Author's Notes: Thank you all my wonderful reviewers! *Takes a big breath *
THANK YOU KOTA MAGIC FOR MY 100th REVIEW!!!!!!! I'll have to think of something to give you. Hmm.. I'm so happy!!!! * la la la * ( .
Here's the next chapter: The face off with Kouga!!!! Dun dun dun!!!!!
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and Company. If you don't know that by now than you are extremely stupid.
Chapter 9: Jealousy
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They all awaited Kouga's arrival. 'So that's why he was in such a rush,' Kagome thought, 'We're in Kouga's territory.' Things did look vaguely familiar to her from when Kouga had kidnapped her, but she wasn't exactly admiring the scenery while she was being carried off on a strange youkai's back.
A moment later a whirlwind of dirt and wind came into view. It neared the group before finally stopping. When the dust cleared, Kouga could be seen standing before them, his two companions arriving a moment later.
"Kagome," He said facing her, ignoring the others completely, "I was hoping it wasn't you." (A/N Never thought you'd hear that from Kouga, huh?)
"What?" Kagome was confused. He started to walk toward her, only to come face to face with an extremely annoyed Inuyasha. The hanyou was emitting a growl, which Kouga countered with his own. "What did you do to her, Inu-korro (Sp?)?!" Kouga barked.
"I would think that would be obvious, you dumbass!"
"How could you claim her? I told you she is MY woman!" He yelled in his face. "She is not!" Inuyasha replied hotly, "Are you that stupid? She's my mate. Hell, she's carrying my pup!"
"I know that, moron! You think I can't smell you all over her?! You think I can't smell you INSIDE her?!"
Inuyasha snorted, "A wimpy wolf like you? I couldn't be sure." (A/N Yeah! Go, Inu!)
No one saw it coming. That moment, Kouga's let out a loud, threatening growl, and pounced, catching Inuyasha off guard. The two off them rolled to the ground, a tangled mass of cloth, limbs, flesh, and fur. They clawed at each other, barking and growling in ways no human could understand. Inuyasha was looking for a chance, one second, for him to draw his Tetsusaiga, and finish this fight. Kouga raked his claws along his sides, leaving bleeding gashes in their wake. Inuyasha returned the movement with a strike of his own on the wolf's chest and upper arm.
Finally, Inuyasha had his chance. Kouga had hesitated for a split second to glance at his now injured arm, and Inuyasha had him pinned in a way that his opponent couldn't fight back or move away. He unsheathed the Tetsusaiga, and was about to make his final blow when,
"Inuyasha!" Kagome's voice rang out, "Don't kill him!" Without moving off of Kouga, he looked at her. "What are you defending him for?! We need to finish him off so he won't bother you again!" He wasn't necessarily going to * kill* the bastard, just cut off a couple of limbs. He looked back down at Kouga, who smirked, "See? Guess she is my woman, after all." Okay, NOW he was going to kill him.
"Kouga-kun," Kagome interrupted, and the two canine youkai turned toward her, "What are you doing here?"
"I came to make sure this filthy dog never touches my woman ever again!" He said, more to Inuyasha than to her.
"She is not your woman!" Inuyasha yelled, and was promptly ignored by Kouga. I the blink of an eye he had pushed Inuyasha off of him, stood up, and darted around the angry hanyou, and now stood right behind Kagome. Before anyone knew exactly what was happening, Kouga wrapped his arms around Kagome's now round torso. He felt the plumpness of her belly, and frowned. "Come back with me Kagome. You can stay in my den, and when you have that pup, we'll bring it back to that Inu-kuso and let him take care of it. Then we can have some pups of our own."
Kagome attempted to pull from his grasp, but to no avail. She felt terrible. She was sore, she was moody, she was nauseous, and now she was trapped in the grip of a possessive wolf youkai, who had previously been in what seemed a life or death battle with the father of her baby. This was just not her day. She started to cry. "No, Kouga," She sobbed, "Leave me alone! I'm not going with you!" She tried again to struggle out of his grasp, but he got a strong grip on her shoulders and turned her around, "Why are you crying? Dog-turd do something to you?"
"No!" She replied. Her feeling of self-pity was being replaced by fury, although her tears refused to stop falling, "I'm crying because I feel bad, and you're just making it worse. Now let me go!"
"Get your hands off of her!" Inuyasha cut in, taking a hold on both Kouga's and Kagome's shoulders, forcing them apart. He pulled Kagome to him, and glared at Kouga. "Leave her alone, you wimpy wolf!" He demanded, " She's not your woman. She doesn't want you to touch her. Got that?!"
"You can't even take care of her!" Kouga retaliated, "If I heard her correctly, she told me she feels bad. You let her get sick, dog-turd!"
"She's pregnant, asshole!" Inuyasha informed him, "That's why she's sick."
Inuyasha pushed Kagome away, gently as not to push her over, and got into a fighting stance, obviously intending to finish what he had started.
"Inuyasha," Kagome said with mock sweetness in her voice. He knew that voice. It was her you-better-do-what-I-say-or-you'll-seriously-regret- it-when-I'm-done-with-you voice, and the way she was saying it now basically scared the shit out of him. Maybe the mood swings added that final scary touch, though he wouldn't show the effect it had on him to Kouga or the others. "I just want to talk to him," She said. He hesitated, then growled in frustration, "Feh!" Inuyasha stood up, and Kouga jumped to his feet as he stood next to Kagome.
"So, Kagome," Kouga said, "You're finally going to take me up on my offer?" He looked expectantly at her.
"No, Kouga," Kagome said, and this time it was Inuyasha smirking at the disappointment on Kouga's face. "I'm going to do something that I should have done a long time ago," She continued, "Kouga, I am NOT your woman."
"But-"
"No, Kouga, no buts. Let me finish," She said, " I.Am.Not. Your. Woman. I never said that I was. I really don't know what I have to do to prove it to you that I really mean it. I would think the fact that I am willingly pregnant with Inuyasha's baby would take care of that, but I guess not, so maybe saying this will. I can't go with you, Kouga-kun, and even if I could, I wouldn't. I just don't like that way, and I can't ever picture myself liking you the way you want me to."
Kouga stood there, then looked away, "There's nothing I can do to change your mind then?" She shook her head, "No, There's not."
"I still want you to be my woman."
"I'm sorry, Kouga-kun. I never wanted to hurt you. I still want to be your friend, but that's all. Nothing more than a friend." She honestly never wanted to hurt him like this. She knew what it was like to want something, or someone, you thought you couldn't have. In the end she'd been lucky, though, while Kouga would never have her.
He looked back at her and Inuyasha, and nodded toward the hanyou, " You better take damn good care of her, Inu-korro, or I'll be back to take her with me. And Kagome, if he dies, you come to stay with me."
She nodded and rubbed the back of her head, "Umm.I'll keep that in mind Kouga-kun."
One of his companions finally spoke, "Let's go, Kouga. We really don't have any reason to be here anymore." Kouga cast one look at all of them, his gaze lingering on Kagome a bit longer than the rest, before taking off, kicking up dust as he left. The member of his tribe that was left looked at her, "You know you'll be welcome if anything happens." She smiled, "I know. Thank you." He smiled back at her, " I look forward to seeing you again, Kagome-san."
Before he left, a thought struck her, "Wait! Before you go, could you tell us if you've seen any wandering samurai around this area?" He looked thoughtful. "Well, we hunted down a couple sneaking around these mountains."
"Where?" She asked. He pointed off into the woods, "Off that way. They've got a couple of camps hidden up there." She grinned, "Thanks!" He nodded and bowed slightly before running after his fellow wolf youkai.
They each stood there, saying nothing, until Shippo broke the silence. "Wow," He said, "I thought Kouga would never give up."
"He may be back," Inuyasha said, "You should have just let me finish him off."
"I think he was serious Inuyasha," Kagome replied, "And I didn't want to kill him. He's not such a bad guy, just stubborn and possessive." She thought about what she had just said, and giggled. "What's so funny?" Inuyasha asked irritably. "Kouga's actually a lot like you, Inuyasha!" Kagome informed him of her new discovery, still giggling. "WHAT?! I'm nothing like that wimpy bastard!" He exclaimed, his voice angry and insistent. "Yes you are!" Shippo joined in, not one to be left out of the fun.
Inuyasha growled, deciding that Shippo would be the perfect one to to let out some of his frustrations, and began chasing the now frightened kitsune. "Eek!" Shippo squeaked as he jumped into Kagome's arms, crawling onto her shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her neck, trying to hide in her long, dark hair. "Inuyasha!" She scolded, "We were only kidding! Leave Shippo alone!"
"Keh," Was his response, "He shouldn't be teasing me. You shouldn't either, for that matter."
Kagome let out a frustrated sigh, trying to calm herself before she 'sat' him. Her former bad mood was returning, and she was doing her best not to let it take control. "Well," She said in an unusually calm voice, revealing to them the anger that was boiling below the surface, "At least something good came out of this. We found out where the samurai rebels are hiding. Now we'll be able to get back to your precious jewel shards faster." With that she pushed past him and walked over to her pack.
They watched for a moment as she began to stuff things into her bag. "Let's go," Inuyasha said gruffly. Sango and Miroku sighed simultaneously, and followed the hanyou back to the clearing they had formerly been resting in.
Kagome really didn't know why she was so mad. Inuyasha always chased Shippo, and he was always stubborn whenever she took the young kitsune's side. She sighed, "Damn hormones." (A/N My, my, Kagome. Such language.)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Several hours and a few pairs of sore feet later *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They'd traveled all day. Kagome's moodiness had faded into an attitude so positive it was almost sickening. She was silent now, mostly because of exhaustion. She was obviously tired in the first place, and after a few more hours of walking she was on the verge of falling asleep where she stood. The sun was setting, the fiery reds and oranges fading into a deep purple, where the first stars could be seen. But they were the only light to be seen. Tonight was the night of the new moon.
That had been another reason for Inuyasha's rush. He had wanted to get away from Kouga's territory before night fell, rendering him helpless against the youkai. He was still in the wolf's lands, but it didn't look like they'd be bothered by him or his companions this night.
Kagome watched him closely, waiting for the transformation to occur. "Guys," She called, catching the attention of her friends, "Let's stop here. This looks like a good place to stop for the night."
"I think you are right, Kagome-san," Miroku agreed, "We shall stop."
They began gathering firewood as Kagome dug through her pack, pulling out her sleeping bag. She rolled it out, then began to prepare some ramen for the others. She was interrupted by Inuyasha voice, "It's happening."
They turned toward the hanyou, who was turning human before their eyes. His brilliant silver hair began to become streaked with black until there wasn't a single pale strand left on his head. His furry dog ears shrunk, blending into his scalp, and human ears grew at each side of his face. Kagome glanced at his hands, and saw that his claws had already fully receded, leaving only thin, rounded human nails in their wake. He opened his eyes, which had once been a fiery honey amber color, and were now a dark black. They were so dark, they seemed almost purple.
He could feel his senses weaken. It still managed to startle him, like it had when he was a child, although he had been through it many times before. His eyesight became blurred, and he could barely make out the shapes of his friends and mate in the darkness. He blinked furiously until he could see a bit more clearly, but he still couldn't make out his companions with the clarity he could have just a minute before. His ears could no longer pick up the sounds of their breathing and other movements, or the quiet sounds of the forest, and it was driving him crazy. He felt his inhuman strength slip away, leaving him feeling helpless. He was human, and he hated that.
The others had the decency to stop staring once the transformation was over, and went back to what they had been doing before, with the exception of Kagome. She placed the ramen packet the had been about to prepare down and walked over to where he sat against the trunk of a tree, and sat next to him. He hadn't even heard her coming with his human hearing until she was next to him. What frustrated him more was that he couldn't smell her scent without being very close to her, and even then, he could barely smell her own, natural scent. And if he couldn't pick up on her sweet scent, there was no way that he'd be able to smell the internal scent of their pup.
Kagome settled down, resting against him without a word. She really didn't need to say anything, so they sat silently together. She glanced over at their companions, and seeing that they were too caught up in their work to notice them, laid her head against his shoulder. She twirled a strand of his ebony hair between her thumb and forefinger absentmindedly. He wrapped a strong arm around her, and she snuggled closer to him, getting comfortable as she fit her head in the crook between his neck and shoulder. Inuyasha was just beginning to relax, finally able to smell her scent floating about her, when-
"Awwwww," Sango, Shippo, and Miroku chorused. "Mew," Kirara added agreeably.
The hanyou-turned-human's eyes snapped open, and he growled. It was a strange sounding growl, coming from human vocal chords, but a growl, no doubt. He stood up, blushing, and refused to look anyone in the eye. He couldn't stand the knowing smiles of his friends, and he could already hear the teasing from Shippo. He stomped off, muttering, "I'm going off by myself for a while. Don't follow," cutting off any jokes that might have come. With that he walked off into the forest.
Kagome sighed heavily as he disappeared. "I'm sorry, Kagome-chan," Sango said to her best friend, "We didn't mean to scare him off. It was just so sweet, the two of you sitting there like that." Kagome waved away her apology. "It's okay, Sango-chan," She said, forcing a smile onto her face, "But, hey, that's Inuyasha for you. Too proud for his own good." She stood up, brushing herself off, "I'm going to go get him, Okay?" Everyone nodded, and she walked off in the direction Inuyasha had gone.
Once she was out of camp, she let her face fall. 'Why does he have to be like this?' She wondered, 'I'm having his baby. His 'pup', as he says it. We're allowed to be together like that in public.' Kagome shut her eyes, trying to sense Inuyasha's presence, even though she knew it was pointless. Without his youkai energy, she couldn't sense him at all. She sighed, and continued to scan the trees for his red-clad form.
She found him brooding on the branch of a low tree. He couldn't leap into any random tree as he usually could, so he'd had to find one close enough to the ground that he could get down safely, and with plenty of branches for him to climb. She approached him, and he didn't seem to notice her until she was directly under him. At that moment a twig snapped under the weight of her sore foot, and his head swiveled in her direction. "Inuyasha?" She called.
'Should of known she'd come,' he thought. "Yeah?" Inuyasha replied gruffly. "Inuyasha," She said, "Why'd you leave like that?"
"They pissed me off."
"How? They were just joking around, Inuyasha. Don't take it so seriously!"
"Feh. I don't like being teased."
She sighed, "Yes, Inuyasha you made that very clear earlier today, but they're your friends Inuyasha. They're not trying to hurt your feelings. They're just trying to have some fun."
"."
"Fine. Be like that!" She fumed. She seriously considered walking back without him, but decided that if she was going back, so was she. Right now, he didn't deserve the luxury of privacy if she didn't.
Inuyasha looked down, and even with his human eyesight, he could make out Kagome pulling herself up. "What are you doing, Kagome?" He inquired. She looked up from the branch just below him, "I'm coming up there to sit with you. If you're not going back, then I'm not either." Finally, she heaved herself up to where he was, and sat down, facing him. She looked angry, and Inuyasha thought he saw a touch of hurt in her eyes. He suddenly felt like shit. "Kagome," He began, but he didn't say anything more. He really didn't have anything to say.
"Why'd you leave like that, Inuyasha?" She asked again, "It's not a big deal if we sit together like that. I don't care if they see us, and I don't know why you do."
He looked away, "I told you. I don't like being teased."
"Inuyasha," She said softly. She had a strong feeling that images of his past were flashing through his head right now. She took his face in her hands, gently forcing him to look at her, "I'm going to repeat what I said before. They're only kidding, Inuyasha. They're teasing is supposed to be friendly and funny, not hurtful. If you told them seriously to stop, I bet they would." She watched his reaction to her words. He seemed to be listening, so she continued, "Now I'm going to tell you what my mother told me. If you let people's teasing get to you, they'll keep doing it. If you ignore it, or even laugh with them, soon it's not fun anymore, and they'll stop." He seemed to take this into consideration, and she assumed her short speech had had its effect. She dropped her hands and started to back away. "Come on, Inuyasha. Let's go back," She said, and started to climb down to the ground.
What Kagome had said made a lot of sense to him. He looked at her as she stepped down onto a lower branch, trying to get down. She read him so well. He smirked as he decided that she wasn't leaving just yet.
She felt a hand grip the back of her shirt, hauling her back up to where she had previously been sitting. A second later she found herself facing away from Inuyasha, his arms snaking around her waist. His strong hand pressed against her stomach, stroking it with his thumb through her clothing. "Inuyasha?"
"You're not going anywhere," He informed her. He nuzzled his face into her neck and sighed contentedly. "But-," Kagome began, "What if the others come looking for us?"
He smirked against her skin, "I don't care if they see us. Do you?"
She smiled, "No. Not one bit."
Neither of them moved, just happy to be able to find comfort in one another. Kagome tipped her head back against Inuyasha's shoulder and looked at the stars. 'You can't see them like this in my time,' she thought. They reminded her of shattered diamonds. They were spread across the sky, some standing out and lighting up the sky, some seeming like sand, beautiful, but so small and close together they seemed to cover the night in sparkling silk.
"Is this why you like trees so much, Inuyasha?" She breathed. He glanced at her, then followed her gaze to the moonless sky. "Partially," He replied, "I kind of just grew accustomed to it after I headed out on my own. When there's no one to protect you but yourself, a tree is the safest place you can go." She nodded. She supposed he'd needed someplace to sleep after.. after his mother died.
Suddenly, she turned her head and kissed him on the jaw. He wasn't expecting it. "What was that for?" He asked. She shrugged and leaned into him, getting sleepy. "Just because," She murmured. He wrapped his arm around her to keep her from falling off of the branch. He looked at her face, and saw her eyes begin to droop. He'd rather have let her sleep there, but he couldn't risk him falling asleep with her and letting her slip from her grasp. In his hanyou form he might be able to hold on to her, but like this he wasn't so sure.
Gently, he shook her awake. "Kagome? Kagome, wake up. We need to get down from here."
"Mn," Was her muffled reply as her eyes slid open, "I'm tired. Don' move me."
"We need to go back to camp, remember?"
She sat up with a groan, her muscles screaming in protest. "Okay," she mumbled, her tone showing her great dislike of the idea of climbing back down again. One of his arms latched themselves around her waist. "Ready?" He said. She didn't get a chance to answer before he was making his way down, her in tow.
A moment later, they were standing on the soft, damp earth. Inuyasha's arms loosened their hold on her, and Kagome walked forward. Her walk was more of a shuffle, he observed. She seemed to be uncomfortable. For a split second she stopped, and placed her hands on her back, massaging it with the pads of her fingers. Then she lifted on leg, shook it, as if there was something disgusting on it, then repeated the same thing with the other leg before continuing on her way. He took careful note of her actions, coming to the conclusion that she was indeed more tired than she let on.
They walked on in silence, just focusing on getting back to camp, eating their meal (Inuyasha was dreaming of Ramen), and resting up for the new day ahead. The two of them entered the clearing where they were going to stay that night, and were very surprised at what they saw.
There was a lump underneath the fold of Kagome's sleeping bag, namely Shippo, and two adult forms were seated behind the flames. Although it was hard to see beyond the bright burning light of the campfire, Kagome and Inuyasha still recognized the figures.
Sango and Miroku were kissing in the middle of their campground.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
While Inuyasha and Kagome were off working out their problems, Sango, Shippo, and Miroku had been sitting around, trying to figure out how to cook a ramen packet. Shippo had soon tired of this, and went to search Kagome's bag for his beloved chocolate. Upon finding nothing good (A.K.A. full of sugar, or other such foods with no nutritional value. The kinds of foods little boys live off of), he instructed Sango and Miroku to wake him up when Kagome got back, then promptly curled up into a tiny ball of warm fuzz at the end of Kagome's sleeping bag and fell asleep, leaving the perverted houshi and demon exterminator alone.
Sango soon gave up on understanding the instructions written on the back of the packet of instant ramen, and placed it next Kagome's pack with a defeated sigh before sitting down next to Miroku.
She glanced over at the aformentioned monk, and saw him staring into the fire, then out into the woods in the direction Inuyasha and Kagome had gone. His eyes were unfocused, and he was absentmindedly stroking the inside of his hand with his thumb,
"What's wrong hou- Miroku?" She stopped herself before she called him houshi-sama. Immediately his eyes were no longer dilated, and he snapped to attention. "What was that, Sango?"
"I asked you what was wrong. You seemed unfocused and melancholy again," She informed him.
'She noticed?' He wondered, 'I really must stop daydreaming so often.'
"I am fine, Sango. No need to worry."
She shook her head, "I'm just curious about what is bothering you. Is it the same reason as in Kaede's village?"
He looked back into the woods again, which their friends had yet to return from, and sighed, "In a way yes, and in a way no." She cocked an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that?" He continued to look in the woods as he said, "I am still worried about whether or not I will find a woman to bear an heir for me. My time may be growing short, Sango." He turned towards her.
"Miroku-,"
"I am happy for them," He continued, gesturing towards the trees behind him, "but I cannot help but. envy them. They are finally together, and they will always have each other until the day they die. I can only hope I can find someone to be with me like that, until the end, but I cannot hope for such a thing until we destroy Naraku. Then perhaps I can search for someone I could truly love."
Sango berated herself for letting a blush creep up her neck. She got a strange feeling he wasn't just talking about his curse, his mission, anymore. She had a question for him, but wasn't sure if she should ask. She didn't know where it would get her. She gave him a side-glance, and decided to try her luck.
"Umm. Miroku?"
"Yes, Sango?"
"Why have you.. never asked me.. you know, to bear your child?" She stuttered.
For once, he let his surprise show on his face. "What do you mean?"
"You never asked me to bear your child, yet you have asked nearly every other decent looking girl we've ever met. Why is that?"
He gave her a lecherous grin, "Why? Do you want me to?" She blushed, but said nothing. Miroku became more serious, "Sango, why do you want to know something like that?"
She didn't answer. She didn't really know for herself. He leaned closer, and she leaned back. "Sango," He went on, "Do you want to bear my child?" He sounded simply curious, not lecherous. She searched for the right words, but her mind was a jumble, "I-I just wanted to know w-why you never asked me?"
He looked at his hand. Only for a second, but he did it. "I did not want to hurt you," He said in a solemn tone.
"What?"
He looked her in the eye, "I did not want to hurt you. What good would it do you if I left you with child, sucked into my own hand?"
"What good would it do any of the other women?"
He sighed, "No good at all. I know that, but I did not love any of them."
Sango blushed brighter. Was he saying...
That he loved her?
"Miroku," Was all she could manage to say. Miroku resumed staring into the fire before looking at her even more intensely than before. "Tell me, Sango," He said, "If I did not have this curse, if we were able to destroy Naraku in time, would you do me the honor of bearing my child, and staying with me?"
She didn't know what to say. He'd never looked at her this way before, with so much emotion in his eyes. His deep, stormy blue eyes...
She vaguely heard herself saying 'yes'.
Her eyes widened as she realized what she had said. A satisfied smile crossed Miroku's features, "Then I have yet another reason to defeat Naraku."
"And what is that?" She asked awkwardly. She really needed to get some control on herself!
"Because I do believe that I love you," Was his reply. Sango was to stunned to notice he was pulling her towards him until she felt his lips touch hers. From then on it was wildfire.
That is, until they heard a familiar, gruff, and amused voice, along with some muffled female's giggling, "What are you two doing?"
*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**~*
Kagome couldn't believe it. Sango and Miroku, kissing in the middle of camp. One second she was pummeling him with her boomerang, next thing you know she's kissing him by the fire. Funny how life works, isn't it?
The two of them snapped apart, blushing furiously, although Miroku had a wide grin on his face. Sango started to sputter, "H-how long have y- you two b-been s-standing there?"
"Only for a second," Kagome chuckled. Even Inuyasha was holding back a laugh, "So, you two finally got it together, huh?"
The new couple blushed even more brightly than before. Kagome walked over to sit next to Sango and leaned over to whisper into her ear, "I want details later, okay?" Sango looked away before nodding quickly. Kagome was still giggling as she stood and made her way over to where the discarded ramen packet lay.
Inuyasha didn't say anything, but he gave Miroku a look that said 'I- am-not-going-to-let-you-live-this-down'. Miroku met his stare head on and shrugged, still grinning wildly. His lack of concern about Inuyasha's future jokes took all the fun out of it for him, but Inuyasha soon forgot all about that when he smelled his ramen cooking. Even with a human nose, it still smelled appealing. He went over and leaned over Kagome, staring into the boiling water where the ramen was cooking. Kagome turned around, "What is it with you and ramen? And standing over me like that isn't going to make it cook faster you know."
"Keh," Inuyasha replied, and plopped down on the ground next to her. As soon as the food was done, Kagome dished it out to each of her friends, adding a little extra for Inuyasha. She crawled over to her sleeping bag and shook Shippo awake, and soon he had joined them happily.
Everyone was silent while they ate, with the exception of Shippo, who was babbling away cheerily, oblivious to everything that had happened after he fell asleep, and the sound of Inuyasha practically inhaling his food could be heard. Sango and Miroku refused to look anyone in the eye, including each other.
Kagome was the first to finish, and while Inuyasha was helping himself to another bowl, she stood up and stretched, "I think I'm off to bed now, guys. Good night." Shippo left his bowl of ramen, which was immediately taken by Inuyasha, and clung to Kagome's leg, following her to bed. She smiled down at him before reaching down and scooping him into her arms. She settled under the covers, pulling them over the two of them.
The others soon followed suit. Inuyasha would have preferred to sleep in a tree, but there weren't any he could climb in his human form and still watch over the group. He decided leaning against the tree Kagome was sleeping under was good enough, and made himself comfortable there. Sango and Miroku settled on their own bedding (A/N Do Sango and Miroku have blankets or pillows? I would think they would carry some around with them, don't you?). Both Inuyasha and Kagome noticed they were sleeping a little closer together. Kagome smiled, and Inuyasha smirked at the two of them.
Shippo had long ago fallen asleep, and Sango and Miroku were now also silent. Inuyasha studied them, and decided from their even breathing that they were indeed asleep. He turned towards Kagome. She looked tired, but she wasn't asleep yet. She was twisting around in her blankets.
"Can't sleep?" He inquired. She looked up at him, "Can't get comfortable."
He remembered what hr had witnessed before in the woods. 'No wonder she can't get comfortable,' he thought. He looked down at Shippo, making sure he was till asleep, before moving closer to Kagome. Half of his body was now inside the sleeping bag. Kagome stared at him, "Inuyasha, what are you doing?" He pulled her on top of him. "Are you still sore?" He asked. She seemed surprised, "How did you know?"
"I don't know. I can just tell," He replied, "By the way you move, I can tell you're sore, or hurt, or something like that."
"Oh," She said.
Kagome leaned back against his muscular form, and felt his hands brush against her pajama shorts, trail along her loose t-shirt, and press against her back. He began to massage the knots there with his strong fingers. She sighed contentedly. It hurt so good. She swore he knew her body better than she did.
He let his hands slip under her shirt as he roamed up her back to her shoulders, and continued to rub them. Soon she relaxed against him, and he looked at her face. She'd fallen asleep.
He slipped down into the blankets, pulling Kagome against him protectively. He, too, fell asleep, waiting for morning when he would be hanyou once again
*~~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shippo shivered and opened his eyes. Somehow he'd rolled over in the middle of the night and ended up outside the sleeping bag. He looked over at Kagome, who was curled up in Inuyasha's arms. The young kitsune was only half-awake, and therefore was not in the mood to joke about their position. He made his way over to them, and pressed his cold, tired little body between the two of them. It just felt right there, with Inuyasha on one side and Kagome on the other. It felt like old times, when he would lie down with his mama and papa. He glanced at Kagome. Mama. He glanced at Inuyasha... Papa.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's note: Have you noticed that a lot of my chapters end with them falling asleep? I'll have to do something about that.
Anyway, sorry this is soooo over due! I was busy earlier this week, and then I got grounded. I don't even know what I was grounded for! My Dad just went a little crazy. Oh, well.
Remember, at least five reviews, although so far that hasn't been a problem!
THANK YOU KOTA MAGIC FOR MY 100th REVIEW!!!!!!! I'll have to think of something to give you. Hmm.. I'm so happy!!!! * la la la * ( .
Here's the next chapter: The face off with Kouga!!!! Dun dun dun!!!!!
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and Company. If you don't know that by now than you are extremely stupid.
Chapter 9: Jealousy
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They all awaited Kouga's arrival. 'So that's why he was in such a rush,' Kagome thought, 'We're in Kouga's territory.' Things did look vaguely familiar to her from when Kouga had kidnapped her, but she wasn't exactly admiring the scenery while she was being carried off on a strange youkai's back.
A moment later a whirlwind of dirt and wind came into view. It neared the group before finally stopping. When the dust cleared, Kouga could be seen standing before them, his two companions arriving a moment later.
"Kagome," He said facing her, ignoring the others completely, "I was hoping it wasn't you." (A/N Never thought you'd hear that from Kouga, huh?)
"What?" Kagome was confused. He started to walk toward her, only to come face to face with an extremely annoyed Inuyasha. The hanyou was emitting a growl, which Kouga countered with his own. "What did you do to her, Inu-korro (Sp?)?!" Kouga barked.
"I would think that would be obvious, you dumbass!"
"How could you claim her? I told you she is MY woman!" He yelled in his face. "She is not!" Inuyasha replied hotly, "Are you that stupid? She's my mate. Hell, she's carrying my pup!"
"I know that, moron! You think I can't smell you all over her?! You think I can't smell you INSIDE her?!"
Inuyasha snorted, "A wimpy wolf like you? I couldn't be sure." (A/N Yeah! Go, Inu!)
No one saw it coming. That moment, Kouga's let out a loud, threatening growl, and pounced, catching Inuyasha off guard. The two off them rolled to the ground, a tangled mass of cloth, limbs, flesh, and fur. They clawed at each other, barking and growling in ways no human could understand. Inuyasha was looking for a chance, one second, for him to draw his Tetsusaiga, and finish this fight. Kouga raked his claws along his sides, leaving bleeding gashes in their wake. Inuyasha returned the movement with a strike of his own on the wolf's chest and upper arm.
Finally, Inuyasha had his chance. Kouga had hesitated for a split second to glance at his now injured arm, and Inuyasha had him pinned in a way that his opponent couldn't fight back or move away. He unsheathed the Tetsusaiga, and was about to make his final blow when,
"Inuyasha!" Kagome's voice rang out, "Don't kill him!" Without moving off of Kouga, he looked at her. "What are you defending him for?! We need to finish him off so he won't bother you again!" He wasn't necessarily going to * kill* the bastard, just cut off a couple of limbs. He looked back down at Kouga, who smirked, "See? Guess she is my woman, after all." Okay, NOW he was going to kill him.
"Kouga-kun," Kagome interrupted, and the two canine youkai turned toward her, "What are you doing here?"
"I came to make sure this filthy dog never touches my woman ever again!" He said, more to Inuyasha than to her.
"She is not your woman!" Inuyasha yelled, and was promptly ignored by Kouga. I the blink of an eye he had pushed Inuyasha off of him, stood up, and darted around the angry hanyou, and now stood right behind Kagome. Before anyone knew exactly what was happening, Kouga wrapped his arms around Kagome's now round torso. He felt the plumpness of her belly, and frowned. "Come back with me Kagome. You can stay in my den, and when you have that pup, we'll bring it back to that Inu-kuso and let him take care of it. Then we can have some pups of our own."
Kagome attempted to pull from his grasp, but to no avail. She felt terrible. She was sore, she was moody, she was nauseous, and now she was trapped in the grip of a possessive wolf youkai, who had previously been in what seemed a life or death battle with the father of her baby. This was just not her day. She started to cry. "No, Kouga," She sobbed, "Leave me alone! I'm not going with you!" She tried again to struggle out of his grasp, but he got a strong grip on her shoulders and turned her around, "Why are you crying? Dog-turd do something to you?"
"No!" She replied. Her feeling of self-pity was being replaced by fury, although her tears refused to stop falling, "I'm crying because I feel bad, and you're just making it worse. Now let me go!"
"Get your hands off of her!" Inuyasha cut in, taking a hold on both Kouga's and Kagome's shoulders, forcing them apart. He pulled Kagome to him, and glared at Kouga. "Leave her alone, you wimpy wolf!" He demanded, " She's not your woman. She doesn't want you to touch her. Got that?!"
"You can't even take care of her!" Kouga retaliated, "If I heard her correctly, she told me she feels bad. You let her get sick, dog-turd!"
"She's pregnant, asshole!" Inuyasha informed him, "That's why she's sick."
Inuyasha pushed Kagome away, gently as not to push her over, and got into a fighting stance, obviously intending to finish what he had started.
"Inuyasha," Kagome said with mock sweetness in her voice. He knew that voice. It was her you-better-do-what-I-say-or-you'll-seriously-regret- it-when-I'm-done-with-you voice, and the way she was saying it now basically scared the shit out of him. Maybe the mood swings added that final scary touch, though he wouldn't show the effect it had on him to Kouga or the others. "I just want to talk to him," She said. He hesitated, then growled in frustration, "Feh!" Inuyasha stood up, and Kouga jumped to his feet as he stood next to Kagome.
"So, Kagome," Kouga said, "You're finally going to take me up on my offer?" He looked expectantly at her.
"No, Kouga," Kagome said, and this time it was Inuyasha smirking at the disappointment on Kouga's face. "I'm going to do something that I should have done a long time ago," She continued, "Kouga, I am NOT your woman."
"But-"
"No, Kouga, no buts. Let me finish," She said, " I.Am.Not. Your. Woman. I never said that I was. I really don't know what I have to do to prove it to you that I really mean it. I would think the fact that I am willingly pregnant with Inuyasha's baby would take care of that, but I guess not, so maybe saying this will. I can't go with you, Kouga-kun, and even if I could, I wouldn't. I just don't like that way, and I can't ever picture myself liking you the way you want me to."
Kouga stood there, then looked away, "There's nothing I can do to change your mind then?" She shook her head, "No, There's not."
"I still want you to be my woman."
"I'm sorry, Kouga-kun. I never wanted to hurt you. I still want to be your friend, but that's all. Nothing more than a friend." She honestly never wanted to hurt him like this. She knew what it was like to want something, or someone, you thought you couldn't have. In the end she'd been lucky, though, while Kouga would never have her.
He looked back at her and Inuyasha, and nodded toward the hanyou, " You better take damn good care of her, Inu-korro, or I'll be back to take her with me. And Kagome, if he dies, you come to stay with me."
She nodded and rubbed the back of her head, "Umm.I'll keep that in mind Kouga-kun."
One of his companions finally spoke, "Let's go, Kouga. We really don't have any reason to be here anymore." Kouga cast one look at all of them, his gaze lingering on Kagome a bit longer than the rest, before taking off, kicking up dust as he left. The member of his tribe that was left looked at her, "You know you'll be welcome if anything happens." She smiled, "I know. Thank you." He smiled back at her, " I look forward to seeing you again, Kagome-san."
Before he left, a thought struck her, "Wait! Before you go, could you tell us if you've seen any wandering samurai around this area?" He looked thoughtful. "Well, we hunted down a couple sneaking around these mountains."
"Where?" She asked. He pointed off into the woods, "Off that way. They've got a couple of camps hidden up there." She grinned, "Thanks!" He nodded and bowed slightly before running after his fellow wolf youkai.
They each stood there, saying nothing, until Shippo broke the silence. "Wow," He said, "I thought Kouga would never give up."
"He may be back," Inuyasha said, "You should have just let me finish him off."
"I think he was serious Inuyasha," Kagome replied, "And I didn't want to kill him. He's not such a bad guy, just stubborn and possessive." She thought about what she had just said, and giggled. "What's so funny?" Inuyasha asked irritably. "Kouga's actually a lot like you, Inuyasha!" Kagome informed him of her new discovery, still giggling. "WHAT?! I'm nothing like that wimpy bastard!" He exclaimed, his voice angry and insistent. "Yes you are!" Shippo joined in, not one to be left out of the fun.
Inuyasha growled, deciding that Shippo would be the perfect one to to let out some of his frustrations, and began chasing the now frightened kitsune. "Eek!" Shippo squeaked as he jumped into Kagome's arms, crawling onto her shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her neck, trying to hide in her long, dark hair. "Inuyasha!" She scolded, "We were only kidding! Leave Shippo alone!"
"Keh," Was his response, "He shouldn't be teasing me. You shouldn't either, for that matter."
Kagome let out a frustrated sigh, trying to calm herself before she 'sat' him. Her former bad mood was returning, and she was doing her best not to let it take control. "Well," She said in an unusually calm voice, revealing to them the anger that was boiling below the surface, "At least something good came out of this. We found out where the samurai rebels are hiding. Now we'll be able to get back to your precious jewel shards faster." With that she pushed past him and walked over to her pack.
They watched for a moment as she began to stuff things into her bag. "Let's go," Inuyasha said gruffly. Sango and Miroku sighed simultaneously, and followed the hanyou back to the clearing they had formerly been resting in.
Kagome really didn't know why she was so mad. Inuyasha always chased Shippo, and he was always stubborn whenever she took the young kitsune's side. She sighed, "Damn hormones." (A/N My, my, Kagome. Such language.)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Several hours and a few pairs of sore feet later *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They'd traveled all day. Kagome's moodiness had faded into an attitude so positive it was almost sickening. She was silent now, mostly because of exhaustion. She was obviously tired in the first place, and after a few more hours of walking she was on the verge of falling asleep where she stood. The sun was setting, the fiery reds and oranges fading into a deep purple, where the first stars could be seen. But they were the only light to be seen. Tonight was the night of the new moon.
That had been another reason for Inuyasha's rush. He had wanted to get away from Kouga's territory before night fell, rendering him helpless against the youkai. He was still in the wolf's lands, but it didn't look like they'd be bothered by him or his companions this night.
Kagome watched him closely, waiting for the transformation to occur. "Guys," She called, catching the attention of her friends, "Let's stop here. This looks like a good place to stop for the night."
"I think you are right, Kagome-san," Miroku agreed, "We shall stop."
They began gathering firewood as Kagome dug through her pack, pulling out her sleeping bag. She rolled it out, then began to prepare some ramen for the others. She was interrupted by Inuyasha voice, "It's happening."
They turned toward the hanyou, who was turning human before their eyes. His brilliant silver hair began to become streaked with black until there wasn't a single pale strand left on his head. His furry dog ears shrunk, blending into his scalp, and human ears grew at each side of his face. Kagome glanced at his hands, and saw that his claws had already fully receded, leaving only thin, rounded human nails in their wake. He opened his eyes, which had once been a fiery honey amber color, and were now a dark black. They were so dark, they seemed almost purple.
He could feel his senses weaken. It still managed to startle him, like it had when he was a child, although he had been through it many times before. His eyesight became blurred, and he could barely make out the shapes of his friends and mate in the darkness. He blinked furiously until he could see a bit more clearly, but he still couldn't make out his companions with the clarity he could have just a minute before. His ears could no longer pick up the sounds of their breathing and other movements, or the quiet sounds of the forest, and it was driving him crazy. He felt his inhuman strength slip away, leaving him feeling helpless. He was human, and he hated that.
The others had the decency to stop staring once the transformation was over, and went back to what they had been doing before, with the exception of Kagome. She placed the ramen packet the had been about to prepare down and walked over to where he sat against the trunk of a tree, and sat next to him. He hadn't even heard her coming with his human hearing until she was next to him. What frustrated him more was that he couldn't smell her scent without being very close to her, and even then, he could barely smell her own, natural scent. And if he couldn't pick up on her sweet scent, there was no way that he'd be able to smell the internal scent of their pup.
Kagome settled down, resting against him without a word. She really didn't need to say anything, so they sat silently together. She glanced over at their companions, and seeing that they were too caught up in their work to notice them, laid her head against his shoulder. She twirled a strand of his ebony hair between her thumb and forefinger absentmindedly. He wrapped a strong arm around her, and she snuggled closer to him, getting comfortable as she fit her head in the crook between his neck and shoulder. Inuyasha was just beginning to relax, finally able to smell her scent floating about her, when-
"Awwwww," Sango, Shippo, and Miroku chorused. "Mew," Kirara added agreeably.
The hanyou-turned-human's eyes snapped open, and he growled. It was a strange sounding growl, coming from human vocal chords, but a growl, no doubt. He stood up, blushing, and refused to look anyone in the eye. He couldn't stand the knowing smiles of his friends, and he could already hear the teasing from Shippo. He stomped off, muttering, "I'm going off by myself for a while. Don't follow," cutting off any jokes that might have come. With that he walked off into the forest.
Kagome sighed heavily as he disappeared. "I'm sorry, Kagome-chan," Sango said to her best friend, "We didn't mean to scare him off. It was just so sweet, the two of you sitting there like that." Kagome waved away her apology. "It's okay, Sango-chan," She said, forcing a smile onto her face, "But, hey, that's Inuyasha for you. Too proud for his own good." She stood up, brushing herself off, "I'm going to go get him, Okay?" Everyone nodded, and she walked off in the direction Inuyasha had gone.
Once she was out of camp, she let her face fall. 'Why does he have to be like this?' She wondered, 'I'm having his baby. His 'pup', as he says it. We're allowed to be together like that in public.' Kagome shut her eyes, trying to sense Inuyasha's presence, even though she knew it was pointless. Without his youkai energy, she couldn't sense him at all. She sighed, and continued to scan the trees for his red-clad form.
She found him brooding on the branch of a low tree. He couldn't leap into any random tree as he usually could, so he'd had to find one close enough to the ground that he could get down safely, and with plenty of branches for him to climb. She approached him, and he didn't seem to notice her until she was directly under him. At that moment a twig snapped under the weight of her sore foot, and his head swiveled in her direction. "Inuyasha?" She called.
'Should of known she'd come,' he thought. "Yeah?" Inuyasha replied gruffly. "Inuyasha," She said, "Why'd you leave like that?"
"They pissed me off."
"How? They were just joking around, Inuyasha. Don't take it so seriously!"
"Feh. I don't like being teased."
She sighed, "Yes, Inuyasha you made that very clear earlier today, but they're your friends Inuyasha. They're not trying to hurt your feelings. They're just trying to have some fun."
"."
"Fine. Be like that!" She fumed. She seriously considered walking back without him, but decided that if she was going back, so was she. Right now, he didn't deserve the luxury of privacy if she didn't.
Inuyasha looked down, and even with his human eyesight, he could make out Kagome pulling herself up. "What are you doing, Kagome?" He inquired. She looked up from the branch just below him, "I'm coming up there to sit with you. If you're not going back, then I'm not either." Finally, she heaved herself up to where he was, and sat down, facing him. She looked angry, and Inuyasha thought he saw a touch of hurt in her eyes. He suddenly felt like shit. "Kagome," He began, but he didn't say anything more. He really didn't have anything to say.
"Why'd you leave like that, Inuyasha?" She asked again, "It's not a big deal if we sit together like that. I don't care if they see us, and I don't know why you do."
He looked away, "I told you. I don't like being teased."
"Inuyasha," She said softly. She had a strong feeling that images of his past were flashing through his head right now. She took his face in her hands, gently forcing him to look at her, "I'm going to repeat what I said before. They're only kidding, Inuyasha. They're teasing is supposed to be friendly and funny, not hurtful. If you told them seriously to stop, I bet they would." She watched his reaction to her words. He seemed to be listening, so she continued, "Now I'm going to tell you what my mother told me. If you let people's teasing get to you, they'll keep doing it. If you ignore it, or even laugh with them, soon it's not fun anymore, and they'll stop." He seemed to take this into consideration, and she assumed her short speech had had its effect. She dropped her hands and started to back away. "Come on, Inuyasha. Let's go back," She said, and started to climb down to the ground.
What Kagome had said made a lot of sense to him. He looked at her as she stepped down onto a lower branch, trying to get down. She read him so well. He smirked as he decided that she wasn't leaving just yet.
She felt a hand grip the back of her shirt, hauling her back up to where she had previously been sitting. A second later she found herself facing away from Inuyasha, his arms snaking around her waist. His strong hand pressed against her stomach, stroking it with his thumb through her clothing. "Inuyasha?"
"You're not going anywhere," He informed her. He nuzzled his face into her neck and sighed contentedly. "But-," Kagome began, "What if the others come looking for us?"
He smirked against her skin, "I don't care if they see us. Do you?"
She smiled, "No. Not one bit."
Neither of them moved, just happy to be able to find comfort in one another. Kagome tipped her head back against Inuyasha's shoulder and looked at the stars. 'You can't see them like this in my time,' she thought. They reminded her of shattered diamonds. They were spread across the sky, some standing out and lighting up the sky, some seeming like sand, beautiful, but so small and close together they seemed to cover the night in sparkling silk.
"Is this why you like trees so much, Inuyasha?" She breathed. He glanced at her, then followed her gaze to the moonless sky. "Partially," He replied, "I kind of just grew accustomed to it after I headed out on my own. When there's no one to protect you but yourself, a tree is the safest place you can go." She nodded. She supposed he'd needed someplace to sleep after.. after his mother died.
Suddenly, she turned her head and kissed him on the jaw. He wasn't expecting it. "What was that for?" He asked. She shrugged and leaned into him, getting sleepy. "Just because," She murmured. He wrapped his arm around her to keep her from falling off of the branch. He looked at her face, and saw her eyes begin to droop. He'd rather have let her sleep there, but he couldn't risk him falling asleep with her and letting her slip from her grasp. In his hanyou form he might be able to hold on to her, but like this he wasn't so sure.
Gently, he shook her awake. "Kagome? Kagome, wake up. We need to get down from here."
"Mn," Was her muffled reply as her eyes slid open, "I'm tired. Don' move me."
"We need to go back to camp, remember?"
She sat up with a groan, her muscles screaming in protest. "Okay," she mumbled, her tone showing her great dislike of the idea of climbing back down again. One of his arms latched themselves around her waist. "Ready?" He said. She didn't get a chance to answer before he was making his way down, her in tow.
A moment later, they were standing on the soft, damp earth. Inuyasha's arms loosened their hold on her, and Kagome walked forward. Her walk was more of a shuffle, he observed. She seemed to be uncomfortable. For a split second she stopped, and placed her hands on her back, massaging it with the pads of her fingers. Then she lifted on leg, shook it, as if there was something disgusting on it, then repeated the same thing with the other leg before continuing on her way. He took careful note of her actions, coming to the conclusion that she was indeed more tired than she let on.
They walked on in silence, just focusing on getting back to camp, eating their meal (Inuyasha was dreaming of Ramen), and resting up for the new day ahead. The two of them entered the clearing where they were going to stay that night, and were very surprised at what they saw.
There was a lump underneath the fold of Kagome's sleeping bag, namely Shippo, and two adult forms were seated behind the flames. Although it was hard to see beyond the bright burning light of the campfire, Kagome and Inuyasha still recognized the figures.
Sango and Miroku were kissing in the middle of their campground.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
While Inuyasha and Kagome were off working out their problems, Sango, Shippo, and Miroku had been sitting around, trying to figure out how to cook a ramen packet. Shippo had soon tired of this, and went to search Kagome's bag for his beloved chocolate. Upon finding nothing good (A.K.A. full of sugar, or other such foods with no nutritional value. The kinds of foods little boys live off of), he instructed Sango and Miroku to wake him up when Kagome got back, then promptly curled up into a tiny ball of warm fuzz at the end of Kagome's sleeping bag and fell asleep, leaving the perverted houshi and demon exterminator alone.
Sango soon gave up on understanding the instructions written on the back of the packet of instant ramen, and placed it next Kagome's pack with a defeated sigh before sitting down next to Miroku.
She glanced over at the aformentioned monk, and saw him staring into the fire, then out into the woods in the direction Inuyasha and Kagome had gone. His eyes were unfocused, and he was absentmindedly stroking the inside of his hand with his thumb,
"What's wrong hou- Miroku?" She stopped herself before she called him houshi-sama. Immediately his eyes were no longer dilated, and he snapped to attention. "What was that, Sango?"
"I asked you what was wrong. You seemed unfocused and melancholy again," She informed him.
'She noticed?' He wondered, 'I really must stop daydreaming so often.'
"I am fine, Sango. No need to worry."
She shook her head, "I'm just curious about what is bothering you. Is it the same reason as in Kaede's village?"
He looked back into the woods again, which their friends had yet to return from, and sighed, "In a way yes, and in a way no." She cocked an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that?" He continued to look in the woods as he said, "I am still worried about whether or not I will find a woman to bear an heir for me. My time may be growing short, Sango." He turned towards her.
"Miroku-,"
"I am happy for them," He continued, gesturing towards the trees behind him, "but I cannot help but. envy them. They are finally together, and they will always have each other until the day they die. I can only hope I can find someone to be with me like that, until the end, but I cannot hope for such a thing until we destroy Naraku. Then perhaps I can search for someone I could truly love."
Sango berated herself for letting a blush creep up her neck. She got a strange feeling he wasn't just talking about his curse, his mission, anymore. She had a question for him, but wasn't sure if she should ask. She didn't know where it would get her. She gave him a side-glance, and decided to try her luck.
"Umm. Miroku?"
"Yes, Sango?"
"Why have you.. never asked me.. you know, to bear your child?" She stuttered.
For once, he let his surprise show on his face. "What do you mean?"
"You never asked me to bear your child, yet you have asked nearly every other decent looking girl we've ever met. Why is that?"
He gave her a lecherous grin, "Why? Do you want me to?" She blushed, but said nothing. Miroku became more serious, "Sango, why do you want to know something like that?"
She didn't answer. She didn't really know for herself. He leaned closer, and she leaned back. "Sango," He went on, "Do you want to bear my child?" He sounded simply curious, not lecherous. She searched for the right words, but her mind was a jumble, "I-I just wanted to know w-why you never asked me?"
He looked at his hand. Only for a second, but he did it. "I did not want to hurt you," He said in a solemn tone.
"What?"
He looked her in the eye, "I did not want to hurt you. What good would it do you if I left you with child, sucked into my own hand?"
"What good would it do any of the other women?"
He sighed, "No good at all. I know that, but I did not love any of them."
Sango blushed brighter. Was he saying...
That he loved her?
"Miroku," Was all she could manage to say. Miroku resumed staring into the fire before looking at her even more intensely than before. "Tell me, Sango," He said, "If I did not have this curse, if we were able to destroy Naraku in time, would you do me the honor of bearing my child, and staying with me?"
She didn't know what to say. He'd never looked at her this way before, with so much emotion in his eyes. His deep, stormy blue eyes...
She vaguely heard herself saying 'yes'.
Her eyes widened as she realized what she had said. A satisfied smile crossed Miroku's features, "Then I have yet another reason to defeat Naraku."
"And what is that?" She asked awkwardly. She really needed to get some control on herself!
"Because I do believe that I love you," Was his reply. Sango was to stunned to notice he was pulling her towards him until she felt his lips touch hers. From then on it was wildfire.
That is, until they heard a familiar, gruff, and amused voice, along with some muffled female's giggling, "What are you two doing?"
*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**~*
Kagome couldn't believe it. Sango and Miroku, kissing in the middle of camp. One second she was pummeling him with her boomerang, next thing you know she's kissing him by the fire. Funny how life works, isn't it?
The two of them snapped apart, blushing furiously, although Miroku had a wide grin on his face. Sango started to sputter, "H-how long have y- you two b-been s-standing there?"
"Only for a second," Kagome chuckled. Even Inuyasha was holding back a laugh, "So, you two finally got it together, huh?"
The new couple blushed even more brightly than before. Kagome walked over to sit next to Sango and leaned over to whisper into her ear, "I want details later, okay?" Sango looked away before nodding quickly. Kagome was still giggling as she stood and made her way over to where the discarded ramen packet lay.
Inuyasha didn't say anything, but he gave Miroku a look that said 'I- am-not-going-to-let-you-live-this-down'. Miroku met his stare head on and shrugged, still grinning wildly. His lack of concern about Inuyasha's future jokes took all the fun out of it for him, but Inuyasha soon forgot all about that when he smelled his ramen cooking. Even with a human nose, it still smelled appealing. He went over and leaned over Kagome, staring into the boiling water where the ramen was cooking. Kagome turned around, "What is it with you and ramen? And standing over me like that isn't going to make it cook faster you know."
"Keh," Inuyasha replied, and plopped down on the ground next to her. As soon as the food was done, Kagome dished it out to each of her friends, adding a little extra for Inuyasha. She crawled over to her sleeping bag and shook Shippo awake, and soon he had joined them happily.
Everyone was silent while they ate, with the exception of Shippo, who was babbling away cheerily, oblivious to everything that had happened after he fell asleep, and the sound of Inuyasha practically inhaling his food could be heard. Sango and Miroku refused to look anyone in the eye, including each other.
Kagome was the first to finish, and while Inuyasha was helping himself to another bowl, she stood up and stretched, "I think I'm off to bed now, guys. Good night." Shippo left his bowl of ramen, which was immediately taken by Inuyasha, and clung to Kagome's leg, following her to bed. She smiled down at him before reaching down and scooping him into her arms. She settled under the covers, pulling them over the two of them.
The others soon followed suit. Inuyasha would have preferred to sleep in a tree, but there weren't any he could climb in his human form and still watch over the group. He decided leaning against the tree Kagome was sleeping under was good enough, and made himself comfortable there. Sango and Miroku settled on their own bedding (A/N Do Sango and Miroku have blankets or pillows? I would think they would carry some around with them, don't you?). Both Inuyasha and Kagome noticed they were sleeping a little closer together. Kagome smiled, and Inuyasha smirked at the two of them.
Shippo had long ago fallen asleep, and Sango and Miroku were now also silent. Inuyasha studied them, and decided from their even breathing that they were indeed asleep. He turned towards Kagome. She looked tired, but she wasn't asleep yet. She was twisting around in her blankets.
"Can't sleep?" He inquired. She looked up at him, "Can't get comfortable."
He remembered what hr had witnessed before in the woods. 'No wonder she can't get comfortable,' he thought. He looked down at Shippo, making sure he was till asleep, before moving closer to Kagome. Half of his body was now inside the sleeping bag. Kagome stared at him, "Inuyasha, what are you doing?" He pulled her on top of him. "Are you still sore?" He asked. She seemed surprised, "How did you know?"
"I don't know. I can just tell," He replied, "By the way you move, I can tell you're sore, or hurt, or something like that."
"Oh," She said.
Kagome leaned back against his muscular form, and felt his hands brush against her pajama shorts, trail along her loose t-shirt, and press against her back. He began to massage the knots there with his strong fingers. She sighed contentedly. It hurt so good. She swore he knew her body better than she did.
He let his hands slip under her shirt as he roamed up her back to her shoulders, and continued to rub them. Soon she relaxed against him, and he looked at her face. She'd fallen asleep.
He slipped down into the blankets, pulling Kagome against him protectively. He, too, fell asleep, waiting for morning when he would be hanyou once again
*~~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shippo shivered and opened his eyes. Somehow he'd rolled over in the middle of the night and ended up outside the sleeping bag. He looked over at Kagome, who was curled up in Inuyasha's arms. The young kitsune was only half-awake, and therefore was not in the mood to joke about their position. He made his way over to them, and pressed his cold, tired little body between the two of them. It just felt right there, with Inuyasha on one side and Kagome on the other. It felt like old times, when he would lie down with his mama and papa. He glanced at Kagome. Mama. He glanced at Inuyasha... Papa.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's note: Have you noticed that a lot of my chapters end with them falling asleep? I'll have to do something about that.
Anyway, sorry this is soooo over due! I was busy earlier this week, and then I got grounded. I don't even know what I was grounded for! My Dad just went a little crazy. Oh, well.
Remember, at least five reviews, although so far that hasn't been a problem!
