Day 3. Hot spring

It wasn't that Inuyasha hated bathing. He liked to get clean just like any other man and reducing the smell of his own hanyou ass was always a good idea. Less youkai coming sniffing after you when you didn't carry the stench of your own blood or sweat from battle for too long.

Besides, his mother had instilled in him a fondness for warm water and the relaxation it brought, for the sensation of combing fingers through his hair. Despite what many said over the years, he was of noble blood and no atrocious abomination. Even a hanyou deserved a bath from time to time.

That being said - a decent bath was hard to get. Many natural hot springs stank too much for his nose and he couldn't just heat up some water in a bathtub. As an outcast he rarely was allowed inside a village, not mentioning being given an opportunity to clean himself. And taking a bath in a cold river sounded badass, yes, but also cold and not fun at all, especially when the weather was cold. He could not get a cold from it, but he sure as hell didn't fancy it.

All that changed when Kagome entered his life, followed by the others. No, people didn't get nice to him overnight and the hot springs in the wild still often stank. But now he was a part of a group of travelers and evil youkai exterminators. He was no longer an outcast despised by everyone.

Miroku and sometimes Shippou were now his bathing companions, sharing little stories and jokes when they relaxed in the hot water of a bathhouse. The monk often complained he'd prefer to share a bath with Sango instead of him, but he was not that suicidal to actually go and ask her to swap places with the hanyou.

And, in Kagome's time, he was allowed by Mrs Higurashi to use the bathroom in their house. A fancy, futuristic place, with tiled floor and walls, with a shower to soap and rinse himself off before he sat in the bath. And he could use as much hot water as he wanted - he had to just make sure he didn't turn the knob all the way because if he did the water would be scalding.

With his hair wrapped in a towel, Inuyasha sat in the luxurious bathtub, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the peace and quiet. He had some time left before the dinner and felt too good to move. It wasn't like someone else planned to use the bathroom before the evening. He could even doze off a little.

Or so he thought.

It was quite close to the time Mrs Hugirashi ordered everyone to assemble for the dinner. Inuyasha was startled awake by someone opening the bathroom door. He had left it unlocked, he realized belatedly.

A young woman stepped into the room, looking over her shoulder as she walked in. Her blouse and skirt were stained with something orange which smelled like carrots. Inuyasha blinked.

"Dinner will be ready in a minute!" he heard Mrs Higurashi call from the kitchen.

"I'll be quick, Mama!" Kagome promised as she reached for the hem of her blouse to pull it over her head. Inuyasha started with his mouth half-opened to say something, but he kinda lost his words when the miko, usually so shy, just pulled the garment over her head and threw it towards the laundry basket. It wasn't like she was naked under it, she wore a white bra, but Inuyasha was not used to seeing so much of her so suddenly. He flushed red and tried to come up with something to say, and quickly! She was reaching to the buttons of her skirt.

Insult her? A bad choice. Say something cheeky? Instant osuwari. Swear he saw nothing indecent? She wouldn't believe him, not with how she stood and his cheeks burned. What to say…? What to say?

"Ugh, it's occupied," he managed at last, his voice sounding odd in his own ears swaddled in a towel.

The girl, up to this moment totally focused on the state of her stained wardrobe, stilled and looked towards the source of the voice.

Kagome had spilled some carrot juice down the front of her clothing and wanted to wash it off and change into something clean before dinner.

She didn't plan for her quick trip to the bathroom to include a view of a gloriously naked hanyou boy with a towel piled on top of his head, staring back at her with wide, golden eyes and with red cheeks.

Completely naked. In her bathtub. Naked. Nothing to obstruct the sight of his lean body with no extra fat. Nothing but water to cover his lower half. And she, Kagome, just threw her blouse to the laundry basket and stood there in a plain white sports bra. And the towel cabinet was on the other side of the room. The biggest piece of cloth she could use to hide herself was the towel on Inuyasha's head.

For a split Second, her mind went into a mad rush of thoughts. What to do?!

Demand what he was doing there? A bad choice, he wouldn't take that well. Scream and use the beads? A horrible choice, he'd drown! Say something cheeky and pretend she meant to do it? She was far too shy for that! He looked really nice and her gaze for some reason wanted to drift down from his flushed face. Bad gaze! Stay on his face! She had to think, not ogle! He was sure to say something foul at any moment now! And why was she embarrassed anyway? It wasn't like she was standing there naked, like he was in that bath! Her gaze gravitated to where water lapped at his chest.

She forced herself to look up and then took a deep breath. The hanyou flinched and tensed, as if expecting her to scream. Her cheeks got ridiculously hot. Was she blushing? No, that was terrible, she couldn't blush, he'd oknow she'd been looking at him!

Kagome spun on her heels and swallowed.

"I… Um… Mom says the dinner is ready." she managed lamely. She heard water shifting in the tub. God, was he planning to leave the bath when she was still in the bathroom?

With a choked noise the miko fled the scene, not daring to glance back or try to say something. In her wake she left Inuyasha, who had been about to ask her to leave so he could dress in a borrowed set of clothes.

Souta, who had seen his sister go inside the bathroom just to bolt from there a few moments later, welcomed Inuyasha to the living room with a giant smile.

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