InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Second Chance At Love ❯ Everyday Routine ( Chapter 5 )

Reviewer Response: BlackShadow1388: I was just posting this when I read your review. Thank you for noticing that. You're the only one who told me! My fault! ^_^ I went back and looked to go fix, but didn't feel like all the changes. Maybe I'll do it next time...or we could say she was delirious then and forgot about it later! (though I'd doubt that)

Wacoramaco87: ::giggles:: yes, this will be a happy s/k. Its just not going to be simple for them.

Author Note: Thank you for the reviews.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Chapter 5: Everyday Routine

Sango and Kagome starred at the guys. They had a feeling they had interrupted something. They shared a look then looked back at the guys inquiringly.

"If I didn't know better I'd think we talked him up," Sango whispered for her ears alone.

Kagome had to smile at that. She knew exactly what Sango meant.

"Is something wrong guys?" Kagome asked them suspiciously. They all looked guilty... well not all of them. Sesshoumaru looked as calm as ever, but still suspicious.

"Nothing a little blood shed won't fix," answered Inuyasha with a frown at his brother.

`Well', Kagome thought... that answered that. Kagome sighed. They were arguing again. She looked from one brother to the other. It was amazing how two people can look so much a like, and be so different. They were like night and day. They had things in common too. Like there tempers. Though neither one would ever admit to having anything in common... except a otousan.

"I told you not to do that," said Sesshoumaru calmly as he looked at her.

"Do what?" Kagome asked in surprise; her eyes widening with the feeling.

"Compare me to it"

Kagome sucked in her breath. How could she not compare them, when they stood there like that. One's face contorted with anger, and the other's like a beautiful mask giving away nothing, but obviously feeling the same anger. Kagome shuck her head at the futility of it all. Maybe she should just let them kill each other... her days would be a lot easier in so many ways, she thought.

She'd thought there was hope for them since they'd been around each other a lot this last month since Sesshoumaru was traveling with them... sort of with them. He didn't camp with them or slept near them. He just kind of... showed up when necessary. Then he'd leave and most of the time he'd manage it saying nothing at all to any of them.

"Who the hell are you calling it?!" Inuyasha yelled.

Sesshoumaru didn't even bother to turn and look at him. He just started walking towards the girls.

"Who else? Don't be stupid Inuyasha. I know its difficult."

`Oh, Kami-sama', said Kagome to herself. Sesshoumaru was deliberately making Inuyasha mad. She looked over at Sango, who looked as worried as she felt.

"Shippou-chan? What's going on here?" inquired Kagome.

Shippou jumped up into her arms before he answered her.

"Inuyasha's mad because Mirouku hit him with his staff and then told Inuyasha that you were right about what you said to him yesterday. Then Sesshoumaru-sama came and asked for you and Inuyasha got more mad."

Kagome had starred at the kitsune then she looked up at them all in shock. First, she looked at Mirouku, who was scraping the ground with his foot. Then she looked at Inuyasha who looked about ready to blow. Then at Sesshoumaru who was standing a few steps away from her... but he was starring at the kitsune and not in a friendly way.

Shippou moved up to hide behind Kagome's head and out of the Taiyoukai's sight. The meaning of that look was not lost on him. Shippou peaked his head out and stuck out his tongue at the demon, but moved back when he heard him growl.

"Stop scaring him!" Kagome ordered forcefully. She'd heard the growl too

Sesshoumaru moved his eyes to her brown ones. He could see the fear there, but he could also see the steel behind then too. She was standing up to him, yet she was afraid. He couldn't help admiring that. And she was a ningen. Will wonders never cease?

They starred at one another for a moment, but it felt like an eternity until he broke the connection and started to walk passed her. Kagome let out a breath. He had a strange affect on her. She watched him leave.

"Why don't you just go with him? You can't even take your eyes off him"

Kagome turned around to a smirking Inuyasha. She just starred at him.

Inuyasha began to fidget under her stare. It was as if she was looking right through him. Like she could careless that he was standing there or had said anything.

After a moment Kagome averted her eyes from the hanyou and moved to gather her things together.

"I guess we should be moving on. Don't you think?" she asked. Though it was more of a suggestion then a question.

Everyone moved to gather their stuff, than they set out.

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Four days had passed. They were trying to find Kagura and Kanna. Inuyasha had figured that the two demons must be the ones who have the fully restored Shikon no Tama. Since they, Kagura and Kanna were the only ones to survive the showdown with Naraku, and none of them had it, so the girls must. What they couldn't figure out was: if Kagura had the shikon jewel, which she must, why was she after them still? Why didn't she just use the jewel? They figured she must be after something else... but what?

In the passed four days of traveling and figuring out where the jewel was, not to mention being attacked by minions of Kagura's , they'd decided to stop staying in villages that they pass. They didn't want to endanger more innocent lives, so they stuck to camping in forests.

Every night Kagome would watch Mirouku and Sango walk off together holding hands, and come back an hour or so later... still holding hands and smiling at each other. She was glad there relationship was working out. She wondered whether her friend had asked the houshi how he felt or if she was still waiting.

And every night before going to bed, Kagome would find herself sitting by the river or lake that they were camped near starring at the night sky and thinking. Before long Sesshoumaru would show up and he'd stand beside her. Sometimes they'd talk and sometimes they'd say nothing at all to each other. He'd always be the one to leave first and then she would. She knew that he always followed her back to camp. She figured he was doing it to make sure she got there safely... since his essence would disappear when she got within sight of the campsite. She figured they were becoming friends, maybe.

Kagome was also making progress with Inuyasha. He was no longer pretending she wasn't there and when Kikyo had shown up with her soul collector's calling out Inuyasha's name, Kagome didn't get mad when Inuyasha went to meet with the dead miko. It still made her sad, because she could see that he still was planning on going with Kikyo once they had the jewel back. Though she no longer held hope for her and him, she still wanted Inuyasha to live.

Once again they were camped, Mirouku and Sango had disappeared, and Kagome was sitting by the river starring at the sky; knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Waiting for Sesshoumaru. She knew the reason she kept coming out her like this was to see him. She could easily stare at the sky at the camp, but she knew he wouldn't come there. What she didn't understand was why she wanted to see him.

Kagome smiled when she sensed his presence behind her. She didn't turn around to look at him. She saw no reason in doing so, he knew she would have sensed him already. That didn't stop her from starting at the sound of his quiet voice.

"Is it the river or the stars that brings you out every night?"

Kagome smiled at herself, than started laughing. She thought about how he would react to the truth, that she was coming out here to be with him, and just couldn't stop laughing.

Sesshoumaru did not see what was so funny. He'd asked the girl a simple question then she'd thrown her head back and started laughing.

She confused him. He didn't like that. He wondered why he kept coming out here every night when he knew she'd be here. At first he was just sticking around her to pay her back for saving his life, even though he knew she had no idea that she ever saved his life, but now she was interesting him. He didn't particularly like that either. Yet, he kept coming out here.

Sesshoumaru moved to stand beside the miko and stared down at her face. She was still laughing. He figured most ningen's minds were questionable but, he'd always thought her's was fine. Now he had to wonder if he was wrong. He frowned at this.

Kagome looked up at the Taiyoukai, saw his frown, and tried to pull herself together. She figured he didn't care for her laughing at him. Kagome cleared her throat and apologized. Her eyes were still sparkling though.

"Gomen ne Sesshoumaru. That was rude of me."

Kagome sighed when he didn't contradict her. She figured he agreed she was being rude.

"Why did you laugh?" he inquired quietly.

She decided to be honest. Why not? She hadn't lied to him before, why start?

"I was thinking of your reaction to my answer to your question," she replied with a half smile.

"You did not answer my question," he stated with a lift of his brow.

Ohh, she knew he was going to say that! Kagome sighed.

"Neither," she whispered; her eyes focused on her drawn up knees.

Sesshoumaru's ears twitched to catch what she said. He thought her answer mad no sense and told her as much. `Why was she out here starring at the sky then', he wondered.

"I like the stars, but they are not the reason I come here," she told him evenly; her face tinged pink.

"Then why?" he persisted. She seemed to not want to tell him, which made him want to know. At first he just asked, but did not really care what the answer were, now her reactions had made him want to know.

Kagome looked up into his beautiful amber eyes from her position on the ground. She just starred at him for a moment then took a deep breath and answered him with the truth.

"You."

For a few minutes there was nothing, but silence as they starred at each other. Then Kagome broke the starring match to look out across the water. She decided to repeat herself just so there would be no mistakes.

"I come out here... to see you," she breathed then got quiet.

After a moment he spoke.

"Why?"

`What is with him and that word?' she asked herself with a roll of her eyes.

"I don't know. Perhaps I think of you as a friend... yes, a friend."

"Friend," he repeated with a frown.

Kagome tilted her head back to look at him in the face. She saw the question in his eyes, while his face remained as calm as ever. She was beginning to learn that for Sesshoumaru, if you wanted a hint at to what he was thinking, his face was not the place to look. Kagome shut her eyes and gave him a bright smile.

"Yes, we're friends! Don't you think so?" she asked.

Sesshoumaru thought about that and realized he had no thoughts on the subject. It was foreign to him. He could not recall ever having a friend.

"I do not know `friend'," he told her simply.

Kagome got to her feet when she heard that and looked him in the eyes. All she saw was fact; nothing else. It was as if he was stating his name. There was no feeling there.

Kagome touched her hand to his arm and felt him tense, but did not move away or remove her hand.

"Haven't you ever had a friend Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru saw the sadness in her chocolate, brown eyes and wondered at it. He decided she was a strange creature. She went from laughing, to shy, to happy and to sad in a matter of moments. She confused him. He didn't like it.

"No."

"Not even when you were a child?"

"No."

Kagome thought that was the saddest thing she'd ever heard and moved to hug him. She slid arms around his waist, leaned her body against his, rested the side her face on his chest, and gave him a gentle squeeze. She felt him tense against her, but it didn't register in her mind.

`What was she doing?' he asked himself. Sesshoumaru started to tense when he felt her slide her arms around his waist and tensed even more when she leaned against him and squeezed. He couldn't believe that she was hugging him. Sesshoumaru couldn't remember the last time anyone had hugged him. His mother or one of his sisters perhaps, he didn't know. He didn't remember them feeling quite like this, or making him feel quite like this. He was having heat flashes and his stomach was feeling queasy. He was wondering if he ate something bad.

He was still debating his stomach when Kagome jumped back from him her face redder then he'd ever scene. He could sense her body temperature rising. He wondered why she was nervous all of a sudden. He tilted his head at her in thought. She really was strange, he decided.

Kagome had just decided that she would be Sesshoumaru's friend whether he wanted her to or not, when she'd realized she was hugging him. She registered the hardness of his chest against her face and the muscles her arms were wrapped around... and that all of it was tense. She was thinking he had a nice body when that last part registered and had jumped back as if he was on fire. Her face was red with her embarrassment at what she had been thinking about him.

"I... I've decided w... we're friends and that is that!" Kagome stuttered. Out of her nervousness the statement had come out more like a dictate then as a question. She wasn't taking it back though. She was getting more nervous at his silence.

Sesshoumaru decided he'd let it go this time, her giving him orders. His mind was already occupied with her odd behavior; he didn't need more. He decided he'd allow this `friend' thing for now. He had no idea what it meant to be a `friend', but he figured if it turned out to be something he didn't like then, he wouldn't do it. Simple.

Sesshoumaru starred at the top of her head, since she'd found something interesting on the ground to look at. Then he lifted his arm and brought his hand under her chin to lift her face to his. He saw that her cheeks were only lightly tinged now and nodded his head.

"Friends."

Kagome smiled a big smile when she realized he was agreeing with her and almost threw her arms around his neck in happiness. Almost.

Sesshoumaru watched her smile and felt something in his chest go tight. He didn't understand why she was affecting him like this or what this was. He didn't like the confusion she was causing in him and frowned at her. Then he turned and walked away.

Kagome saw the frown, but didn't know what it was for so didn't worry about it. She watched him turn and walk away and sighed to herself. It was going to be difficult being his friend, she decided.

"Goodnight Sesshoumaru," she whispered sternly. She was trying to let him know that walking away from someone you were talking to without saying something was rude, but she didn't believe for a moment he caught the lesson.

Kagome turned in the opposite direction, to head back to camp and even though she couldn't hear or see him, she knew he was behind her... watching. She smiled to herself and kept walking.

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Reviewer Response: Midnight-Blue-Wolves. I was writing this and Ch.7 to Life when I read your latest response. ::giggles:: You are a trip!! You're one of the reasons I like to read responses. I like everyone else's too, before anyone asks, you're just tooo funny!! Thankyou.