Author's note: Hey y'all! A whole mess of new characters kept jumping into this chapter, but eventually I got them to sit down, shut up, and wait their turn. Four rewrites later… *rolls eyes *
Yeah. Enjoy this chap, cuz things may start heating up in the next… 0_0 Also, my next chap of Reincarnation is ready to go! (See? I HAVEN'T been slacking off! :-P )
Toodles!
* * *
After a long moment of silence, Kagome crawled over to her bag and rummaged through it. A blush settled upon Inuyasha's cheeks as he noticed the rather ragged state of her clothing, and, discomfited, he turned away.
"What are you doing?" he asked grumpily. Kagome glanced back at him over her shoulder.
"I had a change of clothes in here, thank goodness." She smiled softly at the blush on his cheeks and turned back to her bag. "I don't think I can ask for help looking like this."
"Feh. Whatever." Glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes, Inuyasha frowned. "Are you sure you should be moving around already?"
Kagome stilled and winced as her head throbbed. "I don't really have much of a choice. Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm fine."
He snorted. "It's a miracle, then. A weak human body like yours should've been ripped apart by that tornado." He let out a tiny sigh of relief, masking it as a huff of annoyance. "You're lucky you're not hurt."
She gingerly touched the back of her skull. "Well, I did get a pretty good lump on the head, but I'm sure I'll survive." She blinked as he growled and clambered over to her. "What?"
"You mean you are hurt??" He scowled to cover up his concern as he gently touched her hair. His scowl grew at the scent of blood. "Dammit, you should've said something, you idiot!"
Annoyed, Kagome pushed his hand away. Does he always have to insult me? "I said I'm fine. I'm not going to keel over because of a bump on the head!"
Growling, he folded his arms over his chest. "Well excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me!" That's what I get for worrying about her. Stupid wench! "Next time I'll just let you bleed to death!"
Oh, give me a break. And I thought teenage girls were supposed to be melodramatic! Kagome rolled her eyes and returned to her task, pushing ramen and candy bars around until she found what she was looking for.
"Ah! Finally!" She glanced around, taking note of the trees nearby. Slowly, she rose to her feet, making sure that her legs were going to hold her up before she put all her weight on them. Clothes folded in her arms, she walked towards the trees.
"Face the other way while I change, and don't even think about peeking at me!"
"Feh." He complied, scooting around until his back was to her. "Don't flatter yourself."
"Hmph." What a jerk. Tilting her chin up, Kagome strode into the forest and began to change.
Inuyasha's ears tweaked at the sound of rustling clothing, but he ignored it. A small worm of unease was wriggling through him.
I honestly have no clue where we are. He sniffed speculatively at the air, but he still caught nothing familiar. How can we get back if we don't have a way of getting our bearings?
"Inuyasha?"
Broken out of his reverie, he turned around…
…And stared.
Kagome placed her hands on her hips and stared back down at him. A form-fitting blue T-shirt hugged her torso, while denim shorts clung feverishly to her hips. Frayed cuffs let slivers of fabric trail down her thighs. Although her school uniform flattered her to some extent, this outfit left little to the imagination.
…Was she trying to tease him??
Swallowing hard, Inuyasha dragged his gaze to her face. "It took you long enough! Let's get a move on!"
Kagome sighed and lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. After a moment, she spoke.
"Do you think…? If you climb a really tall tree, do you think you could spot the tornado's path? We could just follow it back."
Glancing up, Inuyasha gauged the height of a tall, spindly tree nearby. "It's worth a shot, I guess."
With a grunt, he launched himself up into the tree, bounding from branch to branch until he perched atop it. He glanced around as the tree rocked back and forth in the breeze. He could see forests, mountains, and beaches, but no path of destruction from the tornado. Shading his eyes, he took another look around for fires or buildings of any sort, but nothing jumped into sight.
Frustrated, he glanced down at the girl waiting on the ground. He stared for a long moment, his frustration increasing.
Kagome leaned against the tree truck, arms folded, and waited. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the rough bark.
Okay, relax. I'm sure Inuyasha will find some way of getting home. After all, he's a dog demon. He should be able to find the way back, right?
She opened her eyes and straightened as Inuyasha dropped down beside her. His grim expression didn't help her spirits.
"No good. I couldn't see a trail anywhere." Scowling, he ran a hand through his hair. "Hell, I couldn't even find a village."
Kagome took another deep breath. Don't worry. Don't. "Well…I'm sure if we start walking, we'll run into someone eventually."
"Yeah…" Inuyasha slid his arms into his sleeves and looked off to the side, a sour expression on his face. Intrigued by his silence, Kagome leaned forward to get a closer look at his face.
"What's the matter?" She raised her eyebrows when he frowned and flicked his eyes to her, his face still tilted away. "What?"
"What the hell is with that outfit, anyway?"
She blinked. "Huh?" Glancing down, she took in her clothing. Well, it's not my school uniform, but it's not like I'm running around nude. What's his problem?? Looking back up, she planted her hands on her hips and frowned. "What's the matter with it?"
"Nothing, if you want to run around half dressed."
"What do you mean, 'half dressed'? I'm just as covered as I would be in my school uniform!" She huffed as he let out a feh and turned away. "Why you…"
Turning on her heel, she stalked towards her backpack. Inuyasha watched silently as she tied the broken straps together and slung them over her shoulder. She turned back to him and glowered, the backpack resting against her hip.
"Well? Are we going or not?"
"Whatever." Dammit, she's going to be hit on by every guy in the area in that getup. Scowling, he turned his back to her and squatted. "Just shut up and get on."
She walked over to him, but she paused before climbing onto his back. Inuyasha glared at her over his shoulder, irritated by her thoughtful expression.
"Come on. If we're going to find a village before sundown, we need to move." He growled. "Pick another time to be dumb as a rock!"
She smiled sweetly. "So first I'm dressed like a whore, and now I'm an idiot?"
He blushed. "Now hang on a minute! I didn't say you were dressed like a—"
"Sit!!"
"Oomph!!!"
She turned her sunny smile down on him. "I think we can rest for a few minutes first."
* * *
Sweat rolled down the side of Sango's face as she leaned forward on Kirara.
"Inuyasha!! Kagome!!" Her yell echoed back to her, but no response came from the forest below. "Can you hear me?? Inuyasha!!"
She stiffened as a hand dropped on her shoulder. "I don't want to hear it, Houshi."
Miroku sighed, leaving his hand on her shoulder. "Sango, we've been searching for hours. We need to rest."
She shrugged his hand off. "I'm not resting until I find them!" I've already lost a brother. I won't lose my friends!!
"Be reasonable, Sango!" His harsh tone made her glance back at him in surprise. His normally passive face looked set in stone for an instant before it softened. "You won't do them any good if you wear yourself out. Please, let Kirara land so we can rest."
Sango opened her mouth to argue, but the weary look in his eyes gave her pause. She glanced down at Shippo, who had snuggled into her lap and fallen asleep, a frown on his tiny face and tear streaks on his cheeks. With a sigh, she rubbed a hand against Kirara's mane.
"All right, Kirara. Let's take a break."
The cat demon let out a soft huff of agreement and drifted to the ground. It wasn't until Sango climbed off Kirara's back that the pain and tension from the ordeal came back.
"Ow!!" Gasping in pain, Sango started to collapse. She blinked as two arms immediately wrapped around her waist to support her. She glanced up into Miroku's tired smile.
"See? I told you that you needed to rest." His smile grew when a blush set her face aflame. "Let's take a look at your injuries, shall we?"
She started to nod when his hand started to slide upwards. Anger rolling through her, she lifted a trembling fist. "You…you…"
Miroku smiled briefly before wincing in anticipation.
"PERVERT!!"
WHAM!
Ten minutes later, with a tremendous red mark on his face, Miroku smiled to himself and sat with his arms folded in his lap. Sango glared at him over her shoulder as she wrapped a gash on her leg.
"Stupid lecher."
He continued to smile.
* * *
Inuyasha leapt aimlessly through the trees, Kagome on his back. The afternoon sun shone lazily down on the pair as they traveled in silence.
It was reaaaaaaaally starting to get on his nerves.
After a few minutes, he growled and glanced over his shoulder at the girl behind him.
"Oh come on, are you still mad??"
She pressed her lips together.
He groaned. "You already sat me for it, so get over it already!"
"Oh, you're one to talk." She leaned over him slightly to look into his face. "I can recall plenty of times you've held a grudge. I think I'm entitled!"
"Feh." He tossed his head slightly. "Stupid wench." At least she's talking again. It's just too weird when that loudmouth is silent.
Kagome opened her mouth to snipe at him, but she let out a gasp of surprise instead, leaning forward to point ahead.
"Look! Villagers!"
Blinking, Inuyasha watched as a small group of travelers appeared on a road before them. He felt a smirk cross his face.
"Finally. Now maybe we can find out where that twister took us!" He dropped down onto the road for another leap, his feet scuffing the dirt road. At the sound, the four villagers turned to look at them, their hands fingering the straps of the massive packs on their backs. The entire group stilled and stared as Inuyasha came bearing down on them, Kagome's head peeping over his shoulder.
Slowly, one traveler's hand rose, a finger extended towards the pair. Inuyasha's smirk disappeared. What the heck is his problem?
"IT'S A TWO-HEADED DEMON!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!"
Inuyasha came to a stop in the middle of the road as the group scattered, the men vanishing into the trees while screaming at the tops of their lungs. The hanyou stood dumbly as the dust kicked up by sprinting feet settled about him.
"…Huh?"
After a moment, Kagome giggled. "Well, at least we know we're still in Japan."
The mild shock on Inuyasha's face dissolved into a scowl as he glanced back at her. "A fat lot of good THAT does us. We still don't know where we are!"
"But we can find out if everyone speaks our language. If we'd ended up in, say, Russia, we couldn't even ask!"
He stared at her. "Ended up in who?"
She smiled wryly. "Never mind. Let's keep going, shall we?"
Frowning in confusion, Inuyasha prepared for a leap…
…Rrrrrrummmmble.
Without warning, Inuyasha shrugged Kagome off his back. She looked at him in surprise as her feet hit the ground.
"Inuyasha, what…" She trailed off as the boy turned towards her and fixed her with an intense stare. A blush creeping onto her cheeks, she lifted a hand to her chest. "W-why are you looking at me that way?"
His lids lowered as he took another step closer, his right hand reaching for her waist. Kagome's blush burned brighter. W-what's he doing??
"Kagome…"
She blinked as he started rifling through the pack on her hip.
"Please tell me there's some—ah HAH! Bingo!" Inuyasha backed up and held up a cup of ramen in triumph. He grinned at her. "Let's eat!"
Her eye started to twitch. "All you wanted…was food?"
"Well, duh. I'm hungry!" He started going through her backpack again. "All right! You brought chips, too!"
"Inuyasha…"
He glanced up, a bag of potato chips wedged between his lips. "Hmmph?"
"SIT!!"
"Gak!"
After a moment, he peeled his head out of the dirt, potato chips smashed onto his face. "What the hell was that for??"
"You're a complete idiot!!" Kagome stormed to a little clearing by the side of the road and threw down her backpack. Pulling out her portable stove, she slammed it on the ground. God, how big an idiot can I be? That jerk!
Pushing himself off the ground, Inuyasha watched as she lit a match with a vengeance. "You're making food, right?"
She sighed. "Yes, Inuyasha. I'm making food," she glared at him, "before you bite my hand off."
"Well, hurry up then!" Flopping down beside her, he tossed the cup of ramen to her. He scooted slightly to the side away from her as she began to mutter under her breath. What's her deal? Rolling his eyes, he snagged a can of soda out of her bag and popped the top. Women.
* * *
Two inhaled cups of ramen and a snarfed bag of potato chips later, Inuyasha declared himself ready for travel.
"Well, you can hold on a minute. I'm not done eating." Just to irritate him, Kagome slooooowly slurped her noodles. Inuyasha dug his hands into his sleeves and glowered.
"Can you hurry up? I'd like to find a village before sundown, if you don't mind!"
"Is that so, Mr. I'm-hungry-therefore-we're-eating-NOW? You made us stop; you're going to wait. Not everyone can eat a whole bowl of ramen before the cup's even in their hands!" She watched as he opened his mouth to argue, then smiled as he shut it. "Now sit down and—oops!"
She winced as he went crashing headfirst into the ground. "I didn't mean that one, honest!"
A muffled growl came in reply. A black scowl on his face, Inuyasha didn't even bother getting up, opting instead to roll over and lay on his side away from her, propping his head up on his open hand. Kagome suppressed a smile at his muttered curses. Even if I didn't mean it, it kind of serves him right.
A good half hour later, Kagome began to pack up all the stuff Inuyasha had looted from her bag as the hanyou in question fidgeted, his fingers tapping his bent knee. After making sure that nothing was left behind, she saddled the bag on her hip and stood.
Inuyasha looked coolly at her over his shoulder. "Finished yet?"
"Yep." She grinned down at him. "Now we can go."
"Ugh, finally." He grumpily stood and brushed himself off. Crouching, he glared at her as she climbed onto his back. "You realize that the sun is setting, right?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Idiot."
"Moron."
"Bitch."
"Jerk."
Frowning, Inuyasha took to the sky. Ignoring his bad attitude, Kagome glanced over her shoulder at the brilliant colors of the sky. She smiled softly as the two seemed to float through the hazy afternoon air.
You know, if he weren't so insensitive, he'd probably think this was romantic. Shaking her head, she chuckled. Of course, that would require a romantic bone in his body. Inuyasha wouldn't know sweet if it bit him on the butt.
Silent and moody, Inuyasha's eyes darted to the sunset, noting the brilliant red ball as it dripped down to the horizon. Try as he might, he couldn't suppress his next thought.
…It's almost as beautiful as Kagome.
* * *
Shippo gazed sadly into the fire as a group of caught fish roasted. Sighing, he tucked his legs up to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, and leaned his chin against his knees.
"I hope Kagome is all right," his miserable voice whimpered. Miroku glanced over at the tiny fox demon, a sympathetic smile on his face.
"I'm sure she's fine. Inuyasha won't let anything happen to her." Miroku smiled. "And even if something does happen, I'm sure Lady Kagome can handle it."
Sango glanced up from her crouch by the fire, a piece of firewood in her hand. "What do you mean by that, Houshi-sama?"
Miroku shifted, folding his arms over his chest. "I just think that perhaps we should give Lady Kagome some more credit. We all worry about her the most, yet she continues to show a surprising amount of strength."
Sango cracked the slightest of smiles. "You're right. She does." As she turned back to the fire, her smile faded. I know Kagome is strong, but that doesn't ease my worries at all. I can't shake the feeling that she's in trouble!
After a moment of contemplation, Sango tossed the log in her hand into the fire, watching it as flames hungrily consumed it. A sense of unease wriggled through her.
Miroku, picking up on the depressed state of his companions, tried to lighten the mood.
"Say, Shippo, aren't you worried about Inuyasha at all?"
The child blinked at him, one hand extended towards the fish. "Inuyasha?" Thoughtfully, Shippo stroked his chin. After a moment, he decisively snagged the fish and blew on it. "Nope. As long as he keeps Kagome safe, I'll feel fine. Besides…"
Flashing a smile, Shippo took a large bite out of the smoking fish. "He's not here to steal my food!"
Sango chuckled. "It's hard to seriously worry about Inuyasha. He gets himself in so much trouble that you get used to it."
"And yet, thickheaded as he is, he somehow manages to get himself out of trouble again." Miroku smiled. "Perhaps we should worry more about Lady Kagome protecting him!"
The group laughed, their tension easing.
* * *
Inuyasha sneezed as he forced his way through the darkened forest, Kagome trudging along behind him. Scowling, he swiped at his nose.
"Someone's talking about me, I know it!"
Kagome wearily rolled her eyes. "Relax, Inuyasha. And will you pick a camping place already? I'm exhausted!"
"Hmph." He ignored her statement, still shoving branches out of his way. If I don't find a safe place, we're not camping out here. I haven't found a single spot that would be remotely defendable, much less a place where we could sense any danger. He scowled. Maybe I couldn't protect her from that damn tornado, but damned if I won't protect her now!
With a final shove, Inuyasha stumbled into a small clearing. Tall trees shielded it from the sky, and thick grasses provided a soft cushion beneath. Perfect.
"All right, we're staying here." He blinked as Kagome shoved him aside.
"Finally! You've dragged us so far into this forest that we might as well have continued until we found a village!" Heaving a weary sigh, she tossed her heavy pack on the ground and flopped down next to it. She pulled out her sleeping bag and unrolled it onto the soft grass.
Irritated by her attitude, Inuyasha decided to pick a fight with her. "You know, would it kill you to show a little…" He trailed off when she looked up, absolute exhaustion painted on her face. Swallowing his words, he folded his arms and turned away.
"Just…just get some sleep. First thing in the morning, we're on the move, you got that?"
No response.
Inuyasha turned at her silence and looked at the girl. His expression softened. Curled into a little ball, the girl had already fallen asleep on her open sleeping bag. Her hair fanned out about her head, one hand curled beside her cheek.
With a sigh, Inuyasha bent down and pulled the sleeping bag cover over her. He watched her sleeping face, reaching out with one clawed hand until he barely skimmed her cheek. This whole ordeal must have worn her out. She didn't even show it until now.
After a moment, Inuyasha checked to make sure she wasn't exposed to the cool night air and settled himself across the clearing from her. Arms folded, he watched her in the moonlight streaming in through the trees.
Eventually, Inuyasha let his eyes drift closed. Don't worry, Kagome. I'm here for you. He stifled a yawn and leaned against the trunk of a tree. I'll get you home safe. I promise.
…I promise.