InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bittersweet Rhapsody ❯ Lust ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not owned by moi.

A/N: Now for a little fun! :) Despite what he says about Kagome, Inuyasha is having quite a hard time not reacting to her fiesty, stubborn charms...

Kagome groaned feebly as a ray of strong sunlight hit her right cheek. Opening one crusty, bleary eye that immediately snapped itself back shut, she slowly rolled over onto her other side as the wave of realization suddenly hit her and what had been going on for the past three days unfortunately dawned upon her once more.

The room, now infused with rays from the cheery morning sun, lit up a scene that was reminiscent of her brother Sota's room. Blankets and bags littered the area, looking much like a war had occurred throughout the course of the night. The table of half-eaten food stood in the center, over which Shippo, snoring uproariously, was still slumped. And, last but not least, in the opposite corner lay an unpleasantly familiar figure, his back turned towards her...

"Inuyasha," she muttered crossly, her sleep-filled eyes narrowing in anger as she remembered the previous night's exchange. The look of hatred that had been etched onto his features, the hardness in his eyes...without a doubt it seemed that he was even angrier at her than she was at him. But why? What had she done, other than to leave him to his pursuits with Kikyo? Hadn't she done him a favor, finally letting him alone when she had been so obviously smitten with him earlier? He probably just thought of her as some annoying girl who meant absolutely nothing to him, when it all came down to it...

Sighing darkly, she roused herself out of bed, crossing the room to take a look outside. What she saw, for some reason, depressed her even more. It was the beginnings of an absolutely beautiful summer day outside. The sun shined brightly out over the greening fields, which were looking especially lush and vibrant after the recent rains. Everyone was bustling around outside; even the rustic looking peasants of the locale doing their daily menial work seemed happy and even-tempered.

"Urghh, damn it," she murmured vehemently, turning away quickly and promptly somehow managing to trip over an ill-placed bedroll. She fell to her knees with a thump, inwardly groaning as the silver, tousled head nearby immediately stirred groggily.

"Dammit, why do you have to make so much noise in the morning, woman?" Inuyasha spat a moment later, glaring at her indignantly. "You're as loud as a damn army!"

Remembering what had transpired last night, Kagome did her best to give off the air of having just found something sticky and unpleasant on the sole of her shoe. "Excuse me?!" she demanded, glaring at him back.

"Just what I said," he muttered viciously, looking away as a few tinges of red began to appear on his cheeks. Somehow he had just now noticed that Kagome was standing right over him, only in her white cotton shift, which she customarily wore when sleeping indoors. Her hair was looking wonderfully tangled and disheveled this morning, and the flimsy material clung tightly against her curvaceous hips--- "Why do you hafta be so goddamn annoying all the time, anyway?!" he managed to choke out after a moment, conveniently managing to cover himself up with a brightly-woven throw as he felt the beginnings of a hard-on taking over his lower body.

"Me?!" Kagome shot back, leaning right over him, her face contorted in anger. "What about YOU, you pig?! You're the one who started this stupid conversation in the first place!"

Inuyasha, by this time, was about to go insane with arousal. Those long white legs, those chocolate brown eyes, those silky ebony locks that smelt of sweetly-scented tulips--- "Go away!" he shouted irately, trying his hardest to ignore the fact that his own self-contrived vision of loveliness was leaning right over him (and also the rebellious motions of his own body).

"Gladly!" She crossed the room in one quick stride, but turned around a moment later and ordered him haughtily, "But YOU'RE going to wake up Miroku and Sango so we can get out of here before tonight!"

"Oh, I'M going to do it?!"

"Yes, you are! I'm not going in there to watch them - watch them -" -she, frustrated, gestured wildly at him- "Oh, just go and do it! Can't you do ANYTHING for a lady?!"

"You're not a lady, just an annoying twit!" Inuyasha retorted, but nevertheless stood up anyway (blanket still tightly encircled around his middle, of course). He left the room in a huff, getting very creative with the curse words as he did so.

He slid open the double doors to Miroku and Sango's room with a bang, scowling as he watched them both lazily yawn and move closer together. "What are you doing, you morons?!" he screeched in their faces. "We hafta go! NOW!"

His ears twitched irately as he watched Miroku's bare arm stretch out from underneath the covers. "Whuzzuh all the trouble now, Inu-yaaaaaaaaaaaa-zaaaaa?" he yawned, staring out at him from under half-closed eyes.

"YOU!" was the peeved reply. "Can't the two of you stop being gross just for once when we hafta do something important?! You're disgusting!"

"Mmmmmmmmmm..." Miroku just rolled over towards Sango and refused to say a word more. However, Inuyasha was not one to roll over and die. He continued to stand, arms defiantly crossed, as the minutes slowly passed, not moving and barely even breathing. Finally...

"Are you cold, Inuyasha?" Miroku's eye peeped out from under the blanket.

"What?!"

"Are you cold? I've never seen you wearing a blanket before."

Instinctively looking down, Inuyasha turned scarlet and scowled at him. "Shut up!" he snapped, wrapping the blanket more tightly around him as he once again began to be painfully aware of the fact that his body was still reacting to Kagome's charms (or rather lack thereof).

Miroku's eyebrows furrowed. "Did I hit a nerve, Inuyasha? Or are you just being your grumpy old self?" Suddenly he smiled wickedly. "Oh, I know! You had another fight with Kagome, didn't you?"

"Really, Inuyasha!" Sango put forth, glaring at the half-demon dangerously. "Don't you know how to take a hint sometimes?! Why can't you leave the poor girl alo---hey!" she shrieked furiously at Miroku, slapping his hand (or at least we hope it was his hand) somewhere under the covers.

"So disrespectful, Sango-chan!" Miroku murmured, lightly kissing her cheek. "Why can't you just be like you were last ni-"

"Enough!" Inuyasha screeched, stamping his foot so vehemently that the blanket almost slipped dangerously. "Just get up and get some goddamn clothes on so we can be out of this dump within an hour!"

Miroku shook his head sadly as he watched Inuyasha's retreating back. "Some people can just be so angry when they're not getting any, am I right, Sango-chan?" he put forth in mild amusement.

***

---

"So from which direction does the nearest jewel shard resonate, Kagome?" Miroku asked as they all stepped lightly out into the balmy morning sun about an hour later.

"Still due north," Kagome replied sullenly, shouldering her backpack as her eyes began to adjust to the glaring light.

Miroku sighed despondently. "It seems as if we must climb the mountains today..."

"No shit," Inuyasha retorted (now, luckily, minus the throw), vaguely gesturing towards the iron gray mountain peaks towering less than a mile over the manor. "Any other blatantly obvious things we don't know, Miroku?!"

Sango, whose actions often spoke louder than words, gave both of them dirty looks. "Looks like it's going to be a loooooooooong day," she muttered to Kagome out of the side of her mouth as the group slowly made their way towards the gate, Miroku and Inuyasha still picking at each other vehemently.

"Tell me about it," Kagome replied dejectedly, her eyes fixed on the lily strewn grass below her.

"Tell me..." Sango's voice was steady, yet belied the worry that was hidden underneath. "Did something happen with you and Inuyasha last night? Did he-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

The other woman moaned, "Oh, I knew it! I'm sorry, Kagome, I---"

"It's all right," she replied quietly. "Really."

"It's just that I knew I had to mend things with Miroku, and we also hadn't had the opportunity to -you know- in awhi-"

"It's fine, Sango."

"No, but I should have not left you alone!" Sango replied miserably in a hushed tone. "You're vulnerable right now, and Inuyasha especially will take advantage of i-"

"I said I'm fine!" Kagome put forth vehemently, speeding up to get away from her. Miroku and Inuyasha, having finally heard this last outburst, both looked back at the scene with raised eyebrows.

(I hate this,) Kagome thought, her cheeks turning a rosy shade of pink as she became aware that all eyes were currently on her. (I hate this era, I hate the jewel shards, I hate Kikyo, I even hate myself this morning. And most of all I hate YOU, Inuyasha! Even though you always were an asshole and still are, I can't get you out of my mind!) Gritting her teeth at this last thought, she looked upwards only to see Inuyasha still walking ahead, still glancing at her over his shoulder. The look was very brief, but was enough to tell her a lot before he narrowed his eyes and looked away haughtily. (I know you hate me, but WHY? Was it because I was in love with you? I just don't know...)

***

---

"We're stopping NOW, Inuyasha!"

"No, we're not!"

"We've been walking all day! We're stopping!"

"I said NO!"

"Well, I say YES!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NO!"

Kagome and the others stood impatiently as they watched Inuyasha and Shippo argue for what must have been the fifth time that day. Now halfway up to the pass going over the mountains, they were currently in a wooded plateau some few thousand feet above the emerald fields below. The sun, wreathed in brilliant shades of gold, crimson, and violet, could just barely be seen through the gaps in the trees, signifying the length of time that they had been climbing. False trails, dead ends, the lack of a road...it seemed that Murphy's Law had struck that day, even for Inuyasha and Kirara, who normally would have just been able to swiftly bound up the slopes had it not been for the trees and the steepness of the peaks themselves. Everyone at the moment was exhausted, cranky, and sore, even (although he would never admit it in a million years) Inuyasha himself.

Miroku rolled his eyes and glanced at the two girls as the war escalated. "Dammit, I wish someone would just win this argument already," he said in an annoyed voice. "Even climbing the mountains all night would be preferable to this."

"Come on, Inuyasha! Have a heart! We can't go on like this all night!" Shippo stared at the half-demon pleadingly, crocodile tears brimming dramatically in his round eyes.

"No!" Inuyasha snapped. "We don't have TIME, you little moron! Any moment now Naraku could get all the shards and then we'd ALL be screwed!"

Shippo turned to look at the others angstfully. "Come on, you guys! Talk some sense into him, won'tcha?! I'm sure you guys don't wanna walk forever either!"

"Just listen to him, Inuyasha," Sango put forth crisply. "We've been walking since early morning, we're all exhausted, and there's no way that any of us will be able to function tomorrow if we walk all night."

It suddenly became apparent to Inuyasha that he was definitely outnumbered on this one. "Oh, all right," he relented, making a big show of rolling his eyes as he did so. "Just remember that we're getting up at sunrise and walking all day tomorrow, whether you like it or not!"

"Yes, boss," Kagome muttered out of the side of her mouth as he trounced off to find wood for a campfire. She could have sworn that his ears perked up as he retreated, but she just scowled and unzipped her backpack. If he wanted to be so disagreeable and obstinate, then that was his problem. She wasn't going to fall prey to his petty little wants anymore. Although, she reflected, that his arrogance and air of dominance had been what had attracted her to him in the first place... In fact, she'd even go to say that it was strangely arousing---

"Eugh!" she groaned when she realized what she had been thinking. How could she think that anything about Inuyasha was arousing, especially after what had happened? Although she had, more often than not, thought about him in that way (and especially of late). About those taut, well-formed muscles that were probably hidden under his garb... About the perplexed scowl that seemed to be permanently etched onto his face... And about that long, silky hair brushing against her---

"Eugh what, Kagome?" Sango's curiosity-filled voice suddenly broke through her musings, causing her to start slightly.

Kagome immediately blushed violently, but she managed to squeak out, "Eugh -ah- I was just thinking about how -uh- how we all need a good bath!" She laughed in a rather high-pitched manner as she combed through her hair as if to brush out imaginary dirt flecks. "I mean, look at us! We're all filthy!"

Sango looked down at her own dirt-streaked robe. "I can definitely vouch for that, Kagome. However..." She trailed off for a moment, apparently thinking hard. "But what about that stream we passed by earlier in the day? It was going in our general direction, and..."

"And I bet it's not far!" Kagome smiled brilliantly (from relief more than anything else, truth be told), pointing south towards a more thickly wooded area. She tugged at her friend's arm. "C'mon, let's go!"

"All right, then," Sango concurred amiably, throwing her pack down to rid herself of the burden. She turned around to face Miroku and Shippo, who had been standing nearby watching interestedly. "We'll be back in about an hour---tell Inuyasha where we are. And Miroku, I want absolutely no-" -here she glared at him threateningly- "absolutely no peep shows!"

Miroku, as always, feigned innocence. "But why," he put forth mournfully, "would I do such a thing in the first place, Sango-chan?"

"Just shut it, Miroku," she retorted as she guided Kagome towards the cluster of trees.

***

---

Inuyasha was so angry that he lobbed his bundle of firewood onto the forest floor. "What?!" he growled at Miroku ferociously, the spit flying out of his mouth like a geyser. "You let them do what?!"

Miroku, calmly sitting under a spreading oak, objected mildly, "They just went to wash in the stream, Inuyasha. It's not as if they're in mortal peri---"

"Oh, shut up, monk!" was the agitated reply. "You don't know! There could be anything out there---demons, monsters, even Naraku's minions!" He shoved his face so close to Miroku's that the monk could literally see his own reflection in the angry sienna pools. "I can't believe you did that!"

"Well, they didn't want me peeping!" was the meek protest.

"But still! You know that Kagome can't defend herself very well, and that I like to make sure that-" The half-demon stopped short, immediately recognizing the type of grin spreading across Miroku's face. "It's not like that!" he bellowed like a bull moose, becoming redder and redder as he realized his slip. "We need her to regain the jewel shards, and nothing else! Get your mind out of the goddamn gutter! Arrrrghhhhhh, that's IT!" he finally proclaimed, stomping off towards the stream. "I'm gonna go find them, naked or not!"

Miroku stared as he watched him depart, briefly hindered by tripping over a slumbering Kirala. "Damn, he's got it bad," he muttered to himself, as he carved small, intricate hearts into the dirt with his staff. "Wish I could think up good excuses to see them naked like he can..."

***

---

Kagome and Sango, having found a moderately deep stretch of water, were by now very naked indeed. Both girls sighing happily as they welcomed the prospect of clean hair and the wonderful feel of warm water, they hung their clothes over a low tree branch that stuck over the stream bank and splashed right in.

"This is great," Kagome commented cheerfully as she leaned her dark head backwards into the still sun-warmed waters. "For a minute there I was thinking that things actually lived in my hair!"

Sango nodded in agreement as she combed through her saturated hair with her long fingers. "Yes...it is nice for us to just lay back and relax for the night, what with Inuyasha being the slavedriver and everyth-" Catching the disgruntled look on Kagome's face, she stopped short abruptly right then and there. "I'm sorry," she added quietly, looking her friend keenly in the eye. "I'm sure that he's the last thing you want to talk about."

"Damn straight," Kagome muttered in reply (though more to herself than to Sango), turning away as her eyes scanned the murky woodland on the northern bank. It was, by this time, well on into dusk, and the surrounding darkness was gathering densely among the trees. It seemed a little unnerving, to tell the truth... Most of the time, she recalled, that whenever she had gone off without Inuyasha, she had always ended up in trouble. Not to mention none of them had any idea concerning Naraku's recent actions yet... (Oh, screw it,) she thought irately, shaking the droplets out of her soaked hair like a wet dog. (Like he'd ever save me anyway.)

"Want to borrow my soap?" she asked Sango sweetly, offering the lavender-scented bar towards her friend.

***

---

as

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Inuyasha yowled (the last dammit being emphasized in response to the large branch he had just tripped over). "Where is she?! Where the hell is she?!" Looking around frantically as he hurried through the underbrush, he tried to swallow down the feeling of increasing panic that coursed throughout him.

"C'mon, you little twit!" he snarled vehemently as he thrashed his way through a prickly bush. "Where the goddamn hell are you?! Running off like that; you'd better damn well start praying that I don't punish y-" He cut that thought off right then and there, reddening into an interesting shade of crimson, really knowing full well what he had actually meant by "punish". (Goddammit, I'm getting to be like that Miroku! I never thought that way about her before! ...Well, maybe I did, but still, nothing I ever thought was THAT sick. She WAS too young, after all...) His keen scent registering the earthy smell of freshwater nearby, he continued on in the indicated direction. Miroku had mentioned something qqqqqqqqq2a it was his complete intention to find it.

He stumbled upon the area quite by accident, as the result of looking everywhere but straight ahead. Having thrashed through an exceptionally large thicket of undergrowth, he blinked as the trees abruptly ended and a broad, rushing mountain stream opened up before him. And there, right in the middle of that broad, rushing mountain stream, stood the very person he was looking for---completely naked.

"Shit!" he hissed vehemently, quickly ducking down behind a large, leafy growth that overlooked the stream's bank. Kagome had been looking in his direction when he had caught sight of her, and if she managed to catch sight of him, well, he was probably as good as dead. He found himself praying to whatever higher deity there was above that she would not catch a glimpse of his conspicuous, fire-engine red ensemble if her eyes idled towards the bush...

Shock, however, slowly ebbed away to relief as time went on and neither Kagome nor Sango (who was further away from him but still too close for comfort) carried on with washing and quietly talking amongst themselves. As he continued to crouch amongst the bushes, Inuyasha eventually found that the knot which had previously been wound tightly within his chest was beginning to unravel. (Good, she's safe, then. I would have NEVER forgiven myself if something happened to her while she was out of my si-) He rolled his eyes, having fully realized the thought. (Oh man, do I HAVE to go through this every five minutes?! I do NOT like Kagome that way! There's no way in hell! She's whiny and argumentative and nagging and ---and- absolutely...beautiful,) he concluded as his eyes, savoring the beauty standing before him, slowly trailed down her delicate, fragile body, which showed completely from the waist up.

(I- I never noticed her like this before...) he marveled on as he watched her apply soap to her arms as she laughed at something Sango had said. His eyes felt ready to explode, there was so much at a time to stare at... That silky ebony hair, slick and wet from the streamwater... Her small, pert breasts, exposed in the fresh night air seemingly for his own viewing pleasure... Not to mention those glistening chocolate brown eyes...it seemed to take every bit of his willpower to not just jump in there by her. He moaned softly as his lower body gave an unpleasantly familiar lurch in reaction to the wonderful sight in front of him. (HOW can she do this to me?! I'm a half-demon, for Chrissakes! First she comes back when I think I'm finally rid of her, and THEN she starts using her own new torture method to boot!)

How long he stared at his ideal epitome of gorgeousness he had no idea, but his peep session came abruptly to an end as an unpleasantly familiar voice whispered into his ear, "Whoa there, Inuyasha! Don't allow something other than your brain to do the thinking!"

Inuyasha, having been caught red-handed (literally), gave a jump and a startled hiss, only to find that crouching next to him was none other than one of his traveling companions. "Miroku!" he growled under his breath, grabbing the hapless monk's shoulder with sharp fingernails. "Don't you dare tell anyone about this!"

Miroku shrugged. "Why would I? I do this all the time. But a word to the wise, Inuyasha," he added sagely, gesturing towards the dog-demon's bright red ensemble. "You really ought to start wearing robes like mine. That way, when you're doing this, if you're caught the girls will have a harder time seeing what you're d-"

This almost caused Inuyasha to go catatonic. "Shut up!" he rumbled ferociously (or as ferociously one could get while trying to keep one's voice unheard). "I'm not constantly whacking off like you, you pervert!"

Miroku just chuckled knowingly, as if having come to a certain conclusion at last. "Pretty, isn't she?" he added after a moment, nodding towards Kagome.

"What's it to you?!" Inuyasha replied scathingly. "And for the record, I happen to hate Kagome!"

"My rule, my friend, is that looking does not hurt as long as you don't touch. But as for you, Inuyasha, I can tell that you're lying..."

The half-demon snorted. "Why would I lie? I don't want her, never have, and never will! I'm glad that I finally got rid of her three years ago, and I wish she would have never come back!" (Though these happened to be big, boastful words for someone who currently had both eyes on the girl in question, who at the moment was raising both arms up into the sky and giving him a very ample view of her chest).

"I'm not an idiot, Inuyasha," Miroku responded seriously. "I see what I see. Granted that you've made a few mistakes concerning your past -er- affairs, I still believe that with a little finesse you could mend this once and for all. Your demeanor is totally different around Kagome than yours ever was around Kikyo, and-"

He was silenced by Inuyasha's claws closing in around his arm. "Never mention her again!" he growled viciously at the monk, his eyes blazing with fury. "If I had wanted things to have happened differently, then I would have done just that! Now shut your pie hole and quit spouting off things that you know damn well aren't true!"

Miroku sighed as he pulled his arm out of reach. "Then I suppose I'll have to do just that," he said resignedly, turning his head back towards the two girls. "But just remember, Inuyasha: she incorrectly believes that you loathe her. You have to make a move soon, or you'll lose her forever. Though perhaps that may be for the best, as you don't seem to deserve her in the first place..." He gave his stubborn friend a meaningful look, but he responded only by gritting his teeth. "Well," the monk went on, "I suppose it would be fitting to just keep on peeping..." He shook his head regretfully, wriggling further into the bushes in order to get a better view. "What a disappointment. If only we could locate their clothes, then we could-"

It had dawned upon Inuyasha slowly, but his reaction was no less furious. "Hey!" he cut in, once again grabbing the monk's arm. "I don't care about how much you ogle your wife, but when it's Kagome that you're looking at---" He stood up, his tall, lithe form towering over Miroku's menacingly.

"Well, you're doing i-"

"Well, I'm not married either, you perve-" Suddenly Miroku's arm managed to tug itself away, catching Inuyasha off balance and causing him to fall sideways through the bushes and into the stream with a loud splash.

"Aaaaaagh!" screeched Kagome, dropping the bar of soap and allowing it to float several yards downstream. "What is THAT?!"

Sango's eyes widened, grabbing Kagome's shoulder as she slowly backed away from the mysterious sound. "I don't know, but it sure seemed big. Maybe it's---maybe it's-" -this was when a sodden, silver-haired head that was constantly spewing creative cuss words popped out of the water -"-Inuyasha!"

"What?!" was the disgruntled reply.

This was just too much for Kagome. Giving the dog-demon a startled look for a split second, she then dashed out of the stream, up the bank, and back into the forest (which was now completely dark for the coming night), screaming at the top of her lungs as she did so.

A/N: And there we go! Barely an R rating, but this fic'll be living up to its rating fairly soon.

Alimm: Ooooh, sorry, I was referring to ff.net. This site luckily does, I know. *_* More Inuyasha and Kagome tension to come (and of Inuyasha not being able to take HIS eyes off Kagome!)

Simply a Lady: *Blinks* I checked your bio...you DO have a huge fan-base! I can't even imagine getting that many hits on a fic... I was wondering: how do you handle racy content on ff.net? Do you simply link them to your stuff here? Just wondering cuz' I -well- let's just say that I have to be thinking about that within a few chapters...