InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Beast ❯ Rude Awakening ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters in this story. Even the ones I made up...they're just servants and her dad. They're no fun. So I completely disclaim ownership. I'm generous like that.

A/N: Back again with more for y'all. Your reviews all make me feel smug and complac-I mean, wonderfully enthusiastic about having undertaken what is shaping up to be a long fic, and as I said, I have nothing better to do for a few weeks, so away we go. (Just kidding about the complacency...I tend to go to the other extreme, actually. --;;) And watch for a bit of PG-13 cursing...hence the rating. Yep. Just in case.

Beast

Chapter 4

Sango fiddled with her hands, tapping her callused fingers restlessly on her folded legs. "About the...er...proposal..."

Kagome was perched on the edge of her bed at Sango's request, a reasonable distance away but close enough to loom over her and make her nervous. "What about it?"

"...I can't tell you." Sango threw a hand up and rushed to speak at Kagome's murderous expression. "Wait! I don't even know why he did! I can guess, but that's about all! Don't take it out on me!"

"What do you mean, you don't know?!" Kagome squeaked, almost incoherent with embarrassment and frustration. "You were here when they laid the curse down, right?"

Sango paused, choosing her words carefully. "I was...but I don't know all the specifics. I would imagine several terms were only conveyed to Inuyasha."

"Daaaaaaaaaaah!" Kagome flopped onto her pillow. "This sucks!" She eyed Sango resentfully. "And you can't tell me how to get rid of the curse, either?"

Oh, to be able to speak...Sango hadn't been sure before, as she'd missed a few explanations centuries ago thanks to a cold that'd kept her in bed right before the curse struck (that had been an interesting day, to say the least), and no one was able to fill her in now. But after this, she was quite certain she knew exactly how the curse was supposed to be broken.

"No, I can't," was all she answered, willing herself not to laugh. This wasn't going to be interesting: this was going to be downright entertaining. Assuming she...hmmmmm. Maybe she should hope she was wrong, because she had no clue how it could happen at this point, and if it didn't happen-

"I'd think it was some kind of weird mind game," Kagome was saying as Sango contemplated the whole castle's fate. "But you should've seen him. He was about to sink into the floor. If I ever meet the guy who cursed you all and thought to make him ask that, I dunno if I would want to pound him or shake his hand. Maybe both."

She flipped onto her stomach and scooted to the edge. "Say, I don't know if this is kosher, but...is the curser person or demon or whatever in the castle now?"

Sango started, then closed her eyes and willed her heart to slow down. "No."

"Right." Kagome watched her closely as she opened her eyes and rolled over. "That reminds me, I was wondering something about Kirara." Sango turned her head towards her, but didn't meet her eyes. "The first time she got a good look at me, she acted like she knew me and she started growling, but then she stopped and acted like she'd made a stupid mistake."

"How do you know that?" Sango asked, amused despite her growing uneasiness.

Kagome snorted. "I've known a lot of cats, and they all act the same way. They know when they do something dumb - like the time my cat fell off the TV - and they all try to play it off the same way. So why was she even growling at me in the first place?"

"I can't tell you," Sango said quietly, cursing Kagome's perceptiveness.

Kagome scowled at Sango's back, then suddenly laughed and clapped her hands. "This is like reverse 20 Questions! I only know something is important if you don't answer." Amused, she sat up on her bed and began rummaging through her things. "What are the odds you guys found my toothbrush?...Oh, wow!"

Sango raised her head and watched Kagome pull out an old pink miniature brush. "Kirara went through the whole house as your family slept and picked out whatever smelled most strongly of you, including that. She wanted to chew on it, too. What is it?"

"You use it to clean your teeth. Thanks for keeping her mouth off it." Kagome searched in vain for some toothpaste. "Assuming she didn't take a shot at it before she brought it out...I hope."

"I'm sorry I can't tell you anything." Sango stared at her hands. "I hate keeping you in the dark, but..."

"Don't apologize. You can't help it." Kagome impulsively swooped down and gave her a quick hug around the shoulders. "You've been really helpful already, and I'm glad you're here."

Unused to platonic physical contact, Sango was too surprised to respond for a second. In the brief interval of silence, Kagome also remembered a few key points about Sango that Inuyasha's question had placed on the back burner...and suddenly decided to keep them to herself for now. She could always use a little leverage against Miroku, and if he didn't have an excellent reason for lying to them...!

Sango recovered and awkwardly patted Kagome's arm, smiling as something occurred to her. "You know, Shippou's not the only one besides Inuyasha that the curse doesn't apply to. I could point someone out to you tomorrow if you like."

"Would you?" Kagome grinned and clapped her hands rapidly in a burst of excitement. "I'd love that! Thanks!"

"He might not be awake yet," Sango cautioned. "And it might be difficult to find him, just keep that in mind. And he may not want to talk to you."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I have all the time in the world, Sango. I'll find him, and I'll talk to him, I'm telling you now."

Sango decided not to pursue that subject. "We should go to sleep now, Kagome. With the mood Inuyasha's in, the snow's going to be pretty heavy tomorrow."

"Really? I was wondering why it was snowing outside," Kagome remarked, wishing her room had a window. "I mean, it's already spring, and it wasn't snowing when I got here, but this morning the ground was all white."

"It depends on Inuyasha...as does everything else," Sango muttered.

Kagome sensed another taboo and sighed, and Sango quickly changed the subject: "So you never got in trouble for the dog urine on the paintings? Did you ever do anything else similar?"

As Sango 'helped' Kagome change into her PJs, watched her climb into her strange bed and blew out the few candles that lit the room, she listened to yet another story: this one was about a time Nabiki, Akemi and Ataru moved all her toys onto the roof at Christmas and told her Santa had stolen them because she was such a bad girl.

It's a well-known principle that two friends - as they had already become in the space of their day together - cannot just go to sleep when the lights go out and both can still talk. Thus Kagome's accompanying explanations and lead-in to more Christmas stories took quite a while, and by the time the two women finished giggling and drifted off to sleep, it was nearly dawn.

Barely two hours later, they simultaneously twitched awake at a distant crack. "Mmmm...someone's gonna have to pay for that," Kagome mumbled into her pillow.

"No," Sango groaned, listening to the wind howl outside. "No, no, no, not yet..."

"Wha?" Kagome turned her head, but the boxes next to her bed obstructed her view of the futon and its occupant. "What wazzat?"

Sango sighed deeply as she pushed herself into a sitting position and scrubbed at her eyes with her sleeve. "The other person who's not unner the curse..." She yawned, then jumped a mile as Kagome leapt out of bed and grabbed her forearm.

"Come on!" Kagome didn't wait for Sango; she stumbled out of the room towards the sounds of not-so-distant scuffling, cursing and crashing, and saw a throng of servants much like the one from yesterday morning standing around the main hall. Most looked nervous and scuttled out of her way, but continued watching as a white and red figure pulled itself out of a hole in the wall, cursing fluently all the way.

Kagome scrubbed at her eyes. Yep, that was Inuyasha, and that was a blur of brown and black coming at him. And yep, it had just knocked him right back into the hole from whence he came.

"You're still slow as a damn rock, dog-turd," the brown-and-black called. Now that it stood still, Kagome saw that it was also a young man, black hair in a long ponytail and held back at the forehead with a furred brown band. The band matched his clothes, dressed as he was in blue breastplate and kilt-like brown fur, which also adorned his shoulders, arms, and calves. Definitely a demon by his pointed ears and swishing brown tail, but if Shippou was a fox, this guy was most undeniably a wolf. "Looks ain't everything after all, eh?"

"Rot in hell, you flea-bitten piece of...!" Inuyasha launched himself at the wolf demon and narrowly missed as his opponent ducked, swung his knee in a vicious arc and smashed into Inuyasha's gut, then tripped him and knocked him into the floor before Kagome's jaw had finished dropping.

"They're at it already?" Sango appeared behind Kagome and sighed in exasperation as Inuyasha pretended exhaustion, grabbed the demon as he came closer to taunt him, and made yet another hole in the now-pocked wall with the wolf's head. "I know they hate each other, but did they have to start the moment Kouga woke up?"

"That's Kouga? The one who-" Both women instantly dropped to the floor as Inuyasha went flying in their direction, flipping to land on his feet, panting heavily.

"What's the matter, dog-turd?" Kouga smirked and rotated his shoulder experimentally. "Hiding behind your women? We all know how much they mean to you, after all!"

Snarling an incoherent mishmash of foul words, Inuyasha leapt right back over their heads, and Kagome got to her feet slowly as the two traded rapid barrages of kicks, parries and swipes to each other's heads.

No one, not even Sango, was prepared moments later for an earsplitting shriek, least of all the two combatants. "If you two don't stop this moronic crap right this second, I'll rip your heads off and stuff 'em down each other's necks!"

Inuyasha and Kouga froze, each with a clawed hand raised, and looked over at Kagome, who was breathing heavily. She marched up to the pair, and, to the servants' quiet amusement and horror, swatted each of their arms down, nodded curtly and turned to go back to her room.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?!" Inuyasha yelled after her, taking a few steps in her direction.

Kagome whirled back around just in time to see Kouga shove Inuyasha head- first back into the floor and stalk over to her, ice-blue eyes narrowing as he stopped a scant two feet away and towered over her. "And who the frickin' hell are you?" he demanded, leaning in closer. His eyes widened, then narrowed again as he snarled. "I know you! You look just like that bitch that dog-t-"

If he hadn't been paying attention, Inuyasha's sudden blow to the back of his head would've sent Kouga flying right into Kagome; as it was, the hanyou's fist glanced off and the wolf stumbled nearly on her. He rounded on Inuyasha with another snarl. "Dammit, dog-turd, that was l-!"

And Kagome sent him sprawling, dropping her shoulder and ramming him in the back so that he lost his balance, went down and got tangled in Inuyasha's legs, tripping him up as well. "You idiots, you could kill someone like this!" she yelled at them, not caring that she had only knocked them down by surprise and they were both staring at her in surely short-lived amazement. "If you're going to wake up the whole damn castle and make us get up to watch your stupid testosterone match, then do it outside and don't break anything that doesn't belong to you! Including the castle!" She stabbed a finger at the damage to the floors and walls. "Or me! If I ever have to get up after less than three hours of sleep and risk getting killed because of you again, I'll skin you both and turn you into a sleeping bag! Good night!"

Heedless of both men still gawking at her and of the servants openly laughing at them, Kagome grabbed Sango's arm and pulled her back to the room with her, silently daring either of them to come after her right now-she didn't know what she'd do, but it would be even more violent than her threats!

"You really shouldn't have done that," Sango chastised her about ten minutes later, having just sneaked out to get their breakfasts, endured all sorts of questions from the kitchen helpers and returned without seeing anyone in the main hall except a few servants inspecting the walls, which had been repaired with a wave of their lord's clawed and bruised hand. "Inuyasha wouldn't hurt you, but Kouga's not as reasonable as he is."

"Inuyasha? Reasonable?" Kagome was still angry at having her sleep interrupted and at Inuyasha's complete lack of consideration for her safety-especially after his nerve last night! The fact that he'd been compelled to ask was speedily brushed aside, and she began to eat in the conviction that she'd acted justly. Geez, I've been more violent in the past two days than in the past five years!

But she'd had reason, of course. And it did feel pretty nice to be able to let it out, knowing she wasn't going to stick around and had no reason to put up with anything. Especially not arbitrary sleep deprivation. Sleep had always been important to her, and its loss without good reason was inexcusable. Never mind that she shouldn't have stayed up so late...

"Kouga is a prince of an important branch of the wolf demon tribe," Sango said cautiously towards the end of the meal, when the feral gleam in Kagome's eyes had dimmed a bit. "He was here on a diplomatic mission and got caught the way Shippou did."

"Which means he should know a lot more about the curse than Shippou?" Kagome almost dropped her bowl at Sango's nod. "Do you think he'd tell me anything?" She winced, squeezing her eyes shut in sudden agony. "...After the way I threatened to shove his head down Inuyasha's neck?"

Sango sighed. "I tried to warn you."

Kagome put her head in her hands. "I knew there was a reason I usually don't get mad at everything...and when I do, I never scream about it." She parted her fingers and glared at Sango through them. "It's Inuyasha, I tell you. Just being around him makes me want to hurt something."

"Well, nothing to do but try to repair the damage," Sango said tactfully, clearing the dishes away. "What would you like to do today?"

"Hmmmm." Kagome pressed her lips together. "You're right. I have a mission. First, I'm gonna need a bath. Then I need your help with one of those fancy kimonos..."

It took Kagome nearly an hour of wandering around with Sango and smiling at nervous-looking servants to reassure them when she asked after Lord Kouga to find the wolf demon. He was lounging on a balcony on the second floor, squinting up at a single window and the only one on the third and highest floor. Sango bowed, whispered, "Good luck," and glided rapidly away.

Deep breath of bitingly cold air...another for good measure...and she was off, ignoring the cold seeping through her thick tabi socks and indoor slippers, not to mention her lungs. Sango had selected a light blue wool kimono that mercifully kept her warm.

"Hello, Kouga-sama," she said respectfully, bowing to his broad back.

"The hell do you want, wench?" He turned just enough to glare at her, and Kagome noticed two things: one, he was actually somewhat attractive, and two, his tone reminded her of Inuyasha's-but was different somehow. She couldn't quite pinpoint it.

Not that it didn't also piss her off.

"I wanted to apologize for my rudeness earlier," she replied evenly, and he sneered at her and looked back over the rail at the snow-silent courtyard.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Kagome ventured, wandering closer.

"Go away."

Kagome's eyebrow twitched. "I repeat, I'm sorry for what I said...and did. And I was wondering if you could tell me what happened when-"

"Piss off," he said curtly, arms crossed.

That did it. "Look, Kouga-sama, I apologized! You're the only one I can ask, and if you don't tell me, I'm gonna go nuts! Just answer a couple of questions and I'll leave you alone for the rest of the time I'm here!" she pleaded.

"And how long do you think that'll be?" Kouga shot back, favoring her with a glare. "I know dog-turd, unfortunately, and you're not going anywhere any time soon. So you might as well just leave now before you piss me off any more."

"Just one question?" Kagome locked eyes with him.

He scowled, then shuddered. "Stop that, dammit! Get out of here!"

"Fine!" she snapped, backing up and turning to go inside. "I swear, you're as bad as Inuyasha!"

Kouga was in front of her and grasping her right upper arm before she could blink. "Take that back, wench."

"Piss off," she said curtly, tugging vainly at her arm.

His fingers tightened painfully, and she glared at him. "That hurts!"

"Good! Now take it back before I break it!"

"I'll take it back if you apologize!" she spat, leaning as far away from him as possible.

Kouga growled and pulled her closer, nails almost puncturing the kimono's sleeve. "One more chance."

"Bite me." Kagome didn't think about that one, but he stopped and looked at her blankly, confused by the choice of words and flippant tone. She was beginning to wonder if he'd take her up on it when he released her and threw back his head, laughing and slapping one thigh.

"You're a rare one," he chuckled, pinching her chin and earning another swat to the hand. "Nothing like that cold bitch, that's for sure. I think I like you."

"I'm so glad." Kagome rubbed her arm and backed out of his reach. Condescending prick! "Wait-who? You mean the person I look like?"

Kouga winked and suddenly leapt to the railing, balancing on the narrow length with a few bare toes. "Now, where'd the fun be in that? If you don't know, I shouldn't tell you just yet. We're hardly even acquainted." He bowed mockingly, and she seethed: this castle was full of jerks! "Maybe if you're good, my Lady. Till then!" And he did a neat backflip right off the railing, darting across the courtyard and into the woods in a blur as she watched.

Well, that was hardly informative...or was it? She stopped on the threshold to ponder his words. She'd already figured out she looked like someone everyone knew, and judging by Kirara's reaction and Kouga's words, it was someone not everyone liked, or had liked-"that cold bitch" would certainly indicate at least one negative opinion. And if that person were still around, she would probably know it by now.

Miroku and Sango...well, they could've felt the same way, or maybe the opposite, but she strongly doubted they'd be able to tell her. Inuyasha was a puzzle in that respect, too: from the way he'd looked at her at first, her clone had to have been important to him. Very important.

Hs wife, maybe? He'd certainly reacted strongly enough, and though he was barely older than Kagome, she reminded herself that marrying age for nobility had been a lot lower back then...whenever 'then' was. Maybe the wife had died and everyone had hated her except Inuyasha...or everyone except maybe Kouga and Kirara had liked her and Kagome's resemblance just freaked them out?

But either way, where was she now? Did whoever put the curse down kill her? That would make sense. Anyone strong and evil enough to lay down a spell like that wouldn't mind killing Inuyasha's wife to make him even more miserable. And then making him ask some random girl to marry him every night, reminding him of that loss...!

Indignation and pity swelled up inside Kagome, and she had to remind herself sternly that this was Inuyasha she was thinking of, ignoring a little voice that told her maybe he only acted that way because of what he'd been through. He'd said himself that people weren't exactly understanding of his appearance and heritage in the first place: heap the curse on that, and...

She shook her head. No, Inuyasha had not been forced to bring her here and then treat her like an unwelcome guest, or to fight and destroy his own home and wake everyone up at the crack of dawn, when people were trying to sleep!

That was enough of that for now. Kagome hmphed and stepped inside.

"How did it go?" Sango asked, getting up from her kneeling position on the floor.

"Did Inuyasha ever have a wife?"

Kagome watched Sango keenly. The other woman's eyes grew wide, and she was obviously surprised. But she was able to recover momentarily, and she shook her head decisively. "No, he didn't, and if Kouga told you so, he was lying."

"He didn't. I was just wondering." Crap! There went all her theories.

Well, some of them, at least. Maybe it was his fiancee, or just someone he'd been in love with. She'd have to suck up to Kouga and find out later. The very thought irritated her, but if she played her cards right, she might actually get some answers for once. And I don't have to eat dinner with him, either, she thought in satisfaction.

"Let's go outside," she said aloud. "That snow's just begging to be played in."

But when they went out, Kagome discovered that her kimono made bending, running and kneeling in the snow impractical, and she reluctantly gave up on the idea till she could change. "I have another idea," Sango reassured her, beckoning her towards a set of small pavilions set near the castle's side.

They found Shippou tugging at a boomerang longer than either of the women were tall, as it had just fallen on the ground. "I'm sorry, Sango," the kit panted, pulling at one tasseled strap near the end with all his might. "It just fell over."

"That's all right," she reassured him, leaning down and hefting the weapon with ease. "This is my Hiraikotsu, my favorite weapon. Stand behind me, Kagome, and watch this."

Kagome obediently backed up and watched as Sango took a running step and flung the heavy boomerang out what had to be hundreds of feet. It arced up in a neat circle and veered back towards them. Kagome gave an "Eep!" and ducked behind a stack of barrels as it headed straight for where they were standing-then gaped as Sango easily caught it and swung it around to her back, dispelling its momentum. She began to applaud, and Shippou copied her as Sango looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"That was awesome!" Kagome emerged and hopped onto the sturdiest-looking top barrel. "Do it again!"

Amused, Sango complied and sent it even further before it swung back their way, and she plucked it out of the air and twirled it back into position without breaking a sweat.

"Cool! Could you teach me?" Kagome came up to inspect the boomerang closer.

Sango smiled and held it out politely. "Try holding it first."

Even with the slayer holding the middle just in case, Hiraikotsu came dangerously close to squashing Kagome as she tried to hold it upright by herself. "Ye gods! This thing weighs more than twice my little brother!" she gasped, gladly letting Sango relieve her of it and marveling at her easy handling.

"Maybe something else..." Kagome wandered inside a nearby shed, the lock of which had long since rusted off through exposure to the elements. There were rows of spears, a few so-so katanas, and... "Hey, what about this?" She emerged from the shed holding a long bow and a heavy quiver of arrows, holding them up for Sango's inspection.

The slayer's eyes widened. "Those are..." She smiled, a bit sadly. "That would be perfect. Let me set up a target and I'll teach you to shoot."

To Kagome's delight and Sango's enthusiastic praise, Kagome was a natural. She had to admit it just felt...right, somehow, to be holding the bow, even if her arm still ached where the wolf demon had grabbed her earlier.

"Feet braced firmly, but don't lock your knees..." Sango nudged Kagome's ankles into position and straightened her left arm, holding the bow upright. "Now, take the arrow by the fletching, the feathers, put it up with the notch against the string...perfect. Grasp it with these three fingers..." She demonstrated. "Good. Now draw it back to your ear, and a little further if you can...you can, very good...now take a deep breath...and as you exhale, let go of the arrow."

Kagome complied, and to both their delight, she struck the human-shaped straw right on the lower abdomen. "And I didn't even teach you how to aim yet!" Sango clapped her on the shoulder, grinning. "You're very good, Kagome-chan."

"It was luck," Kagome said modestly, flushing a little at the praise and affection. "It's almost like an extension of my arm. I just wanted the arrow to go straight."

"That's the idea," Sango conceded, still smiling. "Now, let's work on your aim a bit and practice standing more."

After about five more minutes of nonstop shooting, the quiver was exhausted and so were Kagome's arms. "It's time for lunch anyway," Sango said as Kagome lowered the bow, panting slightly. It was a lot harder to hold it up and keep drawing it back than to just do so once.

Shippou was their only company for lunch today; nor did Miroku, Inuyasha or Kouga show themselves after the trio went back out for a bit more target practice before dinner. As a result, both Kagome and Sango were in high spirits, and Kagome ignored the dull ache in her arm and insisted upon more archery practice.

"This is boring," Shippou protested after her third break, watching clouds gather in the previously overcast but light grey sky. He brightened. "I know!"

The women watched as he sprang off the barrels and ran about thirty yards out into the snow, busily piling up drifts. They looked at each other, then back at Shippou in curiosity as he scooped, shoveled and sculpted one pile about two feet tall, slightly above his head. "Try shooting this one," he shouted, backing away and batting snow out of his tail.

Kagome frowned, trying to make sense of the lump's weird features, but Sango sputtered, "Shippou! Take that down! What if he sees it?"

It was then that she recognized two bumps atop the snow-thing's head as triangular ears and burst out laughing. "Shippou-chan, you are a genius!"

Shippou grinned toothily, so pleased by the compliment that he hopped into another drift and started the process again. Neither could make this one out till he ran to the edge of the woods, grabbed a stick and ran back to place it in the lump's right hand. "There's his staff!"

"That one's mine!" Sango said instantly, and Kagome had to concede that she had the right.

Last, Shippou made an extremely crude Kouga, and once they were done laughing at his angry snow face, Kagome made him come over so she could fuss over Shippou, tickle him and then keep him out of harm's way as she 'practiced.'

Saving the best for last, Kagome first took aim at Kouga, released and shattered him dead center, right below the waist.

Well, that was enough to put all three of them out of action for a few minutes; when they stopped laughing and looked back over at the snowy wolf demon, they saw that his face had survived but was creased into an even bigger and more comical scowl than ever, resting right above where the shaft of the arrow stuck out.

Kagome had no idea she could've laughed any harder, but laugh they all did, for quite a while. She had to send Shippou to retrieve the arrow and destroy the evidence before they could stop and calm down.

Next was Sango's turn. Wiping a few last tears from her eyes without smudging the magenta eyeliner she always wore as a mark of her trade, she took careful aim, fired and struck the twig right out of his hand. Before they could console her on the miss, she took another arrow and neatly clipped the stubby right snow arm off before demolishing it through the torso with a third shot.

"Wow," Kagome said respectfully as Shippou cheered. "And here I was getting so proud of myself and my lucky aim."

"As you should be," Sango replied, handing the bow back over. "Now for the last one."

Shippou giggled, and Kagome winked at him as she placed her feet apart and selected an arrow. "Let's see how I do with this one..."

But as she fired, she flinched slightly at a sudden feeling of misgiving, and then yelped as the string slapped her on the inside of her right forearm. "Oh, no," Sango exclaimed, grabbing Kagome's arm lightly and turning it over to see an angry red swelling already rising on the pale flesh. "That happens sometimes, Kagome-chan. Here."

Wincing, Kagome looked over at the last snow pile as Shippou offered Sango some snow and the slayer gratefully accepted, applying it gingerly to the forming bruise. The arrow was stuck upright in the snow less than an inch away from it; suddenly, the caricature didn't seem so funny anymore.

The injury wasn't serious, of course, but it did put a damper on their fun, and it stung so much when any fabric touched it that Kagome put her own clothes back on before dinner and rolled up her sweater sleeve, deciding the cold was tolerable in comparison to the incessant stinging. Of course, when she bunched the sleeve around her upper arm, Kouga's finger marks began to throb, and she had to push it all the way to her shoulder. There, problem solved.

"What the hell happened to you?"

And a new one created, as Inuyasha's red eyes instantly found the mark on her arm as she knelt at the little dinner table.

"I was practicing with the bow and the string got me," she answered, carefully lifting her chopsticks and ignoring the way her arm throbbed at the slight movement.

Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head. "The bow?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, wincing at his tone. "Is something wrong with that?"

He grunted, picking up his own utensils while still watching her. "If you're that clumsy, you should've worn a guard, you know."

"No, I didn't know," Kagome snapped. "And I'm suffering for my stupidity. I hope that makes you happy."

After the question last night, the fight this morning, and Shippou's snowman, she could hardly look him in the face, she was suddenly so embarrassed. He continued watching her till she grew irritated and looked up at him. "What?"

"Don't yell at me 'cause Sango screwed up," he said irritably, ears twitching. "Next time, borrow one of those stupid prissy things the wimpy wolf wears on his arms."

"Why would I do that?" she asked warily, catching an undercurrent in his tone.

"I can smell him on you somewhere, okay?" Inuyasha chose that moment to go back to his meal.

His attention was promptly reclaimed by Kagome's left hand slamming her bowl on the table. "And you assume that after I screamed at both of you like some kind of PMSing, emotional freak, I took him aside and let him feel me up?! You-you-"

"Well, if I'm wrong, why are you so mad? And why aren't you looking at me?" he countered.

Kagome just stared at him. "You think I have a guilty conscience or something?" She hefted her right arm and traced the faint marks where Kouga had grabbed her. "Does this look like I let that overbearing jerk touch me?"

Inuyasha leaned in closer to see, and his expression clouded. "He did that without your permission?" She nodded shortly and shook her head frantically as he leapt to his feet and flung the shoji open. "Hey! Wait wait wait!"

"What? Did you let him, or not?" Inuyasha snarled, glaring at her as if this were all her fault.

"Of course not! But that doesn't mean you can go play Mighty Man again! Just sit down and finish eating!" she hissed, waving for him to sit down.

"Fine! You're right. He's not worth interrupting my meal." Inuyasha plunked back down and resumed eating, muttering curses in between bites.

"Honestly," Kagome muttered, sipping angrily at her tea. "As if I'd tell anyone, 'Yes, please grab my arm so hard that it leaves m-' Ow!"

"Moron!" Inuyasha leapt to his feet again, stuck his silvery head out and bellowed, "SANGO!"

Kagome was busy trying to soothe the burning sting on her arm where she'd accidentally let tea slop onto the wound, which Sango had insisted they leave uncovered till she could find the proper ingredients for a poultice. "This is why I wasn't looking at you," she said through clenched teeth.

"What?!"

"You're always trying to make me look like an idiot!" she snapped, cradling her arm closer as he leaned in to inspect it. "Letting Dad think I was gonna die, making fun of me for being here, telling me I should've done this or that, and asking me to-!"

She bit her words off as her arm seared again. Inuyasha was mercifully quiet as Sango raced into the room, kimono flapping as she dropped to her knees and gently took hold of Kagome's arm with one hand, setting down a small basket in the other. "I'm sorry this took so long, Kagome-chan, but I had to ask old Kaede for the last of her bruise medicine," she said quietly, opening a little jug of cool water and dripping a bit onto the injury. Kagome willed herself not to flinch or show any pain: Inuyasha was watching her again.

"Why the fuck does she have it in the first freakin' place?" Inuyasha growled at Sango without looking away from Kagome. "You probably got enough of that when you were first training."

"I know," Sango said calmly, though she flushed angrily. "It was my fault. She was doing so well that it slipped my mind. Hold this, Kagome-chan."

Kagome pressed her finger onto the pungent little bundle Sango had just placed on the bruise so the slayer could wrap it carefully with clean linen and then tie it off firmly. "Not too tight, is it?"

"No, that's perfect," Kagome lied. Damn, that thing hurt for such a small injury.

"What about the other one?" Inuyasha demanded. Sango looked at Kagome in surprise, which only increased when the latter shook her head and smilingly shooed her away so she could finish eating.

"Thanks," Kagome said after Sango had left and awkward silence descended.

"For what?" Inuyasha peered at her suspiciously around his sake cup.

"For worrying about me," Kagome said patiently.

He snorted in utter disgust. "Feh. Like I'd let that frickin' wolf damage my hostage. And Sango was just being stupid. You need to yell at her or something the next time she does that. You know you owe her one for letting you run around outside half-naked yesterday anyway."

"For one thing, Sango is my friend, not my slave or my babysitter," Kagome said coldly, favoring him with a deadpan look that he couldn't quite meet. "And I was fully clothed, thank you, and actually comfortable for once here, so you can keep your advice to yourself!"

"Whaddya mean, for once?" he protested. "I let you wear anything you want, and here you go parading around in your underwear and your own weird clothes like some kind of freak!"

"You're calling me-" But she wouldn't go there, not even now. She could tell he was waiting for it, ready to snarl back. Well, screw him! "For your information..." She dropped her voice back down to cold detachment. "I was fully clothed. Only one kimono instead of fifteen layers does not make me any more or less naked that if I were showing skin." Deep, calming breath. "And those are my clothes, not 20-layer silk deathtraps, and you don't have to mince everywhere in them like you would die if you took a bigger step than a tiptoe! Do you have any clue how uncomfortable an obi is? Huh? Ever thought of that? I know you never bothered to think about any of this, but try it for once! You of all people should know not to dump on something because you're not used to it!"

That last bit struck home, if nothing else had, as he visibly flinched before smoothing his face out as much as he could. Only a light tic on the right stripe gave him away. "Shut up," he growled, but it didn't even faze her.

"You really are a jerk," she pronounced, setting her empty rice bowl down with a soft clink. Curious about the reaction she'd gotten out of him, Kagome propped her chin up on her left fist and studied him absently as he finished eating.

"Stop that," he growled, slight guilt making him feel even more irate.

"Why?" she asked peacefully.

"Because I don't like it," he mumbled. "Does it matter?"

"If you don't like it, it does." And she deliberately turned her eyes on the table instead.

"Would you stop that?" His snarl brought her head back up, this time in surprise. He really seemed angry now, and her brows knitted in confusion.

"What's your problem?" She couldn't decide if he was being serious or not; a few seconds of Staring Match confirmed that he was. "What, did you think I was making fun of you or something?"

"You scream at me twice, accuse me of making fun of you, tell me I'm ignorant, and then act like my feelings are important?" Inuyasha's voice rose. "What else am I supposed to think?"

"That maybe I thought we'd misunderstood each other and I was trying to make up for it!" Kagome yelled, tears beginning to form despite her best efforts. "Excuse the hell out of me! If you want to keep pretending the world is against you, I can just keep yelling at you so you can feel sorry for yourself! Would that make you feel better?!"

"No, it wouldn't!" he yelled back, trying desperately to ignore the glimmer of tears beginning to form in her eyes. He never won against a crying female, and he knew it.

"Then what would?!" She sniffled angrily and swiped at her eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't have yelled at you, and maybe I should! It doesn't matter as long as you keep thinking that you're some kind of monster, playing the part and then getting indignant when people react like you are!"

"I don't have to play the part!" he shouted without thinking, then hastily doubled back before she could seize the opportunity. "I mean, I could be a gods-damned saint, and my own servants would still look at me like I'll bite their heads off if they turn their backs!"

"They look at you like that because you act like such a jerk!" Kagome retorted. "If you'd stop treating them like slaves and let them see you're not a monster, they wouldn't be afraid of you!"

"They've acted that way my entire life, wench, not just after I got landed with the fucking curse," Inuyasha grated, claws slowly curling wood off the floor as he scraped it. "Don't give me any 'inner beauty' shit, either. You can lecture me after you've lived my life for me, all over again. Till then, keep your damn mouth shut."

"Have you ever eaten squirrel?"

The query was so unexpected that he couldn't think of a reply...till his rage-clogged brain processed it incorrectly. "And here you've been-"

"I'm not calling you a beast or a monster or anything! Just answer the damn question!" she yelled over him.

Inuyasha began carving all sorts of patterns into the wood, knowing he could fix it instantly later, speaking with exaggerated calm. "No, I have not ever eaten those fluffy damned tree rats."

"I have. Do you know why?"

He gave her his best scowl. "Because you were bored? No, I don't know why!"

"Because we had nothing else to eat!"

That was unexpected. He grunted and began retracing swear words into the polished table. "So? What the hell is your point, if you have one?"

She folded her arms. "I'm not competing for pity." Inuyasha snorted. "My point is that no one ever knows what anyone else's life is like, and there's no way they can, so trying to say your life is better or worse than mine for whatever reason is pointless!"

"Save your moralizing, wench." He stared at the floor as her words soaked in. "Why couldn't you just say 'Quit whining' and save my time and your breath?"

She laughed suddenly, and Inuyasha's heart felt funny for the briefest of seconds. Damn indigestion. "If I'd told you to quit whining," she said after a moment, "then we'd both be screaming at each other, I'd be crying, and you'd probably be making fun of me."

"No, I wouldn't," he said before he could stop himself, and she blinked at him.

"That may very well be true," Kagome admitted, running her left hand through her hair and noting that she needed to wash it. Too bad she shared shampoo with her sisters and Kirara probably hadn't grabbed the bottle. "No point in arguing about it now."

"For once, you're right." Inuyasha got to his feet and folded his arms, strangely at peace despite their latest fight. After that first time, he'd been up most of the night dreaming up new insults for her, and last night he was so humiliated from fulfilling the curse's most basic requirement that he hadn't slept well, either. "Good night, Kagome." He faced his room and took another deep breath. Ugh. Here goes again. "Will you marry me?"

No answer. The silence behind him was deafening, and as the seconds passed, his embarrassment heightened exponentially.

"Dammit, wench, it's not a hard question." Inuyasha finally risked a look at her-and scowled. "What are you looking at?"

"You never said my name before," she said quietly, a smile beginning to form. "That's all."

"Yeah, that's great. Now answer me." He shifted back around, concentrating very hard on being grumpy.

Kagome smirked at his back. She'd already caught him flushing again. "No, Inuyasha, I will not marry you."

"Good night, then." He stalked away as fast as last night, but left his "hostage" smiling this time.

Sango was wise enough not to ask what had happened at dinner, so Kagome rewarded her after they blew the torches out by telling her the whole thing word for word, knowing Sango wouldn't breathe a word of it to anyone else in the castle. As if it was a private conversation. We were yelling half of it.

"It sounds as if you certainly gave him something to think about," Sango commented once Kagome was done. "I wish the houshi-sama would sit still half that long for a serious conversation."

"It was a fight, Sango-chan, not a serious conversation." Kagome sighed and rolled over in bed. "You wouldn't want to have to yell at Miroku-sama the way I've been screeching at Inuyasha. Now that I think about it, I probably have PMS or something."

Sango made a questioning noise, and that brought the conversation to a whole new level, the specifics of which need not be related. But both women were drowsy from their lack of sleep and the day's excitement, and Sango drifted off after barely half an hour. Kagome took much longer, wondering irritably just how dense a guy could get; finally her mind tired of the subject, and she fell asleep wondering what Akemi and Nabiki had done with the space where her bed had been. Probably rented it out to a rich yuppie looking for a weekend retreat.

And with a final mental image of Inuyasha yelling at rich tourists to get off his property, Kagome closed her eyes and was fast asleep.

A/N: And there's another day. Man, it's only her second day and already things look nothing like the outline I made. Time to plan some more before I run out of outline to go by...till then, you guys rule. Be back soon with more Miroku! ;D

(P.S. Getting whacked with a bowstring reeeeally hurts. If you don't know what I mean, don't try it.)