The Middle Ground

Disclaimer: Whatever I wrote here two years ago, it makes NO SENSE. Something about not being cute and all that.

So who actually expected to get an update on this after over two years? I had this almost all written out and everything… Of course, I managed to change the last scene entirely from what I had planned it to be, but who cares? Two years!

Chapter 3: Getting To Know You

"Hey, bitch?"

"Yes, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou shivered slightly at Kagome's tone – it was a bit too sweet to be sincere. "How do you know so much about youkai, anyway?"

Kagome sighed; she was not in the mood for more questions right now. "How do you not, hanyou?" she retorted.

Inuyasha scowled at her and chose to ignore the question, which seemed to be normal behaviour for him. Seemingly unaware of the sarcasm evident in her voice, he continued on. "I mean, how do you know that hanyou don't exist – or aren't supposed to – and how would you what youkai look like? Have you ever seen one?"

"You mean, besides the really ugly oni that are shown in the media to terrify the normal citizen of the Human Empire? No, I haven't."

"Oh. So not all youkai look like that?"

"No. Don't you listen to a thing I say?"

"I do! I just don't get- never mind," he finished quickly.

So he's not just inexperienced in the world, he's stupid too?! Kagome nearly cried in exasperation. "Not only do I have to travel with a dense boy who doesn't bring food and can't fight at all, but he is incapable of understanding a simple answer without further clarification? Perhaps I should have stayed home after all…"

"Oi! I'm not dense!"

"Of course not," Kagome muttered, "but I'm sure you didn't understand the rest of what I said, seeing as your vocabulary is limited to small words…"

They were facing each other by now. Inuyasha's facial expressions seemed to be limited to indifference, anger, pouting, and scowling (which was his current expression) and Kagome wore a mask of calmness, though she was nearly shaking with frustration. Inuyasha's fangs were bared, though Kagome showed no fear towards them – or his claws, which happened to be balled up into tight fists at the moment, hands shaking at his sides.

"Bitch! I'm not stupid, you know!"

"Of course," Kagome said condescendingly.

The scowl was now accompanied by a glare. "I didn't bring food because I expected to have to hunt for it. I don't know about killing youkai because I have encountered two people before you, and both were human! I only asked for further clarification because I might have misinterpreted something in your long explanation! And I do understand long words when they are used correctly!"

It would have been a rather impressive speech if his voice hadn't cracked in the middle.

Noting that the… incident… had not happened as a result of strong emotion, as was possible, Kagome was in fits of laughter by the end. This, of course, only served to make Inuyasha even more frustrated.

She probably wasn't even listening to me! That… that… bitch!

It was quite obvious that Inuyasha only knew one insult, and did not realize how pathetic he sounded after reusing this insult in every other sentence. The lack of social experience was proving to be quite an inhibition.

"I'm surprised you know such large words, Inuyasha, considering your vocabulary seems to have only one insult," Kagome responded.

Inuyasha looked confused for a moment. Can she read minds?

"No, Inuyasha. You just have a habit of speaking out loud without realizing it."

The hanyou blinked, then realized she was indeed correct. He had lived with such limited social contact that he found himself unable to differentiate between thinking and speaking aloud.

That would have to be fixed, of course. He didn't want Kagome to know what he was thinking, especially when they were about that bitch-

"Talking- wait, thinking about me again?" Kagome laughed at the expression on his face.

"I'm sure I didn't say that out loud!" he protested.

"If I could read minds, Inuyasha, I wouldn't be here right now. Just learn to keep your thoughts to yourself, learn a new insulting term, and this journey will be less….frustrating."

"How far is it, anyway?" Inuyasha asked. It felt like days since he had left his home and met Kagome; it couldn't be far to the Youkai Empire!

"I don't know," she admitted. "I've never traveled through the forest before, and… as far as I know, there isn't a map we could use, if we had one."

Inuyasha glared at her. "Then how are we supposed to know if we're going the right way? For all you know, we could be walking in circles!"

"If we were doing that, we'd recognize the scenery," Kagome muttered.

"At this rate, we won't get there until next year!"

"The forest isn't that large."

Inuyasha wisely decided to remain quiet for the next few hours.

Sango's day began rather unpleasantly when she was informed, in the middle of the night, that her closest friend was running away. In the past, Kagome had often complained to the taiji-ya that she was tired of being the Emperor's daughter, that she wanted freedom, that she wanted to know what was going on in the battles. She had actually succeeded in her carefully laid plans once or twice. Despite Sango's childish worry (they were still children at the time), Kagome had returned after a few minutes.

Evidently, the girl was not used to living outside her comfortable home.

This time, however, the situation was different. Sango had seen the desperation and longing in her friend's eyes – Kagome was determined to escape this time, and she was going to succeed, too. Life would be drastically changed for both of them, and for Kagome's family as well.

At least Sango had managed to snatch a few hours of sleep afterwards. Otherwise, she would never have been prepared to face him.

During her first day at Kazeki Koukou, Sango had been treated to the "talk": a quick overview of the school buildings and some of the more notorious students, including warnings of who to avoid. The position at the top of the list of these troublesome people had been taken by a man named Yamada Miroku, known for his flirtatious and charming ways. The danger lay in his opening lines; this was where his charm came into play. It was well-known around the school that girls fell at his feet when he approached them.

Sango was determined not to walk into his trap.

The first few weeks at school, however, brought new gossip about the upperclassman. Apparently, he had not propositioned any girl since the beginning of the year! It had come as a shock to Sango, who had been expecting the man to take an immediate interest in a few of her good-looking friends.

It came as quite a surprise when, a month later, he had approached Sango herself and greeted her by name. The taiji-ya was shocked. How could he deem her attractive enough to date, when her prettier friends had been bemoaning the fact that none of them had even captured the attention of Yamada-sempai? She would admit he was rather good-looking, but Sango knew she could never speak to the man, not with his reputation, at least. The fact that her friends held an unhealthy interest in him did not help.

Wait, he knew her name? Had he been stalking her?

The simple thought was enough to make Sango reconsider any thought of being polite to him. While her friends could not believe the disrespectful way she had spoken to an upperclassman, especially him, the taiji-ya felt no guilt.

She still didn't – in fact, every time she saw Yamada-sempai, Sango became annoyed and irritated at him, remembering that first incident.

Seeing him that afternoon only proved that this was fated to be one of the worst days in her life.

As if it wasn't bad enough that she had caught him listening to her private conversation with Koharu-chan (stalking again, of course), he had groped her.

Sango had heard that he did such a thing on occasion, though at a time when it would be deemed 'acceptable' – on a date, for example. She herself thought no time was acceptable for such an action, but other girls evidently thought differently. By staying a fair distance away from Yamada-sempai, she had thought, avoiding his wandering hands would be easy.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. At least she had some satisfaction from hitting him so hard he ended up on the ground.

Family curse, yeah right, Sango thought, glaring at a few passing students. I'm sure he is just another of those perverted men who thinks all women fall at their feet!

As she was putting her running shoes away, a hand touched her shoulder.

With a gasp, Sango whirled around to see the exact person who she had just been thinking about – Yamada Miroku.

"Now, Nekoi-chan, I understand I may have deserved that-"

"You did, Yamada-senpai," Sango responded icily.

"-but that is not the reason I came to speak with you."

The taiji-ya's expression changed to one of fake surprise. "Of course; I'm sure you would never apologize for something like that. After all, you would not regret it."

"I would, Sango-sama," he said calmly, "since it made you angry."

Sango found herself blushing. So that is what they mean by his charm, she thought. It cannot be real, though.

"I wonder how many other girls you have said that to," she retorted.

"Ah, none, Sango-sama; you are indeed special. Now, I came to discuss with you the matter which you were speaking of this morning – with Mikage-chan, I believe."

Sango gaped at him. "You were eavesdropping!"

"I merely overheard," he corrected her. "Now, as you may know, I work as a monk for the fair Izayoi-sama."

"I did not," Sango responded, "since I do not stalk you in return and learn every single fact – you're a monk?" Her mouth dropped. "You?"

Miroku shook his head with a sigh. She doesn't believe me… "While my… behaviour may seem unusual for my profession, I am indeed a monk."

"I'm sure."

"I am!" he protested. "Now, am I correct in understanding that your close friend, Kagome-hime, has run away?"

"She has," Sango said softly with a trace of sadness. "I would prefer if you did not inform your mistress of this turn of events, however. You see, she does not wish to marry… so soon."

"Indeed," Miroku agreed. "You have nothing to fear, Sango-sama. Inuyasha-sama – Izayoi-sama's son – is also opposed to the union."

"An odd name," Sango mused.

"He is an unusual boy himself," Miroku explained.

"I see. You mean to say that he would not demand a search for his fiancée, if he was told of this?"

"Actually…" Miroku fidgeted nervously. "He would not have the opportunity himself – he, too, has disappeared."

There was a moment of silence before Sango cried out in surprise,

"So they're both gone?!"

"I believe that is the case, yes," Miroku replied.

"But… but how will they survive?" Sango exclaimed in worry. "They're too young to be living out there – with no experience of life outside the comforts of home – they're only fifteen, Miroku-senpai!"

"Inuyasha is still fourteen, Sango-sama," Miroku said, smiling at her use of his proper name, "and I do understand what worry you might hold."

"Fourteen! Even I, who had been warned of the dangers of the world by that time, could barely survive in the woods!" The taiji-ya visibly shook with apprehension. "I nearly lost a battle with a fierce bandit!"

"Sango-sama, if I may… You are trained to fight youkai, correct?"

"Yes, which might have been why…" Sango trailed off, grey eyes widening in shock. "You knew I was a taiji-ya? I have never revealed my past to anyone, except for the Emperor and his family!"

Miroku winced. Sango was already angry at him for eavesdropping on her earlier conversation; it would have been wise to keep the extent of his knowledge on the woman to himself. He opened his mouth to reply in his usual, polite and pacifying manner, but Sango cut him off by continuing.

"Never mind, Yamada-senpai; I am aware of your…fascination… with me, and I should have known you are aware of more things about me than even I do." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He looked shocked – had he never expected her to notice his peculiar behaviour towards her?

Actually, Miroku was worried about her comment on his 'fascination'. Was she aware of the strong feelings he had towards her – as strong as possible considering he had never spoken to her before the current day? She wouldn't… blackmail him, would she?

"S-Sango-sama…" he managed to stutter. "I would appreciate it if you never spoke of this… realization… to anyone else."

She frowned at him. "Why, Yamada-senpai?" A smirk spread across her face. "It would ruin your reputation, wouldn't it?" And prevent you from breaking the hearts of innocent girls when you are unable to keep your promise, she silently added.

He sighed. "I beg you, Sango-sama: please do not speak of this to anyone!"

"All right," Sango conceded. "A wound to the pride is one of the most painful, and hardest to heal – second only to the heart. Still, I will agree to keep your secret on one condition."

Miroku was unable to keep the relief from his face. "Thank you, Sango-sama! I will do anything for you… within reasonable limits," he added, seeing the malicious grin beginning to form on her lips.

"In that case," Sango said calmly, "You will aid me in covering for Kagome-hime at her school."

The monk nodded furiously; he had been expecting a far worse punishment. "Sango-sama, I would gladly do such a thing for you."

"…and you will also explain to her father," Sango finished, smiling at the now-horrified expression on the upperclassman's face.

"B-but… the Emperor…" At Sango's nod, he sighed in desperation. "If I must, Sango-sama, but still… The Emperor!"

"You said you would do anything, Yamada-senpai," she reminded him. "It is a necessary duty that I cannot perform since I am bound by a promise I made to Kagome-hime."

"In that case," Miroku conceded, "I believe I have no choice."

He had never expected Sango would react in this way if she ever learned of his infatuation – but then again, he had never been in such a situation before.

Meanwhile, Sango was overjoyed at Miroku's defeat. She could keep her promise to Kagome while ensuring the safety of her friend as much as possible. Her day was already looking up.

"And that's the… what, tenth time we've passed that tree so far? So, Kagome, willing to admit we're walking in circles yet?"

Kagome shot a glare over her shoulder to the sarcastic hanyou, who happened to be smirking at her. If she hadn't been such a nice person, the boy would have been dead long ago. It was still a mystery to her as to why she continued traveling with Inuyasha; while she might have been severely injured if he hadn't been around to kill the crow demon, he had as much battle experience as she did – possibly less, since she had brought her bow – and absolutely no supplies.

So, was he following her, then? He hadn't brought any food with him…

"Bitch! When are we going to leave this damn forest?"

The older teenager decided to suppress her frustration and ask the question that had formed in her head before the last insult.

"Inuyasha, why are you following me?" Kagome asked sweetly.

The pale-haired boy blinked in shock. Where had that come from?

Noticing the silence, Kagome immediately came to the conclusion that he had no answer to her question. Remembering the amount of intelligence he had shown since they met, she decided this was perfectly normal for the boy and shrugged.

"I don't blame you if you don't know," Kagome said condescendingly as she turned back to the path, "but I would have hoped you were smarter than that."

Inuyasha's eyes had snapped to her face by the end of that sentence. "Hm?"

Kagome's mouth dropped once she realized why he hadn't been listening. "You… you… male!" With that, she stormed away from him, leaving Inuyasha to his own surprised thoughts.

Miroku said this was normal for guys of my age… but… He paused to shudder. For lack of a better word… EW! Girls are NASTY!

Shaking his head to relieve himself of very un-Inuyasha like and very mature thoughts (which, at the age of fourteen, he was not), he ran to catch up with Kagome.

Meanwhile, Kagome had calmed down from her little outburst. She had little experience with boys in her school – her group of friends being entirely female – but, thanks to certain… education…, Inuyasha's behaviour was actually perfectly normal for a boy of his age.

The hime only wished he would focus his hormones on someone besides herself; she preferred to acknowledge those thoughts when they came from her boyfriend – not some adolescent boy who was younger than she was!

Of course, her husband-to-be was hardly older than this hanyou who was following her through the forest. Still, her fiancé was only two months younger than she was. This boy couldn't be older than thirteen! The person she was to marry was nearly fifteen – would be this summer.

Kagome desperately hoped her future held more mature people than her present.

But wait – wasn't she running away from this situation? What good would thinking of the possible marriage do her, now that it was never going to happen?

Perhaps the hime hadn't fully grasped the change to her life that running away had brought.

Fate, however, had other plans for her and Inuyasha, who was definitely older than he looked.

Not long after the "incident", as dubbed by Kagome, the two came across a large river running through the forest. Being inexperienced about traveling through spirit-infested forests, neither teenager had expected such a thing.

"There's a river," Inuyasha stated.

"Yes," Kagome agreed. "So how are we going to cross it?"

Inuyasha blinked. "There isn't a bridge?"

A long silence occurred before Kagome spoke.

"Do you see a bridge?" she asked dryly.

"There's probably one upriver," Inuyasha answered. "There's always a bridge in books or movies."

The hime sighed. "This isn't a book, Inuyasha! This is reality! If there ever was a bridge, it was probably destroyed by ugly oni who had no brains and nothing better to do!"

"Are you sure you haven't been here before?" he asked her. "No normal person would ever know these kinds of things, you know."

"Sango told me," she sighed. "By the way, normal people aren't isolated in their houses since birth, either."

Inuyasha smirked at her. "I already know I'm not normal. Normal people don't have dog ears."

"Whatever," Kagome muttered. To be honest, she didn't really have a comeback for Inuyasha's remark this time. The boy's social skills were developing quite quickly, considering the amount of human contact he had been exposed to before running away. She frowned. "Is it just me, or are you becoming more intelligent?"

He shrugged. "I don't feel as if I've changed."

"Maybe you're smarter because you're in the company of a more intelligent being!" she exclaimed.

"What, the trees?" he muttered sarcastically.

Kagome glared at him. "You didn't need to respond to that," she pouted.

"Keh. You didn't need to act like a stupid little girl, either," he responded, slightly pleased at her inability to think of a comeback to his own insult.

"Little girl!" she exclaimed. "You're younger than me!"

"So you're an old woman?" he shot back.

"I'm fifteen, which is definitely older than you are!"

He remained silent… she did have a point.

Wait – "Fifteen this year, or last?"

Kagome frowned. "Since next week. Why?"

"So you're fourteen. Then you're not older than me," he muttered. "Not enough to matter, anyway."

"A few years doesn't matter?" she argued. "Or did you just turn fourteen and think a year is nothing?"

He scowled at her. "A few months, more like."

Kagome shivered; those words reminded her of her currently anonymous fiancé. Inuyasha couldn't be the only boy born in the summer, who was the same age, and who also came from a noble family…

"Bitch?" he asked, puzzled by her silence.

The hime shook her head to clear her mind. "Of course he's not the only one," she muttered to herself. "Summer is a common time for children to be born. I should be thankful that I'm marrying – I would be marrying – a nicer person than Inuyasha."

By this time, the hanyou had crept closer to her and poked her shoulder. "You're too quiet, bitch."

…After all, no one could be more annoying than Inuyasha. "Thank you for the warning," she hissed, stalking farther ahead to the river. The hanyou frowned, wondering at her change in attitude. Shrugging – he would never understand girls – he followed her to the river.

This was where the actual problem emerged.

See, Kagome was female. Females do not like remaining unclean for long periods of time – in this case, two days. Kagome promptly decided that the river was an excellent place to take a bath.

A bath, of course, meant no Inuyasha. And after the… incident… earlier that day, she was quite reluctant to be placed in a position where Inuyasha could easily create a repeat of that incident. He needed supervision.

Unfortunately, there was no one to provide said supervision. Since the bath took priority over embarrassment in Kagome's mind, she grudgingly decided to trust him.

"Inuyasha," she told him, "I need to take a bath."

He stared blankly at her.

"Inuyasha," she repeated. "I want to take a bath."

He didn't respond.

"Inuyasha. I need you to leave so I can take a bath."

The hanyou blinked at her. "Why?"

Kagome shook her head in frustration. "I'm going to be cleaning myself! I don't want males seeing me in such a state!" she cried. "Don't you understand that?"

"Sure," he said, shrugging. "I'll make sure no guys come to watch."

"That includes you," she said flatly.

He gave her a confused look. "How am I supposed to make sure that no men see you when I have to go away?"

"Inuyasha," she hissed, "you are the only male in this forest that I am concerned about. I can take a bath on my own."

"Sure you can," he told her condescendingly. "And if a crow attacks you, I'm sure you'll find a way to deal with it on your own."

Kagome glared at the younger teenager. "If a crow attacks me, you'll be stuck without a guide in the forest."

"Meaning I'll reach the other side in a week, as opposed to a month," Inuyasha responded.

"And I won't give you food."

That shut him up.

"Fine," Inuyasha said, scowling, "but it's not like I'd be tempted to look, anyway."

"You'd better not," Kagome said menacingly. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" She dropped her bag onto the ground and began to remove her shoes.

"Going! I'm going!" Inuyasha said quickly, placing a hand over his eyes with exaggerated motions and quickly making his way into the underbrush – after snatching some ramen, of course.

"About time," Kagome muttered to herself as she finished changing and slid carefully into the (icy) water. "Ah, cold…"

After having such a difficult time with her traveling companion, it was only natural for her to use this time to reflect on her situation and what she had done to displease the gods…

Why do I have to stay with him, anyway? she fumed. His attitude is terrible, he's immature, thinks I need him or something – and I have to feed him, too…

But I'd feel bad if anything happened to him. He's younger than I am, and not that bright. He couldn't get out of here without help.

Kagome's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by something cold brushing against her feet. She screamed.

"What is it this time?!" The sound of bushes being trampled and the pounding of feet could mean anything, but the accompanying voice allowed her to narrow down the suspects… Ignoring the cold feeling and the chill of the water, Kagome promptly threw herself into the water and faced away from the bank where she knew that a certain male would be standing.

"Inuyasha," she hissed, "go away."

"But you screamed!" he protested. "What if it was a youkai or something?"

"It was a fish." At least, she hoped it was; a quick glance at the cold, clear water told her that her assumption had been correct. "I was shocked, that's all."

Wait, clear?

"…Inuyasha, could you please leave for a moment."

"I'm not leaving now! What if a kappa shows up, or-"

"Then turn around." Her embarrassment was quickly overpowering the desire to fight. "Now."

Inuyasha muttered something, but when Kagome turned her head to check, he was facing the other way. She quickly made her way back to the bank, climbed out, and grabbed her clothes… they would be wet, but it was a better alternative than walking around with nothing. As she dressed quickly, she noticed Inuyasha's ears swiveling around to face her.

It could be worse, she thought.

She had just pulled on her skirt and was reaching for her bra when the ground beneath her foot crumbled. With a gasp, Kagome tumbled into the water.

"Shit-" And Inuyasha was distracted yet again.

"You bastard!" she shrieked. "I haven't got… I…" Blushing dark red, she reached out to hit the nearest body part of the hanyou – his ankle. He immediately lost his balance and tumbled forward into her, breaking his gaze, but also completely soaking both of them.

"What did you do that for, you bitch?" He spat out a stream of water to the side and glared (at her face).

"You were staring again!" she pointed out.

"Yes, but… it's not like I wanted to!" He had gone redder than she had by this point. "And anyway, you're the one walking around without anything on top!"

"Walking – I slipped and fell! I didn't ask for your attention!" Her hand finally connected with his face and he cringed with pain. "Now turn around!"

And finally, Kagome could finish changing. When she finally crawled out of the water, and Inuyasha noticed and followed her, he found her continuing to give him a nasty look. He scowled.

"And you still haven't found a way to get across," he pointed out.

"We're soaking wet," she said icily. "We might as well swim."

Inuyasha couldn't think of any way to respond, and was forced to scowl and follow her across the river.

So their adventure continued.

I don't really know why I felt able to write Inuyasha fanfiction when I have not only failed to read any in the past year but also am in the middle of a D.Gray-Man obsession. Maybe I just needed to finish this chapter.

I'm not inspired to write any more in this idea, but I just don't care for it anymore. I might as well finish it at some point, though.