Inuyasha's Demon Mistake Chapter 13, an inuyasha fanfic

Inuyasha's Demon Mistake ch13

Author's Notes: What's new with my loyal readers? Not much? Sorry I made you wait so long, that was very mean of me, I know… But, I shall give you this chapter, which has two whole pages more than the other chapters! Haha! I tell you, writing not one, but two long chapters for my stories is really exhausting. (pants heavily) Now, I present to you two hours worth of my busy schedule!

Disclaimer: If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times… (literally) No, I don't own anything. Zilch. Nada. Nil.

Two days had passed quickly after that close encounter, and yet Inuyasha had said no more on the subject. He had come back, rather in a bad mood, just a day earlier, and the whole group had been thrown into a state of uncertainty.

Everyone noticed the slowly becoming common 'trips' Inuyasha had to make into the forest. In what seemed the most unexpected times, his face would pale suddenly and he would rush into the nearest safety line of trees there was.

The same thing replayed itself every couple of hours, and Kagome watched sadly as his fading figure bounded into the woods. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears for the half demon's misery. Turning back to the pathway she proceeded down the road with her companions in tow. Despite wanting to stay and wait for the missing Inuyasha, she remembered his orders from the last time. He had specifically told them (actually it was closer to yelling) afterwards to continue on and not stop their pursuit.

That's what they were doing right now. Searching once again for the jewel fragments. The pattern had fallen back into place, all of the traveling and scouring, except for a few changes. Inuyasha barely was seen with them. He might drop by and try to remain with the group, but it was only a matter of moments before he fled back.

Kagome scowled, her tears drying. He couldn't go on like this, there was no way they would accomplish anything with this routine. She vowed that next time he appeared; she would personally drag him off and put in a few opinions of her own. After all, she had thought long and hard about the information Myoga had trusted to her. Myoga had told her that he was going through a 'mating' frenzy, basically. Then he had said it was why he was pursuing her. From what she gathered, that meant that his demon side relatively wanted her as a mate.

She had blushed like the schoolgirl she was when she had reached that conclusion, but it had made sense and tied in with the evidence she had. So Kagome had accepted the rather awkward fact, and not confronted Inuyasha about it. But now, she couldn't let him live in this unfortunate state of anxiety, never knowing if he was to be trusted around her.

With renewed determination in her step she marched on.

Sango and Miroku wearily treaded behind her, the former carrying a fatigued Kilala and the latter carting a whining Shippo. They hadn't stopped since lunch time, which had been roughly five hours ago. This pace was going to be the death of them if they didn't slow down and rest.

The two locked glances, and silently agreed one of them should speak up.

Miroku cleared his throat business-like, and it was clear he had something to say. However, Kagome continued to walk, unaware of this subtle sign as she was wrapped up in her own self-resolution.

Sango sent Miroku a despairing look, and then picked up her speed so that she was right behind the distracted priestess. Reaching her hand out, Sango tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

They weren't expecting her reaction to be so panicked. She yelped rather loudly and whirled around, her eyes as round as dinner plates. Exhaling in a disturbed breath, Kagome resumed a portion of her calm demeanor. "Sorry," she apologized for her inattentiveness.

"It's fine," Sango reassured her, "it's just that we thought it would be best to stop and relax for a moment, seeing as half of our group is currently unable to proceed." With this Sango gestured to the two demons riding on their backs, proving her point.

Kagome smiled. "Sure." She hadn't even realized or considered that the rest of her companions were tiring, and now that she had halted her pace, Kagome noticed that her body was exhausted as well. A nearby fallen log made an agreeable makeshift bench, and she sat down gingerly on the unsteady wood.

Immediately the muscles in her legs felt relief as they slowly unwounded. It appeared that she had been due for a break too. Kagome sensed the log rocking slightly and, looking to her right, found Sango joining her on the dead bark.

"Feels good to sit down, don't you agree Kagome?" Sango remarked amiably. The sun was low in its descent, meaning that night would fast be arriving to steal the light away. "Perhaps it would be better to stay in this spot for the night… seeing as we would only be able to walk for a couple of more minutes."

"I suppose you're right about that…" Kagome confirmed, willingly ready to commit to her bedding. After all, there was no need to stay awake to wait for Inuyasha. The last night, he had not returned at all, instead choosing to catch up with them mid-morning the next day.

The thought that he was not around her, protecting her with his shield of security that he placed on her, unnerved her greatly, and she found herself unable to slip into a deep sleep like she usually did.

Sango watched closely as the warring emotions flitted across Kagome's features one by one, and the young woman became more and more agitated as time passed. "Kagome?" she called softly, wanting to bring her friend back from whatever was bothering her.

There was a pause between the two as Kagome slowly filtered back into reality. "Huh?" she muttered dazedly to Sango, not having heard the demon slayer's words. A little embarrassed by her complete lack of attention, Kagome looked pointedly at the girl next to her.

Shaking her head in an amused fashion at Kagome, Sango patted the girl's knee and suggested, "How about you relax for a few minutes here, and then we'll travel to the nearest hot spring. It wouldn't hurt for us to unwind tonight." Knowing that Kagome's mind was full of overwhelming thoughts and that it would be best to relate them to her, Sango wisely concluded a trip to a hot spring would definitely be in order. Whenever they visited one of those, they always held their small discussions about dilemmas that were haunting them. And Sango was positive that Inuyasha was currently the target of Kagome's overbearing thoughts.

Confound that half demon and his stubbornness! What has he done to Kagome now? This question brought Sango to drop her gaze to Kagome's neck, and the scar that marred her collarbone. It had to have been Inuyasha, yet why was Kagome so clammed up about the subject? I guess I'll find out at the hot spring… Sango resigned herself. And if she won't tell me, then this time I will be forced to drag it out of her!

Kagome watched out of the corner of her eye as her best friend stood up and left the priestess to her own misgivings. She sighed, sorry that she had inadvertently pushed Sango away. Perhaps a trip to the hot spring will do some good for me after all… Kagome fully realized that Sango wanted to hear what was up, and that prompted the invitation. Good friends are sneaky, she mused, oh well, at least I'll be expecting it and already have an answer… I'm still not exactly to clear on the reasons myself, anyways.

It was some complicated issue on demon hormones, a topic she knew virtually nil on. But, seeing as Sango was a demon slayer, she might have some insight on the matter, shedding some much needed light on the subject. Kagome brightened at the idea.

A red blur descended rapidly from the branches of a tree and landed on the ground, crouching. Instantly, Kagome recognized the figure of Inuyasha. Watching inconspicuously as he strode straight towards the meditating monk, Kagome noticed with a disheartening frown that he purposely avoided her eyes. He knows I'm watching him, she thought, we'll just see how long he can hold out until he cracks…

Dammit how long is she gonna keep staring!? Inuyasha furiously wondered, his gaze unwavering on a tree trunk. It took everything he had to keep from turning around to the searching call of her eyes, and he scowled silently at the tree in front of him.

This ignoring business of his was fast becoming a nuisance, seeing as it wasn't going very well. Twice today he had given into temptation and looked at her, but each time he caught himself guiltily and hastily glanced elsewhere.

Let's just say that he had spent a lot of time staring at trees, which aren't the most interesting thing to watch…

How long was he going to keep up with this? She was bound to get fed up with his behavior and forcefully make him look at her. Already Inuyasha knew that Kagome had realized he was avoiding her, how could she not? What am I supposed to do? Not look at her for the rest of our shard journey until we complete the jewel? Months? Years??

Snorting indignantly, he turned to Miroku for lack of anything better to occupy himself with. The monk was midway into his meditation, a concentration rather difficult to break. Inuyasha grumbled in defeat. He was utterly and totally bored.

Surprisingly, the whole 'out of sight, out of mind' prospect had worked with his situation. Ever since beginning to ignore her, his demon side had almost completely subsided. Inuyasha felt the last rays of the warm light caress his face before it dipped into the horizon wholly, leaving behind the cold chill of darkness. The stars were yet to be seen, but the full moon made up for that lack of light with its bright moonlight.

The hairs on the back of Inuyasha's neck stood as he faced the entire moon. Much like the new moon, where his human side dominated his body, the full moon was a time in which his demon side was a fiercer presence in his mind. Damn, how could I have forgotten? Tonight I really have to stay away from Kagome… Cursing heavily under his breath Inuyasha closed his eyes.

"Kagome!" Sango called out, and Inuyasha's eyes snapped back open. "Kagome, are you ready to leave?"

"Almost!" came the reply, as Kagome's voice reached his ears.

Inuyasha whirled around to face Kagome, forgetting momentarily about his mission to ignore her, but remembering as soon as he beheld her mildly shocked expression. The question still lingered at the tip of his tongue, but his unresponsive lips formed no words.

I can't believe it! Kagome inwardly cheered, I didn't even have to try to catch his attention! He did it himself! "Don't worry," she assured Inuyasha, carefully choosing her words, "we're just going to the hot spring."

Almost mechanically, Inuyasha immediately denied it, proclaiming arrogantly, "Feh. As if I would worry about you." He turned back around, his blood pumping, a strange reaction to the priestess still focusing on him. Yes, this was going to be a very trying night indeed…

Kagome walked along the well-used trail to the hot springs, accompanied by a chattering Sango. The demon slayer had many things to announce to Kagome, but since Inuyasha's demon ordeal, there hadn't been a single moment to spare for conversation. Until now. The girls were taking a well-earned break from the outside world.

Stumbling upon the steaming waters unexpectedly, Kagome smiled widely at the familiar scene and dropped her bag by some bushes. "Wow. It has been a long time since I've been to a hot spring. I can't wait to get in!" she exclaimed, and began to unashamedly tug off her dirt-caked clothes.

Sango did the same, although at a more languid pace. Carefully stripping herself of her ordinary kimono clothing, she removed her sandals and placed them neatly beside her folded stack of clothes. She turned around, and found Kagome already waist deep into the water.

"Oh!" Kagome yelped, before lowering her pitch to a relaxed humming sound. "It feels soooo nice… What are you waiting for, come on in!"

Tentatively the exterminator dipped her toe testingly into the steaming liquid and frowned. Sango took a deep breath and bravely marched in, exclaiming too at the sudden change in temperature. The farther she waded in, though, the less the water burned, until it quickly became a soothing feature to her skin.

Slowly dropping deeper into the spring until the water met her chin, Kagome relaxed and allowed the hot water to caress her tense muscles. Within minutes, she was completely comfortable.

"Kagome…" Sango started hesitantly, uncertain of how to approach the topic she was deathly curious to know about.

"Mm?" The girl replied, her eyes closed in bliss at the comforting waters.

Sango drew her eyebrows together in concentration, and glanced apprehensively at Kagome, who had not noticed her friend's anxious state. "Well, I was rather wondering as to you and Inuyasha's strange behavior."

Kagome's eyes flew open at this abrupt question. She had anticipated it as soon as Sango had mentioned the hot springs, knowing full well her friend could sense her distress. Yet still, she really had no straight, exact answer. "I- I don't know Sango… it's rather complicated really…" Kagome paused in her stumbled explanation. "Do you know much about… demon aging?"

"Demon aging, you say?" Sango wrinkled her nose in deep thought as she searched her training years. "A bit, but not very much. Why? Is this what is troubling Inuyasha?"

"Kind of yes and no," Kagome answered slowly, "You see, I received some useful information from Myoga about Inuyasha's problem, and from what I gathered, Inuyasha is going through a demon development stage."

Adjusting herself so that she was leaning against a boulder on the sidelines of the hot spring, Sango listened intently. "Demon development. As in when demons mature their instincts?"

Kagome glanced to the side nervously, her fingers twiddling idly. "Something to that extent…" she agreed. "He is the age where his demon instincts call for a mate. Thus, our problem."

"Is this why Inuyasha is transforming so much?" Sango prodded on, absorbing the new knowledge eagerly.

"That's what Myoga said…" Kagome answered. She was clearly uncomfortable with the subject, and Sango dropped it immediately, noticing the way her friend's shoulders sagged and her expression became more mournful.

Sinking her head under the water and then breaking the surface again, Sango sighed, and then switched conversations. "So… where do you think our jewel shard hunting will take us now?"

Catching onto Sango's subtle change in discussion, Kagome smiled sadly. That was Sango, placing her friend's feelings over her own unquenched curiosity. "You don't need to do that, Sango. I'm perfectly fine with talking about this…"

"No, you're not. I can tell. It makes you nervous."

Kagome bit her lip softly, frustrated. Okay, she admitted it did make her a little anxious, but that was the obvious reaction to this personal conversation, right? "Well, alright it does make me a little bit nervous, but that doesn't mean I can't talk about it."

Smiling despite Kagome's moodiness, Sango stepped out of the scalding springs and grabbed the towel Kagome lent her. She dried off quickly, and then began to dress herself again.

"Oh, already? You want to go back this early?" Kagome questioned, slightly disappointed their bath didn't last longer, seeing as there was so much more she had to spill. Grudgingly, she started to rise.

Sango instantly held her hand up, signaling Kagome to stop, and then shook her head. "I know if I stay in here, you will want to explain this in more detail, but I think it's better if you don't. Give it more time, so that you'll be comfortable telling me, instead of awkward." Sending her bewildered friend a smile, she added, "The campsite isn't that far away, just shouting distance. If anything happens, we'll hear it, so you're pretty safe alone."

She slipped on her last sandal, and made her solo way back to the clearing.

Author's Notes: Okay, I'm evil, I decided to leave it here, completely random, so you guys can use your highly active imagination and try and figure out what happens next! It's a twisted guessing game! Review, and you will be rewarded with a nice, fat, juicy chapter next time on what happens at the hot spring!!

By the way, who is going on with the series by the manga? I'm dying to know what is happening…

-kikyohater92-