Sorry for the delay in update guys. I was shopping all day yesterday and when I got home I was so bushed I didn't even TOUCH a computer, so . . . yeah.
Seems like I'm finally over the bronchitis for the most part, so thank everyone who wished me to get better.
Thank you to all the faithful reviewers. I will repeat: If you are favoriting this story, you NEED to be reviewing because if you are reading it, you are enjoying it and therefore need to let me know. How in the world am I going to keep writing stories if I don't even know if anyone likes them?
So now, on with the chapter!
Chapter five
"So you're going on an adventure, mama?" Rin's large brown eyes were so innocent, as she looked up at Sango.
"Indeed I am. Hopefully it won't be a long one." Sango replied, smiling down at her, as she strapped on her Hiraikotsu. Miroku and Inuyasha were standing off to the side waiting for us, as we were saying goodbye to Rin.
"Can I come along?" Rin asked hopefully.
Sango sighed. "Unfortunately, no. It's far too dangerous, and I don't want to lose you. So you're going to go to live with Kaede until we come back."
Rin's expression fell, but she didn't kick up a fuss. "Oh . . . well, you'll come and visit right?"
"Of course we will, when we can." Sango promised, crouching so she was eye level with Rin. "So don't worry about us. And be good while you live with Kaede."
"Ok. I'll miss you Mama." Rin threw her arms around Sango's neck, and it was both sad and touching to watch.
"I'll miss you too." Sango said softly. "But we have to leave now. So tell Kagome goodbye too."
Rin's big brown eyes were brimming with tears as she hugged me, and I held her close, suddenly wishing that we didn't have to leave. I knew it was hard for her. "We'll come back soon, Rin." I whispered to her, before I let go and straightened up.
"Ok." She mumbled as she let me go, and went to stand with Kaede, who was only a few feet away.
"All of ye must take care to keep an eye on each other. This world is dangerous now." Kaede said to our small group. "And hopefully your journey will be a safe one. You may always come back here to rest."
"They're all talking as if we'll be gone for years." I murmured to Sango.
"Hopefully we won't be gone more than a month or two." She murmured back.
After we finished bidding Kaede and the other villagers farewell, the four of us set off down the road. My heart was filled with nervousness, because I'd never been on any sort of adventure before. Who knew that fate would have something like this in store for me? I thought, a little excited to be going on a journey.
The others were giving me strange looks, because I was smiling to myself. "What are you all smiley about?" Inuyasha demanded.
"Oh nothing." I waved my hand, still smiling. "It's nothing."
"Hmph."
I had only been to Sango's village once, and I knew it was a bit of a ways away. So I knew, naturally, it would take a few days to get there. All of us had walked a good while before we decided to stop by a small stream for lunch. We hadn't encountered anyone or anything on the road, so it was a good time to stop and relax.
"Hmm, let's see . . ." I was rummaging through one of the supply sacks for something to fix for lunch, and I began to pull out vegetables to boil into a stew. I looked up at Miroku and Inuyasha. "Since you two are just standing around, why don't you go get me some firewood?"
"Of course, priestess." Miroku winked at me as he headed off, and Inuyasha just scoffed as he followed after Miroku.
I looked to Sango, who was watching me. "Sango, it would be good to have some meat in this. Do you think you can go hunt for some rabbits or something?"
"Sure Kagome. I'd be happy to." Sango stood up, and she disappeared off into the woods as well.
I began to chop the vegetables, and began plopping them into the pot I'd taken from mine and Kaede's hut. I was humming to myself, completely relax, my bow at my side, as I chopped. A few minutes had passed, and Miroku and Inuyasha returned with armfuls of wood, setting them down in front of me. "Thanks guys." I said gratefully, plopping the vegetables down into the pot. "There! That should be enough vegetables. Now, when Sango comes back, we can add some meat to it and-"
A sharp scream pierced the silence, and I knew it was Sango. "Sango!" I bolted to my feet with my bow and arrows and took off in that direction, with Miroku and Inuyasha close on my heels.
I smacked brush and branches out of my way, ignoring the sting they made on my arms when they hit, only Sango on my mind. It wasn't long before I reached her, and she was on the ground, and there was a demon standing over her.
It was a cat demon, from the looks of it. It was large, with pale yellow fur and black paws and black ears, and it had two tails, also black on the tips. It was growling menacingly down at Sango, who was staring up at it with wide eyes.
"Kirara! Don't you recognize me?" Sango pleaded. "I thought you were dead! You must recognize me!"
"You . . . know this demon?" I asked, surprised. I didn't lower my bow. Inuyasha and Miroku looked as dumbfounded as I did.
Sango didn't answer my question. She was intent on the demon cat. "Kirara, it's me, Sango. Please. I know it's been two years, but I know you'll recognize me. It's me . . . don't you remember?" Sango soothingly rubbed her hand over one of the cat's great paws, and to my surprise, the cat stopped growling, and let out a soft whimper, and laid down on top of Sango, licking her face with a large, rough tongue. Sango smiled. "I knew you'd remember me."
"I'm a little lost here." Inuyasha muttered.
"You aren't the only one." Miroku muttered back.
"Me three." I agreed.
I watched in fascination as the cat erupted in flames, and when the flames were gone, there stood a tiny kitten on Sango's chest, with the same markings and everything, just smaller. It mewed, and Sango stood up, the kitten in her arms.
"Everyone, this is Kirara, an old companion of mine. When my village was slaughtered, I thought that she had perished along with everyone else, but it looks like not." Sango was beaming and it had been a while since I'd seen her smile like that. Obviously the cat meant a lot to her.
"Well, it's nice to meet you Kirara." I walked over to Sango, and Kirara began to purr when I rubbed her cute little head. "You're adorable."
"This is good. This means that our travel will be faster. Kirara can fly, so I can ride her." Sango explained. "And, she's a wonderful fighter."
"Well, we always welcome new additions." I smiled. I looked back at the boys, who still had stupefied looks on their faces. "Don't just stand there! Come introduce yourselves."
"Nice to meet you. You are a true beauty amongst cats." Miroku said charmingly, giving a slight bow at the waist to Kirara, who mewed in approval. Miroku was ever the charmer, so I wasn't surprised.
Inuyasha was next, and he raised an eyebrow down at Kirara. "Well uh, welcome to the group I guess." I think that if Kirara had eyebrows, she'd be mimicking his expression.
"I'm surprised she's not hissing at you or something." Sango said to Inuyasha.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, you're a dog demon. And she's a cat demon." Sango explained.
"Yeah well, I guess that means I'm not half bad." Inuyasha retorted, looking smug as he turned and started heading back for where we'd stopped for lunch.
I shook my head and followed along behind him, along with Miroku and Sango.
The rest of the day passed by eventlessly for the most part, other than Sango showing off Kirara's strength and flying abilities. She took us all for rides, except for Inuyasha, who claimed he would rather stay on the ground.
"Afraid of flying?" Sango quipped.
"Feh, as if. I can run as fast as she can fly." Inuyasha replied.
"Oh yeah? Prove it." Sango challenged. "Kirara, fly as fast as you can!" Kirara roared in approval and quickened her pace, and I rolled my eyes as Inuyasha took off, nothing more than a red blur as he easily kept up with Kirara's pace. Sango didn't look pleased. I just giggled to myself at their childish antics. Miroku simply shook his head with a grin.
That night, Miroku, Sango, Kirara and I were all sitting by the fire, and Inuyasha was sitting away from the group, leaning up against a tree and sitting indian style, as usual. I began to wonder if he was ever going to try to be a part of us.
I stood up and walked over to him, and sat down beside him. Miroku and Sango were deep in conversation about Midoriko, while Kirara was asleep in Sango's lap. They were paying us no attention.
"Hey." I said softly as I sat down next to Inuyasha.
"What is it?" he glanced over at me.
"Oh nothing. I just wanted to sit beside you, if that's ok." I replied. "You're always off by yourself. So if you won't come to me, I'll come to you."
Inuyasha looked surprised for a moment, but then he covered it up with a scowl and looked away. "You're so weird."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded. I try to be sweet to him and all he can do is insult me? The nerve!
"You're not like any other human, that's for sure." he replied, unconcerned with the glares I was sending his way.
"Is that a bad thing?"
Inuyasha looked at me, his ears flicking. ". . . No, it's not."
I felt a little touched. "So . . . tell me. Was your mom a human or a demon?"
"She was human." Inuyasha answered quietly.
"So your dad was demon. Did he love her?" I was curious to know more about him, so I was going to ask.
"Yeah, he loved her."
"Well . . . where are your parents now?" I asked the question, and I had a feeling I wasn't going to get a good answer when Inuyasha sighed.
"Both of them are dead. They've been dead a long time."
"I'm sorry Inuyasha. I mean, how old are you anyway? You look about my age." I asked.
Suddenly he snorted. "I'm a lot older than you, that's for sure. I'm about two hundred."
My eyes widened. "You look like a teenager though!"
"That's cause I don't have to worry about gettin' old. At least not for a while." he replied simply. "I'm a demon, so I don't age the same way."
"Apparently." I said dryly. "I'm only fifteen, you see."
Inuyasha suddenly muttered something under his breath, and all I caught was "body" and "eighteen". "What was that?" I demanded.
"If I wanted you to hear it I woulda said it louder."
I chose to ignore that. "My parents died in a demon attack." I suddenly said softly. "So I'm an orphan too. So is Sango."
"She mentioned somethin' about that."
"Did she?" I glanced over at Sango, who was currently glaring at Miroku venomously, while he rubbed a red hand print on his cheek. Obviously he'd done something to her. "Yeah, that's one of the reasons we're both so close."
"She said that too."
"Oh yeah? What else did she say?" I asked suspiciously.
"Lots of stuff. I can't remember all of it. But I remember that."
"So if your parents have been dead a long time . . . you've had no one to take care of you. Or to be around. And if you're two hundred . . . or more . . . it sounds lonely." My tone grew sad. "You've been isolated for a long time, haven't you?"
"More or less." he wasn't looking at me.
"Did you ever want companions? I mean, did you ever want someone by your side?" I asked softly.
"I dunno. What's with all these questions anyway?" he demanded suddenly. "You're awfully nosy. I shouldn't be surprised though. All women are."
I ignored that. "No, I just want to know lots of stuff about you. You're more interesting than anyone I've ever met."
Inuyasha blushed a little, and when he looked at me, there was affection in his golden eyes, but also mistrust. He was careful and mistrustful of me, and I could understand that. So I didn't push it. "You're awfully mushy too. What, are you gonna start pullin' out gifts?"
"Oh, that reminds me! Kaede gave this to me, and told me to give it to you." I pulled out a beaded necklace, which was a string of blue beads with a white bead shaped like a fang every five beads. It was a pretty rosary.
"For what?" Inuyasha looked suspicious.
"I dunno. She said I could use it if I needed to. So here." I pulled it down around his neck, and pulled his hair out of the way. "There you go."
"These are enchanted. I can feel the magic." Inuyasha said, sounding very wary, as he lifted the beads. "Are you tryin' to trick me or somethin'?"
"No, but Kaede said something about 'words of subjugation' and something else. I think she said I could hold your spirit with that." I replied, trying to think back.
"You know, it's awfully convenient that you waited to tell me that until you gave me the necklace." Inuyasha growled, glaring at me.
"Hey, I just now remembered it!" I said defensively. "And besides, I have no idea how to even 'hold your spirit' or whatever. So it's not like it matters. Something about a 'word of subjugation' . . ."
"It doesn't sound like anything fun to me! I'm taking this damn thing off!" Inuyasha grabbed the necklace, but when he tried to pull it off, it glowed pink, and something prohibited him from removing it.
I laughed suddenly. "Oh, well, looks like you can't take it off anyway. But it looks great on you."
"Shut-up!" he snapped, and turned away from me, sulking.
"Oh, don't be a baby. Just consider it a gift with a few quirks."
"Quirks?"
"Oh, Inuyasha, you're so ridiculous." I sighed. But you make me smile.
But then I caught myself. You shouldn't develop any sort of romantic feelings, Kagome. You should stop it now while you can, before it's past the point of no return. You can't be with anyone as long as the jewel exists. My mood darkened, and I laid my chin on my knees, a customary gesture of mine.
"What's wrong with you? You're upset about something." Inuyasha asked without looking at me.
"How do you know?" I demanded, aggravated I couldn't hide anything.
"For one, it's written all over your face." he said dryly. "For two, I can smell your emotions. Dog demon, remember?" he pointed to his nose for emphasis.
"Look, it's nothing you can help anyway." Frustrated, I began to stand up to leave.
To my surprise, Inuyasha caught my hand in his, and pulled me back down, to face him. It was like the previous night, and he looked me straight in the eyes, and I couldn't look away.
"Kagome, don't give me that crap." he said fiercely. "Tell me what's upsetting you."
"I . . . I can't." I finally managed to avert my eyes.
Inuyasha let out a little growl, and shocked me completely once more as he pulled me into his arms for the second time. "Inu . . . yasha?" I whispered. "What are you doing?"
"This is all I can offer you." he said quietly. "If you won't tell me. My mother used to say physical comfort was like the best medicine."
It was so trivial, and cute. And it was so Inuyasha. I smiled, after a moment, and allowed myself this hug, as I just let him hold me, ignoring the fact that Sango and Miroku were watching with hawk eyes a few feet away. If I can just have this moment. . .
"A demon, you say? Why, that's terrible!" The old man looked horrified. "I never sensed there was such a thing here!"
"I could sense the ominous cloud over your village from miles away." Miroku went on wisely. "I'm a houshi, so I'm perfectly willing to exorcise the demon for you. However, I will require some payment."
Inuyasha, Sango, and I stood on the sidelines, appalled by Miroku's outright conning. We had finally reached a village, and had decided we were try to lodge here for the night with the little bit of money that we had, but Miroku had said to let him take care of it.
It was the next day, and we hadn't have to travel far before stumbling upon the large village. There was a great library in the town, and we had decided to stop for the day and research Midoriko in the library and some ways to possibly put her soul to rest.
"I can't believe this." I muttered to Sango, who was glaring daggers into Miroku's back.
"This guy is despicable. Are you sure we should be helping him?" Inuyasha demanded, looking my way.
I shook my head. "Well, there's not really much I can say. We need lodging, so . . . I guess there's nothing we can do."
We followed the old man to his home, which was large and expensive, and he was obviously wealthy. "Why, this will do nicely." Miroku was looking quite proud of himself. He pulled out a sutra from the folds of his robes, and smacked it quite ceremoniously onto the wall of the house. "There. That should take care of your demon."
"Why thank you, generous monk. I will have a feast prepared in your honor tonight, and I will have it served by the finest women of the village." the old man said gratefully.
Miroku brightened at the mention of women. "Is that so? I am highly grateful for your generosity."
"I'm sure you are." Sango seethed, and I laughed nervously, putting a hand on her arm.
Once we were all inside the house, we set down our things. "Well, I think it would be best if I headed off to the library to do some research." Miroku announced.
"I think I'll go with you." Sango was eying him suspiciously, and I knew that she wanted to make sure he kept his hands off the women.
"Well, that's fine. You two go do that, and tell us what you find later. I guess I can just take a look around the village. Inuyasha, do you want to come?" I asked, glancing at the half demon.
"Sure. There's nothin' else to do." he replied, folding his arms behind his head leisurely.
"All right then. We'll all meet back here at dinner time. See you guys in a bit." I said, and we all went our separate ways.
"It's a nice little village, don't you think?" I asked Inuyasha, as we walked about. Villagers were bustling around, carting things, working, selling goods, and everything else. The village was quite large, so it was only to be expected that there was so much activity going on.
"I guess so. I'd actually rather be moving on, but it doesn't really look like that's going to happen." Inuyasha replied lazily as he walked beside me, his arms still behind his head.
"Well, it's certainly bigger than my village." I replied, admiring the village as I looked around. I spotted a girl off to the side, washing laundry, and she had long red hair. She was exceptionally beautiful, and she was looking at us with large, curious eyes. Well, let me correct that. She wasn't looking at me. She was looking at Inuyasha. There was a slight blush on her features, and her large green eyes never left him once as we walked.
I didn't know why, but I found myself getting a little annoyed at her attention. Inuyasha hadn't even noticed her at all. "Inuyasha." I elbowed him, and he opened one eye, looking at me.
"What?"
"I think you've got a fan." I murmured, and he followed my gaze, to the girl. When she saw him looking back, she flushed further and looked back down, starting to scrub vigorously at the clothes in her grip.
"What's that all about?" Inuyasha asked, still oblivious.
"Oh, you're so clueless." I sighed. "I think she likes you. She couldn't take her eyes off you!"
"She doesn't know me." Inuyasha replied, sounding surprised.
"You don't always have to know someone to like them." I said, chiding him. "Why don't you go talk to her?" It's not like I'm allowed to like you, so you should find someone who can.
"And I would do that why?"
"Because she obviously finds you attractive." I said, as if he were stupid.
"So?"
"So you should talk to her! She's beautiful." I admitted, grudgingly.
"Hmph, I didn't notice. What do you care for, anyway? I'm not worried about love and all that junk." Inuyasha replied haughtily, and folded his arms behind his head, closing his eyes again as he walked beside me.
"Ugh, you are so dense." I muttered, shaking my head.
"Who are you callin' dense, Kagome!"
I pursed my lips and just shook my head.
Later on in the day, Inuyasha decided he was going to go back to the house to doze, so I decided I would go down by the stream and pick some wild herbs that grew that for cooking later on in our travels. As I was picking and storing them in my sack, the girl from earlier with the red hair came over to me.
"Um, excuse me."
I looked up. "Yes?"
"You are the priestess? Priestess Kagome?" she bowed to me, and her voice was soft and nervous. "I'm honored to have you and your companions in my village."
"Oh no, we're the ones who are honored." I smiled up at her. "You have a lovely home."
She flushed a little. "Thank you. It's just . . . well I . . . I wanted to ask you something, if it's all right . . ."
"Of course. Go ahead." I encouraged.
"Well, the man who travels with you . . . the one with the dog ears . . . he's a half demon, isn't he?" she asked, wringing her hands nervously.
"Yes, he is." Where is she going with this?
"Oh, I thought so. Well, is he . . . with you?"
"With me?" I was confused. "Well, he travels with me."
"That's not really what I mean." she seemed even more nervous now. "I mean, are you betrothed?"
"Oh. Oh! Eheheh . . ." I laughed nervously, and I couldn't help the blush that came over my face. "Me and Inuyasha? Ehehehe . . . No, we're not betrothed, not at all."
"Oh, I see." she looked a little relieved. "Well, you see, I thought that you were, for you were with him earlier. And you looked . . . close."
"I really don't know." I admitted. "He's my friend, but not anything else."
"Oh, well, I . . . I was just curious." she was embarrassed again and nervous.
"Tell me, what's your name?" I asked her.
"Mizuki, Priestess." she bowed again.
"Well, Mizuki, I think you should go for it." I said softly.
"Pardon me?"
"I'm not involved with Inuyasha, so . . . go for it." I repeated. I can't like him, so . . . Inuyasha deserves to be happy. And this girl is beautiful and sweet.
"You . . . you really mean it? You don't mind?" she asked, looking hopeful.
"No, I don't. It's fine by me. He's at the largest house in the village right now, if you want to go talk to him." I turned away from her, and began picking herbs once more.
"Thank you, Priestess." she sounded very grateful, as she bowed a third time, and then ran from my sight, looking happy.
I paused in picking the herbs, once Mizuki was gone. What is this I'm feeling? Is it . . . jealously? But why? I don't like Inuyasha that way. That's simply impossible. He's rude and arrogant and . . . and he does make my heart pound, and . . . I am attracted to him . . . but I don't like him! That's just . . . just . . . I sighed.
"Ooh! How can he affect me even when he's not around?" I demanded, not to anyone in particular, as I flushed with anger. I began to pick the herbs with ferocity, annoyed beyond belief. It's so ridiculous! That stupid jerk, Inuyasha! I don't like him, not at all!
I returned to the house when I finished, and when I walked into the main room and saw what was before me, I stopped in my tracks. Inuyasha was sitting there, and Mizuki was in front of him, sitting as well, and she was holding one of his clawed hands in hers, palm up.
"You see, this is your life line. It looks like you're going to have a very long life." She explained, pointing.
"Huh. Well, you didn't have to tell me that." Inuyasha replied, looking down curiously at his hand.
"Oh, hello Priestess Kagome!" Mizuki looked over at me, and bowed her head. Inuyasha ears twitched at hearing my name, and he looked over at me.
"Hi." I said, a little weakly. I was still paying attention to the fact that they were touching. Something about it was really irking me.
"I was just reading Lord Inuyasha's palm. I can do the same for you, if you like." Mizuki offered, smiling at me, and her smile was breathtaking.
"No, that's ok. I need to reorganize our supplies." I said quietly, and I heard Mizuki resume telling Inuyasha about his life as I left the room, my heart aching in an unfamiliar way.
I had been reorganizing the supplies for a while when I heard footsteps behind me, and then Inuyasha's voice. "Kagome, are you done with that yet? I was thinkin' about goin' down to the stream and I was gonna ask if you wanted to come."
"Where's Mizuki?" I asked, instead of answering. I didn't look at him.
"Huh? What's that matter for? I think she went down to the stream already."
"So go down there with her."
"I'm going to, but I was askin' if you wanted to come." Inuyasha repeated, and he sounded a little annoyed now.
"No, I don't want to come. I'm busy with this." I said, my tone a little testy, as I roughly stuffed some potatoes into the sack I was holding.
"What's your problem Kagome?" Inuyasha demanded. "You can do that later. Why don't you just come?"
"Because I don't want to." I stressed, my movements still rough.
"I don't like your tone. What's wrong with you?"
I whirled around to face him. "I said I don't want to go! Leave me alone already and go down there with Mizuki!"
Inuyasha recoiled, startled by my outburst, before his face darkened with anger. "Fine! I didn't want you to come anyway!" he slammed the door as he left.
I was left with that unfamiliar ache when he left, and I sighed. "What's wrong with me? I was totally mean to Inuyasha . . . I should apologize . . ."
"Apologize for what?"
I screamed and jumped as Sango suddenly appeared. "Geez, don't scare me like that!"
"Apologize for what?" she repeated, sitting down beside me.
Kirara jumped out of Sango's arms and came over to me, nuzzling up against my arm. I sighed as I began to pet her, and she purred. "I just . . . I'm frustrated, and I just took it all out on Inuyasha."
"Frustrated about what?"
"There's this girl named Mizuki, and she likes Inuyasha, and . . . I don't know . . ."
"You're jealous?" Sango guessed gently.
"Of course not!" I sniffed, but when I saw Sango's expression, I sighed. "Maybe a little."
"Does he like her?"
"I don't know." I admitted. "I mean, I wasn't really around long enough to tell. But . . . I mean, he doesn't seem completely opposed to her."
"I'm going to tell you something, Kagome." Sango began to pet Kirara as the cat switched to her lap. "I think Inuyasha likes you."
"What?" I flushed. "Don't be ridiculous!"
"I'm not. I've seen the way he looks and acts around you. And he doesn't let anyone else around him the way he does you. And plus, after all that's happened so far . . . it seems like a really big possibility." Sango replied softly. "I don't think you have to worry about this Mizuki girl."
That made me feel better, and I nodded, after a moment. "Yeah, I guess so. Oh well. Even if he does like her, we'll be leaving tomorrow, so . . . it's not like I'll have to see her around him."
"Exactly. So stop worrying about it." Sango patted my back.
"I thought you were at the library with Miroku." I said, changing the subject.
"I was, but I got bored, so I came back. There's nothing but old women in the library, so Miroku is behaving." Sango sounded rather satisfied. I smiled secretly to myself.
Later on that evening, we all gathered back at the house as promised, and to my relief, Inuyasha was alone when he showed up. He avoided looking at me, and I knew he was still mad. I felt a rush of guilt for being the cause of it.
As the old man had promised, young woman brought the food out to us, and many of them were exceptionally beautiful, and others, not so much. I was hardly surprised when Mizuki was one of them, and when she set Inuyasha's food down in front of him, she blushed when he glanced up at her, and he didn't blush like he would have with me, but just simply looked at her before looking away. She left quickly after that, and I relaxed, not even realizing that I had been tense.
As we ate, Miroku began to explain his findings in the library. "Unfortunately, I didn't find much when I went to the library. All I discovered were the same things we already know, so it looks like we're just going to have to move on with the knowledge we already have."
I sighed. "I guess we shouldn't be surprised. It was such a while back, everything that happened with Midoriko."
"If my village wasn't completely destroyed, I'd say we'd be able to find information there, but . . ." Sango trailed off, sipping her tea.
"Ah, such a shame." Miroku sighed.
"I'm not worried about the information." Inuyasha muttered, ears flicking back and forth with annoyance. "I'm just worried about gettin' the job done."
"Excuse me, great warriors, you have a guest." the old man who owned the house stuck his head inside, and after his message was delivered, his head disappeared again.
Mizuki appeared a moment later, and she was blushing, her eyes trained on Inuyasha. "Yes, Mizuki?" I asked, forcing myself to sound polite. Neither Miroku nor Sango missed the way I tensed when she entered.
"If it isn't too much to ask, I'd like to have a word with Lord Inuyasha." she requested softly.
"Uh, sure." Inuyasha stood up, and followed her outside.
Miroku set down his tea. "And now, we spy."
Sango and I looked at him in surprise. "You're serious?" We asked simultaneously.
"Of course. This is bound to be interesting. Her feelings for Inuyasha are quite obvious." Miroku replied, and we followed him as he crouched in front of the door and slid it open a crack, just enough for the three of us, even Kirara, to look out.
Mizuki stood there, facing Inuyasha, and she was looking down, a deep red blush on her face, wringing her hands again. She hadn't said anything yet, and I realized she was going to confess. My heart began to pound.
"Look, if you've got somethin' to say, then let's hear it." Inuyasha, never the patient one, tried. He crossed his arms over his chest.
"Um, Lord Inuyasha . . ." she began.
"I already told you to stop callin' me that. Just call me Inuyasha." he corrected.
"Oh, right. I'm sorry. Lo- Inuyasha, I know that I haven't known you long, but . . . I . . . I've had a very good time with you today. The best time I've ever had. And . . . I know that I'm not special or brave, and I'm certainly not particularly a skilled fighter, but . . . I like you." she looked down from him again, her hand clasped to her chest, as if she was protecting her heart. "A lot. More than anyone I've ever known. And . . . I know you have to leave, because you have an important journey. But, I would like for you to return my feelings. And, I would like for you to come back for me."
"Wow, she's a brave one. If Inuyasha turns her down, I might just have to take her up on her offer." Miroku commented, and received a harsh smack from Sango.
"Shut up." she muttered.
"Listen, Mizuki . . ." Inuyasha looked a little awkward, and I could tell he didn't really know what to say, and I realized he'd never had to deal with something like this before. "I appreciate the offer . . ."
Mizuki lifted her eyes hopefully up to him. "Please accept my feelings, Inuyasha." She took a step toward him, and my eyes widened when she turned her face up towards his, and leaned up, obviously going to kiss him. I couldn't bear it any longer. I looked away, and the pain in my chest seemed almost unbearable. Sango gave me a sympathetic look, but I hardly noticed it. My hand was trembling, as I clasped it to my chest. This pain . . . it's so unfamiliar. . .
"Wait, Mizuki."
"Look, Kagome." Sango whispered.
I did so, and I saw that Inuyasha had put his hands on Mizuki's shoulders, holding her back from kissing him. "Mizuki, I appreciate your offer, but . . . I don't return those feelings. I'm sorry." He released her, and stepped back.
Her entire expression fell, and she looked down. "It's . . . it's because of the priestess, isn't it?"
I was surprised to see a light blush bloom on Inuyasha's face. "What?"
"Priestess Kagome? You're in love with her, aren't you?" Mizuki asked softly, looking back up at him. My heart was pounding, and Miroku and Sango were holding their breath.
"I . . . I don't know!" Inuyasha looked away from Mizuki, and his blush was fierce.
"It's ok. I can tell. She has feelings for you, too. I guess there was a part of me that hoped you could like me instead, but . . ." Mizuki smiled, and it was sad. "Maybe that was selfish." she shook her head. "But it's ok. She's beautiful, by the way. Very beautiful, and strong, and brave. She'd be better suited to you than me."
Inuyasha, again, looked like he didn't know what to say. "Mizuki . . ."
"It's ok. You don't have to apologize. I just want you to be happy, and you seem to be with Kagome. So, just forget about my offer. And go on your journey, and be safe. I just want you to know, if you change your mind about me . . . I'm always here. Good bye, Lord Inuyasha." Mizuki bowed to him, and then turned and walked out of sight.
Inuyasha watched her for another moment, before he started walking back to the house. Quickly, the four of us returned to our previous spots, and picked up where we'd left off on eating as Inuyasha entered the house again.
"So, what did Mizuki wish to speak about?" Miroku asked, as Inuyasha went and sat back down.
"Nothin' important." Inuyasha muttered, avoiding all our gazes.
My heart was still racing. Inuyasha . . . in love with me? And me . . . with him? But that's . . . Even if it was possible, it's far too early. Sure, I'll admit an attraction, but . . . I'm not in love with him.
Inuyasha glanced up, and when he met my eyes, the look in his made my heart skip a beat. He was looking at me as if he was really seeing me for the first time, and it was intense. I felt myself flushing, and I couldn't look away.
"Kagome? Kagome!" Sango waved a hand in front of my face, breaking the spell, and I flushed.
"What is it?"
"I asked you if you were ready to retire for the night." Sango repeated, looking carefully between me and Inuyasha, searching for any signs of romance, apparently.
"Yeah, I guess that would be a good idea." I replied, and stood up with Sango, following her to the rooms that had been prepared for us.
After I laid down, I was kept awake by my mind wandering restlessly. I can't allow myself to feel for Inuyasha . . . I had to be careful and stop it now, so it doesn't get out of hand. Even if I was going to ever be with him in any way like that, it could only be after the jewel is gone. And the jewel still exists, and as long as it exists . . . there's nothing I can do. I thought sadly. It wasn't long after that, that I drifted off into restless sleep.
I wasn't aware of how long I'd slept, but I was woken up sometime during the night by the sound of the room door opening, and then sliding back closed. I sat up, and looked around, seeing Sango and Miroku were in their beds, fast asleep, Kirara curled up at the foot of Sango's bed. Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen.
I slipped on my sandals and stood, sliding the door open quietly, and then back closed, stepping onto the porch outside. The moon up above was full, and the sky was clear.
I spotted Inuyasha, leaning against the porch railing, looking up at the stars. When he saw me, he looked away, and I knew he was still testy about our fight earlier.
I went to stand beside him. "You're still mad at me for earlier."
"What of it?"
"I'm sorry." I said softly. "I guess . . . I was frustrated, and I took it out on you."
"Hmph. Just don't do it again." Inuyasha seemed to relax.
"So . . . what happened between you and Mizuki?" I already knew, but I figured I'd let Inuyasha tell me himself.
He let out a breath. "She told me she liked me and wanted me to come back for her after the journey is done."
"And . . . what did you tell her?"
"I told her I didn't feel for her that way." Inuyasha replied, as if it was obvious.
"So why don't you like her?" I asked, because this I wanted to know myself.
Inuyasha glared over at me. "What kind of question is that? She's a measly human, that's why!"
"Is that so?" I raised my eyebrows at him, challengingly. "Then what about me?"
Inuyasha flushed. "Well . . . that's . . . feh!" he turned away, unable to argue.
"What's the real reason you don't like her?" I asked softly.
"I don't know. I just don't." Inuyasha looked up at the sky. "She's not my type anyway."
"Then what is your type?" I teased.
"Tch. Not somethin' I'm gonna tell you. You might try to be my type if I tell you." he muttered.
"Hah! Don't flatter yourself." I scoffed, though I was embarrassed.
"Hmph." Inuyasha glanced at me. "Why are you so interested, anyway?"
It was my turn to blush. "I'm not."
"Tch. Liar."
"I am not!" I glared at him, flushed with embarrassment and anger. "Don't be ridiculous!"
"Oh yeah? Then why'd you get so mad when Mizuki wanted to go to the river with me, and when she was readin' my palm?" He demanded.
"I wasn't mad." I denied.
"I could smell your emotions, Kagome. So why were you mad?" Inuyasha faced me.
"I . . . I . . ." I was trapped in a corner, and I couldn't get rid of my blush, and I avoided his gaze at all costs.
Inuyasha suddenly stepped closer, and my breath caught when his hand lifted, and he tipped my chin up, so I was looking into his eyes. "Kagome . . . why were you mad?" he repeated, holding my eyes.
My heart was racing, and the blush on my face wouldn't vanish. I couldn't really think, with him looking at me so intensely, demanding an answer, and him being so close, so close I could smell his sweet breath and his woodsy scent. "Because I . . . I didn't like it, ok?"
His expression changed, growing softer. "I don't like her, Kagome."
"Inuyasha, don't . . . don't look at me like that." I managed to get out.
Inuyasha didn't obey my request, but moved even closer, until his clothes brushed mine. I had to tilt my head back slightly to look at him at this point, and his expression was serious, and intense. His claws brushed my neck, and he cupped the side of my neck, and tilted my head back further, and began to lower his head to mine.
My eyes closed, and my lips parted. I couldn't breathe normally, let alone think, and I felt like my heart was going to burst from my chest. The blush on my face managed to increase, somehow. He was going to kiss me. And, I didn't know why I wasn't stopping him. Maybe because my body wouldn't move. His lips brushed mine, and I waited for it . . .
"No!" My hand moved of its own accord, and all I heard was a sharp SLAP, and my feet carried me back a few steps. Inuyasha's head was snapped to the side, and his eyes were slightly wide, and his cheek began to turn red with a handprint. That was when I realized, shocked, that I'd hit him.
I managed to swallow past the lump in my throat, and tears stung my eyes. I can't believe I almost let him kiss me. I'm so stupid . . . "Inuyasha, I can't." I whispered.
"Kagome . . ." he looked so hurt by my rejection, and my heart ached for him, but I looked away, so I wouldn't have to see it.
"I'm sorry." I said quietly, and I turned on my heel and fled. I only vaguely heard the door sliding open as I ran, and then I heard Sango running and calling after me.
Miroku's P.O.V.
I waited until Kagome and Sango were far out of sight before I emerged from the room, where Inuyasha was standing, watching the direction where Kagome had run off with a heartbroken expression. He didn't understand her rejection, because he thought she returned his feelings.
"So you got the hand, did you?" I asked, sympathetic.
Inuyasha suddenly glowered, and looked at me. "What would you know about it, monk! That's private!" he snarled.
I raised my hands in defense. "I merely want to offer my advice, if you're willing to hear it."
"I don't need your advice." he looked away, and he was angry and embarrassed at another man having witnessed the rejection, and that much was obvious.
"I have a theory." I replied simply, and moved to stand beside him, where he was looking up at the sky. "Try to understand from Kagome's point of view, Inuyasha. Women are wired a lot differently, and it's a little more complicated than you think."
"Then enlighten me."
I ignored his sarcasm, for his annoyance at the moment was understandable. "Kagome is the protector of the Shikon no Tama. And that is her sole occupation. There is no room for anything else in her life. And she must spend her life protecting the jewel from the hands of evil. She cannot have any distractions, as long as the jewel exists, for it could cost her the jewel, and if she lost it, she would be disgraced to have failed at her duty." When I saw he was listening, I continued. "She is not allowed to marry or settle down, as long as the jewel is in her possession. She rejects you, not for lack of feelings, but for the simple fact that she is not allowed to have that type of relationship with you. Allowing you to kiss her would make it far too hard to turn you down. Kagome is distancing herself as she feels she must. Do you understand more now?"
Inuyasha was quiet, but I knew he understood. "And . . . if the jewel was gone?" he asked quietly.
"Then she would be free from her occupation, and would be free to love and marry and live her life as she wished." I replied.
"And what about you? How do you understand all of this?" Inuyasha suddenly asked, glancing at me.
"Because my situation is similar. Though there is nothing forcing me to refrain from love and affection, I do so because of my wind tunnel." I admitted, looking down at my right hand. "I won't put any woman through my tragic demise, should I fail to get rid of this tunnel and be consumed by it."
"Hmph, you're less selfish than I thought."
"Ever the blunt one." I sighed. "Inuyasha, maybe it would be best to give Kagome some space, to make it easier for her."
"Feh, I don't need you to tell me that!" he glared off into the distance, but I could sense that he was hurting, and ashamed of himself for hurting Kagome as he had.
"Just a helpful suggestion." I shrugged. "I suppose it would be best if we retired for now. Sango and Kagome will most likely be back shortly."
"Hmm."
"Inuyasha?" I looked over my shoulder at him.
"What?"
"I'm not saying to give up on her completely. There's still hope." I said, and then turned away.