A/N: I have to say that I'm sorry for the long wait on updates lately, but I've been fighting a rather intense flu not to mention that I've been really busy with work and getting ready for the holidays. Being a single mother is definitely challenging, as I'm sure all single parents will agree with me. I've also been going back and forth between work, my son's school, and the malls to get all my Christmas shopping done, while trying to get all my cupboards filled and my cooking done for the holidays, I've basically have had absolutely no time for the computer.
However, while being sick and having to go into work while ill, I've still managed to get some writing done…the evidence of that is below. Hopefully things will go back into normal swing once the holidays are over.
Thank you to all my reviewers who have been extremely patient on all my stories and my rather slow updates, I hope you will forgive me.
Just to let readers know, this story is not one that is the Fellowship of the Ring. This is well before that time; I would have to say several hundreds of years before the birth of Aragorn. So I have to apologize to readers who were expecting this to be one of those stories where it is a tenth member of the Fellowship, and so forth. I hope you will still read the story and enjoy it, because I do have some twists and excitements in store for everyone.
Enough of my babbling, and on with the story. I hope you enjoy.
Chapter Eighteen: Moving Onward, the Search for Another Jewel Shard
Sesshoumaru gasped softly and lifted his head to stare at the light engulfed bed in front of him. The twins stood to his left and seemed to be shocked into silence, just as the rest of the occupants were. He furrowed his brows and barred his teeth as the light finally diminished and he stepped forward, mostly out of curiosity, than anything else. When Kagome and Inuyasha finally came into view, Sesshoumaru was completely frozen.
It wasn't until Kagome seemed to waver and finally crumpled from her exertion, that he moved. He dashed forward and caught the girl in his arms before she fell to the floor and he stared into her extremely pale face, before he lifted his eyes to his brother. Inuyasha lay as still as he had when they had first set him down on the bed, the only difference was; now he was human.
Had she purified his brother to the point of cleansing his body of the youkai blood he had possessed? Just what had the girl done? Sesshoumaru frowned darkly, lifted the girl completely onto the bed, and stood back, just as the other occupants of the room began to move about, finally out of their shock.
Gandalf was the first to arrive at the bedside and he stared down at Inuyasha in silent wonder. "What just happened here?" He asked shaking his head and stroking his beard.
"She purified my brother." Sesshoumaru snarled softly.
"I…it's…not per-manent." Kagome whispered.
Gandalf and Sesshoumaru stared down at her with a mix of shock and startled wonder.
Sesshoumaru leaned forward so that his face was close to the girls. "Just what did you do?" He snapped, and lifted his hand into view.
Kagome smiled wistfully. "Your…arm…"
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes.
"I'm so glad." She whispered before her eyes finally slipped closed and she lost consciousness.
"Glad? Miko…" Sesshoumaru began.
Kagome smiled in her sleep and she curled up closer to Inuyasha, who groaned and lifted his hand to his forehead. Inuyasha's eyes remained closed but his brows furrowed in confusion for a moment, before his nose started twitching furiously, trying to pick out scents. His eyes flew open and he blinked, sitting up quickly.
His hands flew up to his face and he gaped. "What the hell happened to me?" He demanded.
Sesshoumaru raised a single brow. "Lower your voice, otouto. The miko saved your life. This is a temporary result of that." His mouth quirked as Inuyasha's eyes flew over to meet his.
"Uhh…temporary?" Inuyasha blinked again. "I'm human!" His voice seemed to loose it's spark and he slumped.
Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes, you are."
"But why?" Inuyasha whimpered pathetically. "I don't wanna be human."
Sesshoumaru shook his head. "It isn't permanent, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha pouted and sighed, slumping even more, and grumbled under his breath. "Damn, why human…why not back to hanyou?"
"You are half of both, otouto."
Inuyasha glared at Sesshoumaru before a soft moan from Kagome stole his attention. He quickly glanced over and peered down into her pale face with a frown of concern etched on his. "What happened to her?"
"She has exhausted her energy." Sesshoumaru pointed out. Elrond came over to the bed and glanced at Inuyasha curiously.
"What in all of Arda is going on here?" The elf asked softly. "You first arrive here with the appearance of an elf, and now you appear to be mortal."
Inuyasha clenched his fist. "I am mortal!" He snapped.
"It is not permanent." Sesshoumaru smirked.
"You said that!" Inuyasha griped.
"I believe Kagome did it to protect you." Sesshoumaru muttered and glanced around.
"Protect me? I'm useless while in this form. How long is this supposed to last for?" Inuyasha demanded to no one in particular.
---------------------------------------------
Kagome lowered her head and sighed for the hundredth time. "I said I was sorry, Inuyasha. What more do you want me to say?"
Inuyasha glared at her and glanced at the horse beside him with a death glare. "If you hadn't purified me, I could have just run there, you know!" He snapped and grabbed the mane to pull himself up.
Kagome rolled her eyes. "It's not-"
"Permanent! I know! You keep telling me that! But, it's been two weeks!" He released the mane and whirled around, waving his hands over his front. "I'm still human! Look! I'm human!"
"Do you want me to use the word?" Kagome narrowed her eyes. "I still can, you know. Even though you're human. The subjugation is not just for your hanyou or youkai forms."
Inuyasha barred his teeth at her. The effect was lost however without the presence of his fangs. "Keh!" He turned his back on her and grabbed the mane of the horse, and jumped to hoist himself up. The horse whinnied and jerked to the side, dropping Inuyasha to the ground with a loud grunt.
Legolas smirked upon his own horse and glanced at the twins.
"Seems the horses do not like you very much." The prince shook his head and kicked his horse's flanks.
Inuyasha lifted his face out of the dirt and grumbled under his breath.
Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes and reached down to pull his brother up off the ground. "Gather your wits, Inuyasha." He snapped.
"Gather my wits?" Inuyasha snarled. "You gain an arm and I'm rendered useless? What stupid-"
Sesshoumaru slapped his hand over Inuyasha's mouth. "Enough!" He lifted Inuyasha and placed him on the horses back. He smirked and smacked the horse's backside, which spurred the horse into an immediate trot, and Inuyasha yelped grabbing desperately for a handhold.
Elladan roared into laughter and kicked his horse to follow after Inuyasha who cried out desperately for anyone to help him. Kagome grinned, wrapped her arms around Rin and shook her head. Elrohir tugged gently on her horse's reins, and pulled her along. Rin grinned excitedly, and glanced back to Sesshoumaru who followed behind them on foot.
Kagome glanced around the valley as they headed out of Rivendell towards their new destination of Mirkwood. News had come to the peaceful valley of Imladris informing them that the spiders had somehow multiplied to even greater numbers. Soon after, they had decided to head to Mirkwood to help out the other elves, and almost immediately Kagome had sensed another jewel shard. As luck would have it, the shard seemed to be in the same direction that Mirkwood was in, so that would definitely cut their trip in half.
Their first destination was the location of the shard, and onward from there to Mirkwood where they would discover the culprit of the spread of evil. Legolas had been less than thrilled when Gandalf had informed him that Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha would be traveling with them, right before he had left to find out more information on the spread of immense evil through Arda.
Not only had this touched Mirkwood, but also Arwen had sent word saying Lothlorien had also been targeted. Inuyasha had spent the two weeks pouting at his loss of youkai, but was now more than thrilled at a chance for adventure, even though he was human. Kagome rolled her eyes, remembering just how reckless Inuyasha was whenever he was rendered helpless, but it never did seem to stop him from charging into a fight whenever one was presented to him.
They day after his purification, Inuyasha had been challenged by Legolas to a sparring match, and even in human form the elf had had to use all his wits and experience to keep his head attached to his shoulders. The elf had been given a rather intense lesson in regards to just how useless Inuyasha was in human form. Legolas had left both brothers alone after that, remaining as far away as possible.
Kagome lifted her head when a soft human like growl reached her ears. Her eyes landed on a rather disgruntled Inuyasha who was currently being lead by Elladan, and the poor hanyou clutched the horse's mane in a death grip. She stifled her giggle when his shoulders slumped and he took on the appearance of a chastised little puppy. Inuyasha seemed almost as though he were defeated in the most horrible way and this caused the girl great amusement, even though she knew it was wrong. It had been her who was responsible for his current form, and she silently wondered to herself just how long he would remain human.
Did she really purify him to the point of him loosing his youki permanently? She shook her head, she had controlled it, so there was no way that it would result in his being human forever. If it had been destructive, then Sesshoumaru would not have gained his arm back, rather he would have died from the intensity of it. Kagome sighed as she watched Inuyasha's first experience on the horse and she had to admit it was rather humorous. His whole body was tense and stiff, and his legs were splayed out so they stuck outward rather then at the horse's side.
His hands clutched the horse's mane as though it was a lifeline and Kagome giggled softly. As they day wore on, Inuyasha seemed to slump on the horse's back almost as though he were sleeping, and Elladan appeared to also be relaxed as he guided Inuyasha's horse. With a frown, Kagome kicked her horse up to Elrohir and glanced at him curiously.
The elf grinned and turned to look at her.
"So how long until we stop for a break?" Kagome asked softly, tightening her arms around Rin who had fallen asleep ages ago.
Elrohir chuckled softly and looked forward. "Soon, we want to get out of the dense part of the forest first. I'd say in another hour."
Kagome sighed and nodded. "What's Elladan doing?"
"Sleeping." Elrohir chuckled.
Kagome blinked and stared at the elder twin. "But his eyes are open."
Elrohir nodded. "Elves can travel and sleep if needed. I trust we won't have much of a chance to later."
"But his eyes are open." Kagome mumbled to herself, which earned another musical laugh from the younger twin riding beside her. "Is Inuyasha sleeping too?"
Elrohir shook his head. "He looks uncomfortable though."
Kagome nodded. "Like a chastised puppy." She whispered more to herself than to anyone else. She felt an intense glare on her back and she glanced behind her where Sesshoumaru continued to walk. "Oops." She mumbled.
"I assure you, miko, Inuyasha is no puppy." Sesshoumaru said softly.
Kagome gulped and turned forward, instead of responding. Inuyasha certainly had his moments where he acted like a spoiled teenager, and irresponsible sometimes. Most times he acted like a juvenile youth rather then what his actual age suggested. Sometimes however, his maturity was unfathomable. Whenever he was in danger or one of their group was, Inuyasha was possibly the most responsible of them all. He showed great courage and incredible talent. She sighed again.
They rounded another bend that seemed to stretch on for miles and Kagome realized that her back end was starting to feel the abuse from riding the horse for as many hours they had already put behind them. Elrohir finally called out that they were taking a rest, and Kagome mentally thanked the elf for his quick thinking. She shook Rin awake and smiled as the little girl stretched and sat up, looking around, obviously searching for her great protector.
Rin grinned widely and waved when she caught Sesshoumaru's eye and he inclined his head only slightly. The movement would have been missed by anyone else, had Kagome not seen the small nod of acknowledgment before. Kagome lowered Rin to her feet, by grabbing her hands and sliding her down the horse's side, and watched as the small child ran right for Sesshoumaru in exuberance.
Kagome slid off the horse and stood on shaky legs for a moment before she even attempted to move away. When her knees stopped quivering, Kagome walked over to Inuyasha who still sat on the horse, and she tapped his leg curiously.
Inuyasha looked down at her and blinked. "What?"
Kagome sighed. "Are you coming down to rest?"
A faint blush rose to his cheeks and he looked away quickly, uttering a soft keh as his response.
Kagome frowned. "I didn't catch that." She whispered and leaned up closer to him.
Inuyasha glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and whispered inaudibly.
"You need to speak up, I can't understand you."
Elladan chuckled before leaping off his horse and even Kagome glared at the ease in which he made it all seem. "He said he can't feel his legs."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the elf. "No one asked you!" He snapped and blushed brilliantly.
Kagome nodded and patted Inuyasha's legs for comfort, which earned her a stern look of annoyance. "You know we can sit and rest, I think I have some ramen left in my bag." She whispered.
Inuyasha shook his head and practically rolled off the horse's back, flopping to the ground in a heap. "Damn it!" He grumbled into the earth.
Kagome leaned over and helped him up, ignoring the looks they were getting from the others. She heard a melodious laugh from the prince of Mirkwood and she shot him a glare over her shoulder. "Do you want ramen, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha grabbed onto her shoulders and held on tightly as his legs wobbled. "Hai."
She grinned triumphantly and nodded eagerly. "Why don't we go sit over there." She pointed to where Sesshoumaru lounged against a tree, and where Rin was running around nearby, more than likely trying to loosen her stiffened muscles.
Inuyasha shook his head. "I need to walk around for a while. My legs feel like Toutousai's herbal anti venom."
Kagome quickly tried to wrack her brain for the stuff he was talking about and the closest thing her memory came up with was the brown goo like substance the sword smith had applied to one of Inuyasha's wounds during a battle with a poison snake youkai months ago. "Souta usually says that his legs feel like jello." She supplied.
Inuyasha glanced at her curiously for a moment. "You mean that jiggly stuff that kept flopping off my spoon?"
Kagome giggled at the memory and quickly nodded. "Yeah, that was jello."
Inuyasha sucked in his breath and he nodded. They slowly walked to where Sesshoumaru was sitting, an obvious sparkle of amusement shimmering in his golden eyes.
"Not one word." Inuyasha hissed under his breath as they approached his brother.
Sesshoumaru smirked and shook his head. "I wasn't about to, Inuyasha."
The hanyou in human form snorted but remained silent. Kagome lowered herself to her knees and dug through her bag for the promised ramen and squeaked triumphantly when she found several cups in the bottom of her bag. She pulled one out and glanced around for sticks to start a fire, and got to her feet after placing the cup aside.
Kagome gathered several thin sticks and some thicker ones, and brought them back to the area she had designated as their resting place. She placed them on the ground and used her fingers to dig a small shallow hole and then rearranged the sticks in a pile. Once that was finished, Kagome riffled through her bag and pulled out a few pieces of blank paper, she would normally use for her schoolwork, and wadded them into balls so she could light them with her ever-present lighter.
She flicked the lighter on and lit the fire and watched as the flames grew. Inuyasha paced back and forth, watching her out of the corner of his eyes, as he stretched his stiff muscles. He watched Kagome grab her small pot and fill it with water from one of her water bottles and she placed it on the outer side of the now roaring fire. This was always the worst part of waiting for lunch, however, now that he was in human form, it shouldn't be so bad with his dulled senses.
Normally his nose would pick up the scent of cooking food and his mouth would resort to salivating to the point of him almost drooling on himself. His stomach definitely jumped into action however, much to his embarrassment. He wrapped his arms around his middle and quickly glanced around to see if anyone had heard his unbecoming stomach and to his surprise, the elves were staring at Kagome watching her intently.
He blinked and was about to comment when the sound of someone smacking their lips grabbed his attention. Inuyasha glanced behind him and snorted when he saw his older brother staring at the pot with narrowed eyes and wrinkling his nose. The once hanyou could have sworn he saw Sesshoumaru's throat contract as though swallowing forcefully. Something very similar to when he tried to hide his salivating.
Rin leaned over Kagome's shoulder, with her little hands planted on her knees as she watched Kagome spoon out the ramen into a bowl. When Kagome glanced up her mouth formed a wide 'o' and she blushed at all the attention she was receiving. "Anyone else want some?" She asked bashfully.
Legolas walked over and lifted the bowl intended for Inuyasha and brought it to his nose to smell it. Inuyasha snatched it away with a very impressive growl and snapped. "Hands off, that's mine!"
Legolas shot Inuyasha an indignant glare and he turned away elegantly, moving back to where he had left his horse. The twins however hovered near Inuyasha as the hanyou dropped to the ground cross-legged and fingered the noodles out of the bowl into his mouth.
Elladan stepped over to Kagome and crouched next to her. "What is that?"
Kagome smiled sheepishly and handed him a wrapped packet of ramen. "It's packaged food from my time. They used this stuff for the astronauts who traveled to the moon."
Inuyasha glared at her chewing what was in his mouth. "Geh yar owe."
Kagome shot Inuyasha a stern look. "I have lots, Inuyasha. We can share."
He narrowed his eyes and swallowed. "Keh!"
Elladan and Elrohir shared a look and turned once again to stare at her. "Travel to the moon?" They asked in unison.
Kagome nodded and grinned. Even this seemed to get Sesshoumaru's attention and he sat forward with a frown on his face.
"Ridiculous." He muttered.
Kagome shrugged and dug through her bag. She pulled out a small book and threw it towards Sesshoumaru. "Read for yourself."
Inuyasha snorted around another mouthful of ramen and rolled his eyes. He swallowed and lifted his head for a moment. "They even fly through the sky in some metal bird like contraption."
Kagome spooned out a bowl for Rin and handed it to the sweet little girl who waited patiently and didn't question anyone or anything around her. The small child bowed and thanked her before taking the bowl and bringing it over to where Sesshoumaru sat, leafing through the book Kagome had given him.
She quickly handed out two bowls for the twins, one for Sesshoumaru, but he seemed to ignore it as he read the book, and finally she dished herself a bowl. It was a simple meal, and she was not at all surprised when Inuyasha inched over to her and grinned sheepishly as he held the now empty bowl.
She knew that look all too well. Kagome had seen it so many times before, however never once with a human Inuyasha. Every time she had made it in the past for him, he had been in hanyou form, so this was new. His gray brown eyes sparkling mischievously, his black hair framing his face in a disheveled state and that sly grin on his face. It was still Inuyasha through and through, however he was now human and it just made the whole thing seem that much more comical.
Kagome wondered if he even tasted the food when he shoveled it into his mouth, or if it was just the idea of having instant food at hand whenever he was hungry. She couldn't see him not enjoying it in his own way, but he always ate it so quickly that she was always left breathless and amazed. It was times like this that she really adored him. In his hanyou form, his ears would twitch and fall back against his head amongst his thick mane of silver hair, almost pleadingly, but now he just held that look of mischievous eagerness that had her giggling uncontrollably.
His face seemed to drop at her giggles and he scowled. "What?"
Kagome quickly shook her head and tilted her head to the side. "Would you like some more?" She whispered.
Inuyasha's brows twitched, much the same way his ears would have at the question, and he nodded slowly, that grin spreading across his face even more.
She rolled her eyes and quickly pulled another packet from her bag, and held it just out of his reach. "What's the magic word?" Kagome asked playfully.
Inuyasha pouted and his mouth dropped open. "Oh not that game again." He scowled and reached out to snatch the package from her grasp.
Kagome giggled and moved it further away and Inuyasha leaned over her trying to grab it. She knew she was teasing him horribly, but she never registered just how anxious he was for more food until he was leaning practically over her and her eyes widened. Biting her lower lip, she handed him the package just as her heart began to pound in her chest firmly, and she gulped.
Inuyasha seemed to blink confused when she relented so easily, but didn't question it as he tore open the package and dumped the contents into the pot of boiling water. He turned to see if his brother had touched his, and his eyes widened surprised. It was empty. His hopes had been to eat that one while he waited for his own to finish, but that bowl was already empty.
Blinking rapidly, Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and glared at his brother who sat there, still leafing through the book as though nothing was a miss. The only evidence that his brother had touched the bowl was the little moisture on the youkai's lips. He sniffed and turned his attention back to the pot cooking his portion of ramen.
Elladan placed his bowl aside and grinned. "That was wonderful, lady Kagome. A tasty meal."
Elrohir nodded and licked his lips as he finished his. "Aye, a perfect meal for this afternoon."
Kagome beamed proudly and glanced over to where the prince of Mirkwood was grooming his horse. "Would you like some too?" She asked.
Legolas glanced over at her and shook his head firmly before turning his back once again to his horse.
Kagome shrugged and finally pulled the pot from the fire, and poured the contents into Inuyasha's bowl. As soon as the pot was empty, the bowl was gone and so was Inuyasha, which caused her to giggle again.
The girl moved away from the fire and took her pot with her to a small trickling stream on her left and did her best washing it out. By the time she had returned and placed everything back into it's rightful place inside her bag, the twins were once again mounted on their horses and Rin and Sesshoumaru were standing and ready to move out. Inuyasha scowled at the horse and shook his head firmly.
"No thanks, I'll walk this time. I just got the feeling back in my legs." He grumbled and stalked right past the horse that had carried him earlier. Kagome shook her head at his stubbornness and wiggled her way up onto her horse, and it moved gracefully after the elves.
"Inuyasha." Kagome called out to the human who stalked ahead of the group. "Come on, just get on."
Inuyasha shook his head and continued to walk.
By late afternoon, he had taken his fire rat robe off and had handed it to Kagome, as he walked beside her, but far enough away from the horse. He had rolled up his sleeves of his kosode and loosened the ties somewhat to allow the slight breeze to filter through the silk material.
Kagome wiped her brow and glared up at the sun that beamed down on them in the open fields they now traveled through. It was hot and unrelenting, and she wondered what time of year it was here for the heat from the sun to be this intense. Not only was she sweating in the heat, but also so was Rin who was once again on the horse in front of her.
Inuyasha also seemed to be affected by the heat, and Kagome cursed the elves and Sesshoumaru who didn't seem to feel the weather. The youkai lord walked as casually as he had at the beginning of the journey, and the elves seemed to be even happier as they walked on ahead of them. Rin seemed to wilt against her and the once vibrant hair was damp and plastered against the girl's forehead.
Kagome pulled her bag from off her shoulder and somehow managed to pull out a water bottle. She took the lid off and handed it to Rin who gratefully accepted it. There was only a small bit left, and when Rin handed it back, Kagome kicked the horse closer to Inuyasha.
Kagome held the water out to him and he glanced at her curiously. His hair was also damp and sticking to his forehead. "Here. There's not much left, but it will help cool you down."
Inuyasha shook his head. "You drink first. I'll be fine. If there is any left after, then I'll have some."
Kagome rolled her eyes but complied. She took a few small sips, but it didn't really quench her throat as much as she had hoped. The water was no longer cool, or tasty, but it was very warm and seemed thick. With a sigh, she handed it to Inuyasha and he glanced at her curiously as though making sure she had had enough.
The elves didn't seem to notice the discomfort the humans were feeling, but Sesshoumaru did. The youkai moved forward and watched as Inuyasha drank the rest of the water and took the bottle from his brother's grasp before Kagome could take it.
Kagome and Inuyasha both glanced at the youkai as he lifted his face to the sky and sniffed quickly. "I will return." He stated simply and his body morphed into a ball of light and sped off to the right.
The elves noticed this and they reined in their horses and glanced back. "Where is he off to?"
Kagome swallowed the thick feeling in her throat, but before she could answer, Inuyasha snapped. "To get us some water."
The twins blinked and shook their heads, as Legolas nonchalantly moved his horse once again towards their destination. Elladan smiled apologetically.
"Please forgive us, lady Kagome, Inuyasha. We tend to forget about the intense weather conditions. Elves don't feel the climate."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and cast a glare in Kagome's direction. "Nor do hanyou or youkai. But humans feel it well enough."
Kagome groaned but bit her tongue from any comment. She was not about to get into an argument with him again. Everything had gone smoothly so far. Sesshoumaru returned as quickly as he had left and he handed Kagome her bottle, which was filled to the brim with cool crystal clear water. Eagerly, she thanked him and gave Rin the first drink, before she handed the bottle off to Inuyasha who drank back as much as he could without draining it. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he passed the water to Kagome who finally drank it back with a relieved sigh as it quenched her parched throat.
"Arigato, Sesshoumaru-sama." Kagome nodded to him.
Sesshoumaru smirked and inclined his head slightly before once again falling into step behind them as they moved towards their destination. The night finally came upon them and Kagome sighed in relief as the air cooled considerably, easing her and Rin over heated bodies. The elves in front finally reined in their horses and got down, motioning that they were stopping for the night.
Only Legolas seemed against them stopping. "I don't see why we must stop. At this rate it will take us over a week to get to Mirkwood."
Elladan rolled his eyes as Elrohir glared at the prince. "You seem to forget we have mortals in our company. They cannot handle the stress of constant riding. They need to rest."
Inuyasha grit his teeth as the conversation was spoken pointedly just so they would hear it.
"Mortals are weak." Legolas grumbled and moved off into the shadows.
Kagome glanced to Sesshoumaru who was normally the one to vocalize such a thing and the youkai narrowed his eyes at the elf that moved into the darkness, with a smirk on his lips.
Inuyasha moaned pathetically. "My skin is cooked." He growled.
Kagome turned her attention to him and gasped at the redness of his skin that had been exposed to the sun. "You have a sun burn."
Inuyasha nodded. "That's what I said, my skin is cooked. It hurts."
Kagome helped Rin down and looked over her to make sure she was fine and didn't notice any redness on her. Finally she looked over her legs and was surprised to find them slightly tanned but not red. She had hiked up the red hakamas to ward off some of the heat earlier in the day, and had rolled up her sleeves holding them in place with the black string that had been tied around her chest. Just as Inuyasha had done with his earlier as well. Now she released the string and allowed the hakama to fall back around her ankles.
"It is due to your body not being accustomed to exposure to the sun." Sesshoumaru supplied.
"What are you talking about? I'm out in the sun all the time, baka." Inuyasha snapped.
Kagome sighed. "You are not human when it's sunny out, Inuyasha. You're normally in hanyou form."
Inuyasha stared at her and finally slumped. "This sucks." He grumbled. "Stupid human bodies." Without another word, Inuyasha plopped to the ground and crossed his arms over his chest, and stuck his nose in the air.
Kagome knelt beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I might have some more of that burn cream. Want me to look for it?"
Inuyasha closed his eyes and basically ignored her question with an undignified humph.
She sighed, also knowing that move too well. It was his basic approval and she tugged the bag around to pull out the first aid kit her mother had so willingly supplied for her and as always, her mom had restocked it, more than likely while she had been sleeping.
She felt saddened at the thought of her mother. Kagome missed her so much and as she searched through the first aid kit, she felt tears fill her eyes.
Inuyasha seemed to sense her sadness and he cracked open his eyes to glance at her. "Oie, what you crying for?" He whispered.
"I miss mama." Kagome whispered and wiped her eyes on her sleeve, before returning to her search. "We had been gone so long and she was probably worried about me not returning home, and then this happened. She must be going out of her mind with worry."
Inuyasha swallowed. He always hated it when she cried; it always left him feeling incapable and useless. This time however, it was not he who caused her tears and for that he was silently grateful. Nervously, he inched closer to her and touched his shoulder to hers, being careful not to draw attention to her while she sniffled softly. "Hey, it'll be okay. Once we get back, we will tell your hahaue what happened. She is very understanding."
Kagome nodded and smiled through her tears. "I know, and she trusts you to keep me safe."
Inuyasha twitched and sniffed. "Of course she does. She is probably thinking that we were just too involved with our search."
Kagome nodded and fingered the thin tin of cream before pulling it out of the first aid kit. "I miss talking with her." She whispered.
Inuyasha nodded. He knew that whenever Kagome went home she and her mother would sit for hours on end talking and discussing everything that had happened, and anything Kagome might have missed while in his era. The other thing, if Kagome returned out of anger due to one of their arguments, her mother always seemed to know about it.
Inuyasha sighed and gently nudged her shoulder with his own. "Oie, no more tears. We will get home, and I'll take you back to your mom."
Kagome nodded gratefully and finally held up the tin of burn cream. "Arigato, Inuyasha. Here, let me see your arms."
He grunted and lifted one arm and then the other watching as she applied the thin cream to his skin. Inuyasha glanced around with a frown as a strong scent of water reached his nose and he furrowed his brows confused. "Hey, I can smell water."
Kagome smiled and glanced around. "Really? Maybe you're returning to normal."
Inuyasha lifted his nose to the air and breathed deeply. "I'd take anything right now. Even being hanyou, just so I can have my senses back."
Kagome gripped his arm and eagerly nodded. "I would love to see your ears again."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "What is it with you and my ears? They ain't anything special you know."
Kagome giggled and he smiled in relief now that her sadness was gone. "I know, but I still like them." She got to her feet, dusted off her pants and looked around. "You know, maybe a bath will help improve my mood. I wish Sango was here."
Inuyasha shook his head. "You're not wandering around by yourself at night. This is a strange place Kagome, we don't know what dangers are out there."
Kagome sighed and nodded. "I know, but I feel so dirty. I'm covered in sweat and dust."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Do you have that suit thing you always use in my era?"
Kagome pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I don't know. Maybe." She fell to her knees once again and rummaged through her bag quickly, trying to locate her swimsuit. If she had it with her, then there would be no stopping her having a bath. Someone could go with her to make sure nothing snuck up on her. She automatically knew that Inuyasha would insist on going, even though he was in human form, and secretly she didn't mind. They rarely had any alone time together, so perhaps this was a good thing.
Ever since Sango and Miroku had joined their group, Inuyasha and her had hardly gotten any time alone together to just talk about things. She secretly prayed that she had been thoughtful enough to actually bring it with her. Otherwise she would be staying right where she was. Inuyasha would refuse to allow her to go into the darkness by herself. There were only two options open to her. She could go take a bath in her suit if she brought it with her, or she would have to be naked while she bathed.
Kagome blushed despite herself with the mere thought of bathing naked while Inuyasha was in the general vicinity. It would prove to be interesting, she knew that much. He had seen her naked a few times and both times they had freaked out mostly embarrassment. She had even seen him naked once but that had not been pleasurable for her mostly because she had also seen Miroku and that image had all but left her feeling slightly ill.
Inuyasha had barged into her bedroom naked after Souta had dragged him off, and it had taken her completely by surprise she had done the only thing that had come to mind and that had been to toss her trash can at him. It had knocked him back and out of the room and had left her completely stunned.
Her fingers touched the familiar material of her bathing suit and she grinned happily as she pulled it out. "Kyaa, I do have it." She declared excitedly.
The sudden out burst of emotion caused the twins and the prince of Mirkwood whirling around quickly to see what the commotion was all about. Kagome clutched her suit to her chest and twirled around. "I get to have a bath." Finally over her initial excitement, she dug through her bag for her shampoo and conditioner bottles and a bar of springtime fresh soap, and nudged Inuyasha with her toe. "Are you going to come, or shall I ask one of the others?"
Inuyasha leapt to his feet and scowled. "No way in hell is anyone else going to keep watch. I told you I would protect you, didn't I?"
Kagome nodded and grinned. "You are in human form. Won't you be vulnerable?" She stated mostly to egg him on. She really wanted to spend a bit of alone time with Inuyasha and this was the perfect opportunity for that.
Inuyasha glared at her. "And whose fault is it that I am stuck like this? I am hardly worthless when it comes to having to fight while I am human. Besides, my senses are coming back, so I'm not completely useless."
Kagome twisted around on her heel and began walking away from the camp but stopped when she didn't sense anyone following her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Inuyasha standing there with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.
Inuyasha grinned wider. "Just where do you think you're going?"
Kagome flushed. "Right, you lead the way to the water."
Inuyasha snorted and nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought, baka."
Kagome frowned but remained silent as she turned around and made her way to where Inuyasha was. He turned around and lead the way through the trees and a vary audible disapproval from one of the elves reached their ears before they were out of earshot.
"What foolishness. They won't even know if evil is approaching them without the proper guard on post."
"Leave them alone." Another voice said.
"At least send one of the guards with them, so that we don't have a mess to clean up later."
"Do not presume to think that my brother is useless while in human form." Came the recognizable baritone of Sesshoumaru. "He did win against you in a sparring match, did he not?"
"I went easy on him, that is all that was."
Kagome rolled her eyes when the voices finally fell to nothing more then whispers and silently she was grateful. Finally there was silence as Inuyasha lead the way through the woods and after awhile she could hear the rumbling of a waterfall nearby and she grew excited. Biting her lip playfully, she darted past Inuyasha and tapped his shoulder.
Inuyasha jumped, looked at his shoulder and then after the girl who ran away from him. Snorting, he broke into a run after her, once her giggles reached his now improving hearing, and growled after her. "Oie, you think you're gonna get away with that, Kagome? I run faster than you."
"Prove it." Kagome laughed merrily as she glanced over her shoulder. She squeaked once she realized that Inuyasha was as close as he was, and she snapped her head back around and tried to run even faster.
She glanced behind her again to see how much closer he was only to find that he was no longer there. Kagome skidded to a halt and spun around. "Inuyasha?" All that met her ears was silence, and she turned around in a complete circle. "Inuyasha?" She called again softly this time, nervously. Gulping nervously, she turned around again and yelped loudly as she was caught in a strong set of arms and lifted off her feet.
Inuyasha chuckled and tossed her over his shoulder. "Should have kept running."
"You scared me half to death." Kagome scolded him and beat his back, which was all she could reach in the position he held her in.
Inuyasha chuckled again. "Now that I have caught you, what shall I do with you?" He asked playfully. They rounded a set of large trees and Kagome tried to lift herself to see where they were going. Her eyes met the most beautiful waterfall and pool she had ever seen.
"Wow." She whispered in awe.
Inuyasha nodded and placed her on her feet, staring at the glistening pool. "Not bad." He muttered. "Go change and I'll keep watch over here."
Kagome smirked and quickly ran into the bushes to change out of her priestess attire and into her swimsuit. When she was done she walked out and glanced around for Inuyasha but didn't see him anywhere. "Inuyasha? Now where'd you go?"
"I'm here." His voice floated down from somewhere in the trees and she rolled her eyes.
"I'm decent you know, you don't have to stay in the trees."
"Feh, I know that. Just go bath."
Kagome narrowed her eyes and followed the sound of his voice and found his foot sticking out from a branch above her. She tugged at it and heard a disgruntled sound of annoyance. "Come down from there."
"What for? To watch you bathe?" He jumped out of the tree and she smiled happily.
"Well what if something is in the water and it swallows me up?" Kagome asked and tossed her hair over her shoulder, while turning around and heading to the water. She was about to comment when she was hefted into the air and over his shoulder again.
Inuyasha snorted and walked closer to the water. "What you waiting for? Get in already."
Kagome squealed and grabbed onto his kosode tightly in her fists. "Don't you dare."
"You going to try to stop me?" He smirked and stepped into the water.
"Inuyasha…" She warned.
"What? You going to sit me? I might drown you know, and I'll be taking you with me." He chuckled. "You'd still get wet, but wouldn't you feel horrible if I drown?"
Kagome narrowed her eyes and bit her lip. "Is the water cold?" She asked nervously, noticing he was still walking into the water, fully clothed.
"Want to find out?" He growled and glanced at her.
Kagome gasped as she caught the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. She couldn't remember the last time he was in such a playful mood and she wondered if it was due to his human blood that now coursed through his veins so strongly.
Inuyasha grinned widely and flipped her off his shoulder and into his arms. Slowly, he lowered her into the water and she gasped as the cool water touched her skin. It wasn't too bad, and she placed her feet on the ground.
"I really thought you would drop me." She whispered and looked at him.
"Have I ever dropped you?" Inuyasha asked as he turned to go back to the shore.
Kagome smiled and shook her head. Her hands scooped up a bit of water and she tossed it in his direction, successfully sprinkling him with it. "No, you haven't."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and raised a single brow at her as the water fell onto his arms. "Oh so you want to play that game, do you?" He snarled and lowered both his hands into the water.
Kagome squealed and tried to dart away as a wave of water flew at her. In retaliation, she spun around and swung a wide arc of water at him and doused his face.
He sputtered and grinned pushing more water at her, and the fight began. Kagome laughed merrily and finally held up her hands protesting more. "Okay, you win." She giggled.
Inuyasha grinned triumphantly and nodded dusting his hands off. "Of course." He snorted.
"Why don't you get out of those wet clothes and I'll wash your hair." Kagome suggested and moved to where she had put her shampoo and conditioner.
"Small problem there Kagome." Inuyasha said as he wrung out his kosode.
"Oh?" She asked glancing over her shoulder.
"I don't have nothing else to wear, stupid." He snorted.
Kagome blushed and gasped. Of course Inuyasha didn't have a suit, how could she have forgotten such a thing. She turned away from him and back to her shampoo bottle.
"Stay turned around." He commanded softly.
Kagome nodded and held the bottle tightly in her hands. "What are you doing?"
"Undressing." He snorted as though that were obvious.
Kagome felt her cheeks heat up even more and she gasped. "Uh-ndress-ing?" She stuttered.
"Feh, I'll keep my fundoshi on, but I'm not passing up having a real bath."
Kagome swallowed nervously and kept her bath turned. There was a loud splash behind her and she remained frozen in place, trying to keep the image of Inuyasha in a fundoshi and only a fundoshi out of her head. Another splash sounded closer and his voice filled the silence of the night.
"You can turn around now. The night conceals anything. I thought you had all those pools in your time where men and women swim together all the time." He muttered.
Kagome turned around and saw Inuyasha swimming lazily away from her; the only thing exposed from the water was his face. She swallowed again and nodded. "Yeah but everyone has swimsuits." She tried really hard to keep her voice even.
Inuyasha nodded and ducked under the water, before rising up a little bit further away. "So is the offer still open to have my hair washed? Or do I have to do it myself?" He glanced at her from over his shoulder curiously.
Kagome glanced at the bottle in her hand, still in a death hold and she nodded. "Yeah, come here." She whispered.
Inuyasha grinned and slowly swam towards her, keeping fully covered by the sparkling water. She was up to her waist so when he stood up she caught sight of a bit of white, before her eyes locked onto the hard muscled chest. Kagome blushed furiously and lifted her gaze even more so her eyes met his.
Inuyasha smirked and turned around, lowering himself into the water once again. Kagome lifted the bottle and flipped open the lid to pour some of the thick liquid inside into her palm. She placed the bottle onto the rock and lathered it into his thick mane of black hair and breathed softly when he sighed in pleasure.
"It's been awhile since you've washed my hair." He muttered softly
Kagome swallowed. "Yeah." She was not sure what else to say. The last time had been while he had been a hanyou, and there was absolutely no difference in the texture of hair. Even though it was black as night, his hair was still soft and silky, like cashmere. It had been only a week after they had met.
She ran her fingernails over his scalp and massaged the shampoo through as best as she could, before she tapped his shoulder, signaling he could rinse. Inuyasha ducked under the water, and all she could see was a surge of white soap float to the surface. Blushing once again, she wondered if he could see her from under the water and she gulped.
Inuyasha surfaced and turned to face her. "You done?" He whispered.
Kagome felt her throat lock and she tried to find her voice but her mouth hung open uselessly at how close he was. She could feel the heat rise off him in waves and she breathed a shuttering nervous breath.
He moved closer and hovered over her and tilted his head. His eyes lowered to her lips and saw her bite her lower one. His improving senses picked up on her nervousness and he lowered himself into the water some and moved away slightly. "You going to use that conditioner stuff?" He whispered and almost chuckled as she nodded quickly.
Inuyasha smiled to himself and turned around. It had been far too long since they had had any time to be alone. Since they had first met one another, their time alone was now practically non-existent. He still watched her while she slept, but he could no longer approach her, due to the annoying runt Shippo always being around and cuddled up with her. They had then been accompanied by Miroku and Sango, so that now left them no time to be together alone for any reason.
He sighed as he felt her fingers work through his long hair, with the cream stuff and he closed his eyes. Inuyasha knew in her time they had a bit more alone time then in his era, but her mother was always around, not to mention her friends who always came to visit, like they had some automatic sense that she was back home.
Inuyasha felt her fingers slow and finally stop working through the conditioner and he glanced over his shoulder to see if she was finished. At her nod, he ducked again under the water and used his own hands to rid his hair of the stuff, before he turned around and gripped one of her legs.
Her leg twitched and he lifted himself up out of the water and came face to face with hers. Kagome's eyes were wide and almost held a startled look of a doe caught in sight by a predator.
He smiled slowly and lowered his mouth to her ear. "What are you so nervous about?" Inuyasha asked and pulled away slightly, before he caught her lips with his own in a fiery kiss.
Kagome gasped against his lips and placed her hands on his chest as though to hold herself up.
Inuyasha smirked and wrapped his arms around her pulling her closer against him. The feeling was electrifying and he moaned softly as her skin came into contact with his.