Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, I do, however own the monkey. Yes, the monkey is mine. Buahaha!
AN: A cute one shot! I hope you enjoy it! It took me quite a while to write, and It is based mostly on a dream I had! I hope it's not to rushed... happy reading!
The first rays of sun emerged from it's hiding place, tickling a particular young man's nose, and almost causing him to sneeze as he lay stretched out on a high limb of a tree. This young man was definitely a strange sight to birds, squirrels and any other creatures that happened to see him. Not because of his choice of resting spots, however, as you may think, but because he seemed to almost glow in a very unnatural way. There was just something about him that was not completely human.
From a distance, one could easily reason that he was simply a foreigner, with that long silver hair that dangled and blew sightly in the warm breeze. In fact, one little monkey figured that was most definitely it... yet it still felt drawn to the young man. The monkey was curious, and although the man in question smelled dangerous, his aura seemed absolutely enchanting. Carefully, the monkey leapt quietly to a closer tree, then another until soon, the monkey could see the young man's face.
The monkey seemed disappointed. His sleeping face looked completely like a normal human's. The monkey was about to jump away when his gaze drifted to the boy's ears. There was something weird about them... the monkey searched his tiny brain to see if he could remember, when it hit him. Humans were supposed to have ears like him on the sides of their head... not the top! This boy had dog ears!
The monkey was very proud of himself as he began jumping up and down, cheering happily and not noticing when said ears began to twitch, and a nose began to sniff. The monkey did notice, however, when the young man yawned. Sharp canine teeth were exposed and arms began to stretch... arms with hands... hands with fingers... fingers with REALLY sharp claws.
This was a Inu Youkai!
The monkey froze in fear as he watched one golden eye open, then the other, then wince in pain as an acorn struck his temple. Uh oh... had he done that? Damn instincts... the monkey leapt away screaming, probably waking up the whole forest.
"Damn Monkey." muttered the angry inu hanyou rubbing his head. He sat still for a moment taken in the different smells around him. Suddenly he jumped as he realized he slept in two hours later then usual. He mentally slapped himself. He would usually go off by himself in the morning to get something good to eat before his companions woke up. It wasn't that he didn't like their food, but rather, he had a very viscous appetite, and was a little self conscious of weather or not he would loose the respect of his human friends if they saw him covered in blood after a kill, like some kind of animal. He also thoughtit might scare Kagome.
Inuyasha leaped out of the tree to examine the camp sight. Good. Everyone was still asleep. He probably still had another hour before they woke. He would have to be fast.
He had pretty good luck hunting. Firstly, he had come upon a fox pretty quickly, and although he had never had anything against eating fox meat before, he decided to let it go out of respect for Shippo, his fox friend. It didn't take long until he was able to find himself a deer. He made the kill quickly, and painless for the beautiful animal, and began his breakfast immediately. Inuyasha was in a hurry so he hadn't had time to cook it, but that didn't really bother him. He never used to cook his meat until recently. Those human friends of his always insisted on it... which may be why he always was so embarrassed about it.
By the time he finished, his hands, face and clothes was smeared in blood. There was even some in his silver hair, but damn, was that ever a tasty doe!
'They'll probably be waking up by now...' he figured. 'I can't exactly let them see me like this...I'd never hear the end...'
Inuyasha mentally pictured Miroku saying something smoothly like. "Really Inuyasha, I know you are part dog, but must you behave like one?"
He also pictured Sango inching away from him as she plugged her nose... saying nothing, but making it perfectly clear she didn't approve. Then he saw Kagome. Tears swelled in her big brown eyes. "You killed a poor little deer? What did it ever do to you?"
Inuyasha shook his head. Damn! Kagome is way too sheltered in that era of hers! But he guessed that was just who she was, and he wouldn't ever have it any other way.
Inuyasha suddenly remembered the big commotion the girls made the night before. There was supposed to be a hot spring or a river or something nearby... He could wash up there.
Kagome woke up earlier then usual and decided to take a bath in the hot spring before Miroku woke up, or Inuyasha came back. It wasn't that long before she reached it, with a little smile on her face. She was about to undress when she heard a familiar voice shout "NO KAGOME! DON'T!"
"Inuyasha?" the girl gasped, a little startled. She looked hard into the mist and was able to spot some red and white. "Inuyasha... why are you taken a bath... with your clothes on?"
Inuyasha blushed. "Keh, why do you think? I'm filthy, my clothes are filthy... It's killing two birds with one stone."
Kagome shrugged and sat down. "Ok, well, seeing as you are decent, mind if I keep you company?"
The girl couldn't see his smile through the steam as he said "Keh, do what you want."
Kagome rolled her eyes, and started to hum a bit as she dug through her bag and pulled out some rouge. Using the reflective surface of the water as a mirror, she began to apply it.
"Hey, wench, what are you doing?"
"Hmm?" Kagome stopped what she was doing as she saw Inuyasha approach her. "Oh, nothing... just putting on some makeup."
"Why are you doing that?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face.
Kagome paused for a moment to think. "I don't know... to look more pretty, I guess."
"Why do you want to look more pretty?" Inuyasha almost shouted back at her. She was a little surprised at first. It almost could have been taken as a compliment if he had said it a little more softly, but now Kagome was feeling rather insulted.
"Look, do I have to have a reason to look nice? Why can't I look nice if I want to?" she shouted back. Strangely enough, she got no response other then a glare.
"Keh, forget it." he mumbled, a little bit hurt, as he stepped out of the water, dripping everywhere, and ironically reeking like wet dog. "Lets go."
Kagome was confused. Why did she suddenly feel like the bad guy? She felt like she should appollogize... but she didn't know what for.
"Kagome," said Sango. A very concerned look in her eyes. "What is wrong with Inuyasha? All day he has been nothing but mopey and cranky."
"Yes, I have noticed that as well." Said Miroku, slurping his ramen happily, yet concerned at the same time, if that is possible.
"I have no clue." Kagome said. "We kinda got in an argument today... but it was nothing serious."
Shippo laughed. "What an idiot. What did start a fight about this time?"
"Well," said Kagome thinking back. "I was putting on makeup, and he just starts getting mad. Like somehow I betrayed his trust or something."
Shippo blinked. "You did... WHAT?"
The three humans jumped, and looked at Shippo.
"I'm sorry, Kagome, but I'm going to have to take Inuyasha's side on this one. What a mean thing to do!"
"I don't get it!" cried Kagome, still terrible confused. "Can you at least tell me what I did wrong?"
Shippo crossed his arms. It was obvious that he was disappointed it her. "Fine, though you should know this."
"I'm listening..."
"Inuyasha is an Inu hanyou. While he has some human traits, he also has demon traits. Demons share many animal characteristics."
"Al right, but you still haven't gotten to the point yet!"
"Inuyasha has feelings for you, Kagome! and when you go colouring yourself up like that, it's like telling everyone that you arn't taken, and you are still looking! You may as well be screaming 'I WANT A MATE!' and here I thought, and everyone else thought... and even HE probably thought that you liked him."
"What?" cried Kagome. "I just like to look nice! It has nothing to do with mating or... whatever!"
"Ok, but as I said before, Inuyasha is part inu youkai. The rational side of his brain might understand this, but he still can't help being upset." Shippo said.
Miroku and Sango applauded Shippo, and congratulated him on being able to understand Inuyasha for once.
Kagome just sighed. "I'd better find him then..."
Inuyasha was in a really bad mood. Even he didn't really know why, but there was something about that rouge that just really pissed him off. He couldn't even eat lunch with her today. Oh well, he was eating a hare now that he caught, that was very satisfactory. Food always makes him feel a little better. He was about to take another bite when he smelled someone coming near. It was Kagome, and although he wasn't as bad as he was after the doe from that morning his face was now smeared in the hare's blood.
"Inuyasha?"
Quickly he turned in the opposite direction the voice was coming from.
"Oh, there you are..." he heard Kagome say sadly. "Listen, Inuyasha, I think I understand why you are so upset... and I just wanted to say... I'm sorry."
"Keh."
There was a long pause, then Kagome started to get a little irritated. "That's it?"
Inuyasha still said nothing.
"At least look at me!"
nothing.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome tried to walk in front of him, but he just turned, and kept his back on her. "Fine, If that's how you want it to be... SIT!"
"ARg!" Inuyasha was thrown to the ground. Kagome could hear his mumbled curses as he pried himself up. The girl used this chance to look at him. "Ah HAuuuh?"
The two locked gazes on each other. Inuyasha stared dumbfounded at Kagome, who's face was covered in mud, and Kagome stared at Inuyasha, who's face was smeared in rabbit blood.
Kagome broke the silence by suddenly pecking the hanyou on the cheek.
"My sloppy little puppy." giggled Kagome.
Inuyasha blushed. "Oh yeah, well, your my little mud monster!"
Laughter errupted from the two.
"Come on, we better get Washed up." Inuyasha chuckled, standingup.
"Race you to the hot springs! Last one there is a rotten banana!"
"Banana? whats a... HEY! WAIT UP!"
Hidden behind the safety of a bush Miroku and Sango stared in amazement.
"I don't think I ever heard pet names quite like that before... " Sango said not blinking.
Miroku shook his head. "No, but did you ever know people like them before?"
Sango laughed. "Nope. There the first."
"Hey Sango?"
"Yes?"
SLAP