InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Beast ❯ Recovery ( Chapter 14 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha's not mine, but I prefer my boyfriend anyway, so no skin off my nose.

A/N: Here we are, ze promised chapter, a tad on the short side (for me) and a bit late-BUT I have an excuse...the phone jacks in my room and some of the neighbors' screwed themselves up Sunday night. I got NO sleep in order to bring this to y'all as soon as I could (sorry, PhoenixoftheMoon, but I had difficulty getting this up Monday morning, much less before Sunday...) Blarg. Very frustrating, having done this on time and not being able to post it. Ah, well...I'm not a chronic promise-breaker, I promise. : (

And in response to a coupla queries I've gotten, I must say that 1. Good question, ArtemisMoon: I have no idea how long this fic'll be, but I'll be skipping days or weeks starting very soon; as much fun as I'm having with this, I don't wanna crank out a total of 90 chapters...and 2. I know a bit of Japanese and am aware of Tetsusaiga vs. Tessaiga, but I saw Viz's interpretation of the large tsu first in the licensed English manga, before I started reading the translations and their proper spellings of names like Kikyou, Kouga and Shippou (Viz leaves the u out-for those of you who don't read or speak any Japanese, it denotes a longer vowel sound, and omitting it creates another word entirely, so yes, it is important). So thanks for pointing it out, Choubaka, but though I'm a stickler for spelling most names properly, I'm just too used to seeing and writing Tetsusaiga to use Tessaiga. (Everyone else: if you're confuzzled about the tsu thing, check out this story's reviews for a kindly provided explanation.)

Beast

Chapter 14

Kagome's eyes opened quite suddenly, and for a second she just stared at the ceiling, mind utterly blank.

"Come over here, girl, and kindly hurry."

Reflexively she sat up in a split second, then winced, waiting for a head rush or a headache or something to show for it...and noticed with some surprise that nothing happened.

"Here."

Kagome obediently swung her legs over the side of the bed and got up. "Where are you?" Sango was nowhere to be seen, not even her futon; that voice definitely wasn't Shippou, either. At least it wasn't inside her head this time...

A hazy image flickered near the corner. "Right here. Come near me. I have less difficulty speaking to you this way if your mind is properly focused."

Kagome plopped down on her knees a few feet away, and the image rippled, solidifying into that of a beautiful young woman, kneeling, dressed in priestess clothes. It didn't take the fact that her features mirrored Kagome's to help her figure out whom it was. "What're you doing here, Kikyou?" Damn, this is freaky...

"Call it a courtesy visit before I...shall we say, fade into the background...for a time." Kikyou inclined her head slightly.

"Oh." Kagome frowned. "We did separate, right?" The priestess tilted her head forward in acknowledgment. "Good, `cause that frickin' hurt. I know you warned me, but..." Her head twinged slightly just remembering that horrible tearing sensation.

"Sometimes sacrifices are necessary for all of us." Kikyou's face remained impassive, but Kagome caught her fiddling with her hands for a moment before regaining her austerity.

"Uh...right. So if you're here, then..." Kagome paused to pinch the back of her arm very hard. Nothing. "I'll be damned, it worked. I am dreaming."

"Correct. As I said, I'd prefer to remain unseen for a time while the curse plays out. I merely thought you might wish to know something before I do."

"Okay, thanks...but why didn't you tell me before?"

Kikyou reached up to smooth a nonexistent lock of hair away from her face. "Impatience. I hardly enjoyed having to reside in your mind."

"And the feeling was really mutual. So what've you got to say?"

"My sister was dutiful in her training, but she has never worked with the Jewel, so certain things are not within her power to teach. You must know how to cast your mind about the castle and grounds; you need not be asleep, but your body will be vulnerable in that time, so you must take care with using it. Moving your entire self about instantly is more difficult, and more draining, so I will teach you to do so after you've become accustomed to simpler tricks."

Eavesdropping anywhere, instantly? Trick, my ass. Kagome waited for any sign that the priestess had heard that and got none. Nice. Maybe she can't hear me think if she's only visiting... "Got it," she said aloud. Then, unable to hide her curiosity, "How much did you use this?"

"Life for the guardian of the Shikon Jewel was more dangerous than you could ever imagine, girl," Kikyou said coldly. "If I was not completely aware of my surroundings at all times, I would have..." Dark humor glinted for a moment in her eyes. "Well, you saw how I still ended my life."

"Okay, I get it. You had to. Now, how does it work?"

"I discovered a simple method. Imagine your mind as a stone, a small one..."

Wait, was that an insult?

"And the rooms in this castle, or small areas outside, are pools of water. You need only associate the images with where you wish to go, cast your stone into each pool and then withdraw it as necessary in order to be there. Take caution not to attempt to submerge yourself in too large an area, or you may have extreme difficulty extracting your mind. Thus this exercise is not practical outdoors-you must know exactly where you wish to listen and watch, or you will waste your time and strength searching endlessly. If you must search a large space such as the great hall, look in small areas at a time, not the entirety."

"Makes sense." Kagome pondered for a moment. "Can I try it now?"

The priestess hesitated only a moment before nodding acquiescence. "All right. It's wisest to move slowly at first...I suppose you may try to listen to what is happening in the waking world around your body at this moment."

Kagome nodded and took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"Clear your mind and imagine the pool."

Kagome let it out shortly and cracked one eye open. "I was. Could you keep quiet for a sec and let me try first?" Kikyou frowned slightly but said nothing. "Thank you."

She reformed the image of her room as a little pond - the room was a decent size, but not huge - and pictured a rock the size of a golf ball hovering over it. Here goes... She let the rock drop.

The world reeled for a few seconds, and she had the uncomfortable sensation of flipping upside down and then back up in a heartbeat-but without any stomach to feel sick with. Holy crap, this is weird! And I'm sleeping right here in the room already, dammit...what's it gonna be like going outside this way?!

A movement in the blurry screen of color surrounding her made her focus, and she recognized Sango as the vision cleared. The slayer was looking over her shoulder, almost straight at Kagome: if her mind's eye had been a camera lens, it'd be pointed right at her friend's face. "What is it, houshi-sama?"

Kagome tried to turn around to look and managed a feeble `glance' over at the monk, who bowed and moved to the side of the bed, where Kagome saw with some shock that she was lying, asleep. "I came to check on Kagome-sama. I persuaded Inuyasha to go work some of his energy off in the forest."

Only curiosity about these two and reminding herself of Kikyou's warning kept Kagome from mentally running after him: what was he doing out there? Ah, well, she could always ask later-especially not when she felt like she was listening to a mediocre radio station at the moment. There wasn't exactly static, but the voices seemed a bit muffled, distinguishable but not terribly clear. Better to wait till she could have at him when she could understand him.

"I hope she's all right," Sango said quietly, pulling the top blanket over Kagome's shoulders despite the room's slightly stuffy warmth.

"I believe so, Sango-sama." Miroku reached to pat Sango on the shoulder, pausing in midair and watching her sideways in sudden indecision.

Kagome would've held her breath if she could. C'mon, Miroku, go for it!

The monk lowered his hand, then put on a cheerful expression and clapped her on the shoulder. "You should go get something to eat, Sango-sama. I'll stand guard in case she wakes."

Sango snorted. "As if I'd trust you with her while she's asleep. No, thank you, houshi-sama."

"I would never stoop so low, and especially not with Kagome-sama." Miroku shook his head gravely. "Whatever would make you think so little of me?"

"Whatever would make me think I could trust you?" Sango retorted, eyes still on the bed.

Ooooooooh. That one had to hurt. Sango, you dope! Kagome heartily wished herself awake and capable of slapping some sense into her friend, who did not see the monk's eyes close in a deep, unconscious grimace before the careless mask came back up. "I suppose I deserved that. But please accept my assurances that I do not and would never...er...take advantage of a woman not capable of refusing me logically."

Sango spared him a puzzled glance for his odd tone, and Kagome berated herself for not just telling her what'd happened the night before. Or was it? Man, I need to wake up soon and see how long I've been out.........after these guys finish talking, of course.

"What the hell are you two babbling about?" Inuyasha stalked into the room and scowled at the bed, where Kagome willed her body to rise up and smack him, too, for interrupting. ...Nothing doing. Damn.

"She's not sick or anything," the hanyou was saying. "You two can go do whatever it is you do when I'm not here. I'll take over."

"Why, so you can throttle her when she awakes? I think not," Sango snapped, flushing at Miroku's cheerfully suggestive look.

"Don't be stupid. I just need to ask her some stuff I can't talk about in front of you." Now he was the one to grow flustered as the monk and slayer raised eyebrows at each other. "Not that, you idiots! Just go away and give me a minute till I send for you!"

"Is Kagome better yet?" Inuyasha growled louder as the fox kit peeked around the corner, nose wrinkling in disappointment. "She's still sleeping?"

"Go play outside, Shippou," Sango told him gently but firmly. "We'll tell you when she wakes up."

"Oh. Okay." With a last disappointed glance, the boy obediently disappeared.

"Nice to know someone around here can follow orders. Now, bouzu, I mean it. You two get out n-"

"Did ye wish to see me, Sango?" Inuyasha's back teeth ground audibly as the old herbalist slid the shoji back. Kagome almost felt sorry for him-almost. She had a pretty good idea what he wanted to talk about, too...

"Yes, Kaede, I need some...tea." Sango stepped past the monk, watching him carefully till she was out of grabbing range. "I'll be right back, Inuyasha."

"That's just great." Inuyasha tapped his first two claws irritably on one bedpost. "Fine, then. Out, bouzu."

"No chance," the monk said serenely, and Kagome fancied Inuyasha's eyes actually grew three or four shades darker before he folded his hands into his sleeves and plunked onto the floor.

Then, of course, he had to stand right back up; otherwise, he was stuck looking up at the bed. "What're you lookin' at?" he snarled at Miroku, turning to favor the two women as well. "And I thought you had to do something!"

"Of course, Inuyasha." Kaede bowed. "I do hope ye will not blame Kagome- sama for this when she wakes. None of the castle's troubles, nor her rebirth, are any fault of hers, and yet she suffers on her account and yours."

"Shut up and get the hell out, hag." Inuyasha tapped one bare foot restlessly, then the other.

"She gives herself little credit if she has put up with ye this far already," Kaede murmured, beckoning for Sango to follow her out.

"Yeah, she probably does. She's stupid like that." Inuyasha looked down at the bed with an unreadable expression, and Kagome wasn't quite sure what to think. It didn't feel like an insult...but-

To her utter frustration, Inuyasha remained in that weird, almost thoughtful pose and Miroku seemed to be thinking of something; neither of the two said a word till Sango came back in several minutes later. "Any change?"

"She's been out all night and most of the morning. Why the hell would she wake up just `cause you left for a minute?" Inuyasha grumbled.

"No, she's still asleep, Sango-sama," Miroku replied at the same time, rapping Inuyasha smartly between the ears and ignoring a muttered threat about shoving the staff somewhere.

"I see." Sango reached for the blanket, and Kagome suddenly felt a strange tingling, like her whole body was coming to after being numb for a while-and the world turned upside down and back again-

"I think she's waking up," Kagome heard dimly. Only this time the voice sounded real, if a little sleep-fuzzy, and that pins-and-needles feeling came back, stronger, before fading away entirely. "Kagome-chan?"

Her eyelids felt like sandpaper glued together, but she blinked once experimentally, and the icky sensation promptly vanished. All three around the bed jumped as she sat up like a shot and touched her head: no head rush this time, either, though she was definitely awake now. Weird...but hey, who am I to question waking up without some kind of horrible pain somewhere?

"Kagome-sama? How are you feeling?" Miroku asked, moving forward to peer into her face.

"I..." They drew closer as her features clouded over and she frowned.

"Oi, you okay, wench?" Inuyasha snapped, concern roughening his voice even further.

Kagome bit her lip and passed a hand over her face. They leaned over, listening worriedly as she spoke in a whisper. "I...really have to pee."

Everyone froze. "You...what?"

"Pee. I hafta use the bathroom. J'ai besoin de pisser." Three languages. Nice. Gotta teach Sango some English and French so we can drive the guys crazy some time...

Of course, if Inuyasha's eye tic was any indication, she was already pretty close as it was. "You...all that...pass out for night...and all you say is-?!"

"Back up and let me out, would you?" Kagome flung the covers off, noticing with belated gratitude that her dress was still on. "If you give us a minute, we'll be outside, Inuyasha."

"Hey-wait one damn-come back here!"

Miroku discreetly backed out of swiping range as the women left, chatting quietly, and Inuyasha began to look downright dangerous. The hanyou wasn't nearly as violent as he tried to let people think, but one never knew.

The moment she finished and came back out into the front courtyard, Kagome was nearly knocked over by a direct launch to the chest. "Kagomeeeee!"

"You're gonna kill me one of these days, Shippou-chan," she wheezed, settling the kitsune more comfortably in her arms. "What're you up to?"

"C'mere!" He tugged at her arm, pointing to a cluster of about a dozen children of varying ages a few yards away. Most looked either apprehensive or eager, or some mix thereof. "They knew the other priestess lady, and I told them how nice and fun you are. You have to come say hi for a minute."

"Oh?" Kagome nodded to Sango, who had just finished greeting Kirara and walked back to her side with the tiny cat on her shoulder. "It can't hurt anything, I guess."

Inuyasha settled himself into his favorite niche and scowled down at the knot of children as Kagome made her way towards them, set Shippou down and evidently began introducing herself. It was a tad too far away for even his ears to catch what she was saying, but her tone was friendly enough, and the kids seemed receptive, crowding closer than was probably respectful to listen. He scowled as one little girl reached out to tug at Kagome's odd "dress," as he remembered her calling it. Wench needs to learn to keep some boundaries.

He raised his head and tested the wind, making a mental note not to yell at Sango later: the slayer was watching the forest and had Kirara right there, too, in case any more demons came sniffing out the Jewel's power. Another thing-need to ask the hag about suppressing that damn thing without screwing me over. He shuddered at the thought of getting into another fight with the wolf and finding himself unable to repair the castle's damage.

Technically, Inuyasha supposed he should also demand some answers from her about Kikyou and the Jewel right now, but hell, she'd kill him if he dragged her away. Kagome was definitely not in the mood to be interrupted: by her tone and movements, she was telling the kids where she lived and about her family, glossing over certain points but elaborating on the more entertaining ones, to judge from the occasional bursts of laughter.

It was a nice scene, and one that was almost too familiar...Kikyou had seemed completely cold, possibly heartless and definitely single-minded in protecting the Jewel, and thus he'd assumed her attitude was all there was till he began to really pay attention and discovered that children were one of the only chinks in the dam holding her emotions back. More than once, Inuyasha had sought her out - only because he was curious, nothing more - to find her the center of a ring of small girls and boys, teaching them about herbs, or telling them stories about demons-cautionary tales to be sure, but stories nonetheless. She had had no trouble smiling around them, either, the only times he'd ever caught her doing so...

A sudden wave of nostalgia gave Inuyasha the strong, unfamiliar urge to smile himself, and he almost chuckled as Kagome crouched to take one little girl's hands, grinning mischievously. Kikyou didn't look exactly the same, no, but the kids do like `em both a hell of a lot. I wonder if that's just coincidence...

Now Kagome was holding her hands up and talking so quietly that he couldn't hear at all; she looked around at her audience, whose faces were wide-eyed and gleeful with expectation, and Inuyasha watched her profile with growing interest. They're not the same person-but if she's Kikyou's reincarnation, there has to be more ways they're ali-

Kagome swiftly brought her hands up to her face; an earsplittingly distinct sound ripped through the air, and the children jumped, then shouted with laughter and begged Kagome-sama to do it again at the top of their lungs.

Inuyasha's ears plastered themselves to his skull, and his jaw dropped as Kagome made that sound once more, even louder and more profane. Did she just...she did! Well, shit, there goes my theory! There was no way in hell Kikyou would've ever even dreamed of making a fart sound, much less teaching the kids how to do it the way Kagome was now!

"Shit," he muttered aloud, ears twitching uncontrollably as he got up and the sounds from below grew louder. Gods, doesn't that wench have any dignity?! And their parents are gonna complain like...hmmmm... Despite his irritation, Inuyasha had to smirk. They're gonna be pissed. Excellent! Teach `em to let my guest babysit their kids like a servant or something.

The thought of pissing all those fawning, snooty, holier-than-thou idiots off at once cheered him right back up, and even as he jumped when one older boy succeeded louder than his peers, he was able to shrug it off. Hell, it was even a bit funny in a way. Body functions were body functions, but anything that made the servants unhappy...

Kagome was having so much fun with her new protégés that Sango left Kirara to guard them and brought lunch out from within the castle, leaving Kagome to chat with a few women who did the same for their children. "Thank you so much for taking the trouble of entertaining them, Kagome-sama," one said ruefully, bowing deeply. "I trust they've been well-behaved?"

"Of course. I haven't had any trouble at all." Kagome nodded back, smiling and willing none of the kids to-

"Look what Kagome-sama taught us, Mama! Listen!" One girl no more than six jammed the heels of her hands together, brought them to her mouth, and produced an amazingly potent sound for her size, then grinned proudly. "Isn't it great?"

Kagome could've cheerfully died as the woman's patiently expectant expression stiffened into forced amusement. "Very."

"Ah...yes, I was...er...isn't it lovely out today?" Kagome smiled brightly and almost cried with relief when she caught sight of Sango descending the steps. "Time to eat now. Thanks, keep up the good work, bye!"

"I told you it'd backfire," the slayer said calmly as the women retreated in a small pack, gossiping like mad.

"Don't rub it in," Kagome muttered. It had seemed like a fun idea at the time. Even though Dad didn't like it much either when Yusaku got me, Ataru and Souta to do it nonstop for a week when we were little...

The rest of the afternoon passed swiftly in games of Tag and more stories about her life; only the fact that she was now sweaty beyond belief kept her from half-jokingly whining when Sango indicated it was time to go in. "We both need to get cleaned up, Kagome-ch...sama."

"Yeah, we do." Kagome smiled at the murmurs of disappointment. "Now, c'mon, I'll be back out tomorrow."

"We have to go back to helping with the chores starting tomorrow," an older girl complained, eyeing her hopefully.

"Well, we'll see each other sometimes anyway. I'll talk to Inuyasha about what we were discussing earlier, too." She grinned as they squealed and Shippou leapt onto her shoulder. "Yes, I meant it. Now, time to go in for all of us. It's getting dark."

It was pleasantly cool by the time they emerged from the baths and Kagome dressed for dinner, choosing a pair of comfy old black jeans and a nice sweater over a white tank top. "How come you never dress normal anymore, Kagome?" Shippou asked curiously as she pulled the sweater down.

"This is more comfortable. I thought it was just easier to wear kimonos before, but I'll save those for special occasions from now on. `Sides, these are easier to clean." Kagome tapped his nose very lightly. "Time for dinner. I'll see you later, Shippou-chan."

The fox pouted. "How come I never get to eat with you?"

"Because Inuyasha says so, and you get to eat my breakfast every day anyway, not to mention lunch, of course." She swept him up and poked his sides gently, grinning as he squirmed. "See, if you come up while we're eating, I'm just gonna do this the whole time!"

"That's not fair!" he protested between giggles.

"I know." She planted a kiss on his forehead. "Just humor me, `kay? I'll be back later tonight."

"You're spoiling the kid again," Inuyasha said flatly.

"And you're being a macho idiot again. It's called affection, and kids need it, end of story." Kagome knelt in her usual place and wondered why there was no food set out: it was late enough, and she was hungry, darn it. "Why are you still standing up?"

"We're not eating in here." Inuyasha jerked his head at the outer shoji. "C'mon, wench, or we'll miss it."

Kagome perked up. "Really? Are we eating out there again?"

"Not if you don't move your ass," he snapped, opening the shoji.

She clapped her hands and followed him out to the balcony almost right on his heels, ignoring the strange room on the way entirely. They were just in time, as the sun was still a brilliant slit of reddish orange on the horizon. "Get on."

Kagome obediently leaned against his proffered back and held on as he stood up, though now she knew better and hooked her legs around his waist to keep most of her weight off her arms. He paused just a bit as she did, then cautiously looped one hand under each of her knees for support. "Done?"

"Yep. Go for it." Sheez. She'd even expected a little embarrassment this time, but it was one thing to know something in theory - i.e. that getting on his back was of course not something she was 100 percent okay with, even after trying it once - but another thing to do it again and notice muscle, warmth, and so on, not to mention his hands-which thankfully were resting on denim and not skin, curved to keep his claws from snagging or biting through the fabric.

Kagome mentally took a deep breath and whacked herself. This is Inuyasha, you dork, not a guy from school you can drool over. See, there're his ears. They flicked as she looked up, and instead of reminding her that this was a semi-supernatural, freaky-looking kinda-friend and not someone she need get too involved with, they only made her want to squeal and grab them. Ah, hell, I have more sense than that anyway. Right? Right. Time to stop yakking with myself now. Right.

For his part, Inuyasha was grateful she couldn't see his face or the goofy look he probably had. Stupid reflexes. She should've done the leg thing before, but it still surprised me. Ah, well, anything that kept her from falling off was good.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, though, he also had to offer a quick prayer of thanks to anyone listening that his hair was so long. He hadn't noticed before, but thanks to the sake episode and the few other times they'd been in very close proximity, his mind now saw fit to inform him that she not only smelled nice, but was warm and soft. Very soft. Possibly even very, very-

Shut UP, dammit! "You ready?"

"Whenever you are." Kagome kept down a yelp as he took off, less smoothly than he'd hoped. Clutching his neck and waist tighter, she craned her neck out and admired the view of the grounds and forest as they leveled off and began the descent, settling on the pavilion with a light thud.

"Thanks. So, why the treat?" Kagome got down with minimal difficulty and stretched, watching the sun set as Inuyasha moved around behind her.

"Couple reasons. First, you owe me one hell of an explanation for whatever happened to make you conk out like that, and why she came out and said hi to me..."

"She did?" Kagome's good mood evaporated, and she whirled around. "Was this at the tree? What did she say? What did she look like?"

"Hey," Inuyasha protested, holding one hand up and waving it irritably. "Calm down. You're missing the sunset."

"Screw the sunset! What did she say?"

"Dammit, wench, she didn't say anything! Just hi, Inuyasha, and that you'd wake up soon. That was all. Quit yelling at me."

Kagome raked a hand through her loose hair, pacing back and forth, heedless of the waning light or how close the edge was. "All right, fine, sorry." I'm such an idiot! If the tree is where Inuyasha draws the power to do stuff, and she's in the tree now, who knows what she'd be able to do if she wanted?!...No, no, she said she wasn't going to interfere...right? Aaaugh, I thought this crap wasn't a problem anymore!

Inuyasha gritted his teeth. "Stop that, wench. You're making me nervous."

She ignored him, frowning in thought and scarcely noticing the fact that it was now dark till the flare of a brazier made her yelp and nearly fall off in surprise. "See, I told you to be careful. Whatever crawled up your ass, don't worry about it, okay?" Inuyasha set the light closer so she could see him scowling at her. "I didn't bring you back up here to give you a heart attack. If you wanna talk about something else, just say so."

"I wanna talk about something else," she said instantly, smiling a little in gratitude, and he snorted.

"Fine, then. I also brought you up `cause I figured you deserved something for the way you taught all those kids that weird noise. Made my day to see their parents' faces."

All thoughts of thanking him for allowing the subject change were instantly converted to indignation. "You ass! You're rewarding me for making their lives more annoying?!"

"...Yeah, pretty much."

"Ass."

"Keh. You've been here long enough to see how we get along." He shrugged. "That was the last thing. You've been here two weeks in your time now, so I figured I'd throw that in too and keep you from whining about it."

"Actually, I'd forgotten all about that. Thank you." Kagome smiled wider as he grunted and muttered something about having wasted his time. Faker. No way this guy could've ever done what Kikyou s-

NO! I'm not gonna ask about that tonight. If he says we don't have to talk about it, there's no way I'm going to talk about it any more for...I dunno how long!

"So what're we eating?" she asked, listening to various rustling sounds as he moved about in the shadows on the far side of the little pavilion.

"Some crap I made the kitchen wenches pack up." He returned and plunked a small box down. "Tea's in there somewhere, too."

"Thanks." Kagome smiled up at him again, genuinely touched.

"It's just some food, wench. You don't have to act like it's the best thing in the world." Inuyasha sat down a safe distance away and began shoveling his noodles down.

"It's the thought I appreciate, Inuyasha, and this was really nice of you. Thanks."

Inuyasha kept eating. Kagome would've thought he hadn't heard at all if not for his ears flicking again. So...damn...cute!

The stars were out by now, and the moon was also visible, not nearly as bright as it'd been only a week ago. Kagome glanced over at Inuyasha; to her dismay, he was glaring at the sky. Did he catch me looking at his ears again?

"So you told the brats you'd ask me something," he growled, red eyes still directed upwards. "Might as well spit it out now that you've sucked up."

All the air went out of her lungs. "You..." Kagome's jaw stiffened the way it hadn't since their more heated arguments had begun to cool down, and her hackles rose. "You think I'd compliment you like that just because I wanted something?!"

"..."

Bastard! I can't believe I said I trusted him! "Answer me! I've been here 14 days now, and you honestly have the nerve to tell me I'm only nice when I'm getting ready to sink my claws in? Is that it?!"

"...No."

"What the hell is wrong w...wh...what did you say?"

"I said no, wench. I don't think so. I was just being an asshole." Inuyasha turned his head long enough to meet her gaze, resentful but not quite as angry as the moments passed.

"Okay, then." Kagome knew an Inuyasha apology when she heard one, and her temper rapidly faded into nothingness. They returned to their meals in silence.

"So what was it you were gonna ask?"

"Hm?" Kagome swallowed some of her rice and looked up. Inuyasha idly noted another non-Kikyou thing: she had a grain or two on her face. He decided to let it slide and see if she figured it out...it wasn't gross or anything. Actually, it was almost cute in a way.

Cute?! What the fuck?! Inuyasha growled to himself and shoved that thought into the deepest pits of his mind. "Spit it out or forget it!"

Kagome scowled, but knew he probably wasn't mad at her, so she'd best let it go. "Miroku said you were out in the forest today, and Sango told me that meant you were just chopping trees down. True?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Inuyasha jammed more noodles into his mouth, silently daring her to even think of criticizing his favorite method of stress relief. He enjoyed practicing with Tetsusaiga, too, but it was no fun after a while without an opponent.

"Can we use the wood?"

"S...wait, what?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "Use it for what?"

"I told them about my little brother's treehouse, and they want to try to build one. Did you need the wood from the trees you cut down today, or can we have it?"

"What the hell's a treehouse?"

"Just what it sounds like. You build a very small hut up in a large tree's branches. Kids in my time love `em-my little brother has one near the shrine. So can we make one for the kids here?"

"You're wasting your time, wench. They're only gonna be here two more months. Besides, there are demons out there. Anyone in the trees would be too exposed, `specially kids."

"Miroku said he could write some sutras to keep demons out." Kagome didn't quite feel up to mentioning her own possible abilities yet. "And who cares how long they'll be here? As long as they're happy and they're not hurting anyone, what's the problem?"

"Feh. Fine, then. But it's your responsibility, wench, not mine, so don't expect me to do any stupid babysitting errands, okay?"

"Okay! Thank you!" Kagome felt a vague twinge and recognized it, with mild surprise, as the urge to hug him. Huh. Ears and sake memories are getting to me.

"Feh." Inuyasha gulped the last of his tea down and stood. "We'd better go in soon."

"Awww, do we have t-OH!" Inuyasha jumped as Kagome gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth.

"What's the matter?!" Inuyasha crouched next to her swiftly. "It's...not...is it?"

"No, no! I just realized I never got to answer you last night! Did you get any sleep?"

Inuyasha stared at her dumbly, then growled in exasperation. "That's all?!"

"Well, sleep is important! And I just now remembered! I'm sorry!"

"Don't be such a moron. You were asleep. And `sides, I'm half demon, remember? I can go a few days without sleep and I'm still stronger than a human." He glowered at the pavilion's surface. "So you do feel better now, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks." She offered him a tentative smile.

"Good, `cause if you wander off one more time, I'm gonna make Sango chain the two of you together. I'm sick of tracking you down." She stuck her tongue out, and he grunted and stood. "C'mon, time to go back in."

"Fine." He went back down to a crouch. Kagome gulped, climbed on with minimal awkwardness, got comfortable, and promptly mortified herself by letting out a light belch.

Inuyasha snorted. "Damn, wench, you're noisy today."

"Oh, shut up," she mumbled into his hair as he stood up and shifted his grip. "It's not my fault."

"Yeah, yeah. Here we go."

Despite her embarrassment, Kagome still remembered to sit up and look down at the dark landscape, unconsciously leaning into Inuyasha as the wind whistled and spiked right through her light sweater. "Nice view," she said loudly at the peak of their trajectory, and he only grunted, concentrating on landing lightly and safely back on the balcony.

"Good aim," Kagome said absently, crossing her arms and rubbing them for warmth as they went inside. "Time for bed now."

"Hey, wait a sec, wench," he called as she half-jogged down the hall.

"Oh, right." Kagome came back up. "Shoot."

"So. Will you marry me?"

For the first time, Kagome had to fight the urge to giggle or something similarly stupid. Weird. "Nuh-uh. I won't marry you. So there."

Inuyasha yawned hugely, and Kagome watched his fangs gape with placid interest. It was funny, but though she knew, objectively, that he was fairly scary-looking, even his canines had failed to intimidate her at all for a while now. All bark and no biting makes Inuyasha not scary, I guess.

"What're you lookin' at?" he muttered, scratching the back of his head carefully.

"Your teeth. They're nifty. Must suck keeping `em clean, though. G'night." Kagome covered a yawn with one hand and flapped the other one idly as she ambled down the corridor, willing herself to keep going past what she now thought of as The Room and down to where Sango was sitting on her futon.

"What happened two nights ago?" the slayer asked point-blank as soon as Kagome came in.

"When we got drunk?" Fully awake now, Kagome very carefully unearthed Shippou from where he was snoozing under the covers and moved him into her lap for warmth and to make sure he stayed asleep for this part of the conversation. "Well...you're not gonna like this, but..." And she proceeded to tell Sango everything she could remember, especially regarding Miroku's behavior.

Sango said nothing as Kagome spoke, only nodding or wincing from time to time, otherwise impassive. When she finished, Sango folded her hands and looked down at them. It was several minutes before she spoke. "I was the one to...initiate it, and he refused me?"

"Turned you down flat and gave you something to keep you from doing anything else." It was painful just relating the story; for once, she had no idea what to say now. Can't rub it in, or be too obvious...better just keep my mouth shut.

"I see." Sango nodded curtly. "Thank you, Kagome-chan. Good night." She slid into her futon, rolled over and curled into a ball.

Crap. Well, it was definitely something the slayer would have to work through on her own. Kagome sighed and went about the process of moving Shippou, clothes and bedding around till they were all ready for sleep.

"Kagome-chan."

Eep. "Yeah?"

"...Do......never mind."

Kagome pressed her lips together. Enough of this crap. "He does love you, Sango-chan. Do me a favor tomorrow and ask him - and tell him I told you so - why it was that he lied about Inuyasha insisting you take care of me."

"...But I..."

Kagome heaved a slightly theatrical sigh. "Just do it, please. And listen to him with an open mind?"

"All right, fine. Good night."

"Good night."

Kagome was almost asleep when she felt Shippou snort and turn over. "Finally," his voice murmured drowsily.

She was too tired to scold him; she could only make a sound of agreement and pull him closer before they both drifted off.

A/N: Grrrr on my Net connection. Grrrr, I says. Ah, well. Sorry again (though it wasn't my fault) for the delay. Meh. At least I don't have to go into work with a 'Net-frustration-related stormcloud over my head like I did yesterday... XD