When Kagome opened her eyes, it was to late afternoon, and a very intense golden gaze looking down at her. "InuYasha," she said, and reached for his hand when he would have moved it away.
"Kagome," he whispered, and left his fingers on the edge of the bed, covered by hers. She looked down, lifting his hand to examine it. Lightly tanned, rough skin barely sprinkled with white hair. Wide, callused palm, broad and tough and slightly more pale. His nails clean, long and sharp, several of them half gone from….she stilled remembering.
Kagome looked up at him and their eyes met again. Heat raged between them and her insides fluttered. InuYasha seemed to be drinking in the sight of her as he did every time they were together. She wished she knew what he was thinking. She wished she could speak with him. She might have reached for him. She almost did, pulling him to her… but then he moved away, like a skittish cat. How could such a strong, powerful man be so bold one moment and so uncertain the next? But when he looked at her, the expression in his eyes wasn't uncertain at all.
InuYasha turned back to her, and now he offered a small cup and two small bowls carved from wood. Water? No. She sniffed the contents of the cup. Tea? She frowned and sniffed again. The liquid was warm, and it had a scent to it. Some sort of jungle tea. How had he heated the water? She wished she knew how to ask; she was becoming more curious about this man every moment.
However, curiosity or no, she had to get back to her family. "I have to go home," she told him. He ignored her and gestured at the cup.
She sipped the tea and tasted cinnamon and other fresh, astringent flavors. It made her mouth feel clean and alive. The other two bowls contained fish in one, berries and nuts in the other. It made her realize that she was starving, and she dug in eagerly.
InuYasha drank from another cup, ate his own fish, tossed a handful of berries into his mouth, then turned and walked across the small room. His body, though very muscular, was nevertheless lean. And although he was covered from the waist down, she had a view of his broad shoulders and the sleek muscles of his back. It was a pleasing sight. When he turned, she realized he'd been digging in one of the trunks and now he held a book. He looked at her, and the expression in his face nearly broke her heart. It was a combination of apprehension and hope. His eyes were very gold. Kagome finished her food and sat, holding the blanket modestly over her breasts. "What is it?" she asked.
He brought the book and sat next to her on the bed. The book was old, filled with faded pictures and simple words. A child's dictionary. She smiled, this was just what she needed! She could use this to communicate with him! Kagome noticed his knuckles were white as he held the book open in his lap. Was he nervous? He pointed to the drawing of a woman.
"Woman," he said, his voice low and rumbly. Then he pointed to a man. "Man," he said with more confidence. She nodded next to him; they had already established his mastery of those words. Man. Woman. InuYasha. Kagome.
The word under one picture said dog. She pointed to the drawing and said, "Dog." Then she made a barking sound. He looked at her curiously, and then he barked back at her. His sounded much more authentic, and she had to admit he was likely part Inu youkai.
"Dhag, dhag, dog," he ground out roughly. She nodded in pleased surprise.
Then he began turning through the pages of the book, stopping at pictures of birds, beetles and butterflies, apples, bananas, beds, elephants, tigers, and more. For each, she told him the word. InuYasha frowned at the pictures for a long while, flipping back and forth, murmuring the many different names.
She began to point out more words for him, drawing imaginary lines between the figures to indicate their relationship. "Man. Father. Woman. Mother. Boy. Son."
He repeated all of the words, clearly becoming more confident as they went on. It became easier for him to speak the word correctly the first time, and on the very last picture, he actually said it with her. "Fam-ly." Kagome looked at him in happy surprise. Then he smiled with delight, a great, wide beaming grin that lit up his entire face.
His eyes danced with triumph at learning the words and Kagome's mouth went dry. This man…. She had the overwhelming urge to reach for him, to curl her fingers around that solid warm arm brushing against hers and pull him to her. Pleasure and lust shot in a hot rush through her, and she suddenly felt hot and prickly and aware. And then, she thought of HER family. She was almost sorry.
"InuYasha," she said, gaining his attention. "I need to go home. To my family. Now."
He looked at her, but said nothing. She bit back a sigh. Her mother was probably frantic, and grandpa likely to be scouring the jungle. If he were lost…
"Kagome's family, InuYasha," she said again. This time, she stood, handing him the book, and went to the door, wrapping the sheet around her for modesty. She pointed into the jungle. "Kagome's family. I have to go." She gestured to herself, and then the jungle repeating 'Kagome's family'.
He watched her intently, but his lack of action, of understanding, had her near tears. She would never find her way alone, she had to make him see!
"Please!" she cried. "Take me back. Mama! Family! Kagome's Family!"
He didn't like her tears. The scent was sharp, bitter in his nose. Despite his stillness, he knew what she wanted. His woman wanted to leave him, maybe to never return. Instinct screamed at him to refuse her, to keep her here, in HIS home, where she was safe and secluded. But her tears demanded something else entirely.
He stood without a sound and stepped over to her. Grasping the sheet, he tugged the loose wrap free, ignoring her gasp, and the sight of her round breasts, and redraped and tied the linen into a more secure configuration, tucking and folding it much like a kimono, so that none dragged the floor. Then, he put his back to her, crouched down, and grunted.
Kagome was confused. He had all but stripped her, batting her resisting hands away gently, only to dress her securely. Now he was on his haunches and clearly wanted something from her, but what?
"InuYasha," she started. He grunted again, and this time he slapped on hand over his shoulder on his back. "Huh?" she asked, nonplussed.
He stood then, and with a single smooth move swooped her up and behind him. Kagome found herself against his back, her free hand going to hold his other shoulder to prevent a fall. He took the arm he was holding and clasped it with her other hand in front of him, gesturing for her to hold on. She did so, only to have him grasp her legs scandalously high on her thighs, bringing her legs around his lean, hard waist. She blushed. "What are we doing?" She wondered.
He carried her thus out the door to the edge of the little deck, and bunched his muscles. She had but a moment to realize his intent, and tensed in resistance. He leaped. She screamed. The first landing on a branch was jolting, and she nearly lost her grip on him. He paused, reclasped her hands, and took her legs in his hands again. He crouched.
"Oh, no," she said weakly, and buried her head in his hair, clutching him for all she was worth. This was so different than being carried in front of him! It was precarious, and very, very intimate. It was not a smooth ride, but also not painful. Despite her fear, soon she was peeking out and charting their progress, not that she knew where on earth he was taking her.
He leaped onto thick branches, ran along them, leapt to to others. At times, he released her legs with a warning grunt and grabbed a vine, to swing them both like chimpanzee's through the jungle. It was thrilling, and soon enough she was gasping and laughing in delight.
At last, the journey ended, and InuYasha made one last jump, down from the tree they were in, to stand at its base. He crouched, and tapped her hands to indicate she could let go. She did so, and found her legs embarrassingly wobbly after her treetop flight. He steadied her, and then gestured in what seemed a random direction.
Kagome frowned. What now? She started to ask him, but he grunted, and pointed, and gave her a gentle push in the direction he wanted her to go. She took a few steps, only to look back. He was watching her with an intense, hard gaze. There was no anger there, only….sorrow?
"InuYasha, what-" she started to ask, but he stepped forward, bent back the ferns in front of her, and pointed.
"Family. Kagome's Family," his voice was resigned, empty.
She glanced past his raised arm, and gasped. There before her, a mere stone's throw away, was her family's beachfront treehouse.
SSSSSSSSSSSSssss
And, I'm baaaack! Hope this satisfies, at least til next weekend.