mouth. He groaned as he reached down and pulled her closer, fitting her against him. Kanon tried to be quiet for the sake of all involved but as she felt his hot, ha—"

Sesshomaru wrenched the book out of her hands before she could finish the sentence. Rin jumped in surprise, mouth hanging open at the look on her lord's face. She had never seen such an expression on his face. Though his face was still smooth, his eyes were wide and she thought he seemed almost… panicked. She was worried for a moment that she had offended her beloved lord, but released her breath when he turned the glare towards the book.

"Rin, where did you get this?"

"Rin found in lying in the grass by an old well." Rin risked glancing up at his face. When he said nothing, she continued, feeling bolder. "It was pretty and Rin picked it up and saw all the odd writing in it and so Rin brought it home to read to Lord Sesshomaru..."

Sesshomaru tuned her babbling out in favor of studying the offending binding of paper in his hands. He tempted to simply rip the thing to shreds, if only for the cover. It did not help that the thing reeked of his half-brother's miko. How dare that woman leave something as disgusting as this where a child could find it? He entertained the idea of tearing them both apart but discarded it almost immediately. As pleasurable as it would be, she would be needed in future battles. He would have to let her live. However, that did not mean he could not make his opinion of her taste in literature very clear. Satisfied, Sesshomaru studied the cover for a moment longer and then slipped it into his armor.

And if, after his companions had retired, he gave into his curiosity, well there was nothing wrong with researching your opponent's weakness.

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Inuyasha was going to kill her, that much was certain.

Sure, it would take him a while to figure out she had left, despite his explicit (and completely unfair) order to stay in the village, but Kagome knew she only had ten minutes top before he descended on her. She shuddered and threw another look over her shoulder, just to double check her friend wasn't already on her trail. Really though, it was hardly her fault! Once she had noticed her book missing, it had been obvious she'd had to go searching for it. She couldn't leave a book like that in this era; it would be completely unethical not to mention it was her favorite. Just imagining what would happen if one of the villagers came across it was enough to make her sweat. Most of them were half convinced she was a prostitute already! One look at her romance novel - and who else would something like that belong to but her – and it would be official. Kagome grit her teeth and shoved another bush aside, peering under it for any glimpse of the bright book.

"Stupid book…"

A brush of demonic aura ghosted over the nape of her neck, like fingers over her spine. Kagome jerked to her feet, looking around wildly before settling into wary acceptance. Unlike the aura of yesterday, this aura was open and unfortunately familiar. Sesshomaru was the last demon in Japan she wanted to see while looking for a book full of smut, but it wasn't like she could just tell him to get lost. The best she could hope for was that he stood far enough away to avoid getting his scent on her. One whiff of that and Inuyasha would lock her in Kaede's hut for the next twenty years! She stood quickly and brushed off her knees, keeping one eye in the direction Sesshomaru was moving from. There was no doubt he was headed her way and she'd prefer to not look homeless when he arrived. Jerk.

Sure enough, after a moment his figure slid into view, breaking out of the dense trees. He was dressed in his customary armor, face blank and hair perfect. Kagome glared at it, annoyed at its silkiness even as it brushed the ground, and then realized he was glaring right back. Oops.

"Ah, Lord Sesshomaru," She bowed politely and smiled, despite the icy look she got for her troubles. "What a surprise to see you here. Are you patrolling?"

"That is none of your concern, miko." His voice, velvet over ice, rolled easily between the handful of feet between them. Kagome resisted rolling her eyes and brightened her smile, gloating when it made him narrow his eyes. Two could play that game.

"My apologies, Lord Sesshomaru. If you are here to see Inuyasha, though, I'm afraid you're about a mile off." Oops, she might have gone too far with the teasing. Sesshomaru took a threatening step forward. Kagome almost took a step back before pausing. He was technically an ally, she thought, annoyance overwhelming her flight instinct. Before she could think about the genius of her plan, she straightened her spine and stood her ground. Sesshomaru moved close enough to be inside her personal space and stopped, staring down at her with a long that could have been consideration but was probably displeasure. It was then she realized there was something familiar hanging loosely from his hand.

"Hey, my book!" She lost interest in him, tilting her head to get a better look. Yep, totally hers. "Where did you find it?" The fingers tightened on the book, piercing the thin cover. Kagome gulped and looked up. He did not look amused.

"Ah, I mean, thank you for finding my book, Lord Sesshomaru! May I please have it back?" She bowed again for good measure and waited, holding her breath. She needn't have bothered, he didn't move and after a moment of silence, she started to fidget. Was he mad? It wasn't exactly the most innocent cover, though there wasn't any full nudity, look some scrolls she could mention. Maybe he thought she was lying?

"It really is mine, I'm not making that up." She said with a huff, crossing her arms defensively.

"I am aware, miko."

"Great, well can I have it back?" She finally gave in and held out a hand expectantly. "Please?" Instead of answering her, Sesshomaru stalked closer, crowding her back. Kagome let him, realizing that he might have something else on his mind other than talking. Her back hit a tree, forcing her to stop, and she tilted her head back to look up at him as he caged her in. This is it, Kagome thought, he was really going to kill her this time. He had learned his lesson with the poison and now he was going to scare her to death all over a stupid book. She was so caught up in lamenting how unfair her life was that she didn't notice him dip his head until their noses were almost touching. She sucked in an unsteady breath, unable to move even as he turned his head and placed his mouth against her cheek, the heat of his breath curling around the shell of her ear. Kagome was sure her face looked like a cherry and had only a moment to think 'red really isn't a good color for me' before he spoke.

"A most interesting book, miko."

And then… nothing. Cold seeped back into her body at the abrupt loss of heat, leaving her weak and shaking. He had left, with his stupid, unfair, totally cheating demonic speed, and it was all she could do not to collapse. As it was, she still slid down the bark into an undignified heap on the ground. Kagome let out the breath she had been holding and closed her eyes. She had really thought he was going to… No! Kagome gave herself a mental slap. There was no way that Lord Sesshomaru, King of Arrogance and hater of any-human-not-Rin would kiss her. Nope, not happening. Now if only she could get that mental image out of her head and she'd be fine. Kagome laughed, determine to not care, and ignored the crack in her voice. She pulled herself back up and clutched the book in her hands to her chest. She had it back, problem solved. She'd just head back to Kaede's, put it in her bag, and forget this ever happened. Kagome nodded to herself and then paused. Her book felt… different. She held it up and shook it, somehow unsurprised when the corner of an elegant wooden bookmark appeared between the pages. Biting her lip, she opened the marked page and read the first sentence. Kagome squeaked and almost threw the book, eyes wide.

"Oh god, what have I done?"

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End of chapter