Chapter Ten
Another night is passing and Sango still wasn't in her body. She was lying down on a patch of grass, outside of Kaede's village. They had returned here to take a break. Too much has happened to blindly start a search without any leads. She sighed, watching the stars smile over her.
'Smile? Yeah right...I'm stuck in this pervert's body while...' Her gaze was redirected towards Miroku was sat not too far away from her. On her other side was Kagome, Inu Yasha next to her. Another sigh escaped Sango's lips. She cringed as it escaped in Miroku's voice. It felt as if he was hovering over her, trying to grab something he wasn't.
"Where are you going, Kagome?"
Sango lifted her head as she watched her friend rise from her sitting position and leave.
"No where. Just...gonna go for a walk..." she answered, her silhouette disappearing into the night before Inu Yasha could protest.
"Wait Kagome! It's too dangerous!" Inu Yasha said dashing after her.
Sango sat up. "We should go after them." She stopped when Miroku brought his arm out.
"Let them be..." He simply said, staring at the area Inu Yasha had disappeared in his pursuit after Kagome.
For a split moment, Sango was sure she had seen Miroku before her and not what she keeps wishing is just a reflection of her before a clear river.
"Miroku..." she whispered, sure she was feeling his presence as if he was really sitting next to her. Sango then recalled Hokaje's words from earlier that day, how distinct souls and bodies quickly adapt to each other when there is a special connection between them.
'Could Miroku possibly...' she thought. 'I wonder if Kagome's soul and mine will be as quick to make themselves at home in these bodies we're in...' Sango placed a hand over her chest. She admired the prayer beads on Miroku's hands.
"Sango?"
She looked up at Miroku, sensing him even stronger than before.He leaned closer towards her.
"Sango," he repeated. "Are you okay?"
Sango brought her hand down as Miroku's glance fell upon it."Yeah, just thinking...about all this..."
Miroku said nothing as he gazed into Sango's eyes. She could feel him...intensified to the point it was all she could concentrate on...burning inside her, reaching out to her. This obstacle of being in the wrong bodies suddenly seemed to minimize in importance. She now understood-
"Would you feel better if we were to strip for each other?"
"WHAT!"
"Well, it's just that you seemed so lost in thought...and you had your had over my body's chest..."
Sango's anger towards his stupidity could not be described in words known to man. "You...You...Ugh! I can't believe you...! Pervert!"
"What? I don't under-"
SLAP!
Miroku sat in a daze with a burning, almost sizzling hand print on his face. Apparently Sango had forgotten it was her body she hit...or she just didn't care as long as Miroku felt the pain. Either way, he couldn't ask her since she had gotten up and began ferociously walking back towards the village.
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Inu Yasha had finally caught up to Kagome. Actually, it was because she had come to a halt in the clear patch before them that wasn't engulfed in the surrounding forest vegetation Kagome had earlier walked into.
"Stupid! What would you have done if you had gotten lost in there?" Inu Yasha scolded her. "You're lucky I know my way around these forests, demon nose or not."
He hesitated when he noticed Kagome remained motionless, still gazing at the sky.
"Kagome...?" he said, inching closer to her.
She simply brought her gaze down and sat on the floor.
"Ka-?" Inu Yasha came to a complete stop when he saw Kagome's figure rising and falling with fierce and sharp sobs. Tucked between her knees, Kagome's head was spilling Inu Yasha's silver locks over his red kimono. But Inu Yasha didn't see it that way. He saw Kagome.
When she raised her head towards him, he saw Kagome's black-pearled eyes, glossy with tears, her raven hair hugging her tear-streaked face. He saw her green and white school uniform dressing her body appropriately so whenever Inu Yasha's eyes were to "randomly" fall somewhere...
He shook his head. 'What the hell am I thinking?'
Still...he could see her. It would not waver. Inu Yasha walked closer to her.
"Kagome..."
She sniffed. "Inu Yasha...I didn't want you to follow me..."
The pain was visible on his face but Kagome was unable to see it since she turned away from him. She couldn't stand it. That's why she had left them with the excuse she was going for a walk. She couldn't stand it.
Every time she would gaze at Inu Yasha...it was like he really was there. Especially those golden orbs he had for eyes. They pierced ever so brightly, but so ever so benevolently as if saying he was there for her even in this situation they were in. That's why she couldn't stand it...It wasn't fair!
Kagome would never admit to it openly but...she needed him but not like that...not like this...
'How selfish...' she thought. 'I don't deserve Inu Yasha's compassion. I don't deserve him at all!'
Kagome then felt a warming hand on her shoulder. She looked up, knowing it was Inu Yasha. Again, his golden eyes flashed, burning themselves into her as his body materialized in front of her.
'No! Stop being so selfish! That's not really Inu Yasha! I mean...I'm in his body! It can't...' She gazed into the delicious vortex that his eyes were suppling. Falling into their warmth Kagome succumbed to them. 'I can't...'
Inu Yasha sat next to Kagome, his hand no longer on her shoulder. They suddenly didn't see a reflection of themselves anymore when they looked at each other. It was as if the whole soul switching incident didn't occur. As if all this was just a much wanted opportunity to be alone with each other without any feebleminded barriers to stop them from finally admitting their true feeling towards each other.
"Kagome...why are you crying...?" Inu Yasha asked, lowering the angle of his head so it would match Kagome's sagging gaze.
She looked into those eyes of his. "I don't know anymore..."
"You don't know why you're crying?"
She shook her head.
Kagome suddenly gasped as Inu Yasha brought her into an unexpected embrace. How many times has he done this before...? This one somehow seemed different than those times, as if this was the very first time. Maybe because it was the first time Inu Yasha had done it...The first he hugged her with...
"Kagome, please don't cry."
Another gasp. "Please..." she softly echoed his word.
Inu Yasha embraced her tighter, but not too much. She was a delicate human after all...
"Inu Yasha...I...I'm sorry..."
He would not let her go. "For what?"
"For being a burden all this time...For still being one."
"Kagome, you're not a burden."
"Yes, I am. I'm so selfish I should just stay in my era...like all those times you've said."
"I just said that because I wanted you safe."
"Yeah, but-"
"I don't ever want you to go."
Kagome collapsed into him. "I don't ever want to go either..."
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"Okay, you guys! So who's next?"
Shippo emerged from the bathing room, towel and all around his pink body. When no one answered him, he gazed around the room, only to greeted by silence yet again.
"Hey! You guys! Where are you...?"
He scanned the area a second time but only found a sleeping Kirara in the corner of the room.
Shippo's eyes pooled with tears. "You guys are mean! You left without even telling me! What if some demon had attacked me? What if-"
A loud hiss was heard from the room's corner. Shippo turned to an annoyed Kirara who was disturbed from her sleep. He gave her a weak smile before backing into a corner himself.
"Sorry Kirara..."
She soon settled back into her cap nap.
In his corner, Shippo sniffed. "Does no on love me anymore...?"
Aw, poor Shippo! Well, I hoped you all liked this chapter cuz I really enjoyed writing it! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! I LOVE YOU ALL! I'm really glad that you are all keeping up with my stories and leaving me reviews along the way! I'm glad some of you guys like Hokaje's character. Well, till next chapter!
All your reviews make me smile! sniff
NEXT CHAPTER: Gazing upon her work, Hokaje comes across a startling realization about the Inu crew but she's not going to do anything about it since it's going to get in the way of enhancing her fun. Well, maybe it would be fair to warm them but...she decides to do it later...because Kouga had finally arrived, ready to fulfill his marriage proposal to the one he loves most!