A/N: Booyah. Okie, I should probably let you in on a few things about this story. The characters, while still remaining in a form of their old characters, are kinda...evolved. Older.
Another thing is, that while he may be mentioned, Naraku has very little to do with the story. I despise Naraku and, in all honesty, don't really want to write about him considering that Inuyasha and Co. have enough problems with him in the anime and manga. (O.o) Buuut, don't worry, I have a few...interesting ideas for this story without adding him to the plot, so (crosses fingers) you should be entertained! Oh, there might be a few spoilers from the manga... but the time frame is basically my own.
Anyway...
Disclaimer: Not mine, only the plot.
Brushing her hand across the top of the boulder, Kagome inspected for dirt and promptly sat herself down, crossed her legs and folded her arms across her chest, her dark eyes shooting sparks at her companions before her.
The setting sun's golden and pink rays highlighted the left side of her face, shining off the curled tendrils of her charcoal hair held up high in a ponytail. Little wisps of loose hair tickled her cheeks and nose as they played in the breeze. Twitching slightly, she brushed the strands behind her ear, plucked at the folds of her tan skirt and began bouncing her foot in irritation.
With a snarl, Inuyasha folded his arms inside his sleeves and turned his nose up, ignoring her silent plea for rest while secretly peering at her through his lashes. From his side, Miroku sighed heavily and stepped out of Inuyasha's shadow, turning his back to Kagome to face the only member of the group not tired from an entire day of treking through valleys and hillsides. Even Shippo, who still rode atop shoulders and wrapped in arms, lay sprawled across his shoulder.
"I think Kagome may have a point, Inuyasha. I am also tired and would like to rest for the night. This spot appears to be a good place to set up and in the morning, with the sun still rising we can travel through the cave then. After all, with the sun almost set, we would only make it half way before the light ran out and while you might be okay, Kagome and I would be nearly blind"
"Feh, you guys are alway-"
"Always slowing me down, getting in the way and blah, blah, blah" Kagome and Miroku's voices mocked in unison.
Glancing at Kagome over his shoulder, Miroku smirked and turned back to Inuyasha.
"You should be careful, Inuyasha, any more tirades of such and you would sound like Sesshomaru"
Kagome snorted and covered her smirk with her hand, amused that she wasn't the only one to notice the comparison.
Not amused, Inuyasha growled and turned his back on his friends.
"Whatever, set up camp, I'll go scout for demons"
With raised brows, Kagome and Miroku watched him take off into the trees and turning around, Miroku caught Kagome's pensive expression.
"Night of the new moon?"
Rising from her perch and pulling at the hem of her violet turtle neck, Kagome nodded.
"Gotcha"
Scanning the sparse wooded area beside the trail they had been following, Kagome's eye caught a patch of grass not far in. Adjusting the strap to her new, blue backpack, she stepped around the boulder and trudged through the moss and fallen leaves, dropping the backpack to the ground and kneeling to unpack for the night.
Taking Kagome's queue, Miroku walked around through the trees collecting small branches and sticks for firewood, returning and piling them in the center of the small dugout in the soft padding of grass.
Accustomed to each others timing and body language, Kagome dropped her lighter into Miroku's outstretched palm and without looking, she held her palm up to receive it when he finished. Pulling a pot and a bottle of water from the bag, she set them aside and smirked a few minutes later when the hollow sound of the water pouring in to the pot echoed from behind, the familiar smell of burning wood floating in the air.
From her side, Shippo grunted as he picked up her sleeping bag and carried it away to unroll, slapping his little fists into the pillow to fluff it as he had seen her do so often.
Within fifteen minutes everything was set up and Kagome sat by the boiling pot of water, stirring the ramen noodles with a chopstick when Inuyasha leapt down from the trees.
Untying Tetsusaiga and laying the sword against a tree, he bounded across the camp and squatted next to Miroku; leafing through one of Kagome's text books to brush up before she quizzed him, having learned that by teaching, she was able to make the formulas stick in her head. Her marks were the highest they've been in three years.
Ignoring Miroku's slight mumbling as he read to himself, Inuyasha twisted his head to Kagome's soft humming as she dished out the noodles and passed a cup to Shippo before removing the pot from the coals.
"Hope you packed a couple extra blankets, Kagome, it'll be cold tonight, I can smell it"
Stirring the coals with a stick and tossing some wood atop the growing flames, she shuffed back and smiled at Inuyasha.
"Thanks, Inuyasha. I did pack extra just incase"
Unsettled by Kagome's quiet tone, he snatched a cup and sticks and promptly began stuffing noodles into his mouth.
Miroku set the book aside, rose and grasping his portion he sat across from Inuyasha, watching over the rim of his cup as the silver of Inuyasha's hair drained into black as the last ray of sunlight dipped beyond the horizon.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Shivering deeply, Kagome woke from her light sleep. Careful not to disturb Shippo nestled against her belly, she pulled the blanket up to her nose and snuggled deeper into the warmth of her sleeping bag, groggily wishing for her warm bed at her mothers.
Thinking warm thoughts of beaches and tanning, she welcomed the sense of sleep washing over her when a feather touch of cold drifted to her exposed cheek. Crinkling her nose, she swiped away the feeling with her shoulder only to feel another land on her brow. Groaning, she blinked her eyes open and gasped.
The ground was slowly blanketing with snow. Large fluffy flakes glistened with the waning light of the fire, falling gently through the bare branches of the trees above her. Shifting away from Shippo, she sat up and shivering once more, she rose up and tip toed to her backpack.
Keeping her eyes on the boys sleeping on the other side of the fire, she rifled through the bag and pulled out her beige, fuzz-topped hiking boots with the adorable pom-poms and her matching suede coat. Throwing her arms into the coat and pushing her feet into the boots, she glanced back to make sure she hadn't woke anyone before bounding away.
Her steps crunched softly in the snow as she walked out from the trees and on to the path, the white layer slightly deeper out in the open. Leaning her shoulder against the tree to her left, she folded her arms across her chest and allowed the mesmerizing snow to lull her, her lips tilting up in a tiny smile.
Her eyes mirrored the falling snow as her mind danced through her time spent here in the Feudal Era. So much had happened since being pulled down the well, nearly three years of traveling across Japan in search of jewel shards, hunting Naraku, growing stronger and deepening the bonds of those from this era while neglecting those of her own time.
Her friends barely recognized her anymore when she returned, her home had slowly become her mothers, a place she stayed when she wasn't here...wasn't home. Her tiny smile twisted into an ironic grin.
The sweet innocence she once freely showed had hardend into a countance of knowledge. Having fought and survived the defeat of Naraku, crying tears of goodbye to so many people.
Kagura.
Kanna.
Kikyo.
Kaede. Sweet, old Kaede had passed in her sleep only a few months ago. Miroku himself had overseen the burial. Kagome would never forget the sickly bitter-sweet scent of incense that had drifted across the gravesite.
Physically shaking her thoughts into a different direction, she thought back to the last time she had seen the snow. When Kikyo had pushed her back through the well. She had opened the doors to the well house and the sunlight reflecting off the snow had nearly blinded her. She had cried that day too, thinking that she would never see Inuyasha again. She should have known better. Even now he hated the thought of her returning to her time. Always demanding that she take no longer than two or three days to return, claiming that her still-developing spirutal powers were needed in the hunting down of rogue demons that continued to run free, no longer afraid of Naraku.
She didn't mind, she was needed.
Laughing half-heartidly, she remembered her short-lived full blown relationship with Inuyasha. He had been her first. Her first hero, her first love, her first kiss, her first time with a man, her first ex. Like most things Inuyasha did, he loved hard, fast and with gutso. They had been happy, but after time, they had become bored with each other. The highs and lows, the yelling or silence, the cold shoulders or the suffocating, the extremes of Inuyasha's affection became tedious. There hadn't been any playful moments, no cute wildflowers and a blush, no pet names, only the black and white caveman mentality 'You are mine, now make food and then lay on your back'.
Thankfully, they had broken the relationship with a mutual underdstanding. While they still loved eachother, they were more like siblings. Kagome had been well aware of the sighs of relief from Shippo and Miroku, apparently they had been preparing for a very uncomfortable, tension filled break-up.
With a heavy sigh, Kagome tilted her head against the tree.
"Heavy sigh for heavy thoughts?"
Shivers raced up her spine as she jumped and twisted, Miroku's voice having broken through the fog and sending her heart to her throat. Bracing her hand against the tree, her wry grin took the edge off her glare.
"You scared me half to death, Miroku"
"I apologize, that was not my intention" The sincerity in his tone nearly made her believe him.
Turning back around, her gaze drifted off to the valley, short breaks in the clouds allowing starlight to shine down and glitter across the snow. She heard him step up to stand beside her.
"What are you doing up anyway, Miroku? I tried not to wake anyone"
"Inuyasha's snoring woke me, then I noticed you missing and I followed your tracks, but perhaps I should ask you the same"
She smiled and stepped away from the tree, the fluffy flakes landing over her head and shoulders.
"The snow"
"Ah, it is becomming, like the pale skin of a young wo-oof!"
Kagome's snowball struck Miroku in the stomach, doubling him over. Rising up, he smirked and wiped away the patch of snow sticking to his robe then dodged another oncoming snowball.
Giggling, Kagome scooped up another handful of snow, mashed it tight and grinning, she skipped sideways to avoid Miroku's snowball and threw hers, catching him atop the head as he hunched over to make another.
Laughing whole heartidly as he stumbled backward with a resounding 'Oof!', she didn't see him fire back and caught the snowball in the chest.
"Ack!"
With cold, red fingers, she dug up another handful of snow and ran away, attempting to draw Miroku away from the trees. Looking back over her shoulder, she grinned to see him following her and twisted to launch her arsenal, but was knocked to her butt when his snowball caught her in the hip.
Sitting on the ground wide eyed and open-mouthed, Kagome laughed, throwing random handfulls of snow in Miroku's direction as he walked up to her, smug grin plastered to his face, and held out his hand to help her up. Kagome smirked, grabbed his hand and hauled him forward as she rolled to the side. He stumbled and landed face first in the snow.
Rising to his knees, he sat back on his heels and wiped his face with his sleeve, evilly eyeing Kagome as she danced side to side in front of him, mocking him with laughter.
"I'm afraid, Kagome, that this means war!" Leaping to his feet, he shot after Kagome.
Screeching, she took off at a full paced run but screeched again as she was lifted off her feet and dumped to the ground, her breath wooshing out as snow made it's way to the bare skin of her back.
"Argh! That's cold!" Stumbling to her feet, she pulled her shirt away from her back and danced around, unaware of the glint in Miroku's eye.
Stalking toward her, he swiped his hand down her coat in a pretense of helping. Swiftly, his hand, nearly numb with the cold, dove beneath her shirt and landed high on her back.
Kagome's shriek echoed off the trees as she squirmed and twisted to get away, her hands pummling against his arm wrapped around her waist to hold her still.
Chuckling, Miroku leaned in and whispered, his warm breath fanning across her cheek.
"Are you ready to give up, Kagome? Shall I be named the victor?"
Her eyes flashed and she went still, breathing deeply until his hand warmed against her skin and he pulled away, the sensation of his fingertips trailing down her spine sending butterflies to her stomach.
As soon as she was free, she dropped to the ground and snatched a handfull of snow, but came up too late. Miroku was prepared.
Grasping her wrists, he shook the snow from her grip and grinning, he walked her backwards, her head twisting to look over her shoulders trying to guess where this was going. As they neared the woods his grin widened, he paused and releasing her wrists he reached up and sprang one of the branches.
Instantly, a blanket of snow fell over Kagome in a shower of white powder.
Inhaling a sharp breath, her shoulders hunched and she covered her head, laughing at her defeat.
"That was so not fair, Miroku!"
Laughing, he stepped aside to let her pass and walking by, Kagome smacked him on the arm, grinning despite herself. Shivering, she cupped her hands and blew into them. Dusting off the snow from his shoulders and the front of his robe, Miroku eyed the color in Kagome's cheeks and helped dust some of the snow off her head, running his fingers through her un-bound hair.
"Are you cold? Perhaps we should head back"
A sense of dread shot through her, twisting her smile into a grimace and she shook her head.
"No, I'm fine, you can head back if you want to, but I'm gonna stay a bit. It's not that cold"
As if mocking her, another shiver shook her.
"I see"
Reaching out, Miroku caught her hands between his and brought them close to his mouth, breathing warm air against her fingertips. Thankfully, Kagome's already flushed cheeks hid her blush well and smiling shyly, she drew her hands away and folded her arms across her chest.
"Thanks" She turned to watch the waning snow fall gracefully to the ground.
Instinctivly, Miroku stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, drawing her back against him and settling his chin on her shoulder. She stiffened, but when he did nothing further, she relaxed and enjoyed the heat radiating off his body. Caught together in the snow's spell.
A few yards behind them, conceiled by the trees, Inuyasha had watched their play with sharp eyes.
Miroku's dashing away from the camp had brought him from a dead sleep and Kagome's shriek a bit later had brought him to his feet, racing to help. Now, peering over his shoulder, his violet gaze saw things that left a bitter taste on his tongue.
He knew he had no hold on Kagome anymore, they had tried to make thier relationship work but having led a life of survival for so long, he found Kagome was just too sweet and joyful, even after everything they had come through, to settle with him.
Even still, seeing her smile and laugh with Miroku didn't sit well with him.
The monk's change after Sango's leaving had shocked them all. His agressive side had come out and he and Miroku had butted heads so often it was a wonder they hadn't physically come to blows. Miroku's normal ability to compromise had flown out the proverbial window and having three strong minded individuals in a single group had led to tension filled afternoons and silent tears from Kagome.
And yet there they stood, so entranced with the damned snow they hadn't caught on to him.
Gritting his teeth and ringing Tetsusaiga's hilt in his grip, Inuyasha turned away, sick to his stomach with leaving them together but knowing them both, if he was to storm in and pull them apart it would only bring an argument.
Pausing, he turned and gave them one last glance, biting back a curse to see Miroku shift and rest his chin on the back of her head and rub his hands up her arms. Instantly regretting taking another peek, he headed back to camp. His last thought before purposely clearing his head was that Miroku had better not hurt her.
Inhaling the crisp scent of very early morning air, Kagome smiled at the sweet way Miroku subconsiously attempted to keep her warm. The feel of his hands massaging her arms and then wrapping around her middle, the warmth of his breath against her temple brought on thoughts she never believed would travel through her mind.
She had been so shy; her first time with Inuyasha. He had taken her hand and led her away to a remote shelter, iridescent moonlight had shone through the sunken windows in patches, showing the blossom-filled vines trailing up the rough-hewn walls. Come morning, Kagome woke with a slight disappointment. All her romanticized ideals of losing her virginity had been replaced with a sweaty Inuyasha grunting into her ear, growling commands and moving her into near-impossible positions that left her bruised and very sore for weeks.
But when she had rolled over that same morning to see his golden eyes gazing at her with affection and adoration, his clawed hands cupping her face and smiling, his asking her how she was feeling had forged a new opinion. Obviously, her romance novels were wrong.
Weren't they?
After almost a year of being sexually active and suddenly being cut off, Kagome's stomach twisted as she began to wonder...
'What would Miroku be like in bed?'
And true to thought processes, her mind continued to travel in winding, intertwining paths until one thought popped from her mouth.
"Miroku, do you ever think of Sango?"
Her voice sounded loud after such complete silence that she winced and bit her tongue. His entire body stiffened and after berating herself harshly for asking such a stupid question, she opened her mouth to apologize, but his answer came first.
"For quite some time, she was probably the most prominent thought I had. I was angry at her decision to leave, confused that she believed herself inadequate but, mostly, I was lonely and missed her beyond words.
"It seems odd to talk about her like this, I guess she became a sore topic, but to answer your question, Kagome, no, I rarely think of her these days"
For some strange reason, Kagome was offended by his answer and an urge to defend her absentee friend came over her. Turning in his arms, she was shocked by the smile on his face and the sincere spark in his deep violet eyes trained on hers.
"Shall I be given the chance to explain or should I wait until after your tongue lashing?"
Kagome pouted, but kept quiet and allowed his arms to pull her tighter until her cheek rested on his shoulder.
"In her letter, she wrote that I was 'free to persue other ventures', thereby saying that she, in turn, didn't intend to return to me, but to us all. It was bothersome to think that she still didn't trust me enough to believe that I would have waited for her, but then I thought, perhaps she was implying that should the occasion arise that she, or I should find someone of interest, we would be free to persue that someone.
"I will not deny my being...uh...less than faithful, as you've probably gathered by my constant disappearences for some time after she left, but I've discovered that, and pay attention for you will probably never hear this from me ever again..." Kagome spurted a half-laugh, already guessing his next words. "...having multiple women is not the same as having only one special woman"
Judging by his tone, Kagome guessed Miroku's face was twisted into a grimace.
"Miroku, you still haven't explai-"
"I'm getting there. So, after that...rather distasteful discovery, I channeled my energies elsewhere and oddly, became more attuned to the goings on around me... to be blunt... I noticed you, Kagome"
She blinked. His right arm raised from her waist and settled along her shoulders, his hand hugging the curve of her arm.
"For instance, before you eat ramen you always turn your cup to the left. You tend to drink from the same side of a drinking glass and even have prefered sides for each glass. When you're nervous, you chew your thumbnail, when you're agitated, you chew your pinky nail.
"Then there's the obvious; like growing out your bangs to hide the cowlick, your preference of dogs opposed to cats, and when your sore, your left side bothers you most.
"In conclusion, you could say that I developed a sort of...interest in you and slowly, you came to occupy my mind more so than she"
Kagome's fingers, pressed against the hard planes of his chest, twined into the folds of his robe. Her heart thumping painfully and sounding loud in her ears. Unsure of what she would see when she looked him in the face, she took a calming breath and leaned her head back.
Whaddya think? I tried for something a lil' bit different than I've read before for this couple... Review and let me know you're opinion. Pretty please. :o)