Chapter Two: Unattached
The afternoon was picture perfect in the Sengoku Jidai. Birds sang in the green trees, clouds filtered the sunlight, and a gentle breeze took the edge off of summer's heat. An old well stood in a large clearing, a few wildflowers brightening the area. It seemed like a nice enough place for a picnic, which was exactly what the small group gathered at the edge of the clearing was doing.
The peace was shattered when the voice of an irritated hanyou rose from the depths of the well. "...You couldn't tell him to leave?! You had to invite him into your house?!"
"Excuse me! Hojo is my friend and he's only concerned about me because my grandfather has to make up bogus illnesses so I can get out of school and come here!" Kagome huffed and crossed her arms over her chest once Inuyasha set her down on the grass. This wasn't the first time she'd argued with him over something petty or trivial, and she knew it wouldn't be the last, either. "Why do you care, anyway?"
"Because his smell is all over you!" He gave her an accusatory glare as he snapped, "If you were so 'sick,' then how come you got close to him? Aren't you always saying people pass on disease by being close to each other?! You had plenty of excuses to send him away! But no. I had to hide in your closet and get slammed into your floor every time you invited him to sit down!"
Kagome dropped her bag, then balled her hands into fists and placed them on her hips. "I was just being polite to him! And not all diseases are contaigous! I'm not the one who let him into the house, anyway! I already told you, Hojo is my friend, and he treats me nicely, unlike some people I could mention!"
Across the clearing, Shippou was rolling his eyes as he stuffed his face with rice balls and petted Kirara's tails with one sticky hand. Miroku and Sango were watching the couple that had just emerged from the well intently, one waiting for the inevitable "SIT," the other wondering if now would be an opportune time for a feel-up.
"I treat you nicely! I save you every time you get in trouble instead of letting you get eaten like most people who pester demons should be!" Clearly, Inuyasha wasn't thinking at all.
A small strangled sound escaped Kagome's throat. There was a familiar fire in her eyes, one that Inuyasha had seen before. One that usually came directly after he'd said something rude and immediately before he was reminded how soil tasted. "Rescuing me doesn't equate to treating me nicely! Treating someone nicely means considering their feelings and not calling them names!"
Inuyasha was too incensed to notice the look in Kagome's eyes. The smell of another male on her, a human male at that, was driving him mad. "You should appreciate what I do for you!" he shouted. "I condsider your feelings! I keep you from getting killed, don't I? You wouldn't be very happy if you were dead!" The hanyou broke off as he finally noticed the look in the girl's eyes, and thought to himself, Oh shit ...
"You...! You! GAH!" Kagome glared at him. "SIT, Inuyasha! Sit, sit, SIT!"
WHAM! The pause between the first and second sits was just long enough to ensure Inuyasha was already kissing dirt when Kagome shouted the rest of her commands. He could have sworn he felt his nose getting flatter with each strike, and would have cursed her loud and long if he'd been able to catch a breath to do it.
"Wow!" Shippou exclaimed as he listened to the thumps. "Kagome must really be mad at him."
Sango nodded as she absentmindedly punched Miroku in the arm. "He was asking for it, though."
The monk winced and nodded as he withdrew his hand from her posterior. "Yes. Yes he was..."
Kagome snatched up her large yellow pack and slung it over her shoulder, turning to look at the others. "I'm going home for a while, guys. I'll see you soon, okay?" And with that, she turned and stomped back to the well.
Miroku was the first to brave the prostrate Inuyasha, who lay where Kagome had left him beside the well. The monk nudged the hanyou with the end of his staff, asking, "Still with us?"
"Shut up and go away," came the muffled reply.
Shippou scuttled over and jumped on Inuyasha's head in his ire. "You're such a jerk, Inuyasha! Why do you always scare Kagome away like that?! She didn't even stay to give me a hug this time 'cause you were so mean!"
"Get. Off. Of. My. Head."
The tiny kitsune, never one to listen to Inuyasha's warnings (or even his own common sense) continued to berate the potentially dangerous dog demon. "If you were nicer to her she might wanna stay with us more! She never runs away from me or Sango or even Miroku!"
Ever so slowly, Inuyasha clenched his hand into a fist. Still face down, he gritted his teeth and waited for just the right moment to strike the fox cub on the head.
Hoping to avoid more violence, Sango quickly swooped down and lifted the disgruntled Shippou in her arms. "Can we please stop fighting? This isn't helping the situation at all!"
Inuyasha sat up and rubbed his nose, glowering at Sango all the while. "I think it helped. It got the kid off my head!"
"No, I got the kid off your head because I didn't want you to hit him. But he's right, you know. You should be nicer to Kagome."
"I am nice to Kagome!"
"You are not!" Shippou exclaimed. "You always upset her and call her mean names!"
Sango nodded in agreement. "And what about you telling her that she was just your shard detector? That wasn't nice at all."
"I did not say that!" he protested, getting to his feet and fisting his hands.
The rings on Miroku's shakujo jingled as he twirled it in his hands. "Except that you sort of did."
"Not just now I didn't!"
"You're such an idiot," mumbled Shippou, crossing his arms over his chest in emulation of one of Kagome's expressions.
"Why you..." Inuyasha lunged at Shippou, trying to get around the demon slayer protecting him. "Give him here! I oughta pound some sense into that thick fox skull..."
Shippou squeaked and scrambled over Sango's shoulder, hiding from Inuyasha's wrath under her hair. "You're just angry 'cause it's true!"
"I am no--" WHACK! Inuyasha went crashing to the ground in a way he normally didn't without Kagome around.
"Someone had to do it," Miroku said, innocently.
Sango sighed and untangled Shippou from her hair. Picking up Hiraikotsu from its resting position against a tree, she strapped it to her back. "I'm going back to the village. This is getting stressful." Shippou nodded and eyed Inuyasha from his safe perch on the taijiya's shoulder.
When they were gone, Miroku poked Inuyasha with his shakujo again. "I think you and I should talk, my friend." Inuyasha twitched once at the monk's prodding, but didn't respond otherwise.
"Oh come now. I know you get depressed when she's not around but that's no excuse to mope around on the ground like that." Miroku grinned, hoping that Inuyasha would take the bait.
If only depression were the only thing keeping Inuyasha down. Between Kagome's sits and Miroku's sound whack over the head, the hanyou was understandably dazed. It was the only reason he hadn't rounded on his companion or given chase to Shippou and Sango. "Shaddup," he managed, flattening his ears and clutching the sides of his head.
Miroku prodded him again and then ducked down to help the hanyou to his feet. "Come on, don't be such a bad sport."
"Gnuh?" Inuyasha's eyes took a little too long to focus, and he leaned against Miroku a bit until he found his feet. Unfortunately for the monk, the hanyou healed fast, and he quickly backed away to snarl at his "friend."
Sango and Shippou were long gone by then, so Miroku dropped his more calm and innocent face. "Don't start that again, Inuyasha. Must you really behave that way towards Kagome all the time? You two always argue!"
"She starts it," he grumbled with crossed arms. The way his ears drooped, it was clear he didn't even believe himself.
Miroku crossed his arms as well, mirroring Inuyasha. "Why do you push her away like this? One of her friends came to pay her a visit. What does it matter? You only alienate her when you act so boorishly."
"Good."
"You want her to hate you?" His tone was incredulous. If he'd spent so much time with a girl who cared about him as much as Kagome cared about Inuyasha, he'd be a father already. "You can't mean that."
"Well I do," Inuyasha retorted crossly.
"Why? Any half-wit can see how much she cares about you. Are you afraid that she'll hurt you like Kikyou did? Kagome isn't that sort of person!"
"Don't you think I know that?!" He turned his back on Miroku, wanting to stalk off but not really sure he should.
"I know you know that, so why do you act like this? The way you push her away, I wouldn't be surprised if she actually decided not to come back one day!" He glared at Inuyasha's back and reached out to turn him around. "Don't walk away. Answer my question!"
Inuyashas sighed, and his whole body seemed to deflate, the limp ears and slumped shoulders most telling of all. "Because it's better if she doesn't get attached."
The monk could barely believe what he was hearing. "Attached? You're trying to keep her from getting attached to you." He rubbed his forehead and raised an eyebrow. "You treat her like she has no value so she won't get attached to you."
"That's not what I said." The hanyou looked over his shoulder and frowned.
"No, it is what you said, in so many words."
Inuyasha rounded on Miroku, stuck between irritation and guilt. "She knows she has value! She doesn't need me to tell her."
Miroku knew he was pushing his luck, but he hated seeing Kagome in pain. "She may know that, Inuyasha, but you always make her doubt herself! You treat her badly, and you don't encourage her even when she's doing a good job! You make her doubt that she has the abilities needed to finish this mission!"
That stung. Normally, Inuyasha would at least punch Miroku for talking to him like that, but the truth behind the monk's words hurt enough to stall him.
Miroku saw the effect his words had on Inuyasha. He turned to walk back to the village, glancing over his shoulder. "It wouldn't hurt you to be a little nicer to her. She cares deeply about you, despite all the things you do. Why can't you see that?"
The hanyou watched him go, finally dropping his head to stare at the ground. Eventually, he moved from his spot, but it was only to leap into the nearest tree and find the highest branch that would support his weight.
Inuyasha didn't want to hurt Kagome. He cared about her. Who else accepted him as he was? He could count them on one hand, at least the ones who were still alive. Sighing, he leaned back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes, digesting what Miroku had said.