Hot Spring Woes
I crashed through the trees of the forest. The branches tore at the sleeves of my shirt and my poor, worn skirt as I fled, but I didn't take notice. The only thought I had was that I had to get away; I had to get far, far away.
I knew that what I had done was really, really, really bad, and that Sesshomaru was going to be VERY pissed about the whole thing. But it was a reflex! Or something…Besides, I couldn't help it that I thought something I shouldn't have thought. I mean really, what did he expect me to think after he went and made that statement about me 'tasting his poison'? And then with him being all on top of me at the time…and that devious look in his eyes…and…and…WELL SERIOUSLY! What WAS I supposed to think?
I stopped running in a small clearing to catch my breath. I wasn't being followed. If Sesshomaru had followed me I never would have made it this far, and I wasn't dense enough to not understand that. Just because my mind had wandered into the gutter and all but accused Sesshomaru of offering his unit to me as a chew toy doesn't mean that I had lost all semblance of rational thought.
Still, I took a moment to look around just to make sure that I was alone. You never know when someone will decide that I am in need of company in my bathing practices. I swear this whole world is just one gigantic hentai after another. I mean, I highly doubt that there is one of my male friends that hasn't seen me in the hot springs! (Well, except for Hojo, but he doesn't count because in my time there are locks on the doors!) God! Have none of them heard of modesty and decency?
Never mind, I think that that might be a concept too big for their male minds to wrap around.
Look at me! I've been reduced to bitching about a whole gender because of the seriously swelled male demon egos that I have been spending far too much time dealing with! That really can't be healthy. All I could do was hope that my bath would at least provide me with some much needed relaxation.
I sighed dejectedly, knowing that even if I did manage to find some solace in my bath that I wasn't going to be able to enjoy the feeling for long. Then I hiked my backpack into a more secure position on my shoulder and continued towards the springs anyways.
'One problem at a time' I kept repeating to myself in mantra.
The shadows being cast by the trees in the forest were beginning to deepen as night approached. I could hear the last few calls of birds as they settled themselves for their rest and the growing hum of the nightlife as it made its steady appearance into the world. Still, I walked ahead without fear. Naraku was gone, and with him my fear of the shadows. Besides that, I am a powerful miko, and really, someone with the power to blast Sesshomaru a good twenty feet away doesn't have that much to fear from the forest.
I allowed myself a small, impish smile as I thought about the look on Sesshomaru's face when my miko powers had hit him. His eyes widened in shock when he first felt the burn of miko energies being collected in my hands (most likely because he had thought I would be melting into a puddle of womanly goo because the big manly man that he is was cooing soft words to me about the heights that he was going to take me to…sigh…which now that I think about what he actually did mean from his words I probably would have been if I hadn't taken what he said in completely the wrong way), but then, when the force of the blast actually impacted with him, his lips curled up in a snarl that revealed his fangs. Of course, during that time he had forgotten to narrow the eyes that were still wide in shock and his eyebrows were still raised up into his hairline, giving the overall effect of something akin to someone who is about to sneeze. I shook my head and my smile grew. Priceless; just priceless.
The smell of the spring ahead pulled me out of my thoughts. As I approached, the mists rising into the air around me from the heated water brushed my skin with a gentle caress. I shivered.
I still hadn't forgotten about my last visit to a hot spring. My hand lifted and brushed against my chest where that very morning I had bore the scars that Kouga had left to me. But thanks to the Shikon, those scars had been wiped away. And thanks to, strangely enough, Kagura, those scars that were left even deeper than my skin were beginning to heal as well.
I suppose it was her way of thanking me.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
After the battle with Naraku, Kagura approached me. Sesshomaru, who had been standing at my side, glared at the wind witch enough frigidness to freeze half of the Pacific ocean but Kagura ignored him and kept her sight on me. I was taken aback when she stepped in front of me and lowered herself into a graceful bow before righting herself again.
She didn't say anything, she only turned a walked away; but I knew it was her gratitude she was giving to me by that gesture.
Something, however, made Kagura stop after she had only moved a few paces. She looked up, her eyes going straight to Kouga.
"Wolf," she called out in a tone that totally meant business.
When Kouga turned to acknowledge her, Kagura took a step to the side to open a path for Kouga to see me. His eyes widened when he saw me and he looked quickly back to Kagura, but she turned away from the wolf to look pointedly in my direction. She was telling him to give me his thanks as well, but I couldn't help but think that she was attempting to resolve what she considered a debt to me by using what debt Kouga owed to her for releasing him.
Kouga gulped nervously as he looked back to me. I'm sure that he could see the look Sesshomaru was giving him which outright dared him to try and approach me, but when he looked back to Kagura and she still was not looking at him, Kouga hung his head and began to take reluctant steps in my direction.
When he drew as far as Sesshomaru would let him come (If he had growled any louder I might have gone deaf), Koga folded to his knees in a deep bow.
"Kagome," his voice was barely a whisper. "I've been such a fool." He lifted his head to look at me, but remained kneeling. "I was wrong."
"And stupid," I supplied helpfully.
"And stupid," he relented as he hung his head again.
"And selfish," I reminded.
"And selfish," he sighed.
"And a big, fat, jerk!" I finished.
"Kagome…" He lifted his head.
"No!" My nose shot so far up into the air in my snooty display that I'm surprised there was still enough oxygen for me to breathe. "I want to hear you say it!"
He sighed again, but gave into my demand.
"And a big, fat, jerk."
"And?" I prompted.
"And?"
"And what do you plan on doing about it?"
"Kagome, if there is anything that I can do to make up for the terrible thing that I did to you, anything at all, know that I will do absolutely anything in my power to see that it is done. You mean so much to me Kagome, and I would give anything for you to know that. And though I know it may not be possible, I would give anything just to know that one day I might be so lucky as to have your forgiveness."
I knew that I couldn't deny him forgiveness. It just wouldn't be me. But when I saw the scowl that appeared on Kagura's lips when she had heard what the wolf had said about me meaning so much to him, I was gifted with an idea.
"Anything you say?"
"Yes…" he replied hesitantly.
I smiled a wicked smile at him before I strutted my mischievous little self over to where Kagura stood. I stretched up onto my tip-toes so that I could whisper in the ear of the wind witch. When I finished conveying to her my message, I stepped back to enjoy my handiwork.
Kagura's eyes were narrowed dangerously at the wolf, a red fire lit within the usually passive pink of her eyes; and on her lips was playing a vengeful smirk. She made her way over to him and Kouga, justifiably, sunk back from her.
"Stand." Kagura's demand to the wolf was not one that could be ignored.
Kouga slowly pulled himself to his full height, the whole while never taking his eyes off of Kagura's movements. As soon as he was on his feet though, Kagura's foot shot out with so much speed that even Kouga couldn't avoid it and landed powerfully on its mark: right in the wolf's groin.
"The next time I hear of you doing something so vile," Kagura's voice was something between anger at the wolf, and amusement at the way his eyes had crossed over themselves and his hands were gripping his package in agony, "You will find yourself missing the proper equipment for mating."
"Oh Kouga?" I cheerily called out to the wolf after Kagura had brushed by him in a haughty manner and he had sunk to his knees again. "I forgive you!"
"Thank…you," he chocked out before his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell over on the ground.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
I couldn't help but to laugh at the memory. The wolf really did have it coming to him, and besides, with his youkai healing he was probably healed by now. Then again, Kouga would have his hands full with the wind witch for at least another while being that both she and Kanna had accepted my offer for them to stay at the village until they could find their own place. Since they were, understandably, reluctant to go back to Naraku's palace, I couldn't see a better way for them to start their new lives than surrounded by those who respected them for their bravery in the final stand.
I looked down at the hot spring and smiled anew. With happy memories flooding though me, I began to undress. I had just finished removing the last of my clothes and was about to step into the steamy waters of the spring when…
"Kagome."
I screamed and spun around to face him, but in the process I lost my footing on the moist ground and fell backwards into the spring. My head burst out from under the water and, after sputtering a few time to rid myself of the water that had invaded my mouth (I did fall into a hot spring while screaming), I sent Sesshomaru the most heated glare I could manage.
It was then that I realized that I was naked. I immediately 'eeped' and ducked under the water until only my glaring eyes were visible over the softly churning waters. He, of course, wasn't even fazed. Actually, it seemed to me that he was much more along the lines of highly amused.
"Well don't just stand there!" I screeched. "Do something!"
He lifted one of his sculpted eyebrows, then, to my extreme chagrin, slid his hands inside of his shirt and began to pull it off.
My jaw dropped open in disbelief, horror, mortification, and drool-worthy fascination as I watched him strip the delicate material from his sculpted form. Vaguely, I realized that the waters of the hot spring had just gotten a whole lot hotter.
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LOL revenge is sweet smirks evilly I like Kouga, I really do, but he just had it coming to him after his naughtiness ;P
Well, until next time
ShadowsWeaver1
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters I am about to weave into my web of chaos. Any and all definitions (with the exception of those cited specifically) have been taken directly from Wikipedia the online encyclopedia because I am far too lazy to do any further research to support my Inuyasha obsession.
