The Simplest Thing

Inuyasha and Kagome get some bonding time... though this period of relaxation is not easily reached.

"I'm going to go for a walk. Anyone want to come?"

Everyone looked up in surprise from the pot of stew just coming to a boil over the small central fire to Kagome, who was standing by the door of the hut.

"A walk?" Inuyasha snorted in disbelief. "Kagome, it's almost nightfall. You don't want to be out there with who-knows-what prowling around!"

"But it's so beautiful out tonight! And it's a full moon, so it's bright as day besides. I don't want to miss this opportunity. As for all the scary, dangerous stuff, that's why you're going to come- to protect me!" She made innocent puppy eyes at him.

"Don't be stupid."

"Please, Inuyasha?" She wheedled. "For me?"

He was silent for a moment, then grunted an assent. Kagome clapped her hands together.

"Great! Who else?"

Sango spoke up first. "Well, it is late, and it's been a long day… so I think I'll just go to sleep. You two can go ahead if you want." Then she surreptitiously poked Miroku in the side.

"Eh?! Um… oh yes. I will also be turning in." Shippo, by force of will, made himself yawn.

Kagome shrugged. "All right, suit yourselves… Well?" She shot at Inuyasha, who was sitting with a sulky I-wish-I-was-ten-thousand-miles-away-from-here look on his face. "Shall we go?"

"Feh," he answered, rising to follow her out.

Once they were gone, Sango turned to Miroku, who was sitting beside her, with a smile. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Indeed!" he replied quite eagerly, scooting closer to her.

SLAP.

"Not that," the demon slayer grumbled from the other side of the fire, where she'd mysteriously teleported after warding off the so-called monk. Her right eyebrow twitched in irritation as Miroku nursed his scarlet cheek. "I mean about them." She jerked her head at the door-flap.

"Oh, yes," the monk said rather sadly. "Of course I was."

"Of course," Shippo agreed sarcastically, hopping on top of his head and giving him a few sharp, scolding taps with his fist. "Get your mind out of the gutter for once, Miroku."

"Out of the clouds is more like it," Sango huffed. "Now I, for one, am going to bed. Alone."

Once outside Kagome drew in a big lungful of air. "Mmm, it's so nice out. Don't you think so, Inuyasha?"

"Feh."

"Oh, please. If you keep on doing that people are going to think you're incapable of speech."

"And I should care… why?"

"Well… it'd just… they would… maybe it…" Sigh. "Never mind."

"Feh."

"I told you-"

"Okay, fine! I'll stop for now! Sheesh… women."

Kagome chose to ignore him, instead proceeding up the faint dirt path. Inuyasha followed her in silence. After a few minutes, she decided to break the silence by commenting, "There are so many trees around here… I wonder if we'll get to see any stars?"

Grunt. "Who cares about the stars?"

"Well, I care about them!" she said indignantly, glaring out of the corner of her eye. "And I know you do too from the way you've looked at them when we can see them. You don't have to have your 'Mr. Tough Guy' act on all the time, you know."

"And what if I don't?"

She thought for a moment, then said hopefully, "Well, it'll let people get a chance to see your nice side."

"You mean it'll let people see my weaknesses," he retorted.

"No! That's not what I mean, and you know it! But… why do you always have to be so tense, so unwilling to open up… even around me?" She spoke this last so softly that even someone standing close to her might not be able to hear it. But Inuyasha heard.

His footsteps paused for a heart-beat. "I am not," he said with the slightest hint of discomfort.

Kagome shook her head. "No, sometimes you are. And it's always the worst when… when…" she debated with herself whether or not to bring it up now and spoil the evening, but then decided it had already been done and threw caution to the winds.

"…When Kikyo's been around."

"I know you're not her, Kagome," he said almost automatically.

"I know who I am. But I feel like you're never sure of who I am… after she's gone, I feel like the very sight of me makes you hurt inside, more than seeing Kikyo in person." She stopped and turned around to face him, the moonlight straggling through the boughs overhead bringing out her troubled features. "When that happens, I feel like neither one of us knows the other as much as we thought."

"Wh-what?" Inuyasha looked taken aback. "What's all that junk coming out of your mouth, Kagome? How did this get started?"

"It's not junk!" She exclaimed, suddenly near tears. "Don't you get anything, Inuyasha? Don't you get what I'm saying?"

A tear crept out of the corner of her accusing eye, causing him to double-take in horror. "S-stop it! Look, whatever you're trying to say, this just isn't the right time to say it. Or else I'm just too dumb to get it. Whichever it is, I-"

He broke off as she spun away and ran up the path. "Hey! Come back here! I'm sorry, okay? For whatever I said!"

He ran after her and found her crouched on the broad, grassy edge of a cliff. Her arms were folded across her knees and she was sobbing into them like there was no tomorrow.

"Hey…" Inuyasha reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but she cut him back. "Just go away. Please."

"What did I do?" He asked helplessly. "I know this is my fault, so if you could just tell me…"

"It doesn't matter," she mumbled into her arms. "I just need time alone."

He stood there for a while, feeling extremely stupid and discomforted, as Kagome continued to cry quietly. But soon the tears slowed and there was only silence.

"…Ah, ahem…"

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Er, look, you were right, there are stars out. Lots of them." He jabbed a clawed finger at the sky.

Kagome made a feeble laugh as she swiped under her eyes with her hand. "I-I'm sorry… I don't know why I blew up like that."

So maybe it was a lie, she admitted to herself. It wouldn't do any good to say otherwise though, would it? Best to just bury the hatchet instead of continuing to let it swing…

She heard Inuyasha sit down next to her but didn't look at him, only up at the stars in the sky. She could sense that he was still uncomfortable; probably searching for some words, or getting up the gumption to apologize, or blame her for getting on his nerves like that… She braced herself for whatever was coming.

At last Inuyasha spoke, but it wasn't quite what she was expecting.

"You know… I… I, uh… I, I never got to see stars with… with Kikyo."

An apology then, Inuyasha-style. Kagome smiled, then slowly lowered her head onto his shoulder. Internally, he sighed with relief as he felt her relax. Just as slowly, he put an arm around her shoulders. They sat like that for a while, gazing up at the millions of tiny, twinkling lights blazing in the blackness of space.

There were no shooting stars that night, but Kagome didn't mind. She'd already made her wish… and was hopeful that, someday, somehow, it would come true.