Chapter Two: Pride and Humility

He stood there in all his glory; Inuyasha had on a pair of strange pants, and that was all. While my brother freaked out beside me, I unconsciously drank him in. I am human, after all, and this jinni was built! If he hadn't told us already, I would have thought he was a Greek God with all his smoke and chiseled marble!

His long white hair fell in strings around his chest, though. I didn't need to get close to know this jinni needed a bath!

"Can you two idiots stop gawking and get on with it?!" Inuyasha screamed at us again.

The jinni's eyes were fixed on Miroku, but they flicked to me from time to time. My focus was split between that flicking and the one his ears did on top of his head. Inuyasha must have caught my stare.

"What're you lookin at, Woman?!"

I pried my tongue off the roof of my mouth and pointed to his ears. "Why do you have dog ears?"

Inuyasha rolled his now molten-colored eyes at me and crossed thickly muscled arms across his chest. "I told you, Ima jinni! Do you ass wipes have a hearing problem?!"

"We hear just fine," Miroku cooed, using the voice he did when working someone over, "perhaps you could explain a bit more to my sister, Kagome, here? She's a bit slow."

I rammed my elbow into Miroku's ribs hard, but he still kept close. For his protection or mine, I wasn't sure. Inuyasha chuckled softly. "I bet."

"Hey! You don't know me, jerk!" I screamed without thought.

The jinni inflated, becoming twice the size he was before like a small giant. "And you don't know me! So stop wasting my time!"

He shrunk back down after a minute, and we continued to stare at him in silence. Until Miroku took a deep breath, "I'm still not sure I understand the ears…."

Inuyasha growled, tipping his head all-around in irritation, "what the fuck does it matter…arrrgggg, Ima hanyou, alright?!"

Silence again until Miroku leaned into me and whispered, "isn't that something prostitutes charge twenty bucks for?"

"WHAT?!" The jinni was pissed, and Miroku crouched next to me—while I was used to my brother's idiocy ticking off those around me to the point of rage.

"Calm down; he's just an idiot." Inuyasha had inflated in size again, but at my words, he shrunk back quickly, staring at me the whole time. That was worse than his anger, with his eyes cooling to a honey color. "Why don't you…relax? Take a shower?"

"A shower? What the hell?!"

"I'm sorry, but...you kinda stink?"

Inuyasha lowered his head in what I assumed was shame, and I felt guilt instantly. Then, before I could say anything in comfort, Inuyasha flopped to the top of my small kitchen table. I expected it to break from the weight, but it was like he was floating. "No one cares if I smell or if I'm sick. You're not supposed to. The only thing you're supposed to care about is your fucking wishes!"

"Wait, wishes?!" Miroku was back to interested. "What wishes?!"

Inuyasha sighed heavily and crossed an ankle over a thigh. "You get three wishes; I can't make anyone fall in lo, and I can't bring anyone back from the dead...so don't ask me!"

Inuyasha roared the last part, but my brother nor I was confused. "Okay," Miroku said simply.

"You're…you're not pissed?"

The jinni was the one confused now; his mouth opened as his confounded stare passed from me to Miroku and back. I shrugged, "those are the standard rules, right?"

Chuckling darkly, Inuyasha shook his at the floor, rubbing the back of one of his ears. "You mean to tell me; you don't know what a jinni is, but you know the rules?"

"Oh, we know what a jinni is."

"Seen the movie."

When Inuyasha continued to look confused, I leaned closer to him. "When was the last time you…got out?"

He shrugged then looked at his pants, tugging on them, "how the fuck should I know? My last master liked my pants. Does that help? He called them…hammer pants?"

"Oh, crap," I muttered without thought. So this guy had been locked up since the 80s? The last time Inuyasha was out of his lamp, I hadn't been born yet!

The jinni looked offended again, hopping to his feet and stepping closer to tower over me (and not Miroku). "It doesn't matter, Wench!"

"It does if you're going to use outdated shit like Wench!"

I was in his face, the all-powerful jinni, and hanyou, and my only thoughts were, "he really needs a bath"! Something was wrong with me, and yet it was the hanyou that took a step back. "Then what should I say?!"

"How about Kagome? It's my name! Ka-go-me, try it, Inuyasha!"

He was silent, probably just to keep his pride intact. Miroku grabbed me from behind, pulling me back by my shoulders to stand before the jinni instead. "SO…I rubbed your lamp; does that make me your master?"

Inuyasha's eyes flicked to me once then remained on Miroku. "Yes."

"ALRIGHT!"

Miroku was busy pumping his hands in the air and celebrating while I went around him, grabbing the jinni gently by the arm. "Go home and get him some clothes."

I was already leading the dirty hanyou to my bathroom while Miroku whined like a child. "He's a jinni, can't he just 'poof' his own clothes?!"

Inuyasha was oddly silent, staring at me. I did all I could to focus on my stupid brother instead. "You think if he could, he'd look like he spent the last decade sleeping on the streets? Get him. SOME CLOTHES!"

Miroku hitched up his rigid body to the 'fuck, she pissed' train and got out of my sights. If he didn't come back with clothes fast, I was going to punch him in the dick.

oOo

As I expected, I had to turn on the shower for Inuyasha. And although not surprised, I was still embarrassed when I had to wash his hair for him. His cheeks were a tad pink, but that could have been from the warm water I had him under. He did his floating/sitting thing so I could reach, which was good because even on my toes, I wouldn't have reached his crown. Inuyasha was lucky he didn't have bugs or something extra gross in his hair. Other than dirt, his hair and scalp were fine. Must be a youkai thing? What dug would be brave enough to bite a demon?

Everything was going as well as could be expected, scrubbing down to his scalp as he sat before me. Inuyasha leaned into my touch, and it made my throat tighten. When was the last time this man was touched? For even so much as a handshake? The PJs I was still wearing were soaked, but I didn't care, and Inuyasha wasn't even paying attention. He was far more invested in my hands. I knew I'd done something wrong when he grabbed my wrists hard. It must have been my fingers inching closer to his ears.

"You'd better…let me do that…." Then, Inuyasha took over scrubbing while I adjusted and worked on the ends of his long white strands, "are you not…afraid?"

I kept my focus on his hair even as I neared his lower, taut back. Fear was the last thing I felt. Anger at the masters before Miroku couldn't even let the jinni take a bath. Guilt for all this man had endured before us. And…something else from the water and soap tricking down his muscles, but not fear. "Should I be?"

"Ima an all-powerful…."

"Yeah, I know. But you're still a living, breathing creature. And…you're half-human, aren't you?"

Inuyasha's breath caught, and in the tiny space, I heard it with ease. "You know what a hanyou is? But your brother…."

"My brother is lazy and has fewer expectations put on him by our family. I know a lot more Japanese and folklore than him. Are these…tattoos from your servitude?"

I didn't mean to look, but they were kind of hard to miss, thick black markings all over his upper body—maybe lower, who knew, with Inuyasha's pants still on and wet from wearing them to wash. Instead, my focus was on the one around his arm, the long spiral the shape of a centipede. Its black and shiny shell looked real as if the monster was alive on Inuyasha's skin as it dug its pincer legs into his muscles.

He was silent. A touchy subject, I moved on. "So… you're from Japan? You called yourself a hanyou, so you must have…."

"My mother was Japanese. A long…long time ago."

I wanted to know more, learn more about the history of this fascinating creature. But Inuyasha released his legs from their crossed position and stood. It pulled the hairs I was scrubbing from my grip.

He didn't face me, so I stepped back as much as I could. "I'm done now."

Inuyasha wanted out of the shower, but he was still covered in suds and had yet to take off his tattered pants. "Okay…I'll let you rinse and wash the rest on your own then."

"The rest?"

Outside the shower, I turned back and glared at him. "Yes! You need to wash your entire body! Kami, did you forget proper hygiene, mister all-powerful jinni?!"

"No!" He said, indignant, but it was clear, he had, "Fine, I'll wash the rest!"

Inuyasha was already tugging on his pants, and I turned as quickly as my hungry eyes would let me. I still caught the shimmer of white hairs at the bottom of his abs. With the yummy V leading to it, it was hard to ignore. But was I really any better than Inuyasha's last masters? Oggling him while he was so vulnerable?

I had to swallow my thick shame down my throat, and it hurt.

Busying myself, I got dressed. Pulling on my favorite sundress, I silently thanked my mother for forcing me into the habit of shaving once a week. Not that I was trying to look good or anything; I wanted to feel good for my reasons! It had been a rough week!

"Kagome!"

There was so much panic in Inuyasha's voice, I ran! Tripping and slipping along the way, I got there as fast as I could with one (probably broken) stubbed toe. But my pain melted away as Inuyasha stood dripping from the shower in my bedroom…naked; he was upset he was wet with nothing to fix it with.

"Inuyasha!" I ducked my head and covered my eyes, "use a damn towel!"

I slipped some more as I went back to my shower on the droplets Inuyasha left behind. Then, towel in hand, I returned, my eyes to my floor the whole time, and thrusted it out into the air. I didn't lift my gaze until I was sure he was decent (enough), but he was using the towel to dry his hair when I lifted my eyes.

"Oh god…"

Inuyasha chuckled, "hate to tell ya; God ain't got nothing to do with this."

He gestured to himself, and I tore away after far too long, ogling again. "Just…stay here until Miroku gets back!"

Twisting had me nearly on my ass, and Inuyasha was kind enough to catch me. Hands on my biceps, I took note of their size. They wrapped all the way around my arm…and ended with long claws sharp enough to rip a person in half without struggle. But that wasn't what caused my shiver; it was the large and warm chest on my back. "What? Now you're scared? Or did you want to look some more?"

There was a cocky air to Inuyasha's tone, but something else that had me rushing to my feet and out of his hold. "I'm not going to do that to you, Inuyasha."

I heard the air rush out of his mouth, but when he said nothing more, I went back to my hasty exit. "Kagome," he stopped me at the door, "thank you."

The way he breathed it out, I had to wonder if it was the first time in a long time since he'd said it? Or the first time ever.

oOo

Miroku brought back a t-shirt, jeans, and some boxers for Inuyasha. It meant we didn't have to wait long for him to be dressed, but I still smacked the shit out of Miroku for bringing him something so worn out. I was still beating on him when Inuyasha stepped into the living room. The loose-fit jeans and shirt were a little tight on Inuyasha, and I had to stop myself from drooling.

The last thing Inuyasha needed or deserved was to be thought of as a piece of meat.

Looking lost, he wandered up to us. I shook myself out of my haze and grabbed him, pushing him to a small chair in my kitchen to sit. He was silent as I brushed his hair, even as I hit some very nasty tangles. It wasn't until I began to braid his gorgeous silvery hair that Inuyasha said a word.

Clearing his throat first, it was like his words had gummed up during the wait. "What do you wish of me, Master?"

Miroku stepped before Inuyasha, and I glared while my brother smirked. "I can have whatever I want?"

"Everything from riches to fame. Just not more wishes, love, or zombies."

I gave Inuyasha a playful push to his shoulder, "nice cultural reference!"

He shrugged, "you still have zombies in this time?"

I shivered at the thought, "only on the silver screen, I hope."

"You have screens made of silver?" Inuyasha gasped, turning to look back at me.

I freed up a hand to push his chin back to the front, "it's an expression…."

"Can we focus, people?" Miroku spat nervously, "I need a moment to speak to my jinni." I rolled my eyes and made sure to make it clear, Miroku had better watch himself. "If you're a hanyou, that means you're part demon? How do I know this isn't some trick to get my soul or something?"

I glared at my stupid brother while releasing a long and heavy sigh. Inuyasha didn't so much as flinch or hesitate. He must be used to these kinds of questions. "Because, asshole, I'm not that kind of demon."

"Djinn aren't inherently evil, Miroku. Some are just tricksters…."

"Exactly," Miroku spat, "trying to trick me into selling my soul!"

Inuyasha huffed and pulled away from my touch. Good thing I was done, quickly twisting the hair tie to the end of his braid before I had to start all over. "See the ears? I'm not an incubus or even Satan's acquaintance. I'm a dog demon. Hence the name in case the ears weren't enough."

"Huh, I kinda thought they were ears like a hell hound or something?"

"No! Make your damn wishes!"

I didn't get the rush. Shouldn't Inuyasha want to delay? Stay out in the fresh air longer?

"Alright, if I can have whatever I want, give me that necklace?"

I hadn't even noticed it, too busy looking at everything else on his body (and his body), but Inuyasha wore a heavy-looking beaded necklace. The black orbs were mixed with white fangs. It breathed danger on looks alone.

Inuyasha's fingers grazed the black glass, touching the requested item as if he was scared of it. "You don't want this…trust me. Besides, you need to phrase it correctly. You have to say "I wish" first, or it doesn't count."

Miroku tapped a toe in irritation until I came to his side and smacked his arm hard. "Stop being an ass!"

"Alright, alright, fine! How about…" Miroku pondered, and I would have fussed, but it was a big ask. What did one wish for? If it were me, was there anything I wanted enough to use a jinni to help me? My thoughts were interrupted since Miroku and Inuyasha were arguing.

"I'm not asking you to make someone love me; I'm asking you to help me get someone to love me!"

"That's the same fucking thing, idiot!"

"Guys!" They silenced and looked at me, "be clear, Miroku! What do you want?"

"I want him to take me to the woman I love!"

Inuyasha jumped up and screamed, "fine!"

My stomach flipped, and I stumbled; Inuyasha caught me -again- and my brain spun as I looked around. No longer in my kitchen, we stood on a random street. Barefoot, I was thankful I at least changed out of my PJs before unceremoniously dumped out in public somewhere. "Where are we?"

Inuyasha just put me back on my feet when Miroku breezed past, making me spin. I had to assume Inuyasha halted me this time, still so lost and confused; I was dizzy.

"Holy shit, it worked!"

Miroku was pressing his nose to the glass of the building we stood next to. It took me a minute, but I was able to stand on my own. I gently pulled from the hanyou's grip and stood beside my crazed brother. "I don't understand. What worked, and where are we?!"

"We're where Master's love is."

I gave Inuyasha a glance for his explanation, the street starting to look familiar. Then, turning slowly back, I peered past Miroku, who drooled all over himself currently, spied the person he was looking for. "You've got to be kidding me…."

There, inside the dimly lit café, was Sango.