InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ What A Girl Needs ❯ What A Guy Learns ( Chapter 10 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: SoutasSister 
Inuyasha has time to think about things. Warning: lime/sexual situations
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.18.2005 | Updated On: 10.18.2005 | Pages: 8 | Words: 11.9K | Visits: 4.5K | Status: Completed
Inuyasha has time to think about things. Warning: lime/sexual situations
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.18.2005 | Updated On: 10.18.2005 | Pages: 8 | Words: 11.9K | Visits: 4.5K | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns everything and I humbly bow to her genius.
Special thanks goes to InuSaga for giving this chapter the once over. I’m spaced out on cold medicine right now and couldn’t tell a typo from a hippo, so she pointed out a few things for me. Thank-you again, my friend.
…
What a Girl Needs
by Souta’s Sister
Chapter 10 -- What A Guy Learns
…
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Inuyasha walked toward Kaede’s hut carrying a couple of rabbits he had caught for supper. It was still barely mid afternoon, but he knew the women would start preparing the evening meal soon. He’d gone hunting just to relieve the tension he’d been feeling since Kagome left. The activity hadn’t really helped ease his frustration, but it had passed the time.
He could hardly wait until tomorrow. She said she’d be back tomorrow, and although he knew better than to expect her at sunrise, he had confidence that she’d show up by midmorning and he’d be waiting for her. The second she dropped that barrier he planned on grabbing her and going somewhere private. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again of stopping in an open area. He’d make sure they were well away from the village and reasonably concealed before he got carried away like he did last time. They would not be interrupted again.
“Inuyasha!”
Miroku’s voice caught Inuyasha’s attention and pulled him out of his thoughts. The monk had been standing with Kaede and Sango in front of the old miko’s hut but started walking out to meet the hanyou as the two women went inside.
“Inuyasha,” he said again as he got closer, “we just got word of a youkai disturbance in the village south of here. They need our assistance urgently. We should leave immediately.”
“Why do we always have to help a bunch of stupid villagers? Can’t they take care of it themselves?” he complained.
“They are just simple farmers, Inuyasha. They don’t have the skills necessary for solving a problem such as this,” Miroku calmly replied, knowing it was habit more than lack of concern that made Inuyasha argue.
“Keh. I’d still rather wait until tomorrow to leave. By the time we get there and kill whatever is causing problems, it could be dark already and we’ll have to spend the night,” he said, blushing slightly and looking down at the rabbits in his hand.
Miroku realized that Kagome was due back tomorrow and he knew Inuyasha wanted to camp out at the well until she returned. But they could come back early in the morning and be at the well within an hour or two of sunrise. It was unlikely that Kagome would come back before they returned.
“I doubt that Kagome-sama will return before we do, Inuyasha, so you–”
“What makes you think I care–”
Miroku’s staff connected with the side of Inuyasha’s head, cutting off the hanyou’s denial.
“You’re not fooling anyone. Now, let’s hurry up and leave. If all goes smoothly, we may be able to return late tonight.”
Inuyasha grumbled under his breath about soon-to-be-dead monks and weak, helpless humans, but he nevertheless followed Miroku into Kaede’s hut so they could prepare to leave.
He gave Kaede the rabbits and went outside to wash his hands in a bucket of water. Kaede and Sango emerged from the hut next with Shippou and Kirara.
“Stay here, runt. We’ll travel faster without you.”
“What? Why can’t I go? You’re just being mean!” Shippou shouted at Inuyasha.
Inuyasha realized that Kaede understood him well enough to make him uncomfortable when she said, “Inuyasha only wishes ye to watch for Kagome in their absence, Shippou. He doesn’t want her to be alone at the well if she returns before they do.”
Inuyasha blushed and said, “What do you know, Babaa? I just didn’t want him in the way.”
No one believed the hanyou and Shippou agreed to stay with Kaede.
Inuyasha was impatient to leave and yelled, “Hurry up, bouzu! What’s taking you so long?”
Miroku came out of the hut a moment later looking extremely innocent and therefore very suspicious. Since he had been out of their sight for only a couple of minutes, and since he’d been alone in the hut, they couldn’t really accuse him of anything. But still…it was Miroku after all, and when he looked that innocent it usually meant he’d done something bad.
“Are we ready to leave?” he asked calmly as Sango and Inuyasha stared at him with narrowed eyes.
Inuyasha answered, “Keh! Let’s just go!” and he turned to start jogging toward their destination.
Sango gave Miroku one last look before climbing onto Kirara and allowing him to get on behind her. They took off after Inuyasha.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Kagome helped her mother carry their purchases into the house. They made several trips to and from the rental car before everything was unloaded.
They had spent the morning making arrangements concerning their uncle, and purchasing packing and cleaning supplies. During the next few days, they had to box up everything that would be shipped to the shrine, throw away everything not worth keeping, and tag everything that would be included in the estate sale. With all the clutter in the house, Kagome realized that it would be at least a week before she returned home and could go back through the well.
She regretted putting up that barrier on Inuyasha’s side of the well because now he couldn’t come through to find out why she was late. He would have been angry that she wasn’t at the shrine but at least Jii-chan and Souta could have told him why she was gone. Now he’d just have to wonder about why she didn’t return, and given the circumstances of their last meeting, he might decide she was staying away on purpose. She hoped he didn’t panic and use Red Tessaiga. She prayed Miroku and Kaede kept him from going that far.
She and her mother decided to tackle one room at a time starting with the main room, which their uncle seemed to use as an all purpose office, library, and living room. Looking around her at the jumble of furniture, books, scrolls, stacks of paper, and assorted odds and ends, Kagome shook her head slightly and sighed. It was going to be a long week.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Sesshoumaru had spent the last few days patrolling his lands with Rin, Ah Un, and Jaken, except for the short time he took earlier that day to revive the three wolf youkai. Now, as the afternoon advanced, he headed his party in the direction of Inuyasha’s forest with the intention of watching for the young miko’s return.
As they drew nearer to the village that seemed to be his brother’s home, Sesshoumaru caught Inuyasha’s scent along with other members of his group. They seemed to be moving away from the village although Kagome was not with them. This made him curious.
Sesshoumaru instructed Jaken and Rin to set up camp and wait for his return. He left them immediately, certain that he would be obeyed.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Inuyasha had not wanted to leave Kaede’s village at all, but he was positive that Kagome would not return until tomorrow morning as scheduled. She’d probably even be late. It didn’t matter because he planned on being at the well waiting for her at daybreak, even if he had to leave Miroku and Sango behind and travel alone back to Kaede’s village.
They’d been moving pretty fast, Miroku and Sango on Kirara and Inuyasha leaping through the treetops, for about an hour when they came upon the giant mantis-type youkai fighting with some villagers. The village itself was a few miles ahead, so Inuyasha decided that the men must have tracked the youkai and attempted to kill it on their own. They really were stupid if they thought their farming equipment and normal arrows would do the job, he thought.
“Hiraikotsu!”
Inuyasha watched Sango throw her weapon as she and Kirara rose back into the air after dropping Miroku off on the ground. It got the youkai’s and the villagers’ attention. The men cheered even though most of them were running away in the direction of their village. The youkai turned on Sango as she caught her returning weapon and swooped near.
While it was focused on Sango, who dodged its attacks easily, Inuyasha leapt onto its back and swung his transformed Tessaiga down its middle, or at least he tried to do that. The youkai twisted and bucked when it felt Inuyasha land on its back and as Inuyasha jumped to the side, the swing of his blade actually cut off the insect’s entire bug-eyed head. If anyone asked, he’d swear that he meant to do it.
Without a jewel shard, the youkai could not regenerate itself, but the huge, headless body kept thrashing around frantically as Miroku and Inuyasha ran out of the way. Inuyasha turned back when he was out of range of the razor sharp appendages. They cut through foliage and churned up dirt as they swung wildly when the body flipped over onto its back.
Before Inuyasha could try to destroy the body, Sango threw her weapon at the exposed underbelly. The impact caused the creature’s overfed gut to burst, hurling blood and tissue in all directions, and killing the headless carcass.
They came, they saw, they conquered, and they became covered in youkai guts…all in less than three minutes. It was rather anticlimactic for them and they just looked at each other for a moment, surprised that their job was finished. Miroku had an understandable aversion to using his Kazaana on mantis youkai, but he blessed the remains and placed several ofuda in the area to appease its soul.
Several villagers came out of the woodwork to thank them and offer them a place to clean up and the use of a hut for the night. Since the men’s village was several miles in the opposite direction from Kaede’s village and they still had a few of hours of daylight, they decided to go back to the old miko’s village. They’d be able to stop at a hot spring along the way to clean up. They thanked the men for their offer and left.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Kagome’s mother was tired after they ate supper, so even though it was still early, they quit working for the day. Kagome wasn’t ready to try and sleep yet so she asked her mother if she had anything to read, knowing the older woman always read in bed at home. Her mother had bought a couple of paperbacks a few days ago to read while sitting with their uncle, so she gave Kagome the one she hadn’t read yet. It turned out to be a rather explicit historical romance, and while Kagome found the sex scenes fairly exciting, she didn’t like the too-helpless heroine and grew bored with the story. After an hour of reading, she finally threw the book into her small suitcase with a heavy sigh and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep yet, because in the back of her brain she knew that she was expected to return to Inuyasha’s time in the morning and she was worried about what he would think when she didn’t. Turning off the light and closing her eyes would only make her think about it more and worry about it all night.
In an attempt to take her mind off the impatient hanyou, she thought about all she and her mother had accomplished that day. They still had a lot of work to do sorting through all the items their uncle had collected over the years. Her mind wandered to think about the interesting scrolls they’d found among her great-uncle’s belongings that afternoon. He’d grown up at the shrine, but left after WWII to make his way in the business world. Her mother had explained that, as the oldest son, it had been his duty to carry on the family tradition and become the priest for the shrine. His departure had apparently surprised everyone and had caused a rift between him and the rest of the family, but it also gave Kagome’s grandfather, who was twenty years younger, the opportunity to take over the shrine.
It was obvious that many of the scrolls they’d found had come from the shrine. Her mother hadn’t seemed surprised that he had apparently taken them with him when he’d left and kept them all these years. Kagome had vague memories of meeting her uncle at her father’s funeral years ago. She remembered that he’d stared at her intently and, being a shy child, it had made her uncomfortable. It was too late to get to know him now, she thought.
The scrolls would be returned to the shrine collection along with any artifacts they found to go with them. Her mother had insisted on glancing through each one first and had already packed up some for shipping before Kagome got a chance to see them. Thinking about it now, Kagome idly wondered why her mother used so much tape to seal the boxes. Her mother sometimes acted strange in Kagome’s opinion. Oh, well...
Since she had time now, Kagome decided to read through some of the other scrolls before they too got boxed up. It would also keep her mind occupied until she was too tired to worry about anything – or any hanyou – and she might actually get some sleep. She got up and went into the main room to get a few scrolls and bring them back to the guest room she was sleeping in.
After about an hour of skimming through detailed descriptions of different rituals and religious ceremonies, she came across a set of three scrolls that made her sit up and turn on another lamp for better light. It described the powers of shrine priestesses and priests from hundreds of years ago, and it recounted in their own words how they harnessed their powers.
‘Oh, wow!’ she thought with excitement. With these scrolls she could learn about her own abilities and maybe even try something new before she went back and trained with Sesshoumaru.
An hour later she sat on her bed meditating. All the descriptions said that the mikos and monks meditated regularly to keep in touch with their spiritual powers. She knew that both Kaede and Miroku spent time meditating almost every day, but she’d just thought it was one of those ritual things that holy people did. Kagome never realized how important it was for harnessing her spiritual power even though Miroku had told her more than once that she should spend time “looking inward”. He had even offered to sit with her and put a barrier around them so no one would interrupt. She knew that Miroku could make one of those barriers that not only kept everyone out, but also made things inside the barrier invisible to anyone outside the barrier. The thought of being alone and invisible with Miroku made her uneasy since he was a known pervert, and she’d never taken him up on his offer.
Kagome’s current plan was to meditate and to practice the different types of barriers each night before going to bed. She’d already made one of the most difficult barriers to create – a barrier anchored to an object – according to the scrolls, so she thought she should be able to create the other types of defensive barriers if she practiced. So far, other people could see all the barriers she had created, but there was a way to make a barrier invisible to normal people and youkai until they ran into it. She wanted to remove the visible signs of her barriers if she could by the end of the week. She didn’t want to try any offensive or destructive uses of her power until she was in the past and had space to make mistakes.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
They traveled back toward Kaede’s village at a fast pace, but Inuyasha halted them a few miles short of their destination. The smell of the youkai guts that covered everyone was making him nauseous and he wanted to wash it out of his hair. He also wanted to be clean when he met Kagome at the well in the morning...just because.
So he stopped them in a clearing they had camped in a few times that he knew was near some hot springs. He asked Sango for a bar of Kagome’s soap that he knew she was carrying in her pack.
“I only have one and I want to use it, Inuyasha.”
“Damn it! It’s not even yours, Sango! Quit being selfish!” he yelled.
She gaped at him a moment and then yelled right back, “I can’t believe you of all people just asked someone not to be selfish!”
“I’m not the one refusing to share!”
“No, not at this exact moment, but it’s only one moment out of millions in the day!” she retorted, turning away. “I’m going to take a bath first, so you two stay here!” She started walking toward one of the springs with Kirara.
“Wait a minute!” Inuyasha yelled and followed her. “I want to see it!”
“Pervert! I expected that from the houshi, but ---”
“Shut the fuck up! I don’t want to see you! I want to see the soap! How big is it?” Inuyasha interrupted, red-faced. He heard Miroku snickering behind him.
“I’m not giving it to you, Inuyasha! You can wait a few minutes for your turn!” Sango said.
“I didn’t ask you to give it to me, wench! I said I want to see it!”
She angrily pulled the almost new bar of soap out of her bag and held it up in front of her. “See? Are you satisfied now?” she asked, glaring at him like he was an annoying bug.
“No,” he said as he used his speed to grab it out of her hand.
Sango was livid and immediately reached for her Hiraikotsu to bash him in the head. Before she could retaliate, he broke the bar of soap in half, threw one half toward her, and jogged away toward another hot spring.
“I’m willing to share even though some people wouldn’t!” they heard him shout.
Sango picked up her half of the soap angrily. She glared at Miroku when he laughingly commented, “He did share after all, didn’t he?”
She huffed and headed toward a hot spring in the opposite direction from the one that Inuyasha went toward. “I’m not in the mood to deal with either of you jerks, so I’m taking my time. You better not peek!” she yelled over her shoulder. Kirara trailed along behind her.
Miroku smiled happily, and hastily followed Inuyasha. He needed to hurry while there was still daylight...
Inuyasha dropped the soap on the grass and eased into the hot spring fully clothed. His fire-rat clothing was connected to his youki and it repaired and cleaned itself, except on his human nights. Still, he wanted to remove most of the blood and gunk in the water so that the clothing would be completely clean by morning. He brushed his hands over the surface of the material, removing the worst of the mess, before jumping out of the hot spring and undressing. He draped his clothes over a bush, used his toes to nudge the soap closer to the edge of the spring, and got back in the water.
He had just settled into a comfortable position sitting on some rocks in chin-deep water when Miroku came running to the spring. The monk quickly undressed, rinsed his outer robe in the water, and threw it over a bush to dry. He left his inner robes and a bundle of his belongings in a pile on the grass, hurriedly grabbed the soap, and jumped in the water.
“Damn it, Bouzu! Quit splashin’!”
Miroku ignored Inuyasha’s complaint and lathered up his head and upper body in record time. He dunked under the water, rinsed the soap off, and climbed out of the spring in less than a minute. Within two minutes, Miroku was dressed in his inner robe and sprinting back down the trail, carrying his damp outer robe and the bundle.
Inuyasha mumbled under his breath about stupid monks and leaned back against the rocks again. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander back to the grassy clearing he and Kagome had been in just a few days ago…
Kagome was lying under him again. Her skin was flushed and her eyes were heavy with need. She moaned his name breathily as he touched her exposed breasts. His breathing accelerated along with his heartbeat. Gods, she was so beautiful. Her scent surrounded him, exciting him even more. He’d dreamed of touching her like that so many times, but the reality of it was beyond anything he could have imagined.
He’d hoped she didn’t sense how nervous he was, how amazed he was that she was willingly touching him and allowing him to touch her so intimately. As much as he’d wanted it, needed it, and as much as his instincts demanded it, he’d still been thunderstruck at actually getting her into a position to claim her. After all the planning and anticipation, he’d still been shocked to finally get to that point with her…maybe a little scared too.
For a hanyou, rejection was not just a possibility; it was almost always a certainty. Even though he knew Kagome and he knew she wouldn’t be repulsed by touching him, there still lingered a tiny doubt that anyone would allow a disgusting hanyou such close contact.
But she had let him touch her and she’d touched him too. She’d seemed so sure of her movements, so relaxed, while he’d been trembling and feeling awkward, wondering if he was doing it right. And she’d put her hands in places that sent tingles all the way to his toes. His imagination hadn’t ever done that to him.
His dreams over the years had all been rather hazy, filled with images of he and Kagome holding each other and kissing. They moved against each other and he would hear her saying his name. He had a vague understanding of the female anatomy and he knew that his body would join with hers somewhere between her legs. He’d seen her naked, but each time his eyes had immediately zeroed in on her breasts and that image was the one he saw most often in his dreams. It was enough to make him wake up breathless with the front of this hakama sticky and wet.
When she’d put her hand into the opening on the side of his hakama and gripped his butt, he’d almost embarrassed himself by finishing in his pants. He’d forced himself to stop staring at her with wide-eyed disbelief. He’d been so eager after that that he’d almost been afraid he would hurt her. He couldn’t help it. He’d needed her so badly. He’d needed to know that she accepted him fully, accepted him as her mate. He’d needed to know that no one could ever take her away from him. With all the bastards after her lately, he needed the security of knowing that she would be by his side forever.
And then she’d opened her bra thing and exposed herself to him and he’d been humbled. Such a beautiful, pure woman, giving herself to a creature such as him. It filled his heart with love and his body with even more need. He hadn’t been able to control the shaking of his hand as he’d reached to touch her bared breasts, almost reverently. Her reaction thrilled him and he couldn’t stop himself from putting his mouth on her. Her skin tasted almost as wonderful as her scent…
Inuyasha sighed and looked around the hot spring as he shifted uncomfortably. At the moment, he was almost as hard as the rock he sat on and he had no way to relieve it. He’d been in or near this same state ever since that day. Actually, he’d been in or near that state for over a year now. It was damned annoying, and actually touching her – then losing her – had just made it worse. He growled with frustration and mentally berated himself for the millionth time for not keeping his mouth shut when he’d had a ready and willing Kagome in his grasp.
Damn it! Why’d he have to say anything about how her shirt smelled? Why’d he have to bring up his brother at all? He’d been so fuckin’ stupid! How many times had Kagome lectured him about Miroku ruining the ‘mood’ with Sango? He’d known what the ‘mood’ was and he would have done his best to create it if they had made it to his secluded hot springs. But after destroying that youkai and saving her from those falling rocks, it had just felt right to hold her and kiss her. He’d actually just stumbled into the ‘mood’ and hadn’t even thought about it until he’d ruined it by opening his mouth. If he’d just used his fuckin’ mouth for something besides talking, she would have been mad at the idiots that interrupted them instead of him.
Why the hell did she have to be so sensitive about that stuff? And why hadn’t he learned to keep his mouth shut yet? It pissed him off all over again and to take his mind off all of it, including his almost painful erection, which was thankfully starting to go away, he walked over to the edge of the spring and grabbed the soap from where Miroku had tossed it. He wet his hair and soaped it up along with the rest of his body. He rinsed off and got out of the water. He squeezed most of the water out of his hair and then got dressed. His clothes were almost dry and he put them on jerkily, still angry with himself.
He reached up and snapped a large leaf off a tree and picked up the soap with it. He hated handling sticky, wet soap after he was already clean. He jogged down the path Miroku had taken earlier.
When Inuyasha got to the clearing, Miroku was sitting on a long log reading a book. Inuyasha could tell it was a book from Kagome’s time since Miroku was holding up in front of his face. It was nearing sunset but there was still enough light to see the glossy cover. He blushed.
“What the fuck are you looking at, pervert?!”
Miroku kept his eyes on the book, unfazed by the hanyou’s anger. “Kagome-sama provided this book so that Sango and I would be better prepared for married life,” he stated calmly, never looking away from the book.
“Kagome gave that to you?!” he asked, shocked. Miroku didn’t answer and after a moment, Inuyasha accused, “You stole it from Sango! You did, didn’t you, you pervert! That’s what you were doing in the hut this afternoon!”
Miroku dodged the question of how he acquired the book and simply answered, “Since Kagome-sama condones the…activities in this book, it cannot be perverted. Are you saying Kagome-sama is a pervert?” He knew how to divert Inuyasha’s attention from the issue at hand. He’d had years of practice.
“What!? That’s not what I said!” he shouted, forgetting about how Miroku obtained the book.
He was red and huffing, and Miroku could tell he wanted to say more but didn’t want to criticize Kagome in any way. He smiled to himself. This could be fun.
“Inuyasha, you do know about relations between married couples, right? You did know what you were doing when you undressed Kagome-sama the other day, didn’t you?”
He sputtered and blushed as red as his haori. “Of course, I know! I ain’t no pup! I know how to mate!”
Miroku smiled to himself and fished for information. “Yes, of course, you know what to do. After all, you and Kikyou-sama---”
“We did not! I never touched her like that! That s-stuff’s just for mates!” he stuttered angrily.
“Ahh, so you haven’t ever---”
“Well, I would have if you hadn’t interrupted me with Kagome the other day, you damn pervert!” Inuyasha snarled, as red in the face as Miroku had ever seen him.
“Now, now, Inuyasha. Calm down. Inexperience is nothing to be ashamed of–”
“Keh! It’s not like you’ve got all that much experience either, bouzu! Even with all the ass-grabbin’ you do, you ain’t been with a woman since I met you four years ago!”
Miroku looked up at that, shock on his face. How did the hanyou know?
“I would’ve smelled it, stupid. That scent don’t wash off right away,” Inuyasha answered the unspoken question.
Miroku cleared his throat, and piously stated, “I would not be so selfish as to leave Kagome-sama or Sango unprotected for a night just to experience a few hours of pleasure, Inuyasha.”
He snorted. “Yeah, right, bouzu. I would have been there to protect them even if you went off with some woman. You just couldn’t get anyone with that grabby hand of yours and that’s the real truth.”
Miroku’s attention had been caught by a picture in the book and he didn’t answer Inuyasha. His curiosity getting the better of him, Inuyasha, still blushing, walked over and sat next to the monk on the log. “What’s in the book?” he asked, setting the leaf-covered soap next to him on the log.
Miroku blushed slightly himself at the thought of looking at the pictures with Inuyasha. Still, it was an opportunity to tease the hanyou that he couldn’t pass up. He had been looking at something called ‘doggy style’ but quickly turned the page before Inuyasha could see it. He’d save that one for later.
“It’s about intimate relations between a husband and wife,” Miroku finally replied. The page he ended up on was near the front of the book in a chapter called ‘Foreplay’. They could all read some of the modern Japanese characters thanks Kagome’s tutoring over the years.
Inuyasha sucked in his breath and paled. He pointed a shaky finger at the picture and hissed in a low voice, “That’s not mating! S-she’s biting him! Why would he let her bite him t-there?!” He stared at the picture in horror and suddenly doubted his basic understanding of the subject. At least his erection was gone now.
It was one thing to pretend worldly sophistication and another to explain this particular act to another male. Miroku was no virgin, but he didn’t have that much experience and he’d never experienced this particular act. He blushed more. As amusing as it was to see Inuyasha so flustered, it was also uncomfortable to look at these pictures with him right there.
Besides...he’d been doing just fine by himself, enjoying his fantasies without witnesses. He slightly resented Inuyasha’s intrusion, especially since he couldn’t do anything about his very stiff erection now that the hanyou was there. Never in his whole life had he seen such amazing pictures. They had a profound affect on his physical state. He sighed in frustration.
“I don’t think she is biting him, Inuyasha,” he said, trying to sound calm. “I think she is pleasuring him by…by….well, she is not using her teeth.”
He flipped the pages to the back of the book, away from the picture of the dark-haired girl he imagined as Sango, performing such an erotic act of pleasure for her man.
The page he ended up on was in a chapter called ‘Adventurous Role Playing’. The picture showed a woman standing above a man sitting in a chair. She was wearing clothing similar to Sango’s battle armor. She had a short whip in her hand. He was getting lost in his fantasy where he and Sango were playing this game when Inuyasha jarred him back to reality by snatching the book right out of his hands.
“That’s not mating either!” Inuyasha whispered forcefully, fear and anxiety in his voice. “Why is he blindfolded and why are his hands tied to that chair?! You’re not supposed to hit your mate! Why is he gagged? I don’t think this book is right! It’s not about mating at all! And---”
Miroku gritted his teeth and made a grab for the book as Inuyasha’s panicked voice abruptly halted. But the hanyou surprised him by quickly tossing the book over their heads into the bushes behind them. Before Miroku could give the other man a much-deserved punch in the head, he heard Sango ask Kirara if they were on the right path. He understood Inuyasha’s actions when she came into the clearing just a few seconds later.
Sango stopped walking and stood about six feet from the two men. She noticed that Inuyasha was blushing almost as red as his haori and he wouldn’t meet her eyes. His ears were drooping too. He was guilty of something. Her eyes moved to the houshi and she took in his look of perfect innocence and the serene expression in his eyes. Yep. He was guilty too. What had they been up to?
“What have you been doing while I was gone?” she asked both men, looking from one to another.
Inuyasha looked like he wanted to sink into the ground, but Miroku answered with, “Why, we’re just waiting for you, my lovely Sango. What else is there to do in the middle of a forest?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. He had definitely done something he didn’t want her to know about. She looked back at Inuyasha and noticed that he was now rather pale and looked slightly ill. Concern got the better of her.
“Inuyasha? Are you okay?” she asked.
Inuyasha couldn’t get the images from the book out of his head. Those pictures couldn’t be about mating. They didn’t look like anything he’d ever seen before, and he’d seen a few human couples in the woods over the years. Hearing Sango say his name startled him.
He looked up at her and immediately looked away again, blushing again. “Keh, I’m fine. Let’s just go back to Kaede’s now,” he said in a rather subdued voice.
He stood up, picked up the soap that was now dry, and handed it to her without meeting her eyes. She took it automatically, watching him. She looked back at Miroku and wondered if the monk had said something to upset Inuyasha.
Miroku was worried about retrieving the book without Sango seeing him do it. He stood up and said, “Why don’t you and Kirara go on to the village, Sango, before it gets dark? Inuyasha and I will just follow on foot.” He smiled at her and hoped he sounded like an attentive suitor.
Oh, yes, he was up to something and she wasn’t going to let him get away with it. “But, houshi-sama, wouldn’t it be better if you rode on Kirara with me? We can all go together,” she said with a narrow-eyed smile.
He gulped. He couldn’t refuse because she was already suspicious, but maybe he could convince her to walk so that he could pretend to forget something and come back to the clearing alone.
“Of course, my sweet Sango, if that is your wish. However, why don’t we walk? It’s so lovely this evening after all.”
He’s definitely hiding something, she decided. She played along. “Walking will be pleasant. Come walk beside me?”
“Uh, certainly, my beautiful Sango. Go ahead and start and I’ll catch up in just a moment. I just need to tell Inuyasha something.”
Sango looked at Inuyasha who snorted at Miroku’s comment but kept his eyes averted. He had his arms crossed over his chest and seemed to be brooding about something. Whatever happened, she didn’t think Inuyasha was to blame and she thought he was upset about it. On the other hand, Inuyasha was probably covering up for Miroku’s misdeed and it made Sango angry.
“I don’t mind waiting here, houshi-sama.” She gave him a sickeningly sweet smile.
“Uh, well, I’m sure it can wait until later. Shall we go?” he asked, sweeping his arm out in the direction they needed to go and indicating that Sango should take the lead.
She turned reluctantly and slowly started walking, Kirara at her feet. She looked back to make sure Miroku was right behind her. He wasn’t. He was gesturing to Inuyasha who seemed to be trying to ignore him. “Houshi-sama? Are you coming?”
He turned his serene smile in her direction and said, “Of course,” like nothing was wrong.
Sango gritted her teeth under her fake smile and waited for him to walk to her. She could tell he wanted her to turn around and leave, but she narrowed her eyes and silently refused.
He finally walked toward her, and when he was right next to her, she started walking toward the village again. After a few minutes, she noticed that the jingling of his staff was falling further and further behind. She stopped and turned around again. Miroku and Inuyasha were having a whispered argument several yards down the path. Miroku was clutching the sleeve of Inuyasha’s haori and the hanyou seemed to be trying to shake him off.
“What’s going on?” she called.
They sprang apart at the sound of her voice, like children caught doing mischief. Inuyasha was blushing, looking at his feet, and Miroku gave her his most innocent smile.
“Nothing, dear Sango. Inuyasha just agreed to patrol the area for youkai. You and I can continue on to the village.” He walked toward her, smiling as he talked, leaving a scowling hanyou behind him.
“Is that so?” she asked, skeptical.
“Yes, he’s just going now, aren’t you, Inuyasha?” Miroku said, emphasizing the ‘aren’t you’ part.
Inuyasha still wouldn’t look at Sango. His only response was his usual, “Keh,” before he bounded off into the forest.
Miroku walked calmly by her and, after one last look in the direction Inuyasha took, she followed the monk back to the village.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
“It wasn’t there.”
“What do you mean it wasn’t there?” Miroku asked in less than his usual calm manner. He’d been waiting for Inuyasha to return for more than an hour and had gone outside to meet him away from the hut.
“I mean it wasn’t there! Are you stupid or something? It wasn’t there!” Inuyasha told him angrily.
“No one knew it was there but us! It had to be there!” Miroku insisted.
“Well, I’m telling you that it wasn’t!”
“Where did it go?”
“I don’t know. Maybe a monkey took it,” Inuyasha answered, still agitated.
“Why would a monkey take a book, Inuyasha? That doesn’t make sense.”
“A monkey took Kagome’s clothes one time, so why wouldn’t a monkey take a book?” he countered, not really believing a monkey took the book but having no better explanation.
Miroku stopped staring intently at Inuyasha and allowed his shoulders to slump.
“What are we going to do? Sango will know it’s missing soon!” He rubbed the back of his neck with a shaking hand and started to pace. Sango would know he was the one who took it.
“What do you mean ‘we’? I didn’t take Sango’s book, so leave me the fuck out of it, bouzu! And it was a stupid book anyway! I wish I never saw it!”
Miroku’s head turned sharply in Inuyasha’s direction and he stopped pacing. “That’s right! We never saw it, Inuyasha! We don’t know anything about it!” Maybe he could pretend to have no knowledge of it. Sango may not remember telling him about it since she’d been drinking sake at the time.
“Keh,” he replied as he walked away muttering about perverted, crooked monks.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Kagome watched the sun set through the window in her uncle’s guest room. She was supposed to go back through the well today. It had bothered her all day and she’d been so preoccupied with it, her mother had had to actually grab her arm a few times to get her attention. She sighed and went to sit on the bed.
She’d been thinking about Yuka and Houjou a lot, and how they misunderstood each other. She couldn’t comprehend why Houjou kept asking her out just because Yuka thought it was a good idea. But then again, he had to have known after nearly four years that Kagome wouldn’t go out with him, so the only thing he had to gain by asking her out was Yuka’s approval. Maybe he was smarter than she thought...in a dense sort of way.
Kagome sighed again. She’d never understand male logic. Their thinking process was just different from women’s; that’s all there was to it. Sesshoumaru was probably right and she needed to stop assuming she knew what Inuyasha was thinking and why he did what he did. Even Yuka had said Kagome needed to have a straightforward conversation with Inuyasha about his feelings and motives. And maybe she needed to be completely open and honest about her feelings too. Maybe then Inuyasha would know he had no competition from Sesshoumaru or anyone else.
It was a scary thought. What if they were wrong? What if she bared her soul to Inuyasha but he didn’t love her in return? Well, she knew he cared for her and wanted her since he did say he wanted her to be his mate, but was that just because he couldn’t have Kikyou?
Kagome was back at square one. She didn’t want to be the one he settled for because he couldn’t have the one he really loved. No matter how much she loved him, being second best would bother her in the future just as it bothered her now...and she didn’t want to live the rest of her life like that.
She mentally screamed, ‘Why does it have to be so hard?!’ and flopped back on the bed. Why couldn’t Inuyasha just say that he loved her? She’d asked him over and over to tell her why he wanted her for his mate the other day and all he kept saying was that he wouldn’t let anyone else have her. He told Miroku the same thing – that he was going to be the one to ‘have’ her and no one else. It was frustrating not knowing why he wanted to ‘have’ her. She forced herself not to assume the worst again.
Thinking of assuming the worst, she thought about what Inuyasha would be thinking since she didn’t go back through the well today. She really hoped he was staying calm and that he didn’t try to use Red Tessaiga. Well, there was nothing she could do about it right now. She just had to hope he was okay and that his patience held out a few more days. She shook her head at the thought of ‘patience’ and ‘Inuyasha’. She was scaring herself with thinking about how little patience the hanyou had displayed in the past. Would he really risk the well to break the barrier? She had to stop thinking about it. It was giving her a headache.
Maybe meditation would take her mind off all of it.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
She was supposed to come back today. He’d been sitting near the well since the previous night, after he’d told Miroku the stupid book was gone. Shippou had brought him some lunch and had stayed with him for a long time, not speaking but napping in the grass. Sango had made the runt go back to the village for supper about thirty minutes ago, just before sunset.
Why wasn’t she back yet? Did something happen to her? Was she still mad? Was she staying away on purpose? Did Shippou misunderstand when she would return? Damn it! Why’d she have to put up the fuckin’ barrier? If the stupid barrier wasn’t there, he could have gone to get her or at least gone to see why she was late. Damn miko powers. Why’d Sesshoumaru have to show her how to use ‘em anyway?
Miroku’s words came back to him suddenly.
‘She is also very powerful…beautiful, kind, and powerful...’
Sesshoumaru would want her to know how to use her powers. He’d probably think only a powerful mate was worthy of him, the arrogant bastard.
‘Well, I don’t care if she could use her powers or not,’ thought Inuyasha. ‘I accept her just as she is!’
A tiny voice whispered in his head the suggestion that he liked Kagome to be helpless. Helpless Kagome needed a protector. Inuyasha was a strong protector. She needed Inuyasha. But a powerful Kagome wouldn’t need a protector. She wouldn’t have any reason to depend on Inuyasha if she could defend herself. She wouldn’t need him around anymore...
He thought about that for a few minutes. Did he really want Kagome to depend on him for protection? He shifted uncomfortably when his first thought was, ‘yes’. After all, what else was he good for? Why else would she need him if not for protection?
Sure, their friends all said she loved him, but what did that mean really? He and Kikyou had loved each other, but it wasn’t enough. They didn’t need each other. They’d lost each other...and he’d survived.
Sure, he felt bad for what happened to Kikyou and he felt guilt, but he’d survived. He still loved her to some degree, but he’d gone on without her.
He’d actually done better than survive without Kikyou, because of Kagome. With Kagome, he’d found love again, but he’d also found more. He’d found trust and need and want. He’d found something with Kagome that made him do more than survive. Kagome made him live. She was his life...his home.
He wanted Kagome to love him; there was no question of that, and he was pretty sure she did love him just like he loved her. But he wanted her to need him too, like he needed her...like the air he breathed.
He shifted again where he sat near the barrier around the well, his foot tapping the ground in agitation. Why wasn’t she back yet, damn it? And why couldn’t their damned nosey friends leave him alone, he thought as he heard Miroku enter the clearing.
“I see Kagome-sama has yet to return, Inuyasha. Perhaps she will come back tomorrow.”
“Who asked you, bouzu?” Inuyasha replied with irritation.
“No one asked me, Inuyasha,” he replied unperturbed, “but I asked Shippou if he was sure Kagome-sama would return today and apparently she did not say she would.” He smiled smugly at the hanyou, knowing he had his attention.
“What do you mean? He told me she was returning in three days! That means today!”
“Actually, Shippou confessed that Kagome-sama said she would be back in a ‘few’ days. It was Sesshoumaru who commanded she return in three days. Apparently, that made Kagome-sama angry.”
“Why didn’t Shippou tell me that?” demanded Inuyasha. Damn it! If Kagome was mad at Sesshoumaru too, she’d take her time about coming back! And she’d wait more than three days just to show that she could, the stubborn wench!
“Well, you may have noticed that Shippou is angry at you right now due to his embarrassment over his injured posterior.”
“Keh, it’s not my fault he mouthed off to Sesshoumaru! And Kagome and Sango would have beat the crap out of me if I didn’t make sure Shippou got patched up. I’d rather the runt be angry with me than one of them.”
“When put that way, I must agree. However, there is a second reason that Shippou did not tell us exactly what was said. Sesshoumaru told Shippou not to repeat any of the conversation he heard between Kagome-sama and himself. Perhaps Shippou’s injuries were a warning. Shippou would not tell us anything beyond the subject of when Kagome-sama will return.”
“Keh! If he’s scared of my bastard brother, why is he telling us anything now?”
“He is afraid you may try and use Red Tessaiga on the well. He thought you should know about what Kagome-sama said, since she did not actually agree to Sesshoumaru’s three day limit.”
“Like she’d listen to him. She can’t stand to have someone tell her what to do and she’s too stubborn for her own good,” he griped, angry at having to wait for her.
Miroku looked at his friend and thought Inuyasha could be talking about himself. The hanyou and Kagome had a lot in common. Perhaps that’s why they understood each other so well.
“Inuyasha, you and I never did finish our conversation about what Kagome-sama told Sango that night. Do you want to hear it?” he asked.
Inuyasha was quiet for a moment, thinking. “Yeah...tell me why she wanted someone else,” he finally said.
“She doesn’t want anyone else–” Miroku started to say but was interrupted.
“But she said–” Inuyasha insisted but he shut up when Miroku pulled some ofuda from his robes.
“Are you going to listen?” he asked.
Inuyasha nodded with a disgruntled look at the ofuda.
“As I was saying, Kagome-sama doesn’t want anyone else. She told Sango that she loves you and she wants you, but she doesn’t think you feel the same about her.” He paused and raised the ofuda in his hand when it looked like Inuyasha would interrupt again. The hanyou shut his mouth and glared at him.
Miroku continued, “She thinks that you want to go to hell with Kikyou-sama because you still love her even after all that has happened.”
There was a slight question in his voice and Inuyasha reluctantly responded.
“I love her. She was my friend. What Naraku did wasn’t her fault. But that don’t mean I’m going to hell with her. What happened wasn’t my fault either and Kikyou knows it too.”
Miroku watched him intently and it made him blush. He was uncomfortable talking about this, but he wanted to hear what Kagome said.
“What?” he finally hissed when Miroku didn’t continue.
“So you don’t love Kagome-sama. It is as she feared,” the monk said quietly.
“Of course I love Kagome!” he insisted. “Damn it! It’s different with Kagome! And it ain’t your business!”
Miroku sighed, not sure he understood Inuyasha’s feelings. “Regardless of your feelings, Kagome-sama said that she loves you and wanted to be with you, but she didn’t think you and she had a future together because of Kikyou. She also said that she had tried to seduce you by letting you see her naked on more than one occasion. Is that true, Inuyasha?” he asked, his curiosity getting to him.
“I t-thought they were accidents! Damn wench should have been used to fishes swimming by her legs when she’s taking a bath in a river, but she screams a lot and I had to check on her...but then...now I know why she screamed in her own bathroom in her time...and we were the only ones in the house...and she left the door open...” His voice trailed off and he blushed more at the thought that she had been doing that on purpose.
“According to Kagome-sama, you never showed any interest in her body, except to cover it up. Have you no sense, Inuyasha? I’ve seen Kagome-sama naked and my last thought would be to cover up her–”
Inuyasha smacked the back of Miroku’s head before he could finish the sentence. “You ever look at her like that again and your last thought will be how much Tessaiga hurts when I shove it up your ass, pervert! And how was I supposed to know she was giving me hints? Nobody wants a hanyou like that! I thought each time I saw her was an accident. I thought I was just lucky. Damn it.”
He hung his head and closed his eyes. He could have had her a long time ago...
“Well, you’ve managed to make her think that you do not want her like that, although she may think differently after what you two shared the other day. How far did you get by the way? She was still in her underclothes when we got there.”
Inuyasha looked away blushing, embarrassed and proud at the same time. “She had her bra-thing off, but she put it back on when she got mad.”
“Did you get to–”
“You don’t need to know what we did! I’m not telling you anything else, pervert!” Inuyasha was angry with himself for telling Miroku anything at all. He still hadn’t learned to keep his mouth shut.
“Alright, calm down. Where was I? Oh...Kagome-sama thought that you did not want her and that you would die with Kikyou, so she decided that she would need someone to help her get over her pain when she lost you. She is also a mature young woman, much too old to be a virgin and she knows it. She wants to have a physical relationship with a man. That’s why she wanted to find someone in her time to be intimate with her.”
“Keh, I’ll never let anyone else touch her! If I’d known she didn’t want to be a virgin, I’d have fixed it for her years ago! Fuck it! How’d we get so messed up? Why doesn’t she know I need her or that I want her like that? What did I do wrong?” He put his elbows on his thighs and his face in his hands. Why didn’t Kagome understand?
“Inuyasha, humans need to be told how someone feels about them. They are not aware of scent claims or other signs of that nature. You must show her how you feel, as well. Why do you think I touch Sango so intimately? I want her to know that I love and desire her.”
Inuyasha raised his head and looked askance at Miroku. “Keh, I’m not human and I know what Sango smells like when she’s pissed off, and you make her smell pissed off every time you touch her like that, bouzu. I’m not dumb enough to take advice from you when it comes to women!”
Miroku sighed. Did Sango really get angry when he touched her beautiful bottom? She wasn’t just being coy? She must like it! Her slaps had lessened in force during the last couple of years and she rarely used Hiraikotsu on him anymore. That must mean something, right? Of course, he had heard Kagome-sama warn Sango about the dangers of ‘head trauma’ and something called ‘neurological’ damage...
Inuyasha’s voice pulled Miroku from his thoughts.
“You sure she said she really doesn’t want someone else?” At Miroku’s nod he continued, “What else did she say?”
Miroku shifted a little but gave Inuyasha a confident smile and said, “She talked about the ‘birth control’ but you heard that, I think.”
Inuyasha watched the monk for a moment. “What else did she say, bouzu? You’re hiding something.”
“Nothing else of importance, I assure you,” Miroku replied nonchalantly.
“You’re lying. I can smell it. I want to know what she said and I’ll decide if it was important or not.”
“Inuyasha, I don’t think I should repeat everything. You know enough to make up with her. Isn’t that enough?” the houshi almost pleaded.
“No, I want to know what she said or maybe Sango needs to know about a certain book!”
Miroku sighed. “She talked about Kikyou. It was not all favorable. Perhaps it is best left alone.”
Inuyasha sat still for a moment and looked off past the well, thinking. Finally, he asked, “What did she say?”
Resigned to his fate, Miroku proceeded to tell the hanyou things that he was sure would make him angry. His voice was nearly monotone when he spoke. “She said she understood that most of what happened was not Kikyou-sama’s fault, but that some of it was. Kagome-sama said that she knew both of you were equally at fault for not trusting each other so neither of you should shoulder the full blame. She thought that Kikyou-sama blamed you for everything unfairly, and that Naraku was really to blame for all of it. She said that she and Kaede-sama thought that if Kikyou-sama took you to hell, your soul would be alone there for eternity, because Kikyou-sama has no soul of her own now. The piece of Kagome-sama’s soul will return to Kagome-sama when Kikyou-sama’s body is destroyed in hell, and you don’t know the other souls in Kikyou-sama’s body.” He ignored Inuyasha’s sharp intake of breath. “And Kaede-sama thought Kikyou-sama could have lived if she had not pinned you to the tree when Naraku tricked her. She put a spell on her arrow that kept you from living or dying. Your soul could not be reincarnated. It is possible that she wanted your soul to be alone for eternity. The spell she used drained her of her spiritual and physical strength. Perhaps it caused her death, and not the injury itself. Kagome-sama also mentioned the times when Kikyou-sama tried to kill her–”
“What!?” Inuyasha yelled, grabbing the front of Miroku’s robes. “What happened? When did she do that? Why didn’t Kagome tell me?”
Miroku held up his ofuda threateningly. “Do you want me to continue?”
Inuyasha sat back and crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at his feet.
Miroku took that as a ‘yes’. He went on, “Kikyou-sama tried to drop Kagome-sama into a deep pit of miasma while we were trapped in Naraku’s Illusionary Death spell. It was the time she stole our jewel shard from Kagome-sama.”
“I remember that...but Kagome wouldn’t tell me what happened.” He hung his head. She didn’t trust him.
“It was a long time ago, Inuyasha. Perhaps, Kagome-sama didn’t want to upset you since she knew you love Kikyou-sama.”
He looked up at Miroku and said with earnest, “I promised to protect Kagome! I’d never let anyone hurt her! Not even Kikyou! She should have told me. Things might have been...different.”
“My friend, even after Kikyou-sama tried to kill you more than once, and even after she betrayed you by giving Naraku our jewel shard–over half the jewel–you still remained steadfast in your support of her. Kikyou-sama had the opportunity to kill Naraku before he used the jewel to become strong. She is a powerful priestess, and to give him our shard, she must have been within touching distance of him. And yet she let him live and helped him become stronger. She even helped him get a new body. And after all that, you still remained loyal to her. I will admit that I have had doubts about your reliability myself. I understand Kagome-sama’s reluctance to discuss anything related to Kikyou-sama with you. And after all Kikyou-sama had done to you, Kagome-sama saw you promise to protect her from Naraku, a monster Kikyou-sama herself helped create. I would not have been so forgiving under the circumstances, but Kagome-sama’s heart is purer than anyone I’ve ever seen. Be thankful that she stayed with you, even if she remained reserved.”
Inuyasha sat listening to Miroku’s quiet voice with his ears flat against his scalp and his head hung in shame. He felt all the self-loathing and guilt he’d known because of what happened to Kikyou double in volume because of what he’d put his friends through. He’d never thought about it from their point of view. They’d never known Kikyou when she was alive. They didn’t know what a good person she truly was. They didn’t understand...but how could they? They’d only seen her at her worst, a resurrected shell filled with hate. And he’d been too caught up in guilt to really see her as his friends saw her.
Now, he could somewhat understand why Kagome didn’t know he loved her, needed her. He’d been a terrible protector. He’d failed her. How could she forgive him? What if he couldn’t explain things to her, make her understand? What if she didn’t come back? Was she staying away on purpose? Had she given up on him? Hadn’t it already been a ‘few’ days since she left? She should have been back by now. Three days was usually her limit. Something was wrong; he just knew it.
Panic bubbled up in him. Maybe he should use Red Tessaiga. Maybe he could break the barrier without damaging the well. And, they’d rebuilt it after he’d shoved a tree down it to try and keep Kagome in her time, right? Even if he damaged it, he could rebuild it again and it would work just fine, right? But Tessaiga absorbed youki and what if Red Tessaiga interfered with the well’s magic? The tree had just caused physical damage, but Red Tessaiga might cause spiritual damage. What should he do?
“As I said before, Inuyasha,” Miroku said, startling Inuyasha from his thoughts. “Kagome-sama told Sango that she loves you and wants to be by your side. Now that you know how she feels, it is up to you to let her know how you feel. If you do nothing else, I advise you to plainly tell her that you love her. She will not believe it unless you tell her outright. Be nice to her, Inuyasha. Everyone knows how you feel about her so you do not have to pretend otherwise.”
Inuyasha blushed and muttered something about his feelings not being anyone else’s business, but he didn’t openly argue with the monk.
Miroku rose to his feet. “Now, my friend, let’s go back to Kaede’s for the night. Kagome-sama will not return after dark, I’m certain. You can return here in the morning.”
“I’m staying here.”
“At least come get something to eat. You can return later if you like,” Miroku coaxed.
“I’m not hungry.”
Miroku sighed. “Very well, Inuyasha. Please do not do anything rash during the night. Kagome-sama is likely to return tomorrow and I’m sure she would be most upset if you damage her barrier or the well. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Inuyasha grunted, acknowledging that he’d heard the houshi, but gave no other response.
Miroku shook his head and walked down the path toward the village, leaving the solemn hanyou behind.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Sesshoumaru seethed in his hiding place among the trees. The miko was defying him. Perhaps he had no use for her or the hanyou after all. They were both stupid, unreliable, and temperamental. And prone to loudness. And impulsive. And disobedient. They lacked control! That was the root of all their flaws! He would not tolerate it any longer!
By the gods, if they could not control themselves, he would control them himself! He would bend them to his will, starting with the miko.
This was the last time she would be late in returning from her mysterious time. This was the last time she would miss an appointment with him. This was the last time he would be made to wait for an explanation of the strange writing that accompanied the pictures in the mating book.
…
Special thanks goes to InuSaga for giving this chapter the once over. I’m spaced out on cold medicine right now and couldn’t tell a typo from a hippo, so she pointed out a few things for me. Thank-you again, my friend.
…
What a Girl Needs
by Souta’s Sister
Chapter 10 -- What A Guy Learns
…
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Inuyasha walked toward Kaede’s hut carrying a couple of rabbits he had caught for supper. It was still barely mid afternoon, but he knew the women would start preparing the evening meal soon. He’d gone hunting just to relieve the tension he’d been feeling since Kagome left. The activity hadn’t really helped ease his frustration, but it had passed the time.
He could hardly wait until tomorrow. She said she’d be back tomorrow, and although he knew better than to expect her at sunrise, he had confidence that she’d show up by midmorning and he’d be waiting for her. The second she dropped that barrier he planned on grabbing her and going somewhere private. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again of stopping in an open area. He’d make sure they were well away from the village and reasonably concealed before he got carried away like he did last time. They would not be interrupted again.
“Inuyasha!”
Miroku’s voice caught Inuyasha’s attention and pulled him out of his thoughts. The monk had been standing with Kaede and Sango in front of the old miko’s hut but started walking out to meet the hanyou as the two women went inside.
“Inuyasha,” he said again as he got closer, “we just got word of a youkai disturbance in the village south of here. They need our assistance urgently. We should leave immediately.”
“Why do we always have to help a bunch of stupid villagers? Can’t they take care of it themselves?” he complained.
“They are just simple farmers, Inuyasha. They don’t have the skills necessary for solving a problem such as this,” Miroku calmly replied, knowing it was habit more than lack of concern that made Inuyasha argue.
“Keh. I’d still rather wait until tomorrow to leave. By the time we get there and kill whatever is causing problems, it could be dark already and we’ll have to spend the night,” he said, blushing slightly and looking down at the rabbits in his hand.
Miroku realized that Kagome was due back tomorrow and he knew Inuyasha wanted to camp out at the well until she returned. But they could come back early in the morning and be at the well within an hour or two of sunrise. It was unlikely that Kagome would come back before they returned.
“I doubt that Kagome-sama will return before we do, Inuyasha, so you–”
“What makes you think I care–”
Miroku’s staff connected with the side of Inuyasha’s head, cutting off the hanyou’s denial.
“You’re not fooling anyone. Now, let’s hurry up and leave. If all goes smoothly, we may be able to return late tonight.”
Inuyasha grumbled under his breath about soon-to-be-dead monks and weak, helpless humans, but he nevertheless followed Miroku into Kaede’s hut so they could prepare to leave.
He gave Kaede the rabbits and went outside to wash his hands in a bucket of water. Kaede and Sango emerged from the hut next with Shippou and Kirara.
“Stay here, runt. We’ll travel faster without you.”
“What? Why can’t I go? You’re just being mean!” Shippou shouted at Inuyasha.
Inuyasha realized that Kaede understood him well enough to make him uncomfortable when she said, “Inuyasha only wishes ye to watch for Kagome in their absence, Shippou. He doesn’t want her to be alone at the well if she returns before they do.”
Inuyasha blushed and said, “What do you know, Babaa? I just didn’t want him in the way.”
No one believed the hanyou and Shippou agreed to stay with Kaede.
Inuyasha was impatient to leave and yelled, “Hurry up, bouzu! What’s taking you so long?”
Miroku came out of the hut a moment later looking extremely innocent and therefore very suspicious. Since he had been out of their sight for only a couple of minutes, and since he’d been alone in the hut, they couldn’t really accuse him of anything. But still…it was Miroku after all, and when he looked that innocent it usually meant he’d done something bad.
“Are we ready to leave?” he asked calmly as Sango and Inuyasha stared at him with narrowed eyes.
Inuyasha answered, “Keh! Let’s just go!” and he turned to start jogging toward their destination.
Sango gave Miroku one last look before climbing onto Kirara and allowing him to get on behind her. They took off after Inuyasha.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Kagome helped her mother carry their purchases into the house. They made several trips to and from the rental car before everything was unloaded.
They had spent the morning making arrangements concerning their uncle, and purchasing packing and cleaning supplies. During the next few days, they had to box up everything that would be shipped to the shrine, throw away everything not worth keeping, and tag everything that would be included in the estate sale. With all the clutter in the house, Kagome realized that it would be at least a week before she returned home and could go back through the well.
She regretted putting up that barrier on Inuyasha’s side of the well because now he couldn’t come through to find out why she was late. He would have been angry that she wasn’t at the shrine but at least Jii-chan and Souta could have told him why she was gone. Now he’d just have to wonder about why she didn’t return, and given the circumstances of their last meeting, he might decide she was staying away on purpose. She hoped he didn’t panic and use Red Tessaiga. She prayed Miroku and Kaede kept him from going that far.
She and her mother decided to tackle one room at a time starting with the main room, which their uncle seemed to use as an all purpose office, library, and living room. Looking around her at the jumble of furniture, books, scrolls, stacks of paper, and assorted odds and ends, Kagome shook her head slightly and sighed. It was going to be a long week.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Sesshoumaru had spent the last few days patrolling his lands with Rin, Ah Un, and Jaken, except for the short time he took earlier that day to revive the three wolf youkai. Now, as the afternoon advanced, he headed his party in the direction of Inuyasha’s forest with the intention of watching for the young miko’s return.
As they drew nearer to the village that seemed to be his brother’s home, Sesshoumaru caught Inuyasha’s scent along with other members of his group. They seemed to be moving away from the village although Kagome was not with them. This made him curious.
Sesshoumaru instructed Jaken and Rin to set up camp and wait for his return. He left them immediately, certain that he would be obeyed.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Inuyasha had not wanted to leave Kaede’s village at all, but he was positive that Kagome would not return until tomorrow morning as scheduled. She’d probably even be late. It didn’t matter because he planned on being at the well waiting for her at daybreak, even if he had to leave Miroku and Sango behind and travel alone back to Kaede’s village.
They’d been moving pretty fast, Miroku and Sango on Kirara and Inuyasha leaping through the treetops, for about an hour when they came upon the giant mantis-type youkai fighting with some villagers. The village itself was a few miles ahead, so Inuyasha decided that the men must have tracked the youkai and attempted to kill it on their own. They really were stupid if they thought their farming equipment and normal arrows would do the job, he thought.
“Hiraikotsu!”
Inuyasha watched Sango throw her weapon as she and Kirara rose back into the air after dropping Miroku off on the ground. It got the youkai’s and the villagers’ attention. The men cheered even though most of them were running away in the direction of their village. The youkai turned on Sango as she caught her returning weapon and swooped near.
While it was focused on Sango, who dodged its attacks easily, Inuyasha leapt onto its back and swung his transformed Tessaiga down its middle, or at least he tried to do that. The youkai twisted and bucked when it felt Inuyasha land on its back and as Inuyasha jumped to the side, the swing of his blade actually cut off the insect’s entire bug-eyed head. If anyone asked, he’d swear that he meant to do it.
Without a jewel shard, the youkai could not regenerate itself, but the huge, headless body kept thrashing around frantically as Miroku and Inuyasha ran out of the way. Inuyasha turned back when he was out of range of the razor sharp appendages. They cut through foliage and churned up dirt as they swung wildly when the body flipped over onto its back.
Before Inuyasha could try to destroy the body, Sango threw her weapon at the exposed underbelly. The impact caused the creature’s overfed gut to burst, hurling blood and tissue in all directions, and killing the headless carcass.
They came, they saw, they conquered, and they became covered in youkai guts…all in less than three minutes. It was rather anticlimactic for them and they just looked at each other for a moment, surprised that their job was finished. Miroku had an understandable aversion to using his Kazaana on mantis youkai, but he blessed the remains and placed several ofuda in the area to appease its soul.
Several villagers came out of the woodwork to thank them and offer them a place to clean up and the use of a hut for the night. Since the men’s village was several miles in the opposite direction from Kaede’s village and they still had a few of hours of daylight, they decided to go back to the old miko’s village. They’d be able to stop at a hot spring along the way to clean up. They thanked the men for their offer and left.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Kagome’s mother was tired after they ate supper, so even though it was still early, they quit working for the day. Kagome wasn’t ready to try and sleep yet so she asked her mother if she had anything to read, knowing the older woman always read in bed at home. Her mother had bought a couple of paperbacks a few days ago to read while sitting with their uncle, so she gave Kagome the one she hadn’t read yet. It turned out to be a rather explicit historical romance, and while Kagome found the sex scenes fairly exciting, she didn’t like the too-helpless heroine and grew bored with the story. After an hour of reading, she finally threw the book into her small suitcase with a heavy sigh and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep yet, because in the back of her brain she knew that she was expected to return to Inuyasha’s time in the morning and she was worried about what he would think when she didn’t. Turning off the light and closing her eyes would only make her think about it more and worry about it all night.
In an attempt to take her mind off the impatient hanyou, she thought about all she and her mother had accomplished that day. They still had a lot of work to do sorting through all the items their uncle had collected over the years. Her mind wandered to think about the interesting scrolls they’d found among her great-uncle’s belongings that afternoon. He’d grown up at the shrine, but left after WWII to make his way in the business world. Her mother had explained that, as the oldest son, it had been his duty to carry on the family tradition and become the priest for the shrine. His departure had apparently surprised everyone and had caused a rift between him and the rest of the family, but it also gave Kagome’s grandfather, who was twenty years younger, the opportunity to take over the shrine.
It was obvious that many of the scrolls they’d found had come from the shrine. Her mother hadn’t seemed surprised that he had apparently taken them with him when he’d left and kept them all these years. Kagome had vague memories of meeting her uncle at her father’s funeral years ago. She remembered that he’d stared at her intently and, being a shy child, it had made her uncomfortable. It was too late to get to know him now, she thought.
The scrolls would be returned to the shrine collection along with any artifacts they found to go with them. Her mother had insisted on glancing through each one first and had already packed up some for shipping before Kagome got a chance to see them. Thinking about it now, Kagome idly wondered why her mother used so much tape to seal the boxes. Her mother sometimes acted strange in Kagome’s opinion. Oh, well...
Since she had time now, Kagome decided to read through some of the other scrolls before they too got boxed up. It would also keep her mind occupied until she was too tired to worry about anything – or any hanyou – and she might actually get some sleep. She got up and went into the main room to get a few scrolls and bring them back to the guest room she was sleeping in.
After about an hour of skimming through detailed descriptions of different rituals and religious ceremonies, she came across a set of three scrolls that made her sit up and turn on another lamp for better light. It described the powers of shrine priestesses and priests from hundreds of years ago, and it recounted in their own words how they harnessed their powers.
‘Oh, wow!’ she thought with excitement. With these scrolls she could learn about her own abilities and maybe even try something new before she went back and trained with Sesshoumaru.
An hour later she sat on her bed meditating. All the descriptions said that the mikos and monks meditated regularly to keep in touch with their spiritual powers. She knew that both Kaede and Miroku spent time meditating almost every day, but she’d just thought it was one of those ritual things that holy people did. Kagome never realized how important it was for harnessing her spiritual power even though Miroku had told her more than once that she should spend time “looking inward”. He had even offered to sit with her and put a barrier around them so no one would interrupt. She knew that Miroku could make one of those barriers that not only kept everyone out, but also made things inside the barrier invisible to anyone outside the barrier. The thought of being alone and invisible with Miroku made her uneasy since he was a known pervert, and she’d never taken him up on his offer.
Kagome’s current plan was to meditate and to practice the different types of barriers each night before going to bed. She’d already made one of the most difficult barriers to create – a barrier anchored to an object – according to the scrolls, so she thought she should be able to create the other types of defensive barriers if she practiced. So far, other people could see all the barriers she had created, but there was a way to make a barrier invisible to normal people and youkai until they ran into it. She wanted to remove the visible signs of her barriers if she could by the end of the week. She didn’t want to try any offensive or destructive uses of her power until she was in the past and had space to make mistakes.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
They traveled back toward Kaede’s village at a fast pace, but Inuyasha halted them a few miles short of their destination. The smell of the youkai guts that covered everyone was making him nauseous and he wanted to wash it out of his hair. He also wanted to be clean when he met Kagome at the well in the morning...just because.
So he stopped them in a clearing they had camped in a few times that he knew was near some hot springs. He asked Sango for a bar of Kagome’s soap that he knew she was carrying in her pack.
“I only have one and I want to use it, Inuyasha.”
“Damn it! It’s not even yours, Sango! Quit being selfish!” he yelled.
She gaped at him a moment and then yelled right back, “I can’t believe you of all people just asked someone not to be selfish!”
“I’m not the one refusing to share!”
“No, not at this exact moment, but it’s only one moment out of millions in the day!” she retorted, turning away. “I’m going to take a bath first, so you two stay here!” She started walking toward one of the springs with Kirara.
“Wait a minute!” Inuyasha yelled and followed her. “I want to see it!”
“Pervert! I expected that from the houshi, but ---”
“Shut the fuck up! I don’t want to see you! I want to see the soap! How big is it?” Inuyasha interrupted, red-faced. He heard Miroku snickering behind him.
“I’m not giving it to you, Inuyasha! You can wait a few minutes for your turn!” Sango said.
“I didn’t ask you to give it to me, wench! I said I want to see it!”
She angrily pulled the almost new bar of soap out of her bag and held it up in front of her. “See? Are you satisfied now?” she asked, glaring at him like he was an annoying bug.
“No,” he said as he used his speed to grab it out of her hand.
Sango was livid and immediately reached for her Hiraikotsu to bash him in the head. Before she could retaliate, he broke the bar of soap in half, threw one half toward her, and jogged away toward another hot spring.
“I’m willing to share even though some people wouldn’t!” they heard him shout.
Sango picked up her half of the soap angrily. She glared at Miroku when he laughingly commented, “He did share after all, didn’t he?”
She huffed and headed toward a hot spring in the opposite direction from the one that Inuyasha went toward. “I’m not in the mood to deal with either of you jerks, so I’m taking my time. You better not peek!” she yelled over her shoulder. Kirara trailed along behind her.
Miroku smiled happily, and hastily followed Inuyasha. He needed to hurry while there was still daylight...
Inuyasha dropped the soap on the grass and eased into the hot spring fully clothed. His fire-rat clothing was connected to his youki and it repaired and cleaned itself, except on his human nights. Still, he wanted to remove most of the blood and gunk in the water so that the clothing would be completely clean by morning. He brushed his hands over the surface of the material, removing the worst of the mess, before jumping out of the hot spring and undressing. He draped his clothes over a bush, used his toes to nudge the soap closer to the edge of the spring, and got back in the water.
He had just settled into a comfortable position sitting on some rocks in chin-deep water when Miroku came running to the spring. The monk quickly undressed, rinsed his outer robe in the water, and threw it over a bush to dry. He left his inner robes and a bundle of his belongings in a pile on the grass, hurriedly grabbed the soap, and jumped in the water.
“Damn it, Bouzu! Quit splashin’!”
Miroku ignored Inuyasha’s complaint and lathered up his head and upper body in record time. He dunked under the water, rinsed the soap off, and climbed out of the spring in less than a minute. Within two minutes, Miroku was dressed in his inner robe and sprinting back down the trail, carrying his damp outer robe and the bundle.
Inuyasha mumbled under his breath about stupid monks and leaned back against the rocks again. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander back to the grassy clearing he and Kagome had been in just a few days ago…
Kagome was lying under him again. Her skin was flushed and her eyes were heavy with need. She moaned his name breathily as he touched her exposed breasts. His breathing accelerated along with his heartbeat. Gods, she was so beautiful. Her scent surrounded him, exciting him even more. He’d dreamed of touching her like that so many times, but the reality of it was beyond anything he could have imagined.
He’d hoped she didn’t sense how nervous he was, how amazed he was that she was willingly touching him and allowing him to touch her so intimately. As much as he’d wanted it, needed it, and as much as his instincts demanded it, he’d still been thunderstruck at actually getting her into a position to claim her. After all the planning and anticipation, he’d still been shocked to finally get to that point with her…maybe a little scared too.
For a hanyou, rejection was not just a possibility; it was almost always a certainty. Even though he knew Kagome and he knew she wouldn’t be repulsed by touching him, there still lingered a tiny doubt that anyone would allow a disgusting hanyou such close contact.
But she had let him touch her and she’d touched him too. She’d seemed so sure of her movements, so relaxed, while he’d been trembling and feeling awkward, wondering if he was doing it right. And she’d put her hands in places that sent tingles all the way to his toes. His imagination hadn’t ever done that to him.
His dreams over the years had all been rather hazy, filled with images of he and Kagome holding each other and kissing. They moved against each other and he would hear her saying his name. He had a vague understanding of the female anatomy and he knew that his body would join with hers somewhere between her legs. He’d seen her naked, but each time his eyes had immediately zeroed in on her breasts and that image was the one he saw most often in his dreams. It was enough to make him wake up breathless with the front of this hakama sticky and wet.
When she’d put her hand into the opening on the side of his hakama and gripped his butt, he’d almost embarrassed himself by finishing in his pants. He’d forced himself to stop staring at her with wide-eyed disbelief. He’d been so eager after that that he’d almost been afraid he would hurt her. He couldn’t help it. He’d needed her so badly. He’d needed to know that she accepted him fully, accepted him as her mate. He’d needed to know that no one could ever take her away from him. With all the bastards after her lately, he needed the security of knowing that she would be by his side forever.
And then she’d opened her bra thing and exposed herself to him and he’d been humbled. Such a beautiful, pure woman, giving herself to a creature such as him. It filled his heart with love and his body with even more need. He hadn’t been able to control the shaking of his hand as he’d reached to touch her bared breasts, almost reverently. Her reaction thrilled him and he couldn’t stop himself from putting his mouth on her. Her skin tasted almost as wonderful as her scent…
Inuyasha sighed and looked around the hot spring as he shifted uncomfortably. At the moment, he was almost as hard as the rock he sat on and he had no way to relieve it. He’d been in or near this same state ever since that day. Actually, he’d been in or near that state for over a year now. It was damned annoying, and actually touching her – then losing her – had just made it worse. He growled with frustration and mentally berated himself for the millionth time for not keeping his mouth shut when he’d had a ready and willing Kagome in his grasp.
Damn it! Why’d he have to say anything about how her shirt smelled? Why’d he have to bring up his brother at all? He’d been so fuckin’ stupid! How many times had Kagome lectured him about Miroku ruining the ‘mood’ with Sango? He’d known what the ‘mood’ was and he would have done his best to create it if they had made it to his secluded hot springs. But after destroying that youkai and saving her from those falling rocks, it had just felt right to hold her and kiss her. He’d actually just stumbled into the ‘mood’ and hadn’t even thought about it until he’d ruined it by opening his mouth. If he’d just used his fuckin’ mouth for something besides talking, she would have been mad at the idiots that interrupted them instead of him.
Why the hell did she have to be so sensitive about that stuff? And why hadn’t he learned to keep his mouth shut yet? It pissed him off all over again and to take his mind off all of it, including his almost painful erection, which was thankfully starting to go away, he walked over to the edge of the spring and grabbed the soap from where Miroku had tossed it. He wet his hair and soaped it up along with the rest of his body. He rinsed off and got out of the water. He squeezed most of the water out of his hair and then got dressed. His clothes were almost dry and he put them on jerkily, still angry with himself.
He reached up and snapped a large leaf off a tree and picked up the soap with it. He hated handling sticky, wet soap after he was already clean. He jogged down the path Miroku had taken earlier.
When Inuyasha got to the clearing, Miroku was sitting on a long log reading a book. Inuyasha could tell it was a book from Kagome’s time since Miroku was holding up in front of his face. It was nearing sunset but there was still enough light to see the glossy cover. He blushed.
“What the fuck are you looking at, pervert?!”
Miroku kept his eyes on the book, unfazed by the hanyou’s anger. “Kagome-sama provided this book so that Sango and I would be better prepared for married life,” he stated calmly, never looking away from the book.
“Kagome gave that to you?!” he asked, shocked. Miroku didn’t answer and after a moment, Inuyasha accused, “You stole it from Sango! You did, didn’t you, you pervert! That’s what you were doing in the hut this afternoon!”
Miroku dodged the question of how he acquired the book and simply answered, “Since Kagome-sama condones the…activities in this book, it cannot be perverted. Are you saying Kagome-sama is a pervert?” He knew how to divert Inuyasha’s attention from the issue at hand. He’d had years of practice.
“What!? That’s not what I said!” he shouted, forgetting about how Miroku obtained the book.
He was red and huffing, and Miroku could tell he wanted to say more but didn’t want to criticize Kagome in any way. He smiled to himself. This could be fun.
“Inuyasha, you do know about relations between married couples, right? You did know what you were doing when you undressed Kagome-sama the other day, didn’t you?”
He sputtered and blushed as red as his haori. “Of course, I know! I ain’t no pup! I know how to mate!”
Miroku smiled to himself and fished for information. “Yes, of course, you know what to do. After all, you and Kikyou-sama---”
“We did not! I never touched her like that! That s-stuff’s just for mates!” he stuttered angrily.
“Ahh, so you haven’t ever---”
“Well, I would have if you hadn’t interrupted me with Kagome the other day, you damn pervert!” Inuyasha snarled, as red in the face as Miroku had ever seen him.
“Now, now, Inuyasha. Calm down. Inexperience is nothing to be ashamed of–”
“Keh! It’s not like you’ve got all that much experience either, bouzu! Even with all the ass-grabbin’ you do, you ain’t been with a woman since I met you four years ago!”
Miroku looked up at that, shock on his face. How did the hanyou know?
“I would’ve smelled it, stupid. That scent don’t wash off right away,” Inuyasha answered the unspoken question.
Miroku cleared his throat, and piously stated, “I would not be so selfish as to leave Kagome-sama or Sango unprotected for a night just to experience a few hours of pleasure, Inuyasha.”
He snorted. “Yeah, right, bouzu. I would have been there to protect them even if you went off with some woman. You just couldn’t get anyone with that grabby hand of yours and that’s the real truth.”
Miroku’s attention had been caught by a picture in the book and he didn’t answer Inuyasha. His curiosity getting the better of him, Inuyasha, still blushing, walked over and sat next to the monk on the log. “What’s in the book?” he asked, setting the leaf-covered soap next to him on the log.
Miroku blushed slightly himself at the thought of looking at the pictures with Inuyasha. Still, it was an opportunity to tease the hanyou that he couldn’t pass up. He had been looking at something called ‘doggy style’ but quickly turned the page before Inuyasha could see it. He’d save that one for later.
“It’s about intimate relations between a husband and wife,” Miroku finally replied. The page he ended up on was near the front of the book in a chapter called ‘Foreplay’. They could all read some of the modern Japanese characters thanks Kagome’s tutoring over the years.
Inuyasha sucked in his breath and paled. He pointed a shaky finger at the picture and hissed in a low voice, “That’s not mating! S-she’s biting him! Why would he let her bite him t-there?!” He stared at the picture in horror and suddenly doubted his basic understanding of the subject. At least his erection was gone now.
It was one thing to pretend worldly sophistication and another to explain this particular act to another male. Miroku was no virgin, but he didn’t have that much experience and he’d never experienced this particular act. He blushed more. As amusing as it was to see Inuyasha so flustered, it was also uncomfortable to look at these pictures with him right there.
Besides...he’d been doing just fine by himself, enjoying his fantasies without witnesses. He slightly resented Inuyasha’s intrusion, especially since he couldn’t do anything about his very stiff erection now that the hanyou was there. Never in his whole life had he seen such amazing pictures. They had a profound affect on his physical state. He sighed in frustration.
“I don’t think she is biting him, Inuyasha,” he said, trying to sound calm. “I think she is pleasuring him by…by….well, she is not using her teeth.”
He flipped the pages to the back of the book, away from the picture of the dark-haired girl he imagined as Sango, performing such an erotic act of pleasure for her man.
The page he ended up on was in a chapter called ‘Adventurous Role Playing’. The picture showed a woman standing above a man sitting in a chair. She was wearing clothing similar to Sango’s battle armor. She had a short whip in her hand. He was getting lost in his fantasy where he and Sango were playing this game when Inuyasha jarred him back to reality by snatching the book right out of his hands.
“That’s not mating either!” Inuyasha whispered forcefully, fear and anxiety in his voice. “Why is he blindfolded and why are his hands tied to that chair?! You’re not supposed to hit your mate! Why is he gagged? I don’t think this book is right! It’s not about mating at all! And---”
Miroku gritted his teeth and made a grab for the book as Inuyasha’s panicked voice abruptly halted. But the hanyou surprised him by quickly tossing the book over their heads into the bushes behind them. Before Miroku could give the other man a much-deserved punch in the head, he heard Sango ask Kirara if they were on the right path. He understood Inuyasha’s actions when she came into the clearing just a few seconds later.
Sango stopped walking and stood about six feet from the two men. She noticed that Inuyasha was blushing almost as red as his haori and he wouldn’t meet her eyes. His ears were drooping too. He was guilty of something. Her eyes moved to the houshi and she took in his look of perfect innocence and the serene expression in his eyes. Yep. He was guilty too. What had they been up to?
“What have you been doing while I was gone?” she asked both men, looking from one to another.
Inuyasha looked like he wanted to sink into the ground, but Miroku answered with, “Why, we’re just waiting for you, my lovely Sango. What else is there to do in the middle of a forest?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. He had definitely done something he didn’t want her to know about. She looked back at Inuyasha and noticed that he was now rather pale and looked slightly ill. Concern got the better of her.
“Inuyasha? Are you okay?” she asked.
Inuyasha couldn’t get the images from the book out of his head. Those pictures couldn’t be about mating. They didn’t look like anything he’d ever seen before, and he’d seen a few human couples in the woods over the years. Hearing Sango say his name startled him.
He looked up at her and immediately looked away again, blushing again. “Keh, I’m fine. Let’s just go back to Kaede’s now,” he said in a rather subdued voice.
He stood up, picked up the soap that was now dry, and handed it to her without meeting her eyes. She took it automatically, watching him. She looked back at Miroku and wondered if the monk had said something to upset Inuyasha.
Miroku was worried about retrieving the book without Sango seeing him do it. He stood up and said, “Why don’t you and Kirara go on to the village, Sango, before it gets dark? Inuyasha and I will just follow on foot.” He smiled at her and hoped he sounded like an attentive suitor.
Oh, yes, he was up to something and she wasn’t going to let him get away with it. “But, houshi-sama, wouldn’t it be better if you rode on Kirara with me? We can all go together,” she said with a narrow-eyed smile.
He gulped. He couldn’t refuse because she was already suspicious, but maybe he could convince her to walk so that he could pretend to forget something and come back to the clearing alone.
“Of course, my sweet Sango, if that is your wish. However, why don’t we walk? It’s so lovely this evening after all.”
He’s definitely hiding something, she decided. She played along. “Walking will be pleasant. Come walk beside me?”
“Uh, certainly, my beautiful Sango. Go ahead and start and I’ll catch up in just a moment. I just need to tell Inuyasha something.”
Sango looked at Inuyasha who snorted at Miroku’s comment but kept his eyes averted. He had his arms crossed over his chest and seemed to be brooding about something. Whatever happened, she didn’t think Inuyasha was to blame and she thought he was upset about it. On the other hand, Inuyasha was probably covering up for Miroku’s misdeed and it made Sango angry.
“I don’t mind waiting here, houshi-sama.” She gave him a sickeningly sweet smile.
“Uh, well, I’m sure it can wait until later. Shall we go?” he asked, sweeping his arm out in the direction they needed to go and indicating that Sango should take the lead.
She turned reluctantly and slowly started walking, Kirara at her feet. She looked back to make sure Miroku was right behind her. He wasn’t. He was gesturing to Inuyasha who seemed to be trying to ignore him. “Houshi-sama? Are you coming?”
He turned his serene smile in her direction and said, “Of course,” like nothing was wrong.
Sango gritted her teeth under her fake smile and waited for him to walk to her. She could tell he wanted her to turn around and leave, but she narrowed her eyes and silently refused.
He finally walked toward her, and when he was right next to her, she started walking toward the village again. After a few minutes, she noticed that the jingling of his staff was falling further and further behind. She stopped and turned around again. Miroku and Inuyasha were having a whispered argument several yards down the path. Miroku was clutching the sleeve of Inuyasha’s haori and the hanyou seemed to be trying to shake him off.
“What’s going on?” she called.
They sprang apart at the sound of her voice, like children caught doing mischief. Inuyasha was blushing, looking at his feet, and Miroku gave her his most innocent smile.
“Nothing, dear Sango. Inuyasha just agreed to patrol the area for youkai. You and I can continue on to the village.” He walked toward her, smiling as he talked, leaving a scowling hanyou behind him.
“Is that so?” she asked, skeptical.
“Yes, he’s just going now, aren’t you, Inuyasha?” Miroku said, emphasizing the ‘aren’t you’ part.
Inuyasha still wouldn’t look at Sango. His only response was his usual, “Keh,” before he bounded off into the forest.
Miroku walked calmly by her and, after one last look in the direction Inuyasha took, she followed the monk back to the village.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
“It wasn’t there.”
“What do you mean it wasn’t there?” Miroku asked in less than his usual calm manner. He’d been waiting for Inuyasha to return for more than an hour and had gone outside to meet him away from the hut.
“I mean it wasn’t there! Are you stupid or something? It wasn’t there!” Inuyasha told him angrily.
“No one knew it was there but us! It had to be there!” Miroku insisted.
“Well, I’m telling you that it wasn’t!”
“Where did it go?”
“I don’t know. Maybe a monkey took it,” Inuyasha answered, still agitated.
“Why would a monkey take a book, Inuyasha? That doesn’t make sense.”
“A monkey took Kagome’s clothes one time, so why wouldn’t a monkey take a book?” he countered, not really believing a monkey took the book but having no better explanation.
Miroku stopped staring intently at Inuyasha and allowed his shoulders to slump.
“What are we going to do? Sango will know it’s missing soon!” He rubbed the back of his neck with a shaking hand and started to pace. Sango would know he was the one who took it.
“What do you mean ‘we’? I didn’t take Sango’s book, so leave me the fuck out of it, bouzu! And it was a stupid book anyway! I wish I never saw it!”
Miroku’s head turned sharply in Inuyasha’s direction and he stopped pacing. “That’s right! We never saw it, Inuyasha! We don’t know anything about it!” Maybe he could pretend to have no knowledge of it. Sango may not remember telling him about it since she’d been drinking sake at the time.
“Keh,” he replied as he walked away muttering about perverted, crooked monks.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Kagome watched the sun set through the window in her uncle’s guest room. She was supposed to go back through the well today. It had bothered her all day and she’d been so preoccupied with it, her mother had had to actually grab her arm a few times to get her attention. She sighed and went to sit on the bed.
She’d been thinking about Yuka and Houjou a lot, and how they misunderstood each other. She couldn’t comprehend why Houjou kept asking her out just because Yuka thought it was a good idea. But then again, he had to have known after nearly four years that Kagome wouldn’t go out with him, so the only thing he had to gain by asking her out was Yuka’s approval. Maybe he was smarter than she thought...in a dense sort of way.
Kagome sighed again. She’d never understand male logic. Their thinking process was just different from women’s; that’s all there was to it. Sesshoumaru was probably right and she needed to stop assuming she knew what Inuyasha was thinking and why he did what he did. Even Yuka had said Kagome needed to have a straightforward conversation with Inuyasha about his feelings and motives. And maybe she needed to be completely open and honest about her feelings too. Maybe then Inuyasha would know he had no competition from Sesshoumaru or anyone else.
It was a scary thought. What if they were wrong? What if she bared her soul to Inuyasha but he didn’t love her in return? Well, she knew he cared for her and wanted her since he did say he wanted her to be his mate, but was that just because he couldn’t have Kikyou?
Kagome was back at square one. She didn’t want to be the one he settled for because he couldn’t have the one he really loved. No matter how much she loved him, being second best would bother her in the future just as it bothered her now...and she didn’t want to live the rest of her life like that.
She mentally screamed, ‘Why does it have to be so hard?!’ and flopped back on the bed. Why couldn’t Inuyasha just say that he loved her? She’d asked him over and over to tell her why he wanted her for his mate the other day and all he kept saying was that he wouldn’t let anyone else have her. He told Miroku the same thing – that he was going to be the one to ‘have’ her and no one else. It was frustrating not knowing why he wanted to ‘have’ her. She forced herself not to assume the worst again.
Thinking of assuming the worst, she thought about what Inuyasha would be thinking since she didn’t go back through the well today. She really hoped he was staying calm and that he didn’t try to use Red Tessaiga. Well, there was nothing she could do about it right now. She just had to hope he was okay and that his patience held out a few more days. She shook her head at the thought of ‘patience’ and ‘Inuyasha’. She was scaring herself with thinking about how little patience the hanyou had displayed in the past. Would he really risk the well to break the barrier? She had to stop thinking about it. It was giving her a headache.
Maybe meditation would take her mind off all of it.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
She was supposed to come back today. He’d been sitting near the well since the previous night, after he’d told Miroku the stupid book was gone. Shippou had brought him some lunch and had stayed with him for a long time, not speaking but napping in the grass. Sango had made the runt go back to the village for supper about thirty minutes ago, just before sunset.
Why wasn’t she back yet? Did something happen to her? Was she still mad? Was she staying away on purpose? Did Shippou misunderstand when she would return? Damn it! Why’d she have to put up the fuckin’ barrier? If the stupid barrier wasn’t there, he could have gone to get her or at least gone to see why she was late. Damn miko powers. Why’d Sesshoumaru have to show her how to use ‘em anyway?
Miroku’s words came back to him suddenly.
‘She is also very powerful…beautiful, kind, and powerful...’
Sesshoumaru would want her to know how to use her powers. He’d probably think only a powerful mate was worthy of him, the arrogant bastard.
‘Well, I don’t care if she could use her powers or not,’ thought Inuyasha. ‘I accept her just as she is!’
A tiny voice whispered in his head the suggestion that he liked Kagome to be helpless. Helpless Kagome needed a protector. Inuyasha was a strong protector. She needed Inuyasha. But a powerful Kagome wouldn’t need a protector. She wouldn’t have any reason to depend on Inuyasha if she could defend herself. She wouldn’t need him around anymore...
He thought about that for a few minutes. Did he really want Kagome to depend on him for protection? He shifted uncomfortably when his first thought was, ‘yes’. After all, what else was he good for? Why else would she need him if not for protection?
Sure, their friends all said she loved him, but what did that mean really? He and Kikyou had loved each other, but it wasn’t enough. They didn’t need each other. They’d lost each other...and he’d survived.
Sure, he felt bad for what happened to Kikyou and he felt guilt, but he’d survived. He still loved her to some degree, but he’d gone on without her.
He’d actually done better than survive without Kikyou, because of Kagome. With Kagome, he’d found love again, but he’d also found more. He’d found trust and need and want. He’d found something with Kagome that made him do more than survive. Kagome made him live. She was his life...his home.
He wanted Kagome to love him; there was no question of that, and he was pretty sure she did love him just like he loved her. But he wanted her to need him too, like he needed her...like the air he breathed.
He shifted again where he sat near the barrier around the well, his foot tapping the ground in agitation. Why wasn’t she back yet, damn it? And why couldn’t their damned nosey friends leave him alone, he thought as he heard Miroku enter the clearing.
“I see Kagome-sama has yet to return, Inuyasha. Perhaps she will come back tomorrow.”
“Who asked you, bouzu?” Inuyasha replied with irritation.
“No one asked me, Inuyasha,” he replied unperturbed, “but I asked Shippou if he was sure Kagome-sama would return today and apparently she did not say she would.” He smiled smugly at the hanyou, knowing he had his attention.
“What do you mean? He told me she was returning in three days! That means today!”
“Actually, Shippou confessed that Kagome-sama said she would be back in a ‘few’ days. It was Sesshoumaru who commanded she return in three days. Apparently, that made Kagome-sama angry.”
“Why didn’t Shippou tell me that?” demanded Inuyasha. Damn it! If Kagome was mad at Sesshoumaru too, she’d take her time about coming back! And she’d wait more than three days just to show that she could, the stubborn wench!
“Well, you may have noticed that Shippou is angry at you right now due to his embarrassment over his injured posterior.”
“Keh, it’s not my fault he mouthed off to Sesshoumaru! And Kagome and Sango would have beat the crap out of me if I didn’t make sure Shippou got patched up. I’d rather the runt be angry with me than one of them.”
“When put that way, I must agree. However, there is a second reason that Shippou did not tell us exactly what was said. Sesshoumaru told Shippou not to repeat any of the conversation he heard between Kagome-sama and himself. Perhaps Shippou’s injuries were a warning. Shippou would not tell us anything beyond the subject of when Kagome-sama will return.”
“Keh! If he’s scared of my bastard brother, why is he telling us anything now?”
“He is afraid you may try and use Red Tessaiga on the well. He thought you should know about what Kagome-sama said, since she did not actually agree to Sesshoumaru’s three day limit.”
“Like she’d listen to him. She can’t stand to have someone tell her what to do and she’s too stubborn for her own good,” he griped, angry at having to wait for her.
Miroku looked at his friend and thought Inuyasha could be talking about himself. The hanyou and Kagome had a lot in common. Perhaps that’s why they understood each other so well.
“Inuyasha, you and I never did finish our conversation about what Kagome-sama told Sango that night. Do you want to hear it?” he asked.
Inuyasha was quiet for a moment, thinking. “Yeah...tell me why she wanted someone else,” he finally said.
“She doesn’t want anyone else–” Miroku started to say but was interrupted.
“But she said–” Inuyasha insisted but he shut up when Miroku pulled some ofuda from his robes.
“Are you going to listen?” he asked.
Inuyasha nodded with a disgruntled look at the ofuda.
“As I was saying, Kagome-sama doesn’t want anyone else. She told Sango that she loves you and she wants you, but she doesn’t think you feel the same about her.” He paused and raised the ofuda in his hand when it looked like Inuyasha would interrupt again. The hanyou shut his mouth and glared at him.
Miroku continued, “She thinks that you want to go to hell with Kikyou-sama because you still love her even after all that has happened.”
There was a slight question in his voice and Inuyasha reluctantly responded.
“I love her. She was my friend. What Naraku did wasn’t her fault. But that don’t mean I’m going to hell with her. What happened wasn’t my fault either and Kikyou knows it too.”
Miroku watched him intently and it made him blush. He was uncomfortable talking about this, but he wanted to hear what Kagome said.
“What?” he finally hissed when Miroku didn’t continue.
“So you don’t love Kagome-sama. It is as she feared,” the monk said quietly.
“Of course I love Kagome!” he insisted. “Damn it! It’s different with Kagome! And it ain’t your business!”
Miroku sighed, not sure he understood Inuyasha’s feelings. “Regardless of your feelings, Kagome-sama said that she loves you and wanted to be with you, but she didn’t think you and she had a future together because of Kikyou. She also said that she had tried to seduce you by letting you see her naked on more than one occasion. Is that true, Inuyasha?” he asked, his curiosity getting to him.
“I t-thought they were accidents! Damn wench should have been used to fishes swimming by her legs when she’s taking a bath in a river, but she screams a lot and I had to check on her...but then...now I know why she screamed in her own bathroom in her time...and we were the only ones in the house...and she left the door open...” His voice trailed off and he blushed more at the thought that she had been doing that on purpose.
“According to Kagome-sama, you never showed any interest in her body, except to cover it up. Have you no sense, Inuyasha? I’ve seen Kagome-sama naked and my last thought would be to cover up her–”
Inuyasha smacked the back of Miroku’s head before he could finish the sentence. “You ever look at her like that again and your last thought will be how much Tessaiga hurts when I shove it up your ass, pervert! And how was I supposed to know she was giving me hints? Nobody wants a hanyou like that! I thought each time I saw her was an accident. I thought I was just lucky. Damn it.”
He hung his head and closed his eyes. He could have had her a long time ago...
“Well, you’ve managed to make her think that you do not want her like that, although she may think differently after what you two shared the other day. How far did you get by the way? She was still in her underclothes when we got there.”
Inuyasha looked away blushing, embarrassed and proud at the same time. “She had her bra-thing off, but she put it back on when she got mad.”
“Did you get to–”
“You don’t need to know what we did! I’m not telling you anything else, pervert!” Inuyasha was angry with himself for telling Miroku anything at all. He still hadn’t learned to keep his mouth shut.
“Alright, calm down. Where was I? Oh...Kagome-sama thought that you did not want her and that you would die with Kikyou, so she decided that she would need someone to help her get over her pain when she lost you. She is also a mature young woman, much too old to be a virgin and she knows it. She wants to have a physical relationship with a man. That’s why she wanted to find someone in her time to be intimate with her.”
“Keh, I’ll never let anyone else touch her! If I’d known she didn’t want to be a virgin, I’d have fixed it for her years ago! Fuck it! How’d we get so messed up? Why doesn’t she know I need her or that I want her like that? What did I do wrong?” He put his elbows on his thighs and his face in his hands. Why didn’t Kagome understand?
“Inuyasha, humans need to be told how someone feels about them. They are not aware of scent claims or other signs of that nature. You must show her how you feel, as well. Why do you think I touch Sango so intimately? I want her to know that I love and desire her.”
Inuyasha raised his head and looked askance at Miroku. “Keh, I’m not human and I know what Sango smells like when she’s pissed off, and you make her smell pissed off every time you touch her like that, bouzu. I’m not dumb enough to take advice from you when it comes to women!”
Miroku sighed. Did Sango really get angry when he touched her beautiful bottom? She wasn’t just being coy? She must like it! Her slaps had lessened in force during the last couple of years and she rarely used Hiraikotsu on him anymore. That must mean something, right? Of course, he had heard Kagome-sama warn Sango about the dangers of ‘head trauma’ and something called ‘neurological’ damage...
Inuyasha’s voice pulled Miroku from his thoughts.
“You sure she said she really doesn’t want someone else?” At Miroku’s nod he continued, “What else did she say?”
Miroku shifted a little but gave Inuyasha a confident smile and said, “She talked about the ‘birth control’ but you heard that, I think.”
Inuyasha watched the monk for a moment. “What else did she say, bouzu? You’re hiding something.”
“Nothing else of importance, I assure you,” Miroku replied nonchalantly.
“You’re lying. I can smell it. I want to know what she said and I’ll decide if it was important or not.”
“Inuyasha, I don’t think I should repeat everything. You know enough to make up with her. Isn’t that enough?” the houshi almost pleaded.
“No, I want to know what she said or maybe Sango needs to know about a certain book!”
Miroku sighed. “She talked about Kikyou. It was not all favorable. Perhaps it is best left alone.”
Inuyasha sat still for a moment and looked off past the well, thinking. Finally, he asked, “What did she say?”
Resigned to his fate, Miroku proceeded to tell the hanyou things that he was sure would make him angry. His voice was nearly monotone when he spoke. “She said she understood that most of what happened was not Kikyou-sama’s fault, but that some of it was. Kagome-sama said that she knew both of you were equally at fault for not trusting each other so neither of you should shoulder the full blame. She thought that Kikyou-sama blamed you for everything unfairly, and that Naraku was really to blame for all of it. She said that she and Kaede-sama thought that if Kikyou-sama took you to hell, your soul would be alone there for eternity, because Kikyou-sama has no soul of her own now. The piece of Kagome-sama’s soul will return to Kagome-sama when Kikyou-sama’s body is destroyed in hell, and you don’t know the other souls in Kikyou-sama’s body.” He ignored Inuyasha’s sharp intake of breath. “And Kaede-sama thought Kikyou-sama could have lived if she had not pinned you to the tree when Naraku tricked her. She put a spell on her arrow that kept you from living or dying. Your soul could not be reincarnated. It is possible that she wanted your soul to be alone for eternity. The spell she used drained her of her spiritual and physical strength. Perhaps it caused her death, and not the injury itself. Kagome-sama also mentioned the times when Kikyou-sama tried to kill her–”
“What!?” Inuyasha yelled, grabbing the front of Miroku’s robes. “What happened? When did she do that? Why didn’t Kagome tell me?”
Miroku held up his ofuda threateningly. “Do you want me to continue?”
Inuyasha sat back and crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at his feet.
Miroku took that as a ‘yes’. He went on, “Kikyou-sama tried to drop Kagome-sama into a deep pit of miasma while we were trapped in Naraku’s Illusionary Death spell. It was the time she stole our jewel shard from Kagome-sama.”
“I remember that...but Kagome wouldn’t tell me what happened.” He hung his head. She didn’t trust him.
“It was a long time ago, Inuyasha. Perhaps, Kagome-sama didn’t want to upset you since she knew you love Kikyou-sama.”
He looked up at Miroku and said with earnest, “I promised to protect Kagome! I’d never let anyone hurt her! Not even Kikyou! She should have told me. Things might have been...different.”
“My friend, even after Kikyou-sama tried to kill you more than once, and even after she betrayed you by giving Naraku our jewel shard–over half the jewel–you still remained steadfast in your support of her. Kikyou-sama had the opportunity to kill Naraku before he used the jewel to become strong. She is a powerful priestess, and to give him our shard, she must have been within touching distance of him. And yet she let him live and helped him become stronger. She even helped him get a new body. And after all that, you still remained loyal to her. I will admit that I have had doubts about your reliability myself. I understand Kagome-sama’s reluctance to discuss anything related to Kikyou-sama with you. And after all Kikyou-sama had done to you, Kagome-sama saw you promise to protect her from Naraku, a monster Kikyou-sama herself helped create. I would not have been so forgiving under the circumstances, but Kagome-sama’s heart is purer than anyone I’ve ever seen. Be thankful that she stayed with you, even if she remained reserved.”
Inuyasha sat listening to Miroku’s quiet voice with his ears flat against his scalp and his head hung in shame. He felt all the self-loathing and guilt he’d known because of what happened to Kikyou double in volume because of what he’d put his friends through. He’d never thought about it from their point of view. They’d never known Kikyou when she was alive. They didn’t know what a good person she truly was. They didn’t understand...but how could they? They’d only seen her at her worst, a resurrected shell filled with hate. And he’d been too caught up in guilt to really see her as his friends saw her.
Now, he could somewhat understand why Kagome didn’t know he loved her, needed her. He’d been a terrible protector. He’d failed her. How could she forgive him? What if he couldn’t explain things to her, make her understand? What if she didn’t come back? Was she staying away on purpose? Had she given up on him? Hadn’t it already been a ‘few’ days since she left? She should have been back by now. Three days was usually her limit. Something was wrong; he just knew it.
Panic bubbled up in him. Maybe he should use Red Tessaiga. Maybe he could break the barrier without damaging the well. And, they’d rebuilt it after he’d shoved a tree down it to try and keep Kagome in her time, right? Even if he damaged it, he could rebuild it again and it would work just fine, right? But Tessaiga absorbed youki and what if Red Tessaiga interfered with the well’s magic? The tree had just caused physical damage, but Red Tessaiga might cause spiritual damage. What should he do?
“As I said before, Inuyasha,” Miroku said, startling Inuyasha from his thoughts. “Kagome-sama told Sango that she loves you and wants to be by your side. Now that you know how she feels, it is up to you to let her know how you feel. If you do nothing else, I advise you to plainly tell her that you love her. She will not believe it unless you tell her outright. Be nice to her, Inuyasha. Everyone knows how you feel about her so you do not have to pretend otherwise.”
Inuyasha blushed and muttered something about his feelings not being anyone else’s business, but he didn’t openly argue with the monk.
Miroku rose to his feet. “Now, my friend, let’s go back to Kaede’s for the night. Kagome-sama will not return after dark, I’m certain. You can return here in the morning.”
“I’m staying here.”
“At least come get something to eat. You can return later if you like,” Miroku coaxed.
“I’m not hungry.”
Miroku sighed. “Very well, Inuyasha. Please do not do anything rash during the night. Kagome-sama is likely to return tomorrow and I’m sure she would be most upset if you damage her barrier or the well. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Inuyasha grunted, acknowledging that he’d heard the houshi, but gave no other response.
Miroku shook his head and walked down the path toward the village, leaving the solemn hanyou behind.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Sesshoumaru seethed in his hiding place among the trees. The miko was defying him. Perhaps he had no use for her or the hanyou after all. They were both stupid, unreliable, and temperamental. And prone to loudness. And impulsive. And disobedient. They lacked control! That was the root of all their flaws! He would not tolerate it any longer!
By the gods, if they could not control themselves, he would control them himself! He would bend them to his will, starting with the miko.
This was the last time she would be late in returning from her mysterious time. This was the last time she would miss an appointment with him. This was the last time he would be made to wait for an explanation of the strange writing that accompanied the pictures in the mating book.
…
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo ~~ End Chapter 10 ~~ oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
…
Author’s Notes:
I hope you like this chapter and please, please review!
Dang it! Just when we thought things would get back to normal, another hurricane came through. My parents’ roof liked Rita so much, it ran away with her. Well, that’s what insurance is for anyway, and since we’re all safe and alive, there’s no use complaining.
I couldn’t fit everything I wanted into this chapter. When it passed 10,000 words, I decided to find a stopping point. Look for lots of Inuyasha/Kagome interaction in the next chapter as well as some very Shippou moments.
Thank-you to everyone who reviewed to let me know how you like my story. I really appreciate the feedback and this chapter is dedicated to you, especially those of you who reviewed more than once. I even recognize a few of you as fellow authors and I’ve reviewed some of you as SoutasSister or my alter ego, wj. I’m glad you’re reading my story too.
So, on MediaMiner, thank-you,
~Darkflameangel~
~EquineBabe~
Akihana
Ak ihanah
Amie
AnaMarie
angelica incarnate
Ashra
bubbles-sama
Catalina27
chaos_kyes_fallen_a ngel
Cookie15
Cougiecat
crazydontcoverit
Crimson warrior
Dark_Lady_69
DFA*
HANYOULOVER
hi
inu fan
inu luver 2004
InuGrrrl
InuSaga
Inu-Shinta
InuYashasLoveLorn
Jaso n C
Jensempai101
Jo
Kachie-chan
Kasha
Kicnlus_inuforeva
Kyou_kun
marens14
Michael11
Minerva519
moonlit_shad ow
neko youkai
phalon22
QTpie
razorbladesinner
reader1
Revera_0 4
reviewing
scherezade
Simply a Lady
Sirei
Sorcha
Tailsarehot_06
tinky
twin_star_of_suz aku
Vixenpi
will tiler gusto
WoodShop2300
xbitternessx
xfiledino
YoukaiMusashi
You are all great and I really appreciate your support! I hope you continue to enjoy my story.
SoutasSister
...
Author’s Notes:
I hope you like this chapter and please, please review!
Dang it! Just when we thought things would get back to normal, another hurricane came through. My parents’ roof liked Rita so much, it ran away with her. Well, that’s what insurance is for anyway, and since we’re all safe and alive, there’s no use complaining.
I couldn’t fit everything I wanted into this chapter. When it passed 10,000 words, I decided to find a stopping point. Look for lots of Inuyasha/Kagome interaction in the next chapter as well as some very Shippou moments.
Thank-you to everyone who reviewed to let me know how you like my story. I really appreciate the feedback and this chapter is dedicated to you, especially those of you who reviewed more than once. I even recognize a few of you as fellow authors and I’ve reviewed some of you as SoutasSister or my alter ego, wj. I’m glad you’re reading my story too.
So, on MediaMiner, thank-you,
~Darkflameangel~
~EquineBabe~
Akihana
Ak ihanah
Amie
AnaMarie
angelica incarnate
Ashra
bubbles-sama
Catalina27
chaos_kyes_fallen_a ngel
Cookie15
Cougiecat
crazydontcoverit
Crimson warrior
Dark_Lady_69
DFA*
HANYOULOVER
hi
inu fan
inu luver 2004
InuGrrrl
InuSaga
Inu-Shinta
InuYashasLoveLorn
Jaso n C
Jensempai101
Jo
Kachie-chan
Kasha
Kicnlus_inuforeva
Kyou_kun
marens14
Michael11
Minerva519
moonlit_shad ow
neko youkai
phalon22
QTpie
razorbladesinner
reader1
Revera_0 4
reviewing
scherezade
Simply a Lady
Sirei
Sorcha
Tailsarehot_06
tinky
twin_star_of_suz aku
Vixenpi
will tiler gusto
WoodShop2300
xbitternessx
xfiledino
YoukaiMusashi
You are all great and I really appreciate your support! I hope you continue to enjoy my story.
SoutasSister
...