Chapter 69
Obiter dictum
"A thing said in passing (any comment, remark or observation made in passing)"
"If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more."
—Emma
"Come, sit down," Miroku said, and Inuyasha glared at him as he passed by in his pacing of the length of the room on the grass outside. He could hear everything, and it wasn't helping his mood.
Fucking bitch. Acting like he wasn't more than some stray that deserved scraps!
And then she agitated Kagome enough into standing on her foot!
If Kagome didn't need to be looked at—if he wasn't secretly worried that her ankle might be broken—then they would've left the moment that bitch opened her mouth.
"You're growling," Miroku commented.
"You're being a fucking prick, but you don't see me pointing it out," he snapped.
Miroku sighed as Shippo sat in the grass at his feet playing with his toy snake.
"Why couldn't I stay?" Shippo asked quietly.
"Because we're youkai," Inuyasha spat, still pacing, arms crossed in front of his chest. He glared at the rice paper wall separating them, half-hoping it lit into flames.
It would literally take him half a second to demolish it. He could be in that room faster than anyone could actually stop him.
But that wouldn't help anyone. It would actually help no one, and probably cause more problems than it would solve. But did that make him want to do it any less? No.
Instead, he would pace a hole into the grass.
"The healer obviously has some prejudices against youkai, but Kagome needs help. So we have to deal with her—judgments that are not right or fair," Miroku explained to Shippo.
Inuyasha scoffed loudly.
For as much as Miroku claimed to be a worldly monk, he'd obviously not seen the same prejudices that Inuyasha had. He'd been coddled—pitied because of his wind tunnel. He had someone to show him what to do and how to do it. He had someone to offer him a place to stay and regular meals. He had someone who gave two shits whether he lived or died.
Inuyasha hadn't had any of that for such a long time.
The healer was asking all sorts of questions, and he could hear the nervousness in Kagome's voice as she answered.
Miroku was talking to him—at him might've been more appropriate—but he wasn't listening. He was too busy listening to what was going on in the room just on the other side of the sheet of paper.
She was nervous—he could feel it practically radiating through the thin paper—and his fingers twitched with the urge to grab onto hers and settle her nervous picking and pulling. No one else seemed to notice her little twitches like he did. No one else knew how to take care of her like he did.
She was out of his sight, and he knew that she was fine, but it still bothered him.
He liked having her close. It made him feel safe that she was safe, which was dumb as shit, because he'd done a fucking awful job at protecting her in the last few months.
He marveled at the fact that she didn't hate him for it.
Because he hated himself for it.
He turned towards the door when the healer said that her ankle wasn't broken, just sprained, and he let out a long exhale and paused in his pacing.
"Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.
"It's not broken," he said, noting the look of relief pass over Miroku's face as well.
"That's good," he said, patting Shippo's head as he cheered from the ground.
"So that means she's going to be better sooner?"
Miroku nodded.
"Much sooner than if it was broken, but she'll still need some help for a little bit."
Shippo nodded enthusiastically starting for the door, but Miroku quickly snatched the back of his vest to prevent him from slipping inside.
"Not until we're given the all clear by the girls."
"But—" Shippo started before slumping onto the floor bonelessly with a pathetic groan.
Miroku dragged him into his lap, and Shippo just draped over his leg.
The healer had moved on to her shoulder, and Inuyasha refocused on the conversation in there.
He didn't need to listen to these idiots.
It wasn't like they were saying anything worthwhile anyway.
Inuyasha raised his eyebrow when the healer asked what had caused the wound on her shoulder, and Sango quickly responded with 'a wolf.'
She wasn't wrong, but that was only the half of it.
If that wolf ever showed his face around them—around Kagome—again, he'd dismember him piece by piece so he'd feel each strike and pull of his claws.
And he'd enjoy it.
The healer didn't want to give her stitches though.
He was afraid that they'd gone too long, but he'd hoped that there was still some time to get her that sort of help. He should've pressed them harder, made them leave and go find help. But instead he'd wanted to fucking cuddle and look where that got her.
She was going to have some terrible scar, because human skin was tender and fragile and not like his. He rarely ever scarred, even Sesshomaru's hand through his gut had barely left a mark when it had healed, and even now, he couldn't only just barely make out the healed skin across his stomach.
Kagome's turned almost luminescent against her skin. They were white, blinding marks wherever they stretched over her skin. He pretended that he didn't notice them, but he did. She was always so fucking careless, and it showed everywhere on her.
He squeezed his arms with his hands, pricking his claws into his skin to remind himself that he was here, with her. She was fine, the healer even said that it looked clean.
"I'll leave you those salves to help keep it clean and a little moisturized, which may help with some scarring," she said, and her heard the clinking of clay pots, a sound he easily recognized from Kaede's. "Though it's doubtful that dog cares much."
Something white hot in him flared, and Miroku was already on his feet at the feel of his youki rippling out.
"Inuyasha!" Miroku shouted, holding his hands up. "We talked about this!"
"Yeah, well fuck you and your words!" Inuyasha snapped, clenching his hands into fists at his side.
"We're almost done," Sango called through the door. "Just a bit longer."
He didn't want to wait.
"Please, just wait until they're done. It won't be much longer."
He growled, and he heard Kagome's shrill response, which only served to infuriate him more. But once the doors shut, he tossed it open roughly with a sharp yelp from Miroku as he stalked inside.
"Fucking finally," he grumbled, noting that Kagome was buttoning the last few buttons of her shirt closed. "Thought that bitch would never leave," he moved beside her, dropping down into a crouch to look her over. "You okay?"
She didn't look like she was overly upset, and if anything it seemed as though she was settling down a bit more.
"Yeah? She gave me some stuff for my ankle and shoulder." Sitting down beside her, she moved to slide her arms around his, which he didn't—and he would never—deter her from. She raised a hand, clearly trying—and failing—to hide a yawn that was breaking free despite her efforts.
She was tired, and he was here. Why shouldn't she nap while she had the chance?
Wasn't sleep supposed to be good for healing anyway?
Sango set up her sleeping bag, and Inuyasha made sure that she didn't have to put any pressure on her ankle.
Once she'd settled, he flattened his leg against the floor, because he was going to ensure that she got some rest. She looked him and then at his leg before looking back at his face.
"You gonna lay down or not?" He watched a smile slowly break out, before she shifted herself into a better position, curling up on her sleeping bag and resting her head on his thigh.
He reached over, gently tugging the extra blanket over her. The runt wasted no time in burrowing under the blanket and her chin, and he couldn't blame him for it either. He'd do the same thing if there was an option. Burying his face where her scent would surround him as his slept? Yeah, he'd probably slip into a coma and just never wake up.
He let his hand rest on her shoulder, thumb moving lightly over the blanket covering her. She was warm, safe, and healing, and there was little else that he could stand to ask for.
Kagome let out a soft sigh, bleary eyes looking across the fire at the slayer and monk.
"So what did the headman wanna talk about?" She mumbled as he watched her eyes slowly drift closed.
"You gonna be able to stay awake?" Inuyasha asked her, that thing deep down inside of him crowing as she carefully rubbed her cheek against his thigh as she settled into sleep.
"Uh-huh," she mumbled, shifting her arm slightly, no doubt snuggling the kit closer to her.
He snorted at that. She was already fading, and he could feel her body relaxing against his.
It said something that she found enough comfort to fall asleep against him. She was tired, and she trusted that he would keep her safe while she slept.
He stared at her face as the fire cast moving shadows over her skin and features.
"Should we continue?" Miroku asked as Sango sat beside him.
"We can fill her in later. Let her sleep," Inuyasha said, shifting his hand to let his fingers run through her hair, lightly scratching her scalp. "So what did this asshole want?"
"Well, the headman offered to pay for our lodgings, and as a bonus I found a small shop that sold paper for my ofuda!"
"And why exactly is the headman willing to pay for us to stay here?"
"Well, I'm sure you saw that there are several huts in need of repair," Miroku started, leaving space for conversation.
"Yeah, heard the villagers talking about some small youkai attacks," he said after a moment. "Didn't seem to be too bad though."
"Well, they said that the attacks started out mostly in the fields, and the youkai have becoming progressively more and more violent and coming farther into the village. He wants us to take care of them."
Inuyasha looked over at the girl laying on his leg, completely defenseless and unarmed in his presence.
"She's not up for a fight. Even a small one."
"We," Sango started, glancing at Miroku, "were thinking that we would take care of it, and you could stay here with Kagome."
"The headman said that he would pay for our expenses as long as we needed to stay in order to find the youkai behind the attacks," Miroku continued.
"From what it sounds like, these youkai shouldn't be a problem," Sango added after a beat.
He scowled, staring at the fire.
It seemed too easy. Nothing in his life was that easy.
"And I can stay here?" He asked finally, ears sliding sideways. "No one will kick me out?"
"Your staying here was part of our requirements for helping," Miroku reassured him. "They said that it would not be a problem."
Inuyasha scoffed.
"I'm sure that the healer hadn't been told anything yet. We were assured that you would be welcomed in the village."
"Did they give you any leads?"
His hand moved back to her shoulder, lightly rubbing his thumb over the blanket.
"Not much," Sango answered, fingers running through Kirara's fur.
He crinkled his nose at the lack of information. That wasn't good. It meant that they would be running blind, and they would be down half the team.
"Need I remind you that I went on hunts by myself before I ever met you," Sango stated as she gave him a very annoyed look. "This is not going to be a complicated hunt. Miroku and I can handle ourselves. It's probably nothing more than a couple insects or some oni that have gotten a little too bold."
Inuyasha turned to look at Kagome, trying to keep the scowl off his face.
"Kagome will have the opportunity to rest with access to a healer, and you will be able to stay with her. What about this is upsetting to you?" Miroku asked with a long sigh.
He sighed, looking back at them.
"Dunno," he said, which was true. This was the ideal scenario. This would've been everything that he'd want: alone time with Kagome, a warm room, and access to food without having to hunt.
So why did everything feel so catastrophically wrong?
He couldn't put his finger on it, and that just made things worse.
"Everything seems on the up and up," Miroku said. "But we don't have to stay."
He glanced back down at the sleeping girl, who shifted slightly.
She needed time to rest and recover. She couldn't do that on the go, and this would offer her some creature comforts that he couldn't give her on the road.
So why was everything so damn off?
"Inuyasha?" Sango asked.
"No, we'll stay," he said, and he took a deep breath. "See what you can find tomorrow. Something's off."
"You think that it's too convenient?" Miroku said after a long moment.
He grunted. The desire to lay down behind her, and curl up around her, seeking what comfort he could from her presence, grew an exorbitant amount.
But they weren't alone—or at least there were still conscious people around, and he didn't want them saying anything about her.
He exhaled slowly through his nose.
"Something's wrong around here. Just keep your eyes open."
Kirara trilled quietly from Sango's lap, breaking the seriousness.
"I think I'll go see what information I can garner from the villagers," Miroku said, pushing himself to his feet.
"I'll go with you," Sango said, shifting Kirara to her shoulder as Miroku extended his hand to her.
She took it, allowing herself to be pulled up, even though she could've leapt to her feet without blinking. But she let him haul her up, like she needed help.
"We'll be back before dinner," Miroku said quietly, leading the both of them out of the door, shutting it softly behind them.
Inuyasha took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
He brushed a curled finger over her cheek all the way down to her jaw. Her head shifted, and he gave her a small smile as she rubbed her cheek along his thigh.
He sat, staring at the her and the light flickering over her features.
If there was such a thing as beauty incarnate, it was her. He was sure of it. His hand stroked through her hair and across her shoulder and arm.
He was just overreacting. There was nothing wrong here. Miroku and Sango would be fine.
Sango slid the door open slowly, and Inuyasha looked up as she and Miroku stepped into the room.
He'd been smelling them cook for a while now and figured that at any point, there would be a signal that they'd started serving dinner.
Shippo had peeked his head out, sniffing the air, but when he realized that there was no food, he curled back up under the blanket.
He looked up at them, waiting for them to settle.
"The innkeepers will be bringing us dinner to our room," Miroku said, sitting down across the fire. "We thought it might be easier for Kagome to eat when she wasn't surrounded with strangers."
"Because of how she acted with Kunitame?" He asked, and Miroku gave a slight shrug. "Or because they don't want a half-breed in their dining room?"
Miroku huffed and gave him a look.
"Kagome would be upset to hear you say such things." He looked over at her sighing softly. "She's been through a lot, and we don't want to push her any more than we have to."
"We should wake her. Make sure she has a bit of time to wake up before dinner."
Sango moved next to her, gently shaking her shoulder.
Kagome started, before blinking a few times and twisting herself to look blearily at Sango.
"I fell asleep?" She asked, looking up Inuyasha, before pushing herself up. Shippo reached out to help steady her. "Did I fall asleep on you? Sorry."
"Ain't like I had anything better to do," he mumbled, watching as she rubbed her face with her hands.
"We were going to talk, and I don't remember any of it," she groaned.
"It's okay," Shippo said, patting her side. "It was boring anyway."
"We have some new information to add, and you needed the rest. It didn't hurt anything," Sango reassured her. "They're going to be bringing us dinner soon, so we didn't want you to be surprised."
"Is it that late?" She asked. "I slept all afternoon?" She asked, looking over at him.
"You needed it," he shrugged. It wasn't like it was a big deal. So she slept the afternoon away, they were just sitting there.
Kagome shook her head, giving him a small smile, and he returned the gesture.
"Is there a bath house here?"
"They have one in the inn. I already reserved one for us tomorrow evening."
"That sounds nice," Kagome hummed. "Do we have to pay for it?"
"Well, that's part of the good news that the headman gave us today," Miroku chipped in.
"Oh! What did he have to say?" She asked, turning towards Miroku.
"He wants us to get rid of the youkai that are attacking the village," he said. "He's offered to pay for our expenses here at the inn so long as we get rid of the youkai."
"Miroku and I went around asking some questions about what they knew," Sango added.
"There wasn't much, but Sango and I think that it's probably insect youkai."
"The tracks look like something from a large bug."
Kagome made a face, and Sango laughed.
"Yeah, not my favorite either."
"When do you want to head out to look for it?" Kagome asked, and the three of them all exchanged quick looks, and for once Inuyasha was happy that they were interrupted by the owners delivering their dinner. He tugged her sleeping bag closer to him, and she gave him a smile that brightened the room considerably.
Five trays were set down in front of them.
"Set the trays outside the door when you're finished," the owner's wife said, leading the staff out of the room, and shutting the door behind her.
"So," Kagome said, picking up her chopsticks and a bowl of rice. "When are we setting out?"
Maybe they weren't going to be so lucky after all.
"We were thinking about going out for a little bit tonight to see if anything comes around," Miroku said, taking a sip of his tea.
"Hopefully, we can get a better idea of what these youkai are or figure out what direction they're coming from."
"Right," Kagome said, and Inuyasha darted a glance at Miroku and Sango, who didn't appear eager to tell Kagome that they were planning on going on their own.
"We're staying here," Inuyasha announced.
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked. "Why wouldn't we go out with them?"
"You're hurt," he answered succinctly. "We're staying here."
"I'm staying here by myself?" She asked quietly, and he turned to glare at her.
"What part of 'we' don't you get?" He asked. "You. Me. Here." He pointed to the ground.
"Don't worry, Kagome. I'll stay with you too." Shippo patted her leg in reassurance.
"You're going with them," Inuyasha ordered.
"What? Why?" The runt practically slammed his cup down on the tray.
"You think those two can see in the dark? You like showing off your fox fire anyway."
"You just wanna spend time alone with Kagome," he grumbled, and Inuyasha growled in warning, but the runt wasn't wrong.
He did want to spend time with her alone and without interruption. Not that he would do anything, but he liked the idea of being alone with her. No interrupting kits, no meddling monks or slayers. Just him and Kagome.
Yeah, he liked that idea a lot.
"Are you okay with that?" Sango asked her as she took a bite.
"I guess," Kagome said. "It's not like I'll be much help." She motioned to her ankle. "It's fine."
Now, Inuyasha was pretty dense. He'll admit that, but judging from the way that she was staring at her food, and pushing things around with her chopsticks instead of, you know, actually eating, he was pretty sure that it was not, in fact, 'fine.'
He shifted his leg so that his knee brushed her thigh, and she sighed.
"Let them go do all the work for once," he said.
"Excuse me?" Sango glowered at him from across the fire pit, and he was immensely glad that he wasn't in her immediate punching range.
"I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it," Miroku attempted to soothe, patting Sango's thigh. She picked up his hand by the finger and set it in his own lap.
"Inuyasha, that's rude," Kagome told him.
He snorted at that, taking a bite and then reaching over to nudge her elbow to encourage her to eat as well.
"Sango's a big girl," he said. "She can take it."
"Next time we spar, I'm not going to be nice," she grumbled.
"Maybe you'll actually be a challenge then," he goaded, watching Sango's face darken even more. He grinned at it, and how she was angrily shoving food into her mouth. Kirara trilled next to her before sauntering over to Shippo where she quietly pulled the rest of his fish off the plate and onto the floor.
"Hey!" Shippo shouted looking around before realizing that it was Kirara. "Kirara!"
"Gotta be faster than that," Inuyasha said as Kagome giggled.
"Here, Shippo, you can have some of mine," Kagome said.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "I had a snack earlier." He said, and Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at the brazen lie. He hadn't eaten anything at all that afternoon, which was the price that he had to pay to snuggle with Kagome like he had.
Inuyasha clipped his fish in half with his chopsticks before placing it quickly on Shippo's tray out of sight of Kagome.
Kirara mewed, digging into the meat.
Sango and Miroku headed out with Kirara once night fell.
The youkai only attacked at night, which was strange, because most insects didn't care about the time of day when they attacked.
Kagome was sitting up trying to work on her stuff from school in front of the fire. She was frowning as she wrote on a sheet of paper with one of her special pens from her time.
She had her foot propped up on her backpack, but it was clear that she wasn't comfortable hunched over like she was. He sat watching her for a moment, frowning as she shifted awkwardly.
He scooted over next to her, shifting so he sat at a slight angle against her.
"Here," he offered, dragging her into his lap so that her foot remained supported by her backpack. Kagome rapidly clutched all her materials to keep them from falling off her lap.
"What're you doing?" Kagome asked, looking back at him.
"Lean back," he repeated, tugging lightly on her collar to encourage her to do what he said.
She slowly leaned back against him, sighing a little as she relaxed. Her weight was comfortable and welcome against him, and he relished in it.
His ears flicked towards the door, as he rested his chin on her uninjured shoulder.
She giggled, and his ears flicked again as he turned his head towards her slightly, arms wrapping around her waist.
Sure, Shippo had gotten a quick nap in with her, but sitting here, holding her like this?
Inuyasha knew who the real winner was, and it definitely wasn't a fox.
A/N: Hey guys!
I'm going to start trying to post weekly and see how I manage. I'd really like to get back in the swing of things (and I know you guys would prefer more updates too). There is going to be a blip here in a month or so where I'll probably have to pause for a bit because I'm going to hopefully be closing on a house soon! And moving is going to be a bitch. There are lots of books and comics to be moved, and so much china and crystal I inherited from my grandmother, and I'm just really not looking forward to that disaster, you know? But I will give you guys some fair warning ahead of time, so I don't just, you know, disappear.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and as always, let me know what you think!
