InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Beast ❯ Fluffy, Part Two ( Chapter 23 )

Disclaimer: Je n'ai pas Inuyasha ou les choses…nuts, can't remember enough French to finish off "I don't own Inuyasha or the things…" I guess I'll just finish in English. "…mentioned herein." …Yeah. If it's trademarked, i.e. you guys recognize it or have the feeling you've heard of it, then I don't own it. That's all. You can go home now.

A/N: Three quick notes before we start: one, ff.net's been a bit screwy with sending out notices and stuff this week (I thought no one had reviewed the last chapter at all for maybe two minutes, till I thought to check the actual page instead of e-mail…X'D), so be sure you've read 22 first. Two, re: inquiries about Sesshoumaru's way of speaking, yes, Rin also talks in third person in Japanese, but you mainly hear little girls do that to be cute; Fluffy does so as a way of elevating himself. He literally says "Kono (This) Sesshoumaru" all the time, and it's such a strikingly snobby speech pattern that I retained it here. And three-I want everyone to know that I've been maneuvering since before I started writing this story to get the scenario you'll see momentarily to come to pass somewhat feasibly, so I claim the right to blatantly change several small details according to my tastes and purposes here; in other words, corrections will be ignored, `cause I already know. Mwa ha ha ha ha.

Beast

Chapter 23

"Hey…wench."

It was only a few minutes after her hands had gotten tired and Kagome got up to inspect the bundle on the TV box, which turned out to be three battery units of varying size, the two smaller set atop the largest. She noticed a piece of modern computer paper folded between them and picked it up. "Huh…weird. Yeah, what is it?"

"How'd you know…what'll happen once the curse is up? Who told you?" The edge in his voice brought her attention away from the sloppy writing she'd just unfolded. "Was it the wolf? If it was…I'm gonna chew his…head off and shove it-"

"It doesn't matter, Inuyasha," she said pointedly, reading the rest of the note and grimacing. "Oh, damn…"

"It does to me…what's wrong now?" He tried to sit up and failed splendidly.

Kagome sighed and finished reading, just to be sure. "Story time….Right before my dad found out his partners screwed him over the day he got lost here, Jaken gave him his credit card to get the souvenirs - that's a kind of key to your money - `cause he was drunk and forgot Dad wouldn't be able to pay him back. So then Dad bought all this expensive stuff with Jaken's money, got stood up at his meeting, got plastered, and not only did he not give the card back, but he dumped the receipts on Jaken's doorstep right before he left. Now they say he's willing to let it slide and pay for the batteries just as long as `things go according to plan.'" She would've liked to know what that meant beyond the curse expiring, but that would have to wait for the next time she talked to Kouga. Crap on a cracker. That's one more thing to worry about…does Dad even realize he owes Jaken for all this stuff?! Now that I think about it, he doesn't even know squat about his own partners…

Inuyasha grunted, then grunted again at the pain the action caused, then caught himself and gave up entirely. "Idiot."

"Shut up. It's not his fault. He was upset." Kagome slapped the paper down on the box and moved the batteries carefully to the floor, deliberately keeping them out of Inuyasha's curious sight. "You can look at them later. Where are Sango and the others? Did they get lost, or what?"

"You don't have to…bite my head off, wench," Inuyasha muttered, letting his head drop back.

Defensiveness overruled her slight guilt at snapping at him. "You're the one getting cranky for no reason, not me."

"Am not!"

"Are too! I have a reason to be mad, at least. You're just pissed that you don't have an excuse to go ballistic."

"I am not pissed!" Thunder boomed, and the sound of rain pounding the roof soon reached even Kagome's ears. She gave him a deadpan look, and he folded his arms stubbornly, forgetting his ribs till his left hand brushed them and he unfolded with a hissed curse.

"Just in time," Sango commented, moving into the room ahead of Miroku and eyeing Inuyasha curiously. "I suppose asking how you feel would be unnecessary."

"We apologize for taking so long, but Kaede required our help in moving several of her drying herbs and medicines inside." Miroku withdrew two pouches from his robes.

Kagome took a small dipper of water from Shippou, both pouches from Miroku, and a length of bandage from Sango. "Thanks, guys. How's she doing?"

The conversation turned to polite chitchat as they made Inuyasha sit up so Kagome could begin wrapping the herb-soaked cloth around his ribs. It wasn't much different from all the scrapes and cuts Souta had asked her to tie up for several years now - except of course for the smell, and the view - but she still allowed herself a bit of self-satisfaction as she tucked the ends into the bottom layer and pressed his shoulder. "All done. Now, don't move for a few more hours."

"Hours?!" He settled down and glared at her as thought the injury had been her fault. "What the hell…am I supposed…to do till then?"

"What are these devices, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked from the floor, examining the batteries with utmost care. "Are they safe to touch?"

"As long as your hands are dry, sure." Kagome picked up the top one and held it up so everyone could see, including Inuyasha, whose irritation was slightly mollified by the gesture. "This is for the laptop. We can type on it for several more hours now."

"Laptop?" Inuyasha repeated blankly.

"I'll show you tomorrow, Inuyasha. It'll help with the alphabet, too." Kagome handed the battery to him. He promptly sniffed, recoiled, and nearly threw it onto the floor. She snatched it back just in time. "Be careful with these! They're really easy to break, and you can't get them wet or dirty, or I'll be forced to kill you-and that goes for everyone."

"What are the others for, Kagome-chan?" Sango picked up the largest and turned it this way and that. "For the other…things?"

"Electronics, yeah. One powers the PlayStation - the device for the video games I told you about - and one goes to the TV, which is what shows you the video games or whatever else you're doing. It has a lot of uses, but we only have one video game here…" An idea poked at her. "Hmmmm…"

"Could we see?" Shippou hopped onto her lap and grasped her T-shirt sleeve urgently. "Pleeeeeease?"

"Well, I think they mainly got it so I could introduce this stuff to Kouga…" Kagome sighed at Inuyasha's growling and Shippou's increased hopping. "But I guess it couldn't hurt to try it out. Miroku-sama, Sango-chan, help me get the TV out of its box, would you?"

Inuyasha's sullen demeanor did not improve as he had stay inert and watch the other three remove everything from atop the box and shove it under the bed, tear the box open at the sides and then carefully slide the TV forward at Kagome's direction. "There we go," she said triumphantly, folding the sturdy cardboard into thirds and wriggling it under the bed as well, motioning for them to slide the TV back into its space. "See, most guys would just try to lift it right out of the box."

"Fascinating," Miroku whispered, eyes widening at his reflection in the TV's dark screen. "What material is it made of?"

"Glass, plastic and a lot of wires and other stuff. I don't know much about how it works." Kagome located and extracted the PlayStation box, into which Yoshio had already tried to stuff the large, folded rubber-bottom dance mat and game. "Aw, nuts. He didn't get a memory card."

"Memory card?" Sango forced her interest away from the screen to blink at the box Kagome was unpacking, shaking her head in wonder at the strange objects her friend handled with evident ease. Shippou was too busy making faces at himself and Miroku was too busy preening to notice. "What…is…are those?"

Kagome sighed and set the box down with a little thud to get their attention. "It keeps a record of what you do on the game. Now, first off, this game is pretty old. It hasn't been popular for a long time, and I used to be kinda good at it, but now I probably suck." She opened the game case and extracted the disc, reflexively flipping it to check the underside for scratches or smudges. Looks clean. That's one point for Dad…out of about negative five million. "It's like a CD, Sango-chan, but instead of music, this contains the information the PlayStation needs to put the game onto the TV for us to control. The actual control is with this…" Kagome unfolded the dance pad, and Inuyasha craned his neck to look with the others at the crinkling, odd-patterned, unpleasant-smelling plastic surface as she spread it out with the `down' arrow pointing at the bed. Shippou poked it tentatively and jumped back at the way it wrinkled and shifted audibly under his finger.

Once she gave them a brief explanation and was sure they had a tolerable grasp of the concept of these odd bars, shapes and directional arrows being linked to the purpose of the game, Kagome picked up the second battery and began hooking it up to the PlayStation. "I'm kinda surprised these even exist-the batteries for the TV and game, that is. Usually people's houses have the power - electricity - these things need built right into them." She then moved the largest battery closer to the TV and bent over to half-lift it and reach the cord. A slap and a snarl behind and next to her confirmed her idle suspicion of Miroku enjoying the view, and when she sat back on her heels, Miroku was nursing a lump on his head, while Inuyasha was flexing his claws meaningfully and Shippou just folded his tiny arms in a weary shrug.

Sigh. She kept her mouth shut and deftly connected the PlayStation to the TV's front three jacks. "Okay…" Kagome plugged the mat's cord into the first controller space and picked up the Extreme disc again. "This might not work at all…electronic stuff is notorious for not always doing what you want it to, and the game is pretty old. It'll be loud, too, so don't get too surprised. Nothing will happen that can hurt you." She leaned back to give Inuyasha a meaningful look. "So don't even think it's some kind of monster and then try to `kill' it for me, okay? Or I'll beat you to death with the box, and believe me, it'll take a while."

"How'm I supposed to do anything if I can't even see the front?" he snapped, and Kagome had to concede the point; the bed was against the wall and arranged next to the TV so that all he could watch was the side, which rose well over the foot of the bed. "I'm not that stupid, wench. Just show everyone your weird crap already."

"You don't have to get jealous. You can see it as soon as you're up and about." Kagome tugged his hair gently and smiled half-apologetically. "I'm warning you, it'll be loud, and the sounds won't be like anything you've ever heard before…"

"Yeah, yeah, wench."

Kagome shrugged. "Right. I'm just turning the TV on…now." She pressed the Power button, and Inuyasha instantly clapped his hands over his ears at a loud, dull buzz that only drew the others' mild interest.

"I warned you." Kagome hastened to turn the volume all the way down, then inched it up slightly. "Even when there's nothing on it, the TV itself does make a little noise."

"What are those?" Sango, Miroku and Shippou crowded closer to read a menu that had popped up.

"Start-up stuff. You can change your TV to do certain things, like…certain things we don't have." It would take hours just to explain different cable options, picture options, channel options, TV stations, TV programs… "Here, lemme get rid of it." To their disappointment, she punched the Power button again, then hit it after a slight pause, and the screen came back up brightly gray-black and blank.

"Now, for the game, we turn on the PlayStation, put in the game disc, and wait for it to recognize it, then call up the game-we call that `loading.'" Kagome motioned them to step back, wishing there was enough room between the TV and bed to turn the former more towards her audience, and smoothed the mat out a safe distance from the screen. Probably best Inuyasha doesn't see it yet anyway, or else he'll flip out. That was a possibility for the others, too, but then, the others did not have claws capable of tearing trees into pieces.

She felt along the back of the PS2 for the switch, flipped it and tapped the bottom of the two front buttons, grinning at the gasps behind her when the tray creaked out. Shippou clutched her leg as the screen flickered briefly, then displayed the system start-up screen with the accompanying sound effects, fading into the usual two-optioned black menu, points of light swirling in the background. Figures he got this one used, too. Oh, well. Saves us setup time.

"Is this the game?" Shippou asked doubtfully.

"Nope. This what is the PlayStation does when it's waiting for orders, basically. I can put a music CD in here and it'll play it, or I put the game in, or I can change several options the way I can with the TV." She placed the disc in the tray and hesitated, finger on the button. "Any questions thus far?"

"How…" Miroku seemed to have been rendered speechless, and Sango wasn't much better. "You say…these things are purely for entertainment?! What kind of power do you use to do useful work?"

"You'd be surprised." Kagome caught Shippou's pleading look and grinned at the kit. "Want to try pressing it?"

Nearly squealing with excitement, the kitsune leaped onto her lap and proudly stabbed at the button, jumping and yipping with delight when the tray obediently slid closed. "Look! I did it, Kagome!"

Inuyasha yawned loudly from the bed, and Kagome decided to ignore him. "Good job, Shippou-chan…and now it's loading. See?" Sure enough, the screen faded, and Kagome had to pinch herself at their jumps when the PlayStation 2 logo flicked on and off. "It's strange, I know, but it won't hurt you, no matter how weird it sounds."

Monk and slayer both visibly forced themselves to relax each time a new screen popped up, especially the short, loud, vibrant introductory movie, till Kagome stepped onto the pad and thudded the X panel with her foot. "That's just to show off the game. Here are all our actual options…see, I move between them with the arrows and pick the one I want to do with this button." She moved it up and down, letting Shippou come forward and hop repeatedly on the up arrow, almost beside himself with glee at the way the image obeyed him. "See, it's just for fun. Now, to actually play…" A tap of X, and the screen dissolved.

Inuyasha grew increasingly frustrated watching the light flicker and fade and strengthen in degrees across their stunned, delighted faces. All he could hear were blips of annoying sound and snippets of loud, even more annoying sounds strung together in a rapidly changing jumble. It sounded faintly like the `music' he'd heard Kagome explaining to Sango not long ago, but instead of a discreet set of little soft objects, this was blasting out of the back of the huge box. "What the hell's going on?"

"I'm trying to pick a song, Inuyasha," she said patiently, letting the other three get used to the sight of her cycling through the different choices. "As long as I'm looking at one's title, it plays a piece of that song on loop. See, guys, the object is to match arrow shapes in time to the music. The more arrows, the more difficulty. I'll keep it on the easiest level for now…" She had selected Training Mode, which meant there would be no backgrounds to distract them, but Kagome steeled herself anyway as she settled on one of her older favorites. "Here, this one is in English, so don't pay attention to the words. Just watch the arrows and see if you get what I'm doing with my feet…" Another tap of X, and she was off.

Inuyasha's ears half-flattened as more `music' began, not as harsh as some of the ones she'd passed over, but still definitely odd. Weird. Don't see how you can get much weirder………than………what the…?!

"What're you doing?" he heard Shippou ask incredulously as Kagome stepped forward, back, and forward again, as if she'd suffered a blow to the head and was trying to kill imaginary insects.

"This is how you play," she answered, face alight with embarrassment, pride, and the game's unnatural illumination. "See how the arrows move up? I hit this one, the down arrow, when that one hits the matching outline at the top."

No one else spoke as the song's odd words picked up into a rapid stream, then ended with the music on a strong beat, at which Kagome made a small jump and ended with her feet splayed on the left and right arrows. "Ha! I made it! Man, I haven't played in years, either…" She grinned at the three gaping at the screen. "Got it?" On impulse, Kagome turned back towards the TV and hit X to get back to the song selection, mashed the down arrow rapidly till several odd symbols in a row under the title shifted twice, and hit X again. "I set it on the hardest difficulty. Don't laugh if I don't get it, `cause this'll be a lot different."

Different it was-instead of moving in smooth, continuous steps, Kagome was forced to literally hop around, sometimes leaving one or both feet on a single arrow and flailing away with the other, or leaping to hit direction combinations, only to return to increasingly demanding single-step patterns. Damn, I'm doing pretty good, she thought proudly, puffing a little and laughing as she nearly fell over on a difficult sequence of eighth notes.

"I did it!" She clapped her hands and doubled over, staggering against the wall and wheezing for breath the moment the song ended. "I can't believe my feet remembered how to do that one!" Thankfully, the tatami and rubber seemed fairly compatible; the pad hardly moved under her feet, the way it usually did on carpet or polished floor.

Sango rubbed her eyes. "Incredible. I have no clue how you can do that so quickly."

"You seem very skilled, Kagome-sama," Miroku remarked, eyeing the pad and her feet. "But…ah…does one always have to move that way in order to succeed?"

"Yeah, it does look kinda weird at first, but when it was popular, guys used to get really good so they could show off to girls, believe it or not." Miroku wisely refrained from comment, and Sango nodded shortly.

Kagome poked Shippou gently in the side, and he squeaked, hopping back from where he'd been sniffing at the mat. "You want to try now, Shippou-chan?"

A soft noise from the bed forestalled the kit's answer, and Kagome moved to where she could get a better look at Inuyasha. "Hey, Inuyasha, you okay?" The hanyou had flung his forearm across his eyes, hiding most of his face. "Inu…" His shoulders began to shake. "…yasha?"

The warning in her tone only made him shake harder, and he began to wheeze silently. She crossed her arms and began to tap her fingers irritably. "Are you laughing at me?"

"Maybe…" Inuyasha angled his arm to expose one eye, and her cross expression seemed to amuse him vastly. "No…just thought your…little…thing…was…interesting…yeah-"

"I hope you break your other ribs," she grumbled as he clutched at his sides, trying desperately to rein in his merriment enough to spare his injuries the abuse of laughing. "For your information, if you had been able to see the screen, you would know I was actually doing pretty well."

"Yeah…I'd say…you killed…at least four…five hundred ants…that last time-"

"What the…?" Kagome couldn't get anything else out of him after that. She scratched her head and looked at the others for explanation, but all three merely shrugged. "Now who's the weirdo?"

Judging by the slight case of hiccups Inuyasha had just developed, it didn't really matter. Kagome sighed mightily and grabbed the half-full dipper from the floor. "Here, moron. Now I know how you feel when I say something that doesn't make any sense." And I know what a potent weapon it is. Man, I owe him for this one…

She did have to admit that she probably looked pretty stupid from his perspective, though. And it had gotten his mind off the altercations with Kouga and Sesshoumaru…his pride was probably at its lowest ebb at the moment, and if he could get a little back at her expense, it was no skin off her nose.

Or feet, in this case, as she rubbed her left heel and recalled the callus she'd developed there back when she first started playing the game barefoot. She'd been strongly discouraged from continuing to play in arcades, as many older males had either taken too keen an interest in her or merely wanted the machines more - besides, girls weren't supposed to get sweaty like that - but Eri's older brother had one of the home versions, and they frequently played on the expensive metal set when Eri's parents were out of the house on business.

Two songs (and about 30 quick glances to make sure Inuyasha wasn't watching) later, Kagome sighed and sank to the floor, fanning herself. "That's about all for now. I'm really out of shape. Do either of you guys want to try?"

Sango and Miroku exchanged glances. "Maybe later, Kagome-chan," Sango answered tactfully.

"Yeah, you're right. We need to save the batteries anyway." Much to Shippou's disappointment, she flipped the switch and pushed the Power button. "I'll be right back. I need to get some water. Sango-chan, could you and Miroku move the TV so everyone can watch it at once?"

Inuyasha raised his arm and gave her a quick, unreadable look, then set it back down as she left the room. Definitely weird. Wonder if she realizes there's a lot more to watch than her feet when she plays that game thing…?

Kagome couldn't help humming as she took a detour away from the kitchens and outside, where the rain had already tapered off and the air was already beginning to warm a bit. She was too happy to be bothered by the after-rain smell at the moment, though, and she almost unconsciously broke out into the first song's rapid, catchy refrain as she leaned against the rail. "Could you be the kind lady that I'm seeking? After all of this time, could this be true love? And she said-"

"Only courtesans sing, girl."

"Hello, Kikyou, and that's not what she said." Kagome enjoyed a moment of childish satisfaction as the priestess frowned, uncertain of her meaning: after all, the song's words were English. "Never mind. What do you want?"

Unused to being confused, Kikyou held onto her displeasure a moment longer before assuming her usual calm, `leaning' gracefully against the rail a few feet away. A servant hurried by, bowing and murmuring a swift greeting to Kagome, failing entirely to see the priestess. Creepy. She looks solid to me…

"I merely wished to know if you'd noticed anything strange on the grounds lately," Kikyou said evenly, ignoring the momentary interruption. "That must have been Inuyasha's older half-brother I saw earlier…do you wish for death, or did you somehow know he would be generous enough to allow you to live after your behavior?"

"I was too mad to think about it." Kagome folded her arms and stared out at the forest. "And no, I haven't really noticed anything weirder than usual. Why, did you?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps it was only my imagination, or perhaps my curiosity is affecting my judgment." Kikyou also turned to look at the trees. "Either way, I advise you to be on your guard. It would be most inconvenient if you were to die and the curse to resolve itself this early."

"Then why don't you…damn." She was already gone. Kagome stuck her tongue out at the forest in general and headed back inside. I hate it when she does that…would it kill her to be clear for once? …Oh, wait, she's already dead. …All the more reason for her to come out and say something once in a while!

Inuyasha had recovered sufficiently by that evening to make it out of Kagome's room and up to his with only minimal assistance; by the time dinner was over and he'd asked her the usual question, his ego was in even better shape, smug about his speed of healing and still laughing at her dancing skills, as he called them, and none of her protests or insults could budge him. The fact that she refrained from mentioning Sesshoumaru, Kouga or Kikyou didn't seem to occur to him, and she was almost tempted to do so before she returned to her room. He's lucky he's never had the chance to laugh at me before and I can take it, or I'd verbally beat him into a pulp again…

She did have to admit, after her brief bath and as she dozed off with Buyo and Shippou, that it was a small price to pay to keep him happy. Frankly, she was amazed that he hadn't gone off the deep end with all that'd happened…Sesshoumaru alone should've made it start snowing again. But here he was, his own wonderfully infuriating self again already. I need to send Konami a letter: "Dear whoever invented DDR: thanks for letting my favorite half-dog-demon laugh at me and keeping it from snowing." That would go over well…if she was lucky, they wouldn't bother to have her locked up.

Inuyasha was in a deeply contemplative mood at the moment. His side was still extremely stiff and sore, and he distracted himself by trying to figure out why Kagome had been such a pushover at dinner. Feh. Probably just tired from playing that thing and then teaching everyone yet another pointless card game. He hadn't minded being excluded too much, as any game involving speed/slapping the cards was forbidden to anyone with his speed or natural armament anyway, and watching had been almost as good. Not as good as watching the first game, of course-

That thought made him smirk yet again, and he stretched out carefully. Nah, wench was probably trying to distract me from going after Fluffy. Gotta give her credit, it worked, and I don't even care that much…I guess… He frowned. She was almost as mad as I was when she started talking about the curse. Wonder who told her…was it Kikyou? His insides went cold. Would she do that, on top of everything else?

Now he almost regretted the monk's absence; anything to take his mind off everything would've come in handy. Dammit, where's the wench when I need her?

Inuyasha grimaced. That last bit had a ring to it he didn't like, all the more so because, for a moment there, he'd really considered going down and bugging her at this hour. I'm not her pet, dammit, and I'm not gonna act like it. With that, he closed his eyes and forced his mind blank, allowing his weary body to fall asleep.

Kagome didn't see Kouga at all the next morning. Inuyasha's mood improved noticeably when he found out that the wolf hadn't been seen at all since yesterday, and he was almost sunny by lunchtime: he had memorized the whole alphabet, could credibly pronounce most of it, and was well on his way to learning how to write the first five letters. He'd forgotten about the laptop entirely, but looking at his claws, Kagome thought it a blessing in disguise. No way he'll ever be able to type with those things.

"It's really pretty impressive," Kagome told Sango as they joined her, Miroku and Shippou outside for another impromptu picnic. The weather, while not perfect thanks to the damp ground, was unusually nice for a post-rainy day, not at all muggy. "He's learning a lot faster than I thought he would."

"Keh." Inuyasha couldn't keep a smirk off his face, though he did refrain from bragging, which Kagome thought was rather to his credit. Of course, hunger spurred by his body's need to support its accelerated healing probably had something to do with it, too, but…

"Kagome?" Shippou patted her knee. "Can we start the treehouse soon?"

"Sure. We can pick out a site today and start planning it if you want." Kagome smiled at his shout of joy and bound off her lap, knowing everyone concerned would hear about it within minutes now. "Miroku-sama, Inuyasha, d'you want to come?"

"Of course," Miroku answered as Inuyasha was gulping down his food, eyeing him resentfully. "It would be best to stay together in case we have any more unexpected visitors."

The mention put a slight damper on things, which was actually a bit lifted when Shippou came back to report that the children had almost all been set to tasks for the day already, and unless Kagome-sama had explicitly requested their presence, they were not to be released; the kit was too intelligent to lie and expect to get away with it. Even as she reassured Shippou, Kagome could feel the others sharing her relief: the children would prove less than helpful until they actually started work and could give them specific things to do.

By more unspoken assent, Sango and Kagome shied away from the site of the confrontation yesterday, choosing a smaller but fairly sturdy tree whose branches interlaced into a near-platform with its neighbor. "That looks pretty good. Not too high for the kids, but high enough," Kagome said, crouching to begin a rough sketch of the trees and branches with a pencil and scroll Kirara had fetched from her room. "First, we'll need a rope ladder to allow everyone to climb up. We can have the littler kids do that while the bigger ones work. Now, we need to fix the house to the branches at three or four points, in a square shape, and we can do that here, here, here, and maybe here…Inuyasha, can you go check if the wood's strong enough in those areas, please?"

Making a great show of reluctance, the hanyou got up and leapt up, concealing a twinge in his sore ribs as he tested the branches all around. "It should be fine, wench. Not going to be too big, is this thing?"

"Nope, it'll be like a very small hut. It's safer that way. How's the wind up there? Not too strong, you think? If the trees move around too much, we're gonna have to plan it a lot more carefully."

Inuyasha pronounced the trees and branches acceptable, leaping down to join them as Kagome began to explain how to build the triangular support frame that would hold up the floor. Miroku and Sango periodically asked for clarification or made suggestions for the design Kagome was sketching, but Inuyasha stayed quiet till Kagome sought his opinion on the house's size, based upon their supply of wood. His answer - "I dunno. We could make it as high as the castle roof if you really want to" - was good for a few more minutes of bickering, till Shippou broke in and asked if they were supposed to build it in the air or move it up from the ground once it was already made. That argument - namely, whether they simply constructed the floor, walls and all up in the tree as Inuyasha suggested or whether they build it on the ground, where most of the children could actually participate without fear of breaking their necks, as per Kagome's retort - was settled by a rapid flurry of jun-ken-pon.

"Ha! We're making it down here!" Kagome tapped his index and middle fingers with her fist. "You always do scissors."

"Feh. Well, don't expect me to do all the work," Inuyasha grumbled. "Now, how much wood are we gonna need for this crap?"

We? He was hooked. Kagome nearly rubbed her hands together. "Well, I'll have to guesstimate a lot of it, but if we figure it out now and get the men to cut more than we think we need, it should be fine. I'll have Ginta get us tools and bolts to actually put the wood t-"

"Nuh-uh." Inuyasha tapped his claws lightly on the scroll, making several tiny holes. "We don't need that crap."

Kagome scowled. "But, Inuyasha-"

"Actually, I'll have to agree with him on this score," Sango said, and Miroku nodded. "You may be used to modern tools, but you should realize that all this…" She waved her hand back at the castle. "…was done without them. Surely we can construct a small dwelling without extra help."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Sorry." Kagome tapped her chin. "I saw a farmhouse reconstructed once…you use lots of weird cuts and wooden stakes to keep everything together, right?"

Miroku nodded. "Something like that. The men of the castle would be able to offer the best help."

"All righty, then," Kagome said in English. "That means `all right, then.'" She stretched, wincing as her spine cracked. "Ow. That was a good one."

"Get off your ass and walk around for a change," Inuyasha muttered, offering her a careful hand up. "It's almost time to eat anyway."

To her surprise, it was indeed almost lunchtime already. Ignoring Inuyasha's protests, Kagome sent Kirara and Shippou to retrieve food and climbed up herself. "What, you don't think I can't tell living wood from rotten, dead ones?" he griped, leaping up into the opposite tree to glare at her. "Get down already."

"I'm fine, Inuyasha. I've been climbing trees to get Souta out of `em for years." Kagome settled into a fork a bit higher up and slung one leg over the side. "And if I fall, you can catch me and harass me about it for the next month."

Inuyasha scowled and steadied himself to step over to her branch. She crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue.

"Hey, monk."

An unwelcome voice brought their heads down sharply. Kouga had appeared and was looking around, addressing Miroku irritably. "Where's Kagome and the freak? They smell like they were just here."

Inuyasha held up a hand to silence Kagome and jumped down. "What the hell do you want?"

Kouga glanced up, spotted Kagome and was instantly all smiles. "Hey, there you are. Come down so I can tell you the rest of what'll happen when the curse is up."

"I'm comfortable, Kouga-kun, but I'm listening. Go for it," she answered, wondering at Inuyasha's sputtering rage till she realized how she'd addressed the wolf. Oops. Well, he's not that bad a guy, s'not like it means anything…

Both males' expressions said otherwise. Kouga gave Inuyasha a meaningful look and sauntered closer to the tree. "If you like. I know it's a pain for you to move right now. I'm not big on trees, so I'll stay down here." He crossed his arms, leaning against the trunk and speaking upwards, completely ignoring Inuyasha. "Here's how it's gonna work, as far as I know…

"Sesshoumaru is a hell of a lot richer and more powerful than we are. Sucks to admit it, but it's true." Kouga shrugged. "Jaken saw me as he was leaving and gave me all kinds of crap, so I told him some of the truth. I didn't know he'd go and track down Ginta and threaten him till he knew everything till Ginta came by to tell me about it later. Jaken did some back-and-forth on his phone thing, and he said Sesshoumaru would compromise."

"Oh?" Kagome didn't like the way this was going. Again. "What kind of compromise?"

"Pretty simple. We wait out the curse, he lends us the money to buy the land from Kagome's dad, and they start faking reports to get things ready for development. Then we use his money to clear out two different spots on the land, one for us to use as a base, and another for plans he'll give us."

"What's he going to do with it? And why let you live on what he thinks is his land?" Kagome asked curiously, keeping her eyes off Inuyasha lest she trigger what was surely a rapidly increasing temper.

"Pfft. Like he tells us anything he's planning. I'm not real sure on the second point, but when I thought about it, my guess was that he doesn't think of us as a threat. Either that, or he's planning to have us move soon, or he's just going to kill us as soon as it's convenient. Don't know, don't care." Kouga grinned fiendishly. "Just as long as no one tells him the castle's gonna disappear. Ginta forgot that detail, and I don't see why I shouldn't, either."

Kagome rubbed her forehead wearily. "And when he kills you for `forgetting' once it happens, I'm sure he'll laugh, too."

"Nah. We've got an alliance for now, and if he kills any of us, he's got to do his dirty work himself. Like I said, he's paranoid about letting people know he's doing anything."

"If you say so…" Kagome finally risked a glance at Inuyasha and blanched. "Kouga-kun, thanks for stopping by, but I think it's best you leave now. We're just about finished here anyway."

"Okay, then." Kouga bowed shortly and grinned again, adding in English, "Bye, dear."

"Goodbye." She waited till he was out of sight to maneuver back down the tree and drop the last few feet to the ground. "Inuyasha, calm d-"

"`Things change,' do they?" His voice was almost painfully quiet, rage seething dangerously close to the surface. "`It might not happen'? What the fuck do you think you're doing trying to convince me you don't want this to be over one second, then chatting about it like it's nothing with him the next?!"

"You can't solve a problem unless you understand it, Inuyasha! I was not trying to make light of it or make it sound like I was looking forward to it!"

"But that doesn't stop you from planning ahead right in front of me, does it?!"

"If I tried to talk to him about it alone, you'd just get jealous on top of everything else!" Kagome gripped her shirt bottom tightly to keep from grabbing his haori and trying to shake some sense into him. "It won't go away if we ignore it, you idiot! Would you rather have Fluffy spring it on you three days before the curse ends or something?!"

"At least then he'd be the one rubbing my nose in it! Not you and that fleabitten, backstabbing jerkoff!"

Kagome's jaw dropped. "You…you…" She gritted her teeth, rising on tiptoe to hiss directly into his wrathful face. "How dare you try to blame all this on me? You're not even killing the messenger-that would be too easy! You already hate Kouga as it is! Don't you dare try to turn this into something I did wrong! I'm sorry it came up in front of you, but there was-"

"I can't believe this!" Inuyasha turned on his heel and marched off. "Don't bother coming to dinner tonight, wench!"

"Fine! Go sulk by yourself! See if I care!" Kagome turned and sprang right back into the tree, scraping her hands and jarring her tailbone as she threw herself back into the fork. "In fact, you can go the rest of the time without sleeping at all!"

Nothing Sango or Miroku could say to either of them helped, and true to her word, Kagome remained in her room at dinner, fuming and playing Speed with Sango till the slayer's hands started to smart. "This isn't a slapping game, Kagome-chan," she pointed out the fifth time Kagome's hand crashed into hers. "I thought you said part of the object was to see if the players could use the same two piles without touching."

"Grrrrrmph." That was all the answer she seemed ready to give, and Sango permitted her friend to win without further comment.

That night, both lay awake in their rooms long after it was time to be asleep. Neither slayer nor monk attempted conversation with their respective companions, and thus Kagome and Inuyasha were each able to enjoy their anger to the fullest.

Can't believe he actually turned around and blamed everything on me, Kagome fumed. He knows damn well I'm on his side and I hate the prospect of him killing everyone, much less himself…dammit, I'm ready to cry just thinking about it. It can't be that he wants me to break it-he's said as much a million times. So what the hell is his problem? She turned over and sighed loudly, growling at Buyo's rumble of protest. The calico immediately joined Shippou at the foot of Sango's futon. Even they're deserting me! Friggin' jerk's turned me into some kind of monster…jerk… Kagome turned back over, sniffing despite herself. See if I care. He's an idiot. I shouldn't let my feelings get hurt by someone that dumb.

But of course, if that worked, she wouldn't have let herself even like him in the first place, much less…

In many ways, Kagome was still better off than Inuyasha, who did not have the benefit of falling into uneasy slumber or the ability to admit important facts to himself, such as the fact that he'd taken his anger at his helplessness out on Kagome. Wench should've told Kouga to piss off…and what was with the way she was smiling at him, calling him that…?

Nope. That didn't work, either. He growled and got up to pace around the room. Nearby, Miroku sighed to himself, wishing more than ever that Sango hadn't insisted upon a set rotation of nights together and apart.

Why was this getting to him so much? When Fluffy had insulted his mother and all but caved his chest in, he hadn't stayed really angry for more than a few minutes. Granted, pain, worry over Kagome's possible dismemberment and then the distraction of watching her play had helped, but…well, the only real difference was that she'd been defending him before, and now it was more like she was dismissing him. She probably meant it when she said she hadn't tried to make him feel that way…okay, he knew she meant it, and that talking about it wasn't her thing, either…but couldn't she have gone about it differently?

The fact that he couldn't think of any ways in which she could've did nothing to allay his irritation, especially with himself. Moron. That's what you get for giving a crap what she thinks about you. You even think she doesn't care, and suddenly you get as anal as Fluffy. Ugh. He immediately retracted that one. Forget it. This sucks. I'm goin' to bed.

Bed did not equal sleep, though, and thus it was that he lay awake all night, at a complete loss till the sun's rays peeped around the edges of the window covering and something occurred to him. Huh. Well, if it works…

Kagome was not in the mood for lessons the next morning; she went straight to where the men were at work cutting wood and discussed the various pieces, dimensions and shapes needed for the treehouse, curtailing her irritation with their skepticism at a lady being in charge of something so unladylike as building a hut in a tree. Supervising the work wasn't necessary, either, she soon found, and she spent the rest of the day in her room with Sango, Shippou, Miroku and Kohaku, showing DDR off and explaining it to the younger slayer.

Soon, though, the thunderclouds over her head started to give way at Kohaku's amazement and first clumsy attempts to play; soon she'd persuaded Sango to give it a try as well, and her friend nearly passed the first song, insisting upon a second try till Miroku indicated curiosity and she nearly shoved him onto the mat in her place.

It is a natural law that one cannot stay angry when one is watching first-time DDR players, particularly when one is introducing the game to one's friends, and all the more so when one's friends prove to be either very good or very bad. And when said friends literally came from another world, and attempted to play as they were…the juxtaposition of Miroku setting his staff down in front of the TV, concentrating on the screen and beginning his first few hesitant steps as the song began moved her to tears by the time he was through.

"You weren't quite as vocal when the others tried," the monk said almost resentfully, stepping off the pad. "And by the looks of it, I did quite well."

"Yeah…you…" Kagome wiped her eyes and looked at the screen. "Wow, you got a C. That's really good for your first try…but-" The mental image of him stomping on the right arrow brought the giggles back with a vengeance. "Oh, God, I'm sorry I got so mad at Inuyasha yesterday! I had no idea it'd be this out of place here!"

Inuyasha didn't have the courage to go downstairs, much less check in her room, till it was late afternoon. He stopped by the kitchens long enough to ensure the meals Miroku had had prepared ahead of time were ready, then made himself go right to Kagome's room. Even without the sight and sounds of various servants gossiping like mad about the odd noises coming from Kagome-sama's chamber, he could feel the game's music deep in his earbones. How do they stand to listen to that constantly?

Deep breath…open one shoji…let it out, and open the next. What the…?!

Kagome was literally on the floor laughing, Shippou standing calmly next to her, while Sango and Kohaku watched Miroku prance around on the mat, grinning and gaping, respectively. Inuyasha couldn't blame them: the bouzu did look pretty damn funny hopping like that. "Oi. Miroku."

"One moment, Inuyasha, this song is only halfway through." Miroku grimaced as the lapse in concentration cost him several steps.

"Yeah, Inuyasha, it's the worst breach of DDR etiquette imaginable to interrupt," Kagome said severely from the floor, pushing herself to her knees and wiping her eyes. "Did you wanna try next?"

"Ah…no. Hell no." Oddly enough, he was more disappointed than relieved. Why's she so happy? I've been miserable all day… There was also the fact that his surprise, intended to keep her from sulking or getting more upset, was pretty much wasted now. Dammit! Wench always ruins everything somehow!

"You're no fun…but it's probably for the best. You'd stomp right through the mat-they're really easy to break." Kagome stood unsteadily, clapping at the end of the song. "Nice one, Miroku-sama. That's probably enough for today, though."

Kohaku made a disappointed noise, and Kagome flicked his nose gently. Inuyasha felt an unreasoning stab of resentment at the same gesture he'd gotten yesterday. "You can go first next time, Kohaku-kun. Okay?"

"Time for dinner." Inuyasha jerked his head back. "C'mon, hurry up."

"Now?" Kagome's expression turned expectant. "Why so early?"

Crap! "I'm hungry, dammit. Now move your ass or I'm leaving you behind."

"Yay!" There was no doubt he'd given himself away now, and he grew surlier as Kagome clapped and quickly turned the electronics off. "Hold on, lemme grab a sweater. It feels cool outside."

His stop to pick up the two boxes at the kitchen confirmed her suspicions, and she almost skipped up the stairs to the second and third floors. "Watch yourself, wench," Inuyasha snapped, certain her twirling steps would send her flying any second now.

"I'm okay. See?" Kagome stepped onto the third floor landing and nearly jogged down the corridor. "Come on!"

It was lucky she was preoccupied, or else the pull from the strange door between Inuyasha's room and door to the balcony would have stopped her dead. Huh? It had been so long that she'd nearly forgotten about it. Nuts. Should've mentioned it to Kikyou…so she could say she knew already and not tell me anything, most likely. Hmph.

"Quit dragging your feet." Inuyasha herded her away from the door tensely, not relaxing till they were out on the balcony and he could set the boxes down.

"Nice day," Kagome said absently, squinting at the setting sun's array of purples, soft gold-pink and reddish orange on the forest. She shivered at a cool breeze on her neck and hastened to button her red sweater up. "Are you still cranky from yesterday?"

"Get on." Sighing, she obediently crossed the short balcony and looped her arms around his neck, letting her legs dangle for the short jump across.

"You don't have to be afraid to get on all the way, y'know. I'm all healed already." Inuyasha picked up the boxes in one hand as she hesitated, then shrugged and looped her legs around his waist. "Ready?"

"Y-" They were off the ground, and she nearly bit her tongue. "Jerk!" she yelled above the wind, and he snorted, turning his head slightly at the top of their arc, then looking back to gauge their landing and come down on both feet, letting his spine absorb the shock.

"Here." He waited for her to slide off and turned to hand her one box. "Moon's full tonight, so we don't need any torches or anything."

"Thanks." Kagome sat down facing the sunset and rested her hands on the box, committing the colors, shapes and patterns to memory in case she ever learned to paint. "This is really beautiful. I appreciate you bringing me up here."

"I was gonna try to get you to stop being so pissy, but it looks like the bouzu beat me to it." Inuyasha sat down a few feet away and unpacked his box. "Eat before it gets cold, Kagome."

"Okay." She lifted out her bowl, chopsticks, jug of tea and a wrapped fish, setting them down atop the lid like a small table.

The air grew steadily cooler as the sun set, and though their fight from yesterday wasn't far from either mind, neither could think of how to bring it up peacefully. Inuyasha still felt a bit stupid at his plan to take her up here and get her to relax, then make her apologize. Do I really wanna come out and say "Apologize for yesterday" and start it all over again when she's already over it and might not even remember what I was so pissed about?

Come to think of it, sitting in silence, watching the horizon darken and listening to the wind sigh through the trees, he wasn't sure he did, either. …Oh, yeah. Kouga said a bunch of crap and she asked questions. Not the best way to spring a demand for an apology on someone, especially not a girl proven more than capable of deflecting even his best assaults.

His mind was just starting to work around to it when his left ear twitched gently. "Did you say something?"

"No…" Kagome set down her rice and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you. Just thinking of this stupid dream about Sesshoumaru I had a couple of nights ago."

"Oh?" Curiosity piqued, Inuyasha finished off his tea and half-turned towards her. It was good she wasn't, well, arousing his body's interest, or the sight of her profile against the velvety blue-black sky would've given him serious problems. "About Fluffy, eh? Was this before you met him?"

"Yeah…you know how you sometimes dream about things or people, and it's obviously not them, but you know it's them? This was one of those." She buried her head in her hands, shaking it. "I dreamed he came by and tried to threaten us, only he had a huge red ball on his nose and everyone laughed at him instead."

Inuyasha smirked. "I can see that happening. When I was a pup, I just dreamed about killing him."

"Never had any funny dreams?" Kagome asked, lacing her fingers together and pushing them out to hear them pop.

"Nah, nothing you'd think was funny." Inuyasha repacked the box with his empty utensils and lay flat on his back, arms folded under his head.

"That's too bad. I used to have the weirdest ones when I was really little…" Kagome pushed her food aside and also stretched out, angling so that their heads were a discreet distance apart but still fairly close. "Once, when I was seven, I dreamed Dad was really an alien - a being not even from this world, it's a long story - and when I woke up, I kept thinking it was true. I'd hide and watch him all the time to see if he ever did anything weird. I think I even poked him with a fork to see if his skin was metal or not."

"Ouch." Inuyasha winced at the thought. "So you've always been violent, eh?"

"I'll have you know I was born perfectly fine, Inuyasha. My brothers and sisters corrupted me. It was their fault," she said loftily, crossing her arms as the breeze wafted cold across her face and chest. It suddenly took quite a bit of work not to think of the last time she'd been cold, laying down out here…

"Yeah, I only had one. Course, he tried to kill me whenever he saw me, but Mom and Dad wouldn't let him." Inuyasha yawned, glancing over at her when there was no response. "Kagome? Somethin' wrong?"

"No," she said quietly.

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose as sorrow hit it and left a bad taste in his mouth. "That's such a load of crap, I can smell it."

Kagome choked on a laugh, sitting up to swallow the rest of her tea and regain her composure. "Okay, okay…" She lay back and looked up at the moon, rising full and huge, surprisingly bright. "You're right. I just don't want to talk about it. Okay? Okay."

Inuyasha was quiet, mind churning curiously. When was the last time she got like this? It didn't seem like the time at the river… The other time, they were out here, a while back, talking about family…hmmm… "Does this have anything to do with why you hate the smell of rain?"

Kagome's legs jerked. "Yes." Why the hell does he have to turn perceptive now?! "I really don't want to talk about it."

"Fine. If you say so." He shrugged, secretly disappointed. Not that he cared, of course, but he hated that damn smell. Besides, the whole point of coming up had been to make her happy, not get sad over something and then refuse to tell him about it.

"…I do."

Dammit…

Kagome sighed deeply and closed her eyes. He told me plenty of stuff…but… "I'll make you a deal. If you still wanna hear about it any time after tonight, I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone. It's not that interesting, though."

Inuyasha grunted. "Fine. Only if you wanna tell it, though. I'm not forcing you." He yawned again, reminding himself to decide whether to ask or not later. It had his curiosity going, to be sure, but if it hurt her to think about it… "I almost never dream anyway. The best I get is daydreaming about squashing the wolf's head."

Kagome snorted and gave him a caustic look. "Do you ever think of anything else?"

"Not really," Inuyasha lied easily. Another breeze made her shiver harder, and he sat up. "You want to go in, wench?"

"Not really." She smiled at him, rubbing her arms. "It's so pretty out here. The castle gets stuffy sometimes."

"Yeah…" He stood and walked around a few steps, glancing down at her. "What're you looking at?"

"You. Your hair looks cool." Actually, the moonlight did him serious credit all over, but his faintly glowing mane was easily the winner. Kagome patted the ground where he'd been sitting.

"Not again…do you have some kind of fetish or something?" Despite his grumbling, Inuyasha sank to his side and propped his face up on his elbow facing away from her without further prompting.

"I guess. You're not helping, either." She leaned over and began to separate the back of his hair into large braids. "I could always tickle you instead."

"Oh no you don't!" Momentarily forgetting how deeply her fingers were tangled, Inuyasha lurched forward, jerking her off balance and just as quickly moving to catch her as he sensed her falling.

Thus it was that she ended up half-on, half off the ground, held up easily with one arm, which she feebly tugged on to pull her up, and which he used to help her upright against his side. "Sorry about that," he muttered, heart thudding at the near miss and now the proximity.

"No, that was my fault. I shouldn't have teased you." Kagome tapped his chest apologetically, using shortness of breath as an excuse to lean against him and close her eyes for the shortest of moments.

Inuyasha grunted again, and she would've thought it was annoyance if not for his heartbeat against her right temple. "We'll call it even, then."

The moment turned into several, Kagome unintentionally relaxing into his loose embrace and Inuyasha reflexively tightening it just a shade. He didn't need her body heat this time, of course, but he was bemused to note that he didn't really care. Besides, as always, she smelled nice. So there.

They might have stayed there for hours if not for Kagome's eyes closing on their own, and she jerked awake, startling him into releasing her. "Sorry, didn't mean to," she said quickly as he leapt to his feet and started gathering the boxes.

"Mmmph." Inuyasha stacked them and crouched. "Come on, you need sleep."

Kagome smiled and shrugged. "I guess you're right." She climbed on and nudged the back of his head with her nose. "Don't be embarrassed. There's nothing wrong with hugging your friends. Besides, I'm kinda cold."

"All the more reason for you to get inside." He squeezed her legs and took off.

Despite his slight brusqueness as they landed, went in and parted at her door, Kagome sensed he was more receptive to her explanation than he let on. Good. If I can't convince him it's okay to be friends, at least, I'm gonna go nuts… That would be good enough for her. For now. Or so she thought…

A/N: There we go. A bit later than intended, but I was having so much fun looking up DDR lyrics (kudos to anyone who knows that song, which by the way is on DDR Max, not Extreme, but I wanted to use it, dagnabbit) and treehouse stuff that it just took longer than intended. Sorry to Sis, who has been waiting for me to finish for hours now and is going nuts with boredom. Upload time…