InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Stronger Than Yesterday ❯ Chp. 10 The Bet ( Chapter 10 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

“Don’t play with me Kagome.” Lui could be heard yelling from up the stairs.

“I’m serious.” came Kagome’s reply, sounding agitated.

“I’m for real. Don’t lie to me. Cause if you do…I swear…I will bite you.” Lui threatened.

“Lui.” Kagome sighed as she turned to look at him. “I’m one hundred percent serious. Do we have a deal?”

“First let me get this straight. You’ll take a bath with me. A real bath. I’m talking about lots of no clothes. Just a real naked bath, where at first we’ll seat across from each other, because we’ll be shy, and then I’ll look over at you, all naked and covered in soapy water, and you’ll look at me then we bathe each other to get over the shyness. Then when I’m washing your back, I’ll accidentally scratch you, and you’ll say,

‘Ow, it hurts Lui, make the pain go away’, so I’ll lick the wound till it’s healed and then you’ll say,

‘Oh, it feels so much better’, and I’ll say,

‘I’d do anything for you’, then we’ll look into each other’s eyes hungrily, and then make sweet love in the tub. Then after that we’ll go into your room and get all nasty and raunchy in the sack, and then up against the wall, once on the floor, and then on the wall again. Is that what you’re saying Kagome?” Lui asked hopefully.

“No, that’s not what I said at all.” Kagome said as she tried to shake images out of her head.

“Then what are you saying…because I like my version way better.”

Sighing, Kagome opened her mouth to reply, but then she realized that they were at the foot of the stairs, and staring oddly at them were the Spirit detectives. Now she was embarrassed, well more embarrassed from Lui’s little hope dream, but now she had no more pride

“Well go ahead and tell him, you already have our attention.” Yusuke announced loudly.

Holding the last of her dignity in place, Kagome grabbed the front of Lui’s shirt and stepped closely to him as she stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear.
While she did this, she missed everybody’s faces straining to hear. From Lui’s ecstatic expression, they assumed he was getting something good. But they could wait, Hiei would tell them later.

“So what are you two up to?” Kuwabara asked after Lui finished having his giddy fit and Kagome had stopped glaring at Hiei.

“Just a little bet, and if I win he calls his fa her for the other half of the relic.” Kagome answered for him with a smile.

“But she’s not, so I’m going to get a naked lap dance.” Lui added with a sexy wiggle of pelvis.

“No fair!” Yusuke yelled in outrage, while Kagome denied it vehemently.

“Leave me and my fantasies alone!” he yelled sadly before slumping onto the floor.

“What’s the bet about?” Kurama asked her curiously.

“After waking up this morning and finding him hovering over me…” here she cast a glance at the somber Lui, “I bet him that he couldn’t behave himself for a whole week. That means no creepiness, no overreacting, no randomness, no rants about his father, no acts of vandalism to my underwear draw, and no perversion.”

“Then where’s the fun?” Lui mumbled to himself.

“And his part is to…”

“I have to get her to fall in love with me…” Lui interrupted as he slowly got to his feet, stern resolve evident in his face, and not having far to go, crowded Kagome into the wall while looking longingly into her eyes and dropping his voice to a low, heated whisper,

“So I have this in the bag, because I’m a very intimate, sensual, romantic being with a big, huge, enormous, throbbing…mind filled with tons of ways to please a woman.”

“Why don’t you brush your teeth first?” she replied after a pause, turning her head away and flinching.

“Don’t act like you didn’t feel it.” Lui whispered huskily.

“How could I miss it? It’s melting my eyebrows.” She answered him smoothly, keeping her face stoic as he backed off with a knowing look. Winking at her once, he slowly trekked up the stairs.

Once he was out of sight, Kagome let out a deep breath and wiped her face. “I need some water.” She told them hurriedly before hopping off to the kitchen, but as she was passing by, Yusuke smiled broadly and opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to the punch. “Kiss my ass Yusuke.”

When she was gone and they were alone, Kurama stole a glance at Hiei, but the fire demon was already looking at him.

~_____~

“So you’re really going to go through with this?” Yusuke asked.

“Yep.” Kagome answered without turning her attention away from the relic holder in her hands.

“Are you confident you’re going to win?” Kurama asked.

“I’m pretty sure I will,” and turning towards him she gave him a poignant smile, “It should be pretty hard to get me to fall in love again. Besides, I’m used to them all now. Suave-talking, perverts, regal, boisterous, obsessive, oblivious, cute and sensitive. I’ve met them all, and I’m not affected by that anymore.”

“You live a sad, little, miserable life, girl.” Hiei spoke up as he suddenly appeared.

“You live a sad, little, miserable body, ass!” Kagome retorted. Finally taking her attention away from the old rock in her hand.

With the bet underway, Kagome and the rest decided to focus on the other relics and get them secured. They had met in the backyard and were waiting for Kagome to get a reading on an active relic so they could get a move on it, they all wanted to get the mission over with and be done with each other.
To be honest with herself, Kagome was anxious about the bet. Ever since it was made, Lui had been keeping his side up. He had been acting normal. He wasn’t hovering over her, she didn’t hear him breathe hard when she was near, and he was kind of ignoring her. She was getting pissed off.
What? Wasn’t she his obsession anymore? She missed the attention. Even if she was creeped out by it, but once it was gone, she realized she liked it. She liked having a guy fret over her again, over her and no one else. She actually felt pretty around him. She felt special, he actually used her name. He looked at her like she was his world. She thought her situation over in her head. Yes, her heart had been broken, and she had been used. She had been betrayed and treated like crap. She was a damaged package. But maybe Lui would be the one who healed her. Sure, he looked young, but he was much older than her. So, what if he actually made her fall in love with him, and he wouldn’t call his father for the other half of the relic? They’d have to get it another way. She was sure they’d get it one way or another, so why’d she even make the bet? To get a bit of normalcy back in the house, or to put herself in position for new possibilities. Maybe she wanted Lui to succeed in the bet and make her fall in love with him.
She frowned in aggravation.
To do that he was going to at least have to try something.

“You know what?” Kagome sighed putting the relic away and gaining the attention of her companions. “I think I need a hug.”

She wasn’t sure who that little statement affected. She did know that she heard more than one pair of legs move, and maybe they didn’t walk towards her, but she was sure she heard feet falter before Yusuke crushed her face against his chest.

“Well this is awkward.” came Kagome’s muffled words after a second had passed.

“Hey, you asked for a hug.” Yusuke replied with a laugh as he let up on her, but didn’t release her.

“A hug, not an ambushing. Here, let me get right first.” freeing her arms from her sides, Kagome righted herself before throwing herself into Yusuke’s embrace, successfully circling her arms around his neck.

“Better now?” Yusuke asked her as he tightened his arms around her again.

‘Not really.’ she wanted to say, feeling an emptiness from the hug he was giving her. “Tighter.”

“Okay.” he obliged her by tightening his hold.

She felt like crying. She still didn’t feel anything. She hadn’t even realized she wanted to feel something until Yusuke’s empty hug. She didn’t even know what she wanted to feel.

“I’m such a train wreck.” She muttered bitterly.

“What you say?” Yusuke asked her, his voice sounding dazed and dreamy.

“Well at least you’re getting something out of this.” She laughed, struggling her way out of his grasp.

“That was pathetic.” Hiei told her with bleak intuition.

“Why? Why…do you only speak to anger and provoke? Do you…do you want to get slapped?”

He actually smiled at her and she gasped in shock.

“Never…ever…smile again…you freak minded mutant.”

His smile was replaced with a sneer.

“That’s better, now keep it that way. I don’t want to have to tell you again.”

“Kagome, look!” Yusuke suddenly exclaimed pointing towards Lui accusingly. “He’s breaking his end of the bet.”

“What are you, four?” Lui asked with a scowl on his face.

“Sometimes. But I‘m also bored and in need of a distraction.”

“What did he do?” Kagome asked the child-like spirit detective.

“He was giving me the eye for hugging you.”

The look Lui gave Yusuke was the reverse of the boy’s personality. The look was dark and imposing, and the voice he used was the epitome of cold. “The guidelines were for me to behave myself…with her. There was nothing said about facial expressions, or tone of voice, nor were there limitations on what she doesn’t know…or will ever find out about. I am my father’s son, no doubt.”

“Well that was weird.” Kagome muttered turning her back on them. “Ready to move out?”

“What? Don’t you think that was creepy and overreacting?” Yusuke yelled in his own outrage, pointing at the steadily, and scarily, staring Lui, his all seeing eye in full effect.

“Nope, just weird. But you’re all weird and I can’t fault him for that.”

“Ah, you’re just saying that because you like him.” he grumbled.

Kagome turned to look at him sharply, but the look she gave him was pure innocence. “But Yusuke, despite my better judgment, I like all of you.”

“Most of the time.” she added flatly before turning her back on him again. “Now let’s go get a car.”

~_____~

“Are you sure he said we could borrow his car?” Kuwabara asked again, as he and the others stood outside DD”s apartment building.

“Yeah, of course.” Kagome answered him as she closed her phone. Looking up and down the street she finally pointed in victory. “There. The green convertible.”

“Convertible? Nice.” Kuwabara said approvingly as they began the trek towards their transportation.

As they group began to move off, Kagome gently tugged on the back of Kurama’s shirt and signaled for him to hold back. As they began to gain distance, Hei was the only one to look back, and as Kagome waved him off, he scowled but never stopped walking.

“There something you wanted to say, Kagome?” Kurama asked once they were out of hearing distance.

“I need a favor, actually.” Kagome answered, smiling sweetly as she latched onto his arm and began walking again.

“A favor from me?”

“Yes, you. I feel, you are most…qualified.”

“Qualified? For what, I ask.”

“Umm…just making Lui jealous, that’s all? I figured you would do the job without taking advantage of me or,” and here she smiled. “…without being an ass.”

“I can see your point.” Kurama told her with a small smile of his own.

“Besides, I know you want take this out of context.”

“Take it out of context?” Kurama repeated with a small amount of confusion.

“Yeah, you know, because…”

“What the hell is this?”

The two were taken from their conversation by Yusuke’s question. She could understand the faces they were throwing their way, with her and Kurama showing up in an intimate embrace, well it was bound to raise a few questions.

“Well, what are you looking at?” Kagome asked cattily, ignoring how Lui, in the driver’s seat, was looking straight ahead. “Can’t a girl have an escort in this day and time?”

“It seems we have a bit of a problem here.” Kurama spoke up, looking at the car and it’s occupants. It wasn’t long before Kagome also noticed the problem.

With Lui in the driver seat, Kuwabara on the passenger side, and Yusuke and Hiei in the back, it left only one seat remaining while two people stood on the outside waiting.

“Uh-oh, looks like we’re about to get to know each other real well.” Yusuke grinned, patting the seat next to him.

“Yeah, me and Kurama are.” She huffed, and scowling defiantly, Kagome stuck her nose in the air as she forcefully pushed Kurama into the empty spot. “You’re a real perv, Yusuke.”

“I’m a perv?” Yusuke exclaimed, watching her climb into the back seat and practically straddle Kurama’s lap, “What do you think you’re doing to poor Kurama?”

Smiling enticingly, Kagome gathered herself up and around Kurama, making the fox lean back with a nervously shocked look to his face. But Kagome wasn’t looking at him, she was looking at Yusuke. “I’m getting to know him.” she laughed.

And as Lui started the car and gunned the engine, they took off, causing Kagome and Kurama into an even closer acquaintance.

~_____~

Kagome’s plan to force Lui into a fit of jealously was a dud. She was bored, Kurama was a petrified stump under her, and she felt too bad to try to do anything. Besides, she didn’t have time to make Lui jealous, when she spent the whole ride talking to Lui and giving him directions.

“Which way to turn?” Lui asked as they came to an intersection.

After leaning over his shoulder to see the road, Kagome, who was oblivious to the discomfort she was causing Kurama by bending over in his lap, finally told him to take the next left he came to.

“Which one?”

“The next one.”

“But there are two lefts coming up, which on do you want me to take?”

“It doesn’t matter, we just need to turn left. Look, do you want me to drive?”

“No!” Came the vehement reply from the guys in the car.

“You assholes! I can drive!” She shouted angrily as she flopped back in the seat, which happened to be Kurama who politely held his grunt in.

“It’s not that we don’t think you can’t drive.” Kurama began.

“It’s just that we are not completely fond of each other. And if you were to take over the driving…then that would leave one of us without a seat.”

“Oh. You sure, It would be a lot less of a hassle for me.”

“Nobody cares.” Yusuke told her blandly.

“Nobody cares, my ass!”

“I care about your ass.”

“Shove it, Urameshi!”

~____~

They soon left the city behind and were traveling down a well worn path in a wooded area.

“Uh oh!” Lui spoke up, making Kagome jump out of her stupor.

“What now?” she asked, sitting up straight as Lui pulled over to the side of the road. “Why are we stopping?”

“There’s a fork in the road.”

“Oh, okay.” Kagome as she and the other clamored from the car and stretched their legs.

Going to stand at the point where the path split in two, Kagome threw her senses in both directions, trying to gauge from which direction the next relic would be. She stood perfectly still, afraid that taking a single breath would break her concentration. Five minutes went by.

“Would you get out of here?” Kagome snapped at the bird that had landed on her shoulder.

Watching the bird fly off, Kagome turned back to face her companions, who were lazing around the car waiting on her.

“So?” Kuwabara asked after a seconds pause.

“So what?” she asked.

“Which way do we take?”

“Hell if I know.” she answered with a frown and a shrug.

“What do you mean?” Hiei asked with his narrowed gaze.

“I sense the thing…going that way.” Facing the paths again, Kagome pointed down the middle.

“That’s no help! What do you mean it’s that way?” Yusuke snapped, mimicking Kagome’s gesture.

“It means, you need to settle down before I get rough with you.”

Yusuke snorted.

“And the thing is down one of those roads, I just don’t know which. Idgit.”

“You want to get smacked? Quit calling me words I don’t know! What does that even mean?”

“It means you’re an idiot, you idiot.”

While the two were arguing, Kurama and Hiei shared a moment.
Turning towards his smaller companion, Kurama visibly held in a sigh. “Hiei.” He said silently. And knowing what he was thinking, the fire apparition sped off down one of the paths.
Seeing the short man disappear, Kagome and Yusuke stopped arguing.
Within a minute, he was back.

“This one just keeps on going.” was his brief report before he took off down the remaining road.

A breeze blew by and Kagome and Yusuke, under a momentary truce, settled side-by-side against the hood of the car. They didn’t have to wait long before Hiei was back.

“This one’s the same. It just keeps straight.”

“Well shoot. That was a waste of time.” Kagome pouted.

“Why don’t we just start down one, and if the feel of the relic gets weaker, we’ll know we took the wrong one and just turn around.” Lui, who had sidled up next to Kagome, finally offered.

“Hmm. I guess we can do that. Good thinking.” shrugging off concern, Kagome stood up to get back into the car.

“One of them comes full circle and you’ll just end up back here in a few days.”

Halting in their tracks, Kagome and the gang turned back around only to find two young men standing at the foot of the paths. They were twins. Each tall and lanky with buzzed cut short red-brown hair on their heads. Kagome thought they were beautiful.

“Both paths are long, and one comes right back to this spot.” One of the twins said, as the other pantomimed.

“Do you know which is which?” Yusuke asked.

“No.” the man answered with a mischievous smile, and then swung and hit his silent twin in the chest. “But he does.”

“Can he tell us?” Kurama asked, bringing his ability to talk or not into play.

“He can’t, but I can.”

“So what’s the point of talking to you?” Kuwabara inquired.

“He can let me know and then I can tell you.”

“Well then…”

“For a price.”

“And what price would that be?” Hiei asked into the deathly silence that followed.

“A kiss…from her.” Although one of the twins spoke, both pointed at her.

A pause issued after the announcement.

“Was that a pause? Are you guys thinking about it? NO! I am not whoring myself just to ask some weirdoes a question!” Highly offended, Kagome spun on her heel and began to stomp angrily to the car, roughly pushing her companions out of the way.

“But you promised, Kagome.”

Stopping in her tracks, Kagome turned to stare aghast at the twins, who were looking mighty smug.

Seeing that he had her attention, the man continued. “You already kissed this bitch here,” The man argued, backhanding his brother so violently that the man spun in place before collapsing to the ground. “And you promised me that you’d see me in 500 or so years and give me one. So get to giving.”

“Want me to kill them, Kagome?” Lui asked gallantly.

“Isn’t your father looking for you?” The man snapped, ignoring his brother by his side who was struggling to get to his feet.

Lui was quelled into an angry silence at the mention of his father, yet he still stood protectively by Kagome’s side.

“What do you mean, 500 years?” Kagome asked, suspiciously.

“You met us a few centuries back, and under some necessary conditions, you kissed my brother here.” Turning to face his brother, the man seemed surprised to find him on the ground. Hauling him up by the scruff of his shirt, the man pointed at him in anoyed frustration before tossing him behind him like used tissue. “And then you promised that you’d kiss me later.”

“How do you know it was me? I’m not a demon, I can’t live that long.”

“We’re no demons either, so there. Now how about my kiss?”

“I can render him useless, for you.” Hiei suddenly offered, with a hand on his sword, and making meaningful eye contact with Kagome.

“Little cock-block, don’t make me eat you. And I have proof she promised me.”

“Let me see it.” Kagome demanded immediately.

“Fine.” the man said before he began digging in his pocket. Not a second later, he produced a very old and battered looking digital camera.

“Hah! They didn’t have camera’s 500 years ago! So how do you have proof of me making a promise if that thing didn’t exist! Hah! Beat that!”

“I didn’t know what it was back then. I thought you were crazy. You’re the one that gave it to us, you time traveling devil. Now come here and take witness of your promising.” After pushing a few buttons the man turned the camera around and showed her the moving pictures.

Glaring suspiciously, Kagome inched closer, looked down at the camera, and then stood in a shocked stupor.
It was her, a dirty version of her, but it was her.

“Huh?” she asked dumbly, taking the camera from the man so she could watch the small video again.

“…okay? I, Kagome Higurashi, of sound mind and body, promise to kiss Wryth, 500 or so years from now when I meet him at the path in the road.” The Kagome in the camera said, swatting at the butterflies swarming around her head. In the background, she could also see the twins looking curiously over her shoulder. “And yes it’s actually you, and you’re actually in the past again, and you’re actually promising to whore yourself to a complete stranger. So trust Wryth and kiss him, he’s waited this long, I think he deserves it. You’ll…” the Kagome on the camera stopped talking and seemed to blush fiercely, “…yeah, anyway, just do it. Oh, and watch out for the gerbil.” the video then shut off.

“You’re Wryth?” Kagome asked, handing him back the camera.

“Yeah that‘s me, and that’s my brother Sonet. Keep the camera, it’s yours anyway, and now that you see you promised, I don’t need it anymore.” Wryth was now looking smug and expectant.

Kagome looked at the twins uncertainly, and then turned back to face her cohorts. They shrugged, while Lui looked off to the side with a grimace. “Okay.” she said resignedly, “I did promise.”

“Don’t worry.” Wryth whispered huskily, stepping up to her side before she could even register his movements. “You’ll enjoy it.”

Throwing a hand around her waist, Wryth dipped her into an intimate hug that could only be seen on the cover of a romance novel, and kissed her.

Kagome wasn’t sure if it was his touch, his kiss, or just the man himself that made her soul scream in ecstasy. His kiss seemed to push everything important to the back of her mind. She found she didn’t care about anything except his mouth on hers and where he touched her. She could taste him. She felt melded to him, she wanted to take him home to meet her mother.
She wasn’t sure when her leg had snaked around his waist, all she knew was that it felt like it belonged there. She wanted to get closer to him. She wanted to explore him. She loved the feel of his shaved head under her hand. The soft bristles of his hair sent tingles down her hand. And his back was so broad. And…what a firm buttock he had.

“Ahem!”

The noise was like glass breaking, and Kagome found, as she came to, that Wryth had abandoned her mouth and was slowly working on her collar bone. Breathing heavily, she stared wide eyed at her surroundings, and found the guys staring at her with annoyed frowns. But it had been neither of them that had interrupted the best moment of her life. It had been Sonet.

“Listen you little, jealous bitch, don’t…” But what Wrytth was going to say was lost to those around as the branch connected with his knee and sent him crashing to the grounded with injury. And as he fell, he released his hold on Kagome.

“Come on Kagome. The quiet one already showed us the right road to take.” Lui commanded her as he threw a protective hand under her elbow and tried to guide her to the car.

“I don’t wanna.” She whined, as she fought against his hold. She just wanted to stay with Wryth, even if his brother was beating him into a coma. He’d wake up someday.

“But you have a job to do,” Lui urged as he hoisted her onto his shoulder. “…and you’re going to fall in love with me, not an endangered species.”

“But he’s perfect.” she whined sadly as she was tossed into the back seat, where Kurama was sitting and waiting to restrain her, as Lui hopped into the driver’s seat.

“Well until you finish with us you’re going to have to deal with less than perfect.” Yusuke, now in the passenger seat, said grumpily as Lui started the car and drove off, taking the road to the right.

And as they passed by, Sonet stopped his attack long enough to smile and wave at them.

“I’ll be back!” she declared launching herself over Kurama’s shoulder.

Sonet only nodded to humor her and gave her a look of mischief, lust, and secrecy.

~_____~

A half hour had gone by since they had left the fork in the road. So far they had yet to come to a single turn. The road kept going on and on. The same scenery for miles. Dirt road traveling in the midst of the woods.

“Oh no!” Kagome suddenly yelled, startling the boys.

“What? What is it?” Kuwabara asked urgently.

“I left my camera! We have to go back!”

“Weak!” Yusuke declared before showing her the battered camera. “Sorry, but we have your camera right here.”

As he tossed it over his head at her, Kagome moodily ducked out of the way, letting it almost hit Kurama.

“But you don’t understand…” she persisted.

“What!” Yusuke snapped turning around to face her. “What don’t we understand?”

Instead of answering, Kagome just blushed and sat back quietly.

“You sicken me.”

“Your face! Turn around!”

~____~

They traveled some more.

“That Kiss!” Kagome exclaimed again, putting capital letters into the word. “You know Kurama, I don’t remember having sex with you but I’m pretty sure that Kiss was way better.”

“What!” Lui exclaimed, slamming on the breaks, and sending Hiei soaring, as his face reddened in anger and he turned to yell at Kurama, who would rather be anywhere else. His manhood had just been thrown in his face, now a scrawny man-child was berating him about deflowering his ‘woman‘, and Hiei, who now stood on the hood, was glowering at him.

“You sicken me.” Yusuke added from the front seat, staring at the kitsune with annoyed spite.

“I do have that effect on some people.” he replied with a sullen sigh as Kagome abandoned his lap to get out of the car.

“What is wrong with all of you? You’re all acting weird.” Kuwabara demanded, as he hopped out of the car angrily.

“…just do it. Oh, and watch out for the gerbil.”

As the recording went off again, Kagome shook off her addiction to Wryth long enough to wonder. “What the hell is going to happen to me with a gerbil?”

“Well don’t look at me!” Lui told her, long since ceased yelling at Kurama, since he couldn’t get him to rise back. It got boring, and he started to feel silly.

“Hey, do you guys smell something?” Kuwabara asked suddenly, sniffing around with a look of disgust on his face.

“Don’t look at me for that either!”

“No, he’s right, something reeks!” Holding her hand over her nose, Kagome fought down convulsions as the smell worsened.

“Urameshi! What did you do?” Kuwabara accused as he coughed and gagged off the offending stench.

“Wasn’t me, you big oaf! It’s probably Hiei!”

“Oh God, I hope not!” Kagome exclaimed sorrowfully. “That means we’d have to kill him and put him out of his misery, because he’s beyond help!”

“Like you’d care.” The fire apparition retorted in his silently threatening voice.

“MY EYES!” Lui screamed as he rubbed viciously at his watering eyes.

“Shh!” Kuwabara suddenly said urgently. “You guys hear that?”

As the group hushed, they heard it. Something was moving through the brush. Something big with an obvious bathing issue. Looking to where the sound was coming from, they saw the trees tremble as it moved. Closer and closer to them. And the closer it came, the more horrendous the smell became, until finally it was unbearable, but by that time…
It had arrived. Standing at over 12 feet tall, stubby legs, sharp fangs, two heads, four, onyx eyes for each, a stump of a tail, mangy, blood splattered fur, deadly claws, and the cutest most adorable face anyone had ever seen.
Satan’s gerbil.
It hadn’t seem them yet, it stood on the dirt path and paused to shake the foliage out of it’s fur. And as it did so, Kagome had to grab onto Lui’s arm to keep from keeling over. At her falter, one of the gerbil’s head turned in her direction, followed a few seconds after by the second.
Ever hear a gerbil snarl? The scariest sound in the world.

“Quick! Nobody move!” Kagome whispered out of the corner of her mouth, and checking to see if to see if they listened, took off running and left them behind.

~_____~

Needless to say, they caught up with her. And after a tremendous battle and lots of running away, a bit of nostalgia on Kagome’s part when Wryth crossed her mind, they had finally succeeded in ridding themselves of the gerbil.
They hid in a tree for the night, and watched as the gerbil destroyed and ate DD’s car.
The first thought that came to Kagome’s mind was that she was comfortable, and as she awoke, she, for the life of her, couldn’t understand why. Not when she was high in a tree, sandwiched in between Hiei and Lui. She was sort of lying on Hiei, and Lui was snuggled up close with his arms tightly around her. She should have felt awkward, uncomfortable, and had aching bones. Instead, she was reluctant to move. That is, until she felt a relic, and it wasn’t in Lui’s pocket.

“Okay, time to get up.” She spoke aloud as she sat up, waking those around her.

“What? What’s up?” Lui asked groggily, as he sat up with her still in his arms, and a hand on each breast.

“Knock it off, it’s too early for that crap!” Kagome snapped, fully coming out of the comfort they had formed for her, as she elbowed Lui in the side and effectively knocking him out of the tree.

“Took you long enough.” Hiei berated her. “The boy’s been at it for a while.”

“And how long have you been woke?” She asked, annoyed that Hiei might have known she had been cuddling with him.

Instead of an answer, Hiei merely looked at her and smirked.

“Well at least you didn’t smile.” She muttered, turning her head to hide her face, and witnessed as everyone shook off the last of sleep and leapt from the tree.

“Well good morning to you jerks, too.” she mumbled as they left her in the tree.

Swinging her legs over the side. Kagome leapt and hoped for a smooth landing. But instead she landed into the steady arms of the waiting Lui. Preparing to fight off his advances or smack him for a wise-crack, Kagome was surprised when he merely stood her on her feet and kept his hands to himself.

“Thanks.” she said uncertainly. And he only inclined his head in acknowledgement.

“Well it seems like we’re hoofing it from here.” Yusuke stated mid-yawn as he stretched. “So which way, Kagome?”

“Hmm,” Kagome thought aloud as she turned around on the spot, trying the judge from where she felt the relic. It was close, that was for sure.

She walked a few feet, turned and started back towards them, and stopped halfway there.

“No.” she breathed out as she bent over into the bushes. “It can’t be this easy.”

And it wasn’t.

As soon as she reemerged with the relic in hand. Kagome was suddenly sling-shot into the air and out of sight. The last words they heard were, “I blame Hiei!”