All "InuYasha" characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi and associated copyright holders. No money is being made from this fan fiction. No infringement is intended.
Kagome was going to start writing her name on all her stuff!
That is, if she lived through this one, she peevishly thought to herself.
Since school was out for the summer Kagome figured she'd bring a kimono back to the past and at least make an effort to fit in. As much as she liked the freedom of unbound legs, the outraged or leering stares were getting kinda old. And if InuYasha thought she was going to wear a miko's garb, he had another thing coming! It was bad enough having to be a reincarnation of a woman who still roamed the vicinity, but there was no way in any circle of Hell they were going to dress the same too! Kagome had her limits and looking, dressing or acting like Kikyou crossed every one of them.
So she figured a sedate and casual kimono might go a long way to blending in and not causing InuYasha's blood pressure to skyrocket about every 15 minutes when yet another villager would openly ogle her long, very bare legs. He'd been making an effort to cut her some slack lately, hell – he even went so far as to find a wonderful onsen at which to stop and relax this evening. Kagome now wished she'd never seen a hot spring or rather; that she'd never went looking for Buyo in the well house in the first place!
She'd been thrilled at the prospect of a long soak in the milky water and so, ever vigilant for Miroku, the miko stripped out of her light summer kimono and draped it carefully over a weeping maple branch. Once she was situated in the warm water, Kagome felt she could congratulate herself on her taste – the white cloth of the kimono's body and sleeves really went so well with the few well-placed crimson lotus blossoms which adorned it. Sango had told her that morning that she looked beautiful – her, Kagome, beautiful! Closing her eyes in contentment and sinking down in the water, Kagome happily drifted off into a light doze.
When she awoke, her kimono was rearranged on its branch. Frowning, Kagome figured Miroku or Kami-forbid, InuYasha had gotten quite the show! So much for her tranquility, she thought with a sigh. Wading out of the water, Kagome grabbed her kimono and threw it on quickly in case the hentai monk and hanyou were still getting an eyeful from the nearby bushes. Once dressed, she started to make her way back to tonight's camp.
Sitting by the fire, Kagome knew something wasn't right. Her kimono kept sticking to her in a weird way – was the fabric always this slick? She shrugged the niggling worry away. But then, as they ate the meal of grilled fish Shippo had caught, Kagome noticed the damn kimono sleeves kept getting in her way! They weren't this long earlier, she was absolutely sure of it! She couldn't be that pruney from the long soak; she couldn't have shrunk! Something started to nag at the back of her mind, but she couldn't put her finger on it! Deciding it would eventually resolve itself, Kagome tried to relax as she helped Sango clean up for the night.
Lying on her sleeping bag, trying to get comfortable, Kagome suddenly realized what was tickling the back of her brain. Someone was approaching their group and that someone was dangerous even when they weren't as furious as they seemed right this moment. Everyone was suddenly tense and alert, weapons in easy reach – all except InuYasha, who was snarling and brandishing a transformed Tetsusaiga loaded for bear.
When the angry and disgusted taiyoukai appeared before them, Kagome thought she was going to puke or pass out, maybe both as the niggling questions in her mind were all resolved at once. Sesshoumaru, in all his unearthly glory was very much under-dressed, especially since Kagome was wearing his kosode as a kimono. The Lord of the West did not like being disheveled one bit and ire dripping from his blazing eyes and velvet voice, pinned Kagome in place with a terse command:
"You will undress yourself, ningen. Right now."
InuYasha mouth dropped open as he gaped at his irate kin and his mortified miko.
Kagome swallowed hard. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes.
If she lived through this, Kagome was going to write her damn name on all her stuff!
