"I…nu….yash…ahhhh!" - A young girl's voice growled this.
The brain is truly an amazing organ. Millions of layers of tissue, storing innumerable quantities of information, with signals firing across synapses thousands of times in a tenth of a second. This, of course, makes it possible for a person to have a seemingly endless dream in the space of four seconds during sleep. It also allows for a quite complex thought to occur even in the tiny gap of time between two spoken words. For example, at this very moment, Inuyasha might perhaps muse:
If only I weren't so brash and headstrong. Why can't I take a moment, count to ten, and release my anger through interpretive dance or baking? Surely my sensitive side would more easily woo Kagome, and thus bring about a sense of peace in my otherwise vengeful and stubborn being. My group of comrades would certainly be closer if I could learn to appreciate laughter at my expense, and really, the kitsune is only a child! How silly I feel. It's time for a change. A new me! I might also avoid being repeatedly propelled face first into the ground, and this too is an alluring concept.
In actuality, Inuyasha was thinking:
Shit.
"SIT!!!"
Thud. Pain.
Inuyasha picked himself up off the ground, hastily brushing bits of grass and dirt from his hair. That damn… Damn girl? Damn fox? He couldn't decide, so he didn't. That damn girl and fox! The hanyou shot each of the aforementioned a glare that contained daggers, swords, and other various sharp things, causing Shippou to shriek and jump into Kagome's arms. Of course, this fixed the full stare in her direction. A nervous little laugh escaped her lips, and she slowly sidled behind Miroku, who all too quickly pulled Sango in front of him. In desperation, the youkai hunter held up Kirara, who squeaked. They stood like this, living statues, for well over a minute.
The stare finally stopped.
"Don't ever call me a hound dog again, you little brat."
"But you have mmmph—"
Shippou's words were cut short, most likely due to Kagome's hand being quickly placed over his mouth. Having silenced the little kitsune, she composed herself and addressed Inuyasha.
"He's just a little kid, Inuyasha! You have to stop taking little jokes so personally." She placed her free hand defiantly on her hip and almost matched Inuyasha's previous glare. Inuyasha wasn't impressed.
"Keh! He needs to learn to respect his elders. Especially the ones that have no problem with making a nice warm blanket out of him!"
"Elders!? I'm nearly as old as ymmph—" Kagome's hand had slipped. She rectified the situation. Shippou's eyes finished the emotion, if not the sentence.
Kagome placed the indignant little fox on the ground and calmly strode toward Inuyasha, passing a monk and a hunter who were both suddenly very interested in the cloud formations overhead. The hanyou stood there, apathetically examining his claws. Kagome leaned in, as if to whisper something confidential. It wasn't a whisper. Nor was it confidential. To be blunt, she yelled bloody murder.
"If you don't stop this stubborn, idiotic, childish behavior right now, I'm going home! Bakaaa!"
Inuyasha only slightly flinched. The girl was panting heavily with fury. Keh, he thought, we're getting close to that shard and she wants to go home? Damn it. His shoulders slumped.
"Alright, fine. But you keep that little…runt…"
Inuyasha's eyes drifted over Kagome's shoulder.
"Someone's coming."
They all turned to match Inuyasha's gaze. Over the next hill, a small figure was running towards them.