InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Atmosphere ❯ Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they are borrowed. Thanks.

This was done by special request for Sueric. You wanted a chapter of fluff from me for your birthday…I hope this something you can enjoy even more.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 1/13/05

Atmosphere

By Sari15

The forest animals scurried along the ground, as if their life depended on their quick disbursement among the trees. Close to eighty crows reacted to the noise reverberating through the forest. The strike of flesh on flesh echoed off the trees, gaining volume briefly before fading out. The silence didn't last, as a shriek of "Hentai!!" followed on its heels until it faded into the distance.

The source of the disruption in the quiet environment stood; her posture rigid as her hands clenched in fists at her sides as a slight pinkish shade tinged her cheeks. Exasperation was evident in the young woman's brown eyes as she glared at her companion in the purple and black robes. Shaking her head in aggravation, the young woman turned and stormed away from her companions her ponytail swinging along her back behind her.

"Miroku-sama…"

The young monk turned toward the disappointed voice of Kagome, rubbing the smarting handprint on his cheek to ease the pain. The young schoolgirl climbed off her crimson clad companion's back, her sorrel eyes full of disappointment as she stared at the monk. Miroku watched as she turned to follow the path her friend had taken moments before.

"Keh, stupid lecher. You've got some obsession with her butt."

Staring down the path the two females had taken off on, Miroku sighed in frustration. He removed the hand from his face as he redirected his attention to the gloved hand wrapped in rosary beads. "I swear it is cursed." He lamented as he stared at the beads intently.

"Isn't that why you're trying to beat Naraku? To get rid of the curse?" Shippou asked from his place on the hanyou's shoulder.

Miroku looked up at the pair, a smile playing across his lips. "That might just work Shippou."

"Dream on, lecher. You'd still be as obsessed with Sango's ass if you didn't have that damned wind tunnel." InuYasha snorted.

"I can't help it." Miroku sighed, staring at the palm of his gloved hand. "It calls to me, silently whispering it's pleas to be lovingly caressed. The gentle swell is my siren song, begging for my touch."

"Oi! Sango's ass ain't your siren song!"

"I beg to differ, InuYasha." Miroku turned to the hanyou, a mischievous glint in his violet eyes. "I believe you have your own siren song to deal with."

"I ain't like you, lecher." InuYasha folded his arms in the sleeves of his haori and glared at the monk, wondering just what ludicrous explanation Miroku would come up with. "I don't go around grabbing asses."

"Well no…of course not. That's my specialty. You, my friend, have a weakness for a pair of brown eyes that have the ability to gain whatever they want from you."

InuYasha's mouth dropped, "Keh, what the hell are you talking about?"

"How you turn to mush when Kagome looks at you." Shippou added as he leapt to the ground from his place on InuYasha's shoulder to get out of striking range.

Growling as he grabbed for the kitsune and failed. InuYasha glared at his remaining companions before shoving his hands back in his haori. "I don't do no such thing and you know it."

"Riiight, InuYasha. So when Kagome-sama flutters her big brown eyes and says she's cold, you don't give her your haori?" Miroku smirked at the ire in the hanyou's gaze.

"Or if anyone says their tired, you don't care. But if it's Kagome, we always stop."

"She's the shard detector! She needs to rest or she's no good to us." InuYasha defended, grabbing for an explanation when one didn't exist that he was willing to admit.

"Ah yes, the shard detector that you don't allow to rest at home, with her family." Miroku rubbed his chin in a thoughtful way, making the hanyou growl louder in annoyance. "Not to mention there are no more jewels left to find. We know where each of the remaining ones can be located."

InuYasha stood there, mouth open and closing as if he couldn`t think of a proper response. It took him a moment to recover before growling. "She broke the fucking thing. It ain't my fault we're in this mess. She needs to be here fixing her mistakes."

"Yet you don't argue with her about going home anymore, do you? In fact, lately you have been going with her and spending your time there with her instead of pouting here." Miroku pressed, a grin covering his face as he teased the hanyou.

A low growl emitted from InuYasha as he clenched his fists alongside his body. "How the hell did we get on this subject?"

"We were talking about how Miroku's never gonna get a kiss from Sango." Shippou interjected.

Miroku paused in his movements, his face quickly changing from one filled with mirth to confusion. "Shippou? What makes you think I can't get a kiss from Sango?"

"Simple, lecher. You can't keep your hands off her ass."

"Yeah, she attacks before you get close enough." Shippou added. "Kagome always says you ruin the atmosphere."

"And just what do you know about atmosphere, Shippou?" Miroku asked, eyeing the kitsune curiously.

"I know better than to grab her butt before I get the kiss." Shippou smirked, returning to the hanyou's side.

"Keh, even I know that."

"Really? You have been spending an unusual amount of time with her alone lately. Have you been kissing Kagome-sama when we aren't around?" An interested brow arched as Miroku perused the hanyou`s reaction, careful not to tread too deeply.

"Wha…no…NO!"

The horrified look that crossed the hanyou's face as his cheeks flamed crimson made Shippou move out of reach before adding, "No, InuYasha knows less about atmosphere then even you, Miroku."

"Oi!" Apparently the kitsune hadn't gotten far enough away because he ended with a giant lump on his head courtesy of the crimson clad hanyou. "Whaddya know `bout it anyway, runt?"

"Ow, InuYasha!!" The little youkai rubbed his swollen head as he glared at the hanyou. "Nothing! I'm just a kid! I'm not supposed to know about it!"

Miroku looked thoughtfully down the road where both of the girls had disappeared from moments before. "Of course he knows nothing about it, InuYasha. Apparently it is something Kagome-sama believes we need to know about in order to gain the affections we desire from our ladies."

"Oi, I never said I wanted to kiss Kagome! Keep your hentai plans to yourself, Lecher."

Shippou snorted in disbelief before taking off to dodge another attack by the irritated hanyou. Miroku just watched the pair. If either of his companion's had been paying attention to the monk, they would have seen the wheels churning in his head. His violet eyes sparkling, the words that fell from his mouth stopped both his friends in their path. "So all I have to do is keep my hands to myself?"

"Keh, like that'll ever happen." The hanyou snorted, a hand still wrapped around the kitsune's ankle as he held him in the air.

"Ye of little faith, InuYasha. Watch and learn. I'll get my kiss from Sango, just you see."

Shippou smirked as he watched the monk walk in the direction the girls had headed before them. Turning his body to look up at InuYasha from where he hung, he grinned, "This should be amusing…"

"Keh, it'll never happen." InuYasha released Shippou's foot, allowing the kitsune to scramble up his arm to rest on his shoulder. "He ain't gonna keep that hand to himself." Shippou nodded in agreement as the two of them leapt down the path after the monk.

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Kagome pulled a small piece of meat from the fish she was eating off of, eyeing her companions with confused amusement. Ever since they had all met up again, she had begun to notice strange behavior from each of the males they traveled with. Glancing over at the hanyou and kitsune, Kagome wondered once again just what was going on. Shippou usually ate dinner with her, not InuYasha.

Oddly enough, InuYasha and Shippou hadn't had a single argument that she had needed to break apart the entire afternoon. Although thankful for the job of peacekeeper between the two to have been removed from her duties, no matter how temporary it would be. She found she couldn't figure out why they had been on their best behavior. The only thing she could fathom was it had to do with Miroku.

They both were watching the monk like a hawk.

Miroku on the other hand, had been on his worst behavior ever. She could tell Sango had lost her patience with the lecherous monk hours ago, but somehow he hadn't gotten the picture quite yet. For some reason the monk was grabbier than usual. He kept returning to the taiyija's side after every hit, no matter which weapon she used.

It just took a little longer get up with Hiraikatsu.

Surprisingly with every hit, InuYasha and Shippou couldn't contain their excitement. She'd heard InuYasha laugh twice today, so she knew something was going on. The hanyou never laughed, it was hard enough to get him to smile. He suddenly turned and caught her watching him. She felt her cheeks flush as she turned away from his gaze. She hadn't even realized she had been shamelessly ogling him until he caught her.

Pretending to pick at her fish as she tried to avoid checking to see if the hanyou still watched her, her mortification was interrupted by a loud crack in the air. Her head snapped up to watch as Sango grabbed Hiraikatsu with one arm and Kirara with the other before storming into the woods.

A loud snort came from what sounded like InuYasha as Kagome glared at Miroku. It was fine if it happened occasionally, but this had been at least the seventh time today that Miroku had groped Sango. Shippou broke out in laughter as Kagome put down her fish to follow her friend. Grabbing her bow and arrows, she paused when she heard Miroku say, "It should have worked! I didn't touch her that time!"

A silent war erupted within her at that moment. One side wanting to know just what was going on, while the other wanted to go to her friend and comfort her.

"I told you it wouldn't fucking work!" InuYasha snorted. "She probably thought you were going for the butt and just reacted."

Curiosity won out with those words. Kagome put her weapons down. Sango would have to wait, this was getting interesting.

"I tried all day to keep my hands off of her, honest. I finally succeed and almost get that kiss and she still attacks me."

Shock rippled through Kagome as she whipped around to gape at Miroku in disbelief. "You…you tried to kiss Sango-chan here? In front of everyone? At dinner?"

Everyone turned their attention to her, seemly surprised to see she was still there with them. Miroku was the first to recover, clearing his voice before answering. "Well, yes. Did I do something wrong?"

"What didn't you do wrong?" Kagome screeched, causing InuYasha to flatten his ears to help block out the high pitched noise coming from the miko.

"Well, I didn't grope her. That should have worked, right? InuYasha and Shippou said all I had to do was stop groping her and I would finally get that kiss."

Kagome felt her mouth drop as she gaped at the monk in shock. "Are you saying you're taking advice from a kid and…and…and…InuYasha?! How desperate are you, Miroku? They're the last one's you'd want to ask about kissing Sango!"

"Oi! We just told him what you've been gabbing about forever." InuYasha defended, burying his arms inside his haori as he glared at her.

Kagome sighed, knowing he had a point. "But there's more to it than that! It isn't just about not touching her…wrong."

"That's all that was tripping him up before, wasn't it? He couldn't keep his hands off her butt." Shippou asked; climbing up the hanyou to rest on his shoulder as InuYasha nodded his agreement with the kitsune.

"Well…that was the main problem. Not to mention, Miroku had an unusually difficult time keeping his hands off of Sango today." Kagome sighed, turning to glare at Miroku in annoyance. "Honestly, I think you reached a new record today."

The monk stared at his cursed hand, "I tried, really. It's as if this hand has a mind of its own."

InuYasha snorted, shaking his head at Miroku in disbelief. "Yeah, straight for Sango's ass."

"InuYasha!" Kagome chided, glaring at the hanyou briefly before turning her attention back to the monk. "You can't just kiss her in front of everyone, Miroku! Sango is shy about showing affection. Besides, you want her first kiss to be special, right? You need to be alone."

"You are right, Kagome-sama. I have not been thinking clearly about this at all. I must apologize to Sango right away."

Kagome watched him take off after Sango, her mouth hanging open in shock. Unable to speak; the words of warning wouldn't come off her tongue. She could feel the golden eyed gaze of the hanyou as he scrutinized her. "What's your problem, wench?"

Kagome sighed, giving up on warning Miroku; he was out of eyesight already. "Nothing, InuYasha. He'll be back in a moment. Sango isn't ready to talk to him yet. She still needs some time alone." Shaking her head as she wondered just how the monk would mess up this time.

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It didn't take long for InuYasha to realize how right Kagome had been about their friends. Within minutes of Miroku's departure, the ear curdling screech of "Hentai!" was quickly followed by the sound of flesh hitting flesh off in the distance. Soon after Kirara landed back at the campsite, Sango alone on her back. The hanyou watched as the taiyija gathered some belongings before turning to Kagome. "I'm headed to the hot springs nearby. Do you want to join me, Kagome-chan?"

The war was obvious in Kagome's eyes, InuYasha couldn't figure out why though. He'd never met a person who obsessed with bathing as much as she did. She'd never turn down a chance to take a bath. He doubted anyone else could possibly bathe as much as Kagome; and she had passed that obsession onto Sango lately.

Confusion laced Kagome's chocolate eyes, as she stared at the place Miroku had disappeared from earlier. Kagome then turned and gave Sango a very wide, and in InuYasha's opinion, very fake smile. He narrowed his golden eyes as he heard her say, "Not tonight, Sango-chan. You go relax for a little while. I wanted to stay and talk to InuYasha about something."

InuYasha watched Sango head off in the direction of the hot springs before confronting the lying wench. "Oi! Since when do you turn down the chance for a bath?"

Kagome flashed him a brilliant smile, the one that never failed to make him go a little weak in the knees. It always made her eyes sparkle with the impression of complete happiness. "Since I had the opportunity to help Miroku kiss Sango."

He couldn't think of a possible reason she would want to do that, as he narrowed his gaze at her. Apparently he wasn't the only one who thought that because Shippou asked the exact question that was on his mind. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Why not? Sango wants to kiss Miroku, trust me!" Kagome clasped her hands together in excitement, her dark eyes sparkling from the reflection of the firelight. The exhilaration was palpable in the air around her, crackling her aura as she reached for him. "I just need to make sure he doesn't mess it up!"

Everything suddenly switched to slow motion as her hands grasped the sleeves of his haori, the wholesome scent of her engulfing his senses. Forgetting to breathe momentarily, he let the intoxicating sensation roll over him briefly. Suddenly jolting himself back to reality, he growled "Oi! Whattya want?"

She grinned as he tried to yank his sleeves from her grasp. "Do you hear him? Is he coming back?" Finally releasing the sleeves from their prison, she turned around to stare down the pathway she expected the monk to return from. She took several steps in that direction, trying to get a better look.

Her actions ripped InuYasha in half. Part of him hating the fact that the cherry blossom scent that was wholly Kagome was drifting away with her. The other part hated that she made him feel so vulnerable to her every move. He didn't feel the stinging of his claws as he dug them into his hands until after her confused look brought him back to reality. He suddenly realized she had asked him something, but he couldn't remember for the life of him what.

"How far away do you think he is? I thought for sure he would be back by now."

Kagome was practically dancing from foot to foot in anticipation of Miroku's imminent arrival.

"Any second, wench. Stop fidgeting!"

"I'm not fidgeting. I just need to talk to him!" She practically squealed, causing him to flatten his ears onto his head.

"I don't get it, Kagome. Why do you want to help him so badly?" The little kitsune scampered up to her, tilting his head at her in confusion. "Isn't he just a lecher?"

"Shippou's right, Kagome. You're wasting your fucking time. He ain't ever gonna keep his hands to himself."

 Kagome whirled around to face him, the irritation at him sparking off her aura. "I think he can do it. He just needs to learn a few things." She straightened her spine, meeting his glare head on with one of her own. "By the time I am done with him, Sango-chan will be eating out of his hands! You just see!"

"Well this sounds interesting…what do you plan to `do' with me Kagome-sama?"

Watching her turn a mysterious shade of red he'd never seen before, InuYasha answered the question for her when she couldn't manage to get a word out. "Get your kiss from Sango."

"Oh, your last plan worked beautifully." He motioned to red handprint on the left side of his face as his proof, his violet eyes sparkling with amusement. "I can't wait to find out what a wealth of information you have stored for me."

Her eye twitched at his words, "You weren't supposed to go running after her yet. She was still angry from your last attempt. I didn't get a chance to warn you before you took off!"

"Thank you for the offer, Kagome-sama. I believe this is something I can figure out on my own, though." Miroku turned and walked away from her to the other side of the camp.

"No you can't Miroku! Trust me; you don't want to mess this up. She's never been kissed before! You need to make it perfect!"

Miroku stopped in his tracks, slowly turning around. Eyeing her warily, he calmly asked. "What do you mean by perfect?"

"Something special, in a way she'd never forget. She needs to feel like it's all for her, and not just a way for you to get a quick grope. Take your time and plan the whole thing out, that way nothing could go wrong." Kagome sighed, before sitting down on a log near the fire. Her eyes got a distant look in them as she said, "Every girl imagines what the first kiss will be like. It needs to be special."

InuYasha growled, not wanting to think about her even imagining kissing anyone. Miroku grinned, knowing just who Kagome must imagine kissing. While Shippou just stared at the three of them, wondering what exactly they were all talking about.

"Very well, Kagome-sama." Miroku sat down next to Kagome on the log, sighing in defeat. "I trust your judgment. Tell me all about this `plan' of yours."

"You realize the festival is coming up next week? That gives us enough time to come up with a perfect plan and it would make a wonderful setting."

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"Which one do you think Sango-chan would like better?" Kagome held out two kimono's for InuYasha to look at. A black baseball hat shoved over his head to cover his ears and a distinctly annoyed scowl plastered on his face showed that he honestly couldn't care which one she picked for Sango. "Alright, which one should I get for me?"

She finally got his attention briefly before the scowl returned to his face. "The red one." He growled, shoving his hands in his haori as a light dusting of pink spread across his cheeks. "Can we go now?"

"Alright, I'll get Sango the pink one." She said, grinning at the bored look on his face as she dug through the obi's in search of the colors she wanted. He had insisted on coming with her, even after she warned him the trip wouldn't be one he enjoyed. Finally finding the lavender obi to match Sango's kimono, she grabbed it as well as the black one she had selected for her own. "Do these look good?"

"How the hell should I know? Are you done?"

Kagome couldn't hold the little giggle that erupted when she turned to look at him. His face was twisted into a half scowl-half pout as he stood glaring at her. "Yes, just let me get these and we can go pick up some ramen."

She didn't know why she suddenly found him with her wherever she was. It had been like that for months, not that she minded. He normally couldn't last a whole day back in the past without dragging her back from her family and school. But now, he was almost content to stay at the shrine with her for a few days before he began to get anxious to get back.

Kagome paid for the items and walked over to where InuYasha was still pouting, grabbing his sleeve to drag him out of the store. "Come on, dog-boy. I thought you needed ramen."

"Keh," he grunted, following behind her as she turned to wave at the cashier on their way out of the door. "Then you said we could go home, right?"

Kagome grinned; she didn't think he realized that he called two places home. Depending on which time they found themselves in, it was either the village or the shrine. "Yeah, Mama said she wanted to see us before we headed back to Kaede's."

He grunted his understanding as they headed to the grocery store. Every time they came here, it was like he was experiencing it for the first time. He would stand in awe looking at all the selections of ramen he had to choose from. She usually had to help him pick which ones she thought he would like, as he just stared at everything like he was in ramen heaven. Finding as many different meat flavored ones as she could handle, Kagome threw them all in a basket. Grabbing his hand as she dragged him away from the mountains of ramen; Kagome couldn't help wishing he'd look at her like that, not the ramen.

"Oi! Did you get some of that beef?"

"Yes, InuYasha. I got you beef ramen. And chicken, shrimp, pork, and any other kind you like." She sighed, dragging him into the candy aisle to pick up a couple boxes of pocky for Shippou. "I always get you what you want don't I?" She threw two boxes of chocolate pocky in the basket before turning to head for the checkout.

"Keh."

She rolled her eyes, "Lets get home, InuYasha. We have a lot to do tonight before the festival."

He grabbed the grocery bags from her hands, as they walked out the door. "I don't think your stupid plan is gonna work."

She shrugged, as her heart fell in her chest. "It's up to Miroku. If he fails, he can't blame anyone but himself." She had come up with the perfect place and the perfect time, in her opinion. She had poured her heart and soul into the plan, and hearing InuYasha of all people call it stupid, hurt. "I just want to get home, okay?"

He gave her a strange look, then nodded. Kagome sighed; it had been hard for her to give Miroku all her ideas with InuYasha right there. It was like baring her soul for everyone to see. Not to mention, the jerk made rude comments about every idea she told them. Calling her ideas stupid and saying if she spent half the time searching for the jewels as she did daydreaming about Miroku and Sango's love life they would probably have all the shards by now.

Every step she took, Kagome got angrier and angrier at the hanyou. Sure, she had given up long ago on any shred of hope that he returned any of the feelings she had. Telling herself she was content to stay by his side, to be his friend. She felt that was more important than any romantic relationship they could ever have. Telling herself that didn't always work, not with InuYasha.

She could talk until she was blue in the face about it to herself, but it didn't stop the longing and daydreams. It wasn't Miroku and Sango she daydreamed about, it was him. The fact is that she practically laid out every fantasy about him finally kissing her, for Miroku to pick and choose from as the one person they were really about made fun of them.

Making their way up the steps of the shrine, Kagome was glad to be home. As mad as she was at the hanyou, she was really looking forward to the festival that evening back at the village. She couldn't wait to take Sango the kimono's she had found. She knew her friend would never purchase a new one herself. Giving InuYasha a small smile, she grabbed his hand as she began to jog up the last of the stairs. "Let's see what Mama wants; then we can go back to the village."

After receiving the twelve dozen cookies Mama had baked for the festival, much to Kagome's surprise. The two of them headed for the well. Suddenly Kagome realized something she hadn't earlier, "Are you even going to the festival tonight?"

"Keh, no."

Kagome wrinkled her brows in upset. Frowning, she turned to look into his golden eyes. "Why not?" She asked as he swept her up into his arms before leaping into the well. He wouldn't look at her and ignored the question as the time slip enveloped them in its blue light. As soon as he touched ground on the other side, he jumped out of the well. "I know you heard me! You can't pretend you didn't. You have better hearing then anyone I've ever met."

Placing her on the ground, he walked away. Rage boiled within Kagome at being so blatantly ignored by the hanyou. She placed the gigantic bag of cookies on the ground before storming after him. "Answer me! Why aren't you going?" She yelled, grasping an ear and yanking on it to force him to make eye contact with her.

Finally getting a look at his golden eyes, she was surprised to see the flicker of sadness in them. With a scowl the emotion quickly dissipated as he batted her hand off his ear. "It's justa stupid human thing. Why would I want to go?"

"It's not like that for you here anymore, InuYasha." Kagome gave him a sad smile as his eyes finally connected with hers. "You're just another part of the village. Besides, if you don't go everyone will harass me about where you are."

"Keh, whatever."

"Really, I don't want to spend all my evening explaining to all the villagers that you're an antisocial baka who can't relax and have fun with his friends for a night."

"A what?" He growled in confusion before muttering, "Like anyone would notice."

"Everyone would notice! You know they would ask me all night where you were and why you weren't with me. I wouldn't get to have any fun just because you weren't there."

"Nice try, wench."

Kagome grinned, "You're going, InuYasha. You don't have a choice, I made it for you. Besides, someone needs to come with me to make sure Miroku doesn't mess up everything. I can't take Shippou to do that."

"I shoulda known." he growled, stomping back to pick up the bag of cookies she had left on the ground. "Forced to go because you need a fucking accomplice to spy on your friends."

"We'll have fun. I promise!"

"Sure, wench. Sure." 

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"Oh, it's so beautiful. I can't accept this Kagome-chan." Sango smoothed the fabric of the kimono over her hips before finishing the look with the lavender obi. Moving over to sit in front of the waiting miko, so her friend could finish the look for her.

"You already have, Sango. You haven't gotten anything new to wear since I met you." Kagome pulled her brush through her friend's hair before securing it firmly at the nape of her neck with a lavender bow. "Mama said it was the least we could do for you. Even if it's just for a night of fun, she insisted we both had brand new kimonos to wear."

"I don't know why she always does things like that, Kagome." Sango said quietly. "She doesn't even know any of us."

"She knows InuYasha. Consider it payment for putting up with him." Kagome grinned, putting her brush back in her backpack. Kagome climbed off the floor, smoothing any wrinkles her kimono had developed as she was seated on the ground.

"I thought your mother liked InuYasha, Kagome."

"Oh, she adores him. But that doesn't mean she doesn't realize what a baka he can be."

"Speaking of being a baka, just how did you convince him to come tonight?"

Kagome grinned as the two of them headed for the doorway to find their friends. "Easy, I didn't give him a choice."

Stepping out of the small hut, Kagome felt several pairs of eyes perusing her attire. Noticing Sango's quickly rising blush, she knew she wasn't the only one to feel it. "Wow! Kagome! Sango! You look so different!"

"Thanks, Shippou." Kagome answered, giving the kitsune a bright smile as she patted his head. "You look very nice tonight too."

As much as they traveled, they seemed to always have a layer of road dirt and grime on them at all times. To see both Miroku and Shippou all cleaned up and in what were probably their best clothes, it just made tonight all the more special. The two of them sat alone on the ground just outside of Kaede's hut, waiting patiently for the girls' arrival. Flashing Miroku a conspiring smile, she couldn't help but notice who was missing.

Granted, she always noticed when InuYasha wasn't around. She could feel his aura nearby and knew he was watching her, though she hadn't been able to spot him yet. Scanning the vicinity surrounding the hut, it took a moment to spot the crimson clad hanyou lounging in a tree nearby. Catching his golden gaze on her, he immediately broke the eye contact and leapt down from the branches.

A lone butterfly fluttered in the pit of her stomach; rarely did she get the look from him that she had just received. They were the moments she craved more than anything, when his eyes became the entryway to his soul. For just a moment, she could savor the heat from his gaze as he admired her. Only her.

She was finding it hard to breathe as nervousness suddenly washed over her. She smoothed the crimson fabric of the kimono along her left hip, before straightening her obi a final time. She knew she looked good tonight in the kimono with the black dragons printed all over it, but he had seen it when she bought it. She had probably imagined the look in his eyes; he just looked annoyed right now.

"Keh, took you long enough." He scowled, folding his arms in his haori as he stomped over to her. "If you're gonna make me go to this thing, you could at least be on time."

Kagome grinned, unperturbed as he glared at her, "Hi, InuYasha."

As soon as he made his way to her side, she found herself being yanked by the elbow into the village. "Keh, lets get this over with." he growled, dragging her behind him as she attempted to keep up with his fast pace.

Kagome glanced back over her shoulder, grinning at her friends as they followed at a slower pace. The festival was already underway as they arrived. The excitement of the coming night encompassed the group as they quickly discovered themselves surrounded by villagers.

Suddenly finding herself separated from the hanyou, she could barely see him through the mass of people between them. She was receiving gifts from all around her. One woman was adding flowers to her ponytail. A man kept handing her plates of rice balls to sample as another handed her a drumstick of some unidentified meat.

"I don't think InuYasha is very comfortable surrounded by all the people, Kagome." A familiar voice said from behind her.

"Oh thank kami, Sango." She sighed, trying to keep one eye on the hanyou's silver hair as she tried to get closer to the group surrounding him. Handing the taiyija the piece of meat, she moved to intercept InuYasha and get him away from the crowd.

Catching his eye, he began to weave through the crush parting it as he went to get to her. She smiled; trying to relieve the panicked look in his eyes as they finally reached each other. Instantly Kagome found herself swept up in his arms as he took a giant leap out of the crowd and onto a nearby roof. "You alright?" He asked as he landed.

"Yeah, are you?"

"Keh!"

The two of them watched as Miroku slowly parted villagers with his Shakuju, making a path to get Sango and Shippou out of the crowd. Once they had broken free, he leapt from the roof and next to them on the path. It was only then that he released her from his grasp.

"InuYasha! Did you see all the food?" Shippou scampered up the hanyou's back to rest on his shoulder. "Can we eat something? Can we?"

"Oi, runt!" InuYasha growled as the kitsune jumped from his shoulder to Miroku's.

"Sure, Shippou." Sango laughed, her eyes sparkling. "That's what festivals are for. There is more food then you could ever imagine eating. For some people this is the most they get to eat all year."

The kitsune's eyes got wide as they all headed toward the food. Each getting enough to feed at least two or three of them, they headed toward the large bonfire where the music was getting into full swing. Taking seats on logs scattered around the bonfire for that purpose, they enjoyed as the evening slowly turned into night. It wasn't long before Kaede came to take Shippou back to the hut to sleep.

That was Miroku's cue.

Kagome suddenly felt nervous for her friends as she watched Miroku take Sango's hand and walk off with her. She had been over and over it with him. She only hoped he would be able to keep his hands busy doing something else like she instructed. As long as they were off Sango until he got his kiss, everything should work perfectly.

"Stop squirming, wench."

"I'm not squirming."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"You can't stand even waiting seconds to spy on them!"

"Oh!" Kagome growled, grabbing his hand and dragging him off the makeshift bench and after the departing couple. "I hate it when you're right!"

InuYasha snorted, "Don't go too fast or you'll beat them there!"

Flashing him a piercing glare, Kagome kept the speed she was going. She took a turn when Miroku continued on the path. "We know where he's going." She whispered, "We can beat them there and stay outta sight. That way I know we won't miss anything."

He rolled his eyes, as they headed down the shortcut. Two steps later she found herself in his arms, leaping from tree to tree. She grinned at the scowl on his face, knowing it was all for show. He wouldn't be here doing this if he hadn't wanted to watch them too. No matter how often he said it was to watch Miroku `fail' again. Seeing the small pond and surrounding meadow that Miroku had decided on, Kagome pointed to a small thicket of bushes near the pathway where they would be able to see and hear everything, but not be seen.

Crouching on the ground as they waited, Kagome began to inspect the setting. The sky was clear; she always loved how different the night sky was here in the past. You were lucky to see a star in the modern day, even far from the city. Here they seemed to last forever, yet gave the illusion of being closer somehow.

Hearing the muffled voices of their friends as they arrived, Kagome turned her attention to the rest of the meadow. The cool night had brought out a large batch of lightning bugs, adding an unexpected touch to the scene that could never be planned. It was like Mother Nature was giving her blessing for the evening on the couple. The meadow was clear and private, with the rush of the small waterfall falling into the pond giving the perfect atmosphere.

It was more than she ever dreamed, more perfect than her imagination would ever allow her to wish. A slight breeze danced across her skin, sending shivers up her spine. She turned to smile at the hanyou, and connected with his molten gold eyes. The distant beat of the drums from the village seemed to mimic her heartbeat as the moment overwhelmed her.

She kissed him.

Only a brush before he recoiled away from her, breaking it entirely. The rejection was like a pierce through what was left of her heart as the horror of what she had done swelled up inside her. She couldn't breathe, the lump in her throat blocking all ability in that direction. Refusing to look at the disgust in his eyes, she could only think of fleeing. Unable to think, she vaguely realized when her body started to shake. Her vision, blurred from unshed tears. The humiliation, the complete and utter humiliation of giving into the one weakness she had fought against for the entire time she had known him. Every fear had suddenly broken through like a beacon in the night, he really didn't care.

`Run, get out of there before he takes what's left of your heart and leaves you with nothing.' Listening to the voice in her head, she attempted to scramble to her feet. Finding her legs would not cooperate, she began to babble incoherently as she fought against the force that held her there. "I'm sorry…I didn't…I shouldn't…I always swore I wouldn't…but you…and everything here….I never imagined. I'm sorry." The tears finally fell as she got to her feet.

Unable to understand why her body wasn't listening to what she told it to do; it took her a moment to realize what was happening. A gentle tug on her wrists caused her to tumble to the ground. It was only then she noticed a pair of hands had restrained her from leaving. One of the hands was now slowly tightening around her waist, while the other was tangling itself in her hair. The breath of a name danced across her lips, her name. It took her a full five seconds before she realized that he was kissing her.

Swallowing her surprised gasp with a gentle kiss, she looked into his golden depths seeing all the fear and rejection she felt within, reflected there. Wanting to erase every speck of that look, she sighed contentedly as she closed her eyes and slowly returned the kiss. Raising a hand to touch his cheek tenderly, she could hear a gentle growl emit from within him. Suddenly finding herself dragged flush against his body, the tentative kiss shifted into something far more dangerous and unexpected.

Clutching his haori, the only thing she could think to ground herself with as the sudden onslaught of sensation raged between them. The overwhelming heat that suddenly threatened to consume her as she felt the light scraping of his fangs traveling over her lips. All reason thrown out the door, she was there with InuYasha and the moment was perfect. The only thing she could fathom was his presence as his arms held her against him.

The heat from his hands burned through her shirt, as if even the warmth within him wanted to touch her too. His youki wrapped around her as he slowly waged a gentle assault on her lips. Determined to break down all the walls surrounding her, yet unaware they had crumbled with the first touch of his mouth on hers.

She released a shocked gasp as he briefly tasted her, the sensations rolling throughout her body as his tongue brushed against hers. She clung to him, a silent plea for him to continue as she grasped his haori tighter. Her senses rioted, unaccustomed to the vulnerability and response his every touch was causing her.

A sense of utter contentment filtered across her as he held her in his arms. Although he made a promise to protect her, she had never felt cherished until this moment. Her contented sighs were responded with low growls from the hanyou until suddenly she found herself sprawled on the damp grass….alone.

Her mind grasped for any straws through the thick confusion that surrounded her, watching him leap from tree to tree away from her. Touching her swollen and bruised lips with her fingers proving what had just happened wasn't a dream or a product of her overactive imagination. `But why would he run from me?'

*~~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~ ~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~~*~~~~~~*

Sango began to get suspicious as they walked toward the pond with the waterfall. He had been behaving so decently this past week since they returned home. That day of never ending groping seemed to have only been a one time occurrence, much to her relief. He hadn't had another day where the groping became out of hand. She never minded the occasional grope, but more than that and it became a little irritating. She was beginning to wonder if he wanted to be with her for only her bottom.

"Houshi-sama, did you hear something?"

He turned his brilliant violet eyes on her, which made her smile on the inside. If he wanted to be with her for her `assets', as Kagome would say, he couldn't fault her for falling victim to his eyes. "No, I don't think I did. What did it sound like?"

"I thought I heard a voice. It's gone now."

"I'm sure it was just the wind."

Sango nodded, not believing it for a moment. She didn't doubt that somewhere in the meadow a miko had dragged a hanyou to spy on them. The whispering she heard was probably the two of them arguing about some dumb nonsense or another. She hoped one of these days one of them would finally have the guts to admit how they felt to the other, because everyone else could see it clear as glass.

Sango looked around the surroundings, wondering just how Miroku had found this setting. "Kohaku and I used to catch lightning bugs when we were kids." She sighed, grasping a bug that flew in front of her. Taking a moment to let it crawl on her hand before it flew away, it`s neon yellow light flashing as it moved.

Miroku gave her a sad smile, "He shall see his freedom from Naraku. We will make sure of that."

"Thank you, Houshi-sama. I know that everyone will do their best to ensure those we care about come out of this unharmed."

Sango almost stumbled when she felt the cloth and beads that protected his cursed hand, touch her palm. He lifted her hand between them, slowly intertwining the two of them as she watched breathlessly. "We shall succeed in defeating him; then we can finally be together."

Noting the sadness that washed over him as he stared at the gloved hand, Sango gave it a gentle squeeze. "That day will be closer than you-" Sango whipped her head around, looking at the surroundings carefully. "Tell me you heard that?"

"Heard what?"

"It sounded like….growling. Maybe there is an animal out here."

Miroku cleared his throat, nervously. "I doubt that, Sango. Do you suppose there are fish in this pond?"

Noting the quick change of subject, she now had no doubt that Kagome and InuYasha were somewhere hiding. Not that she minded too much, since Miroku and her had been known to spy on them as well from time to time. "I imagine there is a few, none of them would be very large though. Even Shippou wouldn't be satisfied with one of them."

Sango mentally prepared herself for a grope when he released her hand, but to her surprise she found said hand stroking her face. Leaning into the hand as she stared into his violet eyes, he slowly leaned forward. Suddenly finding her mouth completely dry, Sango brushed her tongue over her lips. Her heart was beating in her chest so loudly she could hear it in her ears. Unable to breathe as she waited for the inevitable kiss to finally happen, she closed her eyes.

A hand landed on her backside.

Sango groaned in frustration as Miroku dropped his head to her shoulder in disappointment. "It was a good try, Houshi-sama."

"I was so close!"

She smiled as he straightened up again. "Try again later." she said simply.

Another hand landed on her backside.

Sango growled, "Houshi-sammmaaaaaa!" The slap she issued him could be heard back at the village, she was sure. All she wanted was one intimate moment with him, without the assistance of her bottom. She really didn't think that was too much to ask out of someone.

Storming away, she took a shortcut across the meadow to get to the pathway back to the village. Storming through brush and grass, she couldn't believe that even giving the monk a second chance to kiss her had failed. Suddenly she stopped cold, her mouth dropping open in shock. There on the ground, locked in a very passionate embrace, were InuYasha and Kagome. If that wasn't something shocking to see, the fact that they were so absorbed in one another to realize she was even there amazed her more. "About time…" She heard herself mutter, before clamping a hand over her mouth.

The hanyou's ears twitched, he opened his eyes before they suddenly widened in realization of what he was doing. Dropping his precious cargo on the ground, Sango watched as his face turned as crimson as his fire rat robes before leaping into the tree's and taking off.

She heard Miroku walk up beside her, as she watched Kagome stare in confusion at the escaping hanyou. A hand at her lips, she looked like she wasn't quite sure if she could believe what had just happened to her. Sango didn't blame her; she could hardly believe it and she had witnessed it.

"Ah…Kagome-sama! Imagine meeting you here!" Miroku looked around curiously, looking for her constant companion. "Where's InuYasha?"

"Uh…"

Laughing at the confusion and bemusement in her friends eyes, Sango answered. "He just ran off."

"Ran off? Why would he run off?" Confusion flitted into Miroku's eyes as he watched Sango try to control her humor at the situation. "What happened?"

"Nothing, InuYasha is just a little better about using atmosphere to his advantage than you are, apparently." Sango grinned, "Kagome, do you need a hand up?"

"Huh?….Oh…yeah…I don't think I can feel my legs." Kagome turned to them, for the first time lucidity in her gaze as she glanced at them. Grasping Sango's hand as she yanked her to her feet. "Was I really…?"

"Yes!" Sango answered the unfinished question for her friend.

"With InuYasha? Really?"

"Yes, Kagome. Really."

Kagome touched her mouth again in disbelief. "You saw us?"

Sango nodded.

"Mou! No wonder he ran off! He won't look at me for a week now, I'm sure."

Sango laughed, as they headed back down to the village. "I am sure you can persuade him to pay attention to you. He looked like he was enjoying it until he ran off." Sango looked over at Miroku, who was pouting about missing the whole scene. She laughed as she walked over to him and placed a quick kiss in the center of his mouth. "Cheer up, Miroku. It's not like you to pout. We all get what we want sooner or later."

He stopped in the middle of the road, his cursed hand over his mouth as he stood there in shock. Grabbing her around the waist, he dragged her back to him as he kissed her firmly on the mouth before releasing her. Excitement shone in his violet eyes as he said, "You just called me, Miroku!"