CHAPTER SIX
*
"Come on, Inuyasha, make a decision!" Shippo shouted. "Which one? You gotta choose sooner or later!"
"I..." Inuyasha grimaced, thinking about the choice ahead of him. He glanced from one to the other, thinking. Which could he give up...? "I... can't decide, Shippo."
"Well, you gotta!" The little fox glared at him.
"Make me."
"Look, you can't get away with both -- it isn't allowed."
"Feh." Inuyasha shifted down in his cushion. But behind his unconcerned, sullen face, his mind was racing furiously with the ugly choice ahead of him. Which one would he keep -- and which one would he cast away? If he pushed aside one, would he end up regretting it later? His golden eyes narrowed as he thought...
"Come on, just choose," Shippo insisted, hopping up on the table. "Just pick which one you don't want, and get rid-"
"It's not that simple, runt!" If there was anything Inuyasha had learned over the past months, it was that there was nothing simple in this sort of situation. He grimaced, straining to make a decision... which one did he really want? With a heavy sigh, he said in a low voice, "Okay, I've decided."
Shippo's large green eyes glinted in the firelight as he leaned forward. His little pointed ears twitched as he listened carefully for Inuyasha's decision. "You sure?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure." Inuyasha took a deep breath. "Got any threes?"
"GO FISH!" Shippo squealed. As Inuyasha groaned, he jumped up on the table and began dancing around, still clutching his cards to his tiny chest. They almost obscured his grinning face, but Inuyasha seethed at the sight of his little victory dance anyway.
By the fire, Kagome looked up from the fish and ramen she was preparing. "I wish I'd never taught you two that game," she said dryly. "You take it way too seriously. It's just a stupid card game -- it doesn't even need skill."
"Well, I'd do something else if you taught me a different game," Inuyasha said. He glared at the prancing fox-demon, growling softly between his clenched fangs.
"No way. If I taught you poker, you might end up killing somebody," Kagome said. She peeled the top off his ramen and looked blearily down at the broth-covered noodles. For some reason, she was deeply tired, worn out. Maybe I'm fighting off a cold, she thought, stifling a yawn.
"I'm going to get some sleep," she said, standing up.
"SHUT UP, RUNT! IT'S ALL CHANCE ANYWAY!" Inuyasha bellowed, taking a swipe at the dancing kitsune.
Kagome yawned again as she moved out into the cool night air. Since the village was abandoned, she was sharing a small hut with Sango a short distance from the men's house. Miroku was somewhat unhappy about being kept in all-male quarters with Shippo and Inuyasha, but the two young women insisted. It was a bit cramped, but after sharing a room with four other people for the past months, Kagome was grateful to be bunking with just one.
A fire was smoldering in the hearth when she stepped inside. Rubbing at her aching eyes, Kagome unrolled her sleeping bag. Her last, drowsy thoughts before she fell asleep were of the streak of red and silver she saw darting into the trees.
*
The smell of minerals and hot water rose from the hot springs, sending a prickle down Sango's back. Letting her towel fall to the ground, she slipped into the water. She had left her knives and sword with her clothes, neatly folded on a rock on the bank. The hot water caressed her bare skin and smoothed the tension from her muscles. She sighed and sank down.
"Hey, Sango!"
Sango automatically reached for her sword, then relaxed as she recognized the voice. Kagome stepped out of the woods, clutching a bath towel. "Relax! It's just me," she joked. "I'm pretty sure Miroku didn't see me leave."
After stripping off her uniform, Kagome slipped in beside her friend and sighed. "Ah, that feels great," she murmured. "I brought soap, by the way."
"It's nice to be able to wash without worrying about being spied on," Sango said, sitting up in the water. Her long black hair trailed behind her as she stretched out, kicking at dried-up leaves that had fallen to the water.
"I'll say," Kagome said. "But you like Miroku anyway, don't you?"
Sango flushed slightly. "Well, what about you and Inuyasha? I'm still not clear on what's going on there -- except Miroku seems to think that Inuyasha's just being timid."
"You think he's timid?"
"Shy, certainly. I haven't heard much about his relationship with Kikyo... sorry, I know you hate hearing about her. But I think that he's scared because of what happened to him then." Sango picked up the bar of soap and ran it up and down her arms. "He's only had one relationship, right?"
"I guess so," Kagome said pensively. "I don't think he's mentioned any others, anyway. He can be really weird that way. I guess he does feel a little... I dunno, frightened. Though he's got nothing to be frightened of! It's not like I bite or anything. Do you think he's naive or something?"
"A little, maybe. About women, certainly." Sango sat up as Kagome began scrubbing her back where she couldn't reach. "Just so long as he doesn't take advice from Miroku. One guy like that is more than enough!"
Kagome giggled and began scrubbing her stomach underwater. As Sango rose from the water, she sank back and stretched up one of her legs. "You go on ahead -- I'm going to soak and relax for awhile."
"You sure?" Sango asked, slipping on her slayer's uniform and tossing her skirt over her shoulder. "Will you be okay?"
"Sure, I'll be fine," Kagome said, shaking soap bubbles from her fingers. "I just want a little time to myself."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Come on, Inuyasha, make a decision!" Shippo shouted. "Which one? You gotta choose sooner or later!"
"I..." Inuyasha grimaced, thinking about the choice ahead of him. He glanced from one to the other, thinking. Which could he give up...? "I... can't decide, Shippo."
"Well, you gotta!" The little fox glared at him.
"Make me."
"Look, you can't get away with both -- it isn't allowed."
"Feh." Inuyasha shifted down in his cushion. But behind his unconcerned, sullen face, his mind was racing furiously with the ugly choice ahead of him. Which one would he keep -- and which one would he cast away? If he pushed aside one, would he end up regretting it later? His golden eyes narrowed as he thought...
"Come on, just choose," Shippo insisted, hopping up on the table. "Just pick which one you don't want, and get rid-"
"It's not that simple, runt!" If there was anything Inuyasha had learned over the past months, it was that there was nothing simple in this sort of situation. He grimaced, straining to make a decision... which one did he really want? With a heavy sigh, he said in a low voice, "Okay, I've decided."
Shippo's large green eyes glinted in the firelight as he leaned forward. His little pointed ears twitched as he listened carefully for Inuyasha's decision. "You sure?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure." Inuyasha took a deep breath. "Got any threes?"
"GO FISH!" Shippo squealed. As Inuyasha groaned, he jumped up on the table and began dancing around, still clutching his cards to his tiny chest. They almost obscured his grinning face, but Inuyasha seethed at the sight of his little victory dance anyway.
By the fire, Kagome looked up from the fish and ramen she was preparing. "I wish I'd never taught you two that game," she said dryly. "You take it way too seriously. It's just a stupid card game -- it doesn't even need skill."
"Well, I'd do something else if you taught me a different game," Inuyasha said. He glared at the prancing fox-demon, growling softly between his clenched fangs.
"No way. If I taught you poker, you might end up killing somebody," Kagome said. She peeled the top off his ramen and looked blearily down at the broth-covered noodles. For some reason, she was deeply tired, worn out. Maybe I'm fighting off a cold, she thought, stifling a yawn.
"I'm going to get some sleep," she said, standing up.
"SHUT UP, RUNT! IT'S ALL CHANCE ANYWAY!" Inuyasha bellowed, taking a swipe at the dancing kitsune.
Kagome yawned again as she moved out into the cool night air. Since the village was abandoned, she was sharing a small hut with Sango a short distance from the men's house. Miroku was somewhat unhappy about being kept in all-male quarters with Shippo and Inuyasha, but the two young women insisted. It was a bit cramped, but after sharing a room with four other people for the past months, Kagome was grateful to be bunking with just one.
A fire was smoldering in the hearth when she stepped inside. Rubbing at her aching eyes, Kagome unrolled her sleeping bag. Her last, drowsy thoughts before she fell asleep were of the streak of red and silver she saw darting into the trees.
*
The smell of minerals and hot water rose from the hot springs, sending a prickle down Sango's back. Letting her towel fall to the ground, she slipped into the water. She had left her knives and sword with her clothes, neatly folded on a rock on the bank. The hot water caressed her bare skin and smoothed the tension from her muscles. She sighed and sank down.
"Hey, Sango!"
Sango automatically reached for her sword, then relaxed as she recognized the voice. Kagome stepped out of the woods, clutching a bath towel. "Relax! It's just me," she joked. "I'm pretty sure Miroku didn't see me leave."
After stripping off her uniform, Kagome slipped in beside her friend and sighed. "Ah, that feels great," she murmured. "I brought soap, by the way."
"It's nice to be able to wash without worrying about being spied on," Sango said, sitting up in the water. Her long black hair trailed behind her as she stretched out, kicking at dried-up leaves that had fallen to the water.
"I'll say," Kagome said. "But you like Miroku anyway, don't you?"
Sango flushed slightly. "Well, what about you and Inuyasha? I'm still not clear on what's going on there -- except Miroku seems to think that Inuyasha's just being timid."
"You think he's timid?"
"Shy, certainly. I haven't heard much about his relationship with Kikyo... sorry, I know you hate hearing about her. But I think that he's scared because of what happened to him then." Sango picked up the bar of soap and ran it up and down her arms. "He's only had one relationship, right?"
"I guess so," Kagome said pensively. "I don't think he's mentioned any others, anyway. He can be really weird that way. I guess he does feel a little... I dunno, frightened. Though he's got nothing to be frightened of! It's not like I bite or anything. Do you think he's naive or something?"
"A little, maybe. About women, certainly." Sango sat up as Kagome began scrubbing her back where she couldn't reach. "Just so long as he doesn't take advice from Miroku. One guy like that is more than enough!"
Kagome giggled and began scrubbing her stomach underwater. As Sango rose from the water, she sank back and stretched up one of her legs. "You go on ahead -- I'm going to soak and relax for awhile."
"You sure?" Sango asked, slipping on her slayer's uniform and tossing her skirt over her shoulder. "Will you be okay?"
"Sure, I'll be fine," Kagome said, shaking soap bubbles from her fingers. "I just want a little time to myself."
TO BE CONTINUED