"I'm fine, I'm really fine." Kagome assured Sango, Miroku, and Kaede as she
entered the hut, unable to hide her red eyes. "I-I got some dust in my
eyes, that's all." The three looked at each other with mutual
understanding. She was lying. "Well," Kagome said in a too cheery voice,
"I'll start getting dinner ready. Could you help me, Sango?" Sango nodded
and crossed the hut to join Kagome in digging through her pack.
Kaede slowly got up from her place by the fire and made to head outdoors. "I am going to check on some of the sick villagers, I may not be back for supper, Kagome." She said with a slightly disappointed smile.
"That's all right Kaede-babaa." Kagome said, turning her head to flash her a smile. With a nod, Kaede headed out into the dusk.
"Are you sure you're Ok, Kagome?" Sango asked lowly, a look of worry upon her face.
"I'm fine, Sango. If you must know, Inu-Yasha and I just got into a fight again. Nothing new." Kagome said with a depressed sigh, bringing a few packages of ramen from her bag. "This is his favorite, so maybe he'll leave me alone for tonight." She shook her head, moving over to the fire with a pot in her hand.
Miroku shook his head, angry that Inu-Yasha had once again caused Kagome to cry. "I think I'm going to take a walk," He said briskly while getting to his feet. "Just let me know when you two are done, hm?"
Sango glared at Miroku as he disappeared and this brought Kagome to the conclusion that he had done something perverted in her absence. "He'll never learn, will he." Kagome made this more of a statement then a question, for she already knew the answer.
"Never." Sango agreed, picking up a pale. "I'll be right back, Kagome-Chan, I'm going to get some more water." And she too left the hut.
Kagome was now alone with her thoughts. "I don't care. I need to realize that he loves Kikyo." She muttered to herself while stirring the ramen. She wished Shippo would come back. He and Kirara had left early this afternoon to pick the remaining black berries. She knew that Kirara could take care of herself, but all the same she was beginning to worry. The sun had all ready begun to set.
"Kagome?" Came Inu-Yasha's voice from the doorway.
Kagome jumped, nearly knocking over their cooking dinner. "Yes?" She responded curtly, trying not to look over at him.
"I. Well, what I wanted to tell you is," Suddenly, Inu-Yasha paused. He stepped inside and knelt beside Kagome. "Will you look at me when I'm talking to you!" He exploded, throwing his hands in the air.
Kagome's eyes widened and she looked into his face, hurt by the anger she saw in his eyes.
"I wanted to tell you that I didn't mean what I said earlier," Inu-Yasha's expression softened as he sat down fully on the floor next to her.
"It's fine," Kagome mumbled, turning away from him and back to the pot over the fire.
Inu-Yasha watched her for a while, and when she didn't look back at him, he snorted and got up. He walked across the hut and sat on the other side, leaning against the wall while continuing to watch Kagome.
Kagome tried to pay no attention to his eyes upon her, and was more than grateful when Sango came through the door with a sloshing pale of water. "I'm back," She announced, gaze briefly darting to Inu-Yasha. She primly stuck her nose in the air and walked to the fire, setting the pale down before taking a seat next to Kagome.
"Houshi-Sama is up to something," Sango told Kagome while opening another package of ramen and dumping it into the pot, along with more water.
"What makes you think that?" Kagome asked curiously, turning her head to look at her friend.
"Well, when I went out to get the water, he was talking to a crowd of the village girls." Sango said a little irritated.
"What's so strange about that?" Inu-Yasha asked dryly from across the room.
Sango glared back at him before returning her eyes to Kagome. "Well, he wasn't asking a single one of them to bare his child." She raised a thin brow. "He was, however, asking them what sort of jewelry women like."
Kagome giggled, nudging Sango on the arm. They all knew of Miroku's feelings for Sango, and Kagome guessed that he was going to buy her something as an apology.
"What I would like more than jewelry, is for him to stop groping me." Sango said with a shake of her head.
The tarp on the door was pulled aside as Shippo and a house cat sized Kirara entered. In his arms, Shippo carried a large basket of berries. "This was all I could find," He said disappointedly, setting the basket down by the door and running to Kagome.
Kagome looked quite relieved. She had come to think of Shippo as a son. She caught him up in a huge hug before setting him down. "I guess winter's coming sooner than we expected," She said to the young fox demon, giving him a pat on the head. Kirara mewed and crawled into Sango's lap, yawning hugely.
Sango took the pot from the fire and set it on the floor, stirring it a little. "The ramen is done, so I will go and get Miroku-Sama." She scooped Kirara into her arms before exiting.
Kagome poured Inu-Yasha a bowl of ramen and crossed the room. She knelt down beside him and handed it over.
Inu-Yasha nodded and took the bowl, turning his attention to eating.
Kagome gave him a forlorn look before crossing the hut once again and sitting next to Shippo. "Did you have fun today?" She asked him while serving him up a bowl.
"Ya, but those berries sure were hard to find!" He said while smiling animatedly, looking at Kagome all the while.
Sango and Miroku entered the hut. Sango first, looking quite steamed, and Muroku trailing after hit a red handprint on his face.
Kagome and Shippo rolled their eyes and tried not to laugh.
*
When dinner was finished, Kagome unrolled her sleeping bag and put a sleeping Shippo in. The others were getting ready for bed as well, and even Inu-Yasha looked tired. Kagome began cleaning up the meal as quietly as she could.
When she finished, she looked around at her friends. Shippo was sleeping soundly in her sleeping bag, Sango was asleep with Kirara next to her, and Miroku was reduced to the farthest corner from Sango. Then there was Inu- Yasha. She stared at him for a while, taking in his whole form. She knew that she loved him. Every time she saw his face, heard his name, his voice, she couldn't stop the smile that came to her lips.
'If only he felt the same way.' She thought miserably. Kagome found that she no longer felt tired. She checked to see that the others were all asleep once again before heading out of the hut, careful not to direct the draft from the open tarp toward Inu-Yasha.
She shivered against the chilly night breeze, and started off toward the stream. A walk sounded good. This way she might be able to clear her mind and practice her growing miko abilities. Wait- her bow and arrows. Kagome slapped her forehead. She had left them back at the hut. 'Oh well,' she thought, not daring to risk going back for them. Inu-Yasha would wake and yell at her for going out on her own.
As Kagome walked in silence through the forest, she couldn't help but acknowledge the feeling of being watched. She stopped suddenly and looked warily around. "I-Inu-Yasha?" She called out quietly, genuinely hoping that it was him, but no response came. Kagome backed up a little, and stopped abruptly when she ran into a bush. 'I'm just imagining things,' She tried to reassure herself, but that was before a pair of hands roughly fell across her face and pulled her into the shadows.
Kaede slowly got up from her place by the fire and made to head outdoors. "I am going to check on some of the sick villagers, I may not be back for supper, Kagome." She said with a slightly disappointed smile.
"That's all right Kaede-babaa." Kagome said, turning her head to flash her a smile. With a nod, Kaede headed out into the dusk.
"Are you sure you're Ok, Kagome?" Sango asked lowly, a look of worry upon her face.
"I'm fine, Sango. If you must know, Inu-Yasha and I just got into a fight again. Nothing new." Kagome said with a depressed sigh, bringing a few packages of ramen from her bag. "This is his favorite, so maybe he'll leave me alone for tonight." She shook her head, moving over to the fire with a pot in her hand.
Miroku shook his head, angry that Inu-Yasha had once again caused Kagome to cry. "I think I'm going to take a walk," He said briskly while getting to his feet. "Just let me know when you two are done, hm?"
Sango glared at Miroku as he disappeared and this brought Kagome to the conclusion that he had done something perverted in her absence. "He'll never learn, will he." Kagome made this more of a statement then a question, for she already knew the answer.
"Never." Sango agreed, picking up a pale. "I'll be right back, Kagome-Chan, I'm going to get some more water." And she too left the hut.
Kagome was now alone with her thoughts. "I don't care. I need to realize that he loves Kikyo." She muttered to herself while stirring the ramen. She wished Shippo would come back. He and Kirara had left early this afternoon to pick the remaining black berries. She knew that Kirara could take care of herself, but all the same she was beginning to worry. The sun had all ready begun to set.
"Kagome?" Came Inu-Yasha's voice from the doorway.
Kagome jumped, nearly knocking over their cooking dinner. "Yes?" She responded curtly, trying not to look over at him.
"I. Well, what I wanted to tell you is," Suddenly, Inu-Yasha paused. He stepped inside and knelt beside Kagome. "Will you look at me when I'm talking to you!" He exploded, throwing his hands in the air.
Kagome's eyes widened and she looked into his face, hurt by the anger she saw in his eyes.
"I wanted to tell you that I didn't mean what I said earlier," Inu-Yasha's expression softened as he sat down fully on the floor next to her.
"It's fine," Kagome mumbled, turning away from him and back to the pot over the fire.
Inu-Yasha watched her for a while, and when she didn't look back at him, he snorted and got up. He walked across the hut and sat on the other side, leaning against the wall while continuing to watch Kagome.
Kagome tried to pay no attention to his eyes upon her, and was more than grateful when Sango came through the door with a sloshing pale of water. "I'm back," She announced, gaze briefly darting to Inu-Yasha. She primly stuck her nose in the air and walked to the fire, setting the pale down before taking a seat next to Kagome.
"Houshi-Sama is up to something," Sango told Kagome while opening another package of ramen and dumping it into the pot, along with more water.
"What makes you think that?" Kagome asked curiously, turning her head to look at her friend.
"Well, when I went out to get the water, he was talking to a crowd of the village girls." Sango said a little irritated.
"What's so strange about that?" Inu-Yasha asked dryly from across the room.
Sango glared back at him before returning her eyes to Kagome. "Well, he wasn't asking a single one of them to bare his child." She raised a thin brow. "He was, however, asking them what sort of jewelry women like."
Kagome giggled, nudging Sango on the arm. They all knew of Miroku's feelings for Sango, and Kagome guessed that he was going to buy her something as an apology.
"What I would like more than jewelry, is for him to stop groping me." Sango said with a shake of her head.
The tarp on the door was pulled aside as Shippo and a house cat sized Kirara entered. In his arms, Shippo carried a large basket of berries. "This was all I could find," He said disappointedly, setting the basket down by the door and running to Kagome.
Kagome looked quite relieved. She had come to think of Shippo as a son. She caught him up in a huge hug before setting him down. "I guess winter's coming sooner than we expected," She said to the young fox demon, giving him a pat on the head. Kirara mewed and crawled into Sango's lap, yawning hugely.
Sango took the pot from the fire and set it on the floor, stirring it a little. "The ramen is done, so I will go and get Miroku-Sama." She scooped Kirara into her arms before exiting.
Kagome poured Inu-Yasha a bowl of ramen and crossed the room. She knelt down beside him and handed it over.
Inu-Yasha nodded and took the bowl, turning his attention to eating.
Kagome gave him a forlorn look before crossing the hut once again and sitting next to Shippo. "Did you have fun today?" She asked him while serving him up a bowl.
"Ya, but those berries sure were hard to find!" He said while smiling animatedly, looking at Kagome all the while.
Sango and Miroku entered the hut. Sango first, looking quite steamed, and Muroku trailing after hit a red handprint on his face.
Kagome and Shippo rolled their eyes and tried not to laugh.
*
When dinner was finished, Kagome unrolled her sleeping bag and put a sleeping Shippo in. The others were getting ready for bed as well, and even Inu-Yasha looked tired. Kagome began cleaning up the meal as quietly as she could.
When she finished, she looked around at her friends. Shippo was sleeping soundly in her sleeping bag, Sango was asleep with Kirara next to her, and Miroku was reduced to the farthest corner from Sango. Then there was Inu- Yasha. She stared at him for a while, taking in his whole form. She knew that she loved him. Every time she saw his face, heard his name, his voice, she couldn't stop the smile that came to her lips.
'If only he felt the same way.' She thought miserably. Kagome found that she no longer felt tired. She checked to see that the others were all asleep once again before heading out of the hut, careful not to direct the draft from the open tarp toward Inu-Yasha.
She shivered against the chilly night breeze, and started off toward the stream. A walk sounded good. This way she might be able to clear her mind and practice her growing miko abilities. Wait- her bow and arrows. Kagome slapped her forehead. She had left them back at the hut. 'Oh well,' she thought, not daring to risk going back for them. Inu-Yasha would wake and yell at her for going out on her own.
As Kagome walked in silence through the forest, she couldn't help but acknowledge the feeling of being watched. She stopped suddenly and looked warily around. "I-Inu-Yasha?" She called out quietly, genuinely hoping that it was him, but no response came. Kagome backed up a little, and stopped abruptly when she ran into a bush. 'I'm just imagining things,' She tried to reassure herself, but that was before a pair of hands roughly fell across her face and pulled her into the shadows.