"SIT!"
A voice echoed through the forest, causing a flock of birds to be startled from their perches; they took flight into the setting sun. A young monk and demon slayer sighed at the same time, shaking their heads in sync. The young kitsune muttered "idiot" under his breath and proceeded to shake his head as well. No one moved an inch, for fear of receiving the young woman's wrath.
Kagome stomped off into the forest, as Inuyasha lay trapped in a giant crater in the shape of his own body. The taste of dirt filled his mouth as he growled low in his throat. Damn it, Kagome.
Sango and Miroku continued their idle chatter as the spell gradually wore off. This situation was a common occurrence in their group. Inuyasha suddenly pulled angrily to his feet and took off after Kagome, growling under his breath the whole way.
No one in the group noticed the green pair of eyes that watched mischievously from the bushes nearby.
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'That inconsiderate jerk!" Kagome shouted out loud as she approached the well, her fists clenched tightly at her side. Her gaze was set to the worn wooden edge of the time traveling well in front of her and not to the ground, so Kagome didn't notice as her foot caught the edge of a rock. Turning around in anger, she wound back her foot and kicked the rock viciously, letting out all her anger on the poor defenseless object.
Pain laced up her foot as the point of the rock cut through her worn shoe and into her toe. Wincing and hopping around on one foot, Kagome fell to her bottom on the grass, letting out a small cry of pain. Her anger only spiked higher as tears filled her eyes. Ow, that hurt!
She was removing her sock at just about the time Inuyasha burst into the clearing, anger evident on his face.
"Kagome, what the hell…" the words on his lips disappeared as his nose took in the surrounding area's smells. The anger that burned in his eyes was quickly extinguished and replaced with concern. Blood? Kagome's blood? He couldn't help the spike of fear that arose in him at that scent. His eyes landed on the young woman from the future. Her back was against the wooden wall of the well, her shoe and sock discarded nearby. She was staring at him with a look of shock, tears glistening in her eyes.
He traced her body with his eyes, looking for any sign of injury. He saw the little dabble of red on her big toe and a smile of relief immediately broke out on his face, followed by laughter. Kagome's look of shock immediately transformed into one of anger and embarrassment. She let out a low growl that would have done a dog-demon proud.
"What did you do now, clumsy?" He approached her slowly and knelt before her. Kagome was surprised by the gentleness he displayed as he took her foot in his hand and examined the wound. Without meaning to, a slight giggle escaped her lips. Her face grew pink.
"That tickles!" She attempted to draw her foot back, but Inuyasha had an iron grip on it. A playful smirk grew on his face; Kagome's favorite smirk, the one where one of his fangs poked out and a positively boyish look took over his face. His golden eyes glistened with playfulness as he ran his fingers gently over the bottom of her foot. His efforts were rewarded as Kagome broke out into fits of laughter. Her legs kicked wildly in a mad attempt to get away.
"Inu…Inuyasha…no, stop," she only managed to get out a few words in between laughs as Inuyasha looped one arm around her other leg to prevent himself from being kicked while mercilessly tickling her foot. Her laughter turned to squeals and without realizing it, Inuyasha's own laughter soon joined in with hers.
He watched her as she laughed and pleaded with him to stop. Her face was flushed and her raven hair was a mess. Her chest heaved up and down with the effort of attempting to get enough air between the giggles and threats.
Every time Kagome pleaded with him to stop, she secretly hoped he wouldn't. His laughter was contagious and she found herself laughing for more reasons that just being ticklish. There was something rewarding about seeing Inuyasha like this; seeing him free to smile and laugh and goof off.
Before she could truly relish in this new freed spirit of Inuyasha's, all at once, it was gone. The smile on his face was replaced with one of searching and thinking. He dropped her foot and untangled himself from her. His nose was in the air now, sniffing at the wind.
Before Kagome could voice her concern, she saw a blackness tainting the edges of her vision. She pushed herself to her feet and the darkness increased, bringing with in a suffocating and tingling feeling. The world began to grow dim…
"Inu…yasha," she managed to say his name weakly before collapsing at his feet. The half demon whirled around at the mention of his name. He immediately dropped to his knees beside Kagome, the concern over the strange aura and smell changed completely to concern for the young miko on the forest floor before him.
But before Inuyasha could do anything, his vision was also plagued with darkness and he joined his miko in unconsciousness upon the ground.
Neither heard the joyous laughter as a green-eyed demon emerged from the dense forest and stood over the two.
"This is going to be fun…."