Its All Fun and Games...
The sun was still just reaching over the mountains, but those in the camp were already alive and filled with movement. Dawn didn't come with daylight when lady Kaede was in charge; and she'd been in charge since the day she'd been born. It didn't mean that sometimes they'd try to take that power away from her.
"We could just leave now Lady Kaede," said one, "we could leave some of our men here to watch the little ones and when they wake,"
Her eyes narrowed, Kaede wasn't one to give in to an easy way out. "No," came her sharp reply, "InuYasha is a hanyou, true he is not a full blooded demon, but he could still make our search much shorter. If we can get him and Kagome awake today that is." She walked back toward the tent where they still slept. "Start cleaning up camp, have something cooked for them when they wake up, and do not go and wake them up yourselves." There was a mutter of complaint, moments later they began to take down some of the other tents, Kaede walked into the tent where the two were still sleeping. It was nearing noon and still the two slept on, she smiled and ruffled Kagome's hair, she sighed and curled up tighter around InuYasha.
"I'll be just outside when you wake." she whispered, Kagome groaned, the girl rolled over until her face was buried against the hanyou's side, once there she again drifted to sleep.
Kagome rolled over and stretched, waking had been proding at her for hours she'd forced herself to deny it though. Waking would mean admitting that what she had seen was all a dream, she rolled her head to the side and saw the red haori sleeves covering the small boy's face, she sat up and pulled them away gently. He whimpered and tried to pull them back up to cover his face. She let them go and crawled to the edge of the bed, she tried to climb down and slid to the floor followed by most of the blankets. So it wasn't been a dream! She thought to her great joy.
She shook her head and looked up at InuYasha's feet, she stood, she could just see over the edge of the mattress. She jumped slightly and hooked her elbows, catching hold of the edge of the bed. She tilted her head as she looked up at his small sleeping form. "He looks so harmless when he sleeps." she whispered, then giggled, "so cute!" he made a strange sound in his throat. They caught her attention once more, she'd seen many bare feet in her child hood, none of them were pretty. The hanyou's were no different, they were layered with dirt and other things, as well as had what looked like traction running across their soles. Slowly the girl ran a finger down the rough surface. InuYasha squirmed and pulled away from muttering and whining. Kagome grinned, it was a simple test, so she jumped down and went closer to his feet.
Shrill screams came from within the tent bringing everyone who was still in camp to their feet. Kaede grabbed the nearest weapon, a long bow and arrows and ran into the tent, ready to battle off creatures.
She pushed back the curtain followed in by several other men, all of their weapons drawn for a battle. Kaede watched as the two tumbled from the bed and landed in a heap of blankets. Said blankets began to thrash about and were filled with the same screams. They were flung back for all of them to witness Kagome straddling InuYasha, facing away from his torso and in her hands was on one of the poor hanyou's feet. Kagome's fingers ran fiercely over the foot causing him to squirm, scream and laugh himself to tears.
Kaede chuckled at the little ones fun and cleared her throat, Kagome froze. InuYasha took advantage of this and rolled over, getting her on her stomach, straddling her waist and took hold of her foot. Kagome began to laugh as his claws ran gently and deliberately over her soft sole. Kaede cleared her throat again, this time InuYasha looked up, the smile on his face fell. He released the captive foot and jumped up onto the bed.
He muttered something about she had started it, Kaede shook her head, "You two must be hungry, its past noon." Kagome was still on the dirt ground, on top of the blankets, she was laying on her stomach waving her feet back and forth. Wondering if she could get InuYasha to tickle her feet again, she had been having fun. InuYasha leisurely got down from the bed and began to walk slowly after Kaede out of the tent, his hands tucked into his haori sleeves. He was knocked to the ground as Kagome tackled him, locking her hands around his waist. He scrambled to catch hold of one of her ankles, they rolled out of the tent and into the clearing. Kaede shook her head but let the two have their fun.
They rolled though the camp, a ball flashing silver and black. InuYasha had a grin wide across his face, he hadn't had this much fun since his brother Shessomaru... his face fell and he released his hold on the girl, they both tumbled to the side. "Shesso..." he whispered, remembering his murdered brother.
They hadn't gotten along like other brothers from the kingdom, but they would still play fight with each other, even if Shessomaru was always rougher than he needed to be. They had had many great laughs together.
Kagome could see the face InuYasha was making, she crawled over to him and slowly ran a finger up the sole of his foot, he jumped coming back to reality, he shook his head, hitting his dog ears against his head then pulling them down into his hair, "What?" he asked the girl harshly.
"What's wrong InuYasha?" Kagome asked tender heartedly, "You were happy playing a moment ago, what happened?" He lifted his ears slightly then pulled them back down hard, he 'kehed.'
"I want something to eat." he stated and got up. Kagome sat on the ground for a moment more then got to her feet, she was giggling. "Why are you laughing at me?" InuYasha growled.
Kagome stopped and looked into his amber eyes, hers a pure sweet blue that the sky would be shamed by, "You look a lot cuter when you smile." she stated, catching the hanyou off guard. He stood for a moment, watching as she skipped off to her sister where she was dishing up food for the two small ones.
She had said something that his mother had told him often, when she was alive, "Oh InuYasha, just to see you smile, it makes the days seem brighter and like not everything is as bad as it is." She would then braid his hair and sing to him, then he would climb onto her lap and curl up in her arms, "Smile my little prince, just once for me, and I'll be happy for the rest of my days. Your so adorable when you smile." He shook off the memory, quickly wiped his nose on his sleeve, and stuffed his arms into his sleeves. He looked like a red ball, with a silver stripe, golden eyes, and tiny puppy ears. He was pouting.
Kagome took her plate from Kaede, thanked her and sat on the ground near the dieing fire, she was humming a foreign tune when InuYasha took a seat next to her with a plate in his lap. Kaede handed Kagome a water skin.
"Show him how to use that properly," Kaede told her softly, though InuYasha heard. "He bit the last one I gave him."
Kagome giggled and unscrewed the lid, she took a drink, and handed the open canteen to InuYasha who promptly sunk his teeth into the soft bottom and began to suck it dry, Kagome broke into a fit of laughter as the water spilled out the open top onto the ground and down his front, he jumped away with the water skin in his mouth. "You're suppose to drink it through the hole in the top of the bag, not bite a hole in it." she was laughing so hard she fell backwards, spilling her food on the ground, she rolled over and gripped her sides. InuYasha came back, with the water skin in hand, grinning sheepishly. He had known better, he had watched Kagome, but he liked to hear her laugh and it seemed like a good idea at the time.
"Now look at you two," Kaede began, "Your both covered in mud and breakfast." InuYasha knew what was coming, he tried to jump away as Kagome tried to dash off in the other direction. Kaede caught hold of Kagome's wrist and one of InuYasha's ears, "You both need a bath."
Kagome lifted a toe out of the water and popped a bubble before it landed on the warm water's surface. Her long wavy hair was soaked and had been scrubbed clean, "You know Kagome, just because were out in the woods doesn't mean we need to act like demons..." she turned and looked at InuYasha who was wrapped in a towel, ears drooping from the water and hair still dripping, "No offence."
"Keh," he turned away as she poured a rose smelling liquid over Kagome's head, she giggled as it flowed over her. InuYasha looked over his shoulder, and inhaled deeply, her natural scent, along with his, were the strongest scents in the room. The girl's was starting to spread even thicker in the air as the oils and shampoos were added. Lye, roses, forests, and fresh breezes swam through InuYasha's senses making him sneeze.
"Oh, I apologise InuYasha I forgot that you have a better sense of smell than we do." Kaede said, InuYasha 'kehed.' Kagome was humming again. Kaede began to sing the words to a old lullaby.
InuYasha listened intently to the soft words, he closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them to find Kagome wrapped in a towel and walking toward him. She took a seat next to him as Kaede finished the song. They walked out of the tent after Kaede.
"Are you dry?" Kagome asked, InuYasha stood and shook his head like a dog, sprinkling water all through the trees.
"Does it look like I'm dry?" He asked dryly. "Where are my clothes old hag?" He cried over to Kaede.
Kaede glowered and shoved his semi-dried clothes back into the wash tub. She pulled his red pants from tub of water, "They needed to be washed." she shook them several times and put them over a tree branch. InuYasha muttered something under his breath. "Kagome, your other clothes are over there if you want to change into them." Kagome nodded and walked back into the tent and began to dress. InuYasha sat and watched as all of his articles of clothing were washed and hanged up to dry in the breeze. He sat down to do some more serious pouting.
There was a tug on his hair, he turned his head and saw Kagome in a pair of breeches and a loose tunic, looking a bit too similar to Kaede for InuYasha to like. She also had a tie up corset around her waist and chest, it was done up loosly. "Your hair's full of knots," she commented and continued to brush it, he tried to protest but she simply would repeat that his hair was full of knots.
Kagome ran the brush gently through his hair, soon it was soft, like silk, she continued to brush it even after it was smooth. She then put the brush on the top of his head, careful of his ears she brushed the top of his hair. Slowly the hanyou brought his eyes closed, soon she could hear InuYasha purring, she wasn't sure he realized what he was doing. She put down the brush and ran her small hands though the silky locks, she began to braid the hair.
InuYasha felt the familiar tugs, and pulled away abruptly, "Don't." he growled, and walked back into the tent. He climbed onto one of the beds and sulked to the pillow, he didn't hear Kagome come in after him. "None of their business." he muttered to himself, "Why do they keep me here, 'cause I can find their 'precious Kikyou'," he began to mutter softer. "Don't know where to even start looking for the wench."
Kagome put a hand on the boy's shoulder, he jumped, "I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" He glared at her over his shoulder and shrugged her hand off his shoulder.
"Leave me alone wench." he growled.
Kagome's gaze narrowed, "I am not a wench." she growled back.
InuYasha was caught off guard by her growl of a response, he remembered before on the mountain her growling at him. She could be a demon if I didn't know any better. He thought to himself. "Yes you are." he responded as an impulse, back from when Shessomaru and him would get in arguments before they got into fights.
"I am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too."
They were both screaming at each other at this time, Kaede came into the tent, "What is going on?" She looked at the two small children standing before one another, InuYasha had tied his towel around his waist, and Kagome stood with fists down to her sides.
Kagome looked over at her sister, there was a lump in her throat, InuYasha was her friend but she didn't like being called a wench. "Nothing." she stated, keeping her voice steady.
"All right," Kaede knew that Kagome was going to take care of this so she left them alone, "Your clothes should be dry in a few minutes InuYasha." She called.
"Am not." Kagome stated, her voice cracked slightly and tears welled up in her eyes, she tired to force them away but they remained. She didn't want to seem weakened by words.
InuYasha smelt her tears and instantly knew he had done something wrong. He looked over at her, she had turned her back on him and was busy wiping the tears from her eyes, she didn't notice InuYasha until he picked her up and put her on the bed. "I'm sorry," he muttered. Kagome hrmphed and crossed her arms stubbornly. InuYasha sighed, and sat down next to her, "I'm sorry I called you a wench Kagome..."
The girl stubbornly refused to look at him for a moment longer before turning back to him. "See it's easier just to call me by name than 'wench'. It gets you in trouble." She flicked one of his ears softly and smiled, "That was the first time you used my name." She said with a smile and jumped to the floor.
InuYasha pulled the clean haori onto him, sliding his arms into the sleeves, he sniffed, it smelled like lye, he made a face and slid his hands into the sleeves. He looked up at Kaede, "Why'd you go and scrub it for hag?" He made a face at Kaede as she scowled at him, "What do we do now?"
"Well, camp had been taken down," she looked around, "foods been taken care of... Now we go looking for Kikyou." she looked down at Kagome and InuYasha, "You two will be looking around where you found each other," she looked at InuYasha, "see if you can sniff her out."
"I need something that smells like her to find her." the hanyou stated, slightly angered that they were treating him like an animal all of the sudden.
"She's my sister," Kagome started, "She would smell like me, wouldn't she?"
"No two people smell exactly alike." InuYasha stated, He sniffed the air sheepishly, he sneezed, "there's blood somewhere up wind of us," he sniffed again, "and yorikai." he turned toward Kaede, "Don't worry though, its not human blood. Smells like a goat or horse." he walked over to Kagome and put his nose next to her neck, he inhaled deeply, he liked her scent, there was no way there was another who had the same smell, Kagome shivered. "Kay, lets go." He turned around and started to walk fast into the trees, Kagome tried to go after him he jumped into the trees and vanished.
Moments later he came out from behind her and took hold of her wrist, and pulled her up onto his back, and jumped off into the trees. Kagome laughed as he ran through the tree branches, it was almost as though they were flying. He wrapped his arms around her bent knees and jumped higher, and higher until the reached the canopy, he leap into the air, she screamed with joy as they rose above the branches and saw the sun rising before them.
Kagome was in awe as InuYasha ran sideways toward the lake once more, she was looking at the sun, there was every shade of color she could ever imagine. InuYasha tugged on one of her pant legs, she lowered her head and allowed them to vanish once more into the tree tops.
"It's so pretty up there," she began, growing more accustom to the little hanyou's movements, "How do you ever come down from there?"
He didn't respond. His father had once taken him and his mother to the canopy once, that is, when there was trees back in his fathers kingdom. They had stayed there all evening, his mother had asked his father why he had taken them there. His father had looked lovingly at her and turned her around to look at the sunset. He shook his head and jumped lower.
"Why are we in the trees?" Kagome asked, leaning closer to his ear, "Kikyou would have been,"
"It would be an older scent," InuYasha stated smugly, "It would have drifted up and away from where it would have originated from." He stopped, Kagome's head nearly hit his. He looked directly down at several humans.
"They don't seem to be looking very hard, "InuYasha commented. They were sitting on the ground drinking a strange amber liquid, the same liquid, by the scent of it, that his father had started drinking when his mother had died. "What's wrong with them, do the not care that one of their own is lost in a place filled with yorikai?" Of course, he thought to himself, No yorikai would go looking for its own kind in the woods, they would leave it to fend for itself. He bit his lip, he had always supposed that humans were of a different fabric, not the same. He ran a hand through his hair, Kagome tightened her grip on him as they took off though the trees again.
He jumped down to the ground, he looked around, and sniffed as Kagome climbed from his back, they were back. "This is where I...you...found me?" Kagome nodded, but looked around. The place was no longer what it had looked like, it was as if rain had poured from the sky into this place and the trees had swelled with the water.
Kagome turned to look at InuYasha... well his back, he was walking away, just down the path away from here, "InuYasha?" she looked over at him curiously, "Where are you going?" he glared over his shoulder and walked into the trees, "InuYasha don't leave me,"
His head poked out of from the shrubs, "I have to go!" he spat, he vanished again, she heard him mutter some colorful words.
Kagome walked over to the ledge where InuYasha had nearly fallen into the lake, she took hold of the trees and leaned over slightly, "It would have been a deadly fall." She glanced over to where InuYasha had vanished, after a moment she walked down the path, past him and toward the lake.
"Boo!" InuYasha cried, it echoed around slightly, he had jumped out of the trees from behind where Kagome had been, he looked around, "Kagome?" he looked around and sniffed, there was a scream from somewhere below. "Kagome!" He jumped to the edge of the cliff and looked around for her, he didn't see her, the little hanyou could feel his heart pounding against his ribs, she was his only friend he didn't want to loose her.
He went back to where he had smelt her fresh scent and walked forward several steps, he ran down the path. He stopped and looked over the side of the cliff several times to see if he could see her yet.
"What'cha looking for?" InuYasha nearly jumped out of his skin, Kagome fell backwards and began to laugh at her success in scaring him.
"That wasn't funny! I thought you were hurt!" He was hurt now that she would take advantage of his care for her.
Kagome rolled onto her side and looked up at him, "So, I can't scare you, but you can scare me?" He blinked, she had heard his attempt to scare her, "that hardly seems far."
"I... You... That was different!" he finally decide was the best way to reply. He stamped his little feet and stuffed his hands in his sleeves, his ears were down in annoyance.
Kagome sniggered, she got up and took one of his hands out of the sleeves, "I'm sorry that I scared you InuYasha, I promise I won't do it again." InuYasha allowed her to hold his hand a moment more.
"Keh." he pulled his hand away, he began to walk down to the lake, Kagome could see that he had forgiven her, in a strange odd way. She walked up next to him.
"I'm reminded of something nee-chan always says when Kikyou and I are playing rough," InuYasha looked out of the corner of his eye, trying to look like he didn't really care for what she was saying. However, his ears had flicked to full attention toward her. "It's all fun and games, until someone gets hurt." InuYasha turned to look at her, his head slightly tilted. "I think it means that you can have all the fun you want, but once someone gets hurt, it's not anymore. I hurt your feelings, so there was no fun to us."
"With my family," InuYasha remembered, "It would be more like, Its all fun and games, until someone gets hurt... then its a party. Or something like that," he laughed slightly. He missed home, but he was the only one left there was nothing to go back to...except Nuraku. His eyes darkened at the though of him.
Kagome noticed, "What's wrong InuYasha?"
"Nothing."
"Please tell me." She made a face that looked like a sad beaten puppy.
InuYasha raised an eyebrow, and blinked, she pulled off a puppy face about as good as he had to his mother, "Maybe later." Kagome nodded, that would have to be good enough for now.
Okay that's the chapter, I apologise to all of those who are complete Shessomaru buffs, I had to do it. You'll hear about him more later, I swear...don't hate me.
