STRAWBERRY SHAMPOO
By: The Lady Amarisa Silvermoon
Finished: 12/5/02
Disclaimers: Normal stuff. Don't own them, just the idea. Don't sue me,
not that you would get much anyway. So, yeah, normal stuff. Enjoy! ( ;)
'Insanity . . . pure insanity . . .' thought Inuyasha as he sat near the water's edge with his arms crossed in his normal position. The mere idea of a girl having to bathe this many times was absurd. After all, she was only going to get dirty again, so what's the point? He stared with his golden eyes as Kagome rose out of the water, her bathing suit shimmering in the sun, flipping her hair back as she did so and sending numerous sparkles and stars flying into the air before they gently cascaded back to their home in the water. He could not take his eyes off her as she sucked in her breath, coming to a stop in the air before she sunk below the surface of the water again. Even then, his eyes stayed on her slim frame gliding beneath the tiny waves she had created on the once still lake.
'Stupid girl . . .' he thought to himself. 'It's too flashy, too showy. Someone is bound to notice. And I'd stake my father's sword on it being a demon.' Inuyasha snorted and looked away indignantly. He guaranteed that not even an hour later she would be wishing she were doing the same thing she was now because she would be covered in something! And yet as she came up in the same way, obviously loving hearing the tiny water droplets hitting the surface of the water, Inuyasha couldn't help but turn and watch her, noting the curve of her neck and the way her lips parted as she drew in another gulp of fresh air. This time, instead of plunging back deep into the water, she dipped down before bobbing up again to watch as a flock of birds flew overhead. He saw the way her eyes shown as the sun on the water when she looked at the birds, not taking her gaze off them until they disappeared over the treetops and out of sight. All the while, Inuyasha never took his eyes off her. She sighed sadly and stared at the spot where they disappeared before a floating cloud covered the land in shadows until the sun once again shown brightly down upon the world. Kagome looked up and smiled, breathing in the fresh air. Inuyasha's head twitched as he watched her, his gaze turning up to the large clouds above them before returning to Kagome. Without a word said, he stripped down to his loincloth and dove into the water.
Kagome started and looked to where she remembered Inuyasha sitting and saw nothing, not even his clothes that had been deftly hidden behind one of the rocks, though she didn't know that. There wasn't even a ripple left on the water where he dove in, so she just figured it was her imagination and that he was probably in one of the trees, berating her mentally for her paranoia as he probably always did. Sighing, she turned around in the water and came face to face with a pair of golden eyes not inches away from her. She let out an ear-piercing scream and on impulse smacked Inuyasha with such a force that it sent him plunging back underneath the surface of the water with a loud splash. Realizing whom it was Kagome instantly started apologizing to him repeatedly.
Inuyasha returned to the surface of the water, showing only his eyes over the top of it, the red mark on his face vivid. He glared at her as he does when she annoyed him in some way and created bubbles around his head from blowing air out of his mouth slowly in frustration. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!?!" he yelled at her suddenly as he rose out of the water an inch or so above her before bobbing back down to a normal level when one is treading water.
"Well, excuse me! I thought you were in one of the trees! You scared me half to death!"
"No! I wasn't! I was right here!"
"And just why were you right there?!" Kagome looked down, blushed and turned away showing Inuyasha her profile, wrapping her arms around her chest. "And please tell me that you are at least wearing something."
"Of course I'm wearing something! What, did you think I'd come in here stark naked?!"
Kagome did not answer. Inuyasha got an eye tick before narrowing them. "You know what, I don't wanna know. I just have a few questions for you."
"Couldn't you have waited until I got out? I was almost done."
"NO, I would've forgotten it by then!" Inuyasha took a deep breath to try to calm his nerves but it didn't help. "Answer me this, exactly why do you feel it is so necessary to take a bath when you are just going to get dirty again?"
Kagome glared at Inuyasha. "Why do you even ask? It's a girl thing – no – sorry – it's a future thing, something you wouldn't understand anything about. Besides, you grew up in the wilderness with nobody to tell you what to do. I grew up in a civilized time, which prides itself over cleanliness."
"Civilized, huh? You call that smoke filled, garbage dump of a time civilized?! The air is filthy there and while you're too busy worrying about yourself, it gets worse and worse every time I go there! You worry about dying here when that air could kill you there. I don't even know why you bother going back."
Kagome sighed in frustration. "I told you, Inuyasha. I have responsibilities there and I have a life there. My friends are there, my family's there and my school is there. I have to go back. I belong there."
'You belong here,' though Inuyasha as he stared at her. "Alright, fine! My next question is why do you stare dreamily at the birds and the clouds? They're just birds and clouds after all, nothing special about them. Why do you zone out every time you come here?"
Kagome sighed and turned her head away. "Because there is no pollution here and the air is fresh. . . ." she answered quietly.
Inuyasha blinked and stared at her. "Well, why don't you stay here then if you like it so much?"
Kagome turned and glared at him. "Why do you keep referring to the same thing over and over again?"
Inuyasha fought to keep down a blush and instead covered it with annoyance. "Because you need to be here so we can search for the shards, you shouldn't have to go back to that place."
Kagome glared at Inuyasha and fought down the urge to say 'Sit!' But she knew that if she did say it then Inuyasha would be sent to the bottom of the lake which is who knows how deep. Therefore, she merely glared at him while he knew what she wanted to say.
"If you came out here just to criticize me, then you can just forget it," she snapped as she started to swim away, but Inuyasha quickly dove down, swam under her, and then popped up a few inches away from her yet again.
"For your information, I was just curious."
"Really?" Kagome asked getting a strange gleam in her eyes. "Curiosity killed the cat, you know. Or, in this case, should I say dog?"
Inuyasha went to glare at her, as well as bark a snide remark, but just then, a little dark cloud floated over and settled above his head. Curiously, both he and Kagome looked up just in time to see the cloud spring a leak and start to rain on Inuyasha and only Inuyasha. As soon as the water hit him, he got his normal blank, annoyed stare and growled. Then, to make the situation more interesting, the cloud gave a small pop and turned into Shippo using his magic to hover there, right above Inuyasha's head with his back to Kagome. He smiled and said hello to Kagome, as he continued to "rain" on Inuyasha's head. Or, in this case, relieve himself over his head, right on his head, on the white hair that was starting to run with yellow. Kagome gave a small cry of disbelief and half yelled at Shippo while at the same time trying to swim away from the water around Inuyasha that was turning yellow and seeping closer to her. She backed up, dove under the water, and began to swim towards the shore. Shippo merely laughed at his prank as he continued, knowing that his target wasn't Kagome, it was Inuyasha because he would never do anything to Kagome. However, what he did not expect was a loud growl and a fist around his neck before he was thrown the length of the lake (and it was big) into the forests beyond them. He yelled something while in the air which sounded like, "I was just doing you a favor!!" Inuyasha heard it, but he was too preoccupied with trying not to vomit than with paying much attention to what the kitsune was saying.
Oh, Shippo could still get back to the campsite, and he knew that when he landed roughly on the ground, but it would take a while and it wasn't very likely that he was going to any time soon after that display. Inuyasha yelled and dove under the water, rising up at the spot where Kagome had climbed out. She was now wringing her hair out and watching as Inuyasha tried desperately to splash water onto his still yellow head to get everything out, all in vain, and cursed and threatened the kitsune. He yelled again and said a few choice words, but didn't give up. Kagome groaned and as she walked away, knowing what she had to do, and ordered that he shut up and take a seat on one of the rocks, making sure to phrase her sentence just right. He did so, wanting to do anything possible to get the smell off him because with his sensitive nose it was starting to make him sick. Kagome came back, carrying two long plastic bottles in one arm and a wooden bucket in another.
"I know you aren't going to like this, but it's time for a bath no matter how much you may struggle."
"WHAT?!?!?" exclaimed Inuyasha as he whipped around and stared horrifically at her. His motion caused a spray to shoot out from his hair and nearly land on Kagome; luckily, she was too far away for the droplets to hit her, even though they did come close.
Kagome frowned and glared at him, keeping far away in case he decided to repeat the motion. "You need your hair washed otherwise it won't come out. Do you really want to go around smelling like that?"
"No, but I definitely don't want to go around smelling like – like – you!"
Kagome was affronted. "Strawberries. You'll smell like strawberries, not me."
"So! What's the difference? You smell like strawberries, AND I DON'T WANT TO SMELL LIKE STRAWBERRIES!! THERE IS NO WAY!!"
"YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE!"
Inuyasha growled and whipped around again, sending another spray hurtling towards Kagome that still didn't reach her. He folded his arms indignantly and sat there, his legs crossed. Kagome was glad that his loincloth pretty much hid all that she did not want to see; otherwise, the situation would be all the more awkward. She hesitantly walked up to him and placed the bottles in the bucket, taking out the shampoo and putting a huge glob onto her hand. His hair was long and the – excretion – had seeped in. As much as she loved Shippo, she would kill him when this was all over.
"Just don't use that other stuff," Inuyasha growled as Kagome placed her hands on his scalp and nearly gagged. Taking a deep breath, she inched closer and started to massage her fingers in to his hair, pulling the longer strands the hung over his back towards the top of his head as she went, trying to be careful not to get much in his ears. His hair was thick, very thick. It was no wonder that he usually didn't get it caught in something. Groaning silently, she continued her work, not hearing a sound from Inuyasha. Of course, she did not know that his silence and stubbornness was all an act and he in fact was quite enjoying what she was doing to him, keeping the tough as nails act up so no one would think he was going soft. He even sighed in frustration a few times and fidgeted to seal the deal. It worked.
"Stop sulking and sit still!" Kagome ordered, not realizing what she said until it was too late. The beads around Inuyasha's head worked their magic and he found his body slamming into the ground painfully.
"KAGOME!!!"
"Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean it," she smiled guiltily. The truth of the matter was that she did want to say it for some time; she just didn't plan to say it right then. Before long, the magic wore off but not before shampoo from Inuyasha's hair completely covered his back. He sat back up painfully and wiped the now dirty shampoo away from his face.
"Next time you might wanna warn me first!!" he yelled.
"Sorry, sorry," Kagome smiled apologetically as she waved her hand at him. "Didn't mean for it to happen, honest."
"Yeah, I bet," he sulked angrily, closing his eyes. This always happened, just when he was starting to thoroughly enjoy her company, as if he didn't always, and everything actually started to go right and smoothly, something like that had to happen. It was like clockwork.
"Now close your eyes," Kagome ordered as she took the conditioner out of the bucket and dipped the bucket into the water.
"Huh? What for?" Inuyasha asked as he opened his eyes and went to look at her, but it was too late. Kagome dumped the bucket over his head sending the shampoo and dirt right into his eyes. He howled and grabbed at his eyes. "KAGOME!!!!!!!"
"I told you to close your eyes!! Now you'll just have to bear it until I'm done rinsing your hair."
Inuyasha whined and rubbed at his eyes, trying desperately to make the pain stop while Kagome went as fast as she could go to get all the shampoo out of his hair. Finally, when everything was relatively out, and he smelled like strawberries, she saw his clothes lying behind a nearby rock and grabbed for his sash. Dipping it into the clean part of the water, she knelt in front of Inuyasha, who by this time had tears rolling down his face, and gently but firmly took his hands away from his eyes. He whimpered and struggled, but finally gave up when he felt the coolness of the cloth against his eyes as she started to rub away the soap and dirt. When she finished one eye, he opened it as much as he could through the pain and stared at her, tears still rolling down. She had on a determined face, but her movements were so gentle it was as if his mother were touching him again. Even after all he had done to her, after all the times he yelled at her and hurt her feelings or did something bad to her in some way she still did this for him. He didn't deserve her, he didn't deserve her at all, and he knew it. And yet . . .
Kagome rinsed the shampoo and dirt off the sash and then placed it back to Inuyasha's second eye, which was by now open a crack and widening with each gentle, almost loving, wipe. He stared at her, unbelieving all that she had done for him, and felt like a heel. He should not have yelled at her and he deserved everything he got.
"Now I smell like you . . ." he growled in an annoyed fashion.
"You smell clean," she snapped. "Now shut up and stay still." As she continued to rub at his eye, just as gently and just as sweetly, even with her harsh wisecrack, Inuyasha stared at her yet again with disbelief. With one hand, he reached up and took hold of Kagome's, stopping her actions abruptly. She looked at him a little shocked and whispered his name. Inuyasha stared at her with the soft eyes he develops when he thinks of her and looks at her as critically as he had just done. She stared back, a little apprehensive, but completely unaware of what thoughts were flying through his head at that moment.
"Kagome, stop, you don't need to anymore."
"But there's still dirt in your eye." And so there was.
"It doesn't matter. Thank you for helping me, but you don't have to anymore."
Kagome stared at him as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Inuyasha."
Inuyasha shook his head and looked up at her, the last of his tears drying up. Kagome stared at him as if she wasn't sure what to do. Then suddenly, before he had a chance to do anything else, she stood and started backing away from him.
"Okay, you're officially starting to freak me out now."
"Kagome I – KAGOME!" In a flash, he stood and leapt for her at the same time she lost her footing on one of the slippery rocks and fell backwards. His arms went around her waist and he twisted their bodies in midair so he was beneath her when they hit the water with a mighty splash. Luckily, all the icky stuff had floated away and the water was clean.
As soon as she was able to, Kagome squirmed free of Inuyasha's hold and stood, the water coming halfway up her thighs. Once again, he surfaced and once again only showed his eyes. He glared at her, not happy at her poor judgment of their surroundings, but it didn't help it much when she started to giggle at him. The glare turned to a playful one and he stood, taking a wide swing and sending a waterfall crashing onto Kagome. Her giggles stopped and she gasped, standing there with her back hunched and her arms out from her sides, water cascading down her body. No sound was made as she glanced up at Inuyasha, her gaze clearly saying, "Oh, you made a big mistake when you did that!" In the next instant, she took a huge swing and Inuyasha nearly fell over with the amount of water that hit him. He regained his stance and gave her the exact same glare she gave him. Then all out war started and water flew through the air chaotically, extreme laughing tagging along for the ride. A few times Inuyasha lunged at Kagome and sent them both tumbling beneath the surface of the water, only to rise again and start splashing each other madly. Laughing the entire time, they wrestled and splashed each other with water every chance they got, not knowing they had an audience.
"See, I told you it would be a good idea," Myouga stated from Shippo's shoulder as they sat high in a nearby tree, concealed from view.
"Yeah, but Inuyasha's gonna kill me when he finds me. And I don't know what Kagome will do."
"Maybe not. It was a mere prank in Lady Kagome's eyes, it's doubtful she will allow Lord Inuyasha to kill you over such a trifle thing."
"But what will they do?"
"I don't know, but don't you think it'll be worth it no matter what it is?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Because we get a chance to see a part of them we never get to see, especially in Lord Inuyasha. Let's enjoy this while we can, who knows when he'll be back to his old self again."
Shippo nodded. "And when that happens I would've already explained to Kagome that I only meant it to be a prank towards Inuyasha and I never meant any harm by it. She'll forgive me, and when Inuyasha does come around to kill me, Kagome won't let that happen."
"Precisely. And of course he would never intentionally hurt her, so there will be nothing to worry about."
"So . . . this was all for the better. They'll start acting—"
"I don't know how they'll start acting, but at least this is a start. I was starting to go crazy from all his silent stares towards her."
"Do you think he'll ever tell her the truth?"
Myouga sighed. "If I know Lord Inuyasha, it won't be any time soon, but like I said, at least this is a start."
'Insanity . . . pure insanity . . .' thought Inuyasha as he sat near the water's edge with his arms crossed in his normal position. The mere idea of a girl having to bathe this many times was absurd. After all, she was only going to get dirty again, so what's the point? He stared with his golden eyes as Kagome rose out of the water, her bathing suit shimmering in the sun, flipping her hair back as she did so and sending numerous sparkles and stars flying into the air before they gently cascaded back to their home in the water. He could not take his eyes off her as she sucked in her breath, coming to a stop in the air before she sunk below the surface of the water again. Even then, his eyes stayed on her slim frame gliding beneath the tiny waves she had created on the once still lake.
'Stupid girl . . .' he thought to himself. 'It's too flashy, too showy. Someone is bound to notice. And I'd stake my father's sword on it being a demon.' Inuyasha snorted and looked away indignantly. He guaranteed that not even an hour later she would be wishing she were doing the same thing she was now because she would be covered in something! And yet as she came up in the same way, obviously loving hearing the tiny water droplets hitting the surface of the water, Inuyasha couldn't help but turn and watch her, noting the curve of her neck and the way her lips parted as she drew in another gulp of fresh air. This time, instead of plunging back deep into the water, she dipped down before bobbing up again to watch as a flock of birds flew overhead. He saw the way her eyes shown as the sun on the water when she looked at the birds, not taking her gaze off them until they disappeared over the treetops and out of sight. All the while, Inuyasha never took his eyes off her. She sighed sadly and stared at the spot where they disappeared before a floating cloud covered the land in shadows until the sun once again shown brightly down upon the world. Kagome looked up and smiled, breathing in the fresh air. Inuyasha's head twitched as he watched her, his gaze turning up to the large clouds above them before returning to Kagome. Without a word said, he stripped down to his loincloth and dove into the water.
Kagome started and looked to where she remembered Inuyasha sitting and saw nothing, not even his clothes that had been deftly hidden behind one of the rocks, though she didn't know that. There wasn't even a ripple left on the water where he dove in, so she just figured it was her imagination and that he was probably in one of the trees, berating her mentally for her paranoia as he probably always did. Sighing, she turned around in the water and came face to face with a pair of golden eyes not inches away from her. She let out an ear-piercing scream and on impulse smacked Inuyasha with such a force that it sent him plunging back underneath the surface of the water with a loud splash. Realizing whom it was Kagome instantly started apologizing to him repeatedly.
Inuyasha returned to the surface of the water, showing only his eyes over the top of it, the red mark on his face vivid. He glared at her as he does when she annoyed him in some way and created bubbles around his head from blowing air out of his mouth slowly in frustration. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!?!" he yelled at her suddenly as he rose out of the water an inch or so above her before bobbing back down to a normal level when one is treading water.
"Well, excuse me! I thought you were in one of the trees! You scared me half to death!"
"No! I wasn't! I was right here!"
"And just why were you right there?!" Kagome looked down, blushed and turned away showing Inuyasha her profile, wrapping her arms around her chest. "And please tell me that you are at least wearing something."
"Of course I'm wearing something! What, did you think I'd come in here stark naked?!"
Kagome did not answer. Inuyasha got an eye tick before narrowing them. "You know what, I don't wanna know. I just have a few questions for you."
"Couldn't you have waited until I got out? I was almost done."
"NO, I would've forgotten it by then!" Inuyasha took a deep breath to try to calm his nerves but it didn't help. "Answer me this, exactly why do you feel it is so necessary to take a bath when you are just going to get dirty again?"
Kagome glared at Inuyasha. "Why do you even ask? It's a girl thing – no – sorry – it's a future thing, something you wouldn't understand anything about. Besides, you grew up in the wilderness with nobody to tell you what to do. I grew up in a civilized time, which prides itself over cleanliness."
"Civilized, huh? You call that smoke filled, garbage dump of a time civilized?! The air is filthy there and while you're too busy worrying about yourself, it gets worse and worse every time I go there! You worry about dying here when that air could kill you there. I don't even know why you bother going back."
Kagome sighed in frustration. "I told you, Inuyasha. I have responsibilities there and I have a life there. My friends are there, my family's there and my school is there. I have to go back. I belong there."
'You belong here,' though Inuyasha as he stared at her. "Alright, fine! My next question is why do you stare dreamily at the birds and the clouds? They're just birds and clouds after all, nothing special about them. Why do you zone out every time you come here?"
Kagome sighed and turned her head away. "Because there is no pollution here and the air is fresh. . . ." she answered quietly.
Inuyasha blinked and stared at her. "Well, why don't you stay here then if you like it so much?"
Kagome turned and glared at him. "Why do you keep referring to the same thing over and over again?"
Inuyasha fought to keep down a blush and instead covered it with annoyance. "Because you need to be here so we can search for the shards, you shouldn't have to go back to that place."
Kagome glared at Inuyasha and fought down the urge to say 'Sit!' But she knew that if she did say it then Inuyasha would be sent to the bottom of the lake which is who knows how deep. Therefore, she merely glared at him while he knew what she wanted to say.
"If you came out here just to criticize me, then you can just forget it," she snapped as she started to swim away, but Inuyasha quickly dove down, swam under her, and then popped up a few inches away from her yet again.
"For your information, I was just curious."
"Really?" Kagome asked getting a strange gleam in her eyes. "Curiosity killed the cat, you know. Or, in this case, should I say dog?"
Inuyasha went to glare at her, as well as bark a snide remark, but just then, a little dark cloud floated over and settled above his head. Curiously, both he and Kagome looked up just in time to see the cloud spring a leak and start to rain on Inuyasha and only Inuyasha. As soon as the water hit him, he got his normal blank, annoyed stare and growled. Then, to make the situation more interesting, the cloud gave a small pop and turned into Shippo using his magic to hover there, right above Inuyasha's head with his back to Kagome. He smiled and said hello to Kagome, as he continued to "rain" on Inuyasha's head. Or, in this case, relieve himself over his head, right on his head, on the white hair that was starting to run with yellow. Kagome gave a small cry of disbelief and half yelled at Shippo while at the same time trying to swim away from the water around Inuyasha that was turning yellow and seeping closer to her. She backed up, dove under the water, and began to swim towards the shore. Shippo merely laughed at his prank as he continued, knowing that his target wasn't Kagome, it was Inuyasha because he would never do anything to Kagome. However, what he did not expect was a loud growl and a fist around his neck before he was thrown the length of the lake (and it was big) into the forests beyond them. He yelled something while in the air which sounded like, "I was just doing you a favor!!" Inuyasha heard it, but he was too preoccupied with trying not to vomit than with paying much attention to what the kitsune was saying.
Oh, Shippo could still get back to the campsite, and he knew that when he landed roughly on the ground, but it would take a while and it wasn't very likely that he was going to any time soon after that display. Inuyasha yelled and dove under the water, rising up at the spot where Kagome had climbed out. She was now wringing her hair out and watching as Inuyasha tried desperately to splash water onto his still yellow head to get everything out, all in vain, and cursed and threatened the kitsune. He yelled again and said a few choice words, but didn't give up. Kagome groaned and as she walked away, knowing what she had to do, and ordered that he shut up and take a seat on one of the rocks, making sure to phrase her sentence just right. He did so, wanting to do anything possible to get the smell off him because with his sensitive nose it was starting to make him sick. Kagome came back, carrying two long plastic bottles in one arm and a wooden bucket in another.
"I know you aren't going to like this, but it's time for a bath no matter how much you may struggle."
"WHAT?!?!?" exclaimed Inuyasha as he whipped around and stared horrifically at her. His motion caused a spray to shoot out from his hair and nearly land on Kagome; luckily, she was too far away for the droplets to hit her, even though they did come close.
Kagome frowned and glared at him, keeping far away in case he decided to repeat the motion. "You need your hair washed otherwise it won't come out. Do you really want to go around smelling like that?"
"No, but I definitely don't want to go around smelling like – like – you!"
Kagome was affronted. "Strawberries. You'll smell like strawberries, not me."
"So! What's the difference? You smell like strawberries, AND I DON'T WANT TO SMELL LIKE STRAWBERRIES!! THERE IS NO WAY!!"
"YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE!"
Inuyasha growled and whipped around again, sending another spray hurtling towards Kagome that still didn't reach her. He folded his arms indignantly and sat there, his legs crossed. Kagome was glad that his loincloth pretty much hid all that she did not want to see; otherwise, the situation would be all the more awkward. She hesitantly walked up to him and placed the bottles in the bucket, taking out the shampoo and putting a huge glob onto her hand. His hair was long and the – excretion – had seeped in. As much as she loved Shippo, she would kill him when this was all over.
"Just don't use that other stuff," Inuyasha growled as Kagome placed her hands on his scalp and nearly gagged. Taking a deep breath, she inched closer and started to massage her fingers in to his hair, pulling the longer strands the hung over his back towards the top of his head as she went, trying to be careful not to get much in his ears. His hair was thick, very thick. It was no wonder that he usually didn't get it caught in something. Groaning silently, she continued her work, not hearing a sound from Inuyasha. Of course, she did not know that his silence and stubbornness was all an act and he in fact was quite enjoying what she was doing to him, keeping the tough as nails act up so no one would think he was going soft. He even sighed in frustration a few times and fidgeted to seal the deal. It worked.
"Stop sulking and sit still!" Kagome ordered, not realizing what she said until it was too late. The beads around Inuyasha's head worked their magic and he found his body slamming into the ground painfully.
"KAGOME!!!"
"Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean it," she smiled guiltily. The truth of the matter was that she did want to say it for some time; she just didn't plan to say it right then. Before long, the magic wore off but not before shampoo from Inuyasha's hair completely covered his back. He sat back up painfully and wiped the now dirty shampoo away from his face.
"Next time you might wanna warn me first!!" he yelled.
"Sorry, sorry," Kagome smiled apologetically as she waved her hand at him. "Didn't mean for it to happen, honest."
"Yeah, I bet," he sulked angrily, closing his eyes. This always happened, just when he was starting to thoroughly enjoy her company, as if he didn't always, and everything actually started to go right and smoothly, something like that had to happen. It was like clockwork.
"Now close your eyes," Kagome ordered as she took the conditioner out of the bucket and dipped the bucket into the water.
"Huh? What for?" Inuyasha asked as he opened his eyes and went to look at her, but it was too late. Kagome dumped the bucket over his head sending the shampoo and dirt right into his eyes. He howled and grabbed at his eyes. "KAGOME!!!!!!!"
"I told you to close your eyes!! Now you'll just have to bear it until I'm done rinsing your hair."
Inuyasha whined and rubbed at his eyes, trying desperately to make the pain stop while Kagome went as fast as she could go to get all the shampoo out of his hair. Finally, when everything was relatively out, and he smelled like strawberries, she saw his clothes lying behind a nearby rock and grabbed for his sash. Dipping it into the clean part of the water, she knelt in front of Inuyasha, who by this time had tears rolling down his face, and gently but firmly took his hands away from his eyes. He whimpered and struggled, but finally gave up when he felt the coolness of the cloth against his eyes as she started to rub away the soap and dirt. When she finished one eye, he opened it as much as he could through the pain and stared at her, tears still rolling down. She had on a determined face, but her movements were so gentle it was as if his mother were touching him again. Even after all he had done to her, after all the times he yelled at her and hurt her feelings or did something bad to her in some way she still did this for him. He didn't deserve her, he didn't deserve her at all, and he knew it. And yet . . .
Kagome rinsed the shampoo and dirt off the sash and then placed it back to Inuyasha's second eye, which was by now open a crack and widening with each gentle, almost loving, wipe. He stared at her, unbelieving all that she had done for him, and felt like a heel. He should not have yelled at her and he deserved everything he got.
"Now I smell like you . . ." he growled in an annoyed fashion.
"You smell clean," she snapped. "Now shut up and stay still." As she continued to rub at his eye, just as gently and just as sweetly, even with her harsh wisecrack, Inuyasha stared at her yet again with disbelief. With one hand, he reached up and took hold of Kagome's, stopping her actions abruptly. She looked at him a little shocked and whispered his name. Inuyasha stared at her with the soft eyes he develops when he thinks of her and looks at her as critically as he had just done. She stared back, a little apprehensive, but completely unaware of what thoughts were flying through his head at that moment.
"Kagome, stop, you don't need to anymore."
"But there's still dirt in your eye." And so there was.
"It doesn't matter. Thank you for helping me, but you don't have to anymore."
Kagome stared at him as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Inuyasha."
Inuyasha shook his head and looked up at her, the last of his tears drying up. Kagome stared at him as if she wasn't sure what to do. Then suddenly, before he had a chance to do anything else, she stood and started backing away from him.
"Okay, you're officially starting to freak me out now."
"Kagome I – KAGOME!" In a flash, he stood and leapt for her at the same time she lost her footing on one of the slippery rocks and fell backwards. His arms went around her waist and he twisted their bodies in midair so he was beneath her when they hit the water with a mighty splash. Luckily, all the icky stuff had floated away and the water was clean.
As soon as she was able to, Kagome squirmed free of Inuyasha's hold and stood, the water coming halfway up her thighs. Once again, he surfaced and once again only showed his eyes. He glared at her, not happy at her poor judgment of their surroundings, but it didn't help it much when she started to giggle at him. The glare turned to a playful one and he stood, taking a wide swing and sending a waterfall crashing onto Kagome. Her giggles stopped and she gasped, standing there with her back hunched and her arms out from her sides, water cascading down her body. No sound was made as she glanced up at Inuyasha, her gaze clearly saying, "Oh, you made a big mistake when you did that!" In the next instant, she took a huge swing and Inuyasha nearly fell over with the amount of water that hit him. He regained his stance and gave her the exact same glare she gave him. Then all out war started and water flew through the air chaotically, extreme laughing tagging along for the ride. A few times Inuyasha lunged at Kagome and sent them both tumbling beneath the surface of the water, only to rise again and start splashing each other madly. Laughing the entire time, they wrestled and splashed each other with water every chance they got, not knowing they had an audience.
"See, I told you it would be a good idea," Myouga stated from Shippo's shoulder as they sat high in a nearby tree, concealed from view.
"Yeah, but Inuyasha's gonna kill me when he finds me. And I don't know what Kagome will do."
"Maybe not. It was a mere prank in Lady Kagome's eyes, it's doubtful she will allow Lord Inuyasha to kill you over such a trifle thing."
"But what will they do?"
"I don't know, but don't you think it'll be worth it no matter what it is?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Because we get a chance to see a part of them we never get to see, especially in Lord Inuyasha. Let's enjoy this while we can, who knows when he'll be back to his old self again."
Shippo nodded. "And when that happens I would've already explained to Kagome that I only meant it to be a prank towards Inuyasha and I never meant any harm by it. She'll forgive me, and when Inuyasha does come around to kill me, Kagome won't let that happen."
"Precisely. And of course he would never intentionally hurt her, so there will be nothing to worry about."
"So . . . this was all for the better. They'll start acting—"
"I don't know how they'll start acting, but at least this is a start. I was starting to go crazy from all his silent stares towards her."
"Do you think he'll ever tell her the truth?"
Myouga sighed. "If I know Lord Inuyasha, it won't be any time soon, but like I said, at least this is a start."