Chapter 2: I Don't Wear a Baboon Pelt

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Kagome was relieved to find that Sango and Miroku appeared to have finally calmed down somewhat and came to terms with the fact that their lives we're not in danger, at least, not from Inuyasha.

As for the aforementioned hanyou, he was yet to speak a word or provide any kind of clue as to why he was acting so odd.

She was sure it must have been getting pretty hard for him to keep quiet, what with the

three sets of curious eyes staring at him with such intensity one would think he had just crapped out the complete Shikon No Tama and said 'Wow, that was a big one..'


Even Kirara's feline eyes seemed to be staring at him expectantly.

Sango adjusted the strap of her giant boomerang so that it was no longer digging into her shoulder. Kagome had said that Inuyasha had been acting strange, well, stranger than usual, but she herself hadn't noticed any difference at all in the stubborn hanyou. So what could it be that Kagome had noticed that she had not?

Sure, he had left Shippo behind, but that wasn't anything new, Inuyasha would go to great lengths to get away from the sometimes annoying little kitsune. Call her oblivious to her surroundings, but that was the closest thing to out of the ordinary she had noticed. Had Kagome seen something she hadn't?

Or could it just be that Kagome knows Inuyasha better than anyone else..?


Kagome tightened her hold on Inuyasha's hand and wrapped her other arm slightly around his waist. If he noticed the change in position he made no sign to confirm it. It was hard for her to just not give in to the urge to sit him till he talked, this whole thing was making her more uneasy than she wanted to let on.. It was.. Just something in the air.. A sense of foreboding..

I wander what's going on.. Somehow.. I know it's really important.. Something big.. He wouldn't be acting like this if it wasn't.

Acting like this? Acting like what? In her thoughts she had said it without even noticing, but now as what she said gained meaning, it took her a minute to even place how she felt he was feeling..

He's.. he's acting scared.. The other's probably don't even notice it.. But.. It's there… fear.. In.. Inuyasha..


Inuyasha didn't want to tell them. And just that desire alone was enough to make him question his own sanity. Why didn't he want to tell them? It wasn't like this was really the first time.. But.. Something was different this time wasn't it?

He could feel it.. That.. Ominous thickness. It was coming.. This would either be what ended everything or started a whole new beginning..

They needed to prepare. It had been stupid to keep this from them this long.


What was the big deal anyway?

It was common knowledge that it would eventually come to this, wasn't this what he had been waiting for all along? Wasn't this what they had set out to do in the first place?

This was simply the inevitable.

So why had he been so surprised when he got the message… why had it been.. So unexpected?


Simple. He hadn't looked ahead, sure, he knew what he was after, defeat Naraku and complete the jewel, but when you go after one goal so long, it ceases to become a goal, and instead is just an idea.. Just words.

And the more time that went buy, the more distant the goal became, until he had just stopped looking for the goal, and instead just living in the moment. Living in the current quest to get a jewel shard from what ever lowlife youkai they were after at the time.

So, in a sense, the fact that the goal had become a goal again, was unexpected.

It scared him.. That this could be the end, sure, they had formed a group strong enough to fend off most anything, but just that possibility, that this could be the end, for any one of them.. That absolutely terrified him..

He didn't want it to be over..

I don't want to lose anyone… especially not Kagome.. To death.. Or to time..

Miroku glared at Inuyasha, now not so much because he had tried to chop off his head, but just because he had mistaken him for Naraku. Naraku? How could anyone confuse him with Naraku? Especially Inuyasha!


Inuyasha was the one who knew Kagome was back from her time even if they were still three villages away! Inuyasha was the one who would jump up out of nowhere and spout out something about a youkai coming thirty minutes in advance! He was a inu hanyou for kami's sakes!

He sure as hell wasn't the smartest in the group, but he was the most observant, as far as danger and sensing things went. So what would make him think that he was Naraku?

Naraku didn't grope people, well, as far as Miroku knew he didn't, he just didn't seem like the groping kind of guy. He didn't ask women to bare his child, he could bare his own children, by himself!

He didn't even wear the same colored clothes as Miroku!

He wears a baboon pelt for Kami's sake!


In a manner far too gallant for the current situation, he stood up, fist raised to the sky.

"I don't wear a baboon pelt!!"

Everyone turned to stare at the houshi, caught in a rather ridiculous pose.

Blushing, he took his seat in as dignified manner as one who has just made a defiant remark about their wardrobe can muster. Maybe that hadn't been something he should have said out loud…

"I.. Just thought you might like to know..", Oh yeah, nice save Miroku.

In a meager attempt at trying to regain some dignity, he attempted to cop a feel of Sango's butt, not that that was necessarily a dignified thing to do.

"Hentai!!" , Sango smiled as the satisfying thud sounded out from pervert meets abnormally large boomerang.

Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk a little at the pervert getting what he deserved

Kagome just gazed at the two so obviously in love with an altogether unreadable face, though her eyes were filled with an unmistakable remorse.

..Would it ever be that easy for her?


Sango just scooted a little farther away from Miroku, her arms crossed begrudgingly over her chest, pretending to be mad. "Near death experiences can't stop you can they Miroku."


For some reason, Inuyasha took offense to this, " I wouldn't have killed him! Even if tetusaiga actually did transform, I would have realized it was just the bouzo.."

"Speaking of which," Sango began, edging even farther from Miroku, " you still haven't told us exactly why you did that...", her voice trailed off after receiving the harsh glare from Inuyasha.


Kagome brought her voice down to a near whisper, "Inuyasha…", she prompted.

Miroku suddenly developed an air of regal arrogance, deciding it was time to pull out his 'I'm a wise monk, you should listen to what I have to say' tactic of getting information.

"It is probably not wise for you to delay this anymore Inuyasha, whatever the reason, its best to tell us."

Yes, he sounded intelligent, especially for someone who had just made such a fool out of himself.

"I guess the pervert is right, I should tell you…", Inuyasha relented, but made no signs of doing so.

Sango bit back the urge to hit Inuyasha over the head with her abnormally large boomerang (hey, it worked with Miroku.. Kind of).

"Ok, well, THEN WHY DON'T YOU!?" She was obviously getting tired of Inuyasha's whole beating around the bush thing and it showed through more than just a little in her words.


"Feh..."


"Inuyasha..." Kagome said again.

Inuyasha sighed in defeat, he hated how all she had to do was just say his name like that and he'd give her the world.

"It's Naraku, he wants to fight us."

_____A.N_____________________________________________________________

I finally got around to Reposting this in it's official form. This, is hopefully the last revision for this chapter. Word of warning, the next few chapters are probably not so good quality as this one unless they have been reposted after march 17 2003.

As your humble author, I beg of you to review.

The Deity,

-Heather-