A/N: I BirdHummingAlong solemnly disclaim Inuyasha.
Chapter 4 Chocolate
Heat rising to her cheeks, Kagome giggled as she ran to towards the Gazeebo. Every frantic, gidy step powdering white sand higher up her bare legs. In her right hand she held her shoes, and in her left a bag of chocolates for everyone. She had made the chocolates earlier with her mom, and couldn't wait to give all of her new friends a taste.
Sand slipped beneath her toes, causing her to trip, arms stretched out in front to catch herself. Her arms, however, did not hit powdery sand as she had forseen them to do, but had been caught between two boys. Miroku had caught her left arm and Koga her right, they both grinned eerily at her, still holding her arms up even though she had already righted herself. What was the hold up?
She smiled back at them, a smile a bit tinged by perplexidy "my saviors!" she praised. They didn't change their positions. Okay, so maybe they were waiting for the okay to move forward. "Onward to the Gazebo!" she exclaimed in mock bravado and then began trudging her feet forward. Only to be slung backwards to where her arms were still being held by two mischievous teen age boys. She stared at them, her eyes demanding an explanation for the hold up. Miroku held up her left hand, dangling her bag of chocolates in front of their faces. Their eyes glazed in a longing stare at the bag of goodies.
Their intentions finally registered in her mind, and she most definitely did not approve!"Oh no you don't!" she tugged her hand of chocolates towards herself, and away from the hungry stares. "These chocolates are for EVERYONE!"
Miroku begged with puppy eyes, Koga didn't need puppy eyes to look forlorn, wolf eyes by themselves work just fine.
"Oh fine!" she threw her hands up in defeat. "You can each have one chocolate…" Immediately they released her arms "…When I give everyone else one too" she finished and then ran for it, giggling maniacally all the way towards the gazebo.
They ran after her. Miroku grabbed her ankle, strangling Kagome's giggles short with an "oomph" as she fell face first into the sand. Seeing that they had her down, the devious boys doggy piled on top of her.
"Surrender your Chocolates!" Koga yelled to the girl shaking furiously beneath himself and Miroku, clutching her chocolates protectively to her chest. "nephherrr!" came Kagome's cry, muffled by dense sand.
"Then you leave me no choice Kagome" Koga replied mournfully, and then turned somberly to Miroku, "Miroku, I set you free."
"Really? Are you sure?" he cried gleefully.
Koga nodded softly in reply."do your stuff."
Kagome wondered what this stuff was that Koga was going to let miroku do. and then she felt it, a hand creeping onto her thigh, which continued to move up. "Ahh!" she screamed "I gife Uphh! I gife Uph" she screeched, as she began kicking her legs, trying fiercely to get away from the creepy hand.
Miroku's hand stayed put, "Miroku" Koga growled, already standing up, "she gives up", he glared hard at the pervert.
"Oh she does?" he stared hazily back at the wolf demon, as if just coming out of a trance. "Why I didn't hear her!" He stood up, brushing light tufts of sand off of his clothes, innocent.
Kagome sat up, gasping for breath. "You guys" she took a deep breath and then pointed warily at them, "Suck!"
But nevertheless she held the bag out to them, she wanted no more of this. she washed her hands of them all, and may her chocolate embarrassingly smudge their smug faces.
"CHOCOLATES!" a new voice cried and with a streak of white, Kagome's hand was empty.
They all gawked for a dismayed moment at her empty hand, before they all rushed, angrily, after the now fading line of white and red, Kagome included.
"INUYASHA!"
O.O
"Okay, so let me get this straight" Sango poked at the bon fire with a stick tentatively as she thought. "So Inuyasha has disappeared with Kagome's chocolates, and only God knows if we will see him and the chocolates again."
She roamed her eyes over her friends, all of them sorrowful at the mention of the loss of the chocolates. Kagome was looking down at her hands, and biting the edge of her bottom lip. She nodded at Sango's correct assessment of the situation.
Koga sat with his arms crossed, staring up at the moon, as if he were about to howl at it in despair at any moment.
Miroku had his face turned to the side to obscure the view of a bright red hand mark on his cheek.
Sango cleared her throat " I only have one question" she threw her stick to the side and lunged for Miroku, grabbing his face and turning the mark towards herself "How did Miroku get this?" she turned a smiling face towards Kagome " did you do it? I must say it's fine work." She chuckled looking back at the imprint on the side of Miroku's face.
"Actually… no I didn't" Kagome shrugged with a bemused grin, "we have no idea how he got that." Kagome looked curiously over at the hand print, still red, and maybe a little swollen too. " He disappeared from our chase after Inuyasha for one second and a minute later he comes back with...that."
"Then who did it?" Sango raised an eye brow and asked the air.
"I did!" the air answered back eagerly as Ayume jumped out perkily from behind a tree. "He snuck up behind me as I was climbing up here and he…umm" she blushed and looked to the side. "So I slapped him" she took a seat by the fire and began to rub her hands together against its warmth.
Sango sat against the trunk of the tree, satisfied. "so…" her stomach grumbled softly as she turned her head towards Kagome " got any extra chocolates on you, besides the one's Inuyasha took?"
"Did someone say chocolate?" Inuyasha's head popped eerily upside down in front of Sango's face, as he hung down from a branch just above her head.
"Inuyasha!" she screamed half from being scared, and half from anger. As a reflex she grabbed his ears and yanked him off the branch. He glared up at her from the ground where he now lay on his back, as he rubbed his ears dubiously. Before he sat up and pulled out a bag of chocolates from his shirt, grinning ear to ear.
"My chocolates!" Kagome chimed gleefully as she grabbed them and began eagerly passing them out to everyone. Forgetting that Inuyasha was the reason they were gone, she was just happy to have them she was done passing them out, she plopped down by the fire and began nibbling happily on one herself. It was when she had gotten half way through passing out the chocolates that Kagome realized that Inuyasha was the reason they had been gone. "Inuyasha?"
"Yes Kagome?" he looked up at her, his face and hands smeared with chocolate.
Kagome just laughed and continued eating her chocolate, at least he hadn't eaten them all. In fact the bag hadn't been opened at all she realized.
"Inuyasha?" she prodded again, this time with a purpose.
"What?" this time he didn't look up from the chocolate he was smothering. Chocolate was way to important to continuously diverge his attention from.
"How come you took my chocolates?"
"Because I was bored" he didn't even bat an eyelash at the question.
"Because you were bored…" she echoed, bewildered. "But you didn't even eat any..."
"Keh, what about it?" Really though, as he thought back, it was because he couldn't stand all of the attention being on Miroku and Koga, they didn't deserve it. And he had realized that if the chocolates had been given to them, they would be gone by now, then no one would get any except for one gleeful mangy wolf and pervert. But he didn't tell her this, instead he said "you mean you guys didn't have fun chasing after me?"
Kagome thought about it, and really yeah, the whole occasion had been fun. All except for Miroku harassing her. "Yeah, actually I did have fun" she giggled, settling on letting him have his way. He had saved the chocolates after all, intentional or not, he had done it.
Inuyasha surprised at this answer looked up from his chocolate, his mouth forming a confused O. He wasn't expecting that, he was expecting a fight for the real reason.
Kagome's giggled turned into a full out laugh as she watched his surprised chocolate coated face stare back at her.
He smirked at her laugh, cute, it was a full belly laugh. This he knew because she was clutching at her stomach and gasping for air. She held no emotion at bay, it seemed, she just let her laugh roam free. He liked that. He turned regretfully from the sight of it, back to his neglected chocolates.
Kagome looked around her, at the faces warmly tinted by the flickering bon fire, and laughter. Everyone was enjoying themselves, It was beautiful. She sighed contentedly and continued on with her chocolates.
O.O
"Urgh…" Miroku stuffed his last chocolate slowly into his mouth, his other hand lay on his full belly. "I can't eat another one, those were great Kagome" his eyes zoned sleepily into the dying fire.
Everyone held a similar stance of drowsiness as they also echoed there thanks to Kagome.
Only one person did not look sleepy, and that was Inuyasha. "Let's do something" he suggested.
"Like what?" asked Ayume, rolling her eyes heavily towards him.
"Like a game or something" he added eagerly.
"I know!" Kagome sat up and eyed everyone excitedly "Lets play hide-n-seek! It's dark, it's the beach and forest" she pointed all around her "it's perfect!" everyone began to wake up as they thought about it. Sure it was a children's game, but damn it sounded like fun.
"NOT IT!" yelled Koga, and a chorus of not it's echoed after it. Leaving Miroku as it because he had fallen asleep.
"Hey—Miroku" Inuyasha prodded his side impatiently with the fire stick "Wake up, were playing hide-n-seek and your it."
Miroku was now pretending to still be asleep, he didn't like the idea of being it. Loud snores escaped his lips.
Inuyasha raised his stick over his head like a sword, "MIROKU!" he yelled his aura suddenly powerful and demanding as he began to bring it down on the faker.
Miroku rolled smoothly out of the way and onto his feet, covered his eyes with his hands and began counting "TWENTY-NINTEEN—" everyone scrambled away, including Inuyasha who immediately abandoned the stick and bolted.
Kagome already had an idea were to hide. She looked around herself to make sure no one was around and climbed her way up a tree and onto the gazebo.
"three- two- one" Miroku began to peer around, but Kagome had another idea.
Kagome peered over the edge of the roof…perfect she thought deviously. Miroku was just with in her line of sight. She had one more chocolate left and it was going to land on his head. She stretched her arm over the edge of the gazebo. She was about to drop it on him when he moved. No! I have to get him now, before it's too late and she leaned out far, too far. She dropped the chocolate as one of the roofs tiles slipped beneath her foot, propelling her helplessly forward. Her scream turned into a mini mouse squeak as a warm hand covered her mouth and a strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back in.
Wisps of silvery white hair flew out in front of her, glowing ever so lightly, as if the faint beams of light wafting down from the moon had webbed together and then spun into small wispy silver strands.
"Shhh, or you'll give my hiding spot away." A male voice rumbled in her ear. Shocked for a moment on almost dying, the glowing strands blurred into a stream of white and night sky blue as she allowed him to draw her in and turn her around to face him, with out protest. She looked up out of her daze to gaze into a cluster of golden fire, deepest into Inuyasha's face. Standing out against the dark night and white of his hair.
She then regained her composure with a clearing of her thoughts and returned her mind to the pressing matters at hand. "Ahemm," she eyed him warily "your hiding spot?" she raised an eyebrow as if unsure of his capability to think straight "I don't recall you being here when I climbed up and claimed it." But she was slightly distracted by his hands still being around her waist, and didn't sound half as convincing as she normally would have.
Nonetheless, her statement was still strong enough to wean a small glare out of him. "I was here—you just didn't see me, because you were in your own small little Kagome world" he whispered furiously. "You tend to visit it often, I've noticed."
Kagome's lips began to purse, as if trying to down a lemon, as she though about this statement. She was most definitely not in her own world. She just liked to…reflect on things that have happened a lot. Things from the feudal era and things from the present. She was not-In- her-own-world! But she knew she couldn't argue with him on the logic of her thoughts, so she didn't say anything. She just kept directing her eyes from his glowing orbs, to his hands still cradling her waist. Hinting at something.
Well not only does she like to fade out randomly, she also has turrets. Inuyasha thought grimly as he watched Kagome's eyes flit across her face in the same pattern repeatedly. And then he decided to actually follow there crazy pattern. He twitched his eyebrows up, aghast in realization as he quickly drew back his displaced hands from her waist. What were they doing there? He thought surprised and oh god he panicked, were they doing a Miroku?
He snuck a looked back at her face, which held the same bitter note, but not furious. That was good, that meant his hands had been still. And not…well yeah you get the clasped his hands safely behind his back and glared at her, challenging her to say anything.
But she surprised him by sighing and sitting down, her attention now directed towards the stars. Not knowing what else to do he shrugged and sat down Indian style next to her and stared up too. There wasn't anything special he saw up there, just stars, you see them every night. Although they did seem a little different from the ones in the feudal era, but they were just stars, what really mattered was the moon and it always stayed the same. Good o'll dependable moon.
Instead he settled for turning his head and staring at her, she was so intent on the stars that she wouldn't even notice. He began to analyze her face. Her eyes were so dark, the sky's light and dark contrasting surface reflected perfectly in them. Or did her eyes naturally have a thousand sparkles and twinkles in them? He squinted his own eyes hard to try and figure out the illusion. It seemed very unlikely... couldn't possibly be natural...
The hairs on the back of Kagome's neck began to bristle slightly as she stared determinedly at the sky. Why was he watching her so closely, so analytically. What she had originally planned to do was watch where Miroku went and try and figure out everyone else's hiding spots. But when she had sat down the sky had caught her attention first. It was almost the same as the sky from the Feudal era, but there were some differences. Where some webs of stars had been thick and bright, were now thin and dulled. And were some stars had glowed faint and stretched, were now bright, together and polished. But this was all subtle in little areas, the sky other wise was none too changing. It was a perplexing sight. How had all those changes come? How long would it continue to change?
She was only going to watch for another minute, and then scout the landscape around her, when she had noticed Inuyasha sit, and then begin to watch her. Now she was nervous, and didn't want to move, breath, or look at him, just stare straight up. It was weird being watched like that, she had even noticed his stare begin to pinch and strain on her. My god what was wrong with him? She was kind of creeped out and yet strangely flattered at the same time. That she was that interesting a subject to be watched so closely. But damn him and his sticky stare, she couldn't do anything under it!
She turned sharply towards him, now glaring coldly due to her building frustration. "Inuyasha…" Her glare melted into tepid confusion at seeing that his own eyes were no longer strained, but open wide in innocent curiosity and awe. She then froze as he reached a hand towards her face and rested two fingers on her temple. And then goosebumped as they slid smoothly to the outer corner of her eye, lightly skimming her thick lashes softly. Stowing a deep anxious breath inside her she peered questioningly up at him.
"Your eyes…sparkle, glow" he commented softly at last as he withdrew his hand. Sliding down her cheek and off her chin as he drew it back into his lap.
Her eyes had tiny lights in them, as if poured full of emotions. Their embers flaring at every turn her thoughts took. A glow of mirth, and then a flare of anger rippling up onto the surface. All fighting against the deep current of her eye's amber depths. Damn, when had he become so deep? All he knew was that they were beautiful, he had never seen any eyes like them before. At moment's before he had noticed when teasing her that they would twinkle, as if she had a secret. It always bugged him because he knew that what ever she was hiding, no way in hell was she telling him. But it wasn't a bad twinkle; it kind of reminded him of the twinkle you saw in pictures of… Santa Clause he pondered aloud "like Santa Clause."
A pinch on his arm, began to tug him out of thought, and "ouch" was it him, or had a crab climbed and clobbered his arm?
"Ahh—STOP THAT!" he demanded harshly to the girl now glaring stonily at him, as he shuved her hand off of his arm. He couldn't understand how she could change moods like that. One minute her gaze is gentle and warm and next it burns your skin. "What are you Bipolar?"
"Hurts your feelings doesn't it!" she cried, fire blazing in her eyes.
"Well, not my feelings.." he defended.
"Really" She whispered ignoring the comment "Santa Clause? My eyes remind you of Santa Clause?" She leaned in closer to him, so they were eye to eye. And only saw confusion, she softend a little, just a little! The boy had basically called her a fat man with a beard, who ran around shouting HOHOHO! "That is not the kind of pick up line that makes a girl swoon ya know."
"Who say's it's a pickup line, I was just calling it like it is." he hadn't meant it like that, but she could be so frustrating some times, taking everything he said the wrong way. He had been giving her a compliment. Was it his fault that he wasn't good with words? "Keh, never mind" he shifted around so that his back was facing her, and stared grumpily at the roof's shingles.
Now Kagome felt bad, she had obviously hurt him in some way. And really it wasn't bad what he had said about her eyes, just not romantic. santa's eyes did twinkle...But really how could she expect romantic from Inuyasha? Why would she even want it in the first place? Silly silly, she wouldn't make that mistake again. Friends! all she would ever expect from a male was friendship...as it should be.
She put a hand comfortingly on his shoulder and leaned around to look up at him, she smiled " I'm glad you like my eyes Inuyasha."
Woah! Okay, This is what he had meant. One moment as brutal as a storm, the next as calm and fresh as a stream on a sunny day. Her smile was really pretty too...just saying.
He blushed and turned his cheek "you didn't seem to think so a minute ago" he mumbled.
"I've… changed my mind" she piped.
He wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her over to sit next to him. He ruffled the top of her hair affectionately with his other hand "you have pretty eyes."
"You have pretty hair" she countered.
"They sparkle."
"It shines"
"Hey—what kind of fight is this?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
She playfully elbowed him in the ribs "it isn't one genius."
She watched a small smile form at the corner of his mouth, and then his ear began to twitch. And suddenly he had grabbed her around the waist, slung her over his back. And they were in a tree, hidden deep in its foliage, a few feet away from the gazebo. It had happened so fast, she was about to ask why he had done that when she heard a creak coming from the roof of the gazebo and saw Miroku step onto it from a tree on the other side. Oh she mouthed silently as she strengthened her grip around his neck; she was actually quite comfortable like this
"Anybody up here?" he looked around.
Kagome inwardly scoffed, like anyone in their right mind would tell the seeker where they were hiding.
"No one?" Miroku question again as he sat down and pulled a chocolate he had found recently on the ground out of his pocket. he listened for a reply one last time before he mumbled "Good" and then promptly began to stuff his face.
This made Kagome angry, he was ruining the game! She was about to shout something when Inuyasha's temper beat her to it. "WHAT THE HELL" they landed softly in front of Miroku. "There were more of these?" Inuyasha questioned wide eyed, as he grabbed the half eaten chocolate out of Miroku's hand and began to munch on it.
Kagome smaked her forhead, she should have known, of course he wouldn't be upset about the same thing as her. "Miroku this is not how you play hide-n-seek" she spoke up as she slid off of Inuyasha's back and stood with her hands on her hips. Her lips forming a thin bitter smile. "You have just ruined the game. I hope you're happy!" She then slapped the chocolate out of Inuyasha's hand, "and ew, gross, that's probably got sand on it."
–she was right.
"Whats going on? You guys talk really loud" Ayume had just climbed up with Sango, both looking a little disgruntled, as if they had been played.
"Why isn't everyone hiding?" Koga had just jumped up onto the edge of the roof and looked lost.
"Miroku decided we weren't worth finding.." Kagome spat, she was terribly disturbed about her game being ruined like that.
"Well" said Koga, "I guess it's time I get home, kind of tired." He then ran over to Kagome, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Fare thee well… oh shining star" he poetically serenaded her. And then he was gone leaving a red tomato faced Kagome staring blankly after him.
"Umm" she stammered, "I did nothing to warrant that—I swear!"
Everyone laughed, except Inuyasha who scowled.
"Well I guess it's time we headed out too", Sango hugged Kagome and then put an arm around Ayume, steering them towards a tree. "See ya guys at school tomorrow!"
"Ladies!" Miroku ran after them "Wait for me!"
Kagome and Inuyasha suddenly found themselves alone in the swiftly cooling night. "Uh" Kagome looked helplessly at him "Hojo was my ride home, but I guess he got lost on the way here.."
"Oh" Inuyasha mumbled while climbing down the tree, leading the way for Kagome.
"I guess I could give you a ride home"
She smiled brightly at him, "thanks!" and she skipped all the way to his car. He smiled inwardly and ran after her.
O.O
Inuyasha slammed the smoke demon hound against the tree, and tore a red line down its body. The hound roared within the pit of its own flames as it died. He threw its smoldering carcass away and moved swiftly through the forest to find more, there had been a lot around today, running away from some place in the south. He could smell a deep stench of fear and smoke coming from there.
He grew more fired up as he worked his way towards the stenches source. Bored he reveled on his day at school before he came back to the feudal era. Kagome hadn't come to school. He wondered if she was sick, or if something had happened... He had been looking forward to seeing her bright happy smile from the trees as she entered the school, and wanted to tease her about the bonfire the night before. But he didn't see her at the gate, and her desk remained empty the rest of the day. It was kind of dissapointing.
Three smoke hounds jumped out in front of him, snarling as steam wafted up from there nostrils. He slashed them away and followed there path into a thick sheet of smoke….what the hell had happened. Bounding past a screen of smoke he could see that he was in a village. A few huts were on fire, but that wasn't where the majority of the smoke was coming from. Oh, wow, it was all coming from a giant hell hound, fire trailing her limbs. but he was even more surprised to something small was facing it in a fighting stance.
It was the Miko, Priestess Kago-ao-koke. Pools of blue, green, and purple streamed from her fingers, encasing the beast. He could feel their purifying magic envading the air, humming with life. She looked tired. Like she had been fighting for too long. She stood panting as beads of sweat poured slickly down her forehead and disappeared under her veil.
It looked like she was winning too. The little hounds he had been encountering had been fleeing from the battle sight, and it was the hound's fear he could smell in the air, not hers. actually, he couldn't really smell her at all, how had she hidden her scent like that? didn't matter, it looked like she might need some help. This was one hell of an aponent.
A wind began to blow as he ran further into the battle seen, clearing some of the smoke from view, and leaving a clearer sight of her, and the same of himself. And that was when it happened. She turned her head, and saw him. She froze, her defenses dropping in her surprise.
O.O
There he was, silky white strands of hair carried up in the smoky wind like a sail. Golden eyes watching her with interest, "I-Inuyasha..."
O.O
A/N: Okay so it was kind of damsel in distress action, I mean she almost fell off the roof!
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
