(A/N): Wow! Thanks guys for the reviewers. Gonna do a rare answer for each of them since it's been a while.
Rakaan (I understand your frustration, but chapter lengths are varying drabbles and that will not change. I like the freedom of it. I do hope you find something that interests you and meets your expectations if you continue to feel strongly about it. Thank you for taking the time to read either way.)
Sharelove (Happy to liven the day! Reading has been my savior these past few weeks. Hope you're staying safe.)
bleedingangel95 (I've felt that way too but there's so many interpretations people can have when they don't have all the information. We don't know if anything delayed the help purposefully or if it was just a shitty bit of timing.)
KayEmWhy (InuYasha is an ignorant little shit. Kagome and the others tried to teach him some social norms but being a loaner for 200+ years and doing whatever the fuck he wanted isn't a habit easily broken. Thanks for the review!)
CRUDEN (You're very welcome!)
Blitza (Thank you! ^_^)
Again! Kisses to you all. You fucking rock!
Circumstance
Book 2: Land of Grass
Chapter 27:
Questions
Hotaru was staring at him again.
InuYasha wouldn't have minded if he didn't sense the clashing scents of mistrust and affection. His nose itched at the vexing combination.
She should know by now to speak her mind.
The boy gave it another five minutes before letting his scowl deepen. A barked "What?" snapping out as he tossed the last of the sharpened weapons into the pile and twisted in his crouch to face her. The flood of embarrassment smelled like plums.
"Apologies, InuYasha-sama." She murmured with a ducked head.
A growl rumbled at the base of his chest. He didn't ask for a fucking apology.
Sensing her lapse, Hotaru straightened with effort and shook her head. "My father's teachings tell me to mistrust this, mistrust anyone who knows the truth of our heritage." She loosed a breath heavy in disquiet. "I have never been in this position before."
She means she's never let someone live who knew the truth and was not of Ame's elite. InuYasha could respect that.
Still.
He scoffed. "You don't gotta stay if you're worried about me leading you into a trap. I'm in the desert, I'll find Red on my own. I don't need you here."
Belatedly, InuYasha internally flinched at the harshness of the words. Kagome would have sat him immediately. He wasn't sorry about saying the truth but folk tended to get pissy when you told them how little they mattered to his daily life.
Hotaru's chakra shivered in something like amusement. "I trust you, InuYasha-sama." She said with a soft huff. "That is what I speak of."
InuYasha will not blush at the stupid woman's sincerity. "You barely know me!"
"I trust you all the same." She returned, and InuYasha can hear her fucking smile. "It's almost instinctive."
"Bullshit." The boy snapped after a stunned moment of silence. The shift in her scent to full affection signaled that the sharp retort clearly didn't hit its mark.
He scowled and set about shoving the pointy bits of metal into one of the four pouches Hotaru kept on hand, sorting them by type.
They needed to keep moving. The steady loss of time since the ambush left him irritable. He knew he was latching onto the goal of finding Red with a tenacity once reserved for Shikon hunting. He also knew he'd need to find another focus soon. He couldn't stay with Red. He didn't belong here damnit! Linking Hotaru with the fiery swordswoman would assuage any lingering guilt nipping at InuYasha's rarely there conscience.
Honeyed eyes shifted briefly to Hotaru, who followed his actions to break camp with a sudden air of contentment that made him chafe, then slid them closed in resignation.
Fucking woman had to get home too. He could ensure that at least.
Priorities: First find Red. Then, get Ms. Quiet home and figure out what asswipes had a death wish trying to hunt him. Figure out the rest later. His luck, the above would be enough of a task to keep him occupied for the foreseeable future.
He knew who dumped him here. Knew why even though it was bullshit. The only question he had left was how to get home-
You Can't!
Lip curling, InuYasha stomped out of the tent to run a perimeter sweep. He'd get these questions answered or die trying.
After that… well, InuYasha would figure it out.
(A/N): Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?
Kushina will be back soon.
~Yasha's Sis