Disclaimer: (for the fourth time) I do not own Inu-Yasha. Rumiko Takahashi
has that honor.
A/N: Did you know that you people are completely and totally awesome??? I love you all very muchly, and hope that you continue to read my fic. - Sakura Kaijuu
Against the Odds
~ Chapter Four: In Which Inu-Yasha Has a Talk with Miroku and There Is More Evil Fluff ~
Inu-Yasha watched Sango and Miroku with interest. Kagome did too, but he had the upper hand. He could hear them too. 'Maybe being half demon isn't so bad,' he thought, smirking as Sango told Miroku she loved him. Kagome tugged at the hanyou's sleeve.
"Inu-Yasha, what are they saying?" Kagome wanted to know. She really NEEDED to know, especially if Sango was going for the money.
"Sango just said, 'I wish I could stay with you forever,'" Inu-Yasha replied. "Now shh," he hushed her. He needed to know what Miroku would say. All he did was reply with, "Oh." The hanyou thought this was pretty tricky. There was no way that Miroku didn't love Sango. His face gave away too much. He wished he could get closer, but he couldn't. Sango would notice, and Kagome might not let him.
The conversation ended after a minute or so, and Miroku walked away. As the monk came even with Kagome, Inu-Yasha, and Shippo, Inu-Yasha pulled him aside. "Miroku, come with me."
Miroku sighed and let the half demon pull him away. "What is it Inu- Yasha?" he asked when they stopped. His eyes were sad, and his face was still red from telling Sango how he felt.
"What did you say to Sango?"
Miroku looked annoyed, and bopped him with his staff, "Oh, like you don't know. I know very well that your ears were listening. I didn't do anything to her, or say anything against the rules."
Inu-Yasha glared at him, his golden eyes full of suspicion, "You better not be lying Miroku." He turned to walk away.
"And Inu-Yasha?" Miroku said, and the hanyou turned back to the monk. "Next time I need to talk to Sango, or the other way around, please don't listen. At least try to ignore it."
"Feh." Inu-Yasha continued walking. "Maybe, Miroku.Maybe."
*~*
The group moved on, with thanks from the villagers, and made camp. Tonight was the new moon, and Inu-Yasha didn't want to be around the others. He didn't think he'd ever feel comfortable around the others when he was human. He felt so weak...so vulnerable. He tried his best to contain his temper as he pushed the group along so that they would be in a reasonably safe place for the night. Miroku was smirking. He knew that Inu-Yasha's anger issues were much harder to deal with than his own behavior.
*~*
A fire was built, and Inu-Yasha walked off. Kagome looked after him into the shadows he disappeared into. She wondered where he was going. Miroku poked at the fire, and Shippo sat next to Kagome. He looked up at her, and brought her out of her thoughts, "Kagome, what are you looking at?"
"Hmm?" Kagome had totally spaced out. "Oh...I was just looking into the forest. Do you know why Inu-Ya -- " she realized why he had disappeared, just as the sun set. "Never mind."
He never wanted anyone to see him human. He always seemed ashamed to be hanyou, but it was like being human was worse. Then again, she had seen him human in times of danger before, and what would have been an easy defeat in his regular form became a difficult and life-threatening battle until sunrise. She held the Shikon shard close to her. If it weren't for the jewel, Inu-Yasha wouldn't have to worry so much...But if it weren't for the jewel, she never would've met Inu-Yasha, or the others. She wasn't sure which was worse.
Sango sat on her other side, "Are you worried about Inu-Yasha?" Sango worried about her friend, even if they were competing for something.
"A little. It bothers me that he doesn't want to be around us just because he's human..." Kagome realized that she had just told Sango the hanyou's secret. She relaxed when Sango didn't look surprised. Kagome had forgotten that the girl was a demon exterminator, and was probably taught about half demons as well as regular ones.
"So Inu-Yasha becomes human on the night of the new cycle?" Sango looked at the moonless sky. It was pretty, and the stars shone brightly against the sky. "Maybe that's why he wasn't being as nice as he had been."
"He probably just wanted to get us somewhere safe for the night. I know that he feels helpless as a human, but I wish he'd get over it."
Miroku had been listening intently to their conversation, "I think it's that he uses his demon powers to protect him, but on nights like tonight, he can't use them. He doesn't even have use of the Tetsusaiga."
The girls blinked. They had completely forgotten about the monk. Kagome sighed, "You're probably right..." She stood, and started walking into the woods.
"Kagome, where are you going?" Shippo asked worriedly.
"I'm going to find Inu-Yasha," she exchanged a look with Sango, and continued walking. Had she looked at Miroku, she would've seen the monk grinning from ear to ear.
*~*
Inu-Yasha heard the twigs snap. He was sitting in a tree, staring up. If they were in a village, under a roof, he'd be on the roof rather than in a tree. As it was, they were in the forest, between villages. His human ears could hear less, but they still picked up noises when it was silent. He looked down to see Kagome standing almost directly under him.
"Inu-Yasha," Kagome called, "get down here now."
"Feh..." he muttered. Louder he said, "Why should I?"
"Because if you don't, I'm coming up!" she sounded angry. What had he done? Sighing, he climbed down. He couldn't jump, because he'd hurt his frail body. He wanted the night to be over. Kagome looked satisfied. The wind blew, and his black hair blew into his face.
"Why did you call me down here?" he sounded grumpy.
Kagome sat. "Because I wanted to talk to you." She motioned that he join her.
He did sit, and she shivered slightly in the cold. He wanted to hold her, keep her warm. Instead, he removed his jacket, and offered it to her, without looking at her. She looked surprised, but accepted it, and wrapped it around her shoulders. After sitting there for another minute in silence, Inu-Yasha turned his violet eyes to her, "So what did you want to talk about?"
"I don't know. I just wanted to talk about something."
"If you don't know, then I'm going back up in the tree," he stood, and began to climb.
"Oh no you don't!" she yelled, and yanked him down by the collar. "Just because I don't know what I want to talk about, doesn't mean that you can't say something. What's up with you lately? You've been acting really weird. You've been nice, but it's weird because you're not usually like this."
Inu-Yasha turned his face away from her, not wanting her to see him blushing a little. How could he respond to this? He didn't want to blow his bet with Miroku, and he didn't want to break the rules. There was no way that he'd break his word. Who knew if Miroku or Sango was hanging around. So instead, he just said, "I thought it was time for a change."
"Oh." she hadn't expected him to answer that way. She snuggled into him, their black hair mingled together. She liked his warmth, and the feeling of safety that she got when she was near him. He stiffened under her, and she looked up a little, confused. This had never happened before. Sometimes she would do this, but he never flinched. Well, once or twice, but this was different. When he was human, he didn't care. "What?"
He coughed, "It's nothing." He stood to leave, and she let him. She was confused about his actions, and disappointed that she hadn't won. But the night was young, and the bet was younger still.
*~*
Kagome returned back at the camp to see Shippo and Kirara asleep, and Miroku and Sango next to the fire. "I'm back." she sounded a little disheartened. She still had the haori wrapped around her shoulders, and she tugged it a little tighter as she sat. Sango looked at her meaningfully. She stood again. "We'll be right back, Miroku."
"Take your time," the monk replied. "I'll watch over things here."
*~*
"What happened?" Sango asked once they had gotten away from the boys. Her friend's face still had a look of disappointment on it.
"Absolutely nothing," Kagome replied sullenly. "I tried to get close to him, and I tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't. He FLINCHED when I tried to snuggle into him."
"He gave you the haori though," Sango touched the jacket. It was soft, and strong. It looked warm too.
"Hmm.I guess you're right. But that was just because I was cold."
Sango smiled, and lifted her friend's face, "Kagome, don't worry. If he's worried about your health, he obviously loves you. He's not just using you for jewel shards.anymore," she added as an afterthought.
"But.but." Kagome searched for an argument to support her fears. She found one, "But he still loves Kikyo!" The name of the dead priestess echoed in the forest. Tears came to her eyes, but Kagome didn't let them fall. "She's been dead for FIFTY years, and he still loves her!" The tears threatened to fall, but Kagome brushed them away angrily.
Sango patted her shoulders, "Cheer up, Kagome!" She looked at her, straight in the eye, "You are the perfect girl for Inu-Yasha. We all know that. It's just a matter of him accepting it."
"But what about Miroku?" Kagome suddenly remembered their brief conversation earlier in the day. "I only heard a little of it from Inu- Yasha."
Sango blushed, "Oh.that.Well, Miroku was pretty cold on the outside, and when I said that I wanted to -"
Kagome cut her off, "I know about that. That's the part Inu-Yasha heard. What about when he leaned into you? He didn't kiss you, but he must've said something."
"He said that he loved me," Sango blushed.
"Ah! So that's why you were both blushing so badly!" Kagome smiled. "Thanks Sango. You're a real friend."
*~*
The half demon returned to camp reluctantly. He didn't want to worry Kagome, and he was getting cold. The fire provided warmth. Miroku looked up again, to see the black haired Inu-Yasha glaring into the fire. "Well?" the monk raised his eyebrows.
"Nothing happened. She didn't kiss me. She tried, I think. But I didn't let her," he said shortly.
"She was wearing your haori," Miroku stared pointedly at the white under shirt. "Doesn't that say something by itself?"
"It says that I don't want her getting cold!" Inu-Yasha promptly shut up. He noticed Shippo moving, and didn't want him to wake up. He didn't feel like dealing with the tiny demon. The girls reappeared in the clearing. They looked at each other.
Kagome clapped her hands, "All right! Time to sleep! We have a big day, and a LOT of walking tomorrow!" She removed the red jacket, and returned it to Inu-Yasha. She leaned over to his ear, "Thanks, Inu-Yasha."
As they all prepared, Kagome smiled at the hanyou, and his black hair, fortunately covered his face, and his blush. The girls smiled at each other, and Kagome gathered Shippo in her arms, and Sango picked up Kirara. They fell asleep rather soon, exhausted from the battle and burial services. The boys exchanged a look, and then fell asleep, both of them against trees, so that they would be ready, should anything attack them in the night.
A/N: Did you know that you people are completely and totally awesome??? I love you all very muchly, and hope that you continue to read my fic. - Sakura Kaijuu
Against the Odds
~ Chapter Four: In Which Inu-Yasha Has a Talk with Miroku and There Is More Evil Fluff ~
Inu-Yasha watched Sango and Miroku with interest. Kagome did too, but he had the upper hand. He could hear them too. 'Maybe being half demon isn't so bad,' he thought, smirking as Sango told Miroku she loved him. Kagome tugged at the hanyou's sleeve.
"Inu-Yasha, what are they saying?" Kagome wanted to know. She really NEEDED to know, especially if Sango was going for the money.
"Sango just said, 'I wish I could stay with you forever,'" Inu-Yasha replied. "Now shh," he hushed her. He needed to know what Miroku would say. All he did was reply with, "Oh." The hanyou thought this was pretty tricky. There was no way that Miroku didn't love Sango. His face gave away too much. He wished he could get closer, but he couldn't. Sango would notice, and Kagome might not let him.
The conversation ended after a minute or so, and Miroku walked away. As the monk came even with Kagome, Inu-Yasha, and Shippo, Inu-Yasha pulled him aside. "Miroku, come with me."
Miroku sighed and let the half demon pull him away. "What is it Inu- Yasha?" he asked when they stopped. His eyes were sad, and his face was still red from telling Sango how he felt.
"What did you say to Sango?"
Miroku looked annoyed, and bopped him with his staff, "Oh, like you don't know. I know very well that your ears were listening. I didn't do anything to her, or say anything against the rules."
Inu-Yasha glared at him, his golden eyes full of suspicion, "You better not be lying Miroku." He turned to walk away.
"And Inu-Yasha?" Miroku said, and the hanyou turned back to the monk. "Next time I need to talk to Sango, or the other way around, please don't listen. At least try to ignore it."
"Feh." Inu-Yasha continued walking. "Maybe, Miroku.Maybe."
*~*
The group moved on, with thanks from the villagers, and made camp. Tonight was the new moon, and Inu-Yasha didn't want to be around the others. He didn't think he'd ever feel comfortable around the others when he was human. He felt so weak...so vulnerable. He tried his best to contain his temper as he pushed the group along so that they would be in a reasonably safe place for the night. Miroku was smirking. He knew that Inu-Yasha's anger issues were much harder to deal with than his own behavior.
*~*
A fire was built, and Inu-Yasha walked off. Kagome looked after him into the shadows he disappeared into. She wondered where he was going. Miroku poked at the fire, and Shippo sat next to Kagome. He looked up at her, and brought her out of her thoughts, "Kagome, what are you looking at?"
"Hmm?" Kagome had totally spaced out. "Oh...I was just looking into the forest. Do you know why Inu-Ya -- " she realized why he had disappeared, just as the sun set. "Never mind."
He never wanted anyone to see him human. He always seemed ashamed to be hanyou, but it was like being human was worse. Then again, she had seen him human in times of danger before, and what would have been an easy defeat in his regular form became a difficult and life-threatening battle until sunrise. She held the Shikon shard close to her. If it weren't for the jewel, Inu-Yasha wouldn't have to worry so much...But if it weren't for the jewel, she never would've met Inu-Yasha, or the others. She wasn't sure which was worse.
Sango sat on her other side, "Are you worried about Inu-Yasha?" Sango worried about her friend, even if they were competing for something.
"A little. It bothers me that he doesn't want to be around us just because he's human..." Kagome realized that she had just told Sango the hanyou's secret. She relaxed when Sango didn't look surprised. Kagome had forgotten that the girl was a demon exterminator, and was probably taught about half demons as well as regular ones.
"So Inu-Yasha becomes human on the night of the new cycle?" Sango looked at the moonless sky. It was pretty, and the stars shone brightly against the sky. "Maybe that's why he wasn't being as nice as he had been."
"He probably just wanted to get us somewhere safe for the night. I know that he feels helpless as a human, but I wish he'd get over it."
Miroku had been listening intently to their conversation, "I think it's that he uses his demon powers to protect him, but on nights like tonight, he can't use them. He doesn't even have use of the Tetsusaiga."
The girls blinked. They had completely forgotten about the monk. Kagome sighed, "You're probably right..." She stood, and started walking into the woods.
"Kagome, where are you going?" Shippo asked worriedly.
"I'm going to find Inu-Yasha," she exchanged a look with Sango, and continued walking. Had she looked at Miroku, she would've seen the monk grinning from ear to ear.
*~*
Inu-Yasha heard the twigs snap. He was sitting in a tree, staring up. If they were in a village, under a roof, he'd be on the roof rather than in a tree. As it was, they were in the forest, between villages. His human ears could hear less, but they still picked up noises when it was silent. He looked down to see Kagome standing almost directly under him.
"Inu-Yasha," Kagome called, "get down here now."
"Feh..." he muttered. Louder he said, "Why should I?"
"Because if you don't, I'm coming up!" she sounded angry. What had he done? Sighing, he climbed down. He couldn't jump, because he'd hurt his frail body. He wanted the night to be over. Kagome looked satisfied. The wind blew, and his black hair blew into his face.
"Why did you call me down here?" he sounded grumpy.
Kagome sat. "Because I wanted to talk to you." She motioned that he join her.
He did sit, and she shivered slightly in the cold. He wanted to hold her, keep her warm. Instead, he removed his jacket, and offered it to her, without looking at her. She looked surprised, but accepted it, and wrapped it around her shoulders. After sitting there for another minute in silence, Inu-Yasha turned his violet eyes to her, "So what did you want to talk about?"
"I don't know. I just wanted to talk about something."
"If you don't know, then I'm going back up in the tree," he stood, and began to climb.
"Oh no you don't!" she yelled, and yanked him down by the collar. "Just because I don't know what I want to talk about, doesn't mean that you can't say something. What's up with you lately? You've been acting really weird. You've been nice, but it's weird because you're not usually like this."
Inu-Yasha turned his face away from her, not wanting her to see him blushing a little. How could he respond to this? He didn't want to blow his bet with Miroku, and he didn't want to break the rules. There was no way that he'd break his word. Who knew if Miroku or Sango was hanging around. So instead, he just said, "I thought it was time for a change."
"Oh." she hadn't expected him to answer that way. She snuggled into him, their black hair mingled together. She liked his warmth, and the feeling of safety that she got when she was near him. He stiffened under her, and she looked up a little, confused. This had never happened before. Sometimes she would do this, but he never flinched. Well, once or twice, but this was different. When he was human, he didn't care. "What?"
He coughed, "It's nothing." He stood to leave, and she let him. She was confused about his actions, and disappointed that she hadn't won. But the night was young, and the bet was younger still.
*~*
Kagome returned back at the camp to see Shippo and Kirara asleep, and Miroku and Sango next to the fire. "I'm back." she sounded a little disheartened. She still had the haori wrapped around her shoulders, and she tugged it a little tighter as she sat. Sango looked at her meaningfully. She stood again. "We'll be right back, Miroku."
"Take your time," the monk replied. "I'll watch over things here."
*~*
"What happened?" Sango asked once they had gotten away from the boys. Her friend's face still had a look of disappointment on it.
"Absolutely nothing," Kagome replied sullenly. "I tried to get close to him, and I tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't. He FLINCHED when I tried to snuggle into him."
"He gave you the haori though," Sango touched the jacket. It was soft, and strong. It looked warm too.
"Hmm.I guess you're right. But that was just because I was cold."
Sango smiled, and lifted her friend's face, "Kagome, don't worry. If he's worried about your health, he obviously loves you. He's not just using you for jewel shards.anymore," she added as an afterthought.
"But.but." Kagome searched for an argument to support her fears. She found one, "But he still loves Kikyo!" The name of the dead priestess echoed in the forest. Tears came to her eyes, but Kagome didn't let them fall. "She's been dead for FIFTY years, and he still loves her!" The tears threatened to fall, but Kagome brushed them away angrily.
Sango patted her shoulders, "Cheer up, Kagome!" She looked at her, straight in the eye, "You are the perfect girl for Inu-Yasha. We all know that. It's just a matter of him accepting it."
"But what about Miroku?" Kagome suddenly remembered their brief conversation earlier in the day. "I only heard a little of it from Inu- Yasha."
Sango blushed, "Oh.that.Well, Miroku was pretty cold on the outside, and when I said that I wanted to -"
Kagome cut her off, "I know about that. That's the part Inu-Yasha heard. What about when he leaned into you? He didn't kiss you, but he must've said something."
"He said that he loved me," Sango blushed.
"Ah! So that's why you were both blushing so badly!" Kagome smiled. "Thanks Sango. You're a real friend."
*~*
The half demon returned to camp reluctantly. He didn't want to worry Kagome, and he was getting cold. The fire provided warmth. Miroku looked up again, to see the black haired Inu-Yasha glaring into the fire. "Well?" the monk raised his eyebrows.
"Nothing happened. She didn't kiss me. She tried, I think. But I didn't let her," he said shortly.
"She was wearing your haori," Miroku stared pointedly at the white under shirt. "Doesn't that say something by itself?"
"It says that I don't want her getting cold!" Inu-Yasha promptly shut up. He noticed Shippo moving, and didn't want him to wake up. He didn't feel like dealing with the tiny demon. The girls reappeared in the clearing. They looked at each other.
Kagome clapped her hands, "All right! Time to sleep! We have a big day, and a LOT of walking tomorrow!" She removed the red jacket, and returned it to Inu-Yasha. She leaned over to his ear, "Thanks, Inu-Yasha."
As they all prepared, Kagome smiled at the hanyou, and his black hair, fortunately covered his face, and his blush. The girls smiled at each other, and Kagome gathered Shippo in her arms, and Sango picked up Kirara. They fell asleep rather soon, exhausted from the battle and burial services. The boys exchanged a look, and then fell asleep, both of them against trees, so that they would be ready, should anything attack them in the night.