Chapter 24: Knockouts and kidnaps

The girls proved very seductive and hard to resist Miroku had found as he carried Sango back to the camp while attempting to disengage her from sucking and nibbling his ear. Inuyasha was blushing furiously after Kagome's little foot found its way to his pants and rubbed at the crotch winningly. He had already shifted her from piggyback mode to slung across his back, now he quickly shifted her from over his back to bridal style. Hojo had no problem, Ayame was his lover after all and he found no embarrassment from the silly things she did.

Once Inuyasha stumbled and landed on top of Kagome which proved much more difficult to resist than anything else as soon as her arms circled around him and she purred with delight. He struggled to free himself as she pressed herself into him. "Please Kag, don't do this now, kami help me!" Kagome's half-extended claws traced a light pattern on his neck while her mouth moved along his neck to settle on his pulse and suck there with soft lips. His groan made the other males turn and stare; they realized his predicament and shrugged—they had their own problems, he would have to just stand firm.

Finally after getting a major hickey, Inuyasha ducked beneath her breathing erratically and swept her up again with a stern, "Don't do that again!" He burned at her touch now and was ever mindful of the torture she could bring. Kagome settled her face in the deep folds of his haori and sighed sleepily. The two other girls were showing the same symptoms and their eyes were slowly fluttering shut.

"It would seem the drug is wearing off...I have some mandarins for good health, do you think we should give feed them to the girls when they wake up?" Miroku and Inuyasha glared at him and didn't answer; they needed to take a breather once they settled down at the camp. The guys arrived to find the camp in ruins and Hojo detected a disgusting scent in the air, but couldn't place a name or face to it.

In the end the guys put on pink aprons—with little red hearts stitched on the front that they had found drying on some lines of string—and cleaned up, fussing about the dirtiness; all in need of a good laugh. The girls hadn't stirred since they fell asleep and Hojo asked the two guys if they wanted to rest.

"I mean, you guys have had to go thru a lot, and I'm the only one who can sniff out danger, if I smell or hear anything I'll wake you up seeing as you guys still have youkai strength and we'll fight it off together. Go on, just sleep; everything will be fine." The guys rested beside the dormant Sango and Kagome while Ayame curled on Hojo's lap. Slowly the guys fell asleep and Hojo gazed peacefully down at Ayame.

"Oh Ayame, how could I not love you, even after such a short time?" he whispered down at her and brushed a lock of wild red hair from her lovely face. "Kouga was a baka to have left you for Kagome—and he didn't even get her. To me, you are better than Kagome. Kagome will probably always remain a spoiled hime (princess) but you—you've seen it all; you are fearless and yet so fragile..."

I suppose it's safe to say Hojo didn't register he'd been knocked out until he awoke with a dull throbbing on his temple with blood raining lightly down on Ayame's stirring face. "Shit!" he murmured and Ayame's hypnotic green eyes shot open. They scanned across his face and a trickle of his blood fell across her lips. She gasped and sat up abruptly to study the wound. "Hojo?" she whispered uncertainly. He had turned grey, "Inuyasha's going to kill me..." he muttered. She licked away the blood from her lips and proceeded to clean the wound in the same manner—wolf youkai saliva cleans all infections.

When Ayame finished she looked over in the general direction Hojo was staring at and saw Inuyasha—alone. "What's the matter?" she asked apprehensively. Sango had only just begun to stir and Miroku yawned and stretched. Inuyasha hadn't awoken yet, but Hojo knew there would be trouble if he did. Quickly he turned to Ayame and explained, "You guys were drugged and so we brought you back here, I offered to watch over all of us and Inuyasha and Miroku snuggled up to their fake-mates—" Ayame's eyes went wide and she asked, "You know about that? But...don't you want to blackmail Kagome into marrying you now that you have leverage?" Hojo saw shocked and when he saw her eyes glistening he kissed her passionately.

When they broke the kiss panting Hojo answered quickly, "Yes I know, but I don't care. I found someone much better, now let me finish telling you before Inuyasha wakes up!" Ayame blushed and nodded. Hojo continued, "So before they dozed I caught this whiff of death, it was like a pungent reek of decay and hate melded together. I ignored it—foolishly—and then...I was knocked out...and Kagome is gone."

"What?! Oh ho, ho, you are dead little lord!" shouted an incensed voice. Hojo winced and looked up to meet smouldering golden eyes. "Bastard, I trusted you to watch over her and you let her get kidnapped! Fucking hell you baka!" Ayame growled menacingly and cut in viciously, "How dare you! He watched over all of us; what right do you have to accuse him of anything when you were sound asleep as it occurred!!" Inuyasha stumbled back as though struck and fell back onto his butt in utter shock. "You—you're right...I—I let her get taken...if only I had—If only..." He stood up and lurched away leaving behind a mystified houshi and Sango and a guilty Lord and Ayame.

"Maybe I spoke to harshly?" she whispered as she nibbled her lip in anxiety. Hojo sighed and stood up—his wound now healed thanks to Ayame and his youkai blood. Ayame stood with him and remarked softly, "Ya know...although we were 'drugged' we still saw what we were doing even if we couldn't help it..." Hojo smiled slightly and kissed her soft cheek, "We better help him before Kagome makes her way back and kills him than..."

It would seem Sango had just remembered for Miroku was already running for all he was worth in the direction Inuyasha had taken off to. Now they just had to find Kagome...

I would like to thank Lady-Raini again for all the wonderful ideas she has been supplying me with and all my loving reviewers for well—reviewing. I made this chapter longer than the previous one because I had more time, so I hope you enjoy. Sorry to leave you all on a cliffy, but well, I'm like that. smiles devilishly and of course you wouldn't have it any other way, right? :D