Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha!
LB: Your review(s) have made me so happy that I shall put up another chapter! I have warned you, my friend has read this chapter and she has deemed it almost too fluffy. Personally, I didn't think it was over-stepping any lines (though there is a kiss), but nothing overly cavity-causing…:P Ah, well. Read away and review too! Chapter Five is being written! It's taking me less time to write chapters because of spring break…hooray!
Chapter Four. Kisses and Cards.
The sliver of a moon had risen, casting a shred of light through the atmosphere. Sango slumped to her knees. (A/N: Of course, she's been taking Kagome's death hard) "I can't do this, Miroku!" she choked out, sobs racking through her in spasms. Miroku sat next to her, motioning for Shippou and Kirara to stop. "Sango. You are one of the strongest people I know. You'll make it through this." Sango stared up at him. "Miroku. This is hopeless. We can't sense or see the shards; we can't get them at all if we can't do that. I can take down a demon, but what good would it be?" It killed Miroku to see her so helpless and broken-spirited. He touched a hand to her face, and slowly moved closer. He gently pressed his lips to hers, then flicked away her tears. She smiled softly and backed off. "You don't have to do that, Miroku." He nodded, quite seriously. "I know." She rested her head against his chest. "Thank you," she whispered.
Kagome banged her head against the well. 'Bad Kagome. Bad, bad, very bad Kagome! You're not supposed to kiss youkai that could tear you to shreds, revive her, then do it again in the blink of an eye.' "Bad Kagome!" she muttered aloud.
"Do not beat yourself up over it." She landed on the ground with a thud, eyes widening. "S-Sesshoumaru…Umm…"
"It happened. It was as much my fault as it was yours." There was that 'it' again. Wait a sec… "Fault?" It was somebody's fault now? Sesshoumaru stared at her. "Well. I notice that neither one of us stopped it."
"Would you please stop saying 'it'?" Sesshoumaru looked at her like she was out of her mind. "I'm not insane," she assured him. "I just need to think." Sesshoumaru nodded, backing out of the room. 'Now you've done it, Sesshoumaru…She's snapped.'
Kagome awoke the next morning with a mild cold. "Sesshoubaru?" she asked stuffily. "Rid?" She frantically looked around the room, and was still looking when Sesshoumaru strode in. She turned to him. "I deed a klee-dex!" He raised an eyebrow warily. "What is a klee-dex?"
"No!" Kagome moaned. "A tish-oo!"
"Tish-oo?"
"I deed sobthig to blow by dose!" Sesshoumaru backed away. "What is wrong with your voice?"
"I'b got a cold! I deed sobthig to blow by dose because id's stuffed!" Rin skipped into the room, achoo-ing as she came in. "Do you wadt a hadkerchief, Kagobe-deesad?" Kagome accepted it gratefully, noting the look of dawning comprehension on Sesshoumaru's face. She sat comfortably on the bed. Rin jumped up next to her. "Are you cobfortable id here, Kagobe-deesad?" (A/N: She is trying to say 'Kagome-neesan' :P) Kagome nodded. "Yes, Rid. Thag you."
"You dow what? Dis is acterly Lord Sesshoubaru's roob." There was a long silence, and Kagome turned toward Sesshoumaru, dumbstruck. Uh-oh. Sesshoumaru's voice cut through the silence. "Rin. Please go to your room."
"L-Lord Sesshoumaru?"
"Now, please." Rin meekly complied, wondering what she had done wrong. Sesshoumaru closed the door behind her. Kagome stood. "You. Are id a whole lot of trouble if ou dod't have a good expladation for dis." Sesshoumaru paused. "Well…" Kagome clenched her fists. "If you have so beddy dabbed bedroobs in dis place, why ab I id yours?"
"Why does it bother you so much? If you must know, there are certain barriers on this room to keep the occupants safe. " Kagome faltered. "Oh...well, thanks. But where have you beed sleepig?"
"I haven't." Kagome nearly popped a blood vessel. "You haved't slept id albost a week?"
"I didn't wish or need to. If I had desired rest, I could have easily slept in another room."
"Well. You're going to sleep here tonight." She practically leapt to the door, stopped only by Sesshoumaru's hand gently steering her back towards him. She shrugged her shoulder from his grip. He spoke quietly. "I am not going to put you in another room. If Naraku has discovered that you are alive, you are going to be as safe as possible."
"You are going to sleep in here tonight! End of subject."
"No."
"Sesshoumaru…" He met her stare coldly. "Very well. I will sleep in here. However…I can assure you that I will not allow you to move to another room." She raised an eyebrow, shocked. "Are you suggesting…?"
"Certainly not. I was merely insinuating the discomfort of this situation…which, I might add, you caused." She scowled and shoved him. He seemed taken aback, but remained unmovable. Kagome found herself strangely unable to move her hands from his chest. She had a sudden, unfathomable urge to- "Sesshoumaru?" He nodded, caught up in those, wide, innocent brown eyes. "Sesshoumaru, I…I- I think I'm going to kiss you," she murmured. Just as his eyes registered surprise, she reached up on tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. He slid a clawed hand through her hair, unknowingly increasing her sudden adrenalin rush. Her hands gripped his shoulders as he deepened the kiss. Shivers flew down her spine. Kagome sighed. She was beginning to figure out what 'it' was.
"What are we, Kagome?"
"Huh?" She was still trying to comprehend how, when, and why the kiss had stopped. "Are we friends? Enemies? More than friends? Merely Acquaintances?" She it her lip, savouring the memory of his lips on hers. "Kagome?"
"I- I don't know, Sesshoumaru." He sensed her discomfort, and changed the subject tactfully. "Is your nose better?" She smiled faintly. "A liddle. I can talk a bit bedder dow." She blew into the handkerchief, then smiled shyly. "I think the kiss helped." She nearly burst out laughing at the oh-so-out-of-character reddish tinge colouring his cheeks. "Would you like anything?" he mumbled. She shrugged, then nodded. "Mmm-hmm. Do you have any tea? It helps when I'b sick." He nodded, and strode to a white drapery on the wall, pulling a long, tasselled cord. Somewhere downstairs a bell rang. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "I did'dt dow you could do that!" He smirked slightly. "Surely you didn't think I run all the way down two flights of stairs for every little thing? I could, of course, but it grows trivial after the first few times. Believe me, I know." Kagome grinned. "Have didder with be," she invited impulsively. "What?"
"Have didder with be. You're goig to be sleeping id here adyways, so you bay as well hab didder id here."
"You mean to say that you haven't backed out of that?"
"Nope. You're stuck. Dow rig that bell ad get us sub supper." She gave a dramatic, silly gesture toward the cord and giggled. She was feeling very energetic for some reason. She sat criss-cross on the bed and sighed. "What do you do around here, other thad playing with Rid?"
"Reading?" She blinked. "Readig is good…but dot right dow. Adythig else?"
"Not really." She frowned, then reached into her backpack, which had been somehow transported next to her bed. "I think, Sesshoubaru, it is tibe to teach you how to play cards." She pulled out a deck, and smiled.
:-:-
"I need to apply this poultice to help with your wound, Inuyasha-sama." He brushed the young ningen healer away impatiently. "It'll heal by itself. Give it a day or two, tops." An injured expression crossed the girl's face. "Very well, Inuyasha-sama. Would you like a drink?" He shook his head and closed his eyes, refusing to speak. She sighed. "You are a stubborn one. Can I get you anything?"
"Feh."
"Fine. I shall leave you to sleep." He watched her go, with her nose stuck up in the air like she was deeply offended, through veiled eyes. Stupid wench. Aw, damn. He didn't even know her name for future reference. Wait…he wouldn't need it. He was gonna heal, then get the hell out of here.
:-:-
Sesshoumaru held up one of the paper things. "So this has two points?" Kagome shook her head. "Nope. If you match up that two with this two," she waved her own two of diamonds in the air, "you get another turn!" She figured teaching him a simple game first might set the basis for a better game. He nodded. "So you have to match them?" She grinned. "Yeah. Now give me those cards." He hesitated. "Why?"
"Because I have to re-deal them now. I saw your cards."
"What is wrong with that?" He seemed to be doing everything wrong. She smirked. "Well, you want to win, right?" He nodded. He got that part. "Well," she continued, "you can't let me see your cards. Because if you have a three, and I want the three, but I don't know you have the three, you don't want me to guess you have the three. If I get the three, and this happens more with different pairs, I win. Got it?" He handed her the cards. "This is becoming less amusing." She grinned. "Trust me, it'll get better." She dealt him five cards and studied her own. "Do you have a…ten?" He looked at his cards briefly. "No."
"So what do you say?" she coaxed. "I don't want to," he muttered. "It's the point of the game, though! You have to say it!"
"It is degrading and childish." He earned a glare from her. "Fine. Go. Fish." She smiled smugly. "That's better." She picked up a card. He glared at her, but said only, "Do you have a seven?" She frowned, and checked her cards, then tossed it over. "I have another turn now?"
"Yes." The corners of his mouth twitched slightly. He was trying not to feel too pleased with himself over something so petty and trivial. "Do you have a six?" She gaped slightly, then grumbled as she handed him the card. He happily paired the cards together and asked again. "A queen?" She grinned triumphantly. "Go fish!" He slid a card from the top of the deck and she asked him, "Do you have a nine?" He shook his head, and mumbled something. "Sorry, what was that?" she asked sweetly. "Go fish."
Rin poked her head in the room, followed by Neko. They each carried trays, and Neko curtsied out of the room after helping Rin distribute them. Rin slurped a noodle into her mouth and observed Sesshoumaru and Kagome curiously. "What are you doing? And what are those?" She gestured to the cards. Kagome smiled. "These are cards, Rin. We're playing a game with them, and I'm winning."
"No, you aren't." She stared at him. "Huh?"
"You are not winning. See? I have two more pairs than you do." She stared at her cards. "You beat me." He smiled. "Yes. I did." Rin laughed. "That looks fun! I want to try!"
The game continued late into the night, and amazingly, they didn't spill any noodles on the cards. Rin and Kagome seemed to have sufficiently recovered from their "speech impediments", though they still had stuffed noses. By ten o'clock, they had moved on to crazy eights, at which time Rin was sent to bed. Afterwards, Kagome began to teach Sesshoumaru how to play cheat, at which he exceeded.
"Two fours." He placed two cards on the deck upside-down. She checked her deck, then smiled. "Three fives."
"Cheat." Her face fell. "You're too good at this." He smirked. "I know. You had an expression on your face which implied that you were deceiving me." She gasped playfully. "You little cheater!" He shook his head. "You basically told me that you'd only set down one five." She frowned. "How'd you know what I put down?"
"I have three fives in my hand, and I've already memorized all of my cards." She was speechless for a moment. "You're still a cheater," she argued stubbornly. "You with that iron mask of aloofness over there."
"I am merely able to keep a better guard of my emotion and expression." She frowned and flipped the deck over. He hadn't cheated once! She was surprised when she felt him bend over and kiss her. "Now I'm cheating." She grinned shyly. "How is that cheating?"
"Distracting you. Now, teach me another game, ningen."
"Ningen?" she mocked. "I won't teach you anything if you refer to me as 'ningen'."
"Fine. Teach me another game, please, Kagome?" She snickered softly. "You're cheating again." He appeared insulted. "How am I cheating this time?"
"Distracting me."
I hope you liked it! Chapter five should be up within the next couple of days! R&R!
