CHAPTER TWENTY
Damn wimpy wolf! Inuyasha cursed. He skidded down the slope, with the sound of the baby snorting in his ear. This was the LAST thing he needed -- that rotten wolf-demon Koga, with his infatuation for Kagome and the constant stream of insults that he spat out. Normally Inuyasha wouldn't have minded the wolf's taunts too much -- except they were all launched in Kagome's presence.
"Inuyasha," Kagome said, "is the baby supposed to be making those weird noises?"
"It just means he don't like the smell of wolves." Inuyasha smiled slightly as he jumped off the ledge, followed by Kirara. "My kinda kid," he added under his breath.
The baby made that odd "snerk" noise and snuggled against the back of Inuyasha's head.
Kagome shaded her eyes. In the distance, she could see a blur of dust moving across the plain, like a tiny sandstorm. And shining in the middle of it were two jewel shards, like a pair of tiny glowing beacons. "I can see the shards. It's Koga, all right."
"I can smell him from here," Inuyasha grumbled. "Too bad he's probably smelled us too, or else I might be able to lose that ratty wolf."
The baby sneezed loudly.
"What exactly is your problem with him, Inuyasha?" Kagome said. "He's not that bad, really."
"You want the full list, or just the big problems?" Inuyasha snapped. He landed at the foot of the mountain, and let Kagome off. "How's the whelp?"
"Well, he's a little fidgety, but he seems okay," Kagome said, bouncing the baby against her shoulder. "It probably helped that you fed him." She paused, thinking it over as she straightened the baby's blanket. "You're really getting the hang of this baby thing, you know."
She expected Inuyasha to be flattered. Instead he flushed slightly and turned away, as if he didn't want to talk about it. "I meant that as a compliment," Kagome added.
Suddenly the sound of rushing wind reached them. Kagome turned around to see what looked like a miniature tornado rushing across the plains, leaving a swirling cloud of dust behind it. Suddenly the tornado seemed to dissipate, as a dark shape leaped out of it and landed heavily a little distance away. It was a tall young demon, with long black hair and wearing a hodgepodge of armor and wolf pelts. A wide grin crossed his face. "Hey, Kagome. I smelled ya in this area, so I thought I'd--"
His eyes widened as he saw what Kagome was holding. The baby -- who was trying to wad Kagome's long hair in his mouth -- blinked large golden eyes at the wolf-demon. One of his puppy ears twitched.
A dark flush came over Koga's face, and he was glaring at Inuyasha with an expression of pure rage. A low, angry growl came from him. Inuyasha growled softly, stiffening as he waited for that wimpy wolf to make the first move.
But Kagome made it instead. "Hold him," she said, dumping the baby in Inuyasha's arms.
"Wha...?" Inuyasha said, stunned.
"Koga, wait!" Kagome called, running over to the enraged demon. "I know what this looks like, but it isn't. I mean, the baby isn't mine."
"Not... yours?" Koga said, as if he were having trouble absorbing the idea. He stared at the baby in Inuyasha's arms. "He looks just like that whiny whelp. You mean..." He stared at Kagome, horrified. "Kagome..."
"Huh?" Kagome said, confused.
"You're stayin' with that bastard and taking care of his cub, even after he-" Koga said, seizing her hands and clasping them tightly in his calloused ones.
"Um, that's not quite the way it was," Kagome said, flustered. "The baby isn't Inuyasha's either."
"Kagome," Sango called, "I think you'd better move away from Koga... because Inuyasha's head is about to explode..."
Kagome deftly extricated her fingers from Koga's. Behind him, a pair of other wolf-demons staggered up, panting. Hakkaku and Ginta, the extremely tolerant guys who follow Koga everywhere, Kagome thought
Koga inched over to Inuyasha and sniffed. "You're right, Kagome," he said reluctantly. "The cub ain't his. Smells totally different..."
"Why?" Inuyasha said sarcastically. "Would it've bothered you if the baby were hers?"
"Any guy who lays a hand on my woman-"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLIN' YOUR WOMAN!"
The baby snorted and started to cry.
"Not while you're holding the baby," Kagome interjected sternly. "Anyway, we're taking care of the baby right now. He was orphaned, and we found him in the woods. Now we're searching for his father, and in the meantime, Inuyasha and I are taking care of him."
"Poor cub," Koga grunted, crossing his arms. "Now wolves, we don't abandon our cubs-"
"Really, what a surprise," Inuyasha snapped.
This is going to be a long one, Kagome thought. She sighed, waiting for the baby to stop fussing. Maybe Koga can help us out.
TO BE CONTINUED
Damn wimpy wolf! Inuyasha cursed. He skidded down the slope, with the sound of the baby snorting in his ear. This was the LAST thing he needed -- that rotten wolf-demon Koga, with his infatuation for Kagome and the constant stream of insults that he spat out. Normally Inuyasha wouldn't have minded the wolf's taunts too much -- except they were all launched in Kagome's presence.
"Inuyasha," Kagome said, "is the baby supposed to be making those weird noises?"
"It just means he don't like the smell of wolves." Inuyasha smiled slightly as he jumped off the ledge, followed by Kirara. "My kinda kid," he added under his breath.
The baby made that odd "snerk" noise and snuggled against the back of Inuyasha's head.
Kagome shaded her eyes. In the distance, she could see a blur of dust moving across the plain, like a tiny sandstorm. And shining in the middle of it were two jewel shards, like a pair of tiny glowing beacons. "I can see the shards. It's Koga, all right."
"I can smell him from here," Inuyasha grumbled. "Too bad he's probably smelled us too, or else I might be able to lose that ratty wolf."
The baby sneezed loudly.
"What exactly is your problem with him, Inuyasha?" Kagome said. "He's not that bad, really."
"You want the full list, or just the big problems?" Inuyasha snapped. He landed at the foot of the mountain, and let Kagome off. "How's the whelp?"
"Well, he's a little fidgety, but he seems okay," Kagome said, bouncing the baby against her shoulder. "It probably helped that you fed him." She paused, thinking it over as she straightened the baby's blanket. "You're really getting the hang of this baby thing, you know."
She expected Inuyasha to be flattered. Instead he flushed slightly and turned away, as if he didn't want to talk about it. "I meant that as a compliment," Kagome added.
Suddenly the sound of rushing wind reached them. Kagome turned around to see what looked like a miniature tornado rushing across the plains, leaving a swirling cloud of dust behind it. Suddenly the tornado seemed to dissipate, as a dark shape leaped out of it and landed heavily a little distance away. It was a tall young demon, with long black hair and wearing a hodgepodge of armor and wolf pelts. A wide grin crossed his face. "Hey, Kagome. I smelled ya in this area, so I thought I'd--"
His eyes widened as he saw what Kagome was holding. The baby -- who was trying to wad Kagome's long hair in his mouth -- blinked large golden eyes at the wolf-demon. One of his puppy ears twitched.
A dark flush came over Koga's face, and he was glaring at Inuyasha with an expression of pure rage. A low, angry growl came from him. Inuyasha growled softly, stiffening as he waited for that wimpy wolf to make the first move.
But Kagome made it instead. "Hold him," she said, dumping the baby in Inuyasha's arms.
"Wha...?" Inuyasha said, stunned.
"Koga, wait!" Kagome called, running over to the enraged demon. "I know what this looks like, but it isn't. I mean, the baby isn't mine."
"Not... yours?" Koga said, as if he were having trouble absorbing the idea. He stared at the baby in Inuyasha's arms. "He looks just like that whiny whelp. You mean..." He stared at Kagome, horrified. "Kagome..."
"Huh?" Kagome said, confused.
"You're stayin' with that bastard and taking care of his cub, even after he-" Koga said, seizing her hands and clasping them tightly in his calloused ones.
"Um, that's not quite the way it was," Kagome said, flustered. "The baby isn't Inuyasha's either."
"Kagome," Sango called, "I think you'd better move away from Koga... because Inuyasha's head is about to explode..."
Kagome deftly extricated her fingers from Koga's. Behind him, a pair of other wolf-demons staggered up, panting. Hakkaku and Ginta, the extremely tolerant guys who follow Koga everywhere, Kagome thought
Koga inched over to Inuyasha and sniffed. "You're right, Kagome," he said reluctantly. "The cub ain't his. Smells totally different..."
"Why?" Inuyasha said sarcastically. "Would it've bothered you if the baby were hers?"
"Any guy who lays a hand on my woman-"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLIN' YOUR WOMAN!"
The baby snorted and started to cry.
"Not while you're holding the baby," Kagome interjected sternly. "Anyway, we're taking care of the baby right now. He was orphaned, and we found him in the woods. Now we're searching for his father, and in the meantime, Inuyasha and I are taking care of him."
"Poor cub," Koga grunted, crossing his arms. "Now wolves, we don't abandon our cubs-"
"Really, what a surprise," Inuyasha snapped.
This is going to be a long one, Kagome thought. She sighed, waiting for the baby to stop fussing. Maybe Koga can help us out.
TO BE CONTINUED