Age of the White Dawn
Chapter 16: So Enters the Perv
Warmth.
It was the first sensation that registered in Inu Yasha's muddled mind as he reluctantly pulled himself from the land of slumber. He could feel it curled against his chest: a soft, comforting warmth that somehow managed to coax out a low rumble of contentment from deep within his chest. Tightening his embrace about it, he refused to open his eyes, even when he felt the warmth move in his arms and his was pressed against some unknown silken mass laden with the smell of sleep and summer.
Another content croon rumbled from his chest as the warmth once again shifted in his arms and something soft brushed against the tip of his nose. It was close, the source of all the heat that is. He could feel something like warm, gentle puffs of air tickle his neck…
'Shit.'
His eyes fluttered open, and what he saw caused him to quickly scrunch them closed.
Okay, whew, breeeeathe.
So what if Kagome was cuddling into his chest? So what if the top of her head rested quite comfortably under his chin? He was a friggin hanyou! He could easily slip off the bed unnoticed.
…Or not.
When did Kagome get so strong? He cautiously cracked one eye and, for the second time that day, promptly scrunched it shut.
'Shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!'
How did she do that? How did she get him to wrap his arms around her waist so tightly? I mean, it's not like he would hug her willingly.
He was about to risk one more look at her, but he felt her stir and the sensed the last traces of sleep leave her scent. 'Oh shit, oh shit,' he panicked, 'She's going to sit me to the feudal era!' He mentally cowered in fear while trying to steady his uneven breathing at the same time.
Fortunately, the gods were with him that day, and when Kagome drowsily lifted her head, he appeared fast asleep. Of course, the fact that she was still half-asleep could've blinded her to the rather unconvincing way his eyes were squeezed tightly shut.
"Mmm…why can't I get up?" She murmured to herself, a small yawn escaping her lips. Another yawn followed closed behind, but was cut short when she realized that the "blanket" she was trying to stifle it with was a familiar shade of red. With bated breath, her eyes slowly, reluctantly, traveled up the length of the red fabric until they rested on a seemingly sleeping hanyou's face.
Wide awake now, Kagome decided to treat herself to a long study of Inu Yasha's sleeping face. When awake, his keen eyes could always tell when she was staring at him, but now she could look all she wanted without fear of embarrassment. Her eyes eagerly roamed over his face, taking in everything from his chiseled cheekbones to the itty-bitty, barely-existent mole under his right eye. She sighed; even with his eyes closed there was this restless feeling about him. He was the epitome of caged wilderness, if you will. Only his adorable awkwardness and annoying stubborn streak kept him from appearing too primal. Yet even with these human attributes, Kagome noticed that strangers they passed tended to shy away from him any way.
She sighed again and smiled, finally noticing Inu Yasha's tightly closed eyes. Reaching upwards with both hands, she gently rubbed his drooping ears and apologized softly, "Sorry."
His eyes flew open in confusion just as she shoved him off the bed.
With a yelp he fell to the floor, but not before accidentally dragging a loudly protesting Kagome down with him. They landed with an echoing crash in a mass of tangled limbs, blankets, laughter and curses.
If the crash was considered loud, the after effects were deafening. Inu Yasha was cursing a blue streak and bellowing about ungrateful bitches while Kagome was tossing out phrases such as, "Hentai!" and "Pervert!" at the top of her lungs and both of them were attempting to disentangle themselves from the multitude of blankets intertwined about them. They nearly succeeded on several occasions, but one of them always messed it up somehow and sent them crashing back to the ground. The fifth, and last time, they tried Inu Yasha claimed, in that oh-so-arrogant way of his, that Kagome actually took his offer to make love seriously. His statement triggered a train of events that consisted of Kagome whirling angrily about to face him, which caused the blankets to bind them chest to chest, which, in turn, lead to a flurry of movement in opposite directions. The outcome of such a lack of cooperation, pointless pushing around and much embarrassment was Kagome being knocked flat on her back with Inu Yasha, bound by those damn blankets still, on top of her.
They both mentally swore at the same time; was Kami that determined to push them into every embarrassing position possible?
"Get off me now!" A red-faced Kagome demanded, weakly pushing at his shoulder.
"I'm trying wench," Inu Yasha growled, just as red-faced.
His futile efforts mixed with his inability to move freely only fueled his frustration, "Damn these fucking blankets to hell," he spat after struggling for a few minutes.
"Hurry up! Get off me."
"Huh, you don't think I'm trying?!"
"Well I never knew you could dance, right? Maybe you have a secret fetish for crushing girl's boobs with your chest!" She snapped sarcastically. His eyes widened and he flushed as he growled,
"Even if I were such a perv, I'd pick someone a lot better than you!"
She gaped up at him, speechless.
"Er…say something wench," he ordered, the sudden darkening of her eyes getting him nervous.
"Sit."
"Idiot!"
He shoved her head safely out of the way as his own head slammed into the floor; he couldn't do so much for the rest of her body, so she had to endure his chest suddenly pressing down extremely hard on hers.
"O-oh my gosh!" She stuttered a moment later when the echoes of Inu Yasha's face kissing the floor died down. Good God, her face was going to explode if she didn't stop blushing; she just discovered certain other areas of the body that had smashed against hers.
"G-get off me!" she screamed.
Inu Yasha's ears pressed flat against his head, but his muffled voiced sounded almost tired when he stated,
"Can't."
"What do you mean 'can't?' You must be able to!"
"Nope. It doesn't wear out for a while."
"That can't be right," Kagome insisted, desperately beginning to push at his chest again. Oh no, what if someone walked in on them? How humiliating!
Compared to Kagome and her panicked efforts, Inu Yasha seemed unusually calm. He smirked into the floor and snickered at her pathetic pushes. Ha! Maybe this would teach the wench to think before she sat him.
"Get off, get off," she chanted, pushing at his shoulders with all her might, "Get off!"
"What's going on in here?!" Sango's startled voice rung out.
"He won't get off me," Kagome whimpered, just happening to leave out that Inu Yasha couldn't get off her if he wanted to. It was just a minor detail after all.
"What?! I ca—"
Sango gave the poor hanyou no time to protest. She swooped down on him, armed with a pillow and her fists.
"Get off her! Get off her! Kami, not another pervert!" She pounded his head mercilessly, aided by a kicking and screaming Kagome.
"Ow bitch! Lemme explain!"
"What's there to explain?" Punch "You're on top—" Hit "—of Kagome!" Punch! Punch! "I thought you were different!"
"Get off, get off!" Kick Kick "Get off, get off!" Kick Kick
"Kagome, you can—" Punch "—do so much better then—" punch "—him!"
"Ouch! What the fuck?!"
"Shut up!" Punch!
Growling wordlessly in frustration, the sit finally wore off and he leapt upwards off Kagome, tearing the blanket that had originally bound them in to pieces.
"There, I'm off!"
"Why didn't you just get off when I first told you to?" Sango asked smugly, helping a sheepish Kagome to her feet.
"Er well, it's because I sat him."
"Oh."
"Why the hell did you come barging into my room, any way?" He glared at Sango while rubbing his sore jaw.
"Uh, sorry about that. Uh, any way, yeah, I met an old friend do—"
"Pervert!"
SLAP
"Shit, what was that for wench?"
Kagome cocked her head to the side, "You mean you weren't the one who groped me?"
He looked appalled at the mere idea of performing such a lecherous act, "Why would I—"
"Eep!"
"Houshi!"
"Ah! My lady Sango, I can explain!"
BAM!
"Who the hell?" Inu Yasha asked, wrapping a protective arm about Kagome's waist while shooting murderous glares at the dazed, dark-haired man on the floor.
"Allow me to introduce you to the houshi," Sango sighed, noting the neurotic darting of Kagome's eyes. "And, trust me, I'm sorry for his wandering hands, Kagome. It's his way of greeting every female he meets."
Still clinging to the front of Inu Yasha's haori, Kagome nodded before observing, "He doesn't look like a houshi to me. He's dressed more like a sorcerer."
"That's because he is."
"He's both?"
"No, houshi's just a nickname. His real name's Miroku."
"Who cares? Why the hell is he here?"
"Perhaps you should let me answer that my lady Sango," the man named Miroku joined, his voice deceivingly clipped and innocent sounding. Standing up, he brushed his robes off, the clank of his many spell chains drawing everyone's attention.
"First, I apologize if I startled your lovely lady friend. I had been watching your interesting display of affection from the doorway and was under the impression she was single." His head was bent in what appeared to be honest repentance.
Kagome smiled sympathetically at Miroku and slipped out of the safety of Inu Yasha's arm, clearly convinced by Miroku's "heartfelt" apology,
"Apology accepted. But your first impression was right, I'm not Inu Yasha's girlfriend or anything like that."
"In that case," he was suddenly kneeling before her, her hands clasped tightly within his own, "Would you be mine? And eventually bare my child?"
"No she won't do any of that," Inu Yasha snarled, pulling the stunned, not to mention bright red, Kagome back from Miroku's hands. "Don't tell me this is the only friggin reason this bastard came."
"Why no, actually," Miroku winced, rubbing the ear Sango had brutally yanked when he had proposed to Kagome, "I hear your destination is the Devil's Nest."
"Hmph. What's it to you?"
"Well, I know the way there."
"Really? So do I."
"Ah, but do you know the fastest, safest way?"
Inu Yasha paused, then closed his eyes and folded his arms haughtily over his chest, "You have five minutes."
"Um," Miroku threw a questioning look over to Sango, but she just glared stonily at him, "Ehe, yes. Well, as I said earlier, I happen to know the safest and quickest path to the Devil's Nest. The path I know of doesn't require going around the Kentachi Swamp and through the Forest of Whisper at all."
"Where exactly is the path? And why were you ever at the Devil's Nest in the first place?" Inu Yasha asked warily.
Miroku smiled sheepishly, "Ah, well, I handled some business at the Devil's Nest once…with some rather shady company, I'm ashamed to admit."
Sango made a sound of disbelief, but he just ignored her.
"As for the path, I'm afraid I can't reveal its exact location unless I'm certain you'll be traversing upon it. I assure you, though, it's quite safe. There's even a beautiful, scenic lake and hot spring by it."
Kagome eyes lit up, "Hot spring! Oh, I haven't been in one of those for ages,"
she sighed, starry-eyed. Turning to Inu Yasha, she began tugging at his sleeve
while coaxing, "C'mon Inu Yasha. The path's fast AND safe. You're always saying
we're behind schedule, this would be a great way to catch up, right?"
He rolled his eyes.
"Why are you being so stubborn," Kagome pouted, "Would it hurt you to put a little trust in someone for once? I mean, so what if he's a corrupted sorcerer? Eh, no offence Mr. Miroku,"
"None taken. And you can just call me Miroku."
"See, Inu Yasha! He's being even nicer than you!"
"Like that's hard," Sango muttered under her breath.
Inu Yasha refused to acknowledge that he was being spoken to, only shaking off Kagome's placating hand and tossing his head.
The schoolgirl's brows furrowed furiously; okay, time to pull out the big guns.
"Inu Yasha," her voice was velvety soft and dripping with menacing warning, "If you don't even consider Miroku's kind offer I'll say the s-word."
He appeared unfazed, "Go ahead, it's the only way you can get what you want, right?"
"Why you," Kagome stomped towards him, "I'll show you other ways I can get what I want. (A/N: …oh man, ew. Don't deny you're thinking of that in other ways you perverts!)" She grabbed a fistful of his silvery hair in each hand and dragged his head downwards.
"Ow, ow! You violent bitch!" He grabbed her wrists, trying to pry her fingers off of his hair.
"You're the stubborn mule!"
"Wench!"
"Jerk!"
"Whore!"
"Butthead!"
"Butthead? What kind of an insult is that?"
"It's my kind of insult."
"Well fuck that."
"Screw you."
"Fuck you."
"Same thing."
"Huh, no—"
"I propose," Miroku cut in loudly, his violet eyes twinkling in amusement, "that Inu Yasha thinks of my offer while we all eat breakfast, my treat."
"I second the motion," Kagome agreed, her stomach burbling loudly as well.
"Yeah, I agree with the houshi…wow, I never thought I'd ever say that," Sango added, eyes widening in amazement.
"Just on thing houshi," Inu Yasha strode over in front of Miroku and looked at him accusingly in the eye, "How'd you know my name?"
"Why, my lady Sango told me of course," he chuckled, stepping out of the bedroom and heading towards the dining room.
"My lady Sango?" Kagome repeated, looking pointedly at the bendela.
"Don't listen to the houshi, he's delusional. Now let's go eat, I'm starving." She left the room as well, Kagome hurrying after her,
"We're not having any more of that tough meat stuff are we?"
"No, Kagome…"
Their voices faded as they continued down the hall, leaving Inu Yasha standing in the middle of the room, alone. Solemn, thoughtful, wistful and serious expressions chased each other across his face, his eyes slowly traveling in "triangles, squares and stars" about the floor.* When they finally rested on the bed, he frowned and his hands clenched at his sides, his claws biting into his palm.
What was he going to do about Kagome? Hell, they both knew that he was going to take the jewel away from her eventually. Did she really mean what she said about helping him? No, that would be selfish of him. Dammit! He hung his head, submersing himself deep within his troubled, confusing thoughts.
"Inu Yasha."
He stiffened when that familiar scent wafted into the room, his hands falling limp at his sides as he turned around to face Kagome.
"C'mon Inu Yasha," she smiled softly, a hint of sadness creeping into her voice, "Breakfast is ready."
They stared at each other for a moment, just seeking comfort in the mirrored confusion, apprehension and the fear of impending pain in each other's eyes. And then,
"Feh. What're you just standing there for? I'm hungry! Let's go, wench."
A/N: So Miroku enters the plotline! Yay! Don't worry, there will be more Sango and Miroku interaction in the next chapter. Oh, and about that little phrase * "triangles, squares, and stars." That was from the last chapter when they were dancing, if you didn't recognize it. He was re-tracing their steps. And thank you, thank you, thank you thank you all for all those reviews! They got me all intoxicated like! Oh, and I must dedicate this chapter to my buddy Kerry. Kerry, I couldn't get you those balloons, so this chapter's just for you. ^_^ Oh and muchos thanky-ness to squeakyinuears (that's ur sn right? If I got it wrong I'm sorry, my internet's crapping out on me again. Gr) thank you for reviewing both my ficcys! And thank yous for everyone else who reviewed! I would thank you personally, but as I stated earlier my internet's crapping out on me L
School's starting again.
…Must push it back…must make time stop….
NOOOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo
…Yeah, I've had too much soda if you couldn't guess. Lotsa, lotsa soda!
Cheers all around!