InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Coming of Age ❯ 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Coming of Age
By: Demonsaya

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1

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Left...right...left...right...left...

Inuyasha walked behind Kagome, his eyes drawn to the curious sway of her shapely hips. Not that he'd admit he was watching her hips go if anyone caught him. He wasn't like Miroku. He felt the corner of his mouth twitch when the sound of a resounding slap echoed behind him. Speaking of the devil...

Miroku rubbed his face, wincing. "Ah, Sango, such lovliness I have never seen coupled with such anger." He said smiling.

"Shut up, Houshi-sama..." Sango growled. She glared at him, making sure to catch up with Kagome, who had paused.

Inuyasha mentally groaned when the girl in front of him stopped. "Keh..." He looked away from her before he got caught staring at her hips. 'I'm not Miroku, I'm not Miroku, I'm not that fucking pervert! I'm not a pervert!' He silently chanted the mantra to himself, praying that no one noticed the blush that had covered his face.

It wasn't his fault she didn't cover herself properly.

Miroku sighed, catching up with Inuyasha. "Ah, the laments of love..." Miroku stared contently at Sango's rear, his eyes following the sway of her hips as she walked alongside Kagome.

"Keh, if you weren't such a pervert, she'd still be walking with you." Inuyasha went back to watching Kagome's hips.

Left...right...left...

Shippou watched them watch the girls and rolled his eyes. "Idiots..." He muttered under his breath.

Miroku glanced towards Inuyasha and saw the demon's eyes trained on the young woman walking a short distance in front of him. "And you call me a pervert?" He teased. "What would that make you, undressing young Kagome-sama with your eyes..."

Inuyasha blushed, looking away from the girl. "Don't be rediculous. I have no desire to see that wench naked." 'Naked...naked...naked...' He shook his head. Damn monk. He'd been hanging around with him entirely too long! He glared at the cursed monk, who had cheerfully resumed his previous 'task'. He saw Kagome glancing back at him with an arched eyebrow and his face darkened. "What the hell are you looking at, bitch?!"

She rolled her eyes. She was used to this. Inuyasha was a jerk. He had always been a jerk, and probably would always BE a jerk. She glanced towards Miroku and saw the monk was behaving...sort of...his eyes were trained on Sango's behind and she elbowed the taijiya and gestured for her to look back at the monk.

Sango glanced back and her expression turned dark. "YOU PERVERT!" She screeched, lifting her Hiraikotsu and smashing it into the pervert's head.

Kagome laughed softly, knowing no matter how angry the other girl got, she knew that she loved Miroku, and vice versa.

"Ah, then perhaps Kagome-sama would enjoy my gentle caress?" Miroku teased the demon hunter lightly. He realized too late that he'd said the WRONG thing.

Two fists hit either side of his face. One belonged to a furious demon hunter, the other belonged to an equally angry half-demon. Both simply walked away from his twitching body. Kagome glanced towards him and frowned, shrugging. May as well set up camp here.

Inuyasha went into the forest to 'gather wood', but Miroku had a distinct suspicion the hanyou was going to be doing something that involved an entirely different kind of wood altogether. He didn't voice his opinion, however, deciding his life was already in enough peril from earlier when he'd suggesting laying a hand on the young miko that traveled with them.

Kagome and Sango had agreed to go find a source of water, and the monk mourned further, wishing Inuyasha were here so HE could watch the camp, leaving Miroku free to follow their two lovely companions and spy on them.

It only took them a few minutes to locate a hot spring and they looked longingly into the water. "Should we?"

"Are you kidding? With that pervert monk around?" Sango complained.

Kagome glanced back. "I think we're safe for a few minutes, and I really need to unwind. I'm pretty sure that Miroku's responsible enough to watch the camp for half an hour while Inuyasha gets wood for the fire."

Sango grudgingly admitted she was probably right and stripped quickly, sinking into the water along with the priestess. "What makes you so sure that Inuyasha is trustworthy?"

Kagome got a sour look on her face. "He said today 'I have no desire to see that wench naked.'" She scowled a bit in irritation. "At least Miroku shows you SOME kind of interst, even if he does go about it the wrong way."

The older girl looked at Kagome with a bit of pity. "True. Inuyasha is such a jerk."

'Oh...shit...' Inuyasha stared at what was in front of him and as quietly as he could, backed away. He'd smelled the hot spring and headed in that direction to ease some of his tension, but this just made it worse! Kagome sat part way in the clear water, her breasts bobbing slightly from the buoyancy. He screwed his eyes shut and began backing away, praying that he didn't step on a twig or anything. 'Dammit! Shit! This is the last thing I needed! I've been around that stupid lech entirely too long! I'm not supposed to think dirty about Kagome! She's just a kid!'

As he silently walked backwards, his eyes tightly shut, he heard a twig snap beneath his foot and cursed, dropping to the ground. As he watched, both girls straightened, giving his eyes more to feast on. 'SHIT! STAY IN THE FUCKING WATER!'

"Sango? Did you hear that too?"

Sango nodded, her eyes narrowing. "I think we should get dressed, and QUICK! I don't know who it is, but I don't think they've seen us yet."

Kagome nodded and they left the water, Kagome squeezing the excess water from her hair.

Inuyasha mentally moaned. He could see...well...everything. He knew he should shut his eyes, but it was impossible. He mentally mourned as the girl began to pull her clothing back on. 'No...wait just another second...' When her flesh disappeared from view, the spell was broken, and he jumped up into the trees, going as quickly as he could back to their camp. He reached it in a matter of moments. "Shit." He grumbled, dropping down and grabbing the bundle of wood.

He walked towards the monk, dropping the wood in front of him. He didn't look at him, chosing instead to move to the edge of the trees and sulk against one. Dammit! He should have smelled Kagome! He should have avoided that place like the plauge! He ran a hand through his hair roughly, hearing the girls approaching. "They're coming back." He announced, wishing he could just run away, disappear for a few hours, get a grasp on his presently raging libido. 'Fucking shit! Why the hell couldn't I look away?!' He fisted the hand in his hair, pulling at it. The pain pushed his libido down a bit.

Miroku watched the whole scene with quite a bit of interest. Inuyasha seemed to be quite frustrated and he smiled slyly. "Why, Inuyasha, whatever seems to be the problem?" He asked sweetly, grinning at the glare he recieved. He caught sight of the girls returning and saw the look on Inuyasha's face as he spotted Kagome and grinned broadly. This was going to be funny.

Kagome stretched as she entered the clearing. "It's a pity that got interrupted...that was SO relaxing..."

Inuyasha refused to look at her.

Sango sighed. "Maybe next time we should ask Inuyasha to be a guard. After all, it's not like he's interested in seeing us naked..."

'Naked...naked...I saw Kagome naked...naked...naked...' Inuyasha mentally slapped himself, looking anywhere but where they were. "Keh." He snorted, pretending there wasn't a raging hard on in his hakama.

Miroku grinned. Now he understood. Inuyasha had gotten an eye-full of lovely lady flesh. He looked towards Sango with interest. "Oh, there's a hot-spring near here?" He asked innocently, glancing towards the hanyou. "Where?"

Kagome glared at him. "I don't feel comfortable with giving you that information." She snapped, then moved towards her pack, pulling out her hairbrush. She began pulling it through her hair, not noticing Inuyasha's eyes on her.

'One...two...three...four...' He counted with each stroke of the brush through her silky looking hair. His hands fisted from the urge to reach out and touch it. His gaze slowly moved down her arm, towards the breasts that shifted slightly with each stroke. 'Up. Down. Up...' He cursed, looking towards the woods, refusing to look at ANYONE around the camp, especially not Kagome, lest she find out how hot and bothered he was.

Kagome watched as Shippou played around with Kirara. She finally finished brushing her hair, then sighed, looking towards the half-demon. She pulled a small cast-iron pot from her bag (an: HEAVY!), pouring some water into it and then she easily carried it over to the fire, placing it just inside careful not to burn herself. She failed and cursed sharply. "DAMN!" She cried, clutching her hand. "DAAAMN..." She whispered under her breath, looking down at her fingers. They were red and slightly puffy.

Sango and Miroku looked at her in shock

Inuyasha heard her exclamation and twitched, glancing towards her in concern. "Oi, are you okay?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay..." She grumbled, returning to her bag and she dropped to her knees, digging through it. "I just burned myself a bit."

Inuyasha stared at her. She was on her knees, bent over her bag. He gulped, forcing his gaze away. 'Damn!' He mentally swore. Slowly, they moved back to her. The wind caught her skirt, blowing the back up a bit and he turned bright red as her underwear were exposed. "CRAP! Woman, go put some fucking clothes on!" He finally exclaimed.

Kagome yelped, looking at the hanyou in shock. He wasn't looking at her, and he was bright red. "What on earth?"

"Fuck it!" He jumped to his feet, storming away from the camp towards the hot spring. He was drawn tighter than a wire, and he needed to get rid of some of this tension.

Kagome watched him storm off, blinking in confusion. Had she done something? She looked at Sango, then to Miroku, who was struggling to control his laughter. "What did I do?"

Miroku calmed himself. "I don't know, Kagome, maybe you should go find out." 'Poor Inuyasha, but he had this coming.'

"Stupid bitch! What the hell was she doing, bending over like that in front of me! Fucking idiot!" He continued to rant, stripping and slipping into the warm water. "Goddammit!" He grumbled.

"Inuyasha?!"

"Fucking hell?!" He wanted to scream. "Stay the FUCK away from me, Kagome!" He shouted, seeing her approaching the hot spring.

She paused, confused. "What is WRONG?" She asked. She stood there, staring at his anger-flushed face, slowly, her gaze sweeping down to his muscular shoulders, then do his rippling chest...She shook her head, looking back at his face. "Please, Inuyasha, I don't like it when you're angry with me..."

He took a deep steadying breath. "Dammit, bitch..." He snarled, turning his back towards her. "Don't ever fucking bend over in that damn skirt again!" He snapped, not wanting her to see the furious blush on his face.

She blinked. "Why would that bother you?" She asked blinking. Slowly, her mind went through the facts. Inuyasha was a dog demon. She had bent over in front of him. Her face turned scarlet. "INUYASHA YOU PERVERT!" She shrieked.

"I DIDN'T DO A DAMN THING, BITCH!" He snapped back at her. "You're the fucking moron who fucking bent over her damn bag! I'm a fucking dog demon, you idiot!" 'Do you realize what that did to me?!'

Kagome blushed furiously, backing away from him. "I'm sorry." She said softly. "I wont do it again. After all, however brief, thinking like that about me was probably traumatic for you. After all you have no desire for me." She turned away from him and ran back towards the camp.

"Dammiiiiiit." Inuyasha groaned, sinking into the water, putting his head in his hands. "I didn't say that, you dummy..." He complained, but of course, she wasn't there to hear him. "Shit."

oooooooooooooooooooooo

The next day, Inuyasha refused to let Kagome walk in front of him. In fact, he stayed as far away from the girl as humanly possible. He didn't look to her and only grunted in responses to everyone's questions. The brief images he'd caught the previous day would be more than enough to satisfy his imagination for a LONG time to come. Sango and Kagome walked behind him, and undoubtedly Miroku was behind them. He didn't care if Miroku touched Sango, but he better keep his fucking hands off Kagome!

Miroku watched Inuyasha with interest. He had guessed right. Kagome had managed to get Inuyasha hot and bothered the day before. He walked up between the girls and smoothly put his arms around their shoulders. "My ladies, I must say you two look absolutely lovely today!"

Sango glared at him darkly. "What the hell are you plotting, monk?" She asked, her voice scathing.

He blinked innocently. "My dear Sango-sama! Whatever makes you think I'm plotting?" He asked, grinning wickedly.

"Because you're not groping us." Kagome pointed out. "Come on, out with it already."

Inuyasha glared back at the monk. "Oi, bozu, keep your damn hands to yourself!"

Miroku grinned wider. He leaned over and whispered to Sango. "Sango-sama...I'm planning on torturing Inuyasha for awhile. Would you care to help?"

"Don't include me in your sick plans!" Sango snapped.

"Plans? What plans?" Kagome looked at her two friends, confused. She walked along, acting like the arm around her shoulder didn't phase her a bit. The fact of the matter was, Miroku had told her his plans the night before, when a blushing, yet teary-eyed Kagome came back to the camp.

"Come on, Sango-sama...Kagome-sama is in on it too. We're just going to make Inuyasha as uncomfortable as possible. If she's lucky, then it'll help her, too. Don't you want your best friend to be with the boy she loves?" He teased his eyes twinkling.

Sango sighed and then finally nodded. "Fine, whatever. I'll help, too."

"Help what?!" Inuyasha turned around and faced them. He saw Kagome and forced his eyes towards the monk with his monk carelessly draped over both girl's shoulders.

"It doesn't concern you, Inuyasha." Kagome said, her eyes narrowing. He could at least LOOK at her...but from what Miroku said, that wasn't the problem. She felt his eyes snap towards her and she stared directly into his eyes. "Let's get a move on." She shrugged off Miroku's arm and walked forward, walking past the demon just close enough to brush him.

Inuyasha froze. Her scent assailed his senses, and he turned, watching her as she walked past him. His eyes went immediately to her shapely hips till a hand smacked him across the back of his head. "OW! What the hell was that for?"

Sango glared at him while she walked past him. "It's not nice to stare."

"I wasn't fucking staring!" Inuyasha objected, his face red.

Sango caught up with the girl, noting Kagome had thrown just a little extra swing into her hips and grinned, adding just a bit to her own as well. Heck, she might as well get a little revenge on that monk for going along with his plan. She looked over at Kagome, who was grinning from ear to ear. She smirked, leaning towards Kagome. "Ne, Kagome, I hope we stop by another hotspring tonight!"

Kagome caught her eye and nodded in agreement. "Yeah...it's sooo relaxing." She sighed heavily. "Too bad that there's no one to stand guard to make sure perverts don't come spy on us."

Inuyasha turned purple at their mention of the hotspring and tried to ignore the enticing sway of Kagome's hips. "Who the heck are you calling a pervert?" He snapped, forcing his gaze away from her lovely round backside.

Kagome glanced back and smiled sweetly. "Oh, don't take it so hard. It's not MY fault Miroku appears to be rubbing off on you." She quipped, then with a flounce, turned back around.

"Keh...stupid bitch..." He growled. Using that term wasn't helping him any. That coupled with seeing her naked...naked...naked...He shook his head hard to stop his thoughts. Not to mention when she...for lack of a better word, presented herself to him. He mentally shuddered and his stomach started doing flip flops.

Miroku watched Inuyasha squirm and idly wondered how he felt, being treated for the first time like the pervert that he'd always tried to convince himself he wasn't. "Oh, don't blame me, ladies, it's his nature!"

"Shut UP, bozu!" Inuyasha snapped, then he jumped straight up, sitting stubbornly in a tree.

Kagome's eyes narrowed with worry. This was a kind of mean game they were playing with Inuyasha. Teasing him and such. What was it her mother had said? 'It's not nice to tease boys, and it can give them the wrong idea...' She lowered her eyes, feeling a bit guilty. "Inuyasha, come on down, we have to find more jewel shards, right?"

"To hell with you!" He snapped, not even glancing at her. "Go fucking find 'em yourself!"

Kagome could take some of Inuyasha's temper, but the fact that he was denying the mere notion that she was attractive was starting to piss her off. "SIT!" She shouted, her eyes pained. She watched the demon's eyes go wide and he tried to hold onto the tree, but her command finished it's business by jerking him down and slamming his half-demon ass into the ground.

He looked up about to yell at her, but he could see the tears dancing in her eyes. His words caught in his throat.

"Do you always have to be such a jerk?!" She practically screamed. "SIT!" With that, she turned and ran back down the street.

"SHIIIT!" Inuyasha growled, trying to push himself into a sitting possition. "That fucking word is really going to piss me off!" He managed to get to his feet and began to chase after Kagome, following her scent.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Kagome wiped her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself. It was starting to get dark, and now she was lost. She sniffled, dropping to the ground behind a rock, wondering idly if anyone had come to find her. She doubted it. Here she was, teasing Inuyasha, doing something that was just plain mean, and then sitting him when he got upset with her about it.

"I really am a bitch." She said softly, putting her face in her hands. It really wasn't Inuyasha's fault that he reacted the way he did. He was just a boy, and a dog boy at that. And besides he probably didn't really fully understand what was happening to him.

"Oi."

Kagome jerked around, her eyes wide. She saw the dog demon looking at her, his face moody. "Inuyasha..."

He walked up, plopping down next to her. He glanced towards her and then looked down at his knees. "Kagome...I-"

"I'm sorry." She said quickly.

He looked at her in surprise. "Kagome..."

"It was my fault...Miroku...he suggested that maybe...by teasing you...I...I'm sorry..." She didn't look at him, blushing faintly. "I guess I kinda hoped that something would come of it."

He looked down, blushing. "So it was all on purpose? The hip swinging and bending over last night?"

"N-no...not that...I really didn't even think that...I mean..." She blushed darkly, looking towards him. "I didn't realize at the time it would affect you...I mean...you did say..."

He blushed darker. "I only said that because Miroku and Sango were there..."

She gasped, looking at him in surprise. "R-really?"

He looked away and nodded. "I...I accidentally stumbled on you and Sango at the hotspring." He admitted, biting his lip.

"Th-that was you?" She peered around and saw the blush and awkward expression on his face. A smile turned up the corners of her mouth. "Inuyasha...you really ARE a pervert!" She said, smiling wider.

"I AM NOT!" He spun around, and upon seeing her smiling at him, he deflated like a balloon. "It was just...an accident."

"How much did you see?"

"I've seen you naked before." He scowled. Too true, and each time, every curve was burned into his memory. This latest time, he had noticed the changes in her body. Her muscles had become more sculpted, her body toned and beautiful.

"How much?" She teased, poking him in the ribs.

He didn't respond.

"Chicken." She said, harumphing.

"Dammit, woman! Everything, okay!" He snapped, his face bright red. "Shit!" He turned away from her, feeling like an awkward boy with his first crush. "I couldn't fucking look away, okay?! Is that what you want to hear?!"

She saw the embarassed look on his face and blushed, feeling a tad guilty. "I'm sorry." She said softly. "I didn't mean...I just...I'm sorry..." She looked at the ground, drawing circles in the dirt. "I suppose we should get back to the camp." She looked towards him and saw that he was wearing a strange expression. "What?"

"How do you know how to..." His eyes narrowed.

"Flirt?" She tilted her head to the side.

He nodded. Does she 'flirt' like this with boys in her time?! She better not, or I'll kill them!

Kagome blushed, looking at the ground. "Inuyasha, things like that aren't really a big deal in my time." She started to stand, and suddenly, rather roughly, Inuyasha pulled her back down. "We need to go back!" She said, feeling suddenly nervous. She really shouldn't have teased him and knowing he might be...well...bothered, and they were alone together...and-

"Are you scared of me?" He asked, leaning towards her. He saw the blush on her face and reached up, smudging some dirt intentionally on her face. "You've got some dirt on your face..." He teased, smirking down at her.

Kagome's eyes widened and she saw him pick up a fist-full of dirt. "Inuyasha...now don't start playing around...KYAA!" She gasped in shock when he tossed it at her. In retalliation, she grabbed her filled her own fist and grabbed him by the rosary, dumping it down his yukatta.

He smiled, glad she decided to play along. The dirt itched, but he didn't mind. With a deep growl, he tackled her to the ground and started smudging her face with the stuff. He felt her arching against him and the playful feeling was quickly replaced by something very different.

Kagome grabbed at the dirt, and she smooshed it into his hair. When her laughing eyes met his, suddenly, they stopped laughing and just stared at each other. She flushed, realizing he had her pretty much pinned to the ground. "I-Inuyasha..."

He turned red and quickly scrambled off of her, forcing himself to look anywhere but at her. He turned around and was about to apologize when Kagome reached forward and mushed a handful of dirt into his face. "Oh...you are so dead..."

She laughed, jumping to her feet and running away. It was no surprise that Inuyasha caught up to her in only a moment. She felt his arms go around her waist and she was spun to the ground, laughing. She looked up at him, her giggles slowly dying. She glanced at his lips and then glanced at his eyes. 'I want to kiss him...' She forced herself to turn her face away so that she couldn't see his pouty little mouth.

Inuyasha stared down at her, trying to understand what she was thinking. He quickly gave it up as it was a fruitless effort. "Kagome..." He wanted to see her eyes. "Look at me..."

She very hesitantely turned and met his eyes. 'I...want him to kiss me...'

Inuyasha's eyes darted to her lips and he began to lean towards her. They were a hair's breath from touching when her hands went to his chest and he was shoved away. He blinked, falling back onto his behind. He sat upright, uncertain of what he did wrong this time. 'Didn't she want me to kiss her?' He felt hurt, but quickly squashed those feelings with anger. "You bitch, what the hell was that for?!"

Kagome forced herself to look away from him. Without a word, she stood up and turned away from him. "We...we should probably get back to camp...the others are probably worried." She said softly, reaching up and trying to dust the dirt off her face.

"Y-yeah..." He agreed, still hurt. "Fine, whatever." He stormed past her and left the clearing. Why the hell didn't she let him kiss her?! Was she angry about him peeping on her during her bath the other day?! He scowled darkly. 'Fine, if she doesn't want me to kiss her, I wont fucking kiss her...stupid bitch...' He glanced back, seeing Kagome following, her eyes looking at the ground. "Sorry about back there. Momentary lapse of judgement. It wont happen again." He said coldly, trying to put more space between himself and the miko.

'Why did I do that?' Kagome flinched at his statement. 'I really did want him to kiss me. Why on earth did I push him away?! Stupid Kagome, STUPID! Something really wonderful was about to happen and you chickened out! Coward!' She looked forlornly at Inuyasha's back. He was walking with 'that' stride again. Was he upset with her? "I...Inuyasha...?" She asked, jogging to catch up with him.

He didn't look at her. "What." He said more than asked. If that bitch intended to make a fool of him, he wasn't going to let her. He put more space between them, refusing to look at her. 'Damn bitch. Didn't her mother tell her it's not nice to tease...'

"I...I'm sorry..." She offered softly, glancing towards him. He seemed to accept it a bit, but his brow didn't relax from it's scowl.

"Keh..." He grumbled, glancing away. "How pointless..." 'You should be sorry, bitch! I fucking let my guard down for a moment and try to kiss her and she pushes me away?! See if I ever let her in again! Bitch...' He mentally thwacked himself. Why did he constantly call her a bitch. It only reminded him of what he wanted to do with her.

"It is NOT pointless! I'm TRYING to APOLOGIZE!" Kagome snapped, glaring at the dog demon.

He glared at her. "Stupid girl..." He ridiculed her, resorting to his usual defense.

Hurt hit her like a ton of bricks. She froze, staring at him as he continued to walk. A tear fell down her face. "Inuyasha...you jerk..." She whispered, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry I'm not perfect like your precious undead girlfriend, KIKYOU!" She screamed, running past him, up the road.

Inuyasha watched her go, his anger melting at her words. "Stupid girl..." He whispered, shaking his head. 'Stupid me for liking her...'

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Kagome furiously scrubbed the dirt off her skin. She muttered dark words while Sango bathed nearby. "Stupid...I should have known...probably mistook me for HER...stupid...stupid jerk..."

Sango looked towards Kagome, but she knew better than to ask. With a sigh, she let her mind drift back to Miroku's stupid game. "Kagome...I don't think we should play Miroku's game. I was always told not to tease boys. That it's mean. I mean...I know that if Inuyasha snaps you'll get what you'd want...but..."

The younger girl shook her head furiously. "I'm not playing it anymore." She said evenly. "I don't care. But I do think we should give them a taste of their own medicine." Kagome clenched her hands into fists. "We treat them how they've been treating us. Maybe then they'll learn how annoying it is..." She looked at Sango, who was grinning.

"You mean like...groping every boy that comes with in arms reach and treating Inuyasha like he treats...well...everyone who gropes you?"

'She caught on quick. She's probably been thinking the same thing.' The girl sat down, looking at her friend. "I'm tired of being treated like garbage. I'm only human and I have feelings to. This is the last time I let that boy make me cry..."

"MIROKU! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THERE!"

Inuyasha's voice caught their attention. They saw the dog demon storm up and Kagome snorted, turning her back away. "Osuwari." She said evenly, watching the demon get slammed into the ground.

Inuyasha had just grabbed Miroku's robes when he felt the weight of her command. "SHIT!" He shouted, slamming into the ground. "Dammit, bitch, what the hell was that for?!"

Her response was icy. "I didn't feel like giving you another free peep show, perv. Now take Miroku and get out of here, sicko."

Inuyasha raised his ears in shock. 'SAMUI!' He glared at her harshly. "Like I want to see someone as ugly as you naked anyways!" He snapped, dragging the monk away. 'Fucking liar...' He said to himself. 'You want to go back and join her and touch her and do terribly not innocent things to her body.'

Kagome looked at Sango and almost died laughing. "Hey, Kagome, we could always just invite them to join us." She said just loud enough for both boys to hear.

Kagome snorted. "Who'd want to see them naked anyways?" She quipped, sinking into the water. She heard Inuyasha walking away and felt a victorious twinge in her heart. "So?" She asked when his mumbled insults had faded away finally.

"You should have seen their faces! They both turned so red!" Sango finally let her withheld laughter explode from her. "And when you said that, Inuyasha...He turned even redder. Oh my god!"

She nodded. "Good. I'm just not sure how long I can keep being mean to him...I mean...I'm not mean..." Kagome looked at Sango who was grinning. "Sango-chan?"

"Well, he's not just mean, right?"

"He's the one who smooshed dirt on me." She said evenly. "I only attacked in retaliation, he started it..." She looked into the water, blushing faintly. Her mind went back to that moment, when their lips had been about to touch and she chickened out. "I really am a coward, you know...something amazing almost happened...and I pushed him away...I feel guilty."

Sango gently rested a hand on her head. "Then let's let the game drop here. We can always pick it up to get revenge again later. Let's just use it when they've done something wrong."

Kagome nodded in agreement and they left the water, and began to dress in her clean clothes. "I know it's mean to tease...but something tells me that'll be better revenge than being mean anyways. Part of me..." She blushed. "Part of me enjoyed doing that and knowing that it was affecting him." She looked down. "Does that make me a bad person?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

The other girl shrugged. "I can't say, Kagome. You love him, so I suspect that someday the teasing will become something more...solid?"

Kagome snorted. "Oh, I'd say something became more solid the other evening." She muttered bitterly. Why HAD she pushed him away, anyways? Things weren't supposed to be this complicated. It was supposed to be easy, like it was in those shojo manga. Where the guys are nice, and the girls fall over themselves and gush around them. Real life wasn't that easy.

Sango looked at her and arched an eyebrow at her bluntness. "Kagome-chan...?"

"I'm sorry, Sango...I really think that I need to be alone for a bit." She said, looking into the water.

Sango nodded, and left the water, beginning to dress. She wasn't sure what was wrong with the girl, but she was sure Kagome needed some time alone to sort it out. "I'll head back to camp." She said, glancing towards the girl. She watched her friend nod idly and began to jog back to the faint fire she could see glowing through the trees.

'Kagome seemed...well...depressed...' Sango frowned. What was going on with her and Inuyasha? Since she'd returned that afternoon, the pair avoided each other like the plauge. She arrived at the camp and saw Inuyasha facing away. "Kagome said she wanted some time alone." She responded to the groups silent question and went to sit by the fire. She glared at Inuyasha. "What did you do to her anyways?!"

Inuyasha stiffened. 'Why is it always my fault?!' He spun on her. "Look, I didn't do a damn thing, okay?! This is Kagome's fault!" And with that, he walked into the trees. The dirt was really starting to irritate him now. He didn't care if Kagome was still at the hot spring of not. He wanted a bath. Idly, he reached up and scratched behind his ear.

He felt some dirt cover his hand and growled. This was all her fault. He began to move forward more quickly. He was going to give that woman a piece of his mind. Playing with him like that! 'Bitch! I'm going to share some harsh words with-'

Soft sobs reached his ears. He looked up abruptly and saw Kagome sitting in the spring, her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking from her sobs. He froze and all his anger immediately fled him. "Kagome." He said loud enough for her to hear him.

She sniffled, turning her back on him. "Please go away!" She cried, sinking deeper into the water. She heard him curse softly and glanced back. She sniffled awkwardly and forced herself to sound cheerful. "Look, I'll head back in a bit...I just really need to be alone for a bit..."

Inuyasha scowled. "You're not the only one who needs a bath." He snapped, shrugging out of his clothing. He shook the dirt from his haori and his hakama and then got in the water. He glanced towards her and saw her back was still towards him. Irritation filled him and he walked towards her, picking her up and dunking her under the water.

She came up sputtered and yelling. "INUYASHA!" She cried angrily. "Don't do that!" She wiped the water from her face and spun on him. Her mouth was open to yell at him, then she realized that she was naked and quickly gave her back to him, dropping chin-deep in the water.

"Well, at least you're not crying anymore." He said idly. "Can I borrow your soap stuff?" He asked, his voice remarkably even.

Kagome nodded. She was bright red, and her heart throbbed when she heard his words. "Were you worried about me?"

"Not really." He said glancing towards her, grabbing her liquid soap and squeezing some onto his hands. He lathered up good and dunked himself under the water. When he came up, Kagome was out of the water and had a towel around herself. He let his eyes trail briefly over her hidden curves before noticing that she was looking at him. "What?"

She turned away from him. "Inuyasha...I..." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry I pushed you earlier...I didn't mean...Um..."

His face twitched. "Gimme a sec, Kagome, we can talk when I'm done, but this dirt in my ass isn't going to wash itself out." His weak effort was rewarded with a soft laugh. He dug around in her toiletries for a longer moment. "Kagome where's that stuff you use to wash your hair..." He complained. "I can't believe you shoved dirt into my hair..." He glared at her.

She blushed, looking down. She found the bottle and passed it to him. "The one that looks like it is a hair moisturizer, if you're interested." She said evenly.

Inuyasha arched an eyebrow. 'Moisturizer? Is that what makes her hair so soft?' He idly wondered, pouring some of the sweet smelling stuff in his hand and foaming his hair up. He felt two soft hands join his in his hair and froze. "Kagome...?" He asked, glancing back at her.

She blushed, biting her lip. "Can I?" She asked gently. She saw the hesitancy on his face and was about to pull her hands back when his covered hers. Her eyes widened when his hands returned to the water. Slowly, she began to move her hands, gently scrubbing the silver tresses. Her hands moved to his ears and she gently scrubbed them as well. She couldn't help but notice how relaxed he had become. She didn't want to stop washing his hair, so she continued massaging his scalp.

He purred. He had tried to keep it in, but when her fingers latched onto his ears the second time, it escaped him. He leaned back, staring up at her, his breathing shallow. "Kagome..." He said softly.

She blushed, meeting his gaze. "I...Inuyasha..." She felt his hand touch the back of her head and tug her down gently. She resisted a bit and saw his eyes cloud over with hurt.

"Not this time, Kagome." He said firmly, turning quickly, grabbing her wrists. He leaned forward before she could object and pressed his lips to hers. His breath sighed out of him at the pressure. "Warm..." He whispered, burying his hands into her damp tresses. It was like a dam had broken, and suddenly everything he was was rushing forward, meeting her kiss after kiss. He felt her hands resting lightly on his shoulders and moaned softly. He opened his eyes and saw tears dancing in hers.

She gave a strangled sob and wrenched herself away from him. She landed on her hands and knees and dropped her head to her hands. "You jerk..." She whispered. She snatched up her clothes and began to struggle into them. She had just managed to get her panties and bra on under the towel when two arms wrapped tightly around her waist. "Let me go!"

Inuyasha started to, but his eyes caught sight of her breasts heaving and he was suddenly hypnotized. "No..." He replied idly, watching them jiggle a bit as she struggled. "You know, the more you struggle, the less likely I am to let you go."

She blushed, realizing his eyes were trained on her breasts and she drove her elbow roughly into his stomach. While he was gasping for air, she quickly struggled into her skirt and shirt. "You PERVERT!" She hissed.

He glared up at her. "Kagome..." He rasped, grabbing her ankle. "You can't run away from me forever."
She ripped her ankle away, feeling the skin tear a bit when it came in contact with his sharp claws, but she didn't cry out. She didn't even speak to him. She just turned on the ball of her foot and ran back to camp.

Inuyasha angrily struck the dirt. "SHIT!" He growled. 'Why the hell does she keep running away from me?!' He quickly pulled on his clothing and entertained the idea of going after her for about thirty seconds. He flopped over onto his back, staring up at the sky. "Baka-onna..." He whispered, his eyes narrowing in irritation. 'Can't she see that I want her?!' With a sigh, he sat up and blinked in surprise. 'Kagome...? No...Kikyou...' His eyes narrowed again. "Kikyou..." He said evenly.

She began walking towards him, her soul stealers all around her. "Inuyasha...does she really fill the place I once did?"

The hanyou got to his feet and turned away from him. "Shut up, Kikyou."

"I deserve to know if you're coming to hell with me or if you're chosing to live on with my copy here in the mortal realm..." She saw Inuyasha flinch at the word copy, and suddenly, he was directly in front of her, his voice dangerously low.

"Kagome...is nobody's 'copy'." He snapped, his eyes narrowing. He looked down at his old love and his eyes narrowed further. "And no, she doesn't fill the place you did. She has her own places." He turned away and found himself staring at Kagome. His eyes widened. "K-Kagome?"

Tears were in her eyes and slowly fell down her cheeks. She felt his eyes sweep over her in concern and they rested on her bleeding ankle. A strangled sob escaped her. "Can't get what ya want from me...so you go to her..." She laughed softly, taking the Ramen cup she'd been bringing him and threw it at him. "I HATE YOU, INUYASHA!" She screamed, turning on her heal and taking off into the forest again, having no direction, not caring where she went.

It bounced harmlessly off his chest and he watched her run from him. His eyes narrowed further, and the was about to turn on Kikyou when her arms went around him. "Let me go." He said.

"You heard her...she hates you...come with me to hell..."

"LET ME THE FUCK GO!" He turned, shoving her away from him, then ran after Kagome.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Kagome didn't stop running. She was trying to wipe the image of them together out of her mind. Tears continued to pour down her face. She'd been coming back to make a truce. To say she was sorry. And to walk up and find him with...with that undead WITCH! It was too much.

She tripped on an upraised root, and fell to the ground, feeling her ankle throb in pain as she hit the ground. She bit her lip, trying to hold in sobs. Gingerly, she pressed her fingers against the tender ankle and let out a soft whimper.

"That's what happens when you run away like that..."

Her eyes jerked up and she saw Inuyasha looking down at her, his face annoyed. Without a word, he dropped to his knees by her angle and gently pressed against it. At her cry of pain, he frowned deeply. "This is a good mess you got yourself into, bitch..." He mumbled, glancing towards the other ankle, where blood was turning her sock red. He pulled off the shoe followed by the sock and looked down at the bleeding ankle. Five neat scratches, from where his claws had torn her soft, delicate skin.

Kagome forced herself to look away. "I didn't mean to intrude on your tryst..." She said, her voice sounding dead.

"Kagome, I didn't go to Kikyou." He said evenly. "You did what you always do and jumped to fucking conclusions." He kept his attention focussed on her tiny ankle, not looking at her face. "I just wanted you to know that..." He stood, then offered his hand to help her up.

Kagome ignored it, trying to get up on her own. Unfortunately, the slightest weight on her ankle caused it to give and she quickly collapsed.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and knelt with his back to her. "Get on." He said, shaking his head. "Stubborn girl..." He muttered. When her arms hesitantly wrapped around his neck, he exhaled slowly, putting his arms under her backside. Easily, he climbed to his feet. "Kagome...it seems like every time...something nice might happen..." He glanced back at her. Her face was hidden in his hair. "You run away from it."

She looked away from him. "Do not."

"You shoved me away when I tried to kiss you earlier...and then you ran off after I did kiss you."

"You were just taking advantage of me!" She objected. "Besides, you don't love me! You love-"

"Don't think you know me so well that you can tell me how I feel about who." He glared back at her.

She finally looked at him. "Then why don't YOU tell me."

He froze, not having expected her to respond like that. He glanced back at her and found her finally looking at him. "Kagome...I'm getting to the age...where a demon takes a mate." He said, his face turning bright red.

She turned red as well. "M-mate?!" She squeaked. She began trying to leave his back, but his hold on her tightened. "Inuyasha!" She objected. "I don't want to be a mate! I want to be loved! This is so not fair!"

Inuyasha stopped, shifting his grasp and bringing her in front of him. He kept his hands on her waist, holding her feet off the ground so she wouldn't hurt her ankle. "Kagome, you don't fully understand what I mean, do you?" He said, staring down into her eyes.

"Mating is having sex, right?!" She tried to push him away. "NO! I'm not just going to be a baby making toy!"

"Would you...shut up!" He wrapped his arms tighter around her to keep her from falling. "Dammit Kagome! Fucking listen, okay!" He saw her eyes widen and tried not to notice her breasts pressed against his chest. Yet, a soft moan escaped him. "Yes, I want to rut with you." He snapped, his face darkening. "But I could rut with you and not mate with you." He saw her eyes widen and he slowly put some space between them. "Dammit, woman..."

She blushed, looking at the ground. "Please, put me down..."

"You shouldn't stand on your ankle!" He objected. Besides, he was enjoying holding her with her unable to run away this time.

"Then at least set me down..."

He nodded, scooping her into his arms and kneeling, allowing her back to rest against a tree trunk, her legs stretched out in front of her. "Kagome..." He knelt before her, his face serious. "I ain't good at talkin to people, you know that..." He blushed. "Especially about stuff like this..." A gentle claw pulled some dead leaves from her hair. "Look..." He took a deep breath. "I'm reaching maturity, and when inu youkai reach maturity, they take a mate. Mating isn't about sex, or children. Human's have something that's like mating..." He wracked his brain. "What the hell is that word. That thing with the fucking sake and shit..."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Marraige?!"

"That's it!" He pointed at her. Then he blushed. "Mating..." He glanced away. "It's two beings joining to be together...sometimes...sometimes children come from mating, but they don't have to..." He played with the sleeve of his haori. "Demon's can prevent that...Kagome...I..."

She felt a flush rising to her cheeks and stared at him through wide eyes. What was he asking her?

"Kagome, I want you to become my mate." He exhaled slowly, his face flushed.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Sango was starting to get worried about her friend. Kagome had been gone for a long time, and there was still no sign of either her, nor Inuyasha. "I wonder what's keeping them..." Sango wondered idly.

"Maybe something good happened." Miroku grinned widely.

"Maybe something bad happened." Sango replied at the same time. "Inuyasha has been acting awfully strangely lately..." She winced, feeling something bite her, reached down and smooshed Myoga. "Myoga-jii-chan...when did you get here?"

Shippou looked at Myoga, then went back to wrestling with Kirara.

"Inuyasha is coming of age, soon." Myoga replied, popping back into shape.

Miroku stared at the flea blankly. "Coming of age?"

Myoga nodded sagely. "The age where an Inu Youkai takes his mate." The demon glanced around. "Speaking of which, where is Inuyasha-sama?"

Sango's eyes widened in shock and fear. "Taking a mate?! SHIT! Kagome!" She jumped up, grabbing her boomerang, and was about to run off into the forest when Miroku stopped her. "Wha-Houshi! Let me fucking go! Kagome could be in danger!"

"Inuyasha can't mate with her unless he has her permission." Miroku said evenly. He glanced towards Myoga. "I suspected something was up. It's very unlike him to stare at Kagome like he has been...But mating?" He shook his head. "I wonder why he picked Kagome and not Kikyou..."

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Inuyasha held his breath, waiting for Kagome's response. Her face had gone through a myriad of emotions before she'd lowered her face. He kept his hands off of her, waiting for her response. After a moment, he looked away. "You don't have to say anything yet..." He said, his voice suddenly sullen. He turned his back towards her, offering to carry her like that. "Come on, the other's are probably worried about you..."

Kagome lifted her eyes and saw he had his back to her and she couldn't see his face. She didn't know what to say. Never, even in her wildest dreams, had she ever imagined Inuyasha asking her for something like this. She'd always known he loved Kikyou...but here he was asking her to, for lack of a better word, marry him. Her heart was screaming yes, but her head interfered, with it's normal doubts. The combination had made her unable to respond. So instead, she wound her arms around his shoulders, and allowed him to carry her back to camp.

Inuyasha chastized himself. 'What did you expect?' He mentally yelled. 'The past three years you've been an indecisive jerk. Torn between Kikyou and Kagome...' He began to walk forward, trying to ignore the shift of her breasts against his back, the urge to press her to the forest floor and force her to mate with him. He squeezed his eyes shut. How he wanted her...

The girl pressed her face against Inuyasha's shoulder. She had always wanted Inuyasha to want her, so why was she hesitating? Why was she so scared to answer him? She was eighteen years old, perfectly normal marrying age in her time. Yet something at the back of her mind was reminding her something she wanted to forget.

'I'm just Kikyou's copy...that's the only reason he wants me...'

Tears filled her eyes, and she sniffled. 'He only wants me because Kikyou's dead. I don't think she can actually have children...her being dead as she is...' She didn't voice her fears aloud, but instead, she pretended to fall asleep on Inuyasha's back.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Everyone looked up when the sullen hanyou entered the clearing where they'd set up camp. The flea jumped up, latching onto his neck. Inuyasha half-heartedly swiped it away. "Inuyasha-sama, has she agreed?!" Myoga asked eagerly.

"Shut up." He snapped, shifting his grip on the girl and gently resting her against her sleeping bag. Her eyes were already closed in sleep. He straightened, then jumped into the tree closest to her, and looked up at the moon.

Myoga frowned in mild disappointment. He had been certain the girl would agree. After all, it was easy to see the girl was in love with him. Why on earth would she deny him? "M'lord-"

"Shut the fuck up." Inuyasha glared down at the flea, his face darkening. "Don't fucking say another word about it." With that, he turned, looking away from the humans and small demons in the camp and went back to watching the moon. She hadn't replied. She'd just sit there, unresponsive. He was angry, he was upset. Disappointed. He felt like a fool.

Slowly, his eyes drifted down to the humans that were slowly adjourning to bed. The kit crawled up beside Kagome, who hugged him closer in her sleep. He snorted, looking away. 'Stupid girl, and stupider me for liking her. What the hell was I thinking, asking her to be my mate! I should have known she wouldn't want me...' He kept his ears roving for sounds that would hint to oncoming danger.

When everyone's breaths had slowed to their sleeping pace, he crept from the tree, sitting beside Kagome's head. His face saddened a bit, and he touched her face. "Forget I said anything, Kagome..." He whispered, hurt filling him. "I should never have put this burden upon you. You probably have some mate in your time that you love...It's...it's selfish of me to ask you to be with me..." He felt his eyes began to itch and quickly rubbed them, keeping the tears away. "Just forget I said anything..." He lept back up into his tree, burying his face into his hand. 'I deserve to be alone. I certainly don't deserve a mate. Especially not Kagome...'

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Kagome contemplated Inuyasha's proposal, the next morning, remembering his request as though it had only happened moments before. The next day, Inuyasha had put much more space between them than was normal, even requesting Kirara carry Kagome, rather than him. It hurt her to have him act like this after his request the night before.

They had been traveling for hours when Inuyasha told them they were stopping to rest. No one had asked him, but he'd glanced at Kagome only minutes before and seen the weary look on her face. When everyone was settled, Inuyasha stalked off into the forest, where Kagome couldn't follow, due to the pain that was still causing her ankle to throb.

"I wonder why we stopped..." Sango muttered. "A few days ago, Inuyasha wouldn't have stopped unless someone was either hurt or..." She stopped herself, glancing towards the girl.

"Kikyou was nearby..." Kagome finished, smiling bitterly. She looked down at her hands. It was her own fault if he'd just run off to Kikyou. She was taking her sweet time, procrastinating with her answer to him. The boy she loved had probably just given up.

"My lady, did m'lord Inuyasha ask for you to be his mate?"

Kagome looked at the ground, her face sad. She didn't respond to Myoga's questioning. 'It doesn't matter. If he picks Kikyou instead of me...I'll be happy for him...at least he get's the one he truly loves...' Kagome buried her face into her hands and started crying, oblivious to her friends attempts to comfort her. 'It's my fault...'

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Inuyasha stepped into the clearing, finding Kikyou waiting there. He remained where he was, across the clearing from her. "Kikyou." He said evenly.

She raised her eyes to his, and smiled. "I knew you would return to me...come...let us...let us go where we belong..."

"I already died for you once." Inuyasha said softly. "I've reached my coming of age, and there's someone who needs me to stay alive now." He shook his head, looking to the ground. "I asked Kagome to be my mate."

"What..." Kikyou stared at him in shock. "You are obligated to follow me to hell!"

He clenched his hands into fists. "I am...obligated to destroy Naraku, to avenge your death, to give you peace. I...I can't follow you to hell, Kikyou. I'm not dead. I'm alive. My heart beats in my chest, and blood flows through my veins. You..." He looked away. "You're merely the shell of a woman who once was." Slowly, he looked back at her, not surprised to see horror and anger upon her face. "I don't love you anymore, Kikyou. I've moved on." He bit his lip, forcing his request out. "Please, don't approach Kagome and I anymore."

She stood abruptly, walking towards him. "Inuyasha, your life belongs to me!"

"I belong to no one." He said, then he turned on his heal, leaving his old love alone there. As he walked away, he felt more empowered than he had before in his life. He noticed an unusual bounce in his step, and the weight on his shoulders felt as though it had halved. He knew he would keep his promise, and avenge her, but...he was free.

He paused, resting a hand against his heart. It beat wildly beneath his palm. He looked up, seeing he was approaching the camp rapidly. He stretched, and entered it. The first person he looked towards was Kagome. To his surprise, everyone was trying to calm her down. Her body was convulsing with the force of her sobs. His eyes narrowed and he walked towards her.

Miroku looked up as Inuyasha approached and his face darkened. "What did you do to her, Inuyasha?!" He snapped, his face angry. He looked at Kagome as one looked upon a younger sister, inspite of his jokes about groping her, he truly had a brotherly love for her.

Sango jumped up, grabbing Hiraikotsu and preparing to fend the hanyou off. "Did you force her?!" She asked, her voice icy.

Kagome's baleful wails met the hanyou's ears and he looked them dead in the face and growled in the back of his throat. "Get out of my way..." He snarled, then pushed them. He reached Kagome and carefully scooped her into his arms. "Kagome..." He whispered, holding her tenderly. "Please...don't cry..." He whispered, rocking her gently. "Please, Kagome..." He buried his nose into her hair, whimpering softly. He hated it when she cried. That would never change.

Slowly, Kagome realized who was holding her and she felt her tears subside. She blinked, looking up at the hanyou who was looking at her with such a heartbroken expression. "Inu...yasha?"

He gently cupped her face, brushing the tears away. "Kagome, we need to talk privately..." He said softly. Slowly, he turned towards the others. "We're heading back to Kaede-babaa's village. Now." He said evenly, scooping Kagome up onto his back carefully.

Everyone looked at him in shock. "Who are you and what have you done with Inuyasha?" The monk asked, resting a hand on his forehead.

Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched. "Shut up, bozu..." He snapped. "There's nothing fucking wrong with me...But Kaede should check Kagome's ankle. If we got attacked right now, she'd get hurt!"

Everyone stared at him.

A blush began to cover his face and he stomped past them, his face annoyed. 'Fuckers...' "Just come on!" He snapped, glaring back at them. He glanced back, seeing Kagome wasn't looking at him. He frowned a bit, lowering his voice so only she would hear. "What's wrong?" He asked softly.

"Did you see her?" Kagome asked softly, staring into the trees. She could see the soul stealers following them. Kikyou had been there.

Inuyasha looked down at the ground. "Yes, but probably not why you think I did." He felt her stiffen in response and he looked at the ground. "I told her to leave us alone from now on. I still have to avenge her...but she no longer has any hold on me."

Kagome's head jerked up and she stared at the back of his head. Slowly, her lips turned up into a small smile and she relaxed, resting her forehead against the back of his head.

He felt the change in her demeanor. He could smell the relief permeating her every pore. He smiled a bit. "I don't need your answer now..." He said softly. "Take your time." He gave her hand a reassuring pat. "I'll wait for you."

Kagome felt her heart lodge in her throat and pressed her face firmly against his shoulder. 'Oh, Inuyasha...' She smiled, a tear rolling down her face. "Thank you..."

oooooooooooooooooooooo

TBC(?)

oooooooooooo oooooooooo