CHAPTER ELEVEN
*
Water slopped over the edges of the bowl as Inuyasha dropped the rag back into it. He frowned critically, holding Tetsusaiga in front of his face. He didnt get the chance to do this very often, and his sword needed it badly. He rolled up his long, baggy sleeves and picked up the rag.
As he began scrubbing the chipped, dull blade, his mind drifted back to the fight he had had with Kagome. She had been acting weird for days -- getting creeped out by this empty village, to start with. Inuyasha found the place weird and suspicious, but not creepy. Although from time to time, he felt his instincts going haywire, warning him that someone was watching him. But when he smelled the air, he scented nobody except myself.
Inuyasha dunked the rag into the bowl and began scrubbing again. The fight with Kagome had annoyed him. Not that fights were a new thing -- they'd been quibbling since day one, and very few of those fights had actually meant anything to either of them. But this one rankled. Maybe it was that she had all but called him a liar. That, or sick in the head. Inuyasha grimaced just thinking about it.
I don't lie, he thought angrily. Okay, maybe a little -- like when I said I hated her smell. But not the kind of lie she was talkin' about.
His hand slipped, and the rag squished to the floor. Inuyasha grimaced and turned his fingers over. Good thing the blade wasn't sharp until it transformed, or he would have lost a thumb. Ignoring the wet rag, he picked up a dry one and began polishing the blade, testing it from time to time. Tetsusaiga always looked like a wreck, but there was no reason to just let it look worse than it had to.
There was a soft knock on the wall outside.
"Who is it?" Inuyasha called, still polishing. He could already smell who it was, but wanted her to be civil before she came in.
"It's me," Kagome's muffled voice called. "Can I come in?"
"Feh," Inuyasha grumbled.
Kagome pushed the screen out of the doorway. She was flushed and breathless, as if she had been running recently. "Is anybody else here?" she asked, glancing around the empty hut.
"Nope, it's just me. Come to yell a little more?" Inuyasha asked darkly.
"No, I didn't," Kagome said, kneeling on the floor in front of him. "Inuyasha, I..." She fell silent, as if she were thinking about what to say.
Inuyasha set his sword aside and studied the grimy scabbard. "Well?"
"I'm sorry." Kagome looked up at him with wide, clear eyes. "I'm sorry about the stuff I said this morning."
Inuyasha froze, with the rag in his hand poised over the scabbard. His golden eyes blinked, as if he weren't quite sure what he was seeing. "You what?" he asked slowly.
"I won't say it again. I already said it once," Kagome said quickly. "But you heard me right. Inuyasha..." She swallowed hard, as if the admission was something hard for her to say. She brushed a lock of dark hair behind her ear. "I... I know you wouldn't lie to me. I don't know why you don't seem to remember what I said to you, but if you say you didn't hear me, I... I believe you. I was wrong."
"Damn right you were," Inuyasha said gruffly. But his ego had been salved by her admission, and his resentment had faded away. He shifted against the wall, still clutching his dirty scabbard. "But it don't really matter now. Forget about it," he added in a low voice.
As he stood up, Kagome stayed kneeling, staring at the patterns in the dusty wooden floor. Her dark hair had fallen over her face, hiding her expression from him. Inuyasha stared at her. He felt vaguely disturbed, as if there was something wrong that he didn't know how to fix. He squatted down in front of her, trying to see her downcast eyes. "Whatsamatter?" he demanded.
Kagome sighed, still not looking at him.
"What's wrong?" Inuyasha said loudly. "I can tell something's wrong."
"It's nothing," Kagome whispered.
"Don't give me that crap," Inuyasha said, his attempts at being kind cracking slightly. "I can tell when you're upset. You're acting just like when... when I go... when you don't like something I do," he finished lamely. I better not mention Kikyo, he thought.
Kagome didn't look at him, or react at all. Normally that sort of response would have made her bristle, or even shout "sit!" at him. But she just stared down at the floor, looking small and fragile. He crouched forward on his hands, straining to see her face. One of his clawed fingers hooked under her chin, tilted her face up to his. "Come on, look at me when I'm talking to you," Inuyasha said quietly.
She did. Her dark eyes slowly looked up and met his. Inuyasha moved back slightly, startled at what he saw there. "Kagome," he said softly. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I suppose," Kagome said, clasping her hand over his. Before Inuyasha could speak again, her arms slipped under his, hugging him tightly around the chest, resting her dark head under his chin. The suddenness of it stole Inuyasha's breath for a moment. "Kagome...?" he said softly.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Water slopped over the edges of the bowl as Inuyasha dropped the rag back into it. He frowned critically, holding Tetsusaiga in front of his face. He didnt get the chance to do this very often, and his sword needed it badly. He rolled up his long, baggy sleeves and picked up the rag.
As he began scrubbing the chipped, dull blade, his mind drifted back to the fight he had had with Kagome. She had been acting weird for days -- getting creeped out by this empty village, to start with. Inuyasha found the place weird and suspicious, but not creepy. Although from time to time, he felt his instincts going haywire, warning him that someone was watching him. But when he smelled the air, he scented nobody except myself.
Inuyasha dunked the rag into the bowl and began scrubbing again. The fight with Kagome had annoyed him. Not that fights were a new thing -- they'd been quibbling since day one, and very few of those fights had actually meant anything to either of them. But this one rankled. Maybe it was that she had all but called him a liar. That, or sick in the head. Inuyasha grimaced just thinking about it.
I don't lie, he thought angrily. Okay, maybe a little -- like when I said I hated her smell. But not the kind of lie she was talkin' about.
His hand slipped, and the rag squished to the floor. Inuyasha grimaced and turned his fingers over. Good thing the blade wasn't sharp until it transformed, or he would have lost a thumb. Ignoring the wet rag, he picked up a dry one and began polishing the blade, testing it from time to time. Tetsusaiga always looked like a wreck, but there was no reason to just let it look worse than it had to.
There was a soft knock on the wall outside.
"Who is it?" Inuyasha called, still polishing. He could already smell who it was, but wanted her to be civil before she came in.
"It's me," Kagome's muffled voice called. "Can I come in?"
"Feh," Inuyasha grumbled.
Kagome pushed the screen out of the doorway. She was flushed and breathless, as if she had been running recently. "Is anybody else here?" she asked, glancing around the empty hut.
"Nope, it's just me. Come to yell a little more?" Inuyasha asked darkly.
"No, I didn't," Kagome said, kneeling on the floor in front of him. "Inuyasha, I..." She fell silent, as if she were thinking about what to say.
Inuyasha set his sword aside and studied the grimy scabbard. "Well?"
"I'm sorry." Kagome looked up at him with wide, clear eyes. "I'm sorry about the stuff I said this morning."
Inuyasha froze, with the rag in his hand poised over the scabbard. His golden eyes blinked, as if he weren't quite sure what he was seeing. "You what?" he asked slowly.
"I won't say it again. I already said it once," Kagome said quickly. "But you heard me right. Inuyasha..." She swallowed hard, as if the admission was something hard for her to say. She brushed a lock of dark hair behind her ear. "I... I know you wouldn't lie to me. I don't know why you don't seem to remember what I said to you, but if you say you didn't hear me, I... I believe you. I was wrong."
"Damn right you were," Inuyasha said gruffly. But his ego had been salved by her admission, and his resentment had faded away. He shifted against the wall, still clutching his dirty scabbard. "But it don't really matter now. Forget about it," he added in a low voice.
As he stood up, Kagome stayed kneeling, staring at the patterns in the dusty wooden floor. Her dark hair had fallen over her face, hiding her expression from him. Inuyasha stared at her. He felt vaguely disturbed, as if there was something wrong that he didn't know how to fix. He squatted down in front of her, trying to see her downcast eyes. "Whatsamatter?" he demanded.
Kagome sighed, still not looking at him.
"What's wrong?" Inuyasha said loudly. "I can tell something's wrong."
"It's nothing," Kagome whispered.
"Don't give me that crap," Inuyasha said, his attempts at being kind cracking slightly. "I can tell when you're upset. You're acting just like when... when I go... when you don't like something I do," he finished lamely. I better not mention Kikyo, he thought.
Kagome didn't look at him, or react at all. Normally that sort of response would have made her bristle, or even shout "sit!" at him. But she just stared down at the floor, looking small and fragile. He crouched forward on his hands, straining to see her face. One of his clawed fingers hooked under her chin, tilted her face up to his. "Come on, look at me when I'm talking to you," Inuyasha said quietly.
She did. Her dark eyes slowly looked up and met his. Inuyasha moved back slightly, startled at what he saw there. "Kagome," he said softly. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I suppose," Kagome said, clasping her hand over his. Before Inuyasha could speak again, her arms slipped under his, hugging him tightly around the chest, resting her dark head under his chin. The suddenness of it stole Inuyasha's breath for a moment. "Kagome...?" he said softly.
TO BE CONTINUED