CHAPTER SEVEN
*
Miroku leaned back against the tree and looked up into the trees. "So... never?" he asked slowly.
"No." Inuyasha hunched over the portable water pot that Kagome took with her all the time. He was fairly sure he knew how to turn the thing on, and could probably heat some water without scalding himself.
"You have been travelling with Kagome for all these months," Miroku said slowly, as if the idea. "You spent a great deal of time. Bathing, sleeping, around one another almost all the time."
"Yeah."
"And you never...?" Miroku raised his eyebrows.
"No, we didn't, you pervert monk." Inuyasha glared over his shoulder. "Not that it's any of your business. So butt out."
"Not even ONCE?"
"Butt out."
"Never?"
"No."
Miroku mulled it over. "Not even a LITTLE?" he asked.
"What do you mean, a lit... never mind, I don't want to know," Inuyasha growled, trying to fill the pot from Kagome's water bottle. He only ended up squirting himself in the face.
He was still a little groggy from his long nap. And that dream... he blushed a little at the memory of what Kagome had been doing to him in that dream, after she appeared right next to him inside the well -- not the ideal place for an amorous rendezvous. He still wasn't sure why he -- or Kagome -- would choose to do THAT in the well of all places. Maybe Miroku was rubbing off on him. He certainly HOPED not.
"You're growling again," Miroku said. "And I'm fairly sure I haven't done anything wrong."
"Sure you haven't," Inuyasha sneered.
"Not in the last five minutes."
"Feh." Inuyasha managed to empty the water bottle into the kettle and put it over the fire. Miroku settled back and contemplated the others in the camp: Kirara was dozing on a sleeping bag, and Shippo was mesmerized by a tiny lava lamp that Kagome had brought him.
After a while, Sango wandered back to the fire, shaking out her wet hair. She had already redressed in her slayer's uniform and the skirt she usually wore over it.
"Where's Kagome?" Miroku asked, crossing his legs.
"She's going to relax awhile longer," Sango said, wringing out her long hair. "I think I'll go for a walk down by the riverside."
"Sound idea," Miroku said.
Sango's eyes flickered, as if she were uncertain. "Do you want to come?"
"I would love to," Miroku said truthfully. Sango's prior irritation with him seemed to have lessened, and normally an evening stroll with Sango under the stars would have brought him to her side in an instant. "But I'm afraid I have a prior obligation."
"Prior obligation?" Sango asked, frowning. "Such as what?"
"That, I'm afraid, is a secret."
"If you watch Kagome in the spring, Inuyasha will murder you. Slowly."
"I had no intention of watching her," Miroku said. He watched Sango walk away quickly, with Kirara bouncing and mewing after her. Then he glanced to Inuyasha, who was still waiting for the pot to boil. Judging from his expression, he hadn't heard a word of what Miroku and Sango had said.
Miroku cleared his throat. "Inuyasha?"
"What?" Inuyasha said absently.
"Did you hear what Sango said?"
"Nope."
"Kagome is waiting for you at the hot springs. She says it's urgent."
Inuyasha looked puzzled. With a last venomous glare at the pot, he got up and raced off into the woods. "I'll be back in a minute."
Miroku settled back with a smile. Things always went wrong when he witnessed the girls in a state of undress. But with Sango off by the river, and himself at the campsite, perhaps Inuyasha might be a little more tempted by what he saw...
About five minutes later, Inuyasha stormed back into the camp, sporting a bruise on one cheek and a lump on his head. "She was NOT asking to see me!" he snarled, grabbing the front of Miroku's clothes.
"She wasn't?" Miroku asked, genuinely puzzled.
"Well, when she asks to see me, she doesn't usually scream and hit me with a rock," Inuyasha snapped. "Or call me a lousy sneaking perv, which is usually what they call YOU."
Miroku frowned as Inuyasha slunk off to the fireside to check on his hot water. I was sloppy, he thought. I forgot that Inuyasha isn't the only one involved in this. Well, I suppose this means I'm not the only one who gets clobbered when I encounter the girls. The girls simply do that to any male who gets close enough.
He stifled a smile at the idea of Inuyasha bursting into the hot spring, with Kagome trying to relax in the hot water. "Sneaking" wasn't something he excelled at. A potential romance had ended in a farce.
the monk stretched and glanced over at the basket of supplies they had bought that afternoon. He had just remembered something that might just work...
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Miroku leaned back against the tree and looked up into the trees. "So... never?" he asked slowly.
"No." Inuyasha hunched over the portable water pot that Kagome took with her all the time. He was fairly sure he knew how to turn the thing on, and could probably heat some water without scalding himself.
"You have been travelling with Kagome for all these months," Miroku said slowly, as if the idea. "You spent a great deal of time. Bathing, sleeping, around one another almost all the time."
"Yeah."
"And you never...?" Miroku raised his eyebrows.
"No, we didn't, you pervert monk." Inuyasha glared over his shoulder. "Not that it's any of your business. So butt out."
"Not even ONCE?"
"Butt out."
"Never?"
"No."
Miroku mulled it over. "Not even a LITTLE?" he asked.
"What do you mean, a lit... never mind, I don't want to know," Inuyasha growled, trying to fill the pot from Kagome's water bottle. He only ended up squirting himself in the face.
He was still a little groggy from his long nap. And that dream... he blushed a little at the memory of what Kagome had been doing to him in that dream, after she appeared right next to him inside the well -- not the ideal place for an amorous rendezvous. He still wasn't sure why he -- or Kagome -- would choose to do THAT in the well of all places. Maybe Miroku was rubbing off on him. He certainly HOPED not.
"You're growling again," Miroku said. "And I'm fairly sure I haven't done anything wrong."
"Sure you haven't," Inuyasha sneered.
"Not in the last five minutes."
"Feh." Inuyasha managed to empty the water bottle into the kettle and put it over the fire. Miroku settled back and contemplated the others in the camp: Kirara was dozing on a sleeping bag, and Shippo was mesmerized by a tiny lava lamp that Kagome had brought him.
After a while, Sango wandered back to the fire, shaking out her wet hair. She had already redressed in her slayer's uniform and the skirt she usually wore over it.
"Where's Kagome?" Miroku asked, crossing his legs.
"She's going to relax awhile longer," Sango said, wringing out her long hair. "I think I'll go for a walk down by the riverside."
"Sound idea," Miroku said.
Sango's eyes flickered, as if she were uncertain. "Do you want to come?"
"I would love to," Miroku said truthfully. Sango's prior irritation with him seemed to have lessened, and normally an evening stroll with Sango under the stars would have brought him to her side in an instant. "But I'm afraid I have a prior obligation."
"Prior obligation?" Sango asked, frowning. "Such as what?"
"That, I'm afraid, is a secret."
"If you watch Kagome in the spring, Inuyasha will murder you. Slowly."
"I had no intention of watching her," Miroku said. He watched Sango walk away quickly, with Kirara bouncing and mewing after her. Then he glanced to Inuyasha, who was still waiting for the pot to boil. Judging from his expression, he hadn't heard a word of what Miroku and Sango had said.
Miroku cleared his throat. "Inuyasha?"
"What?" Inuyasha said absently.
"Did you hear what Sango said?"
"Nope."
"Kagome is waiting for you at the hot springs. She says it's urgent."
Inuyasha looked puzzled. With a last venomous glare at the pot, he got up and raced off into the woods. "I'll be back in a minute."
Miroku settled back with a smile. Things always went wrong when he witnessed the girls in a state of undress. But with Sango off by the river, and himself at the campsite, perhaps Inuyasha might be a little more tempted by what he saw...
About five minutes later, Inuyasha stormed back into the camp, sporting a bruise on one cheek and a lump on his head. "She was NOT asking to see me!" he snarled, grabbing the front of Miroku's clothes.
"She wasn't?" Miroku asked, genuinely puzzled.
"Well, when she asks to see me, she doesn't usually scream and hit me with a rock," Inuyasha snapped. "Or call me a lousy sneaking perv, which is usually what they call YOU."
Miroku frowned as Inuyasha slunk off to the fireside to check on his hot water. I was sloppy, he thought. I forgot that Inuyasha isn't the only one involved in this. Well, I suppose this means I'm not the only one who gets clobbered when I encounter the girls. The girls simply do that to any male who gets close enough.
He stifled a smile at the idea of Inuyasha bursting into the hot spring, with Kagome trying to relax in the hot water. "Sneaking" wasn't something he excelled at. A potential romance had ended in a farce.
the monk stretched and glanced over at the basket of supplies they had bought that afternoon. He had just remembered something that might just work...
TO BE CONTINUED
