DISCLAIMER:

On the first day of Christmas Inu said to me...

A copyright notice in a tree (read: I don't own any part of the world of Inuyasha)

PS. I'm truly an english rider so I have no idea what really goes on in rodeos, just guessing. :)

¤¤ Thick Throaty Molasses ¤¤

¤ By: Telpelindewen ¤

¤¤ recap ¤¤.

She turned back towards the rail and through her lens looking for prospective subjects. She landed on Inuyasha who was almost directly across from her view. He was staring straight at her. She looked up out of the camera lens to see him eye to eye. He smirked and winked at her before turning back to the competition. Kagome's breath hitched a bit in her throat.

"Doesn't it make your heart just pitter pat?" Rin sighed dramatically close by. Sesshoumaru had apparently walked off, the silent devil. And had left Rin and Kohaku behind to watch, "I remember when I finally got Sesshoumaru to be mine, that first lovey dovey stage is the best part of the relationship."

"Ye.. I mean what?" Rin smiled devishly at her, "Oh boy do you have it bad. We need to fix you two up something bad." Kagome pushed Rin jokingly.

"Oh stop."

So far Kouga and one other rider were the only two out of twelve so far who had qualified and with a score over 80. Inuyasha was up next, and then three riders before Kikyo and Sesshoumaru. Kohaku had to leave early to go to the award tent to pick up third place winnings for the team roping competition that he and the other two had competed in not too long ago. Kagome lifted her camera to continue taking photos. She saw Inuyasha's dead pan look of concentration, it was beautiful. She snapped her shutter.

'LADIES AND GENTILMEN, NEXT UP INUYASHA TAKAHASI.'

¤ Chapter Nine ¤

Eagarly the crowd turned in their seats for the awaiting rider. It had been a few years since the face off of the brothers and their former friend and the tension was incredibly thick within the audience's stare. Two handlers rushed a grey muscled bronc through the fencing leading to the chute. He had flecks of white around his eyes in a frenzy state of energy. He was stamping his two front hooves and pawing near the chute entrance ready for the rider who dared challenge his back.

Inuyasha knew the form of his previous ride too well. It was a nasty hand fate was playing against him. Although, technically it should have been unfair to all the rest of the cowboys considering Inuyasha had ridden Stone Sour before and could predict how his form was going to be, but then again, no cowboy was about to protest the nastiest horse being chosen to another cowboy.

Kagome gulped at the horse making a scene in the waiting pen. She looked to the other waiting cowboys and rodeo clowns lining along the fence of the ring and pen. Among them she found Sesshoumaru waiting who was standing with his arms folded and his eyes closed, a look of pure peace on his face.

"Jeez, I don't know how he does it. I hate this I mean... it drives me crazy when he does this stupid competition, but just wait til you she the way they look when they ride." Rin patted her chest feathering with her fingers over where her assumed heart would be. "Sesshoumaru fell once and got knocked in the shoulder by the bronc's hoof when he landed. Popped his shoulder right out of the socket. Scared the crap outta me, it was the second time I had ever seen him ride, but we weren't an item at that point and time." Rin looked then at Kagome's face which got a little paler.

She laughed, "Don't worry too much Kags, Inu is a real good rider."

Kagome could see Kikyo waiting a few people away from Sesshoumaru, she had a sultry glance about her as she was looking at Inuyasha watching Stone Sour. She didn't like that look, it looked as if she would gulp him down in two bites quick. It made Kagome's blood boil.

Grinding her teeth a bit, "So, what exactly did Kikyo do? I mean I know she cheated in some form or other and completely destroyed all relationships she had as of previous with you guys, especially with Inuyasha. Sango informed me of that much." Kagome waited and shuffled her feet while Inuyasha was getting ready to climb on the horse waiting in the chute. The previous ride was trying to bully one of the rodeo clowns distracting him towards the opening pen.

"Well she slept with two of the judges." Rin stated casually.

"What?!!! How is that even..." Kagome's eyes went wide.

"I will give her the credit that she's good enough to stay on the bull until the buzzer, but she's never been able to get high scores with that alone, something to do with her feet in the incorrect positioning of the horses shoulders. So, at one point and time, there was a rumor she was sleeping around town with some guys, and Sesshoumaru actually tried to have a serious talk to his brother about it. I mean she was our friend, and it couldn't be true. But Inuyasha, the hardheaded fool, wouldn't hear of them and was only devoted to his fiancé." Rin saw him climb aboard the bronc finally. "Finally the day of the competition Inuyasha faced Kikyo and the bitch even kissed him good luck. Then proceeded to put a slice in the girth of the saddle the bronc would be using. It was clever, and dangerous, a thin slice where the girth hit the belly so no one would see it, and it would snap with the forceful bucking of Stone Sour."

"Fuc— "

"Get your peanuts! Roasted and toasted and delicious!" Kagome was cut off in her angry tirade.

"Well needless to say the girth snapped, Inuyasha was flung off and dove out away from the hooves just before Stone Sour could smash in his head. The judges claimed the girth faulty and disqualified the round anyway. Completely unfair."

"How did Inuyasha find out it was Kikyo?" Kagome asked.

"Well, after the award ceremony I saw Kikyo sneaking off somewhere. I was curious and suspicious anyways so I followed her with Sango and we saw her meet up with one of the judges assumed sleeping with. She left with him in his truck and with big puckering on his lips too."

"Ew."

"Well, Sango and I ran to find Sesshoumaru and Miroku and told them what we saw - we tried again to approach Inuyasha about the topic but he still wouldn't listen to us. He thought the girth thing was faulty leather too. But he was bummed anyway and waited for Kikyo for hours afterwards at home. When she got home he finally approached her about the truck that had dropped her off. Needless to say, Kikyo didn't hide anything. She admitted everything right out but told us if we ever told anyway she would go tell the rodeo association she was raped by Inuyasha and he would undoubtly be banded from the rodeo association for life."

"It's no wonder you all hate her so much now."

"I don't hate her because of the competition." Rin said, "I hate her because of the way she broke my future brother in law's heart. I have never seen anything more depressing then Inuyasha's face after he found out the truth. Talk about being crushed. He rode out on his horse for three days after that and Sesshoumaru had to go find him, he brought Inuyasha's limp body back with him. He had bloody hands from punching what I would assume would be trees. He's still got the scars on his right knuckles from the stitches he had to get."

Kagome's heart reached out for Inuyasha then. She knew he needed her then just as much as she needed him. They had both been hurt more then words could express. They both just longed to be loved truly.

"Well I would feel bad for him except now I feel bad for her." Kagome said camera ready and poised, Rin looked around at her.

"Em why's that?"

"Cause he's going to kick - her - a s s. Besides, two of those judges are women, and the other two are so old I doubt even Kikyo would stoop that low for high scores." Rin laughed and turned her eyes back towards the ring where the chute shot open and the bronc lifted his flanks for the first pump into the air.

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Inuyasha climbed the chute pen where Stone Sour had just been loaded. He breathed in real deep. The two cowboys on either side of the chute trying to keep the back of the bronc steady enough for him to load. Stone Sour paused for a second and Inuyasha took his chance and hopped over pouncing onto the back of a familiar bronc.

He pressed his right knuckle into the flesh of the back of the bronc and got ready for the question of a lifetime. "Are you ready?" He glanced over at the fence where Kagome and Rin had just been joined by Miroku and Sango. Kagome looked from her camera lense to his face.

She mouthed be careful.

Inuyasha smirked. "Outside."

The country music around was thick in the air. The huge flood lights lit the dusk sky as the clouds of dust finally settled in the dirt ring. The audience looked on into the central ring. What they had waited for.

The chute opened.

To anyone else it would look like a suicidal mission. Kagome was terrified at the look of pure elimination on the horse's face. But Inuyasha loved the taste of fear expressed from the sport. The big grey bolted out of the chute and immediately threw his flanks and withers into the air pumping hard as he possibly could, as if his tail had suddenly caught fire. The muscles under his arms rippled in strength and grip of the seat. Just as Inuyasha loved to ride, Stone Sour loved to throw.

The rhythm of the perfect balance between the riders weight throwing back against the thrust of Stone Sour's crushing push in the air - this was the rhythm that truly revealed the skill of each horse and rider. Inuyasha was solid and fierce.

He rode, and he rode hard.

Stone Sour was breathing hard and bucking even harder, he felt the taste of unseating the balance of his rider but with every twisted buck Inuyasha matched his lifted speed with thrust for thrust. He counterbalanced the thrusts with his free left arm and heels behind him.

Come on you bastard, I'll take it all. Inuyasha felt the sweat under the brim of his hat.

8 seconds.

The buzzer sounded. And Inuyasha looked for the ring riders who could help him off as Stone Sour kept going. He tried to undo his one handed grip from the reins so he could drop onto the rider's horse next to him.

His glove was caught on the reins. Shit.

Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Rin all watched horrified because Inuyasha hadn't dropped onto the waiting rider's horse right after the buzzer sounded.

"Looks like maybe something's keeping him on." Miroku sounded out as Bankotsu and Jakotsu were walking up to the post with eyes on Inuyasha.

Inuyasha ripped the glove from his hand and leaped from the back of Stone Sour. He felt the gut wrenching twist of some muscle in his arm as Stone Sour leapt up at the same time.

"Fuck." But he grabbed onto the saddle of the ring rider trying to help and lifted away from Stone Sour. Once away from the bucking bronc the exiting chute opened and Stone Sour completely dociled up, pranced right out of the ring.

Inuyasha hopped off the side of the ring riders saddle, thanked him and held his left shoulder in pain as he walked out of the ring. The judges announced his scores.

Bronc 48 and Rider 46.

94.

"Holy Shit! Look at Inu's score!" Bankotsu exclaimed. Sango let out a yelp and squeal while Jakotsu did a little novelty dance.

"Idiot stop embarrassing me." Bankotsu tried to slide a few steps away from Jakotsu.

"It's our doggy style dance! Yeah dog, go dog, yeah doggy dog dog!" They all sweat dropped.

"I don't even think he knows what doggy style is." Sango blushed and jabbed her elbow into his stomach when Miroku said this to himself.

"Well unless Kikyo or Sesshoumaru can pull off something better, and I doubt it with their pony draws, looks like we got a winner!" Sango said to the group. I

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Inuyasha had walked out of the ring and disappeared after hearing his scores. He was around the corner sitting on a concrete half wall near a portion of the bleaches. He was trying to figure out if he had dislocated his shoulder or not and how bad it would hurt for him to pop it back in himself.

Kagome, Bankotsu, and Miroku were walking over towards him He grimaced, he didn't want Kagome to see.

"Yash! That was incredible!" Miroku walked up first and the other two paused right next to him.

"What's wrong with...?" Miroku started but with a glare from Inuyasha he quickly silenced it, "Em, Kagome Sesshoumaru looked as if he was just beckoning you for a moment there. We should go see what he wants."

"Miroku I'm not stupid, I can see his arm is limp." She stated and wouldn't budge from her position. Inuyasha nodded with Miroku's unseaming glance.

"Bank, some help?" Inuyasha grinned through his teeth said. Bankotsu grimaced and stepped up - they had done this before.

"Ready?" Bankotsu took the position on his left side.

Kagome breathed deep and then stood up next to Inuyasha and took his free hand. When he looked at her puzzled she responded.

"Good luck charm remember?"

He smiled and just then said, "Set."

In one swift movement Kagome closed her eyes as she heard the sickening twisted pop of the arm pushed back into the socket. She felt Inuyasha's death grip on her hand and the grunt as he tried hard not to show his pain. But he then bent over when it was done letting go of her hand and trying hard to breathe normally.

"Still hurts like a bitch."

"You know what helps the pain? Kaede's warm apple pie!" Kagome said smiling, glad it was over because she felt a little green herself.

"Keh, wench, what doesn't apple pie do." He smiled and still wincing at the pain walked off towards the pie tent.

"UGH Inuyasha don't call me a wench!" She stormed after him.

Bankotsu and Miroku sweat dropped at the spectacle of the two.

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Kikyo had seen the entirety of the situation by the bleachers. She had planned on going over to comfort Inuyasha after she saw his injury after the ride. She was also hoping to weasel her way back into his bed tonight with a few sweet soft touches and whispered words after his recent win would have boosted that ego of his. She was prepared with her fake smile gracing her plump lips and all. But when she saw the three others had gotten there before her, she was angered by the sight of Kagome holding Inuyasha's hand.

Damn bitch is ruining everything.

How was she ever going to dip into the bank of the Takahasi's if she couldn't win over his heart again? She slammed her fist into the nearby stall wall and walked back towards the ring. Her turn was coming up.

.·¤¤·..·¤¤·.·¤¤·..·¤¤·.·¤¤·..·¤¤·.

Kagome somehow convinced Inuyasha to put on one of those silly aprons along with Jakotsu and they had fun prancing around him taking as many photographs as possible. Inuyasha was less then amused, especially when nearby cowboy were cat-calling about and whistling out his name considering he had probably just taken first place in the competition.

He sighed, Grin and bare it. Besides, Kagome said pretty please and she would do any favor I asked of later right? Hehehehehehe.

Another cat-call, "Inu baby! Lookin good!"

Sigh.

"My oh my, are those Ms. Kaede's famous apple pies I smell wafting into my heart?" An older gentlemen with a fancy little bowtie and hat with spurs came along up to the tent.

"Well Macey, darlin! It's sure been a long long time." They ALL turned and looked at the fake sweet sounds coming out of Kaede's mouth. They had never heard her talk like that to anyone before.

"I'll always come by if it's you and your pies." He dropped a small kiss on the back of her hand. Inuyasha chuckled and Kagome awed with Jakotsu. Kawaiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

"Now where have you been, I know those sheep have been producing some fine wool around, or so I hear?" She said serving him some pie on a plate and smacking another cowboys hand who was trying to reach for it out of the pan instead of waiting.

"Well we've been short handed ever since Rusty up and got hitched so I've been working pretty darn hard around the farm. But good news, we got us two newbies out at the ranch today. One city slicker and one small town farm boy. So, lucky for us we got to head out to see your boy over here at the top of the bronc pack." He patted Inuyasha on the back.

"Feh, it was nutin." Inuyasha brushed it off.

"Well I'll stop by sometime later on this week, we can catch up over some dinner. But I gotta get back to the hands now down at the corral, they were watching that there lady from your place a couple years back riding the hell outta a little brown fella." He winked at Kaede who wriggled her fingers in an old lady goodbye as he waddled back towards the corral.

"Well my my." Jakotsu imitated a young lady in love swooning over a handsome fella.

"Now now, see here you." She pulled his ear and had him cowering, "We're just two old friends now ya hear?! Besides, old folks like me ain't gots time to be flicking around with some gents, we have work to do! Ya hear ya hear!"

"I can't hear anything wit you pullin my ear like that you old hag!!" She only pulled harder and then let go with a snap. Jakotsu pouted and rubbed his sore spot.

"Who was that?" Kagome asked.

"That's Old Macey, he owns the property next to us on the lake, Central Canyon Ranch. He's got sheep, not cattle, and herds them into the mountains in the summer where it's cooler, so a lot of the time we help out on herding them for a week or two during the summer when the months are slow. He was an old friend of Sango's father, and apparently has a sweet tooth for our Kaede's pies." Inuyasha teased the old woman.

"I'll not be hearing any of that from you now either." She humphed and turned back to smacking another hand trying to sneak a piece of pie.

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Sesshoumaru landed off the bronc and onto his feet. He heard the squealing of his fiancé from the audience near the pen gate. He smirked, she was adorable, and alllll his.

Sesshoumaru was shy of the buzzer by one second and therefore didn't qualify to get a judging score. Damn. There were a total of five qualified rides with only two left to go. Inuyasha, Kikyo, and Kouga were three out of the five. But Kikyo's score had come short of Inuyasha's by a handful.

Sesshoumaru smirked when he saw her pout of anger at her score of 89. Apparently riding wasn't everything for her. He waited patiently for his turn and the devil of a bronc turned out to be one heck of a high riser. But he rode as well as he could anyway. Either way he was going home happy with his fiancé anyway. He cracked his knuckles and headed out of the pen and wrapped his arm around the shoulders of his awaiting woman. She reached up on her toes and tugged on the strand of his silver haired ponytail, he bent a little and she placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Bravo. I hope you're getting this out of your system because I hate watching you risk your neck out there." Sesshoumaru silently glanced around making sure no one was watching. He leaned down and kissed her silencing her loud worries. She always said it after every event even though it wasn't entirely true, there was nothing like watching a man on a horse, her man that is.

"Two more riders, but I think Inuyasha got this one in the bag. Sorry Sessh." Sango said walking up to them. Sesshoumaru just gave a curt nod, "Kaede's almost out of pies so we'll wrap up soon and watch the fireworks at the end. But I keep on having to drag Miroku from that stupid kissing booth, at least this time Hojou went with him."

"Hojou?!!!." Rin laughed aloud, "What's he going to be able to do."

Sango sighed, "Well I give up on him." They weren't sure what she meant by that.

"Anyway, we'll help clean up. Apparently their televising the award ceremony."

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Kagome didn't know what Inuyasha was going to do if he had to shake Kikyo's hand as the cowboys were costumed to shaking the winners hands. He ended up winning first place, with a check and trophy to proudly show it. Kikyo tied for second with another gentleman, one random lucky hand won third, and Kouga fourth. They all took their prizes and stood proud for the photos. Many reporters were waiting to hound Kikyo after her latest loss to her past rival. Kouga was showing off arm poses to the crowd while getting his photo taken from another reporter. Jakotsu meanwhile was trying to jump in the background of pictures making funny faces, making a little vein pop in Bankotsu's head while he went to hunt him down. Inuyasha just climbed off the makeshift stage when he heard the reporters and Kikyo's fake little giggle of answers.

"Oh now sugah, no worries, I went easy it being my first time back in the wild wild west and all. But don't you worry, I'll be all out next time." Pissed him off. He gripped the trophy neck harder and looked for his friends. The faster away the better.

Kagome was smiling snapping photos here and there. He gently smiled and walked off in her direction. Silly wench and her camera.

There was a television camera nearby videoing the award winners and wanting an interview with the first place prize holder. Inuyasha respectfully declined a full length interview after a few words of accomplishments and skills from the reporter, and then he preceded to walk over to his friends waiting for him.

The camera pinned in on him and his friends from the Shikon No Tama Ranch, and Inuyasha and Kagome who were flirting around with each other swapping hats and laughing as the trophy was passed from hand to hand. The reporter finishing off with her exit line and turned the viewers back to the head anchors. The rodeo announcer of the ring added a final bow of the winners in front before inviting the crowds to the western fields for the display of fireworks for the end of the day and end of the rodeo.

"Yee haw!! Lets go watch us some fireworks!" They whooped at Kouga's suggestion and set off to watch them from the trucks in the field.

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Kikyo walked into the town's more quieter tavern. The bartender at least knew her well and she wouldn't have to ask for whatever she needed. He slid it down the bar to her and she took a seat next to the end where the television was repeating the events from the day before. She had woken only hours before getting in late the night of the rodeo. She headed into town hoping to drink up away from the lime light and away from the stupid town gossip of Inuyasha and his victory.

"Oi, I'll take whatever is the strongest you got." A man in worn jeans and new boots sat down two stools away from her. He hadn't thought working on a ranch was going to be this hard. There were hands always around so the idea of sneaking around was becoming a slight problem. He hadn't even been there two days and he already wanted a pint of anything. That and his balls hurt like a bitch from riding. He knew how to ride but it had been a good long time since he'd been used to it.

"Well you look like a sight for sore eyes." Kikyo commented on the dark stranger as he winced sitting in the chair down from her.

"That's not all that's sore sweetie." He glanced at her. The television showed the broadcast from the events before.

"That you there?" He asked as the camera pined down on Kikyo and her sweet fake attitude.

"Hmm." She replied, seizing up if she wanted to take this man home for the night or not.

"Ah so you're the lady the town's been whisperin' about now." He smiled and leaned back. He had heard the old man Macey speak of the events at the rodeo and how a lady who broke a mans heart was back in town but she had lost to that very man.

"Well I suppose that would be me." He ducked his head down just as the television glanced to a scene of Kagome and Inuyasha and him holding his award up high. Kikyo placed her glass on the bar none too gently at the display.

"Ain't that bad off, you can just get him next time."

"What do you know." She scoffed at him she hated people who presumed more than anything, That bitch there, you see her? The one with the blue shirt, she's becoming a problem for me more then the stupid competitions." Kikyo's booze was starting to hit a little harder and she wasn't' hesitant to display her hatred for Kagome.

Naruku looked to the screen to see exactly the woman he had been looking for. He smirked and looked back to Kikyo.