InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Crossed Wires ❯ Put your Money where your Mouth is! ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: Have you ever seen one of those guys that will actually make your mouth water?

I have a few times. I know exactly how Kagome feels! Gotta wonder though, who made RT's mouth water so much she fashioned Inuyasha after him? Oh damn! I need a napkin over here!

RT owns Inuyasha.

"So there you are mutt-face."

Unadulterated, a hard throbbing knot of anger raced through Inuyasha's veins at the image of the wolf demon striding along side the small group that represented his pack. His proximity to one particular female speaking loudly to the snarling beast caged within.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he growled, fingers curling around his sword's hilt.

The wolf dropped an arm around the tiny miko's shoulders and smiled, "making sure my woman is being taken care of properly."

His response was instantaneous, with a swipe, the wolf's arm was removed, the now liberated miko thrust behind his back as Inuyasha squared off in front of the demon. "She's not your woman."

The wolf grinned at the half-demon, "sure she is…"

"So why don't you take care of me then?"

Stunned silence fell on the group as all eyes now rested upon the miko no longer behind the half-demon but standing instead between them, arms crossed under her breasts.

"Ka…"

"….gome" Inuyasha finished what the wolf started.

"If I am your woman, why do you leave me instead of taking me with you?"

The wolf demon rubbed the back of his neck, "You know I travel fast Kagome"

"Yes, and your point?"

Inuyasha straightened and stared between the woman and the demon.

"Are you saying I'd hold you up?"

The wolf demon shuffled his feet pretty much caught out, "ummm no, not at all"

"Okay then."

"Okay then?" both hanyou and demon watched the woman, trying to figure out what was going on.

"I'm coming with you."

"WHAT?" the hanyou's throat was raw from the roar that exploded from the very center of his being.

"So am I" Miroku blinked as the slayer stepped up beside the miko.

"Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa" the monk tried to get his mind around what was going on as the wolf demon blinked in very obvious surprise.

"Kirara you come with us." the slayer called ignoring the sputtering monk.

While Kagome grabbed a small pack from her larger one, and stuffed it with toiletries, pajamas, and a change of clothes she called to the kit, "Shippo you stay with Miroku and Inuyasha" she hugged the kit and whispered something in his ear before bussing his head.

"Okay?"

The kit nodded, "Right!"

No one moved as the slayer and miko crawled onto the neko demon's back. "Ready Kouga?"

The wolf jumped, nodded, and flashing a grin at the half-demon with a "See ya" disappeared in a cloud of dust. Overhead the fire cat, and it's burden vanished in the distance behind the wolf.

Inuyasha howled, his fist plunging into the thick bark of a nearby tree as Miroku muttered quietly, "Sango?"

The kitsune lifted the flap of Kagome's backpack and rummaged. Mindful of what he was doing he liberated the cooking pot, and bottle of water, then dragging both to the nearby fire began preparations for the midday meal.

"They'll be back." he waited quietly for the water to boil as he retrieved ramen to his place beside the fire.

Both men turned, their haunted expressions falling on the kit. "Kagome promised." was his unhelpful reply.

"So…." Sango leaned back and whispered with the wind to the woman behind her, "tell me again what we're doing?"

Kagome grinned, "Okay okay, I guess I owe you an explanation."

"Yea, I mean your 'follow my lead' from last night didn't exactly hold a clue."

She couldn't help it, she laughed "Don't you want to see how the other half lives?"

The slayer smirked and looked down at the whirling wind that was Kouga, "Why not."

"Besides it's nice for once to be the one leaving instead of being the one left behind, isn't it?" both women's faces hardened for a long moment before Sango erupted into laughter.

"Did you see Miroku's face?"

Kagome nodded, pushing down on the lump rising in her throat, 'Inuyasha had looked …' she shook her head, no she wouldn't dwell on it.

She gripped the slayer's waist. This may not be the right thing to do, but to her mind it was the only thing left. She had tried words, she had tried waiting, she had tried anger but she still could not get through to the half-demon who held her heart and soul in his hands. She had been giving, understanding, loving, self sacrificing, kind and nothing she did had made the slightest bit of difference. He could not see her as anything more than a friend, a member of his pack deserving care and protection from it's alpha. But she wanted more, she wanted him.

She conceded her inexperience, conceded that perhaps she didn't have what it took to make this particular man notice her, that was until the wolf demon below had presented the opportunity to show the half-demon that he wasn't the only shark in the sea.

A little healthy competition never hurt anyone, she reasoned, and maybe while she was at it, she'd be able to get it through that wolf's thick head that he didn't really love her. It was worth a shot.

He choked on his anger. A living breathing snarling beast inside of him it slashed at him, bloodying his heart and soul in ribbons of hurt, and pain. She'd left him. He clawed ribbons from the branch he rested upon. She'd left him.

He ignored the soul stealers writhing to the west of him and continued to stare into the darkness in the direction he had watched Kagome vanish hours ago. If he was absolutely totally honest with himself could he blame her? He glared over his shoulder at the writhing pale demons and shuddered. He'd not made it easy on her.

Always yelling, cursing at her, comparing her to her detriment to the past miko and then compounding it all by always running off on what she had supposed were assignations with the woman in question. Where in all of that could Kagome have found any measure of her own importance to him?

His shoulders slumped, now she was gone.

Below him the monk sat, shoulders slumped as well, his focus upon his gloved right hand. Inuyasha conceded he wasn't the only one hurting. He jumped from his perch and padded softly to the monk. "bouzo?"

A forlorn Miroku nodded in the direction of the soul stealers, "Kikyo wants you."

"Fuck that," the half demon frowned slipping his arms into his haori. The monk's short flat bark of laughter brought the half-demon's gaze from the writhing demons to the monk on the ground, "Miroku?"

Empty eyes looked up at the half-demon towering over him. "She left."

Inuyasha sunk to the ground beside the monk, "they both did"

The monk nodded and played with the beads on his hand. "What are we gonna do?"

"We're going to go and fucking get them, that's what!" he hanyou snarled.

The monk's expression lightened, "..and if they don't wanna be got?"

"Too fucking bad."

The monk smiled, it wasn't a pleasant thing, "going to bring our women home?"

Inuyasha's grin was feral, "damn straight."