Pride and Piercings

By Krazy-Kilala AKA Vixen or Kawai-chan

Chapter Three: The Tiff

After their little misadventure, the group continued north, the girls' holding back their smiles, while Inuyasha and Miroku avoided each other completely. The sun was bright in the sky; it's rays stretching across the land. Fortunately, the tree that scattered the plains offered shade to the six travelers, and they kept at a steady pace.

It wasn't until the reached the edge of the plains, were their scattered trees became thick and forest like, that someone actually spoke.

"Kagome, I'm hungry!" Shippou whining voice sliced through the silence, the young youkai looking at the said girl with big, begging eyes.

"Okay, Shippou, we'll stop for lunch." Kagome responded scruffing Shippou's red hair and smiling down at him. She turned to the inu hanyou, who continued on. "Inuyasha, let's stop to eat lunch, okay?"

The demi-demon merely continued on, stomping forward stubbornly, his words floating back to the rest of the party. "We'll eat later."

Miroku and Sango shared similar worried glances. Both of them knew how this would end. Shippou, however, begin searching through the yellow backpack that Kagome had placed on the ground for something edible.

The young miko stood her ground, her hands crossing over her chest stubbornly. Her one word lilted to him, a dangerous threatening sound weaving into it. "Inuyasha…."

The hanyou's ears twitched slightly, slowly turning around and giving the miko's glare back to her. His own arms crossed over his chest, and he propped himself on his heels and sneered. "What, going to sit me?" His own voice held a taunting note, a slight leer coming over his features.

The demon slayer and monk shared anther look. Mumbling something about going to get firewood, Miroku grabbed the complaining kitsune youkai and they all started off deeper into the woods. Kirara looked at Inuyasha and Kagome worriedly, but then begin to follow her mistress into the woods. Soon, you couldn't even see or hear the searching party, which left the priestess and half demon to give each other cold, threatening stares.

"We shouldn't off stopped, we could've covered more ground." He gritted out between clinched fangs, his eyes narrowing more. He placed his hands into the sleeves of his hoari, crossing his arms and giving her a glare that could've froze Naraku.

But the young women merely held her ground, loosening her crossed arms slightly and returning the young half demon's glare. "Who cares? We don't know were any jewel shards are!" She yelled back, her voice raising slightly.

His response was a rumbling growl that even she could hear. He slowly stalked towards her, standing barely an inch in front of her and baring his fangs slightly. "Fine, want to waste our time? Go ahead. But just remember when you ask to go back to your time again for those 'tests'." He growled back, giving a half-leering smile, before turning to walk towards a tree where he could perch.

"Don't you dare threaten me." Her voice was low, dangerously low, and she stalked after him, giving him a hard poke on his shoulder as she burned holes with her glare. "I can go see my family whenever I want, and you have no say in whether I go back to my time or not!"

She poked him harder in his back again. She barely had time to gasp with what happened next. Inuyasha twisted around, one of his claws handing grabbing her wrist, jerking her towards him until she feel against his chest. He growled down at her, sparks of red lighting his amber eyes. She was momentarily frightened, never before seeing such a glare, and aimed at her, non-the-less.

"Kagome, I have more say then you think." The young inu hanyou glared down at her, his claws biting into the sensitive skin at her waist, drawing little marks of blood.

He jerked her towards him again, and his glare softened as he saw her wince when her stomach brushed against his fire rat hoari. That rekindled his old curiosity and suspicion, and he slowly drew her away and glared half-heartedly at her, his worry winning over his fury.

The girl cringed slightly and touched her stomach gently. Her eyes were blinded with tears of rage and pain, although she still managed to glare. Brown eyes met golden one's as he slowly drew her hand away from her stomach, his other hand reaching to grab the material of her shirt and drag it upwards.

Her brain seemed to be broken, and she could only stare at the hanyou as he slowly started to reveal more and more of her stomach. Then, suddenly, the distant sounds of voices were heard from the woods, and she jumped back away from him and glared.

Inuyasha's temper snapped again, his eyes accusing and suspicious. "What's wrong with you?" He snapped.

"Nothing!" She snapped back, and then turned and walked towards Sango and Miroku, who were standing awkwardly a little ways away from them, pills of wood in their hands.

The trio of people made a quick fire, and Kagome was busy preparing 'hotdogs' for them over the fire. Miroku and Sango looked suspiciously at the miko and hanyou, wandering what had happened to make them so irritable and on edge. After lunch, they continued northward, Kagome walking silently behind Inuyasha next to Sango, Miroku trailing along behind them with Shippou on his shoulder.

They walked for hours, and only when the sun had set and the moon was high in the midnight sky did the group finally settle down for camp. Tension was still thick, although Kagome had relaxed somewhat and was now talking to Sango and Miroku about the foods of her time. Shippou ran circles around the trees, acting as if he were racing his imaginary friends. Kirara sat contently in Sango's lap, purring as she absently stroked her. Inuyasha sat in a nearby tree, leaning against the trunk and looking down at the group indifferently.

"Shippou, time for bed!" Kagome's voice broke through the young youkai's imagination, and he soon started running towards Kagome. He jumped and barrelled himself into her stomach, causing her to give a sharp cry which got everyone's, including the hanyou's, attention.

"Kagome, are you all right?" Sango's concerned voice was heard first.

Miroku nodded in concern, his eyes trailing over her body before resting on her eyes, much to the hanyou's temper. "Yes, Kagome, you have been acting sore all week."

Inuyasha felt slightly better that he wasn't the only one who's noticed. He was about to add his own comment when Kagome's reassuring voice was heard. "Oh, it's nothing. Really, just scratched myself a few days ago. No biggie, just a little sore, that's all!" She waved her hand in dismissal, and it seemed everyone was satisfied with her answer.

Everyone, that is, but the still slightly mad inu hanyou in the tree.

Aah! Thank you for all my reviews! And thank you for the many more I hope will come! This chapter was kind of just a busy chapter, really, not that long but I had fun writing it. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I always wanted to see Inuyasha give Kagome one of those 'death glares'. For those of you who don't know, a tiff is a arguement or a sour attitude.

Inuyasha: Damn, I almost got to see what Kagome was hiding from me!

Miroku: She said she scratched herself.

Sango: Ya, don't you believe her?

Inuyasha: No.

Kagome: Wha...! I still want to know what I did!

Me: On to the next chapter....!