Hey there! Lots of dialogue to deal with in this chapter, so I hope you'll forgive the decrease in fluff. But it's setting up something fun…
Chapter 6: Independent Woman
Little fox feet were hanging over the edge of a tree branch, swaying back and forth like the pendulums of clocks. The little one was bored, but more curious as to why Sango appeared uneasy and stressed out. His little face peered over the leaves into the forest beyond their little meadow. Somehow Shippou suspected he would see the others any minute now. Sango's hands were wringing the fabric of her shirt and Miroku seemed ready to burst with laughter. Similar expressions always came up when it concerned bathing, and young Shippou had no idea what the fuss was about. He knew Miroku often liked to peek at them, but he didn't understand why the monk had such a keen fascination with naked girls. For a while, all was silent. And he waited for something… anything to happen.
The hot crisp air of night stung the skin like poison, and it rolled in waves through the forest and plains. Every moment, its tide would crash upon all living things, feeding upon their perspiration and weakness. A great feast of anxiety and uneasiness that consumed all due to its presence held fast to the pores of their skins. It would make the hairs on their skin twitch and their minds irritable and impatient. And as the tides receded, it drowned the world in its own naïveté of truth.
Crows sat scattered over the tree tops of old Japan, taking a break from the never ending search for food and shelter. They closed their beady eyes for sleep, only to be awaken by the boom of a voice. It shook with such force, every crow was frightened away from the area. As they flew off to new parts unknown, the sound continued to shake the forest.
How were the two to know that the night was actually mild in temperature, and that it was the heat on their own cheeks that betrayed their senses? Kagome continued to shout her command every 2 seconds to make sure Inuyasha didn't sneak a peek as she changed back into her clothes. Needless to say, she was livid. Her normally pale skin now pink and veins pulsing anywhere they could find a release. Even sweat appeared on her brow to reveal her frustration. It wasn't like this was the first time it had happened, but that was just it. It wasn't the first time. Inuyasha knew better than to do such a thing as this.
When she was fully dressed, she stopped her commands and glared at his immobile form twitching under the pain of the impact with the dust. Just in time for him to jump up and scream, "For the love of God, stop it!"
"You pervert! How dare you try to sneak a peek at me! Who the hell do you think you are?" Kagome screamed.
Inuyasha approached her and towered over her so as to prove to her that he was the boss of this argument, and as the boss, had to win. It surely wasn't helping. He snarled at her, "You fucking came here alone! What was I supposed to do? Let you get attacked by some youkai? You're such a moron!"
She huffed, "I don't need you to be my babysitter, Inuyasha. For your information, I didn't go that far and I brought my arrows with me."
She signaled to the arrows and bow lying against her backpack. He crossed his arms and held his nose high, "Keh! Like that would help you against a youkai. You can't do anything without me there."
No, definitely not helping at all. The crickets seemed to stop and flee the place from the battle that was about to come. First rounds shot by some idiot hanyou with no idea who the enemy was. Now, he had awoken a monster. "What are you getting at? You think I'm helpless?.! Well you listen to me, Inuyasha! I didn't ask you to protect me! I didn't ask to be put into danger everyday, but I do it for you. I may not be the best fighter, but I could get by just fine if I wasn't risking my neck for the Shikon no Tama. Therefore, it is no concern of yours what happens to me, since the jewel shards are entirely safe. So unless I ask you to, I don't want to be around you."
The thickness of her words was that of a blade. She didn't mean it nearly as harshly as it came out, but Inuyasha certainly saw it that way, and when he made up his mind about what someone was implying, there was no changing it. The fear of losing her again was roused once more when it had barely had time to slumber. He looked at her in shock, though she didn't notice his fear. Or perhaps she didn't care to notice it. 'She… doesn't want to be around me now?'
After how hard he fought with himself to make her happy with flowers, after protecting her time and time again, she didn't want to be with him? It was injust. Why couldn't she get it through her head that he was right, and that she needed to stay? His sadness turned into anger, as it often did, and he lashed out at her. "Don't kid yourself, wench. You're always allowing yourself to fall into traps. You still can't shoot your arrow right. Always getting in the way of my fights. I've had to save your butt countless times, and…"
She crossed her arms and leaned her body to one side, a clear sign that she didn't give a damn what he was saying, and was barely listening. When he saw his anger wasn't making an impression on her, his face became even more stern, "…You… you are just so easily manipulated!"
"Manipulated?" She countered in shock, and brought her hands to her sides.
Finding pleasure in seeing his argument was finally taking an effect, he pushed farther. "I'd be so easy for a youkai to sneak up on you. Why, you're even so stupid you'd allow yourself to be taken in by some lame guy with roses who's just trying to take advantage of you. Keh, like that loser could do anything right."
Inuyasha never failed to forget him whenever Kagome was thinking about going home. In the back of his mind, Inuyasha always worried that she wanted that boy rather than him. He never stopped to second guess that Hojo was trying to use Kagome for impure reasons, which he would never allow in a million years. But he could invision that goody-two-shoes suddenly turning on her and taking advantage of her. It had been a hidden desire for quite some time to insult Hojo for how ridiculous he was in the hopes that the miko would ditch him, but Kagome had had enough. There was no way she could let Inuyasha insult a friend of hers. Unlike Inuyasha, at least Hojo knew how to treat a lady. She hollered her call and Inuyasha met the dust once again. Kagome gave a satisfied smirk at his pain. He squirmed on the ground before the spell wore off, and was already ranting before he got to his feet, "You bitch, Kagome. I can't help it if…"
His opinion went unchecked, for Kagome huffed and started walking off. He yelled after her. "Hey! I'm not done talking yet! Aren't you listening to me?"
The only sounds she made were with her feet, harshly breaking twigs beneath each step. She didn't answer, and he got that uneasy feeling in his stomach again. The one that said he had finally pushed too far, and had thus broken off her patience. Very carefully, he followed her. "Kagome?"
Still no answer. "Kagome?"
His fear escalated. This really was the silent treatment now. He broke into a sprint and caught up with here quickly. He leapt in front of her to prevent an escape. "You have to talk to me now! Quit bitching around."
If there was one thing he hated more than losing an argument, it would be rejection. Her choice to ignore him and his needs only made him grow more fearful that he was losing her all over again. And in the end, she would go back home never to return. Somehow he knew it had nothing to do now with him spying on her, but her pride and as much as he hated it, her dedication to her friends in her own time. The hanyou racked his brain trying to figure out what he did wrong. It was the truth after all, wasn't it? Hojo was just toying with her, right? She really did need him, right? He knew he never seemed to battle just right unless she was there. It was true that she was the weakness in the group, but that's what made him fight the hardest. Why couldn't she see that? Did he really need to spell it out for her? He would cringe at the thought of spilling such a reality to her.
His amber eyes became hazy in worry, but she refused to even look at him. This wasn't even about being a peeping tom anymore. After all the time they had spent together, Kagome had believed that Inuyasha had at least some appreciation for her abilities. It had been awhile since he had said she was useless, and she had hoped that opinion had died out by now. But everything he was saying and doing signaled to her that she was still a pathetic human to him. God, she had felt so proud of herself once she had mastered a bow and arrow. Hadn't that proven to him that she was fully capable of battling a youkai?
The owls and crickets finally resumed their melodies, giving up on this battle ever ending and just getting on with their lives. Nature had come to expect such things from the hanyou and miko. They shook their heads and sighed, thinking any intervention or argument useless. Kagome matched the rhythm of their chirps in her steps and she found some comfort in them, until she heard Inuyasha still ranting on and on about her failures.
She clenched her fists as she refused to acknowledge him. 'I will just have to make you see that I don't need you in my life.'
She didn't need him to be by her side always, but… there was another way in which he needed him forever: she needed him so her heart would stay intact. If she could never be near him again, she knew she would fall apart at the seams. Kagome prevented her face from softening as her thought continued, 'Even if I really do.'
"You can't ignore me forever, Kagome. Sooner or later you'll have to talk to me, now come on and talk already."
She eyed him for a second in curiousity, 'What do you care if I say another word Inuyasha?'
Inuyasha clenched his fists hard and stopped in his tracks. He couldn't go any farther, or she might take it the wrong way. It was time for some good old-fashioned reverse psychology as far as the hanyou was concerned. And what better than to bring up his new favorite subject: Hojo. He turned away from her and crossed his arms. "Keh, you are impossible! Why don't you just go back to that lame rose guy and see how he deals with your attitude!"
She chanted in her head, 'Don't say anything, Kagome. Just keep on walking.'
During the short trip back to camp, the sun appeared over the treetops once more and the hanyou's hair became white as snow once again. The return to his normal state only frustrated Kagome more, for it meant she could never outrun Inuyasha even if she tried. Inuyasha continued to command Kagome to speak to him, and she continued to refuse. Sango and Miroku heard the sits from half a mile away, and Miroku held back a chuckle as he assumed what must have happened. Sango sent him a glare telling him to rid his head of perverted thoughts or he would receive a boomerang to the head. Eventually, they heard voices growing louder and angrier with each passing minute. Finally, the two fighters emerged from the forest. The miko threw her hands in the air, trying in earnest to ask God to spare her this insufferable hanyou. He appeared just as agitated, as well as still flushed from their meeting.
Kagome said no more words to Inuyasha, but called out to the exterminator. "Sango-chan, where's my backpack?"
Sango lifted it off of the ground and held it out to her. She already knew where this was going. "You heading home?"
Kagome nodded and sighed, "You said it."
Inuyasha did a double take at her and stopped in his tracks. "What? Are you out of your mind? We don't have time for you to be angry."
Kagome's lips curled into a small smirk as she saw how impatient Inuyasha was being about his precious shikon shards. "Oh, come now, Inuyasha. After all, I'm so pathetic, you don't neeeed me to get by. You can find them aaall by yourself, can't you?"
Her voice was annoyingly mocking, and Inuyasha knew she was pushing his buttons. To prove he wasn't moved, he jumped into a tree branch and sat down looking away from the group. "Keh! I don't need you! Go for all I care."
She wanted to say she'd tell Hojo 'hi' for him, but decided against it. But, taking advantage of the obvious situation, she hollered her call one more time and watched in glee as the hanyou came tumbling out of the tree to the dirt below. He yelped as he landed and twitched his arms and legs in pain. "Kso…"
With a smile, she waved to the rest of her comrades and made her way to the well. The others look after her as she disappeared into the forest once again, and the three shook their heads at the same time. Inuyasha brought himself out of the spell and slumped on the ground, not willing to accept defeat, even when he had been served to him on a silver platter. The little kitsune in the tree could hear him mumbling angrily about the miko. He hit his fist against the tree, causing Shippou to almost stumble out of the tree himself, but he latched on in time. "Inuyasha, you really need to find a way with women."
His only response was a terrifying stare. The little one hid his little face behind the cover of the leaves again. The two humans sat down as well at their campsite. Sango closed her eyes and sighed again, "Honestly, sometimes I think we're just lucky to have Kagome here."
The statement caused Inuyasha's ear to tweak a bit. Miroku replied, "Ya know, sometimes I think we're really lucky to have Kagome here."
tweak "…You'd really think Kagome wouldn't want to see us ever again, with all the fights she's had with Inuyasha," Sango sighed loudly so the hanyou could hear.
tweak-tweak Miroku spoke up a little more and leaned a bit towards Inuyasha, "I wonder… someday it may be too much, and just like that…"
He snapped his fingers, "…She'll up and leave for good."
Inuyasha turned around and glared at the monk, "Baka! Of course she's coming back. If she doesn't, I'll never forgive her."
"But if you don't care about Kagome," Shippou asked atop Miroku's head, "then why would you care if she didn't come back."
His question was innocent and naïve, but it was rewarded with a punch to the head, which threw him off his perch. Sango eyed him angrily, "Inuyasha!"
He didn't take notice of his mistreatings of the little one, and got up without a good-bye to go after Kagome. They watched as he disappeared within the darkness of the forest. They knew the route he was taking and saw him reemerge shortly in a small clearing before he would disappear over the hill towards the well. From this spot, they could always tell when Kagome had returned. She would always appear there with a smile and a wave. Usually followed by a frustrated looking Inuyasha. Sango sighed. These things would probably never change.
What she saw Inuyasha do this time caught her by surprise. He seemed to halt mid-run and ponder something for a moment. Then, he took off running towards the east. She looked after him in concern for a moment, but as she thought more about it, the answer became clear. He was going to the field of wild flowers again.
Kagome threw her bag onto her bed, but didn't relish in the softness of it herself. Instead, she stormed back downstairs towards the kitchen. Souta poked his head out of the living room for a moment to see why the room was shaking beneath her loud stomps. Her grandfather too looked up as she entered the kitchen, but cowered away at the fire in his granddaughter's eyes. She made straight for the phone and dialed. Placing the phone to her ear, she finally let her facial muscles relax as she talked, "Hello, Hojo,kun? Hi there! I was wondering if I could take you up on that dinner you offered me before?"
Her grandfather eyed Kagome's evil smirk.
To be continued…
Muhahahaha, I'm so evil. Stay tuned for the next chapter, and Kagome's date with Hojo. Inuyasha will be paying them a visit. Hehe.
Darkened Soul1: I'm glad you liked the detail, because that's the hardest part to write. (hugs)
Katie…: Good, cause I had fun writing it. Thanks for your support. (hugs)
Pan-chan's Hope: Haha, she is cold, I agree. I've seen her do good things and bad things, so I'm thinking she's a mix. Don't worry, she'll have some mustache-twirling moments for you to hate her for. (hugs)
JediK1: Yes…. Fluff…. Sooo fun. (hugs)
Snow Lepord: I'm just full of surprises. (hugs)
Caline Daniels: I think it means romancey kinda cuteness, but it could just mean a lot of description, but the former seems more likely. On both counts, I hope to have a lot. (hugs)
Random Reader: Oooo, you'll beg, you say? …… Nah, I can't wait that long. (hugs)
InuyashaGal: Spain was fantastic, and thank you for your support on my last fic, of course. More fluff here, as always. And what does "ja ne" mean?
Iloveanime-inuyasha: Wow, okay, the sequels the next story I read when I get the chance. Thanks for being here to support me. (hugs)
A100rinchhead: Haha, exactly. I think they are so precious when they fight. (hugs)
BlueMoonDog: Have you seen my name? Of course I will, I'm hopeless as well. (hugs)