Chapter 13
Smokey Night

Kagome continued to sniff and she followed her nose. She came to a hut a good lengths away from the village. Kagome smiled and looked at Inuyasha. He folded his arms and stuck his nose up in the air.

'It's not where the smoke is coming from," Inuyasha grumbled.

"So," Kagome said. "It's a hut, it's abandoned!"

"Big deal..."

"Oh, come on. Do you think Sessohumaru is waiting for us in there or something?"

"Well, no, but--"

"So, come on! No one is in there..." Kagome put on a pouty face.

"Fine," Inuyasha finally said, walking into the hut.

Kagome followed him in and saw a fireplace. She smiled and pulled out a box of matches and a little bit of paper that use to be a note from Hojo. She lit it and through it in the fireplace. As the other pieces of logs began to light, Kagome sighed and sat down in front of the fire.

Inuyasha sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist. Kagome sighed and began to feel a little hungrier than usual. She ignored it and laid on Inuyasha. He began to fall asleep, but Kagome couldn't. She needed to move around and be, well, restless. Kagome laid down on the floor and groaned to herself, "I want to be petted..." Kagome rolled back and forth a few times and then realized what she was doing.

She was acting like a total cat. Inuyasha opened his eyes to feel no Kagome in his arms and looked around. He saw Kagome roll back and forth a few times on the floor. He raised an eyebrow and her scent became stronger than before, "A-Are you all right, Kagome?" Why am I stuttering? She's a cat and I think i'm attracted to her. That's kind of scary, but, hey, I can't turn down that scent. It's so refreshing, warm, heart-racing-- Inuyasha stopped in mid thought.

Kagome groaned, "What is wrong with me? I can't sleep, I'm really hungry, and I want to be petted!"

"It's nothing that I know off..." Inuyasha shrugged and rubbed her ears. As Kagome began to purr, he began to think again. I-is she going into heat? No, those aren't the signs of a bitch going into heat. Then again, she's not an inu, she's a neko. Are these the signs? No, it couldn't be, Kagome longs for attention sometimes, this is probaly one of those times. Yeah, that's it. She wants attention, so I'll give her it! Inuyasha began kiss her, but then Kagome whined.

"Pet me!" Kagome whined in the most annoying tone.

"I thought you wanted attention."

"I don't know, I feel all... Strange..." I'm not going to go and admit that I want him right here, right now! Wait, where did that come from?

Inuyasha felt a little light in his pants and moved closer to Kagome, holding her very possesively. "Mine," he groaned.

"W-what'd you say," Kagome stuttered, fairly frightened now. She tried to scoot away, but he held on tighter.

"You're mine..."

"I-Inuyasha?"

"Stay..."

"You're scaring me, let go..." Kagome tried to pull away, but claws dug into her. "Inuyasha--"

"I said stay!" Inuyasha looked up at Kagome, his eyes burning red, literally.

Kagome looked at the sword in the corner, left behind without care. "Inuyasha, let go of me, onegai! You're hurting me!"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha practically pushed her through the floor.

Kagome heard the ground crack beneath her. Something whispered in her ear, "Nightmares become reality..." Kagome began to cry, her nightmare had come true. The one she had last night. The voice continued still in a whisper, "You trespass in this forbidden hut, your nightmare becomes reality..."

"I didn't know," Kagome cried out in pain, fear, and angst.

"You should've known little girl! You trespassed into the Jigoku Kami's hut, you light his fireplace, you roll upon his floor, you go into heat in his hut, and you kiss upon his ground. You will now pay, nightmare's become reality, musume..."

"Iie! Yamero! Tasukete kure! Sango! Miroku! Shippou! Kaede! Tasukete kure!" Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs.

Inuyasha silenced her with a kiss, Kagome cried and tried to push away as hard as she could. Inuyasha wouldn't budge and his fangs would cut her mouth everytime she tried. Kagome felt so helpless and pathetic. Instead of crying out loud, she cried out in her head, Tasukete kure, Buddha... Tasukete kure, Kami... Someone, onegai shimasu...

Someone barged in, it was a woman. Kagome looked at her and as Inuyasha's broke his lips, Kagome screamed, "Tasukete kure! Don't hurt him though! Onegai!"

"What do you mean," the woman shouted back, "this creature is an evil youkai!"

Inuyasha approached her, growling fiercely. The woman pulled out a silver bow and golden arrows. The tip of the arrows was not stone or metal, it was made of bones. Kagome cried out, "It's not him! It's the hut! We must--"

Inuyasha pounced at the woman and she shout an arrow, missing him slightly. The woman screamed, "Nigero!"

Kagome looked around and grabbed the sword. She remembered something Kaede had said to her before Kaede had to leave to treat a child, "Never let Inuyasha lose his sword. If he does, he'll change is the worst way possible."

Kagome pushed the woman out of the way and swung the sword around Inuyasha's waste, tying the sheath around his waist. Kagome hugged him and cried, "Onegai shimasu, Inuyasha, return to normal." Kagome cried on his shirt.

Inuyasha stopped growling and he turned red to see Kagome hugging him. His eyes returned to an amber and his fangs and claws went to they're normal size. The woman stared in disbelief.

"H-he's a hanyou," she stuttered.

"Hai," Kagome replied, still hugging him.

"I'm terriblely sorry! Yurushite kudasai!" The fell to her knees and pressed her head down to the ground, bowing to Kagome. Kagome stared at the strange woman. She still was pratically flat on the floor, "Yurushite kudsai, the Shikon no Tama no Miko!"

Inuyasha growled and went over to the girl. He brought her up by the collar and growled at her, "Who told you that she was the miko!"

"No one, Sir! I sensed her miko energy at a high rate! No miko with that strong of an aura could not be the keeper of the Shikon no Tama! I heard the message she sent with her thoughts, sir! Onegai, don't hurt me! I'm defenseless without my arrows and my bow!"

"Put her down, Inuyasha," Kagome said.

Inuyasha growled and set her down, "Just don't piss me off."

The woman picked up her bow and her arrows and snorted, "You take orders from a woman?"

"That woman would be my kanojo! And she's a miko, isn't she?"

Kagome rolled her eyes and approached her. The woman fell to the ground again, bowing, "I'm sorry, miko-sama! Onegai, do not punish me for treating your kareshi with disrespect!"

"Um, I forgive you?"

"Arigatou gosaimazu, miko-sama!"

"You can stand up... You don't have to bow you know."

"Gomen..." the woman stood up and used her fairly large bow for support. The bow was almost as tall as the woman herself!

"My name is Higurashi Kagome." Kagome put out her hand.

"I'm Koishii-Yume, my friends call me just Koishii or just Yume though." Koishii-Yume shook Kagome's hand and smiled. Her smiled faded and she became alert. That's when Kagome noticed she had long, pointed ears, like an faeries or like Sessohmaru's. "We must leave this hut before the Jigoku Kami's servant curses all of us."

"No objection here!"

Kagome, Koishii-Yume, and Inuyasha left the hut as quickly as they could. Kagome sniffed the air and Inuyasha did the same. "I still smell smoke," Kagome whined; her nose was getting very annoyed.

"Oh, yurushite kudsai, Kagome-sama! I sensed an evil youkai near, so I lit some herbs; it effects it's sense of smell and put them to sleep for an hour... I'll go put it out, stay here or else you'll lose your smelling abilities for two days. I put in too much Tarragon." Koishii-Yume ran off, still carrying her bow and arrows.

"She's nice," Kagome smiled, looking up at Inuyasha who was still pissed. "Oh, come on, Inuyasha. Just because she thought you were pathetic when you followed my plee doesn't mean you have to be such a yarou..."

"Nani!" Inuyasha shouted this, but went down to a normal volume. "She was just being rude!"

"And like you're never rude?"

"Ano... uh..."

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him and giggled, "Such a kawaii inu! I could just take you home and love you forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever--"

"Ok, you're getting really annoying now!"

"And ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and Koishii-Yume returned. "I'm back," Koishii-Yume smiled.

"Let's go see if Sango and Miroku are done," Kagome said.

"Done with what...?"

"Oh, they were on top of each other when we spied on them before, so, we'll just see if they're done. If they're not, we'll interrupt them with our childish immaturity!"

"Sounds fun!"

"Isn't it?"

The two girls giggled and Inuyasha looked like he was about to gag. Kagome link her arm with his and held his hand, "Come on, puppy, don't be such a jerk!"

"Don't call me a puppy in front of Koishii-Yume or anyone else," Inuyasha growled.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Puppy! I just can't help it! You're so kawaii!"

"I'm gonna bite you..."

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him and said, "Gomen, but if you bite me, don't think I won't bite back."

"Wouldn't be too bad actually..." Inuyasha smirked, closing his eyes, pretending to imagine it.

"Ew, hentai!" Koishii-Yume and Kagome said in unison. "You're gross."

"I was kidding! Gods, woman take things too seriously!"

Koishii-Yume and Kagome rolled their eyes and whispered something to each other everynow and then, making them both giggle. Inuyasha couldn't catch what they were saying. The wind was loud and made it hard for him to hear them.

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The three arrived at the hut and Miroku and Sango were still at it! Kagome and Koishii-Yume smirked at each other and approached the two quietly. They yelled at the top of their lungs, "Miroku and Sango sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage! Then comes Miroku with a baby carriage! That's not all, that's not all! The kid will have a kazaana!"

Miroku and Sango glared at them; Miroku put the top part of his robe back on while Kagome and Koishii-Yume died laughing. Sango looked like she was about to murder them both. Inuyasha just stood there and only said one thing when the laughing died down, "You make out in a hut alone and you pay the price."

"Please, like you haven't done anything horrible," Sango snapped.

Inuyasha silenced quickly and pouted.

"Do I hear blackmail," Kagome smirked.

"Iie," Inuyasha shouted, pointing at Kagome, "we are not starting that again!"

"You know my blackmail! And Miroku's and Sango's! We have to know yours!"

"It's only fair," Koishii-Yume smiled.

"Ursai, you little--" Inuyasha was about to finish, when another voice spoke up.

"Who are you," Miroku finally asked.

"Oh, yurushite kudasai--"

"You say that too much," Inuyasha growled.

"Ursai! Anyway, I'm Koishii-Yume, but my friends call me just Koishii or just Yume!"

"Konichiwa," Sango smiled, "I'm Sango and this is Miroku. Kiara and Shippou are across the path at a nurse's home. Kiara is my cat and Shippou is a child kitsune."

"Really?"

"Hai."

"I love child kitsunes! They're so talented and they can be totally adorable."

"I know! Aren't they just cute when they sleep," Kagome exclaimed.

A sweat drop came from Miroku and Inuyasha. They sulked, "There goes our fun for tonight."

"Ruined by a stupid kitsune," Inuyasha muttered.

"Damn him," Miroku muttered as well.

"Why don't you guys just relax," Kagome said. "It's not like we have a crush on Shippou. That'd be kind of wrong."

"Yeah," Koishii-Yume replied.

"So, how old are you Koishii," Sango smiled.

"350." Kagome and Sango blinked. Kosihii grinned, "Around Inuyasha's age. I'm seventeen in human years."

"You're a hanyou?"

"Youkai, actually."

"Yet, you kill other youkai?"

"Well, in order to protect Kagome-sama, Inuyasha will have to as well. I've just been doing it longer."

"How long," Kagome asked.

"I'd say about a hundred years."

"Whoa, that is... A long, long time!"

"I know, it's amazing. I thank my mama for giving me her bow and my sister for leaving me her arrows."

"That's a huge bow though."

"Ah, but with this large bow, I can shoot farther and aim better. It's totally light. Catch." Koishii-Yume tossed her bow and Kagome caught it, expecting it to be heavy.

When Kagome caught it, it was light as air. She was amazing and felt the grip in her hands, it was spectacular. "What about your arrows...?"

"Well, these are very special. It's red wood with gold built into it and then dipped in gold. The tip is made out of youkai bones found in a cave where the Shikon no Tama was made."

"Whoa... Wait, where the Shikon no Tama was made?"

"Hai."

"So, you know how it was made," Inuyasha said, stepping up next to Kagome.

"Of course, it's not that hard!" Koishii-Yume rolled her eyes.

"Tell us then," Miroku said and he got a glare from Sango. "If you wouldn't mind."

"Oh no, of course not! I'd love to!" Koishii-Yume sat down and everyone did as well. Koishii-Yume put a pot of water over the fire, then cleared her throat. Koiishi-Yume told them the whole story. About how the miko purified youkai souls and about the battle of seven days and seven nights. "When it was all over, apparently--over time--they merged together. The miko leaves a barrier, so only certain people can go in. It's well proven too. The ancient, wise men from the north, south, east, and west say that the Shikon no Tama fell from the miko's body. From her chest. Which means, Kagome, you're holding the miko's heart."

Kagome looked pretty shocked. She wasn't just holding a jewel that made wishes come true, she was holding a miko's heart? How messed up is that? "Very," Kagome muttered. Shizuka ni...

Inuyasha frowned, Kikyou wanted him to use the Shikon no Tama to become human... That was the past and it didn't matter anymore. What mattered was the present, well, present in past times. Or in the past being their present in the past. Inuyasha mentally hit himself. Shizuka ni, baka! You're confusing yourself!

Kagome yawned and put her head in Inuyasha's lap. Inuyasha turned red and carefully moved them towards the darkest corner. Miroku, Sango, and Koishii-Yume smirked. Inuyasha growled at them a little. Inuyasha called them something, but the loud whistling from the pot made it unheard.

Koishii-Yume poured tea for Miroku, Sango, and herself. Koishii-Yume knew Inuyasha would get to sleep just fine. She added some tarragon into the tea.

"What's that," Miroku questioned, "it looks like some strange form of marajuana..."

"Miroku!" Sango hit him on the arm.

"Gomen, but it does!"

Koishii-Yume giggled, "It's okay, a lot of people say that. It's only tarragon, it's a herb that helps you get to sleep. My mother gave it to me as a child when I had nightmares. It put me out like a rock for the rest of the night. This amount should get you tired in about 15 minutes and keep you asleep until ten at the most."

Sango smiled, "Ano, arigatou, Koishii. You sure this won't have some strange after effect?"

"Positive, if it had some strange after effect, then whoa, would I pretty fucked up now."

"Nice choice of language," Miroku said dryly.

"Nice choice of career, hentai-dono."

Sango rolled her eyes and gave him some tea. She tilted it a little so Miroku could drink it. He accepted it and sighed. "Just relax, hoshi-sama," Sango said softly, "and everyone will get along just fine..."

"Okay," Miroku replied, smiling at Sango.

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They all drank their tea, but Inuyasha and Kagome were still in the dark corner. Inuyasha petted Kagome's raven black, orange highlighted hair. Kagome purred and would roll around a little sometimes. Inuyasha would be completely crimson in the cheeks when Kagome turned her head towards him.

Kagome was still a little away, I still feel strange. I can't really sleep still too. I need to go out somewhere and do... Something! Anything! Kagome yawned, moved closer to Inuyasha and purred louder. What is "going into heat"? What does it mean! I don't get any of it. I'm so confused. I hate it when I'm starving, I get even more confused. Ugh, I don't know what I'm going to do anymore... How lost am I? "Very," Kagome muttered to herself. Shut up.

"What'd you say," Inuyasha whispered.

"Nani mo, nani mo," Kagome whispering back, smiling, yet still purring.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha stopped petting her and gave her a stern look.

"Naaani?"

"You're keeping something from me."

"I'm not keeping anything from you!" It's not like I'm going to tell him that I want him right here, right now! Matte, where did that come from?

"If you keep things from me then we're going to drift apart and that won't be good." Kagome looked around her, everyone was sleeping. Inuyasha grabbed her chin and moved her face towards his, "Will you pay attention?"

"What," Kagome said aloud, "afraid I'm going to look too much like Kikyou?"

Inuyasha smacked a hand over her mouth and whispered, "Let's talk about this outside since you insist on being loud!" Inuyasha took her by her wrist and dragged her to the opening where the well was (or is). Inuyasha turned her to face him, "I don't care about Kikyou, how many times must I tell you?"

"I don't ask for this!"

"Nani?"

"I can't stand this."

"Gomen, I'm the one who caused you all this agony and troubles..."

"It wasn't you... I just don't know fi I can even be around anyone--"

"Y-you don't want to be with me?"

"I do! Of course, I do, aishiteru... It's just everything has gotten so complicated lately. It's not your fault, it's not really my fault either. It's just the way our life goes, I guess..."

"Gomen, I didn't mean to make things more complicated..."

"My life was already getting more complicated, Inuyasha. It's not your fault, I just feel really weird. I'm extremely hungry, I want to be petted, I can't sleep, and, onegai, just kiss me now." Kagome lunged on top of Inuyasha, knocking him to the ground. She only straddled him for a moment until she locked her lips with Inuyasha's.

Even though Inuyasha was shocked, he accepted the action right away. That scent drove him mad. He pushed Kagome into him. Kagome flinched in pain, Inuyasha's claws had punctured her skin. Kagome breathed heavily as Inuyasha's lips left hers and went down to her neck. He nibbled harder then usual, puncturing her skin a little.

Kagome felt like she was slowly being tortured, but bared it. This is what her body wanted, but what about her heart? Her heart didn't want this, but then what did she want at this moment? Kagome felt helpless under this control of her body.

Something dug into her skin and Kagome's eyes widened with fright, pain, and confusion, "I-I-Inuyasha!"