InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Beast ❯ One Down, Two to Go ( Chapter 20 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha not mine. Nor will ever, ever be. I suck at haiku.

A/N: Not much to say. Tired. School sucks. Miss boyfriend more than whining can say. Will indulge in fictional relationships and speak like Bridget Jones in attempt to compensate. V. disappointed no one knew "Valse de la Lune" from Wolf's Rain-bloody excellent music. Bit obscure, maybe…

Oh, yes-have received numerous inquiries re: Inuyasha's face, why looks like full demon when obviously is not, et cetera. Sore wa himitsu desu. (It's a secret.) Sorry!

Beast

Chapter 20

One moment Kagome was resting her eyes and waiting for Inuyasha to come back with the promised water - which reminded her vaguely that she hadn't had a bath in days now, yech - and the next, she was wide awake, head clear as she sat up and saw that the room was empty save for one person kneeling in the center. "Kikyou? What're you doing here?"

"It's a pleasure to see you face to face once more as well," the priestess replied, tilting her head slightly. Both of them seemed to be seated on the floor, and Sango was nowhere to be found: that plus the lack of heaviness in her limbs indicated that this was probably a dream. "I merely thought a visit would be considerate in light of…certain things that have happened."

"Does this mean you'll actually answer some questions?" Kagome's fingers tightened on her knees, and the lack of feeling from her nails biting into the flesh confirmed that she hadn't woken up yet. "I'd really appreciate it if you would."

"…Within reason, of course." Kikyou nodded shortly, impassive as ever.

"Huh…lemme think…" She tapped her chin out of habit and ceased as it failed to produce any sensation-it was too weird, a lot like having her mouth numbed at the dentist's and being able to poke her lips without feeling afterward. Then she glanced at her hand and scowled in sudden suspicion. "Would you happen to know why I got the static shock from hell for no apparent reason yesterday?"

"No apparent reason? Think carefully." Kagome seethed as Kikyou folded her hands and waited.

"Fine, then… I got it as I was trying to…" She stopped. "What, you didn't want me touching him? Was that it?"

"In a manner of speaking," the other woman answered calmly. Kagome had to wonder if her own eyes ever narrowed like that. Hope not, `cause if they do, I look friggin' creepy!

A whole plethora of questions not related to creepy appearances sprang up from that answer, though, and Kagome settled on the most immediate, trying to suppress her indignation: "You said you weren't going to interfere, remember? …And how did he fall asleep?! I haven't answered him in two days now!"

She bit her semi-existent lips, wondering in belated embarrassment how much Kikyou knew about the curse, but she needn't have worried. "I said I would not interfere in the curses, girl, not that I would do nothing. I have no intention of undoing anything, but even I become curious once in a while, and his behavior yesterday - and yours - aroused my interest."

Oh, God. Kagome `sucked in' her cheeks and thanked whoever was available that she couldn't blush like this. Not that I need to-Creepyho here knows everything already! "How much exactly where you…never mind, you probably saw everything." She drummed her fingers before she could stop herself. Hypocrite…first she traumatizes him by calling him a murderer, then she turns around and tells me to keep my hands off?…Not that that's that big a deal…I think…

Time to get away from that line of thought before she started banging her head on the floor in humiliated frustration. "So can you shed any light on why his face changes? Or will you, rather?"

"Did you have any other questions regarding his charge that I am lying about my death?" Kikyou spoke almost over the last word.

That'd be a no. Aaargh. "He never said you were lying, Kikyou, and I don't think he is." Kikyou's face darkened, and Kagome raised her voice slightly. "I'm really starting to think something else was up. If it was Naraku who somehow did all this in the first place, why wouldn't he have tried to get revenge on you guys first? Maybe he did it because his first plans got screwed up and he wanted to punish Inuyasha or something."

"Not a bad theory, for you." Kikyou's lips almost gave the impression of movement. "But not a valid one. That creature was dead when I died."

Kagome had further reason to be glad of their method of communication: she couldn't actually tear her hair out like she wanted to. "But…but if he…curse later…he could've…"

"Before your mind collapses from the effort," Kikyou said dryly, "I suppose I should concede that you may be in remote proximity to the truth of what happened. …Don't look so shocked, girl. I've observed Inuyasha longer than you, and I know when he suffers genuine guilt or simply his own self-punishment. Had he been maintaining complete fiction all this time, he would not have tolerated your presence till now-and he would have lashed out at your foolishness and not laughed at it." Something very strange colored that last sentence, a mix of quiet melancholy and bitterness that threw Kagome off even further than the priestess's relenting. What the…? Don't tell me she's…

Kagome had no further time for reflection as Kikyou pressed her lips together and spoke again, sharply. "Suffice to say that reason prevails when passion is faced with irreversible proof of its folly. Remember that."

"Uh…okay." Kagome could've sworn she somehow felt a chill. I guess not even she could really convince herself he's a cold-blooded killer after the way he's been moping around, or after he almost wet himself yesterday. She's an ice queen, but she's calmed down, and she's not stupid.

But that didn't shake the sudden notion that the priestess hadn't just been talking about her new openness of mind…

"Naraku had many agents and loyal servants," Kikyou was saying. "I will consider the possibility that one or more of them may have engineered the situation to our…disadvantage."

Disadvantage?! There was a slight understatement.

"But I do not wish Inuyasha to consider himself forgiven, even if your idea should have some merit."

It took all of Kagome's willpower and self-preservation not to ask why, if it really had been a trick or some kind of misunderstanding, Inuyasha was to have all the blame. You're supposed to be the all-knowing one, you self-righteous cow, and after the way you've hurt him…

"One more thing before I go…" Now Kikyou did smile, thinly. "You and Inuyasha have been getting along quite well."

That startled her right out of her brooding, and she was grateful for the lack of blood in her cheeks once more. "Uh…I…guess so. He's been pretty nice since I got sick. He'll probably go back to yelling at me when I get better." Kagome shrugged carelessly. Damn, she's making me nervous… "I think we're pretty much friends now, anyway."

Kikyou made a slight noise of disgust. "Friends." She rose gracefully and glared down at Kagome, who was too surprised and busy wondering what she'd done now to get up. "If you had any inkling of what you've done, I wouldn't bother to tell you, but here's a piece of advice…" She deliberately turned her back. "Don't be alone with Inuyasha for the next few days if you can help it. At all."

A very tiny voice in the back of Kagome's mind tried to get her attention and let her know that it knew something important, but it was squashed as she leapt, Inuyasha-like, to the nearest conclusion. "What, you still think he's dangerous? He's not going to hurt me, Kikyou, and you know it."

The priestess spared her a knowing look and a shake of the head before she sighed gently. "I tried, girl. Now it's best that you wake up."

The warning rankled in the back of her mind as she instantly woke up and just as immediately faced a rush of concern from Sango and Shippou; only the fact that she felt much better and the kit's excited report that the weather was the most beautiful he'd ever seen it distracted her.

It also didn't help that her bedding, much heavier than what the servants were used to washing, badly needed to be aired out. "I could use some de-stinking, too," Kagome said thoughtfully as Sango began to strip the comforter and sheets. "I dunno if I can take another bath yet today, though…plus I might be contagious."

"The steam won't do your lungs much good, even though you do sound better, Kagome-chan," Sango agreed, lifting the heavy mattress with one hand and scooping the kit onto the TV box with the other. "You should get out for a little while, though. Why don't we have a picnic?"

The idea was received with great enthusiasm, and Kagome found she had enough strength to walk out the side entrance almost unaided. Shippou insisted upon carrying the food, which was packed in a box larger than he was and twice as heavy. "See, I'm plenty strong enough," he bragged, struggling manfully to keep it steady and avoid falling off Sango's shoulder.

"Yeah, almost as strong as Myouga, and almost as useful." A long-clawed hand yanked the box out of his grip from behind, and Shippou set up a storm of protest as Inuyasha stopped ahead of them, just in front of the stairs. "I know you weren't gonna try to go down these by yourself, wench." He began to turn and crouch.

"Walk down alone? Me?" Inuyasha half-turned in alarm at her overly innocent tone. "I wouldn't dream of it." Kagome backed up against the huge, polished railing, used most of her remaining strength to hop up, and involuntarily squealed as she slid down quite a bit faster than she'd intended.

"You idiot!" Inuyasha dropped the box, leapt down the stairs, and held up one arm to catch her seconds before she landed on her rear. "What the hell was that?!"

"That was fun!" She pushed away from his arm supporting her waist and half-seriously turned to the stairs. "Can I do that again?"

"NO!" Inuyasha took her other arm and set her down on the bottom step. "Sit!" She stuck her tongue out at him, but obliged-her legs were a little wobbly anyway. "Now, don't move, and if you run off and get eaten or something, it's your own damn fault!"

Kagome added a pull of her eyelid to her stuck-out tongue as he stalked back up to where Sango had retrieved the box and was walking down, obviously torn between laughter and concern. Kagome then looked back down with a sigh, rubbing the spot on her tailbone where friction had worn the most. I've always wanted to do that. Gotta get the main stairs sometime…

She just barely missed Inuyasha's pause a few steps away from Sango; nor did she see him sniff at his hand, then look at the food box, sniff his hand again, and shrug.

"It's certainly beautiful out today," Miroku said genially as he approached the little spread of food and utensils on an old spare rug near the shrine some minutes later. "I wish I'd thought to eat out here myself."

"No more for you, bouzu," Inuyasha snapped, clicking his claws together meaningfully as Kagome fed Shippou nearly half her breakfast. "We have enough freeloaders over here."

"He's a growing boy," Kagome said placidly, patting the kit as he sighed and leaned into the crook of her arm. That was the signal that she was free to finish the rest.

"That reminds me…" Sango put down her bowl. "How does one usually clean your bedding, Kagome-chan? Scrubbing?"

"Not unless there's a specific reason to, nope. Just let it air out." Kagome glanced up appreciatively. The sun was out, but gently so in a stunningly azure sky, and a cool breeze balanced the overhead warmth perfectly. "At this rate, I might stay out here all day."

"And do what? Look at the clouds?" Inuyasha snorted.

Kagome stuck her tongue out again, then brightened. "Hey! That's right, you owe me a favor!"

"Since when?!"

"Since you lost the other night, remember?" Ignoring Inuyasha's views to the contrary, Kagome nodded and set down her nearly empty bowl. "I still don't know how big the lands around here are, and I wanna see it myself. D'you think you could take me around?"

Inuyasha snorted again. "You're still sick. You think I want you puking in my hair?"

"Oh, c'mon. I went down the rail and I feel fine. I'm almost back to normal, and as long as you don't do much jumping, it'll be fun. Pleeeeeease?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"No."

"Pleeeeeease?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"…No, dammit!"

"Pl-"

"All right! Just shut up!"

That was way too easy. Kagome waved to Sango as the slayer packed up and headed back to the castle, Miroku gazing after her until Shippou tugged at his robes and said something she didn't catch.

Inuyasha felt another pang of misgiving as Kagome climbed onto his back and settled down. Weird. I'm not that worried about her getting sick. She smells okay… His ears flicked in unison, and he mentally shrugged. "Ready, Kagome? Not gonna puke?"

"Probably not. …Geez, it was a joke! No growling!"

With one last grumble, Inuyasha tensed, then launched off towards the back of the castle, smirking as she squeaked and clutched his shoulders tighter. "Wanna stop already?" he shouted above the wind, leaning to the right and aiming for a gap in the trees.

Her only response was a laugh as they plunged into the forest and picked up speed. She'd been on roller coasters before, but as she looked around and thought about it, this was approximately 5,000 times better; the wind was cool on her face and bare legs, but there was no grinding and clanking of gears, stupid fellow-rider shrieks or reek of hot, old metal pinching her waist to mar the sensation of freedom as they seemed to fly through the trees, with nothing between her and the sweetly earthy air except the unbelievably rapid pattering and crunching of bare feet on dirt and leaves, warm muscle supporting her and the odd, different-earthy smell of Inuyasha's haori plus the almost dog-like musk of his hair. But not wet-dog, more like…I dunno. Something a lot better…

Well, this was no time to think. She gave that up just so she could feel, and leaned with him unconsciously as he veered to the right, taking them in ever-widening circles around the forest.

"Not sure how your measurement works," he said over his shoulder after a few minutes, making her jump and grab reflexively again. "But it's pretty damn big. Not even I can run around the whole thing all at a time."

"But you can sure as hell try, right?" Kagome said next to his ear, and was rewarded with an appreciative snort.

She was enjoying the experience far too much to notice Inuyasha stiffen slightly, but she did realize it when he began to slow down a minute later. "What's up? Are we taking a break?"

"Off," he said abruptly, and Kagome blinked in hurt and disappointment. If he's tired, he could just say so. …No, he couldn't. This is Inuyasha we're talking about.

Inuyasha's ruby eyes were unreadable as he almost jerked to a stop and released her legs, turning to spare her a glance as she sat down and fanned herself.

"That was awesome," Kagome said happily, refusing to let him spoil the ride. She sat down with her back to a tree and tossed her head to resettle her windblown hair. "I mean, jumping around is one thing, but that was just amazing. D'you think we could do that more often from now on? I've never had that m-"

"Kagome." She started at his flat tone. "Did you…did Kaede…give you anything?"

Kagome frowned. "Give me anything? No…" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, didn't you try to bring me something yesterday, when we were playing Rich Man, Poor Man, and we made you spill everything?"

Her jaw dropped slightly as he said a few quiet, clipped words. He hadn't sworn that badly for quite a while now. "What? What is it?"

"I'll be right back." Inuyasha stalked off through the trees, leaving her with her mouth hanging open.

Then he came right back. "No, dammit, I know how this works-I leave you alone for a second and you go off and get attacked or lost or sick…"

"What's wrong with-" Kagome nearly bit her tongue as Inuyasha came within about two feet and crouched, on eye level, then leaned in.

"You liked the ride, did you?"

Kagome gulped slightly, heart picking up a rapid staccato pace at his tone-or lack thereof. What the… "Yeah, it was great. I'd like to do that…again…some…"

Her brain was diverting more and more power away from her mouth and towards figuring out what to do now that he'd leaned in even closer, deliberately stopping within inches of her face. Logic suggested she shove away or tell him to do so, but…

"You look confused," Inuyasha growled irritably. "Give you a hint." She almost passed out as he came down closer and dipped his head to take a long sniff at her neck. The slight puff of warm breath on her throat tensed every fiber of her body not already rigid at his nearness, and it was sheer luck that a few stalwart brain cells had enough sense to recall the last time she was in this situation.

You didn't take any of that tea stuff for this month. The one that makes you not smell like…oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh-

"You weren't supposed to do this yet, wench," he rasped, pulling himself back as though they were magnets. Guess we are, if you really want to…ohhhh, crap! So that was what Kikyou had……oh, God, I'm never going to live this down…!

"She was off a week," Kagome managed to get out, toying frantically with her hair and trying to look everywhere but at Inuyasha. "I'm not always that punctual, either…"

Now what?! He was still pretty close…they'd been closer, of course, especially lately, but not when she… "Um…I could get Kirara to take me back so you don't have t-"

"Idiot." Inuyasha squeezed his eyes shut.

"What, so you'd rather still give me a ride back?" She didn't realize even the suggestion was a mistake till his arm snaked between her waist and the tree and pulled her into his lap, settling her carefully on his right thigh.

Any working parts of her mind lost power as he looped both arms around her middle and rested his forehead on her hair. She could feel him trembling very slightly all over. "I can't…I'm…sorry…" His head turned to the side, and any thought she had of replying was removed by another exhalation on her neck. "Kagome…" He swallowed hard and leaned back, breathing more labored than the run could account for. "Not…forcing you. Get off." Arm muscles loosened, sliding away but not off her hip and lap.

"Ah…" That was the only sound she could make. Heaven help her, Kagome could not move. She shifted infinitesimally, but the movement was more her muscles' reaction to sudden, prolonged tension than any effort on her part.

Seconds ticked away. It was so quiet that the sounds of his breathing and her heartbeat in her throat pressed on her eardrums in a dull roar.

"K…off." Inuyasha nudged her waist with one arm, dimly surprised that he had even that much control left. If she didn't put some distance between them very soon…

A fragment of consciousness returned, and she gradually became aware, with as much bemusement as if her own mind was just a TV show she was watching, that she didn't want to move.

Inuyasha's preferred interpretation of her frozen posture dissolved messily as he took one more careful little whiff of her neck and found no fear scent. She wasn't moving, but she wasn't paralyzed with fear.

The disbelief that that conclusion prompted galvanized his brain into producing low, harsh speech. "What're you doing? Look at me!"

Obediently her face turned up towards his, and disbelief had a very difficult time standing up against the evidence suggesting, as she was looking straight at him - not in disgust or pity, morbid fascination or fear or anger, just a little uncertainty and things he wasn't prepared to comprehend - that maybe, even if she wasn't there of her own volition, she somehow wasn't choosing to leave, she actually wanted to be that close-

Even then, in retrospect, he had to admit that even then, his control didn't quite snap. His left arm tightened around her waist, and when she didn't protest or pull away, his right came up across her back, claws careful not to prick her scalp as the fingers tipped her head back gently as his mouth came down to

"Mrao?"

Kagome's shriek as something meowed into her ear - it seemed - and sprang into her lap echoed all the way back to the castle.

Thus, by the time Inuyasha had gotten her untangled and she'd persuaded him to put Tetsusaiga away lest he hurt poor Buyo (the poor kitty was far from home and he'd just happened to find someone he knew, it wasn't his fault!), Kirara had already homed in on them from above and dropped neatly through the treetops with Sango and Miroku in tow.

"We're okay, my cat just scared me," Kagome reassured them, cheerful, if curiously out of breath. Inuyasha turned on his heel and stalked away without a word.

"Are you all right, Kagome-chan? Your face is a terrible color." Sango placed her hand on Kagome's forehead. "You're very warm. Did Inuyasha make you sick again?"

"Uh…look, this is Buyo!" Kagome held up the fat calico for their inspection, smiling maniacally to ward off their curious looks. She had to wonder if they could hear her heart beating from where they were…all she could think was please don't find out please please please-

Footsteps heralded his return, but Kagome decided it would be safer to keep petting Buyo as Miroku and Sango looked up. "Inuyasha? What happened to you?" she heard the slayer ask, incredulous.

"None of your damn business," Inuyasha snarled, so venomous that Kirara rumbled warningly. A cold drop fell on Kagome's knee as he passed, and she gaped at his back as he strode back towards the castle: he was soaking wet. He just went and jumped in…!

Well, that was that. It was one thing to see that kind of cute, awkward or…involved near-miss on TV or in movies, and another to have an aroused half-demon actually…

She couldn't even try to finish the thought. Even if she could some day, she was sure it'd probably still make her go tomato-face. She could just imagine it now; when she was old, her grandkids would say, "Hey, Granny, tell us `bout how that half-demon made a pass at you `cause he was drunk on your smell!"

And even then I'll get embarrassed and say "Shaddup and go get Granny some bourbon!" And then their parents will catch them and they'll get grounded. Serves `em right, embarrassing their poor grandma that way!

In case that line of thought wasn't pathetic enough, Kagome then caught herself wondering exactly how he'd been planning to manage, as his fangs came well past his bottom lip, and she had no clue how anyone was supposed to k-

There went her face again. She couldn't even think the freakin' word.

And not like you weren't willing to find out, either. You were just sitting there, he told you to get off and he wasn't trying to make you

SHUT UP! Kagome slowly wrestled that subject back into a small, private corner of her mind and focused on the fact that they were landing at the castle.

"Kagome-chan, are you certain you're all right?" Sango asked worriedly once they were back in the room. She'd chased Shippou out and was helping Kagome with an abbreviated sponge bath; letting the kitsune bathe with them was fine, but he needn't stick around when it was just Kagome getting clean and when it was obvious to Sango that Something had happened in the forest.

"I'm…well…" Kagome rubbed the side of her neck and shivered a little. "I forgot to take that tea to suppress that smell. So…yeah."

"…Oh." There was a world of understanding and curiosity in that single syllable. "…Would you… like to talk about it?"

"I'm not sure." Kagome slumped over as Sango scrubbed at her back. "It…it…I don't know!"

"All right," Sango said reassuringly. "As long as no one was hurt, and I know he wouldn't hurt you." The cloth slowed for just a second.

"He didn't. He was really good about it…better than most human guys are when they're in the mood." Kagome buried her face in her hands. "I'm just really confused."

Sango said nothing other than a soft "Hmmm," patting her friend's back dry as she considered it. "Well…forgive me if this is intruding, but…did he listen when you told him to leave you alone?"

Silence.

"Kagome-chan?"

"I didn't."

"You what?" Sango paused mid-pat, mouth slightly open. "Did you…"

"I didn't do anything!" Kagome's voice rose, and Sango shushed her quickly lest the servants catch wind and make her life that much more complicated. "I just…"

"It's all right," her friend soothed, touching one shoulder lightly. "It's all right to be confused about that kind of thing. My father only told me about…that once, but he spent hours talking about it."

"Really?" The idea of a wise father discussing that kind of subject was novel to Kagome, and she looked around despite herself. "Any good advice?"

"Well, it was from a man's perspective, of course…" Sango shifted uncomfortably. "But he was very direct. I'm afraid that's where I get it.

"One of the wisest ideas I think he had was about…relations, and what to watch for." The slayer smiled, shaking her head a little. "He was the first to tell me never to trust any man not to look for that as quick as he could, and to watch for the ones who don't leap straight at you."

"That makes sense," Kagome said in a very small voice.

Sango nodded. "Then he said to watch the ones who don't leap straight at you, because many of them are either counting on their good manners to win you over, waiting for their wives to turn their heads at the correct time, or they're simply not tired of their current amusement yet."

"Wow." Kagome was impressed at the cynicism despite herself. Growing up `round Akemi and Nabiki, that's saying something!

"And then he said to sift through the ones who didn't fit those, and be careful not to select a well-mannered man who simply isn't interested in women…" Kagome snorted. "And then to the ones who were at least honest about their indiscretions, because at that point I would never find any man better."

"That's awful!" Kagome couldn't help smiling at that one. She'd already figured out that Sango's clan had disapproved of the noble tradition of keeping legal mistresses in addition to a wife, and from hints she picked up of demon traditions, she wouldn't be surprised to find out that Inuyasha had simply been repeating the human arguments he'd been taught when they fought about it so long ago. The way he feels about Kikyou, I'm betting dog-boy's monogamous…or tries his damndest to be, anyway. Why did that make her feel happy and depressed…? Meh. Stupid pheromones or hormones or whatever the hell combination thereof got me into this!

"Yes. He made it very clear that any man who controls himself around women must have an excellent reason for doing so…and that if I could be sure the control wasn't something that simply benefit him, I had a rare man on my hands."

Kagome suddenly had to wonder if she'd just imagined a clinking sound outside the room. "I think so, too," she said as innocently as she could. "Especially if he's in a really good position and he just gives it up because he's a good guy. Not much you can do to beat that. Good way to distinguish lust from love, too…if he goes for it without thinking of you, he can't really love you. Too bad a lot of people think the opposite now…"

"Oh?" Sango chuckled. "Father never made much of a distinction there, just what to be careful of."

"I figured it out a while ago. Y'see…" Kagome sat up and began speaking earnestly, unaware that Miroku, Shippou and Kohaku were being joined by Inuyasha in the corridor, where her voice was easily carrying. The hanyou glared at them, but even the younger slayer was too interested to be deterred: he politely signaled silence, and Inuyasha paused to listen despite himself.

"The problem with lots of people, `specially in my time - love is a much bigger deal now that it was in the feudal era when you lived, people actually try to marry because they're in love - they think that as soon as they're really attracted to someone and they talk to them for more than five minutes without any major hitches, boom! They're in love. Say they, well, y'know, `cause that's what people in love do, of course. Then that's so much fun that they stay together and keep at it `cause they're in love-except anywhere from six months to six years later, they might even get married before they figure out that they're not attracted to each other anymore. Then there's nothing left, `cause once you get tired of someone's looks, what else is there when looks were what you based everything on in the first place? Nothing."

"It makes sense, I suppose," Sango agreed. "But passion always fades as you get older, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, which is why you can't expect everything to be perfect, `specially physically, all the time. People think if they're not getting along perfectly and they're not always wanting to jump each other, there's something wrong. Which is crap, of course…but no one realizes that anymore. Blame books, movies, TV-those are ways of telling stories the same way CDs have music. They always make you think that the first person you're really attracted to is the one for you…except the really stupid part is that not only are first-time things always supposed to work out minus maybe two problems, but as long as you're in love, you don't have to work on any of your differences! No compromises, no talking, no partnership, just la la la la la, we're in love, getting married means the end of all your problems, the end. It's crap."

"My. It sounds like you've had a while to think about this." Sango hid her amusement at her friend's obvious disgruntlement.

"Way too much time on my hands, yep." Kagome finished pulling a long white summer dress on and smoothed it impatiently. "Which is why it makes me want to scream when people insist there's no point to controlling yourself, it's just natural urges, etc. Or that it's absolutely everything in a relationship. It's not everything or nothing. Look at it this way: how're you supposed to know if you're sewing a kimono the right way if you keep stopping to add embroidery and other pretty junk you don't need?"

"I like the analogy."

"…I thought of it two years ago, listening to my sisters talk. I've just been waiting to tell it to someone who might understand it. Pathetic."

"No, no, it's an excellent analogy. I've never made a kimono, of course, but the message is very clear. If you're too busy adding flowers, you could miss the proper seams, and it'd fall apart the first fitting you tried to put it on."

"Exactly! Now, once it's finished and all nice and neat, then add all the embellishment you want, and it makes it that much better…"

"How do you know when it's finished?" Miroku asked before he remembered that he was supposed to be eavesdropping.

To his delighted surprise, no one moved to hit him, yell at him or otherwise denounce his existence. Inuyasha had an extremely thoughtful look on his face, Kohaku and Shippou had been lost for a while, and the women were too pleased at the monk's interest - and not surprised enough at the intrusion - to be angry.

"It's finished when you've decided together that it is, without the help of embroidery," Kagome answered, delighted that her long-held metaphor was enabling them to have a semi-serious conversation about it.

"But no embroidery makes for extremely dull, plain and unattractive kimonos, Kagome-sama. Many would rather wear a gaudy, poorly made garment than one without embellishment."

"And the gaudy ones are the hottest, scratchiest and most likely to fall apart, aren't they?" Kagome said triumphantly.

"So what you're saying, wench…" She only flushed the tiniest bit at his voice, separated as they still were by two shoji, not to mention an actual conversation. "…is that if you're attracted to someone for the first time ever, and you're in love, it's going to last forever? Or that they only think they are?"

D'oh. "Well, there are different cases, of course, and everyone's different. It's mainly in my time that people do that," Kagome lied tactfully. "But sometimes it does happen. My dad says his mom said her first kiss was her wedding, and his parents were devoted to each other their whole lives."

"Feh. You spend way the hell too much time thinking about this."

"Oh!" Kagome smacked herself on the forehead as something she'd inadvertently been dancing around dawned on her. "It's been more than a month since I've been here, by two or three days now! We need to celebrate!"

"Celebrate?" Inuyasha repeated irritably, but Kagome was already on her feet, pushing past him and leaving only a hint of that brain-stopping scent as she hurried towards the kitchens.

In the interval between lunch and sunset, the courtyard had been swept, torches and paper lanterns set out, and enough food for an army was ready to serve.

"You prepared all this shit for yourself?" Inuyasha snarled at Kagome, standing upwind her perch near the steps. "D'you think they have nothing better to do?"

"First off, they don't. Second…" Kagome nodded permission at a woman who'd paused nearby.

"Kagome-sama requested only the use of the kitchens to prepare her own special dishes, but once we learned of the occasion, we had no choice but to demonstrate proper respect." She bowed and hurried off.

"Since when is wasting time, food, and materials, plus disobeying both of us and doing this on their own proper respect?"

"Quit barking, Inuyasha. Look, that's all for you." She pointed to a covered dish, from under which the smell of ramen was emanating. His foot twitched despite his best efforts to remain unimpressed, and she grinned. "Now go get Sango and Miroku for me, please."

"What, I'm supposed to play fetch now?" Not all of his irritation was forced; he was still cursing and thanking that damnded cat for cutting in. Whatever it was that made her stay, we'd both be regretting it now. Well, he probably would be, anyway. He risked a peek over his shoulder as he slouched away: yep, she was still attractive beyond his capacity to put the proper adjectives together. Stupid brain and nose, trying to push me into messing with her like some philandering slimeball like Miroku…

Okay, that wasn't fair, either. The monk had had plenty of opportunity to say hell with his curse and pass it around as chance might see fit, but instead he chose to keep everything but his hands to himself. Which posed an interesting question, according to that weird conversation the girls had had-did that mean he loved them all, or was he just a good guy?

…Then again, he really could've had Sango and just excused it `cause she's been gone on him since the second month she was here and the curse is running out before any of his curse crap really matters…

The wind shifted, and he wondered desperately if he was going to have to go out to the river again. Why does hers…?! Kikyou had always been careful to keep her scent under wraps, and the women who didn't take any precautions only interested him in an objective way, the way he'd notice if they smelled sick or pregnant. Must still be `cause she looks like her.

But that explanation didn't work any more, either. He knew Kagome was Kikyou as much as he was Kouga, except of course for the face thing. They didn't even smell alike. And it was affecting him now much worse than it did last month.

Feh. Mom warned me about it happening sooner or later. But she just said to ignore it if I didn't want to marry that female…

His footsteps slowed, then picked up again as he lost track of that maddening scent and his mind cleared. Finally. Now, time to get the other guys. Maybe we can actually get them to do something tonight.

Sango had been doing quite a bit of thinking since that morning, and her tentatively formed resolution strengthened till she was quite sure that she'd have the courage to do it, given the proper chance.

…Not that she was exactly desperate for that chance to show itself, now that they were face to face, of course…

"Of course," Miroku was saying to one - or was it more than one? - young woman in the center of a large cluster. "My father had the same problem himself. Of course, he only…" He caught her eye for a fraction of a second, just as she was about to look away, and faltered. She turned and made a beeline for the darkest corner of the yard she could.

Kagome, having set several children to the task of mastering and competing thus to see who could keep the hula hoops up the longest, set off to find her friends: Miroku was at his most rakish in the midst of a large group of females, Inuyasha was probably perched somewhere he couldn't smell her or hear the servants' newest tales about him, and Sango…where was she? If she doesn't come tell Miroku to…ah.

"Sango?" Grateful that she'd sent Shippou to bed early but a little guilty that he'd miss this, Kagome spotted Kirara's eyes glowing faintly in the near-dark on Sango's lap and sighed. "Sango, come out and have something to eat."

"I've lost my appetite" was the curt reply.

"Fine." Kagome sighed theatrically and turned around, sauntering back under the lights and wishing Inuyasha was here and that she'd had some of that stupid tea so all that awkwardness would go away. Stupid lust. Stupid stupid hormones. Gets in the way of everything.

She glanced at the monk again. Why does he have to be so stubborn in a ridiculously nice-guy way? And why is a person as cool as Sango so ridiculously shy? Ah, well…I love `em anyway. Granted, sometimes I wanna strangle `em, but…

"Oi." Inuyasha's voice behind her scared her for the seeming bazillionth time that day. "Geez, wench, relax." He had one sleeve draped over his nose and mouth, and he indicated several oddly shaped braziers. "Incense. Had to use it some time."

"Good idea." Kagome smiled but chose not to put her hand on his arm: best not to push it, happy as she was that he'd made the effort to be there. She dropped her voice. "So…"

"Sango is sitting over there and the bouzu's being an idiot."

"Read my mind. So what do we do?"

He dropped his voice, and when she finally caught it…

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"Hey, don't insult me. It's just the truth. I heard it not two minutes ago."

Miroku paused as Kagome and Inuyasha intercepted his path back to his harem. "Good evening, Inuyasha, Kagome-sama…"

"Miroku-sama! Would you say Sango-chan gets depressed easily?" Kagome demanded.

Pause. "Uh…I wouldn't think s-"

"There! See, wench? It's nothing. She's fine." Inuyasha would have folded his arms except for the necessity to keep one up to his nose, which forced him to waffle a bit before giving up.

"But she was! You're the one with the doggy ears. You should be able to hear her sniffling, at the very least," Kagome snapped.

"Sniffling?" Miroku repeated.

"Kagome insists that Sango's upset or something," Inuyasha said with a careless shrug. "I say she's an idiot."

"And I say he's an idiot and Sango is really feeling bad," Kagome retorted.

Miroku nodded thoughtfully, putting on his most serious face. "Hmmmm…this problem would either indicate that Sango-sama is in genuine distress, or that you two are fabricating this story in order to get me to go speak with her." He sighed and moved past them, missing their comically frozen expressions. "In either case, I bow to necessity, have no fear."

They waited till he was just a speck against the darkness of the far courtyard before speaking. "At least it worked, I guess," Kagome sighed.

"Yeah. Looks like they might actually get a good, private conversation for once. S'all they really need at this point anyway."

"Yeah, privacy's important. …Where's a good place to watch?"

"C'mon, I'll show you a couple on the second floor. Now hurry it up so we don't miss it."

Inuyasha wisely let her have the closest window to where the monk and slayer were speaking in half-whispers, while he moved a safe distance away, still within range of his sensitive ears.

"…much to talk about," Sango said quietly, stroking Kirara.

"Indeed." Kagome couldn't see anything but silhouettes in the darkness, but as her eyes adjusted, sufficient detail became clear. Miroku transferred his staff to his left arm in order to scratch the fire-cat under the chin. "One appreciates how the dark and quiet can be appealing after too much light."

"And company?" Kagome winced at the slayer's acid question, and noted Inuyasha shaking his head far up and to her left. He glanced down at her, and they exchanged silent gestures of disgust.

"You've had very little thus far today," Miroku replied, and Kagome could imagine Sango's flush at the gentle reproof. "Would you care to take a walk around the courtyard with me, Sango-sama?"

"No, thank you, houshi-sama," she said quietly, and it was all Kagome could do to keep herself from screaming as the monk bowed and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Relief: Sango had risen and taken a few steps towards Miroku. "I…I just…" She steeled herself and came closer. "Does what you said to me still hold? You've resolved not to…"

"Yes." Gentle though his tone was, Miroku's voice was inflexible once more, and Kagome's heart sped up. "I would not inflict myself upon you for the world, Sango-sama."

"Do you believe what Kagome-chan said about marriage?" All three of her listeners blinked and looked at her curiously. She nodded resolutely at Miroku, who turned back to her. "A partnership, a bond between equals-my father endorsed much the same thing." Sango had his full attention now, and she swallowed hard, coming forward a little more. "Do you believe in it as the best way to go about that kind of union, or do you prefer women as most in our age do…did, rather, where our primary function is to keep house and have children, and nothing else?"

Kagome noted very idly that, without her corrupting, modern influence, Sango reverted to speaking almost as formally as Miroku. It was appropriate now, though, more than ever.

"…Before I met you, Sango-sama, I did not believe women capable of being anything else, with the exception of women like…priestesses, who in their devotion became almost less than human." Miroku bowed deeply, respect etched into every word. "You have proven me soundly and wholly wrong, and are the last woman I would therefore ever-"

"Make happy?" Sango took a deep breath, voice trembling but strong. "Tell me this much, if you still see yourself that way. If I was suffering from wound rot in my throwing arm and I refused to let you amputate, though it would surely mean my death, would you force it on me and keep me from doing what I know? What I would rather die than be without?"

"Sango-sama, that is hardly-"

"Would you?" she said loudly, firmly. "Would you take that decision from me and flout the respect you've just professed, disregard my capability to make the best choice for myself? Or would you let me keep it, knowing it would kill me?"

Kagome was not sure, but she thought she detected a hint of weakness in his reply. "Would you keep it knowing that your pain is mine, that my permitting you to keep it hurts me as well, and pain is inevitable no matter what decision is made, by whom?"

Sango's hands were clenched into fists and trembling. "You did not answer me. What if I, a mature woman and your equal, decided that the risks were outweighed by the benefits?"

"I would seriously question whether, despite your intelligence, compassion and wisdom, you have any idea of what your decision will cost you in terms of sorrow and very possibly life."

"I would answer that I have lost weeks of sleep debating those things, and not once, no matter how harshly I weighed them or how little emotion I allowed myself, did I ever question my feelings and what I would do because of them."

Miroku's resolve was crumbling fast. "If Inuyasha's curse does not claim us, I will not live more than three to five years longer at the very most, and any child I have will not grow older than I am now. Do you still-"

"Miroku!" Kagome covered her mouth as the monk inhaled sharply. Sango wiped her eyes roughly with the back of her hand, hiccupping slightly and speaking angrily through her tears. "Miroku, you idiot, I've already said yes! You just refused to accept it! And if you refuse it now…"

And Miroku let his staff fall as he rushed to envelop Sango in a crushing hug, cradling her as she sobbed in earnest. "You are not a disease," the slayer mumbled, freeing one hand long enough to thump him on the shoulder. "You can't keep insulting yourself like that. You can't! I love you too much to let you, d'you hear me?"

"I hear you, Sango," Miroku answered, tucking her head under his chin and smoothing her hair with such tenderness that Kagome was almost ashamed to be peeping. Almost. "So long as you know that if you can help it, I'd appreciate your not crying. I'd rather have another void placed within me than know I've caused it."

"It's a deal." Sango sniffled and broke into a self-conscious laugh. "I'm s-sorry, I've made such a mess of myself…"

"The most beautiful mess I've ever had the privilege to meet, dearest," Miroku answered, affection prevailing over whimsy as he turned her face this way and that gently.

Kagome thought she was going to implode. Her thoughts followed no real, cohesive thread save for an occasional Atta girl!! amongst the regular programming of Yaaaaayeeeeee, that's so cuuuuute! Yaaaaay and so forth.

Hyped up as she was, she almost missed Sango's whisper. "Dearest…I think I could get used to that." And when she leaned up to kiss him this time, she was not rejected; Miroku somehow managed to curl his body around hers and returned the favor with almost frightening intensity.

Oh, my. Kagome fanned herself and ducked back inside, face surely flaming. Oh my oh my oh my.

"Looks like it's you and the runt tonight." Inuyasha's drawl at her side scared her yet again. "I wouldn't count on getting a lot of company from either of `em after dark from now on if I were you."

"Did you see that? Didja didja didja?" Kagome was so happy for both of them that she could barely keep her voice down. "Oooooh, wait till the servants hear about this one-"

Before he could stop her, Kagome impulsively flung her arms around his shoulders and huggled his neck. "Sorry, had to do that so I won't throttle Shippou by accident," she said happily, nearly twirling in place.

"Crazy wench." Inuyasha concentrated very hard on something not related to her, the couple below them, or smells…Wonder where the wolves got to? They'd better keep away from her the way she is now… He growled unconsciously.

"Oh, behave. Let them have their moment. God knows they've earned it." Kagome hummed random snippets of nothing in particular and drifted around the hall. "Wonder where they'll sleep once it's official…ah, well. S'up to you."

"Would you stop that?" he snapped, cursing her for bringing up sleep. This was just getting ridiculous.

"'Kay." Kagome snapped to attention. "Permission to go to bed, sir!"

He nearly tore his hair out. "GO!"

Of course, he remembered as she was trotting to the stairs, mindful of his condition but still in the Happy segment of La-La Land. Then it became a matter of whether it was really worth it to even try…and the fact that he'd had no sleep for the past two nights now finally, if barely, won out. "Wait a sec, wench."

Kagome paused at the top of the stairs. "Aye?"

Inuyasha approached cautiously, stopping just inside shouting range and projecting slightly. "Will you marry me?"

Kagome calmed down visibly, folding her hands behind her back and shaking her head with a sad little smile. "No, I won't, Inuyasha. May you be as happy as they are whenever you do get stuck with a wife, though." She bowed deeply from the waist, turned and went downstairs humming something sweet, melancholy and haunting.

Inuyasha would have been spared quite a bit of pacing, clawing at the tatami and brooding if he'd known at almost as soon as she reached her room, Kagome brightened back up. That's right, Sango won't be in here much anymore… She couldn't resist a giggle. It was probably wrong to have such a girly reaction to an un-girly concept, but then, who the hell cared? And that's all that matters…

It had been quite a day…she'd almost forgotten about Kikyou. And Inuyasha…well… Kagome found herself tapping her lips contemplatively and shrugged it off with a rueful laugh, startling Shippou out of his fur ball on her pillow, the only item to have been cleaned and returned already. She settled into Sango's futon. Wonder what would've happened minus Buyo… The fat calico was probably in the kitchens. It had taken him two minutes to figure out where the dried fish was kept and three more how to get into it. Maybe…

But as her mind cast back to Miroku and Sango, a snort was her first reaction. Inuyasha, being like that? No, he wasn't quite the romantic type…a good guy to be sure, and she liked being with him, but he wasn't her type.

…Was he?

A/N: You're welcome.

If your teeth hurt and-or you're not satisfied, you're welcome anyway.

I wrote this entire frickin' thing, irate first A/N and all, in 10 hours. One sitting. Occasionally it was a crouching because my legs hurt, but I digress. My head feels like it's been stuffed with an old gym sock. I need sleep. I like this chapter perhaps best of all thus far, though. Go figure. Now gimme candy, someone…or accolades, I like those, too…

Two things. One, if you like Fruits Basket and you're sick of the usual romance plots, go read "Karma" by my little sis. It doesn't suck.

Two, this'n is dedicated to my bf, whose absence has inspired me to greater heights of angst than I hath ever known. May I try to utilize it wisely. But first, edit, upload and sleep for me.