Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, just the video game and the two posters I just bought… :o)

A/N: *deep bow*  Gomen, my faithful readers. I got involved with other stuff—Kingdom Hearts, the Inuyasha video game, some actual reading from books—that I haven't had the time to do more than check my email when I go online. Thanks for those of you that are sticking around, and welcome to those newcomers that have stumbled into my warped world. Enjoy your stay. :o)

Chapter 3: Friend or foe?

Monk and miko made their way silently towards the river. They reached the bank and knelt down, placing the bowls in the shallow waters. "Scrub or dry?"

"Huh?" Kagome looked at him. He held a scrap of cloth in one hand and one of her old towels in the other. She blushed. His eyebrows raised. "What is it?"

She blushed harder. "Um, oh, nothing… I better dry…" She took the towel from him, then waited for him to scrub the first bowl clean.

Miroku pushed up the sleeves of his robe, picked up a bowl and dunked it several times into the water. He wet the cloth and scrubbed the inside of the bowl.

Kagome waited. He finished scrubbing, then handed her the bowl. She wiped it, put it next to her, and waited. He was working on his third bowl when she spoke. "So… What did you want to talk about?"

Miroku looked at her, smiled and resumed scrubbing. Kagome tilted her head to the side, studying the young man next to her. He was handsome, even if he was a lecher. Muscular arms scrubbed the wooden bowl vigorously. Satisfied, he handed her the bowl and picked up another. In her time, he would have been popular. Any girl would want to bear his child. Kagome blushed at the thought. He'd asked her a few times before, and she'd turned him down every single time. Why was the prospect of bearing his child appealing all of a sudden?

She frowned. He was one bowl away form finishing, and they still had not spoken. Did he really want to speak to her, or was this a ruse to annoy Inuyasha?

Inuyasha. Now THAT had been a problem. First, he confused her with Kikyo. Constantly. He then had the gall to be jealous of any male, both here AND back home. Kagome sighed. Let's see… Mentally she ticked off the names as she remembered comments Inuyasha had made. Hojo, Miroku, Kouga, even Shippou now and then had befallen the wrath of Inuyasha's jealous rants at least once. Hojo's a moron. Why does he follow you around like that? That lecherous monk better keep his hands away from you… You wimpy wolf! She's NOT your woman! Damn brat. Why didn't he attach himself to someone else? He doesn't need a wench like you as his mother…

All of her friends. None he approved of. Then again, it wasn't like he wanted her. She knew he wanted Kikyo, which is why she never let anything go far between them. She'd had a crush on Inuyasha those first few months (his ears ARE kawaii!), but after a few encounters with Kikyo she'd backed off.  I am NOT getting in the middle of THAT! I'd rather have someone who'll be nice to me, and maybe even a cute guy. Her eyes drifted back towards Miroku.

Kagome blinked. He was staring at her. Why is he staring at me? His lip twitched. He lifted the last bowl into her range of vision and raised his eyebrows. She blushed, yanked the bowl from his hand, and dried it with the towel as if its level of dryness would bring about world peace.

Miroku chuckled. He put the cloth back into the river and scrubbed it clean. Her mind's wandering again… He'd seen that look in her face before. It meant she was thinking about Inuyasha's jealous rants. Which meant that her blush was a good sign… "Kagome, do you know what time it is?"

"Huh?" Confused, she looked at her wrist. "It's 11:15. Why?"

"Would it be possible for me to borrow your watch?"

"No, you can't. I'll need it when I go home."

Damn, I need that watch! "Kagome-chan, please. I beg you to lend me your watch. It is important."

"Why?" She was confused. Weren't they going to talk? Why did he want her watch?

Think fast… "Kagome-chan, I wanted to talk to you about Inuyasha. And I need your watch."

Her jaw dropped. Miroku knew Inuyasha was still a touchy subject. The last time they'd talked about Inuyasha, she had ended up sobbing in Miroku's arms. That had been the day she'd let go of her crush on Inuyasha.

She shut her mouth, grabbed at the bowls, stuffed them inside the towel, and stood. "You know, Sango's right. You're losing it. I'm leaving." She made a move to leave, but his next comment stopped her cold.

"You're early, Lord Sesshoumaru."

© 6/27/03, M.A.R.

Aphiopsyduck: Confused yet? You will be even more so. *EG*   But I DO apologize for the cliffhanger. :o)  And I changed my mind. My readers are getting a third chapter today! Yay!  It seems to be a long chapter, too… Enjoy! :o)

(More or less) Permanent A/N: *sweatdrops…*  Ehehe…  First fanfic… If nothing else, it's a test run, since this will be my first real fanfic posted anywhere. I don' really know where it's going though, so please bear with me. Reviews are welcome, and flames will be used on undead mikos who refuse to leave our heroes alone. :o)