Monday, September 27, 2004

   inuyasha 10
Inuyasha glanced away from the night sky down to the girl sleeping peacefully no more than a foot away from him. Instead of taking up his usual post above the group, he'd waited until Kagome set up her sleeping bag and then settled himself against the tree by her head. Ignoring the questioning looks from the collective group he'd growled at Kagome to get some sleep and closed his eyes to discourage any further conversation.

He had no intentions of sleeping, however, waiting until he was certain the others had nodded off before opening his eyes and letting his thoughts wander. He'd been hoping that Kagome would talk to him on her own once she couldn't deny there were things she'd kept from him about that night. So far the only thing she'd done was try to avoid him, and started thinking he was just going to let it drop. He fought the urge to smirk at that thought, shaking his head and moving over to sit beside her to trail a hand through her hair.

Kagome had been doing her best to ignore the changes between them, but he'd had enough of that. Every time she showed signs of understanding her place, she'd freeze up and then start pretending nothing out of the ordinary happened. She hadn't even acknowledged that he'd kissed her for fuck's sake!

Inuyasha scowled and turned his gaze back down to her face, cupping her chin in his hand and studying the dark bruises marring the pale skin. Okay, so maybe that was bothering him more than anything else, but surely that was understandable...

And then he'd overheard that she lied about that night, not telling him that her friends had gotten her drunk. He'd tried to talk to her about it several times and she'd been putting off talking to him about that too. He was starting to curse his decision to let her decide when to bring it up. She agreed, but the more time passed, the less likely it seemed she would start talking on her own.

Then that bizarre incident with the youkai earlier that day had wiped everything from his thoughts except for his fear that something serious had happened to her. He'd been so relieved that she woken up and was herself again that he would have promised her anything to calm her down.

That did bring a smile to his lips.

Kagome wanted to learn how to fight, but he was sure once she calmed down she'd realize she didn't need to learn how as long as he was there to protect her. Now that he could subdue her, there was nothing stopping him from keeping Kagome close enough that nothing bad could happen to her again. The last thing he needed was Kagome thinking that she didn't need to be careful.

But...she'd looked so excited, and she'd kissed him. His eyes warmed as she sighed and shifted closer to him, one hand reaching out to find his. So it was only on the cheek, but it was a start, dammit! ...Maybe it wouldn't hurt to teach her some simple things she could use against humans, so long as she knew it was ONLY for humans and defending herself. She needed to leave the fighting to him.

Shippo gave a little yip in his sleep, drawing Inuyasha's gaze down to the kit curled up on her chest. He grunted, reaching out to set his hand on the kitsune's back and inch him slowly off her until he was curled up at her side. Carefully, he slid his hands under her pillow and eased her head and shoulders up into his lap before tossing the pillow aside.

Inuyasha let out the breath he'd been holding when she stayed asleep and snuggled herself into a comfortable position in his lap. Shippo gave a whine of discomfort and the hanyou scowled in annoyance, awkwardly reaching over Kagome's still form to grab the pillow and drop it over the kit before the noise woke her. The little kitsune grunted, squirming around with the pillow until he was curled up on it the same way he'd been on her chest, rubbing his face against it happily.

He shook his head, muttering under his breath at Shippo's antics as his own hand trailed lazy patterns up and down Kagome's spine. Grateful to whatever force had Kagome sleeping near a tree, he leaned back and moved his hand up to her hair to soothe himself as his thoughts took a less comforting direction.

Didn't she any conception of how serious this could be? He'd already warned her once about lying to him and he'd even asked her flat out if there was anything else and she'd said no. But she had lied about this before, so why not now? Kagome had to know more about what had happened that night that she was saying. Not just about getting drunk either, he'd bet his life on it, and the more he thought about her lying to him, the more his anger rose.

Some monk had done god only knew what to her and she hadn't been in any condition to defend herself or even recall it. And now she was getting possessed by something that was trying to tell her to fight? Something that could rip the arms off a youkai and completely demolish a second with one hand. It had used her own magic with its own if the combination of colors in the energy blast was any indication.

She was still feeling guilty about "sitting" him for the most part and that would definitely work out in his favor. Especially since she was well aware he had no reservations about subduing her if she refused to talk. And they were going to talk.

Inuyasha was going to remind her about the explanations she owed him, then he was going to make sure she knew there would be no chance for a repeat of that night with her friends. He was going to lay down a few rules for her until this puzzle was solved, and if she wasn't willing to help them figure it out... Well, he'd think of something.

One thing was certain, Kagome wasn't getting out of shouting distance for a long time.

**

'Who are you?!' Kagome yelled out in frustration at the laughter echoing in whatever dark expanse her mind had dumped her in. 'Why are you doing this to me? WHAT are you doing to me?'

I already told you what you needed to know.

'Bullshit!' she glared straight ahead, hoping the voice could see it. 'I've been going over what happened in my head since the last time I woke up and none of it makes sense. You aren't telling me everything! I didn't even feel like myself... And then everything I remembered... It was like watching a movie.'

You were in danger, Kagome could practically taste the shrug in the voice. We...*I*...protected you. Would you have rather been hurt? Or died?

'Then Inuyasha was right, it was just the spell,' she deflated a bit, dropping into a sitting position with a huff. 'This is making my head ache.'

Don't be disappointed, the voice scolded lightly. If you weren't as strong as you are it never would have worked so well! All I helped you do was open more of your soul.

'Inuyasha's going to kill me if he finds out about this,' she buried her face in her hands. 'He was right, I was fucking possessed.'

Possessed isn't the right word for it. Just think of it as borrowing a little piece of someone else for a while.

'Don't do it again,' she growled out angrily. 'You tricked me this time, but if you try it again, I'll be ready. I'm not letting someone else use my soul, and I won't use anyone else that way either. If I get hurt, that's my problem.'

I told you that I'm not going to hurt you.

'I've been possessed before,' Kagome shook her head. 'There's nothing harmless about it.'

You just have to trust me. There are many things you don't know.

'Get out of my head!' she clapped both hands over her ears.

No, don't do that! You have to listen to me!

'NO!' Kagome pulled away from the sound of that voice.

Wait!

"Inuyasha!!"

**

Kagome came awake with a start, panting and damp with sweat. Her eyes locked onto familiar scarlet robes and confused, she twisted to look up. Her mouth fell open at finding Inuyasha's sleeping face above her own. With the remnants of her odd nightmare playing havoc with her thought process, she had no idea how long she sat frozen looking up at him.

Her entire upper body was in Inuyasha's lap with one of his hands on her back and the other resting lightly on Tetsusaiga. She'd automatically braced her hands on his thighs when she lifted herself, unwittingly bringing her head a short distance from his own when her gaze locked on his face. As the nightmare faded, her eyes slowly widened and a blush spread from her chest, up her throat and face to the roots of her hair.

'I...I was sleeping in Inuyasha's lap?' her hands tightened convulsively, darkening her blush when the hanyou shifted in his sleep and grunted, the muscles beneath her hands bunching reflexively. She held herself still for a moment to make sure she hadn't accidentally woken the hanyou. When she was certain he was still sleeping, her eyes moved over his relaxed face and she lifted one hand to lightly brush his bangs out of his eyes. Emboldened by his lack of response, she let her fingers lower to hesitantly touch his mouth.

'He never talks about it,' Kagome kept a close watch on his face, making sure he was still asleep as she moved her hand away from his mouth and brushed the back of her hand gently over his cheek. 'Does he remember? Maybe it all got lost in the moment... He was definitely more excited about finding out he had a spell for me than I've ever seen him. It might have just been a reflex,' taking another quick peek up at Inuyasha, she let her hand drop back to his thigh.

Her gaze fell down to her hands as she took a deep breath, 'When did I start to worry so much about what he thinks? Even in my dream I was calling for him as soon as I got scared. Am I that sure he'll protect me?'

She already knew the answer to that, and it completely ruined her best efforts to get her blush under control even as a smile danced about her mouth. 'He's asleep, so why can't I just see? It might not even be what I remember...' Kagome snuck a quick look around the camp, but it was still early enough that the others were sleeping as well.

With a determined expression, she leaned back into Inuyasha. Lifting herself up and pressing her lips lightly against his. Inuyasha's hand on her back tightened and a low growl rumbled from his chest, startling Kagome into pulling away. Chagrined at the thought of being caught kissing him in his sleep, she held her breath and watched his face. But he only shifted his weight and stroked a hand over her back, his eyes never opening.

Relieved beyond belief, she laid back down, releasing his thighs to fold her arms under her chin, 'You're certifiable, Kagome, doing that to Inuyasha when he's sleeping.'

But you liked it, her own mind prodded her. Just as much as you like being here in his lap.

'So maybe I do like it,' she made a face at herself. 'I can like it, can't I?' she stopped herself abruptly, fighting the urge to groan aloud. 'God, I have gone insane. I can't seem to get it through my head that it's unhealthy to argue with myself.'

Kagome opened one eye, rolling over so that she was on her back and looking up at his face as the hand that had been on her back shifted to her shoulder. Reaching up to catch hold of a lock of his hair, she whispered softly, "What am I supposed to do with you, Inuyasha?"

Closing her eyes and letting herself drift back to sleep, she completely missed the smile that crossed the hanyou's lips.



***



"We have to talk."

Kagome groaned and muttered quietly, "Damn, not again."

"You need to tell me what happened, Kagome," Inuyasha stood behind her, his eyes off in the woods as she finished filling up her water bottle in the clear stream. "I've been patient enough."

Kagome frowned, glancing over her shoulder as she stood, "I thought we had gotten over all that."

"Keh, just because I let you put it off doesn't mean I let it go," he snorted, turning to catch her eyes with his own. "I think that especially with what happened yesterday you need to tell me everything you're keeping from me. We have to figure out just what the hell that monk did to you."

Kagome looked away from the intensity of his gaze, tucking her hair behind her ear before dropping her hand to her hip, "I already told you everything I remember."

"You lied about being drunk," Inuyasha pointed out, shaking his head at her obstinence and putting himself directly in her line of sight. "You still haven't told me why."

"I did NOT lie," she frowned at him, her hand clenching as the tattoo started to throb. "But I told you that I didn't tell you because you'd overreact. Nothing happened!"

"Nothing? Fuck, I can't believe I just heard that come out of your mouth," he arched one brow in disbelief. "You forgot the monk that quickly? The subduing spell? That weird shit from yesterday?"

Kagome blushed in embarrassment, "That's not what I meant! The monk probably would have been there even if I hadn't been drunk. It isn't like all this happened just because of that."

"And would you have gone exploring when you felt strange magic anyway?" he challenged, his voice a growl from suppressed emotion.

Her expression was apologetic and dismayed, "Probably...?"

Inuyasha's jaw clenched, his eyes closed and his eyebrow twitching as he felt the return of his anger in one fell swoop. "Kagome?" his voice was flat.

Kagome's brows raised with uncertain question as she belatedly wondered if she should have lied about that too, "Ahh...h-hai?"

"I'm never letting you out of my fucking sight again," he forced out through gritted teeth, his eyes burning into hers.

She winced, trying to skirt her way around the hanyou who looked as though he was going to start snarling any second, "It's really not that bad, Inuyasha."

"Stay," he growled out the moment she was beside him, his arm snaking out to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled out in frustration, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Bitch, you haven't got the preservation sense of a damn goat!" he roared, eyes blazing as he put her over his shoulder again. "Don't stand there and give me this shit when you have to be aware of everything that could have happened. When you know what did happen. If those girls were all the protection you had it's a wonder you didn't get killed!"

Kagome sighed in annoyance as he started off away from camp, "This had better not be turning into another lecture, Inuyasha."

"I haven't even started," Inuyasha's arm around her waist tightened in warning. "What the hell were you thinking going off without telling me? Anything could have attacked you! You could have been killed, or raped, or-"

"Inuyasha, I was fine!" she smacked him on the back to stop the angry tirade. "Things are different in my time, and there wasn't any danger-"

"That is the most naive thing I've ever heard from you," he hissed as he landed, sliding her off his shoulder and sitting her down on an upturned tree. "Use your head, Kagome, I've had to fight at least one youkai in your time and there are angry ghosts, so don't tell me there aren't any evil men."

She made a frustrated sound in her throat, "Well, no, there are still-"

"So four girls, one drunk, went out alone and it was all okay?" Inuyasha set his fists on his hips.

"Well, it sounds a lot worse when you say it," she pouted, knowing she probably sounded like a little kid but too annoyed to care. "Just forget it, Inuyasha, it's over with," she stood, glaring up at him with her arms folded over her chest.

He just stared at her in amazement for a moment before his brows lowered dangerously, "Just forget it? You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

Kagome held up her hands in what she hoped was a placating gesture, "At least the drunk thing?"

"Not a chance," he shook his head. "This never would have happened if you'd told me what was going on."

"You wouldn't have let me go out, that's why!" she snapped back at him.

"I would have been able to tell if someone was getting you drunk!" Inuyasha snarled. "Even a human 'should' have been able to smell it. Weren't you thinking at all or are you incapable of taking care of yourself without me?"

Kagome's expression darkened angrily, "Sit!"

"Stay!" he hooked an arm around her waist as he dropped, taking her down with him.

Kagome sat stiffly, her hands fisted as she glared down at Inuyasha's head beside her hip, "This has gotten so damn counterproductive."

"I warned you that if you said it, I would too," he grunted as he turned his head, fighting the immobility of the spell.

"Old habits die hard," she sighed, avoiding his gaze. "I'm so used to saying 'it' when you piss me off that it just comes out. Why did you grab me?"

Inuyasha gave her a look that said very clearly he was aware she was trying to change the subject, "To keep you here."

Kagome frowned, leaning back to get a better look at his face, "We're a week away from the well, Inuyasha, it's not like I'm going anywhere."

"If I hadn't subdued you, you'd already have run off somewhere," he shrugged, his eyes daring her to deny it. "Probably grabbed Sango and done that damn girl thing."

Kagome's face took on a look of pained amusement, "One of these days, Inuyasha, I want you to explain how you figured out the 'girl thing' to me."

Inuyasha just snorted, propping himself up on his other arm as his control returned, "That's enough avoiding the issue, Kagome. What else do you know about what happened that night?"

She turned her head down to glare at him again, "Nothing else, Inuyasha. I've told you everything I remember."

"You're sure?" his eyes narrowed sharply. "If you lie to me..."

"I'm sure," Kagome's jaw set and she forced herself to keep her eyes on his. "You know as much as I do."

Inuyasha kept glaring at her silently for a long moment, but finally he nodded and rose to his feet before reaching out and plucking her off the ground. He went back to the same log he'd set her on before, sitting down himself and pulling her against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist and set his chin on her shoulder.

Kagome blinked, wide-eyed at the rather blatant embrace. Clearing her throat, she grabbed his forearms, "Inuyasha?"

"You're bound to me, Kagome," he responded to the unspoken inquiry in her voice with a shrug.

She huffed in irritation, "You've been bound to me since the first day and you never acted like this. The only other time you hugged me, you stole the jewel."

"That was different," Inuyasha smirked, his arms tightening around her and refusing to rise to her bait.

"How?" Kagome growled out, giving up on getting out of his embrace or cooling the blush that had again splashed across her face.

"You don't control me anymore," Inuyasha rubbed his cheek on hers once and reminded her calmly. 'And you hadn't kissed me, thinking I was still asleep,' he closed his eyes and grinned, hiding it against her shoulder as she slowly relaxed back into him with a sigh.


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