Inuyasha awoke the next morning on the floor to find the girls and the children missing from the living room. Their blankets were folded and placed upon one of the chairs in the room, but he wasn't worried; in fact, he heard their voices coming from outside, the loudest being Kagome and one of the sisters.
With a slight yawn, he rested himself on the floor once more with his hands behind his head. He would have gotten up, but he decided to let his friends enjoy their time before left. He was just about to close his eyes when he heard Miroku's voice from beside him, and glancing over, he saw the monk's arms wrapped tightly against a pink pillow, his cheek somewhat bruised which Inuyasha only assumed happened last night.
"Sango … You'll bear my children? Really?"
"Miroku," He called, but the monk hear, and sighing, Inuyasha closed his eyes. "Idiot." Thoughts about Dark Link, the strange mark on Kagome's hand, and much more clouded his thoughts. The moment they were out of this forest, he wanted to find that masked peddler and defeat Armaros once and for all. From what Dark Link had said yesterday, Armaros was well informed of their time travel, but what was the relation between that sorcerer and the peddler?
There was a sudden movement from beside him, and Inuyasha suspected it was just Miroku waking up. He felt something warm and wet touch his cheek and immediately opened his eyes yelping in surprise. He saw Miroku's lips nearing him, and repulsed, Inuyasha pushed the monk off him, but Miroku held tightly to his shirt. "Miroku, get the fuck off!"
A perverted smile stretched across his face suddenly and Inuyasha immediately raised his fist. "Don't be shy Sango…"
But before Inuyasha could deliver the punch that would send Miroku sailing right into the leg of the couch, an audible gasp from within the room followed after by something clattering to the floor, turned his attention away from the monk.
Poking her head out from behind one of the chairs, a familiar short haired brown girl with straight bangs timidly caught Inuyasha's gaze. She was twiddling her thumbs and a blush had reddened her cheeks. "I am so sorry! Please … um … don't stop because you saw me," She covered her smiling face embarrassedly and she went to stand up. All the while she failed to notice the color drain from Inuyasha's face nor that of his agitation growing. She also failed to notice that the monk was softly snoring.
"Y-you got it all wrong!" Inuyasha cried out.
Though she had never caught anyone in such circumstances before, Natalie knew that she had to say something to ease the tension. She would have never dreamed to stumble upon two guys with deep affection for each other. "I just want … um … you to know … that I support your love!" She stuttered, almost giggling to herself. And just like that, she dramatically fled from the room.
Grasping the monk by his robes, Inuyasha threw him off his person, and Miroku fell against the floor with a surprised yelp. "Every freaking time, Miroku! It's no wonder people look at us weird!"
Miroku only sat up and looked at his companion. "What did I do?" He asked sleepily, and from Inuyasha's knowing look, Miroku accessed himself and Inuyasha's clothing. Their clothing was ruffled and he saw that Inuyasha's chest was fully on display as he attempted to right himself. "Oh Buddha…"
Catching Link looking at them from the other side of the room, Inuyasha glared at him. "It wasn't what it looked like! So don't be getting any ideas!"
A smirk fell upon Link's lip, and he only shook his head at the pair. Right about now, he knew Serena would never let something like this slide. He missed her greatly, and he decided that as soon as their adventure came to an end, he would visit her grave.
Later that morning, the gang stood outside the cozy cabin with Natalie handing them some food to take on the road. Violet was well equipped with a rather large Naginata strapped to her back as she was prepared to lead them through the woods.
"I forgot to mention. Once you get to the main road, there'll be a hot spring along the way," Natalie exclaimed. "Violet has taken me there a couple times before, and it's really nice."
"A hot spring?" Kagome beamed at the thought. It had been a while since they last took a bath, and she was itching to talk with Sango about some personal things between her and Link. "Oh I can't wait!"
Glancing back at Violet, Natalie saw the large bundle in the Gerudo's hands, and she leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. "Did you bring it?"
Violet only nodded and met the eyes of Inuyasha just as last night. "Before I lead you to the main road, there is something I must say." As she unraveled the deer cloth, the bundle in her arms gave off a faint bluish glow. As the cloth fell to her feet, the bundle was that of a very familiar sword etched with ancient writing in its blade.
Inuyasha's eyes widened at this. "That's—"
"Inuyasha, it's your sword!" Shippo pointed in surprise from Kagome's shoulder.
Violet raised the blade, touching its surface as she peered into the reflection. "This blade has been in my family for many generations. It once belonged within a prestige Kingdom waged by war and violence, and it was kept in the possession of the very first Gerudo to have served under a Tyrant King."
Hearing this, Link, Kagome and Inuyasha immediately realized she was speaking of the ancient land of Ikana which they had visited just the other day. They realized Violet must have been a descendent of Roshan, the protector and nurse maid of Cathleen.
"Since your arrival, Inuyasha, I have noticed that this sword has begun acting up and I can feel a faint pulsing resonating from the blade. Since ancient times, this blade never truly accepted anyone but that of the King and it would reject any other that attempted to claim its power. Yet in a time where the Kingdom's foundations were beginning to collapse, a mysterious young man had somehow wielded this blade but he disappeared just as had appeared within the land. Since then, the sword has never once pulsed until today," Violet explained, her eyes once again meeting Inuyasha's. "Because this sword has reawakened, I believe that you must be a descendent of that young man. Perhaps his blood runs through you, therefore I believe this sword belongs to you."
Natalie looked between the two, as she watched her older sister hand the blade to the young man dressed in red. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's your family's sword after all…" She couldn't help but mutter.
"I think my descendants will be proud that it has been returned to its rightful owner…" Violet replied with a half shrug. "besides, it was collecting dust anyway."
Unexpectedly the sword immediately pulsated within Inuyasha's hands and his entire form took on an ethereal glow. It had come as such a shock to Natalie that her eyes immediately lit up with wonder while her sister looked on disinterestedly. His friends on the other hand were positively delighted to have their friend back to his original form and judging by the smirk on Inuyasha's face, he too was relieved to be back.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" The half demon exclaimed. Now that he had his sword back, he could get through battles more easily and he wouldn't have to worry too much about his stamina. At least with this, he could use his demon senses to help guide his friends away from danger if such should unexpectedly arise.
Almost faint from the shock of his sudden transformation from a man to a handsome god like figure, Natalie found herself breathlessly approaching Inuyasha, her eyes sparkling and her mouth agape. The others saw her and sweat dropped when they realized a very familiar happening would soon follow. One minute she was standing and looking up at Inuyasha and the next she had somehow latched onto his fuzzy ears, rubbing her fingers against them and causing Inuyasha to blush and pull away.
"Hey get off! Don't touch those!"
She wasn't offended by his ignorant response, but she only blushed under his beautiful golden gaze. "You have the most beautiful hair I have ever seen," She complimented, and it caused Inuyasha to blink suddenly but it didn't stop the redness from spreading to his face.
"H-huh?" He tried to back away and look anywhere but at this girl. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought she planned to jump him or eat him. He swallowed nervously. "Uh…thanks…"
But it was too bad. Natalie sighed. "It seemed even though I feel a great fondness for this man, his heart is already swayed by another." Natalie briefly glanced at the monk, who smiled at her innocently enough, and she frowned. "Oh … but this love is wounded … I feel breathless and ill!" She exclaimed suddenly that it baffled Inuyasha and the others as they watched her dramatically return to Violet's side.
"Are you reciting those lines from one of your stories again?" Violet asked, and at this, Natalie shook her head.
"No. I completely made it up just now," The short haired girl admitted.
Violet blinked. "That was really good. You should write that down later before you forget."
Natalie gasped. "Your right!"
With that said, Violet turned back to the group. "Well, let's be off."
After having said their farewells to Natalie who had remained back at the house, Violet led them through the thicket of the forest and over some rocky terrain where they eventually found themselves on a dirt road that stretched for miles. They were still surrounded by many trees, though less dense than before. It was then that Violet wished them luck on their travels and she disappeared through the trees.
"About time … Those girls were just a little bit strange if you ask me," Inuyasha suddenly voiced, looking back in the direction Violet had taken a short moment ago. "At least I have my sword back."
Kagome hit his shoulder all the while grinning. "It's good to have you back. We were starting to miss those fuzzy ears of yours." The priestess attempted to touch them, but Inuyasha quickly evaded her.
"No touching!"
Sango laughed at their playful bantering; it had been so long since she saw the two talking. Looking at the small kitten perched on her shoulder, she rubbed Kirara's chin lovingly. "Are you ready, Kirara? In just a couple days we might finally change the fate of this world."
Kirara mewed.
"Finally, this can all end, peacefully I hope," Miroku replied, and this, Kagome and Inuyasha turned to their friends. "Soon, I'm sure we shall confront Armaros and defeat him and whoever stands in our path."
"I hope we can get back the Sacred Jewel…" Kagome replied.
Inuyasha only grunted at this. "Well of course we're going to get the jewel back. We ain't leaving Termina until we do."
Kagome couldn't help but smile. "Right!"
The trek back to Clock Town would take two days, and from there, the gang would finally and hopefully put a stop to Armaros and likely Dark Link. They weren't sure how long the battle would take, but they knew that they still had some time left on their side, thanks to the Goddess of Time. Whatever lied in store for them wasn't certain, but they were prepared for anything.
Throughout most of the day, they kept at a constant speed, and they only stopped a few times in order to rest and eat. Natalie had prepared them some bread, fruits and a sack of white rice for the road, and they had helped themselves to it; there was plenty left for another day's worth, but they weren't too worried about running short on food. After all, they had a few experienced hunters in their group.
As the sun was beginning to set over the horizon, the group saw something of a cart passing down the road ahead of them pulled by oxen. On closer inspection, they realized the cart belonged to a rather old merchant, and they waved for the older man to wait. Of course seeing people on the road, though rather odd in appearance, he was nonetheless excited to sell his wares.
Searching through his satchel, Link withdrew his bag of rupees. Peering into the bag, he saw that there was at least a few hundred left. Back at the castle, Link had made a promise to Kagome, and he intended to fulfill it. Approaching the merchant who was happily moving his palms together, Link pointed to the bow and a quiver of arrows hanging by a nail on the back of the wall of the cart. "I'll take the bow and arrows."
The merchant grinned elatedly. "But of course! A warrior must always be prepared for danger!"
After he was handed the items, the gang watched curiously as the young boy held out the items to Kagome, who blushed in response.
"I made you a promise," Link replied with a nervous scratch of his neck. "Sorry it took so long."
The priestess held the items close to her and shook her head. "Thank you Link."
Miroku however only blinked at this before leaning into Sango with an arched brow. Those two were definitely acting a little too cozy. "Sango, do you see what I see?"
The slayer nodded, blushing from the close proximity from the monk. "I think something might have happened between them while they were gone."
Despite his friends' whisperings and Kagome and Link's obliviousness to those around them, Shippo merely smirked. It seemed Link had finally made some progress. A sudden thought came to his attention and he looked over to see the reaction from Inuyasha; he had a feeling the half demon would be upset, but to his surprise, Shippo saw that there was a look of boredom on his face but he wasn't irritable or jealous. 'Does Inuyasha know what's going on between Kagome and Link?'
After many hours of briskly walking down the trail following the path that led back to Termina Field, the group eventually made camp. Inuyasha had picked up the smell of hot water nearby and he and his friends assumed they were near the Hot Springs spoken of earlier. It wasn't surprising the girls, who were exhausted and dirty from their travels, were the first to rush off to the Hot Spring together while the guys busied themselves with light conversation around the camp fire.
Half an hour had passed since the girls went off to bathe and it was surprising Shippo had remained behind; the child normally was the first to run off the moment Kagome and Sango mentioned anything about taking a bath. Shippo sat there, quietly watching Link turn the two rabbits over the flames; the young boy had caught them earlier that day and it would be enough to suffice for the night.
As he sat there, slightly daydreaming of spying on the girls while they were nude, Miroku couldn't help but sigh from his troubled thoughts.
His sigh earned Inuyasha's curiosity. "What's the matter?"
Leaning back, Miroku only shook his head. Well it was all very confusing. "It seems we are quite close to returning back to our own world, but one after another, it seems, something happens that puts a slight ripple in our task."
"What do you mean?"
"When we first were brought to this world, we were told by the Great Fairy to simply gather all the pendants which would thus allow someone within our group, one that possesses a pure heart, to summon the Goddesses and make a wish. Was that not so, Inuyasha? Link?" Miroku asked, and from their nods, he only sighed. "I mean, at first the task didn't seem so … complex, but not only are we faced with one or two threats, but now that number has risen to three." What made matters confusing was he didn't know if they were all conspiring together. Some things just didn't add up.
Inuyasha stuck a glare at the fire. Hell he had forgotten most of what the Great Fairy had asked of them. Still, he understood where Miroku was getting at. "Well the good thing is we at least got those pendants. Not sure what the hell we're supposed to do with them to summon those Goddesses. As far as we know, the Great Fairy is gone." Yet, he could have sworn he remembered her saying they had to take those pendants somewhere in order to begin the summoning.
"Now that we are in possession of the pendants, we need only to summon the Goddesses. I mean, would a drawn out battle really be worth the cost of innocent lives right now?" Miroku asked.
Link and Inuyasha shared a look. Given the situation, they supposed it wasn't entirely necessary, but one could never be sure when a surprise attack might appear.
"What's important is that we first locate the Happy Mask Salesman," Link suddenly voiced, and at this, Inuyasha only clenched his fists. "There are answers to our questions that I'm sure he will relay to us, especially those regarding Armaros and where we need to go in order to summon the Goddesses."
The half demon scowled at this. "How do you know he's not just using us to steal those pendants? What if this guy is working for Armaros and he's just playing us for idiots!"
"That could be a possibility, but I don't believe he is actually working for him or Dark Link. After all, Armaros showed great hostility and resentment towards Emmett especially going so far as to kill him," Link replied. "But, that doesn't mean we shouldn't not be suspicious of him. After all, Emmett isn't like any other ordinary person I have encountered and he seems to keep many secrets about him."
"Got any idea where we might find him then?" Inuyasha asked, but Link only shook his head in defeat.
Link looked out across the terrain for a moment. "That's what makes him such a mysterious person. I've never truly understood him; his oddly distorted personality."
The Happy Mask Salesman had a distorted personality? From what they had gathered from their encounter with him back in Clock Town was merely a sense of urgency to assist him in reclaiming a lost item. Then again, there was the oddity of his uncanny ability to follow them without any notice, nor from them or from Inuyasha.
Link continued. "There was a time he had lost a shred of his sanity and had literally choked me; his behavior had become crazed and in an instant he was fine."
Miroku found himself pondering this. Dark Link had called the peddler a schizophrenic but from what Link had explained, it sounded more like Emmett was bothered by something deep within his mentality that affected his behavior terribly. "Could it be Bipolar?" Was that the correct term Kagome had explained to him? From what the monk gathered, Bipolar Disorder affected the mentality of a person so powerfully that it had the capability to alter their mood swings from elation to immediate depression; it was never truly certain when the switch would occur. It sounded frightening, to be bothered by something beyond your control.
Link shrugged. "Perhaps or he may simply be acting on it purposefully."
"Whether or not he is mental doesn't matter! He'll tell us what's going on or else he'll face my sword."
As the guys conversed before the fire, Shippo couldn't help but tap Link's leg out of worry. "So do you think there's a possibility they are working together? Emmett, Armaros and Dark Link?"
Link shrugged. "It wouldn't add up. There's some hostility it seems from both sides. We'll find out soon enough."
The monk pondered. "Now that I think about it, it would be impossible not to fall into battle with Armaros. After all, he is in possession of the Sacred Jewel."
Inuyasha growled. Already his head was hurting. "Damn it! I hate just sitting around and not doing anything."
Sighing, Miroku leaned back with his head turned in the direction of the Hot Springs. By now he was sure the girls were undressed and enjoying their relaxation; of course it had been a while since they last relaxed. His joints were killing him, and he could only imagine how soothing that hot water would ease the tension and pain in his bones.
After a moment of silent consideration, the monk stood up with a cheshire grin spread upon his face. "The night is long and quite peaceful. We haven't stumbled upon any monsters lurking around these woods…"
"Where are you going?" Inuyasha asked though he felt stupid for asking.
Miroku smiled. "I believe a nice walk would do me some good," He replied before slipping past their camp fire. "I'll … return in a bit." Yet before he could take another step in the direction of the Hot Springs, Inuyasha had abruptly stood up and grabbed him by the back of his robes before effortlessly pushing him back onto his rump near the fire.
"Nice try, but you're not going anywhere until the girls return," Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "So sit your ass down."
As Link turned the rabbits over the flame, he saw Shippo from his peripheral vision shake his head and mutter something about a 'sad man.' He only assumed it was directed at Miroku who sat beside him feigning a hurt expression.
"Unlike Miroku and Inuyasha, I'm actually allowed to bathe with them," Shippo proudly exclaimed with a devilish smirk across his face.
"Because you're a child, Shippo," was Inuyasha's reply. "And what the heck are you still doing here? You're usually with the girls."
The child only shook his head at the silver haired half demon. No it wasn't just about being a child that he was allowed to bathe with the girls. "I'll go in a bit," Shippo replied. "It's all about trust, Inuyasha. They know I won't stoop to spying on them, not that I would. I'm not that kind of fox." As if realizing something, Shippo looked up at Link. "Hey Link, the girls seem to trust you pretty well. You know, I bet they might let you bathe with them if you ask."
The young boy blushed at his words which were accompanied by a few images of the Hot Spring and the girls. He was unable to stop himself from imagining such a circumstance with Kagome. Her laughing and splashing him with water, but Link could only see himself embarrassed the entire time. However, he refused the thought. "I don't think that would be good idea…"
But Shippo only continued on, despite Link's refusal. "I mean it Link. You aren't a pervert like Miroku, who is always putting his hands on them and Inuyasha is just as bad."
"Hey! What the hell do you mean by that, Shippo?! I don't touch either of them and you know that!" Inuyasha growled, raising himself from across the fire to glare at the child.
"There's only one woman he fondles. It's either when he goes to see Kagome's family or when her back is turned … or worse … if she's asleep." Shippo replied and it was the truth. How many times had the half demon gone to Kikyo when Kagome was either around or elsewhere? Too many.
Seeing how Shippo was cutting it too close across the line, Link attempted to direct Inuyasha's attention away from Shippo, but it seemed impossible; Inuyasha looked ready to kill and prepared the hit the child like the previous times. Of course he wouldn't allow him to hit Shippo, even if his words were very much unnecessary and hurtful.
Instead of hitting him, Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Listen Shippo, when you grow up, you'll understand the situation more." Even though it was a touchy subject, he had always felt terrible about hurting the priestess, especially during the times he and Kagome were getting along rather well. It was worse than any wound from a sword or fist. It bruised him more painfully when Kagome would silently look away from him, frowning and inevitably crying in the long run. "My personal life is none of your business."
Shippo only nodded but refused to give up on his explanations of why he was trusted by the girls. "Yeah but even so, it's your bad behavior that you're both being punished," He pointed at the guys.
"Punished?" Miroku asked with an arched brow.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Shippo only shook his head in disappointment. "The reason you guys can't bathe with Kagome and Sango is because of what you've done."
Having heard this, Miroku couldn't help but laugh softly. "Well that seems like a good enough reason. But I must agree with Inuyasha though. There's a reason why men and women bathe separately and there is also a reason why it's considered alright for women to bathe with children. Once you are older, you'll come to understand what we mean." Still the monk couldn't help but feel a certain jealousy towards the young child.
Shippo refused to believe Miroku. He wanted to stay adamant on his on reasoning. "I'm telling you guys it's based on trust! Because I'm pure, that's why I'm allowed. I bet Link is pure too! Right Link?" Heck, he hadn't seen Link raise his hands in any kind of perverse way towards anyone, not even Kagome. He had been the perfect gentleman as well as a shield to her and his friends. There was no doubt in his mind that he would easily be welcomed into the Hot Spring.
Link sweat dropped at the child. "Can I not be brought into this?" His gaze couldn't help but fall onto Inuyasha's glare and Miroku's jealous stare.
The child frowned. Why was Link siding with the others? "I'm a man too, Link. And Kagome and Sango trust me a lot. I never do anything sneaky, not that I would want to anyways. It's a lot of fun, actually! We talk about all sorts of things, and we play together too. I bet if you ask them sincerely, they would let you join us."
"I-I think I'll pass on that..." Link refused.
"Why? Four wouldn't be a crowd. There's a lot of room there. Besides, having another guy there would be twice as fun!" Shippo could already imagine all four of them that very moment. He would ask Link to scrub his back while Kagome washed his hair; it sounded perfect.
Fed up with Shippo's attempts at persuading Link to join them at the Hot Springs, Inuyasha stood up from his spot. "Damn it! Do you even realize what you're saying?!"
Sensing the beginnings of what always happens when Shippo and Inuyasha don't agree together, Miroku silently slipped away from the camp. All that talk about the girls brought back the mischief of his thoughts, and since the guys seemed a little preoccupied, he knew this time he wouldn't get caught.
A content sigh was heard from Kagome as she leaned herself deeper into the spring. Her hair was done up in messy bun with only a few strands curling at her ears. It had been so long since she last bathed and it felt amazing. "This feels nice."
Sango silently agreed with the priestess as she washed herself. "It feels like it's been forever since we last had some time to ourselves."
While she sat there in the steamy bath, Kagome couldn't help but rub the mark on the back of her hand, the one in which Dark Link had placed before his escape. It didn't hurt her, but it certainly worried her nonetheless.
Noticing the mark, Sango frowned. "Does it hurt?"
"No," Was Kagome's reply. It wouldn't seem to come off, no matter how much she rubbed at it. "I wonder who this Dark Link truly is. Link mentioned that he was created by his enemy long ago."
"I suppose he is everything sinister that is present within all human beings," Sango explained. "He is made up of the darkness and greed within Link."
The two eased themselves into silence for a moment.
"Sango," The priestess softly murmured, her arms wrapped around her knees and her cheeks sporting a blush. "There's something I wanted to tell you. In fact …" Kagome shyly looked around her surroundings, as if she feared the wrong ears would eavesdrop, though when she saw it was truly just her and Sango all alone, with the slayer staring at her curiously, she went on. "You know … I've been spending a lot more time with Link lately, and I think I might really like him," She admitted, looking at Sango's face to see her reaction.
The slayer only smiled. "Really?" She asked before a soft laugh caught Kagome off guard. "To be honest, I kind of had a suspicion about that, you and Link I mean."
Kagome blinked. Huh? She already knew? "But how did you find out?"
Sango arched a brow. "Kagome it's rather obvious. You and Link have been acting … how should I say this? Cozy and shy as of late. But then again, Link is shy boy, at least from what I have perceived."
The priestess blushed. Well now she felt embarrassed. So this entire time her best friend had noticed the feelings she and Link shared. Kagome half wondered if the others knew this as well, but there was no doubt in her mind they did.
As the slayer washed herself, she thought back to when she first started to notice the changes between her friend and the young boy. It was back at Romani's Ranch, at the dinner table where Miroku had hinted at the timid love between the two, though it had been accompanied by some lecherous acts no thanks to the monk. But when she had stumbled upon Kagome and Link sitting on the hillside looking at the stars, it was then that she also took notice of the change that had overcome Kagome; she had opened her heart completely to Link.
"The thing is, Sango … I don't mean for this to sound weird or come out the wrong way, but Link and I have … well become close," She explained, hoping Sango would understand what she meant without her saying it.
But Sango only stared at her for a few moments longer, her eyes searching the priestess for an answer. "Do you mean to say … You and Link … have …" She blushed at the thought. There was no way she could see Kagome doing something so forward and in only less than a month. "When did this happen? Kagome, tell me you were careful? Did you use precaution as in the kind from that picture book that talks about modern dating?"
Immediately Kagome's face reddened and she waved her hands in front of her face with exasperation. "Oh my gosh! No Sango! That's not what I meant!" She stammered. "W-we've … only kissed a few times," She admitted. "N-nothing more than t-that."
Pulling away from Kagome and releasing her shoulder which she had latched onto during the misunderstanding, she pulled away and placed a hand to her chest. "Thank goodness."
Kagome couldn't imagine doing something like that with Link, at least, not at the current moment. The thought of doing anything more than kissing or hand holding didn't seem very foreseeable at the present time, but just that thought had her face and ears burning. "I know it might seem a little fast for me to turn my eyes and heart away from Inuyasha, but I realize I deserve better. Right, Sango?"
The slayer nodded. Of course, she deserved better; in fact, every girl deserved someone who could love them, protect them and lay down absolute loyalty and trust. Just seeing her best friend smiling, her thoughts of Link at the front of her mind had Sango feeling somewhat envious of the girl. Love wasn't something that was easy to come by, and Sango found herself questioning that of her own love life.
"Don't get me wrong, I do care about Inuyasha and I always will; he's a friend I'd never want to lose. But after taking some time to consider my feelings, I realized I no longer feel love for him in that kind of way, and that's okay, Sango," Kagome admitted. In fact, Inuyasha was more of a friend or a brother to her, and she wouldn't want it any other way. "I've fallen hard for Link, and in only less than a month, Sango. He makes me feel special and I have this terrible idea to steal him away from this world." She laughed.
"What do you mean?"
Kagome thought back to hers, Inuyasha's and Link's time back in ancient Ikana. "It's just … Inuyasha and I were talking, and we were thinking of asking the Goddesses if they would allow Link to accompany us back to the Feudal Era."
Sango gasped at the thought. Bring Link back home with them? Wasn't that going a little overboard? "Kagome, I know you care for Link, but do you think that is truly possible?"
Even though it had been a brief thought, one that involved Link joining them on their quest in the Feudal Era and somehow, magically bringing him to her own world, Kagome wondered if it could truly happen. "I'm not sure, but I suppose we shall see after summoning the Goddesses." It couldn't hurt to ask, right?
"I would hate to see you and Link get hurt," Sango softly replied, touching Kagome's shoulder lightly. "If it should come that such a wish can't be granted…"
She frowned. If it should come to pass that she and Link would one day separate, she knew it would be terrible. He had become very close and dear to her, and without his company, Kagome wasn't sure what she would do. She knew time would heal all wounds, but would Link be alright? Realizing she was beginning to grow disheartened from the slayer's words and such depressing thoughts, Kagome shook her head to clear her mind. 'What am I thinking? There's no true guarantee he can or can't come with us. I should at least expect what might happen and appreciate what I have at this moment with Link.'
"What are Link's thoughts about returning back with us?" Sango asked.
Kagome thought back to what Link had said to her and Inuyasha back in the ancient past of Ikana. It was during lunch with the Princess and the King, and Inuyasha had been discussing his love for steak and Ramen.
After finishing his meal, Inuyasha reclined back on his hands. "Yeah, Kagome has some interesting food back in her land. Like these ramen noodles and these chips potatoes…" His mouth practically watered at the thought. It had been far too long since he had had any of her ninja food. A thought came to his mind. "I remember your mom invited me to have dinner and she had this big chunk of meat …What was it called again?"
Kagome blinked as she sipped her tea. "What kind of meat? We have different kinds. There's hamburger, chicken, turkey—"
Inuyasha interrupted her. "No, not those small, round kinds. I mean the big juicy ones," He explained, still not able to think of the name quite yet. It had been so good, especially when it was cooked and seasoned. "It was kind of tender when you cut into it. Your mom put some kind of sauce on it too…"
Kagome pondered. Something juicy, tender and sometimes covered in sauce? Could he be referring to that? "You mean steak?"
He nodded. "Yeah!" Inuyasha smiled at the thought. He felt like he could almost imagine her mother cooking him up that piece of meat. "Steak … that was good. But it still doesn't compare to ramen."
Kagome sweat dropped. "You're gonna turn into ramen…"
Link smiled at the priestess. "From all the amazing things you have told me of your land, I wish I could also see it for myself." He laughed.
Kagome blushed and nodded. "Well, maybe you can. What do you think, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked as she leaned closer to her friend while Flat and Cathleen talked quietly to one another. Kagome hesitantly looked around before tugging on his hair, much to Inuyasha's displeasure. Kagome whispered in his ear. "I mean you and I can travel back in time through the well. So why shouldn't it be possible for Link?"
Inuyasha frowned. "I don't know…He is from a different world," He explained, eyeing the boy who was quizzically staring at them uncomfortably.
"Maybe the Great Fairy could help?" Kagome asked.
Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't know. We're only allowed one wish, Kagome. Don't forget. That wish is to save Termina from its curse. I don't even know if those three Goddesses would grant Link's wish."
Kagome frowned. Would it be a selfish wish? To want Link to come with them to their worlds? After all, Link was all alone in this world, unable to return to his own homeland. He didn't even have a memory of his family and he had just recently lost his beloved fairy friend, Serena… "Maybe there's a way … I don't think it would hurt to ask though."
"We have talked about it a few times, and he seems interested in our different worlds," Kagome explained. "He told me that once everything is over; however, he would probably live in Termina for the remainder of his life, simply because there was no true way for him to return to Hyrule." Kagome remembered him explaining to her that day on the hillside how he would build a cottage out in Termina field, and it bothered her. To live alone in a world that trapped him from his friends brought her despair. She felt bad for Link. "I don't want Link to be alone. He's lost so much already. I'm sure he could find happiness with us."
Uncertain if things would play out accordingly to Kagome's wishes of bringing Link with them, Sango could only pray that the Goddesses would allow it. Yet as she thought about it, her and her comrades were risking their lives to save this land in order to make a wish to save it from this endless destruction. What were they getting out of this after all this time of painful struggling? Perhaps they could make a bargain, one that was not selfish. Maybe there was hope for Link and Kagome.
Smiling at the thoughtful young priestess, Sango pulled her hair free of her messy bun and began washing her thick ebony tresses. "Link seems like such a nice guy, and he certainly pays a lot of attention to you."
Blushing at this, Kagome couldn't help but twiddle her thumbs. "Really? I wonder if the guys have noticed?"
"Well you both make it very obvious," Sango laughed. "I had my doubts in the beginning when things were tense between Link and Inuyasha, but like I said before, Miroku was the first to notice."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't doubt that for a moment. He notices everything."
"Serena was the most adamant out of all of us hinting about the two of you, don't you remember?" Sango laughed at the memory.
Slowing her speed, Kagome couldn't help but glance at Link, who was calmly walking alongside her, staring ahead with a look of indifference on his face. There was something different about him today, and when she realized what it was, her eyes brightened some. "Link, where is your hat? Did you leave it at the Inn?"
Somewhat embarrassed, Link rubbed his neck but couldn't help but allow a tinge of pink to color his cheeks. "I … uh … put it away for the time being…"
Kagome smiled. "Oh I see." There he went again, rubbing his neck like that. Every time he did that, she couldn't help but smile; it was kind of cute, and she wondered if Link realized that.
A hint of mischief filled Serena's thoughts suddenly, and she fluttered in between the two before perching herself onto his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure you put it away for safe keeping…" She muttered somewhat loudly that only Kagome and Link would hear. "Only because she said you looked 'cute' last night!" She blurted rather loudly before giggling.
Inuyasha's ears twitched at this.
Mortified by his annoying fairy friend, Link struck her a glare. How could she yell something so embarrassingly loud, especially in front her? He dared not look at Kagome. That was humiliating; what was with Serena? He turned his head, hoping to hide the fact that his face had taken on a dark shade of crimson, but he couldn't help but look at Kagome from the corner of his eye; she was smiling to herself. Link swallowed and nervously tried to rid himself of his embarrassment.
The fairy's teasing only persisted, along with her many laughs. "Aw you sure do blush easily Link. I was only kidding."
Kagome blushed at the memory. "Why didn't you guys ever say anything?"
"We were waiting to hear it from you and Link." Sango massaged Kagome's scalp. She had finished washing her hair and the black tresses fell down Kagome's shoulders and back smoothly. "I don't often say these things, but you two are actually pretty adorable together. Especially when Link bought you a bow and quiver of arrows…"
"W-well my other ones burnt up in the fire," Kagome explained.
"You're always losing your weapons," The slayer laughed as she joked with her best friend.
A few minutes went by and the silence left Kagome questioning where her little friend disappeared to. "I wonder where Shippo is. I thought he would be the first to jump in," Kagome replied as she allowed her eyes to skim the trees around them. The camp was a small distance away, and she didn't have any doubt that the young kit would arrive any moment. Her eyes then fell upon the small Deku child, Hideki, who was sitting upon the heated rocks silently. "Hideki, why don't you join us?"
The child shook his head fervently. "Oh … no that's alright Kagome."
She frowned. "But the water feels great," Kagome swam over to the rocks where Hideki sat, and hoped to bring him in with her and Sango, despite his refusal. "Trust me, it'll be fun."
Hideki only stepped away from her, as she leaned her elbows upon the rocks looking up at him confused. "I can't swim …"
"Huh?" Kagome blinked. If that was all it was, then she wouldn't let him drown. It was one of the reasons she always brought an inner tube for Shippo. She knew a lot of people in the Feudal Era couldn't swim, and she had her doubts most were able to in this world.
A thought occurred to Sango as she joined Kagome. "Dekus are unable to swim. I remember hearing about that back in the Southern Swamp."
Kagome gasped. "Oh, I forgot!" It was almost the same with Serena, only she wasn't able to get her fairy wings wet. Back at the witch's secret spring behind the waterfall, she had laid out a hot rag for the fairy to sit in, and she bet she could do the same for Hideki. But then another thought came to mind.
Ever so gently, Kagome reached out for Hideki and pulled him against her chest. Despite his resistance and hesitation to be submerged within the hot spring, Kagome very carefully brought him onto her lap within the shallow end of the spring. Only his bottom half was submerged, and for the first time in his life, he felt the hot liquid against his bark. "Here. It should be safer this way."
"T-thank you."
Kagome grinned. "You know we really haven't had the chance to get to know each other, have we?"
The Deku child shook his head in response to her question.
"So … you must live at the Palace, right? The Deku Kingdom?" Kagome asked, and from the child's nod, Kagome smiled brightly. "I heard from Link that your dad is the Deku Butler."
Hideki blinked. "You did? So you've visited my home before?"
Kagome nodded. "Yep. It wasn't that long ago actually. I bet you must miss everyone there …" From his saddened expression, Kagome felt the urge to reach out and hug him. "You don't have to worry. As soon as we return to Termina field, we'll take you straight home."
"Thank you."
"But," Kagome couldn't help but ponder to herself. "I know it's not really any of my business, but do you remember leaving the Palace and traveling to Clock Town?" The priestess thought back to when she and Link had found his roots frozen to a spot near a huge chasm underneath the Clock Tower. How had he gotten frozen there in the first place?
For a moment Hideki was silent.
There was a sudden rustle in the bushes near them and a flash of orange and yellow popped into sight before the spring. It wasn't surprising to see Shippo standing there with his little floaties on his arms and his clothes already disposed at his feet. As his eyes turned to Kagome, he felt a tinge of jealousy suddenly come over him. "Hey!" He shouted, causing his female friends to look at him in curiosity. Shippo pointed at Hideki sitting in Kagome's lap. "That's my spot!"
Kagome only shook her head, but her smile remained. "Well Hideki was here first, Shippo. What took you so long?"
Shippo frowned. Why was that thorn sitting in his mother's lap? That was his spot! Why was she getting so comfortable with this scrub when she only just found him? 'What if she decides to adopt him?" That thought suddenly brought fear into the young fox's mind. No that wouldn't happen, right? If it did, he could already hear Inuyasha in the back of his head, saying something along the lines of, "Now you have a stick for a brother!"
"Shippo?" Kagome repeated herself.
"Huh?"
"What took you so long to get here? Normally you're the first to jump in," She laughed. "Don't tell me Inuyasha was picking on you again?"
Shippo only puffed out his chest. "As if! That idiot has to think twice before I unleash my new and improved Fox Fire Inferno on them!"
His friends laughed.
Seeing as how all his swim toys were already scattered inside the spring, Shippo dove right in, despite the hot temperature and re-emerged sighing. How long had it been since they had finally stopped to relax and bathe?
"So what were you guys talking about that was so important?" Sango asked as she washed her back.
"Well," Shippo began, "Miroku was trying to sneak off and peek at you guys, but Inuyasha stopped him. After that I told it to them straight. That because of Miroku's perversion and Inuyasha's cheating ways, that neither of them have the privilege to bathe with you like I do!" He triumphantly replied, which earned a soft laugh from the priestess and a roll of the eyes from Sango.
Kagome laughed. "Oh really?"
Glancing over at Hideki, still silently perched in Kagome's lap, Shippo sent the little stick a glare. How much longer was he going to occupy that particular spot? "Hey, Kagome…"
Looking away from Hideki while she had been softly flicking one of his few leaves atop his head, Kagome turned her eyes to Shippo who was sweetly and adorably offering up one of his best little puppy dog eyes. "Yes?"
"Can you wash my hair? Like you did last time?" He asked, hoping that by doing so, it would allow her to push Hideki elsewhere and bring all the attention from her to himself. "Please?"
Kagome nodded. "Now that I look at you, you sure have gotten a lot of dirt in your hair these days." Before she could allow herself to move and put Hideki down so that she could gather up the shampoo from her bag, she was surprised when she heard the Deku child in her arms whimper and flair his little stick arms.
"No, don't let me go … I'll drown."
Sighing, Kagome turned to Sango. "Sango, would you mind washing his hair?"
"Sure Kagome." As Sango went to fetch the shampoo at the edge of the rocks from Kagome's bag, Shippo suddenly huffed.
"But … I want you to wash my hair, Kagome!" He whined. "You always do a great job massaging my scalp too!"
Kagome sweat dropped. She would have loved to, but she was a little preoccupied with Hideki. "Sorry Shippo, but you'll have to make do with Sango. She's not half bad. She can wash your hair just as good as I can."
"But Kagomeeee—"
"Don't fuss," She warned.
After that, Shippo silently floated there as Sango scrubbed at his auburn hair with bubbles falling down the side of his head. Unfortunately it wasn't as enjoyable as it would have been with his mother. Every once in a while, he sent Hideki a look, and each time, he heard Kagome laugh or coo at the little Deku, which only annoyed him further.
While she was washing the child's hair with the berry scented shampoo from Kagome's time, Sango couldn't help but notice the silence in the air hovering above Shippo. As she glanced over at Kagome, she saw that the priestess was giving a lot of extra attention to Hideki. It wasn't surprising that Shippo had become jealous of the situation. Sango couldn't help but hold back a laugh. "So … Shippo, what else happened in that conversation with the guys?"
Pulling himself away from his thoughts, Shippo rinsed his hair. "I told Link besides Inuyasha and Miroku, that he is more qualified to bathe with us."
This caught Kagome's attention. "What? What do you mean that gives him a right to bathe with us?"
Pulling away from Sango, Shippo floated upon his back, using his arms to direct himself in circles. "I told Link, if he asks nicely, that you two might consider letting him join us sometime."
"Shippo, you didn't you invite him did you?" Sango questioned, warily glancing around the surroundings.
The fox child only nodded. "Yeah I did, but he didn't seem to want to. I don't know why. And Inuyasha and Miroku got really upset about it and told me I didn't know what I was talking about."
Just the thought of Link suddenly appearing before them ready to jump in for a swim had Kagome burning bright red. There was no way that would happen. After all, Link was a reserved and polite guy. He seemed to respect their privacy, so it was highly unlikely that he would listen to Shippo's pleas to bathe with them.
Latching onto his inner tube, Shippo continued on. "I told them because I'm pure I'm allowed to bathe and Link is pure too."
"Yes, he a good guy," Sango replied, but he wasn't good enough to bathe with them. After all, there was a reason men and women bathed separately. Shippo wasn't yet old enough to understand, but perhaps later on down the road it would be something to laugh at together.
A sudden rustling in the bushes brought the girl's out of their soft laughter and their eyes widened fearfully. As they looked around, Kagome hugged her arms around her breasts while Sango reached for her Hiraikotsu leaning against the rocks beside her.
Just as the rustling started, it immediately stopped and only silence hung in the air around the spring. Whoever or whatever it had been lurking nearby, they must have realized they had heard them.
"Miroku that better not be you spying on us again!" Sango warned, her eyes searching the trees and bushes.
Sitting up in his inner tube, Shippo's face immediately brightened. "No way, I bet it's Link! Maybe he changed his mind!" He elatedly grinned. "Hey Link, you can come over!"
Because Shippo had called out for Link to join them, and immediately believing Link had actually arrived to ask for permission to join them and at such a terrible time, Kagome submerged herself into the spring fully and shrieked. "Don't you dare come out here!"
And it was to everyone's surprise, they saw a familiar green tunic and blonde hair appear from the bushes at least a small distance from the rocky spring. Though it was Link, he had both his eyes covered. "I apologize for this, but Miroku went missing…" He began, stuttering from the embarrassment.
After this and suddenly hearing a rustling in the bushes behind Sango, the slayer turned and threw her weapon at the spot where she saw a sandaled foot sticking out of the leaves. "You lecherous monk!"
A yelp was followed after her boomerang collided with the skull of his head, but it did not necessarily knock him out as she would have hoped. After collapsing from the bushes, Miroku slowly attempted to get to his feet in order to make an escape, but Sango had pulled herself up from the water, one arm covering her breasts and without any shame, she stalked towards the monk with a burning fire ignited and ready to kill. "No Sango! Wait a minute, I can expl—"
"Explain this!"
Manish screams were then followed after, and Kagome sat there, but she was not looking in Sango's and Miroku's direction. Instead, she was quietly watching Link while also easing her way towards the rocks to gather a towel in hopes to cover herself from the embarrassment of the situation. Fortunately, Link hadn't dared to pull his hands away, but from his reaction to the screams, he realized it was too late to warn them of Miroku's approach.
"For once, can't we bathe in peace?!" Sango hollered.
After setting Hideki onto the rocks, Kagome reached out for her towel and with Hideki's help, she managed to slip it quickly around her chest where it covered her enough to step out of the spring. But before she could quickly dress herself, she heard the sound of Inuyasha's voice nearby. 'Oh no … he better not—'
With his half demon speed, Inuyasha jumped from the trees and landed on the rocks next to kagome, his sword drawn and his eyes darting everywhere. "What the hell happened?!"
Kagome shrieked. While attempting to hold her towel tightly against her, without showing her thighs or cleavage, she saw in disbelief Inuyasha ogling at her, his mouth agape. Though without any violence, she did the only thing she could think of at that moment, and caused Inuyasha to cry out in surprise. "Inuyasha you pervert, get out!" With as much force as she could muster, she pushed him into the hot water.
A loud splash followed after and droplets of the steamy water hit Link from a short distance away. "Is everything … okay?" He asked, wondering what had just happened after the slayer had attacked Miroku. He was sure that by now the girls were decent and he slowly pulled his hands away from his face.
Upon having heard Link, Shippo looked away from Inuyasha who had finally re-emerged from the water, cursing and sputtering at Kagome and felt his heart drop when Link was about to peek. "No Link!" His voice was enough to startle Link to where he covered his eyes once more. "Don't look or you'll lose your privileges!" If Link wanted to bathe with Kagome and Sango and himself included, he needed first to ask permission before looking.
"Why the hell would I want to look at you!" Inuyasha shouted at the priestess. He was drenched and his silver hair matted against his face and back.
After effectively knocking Miroku out, Sango turned to Inuyasha with her Hiraikotsu aimed and prepared to knock him out as well. This time, she didn't even bother to cover her breasts and approached the half demon. When he saw Shippo panic and flee from the water beside him, the half demon was about to turn in question, but he was hit in the back of the head and fell face first into the spring.
It was at this time that Link held his back to the girls, his face very much red. He had almost caught a glimpse of them, and he truly hadn't meant to and he certainly didn't want to after hearing the cries from the guys who were no longer heard.
Turning her attention from the bubbles surfacing above the spring where Inuyasha had fallen into, Sango found her brown eyes looking at Link standing with his back to them a distance away. "At least someone has the decency not to look." Placing her Hiraikotsu down into the grass, she figured it was time to get out and return back to camp. They wouldn't even bother bringing the guys back.
Eventually during the night, the guys had returned to the camp, sporting rather large bumps and bruises on their heads and faces. After taking their turn to bathe and clean up, they saw the girls and kids sitting around the fire. Kagome had already made up her sleeping bag and was busily playing a game with Shippo and Hideki. Link was sitting next to her, rotating the rabbits over the flame and Sango was ever so silently glaring at Miroku and Inuyasha.
Looking up at the guys approaching them, Shippo couldn't help but cockily grin at them. Well it served them right. His emerald eyes shifted to his friend Link sitting beside Kagome, and when Link met his gaze, Shippo's mind literally screamed, "I told you so!"
Debating against sitting next to his beloved, Miroku took a seat beside Link and Inuyasha sat across from them and the girls. Sitting in Indian style, he stared at the meat hungrily. "Isn't it done yet?!"
"Almost," Was Link's reply.
Carefully sitting the last card upon the top of his second story house, Shippo smirked at Hideki from beside him. The poor little scrub hadn't successfully made even a tent from two cards yet, and Hideki was sitting there fumbling with the cards.
When his cards once again fell over, Hideki sighed. He didn't quite understand what he was really supposed to do with these strange thick papers with drawings upon them, but it seemed the task was to make them stack upon each other just as Shippo displayed before him and Kagome.
"Great job Shippo!" Kagome congratulated, and it earned a grin from the small fox child. Looking down at Hideki beside her, she couldn't help but awe at his clumsiness. "Here, let me show you Hideki."
As the priestess attempted to show the Deku child how to properly stack the cards against one another before adding another layer atop that pair, the rabbits that had been cooking were finally ready to eat.
"Finally! Let's eat!" Inuyasha didn't hesitate to grab one of the rabbits from the fire before pulling apart the meat and handing some to Miroku, Link and himself. The girls and the children ate their share and soothing calmness fell upon them as they quietly ate.
Since there was a little more time left before going to sleep and heading out at sunrise, Kagome clasped her hands in front of her. "I know! Let's tell ghost stories!"
"Ghost stories?" Sango asked, and from Kagome's eager nod, she guessed there was no reason why they couldn't. When was the last time they had told a ghost story?
"Ghost stories?" Link asked.
Kagome nodded. "Yes. Have you ever told any frightening stories before? Especially late at night when all the ghouls and ghosts come out?" She waved her hands around in the air, wiggling her fingers and making ghost noises.
He laughed. "Yes I have told stories of my adventures to one of my close friends in Hyrule."
Delighted by this, Kagome wrapped her arms around her knees and stared intently at Link, her food forgotten at her side. "Can you tell us some frightening things you have seen on your past adventures? Something that really makes your skin crawl and would give you nightmares."
Link pondered. There were a few things that came to mind, and ones that would certainly provoke such nightmares. One for instance was the infamous Like Like, a cylindrical beast created from nothing but slimy flesh that followed and sucked anything in its path inside its mouth. "A few years ago during my quest to save Hyrule, I was exploring a temple beneath Lake Hylia. I was searching for the key to opening the door where I would soon battle against the boss of that temple where I hoped to acquire one of the many medallions needed to battle against—"
"Wait a minute," Inuyasha suddenly interrupted. "Why the hell would you waste your time exploring these dungeons when you could just kick the door down?" Or better yet, use some kind of explosive which he knew Link owned.
"Inuyasha," Kagome frowned. "Let him tell the story first. It's just getting good."
Despite Inuyasha's interruption, Link continued on. "As I was attempting to unlock the door, I heard a very familiar sound of something constricting against bones and flesh, but I could not pin point the source in the area. I knew by the sound it was a Like Like."
"What's a Like Like?" Shippo asked.
"It's a creature made entirely out of slimy skin," Link explained. "They are a type of enemy I honestly would rather keep away from. As you may have already guessed, I had a terrible encounter with them that time."
"So what happened?" Sango asked.
"As I was searching the area around me, I spotted the source from behind a pillar and I intended to use my sword against it, which was a mistake on my part. The moment I had gotten within a couple feet from it, it had lunged is body forward and I was greeted with its gaping mouth. I was pulled inside of its body forcibly and it was the worst experience I had encountered in my life."
"It sucked you in?!" Shippo gasped. "What happened? How did you get out?"
Actually it had been very difficult. Link explained that he had felt a light dizziness overwhelm him and his skin had begun to burn from the acid within the creature's body. His arms were pinned to his sides at that time and it was with excruciating pain and difficulty that he was able to pull out a dagger to make an escape. "While I was inside of its body, its bones constricted against me and the space inside became smaller. I thought I would die, but I managed to escape, though I will admit it left me without much dignity."
"Without much dignity?" Shippo asked.
"The acid had destroyed what was left of my tunic…" Link blushed, and it brought surprised gasps from the girls. "I suffered slight burns of course, but walked away alive."
For a moment, Inuyasha watched Link and when he realized the young boy didn't have anything else to add to such a horrific story, he grunted in annoyance. "Is that it? Hell I thought it was going to be scarier than that."
"How is not being swallowed by a giant worm not scary?" Kagome asked in surprise. "He was literally being digested!" She shivered at the thought.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the priestess. "Big deal! We've been swallowed countless times! This ain't nothing new, Kagome," He grunted. "We've been drenched in guts and blood and not to mention we've stepped in acid."
Kagome nodded. "Oh don't remind me of that! The scars on my ankles are finally going away," She replied as she rubbed her ankles.
"Your ankles were burned by acid, Kagome?" Link asked. When she nodded, he frowned. How had she been put into such a situation as that? "What were you doing to get your feet burned?"
"Well, to make a long story short, we were trapped inside a demon's stomach. There was only one way to escape and that was with Inuyasha's only sword technique—"
"The Adamant Barrage!" Inuyasha interrupted puffing out his chest as he smirked.
Kagome continued. "Unfortunately, at the time, he had to use one the jewel fragments to unleash the Tetsusaiga's power, but the jewel became tainted almost immediately. So I left Miroku's barrier and I managed to purify the jewel. Eventually we escaped but not without minor injuries."
Link nodded at this. How in the name of the Goddesses are they even still alive? His friends were truly amazing warriors, maybe even better than himself. He felt great admiration towards them and he honestly wished he could have experienced some of their adventures.
While she had been sitting there, watching her friends exchange stories of their adventures back in the Feudal Era and that of ghost stories, Sango mused back to the conversation she and Kagome had at the Hot Spring a short hour ago. She definitely wanted Link to travel back with them and he seemed interested, but she wanted to know for certain if he truly wished this, at least for the sake of Kagome.
Realizing the slayer had been looking at him for some time silently, Link's blue eyes locked with hers and he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Sango? Is there something on your mind?" He was surprised when she nodded, her gaze suddenly stern.
"Link, I need to ask you something before our task is complete in this world," She replied and when Link nodded in confusion, she went on. "I know this is somewhat unexpected, though I'm sure you've discussed it with Kagome and Inuyasha, but are you interested in coming with us back to the Feudal Era?"
For a minute, Link was silent. He hadn't expected Sango to ask him that, and it certainly surprised the others, especially Kagome and Inuyasha who were awkwardly blushing. Return with them back to the Feudal Era? Was it possible?
"S-sango!" Kagome embarrassedly blushed. What was the slayer doing?
"Honestly … I've given the thought some consideration," Link replied and at this, Kagome held her breath and her friends looked on curiously for Link's answer. As his gaze fell upon his calloused hands and dirtied boots, he wondered if the Goddesses would allow it. This time it wasn't just Kagome and Inuyasha bringing up the idea, but now it was everyone else. Did they truly wish for him to return with them?
Even Shippo was delighted to hear Sango ask such a question. Ignoring the cards at his feet, he leaped onto Link's lap and looked up at him hopefully. "It'd be great if you came back with us. This place is kind of depressing anyways."
He smiled at the child. Well he wouldn't deny that Termina was depressing. It was a morbid land with haunting memories of his past. It would be nice to get away from it and start over. Rather than start a new life once more here in Termina where he knew he would remain burdened with his thoughts, he could instead travel with friends. Though it was a little disheartening to admit, if they hadn't of crossed his path during their first meeting, he was sure he would have … ended his life. Now it wasn't like that anymore; in fact, he felt there was some meaning for him to exist now.
Miroku only grinned at the boy sitting across from him and Inuyasha. "I think it would be a great idea, don't you Inuyasha?"
"I don't see why not," The half demon replied. "Hell I don't even want to stay in this world any longer than I need to." Inuyasha smiled at Link. "What do you say, Link? You want to head back with us after we defeat Armaros?"
How could he refuse? "If the Goddesses allow it, then I wouldn't mind seeing your world."
"That's the spirit!" Miroku replied.
Unable to hold herself back, Kagome unexpectedly threw her arms around Link's shoulders, much to Link's surprise. From the sudden movement, Shippo fell from Link's lap and looked on in amusement just as the rest of his friends. "That's great!" She exclaimed, nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder.
"You guys should kiss already," Shippo suddenly replied and it wasn't surprising the two love birds blushed.
Pulling away from Link, Kagome brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, but her smile still remained. Words couldn't express how happy she felt. Link actually wanted to return back with them, and that alone was enough to have her melting at the thought. "Sorry about that," She laughed as Link looked down shyly.
"No reason to feel embarrassed," Sango replied teasingly before giggling at their reactions.
"Exactly!" This time Miroku joined in. "Why it's only natural to show affection to those you love, right Sango?" Miroku smiled at the slayer, though she gave him a warning glare to which he sweat dropped.
With a roll of his eyes, Inuyasha suddenly stood up before the fire and stretched his arms above his head. "Alright enough with all this love dovey shit, we have long way ahead of us tomorrow."
"That's sounds like a good idea!" Kagome exclaimed. While Miroku poured water onto the flames and Sango cozied herself beside Kirara on the ground, Kagome sat Hideki down onto the sleeping bag. Looking over at Shippo, she gave a small laugh. "Shippo, there's rabbit on your face still,"
"So…" He grumbled with his head turned away from her.
Not understand why Shippo was acting this way, she searched through her bag and pulled out a small cloth. With it, she placed her hand upon the child's cheek and brushed away the meat that was still stuck upon his face, but he kept pushing her hand away from him much to her confusion.
"Stop it, Kagome."
"Shippo, what's wrong? I'm only cleaning your face," She replied somewhat hurtful from his defiant behavior. Why was he acting like this?
"I can clean my own face," Shippo replied before snatching the cloth from her hand and cleaning his own mess. After which he handed the cloth back to Kagome.
Confused by Shippo's odd behavior Miroku leaned into Sango. "What's wrong with Shippo? He seems rather upset?"
Sango softly laughed at this. "It seems Shippo is jealous of the affection Kagome has been showing Hideki lately."
After hearing this, Miroku understood and merely shook his head with a smile on his face. It seemed their dear sweet Kagome was not aware just yet.
"Shippo, are you still upset that I didn't wash your hair earlier?" Maybe that was the reason he was so upset.
Dumbstruck that she would even ask such a stupid question, Shippo gave her a dirty look and sent a glare to Hideki who only looked on with interest. "No!" As if throwing a small tantrum, he turned his back to Kagome and crossed his arms defiantly. Why didn't she understand?
Kagome only looked at him. 'I wonder what's up with Shippo? Something is obviously troubling him and it seems as if his anger is directed at me. What did I do?' When she saw Sango from the corner of her eye point at Hideki, Kagome looked back at the little Deku Scrub who was still awake and then looked back at Shippo. 'No way … it couldn't be that he's … jealous."
When Shippo refused to look back at Kagome, she decided to test her thought. "Alright Shippo, whatever you say. Good night." With that said she stood up and stepped over to her sleeping bag. Pulling the cover open, she slipped inside and faced Shippo with Hideki snuggling close to her chest. "Good night Hideki." While she was still looking at Shippo with half lidded eyes, she planted a small kiss upon the Deku Child's head.
Immediately Shippo's tail bristled and his body shook slightly from the affection from his mother to another. Why was she showing more love to that stick? Ever since he showed up she was practically all over him. It wasn't fair. He was suddenly caught by surprise when he heard Kagome giggling from her sleeping bag, but he only ignored her.
Pulling herself away from the comfort of her sleeping bag, Kagome slowly stepped over to Shippo before kneeling herself behind him. He still wasn't looking at her, and it was so difficult not to bust out laughing. "Shippo what's wrong?" She softly asked, but Shippo only closed his eyes agitatedly. "Shippoooo what's wrong honey?" She playfully poked his back. "Are you upset?"
"Cut it out Kagome," He grumbled, which immediately caused the priestess to laugh out loud, much to Shippo's annoyance. "I mean it." Before he could stand up and walk away from her, he was abruptly pulled into her arms and he struggled to free himself. "Stop it. Let go!"
As she nuzzled her cheek against his, she couldn't help but kiss his cheek. "You know I love you, right?" She asked, noticing the small tears in his eyes.
"You do?"
"If you were upset about Hideki, you should have just said something."
He was caught by surprise. "You knew all this time?!"
Kagome nodded. "Of course I knew." She couldn't help but fib a little. "Did you think I wouldn't notice your change in behavior?"
Shippo felt the tears fall from his eyes and he threw his arms around her shoulders. 'She knew all along!' "I thought you liked him more than me."
"Why did you think that?" She asked.
"Well it was always Hideki this or Hideki that, look how cute his little leaf is," Shippo only rolled his eyes as he continued on with all the affectionate gestures the priestess has shown to the Deku.
Unable to hold back on her laughter, she brought Shippo closer to her and laughed as she rubbed his back softly. "I'm sorry. And his leaf is cute, isn't it?" She teased.
Shippo grumbled. "You're doing it again Kagome!"
"But it is. Just like you are cute," she replied before pinching his cheek softly. "Like your chubby cheeks and your big green eyes and your little nose and your soft little tail!"
The child blushed at this.
"Oh and let's not forget your adorable little fox feet," After that she suddenly started to tickle the child and Shippo forgot about his anger towards Kagome and started to laugh. He decided he would forgive her.