Chapter 2 Come In My Sleeping Bag?

Disclaimer: Woe is me! I don't own Inuyasha. Ah, mine is a miserable life. Author's note: I know I haven't posted anything in a while, but I can make up for it by giving you the rest of my story. So enjoy!

After they resumed walking, Kagome took more pictures. First, she'd point and cry out in amazement, then press the button. Snap! Flash! Click! This continued until the sun set, and she put her camera away. She'd save what film she had left for later. An argument then broke out.
"No way!" yelled Inuyasha. "I'm not stopping here. There's got to be a shard around here somewhere!" Kagome intervened.
"I don't think so, Inuyasha," she said. "I would have sensed one if there was." He crossed his arms over his chest.
"Inuyasha," said Sango. "It has become dark. We can get started again in the morning."
"I told you, I'm not stoppin'," he said. "You guys stay here if you want, I'm goin'."
"All right," said the houshi. "Why don't we split up? Since you insist on pressing forth, you, Kagome, Shippo, and Kirara can all continue, while Sango and I-"
"Wait one fucking minute, Lech!" yelled the half demon, now irritated at this waste of time. "You and Sango take Kirara, and I'll take Shippo and Kagome. When we bed down, we'll send Shippo over to tell you guys, and in the morning, you send him over to tell us you've started again. All in favor?" No one dared object, lest they start the tirade over again. "Good," he said. He started walking, and barked for Shippo and Kagome to follow.
~*~
"Inuyasha," whined Kagome. "We've been walking for hours. Let's stop here."
"I guess we've gone far enough," he said. "All right, let's set up camp here. Shippo, go back to the others and tell them we've stopped." The sleepy kit grumbled something incoherent, then transformed into a giant pink orb and floated away. Kagome took her wet clothes out of her pack and hung them on a low hanging branch to dry. She then took out her sleeping bag, rolled it out, and climbed in. Inuyasha sat at the base of a tree and closed his eyes. There was a silence.
"Inuyasha," said Kagome, breaking the silence. "Aren't you a little cold out there?" He opened one eye.
"Why?" he asked suspiciously.
"I thought you might like to come in my sleeping bag with me," she said, color rising in her cheeks. "Unless you're fine right there, 'cause I can-"
"All right," he said. "Since it's just us out here and there could be demons lurking around, I'll have to protect you." He stood, stretched, and walked over to Kagome. "Now, how do you get into this thing?" *Later...
"Inuyasha, it's so hot," moaned Kagome. "Do you think you could take off that jacket?"
"Fine," he said, sitting up. "It's not like those baggy robes are helping." He took off his jacket, and Kagome blushed.
"I guess my clothes have had enough time to dry," she mumbled, and went to go get her clothes. She was right. It was pretty hot. He wiped the sweat from his brow. Kagome ducked behind a group of bushes and proceeded to get changed. After a while, Inuyasha saw the white top of Kagome's robes fly from behind the shrub. He swallowed. Was it his imagination, or was he dying to see Kagome undressed?
"Oi," he called, his voice cracking. "Hurry up!"
"Huh?" she asked. "Oh, hold on a sec." The bushes rustled more violently, and Kagome emerged, fully dressed. Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief. "What's with you?" she asked.
"If you don't mind, I think I'll sleep elsewhere," he said in his usual rude tone. Kagome frowned, but before she could say anything, Inuyasha quickly said, "It's way too hot in there," to spare her feelings. Kagome relaxed.
"Whatever," she said, and tucked herself back into her sleeping bag. He laid down next to her on the ground. Kagome looked really nervous, but he was ready with an excuse.
"I'm supposed to protect you, remember?" She smiled.
"'Night, Inuyasha," she said. She gave him a swift peck on the cheek, and rolled over to hide her blushing.
"Uh, yeah, good night," he said, just as red as she was. *Meanwhile...
"Ah, such beautiful stars," said Miroku, gazing up at the darkened sky. He glanced over at the sleeping form of Sango and raised a hand to his reddened cheek, to the place where the taijiya had slapped him only moments ago. "Just like her." He closed his eyes and imagined Sango lying next to him, giggling the way flirtatious girls do. He could see her now, on a futon in their very own house, hot and flushed after a night of intense lovemaking. He could see her reaching for him, placing one of her hands on one of his own. The cursed hand. Gods, he wanted to hold her forever! Unfortunately, forever would not be very long for him. He opened his eyes, looked at his right hand, and let out a ragged breath. "Not much longer, eh?" He grasped his prayer beads tightly, and settled into a restless sleep. A tear rolled down Sango's cheek. She had been watching him through carefully slitted eyes, and had seen the way he looked at her. He must have been thinking about his hand, and the unnatural shortness of his young life. "Oh, Miroku," she whispered. She longed to be with him, too, but had been afraid to tell him. What if Naraku killed him, like he'd killed her family? What if they never found him, and Miroku's hand opened and swallowed him up? She wouldn't be able to bear that. She silently vowed then and there that she would find Naraku and destroy him, and if not for her own sake, then for Miroku's. She smiled, and stroked Kirara absentmindedly. "What tangled webs we weave."