Wednesday, December 1, 2004

   InuYasha 31
"I don't see why you're making me sit like this," Inuyasha muttered, pouting as he turned his head to catch a glimpse of Kagome in his peripheral vision. "I've bathed you before. Hell, Kagome, you were naked with me for a week!"

"I was hurt, it was a completely different," Kagome shot him a suspicious glance, clearing her throat when she noticed the way his head was turned. "I mean it, Inuyasha, no peeking!"

In complete defiance, he turned around even more and raised his eyebrows in silent challenge, "You said we're promised to be mated. Shouldn't I be allowed to look now?"

A blush spread from her chest up when the hanyou deliberately let his gaze trail down over her exposed skin and she fought a quick battle between preserving her modesty over venting her indignation.

Some things just had to be handled directly and if she had to swallow her pride a little over it, so be it.

When she lowered one arm, a warm spark lit in the hanyou's eyes almost to glowing and she felt the tattoo heat, pulsing in time with her own heartbeat, just a bit stronger, heavier. The move was unexpected enough that Inuyasha didn't even have a chance to get out of the way when the soapy washcloth smacked him full in the face.

"Dammit, bitch-!" he reached up to yank it off his face.

"Sit," she cut him off, folding her arms over her bosom and grinning at him smugly. When he arched up, his mouth open to return the favor, she giggled and pointed out, "Water. You'll drown me."

"I'll wait," Inuyasha grumbled, throwing it back at her, but turning to sit facing her and folding his arms across his chest to mimic her pose. She was getting sneaky with the spells, waiting until she was somewhere where just couldn't return the favor before using it on him. If she was going to be sneaky, then he was going to fight back in a different way.

When she glared at him and jerked her head to indicate he should turn around again, he just smirked at her, cocking his head to one side, "No."

Her eyes narrowed, "Inuyasha."

"Are you going to bathe or not?" he chuckled softly, one brow arching in almost mocking question. "I can always come in after you, you know. I might if you don't hurry and then how will you keep me from watching? I'd probably even feel like kissing you and who knows how long that would take?"

Kagome set her jaw, and turned her back on him so fast it was a miracle she didn't send herself toppling backwards. How could he be so...casual about the whole thing? Her stomach was doing flips at the suggestion, especially after what they'd been doing yesterday after school. And it just kept getting worse.

She would find herself looking at him and thinking about how it felt, and it certainly didn't help matters that he slept tucked in with her now. In front of everyone, no less! She'd even woken up a few times when his hands wandered or she felt his teeth at her neck and she couldn't help but lean into him and wonder...

She started at the direction on her own thoughts, forcing them out of her head and going back to her bath stiffly, "You give me the worst headaches sometimes, baka."

"You've nearly made my heart stop more than once, so we're even, bitch," Inuyasha smiled warmly at her when she scowled at him and ducked under the water.

The moment she disappeared beneath the surface the smile turned wicked and he turned his gaze to where she'd left her clothes in a small pile on a flat rock beside her bath bag.

**

Miroku's eyes followed Sango's backside down as she bent over, packing supplies into Kagome's bag. Everything was finally getting back into the normal routine they had all grown accustomed to in the last two years and Inuyasha had told them he wanted to move out this afternoon to pick up the search for the shards. He wanted to be moving right after he brought Kagome back from her bath. It would have been irritating if it wasn't so good to see Kagome well again.

Shippo sat contentedly on the monk's knee, munching on yet another bit of his payoff and glancing off in the direction Kagome would be returning from. He'd need to pull her aside and tell her that Inuyasha was being mean, trying to figure out about the thing she seemed to have with his claws and her stomach. He knew she definitely didn't want Inuyasha to know about that, otherwise she wouldn't have given in so fast.

"Why is there so much candy in here?" Sango brushed her hair back over her shoulder, lifting up yet another bag and frowning at it in confusion.

Shippo let out a squeak, launching off Miroku to snatch the bag out of her hands and hold it against his chest defensively, "It's mine! Kagome brought it for me."

Sango arched one brow suspiciously, "All of it?"

"She promised," he puffed up, giving a haughty sniff as his tail twitched in mild agitation.

Miroku rose to his feet, his expression set into his perfect bland look, "Shippo-chan, what do you know?"

"Wha-?" Shippo's mouth dropped open as he looked up at the monk. How was everyone making the connection that he'd only get candy if he knew something? Why now? Kagome always brought him candy and no one ever batted an eye, "I don't know anything! Just like I told Inuyasha!"

"Houshi-sama, you believe it's-?" Sango frowned at the suggestion in the monk's voice, looking down at the kit's guilty look.

"A bribe," Miroku closed his eyes and nodded once. "There is too much of it to be anything else and Shippo is very protective of it all. It's a bribe for certain."

Sango gave him a dry look, "I imagine you would know that better than the rest of us."

Miroku somehow managed to look hurt, "Ah, Sango, I am a priest! I would never accept such things."

Shippo snorted at the same moment as Sango, glancing up at the exterminator before he rolled his eyes and gave the priest an annoyed look, "Right... And I'm a puppy."

Sango shook her head and bent down to the kit, "All right, Shippo-chan, what is it?"

"What makes you think I know anything?" he backed away, chewing on his lower lip.

"You were the one who found the tattoo first," she pointed out.

"That was an accident and I didn't know what I was looking at," Shippo lifted his chin again. "I'm just a kid, what would I know?"

"Now I know you're up to something," Sango brows furrowed.

"This is a very serious situation, Shippo," Miroku moved to stand beside the exterminator, frowning down at him. "If you know something that could help us, you need to tell us."

Shippo shook his head, "How stupid do you think I am? I know how important this is, and if I DID know something about it you think I wouldn't tell? I don't want Kagome to die!"

Sango frowned, not wanting the kit upset over that experience all over again, "Then what is it?"

"If Kagome was bribing me, it wouldn't be anything to do with that weird spell," he gave them a wary look, doing his best to give the impression he was making casual conversation and failing miserably. "IF she was."

Sango straightened, looking down thoughtfully at the blush on the kitsune's cheeks. If it wasn't something important she was sure she could talk to Kagome and get the answer, but the real trick would be getting the girl away from Inuyasha. He really wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't letting her out of his sight. What surprised her though, was that Kagome didn't seem to mind, she hadn't even argued when he slid into her sleeping bag with her or this morning when he took her to bathe. Could they have...?

"No...they couldn't have," she shook off that thought, frowning towards the river, but immediately going still when she felt a familiar hand rub down over her backside and even add in a squeeze.

"Hentai!" Sango spun around automatically, her hand leaving a bright red print on the face of the startled monk. "I knew it! I knew it was to good to be true!" she fumed, Shippo forgotten as he scampered back to Kagome's bag to store his candy safely away.

"S-Sango-chan? What was too good to be true?" he took a step back holding his hands up in a gesture for piece when he saw the particularly murderous glint in her blazing eyes.

"You didn't grope me once the whole time Kagome was hurt," her eyebrow twitched with the effort it took to suppress not just her anger, but the stubborn blush that seemed determined to come to her cheeks. "Now that she's well, I turn my back once and what happens?"

He cleared his throat and did his best to look as dignified as possible with evidence of the slap on his face, "Why, Sango-chan, I had no idea you noticed such a thing. If you were concerned, you should have-"

"Oh, you lecherous, hent-" Sango cut off rather abruptly, the flames in her eyes instantly replaced with a sort of dazed amazement as she looked at a point beyond the monk's nervous expression.

Confused at what had caused his reprieve, Miroku turned around, his brows rising higher than ever as he blinked in surprise.

Kagome had come down the path, her cheeks red and looking mad enough to kill someone while Inuyasha trailed along behind her, obviously laughing and trying to talk to her despite the mark on his cheek that looked suspiciously similar to the one on Miroku's.

Her entire abdomen was bare.

"Ka-gome-sama?" Miroku managed when she stormed past them and went straight to her pack, his eyes glued to the bare expanse of pale flesh. "What happened to your clothing?"

Inuyasha stopped beside the monk, biting his lip in an effort to muffle his laughter as she threw him a look even more violent than the one Sango had been wearing moments ago. Completely ignoring the question, she tugged at the low waistband of the dark jeans and growled at the amused hanyou, "Just how the fuck did you get these?! Where did you get the money?!"

Sango was still blinking in shock, for once her eyes locked to the same thing as Miroku, "They're....they're so...."

"What's wrong with them?" Inuyasha gestured to her. "They fit, right? Not too small? Too big?"

"That's not the point!" she dropped to her knees and went digging through her pack. Shippo jumped to the side, having enough preservation instincts to know this would not be a good time to be in Kagome's way. "I don't wear pants this low!" she pushed aside the supplies and felt around for the clothing she'd brought with her. "Dammit, Inuyasha, now anyone can see this thing," she gestured to the exposed tattoo.

"Why is that bad?" he shrugged, grinning when she let out a sound of triumph and started pulling another pair of pants out of the bag.

"I am not walking around feudal Japan wearing..." she trailed off, looking at the jeans in her hands, brows lowering dangerously when she saw the style. "Inuyasha....!" her hands fisted in the fabric. "Where are my regular clothes?" she shot to her feet, tugging at the short white shirt in an effort to cover her bare stomach.

"Your other shirts are still there," Inuyasha's voice was strained, one coming up to cover his twitching mouth.

"The pants, Inuyasha, where are my fucking pants!" Kagome stalked up to him and grabbed the front of his haori, unaware of the astounded gazes coming not just from her friends but from everyone chancing on this bizarre scene. No one had ever heard Kagome speak like this, or be so bold with the hanyou....

"I lost them," he swallowed hard, unable to keep his shoulders from shaking.

"The same way you 'lost' them at the river? How many pieces are they in?" she released him and smacked her hand over her eyes, giving up on the battle with her shirt to fold her other arm beneath her breasts.

"Did you want me to count?"

"Then you did slice them up too?!" Kagome demanded, her voice likely being heard well into the forest. "God, how the hell DID you get these anyway? You never answered me!"

Inuyasha's grin turned sly, "Souta."

Kagome's mouth fell open and she stared at him with the most disbelieving look he'd ever seen grace her face, "Sou...ta?"

"I figured if he'd keep quiet for a run, I could talk him into helping me," he shrugged, putting on his best look of arrogant superiority. "Don't worry, he borrowed money from you since you're never around to spend it."

"I never suspected you would have such bargaining skills, Inuyasha," Miroku spoke before Kagome could respond. He turned to the hanyou, his voice filled with surprise and admiration. "Who would have thought you had it in you?"

**

Miroku was still wondering what had possessed him to turn his back on Kagome to say that several hours later as they made their way along the familiar path north in search of new rumors. If the girl had been any stronger she may have very well broken his jaw.

It didn't help that Inuyasha had immediately swept his arm around her waist, pressing his hand to the tattoo and praising her on listening so well to what he taught her. Granted the hanyou had managed to ease her anger at himself with the compliments, but she was still glaring at Miroku from time to time before she would turn forward and ignore him for another few miles.

Inuyasha was still grinning like an idiot over what the success of his plan, glancing at her disgruntled expression. She'd changed out of the severely undersized shirt he'd stolen from Souta's closet and back into one of her own, managing to cover most of the skin revealed by the lower pants. He refused to go back and get her other clothes when he'd gone to so much trouble to get these, but amazingly enough, Souta had been delighted to help him. All he'd had to do was let the kid hold Tetsusaiga and he'd been willing to do whatever he asked.

He glanced back at the line of bare skin between shirt and pants and couldn't help but chuckle again. It had definitely been worth it, and all he'd had to do was tell him what he'd seen.

Souta was just as devious as Shippo, waiting until Kagome had gone to the bathroom to shower before snatching some of her pants and her wallet. Inuyasha had been forced to change back into those horrible clothes from her time, but Kagome's mother wouldn't allow the kid to go alone and barely with him. Inuyasha hadn't wanted to leave Kagome alone at all, but.... Everything at her school had gone fairly smooth and it was unlikely she would get as angry with her studying as she had fighting. He'd finally agreed to go with him so long as it was close enough to suit him and they were fast enough that Kagome never noticed they were gone.

In the end Souta had haggled for his mother's permission and they'd been off to a little clothes shop not too far from where they lived that he knew carried what the hanyou indicated.

Inuyasha had seen a few other things he would have liked to pick up, but he doubted he should do that with Souta around, and he had absolutely no idea how their stupid paper worked. Besides, Kagome would be mad enough with the pants, no telling what kind of reaction he'd get if he got her more of those under things she wore all the time.

He'd gotten them home in less than five minutes with the concealing dusk and empty sidewalks to find Kagome still studying up in her room, but the pack downstairs and ready to go. It had almost been too easy to toss the pants on top of the rest of whatever she crammed in there and follow Souta up to change. That's where he'd seen the white shirt, oversized for a boy his age, but on Kagome....

Yes, it had all definitely been worth it.

Inyasha was so distracted with his pleasant musing that he didn't notice Kagome stopping and looking off to the right, her brows furrowed in concentration and then arching in surprise.

He did, however, notice when the wind shifted and filled his head with an unmistakable and hated scent.


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