CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
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Kagome had been talking with that mangy, flea-ridden wolf Koga for what seemed like an eternity. Inuyasha watched sullenly, keeping an eye on Koga's hands. Admittedly he didn't grab Kagome the way Miroku grabbed women in general. But he got too friendly whenever she stood near him. Right now he was staring a little too intently at her face as she talked.
"Rotten luck for the cub," he said finally.
"Yeah," Kagome said. She had taken the baby back from Inuyasha, although he was squirming and snorting like crazy. It was getting distracting. "And because we can't take him with us, we have to find the father."
"Hrm," Koga said. Before Kagome could stop him, he had scooped the baby out of her hands and held him over his head. "Looks like the little cub could use a real father. Me, if he were mine, I'd never let-"
The baby made a face and sneezed.
The look of offended shock nearly made Kagome giggle. She pulled the fussing baby away, and glanced back at Inuyasha. His face was flushed, and he looked like he was about to rip Koga's head off. Oh boy. I need to stop this before they do anything more, she thought.
"Koga," she said quickly. "I need to ask you something."
The baby snorted loudly and began to whine.
"Yeah?" Koga said. He still looked a little offput from the baby's rejection of him.
"Do you know of any dog-demons... aside from Inuyasha and his brother?" Kagome asked. "We thought we might have found one up on that mountain, but it turns out he's been dead for a long time."
"Hmm." Koga seemed to ponder it for a moment.
Must be hard to think too hard, if you've got a boulder for a brain, Inuyasha thought scathingly. He inched closer to Kagome and the baby, and ran his hand over the baby's little head. The baby tried to put his thumb in its mouth.
"I can think of one!" Koga said suddenly, breaking through Inuyasha's thoughts.
"Only one?" Kagome asked, disappointed.
"They ain't as common as the wolves," Koga said, crossing his arms. Inuyasha grimaced; he recognized that pose. The filthy wolf was just trying to get Kagome to look at his chest. "There's one to the north of here -- big guy, very nasty temper. Not too different from dog-boy here, except he ain't a halfbreed."
"The baby's half human too," Kagome pointed out rather coldly.
Koga hastily backtracked. "Anyway, I don't know much 'bout him, or if he likes human girls at all. But if dog-boy ain't the father, and you don't think his brother is, then that guy's your best bet."
"Thanks," Kagome said. "We'll look into it."
Koga apparently felt that it was time to try with the baby again. "Cute little cub, ain't he," he said, tapping the baby's clawed fist. "Don't look much like dog-boy over there, except for the ears and hair-" The baby began squirming as Koga patted his head.
"Get your hands off my baby!" Inuyasha shouted, starting forward.
Koga drew back, narrowing his eyes. "YOUR baby," he said slowly. "I thought you said it wasn't yours."
Inuyasha suddenly looked flustered. My... did I say that? he thought. The snarl had just burst out of him without his thinking about it. He growled faintly at Koga, then turned and stalked away. "Touch that whelp again, and I'll make sure you can't have any of your own!" he shouted over his shoulder.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted after him. "Will you calm down for once?"
"NO!"
The baby started to cry.
.
Inuyasha sulked for the next hour or so, while Hakkaku and Ginta looked adoringly at the "cub." The baby squirmed and snorted constantly, making those weird "snerk" noises, and eventually Kagome ordered the two wolf-demons to get far away. Koga was still hanging around, although he seemed a bit nervous about the baby's disgusted reaction to him.
"You take good care of that cub," he was saying, clutching her free hand between both of his. "If ya finally get tired of that mutt, you just let-"
"Why don't you let go of her hand," Inuyasha snarled, punching at Koga's head, "before I rip both of yours off!"
Koga dodged away, and darted across the plains at a speed that Inuyasha couldn't hope to match. He growled faintly, watching as Koga's little lackeys followed him, straggling behind his cloud of dust. "Bastard," he muttered. "Good riddance..."
"You know, it was hard enough getting that information out of him," Kagome said, wiping the baby's nose, "without you exploding every couple of minutes."
"Feh."
"That's what I thought you'd say."
TO BE CONTINUED
.
Kagome had been talking with that mangy, flea-ridden wolf Koga for what seemed like an eternity. Inuyasha watched sullenly, keeping an eye on Koga's hands. Admittedly he didn't grab Kagome the way Miroku grabbed women in general. But he got too friendly whenever she stood near him. Right now he was staring a little too intently at her face as she talked.
"Rotten luck for the cub," he said finally.
"Yeah," Kagome said. She had taken the baby back from Inuyasha, although he was squirming and snorting like crazy. It was getting distracting. "And because we can't take him with us, we have to find the father."
"Hrm," Koga said. Before Kagome could stop him, he had scooped the baby out of her hands and held him over his head. "Looks like the little cub could use a real father. Me, if he were mine, I'd never let-"
The baby made a face and sneezed.
The look of offended shock nearly made Kagome giggle. She pulled the fussing baby away, and glanced back at Inuyasha. His face was flushed, and he looked like he was about to rip Koga's head off. Oh boy. I need to stop this before they do anything more, she thought.
"Koga," she said quickly. "I need to ask you something."
The baby snorted loudly and began to whine.
"Yeah?" Koga said. He still looked a little offput from the baby's rejection of him.
"Do you know of any dog-demons... aside from Inuyasha and his brother?" Kagome asked. "We thought we might have found one up on that mountain, but it turns out he's been dead for a long time."
"Hmm." Koga seemed to ponder it for a moment.
Must be hard to think too hard, if you've got a boulder for a brain, Inuyasha thought scathingly. He inched closer to Kagome and the baby, and ran his hand over the baby's little head. The baby tried to put his thumb in its mouth.
"I can think of one!" Koga said suddenly, breaking through Inuyasha's thoughts.
"Only one?" Kagome asked, disappointed.
"They ain't as common as the wolves," Koga said, crossing his arms. Inuyasha grimaced; he recognized that pose. The filthy wolf was just trying to get Kagome to look at his chest. "There's one to the north of here -- big guy, very nasty temper. Not too different from dog-boy here, except he ain't a halfbreed."
"The baby's half human too," Kagome pointed out rather coldly.
Koga hastily backtracked. "Anyway, I don't know much 'bout him, or if he likes human girls at all. But if dog-boy ain't the father, and you don't think his brother is, then that guy's your best bet."
"Thanks," Kagome said. "We'll look into it."
Koga apparently felt that it was time to try with the baby again. "Cute little cub, ain't he," he said, tapping the baby's clawed fist. "Don't look much like dog-boy over there, except for the ears and hair-" The baby began squirming as Koga patted his head.
"Get your hands off my baby!" Inuyasha shouted, starting forward.
Koga drew back, narrowing his eyes. "YOUR baby," he said slowly. "I thought you said it wasn't yours."
Inuyasha suddenly looked flustered. My... did I say that? he thought. The snarl had just burst out of him without his thinking about it. He growled faintly at Koga, then turned and stalked away. "Touch that whelp again, and I'll make sure you can't have any of your own!" he shouted over his shoulder.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted after him. "Will you calm down for once?"
"NO!"
The baby started to cry.
.
Inuyasha sulked for the next hour or so, while Hakkaku and Ginta looked adoringly at the "cub." The baby squirmed and snorted constantly, making those weird "snerk" noises, and eventually Kagome ordered the two wolf-demons to get far away. Koga was still hanging around, although he seemed a bit nervous about the baby's disgusted reaction to him.
"You take good care of that cub," he was saying, clutching her free hand between both of his. "If ya finally get tired of that mutt, you just let-"
"Why don't you let go of her hand," Inuyasha snarled, punching at Koga's head, "before I rip both of yours off!"
Koga dodged away, and darted across the plains at a speed that Inuyasha couldn't hope to match. He growled faintly, watching as Koga's little lackeys followed him, straggling behind his cloud of dust. "Bastard," he muttered. "Good riddance..."
"You know, it was hard enough getting that information out of him," Kagome said, wiping the baby's nose, "without you exploding every couple of minutes."
"Feh."
"That's what I thought you'd say."
TO BE CONTINUED