A/N: Completely pointless lime coming up. Skip down to second half if you want to rush past it screaming with your eyes closed and your hands over your ears.

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Itty Bitty Pretty One

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Kagome stretched slightly as the sun came filtering through her curtains only to gasp when she felt something firm, solid and definitively male cradling her body. Closing her eyes, she tried to steady her breathing as she reasoned that it had to be Inuyasha. He would die before letting anyone else touch her so intimately….which caused her to come to the realization once again that it was him pressed firmly against her backside – now mumbling slightly as she squirmed and the arm wrapped around her waist tightening incrementally in a subconscious effort to still her movements.

"Inuyasha," the miko hissed slightly as she tried to maneuver herself to face him – which she did with an actual effort that had him blinking sluggishly at her once she managed to look into his face, "What…"

Immediately his violet eyes widened in alarm. He had meant to wake up before she did and take his place back on the floor. At a certain point last night, he'd made the decision to join her in bed. He most definitely hadn't been touching her. In fact, he'd made sure he was a suitable distance away and yet apparently sometime in the night he'd ended up pressed against her with his arm around her waist.

"Sorry!" he gasped as he desperately tried to remove himself from underneath the covers, "I'm sorry. Sorry, I just…I didn't….sorry."

Seeing his panic, Kagome quickly moved her arm to keep him in place and snuggled against his erratically heaving chest until he stilled under her touch and breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"You…you aren't mad?' he whispered weakly as he once more wrapped his arm around her and settled back down, "I shouldn't've…"

"It's fine," Kagome soothed as she inhaled his very masculine scent, "It's kinda nice."

Relaxing further, Inuyasha didn't bother trying to stifle the smirk that grew on his lips as he rested his chin atop her head and pulled her even closer. This was very. Very nice. Panic suddenly grew in his gut as he felt his body stirring at the close proximity. TOO NICE! SHIT!

"We, uh, we should get up," he whispered hastily as he all but pushed her away and shot to his feet – taking most of the blanket with him in his rush, "Don't, uh, you can't be late for school. And uh, I…"

"It's Saturday, I don't have school," Kagome giggled as she tried to figure out the cause of his sudden panic, "Come back. I want to cuddle."

"Uh, uh, no, I'll um, aren't you hungry?" Inuyasha muttered anxiously as he tried to control the hormones which were now racing unchecked through his body – traitorous piece of shit body. His eyes traveled over the curves of her body, the slight way her breasts were pushed into a very tantalizing feast for the sight and he barely stifled a groan at the thought that they had been pressed against him only moments before.

"Just come back here," Kagome groaned – now a little miffed as she sat up, "What's the problem?"

'The one that's growing,' Inuyasha thought humorlessly. Stupid god damn human body. It was never this bad normally. Ever, 'Okay, okay, uh, Naraku and Sesshomaru. Kissing and... Oh god no. Uh, Koga and Naraku kissing…'

Kagome watched him as he clenched his eyes shut before turning away from her. What the hell was wrong with him?

"What's wrong with you?" Kagome finally managed to vocalize her thoughts, trying to hide the hurt in her tone and failing miserably, "Is…is it me?"

"Yes," Inuyasha groaned before his eyes flew wide open and he gaped at her hurt face, "No. Shit. I just…I, uh, need to use the bathroom."

"Oh," Kagome responded curiously as she stretched – unwittingly exposing her middrift for a moment that had him biting back a moan, "Well you know where it is right? Do you need help?"

'Gods yes,' Inuyasha thought miserably – he needed to take care of this problem before he let himself get any closer to her. The thought of running his tongue over ever square inch of her racing through his mind. If she kept up her little show, he'd go mad. Rushing out of her room, he barely had time to lock the door when he leaned up against the wall and reached down to readjust himself. Technically his readjustment took a little longer than necessary but now that he was alone, it didn't matter to him. Biting his lip, he took a shuddering breath as he tugged on the strings of his hakama until it was free and the images he had been suppressing blossomed in his mind. Kagome's nimble fingers working him, pulling him at just the right tempo that would take him straight to Nirvana.

- Knock Knock Knock –

'God damn shit,' Inuyasha thought as he groaned and held his breath as the knob turned slightly, 'And I was so close too.'

"You've been in there a while," Kagome's voice carried through the door, "Everything alright?"

"Yes," Inuyasha responded shakily as he continued to palm himself – forever grateful that he'd had the foresight to lock the damn door, "Just a few more minutes."

"Okay then," Kagome sighed against the door, "I'm going to go make some breakfast. Are eggs okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's fine. Leave me alone," he barked back harshly – frustrated beyond measure, "I just…I just have some things to take care of."

Breathing a sigh of relief when he heard her footsteps on the stairs, he continued his daydream until he built himself up to his previous state and let go with an audible moan. Stupid human body. This would never have been a problem before.

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Emi sighed heavily as she walked behind her grandfather and brother. Sure, they'd said to leave it to them but…but it wouldn't hurt to try to stealthily get some answers herself, right? And exactly what had they done to piss off so many people? An undead miko? There's no way that was real. People didn't just come back from the dead. Maybe they weren't as honest as they purported themselves to be.

"Emi, why don't you run ahead and see whether there's a village nearby?" her grandfather called back softly – knowing she'd hear it, "It would be nice to see whether we could find something to eat. Your brother has some things we could trade for a good square meal."

"Whatever," came her weary response – even as she shot forward. The thought that perhaps she could find an answer still running through her mind. She'd run about a mile or so when a shift in the wind brought a strange scent into her nose. It was sickly sweet, almost nauseatingly so, but a sure sign of life nonetheless. Could it be a village? Changing course, she charged through the forest until she came upon a small hut with a small elderly looking woman outside.

"Whomever you are," came her feeble voice, "I feel your presence. It's no good hiding from me."

"Are you a miko?" Emi yelled back – still a fair distance away in case she needed to make a run for it.

"Nay child," the woman called back weakly – her voice hoarse and gruff, "Merely a widower who has made her living selling my wares. Why? Are you a demon?"

"So what if I am?" Emi hissed back as she tensed and prepared to flee, "What's it to you old woman?"

"Well if you've come to kill me, I'd have to say it was about time," the old woman chuckled as her eyes scanned the forest, "So come on out then. Show yourself."

'About time?' Emi thought incredulously, 'What the hell does that mean? She can't be serious.'

"What if I don't trust you?" Emi shouted back as she took a deep breath and moved closer, "You could just be lying to me."

"And you could be lying to me, child," the old woman chortled as Emi approached her wearily, "Come. Are you hungry?"

"Depends on what you have," Emi shot back before grimacing and bowing slightly, "Please accept my apology. My grandfather and brother are some distance away. We have some wares to trade in exchange for food."

"You seem drained my child," the old woman sighed as she gave the young girl an appraising look, "I have some things that can replenish your youkai if you would like."

"Excuse me," Emi scoffed, "Why the hell would you help a demon?"

"My mate was a demon. Well, a half-demon," the woman replied sadly as she stared off into the distance, "A strong half-demon who died some time ago. I used to prepare this for him."

"If he was so strong, how did he die?" Emi asked sadly as she gave the woman an apologetic smile, "Forgive me. I just…"

"No, no child, don't apologize," the old woman chuckled, "He was purified by a priestess. Became human for a time but I vowed to find a solution and I did. Unfortunately, it took a few days and he died from illness before it took full effect."

"Really?" Emi gasped – an excited gleam in her eyes, "Do you…would it be possible to make such a thing again?"

"It only works on half-demons, child," the woman sighed, "It will do no good if you are purified as a youkai."

"I'm a half-demon," Emi breathed, unable to hide her excitement or believe her luck, "So could you do it? Just…just in case?"

"Naturally," the old woman chuckled good-naturedly, "It will take a few hours to prepare but you wouldn't mind waiting? Or perhaps, there is a village up the hill and you could stop by tomorrow?"

"Thank you," Emi enthused happily as she bowed once more, "We'll go to the village and I'll stop by in the morning."

"I look forward to it," the old woman chuckled happily, "It's so rare I get any company. Perhaps you could stay awhile too, hm?"

"Of course," Emi readily agreed, "Of course. Let me just deliver my family to the village and I'll come back."

"That's a good girl," the old woman laughed – watching as Emi shot out of sight before collapsing onto the ground, her eyes glazing over as Kagura appeared from behind Naraku's protective barrier.

"That was too easy," she scoffed as she looked down at the corpse, "Far too easy."