Ch. 17

So that was the last straw. Inuyasha really, really did not like this guy. He was only :waiting: for him to do something wrong, and then there Inuyasha would be, and the first thing he'd do to that asshole for looking at Kagome like that was to rip off his manliness, and then he would go through a long and purposely drawn-out death and he would make it so excrutiatingly painful...the basturd deserved it.

"Inuyasha?"

"What is it?" He asked turning his head around to glare at her because he was in a bad mood.

"Um...you passed up Kaede's hut." Kagome pointed out. He turned his head back in that direction, and noticed she was right. Now he really felt like getting into a fight.

"Keh. I wasn't goin' in that direction anyways. I was walkin' you back and now i'm goin' somewhere else." Kagome narrowed her eyes.

"Oh no your not."

"Don't tell me I can't!"

"Not with that wound you :can't:" She yelled at him. He growled back at her. "Inuyasha, your such a demon!"

"Well duh!"

"I didn't mean it to be a compliment!"

"Children, please stop fighting." Came Kaede's firm voice. Both of them stopped yelling, and turned to look wide-eyed at Kaede.

"Where have ye been for the past few days? I was worried."

"More like where have :you: been! I came here a few days ago lookin' for you but you weren't home."

"Ah that day. I was out assisting with a birth in the village." She explained calmly.

"Keh." Inuyasha closed his eyes and walked inside huffily. Kagome waited to walk in behind him just to make sure he didn't run away.

They seated themselves down inside of Kaede's hut. Inuyasha was cross-legged sitting across from Kagome and Kagome's knees were neatly folded under herself.

"So I see you'v made your wish with the shikon-no-tama?" She stated, noticing that Inuyasha had become a full demon.

"In a way...it's a long story Kaede." Kagome answered for Inuyasha.

"I see. Then i'll prepare the stew and we can talk of it during dinner."

Inuyasha was really not in a patient mood and shifted around a few times trying to calm down. Kagome, on the other hand, sat patiently and dug through her yellow bag to see if she had any changes of clothes available, which she didn't.

"Inuyasha, that looks to be a terrible wound you'v got there. Might I take a look at it?" Kaede asked as she threw the last log into the fire and sat her pot filled with water on it.

"Hmph. Do as you wish lady." He barked.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded with a glare his way. He closed his eyes to ignore her, then pulled of his haori. The skin was already beginning to close up. It was still very tender and soft in that area but at least he had completely stopped bleeding.

Kagome stepped curiously over to inspect it with Kaede.

"These wounds have healed quickly to have only happened maybe an hour ago..." Kaede stated to herself, taking notes. 'It looks as if there is nothing we can do for his wounds...but his kimono needs to be washed.'

"Sooo let me guess, Inuyasha. It doesn't hurt at all ne?" Kagome stated all too sweetly.

"I told you that before Kagome." He replied in a low agitated voice. Kagome smirked and lightly poked the wound with her pointer finger.

"OUUUU!" He jumped back away from them. "G-Get away from me!"

"But Inuyasha, I thought it didn't hurt at all!" She immitated a fake shocked voice. He glared back at her and she laughed evily at him.

"You two cut it out." Kaede stated with finality. They both turned to stare at her. "So Inuyasha, Kagome, how did he get wounds like this?"

"Well...You see---" Kagome began the story about how she got hurt and then they were trapped in the cave and then told Kaede about the jewel that turned him demon and the springs, but left out both kisses.

"So, ye found a magical hotspring? That does amaze me. I havn't ever seen one myself but I wish I could have...yes indeed. And I am so happy that my sister has been put to wrest. So the jewel was purified I expect?"

"Yes...everything's been worked out accept for..." Kagome's voice sadly trailed off. Kaede stared thoughtfuly at Kagome as she waited patiently.

Kagome looked down at Shippou who was now sitting in her lap sipping happily on his soup. He had found his way back to them now..

She noted Inuyasha in the corner suddenly take a long sip of soup and close his eyes agitatedly. His foot also began to tap against the floor, and she could have sworn she heard him growl.

"Well..." Kagome thought about what to say. "If the shikon-no-tama is gone now, and if I go home to my era, will I be able to come back here without having it?"

Inuyasha's eyes opened to look over at Kaede seriously. Kaede thought for a moment...

"Well, not without the shikon jewel you won't be able to come back." Kagome slumped her shoulders and hung her head, saddened, and wondered what in the world should she do? Inuyasha sat up stiffly and straight.

"Are you sure Kaede?" He asked softly.

"Hmm. There are ways around that though." They both looked to her hopefuly, curiousness in their eyes. "You see, Inuyasha can go through using his necklace. And so Kagome you too should be able to go through if we find ye another magical item."

"How long will that take Kaede?" She asked hopefuly.

"I might have it right here, too." She said as she reached into her kimono and searched around for the "item." All three of the others watched her do this in anticipation.

Inuyasha's foot was still tapping against the floor.

"Hey Kaede." Inuyasha called.

"Hm?" She looked up at him as she still searched her robes.

"Who were those men all dressed in black at the village today?"

"Ah those people! They are a group of traveling ninja's who are here only to stay the night. Naraku destroyed their village and the few men that survived the attack fled far away. Then they recently heard of Naraku's defeat and are traveling back to their homes again."

"Ah. I'm happy for them!" Kagome said in her regular voice. 'Though that one guy gave me the creeps.' "Which reminds me..." She put her finger to her chin and rolled her eyes upwards in thought. "I wonder how Sango and Miroku are doing back at Sango's village."

"I'm sure their doin' fine Kagome." Inuyasha retorted. "Their both very strong, for humans." He added with a smirk. Kagome rolled her eyes at him.

"Have the gotten married yet?" Kaede asked thoughtfuly.

"Not yet, but it will be soon. Or at least I don't think they would have done it yet because they havn't invited us!" Kagome flung her arms upwards towards the ceiling and shrugged.

"Mmmm. What a delicious meal!" Shippou happily said out loud as he dropped his bowl to the ground and made himself comftorable in Kagome's lap.

"Shippou, before you go to sleep remember what I told you to do!" Kagome reminded him.

"Oh yah!" He hopped off of Kagome's lap and began digging through her yellow pack.

"What are you doin' squirt?" Inuyasha asked trying to mask his curiousity by sounding tough and authoritive.

He noticed Shippou grab a long white stick with red stripes going down the sides of it and fuzzy things on the end. His ears perked forwards.

"I'm brushing my teeth you idgit!" Shippou retorted. Inuyasha, who had instantly became angry at that, punched Shippou on top of the head.

Shippou plopped down to the ground and began to cry.

"Why are you picking on me! I'm just a kid! WAAAAH!"

"Inuyasha, why did you do that!" Kagome snapped angrily.

"He called me an idgit!"

"There are easier ways to deal with him rather than punching him on the head! Inuyasha your so rude!" Inuyasha laid his ears back against his head. Kagome had struck a nerve with him and hurt his feelings, but he wasn't gonna let anyone know. He reacted with anger.

"O-K Kagome! How would :you: deal with the brat if he called you an idiot!" He yelled with sarcasm. Kagome tightly closed her eyes with her eyebrows drawn down tight, trying to keep cool.

"Mmmm. Inuyasha, he's just a kid!"

"That doesn't mean he should go unpunished!" And all the while they argued Shippou cried.

"Would ye :please: calm down!" Kaede said desperately trying to raise her voice above the arguing couple's. Kagome winced at her comment, she had been so caught up in the moment that she had not realized her voice had been so loud.

"So sorry Kaede...Shippou you too!" She picked him up off the floor and hugged him to her. "Shhh. Shippou, it's ok. No one's mad at you."

"Really?" He asked tenderly with a sniffle and looked up at her with innocent green eyes. Kagome smiled at him.

"Yes!" She said, managing to pretend that she was happy at that moment. "Now, it's getting kinda late for you. It's time to go to sleep Shippou."

"Ok Kagome-sama!" He told her playfuly. Inuyasha watched from out of the corner of his eye as Kagome held Shippou in her arms and cuddled him until he had fallen asleep. He watched her set him down in her sleeping bag and wrap a blanket around the baby Kitsune, and Shippou's nose twitched when she began to walk away. Evidentaly Kagome noticed, and went back to him, then sat beside him and patted his head until he had for sure fallen asleep.

Inuyasha turned around fully and stared at her apologetically with his eyes.

She made eye contact all right but it wasn't friendly. She shot him an evil glare, which made his heart stop beating for a second, but somehow he managed to keep glaring at her too until she sat down next to Kaede, their backs to him.

He felt anger inside of him threatening to boil over and so he decided to take a walk, while not having his protective kimono top on.

Inuyasha rose up to his feet and silently walked out of the hut. Kagome turned curiously and watched him leave, and for an instant she felt like she was the bad person, then remembered what had happened and reminded herself she wasn't.

As Inuyasha took a step outside of Kaede's hut, he felt his foot on the soft cold earth. The temperature out here was cooler than it was inside with the fire going. He liked it better out here.

He listened to the sounds of the night-life, and for a moment was at peace with everything. Then came Kagome's face into his memory and he instantly felt anger again.

Inuyasha walked huffily down the dirt road, trying to calm himself down. He was plainly tired of Kagome being able to boss him around the way she did, and it was all because of the damn necklace he wore!

He loathed it. Why she wouldn't take it off of him, he didn't understand. He knew for sure that she wasn't afraid of him! She couldn't be!

'Kagome will get this damned thing offa me...But how do I get her to do it?'

He glanced down at the cursed rosery and rolled the beads around with his thumb and forefinger as he thought.

Sango and Miroku were out of the picture mostly now...the little group that he had formed with Kagome was now gone. It was just Himself,Kagome,and Shippou that were left.

He was sure that they would keep in touch with Miroku and Sango anyways.

What was there left for him to do now that all of his problems were solved...Kikyou was at wrest and Naraku was dead...which just then made him remember that Kurishuna lady.

He pondered for a moment if she was really dead...

But since all of his problems were solved accept for her, could he move on to the next level with Kagome?

In a sort he had been doing just that these past couple of days...and he had just about told her that he was going to stay with her forever.

Then, an idea suddenly popped into his head. How he could get the rosary beads off of himself! He smirked evily at his dirty little plan...

Then he heard men's voices, Inuyasha perked his ears forwards. That was extremely odd. Who in their right minds would be out this late in the village?

He curiously and silently followed the voices and kept in the shadows so that he could not be seen. He soon came upon the group of ninja's. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and kept close vigilance over them as he eavesdropped into their conversations.