FantasyDreamer06 - Squee. Kick ass. XD! I've only been on one trail ride since I got my horse, so I'm happy that you think it catches "all it's glory."
Chelsea - At this rate I'm not sure where it will end... All I know is that it will probably be long. And actually, I'm kind of an idiot when it comes to horses... I only started riding them three weeks back, and I've only had one lesson from the stable owner and few random tips thrown at me...
MagomagoAibyouka - Lol. Sorry. I try to avoid using Horse "language" and stick to pure English, but yeah... Doesn't quite work...
If you guys can't tell by the scroll bar, this thing is -long-. I spent from 5:00 p.m. too about 10:00 a.m. working on it. Which means, yes, I am an insomniac... It starts out kinda slow I think, but speeds up along the way. Only because I realize that I'm not role playing and that I don't have to do every waking minute of their lives like I would normally have too... Btw, I use at least three different books alone for this chapter. Plaese excuse my grammar, depending on the songs I listened to as I wrote this also depends on how well I did my grammar, spelled correctly, hell, even choosing the right word. Anywho, read and enjoy....
Chosen Moments Stable
Session 4 : My Little Ponies and Irony
Walking up to Stolen, InuYasha took his right hand, careful of his talons and gently unbuckled Stolen's bridle by her cheek. He sighed in displease of where Stolen's ears were pointed: back at him. Which meant that he would have to grab each of them and move them himself, whereas if they had been pointed forward he could have just moved the snug-fitted head piece forward and would have just slide right on off her head.
His left black eyebrow raised when Stolen did not let go of her bit (the part on the bridle that is in the horse's mouth), and he stood there, impatiently mind you, waiting for her to let of it.
"Stolen, let go." He whispered, which almost sounded like a yell to any bystander probably.
The gray thoroughbred's mouth opened, revealing some yellow teeth, as she chewed on the bit and she spat it out for InuYasha. Followed by that, came some unsuspecting green drool. It dribbled to the ground, and all over InuYasha's dirty jeans and brown boots. The inuhanyou's raised left eyebrow suddenly twitched at Stolen, and he began to think that horses shouldn't eat clover (it's sweet to them, and makes them drool a lot). Or at least the ones he had to deal with almost daily.
He snorts and hangs her bridle and reins on a post in the arena for Rin, then he climbs over the fence, grabbing his hat in the process. As he leaps down, he puts his hat on, and once he hits the ground with a dull smack from his boots, he is off to tend to Tessai. His ears twitch under the hat as Kagome and the others chat.
"Keh," he says as Miroku says he could be a jerk most of time. He didn't know how to react to what Sango said, and that coming from her kinda made him think along the lines of Sango saying a white lie.
Hige was at InuYasha's side, and was pretty much acting like himself. "He's so stupid that he's smart," is what some of the usual people who were here everyday said. Hige was a fully grown border collie, probably about five years old, InuYasha wasn't quite sure anymore, never actually kept track. At any rate, the dog acted like he was two: hyper, and just dying for attention.
Opening the gate that separated the box stalls from the rest of the stable yard, he pulled it shut harshly. The metal red gate clashed into its wooden post, rattling from the impact. It at least locked its self back up, but it still wasn't required for him to slam it shut like that, and normally Kaede would nag at him if she caught him in the act. Nearing the tack and feed room's in the corner of the stable yard, he opens the door and nearly steps on Hige as the dog rushes in. Managing to keep his cool, InuYasha points his finger to the door so his dog would get out. Hige, quickly stopped chasing his tail in tight circles and brushed past the broken feed doors. He knew he wasn't supposed to be in there, having gotten yelled at for eating the cat food was enough.
So he waited out side for his dish of feed, and once InuYasha appeared, he seemed to just transform into a calm animal. With InuYasha were four dog dishes, he never had to feed the cats, they had a little cat door and an open buffet was waiting for them on the other side of the feed room's door. InuYasha dropped Hige's dish on the dirt and gravel ground (almost spilling its contents), which Hige dived into like a lightning bolt.
"Myouga! Rukane! Etsuri!" He yelled for the remaining dogs.
Myouga, old and big, barely fit under the fence.
Rukane, didn't duck under far enough, and his back slammed into the fence.
Etsuri, smarter then her brother, squeezed under the fence without a problem.
And they all ate like they'd never eaten before...
InuYasha didn't wait for them to finish, and went over to get his horse out of its stall for some exercise. He was happy he put Tessai into the stalls instead of the pasture, given he had to clean the stall out, but in the pasture Tessai was a hell of a pain in the ass to catch. He had to chase him around the pasture, by himself, around other horses, for more then an hour before he could get close enough to rope and drag him in. After a few times, he knew is just wasn't worth it.
Then again, a couple times he's questioned the $200 monthly boarding fee...
"Tessai, buddy," he said calmly, warning his equine that he was coming in. He took the halter and lead rope off of the hanger on the door, slid it open, and stepped into the stall. His boots sink into the wood chip floor, and he extends his palm out for his horse to sniff just like he would with a stranger's dog. After which he tosses the lead rope over his neck and slips the red halter on Tessai's Arabian dished face.
Most of the stall horses were out to pasture right now, but would have to be put up later, which was always fun.
Tying up Tessai at the hitching post, InuYasha went and came back with all the tack he would need. He gave a quick grooming, getting rid of burrs, ticks, and other foreign objects that Tessai gets when he is put out to pasture for the night. He knew his buddy needed a bath, but he'd have to give it to him earlier in the morning so that he doesn't freeze or something come nightfall. The last thing he needed was to tend a sick horse.
Kagome had appeared, and watched InuYasha go through the motions of tacking Tessai up. Like Sango and Miroku, InuYasha favored Western more then he did English riding. Kagome curiously watched from a far as she gave Tama some attention by scratching her behind the ears. Which, like a dog, Tama had leaned her slender head and neck into, making Kagome scratch her even harder and faster there.
Tessai was all tacked up and ready for some lungeing!
Then, InuYasha remembered his hooves, and snorted.
He HATED to clean hooves out. Horses didn't really care where they stepped, and often times they stepped in their own manure, or another's horses. It would get stuck in their hooves, and InuYasha would be the one who had to clean them out. Tessai never liked having people poke around at his feet either. Annoyed, InuYasha took the hoof pick out of his grooming kit and bended over by Tessai's front left hoof. Taping on the back of a foot with it, Tessai gingerly picked up his foot. But as soon as InuYasha tried to snatch it up, Tessai shifted and put it back down. Eventually he did get the hooves clean, but it took longer then he liked.
The stable yard was clear of other horses, animals, and such. So InuYasha decided to lunge (make him run in circles around him on a rope) Tessai there for now. His horse had too much extra energy, and he knew that if he didn't lunge him he would probably have some minor trouble in controlling him once he started riding.
Kagome, still petting the Arabian, angled her body so she could see InuYasha work his horse out. Her steel blue eyes widen a bit as Tessai broke into a canter. He carried his tail around like an arab's, but his movement's were much like a quarter horse's. InuYasha stood in the middle of all this, twirling the end of the lunge rope, which encouraged Tessai to move. His concentration was completely on his animal, and as Tessai circled him in all his speeds, InuYasha would quickly make him turn direction. This, to Kagome seemed kind of mean, but the muscles in Tessai's hind quarters easily spoke that he was indeed capable of such feats...
Tessai responded to all of InuYasha's voice commands near perfection, and was winding down with each movement he took. Although the sun was blocked by the silver clouds, Tessai's dark brown body still held its shimmer in it. It was golden-like highlights, making him look almost surreal with it highlighting all of his toned muscles. She knew this horse was special just by looking at him...
Of course, after watching the horse, she looked to InuYasha, watching him, trying to learn off of him. However, her eyes just wandered up and down his body, transfixed on his lean muscles and rugged movements. There was nothing regal about him. His silver disheveled hair was almost cute, and the doggy ears, that she'd seen on his head earlier, she wanted to tweak them! But, he didn't seem to be in a good mood at the time, so she didn't bother attempting.
Slowing his horse down, he took the white lungeing rope off and tossed it over by his remaining items in the stable yard. Kagome emerged from her spot by Tama's stall and watched as InuYasha climbed up in his saddle. Tessai had developed a good sweat, and was almost beginning to foam. The stallion had started to walk off on his own, and InuYasha was quick to correct him by making him stop so he could get his foot in the other stirrup.
"Kagome, I need you to open the gate." InuYasha called as he neared the gate for the stable yard. He could open it himself and not even have to get off, but why do that when he could use the wench?
Kagome, without a word, ran up to the gate and opened it before InuYasha and Tessai even got there. She closed it behind them once they were through and out of the way. Wandering what he was up too, she decided to follow after him.
Going into the arena next to the one that Stolen was moping around in now, InuYasha crafted Tessai into various paces again. While the lungeing had gotten rid of the extra energy, Tessai was still full of it and just wanted to bolt off and into the sunset. InuYasha, however, just wasn't going to let that happen. Barrels were setup in this one, and although Barrel racing was normally owned by the femme fatales in rodeos, InuYasha still liked to dart around them.
Kagome watched as InuYasha and Tessai tore up the arena to get around the barrels. She thought they were excellent! Speechless was she, and she knew she wouldn't be able to do that, not yet at least. Of course, somebody else thought he wasn't that excellent...
"You can hug those barrels much tighter then that, InuYasha," came a deep, nonchalant, regal voice next to her.
Kagome looked over to her right, finding none other than Sesshoumaru. He was leaning against the white plastic fence, much like herself. The only thing is that he could actually see -over- the fence, while she could not. Climbing up now, she was clinging to the fence for balance now, wondering why this person didn't think InuYasha was doing so well.
"Shut up, Sesshoumaru! It's not like I'm actually going to enter in a barrel race!" Shoots back InuYasha as he rounded another barrel, which his foot knocked over. What was amusing about that is that his voice was so clear as Tessai cantered around. Clearly he'd been around horses a lot...
"Figured that much. The girls might actually beat you."
Kagome blinked at the silver haired man, although young looking, she knew he was older then InuYasha. Both the boys had long hair, and although it gave them both a certain unbendable charm, she would have figured that they kept it short. Although tying it back was just as good, she assumed.
"Fuck off! Go back to playing with yer My Little Pony™ dolls!"
Kagome, couldn't help it, she laughed.
Sesshoumaru didn't even sparse the girl a look at his younger brother's stupid insult.
"At least mine are not melted and missing their heads," Sesshoumaru retorted.
"Keh. Only proves mine have more personality," InuYasha throws a snort on the end of that.
Kagome was now thinking along the lines that they were two year olds that, or neither knew when to quit.
"Too bad we cannot say the same for you."
InuYasha gave Sessshoumaru a raspberry as he rode past him to go around the last two remaining barrels again in response to that.
Yeah, defiantly two year olds.
"Erm. I think Rin was going to use Stolen for jumps, but I'm not entirely sure...?" Kagome spoke up, nervously, taking a whack at trying to break them up from their vocal battle. All she knew as the newbie on the stable grounds it was better to be seen, then heard. Meaning, she didn't want to open her trap and say something... well... stupid.
Sesshoumaru stopped leaning on the fence, and looked to Kagome. His face was blank as his plain red shirt, just like it was when InuYasha rode past with the raspberry expression for him. He didn't need the newbie girl to jump in, so he left without another word.
"Jackass!"
Kagome glared at InuYasha for his untimely spat at Sesshoumaru as he left.
"Dumbass," was the leaving horse trainer's response.
"Good gods," Kagome muttered to herself, putting her face in her free hand, still leaning on the fence...
[« = = = = ------ = = = = »] [« = = = = ------ = = = = »]
Finally! Lesson time!
Although Kagome knew, she wouldn't get to ride in this one, but learning to tack up, groom, and bath a horse had to be just as fun! Right? Either way, she hoped InuYasha wasn't in such a grumpy mood that he earlier that day. Maybe he just wasn't a morning person...? She shrugged her thoughts away as InuYasha lead Stolen out of the pasture and into the stable yard for the lesson. InuYasha made a hand gesture for her to come over, which she did, a little to fast for the old mare's liking. She jerked her head, and InuYasha gave Kagome a soft glare.
"First thing first, you mustn't do sudden movements or run. Horses are prey animals and panic easily, whereas, say a dog or cat would just sit there... or something."
Kagome nodded her head in understanding.
InuYasha gave her the lead rope, and stepped away.
"When leading, you stand on the left and hold the rope in -both- hands. Face forward. Yer right hand should be what controls the horse, and the shorter you hold it, the more control you have. Yer left hand just holds the extra rope, but don't coil it around your hand. If she bolts then the coil might tighten around yer hand and you'll be dragged... Lead her over to the hitching post."
Kagome followed instructions, and started on over there. To her easily amused ego, Stolen follows after and doesn't try to go where she wanted. InuYasha walked by her side, his rough hands brushed against hers as he stuffs them in his pockets. The unexcepted touch was enough to make them both blush and turn to look in the other direction.
Once there, InuYasha showed her how to tie the lead rope, then let her have a try.
InuYasha was amused with the fact that Kagome was struggling with tying the quick-release knot. Sadly, to himself, he found it kind of cute. She was biting her tongue in heavy concentration while he kept Stolen still by showering her with pets and scratches around the ears.
"Andd.... Done!" Kagome shouted with complete satisfaction.
InuYasha stepped up, and jerked on the hanging leftover lead rope.
It didn't come undone.
"Far from it... What's the name of this tie again?"
"Uhh... A Quick-release knot?"
"And why is it called that...?"
"So the handler can release the horse incase of an emergency?"
Kagome blinked stupidly after that.
InuYasha couldn't help but flash a grin.
"This is more like a plain knot. Let me show you again."
This was repeated three times before Kagome got it right finally.
"Odds are that I won't remember how to do that later."
"I'll have to agree with you on that..." InuYasha said, teasing her.
Kagome glared, but it was playful glare. "What now?"
"We groom, of course."
"Stolen?" Kagome questioned, innocently.
"No, you. Yer nails are horrible and dirty, and we must do something about those spilt ends in yer hair." InuYasha's scratchy voice spat out in pure sarcasm at her, mocking the stereotypical women in the hair salons who wear too much makeup. He tossed a body brush at her.
Kagome chocked on her laughter as she caught the brush, his skill in mocking people was horrible, but it was funny!
"Normally you do this after you ride her, but we're going to put fly spray on her so, yeah."
Kagome put the brush on her hand, and waited for InuYasha's next infomercial moment.
"Start with the neck and work yer way down. Brush in the direction of the hair flow. If dirt and dead hair fling of her body then you're doing it right. Don't be afraid to brush down hard while brushing her either. She won't bite or anything. They sometimes fall asleep actually."
Kagome started brushing on the left of the mare, her hand starting from Stolen's cheek and on down. She was doing well for the moment, the sun had just come out, getting ready to set, and the orange light from it gave everything a soft glow. However, the pressure Kagome had been putting on Stolen while brushing began to slack once she got to her shoulders.
InuYasha stepped up behind her, and without even saying anything, he slid his hand under the handle on the brush while Kagome's was still in it. His other hand, without even thinking, had reached out and rested its self on Stolen's side. It was a habit of his. However, this meant that Kagome was pined in between InuYasha and Stolen!
"You've slacked up a bit, and you need to push down harder." InuYasha said softly as he directed her movements. He stood close enough that when he spoke his lips caught the feel of small, soft, wisps of her midnight hair. He could even feel the faintness of her tensed body from his touch. Careful again of his talons, he set an example for Kagome. Pressing down on her slender hand, he brushed to strokes, which a bunch of dust and dirt, along with hair, was flung off Stolen in a result.
Kagome was beat red. Just red. Although the signs that InuYasha had popped her personal bubble had flashed, she didn't comment or anything. The temperature outside was beginning to cool down, and the heat from InuYasha's lean and firm body against her backside was quiet... well... warm and wanted?
Wait... wanted? Where the hell did that come from?!
Kagome double blinked from her own thoughts, and was brought back to reality when InuYasha stepped away. Desperately her mind dug through her short term memories, trying to remember what he had said and what he had done. Snuck up on her. Pined her to the horse. Pressed down on the brush with her hand still under it.
Yeah. That explained why her hand hurt just a tad...
She finished the rest of brushing off without assistance, and InuYasha sprayed the fly repellant on her.
"Gah. Now for the hoof picking."
"Wha...?"
"You clean the hooves, like this." Facing the opposite direction the horse was, InuYasha bent down by its forelegs. Taking the hoof pick, he pinched Stolen on the back of the knee, making her pick up her foot. It also made her step away from InuYasha, and he almost got hit in the head by her knee in the process.
"You don't need to pinch them, 'cause they'll do that." He commented as Kagome watched over his shoulder.
This time grasping her foot, he prodded his elbow into the back of her knee, making her pick up her hoof for inspection. Taking the hoof pick, he scrapped along the silver shoe from the heel and down to her toe. He then cleaned around the center of her hoof, being careful not to penetrate the soft part of the hoof.
"Think you can do it...?"
"Yep!"
"We'll see..."
Kagome went for the other front leg on Stolen, and bent down in the same manner that InuYasha had. However, unlike InuYasha whose hair was tied back, hers was not, and she found it constantly getting in her way.
"My hair..." She whined as she finally got Stolen to lift her feet.
"You should've tied it back..." He reached down and grasped what he could get in one handful. It got most of the strands out of her way.
"Why? When I can have you hold it."
"Feh."
Kagome quickly went back to picking the hooves, and believe it or not, InuYasha had made it look easier then it actually was.
"Grip it like you would a fire pole you slide down on at a park."
Kagome changed her grip while Stolen patiently waited for her spoiling.
"Now, scoop at it as if it were ice cream."
"That, my friend, is not ice cream." Kagome spoke without thinking as she successfully started to clean the hoof out.
"I'm well aware of that."
"Gross."
"And you excepted her to be clean?"
"Nope."
There was no response from InuYasha, and to speed things up he stole the hoof pick from Kagome and did the back legs for her.
"We get to give her a bath now?" She asked as InuYasha walked past her to put the hoof pick away.
"I guess, although we shouldn't give her bath now..." He turned around and came face to face with the most pathetic looking puppy-dog eyes from Kagome. His left eyebrow cocked, and he just stared down at her with his melted golden eyes...
"Those... Don't work on me..." He sweatdroped.
"Hem. I thought as much..."
InuYasha yanked down on Stolen's lead rope, the quick-release knot came undone and it made Kagome grin in victory. He just shook his head at her, and started on to the wash rack with Stolen and Kagome following behind. It was located down by the hot walker, and inside. There were no doors to it, so they basically just walked into a pitch black room until InuYasha flicked the switch that turned on what one could call a floodlight.
Taking an extra lead rope off the wall, he tossed that to Kagome.
"We're gonna tie her in between those two poles." He pointed them out.
Kagome nodded, and watched InuYasha tie his side first, and then she followed his example.
InuYasha turned on the hose, which would spit out lukewarm water naturally. Filling a bucket with water that they would later use for Stolen's head, InuYasha stood by waiting for it to fill.
"See that shelf over there?" He pointed again.
Kagome gave him a 'duh' expression.
InuYasha ignored it, "That's what we're gonna use..."
Kagome kept the same expression, that is, till InuYasha "accidentally" sprayed her with water.
Instantly Kagome's white tank top was soaked, and see through in the front. Thankfully, she was wearing a padded bra, and didn't think too much of that... But still, she screamed: "EVIL HENTAI!" And snatched up the bucket InuYasha had just filled with water and just dumped it all over him. He had a smug look up until that happened.
Stolen had crooked her head enough to where she could see InuYasha and Kagome, and snorted at them, something that could be referred to as 'stupid humans.'
Both were dripping wet, and ironically both had white T-shirts on. It's a two for one special revenge, and both participants are blushing like crazy! Kagome's black hair was even darker, and clinging to her skin. The wet T-shirt just clung to her body, and her ivory skin and curves were even more predominate. InuYasha was more lean then Kagome thought, and his body certainly had its sexy points.
"InuYasha! You jerk! I'm gonna kill you!" Mind you, she is screaming loud enough that it's echoing out into the stable yard because of the cement walls. Besides the horse, InuYasha, and her, it wasn't enough to keep the echos from happening. Darting over to hose, amazingly she got to it before InuYasha did, and just soaked him again.
InuYasha, although laughing his ass off, couldn't take the warm water being sprayed at him constantly. He turned, getting his back soaked by Kagome in the process, and ran like hell out of the wash rack. Of course, Kagome chased after him with the garden hose, but Miroku just appeared out of no where and she rammed into his chest, along with getting him wet with the hose.
InuYasha was "hiding" behind Sango, whose expression was what one would call a sweatdrop.
The wind got knocked out of Miroku when Kagome slammed into him out of "blind" anger. Both he and Sango had headed over to check out the screaming, and were met with this. Not to mention, thanks to the running water in the garden hose his crouch was now wet, making him look like he had wet himself. Not appreciated, defiantly. However, taking advantage of this, he groped Kagome on the butt.
This got a squeal and Kagome jumped back and soaked him with the hose now.
Miroku had a sheepish grin, and he was as wet as the "miko" and the "inu."
Sango, like Kagome had done earlier, just rested her head into her hand and sighed, as if almost saying 'Good Lord, why me?'
"Totally worth the wet down."
"Lecher." Came Sango's nonchalant and annoyed response to Miroku.
Suddenly, the water shut off from the hose, and everybody looked at it, blinking in a stupor way. Then Stolen came trotting out of the wash rack (or room if you want to call it that), and headed straight for her stall where fresh food and water were now available. Then of course, to make this not seem like a mystery any more, Kaede and Sesshoumaru, along with Rin, appeared from the wash rack. Kaede had turned the water off, and Sesshoumaru had released Stolen so she could get into her stall. Rin, had just followed them in, and wound up with a chore much to her displease, and turned around so she could she put up the garden hose...
Kagome blinked, not quite sure why the hose was jerking in her hand, so she dropped it, and Rin could actually put it up now. All of them watched the hose slink of like a jumpy snake. Feeling a little violated, her arms crossed over her chest to cover herself up. That, and it felt cold to her.
"Let's start putting up the horses!" Kaede shouted from the stable yard gate.
Sango and Miroku both turned in unison and went to make sure that all the stalls were open.
Kagome didn't know what to do, so she decided to go with Miroku and Sango.
"What are we doing, exactly?" she asked.
"Well, as the horses go to their stalls we slide the door behind them. Simple process really," Sango answered as Miroku nodded along with her in agreement.
Rin watched from the wash rack entrance, not too keen on the idea of getting ran over.
Kaede opened the stable yard gate, while she sent Sesshoumaru and InuYasha down to release the stable horses into the stable yard.
Both boys were quiet, not saying a word to each other. Their dirty looks at each other spoke for themselves enough.
The first to the gate was of course, Sesshoumaru, which meant InuYasha had to go into the pasture and get the stable horses who didn't want to go in. One of them was always Kijin, and he was the main reason on why Tessai could not go out in the day. The stallions had battled before, and each of them had to be doctored for weeks afterwards. The only other Stallion out there was Tensei, Sesshoumaru's other horse, who was pretty much like a gelding strangely. At first, InuYasha stared out into the pasture, as if looking for something. He actually had a fearful look in his golden eyes, but otherwise it was expressed no where else, finally, he came to a decision that would actually save him some pain.
"No fuckin' way!" he argued with Sesshoumaru, snarling, "Get yer Kibbles 'n Bits™ yerself!"
He knew that Kijin would charge him, and he did not want to deal with being trampled and/or killed.
Sesshoumaru didn't say anything, and not in the mood for it, went on a head into the pasture to get his wild stallion. It was near nightfall, and besides the fact that Kijin was nearly the only black horse out there, it was easy to find him because of blazing icy blue eyes. Both he and the stallion locked gazes for a moment, and both giving each other cold glares. However, it seemed that Sesshoumaru's over powered the stallion, as it seemed to give in and also read Sesshoumaru. The stocky horse had turned and broken into a full out canter up to the gate were InuYasha waited.
InuYasha opened the gate for the crazy horse, shut it, and scrambled over it quickly. Kijin's back legs kicked the metal gate where InuYasha had been standing, and a bar snapped off and hit InuYasha in the back like a whip. The force of the broken gate hitting him was enough to send him flying into the muddy pasture. Horses, mostly mares, including Tensei, gathered around InuYasha, sniffing his limp body over.
InuYasha's hands clasped around blades of grass, just totally pissed off beyond belief. Pulling a leg under him, he tried to get up, but the pain was just not letting him and he collapsed back to the cool earth.
Sesshoumaru had made most of the horses scatter off by clapping his hands together, however Tensei remained by his side, curious as his master about the poor man that got beat up by a metal gate. Sesshoumaru knelt down, his long silvery hair barely touching the ground as he, and along with Tensei watching over his shoulder, he peeled up InuYasha's wet shirt to get a look at his back. A huge deep scrape was on his back from the end of the metal pole, but other then that there appeared to be nothing broken. Just bruised and bleeding...
"Sesshoumaru! I'm gonna send that...! THAT ONI! to the glue factory I swear!"
"You say that at least everyday, and yet he is still here..." He had a smug look as he said that, and knew that InuYasha would get a welt on his back the size of... well the pole that hit him to put it bluntly.
"Quit being a smart ass bastard and help me up dammit!" InuYasha spat as Sesshoumaru grasped him by the shirt and literately picked him off the ground and dropped him on his feet. Sesshoumaru was actually feeling a faint pang of sympathy for InuYasha, and being that random nice guy he can be, he decided he would usher the rest of the horses up and let him open and close the gate.
"Just go do the gate you little wimp, I will usher the rest of them up."
InuYasha snarled, and painfully trekked up to the gate, kicking at a few of the horses who were in his way, which resulted in them moving away. He opened the gate, letting a few in at a time so the Sango, Miroku, and Kagome could keep up with them back in the stable yard. Where they were now was at least a little under a quarter mile from the stable yard, and with it being dark out now, Kaede, and especially those in the stable yard, would never actually know what had happened to InuYasha until he got up there at least...
The last horse to come up was the black paint gelding, Isuto, the one that Shippou rode every Monday. Some how, InuYasha had managed to climb up on the gate, and when Isuto came cantering past, InuYasha pounced on to his back. Thankfully, Isuto was fat, and he didn't have to feel that boney backbone on his rump like he would've if it was Tama or Tessai. His hands wrapped around the black and white mane, and his legs became taunt and it helped him stay on. Sesshoumaru and the ever clinging Tensei were the last to leave the pasture, and oddly enough Yume had made a reappearance, and was trotting behind Tensei in order to keep up.
With skill, InuYasha had slowed Isuto down to a walk, and because Isuto had that extra weight, it allowed Tensei and Sesshoumaru to catch up. Who too, was riding bareback on Tensei. InuYasha was annoyed, in pains, cold, and odds are he'd be sick tomorrow because of that. What a wonderful way to end the day, he thought as he directed Isuto with his legs by pressure into the stable yard. The light at the gate was faint, so Kaede didn't even notice InuYasha's injury as she closed the gate behind them.
His scrap was still bleeding, and it had soaked through his back. He was in major pain, and was starting to find it hard to stay on Isuto any longer. Of course, Sesshoumaru did notice this, and once InuYasha started to slip to the side, he reached out and grasped him by the arm to hold him up. Thankfully, Isuto was a natural trail horse, and clung to Tensei's side basically for guidance.
(An author cut in: Too much fun XD Hope it's not to long.)
"Houshi," Sesshoumaru called to Miroku by his nickname. The history of it was rather funny actually. See, Miroku talks like he is a monk, so it came naturally to call him that for fun. It had been like that for years, and Miroku never really complained. That, and his name had to do with something about Monks... Nobody was really sure however.
As the last stall door was slide shut by Miroku, he glanced over at Sesshoumaru and InuYasha. It looked kind of weird to see Sesshoumaru holding InuYasha by his arm like he was a diseased criminal, but as Miroku neared them he could see why he was holding him like that. Blood had drained from InuYasha's wound, and the back of his shirt was already holding water, but blood had squeezed it way into it at least. At any rate, it had run down his back, made a path in his jeans, then finally came to a stop on Isuto's white back.
"Damn. What happened?" Miroku asked as he helped InuYasha down off of Isuto. It was rare that he cursed in front of others, but it was no surprise to any of them when he did. Kagome, Sango, and Kaede had all bunched around them, Isuto had left for his stall, and Yume again had left for her feed also. Sesshoumaru slid of off Tensei, and gave him a small pat on the rump, dismissing the stallion for his stall and feed.
"Kijin kicked the gate and InuYasha did not get out of the way fast enough. He broke the gate and it slammed into InuYasha's back." He answered bluntly, his voice devoid of emotion as always, acting as if it were no big deal.
Kaede didn't seem to understand why Kijin always went after InuYasha, and not for anybody else. She knew nobody but Sesshoumaru could handle the stallion, but anybody but InuYasha could go out there and not have to worry about it. Then her eyes slant in anger about the broken fence part. If the bars where what was broken, then she'd have to go out there tomorrow and weld them back together... For the second time that month.
"Kagome, hold him." Miroku ordered, "I want to look at his injuries."
Kagome nodded, and stepped up to let InuYasha lean into her. Although the inuhanyou was awake, he was probably dead tried like he was normally by the end of the day, and was otherwise speechless besides the painful grunts he gave. The injury had knocked whatever remaining energy he had left away, and he felt like he could barely stand.
Miroku peeled his shirt up, and InuYasha cringed in pain from it. His claws grasped Kagome's tank top straps hard enough that his knuckles turned white; the way he was leaning over was enough for him to bury his head under Kagome's neck. His hat was somewhere back in the pasture, and would have to be retrieved either later or sometime before the horses were let back out.
Rin had appeared, and was standing on the side lines with Kaede and Sesshoumaru. She watched for a few seconds, before yanking on Sesshoumaru's jeans. It caught the inuyoukai's attention, and he looked down at his adopted daughter.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, is InuYasha-ojikisan going to be okay...?" He sweet voice asked, full of concern.
"I do not see why he would not," came the monotone answer.
"Kaede-san, what happened to InuYasha-ojikisan?" she asked, knowing Sesshoumaru probably already explained and did not want to repeat it.
Kaede explained to Rin what had happened, and it was more blunt then what Sesshoumaru had said. Rin double blinked, and wondered herself too on why Kijin would do such a thing. However her attention was drawn back to the current setting as Doctor Miroku spoke up.
"Hmm... Sango. Can you get me the first aid from the tack room?"
Sango nodded, and ran off, shutting the remaining stall doors in the process.
"InuYasha, think you can sit down? That's probably not very comfy." Miroku suggested, but thought otherwise. He seemed very content on clinging to Kagome as of the moment.
InuYasha grunted in response, and released his hold on Kagome, sitting down on his knees, hunched over. Of course Kagome went down with him, her steel blue eyes filled with concern for her new friend/trainer.
Sango appeared with the first aid kit, and handed it to Miroku.
Now then. Don't worry everybody! Doctor Miroku is in the house and will fix InuYasha-chan up in a jib!
"Kagome, take off his shirt please, it'll make this process much quicker and he'll stop shivering."
Kagome blinked stupidly for a few seconds, and gingerly began to peel his shirt off. But, once she got to his arms, she knew this shirt wasn't going to come off without a fight, thinking quickly, she knelt down on her knees, locking her blue eyes with golden.
"It's a Hanes™ shirt, mind if I snip it off?"
InuYasha shook his head.
Kagome stole the scissors from the first aid hit, and sniped the cold wet T-shirt right on off. Of course were she cut was right on his chest, so she a got a free feel up on him at the same time. Which made her blush lightly in response of her soft hands touching his now shirt less chest.
"InuYasha, this may sting. So, sit tight." Miroku said as he applied some antibiotic ointment to the deep gash. He could feel InuYasha tense up, but figured it was more from his touch then the ointment.
"Bandages, please." He demands, kindly, and Sango handed him the only ones they had in the box...
Pink ones...
Of course, these where bandages for horses, so InuYasha was kind of in the wrong species now...
InuYasha suddenly came to life with shouts of, "Oh, Hell no! Keep those things away!"
Everybody sweatdropped. Yes, even Sesshoumaru.
Rin, at this, piped up with the well known quote: "InuYasha, don't you know it takes a real man to wear pink?!" This got the girls to giggle, and Rin beamed at herself for making a funny.
"FEH!"
"Besides, it's not like you can't wear a shirt over them, and it's just for right now anyways." Kagome added, trying to calm him down by running her fingers through his disheveled hair. InuYasha actually did calm down, and he even started to purr, and thankfully nobody could hear him.
Miroku placed a few gauze pads over the wound, then took the pink bandages and began to wrap them around InuYasha, lose enough that his friend could still breathe, but tight enough that it wouldn't fall off.
"Finished." Was Miroku words as he stood back up and brushed his hands off on his wet pants. He too, was cold, but not shivering as much as InuYasha was. 'It was probably the shock from getting injured that had made him act like that,' he thought to himself...
Kaede yawned, and patted her mouth in expression that she was ready to turn herself in. "Well, I'm going to turn in. This has been a rough night, and I have to get up early tomorrow and fix that gate."
"I will do that Kaede, my horse was the one that broke it after all."
"Well then, excellent! Think you could fix a few other gates while at it, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Don't push it."
"Wouldn't dream it," Kaede responded sarcastically as she turned on her heels and started up to the house.
"Wait, Kaede, we still need to put the night horses out." Came Sango.
"They can stay in for tonight, it shouldn't hurt them, it's supposed to storm later in the night anyway. We can let them out in a different pasture in the morning." She answered casually and continued back to the house with Etsuri and Rukane at her side.
"Gah. My hat is in the pasture." InuYasha complained after Kaede explained the plan.
Kagome and Sango shook their head at the random comment, and Miroku could only sigh.
Of course, Hige and Myouga appear out of the darkness. Cradled in Hige's mouth is in fact InuYasha's black cowboy hat. Still sitting on the ground, Hige was surprisingly calm and quiet as InuYasha petted him on the head for bringing in his lost hat. He did not put it on however, and popped it on Kagome's head. It was too big for her, and nearly covered her eyes.
"Heh. Maybe yer not so stupid after all." InuYasha said as he climbed to his feet, and started walking off to the tack room.
Sango and Miroku were on their way to the parking lot, their goodbyes had been brief, and InuYasha had missed them because of Hige and Myouga's good deeds for the day. Sesshoumaru and Rin had disappeared too.
"Uhh... InuYasha? Where are you going?" Kagome asked, catching up to him easily, still wearing his hat.
"To my room."
"The tack room?"
"Above the tack room is a loft that we built a room into. Its where I stay. Kikyou wanted a light sleeper to stay around the stable horses incase something happened. Since Sesshoumaru has Rin and all, it would've been cramped up in there. So I was handed the job."
"Cool. Can I see it?"
"I guess."
Walking into the tack room, InuYasha didn't even flick on the light switch. He knew exactly where the spiral stairs where and how many steps he had to take to get to them. Kagome, however, did not, and out of fear of bumping into something and falling over, she gripped InuYasha's hand for guidance. This caught the hanyou off guard, and he could feel the heat in his cheeks. The stairs were actually hidden behind a door, which on the other side of that door, there had originally been a closet.
Opening the door, InuYasha stepped in. The sound of his boots on the metal steps and his hand suddenly pulling Kagome upwards told her that there were steps there. Slowly they made their way up the stairs, Hige and Myouga actually following behind them. There was light coming from the top of the stairs, so as they neared the top her steps became more bold and surefooted. She didn't need him to lead her anymore, but didn't mind the warmth he gave her hand.
Looking around, she took in the details of his room. InuYasha on the other hand, collapsed onto his futon back side up, still wearing his soaked jeans. His hat got tossed on the dresser, handling in the middle of it, by some average family pictures. Which Kagome was drawn too. Pictures of him and Sesshoumaru as what she figured when they were younger and got along a little better then, they both were coated in white house paint from throwing it at each other she assumed. There were a few more pictures of animals, and then one of his father and mother. It was easy to identify on whom InuYasha and Sesshoumaru took after.
The room smelled like horses, and it was warm and with a couch and a small tv in the corner. Basically, it seemed that the room was for minor company, and more for resting in. A T-shirt hit her in the back, along with an extra pair of jeans. Jumping a bit, she could hear the floor creaking as she turned around to look at InuYasha, and she bent down too big up the clothes that would otherwise be baggy on her.
"You'll get sick if you stay in those clothes any longer."
Kagome stared at the extra clothes for a few seconds, then looked up at InuYasha.
He just stared at her, cocking an eyebrow at her expression.
"Turn around so I can change, o' wise one."
"Keh." He turned around, as did Kagome, who quickly changed.
InuYasha had taken a chance of this too and slipped into a pair of dry jeans, then collapsed back on to his futon, his painful backside up. Some claps of thunder outside made both of them jump, and then the rain the barn came down harshly. Below, she could hear a few of the horses shuffle around in their stalls, trying to get comfy after being woken by the storm. InuYasha looked to her, and then the stairs, questioning her if she was going to leave now.
Kagome exchanged expressions with him, asking if he was kidding.
InuYasha snorted and stared at the wall.
Hige and Myouga had made themselves at home on the couch, it was where they normally slept after all, and Kagome didn't have the heart to move them. The rain on the stable's tin roof was making her feel sleepy, and at first is had annoyed her. InuYasha seemed unfazed by it, and by the next clap of thunder and lightning Kagome had jumped into his futon right next to him!
"Girl! What the hell are you doing!?"
"Hey! I'm a skittish person when it comes to random loud noises!" She yelled back at him.
His eye twitching, InuYasha scooted over a bit on his messed up bed, making more space for Kagome. The girl moved in a bit more, and InuYasha suddenly felt pined against the wall and her.
A few moments of silence as the storm over head continued...
"After it's over, I want you gone..." He popped out, almost randomly it seemed.
Of course, when he got no response, he turned his head away from the wall to look at her.
She was out like a light.
"Oh Good Kami-sama. What did I ever do to you?" He asked, staring at the girl he secretly began to adore before he even knew it. Kagome was asleep, and was quite cute in his clothes that were too baggy for her. Having installed a clapper, thankfully all he had to do was clap twice and the lights went out instantly. He pulled the covered up over them, and he had to roll over so he could rid of the painful pressure on his wound off, which resulted in him facing Kagome now. Life is just fully of irony, he thought, and after that the rain soothed him into a sound sleep.
Probably the best he'd slept in a good damned while...
Holy Shit, that's SEVENTEEN PAGES! Gah! My eyes hurt. Itai. -.-;; I could have been working on my websites or something, but instead I'm here, riding this random fanfic for -you-.
And I feel like starting another one... but I need to finish this one first before that one even starts... -yawns- reviews, suggestions, flames, anything welcomed.
And as crazy as this sounds; just remember that I am human too and that I have emotions XP...