Blundering About
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Inuyasha and Boton jumped guiltily apart when Kagome rounded the corner.. Even though they had been doing nothing but telling each other some of their more fantastic adventures, they both felt like they had been caught doing something wrong. She gave them a short stare for their guilty looks and decided she had no room to complain. She had just kissed Kurama....sort of.
Inuyasha watched Kagome blush suddenly and turned thoughtful eyes at the kitsune behind her. The fox was unreadable. It was no business of his anyway. As long as the guy wouldn't hold a grudge. "I shouldn't have swung at you," Inuyasha clearly announced out of nowhere.
Kagome almost landed on her face. For Inuyasha that was practically an apology. He didn't often give those. He'd rather be hated then be wrong.
Inuyasha was glad when the kitsune gave him a mild look and nodded, with out making a big deal out of it. He saw two pink eyes light up in approval with his peripheral vision. It was in utter contrast to Kagome's disbelief, which was rubbing his fur the wrong way.
Kurama noticed the ripples between the raven haired girl and the hanyou, but said nothing. He wanted the dog demon's attention elsewhere. Things were developing in ways he had not expected. He wasn't prepared to like her this much so fast. He had only known her for a few months. He had fully expected to be able to reign himself in and keep to him self, but it seemed that fate had other plans.
Should I even bother fighting this feeling?
For once, there was no answer.
Kagome gathered her school things together and smiled warmly at her friends. "Since it's so nice out, shall we take advantage of the weather and study outside?"
"Study?" Inuyasha's ears pricked.
"I have a math exam."
"You also?" he asked Boton and Kurama.
"Kurama is the smartest one on our team. He helps make sure the others at least try to keep up in school," Boton explained, shaking her head in a negative way to his question.
The words out of Boton's mouth made Inuyasha pause. So she valued intelligence. Better not stick around then. All that stupid school stuff is useless to me...Inuyasha got ready to leave, saying he'd be back the next day.
Boton felt him go when the well sent him home and bade her friends goodbye as well. She made her way to the park for some heavy thinking.
Kagome sat on the top step to the shrine and spread her things out around her. Kurama perched next to her, looking as calm and collected as when she first met him. He was watching Boton leave.
"She likes Inuyasha, doesn't she?"
Kurama's eyes became guarded. "What makes you say that?"
"I kinda get the feeling that she comes here to see him." She smiled a bit sadly.
The sadness tore at his heart. She must still care for him...
"I hope that he doesn't hurt her. He's so..."
"So?" he prompted.
"Stuck in the past...." she giggled a bit. "I mean his own personal past."
"Kikyo?"
"Yeah, Kikyo. He may never let her go."
"What of you?"
"Me?"
"Will he ever let you go?"
"He's not the one holding on," she sighed. "Well, lets get to work, ne?"
Kurama pulled the book to him and studied the equations. The puzzles presented in the book were so much simpler then the ones created by life itself. He watched Kagome concentrate on her problem with all her tenacity and decided he better do the same if his intentions were to help the girl. Yes, math had rules. The heart merely blundered along in the dark.
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Inuyasha let his legs dangle gracelessly from the highest branch of his tree. So deep in thought, he didn't hear the impatient muttering of the fox child below him until Shippo floated up to glare at him cross-eyed in his balloon form.
"Inuyasha!"
"Go away, brat. I'm busy."
"Doing what?"
THUD
"Owww!" Shippo rubbed his head and his bruised tail. Inuyasha remained above him, looking out over the tree tops again. "Fine."
Inuyasha ignored the annoying ball of fur. His thoughts were on the past, and on the future. Kikyo, Kagome, Boton...
A gentle smile settled on his lips. Kikyo wasn't always the cold and merciless creature she had become. Once there had been warmth there...long ago.
Kagome looked like Kikyo, but her personality was so different from anything Kikyo had ever been. Kagome was sunshine and summertime while Kikyo was the crystal smooth of winter.
Boton, this new girl in his thoughts, was a mixture of both. She had the determination and dedication of Kikyo as well as the lonely position of responsibility that shaped them both. But, she also possessed the warm and optimistic outlook as Kagome. She made him feel calm, like Kikyo did, and cheerful, like Kagome did.
Women...I have better things to things to do then daydream about a girl!
Inuyasha stretched himself out on the limb to nap. "I wonder what they are doing now."
Only the wind rustling the spring leaves answered him. It whispered of new events and cautioned him with a warning. There was choices to be made and the outcomes were bathed in shadow. He drifted back into a peaceful sleep, lost to dreams of the future. But, even those were tainted by the threat of Naraku. Even here, in his mind, that coward could find way to ruin his life, as he murdered the woman he loved in front of him, over and over again. But strangely, her face kept changing while her eyes remained a solemn sad pink.
He whimpered and growled in his sleep. He could win! He could beat this monster! So close...he was so close he could smell him...
Inuyasha's amber eyes snapped open. He could smell Naraku! He sniffed the wind to judge the direction and distance but the scent was scattered and elusive. He's moving...somewhere he's planning something...Inuyasha was tense and full of hate, but Naraku's scent was residual, faint. It wasn't time to move yet. The bastard was still hiding.
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"Thank you again, for helping me. You make it seem so easy to understand. I would probably fail the test if you weren't here to tutor me." Kagome shut her math book.
"You are welcome." Kurama watched Kagome settle back beside him on the steps of the shrine. "If you were actually able to attend class, I doubt you would be behind at all. You are very smart, Kagome."
She smiled and laughed lightly. "I doubt it. I was never very good at math! But, thank you all the same. It's nice to hear that someone thinks I'm smart."
"Inuyasha?" he asked with a frown.
"Mmmm. If you disregard 'Bitch,' then his favorite name for me is 'Stupid Girl'."
"He treats you badly," Kurama said quietly, looking at the setting sun casting its violet shadows over the ancient shrine. They sat in the failing rays of the sun, content to share these quiet moments together.
"He treats me the same way he treats the others. I just take it badly because he means so much to me."
Kurama felt a strange melancholy mood sweep over him. He had never asked, but now that the opportunity was here, he hesitated. Did he really want to know the answer? He had to ask.
Every part of him was begging to know..."Do you love him?"
"Huh?" Kagome looked at him in surprise. "Inuyasha?"
Kurama kept his green eyes on the vivid colors of the sinking sun. He nodded with out meeting her eyes.
"I don't know. I used to think...I don't know." She sighed sadly. "What is love anyway, Kurama? Could you tell me? How do you know when you love someone?"
His green eyes met her serious blue ones. Their gazes held for a minute before he looked away. "I do not know. I have never really loved another before. Not that kind of love, anyway."
Kagome rested her back against his so that they were holding each other up. She turned her face to the side to watch the last bit of sun sink beneath the horizon. "I used to think that I loved Inuyasha. I would give my own life to keep him safe. Turn my back on everything that I have previously strived for just to see him smile. But..."
His heart sank with each word.
"But lately," she continued, "I have come to realize that I would do that for any one of my friends...and even a few of my enemies. What I feel for Sango, for Miroku, Shippo, Inuyasha and even for Kikyo is equally strong...but each one is different. Do I love then all, but in separate ways? I know I do. But the kind of love you mean, that, I don't know..."
Kurama felt his heart lighten. She hadn't said a definite yes, so there was still hope for him to find a place in her heart. She leaned her head back to look up at him. She gave him a soft smile and brushed the hair out of his eyes. It took all the strength he had to keep from leaning into her touch.
"I would do the same for my friends here, too, Kurama." She looked him in the eyes, hoping he would understand. She couldn't say it plain yet, but she hoped he understood.
He nodded slowly, indicating he understood her. He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder, and they sat silently until the stars began to appear above them.
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For a note to readers...there really isn't much to say this time. Youko is up in the next set of chapters which should be debuting Saturday or so... (Evil Grin) A bit more action next time around, even if I am not good at writing it...ah...sorry it took so long to get these posted again!
I have one thing you should know. I have almost caught up with what I have written out and when I do catch up, updates will be slower...sigh...I do not what to rush my story so those of you expecting multiple chapter updates may find that I will have to give that up in the near future. I have at least eight more chapters to type out before that though. ^.^
Thank you for reviewing
Midnight Bloodred Rose, kira-renee 56, andrea10, ladyofthedragons1, sessywuver, Diaphanous, helen, Dark Topaz, melody 27, Flying Pheonix, Illustrious Sorrow, badgerwolf, Hinoke, Forsaken Silence, DemonLady1, Ai Higeki, Shinigami Clara and
Raquel- I just followed the directions under register at the top of the screen! I have no idea how things work beyond that!
Helen- What I really meant to say was
"Inuyasha glared at her, unwilling to admit that he didn't think that he had the energy to fend off Shippo at that moment, much less his brother." Unfortunately, I missed typing that last little bit. It makes a big difference! Sorry! When I get the story completed, I intend to revise and all anyway so thank you for pointing that out!
Jumper Prime- "Shhhh! You'll give everything away! Please, just keep reading and all will be revealed!"
?????????-why choose one when you can have all three? ^ ^
Artemis the Goddess- thank you very much for the help with the reviews thing!
Kinki Usagi- I'm still alive! No worries!
Thank you everyone!
Sylvannastar